What has it done? Downward tendencies. 6 What now, I ask, has Universalism done for the good of the world?-what, that would not have been better done without it? Where are its memorials-its living witnesses? What drunkard has it made sober, whom orthodoxy had given up? What debauchee, utterly incurable by the latter, has been made whole by the former? What backslider has it ever induced to rear again the family-altar, and become a serious and devout Christian? The Rev. Mr. M. H. Smith, formerly a Universalist preacher, recently stated in a public lecture, as reported by the Congregational Observer', that "during a ministry of twelve years he had never known a single instance of a reform-of an IMPROVEMENT even— under his preaching. And he never heard of any real reform under the preaching of any others of his persuasion. He had seen men growing worse, but he had never seen any growing better. He had known repeated instances of transition, in those who became Universalists, from that doctrine to Infidelity and thence to Atheism. Its tendencies were all and always downward. Its strongest supporters were in reality in very many cases nothing less than disguised, if less than avowed, infidels. Of its ministry, he said, within six years past, he had known twenty-six abandon the doctrine, and for the most part in disgust with the morals of its professors." (See 'N. York Observer,' XIX. 1.) A similar statement was made to myself by the Rev. Mr. Whittaker of this city, on the very day of his renunciation. In a conversation a few days afterwards A powerless system. No prayers to boast of. with Mr. Sawyer of this city, I urged him to tell me what had been the moral results of his own preaching, and could obtain no satisfactory answer. He thought that he knew of those who had been made better, but not an instance was given; and the absence of such results was attempted to be accounted for, by the belligerant attitude which the sect have been obliged to assume, from its rise until the present time. It is not said that they never preach against sinthat they never warn men against immorality. This they may do, but such preaching has hitherto, unaccompanied by the mighty sanctions of gospel-truth, proved, and must ever prove, utterly powerless. I cannot remember to have seen in all my researches, in any one of their publications, one single exhortation from one of their number to a faithful discharge of the duty of secret vocal prayer-or any attempt to inculcate the duty of family-prayer; though in some instances I have seen an attempt to ridicule the latter, as altogether too Pharisaical for a liberal Christian. "Do not those," says Mr. Sawyer, ('Letters to Remington,' p. 145,) "who assume much of the religion of the land, the pious and praying people, (I mean such as have piety and prayers to boast of) oppose and persecute Universalists, and for the same reasons that the Pharisees of old persecuted the disciples of Christ?" They want no prayers to boast of," and verily they have it according to their wish. 66 I have been informed by one that had much oppor No family-prayer. Not worthy of trust. tunity to know, having himself been one of their preachers, that it is a very rare thing to see the household of even one of their ministers called together for familyprayer, and that, when it is witnessed, it is only, for the most part, on extraordinary occasions, and not as a daily duty; that it is even rare to hear God's blessing invoked at the table of his bounty; and that, judging from his own habits, and what he knew of his former brethren, he had no reason to believe that even their preachers are accustomed to maintain closet-prayer. And yet these men pretend to know better the will of God, than they whose daily delight it is to hold communion with God in secret, and seek by earnest prayer the guidance of the Holy Spirit! And this, they say, is the religion taught by Christ and his apostles! Let the credulous debauchee, the profane libeler of the humble followers of Jesus, the careless devotee of Folly and Fashion, believe in such expounders of the mind and will of a holy God, if they can; and trust their souls to such prayerless preachers, if they will. But we have learned to set a higher value on our souls, and on the promise of God to hear and answer prayer, than to look up to men as our spiritual guides, whose closets are never visited to seek and obtain the wisdom which cometh from above, who never advise their hearers to utter prayer in secret, and who even ridicule those, who We cannot trust them. so feel their own weakness, and so rely on God's promise, as to pay their vows every morning and evening at their private altar, and pray to him who has promised to reward them openly. To those who urge us to follow such leaders we must therefore say—“ Have me excused." CHAPTER XXIV. LEARNING OF UNIVERSALIST PREACHERS. The work done-The charge conceded-Utterly unlike every other scheme—A mass of heresies—A man's creed of no consequence-Latitudinarians-A modern Pantheon-Is this the Bride?—Their peculiar claims on our confidence--Literary character of James Relly-Of John Murray-Of Hosea Ballou Of Abner Kneeland-Of Walter Balfour-Of the junior preachers—Qualifications necessary to their preachers -Of A. B. Grosh-Of J. D. Williamson-Of their whole ministry-Final appeal to the reader. "But muse! forbear; long flights forbode a fall; COWPER. THE work is done. Modern Universalism in America has passed in review before us. It has been permitted to speak for itself. We have seen the TREE and ITS FRUITS the doctrines and their results. We have listened to its arrogant claims, and have suffered ourselves for the moment to be unchurched. The learning, and wisdom, and piety of all past time have been made |