my brother's request, a conference appointed, after public service, on the Sabbath, for Elder Brown to convince me that I ought to give no heed to the doctrine which laboured in my mind. Accordingly we met. The Elder requested me to turn to some passage of scripture which appeared to me favourable to Universalism; promising to do his endeavours to show me the error of applying it in favour of such a doctrine. I well remember the apparent confidence which this man manifested when he took his seat, and called on me to find some scripture, that in the least favoured so dangerous an error. I opened to the 5th chapter of Romans. I had read this chapter with much attention, and was tolerably acquainted with its several parts and their relation to each other. I directed him to the 18th verse; and told him that I was unable to understand the passage, if it agreed with the doctrine of the eternal reprobation of any of the human family. He immediately began, in his way, to speak very loudly, and nothing to the subject. When he would stop, I had only to inform him that what he had offered had no relation to the text I had produced; and by showing him that the same all men who were under condemnation in the first member of the text, were under justification in the last, evidently confused his mind and immediate. ly turned it sour. He was no longer able to converse, with a right spirit, and prudence dictated a discontinuance. My brother now grew more uneasy, and told me that he was sorry I had conversed with Elder Brown. "For," said he, "as he could by no means answer you, and as he manifested anger, you will think you had the best of the argument, and will feel encouraged to indulge favourable thoughts of Universalism." You cannot suppose that I now use the very words which were used in conversation so long ago; I am careful only to give you the subject. As to this Elder Brown, I am far from wishing to represent him in an unfavourable light. I believe he was a worthy man. But it is a fact, that he was extremely ignorant of the subject, having had, as I presume, no acquaintance with the views of Universalists, or with their manner of arguing.I continued my researches with no small solicitude; and by reading the Scriptures, and by conversing with those who opposed the doc trine, before I returned the next fall, to Richmond, my mind was quite settled in the consoling belief that God will finally have mercy on all men. On my return I found that my brother, David Ballou, whose age some over twelve years advanced of mine, had not only openly professed Universal Salvation, but had commenced preaching the doctrine. I spent most of my time with him until the fall before I was twenty-one, when I began to speak in public, believing and

preaching Universal Salvation, on the Calvinistic principles of atone. ment, and imputed righteousness. Soon after it was known that I believed in the doctrine, I was excommunicated from the Church, and was honoured with a copy of the document, carefully stating that no fault was found in me, excepting that I believed that God would finally save all men.

I never read any thing on the doctrine of Universal Salvation be fore I believed it, the Bible excepted; nor did I know, that I now recollect, that there was any thing published in its vindication in the world. Nor had I ever heard a sermon on the subject, except when in boyhood I heard Br. Rich—but concerning the sermon I realised nothing.

It was some time after I was a preacher of the doctrine, that I became acquainted with Relly's peculiar system; and if my memory serves me correctly, I had left the principles of Calvinism entirely, in relation to atonement, before I learned from Br. Murray the tenets which he received from Mr. Relly.

I had preached but a short time before my mind was entirely freed from all the perplexities of the doctrine of the trinity, and the common notion of atonement. But in making these advances, as I am disposed to call them, I had the assistance of no author, or writer.— As fast as those old doctrines were, by any means, rendered the subjects of inquiry, in my mind, they became exploded. But it would be difficult for me now to recall the particular incidents which suggested queries in my mind respecting them. It may be proper for me here to state one circumstance, which, no doubt, had no small tendency to bring me on to the ground where I have for many years felt established. It was my reading some deistical writings. By this means I was led to see that it was utterly impossible to maintain Christianity as it had been generally believed in the church. This led me, of course, to examine the Scriptures, that I might determine the question, whether they did really teach that Jesus Christ died to reconcile an unchangeable God to his own creatures? You cannot suppose that I was long in finding that so far from teaching such absurdities, the Scriptures teach that "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself." The question respecting the trinity was, by the same means, as speedily settled. But I cannot say, for certainty, what year I became a Unitarian, but it was long before I wrote my Treatise on Atonement, the date of which you have.

Respecting the doctrine of a future state of retribution there was, my youth, but little said. Universalists having obtained satisfac

tion that none of the human race would suffer endless punishment,
thought they had sufficient reason to rejoice with exceeding joy, and
to glory in the mercy of God. I never made the question a subject
of close investigation until lately. When I wrote my Notes on the
Parables, and my Treatise on Atonement, I had travelled, in my
mind, away from penal sufferings, so entirely, that I was satisfied
that if any suffered in the future state, it would be because they would
be sinful in that state. But I cannot say that I was fully satisfied,
that the Bible taught no punishment in the future world, until I ob-
tained this satisfaction by attending to the subject with Br. Edward
Turner, then of Charlestown. For the purpose of satisfying ourselves
respecting the doctrine of the Scriptures, on this question, we agreed
to do the best we could; he in favour of future punishment, and I the
contrary. Our investigations were published in a periodical, called
the Gospel Visitant. While attending to this correspondence, I be-
came entirely satisfied that the Scriptures begin and end the history
of sin in flesh and blood; and that beyond this mortal existence the
Bible teaches no other sentient state but that which is called by the
blessed name of life and immortality.

When I sat down to reply to Br. Turner, who urged the passage in Peter, respecting the spirits in prison, I knew not by what means I could explain the text without allowing it to favour the doctrine of future sufferings. I had, at that time, no knowledge of any translation of the text, but the one in our common version. But on reading the whole subject in connexion, the light broke in on my mind, and I was satisfied that Peter alluded to the Gentiles, by spirits in prison, which made the passage agree with Isaiah 42d.”

Mr. Ballou's first settlement as a Universalist preacher, was in the town of Dana, Mass. After the expiration of some years, he was induced to remove to Barnard, Vt. While resident at this place, he wrote his "Treatise on the Atonement," and "Notes on the Parables." Six years from the time of locating in Barnard, Mr. Ballou removed to Portsmouth, N. H. Here he remained for about six years, and then removed to Salem, Mass. In 1817, he accepted the invitation of the Second Universalist Society in Boston to become their Pastor, and as such he was installed on the 15th of December. He still sustains said official character.

Mr. Ballou is in the 64th year of his age-yet "his eye is not dim, nor is his natural force abated." His public communications are

distinguished by extraordinary penetration, perfect knowledge of hu man nature, aptness of illustration, and closeness of reasoning. In private intercourse, he manifests the feelings of a heart baptized into the spirit of the living God. It is impossible to listen to his public exhibitions of love divine, without according to him the meed of sincerity and intellectual power; and it is equally impossible to mingle with him in the walks of social life, without loving him from

the heart.

The following is a list of Mr. Ballou's works :-" Treatise on the Atonement"-"Notes on the Parables"-"XXVI Lectures"-"XXV Select Sermons"-"Candid Review"-"XI Sermons," delivered in Philadelphia in 1821-2- Examination of Future Retribution""Letters in Defence of Divine Revelation"-besides many smaller publications.

A. C. T.

BALLOU'S NINE SERMONS.

SERMON I.

Delivered in the Callowhill Street Church, Sunday Morning,
November 2, 1834.

JESUS A WITNESS, LEADER, AND COMMANDER.

“Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people."-ISAIAh lv. 4.

I deem it unnecessary to occupy any of your time, in proving that this is a prophecy concerning the great Messiah. The connexion in which the passage is found, fully justifies this conclusion, and it is not controverted by any Christian sect. We shall therefore proceed directly to speak of the Messiah, even of Jesus, as sustaining the several characters mentioned in the text.

In the first place, we shall speak of him in the character of a WITNESS:

In the second place, in the character of a LEADER: In the third place, in the character of a CoMMANBehold, I have given him for a Witness to the people, a Leader and Commander to the people."

DER. 66

Let us inquire, in the first place, into the utility and necessity of a WITNESS. And by attending to