Universalism, that no man can by any possibility escape the just punishment of his sins."* There is no amelioration of that, with Christ or without him; while neither Christ's work, nor man's conduct, has any effect on the future state. And thus the mission of Christ is vacated of all that is heavenly. And though he is called a Savior and the word Salvation is abundant enough-they are mere words for effect-they are void words, by their own showing. He saves from none of the punishment due to sin in this life,-that can by no possibility be escaped, say they. He saves from no punishment hereafter-endless punishment, say they, is in the nature of things impossible with God. He casts no light on the present punishment of sin; men know that themselves. And though it is affirmed that he came to save men from their superstition, and their fears of the future, yet he brought no new light. For it is one of the most strenuous of all the Universalist teachings, that both the reason of man and the book of nature prove, beyond all possibility of contradiction, that God is love and could not inflict eternal punishment. But, we are told, "He saves, also, from sin." How, I ask? The only answer is, "by precept and example," that is, in the common earthly way, just like any other good man. And we will cheerfully accord all proper credit to the system for these words which it sometimes parades as a feint to cover its actual line of march, when we can learn of the first human being who has been saved from the practice and the love of sin by embracing Universalism.

* Williamson's Exp., p., 15.

Thus there is not an important feature of the system but is human and earthly in character. None of its characteristic teachings rise above a man-made creed; and it gives man nothing whatever to do, or think, or feel, that can exert the least effect beyond this world.

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Earthly in its origin, teaching and tendency, it is ever dear to those whose heart is bound up in this Earth. Many such men have confessed, that while burrowing like the blind mole in earthly things, they would have been glad, and they tried hard, to believe the doctrine and to comfort themselves with it in their low career; - but common sense, and conscience, and the word of God barred their way. Yet many do succeed. Many deeply, thoroughly worldly men, determined that they will live only for this present life, do quiet themselves with the belief that this life has no influence on the life to come. They hold so, because they will have it so ;-and though the word. of God, or an angel of God with a drawn sword stood in the way,-yea, though God himself with the sword of justice does stand athwart the way, they will go on. They live, they will live for earth, they will have a doctrine of earth.

Many, resolved to plunge in all manner of illicit, reckless pleasure, are determined they will not be disturbed by any forebodings of future woe; and they know well they need not my voice to tell them, how it came nor why it is that they cleave to that syren song, "ye shall not surely die." They know it is not from prayerful study nor even laborious examination of God's word, nor from thoughtful reflection of any

kind-they have no intelligent knowledge on the subject-but because it is an earthly doctrine,-and because it does divorce their chosen course in this life so absolutely from all consequences hereafter. They know that thing. Yea, the Sabbath breaker loves it. The great swindler proclaims it as his solace; the petty swindler makes it his. The blasphemer swears out the praises of its preachers. They love it in grogshops-the motley throng there swallow it down as greedily as they do that other delirious draught that fills their glass and leads them down to hell. How many a man attempts to drown his temporal and his eternal woe in the same maddening cup. It is wholly a doctrine of the earth-of the clods.

2. This system is in its moral tone low and grovelling. I cannot conceive of anything much lower. Under the name of Christianity and the pretence of honoring the Bible, and with pretexts of more or less speciousness, it actually pushes the moral relations of human existence lower than almost any known system of belief. Its views of human life, of God, of sin, of man's relation to God, are in important respects on a plane of moral degradation below most forms of Heathenism. Nay, where is the system of Heathenism on God's earth, that cuts off every bond and fibre of moral connection between this life and the life to come. Every other form of Heathenism that holds to another state of being, holds to some bearing of our moral conduct here on our destiny hereafter; that, at least, as to-day influences to-morrow, so this day of life

*Barnum's Auto-Biography, p. 247.

shapes the morrow of eternity; that the warp threads of human existence are strung here, and run on to receive the woof beyond. But this system runs its shears abruptly along and cuts every thread, and leaves this life dangling loose and aimless in the wind. Heathenism never sunk so low. It is vain to evade by saying that this life is a state of discipline; for the system distinctly denies that the discipline of this life has the slightest influence on our condition hereafter; its whole force is spent here, often to no purpose; whereas John and Judas alike leave all sin and suffering behind them in the grave.

Its views of sin, also, are low. It entertains the grossest pagan view, that sin is only an evil of such a kind, that a little bodily pain or a little mental remorse may make all right again. The fact of pain and suffering here, so crowds itself on men's observation that it cannot be denied otherwise, all punishment would probably be held inconsistent with God's love. And it is lower than Heathenism in its estimate of sin's illdesert; for it holds that no sin, not even that of him who commits murder and suicide in the same minute, deserves or receives any chastisement hereafter. If there be any form of Paganism in ancient or modern times, in Scandinavia, or in Africa, holding so low a view of the evil of sin, I am not aware of it.

Equally low is its moral tone in regard to God. God is substantially a mere instrument for making men happy. "God is love," is its ever recurring phrase; and as Satan came quoting scripture, transformed into an angel of light, so this system under pretence of exalting God's love, tramples down all those grand

moral qualities which form his everlasting glory; it sets its hoof on the holiness that is the brightness of his crown, and its cloven foot on the "justice and the judgment," that are "the habitation of his throne." His judgment-even his ultimate moral discernment between the righteous and the wicked-it sets aside, when it affirms that after death the saints of the earth and they that go down foul and rotten with corruption shall rush alike into God's loving arms. His justice it speaks of, but that is a word, and no more; it means but the action of certain natural laws on earth, which visit their own violation with pain—and that pain, not as an expression of God's displeasure but as the means of restoring the transgressor's happiness. And as to any such trait as ultimate and changeless holiness in God, I find no trace of it in the system. The word may be there- though of the seldomest-but the thing seems to be wanting. God is a very glorious being whose chief function is to make all men happy ; that is his use. Rev. I. D. Williamson, showing the reason why God has any right to punish sin, namely, because it is "productive of evil to man," [of course in this life,] uses these remarkable and significant words" for if sin were more conducive to human happiness than virtue, it would not be right to prohibit its practice."* That is so say, all notion of moral excellence, or moral character, or holiness in the great God himself, is over-ridden and crushed out by this grand function and everlasting obligation to make even the vilest of beings happy. God is the mere tool and

* Exposition, p. 66.