Add to this the weight of evidence in our favor, who that is under the influence of correct views can hesitate? Let any one take the book of God-read it impartially-bow down before the Father of spirits and ask divine illumination; then lay his hand upon his heart, and decide this awfully momentous question, as he expects to give an account to the Judge of all, and see which side the scale will preponderate.

Though the poisionous weed of universalism has flour ished more or less, since it was transplanted from heathen to christian soil, by the heterodox Origin, the plow of truth will finally root it out. "Truth is mighty and must prevail." The church is fast verging toward that glorious period when the corrupt dogmas of men will be dissipated by the glories of gospel truth, like the fog before the rising sun! Oh! come the day, when every ref uge of lies shall be swept away, like the baseless fabric of a vision, and leave not a wreck behind! When the watchmen of Zion shall see eye to eye: when truth shall appear in her native loveliness; & the church shall shine forth with refulgent glory, and become the praise of the whole earth.

APPENDIE.

In this article we shall take a brief view of the opinion of the earliest christian writers on the subject of future punishment.

CLEMENS ROMANUS says: " If we do not the will of Christ, nothing will deliver us from eternal punishment." BARNABAS says: "The way of darkness is crooked, and full of cursing. For it is the way of eternal death, with punishment."

JUSTIN MARTYR says: "The punishment of the damned, is endless punishment, and torment in eternal fire."

In THEOPHILUS, it is" eternal punishment.”

IRENIUS in his symbol of faith, makes this one article, that Christ would send the ungodly and unjust into everlasting fire."

TERTULLIAN says: "All men are appointed to eternal torments or refreshments. And if any man,” saith he" think that the wicked are to be consumed, and not punished, let him remember, that hell-fire is stiled eternal, because designed for eternal punishment," & thence concludes; their substance will remain forever, whose punishment doth so."

ST. CYPRIAN says: "The souls of the wicked are kept with their bodies to be grieved with endless torments."

Lastly, ORIGIN records this among the doctrines of the church That every soul, when it goes out of this world, shall either enjoy the inheritance of eternal life & bliss, if its deeds have rendered it fit for life, or it is to be delivered up to eternal fire and punishment, if its sins have deserved that state."

Though Origin gives the above as the doctrine of the church, he took up a different sentiment himself. For in some of his works he advocates the doctrine of restoration from hell. This great man was led estray by his fondness for the Platonic philosophy; the doctrines of which he endeavored to incorporate with the Christian system,

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Plato in the conclusion of his Phædo introduces Sock rates, in one of his most serious discourses just before his death, talking after the manner of the poets of Tartaruss, &c. That some, after having gone through various punishments, shall be purged and absolved, and after certain periods, shall be freed from their punishment."" (See Leelands Advantages and Necessity of the christian revelation.)

Dr. Mosheim speaking of the doctrine of the church in the third century says: "The christian doctors who had applied themselves to the study of letters and philosophy soon abandoned the frequented paths, and struck out into the devious wilds of fancy. Origin was at the head of this speculative tribe. This great man enchanted by the charms of the platonic philosophy, set it up as the test of all religion; and imagined that the reasons of each doctrine were to be found in that favorite philosophy, and their nature and extent to be determined by it." (See Mosheim's Ecclesiastical History, Vol. I, P. 214.)

Again: "Origin in his Stromata, Book x. expresses himself in the following manner: the source of many evils lies in adhering to the carnal or external part of scripture. Let us therefore seek after the spirit and substantial fruit of the word, which are hidden and mysterious." And again; the scriptures are of little use to those who understand them as they are written.' One would think it impossible that such expressions should drop from the pen of a wise man. But the philosophy, which this great man embraced with such zeal, was one of the sources of his delusion. He could not find in the bible the opinions he had adopted, as long as he interpreted that sacred book according to its literal sense. But Plato, Aristotle, Zeno, and indeed the whole philosophical tribe, could not fail to obtain, for their sentiments, a place in the gospel, when it was interpreted by the wanton inventions of fancy, and upon the supposition of a hidden sense, to which it was possible to give all sorts of forms. Hence all who desired to model christianity according to their fancy, or their favorite system of philosophy, embraced Origin's method of interpreta tion." (Ibid. P. 218. Note.)

Mr. Milner says: "There is no doubt, but, in a certain Sense, Origin's success was great; but I much fear that

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in return, the pure gospel suffered greatly by an admixture of gentilism." (See Milner's History of the church, Vol. I, P. 243.)

Dr. Howeis says: "Indeed even then many of sounder principles disputed his [Origin's] platonic dogmas as heretical; and his own diocean of Alexandria in two councils deposed and degraded him from the priesthood for false doctrines." (See Howeis' Church History, Vol. I, PP. 229 230.)

"The tenets of Origin which gave the most offence, were the following: 1. That in the Trinity, the Father is greater than the Son, and the Son than the Holy Ghost, 2. The pre-existence of souls, which Origin considered as sent into mortal bodies for the punishment of sins committed in a former state of being. 3. That the soul of Christ was united to the word before the incarnation.4. That the Sun, Moon, and Stars, &c., were animated and endowed with rational souls. 5. That after the resurrection all bodies will be of a round figure. 6. That the torments of the damned will have an end; and that as Christ had been crucified in this world to save mankind, he is to be crucified in the next to save the devils." (Mosheim's Ecclesiastical History, Vol. I, P. 427. Note.)

We will close our list of extracts, with one which will not only go to confirm what is asserted in the above, with regard to the origin of the doctrine of a hell purgatory, but will show the use which was subsequently made of it. Dr. Ree says: “ This doctrine of purgatory, which some derive from the platonism of Origin, the montanism of Tertullian, pretended visions, and pagan stories-rhetorical flourishes, and doubtful expressions of the latter fathers, and in which we may discern an obvious resemblance to the famous pagan doctrine, concerning the purification of departed souls by means of a certain kind of fire, was partly introduced at last in the spirit of it, towards the close of the fifth century, and by Gregory the great in the sixth century, but it was not, however, positively affirmed till about the year 1140, nor made an article of faith till the council of Trent." (Ree's New Cyclodpæia upon the word purgatory.)

The above extracts we conceive fully justify the follow ing remarks:

1. That the doctrine of the purification of the soul by the fire of hell, originated in the heathen philosophy.

2. That it was with other heathen notions imbibed by Origin, and by him was first propagated in the church. 3. That in order to accommodate the scriptures to these peculiar notions, a plan of explanation was introduced which would accommodate them to any set of notions, tho the most inconsistent and absurd which were ever generated in a disordered imagination!*

4. That for these innovations in doctrine, Origin was censured by the constituted authorities of the church.

5. That this doctrine of purification by the fire of hell, was subsequently improved into the famous doctrine of purgatory as held by the Romish church.

6. That those who argue from the opinion of Origin, that the primitive church held to universal restoration. might, with as much force argue from his opinions, that the primitive church held the absurd notions of the preexistence of souls, that the Sun Moon and Stars were animated and endowed with rational souls, that after the resurrection all bodies will be of a round figure, and that Christ will be crucified in the other world to save the devils!-For all these notions Origin held.

But finally, we have seen from the most unequivocal testimony of the most learned and pious of the christian fathers, who flourished in the three first centuries, what was the faith of the church in its purest ages, upon the subject in question. Some of these writers were trained up by the Apostles themselves, and others by their immediate successors, and the remainder were but a very small remove from them. Their language goes most conclusively to show, that they understood the scriptures to teach the doctrine of the eternal punishment of the finally impenitent! This is strong collateral evidence in our favor. Based then, as we are, upon the word of God and the primitive church, we have nothing to fear, We may earnestly contend for this part of our faith, assured that it constitutes a part of that faith which was once delivered to the saints, and that it rests upon an immovable foundation.

*How exactly modern Universalists follow this fanciful plan of explanation, may be seen in the writings of Ballou, Kneeland, &c. &c.