PREFACE TO THE PRESENT EDITION. THE first edition of the "Union" appeared in 1759. In the preface, Mr. Relly acknowledges that he "was for a long season, after being satisfied of the redemption which is in Christ, very uneasy at times concerning the equity thereof;" and this uneasiness was resolved into a positive difficulty by the hints of a friend. "He asked me," says Mr. Relly, "wherein was the justice and equity of one man's suffering death, yea, even the torments of hell, for another-so contrary to reason, and also to the scripture, which often declares that the righteous shall not suffer for the wicked, but that every man's sin shall be charged upon his own head." Our author confesses that he "was not prepared for such a question as this, and was therefore involved in a difficulty." The consequent inquiry and labour of thought resulted in a solution, satisfactory to his own mind. To the proof and elucidation of the basis of that solution, the following work is devoted. It will be perceived that Mr. Relly adopts and establishes the abstract hint of his friend, namely, the injustice of punishing one man for the sins of another; but instead of inquiring whether the scriptures really teach that CHRIST was thus punished, he takes this for granted, and seeks to prove the justice of the procedure by proving such a Union between the Messiah and mankind as would equitably bring upon the former the judgments deserved by the latter. The position which Mr. Relly assumes, namely, that Christ was punished in our behalf, is entirely without foundation in truth— as may be shown by a few considerations. For Christ ALSO hath once suffered for sins," &c. And in this sense, men may suffer for righteousness' sake," and be blessed therein. 1 Peter iii. 14. If vicarious punishment be not implied in the one case, neither is it in the other. Notwithstanding the error which, in our judgment, is thus confuted, Mr. Relly's treatise is a valuable one. The doctrine of Union is his principal theme: and this he abundantly establishes by "express warrant of holy scripture"-and this, too, without necessarily involving the error referred to. To ADAM, as the image of the earthly constitution, we are all united; and hence, in Adam all die. To CHRIST, as the image of the heavenly constitution, we are all united by the purpose of God; and hence in Christ, shall all be made alive. One of the sublime results of Paul's reasonin 1 Cor. xv. is stated in ver. 49: "And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." Christ is the head of every man, 1 Cor. xi. 3; and tasted death for every man. Heb. ii. 9. As the head is glorified in the immortal resurrection state, so also shall be the body of universal humanity, which is marching onward to its union with God. Besides the intrinsic merit of this Treatise, its instrumentality in the conversion of JOHN MURRAY commends it to the regard of every Universalist. Mr. Murray was deputed by the Whitefield convention, to which he belonged, to visit a young lady who was suspected of a leaning to "Rellyism," with a view to withdraw her from the dangerous snare. The conversation, which may be found in Murray's Life, Chap. IV., is one of the most brilliant religious anecdotes on record. It is subjoined. He was staggered and confounded, but not convinced, by the young lady's reasoning; and "from this period," says he, "I carefully avoided every Universalist, and most cordially did I hate them. My ear was open to the public calumniator, to the secret whisperer, and I yielded credence to every scandalous report, however improbable. My informers were good people: I had no doubt of their veracity; and I believed it would be difficult to paint Relly and his connexions in colours too black." 1. There is a marked distinction and difference between suffering and punishment. Both imply pain endured-but the latter also implies guilt and the consciousness of guilt, which the former does not. "Christ suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God." 1 Pet. iii. 18. But to say that he was punished for sins, is quite another matter. He was not guilty, and therefore cannot be said with propriety, to have endured punishment. 2. Nor can this conclusion be evaded on the score of imputation-for, to impute guilt or sinfulness to an innocent, yea, righteous person, is a violation of both truth and equity. Some time afterwards, a Mr. Mason, who Besides: Holy Writ never treats of imputing had attempted a reply to Relly's Union, subthe actions of one man to another; but every mitted the manuscript to Mr. Murray's inman's actions are spoken of in relation to spection. It was not satisfactory—and a himself, individually. "Abraham believed copy of the Union falling providentially in God, and it was imputed to him, for righteous-his way, Mr. Murray was led, step by step, to ness." Rom. iv. 22. Not to impute sin, sig-unwavering trust in God as the Saviour of nifies not to upbraid or reproach the transgres-all. An intimacy with Mr. Relly, of the most sor for his former iniquities. But it is in tender and endearing character, ensued. He every instance a personal matter. however resisted all importunity to become 8. The sufferings of the primitive disciples a public advocate of " the faith once delivered were of the same kind as the sufferings of to the saints." But in 1770 he landed in Christ. In the connexion of a passage above America, and became a messenger of good quoted, the apostle says, "For it is better, if tidings to all people. His memory is embalmthe will of God be so, that ye suffer for [or ined in the recollection of all our Churches. A. C. THOMAS. the cause of] well-doing than for evil-doing.] 251 FAITH IN TRUTH. THE FOLLOWING IS THE ANECDOTE REFERRED TO IN THE PRECEDING PREFACE. I HAD heard much of Mr. Relly; he was a conscientious and zealous preacher in the city of London. He had, through many revolving years, continued faithful to the ministry committed to him, and he was the theme of every religious sect. He appeared, as he was represented to me, highly erroneous;. and my indignation against him, as has already been seen, was very strong. I had frequently been solicited to hear him, merely that I might be an ear witness of what was termed his blasphemies, but, I arrogantly said, I would not be a murderer of time. Thus I passed on for a number of years, hearing all manner of evil said of Mr. Kelly, and believing all I heard, while every day augmented the inveterate hatred which I bore the man and his adherents. When a worshipping brother or sister, belonging to the communion, which I considered as honoured by the approbation of Deity was, by this deceiver, drawn from the paths of rectitude, the anguish of my spirit was indescribable and I was ready to say, the secular arm ought to interpose to prevent the perdition of souls. I recollect one instance in particular, which pierced me to the soul. A young lady of irreproachable life, remarkable for piety, and highly respected by the tabernacle congregation and church, of which I was a devout member, had been ensnared; to my great astonishment, she had been induced to hear, and having heard, she had embraced the pernicious errors of this detestable babbler; she was become a believer, a firm, and unwavering believer of universal redemption! Horrible! most horrible! So high an opinion was entertained of my talents, having myself been a teacher among the Methodists, and such was my standing in Mr. Whitefield's church, that I was deemed adequate to reclaiming this wanderer, and I was strongly urged to the pursuit. The poor deluded young woman was abundantly worthy of our most arduous efforts. He that converteth the sinner from the error of his way, shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. Thus I thought, thus I said; and swelled with a high idea of my own importance, I went, accompanied by two or three of my Christian brethren, to see, converse with, and if need were, to admonish this simple, weak, but, as as we heretofere believed, meritorious female. Fully persuaded that I could easily convince her of her errors, I entertained no doubt respecting the result of my undertaking. The young lady received us with much kindness and condescension, while, as I glanced my eye upon her fine countenance, beaming with intelligence, mingling pity and contempt grew in my bosom. After the first ceremomonies, we sat for some time silent; at length I drew up a heavy sigh, and uttered a pathetic sentiment, relative to the deplorable condition of those who live and die in unbelief; and I concluded a violent declamation, by pronouncing with great earnestness, He that believeth not shall be damned. And pray, sir,' said the young lady, with great sweetness, Pray, sir, what is the unbeliever damned for not believing?' What is he damned for not believing? Why, he is damned for not believing. But, my dear sir,' she asked, 'what was that, which he did not believe, for which he was damned?' Why, for not believing in Jesus Christ, to be sure. 'Do you mean to say that unbelievers are damned for not believing there was such a person as Jesus Christ.' No, I do not; a man may believe there was such a person, and yet be damned. 'What then, sir, must he believe, in order to avoid damnation ?" Why, he must believe that Jesus Christ is a complete Saviour. 'Well, suppose he were to believe, that Jesus Christ was the complete Saviour of others, would this belief save him?' No, he must believe that Jesus Christ is his complete Saviour; every individual must believe for himself that Jesus Christ is his complete Saviour. 'Why, sir, is Jesus Christ the Saviour of any unbelievers ?' No, madam. 'Why, then, should any unbeliever believe, that Jesus Christ is his Saviour, if he is not his Saviour ?' I say, he is not the Saviour of any one, until he believes. 'Then, if Jesus be not the Saviour of the unbeliever, until he believes, the unbeliever is called upon to believe a lie. It appears to me, sir, that Jesus is the complete Saviour of unbelievers; and that unbelievers are called upon to believe the truth; and that, by believing they are saved in their own apprehension, saved from all those dreadful fears which are consequent upon a state of conscious condemnation." No, madam; you are dreadfully, I trust not fatally, misled. Jesus never was, nor never will be, the Saviour of any unbeliever. 'Do you think Jesus is your Saviour, sir?' I hope he is. 'Were you always a believer, sir?" No, madam. "Then you were once an unbeliever; that is, you once believed that Jesus Christ was not your Saviour. Now, as you say, he never was, nor never will be, the Saviour of any unbeliever; as you were once an unbeliever, he never can be your Saviour.' He never was my Saviour till I belived. 'Did he never die for you, till you believed, sir?' Here I was extremely embarrassed, and most devoutly wished myself out of her habitation; I sighed bitterly, expressed deep commisseration for those souls who had nothing but head-knowledge; drew out my watch, discovered it was late; and, recollecting an engagement, observed it was time to take leave. PREFACE. HEARING an Apostle say, that he used not the excellencies of speech, nor the enticing words of man's wisdom, when he came preaching the Gospel of Jesus amongst the Gentiles: I conclude, that what was then useless, is altogether as unnecessary now. Truth needs no art, but manifests itself by plainness of speech, in the demonstration of the Spirit, and of power. I believe I may say, without uncharitable censure, that mankind in the general judge according to appearance, and not with righteous judgment; the flowery style, the swelling word of vanity alluring to the flesh, is that, which (by reason of the depraved senses) is most pleasing to the ear, and striking to the mind, it being not important, whether it contain any matter or not: The Truth itself, being seldom that which the reader falls in love with; it is language, sounds, and pomp of words, that enamours a fluttering world. To urge, that the allurements and elegance of speech adorns the truth, and removing the prejudice which many have conceived against it, excites them to read with delight, &c.-I say, this plea will be found upon impartial inquiry, to be a flat contradiction of the scriptures, a stale device of Truth's grand enemy: For, let the same subject, be but treated of in the true apostolic language, viz. plainness of speech; and those raptured admirers of the sublime, however nervous its argument, will reject it. To assert that the excellency of speech, and the enticing words of man's wisdom, is necessary to enforce the truths of the Gospel : is to impeach the judgment of one whose choice did not proceed of necessity, when he chose plainness of speech, such as was familiar to the meanest capacity; I mean the Apostle to the Gentiles; he looked on the enticements of speech, as a proceeding unworthy the majesty of his matter, yea rather hurtful than helpful unto his hearers; lest their faith should stand in the wisdom of man, and not in the power of God. Hence 1 am encouraged to hope, that the absence of those embellishments from my Treatise, (though it proceed of necessity) will neither mar the beauty, nor relax the nerves of Truth contained therein: And, what further conspires to render my expectations sanguine in this particular, is the persuasion, that there are such in the world, whose ears cannot be charmed with dead unmeaning sounds, and whose hearts are susceptible of truth, in its artless native dress. But as the multitude think otherwise, and are contrary to me; in the grace and love of Jesus Christ, I stand prepared for censure, and reproach, and am not afraid of their utmost enmity nor is it in the power of the world to turment me with disappointments, because my expectations are suited to their candour and clemency. Through the knowledge of myself, and the observation I have made in life, I understand a little of human nature; and having learned of the Father, am not altogether ignorant of him who is the Truth: I therefore perceive, that reproach and the Gospel are inseparably connected; that it is impossible to believe, and bear witness of the one without being exposed to the virulence of the other, therefore God forbid that I should seek to avoid it, but rather meet in rejoicing, and receive it with open arms; being thereby crucified unto the world, and the world unto me. As I make no pretension to infallibility, nay as I pretend not to the abilities of fallible authors: respecting wisdom, and letters, it will not surprise me, nor need it surprise any body else, if some busy critic, whose genius leads him ever in search of offal, and garbage, should pretend to detect in my book, not only bad grammar, with inaccuracies in phrase; but errors in judgment also: Nor shall this trouble me, provided he substitute in stead thereof, what consists more with the honour and glory of Jesus Christ our Lord, for then my aim and end is answered. If I am asked in meekness to explain myself in any particular, wherein it is judged I have not been quite intelligible, though I cannot promise success, I find myself willing to attempt it. But, when any conceited spirit, from mere wantonness, majestically declares me wrong, I shall not reply; because “the servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient," &c. As I do not remember to have read the author, who hath treated of the subject contained in the following tract; any farther than to drop some very brief hints of such a truth, which hath been immediately contradicted by some other position: So neither do I rememto have read any thing wrote in confutation thereof, except a few admirable pieces lately handed about; in some of which, my name stands conspicuous as an heretic. I have reasons with me very sufficient, why I take no notice of those important spirits, so as to answer them in form. First, Respecting such that I have seen, their performances evidence beyond all controversy, that they did not understand the matter which they wrote against; and therefore treated that with contempt which was above them, being not afraid to speak evil of dignities. I would always, (unprovoked by their petulancy) answer those with silence, as being beneath my attention. I would harden my ear against the roarings of ignorance, and be utterly insensible to their invectives: 253 It being ridiculous to fret at the barkings | tives, would have a large run in the world; to of a cur, when it is the nature of the animal the great advantage of the authors: this to be noisy. Moreover, my wise, and power- thought had a sweet feeling in it. But, I beful antagonists, are generally positive without lieve, there has been a disappointment here; candour; yea even infallible in their own con- It should have been considered, that the Perceit: With such it is unlawful to reason. To son, and doctrine, which they bespatter, are see what important airs those little masters not sufficiently popular and formidable, to give themselves, strikes one at once with raise a general call for their confutations, and laughter and contempt; and constrains the preservatives. The deliverance, is always serious mind to commisserate the abject state proportionable to the danger, nor can the latof man, which nothing more fully discovers, ter be great, from what is only the object of than the egregious vanity, and insolence, of hatred, and contempt, and not of fear: had absolute determinations without reason. For this been considered, their expectations had my part, after having abjured the Pope of Rome, not been so sanguine. I might, by appealing I can never submit to any infallible chair of to human nature, prove, that those my reaan inferior sort: therefore their positions sons, for not taking any farther notice of my hath no weight with me, where they produce antagonists, are not mere surmise; which may not their reasons, and such reasons as imme- possibly be false: But I decline this, and dediately relate to the matter in hand, and take clare myself well assured of what I have said, in its meaning. from circumstances sufficiently convincing: however, I shall bid them all farewell in the words of the poet, Until then, they may think as high as they please of themselves, (as vain conceit seems necessary to keep up their spirits) I must of neces. sity respect them, so, as to take no notice of their anathemas, but boldly confess that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my Fathers. Another reason, why I do not choose to answer (in form) those antagonists who have as yet appeared in public against me, is, that personal pique, disappointments, self-interest, &c. was not the least powerful motive with them in their opposition; and where those considerations influence the mind, it is an easy matter to find fault, yea, prejudice is dexterous at making faults where there are none. I would not answer such as these, lest, by inflaming them, I should drive them to an utter renunciation of Christianity; lest they should cast off, and reject that measure of truth: which at present they may have, only because (from personal enmity) they may be in all things my opposites. For, where a spirit of resentment and self-seeking takes the lead, it is not strange to see men change their maxims, lest they should be thought to agree in any particular with the objects of their envy; it is a pity the evidence that some of my opponents are already too guilty of this charge, is so full. Besides, there were many other stimulating considerations, well nigh as powerful as that of personal enmity, and revenge, which made them opponents to me, and my doctrine: such as making their peace with the world, at the expense of the persons and matter, trampled on. They were well aware, of its being a very likely method to gain the favour of mankind, in the general, especially of the pious populace; the light in which things stand at present, administering them abundant opportunity for so doing, it being shrewdly foreseen, that prejudice against the person and matter exploded, would not permit the world to inquire impartially, into the merits of the cause. They could not but be greatly encouraged, being assured of victory, before they came to the trial. It might reasonably be expected from hence, that their exclamations and invec 254 If want provoke, or Madness makes them print, by external argument, against gain-sayers, |