destination of the whole human raceof the righteous, and of the wickedand what, if that existence is to be one of pre-eminent blessedness, and the other of extreme wretchedness, what will be the position of those who have so greatly miscalculated the future, and what the feelings of those who have led them into this error? We tremble at the thought of setting on foot or propagating such a delusion.

truth, or that they should become purveyors to the most degraded wishes of the most degraded of the human species.

We are now glancing at the importance of these new views respecting future punishment, and at their general bearing and influence. Whatever punishment God inflicts on sin, must be regarded as a measure of its turpitude in the view of that Being whose judgment is according to truth. The extent therefore of the future punishment of the wicked must regulate our views of the evil of sin, and it becomes us to ask how far these novel opinions tend to diminish our views of its sinfulness, and to lighten by many shades those dark and awful colors in which it is de

also affects in a very important manner, the objects of the incarnation, obedience, and death of the Son of God, and the amount of obligation to our great Deliverer. Moreover, the mode of explanation in reference to those terms which state the eternity of hell torments, and other terms respecting the punishment of sin, are in our view such as violate sound principles of biblical criticism and interpretation, endanger our faith in divine revelation, and tend to introduce another gospel which is yet not another. In Mr. Dobney's work, we find the discussion of the subject connected with very questionable statements, not to say serious and positive error, respecting the immateriality and immortality of the human soul, and the fact of its existing in a state of conscious happiness, or misery, separate from the body. We think we perceive in the reasonings and course of observation that is pursued, the early and imperfect developments of a system of rationalism, which will eat as doth a canker, and which may, if not checked, affect ere long the vitals of christianity.

And as there is a vast difference in the views themselves, so is there in the effects which they are calculated to produce on the minds of men. There is something in the idea of a never-ending existence in conscious misery and hopeless exclusion from the divine presence, that is overwhelmingly awful. To be for ever a miserable, degraded, guilty, hate-picted on the page of inspiration. It ful, and accursed being, and the companion of such to all eternity, instead of a bright, holy, redeemed creature, raised to an equality with Christ himself, and an endless participation with him of the happiness and glory of God; to be a child of wrath, and to go away into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels, when the heirs of God and joint heirs of Christ shall go to life eternal; there is something tremendous beyond conception in this alternative. The thought of an eternity of suffering in hell is highly calculated to arouse the thoughtless and to arrest the sinner in his course of sin, and to bring him to seek salvation from impending wrath. But let it become the established belief that the future punishment of the wicked is temporary suffering of uncertain duration, followed by annihilation, and it becomes comparatively tolerable and easy, and such as they may anticipate without overwhelming terror. Nay, so far as annihilation is concerned, the prospect would be such as they would anticipate with satisfaction rather than with dread. To a virtuous being, with high and noble aspirations, the idea is sufficiently revolting; but to one who is in vice and who is a stranger to all virtuous enjoyments, it proclaims a jubilee. There are thousands of unhappy beings now living who would jump at the idea, and who do in fact entertain it, and lay it as a flattering unction to their soul. God forbid that this unction should be applied by the professed ministers of

In the serious apprehensions with which we regard these new views of future punishment, and in the opinion we hold of their tendency to undermine the entire system of christian truth, we are not alone. The watchmen of Zion have not been unawake to the danger. They have raised the note of alarm, and it becomes the whole camp of Israel to awake from their lethargy, and to

clothe themselves with the armour of truth. Indifference is no more compatible with safety! The whole subject must be reviewed. The sophistry in which error is veiled must be exposed, and the real and well-defined features of truth must be eliminated and set forth to view. This has been done in part already. The Evangelical Magazine and the Eclectic Review, more particularly the latter, have done good service in this way. There can be no doubt that a desire to counteract the recent attempt to unsettle belief in the future punishment of the wicked, induced the committee of the Congregational Library to request the late lamented Dr. Hamilton, of Leeds, to

deliver that course of lectures on the Revealed Doctrine of Future Rewards and Punishments, which has since been published. We understand that a volume from the pen of Mr. Hinton, designed more especially to correct the false idea of immortality being the peculiar gift of Christ to the believer,willissue from the press before the appearance of our next monthly number. In all these efforts to maintain the truth, we cordially rejoice. But we have also a duty to perform to our readers, and we trust that our service will not be the less acceptable, if we prefer doing so in a series of independent papers, than in the form of quotation or of a review of what others have written.

(To be continued.)

itself to a christian mind, in which such a mind can rest with satisfaction and entire confidence? By whom shall Jacob arise, for he is small? Amos vii. 2. Yes, that is the question, by whom shall he arise? What answer can be given? who will now stand forward to give counsel, and counsel that is wise, safe, scriptural, and useful? In pondering over this question who will not feel the need of consulting the Head of the church, the fountain of all wisdom? Let us go to Jesus, the government is upon his shoulders; he speaks, he speaks plainly, faithfully, and wise are all the churches that will hear; remember, he says, whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do thy first works: Rev. ii. 5.

To perceive the lapsed state of the church, we must go back to her best days, the days of her might, her purity, and glory. And where shall we find this, where shall we see the church in a character it will be at once our bounden duty to imitate? There is a part of the evangelical history which we will now refer to, and in which, if any where, we presume we shall have a clear manifestation of that piety which is deemed of such absolute necessity: Acts ii. 42. And they continued stedfastly in the apostle's doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread and in prayers. These contain all that is needful to a peaceful, happy, prosperous state of the church. If we are not sadly mistaken, all churches that have departed must return to this state of things, before there can be a well founded hope of real prosperity. It is not reformation, but restoration, AT a meeting of a number of ministers that is wanted. We are certain that not long ago, the necessity of increased we have here the record of a prosperous piety in the churches of Christ was church, for the apostles themselves prefrequently urged, in order to their fur-sided over it, the Holy Ghost filled it ther enlargement and prosperity. For with power, and Christ was glorified. some time back lamentations over the All the evils that have ever afflicted the low state of Zion have been made in church, have arisen from a departure from different directions; the cause or causes one or all these four things, the doctrine, which may have led to it have been in- fellowship, ordinances, or prayers; in quired into, and many and various re- the whole of which the church, at the medies have been devised and recom- time these words were written, stood mended. That more piety is needful firmly. We do not hesitate to affirm, no one will deny, but what is the piety that if any church in a lapsed state will which is thus needful, and whence does take a calm survey, it will be found that it proceed? In reflecting upon this sub- some or more of these things are wantject, will it not appear obvious that we ing, and that wherever there is prosneed something more definite, more pal-perity these things are found to exist in pable, something that will commend some tolerable degree.

THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH, ITS DOG

TRINE.

With this view upon the bearing of sings which flowed from him, were these four things upon the state of the held as things of the first importance. church of Christ, remembering withal They regarded themselves as occupying the advice and direction of the church's a dignified position, a new creation, the Head, even Jesus, we cannot but think workmanship of God, and temples of the that a distinct consideration of each se- Holy Ghost. They would feel they had parately, and all unitedly, is at once our a character, a noble character to mainduty and profit as his followers. For tain, as the children, servants, and the present we shall dwell upon the doc- | priests of God. If we are not much trine. The apostles' doctrine. mistaken, all that may pass for piety which does not flow from this source, and produce these feelings, is neither solid nor useful.

man.

the church must be well worked, it must | power to repent and believe, and still be well fed. Until we see a more vigor- remain as impenitent and unbelieving ous state of spiritual health, would it not as ever. To believe on Christ, is a very be as well to cry, more food, more food, different thing from believing in a power more food? It is cruel to work a sickly to believe. Even allowing there is such There are two extremes which a power, so long as a man loves sin, and are equally pernicious; one is, all food hates God, it remains the power of selfand no work; the other is, all work and destruction only. The likeliest way of no food? A christian's knowledge, com- persuading a sick man to go to the phyfort, activity, and usefulness, will go sician, would not be to persuade him to together, and will neither allow his head believe he was strong, but that he was to swell with mere notions, nor his feet weak, in great danger, and that no with a spiritual gout. The cry for work remedy but one could avail for his cure. has been so urgent, that we believe some He would not be deemed a wise soldier, are at this time out of breath. Come who in his hurry to vanquish the enemy, then, ye famished,languishing ones, to the hastened to the battle without his arwaters, "eat ye that which is good, and mour. The girdle of truth, the sword let your soul delight itself in fatness." of the Spirit, which is the word of God, and the shield of faith, are the weapons which Christ has provided, which the apostles used, and the only ones that ever will be effectual in reviving and extending the church. If the ministers of the gospel are not clad in this armour, they will waste their time, and spend their strength for nought, whatever else they may preach. "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God;" not by the wisdom or power of man. The apostles' doctrine laid man low, exalted Christ, and was owned by the Holy Ghost to attract sinners to the cross. If the preaching do not honor Christ, the Spirit will not honor it.

The state of the ministry at the present day, ought to be made a matter of serious inquiry. Is the doctrine of the apostles fully taught, or not? We do not wish either to excite groundless fear, or to stir up factious contention; but many churches are in a state of pitiable feebleness, and the members of those churches have but little spiritual perception or feeling. In many cases, the very last thing which churches have inquired into in the choice of a pastor, has been the doctrinal sentiments he has held. They have soon, however, become restless, uneasy; they have cried for bread, and he has given them a stone; they have grumbled, as well they might; both the pastor and the flock have been dissatisfied, and separated. The present state of things forces the conviction on the mind of a careful observer, that either there must be a lack of pastors, scripturally, divinely qualified for the work of feeding the flock, or the church judges very erroneously of the requisite qualifications. A man may be able to teach many things, he may teach languages, mathematics, and the various branches of natural philosophy, who is not able to teach the church of the living God.

A zeal has been put forth in the ministry in some directions, which has spent itself in vain. Oh! if we could but persuade men to believe they had power to repent and believe on Christ, without the Spirit's aid, how easy their conversion to God would be. Now, without entering into this question of man's ability or inability, we must not forget, that a man may believe he has a

Finally, if the strain of the ministry be not directed to humble man, and exalt Christ, there will neither be true piety nor sound prosperity in the church. Our regrets at the present desolations of Zion will not lead to any better state of things, until the apostles' doctrine be proclaimed from the pulpit, and its mighty power control the faith and practice of the saints. If the Lord permit, we shall at some other time, notice the fellowship, ordinances, and prayers of the church in her best days, to the whole of which we must come, if ever we see real, scriptural, permanent prosperity. Let the church do the first works of her faith, fellowship, obedience, and prayers, and she will once again emerge from darkness, "fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners."

Васир.

T. DAWSON.

GO FORWARD."

We have in the world three classes of character, the slothful, the imitative, and the aspiring: the first moving backward, the second standing still, and the third going forward. Of such we have examples among those whose mental energies are only just beginning to be developed. One boy at school is notorious for always playing a finale movement. He tumbles out of bed when his schoolfellows have dressed themselves, begins to learn his daily task when theirs is finished, seems to be wedded to the lowest place in his form, and, as a necessary consequence, receives something in addition to moral means as a spur to improvement. Another is of the imitative class, a scheming copyist. His exercise is the very transcript of his neighbour's; and his lessons, if at any time well repeated, has first been slyly written upon the front of his master's desk, or upon his own finger nails. He keeps pace with others, but never excels. A third has an aspiring mind. His playmates call him "a regular fag." If not allowed to rise before the ringing of the bell, his books are concealed under his pillow, that the first opportunity for study in the morning may not be lost. He applies himself with indefatigable zeal to his work, and learns by experience that perseverance conquers all things." Men are but children of a larger growth. We have many around us of the slothful turn, always behind, and always going backward. These unfortunate individuals, as a modern author has somewhere remarked, appear at some period of their lives to have lost ten minutes which they cannot recover. Others are of the imitative turn. They are ashamed to be behind, and therefore copy from their neighbours what they have neither ability nor inclination to do for themselves. They are like boys hanging upon the steps of a carriage, who if they escape the whip, are liable to injury from the wheels. But others have a disposition to aspire; and from their class may be selected the greatest and the best, both in the world and in the church. Let the youth of our country bear in mind that the times in which they live demand from them hearty and persevering activity.

"Lives of great men all remind us

We may make our lives sublime,
And departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time:
"Footprints that perhaps another,

Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwreck'd brother,
Seeing, may take heart again.
"Let us then be up and doing

With a heart for any fate,
Still achieving, still pursuing,

Learn to labor and to wait!"

Blessed is that man who is "diligent in business," because he is an honor to his profession; but still more blessed he who at the same time is "fervent in spirit, serving the Lord." Religion does not abolish labor, but rather sanctifies it, and takes away its drudgery. O that we had none slothful,-that we had none merely imitative in the church of Christ; but that the motto at the head of this article were our common watchword.

Let those who ask the way to Zion, with their faces thitherward, go forward. God in his great mercy has brought them into the good old ways, and while he bestows liberal supplies of grace, this is his command. "Walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls." Difficulties unexpectedly appear, most of them arising from a want of deeper acquaintance with the deceitfulness of the heart, and with the workings of divine grace in conversion. As the inquirer proceeds, he discovers so much more infirmity in the flesh than he expected to find, that he is ready to sink under a consciousness of guilt. The commandment comes, and sin revives. But this is necessary to his full appreciation of the work of Christ.

"Tis thus our pride and self must fall,
That Jesus may be all in all."

Let not the words of the apostle be forgotten: "We are justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness, that he might be just and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus." Could this charter of our salvation be experimentally understood, what crowds of anxious inquirers should we see going