reserved unto fire." We learn from the context that the earth in this passage is the same that was once destroyed by water. We learn from this context also that "there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were." And while all things go on in their usual course, (for a thousand years with the Lord are as one day,) and these objectors are crying "peace and safety," "behold, the day of the Lord will come upon them as a thief in the night, and they shall not escape."

Matt. xxv, 31-46. After what has already been said upon this passage in another place, I will only notice two things which determine its application to the future judgment: 1. "All nations shall be gathered together" on the occasion; and, 2. The final result of the judgment shall be, that the wicked "shall go away into everlasting punishment; but the righteous into life eternal." Thus the awful scene closes, and the future states of the righteous and wicked are fixed for eternity, by the same word. Nov. 1, 1827.

LECTURE II.-Salvation Conditional.

"He that believeth shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned," Mark xvi, 16.

THE text teaches that salvation is offered to sinners upon, conditions. By condition

I mean that which is required of man in order to salvation, and which he may or may not perform.

I will admit for the sake of the argument, that if salvation be unconditional, Universalism may be true; but on the contrary, if salyation be conditional, and those conditions, whatever they be, are not performed by man during the present life, he cannot be saved, but must suffer a future, everlasting punishment. The Universalists themselves are sensible of this, and therefore assert that future salvation is absolute and unconditional.

The Gospel regards mankind as sinners, guilty, ruined, condemned, and helpless; and offers them salvation upon certain conditions; and they remain in sin, and under condemnation till they perform those conditions. And he that is under condemnation cannot be, at the same time, an heir to the heavenly inheritance. The supposition is impossible, and too absurd to be admitted for a moment. And yet our opponents must say this, or allow that salvation is conditional.

Holiness is the grand condition of future salvation; "Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy," 1 Pet. i, 16. "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord," Heb. xii, 14. "Verily, verily, Isay unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God," John iii, 3.

That holiness (I speak of moral holiness)

is required of man as the condition of his salvation, is reasonable from the consideration of the powers and faculties with which he is endued. He is an immortal, intelligent, moral, accountable creature. He is capable of knowing and loving the Author of his being. He is endued with the power of choice and liberty of will; and therefore he is capable, with the gracious succours afforded him, of performing the conditions of eternal salvation, and is justly accountable if he does not. Free agency has no place in the creed of a modern Universalist, and looks with a frowning aspect upon his whole system. The Scriptures, however, do not make this a question, but every where assume it as a fact; and we may add that, to prove the contrary is more than either philospher or divine has ever yet accomplished. And we might, perhaps, adopt the sentiment of the late Dr. Chauncy, (who wrote a large book to prove redemption from hell,) that free agency in man is a self-evident thing; and that he who denies it is incapable of being convinced by argument, because no thing is more evident than the thing itself. ] would, however, observe that necessity, much better than free agency, suits a system, the object of which is to diminish, if not entirely to do away, the criminality of sin. But there is certainly a very great difference in the moral characters of men. While some are the children of God by the assimilation of their desires, affections, dispositions, and

lives to the will of God, and hence are children of God, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ; others, by the assimilation of their desires, affections, dispositions, and lives to the will of the devil, are condemned by the law of God,vessels of wrath, and heirs of everlasting punishment. Now who has made the difference between these men? They, that is, the wicked, have made it themselves, and in such a sense as to render them justly accountable to God for it, and worthy of everlasting punishment.

That holiness is the condition of salvation will be best seen by considering the duties and virtues implied in that term, which are also considered as conditions of salvation.

1. Faith is an important branch of our evangelical holiness, and a condition of salvation. The Scriptures give us this view of it. If God has made salvation dependent on faith or believing; if "he that believeth is justified," and "he that believeth not is condemned already," then faith is a condition of salvation. But God has thus connected salvation with faith. "The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth," Rom. i, 16. "For unto us was the Gospel preached as well as unto them," the Israelites in the wilderness; "but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it," Heb. iv, 2. We may remark here, 1. That either of these passages when taken alone, and much more both when taken together, prove that faith is the condi

tion of salvation. 2. That the latter is proof in point that the condition has failed," they," the Israelites, were not profited by the Gos pel" 3. That the apostle admonishes Christians, "lest a promise being left them of entering into his rest," the future rest, "any of them should come short of it," after the example of these unbelieving Israelites. "Ye are all the

children of God by faith,"-" saved by grace through faith,"—" Thy faith hath saved thee," -"the just shall live by faith,"-"justified by faith" &c. In all these passages, and a multitude of others, salvation is not only connected with faith, but is so dependent upon it that without faith or believing there is no salvation.

Our Lord's commission to his apostles ought to be allowed to settle this question for ever. "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth-shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned," Mark xvi, 16. "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already; because he hath not believed on the name of the only-begotten Son of God. He that be lieveth on the Son hath everlasting life; but he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him," John iii, 18, 36. These passages are too plain, solemn, and important, to admit of any light criticism or cavil; and he that does this does it at the peril of his soul.

To see the importance of this subject we