an abufe of liberty, and punishment is inflicted with a view to prevent that abuse in others, and thereby to preferve moral order. When a man is brought to the gallows for murder, you may meet with rogues and alfaffins, who would fet him at liberty if they poffibly could; but does it follow from hence, that the execu tion of fuch a man is an act of injuftice? 1. OUR SECTION XIV. On the DUTY of Chriftians. UR Lord has commanded us to love all man"kind, even our greatest enemies. But if God doth "not love all himself, Chrift hath commanded us to "be more perfect, in that refpect, than our Father, "who is in heaven."* We are commanded to love our brethren, our neighbours, and our enemies; but thousands of Chriftians do this, without falling in love with devils and damned fpirits. 2. We are commanded to do good to all men, 66 as we have opportunity."+ True. But what opportunity have we of doing good to the inhabitants of hell? If the Univerfalifts will fhew us in what way it is in our power to ferve them, we fhall feel no objection to afford them all poffible affistance; but it ought to be kept in mind, that the Scriptures do not reprefent them as objects of mercy, but as monuments of wrath. But it is remarked further, that we are commanded to overcome evil with good. Rom. xii. 21. And it is afked, Will not God then overcome evil with good? And if he do, Is not the Reftoration-Scheme true? I afk *Dialogues, p. 109. Univerfalists' Miscellany, Vol. 1. p. 312 afk, Can we always overcome evil with good? We can only ENDEAVOUR to do it, but muft ftill leave men at their liberty, as God alfo does; for though the goodnefs of God leadeth to repentance, yet fome defpife the riches of His goodness, and treasure up unto themfelves wrath against the day of wrath, Rom. ii. 4, 5. And in the very paffage in which we are commanded to overcome evil with good, the reafon affigned is, not that God always overcomes evil in this way, but, becaufe It is written, VENGEANCE IS MINE; I WILL REPAY, SAITH THE LORD. "3. We are commanded to forgive all men their "trefpaffes, and to pray, faying, 'Forgive us our "debts, as we forgive our debtors,' Matt. vi. 12—15. "Now, is it poffible to fuppofe that our Lord would "command us, upon pain of his higheft difpleasure, "to forgive thofe whom he hated, and determined to "punish while he should exift, without having the "leaft defire or defign to do them good?"* God does not ftand in the fame relation to men, that one man ftands in to another. And according to the difference of relations, the conduct must be different. Hence, we may admit the premifes, and yet deny the conclufion. A parent who hazards his life to, fave his child, only acts a part which becomes him, confidering the relation in which he ftands to it. But view the fame man as a foldier in the field, and the cafe is altered. It is now his duty to expofe his life to deftroy the enemy of his country.-If God will forgive every offender, why has he annexed penal fanctions to his laws? or rather, why has he published any laws? If it may be inferred from the duty of forgiving injuries being enjoined us that God will forgive all men; it will follow, that as we are required to forgive them in this life, God will forgive them in this life alfo ; and then there will be no future punishment at all. I cannot * Dialogues p. 110. I cannot think that the precept to forgive, is to be understood in that abfolute fenfe for which the Univerfalifts contend; fince God has inftituted the office of civil magiftracy, to be a terror to evil-doers. Now if the precept to forgive injuries implied, that we ought not, in any cafe, to feek redress by law, for what end did God ordain the civil powers? Rom. xiii. 1. But if our forgiving others implies no more than that we ought to be of a merciful difpofition, and not to revenge injuries without applying to lawful authority, nor make fuch application with any other view than a regard to the interefts of fociety, then this command can never be urged in fupport of the doctrine of Reftoration, becaufe we have reafon to believe that God has a regard to the interefts of his creatures, confidered as a whole, in punifhing the wicked with endlefs mifery.-The fact is, that repentance in the offender is neceffary to entitle him to a pardon. "If thy brother trefpafs against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him." Repentance is as neceffary a condition to entitle us to the favour of God: "Except ye repent, ye fhall all likewife perish." But if fome may be fo far loft to virtue that it is impoffible to renew them again unto repentance, (Heb. vi. 4-6.) then fome will never be forgiven, And indeed we are exprefsly told that the blafphemy against the Holy Ghoft, hath never forgiveness--fhall not be forgiven. "4. We are commanded to pray for all men, 1 Tim. ii, 1-8. Obferve, the apofile recommends prayer for all men: and wills that men fhould pray every "where at all times, and in all places, lifting up holy hands If what Mr. Wright fays be true, namely, "That God can"not act towards any creature, at any time, but from a principle, "of love," I cannot fee what end can be answered by our praying for other people, or even for ourselves. If God be neceffarily impelled to acts of love, what neceffity for prayer? We might as well pray to Him to be omnipotent, immutable, omniprefent, omnifcient, &c. as to be gracious unto us. "hands, without wrath and doubting. O what a word is this! May we, ought we, to pray for the "falvation of all men without doubting? Surely God would never have commanded us to do this, "unless it was his purpose to reftore all men in his 66 own time."'* Mr. Fisher has given an answer to this argument. "As the will of God," fays he, "is the alleged rea"fon why we are to pray for all; if the devils alfo "will be faved, the fame reafon will equally apply ❝to them alfo, and by a parity of argument, prayers, "fupplications, and giving of thanks, fhould be made "for the prince of devils and all his infernal affoci❝ates. But we have not heard whether the advo"cates for Univerfal Reftoration are perfectly con"fiftent in this matter." 66 This brought from Mr. Vidler an avowal, that they do not pray for devils, nor for those men who have finned the fin unto death. Now is it not very fingular, after this, to hear him faying, "And upon the common parentage of Deity, and proof of it by "the gift of Chrift, he founds his proof of God's de"determined good-will to all men, in that he will "have all men to be faved, by coming to the know"ledge of the truth; and upon the whole of this he gives the precept to pray for all, as before noted, "and confirms it again, ver. 8, I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, "without wrath and doubting?"+ 66 I with Mr. V. and his friends to obferve, that the Apoftle does not fay, I will that a few Univerfalifis pray in faith for the falvation of all the world;' but, "I will that men pray every where, lifting up holy "hands, without wrath and doubting." Now to * Dialogues, p. 110-112. + God's Love. p. 24. come come to matter of fact; Do men pray every where în faith? Do men every where lift up holy hands? Any perfon of the leaft obfervation knows they do not. The natural inference is, that the will of God, upon this fubject, as expreffed by the Apoftle, is in thoufands of infiances awfully refifted. But if the will of God refpecting the devotion and holiness of all men may be effectually refifted, then his will refpecting their falvation may be effectually refifted alfo; for no man can be faved without perfonal prayer and holinefs. But if it be till infifted on, that one man ought to pray in faith for the falvation of another, and that God is determined to fave all men, I wish the Universalifts to answer me a few questions. Will God fave all men whether we pray in faith for their salvation or not? Or are believers neceffarily led to pray in faith for the falvation of all men? If it be the duty of believers to pray in faith for the falvation of all men, would it not be beft to exercife that faith for them while they are in this world, and so prevent their ing to hell at all? But if fome meu are now in hell, and the Univerfalifts are praying for the falvation of all men, are they not, like the Papifts, praying for the dead? If the Univerfalifts do not pray for the damned, how can their restoration be inferred from this paffage? It will not, furely, be asking too much, to requeft thefe gentlemen to be very explicit when they write again upon this fubject. go Ver. 1, 2, the apoftle exhorts to prayer for all men, for kings and all in authority, not that all may be faved, as the Univerfalifis pretend, but "that we 66 may lead a quiet and peaceable life." He proceeds to remark, that God is willing all men fhould be faved, having provided a Saviour for them. He then commands that men pray every where, lifting up "holy hands, without wrath and doubting." The obvious meaning is, that, fince God is willing to fave |