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stand, how these ordinances of justice can be the ordinances of God, to execute wrath on those who do evil, and yet that God does not punish the wicked in this world? This certainly never can be understood; and therefore all such preaching as disallows the punishment of sin in this world amounts to a declaration that our ordinances or justice are not the ordinances of God. In the law, given by Moses, crimes and their punishments were carefully and clearly defined; and God gave directions in what manner recompense for sin should be administered; but whoever has read this law, with any proper attention, knows that the penal code no more extends into a future world, than does our penal code. And if the testimony of God, respecting the punishments he would inflict on the people of the Jews, for their national sins, be carefully examined, we find no intimation in all the law and the prophets of extending these punishments into a future state. If we read the dealings of God with that people, or with any other, and inquire concerning the judgments which he has executed, we find all confined to this present state. With all this immense authority before them, with the history of the world's misery, in consequence of sin, spread before their eyes, and with the open vision of the immense aggregate of suffering under which millions groan, in consequence of evil doing, our orthodox preachers will compose and preach studied sermons; embellished with all the beauties of rhetoric, and delivered in the most becoming airs of oratory, designed to enforce the belief that God sees, fit to defer the punishment of sin to a future state of our existence ! This, my friends is not feeding you with knowledge and understanding.. If our heavenly Father has designed to punish us in a future world for our follies in this, it is not known to any living man, and whoever preaches it, preaches what he does not know to be a truth, and what he can give no one else to know.

It is time to withdraw from the contemplation

of these things, which although they form the principal part of the minister's subjects, as directed by our schools of error, are not among the known things, which the true ministry has in charge to administer to the people: and pass to consider the doctrine of Jesus Christ, which he and his apostles preached. Jesus, the great apostle and high priest of the christian dispensation, preached the doctrine of God's love to the world, and demonstrated it by such emblems as could be known and understood. He referred the people to the fact, to the known fact, that our heavenly Father causes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends his rain upon the just and upon the unjust, as proof positive, that he loves all men ; and that it is our duty to imitate our heavenly Father in this impartial goodness. My friends, will you carefully assist me in calling up one important question in this place? Why do not our preachers, who endeavour to inculcate the doctrine of partial election and reprobation, refer us to the same emblems as Jesus does? Why do they not say, that we may know that God, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, and that he reprobated all the rest to endless woe, by the blessings of sunshine and of rain? Here the answer is plain; the evidence contradicts what they wish to prove; and therefore, you never hear them use it in this way. The blessed Saviour directed his preaching to the hearts and affections of his hearers; he made an appeal to the tenderest affections of the human heart; and when endeavouring to set forth the love of his father, said, "what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven, give good things to them that ask him?" What is the evident doctrine of this passage? It is this: you have all the encouragement possible

to trust in God, and to seek to him for all you need, as he is your Father, and more kind than you can be to your own offspring. Here again, I ask your assistance in calling up a question similar to the last. Why do not our preachers appeal to our af fections, as Jesus did; and say, you may know that this doctrine of election is true by your own feelings; for what man of you, having two sons, would not prefer to feed one, and starve the other; rather than to feed them both? What father would not choose to give to one hungry son the bread he needs, and to the other a stone in room of bread? The answer is plain; the evidence denies the fact, and proves, beyond all contradiction, that the doctrine has nothing in all the economy of the divine providence, to set it up, or corroborate it.

The miracles which the Saviour wrought, were divine manifestations of impartial goodness; they were not confined to any one sect, nor did he inquire whether the subjects of such favours were worthy or unworthy; nor are we informed that an instance ever occurred, in which the Saviour denied a favour, because the subject was not of the elect. As Jesus preached, so he lived; and as he preached and lived, so he died; and his dying prayer is a perfect transcript of his doctrine; and manifests the genius and spirit of his religion:"Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." His resurrection from the dead, brought life and immortality to light; but it did not bring a future state of sin and misery to light. Jesus taught the doctrine of the resurrection, and he proved it true. This glorious doctrine was openly manifested, and known to be a fact.

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The Apostles of Jesus followed his example, and fed the people with knowledge and understanding. We read their testimony and rejoice in believing. St. Paul says, "God will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself

a ransom for all to be testified in due time-We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, now crowned with glory and honour, that he by the grace of God might taste death for every man-As by the of fence of one, judgment came upon all men unto condemnation, even so by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life-Moreover the law entered that the of fence might abound, but where sin abounded, grace did much more abound; that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord-For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord-For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption which is in Christ JesusWherefore God hath highly exalted him, and giv en him a name that is above every name; that in the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of things in heaven and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father." In addition to these gospel declarations, the apostles of the lamb endeavoured to give the people to understand, that there is peace in believing and in obeying the truth, but tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doeth evil. They taught that the grace of God that bringeth salvation to all men, teaches us that we should deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and that we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world, and that good works are good and profita ble unto men.

My friends, let us listen to that instruction which feeds us with knowledge and understanding, let us forsake the foolish and live,

SERMON XIV.

ST. PAUL A UNIVERSALIST

DELIVERED IN BOSTON ON THE FIRST SABBATH IN SEPT., 1822.

1 TIMOTHY II. 7.

"Whereunto I am ordained a preacher."

THE object of the discourse, now to be delivered from the words just read, is to make it appear, to the satisfaction of the candid hearer, that St. Paul was a believer in, and a preacher of universal salvation.

My Christian friends, do you ask how this fact can be proved? The answer is ready; it is to be proved by the same sort of means as we prove other facts. By what evidence can we prove that John Calvin was not a believer in, nor a preacher of universal salvation? Answer: By referring to his writings, to his institutes, and to the testimony of faithful historians. By referring to such undoubted authority, we prove that the faith taught. by this reformer of the church, embraced, among other distinguishing points, the following. "God hath chosen a certain number of the fallen race of Adamn in Christ, before the foundation of the world, unto eternal glory, according to his immutable purpose, and of his free grace and love, without the least foresight of faith, good works, or any conditions performed by the creature; and that the rest of mankind he was pleased to pass by, and ordain to dishonour and wrath, for their sins, to

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