ters, whom thou hast born unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them (idols) to be devoured.” This has been done in the antichristian church, by that doctrine which consigns little children to everlasting torment for the glory of that idol god, who delights in such cruelty. Every soul that believes this doctrine is tormented day and night. If they have children how are their souls tormented with the fearful apprehension of their everlasting destruction?

Murderers are the fourth class. "He that loveth not his brother is a murderer." And that antichristian doctrine which teaches that God hates his creatures has caused men to hate one another, and to put thousands to death. This murderous, persecuting spirit is a perpetual fire, and torments every soul that possesses it.

Whoremongers are the 5th class. These are those who get their living by means of spiritual adultery, under the direction of the mother of harlots. These are unclean birds. Isaiah calls them Owls, Satires, Ravens, &c. He says; "There shall the great Owl make her nest, and lay and hatch, and gather under her shadow." This is an unclean bird that is afraid of the light.

Sorcerers are the sixth character. These are famous for their wisdom, and very deep understanding in dark mysterious matters. They know every thing about another world; and in their own conceit, or pretensions can inform people concerning what they call heaven and hell. These are a torment to themselves.

Idolaters form the seventh class. These are all who worship the false god, who sits in the temple of God, showing himself to be God.

Liars are mentioned last. The author of our text, has given a description of a liar. He says; "Who is a liar, but he who denieth that Jesus is the Christ; he is antichrist that denieth the Father and the Son."

These worshippers of the beast are the dead, small and great, which John saw stand before God; who were judged out of those things which were written in

the books, which are the doctrines of men, according to their works. They had received the mark and name of the beast, therefore their names were not in the Lamb's book, or doctrine of life. These were cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

The hearer is requested to observe that the arguments to which we have attended, go to prove that the false doctrines of antichrist constitute the second death, and the lake of fire and brimstone, and that these doctrines perpetually torment them who believe them. Our reasoning disallows the continuance of this torment after those doctrines of antichrist shall be discontinued. The worshippers of the beast will be tormented as long as they worship him; but he had power given him to continue only forty and two months. The hearer is likewise requested to observe, what has already been noticed, that in order to extend the second death or lake of fire and brimstone into another state of existence, we must also carry the time of the church in the wilderness, the time of the prophecying of the two witnesses, in sackcloth, and the forty and two months of the reign of the beast into a future state. All which is palpably absurd.

My brethren, this discourse will close with the following divine injunction; "Come out of her my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."

SALVATION, A DELIVERANCE FROM E

THROUGH THE MERCY OF G

2 TIMOTHY i. 9, 10.

Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began:-But it is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

OUR first inquiry will be directed to ascertain what the Apostle means by the word saved. With a view to bring this subject to the understanding of the hearer, in as plain and as profitable a manner as possible, we shall attempt in the first place to examine the common doctrine of the church respecting salvation, and in the second place bring the scripture testimony on the subject into view, that the difference between the common doctrine and the divine testimony may distinctly appear.

What we propose to examine in the first place is found in the following statement, which is here quoted from the shorter chatechism; "All mankind by the fall lost communion with God, are under his wrath and curse, and so made liable to all the miseries of this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell forever." This is the miserable state into which man fell, according to the sentiment under examination; and from which God provided means to save some, accordingly as is expressed thus; "God having out of his mere good pleasure from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, did enter into a covenant of grace to deliver them out of the state of sin and misery, and to bring them into a state of salvation by a Redeemer."

It is evident that the learned divines, who compos

ththis creed, designed to apply the doctrine of salvation in a way to save the elect from the everlasting pains of hell, more specially than to save them from the miseries of this life and from death; for it is a fact well known to all, that whoever these elected ones may be, they are subject to death as well as others, and it is generally thought that they have a larger

share of the miseries of this life.

This common doctrine of salvation may therefore be stated thus; All mankind, the elect and non-elect by the fall are under God's wrath and curse, which curse is the pains of hell after the death of the body and forever; but in conformity to a decree of God, made from all eternity, there is a Redeemer provided to save the elect from this everlasting curse.

Having now before us the doctrine of salvation as it has been held in the christian church for a long time, and as it is now held and taught to old and young, let us attempt to examine its propriety. And let this be done with all that candor which is due to all subjects of moment, and especially to this which evidently involves the character of the divine Being. Let it be done too with that charity towards the framers of this creed and towards those who now believe in it, which holds the higest rank among the christian virtues; for certain it is that this candor and charity are necessary to be kept in constant exercise, among such shortsighted, benighted creatures.

On approaching the proposition before us, the following absurdities present themselves.

1st. It is absurd to say, that those whom God elect'ed from all eternity to be saved by a Redeemer, are liable to the pains of hell forever.

2d. It appears absurd to say, that those whom God entered into a covenant to save, are under his wrath and curse, by which everlasting misery hereafter is intended.

3d. This scheme of salvation accuses the divine Being of partiality in the most direct manner. It states that all mankind are in one condition, all under God's wrath and curse, and all liable to the pains of hell for

ever; but that though all are in one condition, the scheme of salvation embraces only a part without extending the least benefit to the rest.

4th. The doctrine under examination supposes that the divine Being has condemned millions of unborn infants to the pains of hell forever, for an act which Adam and Eve committed in the garden of Eden, which certainly appears to be unjust in the extreme.

Let candor look, for one moment, at these absurdities and improprieties, and at the same time let charity kindly impute them to the imperfection of our common nature.

A body of learned divines have said after much deep study and profound deliberation, that God from all eternity elected some of the human race unto salvation by a Redeemer, and at the same time say, that these elected ones are under his curse which is the pains of hell forever in the future world. These learned doctors, who knew that the scriptures assert the impartiality of God, and who professed to believe that he is no respecter of persons, have limited his eternal mercy to but a part of mankind, and have excluded the rest from his favor forever. Notwithstanding they well knew, that it is repugnant to the law of God to condemn the innocent, and that the divine Being hath said, "the son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father," yet for one act of Adam they have condemned all mankind to a state of endless misery.

According to these tenets thousands of millions of unhappy wretches have already been sent to this hell, of which these divines speak, without ever knowing until they got there, that there ever was an Adam, or that he had sinned and involved them in this awful calamity to all eternity. How many millions of infants, of people who were educated in christian countries, have gone from this world before they were old enough to understand the horrible story framed by these divines; but much more numerous still is the number of those who were born in heathen lands and never heard of any part of the christian scriptures, much less, if possible of this antiscriptural creed.