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many and eminent) terminated his life by suicide-which was a common case in those days. The virtuous Roman matron, who did the same to prevent violation, and thereby occasioned the first overthrow of monarchical power of which history furnishes the record, must be consigned to a common hell with the infamous Cleopatra! It were vain to enlarge, however, for the scope for this kind of reflections is boundless. I here but just touch on these facts, that the reader may see, that Our veritable friend Paddle's speculations about hell and its inhabitants, are not absolutely gratuitous; in fact, they were entirely designed as an indirect mode of argumentation, and couched in their present form the better to secure a reading and awaken reflection.

It is hoped that the serious and moderate portion of my orthodox readers, will not accuse me of an attempt to ridicule their professions or practice in the person of elder Tub. It is known that hypocrites and double-minded persons are to be found amongst all religious classes— Christian, Jew, Mahomedan, and Pagan; against pretenders of this class only are the shafts of my ridicule directed. The sincere Christian has my respect and my affection, wherever, or of what denomination soever, he is found.

"To those I render more than mere respect,

Whose actions say that they respect themselves."

But the hypocrite has my detestation and contempt, whether he be orthodox or heterodox; for neither the one nor the other is free from his intrusions, according as he judges that with the one or the other his selfish ends may be best promoted.

The reader may be curious to know whether there is actually such a spot on the Virginia shore of the Ohio as that described in the preceding narrative. To this I can only answer, that I was informed some years ago that there is (or used to be, I have forgotten which,) a stone on that shore, the precise locale of which I did not learn, which bears an inscription to the purport of the one I have described. This is all I know about it; the rest is fancy.

THE GOSPEL CONSUMMATION.

It comes! it comes! we now behold
The dawn of times by seers foretold,
The glorious gospel day;

Soon, soon its noon-tide blaze we'll see,
When death, and sin, and tears shall flee,
And darkness melt away.

Then God the cov'ring shall remove,
The veil that now conceals his love,
And all shall see his face;

All kindreds, tribes, and tongues shall own
Salvation is from God alone,

The gift of sov'reign grace.

Apostles, prophets, there we'll see,
A glorious white-robed company,
Their toils and suff'rings o'er ;
They try to tell the depth and height
And length of goodness infinite,

And all its breadth explore.

Hark! hark! we hear the rapt'rous song Of the redeem'd-a countless throng; "Worthy the Lamb!" they sing, "Who died our ruined race to save; Where is thy boasted vict'ry, grave? O death! where is thy sting?"

The Lord will then his table spread,
And all mankind, with Christ their head,
Shall to that feast sit down;

The ocean of his pard'ning grace
Shall all their sins and griefs efface,
And their remembrance drown.

Oh! blissful time! oh! glorious day!
When all beneath love's boundless sway
O'erwhelm'd with bliss shall fall;

Shall with united souls accord,

That Christ in God is sov'reign Lord,
And God is all in all,

INDEX

TO COMPARISONS AND ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS WORK.

Page.

The folly of intolerance in regard to differences in religious opin-
ions,..

30, 31

The way to reconcile apparent discrepances in a work of which
the author is known,..

41

The injustice of holding a person to the consequences of a com-
pact, in which he was not a voluntary party,.....
The faithfulness of God, in his promises, is not dependant on the
faith of man,..

58

Another illustration of the same point,.

The law of God cannot be satisfied with what it does not require,
The divine law does not comprise penalties which are adapted to
defeat its own ends,...

The Creator would not have brought man into being, with the
foresight that he should be endlessly miserable,..

And provided he had so created him, he would have been justly
chargeable with the consequences,..

God's relation to men, as Creator, a ground for his pity toward
them,.......

67

72

74

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Our unfilial conduct toward God does not change his relation to
us, as our Father,...

The endurance of God's paternal love,.

He will not abandon his offspring to infinite ruin,.

88, 89

The character of a ruler inferrible from the condition of his sub-

jects,..

90,91

A ruler is answerable for the avoidable evils which he wilfully
admits into his dominions,.

91, 92

94

........

The folly of deferring the business of retribution,. .
How a report concerning hell, by an eye witness, would affect the
reputation of the sovereign of the universe,...
God is less excusable than earthly rulers, (on the supposition that
he inflicts endless suffering) for the miseries endured by the vic-
tims of his vengeance,.

The perseverance of the good shepherd in saving lost man,..
All sentient existence must centre toward God, as its source,....
A firm belief in endless misery is incompatible with a sincere love
to mankind,..

96, 97

97,98

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113

117

124

125

........

........

133

And with the early experience of every christian,.
Our eternal interests out of the range of our control,.
377

VOL. I.-2 G 2

The use of religion if our future salvation is unconditional,.....
Our opponents do not themselves believe, that all men will be re-
warded in eternity according to their works in time,.....
Why universalists do not believe, that God has threatened end-
less misery,......
Sin, according to endless misery, only takes us the sooner to hea-

ven,...

Bad society in heaven,.

.....

Page

134

136

.......148, 149

.....

According to endless misery there are many more rogues saved
than honest men,..

The same doctrine furnishes motives to murder,....

.....

150

ib.

151

152

A peep into a universalian, and an endless hell futurity,......154, 155
Is the doctrine of universal salvation generally pleasing to wicked
men?........

And displeasing to men of prayer?...

The supposed remoteness of a day of reckoning for deeds perform-
ed in the flesh, must tend to embolden men to sin,...

191

192

198

It gives the priesthood an influence at the bed of death, which has
often been abused,..

199

The best, as the worst of men, must needs be changed after death
in order to their admission to the realms of bliss,....
The immutability of a law is no proof that its penalties are eter-
nal,....

234

235

The divine Being is not subject to the difficulties which beset hu-
man legislators,.....

236

God was not reduced to the alternative of creating some for mis-

ery, or not at all,.. . . .

237

Forgiveness of sin does not (in the divine economy) imply ex-
emption from deserved punishment,..

239

Another illustration of the same point,..

240

The advantages of forgiveness on this scheme,..

ib.

If punishment is for our benefit, should we sin the more, in order
to incur the more?..

241

....

The penalty of death for murder does not operate to prevent it—
Why?.....
Difference between positive and moral punishments,..
The modes of punishment,....

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But when conscience becomes seared, how then?....
A consideration of that punishment which is natural to sin, (and
therefore unavoidable) can alone permanently restrain from
crime,...

Except sin continue eternally, punishment, of a moral kind, can-
not,..

Neither can that which is physical,..

....250, 251

.252, 253

253

254

255

256

...257,258

The very consequences of an evil tend to effect its removal,.
But why may not sin continue to eternity?..
Exemplary punishment cannot be needed in the future state,...
The goodness of God is itself a ground for supposing that the
punishment of sin is present,...

.....

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