pretence can the damon revenge (which Calvin and his adherents has dignified with the sacred name of justice) pursue us with implacable vengeance throughout eternal ages?

The Universalists teach us, that the future salvation of mankind depends entirely on the benevolence, wisdom, and power of God....that his infinite benevolence inspired him to create them....his infinite wisdom laid the plan for their redemption....and his infinite power must and will accomplish all his purposes, although earth and hell should arise in opposition against him. How irrational! how unscriptural is it to suppose that God created any number of the human race on purpose to make them eternally miserable!

Be candid, gentle reader, lay the prejudice of education aside, and examine the evidences for and against the doctrine of eternal punishment with freedom. The subject is certainly weighty and important, and claims your serious attention and diligent enquiry. The honour of God, and the good of mankind, are involved in its discussion and decision. If it is of impor tance for us to love God, it is certainly necessary that we should know his true character, which is all glorious. When stripped of the mon strous imputations of partiality and cruelty at

tributed to him by numbers who are influenced more by custom and tradition than by scripture and reason, it is a melancholy truth, that there are many absurd doctrines founded upon a partial knowledge and erroneous construction of the scriptures; this circumstance alone should induce us to examine for ourselves, and not confide, too far, in the assumed infallibility of any set or sect of men; and, above all, should we suspect the tenets of those who attribute to the Deity acts of injustice and cruelty, that would scandalize and blacken the character of a Nero or an Herod.

The doctrine of predestination, as taught by John Calvin, is clearly of this kind. See his definition of predestination in the 21st chapter of the third book of his institution of the Christian Religion, 440th page, in the words following, to wit, "Predestination we call the eternal decree of God, whereby he had it determined with himself what he willed to become of every man: for all are not created to like estate; but some to eternal life, and some to eternal damnation is fore-appointed. Therefore, as every man is created to the one or other end, so we say, that he is predestinate, either to life or death, fol. 443. This council, as touching the elect, we say, is grounded upon his free mercy,

without any respect to the worthiness of man ; but whom he appointeth to damnation, to them, by his just, indeed, and irreprehensible, but also incomprehensible judgment, the entry of life is blocked up!

"Now in the elect, we set vocation to be the testimony of election; and then justification to be another sign, on the manifest shewing of it, till they come to glory, wherein is the fulfilling of it. But as by vocation and election God maketh his elect; so by shutting out the reprobate, either from the knowledge of his name, or from the sanctification of his spirit, he doth, as it were, by these marks, open what judgment abideth for them."

According to this scheme, the elect and the devil are the only parties who are under the least obligation to the Deity; the elect for the unmerited partiality shewn to them; and the devil must be ungrateful, indeed, if he does not exert himself to the uttermost to inflict the most infernal tortures on those souls which Calvin supposes God to have made on purpose for him, to people his infernal kingdom, and establish it upon a permanent foundation. Is it not an happy circumstance when Monarchs agree to assist each other in such a cordial

manner? The poor devil could not create subjects for himself, but, by Calvin's contrivance, we find him amply accommodated. If all this be true, how egregiously must John have been mistaken, when he tells us, that the Son of God was manifested on purpose to destroy the works of the devil! But before we implicitly adopt this scheme, permit us to make use of a little carnal reason to analyze it, and enquire by what means the reprobate becomes a subject justly liable to eternal punishment.

When God created the soul of the reprobate, he certainly made it what he wished it to be; and the poor reprobate had no choice respecting what he should be, whether good or bad.... whether an angel or devil. If it was the will of God (even before he created him) that he should be a reprobate and a sinner, that he might be eternally damned, could the poor, miserable being be justly blamed for being what the Deity had made him, without his knowledge or consent? If he was constituted in such a manner as to bring his "damnation with him, out of his mother's belly," it certainly could not be his fault, but a most deplorable misfortune. But can any rational being, who is not entirely blind

• 1 John iii. 8.

ed by the prejudice of education, believe that any person can be justly punished for submitting to an inevitable misfortune which it never was in their power to avoid or prevent? But we are told that the damnation of the reprobate is just, because he will not come to Christ, that he might be saved. But does not Christ tell us, explicit ly, that no man can come unto him except the Father draw him?* But instead of the Father being disposed to draw the reprobate, Calvin tells us, "that he has blocked up the entry of life against him, and shut him out both from the knowledge of his name, and from the sanctification of his spirit."

God is the source and fountain of all goodness of every kind, and there is no other source in the universe from whence it can be derived but from him. If, therefore, he creates human beings, and refuses to communicate any of his goodness to them, can it possibly be either just or merciful to damn them eternally for the want of that goodness, which it was impossible for them to obtain ?

It is no wonder that those who have preached this doctrine have laboured to persuade people

* John vi. 44.