2G6 
M E T H O D I S T. 
The Unive^falifls, properly fo called, are thofe who be¬ 
lieve, that, as Chrill died for all, lo, before he lhall have 
delivered up his mediatorial kingdom to the Father, all 
lliall be brought to a participation of the benefits of his 
death, in their refloration to holinefs and happinefs. 
They teach the doctrine of election; but not in the ex- 
clufive Qalviniftic fenfe of it : they fuppole that God has 
chofen fome for the good of all ; and that his final purpofe 
towards all, is intimated by his calling his eleft the firil 
born and the firil fruits of his creatures, which, fay they, 
implies other branches of his family, and a future in-ga¬ 
thering of the harvell of mankind. They teach alfo that 
the righteous fliall have part in the firfl relurreblion, fliall 
be blefl’ed and happy, and be made priefts and kings to 
God and to Chrill in the millennial kingdom, and that 
over them the l'econd death lhall have no power; that the 
•wicked will receive a puniflnnent apportioned to their 
crimes ; that punifhment itfelf is a mediatorial work, and 
founded upon mercy; confequently, that it is a means 
of humbling, fubduing, and finally reconciling the finner 
to God. They add, that the words rendered everlafting , 
eternal, fur ever, and fur ever and ever, in the Scriptures, 
are frequently ufed to exprefs the duration of things that 
have ended, or mult end ; and, if it is contended that 
tl'.efe words are fometimes ufed to exprefs proper eternity, 
they anfwer, that then the fubjeEl with which the words 
are connected mult determine the fenfe of them ; and, as 
there is nothing in the nature of future punilhment which 
can be rendered as a reafon why it fiiould be endlefs, they 
infer that the above words ought always to be taken in a 
limited fenfe when connected with the infliction of mifery. 
This dodlrine is not new. Origen, a Chriltian father 
who lived in the third century, wrote in favour of it. St. 
Augulline, of Hippo, mentions fome divines in his day, 
whom he calls the merciful doEhrs, who held it. The 
German Baptills, many of them, even before the Refor¬ 
mation, propagated it. The people called Tunkers, in 
America, defeended from the German Baptills, mollly 
hold it. The Menonites, in Holland, have long held it. 
In England, about the latter end of the l'eventeenth cen¬ 
tury, Dr. Ruft, bilhop of Dromore in Ireland, pubiilhed 
e ‘ A Letter of Refplutions concerning Origen, and the 
chief of his Opinions,” in which it has been thought he 
favoured the univerfal doftrine, which Origen held. And 
Mr. Jeremiah White wrote his book in favour of the 
fame fentiments foon afterwards. The Chevalier Ramfay, 
in his elaborate work of the Philofophical Principles of 
Natural and Revealed Religion, efpoufes it. Archbifhop 
Tiilotfon, in one of his fermons, fuppofes future punilh¬ 
ment to be of limited duration ; as does Dr. Burnet, maf- 
ter of the Charter-Koul’e, in his book on the llate of the 
dead. But the writers of late years, who have defended 
the' lubjefl moll fully are Dr. Newton, bilhop of Brillol, 
in his Dilfertations ; Mr. Stonehoufe, redtor of Illington ; 
Dr. Chauncy, of Bollon in America; Dr. Hartley, in his 
profound work on Man ; Mr. Pu.rves, of Edinburgh ; 
Mr. Elhanan Wincheller, in his Dialogues on Univerfal 
Relloration (a new edition of which, with explanatory 
notes, has been lately pubiilhed) ; a;id Mr. William Vidler. 
See the Univerfalilt’s Milceiiany, now entitled the 
“ Monthly Repolitory of Theology and general Litera¬ 
ture ;” containing many valuable papers for and againlt 
Univerfal Relloration, where the controverfy on the l'ub- 
jedl between Mr. Vidler and Mr. Fuller will be found. 
But Mr. Fuller’s Letters have been fince printed fepa- 
rately, as well as Mr. Vidler’s Letters to Mr. Fuller, on 
the Univerfal Relloration, with a llatement of fadls at¬ 
tending that controverfy, and fome llridlures on Scruta¬ 
tor’s Review. The Rev. Mr. Browne, a clergyman of the 
■church of England, has produced an Eifay on the fubjedt. 
Mr. R. Wright, of Wilbeach, has alfo written a tract, 
called “ The Eternity of Hell-Torments Indefenfible,” 
in reply to Dr. Ryland. The late Mr. N. Scarlett like- 
wile publifhed a new tranllation of the Tellament, in 
which the Greek term «io, in tire lingular and plural, is 
rendered age and ages; and in his Appendix propofed 
that its derivative, ccionxv, lhould be rendered age-laftino - 
in Head of “ everlalling and eternal.” And Mr. Broughton; 
at the clofe of his Dilfertations on Futurity, (hocked at the 
idea of eternal punilhment in every cafe, propofes the fol¬ 
lowing hypothefis : “ That the fpirit of God had made 
choice of an ambiguous term, aiovio;, acknowledged on 
both lides fometimes to be an eternal, and fometimes only 
a temporary, duration, with the wife view, that men 
might live in fear of everlalling punilhment, becaufe it 
is pollible it may be everlalling; and at the fame time 
God be at liberty, (if I may fo fpeak,) without impeach¬ 
ment of his faithfulnefs and truth, to inflidl either finite 
or infinite punilhment, as his divine wifdom, power, and 
goodnefs, lhall cliredt.” He, however, only fuggells this 
lcheme with an amiable and becoming mo'delly. 
The writers who have of late particularly animadverted 
upon the dodlrine of Univerfal Relloration, are, in Ame¬ 
rica, Mr. Prefident Edwards, and his fon Dr. Edwards ; 
and, in England, Mr. Daniel Taylor, Mr. Filher, and Mr. 
Andrew Fuller. For Hill further information, the reader 
is referred to a critical work, entitled “ An Eifay on the 
Duration of a Future State of Punilhment and Reward,” 
by John Simpfon, who has written feveral excellent prac¬ 
tical pieces for the illuftration of Chrillianity. 
Not much differing from the above are the Relh/an 
Univerjdlijts, fo called by the author of the “ Sketch,” 
from a Mr. James Relly, who firil commenced the mi- 
nilterial character in connexion with Mr. Whitefield, 
and with the fame fentiments as are generally maintained 
at the Tabernacle. He was at his firil outlet received 
with great popularity. Upon a change of his views, he 
encountered reproach, and, of courfe, was foon pro¬ 
nounced an enemy to godlinefs, &c. It appears that he 
became convinced of the union of mankind to God, in 
the perfon of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrill; and, 
upon this perfualion, he preached a finilhed falvation, 
called by the apollle Jude, “ the common falvation.” 
The relation and unity of the firil and fecond Adam unto 
God, the author and fountain of all things, was the foun¬ 
dation of thofe fentiments he continued to maintain 
during his life; and he was followed by a confiderable 
number of perlons, who were convinced of the propriety 
of his views. They are not oblervers of ordinances, fuch 
as water-baptifm and the facrament; profelfing to believe 
in only one baptilin, which they call an immerfion of 
the mind or conlcience into truth by the teaching of 
the fpirit of God; and by the fame fpirit they are enabled 
to feed on Chrill as the bread of life, profelfing that, in 
and with Jefus, they polfefs all things. They inculcate 
and maintain good works for necelfary purpofes; but 
contend that the principal and only work which ought 
to be attended to, is the doing real good without reli¬ 
gious oilentation; that to relieve the miferies and dif- 
treffes of mankind, according to our ability, is doing 
more real good than the fuperllitious obfervance of re¬ 
ligious ceremonies. 
A Mr. Murray, belonging to this fociety, emigrated to 
America previous to or about the time of the war. He 
preached the fame fentiments at Bollon and elfewhere; 
and was appointed chaplain to Gen. Walhington. There 
are a number of adherents at Bollon, Philadelphia, and 
other parts. Relly pubiilhed feveral works, the principal 
of which are, i. Union. 2. The Trial of Spirits. * 3. 
Chrillian Liberty. 4. One Baptilin. 5. The Salt of Sa¬ 
crifice. 6. Antichrill Refilled. 7. Letters on Univerfal 
Salvation. 8. The Cherubimical Myllery. 9. Hymns; 
See. &c, His followers now meet at a chapel in Wind- 
mill-llreet, Finlbury-fquare, Sunday mornings and even¬ 
ings. There arealidfome of thole of the lame fentiments 
in other parts of the kingdom, and particularly at and in 
the vicinity of Plymouth-Dock, and Plymouth, in De- 
vonlhire. 
The books which have been confulted in compiling this 
article are the following ; Benfon’s Apology for the Me- 
1 thodiffs, 
