that some shall NOT be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and so are not to become the children of God by being the children of the resurrection. This clause concerning them which shall be " accounted worthy to obtain," spoils the whole passage for your use, and confirms me in the judgment, that some shall rise to go away with the devil and his angels into endless punishment. But for this clause this text would render me a Universalist. Unworthy as they are of any resurrection, and of that world where Jesus lives and reigns, he will, nevertheless, raise them from the dead, "for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad;" and this too, after "our earthly house of this tabernacle" shall have been dissolved, 2 Cor. v. 1-10.

Should it, nevertheless, be conceded, that all mankind shall be called the children of God, on account of their being raised by him from the dead; it will not follow that all will be holy and happy children; for God is the father of the whole human family by creation, and preservation, as well as the resurrection; and including himself with "all nations of men," who dwell on all the face of the earth, Paul says, with certain of the Athenian poets, "for we are also his offspring." Hence he argues, "for as much then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device." Many of his hearers, notwithstanding, did thus think, and were actuated by no sentiments befitting the offspring of the Infinite Mind. Just so, millions who will be children of God by the resurrection from the dead, will be undutiful and rebellious children for ever; whose portion will be the blackness of darkness.

Your doctrine, that those who are not changed before. by true repentance, are to be savingly changed by the resurrection from the dead, so as to experience everlasting salvation, is contradicted by the general tenor of gospel admonitions. "While ye have light, believe in the

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light, that ye may be children of light.' If your theory is correct, whether men believe in the light or not while they have light, they will become the children of light by the resurrection; and thus Christ's warning was vain. "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:" which you render null by teaching that whether men ever seek God or not in this life, they will all be sure to find him, and to be reconciled in soul to him by the saving change of the resurrection from the dead. "We then as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee; behold, now is the accepted time: behold, now is the day of salvation." Needless solicitation and vain admonition are here, if the day of salvation will never pass until all are saved; and if all men will at last be fitted for heaven, whether they call upon God in an accepted time or not: or if the accepted time in relation to every sinner will extend to the day of judgment, and then all be savingly changed. To some Christ said, "Ye will not come unto me that ye might have life;" but you add, "until the resurrection, and then the last rebel will come, and enjoy life everlasting."

In further confirmation of the scriptural doctrine, that some will endure endless sufferings after the present life, I allege that all are sinners; that God has revealed his mode of pardoning sinners; that if sinners are not pardoned they must perish; that some will never receive forgiveness; and that of course some will perish for ever. To prevent all misapprehension of my meaning, I define scriptural pardon or forgiveness to be the remission of the penalty of the law to a sinner, which he has incurred by his crimes, in consequence of his redemption by Christ Jesus. If a sinner is not pardoned he must suffer endless punishment, which is the penalty of the violated law; and some shall never be pardoned. If this should prove true in relation to none but the blasphemers of Christ's day, it would destroy your whole theory of universal salvation.

E

Aware that some Universalists deny any remission of sins, I must remind you that David said, for well he knew, that "blessed is he whose transgressions is forgiven, whose sin is covered: I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sins. For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found,' Psalm xxxii. Christ has taught his disciples to pray, saying, "forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;" and added by way of solemn caution, "if we forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

Now indispensable as pardon is to everlasting salvation, Christ assures us that some shall never be pardoned, and of course shall never be saved. When asked, "Lord how oft shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him?" Jesus answered, "I say not unto thee, until seven times but, until seventy times seven." Then he added a parable concerning the wicked servant who would not forgive his fellow servant, and was delivered to the tormentors; and concluded with, "So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses," Matt. xviii. 35. That some men live and die, without forgiving or being forgiven, with the spirit of malice and revenge in their hearts, is as evident as the day light. Because the scribes said, "He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of devils casteth he out devils." Jesus said, “He that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of," or obnoxious to, "eternal damnation," Mark iii. 22-29. In Matt. xii. 31, it is written, "but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men: whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come." This blasphemy is the sin unto death, concerning which we may not lawfully pray that it may be forgiven. Of course I consider it as settled, by Christ

himself, that every blasphemer against the Holy Ghost will be the subject of endless punishment.

This fate does not belong to the bold blasphemer alone, for "Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein," Mark x. 15. "Then said Jesus unto his disciciples, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me." Many never do this, but live and die avowed contemners of Christ. "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works." Then it is added, because Christ's coming and setting up his kingdom in the world is confirmation strong of his finally coming to judge the world in righteousness; when and not before he shall reward EVERY MAN, Jew and Gentile, according to his works, "Verily I say unto you, there be some standing here which shall not taste death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom," Matt. xvi. 24-28. The establishment, and continued progress of Christianity in the world, through the Christian church, ought to confirm every one in the truth of Christ's coming at the last day to judge the world in righteousness, and to distribute to mankind endless rewards. That which we have seen and known of his kingdom in the world, should make us willing, in any circumstances which may render it necessary, to sacrifice our life in this world, for Christ's sake, that we may find everlasting life in the heavens. Natural and temporal life should be cheerfully resigned to preserve spiritual and everlasting life. And if a man will preserve his natural life at the expense of duty, let him know that his immortal life may be regarded as lost, for it will not be blessedness.

Expecting to meet Christ when he shall come to our

world again, in the glory of his Father; and being as sured, that when the just and the unjust shall have been raised by him out of their graves, in the land or the bed of the ocean, he will reward every man according to his works, I send you this epistle, and pray that you and I both may prepare to meet God, the Judge of all the earth. EZRA STILES ELY.

TO MR. EZRA STILES ELY.

Philadelphia, August 27, 1834.

Dear Sir-In my last letter I pointed out the error of your only reason for denying that Matt. xxiv, 36—41, and Luke xvii, 22-37, are parallel passages. I had previously shown, that an acknowledgment of said parallel would destroy your entire argument drawn from Matt. xxiv and xxv. I stated, and the position cannot be successfully controverted, that a failure to establish a transition of reference at verse 36 of the former chapter, would require an admission that no part of either of the chapters can be fairly applied to any other events than those connected with, or immediately succeeding, the destruction of Jerusalem. Inasmuch as you have virtually acknowledged said parallel, by wholly neglecting to adduce any thing farther in denial, I feel justified in assuming that you have yielded the point.

For similar reasons I feel at liberty to assume, that you conceded the correctness of the conclusion consequent of the facts stated in relation to the noun alwv, namely, that the adjective alwvlos cannot, and does not, in itself, express an endless duration. The extent of duration it signifies, must in all cases be determined by the nature of the subject or thing to which it is applied.

The duration expressed by the phrase "for ever and and ever," must be determined in the same way. When applied to things confessedly pertaining to the immortal state, or to subjects which by other testimony are proved