quence of fin, is not a dispensation of any penal law, but of the law of neceffity, in which law, as long as a cause continues, it produces its effects. Therefore, to prove a man will fuffer condemnation for fin, at thirty, forty, or fifty years of age, it would be neceffary to prove that he would be a finner at that time, or those times. So, in order to prove that a man will be miferable, after this mortal life is ended, it must first be proved that he will fin in the next state of existence.

It has been argued, by many, that the doctrine of future punishment, or mifery, is a neceffary doctrine to diffuade men from committing fin, which furely furprises me. То tell a perfon who is in love of fin, that if he does not immediately refrain, he will have to continue in fin for a long time, would be true, befure; but would be void of force to diffuade him from what he is in love with. I believe, that as long as men fin, they will be miferable, be that time longer or fhorter; and that as foon as they ceafe from fin, they begin to experience divine enjoyment.

The fcripture fpeaks of the times of the reftitution of all things, but does not inform us their number, or their duration. It alfo fpeaks of the fulness of times, but gives us no date, or duration of them.

I have not stated fo many objections against the doctrine which I have labored to prove, as many of my readers may wish I had, nor so many as I should have been glad to, was it not for fwelling the work to more of an expensive size. But I have stated, and endeavored to answer the most frequent objections, and those on which my oppofers put the toft dependance; and I fhould have taken great fatisfaction in communicating many more arguments, both from reason and feripture, in favor of univerfal holiness and happiness, than I have, was it not for the reafon affigned in the other

B

cafe. However, if thofe objections which I have taken notice of, are anfwered to the reader's fatisfaction, other fcriptures, generally used as argument against the falvation of all men, will not be hard to be understood, as not unfavorable to the doctrine. And as for the proofs which I have deduced from fcripture and reafon, I believe them entirely conclufive; but if not, more of the fame kind would not be.

The reafon I have not particularly explained those parables of the New Teftament which I have had occafion to notice, in this work, is, my Notes, of which, mention is made on the title page of this book, are before the public, and contain my ideas on most of the parables spoken by Christ.

A queftion may be afked by many, which has labored much in my mind, refpecting the propriety of publishing books on divinity, when we profefs to believe in the book called the Bible, that it contains all which we mean to communicate as truth, in matters of religion; on which question, I am determined for myself, that the gofpel of Jesus Christ would have been better understood, had the Bible been the only book ever read on the fubject. And though I doubt not but many authors have done great juftice to thofe fubjects on which they have written, and the light of the fcriptures have, by fuch means, been caused to shine; yet, by others, it has been greatly obfcured. And had one half the attention been paid to the Bible which has been paid to those authors who have written upon it, it would, in my opinion, have been incomparably better for Christendom. But, on account of errors imbibed, in confequence of erroneous annotations, it may be argued, that it is now neceffary to write and publish correct fentiments, by the fame parity of reafoning as we argue the neceffity of thofe means to restore health, which are not neceffary to continue it.

To the fhort exhortation, with which the believer in univerfalifm will meet, in this work, he is humbly invited to pay ftrict attention; as no faith, however true it may be, can be of any real fervice to the believer, unless it is accompanied with the spirit and life of that truth in which it is grounded. The greater the beauty of a person, the more lamentable his death. The more divinity there is in any faith, the greater is the pity it should not be alive. "As the body without the fpirit is dead, fo faith without works is dead alfo."

My brethren in the miniftry will not think it affuming, that I have fpoken of the neceffity of our paying strict attention to the stewardship into which God by his grace hath put us; as it was not written fo much to instruct, as to fhow the brethren my faith; that they may fee the ground on which I stand; know the manner in which I contend for the faith once delivered to the faints; and feel for me the fame fellowship which I feel for them. You may regret that my ideas were not more correct, in many inftances, and think the great fubject on which I have written, might have obtained better justice from fome more experienced writer, in which you have the fame ideas with myself. But in this you may be fatisfied, that I have written as I now think and believe, without leaning to the right, or to the left, to please, or difpleafe. I have been often folicited to write and publish my general ideas on the gofpel, but have commonly obferved to my friends, that it might be attended with disagreeable confequences, as it is impoffible to determine whether the ideas which we entertain at the present time are agreeable to those which we shall be under the neceffity of adopting after we have had more experience; and knowing, to my fatisfaction, that authors are very liable to feel fuch an attachment to fentiments which they have openly avowed to the world, that their prejudice frequently obstructs

their further acquifitions in the knowledge of the truth; and even in cafes of conviction, their own felf-importance will keep them from acknowledging their mistakes: And having fome knowledge of my own infirmities, I felt the neceffity of precaution, which, I have no reafon to believe, is, or has been injurious.

I have had, for fome time, an intention to write a treatife on this fubject, but thought of deferring it until more experience might enable me to perform it better, and leifure give me opportunity to be more particular. But the confideration of the uncertainty of life was one great ftimulus to my undertaking it at this time, added to a poffibility of living to be informed with what fuccefs it meets in the world, and of having an opportunity to correct whatever I might, in my future ftudies, find incorrect, were not the finalleft caufes of my undertaking it.

It has often been faid, by the enemies of the doctrine for which I have contended, that it would do to live by, but not to die by; meaning that it would not give the mind fatisfaction, when fenfible it was about to leave a mortal, for an immortal state. As to the truth of the affertion, I cannot pofitively fay, that moment has not yet been experienced by me; and, as thofe who make the remark have never believed the doctrine, I cannot fee how they should know any better than I do. Thus much I can fay, I believe I have feen, and often heard of perfons rejoicing in the doctrine, in the laft hours of their lives; but I do not build my faith on fuch grounds. The forrows, or the joys of perfons, in their last moments, prove nothing to me of the truth of their general belief. A Jew, who defpifes the name of Chrift, from the force of his education, may be filled with comfortable hopes, in his last moments, from the force of the fame education.

I have no doubt but a perfon may believe, or pretend to believe, in the doctrine of univerfal falvation, when he knows of no folid reason for his belief, but has rather rested the matter on the judgment of thofe in whom he has placed more confidence, than he has, in reality, on the Savior of the world; and I think it very poffible, that fuch Univerfalists may have strange and unexpected fears, when the near approach of death, or any other circumftance, fhould caufe them to think more seriously, on fo weighty a subject.

There must be a time, with all men, whofe faith and confidence are placed in any thing fhort of divine mercy, that will be extremely trying; and all the education in the world cannot prevent it.

What my feelings might be, concerning the doctrine which I believe, was I called to contemplate it on a death bed, I am as unable to fay, as I am what I may think of it a year hence, fhould I live, and be in health. But I am fatisfied, beyond a doubt, that if I live a year longer, and then find caufe to give up my prefent belief, that I fhall not feel a consciousness of having profeffed what I did not fincerely believe; and was I called to leave the world, and my writings in it, and at the last hour of my life fhould find I had erred, yet I am fatisfied that I fhould poffefs the approbation of a good confcience in all I have written.

Therefore, though fenfible of my imperfections, yet enjoying great confolation in believing the doctrine for which I have argued, in the following work, and in the enjoyment of a good confcience, I fubmit the following pages to a generous and candid public, praying for the blessing of the God whom I ferve, on the feeble endeavors of the most unworthy whom he hath called as a fervant of all men.

THE AUTHOR.