offspring of man's convenience and desire, than any firm and satisfactory evidence of truth obtained from an impartial study of the Bible.

This is a disease of the mind which no reasoning can cure. All that can be attempted with any rational hope of success, is to point out some of the more obvious sources of this scheme, that its abettors may be induced to retrace their steps and to observe the mental process by which they arrived at their present conclusions, and to decide the question with some degree of candor and impartiality. We come then directly to the question: What are the causes which incline the minds of some men to reject the doctrine of endless punishment and embrace that of universal salvation?

There are many at the present day, who are laboring to reason themselves out of all truth, both human and divine. They are making rapid advances in the cause of infidelity. And they employ every method possible, to disprove the authenticity and divine inspiration of the holy scriptures, and to arrive at the certainty that all things are the result of chance, and consequently uncertain. They need not declare to the world their motives. Were they not rationally convinced that the Bible teaches the doctrine of a future state and of eternal rewards and punishments, they would not, I am persuaded, waste their energies to convince themselves and others that the Bible is a cunningly devised fable, and clamorously exult that he is a slave who fears to die, and that death is an eternal sleep. Let the doctrine of future retribution be expunged from the Bible, and every Infidel would exchange his "Age of Reason," and his "Chesterfield," for this sacred volume. It is because they find an overwhelmning evidence that the Bible teaches the doctrine of endless punishment that they renounce a book which bears a mighty impress of divinity, and which contains, as they acknowledge, the most excellent system of commands, precepts and institutions. But so painful are their apprehensions of a future state, and so strong are their fears that the Bible is the word of God, that they would rejoice to find it on their side to confirm their wavering hopes that all will be well should not death prove an eternal sleep. And this is

just what the scheme under consideration promises. It says to those who despise the Lord, "The Lord hath said ye shall have peace;" and to every one who walks in the imagination of his heart it says, "No evil shall come upon you." Hence they renounce their barren infidelity and embrace this "blessed doctrine."

error.

This doctrine is in accordance with the depraved inclinations of the natural heart. It is a fact that men naturally love darkness rather than light. Of this fact, experience and observation furnish abundant proof. This fact is confirmed by the dictates of our enlightened conscience, and the unequivocal declarations of Inspiration. Taking for granted then this fact, it amounts to nothing more or less than a predisposition in the natural heart to the reception of Now this natural aversion to truth is peculiarly favorable to the influence of error. Hence the reason why many embrace Universalism. The sons of pleasure, who wish to indulge in every sinful gratification, and to procrastinate repentance or entirely dispense with it, here find a comfortable hope and a pleasing substitute for the humbling and purifying doctrines of the cross. It perfectly coincides with the prevailing inclination of their hearts. Every man must see at once what an influence this predisposition of the mind in favor of an idea, must have upon the decisions of the understanding. It is familiar to every one with how much ease a man may convince himself of that which he wishes to be true. By dexterous sophistry, and all the arts of self-deception, he may make falsehood and vice appear to his own mind as truth and virtue. Now is there any doctrine, that a man, determined on a life of sinful indulgence, can have a greater wish to believe than this, that there will be no future retribution? Those who object to endless punishment assign as a reason why it should not be preached, that it occasions in the minds of many, a great amount of suffering. Consequently, if the minds of some men suffer so much, by entertaining the idea of future misery as the fruit of a life of sin, is it at all strange, considering how much the decisions of the judgment are influenced by interest and desire, that some should come to persuade themselves that there is no future retribution? The human

heart loves to be soothed. The pleasing sound of peace, peace, will ever be gratefully received.

A wicked life also is a fruitful source of the doctrine under consideration. It quiets the conscience and ministers to a life of sin. What the celebrated Earl of Rochester said of the Bible, is true of the doctrine of endless punishment. "A bad life is the only grand objection to it." Wicked and dissolute men have the strongest objection to the doctrine of future punishment, and the most powerful bias of mind in favor of universal salvation. Is it not a fact that wicked and dissolute men are generally inclined to reject the doctrine of endless punishment and embrace the opposite scheme? The drunkard rejoices in it, and belches it out with the fumes of his own fœted breath. The libertine, the knave, the blasphemer, and sinners of every description, hail this scheme as good news of great joy to their unsanctified hearts. Thus a wicked life, by secret and unobserved influence, throws the mind under a bias towards the hope that all mankind will be ultimately saved.

In this doctrine the wicked man finds all the ideas he had occasion for, to secure him from the fears of death and its consequences. His occasion for such ideas are as frequent as his wicked acts and his reflections upon them. Every admonition of conscience stirs up tumult and agony in his heart. The man who is determined to indulge in forbidden gratifications, must force the reproaches of his own conscience or screen himself behind the false refuge of Universalism. This proves to him a shield which the sharpest arrows of the Almighty can scarcely penetrate. He is at ease under the preaching of the word, the warnings of providence, and revivals of religion. Hence he finds himself pledged to a universalist belief. He sees that the whole tenor of his life demands such a belief; and that if he does not restrain it, he must abandon without delay his wicked practices. But retaining it, he can live as he pleases without doing violence to his convictions. Thus the doctrine swells the number of its adherents by being a place of refuge to shield the ungodly from the fears of divine punishment after death, and from the scorpion sting of an awakened conscience.

I do not say that all who advocate universal salvation are dissolute men. There may be many of correct morals. I affirm no further than that a wicked life fosters Universalism, and Universalism favors a wicked life.

Again, Universalism sometimes settles into the mind during a period of religious excitement. Many have indulged a speculative belief of a future state of rewards and punishments; but they expected that it would by some means or other be well with them at last. And so long as they were permitted to indulge this expectation undisturbed, they rested easy. But when a faithful ministry, urged, upon their own acknowledged principles, the necessity of a change of heart and an actual preparation for heaven in the present life, and the danger of procrastination, and the awful consequences of unrepentant guilt, they found themselves exposed to the wrath of God, and have nothing to defend themselves against the arrows of conviction. They now saw that in practice they were not consistent with their professions. And they have been driven to the dire necessity either to get a new heart or a new doctrine. Some have to their exceeding great joy and to the joy of all holy beings repented of their sins and embraced the long neglected Saviour. But others saw that in the system which rejects endless punishment, there was a doctrine which exactly coincided with the prevailing inclination of their hearts; a doctrine, which held out a "heaven for all and a hell for none." This doctrine they eagerly embraced. And as their belief in it approached to assurance, their sense of security in sin increased; and they wanted nothing else to quiet their fears of a future retribution. To this source is to be attributed the apparent prevalence of this doctrine. I say apparent; for it existed in the heart before. It is a doctrine of the natural heart. But now it becomes more visible, systematic and formidable. In proportion as the gospel is faithfully preached with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, and the character, duty and destiny of man is faithfully set before him, this error will show itself. It is not a fruit of the gospel, but a fruit of the unregenerate heart; and where the bles

T

osis we are now opposing. According to this principle Noah would not have expected the deluge, though warned of it by God himself and commanded to prepare for it. He would have said, "Are not all these human beings the children of God, the objects of his love and mercy, and can it be supposed that he intends to destroy them? True they have corrupted their way before God, but for this they are not to blame. They are just what their Creator made them to be. If they are sinners exceedingly, would it not be far better that they should be converted and rendered completely happy than to be destroyed?" So Noah would have reasoned had he believed in the doctrine of universal salvation. And so did the inhabitants of the old world in all probability reason, when warned of threatened and impending judgment. They did not believe that they should be destroyed; but the deluge came and swept them away.

Reasoning on this principle, Lot would not have believed the message of those celestial beings who came to announce the destruction of Sodom. "Is not God," he would have said, "the Parent of these Sodomites, and is it possible that he should destroy them with fire enraged with brimstone? Who of all these parents could be so cruel as to design such evil against their tender offspring? And is not God, the Parent of all, more merciful than they? True these heavenly messengers have announced that the Lord will destroy this place with fire from heaven; and they appear to be sincere and to give lucid evidence that they are sent by God to announce this judgment. But their language cannot be understood in its literal import; it must have a figurative meaning. God is merciful, and he will not be so cruel as to bring such a judgment upon this place. This fire which he threatens, must signify the fire of his love." So Lot would have reasoned had he been a Universalist, and so did reason the inhabitants of Sodom. But the fire from heaven did descend at the appointed hour notwithstanding, and destroyed them all. But if Lot did expect this judgment to be a merciful chastisement designed for the good of the Sodomites, why did he warn and intreat his sons-in-law to escape from the city, and assign as his reason that the Lord would destroy that place? This