"or the persons upon whom it is bestowed." But this is altogether immaterial in the present dispute. By the abundance of grace Dr. C. understands the abounding advantage by Christ, terminating in a reign in life.-Now it will be granted on all hands, that they on whom this grace is bestowed, will be saved. Indeed the very expression, reigning in life, implies salvation. Those therefore on whom this grace is bestowed, will as certainly and as confessedly be saved, as those who cheerfully receive and improve the grace of God. All the question is, and a very important one it is, whether this abounding grace terminating in a reign in life, be bestowed on all men.

That it is preached or offered to all men, is granted. But that it is so communicated to all, as to secure their reign in life, is a different idea, and is the main subject of this controversy.

So that all the labours of Dr. C. and his "ingenious friend," to settle the meaning of receive außava, contribute nothing to establish this point, That all men in the latter part of verse 18th, mean the whole human race. So long as the Doctor grants, that the words all men, verse 18th, are not more extensive than they which receive abundance of grace, verse 17th; and so long as he has not proved, that they which receive abundance of grace, so as to reign in eternal life, mean the whole human race; so long nothing is done to prove universal salvation, from the use of the words all men, verse 18th. То say, that they which receive abundance of grace mean all mankind, because that expression is equally extensive as the words all men in the 18th verse, is a mere begging of the question. It is in the first place to suppose and not to prove, that the words all men mean all mankind; and then by them to prove, that also they which receive abundance of grace, mean all mankind.

The universal term all men, verse 18th, is by the former part of the chapter limited to those who are justified by faith, who have peace with God, and who joy in God, through Christ, as having received reconciliation. Dr. C's opinion was, that the 18th verse is but the full expression of the sentence left imperfect in the 12th verse, and that the therefore in the beginning of the 18th verse "is the same which began the 12th verse. The 18th verse then is an immediate conclusion from the verses preceding the 12th, especially from the 11th. Now the believers in endless punishment hold, that in all that part of the chapter, from the beginning to the 12th verse, the apostle had been speaking of the privileges of believers only, and not those privileges which belong to all mankind. And to infer from those privileges which are peculiar to believers, that all mankind will be saved, is to infer a consequence, which is by no means contained in the premises and such reasoning ought never to be imputed to any man of Paul's sound judgment, much less to him, an inspired apostle.

To illustrate this matter, permit me to descend to particulars. Verse 1st, believers are said to be justified by faith and to have peace with God: verse 2d, to have access by faith into the grace of the gospel and to rejoice (or glory) in the hope of the glory of God: verse 3d, to glory in tribulations: verse 5th, to have the love of God shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Ghost: verse 8th, it is said that God commendeth his love towards believers, in that Christ died for them: verse 9th, that believers are justified by Christ's blood, and saved from wrath through him: verse 10th, that believers are reconciled to God by the death of Christ and saved by his life: verse 11th, that believers glory in God through Christ, by whom they have received the Page 67.

atonement or reconciliation.-Now what is the consequence really following from these premises, ascribing to believers thege peculiar and exclusive privileges? Is it that by the righteousness of Christ the free gift unto justification of life, is come upon all mankind, believers and unbelievers? By no means: any man, without the aid of inspiration, would be ashamed to draw such a consequence from such premises. The only just consequence of these premises, is that which has been generally taken to be the meaning of the 18th verse; viz. That as by the offence of one, Adam, judgment to condemnation came upon all mankind who were his seed; even so by the righteousness of one, Jesus Christ, the free gift unto justification of life, came upon all his seed, who are believers only, and who are the only persons of whom the apostle had been speaking in the premises. May I not now adopt the same bold language which Dr. C. often uses concerning his comments on scripture, that no other sense than this, can be put on this 18th verse without making the apostle argue, inconclusively?

I know very well that the Doctor understood differently the whole passage from the beginning of this chapter to the 12th verse. But as his whole argument from Rom. v. 12, to the end, in the present view of it, depends on his different construction of verse 1—12; it is not sufficient to say, that the Doctor understood that passage differently, or that it is capable of a different construction. It must be shown that it is not capable of the construction which is given above; and that the Doctor's construction must be the true one. Let us therefore attend to his construction and his reasons in support of it.

The construction is, that the last verse of the preceding chapter, the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, verses, and the

latter part of the 11th verse of this chapter, are spoken of all mankind. The reasons which he assign, for such an understanding of those verses, are

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(1) That in the 6th verse Christ is said to die for the ungodly. But if we should assert, that by the ungodly here are meant those only, who afterward and during this life become godly or believers, though Christ died for them while ungodly or considering them as ungodly, the Doctor has given no confutation of such a construction. Therefore he had no right to expect, that it would be rejected by any one who should choose to adopt it. Or if we allow, that Christ did die for all men in this sense, that he died to introduce a dispensation of grace which should offer salvation to all, and invite all to it, and to use Dr. C's own expression, to put all into salvable circumstances; nothing will hence follow favorable to the actual salvation of all men, or to the Doctor's argument from Rom. v. 12, &c. It will not follow, that all will accept the invitations to salvation and act upon them. Still the we and us, which occur so often from the 1st to the 12th verse, and particularly in verse 6th, may mean believers only.

(2) "It is a gross mistake to think, that the apostle in this 9th verse is speaking of that justification he had in the 1st verse connected with faith; and for this deci ́sive reason, because-as salvation from wrath is one thing essentially included in that justification which is the result of true faith; it would be ridiculous to argue, much more being justified, meaning hereby this justification we shall be saved from wrath."-But did Dr. C. entertain the opinion, that justification and salvation are one and the same? Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness: he was then justified:

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but he did not then receive complete salvation. Believers being in this life justified by faith, have peace with God, according to the 1st verse of this chapter, as Dr. C. allows. Yet they are not in this life saved from wrath in the sense they will be, at the day of judgment. Therefore, however Dr. C. asserts it, it does not appear to be ridiculous to argue, that believers being in this life justified by faith in the blood of Christ, shall at the day of judgment, much more be saved from wrath through him. Is it ridiculous to argue, that Abraham being justified by faith here, will much more be saved from wrath hereafter?

(3) "The particle vw, now, connected with the justification here treated of, is emphatical, making it clear, that the apostle is not to be understood of justification at the great day; but of justification that had at that time been completed."* No body pretends, that the apostle means a justification at the great day. It is allowed on all hands, that he means a justification, which had at that present time been completed. But what follows hence? Did Dr. C. imagine, that believers are not in a proper sense completely justified in this life? And that the justification of Abraham, Rahab, &c. was in no proper sense completed before their death, or before the great day? Concerning the former, it is expressly said, that he believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness-that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness, &c. and concerning the latter, was not Rahab the harlot justified, &c. Nor is it material to the present purpose, whether this justification of Rahab mean a justification by God, or a manifestative justification, proving, that she was justified in the sight of God; because the latter, equally as the former, implies that >she was then justified in the sight of God.

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