“also created for him." All which is very true, whether the Doctrine of the Restoration be so, or not.

"In the first of Ephesians, the same Truth is "declared. Ver. 9, 10. mention is made of the Mystery "of the Will of God, which he had hitherto kept to himself; and what is this Mystery? To gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in Heaven, and which are on Earth, even in Him; and when will he do this? In the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times, that is to say, when all things "shall be subjected to him, and he shall be exalted above "all Principalities and Powers, and Dignities and Dominions, and above every Name that is named, "both in this Life and that which is to come." Thus this excellent Commentator! who might as well have undertaken to prove from these Words, that the Restoration is past already. For if that is to happen

when Christ is thus exalted, it must according to St. Paul have been accomplish'd long ago; God having long ago raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right Hand in heavenly places, far above all the Powers and Dignities mentioned before, and hath put all things under his feet: ver. 20, 21. "The same

Apostle, in the 11th of the Romans, declares as great "a Mystery, that those who before had rebelled against God, and been cut off because of their Unbelief, should be again grafted in, and at last "obtain Mercy."

That is, because St. Paul speaks of the Restoration, or Conversion, of the Jews, who were then cut off because of Unbelief, but might, if they did not bide still in Unbelief, v. 23. be grafted in again; therefore there will be an universal Restoration of wicked Men,

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and Devils, after the Day of Judgment. Next, slightly mentioning Heb. ii. 9. that Christ tasted Death for all Men; and elsewhere, that he is made the Propitiation for the Sins of the whole World; and the 2d of Phil. That every Knee shall bow at the Name of Jesus; he adds, "I shall only dwell a little on the last Verses "of the 5th of Romans, that are very clear in this "case; where the Apostle compares Jesus Christ to "Adam, as also the Fruits we reap from each. "one Man Sin entered into the World," &c. which he argues thus, "All were made Sinners by Adam, therefore all ought to be made righteous by Jesus Christ." And supposing all, (the whole Race of Mankind,) to be made righteous by Jesus Christ, so far forth as they were made Sinners by Adam, what then? The consequence is, that no Man shall be condemn'd for Adam's Sin; but if their own personal and actual Sins bring them into a State of Condemnation again, they must blame, not Adam, but themselves. A better and more gracious Covenant, (which is therefore deservedly call'd the Covenant of Grace,) is establish'd with Mankind in Christ Jesus, than the old one forteited by Adam's Sin. And in this sense, where Sin abounded, Grace did much more abound: Words, which cannot relate to a future Event, depending upon Man's free Will, (as their actual Compliance with this Grace does,) but which declare what the things are in themselves, or in the Design and Purpose of God. St. Paul's exalting the Gift above the Offence, cannot mean with regard to the Universality of it, or the Numbers of Men concern'd; as the Author seems to think, tho' at the same time he appears sensible of the Absurdity, which he is willing to disguise. Says he in a Note, "If the Effects of "the Offence were universal, what may we not expect

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"from the Gift, if it ought to exceed it?" Why truly, that its Effects should be more than universal. But he would not speak out, lest the Absurdity should be too plain. But St. Paul best explains his own Meaning; for the Fudgment was by one to Condemnation; (came by one Offence of one Man ;) but the free Gift is of many Offences unto Fustification; is an universal Declaration of Pardon, upon certain Conditions, of all Offences whatsoever, to all Mankind. Moreover, we will grant to the Author, that the free Gift has "more influence to make us happy, "than the Offence to make us miserable." Still it does not follow, that all will be happy; because no Influence can make them so, whether they will, or not.

His "second Argument for the Opinion in question, "is taken from the express Declarations of Scripture, "That God keeps not his Resentment for ever." He begins to "enquire into the Strength of this Proof" in his third Letter, which is concerning the Conclusion of the second Commandment.

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"In the first Part, God shews himself as a powerful "and jealous God, punishing Iniquity to the fourth Generation; in the last, he is represented as exerting Mercy to Thousands of Generations. Doth not this "mean, that Justice in his Punishments is restrain'd "within certain Bounds, whereas Mercy knows no "Limits?"

If the Author will argue from the mere Words and Letter of this Commandment, Mercy is as really restrain'd within certain Bounds, as Justice; only the Bounds of the former are vastly wider, and more

extensive, than those of the latter.1 All God's Perfections are in themselves equally infinite, and yet the Exercise of them must be limited by the Nature of the Objects, with regard to which they are exerted. He contents himself, (Letter I.) that in God, both Goodness and Justice are boundless; that they are so far from destroying one another, that they are inseparable: "Justice is not opposite to Goodness, nor Goodness to Justice." Was it the design then of this Commandment to restrain within certain Bounds, That which is boundless? Or to represent two divine Attributes, as inconsistent with one another, which are so inseparable, that we cannot so much as imagine, or suppose them to subsist asunder? But the proper Answer to what he argues from the Conclusion of this Commandment is, that it is nothing to the purpose. A general Inference may be drawn from it, viz. That God delights much more in blessing, than in punishing; which is very consistent with our Doctrine. But it is only the Sanction of a peculiar Law, given to a People in peculiar Circumstances of Relation to the great Lawgiver, who was not only their God, but their King. Idolatry therefore, which was a Departure from Him, was as the Sin of Rebellion, or High Treason, against their Prince: And his Punishment of it might justly, and would naturally in the course of things, extend to the third or fourth

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1 Hence Mr. Whiston makes his Calculation, "That in general, the Duration of the Punishment of the Wicked will "be no greater, as compared with the Duration of the Happiness of the Good, than two or three are to a thousand." (p. 135.) I know not what these Gentlemen see, more than other People can, in the Conclusion of this Commandment; but I am satisfied if we were to argue so on the other side, from our own fanciful Interpretations of very plain Words, our Arguments would be treated with great Contempt.

Generation. But what is all this to the Punishments of another World, where there are no Generations, and where every Man bears only his own Iniquity? The Author says he "does not suppose any one pre"tends to take the Words literally, or imagines that "God makes Children accountable for the Iniquities "of their Fathers." As if these were equivalent. This Proposition, "God makes Children accountable "for the Iniquities of their Fathers," may mean that He always does so; that this is the Rule of his Dealings with all Mankind, in all Ages of this World, and even in the World to come: Which certainly is not true. And yet the Words in question are to be taken literally, with proper Restrictions and Limitations; and when so qualified, imply no more than what the supreme Powers of this World do every day, in Cases of a like nature. But the Artifice is, to pretend that the Words cannot be taken in a literal sense; and then you may affix to them any (mystical) Sense, just to serve a turn. But whoever argues from that, argues only from a Sense of his own, and not at all from the Sense of the Conclusion of the Second Commandment.

We are next encounter'd, in his fourth Letter, with the whole 107th Psalm. And 'tis well, when his hand was in, that he did not attack us with the whole hundred and fifty. For all of them, more or less, "set before our Eyes a Representation of the

1 Yet in other places his Tune seems to be alter'd. "On how "" many occasions have we seen Children die for the Iniquity of "their Fathers, and Subjects for that of Princes?" And then he recites several Instances; p. 340. And again, p. 431, in a Note; " Children are punished with their Fathers, Subjects "with their Prince ;- God calls one Generation to an account "for what passed in the foregoing Age."