to them that dwell on the earth, AND to EVERY Nation, and Kindred, and Tongue, and People, [whether on this earth, or departed from it,---whether those that existed in the present, past, or future,] saying with a mighty voice,--Fear God, and give Glory to Him: for the hour of His JUDGMENT is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.'-Rev. xiv. 4--7.

'Now is Christ risen from the dead, and become THE FIRST-FRUITS of them that slept,' [viz. ‘ALL,'---22d verse.] -1 Cor. xv. 20.

'Every man in his own order; Christ THE FIRST-FRUITS, afterward they that ARE Christ's, [viz. 'ALL,'---John xvii. 10.] at his coming. Then the end, when ALL shall be Subdued unto him, and the Last Enemy, death, shall be Destroyed.-1 Cor. xv. 23--28. We understand from this passage, that the final resurrection of all men in Christ, is a progressive and individual work after death, and identical with that of reconciling the World,---All Things to himself. It seems plain to us that the power of the resurrection is not fully wrought upon any soul until it has attained the angelic, the heavenly, the Christ-like image, which is but gradually assumed,-not until the soul has become subject unto Christ, until it become his characteristically, can it be visibly sensible of his 'coming,'---not until it becomes 'LIKE HIM,' can it 'see him at his appearing,'---it must be 'AS HE IS,' before his glory can be 'revealed.' ALL shall at last indeed be raised in Christ,---ALL shall be subdued unto him; but this is neither an instantaneous nor a simultaneous act, but a protracted and progressive one, which the Great Judgment of the Kingdom is even now carrying onward.

'He saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same Purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show My power in thee, and that My name might be declared throughout All the Earth.' ---Rom. ix. 17.

'The Lord thy God hath chosen thee [the Jews] to be a Special People unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. Yet the Lord did not set His love upon yout nor Choose you, because ye were more in num

P

ber than any people; for ye were the fewest of All people: But because the Lord loved you, [but not to their own exclusive glory, land because He would keep the Oath which He had Sworn unto your fathers,' [that through the Promised Seed, ALL the nations and families of the earth shall be blessed.] Deut. vii. 6--8.

The Jews were chosen from among all the nations of the earth, as the first-fruits of All the Nations of men. The Apostles and Disciples were elected as the first-fruits of the Church. The Church is for the good of the world at large. The Elect believers are an ensample of the final unity of faith with the non-elect. The ultimate regeneration of this world is a pledge and testimony to the eventual glorification of All the future world. And finally, the election of the Only-Begotten and Exalted Son of God was for the eternal Redemption and Blessedness of All His Intelligent Creation. (Col. i, 15. &c.)

"How little they God's counsels comprehend,-
The Universal Parent, Guardian, Friend:
Who, forming by degrees to bliss, MANKIND,
This globe our sportive nursery assign'd.
Scarce any ill to human life belongs,

But what our follies cause, or mutual wrongs;
Or if some stripes from Providence we feel,

He strikes with pity, and but wounds to heal.”—JENYNS.

PROPOSITION FORTY-NINTH.

The Highest MORAL PRECEPTS of Christianity are not only Radically at war with the Partialist views of Divine Justice, but are also the very Bases of the Universalist Philosophy, and irresistibly Evident of its Doc

trines.

ILLUSTRATIONS.

'Love your Enemies.'-Mat. v. 45. Now we will not believe that God has ever communicated a moral command to His creatures, inculcating a different principle, much less a directly contrary one, to the spirit by which He himself is ever actuated, in the administration of His government.--

Were not eternal Goodness and Love immutable and unmixed attributes of His own nature, then would those principles never be necessary or profitable to man, neither could such principles in the form of universal precepts, ever issue from His sovereign throne. The lofty standard and perfection of Goodness, must exist with God alone; and the goodness which His precepts involve must be of the same nature with His own. Consequently, goodness in man is the same in kind with that of God, though infinitely different in degree, and any actual abuse of the immutable principles of good would be a wrong in Him as well as in man. In fact, that only is evil which is contrary to God's own character; and we cannot reasonably believe that He would ever pronounce a particular command good, and its disobedience evil, while the principle had no foundation in His own Being.

It

If this reasoning be just, as we think must be apparent to every reflecting mind, we are prepared to comprehend the force of that first Divine precept we have mentioned, 'Love your enemies,' in its inconsistency with the doctrine of Vindictive Justice, and harmony with that of Merciful Justice, when the precept is considered as one that reigns over and sways the counsels of Him from whom it emanated. seems very obvious, that if the deep, eternal, unchangeable love of God really embraces those even who seem to be the enemies of His name and holiness,-there is no room whatever for the awful idea of His having prepared a great world of unabating miseries for their souls, in the after life! But if God loves his enemies, it is manifest that, however deeply He may contemn their sins, He is still the tender, solicitous Parent of their spirits, who with ample means at His command for the total abolishment of their enmity, will not cease the intensity of His Spirit's striving, until they shall come trembling with humility, and melted with filial, confiding, reciprocal tenderness, at His feet.

We might introduce here several Scriptural proofs to the conclusion at which we above arrived, that the spirit of God's dealing with mankind is ever consonant with the spirit of the moral commands which He has dictated as the great governing principles between man and man. In con

nection with the divine injunction, 'Love your enemies, &c.' Jesus added, 'That ye may be the children of, [a Greek idiomic periphrasis for that ye may be like,] your Father which is in heaven; for He maketh His sun to rise upon the evil and upon the good,' &c. And when he said, 'If ye love them which love you, [merely,] what do ye more than publicans?' he enforced the lesson of his question by giving his hearers to understand that the Father's love was not circumscribed by lines of distinction, in these words: 'Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.' The apostle likewise commanded, that we should be imitators of God as dear children.-(Eph. v. 1.) Jesus was 'the manifestation of the Father's glory, and the express image of His person;' and the example of Jesus as a pattern is frequently exhibited in the Epistles. Both Christ and St. Paul have condemned the judging of those who disregard their own precepts. Mat vii. 3; Rom. ii. 1, &c.

Bless them that curse you.'-Mat. v. 45. 'Cursing for cursing' can constitute no legitimate part of the Christian's Creed, any more than it can of his practice. Will God in. deed ultimately confer the blessing of His ancient Promise upon those even who take His holy name in vain, or blaspheme it? Assuredly He will; for it is promised even in the precept of His word we have just cited. Witness also the glorious exemplification of this precept in Jesus' blessing upon those who cursed and crucified him 'Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.'-Luke xxiii. 34.

'Do good to them that hate you.'-Luke vi. 27. So does not the Lord hate those who hate Him, but is kind to the unthankful and the evil.' His Goodness indeed is so much greater than all our ingratitude, that He will not only des troy all our hate and past unmindfulness, but will change them to endless love and holiness.

'Pray for them which despitefully use you.'-Luke vi. 28. If we, as brethren, should be anxious and pray for the wel fare of our persecutors, how much more shall God, as Creator and Father, be solicitous of, and ACT FOR, the enlightenment and salvation of the erroneous and the uncharitable?

If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if

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he be thirsty give him water to drink.'-Rom. xii. 20;--Prov. xxv. 21. It is not the disposition of God either to confirm on His own part the estrangement and enmity of His creatures, or to perpetuate it; but on the contrary, to abolish it, and to reconcile the alienated to Himself. And this He accomplishes by ministering with more liberal hand to the greater necessities of those who are more 'out of the way.' He conquers not as human conquerors do, by violent means and vindictive, but to gain the love and homage, as well as the trophy, of His captives. This is the noble nature of God's Vengeance. Whether He smite, or whether He bless, His enemies, it is to reclaim. 'Tis thus that He 'heaps coals of fire upon their heads.'

'Not rendering evil for evil, but CONTRARIWISE blessing.' -1 Pet. iii. 9. God is not a retaliative and vengeful Being, that He will increase the evils of His universe by redoubling those of His creatures, in the unsparing exaction of ill for ill; much less will He retort infinite and endless evil for finite and momentary. But the dealings of God are exactly 'contrariwise; He renders not only good for evil, but infinite goodness for all our evils.

'If ye lend to those only of whom ye hope to receive, what do ye more than sinners?'-Luke vi. 34. The Grace of God which bringeth salvation is not merely for those who may do anything for the Lord in return for it,—it is 'not of works,'-but it is a free Gift unto All men; for God giveth not merely to those from whom He receiveth as much again.

'Forgive thy brother that sinnest against thee_ not until SEVEN times, but until SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN.'—Mat. xviii. 22. This precept proves that the Divine Mercy is unlimited to persons, or times, or to the heinousness or number of sins, and agrees with that teaching of Jesus,-Mat. xii. 31, (which, when rendered into English with regard to the proverbial Greek idiom which the passage contains, reads thus :) 'All manner of Sin and blasphemy shall be Forgiven unto men; though the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall scarcely be forgiven unto men.'

'Be not overcome of evil, but Overcome evil with Good.'Rom. xii. 14. But, will God, who is All-wise and mighty,