positions-all the sparks that they have kindled. This is only consistency! Who would not defend his positions as infallible, who believed that they were all given by inspiration of God; and so were proper codicils to the volume of prophets and apostles as in common "the oracles of God!" Hence they cannot confess error, without blowing up their system. They ought to be right indeed, so right that miracles could add nothing to the evidence of their infallibility; otherwise there may be inevitable perdition in the necessity under which they lay themselves of defending at all events the positions of their preaching! To be incorrigibly wrong, on such a central matter of one's creed, is just as ill omened to the welfare of the soul as it seems possible to conceive! To confess error, when proved, is the privilege of a freeman of Jesus Christ. He is willing to own himself wiser to-day than he was yesterday.

The instances of false interpretation that abound in the sayings and writings of their preachers are "so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea- shore innumerable." They quote in a loose, hap-hazard, and often most erring way in point of fact. They educe a doctrine from a text that never was in it; though it might have been in them. They infer from premises what was never contained in them. They give to their own imaginings, beside the unction and sanction of the oracle, a certain homogeneousness of the system which the text never had before, and which is both specious and satisfactory to all; then

they frequently exclaim; "and now, Friends, only behold it! was any thing ever plainer in the world? How rational, how excellent, how consolatory! What need of the vain learning of the world, to unravel what hath been revealed to sucklings and to babes?" And thus the whole meeting are convinced; all bowed under the influence; all gathered into the clear light and life of the spirit! And what abhorred impiety to breathe a breath against all that incumbent glory! I know how horribly profane such an aggression would be held by them: and yet I very calmly declare it the spell of a more horrible delusion!

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Take one more instance of false interpretation: et crimine ub uno, disce omnes.2 It occurs in the formal statement of the fifth proposition of the Apology, "concerning the UNIVERSAL REDEMPTION by CHRIST, and also the SAVING and SPIRITUAL LIGHT, wherewith every man is enlightened." Its object is to prove the universality of the light. It occurs in the quotation of the following passage; "Nor is it less universal than the seed of sin, being the purchase of his death, who tasted death for every man for as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive." 1 Cor. 15: 22.

These specimens I have purposely selected, as being suited to my object, without being outrageously bad or as exceptionable as others. They are as decent instances as can be found. One re

mark here we ought to give no quarters to an interpreter of INSPIRED resources, whatever may be due in clemency to others. It is bad enough when an

uninspired preacher mistakes the meaning of scripture and misrepresents the mind of God: especially, as is generally the case, if it occur from a criminal carelessness in dealing with his words. But an inspired blunderer—what a monster! shall we spare him?

Though these remarks principally affect the latter quotation; yet, with respect to the former, Heb. 2: 9, as I am persuaded he mistakes its meaning, I will remark, that the word man is not in the original, and the strict rendering of ineρ navτos is for each, or, on account of every one, as Dr. Macknight has it; thus, "that he should taste death for every one of them." Now the connection evinces that the apostle is speaking of the church, and not of the world; hence "they who are sanctified, many sons brought unto glory, saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee," are the associated expressions of the context. I do not think therefore that that passage proves universality in any relation, with respect to the species of man. I indeed believe that the atonement, made by Jesus Christ on the cross, is in its own nature amply sufficient for all mankind, and that nothing but their voluntary pride and obstinacy of unbelief prevail as the means of exclusion to any one who hears the gospel; that the atonement is designedly large enough for all, and applicable to all, but applied only to them that believe that it is offered to all; to them that reject, as really, as consistently, and as sincerely, as to them that accept it; and that to reject it is a

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deep and damning sin, which any man indulges at the peril of his soul, in a matter where his guilt is manifest and his doom revealed: still, I do not believe that any such doctrine is taught in the text now under consideration. Am I right in this? How then does it consist with the views of Barclay or the use to which he has applied it?

The text from 1 Cor. 15: 22, is however a worse perversion. "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." He plainly here infers or sees clearly that the word die refers to spiritual death. This will be for a moment admitted. I ask then if its manifest opposite made alive means not shall be spiritually quickened and born again? If so, the passage as Barclay interprets it, proves universal salvation! I will not take upon me to say how much such a view would afflict the sentiments of Friends I am safer in saying that such a view is no more the native sense or proper meaning of the passage than if he had used it to prophesy what shall occur in heaven a million of ages hence or had told us that it means-a certain youth of Scotch nativity, French education, Romish predilections, and very respectable talents, was converted to the sentiments of George Fox, and inspired to write a book as good as the Bible, if not better, called Barclay's Apology.

The word die, in the passage, is to be literally interpreted, meaning nothing but natural death-as it is improperly called: for death was a part of our sentence as sinners, Gen. 3: 19, which has been executed from the beginning. But what if we "all

die" in Adam? we "shall all be made alive" in Christ. The dominion of death shall be destroyed and his vast prison depopulated.

Those ruins shall be built again,

And all that dust shall rise.

"There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust." Acts, 24: 15. John, 5:28, 29. 1 Thess. 4: 13-18. Matt. 10: 28. "The resurrection of the just" will be ineffably and consummately glorious; and this doctrine, in connection with the general subject, it is the formal object of the apostle throughout this wonderful chapter to prove beyond all contradiction. The passage concerned is in perfect keeping with all the other parts: while the importance of the doctrine is sucha doctrine denied by "some" at Corinth-that the apostle has declared it to be just FUNDAMENTAL to christianity! The great argument of the apostle for the resurrection of our bodies is the fact that Christ's body rose, ascended, and is sublimed and glorified for ever in heaven. His position is that our bodies shall rise just as certainly; and the bodies of saints, to everlasting beauty and beatitude. He considers the position however in reference mainly to the resurrection of the just. In proof of this view we might quote the whole chapter, and innumerable other passages of genuine inspiration. 1 Cor. 15: 12-22.

To many readers this argumentation of mine will appear unnecessarily minute. But my object shall soon appear, to explain and vindicate the