suaded as I am, that this contradiction has its origin, not in the inspired writers, but in my ignorance of the scriptures, I use all means to be better informed of their contents. On this account I have taken the liberty to address you for information, how you reconcile the paragraph quoted from your letters, with your belief in the endless punishment of any being in the universe of God. Certain I am, that you are in the possession of knowledge I have not, consistently to reconcile these two things-That the universe shall worship Christ with spiritual and divine worship, yet many of the beings in this universe be eternally miserable.' If you are in possession of such information, be kind enough to communicate it, and be assured, that it will meet with profound attention from

Yours, respectfully,

W. BALFOUR.

[It will be perceived by the reader from what follows, that I waited four months, expecting Mr. Stuart to make some reply to the preceding letters. Doubting whether the editor of the Magazine had sent Mr. Stuart the numbers in which they appeared, and after ascertaining that he had sent them; on the fourth of July 1820, I wrote him a letter by mail. No notice being taken of it, and after waiting to December 28th, I sent the following note to the editor of the Magazine, inclosing a copy of this letter for publication. Both these now follow, and will sufficiently account for

the time which elapsed between the three first letters and those which followed.]

LETTER IV.

DECEMBER 28, 1820.

To the Editor of the Universalist Magazine,

REV. SIR,-Sometime ago I requested the information, if you had sent the Nos. of the Magazine in which my letters to Professor STUART appeared. You were kind enough to inform me that they had been sent him. After receiving this information I transmitted by mail the following letter to him, of which I now send you the copy for publication.

REV. MOSES STUART,

JULY 4, 1820.

SIR,-Sometime ago I addressed several letters to you through the medium of the Universalist Magazine.' I requested the Nos. to be sent you in which these letters appeared. No reply being made I began to doubt whether my request had been complied with. To satisfy myself I made the inquiry, and in the Magazine of July 1st, the Editor informs me that the Nos. in which the above letters appeared were certainly sent you. I may therefore conclude that you

have seen these letters, though you have not thought fit to say any thing to relieve my mind from the difficulties which your book to Mr. Channing occasioned.

It is probable, upon reading my letters, that you concluded they were written by a Universalist, and were intended to draw you into controversy with them. I assure you that this was not the case. I never knew what it was to be shaken in my faith on this subject until I read your book. The paragraph on which I took the liberty to remark, struck me with all the force I mentioned. My letters were written in the uprightness and integrity of my heart, and with an unfeigned desire that you would, if possible, relieve my mind from the perplexity which you had occasioned. It is true that my letters have the shape in some places, of one not writing to have doubts removed, but rather of one writing to defend sentiments most surely believed. This was done with the express design, that your reply might be shaped not merely to suit me but to convince the Universalists. If they be in an error, some means ought to be used to convince them of it, and no man seems more capable of doing it than yourself, and doing it in the spirit of meekness.

My design in the present communication, is to beg it as a favor, that you would say something to relieve the difficulties of my mind which I stated in my letters. As your book has been the means of creating them, I wish from my heart that you may be the means of removing them. But as

the paragraph on which I remarked confirms the faith of Universalists, if you deem them to be in error, the interest of truth demands from you some explanation. For my sake, for their sake, and above all, for the sake of the truth, I hope you will condescend to do this. I tremble to

er.

embrace error of any kind. If my heart does not greatly deceive me, I sincerely desire to know and obey whatever God has revealed in the scriptures. Had I been the means of shaking your faith on any subject as you have done mine, I would render you every assistance in my powThis assistance I earnestly request of you. I am fully aware that from your professional and other duties you cannot spare time to write largely on this subject. I make no such demand. All I wish you to do is, in a brief way to afford me a clue, whereby I may be led out of the difficulties which I have stated in my letters. I simply wish you to state, by what fair rule of interpretation I can understand the scriptures and your comments on them differently, which occasioned my remarks.

you

Since I finished my letters to you I have been examining the places in which (ta panta) occur which you say means the universe. It will be an additional favor conferred on me, if could so shape your answer as to relieve similar difficulties arising from the following texts in which ta panta are found 1 Cor. xv: 24-29; Col. i: 1621; Heb. ii: 6—10; Eph. i: 10: Phillip iii: 21, &c. &c.

Any reply to my letters which you may be pleased to make, I presume will be admitted into the Universalist Magazine, the editor of which, instead of avoiding rather invites discussion. My only reason for not giving my name is, it would be foolish to afford people occasion of saying I had embraced the doctrine of Universal Salvation, when I am only using every proper means to avoid it. There is no danger of my doing so if you can state evidence that the views advanced in your letters are consistent with the opposite doctrine. If you cannot do this how can we avoid being Universalists?

I have only to add, that I esteem your talents and character, and sincerely hope my esteem will be increased by your gratifying my wishes in this communication.

I am yours as formerly, &c.

Such Sir, is a true copy of the letter sent to Mr. Stuart. If he ever sent you any communication relative to the above, I know it not. Certainly I have never observed any thing in your Magazine of this nature, though a constant reader of it. I have certainly waited a reasonable time for his reply, but as none is given I shall now state my reasons for sending you the above for publication.

First of all then, I am not ashamed to say, that I am inquiring after truth. Since I have finished my letters to Mr. Stuart I have given his letters another reading, which has led to a few more letters to him which I shall send you for publication. Before doing this I wish it to be seen, that I have used every proper means to induce Mr. Stuart to some explanation. Should he still decline