ly sins of the deepest die. But as these offenders have found favor with God, there is surely hope of others, seeing our "God is no respecter of persons."

14. We do not believe in endless torture; because the arguments alleged in support of it, are far-fetched and inconclusive.-Our limits will not permit a particular examination of the arguments of our opponents. We will wly offer a few brief remarks upon some of their arguments, and upon their general mode of reasoning. They generally quote a multitude of passages to prove their sentiment, when in fact, these passages only speak of punishment, without any regard to its endless duration. But such passages are nothing to the purpose. They must prove that punishment will be endless, or else they prove nothing in this controversy. The question relates, not to the existence of punishment, but to its endless duration; it is, not whether men are punished in a future state, but whether it will continue while God has existence. All passages, therefore, which speak of punishment tho in a future state, have no bearing in this dispute: they must prove that this punishment will never cease, or else they are foreign to the point at issue. But how often do the votaries of interminable torture stun our ears with passages like this:-"He that believeth not shall be damned." this passage simply says that unbelievers shall be damned. It does not even insinuate that this damnation will be without end. The fact is, all men have been unbelievers, and according to this passage, have been damned; and if damnation means endless misery, every son and daughter of Adam will come short of eternal glory. But men may be damned at one period, and saved at another. I will here appeal to the experience

Now

* 2 Chron. xix. 4. Acts x. 34. Rom. ii. 11. Eph. vi. 9. Col. iii. 25.

of mankind. I will ask those who consider themselves heirs of glory, whether they were not once unbelievers ? I know they will answer in the affirmative. They will frankly acknowledge that they were once unbelievers ;* and according to the passage before us, they were then damned. But altho they were once unbelievers, and were damned, they now consider themselves heirs of salvation. And this is a leading doctrine with the votaries of endless misery. They constantly affirm that all who arrive at heaven, are raised to that happy situa tion, from a state of sin and condemnation. Thus they acknowledge that damnation does not mean endless misery. And consequently the passage in question, and others of a similar nature, have no bearing in the case. The truth is, damnation has no relation to time, place, degree, or continuance. Damnation has no more relation to endless suffering; it is no more expressive of duration without end, than the word misery, or pain.*

Another popular argument with the vulgar to prove the eternity of torment, is founded in the word hell. Thus "the wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God." Upon this text, I will only remark; as all men are wicked in a certain degree, and as all nations forget God, so it is evident that all experience the pains of hell. But hell cannot mean endless misery, unless we admit that all will perish everlastingly. The scriptures demonstrate this fact, that the nations which are cast into hell, will not remain there to endless ages. For they repeatedly assert that "All the nations which God hath made, shall worship before him, and serve him." The truth of the case is this:-Hell, when it is not used to signify the grave, or

*Rom. iii. 8.-xiv. 23. John iii. 18. Rom. v. 18. + Psal. ix. 17.

Psal. xxii. 27.-lxxii. 11.-lxxxvi. 9. vii. 14.

Jer. xxvii. 7. Dan.

place of the dead, simply means punishment, or misery, without any reference to place or duration. Instead of its being a state from which there is no deliverance, Jonah prayed to God while in hell,* and was delivered therefrom. David by the mercy of God was delivered from the lowest hell.t What considerate person will hazard the assertion, that there is no deliverance from hell, when the prophet and the psalmist have both been delivered? Since David has been delivered from the lowest, that is, from the worst hell, there is certainly hope of others.

Another popular argument, and in fact, the principal one made use of by our opponents, is drawn from the words everlasting, eternal, and forever. But every intelligent reader must be sensible that these words are not absolute, but loose and equivocal in their meaning. They are applied to the priesthood of Aaron, to the covenant of circumcision, and indeed to all the rites and ceremonies of the Jewish ritual; but all these were superceded by the gospel of Christ. Jonah applied this term to his prison in the belly of the fish, but he was there only three days. But the primitive root of the words in the original, is still more loose. The substsnce of all that can be said upon this subject is this: these words are capable of a great variety of meanings, and their import must ever be determined by the subject to which they are applied. We do not pretend to prove the endless happiness of the righteous from the strength of these words. We prove that their happiness will never cease from words and phrases much stronger than the words, everlasting, &c. After having proved that the joy of the saints will be endless, the words everlasting, &c. take an endless sense, when applied to that subject; not from the strength of the + Psal. lxxxvi. 12. 13.

Jonah ii. 2.

See Reason 12th.

words, however, but from the nature of the subject to which they are applied. Now if our opposers can prove, independent of these words, that misery will be endless, then the words everlasting, &c. will take an endless sense when applied to the misery of the wicked, but not before. I might easily enlarge here, but shall conclude by observing that the great stress which our opponents lay upon these disputed words, only proves the weakness of the cause in which they are engaged.

As to the vulgar remarks which are constantly made by many of our opponents, "If your doctrine be true, what good does preaching do?" "If our doctrine fails, yours will catch us;" they only show the weakness of the cause they are designed to prop, and the meanness of the measures of which its advocates avail themselves. That system must be pitiably weak, which requires such low and slender means to support it. Such remarks well become those who, being weak, are destitute of argument; but they are beneath the dignified character of a cogent reasoner. I will only add, such remarks are well worthy of the sinking system into whose service they are constantly pressed.

15. We do not believe the doctrine of ceaseless torture ; because the scriptures plainly teach the contrary.-The first scripture I shall notice, is the promise made to the fathers, that "all the nations, all the families and all the kindreds of the earth shall be blessed in their seed,* which is Christ. To give a correct understanding of this promise, two things must be noticed: viz. The nature of the blessing, and the extent of its application. The blessing in its nature must be either temporal or spiritual. This blessing is to flow through Jesus Christ. But did Christ come into the world to procure rain and sunshine, to impart temporal blessings? Surely not.

* Gen. xii. 3.-xxii. 18.—xxvi. 4.—xxviii. 14. + Gal. iii. 16.

The mission of Jesus Christ was designed to communicate spiritual blessings, which include a salvation from sin. This is plainly taught by the apostle.* "The scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel, to Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed." Here we are expressly assured that the blessing promised to Abraham was no other than justification through faith, or eternal life in the Mediator. The universality of the promise cannot be doubted. It extends to all the nations, all the families, and all the kindreds of the earth. I know of no language which can be more universal. If any are excluded from this promise, they must be monsters indeed; for they cannot be members of any of the nations, kindreds, or families of the earth. Some pretend that these expressions are to be understood nationally, and not individually; consequently, when all the nations are saved as nations, some individuals belonging to the nations, may be lost. But the scriptures authorize no such construction. When such language is applied to the creation of man, no one pretends to limit it. And it ought not to be limited in the present case. Jesus Christ ordered his gospel to be preached to the whole world. St. Matthew records it, "Go and teach all nations ;" and St. Mark, "Preach the gospel to every creature." Now it is perfectly-evident that St. Matthew means the same by all nations, that St. Mark does by every creature. The expression, “all nations," includes every individual. And the promise to the fathers must be understood in the same manner, as including every individual. In this sense it was understood by St. Peter, who, after citing the promise made to Abraham, adds, Unto you first, God, having raised up his son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turn* Gal. iii. 8.