soon men would appeal to the constitution of the country for protection against such coercion.

According to Universalism, whatever men are in this world, or whatever they choose to be in a future world, they must and shall become good Christians, and worship for ever a holy God. Though a man die calling on God to damn his soul-preferring eternal exile from heaven-he cannot have his prayer answered or his wish gratified. That their system does really and truly strike a blow at free agency, is evident from the effects they ascribe to death.

"How do we prove," says one of their learned authors, "the future happiness of mose who die before they are forgiven? They brought not their sins into this world when they came into it. They certainly can carry nothing out of it which they brought not into it. Then their sins must be left behind."

Who ever heard such reasoning as this! We can carry nothing out of this world which we did not bring into it! But cannot, and must not, a man bear away with him his moral character when he leaves this world? And did we bring our moral character into the world? Did we bring moral character into this world, which character is the result only of obedience and disobedience to law? No! But shall we not carry out of this world, when we leave it, our moral character? Will not the impressions which are made upon the human intellect, be as enduring as the intellect itself? Will not the mental habits and principles which

we form in this world, and adopt, cling to us through eternal ages? Oh, no, says our learned author, we can carry nothing out of the world which we did not bring into it. That is, death will rob us of our moral character! Because death will destroy those bodily senses, through the medium of which we now sin-therefore death will destroy our moral characters. Death will not only purify the body, but it will, by some gangrene process, slough off a man's moral character! On some accounts, we wish death would perform this mighty process for some deceived or ruined sinners; but we tell them that the sting of death is sin! That which will render death a king of terrors, will be a man's depraved moral character. But according to Universalism, we cannot carry our moral character with us. Though a man should choose to carry his moral character to his dying bed, and continue steadfast in his mental habits and principles, till the last pulse has beat, and the last breath has been drawn-yet death shall outwit him, and work such a wonderful process upon him, whether he will or not, that the moment he appears in the eternal world he shall find himself a saint instead of a sinner. He died, according to the best of his recollection, a drunkard, or a whoremonger, or an infidel, or an Atheist; but, lo and behold, he has come forth from the grave an angel of light, fully prepared for the songs, and holiness, and glories of heaven! His will in this great transition of character was never consulted. He had no choice in the matter. Death did the work

for him by stealth, and gave him a moral character which all along his probation he laughed at and despised!

If this system does not rob man of free agency, then we do not know what can do it.

Yet this is the system which boasts of its freedom. This is the system which makes men freemen in the highest style-free in will, in choice, in affection! If it is freedom for man to be robbed of his free agency, then let me be a slave !

Says one of the learned authors of the Universalist church," All men must be saved, because the will of God cannot be resisted." But is not this denying that there is any such thing as free agency among men? If the will of God, in no respect, can be resisted, then we are not free agentshaving the power to obey or not to obey. Then, whatever our will may be, it shall be crushed by the will of God! There is no choice for us. "But," says this same learned author, "all men will be saved, because God is almighty: nothing can resist his will; nothing can defeat his purpose." Does not this deny to man the great prerogative of free agency? "God is almighty, and therefore nothing can resist his will; nothing can defeat his purpose." That is, God has all power, and will save men by that power whatever may be the will or choice of his creatures. If he cannot subdue them by influences which shall harmonize with their free agency, he will subdue them by almighty physical force. He will crush their wills. He will

trample upon their free agency. He will coerce them into subjects by omnipotent force.

Is not this robbing man of his free agency? Is not such a view of moral government tantamount to a full denial of all moral government? Does it not represent God as maintaining his supremacy over this world, not in accordance with the laws of mind, but of matter? Does it not represent God as governing mind the same way that he governs yonder sun, by almighty power?

Yet this is the system which is said to make its subjects free men! It robs man of all that constitutes him a rational and accountable being, and then turns round and says to them, Sirs, your birthright is liberty! No wonder that they want to retain their system without its tendencies! No wonder that the younger converts start with horror at its tendencies. No wonder that the more advanced ones show signs of amazement and manifest that they feel the galling power of these tendencies.

How astonishing the fact, that reasonable men will rather part with the great attribute of free agency than abandon a favourite system. Rather than embrace eternal truth they will part with free agency and become slaves. And while believing in a system which entails upon them the greatest vassalage in the universe of God, they exclaim-We are free men!

16*

FORTY-FIFTH REASON.

We reject Universalism because it denies not only the doctrine of endless punishment, but in doing that, of necessity it discards every other doctrine of the Bible.

Let a man deny one of the fundamental doctrines of the Bible, and, if he is consistent, he must deny all of them. Eternal truth is so connected, that it must stand or fall together. It is like a golden chain, if you break one of its links, you render useless every other. We care not whether the Universalist admits that in denying endless punishment, he denies every other doctrine of the Bible. We suppose some do not. We suppose somé, if they did, would not do their system so much injury as to confess it. In our remarks we shall trace the legitimate tendency of their system upon the other cardinal doctrines of the Bible, and if a man will not abide by the tendencies of his system, it shows at least that he is not very sincere in his belief.

If a man deny the doctrine of endless punishment, he must deny the justice of God. If a man deny endless punishment, he must deny a future judgment. If a man deny endless punishment, he must deny the law of God. If a man deny endless punishment, he must deny the supreme divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. If a man deny endless punishment, he must deny the vicarious sufferings of