ftands against universalism; but the propofition, on which my opponent endeavors to fubftantiate an objection, favors the doctrine, as far as it goes.

In my obfervations on the liberty of will, I have given fome of my ideas concerning agency, as it is generally understood; but moral agency may be very differently underftood, by different perfons. If, by moral agency, be meant an ability to love an object, or objects, which appears agreeable, I have no objections to make; but if it mean an ability to hate that which appears agreeable and difagreeable, I contend, no fuch agency exifts, in any being within the compass of our knowledge. It is certainly reasonable to fuppose, that all the agency poffeffed by man, was given him by his Maker; and that, when God gave him this agency, it was for a certain purpose, which purpose muft, finally, be every way answered, providing God is infinitely wife. And I cannot but think it incorrect, to fuppofe, that God ever gave any creature agency to perform what he never intended fhould be done. Then, if any foul is made endlessly miserable, by its agency, it follows, that God gave that foul this agency, for that unhappy purpose; and if any are faved, by their agency, God gave them their agency, for that bleffed end. If any wish to make a different use of agency, let them state fairly, that God gave man an agency, intending man's eternal falvation thereby; but man makes a different ufe of his agency, from what God intended, whereby the gracious defigns of Deity are forever loft!

If my opponent will not fix his agency on fome of the above noted principles as it refpects the iffue of the argument, I am fure he can do nothing with it to any effect. If agency be ftated on the principle of God's intending the creature's falvation, by it, and it be granted, that his will, in

the affair, will be done, it is an acknowledgment of the doc

trine for which I contend. But if it be ftated, that, although God gave man his agency, for the glorious purpose of his endlefs felicity, yet his purpofe may fail; could this statement be proved true, it would not only refute univerfal falvation, but every thing elfe, as being a divine fyftem, on which we may, with any confidence, depend.

One of the objections, on which the enemies of univerfal holiness and happiness put much dependance, and which they frequently urge against the doctrine, is stated from the force of unlimited words, as they find a few of them in scripture applied to the mifery of the wicked. The force of this objection, I rcmove, by proving, that unlimited words are applied to things and events which are not strictly eternal or endlefs; and furely, the candid reader will acknowledge this way of reafoning is juft, and by no means evafive. I fhall not labor this point largely, for it has been done faithfully by an able author, whofe works are among us. I will only introduce a few fcriptures, and make fome obfervations on them, for the benefit of those of my readers who have not feen the masterly work referred to. See Gen. xvii. 7, 8. "And I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy feed after thee in their generations, for an everlasting covenant; to be a God unto thee, and thy feed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy feed after thee, the land wherein thou art a ftranger, all the land of Canaan for an everlasting poffeffion; and I will be their God." Verfe 13, "He that is born in thy houfe, and he that is bought with thy money, muft needs be circumcifed; and my covenant fhall be in your flefh, for an everlafling covenant." In the above paffage, the land of Canaan is called an everlofting poffeffion. Will my opponent contend the word, everlejling, here means an cndlefs duration? Will he contend, that Abraham now poffeffes the land wherein he was then a

ftranger, or that his feed do, or will, poffefs that land, as long as God exifts? If not, then the objection is given up.

For

Again, the covenant of circumcifion in the flesh is called an everlasting covenant. Will the objector contend, that the covenant of circumcifion in the flesh is now in force, and that it will remain in force as long as God exifts? It is evident, from fcripture, that these ordinances and this covenant are removed, and fucceeded by a covenant which is called a better one; fee Heb. viii. 6, 7, 8. " But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much alfo he is the Mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promifes. For if that first covenant had been faultlefs, then fhould no place have been fought for the fecond. finding fault with them, he faith, behold, the days come, faith the Lord, when I will make a nerv covenant with the houfe of Ifrael, and with the house of Judah." Chap. ix. 10, the apoftle argues, that the ordinances of the first covenant were impofed on the people until the time of reformation. Gen. xlviii. 3, 4. " And Jacob faid unto Jofeph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and bleffed me; and faid unto me, behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy feed after thee, for an everlasting poffeffion." And he further faid, in the bleffing of Jofeph, "The bleffings of thy father have prevailed above the bleffings of my progenitors unto the utmost bounds of the everlafting hills." Exod. xl. 15, "And thou fhalt anoint them (Aaron's fons) as thou anointed their father, that they may minifter unto me in the priest's office; for their anointing fhall furely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations." Lev. xvi. 34, "And this fhall be an everlasting ftatute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Ifrael, for all their fins once a year; and he did as the Lord commanded Mofes." The reader may learn the abolishment

of the priesthood that is here called an everlasting priesthood, from Heb. vii. 11, 12. "If, therefore, perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law) what further need was there that another prieft fhould rife after the order of Melchifedec and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, there is anade of neceffity a change alfo of the law."

Jonah ii. 6. "I went down to the bottom of the mountain; the earth with her bars was about me forever: yet haft thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God." Many more paffages might be quoted, to clear this point of argument, if more were neceffary; but depending fome, as I ought to, on the candor of my reader, I forbear to be tedious.

In the next place, I will take notice of a number of fcriptures in connexion, all of which have been erroneously applied to the future and endless mifery of mankind. See Mal. iv. 1, «For behold, the day cometh that hall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, fhall be ftubble, and the day that cometh fhall burn them up, faith the Lord of hosts, that it fhall leave them neither root nor branch." Matt. iii. 10, " And now alfo, the ax is laid unto the root of the trees, therefore, every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and caft into the fire." Verfe 12, "Whofe fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into his garner, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." Chap. v. 29, 30, "And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out and caft it from thee; for it is profitable for thee, that one of thy members fhould perish, and not that thy whole body should be caft into hell." Chap. vii. 13, 14, "Enter in at the ftraight gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to deftruction, and many there be that go in thereat; because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way

which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Chap. xiii. 30, "Let both grow together until the time of harvest; and in the time of harvest, I will fay unto the reapers, gather ye together, firft the tares, and bind them in bundies to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn." The whole of the 25th, which is too lengthy to be written at large. The laft paragraph of Luke xvi. Theff. i. 7, 8, 9, " And to you who are troubled, rest with us; when the Lord Jefus fhall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jefus Chrift; who fhall be punished with everlasting deftruction from the prefence of the Lord and from the glory of his power." There are a number more fcriptures of the like nature of the above quoted to which I fhould be glad to attend, were it not for fwelling this work too large. I will, however, after I have answered these in their order, take into confideration fome others of a different kind. Those which I have quoted, moftly respect that dispensation which is represented by fire, which to illustrate more easily to the reader's understanding, I will first produce a paffage from St. Paul's 1ft Epiftle to the Corinthians iii. 15, which I will call my key text, "If any man's work fhall be burnt, he shall fuffer lofs, but he himself fhall be faved, yet fo as by fire." By my key, I learn, that the fire which caufes the wicked to fuffer, has the power of falvation even for the fufferers. So in all the paffages recited, where fire is mentioned, it is evident the fame fire is intended. "For behoid, the day cometh that fhall burn as an oven." In this fame chapter, this day is called the great and dreadful day of the Lord, who promised to send Elijah the prophet before that day come, whose business should be to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, left the Lord fhould fmite the earth with a curse.