rewards. As these promises are to the righteous only, they are of course conditional promises. Listen to the following promise: 'Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my name's sake; rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven." Matt. 5: 11, 12.

Here is the language of the faithful and true Witness.He addressed this sweet promise to his disciples. They were to suffer much from the persecutions of wicked mer in this world. Christ sought to strengthen and comfort them, by pointing them, not to the retributive providence of each fleeting day-not to the far-famed destruction of Jerusalem for their reward; but to heaven. Great is your

reward,' not in this world, where you are reviled and persecuted-not at Jerusalem, when the Roman soldiery shall butcher your kindred and desolate your possessions-but IN HEAVEN. Will you fly in the face of the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and say that the righteous will not be rewarded in heaven for their labors and sufferings in the cause of Christ? Do it if you dare. If you give the direct lie to Jesus, you do it at your own peril. Perhaps you will say, that this passage is capable of some explanation consistent with your views. I have read many Universalist books, and heard many Universalist sermons, but I have never known them to attempt to explain this passage. It is formidable. It is mighty. It may be explained away, but depend upon it, it will not stay explained. In spite of argument, specious objections, and Universalist prejudices,it will forever teach that great is the reward of the righteous in heaven. Perhaps you think heaven is in this world.Your system requires this, in order to get along with several passages in the New Testament. Universalism, if consistent with itself, knows neither a heaven nor a hell in the world to conie. To admit either, is a concession fatal to the 'blessed doctrine.' One can be explained away as well as the other. The Bible reveals no more clearly a heaven for the righteous, than it does a hell for the wicked. Knowing that rewards for the righteous in the world to

come, imply punishments for the wicked, negative or positive, Universalists are in the habit of sneering at the thought, and ridiculing the idea of rewards in heaven for our poor, imperfect services in the cause of God. They tell us, that we cannot benefit or injure God by any of our works;-that He is unaffected by any thing we can do that eternal life is not a reward, but a gift-a free, unmerited gift, &c.— The premises here are correct, but the conclusion is illegitimate. God is infinitely above us, and his throne stands unaffected by our obedience or rebellion. But this High, Holy, Inmutable God, condescends to men of low estatedwells in the broken and contrite heart, and rewards holy submission to his will with his peculiar favor. The reward is not a REWARD OF MERIT, but a REWARD OF GRACE, or favor. It is so in this world. No benefit received in this world, by virtue of our obedience, is merited. Every blessing is a gift—and if a reward, a reward of grace. Think of these things till you hear from me again.

Yours, as ever.

My Dear Sir:

LETTER XV.

You will admit that every argument favoring the idea, that the righteous will be rewarded in the world to come, implies punishment for the wicked. There are many passages in the Bible, which to my mind, as clearly promise rewards of grace to the righteous, as language can express the idea; some of these passages your preachers and authors have attempted to explain away, but have utterly failed.— Let us look at some of these important texts. Read for instance, 2 Cor. 4: 17, 18. For our light afflictions, which are but for a moment, work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we look not at the things hich are seen, but at the things which are unseen; for the

things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Here the afflictions of the righteous, such as they sometimes experience in this world, are said to be but for a moment, and work for them, not temporal, transient rewards, but an eternal weight of glory. Human language can express no more. Do you say these rewards are experienced in time that they are temporal? Here you contradict the Apostle. He says they look (for their reward) not to things seen which are temporal, but at things which are not now seen, but ‘are eternal.' What can Universalism do with this passage? If you explain it away, it will not, it cannot stay explained. While the Bible lives, it will be to all the afflicted followers of the Lamb, a solace and comfort, a pledge that righteous sufferings in this world shall be rewarded with an eternal weight of glory.'

There are many passages of similar import. Read Rom. 8: 17, 18. 'If children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together; for I reckon that the sufferings of this present time, are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.' Here those who suffer with Christ, that is, in his cause, have a promise that they shall be glorified with their Savior. This implies a radical distinction in the future condition of those. who suffer with and for Christ, and those who madly inflict these sufferings. The sufferings of the righteous here, when persecuted by the enemies of God, though in themselves painful and severe, the Apostle regards as momemtary, temporal and too light to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in them. The same sentiment is clearly taught in yet another form, in 2 Tim. 2: 11, 12.— It is a faithful saying; for if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him; if we suffer, we shall also reign with him, if we deny him, he will also deny us.'

Here it is manifest, that the apostle gives us a conditional promise. Our future reign with the Lord is promised upon the condition that 'we be dead with him,'-'that we

suffer' with him. Not to be dead to sin with Christ is to deny him, and in such a case he threatens he will deny us.

Again, I cannot adopt your system, because I find in the Bible a class of texts, which speak of the blessings of the heavenly world, as a reward of grace for deeds of piety and benevolence. I will give a specimen. Take the case of the young man who came to Christ with this inquiry, 'Good master, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life? Now if Christ had been a Universalist preacher. what a convenient opportunity he had here to teach that doctrine? He would naturally have said to the young man, "You labor under a great mistake in supposing that you can do any thing to secure or endanger your eternal life. The blessing of eternal life, is the gift of God, and will be bestowed upon all men, without regard to previous character.' This is the way a modern Universalist would have answered his inquiry. But how did our blessed Lord answer him? After testing his self-righteousness a little, in order to bring out this feature of his character, he said: "If thou wilt be perfect, go sell that thou hast and give to the poor; and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come and follow me.' Matt. 19: 21.

Here the Savior required that the young man should give up his supreme selfishness, consecrate himself and his possessions to the cause of Christ, in order to secure a treasure in heaven. Universalist preachers never teach on this wise. Again, we hear our Lord on a certain occasion, when at the table of a Pharisee, whose creed embraced the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead, of the just and unjust, in their distinctive characters, discoursing on this wise:

When thou makest a dinner or supper, call not thy friends nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen nor thy rich neighbors; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee; but when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee, for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.'

Can words teach the doctrine of future rewards more

plainly? Who was the speaker? The Faithful and True Witness. To whom did he speak? To one of the Pharisees a sect who believed that the righteous and wicked would have a distinct resurrection. Whom was he not to invite to his dinners and suppers? His rich neighbors and kinsmen. Why not? Because they would make a similar entertainment, and thus recompense be made to him in this world. Whom was he to invite? The poor, blind, and wretched. Why? Because they cannot reward him. This would be an act of benevolence. But shall benevolence lose its reward? By no means. It shall be rewarded at the resurrection of the just. What can Universalism do with this text? Explain it away. But will it stay explained away? Let us see. An explanation has been attempted by Thomas Whittemore, the Editor of the Trumpet. It is perhaps the best the system is capable of. It is expressed as follows:

*

'Jesus was directing them when they made feasts to be careful not to forget the poor; called the poor, the lame, the blind.'. He anticipates the objections of the Pharisees, who would say, but if I do this, how shall I be recompensed? He assures them that they should not lose their recompense; for although the poor would not recompense them, yet when the poor were raised (this is the resurrection of the just) from inactivity to action, from obscurity to eminence, or returned to such a state after an interruption, then they should be recompensed.'

Look at this ridiculous attempt to get rid of one of the simplest and plainest texts in the Bible. It makes Christ utter nonsense, and contradict himself. In plain English, it makes Christ address the Pharisees thus:

'Give not to the rich. Why not? Because they can and will repay. But give to the poor. Why? Because they will soon rise, if they are righteous, from obscurity to eminence, from inactivity to action, from poverty to wealth, and then they will repay you.' That is, give not to the rich, for they will repay you, but give to the righteous poor, because they will become rich and repay you. Did