Again; dying in Christ, i. e. that Christ should die for a sinner, is no proper subject of threatening, as it is the greatest blessing ever granted to a fallen world; as well might we be threatened with the inheritance of heaven. Again; that this threatening, if it be so called, might as well have been denounced on the righteous as on the wicked; it being granted on all hands, that Christ died for the penitent and believing. Once more; that if these words, "the soul that sinneth it shall die," mean that such a soul should die in Christ, as Christ should die in its stead, and the soul personally should not die; with as much authority will I say, that these words, "He is just, he shall surely live," mean only that he shall live in Christ, as Christ shall live in his stead, but the man personally shall not live at all.

Thus these men, while they attempt to reduce or annihilate the threatenings of scripture, equally annihilate the promises, and entirely overthrow that very universal salvation, for which they so earnestly plead.

There is still another mode of evading the texts of scripture, which assert a future punishment; this is by supposing that the sins of men are to be separated from the men themselves, and to be sent to hell, while the men who committed those sins are to be taken to heaven. Thus the chaff in Matt. 3: 12. Luke 3: 17, is said to mean the sins of mankind; these sins are to be separated from the wheat, which is the men themselves, and to be burnt up with unquenchable fire. The carcasses of the men, who have transgressed against God, in Isa. 66: 24, are said to be the sins of those transgressors. On this I observe,

1. That it is difficult to conceive how this interpretation can be reconciled with most of those texts quoted above, or with others which may be quoted, as Phil. 3: 18, 19. Those whose end is destruction, are said to be the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose God is their belly. Sins are indeed acts of enmity, but not enemies, nor have they any bellies to be their Gods. Those who, according to 2 Thess. 1: 8, 9, are to be punished with everlasting destruction, are not lifeless actions, but persons (oires, in the masculine gender) who know not God, and obey not the gospel. But sins are capable of neither knowledge nor obedience. In 2 Cor. 11: 15, false apostles and evil workers, who were Hebrews, Israelites, the seed of Abraham, are said to come to an end according to their works. But sins are neither false nor true apostles, neither good nor evil workers, are neither Israelites, Hebrews, nor the seed of Abraham; nor can they perform any works, according to which their end shall be. 2 Peter 3: 7, speaks of the perdition not of sins, but men. Surely the

Jews and Greeks to whom the gospel was foolishness, and who therefore perished, were not sins, but sinners. And what an absurdity to say, that the sins of men draw back from the gospel faith unto perdition, according to Heb. 10: 39.

2. It is equally difficult to reconcile the idea of sin's suffering, or being tormented, with common sense. How can the sins of transgressors be eaten by worms, or burnt with fire, while the transgressors themselves are in heaven? How can an act of murder, or fornication, or blasphemy, be tormented forever and ever in fire and brimstone, while the authors of those actions are in perfect bliss? If such punishments are feasible, and answer the end of punishment, why are they not adopted by human legislators? Why is not felony hanged, or cropt and branded, and the felons suffered to go free? But the absurdity sufficiently appears; it would be altogether as good sense to talk of punishing the north-west wind, or tormenting the sound of a trumpet.

3. With regard to that text in Isa. 66: 24, it seems to be very unluckily chosen to prove, that sins are to be tormented, but the sinners saved. I will undertake to prove from the same text, with much more plausibility, that the sins of mankind are all to be saved, and to be happy in heaven forever, while all men without exception are to be sent to eternal torments in hell. For the words immediately preceding are, "All flesh shall come to worship before me, saith the Lord." As the prophet had been just speaking of the new heavens and new earth, these words, I suppose, on all hands are allowed to be descriptive of the heavenly state. Therefore all flesh shall be admitted into the heavenly state. But flesh in scripture very commonly signifies the sin or wickedness of men. Therefore all the sins of all men will be taken to heaven. But the worm of those who have transgressed against God shall never die, and their fire shall never be quenched. Now all men without exception have transgressed against God. Therefore all men without exception, shall suffer eternal torments in hell, while their sins shall enjoy eternal peace and happiness in heaven. Thus we see to what conclusions we are led, by taking no greater liberty with the scriptures, than those take with whom I am now concerned.

IV. I am to point out some of the consequences which will follow from this system.

1. It follows from this system, that the confinement of the sinners of the old world in the prison of hell, till the death of Christ, and the similar treatment of those who die in impenitence and unbelief, is a direct violation of justice, and can no more be reconciled with it, than the eternal punishment of a great part of VOL. I. 28

mankind. The reason why it is supposed to be inconsistent with justice, that any men should be eternally punished, is, that Christ as the substitute of all mankind, hath taken the whole punishment of sin on himself, and hath paid for all men the whole debt. Therefore payment being made by the substitute, it is unjust to exact payment of any sinner in his own person.

This would be to exact double payment. On the same principle I argue, that if Christ has so paid the whole debt for all men, that it is unjust to inflict the whole punishment of sin on the person of any sinner, it is also unjust to inflict on the person of any sinner a part of the punishment; as this would be so far to exact double payment of the debt; and to exact double payment for a part of a debt is as real injustice, though not so great a degree of it, as to exact double payment for the whole. Therefore justice was entirely violated, in confining the sinners of the old world, in the prison of hell, for more than two thousand years.

2. It follows from this system, that the divine justice is violated also by all the tokens of divine wrath or displeasure, which are ever inflicted on men in this life. That there have been many tokens of divine wrath inflicted on men in this life, cannot be denied, to be sure, by those who believe the divine authority of the scriptures; such was the destruction of the old world, of Sodom and Gomorrah, of the Canaanites, of Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, and afterwards by the Romans, when wrath came upon them to the uttermost; the death of Nadab and Abihu, of Hophni and Phinehas, of Ananias and Sapphira, etc. These are plain instances of punishment of sin inflicted by God; but how can these, on the system which I oppose, be reconciled with divine justice, any more than the everlasting punishment of sin? If these punishments were just, it follows that Christ has not so paid the whole debt, but that it is consistent with justice that sinners should be punished in their own persons; and therefore the argument in favor of universal salvation, drawn from the consideration of Christ's having paid the whole debt, entirely falls to the ground.

I may also mention the calamities to which all mankind are liable, and which they constantly suffer; the sickness, pains and sorrows, the vexations and disappointments, which await us all; the pangs of child-birth, the agonies of death, etc. To say that these are the necessary consequences of sin and could not have been prevented by the Deity, is an affront to reason and an impeachment of the divine Omnipotence. It was in the power of Omnipotence to have constituted things in such a manner, that child-bearing and death should have been without the least pain,

or that we should all have been translated without tasting death. With equal ease could God have prevented every other temporal calamity. To say that these calamities are mere parental chastisements designed for our good, and therefore not punishments or tokens of divine displeasure, is contradictory. For no good parent ever chastised a child, but for some fault, at which he was displeased.

What then are all these calamities of life and agonies of death, but so many tokens of God's displeasure at sin? But such tokens of God's displeasure can never be reconciled with justice, on the supposition that Christ so paid the whole debt of punishment for all mankind, that justice will not allow, that they be punished in their own persons. And if justice will allow that men be punished in their own persons, it is a matter of grace, sovereign grace, that any of mankind are saved; and if any, who and how many.

3. It follows from this system, that we have an absolute and immediate right, on the footing of justice, to the inheritance of heaven and all its blessedness, and that we are injured by the Deity, in being kept out of it for a day or an hour. Christ has purchased heaven for us equally as an escape from hell. But to be kept out of a glorious inheritance, to which we have an entire and absolute right on the footing of justice, and at the same time, to be detained in a state of imprisonment, as is the case with a great part of mankind, (Zech. 9: 12), or in such a state that even the best of men groan being burdened, and are in bondage, (Rom. 8: 23, and 2 Cor. 5: 2-5, and Heb. 2: 14, 15), is not merely to be injured, but to suffer an injury which is great and oppressive. If, to avoid this consequence, it should be said, that doubtless Christ in the covenant between him and the Father, consented that his redeemed should be kept out of the possession of heaven for a season; this would be to open a door at which certain guests, very unwelcome to the advocates for universal salvation, may easily enter. For in this concession it is granted, that the purchase of Christ is not absolute and unconditional, but limited with stipulations and conditions. Hence at once arises this question: What are the stipulations and conditions, on which an inheritance of the blessings of Christ's purchase is to be obtained? Is not that purchase so limited, that none can enjoy the saving blessings of it, who die in impenitence and unbelief. Doubtless he who had a right to consent, that all men should for a season be kept from the enjoyment of the blessings purchased by Christ, had a right to consent that some men should be kept from them forever. And if, this being the case, no injury is done those who are excluded from those blessings

for a season, neither is any injury done those who are finally excluded; because the conditions of the purchase in either case are fulfilled. It remains therefore to be shown, what are, and what are not the conditions of enjoying the blessings purchased by Christ; and the argument from the absolute purchase, whether of escape from hell, or of the possession of heaven entirely falls to the ground.

4. It follows from this system, that we have a right on the footing of justice, to immediate complete sanctification, and are constantly injured so long as we are kept in a state of depravity or imperfection. Perfection in holiness is a part of the purchase of Christ. (Heb. 12: 23, and Rev. 21: 27.) But the foundation of the argument, that we cannot consistently with justice, suffer the penalty of the law, is, that we have a right on the footing of justice, to whatever Christ has purchased for us. Therefore we have a right to immediate and complete sanctification. If here too it should be said, that Christ has consented, that we should be kept out of this privilege for a while; I answer, as under the preceding article, that with as much reason, I may say, he has consented that some should remain without it for

ever.

5. It follows from this system, that we are under no obligation to obey the divine law. Christ has equally obeyed the law for us, as he has suffered the penalty. He has equally paid the debt of obedience, as the debt of punishment. Now if, since Christ has paid the debt of punishment, to exact punishment of men personally, be to exact double payment of the debt; then, since Christ has paid the debt of obedience, to exact obedience of men personally, is to exact double payment of the debt of obedience; which is unjust, tyrannical and oppressive, and can never consist with the divine rectitude and perfection. It follows therefore that we are under no obligation to obey the divine law in any particular, whether as it respects God or men. We are under no obligation to love the Lord our God with all our heart, to observe his Sabbath, his ordinances of public or private worship, or to comply with any precept of the first table. Equally free are we from obligation to love our neighbor as ourselves, to speak the truth, to practise justice, fidelity, humanity, charity, temperance, sobriety, or any other virtue. And where there is no law, there is no transgression. Therefore, according to this system, we are not capable of committing sin; and though we should fall into profaneness, perjury, blasphemy; though we should practise injustice, fraud, theft, malice, revenge, murder, they would be no sin, but would be as perfectly innocent, as those which are esteemed the most amiable virtues.