"wonderful ways of the Divine Wisdom, Justice, and Mercy." The 107th Psalm in particular, is a Celebration of God's manifold Providence, over Travellers, over Captives, over sick Men, over Sea-men, and in divers Varieties of Life; as the Argument of it runs very justly in our common Bibles. If the Author has a mind to make an Allegory of it, he has his liberty; provided only he does not put his Allegories upon us for Scripture-Proofs: For in that way Scripture may be made to prove anything. "That immense "Goodness is not confined to the short Space of this "Life," we believe as firmly as he does. The Mercy of the Lord will endure for ever; as Millions of Creatures will experience. But that all will become proper Objects of it, or, as he expresses it, "shall be capable of receiving its Influence;" is more than he can prove from this Psalm, or any other.

We must follow him now to Psalm ciii. ver. 9. For he goes backwards, retreating as it were to his strongest Hold. "One of the strongest Expressions against the Eternity of Torments, is this, He will "not always chide, nor keep his Anger for ever: A “Declaration more strong, and the further removed "from Ambiguity, as it is taken from the Nature and "Perfections of God himself, and perfectly agrees "with the Ideas of Justice, which every one finds engraved upon his own Mind." Several things may be return'd to this; as first, he has here forgot the Point he was to prove. For supposing this to be one of the strongest Expressions against the Eternity of Torments, it does not therefore follow that it proves his System of the Restoration. Then, whereas he says "this Declaration is taken from the Nature and "Perfections of God," &c. I would ask whether this

Proposition, viz. God will punish for ever, those who for ever are proper Objects of Punishment, be not likewise taken from the Nature and Perfections of God himself? If the Nature and Perfections of God permit him to be angry, or to punish, for a time; why may they not permit him to punish for ever, if the Reasons of Punishment still continue? If the Punishment was at first without Reason, it was unjust, how temporary or short soever; and if there be reason for it, it will not be unjust, let the Duration of it be what it will. But the proper Answer undoubtedly is, that the Psalmist is not at all speaking of Punishment in another World, in a State of Retribution; but of Correction, or Chastisement, in the present State of Discipline and Trial.1 The Author has almost stumbled upon this himself, in a Note; which overthrows all that he advances as from this Text. "A "Father, says he, doth not chide his Children, whom

1 Ver. 9. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his Anger for ever. 10. He hath not dealt with us after our Sins: nor rewarded us according to our Iniquities. 11. For as the Heaven is high above the Earth: so great is his Mercy toward them that fear him. 12. As far as the East is from the West: so far hath he removed our Transgressions from us. It is the same Case with Isaiah, Chap. lvii. ver. 16. which the Author thinks "deserves to be quoted at full length;" p. 287. For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the Spirit should fail before me, and the Souls which I have made. The Prophet having reproved the idolatrous Jews in the former Part of the Chapter; ver. 15. comforts the humble and contrite. Then follow the Words in question; and ver. 17, he goes on,-For the Iniquity of his Covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his Heart. Ver. 18. I have seen his ways, and will heal him, &c. Nevertheless he assures us, ver. 20, 21. The wicked are like the troubled Sea, when it cannot rest, whose Waters cast up Mire and Dirt. There is no Peace, saith my God, to the wicked.

"he is resolved to abandon; by chiding he shows his "Design of correcting and reducing them to their "Duty." In this sense then of chiding, when it is declared that God will not always chide, what is it but a Declaration that He is resolved to abandon such Children, whom no Chiding, no Correction, will reduce to their Duty? In a word, Correction and Punishment are very different things; one proper to a State of moral Discipline, the other, to a State of Retribution; one must end, either by the Amendment of the Party corrected, or by his incurable Wickedness, (for why then should he be corrected any more?) The other may, or may not, for any thing here said by the Psalmist: But certainly we ought to take our Notions of this Matter from such Passages of Scripture as do relate to it, and not from those which do not. The rest of this Letter is nothing but Misrepresentation.

He proceeds, in Letter V. to produce the prophetical Promises agreeing with the preceding Proofs. But I may fairly be excused from giving them any particular Answer, as he himself appears to lay no stress upon them. He pretends to " employ the Authority "of the Prophets only as collateral Testimonies that "are sufficient only, as they agree with the former "Evidences:" That is, both with the unchangeable "Truths he has laid down as his Foundation, and "with the express and positive Declarations of the "New Testament, that are not figurative." Without this Rule, "the Phraseology of the Prophets is so "ambiguous and obscure, that we may run into a "thousand Extravagancies, which we may suppose "well-grounded, under pretence of some Expressions, "whose meaning we do not comprehend." The plain English of all which is, that he is sensible these

Prophetical Promises are nothing to the purpose : But if he has proved his Point before, they may be applied to it; and understood in this sense, as well as any other. This, in general, of his Prophetical Proofs: In particular, he says of Isaiah xl. 4, 5,1 (which is the first Testimony he quotes,) that he "knows we may "restrain the Meaning of those Words to something "less general; and should any one dispute it with "him, he would easily give it up."—"Here is another of the same sort," (that is, as little to the purpose,) Isaiah xlv. 23, 24, 25.2 If what is here promised, or predicted, be confirm'd by an Oath, we may safely believe it will come to pass. But that this is the Restoration of wicked Men and Devils in Hell, is the Point to be proved. "The Apostle St. Paul quotes "this Text in these words; Rom. xiv. II. Every Tongue shall give praise to God; which sure cannot "be applied to the Damned.” This is amazing! St. Paul is there dissuading Christians from judging and despising their Brethren; and his great Argument against it is, (like that of St. James, No. LXXXI., upon the same occasion,) that we must all stand before the Fudgment-Seat of Christ. For it is written, says the Apostle, as I live, saith the Lord, every Knee

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1 Every Valley shall be exalted, and every Mountain and Hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough Places plain. And the Glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all Flesh shall see it together: for the Mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

This Passage, as applied in the New Testament, relates to. John the Baptist, and makes part of his Preaching: and what a Preacher he was of this Author's System of the Re-establishment, may be seen Chap. i. No. I. II.

-that unto me every Knee shall -Referr'd by St. Paul,

2 I have sworn by myself,bow, every Tongue shall swear.Rom. xiv. II. to the Day of Judgment.

shall bow to me, and every Tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Is not this now an admirable proof, that St. Paul understood the Text in Isaiah, to relate to the Doctrine of the Restoration? He next quotes Isaiah ix. 2.1 Only because mention is there made of Darkness, and the Shadow of Death. And lastly, Ch. xxiv. 22.2 because, otherwise these are obscure words.

If this be all the Light and Evidence which he is able to collect from Isaiah, what can be expected from Jeremiah, who "does not speak so clearly as "Isaiah, and makes use of figurative Expressions?" However, he will offer some Conjectures and Probabilities from him; viz. from Chap. xxv. and Chap. xlv. et seq. Who can stand before a Man, who thus argues from whole Chapters ? The Design of which too he is pleas'd to wave, and considers only the Figure. But that he gives "the true Sense of this Figure, we

1 The People that walked in Darkness, have seen a great Light: they that dwell in the Land of the Shadow of Death, upon them hath the Light shined. For the Meaning and Application of which, see Matt. iv. 14, 15, 16.

2 And they shall be gathered together as Prisoners are gathered in the Pit, and shall be shut up in the Prison, and after many Days shall they be visited.

"The word visiting is used for punishing, as well as for "remembering with Grace and Favour. Thus this very Phrase, After many Days thou shalt be visited, is used, Ezek. xxxviii. "8. See likewise Prov. xix. 23." Mr. Lowth, on the Place; "who explains it of the Kings of the Earth, who made war with "Christ and his Saints at Armageddon, Rev. xvi. 16. xix. 19. and "there discomfited, lay languishing under the Sentence of Con"demnation till after the Battle of Gog and Magog, Chap. xx. "8, 9, 10. when they were, with Satan their Leader, punish'd "with everlasting Destruction."