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world, at length, should be saved?-especially, when other Scriptures are considered. John xvii. 2. it is said, Thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him." If by all flesh, are meant all mankind, at least, (which most people, I believe, will allow) then all mankind will be saved; for Christ is to give eternal life to all the Father hath given him; so it is in the original; not, to as many as the Father has given him. But if we allow a PECULIARITY. here, and the meaning to be, "All the Father had given him as witnesses, and the first-fruits of the travail of his soul, the elect only yet other scriptures, as well as the 21st and 23d verses of this chapter, clearly shew, the world, and the rest of mankind, are not entirely excluded, but will have that life in their season. Mat. xi. 27. Christ says, "All things are delivered unto me of my Father." And again; John iii. 35.." The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.” And into good hands were they given given for when he acknowledges, saying, "All power is given unto me, in Heaven and in earth," he makes a noble, generous, and unconfined use of it, bidding them go and teach all nations-or, if possi ble, more unlimited still, Mark, xvi. 15. " Go into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature :" And as he is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance, with a view, no doubt, to their Salvation, and not to their condemnation. Condemned indeed, some are, and will be, for thei

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neglect, disbelief,and abuse of this glorious Gospel; but not without end, we may hope. For, a further ground of this hope appears, 2 Cor. v. 19. It is there written, "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself.". The Church are actually, and personally reconciled;: they have heard, and believed, and are at peace with God, through Christ. They have recei-ved the atonement, or reconciliation; and the world are reconciling That is, the foundation is laid for their return to God, by Christ. At present they stand out, pull away the shoulder, and refuse to return. But he has ways and means of bringing them to submission, and gaining their hearts to himself; awful indeed, and tremendous to consider; but, restoring and salutary in the end.

Eph. i. 10. seems another, and fresh proof of this point. "That in the dispensation of the falness of times, he might gather together in one, all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, (or the heavens, as the margin reads it) and which are on earth; even in him."

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interpret this, of Christ being the bead of confirmation only, to holy angels, and holy men, or · the elect of God, both under the Old and New Testament dispensations. There is truth in this, but it does not seem the whole truth for, all things, here, is very strong and expressive; and seems to mean more than some of all things only and if we compare this with Col. i. 20.. where Christ is said to have made peace, by the blood of his cross; and God, by him, to reconcile all things to himself, whether things in

earth, or things in heaven; and take in, 2 C v. 18. it appears to refer to Redemption, a not to confirmation; &, in consequence of th to restoration, more than to recapitulation; t to this latter, in the final issue. To reconc is more than to gather together, or recapitulat and implies, want of peace and concord at p sent. Things, and persons, may be reconcilin that are not actually reconciled, though some t often mistake the one for the other. In a sou and good sense, even the unbelieving world m be said to be reconciled to God, and God to ther as appears from Rom. v. 10. and 2 Cor. 19. but not in the sense they hold and mainta it. Fain would many persuade themselve they are at peace with, and reconciled to Go who are indulging their sinful lusts and pa sions; and whose hearts are at enmity again him. Numbers are crying Peace to themselve to whom the Lord is saying, There is no peac These are reconcileable indeed,but not as yet conciled. But, all things are to be actually r ciled to God, whether they be things in eart or things in heaven. Here in this world, it is n so; therefore, in some distant period hereafte

Things in earth may be reconciled, say you but all is harmony in Heaven. How is th true, of that? It should be remembered, the part of Heaven is fallen, but yet considered part of it. The angels which kept not the first estate, but left their own habitations, a reserved in everlasting* chains, under darknes

* The word in the Greek, we have translated everlasting, aidios-which would have been more properly rendered unse

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to the judgment of the great day. re things in Heaven, to be reconciled. And what is strong in favor of this, is, the style and manner in which their misery is expressed.Reserved in everlasting chains, under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day. Not indis

soluble chains, or endless* woe, beyond the great day of judgment; but unknown, or indefinite, or rather limited, as it stands connected with the next verse: For unto, as well as antil, is a word of limitation, sometimes; and seems to require to be so understood in this place. Sodom and Gomorrah, in this 7th verse, are set forth as an example; suffering the vengeance of eternal fire, (aionian fire) and cannot mean endless for she is to rise again, from her ashes her lake is to be healed; (Ezek. xlvii. 8-11. Zech. xiv. 8.)—She and her daughters to return to their former estate, (chap. xvi. 55)—and to be received, and embraced again, by her sisters, Samaria and Jerusalem ; (ver.61) -and to come into the bonds of a new covenant with God. Eternal fire, then, is not endless fire, nor everlasting chains, indissoluble ones: For, EVEN AS, Connects one of these verses with the other, and makes the punishment of them

or unknown; from a, priv. and ́eideo, scio; or, eido, video. 1t is used once more in the New Testament, Rom. i. 20; and theré translated eternal: but with more propriety, according to its ety. mology, unseen, or unknown. ---It is once more used in the Apocry pha; viz. Wisdom, vii. 26; and, with the same justice, might have been rendered as above instead of everlasting.

* It is observable, the word Endless, is used but twice in the Englith Scriptures. Once in a figurative and improper sense, viz. 1 Tim. i. 4.--and once, in its true and proper meaning; Heb. vii. 16-And then, applied to life; and not to misery or death.

both to be finite. And that better answers to the nature of an example; to which the latter is said to be of the former.

We shall next attend to 1 Tim. ii. 4. "Whe will have all men to be saved, and come unto the knowledge of the truth." This verse, as it stands connected, is allowed, by even the Calvinist Expositors, to have Universality in it : but not of Redemption; much less, of Salvation. A universal call, offer, or proposal: but no saving power to obey. Who, that well weighs and considers it, can be satisfied with this? The word ALL, and the word wILL, here, are strangely contracted by such writers; and made to signify much less, than the apostle seems to mean by them. Prayer, and giving of thanks, are to be offered up for all men; the ransom Christ gave, was given for all: and it is expressly said, he will have all men to be saved. And yet this is to mean only some; or, if all, as to offer, proposal, and an unaccountable sort of will, in God; yet, with no purpose, no desire, no real intention, on his side, that more than the elect should be saved. The face, and simplicity,of the passage, is against this: it can only be admitted, by a strain. If God will, and men will not; there is sense and Scripture in this.

But it does not seem his whole will. It will do for the present; and experience shews, it is true. But there is a will in God, that performs what it will; an irresistible, energetie will:and from this, we have every thing to hope for -even the Restoration of all men, to his favor, ikeness, and kingdom: especially, as it is here

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