eternal, to exift, which answer no good end. Again, that fcheme is the most unlimited which fuppofes the highell created good to exift, even at the expenfe of mifery, whether temporal or eternal,' and juft fo much of it as is fuited to the end, or as infinite wifdon! fhall order.

But Dr. H. has fhown us no valuable end whatever, occafioned by the fall of Judas. Should it be faid, Judas was long foretold by the prophets, with the events and circumflances concerning him; fo the evil he fuffered in this life anfwered the belt of purposes, being a neceffary attendant of the death and fufferings of Chrift. Still it might be enquired, on what ground it was ne ceffary? It is prefumed the Doctor could not aufwer this quef tion, fhort of giving up his whole fcheme, For, if the temporal damnation of Judas was a neceffary attendant of the death of Chrift, to illuftrate it, or to illuflrate any important truth, in this world why not the eternal damnation of Judas? Is it of more importance for truth to be illuftrated in this, than in the coming world? Or in which world will truth be illuftrated with the greateft clearness? But Dr. H. fays, to imagine there is any need of the eternal perfonal terment of any finner of the human race, in order further to illuftrate the holinefs and juftice of God, the infinite evil of fin; or further to imprefs the minds of the in'telligent fyflem with a fenfe of the infinite odioufnefs of fin, and the infinite purity of God, and his infinite hatred of all fin, is plainly to fuppofe that the great work of the Son of God can adinit of fome amendment; that in very deed it is not a finifhed work-Is an amazing reflection on him who faid It is finifhed,' when he bowed his head and gave up the ghoft.' Dr. H. dwells much upon this, to how that the fufferings of mere creatures or even their eternal fufferings can anfwer none of thefe ends. To imagine they can, he fays, is only a reflection on what Chrift has done and fuffered is plainly to fuppofe that the great work of the Son of God can admit of fome amendment.' On this ground therefore, to fuppofe that the fafferings of Judas, his height of damnation, could be of ufe as a neceflary attendant of the death of Chrift, further to illuftrate divine juftice, divine hatred to fin, or the infinite evil of fin; is alfo a reflection on the finished work of Chrift. Certainly, if the eternal fuflerings of creatures can be of no ufe in this way, their temporal fufferings cannot. And, to fuppofe the former can be of ufe in this way, if this calls a reflection on what Chrift has done, then to suppose the latter can be of ufe in this way, caits the fame reflection on

what

what Chrift has done. Thus the Doctor has wholly cut himfelf off: he cannot plead the fufferings of Judas, he tells of, as being neceffary for any of the above purposes.

Neither can he plead Judas' fufferings as a necessary event with the death of Chrift, and long foretold, to convince the world that Chrift is the true Saviour. This would bring us back on the fame ground again. Why fhould an unlimited Being be neceffitated to connect the temporal damnation of one man with the death of the Saviour of all men? And to place the matter beyond difpute that he was come, according to ancient prophecies, to fave all men, lie muft firft, in fact,' damn one!* The Doctor fpurns at this idea, as in these words: It is to fay, that God would have done better if he could; but that he could not; He acted out himself with as much kindness as he could, and 'wifhed to have been more kind, had it been poffible, in the na"ture of things.'

Neither can Dr. H. plead that moft awful anguifh and torment of Judas to have been ufeful in leading him to repentance. Afflictions,' he fays, in this world, do not make finners any better; but are invariably, only an occafion of their growing worfe and worse, if the fpecial, almighty energy of the divine fpirit does not attend them.' But, if we credit the Doctor, the fpecial energy of the divine fpirit did not attend that utmost torment' of Judas; for he died in awful anguish and utter def'pair. So his damnation was only the occafion of his growing worse and worse. And as he is now cut off from a vast proportion of happiness, reduced to the loweft ftage of it, among all the redeemed, as Dr. H. pretends; we cannot fee the leaft advantage arifing to him from his former fufferings. He is no more bleffed in eternity, for having been damned in time. Dr. H. cannot plead that Judas must have been damned in eternity, had he not been damned in time. For this would argue that he is not now faved by Chrift: or that his damnation was fome way meritorious as to his falvation. Or this plea made by Dr. H. would contradict his unlimited plan, we have juft feen.-Neither can the Doctor plead again, thofe unexampled fufferings of Judas to have beeu inftrumental in preparing him for higher enjoyments in heaven. This would deny what he has afferted as to the place of Judas in heaven.

After all, the Doctor, or his advocates will fill urge thofe fufferings of Judas, to have been the occafion of fpecial good; by exhibiting

It is fometimes difficult to know whether Dr. Huntington is moft at war with himself or his Maker.

+ P. 206.

exhibiting a moft folemn warning, in all after ages, to fuch as reject a crucified Redeemer, or turn traitors to the cause of rightcoufnels. This is granted at once, but then the Doctor's plan muft be wholly rejected. Going on his plan, it is only adding to the catalogue of his contradictions. For this is granting the diftinguifhed bleffings of the gofpel to be the occafion of the greatest curfe to one, who abufes them; fo to render them a more rich blefling to another. And that God fees fit to make the mifery of one, the occafion of happinefs to another. Which is granting the truth. But Dr. H. would fay of this, though the gofpel be glad tidings of great joy to one, yet it is very fad tidings to another. Alfo, that the great work of the Son of God can admit of fome amendment."'

Thus the entire ufeleffnefs, on Dr. H's plan, of thofe inexpreffi. ble evils which befel one of the human race. They were of no ufe in the awful hour of Chrift's death; either further to illuftrate the divine attributes, or to mark out the real Saviour, according to ancient prophecies, or to exhibit to men a more folemn warning againft fin. Neither were they in any fenfe the occafion of good to Judas. Hence, we fee where Dr. H. is now driven to, and where every univerfalift muft be driven, when his fcheme is followed up. This fhocking confequence, and as blafphemous as it is, Dr. H. cannot efcape it. Viz. God takes pleasure in that painful death of Judas: God takes pleasure in his endlefs degraded flate in heaven. And this divine pleasure is not an holy pleafure, it is not fuited to promote the highest good of the created fyftem; but this divine pleafure is merely felf-gratification! And this is equally degrading to the great God himself! If God can, in one fingle inftance, infli& evil, or punishment on any one of his rational creatures, without promot ing the good of others by it, however this rational creature fo punished my deferve it; it cannot then be ftrictly faid, • The

goodness of God endureth continually.' And if God may, without doing any good whatever, torment one of his rational creatures for the pace of one hour, then may God do the fame for the fpace of two hours, four hours, and fo on without end. On the Doctor's plan, therefore it is wholly uncertain how great evils of every kind may yet exift. On his plan alfo, it is wholly uncertain how far the evil of every kind may yet overbalance the good. Yea, if the divine Being can, according to Dr. H. in one inftance, do evil, or inflict evil on one of his accountable creatures, without doing any good by it to another, we have then nothing to

enfure

enfure us but what all created good will, finally, to give place to created evil, be banished from the univerfe. The Doctor's plan of course is, above all others, the most limited. Unless it be an unlimited plan of evii.

But it was impoffible for him to have pointed out, directly, any good end to be answered by what befel Judas. Unless he had, in the fame precept, fo far invalidated his main arguments. It was alfo impoffible for him, with any colour of confiftency, to have wholly omitted this notable cafe of Judas. But in his arduous task of getting the fon of perdition' out of hell, he has wholly defaced his own picturesque account of the Jewish state, in its meridian glory of golpel ordinances: He has made the richeft bleffings of the gofpel, as outward means, terminate in à curfe; to one of the human kind, certainly, and that without doing the leaft good to others: He has contradicted the main arguments ufed to fupport his own fcheme: He has degraded one of the inhabitants of heaven: He has indeed degraded all heaven: Yea, he has degraded the great God himself!

I am, &c.

LETTER V.

Dr. H's definition of the gospel compared to what he fays of the apoftate Jews, and of the Limitarians his opponents.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

TH

HE Doctor claffes the unbelieving Jews with the fon of perdition; or he gives the fame character to thofe who crucified Chrift, and perfecuted his difciples, as he does to Judas. Having recourfe to what the apostle Paul faid of the unbelieving Jews. The apoftle bewails,' he fays, ' from his own former bitter experience, hardness of heart, and enmity against Chrift; the miferable cafe of that nation as a body. They 'wifhed themselves at the greateft diftance from Christ, and all his offered grace.' He faw but very few of them reconciled to their Meffiah, or in the knowledge and enjoyment of the benefit; only a remnant poffeffing the knowledge, fense, and com'fort of falvation.' Many more gentiles had come to the knowledge and comfort of eternal falvation than of the Jews.'* The great body of the Jewish nation, therefore, only aremnant' excepted,

K

cepted, is here characterized as having an utter contempt and ab horrence of the glad tidings of the gofpel. They wished themfelves at the greateft diftance from Chrift, and all his offered grace.' And they were filled with hardness of heart and bit'ter enmity' againft Chrift; the fame as filled the heart of Judas, after fatan entered into him, and ftirred him up to betray Chrift. The Jews of course were far more envious to the doctrines of the crofs than the Gentiles. Many more gentiles. had come to the 'knowledge and comfort of eternal falvation than of the Jews.'

The Doctor fuppofes their enormous fin to have been their pointed oppofition to the doctrine of univerfal falvation: preached, as he afferts, by Chrift and his apoftles. They rejected,' fays he, an all-fufficient atonement, and eternal life, on the fame footing that any publican might have it, or any poor fcandalous. dog of the gentile world. For they gave other nations no better epithet. They did not at all understand how, in Chrift (the only character that God hath the leaft refpect unto in the final 'falvation of all men) every valley was filled, and every mountain and hill made low.'* And when the gofpel door was fet 'open to all nations of the earth, as well as to the Jews, the doctrine (of univerfal falvation) was fo ftrange, fo far beyond 'all the notions of grace and falvation, ever entertained among the covenant people of God; and fo exceeding mortifying to the pride of their hearts, that it was abhorred and rejected.-In'deed, when Jefus firft gave this intimation (of the falvation of all men), they, who had just been gazing at him with pleafing wonder, were fo chagrined at the idea that a whole world of heathen dogs fhould be fet on a footing as refpectable as themfelves, that they wifhed him nothing better than inftant death.'t Thus the enormous fin of the Jews: and the reafon why they were fo enraged at Chrift, as Dr. H. fays, was because he preached univerfal falvation.

The Doctor proceeds further, to give the reafon or cause of the Jews being fo enraged at Chrift for his preaching this doctrine. The motive,' he fays, why the Jews were more malicious per'fecutors of Chrift, and the primitive chriftians, than other men, 'was quite natural to all mankind. It was not because they were worfe than other men, or more malicious by nature; but they had been fo long honoured of God, and diftinguifhed by pecu. liar privileges, that they felt them in their hearts as a monopoly: Even as a man defcended from an ancient, noble family, has, no idea that it is fit, in the course of providence, that the chil dren of beggars immemorial, fhould ever become as rich and no• ble