confinements in the dungeons of Spielburgh,-who that has in these cases been made acquainted with the dark and systematic expedients of oppression by which the unfortunate victims were kept for long and lingering years (to them ages) on the rack of mental and bodily suffering, and has not, in his very heart of hearts, cursed the odious tyrants by whom this suffering was inflicted? And yet these monsters in human form were angels of mercy in comparison with the almighty tyrant of the universe, if the doctrine of endless misery be true! They could not be present with their victims-they could not hear their affecting groans, nor know all their secret pangs-they could not sympathize in their feverish longings after liberty, the enjoyment of the sweet air of heaven, a sight of ever-varying and ever-beauteous nature, of kindred and friends-nor could they appreciate the depth of anguish which the wretch must feel who views himself as a link stricken out of the chain of human existence, and denied the privilege of acting his allotted part on the theatre of life. No, earthly kings cannot fathom the depth of woe their hapless victims experience; besides that their personal attention is not directed to them, but is engaged with their own pleasures and the affairs of state. But not such is the case with the Omniscient Being, and therefore the greater, and more inexorable tyrant he, if the acts imputed to him by human systems of faith be according to fact.

I have now gone through with the argument from the relations of God; as our Creator, Father, and Moral Governor they lead us to the same conclusion as that to which we arrived from the consideration of his attributes; immense stores of argument to the same effect are still before us; have I, as yet, committed the smallest departure from candor? Has my reasoning in any instance been overstrained, or far-fetched? Have the premises been begged? or the deductions been illogical? If on any of these grounds I have offended, I am content, reader, to forfeit my credit with you to that amount. But if otherwise, I pray you to let your mind be open to the influence of truth, and to remember, that a true knowledge of our Creator's character, and of his relations to us, forms the basis of all vital and practical religion; and the basis too, of all true and lasting enjoyment.

Time's swift advance is hastening near
The moment of my spirit's flight,
Soon, soon 'twill leave this darksomè sphere,
And spring to distant worlds of light:
There bliss is known without alloy,
And beauty blooms without decay;
All thought of grief in cloudless joy
Shall melt like morning mist away.
Adieu to sin, where boundless love

Hath to himself all things subdued:
Adieu to tears-that world above

Shall sorrow's faintest sigh exclude.
And thou, pale tyrant of the tomb!
I soar beyond thy blighting breath:
I go where fadeless glories bloom,—
Adieu to sorrow, sin, and death!
'Twill there be my sublime employ
My Maker's power and love to trace
Through worlds on worlds of light and joy,
Which people the unbounded space :
And though I speed on wings of light
For ever and for evermore,

I cannot reach his glory's height,
I cannot all his love explore.

Oh, bliss on bliss! to dwell with God!
And his unveil'd perfections see;

For wasteless ages my abode,

Shall in his blissful presence be:
And all that thought had e'er conceived
Of beauty, glory, joy, and love,
Or tongue express'd, or faith believed,
I'll find surpass'd in worlds above.

There I shall on his bosom rest,
Who gave his life to ransom me,
And all mankind, in Jesus blest,
Shall form one great society.
And hark! from the enraptur'd throng
Redeem'd from sin, from Hades freed,
Salvation! bursts in ceaseless song;—
Oh! there is bliss! 'tis bliss indeed!
E'en on this dim and distant sphere,
We join our feeble notes of praise;
Some gleams of glory reach us here,

And our glad hearts with rapture raise.
All praise to thee, thou GoD OF LOVE!
Whose smiles are all the heaven we know!
Our deathless powers in worlds above
Their ceaseless gratitude shall show,

UNIVERSAL SALVATION.

FURTHER PROVED FROM THE SCRIPTURES.

FIRST. The doctrine of the ultimate salvation of all men is according to the WILL OF GOD; (1 Tim. ii. 4.) and this fact surely is of great weight in its favour; for although Arminians pretend that the human, and not the divine will, is supreme in this case, the scriptures are far from countenancing such an idea, but, on the contrary, teach that God "worketh all things after the counsel of his own will." (Ephe. i. 11.) And even in the business of regeneration they make his will to be the sovereign cause. "Of his own will begat he us by the word of truth;" (Jam. i. 18.) "which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (John i. 3.) And yet we are charitably informed, that if we fail of being the subjects of this divine work, we shall be doomed to ceaseless perdition! Very rational! The will of God in the matter of man's salvation is negatively as well as affirmatively expressed; and if any are finally lost, it is clear that the will of Jehovah will be frustrated.

But is this probable? Is it possible? When the will of God is formed in regard to any object, he appoints the means, and, of course, the adequate means, for bringing it about. Christ was appointed to this very end. "For I came down from heaven," saith he, "not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me; and this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day." (John vi. 38, 39.) If none that were given to Christ shall be so lost as not to be recovered at length, it behooves us to inquire, How many were included in that gift? Answer. "The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hands." (John iii. 35.) hath appointed heir of all things." (Heb. i. 2.) that the Father hath are mine." we have the business of Christ clearly revealed. sufficiently empowered to fulfil this object? The following facts leave us no grounds for doubt on this point. First, The Father

"Whom he

"All things

(John xvi. 15.)

Here, then,

Was Christ

delegated to him all power in heaven and in earth. (Mat. xxviii. 18.) Second, The keys of hell and of death were committed to his hands. (Rev. i. 10.) Third, He commands us to pray for this object. (Mat. vi. 10.) And we must have a better opinion of his wisdom than to suppose, that he would sanction our praying for an event which he knew would never come to pass, " for whatsoever is not of faith is sin." (Rom. xiv. 23.) Fourth, It seems scarcely probable that Jesus would commence an undertaking without a pre-assurance of his ability to complete it, and thus offend against the moral of his own parable, concerning a man who began to build without being able to finish; (Luke xiv. 29, 30.) for that he undertook the redemption of the world is certain. Will he fail from a neglect to count the cost? Fifth, We have positive assurance that "the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand," that " he shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied;" (Isa. liii. 10, 11.) which can be conceived to mean nothing less than that he will fully accomplish the object of his mission and death. If Christ "tasted death for every man,” (Heb. ii. 9.) and yet millions shall be finally lost, will he be satisfied? Finally, Paul assures us, that Christ “must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet;" (1 Cor. xv. 25.) and by all enemies is clearly meant, all those things that are inimical to man's purity and allegiance to God; sin, death, the devil, hell, &c. that God may be all in all.

It may be said "But sinners are so perverse, their wills so stubborn, so much opposed to God, that their redemption is utterly hopeless, and even impossible." Reader, perhaps your own case may constitute a refutation of this objection. Was not your heart once thus perverse? obstinate? opposed to God? And if so, cannot the same grace that overcame its enmity equally overcome that of others? To remove these barriers to our union to God was the very end of Christ's mission and death. We can scarcely suppose him to have been so short-sighted as not to foresee the obstacles to be overcome. This, indeed, would be neglecting to count the cost! My dear sir, look what your objection amounts to. Our hearts are hardened in sin; Christ came to soften them, but he fails-why? Because they are so hard! Our wills are opposed to God; Christ came to subdue them, but he fails-why? Because they are so opposed! Methinks he should

have seen the whole difficulty of the case before he undertook it; and either not have undertaken at all, or else have prepared himself in proportion to the resistance which he knew he should meet with. Reader, this will really not do; the grace of God, you believe, was sufficient for Manasseh, for the dying thief, for Saul of Tarsus, for the Philippian jailor, and think you there is any case beyond its reach? What said Christ himself concerning Mary Magdalene? That they love most to whom most is forgiven. (Luke vii. 47.) Still, however, as Paul clearly shows, (Rom. vi.) we must not "sin, that grace may abound." The great error which perplexeth you, reader, is, that you limit the grace of God by the span of human life, and suppose this little world to be the sole theatre of its operations; whereas it is in fact commensurate with the breadth of his dominions, and as sin aboundeth, that infinite grace aboundeth much more. (Rom. v. 20.) When, therefore, we shall have measured the height, and depth, and length, and breadth, of Being, then shall we know the measure of almighty grace.

SECOND. The doctrine of Universal Salvation is according to the PURPOSE AND PLEASURE OF GOD: (Ephe. i. 9, 10.) Few are disposed to deny that the divine pleasure favours this great object, but very many doubt its ultimate accomplishment nevertheless; but how speaketh the scripture upon this point? "I am the Lord, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying-My counsel shall stand, and I will do ALL my pleasure." (Isaiah xlvi. 10.) Now the gathering "together in one," (or re-heading, as it may be rendered,) "all things in Christ," whether they be "things on earth or things in heaven," is said in the text to be "according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself." Professor Stewart, of Andover, who is high authority in matters of biblical criticism, affirms, that "things in earth and things in heaven," is a Hebrew periphrasis for "the whole intelligent universe;" now if this be so, the pleasure and purpose of God respects the eventual uniting together of a universe of intelligences, through his Son Jesus Christ, and I think it extremely probable that Paul alludes to the same important event, when he represents "the whole creation" as groaning and travailing in pain, together with those