-surance from divine live again, that the we shall be broken, and put on incorruption, put on immortality,' terest and importance mselves on our minds. nin eternity? Will blessing, or an unI be happy, or tate of being? are have presented and of each of my all important to obtain satisfacwhere shall we what source of The arguments butes of God, so our limited cain former dise found them all aless sin and sufferit of reason, nor the of Deity, can give us beyond the present, hem cannot be end. As it is only revelation which the scriptures, that we Ige of a future existence; tion alone we must apply ith respect to the nature of d whether it will be happy or

SERMON III

THE DOCTRINE UNSCRIPTURAL.

ISA. VIII: 20.— To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.'

Of all the subjects which have ever engaged the attention of mankind, that of a future and eternal state of existence is altogether the most interesting and important. Early in life, even in the happy days of youth, we learn this solemn truth, we must die; and such is our innate love of existence, that the question, shall I live again ? presses itself with a resistless energy on our minds. In attempting to answer this question, all the lights and resources of reason, science, and philosophy have been explored and exhausted; and they have all failed of giving an answer which can satisfy the enquiring mind, or impart to man a hope beyond the grave. Nor was it until the introduction of the gospel of Christ, through which life and immortality were brought to light, and illustrated by the resurrection of him who is the head of every man,' that this question, so fraught with unutterable interest to every son and daughter of humanity, received a satisfactory answer.

After receiving an assurance from divine revelation that we shall live again,-that the silent slumber of the grave shall be broken, and that this 'corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality,' other questions, of equal interest and importance with the former, urge themselves on our minds. What will be my condition in eternity? Will my eternal existence be a blessing, or an unending curse to me? Shall I be happy, or shall I be wretched in that state of being? are questions which, I doubt not, have presented themselves forcibly to the mind of each of my respected hearers; and it is all important to our peace and happiness that we obtain satisfactory answers to them. But where shall we seek for such answers? To what source of information shall we apply? The arguments drawn from reason and the attributes of God, so far as they can be understood by our limited capacities, have been considered in former discourses; and although we have found them all opposed to the doctrine of endless sin and suffering, yet as neither the light of reason, nor the acknowledged perfections of Deity, can give us an assurance of an existence beyond the present, arguments deducible from them cannot be entirely satisfactory to the mind. As it is only through the medium of that revelation which God has given to us in the scriptures, that we can obtain any knowledge of a future existence; so it is to this revelation alone we must apply for information with respect to the nature of that existence, and whether it will be happy or miserable.

But here a difficulty of considerable magnitude arises. From almost the earliest period of Christianity, succeeding the apostolic age, different opinions have existed respecting what the scriptures teach on this point. While some have believed the final salvation of all men to be revealed in the bible, others have supposed that the endless punishment of a part of the human family is there taught. Tertulian, a presbyter of Carthage, about the commencement of the third century, is supposed to be the first who asserted the proper eternity of hell torments; and his disposition appears to have been in perfect accordance with this cruel sentiment; for he declares that he should laugh, he should rejoice, and exult, in beholding the endless burnings and torments of the pagan kings, philosophers and poets.

During the succeeding two or three hundred years, both sentiments prevailed in the Church; both amongst those who were considered orthodox, and those sects who were termed heretics; and from the fragments of writings which have come down to us from that period, it does not appear that these different opinions caused any difficulty in the churches; as neither party ever brought the opinions of the other on this point as an accusation against them. But from this time, when the church became intoxicated with power, and when the clergy appeared to vie with each other in the introduction of additional creeds, ceremonies, and corruptions of the pure principles of the gospel, the glorious doctrine of universal and impartial grace began to decline;

until, at the fifth general Council, holden at Constantinople in the year 553, it was formally condemned, and the writings of those eminent Fathers who had embraced it were destroyed. From this period to the time of the reformation which was commenced by Luther and others in the early parts of the sixteenth century, a period which has justly been termed the dark ages of the Church, the darker doctrine of endless unmerciful punishment almost universally prevailed; and even at this time by far the greatest portion of professing Christians believe, or profess to believe, this gloomy sentiment.

But men are beginning to throw off the shackles with which they have so long been bound, and to examine and think for themselves. They are beginning to ascertain that they are capable of understanding what God has revealed to them. in the scriptures, and of drawing forth the treasures of divine truth from his written word; and we hazard nothing in asserting, that the more the record of God is examined, and the better it is understood, the more clearly it will appear that the doctrine of endless punishment has no foundation in the scriptures of unerring truth. Why else are the believers in this sentiment abandoning one after another of the principles they have so long advocated? Why giving up so many passages of scripture which they have formerly urged in support of the doctrine? We can account for these obvious facts on no other ground, than that the increased investigations of the present age, throwing additional light on divine revelation, have already produced such