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PART SE CON D.

An inquiry, whether it be not the benevolent and gracious plan of God, that all men fhall, eventually, be virtuous and happy?

ALL parties agree that God hath

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created man ;-that he was a defectible creature, in his original conftitution;-that he fell from his primeval state and became a finner that God pitied him, in his lapfed ftate, and provided a Mediator, a Savior. In these things, I may fuppofe, each denomiation of chriftians readily concurs. The fule matter of difference, perhaps, will be the extent of the mediatorial defign; whether God really intended the holiness and happiness of all men, or of a part only. The plan of divine and mediatorial benevolence, as just stated above, includes the whole human race. And we can no other way obtain entire fatisfaction in this matter, than by an examination of the facred fcriptures. Reafon knows nothing of a mediatorial plan of God, but what he hath been graciously pleafed to reveal. I fhall ferioufly addrefs myself to an examination of the holy fcriptures, after I fhall have premifed a few plain rules of interpretation, by which I generally conduct my own inquiries after the meaning of fcripture, and by

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which, it may be well, that the reader fhould examine my interpretations.

That fenfe of fcripture, which, upon a firft care. ful reading appears natural and eafy, is generally the true meaning. If there be difficulty in the interpretation of a paffage, in any particular writer, compare the dubious paffage with others of the fame writer, that appear more plain, and are on the fame fubject. This will generally fucceed. If not, collate a number of paffages on the fame fubject, from different writers, and from different parts of the fcriptures. Always remembering that the Bible contains one confiftent fcheme, and that the facred writers agree in their accounts of it. Sometimes it is ufeful to have recourfe to the Hebrew and Greek text; or to revert to the customs, manners, habits,' &c. of the people and places mentioned in the fcriptures. By thefe rules, and in these ways, we have honeft hearts, we may find the true interpretation of fcripture.

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In this part, I fhall take no other notice of the paffages of fcripture which Mr. S. hath adduced in proof of eternal fin and mifery, than I fhall take of any other paffages of fcripture; ufing thofe paffages of his, which plainly prove the extenfive nature of the mediatorial plan, as I do other fcriptures In the next part, I fhall confider fome paffages Mr.S. hath used in support of the doctrine of eternal mifery as objections against universal salvation.

The firft we hear of a mediatorial plan of God, is

in the history Moses bath given us of the defection of Adam and Eve, and of the converfation which the divine Being vouchfafed to hold with them. It is Gen. iii. 15. "And I will put enmity between

thee, and the woman, and between thy feed and her feed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise 'his heel." Divines, and interpreters of all feats of chriftians, have agreed that, by the feed of the woman, is meant Jefus Chrift the Redeemer, who was born of a woman. That fome individual was intended, and not the whole race of men, is much favored by the use of the fingular personal pronoun. This admitted, what appears the most natural and eafy sense of the paffage ?

"He fhall bruise thy head, and thou fhalt bruife his heel." Not that Chrift fhould put an end to the ferpent's existence. This would have been no matter of comfort to Adam and Eve. The ferpent had feduced them. They had now loft their innocence, and were, undoubtedly, fenfible of fome of the fad confequences of their defection, and wanted fomething to encourage their faith and hope in the divine mercy. To tell them that, in fome future diftant period, fome one should arife who would deftroy the ferpent's being, would have prefented them with no prefent ground to hope in the mercy of God. But to have acquainted Adam and Eve in their then prefent circumftances that a great friend and benefactor of mankind fhould arise, who should effectually counteract the defign of the ferpent,

ferpent, open a way of accefs to divine mercy and reftore them and their children to the favor of God; this language would have adminiftered the comfort and confolation which these grand parents of our race then wanted.

The hiftory is fhort. We have reafon to believe that much more paffed between God and Adam than Mofes has recorded. But not to enter into any conjectures concerning what God might have. faid to Adam and Eve; this text is tranfmitted to us, and we have a right to interpret it according to the beft light we have. And if we interpret the words according to their eafieft and moft natural meaning, we must suppose that God intended to deftroy the works, and not the existence, of the ferpent. Sin and mifery are the works of the Devil. These God defigned to deftroy. That God promised Adam that he would deftroy all the works of the devil, and banish all fin and mifery out of the world; is the grand fubject of controversy.

The fimile, made use of, the bruising the head of the ferpent, would easily and naturally lead to the univerfal fenfe; whereas the limited and partial fense appears unnatural and constrained. To bruise the head of a ferpent, is to kill him; and hath been the uniform method of killing ferpents, from the days of Adam, to the present time.

The promise to Abraham, that in his feed "all the families of the earth fhould be bleffed," Gen.

xii.

xii. 3. exceedingly favors the univerfal fenfe of Gen. iii. 15.

By this feed of Abraham all interpreters agree that Chrift was intended. Confider this as a promise of benefit to men through Chrift, and it is difficult to find language more univerfal.

But we will go on to thofe paffages of fcripture that speak expressly of Chrift's interpofition, fufferings and death; and we may eafily fatisfy ourtelves whether they speak of the defign of Chrift's fufferings and death in limited or univerfal language.

The xvii. chap. of John I have chosen to mention in this place for two reasons. One, that I confider it as a clear and plain demonftration that Chrift intended the benefits of his mediation should fo extend to all the world, as that the world fhould be faved by him. Another reafon is, that Mr. S. hath chosen this text as a plain proof of partial election to falvation. And if we may be as fuccessful in refuting Mr. S.'s fcripture proof of eternal fin and mifery, as we have been in refuting his prcof from the nature of divine benevolence, we shall be quite willing to fubmit our examination to the decifion of the impartial public.

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As Mr. S. hath made a partial quotation from the above mentioned chapter only, I beg leave to recite and paraphrase the whole.

"Thefe words fpake Jefus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and faid, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son alfo may glorify thee."

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