that God wills the salvation of all men in particular, and that Christ thus died for all. For, 1. The apostle here enjoins us to pray for all men, because God will have all men to be saved. Now it is unquestionably the Christian's duty, and was the constant practice of the church, to pray for all men in particular; and therefore the reason here assigned of this duty must reach to all men in particular. 2. The apostle reasons thus: God will have all men to be saved, because he is the God of all, the common Father, Creator, Governor and Preserver of all men. Now thus he is the God of all men in particular; and so this argument must show that he would have all men in particular to be saved 3. He will have all men to be saved, saith the apostle; for therc is one mediator between God and ren, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all. Now if the argument from one God was, as we have proved, designed to show that he is the God of all men in particular, the argument from this one mediator must also prove Christ the mediator of all men in particular. Hence he is here emphatically styled the man Christ Jesus, to intimate unto us, that having taken upon him the nature common to us all, to fit him for this office, he must design it for the good of all who were partakers of that nature; for as he was a man, he surely was endued with the best of human affections, universal charity, which would excite him to promote the welfare of all. As he was a man, he was subject to the common law of humanity, which obliges us to endeavour the common benefit of men." Annot. in loc.

Such is the annotation of WHITBY, on the passage before us; and the argument is, to my mind, equivalent to demonstration. Nevertheless, the learned commentator believed in and advocated the doctrine of endless punishment with which, however, his reasoning is radically irreconcilable. I fully unite in his explication of the will of God; and will now proceed to notice the objections you may perhaps feel disposed to urge thereunto.

And the first I shall name is the Arminian cavil, that the expression, God will have all men to be saved, simply

denotes the desire of the Almighty that such may be the issue of the Divine economy. Although a Calvinist, you are compelled to adopt this view of the subject-for, should you admit that the will mentioned is a determinate purpose of the Lord, you must either concede the truth of Universalism, (which you term a (6 most ruinous device of the devil,") or grant that the determinate purpose of God will be eternally thwarted by the iniquity of man. The latter position is as discordant with enlightened reason as it is with the Bible doctrine of the Divine efficiency; and you therefore must totally disallow it. And as you are not yet prepared to concede the truth of Universalism, you must adopt the Arminian cavil before adverted to. You have no alternative.

But you are in no better condition, in this state of the case, than you were before-for, since you admit that God desires the salvation of all men, you must either concede that all men will be saved, or deny that "the desire of the righteous shall be granted," Prov. x. 24. Now, sir, it appears to me that he who " openeth his hand and satisfieth the desire of every living thing," Psalm cxlv. 16, will certainly so arrange matters as to satisfy his own. Besides: how does it consist with true theology, to allege, that the Supreme God desires a consummation which he has not purposed to effect? or that he wills a result which he does not desire?

Should you deny that God desires the salvation of all men, you must admit one of three positions: 1st. That he is wholly indifferent to the fate of the children of humanity; 2d. That he desires the endless wretchedness of all our race; or 3d. That he desires the salvation of a part or portion of the human family, and the interminable misery of the rest. The first and second positions are exploded by the testimony that Jesus "gave himself a ransom"-which argues against indifference, and proves a Divine desire for salvation to some extent; and the consideration that he "gave himself a ransom FOR ALL," demands a reply to the question, how the one Mediator could

consistently give himself a ransom for a greater number than the one God desired to save?

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Moreover since Jesus gave himself a ransom for all," you must either admit that all will be restored, or consent to the appalling conclusion that Christ died in vain! Now, sir, the Bible instructs me to believe, that our blessed Master "shall see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied," Isa. liii. 11; and that he who " tasted death bep Tavros for all," Heb. ii. 9, shall finally "subdue all things to himself," and deliver up the kingdom to the Father," that God may be all in all."

I have thus attempted to show, that even should the will of God named in the text be considered expressive only of desire, the argument is conclusive in proof of universal salvation. Nevertheless, I hold that the declaration, God will have all men to be saved, expresses the determinate purpose of the Almighty. He WILL HAVE all men to be saved. Were the Bible to declare that he will have all men to be interminably wretched, I would not presume to advocate the salvation of any, on scriptural grounds; and I see not how you can consistently contend for the endless perdition of even a single soul, so long as you are certified by Divine revelation that God πάντας ἀνθρώπους θελει owenvat, "will have all men to be saved." When Jesus said to the leper, eɛλw, I WILL, be thou clean," Matt. viii. 3, his will was a determinate purpose; and the same remark is applicable to the testimony of Paul in Ephes. i. 9-11: "Having made known unto us the mystery of his WILL, according to his GOOD PLEASURE, which he hath PURPOSED in himself, that in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in him in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will."

In this passage you perceive, 1st. That the WILL, GOOD PLEASURE, and PURPOSE of God are associated-which

fact destroys the supposition that his will, in reference to the final destiny of man, is only a matter of desire; 2d. That the will, good pleasure and purpose of God embrace the final gathering of all things into Christ; 3d. That God purposed this, not in man, (for if dependent on the creature it might fail,) but IN HIMSELF, in the immutability of his own nature; and 4th. That he who revealed this glorious and ineffably sublime mystery, "worketh all things (not according to the imaginings, faith or works of men, but) after the counsel of his own will." The inference is that he HAS a will-yea, that HIS will is primary and independent. This accords with the testimony in Isa. xiv. 27: The Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?" Also it harmonizes with the fervent prayer of the Christian's heart, "Thy will, O God, be done."

Collateral evidence of the final universal in-gathering pointed out in the preceding testimony, is furnished in abundance by the voice of inspiration. Jesus said, "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me," John vi. 38; and we have seen that he who sent the Messias, "will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." In accordance with the spirit of his mission, our Saviour said, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me," John xii. 32. The fulfilment of this glorious purpose, is guarantied by the promise, and the oath, and the power of God. Confirmatory of this conclusion, I cite the following: "The Father loveth the Son, and hath given návra all things into his hands," John iii. 35. "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out," John vi. 37. The reason assigned of the latter declaration, is stated in the passage first cited in this paragraph. How beautifully this testimony harmonizes with the promise in Psalm xxii. 27, 28: “All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord; and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship

before thee. For the kingdom is the Lord's; and he is the governor among the nations."

As I consider you virtually an Arminian, though nominally a Calvinist, I feel at liberty to notice an objection to the foregoing doctrine of Divine revelation.

We are frequently told that God will not do aught in violation of human agency-and that, as all men do not will to be saved, universal salvation cannot consistently be effected-inasmuch as such result would imply the aforesaid infringement.

In reply, I remark, that, in the judgment of Universalists, man is a moral agent; that all the agency he possesses is the gift of God; and that to said agency no violence will ever be offered by the Giver. Nevertheless, we hold that he who is the Author of, has the power to give to, the agency of man such impulse, and to his will such a direction, as infinite benevolence may prompt; and to do this in such a way as not to contravene the liberty of the human mind. No violence was offered to the agency or will of Saul of Tarsus-yet that prominent persecutor of the saints, became an eminent apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, not primarily by, but in conformity with, his own will. And we heartily believe, and rejoice in believing, that the Divine efficiency which accomplished this work in the chief of sinners, will never lose its power; and that it will go on conquering and to conquer, until the will of every son and daughter of our race shall bow in meek submission to its life-giving energy, and partake of the celestial joys which nought but the grace of the Lord can bestow.

Yours respectfully,

ABEL C. THOMAS.

TO MR. EZRA STILES ELY.

Philadelphia, July 7, 1835.

Dear Sir-Certain Samaritans believed in the Saviour