Of Manasseh-for the same. 2 Kings 21: 3-6. 2 Chron. 83: 2--15. In 2 Chron. 33: 10, 11, we read, And the Lord spake to Manassel, and to his people; but they would not hearken. Wherefore the Lord brought upon them the captains of the host of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.

Of Amaziah-for the same. 2 Chron., chap. 25. He was defeated in battle, and finally his subjects conspired against him and put him to death. Of Moses and Aaron. Numb. 20:12. The Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore, ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. Accordingly both died without being permitted to enter Canaan.

Of the unbelieving Israelites. Deut. 1: 32. Moses said, Ye did not believe the Lord your God. Verses 34, 35. And the Lord was wroth, and sware, saying, Surely there shall not one of these men, of this evil generation, see that good land which I sware to give unto their fathers.

Of the wicked and rebellious Jews. 1 Sam. 12: 9. They forgat the Lord their God, and he sold them into the hand of their enemies.

Lev. 18 25. The land is defiled, therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it. Verse 28. The land shall spue you out, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations before you.

Ps. 107: 11, 12. Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsels of the Most High; therefore he brought down their heart with labor; they fell down, and there was none to help.

Lam. 18. Jerusalem hath grievously sinned, therefore she is removed; all that honored her despise her.

Ezek. 39 24. According to their uncleanness, and according to their transgressions, have I done unto them, and hid my face from them.

Of Ephraim. Jer. 31: 18. Ephraim said, Thou hast chastised me as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke.

Of David. Ps. 38: 6. There is no rest in my bones because of my sin. 2 Sam. 22: 21. The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. See, also, verse 25.

Of Ahaz. 2 Chron. 28: 2. Ahaz made molten images for Baalim. He burnt his children in the fire, after the abomination of the heathen. Verse 5. Wherefore the Lord delivered him into the hands of the king of Assyria.

Of Judas, for betraying Christ. Acts 1: 18. Now this man (Judas) purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.

Of Ananias and his wife Sapphira, for lying to God. Acts 5: 1-10. Both were struck down dead.

Of Herod. Acts 12: 21-23. And upon a set day, Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.

Of Elymas the sorcerer, for attempting to turn the deputy from the faith. Acts 13: 8-11. He was smitten with blindness for a season, and there fell on him a mist and a darkness.

The above instances are but a few out of the very many recorded in the Bible of Divine punishment inflicted in this world. We might cite the instances of God's judgments upon the Jewish

people during their sojourn in the wilderness; yea, during their whole history from the earliest period down to the present time. We might cite his judgments upon the different heathen nations for their oppression of the Jews; his judgments on Babylon, Assyria, Tyre, Sidon, Chorazin, Bethsaida, Capernaum, and Jeru salem. But the above instances are sufficient to show that mankind are sometimes, at least, rewarded and punished in this life.

SECTION IV.

Remarks on Rewards and Punishments.

The three preceding sections are designed to prove, not that there is, or will be, no retribution in the future world, but that there is a retribution in this. We have purposely omitted those threatenings contained in the Bible which, by some, are supposed to relate to a punishment to be inflicted in a future state of existence. The strongest of those passages containing them, and those most relied on by the advocates of future retribution, will be considered in the course of this work.

It appears to us that on no subject whatever have mankind so greatly and so generally erred as on the subject of rewards and punishments. And on few, if any subjects, is it more important to the well-being and happiness of man that he should have correct views and information.

The theory of rewards and punishments, which has most extensively prevailed in the world, is this: That this world is a state of probation or trial, where mankind are forming characters for eternity. That there is no such thing as retributive justice in this world; but that the reward of virtue, and punishment of vice, are reserved to be administered in a future state of existence. In opposition to this theory we urge the following objections.

1. It renders the reward of virtue, and the punishment of vice, extremely uncertain. God is unchangeable; his law is immutable, and his system of moral government is the same, yesterday, to-day, and forever. If, therefore, virtue goes unrewarded, and vice unpunished, in time, what proof have we that such will not always continue to be the case? We are aware that some writers have

asserted that "mankind are not rewarded and punished in time, therefore they will be in eternity." But what kind of logic is this? Is the conclusion embraced in the premises? So far from it the only legitimate inference or conclusion to be drawn from the premises is this: Mankind are not rewarded nor punished in time, therefore they never will be. If God is not just in this world, we have no proof that he ever will be.

2. If this theory be admitted to be true, it renders it absolutely certain that some virtuous actions will never be rewarded, and that some vicious acts will never be punished. All mankind do some good and some evil. If, therefore, some are admitted into heaven because the balance of their actions have been good, then they will receive no retribution for their sins. On the other hand if some men go to hell because the balance of their actions have been evil, then they will receive no reward for their good deeds. If mankind do not go to heaven on the ground of merit, but because they have complied with the conditions of the gospel, then those who comply with these conditions will not be punished for their sins; and those who do not comply, will not be rewarded for their virtues. If mankind go to heaven by reason of some miraculous change, which is wrought in them in this life, it amounts to precisely the same thing. Those who experience this change will not be punished for the sins which they have committed; those who do not experience it will not be rewarded for their good deeds.

3. It destroys all distinction between the effects of good and evil in this world. According to this theory, good is not good, because it produces happiness here; nor evil evil, because it produces misery. If it be admitted that the virtuous, in consequence of their virtues, are more happy than the vicious, or that the vicious, in consequence of their vices, are more miserable than the virtuous, this overthrows the theory against which we are contending, because it is an admission that there is a sort of retribution in this life. But, so far from this being admitted, it is even contended by some that, as a general thing, the righteous suffer more in this world than the wicked, and that the wicked enjoy more happiness than the righteous. The advocates of this opinion admit a distinction between the effects of good and evil, to be sure; but it is a distinction altogether in favor of evil. If this be true, then vice is rewarded with happiness, and virtue with misery! How do the

advocates of this opinion know but that such a state of things may always continue? If so, then in order to be happy we must be vicious, and in order to avoid misery we must avoid practising vir tue. A theory which can be reduced to such absurdities cannot possibly be true. We know of nothing that is evil except that which lessens happiness, and produces misery; nor of anything that is good except that which produces happiness, and lessens misery. Now, if the opinion just referred to be true, then good is converted into evil, and evil into good.

4. It supposes that causes may exist, and be in operation in this world, without producing any effect whatever. It is no more true that an effect cannot exist without a cause, than it is that a cause cannot exist without producing an effect. Now, virtue and vice exist in this world, and are causes; they must, therefore, produce their effects. To suppose that the vicious enjoy more happiness than the virtuous, is to suppose that virtue is the cause of misery, and vice the cause of happiness.

5. It is contrary to analogy. It places the effects and conse quences of men's actions altogether beyond the sphere in which they act, and involves the absurd idea that we can sow our seed in one field and reap the harvest in another. Mankind exercise their physical powers-eat, drink and sleep; cultivate the social relations of life-love their parents, their wives, their husbands, and their children, without expecting to be rewarded for it in a future state of existence. Why, then, can they not love God, obey his law, cultivate and exercise their intellectual and moral faculties, without expecting a reward in the future world?

men.

6. It is of exceedingly pernicious moral tendency. The very idea of retribution in another world for deeds performed in this, presupposes that virtue is not rewarded, nor vice punished, here. Now, to promulgate such a sentiment to the world is directly cal culated to produce the following impressions upon the minds of Some will be led to conclude that, as neither virtue nor vice are rewarded now, they never will be; and, therefore, it is a mat ter of perfect indifference which of them is practised. Others will be led to conclude that happiness and misery are not at all dependent upon men's actions, but that all the evils of this world are a kind of matter of course, and unescapable and unavoidable. Hence they will make no exertions to secure happiness on the one hand

nor to avoid evil or misery on the other. Again, others will come to the conclusion, that the reward of virtue, and the punishment of vice, are extraneous, — entirely separate and abstract from the deeds performed, and that, therefore, virtue is not to be loved and practised for its own intrinsic value, nor vice shunned and detested for its own intrinsic odiousness. Hence they will suppose that the reward of the virtuous, in a future state, is a sort of offset, or compensation, to them for the trials, and deprivations, and sufferings, which they have endured in the practice of virtue; and the punishment of the wicked an offset to the happiness they have enjoyed in the practice of sin. This view of the subject is directly calculated to frighten and drive men from virtue, and disincline them to its practice.

If, in addition to the doctrine of no retribution in this life, you add to it that the wicked enjoy themselves the best in this world, then you increase its demoralizing tendency in a tenfold degree; because this is not only calculated to make men hate virtue, but it is directly calculated to make them love vice. Now, man loves happiness; this is "his being's end and aim." God has bound

this law of our nature "fast in fate." He has so constituted us that we have an instinctive desire of happiness, and dread of misery. Men will pursue that course which they think will yield the greatest amount of happiness. Tell them, then, that to be virtuous they will be miserable, and that to be vicious they will be happy, and they will cling to vice with a death-like grasp, and avoid virtue as they would avoid the jaws of death.

If, in addition to this, you add that the retributions of eternity may be easily escaped by a timely repentance, then you have got the old serpent's doctrine in complete perfection. "Ye shall not surely die." That it is by no means certain. Some way of escape will be provided, by which the threatened calamity will not come upon you. Under the influence of this doctrine, thousands have come to the conclusion to secure the happiness of this life by a course of sin, and then by a timely repentance escape the threatened punishment, and secure the happiness of eternity into the bargain. If there is any doctrine on earth which gives man a complete license to sin, this is the very one. We know of no doctrine which can possibly be worse. Atheism promises no reward to the vicious, Deism promises not the exemption of punishment to the wicked ·