imperfection, do not say to the transgressor"Commit your deeds of darkness, and all the punishment which you shall have, will consist in the necessary evils which precede and follow crime." They do not say to the murderer, "Slay your helpless victim, and suffer only fear, and remorse of conscience, and the pains of memory." No! civil law throws its threatenings of death around the murderer. It goes with every transgressor, and tells him that the prison and the gallows shall be the reward of his deeds. It points him, not to the pains of memory, not to the remorse which will ever attend him, but to the penitentiary, the solitary cell, and the pain and ignominy of the scaffold. All law-givers have decided that positive inflictions of pain are necessary to the authority of law. They never yet enacted a law without a penalty. They know full well that laws without penalties would be as nothing in the great work of chaining human depravity. Let them talk to men about the rewards of virtue and the evils of sin, and see how soon our streets would be filled with blood and illuminated by the torch of the midnight incendiary! Let them break up their tribunals of justice-repeal every law with a penalty-tear down every prison, and we should see how soon the depravity of man would break out in our midst, like the wide breaking in of waters. We should not be safe in the streets. We could not rest in our beds. Every hour the cry of murder would ring upon the ear, and every bed would be stained by the knife of the assassin. And yet Universalists

maintain that God inflicts no positive punishment upon the transgressor: that wicked men, in the remorse which attends the commission of sin, and in its effects, suffer all the punishment which they deserve. But is not God as wise as men? Shall God not invest his law with authority equal to that which guards and defends human laws? No! according to the doctrine of Universalists, God cannot give to his government that influence which surrounds every human government under heaven. They will permit him to give advice, but not law to his rebel subjects! And then, to cap the climax, they will tell you that it is their high regard for God's mercy that induces them to entertain such a view of his government. They will rob God of three attributes to save one! They will take away his power, his wisdom, and his justice, to protect his mercy! But if it is wrong to inflict positive punishment upon the transgressor under God's government, then it is wrong for human governments to do it:-so that the Universalists are at war, not only with God, but with man. They would deny the wisdom of a Coke and a Blackstone-they would burn every civil statute-they would break up every tribunal of civil justice— they would hang every civil officer-they would tear down every prison-they would let loose every murderer-they would assist the escape of every transgressor of human laws. With parricidal hands, they would destroy the under which they live, and follow it, in joyful

very government

procession, to the great sepulchre of forgotten nations!

V. This system of Universal Salvation contradicts the Bible. If it contradicts itself-if it contradicts reason-if it contradicts conscience-if it contradicts the justice of all civil tribunals, then it follows that it contradicts the Bible. The Bible asks the question, "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?" We shall all escape hell, says the Universalist. The Bible says, "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to open shame." Not impossible at all, says the Universalist, all shall be saved. The Bible says, "For if we sin wilfully, after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries." But, the Universalist says, there is no judgment or fiery indigna.... tion remaining to the transgressor, to devour him -but he, and all transgressors shall be saved, The Bible says, "He that despised Moses' law, died without mercy, under two or three witnesses; of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, he shall be thought worthy, who hath trodden under

foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the spirit of grace?" But the Universalist says, that never a man died without mercy-and as for a sorer punishment than to die without mercy, they say it is preposterous-for God is merciful, and all will be

saved!

The Bible says, “Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord." But, saith the Universalist, vengeance does not belong to God, and he will not recompense his enemies, for he is merciful, and all will be saved! The Bible says, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Oh no, says the Universalist, it is not a fearful thing at all, for God is merciful, and all will be saved.

The Bible says, "But we are not of those who draw back unto perdition." But, says the Universalist, there is no perdition, and therefore none will draw back-for God is merciful, and all will be saved. The Bible says, "For our God is a consuming fire." No, says the Universalist, he is not a consuming fire, but all mercy, therefore all will be saved. The Bible says, "And they shall go away into everlasting fire." No, says the Universalist, they shall not go away into everlasting fire -for God is merciful, and all will be saved!

The Bible says, "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire: this is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life, was cast into the lake of fire." But, says

the Universalist, there is no lake of fire-there is no second death; and besides, the name of every man and every devil will be found written in the Book of Life-for God is merciful, and all will be saved!

The Bible says, "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city: for without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie." But, says the Universalist, blessed are they that do not the commandments of God, for they shall have right to the tree of life, and shall enter in through the gates into the city. And as for there being dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie, without the gates of life, it is all nonsense. "Blessed are the poor in spirit," says the Son of God, "for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." But, says the Universalist, blessed are the proud in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God. "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." But, says the Universalist, blessed are they that do not mourn, for they shall be comforted. "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." But, says the Universalist, blessed are the passionate in spirit, for they shall inherit the earth. "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." But, says the Universalist, blessed are they which do not hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be