every degree of misery, and in consequence the cessation and extinction of every kind and degree of evil.

Christ's commission consists of two parts, so connected together, that one part cannot be executed without the other. He could not be the entire Saviour of the world, without completely destroying every evil propensity, in every individual human being, without which it is impossible that they should ever become happy inhabitants of Heaven. Therefore as God wills that all men should be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth, he also wills, that they should be divested of every species of depravity, which will assuredly be done if Christ has been invested with sufficient powers; which must be the subject of our succeeding inquiry.

Were we to form our judgment from the dic tates of reason, and the nature of the subject, we should naturally conclude, that the Father did not send the Son to be the Saviour of the world; and to destroy the works of the devil, without furnishing him with sufficient powers to accomplish these important purposes, for which he was delegated.* But if we have recourse to

* Mat. xxviii. 18.

scripture, we are furnished with ample evidence to convince all those who believe in the authenticity of the testimony, that Christ has already redeemed us from the curse and condemnation of the law, having been made a curse for us.*

"Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule, and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed, is death."t "Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet: for in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him, &c." Here we find the united powers of both the Father and the Son, are to be exerted to put down or destroy all the rule, authority, and power of every enemy, and destroy every inimical being; for we are told the last enemy shall be destroyed, which is death.

As a further evidence that Christ is both willing and able to defeat the devil, and recover his own property out of his hands, we learn from Colos. i. 15, 16. that Christ is the image of the invisible God, the first born of every creature.

Gal. iii. 13. † 1 Cor. xv. 24, 25, 26. Heb. ii. 8.

That by him were all things created, that are in Heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions, or principalities or powers; all things were created (en auto) in him (di auto) by him, and (eis auton) for himself.

It is therefore evident that the being who has had wisdom and power enough to create all things for himself, must of necessity have wisdom and power enough to govern all things, and to assert his right to, and property in, all the souls which he has made; and even to annihilate the devil himself, should he have the temerity to oppose him!

Is it not more reasonable to believe that the gracious being who created the souls of men, and endued them with such admirable faculties and powers, will also refine and purify them from any dross or foreign matter with which they may have been polluted? Yes, he certainly will cleanse them, for he has promised in the 13th Chap. of Zechariah, that he will refine them as silver is refined, and try them as gold is tried, and when this necessary operation is compleated, he will say it is my people, and they shall say, the Lord is my God; or in other words, he will destroy the works of the devil

in them, and restore the image of God in the souls of men, which he created on purpose for himself, to its former likeness, and then will he acknowledge them to be his own people.

"Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean from all your filthiness, and from all your idols will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God."*

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah; not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; (which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:) But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; after those days, saith the Lord, I will

* Ezek. xxxvi. 25, 26, 27, 28.

D

put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, 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, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."*

Doctor Stonehouse very justly observes, "if all this be true, how idle the supposition, that satan shall be lord of corrupted nature, so long as is Christ of restored nature! or that sinners shall be sinners in hell eternally irrecoverably! Does the scriptures teach us so?

"For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil." He will therefore most surely destroy them, and reduce them to nothing; and how? In a few instances only? But his work will be a perfect and accomplished work, extending to every individual: yea, if he should fail in any single instance, his work in that degree would fall short of the purposes of his will, seeing he will have all men to be restored, and come to the ac

Jer. xxxi. 31, 32, 33, 34.

† 1 John iii. 8.