'What then, sir, must he believe, in order to avoid damnation?" Why he must believe that Jesus Christ is a complete Saviour.

'Well, suppose he were to believe that Jesus Christ was the complete Saviour of others; would this belief save him?' No; he must believe that Christ Jesus is his complete Saviour; every individual must believe for himself that Jesus Christ is his complete Saviour. 'Why, sir, is Jesus Christ the Saviour of any unbeliever?' No, madam.

'Why, then, should any unbeliever believe that Jesus Christ is his Saviour, if he be not his Saviour?' I say he is not the Saviour of any one, until he believes.

'Then, if Jesus be not the Saviour of the unbeliever until he believes, the unbeliever is called upon to believe a lie. It appears to me, sir, that Jesus is the complete Saviour of unbelievers; and that unbelievers are called upon to believe the truth; and that, by believing they are saved, in their own apprehension, saved from all those dreadful fears, which are consequent upon a state of conscious condemna. tion.' No, madam; you are dreadfully, I trust not fatally, misled. Jesus never was, nor never will be, the Saviour of any unbeliever. 'Do you think Jesus is your Saviour, sir?' I hope he is. 'Were you always a believer, sir?' No, madam.

'Then you were once an unbeliever; that is, you once believed that Jesus Christ was not your Saviour. Now, as you say he never was, nor never will be, the Saviour of any unbeliever, as you were once an unbeliever, he never can be your Saviour.' He never was my Saviour till I believed.

'Did he never die for you, till you believed, sir?' Here I was extremely embarrassed, and most devoutly wished myself out of her habitation; I sighed bitterly, expressed deep commiseration for those souls, who had nothing but head-knowledge; drew out my watch, discovered it was late; and, recollecting an engagement, observed it was time to take leave.”—Life of Murray, chap. iv.

INTERESTING INCIDENT.

Universalists have frequently had occasion to remark, that if men would reason in reference to the Divine economy, as they reason concerning other matters, they would discard many of the false notions which have a tendency to perplex and distress their minds, and consequently to create much unhappiness in human society. This observation was specially induced by some remarks of the preacher,

on page 17; and the following incident is introduced for the farther edification of the reader. It occurs in an account of Mr. Ballou's journey from Boston to Watertown, N. Y. in 1824:

"The day after, a widow, belonging to Pittsfield, Mass. entered the stage in that town to go to Denmark, in the state of New York, to visit her young son, whom she had not seen for six years, who is now about fifteen. This lady, I found to be quite orthodox in her views, and quite disposed to question me concerning mine. At the inn in Albany, where the stage put up, we had some very serious conversation on the subject of the ignorance and unbelief of men. Her queries respecting this subject were directed in the usual way, and were designed to prove that in consequence of unbelief in the Saviour, the sinner is exposed to be cast off without mercy. Having noticed in this lady an anxious desire to find her child, and perceiving that her affections were tender towards her fatherless son, I thought proper to try to open her eyes by the means of appealing to her maternal affections. Madam, do you think that your son will know you? She with manifest emotion replied; “It is so long since he saw me, that I do not think he will." And should you find that he has so forgotten you as not to recognize your person and countenance, do you think he would be in danger, on that account, of losing your favour? Tears started in her eyes, and the weight of the question was sensibly manifest. She replied in the softest accents in the negative. Well, madam, should you find that your son has forgotten your countenance, and should you inform him of the fact of which you should find him ignorant, and yet he should not believe, should you then feel unkindly toward your son? She fully appreciated the question, and still answered in the negative. I then called her attention to that remarkable passage in the 49th of Isaiah, in which the Divine loving kindness is recommended to exceed the compassions of the mother to her tender offspring. She signified her satisfaction, and gave me to understand that the argument had reached its object."-Univ. Mag. vol. vi. p. 93.

REASONS FOR PREACHING THE TRUTH.

In Sermon III., page 49, the preacher mentions the fact, that some grave divines declare they would not preach Universalism, even if they believed it! Many persons have been disposed to inquire, "What use is there in preaching, if all mankind are eventually to be

saved?" To answer said inquiry, the following article from Mr. Ballou's pen is introduced :+-

"We have been often asked, why we preach the doctrine we profess, as this doctrine maintains that our Creator has made the eternal state secure to all men, and that the happiness of that state rests on the Divine favour, and not on any belief which we may exercise in this life? No doubt it seems unaccountable to our opposers, that we should argue so much, preach so much, and write and publish so much, when after all we do not pretend that our eternal state of happiness depends on these exertions. They do not see why, allow ing our doctrine true, it would not be good policy to say nothing about it. Then we might enjoy the esteem of the pious of all denominations, and be regarded by the religious community, avoid all the censure which is now put upon us, and still enjoy our own opi nions in silence.

Now that our conduct in this case is not so unaccountable as our opposers seem to think, a few remarks will evidently show.

Suppose my acquaintance with my earthly father to be such, as to give me the most favourable opinion of his whole character, so that I view him as one of the best of husbands; one of the most provident and kind fathers; a man of uprightness in all his conduct, against whom nothing in truth can be spoken. Suppose, under these circumstances, being full of love and reverence of my father, I hear him evilly spoken of, and that too by those who profess to be acquainted with him; yea, by those to whom people in general look for infor mation, and on whose testimony the most of people are disposed to place confidence. They go so far in their evil speaking as to repre. sent the parent whom I love, as guilty of acts of injustice and cruelty which deny him the smallest share of humanity. What am I to do in this case? I have ample proof in my hands to stop the mouths of these evil reporters, and I can do it effectually. Besure I must exert myself in the use of the means which are at my disposal, and I shall, no doubt, incur the displeasure of my father's traducers; all this is of course to be expected. But here I am told, that almost all the people, composing community at large, are really of the opinion of those who thus speak evil of my father; and that, even if I know all these reports to be false, I had better say nothing about the matter, as it will only bring me into discredit. Suppose I should be weak enough to hesitate, and even shrink from the defence of my venerable father's character, should I not feel ashamed of myself? What could be more base in me than silence and inaction?

Look again and see how such a case would be aggravated by cir cumstances. My father told me, that these traducers would speak evil

of him, and on this very account put into my possession every kind of evidence, which is necessary to refute all those evil reports; and charged me, by the dear relation in which we stand to each other, and by the love which we have reciprocated, to be faithful in the defence of his character. Shall I be silent? Shall I be afraid that those who despise my father will also despise me? Shall I purchase their smiles at the expense of a character which is dearer than life? -What would it avail to urge in this case, that almost every one in community would be against me? Is not this circumstance my justification? Surely; for if people did not believe the false reports, before mentioned, there would be no need of disproving them.

But this subject admits of argument still more forcible. Suppose those who speak evil of my father are my brethren, and his own be. loved children; and suppose furthermore, that all who are deceived by this evil speaking are so likewise. We now have the whole diffi. culty in one family. My brethren are deceived concerning our father's character and conduct. He has never done those base things which they think he has. But they really believe these errors, and are tormented day and night with fear that they and their children will fall under the dreadful scourge of our father's wrath! Now as I know that all their notions are false, and that it is a fact that the whole family are abundantly provided for, day by day, by the kindness and love of our father, can I, under these circumstances, be justified in not making even an effort to convince them of their errors? Here we see that the honour of our father, the comfort and happiness of all the children, the cause of truth and justice, all unite in calling on me to open the evidences, which our father has put into my hands for this purpose, to give the knowledge of the truth to those who need it."-Univ. Mag. vol. ix. p. 26.

INDUCEMENTS TO HOLINESS.

The following considerations on this important subject, are taken from the Universalist Magazine, vol. i. p. 7.

"For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand: I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness."-PSALM lxxxiv. 10. Here is an acknowledgment of something known by experience. This humble, ardent votary of divine worship knew very well the business and amusements of life. No doubt he had learned by actual experience the great anxiety of worldly concerns, and the empty vanities of the fashions and amuse

ments which engaged the minds of the giddy multitude. These un. certain, versatile things come short of giving the noble, the intellec tual offspring of God that satisfaction and enjoyment which the reasonable soul requires. But in the devotions of the house of God, and in the solemn services of the holy sanctuary, the rational mind had, by happy experience, found that real, substantial enjoyment which is here acknowledged in such highly comparative terms.One day is better than a thousand;-and the lowest service in the house of God is rather to be chosen, than the best accommodations that wickedness can afford. This is genuine religion. Its meanest services are preferable to the most honourable employment of sin.False views of religion are widely different from this very just repre sentation. We are often exhorted to get religion, to practice religion, and to endeavour to promote its cause among men, not because it is rather to be chosen for its own virtue in preference to irreligion, but because the Divine Being has seen fit to promise a vast reward for its services in the future, eternal state. While on the contrary he has determined to punish everlastingly those who are not religious in this life. In arguing against the blessed and glorious doctrine of God's universal goodness to mankind, the opposer often contends that this doctrine strikes at the very vitals of piety and devotion; for "if the irreligious in this world are to share the Divine favour in the next, then there is no necessity of being pious, or religious in this world. Men may just as well live in sin, and commit every abomi nation as to break off their sins by righteousness, and their wicked. ness by repentance and reformation of life." They often enlarge greatly on this theme, and endeavour to surprise their hearers with the character of this wicked, dangerous doctrine of Universalism, which denies the necessity of repentance, of faith in Christ, of regeneration, and even of good works; which sets at naught the duties of religion and of devotion, and holds that men, even all men, can go to heaven in their sins!

These disputants, we think, do not understand the doctrine which they endeavour to oppose, nor do they understand the nature of true piety and devotion to God, and religion. That is, they have not the views of piety and devotion which are expressed in our text. For the opinion which they hold forth is, that if all men are to fare alike in the eternal world, and are there to enjoy the favour of God, it is best to live in all manner of sin while we continue here. But the author of our text said, "A day in thy courts is better than a thou sand: I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness." Now if one day in the service of God is better than a thousand days spent in sin, how much would a