them to effect this alteration? Such an arbitrary act of inflicting suffering upon an innocent being, whether for an hour or an age, is, as to the principle of misery, equally oppressive and cruel. Certainly, an infinitely wise and powerful God must be unmerciful to cause his creatures to suffer in undergoing an alteration from a state in which he placed them, into another state of his own choosing. If man was allowed to be a free agent in this affair, having power to choose and act either way, and in the exercise of this power went contrary to God's will, there would be justice, and mercy too, in causing him to be put under the discipline of suffering; but in case of necessity, I am astonished that men, who believe as they profess, in a system which above all others, represents God in his true dress of mercy and justice, should hold to such a cruel doctrine as this,— that God punishes his creatures for doing what they could not help, and for what was agreeable to his will. I freely confess this is charging more upon God than I can ever believe.— Of all cruel aspersions that has ever been cast upon his character, this takes the lead. This vindication of the character of God is like Joab's saluting Amasa, or Judas Christ.

It

stabs what it professes to embrace,—while it pretends a friendly salute, it betrays. I do not mean to say that Universalists see and moralize all the bearings of this doctrine. But if they are ignorant of it, it affords a striking proof of the delusion the mind is subject to,

when it determines to carry a favourite point, at all events.

Predestination then must be given up,-that is, the certain salvation of all mankind must be given up; for that doctrine is built on predestination, or else God is cruel and unjust.Let Universalism avoid this dilemma if it can.

But once more, under this objection. Universalism not only makes God cruel and unjust, but it makes him false to his creatures.

The Scriptures represent many things as contrary to the will of God; but how can that be, if every thing takes place according to his will? Has God forbidden murder, and all other crimes, and yet are all these crimes according to his will? Has he given us a rule to walk by, and yet influences us to transgress it? So it seems, if predestination be true. Is not this deception? Is it not an imposition ?-But again, if God made us just as we are, he certainly made conscience, that inward monitor, which becomes so troublesome to the transgressor. And what does conscience say? "Thou hast done wrong." It smites the sinner, and excites such anguish in the breast, as induces Universalism to give it the name of "the hell of conscience;" supposing it to be all that is meant by those strong expressions in Scripture which describe the sinner's

It says,

But how false are all these reprovings of conscience, when the man has only been doing the will of God! that which God necessitated him to do;-that which it was absolutely ne

cessary he should do, in order to qualify him for heaven! Does God then raise up witnesses to testify to a lie? To make a man believe that he is to blame for doing that which he could not avoid? Does God influence a man to pass a judgment upon himself, that he has been doing wrong, when he has only been doing the will of God, merely for a pretence to punish him after with all the horrors of a "hell of conscience?" Not only the Scriptures then must be thrown aside, but conscience must be accounted a bugbear,—the creation of a false education. For to call it the messenger of God in the soul, is to say God has sent a messenger to raise false alarms, to testify to untruths. But even this will not rid us of the difficulty. For though conscience be the fruit of a bad education, yet if God controls all things irresistibly, that education was his work, the result of his influence. God caused him to be thus educated and deceived, and thus the deception, after all, comes from God. Pursue the idea a little farther. God, according to this doctrine, subjected man to all his ignorance here; he is the direct and determining cause of all his ideas, and of all his volitions, and of all his sentiments. Now, whatever the Bible teaches, it is certain many believe it teaches eternal punishment. This has an influence upon their conduct, and so God's will is preferred by them, through this false idea, which, since God intended it should have the very effect it does have, was, of course, brought

upon them for this very end. That is, God deceives his creatures in order to accomplish his purposes. But to proceed a little farther. A man believing in eternal punishment is taken sick,-expects to die,-supposes he has outstood his day of grace, and an endless hell must be his portion;-mark how he writhes in an agony of despair,-hear his groans and shrieks,-see his face gather blackness, his imagination pictures a gaping hell opening to receive him,-devils already surround his bed to hurry him away!-he cries out, I am going to hell!-I am in hell!--and expires. His beloved companion goes frantic with grief, his friends are in the same delusion, and suppose their friend has gone to an interminable hell. Their feelings who can describe? Even the stranger that looks on, feels his blood curdle in his veins, while such a horror runs over him, as to make him feel that the room is the antichamber of the damned. Now whence is all this, and what is it for? I tell thee, kind hearer, the God that fixes and determines every thing, has imposed a false belief on this wretched being;-he has made him believe there is an endless hell, but there is, in reality, no such thing;-he has driven him to despair of mercy, but he will, in the other world, show him mercy;-in short, the whole was a piece of deception.. But you must know God has his object in all this ;-this man, if he had never known despair, never could have realized so fully his deliverance! God brought

him into this agony, and lashed and tormented him awhile, that he might surprise and ravish him the more with the joys of his deliverance! What trifling! what deception! what cruelty is this, to attribute to the Almighty! Whatever else I may believe, may I never believe, may I never believe this, of the infinitely perfect God. May I never embrace a system that involves this idea. Having gone so far, I should be driven into Atheism, and maintain there was no God, rather than believe in such a trifling, deceiving, cruel God as this.

OBJECTION IV.

UNIVERSALISM does not draw its chief support from the Bible.

That it professes to draw its support from the Bible, I am not disposed to deny. But in practice and profession it does not agree. Even when recourse is had to Scripture, in proving or defending their system, how is the sacred text tortured! Who that has read Mr. Ballou's account of the fall, his denial of the existence of evil spirits, his explanation of the parables, &c, &c; or who that has heard the arguments and explanations a short time since in this desk, but, in the spirit of candour, must say, If this is the way to explain Scripture, then any thing may be affirmed or denied, and the Scripture can be made to support it? Who that has heard the explanation generally given