where they must sin on, and suffer unutterable miseries to all eternity. And Christians may kill their intolerable offenders outright, in personal self-defense, in justifiable war, or on the gibbet, or by some other penal process: and they may inflict a great variety of cruel and injurious punishments, short of death, on their criminal fellow creatures, having little or no regard to their good, but only to the supposed public good. Indeed, the popular doctrine is, that when offenders and enemies pass a certain point of forbearance, they forfeit all right to have their good regarded, and it would be a wrong to the rest of mankind to regard the good of such wicked beings. All this the popular expounders of Christianity, as well as Jews, Mahometans, Pagans and infidels affirm. But I say your interpretation and rendering of the Love Principle of Christianity transcends all this.

Ex. It does indeed. But does it transcend the Christianity of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, and throughout the New Testament? Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven. For he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Matt. v: 43-48. Do I transcend this?

Inq. Certainly not; you only reëcho the same sublime doc

And let popular Christendom be ashamed of its infidelity to this divine primitive Christianity of the Son of God.

Ex. I mean to do what little I can to make it ashamed of such infidelity, and to bring it to repentance. And now what need I add? You see and feel that Love in all spiritual relations is a grand fundamental principle of the Christian Religion. And though we have given our views a wide social

range, you see and feel that this love is a principle indispensable to personal righteousness. What would God be without it? What would Christ be without it? What would any angel, spirit or man be without it? Nothing. It is that charity without which Paul said, "I am nothing." As to personal righteousness and happiness, no moral intelligence is any thing, without this LOVE.

"Did sweeter sounds adorn my flowing tongue
Than ever man pronounced, or angel sung;
Had I all knowledge, human and divine,
That thought can reach, or science can define;
And had I power to give that knowledge birth
In all the speeches of the babbling earth;
Did Shadrach's zeal my glowing breast inspire
To weary tortures, and rejoice in fire;
Or had I faith like that which Israel saw,
When Moses gave them miracles and law;
Yet gracious Charity, indulgent guest,
Were not thy power exerted in my breast,
Those speeches would send up unheeded prayer;
That scorn of life would be but wild despair;
A cymbal's sound were better than my voice,
My faith were form, my eloquence were noise."

COWPER.

Principle sixth of Personal Righteousness considered, viz: Purity in all things-The seventh considered, viz: Patience in all right aims and pursuits-The eighth explained and established, viz: Unceasing progress towards perfection-All universes and individuations of Soul-Spirit and Matter thereto belonging, have their Cycles of revolution-their generation, progress, perfection and dissolution-Man's progress through all states of being, from animal imperfection up to celestial and divine perfection-The great principle of unceasing progress towards perfection plainly one of the Christian Religion-Principles recapitulated.

Ing. I come to enjoy another of these refreshing interviews. Will you now unfold to me your remaining principles of Personal Righteousness?

Ex. With pleasure. The next in order is the sixth, viz: Purity in all things. By purity is meant freedom from defiling or polluting admixtures. That which exists in its own proper simplicity, unmixed with and undefiled by any thing repugnant to its own nature, order or right condition, is said to be pure. The principle of purity has numerous applications, relations and branches. Hence we speak of purity of heart, purity of mind, purity of conscience, purity of faith, purity of conversation, purity of life, purity of principle, &c., &c. Also, purity in our relation to God, purity in our sexual relations, purity in our various social relations, and purity in our own persons. Holiness is spiritual and moral purity. Chastity is sexual purity. Temperance is purity in the indulgence of the appetites, &c. Impurity is the opposite of these, in whatever application, relation or branch existing. Thus we may be impure in our hearts, impure in our minds, impure in our consciences, impure in our faith, impure in our conversation, impure in our life, impure in our principles. We are impure in our relation to God, if we are insincere, hypocritical, ungrateful, rebellious or impious in any degree. We are impure in our sexual relations,

if we commit adultery, fornication, lasciviousness, lewdness, self-pollution, or allow ourselves to cherish the desire to commit such acts; i. e. to lust after impure sexual indulgence. We are impure if we are unjust, untruthful, malicious, revengeful, envious, or in any way injurious to our fellow moral agents. We are impure, if we are abusing ourselves by any habitual perversion of our bodies or our minds. We are impure, if we are unholy in any respect; if we knowingly violate any law of our being. Impiety, selfishness, injustice, falsehood, hatred, cruelty, drunkenness, gluttony, debauchery, sexualistic pollution, idleness and all the vices of the carnal mind, are manifestations of impurity; and by parity of reason I may add, all physical personal filthiness, voluntarily and habitually indulged.

Inq. Then you make a clean sweep, from center to circumference- from the inmost affection to the most exterior act and habit-even to physical personal cleanliness?

Ex. Certainly. How can I do otherwise? The principle of Purity in all things-mental, moral, physical-internal and external God-ward and man-ward; in feeling, purpose, thought, word, deed; in the exercise of every propensity, appetite, passion, sentiment and faculty; in the use of all that is within our reach; in eating, drinking, sleeping, dressing, recreating; in our stomachs, our mouths, our skins, our clothes, our habitations, our door yards, our gardens, our fields and our streets; in ALL THINGS. Filthiness, uncleanness, disorder, impurity, are to be eschewed every where, at all times, in all things; that our whole body, spirit, soul and condition may be more and more sanctified; till HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD" be inscribed on our entire being and all its accessories. "All filthiness of the flesh and spirit" is to be put away; that true holiness may be "perfected." Need I quote Scripture to prove that this principle of Purity is a fundamental of the Christian Religion?

Ing. Not for my information or conviction. A score of texts throng to my recollection this instant. All must admit what you claim for Purity. You give the principle a more sweeping and thorough application than I ever before contemplated; but my best convictions and feelings cordially assent, and I will not detain you by any queries or comments.

Ex. I will pass, then, to the seventh principle in this Division of my Table, viz; Patience in all right aims and pursuits. Webster gives a very good definition of patience: "1. The suffering of afflictions, pain, toil, calamity, provocation or other evil, with a calm, unruffled temper. 2. A calm temper, which bears evils without murmuring or discontent. 3. The act or quality of waiting long for justice or expected good, without discontent. 4. Perseverance; constancy in labor or exertion. 5. The quality of bearing offenses and injuries without anger or revenge." Thus Patience includes calmness, firmness, constancy, endurance, perseverance, meekness, forbearance, gentleness, longsuffering, &c. And it stands opposed to restlessness, ficklemindedness, instability, despondency, fretfulness, resentfulness, rashness, vindictiveness and all manner of violence. Now we are to cherish and cultivate Patience in all right aims and pursuits, as a cardinal principle of personal righteousness. Being sure that our aims and efforts are right, that they are in accordance with essential divine principles, that they look to the highest good of all moral beings, we are to confide ourselves to God without distrust of consequences; we are to be calm, firm, steadfast and persevering; we are to hope on and ever to toil on and ever, to suffer whatever calamities may overtake us with unmurmuring composure; we are to face all opposition, meet all contradictions, endure all persecutions, bear all provocations and suffer all evils, resolutely, meekly, gently, forgivingly, heroically; without fretfulness, without resentment, without returning evil for evil, and without seriously doubting that the right, the good and the true will finally triumph, Do you not see the necessity and importance of this principle?

Inq. Very clearly. The severe and protracted struggle through which human nature passes in its progress, from its rudimental to its celestial and divine development, has already been considered. This struggle involves innumerable incidental trials which cannot be endured and overcome without Patience. All this is now perfectly plain to my understanding; and I admire, more and more, the excellence, consistency and order of these essential divine principles, as set forth in your Table. Each seems indispensable and glorious by itself.