Scriptures in proof of my opinions, and if I have erred I should be glad to see my error pointed out. I am now convinced that God never threatened men with such a punishment, and therefore your attempts to save men from hell is a waste of time, labor and money. It never can be known, that such a salvation is accomplished, allowing the doctrine of hell torments to be true, until the experiment is made by entering on a future state of existence. But, if the salvation of the Gospel is a salvation from ignorance, idolatry and wickedness, this can be known here, both by the person saved, and all around him. That vast numbers were saved in the apostolic age, you will readily admit. But it deserves your serious consideration, that the apostles never proposed to save any one from endless hell torments, nor mentioned such a punishment to their hearers. If you doubt my word, read the book of the Acts, and you must be satisfied I speak the truth. Nor is a word said to any Christian, in all the Epistles, intimating that he had been saved from the torments of hell, which is very unaccountable if this was a truth. But you can see in every page of those writings, that persons were saved from their sins, from the course of this world, with other things I need not particularize. Now, brethren, what was the doctrine which saved men in those days? I am confident you will say it was, that Jesus died and rose from the dead, and through him was preached the resurrection from the dead. Such was the simple doctrine which saved the world in the days of the apostles. The experiment then has once been tried, and it succeeded in saving the world from ignorance and crime, by preaching the simple facts that Jesus died and rose from the dead. Has this salt lost its savour? If it has, in vain do we attempt to cure the world now, by preaching the various sectarian dogmas, which have

divided and subdivided Christians, until Christianity is outraged and disgraced, and multitudes reject it on this account. I appeal to yourselves; where do you find the apostles teaching the grand points which now agitate, and have for ages agitated, the Christian church, and alienated Christians from one another? Had the apostles become heads of sects, denounced each other, and strove for the mastery as has often been done since, would they have saved the world as they did? No. I beseech you, consider the Saviour's prayer, that unity and love among Christians, and the salvation of the world must go together, "that they all may be one ; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us that the world may believe that thou hast sent me," John 17: 21. 13: 33-35. I respectfully ask, would it not be well for all sects to return to apostolic topics in their preaching; and, laying aside sectarian names, and party shibboleths, unite as one man in saving the world from vice and crime? A salvation which all admit the world very much needs.

It cannot be denied, that in our day the grand theme of preaching is, the immortal soul, the never-dying soul, the imperishable spirit; its salvation from hell, and its going to heaven at death, is the all and in all in religion. But in what part of your Bibles do you find such language or sentiments? Besides, do you not perceive, that such sentiments throw the doctrine of Christ's resurrection into the shade, and are calculated to lead all, whether Jew, deist, or pagan, to hope for future life founded on the immortality of the soul? On this very ground the heathen did hope for future life. On this ground deists now hope for it, for this part of your creed and theirs is the same. If men have immortal souls, they must exist forever, if the alleged fact of Christ's resurrection was proved a falsehood. But I appeal to you if the apostles

ever held out any hope of future life but what arose from the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

The doctrine of an immortal soul and its existence in a disembodied state, we have shown to be of heathen origin. We look in vain into the Bible for it, but find it frequently taught among heathens, and also by Christians since it came to be incorporated with the Christian religion. If I am mistaken in this I shall take it kind in you to show on what Scripture grounds you hold such opinions. But, if what I have stated be correct, there cannot be a doubt that this heathen doctrine has formed the basis of all the superstitions and impositions practised in the Catholic church. And we think it is impossible for you to show, from Scripture, that saving immortal souls before death can be done, yet say that the Catholics cannot save them after it. I seriously urge it on every Protestant either to give up this immortal soul saving business before death, or cease from his abuse of the Catholics for carrying on the business after it. Or shall I rather hope that the day is not very distant when this soul saving trade, like the slave trade, will be abandoned by all, and Catholics and Protestants both be ashamed of it?

2d. To Jews. Children of Abraham your nation has rejected Jesus of Nazareth, as the true Messiah. For nearly eighteen hundred years the twelve tribes have been scattered among all nations, and the evils you have suffered from those calling themselves Christians, makes me almost ashamed to call your attention to the subject of Christianity. But Christianity is no more to be despised on this account, than Judaism ought to have been when your fathers put Jesus to death, and persecuted his disciples. Should you say, Christians have hated Jews without a cause, I allow it: but so did your fathers to

Jesus, for what evil had he done? Pilate declared he found no fault in him, but that for envy your fathers delivered him. This being the case, I am emboldened to urge on your consideration a few facts, hoping they may lead you to examine whether your fathers were not mistaken in rejecting Jesus of Nazareth, as the true Messiah.

1st. It is a fact no reasonable man can dispute, that about the time Jesus of Nazareth appeared, a general expectation prevailed in the Jewish nation, and throughout the east, that a great prince, your Messiah, was about to appear. Tacitus and Suetonius both bear testimony to this general expectation which prevailed. Josephus, your own historian, declares it prevailed so extensively among the Jews, that it was the cause of the war which ended in the ruin of your commonwealth, and dispersion among ali nations. How then do you account for this universal expectation about the time Jesus of Nazareth appeared? It is certain that no such general expectation ever prevailed before or since.

2d. It is also a fact, attested by the history of those times, is stated in the New Testament, and will be admitted by yourselves, that about the same time Jesus of Nazareth appeared, many persons arose, pretending to be the Messiah. But before this period, we never hear of any false Messiahs, who arose and deceived the people, and we read of but very few since. For many years not one has arisen in your nation, pretending to be the Messiah. Who in our day hears of such a thing among the Jews in any part of the world? Does not this fact also claim your candid consideration?

3d. But it also deserves your serious regard that it was toward the close of Daniel's seventy weeks, Jesus of Nazareth and those other pretenders to the Messiahship appeared. This was the period when

your fathers looked for the Messiah, and it was such predictions of the prophets, which laid the foundation of the general expectation which prevailed. As Daniel's seventy weeks drew towards a close, the expectation became general, and false Messiahs arose. It seems then undeniable, that if Jesus Christ was an impostor, like all the others who pretended to be the Messiah, the period of their appearance precisely answered to that predicted by your own prophets. And you must admit, that the time has gone by, nearly two thousand years, for the appearance of your Messiah, if Jesus Christ nor none of those other persons was the true Messiah. You will not allow, that the word of the God of Israel has failed, or that he is even slack concerning his promise. How then do you account for these things; and relieve yourselves from the difficulties which this view of the subject presents?

4th. But if Jesus of Nazareth was an impostor like all the others who arose at the close of Daniel's seventy weeks, how do you account for it, that he is the only one that succeeded in gaining innumerable followers, in establishing a kingdom in the earth, and whose reign bids fair to become universal in the world? It is well known that all the other pretenders to the Messiahship appealed to arms to establish their claims, but "all as many as obeyed them were scattered and brought to naught." But you must allow that Jesus has succeeded, not only without worldly power and influence, but in opposition to them. How then do you account for his success, for multitudes of the Jews even in Jerusalem became his followers? And why did none of the others succeed as well as him if the whole were impostors?

5th. Permit me also to urge it on your candid consideration, that the nature and extent of Jesus' kingdom seems to agree to the testimony of your own