leading to life, and the other to destruction. But the Universalist tells us that life here means spiritual, and not eternal life; and death means the suffering which sin brings along with it in this life. But it happens that this strait gate, which can mean nothing but the difficulties of a holy life, is that which leadeth unto life. And the broad and easy way of the sinner is that which leadeth unto destruction, and not the destruction itself. Matt. 7: 21. Not every one that saith Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my father which is in heaven. Many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then I will profess unto them, I never knew you-Depart from me ye that work iniquity. It seems then, there will be many that will not enter the kingdom of heaven,--many who after great attainments, and great achievements in religious life, will be addressed by a— "Depart from me." But suppose the phrase, kingdom of God, is here used in the sense of spiritual life, as the Universalist will tell us. Then we have hypocrites earnestly desiring to be christians indeed, but forbidden to come to the desired privilege. And we have them saying, as Luke gives the story,-Lord, Lord, open unto us. Open what? The kingdom, the privilege of being real christians. But when were hypocrites so earnest to come to spiritual life, and when did the Lord refuse to admit them, on the ground that they had been workers of iniquity? Luke 13: 23. Then said one unto him, Lord are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate,-For many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be able. That salvation or admission to heaven, is the end towards which the strait gate leads, is seen in the fact that the remark is made, in answer to the question—Are there few that be saved? The man did not ask whether few became Christ's followers, for he had no need to ask it, but are there few that be saved? And he is told that many will seek salvation, and shall not find it. 1 Peter 4: 18. And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall

the ungodly and the sinner appear? Here, both the difficulty of obtaining salvation, and the fact that the ungodly and the sinner do not obtain it are set forth.

ven.

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Equally in face of the Universalist hypothesis, are those passages which speak of holy life, as of laying up treasure in heaMatt. 6: 19. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt. Matt. 19: 21, Go and sell that thou hast and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven. Luke 12: 33. Sell that ye have and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not. Luke 16: 9. And I say unto you, make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, that when ye fail they may receive you into everlasting habitations. 1 Tim. 6: 19. Laying up in store a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. Heb. 10: 34. For ye compassion on my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves, that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. 1 Peter 1:3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. And verse 7—That the trial of your faith being much more precious than gold which perisheth, may be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Chap. 5: 4. And when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. That in these passages a holy life is represented as tending to secure a good treasure or a Grown in the heavenly world, I think admits of no question. All this amount of evidence then, goes against the doctrine of

the Universalists, that no rewards or punishments extend into the future world.

Equally in point are those which speak of the end of a godly and an ungodly life. Rom. 6: 22. Ye have your fruit unto holiness, and your end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Phil. 3: 19. Whose end is destruction. Heb. 6: 8. Whose end is to be burned. 2 Cor. 11: 15. Whose end is according to their works. Prov. 11; 7. When a wicked man dieth, his expectations shall perish.-14: 32. The wicked is driven away in his wickedness, but the righteous hath hope in his death. Job 27: 8. For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul? Here there is a great difference made between the end of the righteous, and of the wicked. In one case the end is everlasting life, and eternal life through Jesus Christ. And in the other it is represented as death, destruction, perishing of the expectation in death, burning, and hopelessness in the taking away of the soul. And if the career of the wicked ends in this, there can be no eternal glory to them beyond it. Do you say these expressions do not mean the last, the absolutely final state, of the wicked and of the righteous? Where is your evidence? The expression is, "Having your fruit unto holiness, and your end everlasting life.” But if these fail of convincing you that the last end is meant we will quote one in which that is expressly said. Numb. 23: 10. Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his. Here a difference is made between the last end of the righteous and of the wicked.

Equally inconsistent with the hope that all will be saved is that class of passages, which speak of destruction without mercy. James 2: 13. For he shall have judgment without mercy that hath showed no mercy. See how this is at total variance with the scheme of the Universalists. They tell us that all God's judgments are for the good of the person punished; that is that men have no judgments but what are in mercy, which es

sentially amounts to mercy without judgment, where God says some shall have judgment without mercy. Prov. 29: 1. He that being often reproved, hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. Prov 6: 15. Therefore shall his calamnity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy. 1 Thes. 5: 2. For yourselves know perfectly, that the day of the Lord cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say peace, and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, and they shall not escape. There is then a destruction coming upon the ungodly which admits of no escape or remedy. It must then be an infliction of God's anger which will last as long as their existence. Harmonizing with this idea is, 1 John 5: 16. If a man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask and he shall give him life for a sin which is not unto death. There is a sin unto death. I do not say he shall pray for it. And why not pray for such, if there salvation be possible, nay certain? Does God forbid his people to pray for those whom he himself is willing to receive to eternal honor? Heb. 10: 26. For if we sin wilfully, after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversary. If there be no more sacrifice for sin, and if judgment and devouring indignation remain for some, salvation of course is excluded. Nor is it out of place

here to introduce what Christ said of Judas. Mark 14: 21. Woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. Good were it for that man if he never had been born. Now on the Universalist hypothesis, what does Judas suffer which made his existence on the whole a calamity? Did the few hours of remorse and the pains of suicide, overbalance the joys of the eternal heaven, to which his violent and guilty death introduced him? Had his whole life been one of endurance beyond what mortal ever yet endured, it would not have been an atom beside eternal weight of glory in heaven, It would not have been good for him not to have been born, if there were no suffering for him after death.

Equally decisive are those which represent that there is no change of character from sin to holiness after death, as Rev. 22: 11, 12. He that is unjust let him be unjust still, and he that is filthy let him be filthy still, and he that is righteous let him be righteous still, and he that is holy let him be holy still. And behold I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give to every man according as his work shall be. Date this sentence of confirming the characters of men when you will, it excludes universal holiness and salvation. There is to be a time when those that are unjust and filthy will be confirmed in that character forever. And it will of course be when there are some to possess that character. And as there can be no happiness even in heaven without holiness, such unjust and filthy ones cannot be saved. Prov. 14: 32. The wicked is driven away in his wickedness, but the righteous hath hope in his death. This passage already quoted for another purpose is proof also that the wicked is confirmed in his wicked character, and of course in hopelessness of salvation at death. Dan. 12: 10. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand. John 8: 21. Then said Jesus unto them, again I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins, and whither I go ye cannot come. Dying in sins is here made an equivalent to a complete hindrance to coming where Christ is, i. e. to heaven, as he himself explains it in the con

text.

Those passages also which confine the portion and enjoyment of the wicked to this life, are decidedly subversive of the Universalist theory. Psalms 17: 14. From the men of the world who have their portion in this life,—implying that there is no portion for them in the future life. Psalms 4: 9. Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased, for when he dieth he shall carry nothing away, his glory shall not descend after him, though while he lived he blessed his soul. He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light. 73: 3-17. I was envious at the foolish when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.—Until I