well as the friend of man. Here, let it be understood, that in order to propagate his delufion, he makes ufe of inftruments, fo that he may keep himself out of fight. He does not come in his own fhape, and fay, Iam the devil, who brought about the fall of man, and who is now going about like a roaring lion feeking to devour fouls. In the firft temptation, it has been obferved, that he kept himself hid. He then made ufe of the ferpent. There was then none of the human race, that he could make an inftrument of. Now there are enough. Ezekiel reprefents the falfe proph-fyftem of religion is not pleafing undertakes to prove, that when Chrift said, He that believeth not fhall be damned, he meant the fame as to fay, he fhall be faved; and that any body, who thinks he meant any thing elfe by being damned, only be ing faved greatly injures the benevolent, fweet, lovely Jefus. And if a tear of pity is needed now to grace it, Satan commonly has one to fhed, thro' the eyes of his organ. to ets as being in Satan's, and not III. From an examination of the fubtil device, by which the fall of man was effected, we learn, that it is no evidence, that a to Satan, because it contains fome It is Tho' * Every erroneous scheme of religion is more or lefs pleafing to the devil, That, which is the moft erroneous, is probably the moft pleafing to him: But as he cannot get all to embrace one crror, it fuits his selfish purpose best, to have a good many falfe fchemes. Atheifm and deifm are, no doubt, both from beneath. The devil would be glad to have all men difbelieve the existence of God; but if this cannot be, then let those be deifts who cannot be atheists. But fome men will believe the bibleweil then, let them be univerfalifts. If they cannot believe with Dr. H―n, that there is no future punishment at all, then let them believe with Dr. Chauncy and Mr. Winchefter. But fome cannot be univerfalifts at all; for they will think that everlasting punishment means punishment without end, as nefs without end.-Well, if there much as everlasting life means bleffedare fome, who cannot be univer falifts of any kind, then let them b he denied it to Eve, he will now grant, that God is benevolent; and from this will infer that none of his creatures will be miferable, at leaft, forever. He will grant, that there is a Saviour, and from thence would have it inferred, that all men will be faved. To prove this, he will, by his fubtilty, affift his friends to quote a multitude of texts, which were defigned to prove no fuch thing. All thofe precious paffages, which fpeak of the latter day glory of the church, have been quoted to prove, that all men, in every age of the world, will be faved. Nothing can be more unfair than this: Yet this has the appearance of bringing fcripture proof for an univerfal falvation. The texts, which speak of the infinite fulness of the atonement, its fufficiency for the whole world, and in that fenfe, made for all, are brought as fo many proofs, that all will actually partake of this fulnefs. According to this mode of reafoning, the fulness of the table in the parable, Luke 14. made it certain, that all who were invited would actually come and be filled. But though there was enough for them, which was prov Armininians, Socinians, or fomething elfe which falls fhort of the truth as it is in Jefus. It is just the character of the devil, to be a profeffed believer in all thefe different and oppofite fchemes: And his friends on earth often bear a great refemblance to him in this respect. Some have gone from an orthodox, or fcriptural belief, down through all these grades of error, till they have landed in down right atheifm. Let us be careful to receive the love of the truth, elfe God may, in judgment, fend us ftrong delufion, that we should even believe a lie, which will be fo fatal as to be the caufe of our being damned. 2 Theff. ii. 10, 11, 12. | ed by their being invited; yet concerning fome of them it was faid, they fhould not tafte of the fupper. IV. As fatan's wile took with Eve, fo as to induce her to eat the forbidden fruit; fo it might naturally be expected, that "Ye fhall not furely die" would fill embolden her children to follow her example and eat forbidden fruit. This is moft manifestly the cafe: For with the fame wile, he not only practices, but profpers. "Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous fad, whom I have not made fad; and frengthened the hands of the wicked, that he fhould not return from his wicked way, by promifing him life,” Ezekiel xiii. 22. The reading of these sentiments, or hearing them preached does not, like the fermon of Peter, make men cry out, What fhall we do? It produces nothing like a religious awakening and re formation. On the contrary, it moft evidently lulls to fleep the guilty confcience. "Such preaching," faid one," is like a fiddle to the foul." And true it is; for it is rather defigned to help us to dance and be merry, than to affist us to get a new heart, and to lead a holy and prayerful life. The hofts of hell are, no doubt, wickedly gratified, to see how their old wile profpers among gospel fin ners. How can any one view univerfalism as a harmless doctrine? This doctrine, when preached in the garden of Eden, did not prove harmlefs; for it was the evident means of man's apoftacy from God. And it is not lefs evident, that the fame doctrine is now the means of strengthening the hands of many of the wicked, fo as to keep them from turning from their wicked way, that they might live. Where is there a fingle fin ner who believes this doctrine, who thinks of trying to get a new heart? He muft firft be unfettled from this belief, or at leaft, in fome degree fhaken, before he will feriously refolve to feek to be acquainted with heart religion. V. An attention to the man ner in which our apoftacy was effected should ferve, as a folemn admonition to us, to be on our guard against the wiles of the tempter. It might be expected, that he would make a more vigorous affault to deftroy Chrift's kingdom, than to bring about man's fall from primitive uprightnefs. And fince the devil has grown old in craft, it might be expected, that our heavenly Father would give us more warning to be on our watch. And has he not done it abundantly in his word? There we find fuch warnings as thefe, "Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to ftand against the wiles of the devil."* "Left fatan get an advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices."+ "Be vigilant," i. e. on your watch but why? Because your adverfary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about feeking whom he may devour." Tho' he is ravenous and dangerous to our fouls, like a roaring lion, yet we are informed, that we must not always expect to be advertised of his approach, by hearing his hellish "For fatan himself is transformed into an angel of light."§ "Satan fhall be loofed out of his prison, and fhall go out to deceive the nations and the devil that deceived them, &c."|| Chrift compares fatan, on account roar: Eph. vi. 11. +2 Cor. ii. II. 1 Pet. v. 8. § 2. Cor. xi. 14. Revel. xx. 8, 10. of his vigilant care to prevent im mortal fouls from being taken out of his hands, to a ftrong man armed, keeping his goods in fafety.¶ We are alfo cautioned against falfe teachers, who are Satan's inftruments. We are told they will bring in damnable herefies.* That they will feduce, if it were poffible, the very elect. The apoftle Paul gives us this folemn charge, Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience ; Eph. 5. 6. Thus faithfully are we warned. If we perifh, with a lie in our, right hand, our blood will be on our own heads. If the finner, who has no evidence that he exercifes repentance towards God, or faith in the Lord Jefus Chrift, fhould at the last day fay to his Judge, I expected to be faved; the Judge might reply, "Who taught you to expect it? Did not I tell you in my word, in language as plain as could be spoken, that except you repented of your fins, you should inevitably perish; and that if you did not believe on the Son, you should not fee life, but that the wrath of God fhould abide on you? As well might Adam and Eve have faid, We did not expect we fhould die, if we did eat the forbidden fruit. But who told them, they should not die? This was not their Creator, but their tempter. If we are beguiled and lofe our fouls, we shall be more inexcufable than our firft parents; for we have their fall to warn us. And much more pains is taken with us than with them, to put us on our guard against the fubtil devices of the devil, the ad ¶ Luke xi. 21, 22. * 2 Pet. ii. I. + Mark xiii. 22. When they were fettled in the land of Canaan, the ftated wor fhip of God, with all its rites, facrifices and ceremonies, which was enjoined upon them by divine command, was the only true worship, and defigned to give light both to them and tothe reft of mankind, in children of Adam! do not fuffer Satan to undo you a fecond time. Believe Chrift rather than him, who is a liar from the beginning. Fly the bait which is laid for your fouls. Refift the devil and he will flee from you. Your hearts are full of fin; they must be renew-the great affair of man's redemption ed: You are under the curfe of and falvation from fin. the law; you must be united to Chrift by a holy faith: You must become true friends to God, while on earth-you must lead a life of prayer, and active, willing obedience, or never fee your Judge in peace. The deftruction of the Jewish State and Temple, an act of divine be nevolence to the church and to the world of mankind; and affords frong evidence of the truth of the gofpel revelation. THE But the ceremonial law, with all its rites and facrifices, was but a fhadow of good things to come, and pointed to the Meffiah the great antitype. From the prophecies concerning the Meffiah the Jews expected his appearance, but were ignorant of work he was to accomplish when the nature of his miffion and the he actually came. They did not ftance to which all their typical comprehend that he was the fuband fhadowy worship pointed: And that he was the great facrifice, who by once offering himself, fhould forever make expiation for iniquity and procure eternal falvation for all his true followers, of which their facrifices were only the fhadow. When he actually came, he proved his miffion by HE light that has been communicated to the world has been by the medium of the church. In the period fucceeding the flood to the advent, fufferings and death of the Meffiah, God chofe the family of Abraham and the Jew ish nation to be his peculiar peo-miracles, which none but the auple and church, and through them to communicate fpiritual light to the world of mankind; and placed them in an advantageous fituation that all might have opportu-ent from all their pre-conceived nity to fee and embrace the truth. opinions of his wordly greatness, that as anation they rejected him, and comparatively few believed in him. thor of nature could perform, and in a higher manner than Mofes the Jewish lawgiver had proved his, yet his, appearance was fo differ In the deliverance of that people from Egyptian bondage, by a feries of wonders, the true God was manifefted, both to them and But as the Jewish nation then to furrounding nations. They contained the true church of God, were long held in a barren wilder- he was merciful to them; and the nefs, where fuch a vaft army could Meffiah himself, in his public minhave no fupport, but by the im-istrations and preaching was fent to mediate agency of divine power, and the manner of their fubfiftence must be known by the nations around them. VOL. IV. No. 5. the loft sheep of the house of Ifrael. And when he fent out the twelve and the feventy to preach and work miracles in his name, they wo Y not fent to the Gentiles but to the houfe of Ifrael. The higheft and moft convincing light was fet before them. The ftrongeft means were used to excite their belief in him; but all was to little purpofe; as a nation they rejected him, which caufed him, when he faw the evil that must come upon them, to weep over Jerufalem faying, "O Jerufalem, Jerufalem thou that killeft the prophets and ftoneft them which are fent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together even as an hen gathereth her brood under her wings and ye would not." When the divine Redeemer had finished his work, arifen from the dead and afcended to heaven ;When the holy fpirit was fent on the day of pentecoft, in fuch a miraculous manner, and the apoftles endowed with power from on high to work miracles in the name of Jefus, and had gone through the land of Ifrael preaching the gofpel and that people ftill continued to reject it ;-When all the defigns of that typical difpenfation and temple worship were anfwered, the antitype or fubftance to which they pointed having come, it became improper, in the nature of the cafe, they fhould be continued longer under the divine protection and approbation. The Meffiah having come and plainly taught the way of truth and life, a new and glorious light arose and fhone in full fplendor on the church, before which all the fhadows of the Jewish ftate and temple worship muft of course pafs away. But the Jews, continuing in unbelief and endeavoring still to fupport the temple fervice, what could even human reason expect from the head of the church in fuch a cafe ? Should he own and fupport them by his providence in this ceremonial worship; it would be in effect to deny himself as the true Meffiah, as the great antitype to which all that fhadowy difpenfa tion pointed. Could divine benevolence to the church and to the world of man. kind fay, that the temple and Jew ifh ftate fhould continue longer than fuch a space as infinite wifdom faw best, to give them op. portunity to repent and believe? Would it not be prefering a lefs to a greater good, the fhadows and darkness of that difpenfation, to the clear light of the gospel, bring much darknefs church and thus greatly injure the world of mankind in the all important concerns of falvation? on the Doth it not then appear, that what has been done in the destruction of that nation and temple, though in itself dreadful, was a work of great benevolence to the church and to the world of mankind; and neceffary to be done tion that the Meffiah has actually to give a clear and full demonftracome; that he reigns king in Zion and in the midft of his enemies having all power in heaven and earth? There arifes likewife from thefe events a very strong evidence that the Jewish and Christian scriptures are true; and this evidence has been a growing one from the deftruction of the temple to the present day. We are likewife taught, how dreadful are the confequences of rejecting the light and evidence of divine truth, which fo clearly shine in the gospel dispensation; either from the prejudices of our own hearts, or from any pre-conceived opinions. Our light is greater, in many |