emn--and tremendons are so many appeals to our fear to induce us to repent and turn from all iniquity. One grand object of the Bible, was manifestly to reveal such awful denunciations of punishment, as that men should not dare to transgress. And those men, who make it their trade to cavil and torture and screw this foundation of fear out of the Bible, do appear to us, to be engaged in a most pernicious and perilous business. Their consciences may be so warped, as to justify them. But we believe it is au errour that is to result eventually in the looseness, impiety, corruption, and misery of millions-that it will only deserve the curses of posterity, and the just execration of all good men, who love their country, their children, or themselves. Were it in our power, we would spread out "the terrours of the Lord" and the fear of punishment upon the minds of all, so as to counteract their propensities to sin; so that none should dare to transgress. We would have Bone fear only enough to turn him from iniquity. But we sannot believe that the world is to suffer any thing terrible, by being afraid to set at defiance the laws of God, and to langh at the retributions of eternity.

SECTION VI.

Futura retribution proved by implication, from the Scriptures.

There are a vast many passages of Scripture, which, from their phraseology and connexion, very plainly imply a state of retribution beyond this life. We shall present in this section many such, with very few remarks. As to the Old Testament, we do not think it teaches much about hereafter, though its writers seem to have had some idea of it. For this reason, wa shall omit most expressions there; and indeed, many in the New Testament must be omitted, for want of room.

"That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction; they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath."-Job xx1: 30. "For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?”—Job xxvir: 8. If when God taketh away the soul of the hypocrite, he puts it into heaven, we should think, he could have as good a hope as any body!

"Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his."-Numb. xx11: 10. Why so, if all fare alike at death?

46

Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace. But the transgressors shall be destroyed; the end of the wicked shall be cut off."-Ps. XXXVII: 37, 38.

"He that being often reproved, hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy."Prov. XXIX: 1. The writer could not have been a universalist; for if so, he must have seen, that when the stiff necked are suddenly destroyed, they have a remedy in immediate and perfect happiness.

"For behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch."-Mal. iv: 1. Universalists have displayed no inconsiderable ingenuity in making this day the Gospel day-the burning of that day, the fire of divine love; the burning up of the wicked, a destruction of them as wicked, and their conversion to God. But the construction will not satisfy an impartial inquirer. No doubt it is a figurative prediction of the overthrow and perdition of the wicked; but to suppose the prophet meant it as a precious promise to the wicked, as their construction makes it, is ridiculous. It makes the prophet promise the entire and complete salvation of all the wicked first; and then in the next verse to add a comfortable promise to the righteous,

"But unto you that fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings." And then, aecording to their construction, having promised first a full salvation to all the wicked, so that they all cease to exist as sinners, and are burned up by the love of God, and made saints; he promises those, that fear his name, the healing sun of righteousness; and last of all, declares, that "ys (that is, those that fear his name) shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet, is the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts." If, to have the wicked burned up, and their ashes scattered under the feet of the righteous, can be tortured into their salvation, then, any thing can be done.

"Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."—Mat. 111: 12. Men may figure this away; but we doubt not our Saviour alluded, simply, to the welcome reception of the good, and the perdition of the bad; as wheat and chaff.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."-Chapt. v. ver. 3. Why theirs?

"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled."-Ver. 6. Will they which do not hunger, &c. be filled as much?

"Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy."-Ver. 7. Will the unmerciful obtain mercy too?

'Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God.” Ver. 8. Will the impure in heart see God too?

44

Blessed are ye when men shall revile and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad : for great is your, reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."-Verses 11, 12. Will their persecutors have the same great reward in heaven?

"For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees,

ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”— Ver. 20. But if they should not be rigl tecus enough to enter into the kingdom of heaven, might they not get into keaven itself?

"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life; and few there be that find it.”—Chapt. vII. verses 13, 14. Compare this with Luke, 13th Chap. 23-28, for Christ's own comment; as our opponents consider him a universalist, let them see how he taught the doctrine.

"Not every one that saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."-Ver. 21. But if he that doeth his will may enter into the kingdom of heaven ; may not he that doeth it not, but saith Lord, Lord, enter into heaven? "And then I will profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity."-Ver. 23.

"Verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable fer the land of Sodom and Gomorrah, in the day of judgement, than for that city."—Chapt. x, ver. 15. “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake, but he that endureth to the end shall be saved."-Ver. 22. Will he be sved if he endureth not to the end?

"Whosoever, therefore, shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heav en; but whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven."-Ver. 32, 33. Though he deny them before his Father in heaven, will be own and save them in heaven?

"But I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgement than for you."-Chapt XI, ver. 22. "But I say unto yon, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give an account thereof in the day of judgement."-Chapt. x11, ver. 36.

"Then gooth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there, and the last state of that man is worse than the first."-Ver. 45. Yet, will there be another state later than the last, which shall be better than the first or last either?

"The field is the world, (cosmos, the literal world which we inhabit.) The good seed are the children of the kingdom: but the tares are the children of the wicked one.The enemy that sowed them is the devil; (not that created them, but sowed them-placed them in a situation to grow and increase in sin) the harvest is the end of the (aionos) world; (not literally world; but state, or state of things; meaning, as the context would imply, this state of being) and the reapers are the angels. As therefore, the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of this (aionos) state of being.

The son of man

shall send forth his angels; and they shall gather out of

his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniqui

ty; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."-Chapt. x111, ver. 3842. It is admitted the "furnace of fire," &c. is figurative; but is used in the Scriptures to denote extreme suffering: and here denotes such suffering after this state shall end. See verses 47-50.

"And said, verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."-Chap. xvIII. 3. See Matt. xx11. 13; also xxv. 11, 12.

"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul."-Mark VIII. 36. On this passage, univeralists contend that soul is psuken from the Greek noun psuke, which is the same word that is rendered life in the 35th verse and also in the 37th. This is true. They contend it has the same sense in the 36th verse, and should be rendered life here also. With regard to that, we say we are satisfied with the translation as it is: because