4th. The agency of men is finite in its nature and of course

in its consequences.

1st. To overthrow the pur

22. Man has no agency. poses or designs of the Almighty. 2d. To act independent of God, or do any thing that God does not enable him to do. 3d. To act without a motive strong enough to induce him to act. But 4th. Man has agency to act when a motive is placed before him sufficiently powerful to induce him to act. 5th. Man has no agency to love that which appears to him disagreeable: Or, 6th. To hate what seems desirable: Or, 7th. To believe without evidence: Or, 8th. Not to believe when sufficient evidence is presented to the mind. 9th. He certainly has no agency to raise himself to immortality or eternal life!

23. The doctrine of endless punishment is a flat denial of the scripture doctrine of rewards and punishments. "The righteous shall be recompensed." "The wicked shall not be unpunished." Prov. xi. 21, 41. But if punishment is endless, when will the time arrive when it can be said, that the wicked have been punished or recompensed.

24. If punishment is endless, it can never be inflicted ! It will be always inflicting, but never inflicted. Of what use to preach a punishment that never can be inflicted? believe in such a punishment.

Or to

25. Endless misery makes all punishment alike, as to every thing essential, i. e. alike in duration. Thus the juvenile sinner, who has committed one sin only, will be punished as long as the hardened sinner, who has committed ten thousand crimes of the blackest hue! This breaks down all proportion in crime, and overthrows the scriptural and reasonable doctrine of rewards and punishment, according to deeds.

26. According to the doctrine of endless punishment one sin unrepented, deserves an eternity of suffering. I therefore a sinner should commit one thousand sins, and die without repentance, he would deserve a punishment one thousand times as long as eternity! Hence, on this prin ciple, sinners, should they be punished to all eternity, would still escape nine hundred and ninety-nine thousanths of the punishment which they deserve. It would be as just for them to escape the whole as to escape nine hundred and ninety-nine thousandths.

器

27. The belief in endless misery neither restrains no reforms sinners: Because, 1st. Punishment in eternity is

seen by the sinner at too great a distance off to have much effect on the mind. It appears like the summit of a volca nic mountain, seen at an immense distance! Or like a volcanoe in the moon! 2d. Is uncertain of infliction, there being an easy escape from it at any time previous to death.

28. The preaching of endless punishment, and belief in it, is of pernicious tendency... 1st. Because it creates imaginary and improper distinctions among men. 2d. Is the foundation of religious wars and persecutions.

29. The belief in endless misery does no good, because no one believes it for himself, as long as in a rational state of mind. One person believes it for another, but no one for himself. And hence the belief itself does no good, by way of restraining a sinner from sin.

30. There is no law in the Bible, the penalty of which is endless misery. If there is such a law, we demand that it be shown. Sinners are not amenable to the penalty of a law of which they have no definite or distinct knowledge, which has not been revealed.

31. Endless misery is not the gospel. Gospel is good news, but endless suffering is not good news to any.

32. The doctrine of endless punishment teaches that sinners may, by repentance or other means, escape the just recompense of their evil deeds; hence, contradicts the scriptures and encourages men in the commission of sin: See Rev. xi. 21-Exodus xxxiv. 7-Gal. vi. 8, &c.

33. Christ directed his disciples to search the scriptures in order to learn his doctrine: John v. 39. The scriptures, to which he referred, was the old testament, hence the old testament is the only dictionary in which to discover the meaning of the various terms made use of in the new.

34. The rewards and punishments of the old testament are evidently temporal, and if endless punishment was brought to light and taught by the gospel, then four thousand years elapsed before endless punishment was threatened-so that none will be endlessly miserable except those who have been born since the introduction of the better covenant, and new and more glorious dispensation of the gospel of salvation.

35. God wills and purposes the final holiness and happiness of all men; but if a part of the human race is finally lost, the purpose of God will be frustrated: See Eph.i. 9. 36. If any are irrecoverably lost, the mission of Christ will fail of being accomplished. Christ came to save the world—to seek and save the lost: Luke xix. 10--John iii. 17.

37. Every righteous or good man prays for the final holiness and happiness of all men—i -it was also the prayer of the Saviour; but if a part are endlessly miserable, God will not answer the prayers either of Christ or any righteous soul that ever existed. That he will, however, answer these benevolent prayers or desires, is evident from John xii. 4-Psalms cxlv. 16-Prov. x. 24—Prov. xi. 23.

38. If a part of mankind are endlessly miserable the inhabitants of heaven must rejoice in the hopeless misery of their fellow-beings. According to this the spirit of heaven is what we in this world call cruelty; hence, the most hardened and cruel people among us possess, in the highest degree, the temper of heaven!

39. If good men in this world desire that all men may become holy and happy, will they not have the same desire in heaven? and if they do, can they be happy while others are miserable?

40. The endless misery of a part of mankind would drive mercy and happiness from the eternal mansionsdefeat the object of the Saviour's mission-cast immortal dishonor on the character of God, and on the Divine gov ernment-cut off the desire of Christ and all the faithfultear the crown of victory from the temple of the son of God, and place it on that of the adversary. It would perpetuate the reign of sin as long as Jehovah sits on his throne, and fill the vast empire of the Almighty with the wailings of im mortal woe!

Quotations serving to illustrate the meaning of Scripture words and Phrases.

Jude, 7th verse: Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities round about them, in like manner giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

Lamentations iv. 6: For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, that was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands stayed on her.

Gen. xlix. 26: The blessings of thy Father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills.

Gen. xvii. 8: And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession.

Exodus xl. 15: For their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.--Also, Numbers xxv. 13.

Leviticus xvi. 34: And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year.