K:' •'■•"'" 
 
LIBRARY 
 
 OF II IK 
 
 Theological Seminary, 
 
 PRINCETON, N. J. 
 
 Slu If 
 Book 
 
 Di-vision . 
 
 Sectten... 
 No, 
 
 .... 
 
 //06S 
 
 i 
 
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u^Tij; 
 
 A N 
 
 ENQUIRY 
 
 Scripture-Doctrine 
 
 Concerning the Duration' of 
 
 Future Puniihment : 
 
 IN WHICH 
 
 The Texts oi the New Teflament, relating 
 to this Subject, are confidered; and the 
 Doctrine, drawn from them alone, is 
 (hewn to be confiftent with REASON. 
 
 OccafioA'd by fome late Writings, 
 
 And particularly Mr. Whiston's Difcourfe of 
 Hell-Torments. 
 
 " ' " — ■ ■ ■ i ii ■ mmmmmmmm*m 
 
 By MATTHEW HORBEkr t B. D. 
 
 Fellow of Magdalen- College in Oxford, 
 
 And Chaplain to the Right Reverend the Lord 
 
 Bifhop of Lichfield and Coventry. 
 
 ■ - - - T 
 
 Knoiving therefore the Terror cf the Lord, we perfuade 
 
 Men. 2 Cor. v. ii. 
 For our God is a Confumirtg Fire. Heb, xii. 29. 
 
 ■ ' ■'■ — — — «— — ^— ■ ■.,■■■■■ I.,, 
 
 L O A 7 D O N: 
 
 Printed for James Fletcher, BookfelJer m Oxford', 
 and fold by J. snd P. KnaPTON, in Ludgate-Street ; 
 S. Bi r t , in Ave- Maria-La ne , and j . Riving t o n , 
 in St. Paul's Cl:irch-Tard. 
 
 MTDec.xuv. 
 

 »>. *. \_ 
 
• •• 
 
 HI 
 
 THE 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 THERE will be fo much occa- 
 fion for the Reader's Candour 
 throughout the following Performance, 
 that it would be imprudent to offend 
 him, by omitting any ufual Inftance of 
 Civility. It is however of little Confe- 
 quence to the Publick, to be told how I 
 came to be ingaged in this Difpute; only 
 it may be faid, that this Enquiry fhould 
 either have been published fooner, or 
 not at all: Sooner, that it might have 
 obviated the ill Effedts of Mr, Whifton% 
 Book; or not at all now, iince he has 
 been anfwered by others, and particu- 
 larly by Mr. Dodwell> in two excel - 
 A 2 lent 
 
iv The PREFACE. 
 
 lent Difcourfes before the Univerfity of 
 
 Oxford. 
 
 I love no Difguife in any Cafe, in 
 this I need none ; The plain Truth is 
 this : — Mr. JVhiftoiis Book had been 
 published a confiderable time before I 
 was defired to write againft it ; when 
 I had undertaken this Task, 1 finifhed 
 it as foon as I was able, and as faft as 
 other Bunnefs and Avocations would 
 give me leave. And tho' this Treatife 
 comes late, yet if I have in any mea- 
 fure compafs'd my Defign, and con- 
 firmed the Point I defend, I flatter 
 myfelf that it may flill be ufeful. 
 While Opinions are confined to Books, 
 they are of little Confequence to the 
 World in general; and it is to little pur- 
 pofe to raife or continue Difputes about 
 them. But the Doctrine here oppofed 
 is of another kind. It is (o agree- 
 able to the Wifhes and Inclinations of 
 fome People, that they are ready to be- 
 lieve it, not onlv independently of 
 
 Mr. 
 
Tie P RE FACE. v 
 
 Mr. Whijloris Book, but perhaps with- 
 out any Reafoning, or Reading, upon 
 the Subjeit at all. It is enough for them 
 to hear, that a learned Man has writ 
 fomething, againft the Eternity of 
 II ell -Torments. The reft they take for 
 granted ; they queftion not but it mull 
 be fo as he fays ; for the Doctrine of a 
 miferable Eternity always feemed to 
 them abfurd and incredible. 
 
 There is little hope of prevailing 
 upon fuch Perfons as thefe, to read any 
 Thino; on the ether fide. But then 
 they may hear, as they did in the other 
 Cnfe, that the Point is far from being 
 fo clear and certain, as they feem to 
 imagine ; — that it ftill appears to be 
 the Dodlrine oi the New Teftament, 
 that there will be no Alteration of the 
 State of wicked Men after the Day of 
 
 Judgment ; that Annihilation is a 
 
 Dream, and x\\q Hypothecs of a Re-efta- 
 bliiliment more vifionary and extra va- 
 
 » gant 
 
v i The PREFACE. 
 
 gant than that ; — that therefore they 
 fhould not fo haftily take for granted, 
 what has never yet been proved ; nor 
 talk and a£t as if Hell-Torments were 
 not perpetual, till they are very fure 
 that they are in the Right. In a word, 
 if the following Enquiry can contri- 
 bute to make Men a little more cautious 
 upon this Article, and to refledt on 
 what they are doing before it be too 
 late, it will do good fervice to the 
 World ; and then the Affair of its ap- 
 pearing fo long after the Book that oc- 
 (ajlodd it, will be merely an Incident 
 not worth regarding. 
 
 As to the other Queftion,— What need 
 
 of this alter Mi\ Dot/weJfs Difcourfes ? 
 I anfwer, that it was finifhed before 
 his Difcourfes were publifh'd ; and as 
 it likewife takes in a larger Compafs 
 ih the Nature of that Gentleman's 
 Ociign would admit of, it was judged 
 nroner not to fuppreis it. 1 mention 
 
 this, 
 
The PREFACE. vii 
 
 this, left I fhould be fufpe&ed of Va- 
 nity, as if I thought my felf capable of 
 improving an Argument, which had 
 been handled by fo good a Writer: 
 An Imagination of all others the fartheft 
 from my Thoughts. 
 
 A s to the Work itfelf, I can only 
 fay this, that however imperfect the 
 Performance may be, I have taken the 
 right Method to find out the Truth. 
 I have endeavoured to collect the Doc- 
 trine of the New Teftament, I think 
 from all the Texts in it relating to 
 the Argument I am upon ; and I 
 have attempted to clear this Do&rine 
 from the Difficulties obje&ed to it, in 
 point of Reafon : With what Succefs, 
 the Publick only muft judge. But furely 
 if our Dodtrine muft be rejefted, it will 
 not be in Confequence of what Mr. 
 /^/&/)#0/zhasfaidagainft it. There is little 
 Reafoning in that Gentleman's Book ;— 
 fome Scripture explain'd as he pleafes,and 
 
 fome- 
 
viii Tie PREFACE. 
 
 fometimes inconfiftently enough ; a 
 
 good deal of Conje&ure and Invention ; 
 — and a numerous Collection of Tefli- 
 monies from ancient Writers, tho' of 
 different Value, in which his Strength 
 principally lies. But any one may fee 
 that this Strength is Weaknefs, depend- 
 ing chiefly, or only, on his own arbi- 
 trary Conftruftion *, Let him trans- 
 late as he pleafes, and he can prove 
 what he will; but deny him this Pri- 
 vilege, and hardly the Shadow of a 
 Proof remains* It puts one in mind 
 of the Army mention'd by his fa- 
 vourite Efdras, Ch. xiii. There was ga- 
 ther d together a great Multitude of 
 Men, out of number : — But no fooner 
 
 fhould 
 
 * Thus, for inftancf, rather than give the plain 
 and full Scnfe of his Authors, he will tranflate them 
 into fomcthing little left than Contradiction. Page 
 6p, y we find Poly carp ijx-aking oi - that Fire which is 
 lofting, and never (f*w("!rorij lo be Quenched. Why- 
 then is iKJt ? «iaviw rendered Ever lifting? So again, 
 p. jo, he makes the Author ot the Recognitions 
 talk of the Pwiijbments of kftiug Fire [N. B.) with* 
 out End, 
 
The PREFACE. k 
 
 fhould thefe Men ingage, than upon a 
 f tedder^ of an innumerable Multitude 
 7io thing was to be perceived^ but only 
 Dujl and Smoak. 
 
 Howeve r, as Mr. TVhiJlon had en- 
 deavoured to fupport his Caufe by Au- 
 thorities, I thought it not proper to 
 leave mine wholly deftitute of the 
 fame Advantage. For this Reafon I 
 willingly quoted fuch Paflages as I met 
 with, either in ancient, or modern 
 Writers of Note and Eminency, that 
 were ferviceable to my Purpofe. But 
 it is needlefs perhaps to make any Apo- 
 logy for thefe Quotations : They are 
 poflibly the only Part of the Perfor- 
 mance, which does not want one. Be 
 it as it will, it muft at laft be left to 
 the Indulgence of the Reader. A can- 
 did one will excufe any fmall Defeds, 
 or Miftakes ; and as to the reft, it is 
 to no purpofe to intreat their Fa- 
 vour, 
 
 a This 
 
x The P RE FACE. 
 
 This is all I think neceflary to be 
 faid by way of Preface, fince I have 
 more fully opened and explained my 
 Defign and Method in the Intro- 
 du&ion. 
 
 C O N 
 
XI 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 f 
 
 HE Introduction. p. i 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 Wherein the Teflimoniet of the four 
 Go r pels> relating to this Subje8l y 
 are confdered. p. 7 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Wh'rein the Testimonies of the other 
 Boohs of the IWw Tejlament are 
 produced. p. 91 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 In which the DMrlne collected from 
 the Texts abve cited, is farther of- 
 fer ted > and reconciled with the moral 
 Perfections oj God. p. 1 5 8 
 
 CHAR 
 
Xll 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 Concerning the Syftetn of the ReJIora- 
 tion> or Re-eflabiijhment. p. 2 1 3 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 Concerning the Annihilation of the 
 Wicked : And alfo concerning Re- 
 pentance in Hades. p. 260 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 7he Ufe and Importance of the DoSirine 
 defended above. p. 297 
 
 THE 
 
['] 
 
 THE 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 THE feveral Treatifes which have, with- 
 in thefe late Years, been published, 
 againft the Doctrine of the Eternity 
 of future Punifhments ; and the too 
 great Succefs which, it may be fear'd, they 
 have met with, in a licentious and unbelieving 
 Age; may have rendered it perhaps but too 
 neceffary to examine this Subject once more, 
 and to try, whether it cannot be reafonably and 
 fairly defended. It has long appeared in the 
 World as a Doctrine of the Gofpel, and been 
 received under that Character ; which tho' in- 
 deed it be no Proof, that it really is fo, is yet an 
 Argument, that it mould not rafhly be rejected. 
 It ought, at leaf!:, to be fet in a proper light, 
 have its proper Evidence produced for it, and 
 have at laft a fair and impartial Hearing. When 
 this is done, it muft take its Chance : The 
 Caufe will then be determined, not by general 
 Exclamations, not by hard Names, and abufive 
 Invectives, not by Appeals to the Pity and Paf- 
 fions of Men, not by fpurious Authorities (none 
 
 B of 
 
2 The Introduction. 
 
 of which are of any Weight at all in the Cafe) ; 
 but by, what alone ought to determine it, true 
 genuine Scripture, and right Reafon. 
 
 That this Doctrine may be maintained upon 
 this Footing, I am fully perfuaded \ but whether 
 I am able to maintain it, is a Point, which I have 
 Reafon to be much lefs fure of. However, it is 
 but reafonable, that every one ihould diftinguifli 
 between the Caufe itfelf, and the Defence of 
 it. No Part of true Religion is naturally con- 
 nected with any Man's Way of fupporting it - y 
 but is certainly, in itfelf, capable of a rational 
 Vindication, whether his Attempts to vindicate 
 it fucceed or fail : And I defire Religion may 
 have the Benefit of this Obfervation, againft any 
 Injury I myfelf may do it. , 
 
 My Defign in thefe Papers is not to confine 
 my Thoughts and Method to that of any one 
 particular Writer ; but as the Gentlemen, who 
 have diftinguifhed themfelves on the negative 
 Side of this Queftion, proceed upon different 
 Principles, and advance Arguments and Hypo- 
 thefes not very confiftent with one another, I 
 fhall take a wider Compafs, than perhaps is ne- 
 ceffary toanfwer any one of them, and treat of 
 the Subject in fuch a manner, that none of their 
 Sentiments may appear to be wholly neglected. 
 However, as Mr. Whifton is the lateft Writer 
 upon this Subject -, as he complains, that fome 
 others before him did not go to the Bottom * of 
 
 it; 
 * Page 2, 136. 
 
The Introduction; 3 
 
 it ; and may therefore be fuppofed to imagine, 
 that he himfelf has done it 5 and likewife as 
 his Performance was the immediate Occafion of 
 mine; a more particular Regard will be paid to 
 him in the Courfe of thefe Obfervations. Now, 
 this Gentleman tells us, that there is not fo much 
 as one plain Tejlimony *, either in the Old or 
 New Teftament, for this Dodtrine of eternal 
 Torments $ that they are " intirely unjuji in 
 " their own Nature ; extremely cruel and 
 " barbarous, both in the Threatening, and in the 
 <c Execution j and what any one, that believes 
 " and confiders the exadl Juftice, and infinite 
 " Goodnefs of God, cannot poffibly believe at 
 
 cc the fame time -j\ If the common Dodtrine, 
 
 cc he fays, were certainly true, the Juftice of 
 <c God muft inevitably be given up, and much 
 <c more his Mercy ; for this Do&rine fuppofes 
 " him to delight in Cruelty and Barbarity, the 
 " mojl favage Cruelty and Barbarity poftible J ; 
 " that thefe Punishments anfwer no good End, 
 M but are only Inflames of the abjolute and 
 <c fupreme Power and Dominion of the cruel 
 " and inexorable Author of their Being |j y 
 and that " this amazing, this mojl pernicious , 
 " this horrid DoBrine, is unjuftly fathered upon 
 " our holy Religion **." 
 
 Many more Paffagps to this Purpofe might 
 
 be collected out of Mr. Whifloris Book; but 
 
 I take no Delight in fuch Work, and have 
 
 B 2 repeated 
 
 * Page 19. f P. 136. J P. J37. 1 P. 19. 
 
 ** P. 137. 
 
4 The Introduction. 
 
 repeated thefe with no other View, than as they 
 may contribute to open my Defign, and ferve to 
 introduce what I have to offer upon the Subject. 
 Only, before I proceed farther, it may be proper 
 to take notice, that I have nothing to do with 
 the Doctrine as Mr. Whiflon has reprefented it, 
 and as he feems to think it is commonly held and 
 believed. I contend for no Doctrine, that 
 
 fuppofes God to delight in Cruelty ; for no 
 
 Punifhments, that are Inftances only of abfolute 
 and fupreme Power and Dominion. All fuch 
 Doctrines as thefe Mr. Whiflon may confute as* 
 long as he pleafes ; he will have no Adverfary 
 in me. I likewife agree with him, that a 
 Diftinction fhould be made between the Heathen, 
 and thofe that never heard of the Gofpel, and 
 Chriftians, or thofe to whom that Gofpel has 
 been preached *. To thefe latter, with my 
 Confent, let the Controverfy be confined : 
 They are, for certain, the Perfons properly 
 concerned in a Difpute about the Puniihments 
 contained in the Gofpel. But then, on the other 
 hand, the Gofpel is the only proper Authority 
 to determine this Queftion. Teftimonies from 
 apocryphal or fpurious Writers will fignify little. 
 And as the Old Teftament has nothing fo clear 
 and exprefs upon this Subject as the New, and 
 contains nothing contrary to the New Teftament, 
 it will be fufficient to examine, how this Matter 
 is decided there. 
 
 Accordingly, 
 * P. ur. 
 
7%e Introduction, 5 
 
 Accordingly, I fhall confider all the Texts 
 of the New Teftament relating to this Subject, 
 and collect the Do&rine from them alone. I 
 (hall then endeavour to clear this Scripture- 
 Dodfrine from all Imputations of Injuftice and 
 Cruelty, to reconcile it with the moral Perfec- 
 tions of God, and (hew, that it is fo far from 
 being what no one can poffibly believe, that, 
 upon the joint Evidence of Nature, Philofophy, 
 and Revelation, it is perfectly credible. And, 
 if there be any particular Objections, that will 
 not fall under thefe Articles, they alio (hall be 
 diftin&ly considered. Thus far I (hall be chiefly 
 upon the Defenfive ; but I ftol content 
 
 myfelf merely with that. As the Adverlaries 
 have advanced different Schemes of their own, 
 fome being for the Hypot he /is of Annihilation, 
 and others for the Syftem, as they call it, of a 
 Reft oration ; I (hall take theie Schemes into 
 Confideration, and lhew, that they are attended 
 with Difficulties not ealy to be removed : So 
 that if, after all, I (hould not be able to clear 
 the Doctrine I defend from all Difficulties what- 
 ever, yet there would be no Senfe in rejecting it 
 for the Sake of other Hypotbejis, not clear from 
 equal Difficulties themfelves, and Supported by 
 much lefs (perhaps by no) Evidence of Scripture. 
 Laftly, as Mr. IVhifton feems to intimate, that 
 this Eternity of future Punifhments is fo far from 
 being a fundamental Dodtrine of Chriftianity, 
 that it is rather a Point of (mail Conlequence * ; 
 
 B 3 
 * P. 102, 103. 
 
6 The Introduction, 
 
 and likewife, that his Do&rine is as likely to move 
 and influence Men, as this * -, and fomething 
 to the fame Purpofe has been fuggefted by 
 another Writer, in favour of his Syftem of a 
 Reftoration * — J muft therefore examine this 
 Pretence, and fhew the Ufe and Importance of 
 the Dodlrine I defend. 
 
 Every one will fee, that I have drawn out 
 for rnyfelf the Plan of a Work, which will be 
 of fome Length ; and which therefore, for the 
 Sake both of Eafe and Method, muft be divided 
 into fcveral Chapters. 
 
 * P. 141. 
 
 AN 
 
(7) 
 
 A N 
 
 INQUIRY 
 
 INTO THE 
 
 SCRIPTURE- DOCTRINE 
 
 O F 
 
 Future Punipment. 
 
 chap. I. 
 
 Wherein the Teftimonies of the four 
 
 Gofpels, relating to this SubjeSi^ are 
 
 considered. 
 
 N° I. 
 
 MATT. iii. 10, 12. And now alfo the 
 Axe is laid unto the Root of the 
 Trees : Therefore every Tree, which 
 bringeth not forth good Fruit, is 
 hewn down, and caft into the Fire. 
 
 N° II. 
 
 Whofe Fan is in his Hand, and he will thoroughly 
 purge his Floor, and gather his Wheat inta 
 the Garner ; but will burn up the Chaff with 
 unquenchable Fire. 
 
 B 4 I cite 
 
8 The Scripture-DoSlrim 
 
 I cite thefe PafTages together, becaufe, under 
 
 different Similitudes, they feem to eftablifh the 
 
 fame Truth, and explain and illuftrate each 
 
 other. They are a Key, as it were, which 
 
 opens to us the Nature and Defign of Chrift's 
 
 Kingdom. In this, it feems, there will be 
 
 made, fome time or other, a total and final 
 
 Separation between the Good and the Evil ; 
 
 and the Texts both fuppofe, that there will be 
 
 Men, whofe moral State will anfwer to the 
 
 Tree which bringeth not forth good Fruit ! , and 
 
 to the Chaff, who, like them, therefore, are to 
 
 be rejecled, and whofe End is to be burned. 
 
 Upon the Evidence arifing from thefe Texts, 
 
 there is no more Hope of the Rejloration of this 
 
 kind of Men, than of the Reftoration of the Tree y 
 
 which is hewn down, and cajl into the Fire ; or 
 
 of the Converfion of Chaff into Wheat. They 
 
 conclude therefore plainly againft the Syftem of 
 
 a Rejloration. But then, as to Annihilation, they 
 
 are fo far from oppofing that, that, if we will 
 
 believe Mr. Whiflon> they are ftrongly for it. 
 
 The Words in the latter Text " compare the 
 
 <c Wicked to Chaff, which is not laid up in 
 
 C( Garners, as Wheat is for its Prefervation, but 
 
 C£ intirely burnt up for its Deftru&ion : Which 
 
 u is ftrong againft thofe, that fuppofe the 
 
 " Wicked to have their Lives preferved, on 
 
 <£ purpofe that they may be fubject to never- 
 
 <c ending Pains ; and plainly implies, that their 
 
 c< Puniihment fhall end much fooner, by an 
 
 u utter Deftruclion, or what we mould call 
 
 cc Annihilation *." If, in Anfwer to this, any 
 
 Strefi 
 
 • P. 42. See alfo p. 34. 
 
of Future Punijhment. g 
 
 Strefs fhould be laid upon the Word unquench- 
 able, Mr. Whifton perhaps would reply, that 
 that only means this Fire fhall never be quenched 
 till the Wicked are utterly deftroyed * : Or, 
 the Fire itfelf may continue longer than the 
 Torments of particular Offenders, and be the 
 common Place of Torment for Sinners in diffe- 
 rent Ages and Periods of the World, one after 
 another -f\ 
 
 A s to the firft Suppofition, that by unquench- 
 able Fire is only meant, that no one fhall quench 
 this Fire before the Wicked are utterly con- 
 fumed -, it does not come up to the firft, moil: 
 obvious, and natural Idea of the Word : For, 
 as far as the Force of the Word is concerned, I 
 can make neither more nor lefs of unquenchable 
 Fire, than Fire that never can (or never (hall) 
 be quenched. Befides, it takes for granted the 
 chief Thing to be proved, that the Wicked 
 will be utterly deftroyed, or annihilated. The 
 fame may be faid of his other Suppofition, which 
 is only a private, and (as far as appears) a ground- 
 lefs Conjecture. There is no Intimation in 
 Scripture, that this unquenchable Fire (hall be 
 the common Place of Torments for Sinners 
 fuccefjively, or laft longer than they do. In 
 fliort, both thefe are only Expedients which 
 prove nothing, but, fuppofing Mr. W hi (Ion's 
 Hypothecs to be true, would reconcile this Ex- 
 preffion with it. But then, he may ftill infift 
 upon the Comparifon of the Wicked to Chaff, 
 
 which 
 * See p. 24, -r P. 49. 
 
10 The Scriptura-DoSirine 
 
 which is intirely burnt up. It would perhaps be 
 too great a Nicety to obferve, that neither Wood 
 nor Chaff are fo confumed in the Fire as to be 
 annihilated ; nor are there any Inftances or Ex- 
 amples of Annihilation in Nature , which, by- 
 the-by, fhould make a Philofopher lefs fond of 
 it, than Mr. Whijion feems to be, whofe horrid 
 Dodlrine * would annihilate, not only the 
 Wicked, but God's whole Creation. However, 
 whatever becomes of the Wood and the Chaff\ 
 Comparifons and Allufions of this kind are not 
 to be interpreted with Rigour, nor extended 
 farther than they were defigned to hold. Upon 
 the Principles of all true Philofophy, the Souls 
 of Men are (under God) naturally immortal. 
 They are not therefore, as Mr. Whijion fuppofes, 
 preferved on purpofe that they may befubjedl to 
 never-ending Pains ; but their very Nature, 
 different from that of Wood or Chaff, fubjefts 
 them to the Pains, which their Wickednefs 
 deferved, for ever. Tis true indeed, Mr. W. 
 has quite another Notion of the Immortality of 
 the Soul, which, according to him, fignifies no 
 more than its furviving the Body at Death «f\ 
 But this Point muft not be debated with him 
 here, and may be fafely trufted to the Proof, 
 which has been given of it in the unanfwerable 
 Writings of Dr. Clarke, Mr. Norris, &c. and, 
 fince them, by the excellent Author of the 
 Inquiry into the Nature of the Human Sou/, 
 
 To 
 
 • See p. 23, 64, 75, 89, 134. f ?• 7*. 
 
of Future Punijhment. n 
 
 T o return to my Texts above : What I 
 diredtly infer from them, is only this, and it 
 appears to me too plain to be denied, that there 
 will be fome time, when Chrift has thoroughly 
 purged his Floor, a total and fi?ial Separation 
 made between the Good and the Evil. What 
 will become of this rejected Part of Mankind, 
 after this Separation, we need not determine^. 
 As we travel on, our Light perhaps will grow 
 clearer. See Dr. Clarke's Sermon on this Text, 
 Vol VIII. p.m. 
 
 No III. 
 Matt. v. 22. Whofoever Jliall fay, (to hig Bro- 
 ther) Thou Foot, JJjall be in Danger of Hell- 
 fire. 
 
 This Text, as Mr. Whiflon obferves, no- way 
 concerns the Duration of Hell-Torments ; but 
 is fet down by him, in order to acquaint us with 
 a DifiinBion in antient Language between Hades 
 and Gehenna *. We thank him for his Infor- 
 mation ; but had heard of fome fuch thine 
 before : Nor is any one now fo ignorant as to 
 believe, that, by the Article of ChrifYs Defcent 
 into Hell, or Hades, is meant his defcending 
 into Hell-fire itfelf. I am fure the bed Expo- 
 iitors of the Creed teach us quite other Dodlrine. 
 But then, Mr. Whijlon would make a fort of 
 Pttrgatory of this Hades : <c Accordingly, lavs 
 *' he, I have all along added a few Pafiages re- 
 
 u lating 
 
 * I 34- 
 
1 2 T/je Scripture-DoElrine 
 
 €c lating to the cajligatory and temporary Pu- 
 <c nijhments of Hades *" And fo indeed he 
 has 5 to obviate which, I re^er, at prefent, (for 
 this Point will be more largely confidered here- 
 after) to Bifhop Bull's Difcourfe concerning the 
 middle State of Happinefs or Mifery between 
 Death and the Refurreftion -f- . Now, I do 
 affirm, fays that learned Writer, the confentient 
 and confiant Doctrine of the Primitive Church 
 to be this, That the Souls of all the Faithful, 
 immediately after Death, enter into a Place and 
 State of Blifs, far exceeding all the Felicities of 
 this World, tho* fhort of that mofl c on fu inmate 
 perfect Beatitude of the Kingdom of Heaven, 
 with <which they are to be crowned and rewarded 
 in the Refurreftion : And fo, on the contrary, 
 that the Souls of all the Wicked are, prefently 
 after Death, in a State of very great Mifery, 
 end yet dreading a far greater Mifery at the 
 Day of Judgment. Mr. Whijlon, not content 
 with thefe two Sorts of Men, has three or four 
 Sorts, whom he difpofes of accordingly. There 
 are, on the one hand, the few Eleft, or Chofen 
 of God, p. 114. the fame, I fuppofe, with the 
 more perfectly and completely good, p. 112. On 
 the other hand are the hardened and incorrigibly 
 wicked. Thefe are not at all admitted to Re- 
 pentance and Pardon in Hades, and therefore 
 are not exercifed with any of thofe cajligatory 
 Punijhments, which would avail nothing in their 
 remedilefs Condition. With regard to the firfi 
 Sort of Men, thefe Punifhments are not need- 
 ful ; 
 
 * P. 35. t Vol. I. Serm. 3. Engllfi Works. 
 
of Future Punijhtnent. i $ 
 
 ful ; and on the latter they would do no good. 
 But then between thefe are the fmaller Offenders, 
 and the imperfectly good Chrijlians * $ and 
 thefe, believe me, are to fmart for it. For the 
 Fire or Flame of Gehenna extends into fuch 
 Farts of Hades as wicked Aden, who are not in- 
 curably fo, are forced into, long before the Day 
 of Judgment -f. And this preliminary Erup- 
 tion of that Fire or Flame is only intended as a 
 Punijhment neceffary for the Repentance and Re- 
 covery of lefjer Offenders, that they may never 
 be actually cafl into Gehenna. Upon this ac- 
 count it is faid in the Text, that the Man who 
 calls his Brother Fool, fhall (not now be cafl into 
 Gehenna, but only fhall) be liable to fome Part 
 of its Torments. This, as I apprehend, is Mr* 
 Whiftorfs Scheme -, and either he, or his Authors, 
 Efdras, Hermas, &c. may have the Honour of 
 inventing it ; for I cannot find it in the genuine 
 Scriptures. 
 
 The Scripture fuppofes but two Sorts of 
 Men, viz. thofe who die with Faith and Re- 
 pentance, and thofe who do not. The former, 
 according to the Terms, of the Gofpel, are in- 
 titled to the Pardon of God : And there is no 
 Intimation, that God defigns to punifh his 
 Creatures after he has pardoned them. His 
 Pardon is free Pardon. They are not to fuisfy 
 for their own Sins 5 they are not to merit their 
 own Salvation. All this is done to their Hands. 
 And if they die with Repentance towards God, 
 
 and 
 * P. 112. f P. n 5 . 
 
1 4 7%e Scripture-DoBrine 
 
 and Faith towards our Lord Jefus Chrift, they are 
 as certainly laved as the Gofpel is true. What 
 Improvements they may be capable of in Hades , 
 or this intermediate State ; and to what Degrees 
 of Perfection they may there arrive, above what 
 they could attain in this World ; is a Point I 
 fhail not determine. But, according to the 
 Mercies, and the Covenant, of God in Chrift 
 Jefus, all Punimments I difclaim *. Then, as 
 to the other Sort of Men, who die without 
 Faith and Repentance ; thofe I reckon to be the 
 fame with Mr. Whifloris hardened and incorri- 
 gibly wicked Chrift tans, who are not at all ad- 
 mitted to Repentance and Pardon in Hades: 
 Which I take to be a Conceflion fo far in my 
 favour, as it fuppofes, that there may be fome 
 Men incurably and incorrigibly wicked \. 
 
 What Mr. W. fays, that this Imputation 
 (viz. Thou Fool) muft be laid in Oppofition to 
 known Truth ; or muft be an unjufl Imputa- 
 tion ; and, in the fecond place, it muft not have 
 been repented oft ; will be admitted, I fuppofe, 
 
 without 
 
 * If we confefs our Sins, he is faithful and juji to forgive 
 us our Sins, and to cleanfe us from all Unrighteoufnefs. I John i. 
 9 And the Blood of Jefus Chriji, his Son, cleanfeth us fro?n 
 all Sin. Ver. 7. Not the Fire either of Purgatory, or Hell. 
 Certe remiffio peccatorum non definitur tormentis flammar 
 rum & fuppliciorum fatisfaclionibus. Neque enim fenfus 
 eft, quando Scriptura dicit, Chriftum meruifle nobis re- 
 miflionem peccatorum, quod promeruit nobis torment* 
 flammarum, & acerbiflima fupplicia, quibus nobis ipfispro 
 peccatis fatisfaciendum fit ; fed ex mifericordia Dei propter 
 iatisfaclioncm Chrifti, Scriptura tradit peccata remitti, 
 hoc eft, gratuito condonari & tegi, ne imputentur & 
 exquirantur. Chemnicii Examen Cone. Trid* Pars 3. p. 120. 
 t P. 112. % P. 115. 
 
of Future Puniftment. 15 
 
 without the Authority of the Apojlolical Canons. 
 Vtitur, in re non dubia, teflibus non neceffariis. 
 
 No IV. 
 Matt. v. 25,26. Agree with thine Adverfary 
 quickly, whilfl thou art in the Way with him ■: 
 left at any time the Adverfary deliver thee to 
 the Judge, and the Judge deliver thee to the 
 Officer, and thou be cajl into Prifon. Verily 
 I fay unto thee, Thoufloalt by no means come 
 out thence, till thou hafl paid the uttermoji 
 Farthing. 
 
 Upon thefe Words Mr. W. thus comments * : 
 " If by the Adverfary here be meant the Devil, 
 " and the Text relates to thePrilon of Gehenna, 
 < c or Hell, and not to that of Hades-, as it is 
 " commonly underflood -, this AiTertion of our 
 u Saviours moft naturally implies, that at length, 
 Cc tho' not foon, the Wicked are to be delivered 
 ic out of that Prifon ; and is clearly againft the 
 
 proper Eternity of Hell-Torments/' 
 
 (* 
 
 Th is Aflertion of our Saviour's cannot imply 
 all this, unlefs alio it be fuppofed, that the Wic- 
 ked in Hell are capable of making this complete 
 Payment ; that is, I prefume, of repenting, and 
 making their Peace with God ; a Point by no 
 means clear, either from this, or any other Text 
 of Scripture. Nay. Mr. IV. himfelf affures us, 
 upon his own Authorities, that in Gehenna, or 
 Hell, there is no Repentance. " This, he fays, is 
 " perfeftly agreeable to the Teitimonies facred 
 
 "and 
 
 * P. 35. 
 
1 6 The Scripture-Do&rine 
 
 u and primitive; which all agree, that what 
 Cc Repentance or Pardon foever there may be in 
 cc Hades, the State of Preparation, there is no 
 u Hopes of either in Gehenna, or Hell itfelf *." 
 If in other Places of his Book he expreffes fome 
 Hopes, and drops fome Hints, not very con- 
 fident with this Declaration, I cannot help it. 
 I am willing, that he fhould not contradidt him- 
 felf, at leaft ; and, perhaps, what follows may 
 clear up all : " There can be no Obftacle to my 
 " Belief of Origens Dodtrine (that of the Refto- 
 " ration) but the Suppofal of an utter moral 
 cc Incapacity in the Conftitutions of theie worft 
 cc of free Agents ever repenting and amending ; 
 <c without which Repentance and Amendment, 
 €c as fuch Creatures cannot, fo it is no way de- 
 €t firable, that they mould, ever be made happy x 
 rc either in this, or another World *f\" Here, 
 then, the Point muft reft at prefent, for thefe 
 Words of our Saviour do not determine it 5 being 
 only an Allufion to fore nfick Caufes, whereby, 
 when a Perfon is once caft into Prifon, he is not 
 (in the ufual Courfe of things) difcharged thence, 
 till he has paid the uttermofi Farthing of his 
 Debt J. The Particle till, (or ton aV) does not 
 
 imply 
 
 * P. 73. t P. 131... 
 
 X Literalis enim fenfus loquitur de Judiciis forenfibus in 
 hac vita. Allegoria verb, juxta Chrifti & veterum etiam 
 interpretationem, ad fraternam Reconciliationem, dum in 
 hac vita fumus, hortatur, fimilitudine petita a civilibus 
 Judiciis, oftendens, fine fpe falutis in aeternum damnandos 
 illos, qui vel Reconciliationem petere nolunt, vel offenfam 
 remittere negant, fed in inimicitiis moriuntur. Chemnicii 
 Examen Cone, Trident, pars 3. p. 120. Where this Text is 
 fully vindicated from favouring the Popijb Doclrine of 
 Purgatory, as alfo Mr. Ti^'s. 
 
of Future Pumpmen*. 1 7 
 
 imply that he ever will do fo ; being frequently 
 ufed in Scripture, of Events that never come to 
 pafs at all. 
 
 NoV. 
 Matt. V; 29, 30. It is profitable for thee that 
 one of thy Members fhould perifh, and not that 
 thy whole Body Jloould be caft into Hell. 
 
 If our Saviour had thought of the Doctrine 
 of Annihilation, he might poffibly have faid, It 
 is profitable for thee that one of thy Members 
 Jhouldperijh, (viz. here upon Earth) and not that 
 thy whole Body jkculd perifh in Gehenna. The 
 Word dwo^fiTaty here repeated, and ufed in oppo- 
 fition to the periihing of one Member, would 
 have been ftronger than in other Places, where 
 there is no fuch Oppofition. 
 
 No VI. 
 Matt. vii. 14. Becaufe flrait is the Gate, and 
 narrow is the Way which leadeth unto Life, 
 and few there be that find it. 
 
 These Words have no other relation to the 
 Subject we are upon, than as they fugged: an Ar- 
 gument, of which the Writers on the other fide 
 of the Queftion never fail to make their advan- 
 tage. They are all willing to fuppofe, when it 
 will ferve their turn, that *• much the greatefi 
 
 C part 
 
 *P. 18. 
 
 So Dr. Burnet too has his maximam partem gent'is 
 humante damnatum irl ad pcenas aternas ; though he owns 
 in the very next Sentence that he knows nothing of the 
 matter, and that the Numerus miferorum plane incompertus 
 fit. De Statu Mort. p. 290. 
 
1 8 T/je Scripture-DoStrim 
 
 part of Mankind will inevitably be damned. 
 This gives an Alarm to the Imagination, and 
 the Paffions -, which immediately, without en- 
 tering into the Merits of the Caufe, prejudice 
 us againfl the Doctrine. The Suppofition, pro- 
 bably, may be founded in no good Reafon; but 
 as it would lead us here into too large a Digref- 
 iion, we mult poftpone the Confideration of it, 
 till we come to the Chapter of Objections. In 
 the mean time we may obferve that Mr. W. 
 himfelf, in another Part of his Work, gives 
 fuch an Interpretation of the Text before us, 
 that no fuch Doctrine can be drawn from it - 9 
 and concludes with faying, there is great feafon 
 to hope, that, on the contrary, after all the 
 gracious Methods of Providence have been tried > 
 both in this World, and in Hades, the far greater 
 fart will at length be brought to feme degree of 
 Salvation *. See N° XX. 
 
 No VII. 
 
 Matt. vii. 19. Every 'tree that bringeth not forth 
 good Fruit, is hewn down and cajl into the 
 Fire. 
 
 See above N° I. No farther Methods of 
 Cultivation will be ufed towards a corrupt Tree, 
 naturally incapable of bringing forth good Fruit : 
 It is hewn down and cajl into the Fire. And 
 no other Probation will be afforded to Creatures, 
 under a moral Incapacity of becoming better : 
 as our Saviour's Reafoning in the Context feems 
 to fuppofe they may be. 
 
 N° 
 * P. .115, 116, ii7,fcJV. 
 
of Future Punljhment. 19 
 
 No VIII. 
 Matt. vii. 23. And then will I profefs unto them, 
 I never knew you: Depart from me, ye that- 
 work Iniquity. 
 
 Here is plainly the DocTrine of Separation 
 from Chrift, or Exchifion from the Kingdom of 
 Heaven, without any Intimation that it will not 
 be JinaL The Juftice of the Sentence refts 
 upon the Wickedneis of the Perfons : And 
 if thefe Workers of Iniquity would not con- 
 tinue to work Iniquity ftill, one would think they 
 fhould rather be placed, fomewhere, under the 
 gracious Influences of Chrift, than thus judicially 
 and totally feparated from him, 
 
 N* IX. 
 Matt. viii. 12. But the Children of the Kingdom 
 ftiall be cajl out into outer Darlmefs : There 
 fall be weeping and gnaftring of Teeth. 
 
 Th e Words, with the Verfe before > fhew the 
 impartial Juftice of God ; that he will not 
 damn or fave his Creatures upon the account of 
 any Privileges they have enjoy 'd, or not enjoy *d, 
 in this World ; or out of any partial Fondnefs 
 for his own Peculium : For they {hall come 
 from the Eaft and Weft, and lit down with the 
 faithful Patriarchs, in the Kingdom of Heaven 3 
 while the Children of the Kingdom (for their 
 Difobedience) fhall be call out into outer Dark- 
 nefs, « This outer Dark?iefs (Mr. Whifion 
 
 C 2 " thinks 
 
20 The Script ure-DoEirine 
 
 " thinks *) Teems only to agree to the State of 
 <c bad Men in Hades, before the Day of Judg- 
 <s ment ; which is rtill defcribed as a Place of 
 cc Darknefs. Wlfd, xvii. 14, 17, 21. 2 Pet. ii. 
 " 4, 17. Judever. 6, 13. Jofepbus of Hades, 
 <c §. 1. but not to Hell-Fire: We having no 
 " Notion of Fire and Flame without Light, 
 " tho' it be never fodifma!. Accordingly, when 
 <c our Saviour ufes the like Exprefiions elfe- 
 " where, There fiall be weeping and gnafhing 
 c£ of Teeth i concerning thofe that are cart into 
 " Gehenna or Hell-Fire itfelf, at the Day of 
 " Judgment, Matt. xiii. 42, 50. xxiv. 51. Luke 
 € xiii. 28. he always omits there the mention 
 cc of that Darknefs: Which is not a little 
 " remarkable." 
 
 I think, there is little remarkable in all this 
 befides Mr. W y s Inattention. Good Men (hall 
 come from all Quarters of the World, and mail 
 lit down (as it were at Table) with the ancient 
 and holy Patriarchs in the Kingdom of Heaven, 
 partaking of all the Light and Fejlivity of that 
 
 glorious 
 
 * P. 36. Mr. Whijlon has long been of opinion, and 
 is ftill, (fee/). 110.) that Hell will be in the Atmofphere 
 of a Comet. Now furely there is fome Darknefs in the 
 Atmofpheres of Comets, fince he himfelf tells us, that 
 they beft anfwer the Chaotick or primary State of Planets, 
 of all other Bodies in the Univerfe. See his AJironomical 
 Principles, p. 90. And accordingly, having obferved 
 that Hell is defcribed in Scripture, as a State of Darknefs \ 
 of outward Darknefs, of Blacknefs of Darknefs, oiTormcnt 
 and Punijhmentfor Ages, or Ages of Ages, &c. he adds, this 
 Description in every Circumftance, exactly agrees with the 
 Nature of a Comet, afcending from the hot Regions near 
 the Sun, and going into the cold Regions beyond Satu, Sj 
 &c. Ajiron, Prin. p. 156. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 2 1 
 
 glorious Kingdom ; while the Wicked (hall not 
 be admitted into this luminous Place and happy 
 Society, but (hall be caft out into the exteriour, 
 or outer, Darknefs. There is no occafion that 
 this Darknefs mould be total It is Darknefs, 
 and difmal Darknefs too, in companion of the 
 Light which they enjoy, who lit down in the 
 Kingdom of Heaven. What if our Saviour 
 fometimes omits the mention of this outer 
 Darknefs ? He does not omit it at other times, 
 where it comes in with the greateit Propriety, 
 in oppofition to the Light which they have who 
 are within, and partake of the Feajf. Thus 
 Matt. xxii. 13. the Man who had not on a 
 Wedding-Garment , is order'd to be bound band 
 and foot, and to be cafl into the outer Darknefs : 
 There fhall be weeping and gnafing of "Teeth. 
 And what Time is it when the Kin? comes in 
 to fee the Guejls, but the fame when he cornel h, 
 and reckoneth with his Servants, in the Parable 
 of the Talents, Matt. xxv. 19. that is, at the 
 Day of Judgment ? It may be queftioned too 
 whether Mr. Whiftoiis own References above, 
 be all to his purpofe : But the thing is not worth 
 difputing. Be it that Hades is defcribed as a 
 Place of Darknefs, furely Gehenna, or Tartarus y 
 is fo too, according to all Notions both ancient 
 and modern *. And as to our having no Notion 
 of Fire and Flame without Light ; we need 
 only recollect, that Fire and Flame are by no 
 
 C 3 means 
 
 * Vid. TFindet de vita fundbrum Statu : Se£t ix. Ut 
 autem Ccelo omnia Bona, ita Tartaro contraria mala 
 
 tribuere folent. Ccelo Lucem, Tartaro Tencbra^ 
 
 &c. p. 224. 
 
22 7%e Scripture-DoSirine 
 
 means incompatible with very great Darknefs : 
 And the Mountain burnt with Fire unto the 
 midjl of Heaven, with Darknefs, Clouds, and 
 thick Darknefs. Deut. iv. n. 
 
 No X. 
 
 Matt. x. 28. But rather fear him which is able 
 to dejlroy both Soul and Body in Hell. See 
 No LXIX. 
 
 Upon which Text thus Mr. Whijlon * : 
 %i Thefe Words of our Saviour do much more 
 " favour the Dejlru&ion of the Wicked in 
 * c Hell, than the Prefervation of them to en- 
 " dure the Torments of an endlefs Eternity. 
 " Nay, they farther imply, that not the Body 
 <c only, but the Soul itfelf is capable of this 
 " Deftrudtion there alfo. Altho' it ought to 
 cc be noted, that our Saviour does not in this 
 <c place affirm that both Soul and Body Jha 11 
 <c actually be deftroy'd in Gehenna -f- ; but only 
 c < that it is in the power of God to deftroy them 
 u there. Whence we may note farther, that 
 c< as Worms and Fire, which we fhall fee are to 
 " be the Agents in this Deftru&ion, are only of 
 <c themfelves capable of dejlroying the Body ; 
 cC and as no other Text, I think, fpeaks direftly 
 
 " of 
 
 * P. 36. 
 
 f It is unqueflionable, that it is in the power of God to 
 annihilate both Soul and Body either in Gehenna, or out 
 of it ; but it is far from being unqueflionable that our Sa- 
 viour affirms this here; fince the original Word dwoXia-at, 
 as well as our Englifh Word dejlroy, may mean quite 
 another thing. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 23 
 
 of the Deflruclion of the Soul-, fo is there 
 room for Hope, that the Soul may not be 
 then utterly deftroy'd ; but may remain ca- 
 tC pable of a fecond Refurre&ion, after the fecond 
 tc Death is over 5 as feems to have been inti- 
 mated by the Prophet Efdras,p. 2g.prius. y> 
 
 <c 
 
 H 
 
 Here we may obferve that Mr. W. gives up, 
 in effect, the Syftem which he feems moft in- 
 clined to favour, through his whole Book, viz. 
 that of Annihilation, or utter Definition of 
 the Wicked : fince he owns that our Saviour 
 does not in this place affirm that both Soul and 
 Body /hall be deftroy'd, but only that it is in the 
 power of God to deftroy them. Which no one 
 denies -, but then we are not to recur to the 
 Power of God in fuch Queftions as thefe, but 
 rather to the Nature of things, and the Decla- 
 rations of the Will of God. And as from the 
 Nature of the Soul we have no reafon to think 
 that it will be utterly defiroy'd, fo, with regard 
 to the Declarations of God's Will, Mr. W. him- 
 felf again will tell us, that no other 'Text fpeaks 
 direftly of the DefiruBion of the Soul : That 
 is, in mort, neither this, nor any other Text in 
 the Bible teaches us this Doctrine. And why 
 then, when our Saviour is directing the Attention 
 of Chriffians to the awful Sanations of another 
 World, will Mr. W. diftradt or divert this At- 
 tention, by fuggefling fomething, which is not 
 diredlly taught in any one Text of Scripture ? 
 However, he fays, thefe Words do much more 
 favour the Definition of the Wicked in Hell, 
 
 C 4 than 
 
24 The Scripture-DoSlrine 
 
 than the Prefervation of them to endure the Tor- 
 menU of an endlefs Eternity. If by Preferva- 
 tion he means that they are fupernatur ally, or 
 prceter naturally, preferv'd, above and beyCnd 
 what the Condition and Powers of their Nature 
 would other wife extend to, only on purpofe that 
 they may endure thefe endlefs Torments ; we 
 fay no fuch thing. This is a Mifreprefentation 
 of the Doctrine, in order to make it appear 
 ■unjuft and cruel. But then, as we, on our 
 Principles, want no extraordinary Interpo/ition 
 of Power or Providence to preferve them in 
 their Exigence ; fo, on the other hand, it would 
 be unphilofophical in our Adverfaries, to have 
 recourfe to fuch extraordinary Interpofition, 
 without Reafon, and without Proof, in order 
 to annihilate, or deflroy them. They muft 
 ftand by the Confequences of that Nature which 
 God has given them. How then, after all, do 
 our Saviour's Words, in the Paflage before us, 
 favour the DeflruBion of the Wicked in Hell ? 
 Is it becaufe the Word dyro^icrai is ufed ? That 
 cannot be : * A Word ufed a thoufand times, 
 where nothing of this Seafe is intended. To 
 go no farther than the thirty-ninth Verfe of this 
 Chapter ; there our Saviour fays o diroteaais tyiv 
 -fyu%ri» clvtv (which literally render'd is, he that 
 deflroy eth his Soul) for my fake ', {hall find it : 
 Where, for certain, our Saviour cannot mean 
 fuch DeflruBion as implies ceafing to exijl. I 
 will not multiply Inftances in fo plain a Cafe ; 
 but this I affert, that fo far as the Import merely 
 
 of 
 
 % For the Proof of this, fee N* LIX. 
 
of Future Punifiment. 25 
 
 of this Word is concern'd, it is of too uncer- 
 tain and ambiguous fignification to build any 
 Dodtrine of this Confequence upon. The Body 
 and Soul are truly deflroyd (in the common and 
 vulgar Senfe of the Word) in He// y when they 
 are caft into Hell, without any profpeA of 
 Deliverance from it. Compare Dr. John War- 
 rens Sermons, Vol. 2. Ser. 11. p. 249, &c. 
 
 N° XI. 
 
 Matt. xii. 31, 32. Wherefore 1 fay unto you^ 
 
 all manner of Sin and Blafphemy fl:all be 
 
 forgiven unto Men : but the Blafphemy a- 
 
 gainfl the Holy Ghofl foall not be forgiven 
 
 unto Men. 
 
 And ivhofoever fpeaketh a Word againfl the Son 
 of Man, it foal I be forgiven him : but who- 
 mever fpeaketh againfl the Holy Ghofl , it fhall 
 not be forgiven him, neither in this World, 
 neither in the World to come. 
 
 Here Mr. W. obferves; cc That fomeSins 
 " not forgiven in this World or Age, will be 
 " forgiven in the World or Age to come, ieems 
 cC very clear from this Text *." But why did 
 he not obferve too, that it is likewife clear from 
 this Text, (for the Text plainly declares it,) 
 that there is one Sin which will never be for- 
 given ? And what if it mould not be any 
 peculiar Heinoufnefs in the Nature of this par- 
 ticular Sin, that renders it incapable of Pardon ; 
 but rather that the Perfons guilty of it are 
 
 thereby 
 
 * P- 37. 
 
26 735* Scripture-DoSlrine 
 
 thereby fuppos'd to be totally harden d, and 
 fix'd in an incurably wicked Temper? Then, 
 one would think, it fhould follow, that every 
 Sin which concludes in final Obduracy, and the 
 fame incurably wicked Temper, fhould by Parity 
 of Reafon, and the fame Rule of Juftice, be 
 liable to the fame Condemnation. In fhort, it is 
 much clearer from this Text that fome Sin fhall 
 never be forgiven, than that fome Sins not for- 
 given in this World, will be forgiven in the 
 World to come. The former is the exprefs De- 
 claration of the Text; the latter is only an 
 Inference drawn from an ambiguous Expreflion, 
 which may imply no fuch thing. This World, 
 or Age r and the World, or Age, to come, as 
 the Parts of a Whole, may be put to fignify that 
 Whole itfelf ; and then the Meaning will be, 
 that the Perfon guilty of this Sin, will never be 
 forgiven. Such a manner of fpeaking is familiar 
 enough in Scripture ; and that it is no more than 
 fuch a Mode of Speech in this place, I am the 
 rather inclin'd to believe, becaufe St. Mark and 
 St. Luke exprefs the fame thing without any 
 fuch Diftindtion : He hath never forgivenefs y 
 fays the former, Mark iii. 29. It flail not be 
 forgiven, fays the latter, Lukexn. 10. * 
 
 No 
 
 * See a larger Account of this Text, in Archbi/hop 
 Wake's Difcourfe of Purgatory ; printed in the late Pre- 
 fervative againft Popery, in Folio ; Vol. 2. Tit. viii. 
 p. 119. And in Cbemnicius, ubi fup. Praeterea tempus 
 futuri Seculi, de tempore poft Refurre&ionem mortuorum 
 in Scriptura accipitur. Adventus enim Chrifti ad Judi- 
 cium, faciet finem huic Seculo. Matt. xiii. 24. Et 
 
 quando 
 
cf Future Punijhment. 27 
 No XII. 
 
 Matt. xiii. 30, 40, 41, 42. Let both grow 
 together until the Harvejl : A?id in the time 
 of Harvejl 1 will fay to the Reapers, gather 
 ye together firjl the Tares, and bind them in 
 Bundles to burn them : But gather the Wheat 
 into my Barn. Sec N.° II. 
 
 40. As therefore the Tares are gathered, and 
 burnt in the Fire ; Jo fiall it be in the End 
 of this World. 
 
 41. The Son of Man fia I I fend forth his Angels, 
 and they fldall gather out of his Kingdom all 
 things that offend, and them which do Ini- 
 quity ; 
 
 42. And pall cafl them into a Furnace of 
 Fire: There fall be wailing and gnaflwig of 
 Teeth. 
 
 This Parable of the Tares contains fomc 
 noble Inftrudions, on Subjeds of a very high 
 Importance, which have always perplex'd the 
 Inquiries of Mankind : fuch as the Origin of 
 Evil, the Condud and Defigns of Providence 
 
 in 
 
 quando qui bona egerunt, ibunt poft Refurrectionem in 
 vitam «-3eternam, Johan. vi. illud tempus vocatur futurum 
 Seculum, Marc. x. & Luc. xx. Tempus RefurreCtionis 
 exprefle vocatur tempus futuri Seculi. Quando igitur 
 Matthasus nominat futurum Seculum, intelligit extremum 
 Judicium poft Refurrectionem mortuorum. Male enro 
 de intermedio tempore inter Mortem & Refurrectionem 
 exponitur. So that here is nothing faid in this Text, of: 
 Forgivenefs in this intermediate State j which however r, 
 the Seafon of Purgatory with the Papiits, and of cajhgatory 
 Punijhment s in Hacks with Mr, W. 
 
28 The Scripture-Do&rine 
 
 in permitting it, the true Notion of human 
 Life as a State of Trial; where there muft be 
 fome Mixture of Evil as an Exercife of Virtue, 
 and for the Proof and Manifeftation of Fidelity 
 and Obedience *. But this Plan of Providence 
 will one day be finifhed ; and when it is fo, 
 we are here allured, an entire Separation will 
 be made between the two Sorts of Men, (for 
 only two Sorts are fuppos'd) the Good and the 
 Evil. The former (hall go to receive their 
 Reward, Then Jhall the Righteous fhine forth as 
 the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father ; the 
 latter y to their Place of Punifhment ; they fhall 
 be caft into a Furnace of Fire. That this 
 will utterly dejlroy them, is not faid ; nor, if 
 contrary to Reafon and Scripture, in other places, 
 to be fuppos'd. Here is mention of wailing 
 and gnafoing qf'Teeth y which fo far muft imply 
 Continuance in Being ; but no hint of Anni- 
 hilation. As little, (or, if poffible, lefs) ground 
 is there to expedt, from this Parable, or the 
 Explanation of it, any future State of Trial for 
 thefe wicked, or any Rejloration of them to 
 Happinefs, and the Favour of God. We are 
 rather here plainly taught, on the contrary, that 
 
 as 
 
 * Magnas hoc difputationis eft ; cur a Deo, cum jufti- 
 
 tiam terrae daret, fit retenta Diverfitas : Nunc defig- 
 
 nare id breviflime fatis eft : Virtutem aut cerni non pofle, 
 nifi habeat vitia contraria; aut non efle perfe&am, nifi 
 exerceatur adverfis. Hanc enim Deus bonorum, ac ma- 
 lorum voluit efle diftantiam, ut qualitatem boni ex malo 
 fciamus, item mali ex bono; nee alterius ratio intelligi, 
 fublato altero, poteft. Deus ergo non exclufit malum, ut 
 ratio virtutis conftare poflet. Laftant. Lib. v. Cap 7. 
 Confer Lib. vi. C. 15. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 29 
 
 as the prefent World is a State of Probation, fo 
 this Probation will be decifive and final. There- 
 fore, as our Saviour concludes, who hath Ears 
 to hear, let him hear. 
 
 N° XIII. 
 
 Matt. xiii. 49, 50. So ftoall it be at the End 
 
 of the World : The Angels Jhall come forth , 
 
 and fever the wicked from among the jujl ; 
 
 and Jhall caft them into the Furnace of 
 
 Fire : 
 Teeth. 
 
 There Jhall be wailing and gnafjing of 
 
 This Parable of the Net caft into the Sea y 
 which gather' d of every kind y reprefents to us 
 the Nature of ChrifVs Kingdom in this World ; 
 that it confifts of good and bad : But allures us, 
 at the fame time, that it fhall not be always fo. 
 As ; the Fifhermen gathered the good Fifh into 
 Veffels, but caft the bad away (t<x £i o-xtc^ %%*> 
 s/3aAov, not put them into the Sea again to 
 improve againft fome other time, but caft them 
 quite away, as corrupt ; , and good for ?iothing;) 
 fo, at the End of the World, will the Angels 
 fiver the wicked from among the juft, and caft 
 them (not into another State of Probation,) 
 into their place of Punifhment : There Jhall be 
 wailing and gnafiring of Teeth. Compare N°XII. 
 
 N° XIV. 
 Matt, xviii. 8, 9. — It is better for thee to 
 enter into Life halt or maimed, rather than 
 having two Hands or two Feet, to be caft into 
 
 ever- 
 
30 Yh e Scripture-Do&rine 
 
 ever lofting Fire. — i — ver. 9. It is better for 
 thee to enter into Life with one Eye y rather 
 than having two Eyes to be caji into FLell- 
 fire. 
 
 Here Mr. Whijlon fays, " Thefe two Ex- 
 <e preffions are for certain, directly parallel, 
 " and neither of them at all imply the proper 
 tc Eternity of Hell-torments *." 
 
 We have heard this Fire call'd unquenchable 
 before -, fee N° II. but as this is the rirft Place 
 where we meet with everlajling Fire (to 7rvf> to 
 cuooytov, the Fire which is everlafting,) we muft 
 confider here what has been fuggefted in di- 
 minution of the Meaning of that Phrafe. Mr. 
 ■W. here and every where, renders it lafting 
 ,Fire : So £<wi aimi©. y with him, is only lajiing 
 ■Life s for, according to his Scheme, neither the 
 Biejjedy nor the Wicked^ are to exift really for 
 ever, in the Senfe of a proper Eternity. One 
 Argument therefore commonly infilled on by 
 Divines for the proper Eternity of thefe Tor- 
 ments, is, as to Mr. W. himfelf at leafr, 
 precluded : I mean that taken from the fame 
 Words being ufed to exprefs the Eternity 
 of Hell- torments, which are ufed in Scripture 
 to exprefs the Eternity of the Joys of Hea- 
 ven. However, this Confideration ought ftill 
 to have its proper Weight with all thofe, 
 who do not adopt this Part of Mr. Whijlon s 
 Scheme. If the Words in difpute exprefs a 
 
 proper 
 
of Future Punijhrnent. 31 
 
 proper 'Eternity in one Cafe, it will be hard to 
 fay, fo far as the mere Force and Signification 
 of thefe Words is concern'd, why they fhould 
 not exprefs a proper Eternity in the other Cafe. 
 If I hear the Joys of Heaven and the Torments 
 of Hell both call'd everlafting, (and it is the 
 fame in the Greek, or any other Language,) 
 though I may from other Topicks imagine there 
 will be a difference in their Duration, yet fo 
 far as I attend merely to this Term, I can have 
 no reafon for fuch an Imagination. For the 
 Term is the fame, and while I attend to it alone, 
 I muft think the Meaning is the fame likewife. 
 But let us return to Mr. W. who feems to fay, 
 that the Hebrew and Greek Words tranflated 
 everlafling, fignify in Scripture no fuch thing. 
 Take here his own Words : 
 
 * " The original Words Olam m Hebrew, 
 iC and 'Aim in Greek, with their Plurals and 
 
 " Deri- 
 
 * P. 20. See Mr. TF—'s Difcourfe of the Reftoration 
 of the Jews, publifhed in his Sermons and Effciys, 17C9. 
 He there fays, p. 226, that the genuine Import of this 
 Phrafe, for ever, in the f acred Dialed is the entire 
 Duration of any long and famous Period, about which 
 the Difcourfe is ; or during the entire Continuance of the 
 Exiflence of any thing which is fpoken of, from its pri- 
 mary Beginning, till its final End. In thisSenfe he takes 
 the Laws of Mofes to be for ever ; as they were to 
 continue not only during the fr/i or fecond Temple, but 
 all that 'Aiwv, or thofe 'Aiwss, which that preparatory 
 Difpenfation was to be commenfurate to ; till it was to 
 be fwallow'd up in a new and more noble 'Ajw\, the 
 glorious Age and Kingdom of the great MeJJias himfclf in 
 the End of the World. This Law of Mofes, he fays, has 
 
 never 
 
3 2 "The Scripture-DoElrine 
 
 €t Derivatives 5 which are the almoft only ones 
 <c made ufe of by the facred Writers to deter- 
 cc mine the Duration of the Punifhment of the 
 cc Wicked in the other World ; and are render'd 
 <c eternal or everlajling ; and fuppos'd to mean 
 <c a Duration properly endlefi or co-eternal with 
 u God himfelf ; do by no means fo fignify in 
 " Scripture : Nor are they ever, when fpoken 
 " of created Beings, to be extended longer than 
 " the feveral grand Ages or Periods of this 
 " fublunary World ; beginning with the Mo- 
 <£ Jaick Creation ; hardly yet 6000 Years ago ; 
 tC and ending after the glorious Millennium, at 
 <c the general Judgment, and Confummation 
 " of all things. Nay, thefe Words are very 
 <c frequently of a great deal narrower Extenfion, 
 €t and reach only to much fhorter Periods in- 
 * c eluded therein. ,, 
 
 We readily grant, that thefe Words in the 
 Old Teftament, and efpecially as applied to the 
 Ordinances of the Law of Mofes, have this 
 narrow Extenfion which he fpeaks of. Yet the 
 Words are capable of fignifying a proper Eter- 
 nity, and where the Subject will bear it, really 
 
 do 
 
 never been properly and formally abolified ', and is to be 
 reftor'd towards the End of the iVorld : and this feems to 
 be that which is fo often hinted at in the Pentateuch, 
 where the Statutes and Ordinances are fo often faid to 
 be for ever ; &c. N. B. This is a very different Account 
 of the Duration of an 'A*wy from what he gives now, 
 viz. 68, or 4 or 500 Years. Q^ Whether he does not 
 take away the Ufe of Words, and make them fignify at 
 random what he pleafes ? 
 
of Future PaniJhmenL 33 
 
 do fo. Even 9 Aiw y which, according to this 
 Gentleman *, fignifies a fhorter Duration than 
 its Plural, or the Reduplication of it, feems to 
 me to fignify a proper Eternity, in the 336th 
 Pfalm, and other places. Will any one limit 
 the Mercy of God, and fay it endures for an 
 Age only ? Yet what is it elfe that Mr. W. 
 &ysp. 8. Where lie bids us note, that as the 
 Puni foments of the wicked are f aid to be &* tov 
 aim*, or atcovict for an Age, or for ever ; fo h 
 the Mercy of God to his Creatures celebrated as 
 of the very fame Duration alfo. If the Mercy 
 of God, and the Punifhments of the wicked* 
 be of the very fame Duration, and that Dura- 
 tion be really for ever ; Mr. IV. has here 
 given up the Point. But if he means that bot!\ 
 of them are only for an Age, he makes 1 
 Pfa/m fuch a Celebration of the Mercy of God, 
 as I believe never enter'd into the Heart, or 
 Head, of any fober Man : O give Thanks unto 
 the Lord, for— -his Mercy endureth for an Age , 
 that is, according to Mr. TV's fhorteft Calcula- 
 tion -f, 68 Years, and according to his largeft, 
 575. I am very certain the Mercy of God 
 will endure for ever, upon the proper Objects 
 
 of it , and for the reft,' they are no Objects 
 
 of it at all. But to proceed : Whatever" ths 
 Words in difpute may fometimes fignify in the 
 Old Teftament, it- will be harder to prove that 
 they are ufed with fo much Latitude in thp 
 Newt- When apply VI to God, they con- 
 
 D fcffi - 
 
 * P. 39. ;\ f P. 39. 
 
 J — -Haud a^ua mihi videtur lex intcrpretandi, ut 
 
34 3$*' Scripture-Do&rine 
 
 feffedly denote a proper Eternity : when apply'd 
 to the Happinefs of the Saints in Heaven, they 
 have hitherto univerfally been thought to denote 
 the fame : Mr. W. indeed at laft is pleafed to 
 deny it : (Whether in fo doing he has not 
 made God a Liar, according to St. John's 
 Doftrine, i John v. 10, n. I leave him ta 
 coniider -,) What Reafon then is there why they 
 mould not denote the fame, when apply 'd to 
 the Punifhments of the Wicked ? I mean fo far 
 as the Import of thefe Words merely is con- 
 cern'd, for of that only we are now fpeaking. 
 Is there any Intimation given, that they are 
 here to be taken in a different, or lefs extenfive 
 Senfe ? Nothing of that kind appears. It rather 
 appears, comparing them with other Expref- 
 fions, and other Declarations of our Lord in the 
 Gofpel, that they are to be understood in the 
 fulled Senfe of which they are capable. What 
 could the common People think, when they 
 heard our Saviour not only call this Fire <zluvM t 
 but declare plainly, and with molt emphatick 
 Repetition, that it never Jhall be quenched 1 ? See 
 )V[ark ix. 43, &c. where it is fo declared jive 
 times over, in the compafs of jive orjix Verfes. 
 Did our Lord deceive the People ? Would he 
 be guilty of any of thofe pious Frauds, againfl 
 
 which 
 
 quae nonnunquam a Prophetis figurate ufurpantur, ca 
 Temper & ubique in eodem fenfu fint intelligenda. Stylus 
 Evangelii eft cajllgatior, nee tarn facile diffilit a fenfu 
 literali : a quo nunquam recedendum eft ab Interprete, 
 nifi cum coegerit matexiae fubjedae neceffitas. Burnet* 
 DeStat, Mwt. p. no. 
 
t)f Future Punijhment. 35 
 
 which Mr. W. is fo warm * ? A word from 
 him, on the other fide, would have clear'd up 
 this Point. But as the Cafe now (lands, he has 
 not cured, but confirnYd the Prejudices of the 
 People ; as if he had approv'd the Maxim, 
 afterwards ufed by one of his pretended Vicars % 
 Si Populus vult decipi, decipiatur. But I have 
 not yet done with Mr. IVhiftons Criticifms 
 upon this Article : he tells us, the Words under 
 Confideration, when fpoken of created Beings y 
 are never to be extended longer than the fever al 
 grand Ages or Periods of this fublunary World \ 
 begiyming with the Mofaick Creation, and end- 
 ing after the Millennium, at the general Judg- 
 ment, and Corf ummat ion of all things. Now , 
 
 To what Age ox Period of this fublunary 
 World, can the word aiwiov be defign'd to 
 extend in the xxvth of St. Matthew ver. 46 ? 
 Thefe Ages or Periods feem here to be accom- 
 plifiYd. The great Judge has paffed the decinve 
 D 2 Sentence, 
 
 * P. 139. 
 
 It mould here be remember'd, that it was the com- 
 mon Belief of the Jews, in our Saviour's time, that 
 the Punifhments of the Wicked will be eternal. This, 
 I think, may be fairly collected from what Jcfephus fays 
 of the Pharifees, who were the popular Inftructors, the 
 publick Leaders in Religion. They hold, fays he, the 
 Soul to be immortal ; that only thofe of the good pafs into 
 another Body^ but thofe of the ivicked are to be punijb'd with 
 tverlafting Punijh?nent : (x&co T^uwpia.) De Bell. Jud. 
 Lib. 2. Ed. Hudfon. p. 1065. Compare Antlq. Lib. 18. 
 p. 793. As this then was the Opinion of the popular 
 and prevailing Seft among the Jews, and confequently 
 of the People, there was more occafion for our Sa\ r 
 to confute it, had it been falfe, than confirm it, 
 has done here, and in numerous Parages of his Gofpd. 
 
36 The Scripture-Do&rine 
 
 Sentence, has made the final Separation ; and. 
 the Coniequence is, the Wicked go into ever- 
 Lifting Punijhmeiit^ («$ >toAa^r atoiviov,) and 
 the Righteous into Life eternal-, {els fyvv olIcAviov.) 
 By what Ages or Periods of this fublunary 
 World can the Extent of die Word, aldviov, 
 here be limited, when this fublunary World is 
 at an end ? In (l.ort, fo far is it from being 
 true that the Seme of the Word is to be confin'd 
 by any Ages or Periods of this World, that it 
 is moft frequently, in the New Teftament, 
 applied to things, which do not properly com- 
 mence, till the Ages and Periods of this World 
 are finifh'd ; viz, the Rewards, and Punish- 
 ments, of the World to come. Then the My- 
 fiery, (or the myfterious Difpenfation,) of God, 
 by Jefus Chrift, {hall be jinijloed , and Time *, 
 
 with 
 
 * See Rev. x. 6, 7. I only make ufeof thefe Words, 
 without pretending to fay that this is the precife Meaning 
 of them. But the thing intended is plain; when Chrift 
 fhall have delivered up the Kingdom, (the Kingdom 
 which he new adminifters, or quoad prafentem Formam 
 Admintjlrationis,) to God even the Father, then cometh the 
 End ; beyond which, we know from the Gofpel of no 
 Ages or Periods, but an eternal, immutable State. Qus 
 
 Ratio univerfitatem ex Diverfitate compofuit, eadem 
 
 sevum quoque ita deftinata ac diftin&a conditione con- 
 ieruit, ut prima haec pars ab exordio Rerum quam incoli- 
 mus, temporali state ad finem defluat : fequens vero, 
 quam expeclamus, in infinitam aeternitatem propagetur. 
 Cum ergo finis & limes medius, qui interhiat, adfuerit, 
 ut etiam Mundi ipfius Species transferatur, aeque tempo- 
 ralis, quae illi Difpofitioni aeternitatis aulasi vice oppanfa 
 eft, tunc reftituetur omne humanum Genus, ad expun- 
 gendum quod in ifto aevo boni feu mali meruit, & exin 
 ilependendum in immeafam. sternitatis perpetuitatem. 
 
 ideoque 
 
of Future Punijhment. 37 
 
 with its Ages and Period?, fhall be no longer. 
 Yet ftill God, (God himfelf at leaft, Mr. IV. 
 will allow,) will live &s tSs clmvols tmv qlioovwv, 
 ftridtly and properly, for ever and ever. And 
 we have repeated Affurances, in the very fame 
 Words, that fome of his Creatures (hall do fo 
 too : And therefore it feems to be a very fanci- 
 ful and arbitrary Interpretation, to limit theie 
 Words, (which in themfelves, we fee,, are capa- 
 ble of denoting a proper Eternity,) to x4>ges and 
 Periods, which will then be over. And indeed 
 
 D 3 all 
 
 Ideoque nee Mors jam, nee rurfus ac rurfus Refurrectio, 
 fed erimus iidem qui nunc, ncc alii poft ; Dei quidem 
 Cultores apud Deum Temper, fuperinduti Subftantia propria 
 reternitatis; Profani vero, tk qui hon integre ad Deum, 
 in pcenam aeque jugis Ignis, habentes ex ipfa natura ejus, 
 divina fcilicet, Subminiitrationem Incorruptibilitatis. No- 
 verunt & Philofophi Diverfitatem arcani & pubiici Ignis. 
 Tertullian. Apol. Cap. xlviii. Tertullian fpeaks of Hell- 
 fire in the fame manner as Laflantius and Minutius Felix 
 do ; fee p. 92, and 94, of Mr. Whijion's Book. It is 
 plain, they all took it to be fomething quite different from 
 our common culinary Fire. But becaufe Tertullian con- 
 fiders Lightning, and the Fire in Burning Mountains, 
 which does not con fume them, as Examples (exemplaria) 
 of the Perpetuity of Hell- fire, fee what a ftrange Remark 
 Mr. IV. has made p. 85. viz. that this Hell-fire is to 
 arife from our prefent Earth, and to burn up the wicked 
 while it is fuch an Earth, and no longer. Confer, De 
 Pcenitentia, Cap. idt. And how weak is what he fug- 
 gefts, about the Difference of Tertullian 's Sentiments^ as 
 to this Article, before, and after, he was a '.;: ? 
 
 Since 'tis plain, in the two Paflages rererr'd to above, 
 which according to Mr. W. were wrote in thefe different 
 Periods, he alTerts the fame Doctrine of the never-ending 
 Perpetuity of Hell-fire. However, that he was not a 
 Montanift when he wrote his Apologetic, fee Mr. H \ 
 man's, Preface to his Edition of his Book Jdverfus ?ra;.. 
 p. xi. 
 
38 The Scripture-DoEtrine 
 
 all the Dun: that Mr. W. has rais'd, p. 22, 
 about God's making, or framing, t*S< cclwat, 
 the Ages, &c. may be clear'd, only by recol- 
 lecting that that Word fometimes denotes the 
 World, fometimes the Ages or Periods of the 
 World, or any leffer Periods included therein, 
 and fometimes Duration itfelf, in the AbftracJ, 
 Before, or After, all Worlds whatever. See 
 No XXII. 
 
 A s this is the firft time we meet with the 
 Expreffion of everlajling Fire, I have been the 
 longer upon it 5 becaufe Mr. W. has made a 
 ftir about it, and fomething depends upon it ; 
 though much lefs, perhaps, than is commonly 
 imagin'd. It will appear in the progrefs of this 
 Undertaking, that, for my part, I build not my 
 Doctrine merely upon the Foundation of any 
 verbal Criticifms whatever. But when our 
 Lord's plain Reprcfentations of human Life and 
 the Nature and Defign of his Kingdom, and 
 his plain Declarations of the final Orders and 
 Dilpofitions which He, the Judge himfelf, will 
 make, at the Confummation of all things ; 
 (which are, with me, the great and primary 
 Arguments on this Subject,) when thefe Con- 
 federations have directed our Thoughts to a Con- 
 cluiion, agreeable to the whole Difpenfation of 
 God, both in Nature and the Golpel ; then we 
 may attend to Words, and draw fuch Argu- 
 ments from them, though but of an inferioar 
 and fecondary Nature, as it will be no eafy 
 matter to fet afide. 
 
 No 
 
of Future Pu7iijh?nent. 39 
 
 No XV. 
 Matt, xviii. 34, 35. And his Lord was wroth, 
 and delivered him to the Tormentors, till he 
 Jloould pay all that was due unto him. So 
 likewife fhall ?ny heavenly Father do alfo unto 
 you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every 
 one his Brother their Trefpaffes. 
 
 From thefe Texts Mr. W. thus argues ; 
 * " This Text, joined to the former Chap. v. 
 cc 26. already fet down, are clear, that the 
 u Debt of Punifhment which will be exacted 
 <c of the Wicked in another World, will be only 
 cc proportionable to ftrict Right and Juftice, but 
 <c no more : Which I take to be an abfolute 
 " Demonftration againft the proper Eternity of 
 u that Punifhment : Nay indeed, moft natu- 
 " rally to imply, that where this Debt is vaftly 
 " great, both the Degree and Duration of the 
 u Torments will be vaftly great alfo ; but ftill 
 <c in exact proportion with fuch Debt, and not 
 " otherwife." 
 
 Every one knows from his natural Idea of 
 God, even without this> or any other ^ Text of 
 Scripture, that the Wicked will be punifhed in 
 another World, only proportionably to Right 
 and Juftice. But when Mr. W. takes it for 
 granted, that this is a Demonftration,. an abfo- 
 lute Demonftration, againft the Eternity of their 
 Punifhments; he muft bear to be reminded, 
 
 D 4 that 
 
 * P. 38. 
 
4-0 "Tloe Scripture-D'oSlrine 
 
 that this is taking for granted, the great Point 
 to be prov'd. How is it contrary to Right and 
 Juftice, that wicked Spirits, and wicked Men, 
 (one as well as the other,) fhould be excluded 
 out of Chrift's Kingdom in Heaven, the King- 
 dom only of the Juft? Efpecially when the 
 Confequences of this Exclujion will be in exadt 
 proportion to the Guilt and Demerit of each 
 Sufferer's Sin, and the Malignity of his Tem- 
 per. So that though there be no Difference in 
 the Duration of their Punifhments $ the various, 
 perhaps to us inconceivable, Degrees of them, 
 will make a great one. This, as far as I can 
 fee, mult be the Cafe ; unlefs they either ceafe 
 to exifly of which this Text gives no Intimation ; 
 or elfe be deliver* d out of this Prifon, as Mr. W. 
 intimates, in his Comment on Matt. v. 26. 
 they will be, when they have paid the Debt. 
 But how can they pay all that is due, whofe 
 original Stock and Principal, which they might 
 have improv'd in this Life, but did not, is taken 
 from them j according to our Lord's Application 
 of the Parable of the "Talents ? From kirn that 
 hath not fball be taken away even that which 
 he hath ; Matt. xxv. 29. And Mr. W. him- 
 felf fometimes appears to be of this opinion ; 
 iince he tells us in one place* (p. 131.) that 
 without Repentance, end Amendment, as fitch 
 Creatures cannot ; fo is it no way dejirable that 
 they fiould ever be made happy : And in another 
 a fill res us, that it is perfectly agreeable to the 
 c £eftimo?2ies facred and primitive, that in Ge- 
 henna, w Hell, there is no Repentance, p. 72, 73. 
 
 See 
 
of Future Punijbment. 41 
 
 See above, N° IV. and compare Archbifhop 
 Dawes's, fifth Sermon, />. 171, &c. Printed at 
 Cambridge 1707, 
 
 N° XVI. 
 
 Matt. xxiL 13. Then faid the King to the Ser- 
 vants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him 
 away, and cajl him into outer Darknefs : 
 there /hall be weeping and gnajfmig of Teeth. 
 See above, under N° IX. 
 
 It may be added here, upon the Authority of 
 an ancient Commentator *, that Binding him 
 hand and foot is depriving him of the practical 
 Powers of the Soul ; (which locks as if his 
 moral Agency was at an end, and that there was 
 no other Probation for him ;) and thus it an- 
 fwers to the taking away the original Talent 
 from the flothful Servant, Matt. xxv. 28, 29. 
 
 No XVII. 
 Matt, xxiii. 33. Ye Serpents, ye Generation of 
 Vipers, how can ye efcape the Damnation of 
 Hdl? 
 
 These Words determine nothing concerning 
 the Duration of the Punishments in Hell ; but 
 
 intimate 
 
 * Bind his Hands and Feet, that is, the Prated 
 Powers of his Soul. For in the prefent Life we may 
 work and act ; but in the future, all the practical PowjiS 
 of the Soul are bound ; and it is not poffibie to uo any good 
 thing towards making amends, or as a Compenfation, for 
 our Sins. Tbeopbyl. in loc. In the fame manner he ex- 
 plains the Command to bind the Tares in Bundles, Malt. 
 xiii. 30. No one then any longer will have power to 
 work, but every practical Power will bz bound; 
 
42 The Scripture-Do&rine 
 
 intimate to us, pretty ftrongly, what fort of 
 Peribns are liable to them, Our Lord no where 
 in the Gofpel treats any one, how great a Sinner 
 ibever, with fo much Severity, where he could 
 difcover any Hopes of Amendment, 
 
 No XVIII. 
 Matt. xxiv. 40, 41. Then Jkall two be in the 
 Fields the one JJoall be taken, and the other 
 left. Two Women Jhall be grinding at the 
 Mil/, the one Jhall be taken, and the other 
 left. 
 
 That is, not arbitrarily, and without Rea- 
 fon ; but the Wicked are fever d from among 
 the Jujl. See No XII. and XIII, 
 
 No XIX. 
 Verf. 51. — And jhall cut him afunder, and ap* 
 poiiit him his Portion with the Hypocrites : 
 there Jhall be weeping and gnajhing of Teeth* 
 
 I only obferve that this is agreeable to the 
 reft of our Lord's Reprefentations of this matter. 
 He is fo far from giving any Hint of any thing 
 analogous to a State of Probation, to be expedted 
 after the prefent ; or of any Likelihood of the 
 Repentance, or Recovery, of the Wicked ; that 
 he reprefents them, on the contrary, as utterly 
 dijabled : They are bound hand and foot, they 
 are cut afunder, the Talent originally intrufted 
 to them is intirely taken away from them, and 
 they are cajl into outer Darknefs - 9 Expreffions, 
 
 which, 
 
of Future Punijhment. 43 
 
 which, if they mean any thing, feem to infi- 
 nuate, that they are laid under great Difadvan- 
 tages, (perhaps, a total Incapacity,) with regard 
 to free Agency, moral Improvement, or any 
 Alteration whatever for the better, of their moral 
 State and Character. See N° XVI. XXI. 
 
 N° XX. 
 Matt. xxv. 10, 11, 12. — The Bridegroom came, 
 and they that were ready, went in with him 
 to the Marriage, and the Door was Jhut. 
 Afterward came a/Jo the other Virgins, fay- 
 ing, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he an- 
 fwered and /aid, Verily I fay unto you, I 
 know you not. 
 
 Nothing can be plainer than it is from 
 thefe Words, and the Drift and Defign of the 
 Parable to which they belong, that when the 
 Righteous are enter'd into the Kingdom of 
 Heaven, and the Door isfiut, all After-thought 
 or Application of the Wicked for Admiffion will 
 be in vain *. This is is no incidental Part of 
 the Parable, but the direSi Injlrullion which it 
 conveys ; and on which the practical Direction, 
 ver. 13. is founded: Watch therefore, for ye k?iovJ 
 neither the Day nor the Hour wherein the Son of 
 Man cometh. What State awaits them, or what 
 Place is prepared for them, after this Exclufion 5 
 we mui! learn, as we can, from other Places: 
 But from this it is plain enough, that it is not 
 that State, and Place, which they that ere ready 
 
 enter 
 
 * Vid. Th&pfyL in loc. 
 
44 ffie Scripture-Do£iri7te 
 
 enter into, with the Bridegroom, diftinguifh'd 
 
 by the Name of the Kingdom cf Heaven. 
 
 Mr. W. makes an Obfervation from this Pa- 
 rable, of which, tho' not direcliy to the Point 
 in hand, it may not be improper to take fome 
 notice. It is not, he fays * , " to be quite over- 
 C{ look'd, that our Saviour himfelf, in the latter 
 Cf part of his Miniftry, intimates to us, that the 
 u Number of good Men was hardly then infe- 
 <c rior to that of the bad ; I mean in the Pa- 
 " rable of the ten Virgins : jive of which 
 <c were wife, and Jive were foolijhy But the 
 Parable has no relation to the latter part of our 
 Saviour's Miniftry, any farther than it might be 
 fpoke at that time 5 but relates to the Day of 
 Judgment : Then fhall the Kingdom of Heaven 
 be likened, &c. ver. 1. That is, at the Day of 
 Judgment, as appears from the Connexion with 
 the la ft Chapter -f, and from what follows in 
 this. If therefore any Conclufion can be drawn 
 from hence, about the equal Number of good 
 Men that will obtain Salvation, Mr. W. has 
 hurt his own Argument. For it is a much more 
 
 considerable 
 
 • P. 118. 
 
 + Vid. Huron, in loc. Prudentem Temper admoneo 
 kclorem, ut non fuperftitiofis acquiefcat interpretationibus, 
 & quae commaticc pro fingentium dicuntur arbitrio : fed 
 confideret priora, medk, & fequentia ; & ne&at fibi uni- 
 verfa, quae fcripta funt. Ex hoc ergo quod infert ; Vigi- 
 laic, quia nef litis diem neque horam, inteiliguntur univei (a, 
 quae dixit, id eft, de duobus qui in agro funt, & de duabus 
 molentibus, & de Patrefemilias qui fcrvo fuo crediditfub- 
 fiantiam, & de decern Virginibus, ideo Parabolas efleprae- 
 miiTas ; ut quia ignoramus omnes Judicii Diem, folicite 
 nobis lumen bonorum Operum praeparemus ; ne dumigno- 
 ramus, Judex venii t 
 
of Future Punijhment. 45 
 
 confiderable Point gained, to have an equal 
 Number of good Men, that will obtain Salvation, 
 at the Day of Judgment, than (in Judea fjp- 
 pofe) in the latter part of ChriiVs Miniftry. 
 Indeed, if we may argue in this manner, there 
 is another Parable which opens to us a ftill mere 
 comfortable Scene than this ; in the Parable of 
 the Marriage of the Kings Son, when the King 
 comes in to fee the Guefls, he finds but one Man 
 among that great Multitude, collecled from 
 Hedges and Highways^ who had not on a 
 Wedding-Garment. Which intimates to us, 
 according to Mr. Ws way of Reafoning in the 
 other Cafe, that the Number of Chriilians who 
 will obtain Salvation, will be in a vaftly greater 
 proportion than that of Half. And God Al- 
 mighty grant that they may ! 
 
 No XXI. 
 
 Matt. xxv. 28, 29, 30. Take therefore the Talent 
 
 from him y and give it unto him which hath 
 
 ten Talents. For unto ever"; on: that hath 
 
 fall be given, and he Jhall have abundance : 
 
 but from him that hath not fall be taken away 
 
 even that which he hath. And caft ye the 
 
 u?2pr oft able Servant into outer Darinefs: 
 
 there Jhall. be weeping and gnafing of Teeth. 
 
 This Parable appears to me to teach us, very 
 plainly, two things, of great moment in this 
 Debate ; and which are indeed the main Hinges 
 on which it turns : The one is, that the prefent 
 Life is a State of Probation \ tiie other, that this 
 
 Probation 
 
46 "The Scripture-Do&rine 
 
 Probation will be decifive and fnal. Thtfirft 
 lies open to our Experience, and wants no proof 5 
 but may be explained hereafter. The lajl is, in 
 effed, what I am endeavouring to evince in the 
 Courfe of thefe Pages. I have before obferved, 
 (fee N° IX.) that the time when the Lord 
 cometh, and reckoneth with his Servant 's, ver. 1 9. 
 is the Day of Judgment. He then finds one, 
 out of three, who inftead of trading with his 
 Talent, had hid it in the Earth : That is, in the 
 Moral and Application of the Parable, had not 
 made that ufe of this probationary State, and of 
 the feveral Powers, Opportunities and Capaci- 
 ties, (the Sum of all which is reprefented by 
 the Talent,) anfwerable and correfpondent there- 
 to, which he ought to have done. How now 
 does his Lord decide in this Affair ? Does he, 
 on this fair Occafion, give the mod: diftant 
 Hint that he will bear any longer with him, that 
 he will try him once more ; or, becaufe he has 
 faiVd here, remove him to fome more advan- 
 tageous Situation, where he may ftand a better 
 Chance for Improvement? Direc'tly contrary; 
 he takes the Talent intirely from him 5 that is, 
 the whole Sum of his Powers as a moral and 
 free Agent ; and caffs him into a Place, agree- 
 able to this State of moral Inactivity, without 
 Light, or Liberty ; without Motive, Induce- 
 ment, or Example to grow better. Thus the 
 Cafe ffands, as far as I can judge, upon the foot 
 of this Parable 5 efpecially in conjunction with 
 other Places and Parables of the Gofpel. For 
 this is the (hie uniform View exhibited to us by 
 
 1 Jefus 
 
of Future Punijhment. 47 
 
 Jefus Chrift, in all his Reprefentations of the 
 Nature and Defign of this World, and of Hu- 
 man Life, and of his Kingdom, and of the 
 Tranfadtions at the laji Day. And whoever 
 diredts the Eyes of Chriftians to any falfe and 
 flattering Profpects, contrary to this ; endeavours 
 to fix them on a Vifion and Spe&re only of his 
 own Imagination, that has no Support, that I 
 know of, either in Reafon, or the written Word 
 of God. Compare N° XII. XIII. XVI. XIX, 
 XX. 
 
 No XXIL 
 Matt. xxv. 31, 32, 33, 34, 41, 46. When the 
 Son of Man Jhall come in his Glory , and all 
 the holy Angels with him, then Jhall he fit 
 upon the Throne of his Glory. And before 
 him Jhall be gathered all Nations \ and he 
 /hall feparate them one from another, as a 
 Shepherd divideth his Sheep from the Goats : 
 And he Jhall Jet the Sheep on his right hand, 
 but the Goats on the left. Then jhall the 
 King fay unto them on his right hand, Come, 
 ye Blejfed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom 
 prepared for you from the Foundation of the 
 World. Then Jhall he fay alfo unto them on 
 the left hand. Depart from me, ye Cur fed, into 
 everlajling Fire, prepared for the Devil a?td 
 his Angels. And thefe Jhall go away into 
 everlajling Punifment : But the Righteous 
 into Life eternal *, 
 
 In 
 
 * See Dr. John Warrenh Sermon upon tfcis Text, Vol. 
 II. p. 237. 
 
48 The Scripture-DoSirine 
 
 In this clear, diftindt, and full Account of the 
 Proceedings at the great Day of Judgment, we 
 find not only the Doctrine of the Separation, or 
 Exclujion, of the Wicked ; which we have 
 often met with before ; but alfo their State and 
 Punishment fubfequent to it. Their Sentence, 
 ver. 41. is, to depart into eve rlailing Fire, pre- 
 pared for the Devil and his Angels. And left 
 any one mould lay, that this Fire, originally 
 prepared for the Devil and his Angels, may it/elf 
 be everlafting, tho' wicked Men do not everlaft- 
 ingly exift in it -, it is exprefly faid, in the lajl 
 Verfe, that they (hall go away into everlafting 
 Pu?2ifl:me?it. There is nothing therefore left 
 for the Adverfary to do, but to criticife and 
 quibble away, if he can, the Extent and Mean- 
 ing of the Word awiov, or Everlajiing *. 
 
 Now 
 
 * _ « If God had intended to have told us that 
 
 the Punifhment of wicked Men fhall have no End, the 
 Languages wherein the Scriptures are written do hardly 
 afford fuller and more certain Words, than thofe that are 
 ufed in this Cafe, whereby to exprefs to us a Duration 
 without End : And like wife, which is ahnoft a peremptory 
 pccifion of the thing, — the Duration of the Punifhment of 
 wicked Men is in the very fame Sentence exprefied by the 
 very fame Word, which is ufed for the Duration of the 
 
 Happinefsof the Righteous." Archbp. Tiliotfon, Sermon 
 
 on Hell-Torments. 
 
 That 'Ajwy and cciuvio; fignify Eternity, and Eternal, 
 appears from the Lexicographers : See Scapula and Leigh. 
 'Aicoy, fay they, quafi dsl uv, Ariji. Lib. i. de* Ccelo, $c 
 Phil, de Mundo. 
 
 Kal yag a %govos 9 dhXoc to d^yJrw7rov t« XP° V * y ? 
 tsstpxhi'yfAu, [aiwv, £*cj aurwv*] iv diuvi oe, »Ve 7rcc*3E\n~ 
 
of Future Punijhment. 49 
 
 Now here let us recoiled, that the Word is ufed 
 in pafling the moft folemn Sentence in the 
 world 4 and afterwards, in a Declaration of the 
 Confequence of that Sentence : In both which, 
 one would expect to meet with Words in their 
 plain and common Senfe, without Ambiguity. 
 It is alfo to be remembered, that the fame Word 
 is ufed of the Life, or Reward, of the Righ- 
 teous, and of the Punijhment of the Wicked. 
 The Generality of Chriftians, from our Saviour's 
 Time to this, have underftood the Word to 
 denote Duration without End, equally in both 
 Cafes \ fa that the Life of the Righteous, and 
 the Punifhment of the Wicked, will be really 
 for ever. On the other hand, fome few both 
 in former and later Ages, allowing the Word to 
 fignify Eternity when applied to the Rewards 
 of the Righteous, have deny'd it this extenfroe 
 Signification when ufed of the Punifhments of 
 the Wicked ; which, according to them, will 
 have an End. At laft comes Mr. W. and, 
 agreeably to his enterprizing Genius, advances a 
 Step beyond them all > alluring us, that the 
 
 E Word 
 
 Au0fi> £$h, »?£ (xtXXst, aM» ^ovov •utpirnx.zv. Phllo. Ed. 
 Mangey, Vol. II. p. 609. 
 
 Platonici duas Durationis Species efledicebant, quarum 
 altera vocatur diw aternitas, quze Iv in pirn, ut loquitur 
 Plato in Timseo, hoc eft, Succeffione caret ; altera proprie 
 X^ v0 ^ tempus, quod eft alterius elxocv xiitot?] Imago mobilis, 
 quia cum Succeftione elabitur. J. Clerici Not. in Ora- 
 cula Chaldaica, Opp. Phil. Tom. II. p. 363. _„_ 
 
 Arrian. Epicl. Lib. ii. C. 5. q\i yoi% slfM diw, aAA* 
 Rv0^w7rof, 
 
 Deus 
 
50 7%e Scripture-DoEiririe 
 
 Word does by no * means denote a proper Eter- 
 nity of either Punijhment or Reward; but only a 
 long Duration of them refpeBively. Here then 
 in effeft are three Interpretations \ and without 
 going any farther, I dare leave it to the Judg- 
 ment of any fober and intelligent Perfon, which 
 feems to come neareft to the literal Senfe of the 
 Paffage, ftands cleared of Difficulties, or will 
 beft account for them, and is moft agreeable to 
 the general Style and Tenour of the New 
 
 Teftament. 
 
 * P. 39- 
 
 Deus Plaionitft. intelligibilis & seterna Subftantia, unde 
 in Tinueo dicitur to %e\ ov, a quo rov 'Aiwva, aternitatem, 
 deduci declarat Plotinus Enn. 3» Lib. VII. Cap. I. & 
 Cap. 3. 
 
 Vid. Prolegom. ad Platon. Parmen. Ed. Thomfon, 
 p. xxix. 
 
 The Words therefore are certainly capable of denoting 
 Eternity, and frequently do fo in the Scriptures. What 
 Criterion then have we, whereby we may know when they 
 denote Eternity, and when a temporal Duration only ? 
 None other that I know of, but what arifes from the Con- 
 text, the Nature of the thing, or Subject fpoken of. 
 Here is nothing in the Senfe or Context that limits the 
 Meaning of thefe Words, as applied to the Punifliments 
 of the Wicked in Hell ; but much to the contrary. It 
 is agreeable to all the other Reprefentations of Scripture 
 relating to this Article, to understand them in their moft 
 extenfive Senfe. They are equally applied to the Cafe of 
 the Righteous and the Wicked ; which, as Dr. ^illotfon 
 obferves above, is almoft decifive of the Point,- to thofe 
 who own the happy Eternity of the former. Wicked 
 Men are of the fame Nature with the Righteous, and 
 immortal as well as they. There is nothing therefore in 
 the Nature of the Beings fpoken of, which excludes the 
 Senfe of Eternity ; nor in the Nature of the Punifliments, 
 if they be juftly deferved, what are beft upon the whole, 
 and confiftent with every Perfection of God, nay, the 
 Rcfult of them : as I (hall endeavour to fhew hereafter. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 51 
 
 Teftament. The fecond Interpretation, or Hy- 
 pothefis, (call it what you will) is perfe&ly arbi- 
 trary ,; there being no Foundation in the Words 
 themfelves, Text or Context, on which to build 
 fuch a Difference of Signification. No manner 
 of Intimation is given, that they are to be taken 
 in a different Senfe : or that the fame Word has 
 not the fame Meaning in both Cafes. Nor 
 could any Man ever be led to doubt of this by 
 any thing that he finds here ; but when for 
 other Reafons, (of which in their proper Place,) 
 they took it into their heads to deny the Eter- 
 nity of thefe Punifhments, this Expedient was 
 calf'd in to their Affiftance, in order to remove 
 the Weight of this, and fuch other Testimonies 
 of Scripture. Then, as to Mr. JV's Scheme \ 
 purfued through all its Confequences, it leads 
 one into fuch a Train of Thought, as one cares 
 not to defcribe. It is certain and undoubted 
 matter of fact, that the Chriftian World, in- 
 duced by our Saviour's Promifes, have all along 
 hoped for everlafting Life. Shall I be allowed 
 to afk, has this great Teacher fent from God, 
 impofed upon his Followers ? Shall they who 
 have trufted in bim> ever be ajhamed? As they 
 muft be, when their Hopes and Expectations, 
 raifed and cherifhed by him, are thus defeated ; 
 and end, (properly and philofophically end,) in 
 nothing * f Nay but, ibme one perhaps will 
 E 2 fay, 
 
 * O ve bleft Scenes of permanent Delight ! 
 Full, above Meafure ! lading, beyond Bound ! 
 Gould you, fo rich in Rapture, fear an End, 
 That ghaftly Thought would drink up all your Joy, 
 And quite unparadife the Realms of Light. 
 
 The Complaint : or, Night-Thoughts* Night the Firft % 
 
5 2 The Scripture-DoEtrine 
 
 fay, they have deceived themfelves : They have 
 taken his Words in a Senle, which he never 
 intended. Now let any Man read the New Tef- 
 t anient, and judge for himfelf; taking at the 
 fame time this Remark along with him, that 
 according to the Law of Nature and Nations, 
 all Offers of Pardon are to be under flood in the 
 full Extent of the Words, without any fecret 
 Referves or Limitations -, unlefs they are plainly 
 exprejjed *. Were there no Words in the 
 Language which our Saviour fpoke, none in the 
 Greek in which the New Teftament was writ- 
 ten, that anfwer to our E?iglijh Words long and 
 lafling ? Why did not our Lord fometimes 
 make ufe of thefe, on a Subject which required 
 him to fpeak with great Exadtnefs ? Why did 
 he always exprefs himfelf in Words of uncertain 
 Meaning ? Or rather, in Words, which are 
 certainly known to denote, on other occafions, 
 the mod: real and proper Eternity ? And this too, 
 without any Caution againft taking them in this 
 exterfive Senfc ; without any Intimation, that 
 he defired to be underftood cum grano falls. I 
 know but one Reafon of this Conduct, that any 
 confftent Chriflian can give 5 and that I need 
 not mention. Well then -> 
 
 If the Word dioiuov in the Text before us, 
 denote the fame Duration^ as applied both to 
 the Punidiment of the Wicked, and the Life of 
 the Righteous 5 and if that Duration cannot be 
 only long or lafling Duration, but Duration pro- 
 perly ever lafling - y then I have gain'd my point 5 
 
 that, 
 
 * Bifhop j^wf's Expedition, Art. 22. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 53 
 
 that, according to all Appearances upon the face 
 of this remarkable Paflage, the Wicked will 
 neither be utterly deftroyed in Hell, nor delivered 
 out of it ; but exift for ever, fubject to, and 
 fenfible of, that ever la (ling Punijh?nent> into 
 which they are fentenced to depart at the Day 
 of Judgment. 
 
 Tho' I have been, perhaps, too prolix already 
 upon this Article, and led into fome Repetition, 
 by repeated Objections; (fee N° XIV.) yet I 
 mall not only hope for Pardon, but alfo for a 
 little more Indulgence, while 1 attend Mr. IV, a 
 moment or two longer. 
 
 The Moderns, he complains *, have weakly 
 underjlood a Jingle aiwv, cr Age, to be of equal 
 
 E 3 Duration 
 
 * P. 39. compared with P. 23. 
 Thefe Phrafes feem to me to be ufed promifcuoufly, as 
 any equivalent Phrafes may be. Doxologies, (which Mr. 
 W. mentions, p. 61.) generally run in a full and lofty 
 Style, as it is natural to expect they {hould do. But there 
 is no invariable Rule for them \ as will appear by what 
 follows. 
 
 Doxologies which 
 
 afcribe 
 
 £i£ Tag aiwotg rtov 
 
 Life, Glory, 
 
 &c. 
 
 to 
 
 
 God, 
 
 
 
 Gal. i. 5. 
 
 J \ *~t 
 
 
 
 Phil. iv. 2Q. 
 
 E»ff T»ff OCIOMOCS. 
 
 
 1 Tim. i. 17. 
 
 
 
 
 Matt. vi. 13. 
 
 
 
 2 Tim. iv. j 8. 
 
 Rom. i. 25. 
 
 
 
 Heb. xiii. 2r. 
 
 ix. 5. 
 
 
 
 1 Pet. iv. n. 
 
 xi. 36. 
 
 
 
 
 ' V . 11. 
 
 —* — xvi. 27. 
 
 
 
 Rev, i. 6. and 18. 
 
 2 Cor. xi. 31. 
 
 
 
 iv. 9, 10. 
 
 v. 13, 14. 
 
 vii. 12. 
 
 ■ x. 6. 
 
 xi. 15. 
 
 — - xv. 7. 
 
 N.B. 
 
54 The Scripture-Do&rine 
 
 Duration with atmesy or even alwpes rav aid' 
 vavy with Ages y or even Ages of Ages them- 
 felves : Whereas, he would have a/aiy, rendered 
 an Age ; and atoHves, Ages -, and al£ves tZv 
 aidvwy Ages of Ages \ as they properly Jignify, 
 he fays, in Scripture. This too would give 
 
 Englijh 
 
 N. B. Some of thefe Doxohgies are to God, fome to 
 Chrift, and fome jointly to both. Befides thefe, there 
 are others which differ in Words from each of the Forms 
 above, Eph. iii. 21. tlf irourocg rot,q yevexg m otlwvo; tuju 
 altaviav, I Tim.vi. 1 6. rifjw y£xgotTo$ alcowov. 2 Pet. iii, 
 18. eU vptpov a/wo?, Jude 25. t\q Troli)Tot$ rut otiuvxg. 
 So again, with regard to the Kingdom of God, and the 
 Kingdom of Chrift, thefe Phrafes are ufed promifcuoufly ; 
 or rather the ftronger Expreflions denote what Mr. W. 
 thinks will be of the fhorter Duration ; as appears from the 
 Texts following. 
 
 Kingdom of God, Kingdom of Chrift. 
 
 Dan, iv. 3, 34, Dan. ii. 44. 
 
 1 vii. 27. -a vii. 14, 18, 
 
 vi. 26. Luke i. 33. 
 
 PfaLxxix. 10. Heb. i. 8. 
 Rev. iv. 9, 10. Rev. i. 18. 
 v. 13, 14. v. 13. 
 
 xi. 15. 
 
 xxii. 5. 
 
 N, B. As fome of thefe appear to include the Kingdom 
 ef God, and the Kingdom of Chrift too ; fo others plainly 
 include the Kingdom of Chrift and his Saints -, and de- 
 clare that this Kingdom (hall endure el$ t»V a«3W tuv 
 aldvwv 1 Dan, vii. 18. Rev. xxii. 5. The fame Phrafe is 
 applied by St. John to the Duration of the Punifhments 
 of the Wicked; Rev. xiv. 11. xix, 3. xx. 10. The 
 other New Teftament Writers generally, I think, ufe the 
 Word alwwo?, or fi; rev diuvoc ; which denotes the feme 
 Duration that the other does in St. John, and the fame, as 
 far as appears, in both Cafesj as applied either to Rewards, 
 of Funifhments. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 5 5 
 
 Englifo Readers a jujier Notion of the proper 
 Duration of fuch Periods, than the common 
 Englifi Verfions convey to them. Let us give 
 then a few Specimens of Tranjlations in this 
 way, in order to try how this Rule will hold. 
 Matt. xxi. 19. and Mark xi. 14. Chrift fays to 
 the barren Fig-tree, Let no Fruit grow on thee 
 henceforward us toV alma, for an Age. "John iv. 
 14. Whofoever drinketh of the Water that If: all 
 give him, fhall not thirft us Toy alma, for an 
 Age ; but the Water that I fjall give, foall be 
 in him a Well of Water fpringing up into Life 
 for an Age, or lafting Life. Compare Chap. v. 
 24. vi.35, 40, 47, 51, 54, 58, 68. x. 28. xi. 
 26. And many other Paffages in St. Johns 
 Gofpel : Which, according to the Rule above, 
 fhould be tranflated lafting Life, or Life for an 
 Age ; and where our Saviour fays in fome of the 
 Texts referred to, that his Sheep fiall not periflo, 
 or they that believe in him fiall not die, us roy 
 alma,, it fhould be rendered, for an Age. Now 
 this, according to the common Faith of all 
 Chriftians, would be fo far from giving them a 
 jujier Notion of the Duration here intended, that 
 it would give them a Notion utterly faJfe in 
 itfelf and extremely derogatory to that great 
 and eternal Salvation, of which the Son of God 
 is become the Author unto all them that obey him. 
 And according to Mr. W's own Scheme, this 
 Abfurdity would attend it ; that aim, which 
 with him denotes the fiortejl Period, (68, or 
 575, or according to his Sibylline Oracles, 400 
 or 500 Years,) is ufed of the Duration of the 
 E 4 Life 
 
56 77je Scripture-DoElrine 
 
 Life and Reward of the Righteous, as much, 
 or more than of the Duration of the Punifh- 
 ment of the Wicked ; while yet he fuppofes 
 the Duration of the Punifhment of the Wicked 
 will be no greater yt as compared with the Dura- 
 tion of the Happinefs of the Good, than two or 
 three are to a thoufand*. So that aiewmuft de- 
 note a much longer Period than any of his Cal- 
 culations of an Age amount to, even upon his 
 own Hypothecs. Nay, as far as I can judge, it muft 
 denote a longer Duration than alaves, or atmu 
 tuv a 1 map itfelf, fometimes does -, fince thefe 
 are ufed to denote his Jhorter Periods of Punifh- 
 ment -f ; and the other by itfelf the long Du- 
 ration of Happinefs. In fhort, all his Cri- 
 ticifm upon this Head is arbitrary and groundlefs. 
 *Aiup y in numberlefs places, denotes Eternity ; 
 and all its Plurals, and Reduplications, heap'd 
 one upon another, can denote no more. They 
 may add fome Beauty or Strength to the Ex- 
 preffion, but nothing at all, in this Cafe, to the 
 Senfe. Nor do I fee any great occaflon for 
 Mr. W*s Amendments of our modern Verfions, 
 (viz. la/ling inftead of everlajl ing,) even with re- 
 gard to the Ordinances of the Law of Mofes. 
 Englift Readers, if they have Engli/h Under- 
 standings, will be led into no Miftakes. It is 
 f ach Language in effect as they ufe every day ; 
 when they give and take in common Conver- 
 fation, the Words everlajling and for every in a 
 lax and improper Senfe 5 knowing, at the fame 
 time, that the Words are capable of denoting, 
 and do in other Cafes denote, a real and proper 
 
 Eternity. 
 
 * P* 135. t Rev. xiv. 11. xix. 3. xx. 10. 
 
of Future Punifiment. 57 
 
 Eternity. It muft be left to good Senfe to 
 diftinguifh the different Value of the Words, 
 upon different Occafions ; and that will be a 
 fufficient Security againfl: Impolition. After all, 
 Mr. W. himfelf feems fenfible that it may be 
 objedled to his Doctrine *, that this Confwnption 
 of the Bodies of the Damned may be over in no 
 very long time ; and therefore feems not to come 
 up to the terrible Defcriptions a??d Reprefenta- 
 t ions of what is certainly aim let xoAao-n, or a 
 long and lafting Pnnijhment. In return to 
 which, he would have us confider the doleful 
 Condition the Wicked are in, during the iutire 
 intermediate State in Hades ; reaching from 
 Deaths to the Day of fudgment \ in general of 
 many hundreds , or fever al thoufands of Tears. But 
 if thefe Years were ten thoufand times ten thou- 
 fand, what is that to the purpofe ? This doleful 
 Condition in Hades before the Day of Judgment, 
 is no Part of the aiwix x,?hcc<ris into which 
 they go after it ; and therefore, with regard to 
 the terrible Defcriptions and Reprefentations of 
 that ever la /ling Pnnijhment > is not to be taken 
 into Conft deration at all. 
 
 No XXIII. 
 Matt. xxvi. 24. Wo unto that Man by whom 
 the Son of Man is betrayed : it had been gcod 
 for that Man } if he had not been born. 
 
 Mr. Whijlon fays -f-, " It appears by this 
 " Affertion of our Saviour's, that fome Mens 
 " Wicked nefs may be fo great, that their 
 " Punimment in the other World will exceed 
 
 « all 
 * P. 140. t P. 40. 
 
5 8 "The Scripture-Do&rine 
 
 <c all the Happinefs they had enjoy'd in this 
 « Life." Very tender ! The Punifhment of 
 fuch Wretches as Judas, will be fo great, that 
 their Exiftence will be worfe than Non-exift- 
 ence ji it will be a Curfe to them, and they will 
 have reafon to wifh that they had never been 
 born. But he proceeds \ — cc Which implies thus 
 " much alfo, that fuch Men's Sins fhall never 
 ° be forgiven y even in the World, or Age to 
 <c come : As we have been already allured by 
 " our Saviour fome Sins may be." May be, 
 what ? Forgiven in the World to come ? We 
 firmly believe, upon the Authority of our Sa- 
 viour, and his Apoftles, that not only fome 
 Sins, but all Sins fincerely repented of in this 
 World, will be forgiven in the World to come. 
 But our Saviour no where ajfures us, that fome 
 Sins not repented of, and confequently not 
 forgiven, in this World, will be forgiven in the 
 World to come. This is only a precarious Infe- 
 rence, drawn from an Expreffion of our Sa- 
 viour's, which probably means no fuch thing ; 
 efpecially fmce it appears to be contrary to the 
 plain DoBrine of the New Teftament in other 
 Places, as well as to the whole Turn and Tenor 
 of it: (Compare N° XL) Mr. W. goes on 5 
 cC Utter Deftrudion, or what we fhould call 
 li Annihilation, muft therefore be the utmoft 
 €C Expectation of fuch enormous Sinners : un- 
 " lefs the Intimation the Prophet" (that is, the 
 Apocryphal) ct Efdras has given us of a Refur- 
 <c re&ion after the fecond Death is over, may 
 tc afford them fome Glimpfe of Comfort, after 
 
 " the 
 
of Future Punifiment. 59 
 
 €c the feveral Ages of their Torments are over, 
 <c tho' not till thofe Torments have more 
 " than outbalanced all the Enjoyments of their 
 <c whole fmful Life." That they may foon do. 
 What were the Enjoyments, for in fiance, of 
 Judas s fmful Life ? Such as have been but- 
 balanced, in all probability, ten thoufand times 
 over already, by his doleful Condition in Hades : 
 Yet his Punifhment, properly fo called, in Ge- 
 henna, will not commence tiil the Day of Judg- 
 ment. But this by the bye : It is not worth 
 while to enquire, what Expe5lations of Annihi- 
 lation, or what Glimpfes of Comfort, with regard 
 to another Refurre&ion, thefe enormous Sinners 
 may have ; or what Conjectures, mere Con- 
 jectures, other Perfons may make concerning 
 them. The Caufe muft be determined by 
 Evidence. And according to the Evidence 
 arifing from the Confiitution of Nature, and 
 the Gofpel of Jefus Chrift, there appears to me 
 no reafon to expect either of thefe things. Par- 
 ticularly with regard to the Text before us ; 
 he that can infer from thefe Words of our Sa- 
 viour, either utter DeJlruBion of Being, or 
 Reftoration to Happinefs, is endued with a 
 Faculty of inferring, which I have no defire to 
 be mafter of. Becaufe the Words certain^ 
 may point out, (and naturally feem to do io, 
 rather than otherwife,) a third State, diftinct 
 from the other two-, and more agreeable than 
 either of them, to other Teitimonks of Scrip- 
 ture. 
 
 N< 
 
60 The Scripture-DoSirine 
 
 No XXIV. 
 Mark ili. 29. But he that flail blafpheme 
 againfl the Holy Ghqft, hath never Forgive- 
 nefs y but is in danger of eternal Damnation, 
 See above N° XI. 
 
 If he hath never Forgivenefs, as it appears 
 from Matt. xii. 31, 32, he hath not, his Dam- 
 nation muft be eternal. Confequently, the 
 Word oumiqs, and the Phrafe us rot aim*, 
 here denote Eternity. Whether this eternal 
 Damnation will be eternal Deftrudlion of Being, 
 or fomething elfe, we muft learn from other 
 Texts. 
 
 No XXV. 
 Mark iv. 25. For he that hath 7 to him fiall be 
 
 given : And he that hath not, from him Jhall 
 
 be taken even that which he hath. 
 
 He that hath, (viz. any Increafe or Improve- 
 ment^ to him fhall more be given ; and he 
 that hath not made any fuch Ufe and Improve- 
 ment, of his original moral Endowments -, from 
 him, by the Appointment of God, even in the 
 natural Confequences of things, they fhall be 
 taken away. This is a Truth, which in part, 
 and as far as this World is concern'd, lies open to 
 our Experience. The Seeds of Virtue, if not 
 cultivated, decay; the moral Senfe, and, in 
 fhort, the whole Sum of our moral Powers, if 
 not improved, are impaired ; vicious Acls gra- 
 dually weaken virtuous Principles and Senti- 
 ments, 
 
of Future Punijhment. 61 
 
 ments, and inveterate vicious Habits almoft 
 wholly deftroy them. This we fee 5 and there- 
 fore, if agreeably to our Lord's Declarations 
 relating to this matter, fuch Neglect and Abufe 
 of our moral Powers mould at kit be punifh'd 
 with an entire Deprivation of them ; it is no 
 more than the complete Execution of that Plan 
 of Providence, in another State, which we fee 
 begun, and imperfectly carried on, in the pre- 
 fent. Compare N° XXI. 
 
 No XXVI. 
 
 Mark ix. 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48. And if 
 thy Hand offend thee, cut it off: It is better 
 for thee to enter into Life maimed, than 
 having two Hands, to go into Hell, into the 
 Fire that never /hall be quenched: where 
 their Worm dieth not, and the Fire is not 
 quenched. And if thy Foot offend thee, cut 
 it off-, it is better for thee to enter halt into 
 Life, than having two Feet, to be cajl into 
 Hell, into the Fire that never pall be quenched: 
 where their Worm dieth not, and the Fire is 
 not quenched. And if thine Eye offend thee, 
 pluck it out : It is better for thee to enter into 
 the Kingdom of God with one Eye, than having 
 two Eyes to be cajl into Hell-fire : where their 
 Worm dieth not, and the Fire is not quenched. 
 
 It is hard to fay, how any Doctrine can be 
 taught more plainly, than the Eternity of future 
 Punilhment is, in this PafTage. Suppofe it to 
 be true, and that it was our Lord's Defign to 
 
 teach 
 
62 The Scripture- DoEirine 
 
 teach it ; how could he have done it in plainer 
 Words, or in a more emphatical Manner ? He 
 feems here to explain his own Meaning of the 
 other Phrafes, which he fometimes ufes upon 
 this Subject. If Scruples be rais'd, however 
 unjuftly, about the Import and Extent of the 
 word oLi'Jm©*, here nothing depends upon that 
 Term. It rather appears from hence, that that 
 <Term, as applied to this Subject, muft be under- 
 ftood in its full Extent : fince it is here repeated, 
 time after time, that the Fire is unquenchable, 
 and the Worm never dies. And it is our 
 Lord's manifeft Defign, to warn his Difciples 
 to part with any thing in this World, however 
 ufeful or dear to them, rather than expofe them- 
 felves to the Danger of this State ; becaufe it is 
 irretrievable. One would not, methinks, fet afide 
 the Evidence of fo plain, and fo ftrong, a Tefti- 
 mony of Scripture, upon fo interefting and fo 
 important a Subject ; without fomething of very 
 confiderable weight, on the other fide, to over- 
 balance it. Let us fee then, what Engine Mr. 
 W. employs to remove it -, and whether he does 
 it by fair Strength, or only by Artifice and Eva- 
 iion. He allows, in the ntft place, that * " this 
 " affecting Defcription of the Torments of Hell, 
 Cc looks at firft fight, liker their proper Eternity, 
 " than almoft any other in the whole Bible. 
 " We have had the fame Difcourfe of our 
 <c "Saviour's indeed, already from St. Matthew 
 rt xviii. 8, 9. (fee N° XIV.) but not fet down 
 " fo diftinctly, nor under quite fo terrible a 
 I < s Re- 
 
 * P. 41. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 63 
 
 " Reprefentation as here. However, it being 
 " directly taken from the laft Verfe of Ifaiah i 
 " where it evidently belongs to a Judgment 
 " upon fome wicked Men in this Life only, 
 a which is very far from eternal-, and belonging 
 " to dead CarcaJJes, which can never be eternal 
 <c Ages in confuming, either by Worms or Fire-, 
 €< and being join'd either with the Sight, or 
 " Abhorrence of thofe CarcaJJes by all Flefh 
 <c upon this Earth only, 'tis moft evident, that 
 <c it does no way infer the proper Eternity of 
 " fuch Punifhment, but rather the contrary." 
 
 The great Engine, we fee, that is play'd 
 againft us, is the laft Verfe of IJaiah, which is 
 
 this, And they /hall go forth, and look upon 
 
 the CarcaJJes of the Men that have tranfgreJJ'ed 
 againjl me ; for their Worm fiall not die, nei- 
 ther JIj all their Fire be quenched, and they fi all 
 be an abhorring unto all Flejh. Now fuppofing 
 here every thing that Mr. W. fuppofes, that 
 this Judgment, and this Confumption of the dead 
 CarcaJJes, is in this Life only -, and that this 
 Sight and Abhorrence of them, is upon this 
 Earth only -, then indeed it is moft evident, that 
 we can no way infer the proper Eternity of this 
 Punifloment, which IJaiah fpeaks of: But it is 
 fo far from being mojl evident, that it is not 
 evident at all, that therefore we cannot infer 
 the proper Eternity of the Punifhment, which 
 our Saviour defcribes in this paffage of St. Mark's 
 Golpel. For fee how the Argument will run ; 
 Our Saviour in defcribing the Punifhment of the 
 
 Wicked 
 
64 The Scripture-DoEirim 
 
 Wicked in Hell, has taken fome Images and 
 Expreffions from the laft Verfe of Ifaiah : But 
 Ifaiah meant to defcribe by thole Images and 
 Expreffions only a temporal Punifhment, or a 
 Judgment executed upon this Earth only ; there- 
 fore we cannot infer from our Saviour's Defcrip- 
 tion of the Punifhment in Hell, the proper 
 Eternity of fuch Puni/hment. No y what ihould 
 hinder us? Are the Words capable of denoting 
 a proper Eternity y when the Subject will bear, 
 and the Occahon, and Context, lead to it? 
 This is not deny'd. On the contrary, it is 
 acknowledged, that this Defcription, at firft 
 fight, looks liker a proper Eternity, than almoft 
 any other in the Bible. But then it is taken from 
 Ifaiah y where it does not denote a proper Eternity. 
 And how mould it, according to Mr. W — 's own 
 Account ? Since the whole Scene of the Tranf. 
 action, the "Judgment ', the Confumption of the 
 CarcaJJeSy the Sight and Abhorrence of them, 
 is all to be in this Life y and upon this Earth 
 only. If fo, Reafon and good Senfe will lead 
 every one to underftand the Defcription in fuch 
 a Senfe, and fuch a Senfe only y as the Subject 
 defcribed will admit of. But what is this to 
 our Saviour's Defcription in St. Mark ? He is 
 plainly defcribing a Judgment which does not 
 belong to this Life , a Puni/hment ', which is not 
 to be inflicted, in this World, or upon this 
 Earth. If then our Lord could borrow from 
 Ifaiah a Defcription of a Punifhment in this 
 Worldy and apply it to the Punimments of 
 another World \ why might he not, (if the 
 
 Words 
 
of Future Punijhment. • 65 
 
 Words will bear it,) intend to denote the Eter- 
 nity of thefe Punimments, though the Punish- 
 ment intended by lfaiah is only temporal 5 For 
 it is plain, though the Defcription, or Repre- 
 fentation, be the fame\ the Subject is changed: 
 And that, after all, muft be the Key to let us 
 into the Meaning *. Our Saviour repeats the 
 Defcription fo often, and feems to lay fuch a 
 ftrefs upon it, that one can fcarce forbear think- 
 ing he defign'd to teach us -, that, whatever may 
 become of the Worm and the Fire mention 'd 
 by lfaiah, he was defcribing a Punifhmenr, 
 under thofe Images, which really and truly 
 mould never end : Here, indeed, the Worm 
 dieth not, and the Fire is not quenched. The 
 matter, at laft, will come to this Dilemma -f ; 
 
 lfaiah 
 
 * Quern non terreat ifta Repetitio, & illius pcenae. 
 Comminatio tarn vehemens ore diyino ? Aug. De Civic. 
 Dei. Lib. xxi. Cap. ix. 
 
 f N. B. The Ancients underftand Ifaiab's Words of 
 Hell- torments. So St. Cyprian, Ed. Fell. p. 195. Ad 
 Demetrianum. So Eufebius, Praeparatio Evangel. Lib. xi. 
 ad fmem. 
 
 O 0"XwA»)£ olvruv ov TsAeuT^cm, Xy to wup ov <rfiii&r!- 
 
 (TSTXl, >Cj £<TOVlOCi i'tq QOOLVW ZSCC(TY} CTOtgKt. TfljJf* Je 00$ «J 
 UXOCTOOV <TVVoi$00V TQVTOIC, TQXjq CCTsfelS SITTM p^W^WfiU £<V 
 
 TctpTocpov, i7^^X£'y£^, o'Ssv ovttqtz iy,fiocivov<n. 
 
 And fo Jerom, on the Place : He does indeed fpeak of 
 fome qui volunt fupplicia aliquando finiri, licet pojl mult a 
 tempora ; and fxprefTes fume Hopes of this kind himfelf, 
 with regard to Chriftians ; but as to the Devil, and wicked 
 atheiftical Men, who f aid in their Hearts, there is no God, 
 credimus ate ma tormenta. However he plainly under- 
 ftands Ifaiatis Words of Hell-torments. So do, amongft 
 the Moderns, Vitringa, who confutes the jejune Interpret 
 tation of Grctius-, Dr. Clarke, in his Evidences of Natural 
 F and 
 
66 The Scripture-Do&rine 
 
 Ifaiah in his laft Verfe is either defcribing the 
 Punifhment of Hell, or he is not. Upon the 
 Jirji Suppofition, what Mr. W. has faid above 
 is all foreign to the purpole, being founded upon 
 an intire Miftake. If, according to the latter ', 
 he is not defcribing the Punifhments of Hell, 
 but only fome Judgment executed in this World -, 
 then it is plain, our Saviour and he are defcribing 
 two very different forts of Punifhments ; and 
 therefore, though our Saviour's Reprefentation 
 may allude to his, or bq taken from it, it is 
 againft all Reafon to make the one the Rule and 
 MeaTure of interpreting the other. Surely it is 
 no unufual thing to allude to the Language of 
 another Perfon, or to borrow Defcriptions from 
 
 him; 
 
 and Revealed Religion, p. 397. 7th Edit. And Dr. Chap- 
 man, in his Eufebius, Vol. II. N. B. Mr. IVhiJlon quotes 
 St. Cyprian's Words referr'd to above, in his 90 p. And 
 though they contain as full and clear a Teftimony for the 
 Eternity of Hell-torments as can eafily be given, yet he 
 concludes his Remark upon them thus; — But whether he 
 (Cyprian) believed the Torments to be properly eternal, I do 
 not certainly know. That is, he will know nothing but 
 what he has a mind to know, and makes for him. St. 
 Cyprian does not only call them aterna fupplicia Gehenna, 
 but fays exprefsly, Cremabit addi&os ardens femper 
 Gehenna, & vivacibus Flammis vorax poena ; nee erit 
 unde habere tormenta vel Requiem poflint aliquando vel 
 Finem. Servabuntur cum Corporibus fuis Animae infinitis 
 Cruciatibus ad dolorem. Spectabitur illic a nobis femper, 
 qui hie nos fpe£tavit ad tempus : & in Perfecutionibus 
 faclis oculorum crudelium brevis frudlus, perpetua vifione 
 
 penfabitur. Erit tunc fine fruclu Pcenitentia, dolor 
 
 pcenae, inanis ploratio, & inefficax deprecatio. In aeter- 
 Jiam pcenam fero credent, qui in vitam aeternam credere 
 noluerunt. In the next Page, Cyprian declares as clearly 
 againft Mr. W- — *s Repentance in Hades, as he does here 
 againft his temporary Punifhments in Gehenna, 
 
 I 
 
of Future Punifhment. 67 
 
 him ; and ufe them, upon different Subjedts, in 
 a different and more extenfive Senfe. Our 
 Saviour's Words muft have fome determinate 
 Meaning of their own, and if that appear to be 
 for the Eternity of the Punifhment which he is 
 reprefenting, nothing that Ifaiah has faid can 
 poffibly make it otherwife. 
 
 But Mr. W — 's reafoning is not only incon- 
 clufive, but it alfo comes with the wor(e Grace 
 from him, as it carries fome Appearance of 
 Inconfiftency. He is here for fetting afide a 
 remarkable Teftimony of our Saviour's for the 
 Eternity of future Punifhment, becaufe it is 
 exprefs'd in the Language of Ifaiah, originally 
 intended to denote fome Punifhment only in 
 this World. And yet from this fame Language, 
 alluding to this Text of Ifaiah, which originally 
 related to nothing elfe but to the utter DejlracJion 
 of the Enemies of Gcd's Church, before the End 
 of the World *, he would infer the Nature of 
 Hell-torments, after the End of the World, and 
 the Confumption of the Bodies of the Damned 
 by Fire and Worms. Yet neither our Saviour 
 in the paffage before us, nor Ifaiah in his lall 
 Verfe, fay one word about the Confumption cf 
 their Bodies by Fire and Worms ; nor lb much 
 as mention Worms at all. They fpeak indeed 
 of one Worm, that dietb not -, which we have 
 no more occaiion to understand literally, for a 
 real Worm; than to underftand St. Paul's 
 Thorn in the Flefo, literally for a real Thorn. 
 
 F 2 In 
 
 * P. 24, 
 
68 The Scripture-DoSlrine 
 In a word, fo arbitrary and unrcafonable is Mr. 
 fV—'s Behaviour in this Cafe, that he will not 
 allow us to infer from the Texts what they 
 plainly fay, viz. that the Worm dieth not, and 
 the Fire is not quenched-, (which, whatever the 
 nature of the Puniihment may be, plainly im- 
 plies that the Duration of it is endlefs -,) while he 
 himfelf takes the liberty to infer" from them 
 plainly what they do not fay ; that is, the Con- 
 fumption of the Bodies of the damn'd by Fire 
 and Worms. See his 109 p. and compare the 
 Quotation under N° X. above. 
 
 N° XXVII. 
 
 Mark ix. 49, 50. For every one Jhall be faked 
 with Fire, and every Sacrifice Jhall be fait ed 
 with Salt. Salt is good : but if the Salt have 
 loft hisfaltnefs, wherewith will you feafon it ? 
 
 It would be endlefs to recite the different 
 Interpretations of this Text. But fuppofing it 
 to relate to our Subject at all, and that the Fire 
 here mention'd, is the fame with that, which 
 is fpoken of in the fix preceeding Verfes ; the 
 only Queftion will be, about the Import of the 
 word ccAio-^rio-eTou, falted. Not that the Greek 
 Word has any Ambiguity in it ; but * Le Clerc 
 and fome others feem to imagine, that our Sa- 
 viour made ufe of one that had, and which 
 fignified either to be falted, or to be confunid. 
 But if by being confum'd they mean totally 
 defrofd, fo as to ceafe to exift, they make our 
 
 Lord 
 
 * Supplement to Dr. Hammond. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 69 
 
 Lord contradidl all that he had been faying 
 before, about the never-dying Worm, and the 
 Fire that Jhall never be quenched. Others there- 
 fore fuppofe, that He here affigns the Reafon 
 of their endlefs Duration, by faying, that every 
 fuch Viftim of God's righteous Vengeance fhall 
 be falted with Fire. It is well known, that 
 Salt is the Symbol of Perpetuity ; and it is fome- 
 times put fynonymoufly with Brimflone, as 
 Deut. xxix. 23. which in fymbolical Language 
 denotes, that the Fire it is join'd with, is not 
 to be extinguifh'd. A Lake of Fire andBrim- 
 ftone, or a Lake of Fire burning with Brimfione, 
 (Rev. xix. 20. xx. 10. J is a Lake of perpetual 
 Fire. And when Hell-Fire is thus defcribed, it 
 evidently fhews it to be an eternal Fire of Tor- 
 ment and Deftrudtion ; not in the Senfe of utter 
 Deflruftion of Being, but in a Senfe exclufive 
 of any Restoration, or Recovery *. But be this 
 as it will, the Text before us is too obfcure to 
 build any Do&rine of Confequence upon ; efpe- 
 cially if that Dodrine be contrary to many clear 
 Paffages of Scripture, or to the general Drift 
 and Defign of it; as that of Annihilation feems 
 to be. 
 
 No XXVIII. 
 
 Mark xiv. 21. Wo to that Man by whom the 
 
 Son of Man is betrayed : good were it for that 
 
 Man if he had never been born. See N° 
 
 XXIII. F 3 No 
 
 * If any one would fee more on this Subject, he may 
 confult Daubuz on Rev. ix. 17. Lancaf.ers fymbolical 
 Dictionary, under the Word Salt : Dr. Berrimans Ser- 
 mon preached to the Religious Societies, 1738-95 on 
 Mark ix. 50. 
 
y O The Scripture-DoElrim 
 
 N° XXIX. 
 Luke iii. 9. And now alfo the Ax is laid unto 
 the Root of the Trees : every Tree therefore 
 which bringeth not forth good Fruit , is hewn 
 down 7 and caft into the Fire. 
 
 N° XXX. 
 
 Ver. 17. Whofe Fan is in his Hand, and he will 
 throughly purge his Floor 7 and will gather 
 the Wheat into his Garner ; but the Chaff he 
 will burn with Fire unquenchable. For thefe 
 two Texts, fee N° I. and II. 
 
 As to Mr. W — 's faying, that thefe Words 
 are very much of a piece with thofe already 
 cited from Ifaiah , (p. 4 1 .) there appears to be 
 little in it, either as to the AiTertion itfelf, or 
 the Confequence he would have drawn from it, 
 See N« XXVL 
 
 N° XXXI. 
 
 Luke via. 18. Take heed therefore how ye hear : 
 for whofoever hath 3 to him Jhall be given $ 
 and whofoever hath not y from him Jhall be 
 taken even that which he feemeth to have. 
 
 We have here the fame Inftruction convey'd 
 to us, by the F arable of the Sower - 9 which we 
 had before, from the Parable of the Talents : 
 See No XXI. and compare N° XXV. The 
 prefent Life is the Seafon of Cultivation and 
 Improvement. The Seed, which is the Word 
 
 of 
 
of Future Punijhment. 7 1 
 
 of God, is fown here ; and muft bring forth 
 Fruit here, or elfe the Opportunity is loft for 
 ever. Unfruitfulnefs will be punifh'd with the 
 Lofs of the very Principle of Fertility, And a 
 Power of which no proper Ufe has been made, 
 during the whole proper Seafon of exerting that 
 Power, will be taken away. 
 
 No XXXII. 
 Luke xii. 5. But 1 will forewarn you whom you 
 Jhall fear : Fear him, which after he hath 
 killed, hath power to ca/i into Hell, yea> 1 
 fay unto you, fear him. See N° X. 
 
 St. Matthews Phrafe there, is able to dejlroy 
 both Soul and Body in Hell, no more means 
 utter De/lrucJion, or Deprivation of Being, than 
 St. Lale% here ; hath power to cafi into HelL 
 
 No XXXIII. 
 
 Ver. 10. But unto him that blafphemeth againfl 
 the Holy Gho/l, it flail not be forgiven. See 
 No XI. and XXIV. 
 
 No XXXIV. 
 Ver. 46. The Lord of that Servant will come in 
 a Day when he looketh not for him 7 and at an 
 Hour when he is not ware, and will cut him 
 in funder, and will appoint him his portion 
 with the Unbelievers. See N° XIX. 
 
 It is plain here from the whole Context, that 
 none but they who are ready when their Lord 
 
 F 4 comet h, 
 
72 7%e Scripture-DoEirine 
 
 cometh, and open to him immediately ', when he 
 knocketh, are admitted into the Kingdom of 
 Heaven. The reft are excluded, and have their 
 portion with Hypocrites and Unbelievers. How 
 unjuftifiable then is the Conduct of thofe, who 
 would perfuade them, that they may, notwith- 
 flanding, have their portion, at laft, with the 
 Saints ? 
 
 No XXXV. 
 Ver, 47, 48. And that Servant which knew 
 his Lord's Will, and prepared not him/elf, 
 ?ieither did according to his Will, Jloall be 
 beaten with many Stripes. But he that knew 
 not, and did commit things worthy of Stripes, 
 Jhall be be at en with few Stripes. 
 
 These Words plainly teach us, that the 
 Puniihment of fome Sinners will be greater 
 than that of others. But this, it feems, will not 
 fatisfy Mr. W. fince fome will be beaten with 
 many, and others with few Stripes, in the future 
 World ; this he * fays cc moft naturally implies 
 " that the Punifhment of fome of the Wicked 
 " fhall be much longer than of others." Now 
 if the New Teftament taught this Dodtrine, as 
 plainly as it does the contrary ; thefe Words if 
 not moft naturally, might naturally enough be 
 thought to imply it. But if this be not the 
 Cafe, and if the Words be as naturally capable of 
 another Senfe, more confident with the Tenour 
 of the New Teftament ; I leave the World to 
 judge, what the Words moft naturally imply. 
 Surely one Sinner may be beaten with fewer 
 
 Stripes, 
 • P. 108, 
 
of Future Punifhment. jrj 
 
 Stripes, his Mifery and Punifhment may be lefs 
 than another's ; though the Duration of their 
 Punifhment be equal, and endlefs : Juft as the 
 Degrees of Glory and Happinefs in Heaven may 
 be various and different, though they be all of 
 equal, and eternal Duration. Saying without 
 Proof that this equal Duration of Torments, is 
 contrary to the mojl obvious Rules of Right and 
 Jufiice in the World-, is doing nothing. We 
 deny it ; and affert that there is nothing contrary 
 to Right and Juftice, that they who are not fit 
 for the Kingdom of Heaven, mould be excluded 
 out of it for ever. The Confequences of this 
 Exclufion will be exactly according to the dif- 
 ferent Demerits of Sinners : fo that the Judge 
 of all the Earth will certainly do right. 
 
 No XXXVI. 
 Ver. 59. I tell thee, thou Jh alt not depart thence \ 
 till thou hajl paid the very lafi Mite. See 
 N° IV. and XV. and Theoph. in loc. 
 
 No XXXVII. 
 
 Luke xiii. 27, 28. But he Jl: all fay ^ I tell you , 
 / know you not whence you are -, depart from 
 me all ye workers of Iniquity. There Jhall be 
 weeping and gnafhing of teeth, when ye /hall 
 fee Abraham, and Ifaac, and facob, and all 
 the Prophets in the Kingdom of God, and you 
 your/elves thrufi out. See N° VIII. IX. XX. 
 
 This Doctrine of the final Exclufion of the 
 Wicked runs uniformly throughout the New 
 Teflament. N° 
 
74t *fhe Scripture-Do&rine 
 
 No XXXVIII. 
 Luke xiv. 34^35- Salt is good: but if the Salt 
 have loft his favour ; wherewith Jhall it be 
 feajbned? It is neither fit for the Land, nor 
 yet for the Dunghil j but Men caft it out. 
 He that hath Ears to hear let him hear. 
 
 If the Meaning of thefe Words be, that Men 
 may become in a moral Senfe, what Salt that 
 hath loft its favour is, in a natural ; they are a 
 clear Proof of the utter moral Incapacity of the 
 Wicked to grow better : On which, as I con- 
 ceive, the Doctrine of their eternal Punifhment 
 all along proceeds. And compar'd with Matt. 
 v. 13. they teach us, that when the Difciples 
 of Chrift thus degenerate, they efpecially become 
 worthlefs, and thenceforth good for nothing, but 
 to be caft out. 
 
 N° XXXIX. 
 Luke xvi. from ver. 23. to ver. 31. inclufive. 
 And in Hell he lift up his Eyes, being in 
 Torments, and feeth Abraham afar off, and 
 Lazarus in his bofom. And he cried, and 
 faid, Father Abraham, have mercy on me 7 
 and fend Lazarus that he may dip the Tip of 
 his Finger in Water, and cool my Tongue -, for 
 lam tormented in this Flame. But Abraham 
 faid, Son, reme?nber, that thou in thy Life- 
 time receivedft thy good things, and likewife 
 Lazarus evil things : but new he is comforted, 
 and thou art tormented. And be/ides all this, 
 
 between 
 
of Future Punijhment. 75 
 
 between us and you there is a great Gulf 
 fixed : So that they who would pafs from 
 hence to you, cannot 5 neither can they pafs to 
 us, that would come from thence. Then he 
 faid, 1 pray thee therefore. Father, that thou 
 wouldfi fend him to my Father s Houfe : for I 
 have five Brethren-, that he may teftify unto 
 them, left they alfo come into this place of 
 Torment. Abraham faith unto htm, they 
 have Mofes and the Prophets -, let them hear 
 them. And he f aid, Nay, Father Abraham : 
 but if one went unto them from the dead, they 
 will repent. And he faid unto him, if they 
 hear not Mofes and the Prophets, neither will 
 they be perfuaded, though one rofe from the 
 dead. 
 
 The plain Inftrudtion that arifes from this 
 Parable, appears to me to be this -, that our Fate 
 in another Life depends upon our Conduct in 
 this j and that there is no Alteration of the future 
 State, as to the Nature and Kind of it; but be 
 our portion Happinefs, or Mifery, it is what we 
 muft abide by : There is no paffing from the 
 one to the other. The rich Man's Requefta, in 
 his own behalf, and in behalf of his Brethren, 
 are equally rejected. With regard to the firft, 
 he is reminded that he had received his good 
 things already -, which was in effect reminding 
 him, (fince there could be no Sin in the bare 
 receiving them,) of his Abufe of them. And 
 befides, there was an Obfiacle in the very nature 
 of the thing, which render'd his Requeft irru 
 
 poflible 
 
7 6 The Scripture-DoElrint 
 
 poflible to be comply'd with. And as to his 
 other Requeft, in behalf of his five Brethren ; 
 he is given to underftand, that they have the 
 proper means of Inftrudtion in their Hands, the 
 Writings of Mofes and the Prophets ; which they 
 ought to attend to, and obey. And that if they 
 would not ; a MefTenger from the Dead would, 
 as to the purpofes of real Converfion, be equally 
 ufelefs and ineffectual. All this feems to me to 
 imply very ftrongly, that our Fortunes are now 
 depending ; that this Life is our Probation ; is 
 furniuYd with Means fufficient for that pur- 
 pofe; and that if thefe be neglected, there is no 
 other Refource which will ferve as well, or be 
 of any avail hereafter. This is the Light in 
 which the Parable always appear'd to me ; and 
 in which it does ftill, notwithstanding the Co- 
 lours with which Mr. W. has endeavour'd to 
 difguife it. The rich Man being only in Hades, 
 not in Gehenna, his Torment, Mr. W. fays *, was 
 only medicinal, and defigri 'd for his Converfion 
 and Salvation. But whence does this Confe- 
 quence appear ? The rich Man himfelf feems to 
 know nothing of this Defign of his Punifhment. 
 Nor does the benevolent Patriarch Abraham 
 give him any Intimation of this kind : Though 
 it would probably have been a greater Comfort 
 and Relief to him, than a Drop of Water to 
 cool his Tongue. But the Circumfiances of the 
 rich Man, Mr. W. fays, agree with his being in 
 Hades, in order to his Amendment. Incorrigible 
 Sinners are always reprefented as in Prifon, in 
 Hades, and clofe confind there till the Day of 
 
 Judgment, 
 
 * P, 120. 
 
cf Future Punijhment. jy 
 
 "Judgment, without any pofitive Torments inflicted 
 on them there : Whereas, he is reprefented as out 
 of Prifon, and in great Torment. That the rich 
 Man is reprefented as in Hades 9 1 grant , but I ftill 
 fee no Proof of the Confequence ; that this Punifh- 
 ment was in order to his Amendment. Supponng 
 that incorrigible Si?wers are in Prifon ; is not he 
 in Prifon ? No ; Mr. JV. fays, he is reprefented 
 as out of Prifon. But where, or what is this 
 Reprefentation ? Does his holding a Dialogue 
 with Abraham imply that he is not clofe con- 
 fined? He feems to think that he is, and there- 
 fore would fend Lazarus on his Errands. And 
 he fpeaks of this Flame, and of this Place of 
 Torment, as a Man naturally would do, that was 
 confined to them. But here Mr. W. again 
 takes his advantage : He is reprefented in great 
 torment, whereas incorrigible Sinners have no 
 pofitive Torments inflicted on them in Hades. 
 Incorrigible Sinners are reprefented by him upon 
 other occafions, in a very doleful Condition in 
 Hades*; and that is enough for our purpofe. 
 For the Parable fays nothing about the Tor- 
 ments being pofitive, or not pofitive -, and there is 
 no manner of neceflity to interpret the Flame in 
 which he fays he is tormented, of a literal and 
 real Fire. By the fame Rule we muft take all 
 the reft literally 5 and then Abraham, in the 
 feparate State, muft have a Bofom ; Lazarus 
 muft literally lay his Head in it, and have a 
 Finger too to dip in real Water ; and the rich 
 Man himfelf, have Eyes and a Tongue. But 
 Mr. W. obferves farther, that Abraham does not 
 
 treat 
 * P. 140. 
 
J 8 The Scripture- DoSirine 
 
 treat him as a damned Wretch that deferred no 
 Companion, or Anfwer , but calls him Sou, &c. 
 Now we know fo little of the Manner how fepa- 
 rate Spirits, good and evil, treat one another, and 
 can infer with fo little Certainty any thing from 
 it ; that this Argument, perhaps, might fafely 
 enough be left to Mr. W. to make his bed of 
 it : Et valeaty quantum valere poteji. How- 
 ever, we may recoiled, that it was no part of 
 Abrahams Bufmefs either to judge or condemn 
 him : And fince the very Nature and Defign of 
 the Parable required, that he mould difcourfe 
 with him 5 it is more fuitable to Abraham's 
 Character, as well as to our Lord's who 
 fpake the Parable, that it mould be condu&ed 
 with Decency and Decorum - 9 than that Abra- 
 ham fhould treat him as a damned Wretch, 
 how much foever he might deferve it. As 
 to his having been an Infidel, or Sadducee, in 
 his life-time ; I cannot admit that for any great 
 Extenuation of his Guilt, tho' it feems to be 
 fuggefted to this purpofe. In all likelihood, he 
 had dijbelieved all that was J aid by the Pharifees 
 end Effens out of the Old Teftament, concerjiing 
 the Rewards and Punijhments of the future 
 World. Any one may fee for what purpofe the 
 Pharifees and Efj'ens are brought upon the Stage ; 
 only to alleviate his Crime, as if it confifted in 
 difbelieving only their Doctrine, or fomething 
 that they taught, with, or without Reafon, out 
 of the Old Teftament. Whereas the truth is, 
 if there be any truth at all in the Fatt *, he 
 
 had 
 
 * Which probably there is not. For tho' Mr. W. fays 
 that the rich Man in all likelihood had been a Sadducee, it 
 
 rather 
 
of Future Punipment. 79 
 
 had difbelieved that prime Article of all Reli- 
 gion, the Rewards and Punifhments of another 
 Life; a Dodtrine fo independent of all Autho- 
 rity of Pharifees and EJfens, that no Religion 
 ever did, or ever can, fubfift without it ; and 
 which being taken away, there is no fufficient 
 Inducement left to come to God, in any religious 
 Act at all. Well, but he Jhews him/elf now 
 throughly convinced of that per?ticious Error. 
 Which is as fmall an Argument of his Virtue, as 
 his Infidelity before was an Extenuation of his 
 Guilt. The Devils alfo believe, and tremble. 
 And who can perfift in an Error, of which his 
 very Exiftence is a Confutation ? But he is alio 
 become very companionate to his own jive Bre- 
 thren ; which is fo far from a Character of in- 
 fernal Objlinacy, and favage Cruelty, fuch as 
 that of the incurably wicked may be fuppofed to 
 be, that it looks liker a Preliminary to true 
 Chriflian Charity, and to a real Repentance for 
 his Barbarity towards Lazarus before *. There 
 
 is 
 
 rather appears that he had been a Pharifee. Our Lord 
 had been perfuading his Hearers, to purfue and prefer the 
 True Riches, and told them that they could not ferve God 
 and Mammon. The Pharifees who were rich and covetous, 
 heard thefe things, and derided him. Our Saviour feverely 
 reproves them, ver. 15. and intimating to them that their 
 Law, and external kind of Religion, which th?y valued 
 themfelves fo much upon, was juft expiring, and to be 
 fucceeded by one of greater Purity and Perfection ; he 
 then immediately adds the Parable ; in which the rick 
 Man is not accufed of Infidelity, (for the Perfons againfr. 
 whom it was defign'd were all Believers,} but of Luxury 
 and Uncharitablenefs ; and his Brethren are to be nerfuaded 
 riot to believe, but to repent. 
 
 * Some have imagined that this Companion to his Bre- 
 thren, was at bottom only Companion to himfclf. He 
 
 had 
 
8o The Scripture-DoElrine 
 
 is nothing in this, that I can fee, more than is 
 neceffary to anfwer the Defign of the Parable : 
 He muft intreat Abraham in behalf of his Bre- 
 thren ; and the more heartily he does this, the 
 more reafon have we to conclude, from his 
 being refilled, that no Importunities will prevail 
 for extraordinary Favours, when the ordinary 
 ftated Methods of Providence, which were in 
 themfelves fufficient, have been neglected. To 
 fay all in a word ; the whole Series of the Rea- 
 foning we have been here amufed with, amounts 
 to juft nothing. From a Phrafe, or Circum- 
 ftance of a Parable, all rational Men agree, no 
 
 Confequence 
 
 had contributed by his Example and Influence to make 
 them wicked, as they were ; and was therefore afraid, 
 that if they came into that Place of Torment, they might 
 poffibly prove his Tormentors. But there is no need of 
 any Reafon, but the Reafon of the Parable, It being evi- 
 dently our Lord's Defign, in this Part of it, to mew, 
 that Men have already fufficient Evidence and Induce- 
 ments to believe in God, and to obey him, and that therefore 
 unreafonable Expectations in Religion would not be grati- 
 fied ; this, I fay, being his Defign, it becomes neceflary 
 that the rich Man fhould make this extraordinary Requeff, 
 and that Abraham fhould reject it. But his real Com- 
 paffion to his Brethren is no more an Inference from this 
 Requeft, than Abrahams Want of Benevolence is, from 
 
 his Refufal to comply with it. 1 have taken no notice of 
 
 Mr. W\ Conjecture, that the mojl terrible Part of this De- 
 fer ipt ion was taken by our Saviour out of the Fourth Book 
 of Efdras. The belt Criticks allow, and it is evident to 
 any one that reads it with Attention, that it is later than 
 our Saviour's Time. The learned Dr. Chapman fets it a 
 hundred Years after Chrift, at leaft ; (Eufebius, Vol. II. 
 p. 88.) And Du Pin, after he has obferv'd that it is full 
 of Vifions and Dreams, and feveral Errors, fays 'tis doubt- 
 lefs a Converted Jew who penn'd it. Hi/lory of the Canon 
 of the 0. T. p. 26. Englijb Edit. 
 
of Future Punijhment. St 
 
 Confequence is to be drawn, beyond the Scope 
 and Defign of it. But Mr. W. feems to have 
 taken the quite contrary way. He has over- 
 looked the Defign of this Parable, which is to 
 teach us, that according to our good or ill Be- 
 haviour in this Life, will be our Condition in 
 the other -, and that, as far as appears, v/ithout 
 Alteration, and without End j and inftead there- 
 of, has entertain'd us with fome precarious Infe- 
 rences, from the little Circumftances, and inci- 
 dental Parts of the Parable $ from which nothing, 
 with any Certainty, can be concluded at all. As 
 to what he adds, about the Gofpel's being 
 preached to the rich Man in Hades, and his being 
 brought by that, and his fevere Punifhment, to 
 true Repentance ; it is a Point, I conceive, con- 
 fider'd merely in itfelf, of very little Concern to 
 any Man living. The Per/on and the Preaching 
 being both perhaps imaginary ; they are, in that 
 refped:, exactly fuited to one another. But it is 
 of the laft importance to every Man, not to 
 fuffer himfelf to be deceived with vain Words, 
 or vain Reafonings, fo as to incur the Danger of 
 coming into fuch Place of Torment, upon the 
 vain Prefumption of being deliver'd out of it. 
 Compare TbeDphylaSt. in he. 
 
 No XL. 
 
 Lukexvii. 34, 35, 36, 37. / tell you in that 
 
 Night there Jhall be two Men in one Bed; the 
 
 one Jhall be taken y and the other /hall be left. 
 
 Two Women Jhall be grinding together 5 the one 
 
 G Jhall 
 
$ 2 The Scripftire-Do&rine 
 
 Jhall be taken, and the other left. Two Men 
 Jhall be in the Field ; the one Jhall be taken y 
 
 and the other left. And they anfwered and 
 faid unto him, Where y Lord ? And he /aid 
 
 unto them, wherefoever the Body is, thither 
 
 will the Eagles be gathered together. See 
 
 No XVIII. 
 
 Many refer thefe Words ta the DeftruZlion 
 ofjerufalem. If they relate to the End of the 
 World, they fhew the righteous Diftin&ion 
 which will then be made -, agreeably to the 
 whole Tenor of the New Teitament. And 
 our Lord's Anfwer in the 37th Ver. * which is 
 a proverbial Speech, and has no relation to the 
 "Eagles in the Roman Standards, as fome have 
 imagined 5 fhews the Univerfality of the Cafe ; 
 and that every where, wherefoever Circum- 
 ftances are the fame, the Event will be the 
 fame likewife. 
 
 No XLI. 
 
 Luke xix. 26. For 1 fay unto you, That unto 
 
 every one which hath, floall be given : And 
 
 from him that hath not,, even that he hath 
 
 Jhall be taken awavjrom him. See N°'XXI. 
 
 XXV. XXXI. 
 
 No XLII. 
 John iii. 36. He that believeth on the Son hath 
 everlajling Life : And he that believeth not 
 
 the 
 
 * Sententia proverbial is fumpta ex Jobo, 39. in fine 
 Cap. Vid. TremelL in Matt. xxiv. 28. See alfoDr'. Wall 
 on the fame Place : And Dr. Clarke's Sermon on the 
 Text, in hisXV^III Sermons, p. 36. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 83 
 
 the Son , Jhall not fee Life 5 but the Wrath of 
 God abideth on him, 
 
 N° XLIII. 
 John v. 28, 2g.~*The Hour is coming in the 
 which all that are in the Craves Jhall hear 
 his Voice, and Jhall come forth, they that have 
 done go r d. } unto the Rejurrcffiion of Life j 
 and they that have done evil, unto the Refur~ 
 region of Damnation. 
 
 Life, in St. John's Language; denotes that 
 eternal Life which God hath given to us in his 
 Son - r not merely Exifteticd, but Exiftence in a 
 State of fupreme Felicity. And agreeably to ; 
 this, Death means, with him, not Non-exiftence 
 or Deitruction of Being ; but a State oppofite to 
 that of Happinefs, a State of Mifery and Con- 
 demnation. A wicked Infidelity brings us into 
 this State of Condemnation, intheprefent Life; 
 he that believeth not, is condemned already, Ch. 
 ni. 18. As on the contrary, he that hearethmy 
 Word, fays our Lord", and believeth on him that 
 fent me, hath ever la fling Life, and jhall not come 
 into Condemnation \ but is pa/led from Death unto 
 Life$ Ch. v. 24. They who die in their Infi- 
 delity and their Sins, die, as they liv'd, in a State- 
 of Condemnation 5 and there is no Alteration of 
 this in Hades, that I can find, in St. Johns 
 Doctrine, (for then cometh the Night when no 
 Man can work ;) fo that when they come forth 
 out of their Graves, it is unto the RefurreSfion 
 ef Damnation: a State of Condemnation as 
 G z before 
 
84 7%e Scrtpture-Do&rine 
 
 before, only made more fenfibly fo by greater 
 Degrees of Punifhment. This appears to me 
 to be a fliort Account of St, John's Doctrine, 
 upon this Subject ; Who, if he has little dire&ly 
 •concerning the Duration of future Punifhments, 
 feems every where to fuppofe that there is no 
 Change of State, as to the Nature and Kind of 
 it, after Death ; and drops no Intimations either 
 of utter Deftruction of Being, or Reftoration to 
 Happinefs. 
 
 No XLIV. 
 John viii. 2 1. Then J aid J -ejus again unto them, 
 1 go my way, and ye Jhallfeek me, and foall 
 die in your Sins : Whither I go, ye cannot 
 
 come * 
 
 The fame Declaration, Whither I go, ye 
 cannot come, is afterwards repeated to the Dif- 
 ciples, C6. xiii. 33. But then it is explained to 
 Peter, at the 36th Ver. of the fame Chapter 5 
 Whither I go, thou canji not follow me now ; 
 but thou /halt follow me afterwards. But there 
 is no fuch Limitation with regard to the Pha- 
 rifees, in the Text before us : Of them it is faid, 
 that they fhould die in their Sins, and not come 
 whither Chrift is gone, either now, or after- 
 wards. Which implies that all others who die, 
 like them, in their Sins, fhall be excluded from 
 the Prefence of Chrift. 
 
 No 
 
 * Joh.x. 26. viii. 21, 24. Te are none of my She ep, ye 
 fhall die in your Sins : Which is the fame as to fay, Te 
 will never be forgiven, neither in this World, neither in the 
 World to come. Dr. Clarke's Sermon, of the Sin againft 
 the Holy Ghoft. Vol. VI. p. 25. 
 I 
 
cf Future Punijhment. 83 
 
 N* XLV. 
 John ix. 4. / muji work the Works of him that 
 fent me, while it is Day : The Night cometh, 
 when no Man can work. 
 
 The Night here means, in all probability, 
 the Night of Death ; and then this Declaration 
 of our Lord's will be of the fame kind with 
 that of Solomon, Ecclef lx. 10. Whatfoever thy 
 Hand jindeth to do, do it with thy might ; for 
 there is no Work, nor Device, nor Knowledge, 
 nor Wifdom in the Grave (in Hades) whither 
 thou goejl. And in the fame fenfe has that 
 other Paffage, Ch. xi. 3. ufually been under- 
 ftood ; If the Tree fall toward the South, or 
 toward the North ; in the place where the Tree 
 falleth, there itfhall be. How unreafonable then 
 is it to expedr, that a State thus reprefented by 
 Solomon, and by him who was wifer than Solo- 
 mon y fhould prove after all a Scene of Action ? 
 Compare Dr.Bumet de StatuMort. &ReJurgent. 
 p. 97. Edit. 2. 
 
 N° XLVI. 
 John xi. 9, io, Jefus anfwered, Are there not 
 twelve Hours in the Day ? If any Man walk 
 in the Day, he Jlumbleth not, becaufe he feet h 
 the Light of this World. But if a Man walk 
 in the Night, he Jlumbleth, becaufe there is no 
 Light in him. 
 
 N° XLVII. 
 John xii. 35, 36. Then Jefus faid unto them, 
 Tet a little while is the Light with you : 
 G 3 walk 
 
86 The Scripture-BoEirine 
 
 walk while ye have the Light , kfl Darknefs 
 come upon you : For he that walketh in Dark- 
 nefs, knoweth not whither he goeth. [While ye 
 have Light, believe in the Light, that ye may 
 be the Children of Light. 
 
 This doubtlefs relates to our Lord himfelf ; 
 who, while he was in the World, was the Light 
 of the World. But the general Reafoning in 
 all thefe Paffages feems to imply, that if Meji 
 will not walk, or work, in the Day, or while 
 they have the Light -, a Night, or Darknefs will 
 fucceed, in which they cannot walk. If there 
 was any preaching of the Gofpel in Hades, any 
 Knowledge of Salvation by the Remiffion of Sim 
 given there ; I fee not why the Dead might not 
 be faid to have the Light, and to walk in the 
 Day, as well as the Living ; which yet I think 
 is never fuppofed. I know very well, a State of 
 Ignorance and Corruption, fuch as was that of 
 the Heathen World before Chrift, is reprefented 
 in the Gofpel by the Images of Darknefs and 
 ihe Shadow of Death. And in this Senfe, the 
 Gofpel was preached to them that were dead. 
 But this rather fuppofes, than con trad ids, what I 
 now aim at. For the very Reafon or Founda- 
 tion of this Reprefentation feems to be, that 
 the State of the Dead is perfectly and totally, 
 what the other, which is lefembled to it, is in 
 part only, and to a certain Degree. The State 
 of the Heathen World was partly, and to a 
 certain Degree \ a State of moral Inactivity, for 
 
 want 
 
of Future Punijhment. 87 
 
 want of Light and Motives ; for want, in one 
 word, of the Knowledge of Salvation by the Re- 
 miflion of their Sins. If this State then be com- 
 pared to the State of them that are dead, what 
 (hall we infer from it ? Not furely that the 
 Dead have the Light \ and walk in the Day $ 
 or have the Knowledge of Salvation by the Re- 
 mijjion of their Sins preach'd to them -, but 
 juft the contrary. However, this is foreign to 
 our point, at prefent ; which is not concerning 
 the Repentance, or Non-repentance, of the Souls 
 in Hades ; but the Duration of the Punifhment 
 of thofe, who will be condemned at the Day of 
 Judgment ; when Death and Hades fliall be no 
 more. 
 
 No XLVII. 
 John xv. 2, Every Branch in me that beareth 
 not Fruity he taketh away. Ver. 6. If a 
 Man abide not in me, he is cajl forth as a 
 Branch, and is withered-, and Men gather 
 them, and cajl them into the Fire, and they 
 burned. 
 
 These Words are plain againft the Syftem 
 of a Reftoration 5 and, by no means, imply 
 that of utter Definition. For the Force of 
 the Comparifon does not lie in this, that the 
 Wicked are burned, that is confumed, in the 
 Fire, as the fruitlefs Branches of a Vine-tree 5 
 but in this, that both being fevered, the one 
 from the natural, the other from the myflical 
 Vine, which is Chrift 5 and fo render'd utterly 
 incapable of bringing forth their reipedive 
 
 G 4 Fruits 3 
 
8 8 The Scripture-DoElrine 
 
 Fruits, they are both entirely cafi away, and 
 totally rejected. 
 
 N° XLVIII. 
 John xvii. 12. — Thofe that thou gavejl me I have 
 kept, and none of them is lofi, but the Son of 
 Perdition : that the Scripture might be ful- 
 filled. Compare Ch. xviii. 9. 
 
 Our Saviour could not mean apV»A*To in 
 one place, or ocwcoAeo-oi in the other, in the 
 Senfe of Annihilation ; for in that fenfe Judas, 
 tho' the Son of Perdition, vlos 1*$ dLirooh ei as, 
 was not lofty or perijhed. It is ufual in Scrip- 
 ture to ftile Men the Sons, or Children, of any 
 Thing or Perfon, in order to exprefs any extra- 
 ordinary Quality or Relation, which fuch Thing 
 or Perfon is remarkable for, or may denote. 
 Thus Judas here, and the Man of Sin men- 
 tioned 2 Theffl ii. 3. being for their great and 
 wilful Wickednefs, Vefels of Wrath fitted to 
 Definitions are each of them ftiled the Son of 
 Perdition. Thus the Profelyte, Matt, xxiii. 1 5, 
 being render*d more fignally corrupt by the 
 Scribes and Pharifees, is ftiled a Son of Gehenna, 
 or Child of Hell. Thus wicked Men are called 
 the Sons, or Children, of the Devil ; the 
 Faithful, the Sons, or Children, of Abraham ; 
 and good Men endeavouring to imitate the 
 Example of God himfelf, the Sons, or Children 
 of God -, Matt. v. 45. The Expreffion, that 
 the Scripture might be fulfilled, denotes no more 
 than this other, fo that the Scripture was fuU 
 
 JilUdy 
 
of Future Puntjhment. 8g 
 
 filled-, affigning not the Caufe, but the Event t 
 as Theophylatt obferves upon the Place. The 
 Scriptures by foretelling the Crime of Judas y 
 impofed no Neceffity of the Adtion ; nor fore- 
 told any thing that would not have come to 
 pafs, tho' they had been filent. It is neceflary to 
 carry this always in mind, through this Debate, 
 that no Man may think that Judas *, or any 
 other Perfon that (hall be in the like Condem- 
 nation, is ordained to it by any abfolute Decree 
 of God ; or neceffitated by any Prophecies 
 going before of him, to fuch Adtions as lead to 
 it ; in any manner, or degree, inconfiftent 
 with the Liberty and free Choice of a moral 
 Agent. 
 
 I have now produced all the Texts in the 
 four Gofpels, which any way concern the Du- 
 ration of Future Punishments : at lead:, I have 
 not wilfully ftifled any Evidence, or fupprciTed 
 any Teilimonies, out of prejudice, or favour, 
 to one fide, or another. If I have alledged 
 any not dire&ly pertinent to the Point in hand, 
 
 (which 
 
 * Nee fane aliud denuntiant Prophetae quam quod 
 ipfis etiam tacentibus futurum erat. Calvin, apud Mar- 
 lorat. in loc. Denique Judas dicitur periifTc, ut impis- 
 retur Scriptura ; non quafi perierit, quia Scriptura pne- 
 dixerit ; fed quia in eo fit impletum, quod praediclum erat 
 Scripturis. Quod vulgo fie efterunt, ut fumi non rirwii- 
 ter, fed confecutive. Nee enim Judas prodidit Chriftum, 
 quia Scriptura praedixerat ; fed praedixit Scriptura, quia 
 Chriftum erat proditurus. Praeviderat Deus proditurum, 
 nifi impediret ; decrerat vero permittere, &: tam atrox 
 facinus dirigere ad bonum generis humani. Ger. Jc. 
 VoJJii Harmcnia Evangel. 410, Axnftthdami 1656. p. 166. 
 
90 The Scripture-DoEirint 
 
 (which I am not confcious to myfelf of having 
 done voluntarily,) it is only a little Labour loft ; 
 I defire no greater flrefs fhould be laid upon 
 them than they will bear. If they are wholly 
 foreign, as they cannot ferve, fo neither can they 
 juftly hurt, the Caufe I defend 5 but muft be 
 confider'd as mere Ciphers in the Account. I 
 may now proceed to examine the other TeftL- 
 monies to the fame purpofe, which are to be 
 met with in the reft of the Books of the New 
 Teftament ; which will be the Subject of the 
 next Chapter. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
t>f Future Punijhtnent. 9 i 
 
 CHAR II. 
 
 }Vherein the Tejiimonies of the other 
 Books of the New Tejiament are 
 produced. 
 
 Np XLIX, 
 
 Ads 1. 2$.*~ c That he might go to his own Place. 
 
 THERE can be no reafbnable doubt but 
 that thefe Words are fpoken of Judas, and 
 the twos 'frioi is that proper Place which be- 
 long'd to him, as he is called viqs *V«Af/a$, the 
 Son of Perdition *• See Stilling fleet's Irenicum y 
 p. 233. From this Text Bifliop Bull has afferted 
 the Doftrine concerning the middle State of 
 Happinefs or Mtfery y allotted by God to every 
 Man prefently after Death, according as he has 
 been good or bad in his pajl Life ; and proved it 
 to be inconfiflent with the Popilh Doffrine of 
 Purgatory ; as it is likewife with Mr. Whifton\> 
 See Bulfc Sermons, Vol. I. Ser. iii. p. 80. 
 
 # St. Ignatius fays, every one Jhall depart unto his own 
 (proper) Place, t\q rov 'Ikov tottov ; (Epift. ad Magnef. Sect. 
 V.) on which Bifhop Pear/on has this Note; — De Juda 
 legimus, Act. i. 25. VMivvUveu elg rov rowov rov Uiov,, 
 Unicuique fc. fuus poft mortem aflignatus eft locus. Sic 
 apud Clem. Roman. Petrus dicitur abiiffe sl$ rov o(pfiAo- 
 pvjov tqttqv rn$ $q ^r ; q . Paulus autem a$ rov otyiov TQTT0V o 
 Vid. Ignat Epift. Ed. Qxon. Annot. Pearfoni, p. 42, 
 
92 Tie Scripture-DoSlrim 
 
 No L. 
 Rom. i. 18. For the Wrath of God is reveal' d 
 from Heaven againfi all Ungodlifiejs, and 
 Unrighteoufnefs of Men } who hold the Truth 
 in Unrighteoufnefs. 
 
 No LI. 
 
 Ver. 32. Who knowing the Judgment of God y 
 (that they which commit fuch things are 
 worthy of Death,) 
 
 No LII. 
 
 Ch. ii. 2. We are fare that the" Judgment of 
 God is according to Truth, againfi them who 
 commit fuch things. 
 
 No LIII. 
 
 Ver. 5. —After thy Hardnefs and impenitent 
 Heart, treafureji up unto thy felf Wrath 
 againfi the Day of Wrath, and Revelation of 
 the righteous Judgment of God; Ver. 6. Who 
 will render to every Man according to his 
 Deeds. 
 
 No LIV. 
 Ver. 8, 9. — Unto them that are contentious, and 
 do not obey the Truth, but obey Unrighteouf- 
 nefs j Indignation and Wrath ; Tribulation 
 and Anguifh upon every Soul of Man that doth 
 eviL—~ 
 
 Indignation and Wrath : that is, fuch Pu- 
 niihment as Men are apt to afcribe to Indig- 
 nation and Wrath -, but the Judgment of God 
 
 proceeds 
 
of Future Punijhment. 93 
 
 proceeds upon other Motives, and will be exa&ly 
 according to Truth, and Juftice. It is reveaVd 
 againji Unrighteoufnefs ; againft fuch Unrigh- 
 teoufnefs, as Men themfelves know * to be worthy 
 of Death ; and Men treajure it up to themfelves 
 by their Hardnejs and impenitent Hearts ; fo 
 that when God renders it to them, he only 
 renders to every Man according to his Deeds. 
 There is no Senfe in talking of eternal Punifh- 
 ments, as if they proceeded from any Paffions 
 in God. If that could be provd, it would be, 
 poffibly, the beft preemptive Argument that 
 has been offer'd, againft their Eternity. For 
 what is more changeable and arbitrary, than the 
 Effeds of Paffion ? But the Punifhments of 
 wicked Men in the future State, are all along 
 reprefented, as founded upon the exafteft Reafon, 
 and Truth, and Juftice ; and are therefore as 
 immutable as thefe things themfelves. And if 
 it be right and reafonable, that thefe Punifh- 
 ments fhould continue for a Year, or even for 
 a Day, it will be right and reafonable that they 
 fhould continue for ever ; the Objedts ftill con- 
 tinuing the fame, and all the Reafons of Punifh- 
 ment eternally, fubfifting. As little Reafon is 
 there to reprefent them, as Inftances only of 
 Power and Dominion. They may fall in as 
 naturally with God's whole Scheme, and be as 
 
 much 
 
 * I am aware of the various Reading in Ch. i. ver. 32 ; 
 But it is nothing to my purpofe, whether the Gentiles 
 knew, or knew not, or only conjlderd not, that fuch Sins 
 were worthy of Death. All Chrlftlans, with whom only 
 we are concern'd at prefent, know this ; tho' they are too 
 apt, perhaps, not fufficiently to confider it. 
 
94 TAe Scripture-DoEtrine 
 
 much according to the Conftitution and Laws of 
 Nature, as any ordinary Event, which happens 
 regularly every day. The next time therefore 
 Men objedl in this manner, they had better 
 cbjedt againft God's whole Scheme, againft the 
 original Plan, and univerfal Conftitution of Pro- 
 vidence $ the ten thoufandth Part of which is 
 not comprehended by them, and which is the . 
 higheft Infolence in any Mortal. But more of 
 this, it may be, hereafter. I cannot but obferve, 
 in paffing, that almios in f. y. muft fignify 
 ftriftly eternal. For if they who feek for Glory ', 
 and Honour ', and Immortality , are put off only 
 with lofting Life (how lafting foever,) they are 
 put off with foraething infinitely lefs than they 
 fought for, and may poffibly think themfelves 
 difappointed. 
 
 No LV. 
 Ver. i2\~— Shall alfo per ijh without Law. 
 
 N. B. Whatever the Word dwaXovvrcct (perijh) 
 may here mean, it is fpoken of Perfons not con- 
 cern^ in the Sanctions of the Gofpel *. 
 
 No LVI. 
 
 Ch. fi 2if-*-The End of thofe things is Death. 
 
 No LVIL 
 Ver. 23.— The Wages cf Sin is Death : * 
 
 Not merely the firft Death, or the Diflb- 
 
 lution of Body and Soul, attended with no other 
 
 ,Confe- 
 
 * See Dr. Clarke's Letter to Mr. Doawell, p. 10. 
 and &o. It is evidently iynonvmous to being judged or 
 condemned, in the iatter Part of the fame Verfe. 
 
of Future Vunijhment. 95 
 
 Confequences 5 for that would not be an equal 
 Retribution*; but the fecond Death mention'd 
 Rev. xxi. 8. As appears too by the Opposition 
 it ftands in, in both Verfes, to everlajiing^ or 
 eternal Life. It is a State of eternal Condem- 
 nation •> and though that Condemnation fhould 
 at laft end in utter Extinction of Being, (which 
 we have no reafon to believe, either from Scrip- 
 ture, or Philofophy,) it would ftill be incon- 
 fiftent with the Dodtrine of the Re-eftabii fh- 
 ment, or Reftoration, of impenitent Sinner. 
 •±~ <c For they forget the Commands of the living 
 ic God, and live in Luxury and in vain Plea- 
 
 <c fares ; 
 
 *' For all Men die, from the moft virtuous to the moft 
 perfectly vicious Characters ; and fo through all the inter- 
 mediate Degrees. Befides, Death, as the pofitive Punifli- 
 ment, and Wages of Sin, can never be confider'd barely 
 as the Separation of Soul and Body, (for that may be 
 wifh'd for, by good Men, as fome Confolation ; and even 
 run into by the wicked, as a Refuge ;) but that Separa- 
 tion, as inflicted by, and accompanied with, the Wrath 
 of God. It is Death therefore with all its Confequences ; 
 all the Confequences that may be fear'd from the Wrath 
 of God ; or in Dr. Clarke's words, " when the Death of 
 c6 the Body is the forerunner of that Death of the Soul, 
 ** from which there is no hopes of Releafe, but the 
 <c Wrath of God- muft abide on it for ever." Vol. V. 
 Ser. viii. p. rfo,. And p. 214. of the fame Vol. he fays, 
 Death in the Old Teftament, general/ figrtifies that tem- 
 poral Death, which is the Diflblution of the Body ; tho' 
 when it is threatned as the Puniihment of Sin, it pre- 
 figures and includes in it eternal Death. Which is alio 
 fometimes exprefsly threatned even in the Old Teftament : 
 — In the New Teftament, Death, when 'tis tirreatned to 
 Sinners, fvgnijies altnifl always eternal Death \ the Gofpel 
 containing, as a more clear Difcovery of Life and Im- 
 mortality, fo alfo a more exprefs Revelation of the Wrath 
 of God from Heaven, againft all Unrigbreoufnefs and 
 
 U n jo d 1 i ne fs- of Men . 
 
9 6 The Scripture-Doftrine 
 
 " fures ; and are corrupted by this Evil- Angel, 
 
 €C fome of them even unto Death ; and others 
 
 u to a falling away. I replied ; I underftand 
 
 €C not what you mean^ by faying unto Death, and 
 
 " to a falling away. Hear, fays he : All thofe 
 
 " Sheep which thou faweft exceeding joyful, 
 
 <c are fuch as have for ever departed from God, 
 
 <c and given themfelves up to the Lufts of this 
 
 (l prefent time. To thefe therefore there is no 
 
 <c Return, by Repentance, unto Life; becaufe 
 
 cc that to their other Sins they have added this, 
 
 " that they have blafphemed the Name of the 
 
 €c Lord. Thefe kind of Men are ordain'd unto 
 
 < c Death." — ci But they that are dead, are 
 
 <c utterly gone for ever." Shepherd of Hermas> 
 
 Archbifhop Wakes Verfion, Book III. Simil. 6. 
 
 See N° XCIII. 
 
 C( 
 
 But the way of Darknefs is crooked, and 
 cc full of Curling. For it is the way of eternal 
 <c Death, with Punifhment; in which they 
 " that walk meet thofe things thatdeftroy their 
 <c own Souls *." St. Barnabas ; JVake's Verfion, 
 p. 193. 4th Edit. 
 
 <c Se e ing then all things have an End, there 
 u are thefe two indifferently fet before us, Death 
 
 « and 
 
 * St. Barnabas does not fay, the way of eternal Death 
 Jia Ti[AUfiH$ 9 as if their Punifhment at laft would be the 
 Caufe of their Death, or ceafing to be ; but y>zra ti/a«£i'«?, 
 that is, fuch a Death as is confident with Punifhment. 
 So the Conftitutions, Lib, i. Cap. 3. $ocvxr(& -arapa 3-f» 
 ivrihsvo-tlcii crot ai«i/i0», h ala§yi<rei zjtxpwf xoAa£o 4 u€w ', 
 Sterna mors tibi a Deo fuperveniet, & acerbo fenfus 
 Cruciatu punieris. 
 
of Future Punijhtnent. 97 
 
 <c and Life : And every one fhall depart unto 
 <c his proper Place." Ignatius to the Magne- 
 Jians: Wake ubifup. p. 79. 
 
 N° LVIII. 
 
 Ch. ix. 22. The Vejfels of Wrath fitted to 
 
 DefiruBion. 
 
 N. B. Nothing can be inferr'd from this 
 Text in favour of Annihilation. It does riot 
 relate to the Retributions of the World to come ; 
 but to the Difpolitions of Providence, and the 
 Judgments of God, with regard to Nations, or 
 People, in this World. It is one Inftance, 
 amongft the reft, that the Scripture does not 
 ufe the word a7r<wA«<*, (Definition,) in the 
 Philofophical Senfe of Annihilation. 
 
 N* LIX. 
 I Cor. i. 18. — The preaching of the Crofs is fo 
 them that perijh^ Foolijhnefs: But unto in 
 which arejaved, it is the Power of God. 
 
 It is plain what is here meant by the word 
 perijh : Them that peri/h, is explain'd by the 
 Oppofition of — us which arefaved. The former 
 are not faved, and therefore in that Senfe they 
 periflj, or are loft. It may not be amifs to fet 
 down here, once for all, various Paflages of the 
 New Teflament, where this word is ufed ; in 
 order to difcover, and, if we can, afcertain, its 
 Meaning, 
 
 H Matt. 
 
98 T6<? Scripture-DoBrine 
 
 Matt. ii. 13. Herod willfeek the Child (iicohini) 
 
 to deftroy him. 
 \ v. 29, 30. — that one of thy Members ftjould 
 
 perifti, (aVoAwnxr.) 
 . vii. 13. — the way that leadeth to Deft rue- 
 
 tioriy (aVcejAgfaf) 
 — viii. 25, Lord, fave us y weperifo, (<*7roA- 
 
 ■ ix. 17. — and the Bottles perijh. 
 
 x. 6. — the loft Sheep of the Houfe of Ifrael ; 
 
 (ctVoAwAoTaj 
 • i. 28. — able to deftroy both Soula?id Body 
 
 in Hell. See No X. 
 
 f. zg.—JJjal! lofe it,— lofe th his Life. 
 
 ' ■■ ■ f. 42. — Jhall not lofe his Reward. 
 
 •xii. 1 4. — held a Councel, how they might 
 
 deftroy him. 
 **-*— xv. 24..— unto the loft Sheep— 
 
 - xxi. 41. He will deftroy thofe wicked Men. 
 
 Mark i. 24. Art thou come to deftroy us ? To 
 
 torment us, Matt. viii. 29. 
 ■■ii. 22. — the Bottles will be marred, (aVa- 
 
 TiOVVTCCl) 
 
 iii. 6. — how they might deftroy him. 
 — iv. 38. Car eft thou not that weperi/h ? 
 viii. 35.— Jhall lofe it, — lofe his Life for 
 my fake. ■ 
 
 • ix. 22. Caft him into the Fire, and 
 
 Waters, to deftroy him. 
 ?• — if. 4.1.— Jhall not loje his Reward (06 ^h 
 
 ■j xi. 18.— fought how they might deftroy him. 
 
 Mark 
 
of Future Punifhment. 99 
 
 Mark xii. 9. He will — deftroy the Hufiandmen. 
 Luke v. 37. — the Bottles Jhall per if. 
 
 — ix. 24. — lofe his Life, and jr. 2 r. — /<?/* 
 himfelf, or be cajl away. Where aV<?Ag<7a* 
 is explain'd by QipiuQefs. 
 
 ■ — • #. 56. — is not come to dejlroy Mens 
 
 Lives.— 
 — » xiii. 3, 5. Te fall all likewife peri/Jj. 
 ■ f. 33. A Prophet cannot per if out of 
 
 jferufalem. 
 
 — xv. 4. — lofe one (viz. Sheep) that which 
 
 is loft. jr. 6. Sheep which was loft, j. 8, 
 lofe one piece : j. 9. the piece which I had 
 loft. jr. 17. I perifi with Hunger, jr. 24. 
 He was loft. jr. 32. and was loft, (ccVoAwAois) 
 
 — — xvii. 27, 29.—^ Flood — deftroy d them 
 all : Fire and Brimftone, and deftroy ed the?n 
 all. jr. 33. /hall lofe his Life. 
 
 — - xix. 10. — to feek and fave that which was 
 loft, (tq ccVoAwAcj) 
 
 — j. 47. — -flight to deftroy him. 
 
 ■ xxi. 1 §. — not an Hair of your Head perif. 
 
 John iii. 15, i6.~Jhould not perijh y but have 
 eternal Life. 
 
 vi. 12. — that nothing be loft. j\ 27. the 
 
 Meat which per if eth. jr. 39. I fhould lofe 
 nothing. 
 
 — 'X. 10. Thief cometh — to deftroy. j\ 28. 
 They Jhall never per if. 
 
 — xi. 50.—/^/ the whole Nation perift not. 
 
 xii. 25. He that loveth his Life, Jhall 
 
 lofe it. 
 
 — xvii. 12. — none of them is loft. See N° 
 XLVIII. H 2 John 
 
ioo 7%e Scripture-DoEtrine 
 
 Johnxviii. 9. I have loft none. f. 14. — one Man 
 fould die for the People. Compare Ch. xi. 
 
 50, 51. What is here aVoAgerOai, is there 
 
 cLifoftcLvYi, and cL7rovvri(Txetv. 
 Adts iii. 2^,—Jhall be deftroyed {i^oXofytuMcmai) 
 
 from among the People. 
 ' v - 37- — & e a \l° periflied\ (viz. Judas of 
 
 Galilee.) 
 xxv. 16. — to deliver any Man to die; (&$ 
 
 CLTToliXeiOLV') 
 
 Rom. ii. 12. — ft: all perijh without Law : See 
 N° LV. Ck ix. 22. No LV1II. 
 
 xiv. 1 5. Dejlroy not him with thy Meat\>— 
 
 I Cor. v. $.—for the Deftruttion («$ oAgfyw) of 
 
 theFleJh. 
 • viii. 1 1. — the weak Brother per ijlo ;— 
 
 — x. 9. — were deftroyed of Serpents : f. 10. 
 were dejlroy ed of the Dejlroyer \ a deftroying 
 Angel; and their Car -cajjes fell in the Wil- 
 der nefs : Heb. iii. 17. Compare Numb. xiv. 
 29, &c. 
 
 •xv. 18. They which are fallen ajleep— 
 
 are perijhed. 
 2 Cor. ii. 1 5. — and in them that perijh. 
 — iv. 3. — it is hid to them that are loft. 
 
 f. 9. But not deftroyed. 
 2 Theff. ii. 3. The Son of Perdition, f. 10. in 
 
 them that perijh. 
 
 As for Ch. i. 9, fee No LXIX. 
 1 Tim. vi. 9. See No LXXII. Heb. i. 11. 
 
 They (the Earth, and Heavens) /hall perijh. 
 Heb. xi. 28. He that deftroyed the Jirjl-born, 
 
 (0 oAotypzvm) fi 3 1. the Harlot Rabab perijfj- 
 
 ed not. Jam. 
 

 of Future Punifhment. 101 
 
 Jam. i. ii. The Grace of the Fajlnon of it 
 
 peri/heth. 
 * » — » iv. 12. Who is able to fave and to dejlroy, 
 
 See No LXXXI. 
 
 1 Pet. i. 7. — Gold that peri/heth. 
 
 2 Pet. iii. 6. The World — overflowed with 
 Water \ perijhed. f. 9. not willing that any 
 Jhould perijh. 
 
 2 John verf. 8. That we lofe not thofe things.—* 
 Jude 5. Afterward deflroyed them that believed 
 not. ^.11. And perijhed in the gainfaying of 
 Core. 
 Rev. ix. u.—the Angel of the bottom lefs Pit, — 
 in the Greek Tongue hath his Name Apol- 
 lyon : that is to fay, a De/lroyer ; (Marg.) 
 
 Ch. xvii. 8, 11. The Beajl goeth into 
 
 Perdition, That is, the great tyrannical 
 Power, or Empire, reprefcnted by the Beaf, 
 will be deflroy'd. 
 
 From thefe PafTages, where the word oA- 
 Awotr, or fome of its Compounds or Deriva- 
 tives, is ufed, we may fee plainly, that nothing 
 can be inferr'd, merely from the Ufe and Senfe 
 of that word in the New Teftament, in favour of 
 Annihilation. It may be afk'd, in which of the 
 Texts above, it has any fuch Import ? Let them 
 be pointed out. I will point out one or two, in 
 which it is as likely to bear this Signification as in 
 any of the reft 3 and yet if Mr. Whijlon admits it, he 
 muft relinquish a coniiderable part of his Scheme. 
 John iii. 15, 16. If Annihilation be here meant, 
 it is plainly faid that thefe Believers fhall not be 
 H 3 anni- 
 
10 2 The Scripture-Doftrine 
 
 annihilated ; contrary to Mr. W — 's Infinuations, 
 that even the Bleffed in Heaven fhall at laft be 
 no more. But it is far from being plain or 
 certain, that this is the fenfe of the Word either 
 here or in that other fimilar Text, John x. 28. 
 Whatever the Word may mean in the mouth 
 of a Philofopher, (as where Socrates fays in Plato, 
 dQalvctrQ* ifJLoHv r\ •£ yjgij, $ vHttoti aVoAAJTai,) 
 this is not the Meaning of it in Scripture, or in 
 other Writings which do not treat of Philofo- 
 phical Subjects. We may (as Bifhop Pearfon 
 obferves) as well conclude that whofoever fays 
 he is undone (cAAt^uu, perii,) intends thereby 
 that he fhall be no more. On the Creed, p. 393. 
 
 N° LX. 
 
 I Cor. iii. 13, 15. Every Alan's work flail be 
 made manifeft. For the Dayfljall declare it, 
 becaufe it flail be revealed by Fire ; and the 
 Fire flail try every Maris work, of what fort 
 it is. If any Mans work flail be burnt, he 
 
 fl:all fuffer Lofs : But he himfelf flail be 
 
 Javcd -, yeifo, as by Fire. 
 
 If any Mans workfljallbe burnt [by the Fire, 
 
 at the Day of Judgment, fays Mr. W.] he flail 
 
 fluff er Lofs : but he himfelf flail befaved; yet Jo, 
 
 as by Fire, [fuch as the rich Man underwent in 
 
 Hades, Luk. xiv. 24.] p. 42. 
 
 All this is gratis di£tu?n. Grotius and Le 
 Clerc*, and others of great note, underftand by 
 
 the 
 * See Pook 9 s Synopfts, and Le C/erc's Supplement to 
 Hammond. 
 

 of Future Punijhment. 103 
 
 the Day, mention'd f. 13, not the Day of 
 
 Judgment, but Time, which will difcover what 
 is true, and falfe ; for Truth is the Daughter of 
 Time. And then the Fire will be that ftridkr 
 and more accurate Examination of Dodrines, 
 which after fome time Chriftians would fet 
 themfelves to ; and upon which the falfe would 
 be rejected, and the true retained. This is 
 certain, that fome of the Apoftle's Terms here 
 made ufe of, rnufl be interpreted figuratively. 
 Wood y Hay and Stubble do not mean literally 
 Woody Hay and Stubble, (which may indeed be 
 burnt by Fire,) but falfe Dodrines : And what 
 Fire can burn them ? But I inlift not upon this : 
 Allowing that by the Day is meant the Day of 
 Judgment, and by Fire, real literal Fire ; the 
 meaning will only be, what every one grants, 
 that the Day of Judgment will make a full 
 Diftindion between true Dodrines, and falfe. 
 The true, like Gold, Silver and precious Stones, 
 will abide the Trial; while the falfe will be 
 deftroy'd, and come to nothing, as Wood, Hay 
 and Stubble are confumed by Fire. Thus the 
 Man will fuffer lofs , the lofs of his Work itfelf, 
 and of the labour and pains he was at in building 
 it. He himfelf, however, Jhall be faved. So 
 that he is not one of thofe to whom our Lord 
 will fay, Depart from me, ye Curfed, &c. and 
 confequently nothing can be inferr'd from his 
 Cafe, concerning the Perpetuity, or Non- perpe- 
 tuity, of Punifhment after the Day of Judg- 
 ment ; in which he is not concerned. But then, 
 tho' he be faved at the Day of Tudgment, yet 
 H4 he 
 
104 7#£ Scripture-DoElrine 
 
 he is Javed fo as by Fire; " fucli," fays Mr. 
 W. u as the rich Man underwent mHades y 
 Luk, xvi. 24. That point has been confider'd 
 already 5 fee N° XXXIX. But I fhall add 
 here the words of the great Cudworth *, that 
 cc to fay that incorporeal Sub/lances ununited to 
 <c Bodies" (and fuch, for any thing Mr. JV. 
 has faid to the contrary, are human Souls in the 
 intermediate State,) " can be tormented with 
 <c Fire, is as much as in us lieth, to expofe 
 <£ Chriftianity and the Scripture, to the Scorn 
 C( and Contempt of all Philosophers, and Philo- 
 " fophick Wits" But what then is the Mean- 
 ing of being faved, yet fo, as by Fire? Every 
 one knows that it is a proverbial Phrafe, ufed 
 not only in Scripture, but in profane Authors, 
 to fignify a narrow E/cape out of a great Dan- 
 ger. Inftances fufficient of this may be feen, 
 in Archbp. Tillotfon's Sermon on this very Text ; 
 who obferves farther, that the Particle of Simi- 
 litude (<jw) plainly fhews, that the Apoftle did 
 not intend an Efcape out of the Fire literally, 
 but fuch an Efcape as Men make out of a Houfe 
 or Town that is on fire -f\ The Point is really 
 too plain to bear a Difpute. And therefore Mr. 
 W—& Reafoning (if one may call it fo,) upon 
 the place, proceeds wholly upon a Miflake. Leffer 
 Sins, and greater Sins, if they have been re- 
 pented of, will be forgiven in the World to come, 
 without Burning ; the falutary Effe&s of which, 
 
 Mr. 
 
 * Intel!. Syftem, p. 817. 
 
 f With difficulty, fo as a Man efcapes out of a Houfe 
 which is 0x1 fire. Dr. Clarke's Sermons, Vol. IX. p. 198. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 105 
 
 Mr. W. feems to have too high an Opinion of. 
 He makes fome amends however, by owning, 
 in effedl, that the Denial of Fundamentals by 
 profejjed Chrijlians, may be then irremifjible. 
 
 As for his fubjoining thd not to be puniflSd 
 
 with endlefs Torments, but only with utter Con- 
 fumption : it is a bare Conje&ure, contrary to 
 the beft Philofophy; and, by his own Confef. 
 Hon, not dire&ly aflerted in any one Text of 
 Scripture. See N° X. 
 
 No LXI. 
 1 Cor. vi. 9, 10.— -The unrighteous J!o all not inherit 
 the Kingdom of God. Be not deceived-, neither 
 Fornicator s y nor Idolaters, nor Adulterers, &c. 
 —ftall inherit the Kingdom of God. 
 
 Theophyla5l obferves, that the Apoftle here 
 intimates, that there were fome even then, who 
 through falfe Notions of God's Goodnefs, or 
 Philanthropy, were willing to perfuade them- 
 felves that he would not punijh. But here is as 
 plain a Declaration as a few Words can make it, 
 of the Exclufion of the Unrighteous, from the 
 Kingdom of God. And it is extreme Folly and 
 Prefumption to expedl any After-admijion into 
 it, when the Sentence is once pafled, and the 
 Door is Jhut : Be not deceived. 
 
 No LXI. 
 Ch. viii. 1 1. — Through thy Knowledge /hall the 
 weak Brother perijh f See N° LIX. 
 
 No 
 
I06 The Scripture-DoSirine 
 
 N® LXII. 
 2 Cor. ii. 15, 16.— In them that are faved, and 
 in them that peri fid. To the one W are the 
 Savour of Death unto Death ; and to the 
 other, the Savour of Life unto Life. 
 
 No LXIII. 
 
 Ch. iv. 3. — If our Gojpel be hid, it is hid to 
 them that are lofl. 
 
 No LXIV. 
 
 Gal. v. 21 — As I have alfo told you in time 
 pafl, that they which dofuch things, Jhdll not 
 inherit the Kingdom of God. Compare N g 
 LXL 
 
 No LXV. 
 
 Ch. vi. 7, 8. Be not deceived - y God is not 
 mocked , for whatfoever a Man foweth, that 
 fiall he alfo reap. For he that foweth to his 
 Flejh, Jhall of the Flejh reap Corruption. Pa- 
 rallel to Rom. viii. 13. — if ye live after the 
 Flejh, ye fall die. See No. LVII. 
 
 No LXVL 
 Ephef. v. 5/ For this ye know, that no Whore- 
 monger, nor andean Perfon, &cc.*—hath any 
 Inheritance in the Kingdom of Chrijl, and of 
 God. See No LXI, LXIV. 
 
 No LXVII. 
 
 Phil.iii. 19, JVhofe End is Deftru&iony 
 
 No 
 
of Future Punijhment. 107 
 
 No LXVIII. 
 
 1 Theff. v. 3. — Then fudden DeflruBion comet h 
 
 upon them, as Travail upon a Woman 'with 
 Child \ and they Jhall not efcape. 
 
 N° LXIX. 
 
 2 Theff. i. 9. Who jhall be punijhed with ever- 
 lajling Deftruclion from the Preferice of the 
 Lord, and from the Glory of his Power. 
 
 Which Mr. Whiflon renders thus; — Who 
 JJjall have for Punijhment oAefyov diiviov, a 
 lafting Deftrudtion, from the Prefence of the 
 Lord, and from the Glory of his Power. And his 
 Remark upon it is as follows : iC This Text is 
 lb far from affirming, as is commonly fup- 
 pofed, that the Wicked {hall, at the laft Day, 
 be preferved in Being, in order to the endur- 
 cc ing everlafting Torments, that it rather im- 
 <c plies the dire£l contrary ; that the faming 
 " Fire into which they are to be call: at that 
 cc Day, will, in fome time, utterly confume 
 " them." (Pag. 43.) 
 
 N o w, this Verfion and this Comment are, 
 in my opinion, utterly inconiirtent. If o^gjW 
 means Annihilation, diwios mull mean Ever- 
 lafting ; for to talk of la/ling Annihilation only, 
 as diftinguifhed from everlafting, is nonfenfe. 
 If the flaming Fire into which the Wicked are 
 to be call, will utterly confume them, their De- 
 flruSiion will be not barely lafting, but ever- 
 lafting. 
 
 iC 
 
 <c 
 
io8 The Scripture-DoSirine 
 
 lafling. But to let this pafs ; what is it that Mr. 
 Whijlon grounds his Remark upon, that this 
 Text implies that the Wicked will be utterly con- 
 fumed'? Is it upon the Import of the Word 
 ctebposy {Dejlruftion ? ) That Word here im- 
 ports no fuch thing. As explained by Matt. 
 xxv. 41, 46.. it evidently means eternal Exclu- 
 sion from Chrift, and Departure into everlafiing 
 Punifhment. There it is, Depart from me (aV 
 ipou) ye Curfed y into everlafiing Fire > ^.46. 
 into everlafiing Punifhment \ (els %oX<x.<ny climiqv.) 
 Here it is, everlafiing Defiruclion from the Pre- 
 fe?ice (aVo irpo(rco7rou) of the Lord, and from the 
 Glory of his Power -, or, from his glorious Power. 
 To fay the truth, Mr. W. does not feem to lay the 
 ftrefs of the thing upon the Meaning of this Word 
 at all, but upon the flaming Fire*, mentioned 
 f. 8. But how does this imply that the Fire will 
 utterly confume them ? Them too! as if the Fire 
 would utterly confume their whole Perfons, Body 
 and Soul : Which he allows in another place, 
 (fee N° X.) it is not capable of doing. Well, but 
 the Fire will utterly confume their Bodies. Does 
 this Text, or any Text, imply this ? If it does, 
 it can only be for this Reafon, becaufe it is of 
 the nature of Fire to confume human Bodies. 
 But can any one think ferioufly, that this Fire 
 
 will 
 
 * Iheophylacl ohferves, that the flaming Fire may be 
 joined either with the taking vengeance, and To relate to the 
 Punishments in Gehenna -, or to the Coming, or Revela- 
 tion of Chrill, which will be in, or with, flaming Fire : So 
 David, Pf. xcvi. 3. (xcvii. 3.) A Fire goeth before him, 
 and bur net h up his Enemies round about : And Daniel vii. 
 10. A fiery Stream iffued, and came forth from before him. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 109 
 
 will have the fame effecT: upon the Bodies of 
 the Wicked after their Refurreclion, which 
 Fire has upon human Bodies now ? What Ab- 
 furdities will not this run us into ? For if this 
 be the Cafe, the Fire into which they are to be 
 cajl, will not only utterly confume them, in 
 fome time, but in a very little time. The pre- 
 fent human Body would be utterly con fumed by 
 fuch flaming Fire, in a few Minutes. And 
 will God raife up the Bodies of the Wicked, 
 and re-unite them with their Souls, only that 
 they may be utterly confumed, in a few Mi- 
 nutes * ? Believe it who can ! Befides, call you 
 this taking vengeance f It is {hewing favour* 
 It is, in effecT:, reducing thefe Sinners back again 
 from Gehenna, their proper Place of Punifli- 
 ment, into Hades the feparate States where 
 they cannot be punifhed by fuch external Tor- 
 ments at all. Is it not infinitely more congruous 
 to think, that the Union between Soul and Body, 
 juft re-eftabliftfd, will continue ; and the whole 
 Perfon that finned, be punifhed ? Hear Mr. 
 
 IV, himfelf upon the Pointy " It deferves 
 
 our 
 
 * But fuppofe, to prevent Difpute, we put Hours, or 
 DayS) inftead of Minutes ; the thing is ftill abfurd. And 
 if we argue from the Force and Influence which Fire has 
 over human Bodies here, it cannot, poffibly, be many 
 Hours, or Days, in confuming them. Mr. W. fure 
 will not take refuge in the poor Expedient of their 
 Bodies being miraculoujly preferved ; a Weight, with 
 which he is often attempting to load the common 
 Opinion. But to remove it, X take the liberty to ac- 
 quaint him, once for all, that he is entirely miftaken. 
 We wholly reject all arbitrary Acts, all miraculous In- 
 terpofitions, of mere Power, either for Dejlruftion, or 
 
 Prefervatictty 
 
no The Scripture-DoSirine 
 
 <c our Remark farther," (fays he, p. 109,) 
 
 <c that the ancient Chriftians had little notion 
 
 <c of dire&ly punifhing a feparate Soul, or a 
 
 iC Soul in another Vehicle or Body, for what 
 
 <c the Man, compofed of a Soul and prefent 
 
 <c Body, had been guilty of. And did hardly 
 
 <c think it confident with Juftice fo to do." 
 
 Perhaps Mr. W. fuppoies, that the Soul, after 
 
 this fecond Separation from the Body, will be 
 
 puniUhed no more, He fays nothing about it, 
 
 in the Paffage before us ; but rather feems to 
 
 think that Body and Soul will both be utterly 
 
 confumed: But in a PaiTage formerly quoted, 
 
 (fee N° X.) he intimates, that as the Soul may 
 
 not then be utterly deftroyed, it may remain 
 
 capable of a fecond RejitrreBion, after the fecond 
 
 Death is over. Lay thefe things now together, 
 
 and you fee thofe Terrors of the Lord which 
 
 are to perfuade Men, reduced to little more, or 
 
 no more, than what many have fuffered in this 
 
 World ; being burnt to death. The Fire, (he 
 
 adds Worms too, in the place referred to,) will 
 
 utterly confume the Body, (and if at all, very 
 
 quickly ; 
 
 Prefervation, in this Queft'ion ; being fully confcious, that 
 if we cannot defend our fide of it, confidently with the 
 Nature and Conftitution of things, under the Laws of 
 God's ordinary Providence, we cannot defend it at all. 
 But to the Point in hand, what I fay is this ; the flaming 
 Fire here fpoken of, muft either acJ as Fire acls upon hu- 
 man Bodies now, or not. If it does, it will confume the 
 Bodies almoft as foon as they are caft into it ; (which is 
 abfurd in Reafon, and contrary to the Scripture- Repre- 
 fentations of thefe future Torments ;) if it does not, there 
 is no Confequence in the Argument, that it will utterly 
 confume the future Bodies, becaufe Fire now confumes the 
 prefent. 
 
 1 
 
of Future Punijhment. in 
 
 quickly *$) and the Soul, without any farther 
 Puniihment, will be capable of ajecond Refur- 
 reffion. How dare Men trifle thus, with the 
 Vengeance of that God, who is himfelf a con- 
 fuming Fire ? Sure, fome Mens Concern is only 
 for the Wicked ; and their Mercy confined to 
 thofe, whom God abhors. The virtuous, and 
 happy, and only valuable Part of God's rational 
 Creation, are to be annihilated : Becaufe, forfooth, 
 Coeternity with God, (that is, if he means any 
 thing to the purpofe, Eternity, a parte pojl,) is 
 too vaft and immenfe a thing to be expeBed : (See 
 p. 64.) The curable part of Mankind are to 
 be burnt> (contrary to all Reafon, Scripture, 
 Philofophy and common Senfe,) in Hades $ fome 
 of them, it may be, for thoufands of Years. 
 But when we come to the Torments of the 
 wicked in Hell, their noXcuns atwia, is to be, 
 what ? — It is but too plain from what I have 
 faid already, and I will not repeat it. 
 
 But there is one paflage of Scripture, fug- 
 gefted by Mr. JV. himfelf, which gives a deci- 
 five Blow to his Phantom of a Jecond Death, and 
 ajecond Refurreclion *f\ St. John, in the xxth 
 
 Chapter 
 
 * In no very long time, he himfelf feems to think there 
 is reafon tofufpett; (p. 139, 140.) and fee the Anfwer 
 he makes to an Objection rifing hence, from the inter- 
 mediate Punifhments in Hades, which are nothing to the 
 Purpofe ; under N° XXII, towards the End. 
 
 f Cujus (Mortis) noa ea vis eft, ut injuftas animas 
 extinguat omnino, fed ut puniat in aeternum. Earn poe- 
 nam, fecundam mortem nominamus ; quae eft & ipfa 
 perpetua, ficut & Immortalius, Primam fie definimus ; 
 
 mors 
 
H2 The Scripture-DoSlrim 
 
 Chapter of his Revelation, defcribes the general 
 Refurredtion, and general Judgment; Ifaw, fays 
 he, the Dead, fmall and great, ftand before 
 God : — And the Sea gave up the Dead which 
 were in it ; and Death and Hades delivered up 
 the Dead which were in them : And they were 
 judged every Man according to their Works. 
 Immediately after he adds, — And Death and 
 Hades were (themfelves) cafi into the Lake of 
 Fire : This is the fecond Death. The meaning 
 of which is, if Words have any meaning at all, 
 that there mall no more be any fuch Event as 
 Death, or the Separation of Soul and Body - y 
 nor any more, any fuch Place, or State, as that 
 of Hades, or the feparate Exiftence of Souls. 
 Thefe Things, reprefented here as Perfons, muft 
 utterly ceafe to acl, and to be ,• they mail never 
 more affect Mankind, being themfelves caji 
 into the Lake of Fire ;• — into the Lake which 
 burneth with Fire and Brimftone, Ch. xxi. 8. 
 And this, (it is exprefsly faid in both places, this) 
 is the fecond Death. Therefore, not any future 
 Separation of Soul and Body ; for the very Being, 
 Power and Principle of Death, in that fenfe, is 
 deftroy'd ; deflroy'd for ever, in the Lake of 
 perpetual Fire ; and Hades, as the Confequence 
 thereof, is deflroy'd with it. 
 
 No 
 
 Mors eft naturae animantium diflblutio : vel ita ; Mors eft 
 Corporis Animaeque feduclio, Secunda vero fie : Mors 
 eft aeterni doloris Perpeflio. Vel ita : Mors eft Animarum 
 pro meritis ad aeterna Supplicia damnatio. Laftant. 
 L. ii. C. 12. Confer L. vii. C. io, n. 
 
 Infideles vero in ardenti ftagno mittendi funt ; Sul- 
 phureo frxtore concreto : quae nuncupatur veraciftime 
 Mors fecunda. Cajfiodorii Comphx'iQneSy p. 228. 
 I 
 
of Future Punijhment. 113 
 
 No LXX. 
 
 2Theff. ii. 3. The Son of Perdition. See 
 
 N° XL VIII. 
 
 N° LXXI, 
 
 Verf. 10. In them that perijh. 
 
 N. B. It is plain from the Context, (contrary 
 to what has fometimes been inferr'd from it,) 
 that the terrible Puniihment here threaten'd, is 
 not any arbitrary Act of God's Power upon the 
 Hearts, or Under (landings, of Men, deceiving 
 them to their Defrruction, without any regard 
 to their previous Difpofitions, or Conduct ; but 
 it is a juft Judgment, in the natural Confequences 
 of things, upon wicked and corrupt Men, who 
 believed not the Truth, but had pie a Jure in 
 Unrig hteoufnefs. For this Caufe God /hall fend 
 themjlrong Delufeons, that they Jhould believe a 
 Lye : That they all might be da?nned y (Jo that 
 they 'will all be damnd) moll juilly, for their 
 utter Averlion to Truth, and Virtue, wilfully, 
 and wickedly, contracted by themfelves. See 
 Dr. Clarke's excellent Sermon on the Words, 
 Vol. VIII. p. 89. 
 
 N° LXXII. 
 
 1 Tim. vi. 9. — Which drown Men in DeJlruSfion 
 and Perdition. 
 
 With thefe words Mr. W. hasjoin'd part 
 of the 19th Verfe, (tranflated as he pleafes, viz. 
 that the Good may lay hold of the lading Life,) 
 in order to introduce the following Remark. 
 
 I N. B. 
 
1 14 The Scripture-DoEirine 
 
 N. B. " Since we ftill find the Oppofition 
 ic between the final State of the Wicked, and 
 " the Righteous, to be this, To the former utter 
 " Deftru&ion, and to the latter a lafling Life ; " 
 (that is, utter DeftruBion too, though at a vaftly 
 greater Diftance of Time 5) iC 'tis very hard that 
 " our Paraphrafes ftill fuppofe both to be equally 
 <c a lofting Lije y or Duration/' p. 43. 
 
 The only thing here that looks like an Ar- 
 gument, is the Oppofition between the final State 
 of the Wicked, and the Righteous. But this 
 Oppofition rightly confider'd, lies with all its 
 Weight againft Mr. W< — 's Hypothejis, inftead 
 of ferving it. For the final State, or <£m aiwt©* 
 of the Righteous, never means bare Exiftence, or 
 Duration, (which in itfelfis neither a Punifhment, 
 nor a Reward, but may become the Foundation 
 of either ;) but Happineft, everlafting Happinejs. 
 The final State therefore of the Wicked, fo far 
 as this Argument of the Oppofition holds, muft 
 be not Non- exiftence \ or utter Ceffation of Being , 
 but everlafting Mhery. The truth is, Being 
 and Not-being are philofophical Niceties, with 
 which the Scripture has no Concern. The 
 San&ions of God's Laws are Rewards and Pu- 
 nifhments, Happinefs and Mifery. Utter De- 
 Jlruclion puts an end to both ; and as applied in 
 Mr. W~ — 's Scheme to both Parties, confounds 
 all our Ideas of Right and Wrong. Whenever 
 it comes, though after Millions of Millions of 
 Ages, it muft be a terrible Punifhment to the 
 Blefied in Heaven, as it deprives them, not 
 merely of Exiftence, but of fupreme Felicity ; 
 
 De- 
 
of Future PuniJhmenU 1x5 
 
 Deprives them of it, when through their long 
 and great Improvement in Virtue, and high 
 Advancement in virtuous Happinefs, they befl 
 deferve, and moll exquifitely enjoy it. 4 On the 
 other hand, to the Wicked it will be no Pu- 
 nifhment, fuppofing their Mifery to out-balance 
 their Happinefs, fas of fome, fuch as Judas, it 
 certainly will ,) but rather a Favour and Indul- 
 gence ; as it will totally releafe them from thofe 
 Torments, on the account of which, it had 
 been good for them, if they had never been born. 
 But to return to the Text before us ; one need 
 but read the Context to be fatisfied, that St* 
 Paul here ufes the words oAgfy©* and aVftfogic* 
 in the vulgar and moral Senfe only, for Ruin 
 and Mifery 3 not at all in the philofophical Senfe 
 of Annihilation, Take his own words >~-They 
 that will be rich, fall into Temptation, and a 
 Snare, and into many foolijh and hurtful Lufs, 
 which drown Men in DeftrucJion and Perdition. 
 For the love of Money is the Root of all Evil : 
 which while fome coveted after, they have erred 
 from the Faith, and pierced themfelves through 
 with many Sorrows. The plain Meaning of 
 which, in the mouth of any Moraiift in the 
 world, would be apprehended to be this, and 
 this only ; that they who are refolv'd to be rich, 
 expofe themfelves to many Temptations, an4 
 cherifh thofe finful and deftruftive Affe&ions 
 which in the end will prove their Ruin. And 
 the reafon is, becaufe the Love of Money is the 
 Root of all Evil i and Men who act upon that 
 Principle, in order to gain their Ends, will fcru- 
 
 I 2 pie 
 
1 1 6 The Scripture-DoEtrine 
 
 pie to commit nothing : As fome already out of 
 love to this prefent World, and for filthy Lucre 
 fake, have erred from the Faith, either apofta- 
 tiied from it, or corrupted it, and pierced them- 
 felves through with many Sorrows. But for the 
 fcriptural Import of the words cAefyos and aVJ- 
 A«a, lee more under N° LIX, and LXIX. 
 
 No LXXIII. 
 
 Heb. vi. 2. — and of eternal judgment. 
 
 w Lofting Judgment, fays Mr. JV. p. 43. or 
 a rather of that Judgment which is for an Age : 
 « [both on good and bad."] I own I know not 
 what thefe laft Words mean, unlefs, as is ufual 
 enough with him, he contradicts himfelf. In 
 other places * he fuppofes the Judgment, or the 
 
 Re- 
 
 * P. 106, one Age only, it feems, is threatned to the 
 wicked ; while an unlimited Number of the fame Ages is 
 allotted to the good. P. 134, The portion of the righteous 
 in Heaven, is to be vajfly longer in Duration than that 
 Jingle Age, that is allotted for the Punifhment of the wic- 
 ked in Hell. — If I fhould fuppofe a vafl Difproporthn 
 between the one and the other, the Reader is not to be 
 furprifed at it. And in the next page, this vaft Difpro- 
 portion is attempted to be fix'd ; " The Punifhment of 
 fc the wicked will be no greater, as compar'd with the 
 " Duration of the Happinefs of the good, than two or 
 ** three are to a thoufand." Now how can a Man that 
 fays this, talk of a Judgment for an Age, both on good 
 and bad ? Perhaps, after all, his Meaning is, that the 
 Judgment here fpoken of, is the general Judgment, or 
 relates both to good and bad. But if this be what he would 
 lay, it is alfo what he fhould have proved. — The Refur- 
 reclion of the Dead, and eternal Judgment ; fays the Apoftie : 
 Now as the former of thefe is frequently ufed, in the New 
 Teftament, in a good Senfe 5 fo is the other, (Judgment, 
 
 or 
 
cf Future Punijhment. 117 
 
 'Retribution confequent to the Judgment, (on 
 the account of which the Judgment is here 
 call'd aioivios,) with regard to the good, to be of 
 vafily longer Duration, than the Punifhment of 
 the wicked -> and yet here the Judgment is but 
 for an Age, it feems, both on good and bad. And 
 fo far he is in the right, the Judgment on both 
 is of equal Duration, whether that be an Age, 
 or Eternity. That it will not be the latter, at 
 leaft as to the bad, he thinks is plain from the 
 next Tejlimony, in thisy2?///<? Chapter -, to which 
 we now follow him. 
 
 No LXXIV. 
 
 Verf. 8. But that which beareth Thorns and 
 Briers, is rejected, and is nigh unto Curjing^ 
 ivhofe End is to be burned. 
 
 — cc Not kept like Iron, or the like Metals 
 u melted, in the Furnace of Fire, and there 
 <c abiding; but like Briers and Thorns, which 
 <c are always utterly diffolved, and confumed by 
 C£ the Fire." P. 44. 
 
 I 3 What 
 
 or eternal Judgment) ufed in an ill one. Mark iii. 29. 
 He that Jhall blajpheme again/I the Holy Gho/f , hath never 
 forgivenefs, hut is in danger of eternal Damnation : (xuaviov 
 xftfEuq.) I n Heb. vi. 2. x.piy,ccT(&> alwlov. N. B. That 
 a.luvi& fignifies eternal in the Text of St. Mark, fee N° 
 XXIV". John v. 24. — Jhall not come into Condemnation^ 
 wxpuriv. ver. 29. — the Refurreftion of Damnation, KpiV««f. 
 And in the fame fenfe, of Condemnation, is xoiuK, and 
 KWa, ufed in many other places. Now if this be the 
 Meaning of it in the Text before us, the Judgment fpoken 
 of, is not the general Judgment on both good and bad, but 
 the eternal Judgment on the latter only. 
 
1 1 8 The Scripture-DoElrine 
 
 What an Inftance have we here of his Care, 
 (mall I fay ?) or his Criticifm ! It is plain he 
 took the words, whofe End is to be burned^ to 
 relate to the Thorns and Briers : and fo becaufe 
 Thorns and Briers are, as he fays, utterly dif- 
 folv d and confuni dby the Fire, it is to be inferr'd, 
 that the wicked will be fo too. Which, by the 
 bye, is no Confequence, tho' the Conftrudlion 
 of the words were as he fuppofes. Arguments 
 taken from Allufions and Comparifons, hold 
 .only in the main Point, and Defign of them, 
 and no farther. And the ftiefs of the Compari- 
 fon here, does not lie in the Circumftance of the 
 Thorns and Briers being utterly confumd by the 
 Fire \ but in their being rejected, and burnt y 
 (whether to utter Confumption, or otherwife;) 
 fo the wicked will be rejected, and their End 
 likewife is to be burned ; but whether to utter 
 Extinction of Being, this Text fays nothing, 
 and the very Nature of the thing reclaims. But, 
 as I intimated at firft, the Burning here does not 
 relate to the Thorns and Brier s> but to the Earth 
 which beareth them. The Earthy f. 7. which 
 bringeth forth Herbs y isbleffed; but that which 
 beareth Thorns and Briers, is rejected, and is 
 nigh unto Curfingy %$ to reXos eh xauV^, whofe 
 End, (or the End of which Earth,) is to be 
 burned. 
 
 No LXXV. 
 
 Heb. ix. 27. — It is appointed unto Men once to 
 die \ but after this the Judgment. 
 
 N.B. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 119 
 
 N. B. Mr. TV. has two Deaths ; for after the 
 Refurrection and the Judgment, the wicked are 
 to be burnt to death \ or eaten to death by Wor?ns ; 
 and the Soul, thus feparated from the Body a 
 fecond time, remains capable of another ReJ'ur- 
 r 'eel Hon. After which, I prefume, there muffc be 
 another Judgment; unlefs God finally difpofes 
 of thefe Creatures without any regard to their 
 moral Character, and Behaviour $ contrary to 
 every Perfection of his Nature, and to all the 
 Reafons of things. 
 
 No LXXVI. 
 
 Ch. x. 27. But a certain fearful looking for of 
 Judgment, and fiery Indignation, which ft- all 
 devour the Adverfaries. 
 
 By which is not meant totally confume them ; 
 the word does not imply *, nor will the Con- 
 text admit of it. Here are ftrong Expreffions 
 to the contrary, which fhew the Apoftle had 
 quite other Ideas in his head, than that of An- 
 nihilation. 4>o/3g££6 cTs tw ly^o^r, xptcreus, xj 
 7rupoi £r\Aos ; — Yloaa) (<To)caTf) ^etgfvos a^/wGii- 
 cerou TtfAOopiciS', — 'Epoi ii^Umis, lyca aWa- 
 TTOfiTftJca) ;— Kvgjws KpivS, — $ofieepv TO iyLlTiGUV 
 eh %&£&$ ©eov (^oovtqs* 
 
 N° LXXVIII. 
 Verf. 39. Who draw back unto Perdition : Ex- 
 
 I 4 plain'd 
 
 * O'j yxg eIttvj (payzTv piW<yj y aAA', t$ua'm £Hmi 
 frteM. Tkeoph. in loc. 
 
1 20 The Scripture-DoEirine 
 plain'd by the oppofition, the faying of the 
 
 Soul. IIg£/C7ro/W*s -^ V Z* S e ^ q u °d xm^rat 
 ^i>%yv dicitur Luc. xxi. 19. eveji<ntetr, Matt. 
 xvi. 25. cw£«k, Marc. viii. 35. Luc. ix. 24. 
 (puhdao-eivy Joh. xii. 25. Grotius in Poole. 
 
 N° LXXIX. 
 Ch. xii. 29. <F(?r our God is aconfuming Fire. 
 
 cc In the fame fenfe," fays Mr. W. p. 44. 
 <c with the foregoing." That is, with Ch. vi. 8. 
 the Text in his Book immediately before this ; 
 and the Senfe of which he miitook. See N° 
 LXXIV. The Senfe of the Text before us, 
 may be collected from what is faid, under N° 
 LXXVJ. It is xg/(Tis 3 TijjLCDgjict, IkS'ix.tig-is, 
 (Judgment, Pu?2i foment, Vengeance ;) not An- 
 nihilation : A ridiculous Motive for an Apoftle 
 to urge, in order to induce Men to ferve God 
 with Reverence and godly Fear. 
 
 N* LXXX. 
 
 James i. 15. — -Sin when it is fnifjed, bringeth 
 forth Death. See N° LVII. 
 
 N° LXXXI. 
 
 Ch. iv. 12. — Who is able tofave, and to dejlroy *. 
 Able indeed, in the natural Senfe tofave, or 
 pre ferve in Being, or to dejlroy that Being; but 
 
 meant 
 
 * Verf. II. He that fpeaketh evil of his Brother, and 
 jurfgeth his Brother, (poffibly, for ufing his Chriftian 
 Liberty in things indifferent and innocent,) fpeaketh evil 
 <>f the Law, and judgeth the Law ; (as if it were deficient, 
 and blameable for allowing Men fuch Ljberty:) but if 
 
 thou 
 
of Future Punijhme?it. 12 1 
 
 meant here only in the moral. As is alfo the 
 next Paffage to be quoted -, viz. 
 
 N° LXXXII. 
 
 Ch. v. 20. — He which converteth the Sinner 
 from the Error of his way, Jhall Jave a Soul 
 from Deaths and Jhall hide a Multitude of 
 Sins. 
 
 N° LXXXIII. 
 1 Pet. iii. 18, 19, 20. and Ch. iv. 6. Thefe 
 being the Texts of the New Teftament, on 
 which Mr. Whijlon grounds his Dodtrine of 
 Preaching and Repentance in Hades, I referve 
 them till I come particularly to confider that 
 Point. A Point, the more needful to be con- 
 fidered, as it is not a mere Speculation, but of 
 great practical Importance. For if Men once 
 begin to depend on I know not what Preach- 
 ing and Repentance after Death , all the Argu- 
 ments of Preachers here to bring them to Re- 
 pentance before it, will avail little. It is, how- 
 ever, to be remember'd, that be this matter 
 determin'd as it will, the Argument for the 
 Eternity of Punifhments after the Judgment, 
 when Hades itfelf is over, ftands as it did before. 
 
 N° LXXXIV. 
 
 2 Pet. ii. I. — Who privily Jhall bring in da/;, 
 ble HerefieS) (atpsaeis aV^Ae/as,) even deny lug 
 
 " ttje 
 
 thou judge the Law, thou art not a D:er of the Law, hut a 
 'Judge. Which is abfurd Behaviour, and acting contrary 
 to the truth of the Cafe. There is one Law-giver, ivho h 
 able to fave, and to dejiroy ; (whofe Sentence alone is 
 decihve, and by whofe Determination we mull ftand 5 ur 
 fall ;) who art thou that judgejl another f 
 
122 The Scripture-DoEirine 
 
 the Lord that bought them, and bring upon 
 them/elves Jwift DeJlruSlion^ (rx^ivw cLttq*- 
 
 Whatever Dejlrudlion be here intended, 
 whether in this World, as the DeftruEtiori then 
 impending on the Jewi/h Nation, or in the 
 World to come ; it cannot poffibly, in either Cafe, 
 mean Annihilation. Not in the former, 'tis 
 plain, fince no temporal Deftrudlion extends to 
 utter Extin&ion of being, but ftill leaves the 
 wicked to be referred unto the Day of Judg- 
 ment to be punijhed; f. 9. Not in the latter ; 
 becaufe then by threatning fwift DeJlrucJion y 
 inftead of giving an edge to his Threatning, the 
 Apoftle difarms it of all its Terror. To Men in 
 Mifery, the fwifter Annihilation is, the better. 
 It deprives them of all Senfe of Pain, and 
 lays them down in utter Infenfibility. I may 
 only obferve farther, that the Apoftle fpeaks 
 here, as if he thought that fome Do&rines, as 
 well as Practices, are damnable. 
 
 N° LXXXV. 
 Verf. 3. — Whofe Judgment now of a long time 
 lingreth not, and their Damnation flumbreth 
 
 not. 
 
 Their Dam7?ation, ?j dirdMict avrcap ; the fame 
 Word which in f. 1. is render 'd Dejlrudlion : 
 And as there it is cdXYdfwift Dejlrudtion, fo here 
 it is faid not to f umber : And, whofe Judgment, 
 (to xpTficL,) lingreth not. It is plain the fame 
 
 De- 
 
of Future Punijhmenu * 2 3 
 
 DeJiruBion, Judgment, Damnation, is meant 
 in both places ; and for the fame Reafon, it 
 cannot be Annihilation. 
 
 No LXXXVI. 
 Verf. 4..— -God /pared not the Angels that finned, 
 but caji them down to Hell, and delivered them 
 into Chains of Darknefs > to be referved unto 
 Judgment. 
 
 Hell here does not mean Gehenna 5 for thefe 
 finning Angels are, as yet, only referved unto 
 Judgment : Therefore not judged already ; nor 
 confequently, confign'd over to that place of 
 Punifhment, which awaits them after the 
 Judgment. But they are caft down from thofe 
 bright Regions, which were to '/JW cntwln'^/or, 
 their own proper Habitation, into the Darknefs 
 of this World, Ephef. vi. 12. and kept in Chains 
 of Darknefs, (though with liberty to go about 
 fee king whom they may devour, 1 Pet. v. 8.) 
 unto the Judgment of the great Day ; Jude^. 6. 
 For the Import and Propriety of the word 
 Taptotpoiaras, fee Windet De vita funtlorum 
 Statu, Seft. xiii. Which he thus concludes *, 
 — Dicendum ergo Angelos prsevaricatores a lu- 
 culenta ilia Regione, quam pridem incolebant, 
 exulare : detinerique in oblcuro caliginofoquc 
 
 Atmo- 
 
 * See Mr. Mede's Works, p. 31. who would have 
 rocflapwG-ocq render'd, not, caft down to Hell, as if it were 
 done already ; but, having adjudged them to Hell-torments* 
 he delivered them to be kept, or referved, for Chains of 
 Darknefs at the Day of Judgment : Or, TxpTctpu<rx$, cajl- 
 ing down to Hell-ward. 
 
 I 
 
124 c ^ )e Scripture-Do&rine 
 
 Atmofphserio, perinde ac malefici in Carcerc 
 vinculis conftricti : quoad poft ulcimum Judi- 
 cium, fatalis ilia hujufce mundi conflagratio 
 ceflerit : quae illos fimul cum impiis hominibus 
 horribili ruina peffunditos asternum cruciabit. 
 Compare Dr. Thomas Smith's Comment, in loc. 
 
 N° LXXXVII. 
 Verf. 9. To referee the Unjujl unto the Day of 
 Judgment to be purified. 
 
 They are referved to the fame Time, and 
 to the fame Condemnation, with the Angels, in 
 the preceeding Article : Depart from me, ye 
 Curfed y into everlajling Fire, prepared for the 
 Devil and his Angels : Matt. xxv. 41. Yet 
 Mr. W. fays, KC this Text contains nothing that 
 " relates to the Duration of the Torments of 
 " Hell:" (p. 46.) The Text by ///?#* implies 
 this, that their State after the Day of Judgment, 
 will be a State of Punifhment, not of Inienfibi- 
 lity j and compar'd with other Texts, it appears 
 this State of Punifhment will be eternal : See 
 N° XXII. What he farther fays, about the 
 Time when the Wicked are to be caft into Hell $ 
 viz. not till the Day of Judgment ; is very 
 true, and contradicted now by none, that I 
 know of; unlefs it be himfelf. He has fome- 
 thing in this very Book, which a great Genius 
 perhaps may reconcile ; but to meaner Mortals, 
 it looks very like a Contradiction. Take his 
 own Words, p. 85. — " We may here take 
 li notice of a very remarkable point of Doctrine, 
 
 " with 
 
of Future Punijhment. 125 
 
 u with relation to the Nature and Duration of 
 " Hell-torments ; which though implied by 
 cc many ancienter Authors before, yet is here 
 " (viz. in Tertullian) plainer than in any of 
 <c the reft, viz. That this unquenchable Fire 
 " is to arife from our own Earth, in its pre- 
 " fent State ; and to burn up the Wicked while 
 " it is fuch an Earth, and no longer. So that 
 Cc unlefs this firft Earth be to laft as long as its 
 <c Creator lafts ; and there is never to be a new 
 " Earth at all : At lead unlefs this firft Earth 
 " be never to flee away, fo that no Place be 
 11 found for it ; both which Events yet St. John 
 " aflures us are to come to pafs before the Re- 
 <c furre&ion, and the End of the general Judg- 
 <c ment ; the Duration of Torments arifing 
 «< from this firft Earth, cannot be properly eter- 
 * c nal, or coetemal with its Creator." 
 
 I have read this PafTage over feveral times, 
 and it appears to me to fay plainly, that the 
 Wicked will be caft into Hell before the Day 
 of Judgment. For if this unquenchable Fire is 
 to arife fro?n our own Earth, in its prefent State ; 
 and not only fo, but alfo to burn up the Wicked 
 while it is fuch an Earth, and no longer : And 
 if this Earth be to flee away, fo that no Place be 
 found for it ; and there is to be a new Earth $ 
 before the Refurreclion, and the End of the gene- 
 ral Judgment : The Confequence, I think, 
 muft be, that the Wicked muft be caft into 
 Hell before thefe grand Events, the RefurreBion 
 and the Judgment 5 or not at all. They cannot 
 
 be 
 
126 T'he Scripture- DoEiri?ie 
 
 be caft into it, after them ; for this Hell is to 
 be our own Earth, and to continue only while 
 it is fuch an Earth, and no longer ; but this 
 Earth is to jlee away, and there is to be a new 
 Earth, before the RefurreBion, and the End of 
 the general judgment* What he means by the 
 End of the general Judgment, I don't perhaps 
 comprehend : But it is no matter. The Refur- 
 reclion will be prior to the Judgment ; for Men 
 will not be judged, till they are raifed again ; 
 (as he himfelf contends, p. 1095) and therefore 
 if they are caft into Hell before the Refurrection, 
 as his Reafoning above implies, they are caft into 
 it alfo before the Judgment. 
 
 Again, how does the Paragraph juft recited 
 agree with fome other of his Opinions ? Ac- 
 carding to the Principles laid down in his 'Theory^ 
 the general Conflagration is not to extend to 
 the Diffolution or Deftruftion of the Earth, but 
 only to the Alteration and Melioration of it j 
 that it may be proper to receive thofe Saints, 
 who at the firft Refurreclion are to enter, live 
 and reign a thoufand Years upon it. When 
 thefe are compleated, comes the fecond Refur- 
 rection, the general Judgment, and the final 
 Confummation of all things. And then the 
 Earth will defert its prefent Seat and Station in 
 the World, and be no longer found among the 
 Planetary Chorus ; that is, it will become a 
 Comet. Now, it is in the laft of thefe Periods, 
 when the Earth is become a Comet, that it is, 
 if ever, to be the place of the Punifhment of 
 
 the 
 
of Future Punijhment. , 127 
 
 the Wicked ; according to Mr. W. himfelf, 
 both in his AJlronomical Principles of Religion % 
 and in this Book on Hell-torments. How then 
 can this be before the Refurreclion, and while 
 our Earth continuesy#<:Z> an Earth \ and no longer*? 
 I will only add, that St. John does by no means 
 affure us, as he affirms, that this Earth will flee 
 away, and that there will be a new Earth, be- 
 fore the Refurreflion. The thing is abfurd in 
 itfelf ; and St. John plainly relates the Refur- 
 redtion, and the general Judgment, as antecedent 
 in Order of Time, before he Jaw the new Heaven, 
 and the new Earth: Apoc. xx. 12, 13. xxi. 1. 
 It is true, he mentions the fleeing away of the 
 Earth and the Heaven, before the Refurre&ion 
 and the Judgment ; but that does not imply that 
 that Event will really come to pafs before them. 
 On the contrary, it is evident, f. 13, that the 
 old Earth remains ftill ; for the Sea gives up the 
 Dead which were in it, and Death and Hades 
 deliver up their Dead, and are themfelves cajl 
 into the Lake of Fire, and all the Wicked with 
 them : And then appears the new Heaven, and 
 the new Earth, for the firfl Heaven, and the 
 fir ft Earth were then really paff'ed away \ and 
 there was no more Sea. So that tho' St. John 
 tells us, Ch. xx. ii, that the Earth and Heaven 
 fed away, from the face of Him that fat on the 
 Throne j yet that cannot be underftood as done 
 immediately, but after the Refurredrion, when 
 the Sea and the Grave had deliver'd up their 
 Dead, and they were judged. Then it is that 
 
 the 
 * Jjlronom, Prin.^, 156. on Hell-torments, p. no. 
 
12 8 The Scripture-DoEirine 
 
 the Earth will defer t its prefent Seat and Station 
 in the Worlds and be no longer found among the 
 Planetary Chorus. And to this Confummation 
 of all things \ when a final Period is to he put 
 to the prefent place and life of this Earth, with 
 its Atmofphere, does Mr. W. himfelf refer St. 
 John's, words, Ch. xx. i r, in his Agronomical 
 Principles of Religion, p. 153. and in his Theory y 
 Book iii. Ch. 5. at the End. 
 
 No LXXXVIII. 
 Verf. 12. — Made to be taken and de/lroycd, — and 
 floall utterly per if j in their own Corruption, 
 
 The parallel place in St. Jude is, f. io.< — 
 What they know naturally, as brute Beajls, in 
 thofe things they corrupt themfelvcs : Spoken 
 plainly of moral Corruption >, but for which, at 
 la ft, they fha 11 receive the Reward of Unrighteouf- 
 nefs. 
 
 No LXXXIX. 
 Verf. 17. — To whom the Mifl of Darknefs is 
 
 refervedfor ever. See N° XCIV, 
 
 No XC. 
 Ch. iii. 7. But the Heavens and the Earth 
 which are now, by the fame Word are kept in 
 fiore, referved unto Fire againft the Day of 
 "Judgment, and Perdition of ungodly Men. 
 
 " This Text, Mr. W. fays, p. 46, agrees 
 " with the foregoing, {viz. N° LXXXVII.) 
 ct as to the time when the pofitive Punifhments 
 
 " of 
 
of Future PumJIment. 129 
 
 fc of the wicked in Hell, are to begin, viz, at 
 <c the Day of Judgment -, and with many of 
 tl the foregoing, in determining that Punifh- 
 " ment, to be not a Continuation of their Lives 
 " in Mifery for infinite Ages, but as ending ia 
 cc their utter Deftru&ion, and Perdition/ 1 
 
 Neither this Text, nor any of the fore- 
 going, determine what Mr. W. here afierts. 
 The only Shadow of an Argument to this pur- 
 pofe, arifes from a Word or two, which in 
 Scripture and moral Difcourfes, means quite 
 another thing. In the flxth Verfe we are told, 
 that the old World \ being overflowed with Water ', 
 perijhed-, (aV&>Ae7o) yet that prijhing did not 
 extend to utter Definitions or Annihilation ; 
 but- only to a great and general Change in the 
 World that then was. And as the World once 
 perifhed by Water, fo it muft by Fire at the 
 Conclulion of its prefent State. (See Mr. 
 Whiflon's Theory, Book iii. Ch. 5. B. iv. Ch. 5.) 
 Yet this fecond periflnng will not extend, Mr. 
 W. tells us, to the in tire Diffolution or Deftruc- 
 tion of the Earth, but only to the Alteration, 
 Melioration, and peculiar Difpofition thereof 
 into a new State : (Theory, towards the End.) 
 Why then muft the word Perdition, {iiroXu*) 
 as applied in the 7th Verfe to ungodly Men, be 
 understood of utter DejlruSion of Being ? 
 Efpecially, fince we know from Philofophy, 
 that Fire cannot annihilate them ; and from 
 Scripture, that this Day of their Judgment, and 
 of their Perdkion, is fo far from being the Day 
 
 K of 
 
136 The Scripture-DoStrine 
 
 of their Annihilation, that it is the Day when 
 they will be fent into everlajling Punifhment. 
 
 No XCI. 
 Verf. g.—Not willing that any Jhould peri/7:, 
 but that all Jhould come to Repentance. 
 
 No XCIl/ 
 
 Verf. 16. — Which they that are unlearned and 
 unjlable wreJl,—*—unto their own Dejlruffiion. 
 
 Compare No LIX, LXXXIV, LXXXV, XC 
 
 No XCIII. 
 I John v. 16. If any Man fee his Brother fn 
 a Sin which is not unto Death, he Jhall ajk, 
 and he Jhall give him Life for them that Jm 
 not unto Death -, there is a Sin unto Death j 
 I do not Jay that he Jhall pray for it. 
 
 A Sin unto Death, dfAccprlx *m&s Stclvcltop, 
 is the fame fort of Phrafe which this Apoftle 
 ufes in his Gofpel, Ch. xi. 4. This Sicknefs is 
 not unto Death, <mpos SrcLvocIoir. So that a Sick- 
 nefs unto Death, and a Sin unto Death, means, 
 each in its refpedtive way, fomething abfolutely 
 fatal ; when no Medicines would avail in one 
 Cafe, nor Prayers in the other : Not meaning 
 the Prayers, accompanied with the Repentance, 
 of the Offender himfelf ; for the Sin unto Death 
 implies final Impenitence ; whether that Sin be 
 a Habit of any Sin perfifted in to the laft, or any 
 particular Sin, fuch as the Blafphemy again ft 
 
 the 
 
of Future Punijhment. 13! 
 
 the Holy Ghoft, or Apoffafy from Chrift, or 
 the like -> about which the befl Interpreters are 
 not agreed. It appears from Hermas that the 
 Phrafe was ufual in his, and the Apoff les, days ; 
 and therefore the Nature of this Sin was then, 
 no doubt, well underftood. And to fpeak my 
 Sentiments, it feems clearly to me to mean, not 
 a Habit of any Sin, (though that finally perfiffed 
 in, will prove fatal,) but the particular Sin of 
 renouncing Chriffianity, and blafpheming its 
 divine Author ; which too being done, not only- 
 after the Performance of his own Miracles, but 
 thofe alfo of his Apoftles, with the Holy Gkojl 
 fent down from Heaven, is in effect the fame 
 with the unpardonable Sin of Blafphemy againft 
 the Holy Ghoft. Some of thefe, fays the Angel to 
 Hermas, are corrupted unto Death, ufque ad Mor- 
 tem ; others to a Defection, or falling away, uf- 
 que ad Defe&ionem. Hermas here acquainting 
 him that he did not underftand the Diftinction, 
 Hear then, fays his Inftructor, cc the Sheep 
 " which thou iaweft exceeding joyful, are fuch 
 cc as have for ever departed from God, and 
 c< given themfelves up to the Luffs of this 
 ic prefent time. To thefe therefore there is no 
 cc Return, by Repentance unto Life;*' (why 
 fo ? fince the others who were fallen away had 
 alfo given themfelves up, he tells us, to Pleafures 
 and Delights ; and yet there was Hope laid up 
 for them in Repentance -, but the reafon of this 
 Difference immediately follows,—" To thefe 
 u therefore there is no Return, by Repentance 
 " unto Life 5) Bccaufe that to their other Sins 
 " they have added this, that they have blaf- 
 K 2 " pbemed 
 
132 77ie Scripture-DoSirine 
 
 " phemed the Name of the Lord. * Thefe kind 
 cc of Men are ordained unto Death." Here is, 
 if I miftake not, St. Johns Sin unto Death ; 
 as well as St. Pauh wilful Sin after we have 
 received the Knowledge of the Truth, Heb. x. 
 26, 27. It is ridiculous to quote Hernias, as 
 if he meant by Death, any thing like Annihi- 
 lation. " They that are dead, are utterly gone 
 <c for ever •(%" (See xMr. W. p. 52.) Does not 
 every one fee by the whole tenour of his Dif- 
 courfe, that he here means, gone beyond Reco- 
 very ? Beyond all Return, by Repentance unto 
 Life ? Beyond all Hopes, and all Poffibility of 
 Pardon ? On the other hand, they who were 
 corrupted only to a Defection, or falling away, 
 had Hope laid up for them in Repentance. De- 
 fedio enim habet fpem aliquam Redintegra- 
 tions; Mors vero perpetuo tenetur interitu, 
 Her. Pafl. Lib. 3. Simil. 6. 
 
 N° XCIV. 
 
 Jude 6, 7, 13. And the Angels which kept not 
 their firfl Efiate, but left their own Habi- 
 tation, he hath referved in everlafting Chains 
 under Darknefs, unto the Judgment of the 
 great Day. jr. 7. Even as Sodom and Go- 
 tnorrha, and the Cities about them in like 
 manner giving themfelves over to Fornication, 
 and going after flrange Flejh, are fet forth 
 
 Jor 
 
 * The Life of fuch Men is Death. Gr. 
 
 t 'O il Sccv&t©* oc7ru)X£iocv £%si aiwwov. The Meaning 
 
 is, the Confequence of fuch a Death, (as he calls the Life 
 
 of fuch Men,) is, what the Scripture calls, everlafting De- 
 
 ftru&ion. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 133 
 
 for an Example , fnffering the Vengeance of 
 eternal Fire. jr. 13. — To whom is referved 
 the Blacknefs of Darknefs for ever. 
 
 These three Verfes Mr. W. quotes together, 
 and his Reflections upon them are as follow : 
 They are, he fays, <c exceeding remarkable, and 
 " inform us plainly of two things of the greateft 
 " Confequence in our prefent Inquiry, viz. 
 u (1.) That the word a ,'^©-, which is generally 
 <c fuppofed to be much more expreffive of a 
 <c proper Eternity, than aiMi©*, is yet ufed for 
 " a time limited, or for the Duration of the 
 " Age, or Ages, till the Day of Judgment, and 
 " no longer. (2.) That . the Conflagration of 
 " Sodom and Gomorrha, and the Cities about 
 " them, becauie it utterly deftroyed them, is 
 cc ftiled the Vengeance <mvpis olicoviv, of la/ling, 
 Ci or, as we render it, ever la fling Fire : Altho' 
 " fuch Fire or Conflagration were quite over in 
 " no very long time, and burned no longer than 
 c< the utter Deftrudtion of thofe Cities required. 
 Thefe Verfes are therefore the proper Key of 
 fuch Language in the reft of the Holy Scrip- 
 tures ; and a more authentick and fatisfa&ory 
 " Key they are, than all the Schoolmen and 
 " Criticks of modern Ages can afford us." 
 
 (P. 47-) 
 
 In the firfi of thefe Obfervations it is affirm'd, 
 
 or implied, 1. That d'&i©* is more expreffive 
 
 of a proper Eternity than aloivi©* -, and, 2. That 
 
 it is ufed here for a limited time. Now fup- 
 
 K 3 pofing 
 
 <c 
 
 a 
 
134 The Scripture-DoElrine 
 
 pofing both thefe things to be true, what is the 
 Confequence ? Certainly this only, that aidvi©* 
 alfo may be ufed for a time limited -, not that 
 it always actually is fo ; which, we know, is 
 contrary to Truth and Fact. Without entring 
 into the comparative Strength and Value of the 
 Words, it is undeniable that they are both ex- 
 prefiive of a proper Eternity ; and, unlefs we 
 will deal arbitrarily with them, ought to be fo 
 underftood, where the Senfe of the Context, 
 or the Subject of the Writer, does not limit 
 them. The word alfi©* in the paflage before 
 us is thus limited, according to Mr. W* by the 
 Senfe ', as thefe Chains are but to laft till the Day 
 of 'Judgment : Otherwife, it would denote E- 
 ternity. And fo it is with alcan^. : When it is 
 fpoken of any thing that muft end before ', or at, 
 the Day of Judgment, it is there plainly con- 
 fin'd, by the Senfe, to a limited Time 5 but what 
 is this to the Signification of the fame Word, 
 when it is not fo confin'd ? As it plainly is not, 
 when it is applied, (and it is applied equally,) to 
 the Rewards, and Punifhments, of Heaven, and 
 Hell. But, 2. How does it appear that the 
 word dtii©* is here ufed for a limited time ? Is 
 it any Confequence, that becaufe thefe Angels 
 are referved in Chains unto the Judgment of the 
 great Day, therefore the Chains will not be 
 everlafling? What ihould ail them * ? Are the 
 
 Devils 
 
 * Or take Mr. Mede\ Opinion, that <Ttipoc7$ ' m the 
 parallel place of St. Peter, (N° LXXXVI.) and topo?*; 
 here, are put for PS <r«pflfe 3 and stf faytvY} and then the 
 
 Con- 
 
of Future Punijhment. 135 
 
 Devils then to be fet at liberty ? Or confin'd 
 more clofely ? If the latter, why may not the 
 Chains be everlafling ? And what are thefe 
 Chains ? Metaphor ice fignificant Dei Potent i am, 
 qua, tanquam vinculis quibufdam ceternis, id 
 eft, nunquam folvendis, eos conftringit ac detinet, 
 ne liberi ferantur quo vo/unt : fays Ejtius on the 
 Place. If then Mr. /F— 's Premifes be falfe, 
 what becomes of his Conchijion ? Or granting 
 one of them,< viz. the fuperior Claim of ciifi&s 
 the other, aiooyi©*, ftill keeps its ground, and 
 is juft where it was before : For dittos here 
 ilgnifies everlajiing, and is a ftrong proof of the 
 Eternity of the Punifhment of the Devil and 
 his Angels. Cum perpetuorum vinculorum heic 
 mentio fiat una cwn imminente die Judicii, 
 reffie hinc T^heologi conficiunt, malis Geniis nul- 
 lam Redemptio?tis fpem Juperefle. Wolfii Curs 
 Phil. & Crit. 
 
 Mr. W — 's fecond Obfervation, which is on 
 f. 7. afTerts, or implies thefe three Things ; 
 1 . That the Fire of Sodom and Gomorrha is here 
 {tiled the Vengeance <gxu?qs aiooviv, as we render 
 it, of eternal Fire. 2. That it is fo fliled, for 
 this Reafon, becaufe it utterly dejlroyed them* 
 3. That this Fire was quite over in no very 
 long time, and burned no longer than the utter 
 Dejlruttion of thofe Cities required. 
 
 K 4 Now, 
 
 Conftrudtion will be, not that the evil Angels were now 
 already deliver'd to Chains of Darknefs^ or everlajiing 
 Chains, but referved for them at the Day of Judgment. 
 Works, p. 31. 
 
1 3 6 The Scripture-DoElrine 
 
 Now, as Mr. W. lays fo great a Strefs on 
 thefe Verfes, as to make them the Key of fuch 
 Language in the reft of the Holy Scriptures ; 
 a more authentick and fatisfaclory Key, than all 
 the Schoolmen and Criticks can afford; thefe 
 Particulars, as well as thofe under the former 
 Article, none of which are at leaft felf-evidently 
 true, ought to have been clearly proved. But 
 no Proof is attempted; we have Mr. W — 's 
 bare Affertionsj of which one is, That the Fire 
 of Sodom and Gomorrha is here ftiled the Ven- 
 geance Tjjvpoz alvviv. But had he not too much 
 defpifed the Criticks to have confulted them, 
 he would have found that this Point is far from 
 being certain. Some of them join the words 
 tsrvpos cuooviv with <P£y[jLct, not £Uvv, and ib 
 make the Verfion thus, are jet forth for Ex- 
 ample of eternal Fire, fuffering Puniflment, or 
 Vengeance. And fo CaJJiodorus, no modern 9 but an 
 ancient Critick, feems plainly to underftand it : So- 
 domamquoque y <£r Gomorram, crfnitimas Civi- 
 tates, qua graviter deliquerunt \ objcena Carnis vi- 
 tia diligent es t confumptas perhibet, in exemplo ig- 
 nis aterni. But fhould this Senfe be rejected, 
 there is another, approv'd by no lefs Men than 
 Grotius, and Mede *, and Wall; and that is, 
 that^vfoi a, i gj v in £ imp virtue ai ,0? xsptfiyyvxi > 
 fhould be render'd, fuffering a Refemblance of 
 eternal Fire , as ^zs-orcc^ fixnv, like a River, 
 &c. I will mention no more Interpretations ; 
 which, however, might ealily be done ; as all 
 
 Inter- 
 
 ♦ Mtdt% Works, p. in 8. WaWs Annot, p. 367. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 137 
 
 Interpreters have been fenfible that aioopioy <nrfip 
 in all other places of the New Teftament means 
 the Fire of Hell, it was not very natural for them 
 to fuppofe that St. Jude ufes it of the Fire of 
 Sodom and Gomorrba. But be it for once that 
 he does ; why fhould the pompous Style of St. 
 Jude, vvhofe bold oriental Figures, and Phrafes, 
 are copied from fome ancienter Jewifh Writer, 
 and perhaps in this very Particular *, be made 
 the Key to the Language of the reft of the New 
 Teftament? The plain correct Language, for 
 inftance, of our Saviour himfelf in the xxv 
 Matt. ^.41, 46 ? Where he declares what will 
 be the Sentence at the laft Day, on incorrigibiy 
 wicked men, and the Confequence of that Sen- 
 tence, in the plaineft and moft pofitive Terms. 
 Surely there is no Reafon or Confequence in 
 faying, that becaufe aioivtov is applied by a 
 pompous figurative Writer to the Fire of Sodom, 
 and muft then neceflarily be taken in a limited 
 Senfe ; therefore it muft always be taken in fuch 
 a Senfe, when applied by our Lord himfelf to 
 the Fire of Hell, declar'd by his own repeated 
 
 Affeverations to be unquenchable. 
 
 ■*. 
 
 Mr. W — 's next Affertion is, that this Fire 
 of Sodom and Gomorrha is ftiled aiaviov for this 
 Reafon, becanfe it utterly deftroyed them. And 
 may every Fire then that utterly deftroys its Sub- 
 ject, be fo ftiled, how ihort a time foever it 
 lafts ? I fhould rather think that xiqohop expreifes 
 
 fome 
 
 * See Bp. Sherlock* s DifFertation on the Authority of the 
 fecond Rfijllc of St. Peter, 
 
138 The Scripture-DoSirine 
 
 fome confiderable Duration, either lafting, or 
 everlafting ; and that it does fo here, fuppofing 
 it to relate to the Fire of Sodom, we have good 
 Reafon to conclude from all Antiquity, facred 
 and profane. For, in the next place, which is 
 contrary to Mr. W* — 's third Affertion, it is not 
 true that the Fire was quite over in no very long 
 time, and burned ?io longer than the utter De- 
 JlruElion of thofe Cities required. It appears 
 from the Authorities collefted by many learned 
 Men *, that the Fire was not quite over in many 
 Ages : Not in St. Jude's own time, as may be 
 fairly inferr'd from Strabo, and Philo the Jew, 
 who were Contemporaries with him, or very 
 little before him. But what need of other 
 Witneffes, when it is plain that St. Jude him- 
 ielf ipeaks of it as not quite over, but ftill 
 enduring -f ? For this reafon therefore he calls 
 it, if he does call it, wvp diwiov 5 becaufe it 
 had lafted for above two thoufand Years. 
 
 Mr. 
 
 * Grotius De Verit. Rel. Chrift. Lib. i. Seft. 16. Re- 
 velation examin'd with Candour, Vol. 2. Dif. vi. Sau- 
 r?Vs DifTertations on the Books of Mofes, Englijh Edit. 
 
 p. i55- 
 
 f See Dr. Hammond on the Place. He underffonds by 
 Sodom and Gomorrha, and the Cities about them, not the 
 Walls and Buildings, but the Inhabitants of thofe Cities ; 
 and agreeably, the Fire they fuffer, is the eternal Fire of 
 HelL But this Opinion has its Difficulties, which cannot 
 well be removed. However, it fhews how fenfible that 
 learned Writer was, that St. Jude fpeaks of this Fire as 
 then fubfiftingfc 
 
 Dicitur oitwi® 3 Ignis qui per tot Secula ex bituminofa 
 Materia arfit, & forte etiamnum ardet. 
 
 J. CUrUi DhTert, de Sodomse, &c. Subverfione. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 139 
 
 Mr. W. makes no Remark on #. 13. but 
 only renders en top aicapcc, as \\£x\d\,for an Age: 
 To whom is referved the Blacknefs of Darknefs 
 for an Age. This Blacknefs of Darknefs, accord- 
 ing to him, (fee N° IX.) is not in Gehenna, but 
 in Hades. And then indeed it will not endure for 
 ever ; tho' it may be of a much longer Duration 
 than one of Mr. IV- — 's Ages. But who are they, 
 whom the Apoftle threatens with this Blacknefs 
 of Darknefs in Hades? The Curable, or the 
 Incurable part of Mankind ? The Curable part, 
 Mr. JV. tells us, (fee N° III.) are to be corrected 
 by the Eruption of the Fire or Flame of Gehenna, 
 into fuch parts of Hades as they are forced into, 
 before the Day of Judgment. This Blacknefs 
 of Darknefs therefore can be no Defcription of 
 their State and Condition ; for " we have no 
 <c Notion of Fire and Flame without Light, tho y 
 " it be never fo difmal" In dead of Blacknefs 
 of Darknefs, the Apoiile mould have threaten'd 
 fuch as thefe, with the Eruption . of flaming 
 Fire. And as to the Incurable, it feems utterly 
 incredible that he mould threaten them with 
 Punifhments in Hades, rather than with thofe 
 into which they are to depart at the Day of 
 Judgment. They are to have no pofitive Tor- 
 ments infiiBed on them in Hades * (fee Mr. 
 W — 's Book, p. 120.) no Punifhment, but what 
 arifes from within, from their own Confciences, 
 and fearful Expectations. The proper Punifh- 
 ment referved for them is in Gehenna 5 and this 
 therefore, no doubt, it is, that St. Jude here 
 
 de- 
 
14° 3^* Scripture- DoEtrine 
 
 denounces againft them. So that there being 
 nothing here, in the Senfe or Context, to limit 
 the Meaning of eU top aiiwva,, that Phrafe ought 
 in all reafon to be understood in its moft exten- 
 five Senfe, agreeably to the other Declarations of 
 Scripture relating to this matter. I will only 
 add here to what I have obferved in other places, 
 that tho' Adam lived nine hundred and thirty 
 Tears, (Gen. v. 5.) which is feveral of Mr. 
 W — 's Ages, yet he did not live &s rov dimx,, 
 but was driven from the Tree of Life, left he 
 fhould eat, and live for ever : See Gen. iii. 22. 
 
 No XCV. 
 Apoc. xiv. 10, 11. The fame Jhall drink of the 
 Wine of the Wrath of God, which is poured 
 out without Mixture, into the Cup of his In- 
 dignation ; and he Jhall be tormented with Fire 
 and Brimflone, in the Prefence of the Holy 
 Angels, and in the Prefence of the Lamb : 
 And the Smoke of their Torment afcendeth 
 up for ever and ever : («s oilmca qlIqopcov.) 
 
 Mr. W. has feveral Expedients to prevent 
 this Paffage from hurting his Hypothefis. Firft 
 he obferves, that " thefe are the firft Places we 
 " have met with relating, as is fuppos'd, to the 
 " Torments of Hell, which mention diSyes iv>v 
 " diolvwv, Ages of Ages; or even barely dimes 
 " [or Ages, in the plural number :] i. e. feveral 
 cc of fuch Ages fucceeding one another." (p. 
 
 48.) 
 
 Now 
 
of Future Puni foment. 141 
 
 Now all that there is in this matter, I con- 
 ceive, is this. The other New-Teftament Wri- 
 ters exprefs the Duration both of Happinefs in 
 Heaven, and Punifhment in Hell, generally, if 
 not always, by els tcj/ diwva, or the like, in the 
 Singular Number. St. John in his Revelation 
 raifes his Style * and as he ufes the Plural, and 
 its Reduplication, (di£ve$ roov aicorny) with re- 
 gard to the Kingdom of Heaven, fo he does 
 likewife with reference to the Torments of Hell. 
 So that as far as the mere Terms are concern'd, 
 we have all the reafon in the world to think, 
 that the two States will be of equal Duration. 
 Well, but " the Phrafes are very far from de- 
 " noting a proper Eternity." If he means that 
 they never denote a proper Eternity, (a parte 
 poft y ) the Affertion is evidently falfe. Even the 
 Phrafe in the Singular Number does fo, in num- 
 berlefs Places. If he means that they don't 
 denote a proper Eternity in thefe Places, it is, to 
 fay no more of it at prefent, begging the Que- 
 ftion. Next he offers a <c Conjecture, that the 
 " Smoke of fach their Torment may afcend up 
 <c in Terrorem, longer than the Torments them- 
 " felves of particular Offenders continue , and 
 <c that the Fire and the Smoke thereto belong- 
 <c ing, may be the common Place of Torment 
 <c for Sinners, in different Ages and Periods of 
 a the World, one after another." It is not 
 worth while to alls, What Ages and Periods, 
 and of what World, fince this World will be 
 ended ? The Conjecture is of no more weight 
 
 than 
 
142 The Scripture- Do&rine 
 
 than a Dream ; and if he had attended to his 
 own Texts, he would have feen there is no 
 room for it. The Context plainly fuppofes that 
 thefe particular Offenders themfelves ftill exift 
 in thefe Torments : — The Smoke of their Tor- 
 ment afcendeth up for ever and ever : And they 
 have no reft Day nor Night, We readily ad- 
 mit, riay we contend for the Obfervation he 
 quotes from Sir Ifaac Newton, " That the De- 
 " gree and Duration of the Torments of thefe 
 u degenerate and antichriftian People, will be 
 " no other, than what will be approved of by 
 <c thofe Angels, who had ever laboured for their 
 " Salvation ; and that Lamb who had redeem- 
 cc ed them with his own mod precious Blood/* 
 This is the great Aggravation of their Guilt ; 
 and renders them worthy of much for er Pwiifo- 
 ment ; becaufe they had troden under foot the 
 Son of God, and had counted the Blood of the 
 Covenant wherewith they were fanclified, an 
 unholy thing, and had done defpite unto the Spirit 
 of Grace : Heb. x. 29. Surely the Lamb who 
 adjudges them to thefe Torments, will approve 
 both of their Degree and Duration ; and the 
 Holy Angels will not only approve, but applaud 
 his Juftice. Mr. W. next intimates, that he is 
 not yet fully fatisfied, that thefe Words relate to 
 the Torments of Hell*. <c They belong to the 
 
 " Worfhippers 
 
 * Dr. Clarke underftands them of the Torments of Hell, 
 and makes a Remark upon them to the fame purpofe with 
 Sir Ifaac Newton's, " Our Saviour himfelf, who loved 
 us, &c. even He {hall fay, to thofe who impenitently 
 reject his gracious Otters of Life, Depart from me, ye 
 
 Curfed, 
 
« 
 
 of Future Punijhment. 143 
 
 Worfhippers of the Antichriftian Beaft only. 
 
 cC They are very much the fame with thofe, 
 
 a Ifai. xxxiv. 9, 10. already fet down, p. 25. 
 
 " prius, they may be thought diredly paral- 
 
 " lei to them, and to belong to the Vengeance 
 <c to be taken on the Enemies of God's People 
 " at the Battle of Harmageddon only. Which 
 -' furely is to be upon this Earth, and not in 
 " Gehenna, or Hell. I determine nothing, till 
 " fome farther light appear ; as it will prefent- 
 ** ty." (p. 49.) This Light appears to him in 
 the very next Page ; where he owns, notwith- 
 ftanding what he here fays, (that this Vengeance 
 to be taken on the Enemies of God's People, is to 
 be upon this Earth, and not in Gehenna, or Hell,) 
 notwithstanding this, I fay, he owns, that " what- 
 <c ever Preludes to this dreadful Punifhment 
 <c there may be upon this Earth, at the coming 
 " on of this Fire and Brimftone, at the great 
 u Day ; yet will the up-fhot of all be no other 
 
 " than the Fire of Gehenna or Hell y and 
 
 " that 
 
 Curfed, into everlajling Fire, prepared for the Devil and his 
 Angels ; Matt.xxv. 41. And, In the prefence of the Holy 
 Angels, and in the prefence of the Lamb, who afiuredly 
 can take no pleafure in beholding any Punifhment but 
 what is necefTary, Jhall they be tormented ivith Fire and 
 Brim/lone; Rev. xiv. 10" 
 
 Sermons Vol. X. p. 356, 357. 
 
 So alfo St. Cyprian, — In Apocalypfi quoque legimus, &c. 
 And then reciting the Words, concluding with thofe in 
 the eleventh Verfe, — Nee habebunt Requiem die ac nocle y qui 
 adorant Befliam & hnaginem ejus : He adds, Cum ergo hsec 
 tormenta, hsc fupplicia in die judicii Dominus commine- 
 tur iis qui Diabolo obtemperant, & Idolis facrificant ; quo 
 modo fe putar, &c. Epijl. p. 162. Ed, Fell 
 
144 The Scripture-DoBrine 
 
 <c that Gog and Magog, (the Enemies of God's 
 " People perhaps at the Battle of Harmaged- 
 cc don*,) (hall be tormented there" But of this 
 in its proper Place. See N° XCVIII. 
 
 N° XCVI. 
 Apoc. xix. 3 . And her Smoke rofe up for ever 
 and ever, [Mr. Whijlon : Babylon's Smoke 
 rofe Up eU t«s ct/oIVas ri aioivcay, for Ages of 
 Ages, p. 48.] The Smoke of a City cannot be 
 fuppofed to rife up for ever and ever. But that 
 is not the thing intended : The thing intended 
 is, that God had now judged the great Whore, 
 or the myftical Babylon, and deftroy'd her fo 
 totally and finally that ilie fhould never be 
 reftored : Her Deftruclion fhould be, not mere- 
 ly for Ages of Ages, but for ever and ever. 
 ThePhrafe, Her Smoke rofe up, &c. is a ftrong 
 prophetical Manner of reprefenting an everlafl- 
 ing Deftruction of the City or Kingdom it is 
 applied to. There is no reafon therefore to li^ 
 mit the Words as Mr. W. has done. 
 
 No XCVII. 
 
 Verf. 20. Thefe both, (viz. the Beajl and the 
 falfe Prophet ,) were cafl alive into a Lake of 
 Fire burning with Brimflone. See N° XXVII, 
 and that which here follows. 
 
 No XCVIII. 
 
 Ch. xx. 10. And the Devil that deceived them, 
 (viz, Gog and Magog,) was caji into the Lake 
 
 of 
 * See Dr. Burnet de futura Judaeorum Reftaurat. p. 
 fo, 381. 
 
of Future PuniJJment. 145 
 
 tf Fire and Bri??iflone, where the Beajl and 
 the falfe Prophet are, andjloall be tormented 
 Day and Night , for ever and ever. 
 
 c< These two additional Texts," Mr. W, 
 fays, " are evidently of the fame fort with the 
 " foregoing, and fo ftand in need of little ad- 
 " ditional Obfervation." (P. 50.) If he means 
 by the fame fort, that they relate to the fame 
 Subject with the foregoing-, (viz. N° XCV, 
 XCVI.) then, as he allows thefe to relate to the 
 Punifhment of the Wicked in Gehenna, he muft 
 confequently allow the foregoing to do fo too. 
 And how then can he fay, as he does in this 
 fame Page, That excepting this Jingle Place, the 
 Duration of the Puniflment of the Wicked, is 
 never properly fa id to be for more than tI* 
 aivvcc, or an Age, afingle Age^ in all the Books 
 of the Old and New Teflament ? And if thefe 
 additional Texts do not relate to the fame Sub- 
 ject with the foregoing, they may ^offiblyfland 
 in need of fome additional Obfervation. But 
 he wants to be rid of them : They lie heavy 
 upon his Hypothefs, and like a Mill-ftone about 
 its Neck, will fink it. But let us attend to the 
 additional Obfervation he is pleafed to make: 
 
 " Only," continues he, " lince the Place of 
 
 c< Gehenna or Hell itfelf is faid to be prepared 
 cc for the Devil and his Angels, Matt. xxv. 41. 
 <c And the lame Devil is here faid to be cafl into 
 " this Lake of Fire, this makes it not a little 
 tc probable" (I wonder what would make it cer- 
 tain ?) " that, whatever Preludes to this dreadful 
 
 L " Punifh- 
 
146 The Scripture-DoEirine 
 
 <c Punifhment there may be upon this Earth, 
 " at the coming on of this Fire and Brimftone, 
 <c at the great Day ; yet will the upfhot of all 
 " Be no other than the Fire of Gehenna or Hell, 
 <c for Ages of Ages afterward." But he has for- 
 got to produce the Paflages in St. Johns Re- 
 velation, where aioHves ruv ai&icov fignifies 
 only Ages of Ages, or any thing lefs than for 
 ever and ever. That Phrafe is ufed fourteen 
 times in the Apoca/ypfe; and never, as far as 
 appears, in any other fenfe than that of Eter- 
 nity. In far the greateft Number of the Paflages 
 it evidently muft have that meaning ; and there- 
 fore in the other two or three places under De- 
 bate, unlefs the Subjed: plainly requires another 
 fenfe, to give it a different meaning, is to deftroy 
 the Ufe of Language, and render the meaning of 
 Words perfectly arbitrary. And that the Sub- 
 ject does not require a different Senfe of the 
 Words in the controverted Texts, will appear, I 
 truft, in the Courfe of thefe Papers. If Hell- 
 torments cannot, abfolutely cannot, in the nature 
 of things, be eternal, why then indeed this 
 Phrafe, in thefe Places, muft denote only a tem- 
 porary Duration ; but if this cannot be proved, 
 if the contrary can, I would afk what reafon any 
 Man has to limit the Senfe of the Words in thefe 
 few Paflages, contrary to their Import in all the 
 reft? Let us not make a Nofe of Wax of the 
 Scripture 5 let its uniform Language have fome 
 determinate Senfe. Mr. TV. goes on ; <c It de- 
 " ferves our Remark, that it is not diredly faid 
 iC here, that the Beafl and the falfe Prophet, but 
 
 <c only 
 
of Future Puni/hment. 147 
 
 " only the Devil, with Gog and Magogs mall be 
 <c fo long tormented there." Now, not to take 
 notice of the Reading of this Text in fome Ver- 
 fions, which is quite inconfiftent with this Re- 
 mark -, I would only afk why Cocarotvia^ria-ovTat 
 (being in the plural,) mould not include the 
 Beaft and the falfe Prophet, as well as the De- 
 vil, and thofe he had deceived? And as to the 
 Reafon of the thing, why mould the Beaft and 
 the falfe Prophet come off better than Gog and 
 Magog ? The Text fays they were deceived ; and 
 therefore Mr. W. might, if he had been fo dif- 
 pofed, have applied his Apology to them, which 
 he makes for other wicked Men, p. 19. They 
 fell into their Sins by the fecret Snares of the 
 Devil, and other violent Temptations : So that if 
 this be any Excufe, I don't fee why Gog and Ma-* 
 gog mould not have the Benefit of it. But they 
 are, he fays, a " People utterly unknown to us, 
 <c and not perhaps to be heard of till after the 
 cc Millennium is over:" And again, p. 104. 
 " an unknown wicked People after the MiU 
 <c lennium is over." * Now what a beggarly 
 
 Refuge 
 * The Gentlemen, who with Mr. W, place this Battle 
 of Gog and Magog after the Millennium, are reduced to 
 great Difficulties to account for the Origin of this wicked 
 People, and to tell us from whence they come. If they 
 be any Race of Mortals that inhabit the prefent Earthy 
 the Queftion is, How they happen'd to furvive the Con- 
 flagration ? Dr. Burnet therefore, very Philofopher-like, 
 generates them anew from the Slime of the Ground, and the 
 Heat of the Sun: (Theory B. iv. Ch. 10.) But this is too 
 grofs to pafs. Others fuppofe that the Gentiles to whom 
 the Gofpel was not preach'd before, (hall be raifed from 
 the Dead during the Millennium -, and the Gofpel being 
 
 L 2 then 
 
1 48 77>e Scripture-DoElrim 
 
 Refuge is this ? What is it to the purpofe, whe^- 
 ther thefe People are known, or unknown^ whe- 
 ther they live before the Millennium, or after it ? 
 Still they are God's Creatures ; and will have as 
 fair and impartial a Trial at the laft great Day, 
 as we ourfelves {hall have. And therefore if 
 they may finally mifcarry, and be tormented for 
 
 ever and ever-, the Confequence is eafy : Let 
 
 him that Jlandeth, take heed le/l he fall. As to 
 what Mr. W. afferts, that excepting this Jingle 
 Place, the Duration of future Punifhment is 
 never faid to be for more than a /ingle Age, (p. 
 50, and 104 5) fome notice has been taken of it 
 already j compare N° XCV. It has not, he 
 fuppofes, been obferved by any Commentator be- 
 fore him > and will not, I believe, in hafte by 
 any Commentator after him. 
 
 N° XCIX. 
 
 Verf. 14, 1 5. And Death and Hell were cafi 
 into the Lake of Fire : This is the fecond 
 
 Death. 
 then communicated to them by fome Preachers fent out of 
 the New Jerufalem, they who reject it, will at laft com- 
 pofe this wicked Army of Gog and Magog. It is not pre- 
 tended that the Scripture gives any countenance to this 
 Conjecture. On the contrary, fome Reafons are ofler'd 
 for the Silence of Scripture on this head. But the mif- 
 fortune is, the Scripture Is not fo filent in the Cafe, as is 
 fuppofed •, but has rather determin'd on the other fide. St. 
 Paul plainly teaches, Rom. Ch. ii. that as the Gentiles 
 had a Law, tho' not a written one, fo they (hall be judged 
 by that Law at the great Day. And when Sc. John has 
 told us that the Martyrs and Saints fhall live in the Mil- 
 lennium^ and reign with Cbrtft a thoufand Tears, Apoc. xx. 
 4. he adds exprefsly in the next Verfe, that the rejt of the 
 Dead lived not again until the thoufand Years were finijhed. 
 
 See the Preface to Mr. Johnforis Select Difcourfes 
 Doctrinal and Practical. Printed 174c. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 149 
 
 Death. And whofoever was not found writ- 
 ten in the Book of Life, was caft into the Lake 
 of Fire. Ch. xxi. 8. But the Fearful and 
 Unbelieving^ and the Abominable, and Mur- 
 derers, and IVhore mongers, and Sorcerers, and 
 Idolaters, and all Liar s y pall have their part 
 in the Lake which burneth with Fire and 
 Brimjlone : which is thefecond Death. 
 
 I have already in feveral places obviated 
 what Mr. W. fuggefts under thefe Texts, p. 51, 
 52. about Death, thefecond Death, and the 
 like. <c The State of the word fort of Sinners, 
 he fays, that are incorrigible, is never once ftyled 
 Life at all." And it would be ftrange if it 
 (hould ; fince Life in the Gofpel- Dialed: denotes 
 that happy Immortality which is the Reward 
 of the Righteous. In opposition to this £«>! 
 ccioliios, everlajling Life, and acorne/a, dtcl>nos 9 
 eternal Salvation, the final State of the wicked 
 that are incorrigible, is ftyled Death. And 
 what fort of Death that is, the very Oppofition 
 fhews. See N<> LXXII. Befides, the other 
 Defcriptions of it in the New Teftament, ex- 
 plain the true Notion of it: fuchas7ru/> dioovior, 
 
 X0A«CJ$ OllMlOi, XgJLGU diwvios, Kg/fJLCl dicoviopy 
 
 fx^ixne-i*, nfACo&la,: which certainly point out 
 a State, not of Infenfibilicy, but of Senfation 
 and Punifhment. As to our Saviour s Words 
 jeferr'd to by Mr. W. fee N Q X. Tho' he re- 
 fers to them here as declaring for the utter Dif 
 folution or Deftruclion both of Body and Soul, yet 
 he owns there that they fay no fuch thing 5 but 
 L 3 leave 
 
150 The Scripture-DoEirine 
 
 leave room for hope that the Soul may remain ca- 
 pable of afecond RefurreElion, after the fecond 
 Death is over. Thus he talks backwards and 
 forwards, without any confiflent Principles; 
 fometimes in the Hypothecs of a ReJioration 3 and 
 fbmetimes in that of Annihilation 5 inferring 
 which of them he pleafes from the fame Texts, 
 juft as it ferves his turn $ tho* 'tis certain they 
 are utterly contradictory, and as Scripture can- 
 not teach, fo no Man can confiftently argue for 
 both. His Quotation from Hermas has been 
 confider'd before, N° XCIII. I have alfo 
 ihew'd, N° LXIX, what is meant by the fe- 
 cond Death, and by Death and Hades being call: 
 into the Lake of Fire. cc One cannot conceive 
 <c any more, *fays Dr. Wall, by Death and 
 <c Hades caft into the Lake, than that there (hall 
 <c be no more Death or Hades •, but all Heaven 
 " or Hell." And Lord Kirig^ having quoted 
 St. John's Words, thus explains them ; u That 
 " is, Death or the Grave furrendred her impri- 
 u fon'd Bodies, and Hell her detained Souls, 
 " after which their Empire and Power over the 
 <c Children of Men was dejlroyed and annihi- 
 *5 latedy There will then be no more Death, 
 that laft Enemy will be deftroyed, and fwallowed 
 up in Victory , 1 Cor. xv. 26, 54. And Hades, 
 his Companion and Attendant, Apoc. vi. 8.± 
 muft follow with him. In confequence of this, 
 
 the 
 
 * On the New Teji. p. 413. 
 
 t Critical Hift. of the Creed, p. 227. 
 
 % Kx) tiaov, xoc) iJy Tmros /'J^pgc, x.oli xaO^jUfvc; 
 Itsravu aoTou, ovouet »utw @.{\%tqc xai fh,i axoXeittt 
 
 fJ.ST <X'JTQ~, 
 
of Future Punijhment. 151 
 
 the fecond Death with regard to wicked Men, 
 cannot be any future Difiblution of Body and 
 Soul ; but a State of Punifhment ; having their 
 fart in the Lake which burneth with Fire and 
 Brimjlone : This is the fecond Death. In this 
 Senfe, he that over comet h fiall not be hurt of the 
 fecond Death: Apoc.n. 11. Nor would the 
 Wicked be hurt by it, but greatly relieved, if 
 it only meant Annihilation. " The Victory 
 <c over temporal Death fhall be in fome meafure 
 <c (as has been already obferved) univerfal ; for 
 " all fhall rife again from the Dead, and all both 
 <l juft and unjuft fhall be clothed with immor- 
 " taland incorruptible Bodies, which fhall never 
 <c be dhTolved any more. But tho' there fhall be 
 " no more DifTolution of the Body, nor Sepa- 
 ** ration of the Soul, yet is there a greater De- 
 €i ftru&ion, into which they who believe not 
 " God, and obey not his Gofpel,Jhall at lajl fall-, 
 " and that is, the fecond Death ; Rev. xxi. 8. 
 " The Fearful^ the Unbelieving, the Abominable^ 
 <c and Murderers, and Whoremongers, and Sor- 
 u cerers y and Idolaters, end all Liars, fhall have 
 €i their part in the Lake that burneth with Fire 
 <c and Brimjlone, which is the fecond Death*' 
 Dr. Clarke 's Sermon, How Chrijl has given us 
 the Victory over Death : Vol. V. p. 234. 
 
 N° C. 
 
 Verf. 27. And there f jail in no wife enter into 
 
 it any thing that defileth, neither whatfoever 
 
 worketh Abomination, or ?naketh a Lie: But 
 
 L 4 they 
 
152 7?je Scrtpturc-DoBlrtne 
 
 they which are written in the Lamb's Book of 
 Life. See N° LXI, LXIV, LXVI. 
 
 N°CI. 
 
 Ch. xxii. 1 1, 12. He that is unjujt 7 let him 
 be unjuftjlill: And he that is filthy let him be 
 filthy ft ill: And he that is righteous, let him be 
 righteous fill : And he that is holy, let him be 
 holyftilL And behold, I come quickly -, and my 
 Reward is with me, to give every Man accord- 
 ing as his Workfijall be. See Dr. Clarke's two 
 excellent Sermons on thefe Words, Vol. IX. p. 
 179. God will reward all Men according to 
 their Deferts. Page 180, he fays, <c An Ar- 
 " gument Jlill more preffing than either of the 
 l< former, {viz. ChrifVs declaring that he will 
 " reward every Man according to his Works,,, 
 " and his warning them of the Suddennefs of 
 <c his coming to diflribute thofe Rewards ; an 
 <l Argument more pre fling than either of thefe,) 
 <c is this very Declaration, this additional Threat- 
 " ning, that even before his coming, if they 
 l< continue obftinate, he will forfake and leave 
 " them to the Effects of their own Wicked- 
 u nefs ; He that is unjufl, let him be unjuftftill" 
 P. 18 1; — " Denouncing to the obftinately 
 <c wicked and impenitent, that if they will not 
 " be brought to a timely Repentance, by thofe 
 " Motives of Religion he has thought fit to af- 
 " ford them, he will give them up to them- 
 a felves to eat the Fruit of their own Ways, 
 cc and to be filled with their own Devices. He 
 « that is unjujl" &C. P. 182. " If therefore 
 
 11 Men 
 
of Future Punijhment. 153 
 
 <c Men will be wicked, afcer all reafonable 
 " means have been made ufe of for their Con- 
 " viftion ; nothing is more fit, nothing more be- 
 " coming the fupreme Governour of all things, 
 <c than to give them over to continue in their 
 " Wickednefs : Nor can any Punifhment be 
 more proper and equitable, if Men will be 
 unjufl in defiance of all the Arguments of 
 the Gofpel, in contempt of all the Mercies 
 and all the Judgments of God ; than to let 
 them^ unjufl Jlilir P. 185. "Wicked Men 
 ought earneftly to be warned, that, if they re-?. 
 " pent not very fpeedily, the time will foon 
 <c come when it (hall be too late for them to 
 u have any Alteration made in their State : He 
 ' c that is unjufl" &c. In the fecond Sermon, 
 
 p. 2 1 1 i he fays, " Befides the Shortnefs of 
 
 " the Time itfelf, (viz. to the End of the 
 " World 3) it is really to us much fhorter, in 
 Cc that to every particular Per/on, the World 
 <c comes to an end at the Concluilon of his own 
 " Life ; and to him, that moment which con- 
 figns him to Judgment, by requiring his Soul 
 of him, and putting an end to all further 
 u Space of Probation ; is in all refpefls the very 
 u fame thing, as if the Day of his Death were 
 " itfelf the great and final Day of Judgment/' 
 — cc That which will determine every Man's 
 c< eternal Portion, is of necefiity and inevitably 
 €i very near; — for this Caufe our Saviour repre- 
 u fents his coming as being very near : Behold, 
 « I come quickly," &c. P.223 ; c Ail the Mer- 
 " cies and all the Judgments of God, all the 
 
 u Promifes 
 
 <c 
 
154 %% e Scripture-Do£irine 
 
 cc Promifes and all the Threatnings in Scripture ; 
 <c in a word, the whole Defign of the Gofpel ; 
 " is to call Sinners to Repentance. If they will 
 " not be drawn by thefe Cords of a Man, by 
 <c thefe Motives fuited to the Nature of rational 
 " Creatures 5 God is not obliged to compel them 
 <c by Force, and to ufe Methods inconfiftent 
 <c with his Government of the moral World." 
 In the next Page, — " If we will not be made 
 " happy, unlefs God work a Miracle to alter 
 " our Wills j if we will not become righteous, 
 <c unlefs he change our Nature, and compel us 
 cc contrary to the Order and Method of his 
 cc Creation, and of his Government of reafonable 
 <c Creatures > both Reafon and Scripture allure 
 cC us, that he may very juftly fufFer us to go on 
 iC to be wicked and miferable." Once more, 
 p. 2285 — <c Ofallobftinately wicked and incor- 
 rigible Perfons, (it is laid) in the Words of the 
 Text, at the End of the whole Scripture ; that 
 if they will not be moved to repent, by the 
 things contain'd in that Book, by all the Ar- 
 guments and Motives of the Gofpel - y then he 
 cc that isunjuft, let him be unjuji Jlill> and he 
 " that is filthy, let himbe filthy JIM" 
 
 I have quoted fo much from Dr. Clarke*, 
 not only becaufe it explains St. Jolw's Words, 
 
 but 
 
 * I may add alfo Archbiftiop TiUctfon. « This Life 
 " is the Time of our Preparation for our future State. 
 " Our Souls will continue for ever what we make them 
 cc in this World. Such a Temper and Difpofition of 
 " Mind as a Man carries with him out of this Life, he 
 
 « (hall 
 
of Future Punifhment. 155 
 
 but alfo becaufe it lays the Foundation of the 
 Doctrine I contend for. Here is no expreis 
 Declaration indeed, either in the Text or Com- 
 ment, of the Duration of future Punifhments ; 
 but here is an exprefs Declaration that God will 
 reward every Man according as his Work mall 
 be; and that Men may become fo obftinately 
 and incorrigibly wicked, that it will be in vain 
 to ufe any means to recover them ; and that 
 therefore no more means will be ufed. It is 
 poffible in the Nature of Things that fuch Crea- 
 tures may be annihilated, becaufe there is a 
 Power in being able to effect this. But to argue 
 from mere Power, in this cafe, (and indeed in 
 mod cafes,) is unphilofophical and abfurd; We 
 rauft attend to the Nature and Reafons of Things, 
 and the Declarations of God's Will ; and there 
 is no ground from thefe to expect Annihilation, 
 but much to the contrary. 
 
 N° CII. 
 Verf. 15. For without are Dogs, and Sorcerers, 
 and Whoremongers, and Murderers, and Idola- 
 ters, and whofoever loveth and maketh a hie. 
 See N° C. and the other Texts there referred 
 to. Such as thefe are excluded out of the 
 Holy City, have no Inheritance in the King- 
 dom of thrift > and of God, but are caft out 
 
 into 
 
 ** (hall retain in the next. Tis true indeed, Heaven 
 c< perfects thofe holy and virtuous Difpofitior.s which are 
 ** begun here; but the other World alters no Man as to 
 '* his main State, be that is filthy will ie filthy ftitL, 
 rt be that is unrighiezus t&ill fo unrighteous JUL '" : : w. 
 on Phil, iii. 20. 
 
156 The Scripture-Do&rine 
 
 into outer Darknefs, where Jloall be weep- 
 ing and gnajhing of teeth ; have their part 
 in the Lake which burneth with Fire and 
 Brim/lone, in the everlajting Fire prepared 
 for the Devil and his Angels , and the Smoke 
 ef their Torment afcendeth up for ever and 
 ever. 
 
 n° cm. 
 
 Verf. 18, 19. For Iteflify unto every Man that 
 heareth the Words of the Prophecy of this 
 Book, if any Man foall add unto thefe things^ 
 God fhall add unto him the Plagues that are 
 written in this Book : And if any Man Jh all 
 take away from the Words of the Book oj this 
 Prophecy, God jloall take away his Part out 
 of the Book of Life, and out of the Holy City, 
 and from the Things which are written in 
 this Book. 
 
 One of the firft Texts we quoted above is 
 
 John the Bapti/i's Tertimony of our Saviour, 
 
 Matt, iii. 12. Whofe Fan is in his handy and 
 
 he will throughly purge his Floor, and gather 
 
 bis Wheat into the Garner : But will bu?~n up 
 
 the Chaff with unquenchable Fire. This Text 
 
 contains, fays Dr. Clarke, " a diftinct Declara- 
 
 <c tion, that the great Defign of God, as in 
 
 " every Difpenfation of Religion in general, fo 
 
 c< in the Go/pel more particularly, is to feparate 
 
 c c the Evil from the Good by proper Trials : 
 
 Cc And that this Defign will be effectually ac- 
 
 " complifh'd by Ckrijl ; in the prefent Life 
 
 <c partly, and to certain Degrees ; in the future 
 
 n t :c, 
 
of Future Punijhment. 157 
 
 <c Life perfeStly, totally, and finally:' With 
 this Declaration of the Baptijl\ almoft in the 
 Beginning of the New Teftament, agree our 
 Lord's own Words here, at the End of it. We 
 fee in this laft Chapter of the Revelation, the 
 complete Eftablifhment of the Kingdom and 
 City of God ; when the IVicked (hall be fepa- 
 rated from among the Juft y totally and for 
 ever. And this evidently appears from all the 
 Texts produced in thefe two Chapters, to be the 
 uniform DocTxine of the New Teftament, from 
 one end of it to the other, 
 
 C H A P-. 
 
158 "The Scripture- DoBrine 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 In which the Doctrine colleEled from 
 the Texts above cited, is farther af- 
 ferted) and reconciled with the moral 
 Perfe&ions of God. 
 
 IT is abundantly clear from the two preceed- 
 ing Chapters, that at the Day of Judgment 
 a Separation will be made between the righ- 
 teous and the wicked. This indeed, excepting 
 the Circumftance of the Time, is not fo pro- 
 perly a Point of Revelation, as the fundamental 
 Principle of all Religion, as well Natural as Re- 
 vealed : For he that cometh to God, in any Act 
 of Religion, or religious Worfhip, tnnjl believe 
 that he is, and that he is a Reivarder of them 
 that diligently feek him ; Heb. xi. 6. Without 
 this Retribution, which implies Punilhment as 
 well as Reward, (tho' it was to the Apoftle's 
 pnrpofe here to mention only the latter,) Reli- 
 gion fignifies nothing ; the fame End, and the 
 lame Event would come alike to all Men ; and 
 as no Diftinftion would be made either here or 
 hereafter, between the good and the bad, God 
 Almighty could not be faid to be the moral 
 Governour and Judge of the World. It is 
 therefore a certain, clear, and fundamental Prin- 
 ciple of all Rciigion, that there will be a Retri- 
 bution both to good and bad. The Scriptures, 
 
 efpecially 
 
of Future Punijhment. 159 
 
 efpecially of the New Teftament, teach us, that 
 this Retribution will be made at the Day of 
 Judgment ; then fhall the righteous and the 
 wicked be feparated from one another, and thefe 
 Jhall go away into everlajling Punifoment ; but 
 Hoe righteous into Life eternal. See N° XXII. 
 
 The Qneftion we are immediately concern'd 
 in is, Whether this Punifhment of the wicked, 
 fubfequent to the Day of Judgment, will be 
 ftrictly everlafting, or eternal ? It will appear 
 plainly to any one who reads the Teftimonies 
 produced above, which way the Language of 
 the New Teftament leans in this point. This 
 certainly leads us to the affirmative Side of the 
 Queftion. Archbifhop Tillotfon, in his famous 
 Sermon on the Subject, makes it one Head of 
 his Difcourfe to fhew, That the eternal Punijh- 
 ment of wicked Men in another World is plainly 
 threatned in Scripture. This is plain, if Words 
 can threaten any thing plainly ; or if it be plainly 
 promifed that the Life of the Righteous in ano- 
 ther World will be eternal. And this, I fufped:, 
 is the real Reafbn at bottom, tho* fome other 
 Pretences are fuggefted, (of which more in its 
 proper place,) why Mr. Whiflon denies both. 
 This Gentleman takes the liberty to aflert, that 
 eternal Puniihments are intirely unjuft in their 
 own nature ; extremely cruel and barbarous, 
 both in the Threatening, and in the Execu- 
 tion *. Here, we fee, lies the Root of the Mat- 
 ter. Texts and Teftimonies of Scripture, and 
 
 Fathers, 
 
 * P. 136. 
 
160 Tlie Scripture-Do&rine 
 
 Fathers, may be quoted, in a manner, fuch 
 a manner as it is ; but what is all this to the 
 purpofe ? The Cafe is prejudged, and in effect 
 determined before- hand. And what Sentence 
 can one expect from a Judge, who at the fame 
 I time that he calls in Witneffes, and pretends to 
 examine them, makes a Declaration that, how- 
 ever, let them fay what they will, the Caufe is 
 fo abfurd, or fo unjuft in its own nature, that 
 no Evidence will be fufficient to prove it ? Dr. 
 Burnet, tho' a great Oppofer of the Eternity 
 of future Puniihment, yet is forced to own 
 that the Scripture feems to be on the other fide. 
 Natura humana abhorret ab ipfo nomine poena- 
 rum asternarum, &c. At Scrlptiira Jacra a 
 partibus contrariis Jlare yidetur *. But then 
 
 Reafon, 
 
 * De Statu Mort. et Refurg. p. 2S8. Edit. 2da. After 
 
 the Words above quoted, he goes on thus : Humani 
 
 Generis amantiflimus Jefus Chriftus, apertc et explicate has 
 p.enas Daemonum et Damnatorum aeternas appellat : cum 
 Bonorum et Maloruni explicans fata, Sententiam in im- 
 probos hac formula pronunciat ; Execrati abite a me in 
 Ignem aternum^ qui paratus eft Diabclo et Ahgelis ejus, 
 Matt. xxv. 41. Eodem fenfu, Tritico in Horreum col- 
 )eclo, Paleam exnrendam dicit Igne inextintto, Matt. iii. 
 12. Et in Gehenna non tnori Fennem nee extingui Ignem, 
 Mar. ix. 44. Hoec teftari videntur, idque ex ore Cbrijli y 
 Improborum pcenas fore aeternas et interminatas. Neque 
 eiliter loquuntur Propheta et Apoftoli, Dan. xii. 2. ,2.Thef. 
 
 i 9. What can give a Man, who owns all this,* the 
 
 Hardinefs to contradict, it ? And who admits too at the 
 fame time that Rule of Interpretation, a Litcra non rccc- 
 dendum ejje fine necejjitate. Why truly, there are Reafons, 
 nrtnife/i Reajons and invincible Arguments, againft this 
 Doctrine: that is, againft the plain and explicit Dccla- 
 lations of Jefus Chrift-bimfelf, the Prophets and Apoflles. 
 On the contrary, I am fatisfied, firft, that thc:e aie no 
 
 fuch 
 
of Put ure Punljhtmnt. *6x 
 
 Reafon, he fays, the Nature of God, andtne Na-' 
 ture of Things, reclaim loudly. We fee where 
 the thing refts. It would readily be acknow- 
 ledged that the Scripture teaches eternal Punish- 
 ments,- if the Dodtrine could be reconcil'd with 
 Reafon, and our natural Notions of God's Per- 
 fections; This therefore is what I am now to 
 attempt : And in order to it, I obferve, 
 
 FiRs'r, That the Doctrine of eternal Punijb- 
 
 ments all along proceeds upon the Suppofition^ 
 
 that the Perfons condemned to them, are incurably 
 
 wicked, and fixd in a State and Temper of 
 
 Mind everlajlingly and unalterably evil. This; 
 
 I conceive, if He will be conliftent with himfelf* 
 
 Mr. Whijlon cannot well deny 5 fince he declares 
 
 it is perfectly agreeable to the Tejlimonies facred 
 
 and primitive, and what they all agree in, 
 
 that what Repentance or Pardon foever there 
 
 may be in Hades, the State of Preparation, there 
 
 is no hopes of either in Gehenna, or Hell itfelf 
 
 P. 73. See N° XV. above. In other places, 
 
 He fpeaks of fuch as ate incorrigibly wicked j— 
 
 of abandoned Wretches, whom no Methods of 
 
 Mercy y or Correction, or Preaching ofChrift, or 
 
 his Apoftlesi either on Earthy or in Hades, could 
 
 bring 
 fuch Reafons : and, idly, that if there were, it is not likely 
 that Men fhould be able to difcover them. It cannot be 
 confident with the Wifdom of God to threaten what is 
 inconfiftent with any known Perfection of his Nature to 
 execute. Such Conduct is below the Wifdom of an 
 earthly Lawgiver ; and fuch empty Threats, as foon as 
 they were difcover'd to be fo, would only expofe Him,, 
 and his Laws, toCcntembt. 
 
 M 
 
1 6 2 The Scripture-DoEirine 
 
 bring to Repentance and Salvation, p. 117, 
 Now, fuppofing fuch Beings as thefe, Men 
 or Devils, what can even Goodnefs itfelf do 
 with them ? It is not poffible in the Nature 
 of Things, that fuch Creatures mould be made 
 happy; it is no way defirable, Mr. W. allows, 
 that they fiould ever be made happy, either in 
 this, or another World, p. 131. There is no 
 Expedient then to relieve them, but Annihila- 
 tion ; a Point which I muft difculs by itfelf, 
 and which therefore I take the liberty at prefent 
 to fuppofe out of the queftion. This there- 
 fore being fet afide for the prefent -, I afk again, 
 what the great Governour and Judge of the 
 .World can do with fuch Creatures *? It is in- 
 
 confident 
 
 * Mr. Swinden in his Enquiry into the Nature and 
 Place of Hell, p. 284. had afierted, c < that the Mercy of 
 ." God, tho' infinite as himfelf, is yet not capable of be- 
 * ; ing extended to thofe obftinate and wilful Offenders, 
 " (viz. the Devil and his Angels, whom he had juft men- 
 « c tioned,) to them that defpife, reviie, and trample it 
 * c under foot, to them that contemn, and undermine, 
 <c and oppofe the gracious Defigns of it." Somebody 
 who writ a Supplement, as he calls it, (tho' he did not fo 
 much as know what the word Supplement means,) takes 
 Mr. Swinden to tafk for this Aifertion, p. 364. " It 
 " muft appear, he fays, greatly furprizing, that after 
 <c Mr. Swinden has declared his Approbation of the Free- 
 jj dom of Thought, which ought to be allowed to every 
 iC Writer, that he fhould pronounce fuch an ipfe dixit, as 
 
 <c to aflert that, "the.Afrrryof God, which, though 
 
 <c infinite ks Himfelf, is yet not capable of being extended 
 " to Sinners." The Grammar and Senfe of this Period 
 are of a piece. The Devil and his Angels, and fuch obfti- 
 nate and incorrigible Ofienders, are turn'd into Sinners in 
 general, penitent or impenitent ; and Mr. Siuinden is 
 made to fay, that the infinite Mercy of God cannot be 
 
 extended 
 
of Future Punijhment. 163 
 
 confident with every moral Perfection of his Na- 
 ture to reward them; it is inconfiftent with 
 Juftice, and Reafon, and Truth 5 it is inconfiftent 
 with Goodnefs itfelf, if Goodnefs be confident 
 with Redtitude, with doing always what is right 
 and beft. It is inconfiftent with their Depra- 
 vity, and their utter moral Incapacity of becom- 
 ing better, wilfully and obftinately con traded by 
 themfelves, ever to be made happy. There will 
 be no Amendment in their Temper, no Change, 
 or Reformation of their evil Habits 5 that is, no 
 Alteration, for the better, in their moral State : 
 And why then fhould there, or how indeed can 
 there, be any in their natural? If it was right 
 and reafonable, and confident with the moral 
 Attributes of God, to punifh them for a Year, 
 or a Day ; it will be fo ftill, to punifh them for 
 ever, if they themfelves, and all the Reafons of 
 their Punifhment, remain the fame for ever : 
 Which is according to the Suppofition. 
 
 There are but two things, as far as I caa 
 difcern, that can be objedted to this Account. 
 One is, that the Suppofition itfelf of their in- 
 corrigible Wickednefs, or incurably wicked 
 Temper, is unreafonable j fince all intelligent 
 
 M 2 Beings, 
 
 extended to Sinners, When a Man thus mifreprefents 
 his Adverfary's Argument, take it for a Confeilion that 
 he cannot anfwer it. What Mr. Swinden fays, wants no 
 Proof, and is capable of no Confutation. It is evident 
 from the cleared Ideas in the human Mind, that the only 
 poflible Object of Mercy is Penitence ; unlefs you mean by 
 Mercy an Imperfection, an irrational Weaknefs, by no 
 means compatible to the great God, the fupreme Governour 
 and Judge of the World. 
 
1 6+ 75* Scripture-DoElrint 
 
 Beings, fooncr or later, will probably return t«' 
 Order. The other is, that allowing the Sup- 
 pofition, that free Beings can thus fix themfelves 
 in a State of incurable and endlefs Wickednefs 
 and Mifcry, it is not confiftent with the Per- 
 fections of God, who muft know and forefee 
 this, to create them. I muft fpeak more parti- 
 cularly to thefirft Point, when I come to examine 
 what they call the Syftem of the Reftoration, 
 or Re-eftablifhment. I only fay now in gene- 
 ral, that the Cafe fuppofed, may poffibly be a real 
 one. We cannot from any clear Ideas prove, 
 that fuch final incurable Perverfenefs and Depra- 
 vity is impoffible, in the nature of things. And 
 we know an inftance, in fad:, of Beings, who 
 have continued in fuch a State of moral Difor- 
 der, for upwards, it may be, of fix thoufand 
 Years. They may continue the fame for fix 
 Millions more, and fo on for ever* For length 
 of time fignifies nothing towards producing a real 
 Reformation, which is not an Event that comes 
 to pafs of courfe \ but ferves only to confirm 
 their evil Temper and Habits, and ingraft them 
 more deeply in their very Frame and Confu- 
 tation. However, as I faid before, this is the 
 Suppofition,, on which the Doftrine of eternal 
 Punifhment proceeds. It is in vain therefore to 
 fay, how they would be dealt with in cafe they 
 repented, and* became really virtuous -, for there 
 is no fuch Cafe fuppofed. They have render'd 
 themfelves incapable of it, by their own flee and 
 deliberate Choice; and the Means and Oppor- 
 tunities of it are no longer afforded them. Com- 
 pare 
 
of Future PuntJbmenU . 165 
 
 pare N° XII, XIII, XVI, XIX, XX,XXI,XXV, 
 
 CI. And what is advanced under each. 
 
 But it is faid, that this Suppofition is incon- 
 fiftent with the Divine Perfe&ions ;•— • it is in- 
 confiftent with the Wifdom and Goodnefs of 
 God, fo to form and conftitute the Human or 
 Rational Nature, that it fhould be poffible for it 
 to degenerate into incurable Depravity : or, if 
 he would fo frame it, it ought at leaft to have 
 been with this Referve, that when it once came 
 to that Extremity, it fhould return to nothing. 
 In fhort, no Creatures ought to be expofed to 
 the terrible Rifque of eternal Damnation : They 
 would have reafon to upbraid the Creator for 
 giviug them Existence *. 
 
 I am fatisfied, for my own part, that Men 
 who talk thus, talk they know not what ; and 
 throw fome words together, without any clear 
 Ideas. God mujl not form or conftitute the hu~ 
 wan or rational Nature, Jo as it Jhall be capa- 
 ble of degenerating into a State of incurable 
 IVickednef -f\ But it fhould have been clearly 
 
 proved, 
 
 * Burnet -ubi fup. p. 291. and the Introduction to- 
 fome Letters on this Subject, at the end cf a Book enti- 
 tled, The World unmask 'd; or the Pkilofopher the great eft 
 Cheat. Tranfhted from the French, and printed 1736. 
 
 f " Others there are, who have prefumptuoufly taken 
 upon them to argue, that, according to their Notions of 
 the Divine Goodnefs, all Creatures mould be made capable 
 of Happinefs only, and none of them liable to fall into Mi- 
 fery. But then it would follow, that God had no right to- 
 create any rational w free Agents at all. Fat whe*e-ever 
 M 3 thw* 
 
t66 735* Scripture-Do&rine 
 
 proved, that fuch a Capacity as is here men- 
 tion^, is not implied in the very nature and no- 
 tion of a free Creature ; fuch as human or ra- 
 tional Beings are. Thefe muft have a power of 
 chufing evil ; that is, of making a wrong Choice. 
 And, poflibly, they may make it fo obftinately, 
 and fb long, that at laft they cannot, or will not, 
 make any other. Muft God then, to prevent 
 this accidental Confequence, or Abufe, of Li- 
 berty, create no free Beings at all ? That would 
 be hard ; would rob him of his Glory, and Mil- 
 lions of Creatures, (who make a right ufe of 
 their Liberty,) of their Happinefs. Well, but 
 if this be the Cafe, and free Agents muft be 
 created, who, as fuch, may wilfully render them- 
 felves incurably wicked ; it fhould be, however, 
 with this Condition, hdc fait em lege & modo y 
 that when they once arrived at this pitch, they 
 floould fallback again into nothing. But what 
 if this Projed: too, fhould be a Violation of the 
 Nature of things ? What if God created all hu- 
 man, 
 
 there is Freedom, (except only in God himfelf, who is by 
 nature ejjentially and immutably good ; where- ever elfe, I 
 fay, there is Freedom,) in whatever proportion and degree 
 it be, there muft be accordingly a power of choofing Evil 
 as well as Good -, and where there is no poflibility of Dif- 
 obedience, there can be properly no Obedience neither ; nor 
 any Virtue, where there is no room for Vice. Sufficient it 
 is, that God, the fupreme Judge and Governour of all, 
 will deal with every one proportionally according to their 
 respective Circumstances ; and zuill finally punijh even in- 
 corrigible Wickednefs it/elf, not arbitrarily, but according to 
 its juft Deferts ; and in fuch manner as fhall appear to be- 
 come him, who is. all- wife and good as well as all-powerful, 
 to act in his Government of the Univerfe." Dr. Clarke^ 
 Sermon on Matt. xxv. 46. Vol. VII. p. 409. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 167 
 
 man, and all rational, Beings, eadem lege & mo- 
 do -, all equally incapable, the wicked as well as 
 the virtuous, of falling back into nothing? Is 
 there any thing unjuft in this ? Any thing, but 
 what is highly congruous, uniform and proper? 
 Mud different Men, the good and the bad, have 
 Souls of a different nature ? The Souls of the 
 good, under God, naturally immortal ; while 
 thofe of the incurably wicked, fhould have a na- 
 tural Tendency to Jlide back again into nothing? 
 This is abfurd, contradictory, and impoflible. 
 The Souls of Men muft be all of the fame Na- 
 ture and Order. And Dr. Burnet himfelf has 
 excellently proved, in his fecond Chapter , that 
 they are naturally immortal. This therefore is 
 the Conftitution which God has actually efta- 
 bliiVd ; and is therefore again, we may be fure, 
 the beft. Still, however, it is in the power of 
 God to annihilate them 5 tho' they have no Ten- 
 dency in their own nature to fallback into no- 
 thing. But is God Almighty obliged, to do this ? 
 Yes, fays Dr. Burnet : , the Honour of Provi- 
 dence cannot be maintain'd without it. That 
 is, the Honour of Providence cannot be main- 
 tain'd, unlefs by arbitrary Interpofitions of mere 
 Power, it acts contrary to the original Confti- 
 tution, and Nature of things; unlefs it reveries 
 its own Laws \ and in favour of its greateft Ene- 
 mies, reduces into nothing, Beings created na- 
 turally immortal, capable of eternal Happinefs, 
 and who once flood a fair and equal Chance for 
 it, but voluntarily render'd themielves incurably 
 M 4 wicked, 
 
1 68 The Scripture-DoSirim 
 
 wicked, and miferable. To fay, *as is faid, 
 that thefe Beings can be of no ufe> is faying a 
 great deal more than any Man knows. How- 
 ever, this is certain, they can be of little ufe af- 
 ter they are annihilated ; and the Example per- 
 haps, if known, might be of ill Confequence to 
 other Creatures, (if any fuch there fhould be,) 
 in fome future States of Probation ; befides that 
 it is contrary to the nature of things. I doubt 
 not but we fhould find, if we could comprehend 
 the whole Scheme and Condudl of Providence, 
 that it always ads uniformly, agreeably to the 
 Nature of things, and its own original Confti- 
 tution, and Appointment, in the Creation. Be- 
 ings created naturally immortal, that is, toexift 
 for ever, with the ordinary Influence and Con- 
 currence of God, will never be deftroy'd pre- 
 ternaturally by the Power of God. They muft 
 abide by the Confequences of the Nature which 
 God at firft implanted in them. But being 
 thus expofed to the terrible Rifque of eternal 
 Damnation, they will have reafon, it feems, to 
 upbraid their Creator for giving them Exiflence. 
 Why fo ? He not only gave them Exiftence, but 
 all the neceffary Means of rendering that Exh 
 
 ftence 
 
 * Both by Dr. Burnet ', p. 290, and Mr. TVlnJlon, p. 19. 
 Tho' this laft Gentleman once tailed as if they would be 
 a mofl ufeful Speclacle, (their .place of Torment being the 
 Atmofphere of a Comet, revolving in the fight of ail the 
 Inhabitants of our Air, and of the reft of theSyftem,) to 
 the reft of Grod's rational Creatures ; and would admonifh 
 them above all things to prefer ve their Innocence and Ober 
 dience j and to fear him who, is thus able to dejhoy both 
 Soul and Body in Hell. Afhonomical Principles of Re- 
 ligion, p. J56. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 169 
 
 ftence happy, thro' the whole Extent of its end- 
 lefs Duration. Was this an ill Gift ? It proved 
 fb, you'll fay, in the Event : But was that the 
 Creator's fault ? Muft he create them necefla- 
 rily happy, without Liberty, or Virtue ; with- 
 out any Probation ? We fee he has not done 
 this ; the Conftitution which he has eftablifh'd 
 in fadt, is of a contrary kind ; and there is no ar- 
 guing againft it, but upon the Principles of A- 
 theifm. We are all of us yet in this proba- 
 tionary State; and confequently expofed to the 
 terrible rifque of eternal Damnation ; that is, 
 we may incur this Doom, if we will. But is 
 there any room for Complaint upon this Head ? 
 Any reafon to upbraid the Creator ? Can we, 
 confiftently with any Principles of Religion, up- 
 braid him for giving us Exiftence, upon thefe 
 Terms? Suppofe now this State of Probation 
 over. We are difpofed of in another, of exact 
 diftributive Juftice; where our natural Con- 
 dition will be as good, as our moral Temper and 
 Habits delerve j or, all things confider'd, perhaps, 
 will admit of: that is, they will be exactly a- 
 dapted, and fuited to each other. Where then 
 will be the Reafon to ztpbraid the Creator ? If 
 we are miferable, ftill All is right. And there 
 will be no more reafon to upbraid God in that 
 State of Retribution, than there was before, in 
 the State of Probation. It would be a miferable 
 Univerfe, if this righteous Difpofition of things 
 did not finally prevail. I will clofe this Ar- 
 ticle in the words of a fine Reafoner, which will 
 have more weight than any ot mv own. 
 
 *« To 
 
170 The Scripture-DoStrine 
 
 (C 
 
 << 
 
 (< To produce a Being into a State of clear 
 Happinefs, m any degree, can be no injury to 
 it -, or into a State of mixt Happinefs, pro- 
 vided the Happinefs certainly over-balances 
 " the contrary, and the unhappy or fuffering 
 <c Part be not greater than what that Being would 
 <c choofe in order to obtain the Happinefs, or ra- 
 ct ther than lofe it. Nor, again, can any wrong 
 " be done by producing a Being fubjeel to more 
 Mifery than Happinefs, if that Being hath it 
 in his own power to avoid the Mifery, or fo 
 <c much of it, as may leave the Remainder of 
 <c Mifery not greater, than what he would ra- 
 <c ther fuftain than mifs the Proportion of Hap- 
 pinefs. *.Tbe only Cafe then, by which 
 wrong can be done in the Produ&ion of any 
 Being, is, when it is neceffarily and irreme- 
 diably to be mijerabk) without any Recom- 
 " penfe, or Balance of that Mifery : And this 
 " indeed is a Cafe fo grievous, fo utterly irrecon- 
 lc cilable to all Reafon y that the Heart of a rea- 
 <c foiling and confidering Man can fcarce bear 
 " the Thought of it. So much every one 
 " muft underftand of the nature of Reafon and 
 " Juflice, as to allow theie things for Truths in- 
 " contestable." Religion of Nature delineated, 
 p. 200. 5th Edit. 
 
 I 
 
 * Hence may appear the Difference between the Doc- 
 trine of the Eternity of future Punifbments, and the Doc- 
 trine of abfolute Reprobation : Two very different things, 
 tho' Mr. W. p. 2. and Dr. Burnet, p. 508. are pleafed to 
 rank them together. 
 
 <c 
 
 cc 
 
 ct 
 
of Future Punijhment* tyt 
 
 I pass on to a fecond Obfervation, intimated 
 more than once already, viz. That the Degrees 
 rf this future Punifoment will be infinitely va- 
 rious, and exactly in proportion to the Guilt and 
 Demerit of thofe who fuffer them *. It is plain- 
 ly decked in Scripture, that it will be more 
 tolerable for fome than for others, in the Day 
 of Judgment \ and that fome will receive a 
 greater Damnation. And indeed this Doclrine 
 of the Degrees, and different Meafures, of Punifh- 
 ment, is implied in the very Notion of a juft and 
 righteous Judgment. I need not therefore under- 
 take formally to prove this Point. " It is certain, 
 " fays Mr. W hi/Ion, and agreed to by all, that 
 cc fome Sinners deferve much greater Punifh- 
 cc ment than others - y and that God will render 
 
 " to 
 
 * " There is fuch a Difference acknowledged in the 
 <c State of the Bleffed, where all are happy according to 
 cc their feveral Capacities, and fo it is in Hell, where all are 
 <c miferable if compared with the Condition of the Blef- 
 c< fed, but in different Degrees ; and as in this Life fome 
 " are fo unfortunate that it were better for them not to 
 " be at all, than to continue always in the State in which 
 " they are; fo in Hell there may be fome whofe Condi- 
 " tion is preferable to not being ; tho' for Judas and fuch 
 " Sinners it had been better they had never been." 
 
 Archbijhop King, Sermon on the Fall of Man, at the 
 End of the 2d Vol. of The Origin of Evil. 
 
 It is better, perhaps, not to determine any thing about 
 the Point here mention'd by the Archbifhop. All that 
 are condemn'd to Hell, fuffer, of courfe, the Lofs of Hea- 
 ven, and all that is included in the Poena Damni. If 
 they deferve to fuffer no more, they will fuffer no more. 
 And every Degree of pofitive Punifhment fuperadded, 
 will be no more than what is juft and neceffary. So that 
 no one's Exiftence will be worfe than Non-exiftence, 
 wrongfully, or without Reafon. 
 
tyz The Scripture-DoSirine 
 
 " to every one according to his Works : That 
 " fome will be beaten with many, and others 
 V with few Stripes, in the future World." 
 (P. 108.) This Principle, thus agreed to by all, 
 our Adverfaries endeavour to make their advan^ 
 tage of: (tho' they feem to forget it, upon fome 
 other occafions > when, in their rhetorical De- 
 clamations upon this Subjed, they feem to re- 
 prefent all the Sufferers alike, in the fame exqui- 
 iite, and extreme Degree of Torment.) It mojl 
 naturally implies, Mr. W. tells us, that the 
 Punifoment of fome of the wicked /hall be much 
 longer thfin of others % But why longer ? Can- 
 not fome be beaten with more Stripes than 
 
 others, 
 
 * To what Mr. TV. alledges out of Jujiin Martyr, I 
 anfwer, that it is evident from his own TefHmonies out 
 of that Father, p. 76,77. that he aflerted the Eternity 
 of future Punifhment ; which Teftimonies however, he 
 has can" rated by his arbitrary Interpretation. As to what 
 jujiin fays in the Place here referred to, it muft be ob- 
 ferv'd, that he is arguing againft that independent Im- 
 mortality of the Soul, aflerted by the Platonifis, which 
 implies a beginninglefs, as well as endlefs Duration ; in 
 which fenfe, God only bath Immortality. In this lenfe, he 
 v ll) not allow the Souls of Men to be immortal ; not that 
 they will ever perij}?, for thofe of the good, he exprefsly 
 fays, fhall die no more ; and thofe of the wicked (hall be 
 punifh'd as long as God wills to continue them in Being, and 
 to punifh them. The Meaning of which is, agreeably to 
 the Point he is upon, that their Exiftence is dependent 
 upon God 5 who as he at firft gave, has it always in his 
 power to take it away. But that he ever will do fo, is not 
 /aid ; wot confident with what Jujiin teaches, concerning 
 their endlefs Punimment, elfewhere : See the Pages above 
 referred to, in Mr. TVs Book. See alfo the Notes in 
 J ebb's Edition of the Dialogue with Trypho^ p. 19, 2 1 . And 
 tor a full Vindication of Jujiin Martyr, fee Mr. CbiJhulPs 
 Charge of Hercfy, chap. iii f 
 
of Future Punijhtnent. 173 
 
 others, tho* their Exiftence in that Place of 
 Torment be of equal Duration ? May not fome 
 Prifoners deferve, and meet with, better Treat- 
 ment than others, tho' the Time of their Con- 
 finement in Prifon be the fame ? Tho' the 
 Scriptures tell us that God will render to every 
 Man according to his Works , and make mention 
 of the many y and of the few Stripes ; yet they 
 never fay, that fome mall be punilh'd J or a long 
 time y (els xt9 voy toAuv ;) and others for a 
 Jhort time, (&$ ^gprov (jux&v, or &sob iyov KCLtgpp.) 
 But the Difference always turns upon the Variety 
 of Degrees, and not at all upon the Inequality of 
 the Duration ; the Punifhment of all being re- 
 prefented zsdioivto:, or &s tqv diolp*, equally; 
 never once, as ir^pa^x^i temporal \ or for a 
 Seafon. This Difference of Degrees, therefore, 
 is the thing mo ft naturally implied, according 
 to the whole Tenour of Scripture, when any 
 Difference is fpoken of*. But this equal Dura- 
 tion, Mr. W. fays, p. 108. is contrary to the moji 
 obvious Rules of Right and Juftice in the World. 
 I, on the other hand, affert, that llnce there 
 will be fo great a Difference in the Degrees of 
 Punifhment, each Man's being exadtfy fuited to 
 the Demerit of his Sin, and the Malignity of his 
 Temper, there will be no Injuftice in the equal 
 Duration of it: And that the Judge of all the 
 Earth will ftill do right, tho' he does not pre* 
 ternaturally annihilate thofe Creatures, whom he 
 originally created naturally immortal. " For 
 " why, IbefeeGh you,"faysDr. Clarke, " mud 
 
 4 < k 
 *• Corrnsre what is faStf* XXV f. 
 
1 74 The Scripture- DoEirine 
 
 iC it needs be fuppofed, that God cannot dif- 
 <c pofe of all his rational Creatures into States 
 " fuitable to their feveral Natures, and propor- 
 " tionable to their feveral Capacities and Deferts, 
 cc without destroying and taking away their 
 Cc Being?" Letter to Mr. Dodwell, p. 62. And 
 again, p. 67. ' c But certainly it is a very weak 
 €C and poor Argument, to conclude that num- 
 <c berlefs Souls muft therefore neceffarily be an- 
 <c nihilated, merely becaufe we do not know in 
 <c particular, what State and Condition it will 
 <c pleafe God to afiign them." There can be 
 no doubt, but that God can thus diipofe of all 
 his Creatures, (incorrigibly wicked Chriftians, 
 as well as Heathens, and Infants,) in fuch a man- 
 ner as is right, and beft upon the whole ; and yet 
 fo, that none of them (hall fuffer more than the 
 Reafon of the thing demands, or their own Ini- 
 quities deferve. And provided this be but done, 
 there will be no reafonable Ground of Com- 
 plaint, becaufe he does not take away their Being. 
 
 A third Obfervation to be made is, that 
 thefe Puni/hments are not merely arbitrary \ or fo 
 to be underJlood y as if God interpofed every mo- 
 ment to ifjfliffi them, by Affs of mere Power and 
 Willy bat they are the natural and neceffary 
 Confeqitence and Refult of things. There is a 
 Man indeed who calls himfelf, or his Book, the 
 Moral Philofopher, (and one is as much fo, as 
 the other,) who denies all this ; and tells us that 
 cc thefe Rewards and Punifhments muft be fuch 
 " as are not the natural, neceffarv Confequences 
 
 « of 
 
of Future Pwiijhment. 175 
 
 * c of the Actions themfelves, fince every one 
 <c muft fee that this would be no Government 
 <c at all, and that the Cafe, in this refpect, muft 
 " be the very fame whether we fuppofe any 
 u Rectoral Juftice, or any Prefence or Operation 
 " of God in the World or not." P. 189, 190. 
 1 Vol. It is my misfortune not to fee this, or any 
 thing like it. On the contrary, I fee plainly 
 that the Government of God at prefent, is, in 
 general, adminifter'd in a different way. x ^nd 
 yet this is very far from being the very fame, as 
 to fuppofe, that there is no Prefe?tce or Operation 
 of God in the World. But I beg leave to il- 
 luftrate this Point in the words of a great and 
 excellent Writer, who has introduced the folid 
 manner of reafoning upon moral Subjects, fo 
 highly and fo juftly approved in natural, build- 
 ing nothing upon Conjecture and Hypothejis, but 
 all upon Facts and Experience. It will be im- 
 mediately feen that I mean Bp. Butler, whofe 
 Analogy of Religion natural and revealed, to 
 the Conjlitution and Courfe of Nature, is one of 
 the nobleft Performances our Age has produced^ 
 
 and would have been an Honour to any. 
 
 " From this general Obfervation, obvious to 
 " every one, that God has given us to under- 
 " ftand, he has appointed Satisfaction and De- 
 u light to be the Confequence of our acting in 
 <l one manner, and Pain and Uneafinefs of our 
 M acting in another, and of onr not acting at 
 " all 3 and that we find thefe Confequences, 
 <c which we were beforehand inform'd of, uni- 
 " formly to follow ; we may learn, that we are 
 
 11 at 
 
176 The Scripture-DoElrhie 
 
 cc 
 
 u 
 
 «c 
 
 ic at prefent actually undfcr his Government iti 
 <c the ftri&eft and moft proper fenfe ; in fuch 
 €€ a fenfe, as that he rewards and punifhes us 
 cc for our Aftions. An Author of Nature be- 
 " ing fuppofed, it is not lb much a Deduction 
 " of Reafon, as a Matter of Experience, that 
 ** we are thus under his Government : Under 
 " his Government, in the fame fenfe, as we 
 <c are under the Government of civil Magiftrates. 
 u Becaufe the annexing Pleafure to fome Ac- 
 cc tions, and Pain to others, in our power to do 
 or forbear, and giving notice of this Appoint- 
 ment beforehand to thofe whom it concerns 5 
 is the proper formal Notion of Government. 
 Whether the Pleafure or Pain which thus 
 follows upon what we do, be owing, to the 
 " Author of Nature's adting upon us every IVfe- 
 < c ment which we feel it ; or to his having at 
 " once contrived and executed his own Part in 
 " the Plan of the World ; makes no alteration 
 <c as to the Matter before us. For if civil Ma- 
 " giftrates could make the Sanations of their 
 " Laws take place, without interpofing at all, 
 u after they had pafled them •, without a Trial, 
 " and the Formalities of an Execution : If they 
 4i were able to make their Laws execute them- 
 u felves, or every Offender to execute them 
 cc upon himfelf ; wc fhould be juft in the fame 
 iC fenfe under their Government then, as we arc 
 M now : But in a much higher Degree, and more 
 perfed Manner." (P. 35. 4toEdit.) * 
 
 As 
 
 ct 
 
 * Compare Archbifliop King's Appendix to his Origin' 
 of Evil, Se&. iii. 
 
of Future Pimifiment. 177 
 
 A s this then is not only a pefjible y but a real 
 Cafe, the Cafe in Fact, under the frefent Go- 
 vernment of God ; it may be the fame, even 
 in a much higher degree, and more perfect man- 
 ner, in the future State of Retribution. The 
 natural Confequences of Things and Actions 
 may then take their courfe, with lefs Difturbance 
 and Interruption. Natural and moral Evil will 
 be clofely connected, and every Degree of the 
 one be attended with an equal Degree of the 
 other. It is a jeft to fay, that this is inconfiftent 
 with the Notion of governing Juftice ; which is 
 rather an illuftrious Difplay of it. For what 
 does that require more, than that wicked Agents 
 fhould be punihYd, proportionably as their Ini- 
 quities deferve ? And whether this Punifhment 
 comes upon them, in the way of natural Con- 
 fequence, or of pofitive Infliction, pro Re nata y 
 makes no difference as to them -, for the Punifh- 
 ment is fuppofed to be equally the fame. And 
 as to the Prefence and Operation of God, they 
 are by no means excluded by this Suppofition. 
 The whole Scheme is originally his Contrivance 
 and Conftitution. He is prefent every where , 
 and acts always ; but uniformly, agreeably to 
 certain Laws founded in eternal Wifdom, Rea- 
 fon, and Truth ; or to thole Ideas in the divine 
 Mind, according to which all things were cre- 
 ated. This is acting according to the Nature of 
 Things, which furely is very different from not 
 acting at all ; and feems to be more worthy of 
 the Deity, than acting by occafional and arbitrarv 
 
 N Interpofnions 
 
178 The Scripture-Do&rine 
 
 Interpofitions of Power 5 the way in which poor 
 Mortals act, for want of Ability to contrive, exe- 
 cute, or even comprehend, a Syftem of Govern- 
 ment, founiverfal, fo complex, and fo perfect 
 as the other. 
 
 In fhort, there are two ways in which future 
 Punifhments may be fuppofed to be inflicted : 
 They may either proceed arbitrarily from the 
 Will of God, or neceffarily from the Nature of 
 Things. Which of thefe appears to be mod 
 worthy of God, and moft analogous to the pre- 
 fent Adminiftration of Providence, I leave the 
 World to judge. The arbitrary Scheme is per- 
 plex'd with many Difficulties *, of which the 
 other ftands clear. There are certain Confe- 
 quences of Actions and Habits, which, of courfe, 
 will take place. And if thefe will conftitute a 
 juft and adequate Punifhment, (and who can 
 prove they will not ?) what Reafon is there to 
 fuperadd any other kinds of Torment, pro arbi- 
 trio, which have no natural Connection with 
 the Crimes to be punifli'd ? If it be afk'd, what 
 all thefe natural Confequences are, which will 
 conftitute this Punishment, in the future World ? 
 I anfwer, that I am not able to tell diftinctly $ 
 nor do I know who is. But we fee that Vice 
 has terrible Confequences, which naturally attend 
 and follow it, in the prefent Scene of Things. 
 
 And 
 
 * See this prov'd in a Piece entitled, The Dofirim cf 
 Hell-Torments diftinRly and impartially dif cuffed. Printed 
 for J.Noon, 1738. I dgn't undertake to anfwer for all 
 the Author's Prernifes ; but I agree with him in his Ctn- 
 clujten, that the Punijkments are not arbitrary. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 179 
 
 And there is no reafon to think that it will be 
 otherwife, when this Scene of things is over. 
 It is ealily conceivable, how inveterate and incu- 
 rable Habits of it, may affect the Temper and 
 Frame of the Soul. AekI tho' there may be 
 more difficulty in this Point, with regard to 
 the new-raifed Body * 5 yet we know that the 
 Man cannot be happy, while the Mind is mife- 
 rable. Befides, the Nature of the State and 
 Place to which they are condemned, muft be 
 taken into Confideration ; as alfo the Company 
 they are connVd to ; that of Beings like them- 
 felves, wholly alienated from the Nature and 
 Life of God ; and fuch as have extinguifhed all 
 the Sparks of virtuous and good Affection. In 
 the natural Refult, and neceffary Confequences, 
 of thefe things together, their Punifhment will 
 confift y and nothing more terrible can be pre- 
 fented to a thoughtful and virtuous Mind. 
 
 Supposing thia to be the Cafe, the Threats 
 of eternal Punifhment muft be confidered, as fo 
 many plain Declarations of the natural Confe- 
 quences of a wicked Life : And will not fo pro- 
 perly be executed, by the particular Interpolation 
 
 N 2 of 
 
 * Non tamen omne malum miferis, nee funditus omnes 
 Corporea excedunt peftes ; penitufque necefTe eft 
 Multa diu concreta mod is inolefcere miris. 
 
 Habits contracted in the Body in this State of Proba- 
 tion, may adhere to it after the Refurreclion ; juft as they 
 would have done, if the Sinner had lived all the interme- 
 diate Time, and no Interval had pafled in the Grave. 
 And how thefe may affect it, we cannot tell diftindtly, 
 unlefs we knew. more particularly with what Bodies they 
 fhall be raifed, 
 
i8o 77je Scripture-DoElrine 
 
 of any Being whatever, as come to pafs of courfe, 
 neceflarily, and in the very nature of things. It 
 is abfurd therefore to fay, that this Puniihment 
 is extremely cruel and barbarous, both in the 
 Threatening, and in the Execution *. The Exe- 
 cution refults from the Nature of things 5 from 
 the necelTary Connection between natural and 
 moral Good and Evil ; and the Threatening is a 
 fair Warning, a gracious Admonition, or, as I 
 laid before, a plain Declaration of what will, 
 and muft, inevitably follow, if Men chufe, and 
 finally perfevere in their Choice of the latter. 
 This is fo far from being an Act of Cruelty, that 
 it is an Inftance of Goodnefs, defign'd to prevent 
 Men from incurring the Punifhment denounced, 
 by leading them to Repentance. And to com- 
 plain of it, is a thoufand times more abfurd, 
 than to complain of a Man who ihews you a 
 Precipice, only to hinder you from being dafh'd 
 to pieces. But, Athly, 
 
 I make it a diflincT; Obfervation, in order to 
 vindicate the Ways of God to Man, with regard 
 to this Subject, that Men were apprized and 
 forewarned of this Conftitution, and of the Con- 
 jiquences of a wicked Life. The Debate before 
 us was, in the Beginning of it, confin'd to the 
 Cafe of Chriftians, Not becaufe others alfo 
 fhall not be brought into Judgment, and pu- 
 
 n iflied 
 
 *Indulgens eft enim, (Deus,) etiam tunc cum minatur; 
 iium per haec homines ad redla revocantur. Nam quibus 
 ad honellam vitam deeft Ratio, metus eft neceflarius ; ut 
 qui rationem reliquerunt, vel terrore moveantur. Nova- 
 tion, de Trinitate y Cap. v. 
 
 Sec Mr. Rafs Three Pfyjici-ttetyhal Ditcmrfcs, Dif- 
 couffe the Third} Cap. ult. 
 
of Future Pumjhment. 181 
 
 nifhed as their Iniquities deferve; but becaufc 
 the Gofpel, the Punishments denounced in 
 which only we are now confidering, concerns 
 itfelf only with Chriftians. And thefe have no 
 reafon to complain that they are not previoufly 
 inform'd of the Danger, and forewarn'd of the 
 terrible Con fequences, of their Difobedience. For 
 as Life and Immortality are brought to light by the 
 Gofpel *, Co alfo in the fame Gofpel is revealed, in the 
 plaineft and moft pofitive Terms, the Wrath of 
 God agai?ifi all Ungodlinefs, and Unrighteoufnefs 
 of Men -f. If Men will not believe this Revelation, 
 in this Particular, but pervert its plain Meaning, 
 tho' exprefled in variety of Phrafes, and repeated 
 a thouiand times over, by vain and groundlefs 
 Criticifms, and darken Truth by Words with- 
 out Knowledge ; it is their own Ad:, and their 
 own Fault, and the Confequence be to them- 
 felves. They cannot, with any reafon, reproach 
 their Creator, as if he had not done his part, in 
 fetting before them while they were in their 
 State of Probation, that the Wages of Sin is 
 Death, eternal Exclufion from his heavenly 
 Kingdom, and an everlafting State of Punifh- 
 ment with the Devil and his Angels. And it is 
 methinks fomething furprizing, that Chriftians 
 mould make fuch a Doubt of this matter, with 
 the plain Declarations of the Gofpel lying open 
 before them, fince it was a Dodrine commonly 
 received, even by the Heathens. Socrates |), 
 (from whom, by the bve, rather than from the 
 
 N 3 Gofpel, 
 
 * 2 Tim. i. io. f Rom. i. 18. 
 
 |j In Piatt's Phsedon, p. i;S\ Ed. Cant. 
 
1 82 Tthe Scripture-DoSirine 
 
 Gofpel, Mr. W. feems to have borrowed his 
 Divifion of Mankind) plainly fuppofes that 
 feme Sinners, fuch as have been guilty of great 
 and repeated AcT:s of Sacrilege, Murder, or the 
 like, will be judged incurable, and condemned 
 to Hell, (cfisf -2tot« eyXaivvcnv) from which 
 they will never be delivered. But it is foreign 
 to the Point in hand, to colled; the Authorities 
 to this purpofe. And it is, in fome meafure, 
 done already, in Mr. Ray's Difconrfe, which I 
 referred to above. Bifhop Butler, as ufual, re- 
 prefents this matter in a fine Light. " Gentile 
 " Writers, fays he *, both Moralifts and Poets, 
 ct fpeak of the future Punifhment of the wicked, 
 <c both as to the Duration and Degree of it, in 
 <c a like manner of Expreflion and of Defcrip- 
 <c tion, as the Scripture does ; fo that all which 
 <c can pofitively be afferted to be matter of 
 <c mere Revelation, with regard to this Doc- 
 cc trine, feems to be, that the great Diitinction 
 *' between the righteous and the wicked, mall 
 " be made at the End of this World ; that each 
 <£ fhall then receive according to his Deferts. 
 " Reafon did, as it well might, conclude that 
 <c it mould, finally and upon the whole, be 
 <c well with the righteous, and ill with the 
 " wicked : But it could not be determined upon 
 <c any Principles of Reafon, whether human 
 tC Creatures might not have been appointed to 
 <c pais through other States of Life and Being, 
 " before that diftributive Juffice fhould finally 
 €C and effectually take place. Revelation teaches 
 
 us, 
 
 * Analogy of Religion, Sec. p. 39, 40. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 183 
 
 " us, that the next State of Things after the pre- 
 cc fent, is appointed for the Execution of this 
 " Juftice $ that it (hall be no longer delayed : 
 " But the My fiery of God, the great Myftery of 
 c< his fuffering Vice and Confufion to prevail, 
 <£ Jloall then be Jinijhed 1 and He will take to him 
 ct his great Power and will reign, by rendering 
 cc to every one according to his Works." This 
 great Point Chriftians are now affur'd of, with 
 all the Clearnefs imaginable ; and if they mif- 
 carry in their main Purfuit by depending on 
 fomething elle, the Blame will He at their own 
 door. Again, 
 
 As Men were fufficiently apprized of this 
 Confutation of Things, of thefe Confequences 
 of a wicked Life, or what is the fame in other 
 Words, of the Perpetuity of future Puni/hments; 
 fo they were at liberty, and had it in their power 
 to avoid them. It is implied in the very Notion 
 of a S^ate of Trial, that as it muft administer 
 Occafions to try our Virtue, fo it muft furnifh us 
 with all neceffary Means to fecure it : For when 
 Men are really tried above their Strength, it is, 
 in the Account of Morality, no Trial at all. So 
 much kerns to be clear, a priori, from the very 
 Nature of a State of Probation. And if we at- 
 tend to our own, we mall find it to be the Cafe 
 in fact. It is evidently in our power to avoid all 
 fuch grofs A£ls, and all fuch Habits of Vice, at 
 leaft, as will in the end prove abfolutely fatal. 
 It is in our power, not to contract: any evil Ha- 
 bits at all. And tho' when they are contracted, 
 N 4 and 
 
184 The Scripture-DoElrine 
 
 and are become inveterate and of long {landing, 
 it is with great difficulty that they are relin- 
 quished ; yet may even This be done, at leaft in 
 ordinary Cafes, by the Grace of God, and a wil- 
 ling Mind. But fuppofe the worft, that it is pof- 
 fible for Men to deftroy their natural Liberty, 
 and by a long Cuftom of finning render them- 
 felves incapable of Amendment : ftill it is to be 
 remembered, that they were not born with this 
 Incapacity, but purchafed it at the Expence of 
 great Induilry in the Trade of Vice ; in oppofi- 
 tion to the repeated Admonitions of their own 
 Confciences, and of the Spirit of Grace. This 
 fatal Subjection to Sin is the Fruit and Effect of 
 a long and voluntary Service. This Cafe there- 
 fore, fuppofing it a real one, is nothing to the 
 purpofe 5 and being fet afide, I fay Men have 
 iufficient power to avoid all fuch Courfes, as 
 will bring upon them thefe eternal Punimments. 
 No Temptations befal them, but fuch, (due 
 Care prefuppofed on their part,) as the Provi- 
 dence of God will preferve them under, or make 
 a way for them to efcape from. If they fall, 
 they may rife again -, if they be overtaken in a 
 Fault, they may recovers Repentance is a Re- 
 medy, allow'd and provided by the very Terms 
 of the Chriftian Covenant ; which does not re- 
 quire Perfection from Man, which he is not capa- 
 ble of here, but Sincerity and Honefty of Heart, 
 which he is. One would think there fhould be 
 no need to obferve fuch obvious things as thefe. 
 And yet the Writers on the other fide feem 
 wholly inattentive to them, when they reprefent 
 
 the 
 
of Future Punijhment. 185 
 
 the Cafe, as if Men were to be damn'd for Weak- 
 nefTes inherent in their Nature, or Temptations 
 foreign to it ; that is, in both Cafes, for fome- 
 thing which they cannot help. Hear howpite- 
 oufly Mr. W. laments the Condition of poor 
 Mankind, upon the Suppolition that much the 
 great eft Part of them muft inevitably be damned^ 
 for endlefs Ages of Ages, for all the infinite Ages 
 of Eternity ; u and all this for the Sins of this 
 u fhort Life ; fallen into generally by the fecret 
 u Snares of the Devil, and other violent Tempt a- 
 <c tions , which they commonly could not wholly 
 " either prevent, or avoid!* (P. 18, 19.) lam 
 concern'd at prefent only with the latter Part of 
 this Sentence, which feems to proceed entirely 
 upon Miftake. No Man was ever damned, nor 
 ever will be, upon account of the Snares of the 
 Devil, (the Guilt of thofe be upon his own Head,) 
 nor for any Temptations whatever, which he 
 could not avoid - y but folely for his own wilful 
 Wickednefs, and that too unrepented of. Be- 
 fides, if there be any Temptations which Men 
 cannot either wholly prevent, or avoid-, flill 
 may they not refijl them ? Or, if they cannot 
 refill the Temptation, (which however to fup- 
 pofe, is not very confident with any Religion, 
 nor ever fuppofed that I know of in Scripture, 
 but much to the contrary,) cannot they repent 
 of the Sin, into which the Temptation led them, 
 and avoid that, for the future ? If they can do 
 none of thefe things, they feem not to be the 
 proper Subjects either of Reward or Punifhment 3 
 and fo are not at all concern'd in the Argument 
 
 before 
 
1 86 The Scripture- DoSrine 
 
 before us. But the truth is, Temptations hurt 
 no Man, any farther than he makes them his 
 own Act and Deed. And he is then only tempt- 
 ed in moral Account, or fo as it (hall be impu- 
 ted to him for Sin, when he is drawn away of his 
 own Luft) and enticed. Then when Liijl hath 
 conceived, it bringeth forth Sin : And Sin, when 
 it is finijhed, bringeth forth Death, Jam. i. 14, 
 15. And therefore the Temptations of the 
 Devil are never urged in Scripture, as Mr. W. 
 urges them here, in excufe, or alleviation, of 
 Men's Wickednefs ; but in aggravation of it. 
 So the Devil enter'd into Judas, when his own 
 wicked and corrupt Heart was become a fit Ha- 
 bitation for him, and the Man was ready to exe- 
 cute every thing that the Fiend could fuggefl. 
 So in the Cafe of Ananias and his Wife, Ac7sv. 
 St. Peter fays, why hath Satan filed thine Heart 
 to lie to the Holy Ghojl, and to keep back part of 
 the Price of the Land? The Intent of which 
 Queftion is not to excufe Ananias, by throwing 
 the blame upon the Devil that tempted him ; 
 but it is a fevere Rebuke to Ananias himfelf, 
 whofe wicked and corrupt Heart had render'd 
 him capable of being influenced in fuch a man- 
 ner, and to fuch an Action. In a vrord, Men 
 are to anfwer for the Talents which they had, 
 and not for the Talents which they had not *. 
 
 Where 
 
 * Men may, materially, tranfgrefs their Duty, through 
 want of Knowledge, or Power, to do better: But this 
 perhaps is not often the Cafe, efpecially with regard to the 
 great Duties of Life. Nam fere etiam ii, qui peccant, etfi 
 non perfecte, tamen quid fit bonum & malum fentiunt ; 
 
 & 
 
of Future Punipment. 187 
 
 Where Ignorance of a Law, or Incapacity to 
 obey it, can be truly pleaded, and not pretended 
 only, no doubt but the Plea will be admitted : 
 This is but Reafon, and Equity. So that the 
 Point at lad will come evidently to this, that 
 Men fhall be punifh'd only for the Sins which 
 they might have avoided : Which again ends in 
 this, that they had it in their power to avoid 
 the Punifhment. Nay, (befides what was be- 
 fore obferved, that the Punifhments are fo par- 
 ticularly declared and denounced, on purpofe 
 that they may be avoided ; befides the many 
 Motives and Inducements to Virtue from the 
 Beauty and Worth of it, from temporal Con- 
 veniences, Health, Reputation, Happinefs, at 
 leaft, within, &c. Befides all this,) Men are 
 allured and invited to avoid thefe Punifhments, 
 by the Promifes of eternal Life and Glory. For, 
 
 As eternal Punijhment is threaten d on the 
 one hand, fo eternal Life and Happinefs is pro- 
 mifed on the other. This Confideration is of fome 
 weight, as the Cafe is render'd thereby much 
 fairer and more equal, than if Men were liable 
 to an eternal State of Puniiliment, while the 
 Rewards fet before them were only temporal. 
 M It cannot be denied, fays Archbifhop Dawes, 
 
 « that 
 
 & quoties aliquid improbe faciunt, peccare fe fciunt, & 
 ideo celare nituntur. Sed cum eos boni & mali natura 
 non fallat, cupiditate mala vincuntur, ut peccant ; quia" 
 deeft ill is virtus, id eft, Cupiditas recle & honefta faciendi. 
 Lattant. Ed. Oxon. p. 514. 
 
 Recle Voluntas prava, & vitiofus animus, quern 
 
 excufare Ignoratio non poteft, punietur. Ibid, 
 
%< 
 
 tc 
 
 1 88 The Scripture-DG&rim 
 
 " that the Eternity of the Joys of Heaven, 
 *' makes the Belief of the Eternity of the Tor- 
 F 1 ments of Hell fit much eafier upon our Minds, 
 " than it would otherwije have done. Had the 
 <c Eternity been only on the funi firing fide, 
 " this would have look'd hard, and not alto- 
 " eether agreeable to our Notions of the Divine 
 %i Goodneis : But, being on the rewarding fide 
 <c lilcewife, we have here infinite Goodnefs and 
 <c infinite Jul rice fet one againft the other ; and 
 what reafon can any Man pofiibly have to 
 complain of this ? Nay, the very Eternity of 
 the Joys of Heaven is an Intimation, and kind 
 of prefumptive Proof of the Eternity of the 
 Torments of Hell : Inafmuch as we are 
 fure that God is every whit as much an Ene- 
 my to Vice, as he is a Friend to Virtue, and 
 have therefore all the reafon that can be to 
 expect, that he will exert himfelf every whit 
 as much, in the puniihing of the one, as in 
 "■ the rewarding of the other." (See more to 
 this purpofe in his fifth Sermon, p. 159, GV.) 
 
 B u t I the more readily take notice of this 
 Obfervation, becaufe Mr. Whiflon has attacks 
 the Foundation of it *. He has denied the 
 common Faith of Chriftians, in a Point, which, 
 1 conceive, enters into the very Eflence of 
 the Chriitian Covenant, the Life everla/tmg. 
 Here therefore, if any where, 1 mull: exchange 
 a few Words with him, (and a few, one would 
 think, fhould be fufticient,) upon this Subject. 
 
 " la 
 
 * Compare what is faid under N° XXII. 
 
 U 
 
of Future Vunijloment. 189 
 
 In 'John iii. 14, &c. our Lord fays, And as Mojes 
 lifted up the Serpent in the IVildemcfs, even Jo 
 muft the Son of Man be lifted up : That whofi- 
 ever believeth in him, fooald not per if j, but have 
 eternal Life, For God fo loved the JVorld, that 
 He gave his only begotten Son, that ivbo/hcver 
 believeth in him, Jfjould not per if o, but have 
 ever la fling Life. Here we muft under ftand the 
 word perifh, (cc7toAtitcci) either in the fenfe of 
 ceajing to exijl, or in the fenfe of being con- 
 demned. If we take it in the former fenfe, and 
 render ^oorw diwviovjfa Mr. W. always renders it,) 
 lajling Life, we make our Lord's Difcourfe 
 wholly inconclufive: — He Jhall not perijh y or 
 be annihilated, but have lajling Life. But every 
 one fees here is no juft Opposition, no Senfe in 
 this ; for he may have this lajling Life, and 
 per if j too ; (as he muft do when this lajling 
 Life is at an end,) and therefore our Lord can 
 never be fuppos'd to talk in this manner. If 
 we take the word, (as we muft take it,) in the 
 latter fenfe, our Lord's Difcourfe will amount 
 to this, — So God loved the World, that he gave 
 his only begotten Son, that whofoever believeth in 
 kirn, Jljould not be condemned, but have la/ling 
 Life *, Here indeed is fome Senfe ; but poor 
 and low, in comparifon of what it is in the com- 
 mon 
 
 * There fcems to be no jujl Oppofitlon in the Words 
 even in this fenfe : For when this laji'mg Life is over, as 
 it will fome time be, they will be condemn'd to be anni- 
 hilated ; the Apprehenfions of which all along, (if they 
 know any thing of the matter,) will be a Pu rudiment in 
 proportion to the Greatnefs of the Happinefs they are t<* 
 lofc. 
 
190 'The Scripture-DoEirim 
 
 monTranflation. Our Lord is magnifying his 
 Father's Love to Mankind, which was fo great 
 that he gave his only begotten Son, that whofo- 
 ever believeth in him> jhould have everlafling 
 Life. Here is a Gift worthy of the Goodnefs 
 of God to beftow, and worthy of the Wifdom 
 of God to convey through his only begotten 
 Son*: The Gift of God is eternal Life, through 
 Jefus Chrifl our Lord. Rom. vi. 23. There is 
 a like Reprefentation of this matter, equally 
 plain and itrong, John x. 28, 29. 1 give unto 
 them eternal Life y a?id they Jhall never perijh^ 
 neither fall any pluck them out of my hand. 
 My Father which gave them me, is greater than 
 all : And 7ione is able to pluck them out of my 
 Father s hand. We deprive theie words of 
 their Beauty and Force, if we fuppofe, with 
 Mr. IV. that nocwithftanding none is able to pluck 
 them out of the Hand of the Father, and the 
 Son, yet at laft they will of themfelves drop out, 
 as it were, into nothing. But this important 
 Point does not reft upon two or three (ingle 
 'Paffages. It is exprefled throughout the New 
 Teftament in the ftrongell: Language. This 
 mortal fall put on Inunortality, — then (hall 
 Death be /wallowed up in Victory -f : — Neither 
 can they die any ?ncrc || . It is a poor Evaiion to fay, 
 that they fhall only die no more in the fame fenie 
 and manner of dying as they did before, but 
 ftill they may die in the fenfe of ceaiing to 
 
 exift 
 
 * He that [pared not his otvn So^ y tut delivered him up 
 for us all, hovj fhall he not with him alfo freely give us all 
 things ? Ro m . v i i i . 3 2 . 
 
 f 1 Cor. xv. 53, 54. II Luke xx. 36. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 191 
 
 exifl: for ever. This is making the Oracles of 
 God more ambiguous, more equivocating and 
 deceitful, than the Heathen Oracles. No, they 
 will never ceafe to exift, and to be happy ; be- 
 ing in poffeffion of an Inheritance incorruptible ', 
 and undefiled, and that fadeth not away : 1 Pet. 
 i. 4. In poffeffion of the Kingdom prepared for 
 them from the Foundation of the World: Matt. 
 xxv. 34. Which Kingdom is an everlajling 
 Kingdom, — and they jhall reign for ever and 
 ever : Rev. xxii. 5. Compare Dan. vii. 18. It 
 is the Kingdom of Chrift, and of God the Father. 
 See the Note concerning Doxologies, N° XXII. 
 What St. Paul fays, 1 Cor. xv. 24. about Chrift's 
 delivering up the Kingdom to God, even the Fa- 
 ther, is not at all inconfiftent with this everlaft- 
 ing Kingdom, in which He, and his Saints (hall 
 reign for ever and ever. The mediatorial King- 
 dom, the Kingdom of Grace, the Kingdom 
 which He govern'd in a particular manner, while 
 He was fubduing all oppofite Rule, Authority and 
 Power, and putting all Enemies under his feet y 
 will then be at an end : But there is ftill the 
 Kingdom of Glory, into which He introduces 
 his Redeemed -, and of this Kingdom there fhall 
 be no End. (Nic. Creed, Luke i. 33.) 
 
 A s this has been the common Faith of Chri- 
 ftians, from the Commencement of the Chriftian 
 Name, whoever ventures to oppofe it, ought, 
 one would think, to have fome good Argument 
 to produce againft it. Let us now examine 
 Mr. Whijloiis. All that he fuggefts in point of 
 
 Reafon 
 
192 l7je Scripture-DoSlrim 
 
 Reafon is to this effect *j that if any Creatures 
 are to exift for ever, they will be co-eternal with 
 their infinite and everlafting Creator ; that this 
 is an amazing Co-eternity ; " and has long feem- 
 <c ed to him too vaft and immenfe a thing to be 
 " expeded, not only by us, poor, imperfect, fin- 
 cc ful Mortals ; perhaps the very loweft of all 
 cc rational Beings in the whole Scale of Creation ; 
 <c but by any finite and fubordinate Creatures 
 " whatsoever." As to the firft Suggeftion, 
 where, I befeech you, is the Abfurdity in believ- 
 ing that fome Creatures mall be co-eternal, that 
 is, of equal Continuance in Being, as to all fu- 
 ture Duration, with God himfelf ? Does this 
 make them in any manner to equal, or rival, 
 God ? Or put them in a State independent of 
 him ? By no means. It was He who cre- 
 ated them immortal, and made them to be the 
 Images of his own Eternity *f\ And they are 
 but Images of it (till. His is fupreme and 
 underived, extending both ways (a parte ante y 
 as well as a parte foft,) from Eveiiafling to 
 Everlafting. Their s is only com menfu rate with 
 all Duration to come, depending all the while 
 upon God, and fubordinate to Him, who only, 
 in the fupreme fenfe, hath Immortality. What 
 then is there amazing in fuch a Co-eternitv. 
 which referves to God his divine Prerogative, 
 and makes no Incroachment upon any Perfec- 
 tion of the infinite and everlafting Creator || ? 
 
 There 
 
 * Sec p. 23, 64, 75, 89. i Wifd. ii. 23. 
 
 Ij To what Purpoie, or with what Con fi lien cy, doer, 
 Mr. TFhi/kn heap up Texts and Teftimorties oi Scripture, 
 
 - 
 
of Future Punijhment. 193 
 
 There is no Envy in God, that he mould be jea- 
 lous of his Creatures approaching too near him. 
 And they will ever, in their higheft Exaltation, 
 be infinitely below him. And as there is no 
 want of Goodnefs in the Deity, fo neither is there 
 of Power, to preferve them in Being, and in the 
 Enjoyment of their virtuous Happinefs, to ever- 
 lafting Ages. There is no Contradiction in the 
 Nature of the thing; it is a real Object of Power, 
 is what may be done : And, taking all the divine 
 Perfections into Confideration, it is reafonable to 
 think it certainly will. No, fays Mr. W. it is 
 too vafi and immenfe a thing to be expecled, not 
 only by us poor y finful Mortals , but by any Crea- 
 tures whatfoever. Here he feems to reft the 
 Point upon the Incapacity of the Creature. But 
 why reafonable Creatures, efpecially the moft 
 valuable, excellent and noble of all God's Crea- 
 tures, may not expect the Privilege of Immor- 
 tality, when they confider the Nature of God, 
 the Declarations of his Will, the Constitution of 
 their own Nature, and the moral Fitnefs and 
 Reafon of Things, I cannot imagine. If they 
 
 will 
 
 for ten or a dozen Pages together, to magnify the Good- 
 nefs, Companion, and tender Mercies of God towards his 
 Creatures ? This gloomy Hypothecs of final univerfal De- 
 ftruclion defaces all. What can be faid worfe of the Wif- 
 dom and Goodnefs of the Deity, what can reprefent his 
 Character in a more unamiable Light, than faying that 
 He will at laft deftroy the nobleft Works of his own hands, 
 the general Affembly and Church of the Firft-bom, the Spirits 
 of j -aft Men made perfecl, and the innumerable Company of 
 Angels^ thatftand round about his Throne ; (not to go any 
 higher ;) becaufe, otherwife they would be co-eternal with 
 Himfelf ; and that is too vaft and immenfe a thing for them 
 to expect ? O 
 
194 The Scripture-DoSlrine 
 will not exped, what God has, in all thefe ways, 
 given them reafon to expedt -, this is not an Ar- 
 gument of their Humility, but of their Bafenefs : 
 They rejeft the Counfel of God againft them- 
 felves, and judge themfelves unworthy, and in- 
 capable, of everlafting Life. As for our being 
 poor, imperfeSl, and Jmful Mortals ; it fhould 
 have been remember'd, that whatever we are at 
 prefent, it does not yet appear what we Jhall be * j 
 only we know that the time will come, when 
 this corruptible {hall put on Incorruption, and 
 this mortal fhall put on Immortality -f\ And 
 every Man that hath this Hope in him, purifieth 
 himfelf, even as he (God) is pure. It is much 
 to be lamented that Mr. Whifton {hould weaken 
 this Motive -> and in his Zeal to reform the pre- 
 fent Syftems of Faith, fhould make fuch cruel 
 Inroads not only into the Dodbrine of the Go- 
 fpcl, but into natural Religion itfelf, as to deny 
 the Immortality of the Soul, and an everlafting 
 State of Retribution.- 
 
 Since then Men were throughly apprized 
 of the fatal Confequences of a wicked Life, and 
 not only had it in their power, but were en- 
 couraged and invited, by the Promifes of an ex- 
 ceeding and eternal Weight of Glory, to avoid 
 them $ it follows, that if they do incur thefe 
 Punifhments, they incur them voluntarily, and 
 as the Effed: of their own Choice and Option. 
 The Meaning of this is not that Men chufe Mi- 
 fery, or Evil, efpecially eternal Mifery, as fuch : 
 
 For 
 
 * I John 'ill. 2, 3» f i Cor. xv. $2* 
 
of Future Punifhment. 195 
 
 For fo confider'd, it can be the Objedl of no 
 Choice. Were eternal Happinefs and Mifery 
 propofed to Men's Option abftradtedly in them- 
 ielves, not clogged with any Terms or Condi- 
 tions whatfoever, they muft certainly, in a po- 
 pular manner of fpeaking, chufe the former. 
 Bat truly and properly there would be no Choice 
 at all, as that implies any thing of Difficulty, or 
 Trial, or moral Merit in chuling the good Part. 
 This therefore, in the very Nature and Reafon 
 of Things, cannot be the Cafe in a State of Pro- 
 bation j in which God tries, or proves, his 
 Creatures, that He may know, (that is, that it 
 may be known, that it may plainly appear,) 
 what is in their Hearts, and how they will ad:. 
 And if this cannot be the Cafe, what Conftitution 
 of Things would you expecft, or require, to an- 
 fwer this purpofe, but fuch an one as we actual- 
 ly find in fad: ? In which, Things are fo con- 
 trived, Good and Evil, natural and moral, are 
 fo mixed and adjufted, that Men are by no means 
 necejjitated to chufe either the one, or the other ; 
 but are left to fuch a free Exercife of their Li- 
 berty, id the Determination of their Eledions, 
 as renders them itridly of moral Confideration, 
 A State of Happinefs, or Mifery, immutable and 
 final, is fairly propofed to them \ that is, they 
 really have their Choice of them ; not imme- 
 diately and abfolutely, without any Conditions, 
 but as depending on the Choice how they will 
 lead their Lives. It is too little to fay, that in 
 forming this molt important Election they are 
 intirely free -, they are, moreover, excited to form 
 O 2 it 
 
196 7%e Scripture-Do&rine 
 
 it right, by all the Motives and Arguments which 
 can influence the Hearts of reafonable Creatures. 
 No Expedient, one may fay, has been left unat- 
 tempted, but all Engines have been fet to work, 
 to induce them to chufe that good P art y which 
 foall ?iot be taken away from them *. It is on 
 this footing that the Scriptures always reprefent 
 Men's Deftruftion, as proceeding from them- 
 felves. They fow to themfelves in Wickednefs, 
 and they reap the Fruit of their own Elections. 
 How can this be prevented ? They muft not be 
 deprived of this ele&ive Power, and render'd in- 
 capable of either Virtue or Vice. And the Nature 
 of things cannot be fo deftroy'd, or confounded, 
 as to hinder the Confequences from taking place, 
 or to make them reap what they did not fow. I 
 add farther, that 
 
 The Mifery which they thus bring upon 
 themfelves, fo far from fuppofing God to delight 
 in Cruelty and Barbarity, {the mofl favage Cruelty 
 and Barbarity po[Jible\ y ) is infli&ed by Him, 
 or rather is executed in the natural Confequences 
 of things, without any Emotions of Anger, Rage, 
 or Fury , but as the Effect of Juftice, and Wif- 
 dom, and Goodnefs itfelf $ and therefore fixes 
 no Imputation of Cruelty, Injuftice, or Tyranny 
 upon God. The Punifhments are, in no fenfe 
 or degree, the Effedts of Malice, Revenge, or a 
 tyrannical Humour, or of any Paffions whatfo- 
 ever ; (none of which are in God ;) fo that there 
 is no reafon to fufpedt that they will be exceffive 
 
 or 
 
 * Luke x. 42. f Mr. TV, p. 137. 
 
<c 
 
 of Future Punifhment. 197 
 
 or unjuft, or beyond what Realbn and Truth 
 require. The Letter-Writer, whom I men- 
 tioned before, infifts upon this Principle, and 
 thinks it of advantage to his Caufe. " If Divine 
 Juftice, he fays*, is not really attended, either 
 with Hatred, Fury, or Revenge, but is infe- 
 <c parable from infinite Goodnefs 5 can we con- 
 u ceive it will condemn Millions of Creatures, 
 cc form'd after God's Image, to dreadful and 
 <c never-ending Mifery ; and even doom them 
 ** to the Hatred of God, to Rage, to Defpair, 
 " and Blafphemy for all Eternity ?" This 
 Writer fhould have confider'd, that Divine 
 fuflice, which is infepar able from infinite Good- 
 nefs, and which he compares to a perfectly equal 
 Balance, which inclines to one fide only by the 
 Force of the Weight put intd-one Scale, being, 
 on the Snppofition, entirely free from all Paffion, 
 could condemn them, at firft -f, to nothing but 
 
 what 
 
 * Letter I. What he here fays about Millions of Crea- 
 tures, is agreeable to his conftant manner of reprefenting 
 the Cafe. The Miferable are always with him Myriads, 
 and the like ; in comparifon of whom the Blejfed in Hea- 
 ven are but a Handful of Men, a fmall Number of the 
 Elett : In which Reprefentation there is no fenfe. 
 
 f The Judge of the World will fay to the Wicked at 
 the laft Day, Depart from me, ye Curfed, into everlafting 
 Fire, &c. And they Jhall go away into everlafiing Punijh- 
 ment. We agree that neither this Sentence, nor the Exe- 
 cution of it, is the Effect of Paffion. Can this be of any 
 advantage to his Caufe ? Can there be any reafon to reverje 
 a Sentence, pronounced fo righteoufly ? Or to put a flop 
 to the Execution of what is awarded by pure Juftice, and 
 Truth itfelf, without the Mixture of any Paffion, or wrong 
 Biafs whatsoever? The only way by which any Releafe, 
 or Relief, can come, mull be by their Amendment \ which 
 
 O 3 I 
 
198 Tie Scripture-DoEtrine 
 
 what was juft and right : And as there was no- 
 thing done in the firft Allotment of their State 
 but what was juft and right ; , Juftice can fee no 
 reafon to alter it, any more than the Balance 
 can alter its Determination, while the Weight 
 continues as it did before. If their Punifhment 
 was the Refult of Paffion, it might alter ; for 
 what is more changeable than Paffion ? But 
 when it proceeds from immutable Principles, 
 the infinite Perfections of God, and the eternal 
 Reafons of Things, it will be as immutable as 
 they are; unlefs the Reafon of the Cafe, (the 
 Weight in the Scale,) fhould be alter'd, by a 
 Change of the moral Character of the Creatures 
 concerned ; which we have no reafon to expect. 
 But this Author, by an odd Confufion of Ideas, 
 at the fame time that he is fuppofing no Paffions 
 in God, feems to reprefenthim as if he acted paf- 
 fionately, and doomed his Creatures to a more 
 dreadful State of Mifery than they deferved, or 
 than Divine Juftice, which is infeparable from 
 infinite Goodnefs, will permit. Upon this Sup- 
 pofition it is reafonable to prefume, that when 
 his Paffion abated, or his Revenge was gratified, 
 he would contrive fome Method to relieve them. 
 But this is by no means the Cafe. Nor is the 
 Author confiftent with himfelf, when he repre- 
 fents Divine Juft ice as dooming them to the 
 Hatred of God, &c. For in the Paragraph im- 
 mediately before, he goes fo far as to fay, cc the 
 l€ Torments it feems to inflict upon Sinners, do 
 
 " not 
 
 I have faid fomething to already, and mull confider more 
 minutely in the next Chapter, when I come to examine 
 this Author's Syftem of the Rejloration. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 199 
 
 c< not proceed from J 'ujlice, but from themfehes, 
 " who lay up Treafures of Wrath, Rom. ii. 
 €C They alone feed the Worm, that muft gnaw 
 <c them, and pile up combuftible Materials for 
 • the Fire that muft burn them." It is certain 
 that it was not God, but themjehes, who were 
 the Caufe of their Hatred of God : And if this 
 which was their Crime, continues to be their 
 Punifhment, it is no more than what is agree- 
 able to the Conftitution of Things, and the 
 Appointment of Providence, which makes Sin 
 the Punimment of itfelf. 
 
 When thefe Confiderations are laid together, 
 and are allow'd their due Weight, without Pre- 
 judice or Paffion; nothing more, I conceive, 
 will be needful to defend our Dodtrine, or make 
 it appear confiftent with Reafon : For that, it is 
 to be remember'd, is the point in view ; not to 
 prove it from Reafon, but to reconcile it with 
 it, and with our natural Notions of God's Per- 
 fections. The proper Proof &x ifes from the Scrip- 
 tures ; to them we appeal'd, and by them we 
 muft be determin'd \ provided only that the Cafe 
 be not, in the very Nature of it, incapable of 
 Proof, by being plainly abfurd, or contradictory 
 to fome clear Principle of Reafon. This, I 
 think, is not the Cafe of the DoCtrine of the 
 Eternity of future Punifhment. It appears to 
 be confiftent at leaft with Reafon; and if Rea- 
 fon does not gainfay or contradict it, and Scrip- 
 ture afferts and teaches it, we can reafonably afk 
 O 4 no 
 
200 The Scripture-Do&rine 
 
 no more *. The latter of thefe Points is con- 
 fider'd in the two former Chapters, and the firft 
 in the prefent. If the Principles laid down be 
 true, I think they are fufficient to juftify the 
 Conduct of Providence on this head. And our 
 Adverfaries themfelves, one or other of them, 
 bear teftimony to the Truth of all, or moft of 
 them ; as might be prov'd, if that was necefTary, 
 from their own plain Conceffions. Even the 
 Jirjly which is as it were the Pillar and Ground 
 of all, is allow'd by Mr. Whifton , and muft, in 
 confiftency with themfelves, by all who are in 
 the Hypothecs of Annihilation : Becaufe it can- 
 not be conceiv'd that God would annihilate any 
 intelligent Beings, if they were good for any 
 thing, or capable of being made better. It is 
 poffible therefore for them to become, in the 
 moral fenfe of the Expreffion, Salt that hath lofl 
 its Savour -f* , incorrigibly, and incurably wicked, 
 and beyond all Recovery utterly depraved for 
 ever. 
 
 The Objections againft this Dodrine, are 
 founded chiefly upon Miftakes concerning it $ 
 and Men are prejudiced againft it, becaufe it is 
 not fairly reprefented to them. Sometimes it is 
 
 pretended 
 
 * This makes it very different from the Cafe of Tran- 
 fubflantiationjn r ith which our Adverfaries affect to compare 
 it : See Burnet, p. 302. Whijlon, p. 2. T^ranfuhJiantiaUon 
 is plainly contrary to Senfe and Reafon, and is built upon 
 one figurative Expreffion of Scripture : The Doctrine here 
 afferted is not contrary to Senfe or Reafon, is taught in 
 Variety of plain Expreflions, and countenanced by the 
 whole TenGr of Scripture. 
 
 f See No XXXVIII. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 201 
 
 pretended that Men are damned for Tempta- 
 tions which they could not avoid, or for Infir- 
 mities which they could not help ; in fhort, 
 for any thing, rather than their own wilful 
 Wickednefs, and their own impenitent Hearts. 
 Every thing is raked together, to leflen, and in 
 a manner, to annihilate the Guilt of human 
 Wickednefs. Yet Sin is of ill defert ; and if 
 there be any thing that can make Sin itfelf be- 
 come more exceeding Jinful, it is all included in 
 Chriftian Sin, as the Gofpel contains the whole 
 Counfel of God, in the Difpenfation of Jefus 
 Chrift, to prevent it. Sometimes our Dodtrine 
 is reprefented as if it fuppofed God to delight in 
 Cruelty and Barbarity, as damning his Creatures 
 by Adts of Power and Dominion, without any 
 regard to Mercy, or even Juftice. Whereas it 
 fuppofes no fuch thing -, but, on the contrary, 
 that he did every thing that became his Cha- 
 radter, to fave them 3 that they deftroyed them- 
 felves ; and reap the Fruit of their own Doings, 
 unavoidably, and in the natural Confequences of 
 things. He has no delight in their Sufferings, 
 which he would have prevented ; but that, tho' 
 they are contrary to his original Defign, he can 
 make them ferve to no good Purpofe, can bring 
 no Good out of this Evil, is more than ought to 
 be faid, becaufe it is a great deal more than can 
 be proved. It is pretended that this Conftitution 
 of things, in which fo many of his Creatures 
 become finally miferable, is inconfiftent with the 
 Juftice, and Wifdom, and Goodnefs of God : 
 Forefeeing that fo many of them would mif- 
 
 carry, 
 
202 The Scripture-DoElrine 
 
 Carry, He had better have laid afide his Scheme, 
 and defifted from creating them. But it (hould 
 be confidered, whether this would not reftrain 
 God from creating any free Beings at all : For it 
 is not Liberty enjoyed only in fuch a Degree, or 
 fuch a Situation as Men are placed in, that 
 may be abufed, but Beings of another Order, 
 and placed in different Circumftances, may 
 equally pervert it j and fall by that means from 
 their jirfi EJlate, into the Condemnation of the 
 Devil. It is evident, that let what Numbers 
 you pleafe mifcarry, if this was To far from be- 
 ing -neceffary^ or what they were unavoidably 
 and fatally fubje&ed to, that they had a fair and 
 free Choice of everlafting Happinefs, (the fame 
 which even they had who actually partake of it) 
 there can be no Injuftice done them $ nothing, 
 inconfifient with the Jujlice of God. And his 
 Wijdom and Goodnefs, we may be confident, can 
 contrive no Scheme, but what, upon the whole, 
 it will be much better to execute, than to lay 
 afide. The Good will be much greater than the 
 Evil, and Happinefs finally, and upon the whole, 
 vaftly prepollent. Muft this Scheme then be 
 defeated, becaufe fome of the Individuals, it is 
 forefeen, will make themfelves miferable, and 
 with regard to them merely, it were good if the 
 Scheme had been dropped ? But this cannot 
 come to pafs without their own moft unreafon- 
 able Perverfenefs 5 and fhall that defeat fo glori- 
 ous a Defign ? Surely I may venture to fay, with- 
 out any Danger, or Imputation, of Rafhnefs, that 
 it is confiftent with every Perfection in God to 
 
 create 
 
of Future Punijhment. 203 
 
 create free Beings, (Angels or Men,) tho* He 
 forefees fome of them will make themfelves fb 
 miferable, that with reference merely to their 
 iingle Cafe, it had been better if they had not 
 been created. But to blacken our Doctrine more, 
 and render it more odious, the Numbers of thofe 
 who mifcarry, in companion of fuch as are faved, 
 are magnified fometimes beyond all the Bounds 
 of Reafon and Truth. I have had occalion to 
 take notice of This, more than once already *. 
 But I would here afk, upon what Scripture, 
 Reafon, or Experience, this Reprefentation is 
 founded ? The Queftion, Are there few that be 
 faved? was once put to our Lord himfelf : Luke 
 xiii. 23. But He declin'd giving any diredt An- 
 fwer to a matter of fuch Curiofity, in which the 
 Querijl had no concern. He thought it of more 
 confequence to give them this ufeful Admoni- 
 tion, Strive to enter in at the Jirait Gate : for 
 many, I fay unto you, will feek to enter in, and 
 Jtoall not be able. That is, I fuppofe, becaufe 
 they fought only, and did not Jlrive ; or did not 
 ft rive lawfully, feeking to enter by undue means, 
 or when it was too late : For the Mifcarriage, I 
 prefume, muft be charged upon themfelves, or 
 elfe it would be but a poor Encouragement to 
 others to jlrive to enter in. And indeed it ap- 
 pears clearly from the fubfequent Verfes that this 
 was the Cafe : Thefe Seekers have nothing to 
 plead in their behalf, but fome external i\dvan- 
 tages, or Relation 5 but were Workers of Iniquity, 
 when they fhould have been working out their 
 
 Salvation ; 
 * See N° VI. and XX. 
 
204 %% e Scripture-DoSirine 
 
 Salvation ; and apply for Admiffion after the 
 Mafter of the Houfe hath jhut to the Door. 
 However, tho' thefe are excluded, (and very 
 juftly,) our Lord declares that others mall come 
 from all Quarters of the World, from the Eajl 
 and from the Weft, and from the North, and 
 from the South, andfball fit down in the King- 
 dom of God: f. 29. Our Lord had given the 
 iame Admonition in his Sermon on the Mount, 
 Matt. vii. 13,14. inforced, as fome may think, 
 with a plainer and more full Declaration, that 
 Few, in comparifon, will be finally faved. En- 
 ter ye in at the Jlrait Gate ; for wide is the 
 Gate, and broad is the Way that leadeth to De- 
 JiruBion, and many there be which go in thereat : 
 Becaufe Jlrait is the Gate, and narrow is the 
 Way which leadeth unto Life, and few there be 
 that find it* Here indeed feems to be an ex- 
 prefs Declaration, that Few only find the narrow 
 Way that leadeth unto Life, whils niany go in 
 the broad one that leadeth to De/lrudfion: 
 And if thefe Words refer to the final Determi- 
 nation at the Day of Judgment, with regard to 
 all Mankind, the Difpute as to this Point is 
 fairly at an end. But they appear plainly to be 
 only a Declaration of what was the State of the 
 World, and the Practice of Mankind, in our 
 Saviour's own time. . It was not ufual with 
 Him, nor agreeable to his Manner of Inftruction, 
 to meddle with Points of lb curious and high a 
 nature as the former 5 and decide, as it were, 
 the Fate of the Chriftian World, before it was 
 born. And if He would give no direct Anfwer 
 
 to 
 
of Future Punijhment. 205 
 
 to the Qiierift in St. Luke, is it likely, that here, 
 in his publick Doctrine, he would tell all that 
 heard him, that far the greateft Part of thofe 
 who fhould hereafter believe in him, would 
 finally be damned ? But He might properly 
 enough take notice of a Matter of Fact, the 
 Wickednefs and Infidelity of the Jews at that 
 time. He was himfelf the Door and the Way 
 that led to Life, and few of the Jews went in 
 thereat, or found it. One great Reafon of this 
 is intimated in the very next Verfe, Beware of 
 falfe Prophets, which come to you, &c. Of 
 thefe our Lord fays, f. 20. By their Fruits ye 
 jhall know them. That is, as I understand it, 
 not fo much by their bad Lives, (for poflibly 
 they might make a very fpecious Appearance in 
 their S beeps CloathingJ as by the immoral Ten- 
 dency, the natural pernicious Confequences and 
 Effects, of their Principles and Doctrines. Thus, 
 for inftance, if they taught that Men might be 
 faved without Virtue and Holinefs, upon the 
 account of their being of this or that Seel: or 
 Party, of this or the other Profeflion of Religion, 
 the Pofterity of fuch a Patriarch, or the Followers 
 of fuch a Prophet ; the natural Confequence of 
 this being deftructive of the Practice of Virtue 
 and true Religion, would make it evident that, 
 whatever they appeared to be, they were in re- 
 ality falfe Prophets. Thus therefore our Lord 
 goes on, f. 21. Not every one that faith unto me, 
 Lord, Lord, Jhall enter into the Kingdom of 
 Heaven : No external Profeflion, no Relation to 
 Chrift, the Son of God, himfelf, will avail any 
 
 thinz. 
 
206 7%e Scripture-Do£}?*ine 
 
 thing, without doing the Will of his Father 
 which is in Heaven. Then follows, ^.22. a Key 
 to the whole ; Many will fay to me in that day, 
 Lord, Lord, have we not prophefed in thy 
 Name? And in thy Name have caft out Devils ? 
 And in thy Name done many wonderful Works ? 
 The Plea is more frivolous in St. Luke, but 
 
 proceeds upon the fame Bottom -, • We have 
 
 eaten and drunk in thy Prefence, and thou haft 
 taught in our Streets: Ch. xiii. f. 26. From 
 which it is plain, that in both places, our Lord 
 had in his eye the Cafe of that Age ; and has 
 determined nothing about the Queftion, whe- 
 ther Few, out of the whole Chriftian World, will 
 be faved at the laft Day. 
 
 And if he has not determine it here, I am 
 not aware that either He or his Apoflles have 
 done it, in any other PafTage of the New Tefla- 
 mcnt. There is a moft magnificent Defcription, 
 Apoc. vii. of the Number of the BlefTed ; where 
 after the fealing of the hundred and forty and 
 four thoufand, out of the 'Tribes of Ifrael ; the 
 Apofile adds, f. 9. After this, I beheld, and lo, 
 a great Multitude, which no Man could 7iumber, 
 of all Nations, and Kindreds, and People, and 
 'Tongues, flood before the Throne, and before the 
 Lamb, clothed with white Robes, and Palms in 
 their hands -, and cried with a loud Voice, fay- 
 ing, Salvation to our God which fitteth upon the 
 Throne, and unto the Lamb. The Letter- 
 Writer above never thought, I prefume, of this 
 Paffage, when he every where reprefents thofe 
 
 that 
 
of Future Punijhment. 207 
 
 that fhall be faved, as a Handful of Men , a fmall 
 Number of the Elefl. As Scripture gives us no 
 warrant for fuch a Conclufion, fo neither does 
 Reafon or Experience. One half of our Species 
 die, perhaps, before they have actually commit- 
 ted any Sin to deferve the Damnation of Hell - y 
 and therefore by the Mercy of God, and the 
 Merits of his Son, it may be reafonably hoped 
 that they will efcape it. And as to the reft, 
 whoever thus damns the Majority, mull fay that 
 the far greater Number of the Chriftian World, 
 in all Ages of it, lived and died impenitently 
 wicked : A Point, which I find myfelf in no 
 difpofition at prefent, either to confute, or 
 believe. 
 
 These are fome of the Mifreprefentations of 
 our Doctrine, on which Prejudices are raifed, 
 and Objections formed againft it. Another thing 
 always mention 'd on this Subject is the Short?iefs 
 of Human Life ; the Sins of which can bear no 
 proportion to Punifhments of endlefs Dura- 
 tion *. Now, fuppofe human Life as long as 
 
 it 
 
 * See this Objection largely confider'd in Archbifhop 
 Dawes's Seventh Sermon, p. 232 40. 
 
 I hardly know where the Strefof this Objection is laid : 
 Whether on the Shortnefs of the prefent Term of Life, or 
 on thisy that no temporary Sins, of whatfcever Duration* 
 ought to be punifh'd with eternal Torments. But take 
 
 both ; as thus It is unjuft and cruel to punifti tempo- 
 
 rary Sins with eternal Mifery^ and it is more unjuft, and 
 more cruel fo to punifh the Sins of our fieri Life: Still, I 
 fay, if the Confiderations, offer'd above be true, the Ob- 
 jection is fully anfwer'd by them. It was bejl upon the 
 whole, that is, greater Good was produced by it, that God 
 
 ihould 
 
2o8 The Scripture-DoSlrine 
 
 it was in the Beginning, almofi a thoufand Tears 9 
 
 the Plea of Difproportion would ftill fubfift 5 for 
 
 even a thoufand Yars bear no proportion to the 
 
 Days of Eternity. And yet I fuppofe a moral 
 
 Agent in a State of Probation, may behave in 
 
 fuch a manner, in much lefs time than that, as 
 
 to affeft his whole future Exiftence. He may 
 
 forfeit, irretrievably, that State of Happinefs, to 
 
 which another Courfe of Behaviour would have 
 
 entitled him ; and he muft take the Confe- 
 
 quences of that other State, which he has fitted 
 
 himfelf for, and into which he departs by a fort 
 
 of natural Congruity. Here then fome of the 
 
 Principles we laid down, in the former Part of 
 
 this Chapter, come into play. If a Character be 
 
 form'd incurably evil, where is the difference 
 
 whether it was done*in a little, or a long, time ? 
 
 If it be faid, that if he had lived longer, he might 
 
 have repented ; it is as eafily anfwer'd, that this 
 
 is arguing in the dark. And we have, at leaft, 
 
 as 
 
 fhould eftablifh the prefent Syftem, or Conftitution of 
 Things, than the contrary. Agreeably to this Conftitu- 
 tion, fuch certain Confequences will follow fuch a Courfe 
 of Behaviour. Men knew this ; they were forewarned of 
 it; nay, they were intreated, invited, prefled by all forts 
 of Motives, to take another courfe. Still they perfiff, 
 and die in their Sins. Death does not convert them, nor 
 change their Wills; they continue the fame evil Beings ; 
 and tho* the Acts of Corruption (I ufe the Terms of a 
 Diftin&ion made ufe of by the Letter-WriterJ may be 
 reftrain'd in them, yet the Source of it, or Corruption it- 
 felf, (till remains. This is one natural Source of their 
 eternal Mifery : And in this fenfe, their Sin is as eternal as 
 their Punifhment; that by refufing to repent during their 
 Probation, while they had liberty and power to do fo, they 
 have brought themfelves into a State, where Repentance is 
 hid from their Eyes. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 209 
 
 as much reafon to fay, that it was an Act of 
 Mercy to take him away foon, that he might 
 not treafure up to himfelf a greater Degree of 
 Mifery. But I conceive thefe things are rather 
 above our Sphere, and that human Ignorance is 
 Anfwer enough to any Objections, which proceed 
 only upon Difficulties of this kind. We know, 
 in general, that when the Term of Life was 
 longer, Men were far from being the better for 
 it ; and that the Shortnefs, as well as Uncertainty 
 of Life, is an Argument to lead Men to Repen- 
 tance. But that all Futurity mould depend upon 
 this fhort Life, our Adverfaries tell us, is the 
 hardfhip. And yet they are at a lofs to tell us 
 how it mould be otherwife. Thofe of them 
 who are for retrieving Matters in the interme- 
 diate State, are confuted by others, who mew 
 that that State is not calculated for the Practice 
 of Virtue or Vice, fo as that they may change 
 the Habits of the one, or the other, with which 
 they left this World. Befides, it is contrary to 
 the Scripture ; which always makes the Sen- 
 tence at the laft Day turn upon Men's Conduct: 
 here, and the Actions which they did in the 
 Body *. And they who are for Amendment in 
 Hell, are likewife contradicted by their Fellow- 
 Labourers, who fay, (and they fay truly,) that in 
 Gehenna, or Hell, there is no Repentance. 
 
 Thus far, in concluflon, I am willing to 
 own to them ; that whenever the wicked repent 
 truly, fo as to change their Difpofitions and 
 
 P Temper, 
 
 * See Burnet de Statu Mort. Cap. iv. omnino. 
 
210 The Scripture-Do&rine 
 
 Temper, it will, in the nature of things, be the 
 better for them. For a virtuous Temper is not 
 only a Foundation for Happinefs, but is itfelf a 
 confiderable Part of it. But then, at the fame 
 time, even upon this, (which is their own) Sup- 
 pofition of Reformation, it will not follow, that 
 they will be made Partakers of that Happinefs, 
 and that heavenly Kingdom, which they were 
 fhut out of at the Day of Judgment. No, fome 
 Privileges, fome Opportunities once loft, may be 
 k loft for ever. So that ftill much depends upon 
 this Life, Jhort as it is : So that I cannot forbear 
 thinking that this Dijproportion, fo much talk'd 
 of, is a very fallacious Rule to judge by, in this 
 momentous Affair. 
 
 I Shall not here more minutely purfue any 
 other particular Objections. They are all ob- 
 yiated, I conceive, by what has been faid ; or 
 may be anfwer'd by a right Application of the 
 Principles difcufs'd above. They are in a great 
 meafure anfwer'd only by a fair Reprefentation 
 of our Doctrine, as they moftly proceed from 
 Miftakes concerning it. When underftood right- 
 ly, and con fider'd without Prejudice or Paffion, 
 Men have lefs to fay againft it than they imagined. 
 It is implied in the very Notion of Religion, that 
 ! a Distinction will fome time be made between 
 the Righteous and the Wicked. ThisDiftinction 
 will be made folemnly and perfectly at the Day 
 of Judgment ; when the Righteous fhall enter 
 into that Kingdom of Glory and Happinefs, 
 which was prepared for them from the Be- 
 ginning 
 
of Future Punijhment. 2 1 1 
 
 ginning of the World ; and the Wicked fhall go 
 into everlafting Puniihment, or into everlafting 
 Fire prepared for the Devil, and his Angels. So 
 far as relates to the mere Exclu/ion of the Wicked 
 out of the Kingdom of the Juft, there furely can 
 be no reafonable Ground of Complaint. It can 
 be no State of a perfed: and righteous Retribu- 
 tion without it. Then as to the Degrees of pofi- 
 tive Punimment which they will fuffer, they 
 will be various, and exadtly proportioned to their 
 Deferts. For tho' they are bid to depart into 
 the everlafting Fire, prepared for the Devil and 
 his Angels ; yet the Meaning of that is not, (as 
 perhaps it may found to fome,) that they all 
 fuffer alike, as it were in one common Furnace 
 of Fire, in the fame invariable and extreme de- 
 gree ; but, as is plain from many other PafTages 
 of Scripture, as well as from Reafon itfelf, every 
 one bears his own Burden, fuffers for his own 
 Sin, and in proportion to it ; has the Meafure of 
 Punimment which he meted out to himfelf, and 
 reaps only what he fow'd ; fo that it will be 
 much more tolerable for fome than for others. 
 The Scripture never reprefents this State of Mi- 
 fery, as a State of Purgation, or Purification, or 
 any thing like, or analogous, to a State of Trial, 
 where they may fit and qualify themfelves for 
 fome better State of Exigence : But always as a 
 State of Retribution, and Puniibment, and righ- 
 teous Vengeance ; in which the Juftice of God, 
 (a Perfection of which fome Men feem to make 
 no account,) vindicates the Honour of his Majefty, 
 his Government and Laws, by punching thofe 
 
 P 2 who 
 
212 The Scripture-DoStrine 
 
 who have defpifed and trampled upon them all. 
 Here Scripture clofes the Scene, and (huts out all 
 Hope, or Profpect of Redemption, or Delive- 
 rance. But vain Men, affecting to appear wifer, 
 or better than God, have taken upon them to 
 teach, without any warrant from his Word, that 
 to the Damned alio fhall fometime be given the 
 Knowledge of Salvation, by the RemiJJion of their 
 Sins*. What they have to offer for this Scheme, 
 and how well they defend it, I am to confider 
 more diflinctly in the next Chapter. 
 
 * Luke i. 77. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
of Future Punifmne?it. 213 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 Concerning the Syjtem of the Rejlora- 
 tion^ or Re-ejlablijhment. 
 
 I Have hitherto been employ 'd in maintain- 
 ing oar own Tenets ; I muft now advance 
 as it were into the Enemy's Country, and exa- 
 mine how they defend their's. If the Punifh- 
 ment of the Wicked in the other World, is ever 
 to have an end, it muft be becaufe they are 
 either deliver'd from it, and reftored to a State of 
 Happinefs; or elfe becaufe they are reduced to 
 nothing. As there are two ways then by which 
 this Change may be effected, I defire the Patrons 
 of a Reftoration to confider, in the firft place, 
 that tho' they could difprove our Doctrine, yet 
 that does by no means directly prove their own. 
 Suppofing, for once, that eternal Punifhment is 
 unjuft and impoffible ; it does not thereby fol- 
 low, that the Punifhment in Hell will be ex- 
 changed for a State of Happinefs ; for it may 
 end in a State of neither Happinefs nor Mifery, 
 viz* total Extinction of Being. We expect 
 therefore direct and politive Proofs, from Scrip- 
 ture or Reafon, of their Syftem of the Re-efta- 
 blilhment ; over and above what they offer againft 
 the Doctrine of eternal Torments. They raife 
 a great clamour againft this Doctrine, how un- 
 juft and cruel it is, and how inconfiftent with 
 the Perfections of God ! Be it fo ; it is (till in- 
 
 P 3 eumbent 
 
214 The Scripture-Do&rjne 
 
 cumbent upon them to prove, beyond this, that 
 the Perfections of God require of Him, not only 
 that he put an end to their Mifery, but that he 
 reftore them to Happinefs, and his Favour : Or, 
 at leaft, that this is agreeable to his Perfe&ions, 
 and what may reafonably beexpefted from them y 
 or what he has declar'd in his Word. If this 
 had always been confider'd by fome particular 
 Writers, fome very pathetical Declamations per- 
 haps might have been fpar'd, as being rather be- 
 fide the purpofe, and not at all coming up to 
 the point. However, to give them their due, 
 fome of them do offer at fomething like proper 
 Proof, and fuch as we want : which fhall be 
 confider'd prefently. 
 
 In the mean time, before we hear their Evi- 
 dence, it may be proper we mould know, as pre- 
 cifely as w T e can, what it is they would prove : 
 For they do not all adopt the fame Syftem ; I 
 mean in the fame extenfive Senfe. I mention'd 
 St. Jerom> in a Note before *, as making an ex- 
 ception in favour oiChriftians, at the fame time 
 that he profefles to believe that the Torments of 
 the Devil, and of fuch wicked Men as fay in 
 their Hearts there is no God, will be eternal. But 
 as this feems to be the Effefl: only of a fond Par- 
 tiality, natural enough to Men for thofe of their 
 own Sedt -f, I am not aware that any one now 
 
 will 
 
 * See N° XXVI. 
 
 f Thus the yews had a faying, Omnis Tfrael particeps 
 erlt futuri feadi : And for the Meaning of this Seculum 
 futurwn, fee Menaffeb Ben-Ifrael de Refurreft More 
 
 Lib. 
 
of \ Future Punijhment. % 215 
 
 will undertake formally to defend it. It would 
 be ftrange if wicked Chriftians mould come off 
 better than any other wicked Men, or be lefs 
 affected by the Sandions of the Gofpel. But 
 then, if we may not limit this Syflem of a Re-^ 
 ftoration to Men of our own Religion -, mull it 
 not, however, be limited to Creatures of our 
 own Species ? Or muft we take in the Devil, and 
 his Angels? I conceive a genuine and confiftent 
 Origenifi muft take in all, if he would not ruin 
 his own Scheme : All Beings, With him, muft 
 fooner or later, return to order ; and there muft 
 be an univerfal Reftoration, or none. For if he 
 grants that one Race of free Creatures may ren- 
 der themfelves incurably wicked and miserable, 
 beyond all Help and Remedy ; this may open a 
 Gap for fuch a Train to follow, as will go near 
 to blow up the Ground on which he ftands. 
 For if Angels may become eternally miferable, 
 then, as to the Poffibility of the thing, why not 
 Men ? And if it be confiftent with the Perfec- 
 
 P 4 tions 
 
 Lib. iii. C. I; So the Followers of Mohammed fay 
 
 " Thofe who have lived in this holy Faith, and die in 
 M the Belief thereof, fhall undergo the Purgation, and, 
 " when it fhall be God's Pleafure, (hall be releafed by 
 <£ the Interceflion of his Prophet, or through his Benig* 
 iC nity and Clemency ; nor (hall it come to pafs that any 
 <c of thofe fhall remain to Eternity in Hell, who have be- 
 " liev'd and profefs'd, without fcruple or doubt, that 
 11 there is no God but Allah , and that Muhammat is the 
 " Mejfenger of Allah : And thofe who in this Life hold 
 " not that Tenet, nor believe therein, fhall remain in 
 <c Hell for ever, where, in company with the Devils, (ac- 
 " curfed may they be) they fhall be tortured with many 
 " forts of Torments." Motraye^ Travels, i Vol. In the 
 Appendix, p. 355. 
 
2 1 6 The Scripture-DoEirine 
 
 tions of God to permit the former, why not the 
 latter ? Befides, the whole Work of God is not 
 reftor'd : The old Leaven of Malice and Wicked- 
 tie/s, of natural and moral Evil, is (till fuppos'd 
 to be eternally fermenting in a confiderable Por- 
 tion of the Creation $ when it was, I conceive, 
 the Origenifis Point to prove, that, behold, all 
 things are become new : Or rather, are reftored 
 to their original Rectitude and Goodnefs. They 
 muft therefore, to be confident, hold an univer- 
 fal Reftoration of Men and Devils $ and this is, 
 in fact, what they do maintain *. Thus much 
 for the Extent and Univerfality of this Reitera- 
 tion: But, 
 
 We have ftill a Queftion, or two, to afk, with 
 regard to the Nature of it : Muft the Devils 
 be reftored to the Angelick Dignity of their fir ft 
 E/late, and repofTefs the Habitation which they 
 left ? And muft Men be made Partakers of that 
 Kingdom of Heaven, out of which they were 
 excluded at the Day of Judgment? Or muft 
 both be content with fuch a Share of Happi- 
 nefs, fomewhere or other, as will make their 
 Condition more eligible than Non-exiftence? 
 Thefe are different things; and the Proof of 
 one, does not neceffarily prove the other. If 
 the Juftice, or Goodnefs, of God, requires the 
 latter, viz, that their Exiftence be better than 
 not being -, do both, or either of them, require 
 
 the 
 
 * See A Letter of Refolution concerning Origen and the 
 chief of his Opinions, 4to p. 74, and 130 — 31. And the 
 I ctter- Writer, mentioned before, in his 288, &c. Page. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 217 
 
 the former too ? Surely he is not obliged to 
 give them fupreme Felicity, and to make them 
 altogether the fame that they would have been, 
 if they had never offended. Yet the Authors 
 juft referred to, fometimes feem to talk in this 
 Strain ; and their Terms of Rejlitution, Reflo- 
 ration, Re-eftabliftment, &c. in the Rigour of 
 them, may imply it. However, to prevent un- 
 neceflary Difpute, we will content ourfelves with 
 faying, in general, that the Beings concern 'd, 
 io far from fubfifting for ever in a State of Con- 
 demnation and Miiery in Hell, will be reftor'd 
 to Happinefs, (more or lef$,) and the Favour of 
 God. I mil want to be fatisfied, whether this 
 PafTage from Mifery to Happinefs is to be im- 
 mediate. Is their Purification, or Reformation, 
 (call it what you will,) to be begun in Hell ? Or 
 if begun, is it likewife to be compleated there ; 
 fo that they may go directly into a State of Hap- 
 pinefs ? Or, after they have fuffered fo much 
 Punifhment as the Juftice of God, or the Rea- 
 fon of things, or their own Cafe required, (for 
 thefe Men look upon all Punifhment as Cura- 
 tive,} are they to go into fome other State of 
 Probation, and take their Chance once more, 
 (or more properly have another Option,) for 
 Happinefs or Mifery ? The Author of the Let- 
 ter concerning Origen lays down his Matter's 
 Doctrine, as to this Point, as follows : c< I come 
 <c now, (fays he, p. 71.) to the Father s fifth 
 " Opinion, which is this, That after long Pe- 
 c< riods of Time the Damned (hall be delivered 
 " from their Torments, and try their Fortunes 
 
 <c a-jain 
 
2 1 8 The Scripture-DoSlrine 
 
 <c again in fuch Regions of the World, as their 
 c< Nature and prefent Difpofition fits * them 
 <c for." This appears to imply, that they by 
 no means as yet obtain their Reft and Reward \ 
 but are firft to pafs through fome future Trials, 
 and be again expofed to the Rifque of another 
 Damnation. For there can be no fuch thing in 
 any State of Trial, as an infallible Security 
 
 again ft 
 * So again, p. 80. "But whether their Releafe be by 
 ** any Change wrought in the Difpofition of their Spirits, 
 *' but without Deaths or whether by an Efcape, as it 
 <c were, by dying to the Body fo tortured, there is no 
 <c doubt to be made but that both ways they may come 
 ** into play again, and try their fortunes once more in 
 €< fuch Regions of the World as Providence judges fit for 
 ** them." Here, we fee, this ingenious Writer does not 
 determine, whether their Releafe will be by Death, or 
 without it -, whether in the Body, or out of the Body ; but 
 be it as it may, they are to come into play again, and try 
 their fortunes once more. In the next Page heafks, " What 
 cc (hould hinder but that thefe punifh'd Souls, whom long 
 <c vexing Pain drove from all Commerce with Matter, 
 u and caft them into a fenfelefs Sleep, will after their long 
 *' Inactivity awake again into Life and Action ? " Ac- 
 cording to which Reprefentation, the Scheme feems to be 
 this ; viz. that their Punifhment, or Pain, will be fo vi- 
 olent, that it will not only feparate the Soul from the Bo- 
 dy, from all Commerce with Matter, but alfo caft it into a 
 fenfelefs Sleep, a State of Infenfibility ; that after a long 
 Inaclivity in this State, it will awake again, and being vi- 
 tally united to Matter come into play again, and try its 
 fortune once more in another State of Probation. I would 
 here only afk, whether after this fenfelefs Sleep and long 
 Inaclivity, they are to remember any thing that palled 
 before it ? Wc, at prefent, have forgot every thing, both 
 what we were, and what we did, in our prse-exiftent 
 State ; according to Origens Hypothefs of Prae-exiftence. 
 If the Cafe be the fame with them, what they fufFer'd for 
 their ill Conduct in their former Probation, will have no 
 Influence on their Behaviour in their future. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 219 
 
 againft Mifcarriage. There mull be Free-agency, 
 a Poffibility of Sin, and fome Temptations to it. 
 And if thefe prevail again, the Confequence muft 
 be another Judgment, and another State of Pu- 
 niftiment. And of thefe Revolutions and Vi- 
 ciffitudes, as well as of fuch Reveries and wild 
 Conjectures concerning them, there is no end. 
 
 But it will be faid, perhaps, that this was 
 a Singularity of Origens, which the modern 
 Advocates of a Reftoration do not think them- 
 felves obliged to defend. Then, I conceive, 
 they muft defend what I am going to mention, 
 viz. that their Reformation is wrought in Hell 
 itfelf, fo that they immediately pafs from the 
 Torments of that Place, into a State of Hap- 
 pinefs. This, however, is not eafily concei- 
 vable.- That does not feem a proper Place for 
 fuch a Work. The Letter-writer has taken 
 notice of this, and put the Objection himfelf. 
 cc It is hard to conceive how a State of Blaf- 
 €C phemy and Defpair, fuch as that of the 
 <c Damned is reprefented, fhould be proper to 
 M purify and re-eftablifh them in Virtue and 
 <c Blifs *." And whether he has anfwered it, 
 in the DifTertation that follows it, I leave others 
 to judge. At prefent I muft pafs on: And to 
 be as brief as I can in thefe Preliminaries, I fay, 
 that this Reftoration muft be effected in fome or 
 other of thefe ways. They muft either be re- 
 
 ftored 
 
 * At the end of Letter V. N. B. By the Letter -writer 
 I always mean, the Author of the Letters tranflated out of 
 French-, not the Author of the Letter of Retaliation con- 
 cerning Origin. 
 
2 2 o The Scripture-Do&rine 
 
 ftored all together at the fame time, by a fort of 
 general Releafe, and that too immediately, or to 
 a State of Happinefs without any intervening 
 Probation : Or, they muft all together, and at 
 the fame time, be placed in another State of 
 Probation 5 (where their final Happinefs will 
 ftill be in Sufpenfe:) Or, every Individual muft. 
 be put into a new State of Trial, or into a State 
 of Happinefs, fingly and by himfelf, at his own 
 Time, and as his own Cafe requires : Or fome 
 only mull: undergo a new Trial, while others 
 go immediately into Happinefs ; and this again 
 in Companies, or fingly; according to what 
 each one's Condition, Character, and Temper 
 fits him for. Then, thofe that have Bodies, 
 muft either leave them behind them, by dying 
 as it were again ; or bring them with them into 
 their new Place, or State, of Exiftence. 
 
 In all thefe Points, tho* it be none of my 
 Bufinefs to reconcile them, it were to be wifh'd 
 that our Rejlorers would come to fome good 
 Agreement. Each of thefe Ways, I conceive, 
 has its Difficulties; and if anyone was fix'd on, 
 we might then argue the Cafe on that particular 
 Hypothecs. As they are, however, they may 
 fei ve to mew, that the Cafe is not fo very clear, 
 as fome may think it. It is eafy to talk of a 
 Reftoration ; but when we come to con Oder 
 more particularly the Ways, and Means, and 
 Methods, by which it muft be effected, in the 
 complicated Cue of wicked Men and Devils, it 
 turns out. a very intricate Affair ; and will re- 
 
 qoire 
 
of Future Punijhment. 221 
 
 quire fome Proof, much clearer than its own 
 intrinfick Evidence, to fupport it. However, to 
 Proof, diredt and pofitive Proof, every thing 
 muft give way. And if fuch can be produced 
 in the Cafe before us, we will readily admit it > 
 notwithstanding any Difficulties in the thing 
 itfelf. 
 
 The Proofs then of this great Point, a Re- 
 storation in general, are fetch'd either from 
 Reafon, (or as the Letter- writer loves to exprefs 
 himfelf, immutable Truths,) or from Scripture. 
 I {hall begin with the latter ; that I may not 
 be demolished at firfr, by attacking their main 
 Strength, which they are fenfible does not lie in 
 the Word of God. Some of them hardly pre- 
 tend to alledge Scripture-Evidence in the point ; 
 but the Letter-writer has fupplied that Defeft, 
 and placed his Proofs of this kind in very or- 
 derly Array. They follow in his own Words ;— • 
 
 " One of the chief of them, is drawn from 
 <c the Incarnation of J ejus Chrift y and the De- 
 <c lign of his coming. 
 
 <c A Second, from the many poiltive De- 
 " clarations wherewith the Scriptures abound, 
 <c That God will not always chide \ nor keep his 
 tc Anger for ever. 
 
 <c A Third is taken from the numerous 
 cc Prophetical Promifes, agreeing with thefe 
 " firft Proofs." {Letter II.) 
 
 Now, 
 
222 The Scripture- DoSirine 
 
 Now, as to the firfl: of thefe Topicks, the 
 Incarnation of Jefus Chrift, it does not affect 
 the Devil and his Angels -, and therefore what- 
 ever force it may have with regard to Man- 
 kind, ftill one Race of God's Creatures are left 
 unprovided for : For verify He took not on him 
 the Nature of Angels $ but He took on him the 
 Seed of Abraham : Or rather, as it is in the 
 Margin of our Bibles, He taketh not hold of 
 Angels , (to relieve, or reftore them,) but of the 
 Seed of Abraham He taketh hold: Heb. ii. 16. 
 But, patting by this, how is the Argument 
 from the Incarnation managed with regard to 
 Mankind ? Why, fays our Author in the firft 
 place, " Chrift has thereby ennobled all Human 
 <c Nature, and become the Brother of Man- 
 " kind ; which fingle Thought might be fuffi- 
 " cient to make us prefume that none of that 
 " Race, whofe Nature God affum'd, mail pe- 
 <c riih eternally." To which I anfwer firft, 
 that whatever we might have prefumd, if we 
 had had no Declarations to the contrary, it is 
 great folly to prefume fo now, when we are 
 aiTur'd in almoft every Page of the Gofpel, that 
 notwithstanding the Incarnation of Chrift, we 
 may ftill bring ourfelves into the Condemnation 
 of the Devil. 2. The more Chrift has ennobled 
 our Nature, the more inexcufable are they who 
 defile, and deprave it ; and who, inftead of 
 being feniible of fuch an Honour, and fuch 
 Obligations, throw them all behind them, and 
 trample as it were the Divine Author of them 
 
 under 
 
of Future Punipment. 223 
 
 under foot. 3. Admitting that Chrift is, in fome 
 fenfe, become the Brother of 'Mankind, yet he him- 
 felf hath taught us, in effect, that mere natural 
 Relation will avail nothing: Matt. xii. 48,, 
 Something more is required to make us Heirs of 
 God, and Joint-heirs with Chrift. This may 
 obviate what the Author fuggefts in a Note, 
 about the Relation between Man and the Divi- 
 nity, as Man is not only the Work of God, but 
 alfo his Race or Offspring ; which he fays is a 
 very Jtrong Proof on this occafon. And indeed 
 if it be any Proof at all, it comes home to the 
 Point of an univerfal Reftoration : For no doubt 
 thofe Sons of the Morning who k\\ front Heaven, 
 were the Race, or Offspring, of God, as well as 
 Men. But I take the liberty to repeat that 
 bare Relations fignify nothing, but to aggravate 
 the Guilt of thofe who are infenfible of them. 
 Becaufe wicked Spirits, and wicked Men, were 
 originally the Race, or Offspring, of God, 
 muft He therefore make them happy whether 
 they will, or no? Muft He invert Order % 
 change the Nature of things ? make Good, 
 Evil; and Evil, Good ? No 5 the Author will 
 allow this is neither reafonable, nor poffible. 
 Nor is it reafonable or poffible upon fuch terms, 
 for Chrift to fave all the Individuals who par- 
 take of that Nature, which He condefcended to 
 affume. In a word, it does by no means fol- 
 low, that becaufe Chrift was pleafed to be made 
 Man, therefore all Men will at laft be faved. 
 But if this be a Truth, one may expect to meet 
 with fome Footfteps of it, fomewhere or other, 
 
 in 
 
224 ?% e Scripture-Do&rine 
 
 in Scripture ; and it will appear, tho' not mere- 
 ly from the Nature, or Fad, of the Incarnation, 
 yet frpm the open, avow'd, and declared De- 
 fign <?f it. c< Yes, yes, continues the Author, 
 <c the Scriptures every where declare, that Je- 
 cc fus Chrift came to fave all Men ; and this is 
 <c repeated in almoft every Page of the New 
 <c Teftament." But, 
 
 Does the Scripture every where, or any 
 where, declare, that all Men will, in the Event, 
 be actually faved? Nothing like it. On the 
 contrary, the Scripture itfelf diftinguifhes in the 
 Cafe ; by teaching us, that tho' Chrift came to 
 make the Offers of Salvation to all Men, yet He 
 becomes, in the Event, the Author of eternal 
 Salvation unto all them that obey him : Heb. v. 
 9. The reafon is, that Chrift came with no 
 abfolute Defign of faving all Men, whether they 
 would, or not; whether they would, or would 
 not, believe in Him, and obey Him 5 (fuch 
 a Defign is abfurd and impoffible in the na- 
 ture of things, and can be entertain'd by no 
 wife Being : ) But He offers, as the Author 
 fays, all Men the Grace necejjary to Salva- 
 tion y and if they will make ufe of it, and com- 
 ply with his Terms, He will actually, in due* 
 time, confer upon them the Gift of eternal Life. 
 This indeed is his " pofitive Will, which fooner 
 if or later will have its ejfecl." And his Defign 
 of faving all Men, was far from being only " a 
 " bare JViJIj " that they might be faved ; fince 
 it was a real Offer of Salvation, upon the fame 
 
 Terms 
 
of Future Punijhment. 22$ 
 
 Terms that it was tendered to thofe, who actually 
 partake of it. Why will ye die, Houfeoflfrael? 
 For I have no pleafure in the Death of him that 
 ' dieth, faith the Lord God : Wherefore turn your- 
 ielves, and live ye *. Is this only a hare Wifh that 
 they would not die ? Or does it not imply, that 
 God had done every thing on his part, and that 
 became his Character to do ? Which yet in the 
 Event might prove ineffectual, and Iniquity 
 ftill be. their Ruin. But enough of this : w Let 
 " us come to fomething more particular/' 
 
 " Jesus Christ came to reftore all things ; 
 <c of which mention is made, ABs iii. But if 
 c< He faves only a fmall Number, all things are 
 " fo far from being reftor'd, that there would 
 <c be but a Handful fo favour'd, whilft: the 
 " Multitude would continue eternally in Dif- 
 cc order and Defolation." Here, omitting his 
 old Fallacy of a fmall Number, and a Handful, 
 &c. nothing can be more impertinently applied 
 to a Reftoration of the Damned, after the Day 
 of Judgment, than this Scripture ; which fpeaks 
 plainly of a Reftitution (whatever that may 
 mean) at the Day of Judgment, or ChriiVs 
 fecond Coming. Repent ye therefore, and be 
 converted, fays the Apoftle, ^.19. that your 
 Sim may be blotted out, when the times of re~ 
 frefhing pall come from the Pre fence of the 
 Lord-, f. 20. And He fall fend fefus Chrift y 
 which before was preached unto you : $ m 2 1. 
 Whom the Heaven viujl receive, until the times 
 
 * Ezek. xviii. 31, 
 
226 'The Scriplure-DoSirine 
 
 of Reftitution of all things, which God hath 
 
 fpoken by the Mouth of all his holy Prophets, 
 
 Jince the World began. Unlefs therefore the 
 
 Wicked are to be refordat thofame time that 
 
 they are to be condemn' d y and at the fame time 
 
 that the Righteous are to be refrejlfd, the Rejti- 
 
 tut ion here mentioned muft be a quite different 
 
 thing from the Reiteration of the Wicked 
 
 in Hell 5 which, I dare fay, God hath not 
 
 fpoken of by the Mouth of all his holy Prophets,. 
 
 Jince the World began. 
 
 The Author next dips into 1 Cor. xv. As 
 'in Adam all die, Jo in Chrijl fiall all be made 
 alive-, j. 22. Where he fpends the Fire of his 
 Criticifm to {hew that All means all Men, uni- 
 verfally. But alas, the Point he fhould have 
 fettled is the Meaning of, . — Jhall be made alive. 
 For f nee by Man came Death, fays the Apoflle, 
 by Man came alfo the Rejurreclion of the Dead: 
 for as in Adam all die, even Jo in Chrijl Jhall 
 all be made alive. The Words are a plain 
 Proof of an univerjal Refurredlion ; and that 
 is all. The Reiteration is ftill left in the 
 lurch. All Jhall hear the Voice of the Son of 
 God, and they that hear fjall live ; and Jhall 
 come forth 9 they that have done Good, to the 
 RefirreBion of Life 5 and they that have done 
 Evil, unto the Refurreclion of Damnation. 
 'John v. 28, 29. He thinks the Apoftle 
 <c fpeaks of another future Period, which he 
 cc calls the End, jr. 24. And then the Endfloall 
 iC come, when he Jhall have delivered up the 
 
 cc Kingdom 
 
cf Future PuniJhmenU 227 
 
 u Kingdom to God, even to the Father" 
 Whereas the End is not another future Period \ 
 but the very Period of the Refurredtion and 
 General Judgment. By the Decifions then 
 made, an * End will be put to Chrift's Media- 
 torial Kingdom ; as he will have brought many 
 Sons unto Glory, (all that were fit for it,) and 
 have put all Enemies under his feet. He may 
 then deliver up the Kingdom which he admi- 
 nifter'd as Meffias, or Mediator, becaufe thd 
 Purpofes of it are accomplished. All the Faith- 
 ful are glorified, and all Enemies are fubdued. 
 Then is the End. For He was but to reign till 
 He had put all Enemies under his feet : f. 25. 
 But this Subjection, the Author urges, muft be 
 voluntary : Elfe, it could never be fpoken of as 
 a thing to come ; " becaufe from the Founda- 
 " tion of the World all things are fubjedl to 
 f c him ;" and if it be voluntary, there is no 
 
 Q^2 " more 
 
 * Since the writing of this, I have read Dr. Berriman's 
 Difcourfe concerning the Perpetual Duration of the King- 
 dom of Chrift, (In his Boyle's Lectures, Serm. xii.) 
 where, tho' he rejects the Notion of the Abrogation of 
 Chrift's Mediatorial Kingdom, yet he allows as much as I 
 meant either here, or elfewhere, by faying that an End 
 will be put to this Kingdom, or that Chrift will deliver it up, 
 I never intended by this, that this Kingdom will be really 
 abolijhed ; but only that the prefent manner of Admini- 
 ftration, the Acts and Exerci:'e of Government, will be 
 alter'd, and fome of them ceafe ; which is exprefly aflerted 
 by this excellent Writer, and is plain from the Nature of 
 the thing. Where the Kingdoms are fo different as the 
 Kingdom of Grace and the Kingdom of Glory, the 
 Church Militant and the Church Triumphant, the Ex- 
 ercife of Government muft neceilarily vary. But ftilj 
 Chrift, the King of Glory, preildes in this Kingdom ; and 
 will do fo for evermore* 
 
228 7%e Scripture-DoSlrinq 
 
 <c more Hell." As if the Subje&ion of all 
 Enemies after the Day of Judgment, tho' far 
 from being voluntary, will not be very different 
 from what it is at prefent. Wicked Men and 
 Devils are always, in fome fenfe, fubjecl to 
 God's over-ruling Providence. It would be bad 
 if .they were not. But they would find, (and 
 that they know,) another iort of Subjection at 
 the Day of judgment ; when God will take to 
 him his great Power, and will reign } by ren- 
 dring to every one according to his Works. 
 His Arguments to prove that by Death, the 
 lajl Enemy that Jhall be de/lroyed, is not meant 
 " temporal Death/' are furpriiing. His firji 
 is, becaufe " after the coming of Chrift, there 
 €i is no room for that Death/' Therefore, one 
 would think, it is fufficiently deftroyed 5 as 
 there is no room for it to make new Conquefts, 
 and its old Subjects are refcued from it by the 
 Refurrection. But this Death "is only termed 
 c< Sleep" And what then ? If the Death of 
 the Righteous, or Death in general, be termed 
 Sleep, does that prove that St. Paul does not 
 fay that this Death will be deftroyed at the 
 Refurredion ? It is called Death, much more 
 frequently than it is call'd Sleepy in the Scrip- 
 ture, as is evident to every one who reads it 
 without the Author's GlaJJ'es *. No, continues 
 
 he, 
 
 * This alludes to the Author's curious Remarks upon 
 the Ufe of Glajjes, in his feventienth Dialogue. The In- 
 habitants of the gloomy Kingdom (of the Catacombs) have 
 
 " an almoft infinite Variety of Glajps of all forts." 
 
 *' They have GlaJJes well colour'd, which communicate 
 
 " the 
 
of Future Punijhmeni. 229 
 
 he, what the Apoftle " calls Death, . the great 
 41 Death, 2 Cor. i. 10. is a Separation from 
 cc God." Never was any Point prov'd clearer ! 
 The Trouble which came to St. Paul in Afia, 
 which prefs Vhirn out of ' mea 'jure , above flrength, 
 infomuch that he dejpair'd even of Life-, his 
 Deliverance out of which, it is plain he calls 
 $\ 10. Deliverance from fb great a Death, is 
 brought to prove that Death in Scripture means 
 a myflical Death, <c a Separation from God." 
 His laft Argument is, that St, Paul ranks the 
 Death here fpoken of " with the Enemies of 
 <c God ;" but temporal Death " is an Agent of 
 " his Power employ'd in executing his Orders/' 
 As if the Enemies of God may not be made, 
 by his overruling'Wifdom, the Agents, or Inftru- 
 ments, of his Providence and Power. Certainly 
 God made not Death -, by Man came Death, fays 
 the Apoftle ; or, if we go one Step higher, through 
 Envy of the Devil came Death into the World. 
 And as the Devil and Sin, the great Enemies 
 of God, introduced it, it may truly be rank'd 
 with them. After fome ftrange confufed Stuff, 
 which he is led into by fuppofmg falfely that St. 
 Paul fpeaks of another future Period, he fixes 
 upon the words, ^.28. That God may be all in 
 all. They feem, he fays, u irrefragably to prove 
 " the Abolition of Sin and Hell, and the Refto- 
 u ration of all the Creatures. They would have 
 <c no Senfe, if Hell-torments were eternal. God 
 
 Q^_3 Cl can 
 
 <c the fame Colours to the Object." Hence one fees Black, 
 where another fees IWite. Some perceive Maintains, when 
 ithers find only fome Grains of Sand. 
 
230 The Scripture-DoElrine 
 
 " can never be all and in all, but by reftoring 
 " the Order of things." What Myfteries may 
 be difcover'd, by the help of proper Glajfes, in 
 a little Expreffion •, like Millions of Animalcula 
 in a little Water ! When Chrift, (who likewife, 
 St. Paid fays Col. iii. 11. is all, and in all,) has 
 deftroyed Death, and Him that hath the power 
 of Death, that is the Devil, with all his Party 
 and Adherents ; when he has put down all 
 Rule, Authority and Power, contrary to his own, 
 and deliver'd up even his own delegated King- 
 dom to God, furely God will be all in all : At 
 leaft, this appears to be the fenfe in which St. 
 Paul ufes the Expreffion here ; though a certain 
 other Perfon can fee no Senje in it, unlefs Hell- 
 torments likewife be ended. But the mere Force 
 of the Expreffion implies no fuch thing, nor is 
 any fuch Senfe required by the Context, or 
 Courfe of the Apoftle's reafoning. It is ridicu-. 
 lous to think that if the Devil and his Adherents 
 are not reflord, there will flill be a Kingdom op- 
 polite to God's; for Hell is not at all their King- 
 dom, but their Place of Punifoment. tc The 
 <c only Kingdom of the Devil, is the Dominion 
 " of Sin in xhsprefent World." This Reftora- 
 tion of all the Creatures, proceeds the Author, 
 " is further confirm'd by the Exclamation of 
 " St. Paul, Death, where is thy Sting ? * O 
 
 " Grave 
 
 * See Clarke's Exp. of the Cat. p. 88. 
 
 " We find it in other Tranflations," fays he in his 
 Note, Hell, where is thy Victory? " Common Senfe 
 41 fhould lead us to efpoufe this Verfion." But then, I 
 fear, it would miflead us, if he means by Hell the Place of 
 
 the 
 
of Future Punijhment. 231 
 
 " Grave, where is thy Victory ? If Death and 
 " the Grave have no other Sting but Sin, and 
 " this Sting muft be deftroy'd 5 does it not 
 " hence follow, that Hell muft be deftroy'd 
 €c alio? Since 'tis certain, that if Sin were killed 
 " in Men, there would be no more HelL" 
 This Writer has a pleafant way of proving what 
 is not deny'd, and leaving the Point in difpute 
 to fhift for itfelf. If Sin muft be deftrofd, 
 quoth he, Then, fo and fo. Could not he fee 
 that it was his bufinefs to prove, and not to fup- 
 pofe, that Sin will be fo deftroy'd, Root and 
 Branch, in all Creatures whatfoever, as to leave 
 no room for any farther Punifhment? Then 
 indeed there would be 710 more Hell. But St. 
 Paul's Exclamation proves no fuch thing ; the 
 Argument he is upon having nothing to do with 
 the Deftrudlion of Sin in Gehenna, or Hell^ 
 but only with the Victory good Chriftians obtain, 
 through Chrift, over Death, and Sin, and Hades y 
 in the Refurredtion. What he fuggefts in a 
 Note, as if the Vidiory here fpoken of was not 
 iC in relation to the Refurre&ion," is a flat 
 Contradiction to St. Paul's own Words, f. 54* 
 When this corruptible Jhall have put on Incor- 
 rupt ion, and this mortal Jhall have put on Im- 
 mortality, then Jhall be brought to pafs the 
 
 Q^f- Saying 
 
 the Punifhment of the Damned, as that word commonly 
 does mean. And yet, on the other hand, it is not " the 
 " Piece of Ground, where the dead Body is laid," that 
 is here intended : But it is Hades, the Place, or State, in 
 which the Soul abides, while the dead Body is in the 
 Ground. Over this State of Separation, and Death which 
 made it, St. Paul triumphs, in view of the Refurreelion. 
 
232 The Scriptu?~e-Do&rine 
 
 Saying that is written. Death is /wallowed up in 
 Victory. Whether this Refurrection tc be an 
 " Advantage to the Damned, 5 ' or not, it is an 
 ineftimable one to the Bleffed 5 which is the 
 Cafe the Apoftle had in his Thoughts, and is 
 a very proper Subjeff of Triumph and Exultation. 
 
 ISincerely think it would be time mifpent 
 to follow this Critic in the reft of his Allegations 
 from Scripture, fo particularly as I have done 
 hitherto. It will be enough barely to cite, or 
 refer to them, and leave them without any Com- 
 ment to the Judgment of the Public. CoL i. 20. 
 €c Obferve here, fays he, an univerjal Reconci- 
 cc liation of all the Creatures to God." Now, 
 not to remind him that there is a great Diffe- 
 rence between the Offer of the Terms of Re- 
 conciliation on God's part, and the accepting of 
 them on Man's, the very Words of the Text 
 are againft him -, unlefs by things in Earthy or 
 things in Heaven *, be underftood alfo things in 
 Hell. " Jefus Chrift is called the fir ft- bom 
 <c from the dead, a?id the frjl-born of every 
 ic Creature ; yk. 15, 18. And f, 16. it is laid, 
 " That all things that were created by him^ were 
 " aljo created for him!' All which is very 
 true, whether the Doctrine of the Reftoration be 
 fo, or not. 
 
 <c In the firifcof Ephefians, the fame Truth 
 ic is declared. Ver. 9, 10. mention is made of 
 
 the 
 
 * For the Meaning of which Expreflion, fee Dr. Chap- 
 Ws $ufeh* Vil.il. P. 317, &* 
 
of Future Punijhment. 233 
 
 <c the Myjlery of the Will of God, which be 
 " had hitherto kept to himfeJf '; and what is this 
 " Myftery ? To gather together in one all things 
 tc in Chrift, both which are in Heaven, and 
 * which are on Earth, even in Him 5 and when 
 iC will he do this ? In the Difpenfation of the 
 " Fulnefs of Times, that is to fay, when all things 
 " /hall befubjecJed to him, and he jhall be cx- 
 " alted above all Principalities and Powers^ 
 " and Dignities and Dominions, and above eve rv 
 tc Name that is named, both in this Life and 
 " that which is to come!' Thus this excellent 
 Commentator ! who might as well have under- 
 taken to prove from thefe Words, that the Re- 
 storation is pafl already. For if that is to h^p- 
 pen when Chrift is thus exalted, it mull ac- 
 cording to St.. Paul have been accomplifh'd long 
 ago ; God having long ago raifed him from the 
 dead, and Jet him at his own right Hand in 
 heavenly places, far above all the Powers and Dig- 
 nities mentioned before, and hath put all things 
 under his feet : j. 20, 21. " The fame A- 
 <c poftle, in the nth of the Romans, declares 
 cc as great a Myftery, that thofe who before had 
 " rebelled againft God, and been cut off be- 
 cc caufe of their Unbelief, mould be again grafted 
 <c in, and at laft obtain Mercy." 
 
 Th at is, becaufe St. Paul fpeaks of the Refto- 
 ration,or Converfion, of the^^jjwho were then 
 cut oft becaufe of Unbelief, but might, if they 
 did not bide fill in Unbelief, ^.23. be graft '*A 
 in again ; therefore there will be an universal 
 
 Refto- 
 
234 72fe Scripture-DoElrine 
 
 Restoration of wicked Men, and Devils^ after 
 the Day of Judgment. Next, flightly men- 
 tioning Heb. ii. 9. that Chrifi tafted Death for 
 all Men , and elfewhere, that he is made the 
 Propitiation for the Sins of the whole World , 
 and the 2d of Phil. That every Knee Jhall bow 
 at the Name of f ejus , he adds, " I fhall only 
 cc dwell a little on the laft Verfes of the 5 th of 
 cc Romans, that are very clear in this cafe ; where 
 c< the Apoftle compares Jefus Chrift to Adam, as 
 " alfo the Fruits we reap from each. As by one 
 tQ Man Sin entered into the World" Sec. Upon 
 which he argues thus, " All were made Sinners 
 " by Adam, therefore all ought to be made 
 <c righteous by Jefus Chrift" And fuppofing 
 all y (the whole Race of Mankind,) to be made 
 righteous by Jefus Chrift, fo far forth as they 
 were made Sinners by Adam, what then ? The 
 eonfequence is, that no Man fhall be condemn'd 
 for Adams Sin; but if their own perfonal and 
 actual Sins bring them into a State of Condem- 
 nation again, they muft blame, not Adam, but 
 the?nf elves. A better and more gracious Cove- 
 nant, (which is therefore defervedly call'd the 
 Covenant of Grace,) is eftabliih'd with Man- 
 kind in Chrift Jefus, than the old one forfeited 
 by Adams Sin. And in this fenfe, where Sin 
 abounded, Grace did much more abound : Words, 
 which cannot relate to a future Event, depend- 
 ing upon Man's free Will, (as their actual Com- 
 pliance with this Grace does,) but which declare 
 what the things are in them/elves, or in the De- 
 fign and Purpofe of God. St. Paul's exalting 
 
 the 
 
of Future Punijhmettt. 235 
 
 the Gift above the Offence, cannot mean with re- 
 gard to the Univerfality of it, or the Numbers of 
 Men concerned ; as the Author feems to think, 
 tho* at the fame time he appears fenfible of the 
 Abfurdity, which he is willing to difguife. 
 Says he in a Note, M If the Effe&s of the Offence 
 cc were univerfal, what may we not expedt from 
 H the Gift, if it ought to exceed it ?" Why 
 truly, that its Effedts {hould be more than uni- 
 verfal. But he would not fpeak out, left the 
 Abfurdity mguld be too plain. But St. Paul 
 beft explains his own Meaning ; for the "Judg- 
 ment was by one to Condemnation ; (came by 
 one Offence of one Man ;) but the free Gift is of 
 many Offences unto Jufliflcation ; is an univerfal 
 Declaration of Pardon, upon certain Conditions, 
 of all Offences whatfoever, to all Mankind. 
 Moreover, we will grant to the Author, that 
 the free Gift has " more influence to make 
 « c us happy, than the Offence to make us mi- 
 cl ferable." Still it does not follow, that all will 
 be happy ; becaufe no Influence can make them 
 fo, whether they will, or not. 
 
 His " fecond Argument for the Opinion in 
 c< queftion, is taken from the exprefs Declara- 
 < c tions of Scripture, That God keeps not his 
 " Refentment for ever." He begins to " en- 
 " quire into the Strength of this Proof" in his 
 third Letter, which is concerning the Conclufion 
 of the fecond Commandment, 
 
 cc 
 
 Ik 
 
236 "The Scripture-DoBrim 
 
 ct 
 
 <t 
 
 <c In the firft Part, God (hews himfelf as a 
 powerful and jealous God , punifhing Iniquity to 
 
 <c the fourth Generation ; in the laft, he is repre- 
 fented as exerting Mercy to Tkoufands of Ge- 
 nerations, Doth not this mean, that Juftice in 
 his Puniihments is reftrain'd within certain 
 
 " Bounds, whereas Mercy knows no Limits ?" 
 
 I f the Author will argue from the mere 
 Words and Letter of this Commandment, Mercy 
 is as really reftrain'd within certain Bounds, as 
 Juftice y only the Bounds of the former are vaft- 
 ly wider, and more extenfive, than thofe of the 
 latter *. All God's Perfections are in tkemjehes 
 equally infinite, and yet the Exercife of them 
 muft be limited by the Nature of the Objects, 
 with regard to which they are exerted. He con- 
 tends himfelf, {Letter I.) that in God, both 
 Goodne/l and Jujlice are boundlefs > that they are 
 fo far from dejlroying one another, that they are 
 infeparable : " juftice is not oppofite to Good- 
 *' nefs y nor Goodnefs to Ju/licey Was it the 
 defign then of this Commandment to reftrain 
 within certain Bounds'^ That which is boundlefs ? 
 
 Or 
 
 * Hence Mr. Wlnfton makes his Calculation, C£ That 
 <c in general, the Duration of the Puniihment of theWic- 
 <c ked will be no greater, as compared with the Dura- 
 <c tion of the Happinefs of the Good, than two or three 
 " are to a thoufand." (p. 135.) I know not what thefe 
 Gentlemen fee, more than other People can, in the Con- 
 clusion of this Commandment ; but I am iatisfted if we 
 were to argue fo on the other fide, from our own fanci- 
 ful Interpretations of very plain Words, our Arguments 
 would be treated with great Contempt. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 237 
 
 Or to reprefent two divine Attributes, as incon- 
 fiftent with one another, which are fo infepa- 
 rable> that we cannot Jo much as imagine, or 
 fuppofe them to fubfift afunder ? But the proper 
 Anfwer to what he argues from the Conclufion 
 of this Commandment is, that it is nothing to 
 the purpofe. A general Inference may be drawn 
 from it, viz. That God delights much more in 
 bleffing, than in punifhing ; which is very con- 
 fident with our Do&rine. But it is only the 
 Sanction of a peculiar La%v, given to a People 
 in peculiar Circum fiances of Relation to the great 
 Lawgiver, who was not only their God, but their 
 King. Idolatry therefore, which was a Depar- 
 ture from Him, was as the Sin of Rebellion, or 
 High Treafon, againft their Prince : And his 
 Punifhment of it might juftly, and would na- 
 turally in the courfe of things, extend to the 
 third or fourth Generation. But what is all this 
 to the Punifhments of another World, where 
 there are no Generations, and where every Man 
 bears only his own Iniquity ? The Author fays 
 he " does not fuppofe any one pretends to take 
 " the Words literally*", or imagines that God 
 <c makes Children accountable for the Iniquities 
 ;c of their Fathers." As iftheie were equivalent. 
 
 This 
 
 * Yet in other places his Tunc feems to be alter'd. 
 " On how many occafions have we feen Children die for 
 " the Iniquity of their Fathers, and Subjects for that of 
 ct Princes?" And then he recites feveral Initances; p.340. 
 And again, p. 431, in a Note ; — u Children are puni&ed 
 
 * c with their Fathers, Subjects with their Prince ; 
 
 " God calls one Generation to an account for what pafTed 
 " in the foregoing Age.'* 
 
2 $8 The Scripture-DoElrine 
 
 This Propofition, cc God makes Children ac- 
 " countable for the Iniquities of their Fathers," 
 may mean that He always does fo; that this is 
 the Rule of his Dealings with all Mankind, in all 
 Ages of this World, and even in the World to 
 come : Which certainly is not true. And yet the 
 Words in queftion are to be taken literally, with 
 proper Reftridtions and Limitations ; and when 
 fo qualified, imply no more than what the fu- 
 preme Powers of this World do every day, in 
 Cafes of a like nature. But the Artifice is, to 
 pretend that the Words cannot be taken in a 
 literal fenfe ; and then you may affix to them 
 any (my/lical) Senfe, juft to ferve a turn. But 
 whoever argues from that, argues only from a 
 Senfe of his own, and not at all from the Senfe 
 of the Conclufion of the fecond Commandment. 
 
 We are next encounter'd, in his fourth Letter, 
 with the whole lojtb Pfalm. And 'tis well, 
 when his hand was in, that he did not attack us 
 with the whole hundred and fifty. For all of 
 them, more or lefs, " fet before our Eyes a Re- 
 <c prefentation of the wonderful ways of the 
 " Divine Wifdom, Juffice, and Mercy." The 
 I07th Pfalm in particular, is a Celebration of 
 God's manifold Providence, over Travellers, over 
 Captives, over lick "Men, over Sea-men, and in 
 divers Varieties of Life ; as the Argument of it 
 runs very juftly in our common Bibles. If the 
 Author has a mind to make an Alienors of it, 
 he has his liberty -, provided only he does not 
 put his Allegories upon us for Scripture-Proofs : 
 
 For 
 
of Future Punijhment. 239 
 
 For in that way Scripture may be made to prove 
 anything. " That immenfe Goodnefs is not 
 " confined to the fhort Space of this Life/' we 
 believe as firmly as he does. The Mercy cf the 
 Lord will endure for ever $ as Millions of Crea^ 
 tures will experience. But that all will become 
 proper Objects of it, or, as he expreffes it, " fhall 
 " be capable of receiving its Influence j" is more 
 than he can prove from this Pfalm> or any 
 other. 
 
 We muft follow him now to Pfalm ciii. 
 tf. 9. For he goes backwards, retreating as it 
 were to his ftrongeft Hold. " One of the ftrongeft 
 " Expreftions againft the Eternity of Torments, 
 €c is this, He will not always chide \ nor keep his 
 a Anger for ever : A Declaration more ftrong, 
 cc and the further removed from Ambiguity, as 
 <c it is taken from the Nature and Perfections of 
 " God himfelf, and perfectly agrees with the 
 <c Ideas of Juftice, which every one finds en- 
 <c graved upon his own Mind." Several things 
 may be returnd to this 5 as firft, he has here 
 forgot the Point he was to prove. For fuppof- 
 ing this to be one of the ftrongeft Expreffions 
 againft the 'Eternity of Torment s y it does not 
 therefore follow that it proves his Syftem of the 
 Reftoration. Then, whereas he fays cc this De- 
 " claration is taken from the Nature and Per- 
 <c fedtions of God," &c. I would afk whether 
 this Propofition, viz. God will punifh for ever, 
 thofe who for ever are proper Objefts of Punish- 
 ment, be not likewife taken from the Nature 
 
 and 
 
24-0 'The Scripture- DoEirine 
 
 and Perfections of God himfelf ? If the Nature 
 and Perfections of God permit him to be angry, 
 or to punifh, for a time ; why may they not 
 permit him to punifli for ever, if the Reafons of 
 Funiihment ftill continue ? If the Punifhment 
 was at firft without Reafon, it was unjuft, how 
 temporary or ihort foever ; and if there be reafon 
 for it, it will not be unjuft, let the Duration of 
 it be what it will But the proper Anfwer un- 
 doubtedly is, that the Pfahnift is not at all fpeak- 
 ing of Punimment in another World, in a State 
 of Retribution ; but of Correction, or Chaftife-, 
 ment, in the prefent State of Difcipline and 
 Trial *„ The Author has almoft {tumbled upon 
 this himfelf, in a Note j which overthrows all 
 that he advances as from this Text. <c A Father, 
 
 t€ fays 
 
 * Ver. 9. He will not always chide: neither will he keep 
 his Anger for ever. 10. He hath not dealt with us after 
 cur Sins : nor rewarded us according to our Iniquities. 11, 
 For as the Heaven is high above the Earth : fo great is his 
 jVfercy toward them that fear him. 12. As far as the Ecft 
 is from the Wefl : fo far hath he removed our Tranjgrefftons 
 from us. It is the fame Cafe with Ifaiah, Chap. \vil. ver. 
 16. which the Author thinks " deferves to be quoted at 
 t; full length;" p. 287. For I tvill not contend for ever % 
 her will I be always wroth : for the Spirit jlmuld fail be- 
 fore me, and the Souls which I have made. The Prophet ha v- 
 jr o reproved the idolatrous Jews in the former Part of the 
 Chapter ; ver. 15. comforts the humble and contrite. Then 
 follow the Words in queftion ; and ver. 17, he goes on, — 
 For the Iniquity of his Covetoufncfs was I wroth, and fmote 
 him: I hid me, and was wrothy and he went on frowardly 
 in the zvay of his Heart. Ver. 18. / have fecn his ways, 
 and will heal him, &c. Neverthelefs he afiures us, ver. 
 20, 21. The wicked are like the troubled Sea, when it can- 
 not reft, whoje Waters caft up Mire and Dirt. There is 
 no Peace, faith my God> to the wicked. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 241 
 
 " fays he, doth not chide his Children, whom 
 £i he is refolved to abandon -, by chiding he (hows 
 a his Defign of correcting and reducing them to 
 ■" their Duty." In this fenfe then of chiding, 
 when it is declared that God will not always chide, 
 what is it but a Declaration that He is refolved 
 to abandon fuch Children, whom no Chiding, 
 no Correction, will reduce to their Duty ? In a 
 word, Correction and Punifhment are very dif- 
 ferent things ; one proper to a State of moral 
 Difcipline, the other, to a State of Retribution ; 
 one muft end, either by the Amendment of the 
 Party corrected, or by his incurable Wickednefs, 
 (for why then fhould he be corrected any more?) 
 The other may, or may not, for any thing here 
 faid by the Pfalmijl : But certainly we ought to 
 take our Notions of this Matter from fuch Paf- 
 fages of Scripture as do relate to it, and not from 
 thofe which do not. The reft of this Letter is 
 nothing but Mifreprefentation. 
 
 He proceeds, in Letter V. to produce the 
 prophetical Promifes agreeing with the preceding 
 Proofs. But I may fairly be excufed from giv- 
 ing thern any particular Anfwer, as he himfelf 
 appears to lay no ftrefs upon them. He pre* 
 tends to " employ the Authority of the Prophets 
 " only as collateral Teftimonies that are fuffi- 
 " cient only, as they agree with the' former Evi- 
 -" dences:" That is, both with the unchange- 
 " able Truths he has laid down as his Foundar 
 <c tion, and with the exprefs and politive Decla- 
 ct rations of the New Teftament, that are not 
 
 R ' " figurative:] 
 
242 The Scripture-DoElrine 
 
 " figurative." Without this Rule, " the Phra- 
 " feology of the Prophets is fo ambiguous and 
 <c obfcure, that we may run into a thoufand 
 " Extravagancies, which we may fuppofe well- 
 " grounded, under pretence of fome Expreffions, 
 " whofe meaning we do not comprehend." 
 The plain Englijh of all which is, that he is 
 fenfible thefe Prophetical Prcmi/es are nothing 
 to the purpofe : But if he has proved his Point 
 before, they may be applied to it ; and under- 
 ftood in this fenfe, as well as any other. This, 
 in general, of his Prophetical Proofs : \n parti- 
 cular, he fays of Ifaiah xl. 4, 5, * (which is the 
 firft Teftimony he quotes,) that he " knows we 
 <c may reftrain the Meaning of thofe Words to 
 " fomething lefs general 5 and fhould any one 
 " difpute it with him, he would eafily give it 
 
 <c up." "Here is another of the fame fort," 
 
 (that is, as little to the purpofe,) Ifaiah xlv. 2 3, 
 24, 25. -f* If what is here promifed, or predicted, 
 be confirmed by an Oath, we may fafely believe 
 it will come to pafs. But that this is the Reflo- 
 ration of wicked Men and Devils in Hell, is the 
 Point to be proved. " The Apoftlc St. Paul 
 
 " quotes 
 
 * Every Valley Jlmll be exalted, and every Mountain and 
 Hill Jhall be made low ; and the crooked fna 11 be madeftraight, 
 and the rough Places plain. And the Glory of the Lord 
 Jhall be revealed, and all Flejh jhull fee it together : for 
 the Mouth of the Lord hath fpoken it. 
 
 This Paflage, as applied in the New Teftament, relates 
 to John the BaptiJI, and makes part of his Preaching: and 
 what a Preacher he was. of this Author's Syftem of the 
 Re-eflablifhmeni, may be f'een Chap. i. N° I. II. 
 
 f I have fjjorn by myj "-If, that unto me every Knee 
 
 Jhall bow, every Tongue Jhall fiuear. Referr'd by St. 
 
 Paul, Rom. xiv. 11. vo the Day of Judgment. 
 
&f Future Punijhment. 243 
 
 " quotes this Text in thefe words ; Rom.xlv. 11. 
 u Every Tongue float '/ give praife to God ; which 
 <c fure cannot be applied to the Damned." This 
 is amazing! St. Paul is there diffuading Chri- 
 ftians from judging and dejpijing their Brethren ; 
 and his great Argument againft it is, (like that of 
 St. James, N° LX XXI, upon the fame occafion,) 
 that we muft all jl and before the Judgment -Scat 
 ofChrij}. For it is written, fays the Apoftle, 
 as / live, faith the Lord, every Kneejkall bow to 
 vie, and every Tongue fhall confefs to God. So 
 then every one of us Jh a 11 give account ofhimfelf 
 to God. Is not this now an admirable proof, 
 that St. Paul underftood the Text in Ifaiah, to 
 relate to the Do&rine of the Reftoration ? He 
 next quotes Ifaiah ix. 2.* Only becaufe men- 
 tion is there made of Darknefs, and the Shadow 
 of Death. And la illy, Ch. xxiv. 22. -f beeaufe, 
 vther t wiji thrfe are obfeure words. 
 
 R 2 If 
 
 * The People that walked in Darknefs, have feen a great 
 Light: they that divell in the Land-of the Shadow of Deaths 
 upon them hath the Light Jhined. For the Meaning and Ap- 
 plication of which, fee Matt. iv. 14, 15, 16. 
 
 f And th.y fhall be gathered together as Prisoners are ga- 
 thered in the Pit, and/hall be Jhntup in the Prifon, and af- 
 ter many Days fiall they be vijited. 
 
 " The word vifiting is ufed for punifhing, as well as 
 " for remembring with Grace and Favour. Thus this 
 " very Phrafe, After many Days then Jhalt be vijited, is 
 " ufed, E%ek. xxxvui. 8. See like wife Prw. xix. 23" 
 
 Mr. Lowth, on tkje. Place ; " who explains it of the 
 < c Kings of the Earth, who made war with Chrift and 
 * his Saints at Armageddon, Rev. xvi. 16. xix. 19. and 
 " there difcomfited, lay languifhing under the Sentence 
 " of Condemnation till after the Battle of Gog and Magog* 
 n Chap, xx. 8, q, 10. when they were, with Satan theis 
 " Leader, pumfh'd with cverkfting Deftruc^ion.^ 
 
 3 
 
244 ^ e Scripture-DoElrim 
 
 If this be all the Light and Evidence which 
 he is able to collect from Ifaiah, what can be ex- 
 pected from Jeremiah, who <c does not fpeak fo 
 " clearly as Ifaiah, and makes ufe of figurative Ex- 
 iC preffions ?" However, he will offer fome Con- 
 jectures and Probabilities from him; viz. from 
 Chap. xxv. and Chap. xlv. et feq. Who can 
 Hand before a Man, who thus argues from whole 
 Chapters ? The Dejign of which too he is pleas'd 
 to wave, and considers only the Figure. But 
 that he gives " the true Senfe of this Figure, 
 we cannot well doubt, (he fays) if we credit 
 St. Peters Explication of it." Now, would not 
 any man fufpedt by this, that St. Peter argues 
 from the figurative, or fpiritual, Senfe of theie 
 Prophecies, as this Writer does ? But where (hall 
 we find any fuch thing ? St. Peter only fays in 
 the Text alledged, viz. i Epifi. Chaf.iv. f. 17. 
 The time is come that Judgment mujl begin at the 
 Houfe of God; and if it begin fir ft at us, what 
 Jhall the End of them be that obey not the Go/pel 
 of God? Now, if St. Peter had anfwer'd his 
 own Queftion, and told us their End fhall be a 
 Reftoration, it would have bccndhtdily in poi?2t -, 
 but at prefent, he feems to be introduced to as 
 little purpofe as St. Paul was jufl before. 
 
 <c 
 
 " We come next to Ezekiel, in the 16th 
 Chapter of whofe Prophecy there is an Alle- 
 gory that may have fome Relation to the Ar- 
 gument we are upon, though it mentions it 
 it only figuratively," But as this is only an 
 
 Allegory, 
 
of Future Punijhmtnt. 245 
 
 Allegory , to which the Author affixes a Senfe 
 which he does not injijl upon himfelf, but fro- 
 pofes barely as a Conjecture , we are at liberty, I 
 prefume, to pafs on. Not that we fhall meet 
 with anything more convincing 3 for u thelaft 
 u Verfes of the Prophet Micah" which he 
 thinks are cc lefs allegorical than thofe already 
 c< cited/' relate no more to our Subjecl than the 
 reft do j as will appear to any one who reads the 
 Chapter. We may fee by the * Quotation be- 
 low, 
 
 * Porro qui volunt Supplicia aliquando finiri ; et licet 
 poll multa tempora, tamen terminum habere tormenta, 
 his utuntur Teftimoniis. a Quum intraverit Plenitudo 
 Gentium, tunc omnis Ifrael falvus fiet. Et iterum : 
 b Conclufit Deus omnia Tub peccato, ut omnibus miferiatur. 
 Et in alio loco Sanclus loquitur : c Iram Domini fuftinebo, 
 quia peccavi ei, donee juftificet Caufam meam, et auferat 
 judicium meum, et educat me in Lucem. Et rurfum : 
 d Benedicam te Domine, quoniam iratus es mini. Aver- 
 tifti faciem tuam a me, et mifertus es mei. Dominus quo- 
 que loquitur ad Peccatorem : Quum Irafuroris mei fuerit, 
 rurfum fanabo. Et hoc eft quod in alio loco dicitur : 
 f Quamgrandis multitudo Bonitatis tuae Domine, quam 
 abfeondifti timentibus te. Quae omnia replicant, afleve- 
 vare cupientes, poft Cruciatus atque Tormenta, futura 
 Refrigeria ; quae nunc abfeondenda funt ab his quibus ti- 
 mor utilis eft, ut dum Supplicia reformidant, peccare 
 defiftant. Quod nos Dei folius debemusScientiae derelin- 
 quere, cujus non folum mifericordiae, fed et Tormenta in 
 pondere funt, et novit quern, quomodo, aut quamdiu de- 
 beat judicare. Hieron. in If at, ult. 
 
 a Rom. xi. 25, 26. b Ver. 32. Gal. iii. 22. 
 
 c Mich. vii. 9. d Ifai. xii. I. f Pfal. xxxi. 19. ■ 
 Here follows Jeroms own Explication of the Literal 
 Senfe of Micah^ vii. 9. Videtur mihi juxta Litteram, 
 Jerufalem contra Babylonicam et caeteras Gentes loqui, 
 quae fibi infultaverant : Ne latamini in Ruina mea: Q^iia 
 Domino miferante confurgam ; poftquam federo in Cap- 
 fiivitate, educet me ille de Tenebris, et erit Lux mea. 
 
 R 3 Iram 
 
246 The Scripture-DoEirine 
 
 low, that he is not the firft Man who argued in 
 this manner. Bat whatever weight fuch Argu- 
 ments might have in their Day, or whatever 
 Apology may be offer'd for thofe who ufed them, 
 it is furprizing to fee them revived in our Age, 
 when Critical Learning is fo much improv'd, 
 and the Literal Senfe of Scripture fo well under- 
 stood. No one now will believe that wicked 
 Men and Devils will be reftor'd to Happinefs 
 and the Favour of God, becaufe there are fome 
 Promifesof a Reftoration made to the yews, or 
 becaufe it is faid yet will I bring again the Cap- 
 tivity 0/Moab in the latter days \ tho' the fame 
 be faid too " of Egypt, and the Children of Am- 
 nion" The Author appears perfectly fenfible 
 of all this himielf; and therefore, after citing a 
 few more Paffagesfrom the PJalms, which need 
 not be mention'd, being as pertinent as the reft, 
 he concludes thus, addreffing himfelf to his Cor- 
 refpondent; " I don't believe, Sir, you'll re- 
 quire any more Proofs upon this Subject; you 
 may take thefe in what Senfe you pleafer 5 I 
 only beg you'll confider there is nothing in the 
 " Senfe 1 have put upon them, but what agrees 
 ■ l perfectly well with unchangeable Truths, that 
 " is, with the Ideas we have of the Nature and 
 " Perfections of God j nor any thing but what 
 
 is 
 
 Iram Domini fuftinebp : quia me fcio meruifle quod pafTa 
 fum, donee ulcifcar deGentibus; et fiat judicium meum. 
 Novi quippc quod me fit educlurus in Lucem, et videbo 
 jurtitiam ejus, et afpiciet inimica mea Babylon, et caetera? 
 Gentes in Circuitu, et operietur Confufione, quae nunc 
 dicit infultans, ubi ejl Dominus Deus tuusf Oculi mei vide- 
 bunt earn, et non longo port tempore, fed nunc et in prae- 
 fentiarum conculcatam, quafi lutum Platearum. Hadtenus 
 Jerufalem, live Propheta ex perfona Populi fit loquutus: — 
 
 cc 
 
 <c 
 
of Future Punijhment. 247 
 
 u is agreeable to the Truths clearly revealed to 
 u us concerning the Defign of the Redemption/' 
 
 What he had to offer concerning the Defign 
 of the Redemption, has been taken notice of al- 
 ready. We may now confider his unchangeable 
 Truths, in which he lays the Foundation of his 
 Syftem, and which are, he tells us, " the Bails of 
 all Religion/' And indeed the Bafis of all Reli- 
 gion they are! For they are fuch Truths as thefe,— 
 <c God is wife, juft and good; no one of his 
 cc Attributes deftroys another:" &c. And if what 
 he builds upon this Foundation be of the fame 
 folid and immutable nature with the Foundation 
 itfelf, no doubt but it will ftand 5 and all Attempts 
 to overthrow it, will end in the Confufion of 
 thofe who make them. If therefore I apprehend 
 this to be the Cafe, I (hould here drop my Pen, 
 and have no farther Conteft with a Man who is 
 thusfupported, in every Step he takes, by immu- 
 table Truths. On the other hand, if I have done 
 any thing in the former Chapters of this Work j 
 if I have prov'd in the Fir ft and Second that Eternal 
 Panilhmentsare plainly threaten'd in Scripture*, 
 
 and 
 
 * It has been urged to this Writer, That if the J'ifticeof 
 God did not allow him to punijb the wicked with eternal Tor- 
 ments, his JVifdom would not have alloivd him to threaten them 
 with them. To which he anfwers, (p. 378,) " This Ar- 
 4t gument would admit of no Reply, did it not fuppofe the 
 u very thing in Difpute." The Queftion, he fays, is, 
 " whether the Terms Eternity, and forever, ought always 
 *' to fignifv a Duration without End?' 1 Which, with Sub- 
 miffion, is not the Qjeftion at all. What words fignify al- 
 ways, or are ufed always, in the whole Extcntot their meaning ? 
 not aiwyfof, nor oitiioq, nor a8av&T0$, in Greek; fSee 
 BlackwaWs Sacred Claffics, Vol. 1. p. 178. in 8vo.) nor 
 the words that anfwer to them in other Languages. The 
 R 4 Queftion 
 
2 4 8 "The Scripture-DoElfine 
 
 and in the Third that it is confident with the Pef^ 
 fecYions of God to execute his Threatnings ; then 
 I think all our Author's Arguments, tho' he may 
 imagine they are fairly deduced from unchange- 
 able Truths, are in effect obviated, and anfwer'd 
 already* And indeed notwithftanding all his 
 big words, his Courage feems to fail him towards 
 the Conclufion of his Letter, where he confeffes 
 that " what he has hitherto faid," {viz. in this 
 Firjl Letter , which draws its Arguments from 
 the nature of God, and the unchangeable Ideas 
 *we have of his Perfections,) " ought to be con- 
 " fldered only as imperfed: Proofs, or as a fort 
 <c of Probabilities," &c. What then has he left, 
 to reft, or rely on ? His Scripture-proofs are taken 
 from him, and many of them given up by him- 
 felf * ; and the Arguments which he draws from 
 immutable Truths, are to be confider'd only as 
 
 imperfecl 
 
 Queftion therefore is, whether the words fignify Duration 
 without End, not always, but in the particular Subjefl be- 
 fore us? And this I affirm, upon the Strength of what I 
 have offer'd in the Chapters mention'd, without any dan- 
 ger of begging the Queftion. This Gentleman indeed is 
 pleas'd to tell us, that the Expreffions on both fides are equi- 
 valent -, nay, that thofe on his Side are both more numerous, 
 and more pofitive-, (See p. 355, and 365.) But we have 
 feen what fort of Expreffions he was able to produce ; the 
 Number of which indeed may look coniiderable, but their 
 We. ght amounts to jult nothing at all. 
 
 * See page 402, of his Book ; where he gives up feveral 
 of his Proofs from the New Teftament, viz. Acts, iii. 
 Colofs. i. Ephef. i. and more of the fame kind. He will 
 give them all up, he fays, without fearing the Edifice will be 
 fhaken. For that truly is founded on Things, not on Ex- 
 preffions, the Senfe of which ?nay be difputed. Why theri 
 did he pretend to prove it by Expreffims, or intereft Scrip- 
 )Ure in the Queftion at all ? 
 
of Future Vunljhment. 249 
 
 imperfeB Proofs , or as a fort of Probabilities. 
 What is this but a Confeflion, in effect, that he 
 cannot prove his Point, either from Scripture or 
 Reafon ? To be more particular ; 
 
 These invincible Proofs of his, which hefo 
 much boafts of, are deliver'd by him in fuch a 
 loofe and rambling manner, that it is harder to 
 collect them, and place them together in a pro- 
 per view, than to anfwer them. But the Sub- 
 ftance of them, as far as I can judge, is as follows: 
 <c That the Deity has but one Defign in creating 
 " Beings, which is to render them happy a : 
 " That being fupremely wife, He muft have 
 cc forefeen what would befal his Creatures ,• and 
 " upon fuppofition that he was not able to make 
 <c them happy, He fhould have drop'd his De- 
 cc lign, and not exercifed his Creating Power b : 
 u That as it was his Defign in Creating them, 
 ec to render them happy, fo his Purpofes cannot 
 <c be fruftrated by the Refiftance of Man, but 
 " he will find out fome method for bringing 
 " them to Repentance and Holinefs, without 
 " forcing their Liberty : That the contrary fup- 
 " pofes in God a Helplefs Wifdom-, reduced to 
 " the neceffity of abandoning his moft perfecT; 
 <c work, and letting it perifh eternally, for want 
 u of means to reftore it ; or, in other words, it 
 <c fuppofes the infinitely wife and perfect Being 
 " to propofe a Defign, in which He mifcarries j 
 
 and which He is not able to accomplifh through 
 
 " the 
 
 a See p. 250—52. Con/, p. 388. 
 
 * Seep. 253. Confer p. 257. Not. and p. 388. 
 
 e See P« 335. Conf,?. 338. 
 
 cc 
 
250 TTje Scripture-Dofoine 
 
 c< the immenfe Space of Eternity d ." The Au- 
 thor fuggefts fome other Con fi derations, fuch as 
 thefe, viz. That Evil not being eternal in its 
 Origin, will not be eternal in its Duration* , and 
 that Punifhment being a violent State, a forced 
 Situation, itconfequently cannot endure for ever, 
 which, however, fuppofing the Truth of them, 
 fall fhort of his Defign; fince a Period may be 
 put to thefe things, whether there be a Rejlora- 
 tion, or not. 
 
 His firft Propofition, that the Deity has but 
 ene Defign in Creating things, is either no Truth 
 at all, or however a Truth which cannot be admit- 
 ted interminis, without Explanation. The Hap- 
 pinefs of the Creatures may be one End, but 
 there is no Reafon to make it the fhle and only 
 End, of the Creation. The Deity might have 
 fome Regard to hknfejfj — to the Dilplay and 
 Ma nif eiration of his own Attributes and Perfec- 
 tions. We at leaft are commanded to do every 
 thing to the Glory of God, and are taught to pray 
 for the Advancement of his Glory. And it is 
 hard to conceive, how that .ihonki be made the 
 jirft Thing in our Prayers, and the chief End of 
 our Adtions, which to the Deity himfelf is no 
 End at all. It is no Reply to this, to iay that 
 the Happinefs of his. Creatures tends to the Glory 
 of God , or that his Glory isdiiplay'd and promo- 
 ted in their Huppinels. For allowing this, ftill 
 thev are diCtindt Ideas 5 and one is not precifely 
 the ether. The Glory of God is difplay'd in the 
 
 Happinefs 
 
 A Seep. 353, Corf] p 305. 406, 
 
 " § ce p- 398. Conf, p. 284 
 
of Future Puni foment. 251 
 
 Happinefsof his Creatures, and it is alio difplay'd 
 by other imys ; — difplay'd even by juftand righte- 
 ous Puni foment. For this is a Manifeftation 
 of fome, or other, of his glorious Perfections. 
 In (liort, every wife and good End accomplifh'd 
 by the Creation of the World, was intended by 
 the Creator; for there is no reafon to exclude one 
 more than another, from a Mind, which takes 
 in every thing, at one comprehenfive View. 
 
 He foreiaw what would befall his Creatures; 
 that is, He foreiaw the Mifery which fome of 
 them would bring upon themfelves, notwith- 
 ftanding all his Care, nQtwithftanding all the 
 Difpofitions of his good Providence, and all the 
 Difpenfations of his Grace, to prevent it. But 
 itill this was not a fufHcient Reafon, why he 
 (hould forbear the Exercife of his Creating Pow- 
 er : Becaufe, more good, infinitely more good, 
 upon the whole, was produced by executing his 
 Defign, than by dropping it. If indeed he had 
 forejeen that ail his Creatures would become 
 miferabie, that he ihould be able to make none of 
 them happy, or none in comparifon of the reft ; 
 that is, if he had fbrefeen that more Evil would 
 be produced than Good, that Evil finally, and 
 upon the whole, would be prepollent ; there may 
 be fome reafon to fay, that in fuch a Cafe, and 
 upon fuch terms, He would not have exerted his 
 Creating Power. Not that even Then any Crea- 
 ture could complain of being injured, if he was 
 fo far from being created neceiTarily miferabie, 
 that he had a fair Offer ofeverlafting Happinefs. 
 But whatever the Deity might, or might not, 
 
 have 
 
2 $4 7%e Scripture-DoEtrine 
 have done, in the Cafe fuppofed s we have no 
 Concern with it at prefent ; as we have all the 
 reafon in the world to think, that the Good pro- 
 duced by the Creation will be vaftly prepollent, 
 and that no one Individual is created neceffarily 
 and unavoidably miferable. And upon this foot- 
 ing I have prov'd before, that it is confident 
 with the Divine Perfe&ions to create intelligent 
 and free Beings; tho' it had been better for fome 
 of them, through their own Per verfenefs, if they 
 had never been born. 
 
 Th e Purpofe of God is to render Men happy 
 in a certain Order; that is, agreeable to their 
 free Nature, and the Nature of things; andw/£- 
 out forcing their Liberty. This Purpofe cannot 
 be defeated. But the Queftion is, whether the 
 Refjlance of Man may not go fo far, that no 
 -Method can be found out to bring him to Re- 
 pentance and Holinefs, confidently with this Or- 
 der, and this Purpofe? I don't fee how the Af- 
 firmative of this, fuppofes in God a helplefs Wif- 
 dcm. No Power can perform Impoilibilkies, no 
 Wifdom can reconcile Contradi&ions. His Will 
 dom may produce Good out of Evil; and make 
 thefe Creatures of fome ufe or other in the Cre- 
 ation, in ways and methods which we are not a- 
 ware of. But it may be impoffible to reftore 
 them in the fenfe here meant, that is, to bring 
 them to Glory and Virtue, by any means what- 
 soever. Force is intirely out of the Queftion, 
 as being utterly incompetent,and incongruous to 
 the End propofed ; and moral Means may have 
 loft all their Influence. If this be the Cafe, there 
 
 m 
 
of Future Punijhment. 253 
 
 is no room for Wifdom to exert itfelf in their fa- 
 vour; or to contrive any methods to bring them 
 to Repentance and Holinefs. For Wifdom, the 
 more perfedt it is, is the farther remov'd from 
 doing, or attempting, any thing in vain. Nor 
 does this argue any DefeCt in the Divine Wif- 
 dom, or lay any Imputation upon it ; any more 
 than it is a Reflection upon Omnipotence to fey, 
 that it cannot work Contradictions. cc It is not 
 " a Limitation of the Divine Goodnefs" (lays 
 " Bp. Burnet *) nor, I would add, of his Wif- 
 dom, tc to fay, that fome Men and fbme States 
 " are beyond it ; no more than it is a Limitation 
 " of his Power, to fay that he cannot fin, or 
 <c cannot do Impoffibilities : For a Goodneis to- 
 <c wards Perfons not capable of becoming good > 
 " is a Goodnefs that does not agree with the in- 
 * c finite Purity and Holinefs of God." Nor does 
 this imply that God proposed a Dejign^ in which 
 he mi/carries : For he never defign'd to make 
 them happy, by deftroying Liberty, by invert- 
 ing Order, and in contradiction to the Nature, 
 the Reafon and Truth of things. 
 
 The great Point therefore to be prov'd by the 
 Advocates for a Reftoration, is, that the Damn- 
 ed are capable of becoming good. Till this is 
 done, the reft is all Amufement. It is idle 
 and ridiculous to talk of Wifdom's contriving 
 and finding out means of Virtue, with regard to 
 States and Perfons incapable of Virtue And here 
 Dr. Burnet fteps in and tells us, that he cannot 
 conceive what can hinder their Amendment, ex- 
 cept a fupernatural Obduration: nifi divinitus in- 
 
 durentur y 
 
 * Expofition. Art, i. 
 
254 I'he Scripture- DoEirine 
 
 durentiir, anlefs they are harden d by God*. 
 Where I obferve, that it is here fuppos'd poffible 
 that God may harden them ; and therefore fuch an 
 Obduration is not impoffible in the nature of 
 things. I would alt therefore why it may not 
 as well be conceiv'd, that free Creatures can thus 
 harden themfelves ? What the Doclor fuggefts, 
 " that in the future State there will be no room for 
 €C Infidelity; that the Forties malt will be ex- 
 <c tinguifh'd; that there will be no internal Con- 
 " cupifcence, and no external Incentive, to feed 
 li and encourage their Vices;" fuppofing it all 
 true, appears to hurt his Caufe as much one way* 
 as it can ferve it another. For what is this but 
 excluding Virtueas well as Vice ? What is it fay- 
 ing lefs, than that that State is not a State of Pro- 
 bation, will not admit of any moral Diicipline, 
 and is calculated for no moral Improvement at 
 all ? Which is indeed the Truth of the Cafe ; 
 and though it be deftru&ive of their Scheme, 
 and tears it up by the Roots, it is the Amount of 
 all they have to offer, when they would per- 
 fuade us that the wicked in Hell will fome time 
 or other become good and virtuous. 
 
 His Argument may be reduced to this Di- 
 lemma : If the Beings concern'd have Reafon 
 and Liberty, they will repent ; and if they have 
 not Reafon and Liberty, they are no longer to 
 be accounted Men. The Force of which Ar- 
 gument confifts in the Idea you annex to the 
 word Mart. If by that Term is meant fuch a 
 
 Creature 
 
 * De Stat. More, k Refurg. p. 293. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 255 
 
 Creature as Man is now, while he is in his Pro* 
 bation- State, it implies indeed Reafon and Free- 
 dom. But iuppoie luch an Agent, for the con- 
 tinued Abufeof thefe Powers, ihould be puniflVd 
 at lafl: with the lofs of one, or both of them, 
 would it mend the matter at all, to difpute 
 whether he is any longer to be call'd a Man ? 
 Suppofe he is not, (as by the Suppofition he is 
 not, in the Senie of free Agency) he is ftill a 
 Creature, capable of fuffering thole Punifh- 
 ments which he has brought upon himfelf. But 
 we know too little what Degrees of Reafon the 
 Damn'd will enjoy, or whether any Liberty, as 
 that implies a Power to repent, and become 
 really good, to determine any thing fatisfa&o- 
 rily in this Point. A late ingenious * Writer 
 has advanced a fort of Hypothecs, that their Pu- 
 nil'hment will lead them into a kind of Phrenfy 
 and Madnefs. And their State of Diforder may 
 fo far at leaii refemble Madnefs, as to be equally 
 incapable of Morality. The Faculties of their 
 Minds, their Paffions and Affe&ions, may be 
 fo deprav'd, and their whole inward Syftem fo 
 perverted and fpoil'd, that they can no longer 
 a<ft, or chufe, what is right and good. Whe- 
 ther Beings in fuch a State of Diforder, are to 
 be reckon 'd Men y is a Point of no Confequence 
 at all. 
 
 Let us view this matter in another light ; 
 and fuppofe for once that they are {till rei. 
 Agents, endu'd wiih Reafon and Liberty. Doc 
 
 1 
 
 * Archbilhop Kinfi Appendix to his Origin of Evil. 
 
256 The Scripture-DoElrint 
 
 it therefore neceffarily follow, that they will re- 
 pent ? The State of Things may be fo changed 
 externally, that they will be no longer able, or 
 have Opportunity, to a£i their Vices 5 but will 
 there be a correspondent Change in the inward 
 Syftem ? What Reafon has Dr. Burnet to fay, 
 that there will be no internal Concupifcence ? 
 Will not the Mind be the fame ? And the 
 lame evil Temper, Difpofitions, and Habits 
 flill adhere to it ? However therefore they may 
 be reftrain'd from the outward Ads of Vice, 
 they continue the fame evil Beings ; and love 
 the Wickednefs which they cannot commit. 
 
 But the Strefs of the thing, it will be faid, 
 lies here ; that tho' they carry their evil Habits 
 and Difpofitions with them, when they firft go 
 into Hell, yet the Punifhments of that Place 
 will purify them ;-— will bring them to a fober 
 Senfe of Things -, — will make them hate thofe 
 Vices which are the Caufe of their Sufferings, 
 and excite in them by degrees the Love of God, 
 and Virtue. 
 
 It is furprizing neverthelefs, if Hell be fuch 
 a State of Purification, that it mould always be 
 reprefented in Scripture only as a Place of Pu- 
 nifhment. It is furprizing too, that a Place 
 fartheft remov'd from God, and his heavenly 
 Influences, inhabited only by his moft accurfed 
 Enemies, who are banifhed from his righteous 
 Prefence, mould after all prove the moft effec- 
 tual School of Virtue. There is no good reafon 
 to believe that thefe Punifhments will have any 
 
 fuch 
 
of Future Punijhment. 257 
 
 fuch effedh To fay that they will force them 
 to become good, amounts to a Contradiction. 
 Election is matter of Freedom y it cannot be 
 forced. And all means that fall {hort of this, all 
 moral Motives, all Reprefentations of Good and 
 Evil, may poffibly be of no avail. Evil may in 
 a manner become their Good. And the uncon- 
 querable Willy and Study of Revenge *, may 
 defeat all Methods (fhould any Methods be con- 
 triv'd) to reftore them. To be brief, there are 
 two things which mud concur to produce this 
 wonderful Reformation : Their own inward 
 Syftem, or Conftitution ; and the Syftem, or 
 Conftitution of things without them. That is, 
 they muft be really moral Agents, capable of 
 chufing, loving, and practifing Virtue ; and the 
 Place or State they are in, muft be corre- 
 Ipondent, affording them the means of Virtue, 
 Motives to it, and Opportunities for it. Nei- 
 ther of which, as far as I can fee, is likely to 
 be the Cafe. However, it cannot be proved 
 from Reafon that this will be the Cafe -f ; 
 
 and 
 
 * For never can true Reconcilement grow, 
 
 Where Wounds of deadly Hate have pierc'd fo deep. 
 
 Milton. 
 f Since eternal Life is the free Gift of God, even to 
 them who obey him, and their only Claim to it is by Pr - 
 mife, it feems an odd Attempt to undertake to prove 
 merely from Reafon, that they who would not obey hirn 
 muft be made Partakers of it. " No Man, fays Dr. 
 " Clarke^ can fay 'tis unreafonable, that they who by 
 " wilful and ftubborn Difobedience to their Almighty 
 " Creator, and mod merciful Benefactor, and by the 
 cc habitual Practice of unrepented Wickedneft, have, 
 u during the State of Trial, made themfelves unfit for rhS 
 S " Enjcnment 
 
258 The Scripture-DoSirine 
 
 and it feems plain from Scripture, that it witf 
 not. According to all the Reprefentations there 
 given of the Tranfadtions at the Day of Judg- 
 ment, the Fate of the wicked will then be de- 
 cided for ever. The divine Founder of the 
 Chriftian Religion may then fay, what he faid 
 when he hadjuft purchafed it with his Blood, 
 rsTetercci, It is finifoed *. Having accom- 
 plifhed the number of his Eledt, he delivers up 
 the Kingdom to God, even the Father • and, 
 as no Man can, (nor, from the Foundation of 
 the World to the End of it, ever did) come to 
 the Father but by him -f ; and his Offices of 
 Mediationzrc now at an End, and thePurpofes of 
 God by him, of bringing many Sons unto Glory jj 
 are fulfilled -, the Myflery, or the whole myfte- 
 rious Difpenfation of God in Chrift, f TgAgo-0j? £] 
 will befinified. He and his Saints take poffeffion 
 of the everlafting Kingdom, and the Door is fhut. 
 
 Without 
 
 " Enjoyment of that Happinefs which God has prepared 
 " for them that love and obey him ; mould be eternally 
 ic rejected) and excluded from it." But bare Deprivation 
 of Happinefs cannot be all. That excellent Writer goes 
 on to prove unanfwerably, that there mult be (omefenf- 
 ble and pofitive Punijhment, befides the mere negative Lofs 
 of Happinefs. — u And then as to the Duration of this Pu- 
 u nifhment ; no Man can prefume in our prefent State of 
 <c Ignorance and Darknefs to be able truly to judge, 
 <c barely by the Strength of his own natural Reafon, what 
 " in this refpef? is or is not confident with the Wifdom 
 " and Juftice and Goodnefs of the fupreme Governour of 
 "• the World ; fince we neither know the Place, nor 
 " Kind, nor Maimer, nor Circumfances, nor D.grees, 
 ** nor all the Ends andUfes of the final Punilhment of the 
 u wicked." Evidences of Religion, p. 360, &c. 
 
 * John xix. 30. f Ch. xiv. 6. || Heb.'u. 10. 
 
 % Rev. x. 7, 3 
 
of Future Punijhment. 259 
 
 Without are Dogs, and Sorcerers, and Whoremon- 
 gers, and Murderers *, and Idolaters, andwhofo- 
 ever loveth and maketh a Lye. And according 
 to the whole Tenour and Drift of the New 
 Teftament, there is no After-admiffion for fuch 
 as thefe : No Intimations dropt, from one End 
 of it to the other, of their Re-eftablifhment, or 
 Recovery. On the contrary, it appears ib evi- 
 dent, from all Authorities facred and primitive, 
 that in Gehenna, or Hell, there is no Repen- 
 tance ; that the greater Part of thofe who deny 
 the Eternity of the Punifhment, chufe to em- 
 brace the Hypothejis of Annihilation ; contending 
 that the Damn'd, fo far from being reftor'd to 
 Happinefs, will at laft be utterly reduced to no- 
 thing. And they think that the Scripture-Ex- 
 preffions of Death, the fecond Death, Perdition^ 
 DeftruBion, (BaVaTos, <p3ropd, oAgflgp^, aVai- 
 A«a) imply fo much. Which however ap- 
 pears to be a Miftake, from what has already 
 been obferv'd in the fecond Chapter : But of the 
 Point itfelf I fhall treat more particularly in the 
 following, 
 
 * Gh.xxii.* 15. 
 
 $* CHAP, 
 
26o The Scripture-DoElrine 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 Concerning the Annihilation of the 
 Wicked: And alfo concerning Repen- 
 tance in Hades. 
 
 ANnihilation being a real EfFedt, it muft 
 be produced by fome Caufe. This Caufe 
 muft either be internal, or external. If the lat- 
 ter, it muft either be God himfelf, or fome 
 inferiour Agent, or Inftrument. And the Proof 
 of this muft be derived either from Experience, 
 or Reafon, or the Word of God. The fir ft of 
 thefe can afford little Evidence in the Cafe, 
 iince there is no Inftance, or Example, of Anni- 
 hilation in Nature. In material Subftances we 
 fee great Changes, and Alterations 5 but none of 
 them are abfolutely reduced to nothing. The 
 Modifications of Matter are infinitely varied, 
 but not one Particle of Matter itfelf is annihi- 
 lated : Nor can all the Art, or all the Power of 
 Man, or any Creature, utterly deftroy it. Om- . 
 nia mutantur ; nihil interit. And as Bodies 
 cannot reduce each other to nothing by their 
 mutual Adtions upon one another, fo neither 
 have they any internal Tendency to Annihila- 
 tion. They no more tend to unmake them- 
 felves, than they did to make themfelves ; but 
 naturally perfevere in their own prefent State. 
 
 I f this be the cafe with regard to material 
 Subftances, or Bodies, it fhould hold, one would 
 
 think, 
 
 3 
 
§f Future Punijhment. 261 
 
 think, at leaft equally with reference to thinking 
 Subftances, or Minds. Thefe are Beings of a 
 higher Order, of a far more excellent Nature, 
 and which refemble the fupreme Being himfelf. 
 It cannot therefore be imagined that they fhould 
 hold their Exiftence by a more precariousTenure 
 than the former, or be more liable to be re- 
 duced to nothing. And if the Actions of ma- 
 terial Subftances upon one another, cannot an- 
 nihilate Bodies ; it is not to be fuppoa'd, allowing 
 that Matter may ad: upon Mind, that any fuch 
 Adtion fhould be able to deftroy it. Created 
 Minds cannot annihilate Bodies ; and to fuppofe 
 that any A&ion of Bodies fhould be able to anni- 
 hilate Minds, is to fet the more excellent Nature 
 many degrees below the inferiour, and to fubjedl 
 the nobleft of God's Creatures to that which is 
 lowed in the Scale of Exiftence. It is farther to 
 be obferv'd, that as material Subftances cannot 
 annihilate Minds, fo neither can thefe thinking 
 Subftances annihilate themfelves. This is plain 
 from Experience. Befides, this Abfurdity would 
 follow, that if they had any fuch Power, they 
 would be able to elude the Juftice of God, when 
 they deferv'd Punifhment, by deftroying their 
 own Exiftence. It holds, again, equally ftrong 
 at leaft with refpedt to thinking Subftances as 
 to material, that they have no internal Tendency 
 to Annihilation. God himfelf is a Mind, or 
 Spirit ; and therefore Minds, as Minds, can have 
 no unnatural Tendency to fall back into no- 
 thing. The more they refemble him, that is, 
 the more pure and perfect Minds they are, the 
 
 S 3 farther 
 
'262 T*he Scripture-DoElrine 
 
 arther are they remov'd from the State, and 
 rom the Capacity, of Non, Evidence. If there 
 be any Phcenomena ariiing from the Union of 
 the Mind with Matter, which feem to betoken 
 a Tendency towards utter Extinction, all true 
 Philofophers know that they do but fetm to do 
 fo j and that the Decays and Di (orders of the 
 Body only fufpend, or deaden, the Exercife of 
 the Powers of the Mind, without affecting its 
 Exiftence. Befides, they are cpntradicted by 
 contrary Appearances ; fuch as prove the Mind 
 to be vigorous and active, when the Body is 
 quite the Reverfe, as in Sleep, and even at the 
 Approach of Death. 
 
 If then thinking Subftances cannot be de- 
 ftroyed by the Action of Bodies,— -if they can- 
 not deftroy themielves, — and, if they have no 
 internal Tendency to Annihilation 5 there is but 
 another way to reduce them to nothing, and 
 that is, by fuppofing that they have power to 
 deprive one another of Exigence. But it is not 
 e^fily conceivable, how I who cannot annihilate 
 myfelf, fhould be able to annihilate another man. 
 Transfer this, if you pleafe, to pure Minds, ot- 
 to any Order of Beings fuperiour to Man, (ex- 
 cluding only the fupreme Being/whole Almighty 
 Power as it made all things of nothing, can 
 reduce them to nothing again,) and it is ftill 
 inconceivable how any Creature, who has no 
 inch power over his own Being, fhould have it 
 over the Being of another.* But if Man cannot 
 annihilate Man, may not. an Angel annihilate 
 
 him ? 
 
of Future Punijhment. 263 
 
 him? And may not a fuperiour Angel annihi- 
 late one of a lower Order, or one that kept not 
 his firft Eftate ? No .; at leaft neither of thefe is 
 clear, nor fo much as probable : It being more 
 agreeable to Reafon to think, that this is the Pre- 
 rogative of God only, who alone can give Be- 
 ing, and alone can take it away. Whoever 
 afferts this annihilating Power . to any Crea- 
 ture, muft do it gratis, and without Proof. 
 And why Jhould we ?naintain a Point gratis, 
 and barely for maintaining s fake f Efpecially 
 a Point that has a bad Tendency ? Since, were 
 all other Arguments wanting, this itfelf would 
 be one againft it *. The Refult of thefe Re- 
 flexions is, that Annihilation muft be the Effect 
 of the Power of God -j-. 
 
 I 
 
 * See this Argument applied in another Cafe by the 
 Author of the Enquiry into the Nature cf the human Soul, 
 Se£t. ii. 
 
 fThere is a common Notion intheWorld; That things 
 would fall b-ick into nothing of themfelves, if they were 
 not preferv'd by the fame infinite Power that made them : 
 But without queftion it is an Act of the fame infinite 
 Power to reduce a Being to nothing, that it is to bring a 
 Being out of nothing : So whatever has once a Being, 
 muft of its nature continue ftili to be, without any new 
 Caufality or Influence. This muft be acknowledged, un- 
 lefs it can be faid, that a Tendency to Annihilation is the 
 Confequent of a created Being : But as this wouid make 
 the Prefervation of the World to be a continued Violence 
 to a natural Tendency that is in all thi :^s ; fo there Is no 
 more reafon to imagine that Beings have a Tendency to 
 Annihilation, than that nothing had a Tendency to Cre- 
 ation. It is abfurd to think that any thing can have a, 
 Tendency to that which is efientially oppofite to itfelf, 
 an<j is deftructive of it. Bifhop Burnet's Expofit. Art. i. 
 
 S 4 There 
 
264 The Scripture-DoElrine 
 
 I don't offer thefe Remarks as pofuive 
 Proofs againft Annihilation, but as a fort of pre- 
 emptive Arguments on our Side. One fome- 
 times hears Men talk of Annihilation, as if it 
 were one of the rr.ofl common Effeds in the 
 World -, an Event that would come to pafs of 
 courfe. And yet it is nothing but a Notion that 
 has crept into the Heads of philofophical Men, 
 without having any thing to anfwer to it in Na- 
 ture or Fad:. Thus, as to the Subjed under de- 
 bate Hell-Jire, they cry, is a confuming Fire, 
 and the torments of that Place will reduce them 
 to ?2othing. This is eafily fad ; but the Reafon, 
 and Philofophy of it, is not fo apparent. Sup- 
 pofmg, (not granting,) that this Fire will have 
 the fame Effect upon the future Body, that the 
 Ad ion of Fire has now upon the prefent; it 
 will then indeed, in a vulgar Senfe, deftroy it: 
 That is, it will fo deftroy rhe Texture and Or- 
 ganization of the Parts, that the Soul can no 
 longer inhabit, or ad upon it in Union ; from 
 whence muft enfue a fecond Separation. But 
 then, at the fame time, the Soul itfelf, which is 
 in eifed the Man, will frill fubiift entire and 
 adive, ftill capable of Pleafure and Pain. Nor 
 can all the Adion of all the material Subftances 
 in the V/orld deprive it of its Exigence. Men 
 
 are 
 
 There is an Argument of another kind, which may 
 be ken in V/attss Philofophical E [fays ; E/Jay xi. Seel. 4. 
 Hoc duntnxat certo affirmari poteft, cum folum qui fubftan- 
 tiisexifhrntiam primum dedit, pofieeandein eis eripere ;— • 
 Jo. CUrici Onto Jcgiae Cap. vi. ad finem. 
 
of Future Punijhwent. 265 
 
 are fometimes burnt to death here, God's Mar- 
 tyrs and the Devil's. Yet no Reafon, no Re- 
 ligion, natural or revealed, will allow us to fup- 
 pofe, that together with this mortal Life, a final 
 Period is put to all Life, to all Senfation and 
 Being. And if the Soul can furvive the Shock 
 of fuch an Event as this, what is there elfe that 
 is likely to deftroy it ? It was reckoned of old 
 an Abfurdity in the Stoicks, that tho' they held 
 that the Soul furvived the Body, yet they would 
 not allow that it would exift for ever. Stoici 
 autem ufuram nobis largiuntur, tanquam conii- 
 cibus : diiimanfuros aiunt animos^femper negant: 
 fays Cicero *. And he goes on, in the very begin- 
 ning of the next Se&ion, to fhew how this was 
 abfurd 5 as it was allowing what was mod diffi- 
 cult in the whole Affair, and at the fame time 
 denying what was not only credible in itfelf, but 
 a Confequence of their own Conceffion. For 
 if the Soul can furvive the Diflblution of the 
 
 Body, 
 
 * Tufculan. i. C. 31. 
 
 Numquid igitur eft caufae, quln amicos noftros Stoicos 
 dimittamus ; eos dico, qui aiunt animcs manere, e cor- 
 pore cum exceflerint, fed non femper ? Iftos vero : qui, 
 quod tota in hac caufa difficillimum eft, fufcipiant, pofle 
 animum manere corpore vacantem: illud autem, quod non 
 modo facile ad credendum eft, fed eo conceflb, quod vo- 
 lunt, confequens, id certe non dant, ut, cum diu perman- 
 ferit, ne intereat. To which the Pupil replies. Bene re- 
 prehendis : et fe ifto modo res habet. Cap. 22. p. 26o# 
 Ed. Olivet. ° 
 
 The learned Editor indeed offers a Conjecture, that 
 part of the former Sentence, beginning at ijlos verb, be- 
 longs to the Pupil. And then the Inftruclor replies, Bene 
 reprehendis, &c. But which way foever we read the Paf- 
 fage, they both condemn the Conduct of the Stoichi irj 
 this Affair, 
 
266 The Scripture-Do&rine 
 
 Body, and exift in a State of Separation from it, 
 what reafon is there to imagine that it will ever 
 perifh ? 
 
 But, tho' I have, for Argument's fake, fup- 
 pofed that this future Fire may thus deftroy the 
 Body, and once again feparate the Soul from it ; 
 yet is it far more reafonable, agreeably to an- 
 cient Testimonies and Tradition, to believe the 
 contrary. As to the Philofophy of the thing, 
 it amounts only to this ; that becaufe our com- 
 mon Fire has this Effect upon the prefent Body, 
 therefore that future Fire will have the lame on 
 the Body after the Refur rection. Which 
 iure is a very poor Argument, or none at all. 
 We know neither the Nature of Hell-fire, nor 
 the Nature and Qualities of the Refurreclion- 
 body, perfectly enough, to lay any Strefs on 
 fuch Reafonings. I don't fay that this Argu- 
 ment is made ufe of by our Adverfaries, and 
 produced in form. But it is the Ground of 
 their Opinion, fo far as the Reafon of the Cafe 
 is concerned. Dr. Whitby ', for inftance, whofe 
 Sentiments on thjs Point are well known, which 
 he offers however qnjy as a Conjecture, thinks that 
 the Bodies of the Wicked muft be confumed 
 by that Fire 5 or elfe there would be a conjlant 
 Miracle *. But they are only our own grpfs 
 Conceptions of the matter which make a Mi- 
 racle needful. Surely there may be Refem^ 
 blance and Analogy enough in thofe future Pu- 
 
 nifhments, 
 
 * Appendix to the firfl Chapter of the fecorid fpiftla 
 to the Thtffakuians. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 267 
 
 nifhments, to the painful Senfations which are 
 excited by Fire, to apply that Name to them 
 in a very proper Senfe -, tho' all the Effects are 
 not exactly the fame with thofe, which the 
 Action of our ordinary Fire produces on the 
 prefent human Body. It may be as agreeable 
 to the Nature of that Fire, not to confume, or,, 
 to the Nature of thofe Bodies, not to be con- 
 fumed, as the contrary is agreeable to the Na- 
 ture of common Fire, and the Nature of the 
 prefent Body. And fuch a Conftitution of 
 things may no more require a conjlant Miracle^ 
 than that which prevails now. But not to run 
 into any nice Speculations, which may only 
 ferve to breed Difpute j this is certain, that Hell- 
 fire will be fuch as will torment the Devil and 
 his Angels, for whom it is prepared, as well as 
 wicked Men. And can common Fire do this * ? 
 Can that act upon Spirits incorporeal ? Or, if at 
 at all corporeal, (which however is not haftily 
 to be taken for granted) with Bodies fb infinitely 
 fubtle and fpiritual, that common Fire does not 
 feem likely to have much Force upon them. 
 
 All 
 
 * The Sentiments of Antiquity on this head may be fcen 
 jn Suicers Thefanrns, fub voc. "AfysXoq £5? Azipuv. 
 
 Thofe who afcribed any thing of Corporeity to Ansels, 
 were induced to it chiefly by their miftaken Senfe of Gen. 
 vi. 2. The Fact there mentioned they thought could not 
 be accounted for without it, Befides, the word Body, 
 [<rcof/.a] was of very indeterminate meaning ; and fome who 
 applied it to them might only mean that they were 
 Sub/lances* not Shadows^ or Nothings. This one would 
 think was the Cafe of thofe, who called their Bo- 
 dies immaterial, jjrx l uxrx ayAa] which in our modetrt 
 JS T oti©ns is a Contraction, 
 
268 The Scripture-Do&rim 
 
 All that I intend by this, is only to fhew, 
 that the future Fire, which will torment the 
 Bodies of the Wicked, will not utterly con- 
 fume them : I mean, there arifes no clear Evi- 
 dence that it will do fo meerly from the Reafon 
 and Philofophy of the thing itfelf. It may be 
 btherwife for any thing we can tell. And our 
 Ignorance of the Nature and Properties both of 
 that Fire, and of thofe Bodies, fliould keep us 
 from being pofitive in the point. True Rea- 
 fon will not be hafty to decide, where it is fo 
 very unqualified to judge. Experience fupplies 
 us with no Evidence of the Annihilation of any 
 thing whatfoever $ but, as far as it is interefled in 
 the Queftionat all, is rather a Prefumption again ft 
 it. True Philofophy teaches us, that the Souls of 
 Men will neither ceafe to exift of themfelves, 
 nor can be deftroyed by the Action of other 
 Creatures. At lead, this is allowed by the Pa- 
 trons of Annihilation, that the Agents in the 
 Deftruclion of the Body, are not capable of 
 deftroying the Soul *. And it may be nothing 
 but a grofs unphilofophical Imagination, that 
 makes them think them capable of deftroying 
 the Body itfelf. So far therefore the Caufe 
 feems to goagainft Annihilation. And ifthefe 
 Reflexions do not amount to demonftrative 
 Proof, they are at leaft fo ftrong a Prejudice 
 againft it, that we have reafon to expec~t, and 
 infift, that the Teftimonies produced from 
 Scripture, to which the Appeal next lies, fliould 
 fpeak fully and clearly to the Point, before wc 
 
 admit 
 * See the Quotation from Mr. W. N°. X, 
 
of Future Punijhtnent. 269 
 
 admit it. But do they fo ? Where is the Text 
 that fays plainly, that the time will come when 
 the Wicked {hall be no more? When they will 
 be as if they had never been born*? When 
 their Torments will reduce them to nothing ? 
 Or, deprive them of all Senfe of Being ? Some 
 fuch plain Declarations as thefe would be to the 
 purpofe. But to infer Annihilation from a few 
 Scripture-terms, which appear to have no fuch 
 fenfe or meaning in Scripture, is doing nothing. 
 Dr. Whitby feems to reft his Opinion more upon 
 the Reafon he gives for it, viz. That the Pre- 
 fervation of the Bodies of the Wicked will re- 
 quire a confiant Miracle^ which is not to be ex* 
 pedted, than upon any Texts of Scripture. 
 However, thofe which he points out to us, 
 have been coniidered in our fecond Chapter ', N°. 
 LXIX, XC. To what is there faid, I (hall only 
 add, that fuppofing DeJlruBion and Perdition 
 
 in 
 
 * 'Tis to be obferved, that when our Saviour came 
 neareft the exprefling this matter of Annihilation, he chu- 
 feth two other Phrafes, (not this of Death, or any thing 
 that way inclining,) having never been born, and having a 
 Mill-jione hanged about the Neck, and being cajl into the 
 midft of the Sea, which by an imperfect Refemblance 
 feemeth meant on purpofe to fignify Annihilation : And 
 yet it is alfo obfervable to the main Qiieftion, that either 
 of thefe States (and fo Annihilation) is better and more 
 defirabie, than the Lot which in God's Decree awaits a 
 Betrayer of Chrift, a wicked man, for that one Fa6t, 
 Dr. Hammond : Judgment vjorthy cf God: Vol. i. of his 
 Works, p. 710. 
 
 The learned Author proceeds to (hew that the other 
 terms ufually alledged in this Argument, (cIttuXsioi, oAfOpof, 
 the feconi Death, &c.) do not mean any fuch thing in 
 Scripture as Annihilation. 
 
2^o 7%e Script6re-Do£}rirte 
 
 in thofe Texts meant Annihilation, (which 
 they do not) it would be perfectly arbitrary and 
 unreafonable to limit this to the Bodies only of 
 the Wicked ; fince the Texts fpeak of the 
 Deftruftion and Perdition of Men, ungodly 
 Men, who knew not God, and obeyed not the 
 Go/pel of our Lord Jefus Chrift. Thefe are 
 to be punijhed with everlafting Definition 5 but 
 how the Annihilation, or Diffolution, merely of 
 their Bodies, can be a Punifhment to them, it 
 is hard to conceive. It muft be rather a De- 
 liverance and Releafe, to be feparated from their 
 Bodies, in that Place of Torment. So that the 
 Texts cannot poffibly favour Dr. Whitby's 
 Hypothecs. As to Mr. Whijlon's Criticifms 
 and Reflections, I have taken notice of them in 
 the two firft Chapters, under the refpective 
 Texts s which I need not here repeat *. 
 
 But 
 
 * cc 'AiroAAufiaij fignifies very often no more than to 
 cc die, or to fuffer great Troubles and Miferies ; though 
 ■" from fuch Expreffions-in the New Teftament fome Pa- 
 " trons of loofe and atheiftical Principles would infer, 
 <c that there are no future Punilhments of wickefl Men, 
 " but that upon Death they are entirely annihilated. The 
 w Claffic Authors take this and the fynonymous Words 
 ic for a State of great Trouble and Perplexity ; but never 
 " in this Senfe that Latitudinarians wifh it might be taken 
 " in ; but can never prove that it is. Herodotus has 
 *' a,7roXXCfxtvog for a Perfon departed this Life, and living 
 <c in Happinefs in another : ' Outc a7ro9v^<r>cE»v Iwunij; vc- 
 fxiPvtri, livcti Je tqv a7roAAU|Ufvov 7rapa S^jOtoA^tv 3oti[j,ov<y y 
 they do not fuppofe that they who die are finally extin£l y but 
 that the Perfon that departs this Life goes to their God 
 Zamolxis. We have in Xenophon aVoAcoAa tw (po£w. 
 Qi So ATruXopw Sdrwoq ttxsT uu,] J»J in Euripides. 'Tis 
 
of Future Punijhment. 271 
 
 But as the whole Strength of the Obje&ion 
 is collected together, and prefented in one View, 
 by another Writer, I mall give you his Words 
 at length. Thus then reafons the Moral Phi- 
 lofopher : " The Fire which is utterly to con- 
 " fume, deftroy, and burn up the Wicked in 
 " the laft Day, is called everlafting Fire, be- 
 cc caufe its Effe&s will be everlafting, and there 
 ic can be no poffible Recovery from this fecond 
 " Death. And thus the Fire which confumed 
 " the Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah is call'd 
 " everlafting Fire, becaufe thofe Cities were 
 < c deftroyed for ever, never to be reftored more. 
 c< And thus this laft destroying Fire is faid to 
 <c be unquenchable, becaufe no Power or Policy 
 cC can extinguim it, or deliver the Ungodly 
 l< out of it, till it has utterly confumed and 
 c< deftroyed the Subjedt. But, that the fecond 
 " Death which wicked Men muft undergo 
 cC after they have been raifed, and received their 
 <c Sentence, mould be an eternal Life in Tor- 
 <c ments, without ever dying more; that a 
 lc confuming and deftroying, mould be an un- 
 c< confuming, immortalizing Fire; that the 
 " mortal and corruptible Bodies with which 
 
 " the 
 
 *« very common in this fenfe likewife in Latin Authors. 
 " So Deftruclion and Perdition in facred Writers only 
 " exprefs incurable Defpair and endlefs Miferies ; becaufe 
 " that eternal Dcftru&ion is declared through the whole 
 " New Teftament to be only a State of extreme SufFer- 
 " ings, and the (ha r pell Seine of Guilt and divine Ven- 
 " eeance ; and not Lofs of Being, or Annihilation/* 
 Bkckwain Sacred Checks, Vol I. p. 178, SsV. 8vo.- 
 
272 The Scripture- DoEirint 
 
 cc the Wicked fhall be raifed, fliould be im- 
 
 " mortal and uncorruptible, which is the fole 
 
 <c Privilege of the Juft ; that eternal Death 
 
 44 and utter Deftrudtion fhould fignify Immor- 
 
 " tality, and eternal Life in Mifery ; and that 
 
 cc when theprofefTed End and Defign of Ch rift's 
 
 <c coming into the World, was to deftroy the 
 
 <c Devil and his Kingdom, and all his Works, 
 
 <c and to abolifh and put an end to Sin and 
 
 " Death for ever ; that he fhould in the Event 
 
 <c come to eftablifh the Devil's Empire for ever 
 
 <c in Hell over the far greater part of Mankind, 
 
 " and to perpetuate and immortalize Sin and 
 
 <c Hell, inftead of extirpating and deftroying 
 
 <c them : Thefe are fuch grofs and glaring 
 
 <c Contradictions, as cannot be reconciled to the 
 
 <c natural Ufe of Words in any Language." 
 
 There are feveral Propofitions contain'd, 
 or implied, in this noble Chain of Reafoning, 
 which we muft take to pieces, and examine 
 diftinftly. The Fire which is utterly to co?i- 
 fume, dejlroy^ and burn up the Wicked^ &c. 
 Where it is taken for granted, contrary to all 
 Philofophy and Reafon, that Fire can thus ut- 
 terly confume^ deftroy , and burn up fuch Beings 
 as Men : Beings compofed of Body and Soul, 
 the latter of which it is certain no Adlion of 
 Fire can reduce to nothing. And for any thing 
 this Writer can prove, or any one elfe, this may 
 be the cafe of the former alfo. If then this 
 Fire cannot utterly confume and deftroy the 
 Wicked, it cannot be call'd everlafting and «»- 
 
 quenckable 
 
of Future Punijhment. 273 
 
 quenchable for that reafbn ; or bef.aitft no Power 
 or Policy can extinguijh it y or deliver the un- 
 godly out of it, till it has utterly confumd and 
 dejlroyd the Subject. It cannot, in the fenfe in- 
 tended, deftroy the Subject at all. Nor does 
 the Scripture any where declare, or ultimate, 
 that this is the Ground and Reafon of its being 
 called everlafling and unquenchable. On the 
 contrary, as the primary and moft obvious No- 
 tion which the Words themfelves fugged:, is that 
 of the real everlafling Exiftence and Duration 
 of the Fire itfelf, fo the Scripture-Reprefenta- 
 tions confirm this Notion, and put it beyond all 
 reafonable Doubt. For it is there fuch an ever- 
 lajting Fire, as is alfo an ever la/ling Punijh- 
 ment -, where they are tormented Day and Night, 
 for ever and ever *. As to the Inftance he al- 
 ledges of " the Fire which confum'd the Cities 
 " of Sodcm and Gomorrah" that Point has been 
 already confider'd under N° XCIV. It is far 
 from being indifputable that that is the Fire, 
 which is there called everlajling ; or if it be, it 
 is not merely upon this account becaufe it con- 
 fumed thofe Cities, but becaufe of its long, very 
 long, Duration. In this view, together with 
 the Severity of that fignal Vengeance, which 
 was fo juftly executed on that abandoned People, 
 it may well be confider'd as an Emblem -f of 
 
 that 
 
 • See N° XCVIII. 
 
 t Externus ille, inquit Witfius, atque hoc fenfu aeterrms 
 Ignis, quo urbes eonflagrarunt, eft VTrofoiypct, exemplar 
 aliis ad validam Monelam ob oculos pofitum,2 Pet. i\. 6. et 
 ilmulfigura Ignis verzaterni, quo,dum hsecfcribebat Judas^ 
 
 T excruciabantur 
 
274 %% e Scripture-DoSirine 
 
 that Fire which in the ftridteft fenfe is un- 
 quenchable. . 
 
 What this Writer next fuggefts is concern- 
 ing the fecond Death, which he thinks can never 
 import eternal Life in Tor?nents, without ever 
 dying more: For which matter, fee N°LXIX, 
 and N° XCIX. It evidently does import This in 
 St. John's Language ; and if there be any ab- 
 furdity in it, how came Philofophers, both be- 
 fore and after his time, to be fo fond of the 
 fame Figure ? Is any thing more ufual with 
 them, than to call a miferable Life by the name 
 of Death ? By which Rule eternal miferable 
 Life, or Exiftence, would be eternal Death. 
 When Souls in their Revolt from God forfake 
 the Divine Life, they die, fays Hierocles -, not 
 that they lofe their Being, (for an immortal Na- 
 ture cannot ceafe to be), but their Well-Being. 
 Ignorance and Impiety arc the Death of a rea- 
 fonable EfTence *. In the fame view, and 
 
 agreeably 
 excruciabantur fcortatorum animae. Urbes ipfae habent 
 vTro^iyixoc, vel oc\>titv7tov ccloovix 7tv(>q<;, fed improbi homi- 
 nes fuftinent <ftW Trv'go;. Ultimam banc fententiam et mihi 
 placer e non diffiteor. Wolfius in loc. 
 
 * Hier. in Carm. Pytbag. ad verf. i. Vide etiam Ma- 
 crob. in Somn. Scip. Lib. i. Cap. xi. Nam et qui primum 
 Pythagoram et qui poftea PJatonem fecuti funt, duas efle 
 mortes, unam Animas, AnimaJis alteram prodiderunt : 
 mori Animal cum Anima difcedit e corpore, ipfam vera 
 Animam mori ailerentes cum a fimplici et individuo fonte 
 naturae in membra corporea diffipatur. For Chriftian An- 
 tiquity, fee Suicer'j Thefaurus, under the Word Qxyocrog, 
 in the two 'laft Articles, Mors Inftdelium, et Mors sterna. 
 And fee the like Obje.clion in the mouth of Smalcius an- 
 fwered by JJhweil, De Socino et Socinianifmo, p. 191* 
 
of Future Punijhment. 275 
 
 agreeably to the fame Scheme of Speech, they 
 reprefent the prefent Life, while we fojourn in 
 the D.irknefs of this World, and are fetter'd in 
 the Prifon of the Body, as Death. And when we 
 (hall be remov'd out of it, and return to the 
 celeflial Light of our native Country, we (hall 
 live : S>uq cum veneri?nus, turn dent que vive- 
 mus. IS! am hcec quidem vita mors ejl *. There 
 is therefore no Impropriety in St, John's calling 
 the future miferable Exigence of the Wicked, 
 by the name of the fecond Death j nothing 
 contrary to the natural Vfe of Words in any Lan- 
 guage \ which is all the Moral PhilojophersAx- 
 gument here turns upon. Nay, I appeal to any 
 unprejudiced Perfon, whether the Abfurdity does 
 not lie on the other fide ? viz. In fuppofing that 
 St. John means by the fecond Death only utter 
 Extinction of Being. What is there in This 
 that can hurt the Wicked, or that they can fear ? 
 What is there in it ivorfe than the firft Death ? 
 And yet it feems to be reprefented as a Punifh- 
 ment infinitely more dreadful ; which it can 
 never be to the Wicked, in the k\^ of Annihi- 
 lation. Confidering only the Troubles and 
 Miferies of the prefent Life, Philofophers have 
 thought Deprivation of Senfe and Being a Privi- 
 lege, and propofed it as a Confolation againft 
 the Fear of Death -f\ And can This be reckon '4 
 T 2 a 
 
 * Cic. Tufculan. Lib. I. Cap. 31. 
 
 f Nam i\ fupremus ille dies nun extijicliunem, fed ccm- 
 mutationem affcrt loci, quid optabilius? Sin autem perimit 
 ac delet omnino, quid .melius quam in mediis vitse K«bo- 
 ribus obdormifecre, et ita conniventem fomnu coidop'ui 
 fempiterno ? Tufc. i. C 49. 
 
276 The Scripture-DoEtrine 
 
 a Punifhment to the Damn'd in Hell ? Or be 
 efteem'd as the fevereft Effedt of God's righteous 
 Vengeance upon his mod implacable Enemies ? 
 It can never be. To proceed j His calling this 
 Fire a confuming and deftroying Fire, which can 
 never be an unconfuming and immortalizing Fire, 
 is nothing but his own Miftake. For as we 
 deny, on the one hand, that it either is, or is 
 caird, a confuming and deftroying Fire; fo nei- 
 ther do we affert, on the other, that it is an />/- 
 mortalizing Fire. It does not make the Wicked 
 immortal, but find them fo. If any one in this 
 fenfe will ftill call it an immortalizing Fire, he 
 has his liberty : we will have no ftrife about 
 Words. But to be rais'd, he fays, with Bodies 
 immortal a?id uncorruptible, is the file Privi- 
 lege of the Juft. Which if he had as plainly 
 proved, as he has pofitively afferted, he had 
 gain'd fomething. Not but that even then his 
 Conclufion would be wider than his Premifes. 
 For utter Extindtion of Being, both of Body and 
 Soul, cannot be inferr'd from the Corruption 
 and Mortality of the Body only. But here is 
 no Proof produced, that the Bodies with which 
 the Wicked ihall be rais'd, will be capableof 
 any future DifTolution. They will not indeed 
 be rais'd to that glorious and happy Immortality 
 which is the file Privilege of the Juft ; but they 
 will be fo raifed and. united to their refpeftivc 
 Souls, as never more to be divided from them, 
 fmce Death and Hades, both the Alt and State 
 of Separation, will be dtfiroy'd. 
 
 His 
 
of Future Punijhment. 277 
 
 His laft Argument, which only remains to 
 be considered, fets forth, " That the profeffed 
 <c Defign of Chrift's coming into the World, 
 " being to deftroy the Devil, his Works and 
 " Kingdom, and to pat an end to Sin and 
 " Death for ever -, it cannot be imagined that 
 " in the Event he fhould eftablifh the Devil's 
 " Empire for ever in Hell over the far greater 
 " part of Mankind, and perpetuate Sin and 
 " Hell, inftead of deftroying them/' As if 
 truly, Hell, which is the Place of the Devil's 
 Punifhment, would be the Seat of his Empire ! 
 No, his Kingdom is in this World -, fubfifts, 
 and is fupported by wicked Men here, and is 
 not a little promoted, it is to be feared, by fuch 
 wretched Writings as this Man's. The Works of 
 the Devil, which Chrift came to deftroy, he has 
 deftroyed in fome Degree, and is daily deftroy- 
 ing, more or lefs, not by mere Power and 
 Force, but by fuch means as only can deftroy 
 real Wicked nefs in moral Agents. Thefe are 
 the Influence of his own moll holy Example, 
 the Purity of his Do&rine, the Sanctions of 
 his Laws, by which Life and Immortality are 
 brought to light on the one hand, and the 
 Wrath of God revealed againft all Umighte- 
 oufnefs on the other, and all his manifold Gifts 
 of Grace. And if Men will not be wrought 
 on by thefe to take his Yoke upon them volun- 
 tarily, and become his Subjects by free Choice, 
 they will at laft, as Enemies, be put under his 
 Feet , rendered incapable of giving him any 
 
 T 3 more 
 
278 The Scripture-DoSirine 
 
 |ii ore Oppofition, and punifhed as they deferve. 
 And is not this fufficiently deftroying the Works 
 and Kingdom of the Devil ? But to deftroy 
 Hell, that is the Puniftiment of Sin, in order 
 to deftroy Sin, is an Expedient much more 
 likely to encourage it. There is no moral Evil 
 in righteous Punifhment ; and if it be confiftent 
 with the moral Character of the great Gover- 
 nour and Judge of the World, to permit Men 
 and Devils to Jin, it is furely confiftent with his 
 Character to punijh them ; and that too, if their 
 Exiftence admit of it, and the Reafons of things 
 require it, for ever, 
 
 I am willing to perfuade myfelf, that it ap- 
 pears from thefe Observations, that there will 
 be no Annihilation of the Wicked. All Ap- 
 pearances are againft it, both from Experience, 
 Pbikfophy, and Revelation. So that if Men 
 will ftill go on to maintain it, they muft do 
 it gratis, not only without Evidence, but 
 
 contrary to it; contrary to Evidence as clear 
 
 as a reafonable Man would expedt, in a Queftion 
 of this nature. However, I am ready to own 
 after all, that it is poflible, becaufe there is a 
 Power in being that is able to effect it. God 
 can reduce them to nothing. But, befides that 
 we are not to argue from mere Power, it feems 
 plain from his Word that he never will. All the 
 Pretence for it from Scripture lies in two or 
 three Expreffions, which import no fuch thing ; 
 and which cannot be interpreted to thatSenie, 
 without doing the greateft Violence to many 
 
 other 
 
of Future Punijhtnent. 279 
 
 other Paflages and Defcriptions, relating to the 
 fame Subje<ft. Add to this, that there is a 
 Confideration or two of another kind, which 
 renders this Affair of God's annihilating the 
 Wicked improbable, in the Eye of Reafon. One 
 is, that it ill fuits with the Idea of his infinite 
 PerfedtfDns, to fuppofe him reduced to the Ne- 
 ceffityof totally dell roying fuch Creatures, whom 
 he made naturally immortal. Is not the Uni- 
 verfe large enough, for God to difpofe of them 
 into States iuitable to their Natures ? And can- 
 not his Wifdom difpofe of them into fuch States 
 and Places as are proper for them, and propor- 
 tionable to their Deferts, without deftroying 
 and taking away their Being*? In this way 
 they may be made fubfervient to more Purpofes 
 of Providence than we are acquainted with - y 
 but to annihilate them, befides that it is the 
 bungling Work of doing and undoing, is to 
 make them of no ufe at all. If it be faid 
 that annihilating them will be an Act of Fa- 
 vour to them, this is the other Confideration 
 againft it ; which take in the Words of Dr. 
 Whitby -\ : <c God is not obliged to annihilate 
 " the Souls of wicked Men, for then it muft 
 ct be fo on this account, becaufe he is obliged 
 M to put them out of that Miiery which they 
 iC have brought upon themfelveg by their own 
 T 4 ::■■<« Folly, 
 
 * Dr. CarkSs Letter to Mr. D:dive!l, p. u. and p. 62. 
 — We hear nothing of their Annihilation : As indeed' it 
 would be very ftrange we fhould ; for this would be as 
 much as to fay, God had made fuch Beings as he could 
 not continue in being with Confiftency with his own 
 Attributes. Letter concerning Origcn^ p. 73. 
 
 f Appendix to 2 ThefT. Ch. 1. 
 
280 The Scripture-DoB 'rine 
 
 u Folly, and Rebellions ; and if fo, fmce this mud 
 " certainly be an Act, not of ftricft Juftice, but 
 " of Grace and Favour, God muft be bound to 
 M fhevv an Act of Grace and Favour towards 
 tc Men, purely becaufe they have provoked and 
 <c rebell'd againft him, /. e. becaufe they h.ve 
 " done that which renders them the pp per 
 " Objects of his Hatred and his Indignation, 
 ci and be obliged to fave Men from that Mifery 
 M which by their ftubborn Difobedience to all 
 " his Calls and Admonitions, his Exhortations, 
 <c and all the gracious Methods his Providence 
 " had ufed to preferve them from it, they wil- 
 <c fully have brought upon themfelves. Whereas 
 " indeed the Riches of his Goodnefs, being de- 
 • c figned to lead Men to Repentance, or to enr 
 i: courage them in the ways of Holinefs and 
 4< Piety, hath only for its proper Object fuch as 
 u are capable of being made the better by it ; 
 " it cannot therefore be the Goodnefs and Mer- 
 l * cy of a God to (hew Kindnefs to Perfonsob- 
 " ftinately and incorrigibly wicked^ becaufe it 
 " cannot be the Goodnefs and Mercy of a Being 
 M infinitely juft and holy; for feeing all the Di- 
 sl vine Perfections muft agree together, that can- 
 M not be a Divine Perfection which contradicts 
 " any other Perfection." 
 
 I might proceed to confirm my Point from 
 the Teftimonies of the Primitive Writers. But, 
 befides that this would be too tedious a W r ork, 
 it is the lefs neceffary, becaufe the Truth fuf- 
 ficiently appears, notwithstanding all his Dif- 
 guife, from the Authorities collected even by Mr. 
 
 Whifton 
 
of Future Punijhment. ?8r 
 
 Whifion himfelf. The firft Piece with which 
 he begins his Catalogue of Eccleflaftical Wri- 
 ters, after he has done with what he calls 
 the Books of the New Tejlament, is the Frag- 
 ment of Jofephus concerning Hades. And it 
 is remarkable that this Author, tho' he aflerts 
 the Wicked fhall receive their Bodies at the 
 Refurre&ion fubjed: to the fame Difeafes where- 
 in they died, yet is clearly of opinion that 
 they will not undergo any future Diffolution, 
 To thefe, fays he, belong an unquenchable and 
 endlefs Fire ; and a certain fiery Worm, not 
 dying, nor deftroying the Body ; but continuing 
 its Eruption out of the Body, with never- 
 ceafing Grief. For a Mail to attempt to glofs 
 away fuch a Teftimony as this, only fhews 
 that he is capable of praclifing upon any thing 
 that ftands in his way. Some other of the 
 Teftimonies which he produces are fo expreflly 
 againft him, that he has no way to rid his hands 
 of them but by calling one a Poetical Defcrip- 
 tion, another a Philofophical Romance ; by which 
 fort of Expedients one may invalidate any Tefli^ 
 monies whatfoever. Arnobius indeed feems to 
 fpeak to his purpofe ; but it is to be confider'd 
 that Arnobius was hardly a Chriflian when he 
 wrote his Book. Nor does he profefs in the 
 particular Point before us to be guided by the 
 Authority of Scripture, or any Chriftian Wri- 
 ter ; but by the Authority of Plato. And here 
 indeed lies the Root of the Matter. It was 
 vain Philofophy that made Men affed; to be wife 
 above what is written. Origen is noted by 
 Photius for ftudying to bring the Grei k My- 
 
 tbolozv 
 
282 The Scripture-DoSirine 
 
 thology into the Church of God *. His lingu- 
 lar Conceits might find forne Countenance 
 there, but there are no Traces of them to be 
 met with in the Scripture. And his being fo 
 diftinguijh'd by them is a plain Argument, that 
 they differ'd from the common and received 
 Dodrine of the Catholick Church *f. Windet % 
 leems to think that Arnobius borrowed his No- 
 tion of the Jews ; which is not fo likely. But 
 wherever he borrow'd it, 'tis certain he had it not 
 from the Scripture, which affords no Evidence 
 that the Wicked fhall be annihilated, and come 
 to nothing ; and jb avoid their Pains by being 
 dijfoh'dfor ever. As the Confeffion of an Ad- 
 verfary is of fome weight, I fhall conclude with 
 that of Crellius, who fays, that neither does 
 the Scripture affert, nor any Reafon evince, that 
 God will annihilate the Souls of the Wicked 
 after the Day of Judgment. Animas impiorum 
 Deumpo/i Judicium annihilaturum, nee Scrip- 
 tura ajjerit^nec Ratio evincit ulla y multo autem 
 
 minus, 
 
 * Photli Eplji. i. p. 11. See alfo Mr. Ridley's Le&ure- 
 Sermons, p. 174. 
 
 f Quis enim catholicus Chriftianus vel dodlus vel in- 
 doclus non vehementer exhorreat earn quam dicic malorum 
 purgationem, id eft, etiam eos qui hanc vitam in flagitiis 
 & facinoribus & iacrilegiis atque impietatibus quamlibtt 
 maximis finierunt, ipfum etiam poftremo Diabolum, at- 
 que Angelos ejus, quamvis port longiflima tempora, pur- 
 gatos atque liberates regno Dei lucique reftitui? Et rur- 
 Ajs poft longiffima tempora omnes qui liberati funt, ad 
 haec mala denuo relabi & reverti, & has vices alternan- 
 tes Beatitudinum & Miferiarum rationalis Creaturae iem- 
 per fuifle, femperque fore ?' Aug. de Haref. Cup. 43. 
 
 J De vita functorum Statu, Sc£t. ix. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 283 
 
 minus , quod idem nunc faciat. [Vide vol. 4. 
 p. 533. Problem. N. CumSolut. J. C] 
 
 I shall now at the End of this Chapter 
 add a few Pages concerning the Doctrine of 
 Repentance in Hades. It is of no great Con- 
 fequence perhaps to the main Point, whether 
 that Word is ufed in Scripture in a general 
 Senfe, fo as to denote the State of all departed 
 Souls both good and bad, or only that of 
 the latter. St. Aujlin fomewhere fays, that 
 he no where meets with it, (or, what is the 
 fame thing, the Word that anfwers to it in 
 hating in the Canonical Scripture, taken in a 
 good Acceptation *. But the Queflion is, 
 whether it is not ufed in a fenfe indifferent 
 and general, including the State of all departed 
 Souls, abftracting from their Happinefs, or 
 Mifcry. It does not, it is acknowledged, par- 
 ticularly denote the State of good and happy 
 
 SOUIS y 
 
 * Proinde, ut dixi, nondum inveni, & adhuc quaero, 
 nee niihi occurrit Inferos alicubi in bono pofuifle Scrip- 
 
 turam, duntaxat Canonicam. Quamquam ct iliud 
 
 me nondum invenifTe confiteor, Inferos appellatos ubi Juf- 
 torum animas requiefcunt. No j and the Reafon is, be- 
 caufe it has a more complex Idea, denoting the State, or 
 Place, of all Souls whatfeever. He might have obferv'd, 
 on the other hand, that it does not fignify peculiarly the Place 
 ubi Impiorum animze cruciantur. If Circumjlances in a 
 Text fomctimes limit it to that Senfe, yet that does not make 
 the Ivo^d itfelf to be of an ill Senfe. Any more than other 
 Texts in which it is ufed, which point out a State of Hap- 
 pinefs, make it to be of a good Senfe. It retains the Gene- 
 rality of its Meaning in both Cafes ; and it is Jomething clfe 
 m the Text, or Context, or Charafier of the Perfon, or 
 the Uke y that gives us the Idea of Happinefs or Mifery. 
 
284 lite Scripture-DoSlrine 
 
 Souls j but neither does it, in an exclulive 
 Senfe, denote the State of thofe that are mife- 
 rable. The Affair of Happinefs or Mifery may 
 indeed often be determined by the Context 
 where the Word is ufed, or by other Circum- 
 ftances ; but never merely from the Ufe and 
 Import of the Word itfelf ; which, where it 
 does not mean the Grave only, the Receptacle 
 of the Body, denotes that invifible Place, or 
 State, which is the Receptacle or Habitation of 
 Souls till the Day of Judgment *. But there 
 is no neceffity to intermix any verbal Dis- 
 putes in the Queftion before us. Be this as it 
 will, what follows is certain ; that with re- 
 gard to the Generality of the Chriflian World, 
 (all, except thofe who (hall then be found alive ,) 
 there is an Interval, fome Space of Time, more 
 or lefs, and to many a very long one, between 
 the Day of each Man's Death and the Day 
 of the general Judgment. The Queftion there- 
 fore is, the only one that is of practical mo- 
 ment, and in which alone Chriftians as fuch 
 are now concern'd, whether they who die im- 
 penitently in their Sins, and confequently with- 
 out Pardon in this World, can repent in the 
 Interval mention'd, fo as to obtain Pardon at 
 the lad Day. It is obvious, that the Queftion 
 thus ftated is fo diftindt from that other, viz. 
 whether Chrift, or his Apoftles, preach'd the 
 Goipel to the Souls in Hades who had liv'd in 
 
 tlie 
 
 * See Ger. Job. Vojjli Tbefes Tbeokg. Difputatio Sexta, 
 J3e Statu Auim;£, p. 94, &c. in 410. And Suicer Tub 
 vo£e. 
 
 2 
 
of Future Punijhment. 285 
 
 the Ages before the Gofpel, that the Proof of 
 this, (if it could be prov'd,) would by no 
 means be a Proof like wife of the Point in de- 
 hate. The Cafes are quice different ; and fup- 
 pofing that they preach'd in Hades to the Souls 
 of Patriarchs, and Prophets, and holy Men of 
 old, or to all the Souls that were then in Hades 5 
 yet this does not prove that the Souls of wicked 
 Chriftians will repent in Hades, or that the Go- 
 fpel will be any more preach'd to them 3 fmce 
 it was preach'd to them all their life-long, and 
 they all their life-long difobey'd it. 
 
 But becaufe it may be fufpecled that if 
 there ever were any Preaching and Repentance 
 in Hades, there may probably be fomething 
 of the fame kind ftill, I (hall examine the Texts 
 of Scripture on which that Opinion is built. 
 And they are, (befides thole that have been re- 
 mark'd on already in their refpective Places,) 
 principally two *, viz. 1 Pet. in. 18, 19, 20. 
 and Ch. iv. 6. In the firft of thefe the Apoftle 
 iays, that Chrift being put to death in the 
 Flejh, was quickned by the Spirit ; (not kept 
 §r prefers d alive in his human Sou/, or Spirit, 
 according to the harfli Interpretation of fome ;) 
 By which (Spirit) alfo lye went and preached, 
 {going he preached, that is, He preached, which 
 is the thing intended, without any regard to 
 local Motion,) unto the Spirits in Prijbn : 
 Where allowing that Spirits in Prifon mean 
 Spirits in Hades, yet this Notion of (Thrift's 
 
 preaching 
 
 * Sec N° LXXXIII. 
 
286 The Scripture- DoBrme 
 
 preaching to them there does not follow from 
 this Text. He preached, fays St. Peter, to the 
 Spirits that were in Prifon, that i c , in Hades-, 
 but he fays not a Syllable that this preaching 
 to them was after they came into that Place* 
 They were when he wrote his Epiftle, and 
 they are ftill, in Hades -, but the Time of Chrift's 
 preaching to them by the Spirit, was evidently 
 in the Days of their Flefh ; even then when 
 they were difobedient, when once the Long-fujfer- 
 ing of God waited in the Days of Noah, while 
 the Ark was preparing. Noah was a Preacher 
 of Righteoufftefs to that Generation, and their 
 rejecting his Admonitions, being a refining of 
 the Holy Ghoft, was the great Aggravation of 
 their Difobedience. It is impertinent in Mr. 
 Whijlon to talk, as from this Text, about Chrift's 
 preaching in Hades cc to the old pious Patriarchs-" 
 becaufe if the Text had any relation to preach- 
 ing in Hades, it fays not that this preaching 
 was to the old pious Patriarchs before the Flood, 
 but to the old impious Rebels that perifhed in 
 it ; that KdcfJLos aZeeGcov, as St. Peter calls them, 
 2. Ch. ii. 5. who had fo corrupted their Ways, 
 and filled the Earth with fuch Violence, that 
 nothing could cleanfe and reftore it but an 
 universal Deluge. And though they were fo 
 wicked, that it repented the Lord that he had 
 made Man on the Earth, yet his Long-fuffering 
 waited in the Days of Noah a hundred Years 
 or more, (fee* Gen.vi. 3.) before he deftroy'd 
 
 them. 
 
 * See Saurin, Patrick, Biblioth. Bibliea, in he* And 
 Revelation examined with Candour, Vol. i. DifTertat. ix. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 287 
 
 them. And what good Reafon then is there 
 to imagine, that Chrift fhould preach in Hades 
 to fuch Sinners as thefe? 
 
 I f this Text does not contain the Doftrine 
 of preaching in Hades , there is hardly any 
 Shadow of Pretence left that the other does, 
 viz. Ch. iv. 6. For this Caufe was the Gcfpel 
 preached aljb to them that are dead, that 
 they might be judged according to Men in the 
 PleJJjy but live according to God in the Spirit. 
 That is, fays Mr. Whijton, p. 44. <c Though 
 " thefe old Sinners were condemn'd to be 
 c£ drown'd in the Flood, as to their Bodies, 
 <c for their Crimes 5 yet might they, by this 
 " Preaching in Hades, be brought afterward 
 " to eternal Life, in their fpiritual Part, or 
 " Souls." Here, we fee, he makes the former 
 Text the Key to the Meaning of diis : For 
 otherwife this Text fays not a Word about 
 the Flood, or the old Sinners that were drowned 
 in it, or any thing to that purpofe. Gonfc- 
 quently here are two things implied, 1. That 
 the former Text relates to preaching in Hades $ 
 2. That the Text in debate mufl be interpreted 
 by it, and means the fame. Neither of which 
 Mr. W. has proved, and we are under no 
 Obligation to take for granted. It is evident 
 that the former Text has nothing to do with 
 preaching in Hades -, but if it had, why muft 
 this laft Text, in another Chapter, and upon 
 another Subject, mean the fame thing? It is 
 own'd that the Text is very obfeure 3 and the 
 
 Send- 
 
288 7%e Scripture-DoEirine 
 
 Sentiments of Commentators upon it are io 
 various, that I fhall not pretend to recite them. 
 If the Dead here are only the * metaphorical 
 Dead, Men dead in Trefpaffes and Sins, which 
 at leaft is poffible, the Difpute is at an end. 
 If they are the Dead in a literal Senfe, it does 
 not follow, nor does St. Peter fay, that the 
 Gofpel was preach'd to them ajter they were 
 dead. There is a like Form of Expreffion in 
 Ruth ii. 20. Blefed be he (viz. Boaz,) who 
 hath not left off his Kindnefs to the Livi?tg and 
 to the Dead : that is, has continued to be kind 
 to the Relicls of Eli?nelech and his Son, as 
 he had been to them w r hen they were alive : 
 [Patrick in loc] The latter part of the Verfe 
 in St. Peter {hews, that, whether they were 
 dead or not at the time of his writing, they 
 were alive when the Gofpel was preach'd 
 to them. For it was preach'd to them for 
 this Caufe, hoc xg*8a<n ph xctroi dvf}pw7rou$ 
 c<x,pK X iy %>oo<ri S'e xaTfli ®eor wvevfJiaLTt ; That 
 they might be judged, &c. If the Words be 
 taken actively > id fome fuch fenfe as this \, that 
 they might condemn, might Jirive againfl, might 
 mortify thofe fenfual Lufts and Appetites which 
 they had indulged in Time pafl, wh£*i .hey 
 wrought the Will of the Gentiles, &c\ f. 2 hich 
 is living according to, or after the n r of, 
 
 Men 
 
 *A Metaphor not unfrequent in Script:; ; \ .very one 
 knows. Let the Dead bury their Dead: Mstth. vin. 22. 
 She that liveth in Plea fur e is dead: I Tim. v. 6. See Eph. 
 ii. I. Col. ii. 13. and more Inftances in almoft any Com- 
 mentator. 
 
 f Sec IVhitby's Note on the Place. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 289 
 
 Men in the Flejh, i. e. carnal Men ; then it is 
 plain the Gofpel muft be preach'd to them in 
 their Life-time. For it was preach'd to them 
 for this reafon, that they might reform their 
 former vitious Life, and lead a new and fpiritual 
 Life, living according to God in the Spirit. 
 ii the Verb KQ/tiZcri be taken pa/Jively, it may 
 denote the Judgment either of this World, or 
 the Judgment of God. In the former way 
 the Senfe may be to this EfFedt ; For this Caufe 
 the Gofpel was preached to them, that they might, 
 or tho* they might be, or were, judged or con- 
 demned indeed in the Flejh y according to Men, i. e. 
 put to death by the Judgment of Men, as to the 
 Body *, they might neverthelefs live to God in 
 the Spirit, being made Partakers of eternal Life. 
 Or, the Judgment here intended may be God's, 
 in fome fuch fenfe as the following, viz. For 
 this Caaje was the Gofpel preach* d to them that 
 are dead, (i. e. either Spiritually dead, or literal- 
 ly fo, at the time of St. Peters writing,) that 
 they might be condemn d who live according to 
 Men in the Flejh -f, (who indulge their flefhly 
 
 Lufts 
 
 * Le Clerc, Supplement to Hammond. 
 
 f Subaudiendum oi, ante xa-ra av6fiw7r«f, & ante y.xrx 
 S-ov, Elleipfi admodum familiari, de qua vide Anirnad. 
 1 Cor. ii. 2. Ad hoc enim 13 mortuis pra'dicatum eft five 
 evangelizatum, ut damnarentur qui erant fecundum homines 
 in Carne, vivant autem qui erant fecundum Deum inSpiritu; 
 i. e. ut damnarentur qui incedebant vel vivebant ev dvQcu- 
 ir^-jiTT^^uixiq, &C. in Cupiditatibus hominum ; falventur 
 verb qui vivebant ev OfX^ua-n 0£«, in voluntate Dei, ut eft 
 f. 2. Phrafiseft omnino eadem apud Paulum, Rom, viii. 5. 
 
 u o; 
 
290 The Scripture-DoEirine 
 
 Lufts in oppofition to the Light of the Gofpel, 
 and tho' they know the Judgment of God de- 
 nounced again ft thofe who commit fuch things, 
 which renders their Continuance in them quite 
 inexcufable : For this is the Condemnation , that 
 Light is come into the World, &c. 'John iii. 19.) 
 but that they might live (in a happy Immortali- 
 ty) who walk according to God in the Spirit ; 
 who are fpiritually minded, and lead a holy 
 Life. There are feveral other Interpretations of 
 this difficult Text : which Confideration alone 
 may ferve to (hew how unfit it is to prove any 
 Doctrine, which is not agreeable to the Te- 
 nour of Scripture, or contain'd in fome plain 
 Paflages thereof. 
 
 Th e Point before us is certainly not averted 
 in any one plainText 5 and that it is not agreeable 
 to the general Doctrine and Tenour of Scrip- 
 ture, is evident. For that uniformly teaches us 
 that this World is our State of Trial, and the- 
 prefent Life the Time in which we are to work 
 out our Salvation, without giving us any Hopes, 
 that if we neglect it, we may retrieve things in 
 Hades. There are feveral Paflages in the Old Tefta- 
 ment, which are inconfiftent with any Expectations 
 of this kind. — In Death there is no Remembrance 
 of thee ; in the Grave who Jh all give thee Thanks? 
 
 Or, 
 
 O* y&P xaTa <rapxa ovre? 9 ra rris trotpno? (ppovovviv'' ol $1 
 xa-m 7TV£Ujoca, m tou itv£v[jmtos. ^ui enim funt fecundum 
 Carnem qua Carnis funt fapiunt, qui verb funt fecundum 
 Spiritum, ea qua funt Spiritus, Sir Norton Knatchbull in 
 he 
 
of Future Punijloment. 291 
 
 Or, make Confeffion unto thee *. — The Dead 
 praife not the Lord, neither any that go down 
 intofilence\. — For the Grave cannot praife thee, 
 Death cannot celebrate thee ; they that go down 
 to the Pit cannot hope for thy Truth j. The 
 living, the living, he fhall praife thee^ as I do 
 this day 5 the Fathers to the Children fid all make 
 known thy Truth. The meaning of which Paf- 
 fages, and many more to the fame purpofe, is 
 not, as the Sadducees collected from them, that 
 the Soul dies with the Body, and that there is 
 no future State at all ; but the Meaning of them 
 is to the fame purpofe, with that of our Lord, 
 (John ix. 4.) The Night cometh, when no Man 
 can work : The fame with this of Solomon, 
 (Ecclef ix. 10.) Whatfoever thy hand findeth 
 to do, do it with thy might ; for there is no 
 Work, nor Device, nor Knowledge, nor Wifdom 
 in the Grave whither thou goef. And again, 
 Ch. xi. 3. If the Tree fall toward the South, or 
 toward the North ; in the place where the Tree 
 falleth, there it f: all be : [See N° XLV.] And 
 U 2 with 
 
 * Pfal. vi. 5. Ttyug oiixq avOpcoTTE cty,a.pT7i7cc;, si rifj.U 
 pott ?"il<7£is Iv raiV rw pV.j), ivx xxi psja.-jzr.'JYS ; on x^Xoq 
 V iro^o; ecu iy. ro'j [3i&'J ^nr o:$yj\ , xoci h u^uxoricc TeAa- 
 tmccvri psTayoiz o\x eV"#* ' &>" Xfysi $i<z rev AtifiQ. 'Ej 
 <Je rw a$q -'.; $%ouo\oyri<TSTu( cu *, Confilt. /Ipofl. Lib. ii. 
 Ch. xiii. Confer Menajfeh Bcn-lfrael De RefurrecL Mort. 
 Lib. i. Ch. xiv. 
 
 f Pfal. cxv. 17. 
 
 % IJai. xxxviii. 18, 19. Idem dicit quod nos ante dixi- 
 mus. Hunc fcilicet mundum eiie, in quo virtus & viti- 
 um locum habent : In altero veso tantum operum Re- 
 munerationem locum habere. Menajfeh Ben-Ifrael, ubi 
 Jup. 
 
292 The Scripture-DoEIrine 
 
 with thefe Teftimonies of the Old Teftament 
 the whole Tenour of the New agrees ; which 
 every where plainly fuppofes, that there is no 
 Alteration of our moral State, as to the Na- 
 ture and Kind of it, between Death and the 
 Day of Judgment. When the Dead are raifed, 
 and appear at the great Tribunal *, the Enquiry 
 is what they have done in this World, that every 
 one may receive the things done in his Body : 2 Cor. 
 v. 1 o. It is appointed unto Men once to die y but 
 after this the judgment j Hei. ix. 27. No rec- 
 koning, we fee, is at all made of the Middle 
 State y but it is pafs'd over as if it really were, 
 what it is fometimes call'd and compar'd to, a 
 State of Sleep > or as if no fuch Period had in- 
 tervened between the Day of each Man's Death, 
 and the Day of the general Judgment. All 
 which is utterly unaccountable, considering how 
 vaflly longer that Period is to the greateft Part 
 of Mankind, than the Term of human Life, 
 if that alfo like the prefent be a State of moral 
 Agency, in which Men may alter the Temper 
 and Habits which they contracted in this World, 
 and with which they left it -f. There is as little 
 
 Probability 
 
 * See Matt. xxv. 
 
 f Quod (i alia interveniat vita ante Judicium; eaque 
 talis, tit bene aut male agendi, virtutis & vitii, aeque ca- 
 pax fit ac hodierna, eaque multo longior fit & diuturnior : 
 nullam video rationem, cur ab hodierna vita fola, breviuf- 
 cula, incommoda, & innumeris tentationibus obnoxia, 
 pendeat totum pondus aeternitatis, vel fortis futura? ; altera* 
 ilia, multo majoris momenti, neglecta penitus, vel pro 
 nihilo habita. Burnet DeStat. Mort. p. 98. 
 
 See alfo Sherlock on Deatb y Sed. vii. That Death tranf- 
 latcs us to an unchangeable State. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 293 
 
 Probability of Reafon as Proof from Scripture 
 for this Imagination. The very Nature of the 
 feparate State is ill fuited to it. For new Ha- 
 bits muft be acquir'd by Exercife, and a Repeti- 
 tion of the fame Ads ; and virtuous Habits muft 
 proceed from free Choice. But what Scope or 
 Opportunity will there be in Hades for the A6ls 
 and Exercife of feveral Virtues? Forjuftice, Cha- 
 rity, Temperance, and many more ? They will 
 be reftrain'd from committing the A<fts indeed of 
 Intemperance, and other Vices, by the very 
 Nature of their Condition. But what Morality 
 is there in this ? Where is the Virtue that pro- 
 ceeds from free Choice ? 
 
 But the Deficiency in the Nature of the 
 feparate State in this refpecl, may perhaps be 
 fupplied by Advantages of another kind ; and 
 what it wants in Virtue, may be compenfated 
 by Punifhment. For c< the Fire or Flame of 
 " Gehenna extends into fuch parts of Hades as 
 u wicked Men, who are not incurably fo, are 
 " forced into, long before the Day of Judg- 
 " ment." And " this preliminary Eruption of 
 <£ that Fire or Flame is intended as a Punifh- 
 " ment neceflary for the Repentance and Re- 
 <c covery of leffer Offenders *." Of which 
 Expedients I need only fay, that if the Hypo- 
 thecs of Repentance in Hades be fo weak as to 
 totter with its own Weight, it is not likely to 
 fupport this additional Heap of Abfurdities with 
 which Mr. Whijlon has loaded it. It is hard to 
 U 3 fay, 
 
 * Mr. IVhiJionh Difcourfe, p. 115. 
 
294 fhe Scripture-DoSlrine 
 
 fay, how this material Fire can affecT: immate- 
 rial Subftance f : Or, if it could, how it is 
 calculated to produce real Virtue. All Punifh- 
 meet, it is certain, has not this Effect ; for then 
 that of Gehenna would not terminate, as Mr. 
 W. fuppofes, in Annihilation. 
 
 But want of Proof, or Probability, is not 
 the worft Circumftance in this Affair. It has 
 an ill Afpect on praftical Religion 5 and may for 
 that reafon be juftly fufpected to be no part of 
 that Gofpel, which contains only the Doctrine 
 'which is according to Godlinefs. The great Ar- 
 gument for working out our Salvation in the 
 prefent Life, while it is called to-day , is, becauje 
 the Night cometh y when no Man can work. But 
 if Men are once taught to believe that there 
 will be another Day, that will anfwer their pur- 
 
 pofe 
 
 + If it mould be fald, that the Soul is not immaterial, 
 it lhould be remember'd on the other hand, that the Con- 
 trary has been prov'd by feveral excellent Writers, Dr. 
 Clarke^ the Author of the Enquiry into the Nature of the 
 Human Soul y he. The only Refuge then I conceive muft 
 be in fome material Vehicle^ or aerial Body : And this an 
 Author I have been concerned with before fays, is demon- 
 Jirable from Pbilofophy and Apparitions. [Letter, &c. con- 
 cerning Origen y p. 65.] But as he has not explain'd his 
 Argument from Philofophy, and as the other from Appa- 
 ritions is too flippery to build any thing upon, I maydifmifs 
 this Dc&rine of Vehicles with the Cenfure of Mr. Locke j 
 " Should aerial and tetherial Vehicles come once, by the 
 ¥ Prevalency of that Doctrine, to be generally received 
 " any where, no doubt thofe Terms would make Imprcf- 
 6C fions on Men's Minds, fo as to eftablifh them in the 
 " Perfuafion of the Reality of fuch things, as much as 
 e< Peripatetick Forms and Intentional Species have here- 
 ^ tofore done." BJfay % vol, 2. p, 96. 8vo. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 295 
 
 pofe as well ; it is natural to think, that they 
 will be too apt to truft to that Refource, and 
 fo live and die without Repentance. I don't fay 
 that this Conduct would be reafonable, but that 
 it is likely to be Fact, confidering how ftrongly 
 Men are attached to their old and favourite 
 Sins. It is from a Sentiment of this kind that 
 Bifhop Bull* expreffes himfelf with fo much 
 warmth, with regard to the Popiik Doctrine of 
 Purgatory y which he calls " a grofs Impofi- 
 u tion, that hath been, he is perfuaded, the 
 <c eternal Ruin of thoufands of Souls, for whom 
 u our Bleffed Lord flied his mod precious Blood, 
 <c who might have efcaped Hell, if they had 
 " not trufted to a Purgatory." This makes a 
 material Difference between Mr. W 's Doc- 
 trine, and that of fome of the early Writers of 
 the Church. Their Opinion, though groundlefs 
 perhaps, was however harmlefs ; was matter of 
 Speculation, which had no ill Influence on 
 Chriflian Morality, nor was of ill Confequence 
 to the Souls of Men. For what if Chrift, or 
 his Apoftles, preach'd in Hades to the old pious 
 Patriarchs -f- , — or to all the holy Men of old, 
 who in their refpe&ive Ages believed in a Mef- 
 
 fiah to come,- or even to the good Men in 
 
 U 4 the 
 
 * Englifh Works, Vol. I. p. 1 15. 
 
 + See Cyril. Hierof. Edit. Mills, p. 53. Clem. Alex. 
 Strom, vi. p. 76- . Cum Not. Reverendiflimi : And Cote- 
 lerius, Not. in Herm. Pajl. Lib. iii. Sim. ix. Quinetiam ad 
 omnes folofque eoo ex mourns psrtinuifTe prsedicationem 
 & falutcm, qui dum vivereiu, crediderant in Chriftum 
 venturum,virtutique operam navaverant, Do&rina quoque 
 ell multorum. 
 
296 The Scripture-DoElrine 
 
 the Heathen World, who had cultivated the 
 Principles of Virtue 5 — what is this to the Cafe 
 of Chriftians ? Don't the fame Writers declare, 
 as plainly as a few Words can declare, that 
 with regard to thefe loft there is no Repentance 
 in Hades ? When Mr. W. meets with fuch De- 
 clarations as thefe, he tells us that he is obliged 
 to under/land them with refpect only to great 
 and enormous Sins ; fuch as prevented the Hopes 
 of Amendment in Hades, &c. p. 62. But howfo- 
 ever he may be obliged to underftand them, 
 to make them confident with his own Hypo- 
 thefts^ they are eafy enough to be underftood 
 in themfelves, in a fenfe perfectly confident 
 with that other Opinion concerning the Gofpel's 
 being preach'd in Hades , to thofe who had lived 
 in the Ages before it. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
of Future Vunijhment. 297 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 Tie Ufe and Importance of the DoSirine 
 defended above. 
 
 AS nothing will excufe the Prolixity with 
 which I have treated this Subject, but 
 the Moment of it, I think myfelf concern'd to 
 fhew that this is an Article of fome Weight ; 
 and not a Point of fmall, or ill, Confequence, as 
 fome affedt t<? reprefent it *. Mr. Whijlon, for 
 inftance, tell£ us, p. 102. that n This proper 
 u Eternity of Hell-torments, is no fundamen- 
 <c tal Dodrine of Chriftianity." His Reafon is, 
 becaufe it is f< intirely omitted in all the five ori- 
 <c ginal Catalogues that we have of tho&funda- 
 <c mental Dottrines!' Where, fuppofing the 
 Report to be true, the Argument is inconclu- 
 five. For though he is pleas'd to dignify 
 them with the Name of Catalogues of funda- 
 mental Dofirines, every one who looks into 
 
 them 
 
 * It is not eafy to tell what Mr. W. diftin&ly means. 
 If the Eternity of Punifhment be no Do&rine of Chrifti- 
 anity at all, as the whole Purpofe of his Book is to prove, 
 there is no Occafion to fhew that it is no fundamental 
 Do&rine. But if his Meaning be, that fuppofing it true^ 
 it is flill not important Do&rine, it feems to contradict 
 what he fays, p. 104; where his Argument plainly implies 
 that if it were true, it would be a" mo ft important Ar- 
 ic tide." And therefore he argues againft the Truth of 
 it, becaufe This moji important Article is fo haftily pafs'd 
 over by the Apoftles ; that is, his pretended Apoftles in 
 the Cenftitutions. Here the Importance of it feems to be 
 plainly acknowledged. 
 
298 The Scripture-DoElrine 
 
 them will be fatisfted that they are no fuch 
 thing. Creeds were never defign'd for com- 
 pleat Catalogues of Fundamentals * - y and thp 
 original and oldeft Creeds are leaft of all fo,Jbe- 
 ing generally the fhorteft. As Herefies-fprung 
 up in After- Ages, Creeds became larger and more 
 explicite, to be a Guard and Security to the 
 Faith. Several Articles omitted might be of 
 equal Importance, but as they were not equally 
 oppofed and deny'd, there was not the fame 
 Neceffity to infert them in thofe fhort Sum- 
 maries of Faith. It is therefore no juft Infe- 
 rence, that becaufe an Article is omitted in the 
 oldeft Creeds, it is confequently not fundamental. 
 
 But how after all, and in whatfenfe, is the 
 Point in queftion omitted in the Creeds or Cata- 
 logues mention'd ? No otherwife than the Per- 
 petuity of the Joys of Heaven is omitted ; that is, 
 neither of them is exprefs'd particularly, but 
 fuch general Terms are ufed as, when explain'd 
 according to Scripture, imply both. The Refur- 
 reBion both of the Jujl and Unjujl, The Judg- 
 ment, and the Retribution , — muft in all reafon 
 be underftood agreeably to Scripture-Ideas ; and 
 then they will comprehend the Refurrection unto 
 Life, and the Refurre&ion of Damnation, 'John 
 v. 29. Judgment unto Justification, and Judg- 
 ment to Condemnation, and the Retribution 
 
 con- 
 
 * See Dr. Waterland's Le&ure-Sermons, p. 321, &c. 
 Remarks upon Dr. Clarke's Expofition, p. 73, &c. Impor- 
 tance, &c. p. 244. Critical Hiflory of the Athanafian 
 Creed, p. 285. Difcourfe of Fundamentals, p. 40. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 299 
 
 confequent thereon, when the Wicked ihall go 
 into everlafling Pu?iiJJj?ne?it i but the Righteous 
 into Life eternal > Matt. xxv. 46. It is however 
 of no great Confequence, and hardly worth dis- 
 puting, whether thefe Conjlit ution-Creeds con- 
 tain our Doctrine, or not. For tho' Mr. W % 
 reckons them of mojlfacred, they are evidently 
 of very uncertain Authority, which is next to 
 none. There are plain Marks of their being 
 later than the Age they pretend to, even in the 
 very Chapters referr'd to by Mr. W. by their op- 
 pofing Herefies which did not rife till afterwards, 
 and ufing Phrafes unknown to the Apoftolical 
 Age *. But fo far as their Authority is of any 
 weight, they call it all in the prefent cafe into 
 the right Scale. For they decree pofuively for 
 the natural Immortality of the Soul, and they 
 declare that there are fome impious Wretches 
 who will never be forgiven, neither in this Wold, 
 nor in the World to come -f*. And what the juft 
 and natural Confequence is of thefe things laid 
 together, I leave any unprejudiced Man to judge. 
 
 IC The laft and moil imperfect Catalogue, 
 * Mr. W. fays, is in the Eprftle to the Hebrews " 
 viz. Ch. vi. 1, 2. To which I anfwer, firft, that 
 it* is no Catalogue of Fundamentals at all J 5 but 
 
 a 
 
 * Vid. Confiitut. Lib. vi. Cap. n. & Lib. vii. C. 41. 
 Cum Not. Coielerii h Clerici in loc. 
 
 f With the Paffages juft referr'd to, compare the follow- 
 ing, Lib. vi. Cap, 10. Lib. i. C. 6. Lib. v. C. 6. Lib.vi. 
 18, & 26. Lib. vii. C. 32. 
 
 % See this prov'din Dr. fFaterlanfs Difcourfe concerning 
 fundamentals, p, 43, &c. 
 
300 The Scripture-DoElrine 
 
 a fhort Summary of the Elementary Doctrines, 
 the firft Principles as it were of Chriftian Know- 
 ledge, without which they could hardly be fo 
 much as Babes in Chrift. In the next place I 
 aflert that this Catalogue, perfedl or imperfeft, 
 contains the Do&rine in difpute ; for KpljJLcc dica- 
 viovy and xplau didptos, never fignify any elfe 
 in the New Teftament. I return him there- 
 fore his Argument, and obferve that this muft 
 be an Article of fome Importance, fince it is 
 found in fo fhort a Summary even of the Princi- 
 ples of the Doctrine of Chrift. What Mr. W. 
 next relates is of no great Confequence, fup- 
 pofing it all juft, viz. that Creeds, (fo I under- 
 ftand him to mean) generally omit the direct 
 mention of the Punijhment of the Wicked on pur- 
 pofe ; as of fmall Confequence •, in comparifon of 
 the Article of the Happinefs of the Good. Another 
 Writer like wife obferves, iC We every day repeat 
 c< in our Creed, I believe in Life ever lajling. The 
 " Compilers certainly forgot to add, / believe in 
 u Death ever lofting. This Omiffion may, at leaft, 
 " convince us, that they did not look on that 
 Ki Article, as an effential Point*." Here, not to 
 mention that fome Creeds of very great Anti- 
 quity, fuch as thofe of Irenceus, as is allow'd by 
 Mr. W. himfelf, do enlarge on this Article ; I 
 maintain that the Argument is of no weight. 
 For the Creeds which omit it, do not omit it 
 for this reafon, becaufe it is of fmall Confequence \ 
 or becaufe the Compilers look'd on it as no ef- 
 fential Point 5 but upon other accounts, and 
 
 principally 
 
 * Letters concerning the State of Souls, &c. p. 384. 
 in Not. 
 
of Future Punifhment. 301 
 
 principally perhaps becaufe it is fufliciently im- 
 plied in what is exprefs'd, viz. The Retribu- 
 tion, the Life of the World to come, or the Life 
 ever la/ling. I am fenfible Mr. JV.\n\\\ not admit of 
 this, for he blames Bifhop Pearfon, andfome others 
 of our modern Comments for including this Punifh- 
 ment in the Article. I know not what Com- 
 ments he means, but I will take the liberty to 
 cite the Words of two, which overthrow all he 
 fuggefts to the contrary. u The Refurrettion 
 «' of the Dead, is in order to that final *Judg- 
 <c ment> which {hall pafs upon all Mankind 
 u as foon as they are railed. The Effett of this 
 il Judgment, will be the feparating of Men ac- 
 " cording to their Deferts, and appointing them 
 " their different Portions in that eternal State, 
 '< which fhall fucceed the Diflblution of this 
 €t prefent World. Which eternal State is, in 
 u thelprefent Article, flyled theLife everlafling -, 
 " from that more excellent part of it, which is 
 " the State of Happinefs for the Righteous. 
 " But it includes alio, by neceiTary Confequence, 
 u that State of Punijhment or Mi/ery, into 
 " which the Wicked (hall be fent at the 
 " Great Day." Dr. Clarke'* Expofition of the 
 CatechiJ'm, p. 140. The other Perfon is the late 
 Lord Chancellor King,who concludes his Criti- 
 cal Hijlory of the Apoftles Creed as follows : — 
 4< The Gno/licksy as it hath been already related 
 " in the fifth Chapter of this Treatife, unto 
 u which I refer the Reader, divided all Mah- 
 " kind into three Parts, Earthly, Animal, and 
 " Spiritual -, the firft of which, and part of the 
 
 " fccond, 
 
3 o 2 The Scripture-Do&rine 
 
 ic fecond, they affirmed, would be annihilated, 
 <c or reduced to nothing by the general Confla- 
 <c gration at the Lad Day, whilft only the Spi- 
 <c ritual, and part of the Animal, (hould be 
 " made immortal and eternal. To obviate 
 ? which Opinion, as it feems moil probable, 
 u the Rulers of the Church did in thofe days, 
 " fubjoin to the Refur reel ion the Claufe of Life 
 " Everlafting, that thereby that Herefy might 
 <c be contradicted and warded againft : From 
 *' whence we find, that lrenceus a Cotemporary 
 <c with thefe Hereticks, and their greateft An- 
 <c tagonift and Confuter, doth in oppofition to 
 <c their Herefy, thus paraphraftically exprels in 
 <c . his Creed the final Determination of every 
 cC Man, that after the Refurreclion Chrift fhall 
 " render a righteous Judgment unto all ; wicked, 
 
 unjuft, ungodly and blafphemous Men, he fhall 
 { fend into ever la/ling Fire -, but, unto the Jujl 
 
 and Righteous , and thofe who kept his Com- 
 i( mandments % he foall give Immortality, and 
 cc eternal Glory. And in another of his Creeds, 
 " he thus words it, That Chrift fhall come 
 iC in Glory to be a Saviour of thofe who are 
 * x faved, and a Judge of thofe who are judged, 
 cc fending the Corrupters of his Truth, and the 
 <c Contemners of his Father, and his Coming, 
 " into eternal Fire. And to the fame Effect, it 
 <c is in a Creed of Tertullians, which he defigned- 
 cc ly repeats in oppofition to the Gnojlicks, 
 <c and other Hereticks of his Time, That Chrift 
 te fhall come in Glory to receive the Saints into 
 " the Fruit of eternal Life, and to fentence the 
 
 " Prophane 
 
 <c 
 
 <c 
 
of Future Punijhment. ( 303 
 
 " Prophane to everlajling Fire. From all 
 " which it appears, that this Claufe was levelled 
 iC againft the foremention'd Herefy of the Gno- 
 " Jiicks , and, that it includes the final and eter- 
 " nal State of every Man, of the Damned in 
 <c Hell, as well as of the Bleffed in Heaven; that 
 cc on the one hand, the Wicked and Miferable 
 " {hall for ever fufFer under the Loads of Divine 
 " Vengeance ; and that on the other hand, the 
 " Godly and Bleffed fhall forever live in the per- 
 c< petual Fruition of pure and undifturbed Happi- 
 4c nefs : The Eternity of both which Perfons and 
 " States, are included by St. Aujiin in his Ex- 
 plication of this Article, That after the Refur- 
 rection and univerfal Judgment, the Godly 
 Jhall happily live in eternal Life, but the 
 Wicked miferably* without the Power of dying, 
 in eternal Death* becaufe they 'pall both be 
 <c without End. Wherewith agrees the Creed, 
 <c commonly called the Creed of St. Athanafius* 
 " That at Chrift's Coming, all Men fhall rife 
 <c again with their Bodies, and fliall give account 
 €t for their own Works y and they that have 
 cc done Goody fiall go into Life everlajling ; and 
 " they that have done Evil, into everlajling 
 « Fire." 
 
 But this Point muft not be decided merely 
 by the Authority of Creeds. If they had not 
 contain'd it fo expreffly as fome of them do, yet 
 ftill if it be Scripture-Dodrine, if it be in- 
 filled upon, repeated, inculcated in the Word 
 of God, it muft be a Doctrine of great Impor- 
 1 tance. 
 
 a 
 
 << 
 
304 The Scripture-DoEirine 
 
 tance. For, befides that it is not reafbnable to 
 think that Scripture fhould frequently inculcate 
 Points of little weight, or ufe, This is a Doc- 
 trine of fuch a particular nature, that if it be 
 a Truth at all, it muft be a Truth of moment. It 
 is indeed no lefs than this, that Men may in- 
 cur a miferable Eternity by their Behaviour here. 
 And furelyThis can never be confider'd as a mat- 
 ter of fmall Confequence, in which Men are 
 very little concern'd. How plainly this Dodlrine 
 is taught in Scripture, and how frequently re- 
 peated there, may be collected from the former 
 part of this Work. 
 
 We may examine this matter in another 
 light. The Sanffions of the Chriftian Covenant, 
 which bind it, and give it its due Weight and 
 Efficacy, muft be look'd upon as ejjenttal to 
 the Covenant. " Accordingly, the Dodtrine of 
 u a Future State, muft be a fundamental Doc- 
 <c trine, as it is the Principle of all Religion : 
 <c For without it there can be no fufficient In- 
 ducement to the conflant and confcientious 
 Pra&ice of Virtue and Piety. The Do&rine 
 alfo of a Refurreclion, and final Judgment by 
 Chrift our Lord, together with the Doftrines 
 <c of a Heaven for the Righteous, and a Hell 
 " for the Ungodly, are Fundamental Points of 
 u Chriftian Theology. To deny or difbelieve 
 u thefe Dodlrines, is to overturn the Covenant, 
 Ci becaufe it diredtly tends to defeat and fruftrate 
 u the Efidand Ufe of it, undermining its binding 
 u Force, and fapping its Influences, depriving 
 
 <( 
 
 << 
 
 «t 
 
of Future Punijhment 305 
 
 * c it of its Life, Strength and Energy *." The 
 only Reply to this worth mentioning, muft be 
 I conceive to the following purpofe : That the 
 Doftrine of a future State of Retribution is one 
 thing, and that of eternal Punishment another % 
 and that however fundamental the general Doc- 
 trine may be, yet this Circumftance of the Per- 
 petuity, this particular Explication of the Article,- 
 is fo far from being fundamental, that it is 
 rather a Point of fmall Confequence. 
 
 The Light in which we are now viewing this 
 Doftrine, is its Influence on Practice. And it 
 fhould feem that it is the Eternity of the Punifh- 
 ment, which gives it its chief Weight and Edge, 
 and makes it pierce deepeft into the Hearts of Sin- 
 ners. It is the Notion that That miferable State wilt 
 admit of neither Remedy, or End, that alarms 
 their Fears> that reftrains their Wickednefs with- 
 in fome bounds, and is moft likely after all to ; 
 make them repent of it. It feems natural to 
 think that it muft be fo in Reafon, and it evi- 
 dently appears to be fo in Fad:. Don't we fee 
 with what Eagernefs licentious Men of every 
 kind embrace the Hypothefis of temporary Pu- 
 nifhments ? What can be the Reafon of this, 
 but that they find Eafe and Relief in this Per- 
 fuafion ? They are refolved not to leave their 
 Sins, and the greateft Gonlblation their Gafe will 
 admit of, is to believe as firmly as they can, 
 that they (hall not fuffer eternally for them. 
 The general DoSrine of a Future State gives 
 
 X them 
 
 * iVatcrland of Fundamentals, p. 2$. 
 
306 Tie Scripture-DoEirine 
 
 them no great Difturbance, and therefore they 
 are content for the moft part to let that alone. 
 But inculcate once the Eternity of Hell-tor- 
 ments, and the World of the Ungodly ', the whole 
 Confederacy of the Wicked is up in Arms : A 
 plain Indication where the Matter pinches, and 
 that it is this Particular which renders them un- 
 able to enjoy Eafe of Mind, and the Pleafures 
 of Vice together. 
 
 What thefe Men prove by their Pra&ice, 
 our Adverfaries themfelves, fome of them, con- 
 firm by their Judgment. They feem to be 
 fenfible that their Do&rine may be of ill Con- 
 fequence ; and are therefore for having it kept 
 as a fort of Secret from the Generality of 
 Mankind, many of whom are hardly reftrained 
 by the Fear even of eternal Punifliment, from 
 running into all manner of Vice. This appears 
 from the Quotation below to have been the Sen- 
 timent of Or /gen * 5 and that it was fo alfo of 
 
 Dr. 
 
 S-VJ(7<xi yocx,(pvi' cits tcov 7roA>vCov a ^o'd^ovtoov ttAeiov^ h- 
 vcccncxAicts 7rxpa im 7rspi rvig Tftfo ccuxpravovruv xoAuaixc, 
 tl; yxp to, CrrspDtswx d'JT?,$ a /^^ciy-ov ct'jxfioavtM, Sia 
 rug poyig (po£w rrg olmvU xoXdnuf v.wi ct-WaAcvt^; zttI 
 
 Origcn. cont. Ccif. Lib. vi. p. 292. Ed. Spencer. 
 
 — Veruntamen meminiile Temper debemus, quod prse- 
 fentem locum Apoftolus quafi Myfterium habere voluit j 
 quo fcilicet hujuimodi fenfus fideles quique et perfecti intra 
 femetipfos velut Myfterium Dei filentio tegant, nee paflim 
 imperfectis et minus capacibus proferant. Orig. in Fine 
 Libri Oclavi Explanatiomm in Epift. ad Romanes. Vide 
 Spenceri Not. ubi fup. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 307 
 
 Dr. Burnet -j-, is evident, (not to mention other 
 things,) from the exprefs Caveat he enters a- 
 gainft the Tranflation of his Book. Mr. Whijlon 
 however is of another Opinion. Tho\ by de- 
 nying the Perpetuity both of Reward and Pu- 
 ni(hment, he has done more perhaps than any 
 Man living, to deftroy the Comfort of good 
 Men, and hinder the Repentance of the wicked, 
 yet he feems to be fatisfied that his Doftrine is 
 likely to have as good Influence, as the contrary. 
 They who will not fuffer themfelves to be moved 
 by it, he imagines, <c will hardly ever be moved 
 u by the Suppofal of this abfolute, but, to a free 
 " Reafoner, perfe&ly incredible eternal Dura- 
 " tion of that Punifhment." {p. 141.) And thus 
 far we agree, that where eternal Punifhment is 
 not believed, it is not likely to influence. His 
 free Reafo?iers therefore are out of the queflion : 
 Unlefs their free living may ferve to fnew the 
 natural Tendency of fuch Principles, and in 
 what they generally end. However, this Point 
 mud: not be decided merely by Practice. Many 
 who pretend to believe, or at leaft do not pro- 
 fefs to deny, a miferable Eternity, do by no 
 means a£t agreeably to that Perfuafion. Want 
 of Confederation, as well as Want of Faith, 
 may defeat the juft Influence which it ought, 
 and otherwife would have upon them. The 
 Queflion is, which of the two Opinions is beft 
 calculated in its own Nature to fecure Obedi- 
 ence? A Queflion, one would think, which can 
 admit of no Difpute. For fure the Duration of 
 
 X 2 any 
 
 f De Statu Mort. et Refurgent, Cap. xi. ad fiaem. 
 
30 8 The Scripture-DoEirine 
 
 any Punifhment is a matter of fome weight, 
 The longer this Duration is likely to be, the more 
 is the Punifhment to be feared, and avoided : 
 And confequently, eternal Punifhment is more to 
 be feared, than any other Punifhment whatfo- 
 ever. It is for this Reafon, we fay, that eternal 
 Punifhment is threatened in Scripture : None 
 other is fo well adapted to fecure Obedience to 
 the Divine Laws. And admitting the Premifes, 
 which I have proved before, viz. that eternal 
 Punifhment is threatened, it follows demon- 
 ftrably from the Wifdom of God, that it is the 
 likelieft Means to anfwer the End propofed *. 
 This Point of the Importance then will reft after 
 all on the Point of the Truth ; and if This has 
 been eftablifhed, we need be in no pain about 
 the former. 
 
 Th ere is however another Writer, to whom 
 I muft pay my Refpe&s once more before I con- 
 clude. The French Letter-writer is confident 
 that the Do&rinehe pppofes is fo very incredible, 
 that no Man can believe it. <c We only imagine 
 * £ we believe it ;" and he " dares be pofitive, 
 €t that no Man is really perfuaded of it." In 
 this View it is an eafy thing for him to prove, 
 that it is not likely to produce any great Effects. 
 ?' Nothing that is over-ftrained, or feems exag-, 
 €C gerated, flrikes the Mind. Let a School- 
 
 " mafler 
 
 * Et revera niil magis abhorruifTet Natura hurnana a 
 fupimaMiferia et aeterno Cruciatu, quam ab Infenfibilitate 
 aut Annihilatione, Deus minatus fuiflet irriprobis Annihila- 
 tionem, non aeternum Cruciatum, atque eo modo homines 
 a yjtiis magis deterr uiUet^ Burneu ubi fup. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 309 
 
 cc matter tell his Scholar that his Father will 
 ' ' hang him if he doth not ftudy ; he laughs at 
 " the Menace : It is too much difproportion'd 
 " both to his own Demerits, and the Idea he 
 " entertains of his Father's Equity *," All this 
 appears to me to be a way of reafoning very lin- 
 gular and furprizing. Whether God has revealed 
 the Do&rine of eternal Punifhment in the Scrip- 
 tures, and whether Chriftians do, and ever did, 
 believe it, feem to me to be Enquiries of Faff. 
 But this Gentleman proves a priori as it were, 
 if he proves any thing, that neither of thefe can 
 be the Cafe. For a Being 9f infinite Wifdom 
 can never propofe That, as aMotive of Fear and 
 Obedience, which is fo incredible in itfelf, that 
 no Man can really believe it. Inftead therefore 
 of following this Writer in his Reveries and a 
 priori Reafonings, it is fufficient to appeal to 
 Scripture for the Determination of one of thefe 
 Enquiries, and to Fa<fl and Experience for the 
 other. Only I would take notice that his Cafe 
 of the School-mafler and the Scholar ', is fo far 
 from being a parallel one, or any Illuftration at 
 all of the Cafe in hand, that it comes not up to 
 it in one Circumfiance. Put the Cafe thus ; a 
 Father threatens his Son, that if he will perfift 
 in his Courfe of moft obftinate Difobedience and 
 Rebellion, he muft, and will, difinherit him - 9 
 the Confequence of which will be all imaginable 
 Mifery and Diftrefs. Will the Son have any 
 Reafon to laugh at the Menace ? He may in- 
 deed, through Self-flattery and Self-deceit, think 
 
 it 
 *• Letters, &c. p. 404, 
 
310 "The Scripture-DoElrine 
 it too much di [proportioned to his own Demerits i 
 or he may hope, from the Weaknefs and fond 
 Indulgence of a human Parent, that his Father 
 will be better than his Word. And thus as to 
 the Threats of eternal Mifery, Sinners may de- 
 ceive themfelves -, may entertain too low 
 
 Thoughts of the Evil, Guilt, and Malignity of 
 §in in general, or of their own in particular; — 
 or may have fome miftaken Notions concerning 
 the Mercy of God. But all this is their own 
 Aft, and their own Fault ; and does not follow 
 from the Doctrine itfelf, but is owing to their 
 Abufe or Dtfbelief of it. And this is Anfwer 
 enough to what this Writer farther fuggefts,^/^. 
 that our Doctrine is of ill Confequence to the 
 Morals of Men. For, fays he, " if they are not 
 <l profeffed Highway-men, Traitors, Blafphe- 
 Cf mers, &c. they cannot conceive that God will 
 u condemn them to frightful and endlefs Tor- 
 cc meats/' Nay, "not only thefe Perfonsflat- 
 cc ter themfelves with Impunity, but even Sin- 
 " ners of the firft Magnitude, Traitors, and the 
 < c Perjured, &c. all of them to a Man hope to 
 u efcape Hell, either by repenting, as theypro- 
 <c pofe to do, fooner or later > or through the 
 « infinite Mercy of God, that will get the bet- 
 " Jer of Juftice, as they fpeak." [p. 29 1.) And 
 fo truly becaufe Men are hardened through the 
 Deceitfulnefs of 'Sin , becaufe they flatter and im- 
 pofe upon themfelves, and difbelieve the Word 
 of God, becaufe Wickednefs alters their Under- 
 Jlandings y and Deceit beguiles their Souls; there- 
 fore the poctrine of eternal Torments is of ill 
 
 confequence. 
 
of Future Punijhment. 311 
 
 confequcnce. Come then, let us change it at 
 once, and introduce this Author's Syftem of a 
 Purification and Reiteration. See the wonder- 
 ful Effects of this new Syftem ! The Highway- 
 men and Traitors, the perjured Perfons, and Sin- 
 ners of the firfr. magnitude, are converted, and 
 become good Chriftians! Butferiouily, what rea- 
 fon is there to expect fuch Effects from fuch a 
 Caufe? May not this Doctrine be abufed, and 
 made an Encouragement to continue in Sin, as 
 well as our's ? Is it not eafy for a Sinner of this 
 Perfuafion to delude himfelf, and think that a 
 fmall Share of purifying Punitliment will fervc 
 his Turn; after which he fhall be reftored to 
 Happinefs, and the Favour of God? The Au- 
 thor fuggefts in another place, {p. 173.) that 
 <c the Apprenticefhip, which they muft ferve 
 <£ in the other World, will prove harder than it 
 " would have been in this." Be it fo; yet Men 
 attached to their Vices, would truft the Event. 
 They would willingly believe that it would not 
 be very long, or very fevere; and they would 
 enjoy the Pleafures and Profits of Sin during this 
 Life, lince they could redeem Matters in the 
 next. In fhort, our Lord and his Apoftles have 
 plainly told us, what fort of Wlsnjhall not inhe- 
 rit tke Kingdom of God. If any fuch Sinners 
 flatter themielves with the Hopes of Impunity, 
 it is only a Proof of the Deceitfulnefs, or Infi- 
 delity, of their own evil Hearts ; and the Confe- 
 quence be to themfelves. The Doctrine of evei - 
 lafting Punifliment is not to be blamed for ir, 
 which has only This in common with other 
 
 Truths 
 
312 The Scripture-Do&rine 
 
 Truths of Religion, that it may be perverted, 
 and made an ill Ufe of, by particular Men. And 
 if this once be made the Rule of our rejedting 
 them, it is hard to fay what we (hall be able to 
 retain. 
 
 There is another thing intimated to (hew 
 the ill Confequence of this Doftrine, which is 
 this; that it prejudices Men againft the Chriftian 
 Religion, and hinders them from embracing it. 
 And fuppofing the Faft, how would the Gentle- 
 men who give us this Intimation, have us behave 
 in the Cafe ? All that can reafonably be done, is 
 to fearch the Scriptures^ and examine whether 
 this Do&rine be really contained in them. If 
 it be, we have no warrant either to conceal, or 
 difguife it. We are to take our Religion as we 
 find it in the Bible, and not model a new one 
 for ourfelves. Nor would fuch Condudt, if it 
 were allowable, be prudent. It would neither 
 pafs undetefted, nor uncenfured. The Perfons 
 who now pretend that they cannot digeft Chri- 
 ftianity with this hard Article in it, would be 
 ready to expofe any thing that look'd like hand- 
 ling the Word of God deceitfully. They would 
 reproach Chrifiians for not under (landing, or not 
 believing, the very Charter of their Religion. 
 Your Gofpel, would they lay, plainly teaches 
 the Eternity of Hell-Torments ; a Point which 
 none of you believe, and which your Preachers 
 are afhamed to teach. This would be the Lan- 
 guage of Infidelity ; and Men inclined that way, 
 would ftill retain their Prejudices againft ChrU 
 ftianity. L\ T 
 
Future Punijhment. 313 
 
 In a word, this Point muft be determined 
 by the Merits of the Caufe. If the Doftrine 
 here afferted be any real Doftrine of the New 
 Teflament at all, it is a Do&rine of confiderable 
 Weight, and ought, fo far from being concealed 
 or diiguiled, frequently to be inculcated, and 
 plainly laid before the People *. How can any 
 Minirteranfwer it before God, if any Soul fhould 
 mifcarry through his Silence, or Unfaithfulnefs, 
 in this great Affair? And what can be more 
 likely to lead Men into this Place of Torments, 
 than drawing a Veil over it, and hiding the moft 
 dreadful Part of it from their View ? The Ter- 
 rors of the Lord, when fairly reprefented, may 
 perfuade Men. At lead, if they will not, it is 
 difficult to fay what elfe will be effectual to this 
 purpofe. With this View I have drawn up 
 this Effay, and this is the bed: Apology I can 
 make for writing upon the Subject, 
 
 * See Mr. Wblfion% Book, />. 135, &rV. 
 
 FINIS, 
 
Books printed for James Fletcher 
 in Oxford. 
 
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