world being wrong, great changes, personally, socially, and morally, must take place; and God will use means both simple and powerful, adequate to accomplish the end; that HIS government may be acknowledged; the earth revert to him as the sovereign and rightful owner and His kingdom rule over all.

Hence the Church, which is composed and constituted of all the true Israel of God, who worship him in spirit and truth, should join to swell the solemn cry—

66 THY KINGDOM COME'

that Zion may travel-and God send forth judgment umto victory-which implies that competitors be removed, and that "BABYLON" must fall.

The "Morning of Life" is passed away-the evening shades are coming on apace-and soon I shall depart to that Land, from whence there is no return.

But this is my consolation-that the bloom of my life hath been devoted to the best of services, the service of the true God--which hath kept me out of many a hurtful snare: and now I feel a pleasing "hope" of a blessed immortality, predicated upon the power of FAITH---anticipating the things of God in a future WORLD.

New York, 12th May, 1814.

LORENZO DOW.

CHAIN OF LORENZO.

[TWENTY-SEVENTH EDITION.]

FTER I had found religion, I began to reflect on my experience, and perceiving that I felt a love to ALL, though I had been taught that God only loved a FEW, which he had given to his Son :* I could not reconcile the two ideas together, how my love should exceed the love of God and feeling within myself, that I stood in danger of falling into sin, and consequently into condemnation; I could not reconcile it with the common idea, that if a man once obtained religion, he was always safe, let him do what he would.

*To talk about an eternal covenant between the Father and the Son before all worlds, a bargain that Christ should have a certain number of mankind, which some call the elect, is a contradiction in terms and a piece of inconsistency. For first, a covenant is a contract made between two parties, and there cannot be a covenant without two parties.

Therefore, to say the Father and Son made a covenant, would be to adopt the idea, that there were two divinities, which would divide the Godhead, and of course argue two Gods.

But the Bible authorises us to believe in one God and no more. Again; if the Father and Son made a covenant, there was a time when they made it, and if so then there was a time before they made it, consequently it was not made from all eternity, unless you suppose eternity began at the time when they made it, which is inconsistent, because eternity implies unbeginning time.

Again, this covenant cannot be a new one if it be so old, and a new covenant of works made with Adam but six thou sand years ago, cannot be called an old one; therefore to term the oldest covenant a new one, and the newest the old one, is a piece of inconsistency, like putting the cart before the horse, and you cannot deny it.-For there is no account of such a covenant in the Bible!

This put me upon examining the scriptures for myself, and comparing past ideas there with: and on examination of the same, I could find no promise that any should be saved, but those who endured unto the end. On the other hand the Bible seemed to correspond with my feelings, that there was danger, being full of cautions; and there is no need of caution where there is no danger. The more light and knowledge a person hath, and commits a crime, the worse it must be; because he sins against the more light: therefore any sin is greater in a professor of religion, than in a non-professor, seeing he sins against the greater light.

If the sin is the greater, of course the condemnation and punishment must be proportioned; as Christ saith, he that knoweth his master's will, and doeth it not, shall be beaten with many stripes, whereas, he that knoweth not his master's will, shall be beaten with few."-Therefore, if the sinner, who never had religion, deserves to be damned for actual transgression; why not the professor, upon the principles of impartial justice.

Now it appears to me that this doctrine, once in grace, always in grace, is inseparably connected with the doctrine of particular election, and reprobation; and to deny the latter, and to hold the former, to me appears inconsistent :For if a saint cannot be punished in proportion to his conduct, then he is not accountable; and if he be not accountable, then not rewardable; and if neither rewardable nor punishable, then his salvation or damnation does not turn upon actions, pro nor con, but upon the free electing love of God: Therefore, God will have mercy upon whom he will, and whom he will, he passeth by thus they appear connected like two links in a chain. And it appeareth moreover, that the

his

doctrine of particular election, leadeth to universalism for according to the above we must suppose, that God decreed all things; if so, God being wise, whatever he hath decreed, he must have decreed it right; consequently nothing cometh to pass wrong-then there is no sin, for it cannot be sin to do right: If then one shall be damned for doing right, why not all? and if one is saved for doing right, why not all? according to the rule of impartial justice. Again, this doctrine of election saith, all that was given from the Father to the Son, in the covenant of Grace, will be saved; none that Christ died for can be lost. The bible saith, Christ gave himself for ALL. 1 Tim. ii. 4, 6. 1 John ii. 2. and A double L does not spell part, nor some, nor few, but it means all: Well, now if all Christ died for will be saved, and none of them can be lost, then Universalism must be true: (and you cannot deny it.

And now it appears furthermore, that Universalism leads to deism-for if all are saved, none are lost, and of course no future punishment :— Therefore the threatnings in the Bible must be false like a sham scare crow hung up in the fields to represent what is not real And if the threatnings be false, the promises are equally so; for while the promises are given in one scale to encourage virtue, the threatnings are put in the opposite one, to discourage vice: Todeny the one, disallows of the other, and of course breaks the chain of the Bible, and thereby destroys its authority; consequently, ye cannot suppose with propriety, that it came from God by Divine direction; but rather, that it was hatched up by some cunning politicians, to answer their political designs, to keep the people in order and that it has been kept on the carpet ever since, by the black and blue coat, to get a fat living out of the people.-

Away with the Bible," says the Deist, "I will be imposed upon by that no more, but I will go upon reason; for who ever came back from the other world, to bring us news from that country about Heaven or Hell, or exhibited a map thereof!"

Now if I denied the Bible, I should of course deny miracles and inspiration; for if I admit of them, I must in reason admit of the propriety of the Bible.

But no one who denies inspiration and miracles, can prove the existence of a God. There are but six ways to receive ideas, which are by inspiration, or one of the five senses. Deny inspiration, there are but the five ways; and matter of fact demonstrates, that a man by these outward sensitive organs, can neither hear, see, smell, taste nor feel God: How then can we know him but by a revelation in the inward sense? Why, saith the Deist, the works of nature proclaim aloud in both my ears, "there is a God," but I deny it according to your scale of reasoning, for you deny miracles; and yet you say what has been once may be again: now if there was a miracle once, there may be one again; if so, then there may be such thing as revealed religion, for that is but miraculous: But if there cannot be a miracle again, that is an argument there never was one, and of course denies the works of Creation; if there was no creation, then there is no Creator for it must have been a miracle, to have spoken the world into existence, and to have formed intelligent beings.-Therefore, if there never was a miracle, then there never was such a thing as creation: Consequently, the works of nature do not speak forth a Divine Being, for his hand never formed them; but they argue, that matter is eternal, and that all things come by nature-for it is evident, that if nought had been