undeniable. "The redeemed in heaven, look down and see their dearest kindred in hell, unmoved at the sight," &c.-" the sight of hell torments will exalt the happiness of the righteous," &c.-" and for the display of God's power, in the torment of the damned, even their dearest and nearest connections, the redeemed will ascribe thanksgiving," &c. And then we are told that such an heavenly temper must begin in this world! Now suppose there was a sect of people, who practised all this-rejoiced over and on account of the sufferings of their fellow-creatures-met together on Sabbath days, and thanked and praised God for making so many miserable, by disease or any way, the more misery the more joy, especially in such times as when the yellow fever was most prevalent: with this people it might be said, consistent with modern theology, that "an heavenly temper had began in this world!" But would they not be called, by every rational person, a set of inconsistent, cruel, hard-hearted wretches? But they would be doing perfectly right, if rejoicing over the misery of others, as we are told, is "feeling, in a measure, just as God does." This is, to all intents and purposes, "changing the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like unto corruptible man, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air." It is representing God as delighting in the misery of his creatures. O what a horrid character they give of a good God, whose tender mercies are over all his works. I cannot see any difference between the character they give him, and that which they give the devil: of the two, the latter

is the least to be dreaded; for they say, that God "pours down his wrath and vengeance, not by drops, but by showers, and thunder, thunder." And we know, that after heavy claps of thunder, the rain pours down, so the wrath of God will pour upon the damned in hell! And as the devil is a being of wrath also, they both unite in punishing poor souls, just alike, as I said before; only with this difference, “that the mighty God of heaven will lay as great wrath and vengeance upon them as ever he can by the might of his almighty power; whereas the devil can only torment them in a limited degree.This is representing God as much worse than the devil as infinite can exceed finite-and deny this who can.

As this account of the orthodox faith is really horrid, some readers may think it hardly possible, and that I misrepresent what these divines have said: but I do not; I use their own words, I quote them correctly. And if saying, as I have quoted from their own writings, does not represent God as I have said, what words can be used to represent one being more wrathful and cruel than another. And surely God has more power than his adversary; therefore, if he punishes as much as ever he can, he must punish infinitely more than the devil can! and punish his creatures, not only infinitely in duration, but infinitely in degree; and millions of souls, whom he predetermined should be thus punished, without any regard to their good or evil deeds. "They were reprobated by God from all eternity, and were made for no other purpose than fuel for

the fire of hell."* And is not all this representing God in an abominable and blasphemous manner? If the leading clergy had tried their utmost, and exerted all their learning and ingenuity to degrade the character of God, and represent him as the most cruel and detestable of all beings imaginable, what more could they have said? How could they have spoken in stronger terms, in describing the wrath, anger, hatred and vengeance of God against sinners? And he is not only so represented, and so severely punishing his creatures, by Bunyan, Edwards, Emmons, and other celebrated divines who are dead and gone, but in sermons, and writings in the present day. A pamphlet, or tract, just published by the New-York State Tract Society, is all in the same strain, giving exactly the same representation of the wrath, anger, &c. of God, and the torments of the damned in hell, and those in heaven rejoicing over their misery. And most of their tracts contain little else but pestiferous stuff, calculated to poison the young and tender mind: teaching children, for whom they are principally written, that their heavenly Father is a wrathful, angry being, and will damn them, even for that nature which they brought into the world with them; i. e. for being just as the God of nature made them; and that millions and billions of God's intelligent creatures are hated by him, and will be the victims of his eternal vengeance; and the few that are saved and happy

*Some may doubt this, and think it not possible that any body could ever 30 believe; but pages could be quoted from Calvinistic writers, and the Westminster, or Presbyterian, Confession of Faith, to prove that what I have said is correct.

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in heaven, will rejoice over their misery. But the apostle declares, in direct contradiction to this horrid doctrine, that we must put on as the elect of God, holy and beloved, BOWELS OF MERCY, KINDNESS, humbleness of mind, meekness, long suffering, &c. Can it be possible to put on the holy and beloved bowels of mercy, &c. and rejoice over the misery of your fellow-creatures either in this world, or any other, and sound the loud Amen to the indescribable, eternal misery of one single soul, not to mention millions? If you answer yes, which according to orthodoxy, you must, then what kind of an amen would you sound, if you were to put on the bowels of hatred and cruelty? Worse you could not do than consign your fellow-creatures, and even your children, over to endless torments, and rejoice over their misery; the devil himself could not do worse the most wicked men that ever lived would not do so much. But we are told by almost all the orthodox divines, that "this is what the redeemed in heaven will do! and that this is proof that they stand complete in holiness, and that this heavenly temper must begin in this world, when death comes it will be forever too late." If such a temper was to begin and to be practised in this life, it would make a hell on earth! What damnable doctrine! But I don't want to swear about it, nor use rough language; but it is really enough to grieve any man, who has any love or regard for his fellow-creatures, that those who had been our nearest and dearest kindred and friends, even our own children, and poor little innocent infants, under all the bitter agonies of death, "ever dying and never die ;"

and we shall become so hard hearted as to “stand unmoved at the sight; yea, the sight will increase our happiness in heaven, and cause us to rejoice over those in endless misery, and sing louder songs of praise on account of their damnation!"

Edwards says expressly, that "the sight of hell torments will increase the happiness of the saints in heaven, and that the sufferings of the damned will be no grief to them, but rejoicing. They will not be sorry for their damnation; it will cause no uneasiness or dissatisfaction to them; but on the contrary, when they see this sight, it will occasion rejoicing and excite them to joyful praises. And the saints in heaven will know concerning the damned in hell, that God never loved them, but that he hates them and reprobated them from all eternity." If I ask him what they had done? or if any thing had been in them worse than in the saints, or those that are made happy? He answers me, "no, and that they are just as worthy of heaven and happiness as those who are in heaven;" then what are they reprobated and made miserable forever for ? "Because it is God's sovereign will and pleasure; he chooses to damn them, and make them forever miserable!" Reader, if you can hardly believe that Edwards ever preached or wrote such horrid doctrine, then see his work entitled his "Practical Sermons," sermons 22 and 23. And he tells in the same sermon, a deal more about the day of judgment, and friends being separated, wives from their husbands, and husbands from their wives, and children from parents, and parents from children; and those who are raised