most ably advocated this genuine Gospel doctrine. Many other writers of note might be mentioned, but these must suffice us here. We close this section with the following extract from Dwight's Travels in the North of Germany:

"The doctrine of the eternity of future punishments," says the learned author, "is almost universally rejected. I have seen but one person in Germany, who believed it, and but one other whose mind was wavering on the subject. Many of them acknowledge that the New Testament, seems to inculcate this doctrine, but they find it, as they say, so irreconcilable with our ideas of the infinitely benevolent Being whom God has revealed himself to be, that if they believed in His perfections, they must reject the doctrine" [of the eternity of future punishment.]

"Some of them with whom I have conversed, appear to be eminent for their piety. I have never seen any Christian, who seemed to me to have a deeper sense of the odiousness of sin in the sight of God, or whose hearts beat with a more ardent gratitude to our Saviour, for the great redemption He has made for fallen man. I know of no example of humility, greater than those exhibited by some of these gentlemen; or more elevated views of the character of God, than you discover in their conversation. So far as an opinion can be formed of them from their reputation, we must look in vain for brighter examples of piety, than they exhibit. They certainly manifest a greater spirit of love for those who differ from them, than is found in most of our sects; and they feel very unwilling to shut the gates of heaven against all those who do not believe every article of their Creed. In this charity and love, the Christians of most Protestant countries, would do well to imitate them.”*

We add, that the sincere Universalist desires to love the Lord their God with all their heart, and with all their soul, and with all their mind-and secondly, "Their neighbours as themselves." (Matt. xxii. 37, 39.)

* See Lutheran Magazine, for August, 1829. Vol. iii. pp. 157, 153.

SECTION IV.

The Doctrines and Tenets of the Church explained.

On the distinguishing doctrines and tenets of the Church, termed, "Evangelist," or the Primitive, Apostolic and Catholic Church of Trinitarian Universalists."

We are not ignorant, that there are various classes of Universalists, whose sentiments of the World's Redeemer, differ very materially from ours, others again, less materially; and we may say the same of all the numerous sects, or denominations of Partialist Believers, or those who deny the final salvation of all men, some of these, differ very materially from us on this particular doctrine, others again less materially; while upon those fundamental doctrines of the Gospel, and that are considered essential to salvation; they are found not to differ from us as to facts themselves; but only as to their modes of receiving and explaining those facts: therefore, as being bound in Christian charity, the principal trait in our Universal doctrine; as well as from a principle of unaffected sincerity in our desires and prayers for the final happiness of all men, to do to each of these sects, or denominations, the justice to believe, that they thus differ from us, on these points, from a firm conviction of the correctness and soundness of their faith: we also, from a similar conviction on our parts, and influenced by conscientious motives, reject as errors, the doctrines of those, who deny the essential divinity of the Son of God! as also those, who deny the Universality and infallible efficacy of the atonement. And holding as we do, the belief, that mankind in general, and Christians particularly, "are accountable to God alone, for their religious opinions," while we thus publicly avow our faith, as differing in several material and and important points, from that of other Christian Churches, we presume neither to censure, to judge nor to condemn them; nor would we desire of them more, than to exercise the same Christian charity toward us, and the doctrines and tenets, which we maintain, and which distinguish our Church from all the seceding Churches in Christendom.

As believers in, and adherents to, the faith of the Primitive Church, and the doctrines of the Evangelists; we agree with the Apostles, with Origen, and all those early Fathers of the Church already enumerated, and with Winchester, Relly, Murray, Chauncey and all Bible Universalists, in the essential divinity of the Son of God! whose union with the Father, and by virtue of the union subsisting between Him and the human nature entire, his righteousness will ultimately through faith, be imputed all the members of his body, which are all mankind, and so all mankind will finally be saved.* And in order to prevent a misconception of our meaning, or the misconstruction of our faith, we deem it advisable to express ourselves, more specifically with regard to our doctrines and tenets as follows:

The Doctrines of our

And first of our Doctrines. Church, are wholly and entirely Scriptural; and do not consist of detached parts, or features of Scripture doctrine; but embrace the whole and entire views of the Gospel, in its fullest authorised sense, embracing also the proper construction of them by the Disciples and Apostles of the Saviour, as set forth, in their Acts; and explained more at large in their Epistles to the first Christian Churches, and for which reason, we consider ourselves members by faith, of the Primitive, Apostolic, and Catholic, or Universal Church of Christ!

And secondly of our Tenets. The tenets of our Church may be considered under the following general heads. 1. Predestination, or Election, peculiar, special, and universal. 2. Original sin. 3. The Universality of the atonement, and its infallible efficacy. 4. Grace, free, and irresistable; and 5. Universal Redemption, as a consequence of the Universality and infallible efficacy of the atonement. And these tenets are comprehended in the following general propositions :

1. That the prescience of the Creator having foreseen, all things whatsoever, that should come to pass; in the

*See "RELLY's Union," in which the union of Christ and his Church, most ably, and indisputably supported and proved.

plenitude of his wisdom, power and holiness, united with his justice, mercy and love; did foreordain, an ample, appropriate, and infallible remedy for every possible event and contingency. And having foreseen the fall of man, and also foreknowing the infallible efficacy of the remedy; for wise purposes permitted the fall of man, with all its consequences and contingencies: That the same Almighty Prescience, also foreseeing the faith of one portion of mankind, and the stubborn unbelief of the remainder, a remedy for which being also provided, as we collect from the Scriptures of his truth; it must therefore follow as a consequence that the Predestination and Election spoken of in these Scriptures, are not of that exclusive character, in which the most part of Partialist believers accept it as an article of their religious faith; that having regard to those final purposes of God in Christ, as far as those benevolent purposes have been revealed, we believe and maintain, that the doctrine of Election and Predestination is of a threefold character.-1, Peculiar, 2. Special, and 3. Universal. 1. Peculiar, as it relates to the person and offices of Christ; who, we consider to be the chosen or Elect property, from among the essential properties of God; as the operative and manifesting principle, for the creation, preservation, and final salvation of all men.* 2. Special, as it relates to the chosen ambassadors of God, the Prophets, Apostles, Evangelists, &c.t who are to be Kings and Priests to God for ever; includ ing all those believers, who remain faithful unto death, and all infants and children, who die in childish innocence. These, we believe are they, of whom St. Paul says, the living God is the special Saviour.§ The remaining portion of the human family are therefore included in that Election, which we term Universal. Christ was elected for the peculiar purposes of creation and salvation: One for the good of all, an infallible, Universal Saviour. The Prophets and Apostles were elected as am

*Matth. xii. 18, 21. Isaiah xlii. 1.

+ Ephes. iv. 11. 1 Corinth. xii. 4, 11.

‡ Matth. xix. 13, 15. § 1 Tim. iv. 10. || Rom. xi. 32.

bassadors, the first to proclaim the approaching manifestation and offices of Christ; the latter, to testify to the world, his advent, and to preach the Gospel of reconciliation to all nations, informing them, "that the grace of God which bringeth salvation to all men, hath appeared." All however, are not elected to be Kings and Prieststhere must be some subjects, so that the kingdom of Christ shall be perfect in all its departments. Hence it is, that some have been elected for the good of the whole, whose election according to the eternal purposes of God being Universal; the fulfilment of all God's promises will be manifested, and thus, will be verified those conclusive passages, contained in our first section from the seventh to the twenty-third page, inclusively.

That

2. That as a consequence of the fall of our first parents, the human nature became in some degree estranged from its Maker, losing the perfection of that image in which it had been created, and thus introducing sin into the world; and by sin, death, temporal and spiritual: thereby entailing upon all their posterity, the moral imperfections of their fallen nature, which has led to that depravity of judgment, which is more and more distinctly seen by a retrospective view; the farther we recede from the habits and vices of civilized man, to those of the more and more savage, barbarous, and uncivilized. another consequence of this fall, was the utter incapability of the human nature, thus demoralized, to atone for its transgression, and to recover the perfection of that divine image which it had lost. That this incapacity rendered the human nature subject to eternal death; and which must inevitably have been the final consequence of original sin; and the actual transgressions resulting from the moral imperfection to which sin had reduced the human nature; had not the prescience of God foreseen, and his mercy and love provided, an ample, appropriate and infallible remedy therefor, as already expressed in the foregoing proposition.

3. That as nothing inferior to God can create, so neither can any being inferior to God destroy the soul of