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we say, in the language of Wisdom of old-" Unto you, men, 1 call; and my voice is to the sons of men. Hear, for I will speak of excellent things, and the opening of my lips shall be right things--for my mouth shall speak truth."

CHAPTER II.

Proofs, from the nature and perfections of the Supreme Being; from reason and Scripture, in favor of the ultimate holiness and happiness of ALL MEN.

"Produce your cause, saith the Lord, bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob."-Isaiah.

The only formula of Faith which has ever been adopted. by the Universalists, in their denominational capacity, is the following concise statement of belief, as laid down by the General Convention of Universalists of the New England States, (now the U. S. General Convention.) Professing, as they do, to go to the Bible for their creed, and acting fully on the Protestant doctrine of the RIGHT of PRIVATE INTERPRETATION of the Sacred Oracles, they have not thought it ne'cessary or expedient to establish a "Confession of Faith" and require a conformity thereto, on the part of those who attach themselves to the order. It is believed, however, that there is as perfect unanimity of sentiment among Universalists touching the articles subjoined, as can be found, upon any subject among any class of professing Christians. Let the reader candidly judge whether this statement of Faith is most worthy of condemnation for its heresy, or praise for its simplicity and beauty.

PROFESSION OF BELIEF." "Article 1.—We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments contain a revelation of the character of

God, and of the duty, interest, and final destination of mankind.

Article 2.-We believe that there is One God, whose nature is Love, revealed in one Lord Jesus Christ, by one Holy Spirit of Grace; who will finally restore the whole family. of mankind to holiness and happiness.

Article 3.-We believe that holiness and true happiness are inseparably connected, and that believers ought to be care.. ful to maintain order and practice good works, for these things are good and profitable unto men,"

To the support of the distinguishing feature of the sys. tem thus briefly presented, to wit: the final" restitution of all things" will the present chapter be devoted. And we shall aim rather to offer a summary of the evidence in favor thereof, than to carry out the proofs in detail, or extend them to their utmost results. Let the reader therefore deliberate. ly weigh each argument in the scale of impartial judgment, and, if seen to be based on sound premises, let him follow cut to the conclusions necessarily flowing therefrom, however much these may conflict with long cherished opinions or deeply rooted impressions. Let him, for once cast off the manacles of mind, disenthrall his intellect from the weight of prej udice "which so easily besets it" and give wings to the thoughts of the heart, as they come gushing forth from their inmost recesses. Then, and not till then, will the truth of heaven shed its divine radiance upon the soul, and awaken its torpid powers to new life, health and vigor.

ARGUMENT 1st.-The nature of the Supreme Being is Love. This is the very essence of Deity. "God is Love," saith the voice of inspiration, and "God is Love," is the response which is echoed back from the vaulted heavens, from the "deep, deep sea," and the uttermost parts of the creation of the Most High. This principle being the sum and substance of the Divine Existence-the focus in which all the qualities and attributes of Jehovah concentrate-it follows, as a matter of positive conclusion, that none of the operations of such a Being can be characterized by a different influence.

one and the

Infinite Love cannot bring forth the work of infinite hatred, inasmuch as every cause produces its like. Nor can these two opposite principles ever be identified as same cause, producing precisely the same results. Love, moreover, is a vital, quickening and active sentiment, ever seeking the good of the object of it, ever employed in devising means to promote the felicity of its subjects and exerci sing its energies in securing the desired purpose.. It is also a truth, which will not be questioned, that "Love worketh no ill to its neighbor," nay, "thinketh no evil." How then can it be supposed that an infinite evil could ever have been the suggestion much less the contrivance of infinite and unlimited Benevolence! How can it be believed that a God, all Love, could be satisfied at beholding a wide-spread and deeply malignant influence to prevail in his universe, which, by its very existence, aims a fatal blow at his own most holy nature. We hold it be an indisputable proposition, that endless misery is an ultimate and absolute evil, and that such an evil cannot exist in the presence of Infinite Love, without coming in conflict therewith, and terminating in the most disastrous results to the whole machinery of creation. The supposition indeed that a created thing can be co-equal in duration with the Creator is no less preposterous and absurd, than that infinite benevolence could devise and produce its opposite an endless evil. An impure stream cannot flow from a pure fountain. A good tree will not bear evil fruit. No man gathers grapes from thorns or figs from thistles. Neither can infinite hatred, wrath and cruelty ever be the legitimate fruits which result from unlimited Love. As plain then as are these truths, so plain is it that Universal Love must bring about universal happiness. God's Love is infi nite-of course all his creatures must be the subjects of its influence, and that influence will not cease to be exercised, until its purpose is fully accomplished in the restoration of all from the bondage of ignorance and spiritual death, to a state of unalloyed enjoyment and peace in his most glorious presence.

2. The salvation of all men is consistent with Divine Goodness, one of the leading attributes of Deity. No one will deny that a Supremely Perfect Being possesses the attribute of goodness in an infinite degree. If God then be infinitely good, he must be good to all, and every operation of this divine principle must tend to the happiness of the whole of his creation. It was this goodness, we may reasonably suppose. which first induced the Almighty to stretch forth his hand and call man into existence. God being essentially Perfect and necessarily happy, in and of himself, could not have wanted such a creation to add to his unspeakable ful

ness.

He is "not worshipped with mens hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all, life, and breath, and all things." This being the case, we can conceive of no other motive operating with Deity, in the work of creating a Universe, than a desire to impart a portion of his own boundless felicity. It was simply the goings forth of his benevolent nature-the emanations of his love, which moulded inert and unoffending matter into a form of symmetry and beauty, and infused into the same the breath of life. All must admit that God had some design in creation, and that this design was good will not be questioned for a moment.It follows, as a necessary inference, that the goodness of God is engaged in the work of universal holiness and happiness. This attribute cannot purpose evil-it must purpose good.→ Hence we conclude that all partial evil which now exists in the world will eventually be over-ruled in mercy and swal lowed up in the superabundant goodness of Jehovah. "God is good to all and his tender mercies are over all his works? "Oh! taste and see, that the Lord is good."

3. The wisdom and knowledge of Deity are no less pledged for the welfare of man than his goodness. "Known unto God are all his works, from the beginning of the world." This omniscience could have marked out a plan of operation for himself which would take in all the circumstances and events of futurity, and guard effectually against all accident or defeat. He who "calleth those things which be not, as

though they were," and in whose sight all eternity is present as a thing of to-day, was surely capable of devising the best plan for the accomplishment of his own purposes; and it will not be pretended that he would select, as the best, one which he certainly knew would result in failure and dissappointment, for that would amount to the declaration that a Supremely wise Being could do a very foolish act!, God's, wisdom then being infinite, his knowledge is infallible.What he knows is as much a matter of certainty as his own existence. He can neither be ignorant nor foolish. Hence the conclusion, in connexion with the proceeding argument, that the attribute of ommiscience must have devised a meth. od, in consonance with the suggestions of divine goodness, which will infallibly secure the object in view. This object, the happiness of the creature, is then as sure of fulfilment as that there is any harmony betwen these respective attri butes. We know that it is asserted that God's knowledge of any event, yet future to us, is not necessarily connected with his contrivance thereof, or in other words, that God knows some things as certain and some as contingent. By which last phrase is meant, that there are some things which Deity has poised upon the freedom of the human will, and which he does not know or does not choose to know with sufficient definiteness to amount to absolute certainty! But such views of infinite wisdom are worse than puerile-they are absurd. For instance; suppose that the salvation of the human race is one of those events which God knows as pos. sible or contingent. He places man in certain circumstan ccs-endows him with certain passions and propensities→ gives him a freedom to choose and refuse, and leaves him to his fate. The event-salvation-however, which God knew as contingent, does not take place, but its reverse-damnation ! In such a case, did God know what was true or false? The latter, most unquestionably; manifestly then to say that God knows some things only as contingent, is virtually to af firm that he has no knowledge whatever on the subject.— He is not more wise than man, according to this scheme, for the latter usually knows something of events after they have

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