time to time, and calls them stiff-necked, and uncircumcised in heart, and how their fathers had persecuted the prophets; and lastly, he told them of their murdering Jesus Christ. This cut them to the heart, because they knew it to be the truth. There are many in our day, who will not bear to hear the truth. If you tell them the truth, and that which they know to be the truth, they will be angry, like as they were with Stephen. They gnashed upon him with their teeth, and ran upon the poor innocent man and stoned him to death. And like every good man, he prayed for them, that God might not lay this sin to their charge. No: he did not wish them punished, (far from it,) nor had he spoken a word to them about going to hell for their sins. Nor throughout all the acts of the apostles, in all their conversations, disputations and sermons, to warn people of sin, and to persuade them to repentance, not one word do we read about damnation, hell and eternal punishment, which, if the doctrine was then believed, is most unaccountable. If they had believed the doctrine, as now believed, they could hardly have avoided, in their preaching, slipping out a word once in a while but no not one word; nor the least intimation about eternal damnation.

One who had never read the Bible, but had only heard preaching, and read such authors as Edwards, Bunyan, and others of the same school, then read the scriptures, he might say, as a learned writer does, when he come to examine the scriptures on this subject, "I was surprised," says he, "to find the sacred writers, so very sparing in the use of the word eternal, or ever

lasting, as refering to future punishments, upon which such vast stress is laid. I must needs say, I expected, when I began to collect this part of the evidence to set befere the reader's view, to have seen the word everlasting connected with the misery of the next state, at least, in every book of the New Testement, if not several times in each bonk: Whereas upon examination, it appears, that by far the greater part of the inspired writers have never used this word, nor any other word allied to it in sense and meaning, with reference to future torments; while those who have used it, have rarely done so. It is used but thrice by the evangelist Matthew, but once by the evangelist Mark, and this in a special case only; and but once likewise by the apostle Paul, though his epistles make so considerable a part of the New Testament. It is not met with in the gospels either of Luke or John; nor in either of the three epistles of John. And, what is very remarkable, in the account we have of the preaching of the apostles from place to place, throughout the world, in the book of the Acts, there is a total silence as to their ever having used this word, or any other, importing that the misery of the wicked is endless and never ceasing. All of which is very extraordinary, if this is a doctrine of Christianity. For, if it really be so, it is a most important one; and it cannot be easily accounted for, that the inspired writers should have so strangely passed over it with such neglect. It might rather have been expected, that they should have perpetually insisted on it, and with great solemnity too, and in a great variety plain and indisputable terms. And their omis

sions upon this head, are a strong presumtive argument, that they knew nothing of this doctrine. which has been so vehemently pleaded for, in these latter days." Chauncey.

And there is something also, very unaccountable, if it was believed under the Old and New Testament times, that we never read of any fears having been expressed of a child, or any relative, or friend, or any fellow creature, or any one, however wicked in this life, having gone to such a place of misery. As it is well observed. by another writer on this subject, who truly says, and it is undeniable, that, "If their belief was the same as in our day, why do we never find them express that belief about future eternal punishment, as is now done in books and sermons and in conference meetings, and in com mon conversation. No man can possibly deny the vast difference between their language, and the common language now used upon the subject. If the language is so different, is it not a presumptive proof that the invention of a new language arose from the unscriptural doctrine that hell was a place of endless misery.

We do not read that they, under the Old or New Testament times, expressed any fears about their children, their relations, their neighbours, or the world at large, going to eternal misery.— As to their feelings, I do not find a sigh, nor a tear shed, a groan uttered, a prayer offered, nor any exertions made, as if they believed men were exposed to endless misery in a future state. We see parents, and others, deeply afflicted at the loss of their children and friends by death, We see pious people deeply grieve on account

of their disobedience of God's laws, but where do we find any thing like the above expressions of feeling, arising from the belief, that such persons would lift up their eyes in endless misery? I find nothing of the kind expressed, either in the way of anticipation before death, or after such persons had ben removed from the world.

Now, is it not strange, that all this should be the state of the fears and feelings of good people, if they did indeed believe, endless misery was to be the portion of the wicked, or those who die unprepared? All who have read the scriptures know, what vast multitudes were cut off in a day, by war, and pestilence, and other means, yet do you ever hear it deplored, by a single individual, as it is often done in our day, that so many were sent out of the world to eternal misery? If, in short, this doctrine was then believed, a dead silence, and the most stoical appathy were maintained even by good men, about it." Thus this writer goes on clearly shewing, that this doctrine was not believed, nor preached, under the Old nor the New Testa

ment.

And the reason is plain, because, as I have said before, there had never been any law given, with such a penalty for transgression.Therefore, if they had preached such punishment, they would have preached contrary to the law of God, as many now do.

People in general have believed there was such a law given to Adam, as spiritual, temporal and eternal death, for transgression, because they have been long told so, not having sufficiently examied for themselves, or each one for

himself.* It will be seen hereafter, that eternal punishment was first preached to induce people to be obedient to a degenerate priesthood, who, as Simson says, as noticed page 54, "played into each other's hands, to erect a huge fabrie of worldly dominion, honour and grandeur." And the devil and hell, were the priest's great Boo, as silly parents tell their children, if you don't mind, the Boo will catch you; and thus, people like ignorant children, were scared into obedience to their priests, and every thing their priests said, they thought must be so. Thus millions were kept in ignorance for several conturies, until, like some children, when they begin to think and examine for themselves, they soon become convinced that there is no such thing as their parents called a Boo, and find, that they had been lying unto them all the time, or else conclude, that their parents were very ignorant. But with others when children, such foolish, ridiculous teaching and scaring, to make them obedient, has had and left such an impression upon their tender minds, when young, that when they come to be men and women, they are not

*On this subject, it is so well observed, by a cotemporary writer, I cannot help noticing it. "How many professed Christians," says he, "do we find contending with the greatest zeal, that hell is a place of endless punishment for a great part of the human race, who never spent an hour in serious, candid examination of their Bibles, on the subject, to see if their faith in it, was founded aright. Their parents, their catechisms, and their preachers, have all instructed them so, and this is enough for them. They would not hear nor read any thing which is contrary to this faith of theirs, if hired by the day, to do so. Such persons would be very much displeased, if a Pagan,a Mahometan, or a Jew, would refuse to hear or read what they believe; yet they will listen to nothing which is contrary to their own faith, however well supported by evidence or scripture." They have," as says Dr. Watts, "contrived out to themselves a little heaven, in their intellectual world, and think all others are in darkness," when they are themselves, in general, the most ignorant beings in Christendom."