PREFACE

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THE SECOND EDITION.

It was easy to foresee that this book would receive little favour from the Religious Press.* The amount of hostile criticism that it has received is neither more nor less than I expected. The orthodox' have attacked it for its heresy' on one point; the Liberals' for its orthodoxy on other points. Besides, nearly all the organs of theological thought in this country are Platonist

* Since writing the above, I have received a letter from the editor of a religious newspaper in America, in which he says: 'I see by the Rock that you are making a brave fight for the truth, and have to endure some hardness; therefore may the Lord of Love sustain you in your efforts to vindicate His character from the aspersions of centuries of false theology. It is positively astounding that the dogma of the eternal torment of the wicked should have ever obtained in the Christian Church. I wonder at myself, when I think I once believed or accepted it. Most fatal consequences to the Churches are following in this country. The Spiritualists and other infidels make this doctrine their main fulcrum in their attacks upon Christianity; and a mighty power it gives them. Probably no other gives them so much success in their attacks upon Christianity and the Bible.'

in their belief that the human soul is indestructible. They differ widely amongst themselves as to the conditions of eternal life hereafter in certain cases; some following Origen in the belief that all will ultimately be restored to the favour of God,* others holding with Augustine that those who die impenitent will live for ever in a state of sin and misery. But they agree in rejecting the revealed truth, so humbling to human pride, namely, that man is mortal and fleeth away like a shadow, that the Creator Himself 'only hath immortality,' that in Christ alone can anything permanently consist, that only they who eat of the bread which He gives will live for ever, and that all moral creatures, on whom the wrath of God

* 'I entirely agree with your correspondent in regarding Universalism as unscriptural. But he is perhaps not so well aware as I am now beginning to be, how many Christians have been driven to adopt that view, as the only way of escape that presented itself to their minds from the popular doctrine of eternal torture. Your readers would be astonished if I were to mention the names of some revered fathers of the Evangelical party, living and dead, who have hoped against hope that all would eventually be saved, from feeling it utterly impossible that they could be kept alive for ever for the sole purpose of being tortured. And, in addition to the hundreds of believers, in and out of my own congregation, who are rejoicing, either in having their own previous views confirmed, or in being delivered from the dismal shadow of the popular delusion, I know of several Universalists who have abandoned that theory, on having the truth of God's Word put plainly before them. An aged Christian, who has spent a long life in his Master's service, and has been a Universalist for thirty-five years, said to me, after reading The Glory of Christ, "It is as clear as daylight."-Letter to the Rock.

abideth with its whole force, must sooner or later 'fail before Him,' be crushed out of existence, and 'perish everlastingly.' Naturally, therefore, they join in condemning the doctrine here advocated.

It would be uncandid in me, however, not to say, that while agreeing with the Augustinians in almost all their other points of controversy with the Origenists, I feel infinitely greater sympathy with their opponents than with them, on this particular subject. The heart and soul of the whole matter is the question, whether Evil will ever cease, or not. Are sin and suffering to last for ever, or is the whole Universe to be reconciled to God? The Universalists accept the revealed truth, that every enemy shall be destroyed, and God be all in all. I firmly believe them to be partially mistaken as to the way in which this will be brought about. The reconciliation of all things does not necessitate the restoration of every individual form of life that has ever appeared; and, to my mind, Scripture plainly teaches that it will only be accomplished after the destruction of multitudes of creatures who were made capable of immortality.* And, believing this, I cannot, of course, doubt

* Hence the title of this book, which has been superficially criticised. Is destruction reconciliation?' No; but it may be a necessary preliminary to it. Individuals will be destroyed, that the universe may be reconciled. 'In no possible sense of the word,' says the editor of

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that the denial of it, like every other error, must be to a certain extent injurious. But, compared with the error of believing that sentient creatures will be kept alive to all eternity, for the sole purpose of being tortured, and that without the slightest hope of their deriving one particle of good from it, in order to enhance the glory of God and the happiness of their fellow-creatures, the strongest objections that can possibly attach to the Universalist's creed sink into insignificance. That creed casts no dark shadow upon the justice and the love of God, it drives no thoughtful persons into infidelity, nor is it chargeable with any of the numerous evils that hang about the neck of the popular doctrine. This explains why it is so lightly touched upon in the following sermons. My war is against the belief in Eternal Evil: and that belief is not entertained by the disciples of Origen-it is entertained by those of Augustine.

Most of what had previously been written in defence

the Christian Advocate, can the destruction of personal existence be regarded as a reconciliation or restoration. Mr. Minton is compelled

to exempt Hell from the range of things restored as much as we are.' Yes; but my argument is, that the reconciliation of the universe will be effected by some things, being blotted out of it, and not 'restored' at all. Death and Hell' will be cast into the lake of fire,' to be destroyed for ever; and then God will be all in all.' With this argument, as far as I am aware, no one has attempted to grapple.

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of endless torment being directed against Universalism, I felt some anxiety to see what could be said against the direct evidence from Scripture in favour of Destructionism. That anxiety has now been entirely removed. Several writers have applied their whole strength to the task, and they have all utterly failed to shake the evidence in any material point. They have detected a few mistakes in my conduct of the argument; but the chief result of their efforts has been to prove how impregnable is its main position. Some notice of these replies will be found in the Appendix. A few preliminary points may be considered here.

In the first place, as to the tone and spirit in which such a subject should be treated.

Mr. Grant rebukes me for using irony' in the discussion. But his rebuke falls quite as heavily upon Elijah, Isaiah, and Paul, not to add upon our Master Himself. Elijah was fully aware of the importance of his controversy with the priests of Baal, when he said, 'Peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.' Isaiah was not forgetting the sinfulness of idolatry, when he showed its absurdity also. Paul was far from meaning to use lightness, when he asked the Corinthians to forgive him the wrong of ministering to