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toration, everlafting life is refiricted, by the will of God, to believers.

"Thou

It is impoffible to make common sense of chap. xvii. 2, 6, without admitting this diftinction. "haft given Him power over all flesh. I have mani. "fefted thy name to the men which thou gavest me "out of the world." Here we fee that all are given into the hands of Chrift, and that fome are given Him out of thefe, i. e. out of the world. Of the former it is faid, He hath power over them, i. e. to govern them. But of the latter it is faid, He hath ma nifefted the name of God to them, i. e. to fave them. We fee alfo that the gift in this latter fenfe is not fo extenfive as in the former; and if it were, the Reftoration intended could not be inferred from it, for Judas was one of thofe given to Chrift out of the world, and yet Judas became a fon of perdition, and was loft: ver. 12.

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On John xii. 32, Mr. Winchefter remarks, "He was lifted up from the earth, and therefore the IF ❝is now no more; he will certainly draw all unto "himself, and give eternal life, or the knowledge of "God, to all."* But where is the proof that, to draw all unto Himfelf, fignifies, to give eternal life to all ? In the preceding verfe, with which this is immediately connected, our Lord is fpeaking about judgment, not falvation. "Now is the judgment of

this world; now fhall the prince of this world be " caft out." He then adds And I, if I be lifted "up, &c." The paffage may be thus paraphrafed, "Now is the judgment given concerning Satan's ufurped authority over this world. As its prince he is judged, (chap. xvi. 11.) and fhall be caft out.. And when I have fuffered upon the cross, my 4. Father will exalt me to the head of His moral "government;

* Dialogues, p. 143.

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46 government; I will then act in a judicial capacity in relation to men-I will draw all men unto my tribunal."

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The promise made to Abraham has often been urged urged in favour of the doctrine of Reftoration. "This," as Mr. Fisher obferved, 66 as it is explain"ed by the Apoftle, Gal. iii. 8-26, is referred to "Chrift, and fuppofed to receive its accomplishment ❝ in all those who believe the gofpel; and that the "reft of mankind are not interested in that promife,

but remain under the curfe." This is very clear: "And the Scripture foreseeing that God would juf"tify the heathen through faith preached before the 66 gofpel unto Abraham, faying, In thee fhall all na❝tions be bleffed. So then they which be of faith (6 are bleffed with faithful Abraham. For as many 66 as are of the works of the law are under the curfe. "But the Scripture hath concluded all under fin, "that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be 66 given to them that believe." If the bleffing be not here reftricted to believers, and the reft left under the curfe, I will give up all pretenfions to common fenfe. Mr. Vidler however contends that this is not the "full 66 import of the promise." This is only faying in other words that unbelievers are not under the curfe. Poor Paul! what a fhort fighted creature thou art not to understand the full import of the promises! "We "diftinguifh," fays Mr. V. "betwixt the commence"ment, progrefs and confummation of the prophetic 66 promifes of God." Diftinguish as you will you cannot extend the bleffing to unbelievers without giving the lie to the Apoftle. Mr. V. however makes the attempt, and we fhall fee presently with what fuccefs. "The promife made to Abraham that he "fhould be the heir of the world, Rom. iv. 13, ul"timately referred to Chrift whom the Father hath "appointed heir of all things, Heb. i. 2. The Apotle "explains the phrafes all nations, all the earth, all "the families of the earth, by the world, and all "things

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things. In Peter's addrefs to the Jews, in Acts iii. 19-26, he connects the reftitution of all things (ver. 21.) with the covenant which God made with their fathers. Surely to be heir of all things, muft fignify fomething more than to be heir of the church, and the Reftitution of all things must C mean fomething more than the falvation of the church."*

Let the promife made to Abraham, that he fhould be heir of the world, refer ultimately to whom it may, it is exprefsly limited to believers. "For the promise "that he fhould be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his feed, through the law, but through the righteoufnefs of faith. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, 4 and the promise made of none effect. Because the law worketh wrath, Rom. iv. 13, 14, 15.

"The Apostle Peter connects the Reftitution of all things with the covenant which God made with the fathers. Surely the Reftitution of all things muft 66 mean fomething more than the falvation of the

church." And who ever denied it. But muft it 66 furely mean" the restoration of wicked men and devils out of hell? This is the task which Mr. V. · undertook; but he has failed in the performance of it. Of thefe "times of Reftitution of all things," the Apoftle informs us, "God hath spoken by the

the mouth of all His holy prophets fince the world "began." Now can Mr. V. produce any thing out of the writings of all the prophets fince the world began, in fupport of his doctrine of Reftoration? But I will fpare him the trouble. Peter immediately men, tions one of the prophets who fpake to the fathers upon this fubject. "Mofes truly faid unto the fa

thers, A Prophet fhall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; Him ❝ fhall

*God's Love to His creatures. p. 17.

hall ye hear in all things, whatfoever He hall fay "unto yon. And it fhall come to pafs, that every foul which will not hear that Prophet fhall be deftroyed from among the people," ver. 22, 23. In thefe times of Reftitution, then, according to Mofes, it fhall come to pafs that every unbeliever shall be deftroyed. Mr. V. therefore spoke very wifely when he obferved that the Reftitution of all things must mean fomething more than the falvation of the church, for we fee that it includes in it the deftruction, not the falvation, of her enemies.

SECTION VIII.

On RECONCILIATION by CHRIST, and his INTERCESSION.

MR. WINCHESTER makes the following remark upon Colos. i. 15-20. "As the word all is gene"rally acknowledged to be used in its moft extenfive "fenfe in every place of this paragraph except the "laft, there is no reafon to be given why the Apoftle "fhould change the fenfe of the word without giving (6 us the leaft notice of it."*

Mr. Vidler alfo is of opinion, that the reconciliation fpoken of in this paragraph includes devils as well as men. "Let it be obferved," fays he, "that all ra"tional creatures are either things in earth, or things "in heaven; i. e. things of earthly original, or things "of heavenly original: nothing was made in hell,

even hell itself is only the confequence of the crea"tures' tranfgreffion. All the things therefore which

* Dialogues, p. 43.

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are

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66 are in heaven, or which are in earth, muft mean (6 every rational creature that needed reconciliation. "That this is the fenfe of the Apostle may be juftly "urged from ver. 15. It will not be denied that every man and every angel are here included, as being created by Chrift, and for Chrift, and having "their existence in Chrift. Paul then goes on to fay "that Chrift is the head of the body, the church, &c. "Let any man afk,

66 1. Whether it be not here included that Jefus "Chrift made the Devils; not indeed as devils, but as pure and holy angels?

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2. Whether Jefus Chrift did not make them for ❝himfelf?

3. Whether Jefus Chrift doth not now uphold them in being? 66 For by him all things con

" fift."

4. Let him afk whether the all things in hea66 ven and in earth in ver. 20, which are to be reconciled by the blood of his crofs, are not the fame "all things faid to be created by Jefus Chrift in ver. 16? And if fo,

5. Whether devils are not to be reconciled as "well as men ?"*

I have given their arguments at length on this celebrated paffage, and fhall now proceed to anfwer them.

Mr. V. fuppofes that by "all things that are in heaven, and that are in earth," the Apostle means all things of earthly, and of heavenly original. This curious interpretation of his words is the foundation on which Mr. V's. fabric for the accommodation of devils is built. I will take away the foundation, and then

God's love to his creatures, p. 21, 22,

the

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