world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John iii. 15.) Here it is implicitly asserted that he who does not believe in Christ shall perish; but if to perish is not to be excluded from eternal life, with what propriety or truth can this be set in opposition to having eternal life, when it is as true of the unbeliever as of the believer, that he shall have eternal life, and this happy lot is as much the portion of the former as of the latter? "He that believeth in the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." Here what is necessarily in our Savior's words, just mentioned, is expressed, and we are told what is meant by the unbeliever's perishing. He shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him as long as he is excluded from life, and that inust be as long as the believer enjoys everlasting life.

"Who will render to every man according to his deeds. To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory, and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish upon every soul that doeth evil." (Rom. ii. 6, etc.) Here the rewards or portions of the righteous and of the wicked are contrasted and opposed to each other. But if the latter shall have glory, honor, peace, and eternal life, as well as the former, why are the former represented as distinguished from the latter in this, which is common to them both? "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie, that they might be damned," etc. "But we are bound always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation." (2 Thess. ii. 11, etc.) Here salvation and damnation are opposed, and Christians are distinguished from those who believe a lie and obey unrighteousness to their own damnation, and set in opposition to them as being chosen to salvation. But if salvation and damnation are so consistent with each other that all who are damned shall be the subjects of eternal salvation, and are chosen to salvation, as really as the true Christian, what does the apostle mean by all this?

"There is one lawgiver who is able to save and to destroy." (James iv. 12.) Salvation and destruction are here opposed as inconsistent with each other, which could not be if there were no destruction inconsistent with eternal salvation.

"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, that leadeth unto life." (Matt. vii. 13, 14.)

If all the wicked who go in the broad way do enter into life as certainly, and nearly as soon, as they who walk in the narnow way, only the former pass through a little more severe discipline than the other, is not the broad way as certain a road to life as the other? How then can life and destruction, and these different roads, be opposed to each other?

2. The Holy Scriptures every where represent the servants of God who fear and trust in him as happy and blessed; and, on the other hand, speak of those who go on in evil ways through this life as most miserable, and pronounces woes and curses on them, which is not consistent with their being alike happy forever in the kingdom of Christ. To the former innumerable promises are made, that no evil shall come near them, that all things shall work for their good, and promote their best interest, and that they shall have eternal life. To the latter no good is promised, and nothing but evil is spoken and foretold of them, for which there could be no reason, if endless happiness awaited the latter as certainly as the former. If this were the case, they would both be blessed, and there would be no such great difference between them. Though the wicked shall suffer for a time, yet, if this shall issue in their eternal happiness, and be the special and necessary means of it too, what St. Paul says of Christians may, with truth and propriety, be applied to them, That their sufferings, for a time, are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in them, and their light affliction, which is but for a moment, compared with endless happiness, worketh for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. And St. Peter's prayer for suffering Christians will be answered for all that are in hell, or ever shall be there, and may with as great propriety be made for them. "The God of all grace, who hath called us into his eternal glory by Jesus Christ, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect," etc. And the words of Christ to his disciples may be applied to them. In all your sufferings, "rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven." Why then is God's Word so full of threatenings of evil to the wicked without the least intimation of any good coming to them, and of promises of nothing but good to the righteous? Why does God say to the righteous that it shall be well with him, for they shall eat of the fruit of their doings? Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him, for the reward of his hands shall be given him. There is no peace, saith the Lord unto the wicked, while he speaks peace, and nothing but peace unto his people and to his saints. "There shall no evil happen to the just, but the wicked shall be filled with mischief." (Pr. xii. 21.) The just

suffer much evil, but it is no evil to them, because it is designed for their best good, and will issue in it. And if the future sufferings of the wicked are temporary and designed to purge them from their sins,are necessary in order to do this, and will have this happy effect, why is it not as true of them, that no evil shall happen to them? Why are they, with respect to this, set in opposition to the just, and marked out for nothing but mischief and evil? "Evil pursueth sinners: but to the righteous good shall be repaid." (Pr. xiii. 21.) "Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. Evil shall slay the wicked; and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate." (Ps. xxxiv. 19.) If the sufferings of the wicked in hell are in mercy to them, and designed to bring them to repentance, and they shall be delivered out of them all, then what is here said of the righteous is just as true of the wicked; though their afflictions and sufferings may be many, yet the Lord will deliver them out of them all. Why then is directly the opposite said of the wicked, that evil shall slay or destroy him, when all the evil that comes upon him will work for his good, and his deliverance is certain and hastening? "Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law; that thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked." (Ps. xciv. 12, 13.) If the future punishment of the wicked be of the nature of correction, and God is hereby chastening him, that he may teach him wisdom and bring him to his duty, that he may be delivered from all adversity and evil, and this shall be the happy consequence, may he not with as much reason and propriety be pronounced blessed as the righteous? Why then is he always cursed, and set in opposition to the righteous in this respect?

If the wicked shall certainly be delivered from hell, as soon as he repents and makes his submission to God, and God inflicts this evil on him with a design to bring him to this, then what is said of the children of God is as true of the wicked in hell-that God chasteneth them for their profit, that they might be partakers of his holiness. And if this be true, are they not blessed? The whole current of Scripture on this head is perfectly inconsistent with the temporary punishment of the wicked, and their eternal salvation, and, therefore, evidently asserts their endless destruction.

3. The Scripture represents the wicked, when rejected and cast into hell, as repenting, and earnestly desiring and seeking deliverance, but all in vain, for their repentance and cries will not be regarded, — which is inconsistent with their pun

ishment being of the nature of merciful chastisement, in order to their obtaining eternal life, which shall be granted whenever they submit and ask deliverance; yea, strongly imports that they never shall be heard and delivered.

Then shall

"Because I have called, and ye refused," etc., "I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me." (Pr. i. 24, etc.) (Pr. i. 24, etc.) "Afterwards came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not." (Matt. xxv. 11, 12.) "Strive to enter in at the strait gate; for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer, and say unto you, I know not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out." (Luke xiii. 24, etc.) According to this, when the door of mercy is once shut, it will be shut forever; and however earnestly they who are excluded may desire and seek admittance, it will be all in vain.*

Christ represents the rich man in hell as earnestly praying for a little mitigation of his torment, but meeting with a denial; and Abraham tells him there is a great gulf fixed, so that they who would come out of hell cannot. No desires of deliverance that will ever take place in hell can avail or be regarded. In the Epistle to the Hebrews the case of those who come short of being real Christians in this world, and so are cast into hell, is represented by Esau, who, by selling his birthright, lost it forever. "For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected:

* These words of Christ are in consequence of a question which was asked by one, in the following words: "Lord, are there few that shall be saved? If our Lord knew that all should be saved, and that this was a joyful, glorious doctrine, necessary to be preached in order to set the character of God in the best light and make the brightest display of divine grace, and was perfectly suited to turn men from sin, and lead them to embrace the gospel, and excite in them the highest gratitude, joy, and praise, why did he neglect such a good opportunity to declare this very important, useful truth: Why did he not only wholly conceal it, but make a contrary representation, teaching that all who did neglect salvation in this life would be shut out of the kingdom of heaven, and cast into hell, and that no repentance, earnest seeking and entreaties for deliverance, will then be to any purpose? Can these questions be answered?

for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears." This representation must be very contrary to truth, if any repentance and cries for mercy that shall take place in hell will be regarded and obtain deliverance, which will be the case if they are ever delivered. All these passages of Scripture, therefore, and others of the like tenor, are opposed to the deliverance of the wicked from hell, by their being brought to repentance and to cry for mercy, and are not consistent with any future punishment, except an endless one. And this representation militates directly against the notion that future punishment is salutary, and inflicted by God in mercy to the wicked, and tending to their repentance and amendment, in order to their being fitted for eternal happiness. Directly the reverse of this is the idea held up in these passages, and, indeed, throughout the whole Bible. The door of mercy is shut. God punishes them in anger, to show his wrath and make his power known. He will not regard their repentance, nor hear their cries for mercy, but will laugh at their calamity, and mock when their destruction falls upon them, and they will be abandoned to perfect despair and endless woe.

The evidence contained in the Scripture of the future and endless punishment of the wicked is now laid before the reader. And is it not as clearly revealed that this punishment will never end, as any truth whatever which is contained in the Bible? It is, at least, as certain from divine revelation that this punishment will be endless as that the happiness of the righteous will be so; yea, it cannot be conceived how the eternal duration of the punishment of the wicked could be more plainly and fully expressed. Language does not afford words more expressive of this than those which are used, and they are used in such a manner and connection as to fix their meaning as clearly, and as much beyond all doubt, as is possible; and this is expressed, or necessarily implied, so often, and in so many different ways, that there is a multiplicity of evidence, and demonstration rises on demonstration; so that, if the doctrine of endless punishment be not most clearly revealed, it is doubtless impossible it should be made known by any words, or in any way whatsoever.

This will well account for the general belief of this doctrine in the Christian world, from the days of the apostles down to this time; and though there have been some individuals, in almost every age, who have renounced it, and have attempted to persuade others to reject it; yet comparatively few, who have paid any regard to the Bible, have hearkened to them; and if the disbelief of endless punishment, and even of any