founded upon a mis-construction of its language, and hence, must be given up.

SECTION XI.

Isa. lvii. 16. For I will not contend forever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me and the souls which I have made.

Sam. iii. 31-3. For the Lord will not cast off forever: but tho' he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies; for he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of

men.

Dr. Clark informs us that the first of these passages has given the learned great trouble,-that on the latter part of the verse they have taken great pains to little purpose. It is quite likely: As it would be a difficult task to reconcile such declarations with the shamefully inconsistent idea that God will glory in the absolute ruin of nine tenths of his intelligent creatures! Partialists might as well attempt to prove the transmigration of souls from these texts, as to attempt to harmonize them with endless misery! They teach a different doctrine altogether, and are sustained by a "cloud of witnesses" equally explicit.

Do you understand

I WILL NOT CONTEND FOREVER! this language, reader; and do you believe it? If you believe Jehovah, you must: And so believing, you cannot consistently believe the contrary. God and endless misery connot both be true. If God is true that doctrine is false: for it is built upon the endless contention of God and his creatures. Moreover, it is as abso

lute an impossibility as it is for God to lie: and God himself furnishes the reason: For the spirit should FAIL before me, and the sOULS which I have made!

Hence endless punishment is IMPOSSIBLE. This Partialists admit-tho' unwittingly-when they argue, that the action of sin and remorse upon the conscience renders it insensible to suffering.-The perpetual action of pain also, whether of a physical or mental character, inevitably tends to destroy the subject on which it acts. Unless God, therefore, employs his power in the production of an endless miracle, endles misery is impossible and this the text affirms he will not do!

God may

But in

Jeremiah takes the same view of the case as does the prophet Isaiah. The reason, however, which he assigns why God will not cast off forever, is predicated upon the Divine benevolence; to wit: "But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies; for he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men." punish severely, yet will he have compassion. the name of heaven, what compassion is there in endless punishment-endless suffering and immortal agonies? Tell me, ye priests of Partialism! are the multitude of God's mercies manifest in the infliction of ceaseless torture in your fabled hell of eternal wrath! "Go teach as well, of holy truth from falsehood born!" When you can persuade the reasoning mind to believe it, we may exclaim with the poet :

"Judgment has fled to brutish beasts,

And men have lost their reasons!"

But never, while common sense holds the mastery of the mind, and the Bible is reverenced as the word of God, will enlightened judgment consent to so gross a

violation of philosophy and language.

The multitude

of God's mercies are infinite, and they surround the unfortunate transgressor as a wall of fire, and insure his final salvation. God takes no pleasure in the infliction of punishment; his punishments are all directed to a benevolent end.

Others of the Scriptu re writers are witnesses to the same facts. Says another of the Prophets: "Who is God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgressions of the remnant of his heritage ?He retaineth not his anger forever, because he delighteth in mercy; he will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depth of the sea." Mich. vii. 18, 19. David adds his testimony to the same effect The Lord is merciful, and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy; he WILL NOT always chide, NEITHER Will he retain his anger forever." Ps. ciii. 8, 9. And yet again: If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgment; if they break my statutes and keep not my commandments; then will I visit their transgressions with the rod, and their iniquity with strips; nevertheless, my loving kindness I WILL NOT utterly take from him, nor cause my faithfulness to fail." Ps. lxxxix. 30-33. Partialists have nothing in all the Bible, which after all their mystification and darkening of testimony, is one half as explicit in favor of the utter and endless ruin of a portion of God's creatures, as are these few testimonies that God will not willingly afflict! And yet, it is impudently said that the Bible teaches the endless misery of the wicked. Believe it ye who can. If the veracity of the Almighty

can be depended on, a greater falsehood was never con

cocted!

OBJECTIONS.

1. "When the prophet Isaiah testifies that the Lord will not contend forever, he refers to those who are chastised, and who are thereby led to reformation; and not at all to the wicked, who "wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." He refers to those latter characters in the following verses, in contrast with those with whom the Lord would not contend forever. But [says he showing the contrast,] the wicked are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace to the wicked, saith my God! [verses 20, 21.] If a man lives wicked all his life, he has no, peace. If he should die, and go into eternity wicked, still he has no peace!"

ANS: "Vanity of vanities saith the preacher," and he saith truly. Mr. Hall, with the amazing vanity which characterizes all Partialists, appropriates all such declarations of amity and good will as the texts, and the testimonies above quoted, to we righteous, and us Saints! According to his notion, if God ever succeeds in working his face into a smile, it is all for the comfort of a set of vain-glorious, self-righteous vagabonds, who, if they received their just dues on earth at the hands of their fellow citizens, would better appreciate the truth that the way of the transgressor is hard: It is very doubtful however, if the popular notions of Deity be correct, if he ever does smile. He is angry with the wicked every day; is governed by attributes of wrath, rage, hatred, jealousy, fury, all of which are brought out in full force against the sinner; so that if his countenance wear even the semblance of benignity,

1

it can only serve to make more visible the frowns of wrath and vengeance! As the majority-we sinners, have some what of an interest in this matter, we will see what can be done in this particular case in the way of reserving to ourselves a small modicum of the great and precious promises.

In the first place, then, we object to our author's disposal of the text, because originally it was addressed to sinners; i. e., to the Jews in Babylon. See Barnes. And second, it can only be addressed to sinners, because none others will God cast off! And third, there appears to have been a reference to the heathen notion of that day, that God would cast off eternallynot only in this world, but in the world to come ;-and hence the Hebrew "mishamoth," says Dr. Clarke, signifies "the immortal spirits." Mishamoth, is the word in the text translated souls-God will not contend forever with the souls which he has made! This is confirmed by the fact that "ruach," the word translated spirit, means the animal life. God will not contend forever, because not only would the animal life fail, but also the soul! To attempt, therefore, to foist in a distinction that is not recognized by the text nor by the context, is altogether gratuitous and not allowable.

Moreover, our author is against himself. He says the text does not refer to the wicked of whom it is said they have no peuce. It appears then, Mr. Hall believes "there is no peace to the wicked." But is it so? Can his word be depended on? Is it not mere pretention for the base purpose of carrying a false position? We would not judge Mr. Hall harshly, but here is his own emphatic DENIAL that there is no peace to the wicked, and those who think him an honest man may make the