ward by men of talents and erudition as an insuperable barrier against Universal Salvation, and their several adherents have taken it for granted, that it can never be explained in harmony with the sentiment, that all men shall eventually obtain eternal life through the Redeemer of men. But these impressions have arisen from the fact, that they have taken their own views and explanations to be scripturally correct, and from these premises, they have drawn conclusions utterly opposed to the final holiness and happiness of God's intelligent creation. They have supposed the new birth to be some mysterious change produced by some mysterious operation of the divine spirit on the mind, and that it is in substance a miracle.

One denomination has contended that if a man once obtained this change, he was safe, could never "finally fall from grace," but would eventually land in the kingdom of immortal glory. Several other denominations admit the new birth to be the same change already noticed, but contend that the subject may fall from grace, and be finally lost. Here then the man, who was, according to their views, born again, might still never see the kingdom of God beyond the grave. On this principle, the new birth would be no security, that any one would obtain heaven. According to this sentiment, a man might be born again, fall away, and be born again "until seven times," and in the end not see the kingdom of God. Those, who advocate this sentiment, believe that faith and repentance are prerequisites to the new birth, and also believe in the salvation of infants.

This being so, it will come to pass that half of the world will be saved, inasmuch as about that number die in what may be, justly,

termed an infant state. But of those, who come to years of accountability, they believe but few will be saved. So the greater proportion of those, who will finally surround the throne of God, will be those, who have never been born again according to their views. It will not, I presume, be contended, that infants who, they believe, are totally depraved, ever exercise faith, or experience the new birth in this life.

From the above views, I shall take the liberty to dissent, and may probably differ some from the expositions given by others. It is evident that Jesus Christ in his instructions frequently brought forward some natural facts plainly understood by those whom he addressed, in order more clearly to illustrate his subject, and then made his illustrations so nearly resemble that natural fact, that no man could possible misunderstand him, unless he had been led into tradition by blind guides. In the context, he makes allusion to natural birth, of which every man knows the meaning, and says to Nicodemus, "that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit."

Natural birth pre-supposes the perfect formation of the human body by that secret energy of nature, God only can comprehend. But that formation, itself, is not birth. Birth is that operation, that introduced us into this world. We are now flesh and blood, which car.not inherit the kingdom. What is born of the flesh is flesh. We must now be born again from mortal to immortality, otherwise we could not see the kingdom of God.

Must not man be born of a woman in order to see this world? Can he look upon the beautiful objects of creation, or contemplate these countless wonders of the Almighty be

all things he might have the pre-eminence." Rev. chap. i. 5. "Jesus Christ the faithful witness, and the first begotten from the dead." Here it is plainly stated that he is the first born from the dead”—“the first begotten from the dead." These scriptures in connexion with several others, that might be quoted, prove that Christ was born again, and that the resurrection is called birth.

It is evident that man falls to a state of insensibility in death, and remains in sleep while the spiritual body is forming out of those subtle materials, that at death pass into hades; and when the reorganization is completed, the new being is born into the kingdom of immortal glory. A drowning man, we know, falls to a state of unconsciousness. Fainting-yes, even a night's sleep proves that the mind is susceptible of falling into insensibility, or suspending its mental operations, and disproves the notion of its entering a future state, only through a resurrection of the dead. This fact is not only substantiated by reason, but it is the doctrine of Revelation. The wise man says, "the dead know not any thing." Paul, in the xv. chap. 1. Cor. predicates the truth of our resurrection on the fact that Christ rose from the dead; and on this ground he reasons, that if there be no resurrection; then preaching is vain, faith is also vain, the christians were yet in their sins, and they that were fallen asleep in Christ were perished, and concludes by saying, "let us eat, drink, for tomorrow we die." Suppose a christian should this moment die, and, according to common opinion, enter immediately on an immortal exister.ce. Could we now say-if there be no resurrection, he is fallen asleep in Christ and perished? No, because, instead of being perished,

i. e. annihilated, he would remain in infinite happiness and glory, even if there should, never, be any resurrection. So you perceive that Paul did not believe any one could enter eternity only through a resurrection. He believed, they would fall asleep in Christ, and in that sleep remain till in Christ they were made alive. He embraces the whole in the following words-"Since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead."

When the sentence of death was pronounced upon Adam, which was to pass upon all men, the promise of a Saviour then made, was, it appears, not understood. Their posterity looked forward for a temporal king, and had no idea of an immortal existence beyond the "narrow house." Death the king of terrors, was not yet disarmed of his sting by the resurrection of our triumphant Redeemer. This truth was not yet revealed to Here the human family were without hope, and trembling at the darkness-the seven fold darkness of the tomb. No ray of light and joy beamed from that cheerless mansion to ease the aching heart, or dispel that melancholy gloom, which pervaded the parental bosom when gazing for the last time upon the struggles of a dying child.

men.

Here was a world born into existence under the certain sentence of death, and groaning in the bondage of corruption, without any hope of being delivered from it, by an immortal birth, into the glorious liberty of the children of God." In this period of anxiety and distress, the glad tidings were proclain.ed to the shepherds on the plains of Judea, announcing the birth of the Saviour of the world. A new birth, which is not mentioned in the old Testament, was at length pro

claimed by a Saviour in the new. He died on the cross, and was "the first born from the dead."

He is the head of every man, by the grace of God tasted death for every man, and rose again for their justification. The scriptures declare that "we shall be saved by his life"that he is "the bread of God that cometh down from heaven and giveth life to the world." He is our way, our truth and life, and "because he lives we shall live also." "As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive," or born from the dead. And he that is made alive in Christ is a new creaturc, old things are passed away-all things are become new.

But, says the reader, though the resurrection of Jesus is set forth by a birth from death, yet the resurrection of the human family is never so represented. You mistake. Out of the many passages that might be adduced, we have room, in this discourse, for only one. It shall, however, be satisfactory. In Romans, 8th chapter, Paul says, "Because the creature itself also, shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God; for we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." [We would remark, that the word creature, is ktisis in the Greek, and is the same that is rendered creation in the next verse.] In this quotation, you perceive, that Paul represents the whole creation as groaning in travail pains, and declares that the whole creation shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. He compares them to a woman in pain ready for delivery; and that they are