reckless and irreverent, that they deem the course of such expounders of truth unworthy of notice, and sober attention. Years ago, Universalists left the justice of God un touched in their pulpit and periodical discussions, and declaimed wholly about the mercy of God; but now they profess to be the only denomination which holds strictly. and Scripturally to the doctrine of divine justice. They denounce the doctrine of pardon of sin and salvation from the punishment due to sin, as held by the orthodox generally, as "that easy way of salvation." Does the reader inquire, whether Universalism rejects and disowns the doctrine of salvation from sin and its deserved punishment? We reply, that so far as we have become acquainted with the views of Universalists relative to this doctrine, we find, that all are loud in proclaiming that no one can or will be saved from the punishment due to sin, every one must endure a full and adequate punishment for all his follies and sins, and that pardon or forgiveness does not remit any part of the penalty of the law.

We have heretofore made some remarks in relation to this subject, and proved that Universalists view punishment for sin as the greatest and the most efficient means to save the children of men; but we wish to enlarge somewhat on this subject, to unmask the monster and strip off his sanctimonious garb. We hear much said about salvation, about being saved and enjoying the peace of the gospel; but we would ask, what does this salvation consist in? what is its value and blessedness? Let Universalists themselves answer. A work recently published at Utica, called "The Universalist's Book of Reference," and lauded as of preeminent value, and superior to any they have ever issued, holds the following sentiment and language relative to the doctrine of salvation: "The Bible nowhere informs us, that salvation consists in being saved from the penalty of

God's law, nor from deserved punishment, nor from the place of endless misery. On the contrary, the salvation of the gospel consists in being saved from darkness, from unbelief, from sin and all its attendant evil consequences." Though we believe that the punishment due to sin, is among "the attendant evil consequences" of sin, yet it is evident that nothing of the kind is intimated by the writers of that Book. All they mean by the "evil consequences" of sin, is what we understand by "this present evil world;” the sorrows and afflictions, the calamities and adversities of life.

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Another writer says, in an essay, entitled "Who will be Saved?" that "christian salvation is, properly, a deliverance of the soul, either from present or prospective evils, or both." "It was from this lost state-this present sinful condition, that Jesus came to save man. Hence it is said, that he gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world.' Gal. i. 4. "That this is the nature of christan salvation, is still further evident, from the fact that Christ's mission is never spoken of as designed to prepare men to guard against a future evil, but, in most cases, its object is explicitly stated to be the removal of present difficulty-a deliverance from a present evil and suffering condition. It will be seen in all those passages which speak of Christ as saving men from sin, that not the most distant allusion is made to anything beyond the mere sinful state itself."

How vain it was, and how incorrect, for Christ to put such a question to the people, if there was no future wrath, nor possibility for the people to be saved from it, “O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee the wrath to come?" Matt. iii. 7.

Rev. Jason Lewis declares, that God "will reward every individual for all his good deeds, and will punish every

individual for all his evil deeds; hence that, in the government of God, punishment actually deserved, is in all cases infallibly certain to be inflicted." "They believe that Scriptural salvation is by no means an escape from deserved punishment." "And as the Scripture writers so frequently speak of the forgiveness of sins,' etc., and never mention the forgiveness of punishment, but on the contrary, assure us that the wicked shall not be unpunished,' Universalists therefore, believe in the forgiveness or remission, not of punishment, but of sins." This Mr. Lewis presented a succinct statement of the faith of his denomination, so far and as correctly as understood by himself. There are two particular points in his statement which should fix the attention of the reader. First, that every man for all his sins shall be punished with infallible certainty. Secondly, though God has promised to remit sins, yet there is no remission of punishment; from the latter there is no escape. Let us add a few more testimonies to show that all writers of any note among them harmonize in these sentiments.

E. H. Chapin says, "Universalism is not a doctrine which teaches that man shall be saved from punishment.

The soul that sinneth, it shall die,' is another fundamental article of our faith. We believe that full, adequate retribution will be poured out upon every one that doeth evil.” Aaron B. Grosh declares as his opinion, that "the sinner may be certainly and fully punished, and afterwards receive the peaceable fruits of righteousness in immortal life." "Universalists believe, that there are no means whereby the guilty can be cleared from proper and necessary punishment;" and they "hold to the absolutely certain and positively adequate punishment of sin." That the views. of Mr. Grosh are extensively entertained and much respected by Universalists in this State, is needless to prove to

any of that faith; and to all others we would say, that it may be relied upon as a correct portraiture of their faith on the doctrine of salvation.

Mr. Whittemore says, "all men shall be rewarded according to their works, that the punishment of sin is swift, sure and inevitable." Mr. Skinner of Boston says, "There is no remission of punishment, either on account of the Savior's death, or the sinner's penitence." Mr. Fernald declares, that "It (the Bible) never teaches the forgiveness or remission of punishment for sins committed. It is the forgiveness of sins; by which is understood, the blotting, or cleansing from, after due justice is administered."

A. C. Thomas says, "If bringing every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or bad, does not prove that every man will be both rewarded for his good deeds and punished for his bad deeds, it surely does not prove that any man will be either rewarded, or punished."

"But is not forgiveness also a doctrine of the Bible? Certainly. But in what part of the Holy Writ do you find such an expression as the forgiveness of PUNISHMENT? Nowhere. The expression uniformly is the forgiveness of SIN, the remission of SIN, and the like." When a man is saved from sin, he ceases to commit sin; and when he ceases to commit sin, he ceases to deserve punishment for sin. But this does not imply a remission of the punishment deserved for sins already committed up to the period of being saved from sin. A man has a fever, and is in pain: the physician removes or takes away the fever, and thus saves the patient from the fever, and also, if you please, from the pain he would have experienced if the fever had not been removed or taken away. And so of sin-for sin is represented as a disease. And the same is equally true of unbelief."

The above quotations we have made in order to show, what views Universalists entertain relative to the doctrine of salvation. We would add a few passages of Scripture, which they usually quote as proof-texts..

Το prove, that punishment is inevitable, and that no man can escape from it by any means, neither by Christ, nor repentance, they usually quote such passages. Eccl. xii. 14. "For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." Rom. ii. 6. "Who will render to every man according to his deeds. Col. iii. 25. "But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong he hath done," &c. Ex. xxxiv. 7. "Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty."

To prove that God will forgive sin, they quote such passages as follow: "Matth. i. 21. Thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins." Rom. xi. 26, 27. "There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins." John i. 29. "Behold the Lamb of God that

taketh away the sin of the world."

To prove that God will punish all that sin deserves, and afterwards forgive the sin, the following passages are adduced: Isa. xl. 2. "Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins." Ps. xcix. 8. "Thou wast a God that forgavest them, though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions.”

In the investigation of this subject, to adduce the teaching of the word of God, and produce a thorough refutation