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    look ; it is , that when God made man he knew the part he would act , all that would befal hhn , and all the circumstances into which

    he would be brought : if he ever designed the happiness of all men , he must haye designed it when he had a perfect knowledge of all things . Will you say that God ever designed what he knew would

    never take place ? If you say he designed the happiness of all men conditionally , what do you mean by God ' s designing conditionally ? Do you mean to say he did not know whether man would or would

    not fulfil the conditions ? Can anything that ever did or ever will take place be conditional , be otherwise than certain , in the view of the Alrnigbty ? I fear

    your reasoning will either limiKhe divine knowledge , or impute to him , what is contrary to wisdom , the designing of what he knew at the time would never take place .

    3 . Much of your letter is designed to , shew that , as , though God designed the happiness of all men , many are depraved and

    rtiiserable iii this life , therefore they may continue depraved and miserable in a future life till they sink into nothing , But as men are borri ^ without ideas , have every thing that relates to mind and mo . rajs to atqiiire , are formed to be tfce pupils of experience , and this i » bnt tffe infancy of their being ; it is mock easier to account for their depravity and misery in this world , than It wentiId be to

    account for the cotttinufcrice of depravity ? ind misery through all the future stages , of' . tkei * existence * Besides , the suppti&ifeibli that they will continue depraved and miserable a $ lofij * as they exist , renders it abundantly more difficult

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    to reconcile with the wise and good government of God the present existence of sin and misery , than the hypothesis that alt will end wejh

    4 . You attempt to establish the idea that if the existing miseries of man be consistent with God ' s designing his happiness * then his being raised from the dead to a state of misery , which will end

    in endless loss of being , may be consistent with such design . But do you forget that in the present life enjoyment on the whole ^ pre * ponderales ; that in the future state of the wicked , according to

    your hypothesis , there will be absolute misery without ettjoyment , till they sink into nothfng £ This alters the case very materially , and places tbe resurrection * sbfar as they are concerned , in the light of a pure curse . t , ^ ~ < - -A .

    5 . On tiie supposition that future punishment will be long and dreadful , before tbe restoration is effected , you ask , " Must < inot every benevolent mind then wisrf , and have not the wicked

    themselves reason to wish , that the doctrine of universal restoration may not be true ? " What ! will not endless life and felicity , at however late a period it m » y

    commence , compensate for any prior state of suffering that may have been necessary to prepare for it . Poor is the refuge you offer the wicked after aiI thei * future

    tfiifferings , you launch th ^ m into eternal nigh * , a&cN&Ury thefti in endless oblivion : ferid will y ^ wsAy that sufferings whigfi &re sllppte ^ d to be Corrective and" t <> issue ia

    endless happiness , are to b& depreciated as more (> FeaiiPul thttn the scheme you propose ? r 6 . As in your tetter on my communication , you have mentioned

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    i-5 k . Mr . Wright to M ? > M ^ rsomr on Future Punishment . 623

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Oct. 2, 1814, page 623, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2445/page/35/