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sign, and avoid the evils incident to its mismanagement. But let us not conclude that fire was designed to burn buildings, or innocent people, or even heretics, either here or hereafter. So let us not suppose sin to be for our good, but a literal positive evil. And let us all unite with all good men, and all good and holy beings, and with God himself, in a universal war against it. The doctrine of progression is inscribed on all created nature. It is a law of mind. And how beautiful and sublime appear the works of God, unfolding, advancing, and brightening around him. New lights appearing; new truths dawning; and new and mightier Deeps opening; broader and brighter glories rising. And the boundless universe of intelligences, pressing onward and upward forever. Mighty and ineffible light. Who can fathom thy laws -thyself the mightiest deep of all!

me.

NOTE.-My ideas on Predestination of all things, are so briefly expressed above, the reader may misunderstand I know I differ on this subject from learned and venerable names, on both sides of the question of universal salvation. Predestinarian Universalism is a kind of "Calvinism improved." It is one of the many daughters of that antiquated Mother. And sure, she is much fairer and better educated and more facinating than any other member of the family, still I like her not. We cannot know that God has foreordained all sin; but we do know he has forbidden it all. We cannot explain how infinite Prescience can exist without the foreknowledge of all things. And as foreknowledge is generally admitted, many infer that predestination must go along with it. Now we could reason safely from this attribute of Prescience, (a priori,) if we could fully comprehend this attribute; but we cannot. We cannot comprehend precisely the nature of this or any other divine attribute. Without this clear and perfcct knowledge of Divine prescience, we cannot demonstrate, that it is necessarily connected with universal predestination.

We cannot comprehend how the one can exist without the other; and hence erroneously conclude, it cannot. We certainly ought not to take an attribute of God, which we know we cannot comprehend, and draw conclusions from it, at war both with the general language of the scriptures, and all motives to action. If God has secretly decreed all sin, we ought to wait till he tells us so, before we pretend to know any thing about it. The whole argument for the position, appears to me, to be drawn from our inability to comprehend God-to comprehend how it can be otherwise. Could we comprehend him fully, we might be astonished at our present foolish presumption. We might find his "ways above our ways," and we might find out too, how he knows and governs the world without predestination of all things. If any will explain to me how God exists every where; how he governs the physical universe-or in what manner he connects himself with the mental and moral creation; I will explain how he manages to get along consistently with our moral freedom, and without the predestination of all sin. I think, instead of plunging into deeps, that eternity may not be enough to unfold, we better confess our ignorance and acknowledge our limits. It is said, believers in the predestination of all sin, are as virtuous and moral as any. It is true, they generally act not at all on the ground that all things are really right. God has constituted them to live and act entirely upon a contrary plan. They generally feel, and reason, and talk, and act, just as if they believed sin a real evil, and not foreordained for good. The laws of their constitution compel them, in real life, to disregard their theory. This is a good argument against its truth. But I have no doubt the doctrine of predestination of all sin by God himself, has exerted some influence and somewhat retarded the progress of christian reformation, although it has stood in direct opposition to the common feelings and laws of mind. Human nature has its great springs of action, which must limit volition to a certain

sphere, and somewhat direct its progress, in spite of speculative theories. Those philosophers, who have proved also from their own ignorance, that nothing at all existș, avoid danger; and act, after all, much like oth

er men.

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CHAPTER VIII. ·

IMAGINARY AND CHRISTIAN, REGENERATION CONSIDERED.

I am often asked, Do you believe in repentance? Do you believe in a change of heart? Do you believe in the new birth? I would wish the public to understand what I believe about these matters. In the preceding chapter the reader will ascertain much of the author's opinion on such subjects; but here will be presented a more particular view of the doctrine of Regeneration.

It will have been perceived, that I consider the nature of man just as it should be for a beginning of his existence. Every faculty he possesses and every propensity of his nature is just what it should be, to adapt him to the world in which he is placed, and its external arrangements. Of course, no new birth is necessary here which would change the nature of a single faculty or propensity in man. No change of nature in this life is to be either expected or desired. And no man's nature is changed in any case of conversion. Every christian possesses the same size, features, talents, disposition, and propensities, after conversion that he possessed before. In the constitution of his nature, he has blind instincts, good and useful in themselves, the functions of which are only to seek indulgence. He also possesses intellect and moral power, the office of which is to guide, direct, and control the instincts, that they may accomplish only the true objects designed by the Creator. Both these classes of human faculties are right in themselves, perfectly adapting us to the incipient state of our existence. But the progress of life brings us under the

influence of agencies which increase the activity and strength of the instincts; and to enable the intellectual and moral power to retain its ascendency, it becomes necessary that its activity and strength should also be increased. Regeneration, therefore, does not destroy or annihilate a single old faculty, nor create a single new one. But it consists in an increase of the activity of the moral power; and a diminishing of the power of the animal instincts. Moral means can alone accomplish this end. And the Christian religion is only a combination of moral means, adapted exactly and admirably to the nature of man; designed to strengthen and invigorate his moral power, and enable him to war successfully against the improper workings of instinct or lust. When christian influence arouses the moral power, which we already possess, into action, and imparts to it new vitality, by reason of which, new and holy resolutions are formed, a change is experienced. This is the change which christianity contemplates, and this is the beginning of regeneration. The whole work of religion upon the soul, expressed by "ceasing to do evil and learning to do well," by being washed-justified-cleansedadopted-sanctified-and saved-are all comprehended in the progressive and triumphant efforts of the moral power over the animal instincts; while the christian fights the good fight-runs with patience the race set before him-and grows in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

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2. Among professed christians, we often see evidence that a new and better object has awakened their attention and engaged their affections; that they are more anxious to conform to the divine will, and to lead good lives; but we never see the least evidence that their nature is changed at all. So we often see great changes in the objects and pursuits of men in relation to other matters. Tiplers often become zealous advocates of Temperance, idlers often become industrious, the licentious often become chaste, and all sorts of changes in