cannot conceive, that a reftitution of man to any ftate which he has occupied, in flesh and blood, is worthy of the gospel plan; for it is faid of man, in his earthly nature, his best eftate is vanity. But if we view the plan of the reftitution of all things, which is to be accomplished in the fulness of times, a reftitution or restoration from mortality and fin, to a state of immortality and righteoufnefs, it is confiftent with scripture, and worthy of God. If my opponent, in his ftruggles, fhould fay, things do not refer to men, I would afk, what the word things, does mean in fcripture, when ufed as it is in the paffage quoted? I cannot guefs, to what he would apply it. I will quote two paffages more, where the word is ufed; fee Col. i. 20, "And (having made peace through the blood of his crofs) by him to reconcile all things to himself, by him, I fay, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven." That the things to be reconciled are men, may be feen, by verfe 21. "And you that were fometimes alienated and enemies in your minds by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled." The way, in which Chrift effected this work, is expreffed in the 22d verse," in the body of his flesh, through death, to prefent you holy, and unblamable, and unreprovable in his fight." Eph. i. 10. "That in the difpenfation of the fulness of times, he might gather together in one all things in Chrift, both which are in heaven and which are on earth." The reader will do well to obferve the fimilarity between the last quoted paffage and that in Acts. There, it is faid, " until the times of the reftitution of all things," and here, it is faid, "that in the difpenfation of the fulness of times, he might gather together in one all things in Chrift." The 11th verfe fays, " in whom alfo we have obtain

ed an inheritance." No doubt can be entertained, respecting the things to be restored and reconciled, and gathered together in Chrift. There is part of the words of Peter which I quoted from Acts, which ought to be particularly noticed, in order to cause thofe who have faid, the doctrine for which I contend is a new doctrine, to confider whether they are right, in that matter. The words are thefe, "Which God hath fpoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets, fince the world began." If all God's holy prophets believed in the doctrine of the reftitution of all things, I hardly think it is fo modern aз some pretend.

I will next call the attention of the reader to what the holy prophets have faid, in fupport of the doctrine of the reftitution of all things: But as their teftimony ftands on the promife of God to Abraham, which contains the fulness of the doctrine for which I contend, I will notice it, in the first place, as the fum of all which the proph ets have faid, concerning the coming of the Juft One, and the glory of his kingdom; fee Genefis xii. 3. "And I will blefs them that blefs thee,and curfe him that curfeth thee, and in thee fhall all families of the earth be bleffed." This promife is expreffed in chap. xxii. verfe 18, thus, " And in thy feed fhall all the nations of the earth be bleffed." That there may be no difpute what this bleffing is, and that the reader may fee it to be juftification through faith, fee Gal. iii. 8. " And the fcripture, forefeeing that God would juftify the heathen through faith, preached before the gofpel unto Abraham, faying, in thee fhall all nations be bleffed." What a glorious foundation for hope is here. How bleffed was Abraham when he rejoiced in the day of Jefus. How bleffed were the prophets of the Lord who faw these things,

though afar off; the fight weaned their affections. from all earthly things; they fought a city which hath foundation, whofe builder and maker is God. O, thanks be to my God, fince I can call thee fo; the belief of this, thy promife, produces as much heaven, as I am able to bear, while in the body. When Jacob bleffed his fons, he spake of the coming of Shiloh, unto whom, faith he, fhall the gathering of the people be; fee Genefis xlix. 10. How exactly does this teftimony of the patriarch agree with that of the apoftle's; "Unto him shall: the gathering of the people be," "That in the dif penfation of the fulnefs of times, he might gather together in one all things in Chrift." We will hear what the prophet David, fays, concerning the kingdom of Chrift, Pfalm lxxii. 11. "Yea, all kings fhall fall down before him; all nations hall ferve him." Verfe 14. "He fhall redeem their foul. from deceit and violence." Verfe 17. "And men fhall be bleffed in him, all nations fhall call him bleffed." If any wish to argue, that David meant no other than Solomon, by the king's fon, let them take notice of the 7th and 8th verfes. "In his days fhall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace fo long as the moon endureth. He fhall have dominion alfo from fea to fea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth." The moon yet endures, but the reign of Solomon does not. The kingdom fpoken of, in the text, was to be univerfal; but Solomon's was not. Let us take particular notice of the 11th verfe. "Yea, all kings fhall fall down before him." Shall all the cruel tyrants of the earth bow down to him who was born in a ftable? Shall all the haughty kings of proud and wealthy nations, bow down to him whofe chofen companions when on earth were.

poor fishermen? Will you, my opponent, fay, this is a pleasing doctrine to the carnal mind? Herod, who caufed the maffacre in Bethlehem, in order to murder Chrift in infancy, could hardly be persuaded that it was agreeable to his carnal mind to bow before Jefus, at the head of this little band of martyrs. No, carnal mind must be crucified: before all this can be done.

Would it please the prefent kings of Europe, to. tell them, to beat their fwords into ploughfhares,. and their spears into pruning hooks, and to learn war no more? Would it be agreeable to their carnal, proud and haughty minds, to fubmit to the religion of the Saviour? Which of them would, in order to gratify carnal mindedness, abandon all his equipage, his horfes and chariots of ftate, mount a forlorn afs, ride into an enemy's land, preach peace and falvation to his inveterate foes, die by cruel hands, and pray for his murderers in death? And can you believe that all the kings of the earth can bow down before the Saviour, with any more gratification to carnal mindedness, than they could imitate him, in his life and death?" All. nations fhall ferve him." If all nations ferve Chrift, will they not all be bleffed in him, according to the promise? I do not argue that any will be bleffed in Chrift, who do not ferve him; but the text fays, all nations fhall ferve him. Pfalm xxxvii. 10. "For yet a little while, and the wicked fhall not be, yea, thou fhalt diligently confider his place, and it shall not be." Verse 36. "Yet he paffed away, and he was not, yea I fought him, but he could not be found." If the wicked continue in fin as long as God exifts, it appears to me to be improper to fay, yet a little while, and the wicked fhall not be. And if God have prepared a place of

endless torments for the wicked, and that in fight of the righteous in heaven, it is hardly proper to fay, thou shalt diligently confider his place, and it fhall not be. And if the wicked are to be tormented forever, in fight of the righteous, why is it faid, "I fought him, but he could not be found?” Pfalm xxii. 27. "All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord, and all the kindreds of the nations fhall worship before thee.' Who will doubt the falvation of those who turn unto the Lord and worship before him? See Pfalm ii. 7, 8. "I will declare the decree: the Lord hath faid unto me, thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Afk of me, and I fhall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermoft parts of the earth for thy poffeffion." Compare this beautiful paffage with one like it in Col. i. 19. "For it pleased the Father, that in him fhould all fulness dwell." In what a capacious Saviour did David believe! Should a preacher, at the prefent day, recite the words which I have juft quoted, he would immediately be accused of holding the heretical doctrine of universal salvation, as his hearers might be pleased to call it ; or, fhould he communicate the doctrine half as clearly as it is communicated in thofe quotations, that part of his audience who were warmly oppofed to the doctrine would grow uneafy, while thofe who favored the doctrine, would be fatisfied their fpeaker did fo likewife. Some method must be used to explain those scriptures differently from what they fay, or the doctrine for which I contend is fairly proved by them.

Let us pafs to the prophefies of Ifaiah; fee chap. xxv. 6, 7, 8. "And in this mountain fhall the Lord of hofts make unto all people a feast of fat