eternally triumph in his fuccefs and in his fhare of dominion with God, over a great part of the human race; I cannot think he would have fo highly magnified the riches of Chrift. And to make all men See what is the fellowship of the mystery. Why all men when but a few are concerned in that mystery; or, at moft, but a part of them? This mystery is faid to have been bid in God, who created all things by Fefus Chrift.

How happily does the idea of the creation of all things by Jefus Chrift, agree with the restoration of all things by him? but how illy with a partial reftoration?

And what must have been the feelings of that exalted perfonage, when, on the theatre of the universe, in the open view of angels, and perhaps of innumerable other intellectual worlds, he bled, and groaneɖ, and died, on mount Calvary, to refcue only fome of human kind from the power of fatan, fin, and death; leaving the rest bound in adamantine chains under his dominion, and in eternal darkness and defpair!!

To the intent that now, unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wifdom of God. Does it redound fo much to the glory of divine wisdom, fo to project and manage a fyftem of creation and moral government of men, as to be obliged, after the utmost efforts to the contrary, to leave one half of mankind, in the vaffalage of fatan, that it is worth

while

while to reveal it to more worlds than one ? it appears to me, that the whole mediatorial plan upon fuch a hypothefis, were much better fecreted and kept, if poffible, from universal infpection.

Mr. S. next proceeds to the epiftle to the Colofftans, and cites only chap. iii. 6: "For which things fake the wrath of God cometh on the children of difobedience." No man denies that the difobedient are exposed to the due reward of their deeds, which fooner or later, they muft receive, un less intervening repentance prevent.

Since Mr. S. hath omitted it, we muft quote a paffage of this epiftle, and offer some brief comment upon it. It is in chap. i. 12-20.

12. "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the faints in light."

Giving thanks unto God the Father, who hath provided a mediatorial plan of grace, in the execu tion of which, we are preparing for the inheritance of the faints in the bright and glorious world.

13.

"Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath tranflated us into the kingdom of his dear Son,"

Who hath delivered us from our dark and heath enifh state, and introduced us into the kingdom of light and grace, which is in the hands, and under the direction, of his beloved Son, the Mediator. 14. "In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of fins."

By

By whom we obtain redemption, through his paffion on the cross, even the remiffion of all our fins.

15.

"Who is the image of the invisible God, the first born of every creature."

Who is a glorious resemblance of the invifible God, being the firft and most eminent of all created beings.

16. "For by him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him, and for him.”

For this was the perfon by whom all things in heaven and earth, with all the ranks and orders of intellectual beings, were created; and they were not only created by him, but are all under his government, and fubfervient to his defigns.

17.

"And he is before all things, and by him all things confift."

And he is before all things, both in time and eminence; and by his fupporting hand the universe is fuftained.

18. "And he is the head of the body, the church; who is the beginning, the first born from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence."

And he is the head and king of Sion, the church; who is alfo the firft, as he first arofe from the dead;

and

and therefore, in all refpects, he ought to have the preeminence over all created beings and things.

19. "For it pleased the Father, that in him Thould all fulnefs dwell.'

For it pleased the Father, that, in his adored Son, all fulnefs of wisdom and power, of gifts and gaće, Thould dwell, to be by him communicated for the benefit of the finful race of man.

20. And (having made peace through the blood of his cross) by him, to reconcile all things unto himfelf; by him I fay, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven."

And by him, Jefus Chrift, having laid the foun dation for peace, by his obedient fubmiffion unto death, to reconcile unto himself, the Father, all men and things on earth, and all things in the regions of the heavens that encircle the earth.

This paffage, and that in Ephefians, which we have already confidered, convey as clear and full i deas of a univerfal restoration of all men and things, in the heavens, and on the earth, as language can communicate. All men are to be reftored to virtue and happiness, and every diforder, introduced by fin, to be rectified; and all things to be brought back to their priftine ftate of purity and rectitude, and reftored to the favor of God, the father of all.

Now it is very easy to difcern the reafon, why Mr. S. To flightly looked over thefe two epiftles of St. Paul, that to Ephefians, and this to the Coloffians. Mr. S. proceeds to the epiftle to the Hebrews,

and quotes feveral paffages from it. We will attend to them all.

The firft he cites, which he intends as proof of e ternal mifery, is, chap. vi. 4, 6, 7, 8. "For it is impoffible for those who were once enlightened, and have tafted of the heavenly, gift, and were made partakers of the holy Ghoft;"-Mr. S. omits the 5th verfe, but we will recite it. Verfe 5. "And have tafted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they fhall fall away, to renew them again to repentance: seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open fhame. For the earth, which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herds meet for them by whom it is dreffed, receiv eth blefling from God: but that which beareth thorns and briars is rejected, and is nigh unto curfing; whofe end is to be burned." Allow this to be the end of apoftates, that they fhall be caft into the fire and burned. This, we doubt not, will be the unhappy fate of millions of millions of man kind.

St. John tells us plainly, that, at the clofe of the general judgment, all, whofe names are not found in the Lamb's book of life, fhall be caft into the lake of fire; and that the numbers of these unhappy wretches fhall be fo great, as that death and bell will be caft into the lake of fire; death and bades, or death, and the whole invisible ftate of the dead, will difgorge all that died and were depofited there,, and