☞Gen. iii, [...]5. Exod. xxxiv, 6. Lev. xxv, 10. [...]3.41.54. Job v, 17.18.19. Ps. xlix, 15.16. lxxxvi, 9.10.15. ciii, 8.9. cvii, 1—15. cx, 1. cxlv, 8.9.10. Eccles. xii, [...]. Isa. xxiv, 22. xxv, 8. xlii, 7.16. xliii, 6.7.18.19.25. xlv, 23.24.25. xlvi, 12.13. xlix, 6—10. compared with Rev. vii, 14. Ps. liii, 4.6.10—12. liv, 7.8. lv, 1. lvii, 16.—19. Isa. xxxv, 61. lxi, 1.2. Jerm. iii, 31-33. xxxi, 34. Lam. iii, 31-33. Ezek xxxiv, 16. Hosea xiii, 9.14. Micha. vii, 18.19. Zech. ix, 11. Matt xi, 27. xviii, 11. xxii, 44. xxviii, 18. xii, 20.21. Luk. xi, 21.22. xix, 10. John i, 19. iii, 16.17.35. vi, 37—39. xii, 31.32. xiii, 3. Acts iii, 20.21. Rom. v, 18—21. iii, 23—29. xi, 25 to end. xiv, 9.11. i Cor. iii 10—15 xv, 22—57. Ephes. i, 9.10. vi, 8. Col. i, [...]—21. ii, 15. i Tim. ii, 5.6. iv, 9.10. i Tim. i. 15. ii Tim. i 10. Heb. ii. 8.9.14 [...]5. vii, 17—27. ix, 12, 26, x, 10—14. James ii, 13. i Pet. iii 18—22. iv, 5.6. i John ii. 1.2. iii, 8. iv, 10.14. Phil. ii, 9—11. Rev. i, 8.18. v, 15, vii, 9, to end. xxi, 4.5.6. and xxii, 2.3.12.13.17.

[Page 3] TWO things that are diametrically opposite to each other, can­not exist to all eternity; if both are infinite; they will mu­tually destroy each other, if the one be infinite, & the other finite, the finite must be destroyed, and which ever is most powerful, must destroy the other. Now since love and enmity, holiness & sin, evil & good are exactly opposite to each other, it is evident, one must at [...] prevail over the other, how long soever contention and strife may continue, and since goodness is the perfection of GOD, and evil the imperfection of the creature, there can be no doubt, that as good existed before evil, so it shall to all eternity, when evil shall be no more. When every knee shall bow of things in heaven and earth, & under the earth, and every tongue confess and swear allegiance to God; then shall all rebellions cease! Isa. 45. Phil. 9. Rev 5.

Christian experience proves the restoration of all things; when a man comes to see himself lest & undone, vile in God's fight, un­worthy of his mercy, and totally unable to deliver himself from his sin and misery, he is then brought by the power of GOD, to resign himself into GOD's hands, without reserve, to do with him according to his will; being convinced that God neither will nor can do him any injustice, he views him as an holy righteous good and merciful God, he sees that he is undone without a Saviour, Christ is revealed to him as able and mighty to save, e­ven to the uttermost, he [...] a sufficiency in Christ to save, not on­ly him the vilest; but the whole world! he sees his love, so rich boundless & free, and his willingness to save all, that he admires and is overcome with the transporting view, he beholds his love like a river flowing down to him as free as water he knows that altho' he is the most unworthy, yet God in his unbounded love & mercy has graciously pitied him. Isa 55, 1.46.12, 13. Jerem. 31, 3. Mat. 9. [...] and many more texts are precious to him, be not only hopes for; but feels & knows salvation; he not only prays for him­self; but prays & longs, that every soul of Adams race might come to know the love & mercy of God in Christ Jesus, infinitely full free and unmerited, He beholds in Christ an infinite fulness, sufficien­cy & willingness, to save all without exception! he loves all man­kind, even his enemies, and wishes that they might come & partake of his grace, and earnestly desires the salvation of all, and prays for it, as for his own; he could embrace the whole human race in the arms of benevolence, If he had as much power as good will, he would bring all to bow to the scepter of grace, and to become re­conciled to God thro' Jesus Christ, and obedient to him!

[Page 4] Then let me ask you, can a small drop be longer than the unfa­thomed abys and ocean of love? Have you more compassion on your fellow-creatures than God that made them? Can any effect be grea­ter than its cause? Would you bring all to God and cause them to be happy if you could? And will not he, to whom nothing that he pleases is impossible, bring all creatures to be reconciled unto him­self at last, and become obedient to him? He has infinitely more love to his creatures, than all the saints and angels have, he is pos­sessed of infinite power and wisdom, as well as love, all means to accomplish the works are known to him: He can do it in a way that shall cause his praise to abound exceedingly, it is his will and purpose so to do; what then can hinder him from fulfiling it?

Our Lord hath commanded us, Matt. 5, 41—48.18, 21. Luke 6, 27—38. to love all mankind, even our enemies, to do good to them [...] render good for evil, to forgive them that trespass against us, to pray for them, that we may be the children of our father who is in heaven, whose tender mercies are over all his works: But if he doth not love all himself and do good to them, and will nev'r for­give them who trespass against him, and render them good for e­vil, he hath commanded us to be more perfect in that respect, than himself: which to suppose is highly absurd. What so all we say to that doctrine that teaches us, that God hates with a perfect ha­tred many of those whom he hath commanded us to love as ourselves?

Now is it possible to suppose with any degree of reason, that our Lord would command us, upon pain of his highest displeasure, to forgive those whom he hated, and determin'd to punish while he should exist, without having the least desire or design to do them good? Has he promised us the greatest blessings, if we will forgive all men, and will he never forgive them? He that can believe this, let him believe it.—Paul exhorts to pray for all men because it's God's will, that all men should be saved, (or restored) and be­cause that Christ gave himself ransom for all, to be testified in due time, and commands, saying, These things do and teach, 1 Tim. 2.1-8. and 4, 9 10 11. to pray without doubting. O! what [...] word is this! May we, ought we to pray for the salvation of all men without doubting? Surely God would never have com­manded us to do this, unless it was his secret purpose to restore all men in his own time. The belief of the doctrine of the restoration of all men, doth not in the [...] and to hinder us from loving all, doing good to all, forgiving all men their trespasses, and pray­ing for all men but rather encourages us so to do, from the consi­deration, that God loves them [...] all, and is determined to make them all, subjects of [...] kingdom at last.

[Page 5] This doctrine of the restoration doth not tend to make us hate God, nor doth it tend to produce selfishness, nor prevent benevo­lence, meekness, humility, forbearance, forgiveness, charity and all goodness, it does not tend to produce pride, envy, malice, rage, fury, wrath or madness against our neighbours or fellow-creatures, but the contrary "Glory to GOD in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will towards men" It cannot be a licentious doctrine, for the above reasons, i. e. because it causes benevolence, meekness, humility, forbearance, forgiveness, charity and all goodness, to abound and increase, and does not fill our breasts with selfishness or pride, nor cause our breasts to swell with pale envy and rancarous malice, at the happiness of others. 1 John II, 10. Gal. V, 14. Rom. XIII, 8.9, 10.

☞ Texts where the words eternal, for ever, and everlasting are applied to things and times, that have had, or must have an end, [also the words, not to be quenshed, Amos V, 6, Jer. VII, 20. have had an end.] Gen. XIII, 15. XVII, 7.8.13. XLIV, 32. XLVIII, 4. XLIX, 26. Ex. XII, 14.17.24. XXI, 6. xxvii, 21. xxviii, 43. xxix, 9.28. xxx, 21. xxxi, 16.17. xxxii, 13. Lev. iii, 17. vi, 13.18.20.22. vii, 34.36. viii, 15. x, 9. xvi, 29.3 [...].34. xxiii, 14.21.31.41. xxiv, 3. xxv, 30.46. Num. x, 8. xv, 15. xviii, 8. xix, 10. Deut. iv, 40. xv, 17. xviii, 5, xxviii, 46. Joshua iv, 7. xiv, 9. 1 Sam. ii, 30. iii, 13. xxvii, 12. xxviii, 2. 1 Kings xii, 7. 2 Kings v, 27. xxii, 17. 2 Chro. x. 7. Jer. xvii, 27. Ezek. xx, 45—48. Hab. iii, 6. Jona ii, 6.7. and many more might be added.

Now the rule for understanding words is this, what must be the meaning of the word in many places, and what may be the mean­ing in all places, is the true sense of the same.

Objection, Although the single word for ever, in the said texts, seems evidently to intend certain limited periods, yet what can you do with those texts Rev. xiv, 11. and ditto xx, 10. the misery of the wicked shall endure for ever? Answer, you bring three texts, which are all that are to be found in the whole bible, where they are used in that sense; I shall now invalidate those evidences for endless damnation, by bringing an equal number of texts, where you will see the words in a limited sense, i. e. Isa. xxx, 8. Jer. vii, 1.7. ditto xxv, 5. and further read Heb. i, 8. and compare it with 1 Cor. xv, 24.28.

Even Christs kingdom shall end, 1 Cor. xv, 24.28. if Christs kingdom shall have an end, much more satan's! If a reward as such shall cease; how much more punishment!

[Page 6] The misery of the wicked shall end, because the kingdom of e­vil shall end.

The subjects of Christ are his natural subjects, he is their right­ful sovereign: But satan's subjects are slaves, led captive by him at his will, he is an usurper, and all that are in bondage to him belongs to Christ, who will finally draw them all to himself. When evil is broken, its influence shall no more prevail over those that are captivated by it; and they shall feel the consequences of sin in such a manner as to loathe it, and they shall heartily return, and swear allegiance to their rightful king. All the influence of God and goodness, shall tend to disolve the kingdom of darkness, and to put an end to the thraldom and misery of it's unhappy slaves.

If the lake of fire or second death itself shall be destroyed, shall cease and be no more; there is an end to tormenting pain, and that it shall be destroyed and be no more, read Isa. xxv, 8. Hos. xiii, 14. 1 Cor. xv, 26.55. death the last enemy shall he destroyed, if this be true, then not one enemy shall be left! it would be absurd to say, that altho' the very last enemy shall be destroyed, yet many mil­lions shall remain to all eternity, read 1 John iii, 8. Unless Christ finally destroys the works of the devil, even all sin out of the uni­verse, his purpose must eternally be frustrated. Heb. ii, 14,

As to Judas Christ promised twelve thrones to the twelve apostles, Matt. xix, 28. and therefore he must be restored, or the promise can't be fulfiled. And Christ prayed for his murderers and cruci­fiers &c. As to what Peter says, Acts i, compared with Ps. lix 25. St, Paul applies part of said psalm to the Jews, as [...] as Peter applies it to Judas: See Romans xi, 9.10. and the whole chapter.

That repentance may find place in hell, see Wis. v, and Luke xvi, [...]8.30, If there was no such a thing as repentance in hell, or the prison after death, how came Christ to preach to the spir­rits in prison? 1 Pet. iii, 19.20 dit. iv, 6.

It may be questioned, whether there it not something in the i­dea of limited, yet certain punishment, so just equitable, reasona­ble, and evident, that is more calculated to produce belief, and con­sequently more effectual to destroy false hopes of escaping it, and also to check that daring presumption, which rises out of the idea of endless misery, than can be found in the contrary doctrine. End­less punishment seems to shock tender minds, at least numbers have no better excuse for finning greedily than this, that there is no hopes of there being saved, therefore they are determined to sin on, since it can make no difference.

Though damnation has been commonly understood for many a­ges, and has been preached as such, yet it has not prevented evil [Page 7]at all, or very little: Those people that believe in the universal re­storation live stricter: than others who don't, in general: The german Baptists all believe it, yet no people live stricter or more moral than they do, and many hundreds besides them, yet it don't tend to make them licentious. Endless damnation is too unnatu­ral to be believed; but limited punishment being more reasonable seems more certain. Certain it is, that where the idea of endless misery prevails, it doth not prevent iniquity in the measure that might be expected, on the supposition of its being the truth of God. The great number of heathens, who die without ever be­ing favoured with the written gospel, or ever of hearing of end­less misery; the many that die in their infancy and childhood, toge­ther with the instances of ideots, and persons born deaf; all convince me more than any logical arguments, that God has many ways of instructing and reclaiming his creatures in another state, than we are acquainted with. It is not so much the intention of God, me­rely to restrain sin, as to show in all it's dreadful deformity, punish it according to it's deserts, and finally show the superabounding of his grace, in overcoming and totally destroying it out of his crea­tion; which shall be accomplished, when he that sitteth upon the throne shall make all things new, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away, Rev. xxi, 4.

I don't wonder that universal restoration is not admitted by the generality of learned preachers; for how wou'd it affect their preaching? for instance, would it not mar a modern sermon, the soul and essence of which is — damnation — eternal damnation — the everlasting torments of hell, &c. &c. expressions of wonder­ful force and pathos, and that admit of a very convenient variety of change. Universal restoration gaining ground, what would be­come of pulpit rhetoric, so enobled as it has been by fire and flame, for ever more? by this craft, said some of old: we have our wealth, and with as strong a jealousy, might others then cry out, — nay, spoil us not; for this is the secret fund, out of which we make up all deficiencies and fill up every chasm.

The doctrine of the restoration of all things, is no new doctrine; many have wrote upon it, hundreds have preached it, and thou­sands have believed it, since the reformation. The truth of this blessed doctrine was well known to the apostles of Christ, and to the first Christians, was by the apostles and first Christians declared, and handed down to succeeding generations, and some of the fathers, (as they are called) as Origen &c. whose writing have been pre­served, were open witnesses for it, and indeed it hath had witnesses in all ages, down to the present day.

[Page 8] Many preachers in our days believe it, although they preach of endless damnation: For as long as they want to belong to the sy­nod, or council of learned ministers, or priests, or sanhedrims, they must conform to the rules and canons of their particular sect, or corporation, which rules canons, traditions of their elders, or doc­trines of men, to them are more sacred, than the writings of the apostles of Christ; for the scriptures they may turn, twist, observe some, reject other parts of them, disobey some scripture commands, alter others &c. but the rights, rules, ordinances and commands laid down in their symbolical and canonical books, must be punctually observed and kept, if some of the doctrines therein contained, should even be found to be diametrically opposie to Christ's doc­trine. And as universal restitution is contrary to their system, they dare not utter it, for fear of man's displeasure; on the con­trary, as endless damnation composes a part of their system, they must preach it up, or be in danger of being anathematized, by their brethern in black, i. e. the tribe of Rubies, and then be cur­tailed of their titles of honour, greetings in the markets, chief seats in synagogues, uppermost rooms in feasts, of fine clothings, great yearly sallaries, gaudy trappings and furniture; and perhaps become as poor as one of the apostles of our Lord Jesus, when they sojourned on this earthly ball, or as Christ himself, who had not any thing to lay his head upon, much less fine houses, lands &c. But if there be a Heretick in the world, it is the man who for the love of money or applause, or through the fear of man preaches that to others which he himself doth not believe.—He that is such is subverted, and sinneth being condemned of himself, Tit. iii, 11.

God hath sworn, that to him every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear, Isa. xlv 23. That in the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow, of things in heaven, things on earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue shall confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the father, Phil. ii, 10.11.—Their torments and sorrows shall humble, and bring them down.—That it is the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which he has purposed in himself in the dispensation of the fulness of times, to gather together, or rehead, in one, all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and on earth, even in him, Ephes. i. 9.10. —And having made peace through the blood of his cross, he is de­termined to reconcile all things to himself, whether things in heaven, [Page 9]or things on earth, Col. i, 20.— That he worketh all things after the counsel of his own will, Ephes. i, 2.— That he will have all men to be saved 1 Tim. ii, 6.— That the father loveth the son, and hath given all things into his hands John iii 25.— And that Christ said, all that the father giveth me, shall come unto me, and him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out. John vi, 37.—He is faithful who has promised, and in his own time will fulfil all his purposes and pro­mises. —See examples of his long suffering, mercy, and love, in the cases of Manasseh, Nebuchadnezar, Mary Magdalene, Saul and many others.

As Christ is alpha, so he will be omega; as he was the begin­ning, so he will be the ending; as he is the first, so shall he be the last: He will outlive all sin enmity and evil, and totally a­bolish and destroy the works of satan, and the kingdom of satan: He will exist an endless duration, when sin, enmity, and evil of e­very kind are no more!

Paul says: that God is the saviour of all men, and commands Timothy, saying: these things command and teach, 1 Tim. iv, 10.11. but our modern preachers contradict Paul, and make him a liar, for they say, i. e. God or Christ saves only a small number, and that satans kingdom shall remain to all eternity, and that he will have absolute dominion over them, and torment and punish many millions of souls, that God made unto endless duration: At that rate Christ has not power sufficient to conquer satan his enemy, nor to destroy his works, although scripture informs us that he both has, and will make his enemies his footstool, and bring all things in subjection under him, and will reconcile all to himself, and that he is the head of all principality and power. O ye blind, guides! ye defenders of satans kingdom! how amazed you will be, when the time of the general restoration comes.

Every person, who by reason of sin and rebellion against God, that will be cast into the lake of fire, will continue for a time there­in, and be sufficiently punished for the same: But will then be re­stored by Christ, as soon as they have undergone their punishment. I should imagine, that if a poor damned person, should only be a few thousand years in the lake of fire and brimstone, [as the unbe­lievers in Noah's time, till Christ preached to them) it would be a sufficient punishment for their wickedness committed in their short lives of forty, fifty, or one hundred years, though I don't sup­pose their pain will end as soon; but may perhaps may last many thousand years, and after they are restored, they will not possess as great a degree of happiness, as the elect, who have followed the Lamb, in the regeneration in their life, and preserved therein un­to the end.

[Page 10] That the fallen angels, as well as all mankind, will, by the judge of the quick and dead, be judged according to their works, and re­ceive their reward, according to their desert or deeds, I believe; but that is not against the restoration of all things. No creature can in such a short time, or a time that shall have an end, com­mit as much evil, as to deserve endless punishment in a lake of flaming fire, for there is no proportion, or likeness between endless duration, and a time to end, and especially between the short life of a man in this world, and endless duration: And I should think that the damned, would be sufficiently tormented, and pay dear enough, for all their evil deeds, that they done in their thirty, forty or fifty years; if they should remain but thirty forty or fifty thousand years in hell, for one day's punishment in hell, would seem longer and severer, than many years in this world, even on a bed of sickness, God is as good as he is just, and will not give any of the damned one single stroke more than they de­serve; but rather less, as he is a God of love, mercy and pity, and after all and every one hath received their punishment, for their evil deeds, they will certainly be set free out of prison, and out of pain, redeemed through Christ, and made happy, both men and fallen angels. There is no such words in all the scriptures, as endless death, endless damnation, endless desire or will of sin­ning. There is no proportion between an endless punishment, and sins or crimes of forty fifty sixty or seventy or one hundred years committing: A man of common sense would rather suffer the greatest tribulations and anguish during a life of sixty or se­venty or eighty years in this world, in order to enter into imme­diate happiness after death: than live a life of great pleasure here, and be afterwards tormented in fire and brimstone, if his torments should continue but a few thousand years: He must be right foo­lish or mad, that would rather live here in pleasure fifty sixty or eighty years, and be tormented in hell, if it were but a few thou­sand years: than live a godly life, and after death enter into end­less glory.

It is contrary to sound reason, to suppose that an allmighty, all­wise allknowing good, and merciful God, should have created ma­ny missions of souls to be tormented in a lake of fire, without end, as well as it is contrary to scripture. Or that he should punish them so long, for the crimes committed in a few years. See Isa. lxv 7. lxvi 22. compared with 2 Peter iii, 10.11.12.13. Rev. xxi, 1. concerning the creation of new heavens and new earth, and the earth being disolved with fire.

The restoration of all things, after the conflagration, will be [Page 11]gradual, but the earth will be first restored, at least a considerable part of it, for as we read of the lake of fire burning with brimstone into which the beast and false prophet were cast alive, before or at the beginning of the millennium, and the devil himself at the end of it, before the second resurrection and the judgement, which lake of fire and brimstone was doubtless in a part of the earth, before the conflagration turned the whole into an universal lake of the same kind, so a principal part of the earth may be re­newed, and yet a part may continue as a place of torment, long after the descent of the holy city. But the new creation of the earth and its surrounding atmosphere, together with the descent of the holy city from God out of heaven, cannot be for their sakes who will have dwelt therein for ages before, and who shall go no more out; but for the sake of those unhappy beings, who being cast into the lake of fire, experienced the amazing torments of the second death. If God had designed to leave all those who shall re­main on the earth, and perish in the general conflagration or lake of fire and brimstone, to continue in that miserable state to all e­ternity, we should never have heard of the earth being created a­new, by the power of God, nor of the holy city descending from God out of heaven: But as Jehova, hath purposed to create all men anew in Christ Jesus, in the ages to come, and in the dispensa­tion of the fulness of times, to rehead or rally all things which now are scattered under one leader, therefore he will renew the earth, and make it the scene, or stage, whereon these most amazing wonders shall be performed. God will look down from heaven, upon the earth in it's melted state, as he did formerly upon it, when it was overwhelmed with waters, or as a skilful founder watches the state of the melted metal in his furnace, and knows exactly when to begin his operations, so the great supreme in his appointed time, seeing that the great fire hath dissolved the earth, and thereby hath brought it to a proper state for him to manifest his creating power upon, and also, that a considerable number of the sufferers are humbled, and prepared for him to manifest his redeeming power, love and grace, in and upon; he will than without delay begin to put his gracious designs into execution, by first renewing a habi­tation for them, and then renewing them to dwell therein: than will he cause his holy city to descend from God out of heaven, to make a long continuance with men. In this glorious city, Christ and his saints shall reign for ages and ages, [...] things shall be gradually subdued, and restored: then, and not till then, will Christ deliver up the kingdom to the father, that God may be all in all, beyond which closeing scene of the mediator's kingdom, the scrip­tures do not carry us.