The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1886-11-20

that extent that he became a lifelong
enemy. Father Ballou always had to
regret the dissffection, but he never
charged from this opinion. He went
to his grave declaring that nowhere in
the Bible is the doctrine of future pun
ishment taught.
Father Ballou's idea, and those more
immediately associated with him, could
not have been so very different from
that of the Apostle Paul, that sin found
it's indictments, and had it's reign in the
mortal body; in the earthly appetites
and passions; and that by law as in
variable as that which governed the
solar system, the history Of sin would
end with the extinction of the lusts.
Letting his biographer state it, it was
that natural evil had its origin in the
original constitution of our animal nat
ure, and that moral evil had its origin in
natural evil,' claiming that st, James
was right in saying that "a man is
tempted when he is drawn away of his
own lusts and enticed. Then when lust
hath conceived it bringeth forth SIM"
The passages of Scripture to prove
this, seemed quite number; perhaps
chiefly among these, such as, "He that
is dead is freed from sin - is no longer
sinner and 1.-The creature was made
subject to vanity" to human weak
ness and imperfection, and liable to sin
and death; mot willingly, but by reason
of Him who hath subjected the same
in hope" in the expectation of a
greater deliverance ''from the bondage
of corruption, into the glorious liberty
of the children of God" However the
mind might be involved by its assent,
in being led captive to sin, yet both
Scripture and reason testified that the
animal appetites and inclinations were
the occasion of sin and along with
sins destruction, punishment would be
gone; being SO allied as to cease to-
gether. 1t is to be observed, that since
about this time, the Orthodox have
almost entirely changed their ground
from the old idea that men were to be
punished hereafter for the sins of this
life, to the more reasonable view, that
it must be for the hereafter life, if at
all, and continuing to sin forever, it was
affirmed. they would be punished for
ever. And thus endless punishment
came to be based on endless SHINING.
But there were those who could not
quite see how sin was to continue for
ever, in world where there was no
temptation to sin, and then how pun
ishment, which is 1.-The sting Of SIM"
and can be no other than the conscious
ness which is inseparable from the
wrong intent, could be made to last af
ter the ravages Of sin were at an end.
They could not conceive of anything
like remorse, which is the pain, or
sense of guilt, continuing after the sin
had ceased and it seemed to them as
contradictory to all principles of law,
that PERSONS condition for happiness
or misery at any given time, should be
made to depend On what his character
had been at some other, or different
time. 1.-THE words of an Apostle might
well be considered as settling this, in
what is said, that there is therefore
now no condemnation" no punishment
''to them who are in Christ Jesus, who
walk not after the flesh, but after the
spirit. For the law of the spirit of life
in Christ Jesus hath made me free from
the law of sin and death"
If the punishment of sin inheres in
the sin, in such way as that they go
hand in hand; or if character makes
condition; we can readily see how this
must be so. If SINS punishment be
SINS effect, the cause suspended, the
effect ceases. How is the latter to be
continued after the former has been dis
lodged from the soul. What but this
is involved in the doctrine of forgive
ness as taught by the Apostle in the
words, eff our heart condemn US, God
is greater than our heart, and knoweth
all things ;" and he of course condemns
us. but if our heart condemn us not,
then have we confidence toward God,
and shall assure ourselves before him.
God can forgive no creature of his till
they have forgiven themselves and
when God has forgiven us, and we have
forgiven ourselves, there can be no
longer any remorse, or guilt, or con-
domination, or punishment, for the claw
of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus" as
before remarked, "has made US free'
from all such. Being no longer sinners,
we stand acquitted before God and man,
as much as though we never had been
sinners. 1 find no difficulty in under
standing how person who has sinned
much, and repented much, and been
forgiven much, and now loves much, is
a very happy person ; just as happy,
for aught know, as the person who
never sinned at all.
But it is asked, "Is there not still the
memory of what our lives have been ?n
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