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age, period, or sometimes ages; forever and ever, may intend ages, an age of ages, or ages of ages: But any proportion at all between two periods supposes both to have an end, or there could be no proportion.

2dly. I find a time promised, when, "there shall be no more death; neither sorrow nor crying; neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are (or shall then be) passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me (John) Write; for these words are true and faithful." Rev. xxi. 4, 5.

3dly. I think there is sufficient reason, from the words of St. Peter, in his second epistle, 3d chapter, 5, 6, 7, 10 11, 12th verses, to conclude, that as the earth was once overflowed with water, and became truly a lake of water, wherein the world of ungodly men perished; so, by the general conflagration, the same shall become literally the lake of fire and brimstone, in which the wicked shall be punished after the day of judgment: But I also think, that the 13th verse of the same chapter, compared with Rev. xxi. 1. Isaiah lxv. 17. Ixvi. 22, more than intimates, that the new heaven and earth shall be created out of the substance of the old, dissolved by the fire; that the new earth shall no more have a sea therein, seems to imply, that in its former state, it had a sea, or why this expression, "And there was no more sea"-Now, if this hypothesis is right, the following will be the true state of the case, viz.

The lake of fire is expressly declared to be "the second death," Rev. xx. 14. The earth, in its burnt, melted and dissolved state, will be the general lake of fire and brimstone according to the verses above cited from St. Peter. There will be a new heaven and a new earth, created out of the substance of the old, in which there will be no more sea, either of water, or of liquid fire consequently the lake of fire, or second death, (which are declared to be synonimous) must end; and, of course, the punishment of the second death must then cease.

4thly. The smoke of their torments is to ascend up for ever and ever, and they are to be tormented day and night. But, as the smoke of the burning earth must cease, when its substance is entirely dissolved or melted, and all combustible bodies are consumed ;and as it is intimated in Job xxvi. 10. that day and night shall come to an end; and in Rev. xxi. 25, it is said of the New Jerusalem, "And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day, for there shall be no night there." For all these reasons, I cannot be altogether persuaded, that their being tormented day and night, for ever and ever, during which time the smoke of their torment shall constantly ascend, is quite equal to endless misery, especially as there shall come a time when death shall be no more, pain shall be no more, sorrow shall be no more, smoke shall probably ascend no more, and, peradventure, night shall be no more.

5thly. But the great reason of all, why I do not conceive that for ever and ever, doth certainly intend endless duration, is because I find the words as often used for times and periods, that must have an end, as you find them used for the misery of the wicked.You bring three passages, 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 allow the words are used in a limited sense.

Friend. Is it possible that you can find any such passages in the Bible? Pray shew them to me. Minister. Isa. xxx. 8. "Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it for the time to come, for ever and ever.

may be See Jer. vii. 1, 7. The 7th verse is, "Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever."

Jer. xxv. 5. "Turn ye again, now, every one from his evil way, and every one from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that JEHOVAH hath given anto you, and to your fathers, for ever and ever."

These passages are as many, and as strongly expressed, as those which you brought to prove endless misery; and yet nothing can be more evident than that they cannot intend endless duration. Here, these periods must be limited by the great conflagration; and thus (for ought that appears as yet) the misery of the wicked may be limited, notwithstanding the use of those expressions, to set forth its dreadful continuance to unknown ages; at least, those words do not necessarily imply, that they shall never, as long as God lives, be delivered from their sins and consequent sufferings.

If we were always to read for ever and ever, EndLESS, we should set the scriptures at variance; and no criticism could ever reconcile them. Try, for instance, to reconcile Psalm cii. 25, 26, with Psalm. cxlviii. 6. "Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure; yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed. He. hath also established them for ever and ever; he hath made a decree which shall not pass."

Now, if the words for ever and ever signify without end, then there is a contradiction that cannot be reconciled; but only understand them ages of ages, (as, indeed, they ought to be rendered) and the whole difficulty vanishes at once.

1.

Suppose a person should read Rev. xx. 11. and xxi.

"And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat upon it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. and I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea :" And should then say, These visions cannot be true, because Solomon hath said, "One generation passeth away, and another cometh, but the earth abideth for ever." Eccles. i. 4.And God laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed, for ever," Plalm. civ, 4. The

world also is established that it cannot be moved."Psal. xciii. 1. See also Psal. lxxviii. 69, and xcvi. 10. What would you think of such reasoning? Just so weak, must all the reasoning against the universal Restoration be, from the words for ever and for ever, and ever, being applied to states of future misery, if God had promised to put an end to them all, by reconciling all things to himself, destroying sin, and introducing a new creation, and a state of universal and permanent happiness: For if such promises really exist, and their existence can be demonstrated, all reasoning against them must be vain and futile.

Friend. It is certain, what when the word for ever is applied to things of this life and the world, it intends a period; but when applied to spiritual matters, and things of another world, it must be endless, according to my judgment; and I am apt to think, you will find it so too.

Minister. I am certain that you will soon be convinced to the contrary. The apostle, speaking of Christ, says, "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, for ever sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth, expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. Heb. x. 12, 13. You will please to notice, that Christ's sitting down in the heavens, on the right hand of God, is not a circumstance belonging to this world, or the things of time; and he is to sit there for ever; and yet that period, which, according to your hypothesis, must be endless, is expressly limited by the sacred writings: The heavens have received him, "until the times (seasons, or ages) of restitution of all things," (that is till the beginning, and not the ending of those times) which God hath spoken of by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." Acts, iii. 21. the whole New Testament teacheth us, to wait for the coming of Jesus, from heaven; (1 Thes. i. 10.) which would be highly absurd, upon the suppositson, that he is always to abide there: Which yet he must,

And

if the word for ever, as applied to things of another state, intends endless duratton.

Friend. I confess, I never observed this before-But, do you know of any passage in the New Testament, where the words, for ever and ever, certainly intend limited duration? For I observed, that all the instances you brought were from the Old Testa

ment.

Minister. Yes: Heb. 1. 8. But unto the Son he saith, "Thy throne, (in distinction from throne of the Father) O God, is for ever and ever; yet we read, (1 Cor. xv. 34. 28.) of the end, when he shall have

delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule, and all authority and power; then shall the Son also himself, be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all."

Friend. But when Christ threatened sinners, with everlasting fire, everlasting punishment, and eternal damnation; did not his expressions naturally convey the idea of endless misery? And may not the Son of God be accused of duplicity and deceit, if he did not mean to denounce punishment without end? And, therefore, if we believe his words to be true, as most certainly they are, we must reject the doctrine of the restoration, which puts an end to a state, which is called everlasting, by the mouth of truth itself.—Are you able to answer this fairly?

Minister. If I am not able to answer this objection, which you have stated in the strongest manner, I assure you, I will confess myself in an error; and shall thank you,(as an instrument) for bringing me to know it. The same objection that you make against the Restoration, the Jews make against Christ and his religion; for they argue thus: God is an unchangeable Being, and he declared, in most solemn manner, that the ordinances of the Levitical dispensation should be everlasting, and the anointing of Aaron's sons should be an everlasting priesthood, throughout their generations; (See Exod. xl. 15. and Lev. xvi. 34.)--and,

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