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your Sermon on 2 Thess. i. 7, 8, 9; after stating that it is generally believed that the righteous go to enjoyment, and the wicked to misery at death, you say, page 6th "Now if this tradition be correct, what need is there of a future judgment? Will it be necessary in order to ascertain whether the former sentences were according to justice? Will those who have been in heaven thousands of years, be now called to judgment? Must all their crimes which have been forgiven, now be re-examined, and their souls be put in jeopardy? Look on the other hand; here are millions of wretched immortals, who have groaned away many ages in the torments of hell, now permitted to have their trial! But stop-the absurdity of this tradition is too palpable to require further examination."

The first remark I shall offer upon this quotation is, that it is an entire misrepresentation of the subject. I do not mean to insinuate that you intentionally misrepresented this sentiment, but I do insist that it is very far from being the common opinion entertained by the "learned doctors of the Christian church," as you denominate them. You ask, "Will a future judgment be necessary in order to ascertain whether their former sentences were according to justice ?" Now this passage implies, that God institutes the judgment in order to ascertain what the real characters of men are. Again you ask, “Must all their crimes which have been forgiven, be re-examined, and their souls be put in jeopardy ?" This implies that the judgment is designed to give the Almighty some new information, relative to the characters of his creatures; and that possibly God will find on strict examination that he has misjudged some of mankind, and so will of course, reverse his sentence, and send some to misery, who have long been in heaven! And this you wish to palm upon the world, as the common opinion relative to a future judgment! Your re

presentation above is so far from being the common opinion of the "learned doctors," that I very much doubt whether you can produce a single writer of any repute, who has advanced any thing like the representation you have given.

But it is nothing to me what others believe on this subject. I write as a single individual, and am not bound to defend any opinion but my own. You say, if some men go immediately to happiness at death, and others go to misery, what need is there of a future judgment? In answer to this, let it be observed, that it is very difficult in many cases, for finite beings to determine the utility of every measure the Deity may be pleased to adopt. It is difficult to determine, why the Lord has permitted evil to enter the world, and yet facts compel us to acknowledge that evils do exist. But believing God to be a benevolent being, we are led to conclude that it will answer some valuable purpose. And so in relation to a future judgment. It may be difficult to ascertain every motive which led the divine Being to institute such a process; but still as God does nothing in vain, we must conclude that some valuable purpose will be answered by such an event. But you think there is an inconsistency in supposing that men will be brought to judgment after they have received a part of their punishment. But the same difficulty exists on your system, and you are as much bound to solve this difficulty, if it be one, as I am. You contend that civil governments are instituted by God. Your words are these-"In relation to the crimes of individuals, we well know that God has instituted penalties, according to the nature of offences, and has given special directions concerning their being duly inflicted. This is not only true in respect to Israel, but it is likewise true in respect to all nations." Here you expressly state that civil government is

Lect. p. 9.

established by God; that he makes the laws, and gives directions concerning their being executed. Now you maintain that all punishment is confined to this world. But I would ask, is all this punishment inflicted by a civil tribunal? This you will not pretend. Every person who commits sin, experiences some punishment, before he is taken into custody by a civil officer, and perhaps he may remain for months in prison before he receives his trial and sentence. In this case the man enters into misery, before he is brought to the bar of justice. And I might ask here, as you have done in the other case, if the offender is unhappy as soon as he commits the crime, what need is there of a future trial? It is strange that you should object to a future judgment, < because it involves a principle which is equally attendant upon your own views.

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But this objection rests entirely upon the principle that the only object of judgment is to inflict a punishment upon the wicked, and bestow a reward upon the righteous. Now when we shall have attended to the design or utility of the judgment, we shall see that this objection has no force. What then is the design of this judgment day? It is not the sole object of this judgment, to dispense rewards and punishments. The grand object the Deity has in view in all his judgments is to reform the transgressor, and qualify him for enjoyment. Thus far there is no dispute between us. But punishment, self considered, will never lead men to repentance. It is the influence of the divine spirit or a display of the divine character, which punishment sets home to the mind, that leads the sinner to repentance. Inflict a punishment upon any being, without giving him any knowledge of the being against whom he has sinned, or of the design of those laws he has violated, and it could be regarded in no other light than that of cruelty. Now one great object of a future general judgment undoubt

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edly is, to make a display of the characters of men, and the moral principles of the divine government. Men are not called to judgment for the purpose of giving the judge any new information relative to their characters; but to make the characters of men known to themselves, and to one another.

The wise man says, "God will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil."* The apostle says, "Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the heart." Again, says the same apostle, "Every man's work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire." These texts not only enforce the fact that there will be a general jndgment, but they teach us the design of this judgment, or the effect produced by that event. They inform us that the judgment will make manifest not only the outward conduct, but the internal disposition of every man. All will then see the

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rectitude of the divine administration. have a more glorious view of the divine character, and the sinner will see the justice of the misery he experiences. This will have a tendency to lead the sinner ultimately to repentance. Many of the dispensations of the Almighty look dark and mysterious to us, while in this world; but then the veil will be taken away, and the rectitude of the divine character will be obvious to all men. In this world, we frequently see vice triumph over virtue. We have shown in a preceding Letter, that in some cases, the wicked prosper and rejoice in their iniquity, while the virtuous experience great calamities both of body and mind. This furnishes the irreligious with one of their strongest objections against divine Providence. But at judgment this diffi‡ 1 Cor. iii. 13.

* Eccl. xii.¡14.

† 1 Cor. iv. 5.

culty will be solved. It will then appear that the wicked shall be duly punished, and the virtuous rewarded. These and many other valuable purposes will probably be effected by a general judgment. This view of the subject entirely obviates your objection, and furnishes us with an additional argument in favor of such a judgment.

As to the mode and manner of this judgment, God has not seen fit to inform us. I think, however, we may rationally conclude that the misery which the sinner will be called to experience at that time, will not be inflicted by the immediate hand of God, or any other intelligent agent appointed by God; but that the misery will arise from the sinner's own feelings. If all his iniquity is brought to light, and even the motives of his heart are displayed before him, the obstinate sinner must be unhappy. There will be no need of any executive authority to inflict a punishment upon him; his guilt will be his own tormentor, and a hell will be enkindled within him.

To conclude this Letter, I will observe, that if the views here exhibited, are somewhat repulsive to our feelings, it is nothing more than may be reasonably expected, even admitting the doctrine to be a fact; when Paul reasoned of a judgment to come, the unbelieving Felix trembled.

Yours, &c.

P.S. As we have in these Letters referred to the writings of Mr. Balfour, and shall have occasion in the sequel to notice them again, it will probably be gratifying to the reader, to subjoin a brief account of the nature and merits of his works. Mr. B.'s first and principal work, is, "An Inquiry into the scriptural import of the words, Sheol, Hades, Tartarus, and Gehenna, all translated Hell, in our common English Version." This work evinces a considerable degree of research and pa

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