manifested the name of God to them, i. e. to save them. We see also that the gift in this latter sense is not so extensive as in the former; and if it were, the Restoration intended could not be inferred from it, for Judas was one of those given to Christ out of the world, and yet Judas became a son of perdition, and was lost: ver. 12. On John xii. 32, Mr. Winchester remarks," He was "lifted up from the earth, and therefore the IF is now 66 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 Himself, signifies, to give eternal life to all? In the preceding verse, with which this is immediately connected, our Lord is speaking about judgment, not salvation. "Now is the "judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this "world be cast out." He then adds-" And I, if I be "lifted up," &c. The passage may be thus paraphrased, "Now is the judgment given concerning Satan's usurped "authority over this world. As its prince he is judged, (chap. xvi. 11.) and shall be cast out. And when I "have suffered upon the cross, my Father will exalt me "to the head of his moral government; I will then act "in a judicial capacity in relation to men-I will draw "all men unto my tribunal." The promise made to Abraham has often been urged in favour of the doctrine of restoration. "This," as Mr. Fisher observed, "as it is explained by the apostle, Gal. iii. 8-26. is referred to Christ, and supposed to "receive its accomplishment in all those who believe "the Gospel; and that the rest of mankind are not "interested in that promise, but remain under the "curse." This is very clear: "And the Scripture, "foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through "faith, preached before the Gospel unto Abraham, saying, "In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they "which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. *Dialogues, p. 143. 66 Poor "For as many as are of the works of the law are under "the curse. But the Scripture hath concluded all under *sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be 'given to them that believe." If the blessing be not here restricted to believers, and the rest left under the curse, I will give up all pretentions to common sense. Mr. Vidler however contends that this is not the "full "import of the promise." This is only saying in other words that unbelievers are not under the curse. Paul! what a short sighted creature thou art, not to understand the full import of the promises! "We distinguish," says Mr. V. "betwixt the commencement, progress, and "consummation of the prophetic promises of God." Distinguish as you will, you cannot extend the blessing to unbelievers without giving the lie to the apostle. Mr. V. however makes the attempt, and we shall see presently with what success. "The promise made to "Abraham that he should be the heir of the world, "Rom. iv. 13. ultimately referred to Christ whom the "Father hath appointed heir of all things, Heb. i. 2. "The apostle explains the phrases all nations, all the "earth, all the families of the earth, by the world, and all things. In Peter's address to the Jews, in Acts iii. "19-26. he connects the restitution of all things (ver. 21.) with the covenant which God made with their "Fathers. Surely to be heir of all things, must signify something more than to be heir of the church, and the "restitution of all things must mean something more than "the salvation of the church."* 66 Let the promise made to Abraham, that he should be heir of the world, refer ultimately to whom it may, it is expressly limited to believers. "For the promise that "he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law * God's Love to his Creatures, p. 17. 66 "be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect. Because the law worketh wrath,' "Rom. iv. 13, 14, 15. 66 "The apostle Peter connects the restitution of all things with the covenant which God made with the "fathers. Surely the restitution of all things must mean something more than the salvation of the church." And who ever denied it. But must it "surely 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 these "times of restitution of all things," the apostle informs us, "God "hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets "since the world began." Now can Mr. V. produce any thing out of the writings of all the prophets since the world began, in support of his doctrine of Restoration? But I will spare him the trouble. Peter immediately mentions one of the 'prophets who spake to the fathers upon this subject. "Moses truly said unto the "fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; Him shall ye hear in all things, whatsoever He shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul which "will not hear that prophet shall be destroyed from "among the people," ver. 22, 23. In these times of restitution, then, according to Moses, it shall come to pass that every unbeliever shall be destroyed. Mr. V. therefore spoke very wisely when he observed that the restitution of all things must mean something more than the salvation of the church, for we see that it includes in it the destruction, not the salvation of her enemies. ઃઃ 66 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 generally ac knowledged to be used in its most extensive sense "in every place of this paragraph except the last, "there is no reason to be given why the apostle should change the sense of the word without giving us the "least notice of it."* 66 Mr. Vidler also is of opinion, that the reconciliation spoken of in this paragraph includes devils as well as men. "Let it be observed," says he, “that all rational "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 consequence of the creatures' transgression. "All the things therefore which are in heaven, or which 46 are in earth, must mean every rational creature that "needed reconciliation. That this is the sense of the "apostle may be justly urged from ver. 15. It will not "be denied that every man and every angel are here "included, as being created by Christ, and for Christ, "and having their existence in Christ. Paul then goes " on to say that Christ is the head of the body, the church, &c. Let any man ask, "1. Whether it be not here included that Jesus Christ "made the devils; not indeed as devils, but as pure and angels? hether Jesus Christ did not make them for *Dialogues, p. 43. "3. Whether Jesus Christ doth not now uphold them "in being? For by him all things consist. "4. Let him ask whether the all things in heaven and ❝ in earth in ver. 20. which are to be reconciled by the "blood of his cross, are not the same all things said to "be created by Jesus Christ in ver. 16? And if so, 66 "5. Whether devils are not to be reconciled as well as men ?"* I have given their arguments at length on this celebrated passage, and shall now proceed to answer them. Mr. V. supposes 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 the babel will fall of itself. The apostle does not say where they were created, but where they existed at the time he was writing; for he writes in the present tense-" that are in heaven, " and that are in earth;" if therefore he meant to include the fallen angels, and the lost of mankind, he ought to have added, " and that are in hell." It is evident that he did not substitute the present tense for the past, because when speaking of the time of creation, in the former part of the verse, he uses the past tense-" By "Him were all things created;" and if he meant to speak of the place of their existence at that time, he ought to have proceeded, as he begun, in the past tense, and to have said, "that were in heaven, and that were in "earth." This remark serves to overturn all that Mr. V. has said; for if things in hell are not included in this account of creation, I believe no one will suppose that they are included in the reconciliation. If it be inquired, "What things in heaven stood in need of reconciliation? I answer, that all the saints who were in heaven at the time the apostle wrote, once *God's Love to his Creatures, p. 21, 22. |