tion of the soul, though the body was destroyed; therefore, I think that though there was no such forgiveness to be extended to this crime as to absolve the man from the punishment of temporal death, yet, on repentance, mercy might be extended to the soul, and every sin may be repented of under the Gospel dispensation." Com. in loc. See Paige's Selections.

The foregoing quotations are sufficient to show that Partialist commentators themselves, do not suppose that the sin against the Holy Ghost is unpardonable; or, that the doctrine of endless misery is taught thereby. The fact is this, their blasphemy was a slanderous reproach against Christ and the power by which he cast out demons (cured diseased); and the nature of this crime was so malignant, that justly they deserved strict condemnation, either under the administration of that age or that to come, the Gospel. Such was the turpitude of their hearts, that they were actually in danger of remaining unmoved, and consequently of suffering the common calamity of their age and nation, as a just retribution of their slanderous and malignant conduct. No intimations are here or anywhere else given, that God will eternally cast off or damn any one. Neither is there such a sentence as "the finally impenitent," in all the word of God.

CHAPTER XX.

PRINCIPAL ARGUMENTS IN FAVOR OF UNIVERSALISM, ETC.

A brief Statement of the Principal Arguments in favor of Universalism; also, Objections to those Arguments, and Replies to those Objections.

We shall only state these arguments, objections, &c., in brief, and leave the reader to carry out the reasoning. We argue the truth of the doctrine of universal salvation from,

1. The NATURE, CHARACTER and ATTRIBUTES of GOD. The nature of God is LovE. This love is infinite in degree, unlimited in extent, and endless in duratian. It therefore extends to every sentient being that ever did, does now, or ever will, exist in the universe. In character, God is kind, good, benevolent, merciful and just. God's attributes are omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, infinite wisdom, holiness, justice, mercy and truth. Every quality, characteristic and attribute of God, is under the supreme control and direction of goodness or love. God is the primary cause of all things. He is, therefore, the author of man's existence; and, consequently, his Creator. God never acts without a design. He must, therefore, have had some design in creating man. God is impartial. He has, therefore, the same design in creating all men, that he had in creating the first man. God is good; and no good being can act with a bad design. The design which he had in creating man, and the design which he has in creating all men, must therefore be good. To create beings for misery, would be to create

them with a bad design. To create beings for happiness, would be to create them with a good design. Therefore, God created man for happiness; and the existence which he conferred upon him, he designed to be, on the whole, a blessing and not a curse.

OBJECTION. "This reasoning is a priori, and a priori reasoning on this subject is inadmissible; inasmuch, as by a regular process of a priori reasoning from the nature and character of God, we should come to the conclusion that God would have excluded all evil from the universe. But this he has not done; therefore, a priori reasoning from the attributes of God is inconclusive, and extremely fallacious."

ANSWER. It is not true that a course of a priori reasoning from the attributes of God would lead us to the conclusion that he would have excluded all evil from the universe. Let us see. God is the only infinite being in the universe. Only one infinite being can exist in the universe. God is the only standard of absolute perfection in the universe. God cannot create a being equal to himself. If, therefore, he creates beings at all, he must create them inferior to himself. Well, just in proportion as they are inferior to himself, just in that proportion they must fall short of perfection; and just in proportion as they fall short of perfection, just in that proportion they must partake of imperfection. Imperfection is an evil; and, as imperfection exists necessarily, hence God could not exclude all evil from the universe.

To this it may be replied, that "according to this reasoning, evil exists necessarily, and if the present existence of evil can be reconciled with the divine benevolence, the endless existence of evil can be as well and as easily reconciled with that benevolence." Answer: The evil of imperfection undoubtedly exists necessarily, but it by no means follows that all evil exists necessarily. This subject has been involved in a great deal of obscurity and confusion, in consequence of the habit which philosophers and divines have fallen into, of classing all evils under one general head. Now, the fact is, that there are three different kinds of evils in the world. 1. Those which exist necessarily. 2. Those which exist by permission or appointment of God, for wise and benevolent purposes. 3. Those which may be said to be of our own procuring. Those of the first class must exist to a greater or less extent, as long as created beings are in existence, though they may constantly be

growing less and less. For instance, man can never be as powerful as God; he can never be as wise as God, nor can he ever be as good as God. Yet, he may be, throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity, constantly approximating towards the perfections of God; but, after all, he will never attain to the point of absolute perfection. Those evils which exist by permission or appointment of God for wise and benevolent purposes, will of course be removed when the benevolent object of their existence is attained. Those which are of our own procuring will grow less and less as mankind progress in knowledge, wisdom and virtue. To suppose that any evils which are under God's control exist as an end (which they must, if they exist endlessly), is to impeach the goodness and benevolence of God. To suppose that those evils exist as a means of accomplishing more good than could otherwise be brought about (which is undoubtedly true), is to suppose that they are limited and finite; and that they will eventually terminate in the good, to accomplish which, they exist. But it will be said, "God has been just as good in all time past as he is now, and he is just as good now as he ever will be; and as he has in time past, and does now permit evil to exist, therefore, we have no proof but that such will always continue to be the case." Answer: -If we admit this reasoning to be correct, we have only to carry it out, and we overthrow the brightest hopes of all professing Christians. For instance, Christians hope to be eventually delivered from the power and dominion of sin; but, as they are subject to sin now, therefore they always will be. Christians hope to be delivered from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the children of God; but, as they are subject to the bondage of corruption now, therefore they always will be. Christians hope to be placed, eventually, beyond the reach of death; but, as they are subject to death now, therefore they always will be. Christians hope to be placed beyond the reach of pain, sickness and sorrow; but, as they are subject to these evils now, therefore they always will be. If the present existence of sin, sorrow, sickness and pain, can be reconciled with the divine benevolence, then, according to the mode of reasoning adopted by the objector, the endless existence of these evils can as well and as easily be reconciled with that benevolence. And, if the present existence of any evil which is under God's control proves that evil will exist endlessly, then the same argument will prove the endless

existence of all evils which have ever been seen, felt or experienced, by man. In that case, what becomes of the hopes and expectations of all benevolent and good men? Again, this reasoning comes in contact with the plain declarations of the Bible. Sin is an evil, and it exists now; but the Bible instructs us to "behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world." It assures us that Christ will "finish the transgression and make an end of sin.” Death is an evil, and it reigns triumphant over man now; but the, Bible declares that "death shall be swallowed up in victory;" and that "the last enemy, death, shall be destroyed." Sorrow, sickness and pain, are evils, and they are experienced in a greater or less degree by all now; but the Bible affirms that the period will arrive when "there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain." Man is a strange compound of good and evil, and who can doubt that God designed his present existence to be a mixed state of good and evil, pleasure and pain, happiness and misery? He who doubts this must doubt the evidence of his own senses. If God did not design this, one thing is certain, he has been most wofully disappointed. In view of the above considerations, it evidently appears that man is a progressive being; that the present is only the incipient stage of his existence, and that he is destined to rise higher and higher in the scale of intellectual and moral improvement, and approximate nearer and nearer to the perfections of his Creator.

2. We argue the truth of Universalism from the NATURE of MAN. Man is a physical, intellectual and moral being. He respects virtue, whether he practises it or not. He instinctively loves happiness and dreads misery. He is a progressive being, and is susceptible of very great cultivation, refinement and improvement. This being the nature of man, the period must eventually arrive when he will have learned, by his own experience, what course of conduct his own interest dictates to him to pursue; and, from his love of happiness and dread of misery, he will practise virtue on the one hand, and avoid the practice of vice on the other. in the flesh, or in his animal destined to be destroyed. man can survive the tomb. he will be free from those

Besides, sin in man has its origin nature, and this animal nature is Nothing but the spiritual nature of Hence, in a future state of existence passions, appetites and desires, which