tradicts plain matter of fact. We will then show that to suppose that the death of Christ necessarily secures the object for which he died, in those cases where moral agency is concerned, does contradict matter of fact and the argument will be finished. 1. Christ died to save all men here in this life, yet all are not saved here. We can allow no evasion on this point. Christ died to save all men in this life, or he did not. If he did not die to save all men in this life, several absurdities follow. First, the fact that sinners are not saved in this life, argues no defect in their conduct, but a defect in the atonement of Christ. Secondly, if Christ did not die to save all men in this life, it follows that some sinners cannot be saved here, or else that they can be saved independently of the death of Christ, which cannot be allowed; for if sinners can be saved independently of the death of Christ, his death is an unnecessary interference; and to argue that all will be saved because he died for all, when they might be saved without are his death, is absurd. On the other hand to say that there some for whom Christ did not die, to save in this life, and who consequently cannot be saved here, while others are saved, would be no less than to say that the ways of God are not equal. Again if Christ did not die to save all men in this life, and yet did die to save some, as some are saved, which cannot be denied, it follows that Christ died for some in sense in which he did not die for others, and was therefore partial in his death, which cannot be allowed by universalists. It is clear then, that Christ died to save all men in this life. Now, nothing can be more plain than that all men are not saved in this life, wherefore the death of Christ does not absolutely secure the salvation of those for whom he died. 2. Christ died to save sinners from going to hell, and yet Restorationers admit that some will go to hell and be punished for a season, at least until they repent and reform. It cannot be denied that Christ's death was intended to save sinners from going to hell, and yet sinners do go to hell, universalists themselves being judges; it is therefore futile to argue that all will be saved because Christ died for all. Christ's death was as much intended to save men from going to hell as it was to bring them out of hell, and we think more so, for we admit the former, and deny the latter. Now, as it manifestly fails in the first of these objects, it is absurd to contend that it will certainly succeed in the latter. 3. We would remark in conclusion that the death of Christ, or the atonement, was never intended unconditionally to save any adult sinner, as has been shown in Chapter III. in reply to objection II. IV. Universalists argue the salvation of all men from those scriptures which speak of reconciliation, restoration and restitution, by Christ. We will consider the principal of their proof texts on this subject. Acts. iii. 20, 21. "And he shall send Jesus Christ, who before was preached unto you: Whom the heavens must receive until the times of the restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." The argument drawn from this text rests on the expression, "restitution of all things." If this means the restoration of every individual human being to the favour and image of God, it may argue something in favour of universalism; but if it do not mean this it can prove nothing to the purpose of universalists. Now, that the text does not mean this, appears from the following consideration. 1. The time of the restitution of all things, clearly proves that universal salvation cannot be meant by it. At what time will the restitution of all things take place? An answer to this question is to be drawn from an expression in the text, "whom the heavens must receive until the time of the restitution of all things." This expression refers to Christ's as< cension to heaven, there to remain until he shall come again at the end of time to judge the world. The second coming of Christ to judge the world we have already proved in Chap. V. Arg. XV. and to this event the text clearly refers. The meaning appears to be this: Christ has ascended to heaven and shall remain there until the restitution of all things, when he shall again be revealed from heaven. This shows that the restitution of all things, here spoken of, is to take place before the second coming of Christ, which proves that it cannot mean the salvation of all men; for all men will not be saved when Christ shall come to judge the world. Some will be judged by him and be punished for their sins, as has been abundantly proved in the argument above referred to. your 2. The connection shows that universal salvation cannot be meant. Verses, 21, 22 and 23. taken in connection read thus: "Whom the heavens must receive until the times of the restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. For Moses truly said unto the Fathers, a prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of brethren like unto me, him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass that every soul which will not hear that prophet shall be destroyed from among the people." This restitution, which has been predicted by all the holy prophets since the world began, is so far from meaning the salvation of all men, that it includes the destruction from among the people of all who will not hear Jesus Christ, who will not receive and believe his gospel. But it may be asked what is to be understood by the restitution of all things if it does not mean the salvation of all men? We answer that it most probably means that state of things which the Gospel will ultimately effect; implying the restoration of all things that will ever be restored. When the gospel shall have been fully preached in the world, when it shall have been offered to all to whom it will ever be offered, and when all shall have accepted of it and shall be saved, who will ever accept of it and be saved; then will the restitution of all things have taken place in the sense of this text. It may relate exclusively to the restoration of harmony and piety in this world. Suppose a time is to come when all on the earth shall become pious, and righteousness and holiness prevail; when the long looked for day of millenial glory shall rise resplendent, and dispel the gloom of moral night from the earth, when the North shall give up and the South keep not back, when Ethiopia shall stretch out her hands to God, "And western empires own their Lord, then will the restitution of all things be effected in the sense of this text; but this will not restore or save those who have lived and died in sin, and gone to hell during the darker ages of wickedness. and power. 1 Cor. xv. 24, 25, 26, 28. "Then cometh 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 For he must reign until he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also be subject unto him that put all things under him that God may be all in all." This text, though often urged by universalists in proof of universal restoration, has, we think, no direct bearing on the subject. It speaks of Christ's putting down all rule and all authority, and of his subduing all enemies under his feet; but this does not imply their restoration. An enemy may be subdued without being restored to favour. "The Apostle," says Mr. Isaac, “here undoubtedly alludes to the custom of conquerois treading upon the necks of their enemies. The captains of Joshua put their feet upon the necks of the five kings they had subdued; but this was preparatory to their destruction, not to their restoration." That the text does not prove the salvation of all men, is evident from the time when its predictions are to take place. All authority and power are to be put down, and all enemies are to be put under his feet prior to his delivering up the kingdom to God, which will take place at the end of the present state of things, or end of time, and at the day of judgment, as has been shown in Chapter V. Argument XV. Christ will reign until he shall have subdued all enemies under his feet, and then will deliver up the kingdom to God. Now, as this delivering up the kingdom to God is to take place at the day of judgment, and as all men will not be saved at the day of judgment, if they ever are, it follows that the text does not predict the salvation of all men, since its predictions are to be fully accomplished at a period when it is manifest all will not be saved. There is no way to evade the force of this without maintaining that all will be saved prior to the general judgment, which idea is without foundation; for there are no scriptures that speak directly of a general judgment, which do not associate with it the punishment of some of the human family. Some lay great stress on the expression, "that God may be all in all," as though sin and misery can no longer have an existence in the universe, when God shall be all in all. That the expression furnishes no such proof is clear from the fact that God will be "all in all" when Christ shall deliver up the kingdom to him at the day of judgment, which will be the very time when sinners will be condemned and punished. Now, as God will be "all in all," and sinners suffer punishment at the same time, the circumstance of God's being "all in all" cannot prove universal salvation. God's being "all in all," is the result of Christ's delivering up the kingdom to him, and not of the salvation of all sinners. The expression, that God will be all in all, has reference to authority or dominion, and means no more than that God the Father will then govern the universe in his own person, and not as he now does, through the medium of his Son. It is said, "then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him, that God may be all in all," implying that if the Son should not deliver up the kingdom and become subject, God could not be all in all, in the sense intended in the text. This proves, beyond all doubt, that reference is had to authority, and that by God's being all in all, nothing more is meant than that he will then govern the universe in his own person, as he did before all power in heaven and in earth was given into the hands of Christ, as he declares it to be, Matt. xxvii. 18. Eph. i. 10. "That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one, all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are in earth." This text simply speaks of the purpose of God in giving his Son to redeem the world, which was that he might gather together in one all things in Christ. Now, were we to admit that all things, in this text, include every individual, and that their being gathered together in Christ implies their salvation; still it would not prove the salvation of all men. The text does not say that all things, in this universal sense, will be gathered together in Christ, but simply that it is the divine. purpose to gather all things together. But this purpose is not to gather them irrespectively of man's moral agency; hence, though God proposes to gather all in Christ, yet man as a moral agent may refuse to be gathered. Christ says, Matt. xxiii. 37. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered thy children together as a hen gathereth |