opinions, perhaps not differing materially from orthodox views, except in rejecting the doctrine of everlasting punishment as the proper reward of sin. But Modern Universalism "explodes," as Ballou says, the doctrine of future punishment, together with every other fundamental doctrine of the Bible. From human depravity and the divinity of Christ, down through the chain of Scriptural doctrines, not excluding the woful destiny of the wicked in eternity.

The Jews as a nation, and the christian church, have uniformly believed in the doctrine of everlasting punishment. It has always been deemed a necessary sanction of the law of God, and the proper penalty of sin, until recently, when a people, who wish to be recognized as christian, have shown the temerity to reject and spurn the doctrine. While some venture to reject the doctrine of the eternity of punishment only, and hold to a future limited punishment; others, and the great majority of that fraternity, utterly reject the notion of future punishment. Even those who pretend to believe in future condign punishment, attach but a trivial importance to the doctrine, for they never raise their warning voice to deter men from sin, in view of this destiny. And those who deny the Scriptural character of the doctrine of all future as well as endless woe, are never inclined to discuss the question of future punishment distinctly, and prove from the Bible that sin and its legiti mate punishment, shall not exist beyond death. prefer to harp on the doctrine of endless punishment; and then without taking up the subject, proving that the Bible teaches endless happiness to the whole human family, and that all punishment is necessarily confined to this life, they rather assume a negative position, and show that the arguments and portions of Scripture which have been supposed by the orthodox to prove eternal punishment are inade

They

quate to the purpose and are falsely construed-consequently the negative of the question must be true, the future happiness of all mankind. If the orthodox are so palpably wrong and so egregiously deceived in giving credence to the doctrine of future and everlasting misery; and the opposite doctrine is so demonstrably true, then we should at least suppose, that the Bible would somewhere definitely state the same, and not leave so important a doctrine to be inferred from declarations that need torturing constructions, abstruse criticisms, and sophisticated reasoning to do away their natural application and obvious meaning. Yet so these things appear.

To do away the commonly received sentiment, that the penalty of the law is future and eternal punishment, Modern Universalism declares that sin will have no influence upon any one of the human family after death, and that heaven never was forfeited by sin. Be it known, that the prominent writers and preachers of Universalism teach the following doctrine in relation to the penalty of sin :

That heaven and future glory were never forfeited by sin, and that sin will exert no influence upon any human creature beyond death.

The following quotations will show what Universalism is in relation to the nature, desert and influence of sin. The controvertist, A. C. Thomas, says: "Evil, whether directly or indirectly introduced into the divine government of God, must be considered a means, not an end. The end contemplated by the permission or ordination of evil, must be in harmony with the spirit of God as our Father." "I have uniformly taken the ground, that evil in the government of God is not a final result. It exists in the progress, but belongs not to the consummation." "I can conceive of the permission of evil as a temporary matter without any impeachment of the Divine perfections--but

evil as a final result is utterly incompatible with all we know, or can conceive of the perfections of the God and Father of all." "Evil as a final result, is an ultimate condition, an absolute end, a fixed and permanent termination in evil.”

Here we have it declared, that evil (or sin and wickedness in the world,) is merely temporary, and only exists in the progress of the moral government of God, and it was introduced as a means for the consummation of that object which harmonizes with the love and goodness of God. If so, it is impossible to forfeit heaven by the commission of sin and a life of profligacy.

Again-moral evil will never result (for it would be an impeachment of all the Divine perfections of God,) in future, permanent, and endless misery, it being undeserving of such a fate, and incompatible with the character of God. If this be true, then it is utterly impossible to forfeit heaven or future glory by sin. The very attributes of God would prevent it; his benignity and moral government would interpose and neutralize such a result. All this goes to prove, that Universalists believe that sin is of such trivial consequence, that the penalty of sin never demanded the infliction of everlasting death, and that heaven was never forfeited by sin.

Look at the testimony of others. Mr. Ballou, the father of Modern Universalism, makes the following declaration : “Now we ask, can you find, that God ever gave a law to man, which required endless misery in case of disobedience? Sure we are, the Scriptures speak of none, neither do the dictates of good reason admit of its existence." "A false education has riveted the error in the minds of thousands, that God's law required endless misery to be inflicted on the sinner."

Here then we have the testimony of another champion of Universalism, that the law of God never required the infliction of endless misery upon the sinner for disobedience, and a career of profligate wickedness. The penalty of sin, as commonly understood by the orthodox, demanding unending misery, is unsupported by the Scriptures and good reason, if we are to receive the teaching and unqualified assertion of Ballou; and according to the testimony of A. C. Thomas, the "end contemplated by the permission, or ordination of evil must be in harmony with the spirit of God as our Father."

How then can sin be so atrocious in criminality and ruinous in its influence, as to effect and deserve the everlasting destruction of the sinner, and consequently debar the sinner from a final participation in the felicities of the immaculate glories of the upper world? But let us view more testimony on this subject, that we may escape the charge of falsely accusing others of holding the sentiment above stated—that sin never has and never can forfeit heaven.

Mr. Williamson, defending that denomination, holds the following explicit language: "The dogma of endless woe we reject, as unmerciful, unjust, and cruel; a penalty which a just God never did, and never can, annex to his law." "I am not speaking at random, but I know whereof I affirm, when I say that no living man can take up the Bible and find a place where God gave man a law, and annexed to it the penalty of endless misery. Hence, I say, that man needed not to be saved from such an evil, for the best of all possible reasons, that in the economy of God, he never was exposed to any such calamity." Mr. Balfour, their learned divine, takes the stand of giving the following oracular testimony: "I maintain, that no man by his unbelief and disobedience can forfeit a future immortal life, and subject himself either to a limited or endless punish

ment in a future state." O. A. Skinner, of Boston, says, "So far as admission to endless glory is concerned, the saint and sinner stand on a perfect level." Then, of course, the sins of man have no more influence to close the door of heaven against the sinner, than the virtues of the pious would procure and constitute a character fitted for glory. These declarations amply sustain the position, that in the opinion of Universalists, future happiness never was, and never can be forfeited by sin, and that all its calamitous influence, if any, will cease at death. This latter part will receive a fuller investigation in another part of the work.

It will now become us, as a biblical inquirer after truth, to look at the teachings of the Scriptures and sound reason, and show that the dogma of Universalism is "monstrous," "and trifling with the divine attributes," instead of being the teachings of orthodoxy on this subject.

We shall attempt to prove that sin has forfeited heaven, and that its penalty is everlasting death, and consequently that its influence will extend beyond the grave.

To prove that sin, depravity and unbelief have excluded us from glory and out of all our rightful claims to heaven, will be our main object in the selection of the following passages of Holy Writ. The position is so perfectly familiar and admitted as self-evident by all orthodox persons, that it seems useless labor to prove and establish the doctrine. Nevertheless there is some importance in bringing forward the Scriptural testimony in systematic order, since there are men who have the rashness to unequivocally deny it.

The first passage we would adduce, may be found in Rom. iii. 23. "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." The Apostle is here teaching that all men are condemned by the law-all have incurred the penalty of the law and cannot be justified by any moral deeds. The only way for any one and every one to gain the right