good thing shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? From these specimens, the reader may judge of the current use of the phrases. That they refer to anything which has its end in this life, cannot be shown from the context. And as they assert the life of which they speak to be eternal or everlasting, it is incumbent on the Universalist to show cause why the everlasting does not mean everlasting. It is not enough to say that the word is sometimes figuratively applied to limited existences. It must be shown, either that it is always so applied, or that that is its current and more general use, or that there are in the cases before us reasons in the context, for departing from the general use. Neither of these has been attempted. But Mr. B. says the gospel is called "the everlasting gospel. But surely none ever thought that the gospel is to be preached to the endless ages of eternity." Yet the gospel is with much reason called everlasting, because its elementary principles, the subject matter, and its efficacy on the hearts of the redeemed are lasting as the throne of God. It is not called the gospel everlastingly preached, but the "everlasting gospel." The question returns-When everlasting life is made an attribute of a soul destined to unending existence, why are we not to understand the life as lasting as long as the soul? This life is put in contrast with perishing, spoken of as future. That whosoever believeth should not perish; but there would be no use for the mode of contingency, and the implied future, if in every sense of perishing it were already past in the moment of believing, and there were no escape from a death yet to come upon the unbelieving. And when Paul to Timothy says, Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, he was guilty of an absurdity on Mr. B.'s hypothesis. For Timothy must have already got hold of eternal life, in such a sense that it could not be regarded as a thing yet to be taken hold of by him. For in the very verse next preceding, Paul calls him a man of God. If he were then a man of God, he had spiritual life, and could with no propriety be exhorted to lay hold of what he already had. He then proceeds to direct Timothy to charge them that are rich to do good, that they be rich in good

works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate, laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. Here eternal life is spoken of as what is to be provided for by good works, laid in as a provision for the future, a thing not now in complete possession, but to be secured against the time to come.

Again, the same eternal life is represented as a boon, which will recompense the endurance of all the calamities of this life. Christ exhorted his hearers to cut off the hand or foot, or to surrender life, if need be, to secure it-told them, He that will save his life shall lose it, and he that will lose it for the gospel's sake, shall find it. But what is the encouragement held out for enduring such calamities? Even admitting that the happiness which those early christians who abandoned all, and who risked all, that a hostile world could inflict, enjoyment superior to that enjoyed by those who rejected Christ, was such as would compensate for the loss of a right eye, or for any temporal suffering short of death, yet how could any enjoyment limited to this life compensate for the loss of life? For what would it profit a man if he should gain the whole world-all the means of en joyment experienced by all the world, and surrender his life before he entered upon the enjoyment? The surrender of life would render the reward impossible. If there be no reward beyond the grave, how does he save his life who loses it?

But the parallel passage in John 12: 25. is still more in point. If he had sought to throw the idea into language the most guarded against the Universalist interpretation, he could not have done it more effectually. He that loveth his life shall lose it, and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. Here life eternal is put in contrast with life in this world. And according to the notion that eternal is something confined to this world, the passage would read-He that hateth his life in this world shall keep it, by acquiring by the loss that eternal life which is enjoyed in this world. Or in other words, he that will surrender his life shall, after he has surrendered it, come in possession of spiritual life in this world

that is, after he is dead, he shall come back and enjoy life.

But here the Universalist says that the phrase "this world" means only "this age," before the destruction of Jerusalem. Then the passage reads-He that surrenders life in this period, before the destruction of Jerusalem, shall have eternal life by living through that destruction. That is, by suffering himself to be killed before, he shall escape being killed then. But we cannot leave to Mr. B. even the comfort of such an interpretation. For the word translated world is not aion, about which Mr. B. has made the discovery that in some cases it means "age," but kosmos, the most peculiar and appropriate word for world. This interpretation then is miserably lame in every limb and joint.

Again, if these phrases mean no more than some advantages secured in this life, it is marvellous that that word eternal should be in such free and frequent use as descriptive of it. If it occurred but once or twice, the work of explaining it away would not be so hopeless. But the phrase in our translation rendered eternal life occurs twenty-seven times in the New Testament, and the phrase rendered everlasting life occurs thirteen times. Here then are forty instances in which according to Mr. B. the happiness of the believer is essentially called eternal life. Is not here at least ground for a presumption, that that spiritual life is eternal in its nature? Surely, if that word is only an expletive or empty flourish, its so frequent occurrence without a guard or explanation, must tend to mislead the reader. Should we not be expected to believe it to be eternal life, since the pen that was guided by the Holy Ghost has in forty instances called it so?

And then, what meaning has the word eternal as qualifying spiritual life, if that life be confined to this world; the Holy Ghost does not use words without a meaning. This word eternal, is fairly presumed to be used as an adjective, to express some quality of that something which Mr. B. calls spiritual life. But pray what quality? It is not duration, as abundantly appears from Mr. B.'s remarks, though the word was made to express duration. It is not spirituality, for it has no power to express that quality. Mr. B. has not attempted to

show any examples in which it is synonymous with spiritual. We have been told what it does not mean with great assurance, and now we wait to be told what it does mean-presuming that it is not used forty times without a meaning. Our author repeatedly, and with an air of triumph, remarks that the exact phrase, eternal death, is not used in the Bible. But if it had been, and had been used in forty instances, what would it avail with such an interpreter? Forty instances of the use of eternal life in every variety of forms, cannot convince him that the writers meant eternal life; and no more would as many repetitions of the phrase eternal death, satisfy him that eternal death was meant. The one could as easily be made to evaporate in the destruction of Jerusalem as the other.

I call now upon Mr. B. to show me a single truth of the Bible that is revealed with more clearness and irresistible force, than the truth that there is eternal life for the righteous beyond the grave, is revealed in those forty passages. Give me the same liberty to distort and pervert plain language, and I will engage to prove or disprove any thing,-prove that the Bible neither teaches nor intends to teach any thing. Yet this notion, that these phrases always mean a temporal good, is a main pillar in Mr. B.'s system, and I have given it a more extended notice than it would otherwise demand, that the reader may see how glaringly unsound are his main positions. And it is well to notice, how the Scriptures are here made to bend to the convenience of his system. Eternal life in a future state is not denied. But it so happens that those passages which most directly reveal the doctrine, are in such a shape as to confirm by parity of reason the doctrine of future punishment also. The witnesses testify fully and distinctly in favor of a doctrine received, but in telling their story they let out an unwelcome truth. And so they must be shoved from the stand, and the main matters of their testimony be assumed without proof. I appeal to the conscience of my Universalist readers, whether these witnesses to the salvation of men, would have been silenced-whether these texts would have been so interpreted, did not the wants of their system require it. But if

I am correct in this opinion, we have here a sickening view of the workings of perverted mind laboring to evade the truth of God. That man will deal thus with the word of God, in a matter that involves his own eternal well being, and the well being of those whose character and destinies are moulded by the influence of his pen-that immortal man should be willing to risk his salvation on such strained and flimsy evasions, is marvellous indeed. Yet the system of Universalism is constructed throughout, of materials not unlike to these.

It is essential also to Mr. B.'s system, as we have observed, that the happiness of heaven be regarded in no sense as a recompense for righteousness in this life. That there is no punishment in the future world, cannot be credited as long as it is granted that any are there rewarded for the conduct of this life. Let us then take up the position that the future condition of men is not to be affected by their conduct in this life, and bring it in brief terms to the test of scripture. Math. 5: 12. Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so persecuted they the prophets. Luke 6: 28. Rejoice ye in that day and leap for joy, for your reward is great in heaven. Math. 6: 1. Take heed that ye do not your alms before men to be seen of them, otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2 Thess. 1: 6. Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them which trouble you; and to you, who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven,- -when he shall come to be glorified in his saints and to be admired in all them which believe. 2. Tim. 2: 12. If we suffer, we shall also reign with him. 2. Tim. 4: 7. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith, henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but to all them also that love his appearing. Heb. 11: 9. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is