r "cast forth," and "cast into the fire, and hey are burned." How can the doctrine of this text agree with the salvation of all men?

12. In Jude 12, the wicked are likened to tees. And to represent their endless destructin, in the most striking manner, the apostle says, they are "trees whose (untimely fruit. wthereth, without (mature) fruit, twice dead, picked up by the roots." The propriety of the phraseology will appear, if we consider that, man is dead spiritually, in his natural state; that he may be quickened by divine grace, may lose his spiritual life, and be so Jos to all sense of moral good that no more hope of his recovery remains, than there is of the foliage and verdure of a rotten tree, that is pucked up out of the soil, by the roots,

Now, sir, I leave these things with you, for your consideration. If you can prove, by fair criticism, and sound reason, that the chaff, after being burned, shall become wheat; the tree, after being burned, shall produce fruit; that the salt, after losing its savour, is good for something; the last state of the man is not worse than the first; that the rotten fish shall become sound; that the tares, after being burned, shall become wheat; that the foolish virgins shall be admitted to the marriage; that those who were bidden shall eat of the supper; if you can prove, in a satisfactory manner, that men can, and will pass the great gulph; that the branches of a vine, after being burned in the fire, shall bring forth fruit; and that a rotten tree, plucked up by the roots, shall grow and flourish most luxuriantly, I will say you are the greatest champion for Universa

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lism I ever had the pleasure of seeing. And furthermore, I will say that our blessed Saviour chose a very strange set of metaphors, by which to convey the doctrine of Universa I am, your's, &c. JOSEPH MCKEE.

lism.

LETTER No. VII.

To Rev. Joseph McKee:

Dear Sir,-Before examining your twelve objections against Universalism, I wish to observe, that in every instance you have assumed, that your proof texts refer to the future world; and on these assumptions you have founded your arguments. What aid you could expect from such assumptions, I am unable to conceive. Did you suppose, that our readers could not distinguish between assumption and argument? Did you imagine, that the anxious inquirer after truth, would be satisfied with such a superficial method of investigating subjects? In this letter, you have brought forward, twelve passages of scripture, on which, in a very grave manner, you have given your opinion, and which, you have pronounced extremely hostile to Universalism. On some of these, you speak with positiveness, and on others, with doubt. Thus we are told one text has this meaning, and another may have that. Now it would certainly be sufficient, in reply to all you have said, to go through with your twelve texts, and say, this does not signify as you have said, and that may not signify as you have supposed. And I pursue a different course, not be caust what you have said merits a reply, but House popular prejudice refers your proof texts to the future world.

1. Matt. iii: 12; (Luke iii: 16.) After giving your opinion, respecting what is intended by wheat and chaff; you assume, that the disposition made of these, shows the disposition, which will be made of mankind, at the day of judgment. Have you no argument against universalism, but popular opinion? As Pearce, Hammond, Lightfoot, Cappe, Kenrick, and every commentator, with which I have met, are against you; I will reply to your assumption by giving Clarke's exposition of the text:

"Whose fan is in his hand: The Romans are here termed God's fan, as in ver. 10, they were termed his axe; and in chap. xxii. 7, they are termed his troops or armies. His floor.-Does not this mean the land of Judea, which has been long, as it were, the threshing floor of the Lord? God says he will now, by the winnowing fan, [viz. the Romans,] thoroughly cleanse this floor-the wheat; those who believe in the Lord Jesus, he will gather into his garner, either take to heaven from the evil to come, or put in a place of safety, as he did the christians, by sending them to Pella, in Colosyria, previously to the destruction of Jerusalem. But he will burn up the chaff-the disobedient and rebellious Jews, who would not come unto Christ that they might have life. Unquenchable fire:-that cannot be extinguished by man.' Com, in loc.

Referring this to the Jewish nation, removes your supposed difficulty, about the restoration of the wicked to life; for the judgment which they experienced was in this world.

2. Matt. iii. 10. (Luke iii. 9.) Huassume that the cutting down of the re

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sents the destruction, which will come on a part of mankind at a future judgment. The commentators referred to, in the other text, are against you on this. Clarke says: It was customary with the prophets, to represent the kingdoms, nations, and individuals, whose ruin they predicted, under the notion of forests and trees, doomed to be cut down. See Jer. xlvi. 22, 23. Ezek. xxxi. 3, 11, 12. The Baptist follows the same metaphor; the Jewish nation is the tree, and the Romans the axe, which, by the just judgment of God, was speedily to cut it down. It has been well observed, that there is an allusiou here to a woodman, who, having marked a tree for excision, lays his axe at its root, and strips off his outer garment, that he may wield his blows more powerfully; and that his work may be quickly performed. For about sixty years before the coming of Christ, this axe had been lying at the root of the Jewish tree, Judea having been made a province to the Roman empire, from the time that Pompey took the city of Jerusalem, during the contentions of the two brothers Hyrcanus and Aristobulus, which was about sixty three years before the coming of Christ. See Josephus Antiq. 1. xiv. c. 1-5. But the country might be still considered as in the hands of the Jews, though subject to the Romans, and God had waited on them now, nearly ninety years from the above time, expecting them to bring forth fruit, and none was yet produced; but he kept the Romans, as an axe, lying at the root of this tree, who were ready to cut it down the moment God gave them the commission.' Com. in loc.

Under this figure of cutting down trees, the prophets frequently represent temporal judg