The Scriptures teach, that men should pray always, and in every thing give thanks to God: do Universalists, as a people, believe and practice this? We believe not; as on their view of religion, there can be no possible use for it: for, say they, who can alter the mind of God, or inform him of anything by praying-not seeming to know that prayer was ordained for the spiritual cultivation of the human soul, and is the very reason why God will not bestow religious blessings, except he be sought unto in this very way, in the name of Jesus Christ-where that name is known.

Universalists believe that the death of Christ is of no use to mankind, only as the figurative meaning of that event is understood. To prove this we cite page 131, of Hosea Ballou's Treatise on Atonement, where he says-"The literal death of the man Christ Jesus is figurative; and all the life we obtain by it, is by learning what is represented." Here, learning is put as the means of salvation; whereas faith, by the New Testament, is put as the means, which is a principle very far in its nature from learning, knowledge, or information, in our opinion.

We have always believed, that the ceremonies and sacrifices of the temple worship of the Jews, was figurative of the final, and one great sacrifice of the soul and body of Jesus Christ, for the sin of Adam, and for the sins of the whole world; but here we are taught by Universalists, that the sacrifices of the Jewish religion, were the figures of nothing but a figure after all: where, therefore, is the end of this figurability of Universalists? Suppose we were to understand all the Scriptures say about God, about heaven, and about moral obligation, as figurative; even Universalists might object, yet, to us, it apppears that the Scriptures are not less definite about the vicarious and expiatory death of Jesus Christ, than they are about the being of God, the reality of heaven, and moral obligations.

The New Testament Scriptures, teach that repentance toward God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, are the conditions of salvation; but Universalists say, that the condition is the understanding of a figure, which implies neither repentance or faith, but a mere trait of information only. This is Gnosticism, or salvation acquired by knowledge, as held by the Gnostics-a sect of spurious Christians, which overrun many countries, in the first ages of Christianity. On this plan as set forth by Mr. Ballou, how few even in Christendom, are there who can be saved, as the death of Christ can do no good to any man, only as he can understand the abstruse, allegorical and figurative meaning of matters too high for the entire comprehension of the human mind. Even Mr. Ballou himself, at the very moment of his writing the above sentiment, was far from being sure of his own salvation, as attainable in this life; inasmuch as he was not absolutely certain, that he did fully and completely understand

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the figurative meaning of Christ's death. But on the orthodox plan of faith, the simple as well as the wise may be saved; as faith in its very nature, supposes something materially different from knowledge, and is in a manner, a confession of ignorance; on which very account, reliance or faith has its existence. On this plan, the ignorant may come to God as well as the wise; believing his word and crediting those things in his word, which are too high for their understanding, (as did Abraham,) as are many subjects of true theology. Is not this a better way than to expect salvation by mere knowledge, or by the understanding of abstruse figures, and better adapted to the universal condition of mankind? We leave the reader to decide, even though a Universalist.

Universalists do not believe that the conduct of human beings, whether good or bad in this life, can in any way affect their condition in eternity, as being either rewardable or punishable; yet says Mr. Ballou, in his Treatise on Atonement, page 144, in speaking of "atoning grace," says, "it opens a door of everlasting hope, and conducts the soul, by way of the cross, to immortality and eternal life." Now this sentence is admitting, in the fullest sense, that salvation in another world is conditional; because he ascribes it to atoning grace; which grace, had it never been manifested, no door of hope about immortality and eternal life could ever have been opened; and if no door had been opened, then no soul could ever enter into such a state, consequently salvation is conditional, depending on "atoning grace." The chief inconsistency, however, of the above sentiment, consists in ascribing eternal salvation to grace; as eternal salvation, according to Universalist doctrine, was never placed in relation to the human race, in any other attitude than that of absolute certainty, without reference to any condition or circumstance whatever, other than the eternal will of God: to say it is of grace, therefore, on account of any medium, is to contradict, point blank, this indubitable certainty, and overturns their opinion of unconditional salvation, inasmach as atoning grace, may or may not be received, as the human soul may elect, as the Scriptures teach-which say: "Give diligence to make your calling and election sure.... for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." 2d Peter, i. 10, 11. On the Universalist plan, "immortality and eternal life" is just as sure to all mankind, without this door of hope;" without the way of the cross, and without "atoning grace," as with it; for they do not hold that the death of Jesus Christ procured anything for the world in relation to this thing, but was merely an attestation of good wishes, but not in any sense vicarious or expiatory.

The Scriptures, in both the Old and New Testaments, speak much of the merciful disposition of God toward mankind. But this is entirely contradicted by the theory of Universalists; inasmuch as they hold that each sinner, from Adam down to the last human being which may be born into the world, must suffer according to the demerit of each sin, in their own souls and persons; by which doctrine mercy is excluded altogether from the earth, or rather never had an entrance here, unless it is contended that a privilege to suffer is the mercy of God; which to us however, appears a great and very curious absurdity.

If it is true that God has a use for every volition of the human heart, whether good or bad, as stated in Mr. Ballou's Treatise on Atonement, as follows: "The Almighty has a good intention in every volition of man," how is it, therefore, that it can be shown a just thing, that any man, however sinful, should suffer, as by it God's good intention is carried into effect? To this a Universalist will reply, by saying, however sinful each wicked volition of each individual of the human race may be, they are nevertheless, when considered as a great whole, not at all sinful. But to this we reply in our turn and say, that which is not sinful as a great whole, cannot be sinful in its parts, as this would be a contradiction in the very nature of the thing, and therefore absurd.

On the subject of man's becoming a sinful creature, Universalists, who have given themselves the trouble to make out a theory on this subject, have the following curious opinions: They believe that when God created Christ, long before the creation of this world and of man, that he created man in Christ; at which time, and in which condition, the law of the spirit of life was the whole governing principle of his nature. But at this time, when so created in Christ, man as yet had no form or tangible being, yet was in a condition in which the law of the spirit of life was his governing principle; however difficult this is to be conceived of, so they think it was. But after this first creation, in which man was good,-God, as if not satisfied with him, reduced him to a state of flesh and blood, or to a state of formation; in which condition, the law of sin became the governing principle of the whole man. In this condition, it appears the great Supreme does not like him, half as well as before; and accordingly institutes the gospel to bring him back again from this formed condition, and from under the law of sin, to his original state of being in Christ, before he had any tangible existence, or was placed on the earth, as stated by Moses.

That we are not mistaken about their views on this subject, we quote Hosea Ballou, from his Treatise on Atonement, page 145, as follows: "1. God created man in Christ the Mediator, in which creation, the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus.... is the whole governing principle of his nature.