degrees of punishment, illuftrates the fubject by relating the cafe of a Mr. M., who underwent a fevere flogging when he ferved in the army. "When he first began to feel the lafh," fays Mr. W." he was exceedingly enraged. But before " he had received half his punishment he faw "clearly that they had acted right. He was en"tirely cured of all his rage, from which he was "as much freed by his punishment, as ever an "effect was produced by a caufe.. This I think "is an argument ad hominen; and I think it must "be admitted that although a certain degree of "punishment will enflame, harden, and enrage, "yet farther degrees produce quite contrary ef"fects.' 19* If men are as fully cured of their bad tempers by punishment, as ever an effect was prom duced by a caufe, it may be demanded, in the name of common fenfe, how the Blood of Chrift can be concerned in the cure? In the following work much is faid about the Liberty of Moral Agents. It is not pretended, however, that men are free by nature to choose good, fince this power was loft by the fall. Its restoration is afcribed to the grace of God through Jefus Chrift, and hence the whole glory of man's redemption is as fully fecured to the Divine Redeemer by the advocates for Moral Liberty, as it can be by the abettors of the Doctrine of Neceffity.† *Dialogues, p. 163-164. 4th edition. It "When a man lofes a limb or an eye, or is wounded in any mortal part, he cannot have that limb restored, or be "recovered but by a miracle; and the fame will hold as to the "fpiritual functions; when they are loft or difabled, only he that gave them can reftore them. Now this the Holy Scriptures and the Catholic Church have taught us to be the cafe of the "will of man in its corrupted ftate as to fpiritual objects, and therefore the effectual interpofition of God's power to reftore 66 man It may not be amifs to remark here a late diftinction between Salvation and Reftoration. Mr. Wright confiders this as a matter of " no fmall importance," and charges Dr.Ryland with "unfairness," and with "changing the terms of the queftion," for not attending to it.* According to this diftinction, the faved are preserved from going down into the pit, and the restored are delivered out of it. Mr. W. demands," Why are the advocates for Univerfal Restoration charged with maintaining Univerfal Salvation?" The answer is-because they do maintain it in their writings. See Winchester's Dialogues, preface, p. 7."UNIVERSAL SALVATION," fays he, "is an antidote to all these evils," &c. If they choofe to give it up, they must give up, alfo, all thofe texts which relate to the falvation of finners, fuch as 1 Tim. ii. 5, 4.-iv. 10., as affording no aid to their caufe; and then the controverfy will be brought within a much narrower compafs.t It may be neceffary for the reader to know how ftrong his faith must be in order to believe the doctrine of the Reftoration. Mr. Winchefter, in his "man, is the Chriftian doctrine. But though the reftoring the , faculty to its former ftate, be the immediate work of God's Spirit, yet the acts performed by that reftored faculty are "man's, and he is free in the exerting of them." gin of Evil, Law's Note, p 408-409. 2d edition. * Examinatiou, p. 28. King's Ori + Mr. Winchefter, in his Dialogues, p 101, renders 1 Tim. ii. 3, 4, thus: "God our Reftorer, who will have all men to be restored." Now fince the apostle ufes the plural pronoun of the first perfon in this paffage, (nuwv, our, or of us,) if we interpret it according to Mr. Wright's diftinction, we muft fuppofe that both Paul and Timothy would be adjudged to hell for a time and if all men are to be reftored, (and the Universalists will admit of no conditions here, nor of a reftricted fenfe of the word,) then all men must be fent to hell: for none are faid to be restored, according to their phrafeology, but those who have endured future punishment. his fermon on Philip. iii. 20, obferves, "It requires a vaftly ftronger faith to believe this im ཏ portant truth firmly upon the divine authority, "than any one in the Bible; and therefore I do "not wonder that many good people who have faith "enough to truft their fouls in the hands of Jefus, and to believe that he will fulfil all his promifes "in their behalf, both as to foul and body, for "this life and that which is to come, have not "enough to enable them to believe the final reflora"tion of all things. "The faith that was neceffary for Abraham,. "in order to believe that he should have a fon in. "his old age, and should be the father of a mul titude of nations, was not to be compared to "the faith neceffary to believe that our Lord is "able, and that he will finally fubdue, rehead in "himself, reconcile, and restore all things. "If GOD was to inform me by his word that "he would create a thousand worlds more than "he has, turn all the animals into rational crea"tures, change ftones into living intelligences, "and. perform ten thousand more fuch wonders "in creation; it would not be half fo dif"ficult for me to believe, as the doctrine of "the Restoration." Who could have more effectually burlesqued the doctrine of the Restoration! The father of the faithful had no faith when compared with that of Winchester and his followers! If none can believe the Restoration but those who have this vaftly stronger faith than is neceffary to their own falvation, the author is under no apprehenfion on account of his readers. THE THE DOCTRINE OF UNIVERSAL RESTORATION EXAMINED, &c. THE SECTION I. On the PERFECTIONS of GOD. HE Univerfalifts pretend to prove from the divine Perfections, as well as from Divine Revelation, that the Reftoration which they contend for, muft take place; and that punishment cannot be eternal. The following obfervations go to prove that we cannot arrive at any certain conclufion upon this interefting fubject, merely from reafoning on the perfections of God; fince thofe perfections do not furnifh us with data, from which we may calculate with precifion, the future condition of impenitent finners. It may be fuppofed that fome virtuous people have not fo large a flare of happiness as of mifery in this life, and hence it may feem reafonable that the Almighty fhould make up the deficiency in the life to come. But this does not apply to the cafe of the wicked. Abraham reafoned well in Gen. xviii. 25. Suppofe then God were to annihilate the whole of the human race; the wicked at death, or after a period of fuffering, and the righteous when their tum of happiness is equal to, or in fome degree exceeds their fum of mifery, what injury would His perfec-. tions fuftain by this? Would He not be the fame juft,, |