that some inen shall never be saved. And, in order to obtain this proof, it has been said, that the kingdom of God here means that state of happiness to which saints shall be admitted in the future life; in other words, heaven, as that term is most commonly understood. But that Jesus did not use the phrase in this sense, and that the passage has no relation to another life, is manifest from the following quotations:

1. BEZA. This very orthodox writer says, that the kingdom of heaven, in this place, does not mean 'that eternal life for which we are laboring, but the church over which God reigns.' Annot. in loc.

2. GENEVA BIBLE. 'See the kingdom of God: which thing is, to be assembled and incorporate into the church fod.' Note in loc.

3. DIODATI. 6

Kingdom: viz., he cannot be ingraffed, nor united to the church of God.' Annot. in loc.

4. PEARCE. 'See the kingdom of God: ì. e., be admitted into it, and become one of my disciples.' Com. in loc.

5. WHITBY. Christ seems to speak this not primarily of that heavenly kingdom into which the blessed shall enter at the day of judgment, but of that spiritual kingdom which was to be erected by the Messiah,' &c. Annot. in loc.

6. LIGHTFOOT. That the kingdom of God, or of heaven, are terms convertible in the evangelist, is obvious to every one that will take the pains to compare them; and that by the kingdom of God, or of heaven, is meant the kingdom and times of the Messiah, is so plain, that it needs no argument to prove it.' Heb. and Talm. Exerc. in loc.

Again: Speech is there had (John iii. 3,) of Christ's kingdom of heaven upon earth, or the state under Christ.' Sermon on Matt. xxviii. 19.

7. HAMMOND. Ver. 3, 'Jesus, willing to undeceive him, and that he might not flatter himself, that the acknowledging of him to be the Messias, or sent from God, would be sufficient without the undertaking of his service, owning and confessing of him, (in despite of all fear of men,)

without being his proselyte, and forsaking his former course, tells him positively, that unless he would be born again, which is a phrase to denote a proselyte of Christ, and, when occasion required, forsake all for Christ's sake, even his former course of life and dignity in the Jewish state, (contrary to his coming to him by night and acknowledging him secretly,) he should not see the kingdom of God, be a christian here, (which is a privilege of a greater height than that of being a Jew, or a member of their Sanhedrim,) or a saint hereafter.'

Ver. 5, Jesus answers him, except a man be received as a proselyte, and that not of an ordinary sort, such as are among you Jews, but a Christian proselyte, such as are received by baptism in the Christian church, so as to undertake the law of Christ, and renounce his former (whether heathen, or) Jewish course, the first expressed by being washed in water, the ceremony of the Jews' proselytism, (now also made use of by Christ,) by which a man was said by the Jews to be new born, and accordingly, so here, in a high degree, the second by being born of the spirit, entering on a new, pure, spiritual life, and not only passing under those external washings, (agreeable unto which it was, that Christ's disciples were admitted not only by water, as John's and the Jews' proselytes were, but by the Holy Ghost's descending on them, see note on Acts i. 5,) he cannot enter,' &c. Par. in loc. 8. CAPPE. 6 Except a man undergo a change as great as might be denominated a new birth, as great as might be conceived to pass upon him if he could be born again, as great as takes place upon the idolater when he becomes a proselyte to Moses, he cannot share in the honors, or be employed in the ministry, of my kingdom.' Crit. Rem. i. 216.

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In another place, the same writer says, concerning the notion, that to enter the kingdom of God, or of heaven, signifies, to obtain the happiness of a future life,' that this is a sense which I believe it never bears in scripture.' Ibid. i. 226.

9. GILPIN. Jesus told him, that his doctrine lay in a very short compass. A man, said he, must be born again, before he can be a member of my kingdom. Nicodemus

not comprehending the expression, Jesus explained himself, by saying, that nobody could be his disciple, who, after professing himself such by baptism, did not change his life, by a thorough repentance, and such holiness of disposition, as should always be assisted by the Spirit of God.' Expos. in loc.

I have indulged myself in quoting more authorities than I should otherwise have done, for the reason mentioned in the introduction to the notes; i. e., that this passage has been so much abused in its application, and is, I believe, at the present day, a very favorite one in all meetings intended to produce an excitement, by a passionate appeal to the fears and tender feelings of women and children-of some children, too, who should be men, but are not.

SECTION LI.

'He that believeth on the Son, hath everlasting life and he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.'-JOHN iii. 36.

SOME Commentators pass over this verse without remark; others interpret it to imply the endless misery of unbelievers. I do not now recollect any one of them who has given it what I believe to be its true interpretation. It cannot be supposed, by any man, that Jesus intended to say, that all who did not at that point of time believe on him, must suffer endless torment; because this would be fatal to the hopes of all who have lived since that period. It is said, I know, he intended that all who should not believe during the present life, must suffer such torment; but he did not say this. And I know of no better way to ascertain his meaning, than by attentively considering the import of his words. The most which can with propriety be said of this passage,

is, that so long as men remain in unbelief, they must also remain destitute of the life here mentioned. But whenever they believe on the Son, they will become partakers of everlasting life. If this text be true, and if it be also true, that all shall know the Lord, from the least to the greatest, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father, then it would seem, that all shall be partakers of life, and thus will the purpose of God be accomplished, 'who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.' Heb. viii. 11, Phil. ii. 11,

1 Tim. ii. 4.

SECTION LII.

'Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.'-JOHN v. 28, 29.

ORTHODOX writers and preachers, in the present day, attach as much importance to this passage, as to the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. They seem to be positive, that the doctrine of endless misery is taught here. Although my proof to the contrary, drawn from writers who believed the doctrine of torments in the future life, for sins committed in this, is not so full as on some other texts, yet a few selections will be exhibited.

1. LIGHTFOOT. These words might also be applied to a spiritual resurrection, as were the former, (and so, coming out of graves meaneth, Ezek. xxxvii. 12,) the words of the verse following being only translated and glossed thus: and they shall come forth, they that do good, after they hear his voice in the gospel, to the resurrection of life; and they that do evil, after they hear the gospel, unto the resurrection of damnation. But they are more generally understood of the general resurrection,' &c. Harm. Evang Part iii. John v. 28.

Hence it appears, that Lightfoot considered this application allowable, though he rather chose to adopt the opinion, which he says was more generally received.

2. CAPPE. Before exhibiting the following testimony, it seems proper to remark once more, that the Rev. Newcome Cappe believed most firmly in a future retribution, or, in other words, misery in the future life. Whether he believed that misery will be endless or not, is of no consequence, so far as the present question is concerned. The only question now under consideration is, does this text relate to the concerns of the present state of existence, or the next? To show the opinion of Mr. Cappe, I shall quote his paraphrase on verses 25-29.

(25.) Verily I say unto you, the period is approaching, and is not far off, when, after my exaltation, they who are now insensible and inattentive to the teachings, and warnings, and ministry, of the Son of man, of me, in my present humble circumstances, will hear my voice, when, being constituted the Son of God, I shall speak from heaven by the Holy Spirit sent to my apostles; and they that hear shall live. Though you now despise me, and misinterpret my deeds and words, and meditate designs against my life, I mean you no ill, and am intended to be a blessing to you. Though you despise the Son of man, the Son of God you will not despise; and hearing him, he will be the means to save your lives, whose life you are seeking to destroy.

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(26.) For as the Father hath life in himself, and hath the power of giving life unto the dead, so hath he given to the Son the like power. He will enable him, by means of the Holy Spirit, accompanying the witnesses of his resurrection, to quicken, to give apprehension, sensibility, and discernment, to many who seem now to have them not-who are figuratively and spiritually dead. He will enable him to endue the converts to his gospel with the gifts of the Spirit, and thus to raise them from the dead, in imparting to them new principles of life; and besides this, he will enable them to preserve their natural lives