:i "/ REESE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Re c erred. Accessions No,2^-S*#/ Shelf No... THE PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM TO LEAD INQUIRERS TO THE' BELIEF OP THAT DOCTRINE, AND BELIEVERS TO THE PRACTICE OF IT. " To guide our feet into the wiy of peace." Luke i. 79. PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR, No. 37 CORHHILL. 1840. U/jT Entered according to act of Congress in the year 1840, by THOMAS WHITTEMORE, in the Clerk's office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. CAMBRIDGE : STEREOTYPED BY FOLSOM, WELLS, AND THURSTON. UNIVERSITY THIS work has been prepared for the benefit of in- quirers after truth ; for those that ask, Who are Universal- ists ? What are the points of their faith ? What proofs can be found in the Scriptures of their distinguishing sen- timents ? How do they explain the passages which others adduce to disprove Universalism ? How do they meet the common objections ? We propose in this work to answer these questions, and thus to lead candid inquirers to the belief of the doctrine maintained by Universalists. This work is also designed for the benefit of those who have already, in theory, embraced Universalism. We propose to show what are the duties of Universalists ; that Universalists are divided into two classes, negative and positive, or those who merely profess Universalism, and those who believe it with a living faith, and make it the ground of their conduct : the moral excellence of that sys- tem of faith will be clearly pointed out : and thus we hope to lead believers of Universalism to the practice of it. At the end of the work will be found four very full in- dexes ; thus any subject treated on in this work may easily be found. Does the reader wish to know if any passage of Scripture is explained, which he may have in his mind ? he has only to turn to the index of TEXTS, and the page on which he will find the desired explanation, is shown him at once. In regard to all the passages illustrated in the fifth chap- ter, I take the liberty to refer to " Paige's Selections," a work of great value to the denomination of Universalists, giving, as it does, the opinions of all the eminent commen- tators in regard to these texts. I sincerely commend this 4 PREFACE. work to the public. I have made frequent quotations from the works of that great theologian, Dr. John Lightfoot. My references all have respect to the edition published in London, by Rev. J. R. Pitman, 1825, 13 vols. 8vo. The Scriptural proofs of Universalism, contained in Chapter III., are as full as the space would allow, which I allotted for that purpose. Let it be observed, that these are scriptural proofs merely. Many of the arguments which Universalists employ, are unavoidably omitted. The basis of the arguments in Chapter III., is the original " One Hundred Arguments for Universalism," published by me several years ago. While I have retained the substance of that little work, the arguments are so much enlarged, that its visage will hardly be recognised. I have put down under each sacred author, what he has said on the great salvation ; but in some cases, where the testimony had been included under some other head, it is omitted under the author's name. My original purpose was, to have concluded this work with some observations of my own, on the evidences of re- vealed religion ; but I soon abandoned that design, on ac- count of my inability to compress the principal evidences into the compass of one chapter. But I have given entire (what I am sure is much better for the reader) that inesti- mable work, which never yet has been answered, Leslie's "Short Method with the Deists," one of the most pop- ular and valuable essays in defence of revealed religion, that has ever been published. In some very slight in- stances, I have modified his phraseology, to avoid his refer- ences to the doctrine of endless misery, which he seems fully to have believed. THOMAS WHITTEMORE. MARCH 1st, 1840. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Who are Universalists ? 7 CHAPTER II. What do Universalists believe ? .... 15 CHAPTER HI. \\ r hat Evidences do Universalists adduce from the Scriptures in Support of their Belief in the Event- ual Holiness and Happiness of all Men ? . .23 CHAPTER IV. Passages from the Old Testament explained, which are adduced to disprove the Sentiments of Uni- versalists, . . . . . . . .55 CHAPTER V. Passages from the New Testament explained, which are adduced to disprove the Sentiments of Uni- versalists, . 77 1* 6 CONTENTS. CHAPTER VI. Popular Objections to Universalism considered, . 250 CHAPTER VII. What are the Duties of Universalists ? . . . 277 CHAPTER VIII. On the Formation of Universalist Societies, . . 294 CHAPTER IX. The Lord's Supper, 317 CHAPTER X. On the Organization of Churches, and the Adminis- tration of the Supper, 337 CHAPTER XL Evidences of Revealed Religion, . . . 346 General Index, Index of Authors, ...... 394 Index of Texts 400 Index of Greek Phrases 408 UNIVERSITY PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. CHAPTER I. WHO ARE UNIVERSALISTS ? I. UNIVERSALISTS are those who believe in the eventual holiness and happiness of all the human race, as revealed to the world in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. They are supposed by some to be of a very recent origin ; but it is well known, that there have been Uni- versalists in almost every age, since the word of God was revealed to the children of men. II. Even in the Old Testament we find very distinct traces of the doctrine of Universalism. The promises of God to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ; the prophecies of David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and several other of the prophets, distinctly foretell the approach of the time, when sin shall be finished, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in Christ Jesus our Lord. " Jesus Christ not only revealed God in the specific character of a Father, and declared the love of God to the world, even to the evil and to the unthankful, as the cause of his own mission, and laid down other distin- guishing principles of Universalism ; but he also pro- fessed, explicitly ., to be the Saviour of the world, not a part merely ; asserted, that he would actually draw all men unto him ; and maintained, that all who shall be raised from the dead will be equal unto the an- gels, and be the children of God, being the children of the resurrection. * * * * St. Paul taught a gathering of 8 PLAIN GUIDE TO UN1VERSALISM. all things unto Christ, in the dispensation of the fulness of times, a universal reconciliation to God, through the blood of the cross ; that God had included all in unbe- lief, in order to have mercy upon all ; that of him, and through him, and to him, are all things ; that Christ must reign until all things are subdued unto him ; till all be made alive in him, so that, when he shall deliver up the kingdom to the Father, God shall be ALL IN ALL." (Universalist Expositor, Vol. IV. pp. 185, 186.) III. We find distinct traces of Universalism in the Christian church immediately after the age of the apos- tles, especially among the different sects of the Gnos- tics ; and it is worthy of remark, that a belief in the final salvation of all men was not made a subject either of objection or reproach, for two or three hundred years after the death of the Saviour. There are very few works belonging to this period, that are extant. "We find a distinct trace of Universalism in the Sybylline Oracles, that appeared about A. D. 140 or 150. Cle- ment, of Alexandria, the president of the renowned Catechetical School in that city, held the doctrine of Universalism. He was the most learned and illustrious of all the Christian fathers before Origen. Origen, as is well known, was a decided Universalist, and taught and defended this doctrine in almost all his works. He was born A. D. 185. It does not seem, that during his life, any objections were made to him by his contem- poraries on account of his believing in the salvation of all mankind. Immediately after Origen's day, we per- ceive, that many of the fathers maintained the doctrine of Universalism. Marcellus, Bishop of Ancyra, ap- pears to have been a Universalist, and also Titus, Bish- op of Bostra, who maintained (A. D. 364), that the torments of hell are remedial, and salutary in their ef- fects upon transgressors. Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, was a decided Universalist, A. D. 380. He believed, that all punishment would be remedial, and that, in the end, all mankind, and even the Devil himself, will be subdued and purified. One of his favorite proofs WHO ARE UNIVERSALISTS ? 9 of Universalism, was 1 Cor. 15th chapter. Gregory Nazianzen, or Gregory, Bishop of Nazianzus, was probably a Universalist. He was promoted (A. D. 378) to the Archbishopric of Constantinople. Next come the Origenists, a sect who were distinguished by that appellation. They were the warm admirers of Ori- gen, and doubtless believed in the final happiness of all men ; but their early opponents, who pursued them with much zeal, did not object to their faith in this particu- Zar, although they sought every means to make them odious. It was not until many years afterwards, that Universalism was considered a matter of objection and reproach. The famous Jerome, in the early part of his life, was a Universalist ; but, at a later period, he was led by a theological and personal quarrel, to take sides against this doctrine. Evagrius, a native of Pontus, but a scholar of Basil the Great, and of Gregory Na- zianzen, is said by the ancients to have taught, with Didymus, the doctrine of Universal salvation. Diodo- rus, Bishop of Tarsus, in Cilicia, was a Universalist (A. D. 378). " The wicked," he says, " are to suf- fer, not eternal torment, (for that would render their immortality of no avail,) but a punishment proportioned in length to the amount of their guilt ; after which they are to enjoy a happiness without end." Theodore, Bishop of Mopsuestia (A. D. 392), renowned as one of the ablest theologians and critics of his time, was a Uni- versalist, as is asserted by the ancients. About the same time flourished Fabius Manus Victorinus, who w r as converted to Christianity about A. D. 350 ; he also was a Universalist. He maintained, that " Christ will regenerate all things ; through him all things will be purged, and return into eternal life. And when the Son shall deliver up the kingdom to the Father, all things will be God ; that is," he adds, " all things will still exist, but God will exist in them, and they will be full of him." Universalism spread wide in the church about this period. Among the Gnostics it was extensively received, and 10 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. the Manichaeans, a very powerful sect, held that sentiment. Till the year 390, or rather 394, the doctrine of CJni- versalism was never impeached in the Christian world, either by orthodox or heretic. Among the heretics (that is, such as were so regarded for other reasons) we find broad traces of it from the beginning. Of the orthodox Fathers, notwithstanding some of them seem to leave the matter in doubt, yet from the year 140 or 150 on- ward, they show us many evidences, that the sentiment prevailed. That doctrine prevailed most in the east- ern church, and in those places near the Holy Land, where the influence of the teachings of Christ and his apostles may be supposed to have been the most strong- ly felt. In the western or Latin church, there were in- deed instances of persons who defended it ; but the influence of the pagan philosophy was here more pow- erfully felt. In the year 394 a quarrel broke out in the East, be- tween the Origenists, and their opponents, in which some of the latter attacked, for the first time, the par- ticular tenet of the ultimate salvation of the Devil, but did not at first object to the final salvation of all men ; and, in 399, some of the councils, that were convened against the Origenists, condemned expressly the doc- trine of the salvation of the Devil and his angels, though they passed by the kindred belief of the salvation of all mankind, without a censure. Soon, however, the doctrine of the final salvation of all men was con- demned, but still it continued to prevail ; and it finally became necessary, in the Fifth General Council, which was opened at Constantinople, May 4th, 553, to pass a formal condemnation and anathema. At the close of this anathema the council decreed, " Whoever says or thinks that the torments of the demons and of impi- ous men are temporal, so that they will, at length, come to an end, or whoever holds a restoration either of the demons, or of the impious, let him be anathema." Thus we see, that for at least four hundred years after the beginning of the Christian era, the doctrine of Uni- versalism was scarcely objected to in the church. WHO ARE UNIVERSALISTS ? 1 1 For further information on this subject, I refer the reader to that very valuable work, now rarely to be found in the market, "The Ancient History of Uni- versalism," by Rev. Hosea Ballou 2d, and also to his abridged history in the a Universalist Expositor," (Vol. IV. pp. 184 209,) to which I confess myself much indebted. IV. The doctrine of Universalism being thus con- demned and put down by the highest ecclesiastical au- thority, it continued to meet with less and less favor. The church, too, was fast sinking into ignorance and vice ; and soon almost every feature of primitive Chris- tianity was obliterated and lost. Of course, but slight traces of it can be seen, until the light of the glorious REFORMATION broke upon the world. No sooner did men begin again to think for them- selves, and to throw off the shackles of ecclesiastical despotism, than we discover anew indications of the doc- trine of Universalism. It was embraced by the Ana- baptists of Germany, who were cruelly persecuted on account of their faith ; and who were condemned, in the famous Augustin Confession, among other things, for believing in the eventual restoration of all men to holiness and happiness. When the Reformation took its rise in England, Universalism came up with it, and it was defended with great zeal by the Anabaptists in that kingdom ; so much so, that it was judged necessary, in forming the XL IT Articles of the English Church, to introduce a special condemnation of Universalism, which may be found in the 42d Article. These arti- cles afterwards were reduced to XXXIX, and the con- demnation of Universalism was omitted. In 1648 par- liament passed a statute, denouncing the punishment of death upon those who denied the doctrine of a future judgment ; or if they held to the final salvation of all wen, they should be seized and imprisoned until they gave sufficient sureties, that they would teach said doc- trine no more. Still there were not wanting those who defended this doctrine, even under so great peril, among 12 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. whom we may name Gerard Winstanley, William Eve- rard, William Earbury, Richard Coppin, and others. About this time, the work entitled, "Eternal Hell Tor- ments Overthrown," was written and published by Samuel Richardson. Soon after this, Jeremy White, who had been a chaplain to Cromwell, published a book in defence of Universalism, entitled, ct The Restora- tion of all Things." Shortly after, and not far from 1700, several eminent men came out against the doc- trine of eternal torments, among whom we may name Dr. Henry More, Archbishop Tillotson, Dr. Thomas Burnet, and William Whiston. Dr. Burnet wrote de- cidedly in favor of Universalism, in a work entitled, " De Statu Mortuorum." Sir Isaac Newton inclined to the same doctrine. Dr. George Cheyne and the Chevalier Ramsay, both distinguished men, came out in favor of that sentiment. Paul Siegvolk, a learned German, published a work in defence of the same point, as did also John William Petersen. Many others, very learned men, in Germany, embraced this doctrine. It spread also in Holland, Switzerland, Ireland, and Scot- land. In the latter country, Neil Douglass and James Purves distinguished themselves as the defenders and preachers of the doctrine. To return to England, we may name, as eminent Universalists, Dr. David Hart- ley, who wrote the " Observations on Man," Bishop Thomas Newton, Sir George Stonehouse, John Hen- derson, James Brown, D. D., Rev. R. Barbauld, and his accomplished lady, Mrs. Anna Letitia Barbauld, the authoress, and Rev. John Brown. Among the English Unitarians we may mention Rev. Theophilus Lindsey, Rev. Joseph Priestley, L. L. D., Rev. John Simpson, and Rev. Messrs. Kenrick, Wright, Estlin, Belsham, Carpenter, Aspland, Grundy, Scott, Fox, Harris, and many others. James Relly began to preach Universalism in the city of London about 1750, and gathered a congrega- tion of believers there. The celebrated JOHN MUR- RAY was converted under Mr. Relly's labors, having WHO ARE UNIVERSALISTS ? 13 formerly been a Methodist. In 1770, Mr. Murray came to America, and was soon called on to preach the .doctrine of a world's salvation. He labored abun- dantly in the good cause, as did also Elhanan Winches- ter, a convert from the Baptists. The Universalists of the United States are under great obligations to these two men ; and should always respect and venerate their memories. There are now in the United States nearly five hundred preachers of Universalism, and the num- ber of believers, and societies, and churches, is con- tinually increasing. V. It will be seen, from what has been said, that the views of those persons, who suppose that Universalism was not known until quite recently, are erroneous. It is no new doctrine. It had its advocates in the earliest ages of the church, and, with the exception of the dark ages, it has had them ever since. Universalism can claim great antiquity. It has also been embraced and defended by some of the most learned and pious men the world hath ever seen. It is also worthy of remark, that the Christian Fa- thers defended Universalism as the doctrine of the sa- cred Scriptures. Clemens of Alexandria, the renowned Origen, Gregory, of Nyssa, and others, quoted much the same texts to prove that sentiment, that are now quoted for that purpose by Universalists of the present age. They used the words eternal and everlasting, not to signify endless duration when applied to punishment, but they used them in a limited sense. It was not un- til nearly four hundred years after the death of Christ, that Universalism was regarded as worthy of condem- nation, and it was not formally condemned by any gen- eral council, until the meeting of the Fifth General Council, in 553. The four previous General Councils had not condemned it, although it had been believed, and eloquently defended, by some of the most eminent fathers in the church. How much more time would have elapsed before the condemnation, had it not been for the quarrel that broke out in the church in regard to 2 14 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. the Origenists, we know not. They were objected to, at first, in respect to other points, and not for many years, on the ground of their being Universalists,. al- though some of their most eminent men, like the dis- tinguished Father from whom they took their name, had held that sentiment, and defended it with much zeal. Let it be observed, also, that Universalism was not put down, by reason, by argument, by appeals to the word of God, but it was crushed by the arm of power. It was the arm of usurped power that crucified the Son of God ; it was the arm of usurped power that perse- cuted the infant church ; and it was the arm of usurped power that condemned and crushed Universalism, in 553. During the dark ages, when the Pope held un* disturbed dominion, and the whole Christian world trem- bled at his nod, when the light of science almost expired, and wickedness of every description stalked abroad at noonday, then little was known of Universal- ism ; while the contrary doctrine of endless misery flourished abundantly, and furnished ground for the con- tending ecclesiastics to anathematize, first, each other, and then the world, and proclaim the sentence of eternal banishment from immortal blessedness. But we have shown, that no sooner was the arm- of usurped power broken, than Universalism once more appeared. It rose gently, but irresistibly, winning admirers among the greatest and best of men, and pouring peace, consola- tion, and joy into every heart. Not so with the doc- trine of endless misery. From 553, the nearer we ap- proach to the days of the Saviour, the less we find of that doctrine ; and it was not fully established until the Fifth General Council. During the dark ages, very few persons, if any, doubted the truth of that sentiment. It was one of the strong pillars that upheld priestcraft, papal corruption, and ecclesiastical oppression. But no sooner did the light of Reformation shine, than this doctrine was disputed, it was soon declared to be unscriptural, dishonorable to God, injurious to man ; and from that time to the present it has been losing more and more its power over the human mind. WHAT DO UMVERSALISTS BELIEVE ? 1 5 We refer those, who wish to see a fuller account of Universalisrn from the time of the Reformation to the year 1830, to the "Modern History of Universalisrn," by the author of this work. CHAPTER II. WHAT DO UMVERSALISTS BELIEVE ? I. THE sentiment by which Universalists are distin- guished, is this : that at last every individual of the human race shall become holy and happy. This does not comprise the whole of their faith ; but merely that feature of it, which is peculiar to them, and by which they are distinguished from the rest of the world. II. Universalists are not infidels. It is sometimes very indiscreetly said, that Universalisrn is but a species of infidelity ; that Universalists are not Christians, and cannot be so considered. We shall have no lengthen- ed argument on this point ; but we desire one question settled, touching this matter. If the doctrine of Jesus concerning the resurrection of the dead is not true, how is the doctrine of Universalisrn to be established ? It evidently cannot be. If the doctrine of Jesus con- cerning a future life fails, what becomes of Univer- salisrn ? It is gone like a dream. Why, then, should Universalism be called infidelity ? If it cannot rest unless it rest on Christianity, is it not a very singular kind of infidelity ? It is just such infidelity as Jesus taught, when he said, the dead shall become as the an- gels of God in heaven, neither shall they die any more, but shall be the children of God, being the children of the resurrection. It is such infidelity as Paul cherish- ed, when he said, " God will have all men to be sav- ed," u the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed," u God shall be all in all ; " such 1 6 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. is the infidelity of Universalism. It is the infidelity the angels were infected with, when they came down and sung, u Glory to God in the highest ; peace on earth, and good will to men." It is just such infidelity as distinguished the patriarch Abraham, when he trusted in God's promise, that all the nations of the earth should be blessed in his seed, Christ. Finally, it is the same infidelity that made the apostles so obnoxious wherever they preached ; and caused the people to say, cc those who have turned the world upside down, are come hither also." III. An attempt has been recently made to distin- guish Universalists only by a disbelief in future punish- ment. Such an attempt is unjustifiable. They agree in the great doctrine of the final holiness and happiness of all men ; and they leave every man to form his own opinion in regard to the times and seasons when this great event shall transpire. There has been some discussion, within a* few years past, on the appellation Universalist. The question seems to have been, whether this word ought to be ap- plied to all who believe in the eventual restoration of all mankind, or only to a particular class of them. On this subject we have never had but one opinion, and that opinion we have frequently expressed, viz. that all per- sons, who truly believe in the eventual salvation of all mankind by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, are Universalists. This is the rule laid down in the " Mod- ern History of Universalism." For instance, Richard Coppin and Jeremy White, who both flourished in the time of Cromwell, are put down in that work as Uni- versalists, although they differed much in opinion on minor points, the latter being a Trinitarian and a believ- er in future punishment, the former discarding that doc- trine. So also Archbishop Tillotson and Dr. T. Bur- net are put down as Universalists, who were both believers in future punishment. The same may be said of the Chevalier Ramsay and many others. The rule which we prescribed to ourselves in the compilation of WHAT DO UNIVERSALISTS BELIEVE? 17 that work, we still adhere to, and always shall. Jill persons are Universalists who truly believe in the salva- tion of all mankind through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. It makes no difference what are the individual's views concerning punishment, if he holds the doctrine above described. There are some Universalists who hold to punishment after death ; nevertheless, we are glad to hail them as Universalists. They agree with us in our views of the great consummation, all punishment, in their view, is disciplinary' ; and they denounce punish- ment, either in this world or the next, having any other object, as cruel and unjust. Certain persons have en- deavoured to give a very narrow signification to the word Universalist, as signifying only those who do not hold to punishment beyond the grave ; bu they have repeatedly been told, by Universalists of both classes, that such a restricted sense of the word could not be admitted. We wish it distinctly understood, that Universalists admit of no distinction in the denomination, on account of difference of opinion on the subject of punishment. They are all one, they all go for one thing ; and may God to all eternity preserve them one. Amen. IV. Although Universalists do not believe in the au- thority of man-made creeds, it became necessary, in the year 1803, for them to make a public declaration of their sentiments. The Supreme Court of New Hampshire had decreed, that Congregationalists and Universalists, in law, were one and the same denomin- ation ; and that Universalists were therefore liable to be taxed to the support of Congregational parishes. To meet this extraordinary state of things, the General Convention of Universalists, in session at StrafFord, Vt., in 1802, appointed a committee to report a form of faith, to show, that Universalists differed widely from Congregationalists in their religious views. This com- mittee, consisting of Z. Streeter, G. Richards, H. Ballou, W. Ferriss, and Z. Lathe, reported at the ses- 2* 18 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. sion in Winchester, N. H., the following year. On this committee were persons who believed in future punishment, and those who did not ; but a majority, we think, of the former. They endeavoured to frame their articles of faith in such a way, as that both classes of Universalists might cordially unite in them. The arti- cles were drawn by the venerated Ferriss, himself a be- liever in future punishment, and were in the following words : PROFESSION OF BELIEF. "1. We believe, that the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments contain a revelation of the character of God, and of the duty, interest, and final destination of mankind. "2. We believe there is one God, whose nature is love ; revealed in one Lord Jesus Christ, by one Holy Spirit of grace, who will finally restore the whole fam- ily of mankind to holiness and happiness. " 3. We believe, that holiness and true happiness are inseparably connected ; and that believers ought to maintain order, and practise good works, for these things are good and profitable unto men." This Profession of Belief the Convention has never altered ; and we believe it is considered unexceptiona- ble by Universalists in general. Such then, in brief, are the sentiments of Universal- ists. But, lest some of our readers should object to the brevity of the above Profession, we shall introduce in this place a form of faith, designed to express the general sentiments of Universalists, drawn up several years since, by Rev. Dolphus Skinner, of Utica, N. Y., and first published in connexion with his " Letters to Aikin & Lansing," Utica, N. Y., 1833. BIBLE CREED. ARTICLE 1. Concerning God and Christ. We be- lieve that the Lord our God is ONE Lord, that we all have ONE FATHER ; ONE GOD hath created us, WHAT DO UNTVERSALISTS BELIEVE ? 19 and hath made of one blood all nations of men, to dwell on all the face of the earth ; that though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there are gods many and lords many,) yet to us there is but ONE GOD, THE FATHER, of whom are all things, and we in him ; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him, (for God hath made him both Lord and Christ,) for there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. Deut. vi. 4 ; Mark xii. 29 ; Mai. ii. 10 ; Acts ii. 36, and xvii. 26 ; 1 Cor. viii. 5, 6 ; 1 Tim. ii. 5, 6. ARTICLE 2. Concerning the character of God. We believe the Lord our God is the Almighty, and of great power, that his understanding (or wisdom) is infi- nite, that he is love itself, good unto all, and his tender mercies over all his works, that he loveth all the things that are, and abhorreth nothing that his hands have made, for he never would have created any thing to have hated it, that he is a just God and a Saviour, who will have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, and who icorkcth all things af- ter the counsel of his own will, that in him mercy and truth are met together, righteousness and peace have em- braced each other. Gen. xvii. 1 ; Ps. cxlvii. 5, and Ixxxv. 10, and cxlv. 9 ; Isa. xlv. 21 ; 1 Tim. ii. 4 ; Eph. i. 11 ; 1 John iv. 8, 16. ARTICLE 3. Concerning the mission and mediation of Christ. We believe God sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world, that to this end, (as he loved both his Son and the world,) he gave all things into his hand, even power over all flesh, that he might give eternal life to as many as the Father hath given him, and that all that the Father gave him shall so come to him as not to be cast out, that, as he tasted death for every man, and is a propitiation for the sins of the whole world, he shall see of the travail of his soul and be satis- fied, -*-that as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall 20 PLAIN GUIDE TO UN1VERSALISM. all be made alive, that, having brought life and im- mortality to light by the Gospel, he shall continue to reign until death, the last enemy, is destroyed, and all things are subdued unto him ; till every knee shall bow and every tongue confess him Lord, to the glory of God the Father, and, that then he will deliver up the reconciled kingdom to the Father, that God may be all in all. 1 John ii. 2, and iv. 14 ; John iii, 35 ; vi. 37 ; xvii. 2 ; Heb. ii. 9 ; Isa. liii. 11 ; 1 Cor. xv. 22, 24-28 ; 2 Tim. i. 10 ; Phil. ii. 10, 11. ARTICLE 4. Concerning the motive to obedience, &c. We believe it is our duty to love God, because he first loved us, that, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another, that the goodness of God leadeth to repentance, that the grace of God, that bringeth salvation to all men, hath appeared, teaching us, that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this pres- ent world, and that those who believe in God ought to be careful to maintain good works ; for these things are good and profitable unto MEN. 1 John iv. 11, 19 ; Rom. ii. 4 ; Titus ii. 11, 12, and iii. 8. ARTICLE 5. Concerning the reward of obedience. We believe, that great peace have they who love God's law, and nothing shall offend them, they are like trees planted by the rivers of water, that bring forth their fruit in season ; their leaf, also, shall not wither ; and, whatsoever they do shall prosper, that wisdom's ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace, that she is a tree of life to them that lay hold of her, and happy is every one that retaineth her, that Christ's yoke is easy and his burden is light, and all who come to him find rest to their souls, that we which have believed do enter into rest, that, though God is the Saviour of all men, he is especially so of the believer, and, that whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, and is not a for- getful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. Ps. i. 3, and cxix. 166 ; Prov. WHAT DO UNTVERSALISTS BELIEVE ? 21 Hi. 17, 18; Matt. xi. 28-30 ; Heb. Hi. 3 ; 1 Tim. iv. 10 ; James i. 25. ARTICLE 6. Concerning punishment for disobedi- ence. We believe the way of the transgressor is hard, that the wicked are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt, for there is no peace, saith our God, to the wicked, that he that doeth wrong, shall receive for the wrong which he hath done, and there is no respect of persons, that God will render to every man according to his deeds, tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile. Prov. xiii. 15 ; Isa. Ivii. 20, 21 ; Malt. xvi. 27 ; Rom. ii. 6, 9 ; Col. iii. 25. ARTICLE 7. Concerning the limitation and reme- dial design of punishment. We believe the Lord will not cast off forever ; but, though he cause grief, yet? will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies, that he will not contend forever, nor be always wroth, lest the spirit should fail before him, and the souls he has made, that, although he may appa- rently forsake his children for a small moment, yet with great mercies will he gather them, in a little wrath, he may hide his face from them for a small mo- ment, but with everlasting kindness will he have mercy on them, and heal them, and lead them also, and re- store comforts unto them, that whom he loveth he chasteneth, (and he loveth and chasteneth all,) for their profit, that they may be partakers of his holiness, and be enabled afterwards to say, "before I was afflicted I went astray, but now have I kept thy word." Lam. iii. 31, 32 ; Isa. liv. 7, 8, and Ivii. 16-18 ; Heb. xii. 7-11 ; Psalm Ixxxix. 30-35, and cxix. 67. ARTICLE 8. Concerning the Scriptures, the doc- trines they teach, and the duties they enjoin. We be- lieve, that all Scripture, given by inspiration of God, is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and instruction in righteousness, that the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man ; but holy men 22 PLAIN GUIDE TO UISIVERSAL1SM. of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, that God hath spoken of the restitution of all things by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began, that .the word, gone out of his mouth in righteousness, shall not return void, but shall accom- plish that which he pleases, insomuch, that every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall swear, saying, In the Lord have I righteousness and strength. From the Scriptures, (which we take as the rule and guide of our faith and practice,) we are taught, that the whole duty of man is, to fear God and keep his command- ments ; to deal justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God ; to do good to all men as we have opportu- nity ; and that pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father, is this ; to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and keep ourselves uncor- rupted from the world. 2 Tim. iii. 16 ; 2 Peter i. 21 ; Acts iii. 21 ; Isa. xlv. 23, 24 ; Iv. 11 ; Micah vi. 8 ; Eccl. xii. 13; Gal. vi. 10 ; James i. 27. We presume, that Universalists, in general, will agree to the doctrines here specified. They are all evidently drawn from the oracles of God ; and the references, made at the end of each article, fully sustain the posi- tions advanced in each. But still, we desire that it should be remembered, that the distinguishing feature of their faith, is THE EVENTUAL HOLINESS AND HAPPINESS OF ALL MEN. God hath willed the salvation of all men ; and hath sent his Son to accomplish the transcendently great and glorious work. He hath made a full revelation of him- self, and of the mission of his Son, and of his purpose to save all mankind, in his divine word, the true sense of which Universalists implicitly follow. The glory of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ, as manifested in the final holiness and happiness of all men, is the cen- tral sun of Universalism. This, with them, is the all-absorbing topic ; the crowning excellence of re- vealed religion ; the richest glory of God ; the highest SCRIPTURAL EVIDENCES OF UNIVERSALISM. 23 honor of Christ ; the fullest joy of the saints ; the sweetest answer to prayer ; the strongest motive to praise ; the most potent charm of Christian faith ; a fountain of consolation in life ; a holy triumph in death ; the joy of angels, and of the spirits of just men made perfect. Such is the doctrine of the ULTIMATE SAL- VATION OF ALL THE HUMAN RACE. CHAPTER III. WHAT EVIDENCES DO UNIVERSALISTS ADDUCE FROM THE SCRIPTURES IN SUPPORT OF THEIR BELIEF IN THE EVENTUAL HOLINESS AND HAPPINESS OF ALL MEN ? WE arrange the Scriptural evidences of Universal- ism, under the following heads : GOD THE CREATOR OF MEN. 1. God is the Creator of all men. " He hath made of one blood, all nations of men, to dwell on all the face of the earth." Acts xvii. 26. He would not have created intelligent beings, had he known they were to be forever miserable. To suppose that God would bring beings into existence who he knew would be infinite losers by that existence, is to charge him with the utmost malignity. The existence itself would not be a blessing, but a curse ; the greatness of which cannot be described. A poor soul, sentenced to end- less damnation, might well cry, in the touching language of Young ; " Father of Mercies, why from silent earth, Didst Thou awake, and curse me into birth ? Tear me from quiet, ravish me from night, And make a thankless present of thy light ; Push into being a reverse of Thee, And animate a clod with misery ? " As God is infinite in knowledge, and as he sees the end from the beginning, he must have known before the creation, the result of the existence he was about 24 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. to confer, and whether, upon the whole, it would be a blessing ; and, as he was not under any necessity to create man, being also infinitely benevolent, he could not have conferred an existence that he knew would end in the worst possible consequences to his creatures. GOD THE FATHER OF MEN. 2. God is the Father of all men. "Have we not all one Father ? Hath not one God created us ? " Mai. ii. 10. A kind Father will not punish his chil- dren but for their good. God is evidently called the Father of all men in the Scriptures, and this is not an unmeaning name ; he has the disposition and prin- ciples of a Father. He loves with a Father's love ; he watches with a Father's care ; he reproves with a Father's tenderness ; he punishes with a Father's de- sign. God is the Father of all men ; and, therefore, he cannot make mankind endlessly miserable. GOD THE LORD, OR OWNER OF MEN. 3. All men, of right, belong to God. u Behold, all souls are mine," saith the Lord " As the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine." Ezek. xviii. 4. God will not give up what belongeth to him, to the dominion of sin and Satan forever. All men are God's by creation ; he made them all. They are his by preservation ; he sustains them all. They were his at first, and they always have remained in his care. " The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof ; the world, and they that dwell therein." That God, who says to men, "If any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith and is worse than an infidel," can never aban- don his own creatures. He will ever exercise a gra- cious care over them, as will be more fully seen in the following reasons. ALL MEN COMMITTED TO CHRIST'S CARE. 4. God hath given all things to Christ, as the moral SCRIPTURAL EVIDENCES OF UNIVERSALISM. 25 Ruler of the world. u Ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession." Psalms ii. 8. " The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand." John iii. 35. " All things," here, means all intelligent beings. So say the best commen- tators. 5. God gave all beings to Christ that he might save them. " Thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him." John xvii. 2. This plainly evinces, that it was God's design, in giving Christ dominion over all flesh, that they should all enjoy eternal life. 6. It is certain that Christ will save all that the Father hath given him. u All that the Father giveth me, shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in nowise cast out." John vi. 37. These three propositions are irrefragable evidence of the final hap- piness of all men. 1st. God hath given all things to Christ. 2d. All that God hath given him shall come to him ; and, 3d. him that cometh he will in nowise cast out. All are given ; all shall come ; and none shall be cast out. What is the unavoidable con- clusion ? THE WILL OF GOD. 7. It is THE WILL of God that all men shall be saved. " Who will have all men to be saved, and come unto the knowledge of the truth." 1 Tim. ii. 4. By " all men," in this passage, is undoubtedly to be understood all the human race. Salvation comes through the belief of the truth. God wills that all men should come to the knowledge of the truth, and be saved thereby. 8. God inspires the hearts of the good to pray for the salvation of all men, and say, as Jesus said, u Thy will be done." Matt. vi. 10. Adam Clarke says, " Because he wills the salvation of all men, therefore he wills that all men should be prayed for ; " as in 3 26 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNI VERBAL FSM. 1 Tim. ii. 1. "I exhort, therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men." Would God inspire the hearts of his saints to pray for the salvation of all man- kind, if he knew they would not all be saved ? 9. Jesus came to do the will of God. " My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work." John iv. 34. " Lo, I come to do thy will, O God." Heb. x. 9. The will of God is, that all men shall be saved. This is his will, by way of dis- tinction and preeminence. Jesus came to do this will. He came as the Saviour, as the Saviour of all men. He came as the good Shepherd, to seek and save that which was lost. He came to save all men, not only those who lived on the earth while he was here, but all who lived before, and all who have since lived, and all who shall live. Jesus gave himself a ransom for all ; he tasted death for every man ; and unto him, at last, every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess him Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Such is the way in which Jesus does the will of God. 10. The will of God cannot be resisted. " He doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth ; and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou ? " Dan. iv. 35. Who can resist a being of Almighty power ? What God wills to take place, must take place. He wills the salvation of all men because it is right. A God of purity cannot desire endless sin and rebellion. If he wills the salvation of all men, he wills all the means by which it shall be accomplished ; it must therefore take place. 1 1 . God has no other will besides the will to save all men. " He is in one mind, and who can., turn him." Job. xxiii. 13. THE NATURE OF GOD. 12. God is love, and love worketh no ill. u God is love." 1 John iv. 8. " Love worketh no ill." Rom. SCRIPTURAL EVIDENCES OF UNIVERSALISM. 27 xiii. 10. This is a very forcible argument. God's nature is the very essence of benevolence, and benevo- lence cannot be the origin of endless evil. If love worketh no ill, God can work no ill ; and, therefore, God cannot be the author of endless evil. 13. God loves all mankind. " For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son." John iii. 16 ; and, as Jesus died for all men, so God loves all men. This argument adds great force to the last. 14. God loves even his enemies. For he requires men to love their enemies, which he could not do if he hated his. (Matt. v. 44.) And Jesus declared, " for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil." Luke vi. 35. This is but an amplification of the preceding argument. If God loves his enemies, he certainly loves all men ; for no one doubts that he loves his friends. And can God cause those to be endlessly miserable whom he loves ? THE WISDOM OF GOD. 15. God is wise; and it cannot be a dictate of wis- dom to create beings, and then make their existence a curse by entailing endless suffering to it. God foresaw all the consequences of our creation when he made us. He knew fully what the result would be to each individual. Is it possible, that infinite goodness could breathe life into unoffending dust, when it was clearly foreseen that endless evil would ensue ? It was not pos- sible. God must have created only to bless. " Love worketh no ill." 16. The wisdom of God is u full of mercy," and 1 ' without partiality." James iii. 17. u Full of mer- cy," says Adam Clarke, i. e. " ready to pass by a transgression, and to grant forgiveness to those who of- fend ; and PERFORMING EVERY POSSIBLE ACT OF KINDNESS." Surely, a God of infinite power and skill, who " performs every possible act of kindness," will save his fallen creatures from their sins. " With- out partiality," i. e. without making a difference. God 28 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNI VERBALISM. is no respecter of persons. He is kind to all men ; and he will perform every u possible act of kindness " to all men. THE PLEASURE OF GOD. 17. The pleasure of God is in favor of the salvation of all men ; and, therefore, neither death, sin, nor pain, can be the ultimate object of God in reference to man. u As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked." Ezek. xxxiii. 11. Death, and sin, and pain, may exist for a time ; but if God have no pleasure in them of themselves, they are not the end at which he aims, but the means by which he accomplishes that end. The end in which God rests as his pleasure, design, or purpose, must be essentially benevolent, because he is essentially a benevolent God. Neither death, nor sin, nor pain, can be his ultimate plan or pleasure ; they are the means by which his holy and righteous designs are carried into effect. ' 18. God created all men expressly for his pleasure, and, therefore, not for ultimate death. " Thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." Rev. iv. 11. Adam Clarke has a fine remark on this passage. He says, a He made all things for his pleasure ; and through the same motive he preserves. Hence, it is most evident, that he hateth nothing that he has made ; and could have made no intelligent creature with the design to make it eternally miserable. It is strange, that a contrary sup- position has ever entered into the heart of man ; and it is high time that the benevolent nature of the Supreme God, should be fully vindicated from aspersions of this kind." 19. The pleasure of God shall prosper in the hand of Christ. " The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand." Isaiah liii. 10. Clarke says, on Isaiah liii. 10, that the pleasure of God is, u to have all men saved, and brought to the knowledge of the truth." Compare this with the 20th section. SCRIPTURAL EVIDENCES OF UNIVERSALISM. 29 20. God's pleasure shall surely be accomplished. 11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth ; it shall not return unto me void ; but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." Isaiah Iv. 11. u I will do all my pleasure." xlvi. 10. Does not this passage show that God's PLEASURE shall certainly be accom- plished ? His word shall not return unto him void : it shall accomplish what he please, and prosper in the ob- ject which he sent it to accomplish. God has no pleas- ure in the death or suffering of the sinner. That was not the object of creation. God created men for his pleasure, and his pleasure shall certainly be accom- plished. THE PURPOSE OF GOD. 21. God hath purposed the salvation of all men. " Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which he hath purposed in himself, that in the dispensation of the fulness of times, he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth, even in him." Eph. i. 9, 10. It is evident from this passage, that God hath purposed to gather together all things in Christ. God's purpose agrees with his will or pleasure. He wills to have all men saved ; he has no pleasure in the death of the wicked ; and accordingly he hath pur- posed to gather together in one, all things, in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth. This is God's purpose ; this is what he hath purposed in himself. And this is not the gathering together of those things only which are in Christ, but the gathering together of all things in him. " Unto him shall the gathering of the people be." Gen. xlix. 10. And Jesus confirms this : " And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." John xii. 32. Thus we see all things are to be gathered into Christ. They are all to have his spirit, and partake of his new creation ; for " if any man be in Christ, he is a new 3* 30 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. creature : old things are passed away : behold all things are become new." 2 Cor. v. 17. By the phrase " all things," as Archbishop Newcome says, is meant, " all persons, all intelligent beings. See the neuter for the masculine, John vi. 37, 39." See more on this subject under the 78th section. 22. The purpose of God cannot fail : it must cer- tainly be accomplished. " The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass ; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand." Isaiah xiv. 24. " For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it ? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back ? " 27. "I have purposed it, I will also do it." xlvi. 11. Now, whatever God purposes must take place. God can have no second thoughts ; he cannot see reason to change his own plans. He has the power to work all things according to his purpose ; hence, Paul speaks of "the purpose of him who worketh all things accord- ing to the counsel [i. e. the previous consultations or deliberations] of his own will." Eph. i. 11. What, then, shall hinder the accomplishment of this purpose ? Has God designed a work which he cannot do ? Has he formed a plan which he cannot execute ? No ; the concurrent testimony of the sacred writers is, that whatever God has purposed, SHALL BE DONE. So let it be, O Lord. THE PROMISES OF GOD. 23. God promised to Abraham, his servant, that he would bless all mankind, in his seed. " In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed." Gen. xii. 3. u In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." xxii. 18. All the nations of the earth, all the families of the earth, according to this promise, are to be blessed in the seed of Abraham. The language is absolute: it is without any condition. " Jill the nations of the earth shall be blessed." And who is this u seed of Abraham," in whom all the nations and I ol^ SCRIPTURAL EVIDENCES OF UNIVERSALISM. 31 families of the earth shall be blessed ? I agree with Dr. Adam Clarke on this matter. He says, in his note on Gen. xii. 3, u In thy posterity, in the Messiah, who shall spring from thee, shall all families of the earth be blessed ; for as he shall take on him human nature, from the posterity of Abraham, he shall taste death for every man ; his gospel shall be preached throughout the world, and innumerable blessings be de- rived on all mankind, through his death and interces- sion." 24. God made the same promise to Isaac. u I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy lather, and I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries ; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." Gen. xxvi. 3, 4. This passage is precisely of the same import with those quoted under section 23. It refers to precisely the same subject, and asserts the same facts. We repeat it here, because God saw fit to repeat the same promise to Isaac which he had made to his father Abraham ; and it forms a distinct argument of itself. 25. The same promise was repeated to Jacob, the grandson of Abraham. u And in thee, and in thy seed, shall all the families of the earth be blessed." Gen. xxviii. 14. The apostle Paul (and higher au- thority we do v not wish) fully settles the question in regard to who is meant by the " seed of Abraham." He says, "Now to Abraham and his seed, were the promises made. He saith not, and to seeds, as of many ; but as of one, and to thy seed, WHICH is CHRIST." Gal. iii. 16. Christ, then, is the seed of Abraham ; and in him ALL the nations and families of the earth shall be blessed. 26. Peter, the apostle, understood this promise as referring to the salvation of men from sin, by Jesus Christ. cc Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, and in thy seed shall all the kindreds 32 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. of the earth be blessed. Unto you first, God, having raised up his son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turn- ing away every one of you from his iniquities." Acts Hi. 25, 26. Here we have a third term, kindreds. All nations of the earth, all families of the earth, and all kindreds of the earth, must certainly signify all man- kind. The import of this absolute, unconditional promise is, they shall all be blessed in Christ Jesus. 27. The apostle Paul repeats this promise, and calls it THE GOSPEL. "And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, in thee shall all nations be blessed." Gal. iii. 8. This is a further confirmation, that the blessing promised men in the seed of Abraham, is a spiritual, gospel blessing. 28. There is no threatening of any kind whatsoever in the Scriptures, no law, no penalty, no punishment denounced, which when rightly understood does not harmonize with this promise, for the law is not against the promises of God. " Is the law, then, against the promises of God ? God forbid." Gal. iii. 21. The law mentioned in this verse was undoubtedly the law given to Moses on Mount Sinai. God was specially careful to frame that law in such a manner, that not a single sentence or particle of it should contradict the promises made by him to Abraham. What those prom- ises were, we have seen. It is equally true, that not a single threatening of punishment for sin, or for unbe- lief, not a denunciation of hell-fire, or condemnation of any kind for sin, is opposed to the promises of God. Now as those promises most explicitly assert, the final blessing of all the nations, kindreds, and families of the earth with salvation from sin in Jesus Christ, so no portion of God's law, no threatening of punishment, should be so construed, interpreted, or explained, as to contradict this ; and as the doctrine of endless condem- nation for sin does explicitly contradict those promises, that doctrine we may be sure is not revealed in any portion of God's word. SCRIPTURAL EVIDENCES OF UNIVERSAL1SM. 33 THE OATH OF GOD. 29. God hath confirmed his promise by an oath. See Gen. xxii. 1618. Heb. vi. 13. But the most striking passage, perhaps, is this, U I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear, surely shall say,* in the Lord have I righteousness and strength." Isaiah xlv. 23, 24. I think the words of Adam Clarke on the oath of God, are worthy of the deepest consid- eration. On the words of God, "he sware by him- self," Clarke remarks, " He pledged his eternal power and Godhead for the fulfilment of the promise ; there was no being superior to himself, to whom he could make appeal, or by whom he could be bound ; there- fore he appeals to and pledges his immutable truth and godhead." Com. on Heb. vi. 13. And again, the same commentator remarks, " The promise pledged his faithfulness and justice ; the oath all the infinite perfec- tions of his godhead ; for he sware by .himself. There is a good saying in Beracoth, on Exodus xxxii. 13. Remember Jlbraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swearedst by thine own self. What is the meaning of by thine own self ? Rab Eleazar answered, thus said Moses to the holy blessed God, Lord of all the world, If thou hadst sworn to them by the heavens and the earth, then I should have said, as the heavens and the earth shall pass away, so may thy oath pass away. But now thou hast sworn unto them by thy great Name, which liveth and which endureth forever, and forever, and ever ; therefore thy oath shall endure forever and forever and ever." Com. on Heb. vi. 18. THE POWER OF GOD. 30. God is almighty ; nothing can resist his will ; * I have here omitted the word one, supplied by the translators, as it evidently annihilates the whole sense of the passage, which is clear and beautiful without it. 34 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. nothing can defeat his purpose ; nothing can prevent the fulfilment of his promise. " What he had promised he was able also to perform." Rom. iv. 21. If God were not almighty, then the world might not be saved ; but he is almighty ; "none can stay his hand, or say unto him, what doest thou ? " and therefore, in God's own time (and that is the best time) , and by his own means, the whole world shall be saved. THE DEATH OF CHRIST. 31. Because God not only wills the salvation of all men ; not only hath purposed to save them all ; not only hath promised it ; not only hath confirmed that promise by an OATH ; but also hath provided the means, in the death of Christ, for the salvation of all men. Jesus died for all. " He gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." 1 Tim. ii. 6. " But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor ; that he, by the grace of God, should taste death for every man." Heb. ii. 9. u And he is the propitiation for our sins ; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." 1 John ii. 2. Here are three expressions : 1st, " ALL ; " 2d, " EVERY MAN ; " 3d, " THE WHOLE WORLD." It seems as though the sacred writers took the utmost care to guard against being misunderstood in this important particu- lar. Some would have us believe (see Prof. Stuart's Com. on Heb. ii. 9,) that these expressions are to be understood only in a general sense, in opposition to the contracted opinions of the Jews, who confined the blessings of God to their own nation only ; and that the words are intended to declare, that Jesus died for Gentiles as well as Jews. We cannot so restrict the sense. Look at the connexion in which these passa- ges are found, and it will be seen that the terms used, apply to all men, in the widest sense of these terms. Paul instructs Timothy to pray for all men ; not for Jews and Gentiles in the general sense, but for kings, SCRIPTURAL EVIDENCES OF UNIVERSALISM. 35 and all in authority ; for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God, who will have all men to be saved. So John says, u if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father." 1 Epis. John i. 1. Is not the language here designed to apply to all men ? Who can dispute it ? 32. The labor of Christ will be efficacious for all for whom he died. " He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied." Isaiah liii. 11. " And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." John xii. 32. If the Redeemer died for all men, can he be satisfied with the salvation of a part only ? Can he look back upon his work and say, it is well done 9 Will he not rather draw all men unto him, by the power of his truth, and make them holy and happy forever ? Are we not authorized to expect such a result, from the fact, that he gave himself a ran- som for all ? and if they are all drawn unto him, will they not all be saved ? 33. When Jesus was born, the angel said to the fearful shepherds, u Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people." Luke ii. 10. The tidings of the Redeemer's birth, were cer- tainly good tidings to all people. They should all hear these tidings, and to all they should be good tidings. But how can this be, if a part of the human race are never to be benefited by the Redeemer's sacrifice ? 34. The people who heard Jesus preach, said, " we have heard him ourselves, and we know that this is in- deed the Christ, the Saviour of the world." John iv. 42. Jesus cannot be the Saviour of the world, if the world will never be saved. What Jesus taught the Sa- maritans, that induced them to regard him as the Saviour of the world, may be infered, 1st. from his conversa- tion with the woman at the well of Jacob, (John iv.) and 2d, from the exclamation of the Samaritans, in the 42d verse. He evidently did not preach to them the doctrine of endless misery ; for would they have con- 36 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM, eluded from the fact of his preaching that doctrine, that he was THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD ? " 35. John, the beloved disciple of Christ, said, "We have seen, and do testify, that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world." 1 John iv, 14. This is the same character that the Samaritans judged the Lord to possess, from his personal instruc- tions. John iv. 42. John says, " We have seen ; " i. e. he knew it from his acquaintance with his Master. Jind do testify. We cannot hide this truth ; we will proclaim to men, that Jesus is the Saviour of the world. THE TESTIMONY OF THE PROPHETS. 36. All the holy prophets have spoken of the resti- tution of all things. " And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you, whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets, since the world began." Acts Hi. 20, 21. This is an important passage of Scripture. u And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you, [but who hath been crucified, and hath as- cended unto heaven, and] whom the heaven must re- ceive [or contain,] until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." This "resti- tution of all things " is to take place, when Jesus comes down from the heavens, in the sense in which he had ascended into heaven. He had ascended into heaven bodily ; the heavens would contain him until the times of the restitution ; and then he would bodily visit the earth again. Now when shall he visit the earth again bodily ? Answer, at the resurrection of the dead. See Acts i. 10, 11, and 1 Thess. iv. 16. We conclude from this, that the restitution of all things is to take place at the resurrection of the dead. The learned Parkhurst gives this view of the subject, and quotes Stockius at large as agreeing with him. See his SCRIPTURAL EVIDENCES OF UNIVERSALISM. 37 Lex. on the word anoxaiaoTaai?. We do not under- stand, that the restitution shall not begin until that time, but that it shall then be completed, and filled up, so that it may be said, all things are restored. This is begun in part in this life ; but it will be completed and finished at the resurrection. What is this restitution ? It is the putting of things back into their original con- dition. See A. Clarke, on the passage. Man was originally created in God's image ; but the divine im- age has been obscured by sin ; and men now bear the image of the earthly. But at the resurrection, when Christ shall appear, the restitution of all things shall take place, and then mankind will be restored to the image of God again ; for St. Paul says, that at the res- urrection mankind shall be changed from the earthly to the heavenly image, 1 Cor. xv. 49. This heavenly image which we have lost, we obtain back again at the resurrection of the dead ; and to this the Saviour's language agrees, for he saith, that in the resurrection men shall be as the angels of God in heaven ; i. e. they shall bear the heavenly image ; Matt. xxii. 30 ; that they can die no more, and " shall be the children of God, being the children of the resurrection." Luke xx. 36. This God hath spoken by all his holy proph- ets since the world began ; not fully and clearly as he hath revealed it in the gospel ; but he hath spoken by the prophets of the recovery of all things from the do- minion of sin, and their reconciliation to God, and the gaining again of the heavenly image. The reader is referred to a long and excellent passage in A. Clarke's Com. on Acts iii. 21, which he closes by saying, "as therefore, the subject here referred to is that, of which all th6 prophets from the beginning have spoken, (and the grand subject of all their declarations was Christ and his works among men,) therefore the words are to be applied to this, and no other meaning. Jesus Christ comes to raise up man from a state of ruin, and restore to him the image of God, as he possessed it at the be- ginning." 38 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. 37. Moses, one of the earliest prophets, foretold the destruction of all evil, when he represented sin under the figure of a serpent, whose head the seed of the woman was to bruise. " I will put enmity be- tween thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed ; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." Gen. iii. 15. The seed of the woman was Christ. See Luke iii. 23 38, in which place the evangelist traces through seventy-five generations, the descent of Christ from Eve. Dr. Lightfoot says, Works, IV. 185, "that all the prophets from Adam, and upward, had their eye upon the promise in that garden, and spake of salvation and delivery by Christ, by his breaking the head, and destroying the kingdom, of the devil." The serpent is a personification of evil, in this place. A wound upon the head of a ser- pent is fatal. The natural inference is, Christ will totally destroy evil. See Heb. ii. 14. 1 John iii. 8. 38. David said, "all the ends of the world shall remember, and turn unto the Lord ; and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before him." Psalms xxii. 27. This agrees precisely with the promise of God to Abraham, that all the nations, families, and kindreds of the earth shall be blessed in Christ Jesus. 39. David also said, " all kings shall fall down be- fore him (Christ), all nations shall serve him, * * * * * men shall be blessed in him, all nations shall call him blessed." Psalms Ixxii. 11, 17. This is of the same import with section 38. 40. David also said, " All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord, and shall glorify thy name." Psalms Ixxxtvi. 9. This must certainly include all the nations of the earth ; God made them all, from Adam to the latest born. 41. David also said, not less than twenty-six times, in that part of his meditations embraced in the 136th Psalm, " his mercy endureth forever." What kind of a mercy is the mercy of God, which is to endure for- ever ? It is a universal mercy. See the next section. or THK SCRIPTURAL EVIDENCES OF imflKERSALISM. 39 ^4: 42. He also declared, that that mercy which is to endure forever, is over all the works of God. " The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works." Psalms cxlv. 9. God is the same, yes- terday, to-day, and forever. 43. He also said, " all thy works shall praise thee, O Lord, and thy saints shall bless thee." Psalms cxlv. 10. Can all God's works praise him, if a part are con- signed to eternal fire ? 44. He also said, " The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion, slow to anger, and of great mercy." Psalms cxlv. 8. Can endless misery be ordained by such a God as this ? 45. He also said ; " The Lord is merciful and gra- cious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide ; neither will he keep his anger for- ever." Psalms ciii. 8, 9. This could not possibly be true, if God purposed to make any of his creatures for- ever miserable. If we allow that torment shall be end- less, can we say, that " God will not always chide," nor " keep his anger forever ? " 46. Isaiah represented, that there was no sin which might not be pardoned. " Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow ; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Isa. i. 18. The evident intent of this language is, that there was no sin so deep-dyed in the soul, that it could not be washed away. What is here said of Israel, is true of every individual. 47. It is said, that " all nations shall flow unto the mountain of the Lord's house," a figurative repre- sentation of the covenant of the Gospel. Isa. ii. 2. 48. In this mountain, the Lord of Hosts hath made for all people a feast of fat things. " And in this mountain, shall the Lord of Hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees ; of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well- refined." Isa. xxv. 6. By " mountain," here, is meant the covenant of the Gospel ; the place of the 40 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. establishment of the ark is made a metaphor, to signify the Gospel. Adam Clarke says, this feast is " salva- tion by Jesus Christ." Com. on the place. This sal- vation is prepared for all people ; it is sufficient to supply the wants of all. 49. " God will destroy, in this mountain, the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil, that is spread over all nations." Isa. xxv. 7. This salva- tion is not uselessly prepared. Unbelief shah 1 be done away. The darkness of the nations shall be removed. The covering cast over all nations shall be destroyed ; they will then all see the truth. 50. u God will swallow up death in victory." Isa. xxv. 8. This is to take place at the resurrection of the dead, for Paul quotes these words, and applies them to the resurrection of the dead, in 1 Cor. xv. 54. 51. " The Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces " Isa. xxv. 8. The work of the Gospel will not be fully done, until tears shall be wiped away from all faces. Sorrow shall cease. Paul applies the subject to the resurrection of the dead. 52. Isaiah said, " the glory of the Lord shall be re- vealed, and all flesh shall see it together." Isa. xl. 5. This is the declaration of Jehovah, for the prophet adds, " the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." If the Lord hath declared, that all flesh shall see his glory together, surely it must be done. 53. Isaiah represents the Gospel as being complete- ly successful in accomplishing the purpose for which it was sent into the world ; that, as the rain and snow come down from heaven, and return not thither, but water the earth, and cause it to bring forth and bud, so shall the word of God be, it shall not return void, but it shall accomplish the divine pleasure, and prosper in the thing for which God sent it. Isa. Iv. 10, 11. Thus all who allow that God sent the Gospel to benefit all mankind, must here see, that that beneficent object will surely be accomplished. If any reject the Gospel, SCRIPTURAL EVIDENCES OF UNIVERSALISM. 41 and are lost forever, can it be said in truth, that God's word does not return unto him void ? 54. Isaiah, speaking in the name of Jehovah, said, of Christ, " I will also give thee for a light to the Gen- tiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth." Isa. xlix. 6. In this verse, the prophet affirms, that the blessings of the Gospel should not be confined to the Jews. u I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles ; " for what purpose ? Answer ; " that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth." This expression is intended to signify the greatest possible extension of the blessings of the Gos- pel. Is this consistent with the supposed fact, that countless millions of the human race shall never hear of the blessings of the Gospel ? 55. Isaiah represented Jehovah as saying, " I will not contend forever, neither will I be always wroth ; for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made." Isa. Ivii. 16. Is this declaration con- sistent with the doctrine of endless misery ? Accord- ing to that doctrine, will not God contend forever ? will he not be always wroth ? 56. Jehovah saith, by Jeremiah, concerning the covenant he made with the house of Israel, " I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts ; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, know the Lord ; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord ; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." Jer. xxxi. 33, 34. The spirit of this passage is universal grace. What God here saith he will do for the Jews, he will also do for the Gentiles. The former is a pledge of the latter. [See, for addi- tional argument on this subject, section 88.] 57. Jeremiah bore testimony against the supposition, that God would inflict any punishment on his creatures which is not for their good. " THE LORD WILL 4* 42 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. NOT CAST FT FOREVER. But, though he CEUSC grief, yet will he have compassion according to the mul- titude of his mercies, for he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men." Lamen. iii. 31 - 33. O, what a precious declaration is this ! Though God cause grief, yet he will have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies, for he doth not afflict wil- lingly, nor grieve the children of men. This is the principle of the divine government. God does not af- flict for the purpose of afflicting, but for the good of the sufferer. How, then, can endless torment be in- flicted ? 58. Daniel said, of the reign of Christ, " there was given him dominion, and glory and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him ; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom, that which shall not be destroyed." Dan. vii. 14. If all people, nations, and languages serve the Saviour, will they be endlessly miserable ? Will they not be endlessly happy ? This passage should be applied, un- doubtedly, to all for whom the Saviour died. Jesus seems to have referred to the declaration of the prophet, in what he said after his resurrection, Matt, xxviii. 18. 59. Hosea said, " I will ransom them from the power of the grave ; I will redeem them from death. O death, I will be thy plagues ; O grave (or Hell, s/ieoZ), I will be thy destruction." Hosea xiii. 14. Let the light of inspiration guide us. St. Paul applies these words to the resurrection of the dead, at the last day, 1 Cor. xv. 54, 55. At the resurrection of the dead, then, God will destroy sheol, HELL. He does not raise his creatures from the dead in order to pun- ish them forever in sheol, for sheol shall then be destroyed. 60. Micafr said, of Jehovah, " He retaineth not his anger forever, because he delighteth in mercy." Micah vii. 18. A most precious assurance ! altogeth- er at variance with the doctrine of endless misery. SCRIPTURAL EVIDENCES OF UNIVERSALISM. 43 THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS. 61. Jesus, when on earth, preached in such a man- ner, that the people " wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth." Luke iv. 22. This could not have happened, had he threatened the people with endless misery. He preached salvation to sinful, guilty man ; he preached the love of God to the whole world ; and declared, that God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but, that the world, through him, might be saved. Well might the people wonder at his u gracious words." 62. Jesus inculcated the strongest confidence in God ; and reasoned in the most tender and judicious manner with the people, to dissuade them from taking anxious thought for the future. Read Matt. vi. 25 34. This is one of the most striking passages in the whole New Testament. The object of the Saviour was, to encourage, in the hearts of those whom he addressed, the most implicit confidence in God, for all future blessings. God is good ; he is kind, even to the un- thankful and to the evil ; therefore said the Saviour, u take no anxious thought." Be not afraid ; God will do thee good. He has already proved his beneficence to thee. He takes care of the lower orders of beings ; why shouldst thou doubt? He clothes the flowers of the field with beauty ; why shouldst thou despair ? Take not anxious, painful thought for the future. Suf- ficient unto the present is the evil thereof. Such is the spirit of the passage, which is perfectly consistent with the doctrine of Universalism, but utterly inconsistent with the doctrine of endless misery. 63. Jesus warned the people against the doctrine of the Pharisees, who are well known to have believed in endless punishment. Matt. xvi. 6 ; compare verse 12. There is no doubt, that the doctrines of the Pharisees were of a partial nature. Jesus was impartial in- his teachings. He was the friend of publicans and sinners, and for this, the Pharisees hated him. This was the 44 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. great point on which he differed from the Pharisees. Their doctrine peculiarly was a doctrine of cruelty, wrath, and partiality ; his was a doctrine of love, com- passion, and universal grace. No person, who will make the comparison fairly, can avoid coming to this result. Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees. 64. Jesus taught, that men in the future world will be like the angels of God in heaven, holy, spotless, and pure. " In the resurrection, they neither marry, ,,nor are given in marriage ; but are as the angels of God in heaven." Matt. xxii. 30 ; Luke xx. 35, 36. In what sense shall they be as the angels of God in heaven ? Let the passage in Luke xx. answer this question. "Neither can they die any more, for they are equal unto the angels, and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection." Here are two points, in which they will be equal to the angels, viz. 1st. they will be immortal ; and, 2nd. they will be children of God, bearing a moral likeness to him. This will be the state of all who shall be raised from the dead. 65. Jesus reproved the Pharisees for shutting up the kingdom of heaven. u Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men ; for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in." Matt, xxiii. 13. These Pharisees were never charged with having shut up the kingdom of hell ; that, they appear to have kept open. But they shut up the kingdom of heaven. Jesus desired to have all men enjoy his kingdom ; and we are assured, that, at last, all shall know-the Lord, from the least unto the greatest. They will then all have entered the gospel kingdom. THE TESTIMONY OP PETER. 66. Peter saw, in the vision of the vessel like a sheet knit at the four corners, that all men came down from heaven ; that they are all encircled in the kind care of God, while here on earth ; and, that " all will SCRIPTURAL EVIDENCES OF UNIVERSALISM. 45 be drawn up again into heaven." Acts x. 10-15 ; xi. 5-10. THE TESTIMONY OF PAUL. 67. Paul represented the free gift of life as extend- ing equally with sin. " As, by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation ; even so by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life." Rom. v. 18. This is a very important passage. It teaches us, that the free gift of eternal life shall extend equally with sin. On* the one hand we are told, judgment came upon all men by sin ; on the other we find, that " the free gift carne upon all men unto justification of life." This free gift is eternal life, see Rom. vi. 23. But, for a fur- ther view of the argument of the apostle in this place, see section 68. 68. Paul also says, " For as by one man's disobe- dience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." The same many that were made sinners, Paul declares " shall be made righteous." This certainly asserts the sal- vation of all sinners. Parkhurst, in his Greek Lex- icon, says, 01 nottoi, the many, i. e. the multitude, or whole bulk of mankind, Rom. v. 15, 19, in which texts ol noMol are plainly equivalent to nuvrag av>anovs, all men, verses 12, 18." The learned Dr. Macknight is to the same purport. " For as o c ?roAAo/, the many, in the first part of the verse, does not mean some of mankind only, but all mankind, from first to last, who, without exception, are constituted sinners, so the many in the latter part of the verse, who are said to be con- stituted righteous, through the obedience of Christ, must mean ALL MANKIND, from the beginning to the end of the world, without exception." See his com- mentary on the place. The evident sense of the pas- sage is this : For as the many, that is, the whole bulk of mankind were made sinners, so shall the many, that is, the whole, the whole bulk of mankind, be made righ- 46 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. teous. What can be plainer than this fact ? We agree with the authors of the Improved Version, who say, " Nothing can be more obvious than this, that it is the apostle's intention to represent all mankind, without ex- ception, as deriving greater benefit from the mission of Christ, than they suffered injury from the fall of Adam. The universality of the apostle's expression is very re- markable. The same cc many " who were made sin- ners by the disobedience of one, are made righteous by the obedience of the other. If all men are condemned by the offence of one, the same all are justified by the righteousness of the other. These universal terms* so frequently repeated, and so variously diversified, cannot be reconciled to the limitation of the blessings of the Gospel, to the elect alone, or to a part only of the hu- man race." Note on Rom. v. 19. 69. Grace shall abound more than sin, and reign more potently, so that at last all shall end in everlasting life. " Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound ; that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness, unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord." Rom. v. 20, 21. What a blessed assurance ! Grace shall conquer sin ? In every heart where sin has reigned, grace shall set up its empire. Grace shall reign triumphantly and success- fully. We see not yet all this done ; but it shall be done at last. 70. Paul teaches, that the same creature which was made subject to vanity, u shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the children of God." Rom. viii. 21. It is worthy of remark, that it is the same " creature," or creation, which was made subject to vanity, that is to be deliv- ered. Rev. Thomas White, in his sermons preached at Welbeck Chapel, translates the passage thus : " For THE CREATION was made subject to vanity, not willing- ly, but by reason of him who subjected it ; in hope that THE CREATION ITSELF also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of SCRIPTURAL EVIDENCES OF UNIVERSALISM. 47 the sons of God." (Home's Intro. II. 540.) Dr. Macknight decides, that creature, in the passage, signi- fies, u every human creature," u all mankind." Let us read the passage with such a rendering, as it undoubt- edly gives it its just sense. For every human creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who had subjected the same in hope ; because every human creature shall be delivered from the bond- age of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. 71. Paul teaches the eventual salvation of both Jews and Gentiles. " Blindness in part is happened to Is- rael, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in ; " and so " ALL ISRAEL SHALL BE SAVED." Rom. xi. 25, 26. The terms, Jews and Gentiles, comprehend all man- kind. Paul asserts the ultimate salvation of both Jews and Gentiles, that is, of all men. What serious man can pretend, that by the fulness of the Gentiles he meant only a portion of them, and by all Israel, he meant only a small part of Israel ? Was it such a view, that led Paul to exclaim, at the conclusion of his lumin- ous argument on this subject, " O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God ? " If God sought to save the whole, and succeeded in sav- ing only a fraction, was the depth of his wisdom so sur- passingly great ? And remark what he says at the con- clusion of the llth chapter. " For of him (God) and through him, and TO HIM are all things," -to. navrn, the universe ; as Dr. Whitby says, " For of him (as the donor) and through him (as the director and providen- tial orderer) and to him (as the- end) be all things." The argument is complete. 72. Paul teaches, that whether living or dying we are the Lord's. " For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live we live unto the Lord ; and whether we die we die unto the Lord ; whether we live, therefore, or die, we are the Lord's." Rom. xiv. 7, 8. Does Paul here mean to include all mankind ? Does he here mean to assert, 48 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALTSM. that all, without exception, are the Lord's ? We can come to no other conclusion. He adds, " For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living," verse 9. The terms u dead and living," evidently signify all the human race. Of course, all the human race are Christ's for ever. 73. Paul saith, u As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." 1 Cor. xv. 22. " If any man be in Christ Jesus, he is a new creature." 2 Cor. v. 17. Hence, if all shall be made alive in Christ ^ they shall all be new creatures in the resurrection of the dead. Belsham says, " The apostle's language is so clear and full with respect to the final happiness of those who are thus raised, and that their resurrection to life will be ultimately a blessing, that the generality of Chris- tians have supposed, that he is here treating of the res- urrection of the virtuous only. But that is not the fact. He evidently speaks of the restoration of the whole hu- man race. All who die by Adam shall be raised by Christ ; otherwise the apostle's assertion would be un- true. The case then would have been this, as in Adam all die, so in Christ shall a select number, a small pro- portion, be made alive. But this is not the apostle's doctrine. His expressions are equally universal in each clause. ALL die in Adam. The same ALL, without any exception, without any restriction, shall by Christ be restored to life, and ultimately to holiness and ever- lasting happiness." 74. Death, the last enemy, shall be destroyed. 1 Cor. xv. 26. If death be the last enemy, and if that shall be destroyed, there will no enemies to the happi- ness of man remain after the resurrection. 75. Paul, in his account of the resurrection, does not admit of the existence of sin in the immortal state. " So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption, it is- raised in incorruption ; * * * * it is raised in glory . ***** it is raised in power ; * * * * * i t is ra i se( i a spiritual body." 1 Cor. xv. SCRIPTURAL EVIDENCES OF UNIVERSALISM. 49 42-44. When the apostle cries out triumphantly, u O death ! where is thy sting ? " he certainly means, that sin was absent, for " the sting of death is sin." 76. Paul saith, u that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses un- to them." 2 Cor. v. 19. It is not said, that God was in Christ reconciling himself to the world, for he was never unreconciled to the world ; but God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. By " the world " in this place is undoubtedly intended all for whom Christ died. God was engaged in this work ; he had appoint- ed the means for its accomplishment ; and we believe, under his wise direction, it will be done. 77. Paul saith to the Galatians, u There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female ; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Gal. iii. 28, 29. According to what promise ? Answer. Ac- cording to the promise of God to Abraham, that in him, and his seed [Christ], all the nations, kindreds, and fami- lies of the earth shall be blessed. In Christ, therefore, none of the distinctions are known of which Paul there speaks. u Ye are all one in Christ Jesus." That point being settled, he adds, " and if ye be Christ's [as he had proved] then are ye Abraham's seed, [that is, not by lineal descent, but spiritually] , and heirs accord- ing to the promise." 78. He saith, that to Jesus was given " a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth ; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philip, ii. 9-11. Pro- fessor Stuart, of Andover, says, in his " Letters to Dr. Channing," " Things in heaven, earth, and under the earth, is a common periphrasis of the Hebrew and New Testament writers, for the universe (TO nv or ra ) What can be meant by things in heaven, that 5 50 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. is, beings in heaven, bowing the knee to Jesus, if spir- itual worship be not meant ? " So much from Profes- sor Stuart. Now if the universe [that is, all men without exception] are to render spiritual and divine worship to Christ, will they not all be holy and happy ? 79. The foregoing reason is confirmed by the fact, that u if we confess with the mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in the heart that God hath raised him from the dead, we shall be saved." Rom. x. 9. 80. It pleased the Father, by his son Jesus, " to reconcile all things unto himself, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven." Col. i. 19, 20. This is a similar periphrasis to that spoken of by Professor Stuart, [see section 78,] which signifies the universe. The phrase, " all things," as Archbishop Newcome observes, signifies all intelligent beings. It is God's pleasure u to reconcile all things unto himself," an irrefutable argument in proof of the final holiness and happiness of all men. 81. Paul directed Timothy to pray and give thanks for all men, which was agreeable to the will of God to "have all men to be saved," who had appointed a me- diator to give himself " a ransom for all." 1 Tim. ii. 1-6. Paul's argument in this place is as follows: I exhort first, that supplication, prayers, intercessions, and giving -of thanks be made for all men. None are excluded from the divine favor ; all have something to be grateful for ; for God is kind and good to ALL. He will have all men to be saved, which is the highest proof of his regard for all men ; and to this end he has sent his Son to die for all men, in execution of the divine purpose to bring all to, the enjoyment of salvation. 82. God is called " the Saviour of all men." 1 Tim. iv. 10. This title is applied to Jehovah, be- ' cause he is the source of salvation. He wills the sal- vation of all ; he hath purposed the salvation of all ; he hath promised salvation to all ; and hath confirmed that promise by an oath. Hence, he is originally the Saviour of all men. SCRIPTURAL EVIDENCES OF UMVERSALISM. 51 83. The u grace of God bringeth salvation to all men, and teacheth us, that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world." Titus ii. 11, 12. Adam Clarke remarks, " It cannot be said, except in a very refined and spiritual sense, that this Gospel had then ap- peared to all men ; but it may be well said, that it bringeth salvation to all men ; this is its design ; and it was to taste death for every man, that its author came into the world." Again, he adds ; " As the light and heat of the sun are denied to no nation nor individual, so the grace of the Lord Jesus ; this also shines out upon all ; and God designs that all mankind shall be as equally benefited by it, in reference to their souls, as they are in respect to their bodies, by the sun that shines in the firmament of heaven." 84. Christ is to " destroy^ him that had the power of death, that is, the devlD' 'Heb. ii. 14. Christ will destroy all evil, and banish it entirely from the universe, 85. Paul says, u we which have believed do enter into rest ; " which could not be true, if they believed in the doctrine of endless misery. Heb. iv. 3. 86. " It is impossible for God to lie," who hath sworn to Abraham to bless all the kindreds of the earth, in his seed, which is Christ.- Heb. vi. 18. If God could be false to his own promise, then the world might not be saved ; but u it is impossible for God to lie." Therefore, all men, without exception, shall at last be blessed in Christ Jesus. 87. Paul hath repeated the testimony of Jeremiah, concerning God's covenant with the house of Israel ; " all shall know we, from the least to the greatest." Heb. viii. 1 1 . This is a pledge of the previous salvation of the Gentile world. The word of God assures us, that the Gentiles shall be fellow-heirs with the Jews, of the blessings of the Gospel. God says, " all shall know me, from the least to the greatest." All the children of Israel, all the descendants of Abraham ; not those who may happen to be upon the earth at any 52 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. particular time, but the whole posterity of the patri- arch, without exception. This is similar to what Paul declares, Rom. xi. 26. 88. God never chastens us but " for our profit," causing all chastisement " afterward to yield the^ peace- able fruit of righteousness unto them which are exer cised thereby." Heb. xii. 10, 11. How, then, can the doctrine of endless punishment be true ? If God's chastisements afterward yield the peaceable fruits of righteousness, how can they be endless ? THE TESTIMONY OF JOHN. 89. " The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from ALL sin." 1 John i. 7. There is no sin, that the blood of Christ will not wash away. Though our sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow ; and, though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Jesus can save the chief of sinners. 1 Tim. i. 15. He has the will, no less than the power ; therefore, all men will be saved by his grace. 90. " For this purpose the Son of God was mani- fested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." 1 John iii. 8. Sin is the work of the devil, and will be destroyed ; but men are the workmanship of God, and will not be ultimately destroyed. Jesus shall de- stroy all sin ; he came into the world for that special purpose ; and, having begun the work, he will not give over, until it is completely accomplished. 91. The record, which God hath given of his Son, is this ; u That God hath given to jus eternal life ; and this life is in his Son." 1 John v. 11. Is this record true ? it surely is. Who are called on to believe it ? all mankind. If any man believe it not, he makes God a liar, by saying, that God's record is not true. God, then, hath certainly given eternal life to all men in his divine purpose. 92. John, the revelator, said ; u And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in SCRIPTURAL EVIDENCES OF UNIVERSALISM. 53 them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, forever and ever." Rev. v. 13. Here is another instaqce of the " common periphrasis" of the Hebrew and New Testament writers for the unir verse. Every creature shall at last pay divine honors to God and the Lamb. " If this be not spiritual wor- ship," saith Prof. Stuart, " I am unable to produce a case, where worship can be called spiritual and di- vine." 93. The same illustrious writer says ; u Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name ? for thou only art holy ; for all nations shall come and worship before thee ; for thy judgments are made manifest." Rev. xv. 4. Does this mean only all those nations who may happen to be upon the earth at a certain time ? or, does it mean " all nations," in the sense of the di- vine promise to Abraham ? Judge ye. 94. He also says ; " The tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God." Rev. xxi. 3. When this is fulfilled, all men will be reconciled to God. The Gospel is de- signed to make every heart the dwelling-place of the Holy Spirit ; and, when the purpose of the Gospel shall be fully accomplished, God shall reign in the hearts of all men. 95. He furthermore declares, that " God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes ; and THERE SHALL BE NO MORE DEATH, neither sorrow, nor crying ; neither shall there be any more pain ; for the former things are passed away." Rev. xxi. 4. Thus, we see the doc- trine of eternal weeping, eternal sighing, eternal sorrow, eternal pain, is false ; false as the Bible is true. And, although we read, in the. Scriptures, of the second death, yet, if we read of thirty deaths, it would be no argument against Universalism, since the time is to come, when " THERE SHALL BE NO MORE DEATH." 5* 54 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. 96. God induces all good people to pray for the sal- vation of all men, which he could not do, if it were opposed to his will ; because, " if we ask any thing ac- cording to his will, he heareth us," 1 John v. 14 ; and because "the desire of the righteous shall be granted." Prov. x. 24. 97. Peter said ; " Believing ye rejoice with joy un- speakable and FULL OF GLORY." Can it be possible that they believed in the doctrine of endless sin and misery ? Would this have made them rejoice with un- speakable joy ? Not unless they were demons in hu- man form. 98. All the threatenings of the word of God, when properly understood, harmonize with the doctrine of Universalism ; the punishments spoken of being limited punishments only, and no threatening or law extending sin, or its consequences, beyond the resurrec- tion. m***&t 99. Universalism is the only hypothesis in which the perfections of God can harmonize, since, if men are lost forever by God's decree or permission, it impeaches his goodness ; if, by his neglect or want of foreknowledge, it impeaches his icisdom ; or, if sin be too mighty for him, and rebels too stubborn for him to subdue, it impeaches his power. 100. Lastly ; u Ml things shall be subdued unto Christ^ Christ shall be subject unto him that put all things under him, that GOD MAY BE ALL IN ALL." 1 Cor. xv. 28. OLD TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 55 CHAPTER IV. PASSAGES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT EXPLAINED, WHICH ARE ADDUCED TO DISPROVE THE SENTIMENTS OF UNI- VERSALISTS. I. THERE are but few passages in the old Testa- ment, which are adduced in proof of the doctrine of endless misery ; and these are not always adduced singly, and written out in full, but are generally given in shreds and patches, with a sort of connexion, arranged by the author who quotes them, to suit himself. In proof and illustration of this, we offer the following extract from Hawes's " Reasons for not embracing the Doctrine of Universal Salvation," page 15. The author professes to lay before his readers a comprehensive view of what the Bible s,ays, in regard to the future punishment of the wicked, meaning, thereby, their endless punishment. We quote here what he states in regard to the evidence found in the Old Testament. " To begin with the Old Testament : it is said of the wicked, they are to be 6 turned into hell ; ' ' their name ' is to be ' put out for- ever ; ' ' the portion of their cup ' is ' snares, fire, and brimstone, and a horrible tempest ; ' they ' shall per- ish ; consume into smoke ; consume away ; ' they 1 shall die in their iniquity ; ' they ' shall rise to shame and everlasting contempt ; ' their ' joy is but for a mo- ment ; ' their 'candle shall be put out,' and their ' hopes perish ; ' their ' hope is like the giving up of the ghost ; ' their ' triumphing is short ; ' their end is to be cut off;' a day which ' burns like an oven, shall burn them up, and leave them neither root nor branch ; ' they ' shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy ; ' God ' will laugh at their calamity, and mock when their fear cometh ; ' he will ' tear them in pieces, and there shall be none to deliver ; ' their ' expectations shall perish ; ' their 'hope shall be cut off, and their trust be a spider's web.' " 56 PLAIN GUIDE TO UMVERSALISM. Is this the way to show what the Bible teaches ? What doctrine may not appear to be proved from the Bible, if a writer may gather up shreds and fragments of Scripture in this manner, and weave them together in any order and form that may suit his own taste ? It dis- plays somewhat the taste of the wag, who attempted to prove it the duty of men to commit suicide, by adduc- ing these words ; " Ju'das departed, and went and hanged himself," a Go, and do thou likewise." II. We sometimes find Gen. ii. 17, referred to, to prove the doctrine of endless misery ; u In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die." Luther Lee states, u The penalty of the divine law is, in itself, an endless curse ; " (Universalism Examined, p. 242 ;) and he adduces Gen. ii. 17, in proof. The objection which has been so long urged against Universalists, that the serpent in the garden of Eden preached Universal- ism to our first parents, when he said, cc ye shall not surely die," is founded upon the presumption, that the death threatened in case of disobedience is endless death. But look at the passage. Is it said, thou shalt die endlessly ? No. Is it said, thou shalt die in the future state ? No. Is it said, thou shalt die at some future time 7 No. But these are the words ; "In the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die ; " in that very day, at that very time. There is not the slightest intimation given in the Scriptures, that this death was endless death. Adam Clarke supposed this death to be physical^ not eternal. The phrase, which is ren- dered u thou shalt surely die," he translates, a death thou shalt die, or, dying thou shalt die. " Other mean- ings," he adds, "have been given of this passage, but they are, in general, either fanciful or incorrect." Com. on Gen. ii, 17. Universalists in general sup- pose this death to be a moral death, a falling from a state of purity to a state of transgression and guilt ; but a few, like Clarke, consider it to be natural, or physical death. OLD TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 57 III. Gen. vi. 3. "And the Lord said, my spirit shall not always strive with man." By what rule can the doctrine of endless misery be inferred from this passage ? Different views have been taken of its sense. Some suppose that God will not al- ways strive with man, because, after he has striven suffi- ciently, he will give them over to punishment. Thus, Adam Clarke, u God delights in mercy, and, therefore, a gracious warning is given : even at this time, the earth was ripe for destruction, but God promises them one hundred and twenty years' respite ; if they repented in that interim, well : if not, they should be destroyed by a flood," (Com. on Gen. vi. 3.) not sentenced to endless misery. There are others, who suppose God's spirit will not always strive with man, because it will be rendered unnecessary by^ the conversion of the creature. It is supposed by some, that it would be impossible for man, a child of dust, to endure always the strivings of his Maker ; and, for this reason, he will not always strive with man. So Isaiah seems to speak, in God's behalf. " I will not contend forever, neither will I be always wroth : for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made." Isaiah Ivii. 16. Which- ever view of the passage the reader may adopt, we are sure, that no just interpretation will favor the doctrine of endless misery. IV. Deut. xxxii. 22. " For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell." This passage is quoted by Parsons Cooke, and J. M. Davis as proof of endless misery. Certainly, the pas- sage has no reference to the future state. See the whole verse and context. " For a fire is kindled in mine an- ger, and shall burn unto the lowest (sheol) hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. I will heap mis- chief upon them ; I will spend my, arrows upon them. They shall be burned with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction ; I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of 58 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSAL ISM. serpents of the dust. The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin ; the suckling, also, with the man of gray hairs." Can this passage be justly applied to the future state ? Will men be burnt with hunger in the immortal world ? Will the teeth of beasts be upon them there ? and the poison of serpents ? Will the sword destroy them in that world ? Adam Clarke honestly applies the passage to the temporal destruction of the Jews. He says, the lowest hell signifies, u the very deepest destruction ; a total extermination ; so that the earth^ their land, and its increase, and all their property, should be seized, and the foundations of their, mountains, their strongest fortresses, should be razed to the ground. All this was fulfilled in a most remarkable manner, in the last destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, so that of the fortifications of that city, 4 not one stone was left upon another.'" Commentary on the place. The learned Lightfoot says, " The destruction of Jeru- salem is very frequently expressed in Scripture, as if it were the destruction of the whole world, Deut. xxxii. 22 7 ' a fire is kindled in mine anger, which shall burn unto the lowest hell,' (the discourse there is about the wrath of God consuming that people ; see verses 20, 21)." So far Lightfoot, Works, XI. p. 303. Dr. Al- len, late President of Bowdoin College, in his Lecture on Universal Salvation, grants, that the punishment re- ferred to in this passage, is u cutting off from life, de- stroying from the earth by some special judgment, and removing to the invisible state of the dead." V. Job viii. 13, 14. " The hypocrite's hope shall perish : whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider's web." It is difficult to believe, that any sensible person would adduce this passage as proof of endless pun- ishment ; yet such is the fact. We find it ^adduced in Hawes's " Reasons," in J. M. Davis's u Uni- versalism Unmasked," and in Edwards against Chaun- cey. Does the hypocrite never find, in this life, that his hope has perished ? that it has become like a OLD TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 59 spider's web ? Look at the context. " He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand." Thus his hope, his confidence, his support on which he leaned, failed him. " He shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure. He is green before the sun, and his branch shooteth forth in his garden." Does this language apply to the immortal existence ? Evidently it does not. VI. Job. xi. 20. " But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost." All this frequently happens in the present state of being ; such is the fate of the wicked in all ages ; and yet Edwards, Strong, and Hawes adduce this text in proof of endless punishment. The language in Job xi. 20, is that of Zophar, see xi. 1. At the conclusion of the chapter, in reviewing what Zophar had said, Adam Clarke remarks, cc Zophar seems to have had a full con- viction of the all-governing providence of God ; and that those who served him with an honest and upright heart would be ever distinguished in the distribution of temporal good. He seems, however, to think, that re- wards and punishments were distributed in this life ; and does not refer, at least, very evidently, to the future state. Probably his information on subjects of divinity did not extend much beyond the grave." VII. "The triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment. Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds, yet he shall per- ish forever," &c. Job xx. 5-7. Strong and Hawes both adduce this passage as proof of endless punishment ; but what circumstance is here mentioned, that will prove endless misery ? He shall perish forever. So far from regarding this expression as proof of endless misery, Dr. A. Clarke, on the con- trary, supposes, that it rather shows, that the writer of it did not believe in any future existence whatsoever. His comment is as follows. u< He is dust, and shall return to the dust from which he was taken.' Zophar here hints his disbelief in that doctrine, the resurrection 60 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. of the body, which Job had so solemnly asserted in the preceding chapter, or he might have been like some in the present day, who believe that the wicked shall be an- nihilated, and the bodies of the righteous only be raised from the dead ; but I know of no scripture by which such a doctrine is confirmed." How sadly the advo- cates of endless misery disagree in regard to their proof texts. VIII. " The wicked is reserved to the day of destruction, they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath." Job xxi. 30. This is one of Dr. Strong's proof texts of endless misery ; Dr. Ely also adduces it with much confidence. But is there the least hint given, that this day of de- struction and wrath is after death ? If this punishment is not to commence until death, it is hardly possible, that Job would have said concerning the wicked to whom he referred, u The clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him." This would be singular language if Job had be- lieved, that the punishment of the wicked was reserved until his death. Ev. A. C. Thomas remarks, " Ko- rah and his company were reserved until the people had departed c from the tents of those wicked men,' and then the earth opened and swallowed them up, with all that appertained to them. Numbers xvi. The Sodom- ites were reserved until Lot had departed from the city, then they were destroyed, together with all that grew upon the ground. Gen. xix. The antediluvians were reserved until Noah and his family were safe in the ark, then came the day of destruction, and every living thing died that moved upon the face of the earth, Gen. viii. You thus perceive, that the wick- ed are reserved to the day of destruction, and of wrath, in the present life." Theological Discussion, p. 96. IX. " For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gain- ed, when God taketh away his soul ? " Job xxvii. 8. This is adduced by Edwards, in his book against Chauncey. The hope of the hypocrite is good for nothing at any time, neither in the hour of prosper- OLD TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 61 ity or adversity, of life or of death. Let any one read the remainder of the chapter, particularly verses 13-23, and he will see, that Job did not intend to be under- stood, that the punishment of the wicked is not in this life. By reading the whole chapter, the subject is made plain. X. *' Is not destruction to the wicked ? and a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity ? " Job xxxi. 3. This is adduced as proof of endless misery by Strong, in his book against Huntington. Is it declared, that this destruction is in the future state ? that this strange pun- ishment is beyond the grave ? No, not the slightest hint of that kind is given ; and therefore the passage proves nothing in favor of endless misery. XL " Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name forever and ever." Psalms ix. 5. [Strong and Dr. Ely quote Psalms i. 5, 6, in proof of endless misery ; but it is unnecessary to notice pas- sages that are in their true sense so obviously and utter- ly remote from the subject to which they are applied.] Psalms ix. 5, is adduced by Strong and Havves. The evident sense of the passage is, thou hast destroy- ed the heathen from off the face of the earth ; and they shall be remembered no more. A. Clarke says, on this verse, u we know not what this particularly refers to ; but it is, most probably, to the Canaanitish nations, which God destroyed from off the face of the earth." Thou hast put out their name forever, he understands- to signify, that these nations will never again be restored to Canaan. XII. " The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God." Psalms ix. 17. Strong, Hawes, Lee, Cooke, Davis, Ely, Stuart, and a host of others of like faith, agree in applying this passage to the subject of endless punishment. It is ev- idently regarded as one of the strong proof texts of that doctrine. But let us be careful Does the passage say, the 62 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. V wicked shall be turned into hell in the future world 9 No, it does not. It merely asserts the fact, that the wicked shall be turned into hell ; and it is mere assump- tion in any writer, without offering proof, to consider sheol, in this instance, as signifying a place of endless punishment. It is taking for granted the very point in dispute. Let the believers in endless misery prove, if 'they can, that sheol signifies a place of endless punish- ment. Dr. Allen, then president of Bowdoin College, pub- lished a sermon in reply to Balfour's u First Inquiry ;" but he was constrained to confess, that Psalms ix. 17 could not be justly considered as proving endless mise- ry. He said, " The punishment expressed is cutting off from life, destroying from the earth, by some special judgment, and removing to the invisible state of the dead. The term (sheol) does not seem to mean, with certainty, any thing more than the state of the dead in their deep abode." Dr. Allen was not a Universalist ; he was not led by any doctrinal bias to come to the con- clusion which he adopted ; indeed, the bias was all the other way ; but the force of truth constrained him to make the above acknowledgment, Those who wish to see a full explanation of this sub- ject, and its true sense clearly set forth, are referred to an article in the "Universalist Expositor," Vol. IV. pp. 65-68. See also " Ely and Thfcmas's Discus- sion," pp. 128, 129 ; and Balfour's "First Inquiry," on the passage. The passage will bear a general application to all wicked men, although we suppose David originally had reference to the heathen nations with whom he had to contend. Sheol is frequently used by the sacred writers, as a figure of darkness, and deep distress of mind, into which sin always plunges the transgressor. In this sense it may be said, all the wicked, and all the nations that forget God, shall be turned into sheol. Thus David was turned into hell, when he was a sinner. Hence he said, " the pains of hell gat hold upon me," OLD TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 63 (Psalms cxvi. 3.) which he explained by adding, " T found trouble and sorrow." This is precisely the Uni- versalist's understanding of this matter. When men dis- obey the commands of God, they find trouble and sor- row, the pains of hell get hold upon them, they are cast into sheol. This is a sense which the word very frequently bears in the Old Testament. When David, by timely repentance, was delivered from his trouble and sorrow, he considered himself as having been delivered from sheol, hell ; and hence, in one place, he praises God for such a deliverance. " I will praise thee, O Lord my God, and glorify thy name forevermore, for great is thy mercy toward me ; and thou hast delivered my soul from the LOWEST HELL." (Psalm Ixxxvi. 12, 13.) The Psalmist surely was in this world when he uttered these words ; he had suffered the pains of sheol in this world ; he had been delivered from the lowest sheol while in this world. He attempted to augment the force of the word sheol, the lowest sheol, which added to the power of the description. He was plunged into the deepest sorrow, the lowest depression ; and that state of mind and heart is what he intended by the u lowest hell," from which God in mercy delivered him. A similar use of the word, we find in Jonah ii. 2. "I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me ; out of the belly of (sheol) hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice." What did he intend here by the belly of sheol ? See the 1st verse. "Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly." God had cast him into the deep, in the midst of the seas ; and the floods compassed him about, the billows and waves passed over him. He had been swallowed by a great fish, and had been in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. This was the hell, or sheo^ out of which he cried, and from which God delivered him. This is all we think it necessary to say, on Psalms ix. 17. Before this passage can be adduced in proof of endless punishment, it must be proved beyond all 64 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. dispute, that sheol, in this instance, refers to a state of misery beyond the resurrection of the dead. XIII. " Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brim- stone, and a horrible tempest ; this shall be the portion of their cup." Psalms xi. 6. Several of the principal defenders of endless misery quote this, viz. Strong, Davis, Hawes, Ely, and oth- ers. But what proof does it afford of the doctrine of endless misery ? Is there the least intimation given, that this punishment was to be poured out in the future state ? David was justified, by his knowledge of sa- cred history, in using the above language as descriptive of the punishment of sinners in this life. God had punished sinners in this world, before David was born, in the manner referred to by him. u The Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven ; arid he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground." Now here is an instance in which the language of the passage before us, was literally fulfilled in this world. Dr. Clarke says of these words, u This is a manifest allusion to the de- struction of Sodom and Gomorrah." Com. on Psa. xi. 6. Before we can allow that the above passage refers to a future state of punishment, we must see some proof of it. It seems to us, the evidence is all on the other side. XIV. "Arise, O Lord, disappoint him, cast him down ; deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword ; from men which are thy hand, O Lord, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life." Psalms xvii. 13, 14. Andrew Fuller, President Edwards, J. M. Davis, and many others, adduce this as proof of endless pun- ishment. The argument is this ; if men of the world have their portion in this life, there will be no happi- ness for them after death. But try this argument on the other side. If " men of the world," i. e. wicked men, have their portion in this life, there will be no misery for them after death. Why is not this inference OLD TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 65 as good as the other ? The plain question is, what is the portion of the wicked ? Look at the passage under section XIII. " Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and a horrible tempest ; this shall be the portion of their cup." Well, where do they get this portion? Ans. " In this life," according to the passage we are now considering. We read in Job, u This is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the heritage appointed unto him by God." xx. 29. Now let any one read the preceding verses, viz. 4-28, and he will see that it is trouble and sorrow upon the earth, which is declared to be the portion of a wick- ed man from God. Eternal torments in hell is the portion denounced on the wicked by uninspired men ; but trouble and sorrow in this life u is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the heritage appointed unto him by God." Job himself says of the wicked, " their portion is cursed in the earth." xxiv. 18. Isaiah says, " God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind. And behold, at evening-tide trouble ; and before the morning he is not. This is the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us." xvii. 13, 14. Was not this portion in this life ? It was said of Nebuchadnezzar, " Let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth." Daniel iv. 15, 23. See also, Matt. xxiv. 51, Luke xii. 46. The poriion of a righteous man is directly of an op- posite nature. He trusts in God. " The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance." Psalms xvi. 5, Ixxiii. 26, cxix. 57, "I cried unto thee, O, Lord ; I said, thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living." cxlii. 5. Lamen. iii. 24. Warburton is clearly of opinion, that this passage (Psa. xvii. 13, 14) has no reference to the future state. See Div. Leg. Book vi. Sec. 3 ; and Dr. A. Clarke gives the passage a similar interpretation in that respect. See his Com. on the place. 6* 66 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. XV. " But the wicked shall perish; and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs ; they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away." Psalms xxxvii. 20. " The transgressors shall be destroyed together; the end of the wicked shall be cut off" Ver. 38. Strong and Hawes, with several others, adduce these passages as proof of endless misery. But how weak are such attempts to sustain that cruel and un- scriptural doctrine ! This is the common language employed by the sacred writers to describe the trouble and vanity of wicked men in this life. "When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth ; and when the wicked perish there is shouting." Prov. xi. 10. Shall this be fulfilled in the immortal state'? or does it take place in this world ? The sinful prodigal perished when he left his father's house. Luke xv. 11. The scriptural sense of the word perish is to sink, to fail, to be overcome, to be driven away, to be disap- pointed, to be slain in battle, &c. &c. All these things happen to the wicked in the present life. The word consume has the same sense. " I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pes- tilence." Jer. xiv. 12. The same may be said of the phrase destroy. Thus Moses describes God's over- throw of the Egyptian hosts. "In the greatness of thy excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee ; thou sentest forth thy wrath which con- sumed them as stubble. ***** My lust shall be satisfied upon them ; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them." Exodus xv. 7-9. This is ex- plained further by ver. 10. " Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them ; they sank as lead in the mighty waters." How can it be doubted, that all the terms employed in the passage before us, are used by the sacred writers to describe the overthrow and punishment of the wick- ed in the present life ? We call upon the writers who adduce these passages in support of the doctrine of endless misery, to bring OLD TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 67 forward some text like this : The wicked shall perish in the immortal state ; into smoke shall they consume away in the immortal state ; the transgressors shall be destroyed beyond the grave ; the end of the wicked shall be cut off in eternity. They ought at least to adduce one passage which speaks of the punishment of the wicked, in which it is evident the punishment mustv necessarily be confined to the immortal existence. We % ask for one such text. XVI. " Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them ; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morn- ing ; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwel- ling. But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave ; for he shall receive me." Psalms xlix. 14, 15. This text is adduced by Parsons Cooke to prove endless misery. Is there one word intimated in regard to punishment after the resurrection of the dead ? Not a syllable. A careful observer of Old Testament phraseology, will be unwilling to adduce a passage like this in proof of endless punishment. Warburton says, " The literal meaning of this passage is, as appears by the context, that the wicked should be untimely cut off and destroyed, in the morning, that is, by the judg- ment of the law, which was administered in the morn- ing hours ; but that his [the Psalmist's] life, and the life of the upright, should be preserved and prolonged. Here, once for all, let me desire the objectors to consid- er, what it is that is ever opposed in the many places of this sort to life, redemption, &c. It is not misery, torments, &c., as it must have been, did life literally signify eternal life in a future state ; but it is death, which shows it was a life here on earth." Divine Le- gation, Book vi. Sec. 3. XVII. " Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver." Psalms 1. 22. Is there the slightest proof that this refers to the fu- ture state of existence ? Not at all ; yet J. M. Da- vis, Hawes, and many others, adduce the passage as positive proof of endless suffering. Men certainly 68 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. forget God in this life ; and both literally and metaphor- ically, they get torn to pieces in this life, when there is none to deliver. The author of the book of Lamen- tations says, " He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces : he hath made me desolate." iii. 11. To be torn in pieces is a metaphor signifying to be crushed^ to be put down, to be utterly oppressed. XVIII. " As smoke is driven away, so drive them away ; as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish in the presence of God." Psalms Ixviii. 2. Dr. Strong adduces this text in proof of endless torments. But is there the slightest proof that the punishment here described is to be inflicted in the im- mortal existence ? Are not these metaphors of pre- cisely the same character with those we have noticed in other passages, and shown to be applied to punishments in this life ? What more, then, is it necessary for us to say ? Will the caviller pretend, that because the wick- ed are to perish in the presence of God, therefore their punishment must be in the future state ? If this posi- tion be assumed, then we say the objector is ignorant of the scriptural sense of the phrase " presence of the Lord." See the following texts. "Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod." Gen. iv. 16. Was the land of Nod in this world ? God said to Moses, when he was on his way to Canaan, " My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest." Exodus xxxiii. 14, and Moses replied, u If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence." Ver. 15. See also, 1 Chron. xvi. 27, 33. Psalms xcv. 2, xcvii. 5, c. 2, cxiv. 7. Jer. iv. 26. Jonah i. 3, 10. The presence of God was in the ark ; it was afterwards in the temple upon Mount Zi- on ; and, in the same sense, it is in any place where God makes himself known, and reveals his power and glory to the children of men. Acts x. 33. XIX. PSALM Ixxiii. The whole of the seventy-third Psalm is relied on by a few authors, to prove the doctrine of endless mis- OLD TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 69 ery. After having quoted three or four verses from this Psalm, Luther Lee remarks ; " This is their end, which the Psalmist learned in the sanctuary of God, and if their end is to be cast down into de- struction, and to be utterly consumed with terrors, they cannot be saved." Such is Mr. Lee's argument. It proceeds on this false assumption, that, by the end of the wicked, is meant their endless destiny in the immor- tal state. We deny that position. We say, by the end of the wicked, in that place, nothing relating to their eternal destiny was intended. Take one passage in proof of this, out of fifty which we might quote ; " Son of man, thus saith the Lord God unto the land of Israel ; an end, the end is come upon the four cor- ners of the land. Now is the end come upon thee, and I will send mine anger upon thee, and will judge thee ac- cording to thy ways, and will recompense upon thee all thine abominations." " An end is come, the end is come ; it watcheth for thee ; BEHOLD, IT is COME !" &c. &c. Ezek. vii. 1-15. Now, this was the end of the wicked of which Ezekiel spoke ; and, so far from putting it in the future state, he said, "BEHOLD, IT is COME ! " Let Mr. Lee, or any other writer, ad- duce a passage which sjates, that the end of the wicked is destruction in the immortal state, and then he will do something to his purpose. XX. " The Lord preserveth all them that love him ; but all the wicked will he destroy." Psalm cxlv. 20. This text is adduced by Strong, and some others, in proof of endless misery. But what possible proof does it furnish ? Does it say, that God will destroy the wicked in the future state 9 It says nothing of the kind. Now, that is the very thing to be proved. Is it intimated, that this destruction is endless ? Not at all. Is the least reference made here to the immortal condition of man in any way ? Certainly not. It is useless, then, to adduce the passage as proof of endless misery. 70 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. XXI. " 1 also will laugh at your calamity ; I will mock when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as a desolation, and your de- struction cometh as a whirlwind ; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer ; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me." Prov. i. 26-29. This seems to be a prominent text with the believers in endless misery. Edwards, Davis, Strong, Hawes, Lee, and almost every other writer who has defended endless misery, has adduced it for that purpose. Against this array of authority, we bring forward the simplicity of divine truth. We object to the common interpretation of this pas- sage, that there is not the least reference in the pas- sage, to the immortal existence ; there is no reference to physical death, no reference to the subsequent resur- rection, no reference to eternity. If there be such ref- erence, let it be pointed out. The common under- standing is, that this language is to be addressed by Je- hovah to the sinner at the day of judgment. But, that this supposition is not correct, see the 20th verse. u Wisdom crieth without, she uttereth her voice in the streets,-" &c. And then, " Because I [wisdom] have called and ye refused, I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded ; but ye have set at nought all my [wisdom's] counsel, and would none of my [wis- dom's] reproof; I also will laugh at your calamity," &c. Here, we see, it is wisdom personified, that ad- dresses the children of men in this manner. Wisdom says to every man, if you do not attend to my words, and give heed to my counsels, I shall not assist you in the day of your sorrows. You will call upon me then, but I cannot benefit you ; because you have slighted my reproof. The experience of every foolish man proves the truth of Solomon's words. Even if fools prosper, it is but for a moment; for " the prosperity of fools shall destroy them." ver. 32. Dr. Adam Clarke honestly confesses, in the same paragraph in which he insists most earnestly upon the OLD TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 71 endless damnation of the sinner, that the passage we are considering has no reference to the eternal state of men. u Nor can any thing spoken here be considered as applying, or applicable, to the eternal state of the persons in question ; much less to the case of any man convinced of sin, who is crying to God for mercy." Com. on the place. XXII. " Her feet go down to death ; her steps take hold on hell." Prov. v. 5. Here we have an instance of the parallelism which we so frequently meet with in Hebrew poetry. The same truth is stated in both parts of the verse. " Her feet go down to death ; her steps take hold on (sheol) Ac//." Here death and sheol, or hell, are used in precisely the same sense. The sense of the passage is, that the so- ciety of a lewd woman, of whom Solomon was speak- ing, would bring a man to an early, sudden, or ignomin- ious death. Prof. Stuart's remarks are very reasonable on this point. He says ; " To die, in. the usual man- ner, is not a special penalty of wickedness ; and, there- fore, the threats of death, directed against particular acts of wickedness, can never be rationally regarded as having reference to any thing but sudden, premature, and violent death. That c the wicked shall not live put half their days,' is an assurance, repeated in many forms, and in a great variety of ways, in the Old Tes- tament scriptures. In this point of view, it is pos- sible, I concede, to interpret all the texts which exhibit sheol as having a reference merely to the grave ; and, therefore, it is possible to interpret such ones as Prov. v. 5 ; ix. 18, and xxiii. 14, as designating a death vio- lent and premature, inflicted by the hand of heaven." Exeget. Essays, p. 3. XXIII. " When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish ; and the hope of unjust men perisheth." Prov. xi. 7. This is one of the texts frequently adduced in proof of endless misery ; Edwards, Davis, Strong, Hawes, and many others, quote it for that purpose. There is no truth more frequently or more clearly declared in the 72 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. word of God, than that the expectations of the wicked shall perish. The hopes of wicked men are principally placed on the present life. They hope for great hap- piness, for plenty, for long life ; but their wickedness frequently cuts short their existence, and all their ex- pectations flee away at once. The passage has no ref- erence to the future state. Warburton says, on this text; "-It appears by the context, (that is, by the whole tenor of these moral precepts and aphorisms,) that the expectation which should deceive is that of worldly,- wicked men to establish themselves in their prosperity." Divine Legation, Book vi. Sec. 3. XXIV. " The wicked is driven away in his wickedness ; but the righteous hath hope in his death " Prov. xiv. 32. This passage is almost precisely of the same import with the one we last considered. The wicked is driven away in his wickedness, that is, he finds no stability in iniquity ; he is like the chaff, which the wind driveth away. But does the passage assert, that the wicked are driven into endless punishment ? No ; it asserts nothing of the kind. In order to express the common doctrine which is inferred from this passage, it should read, " the wicked is driven into endless pun- ishment in the future world ; " but as nothing of that kind is said, so we presume nothing like it is meant. Warburton says, concerning the above passage ; " The righteous hath hope that he shall be delivered from the most imminent dangers. So the Psalmist ; c upon them that hope in his mercy, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.' And again ; ' thou hast delivered my soul from death ; wilt not thou de- liver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living.' " Divine Legation, Book vi. Sec. 3. XXV. " For there shall be no reward to the evil man ; the candle of the wicked shall be put out." Prov. xxiv. 20. As strange as it may seem, yet Strong and Hawes both adduce this passage in proof of endless punishment. Is there the least reference here to the immortal exis- OLD TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 73 tence ? Not at all. Do not the wicked frequently find punishment in this world ? Is not their candle frequent- ly put out here ? Are they not in darkness here ? XXVI. " He that, being often reproved, hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy." Prov. xxix. 1. Almost all the defenders of endless misery quote this text. But there are several particulars which ought to be clearly expressed in this text, in order to give it power to support a hereafter, endless punishment, which are not thus expressed. 1 . That the destruction here meant is in a future state. Of this, the text says noth- ing. 2. That one destroyed, in a scripture sense, can- not find help, or deliverance. This is not stated in the text. If it be said, the text says, " without remedy," it may be replied, that this may mean no more, than that the destruction in the case pointed out cannot be pre- vented ; or it may mean, that in the sense in which the destruction takes place, restoration is not to be ex- pected. The house of Israel may be considered as an example of our subject. God was pleased to reprove them often by his prophets, but no people were ever more hardened, or more miserably destroyed. The prophet Hosea says, xiii. 9, " O Israel, thou hast de- stroyed thyself ; but in me is thine help." Thus we see sinners may be destroyed, and yet afterwards find help in the Lord. XXVII. "For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.' Eccl. xii. 14. And here we inquire, as we have done in many other cases, is the least reference made to the future state of existence ? Is it said, " God shall bring every work into judgment " in the future, immortal existence ? No such statement is made. The Saviour said, when on earth, " Now is the judgment of this world," John xii. 31 ; "for judgment I am come into this world," ix. 39 ; " verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth," Psalms Iviii. 11. In the light which these passages, 7 74 PLAIN GUIDE TO UN1VERSALISM. and many similar ones that we might quote, shed upon this passage, how can it be maintained, that Solomon was speaking of a judgment in the future state ? See Prov. xi. 31. XXVJII. " Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings ? " Isaiah xxxiii. 14. What fire was here referred to ? The preceding words are, " The sinners in Zion are afraid ; fearful- ness hath surprised the hypocrites.' 7 What is more likely, then, than that the fire in Zion is referred to ? " The Lord's fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusa- lem." Isaiah xxxi. 9. See also Ezek. xxii. 17-22. It is true, the term " everlasting burnings " occurs; but the term everlasting proves not that these burnings are in the future state, for it was the custom of the Hebrew writers to apply the term here rendered everlasting to things of a temporal nature, as the possession of Ca- naan by the Jews (Gen. xvii. 8, xlviii. 4) ; the hills (Gen. xlix. 26) ; the Levitical priesthood (Exodus xl. 15, Numbers xxv. 13) ; the statutes of Moses (Lev. xvi. 34); the mountains (Hab. iii. 6). " The Lord's fire is in Zion." " Who among us," says the prophet, u shall dwell with devouring fire ? " He goes on to answer the question, and show who shall dwell with the devouring fire. " He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly ; he that despiseth the gain of op- pressions," &c. Such were to dwell with the " devour- ing fire ; " that is, not in an endless hell in the future state ; but they were to dwell in the midst of the fiery afflic- tions that God sent upon his rebellious people, and were not to be injured by them. This is implied in the ques- tion, u who shall dwell with the devouring fire ? " that is, live in the midst of it, and not be destroyed by it. So saith the very learned Dr. Lightfoot. " Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire ? Who shall dwell with everlasting burnings ? " Yes, in the next verse, he that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly, and despis- eth the gain of oppressions ; that shaketh his hands from OLD TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 75 holding of bribes," &c., such a one shall dwell with the devouring fire, and it shall not touch him ; as the fiery furnace did not touch a hair of the three children. But look at the beginning of verse 14. u The sinners in Zion are afraid ; fearfulness hath surprised the hypo- crites ; who shall dwell with the devouring fire ? &c. Not they ; but they shall be destroyed and devoured by that consuming fire ; as those that cast -the three chil- dren into the furnace were consumed by the fire, though they came not into it." (Works, V. 324, 325.) So we see it was evidently the opinion of Lightfoot, that the devouring fire was the indignation with which God visited his rebellious people in Zion, which should devour the hypocrites and sinners, but in which the righteous should dwell without being harmed. XXIX. " And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and ever- lasting contempt." Dan. xii. 2. As it is contended by some, that a general and lite- ral resurrection of all the dead is taught in this passage, it may be useful to examine its phraseology a little. We find, then, to " repent in dust and ashes," to be " bowed down to the dust," to " lick the dust," with similar phraseology, are modes of speaking which ex- a press a humble, subjected, and even degraded condi- . tion, see Job xlii. 6 ; Isaiah xlvii. 1 ; Nahum iii. 18 ; Psalm xliv. 25, and cix. 25 ; Isaiah xxv. 12, and xxvi. 5. As a contrast to these expressions, to " arise from the dust," to " awake from the dust," and to " shake a person's self from the dust," are expressions used to signify being raised from a humble, subjected, degraded condition, to honor and happiness. See Isa. Iii. 2, xxvi. 19, 1 Sam. ii. 8, Psalms cxiii. 7, 1 Kings xvi. 2. But the phraseology in this passage is, to u sleep in the dust of the earth." The term sleep is often used to express natural death, John xi. 11-14, with many other passages. It is also used for natural sloth or in- dolence, Prov. vi. 9-11 and xxiv. 33, 34. It is also 76 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNI VERBALISM. used to express a state of national and spiritual sloth, stupidity, and death. See Isaiah xxix. 10 ; Rev. iii. 1 ; 1 Tim. v. 8 ; 1 Cor. xv. 34 ; Isaiah ]i. 17. These texts show, that persons are said to be asleep and dead, when no one thinks natural sleep or death is meant. To awake from this state, is to be brought into its oppo- site state, a life of natural, moral, or spiritual activity. See Eph. v. 14, 1 Cor. xv. 34, and Rev. xx. 5, 12, 13. It is evident from all the above texts, that such language is not only used in reference to individuals, but also na- tions. For example, Babylon, Isaiah xlvii. 1, Nah. iii. 18, Isaiah xxv. 12, and xxvi. 5. Also of Jerusalem or of the Jewish nation, Isaiah Iii. 2. By comparing 1 Kings xvi. 1 and xiv. 7, the dust seems to mean the common people, or those in a low condition ; and to be exalted out of the dust, is to be raised to office or pre- eminence among them. But look at Dan. xii. 1, 2, 3, in connexion. " Arid at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince, which standeth for the children of thy people ; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there icas a nation, even to that same time ; [see Matt. xxiv. 21 ;] AT THAT TIME thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." 'Compare verse 7, 10, 11 with Matt. xxiv. 15, and no one, we think, can fail to see, that Jesus applied the language in Dan. xii. 2, to the destruction of the Jewish nation by Titus. Our Sa- viour thus fixes the reference of Daniel's language ; and we should be careful not to contradict his testimony. Adam Clarke was clearly of opinion, that this pas- sage referred to the things of this world ; although he gives it a spiritual reference to the general resurrection. But he interprets the context generally as having refer- ence to things of time. It will be recollected, that Dr. Jahn says of this text, that it is uncertain whether it re- lates to the future state at all, although it possibly may. OLD TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 77 That deeply learned individual, Grotius, says, that this text is, in its literal meaning, a prophecy of the resto- ration of the Jewish government under the Maccabees ; though he thinks it has a spiritual allusion to the general resurrection. See Critici Sacri, in Dan. xii. XXX. " 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." Mai. iv. 1. That the destruction of the Jews is set forth under the figure of burning, is too palpably true to need con- firnmtion. Isaiah xxxi. 9 ; Ezek. xxii. 17-22. So evident is it that this passage has no reference to a judg- ment beyond the grave, that Dr. A. Clarke abandons it entirely as a proof of future misery. His notes on the passage, are the following. cc The day cometh that shall burn as an oven, the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. And all the proud, this is in refer- ence to verse 15, of the preceding chapter. The day that cometh shall burn them up, either by famine, by sword, or by captivity, all these rebels shall be destroy- ed. It shall leave them neither root nor branch ; a proverbial expression for total destruction, neither man nor child shall escape." Com. on Mai. iv. 1. Thus it will be seen, that Clarke applies the passage wholly to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. CHAPTER V. PASSAGES FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT EXPLAINED, WHICH ARE ADDUCED TO DISPROVE THE SENTIMENTS OF UNIVERSALISTS. I. " O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come ? " Matt. iii. 7. The parallel passage is Luke iii. 7. What is meant here by the u wrath to come " ? Dr. George Campbell 7* 78 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. translates the phrase, " the impending vengeance," and says it signified the u wrath about to come," which was then very near, and just ready to break forth upon the Jewish nation. By the consent of the best of the commentators, who themselves believed in endless mis- ery, it refers to the destruction which was about to fall on the Jews. Adam Clarke says, the wrath to come was " the desolation about to fall on the Jewish nation, for their wickedness. ***** This wrath or curse was coming ; they did not prevent it by turning to God, and receiving the Messiah, and therefore the wrath of God came upon them to the uttermost." (Corifc on the place.) To the same purport is Lightfoot's expo- sition (Works, IV. 264) ; and also that of Bp. Pearce (Com. on the place) ; that of Dr. Hammond (Par. and Annot. on the place), and of Dr. Gill (Expos, on the place), and many others. It is not necessary for us to occupy much room in proving that this is the true definition of this passage, since the fact is so gen- erally conceded by the commentators who believed in the doctrine of endless misery. See tc Notes and Illus. of Parables," 35, 36, and Paige's " Selections," Sec. II. II. " 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." Matt. iii. 12. Luke iii. 17. This is a continuation of the same subject mentioned in Matt. iii. 7, (which we have already considered,) and also in ver. 10. We offer the remarks of Adam Clarke, as expressing the true view of the passage. Whose fan is in his hand. The Romans are here termed God's fan, as in ver. 10 they were called his axe, and in chap. xxii. 7, they are termed his troops or armies. His floor. Does not this mean the land of Judea, which has been long, as it were, the threshing- floor of the Lord. God says he will now, by the winnowing fan, (viz. the Romans,) thoroughly cleanse this floor, the wheat, those who believe in the Lord Jesus, he will gather into his garner, either take to NEW TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 79 heaven, from the evil to come, or put in a place of safety, as he did the Christians, by sending them to Pella in Coelosyria, previously to the destruction of Jerusalem. But he will burn up the chaff, the disobe- dient and rebellious Jews, who would not come unto Christ, that they might have life." Com. on the pas- sage. See Paige's " Selections," pp. 29-32, for fur- ther authorities. The phrase " unquenchable fire," has been by some adduced to prove the doctrine of endless misery. The fire mentioned in the passage, is the fire of divine judg- ment, which God sent upon the land of Judea, and it was called unquenchable, not because it would burn forever, but because it could not be extinguished, and would continue until the material on which it fed should be entirely destroyed. So saith Dr. Hammond. u They put fire to the chaff at the wind side, and that keeps on, and never gives over till it has consumed all the chaff, and so is a kind of unquenchable fire, a fire never quenched till it hath done its work." (Annot. on the place.) In lib. vi. c. 41, of Eusebius's History, there is an ac- count of those who suffered martyrdom for Christianity in Alexandria of Egypt. Two of these martyrs, Cro- nion and Julian, says Eusebius, were carried on camels through the city, scourged, and finally consumed in u unquenchable fire," nvgl aa/ftcrrw. And again, he says, other two, Epimachus and Alexander, after intense suffering from the scourges and scrapers, were also de- stroyed in " unquenchable fire," nvgl naftaim. Here the evident sense of "unquenchable fire," is fire that should not be extinguished. If it had been arrested in its course, it would not have been unquenchable ; but it raged until it went out of itself, for the want of fuel, and thus was not quenched. The phrase has no refer- ence to punishment in the future world. For a valua- ble treatise on this subject, see " Universalist Exposi- tor," Vol. IV. p. 306. 80 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. III. "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." Matt. v. 20. What is meant here by the phrase " kingdom of heaven ? " It does not refer to the state of glory which awaits us hereafter, but to the moral reign of Christ in the hearts of men, by the power of his Gos- pel. To enter into the kingdom of heaven, was to be- come a disciple of Jesus, to acknowledge him as Lord and kingj and to obey his laws. No person whose righteousness was like that of the Scribes and Phari- sees/could enter, while in such a state, into the moral kingdom of the Messiah. When John the Baptist began to preach, he said, u Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matt. iii. 2. When Jesus began to preach, he an- nounced the approach of his moral kingdom in the same manner. " Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matt. iv. 17.) In the instructions which Jesus gave his apostles, when he sent them out, he said, " As ye go, preach, saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matt. x. 7.) His kingdom was not far off, it was at hand ; it was not exclusively in another state of existence, it was here on the earth ; it was the moral reign of Christ among men. Jesus said to the Phari- sees, " The kingdom of God is come unto you." Matt. xii. 28. On another occasion he said, " The kingdom of God cometh not with observation ; neither shall they say, Lo here ! or lo there ! for behold the kingdom of God is within you," or among you. Luke xvii. 19, 20. To enter into the kingdom of God, was to embrace, profess, and obey the Gospel. Whoso- ever did this was under the government of Christ ; he was in the reign of Christ ; he was in the kingdom of Christ. And as all the real disciples of the Redeemer were saved from those tribulations which fell on the unbelievers of that age, Jesus warned his followers that no consideration whatever should induce them to de- cline entering into the kingdom of God. NEW TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 81 Such was the " kingdom of heaven," into which the disciples were invited to enter. The formal, hypocrit- ical righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees would not admit them to that kingdom ; but the righteousness of Christ, which was benevolence and love, was the re- quirement of the divine law. For a more extended view of this subject, see Paige's " Selections," Section VII. and " Universalist Expositor," Vol. I. pp. 3-23, on the phrase " king- dom of heaven." IV. " But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his broth- er without a cause, shall be in danger of the judgment; and whoso- ever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council j but whosoever shall say to his brother, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." Matt. v. 22. The word here rendered hell is Gehenna, yitwu. It is found only in the following places in the New Testament, Matt. v. 22, 29, 30 ; x. 28 ; xviii. 9 ; xxiii. 15, 33. Mark ix. 43, 45, 47. Luke xii. 5. James iii. 6. It will be well to recollect, that these are the only instances in which the word occurs, that is, seven times in Matthew, three in Mark, one in Luke, and one in James. John, it seems, never used the word, nor does it occur in the Acts of the Apostles, nor in any of Paul's epistles, nor in the epistles of Peter, nor in Jude, nor in the Apocalypse. It is now generally al- lowed, that neither Sheol, Hades, nor Tartarus signify a place of eternal punishment ; but the whole depen- dence for proof of such a place of punishment, is placed on the word Gehenna. Is it not, then, a little singu- lar, if this word signifies a place of eternal punishment, that it occurs in only four books of the New Testa- ment, and but twelve times in the whole ? If this passage is to be understood in the literal and proper sense, then Gehenna refers to the valley of Hinnom near Jerusalem, where judicial punishment was frequently inflicted in the days of Christ. Adam Clarke says, " Our Lord here alludes to the valley of the son 82 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. of Hinnom. This place was near Jerusalem. It is very probable that our Lord means no more here than this; if a man charge another with apostasy from the Jewish religion, or rebellion against God, and can- not prove his charge, then he is exposed to that pun- ishment (burning alive) which the other must have suf- fered if the charge had been substantiated." (Com. on Matt. v. 22.) Parkhurst remarks, " a Gehenna of fire, does, I apprehend, in its outward and primary sense, relate to that dreadful doom of being burned alive in the valley of Hinnom." See his Lex. on the word. During the idolatrous worship of the Jews in the valley of Hinnom, that place was regarded by them as sacred ; but after this haunt of idolatry was broken up, and made the receptacle of the filth of Jerusalem, it became abominable in the sight of the whole nation. In process of time, as all writers agree, it came to be a place of punishment, where criminals were caused to suffer death by burning ; and in reference to such a kind of punishment, Jesus used the word, when he said, cc whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in dan- ger of a Gehenna of fire, (translated in the common version, hell-fire,) in which the Jewish laws ordained the burning of criminals. With such abhorrence and dread, under all these circumstances, did the Jews in time regard this place, that they came to use it as a figure of dreadful woes and judgments ; and so we find it both in the Old and New Testament. Thus Jeremiah, chap. xix. foretells the destruction of Jerusalem, and makes use of To- phet, or Gehenna, as a figure of the desolations God would bring on that ill-fated city. " I will make this city desolate, and a hissing ; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished and hiss, because of all the plagues thereof, &c. Thus will I do unto this place, saith the Lord, and to the inhabitants thereof, and EVEN MAKE THIS CITY AS ToPHET." Verses 8, 12. See also Jer. vii. 31 34. This is the metaphorical sense NEW TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 83 of Gehenna, or Tophet, in the Old Testament ; and with this knowledge let us turn to seek the sense in which it is used in the New Testament. The first instance where we find the word is Matt. v. 22 ; u Whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause, shall be in danger of the judgment ; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council ; but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of the fire of Gehenna," (hell-fire in the com- mon translation.) Now that this cannot refer to a state of punishment in the future world, is evident from the terms of the passage. The " JUDGMENT " here was, as Professor Stuart explains it, (Exeget. Essays, p. 142,) "a lower court, viz. that of the Septemviri among the Hebrews ; " the "COUNCIL," (to quote again the Pro- fessor's words) was u the Sanhedrim, or highest coun- cil, who could inflict severer punishment than the court of Septemviri, q. d. he will deserve still severer pun- ishment than he who is merely angry ; " the " hell-fire" was the fire of the valley of Hinnom, as says the same author ; u but he who shall say, thou fool, shall be ob- noxious to the fire of the valley of Hinnom, q. d. to a still higher and more severe punishment, [viz.] such as is inflicted by burning to death in the valley of Hinnom." Now it is certain, that "the judgment" was in this world ; it is equally certain, that " the council " was in this world ; and it is just as certain, that the punishment of Gehenna was in this world. If this passage is to be understood in a secondary or metaphorical sense, why then should we understand Gehenna to refer to the fu- ture world more than the other terms ? If the prima- ry sense of Gehenna, as all must confess, was the pun- ishment of the valley of Hinnom, as much as " the judgment " was the lower, and " the council " the higher court of the Jews, by what rule of interpretation shall we consider the two latter terms to refer to punish- ment in the present state of being, but Gehenna to re- fer to punishment in the future state ? We have no proof that the word had ever been applied to punish- 84 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNI VERBALISM. ment in the future state, by any writer, sacred or pro- fane : and was this a proper manner in which to an- nounce for the first time, that Gehenna was to receive a new sense, and be applied to a supposed punishment, of which the Jews learned nothing from their Scrip- tures ? Furthermore, Gehenna had received a secondary sense in the Old Testament, as we have shown by the quotations from Jeremiah ; and if Jesus used it in a secondary sense, why ought we not to suppose that he put the same secondary sense upon it, that the Jewish prophets had ? Let those who wish further light on this subject, examine Paige's " Selections," Sects. VIIL, XVIII. Balfour's " First Inquiry," chap. II. " Universalist Expositor," Vol. II. pp. 351 - 368. For a very learned article on the cc Opinions and Phraseol- ogy of the Jews concerning the Future State," see "Universalist Expositor," Vol. III. pp. 397-440. V. Matt. v. 29, 30. (For an explanation of Matt. v. 29, 30, see Mark ix. 43, 48.) VI. " 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." Matt, vii. 13, 14. Luke xiii. 24. This passage is very frequently quoted to sustain the doctrine of endless misery ; but a candid examination will show, that it speaks nothing in regard to the future state. Does it say, broad is the way that leadeth to destruction in the immortal state ? No. Narrow is the way which leadeth unto life in the immortal state ? No. Then, verily, the passage has nothing to do with the question of endless misery. What is this strait gait ? The preceding verse must be consulted for an answer. " Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to. them ; for this is the law and the prophets." " Hence," says Adam Clarke, " the words in the original are very emphatic : Enter in (to the kingdom NEW TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 85 of heaven) through THIS strait gate, that is of doing to every one as you would he should do unto you ; for this alone seems to be the strait gate which our Lord alludes to." Nevertheless, Clarke supposes the pas- sage to teach the doctrine of endless misery ; but we confess ourselves utterly unable to see therein the slightest proof of said doctrine. They who obey the commandments of Christ, walk in the path of wisdom ; and the path of wisdom is the PATH OF LIFE ; the path of folly is the PATH OF DEATH. Wisdom is a " tree of life to those who lay hold upon her." Prov. iii. 18. " Whoso findeth me findeth life." Prov. viii. 35. " He is in the WAY OF LIFE that keepeth instruc- tion." Prov. x. 17. Again, " In the way of right- eousness is LIFE, and in the pathway thereof there is no death." Prov. xii. 28. The opposite state is death. " To be carnally minded is death." Rom. viii. 6. "He that loveth not his brother abideth in death." 1 John iii. 14. These scriptures develope the great principles on which the figure is founded. Sin and error are everywhere represented as death, while righteousness and truth are life and peace. Read- er, avoid the broad road, and walk in the pleasant path of Christ's commandments. VJI. " Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name ? and in thy name have cast out devils ? and in thy name done many wonderful works ? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniqui- ty." Matt. vii. 22, 23. This is one of the texts which have been employed to sustain the doctrine of endless sin and misery ; but what is there in the passage that would lead a reason- able man to apply it to the future state of existence ? " Many will say unto me in that day," what day is meant ? We are not to understand it to be a day of twenty-four hours, for any remarkable time is called a day in the language of the sacred writers. The time of a nation's punishment, by the visitation of God, is called the day of the Lord, because at that time God 8 86 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. exercises justice on that people ; hence, the phrase does not mean one and the same time whenever it oc- curs, but any time, or timesj in which God punished certain nations for their sins by some tremendous visita- tion of judgment. To illustrate, we will refer to sev- eral passages of Scripture. See Zeph. i. 1218. This passage refers to the time of the destruction of the Jews by the Babylonians ; and it is called the day of the Lord, because God was supposed by the prophet to have sent the armies of Babylon to destroy the na- tion of the Jews for their sins. It is called, by way of distinction, u that time," " the great day of the Lord," u a day of wrath," u a day of trouble and dis- tress," u a day of wasteness and desolation," " a day of darkness and gloominess," " a day of clouds and thick darkness," and "the day of the Lord's wrath," &c. Joel describes a punishment which was sent upon the Jews, in very similar language. See chap. ii. 1, 2. " Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain ; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble ; for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand ; a day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains ; a great people and a strong ; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations." The New Testament writers, following the example of the writers of the Old Testament, represent the time of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, as the day of the Lord, or that day. Hence, after hav- ing foretold the destruction of Jerusalem, and declared, u this generation shall not pass till all be fulfilled," Jesus adds, " take heed to yourselves, lest at any time, your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunken- ness, and cares of this life, and so THAT DAY come upon you unawares." Luke xxi. 34. Again, Paul says, 1 Thes. v. 4, " But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that THAT DAY should overtake you as a thief." It will be seen, from this, that the Thessaloni- NEW TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 87 ans were to live until that day came, and that, by being watchful, it would not come upon them suddenly and unexpectedly, u as a thief in the night." * Jesus taught the people, that empty professions of piety were of no avail : but that they must do the will of God. Matt. vii. 21. But some, who were desti- tute of good works in the church, would be depending on their unavailing forms of piety. They are repre- sented as saying, . " Lord, Lord, have we not prophe- sied in thy name ? and in thy name have cast out dev- ils ? and in thy name done many wonderful works ?" Their hopes were the house built on the sand, which the winds and floods destroyed, that is they were trusting to a foundation that would not abide them : they were in hopes to be saved from the general calamity by their mere professions of godliness, whereas nothing would be a sure support, a solid foundation, but doing the will of God. This was the rocfc, and he who built on it was sure to stand. See Matt. vii. 24-27. As these false and hypocritical professors would be cast off in the day of the Lord, and made to suffer the same punishments which fell on the unbelieving, perse- cuting Jews, Christ is represented as saying to them, " I never knew you ; depart from me, ye that work iniquity." VIII. " And I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness ; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Matt. viii. 11, 12. It has been supposed, that the " kingdom of heaven," in this passage, referred to a state of eternal blessed- ness in the immortal existence ; and so, by antithesis, the u outer darkness " referred to a state of endless misery. The argument founded on antithesis, is a good one ; because, it seems evident, that the darkness is the opposite of the blessings of the kingdom. But the * For the authority of the learned Lightfoot on this subject, see {< Notes and Illustrations of Parables," pp. 317, 318, note. 88 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSAL1SM. phrase " kingdom of heaven," or "kingdom of God," in its common use in the New Testament, does not re- fer to the future world, but to the reign of the Gospel in this world. It was a kingdom set up in the hearts of men, Jesus ruling as king ; and every one who ac- knowledged him " Lord," and obeyed his laws, was a subject of the kingdom, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They became joint heirs with the patriarch, and his sons and children, through faith. Thus, Dr. Whitby says, " to lie down (so the verb is more prop- erly rendered, as the Jews always reclined at their feasts) with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the king- dom of heaven, doth not here signify to enjoy eternal happiness in heaven with them, but only to become the sons of Abraham through faith." (Com. on the pas- sage.) Passages in illustration of this, have already been given in this work. Any passage in the evange- lists may be consulted, in which the phrase occurs. The darkness spoken of, and with which we are principally concerned here, was a state of ignorance of the Gospel ; and not a valid reason can be given that it is to be eternal. " He setteth AN END to darkness." Job. xxviii. 3. u Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness." Col. i. 13. This passage plain- ly shows, that the darkness is not endless misery in hell, from which nobody can be delivered. "Bring them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house." Isa. xlii. 7. Here, again, is deliverance from darkness. " The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light ; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, on them hath the light shined." Isa. ix. 2. "I will make darkness light before thee." xliii. 16. The plain sense of these passages is, that darkness is put as a metaphor for ignorance and unbelief, and has no respect to a place of sin and misery in the future world. When men were brought to a knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus, they were brought out of darkness into light, and thus were "translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son." NEW TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 89 So it is said, in the passage before us, they shall come from every quarter of the world, and enjoy with the patriarchs the blessings of the Gospel, while the Jews, " the children of the kingdom," should be left in the darkness of unbelief. They who believe the Gospel, hold communion by faith with the patriarchs. At the time of the dissolution of the Mosaic institution, the Gospel had been preached, and converts made, from the "ends of the world," east, west, north, and south, but the Jews were left in the darkness of un- belief. " God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy on all." Rom. xi. 32. IX. " Verily, I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah, in the day of judgment, than for that city." Matt. x. 15. It is said by a learned writer in the u Universalist Expositor," that, " considering the doctrines which have prevailed in Christendom, it is by no means sur- prising that this text has been commonly understood to refer to a day of judgment in the immortal world. The future tense- of the verb, shall be, seems [to some] to favor such an application, when considered in con- nexion with some of the most striking circumstances of the subject. When our Saviour spoke these words, Sodom and Gomorrah had for ages ceased to exist in this world ; and still, he said, ** it shall be more toler- able " for them in the day of judgment, than for the cities which should not receive his disciples, nor hear their words. Accordingly, it is contended, the judg- ment here mentioned must be in the future world, where, alone, Sodom and Gomorrah, long since per- ished, could then be arraigned." u Univ. Expos." Vol. III. p. 26. Such is the common argument, stated with great fairness. See Lee's u Universalism Exam- ined," p. 171. We esteem the meaning of the passage to be this : that in the day of visitation, or judgment, which is about coming on the rebellious cities of Judea, the punishment which was suffered by Sodom and Gomor- 8* 90 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. rah shall appear more tolerable than that which shall be suffered by those cities. And that this is the correct interpretation of the passage, is allowed by some of the most distinguished commentators, who have believed in endless misery. Adam Clarke says ; " In the day of judgment, or punishment, kriseos. Perhaps not mean- ing the day of general judgment, nor the destruction of the Jewish state by the Romans ; but a day in which God would send punishment on that particular city, or on that person for their crimes. So the day of judg- ment of Sodom and Gomorrah, was the time in which the Lord destroyed them by fire and brimstone, from the Lord out of heaven." Speaking of those who re- jected and denounced the Gospel, the Doctor adds : u Their punishment, our Lord intimates, shall be greater than that inflicted upon Sodom and Gomorrah." Bishop Pearce agrees to this ; and Dr. Hammond, also, whose remarks are worthy of particular attention. He paraphrases the words of Christ thus ; "I assure you, the punishment or destruction that shall light upon that city shall be such, that the destruction of Sodom shall appear to have been more tolerable than that." Par- aphrase on the verse. Again he says, in another place ; " Shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in that day (that is, not in the day of judgment to come, for that belongs to each particular person, not whole cities together,) in that day of the kingdom of God, than for that refractory city. God's dealing with Sod- om in the day of their destruction with fire and brim- Stone, shall be acknowledged to have been more sup- portable than his dealing with such contumacious, im- penitent cities of Judea." Com. on Matt. iii. 2. The same comparison, made by the Saviour, be- tween the punishment of Sodom and that of the Jewish sinners, was also made by Jeremiah. See Lam. iv. 6. " For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, that was overthrown as in a moment, and no hand stayed on her." Here the punishment of the sin NEW TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 91 of Sodom is declared to be more tolerable than the punishment of the Jews. Sodom was overthrown in a moment ; but the punishment of the Jews was protracted, and was horrible almost beyond conception. The above argument is strengthened by the consid- eration, that God's judgments are in the earth. On this point, the sacred writers are very explicit. " Ver- ily, he is a God that judgeth IN THE EARTH." Ps. Iviii. 11. The Saviour said ; "For judgment I am come into this world." Again, he said " the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son." John ix. 39 ; compare John v. 22. Now, if God has committed all judgment unto the Son, and, if Jesus came into this world to fulfil the high appoint- ment of executing judgment, then the judgment must be in this world. Hence Jesus said, on another occasion, " Now is the judgment of this world." John xii. 31. See, also, 1 Peter iv. 17, 18. The Revelator says, " The great day of his wrath is come ; and who shall be able to stand ?" vi. 17 ; and again, " Fear God and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is COME." xiv. 7. All this agrees with what Solomon said, Prov. xi. 31. Mr. Balfour has clearly shown, that the phrase, " day of judgment," in the Scriptures, should not be understood to signify a day of trial after death. See his " Reply to Sabine," pp. 60-80 ; and his " Essays," pp. 221-305. It seems almost impossible for any candid man to read Mr. Balfour's criticisms on this matter, and not be convinced that he is right. X. " And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake ; but he that endureth to the end shall be saved." Matt. x. 22. Mark xiii. 13. He that endureth to the end ! What end ? Not the end of the material universe, certainly ; but the end of which he was speaking in that place. Dr. Whitby says, "he that endureth to the end of these persecu- tions from the unbelieving Jews, shall be saved from the dreadful destruction coming on them. But when 92 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. they persecute you in this city, that is, in any one city, flee ye into another ; for verily I say unto you, ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel till the Son of man be come with his Roman army to destroy that na- tion, and to burn up their cities." Par. on the place. Matt. xxiv. 13, is a parallel passage, which the dili- gent inquirer is requested to examine. Now, in point- ing out when the end would transpire, spoken of in verse 13, Jesus said; ^ Now learn a parable of the fig-tree; when his branch is yet' tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh ; so, like- wise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it (the end) is near, even at the doors. Verily, I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." Matt. xxiv. 32, 33 ; see, also, 1 Cor. x. 11. XI. " And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul ; but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Matt. x. 28 ; Luke xii. 4, 5. This passage is, confessedly, difficult of construc- tion. Universalists are sincerely desirous, we believe, to learn what is its true sense. There are many per- sons who seem confident, that the passage teaches the" doctrine of endless misery in hell (Gehenna). But let us look at the passage carefully. Does it say, God will destroy both soul and body in hell ? No ; it says he is able to do so ? It describes his ability , not his will, nor his purpose. We do not doubt God's ability to destroy the whole universe ; but is it his will to do so ? Should it be said, in reply to this, that Jesus would not have spoken as he did, if he had not believed there was danger that God would de- stroy soul and body in hell, we say this is an unjustifia- ble conclusion. It is often the case, that men speak of the power of God, by describing him as being able to do what they have no expectation he will do. As an illustration of this, take the following quotation from one of the hymns sung in Christian assemblies ; NEW TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 93 " Praise to thee, thou great Creator, Bounteous source of every joy ; He whose hand sustains all nature, He whose nod can all destroy." Here we are told, that God can destroy all nature. But, was it the poet's intention to assert, that God ac- tually would destroy all nature ? No ; he merely re- ferred to the extent of God's power. So in the pas- sage before us. When it is said, God is able to de- stroy both soul and body in hell, there is not the slight- est affirmation, that he wills to do so. Take another instance. When John the Baptist said, u God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham," did he intend to say, that God would do so t Certainly not ; he merely meant to state what God had the power to do. But again, If this passage refer to the future exist- ence, arid if the terms soul and body are to be un- derstood as referring to the immortal spirit and the mor- tal body of man, and if the destruction is to be under- stood in the literal sense of the phrase, then how can the doctrine of endless misery be true ? If we adopt such a construction of the passage, that doctrine falls to the ground at once ; for if the immortal spirit and the mortal body are both destroyed, then neither can remain subject to punishment, and, of course, neither can be punished forever. To destroy both soul and body, in the sense in which these terms are generally employed, certainly cannot signify, to perpetuate the punishment of soul and body in hell forever. That would be the very reverse of destruction. Once more. Have we any evidence, that the term Gehenna, rendered hell in the passage before us, had ever been used in the time of our Saviour to signify end- less punishment, or, in fact, any punishment in the fu- ture state ? Jesus probably used the word in some sense that was common in his day. We look in vain, in the Old Testament, for proof that Gehenna was used to signify a place of punishment in the future state ; nor 94 ' PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. is there any proof that Gehenna was used in such a sense, before the time of the Saviour. Jesus would not em- ploy the word in a sense to which the people were alto- gether unaccustomed ; and, therefore, it is more than probable, that he did not use the word to signify a place of punishment in the future state. At any rate, we must believe that he did not, until we see evidence to the contrary. We know that quotations are some- times made from the Targurns of Onkelos and Jona- than Ben Qzziel, to show that Gehenna had been em- ployed in the time of Christ to signify endless misery ; but these Targums are now generally referred, by the learned critics, to a much later date. If any per- son will produce a passage, in which Gehenna is ap- plied to punishment in the future state, from any writer who is known to have lived before the time of Christ, or even contemporaneously with the Saviour, we will acknowledge, that there is an argument in favor of such an application of the term, which as yet we have never seen. But again ; is it certain that the Saviour intended to refer to the principle, which is called the immortal spirit of man ? u Fear not them which kill the body (aw^ua), but are not able to kill the soul (i^)." Is it certain the Saviour here referred to that immortal part of man, which is to survive the ravages of death ? We want proof, if we are called on to admit this. We know that the Greek term i//^ does very frequently signify mere animal life. Thus, Matt. ii. 10 ; u They are dead which sought the young child's life." Did they seek its immortal spirit, or did they seek to destroy its earthly being ? Again ; " Take no thought for your life, what you shall eat," &c. "Is not the life more than meat ? " Matt. vi. 25. Here the term evidently does not signify any thing more than mere animal exist- ence. What circumstance is it, then, which makes it so certain as some imagine it to be, that yi'/r,, in Matt. x. 28, and Luke xii. 4, 5, signify the ever-living princi- ple ? We think there is room for great doubt on that point. MEW TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 95 But, in still further confirmation of what we have said, let it be observed, that the sacred writers make a clear distinction between yvxr\, the life, and wiv^a, the spirit. The spirit, mtv^n, is never said to be de- stroyed in Gehenna. We challenge the world to pro- duce an instance of the kind. Paul says, " I pray God your whole spirit (msvua), and soul (^i^>)), and body (uw/itf), be preserved blameless, unto the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thess. v. 23. Here yv%r) is plainly distinguished from wiv^a. See also Heb. iv. 12. here rendered soul. I shall merely state a few facts which may assist the inquirer in right- ly determining its import in this place. This word frequently occurs in the LXX, or the Greek translation of the Old Testament. It is there used twice, and twice only, as the translation of Ruah, which word the Hebrews employed to denote the " Spirit, or an incorporeal substance, as opposed to flesh, or a corporeal one." But it is used six hundred and twenty-three times as the translation of Nephish, concerning which Hebrew word, Parkhurst, an Ortho- dox lexicographer, writes thus : it "hath been sup- 1.08 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. posed to signify the spiritual part of man, or what we commonly call his soul j I must, for myself, confess, that I can find no passage where it hath undoubtedly this meaning." We shall do well to consider, 1. wheth- er the learned men who translated the Old Testament into the Greek language, understood the meaning of the word yvx*l> an d 2. whether, if they judged it the most proper word to indicate the spiritual part of man, they would probably use it only twice as the translation of a word which has this meaning, and six hundred and twenty-three times as the translation of a word which Parkhurst confesses never has this meaning ; or at least, he had never been able to find a satisfactory instance of the kind. In the New Testament, the usage of this word is somewhat different. It is sometimes translated soul, sometimes life, mind, heart, heartily, Ghost. It is used in all one hundred and four times ; and setting aside twelve cases, in which its meaning is disputed, it signifies the whole person in eleven instances ; the in- tellect in thirty ; the natural life in forty-eight ; and is expressly opposed to the spirit in three. If we include its use in a verbal or participial form, it is used in all, for the whole person, eleven times ; for the intellect, thirty-one ; for the natural life, fifty-two ; and is opposed to the spirit nine times.* Hence there can be no necessity to understand this word to mean the spiritual part of man, in the passage under consideration, merely from its own force ; for in more than half the instances where it occurs in the New Testament, and almost invariably in the Old Testament, it will not admit such a signification. It certainly indi- cates the natural life in the preceding verse, and is so translated : u Whosoever will save his life, shall lose * In the places to which I refer, where something opposed to spirit is signified, the word is translated soul, 1 Cor. xv. 45. 1 Thes. v. 28. Heb. iv. 12; natural, 1 Cor. ii. 14. xv. 44, (twice,) 4G; sensual, James iii. 15. Jude 19. In the first three instances, the original word is V'f/j; ; in the other six, it is i/'u/ixo? formed from ^v/> lt and of similar signification ; and it may be observed, that the last-named word occurs nowhere else in the Bible. UNIVERSITY NEW TESTAMENT PASSAGEfflIXPAINEIO F 10ft it ; and whosoever will lose his life fornty aake,-shatl find it." ver. 25. Our translators had too much good sense to render it soul, in this case, for they saw the absurdity of saying, or a few points, ac- cording to the scope thereof, or intent of the speaker." XXII. " Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." Matt. xix. 23, 24. See also Mark x. 24, 25 ; Luke xiii. 34, 35. This passage has been adduced by some to prove the doctrine of endless misery. We are confident, that the true sense of the passage gives no support to that God- dishonoring sentiment. For the sense of the phrase, " kingdom of God," we refer again to what we have said in Sect. III. on Matt. v. 20. We believe the true, object of Christ, in uttering the passage before us, is clearly set forth in the following article, from the pen of Rev. Hosea Ballou, 2nd. " This passage is generally understood to teach a peculiar difficulty, almost an impossibility, for a rich man to become truly religious. And the next words, as they are commonly interpreted, confirm this im- NEW TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 113 pression ; c And again I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, say- ing, who then can be saved ? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them ; With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.' What can be more evident, it will be asked, than that Christ here meant to teach that it was a very difficult thing indeed, for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God ; and that, although it was possible for God to bring about such an event, yet it was a case of very rare occurrence ! We frankly acknowledge, that this is, without doubt, the plain mean- ing of the words ! But it does not follow, that they intimate any peculiar difficulty in a rich man's becoming converted to the belief of Christianity, or becoming truly pious. " What, then, did Christ mean ? what is the general truth he intended to assert, in the passage under consid- eration ? Nothing more is necessary to a satisfactory answer, than a clear understanding of the circumstances in which the expression was uttered. " It is a fact not generally considered, perhaps, that during his personal ministry, Christ admitted into his ' little flock ' none but such as actually forsook all their earthly possessions, and followed him in his travels from place to place, or went forth at his command, to preach, without any pecuniary recompense whatever. When he called Peter and Andrew, James and John, they left their nets, and followed him ; when he called Mat- thew, the publican, he left his office at the receipt of custom ; when a certain scribe proposed to follow him whithersoever he went, Christ warned him of the consequent hardships, saying, ' the foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head ; ' when one of his disciples asked leave to go and bury his father, the reply was, 4 Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.' In short, the rule which he established, and which he ex- 10* 114 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. acted to the very letter, was, c whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my dis- ciple.' And the wisdom of so rigorous a rule, in that critical juncture, is evident from the consideration, that a few devoted servants who had already broken every tie upon the world, must have been more efficient in his cause, than thousands of lukewarm and timid advocates, who had to compromise between their stern duty and the safety, the conveniences, and the blandishments of life. He foresaw, too, that the time would soon come, when the sacrifice must inevitably be made ; and he knew, that they who would not submit to it at first, would likewise fail him in the hour of trial, and bring disgrace on the cause they attempted to support. The sacrifice was, therefore, required of them at the outset, that they might at once give a pledge of their devoted- ness, and strip themselves of every incumbrance. u Under such conditions, it was, of course, ex- tremely difficult to induce the rich to become his disci- ples, and enter his kingdom. They might, indeed, be- lieve on him, and favor his cause ; they might observe the moral precepts he taught, and secretly practise his religion. But all this alone, though it rendered them good men, in their private sphere, did not adequately fit them for the momentous duty to which the servants of his rising kingdom were then called. The rich, least of all, could be expected to throw themselves utterly, destitute and unfriended, into an undertaking, where ha- tred and persecution were the certain reward, and death the probable end. Therefore, in the striking language of our Saviour, it was ' easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. With men, it was impossible ; but with God, all things were possible.' " That we have correctly explained this passage, is evident from the very next words ; c Then answered Peter, and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all and followed thee ; what shall we have therefore ? ' We ought also to mention the particular incident, as it is re- NEW TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 115 lated by Matthew, Mark, and Luke, which gave rise to all this conversation. A certain ruler came and asked Christ what he should do to have eternal life ; and was answered, ' keep the commandments.' ' All these,' said he, ' have I kept from my youth up.' ' Then Je- sus beholding him, loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest ; go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come, take up thy cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved ; for he had great possessions.' It is evident, that this was a good man, in the true sense of that term, and, as such, beloved by Jesus. But he was not perfect. He wanted that fortitude and self-devoting zeal necessary to meet the trying exigencies of our Saviour's cause. He could not d'escend at once, from opulence to absolute poverty, and exchange a fixed residence for the life of a disciple." XXIII. " And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment. And he saith unto him, Friend, how earnest thou in hither, not having a wedding garment ? and he was speechless. Then said the king to the ser- vants, Bind him hand and foot and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness ; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Matt. xxii. 11 - 13. See also Luke xiv. 16 - 24. These words form a part of the parable of the mar- riage feast, extending from verse 2 13. Those who wish to see the whole subject treated at length, are re- ferred to my " Illustrations of the Parables," pp. 286- 299 ; and Paige's " Selections," section XXXIV. That the parable does not refer to the things of eternity, but to the things of time, is evident from the nature of the punishment, which was inflicted on those who re- jected the invitation to the feast, as described in the fol- lowing words ; u But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth ; and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their c%." ver. 7. Such punishment as this, we suppose, will not be in- flicted in the future world. 116 PLAIN GUIDE TO UMVERSALISM. The above would suffice to show, that the passage at the head of this section has no reference to the things of eternity ; but, for the gratification of serious inquirers, we offer the following remarks on the case of the man which had not on the wedding garment. He was pres- ent at the wedding, without being properly qualified therefor, and for this breach of custom, he was cast out. By the guest without the " wedding garment," Jesus designed to represent such of the Jews, as, having nom- inally embraced Christianity, did not possess the vir- tues of the Christian character, such as cried, " Lord, Lord," but did not the will of God. In Rev. xix. 8, we read; " And to her was granted, that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white ; for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints ; " and again, in vii. 13, 14 ; " What are these which are ar- rayed in white robes 9 and whence came they ? These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the lamb." Notwithstanding the Jews generally re- jected the gospel, and made light of the invitation to the " marriage feast," some of them, it is well known, went in with the Gentiles, and were guests. But not all those that went in were fit subjects- of the kingdom. There were some claiming to be Christ's disciples, who professed to cast out devils, and to do many wonderful works in his name, to whom he said, in the day of his coming to destroy the Jews ; " I never knew you ; depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Matt. viii. 21-23. These, we think, were represented by the guest without the "wedding garment." He accepted the invitation to the feast, and mixed with the approved guests ; and was detected, exposed, and punished, be- cause he was not arrayed in the dress he should have worn at the feast. The order was given to the ser- vants, to "bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness ; there shall be weep- ing and gnashing of teeth." This was the fate which NEW TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 1 17 awaited all the Jews who rejected Jesus Christ. (Matt, viii. 12 ; Luke xiii. 28.) It was the fate of those represented by the tares, in the parable of the Tares of the Field (Matt. xiii. 42) ; of the wicked, represented by the bad fish, which were taken in the net (xiii. 50) ; of the Unfaithful Servant (xxiv. 51) ; and of the Unprofitable Servant (xxv. 30). Previously to bringing our remarks on this passage to a close, we wish to offer a few observations in illustra- tion of the phrases " outer darkness, " and " weeping and gnashing of teeth." These expressions are found in the following passages ; Matt. viii. 12 ; xiii. 42, 50 ; xxii. 13; xxiv. 61 ; xxv. 30 ; Luke xiii. 28. The ex- pression, "outer darkness," is derived from the circum- stances of Jewish weddings. The nuptial ceremonies took place at night. " Hence at those suppers, the house of reception was filled with lights, called torches, lamps, candles, and lanterns, by Athenaeus and Plutarch ; so they who were admitted to the banquet, had the benefit of the light ; but they who were shut out were in dark- ness ; that is, the darkness on the outside of the house, in which the guests were ; which must have appeared more abundantly gloomy, when compared with the profusion of light within the guest chamber." The phrase, ''outer darkness^ was derived from these circumstances ; and as those who were thrust out were exposed to shame and disappointment, it is said they wept and gnashed their teeth ; a proverbial expression to describe their extreme anguish. These expressions have long been ap- plied to the imagined misery of the damned, in the future world. We have endeavoured to give their primitive sense. They are a part of the parable, and are to be un- derstood as representing the extreme misery of the Jews, excluded from the kingdom of the gospel, shut out from the light of truth, enveloped in the darkness of error, and suffering the tremendous misery brought upon them at the destruction of their city and nation. This is not only their primitive, but their only application. If this was the sense Jesus affixed to them, what right have 1 1 8 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. the doctors of the church to give them any other sense ? The parable now under consideration was completely fulfilled within fifty years after the Saviour's death ; and there is no reason that any part of it should be supposed to refer to the events of the future existence. The words of the Great Teacher should be interpreted with the greatest caution ; their original meaning should be sought ; and when this is ascertained, it should not be put aside, or caused to share credence with any secon- dary sense whatsoever. XXIV. " Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers ! how can ye es- cape the damnation of hell." Matt, xxiii. 33. In this place Jesus was discoursing of the judgments which were then impending over the Jews ; and he says, verse 34, 4 < all these things shall come upon this generation." On this Dr. Whitby remarks, that it sig- nifies " in that very age, or whilst some of that genera- tion of men lived ; for the phrase, this generation, never bears any other sense in the New Testament, than the men of this age." Com. on Matt. xxiv. 34. Let it be particularly remembered, that the calamity which was described here by the word Gehenna, was a temporal calamity, and was to come on the generation which was on the earth at the time of the Saviours ministry. If it be asked, what calamity it was, we reply, the same ca- lamity that Jeremiah (Jer. chap. vii. 29 34, and xix. 1 15) had described under the figure of Gehenna, viz. the destruction of the city and nation of the Jews, which is described (Matt. xxiv. 21) as a " great tribu- lation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.' 7 XXV. " O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not." Matt, xxiii. 37. Luke xiii. 34, 35. This passage is very frequently used to sustain the doctrine of endless misery, but we think such a use NEW TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 119 altogether wrong. For how can it be thought, that Jesus, in these words, was referring to the things of eternity, when he had just declared, u All these things shall come upon this generation " ? that is, in that very age, and whilst some of that generation of men lived. Dr. Adam Clarke, the Methodist, certainly does not seem to suppose, that the punishment spoken of was in the future state. He says, " The metaphor which our Lord uses here, is a very beautiful one. When the hen sees the bird of prey coming, she makes a noise to as- semble her chickens, that she may cover them with her wings from the danger. The Roman eagle is about to fall upon the Jewish state, nothing can prevent this but their conversion to God through Christ, Jesus cries throughout the land, publishing the Gospel of reconcil- iation, they would not assemble, and the Roman eagle came and destroyed them." Certainly, Dr. Clarke would not have used such terms, had he supposed the punishment to be in the immortal state. But let it be remembered, that the Lord Jesus, on the very occasion when he uttered the words we are considering, stated that the very identical persons, to whom he was then speaking, should at some time come to him, and hail him as blessed. See the words : " I say unto you, ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord," (verse 39.) Now the truth of this declaration of our Lord shall in the end be fully verified, if not in this world, then in some other. Those who once de- rided the Saviour, shall hail him as blessed : u Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." " This shall be fulfilled," says Adam Clarke, " after the fulness of the Gentiles is brought in, when the word of life shall again be sent unto you, then will ye rejoice, and bless, and praise him that cometh in the name of the Lord, with full and final salvation for the lost sheep of the house of Israel." So much for Clarke. He re- fers for a confirmation of his statement, to Rom. xi. 26, 27. The words we are considering were addressed to 120 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. Jews. That they were not intended to teach the doc- trine of endless torment, is evident from the fact, that Paul assures us of the final salvation of the whole Jewish nation. See Heb, viii. 1012. XXVI. " But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." Matt. xxiv. 13. This passage is thought to teach the doctrine of end- less misery by implication ; for if he that shall endure unto the end shall be saved, then he that shall not endure unto the end, shall not be saved. The infer- ence is very just ; but we should inquire what the Sa- viour here intended by "the end"*? and from what men would be saved if they endured unto the end ? The end of which he spake was the end of the Jew- ish state, which was to take place during the lifetime of some of the persons- whom he addressed. Matt. xvi. 27, 28 ; Mark viii. 38 ; ix. 1 ; Luke ix. 26, 27 ; John xxi. 22, 23. That the then present generation were to watch for the coming of " the end," is evident from Matt. xxiv. 15-21, 40-44. The particular day and hour when ,this should happen Jesus did not permit his disciples to know, verse 36 ; but he explicitly assured them it should take place during that generation. " Now learn a parable of the fig-tree ; when his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh : so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it [the end] is near, even at the doors. Verily, I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." Verse 32- 34. This settles the question, beyond all controversy, that the passage at the head of this section, has exclu- clusive reference to the time of the destruction of Je- rusalem, when the faithful disciples should be saved from the " great tribulation," which came upon the Jewish nation. XXVII. Matt. xxv. 1-13. See Luke xii. 35-37, which is the parallel place. The passage now before us refers to the same time, NEW TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 121 and the same events which are mentioned in Matt, xxiv. for the two chapters xxiv. and xxv. are one con- tinued discourse, on the destruction of the Jewish state, and the circumstances then to transpire. The remark of Kenrick is very just : " The word then, with which this parable begins, shows that our Lord is still speaking upon the same subject about which he had been discoursing in the last chapter, viz. the period of the destruction of Jerusalem."* To the same purport is the comment of Bishop Pearce. " c Then shall the kingdom of heaven,' that is, at that time, and under those circumstances. This shows, that Jesus, in this chapter, is speaking on the same subject as in the foregoing one, viz. what was to hap- pen at the destruction of the Jewish state." And again, on ver. 13, the Bishop says, " This plainly shows, that what was said before in this chapter, relates to the destruction of the Jewish state, expressed by the Son of man's coming, as in chap. xvi. 27, 28. f It will be hardly possible for the careful reader to mistake the true application of this parable. By con- sulting ver. 13, he will perceive that Jesus himself made the application of it. In deducing the lesson he meant to enforce, he said, " WATCH, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." Compare this with ver. 42 of chap, xxiv. It is evident, that the design of the Saviour was to teach his followers watchfulness, in view of his coming to destroy the Jewish state. Dr. Proudfit, an orthodox writer of high repute, and who not very often departs from the common interpretation of the Scrip- tures, allows that this parable has primary reference to the Jews. We give his sentiments on the subject. u These words may be considered as referring, pri- marily and principally, to the people of the Jews. The slumber and sleep, which the virgins were indulg- ing, may be designed to express the deep and deplora- * Expos, on the place. t Comm. on Matt. xxv. 1, 13. 11 122 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. ble infatuation of that nation ; they remained unalarmed and unreclaimed, amidst the most pointed and repeated admonitions of our Lord and his apostles. By the coming of the bridegroom, mentioned in the sixth verse, is probably implied the appearance of the Son of God for the destruction of their city, the subversion of their temple, and utter overthrow and dispersion as a nation. This event occurred at midnight, that is, at a period altogether unexpected ; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded, they were absorbed in their secular pursuits and gratifications, until sudden destruction came upon them, as travail upon a woman with child." * The phrase "kingdom of heaven " should here be understood somewhat as the word "church" is now generally used, viz. to signify the professed followers of Christ. They were represented by the virgins, those who watched for their master's coming, by the wise virgins, and those who were regardless of that event by the foolish. Christians were too prone, like these virgins, to slumber. Paul, in writing to the Ro- mans, endeavoured to awake them. "It is high time to awake out of sleep." Rom. xiii. 11. Addressing the Thessalonians, the same apostle said, " For your- selves know perfectly, that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. ***** Therefore, let us not sleep, as do others, but let us watch and be sober." 1 Thess. v. 2, 6. By the coming of the bridegroom in splendor, with his attendants, Jesus represented his own coming, in his glory, with his angels, or messengers, at the destruction of the Jews. As the wise virgins entered with the bridegroom to the marriage, so the watchful Christians entered into the enjoyment of all the blessings which accrued to the church from that signal destruction of its enemies, which took place at the coming of Christ ; and, as the foolish virgins were excluded from the marriage, so the * Lectures on the Parables, 1820, pp. 72, 73. NEW TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 123 heedless, sleeping professors, who did not watch for their Lord, were excluded from the blessings which the watchful enjoyed, and were shut out in darkness and misery with the hypocritical Jews, the avowed enemies of Jesus Christ. Kenrick will be found to confirm the views here advanced. Remarking on ver. 13, he says, u These last words, as well as what the parable begins with, show that it refers to the coming of Christ, for the destruction of Jerusalem, and not to his corning at the general judgment ; for he concludes with the same exhortation which he had subjoined to the account which he gave, in the former chapter, of the signs of his coming in that event ; his language there was, (ver. 42,) ' Watch, therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.' The intention of the parable is to enforce the necessity of watchful- ness, by showing the distinction which will be made, in that day, between those by whom it was practised, and those by whom it was neglected." XXVIII. " And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer dark- ness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Matt. xxv. 30. This is the closing portion of the parable of the Unfaithful Servant, embraced in vers. 14-30. That the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew is a con- tinuation of the subject commenced in the twenty-fourth chapter, we have shown in the preceding section. We refer, also to the very lucid remarks of Sir. Balfour on this subject, in his u Second Inquiry," pp. 311 -315. See also the " Plenary Inspiration of the Scriptures as- serted," by Rev. S. Noble, Boston, 1828, pp. 217- 223. We think it impossible for any candid and con- siderate person to read the remarks of these two au- thors, without being convinced, that the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth chapters of Matthew both refer to the same events. The " outer darkness," into which the unprofitable servant was cast, will be found to be fully explained in Section XXIII. of this chapter ; and also the phrase- 124 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. ology, "there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." The reader is respectfully referred to what is there said, in order to save a repetition. XXIX. " And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal." Matt. xxv. 46. This is one of the standard proof-texts of endless misery; but we are confident, that the passage has no just reference to that subject. It must be inquired, When did the parable, to which these words belong, have its fulfilment ? At the very commencement of the parable, the Sa- viour informs us, when those things of which he spake were to take place. (See ver. 31.) tc When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glo- ry," &c. Let the reader now be careful to observe, that all which is predicted in this parable was fulfilled at the coming of the Son of man in his glory. The only inquiry, therefore, which it is necessary to make, in order to ascertain when the events of this parable took place, is this, When did the Son of man come in his glory 3 In the first place, see Matt. xvi. 27, 28 : " For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels : and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom." This must be the same coming of the Son of man, mentioned in the text. In both instances, it is a glo- rious coming ; in both, the Son of man is accom- panied with angels ; and in both, he come? to reward men according to their works. There is no room for doubt, that it is the same event which is spoken of in both these passages. Now notice particularly, that the Saviour says, " There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom." To " taste of death," NEW TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 125 is a Hebraism, signifying to die ; and hence the mean- ing of this passage is, there be some standing here which shall not die, till they see the Son of man com- ing in his kingdom. Here it is evident, beyond possi- bility of mistake, that the coming of the Son of man was to take place .during the natural lives of some of those who stood near him, at the time he uttered these words. Whenever the evangelists give an account of this conversation of our Lord with his disciples, as to the subject under consideration, they give it pre- cisely in the same manner. See Mark viii. 38; ix. 1, " Whosoever, therefore, shall be ashamed of me, and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels. And he. said unto them, Verily, I say unto you, that there be some of them that stand here which shall not taste of death till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power." See also Luke ix. 26, 27, " For whosoever shall be ashamed of me, and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels. But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here which shall not taste of death till they see the kingdom of God." Here, in each instance, the evangelists have recorded the explicit assurance of Jesus, that his coming to judge and recompense men, according to their works, would take place while some of those people lived, who stood near him when he spake. What can be more plain ? On other occasions Jesus embraced opportunities to impress upon the minds of his disciples the same fact with respect to the coming of the Son of man. And, in one particular instance, he pointed out John, his be- loved disciple, as a person who should live until his com- ing took place. See John xxi. 21-23. u Peter seeing him, saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do ? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee ? Follow thou me. 11* 126 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die : yet Jesus said not unto him, he shall not die ; but If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee ? " Agreeably to this ac- count, John lived until after the destruction of Jerusa- lem. Again, in Matt. x. 23, we have the following words : " But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another : for verily I say unto you. ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel till the Son of man be come." Here is an unconditional assurance from the lips of the Saviour, that, pursued by their an- gry persecutors, the disciples would not traverse all the cities of Israel, before the coming of the Son of man took place. Now, as every thing predicted in the par- able was to be fulfilled at the time of the coming of the Son of man, why should any part of the parable of the sheep and goats be applied to a day of judgment in the future state ? Was not the fulfilment confined by the words of the Great Teacher, to time long ago passed by? As it is thus seen most clearly, that the passage at the head of this section, had sole reference to the pun- ishment of the unbelieving Jews, and the reward of the faithful Christians, at the time of the destruction of the Jewish polity and state, the reader may be prompted to inquire, why that punishment was said to be everlast- ing ? Orthodox writers have very freely allowed, that the words everlasting and eternal are frequently used in a limited sense. Professor Stuart says, the word trans- lated everlasting " is sometimes applied, (as in common life,) to things which endure for a long time, for an indefinite period. So it is applied to the Jewish priest- hood ; to the Mosaic ordinances ; to the possession of the land of Canaan ; to the hills and mountains ; to the earth ; to the time of service to be rendered by a slave ; and to some other things of a like nature." "Exeget. Essays," p. 5(X. Professor Robinson, of the Andover Institution, NEW TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 127 says, in his edition of " Calmet," " Eternal, Eterni- ty. These words often signify a very long time ; and, therefore, must not always be understood literally ; so we find c eternal mountains,' to denote their antiquity, Gen. xlix. 26 ; Deut. xxxiii. 15. God promises to Daviu an eternal kingdom and posterity ; that is, his and his son's empire will be of long duration." Cruden, whose orthodoxy was never -doubted, says, in his u Concordance," on the word eternal; u The words eternal, everlasting, forever, are sometimes taken for a long time, and are not always to be understood strictly : for example, it is said, Gen. xvii. 8. 'I will give to thee and to thy seed, the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession.' And in chap. xiii. 15, ' I will give it to thee and to thy seed forever ; ' that is, for a long space of time. And in Gen. xlix. 36, we find everlasting hills, so called, to denote their antiquity, stability, and duration ; and this expression is used to show the long continuance and durableness of Joseph's blessing. God promises a throne to David, an eternal kingdom, a posterity that will never be extinguished ; that is, that his and his son's empire, will be of very long duration, 2 Sam. vii. 16. 1 Chron. xvii. 14. Thus, thou shalt be our guide, from this time forth, even for- ever ; that is, during our whole life. And in many other places of Scripture, and in particular where the word forever is applied to the Jewish rites and privi- leges, it commonly signifies no more than during the standing of that commonwealth, or until the coming of the Messiah." Hear Whitby, also, on this point. " Nor is there any thing more common and familiar in Scripture, than to represent a thorough and irreparable destruction, whose effects and signs shall be still remaining, by the word atomo?, which we render eternal ; # # # * * and this specially is threatened where the destruction of a nation or people is likened to the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah." Com. on Jude 7. The Greek word alojviog, rendered everlasting, is de- 128 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. rived from aiwv, and must receive its signification from it. Now that alwv does not signify eternity, is evident, because it is used in the plural number. It would be manifestly improper to speak of eternities ; but we fall into the same impropriety when we make alwv or aiuvtog, signify, of themselves, endless duration. And not only is alwv used in the plural number, but words are added to extend its signification, even when num- berless alwvsq are spoken of. Thus, Exod. xv. 10, literally rendered, is, " The Lord shall reign from alcav to euwv AND FARTHER." a And they that turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars through the aiojveg, or ages, AND FARTHER." Dan. xii. 3. " And we will walk in the name of Jehovah our God, through the alwv, and beyond it." Micah iv. 5. As the word everlasting is then used in the sacred Scriptures, in a large variety of instances, to signify limited duration, we say that, when applied to punishment, it ought, above every other case, to bear that sense. Jehovah hath said, that he " will not cast off forever ; that though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion, according to the multitude of his mercies ; for he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men." Lam. iii. 31-33. This sentiment is utterly repugnant to the doctrine of interminable punishment ; and requires that the word everlasting, in the very few instances, in which it is applied to punishment, should be understood in a limited sense, as it must be understood in most of the instances where it occurs. Speaking to the Jews of the divine chastisements, the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews says, " No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous ; nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peace- able fruit of righteousness unto them which are exer- cised thereby." Heb. xii. 11. If this chastisement were strictly endless, how could it afterward yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness ? Is there any after- ward to eternity ? Moreover, that the fire, Matt. xxv. 41, and punishment, ver. 46, are not to be understood NEW TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 129 as endless in their duration, is evident from this circum- stance. The parable in which they occur was spoken of Jews ; and the New Testament writers teach expli- citly the salvation of the whole Jewish nation. See Rom. xi. 25, 26, and Heb. viii. 8-11. The only objection which we can suppose may rest upon the mind of the reader is this : the same word is applied to life which is applied to punishment. It is rendered in one case " everlasting," in the other, " eter- nal "; but it is the same word in both instances. If it does not signify endless duration when applied to pun- ishment, how can it when applied to life 9 On the other hand, if this life is to be enjoyed in the future state, why is not the punishment also to be suffered there ? Answer : The same word is, in the same connexion, applied to different things, in other parts of the Scrip- tures, when, as all acknowledge, one thing is temporal, the other endless. Hab. Hi. 6 ; Rom. xvi. 25, 26, and others. But the proper answer to the objection, in the case before us, is this : We consider that the life spoken of in Matt. xxv. 46, is not confined to the immortal existence into which the human race are to be raised after natural death ; but is that spiritual life which the believer enjoys in this state. St. John says, " We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren." 1 John iii. 14. John knew that he had then already passed from death unto life he was then in the enjoyment of spiritual life. Jesus saith, " He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath (he then already possessed) everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life." John v. 24. And the original phrase here is the same which is rendered eternal life in Matt. xxv. 46-. We believe that the " everlasting life," in John v. 24, and the " life eter- nal," in Matt. xxv. 46, are one and the same thing. This view of the subject completely removes the ob- 130 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. jection last introduced. For, if the punishment and the life are both allowed by us to be in the same state, the objection loses all its force. Those who wish to examine this subject more fully, are referred to the author's " Illustrations of the Para- bles," pp. 314-354. See also the first American ed. of " Smith on Divine Government," pp. 217-227. " Winchester's Dialogues," ed. of 1831, pp. 53-61. Balfour's " Second Inquiry," .ed. of 1827, pp. 311- 340. See also Ballou's " Lecture Sermons," Lecture XVIII. For an examination of the subject of endless punishment, see u Universalist Expositor," Vol. I. pp. 55-61 ; also Vol. II. 325-350. Skinner's " Uni- versalism Illustrated and Defended," pp. 196-211. pp. I ," Vol. Examine also u Universalist Expositor," Vol. IV. 149. XXX. " Woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betray- ed ! it had been good for that man, if he had not been born." Matt. xxvi.24. Markxiv. 21. It has long been asserted by believers in endless mis- ery, that Judas, concerning whom these words were spoken, must be eternally damned. It has been alleged, that he was one of the most wicked of men ; and that he deserved no better fate, than to be eternally excluded from the presence of the Lord. It is not expedient to pass rash judgment in this case. Let us look for a few moments to the history of Ju- das. He was one of the twelve apostles ; and to him, as well as all the rest, power was given to work mira- cles in attestation of his divine appointment. We are not informed, but that he labored as faithfully as the rest, until the time of the betrayal. Jesus did not except Judas in what he said Matt. xix. 28 ; though what force is to be allowed to this circumstance the reader must judge, y as that passage is involved in some obscurity. That act of his life which has excited the most atten- tion, was the betraying of his master. See Matt. xxvi. 14-16. 47-50. There are some things to be said, in extenuation of NEW TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 131 this crime. It was not done, we should think, through enmity to Jesus, or his cause. It seems reasonable, that Judas did not think that Jesus would be condemned. He probably thought, that Jesus would be cleared, if tried before the Jewish tribunal. He knew his mas- ter's innocence ; and perhaps he supposed it would be apparent at the trial, as it certainly was ; for even Pi- late, the Roman governor, washed his hands, and said, "I am innocent of the blood of this just person." Matt, xxvii. 24. Again, Judas might have thought, that even if his master were condemned, he could deliver himself from his enemies. He had heard Jesus say, that all power was in his hands ; he had seen him work miracles ; he had known him to deliver himself from the people ; and he could not have entertained a doubt, that Jesus could deliver himself at any time from the power of his ene- mies. One of the above reasons should be admitted. For when Judas saw that Jesus was condemned, and that he did not deliver himself, he seems to have been struck with the utmost astonishment and remorse, which shortly produced his death. See the account : " Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the inno- cent blood. ***** And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed and went and hanged himself." Matt, xxvii. 3-5. Is this the lan- guage of an enemy of Christ ? Does it not show, that Judas thought Jesus would not be condemned ? Did he not make the most explicit avowal of his own guilt, before the chief priests and elders, and assert, in the strongest manner, the innocence of Christ ? He alone of all the twelve, publicly maintained, at that time, the innocence of Christ, for all the rest had " forsook him and fled," Matt. xxvi. 56 ; and Peter denied him three times, and cursed, and swore that he knew not the man, 69-75. 132 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. Why, then, did Judas betray his master ? See Matt. xxvi. 14 16. Judas wanted the money. Perhaps he wished to appropriate it to his own use, and perhaps he intended to put it into the treasury of the church, for he kept the bag, a proof that he had been regarded with favor. The worst view that can justly be taken of the case of Judas is, that he betrayed his master, not through enmity to him, or to his cause, but for the re- ward which was given. There are two accounts of Judas's death, which seem to be somewhat contradictory. See Matt, xxvii. 5 ; and compare it with Acts i. 18. The one writer states, that Judas hanged himself, the other, that he fell down and burst asunder. But this difficulty exists only in the translation. There is no proof, that Judas hang- ed himself, or committed suicide in any way. The Greek word amJ/Saro, rendered in Matt, xxvii. 5, u hang- ed himself," does not necessarily have that significa- tion. Campbell renders it strangled himself, and says it may be rendered was suffocated. Wakefield's ver- sion is, ivas choaked with anguish. A. Clarke says, it may be rendered, was strangled. This removes the apparent contradiction. Let us pay a brief attention to the arguments which are brought forward to prove, that Judas must be for- ever lost. 1. We read, John xvii. 12, " None of them is lost, but the son of perdition." Does this passage show, that Judas will be lost in the future state ? or that he will be eternally lost ? Not at all. Judas was lost ; he was lost from the apostleship ; he was a lost and undone man, a poor, broken-hearted traitor, abandoned of the church and of the world. " Son of perdition" is a Hebraism, signifying one that is lost. Judas had misery enough in this world ; it is cruel to pursue him into eternity with the effects of his treachery. 2. Jesus called Judas a devil, John vi. 70. Judas was a devil, that is, he was didfiolog, an adversary to Christ. But will this prove the endless damnation of NEW TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 133 Judas ? No, for Jesus said to Peter, " Get thee behind me, Satan," Matt. xvi. 23, and no one sup- poses that Peter is forever lost. 3. It is alleged, that Judas committed self-murder, and that the Bible says, no self-murderer shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. We deny both these propositions. The Bible makes no such statement in regard to the self-murderer, nor is there any proof, that Judas committed self-murder. 4. It is alleged, that Jesus said, " Good were it for that man, if he had not been born." Matt. xxvi. 24. Now, if Judas should ever be saved, it would be good for him that he had been born ; and, consequently, he can never be saved. We object to this strained and far-fetched sense of the passage. We do not believe, that Jesus intended any such inference should be made from his words. Those words are not to be strictly and literally interpreted, as they were a proverbial form of speech among the Jews, and every one knows, that proverbs are not to be literally considered. Adam Clarke has fully shown this in his Commentary, at the end of chap. i. Job (chap, iii.) cursed the day in which he was born ; but no one supposes that he will be endlessly miserable. So also did Jeremiah (xx. 14-18) ; but Jeremiah, we trust, is not to be finally excluded from God's presence. 5. It is alleged, that Judas is gone to an endless hell, because the evangelist states, that he went " to his own place," Acts i. 25. But we deny that these words refer to Judas at all, as we shall show in the proper place. Thus all the arguments, which have been brought forward to prove the endless misery of Judas, do ut- terly fail. It should be remembered, that Judas fully repented of his sin. That his repentance was genuine is evident from the following considerations. 1. He confessed his guilt. 2. He asserted the innocence of Christ. 3. He returned the money. 4. His sorrow caused 12 134 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. his death, which it could not have done on any other supposition than that it was sincere. We close with the words of Dr. Adam Clarke. < The utmost that can be said for the case of Judas, is this : he committed a heinous act of sin and ingrati- tude, but he repented, and did what he could to undo his wicked act ; he had committed the sin unto death, that is, a sin that involves the death of the body ; but who can say, (if mercy was offered to Christ's mur- derers, and the gospel was first preached at Jerusalem, that these very murderers might have the first offer of salvation through him whom they had pierced,) that the same mercy could not be extended to wretched Judas ? I contend, that the chief priests, &c., who instigated Judas to deliver up his Master, and who crucified him, and who crucified him too as a malefac- tor^ having, at the same time, the most indubitable evidence of his innocence, were worse men than Judas Iscariot himself ; and that, if mercy was extended to those, the wretched, penitent traitor did not die out of the reach of the yearning of its bowels. And I contend further, that there is no positive evidence of the final damnation of Judas, in-the sacred text."* XXXI. " But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost, hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation." Mark iii. 29. We have already considered this passage, in sec- tion XIII. of this chapter, under Matt. xii. 31, 32. The reader will refer to that place for an exposition of the phrase " hath never forgiveness," and for our views, in general, on the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Those who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit are in u danger of eternal damnation ! " It is some- times very confidently asked, if there is no such thing as eternal damnation, how can anybody be in danger of it ? The Universalist replies, " I believe in eternal damnation in the sense those words ought to bear in * Com., end of Acts, chap. i. NEW TESTAMENT PASSAGES EXPLAINED. 135 that passage, and in the sense the Saviour originally intended. The blasphemer was actually in danger of it." The Greek expression, which our translators render " eternal damnation," is alcarlov x^/a> ***** an^ a f ter a b r i e f silence, he faintly whispered, " While on his breast I lean my head, And breathe my life out sweetly there ; " and so he did breathe his life out sweetly, reposing, with implicit trust, on the bosom of his Saviour. Another more recent instance of the sustaining power of Universalism in the hour of death, is seen in the death-bed experience of the late Rev. A. L. Balch, of Swanzey, Massachusetts. He had been for nearly ten years a preacher of that doctrine. In an obituary notice, published a short time after his death, by the faithful friend who preached the discourse at his funeral, we find the following account of his last moments : " But if his prospects in life were cheering, and his confidence in the truth of the salvation of the whole race of Adam strong, they were doubly so in death. His disease for the first few days was severe, but for several of his last days he was not in much distress, and was perfectly sane, and conversed upon his departure with that calmness and composure, and even joy, which the faith and hope of the gospel only can give. Many of his friends called to see him, whom he exhorted to continue steadfast in the cause of truth, and go forward in building up the glorious cause in which they had been mutually engaged. His brother, Rev. William S. Balch, of Providence, who stood by him to close his eyes in death, he exhorted to faithfulness in his calling, as a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ. And, after having said all that he could concerning his family (his wife and son) , and given directions to his brother with WHAT ARE THE DUTIES OF UNIVERSALISTS 7 277 regard to his burial, &c., and after taking an affection- ate leave of all, he desired them to sing the hymn com- mencing, ' Come, thou fount of every blessing, Tune ray heart to sing thy grace ; Streams of mercy, never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise.' u After which, he desired to be moved so that he could see the sun, which, in all the loveliness of an au- tumnal sunset, was just receding from his view in more senses than one ; he observed the beauty and glory of the scene, and remarked, ' I shall soon behold a brighter sun,' and when the light of day went down, the lamp of life went out, without the motion of a mus- cle, or the uttering of a groan, on Monday, November 4th, 1839." XX. There are some other objections which are urged against Universalism, but they are generally of slight importance. Mr. Balfou, in his " First In- quiry," has written largely in reply to the objections against Universalism. See Chap. II., Sect. VI. We must refer the reader to that work for much that we should be glad to introduce in this place, but which must be excluded for want of room. Mr. Balfour has noticed several objections, which we here have not space to notice at all. CHAPTER VII. WHAT ARE THE DUTIES OF UNIVERSALISTS 1 I. Who are Universalists ? A Universalist is one who believes in a God of infinite wisdom, and unbound- ed love and goodness, who believes that Jesus Christ is his Son, and the Saviour of the world, who believes 24 278 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNI VERBALISM. in the record which God has given of his Son, who believes that God will overcome all evil with goodness, and who labors to overcome evil himself, in the same way, who loves God supremely, and his neighbours with brotherly affection, as he is required to do. He does unto others as he would that others should do unto him, he is patient under suffering, comforted un- der affliction, undismayed under the prospect of death, and filled with joy unspeakable and full of glory, in believing that all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of God, that the whole creation will be delivered from the bondage of corruption, and translated into the glorious liberty of the children of God. II. There are two kinds of Universalists. Let us premise, that we do not hold a man to be a Universalist merely because he is and- orthodox. Universalists, it is true, are opposed to orthodoxy, but that is not the circumstance which makes them Universalists. Infidels are opposed to orthodoxy, but they are not Universal- ists. Catholics are opposed to what we call orthodoxy, but they are not Universalists. Disbelief of falsehood does not make a man any thing but an unbeliever. To be a Universalist, a man must not only reject the doc- trine of endless misery, he must believe in God, and in his Son Jesus Christ,, and in the effectual mission of Jesus to save a world of sinners, he must believe that sin shall be finished, death be swallowed up in vic- tory, and God be all in all. Such is Universalism. Those who believe this doctrine, and those only, are Universalists. By the two classes of Universalists, of which we promised to speak, we mean positive and negative Uni- versalists. The distinction may at first appear to be trifling ; but we think, upon examination, it will be seen to be founded in justice, and will assume some impor- tance. Negative Universalists are those, who merely assent to the doctrine. They believe, they say, that all men will at last be saved. They think the doctrine of end- WHAT ARE THE DUTIES OF UNIVERSALISTS ? 279 less misery a very bad doctrine, and entertain no doubts of the final happiness of the whole world. This is the amount of their religion. Now there is a wide differ- ence between these, and those we are pleased to call positive Universalists. The latter embrace the doctrine with a living faith. They not only believe it, but they feel it ; they love it ; it is the meat and drink of their souls ; they have a constant and ever-active desire that others may be brought to the knowledge of the truth ; they profess the truth openly ; they do all in their power to establish it in the world ; they love God's house ; they love the stated ministry of the word ; they love the ordinances of the Gospel ; they love seasons of prayer and praise ; they love the com- munion of the brotherhood ; they know no other reli- gion worth possessing ; to them there is no other name given among men, whereby we can be saved, save Je- sus of Nazareth. Such are positive Universalists. There are many of them in the world, but we wish their number was quadrupled. We wish there was a society of such Universalists in every town and village in the United States. They have a realizing sense of the love of God ; it softens their souls ; they live a holy, religious, cheerful life ; and, viewing moral excellence to be an approximation to God, they desire to be u per- fect, as their Father in heaven is perfect." We once knew a Universalist of this character, he was truly so. Unfortunately for him, he married a proud, giddy, worldly-minded wife, at whose persuasion he removed to another town, quit his religious society and friends, and followed her to a popular house of worship, where vain hearts, nodding plumes, and gaudy dresses congregated. He felt himself, like the prodigal, though surrounded by magnificence ; but he was in want. " O," said he, u in my Father's house, there is bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger." He persisted on returning to his wonted rest ; and he came with tears of contrition to beg of God and man forgiveness for having slighted a Saviour's love, and 280 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSAL1SM. forsaken the fold of the faithful. The poet well ex- presses his feelings. " O, for a closer walk with God, Serene and calm my frame ; A purer light shall mark the road, That leads me to the Lamb. " Where is that blessedness I knew, When first I saw the Lord ? Where is that soul-inspiring view, Of Jesus and his Word ? " What peaceful hours I then enjoyed, How sweet their memory still ; But now, I feel an aching void, That God alone can fill. " Return, O holy dove, return, Sweet messenger of rest ; I hate the sins that made me mourn, That drove me from thy breast. " The dearest idol I have known, Whate'er that idol be, Help me to tear it from the throne, And worship only thee." The negative Universalist feels very little of such emotion as this. He thinks it does not make a great difference as to what meeting for public worship he may attend. He chooses the nearest, or at any rate the most fashionable. He comforts himself, that he will not probably hear any thing said against his faith, or, if he should, he will not be obliged to believe it. u How dwelleth the love of God in that man ?." Religion to him is not a principle of the heart, it is a speculation, the doctrine of Christ has never reached his soul. If it had, it would renovate his spirit, and make him a disciple of the Redeemer in deed and in truth. III. Jim I really a Universalist ? Do I believe, without doubt, in the existence of a supreme, self- existent, uncreated God ? Do I believe in the holy Scriptures as the Word of God ? Do I believe in Jesus as the Son of God, the Messiah ? Do I believe in his resurrection ? Do I believe in the resurrection of all men to a state of holiness and happiness ? Do WHAT ARE THE DUTIES OF UNI VERBALISTS ? 281 I believe in the paternal character of God ? that he is my Father, and the Father of all mankind ? Do I be- lieve all these things ? Men are apt to be deceived in regard to what they believe. We will therefore put the reader upon a plan, by which he may determine with some considerable de- gree of certainty, whether he is really a Universalist. Do you reverence God ? If you do not, you have not a full faith in his existence, and, therefore, you are not a Universalist. Do you read the Bible ? do you take comfort in this exercise ? are its teachings to you like cold water to a thirsty soul ? If not, you do not be- lieve this book to be a revelation from God, and, of course, are not a Universalist. Do you love the Sa- viour ? are you always desirous to follow his example and practice his precepts ? If not, you do not believe that he is the Son of God, and, of course, are not a Universalist. Have you a strong hope of immortality ? Does this hope support you and comfort you in the view of death ? Does it enable you to say, "O death, where is thy sting ? O grave, where is thy victory ? " If not, you must have a lurking unbelief about you, and you are at best but a doubting Universalist. Have you a filial confidence in God ? Do you love him with all the heart, the mind, the might, the strength ? If not, you do not believe he is your FATHER, and, of course, you are not a Universalist. If you believe he is your Father, you will love him with your whole soul. Do you treat your fellow-creatures as your brethren ? If not, you do not believe that God is the Father of all men. It is well for us to try ourselves frequently by these rules. IV. The conclusion, I am a Universalist. Yes, a Universalist, a believer in God as the Creator, Preserver, Benefactor, Judge, and Saviour of all men ; in Jesus, as "the Mediator between God and men," unto whom, at last, " every knee shall bow, and whom every tongue shall confess to be Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Such is my faith. There has been 24* 282 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. no change in it for many years, except that it has grown stronger continually. I am sure that this doc- trine is the doctrine of the Bible ; and I am equally sure, that the sacred writers intended to state and de- fend it. I know the effect it has upon me ; it rebukes me for wrong doing ; it excites love to God and man ; it meliorates the fear of death ; it gives me happiness, yea, joy, that is unspeakable and full of glory. It is " the truth as it is in Jesus " ; it is my " ALL IN ALL." If this doctrine be false, I am nothing, and less than nothing ; but if it be true, I am immortal, I am a brother of angels, an heir of endless glory. Shall I ever renounce this doctrine ? Never. It is no more probable, than that I shall renounce the Bible, and all my trust in the being of God. This is impos- sible, utterly impossible. V. What are the peculiar duties of Universalists 9 It is but seldom, that we now hear the objection urged against Universalism, which was formerly urged with frequency and confidence, that it had a licentious influ- ence on those who believed it. We are inclined to at- tribute the disrespect into which this charge against Universalism has fallen, to reflection in the opponent, who is convinced, that Universalists are not what he has often represented them to be ; and, moreover, that a doctrine of love and mercy must have a benign and salutary tendency. The Universalist now maintains, as he has always maintained, that the doctrine in which he believes, so far from exerting an injurious influence, is, in fact, of all doctrines advocated by Christians, the most pure and holy, exciting the sweetest and most generous senti- ments in the human heart ; and he goes further, and declares, that, so far as any doctrine is really opposed to the doctrine of Universalism, it must exert a paralyzing influence on the benevolent affections of the human soul. There is nothing in any creed under heaven, which is calculated to make men love God and one an- other, but what is found in the sublime and heavenly WHAT ARE THE DUTIES OF UNIVERSALISTS ? 283 doctrine of universal grace. This fact has not received the attention, which its importance merits. It is the grace and love of God which excite gratitude, in what creed soever they may be found, and it is gratitude which ex- cites love and obedience ; and no person would be so unwise as to say, that there is less love and grace man- ifested in the doctrine of Universalism than in other doctrines. It is a fact, and we assert it without fear of being contradicted by any person who will stop and reason before he decides, that, if generous sentiments are excited in the human heart by the consideration of favor and mercy bestowed upon us, there is no doc- trine known among men so favorable to the growth of such sentiments as that of impartial love in the Divine Being. The Universalist is perfectly willing to confess, that he is subject to all the passions and temptations com- mon to mankind, and that he is, like the rest of the world, too often found in the paths of disobedience and sin. But, in no instance, can the Universalist trace his offences to the influence of his religious opinions ; in- deed, he knows there is nothing which- causes him to put a greater restraint upon himself, and that makes him more ashamed of his iniquities than the reflection, that the Being, whose laws he has broken, is his kind and faithful friend ; and that the persons whom he has injured are his brethren, and common participators with him in the love of God. The morals of the Universalist would, and must, in the very nature of things, be purer than the morals of those operated upon by different opinions, were it not that he makes his religion too much a thing of theory, and too little a thing of practice. This is the fault of many Universalists. With the best doctrine ever embraced by man, a doctrine which an- gels delighted to proclaim, their morals should assume a pure, mild, and benevolent character, love should breathe in their devotions, shine in their actions, and drop from their lips. We believe we are neither visionary nor enthusiastic ; 284 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. we endeavour to look at this subject with the eye of reason ; and we can come to no other result. The Universalist believes that God is his Father, his friend, and benefactor ; that every blessing he receives comes from the hand of God, who is unchanging in his mer- cies, who will love him forever, and who will not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. These are the predominant sentiments in his heart, regarding the Supreme Being, Now, a man believing this may at times forget it ; his mind may be engrossed by other subjects ; his passions may be excited, and he may act contrarily to it. But the question is, whether a man re- alizing these sentiments, and acting according to their natural influence, will not do his duties in relation to his Maker with" more readiness and faithfulness, than though he believed what is directly opposed to them ? The question must be answered in the affirmative. Will he not be more likely to love God ? and, if he loves him, will he not be more likely to serve him, and to serve him with cheerfulness ? Whenever his sen- timents have any influence, must they not have that influence ? and, if he does wrong, can it be attributed to the influence of those views ? Would it not be, in the highest degree, absurd to attribute it to those views ? VI. There is no one precept, which sets forth the duty of the Christian in. a more forcible manner, than that divine precept in the memorable Sermon upon the Mount ; u Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Fa- ther, which is in heaven, is perfect." It comprehends the substance of all Christian obedience. And, as the consideration of this subject will tend to set forth ; 1st, The beneficent tendency of Universalism ; and, 2d, The duties which rise from a firm faith in God, as a kind, impartial, and unchangeable PARENT, we shall ask a careful attention to it. "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Matt. v. 48. But here rises a very important question, viz. In ichat does the WHAT ARE THE DUTIES OF UNIVERSALISTS ? 285 perfection of God consist ? If it is our duty to be per- fect as God is perfect, how necessary it is to know in what his perfection consists. Fortunately the Saviour has described the divine perfection in the chapter from which we have already quoted. That heavenly instruc- ter, that guide of the ignorant, made God's perfection to consist in IMPARTIAL, UNCHANGEABLE GOODNESS. He was exploding the old morality, which until then had prevailed in the world, that men should love their neighbors, but hate their enemies. " I say unto you," said he, u love your enemies, bless them that curse you, and pray for them that despitefully use you, and per- secute you." Matt. v. 44. This was the morality of Christ ; and it was very different, indeed, from the morality which had previously prevailed. It was no trifling labor to change not only the morality of a peo- ple, but also the standard of their morality, the grounds and reasons of it ; and we look with interest, therefore, to see what means the heavenly instructor adopted to accomplish so difficult a task. We perceive, at once, his means. He pointed the people to the character of God, and entreated them to imitate Him. For, after saying, "love your enemies, bless them that curse you," &c., he tells them to do this, " that they may be the children of their Father in heaven ;" that is, that they may be like him. But does God love his enemies ? does he bless those who curse him ? Yes ; for the Saviour adds, u he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just, and on the unjust." Here we see the perfection of God, which Jesus desired his followers to imitate. It was impar- tial, unchangeable goodness. It certainly is God's goodness which causes the sun to warm the earth, and the rain to fertilize it. But is this goodness impartial ? Certainly. The sun shines upon all men, the rain falls upon all men. It was not possible for the divine Teach- er to have referred to any thing more impartial than the shining of the sun, and the falling of the rain. But is this goodness unchangeable, as well as impartial ? It 286 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. surely is. The sun has always shed his beams upon the earth from the beginning of the world, and the rain has always descended in its season. The sin of man has never arrested the shining of the sun ; his injustice has never prevented the falling of the rain. All his sin, iniquity, and wickedness have never been able to change the goodness of God, or divert it from its steady purpose. When Jesus, therefore, referred to God's perfection, he referred to His IMPARTIAL, UN- CHANGEABLE GOODNESS. He referred to this perfec- tion to recommend it to the attention of men, that they might u be perfect, as their Father in heaven was per- fect." Now remark, he began by enjoining it on men to love their enemies, and to render good for evil. To incite them to this, he referred them to the character of God ; and unless God loves his enemies, a reference to his character and perfection, in this case, was, of all things, the most unfortunate. But it was shown by our Lord, at the time, that God did love his enemies, not by a reference to any book or manuscript whose author- ity might be doubted, but by a reference to the unde- niable works of God, to the broad heavens, to the thirst- ing earth, to the light of day, and to the fertilizing show- ers. This being done, Jesus, the lovely Son of God, scorned the low^ degrading morality of rendering good only in return for good. The worst of men, the lowest, the vilest would do this. " For if ye love them which love you, what reward have- ye ? do not even the publi- cans the same ? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others ? do not even the publicans so ? " The publicans were regarded as the wickedest of all men ; their name was a reproach and a by- word, and was always associated with that of sinners. Jesus showed, that even such men would render good in re- turn for good. But this was a mere nagative goodness. There was " a more excellent way." There was a more exalted morality, a morality built upon the di- vine example, patterned after the model of God's ex- WHAT ARE THE DUTIES OF UNIVERSALISTS ? 287 cellence, which consisted in the love of enemies, in re- turning blessing for curses, goodness for hatred and persecution. This was the morality which he enjoined in the most solemn manner, upon his followers, requir- ing them to u be perfect, as their Father in heaven was perfect." It has sometimes been said, incautiously, that Universalism debases the character of God. On the contrary, we have the fullest conviction, that it is the only doctrine which does not debase it. All doc- trines, which represent God as hating the wicked, which teach us, that God does not love men until they are regenerated, and brought to love him, all such doc- trines, we say, debase the character of God to a level with that of the publicans, who always loved such as loved them. Universalism exalts the character of God, it shows us a God worthy to be loved and adored ; and as it encourages us to be perfect as he is perfect, it has a highly salutary influence upon the hearts and con- duct of men. VII. It is sometimes said, that Universalists preach the love of God to sinners, too boldly and unreservedly. Their preaching would have a better effect, it is said, if they would make the love of God to man to be ori- ginated by the love of man to God. Then men would see a strong reason why they ought to love him, be- cause, if they did not love him, his wrath would burn against them. This is regarded by many as sound rea- soning ; but we solemnly aver, that we believe, that there never yet was a man hated God, who was not made to hate him by the principle incorporated into this very doctrine, which is thought to be so necessary to make men love him. This doctrine is predicated of the fact, that God hates men. He will love them, if they will love him, a plain acknowledgment, that he does not, at the time, love them. If he does not love them, he hates them ; and there never yet was a man hated God, who was not caused to do it by believing, that God hated him. Whenever men believe, that God hates 288 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. them, they will hate him. On the other hand, men will love God, when they know and feel, that God loves them. What saith the apostle on this subject ? See 1 John iv. 19, * c We love him because he first loved us." Here two facts are involved, 1st, that God loves men ; and 2d, that his love of men is the cause of their love of him. Now, if we have ascertained an adequate means whereby men may be made to love God, we ought not to seek further, much less ought we to resort to the contrary and highly doubtful expedient of preaching wrath. Again, saith the same apostle, 1st Epis. iv. 10, " Herein (that is, in the death of Christ) is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved s, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." And, then, in the next verse, he makes his inference from the love of God. " Beloved, if God so loved us, how ought we to love one another," verse 11. Here we see at once the beneficent tendency of God's love. It leads us to imitate God. It incites us to " be per- fect, as our Father in heaven is perfect." " If God so loved us, how ought we to love one another." If this is the inference to be made from God's love, what in- ference would be made if he hated men ? Answer. The contrary inference. "We hate him, because he first hated us. Ye hated, if God so hated us, how ought we also to hate one another." It would be an imitation of God, men in this way would be perfect, as their Father in heaven is perfect. And we can see no reason in the Scriptures, that men are released from the obligation to imitate God, even though he does hate men. But what a sad world would this be, were all men to believe, that God hates his creatures on earth, and were they also, as they unquestionably would in that case, to go seriously to work to imitate him in their dispositions and conduct. The love of God is a soul-inspiring theme. The heart is softened by this subject. O happy Universal- its ! ye are the only people on the earth who believe in WHAT ARE THE DUTIES OF UN1VERSALISTS? 289 a God whose perfection may be safely imitated. You can love, and imitate your God ; but others, to imitate their God, must hate. You can find peace and joy in obeying the injunction of our great Master, "Be ye, therefore, perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect." Remember, brethren, there is no other way to be perfect, but that in which God is perfect. Uni- versalists, having so reasonable and benevolent a doc- trine, are laid under more sacred obligations to be vir- tuous than any other class of men. A man who believes in God's hatred to men will be in great danger of hating his fellow-creatures ; but in this case it is his misfortune rather than his fault. In a Universalist it would be sin of the deepest dye, sin against heaven : it would be ingratitude, unkindness, rendering back to God evil for his good. For all evil done to God's creatures is evil done to him. fc Inasmuch as ye have done it to one of the least of my disciples, ye have done it unto me." Brethren, let us remember these things continu- ally. Wherever scattered abroad, let this characteris- tic distinguish us all, that we love the Lord God with all our hearts, and our neighbors as ourselves. This is better than burnt-offerings or sacrifices ; it is the whole duty of man, for want of which nothing can atone. VIII. To sum up, then, what are the peculiar du- ties of those who believe in the infinite goodness of God, and in the final holiness and happiness of all men ? They should love, worship, honor, and serve God as a Father. Shall not he who watches over us with an almighty and unchanging love, have the return of our feeble gratitude and obedience ? If our professed faith is not mere speculation, we must show the fruits of it m our lives. " Faith, without works, is dead." En- deavour, then, to cherish a constant and lively sense of the paternity of God. Such a sentiment, dwelling in the heart, will not only induce us to love and serve God, but will sustain us in the season of adversity, lift us up in the times of our deepest trials, chasten every 25 290 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. pleasure, and bear the soul gently through the dark val- ley of the shadow of death. As saith the poet, " Is there a lone and dreary hour, When worldly pleasures lose their power ? My Father ! let me turn to thee, And set each thought of darkness free. " Is there a time of racking grief, Which scorns the prospect of relief? My Father ! break the cheerless gloom, And bid my heart its calm resume. ' Is there an hour of peace and joy, When hope is all my soul's employ ? My Father ! still my hopes will roam, Until they rest with thee, their home. " The noontide blaze, the midnight scene, The dawn or twilight's sweet serene ; The sick, nay, ev'n the dying hour, Shall own my Father's grace and power." The Universalist should always bear in mind, that God is no less the Father of others, than himself. As he is the Creator, so is he the Parent, of all. See, then, that there is a common bond, a tie, uniting the vast family of man. No national boundary can dissolve this tie, no distance, no circumstance of birth, or of color, no misfortune, no oppression ; neither poverty, nor vice, nor disgrace, nor death, can sunder it. It is as indissoluble as the love of God. When men can cease to be the offspring of God, then they will cease to be a brotherhood. Who, believing and realizing this, can be unkind ? Who can be entirely engrossed in his own welfare ? Who can be the oppressor of his brethren ? Who can be deaf to the moan of the sufferer ? to the plaintive entreaty of the poor ? The more powerfully the true principles of Universalism operate on the heart, the more kind, faithful, and actively benevolent shall we be. Let us, then, endeavour to be Universal- ists indeed, Universalists in spirit as well as in pro- fession, Universalists in practice as well as in pre- cept. We think too little of God as a Father, and too little of man as our kindred in body and in soul. Never WHAT ARE THE DUTIES OF UNI VERBALISTS ? 291 yet was a man led into wrong doing, by following close- ly the influences of Universalism. We do not deny, that there are men professing to be Universalists, who dishonor the name they bear ; but their wickedness does not spring from the fact, that they are Universal- ists indeed, but from the fact, that they are not so. Let Universalism, then, be fully and faithfully preached. Ye servants of the living God, who minister at his holy altar, fail not to impress most deeply upon the hearts of your hearers, the principles of this holy faith. Ye cannot make men love God too well. If they love him, they will love their brethren. Dwell frequently on the moral power of your doctrine, and urge believ- ers to good works. Rest assured of this, that the more closely you bring your hearers to practise the principles of the doctrine we have defended, the more heavenly-minded and obedient will they be. Be careful to put your hearers on their guard against a mere spec- ulative, or dead faith. There is but one way to deter- mine whether your faith be a living faith. Doth it bring forth good works 9 That is the test. IX. Any science, any theory of philosophy, in order to be tested, must be put into practice. If men never should put their arithmetical knowledge into prac- tice, of what benefit would it be to them ? If the well- taught navigator should fail to apply his knowledge to the working of his ship, it would do him no good. His theory must be put into practice, or he can derive no benefit from it. It was designed for practical applica- tion. If totally regardless of the science in which he had been instructed, he should lose his way upon the pathless deep, and find himself among rocks and quick- sands, his misfortunes would not be attributed to the system in which he had been instructed, but to his fail- ure to apply the principles of it to practice. This is equally true of the Christian. If he, by departing from the sound principles of the doctrine of Christ, gets lost in the mazes of sin and folly, his faults are not to be attributed to the influence of Christian faith, but 292 PLAIN GUIDE TO UMVERSALISM. to the want of that influence. The Universalist knows, that the sentiments he cherishes, have none other effect upon him than that which is good. The natural influ- ence of them, is to promote love to God and love to man, comfort and hope in seasons of the deepest affliction, reconciliation to God at all times, and confidence in the hour of death. But to produce these consequences, the sentiments must not be merely as- sented to. " He is not a Jew which is one outwardly," saith the apostle ; "neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew which is one inwardly ; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter." So he is not a Univer- salist which is one outwardly ; he must have the doc- trine in his heart ; and if there, like an ever-living fountain, it will continually send out streams of truth, and purity, and love. When Universalists do wrong, it is not because they obey the influences of the doc- trine they profess, but it is because they do not obey them. X. It was a sound remark of Dr. Franklin, the most eminent of our philosophers, that u no system in the Christian world was so well calculated to promote the interest of society, as the doctrine which showed a God reconciling a lapsed world unto himself." We have this on the authority of his daughter, Mrs. Bache, in whose house he died. It appeared first in England, in the "New Monthly Magazine," and was afterwards copied into the " Mirror," Vol. IX. p. 208. See "Modern History of Universalism," p. 413. Such was the sentiment of that great philosopher. A simi- lar acknowledgment was made by the eminent philoso- pher and divine, Dr. Joseph Priestley. He said, in a sermon delivered in the Lombard Street church, in Philadelphia, " I express my concurrence with the minister, and the congregation worshipping here, in their opinion concerning the final happiness of all the human race, a doctrine eminently calculated to pro- mote alike gratitude to God, and consequently every WHAT ARE THE DUTIES OF UNIVERSALISTS ? 293 other virtue ; and, since this doctrine is perfectly con- sistent with the belief of the adequate punishment of sin, it is far from giving any encouragement to sin- ners." "Modern History of Universalism," p. 260. If the sentiment of these two eminent philosophers be true, (and Universalists surely will not dispute it,) how necessary is it, that all who profess the" doctrine of uni- versal love, should manifest the power of it in their ac- tions. They should let their souls be each a mirror, in which the image of the doctrine shall be seen. We ask of them only, that they sedulously endeavour to un- derstand the nature, and feel the power, and display the excellence, of their faith. Then will they honor and glorify God, in their bodies and spirits which are his, and live in constant good-will towards their fellow-men. They will hate sin, and flee from it, not on account of punishment merely, but because it is a violation of the commandments of God. In every event of life, they will recognise his overruling hand. They will part with all they hold dear on earth, if it be God's will ; and with humble resignation they will kiss the rod with which they are smitten. And when, at last, they are summoned to depart, hope shall lift up its tearless eye to the throne of God, and the spirit shall return to Him who gave it. XL If there be any one thing which particularly concerns the substantial interests of the Universalist de- nomination, it is the formation of Vital Godliness. We do not mean that Universalists should become the en- couragers and promoters of fanaticism, in any of its protean forms, for we have yet to learn, that any of these are identical with vital godliness. But is it de- manded what we mean by the phrase which we have employed ? Our answer is simply this : We mean those peculiar exercises of the mind and the affections, which the doctrines embraced by Universalists are so preeminently calculated to produce, if they be allowed to exert their legitimate influence. Universalists be- lieve that Jehovah is as wise, and as powerful, and as 25* 294 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. good, as the best man on earth could desire him to be, in short, that his perfections infinitely transcend the most enlarged conceptions of the human mind. Can we, as Universalists, contemplate such a being, espe- cially in his relation to us as a Father, without feeling a holy reverence for his name, and a filial confidence in his goodness ? Can we contemplate his impartial good- ness to the children of men, as displayed in Providence and grace, without feeling that it is our duty to cherish a spirit of good-will towards all the human race ? Vital godliness, as thus explained, signifies, there- fore, love to God, and love to man. If we love God, we shall keep his commandments. We shall delight to worship him. We shall delight to speak of his lov- ing kindness and his tender mercy. We shall delight to recommend, and to exhort our fellow-men to trust in the goodness of our heavenly Father, as manifested through his beloved Son. And, if we cherish the gen- uine spirit of philanthropy in our hearts, we shall as- suredly strive to promote the good of our fellow-crea- tures by every practicable means within the compass of our ability. Reader, behold the mark of the prize of thy high calling in Christ Jesus, and put forth all thy energies for its attainment, and depend on it, thou shalt know from experience the power of religion in the soul. CHAPTER VIII. ON THE FORMATION OF UNIVERSALIST SOCIETIES. I. ALL religious societies should be formed agreea- bly to the Constitution and laws of the State to which they belong. In Massachusetts, the rights and duties of religious societies, and the privileges of members, are set forth in the Eleventh Article of Amendments to the Constitution, and in the Twentieth Chapter of FORMATION OF UNIVERSALIST SOCIETIES. 295 the Revised Statutes. As Universalists should always be careful to pay the strictest deference to the laws, we shall here introduce the article from the Constitution, and give entire the chapter from the Statutes. IT. RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ESTABLISHED. " Article 11 [of Amendments]. Instead of the third article of the Bill of Rights, the following modification and amendment thereof is substituted. " As the public worship of God, and instructions in piety, religion, and morality, promote the happiness and prosperity of a people, and the security of a republican government, therefore, the several reli- gious societies of this Commonwealth, whether corporate or unincor- porate, at any meeting legally warned and holden for that purpose, shall ever have the right to elect their pastors or religious teachers, to contract with them for their support, to raise money for erecting and repairing houses for public worship, for the maintainance of religious instruction, and for the payment of necessary expenses : And all per- sons belonging to any religious society shall be taken and held to be members, until they shall file with the clerk of such society a written notice declaring the dissolution of their membership, and thenceforth shall not be liable for any grant or contract which may be thereafter made or entered into by such society : And all religious sects and de- nominations, demeaning themselves peaceably, and as good citizens of the Commonwealth, shall be equally under the protection of the law ; and no subordination of any one sect or denomination to anoth- er shall ever be established by law." III. REVISED STATUTES, CHAPTER 20. " Section 1. Every parish or religious society heretofore established is declared to be a body corporate, with all the powers given to cor- porations by the forty-fourth chapter ; and with the other powers, privileges, liabilities, and duties, expressed in this chapter. " Sect. 2. All parishes or religious societies, whether corporate or unincorporate, shall continue to have and enjoy their existing rights, privileges, and immunities, except so far as the same may be limited or modified by the provisions of this chapter, and the eleventh article of the amendments of the constitution. " Sect. 3. The respective churches, connected and associated in public worship, with such parishes and religious societies, shall con- tinue to have, exercise, and enjoy all their accustomed privileges and liberties respecting divine worship, church order, and discipline, and shall be encouraged in the peaceable and regular enjoyment and practice thereof. " Sect. 4. All persons belonging to any religious society, shall be taken and held to be members, until they shall file, with the clerk of such society, a written notice declaring the dissolution of their mem- bership, and thenceforth shall not be liable for any grant or contract, which may be thereafter made or entered into by such society ; and no person shall hereafter be made a member of any parish or reli- gious society, without his consent in writing. 296 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. " Sect. 5. Every parish and religious society may make by-lawa, prescribing the manner in which persons may become members thereof; provided such by-laws be not repugnant to the laws of the Commonwealth. " Sect. 6. No person shall have a right to vote in the affairs of any parish or religious society, unless he is a member thereof. " Sect. 7. The qualified voters of every parish and incorporated religious society, and of every religious society organized according to the provisions of this chapter, shall meet in the month of March or April annually, at such time and place as shall be appointed by their assessors or standing committee, and shall choose a clerk, and two or more assessors, a treasurer, collector, who shall be sworn, and such other officers as they shall think necessary ; all of whom shall continue in office for one year, and until others are chosen and qual- ified in their stead. " Sect. 8. All meetings shall be warned in such manner, as the parish or society shall by any by-law or vote provide ; and when they shall make no such order, the meetings shall be warned in such man- ner, as their assessors or standing committee shall, in their warrant for such meeting, direct. " Sect. 9. At all such meetings, the clerk shall preside in the choice of a moderator; and, if there is no clerk, or if he is absent, the assessors or the standing committee, or any one of them, shall preside in the choice of a moderator ; and a clerk may then be chosen, either pro tempore, or to fill the vacancy, as the case may require. " Sect. 10. The moderator may administer the oath of office to the clerk ; and the clerk may administer the oath to the assessors and collector; or the said oaths may be administered by any justice of the peace ; and they shall all be substantially the same, as are required to be taken by the clerk, assessors, and collectors of towns. "Sect. 11. The moderator shall have the same power, in govern- ing the meeting, that is given to the moderator of a town meeting ; and all persons guilty of disorderly behaviour at the meeting of any parish or religious society, shall be subjected to the same penalties and punishments, as are provided for the like offences in town meet- ings ; all the pecuniary penalties to enure to the use of the parish or society, and to be recovered in the manner prescribed in the case of offences at town meetings. " Sect. 12. The person chosen collector shall, if present, forth- with declare his acceptance or refusal of the office ; and in case of non-acceptance, the parish or society shall proceed to a new choice, and so from time to time, until one shall accept and be sworn. ** Sect. 13. Any person so chosen, who shall be present and shall not declare his acceptance of the office of collector, or who shall, for the space of seven days, after being summoned by a constable or any other person, whom the clerk or assessors may appoint for that pur- pose, neglect to take the oath of office, shall be considered as refus- ing to accept the office. " Sect. 14. The prudential affairs of parishes and religious socie- ties shall be managed by their assessors, or by a standing committee, to be specially appointed for that purpose ; and the said assessors or committee shall have like authority, for calling meetings of the par- ish or society, as selectmen have for calling town meetings. FORMATION OF UNIVERSALIST SOCIETIES. 29? " Sect. 15 All vacancies, that shall occur after the annual meet- ing, in any of the annual' offices, may be filled at any other legal meeting. " Sect. 16. When five or more of the qualified voters of any par- ish or religious society shall signify, in writing, their desire to have any matter inserted in a warrant for calling a meeting, the assessors or committee shall insert the same in the next warrant they shall is- sue for that purpose ; and nothing acted upon shall have any legal operation, unless the subject matter thereof shall have been inserted in the warrant for calling the meeting. " Sect. 17. In case the assessors or committee of any parish or religious society shall unreasonably refuse to call a meeting, or if there are no assessors or committee qualified to call one, any justice of the peace for the county, upon the application of five or more of the qualified voters, may call a meeting, in the same manner as a jus- tice of the peace is authorized to call a town meeting. " Sect. 18. The qualified voters of every parish and religious so- ciety, at the annual meeting, or at any other meeting, regularly no- tified seven days at least before the holding thereof, may grant and vole such sums of money, as they shall judge necessary for the set- tlement, maintainance, and support of ministers or public teachers of religion; for the building or repairing of houses of public wor- ship ; for sacred music ; for the purchase and preservation of burial- grounds ; and for all other necessary parish charges : all which sums shall be assessed on the polls and estates of all the members of the parish or society, in the same manner and proportion as town taxes are by law assessed. " Sect. 19. Nothing contained in this chapter shall enlarge or di- minish the powers of taxation, enjoyed by any parish or religious society, by virtue of any special law or act of incorporation. ;< Sect. 20. No corporation shall be taxed for any parochial pur- pose. " Sect. 21. None of the provisions of this chapter shall be con- strued to impair any existing rights of property of any territorial parish. " Sect. 22. The inhabitants of every parish and religious society may, by vote, appoint ohe or more agents or attorneys to appear for and represent them, in any suit at law and upon any other occasion. " Sect. 23. Every parish and religious society may appoint their treasurer to be the collector of their taxes ; and, when so appointed, he shall have the like powers, and shall proceed in like manner, in enforcing the collection of such taxes, after the expiration of the time, fixed by the parish or society for the payment thereof, as is pro- vided in the eighth chapter, for the collection of taxes by the collect- ors of towns. " Sect. 24. Every parish and religious society may authorize their treasurer and collector to make an abatement of such sum, as they shall agree upon at their annual meeting, to all those who make vol- untary payment of their taxes, within such period as shall be fixed on for that purpose by the parish or society. " Sect. 25. In case any donation, gift, or grant, shall be made to any unincorporated religious society, such society shall have the like power to manage, use, and employ the same, according to the terms 298 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. and conditions, on which the same may be made, as incorporated so- cieties now have, or may hereafter have, by law ; to elect suitable trustees, agents, or officers therefor ; and to prosecute and sue for any right which may vest in them, in consequence of such donation, gift, or grant ; and such a society shall be a corporation, so far as may be necessary for the purposes expressed in this section. " Sect. 26. Any parish, which, from the want of officers, or any other cause, maybe unable to assemble in the usual manner, and any religious society, that is not incorporated, provided they contain re- spectively ten or more qualified voters, may organize themselves as a corporation, in the manner and for the purposes expressed in the fol- lowing sections. " Sect. 27. Any justice of the peace for the county in which such parish or religious society may be, upon application in writing by any five or more of the qualified voters thereof, may issue his warrant for calling a meeting of the same. " Sect. 28. The warrant shall state the objects of the meeting, and shall be directed to some one of the applicants therefor, requiring him to warn the qualified voters of the parish or society to meet at such time and place as shall be appointed in the warrant ; and, upon due return thereof, the same justice, or any other justice of the peace for the county, may preside at such meeting, for the choice and qual- ification of a clerk, who shall enter at large, upon the records of the parish or society, the proceedings had in the organization thereof; and the parish or society may thereupon proceed to choose a modera- tor, and to do all such other things, as parishes are by law authorized to do at their annual meetings ; provided the subject matter thereof shall be inserted in said warrant. " Sect. 29. Every parish and religious society, organized as pro- vided in the three preceding sections, shall become a corporation, and shall have all the powers and privileges, and be subject to all the duties, liabilities, and requirements, which incorporated religious so- cieties may, by law, have or be subject to, with power to have and hold so much estate, real or personal, as may be necessary for the objects of such organization, and no more; provided, that all the powers, derived from any such organization, may at any time be re- voked by the legislature. " Sect. 30. The assessors of every parish and religious society, in assessing taxes for the support of public worship, and for other parish charges, shall assess the same upon all the property, (not exempted by law from taxation,) of all the members of such parish or society, including all their real estate within the State, in whatever part thereof it may be situated, and all their personal estate, wherever the same may be ; and no citizen shall be liable to pay any tax for the support of public worship, or for other parish charges, to any parish or religious society, other than to that of which he is a member. " Sect. 31. Whenever the proprietors of any church, meeting- house, or other house of public worship, shall deem it expedient to alter, enlarge, repair, rebuild, or remove the same, it shall be lawful for them, at a legal meeting, called for that purpose, to raise such sums of money, as they may judge necessary, to carry any of said purposes into effect, and to purchase any land necessary for the same. FORMATION OF UNIVERSALIST SOCIETIES. 299 " Sect. 32. Such moneys may be assessed on the pews in such church or house, and the assessment may be committed to the treasu- rer, chosen by said proprietors to receive the same; and the treasurer shall forthwith give notice thereof, by posting up an advertisement at the principal outer door of such house, slating the completion of such assessment, and the day of delivery thereof to him ; and if said taxes, or any part thereof, remain unpaid for three months, after the posting up of notifications as aforesaid, it shall be the duty of the treasurer to collect the same forthwith, by sales at public auction of the pews, whereon the tax or any part thereof shall remain unpaid, in the manner provided in the following sections. " Sect. 33. When it shall become the duty of the treasurer, to sell any pew for taxes, he shall post up a notification of the intended sale thereof, at the principal outer door of such church or house, at least three weeks before the time of sale, therein setting forth the number of the pew, if any, the name of the owner or occupant, if known, and the amount of the tax due thereon ; and if said tax or any part thereof shall remain unpaid, at the time appointed for such sale, the treasurer shall sell the pew, by public auction, to the highest bidder, and shall execute and deliver, to the purchaser, a sufficient deed of conveyance of the same ; and the money arising from such sale, beyond the taxes and incidental reasonable charges, shall be paid by the treasurer to the former owner of the pew so sold, or to his as- signs. " Sect. 34. The affidavit of any disinterested person, annexed to any original notification, or to a copy thereof, made before a justice of the peace, arid recorded on the proprietor's records, within six months next after such sale, shall be allowed, as one mode of proof of the posting up of the notifications herein before required. " Sect. 35. Any meeting of the proprietors of a church or house of public worship, for any of the purposes aforesaid, may be called by a warrant from a justice of the peace, granted on application to him in writing, made by any five of said proprietors, which warrant shall be directed to one of the applicants ; or such meeting may be called by a notification by the clerk of said proprietors, whose duty it shall be to warn a meeting, on a like application to him ; and, in either case, such meeting may be warned by posting up a notification thereof, at the principal outer door of the church or house, fourteen days at least before the time appointed for the meeting. " Sect. 36. Whenever any such proprietors shall deem it necessa- ry, for the purpose of altering, enlarging, repairing, rebuilding, or removing their church or house, to take down any pews therein, it shall be lawful for them so to do ; such pews being first appraised by any three or more disinterested persons, chosen by said proprietors for that purpose ; and the pews newly erected, shall be sold by the treas- urer of the proprietors, by public auction, to the highest bidder, and deeds thereof shall be given, in like manner as when they are sold for the payment of taxes ; and the moneys arising from such sale shall be applied, so far as may be necessary, to paying the appraised value of the pews taken down to the owners thereof; and the deficiency, if any, shall be paid by the proprietors of such church or house, with- in thirty days next after the sale. " Sect. 37. Whenever any parish or religious society, being the 300 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. owner of any church, meeting-house, or other house of public wor- ship, shall deem it necessary, for the purpose of altering, enlarging, repairing, rebuilding, or removing any such church or house, to take down any pews therein, it shall be lawful for them so to do ; and, in such case, the like regulations shall be observed, and the like pro- ceedings had, as are provided in the preceding section. " Sect. 38. Nothing contained in the two preceding sections shall entitle any person to compensation for a pew so taken down, in any case, where such church or house shall have become unfit for the purposes of public worship. " DONATIONS AND GRANTS FOR PIOUS AND CHARITABLE USES. " Sect. 39. The deacons, churchwardens, or other similar officers of all churches or religious societies, if citizens of the United States, shall be deemed bodies corporate, for the purpose of taking and hold- ing, in succession, all grants and donations, whether of real or per- sonal estate, made either to them and their successors, or to their re- spective churches, or to the poor of their churches. " Sect. 40. In all cases, where the ministers, elders, or vestry of any church shall, in the grants or donations mentioned in the pre- ceding section, have been joined with such deacons or church war- dens as donees or grantees, such officers and their successors, to- gether with the deacons or churchwardens, shall be deemed the corporation, for the purposes of such grants and donations. " Sect. 41. The minister of every church or religious society, of whatever denomination, if a citizen of the United States, shall be capable of taking, in succession, any parsonage land granted to the minister and his successors, or to the use of the ministers, or granted by any words of the like impoit, and may prosecute and defend, in all actions touching the same. " Sect. 42. No conveyance of the lands of any church shall be effectual to pass the same, if made by the deacons without the con- sent of the church, or of a committeee of the church, appointed for that purpose, or if made by the churchwardens, without the consent of the vestry. " Sect. 43. No conveyance, made by any minister, of lands held by him in succession, shall be valid any longer than he shall continue to be such minister, unless such conveyance shall be made with the consent of the town, parish, or religious society, of which he is min- ister, or unless he be a minister of an episcopal church, and shall make the conveyance with the consent of the vestry. " Sect. 44. The several churches, other than those of the episco- pal denomination, are authorized to choose committees, for the pur- pose of settling the accounts of the deacons and other church offi- cers, and, if necessary, to commence and prosecute any suits in the name of the church, against the said deacons or other officers, touch- ing the same. " Sect. 45. The income of any such grant or donation, made to or for the use of any church, shall not exceed the sum of two thousand dollars a year, exclusive of the income of any parsonage lands, granted to or for the use of the ministry. " Sect. 46. The overseers of each monthly meeting of the people called Friends or Quakers shall be a body corporate, for the purpose FORMATION OF UNIVERSALIST SOCIETIES. 301 of taking and holding, in succession, all grants and donations of real or personal estate, made to the use of such meeting, or to the use of any preparative meeting belonging thereto ; and to aliene or manage such real and personal estate, according to the terms and conditions of the grants and donations ; and to prosecute and defend in any action touching the same ; provided, that the income of the grants and donations, to any one of such meetings, for the uses aforesaid, shall not exceed the sum of five thousand dollars a year." IV. The following extracts are made from the New York Statute, entitled " An Act to provide for the in- corporation of Religious Societies." 1. "Fifteen days previous to forming a society, notice shall be giv- en at the place where worship is wont to be held, of such intention. This notice to be given for two successive Sabbaths. 2. *' Two individuals from the society to be formed to ' be nomina- ted by a majority of the members present, shall preside at such elec- tion, receive the votes of the electors, and certify under their hands and seals the names of those elected as trustees.' There shall not be less than three nor exceeding nine trustees. 3. " By such act, the trustees and their successors become a body corporate, and may be so recorded by the county clerk, who is enti- tled, for the recording of the certificate of incorporation, to seventy- five cents, and no more. 4. "The trustees shall have and use a common seal, and take charge of all temporalities belonging to such society. 5. "The trustees shall continue in office three years, but those first chosen shall be divided into three lots, numbered one, two, and three, so that there may be annually a third part of the whole num- ber chosen. A month's notice shall be given when a vacancy is to be filled, and the election shall take place at least six days before the vacancy occurs. 6. " No person is eligible to the office of trustee who has not been a stated attendant on the worship of said society and contributed to its support, for one year previous to his election." V. CONSTITUTION OF A UNIVERSALIST SOCIETY. We, the subscribers, feeling desirous to " grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ," do hereby form ourselves into a society, that we may be helps to each other, and that by our united energies we may better serve the purposes of religion and of truth. We cheerfully adopt, and subscribe the fol- lowing Constitution, as the basis.,of our government. 1. This Society shall be called the "First, [Second, or Third, as the case may be,] Universalist Society in . ." 2. The object of this society shall be the promotion of truth and morality among its members, and also in the world at large ; and as the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, is calculated above all truth to inspire the heart with the emotions of benevolence and virtue, this society shall deem it one of its main objects to support the preaching of the Gospel, according to the society's ability, and to aid in any other practicable way, in spreading a knowledge of it among men. 26 302 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. 3. This society adopt, as the basis of its religious faith, the Pro- fession of Belief accepted by the General Convention of Universa- lists, at its session in Winchester, New Hampshire, A. D. 1803, which is in the following words : " We believe that the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testa- ments, contain a revelation of the character of God, and of the duty, interest, and final destination of mankind. " We believe there is one God, whose nature is love, revealed in one Lord Jesus Christ, by one Holy Spirit of grace, who will finally restore the whole family of mankind to holiness and happiness. " We believe that holiness and true happiness are inseparably connected ; and that believers ought to maintain order, and practise good works, for these things are good and profitable unto men." 4. Any person sustaining a good moral character, and assenting to the aforesaid Profession of Faith, may be admitted a member of this society, on application to that effect, by a majority of votes, at any regular meeting. 5. It shall be regarded as the duty of every member to adorn the doctrine of the Lord Jesus with a holy life and conversation, to con- tribute according to his ability, in the manner determined on by the majority, towards the support of public worship, and the other neces- sary expenses of the society ; to attend upon the exercises of the sanctuary, as well as the regular meetings of the society for business ; and a habitual neglect of either of these duties shall be regarded as a sufficient reason for striking the name of any member from the roll, by a vote of the majority. 6. This society shall have an annual meeting, which shall be held on the day of , at such place as the Standing Committee may direct, at which meeting the officers of the society shall be elected, and the sum necessary to be raised, and manner of raising money for the ensuing year, shall be determined on. [In Massachusetts the annual meeting must be held either in March or April. See section 7, of the chapter before given.] 7. The officers of the society, shall be, 1st, a Clerk, who shall keep a true and faithful record of its proceedings; 2d, a Treasurer, to receive all moneys, and pay them out at the order of the Standing Committee; 3d, a Standing Committee, who shall be the executive power of the society, and 4th, a Board of three Assessors, to appor- tion all taxes, if the society should see fit to raise money in that manner. [The Clerk may be sworn by the Moderator; the other officers may be sworn by the Clerk, or by any Justice of the Peace. See section 10.] 8. The meetings of this society shall be called either by a warrant being left at the house of each member, or by posting it at the place at which the society holds its meetings for public worship ; and the same length of notice shall be given as is required in calling a meet- ing of the town in which the society may exist; and the subject matter to be acted upon at the meeting, shall be fairly and fully stated in the warrant, and in the plainest possible manner. 9. Ten members shall constitute a quorum to do business; but a less number may adjourn. 10. This Constitution may be amended in the following manner : FORMATION OF UMVERSALIST SOCIETIES. 303 the amendment shall be proposed, and entered upon the Record, and shall lay over till the next regular meeting ; when, if assented to by a majority, it shall become a part of the Constitution. VI. Let it be observed, once for all, that the Con- stitution and By-Laws of any society must conform to the Constitution and laws of the State in which the society exists ; otherwise, they are, of course, null and void. With a due regard to the laws, a society may make any by-laws it sees fit to ; and every society has the fullest right to regulate, as it sees best, the admis- sion and expulsion of members. VII. Having thus marked out the way in which be- lievers may form themselves into societies, we propose to speak in the next instance of Christian zeal. It is of great importance, that every member of a religious society should cherish an enlightened, steady, active zeal. By zeal we do not mean mere animal excite- ment, the wild-fire of human passion, which, like some combustible material, burns and makes a great light for a few moments, and then expires, and leaves you still more sensible of the surrounding darkness. Christian zeal does not operate in this manner. It is a heartfelt engagedness, a deep and abiding interest, a sense of the importance of the work to be done, an untiring perse- verance, accompanied always with the tenderness of love. Such is pure Christian zeal ; the best example of which, that the world hath ever seen, we find in the character of our Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle says, "it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing." Some are afraid to be zeal- ous, lest they shall have a zeal u not according to knowledge ; " and hence they are moderate in every thing, and far too moderate in any good thing they un- dertake. It is surely very wise to be certain that our zeal is according to knowledge ; but how shall we ascertain ? how shall we determine when we shall be zealous, and when we shall restrain our zeal ? Here is the rule, " It is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing." Be sure that the object is a good 304 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALISM. one, and then you never need fear that your zeal is misplaced, be then "zealously affected always." What more noble object is there to which human zeal may be directed, than the inculcation of just views of God, and of the blissful immortality of all mankind ? This sentiment wipes the tear of sorrow away, and re- moves the causes of anxiety, despair, insanity, and suicide, which have so sorely afflicted the community. What more noble object is there to which human zeal may be directed ? The preachers of the doctrine of universal mercy may well be zealous, zealous always, for it is go6d to be zealously affected in a good thing. Members of Universalist societies may be zealous. Their object is a good one. It is the overthrow of the kingdom of darkness, it is the cause of philanthropy, and the highest welfare of mankind. It is the cause of civil and religious liberty. Their design is to make men truly happy, by exposing and bringing into discred- it, those errors which are the fruitful sources of their greatest sorrows. This cause does not require of men that they should make themselves monks, or ascetics, or self-torturers ; but it 'does require a strong, steady, and unfailing zeal ; and a truly reasonable man, who is not buried in the world while he lives in it, but who gives himself time to reflect upon his relations and his duties, will find himself moved by such a zeal. And here is one word which we wish to drop for the benefit of our societies in general ; if you wish to convert oth- ers to the truth, and bring them to be co-workers with you in the great and good cause which you have es- poused, you must be zealous yourselves. You never can make others zealous unless you are so. No man can impart a feeling to others, that he does not pos- sess in himself. You may as well endeavour to warm another with an application of ice, as to make him feel zealous in a cause in which you show no interest your- selves. If you will consider how much zeal will do in a bad cause, you will have a tolerable idea of what it will do in a good cause. How much have the Catholic FORMATION OF UN1VERSAL1ST SOCIETIES. 305 zealots in 'Europe been able to do for the Roman Church, by nothing but their zeal. Every reflecting man knows, that men are brought sometimes to respect and venerate even the most absurd notions, and practi- ces, merely by the zeal of those who undertake to es- tablish them. If a man appears to be sincere and earnest, and fully engrossed in any scheme, (it does not matter so much what it is,) others will respect .it, and will think there is surely something of reality in it ; but they will never think so, if he shows that he does not think so himself. Now apply this principle to a good cause, which will do so much even for a bad one, and it becomes much more efficient. The members of almost every society which does not flourish, must take the blame to themselves, for they might flourish, if they would be steadily engaged. They may overcome any obstacles, and accomplish any purposes, and win over others to their own views, feelings, and pursuits, by showing that they respect their own cause, that they believe there is something of reality, something wor- thy of the attention of men, in it ; and depend upon it, brethren, YOU CANNOT DO IT WITHOUT. VIII. As a member of a Universalist society, it will justly be expected of you, that you will do every thing you can to advance the cause of Universalism in the world. It is the cause of God's grace ; it vindi- cates his character ; it is the cause of human morality, happiness, and consolation ; and is worthy of your high- est efforts. Let all your exertions be directed to the advancement of truth. Bend your private partialities to this great object in all things. The fault of many members of Universalist societies is, that they do not feel their responsibilities. To join a society is not the only duty ; it is necessary to feel, continually, that you are a member. In pecuniary things, do as much as you are able, without injury to yourself, and do no more. If your income is small, retrench your expenses as well in the superfluities of your family as in your contributions to the cause of religion. But this is not all, that the 26* 306 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNI VERBALISM. members of a society should do. You should make it a rule to be present at all the meetings of the society, both for business and for public worship. Show your zeal for the cause by your presence ; it is better than ten thousand professions. It is too often the case, that the responsibility of doing the annual business of a par- ish is thrown upon a few individuals ; and then, if they do not adopt such measures as please everybody, they are very unjustly blamed for it. Every member of a society should think himself of some consequence, and remember that he fills a place, which, if he is not pres- ent, is vacant. In every society, there should be union ; this gives strength, and enables the body to carry all its measures into effect. A society may well be represented by a wheel. The hub, spokes, and fel- loes are not a wheel. All these different parts must be fixed in their proper places, and then there is a wheel ; but it is even then weak, unless a strong tire is drawn around it, to keep every part firmly bound together. So twenty or thirty individuals are not a society. They must be placed in their stations, and this gives them the form of a society. But without union, they will have no strength ; they can accomplish no important object. A strong band of love must unite them, and press them compactly together. Here, then, we see the impor- tance, that every member should fill his place, and dis- charge his duty. If we strike but one spoke from a wheel, it mars its beauty, and diminishes its strength ; it weakens the whole. If one member in a society be neg- ligent or remiss, he is not only missed in person, but the burden he would bear is thrown on others, who, being unable to discharge the double duty, sink beneath its weight. How important, then, that every one should be ready to discharge the obligations that rest upon him. Again, look at the effect of this remissness in another point of view. Its influence on the minister of the parish is pernicious. No clergyman has stoicism enough in him to make him insensible to the remissness of his FORMATION OF UNIVERSALI parishioners. It lays like an incubus upon him, through- out all his labors. If he is writing a sermon, he knows not that many will come to hear it ; and think you, that this will enable him to throw more fire and fervor into his composition ? When he goes to conduct the ser- vices of public worship, he sees about half as many people as there are pews, scattered over the house, some below, and some in the gallery ; no singers, so that the joyful part they perform must be omitted. He begins with a prayer, but there is no feeling ; he knows not what to say ; he labors through it, and it seems to every one, a long, dull, and unsuitable one. He an- nounces his text, and endeavours to preach, but it is life- less reading after all. His congregation have fixed themselves in a situation to suffer the least torture ; if in summer, they sleep and nod ; if in winter, they bury themselves in their cloaks, and go into a torpid state. How can any man preach to such a congrega- tion ? It would be easier to preach to the walls, or as many statues ; because, then, the preacher would not feel himself insulted, and he would be able at once to account for the indifference of his auditors. No cler- gyman of common feeling, could remain with such a congregation. He would go where, if he had any tal- ent, it would be appreciated ; and where people would respect heaven, in its message of love, by feeling and manifesting a due interest in the gospel of Christ. There is yet another consideration, which weighs upon the mind of the clergyman. His character, as*a parish minister, is somewhat connected with his success ; and, with such a society as we have described, he feels that he suffers in his reputation, which, to literary men of com- mon ambition, is a sting they cannot long bear. The present age is, to Universalists, a highly inter- esting one. New societies and new meeting-houses rise in the prospect in quicker succession than they ever did before ; and it cannot be denied, that there is a great and constant call for ministers of integrity and talent. A society, which has such a clergyman, has a 308 PLAIN GUIDE TO UNIVERSALTSM. prize, that it should esteem a great misfortune to lose. For, aside from the danger of division, to which a so- ciety is always exposed on a change of pastor, it may not be easy to make his place good. How, then, shall societies, which have good ministers, keep them ? We shall say nothing here in regard to a prompt dis- charge of pecuniary obligations, because everybody knows the importance of this ; we will speak of that which is not so generally thought of. We say, then, in the language of Paul, that the best way to encourage your minister, and render his residence among you pleasant, is to be u steadfast, unrnovable, always abound- ing in the work of the Lord." Be sober, be vigilant ; let benevolence shine in all your actions ; love the courts of the Lord ; prefer to be a door-keeper there, rather than dwell in the tents of wickedness ; attend to the ordinances of the Gospel; " then shall your light break forth as the morning, and your health shall spring forth speedily." IX. This brings us to consider, that earnestness, heartfelt zeal, and perseverance, are the surest pledges of the success of a society, There is no society, that can live where these virtues are absent ; there is none but what will live and flourish, where these virtues ex- ist. They overcome all obstacles ; we may say, as was said of faith, If ye have these virtues like a grain of mustard seed, ye shall remove mountains. We will give you the history of a prosperous society. It is situated in the town of . Eleven years ago, there was not known to be a Universalist in the town. 390 GENERAL INDEX. Perdition, son of, 169. Perfection of God, to be imitated, 284 -287. Perish, sense of that phrase, 66, 144, 145. Peterson, John William, a Universalist, 12. Peter, testimony of, to Universalism, 44. Plagues, threatened for adding to word of God, 248-250. Pleasure of God, 28. Portion of the wicked, what it is, 64, 65. Power of God, 33, 34. Pray not for the world, 168, 169. Presence of God, sense of that phrase, 68, 191, 192. Probation, doctrine of, not taught in the Bible, 271. Profession of belief of general convention, 17, 18; how it originated, 17, 18. Profession of Faith, a duty enjoined on Christians, 338, 339 ; what is a Christian profession, 340. Profligate and abandoned, falsely said to escape punishment in this life, 265. Promise of God, 30 ; not opposed to threatenings, 32. Prophets, testimony of, to Universalism, 36-42. Punishment, not endless, 126 128. " sorer, of those who apostatized from Christianity, 204, 205 ; total amount of, in this life, objected to, 265. Purpose of God, 29. Purves, James, a Universalist, 12. Quarrel with the Origenists, 10. Ramsay, Chevalier, a Universalist, 12. Reapers, what they signify, 103. Reformation, commencement of, 11. Religious freedom established in Massachusetts, 295. Relly, James, a Universalist, 12. Repent, all men commanded to, 176. Repentance, impossible to renew to, 197 ; not impossible to God, 198; in what sense true, 199, 200. Reprobation to eternal death, not taught in the Bible, 171. Restitution of all things, 36, 37. Resurrection of the dead to immortality, 154, 157, 271 ; never de- scribed as resurrection from the graves, 162; never mentioned in connexion with retribution, 163, 164 ; not two classes after it, 264, 265. Resurrection, the term does not necessarily apply to resurrection into future life, 160, 161, 225-227, 232, 233, 269. Resurrection better, explained, 207, 208. " of damnation, 160-164, 230, 231, fulfilled at the de- struction of Jerusalem, 232. Retribution, never spoken of in connexion with immortal resurrec- tion, 163, 164. Revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven, 190. Richardson, Samuel, a Universalist, 12. Rich man, hardly enler the kingdom of God, 112, 113. Rich Man and Lazarus, parable of, 148- 153. GENERAL INDEX. 391 Rich men not always the best members of religious societies, 312, 314, 315. " societies, not always the most prosperous, 314. Righteous, all at last shall become so, 183. " scarcely be saved, 212; recompensed in the earth, 212. " and wicked, two classes considered, 263 265. Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, 80. Sabbath, a wise institution, 315. Sacrament, an original corruption of the Lord's Supper, 319, [See Lord's Supper.] Sacred feasts of the Jews, 318. Sacrifice for sin, none other than that of Christ, 204. Safe side, the argument for considered, 250, 251. Salvation of all men, infallibly proved from the Bible, 23-54 Saved, sense of that phrase, 143, 174, 175, 212. Saviour of the world, 35, 36. Scriptural evidences of Universalism, 23-54. Sealing of a book [or roll], when the event was distant, 246; oppo- site, when it was near, 246. Second coming of Christ, 124-126. " death, 220, common opinion of, 223; means second destruc- tion of the Jews, 223, 228. See God, an expression drawn from the custom of eastern kings, 208, 209. Separation, between good and evil, 163. Seven last plagues explained, 248, 249 ; poured out upon the earth, 249, 250. Sheep and Goats, parable of, 124 - 130 ; fulfilled at the coming of Christ, 272, 273. " Short and Easy Method with the Deists," 347-380. Siegvolk, Paul, a Universalist, 12. Sin against the Holy Ghost, 97 - 101 ; in what it consists, 99 ; the sense in which it hath not forgiveness, 134, 135. Sin of every description to be pardoned, 98. Sin unto death, 214. Sinning wilfully, what does it mean, 203. Skinner, Rev. Dr., Bible Creed, 18-22. Sleep in dust, signification of, 75. Societies, formation of, 294 ; laws of Massachusetts concerning, 295-301; do. of New York, 301; Constitution for, 301-303; duties of members of, 305-308; true pros- perity of described, 308-312; members of should con- tribute liberally to the support of the Gospel, 313. Sodom and Gomorrah, destruction of, 64 ; more tolerable than that of the Jews, 89 ; an example, 218. Solicitude of Christ and his Apostles, 253-256. Son of perdition, sense of phrase, 32,169, 170. Soul put for life, 106, 107. Sowing and reaping, a figure employed to represent connexion be- tween crime and punishment, 265. Spirit shall not always strive with man, 57. 392 GENERAL INDEX. Stonehouse, Sir George, a Universalist, 12. Strait gate, meaning of, 84. Strive to enter in, meaning of, 148. Supper, [See Lord's Supper.] Sybilline Oracles, Universalism defended in, 8. Taking away from the word of God condemned, 248. Targums, date of, 94. Temporal judgments, under figure of fire, [See Fire.] Tendency of Universalism, said to be corrupt, 262; answer to that objection, 262, 263. Ten virgins, parable of, 120 - 123. Terror of the Lord, meaning of, 188, 189. Testimony of prophets to Universalism, 36-42; of Jesus, 43, 44 j of Peter, 44; of Paul, 45 - 52 ; of John, 52, 53. " That day," meaning of, 85, 86, 179 - 181. Theodore, Bishop of Mopsuestia, a Universalist, 9. Thessalonians, troubled by the Jews, 189, 193, 194. This generation, sense of phrase, 118. " Thou shalt surely die," sense of, 56. Threatenings, not opposed to promises, 32. Throne of Christ's glory, 239, 240. Tillotson, Archbishop 12. Titus, bishop of Bostra, a Universalist, 8. Torn in pieces, sense of the phrase, 68. Two classes among mankind considered, 263 265. Unitarians, early English, were Universalists, 12. Universal atonement, alleged not to prove universal salvation, 266. Universalism, taught in the Old Testament, 7; in the New, 7,8; early traces of, 8-10; condemnation of by Fifth General Council, 10 ; soon met less favor, 11 ; ap- pears anew at the Reformation, 11 ; number of preach- ers of, in the United States, 13 ; no new doctrine, 13; how at first put down, 14 ; scriptural evidences of, 23-54; objections to considered, 250-277; falsely said to be contrary to the dictates of prudence, 250 ; general apprehensions of the church said to be oppos- ed to, 252 ; answer to that objection, 252, 253 ; said to be of a corrupt moral tendency, 262, answer to that objection, 262, 263 ; said to fail in the hour of death, 274 ; that objection answered, 274 - 277 ; exalts the character of God, 287 ; to be tested must be put in practice, 291,292. Universalists, who they are, 7, 277, 278; what do they believe, 15; are not infidels, 15; are not distinguished merely by a disbelief in future punishment, 16; the distinguish- ing point of their faith, 16, 17, 22; admit of no dis- tinction on the subject of limited future punishment, 17; alleged not to take the safe side, 250; primary question with, 252 ; such as never believed Universal- ism renounce it, 259 ; falsely said to be doubtful of their cause, 260 ; objected to, because they believe in GENERAL INDEX. 393 [Universalists,] too much punishment, 265 ; said to deny the day of judgment, 67; answer to that objection, 268; be- lieve that all at last will repent and be saved, 269 : an objection stated thereto, 269 ; alleged to believe in another state of probation, 270 ; answer to that ob- jection, 271,272; what are the duties of, 277-294; two kinds of, positive and negative, 278-280; am I really a Universalist, the test, 280, 281 ; believe in a God, whose character maybe safely imitated, 289; the necessity of their living according to their faith, 289, 290 ; some dishonor the name they bear, 291 ; feel a deep interest in sustaining the Christian re- ligion, 346. Universalist churches, [See under churches.] " societies, [See under societies.] Unprofitable servant, parable of, 123, 124. Unquenchable fire, 79. Unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God, 182, 183. Vengeance taken on the Jews, 190, 191 ; belongs to God, 206. " of eternal fire, 218, 219. Vision shut up, when the event was distant, 240. Vital godliness, essential to Christian character, 293, 294. Watchfulness enjoined, in view of Christ's coming, 121. Wedding garment, meaning of, 116. Weeping and gnashing of teeth, sense of, 117, 118, 147. ' What must I do to be saved ?" 173-175. Whiston, William, against eternal torments, 12. White, Jeremy, a Universalist, 12. " Whither 1 go, ye cannot come," 164, 165. Wicked, shall not escape, 59 ; the triumphing of, short, 59, 60 ; shall be turned into hell, 61 - 64 ; have their portion in this life, 64 ; what is their portion, 64, 65 ; shall perish, 66, 67 ; falsely said that they generally embrace Universalism, 260 ; an- swer to that objection, 261, 262. Will of God to save all men, 25, 266 ; yet it is alleged all will not be saved, 206; answer to that objection. 267. Winchester, Rev. Elhanan, 13. Winnowing fan, what is intended thereby, 78. Winstanley, Gerard, a Universalist, 12. Wisdom of God, 27; wisdom personified, 70. World to come, sense of that phrase, 100, 101, 141, 142. World, end of, [See End of the World.] Worm that dieth not, 138, 139. Worthy to obtain resurrection, meaning of, 154, 155, 156. Wrath of God, 160, 178, 179-181, 236, 237, 248, 249. to come, meaning of, 77, 78, 181. day of, 179, 180; came on unbelieving Jews, 181. Zeal, importance of, 303 ; we can never impart it to others, unless we have it in ourselves, 304, 305. (394) INDEX OF AUTHORS. ALLEN, President of Bowdoin College, on Deut. xxxii. 22, (58) ; views of Psalm ix. 17, (62). Athenseus, on the lights used by the Jews, 117. Austin, on the word angel, 215. " Rev. Dr., of Worcester, Mass , his melancholy end, 255. Authors of Improved Version, on Rom. v. 18, 19, (46). Bache, Mrs., daughter of Dr. Franklin, testimony to her father's be- lief in Universalism, 292. Balch, Rev. A. L., his happy death, 276, 277. Balfour, Rev. Walter, his First Inquiry replied to by President Allen, 62; on the relation between Matt. xiii. 37-43 and 47-50 ; (106) ; on punishment of Gentiles not being in the future state, 180 ; believes the Lord's Supper to be enjoined as an ordinance, 323, 330 ; on the words damned and damnation, 194, 195 ; wrote on objections to Universalism, 277 ; his First Inquiry quoted and referred to, 62, 84, 96, 154, 277; Second do. 101, 105, 106, 123, 130, 194 ; Essays, do. 91, 178, 195, 213 ; Letters to Hudson, 96 ; Reply to Sabine, 91, 96 ; Reply to Stuart, 96 ; Article in Universalist Magazine, Vol. V., on 2 Thess. i. 7-10, (194). Ballou, Rev. H.,one of the committee for forming Profession of Be- lief, 17 ; view of Matt. 10, 28, Luke xii. 4, 5, (95, 96, 144 ;) on sin against the Holy Ghost, 101 ; on Matt. xxv. 46, (130) ; on parable of Rich Man and Lazarus, 153; on 2 Cor. v. 10, (189) ; on 2 Thess. i. 7 - 10, (194) ; do. ii. 1 1, 12, 194, 195) ; on Heb. ix. 27, (203) ; 1 Peter iv. 17, 18, (213) ; on the Second Death, 223. Ballou, Rev. H. 2d, History of Universalism referred to, 11 ; view of judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah, 89 ; view of Matt. x. 28, (96) ; view of Matt. xix. 23, 24, (112) ; his views on the organization of churches, and the Lord's Supper, 324-328. Bellamy, Dr., his misery in his sickness, 255. Belsham, on the resurrection of the dead to happiness, 48. Bernard, Count of Barcelona, signed a treaty with the sacramental wine, 321. Blount, the blasphemer, committed self-murder, 375, note. Burnet, Bishop, on the phrase " eateth and drinketh damnation to himself," 184. Calmet, on Anathema Maranatha, 185. INDEX OF AUTHORS. 395 Campbell, on phrase " wrath to come," 77, 78 ; on the word catfo- aro, 132; on the term "damned," 143; on Luke xx. 35, 36, (156) ; on the phrase " aruaraau; TWV rtxQcHv," 225. Capellus (Jacobus), on Heb. xi. 35, (208). Carlstadt, took the proper ground in regard to the Eucharist, 323. Charles the Bald, signed a treaty with the sacramental wine, 321. Chillingworth, on the authority of the Bible, 264. Christian Intelligencer, quotation from, on the resurrection of the dead, 157. " Messenger, quotation from, on "lake of fire," 222. Clarke, Dr. Adam, the Methodist, on prayer for all men, 25 ; on the words " full of mercy," 27 ; on Rev. iv. 11, (28) ; on Isaiah liii. 10, (28); on Gen. xii.3, (31) ; on the oath of God, 33; on Acts iii. 21, (37) ; on Gospel Feast, 40 ; on Titus ii. 11, 12, (51) ; on phrase " thou shall not surely die," 56 ; on Gen. vi. 3, (57) ; applies Deut. xxxii. 22, to temporal judgments, 58; on the opinions of Zophar, Job xi. 1, (59); on Ps. ix. 5, (61) ; on Ps. xi. 6, (64) ; on Ps. xvii. 13, 14, (65) ; on Prov. i. 26-29, (70) ; on Dan. xii. 2, (76) ; on Mai. v. 1, (77) ; on " wrath to come," 78, 181 ; on Matt. iii. 12, (78) ; v. 22, (81, 82) ; on " entering the strait gate," 84, 85 ; on phrase " day of judgment," 90; on -yvx+( m Matt. xvi. 25, (109) ; on the words of Christ, Matt, xxiii. 37, (119) ; on the word an>\y- aro, 132 ; on case of Judas, 133, 134 ; on Gehenna of fire, 137; on phrase ''world to come," 141 ; on the words, "ye shall all likewise perish," 145, 146; on Acts i. 25 X (171) ; on the phrase " the saved," 175 ; on the terror of the Lord, 188 ; on 2 Thess. ii. 11, 12, (194) ; on Heb. xi. 35, (207) ; on 1 Peter iv. 17, 18, (211, 212); on the sin unto death, 214, 215 ; on the beast mentioned Rev. xix. 20, (221). Cobb, Rev. S., on destruction of soul and body in Gehenna, 95, 96. Cooke, Rev. Parsons, on Deut. xxxii. 22, (57) ; adduces Ps. ix. 17, in proof of endless punishment, 61 ; do. xlix. 14, 15, (67). Cowper, the poet, his religious melancholy, 255 ; produced by ter- ror of eternal judgment, 256. Crellius, on the better resurrection, Heb. xi. 35, (208). Cruden, on words eternal, everlasting, &c., 127. Davis, Rev. J. M., on Deut. xxxii. 22, (57) ; adduces Job viii.13, 14, as proof of endless punishment, 58; do. Ps. ix. 17, (61); do. Ps. xi. 6, (64) ; do. xvii. 13, 14, (64) ; do. 1. 22, (67) ; do. Prov. i. 26-29, (70) ; do. xi. 7, (71). Doddridge, Dr., on the better resurrection, Heb. xi. 35, (208). Dodds, Rev. J. B., on Matt. x. 28; Luke xii. 4, 5, (96) : on the Sec- ond Death, 223, 235. Donnegan, otaavrtag and ouoiws, 145, note. Edwards, Dr. Jonathan, adduces Job via. 13, 14, as proof of endless punishment, 58; do. Job 11. 20, (59) ; do. Ps. xvii. 13, 14, (64) ; do. Prov. i. 26-29, (70) ; do. xi. 7, (71). Eleazar, Rab., on oath of God, 33. Ely, Dr. E. S., adduces Job xxi. 30, as proof of endless misery, 60 ; do. Ps. i. 5, 6, (61) ; do. ix. 17, (61) ; do. xi. 6, (64). Ely and Thomas's Discussion, 60, 62. 396 INDEX OF AUTHORS. Expositor and Universalist Review, referred to and quoted from, 8, 11, 62, 79, 81, 84, 89, 95, 96, 102, 106, 110, 130, 144, 178, 203, 213, 223, 324 - 328. Eusebius's account of two persons who suffered unquenchable fire, 79. Ferriss, Walter, one of the committee who formed Profession of Be- lief, 17; drawn up by him, 18. Franklin, Dr. Benjamin, his testimony to the beneficent tendency of Universalism, 292. Fuller, Andrew, adduces Ps. xvii. 13, 14, in favor of endless misery, 64. Gill, Dr., on phrase " wrath to come," 78. Grotius, on Dan. xii. 2, (77) ; on a common Hebraism, 98; on Rev. xxii. 18, 19, (250). Hallett, Mr., on the better resurrection, Heb. xi. 35, (208). Hammond, Dr., on the wrath to come, 78 ; on unquenchable fire, 79; on the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah, 90; on the words "ye shall all likewise perish, "145; on the better resurrection, Heb. xi. 35, (208) ; on 2 Peter iii. 7-13, (213) ; on death being cast into lake of fire, 242; on Rev. xxii. 18, 19, (249, 250). Hanscom, Rev. William C., interesting account of his last moments, and death, 275, 276. Haweis, Dr., on the phrase "judgment to come," J78. Hawes, Dr., [of Hartford, Conn.] his manner of connecting scriptu- ral phraseology, 55 ; adduces Job viii. 13, 14, as proof of end- less punishment, 58; do. Job xi. 20, (59) ; do. Ps. ix. 5, (61); do. ix. 17, (61) ; do. xi. 6, (64) ; do. xxxvii. 20, 38, (66) ; do. 1. 22, (67) ; do. Prov. i. 26-29, (70) ; do. xi. 7, (71) ; do. xxiv. 20, (72). Hay, P. Jr., on Matt. x. 28, (96). Home, on the capital punishments of the Jews, 214. Improved Version, authors of, on Rom. v. 18, 19, (46). Innocent the Third, established transubstantiation by decree, 322. Jonathan Ben Uzziel, Targum of, referred to, 94. Josephus, on awful punishments of Jews at destruction of their city, 205. Kenrick, on connexion between Matt. xxiv. and xxv. (121); on Matt. xxv. 13, (123). Kimchi, on Isaiah Ixvi. 24, (139). Lathe, Z., one of the committee for forming Profession of Belief, 17. Lee, Luther, his view of the penalty of the divine law, 56 ; adduces Ps. ix. 17, in proof of endless punishment, 61 ; on the end of the wicked, 69; adduces Prov. i. 26-29, in favor of endless pun- ishment, 70; on Matt. x. 15, (89). Leigh's Crit. Sacr., on the word angel, 215. Leslie, Rev. Charles, his " Short and Easy Method with the Deists," 347 - 380. INDEX OF AUTHORS. 397 Lightfoot, on the testimony of the prophets, 38 ; on Deul. xxxii. 22, (58) ; on dwelling with devouring fire, 74, 75 ; on " wrath to come," 78, Icil ; authority referred to on coming of Christ, 87, note; on end of Jewish age, 106} on Isaiah Ixvi. 24, (139) ; on Anathema Maranatha, 186. Locke, on Anathema Maranatha, 185. Luther, Martin, slightly corrected the errors concerning the Eucha- rist, 323 ; disapproved the more scriptural views of Zuin- glius and others, 324. Macknight, Dr., on phrase " of TroHol," 45 ; on the word " creature," in Rom. viii. 21, (47) ; on the phrase "THE SAVED," 175; on 1 Peter iv. 17, 18, (201) ; on angels who fell from their first estate, 215. Magazine and Advocate, quoted from, on Rev. xxii. 11, (245). Manley, Rev. William E., on Matt. x. 28, and Luke xii. 4, 5, (96.) Merritt, Rev. T., controversy with Rev. H. Ballou, 194. Modern History of Universalism, 15. Murray, Rev. John, his last hour, 274. Napoleon's figure on burning of Moscow, 242. Nevins, Rev. S., on the expression to " see God," 209. Newcome, Archbishop, on phrase " all things," 30, 50. Noble, Rev. S., on connexion between Matt. xxiv. and xxv. (123.) Onkelos, Targum of, referred to, 94. Ovid's Metamorphoses, how to be understood, 364. Owen, Dr., on Heb. xi. 35, (208.) Paige, Rev. L. R., criticisms on Matt. xvi. 25, 26, (107) ; on John v. 28, 29, (160 - 164) ; his Selections referred to and quoted from, 79, 81, 84, 97, 98, 101, 102, 105, 110, 115, 194, 213, 250. Parables, Illustrations of, referred to, 78, 87, 102, 106, 115, 130, 148, 153. Parkhurst, on restitution of all things, 36 ; on phrases of no^oi and Tiuvrag arftQajnovg, 45 ; on Matt. v. 22, (81) ; on the Heb. word Nephish, 107 ; on the Gehenna of fire, 137 ; on the words oioavrtug and o^toiw?, 145 ; on the word avaOTaai$, 225. Paschasius, Radbert, the first to assert transubstantiation, 321, 322. Pearce, Bishop, on phrase "wrath to come," 78; on judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah, 90 ; on connexion between Matt, xxiv. and xxv., (121) ; on the words, " ye shall all likewise perish," 145. Peirce, on Heb. vi. 2, (196, 197). Photius, his condemnation signed with sacramental wine, 321. Phyrrhus, " " 321. Pickering, Rev. D., his exposition of Heb. is. 27, (200) ; his Lectures on Divine Revelation, 346. Plutarch, on the lights used by the Jews, 117. Prideaux's Life of Mahomet, quoted, 363. Priestley, Dr. Joseph, on Acts i. 25, (171) ; his testimony to his belief in Universalism, 292. 34 398 INDEX OF AUTHORS. Proudfit, Dr., applied parable of Virgins to destruction of Jerusa- lem, 121. Rayner, Rev. M., his work on parable of Rich Man and Lazarus, 154. Richards, G., one of committee for forming Profession of Belief, 17. Robinson, Prof., on the words eternal, eternity, 127. Saurin, his testimony to the awful effect of believing in endless mis- ery, 256. Skinner, Rev. D., his Bible Creed, 18. " Rev. Warren, on Second Death, 223. " Rev. O. A., his Universalism Illustrated and Defended," 110, 130, 178. Smith, Rev. S. R., his " Causes of Infidelity Removed," 347. " T. S., on phrase " everlasting," 130. Stochius, on restitution of all things, 36. Streeter, Zebulon, one of committee for forming Profession of Belief, Strong, Rev. Dr., adduces Job xi. 20, as proof of endless punishment, 59; do. xxi. 30, (60); do. xxxi. 3, (61); do. Psalm i. 5, 6, (61) ; do. ix. 5, (61) ; do. ix. 17, (61) ; do. xi. 6, (64) ; do. xvii. 20, 38, (66) ; do. Ixviii. 2, (68) ; do. cxlv. 20, (69) ; do. Prov. i. 26-29, (70); do. xi. 7, (71) ; do. xxiv. 20, (72) ; preached funeral sermon of Rev. E. Winchester, and bore full testimony to his excellent character, and constancy in the faith, 275. Stuart, Prof., on Heb. ii. 9, (34) ; on TO nav or ra navra, 49, 50; on the spiritual worship of Christ, 53 ; adduces Psalm ix. 17, in proof of endless punishment, 61 ; judicious remarks on Prov. v. 5, (71) ; on the judgment, Matt. v. 22, (83) ; on the word everlasting, 126. Tenney, Rev. Dr., his testimony in regard to Dr. Austin, 255. Thacher, Rev. Moses, author of a series of objections against Uni- versalism, 273, note ; fallen from the clerical office, 274, note. Thayer, Rev. T. B , his Christianity against infidelity, 346. Theodore, (Pope,) mixed sacramental wine with ink, to sign a sol- emn decree, 321. Thomas, Ev. A. C., on the phrase " reserved to destruction," 60. Tillotson, Archbishop, on the parable of Rich Man and Lazarus, 150. Universalism, Ancient History of, referred to, 11 ; Modern do. 15, 16. Universalist Expositor, [See Expositor and Universalist Review.] Wakefield, on word a7r?JyaTo, 132 ; on Anathema Maranatha, 185. Warburton on Psalm xvii. 13, 14, (65) ; on do. xlix. 14, 15, (67) ; on Prov. xi. 7, (72) ; do. xiv. 32, (72). Whilby, on Rom. xi. 36, (47) ; on being in kingdom of heaven, with Abraham, &c., 88 ; on enduring to the end, 91, 92 ; on the phrase " this generation," 118 ; on the phrase " worm dieth not," 138; on aiwvio?, eternal, 127; on Rom. ii. (180) ; on the punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah, 218, 219 ; on INDEX OF AUTHORS. 399 [Whitby,] by Rev. xx. 4, (239) ; on parable of Rich Man and Laza rus, 150 ; on the phrase " TO. 8ia TOV owfiaTog," 187. White, Rev. Thomas, on Rorn. viii. 21, (46). Williamson, Rev. I. D., his Argument for Christianity, 347. Winchester, Elhanan, his Dialogues, 130 ; an account of his last mo- ments, 274 ; testimony to the excellence of his charac- ter, by Dr. Strong, 275. Witsius, on 2 Peter iii. 7 - 13, (213). Young, Dr. E., extract from, 23 ; exultation on destruction of death, 243. Zuinglius, took the proper ground in regard to the Eucharist, 323 j a man of capacious mind, 324. (400) INDEX OF TEXTS Page Gen. ii. 17, 56 Josh, xviii. 16, iii. 15, 38 xxiv. 1, iv. 16, 68, 191 1 Sam. ii. 8, vi. 3, 57 xx. 32, xii. 3, 30 xxxi. 16, xiii. 15, 127 2 Sam. vii. 16, xvii. 1, 19 xix. 28, 8, 74, 127, 193, 216 xxiv. 14, xxii. 18, 30, 31, 33 1 Kings ii. 19, xxvi. 3, 4, 31 viii. 51, xxviii. 14, 31 xiv. 6, xlviii. 4, 74,193,216 7', xlix. 10, 29 xvi. 1, 26, 74, 127, 193, 216 2, 36, 127 xvii. 21, Exodus iii. 6, 156 2 Kings iv. 34, xv. 7-10, 66 viii. 4, 10, 128 xxiii. 10, xviii. 12, 241 xxiv. 20, xxviii. 29, 30, 268 I Chron. xvi. 27, xxxii. 10, 210 33, 13, 33 xvii. 14, xxxiii. 3, 210 xxiii. 4, 14, 15, 68 Neh. viii. 15, 14-17, 191 Job iii. xl. 15, 74,193,216 viii. 13, 14, Levit. xvi. 34, 74, 193, 216 xi. 1, xxvi. 39, 225 20, Numb. viii. 17, 18, 354 xx. 4-28, xv. 30, ' 204 5-7, xxi. 8, 190 29, 9, 354 xxi. 30, xxv. 13, 74,193,216 xxiii. 13, xxvii. 21, 355 xxiv. 18, xxxv. 25, 356 xxvii. 8, 26, 356 13-23, Josh. iii. 5, 359 xxviii. 3, 15, 359 xxxi. 3, iv. 6, 358 xxxvi. 13, 18, 360 xlii. 6, xv. 8, 137 Psalms i. 3, Page 137 241 75 214 214 127 214 206 209 105 214 76 76 75 207 207 354 137 192 68 68 127 355 318 133 58 59 59 65 59 65 60, 181 26 65 60 61 88 61 181 75 20 INDEX OF TEXTS. 401 Psalms i. 5, 6, 61 Prov. xi. 10, 66 ii. 8, 25,266 S> 74 ,163,176,212 ix. 5, 61 xii. 28, 85 17, 61,62 xiii. 15, 21 xi. 6, 64 xiv. 32, 72 xvi. 5, 65 xxiii. 14, 71 xvii. 13, 14, 64 xxiv. 20, 72 xxii. 27, xxxvii. 38, 38, 269 66 33,34, xxix. 1, 75 73 xliv. 25, 75 Eccles. iii. 20, 264 xlix. 14, 15, 67 vii. 20, 263 1.22, 67 xii. 13, 22 Iviii. 11, 73, 91, 176 73 Ixviii. 2, Ixxii. 11, 17, 68 38 Isaiah i. 18*, 31, 39,98 139 Ixxiii. 68,69 ii. 2 39 26, 65 ix. 2, 88 Ixxxv. 10, 19 xiii. 9, 181 Ixxxvi. 9, 38, 269 19, 220 12, 13, Ixxxix. 30 - 35, 63 21 xiv. 4, 9, 152 152 xcv. 2, 68 10, 152 7-11, 176 24, 29 xcvi. 10-13, 177 27; 29 xcvii. 5, 68 xvii. 13, 65 xcviii. 4-9, 177 14, 65 c. 2, 68 xxv. 6. 39 ciii. 8,9, 39 7 40 cix. 25, 75 8 40 cxiii. 7, 75 12, 75,76 cxiv. 7, 68 xx vi. 5. 75,76 cxvi. 3, 63 9 176 cxix. 57, 65 19, 75 66, 20 xxviii. 15. 233 67, 21 is; 233 cxxxvi. 38 xxix. 10, 76 cxlii. 5, 65 xxx. 8, 238 cxlv. 8, 39 xxxi. 9, 74, 77, 105 9, 19,39 xxxiii. 14, 74 20,' cxlvii. 5, Prov. i. 20, 39 69 19 70 xxxiv. 8-10, 10, xl. 5, xiii. 4, 234, 238 139 40 176 Sr 29 ' 70 7 88 .. 32, 70 xliii. 16, 88 iii. 17, 21 xiv. 21, 19 v. 5' 21,85 71 23,24, xlvi. 10, 22, 33, 269 29 vi. 9-11, 75 11, 29 viii. 35, 85 xlvii. 1, 75,76 ix. 18, 71 xlviii. 10, 105 x.17, 85 xlix. 6, 41 24, 54 8, 176 xi. 7, 71 li. 17 76 34* 402 INDEX OF TEXTS. Isaiah lii. 2, 75, 76 Ezek. liii. 10, 28 xxx vi. 2, 219 11, 20, 35, 266 xxxvii. 3 - 14, 226 liv. 7, 8, 21 11-14, 162 Iv. 10, 11, 24, 29, 40 xliii. 8, 210 Ivii. 16, 41,57 Dan. ii. 44, 229 16-18, 21 iv. 15, 23, 65 20, 21, 21 35, 26, 267 Iviii. 12, Ixv. 17-21, 219 138 vii. 9-14, 14, 229 42 Ixvi. 22, 138 viii. 26, 246 24, 138 xii. 1, 231 Jer. iv. 4, 139, 190 2, 75, 222, 225, 231 26, 68 1-3, 76 vii. 1-7, 238 3, 128 20, 139 4, 246 29 - 34, 118 5-11, 231, 232 31-34, 82, 137 7, 76 viii. 20, 102 ?> 246 ix. 16, 210 10, 11, 76 xi. 4, 105 12, 13, 246 xiv. 12, 66, 210 Hosea xiii. 9, 73 xvii. 4, 27, 139 14, 42 xviii. 15, 16, 219 Joel ii. 1, 86, 216, 217 xix. 1-15, 118 2, 86 8, 82 iii. 13, 102 8-12, 137 Amos ix. 3, 233 12, 82 Jonah i. 3, 68, 191 xx. 14 - 18, 133 10, 68 xxi. 12, 190 ii. 2, 63 xxiii. 39, 40, 192, 219 Micah iv. 5, 128 xxv. 5, 238 vi. 8, 24 9, 219 vii. 18, 42 xxxi. 33, 34, 41, 270 Nahum iii. 18, 75,76 xlviii. 45, 190 Hab. iii. 6, 74, 129, 193, 216 1.40, 220 Zeph. i. 8-18, 180, 181 li. 39, 219 12-18, 86 Lam. ii. 3, 4, 190 14, 217 Hi. 11, 68 ii. 9, 219 24, 65 Zech. xiii. 1 - 8, 176 31, 32, 21 xiv. 6-9, 176 31-33, 42, 128 Malachi ii. 10, 19,24 iv. 6, 90 iii. 2, 176 xx. 47, 48, 139 iv. ], 77 Ezek. vii. 1 - 15, 69 1,5, 222 xviii. 4, 24 Matt. ii. 10, . 94 xxii. 17-22, 74,77,105,222 234, 243 iii. 2, 7, 80, 90, 136 77,181,195 xxiv. 23, 225 12, 78,139,243 xxvi. 20, 21, 219 iv. 17, 80, 136, 176 xxxi. 15 - 18, 151 v. 20, 80, 109 xxxiii. 10, 225 22, 81, 83, 137 11^ 28,225 29, 30, 81, 84, 135 xxxv. 9, 219 4 4 ; 27, 284, 289 INDEX OF TEXTS. 403 Matt. v. 48, 284, 289 Matt. xix. 28, 130, 240 vi. 10, 25 29, 140 25, 94 xx. 20-23, 209 25-34, 43,258 xxi. 40, 167 vii. 13, 84 xxii. 7, 104,115,167 14, 84 11-13, 115 21, 87 13, 117, 243 22, 23, 85 29, 155 24-27, 87 30, 37,44,155,271 viii. 11, 87, 147 xxiii. 13, 44, 1^9 12, 87, 117 15, 1 21-23, 116 32, 181 ix. 37, 38, 102 33, 81, 118, 195 x. 7, 80,136 34, 118 15, 89 35, 211 22, 91 36, 188, 189, 273 23, 126, 273 37, 118 28, 81,92,94,95 39, 119 39, 106 xxiv. 3, 103 xi. 23, 153 6, 103 22-24, 96 9, 211 28-30, 21 13, 92, 103, 120 xii.22-32, 97 14, 103 28, 80, 136 15, 76, 232 31, 32, 97, 134 15-21, 120 32, 100, 141 16, 232 36, 102 16-18, 191 41,42, 102 21, 76,118,211,231 xiii. 32, 142 22, 211 37-43, 102-106 24, 168, 372 39, 273, 103 30, 104, 190 40, 103,142,273 31, 104 42, 117, 222, 243 32, 92 47-50, 106 32-34, 120 49, 142,273 33, 92 50, xvi. 6, 117,243 43 34, 103,104,188,189, 190, 191, 273 12, 43 36, 120 18, 153 40-44, 120 23, 133 42, 121 25, 109 51, 65, 117 25,26, 106 xxv. 1-13, 120-130 27, 21 13, 121,123 27,28, 104, 120, 121, 14-30, 123 163, 182, 188, 30, 117 xviii. 3, 189, 222, 272 109, 182 31, 104,124,188,189, 222, 240, 272 9, 81,135 32, 241 10, 209 41, 128,129,222 15, 342 42, 123 11: 342 342 46, 124,128,129,163 xxvi. 14-16, 130,132 32-35, 110 24, 130, 133 xix. 23, 24, 112 47-50, 130 404 INDEX OF TEXTS. Matt. xxvi. 56, 131 Luke xvii. 19, 20, 80, 136 69-75, 131 30, 31, 190 xxvii. 3-5, 131 xviii. 2-5, 111 5, 132 7,8, 191 24, 131 17, 109, 154 52,53, 162 24,25, 154 xxviii. 18, 42 29, 30, 140 20, 362 35, 36, 154, 156 Mark iii. 29, 97, 100, 134 xx. 35, 36, 37, 44, 163 iv. 19, 142 xxi. 22, 191 vi. 11, 135 34, 86 viii. 35-37, 106, 135 xxii. 19, 318 38, 104, 120, 125, 189, 190, 339 John iii. 3, 7, 157 157 ix. 1, 104, 120, 125, 16 27 189, 190 35 20,25 43-48, 81,84,135,139 36, 159 x. 15, 109, 140 iv. 34, 26 24, 25, 112, 140 42, 35,36 29, 30, 140 v.22, 91 xii. 24, 25, 155 24, 129, 140 29, 119 25, 269 xiii. 3, 91 28,29, 160, 222, 225 12, 13, 211 230, 269 xiv. 21, 130, 142 vi. 37, 20, 25, 30, 266 xvi. 16, 17, 18, 143 39, 30 Luke i. 6, 241 53-60, 345 ii. 10, - 35 63, 345 iii. 7, 77,143 70, 132 17, 78, 139, 143 vii. 34, 164 23-38, 38 viii. 21, 164,214 iv. 22, 43 24, 214 vi. 35, 27 56, 176 vii. 50, 174 ix. 39, 73, 91, 177 ix. 24, 25, 106, 143 xi. 11-14, 75 26,27, 104,120,125, xii. 31, 73, 91, 176 190, 272 32, 29, 35, 266 x. 12-15, 143 48, 166 15, 153 xiii. 33, 36, 165 xi. 31, 32, 144 xiv. 1 , 166 xii. 4, 92,144 2,3, 166 5, 81,92,144 27,28, 166 10, 144 xvi. 2, 111 46, 65 xvii. 2, 20,25 xiii. 3-5, 144, 145 3, 141 24, 84 4, 267 28, 29, 117, 146 6-19, 169 34,35, 112,118,148 9, 168 xiv. 12-14, 148 12; 132, 169 16-24, 115 20, 169 xv. 11, 66 xviii. 20, 362 xvi. 8, 142 31, 228 19-31, 148 xix. 7, 228 xvii. 3,4, 342 xxi. 22, 23, 120, 125, 273 INDEX OF TEXTS. 405 Acts i. 10, 11, 3G Romans x. 27, 28, 29, 204 18, 132 xi. 24-27, 235 24 171 25,26, 47, 129 25, 133, 170, 171 26, 27 52 ,119,165 ii. 16-20, 217 32, 89,165 36, 19 36, 47 41, 362 xii. 2, 142 47, 175 xiii. 11, 122 iii.20, 21, 22, 36, 37 xiv. 7,8, 47 25,26, 32 8,9, 247 iv. 4, 362 9, 48 20, 367 10, 186 x. 10-15, 45 17, 182 33, 68 xvi. 25, 197 xi. 5-10, 45 25,26, 129 xiii. 44, 45, 194 1 Cor. i. 18, 175 48, 171 vi. 9,11, 182 49,50, 194 viii. 5, 6, 19 xiv. 2, 194 x. 11, 92,100, 103, 142, 19, 194 273 xvi. 30, 173 xi.20-22, 183 xvii. 5, 194 24-27, 183 5-7, 189 26, 319, 343 11-13, 194 29, 183,196 26, 19,23 34, 196 30,31, 175 xii. 3, 185 xviii. 12, 13, 194 xv. 2, 174 xix. 32, 332 22, 20, 48, 157, 183, 33, 194 264 xxiii. 14, 184 24, 230 xxiv. 25, 178 24-28, 20 Romans i. 18, 179 26, 48 21-32, 180 28, 54, 183, 272, 341 ii. 3-6, 178 34, 76 4, 20 42-44, 49,264 5, 191 42-57, 163 69, 21 44-46, 108 24, 180 49, 37, 157 iii. 3,4, 270 51, 157 , 247, 264 10 263 52, 264,272 iv.22, 34 54, 40,42 v.18 45 55, 42,272 19, 45, 46 58, 308 20, 46, 170 2 Cor. ii. 15, 175 21, 46 v. 10, 186, 188 vi. 23, 45 17 30,48 viii. 6, 85 19, 49 21, 46 vi. 2, 176 ix. 3 184 Gal. i. 4, 254 x. 9 50 8,9, 185 23 203 iii. 8, 32 25 203 16 31 26, 203 21, 32 26-31, 203 28,29, 49 406 INDEX OF TEXTS. Gal. iv. 18, 303 Heb. vi. 5. 142 v. 19-21, 189 13 33 vi. 10, 22 18, 33,51 Eph. i. 9,10, 29 viii. 8-11, 129 11, 19,30 10-12, 120 21, 142 11, 51, 270 ii. 7, 101 ix. 7, 9, 201 8, 174 11, 200 v. 5, 189 12, 202 14, 76 14, 15, 200 Phil. ii. 9-11, 49, 183 22; 201 10,11, 20 24-28, 201 11, 270 26, 100, 103, 142, 273 iv. 3, 243 27, 28, 200, 268 Col. i. 13, 88 x. 4, 20 19,20, 50 7 267 iii. 25, 21 9 36 1 Thess. ii. 15, 189 23 339 16, 181 25, 168 iv. 16, 36 xi. 35, 207 v. 2,6, 4, 122 86 36, 38, xii. 5-11, 339 207 23, 95, 108 7-11 21 2 Thess. i. 7, 104 10, 11, 52 7-10, 189 11 128 ii. 8, 210 14, 208 11-12, 194 29, 209 1 Tim. i. 9, 174 James i. 25, 21 15, 52 27 22 ii. 1, 26 iii. Q\ 81 1-6. 50 15 108 4, 19, 25, 267 17, 27 5,6, 19, 34, 202 v. 7,8, 185 iv. 10, 21,50 1 Peter i. 8, 255 v. 8, 76 13, 191 vi. 12, 339 iii. 21, 175 2 Tim. i. 9, 197 iv. 13, 191 10, 20 16, 17, 18. 91,196, iii. 16. 22 211 iv. 1, 24 2 Peter i. 16, 18, 19. 368 Titus i. 2, 197 21, 22 ii. 11,12, 20,51 ii. 3, 217 iii. 8, 20, 174 4,9, 213 Heb. i. 3, 209 213, 236 ii. 3, 195 iii. 7-13, 213 142 10, 244 9| 20, 34, 202 1 John i. 7, 35,367 14, 38,51 7, 52 iii. 3, 21 7-9, 98 8,9, 176 ii. 2, 20, 34, 202 iv. 3, 51 18, 168, 273 12, 95, 108 iii. 7, 263 vi. 2, 196 8, 38,52 4-6, 197 200 14, 85,141 INDEX OF TEXTS. 407 1 John Jude Rev. Q iv. 8, 19,26 Rev. xv. 6, 248 10, 288 7,8, 249 11' 20,288 xvi. 2,3,4, 249 14, 20,36 8, 249 16, 19 9, 248,249 18, 254 10,11, 249 19, 20,288 12-16, 249 v. 11, 52 14, 392 14, 54 17-21, 241 16, 214 xviii. 4,8, 248 24, 129 xix. 1,4, 338 4, 5, 6, 7, 217,218 8 116 7' 13', 215 127, 218 220,236 20, 21, 220,221,236, 242, 372 236 19, 108 xx. 1,4, 239 i. 1-13, 247 5, 76 ii. 1,8, 215 6, 220, 242 H, 220 7 239 12, 18, 215 8, 239 iii. 1, 76 10, 220,236,222,242 5, 243 11, 239 iv. 11, 28 12, 76,243 v.13, 53 12-15, 238 vi. 8, 228 13, 76, 242 17, vii. 13, 14, 91, 217 116 14, 15, 153, 220, 241 2-20, 243 ix. 20, 248 xxi. 1,2, 240, 244 xi. 6, 248 3,4, 53,244 31, 91 8, 220, 242, 245 xiii. 8, 243 24, 175 U, 372 27, 243 xiv. 7, 91 xxii. 10, 246 9-11, 236 11 245 10, 11, 238 12, 246 15, 102 18, 248 XV. 1, 248 19, 243, 248 4, 53 20, 250 (403) INDEX OF GREEK PHRASES. "AyyiXag, 215. xgifftuf, 135. , 95, 1O7. afffiiffrof, 139. TvtVftanxiy, 95 note. 5TW/ KtrfiiffTlf, 79. 7yya, 81, 136. yssyyav TOW TTVOO^ 136* o*wyTjXf/a TOW aiuvof, 103. ffvpypet aluvtevf 219. ^//3oXof, 132. o-w^a, 94, 95. ffUftKTog (TO, 5