great tribulation, having their robes washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb," while the wicked, driven far away to some remote part of the universe, may cease from troubling" the good; and lie down in chains of darkness and despair. It seems probable, that this vision granted to the revelator, was designed not to teach him how many would be ultimately saved; but to let him have a foretaste of heaven-to let him know how all things around in heaven, earth, and sea, would appear to the beatified millions, who shall at last out ride the storms of time, and land their weary spirits in the haven of glory. The wicked, at that time, may be entirely beyond the enlarged and expanded view of the saints in light, so that to them may be presented the very aspect so sublimely described in our text. We think this is the most reasonable construction of the passage, especially when we take into view, the general language of the sacred writings on the subject of the wicked. We think it no perversion of the beautiful passage, but its true and proper import. We dare not knowingly pervert a part of that book, which has such strong claims to the merit of a divine revelation. Indeed, if universalism be the doctrine of the Bible, we wish it to prevail. And if universalist preachers endeavour to reform the wicked, we wish them success. We care not who do the good provided it be done. Another and last text worthy of notice on this head, is Rev. xxi. 4.

"And 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."

The argument on this is, that the meaning cannot be, that there shall be no more death, sorrow, crying, nor pain, in heaven, because there has never been any there; therefore, it must be that there will be no more any where ! But observe the revelator was describing the happy state of those, who should be inhabitants of the heavenly city.

And there is nothing in the context to induce a belief, that men are all to be citizens of the holy place. On the other hand, there is much in the context to show, that the wicked are not to be there. The meaning is simply that all the faithful shall then be gathered out of all their afflictions, into the New Jerusalem, the city of God, to go no more out; where all their tears shall be wiped off-all their sorrows shall cease

their weeping and mourning shall come to an end—and they shall suffer no more pain-and death shall never come in his awful terrours, to mingle their joys, blast their prospects, and poison all their bliss.

In the very last words before the revelator describes this glorious state of the blessed, he describes the judgement of the world, which he concludes in these words, “and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."---Rev. xx. 15. Who would suppose, after the writer had thus concluded his description of the judgement, he would begin, in the very next words, to teach universal salvation? Yet some will think so, and the author used to think so; and published an ingenious explanation of this judgement, to show that it did not mean what the words naturally imply. But it is plain, that the explanation was an evasion, rather than an exposition of its true and natural meaning. Yet the author was conscientious in it; and really thought he was contributing something to the good of mankind. This should admonish him, as well as others, to believe men honest in their views, however extravagant they may appear to us, unless we have some other evidence of their insincerity than the fact, that their ideas appear absurd to us.

Again; the revelator has no sooner described the happy state of those in the heavenly city, than he begins to speak as though all would not be its inhabitants, "he that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son."-Verse 7:

"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable,

and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolators, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death."-Verse 8.-Verily, if John was teaching universalism along here, he did not know how to teach it, as well as our universalist brethren now do! You might hear them preach for ages now without hearing any such language from them, unless they referred to it to show how it could be evaded! Again, he 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 idolators, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie."-xxII. 14, 15.

This informs us who they will be that will enter into that city, where there will be no death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. Not all men; but such as "do his commandments." They have right unto the tree of life, and to enter in through the gates, because they do his commandments; not because all men will have right to enter in.And although there will be no more pain nor death nor sorrow to those who "enter in through the gates into the city," yet the sorcerers, idolators, murderers, and liars, that are without, and can never get in, may suffer sorrow, and pain, and death, even the second death. They have no right unto the tree of life. Universalist teachers can never give them the right. Neither will the belief in universalism, nor any other ism ever give them the right. If they want the privilege, let them go and do his commandments, repent of their sins, and live to God and his precepts; and they will then have a right. We dare not promise a right on any other terms.

SECTION V.

The punishment of sin, not in this life.

All, who profess to believe the Bible, profess to believe in punishment for sin. The universalist, like the deist, believes in no forgiveness of sin, in the common sense of forgiveness, but that every sin will certainly and infallibly be punished according to justice, in this state of being.They agree in the idea, that either by the allotments of Providence, or by the compunctions of conscience, all are justly punished in this life, and have nothing to fear in the life to come. As this theory denies the pardon of sin through the propitiation of Christ, and the fears of future retribution, deism and universalism, in these important respects, are alike. And hence, as might be expected, the moral effects of the two systems are precisely the same.Universalists suppose all punishments to be inflicted to reform the punished-to have solely their good for their object, and to be in reality blessings. That God punishes men to prevent the commission of sin, which he appointed also for their good. We have protested against the idea, that men will be likely to be restrained from sin through fear of a punishment, which they are taught will be a blessing to them. Universalists contend that God carries all his designs into full operation; and adopts such measures only, as he knows will fully answer the purposes for which he designed them. That God designs all punishment as a means of reforming the wicked, and that all are fully punished in this life. Hence we might conclude, that, as God designs all punishments for the reformation of the wicked; and punishes all men amply in this life; and as all his measures must succeed, and all his designs must be accomplished, therefore all men must be reclaimed and reformed In this life! But alas for their system! It here

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runs again against a tree! Their infallible reasonings run madly against facts! Facts show that so far from all men being reformed in this life by receiving all the punishments due to their crimes, by which God designed to reform them, many of them grow worse and worse as long as they live!

If God designed the punishments of this life, which he inflicts amply upon all men, should reform them; and especially, if he designed the idea, that all punishments are blessings, should terrify the wicked from the commission of those sins, which he appointed for the good of all; we should think he would see by this time, that the doctrine of blessed punishments did not scare people much; but rather invited them to put themselves in the way to have as many blessings as possible. But as we said, all admit the wicked will be punished. The question now is, when? Universalism says, in this life always. We say, sometimes soma in this life, and also in the life to come.

If in this life in all cases, the punishments must consist of either external or internal misery. Is it external? Look abroad in the world. Do not the proud, the haughty, the extortioners, the fraudulent, the oppressive, the hard hearted, unrelenting and cruel, often-very often, trample down the humble, the tender, the virtuous, and the good, as ashes under their feet? Is there not more genuine virtue and good feeling, amongst the poor, afflicted, and suffering part of our race, than among the luxurious, opulent and prosperous? Is not virtue in this world often neglected, censured, and persecuted? Have not the pious and good, in millions of cases, been pursued with the unrelenting vengeance of maddened bigotry? Have they not followed conscience, when the red banner of persecution waved? Have not millions of faithful and pure souls passed along these baleful shores of time, friendless, houseless, shelterless, unpitied, unprotected; tears, sighs, pinching wants, and alarms, their companions! blasted hopes, dungeon