1. Ephesians 1: 5-11
"He pre-destined us to be adopted by Himself as sons through Jesus Christ--such being His gracious will and pleasure-- to the praise of the splendour of His grace with which He has enriched us in the beloved One. It is in Him, and through the shedding of His blood, that we have our deliverance--the forgiveness of our offences--so abundant was God's grace, the grace which He, the possessor of all wisdom and understanding, lavished upon us, when He made known to us the secret of His will. And this is in harmony with God's merciful purpose for the government of the world when the times are ripe for it--the purpose which He has cherished in His own mind of restoring the whole creation to find its one Head in Christ; yes, things in Heaven and things on earth, to find their one Head in Him. In Him we have been made heirs, having been chosen beforehand in accordance with the intention of Him whose might carries out in everything the design of His own will, so that we should be devoted to the extolling of His glorious attributes--we who were the first to fix our hopes on Christ."
2. Acts 17:26
He has made of one blood, all nations of men, to dwell on all the face of the earth.
God would not have created intelligent beings had he known they were to be forever miserable. To suppose that God would bring beings into existence, whom He knew would be infinite losers by that existence, is to charge Him with the utmost malignity. Their existence itself would not be a blessing, but a curse; the greatness of which cannot be described. God is infinite in knowledge, He sees the end from the beginning & must have known before the creation, the result of the existence he was about to confer. He could not have created an existence that He knew would end in the worst possible consequences for His created ones. his creatures.
3. Mal. 2:19
Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us?
A kind Father will not punish His children but for their good. God is called the Father of all men in the Scriptures, and this is not an unmeaning name; He has the disposition and principles of a Father. He loves with a Father's love; He watches with a Father's care; He reproves with a Father's tenderness; He punishes with a Father's design. God is the Father of all men. He cannot make mankind endlessly miserable.
4. Ezekiel 18:4
Behold, all souls are mine, says the Lord. As the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine. (Ezek. 18:4)
God will not give up what belongs to Him. All men are God's by creation; He made them all. They are His by preservation; He sustains them all. They were His at first, and they always have remained in His care. The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. God, who says to men, If any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he has denied the faith and is worse than an infidel, can never abandon his own creatures. He will ever exercise a gracious care over them.
5. John 17:2
You have given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as You have given him.
This plainly envisions that it was God's design, in giving Christ dominion over all flesh, that they should all enjoy eternal life.
6. John 6:37
All that the Father gives me, shall come to me, and he that comes to me I will in nowise cast out.
These three propositions are evidence of the final happiness of all men.
1st. God has given all things to Christ.
2nd. All that God has given him shall come to him.
3nd. He that comes will in no-wise be cast out. All are given; all shall come; and none shall be cast out.
What is the unavoidable conclusion?
7. Who will have all mankind to be saved, and come unto the knowledge of the truth. 1 Tim. 2:4
All mankind is undoubtedly to be understood as all the human race. Salvation comes through the belief of the truth. God wills that all men should come to the knowledge of the truth, and be saved thereby.
8. "Your will be done " Matthew 6:10
God inspires the hearts of us to pray for the salvation of all mankind, and say with Jesus Your will be done. Because He wills the salvation of all mankind, he wills that all mankind should be prayed for. I exhort, therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men.
Would God inspire the hearts of his saints to pray for the salvation of all mankind, if he knew they would not all be saved?
9. My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. John 4:34
I come to do Your will, O God. The will of God is, that all men be saved. This is his will, by way of distinction and preeminence. Jesus came to do this will. He came as the Saviour, as the Saviour of all mankind. He came as the good Shepherd, to seek and save that which was lost. He came to save all mankind, not only those who lived on the earth while he was here, but all who lived before, and all who have since lived, and all who shall live. Jesus gave himself a ransom for all; he tasted death for every man; and unto him, at last, every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess him Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Such is the way in which Jesus does the will of God.l
10. He does according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What do You do? Dan. 4:35.
Who can resist a being of Almighty power? What God wills to take place, must take place. He wills the salvation of all mankind because it is right. A God of purity cannot desire endless sin and rebellion. If he wills the salvation of all men, he wills all the means by which it shall be accomplished; it must therefore take place.
11. He is in one mind, and who can turn him? Job 23:13.
God has no other will besides the will to save all mankind.
12. God is love. 1 John 4:8.
God is love and love works no ill. Love works no ill. Rom. 13:10.
God is the very essence of benevolence, and benevolence cannot be the origin of endless evil. If love works no ill, God can work no ill & be the author of endless evil.
13. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. John 3:16
God loves all mankind & died for all men, so God loves all men.
14. For he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Luke 6:35.
God loves even his enemies. For he requires men to love their enemies, which he could not do if he hated his. (Matt. 5:44) If God loves his enemies, he certainly loves all men; for no one doubts that he loves his friends. And can God cause those to be endlessly miserable whom he loves?
15. "Love works no ill."
God is wise; & cannot in wisdom create beings, and then make their existence a curse by entailing endless suffering to it. God foresaw all the consequences of our creation when he made us. He knew fully what the result would be to each individual. Is it possible, that infinite goodness could breathe life into unoffending dust, when it was clearly foreseen that endless evil would ensue? It was not possible. God must have created only to bless.
16. "Full of mercy" James 3:17.
The wisdom of God is full of mercy, and without partiality, ready to pass by a transgression, and to grant forgiveness to those who offend; and performing every possible act of kindness. Surely, a God of infinite power and skill, who performs every possible act of kindness, will save his fallen creatures from their sins without partiality or without making a difference. God is no respecter of persons. He is kind to all men, and he will perform every possible act of kindness to all men. God is wise; and it cannot be a dictate of wisdom to create beings, and then make their existence a curse by entailing endless suffering to it. God saw all the consequences of our creation when he made us. He knew fully what the result would be to each individual. Is it possible, that infinite goodness could breathe life into unoffending dust, when it was clearly foreseen that endless evil would ensue? It was not possible. God must have created only to bless. Love works no ill.
17. As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Ezek. 33:11
The pleasure of God is in favor of the salvation of all men, therefore neither death, sin, nor pain, can be the ultimate object of God in reference to man. Death and sin and pain may exist for a time; but if God has no pleasure in them they are not the end at which he aims, but the means by which he accomplishes that end. The end in which God rests is his pleasure, design, or purpose & must be essentially benevolent, because he is essentially a benevolent God. Neither death, nor sin, nor pain can be his ultimate plan or pleasure; they are the means by which his holy and righteous designs are carried into effect.
18. You have created all things, and for Your pleasure they are and were created. Rev. 4:11
God created all men expressly for his pleasure, and, therefore, not for ultimate death. He made all things for his pleasure; and through the same motive he preserves. It is evident that he hates nothing that he has made; and could have made no intelligent creature with the design to make it eternally miserable. It is strange, that a contrary supposition has ever entered into the heart of man. It is high time that the benevolent nature of the supreme God should be fully vindicated from thoughts of this kind.
19. The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Isaiah 53:10
The pleasure of God is to have all men saved, and brought to the knowledge of the truth.
So shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Isaiah 55:11.
God's pleasure shall surely be accomplished. I will do all my pleasure. Does not this show that God's pleasure shall certainly be accomplished? His word shall not return unto him void: it shall accomplish what he pleases, and prosper in the object which he sent it to accomplish. God has no pleasure in the death or suffering of the sinner. That was not the object of creation. God created men for his pleasure, and his pleasure shall certainly be accomplished.
21.Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which he hath purposed in himself, 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 on earth, even in him. (Eph. 1:9,10)
It is evident that God has purposed to gather together all things in Christ. God's purpose agrees with his will or pleasure. He wills to have all men saved; he has no pleasure in the death of the wicked; and accordingly he has purposed to gather together in one, all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth. This is God's purpose; this is what he has purposed in himself. This is not the gathering together of those things only which are in Christ, but the gathering together of all things in him. Unto him shall the gathering of the people be. (Gen. 49:10) And Jesus confirms this: And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.(John 12:32) Thus we see all things are to be gathered into Christ. They are all to have his spirit, and partake of his new creation; for if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new. (2 Cor. 5:17)
23. In your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. (Gen. 22:18)
God promised to Abraham, his servant, that he would bless all mankind, in his seed.
All the nations of the earth, all the families of the earth, according to this promise, are to be blessed in the seed of Abraham. The language is absolute: without any condition. All the nations of the earth shall be blessed. And who is this seed of Abraham, in whom all the nations and families of the earth shall be blessed? In the Messiah, who shall spring from you, shall all families of the earth be blessed; for as he shall take on him human nature, from the posterity of Abraham, he shall taste death for every man; his gospel shall be preached throughout the world, and innumerable blessings be derived on all mankind, through his death and intercession.
24. In your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. (Gen. 26:3.4)
I will perform the oath which I swore unto Abraham your father, and I will make your seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto your seed all these countries; and in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. (Gen. 26:3,4)
This is precisely of the same theme. It refers to precisely the same subject, and asserts the same facts.
26. In you, and in your seed, shall all the families of the earth be blessed. (Gen. 28:14)
The same promise was repeated to Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, in you, and in your seed, shall all the families of the earth be blessed. (Gen. 28:14) The apostle Paul fully settles the question in regard to who is meant by the seed of Abraham. He says, Now to Abraham and his seed, were the promises made. He says not, and to seeds, as of many; but as of one, and to your seed, WHICH IS CHRIST. (Gal. 3:16) Christ, then, is the seed of Abraham; and in him ALL the nations and families of the earth shall be blessed.
27. You are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, in your seed shall all kindreds of the earth be blessed.
God, having raised up his son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. (Acts 3:25,26) Peter, the apostle, understood this promise as referring to the salvation of men from sin, by Jesus Christ. Here we have a third term,- kindreds. All nations of the earth, all families of the earth, and all kindreds of the earth, must certainly signify all mankind. The import of this absolute, unconditional promise is, they shall all be blessed in Christ Jesus.
28. Is the law, then, against the promises of God? God forbid. (Gal. 3:21)
There is no threatening of any kind whatsoever in the Scriptures, no law, no penalty, no punishment denounced, which when rightly understood does not harmonize with this promise, for the law is not against the promises of God. The law is undoubtedly the law given to Moses on Mount Sinai. God was specially careful to frame that law in such a manner, that not a single sentence or particle of it should contradict the promises made by him to Abraham. Not a single threatening of punishment for sin, or for unbelief, not a denunciation of hell-fire, or condemnation of any kind of sin, is opposed to the promises of God. Those promises most explicitly assert, the final blessing of all nations, kindreds, and families of the earth with salvation from sin in Jesus Christ, so no portion of God's law, no threatening of punishment, should be so construed, interpreted, or explained, as to contradict this; and as the doctrine of endless condemnation for sin does explicitly contradict those promises, that doctrine we may be sure is not revealed in any portion of God's word.
29. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear, surely shall say, in the Lord have I righteousness and strength. (Isaiah 45:23,24)
God has confirmed his promise by an oath. He swore by himself, he pledged his eternal power and Godhead for the fulfillment of the promise; there was no being superior to himself, to whom he could make appeal, or by whom he could be bound; therefore he appeals to and pledges his immutable truth and Godhead. The promise pledged his faithfulness and justice; the oath of all the infinite perfections of his Godhead; for he swore by himself.
30. What he has promised he is able to perform. (Rom. 4:21)
God is almighty; nothing can resist his will; nothing can defeat his purpose; nothing can prevent the fulfillment of his promise. If God were not almighty, then the world might not be saved; but he is almighty; none can stay his hand, or say unto him, what do You do?. In God's own time (and that is the best time), and by his own means, the whole world shall be saved.
31.He gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. (1 Tim. 2:6)
Because God not only wills the salvation of all men; not only has purposed to save them all; not only has promised it; not only has confirmed that promise by an oath; but also has provided the means, in the death of Christ, for the salvation of all men. Jesus died for all. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he, by the grace of God, should taste death for every man. (Heb. 2:9) And he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2) Here are three expressions: 1st, ALL;2nd, EVERYMAN; 3rd, THE WHOLE WORLD. The sacred writers took the utmost care to guard against being misunderstood. Some would have us believe that these expressions are to be understood only in a general sense, in opposition to the contracted opinions of the Jews, who confined the blessings of God to their own nation only; and that the words are intended to declare, that Jesus died for Gentiles as well as Jews. We cannot so restrict the sense. Look at the connection in which these passages are found, and it will be seen that the terms used, apply to all men, in the widest sense of these terms. Paul instructs Timothy to pray for all men; not for Jews and Gentiles in the general sense, but for kings and all in authority; for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God, who will have all men to be saved. So John says, if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father. (1 Epistle John 1:1) Is not the language here designed to apply to all men: Who can dispute it?
32. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied. (Is. 53:11)
The labor of Christ will be efficacious for all for whom He died. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me. (John 12:32) If the Redeemer died for all men, can He be satisfied with the salvation of a part only? Can He look back upon his work and say, it is well done? Will He not rather draw all men unto Him, by the power of His truth, and make them holy and happy forever? Are we not authorized to expect such a result, from the fact, that He gave Himself a ransom for all? And if they are all drawn unto Him, will they not all be saved?
33. Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. (Luke 2:10)
The tidings of the Redeemer's birth, were certainly good tidings to all people. They should all hear these tidings, and to all they should be good tidings. But how can this be, if a part of the human race are never to be benefited by the Redeemer's sacrifice.
34. We have heard Him ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. (John 4:42)
Jesus cannot be the Saviour of the world, if the world will never be saved. What Jesus taught the Samaritans, that induced them to regard Him as the Saviour of the world, may be inferred, 1st. from His conversation with the woman at the well of Jacob, (John 4) and 2nd, from the exclamation of the Samaritans, in the 42nd verse. He evidently did not preach to them the dogma of endless misery & be the Saviour of the world.
35. We have seen, and do testify, that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. (1 John 4:14)
John, the beloved disciple of Christ, said, We have seen... This is the same character that the Samaritans judged the Lord to possess, from his personal instruction. (John 4:42) John says, We have seen; i.e. he knew it from his acquaintance with his Master. And do testify. We cannot hide this truth; we will proclaim to men, that Jesus is the Saviour of the world.
36. And He shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you, whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets, since the world began. (Acts 3:20,21)
All the holy prophets have spoken of the restitution of all things. And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you, but who has been crucified, and has ascended unto heaven, and whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. This restitution of all things is to take place, when Jesus comes down from the heavens, in the sense in which he had ascended into heaven. He had ascended into the heaven bodily; the heavens would contain Him until the times of the restitution; and then He would bodily visit the earth again. Now when shall he visit the earth again bodily? At the resurrection of the dead. (See Acts 1:10,11, and 1 Thess. 4:16) We conclude from this, that the restitution of all things is to take place at the resurrection of the dead. We do not understand, that the restitution shall not begin until the time, but that it shall then be completed, and filled up, so that it may be said, all things are restored. This is begun in part in this life; but it will be completed and finished at the resurrection. What is this restitution? It is the putting of things back into their original condition. Man was originally created in God's image; but the divine image has been obscured by sin; and men now bear the image of the earthly. But at the resurrection, when Christ shall appear, the restitution of all things shall take place, and then mankind will be restored to the image of God again. St. Paul says, that at the resurrection mankind shall be changed from the earthly to the heavenly image. (1 Cor. 15:49) This heavenly image which we have lost, we obtain back again at the resurrection of the dead; and to this the Saviour's language agrees, for He says, in the resurrection men shall be as the angels of God in heaven; i.e. they shall bear the heavenly image; (Matt. 22:30) that they can die no more, and shall be the children of God, being the children of the resurrection. (Luke 22:36) This God has spoken by all his holy prophets since the world began; not fully and clearly as He has revealed it in the gospel; but He has spoken by the prophets of the recovery of all things from the dominion of sin, and their reconciliation to God, and the gaining again of the heavenly image. Jesus Christ comes to raise up man from a state of ruin, and restore to him the image of God, as he possessed it at the beginning.
37. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; it shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. (Gen. 3:15)
There was a head that the seed of the woman was to bruise. Christ is the seed of the woman, and he came to defeat the works of the enemy. Calvary was where the defeat occurred. It is Finished.
38. All the ends of the world shall remember, and turn unto the Lord; and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before him. (Psalms 22:27)
This agrees precisely with the promise of God to Abraham, that all the nations, families, and kindreds of the earth shall be blessed in Christ Jesus.
39. All the ends of the world shall remember, and turn unto the Lord; and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before him. (Psalms 22:27)
All kings shall fall down before Him (Christ), all nations shall serve Him, men shall be blessed in Him, all nations shall call Him blessed. (Psalms 72:11,17)
40.All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. (Psalms 86:9)
This must certainly include all the nations of the earth; God made them all, from Adam to the latest born.
41. His mercy endures forever. (Psalm 136)
What kind of a mercy is the mercy of God, which is to endure forever: it is a universal mercy. No less than 26 times is this declaration. What kind of a mercy is the mercy of God which is to endure forever?. It is a universal mercy.
42. The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all his works. (Psalms 145:9)
He also declared, the mercy which is to endure forever is over all the works of God. God is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.
43. The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all his works. (Psalms 145:9)
He also said, all Your works shall praise You, O Lord, and your saints shall bless You (Psalms 145:10). Can all God's works praise Him if a part are consigned to everlasting despair?
44. The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion, slow to anger, and of great mercy. (Psalms 145:8)
The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion. Can endless misery be ordained by the Father of all fathers?
45. 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. (Psalms 103:8,9)
This could not possibly be true, if God purposed to make any of His creatures forever miserable. If we allow that torment shall be endless, can we say, that God will not always chide, nor keep His anger forever?
46. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Isa. 1:18)
Isaiah said there was no sin which might not be pardoned. The evident intent of this language is that there was no sin so deep-dyed in the soul, that it could not be washed away. What is here said of Israel, is true of every individual.
47. All nations shall flow into the mountain of the Lord's house. Isa.2:2
A figurative representation of the covenant of the Gospel.
48. In this mountain, the Lord of Hosts has made for all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees; of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well-refined.[ (Isa. 25:6)
By mountain is meant the covenant of the Gospel; the place of the establishment of the ark is made a metaphor, to signify the Gospel. This feast is salvation by Jesus Christ. This salvation is prepared for all people; it is sufficient to supply the wants of all.
49. God will destroy, in this mountain, the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil, that is spread over all nations. (Isa. 25:7)
This salvation is not uselessly prepared. Unbelief shall be done away. The darkness of the nations shall be removed. The covering cast over all nations shall be destroyed; they will then all see the truth.
50. God will swallow up death in victory. (Isa. 25:8)
This is to take place at the resurrection of the dead, for Paul quotes these words, and applies them to the resurrection of the dead in 1 Cor. 15:54. 51. The Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces (Isa. 25:8) The work of the Gospel will not be fully done, until tears shall be wiped away from all faces. Sorrow shall cease. Paul applies the subject to the resurrection of the dead.
52. The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. (Isa. 40:5)
This is the declaration of Yahweh, for the prophet adds, the mouth of the lord has spoken it. If the Lord has declared, that all flesh shall see his glory together, surely it must be done.
52. The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. (Isa. 40:5)
This is the declaration of Yahweh, for the prophet adds, the mouth of the lord has spoken it. If the Lord has declared all flesh shall see his glory together surely it must be done.
53. As the rain and snow come down from heaven, and return not thither, but water the earth, and cause it to bring forth and bud, so shall the word of God be; it shall not return void, but it shall accomplish the divine pleasure, and prosper in the thing for which God sent it. (Isa. 45:10,11)
Isaiah presents the Gospel as being completely successful in accomplishing the purpose for which it was sent into the world. All who see that God sent the Gospel to benefit all mankind, must here see the beneficent object will surely be accomplished. If any reject the Gospel, and are lost forever, can it be said in truth, that God's word does not return unto Him void?
54. I will also give you for a light to the Gentiles, that you may be my salvation unto the end of the earth. (Isa.49:6)
Isaiah, speaking in the name of Yah, affirms that the blessings of the Gospel should not be confined to the Jews. I will also give you for a light to the Gentiles. For what purpose? That you may be salvation unto the end of the earth. This is to signify the greatest possible extension of the blessings of the Gospel. Is this consistent with the supposed fact that countless millions of the human race shall never hear of the blessings of the Gospel?
55. I will not contend forever, neither will I be always angry; for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made. (Isa. 57:16)
Is this declaration consistent with the doctrine of endless misery? According to that dogma, will not God contend forever? Will He not be always angry?
56. I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their heats; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying , know the Lord; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. (Jer. 31:33,34)
The spirit of the passage is universal grace. What God says He will do for the Jews, He will also do for the Gentiles. The former is a pledge of the latter.
57. The Lord will not cast off forever, though He cause grief, yet will He have compassion according to the multitude of His mercies, for He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. (Lamen. 3:31-33)
Though God cause grief, yet He will have compassion according to the multitude of His mercies, for He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. This is the principle of the divine government. God does not afflict for the purpose of afflicting, but for the good of the sufferer. How, then, can endless torment be inflicted?
61. The people wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. (Luke 4:22)
This could not have happened, had he threatened the people with endless misery. He preached salvation to sinful, guilty man; he preached the love of God to the whole world and declared that God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world, through Him, might be saved. Well might the people wonder at his gracious words.
62. Anxious thought for the future. (Matt. 6:25-34)
Jesus presented the strongest confidence in God; and reasoned in the most tender and judicious manner with the people, to dissuade them from taking anxious thought for the future. The object of the Saviour was to encourage, in the hearts of those whom he addressed, the most implicit confidence in God for all future blessings. God is good; he is kind, even to the unthankful and to the evil; therefore, said the Saviour, take no anxious thought. Be not afraid; God will do you good. He has already proved his beneficence to you. He takes care of the lower orders of beings; why should you doubt? He clothes the flowers of the field with beauty; why should you despair? Take not anxious painful thought for the future. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Such is the spirit of the passage, which is perfectly consistent with universal restoration, but utterly inconsistent with the doctrine of endless misery.