that love him and keep his commandments. That here is no promise, and not even the least intimation that the "misery and punishment" of the generations that hate God, shall ever come to an end, it is superfluous to remark.

And equally superfluous is it to observe, that the quotation from Ps. xxx, is addressed only to the "saints," and speaks solely of God's parental chastisement of his peculiar people. Verse 4. Indeed, it would be well to read the whole Psalm.

REASON XXXVI.

The Author asserts, that "endless sufferings are incompatible with the mercy of God." But how does he prove his assertion? By applying to the world, what inspired men apply only to the church and to christians. Ps. ciii. 8, 9. "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide; neither will he keep his anger forever." Jer. iii. 12. “For I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger forever." Lam. iii. 31. "For the Lord will not cast off forever."

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God" will not always chide" the righteous, for their infirmities and imperfections, which sometimes bring upon them his chastising rod; nor will he keep his anger forever," against them; nor "cast" them off forever." This, instead of proving that "endless sufferings are incompatible with the mercy of God" to all men, only proves that such puaishment is incompatible with his mercy to his cove

nant-keeping people. But the inference from this is obvious, viz. that God will cast off forever the unrighteous, and will forever keep his anger against them, and will punish them always, even with "endless sufferings."

It is high time for many to learn, that all mankind are not members of the church, nor are they truly pious. Mr. D's application of promises is, however, no new thing under the sun." There were of

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old some who called themselves 'priests' of the Most High, who "put no difference between the holy and profane." Ezek. xxii. 26.

The ungodly have "no part nor lot" in the promises of God to the righteous. His promises are of the nature of an un-negociable note. Such a note is valid only to the person to whom it is given, and by whom it is received. Such a note written, and offered as a gift, is not binding, until accepted. The final rejector of it, never has any claims upon him by whom it was offered. In like manner, none, but those who actually receive the promises of God by a living faith, have any claim to their fulfilment.

REASON XL.

God "hath solemnly promised their return to happiness," even "Sodom, the cities of the plain and Jerusalem." Ezek. xvi. 53. "When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, the captivity of Samaria and her daugḥ-,

ters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives, in the midst of them."

Whatever may be the exact import of this passage, several remarks are obvious.*

1. The words Sodom, Gomorrah, &c. are often used figuratively, in the Scriptures, and denote not those whom God destroyed by fire from heaven, but persons like them in wickedness. Thus the kings of Judah are called "rulers of Sodom," and their subjects "people of Gomorrah." Isa. i. 9. Isa. iii. 9. Jer. xiii. 14. Rev. xi. 8.

See also

In the figurative use of the word Sodom, its' returning from captivity denotes the conversion of idolators.'-Lowth.

2. Thus understood, the passage under consideration is explained by facts. Many of the Persians did renounce their idolatry, and embrace the religion of the Jews, before the return of the latter from captivity. "Many of the people of the land," of Persia, "became Jews:" Esth. viii. 17. Josephus. 3. It is very plain, from the passage itself, that the Prophet does not speak of the restoration of the aneient inhabitants of the literal Sodom, which God destroyed by a storm of fire and brimstone from hea

ven.

For the restoration of the Jews, of which the Prophet speaks, was their deliverance from their bondage to the Babylonians; and that deliverance the Jews were to receive, according to the passage, "in the midst of them;" that is, "in the midst of

Sodom and her daughters, and Samaria and her daughters." But the Jews were not delivered from the Babylonish captivity, in the midst of, or in con.. nexion with, the Sodomites that perished in the days of Abraham. Hence, all attempts to prove, from the passage, the restoration of those Sodomites from the abodes of woe, are demonstrably vain.

4. As it is thus evident, that the Prophet says nothing about the deliverance of the literal Sodom from" the vengeance of eternal fire," it follows, that he says nothing about such a deliverance of Samaria, Jerusalem, or any of the human race.

REASON LXVI-LXVIII.

These reasons speak of the restoration of Moab and Elam. The Author says, "The threatening of God, Moab shall be destroyed from being a people,' has long since been completely fulfilled; yet he has promised, "Yet will I bring again the captivity of Moab in the latter days:" Jer. xlviii. 42, 47. He mentions the "similar declaration of the destruction of Elam," and "its final restoration," chap. xlix. 37, 39. From hence, he concludes, that the Moabites and Elamites "are to be restored to happiness in a future state, unless those express promises of God fail of being accomplished;" and also, "all which have been or shall be destroyed by the judgments of God:" Deut. xxxii. 39.

A little knowledge of history would have saved Mr. D. the trouble of stating such an argument, as this.

Both the threatenings and the promises respecting Moab and Elam have long since been literally fulfilled, by their civil captivity, and deliverance from it.

Moab was made captive by Nebuchadnezzar, soon after the Jews; but they were afterwards restored to their country; and were a great nation," after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans.

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Brown, Lowth, Josephus.

Elam, sometimes called Elymais, was a province of Persia, in which was the city Shushan: Dan. viii. 2. The word sometimes denotes, according to Dr. Jahn, the whole of Persia. The Elamites, like the Moabites, were made captive by Nebuchadnezzar, but afterwards gained their freedom, and were among the instruments employed by divine Providence, in the deliverance of the Jews from the Ba-bylonish captivity.-Josephus; Scott on Isa. xxi. 2. and Jer. xlix. 34. Calmet.

What now becomes of the Author's argument, that the Moabites and Elamites "are to be restored to happiness in a future state?

It should be further observed, that Mr. D. is grossly incorrect in his assertion that "the nations of Moab, Elam, and others that might be mentioned," (but which he does not mention,)" have long since been entirely cut off from the earth. Elam,

Persia, is not cut off to the present day. It was reduced to captivity by Nebuchadnezzar, according to the Divine threatening by the prophet; and