earth, or things in heaven; and take in, 2 Co v. 18. it appears to refer to Redemption, and not to confirmation; &, in consequence of that to restoration, more than to recapitulation; tho to this latter, in the final issue. To reconcile is more than to gather together, or recapitulate and implies, want of peace and concord at present. Things, and persons, may be reconciling, that are not actually reconciled, though some too often mistake the one for the other. In a sound. and good sense, even the unbelieving world may be said to be reconciled to God, and God to them as appears from Rom. v. 10. and 2 Cor. 19. but not in the sense they hold and maintain it. Fain would many persuade themselves they are at peace with, and reconciled to God, who are indulging their sinful lusts and pas sions; and whose hearts are at enmity against him. Numbers are crying Peace to themselves, to whom the Lord is saying, There is no peace. These are reconcileable indeed, but not as yet r conciled. But, all things are to be actually re ciled to God, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. Here in this world, it is not so; therefore, in some distant period hereafter.

Things in earth may be reconciled, say you; but all is harmony in Heaven. How is this true, of that? It should be remembered, that part of Heaven is fallen, but yet considered as part of it. The angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitations, are reserved in everlasting* chains, under darkness,

* The word in the Greek, we have translated everlasting is, aidios;-which would have been more properly rendered unseen,

unto the judgment of the great day. These are things in Heaven, to be reconciled. And what is strong in favor of this, is, the style and manner in which their misery is expressed. Reserved in everlasting chains, under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day. Not indis

soluble chains, or endless* woe, beyond the great day of judgment; but unknown, or indefinite, or rather limited, as it stands connected with the next verse: For unto, as well as until, is a word of limitation, sometimes; and seems to require to be so understood in this place. Sodom and Gomorrah, in this 7th verse, are set forth as an example; suffering the vengeance of eternal fire, (aionian fire) and cannot mean endless for she is to rise again, from her ashes her lake is to be healed; (Ezek. xlvii. 8-11. Zech. xiv. 8.)-She and her daughters to return to their former estate, (chap. xvi. 55)-and to be received, and embraced again, by her sisters, Samaria and Jerusalem; (ver.61)

--and to come into the bonds of a new covenant with God. Eternal fire, then, is not endless fire, nor everlasting chains, indissoluble ones: For, EVEN AS, connects one of these verses with the other, and makes the punishment of them

er unknown; from a, priv. and eideo, scio; or, eido, video. 1t is used once more in the New Testament, Rom. i. 20; and there translated eternal: but with more propriety, according to its etymology, unseen, or unknown.---It is once more used in the Apocrypha; viz. Wisdom, vii. 26; and, with the same justice, might have been rendered as above instead of everlasting.

*It is observable, the word ENDLESS, is used but twice in the English Scriptures. Once in a figurative and improper sense, viz. 1 Tim. i. 4.---and once, in its true and proper meaning; Heb. vii. 16.---And then, applied to life; and not to misery or death.

both to be finite. And that better answers to the nature of an example; to which the latter is said to be of the former.

We shall next attend to 1 Tim. ii. 4. " Who will have all men to be saved, and come unto the knowledge of the truth." This verse, as it stands connected, is allowed, by even the Calvinist Expositors, to have Universality in it : but not of Redemption; much less, of Salvation. A universal call, offer, or proposal: but no saving power to obey. Who, that well weighs and considers it, can be satisfied with this? The word ALL, and the word WILL, here, are strangely contracted by such writers; and made to signify much less, than the apostle seems to mean by them. Prayer, and giving of thanks, are to be offered up for all men; the ransom Christ gave, was given for all: and it is expressly said, he will have all men to be saved. yet this is to mean only some; or, if all, as to offer, proposal, and an unaccountable sort of will, in God; yet, with no purpose, no desire, no real intention,on his side, that more than the elect should be saved. The face, and simplicity, of the passage, is against this: it can only be admitted, by a strain. If God will, and men will not; there is sense and Scripture in this.

And

But it does not seem his whole will. It will do for the present; and experience shews, it is true. But there is a will in God, that performs what it will; an irresistible, energetie will:and from this, we have every thing to hope for

even the Restoration of all men, to his favor, ikeness, and kingdom: especially, as it is here

said, he will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

I now come to that passage in St. Peter, which speaks of Christ's going and preaching "unto the spirits in prison; which sometime were disobedient, in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing ;" 1 Pet. iii. 19, 20. Different senses have been put upon this passage; & all have had something to say: the Universalists, perhaps, most of all; & with more consistency than any. Christ, in the person of Noah, seems hardly consistent with the preceding verse: He suffered in his own person; was personally put to death-And only preached impersonally! This neither sounds simple, nor plain.

-And to sinners, only spiritually dead? This but ill accords with chap. iv. 6. where the dead are opposed to the quick, in the former verse; and means corporally, naturally dead.-That he "descended into hell," may be understood of the place of the damned, as well as of the place of the dead: for Sheol, (the word in the original) signifies both bell and the grave: And with a view, no doubt, to their salvation. For, having just suffered for sin and sinners, it is not to be thought he would go directly to the "spirits in prison;" to make the wretched more miserable still; but with a view to reclaim and restore them; and make some of them, at least,

* John, xvii. 24.-Where our Lord prays for the fi val happiness of his first disciples: he makes a demand, rather than a prayer: and says-Thelo, I WILL-(that they whom thou hast given, be with me, &c.)-It is the same word here, in the Greek which gives room to believe, it is more than a conditional will in God, that all men shall be finally saved.

S

the first-fruits and trophies of his death. This, we must confess, would be a design worthy of him, and agreeable to his character, as a Saviour: And it seems highly probable, this was his design, from what is here said about it; and because he delighteth in mercy. And, if some are released, we may look upon it as the earnest of all, in due time.*

But the Scripure that crowns all, and the last I shall bring into proof, is, Rev. v. 13. Here, "Every creature, which is in heaven,and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them," are heard; saying, "Blessing, and honour, & glory, the and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon throne, and unto the Lamb, forever and ever.”

Here, all creation is at his feet, and before his throne and that, not with tears in their eyes, or petitions in their hands: not with crying, and supplications, or weeping, with John here, (at the 4th verse) because things were hidden and kept secret but with joy in their hearts, and praises in their mouths; with melody on their lips, and hallelujahs on their tongues; with looks and countenances full of satisfaction and delight! And their faces, instead of gathering blackness, turning into paleness, or being

*The opinion of the Church of England, on this difficult pas sage, is very clear; from the appointment she has made of it, for the epistle on Easter Eve. Who could be in prison, but lost (because disobedient) spirits? When did Christ preach to them; but after his death? And, if Christ did preach to them; what could he preach, but the glad tidings of great joy: that the powers of hell were brought into subjection, and a way opoened into the Holiest of all?