ON UNIVERSALIS M. BY REV. JOEL PARKER, D. D., PRESIDENT OF THE UNION THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, NEW YORK. NEW YORK: JOHN S. TAYLOR & CO., BRICK CHURCH CHAPEL, 145 NASSAU STREET, OPPOSITE THE TRACT HOUSE. 184 1. 9941 'P37 1841 Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1841, by in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for S. W. BENEDICT, PRINTER, 128 FULTON-ST. PREFACE. THE most successful method of overcoming error, is by the exhibition of truth. The student, that would be thoroughly furnished, and prepared to contend with all the Protean forms of false doctrine, must, it is true follow it per ambages, and understand all its hateful shapes. But, to attain the most important ends of popular instruction, the symmetrical form and luminous aspect of truth must be mainly exhibited. Error may be presented. But she should be seen only as a sly and ugly hag, peeping out from her lurking places, while Truth, the 66 'daughter of the skies," should step boldly forth, and walk up and down before the eyes of the reader, displaying her golden robes, her lovely countenance, and all her winning attractions. The following pages were, in great part, written about thirteen years since. They were first delivered to the Third Presbyterian Church in Rochester. Un til their publication had been earnestly solicited by numerous friends, no such disposal of them had been anticipated. An edition of one thousand copies was very quickly exhausted, and a second edition of fifteen hundred was published in this city. The work has been out of print for several years. On revising it, the reflection very naturally arose, that the author is, even at a maturer age, responsible for leaving it in its then present condition, or for improving it. The preferred alternative was that of being responsible for the work, in a more complete form. In the revision, several of the Lectures have scarcely been changed at all, except by some slight improvements in the phraseology. The fifth Lecture has been recast, and a new shape has been given to the discussion, in order to meet, if possible, a feeling which extensively prevails in regard to the apparent inconsistency of eternal punishment with the Divine justice. The sixth is entirely new, and is intended to accomplish the same end respecting the apparent inconsistency of eternal punishment with the Divine goodness. If it be thought an objection to the book, as a system of Lectures on Universalism, that it has not entered fully into the later view of Universalists, the reply is, our title may be ill advised, but the design with which the Lectures were written, has nevertheless been accomplished. It is believed, that men first become Universalists by means of the arguments and objections specified in this volume, and our object has been rather to deal with those minds, which, as yet, only exhibit the premonitory symptoms. There is less encouragement to attempt anything, after the fatal collapse has palpably ensued. A friend of Dr. Edwards, once said to him, when speaking of his work against Chauncy," you have not only answered Dr. Chauncy, but all the Universalists that ever did write, or ever shall write." And thus it will be found. The work of Dr. Edwards is the great Thesaurus of instruction on the subject of future punishment. We gladly acknowledge our indebtedness to it for whatever is of most value in our second Lecture. We are also indebted to the general scope of that remarkable book, for the suggestion that the true method of encountering Universalism with the greatest success, is by building up a systematic and firm structure of truth, which shall stand as a barrier against Universalism in any and every form. There are forms of |
