kingdom to the Father, all shall be brought to
a participation of the knowledge and enjoyment of that truth which maketh
free from the bondage of sin and death. They believe in a general
resurrection and judgment, when those who have improved their probation in
this life will be raised to more perfect felicity, and those who have
misimproved their opportunities on earth will come forward to shame and
condemnation, which will continue till they become truly penitent; that
punishment itself is a mediatorial work, a discipline, perfectly
consistent with mercy; that it is a means, employed by Christ to humble
and subdue the stubborn will, and prepare the mind to receive a
manifestation of the goodness of God, which leadeth the sinner to true
repentance. (See Gen. 12:3; 22:18. Gal. 3:8. Isa. 45:22, 23. Phil. 2:10,
11. Rev. 5:13. 1 Tim. 2:1-6. Col. 1:20. Eph. 1:7-11. Rom. 5:12-21; 8:20,
21. 1 Cor. 15:24-28.)

They contend that this doctrine is not only sustained by particular texts,
but grows necessarily out of some of the first principles of divine
revelation. They maintain that it is immediately connected with the
perfections of the Deity; that God, being infinitely benevolent, must have
desired the happiness of all his offspring; that his infinite wisdom would
enable him to form a perfect plan, and his almighty power will secure its
accomplishment. They contend that the mission of Christ is abortive on any
other plan, and that nothing short of the "restitution of all things" can
satisfy the ardent desires of every pious soul. On this system alone can
they reconcile the attributes of justice and mercy, and secure to the
Almighty a character worthy of our imitation.

They insist that the words rendered _everlasting_, _eternal_, and
_forever_, which are, in a few instances, applied to the misery of the
wicked, do not prove that misery to be endless, because these terms are
loose in their signification, and are frequently used in a limited sense;
that the original terms, being often used in the plural number, clearly
demonstrate that the period, though indefinite, is limited in its very
nature. They maintain that the meaning of the term must always be sought
in the subject to which it is applied, and that there is nothing in the
nature of punishment which will justify an endless sense. They believe
that the doctrine of the restoration is the most consonant to the
perfections of the Deity, the most worthy of the character of C