^K 
 
 -^ ■^. 
 
 ^
 
 is 
 
 , 1^ 
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 A N 
 
 5> N Q U I Rc^^^i 
 
 Hjf^ I N T O T H E 
 
 Natu 
 
 RE and Place 
 
 O F 
 
 HELL. 
 
 SHEWING 
 
 I. The Reafonablenefs V. The Improbability of 
 
 of a Future State. 
 
 II. The Punifhments of 
 the next Life. 
 
 III. The feveral Opini- 
 ons concerning the Place 
 of He L L. 
 
 IV. That the F I R E of 
 Hell is not metaphori- 
 cal, but real. 
 
 that. Fire's being in, or 
 about the Center of the 
 Earth. 
 VI. The Probability of 
 the S U N's being the 
 Local H e L I, with Kea- 
 fons for this Conjefture; 
 and the Objeftions from 
 Atheifm, Philofbphy, 
 and the Hoi/ Scriptures, 
 anfwered. 
 
 By TOBIAS SWINDEN, M. A. 
 
 Late Rector of Cuxton in KENT. 
 
 The Second Edition. 
 
 With a SUPPLEMENT, wherein the No- 
 tions of Abp. Ti L L o T s o N, Dr. L u p t o n, and 
 Others, as to the Eternity cj Hell Torments, .-ire im- 
 partially reprefented. And the Rev. Mr. Wa l l's 
 Sentiments of this learned WORK. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed by W. P. for T h o. A s t l e y, at the Dclphin 
 and Crown in St. PatiVi Churcb-Tard. M.ncc.xxvii.
 
 'N
 
 To the Right Reverend Father In G O D, ^|S^ 
 
 FRANCIS, '''^'^ 
 
 By Divine PcrmifTion, Lord 
 
 Bishop o^ ROCHESTER^ 
 and Dean of the Collegiate 
 CHURCH of St. Peter's 
 WESTMINSTER. 
 
 My Lord, 
 
 H E Providence of God 
 liaving committed to 
 Your Lordship's 
 Care the Government of his 
 C H U R C H in the T>ioce[e 
 to which I belong, I think my 
 fclf oblio-ed to make an hum- 
 
 A Z 
 
 ble 
 
 IG'?::'-^ ' 5
 
 Epifile Dedicatory. 
 
 ble Prefent of this Treatife to 
 Your Lordship, not as wor- 
 thy of Your Acceptance in it 
 felf, but as a true and unfeign- 
 ed Teftimony of that Refpecft 
 and Duty, which, as one of 
 Your Clergy, I owe Your Lord- 
 SH I p. 
 
 I T is the Manner of great 
 and o-ood Men to defcend lome- 
 times beneath themfelves^ and 
 to receive as kindly the mean 
 and homely Entertainments of 
 their poorer Neighbours, pro- 
 vided they do not pretend to 
 any Thing above their Sphere, 
 as the noble and coftly Feafts 
 of their wealtliy Friends. 
 
 Mr
 
 Epijile Dedicatory. 
 
 My Lord, this encourageth 
 me to hope that Your Lord- 
 ship, in whom thofe Titles 
 eminently meet, will, at lead, 
 pardon the Attempt of this 
 Addrefs ; which is made by 
 one, who ingenuoufly acknow- 
 ledgeth himfelf too poor to 
 manage an Argument of this 
 Nature with that Fund of 
 Learning and Accuracy it de- 
 ferves ; and who therefore chu- 
 feth rather to fet before Your 
 Lordship a plain Difh, than 
 in vain to attempt to pleafe 
 Your nice and curious Palate 
 with the Varieties and Delica- 
 cies of a full, artificial Treat. 
 
 A 3 Mr
 
 EpiJiJe Dedicatory. 
 
 My Lord, I wrote the fol- 
 lowing Difcourfe, in a very ob- 
 Icure Retirement, where 1 have 
 fpent much of my Time, and 
 where I had not an Opportu- 
 nity of confulting any publick 
 Library ; and therefore, my 
 domeftick Charge being too 
 great to fuffer me, with my lit- 
 tle Income, to buy Books, it 
 will be no Wonder if this ap- 
 pear like the Sketchy or rather 
 the very Jirfi Lineaments of a 
 ^iHure whofe Vacuities are left 
 to be be fiU'd up, and its 
 Graces^ oAir^ and Life-touches 
 to be given by fome more 
 mafierlj Hand» 
 
 'Tis
 
 Epiflle Dedicatory. 
 
 'T I s poflible the Conjec- 
 ture, which was the Occafion 
 of the Whole, and is the Sub- 
 jeft of a great Part of it, may 
 have been propofed to the 
 World before now ; but that 
 is more than I know of; and 
 certainly, if it had, even in 
 my fmall Acquaintance with 
 Books and Men, I fhould have 
 met with fome Intimation of it. 
 
 But, why do I plead No- 
 velty, when, perhaps, that will 
 be thought its Fault, and it 
 will be condemned purely up- 
 on that Account ? If fo, I muft 
 fay it will meet with a very odd 
 Cenfurc, fince Novelty feems 
 A 4 to
 
 Epiflle Dedicatory, 
 
 to be of the Effence of a Con- 
 jedlure, fo that it is mere Non- 
 fenfe to propofe one without 
 it. If Reafon be not wanting, 
 the newer the Thought is the 
 better ; nor indeed except it be 
 fuch will it be tolerable. What 
 can be more ridiculous than to 
 pretend to Difcoveries of Things 
 which have been already (o of- 
 ten difcufsed, that they are be- 
 come trite and thread - bare ? 
 The only material Thing then 
 is, whether the Subject of the 
 prefent Conjedlure be ferious 
 or trifling, whether it be built 
 on a found or weak Founda- 
 tion, whether it be treated of 
 in a clear or confufed Method, 
 and delivered in a familiar or 
 
 harft
 
 Eptfile Dedicatory. 
 
 harfli Style : All which is, with 
 great Deference, entirely fub- 
 mitted to Your L o r d s h i p's 
 Judgment. 
 
 I N feeking out for Origens 
 Opinion I was forced to ufe, 
 though at the fame Time I was 
 fenfible it is not wholly to be 
 relied upon, Rufinus his Inter- 
 pretation of his Books 7rs^i"Ap- 
 %m ', becaufe the more Authen- 
 tick Orig;inal is not now to be 
 met with. However, in the 
 main, I fuppofe it exadtly the 
 fame that St. oAuftin doth, and 
 fome of our excellent mo- 
 dern Authors, Bifhop Tearforiy 
 Sir T^homas "Browne^ and o- 
 
 thers.
 
 Epijile Dedicatory. 
 
 thers who have occafionally 
 fpoken of it. 
 
 B u T I forget to whom I ad- 
 dreft this : I recal my felf there- 
 fore, and ask Your Pardon for 
 it, I humbly aflTure Your Lord- 
 ship, that as I join with the 
 Diocefe in offering up our 
 hearty Thanks to GOD, that 
 in the Room of that moft ex- 
 cellent Bishop whom he hath 
 lately taken from us to himfelf, 
 he hath been pleafed to place 
 over us a Trelate^ zvhofe confum- 
 mate Endeaojours peculiarly qua- 
 Ufie him to fill the Chair after 
 that great and celebrated Ter- 
 fon ', (6 I humbly implore the 
 divine c^I^jefij^ that he will 
 
 blefs
 
 Eptjile Dedicatory. 
 
 bkfs all Your Labours for the 
 good of this National Churchy 
 and continue Your Lordship, 
 what You have, with eminent 
 Diftindtion, hitherto approved 
 Your felf, a glorious Inflrument 
 of its Profperitj and Welfare. 
 And in Recompence for this, 
 that he will pour down upon 
 You the Bleflings both of his 
 right Handy and of his left; 
 that he will inrich You with 
 all temporal Favours the Heart 
 of Man can defire ', above all, 
 that he will give You increafe 
 of Grace and Pietj in this Life, 
 and, at length, make You per- 
 fecft and compleat with the 
 great ^ijhop of Our Souls in 
 the World to come. 
 
 Th I s
 
 Epifile Dedicatory. 
 
 This is the daily and car- 
 neft Prayer of, 
 
 (iMy Lord, 
 
 Tour Lordfkifs 
 Q^ofi obedient Son, and 
 
 Q^Iofi humble Servant^ 
 
 ToJBIAS SwiNDEN. 
 
 CUXTON, 
 
 1714. 
 
 THE
 
 THE 
 
 PREFACE 
 
 T O T H E 
 
 READER. 
 
 H E moji prober Motive 
 to dijptiade the attempting 
 any A5iionj, is the Evil 
 or Mifchief attending it ; 
 the greater afid more lajiing that E- 
 vil is J the great&r and more prevail" 
 tng ftill is the Motive to difconrage 
 the undertaking of it : And therefore 
 
 amongfl
 
 The PREFACE. 
 
 amongfl all the Arguments that are 
 nfed to bring Men off from their /in- 
 fill CoifrfeSj that of the eternal Hell, 
 if it be rightly urged., and duly con- 
 fideredj, rnufi have the moft powerful 
 Influence upon them; becuafe that is 
 the greateftj and the moft lafting E- 
 *vil our Nattire is capable of 
 
 IT is true indeed_, an ObjeB look- 
 ed upon at a T>iftance„ will^, as that 
 is greater or lefs^ appear fo like- 
 wife : One that is ten thoufand times 
 bigger than another ^ jhallyet^ by Rea- 
 fon of a mighty interjacent Space ^ ap- 
 pear lefs than almoft the leaft ^art of 
 that other. Nay it may^ by the In- 
 ter pofitiojt of that be fo ec lip fed there- 
 by j that the Eye fhall have no Per- 
 ception of it. 
 
 IT is thus likewife with the Eye 
 of the Mind J and its proper Obje5fs : 
 Things remote and diftantj however 
 great and concerning in themfelves ^ 
 
 are
 
 The PREFACE 
 
 are hardly difcerned by itj, whtlft thofe 
 that are near^ and at Hand_, though 
 never fo mean and mconjider able ^ take 
 up all its Thoughts^ and employ all its 
 Faculties. 
 
 HE NCE it is that each poor pi- 
 tiful Tleafure ajfe6ting the Senfe^ is 
 preferred even before Heaven it felfy 
 and every light Affli£lion, which is 
 but for a Moment, is far more dread- 
 ed than everlafting Torments; for 
 whilji Men look on the Things of the 
 other World through the vafi and ob- 
 /cure Medium of this^ they not only 
 lofe of their Magnitude j but in a 
 manner difappear and dwindle into 
 Nothing. 
 
 IT muft therefore be ufeful to dif 
 courfe of thefe Things^ to place thetn 
 at their due 'Dijlance from us^ to clear 
 the Medium through which they are 
 beheld J to paint them in their true 
 Colours _y and to fet them in their pro- 
 per
 
 The PREFACE. 
 
 per Light ; that the little Landfca^e 
 which is made of them may give uSj 
 though not a fullj yet a true andlive' 
 ly Idea of the large andjpacioits Cotm- 
 try it re^refents. Indeed when all 
 this is done:, when Things are never 
 fo exaBly difplayed in their trueft 
 Shapes :, and moft gemiine Colours j 
 the defired Ejfedi doth not always fol- 
 low y but then the Re a fin is^, they 
 are not adverted to as they ought to 
 be ; either the Eye of the Mind (like 
 that of the Body many Times) is vi- 
 tiated or difturbed with fome Hu^ 
 viour y or J as I faid before _, fome o- 
 ther ObjeB interveneth^ and fpoileth 
 the Trofpe5i y but when the Organ is 
 clear J and the ObjeH perfeEi^ and 
 there is a right Intercourfe and Cor- 
 rejpondence between them., Things 
 will then afj^edr^ as they are^ in 
 their natural T^refs^ and the Mind 
 will form fitch Inferences and T>e- 
 duBions as necejfarily flow from 
 them. 
 
 IT
 
 The PREFACE. 
 
 IT is my Bnjiuefs therefore j, in 
 my follo-ujing Titfcourfe to lay before 
 you as true and clear a Reprefenta- 
 tion of the Nature and Place of Hell, 
 as the little Compafs I have taken 
 to do it will permit. And I hope it 
 may be fuch as will give you., if 
 not entire :, yet fuffcicnt^ or at leaji 
 fome SatisfaBion. 
 
 AS for the Nature of Hell, / 
 foall not be over nice and curious 
 in that:, but jhall content my felf 
 with what is manifeftly contaitied 
 in the Holy Scriptures concerning it: 
 Thofe I Jhall always have my Eye 
 upon J, and if at any Time I devi- 
 ate in the leaf from them^ Pmfure 
 It jhall be tinwillingly. 
 
 A S to what concerneth the Place 
 of Hell, I Jhall not attempt a To- 
 pography, or exa6i Delineation of 
 each Region of it ; I Jhall not quar- 
 ter this Troop of Sinners in one^ 
 a that
 
 The PREFACE 
 
 that hi another 7art of it. Such 
 light J airy J andfantaftick Stuff 'will 
 better befit a dreaming 'vijionary 
 Writer:, than one that pretendeth 
 to be awake J and to defign nothing 
 bttt Reality and Truth, No^ it is 
 my 'Turpofe only to Jhew you., and 
 certainly it ijnill be ftifficient if I 
 do it J that there a^fually is fuch 
 a Place as Hell, and to give you 
 fame folid Account where pofjlbly 
 His Jituate y fuch an Account as 
 though not demonflrative J becaufe 
 the Nature of the Subject will not 
 bear itj yet being rational and pro- 
 bable ^ may and ought to fatisfy any 
 modefi and fiber Enquirer, 
 
 THAT which the Reader is ob- 
 liged to J with Refpe6i to this lit- 
 tle Treatife (as I take it J is ^ 
 That he ''fPly himfelf to it with- 
 out Partiality of any Kind ; That 
 he be not biajfed againfl itj either 
 by frejudicated Opinions ., or inve- 
 terate LufiS:, but that he readily 
 
 em-
 
 The PREFACE. 
 
 embrace the Truth when it is fairly 
 and friendly offered to him, 
 
 THISj, if he take Care to doj 
 he will perform his ^art ; and in 
 Confidence of this^ I freely commit 
 what I have written to the Blef- 
 fing of G O D, and his candid and 
 ingenuous ^erufal.
 
 speedily will he Publijhed^ 
 
 *T^ H E Sacred Interpreter : Or, a PraSitcal In- 
 •*- trodtidion towards a beneficial Reading, and 
 a thorough Underftanding of T^he Holy Bible; 
 Containing I. A faithful Hiftory of the four An- 
 cient IVIonarchies, (the Affyrian^ Perjian^ Greets 
 an^ and Koman^ abfolutely neceffary for the Un- 
 derftanding of the Condition of the Jewip Peo- 
 ple. If. A general View of the State of the 
 'Jevj'ifh Church, to the Deftruftion of 'Jerusalem. 
 III. Remaks on the Pentateuch^ and the Pro- 
 ■phets in the Old Testament, and on the Gof- 
 peh^ the Ads of the Apoflles^ and the Epijlles in 
 the New ; (hewing the Defign and chief Scope 
 of each Book. IV. An exail Chronology of 
 the Holy Scriptures, taken from Archbifhop Up- 
 er and Mr. Archdeacon Echard. V. A DiiTer- 
 tation upon Revealed Religion^ and an Account 
 of thofe Divines who have defender^ it. VI. 
 Difficult Texts of Scripture explair with a 
 
 Recital of Sacred Myjleries as ougl aot to be 
 made the Subject of human Enquiry. Wherein 
 the'feveral Parts of the Holy Land is compared 
 with the Accounts given thereof by modern 
 Travellers : The whole defign'd to render the 
 Study of the Holy Scriptures more eafy and in- 
 lirudive. In two Volumes. By David Col- 
 LYER, Vicar of Great Coxwell., Berks. 
 
 A N

 
 ct Sc/u'lfUnrJtniia^uiciL'js ebf^n-jt. 
 
 m 

 
 f '
 
 :T'*'«i"iiiillillPfiPII'ii''''''''
 
 A N 
 
 ENQUIRY 
 
 INTO THE 
 
 Nature and Place 
 
 O F 
 
 H E L L. 
 
 Chap. L 
 
 7he Rea[onahlene[s of a future 
 State in general, 
 
 ^HE continual Mixture of 
 
 Good and Evil, Happinefs 
 
 { and Mifery in this prefenc 
 
 State of Things, naturally 
 
 prompts a confidering Mind to the 
 
 Belief and Expcftation of another 
 
 B World,
 
 1 An E N Q^u I R Y into the 
 
 World, which fhall be both more 
 conftant and more per fed. St. Taul^ 
 from his own Obfervation of the in- 
 conftant and perifhing Nature of 
 Things here below, maketh this ratio- 
 nal and pious Inferencej Here we have 
 
 Heb. 15. ^^ continuing Q'ttyj but we fee k one to 
 
 4. 1 come. 
 
 And indeed it is altogether inconcei- 
 vable, that the Creator and Author of 
 all Things fliould frame a Being of fo 
 vaft a Comprehenfion as the Spirit of 
 Man is ; endue it with a Capacity of 
 knowing and converfing with himfelf, 
 give it a Forefight and Prelibation of 
 his own Happinefs ; and yet, after all? 
 blaft fo great an Expe£lation by the 
 utter Extindion of its Ellence. 
 
 There is fomething in the Soul of 
 Man that breathes after Immortality ^ 
 and if all our Happinefs were commen- 
 furate only to the unfatisfaftory Enjoy- 
 ments of this Life, of all created Be- 
 ings, Man were the moil miferable. To 
 
 have
 
 Nature and Place ^ Hell* J 
 
 have ftrong and impatient Defires im- 
 planted in him, when there is no Ob- 
 ject fuitable to them ; or , what amoun- 
 teth to the fame thing, to know of an 
 Heaven and everlafting Happinefs ; 
 to be born in Hand, and polTefsM with 
 earneft Hopes of future Glory, and to 
 be quite cut off, and never able to come 
 to the Fruition of it : This, I fay, to 
 a confiderative Mind would be a Tor- 
 ment fuperior to any the other Crea- 
 tures are capable of. Nor do the Fears 
 and Apprehenfions of an eternal Hell 
 fer ve to any other End or Purpofe at all, 
 but to plague us here, if not to present 
 our incurring the Punifliment of it 
 hereafter. 
 
 I F thefe things were not in them- 
 felves true and real, how could the Ideas 
 of them be fo powerfully imprinted on 
 the Minds of all Mankind, fo that no 
 Nation of the World was ever fo bar- 
 barous as not to own them ? Nay, it 
 is utterly impoffibly to eradicate the 
 Notions of tlicm out of any one Perfon, 
 B 2 the
 
 4 An E N du I R T into the 
 
 the Faculties of whofe Mind are not 
 diforderM by Phrenfy, or difabled by 
 Stupidity. 
 
 Indeed fome Men have been ^o un- 
 happy as to make ProfefTion of con- 
 trary Principles y and have taken great 
 Pains to propagate them, and infute 
 them into others : But upon clofe Ob- 
 fervation it hath been judged, that they 
 have rather wifhed their Pofitions to 
 be true, than beheved they were fo ; 
 and that their Scepticifm hath proceed- 
 ed not from any folid Reafoning of their 
 Underftanding, but from an evil Difpo- 
 fition in their Affetlions- And this, I 
 think, is evident from the force of Con- 
 icience in fome of the chiefeft of that 
 Perfuafion; for they who have endea- 
 voured moft of all to deny the Exigence 
 of a future State, and to obliterate all 
 Senfe of it out of their Minds, have 
 not been the leaft fenfible of thofe 
 jtoipal hi'otocij thofe common Notices 
 within them, thofe fecret Lafhes and 
 Gripings of Confcience which accom- 
 pany
 
 Nature and Place of Hell. $ 
 
 pany the CommifTion of bad A£lions, 
 and that Serenity which fitteth upon 
 the Soul after good ones. > 
 
 Hence Cotta In Tully tells us of ^/i- 
 cfirus, who, as^ Lucretius confefleth,* Vjjv^' 
 was the firft that endeavoured to free Griius 
 and dlfenii;afie the Minds of Men from °'"°' 
 
 ^5"b^ 
 
 the flavifli Fears of thefe things, that, 
 when he came to dye, he was willing to 
 retraft his Opinions concerning them : 
 And the diirnal Apprehenfions of what 
 fhould become of him, after he quitted 
 this Station, made him to quake and 
 tremble : Nee quemquam v'ldi (laitli he Xuily lib. 
 of him) qui magis ea^ qu£ timenda ^./T^ J^ ^^um^' 
 negaret^ timer et^ Mortem dico (£ T>eos. 
 
 Thus it was with him, and thus it 
 is or will be, more or lefs, at one time 
 or another, with all Scepticks ; for the 
 Exiftence of a future State, like that 
 ol the Deity upon which it is founded, 
 will be either granted or extorted. 
 
 B? 
 
 K-
 
 6 An Enquiry inXo the 
 
 Indeed if there be a God, and his 
 Providence be allowed, it mull: be fup- 
 pofed that he will do right : And fince 
 things happen promifcuoufly in this 
 World, fo that there is one Event to 
 the Righteous, and to the Wicked ; 
 nay, finceit oftentimes cometh to pafs, 
 that the Troubles of the Righteous are 
 many ; that they have none, or little of 
 the Enjoyments of this World ; that 
 t\\ty are cut down and withered, wh'iljl 
 •37" 3 ^•^^'^ Wicked flour ijh like a green Bay- 
 Tree, are in no fear of T)eath, come 
 into no Trouble^ neither are plagued 
 like other Men : I fay, fince thefe things 
 are thus, how can exad Juftice be done 
 if there be not a future State ? How 
 can the feeming Incongruities of this 
 Life be reconciled and made even, but 
 by the equal Diftributions of the next, 
 wherein good Men fliall be mightily 
 rewarded^ and evil Men as mightily 
 puniihed. 
 
 Tis
 
 Nature and Place of Hell. 7 
 
 'T I s true, they who feem to doubt 
 of z future State jdo likewife generally 
 deny the Being of a Go^, and deride 
 the Notions of Righteous and Wicked. 
 They affirm, that all Adions are alike? 
 and that Good and Evil are nothing 
 elfe but the Daughters of Policy, and 
 the Refolutions of State : But thefe Po- 
 fitions are fo very abfurd^ that Indig- 
 nation at the Bafenefs and Degene- 
 racy of fuch profligate Wretches as de- 
 prave human Nature, diiTolve So- 
 cieties and unhinge the Foundations 
 of Religion, will not permit foclofe an 
 Enquiry into them as the Nature of the 
 Subjecl doth require. Befides, it is al- 
 together foreign to my Defign to infiffc 
 on collateral Points ; that fuiteth not 
 with my intended Brevity : It is fuf- 
 ficient to my Purpofe at prefent, if 
 a future State be acknowledged e- 
 qually plain with this grand Truth, 
 that there is Good and Evil, Right 
 and Wrong, and with the very hrfl 
 Principle i\\ RcHgion, that there is a 
 B 4 God:
 
 8 An Enquiry into the 
 
 God: I fhall therefore no farther ftand 
 upon the Proof of it, but pafs on to 
 the fubjed Matter of the next Chap- 
 ter, 
 
 Chap. II. 
 
 Of the Punijkments of the next 
 Life^ and particularly of the 
 Tartarus or. Hell. 
 
 HAVING, in the foregoing 
 Chapter, briefly fet down the 
 Reafonablenefs and Certainty of a 
 future State in general ; T fhall now, 
 in order to the Defign in Hand, treat 
 of the Tartarm in particular, and 
 make fome fhort Enquiry into the 
 Nature and Kind of its Punifliments. 
 
 That the Puniflimcnts of the next 
 Life will be extremely fharp and vip? 
 lent, hath been the common and uniyer^ 
 
 fally
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 9 
 
 Tally received Opinion of Mankind : The 
 ancient heathen Poets, according to the 
 Light that they had, reprefented them in 
 the moft terrible and frightful Shapes 
 they could. They tell us of an Ixion faft- 
 Red to a Wheel, that with a fwift and ra- 
 pid Motion turn'd about with him 
 without ceafing. They fing of a Tanta- 
 lus^ who, for the loathfome Banquet he 
 made for fome of the Gods, was in Hdly 
 fet in Water up to the Chin, with Ap- 
 ples hanging to his very Lips ; yet had 
 he not Power either to ftoop to the one, 
 to quench his Thirft, or to reach up 
 to the other to fatisfy his hungry Ap- 
 petite. They tell of the Belides^ or 
 ffiy ^Daughters ofDanaus^ who, for 
 the barbarous Maflacre of their Hus- 
 bands in one Night, were condemned in 
 Hell^ to fill a Barrel full of Holes with 
 Water, which, as fall as it was filled, 
 ran out again. And much to the fam.e 
 purpofe was the Story of Sijyphus^ 
 who, for his Robberies, was fent to 
 Hfll^ and there fet to roll a great Stone 
 up a ilecp Hill, which, when it was jufl 
 
 at
 
 10 /^;? E N Q u I R Y into the 
 
 at the top, fuddenly Aid down again, 
 and fo renew'd his Labour. And the 
 Punifhment of Tttyus was no lefs re- 
 markable,who, for attempting to ravifh 
 LatonayVJ 2iS ftruck dead with a Thun- 
 der-boltj and fo fent to //<?//, where he 
 was adjudged to have a Vulture feed 
 upon his Liver and Entrails, which 
 grew and increafed ftill as they wer e 
 devoured. All which the ingenious 
 Poet Ovid pithily fets forth in thefe 
 ' feven Verfes. 
 
 Vifcera fr£bebat Tityus lamanda 
 novemqiie 
 Jugeribus dtftraBiis erat ; t'lbi^ Tan- 
 
 tale^ nulla 
 l^eprendtintur Aqua^ qtiaque imm'r 
 
 net effugit Arbor ; 
 Aut petts^ ant urges ruituruntj Si- 
 
 fyphe, Saxum y 
 Volvttur Ixion, ^ fe fe quit ur que ^^ 
 
 fugitque y 
 Molirique fuis lethum Tatruelibus 
 
 mfa 
 AJpdue repetimt^ qtias perdunt^ Be- 
 
 lides Vndas, But
 
 Nature and Place of Hlll, 1 1 
 
 But befides thefe, together with Sal- 
 mon eus, Lafitha^ Thlegyas^ Tirithous^ 
 and many other particular Perfons, who, 
 as they tell us, were diver fly tormen- 
 ted ; they have given us Defcriptions 
 in general, and at large, of all theWic- 
 keds Punifliments, reprefenting horrid 
 Hydra's, and revengeful and cruel Fu- 
 ries, with fnaky Heads and fiery Whips, 
 agitating and torturing guilty Souls. 
 Virgil^ at the end of his Defcription of .^neid. 
 Hell, faith, that if he had an hundred ^^* ^* 
 Mouths, and an hundred Tongues, they 
 would not fuffice to fliiew the various 
 Diftributions of HelPs Impieties, and 
 every Plague wherewith they are vex- 
 ed and tortured. Now though the Par- 
 ticulars of this, and all their other De- 
 fjriptions of Hell, were Stories and 
 mere Fictions, yet do they exprefs the 
 lively Senfe they had of the fharp and 
 terrible Punifliments of the next Life. 
 
 But weChriflians have the Advan- 
 tage ofa better Light, a clearer and tru- 
 er
 
 Rev. 20. 
 
 IZ An En Q,v i?.Y into the 
 
 er Reprefentatioa of thcfe things in 
 the holy Scriptures, which plainly de- 
 clare the Tortures of Hell to be, as 
 indeed they are, violent in the greatefl: 
 Extremity ; fo that the very Thoughts 
 of them are enough to create Horror 
 and Aftonifhment in the Minds of Men : 
 For they defcribe Hell as a Lake of 
 Fire and Brimfione^ '■juhere'm the Wic- 
 ked Jhall be tormented T^ay and Night 
 forever. SotheApocalypft direQ:Iy; re- 
 peating it no lefs than three times in one 
 ' Chapter, for our greater AfTurance of it. 
 And our blefTed Saviour himfelf, with 
 the like Repetition, and that alfo re- 
 duplicated, exprefly telleth us, that Hell 
 St. Mark is a Fire that never jhall be quenched. 
 ^' '^^' '' And in another place he calleth it Hell- 
 st.Matt. Fire^ and everlafting Fire. And in 
 3 8. 8, 9. j.|^g parabolical Relation he maketh of 
 St. Luke it, he faith, the rich Man /// Hell lif 
 ^* ^3> ted up his Eyes., being in Torments ; 
 and the next Verfe flicweth us what 
 thofe torments were, viz,, that he 
 "Was tormented in that Flame. Now 
 what greater Torment can the fenfitive 
 
 part
 
 Nature and Place ^/ He l l." 13 
 
 part of Man be imagined to endure 
 than that of Fire ? H^ho amongji ns can irai. 33* 
 live "ju'ith devouring Flames^ ivho can 
 diji'ell '•ji'ith everlafting Burnings 1 
 
 But this is not all neither, there is a- 
 nother He/l in the midft of Hell-^ for 
 there //-7^ JVorm diet b not ^ as well as thest. Mark 
 Ftre is jiot quenched. There are Agonies 9-44, 4^, 
 and Tortures peculiar to the Soul, as 
 well as Fire and Brimllone to torment 
 the Body. There theWicked fliall be ex- 
 pofed to the intolerable Anguifh of an 
 enraged Conicience, the Remorfe of 
 which fliall continually prey upon them 
 for what they have done in their Lives- 
 time. There they fliall be poJOfefsM with 
 a prefent and conftant Senfe of the 
 everlafting Difpleafure of God^ and an 
 utter ImpofTibility of ever obtaining 
 his Favour. There they fhall be tor- 
 tured with an abfolute and compleat 
 Defpair of any better Condition, or of 
 the leaft Relaxation from their Pains, 
 fo much as of a T^rop of Water to cool 
 their Tongues^ tormented in thofe 
 
 Flames,
 
 i4 An Enquiry into the 
 
 Flames, In a word, there is the Abfence 
 of all Good, and the Prefence of all Evil. 
 
 The Punifliments of Hell are by Di- 
 vines reckoned to be thefe that follow; 
 Shame, and Confufion of Face, the 
 Wrath of God^ an eternal Separation 
 from God^ and his holy Angels, and 
 the Spirits of juft Men made perfe(9: ; 
 a Society or Fellowfhip with Devils 
 and wicked Men, Tribulation, and 
 Anguifh of Mind : And laftly the Tor- 
 ments of outer Darknefs, and Tortures 
 oi Hell-Fire. But all thefe are rightly 
 reduced by that known DiifinQiion, 
 which the Schools have made of them, 
 to the T*(Ena T^amni^ & ^oena Senfus ; 
 the Punifliment of Lofs, and Pain of 
 Senle. 
 
 I. The Punifliment of Lofs; for 
 though the Wicked are not fenfible, in 
 this life, what it is to fall fliort of hea- 
 venly BHfs, yet at their Death, after 
 • the Separation of the Soul and Body, 
 the Eye of the Underftanding fliall be 
 
 open-
 
 Nature and Place of Hell. l$ 
 
 opened, and they (liall then clearly dif- 
 cern what it is to be fhut out of the 
 Kingdom of Heaven, to be deprived of 
 the beatitickVifion, and to lofe the Frui- 
 tion of all the Glory, Splendor and Blef- 
 fednefs of it : They fliall then, to no pur- 
 pofe incelTantly cry, Lord, Lord, of en ^'«- 25. 
 unto us, Befides which Punifliment of 
 Lofs, they fhall, as it is before faid, 
 be affected, 
 
 2. With the fliarpefl: Pains of Senfe, 
 even all the Horrors of outer T)arknefs^ 
 and Tortures of i7^//-F/>^; and that 
 not for an hundred, or athoufand, or a 
 Million of Years only, but unto all 
 Ages, ox for ever and ever. 
 
 And this is that which confumma- 
 teth the Torments of Hell, that they 
 muft be undergone unto all Eternity, 
 that they muft never have an end, al- 
 though they are each moment intole- 
 rable. If by numbring one Grain of 
 Sand, one Spirt of Grafs, or one Ear 
 of Corn every Day, thole mile-able 
 
 Fer-
 
 1 6 An Enquiry into the 
 
 Perfons had Hopes of Pveleafment, after 
 they bad told fo far as to count all the 
 Sands upon the Sea Shore, all the 
 Blades of Grafs, and all the Ears of 
 Corn growing throughout the whole 
 World, it would be fome Comfort to 
 them: But after fo many milHons of 
 Ages pail: as would fuffice for that 
 Task, their Torments will be as far 
 fi'om ending as they w^ere the very 
 firft Moment: they began : For, after 
 all thofe Ages, Eternity is nothing lef- 
 ^en'd, ftill it is, what it w^as before, an 
 Abyfs of Duration that can have no 
 End. 
 
 There are two Opinions contradic- 
 tory to the foregoing Notion o^Hell^ 
 and the Punifliments thereof; the one 
 againfl: the Eternity of them, the other 
 againft a local Hell^ or place of Fire, 
 where the Y/icked are tormented. I 
 fliall defer my Enquiry into the former 
 to its proper Place ; and for the other, 
 it may be fufficient at prefent to ob- 
 ferve, that a Tartarus^ or local Hell^ 
 
 what-
 
 Nature and TUce of Hell. 17 
 
 whatever the Punifliments may be in it, 
 of which I fliall treat farther in the 
 fourth Chapter, hath been unverfally 
 received by moft Men of all Religions> 
 as well Heathens and Turks^ as Jews 
 and Chriftians. And the metaphorical 
 Hell^ or bare State of (eparation from 
 God, whether in this, or in the World 
 to comcj doth by no means contain 
 the whole of chofe fearful and terrible 
 Defcriptions of Hell we meet with in 
 the holy Scriptures ; fo that eithei^ 
 they were made to very little purpofe, 
 or it muft be acknowledged, that they 
 infer not only a State, but alfo a Tlace 
 of fuffering. 
 
 Indeed, to fay that there is not a /<?« 
 cal Hell^ feemeth to me to contradict 
 the very Letter of the Text : For the 
 rich Man petitions Ah^aham to fend 
 Laz,arus to bis Brethren^ that he may Ij^ke if* 
 tejlifie unto them^ left they alfo come 
 into this Tlace of Torment. If it be 
 objeded here, that this is only inferred 
 from a Parable, we may obferve far- 
 C ther,
 
 1 8 An E N Q^u I R T imo the 
 
 2 
 
 Pet. 2. ther, how St. Teter telleth us, that Gc;^ 
 ^ fpared not the Angels that finned, but 
 
 caft them doijun to Hell^ and delivered 
 them into Chains of ^Darknefs to be 
 re fervid ( where ? cm to? n tw ra^ra- 
 /cc;, mod certainly, as may be juftly in- 
 ferred from the Participle TapTccjowo-as) 
 tmto 'Judgment. And St. Jiide tells us 
 the fame thing, and expreifeth it in this 
 Ep Jud. manner, The A^tgels that left their 
 own Habitation \ fo that if Heaven-^ 
 which was their own Habitation, and 
 out of which they were caft down, be 
 a Tlace ; then Hell^ their prefent Pri- 
 fon, into which they were thrown 
 down, and in which they are referv'd, 
 or kept in fife Cuftody, muft be a 
 ^lace alfo. The ftudious and diligent 
 Compilers of the Magdeburgican Eccle- 
 fiafticai Hiftory gave their Opinion in 
 •^f '?;^^-" this Point thus. Quod autem locus alt- 
 
 del. Mag- . . ' "^^ 
 
 deUurg. quls torquendts damnatis fit deflinatus 
 yT^\]' manifefte Chriftiis docet : IJbi verb lo- 
 <^ap- 5« cus ilk fit ^ non eft a Chrifto exprejfum^ 
 1. e. That there is a certain ^lace ap- 
 pointed for the Vunijhment of the 
 
 dani"
 
 JSfatPtre and Place 0/ He l l. 19 
 
 damned^ Chrift plainly teacheth\ but 
 '■juhere that ^Place is^ he hath not ex-^ 
 frejly declared. To them that ask 
 whether Hell be a material ^lace or 
 no, faith Dr. "Dove:, a learned Writer 
 of the laft Age, / an fiver j It muft of^'^ove$ 
 necejjity be JOj becattje in it are to betTn^o^ a- 
 tormented not only Souls ^ but alfo Bo- ^'^''[*^a 
 dies ; it is no imaginary things becattje^ 
 i!;hen they come there j it jhall be no 
 imaginary T^unijhment isjhich they Jhall 
 fnjfer. And the exquifitely learned 
 Bijhop Tearfon obferved, that how- 
 ever the antient Fathers of the Church 
 differed in their Opinions about the 
 Hell^ yet they all agreed that there 
 was fuch a Place j and never anyPearforf 
 doubted but that it fignified fomCcJil 
 Place or other. 
 
 i 
 And truly for Divines fo far to for- 
 fake the Scripture and them, as to make 
 it merely Metaphorical, would be high- 
 ly injurious to the Truth; it would 
 betray and give it up to the profane 
 Scoffs of Acheiffs and Scepticks, who, 
 C 2 if
 
 2.0 j4n Ei^ Q^u I R Y into the 
 
 if t/jey {liould once directly conclude it 
 to be 7w where, would eafily, if not 
 rationally infer from thence, that it is 
 no thing. 
 
 But, as they, whofuppofe only a 
 Metaphorical Hell, are comparatively 
 but very few ; fo if any modern Scep- 
 tick will not be perfuaded of the Truth 
 of a real HeUj but will go on, and walk 
 after his ownLufts,and follow his own 
 vain and extravagant Imaginations ; 
 he may hear what I have fomewhere 
 read, quoted out of St. Aujiinj Who- 
 ever laugheth at this Faith ^ and there- 
 fore will not believe, becatife he doth 
 not fee ; when that jh all come to pafs 
 which he did not believe, he Jhall bltijh, 
 and be confounded ; he Jhall be confoun- 
 ded and feparated from the Bleffedj 
 and have his ^lace with the 'Damned 
 for evermore. 
 
 Chap.
 
 Nature and Place o/' H e l l. 21 
 
 Chap. III. 
 
 A Jhort Vievj of the federal Opt- 
 mons concerning the PUce of 
 Hell 
 
 HAVING, in the preceding Chap- 
 ter, laid down this as a mofb 
 certain Truth, that there is a local 
 Hell^ or Place of Torments in the next 
 Life ; it may not be amifs, in order to 
 our fcarch after it, to look briefly in- 
 to the feveral Opinions concerning it. 
 
 Among the Heathen, the Grecians^uicun 
 as Lucian tells us, perfuaded thereun-^^ ^"'^"* 
 to by Horner^ He/iod^ and others of 
 their Poets believed it to be iCynv -nvoi 
 
 wo rPir yr<v f/.t') ar, k, ^o'^e^fj a Certain 
 
 large and dark Tlace under the Earth. 
 And Enftath'ius upon Homer giveth 
 the like Account of it, viz, '^' Tot5T(a?"J}"'^- 
 
 w . . \ ^ , . iR Horn. 
 
 cY.<i\eiVQi \ssyQ ym ^ tliat It was, accor-ll. 
 ding to him, a dark Tlace under the 
 Earth. Some of the Latins j from the 
 C 3 Grc^
 
 1% An Enquiry into the 
 
 Grecians J placed it in fubterraneous 
 
 Regions, immediately under the Lake 
 
 Avernus in Campania^ a Country of 
 
 Italy J in the Realm of Naples ; only, 
 
 becaufe in that fruitful Country, that 
 
 Lake fent forth fuch fulphureous Ex- 
 
 ^ halations, as that Birds could not fly 
 
 "" over it, but, overcome with the 
 
 Strength of the Vapors that arofe, they 
 
 fell down, and were drowned in it« 
 
 Through a dark Cave near this Lake, 
 
 jEnead./.5.the Poet Virgil faith, that Eneas vi- 
 
 fited the infernal Kingdoms. 
 
 Others placed it under Tenants ^ 
 a Promontory of Laconia in TeloJ;o- 
 nefiis ; only becaufe it was a horrid 
 dark Place, full of thick Woods, into 
 which if any enterM they were very 
 rarely known to return, being ufually 
 loll, either through the vaft Extent 
 and inextricable Windings of the 
 Woods themfelves, or by the Fury of 
 Wild Beafts that devoured them. And 
 
 Mctam. ^^'^s way the Poet Ovid faith, that Or" 
 
 ^v lo. ^/j^d^/zj* defcended into Hell. 
 
 Others
 
 Nature and Place of Hell, 2 j 
 
 Others fancied the River or Foun- 
 tain of Styx to be the Spring-head of 
 Hell J becaufe the Waters of it were fo 
 venomous, that they furely kill'd any 
 thing that drank of them. 
 
 But thefe and the like were the 
 Fi8:ions of Poets, who from the cer- 
 tain Death which they expofed them- 
 felv^es to, who attempted any of thefe 
 Dangers, took occafion to reprefent 
 them as fo many Gates or entring Pla- 
 ces into the other World. They ufed, 
 indeed, fome of thefe Names to figni- 
 fy Hell it felf : But, if they really 
 tiiought they were fo, nothing could 
 be more ridiculous and abfurd ; ex- 
 cepting what others of them fancied, 
 I'tz. that it ftood in the Cymmerian 
 Regions, a proper Name for thoie 
 Parts of the World, which, by reafon 
 cither of the Sun's Diftance, or the 
 GrofTnefs of the Air, were, as they 
 thought, uninhabitable, excepting it 
 were by Ghofts and Spirits, the pro- 
 C 4 per
 
 An Enquiry into the 
 
 per Subje8:s of that dark Kingdom ; 
 which was placed by them now in one 
 ifnknown Corner of the World, and 
 then in another, according as their 
 Story or their Fancy led them. 
 
 But this Opinion, if ever it obtain- 
 ed, is now pcrfecily exploded • thofe 
 Parts of the World, which where un- 
 Icnown to them, and thought unin- 
 habitable, being on the Account of 
 Trade, or Curiofity, frequently vifit- 
 ed, and known to be inhabited, as well 
 as other pleafant and more teniperate 
 ClimateSo 
 
 To leave then the Heathen, and 
 their fanciful GueflTes at it^ let us pafs 
 on to the Jews, to fee what Light we 
 can get from them to dire£l: us in our 
 JEnquiry after it, ^ But, to fpeak the 
 
 * Dr. Barrow, Vol. 2. Serm. 15. Indeed as to evi' 
 dent Difcovery concerning the Immortaltty cf Man's Soul^ 
 (V thi juture Stati^ even the Gentile Theclcgy, ti.c.feems 
 to have outgone the ^ervijh, 8rc. The Pa^an Friefis mere 
 ixprefly taught^ tnore frequently inculcated ykgumenfs 
 drc vcn jrc^ theme y than, thi flebrew prophets- 
 
 ■ ' ' TrutL
 
 Nature and Place of Hell. 25 
 
 Truth, it mufl: be acknowledged that 
 tlie State of the World, as to this 
 Point, was not much more perfect 
 under the Mofaical Difpenfation ; for 
 though the Prophets, and other lear- 
 ned Men, particularly of the Seftof 
 the Pharifees, had a good Underftand- 
 ing enough of thefe things ; yet the 
 generality of the Jews were not much 
 lefs ignorant of them than the very 
 Heathen themfelves. The future Life 
 it felf was no otherwile made known 
 to them than by bare Tradition, by 
 ambiguous Expreflions of their infpi- 
 red Men, or by fuch Sayings as im- 
 plyed it only. That the Notices of 
 thefe things were not clear and cer- 
 tain, is apparent from hence, that there 
 was a numerous and prevailing Se6i; 
 amongft them, "j'tz. the SadduceeSj 
 ijuho abiblutely dented that there i^as . ^ <, 
 
 A 1 Afts 23.8. 
 
 either Angel (Good or Bad), Re/ur- 
 region or Spirit : And yet never, that 
 we read of, was this their Herefie con- 
 demned by any publick Cenfure of 
 the Jewifli Church. Now, if the fu^ 
 
 ture
 
 I», 10. 
 
 16 ^/^ E N Q U I R T wto the 
 
 ture Life it felf was not generally, and 
 fufficiently made known to them, much 
 lefs was the particular Nature and 
 Place of Hell determined by them. 
 
 But when, as St. Taul tdh us, (put- 
 ting tnis Matter beyond all Contro- 
 2. Tim. verfy) Life and Immortality was 
 brought to Light through the Gofpel : 
 When that had given the World true 
 Ideas of the Rewards and Punifliments 
 of the next Life, and plainly told us 
 that there affuredly is both a Heaven 
 and a Hell ; the one the Court of 
 Gfi'^and his Holy Angels, the happy 
 Region of the Jull and Blefled ; the 
 other, the proper Manfion of the De- 
 vil, and thofe rebellious Spirits that 
 fell with him, the miferable Seat of 
 wicked and damned Men ; I fay, when 
 thefe things were once clearly and 
 plainly revealed, the Scales began to 
 drop from Mens Eyes, and they to 
 confider and difcourfe of them. And 
 as Heaven was, on good Grounds, 
 judged to be above ; fo Hell^ in op- 
 
 pofi.
 
 Nature andTlace o/'Hell. V] 
 
 pofition to that, was thought to be 
 beneath. And fince the Earth was, 
 according to its Appearance to the 
 Eye, efteemcd by the firft Chriftians 
 to be, not a round globular Body, but 
 one vaft extended Plain, fixed upon 
 its own firm and fure Bafis ; and the 
 Heaven J as it feemed, a bright Cry- 
 ftalline Arch, expanded far and wide 
 over the face of the whole Earth ; 
 they thence inferred that the lowefi: 
 Parts of the Earth rnuft be at the great- 
 eft Diflance from Heaven^ and by 
 Confequence, that the moft likely 
 Place for the Situation of Hell, This 
 Opinion, I think, was generally re- 
 ceived amongfl: the Primitive Chrifti- 
 ans. And though their Error concern- 
 ing the Syftem of the Earth was after- 
 wards clearly difcovered ; yet their 
 Conjecture about the Place of Hell^ 
 arifing from that mifi:aken Hypothefis, 
 hath been very rarely gainfaid. Their 
 Authority was defervedly great, and 
 of very high account ; and \i the Scrip- 
 ture fccmingly clofed with it, or was 
 
 but
 
 z8 y^;^ E N Q u I R Y into the 
 
 but filent, it ufually prevailed with fuc- 
 ceeding Generations ; and where Ex- 
 perience did not plainly refute it, as in 
 the Cafes of the round Figure of the 
 World, the Antipodes, and the like, 
 obtained an entire and almoft implicit 
 Subjedion to it. 
 
 That they placed Hell in the 
 Bowels of the Earth, may appear from 
 Ltb.de what TertuUian faith, Inferos Tlato 
 Cap?J<. '^^^'^^ Gremtum Terr/e defer ib it in 
 Tbadone^ quo omnes Labes mimdalium 
 Sordiitm confliiendo^ ^ ibidem defiden- 
 do exhalentj ^ qtiafi Cccno Immundi' 
 tiartim fuarunij craffiorem hauftum^ 
 t3 prinjaturn illuc Aerem flifent : Mo' 
 bis ant em luferij non ftuda Cavofitas^ 
 nee fttbdivalis aliqiia Mtindi fentina 
 crcdtintUTj fed in Fojfd Terra ^ & in 
 Alto VaftitaSj ^ in ipfs Vifceribus 
 ejus abjirufa ^rofimditas : Siquidem 
 Chriflum in Corde Terra tridnum Mor- 
 tis legimus exptin^um^ i. c. in Recef 
 fu intimo^ ^ interno^ ae in ipfd Ter- 
 ra oferto ^ intra iffam cavato^ ^ in- 
 ferior
 
 Nature and Place 0/ H E ll. 2.9 
 
 fcrioribtis adhiic Abyffls fuperjiruBo \ 
 i. e. Plato, in his Phedo, defcribeth 
 Hell as a hollo'w Bofom of the Earth j. 
 fituarej I fuppofe, in fome unknown 
 part of it, '•jahereinto all the ^regs 
 and Off'Jconring of worldly Filthinef 
 fes flowing and fettling^ are thrown up; 
 which^ as it were by the Mud of their 
 UncleannefSjflop the thicker IDr aught ^ 
 and fiiflcd Air : But we Qhriflians 
 do believe it to be not a bare Cavity ^ 
 on the Superficies J or Surface of the 
 Earthy not any open Sink of the World 
 but a vafl Tlace in the Cleft and 
 ^epth of the Earthy an hidden Pro- 
 fundity in the very Bowels of it ; fince 
 we read that Chrifi was three IDays 
 (deac^) in the heart of the Earth : i. e. 
 /// ihe moft intimate Rccejfes ofit^ co- 
 var'^d clofCj and kept fecret by the 
 Earth,, and hollow d within itj but 
 yet built ^ and founded on lower Abyjfes 
 of it. 
 
 This is a very plain Account of 
 their Thoughts concerning the Tlace 
 
 of
 
 JO u4n Enquiry into the 
 
 of Hell. And the great Argument by 
 which they ftrengthen^d their Hypo* 
 thefis was drawn from QhrijTs T>efcent 
 into Hell ; an Article own'd by the 
 whole Church of Chrift, and, as they 
 conceived, the more plainly to be pro- 
 ved in the Scriptures^ by fuppofing it 
 to be in the very Heart, and Bowels 
 
 Pf. 16. 10. of the Earth. The ^falmijl had pro- 
 phetically fpoken of Chrift^ and the 
 
 Aftsa.oi. Apoftle St. Teter direOily applied it to 
 him, that his Soul iz'as not left m 
 Hell, This was fufficient whereon to 
 ground the Article ; but then they 
 thought it re-alTerted and confirmed 
 by other Texts, importing his Defcent 
 into, and continuance in, the lower 
 Parts of the Earth. Thefe they took 
 as Expofitions or Explanations of the 
 former ; from thence concluding, that 
 Hell and the lower parts of the Earth 
 were fynonimus Terms^ or fuch as 
 fignified the fame thing. 
 
 This Tertiilllan plainly inferreth, 
 not only in the Words before cited 
 
 drawn
 
 Nature and Place 0/ H E l l. ^ i 
 
 drawn from the 12th Chapter of St. 
 Matthe'-Ji\ and the 40th Verfe. For 
 as Jonas "-Ji'as three IDaySj and three 
 Nights in the Whale'* s Belly ^ fo fljall 
 the Son of Man be three T^ays^ and 
 three Nights in the Heart of the 
 Earth : But likewife in the next Chap- 
 ter, where, fpeaking of the fame thing, 
 he faith, ^lod ft Chrijlus ^eus^quia'^^'^}^^'^^ 
 C9 Homo morttiiis fecimdum Scriptu- Cap. 56. 
 rasj ^ fepultus fecnndiim eafdem^ htc 
 qiioq; legi fatisfecit^ Forma hnmanie 
 Mortis apiid Inferos fun6ins : Nee 
 ajtte afcendit in Suhlimiora Ccclorumj 
 quam defcendit in Inferior a Terrarum^ 
 nt illic ^atriarchas & ^rophetas 
 compotes fni faceret : Habes ^ Regio- 
 11 em Inferiim fnbterraneam credere^ ^ 
 illos ciibito pellere qui fatis fuperbe 
 lion pntent Animas Fidelium Inferis 
 dignas : i. e. IfChrift be God^ and he, 
 as Man^ alfo died according to the 
 Scriptures ; and being buried accor- 
 ding to the fame^ here alfo^ i. e. in 
 Hell fat isfed the LaiL\ and fujfered 
 the perfect Form of Human T>eath to 
 
 pafs
 
 32, An Enquiry into the 
 
 fafs upon him : Nor did he aft end in- 
 to the hlgheft Heavens ^ before he def- 
 cended into the lo'isjeft Tarts of the 
 Earth J that there he might make the 
 *Patriarchsand 'Prophets Partakers of 
 his Merits : Hence thou haji both to 
 believe^ that there is a fubterraneous 
 Region of Hell \ and alfo to make them 
 fland off^ and at a ^ijiance^ 'who have 
 Pride enough to imagine^ that the 
 Souls of the Faithful are too good for 
 that Place, 
 
 I will not fay that by Infer i Tertul- 
 lian meant nothing but the Tartarus 
 ^r overly freaking : But, by the Oppo- 
 fition he maketh of the Chriilian He// 
 to that defcribed by P/ato, 'tis evi- 
 dent that he took the Tartarus, at 
 leaf!:, to be a Part of thofe Inferi, in- 
 to which he fuppofed the Souls of 
 Chriftians, as well as thofe of the Pa- 
 triarchs and Prophets, to have defcend- 
 ed after Death. And it is aifo plain, 
 that his Argument is dirediy built on 
 thofe Words of the Apoftle, Now that 
 
 he
 
 Nature and T^lace ^/^ H e l l . 53 
 
 he afcended^ 'what is it^ but that /7^Eph. 4.9. 
 alfo defcended into the lo'wer Tarts of 
 the Earth ? 
 
 But though that Text feemeth to 
 come near to the Words of the Arti- 
 cle, and to exprefs the fame, efpecial- 
 ly as it was at firft deHvered by Riifi- 
 nus^ defcendit in inferna^ ahxiofb va 
 Terms, as the learned Biihop Tearfon 
 hath obfervM ; yet doth it by no 
 means, of it felf, prove the a6lual Def^ 
 cent of Chriil: into Hell^ or that the 
 Apoftle meant any fuch thing by it. 
 For, as he argueth : " We cannot be 
 ' ailiired that the Defcent, which St. 
 ' Tanl fpeaketh of, was performed af- 
 ' ter his Death, or that the lower 
 ' Parts of the Earth did fignify //<?//, 
 ' or the Tlace isuhere the Souls of Men 
 ' are tormented after the feparation 
 ' from their Bodies. For it is writ- 
 ' ten. No Man afcendeth up to He a- loh.Z'ii^ 
 ' vcn J but he that defcended from 
 '- Heaven y fo this may fignify juft 
 ' thus much and no more \ in that 
 D " he
 
 34 -^^ E N Q,u I R y mU the 
 
 " he afieuded^ what is it^ hut that he 
 "' defcended firft ? And for the lower 
 " Parts of the Earth, they may figni- 
 " fy no more than the Place beneath : 
 " As when our Saviour faid, Te are 
 >'u -^y-Qj^ beneath J I am from above : Te 
 " are of this I For Id ^ I am not of this 
 " PForld. Or as God fpake by the 
 Joel 2. 30. " Prophet, / will jheis; Wonders in 
 " Heaven above^ and Signs in the 
 " Earth beneath. Nay, they may 
 " well refer to his Incarnation, accor- 
 " ding to that of T)avid, My Sub- 
 pfai. 139." fiance was not hid from thee^ when 
 '^* " I was made in fecret^ and cur iou fly 
 " wrought in the lower j)arts of the 
 " Earth ; or 10 his Burial^ according 
 " to that of the Prophet, Thofe that 
 " feek my Soul to deflroy it fhall go 
 " into the lower parts of the Earth ; 
 " which two Inferences have a great 
 " Similitude, according to that o^Job^ 
 " Naked came I out of my Mother^ s 
 " IVomby and naked fhall I return thi- 
 ^' ther. Thus far the learned Bifliop. 
 
 AlSID 
 
 TL61. 
 
 Job I. 21,
 
 Nature and Place of Hell. 35 
 
 And the no lefs learned Dr. Ham-Ham- 
 mojidj doth direftly reftrain the Heart^^^^!^ 
 of the Earth to the laft of thefe Inter- 40. 
 pretations, the Grave ; and like wife 
 giveth us this Paraphrafe on that Verfe 
 of the Apoftle, containing, in fliort, 
 the whole of the Bifhop's Expofition 
 of it ; " What doth this his Afcent to 
 " Heaven fignify, but that he firft def- 
 " cended to thefe lower Parts of the 
 " World, called the Earth ; or to the 
 '' Virgin's Womb to be conceived 
 '' there in human Fie ill, which is by 
 '' the Pfalmill: alfo ftyled being fa- 
 *^ Jhioned beneath in the Earth j or elfe 
 " to the Grave J called the lower parts 
 " of the Earth ? 
 
 These Interpretations agree well 
 with that of the learned Hemin^ius. Hemingi- 
 I'ii his Commentaries on the Epiltlesmenu 
 of the New Teftament, where, on that 
 Text, he difrourfeth thus, llac in pa^ 
 renthefi Legenda funt : Ex citato enim 
 Tfalmi Tejiimonio^ duo colligit (nem- 
 D 2 pe
 
 3<5 AnV.^ Qjj I R Y into the 
 
 pe Apoflroliis) per dlgrefjloms fchema^ 
 tinum de Chrlfti Humiliatione^ alte- 
 rum de ejnfdem Glorificattone : Ex eo 
 eiiim quod afcenderit^ fign'tficat pra- 
 cejjijfe defcenfum \ hoc eft HumiHatio- 
 nem^ quod fadium eft per Affumptio- 
 nem humana Natura^ per ^ajjionem 
 ^ Mortem : i. e. The Apoftle having 
 cited the Tefttmony vfthe Tfalmtft^ by 
 way of T)tgYeffion , colle^eth two 
 things^ the Humiliation ofChrift^ and 
 his Exaltation ; the latter of which 
 prefuppofeth the former j for in that 
 he afceuded it is plainly fignified^ that 
 his "Defcent went before : Which T)ef 
 cent^ viz. his Humiliation^ was ef 
 feBed by his Affumption of the human 
 Nature^ and by his 'Death and ^affl^ 
 on. And prefently after he (aith, They 
 who from this Tlace infer the Def 
 cent of Chrift into Hell^ or the Tlace 
 of the T>amned:, do it not upon good 
 Grounds. Non enim hie Comparatio- 
 nem inftituit Apoftolus nnius Partis 
 Terr^ ad aliam^ fed to tarn Terr am cum 
 Ccelo confert, Tor^ faith he, the A- 
 
 poftle
 
 Nature and Place o/Hell. 37 
 
 foftle doth not here make a Compari- 
 foji betinjeeii one part of the Earthy 
 and another^ but he comparcth the 
 *whole Earth 'ujith the Heaven, 
 
 Indeed he oppofeth the loweft 
 Earth ro the higheil Heaven, and that 
 ill an hyperbolical ExprelFion both of 
 the one and of the other : For though 
 Chrift is faid, in the Verfe following, 
 to have afcended far above all Hea- 
 vens^ it cannot be imagined that he 
 went up above that Heaven which is 
 the Throne of God^ and m refpeft of 
 which our Saviour commandeth us to 
 pray to our Father vuhich is in Heaven, 
 That being the Heaven into which be 
 really afcended^ and in which he Jit- 
 teth at the right Hand of God^ and 
 from vahence he., at the end of the 
 JVorld^ /ball come to judge the ^tick 
 and the T>ead ; fo though he is faid 
 to have defcended into the lowed parts 
 of the Earth, yet is this rather to be 
 underflood as a rhetorical Antithefis 
 to the other, denoting his extreme Hu- 
 D 3 milia-
 
 38 An Enquiry Inio the 
 
 miliation, as that his higheft Exalta- 
 tionj than in a literal Conftrudion of 
 the Words, as if, by his Defcent, he 
 had penetrated the opake Body of the 
 Earth, and went down to the central 
 RecelTes of it. 
 
 Vid.Peai- And this will farther appear, if we 
 c^ecd ^^' obferve with the learned Biihop Tear- 
 fon^ that it hath been the Opinion of 
 nioft, both ancient and modern Di- 
 vines, that the proper Defcent of Qhrtft 
 into Hell J was by the Tranfition of 
 his Soul or Spirit into it ; that rational 
 intelledual part of his human Nature, 
 which by the violence of Pain upon 
 the Crofs was forc'd from the Body, 
 and not by any proper Defcent, either 
 of the divine Nature or of his whole 
 Perfon, both Soul and Body alTumed 
 into it, thereinto. Not of his divine 
 Nature, for that could not be faid to 
 defcend into where it was before ; that 
 always filleth all Places, though it is 
 not confined to Time, or contained 
 in any Place. Not of his whole Per- 
 fon^
 
 Nature and Place 0/ 1 1 E l l . 39 
 
 Ibn, for it is certain, that one part of 
 it, his Body, was buried and refted in 
 the Grave moft part of the thr^e Days 
 it was bereft of Life. It remaineth? 
 therefore, that his Defcent into Hell 
 was by his Soulj which, as the Tfalm- 
 iji fpeaketh, 'was not left in HelL But 
 now the Apoftle immediately adding, 
 He that defcended is the fame alfo that 
 afcended far above all Heavens ^ that 
 he might fill all things,, miift be un- 
 derftood as fpeaking not of the Soul 
 of Chrifl defcending into Hellj for 
 that was not the fame that afcended up 
 iatoHeaven that it might £11 air things, 
 but of the eternal AoyQ., the divine 
 Subilance or EiTence in tliQfecond Hy- 
 fofafis of it ; who, in a wonderful^ 
 ineffable, inconceivable Manner, de- 
 fcended from Heaven into this lower 
 World, to take upon him our Nature. 
 Which having done, /. e. alTumed our 
 Nature, and fuffer'd in it, the fame 
 eternal hCy"^ clothed with that, went 
 up into Heaven again, that fohe might 
 fill all thmgSj viz>» with his divine 
 
 D 4 Pow-
 
 40 ^n Enquiry into the 
 
 Power and Godhead, whereby he is 
 prefent every where, and by Confe- 
 quence with us unto the end of the 
 World ; and whereby he not only fills 
 but fulfils, or perfedeth all things, (as 
 the original Word inTiporteth) beftow- 
 ing his Gifts and Graces amongfi: us, to 
 do us good, and tofupplyall ourWants, 
 ff^Ia. ^''G^'^^^^ig fi^^ Apoftles^ fome Trophets^ 
 andfome Evangel'tfts^ and fome Tajiors 
 andTeachers^ for the ferfeBmg of the 
 Saints^ for the Work of the Mm'iftryj 
 for the edifying of the Body of Qhrtft, 
 
 I have infified the rather on the Ex- 
 plication of this Text, becaufe I take 
 it to be the only one in Scripture on 
 \vhich they who fuppofe Hell to be in 
 the Entrails of the Earth do fialbin 
 themfelvcs. And therefore having 
 fliewn, that it is fo far from proving 
 what is afferted by them, that it hath 
 no relation at all to it ; I may now 
 with greater fafety affirm, that though 
 the holy Scriptures have given fome 
 general Intimations of the Situation of 
 
 Helly
 
 Nature and Place of Hell. 41 
 
 Hellj which (hall be confidered in their 
 due Places, yet have they by no means 
 pofitively deternnined where it is fixed. 
 '^ So that we have our hberty to en- 
 quire into the Nature of the thing, and 
 to examine the feveral parts of the 
 Creation ; to fee which of them agrees 
 beft with thofe general Hints and De* 
 fcriptions of it we meet with in. the 
 Word of God^ and is moft confonant 
 to the Principles of right Reafon and 
 Philofophy, by which our Opinions, 
 in Matters not revealed, are to be re- 
 gulated. 
 
 * Hifl. Eccl. Magdeburg. Cent. i. Lib. 2. Cap. 4. 
 Locum aliquem fore in quo poenis aeternis affician- 
 tur Damnati ex jam citatis fententiis apparet, &c. 
 Sed ubi Infernus feu locus Damnatorum fit futurus, 
 ut Apoftoli a Chrifto non acceperunt, ita nee Ecclc- 
 fiae tradiderunt. 
 
 Chap.
 
 42. -^/f^ E N Q u I R Y into the 
 Chap. IV. 
 
 That the Fire of Hell is not 
 
 metaphorical^ hut real. 
 
 AVING (hewn that the Scrip- 
 tures are filent as to the T^lace 
 where Hell is, and that they have not 
 determined it to be in the Bowels of 
 the Earth : Let us now enquire into 
 the Nature of the Thing, and fee whe- 
 ther that Hypothefis be confonant to 
 Reafon and Philofophy. In order to 
 which we muft once more obferve, ^ 
 that the chief Ingredient of the fenfi- 
 tive part of HeU\ Torments, as they 
 are reprefented in the Scriptures, is 
 Fire. This they have plainly made 
 the Materia of that ^oena Senfus^ or 
 Punifliment of Senfe, that doth fo ml- 
 ierably torture the Damned ; as the 
 Materia of the Tosna T>amm^ or Pun- 
 iiliment of Lofs, is the Exclufion from 
 the beatific Yifion, and all other con- 
 
 fequ^nt
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 43 
 
 fequent Glories and Happinefs of Hea- 
 'ven. And the Confcioufnefs of the 
 Eternity of both thefe, with the Hor- 
 ror and Defpair that attend it, I take 
 to be the formal part oiHell^ or that 
 which compleateth it, and maketh it, 
 what it really is, intolerable. 
 
 I know there are Ibme who have 
 rejedled this Divifion, and refolved the 
 whole into the two latter i fiippofing 
 tjie unquenchable Fire^ to be only me- 
 tafhorically fpoken, to denote that 
 grievousBurningand Anxiety ofMind, 
 which doth torment the Souls of the 
 Wicked, for the Sins they have com- 
 mitted in this Life, and becaufe they 
 are excluded from God\ Prefence. ^^ ^ ^^ 
 Thus St. Auflm telleth us of fome that Civ. ^ti 
 thought fo in his Days ; and fo Cal- "* * ' 
 vin^ and fome of iiis Adherents, have^ifj'^V" 
 taught of late : But certainly I fhould 
 think that to multiply Figures in the 
 divine Writings , and to allegorize 
 away the Text when there is no necef- 
 fity for it, is unreafonable. If that late 
 
 Repcn-
 
 44 -^;^ E N Q u I R Y into the 
 
 Repentance and Dolor of Mind be faf- 
 ficiently exprefsM by the Worm that 
 dieth not^ to what End is the Addi- 
 tion of Fire unquenchable^ and Hell 
 Fire made, if not to deno:;e fomething 
 different from the other ? 
 
 Whosoever narrowly obferveth 
 the repeated Defcriptionof i7^//in St. 
 Mark 9. will find, that they will be 
 put to a very great Plunge, to make 
 tolerable Senfe of the whole, who thus 
 expound that particular of it. For if 
 we take it out of the Metaphor in 
 which they are pleafed to clothe it, 
 and put it into plain Language, it will 
 .?;. Mark be found to fpeak thus, It is better 
 ^' ^^ ^''to enter into Life maimed^ than hav- 
 ing two Hands^ to go into the eternal 
 Puniiliment of the Wicked ; into Vex- 
 ation of Mind that ihall never ceafe, 
 where their Vv^xation of Mind never 
 ceafeth. Now how forced and unna- 
 tural is this, and what a manifeft Tati- 
 tology doth it infer ? Whereas the o- 
 ther Interpretation, which fuppofeth 
 
 the
 
 Nature and Place o/' H e l l. 45 
 
 the word Gehenna not to denote the 
 Punifhment it felf, (which by a Meto- 
 iiymie it is true it may,) but the Tlace 
 of Punifliment, ( and the Particle 
 07r« ijuhere hath a dire6l relation to it 
 as fuch) and eternal Fire the Nature 
 and Quality of that Place, (as in the 
 laft Inftance it is plain it doth, where 
 it is called X^kwct tS 'zruep^, the Hell of 
 Fire) then the Senfe is plain, and the 
 Text eafie and familiar ; then we have 
 but one Repetition m each of the two 
 former Inftances, (which may well be 
 fuppofed to be ob major em Terr or em) 
 and none in the laft, which yet mufl: 
 be judged to fpeak the whole Senfe and 
 Importance of the other. 
 
 But befides the Indecency of the 
 Tautology^ that which maketh it more 
 unpardonable is, that there is no ne- 
 ceflity at all for it ; the literal Con- 
 ftruction being far more confonant to 
 other Scriptures, to Reafon, and to 
 the Authorities both of modern and 
 ancient Do6lors of the Church. 
 
 I. 'Tis
 
 4^ u4n Enquiry into the 
 
 I. -'TIS more confonant to other 
 Scriptures. There are two or three 
 Texts whereby the reality o^ Hell Fire 
 (as I take it) is peculiarly aflerted, be- 
 caufe the metaphorical Acceptation 
 cannot, without great violence to the 
 Nature and Defign of their Contexts, 
 pollibly take place. Our blefled Savi- 
 our put forth a Parable to the Multi- 
 
 st. Mat. tudes, concerning good Seed fown by 
 
 ^2* the Owner of the Ground^ and of Tares 
 fown by the Enemy^ as alfo of the 
 
 y^ 24. Harveft and Reapers, And when his 
 Difciples pray'd him to declare unto 
 them the Parable, he expounded it in 
 
 v.sjj&cthefe Words, He that f owe th the good 
 Seed is the Son of Man / the Field is 
 the World^ the good Seed are the ChiU 
 dren of the Kingdom ; but the Tares 
 are the Children of the Wicked one : 
 The Enemy that fowed them is the IDe- 
 'vil ; The Harveft is the end of the 
 World^ and the Reapers are the An- 
 gels, As therefore the Tares are ga- 
 thered and burnt in the Fire,, fojhall 
 
 it
 
 Nature and Place of Hell. 47 
 
 it be in the end of the [For Id ; the Son 
 of Man jhall fend forth his Angels^ 
 and they jhall gather out of his King- 
 dom all things that offend^ and theffi 
 iz'hich do Iniquity^ and Jhall caft them 
 into a Furnace of Fire ; there Jhall be 
 Wailing and gnajhing of Teeth, Now 
 when Parables, by reafbn of their Dark- 
 nefs, are expounded, that they may 
 be underftood, the Expofition furely 
 fliould be in plain and proper Speech ; 
 left a dark and doubtful Expofition 
 breed a farther Confufion in the Minds 
 of the Hearers than the Parable it felf. 
 The Fire therefore, into which the 
 Wicked fhall be caft, muft be no para- 
 bolical Allufion, becaufe by it the Ob- 
 fcurity of the Parable is unfolded ; and 
 we may as well fuppofe, that the An^ 
 gels and the End of the IVorld^ and e- 
 very other part of the Expofition is 
 allegorical as that. 
 
 And this, I think, is very manifeft 
 from what followeth : For when our 
 Lord had repeated the fame Expofition 
 
 on
 
 4-8 ^;^ E N Q u I R Y into the 
 
 on the occafion of the Net caji into 
 the Sea^ viz. fo Jhall it be in the end 
 of the World, The Angels Jhall come 
 forth J, and fever the Wicked from a- 
 mong the Juf^ and Jhall caJi them in- 
 to the Furnace of Fire s he faid unto 
 his T>ifciples^ underjiand ye all thefe 
 things ? And they faid unto him^ yea 
 ""' 5^* Lord, The Parable it felf, 'tis plain, 
 they underftood not, becaufe they ask- 
 ed him to declare it to them ; but all 
 and every part of the Expofition they 
 underftood, i. e. They prefently con- 
 ceived his Meaning by the Perfpicuity 
 and Propriety of his Words, as indeed 
 every good Chriftian may at the very 
 firit hearing of them. 
 
 Again, our blefled Saviour defcri- 
 bing the great and terrible Day of 
 Judgment, telleth us, he will then pafs 
 this final Sentence upon the Wicked, 
 Mat. 25. ^e^ art from me^ye cnrfedj, into ever- 
 lajling Fire J p-epared for the 'Devil 
 and his Angels, Now the Sentence 
 of a Judge cannot well be fuppofed to 
 
 be
 
 Natun and Tlace of Hell. 49 
 
 be wrapt up and delivered in Figures 
 and Parables, efpccially at that time 
 when Allegories muft ceafe, and all 
 dark and obrcure, both Things and 
 Words too, muft be laid open and 
 brought to Light. The End or Ufe 
 of Parables, or allegorical Similitudes, 
 our Saviour fliewed to his Difciples, 
 ^'/^. T/jat feekig they might fee^ and'^^' ■'^'^"^ 
 7iot perceive J and hearing they might 
 hear^ and not underjiand: And there- 
 fore 'ujhen they ivere alone he expound-'"' ^^' 
 ed all things to his 'Difciples^ becaufe 
 to them it iju as given to know the Myf-v> \ii 
 teries of the Kingdom of God, The 
 Ule then of Parables or Allegories (for 
 they arc both one) is to hide the Mea- 
 ning of the Speaker, and to darken the 
 Underftanding of the Hearer : But the 
 laft Judgment of Chrift is to a quite 
 contrary End, viz. That the whole 
 World may not only hear it with their 
 Ears, but underftand it too witli their 
 Hearts, and fee it executed with their 
 Eyes. It is evident therefore, that the 
 general and final Sentence, by which 
 
 B the
 
 50 An Enquiry into the 
 
 the Wicked ihall be adjudged to ever- 
 lafting /7>f,mull: have in it no Figures 
 or Allegories J but plain and proper 
 Speech only ; becaufe the Guilty muft 
 perceive thereby what is their Doom ; 
 the Angels^ v^ho are the Minifters of 
 that Judgment, muft know what they 
 are immediately to execute ; and the 
 Elect, who fliall concur with Chrift in 
 Judgment, muft difcern what they are 
 to approve of. 
 
 Besides thefe felf- evident Texts, 
 there are others no lefs plain and clear, 
 Rev. 20. as thofe of the Apcaly^fe ; Whofoever 
 *'>• was 7iot found written In the Book of 
 Life was cafi into the Lake of Fire, 
 c. 21. 8. And again. But the fearful and un- 
 believing^ and the abominable^and Mur- 
 therers^ and Whoremongers^ and Sor- 
 cerers^ and Idolaters J and all Lyars^ 
 j})all have their fart in the Lake that 
 burneth with Fire and Brimflone, 
 Thefe and other places of Scripture are 
 exprefs and emphatical. Nor, 
 
 2. Doth
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 51 
 
 2. Doth Reafon, as is pretended^ 
 in the leaft contradift the literal Con- 
 ftru£lion of them. For, to fet down 
 the whole Hypothefis, as briefly as 
 may be ; Can it be thought irrational 
 ''to afTert the Immortality of the Soul, 
 or the Exiftence and Operation of it 
 after its feparation from the Body ? 
 That though it be of a fpiritual Na- 
 ture, yet is it then really in a Place, if 
 not circumfcribed by it, as Bodies are, 
 yet at leaft determined thereunto, and 
 thereby rendered dilfant from other 
 Places ; fo that we may rightly fay, it 
 is actually prefent there, and not eife- 
 where. And as it is in fome Tlace^ fo 
 mufl: it be fuppof:d to operate, to un- 
 derftand, and to will, and to be fub- 
 ject to the Affections of Joy and Sor- 
 row, and by Coiifcquence to be in a 
 State of Happincfs or Mifery. If it 
 hath demeaned it felf righccoufly and 
 well in this Life, it is by the Mercy of 
 God difpofed of to a 'P/ace of Peace 
 and Pvcft : But if unrightcoufly and ill, 
 1^ 2 it
 
 52. An E N CLU I R Y into the 
 
 it is, by his Juilice, condemned to a 
 'P/ace of Pain and Sorrow. And there- 
 fore, as there are two different Kinds 
 of Men here ; fo are there two different 
 Places for the Societies of Souls after 
 Death, one for the Jiift, the other 
 for the Unjuft. And as the Place m 
 which the Souls of the Jufc are happy 
 is Heaven ; fo the Place where the Souls 
 of the Wicked are tormented is Hell. 
 In a word, as the Soul is thus happy 
 or miferable after this Life ; fo the Bo- 
 dy, at the laft Day, will be raifed and 
 reunited to it, and partake of its Blifs 
 or Torments ; fo that every individual 
 Per fon fliall either in his Flefh fee God 
 fliining in his glorious Majedy on his 
 Throne in Heaven j or have his Por- 
 tion (both Soul and Body) with the 
 T^evil in Hell^ the Lake that burn- 
 eth tji'tth Fire and Brimfione for e- 
 vermore. 
 
 Now what is there in all tliis irra- 
 tional or falfe, though taken in the 
 plaineft, and moll literal Conffrudion 
 
 of
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell, ^} 
 
 of it ? I am fure, thus it hath been un- 
 derftood, by great and orthodox Wri- 
 ters, if not, generally, by the whole 
 Church of God. 
 
 Amongst modern Divines, thole 
 of our own Church whom I fliall pro- 
 ducCj fliall be Dr. B arrow j Dr. Ham- 
 mond^ and Bifliop Bilfon ; all great 
 Lights and Ornaments of it, and they 
 exprefly declare the Do£lriae I con- 
 tend for. 
 
 Dr. Barrow upon the Creed, where ^'^'g^' 'J." 
 therefore he profeiTedly treateth on 
 what we are to believe, in the Article 
 o^ Life everlafiing^ givcth us his Senfe 
 of the Point in this Manner. /;/ the 
 State ofeverlafttng T>eathj, our Bodies 
 Jhall be afflitied continually^ by afuL 
 phurcous Flame^ not only fcorching the 
 Skin J but piercing the inmofi Sinews ; 
 and our Souls (hallincejfantly be gnaw- 
 ed upon by a Worm (the JVorm of bit- 
 ter Remorfe, for our wretched Ter- 
 verfenefs and Folly ^ the Worm of hor- 
 E 3 rid
 
 54 -^^ ^ N Q>u I R Y into the 
 
 rid T[)efpairj ever to get out of that 
 fad Efiate) tinder which inexpreffible 
 Vexations^ always enduring Tangs of 
 T)eathj always in Senfe^ and in T^e- 
 fire dyings we Jhall never be able to 
 dye. Now if the Bodies of the Damned 
 jQiall be afflicfed continually by a ful- 
 phureous Flame, (and what Flame, I 
 befeech you, is that, if not a corporeal 
 one ? ) as well as their Souls be gnaw'^d 
 upon by the JVorm of bitter Remorfej 
 and horrid T>efpair ; if the Damned 
 fliall be always dyings as well in Senfe 
 \s T)efire^ it is evident that the Flame 
 muft be dillin^l: from the Worm ; the 
 Flame by which the Body fliall be tor- 
 tured, and be continually dying in 
 Senfe, from the Worm by which the 
 Soul is gnaw'd upon, and continually 
 dying in Dz{'\\:q: Unlefs we will con- 
 found Senfe and Defire, and make the 
 Soul and the Body one and the fame 
 thing. 
 
 Hatnnjmd Dr. Hammond on the forementioned 
 ^"^^•'^^'^'- Sentence oiChn9i^T>e_part from me^ye 
 
 cur-
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. ^$ 
 
 curfed^ into everlafl'tng Fire^ prepared 
 for the T>evil and his Angels^ thus 
 paraphrafeth. Ton are an accurfed 
 Number of Men , adjudged to the 
 eternal He 11^ '-johich '■jjas not original- 
 ly created or defigned for you^ or any 
 of Mankind^ but for the Trince of the 
 T>evils^ and thofe Angels that finned^ 
 and fell '-.mth him ; but no^ju by your 
 'wilful T)efaults is become your Tor- 
 tion alfo. Now, which is more proper 
 to fay, that the Regret and Angaifh of 
 Mind, to which the Wicked will be 
 condemned, was made or prepared for 
 the Devil and his Angels ; (which, I 
 think, cannot be affirmed at all) or 
 that the Eternal Fire of Hell^ which 
 was made, or prepared for the Devil 
 and his Angels, is by the wilful Defaults 
 of wicked Men adjudged to be their 
 Portion alfo ? The latter, I am fure, is 
 much more confonant to what he elfe- 
 where delivcrcth, viz. That "juhofoe- 
 ver died not conjiant in the Faith ^ he 
 rjijas cafl out into eternal Fire y for fo 
 he expoundeth the Lake of Fire mQii- 
 tioned, 7?rx;. 20. 25. E4 The
 
 ^6 An Enquiry into the 
 
 The zealous Bifliop B'llfon was, in 
 his time, very copious upon this Sub- 
 jed. And, indeed, as Dr. Heylin^ in 
 his Introdudion to the Hiilory of the 
 Life and Death of Archbifliop Laud^ 
 obferved, he amalTed together, in his 
 Survey ofChrift^s Sufferings ^ what- 
 foever the Fathers, Greek and LatiUy 
 or any of the ancient Writers, have af- 
 firmed of the local Defcent of Chrifi 
 into Hell^ with all the Points and 
 Branches which depend upon it. One 
 oF which is the Truth and Reahty of 
 Hell-Fire, Concerning which, to his 
 mf.n's Opponent loofely, interrogating whe- 
 |lf[^'[^^y °^ther there be not true Brimftone as 
 Suflfer ^vell as true Ftrz in Hell, he returneth 
 ^nss,p.47.|^ this Manner. " Touching Brim- 
 " ftone, you may jell: at St. "^ohn if 
 " you lift, who faith of the Wicked, 
 Apoc. 14. tc J"hey jhall be tormented in Fire and 
 " Brimftone y and likewife of the De- 
 Cap. 20. " vil, that he was caft into a Lake of 
 \o. « Fire and Brimftone : Or, if you 
 " pleafe, you may oppofe God him- 
 
 '' felfj
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 57 
 
 " felf, and ask whether material Brim- 
 <' ftone were mixed with the Fire 
 *' which he rained on Sodom and Go- 
 " morrahj and why he poured them 
 *' both on the Heads of thofe Wicked 
 *' ones, as if Fire alone were not fuf- 
 " ficient to deftroy them who are fet 
 " forth for an Enfample Qoy^ fitfferingE^. Jud. 
 *' the Vengeance of eternal Fire ? But 
 " howfoever you prefume to alter or 
 '' new frame the Judgments of Go^af- 
 " ter your Fancies, when I read that 
 " God rained Fire and Brimftone iip-2l^.' ^^' 
 " on Sodom J and the Cities adjoining, 
 " and i^tll rain Fire and Brimftone V{. u. 6, 
 " ti-^on the Wicked^ I dare not allego- 
 " rize either of them ; becaufe I reve- 
 *' rence the Word of God^ which is 
 '■'• his Will, and by no means diftruft 
 *• his Power. For if God will have 
 " Brimftone mixed with Hell-Fire to 
 " make it burn not only the darker 
 <' and fliarper, but alfo the loathfomer, 
 ^' and fo to grieve the Sight, Smell, 
 " and Tafteofthe Wicked, which have 
 ** here furfeitcd with fo many vain 
 
 " Pica--
 
 jS An Enquiry into the 
 
 *^ Pleafures, what have you, or any 
 " Man living, to fay againft it ? Yea, 
 rather, why teach you not Men to 
 tremble at the Terror of God's Judg- 
 ments, who can and will fo fully pu- 
 " nifli all the Powers and Parts of Bo- 
 " dy and Soul, with one and the fame 
 " Fire in Hell ? 
 
 And for Confirmation of the Do- 
 ftrine of true, fubilantial, external Fire 
 in Hell J he fetteth down the Opinions 
 of feveral later Writers, not inferior in 
 true Religion and Learning to any of 
 his time, viz. (a ) Teter Martyr :, 
 (b) Munfier^ (c) Bullingerj (d) Glial- 
 ter^ fej Mttfctilus and Zanchius. It 
 v/ill be too tedious to give you the 
 Words of all thefe, I (hall only refer 
 you to them in the Margin, and fpecify 
 in the laft their Senfe of the Point being 
 
 (a) Pet. Mart in 2 Cap. 2. L. Reg. 
 \h) Munfter Annotat. in 30. Efa. 
 (t) Bulling- Homil. 90 in Efa. 30. 
 \d) Gu'iUc^r Homil. 16?. in Efa. 30. 
 (e) Mulcul. in Mat. c. 25. 
 
 much
 
 Nature and Tlace 0/ Hell. 59 
 
 much to the fame Purpofe with his. 
 And he very foberly and learnedly exa- 
 mining this Queftion, refolveth it in 
 this fort, ffj " It is certain the De-C/) z^n- 
 " vils and all the Wicked fliall be in ope'Jibus 
 *^ everlafting Fire, and therein tormen- ^^jjjP-'^* 
 " ted. Chrift plainly profelTeth he willc. 19- 
 " fay to the Wicked, T)epart into e- 
 " verlafting Fire^ prepared for the 
 " T)evil and bis Angels, What man- 
 " ner of Fire it fhall be, I difpute not, 
 " becaufe the Scripture doth not ex- 
 " prefs it. But this is without Quef- 
 " tion, that not only the Souls of the 
 ^' Wicked, but alfo their Bodies fliall 
 " fuffer Torment from this Fire : And 
 " therefore the Fire muft be fuch as 
 " may work upon their Bodies, and 
 " inflid on them a fir greater Pain 
 " than our Fire doth im prefs on us. 
 " What QuaUty foever it lliall be of; 
 " it feemeth it flnall be altogether a 
 " corporeal Creature, which may ope- 
 " rate upon Bodies, and torment them. 
 " Which being fo, it is maniftd:, the 
 " Devil fliall fuffer Pain and Torment 
 
 " from
 
 ^O -«4;^ E N Q u I R Y into the 
 
 " from a corporeal Thing, I mean 
 
 " from this Fire^ and that ever- 
 
 " laftingly : Therefore it is called e- 
 
 " ternal and unquenchable Fire." And 
 
 asking the Qtieftion, how it is pofTible 
 
 that fpiritual Subftances fliould fuffer 
 
 Idem in ^^"°^ corporeal, he anfwereth, " We 
 
 I. Cap. 2>' have an Example in our felves, in 
 
 Th'efT. " whom the Soul fufFereth many things 
 
 Thef 4. " ^^ °"^ ^^^^ Body by her. Conjunftion 
 
 " with it. Again, what can refill: the 
 
 " Power and Will of God ? Let this 
 
 " Doubt therefore depart from the 
 
 !' Minds of the Faithful. 
 
 To thefe that he hath brought I 
 
 fhall only add the Opinion of thofe 
 
 learned Divines who compiled the 
 
 Magdekirgian Hiftory \ and they not 
 
 only exprefly declared, as v/as before 
 
 faid, for the Locality of Hell^ but a- 
 
 mongfi: the Punifliments which the 
 
 Wicked fliall fuifer in that place of 
 
 Torments, they reckon eternal Fire 
 
 ^'fg^^'^^'for one ; which, fay they. It is to be 
 
 Cer.t. I . believed iz!ill be not only J^iritualj but 
 
 c. 5. ' cor^
 
 Nature and Tlace 0/ H e l l. 6 i 
 
 corporeal^ fince Chrtft is pleafed fo of- 
 ten to [peak in that Mariner, 
 
 Nor have the ancient Fathers of 
 the Church been lefs forward to up- 
 hold and maintain the fame Do£lrine. 
 The learned Bifliop, but now cited, 
 produceth many of them in Confirma- 
 tion of it. I think it may not be amifs 
 to lay down the Sentiments of fome 
 of them, with others of my own Ob- 
 fervationj that the Chriftian Reader, 
 being throughly fatisfied of the Truth 
 of it, may the better difpofe himfelf to 
 receive what I have to offer in Confe- 
 quence of it. 
 
 Juflin Martyr^ in his firft Apology ]ijj^\".j. 
 
 for the Chriftians, faith, the Devils lliall pii>^'^ 
 
 fuffer PuniHiment and Vengeance^ cf ^ 
 
 al'jmoo ijjxj^ \yY.7.cikskviii (by) being en- 
 
 clofcd or iliut up in everlaiting Fire. 
 
 And Tolycarp the Martyr anfwered the 
 
 Pro-conllil, tlircatnins to confumc him Euf-h. 
 
 . , T-- - ' ^ ^ « -' Ecci.Hift. 
 
 Wltll rU'C, -uTup) avraAa? td -nr^s wfi^'^'Lih. 4. 
 
 voeii
 
 6l ^^ E N Q u I R Y wto the 
 
 y.o?^.ct3'€(t)i Ton ctaepeai TyipufJUvov 'zrup. 
 
 Thou threatncft me:, faith he, iJinth 
 Fire that biirneth for an hotiVj, andj 
 after a little tinier, is quenched ; but 
 thou knoisjeft not the Judgment to 
 come J and the Fire ixjhich is kept in 
 fi ore for the eternal Tunijhment of the 
 Wicked. 
 
 St. Cyprian^ or whoever elfe was the 
 OMtio <5e Author of the Oration de Afcenfione 
 ChrhH. Chriftlj faith, Vivent Incendia^, ^ in- 
 con fumPtibiles Flamma nudum Corpus 
 alLrmbent : That thofe Fires jh all live„ 
 and the unconfuming Flames fljall lick 
 the naked Body. And again, Inter far- 
 tagines flammeas miferabilia Corpora 
 cremabuntur : The miferable Bodies of 
 the T)am7ied Jhall fry and burn in 
 thofe Flames. 
 
 ^ ,, TertuUiaUj never efteemed hetero- 
 
 Tertull. ^ , 1 • • 
 
 Apoicg. dox by the Church for this, in one part 
 of his Apologetick:, defineth the Tarta- 
 rus or Hell.^ wherein the Souls of the 
 
 Wick-
 
 Nature and Tlace (/Hell. 6 j 
 
 Wicked are tortured, to be infernarum 
 Teen arum Career^ the Tr'ifon ofinfer- 
 fial Tnnijhments. And in another, he 
 faith, that the Gehenna is, Igfiis ar- 
 cam fubterraneus ad Twnam Thefau- 
 rus 3 a fubterraneous Treafury of fe- 
 cret Fire for the ^nmjhment of the 
 Wicked. And he addeh, " As Philofo- 
 " phers know the difference between 
 " the fecret and common Fire \ fo that 
 " Fire is of one kind which we make 
 '' ufe of, and that of another which 
 " ferveth the Judgment of God^ whe- 
 " ther it pierce or ftrike through the 
 " Clouds of Heaven in Thunder, or 
 " break out of the Earth through the 
 " tops of Mountains."" And wherein 
 the difference lieth, he flieweth im- 
 mediately ; " For this, faith he, doth 
 " not confume what it burneth, but 
 " repaircth what it preyeth upon ; fo 
 '' that the Mountains remain whicli 
 '' always burn, and he that is ffruck 
 " with Fire from Heaven is not to be 
 '* reduced to Allies by other Fire : 
 .\ And this may be a Tclf imony of the 
 
 " eternal
 
 64 An Enquiry into the 
 
 " eternal Fire, this an Example of that 
 " Fire which continually nourifheth 
 " and preierveththofe that are punilli- 
 " ed in it. The Mountains burn and 
 " endure, and why not alfo the Guilty 
 " and Enemies of God " ? He never 
 dreamt of a mere metapliorical Fire, 
 which needed no fuch lUuftration or 
 Similitude to Hiew the poilibility of it. 
 
 And as the Do6lrine of a local Hell^ 
 and true Fire in it, was never reckon''d 
 amongft the erroneous and heterodox 
 Opinions of Tertulltan ; fo the con- 
 trary Conceit hath been efteemed as 
 fuch by Catholick Writers in Origen» 
 
 Hieron. gj-^ Jerom directing Av'ttus what he 
 turn, quid fliou Id beware of in Origen's Books, 
 iit cavcn i-^'j-l^^ ^dds deteflenda tlbi ej[e quam- 
 
 Libris plttr'tma^ i^ juxta fermonem 'Do^ntnij 
 Sv- ^" ^^^^^^ ScorpioneSj ^ Coliibres tnceden^ 
 dum. This know J that there are very 
 many things "whkh thoti art to deteft ; 
 and J as God/peaketh^ thoti miift walk 
 amongji Scorpons and Ser^ejits. And 
 
 repeat-
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 6$ 
 
 repeating divers Errors, he mentionctll 
 this for one of thofe things he was to 
 beware of and deteft, Ignes quoqiieGe- 
 henuie & Torment a y qua Scriptura 
 fanffa Teccatoribtts comminatiir ^ nort' 
 fonlt in fnpplicns fed in Conjcientid 
 Teccatorum^ quando ^ei Virtute iS 
 *Potentidj omnis Memoria T>eli5i0' 
 rum ante oculos nojiros ponitiiVj ac 
 prateritas VoluptateSj Mens intuens^ 
 Confcientia funitur Ardore^ ^ Toeni- 
 tiidinis ftimuUs confodituVj, i e, " The 
 " Fire of Hell alfo, and the Torments 
 " which the holy Scripture threatneth 
 " unto Sinners, he f-oiz. Origen) pla- 
 " ces not amongft external Punifh- 
 " ments, but v/ithin the Confcience of 
 ^' Sinners ; when, by the Virtue and 
 " Power of God^ the Remembrance of 
 " all our Sins are let before our Eyesj 
 *' and the Mind beholding her Piea- 
 t' fures paft is punifliM with the Fir^ 
 *' of Confcience J and pierced with the 
 '' flings of Griefand Repentance'\ This 
 Error St. Jerom more fully exprefleth, 
 and more feverely rcprimandcth in his 
 F Com-*
 
 66 An Enquiry into the 
 
 Commentaries on theEpidle to the^*- 
 ;phefLans\ whofe Words, tho^ they be 
 many, I iliall fet down, as they are in 
 the Lathi^ becaufe they give Light to 
 the former Teilimony. 
 
 Hieron. ^I'ltz fiuit pkripie , qtit diciint non 
 
 ^'E.^i'^.'S^ pitttrd pro Tec cat IS ejfe fupplicia^ nee 
 
 tphef. extr'tnfecHs adh'tbenda Tormcnta ; fed 
 
 ipfitfn Teccatum ^ Confiienttam T^e- 
 
 I'lBi e(fe fro Tcend^ dum Vermis in Cor- 
 
 , de non morittir^ ^ in Animo Ignis ac' 
 
 cenditiir-^ infimilitndinem Febris^ qua 
 
 non torquet extrinfccus agrotantenij 
 
 fed Corpus ipfci corripienSj punit fne 
 
 Cruciatunm forinfecus Adhihitioue. 
 
 Has itaqiie Terfuafiones ^ T)ecipulas 
 
 fraudulent as J Verba inania appellavit 
 
 ^ vacua., qu£ videntur blandiri pec^ 
 
 cantibuSj fed niagts eosferent ad £ter^ 
 
 iia fuppliciaj i. e, "Becaufe there are 
 
 " many that fay, there fliall be no ex. 
 
 " ternal Puniriiments for ,Sin, nor Tor- 
 
 " ments outwardly inflicted, but that 
 
 " Sin it felf, and the Confcience there- 
 
 " or is inllead of a Punifhment, whilft 
 
 " the
 
 Nature and Tlace of IIell, 6 J 
 
 " the JVorm in the Heart dieth not^ 
 " and a Fire is kindled in the Soul ; 
 " after the manner or likenefs of a Fe- 
 " ver, which doth not outwardly tor« 
 " ment the Sick, but feizing the Body 
 *' vexeth it without any foreign inflidl- 
 " ing of Pain : Thefe Perfuafions and 
 *' deceitful Devices the Apoftle calleth 
 " vain or empty Words, becaufe they 
 " feem to flatter, but Ao indeed deceive 
 " Sinners, and pufli them on towards 
 " eternal Torments. He 11- Fire ^hy this 
 Refolution of St. Jerom^ is a Punifh- 
 ment out'ouardly inflicted on the Dam- 
 ned, and not an iwjvard Fire or Pain 
 kindled in the Mind, and poflefling the 
 Soul or Body as a Fever doth, which 
 is an inward Grievance, but no exter- 
 nal Violence : And the contrary Opi- 
 nion, that a fpiritual Fire in the Mind 
 is the only Hell Fire, is here condem- 
 ned in Origeuj and others, as a deceit- 
 ful and detefliable Error, haliening Men 
 to eternal Punilhment. 
 
 The fame Dodlrinc oUrue Fire in 
 Hell ilill continued m the Church of 
 V 2 Chrijl
 
 6% An E N Q_u I R Y into the 
 
 Profper Qhrift : Tvofper fau^, To he caft into 
 conte-n- everU fling Fire with the T)evil and 
 plat iva, JjI^ Anzeis; to fee no Liolot in that Fire^ 
 
 Lib. 3' Ci ■' J Ci 7 
 
 Cap, 12. hut to feel that it hurneth ; ro Jli-fer 
 the terrible Cracks of that flaming 
 Fire ; to have their Ry^s hlinded sjith 
 the bitter Smoke of that fumingGulph j, 
 and to he drowned in the deep Lake of 
 Hell ; to think on thefe things^ and 
 many fitch like^ is a fiire way to re- 
 nounce all Vice^ and refrain from all 
 MoSiium ^^^^^^^^s^^t^ of the Flefh. So Gregory :• 
 Lib. 9. Thofe whom the Flame of Hell devour - 
 ^^' ^ ' eth^ it blindeth from feeing the true 
 Light ^ that the ^ain of Burning may 
 outwardly torment them^ and Tuniflo- 
 ment of Blindncfs inwardly henight 
 them; that as they finned againfl their 
 Maker with Mind and Body^ fo they 
 may be puntfl}ed both in Soul and Body, 
 Sf . Ber- Thus St. Bernard : Fear jhall amaze 
 nard de ^^^^ when thou floalt fall into the Lake 
 Domo. of burning fl inking Brimflone y I'lre 
 Cap. 38' jjr)all outwardly burn thy F lefty ^ and a 
 IVorm fhall inwardly gnaw thy Con- 
 
 fcience.
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell, 6g 
 
 fcience. So JJidore : There is a donble^^^^^^^^^ 
 Tunijhment of the T>amned m Hell : Bono. 
 Their Minds burn v:ith Sorro'-JL)^ andY^' ^' 
 their Bodies 'j;jith Fire and Flame ^ hy 
 ajiift Retaliation ; that^ as they deba- 
 ted luvith their Minds what they might 
 do with their Bodies^ fo they Jhould 
 he punijhed both in Soul and Body. So 
 venerable Bede : By the Worm ChriJi^^^^yVih. 
 noteth the over late Repentance ofSit^ \, slnaf* 
 which /ball never ceafe to bite the Con. ^^'^'^^* 
 fcience of the IDamned in their Tor- 
 ments ; as by Fire the burning of He 11^ 
 that the Fire might be a Torment out- 
 wardly raging^ and the Worm a Grief 
 inwardly accujing. And, 
 
 St. Auftin^ (to name no more inAugufl. 
 Confii'mation of this Point) '^'^'^■^Q^\^^^f^u\,. 
 thus, Jam enim fuperiiis difpntavi^'^i'^-^' 
 fojfe Anirnalia etiam in Ignibus Vi- 
 vere^ ^c. " I have before difputed, 
 " that Animals may live even in Fire, 
 " in Burning without being confu- 
 " med, in Pain without Diflblution, 
 J' by the miraculous Appointment of 
 F 3 " oui-
 
 yo An E N Q_u I R Y into the 
 
 *' our Almighty Creator. And he who 
 " denieth that this is poffible with 
 " him, knoweth not who it is that 
 " doth every thing that is wonderful 
 " in all Natures. 
 
 * ExpW' ^^H Y then muft thefe Truths be ex- 
 dendae plodcd as grofs ^ Im:iginations, fince 
 fse hujuf" they aredelivered in the Scriptures, and 
 modi I- ^ received by the Church o^God? Let 
 ones, cum US not he wiier than Wildom it felfj 
 pfophe^- but beware how we cenfure fuch great 
 tarn loquiand good Men as inept, ridiculous and 
 mus. cai-iophilhcal : Let us not ipu'itualize a- 
 vininEfa. ^^y the fubftautial Flames o{ Hell^ 
 
 30. v ult. -^ ^ , . , . 
 
 and refine them mto nothing. What , 
 though we cannot difcern the Man-> 
 ner how material Fire may be of eter^ 
 nal Duration, will we thence directly 
 conclude it is impolTible to be lb ? 'Tis 
 true, no material or phyfical Thing is 
 naturally capable of immaterial or hy- 
 per -phyfical Properties ; but what 
 then ? Will we confine the infinite 
 Power of God to the fcanty Laws of 
 Nature, or to the more fcanty Meafures 
 ■' • of
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. /I 
 
 of our lliallow Underftandings ? Will 
 we deny a poilibility of Continuation 
 to that by the Breath of his Mouth, 
 which by his Word he created ? Be- 
 fides, to fay that no material or corpo- 
 real Being is in any refped capable of 
 Eternity, is manifeftly falie ; for the Bo- 
 dies of Men, after they are raifed a- 
 gain, and re-united to their Souls, fliall 
 endure for ever. And why not then 
 thofe Flames wherein many of them 
 fliall be tormented ? How is any one 
 fure that corporeal Fire hath no Power 
 to aited or ad upon a Spirit, and that 
 therefore fmce the fame Fire of He// is 
 prepared for the Devils, as well as wic- 
 ked Men, under the Image of that fome 
 fpiritual Punifliment mud: be deci- 
 phered ? I am fure St. Jfijiin beftow- 
 eth a whole Chapter upon proving 
 the contrary. 
 
 ^t. A\ 
 
 " Why, faith he, may not the Pu- ^ 
 " nifliment of corporeal Fire afflicl e-dcCi"?* 
 *' ven incorporeal Spirits, after a true, ^^'- Jx'^'^^ 
 ^^ though wonderful Manner ? If the k. 
 V ^ tt Spirits
 
 ^X An Enquiry into the 
 
 ^' spirits or Souls of Men, which are 
 " alfo tru! V incorporeal, may both now 
 ^' be included in corporeal Members, 
 " and then, i. e. after this Life be in- 
 ■' diflb!ubly united to, or join'd M-ith 
 " the Bands of their Bodies ; then the 
 ^' Spirits of Devils, nay though the 
 *' Devils be all Spirit, and perfectly 
 " without Bodies, may be tortured by 
 " corporeal Fires, which may adhere 
 " to them, although they have no Bo- 
 '^ dies. Not that the Fires which ad- 
 " here to them will, by that Adhefion, 
 *' make them living Creatures, con» 
 " filling of a Body and a Spirit ; (as 
 " in the Cafe of a Spirit's Union with 
 " a Body to make a Man) bat, as I 
 " laid, by adhering to them after a 
 *' wonderfQl and ineffable Manner, 
 ^[ they, f . e. the Spirirs, receive their 
 " Fuairnmeat from them, yet do not 
 " thefe give Life to them. And this is 
 " rationally inferred, becaufs that o- 
 " ther mode or way of the Spirit's or 
 f Soul's Union with the Body is al- 
 - together as marvelous ; nor can a 
 
 " Mail
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell, 7 j 
 
 " Man comprehend this very thing, 
 ^' that he is a Man. 
 
 The Argument for the poflibih'ty 
 of the Thing is demonftrative ; for if 
 Spirit and Matter may be joined here, 
 fo that Spirit may be affe^led with mere 
 Matter, and Matter may ad upon mere 
 Spirit ; what hindreth but that it may 
 be fo hereafter ? 
 
 He concludeth therefore, at the end 
 of that Chapter, and I with hiin and 
 all the other fore-msntioned Fathers 
 and Doctors of the Church, that He//^ 
 which is called a Lake of Fire in die 
 holy Scriptures, is a true, real, corpo-r 
 real Fire ; and that it doth torture the 
 Bodies of tlie Damaed, both thole of 
 Men aad of Devils, folid ones of Men, 
 and aerial ones of Devils, which he laith 
 before, fome learned Men fuppofed 
 them to have ; or it may be, iaith he, 
 only the Bodies of Men with their Spi- 
 rits ; and the D.:vi!s, i:' thjy are Spi- 
 rits without Bodies, receive their ?u- 
 
 liilhment
 
 74- -^^ Enquiry into the 
 
 nidiment from the corporeal Fires, by 
 Adhefion to them, Vnusqn'ip^e tttrif- 
 que Ignis^ Jicut Veritas dixit ; for 
 there is but one Fire for both^ as the 
 Truth hath faid. 
 
 Chap.
 
 Nature and Tlace 0/ H E l l. 75 
 Chap. V. 
 
 n^he Im-^robahility of Hell Fires 
 being in^ or about the Center 
 of the Earth. 
 
 HELL being fiippofed a Lake of 
 real corporeal Fire^ as it is de- 
 fcribed in the Scriptures, and concluded 
 to be by the beft and molt orthodox 
 Writers in the Catholick Church of 
 Chrift ; I have two or three Things to 
 objedl againft the Opinion that it is in 
 the Bowels of the Earth. 
 
 I. The firft is, that this Hypothefis 
 feemethto contain in it Ibmething con- 
 tradictory to the Nature of Fire. For 
 the due underftanding of which, it will 
 be needful to obferve,that to the Being 
 and Conftitution of Fire, there is re- 
 quired both an unctious fulphurcous 
 Tabulum on which it fecdcth, and alio 
 a nitrous Fewcl which it rcceiveth 
 
 from
 
 "]6 ^;2 E N Q u I R Y into the 
 
 from the Air; without both which it 
 can by no means fubfill: or a£l. For Fire 
 being a thin and fubtle Body, whofe 
 Particles are in a very vehement and 
 rapid Motion, if the Matter, adequate 
 to receive the Property of its Body, 
 either confume or be fubftrafted, it 
 mufl: decay and languifli ; or, if the 
 rapidity of its Motion be on a fudden 
 over-powered and flopped, it will be 
 ftiflcd and extinguidied. In plain 
 Terms, when the Fewel is fpent or 
 taken away, it dies, and when the Air 
 is wholly excluded or kept from it, 'tis 
 put out. 
 
 Now on both thefe Accounts Hell 
 can hardly he fuppofed to be placed 
 about the Center of the Earth ; for 
 though there are indeed lodged within 
 the Bowels of the Earth mighty Quan- 
 tities of oleaginous and fulphureous 
 Matter ; which, if difpofed into due 
 Order and Form, might conftitute a 
 vaft Furnace, and maintain its Fires 
 for a great fpace of Time -, yet if we 
 
 confide r
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell, 77 
 
 confider how that this Matter is not 
 fo dilpofed of together into one Place, 
 but difperfed here and there, and in- 
 termixed with other foiid incombufti* 
 ble Bodies ; and alfo how long the 
 World hath already continued without 
 any perceptible Alteration in the Bo- 
 dy of the Earth in that refpedl:, any 
 Diminution of that Matter by fuch 
 Fire ; we muft think that it cannot 
 naturally be placed there, but that it ra- 
 ther is in fome other part of the World, 
 although unobferved by us. 
 
 I doubt not but on Computation of 
 the magnitude of the terreftrial Globe, 
 the little Wit and Underftanding of 
 Man might lay out the Dimenfions of 
 fuch a Furnace, as were the Earth all 
 proper Matter, and accordingly applied 
 to it, would confume the whole in far 
 lefs time than it hath already ftood : 
 Much more then may we conclude, 
 that the eternal Topbet^ which the in- 
 finite Power and Wildom o^God\\2x\\ 
 prepared, had it been placed in the 
 
 Earth,
 
 ^8 ^/^ E N Q u I R Y into the 
 
 Earth, would have long fince reduced 
 it into Allies. 
 
 But if we could fuppofe Fewcl e- 
 nough laid up in the Earth for fuch a 
 Eire, yet how can we imagine fo fixe ^ 
 a PaiTage of Air into it as is requifite 
 to fupport the violence and rapidity of 
 its Flames ? The external part of the 
 Earth is of fo folid and fubftantial a 
 Nature, and that Solidity (as we are 
 aOTured by Experience) of fo vaft a 
 Thicknefs, if it be not quite fo to the 
 very Center, that it cannot be thought 
 previous and penetrable by the Air to 
 that degree. 
 
 If it be objedcd here, that the Na-- 
 ture of that Fire may be fuch, as that 
 it doth not confume but repair what 
 it preyeth upon, as Tertiill'tan argued ; 
 or elfe that the Power of God may mi- 
 raculoufly fupply or renew both the 
 *Pabuliimj, and the nitrous Particles ne- 
 cefTary to its continued Subfiilence, as 
 St. Aujfin fuppofeth.- 
 
 Toi
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 79 
 
 To the former of thefe I anfwer, 
 that Tertullian founded his Argument 
 On the Allegation or Conceffion of 
 Philofophers (jiovertutt Thilofophi 2)/- 
 verfUatem arcani ^ public't Ignis) 
 whom yet, upon Enquiry, we fhall 
 find to have been miftaken in what 
 was reported by them. For in thofe 
 Inftances of fecret Fire, which he men- 
 tioneth, we really find no fuch diffe- 
 rence, as, he faith, they allowed of. As 
 for Lightning, one of the two, it is fo 
 far from doing what they alledged 
 'VIZ. rendring Bodies combulHble in 
 their Natures, impoffible to be calcin- 
 ed by other Fires ; that it many times 
 kindieth fuch Flames as are not extin- 
 guiflied, till the whole Matter it light- 
 cth upon is reduced into Allies. Nay, 
 the Nature of it is fo quick and pier- 
 cing, that it hath a very ftrange and 
 wonderful Operation, quite contrary 
 to what they mention, on many Bo- 
 dies that are not ordinarily wrought 
 upon by other Fires ; calcining, if Re- 
 ports
 
 8o An E N Q tr I R Y into the 
 
 ports are to be believed, the Blades of 
 Swords within the Scabbards, the 
 Scabbards in the mean time remaining 
 untouched or unhurt by it. 
 
 A s for the Inftance of Mountains 
 burning and enduring, I fliall account 
 for that by and by, in a brief DifculTi- 
 on of the Nature of Vulcan6*s by it 
 felf. In the m.ean while, to the other 
 Part of the CbjeQion drawn from the 
 Suppofition of St. Atiflin^ I anfwer, 
 that if the Place of Hell were as 
 plainly revealed in the holy Scripture, 
 to be in the Body of the Earth, as 
 that there are everlafting Burnings^ 
 and that the Devils and wicked Men 
 are, and fhall be^ tormented in them j 
 which were the Pofitions he brought 
 it in Proof and Confirmation of, then I 
 fliould readily clofe with any, and ef- 
 pecially with that Argument for it : 
 But fince this is not a revealed Truth, 
 we are not prefently to have recourfe 
 to Miracles, and to what God can do^ 
 to prove that of which we have no 
 fuch Pre-alTurance , T o
 
 Uature and Tlace of Hell. 8 1 
 
 To refume the Argument therefore ; 
 fince the Fire o^Hell is, as St. Attjiin 
 and the other Catholick Writers have 
 inferred from the Scriptures, a true 
 corporeal Fire ; (iace corporeal Fire doth 
 require both Fewel to feed upon, and 
 likewife Air to fuftain and preferve it j 
 and lince a fufficientQiiantity of either 
 of thefe cannot reafonably be fuppofed 
 to be about the Center of the Earth, 
 therefore I conclude, that //<?// cannot 
 rationally be thought to be placed 
 there : Which Conclufion will be more 
 evident if we, 
 
 2. Take into our Confideration 
 the Compofition of the Globe of the 
 Earth ; for, I think, the foregoing 
 Hypothefis to be no lefs contradictory 
 to the Nature of that than of Fire; for 
 though the Earth (as is obferved by the 
 ingenious Mr. Ray) is reprefented by^^ , 
 MofeSj notasa fimplc, uniform, homo-p/iir/V» V 
 geneous Body ; yet is it as compofed c^p^'"^''^' 
 of the parts of Water and Earth, from^eft. 3, 
 G whence
 
 Sz. An Enquiry into the 
 
 whence it is ufually called the terra- 
 queous Globe. Not that the Elements 
 of Fire and Air are perfedly excluded 
 from it, there is a Mixture of both 
 in it ; but becaufe Water and Earth 
 are the main Ingredients of its Body, 
 and conftituent Parts of the fame, 
 where they are and acquiefce as in 
 their proper Sphere: Whereas Fire 
 and Air are in the Body of the Earth, 
 as it were by Accident, and, like Pri- 
 foners, are held there by Force, againft 
 the violent Bent and Inclination of 
 their Natures. They are Bodies of a 
 more rare and fubtle Contexture, 
 whofe Parts are volatile and light, ef- 
 pecially thofe of Fire, which, above 
 all others, is endued with a mounting 
 and foaring Qiiality, quite contrary 
 to that of Water and Earth, which arc 
 grofs and heavy, and apt to defcend 
 or tend downwards. It feemeth there- 
 fore to be a great Violence offered, not 
 only to the Nature of Fire, to fix 
 that to a Place which it abhorreth and 
 Pnunneth ; but to the Nature of the 
 
 Earth
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 8| 
 
 Earth too, to witli-hold and keep that 
 from the Center of its Acquiefcence 
 and R.efl:. 
 
 If there muft be fome other Bo- 
 dy about the Center befides Earth, it 
 would be more confonant to Reafon 
 and '^ Experience, if not to R^evela- 
 tion too, to place Water there than 
 Fire ; for by fo doing we fuppofe no- 
 thing contrary to either of their Na- 
 tures, or difagreeing with their Qua- 
 lities. Water indeed feemeth to be of 
 a lighter, and lets folid Conllitutioa 
 than Earth ; but yet we find that it 
 equally tendeth to the lower Place with 
 Earth; and if Earth fink through to 
 the bottom of Water, fo Water fink- 
 eth through to the bottom of Earth, 
 in fo much as the deeper and lovv^er we 
 dig in the Earth, the greater Plenty 
 of Water is llill found. 
 
 Vide Dr, NicholV Conference rvilh * The'tfl^ Pait 2« 
 P. 204. wijtie tiji Reaji^nilile^tcji oj this Hjpotbefit is 
 
 G 2 Mr.
 
 H 
 
 j4n En clu i r y into the 
 
 Rav. loco Mk, Ray relateth an Obfervation 
 of a Friend of his concerning Coals, 
 viz. that the Beds of Coals lie all one 
 way, and do always dip towards the 
 Eaft, let them go never fo deep; fo 
 that, would it quit coft, and were it. 
 not for one Reafon, the Colliers fay, 
 they might purfue the Beds of Coalg 
 to the very Center of the Earth. 
 Coal is certainly one of the mightieft 
 a.id chiefell: Veins of com.buftible 
 Matter in the Earth ; and if Fire were 
 placed about the Center, one would 
 imagine that might be the Reafon why 
 thtir Attempt in this refpecl is un- 
 feafibie; but it feemeth, not Fire, but 
 Water is their Hindrance, as is pro- 
 felTed by them. 
 
 In a word, Revelation fo far a- 
 
 greeth with Reafon and Experience, 
 
 as to favour this Opinion rather than 
 
 the other ; for, do not we read in 
 
 Exod. xx.^/^y^j- of IFaters under the Earth .? 
 
 Pf.24. 2. Doth not thQ Tfalmi/i dQchve, that 
 
 God
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell, S 5 
 
 God founded the Earth upon the Seas, 
 and efiablijhed it upon the Floods ? 
 Doth not God^ fpeaking of the Won- 
 ders of his Creation, ask Job this 
 Qiieftion, IVho Jhut up the Sea w/th]oh^^i.%, 
 ^oorsj when it brake forth as if it had 
 ijpiiedout of the JVombl An ExprefTi- 
 on that ieemeth'to fuggeft its Erup- 
 tion from the Womb of the Earth, be- 
 fore it covered the Face of it, and 
 was commanded by Godio his decreedv. lo. 
 ^/ace which he brake up for it. And 
 doth not St. Teter tell us, that of (?//,2Pet.3.5. 
 i. e. in the beginning the Earth was 
 made by the Word of God^ ftanding 
 out of the IVater^ and in the Water ? 
 £| uc/'aT©- (Tvnsc^(T(x^ i. e, confifting or 
 made up of Water, and t^*' uV'oct©^ 
 o-uvtwoc, ftanding or placed in the 
 midft of Waters ; for fo the Original 
 importeth, as the learned Dr. Ham- 
 mond remarketh in his Annotations on 
 that Text ; obferving farther, that 
 the Globe of the Earth confilfed of a 
 great Quantity of Waters called the 
 Abyfs or T)eepj which Abyfs or Deepcen. i. 2. 
 G 3 is
 
 85 \An E N Q^u I R Y into the 
 
 is it that maketli the whole Body of 
 the Ocean, and all other Rivers in the 
 World : And alfo great quantities of 
 Waters in the Bowels of the Earth, 
 breaking forth, if I may ufe the Scrip- 
 ture Phrafe once more, as if it ifTued 
 out of the Womb, in Fountains that 
 flow perpetually, and maintain with 
 Supplies all the Rivers and Seas in the 
 World. And this, faith he, may fitly 
 own the ExprefTion of the Apoftle 
 concerning the Earth, that it is ^| i^'^a- 
 T©^ o-uvesG)o-a made up of Water, be- 
 caufe it hath abundance of Water in 
 its Conftitution or Compafs, viz. all 
 the Water under the Expanfum, /. e. 
 under the Body of the Air, which 
 maketh up, as the Philoibphers lay, 
 one Globe with the Earih. To be 
 fhort, I do not fay that Water abflra61:- 
 ed or feparated from Earth, is certain- 
 ly at the Center of the Globe, but 
 that it is much more likely to be there 
 than Fire, efpecially fo vafb a Store of 
 it as mu^lbe fappofedto conftitute the 
 Helly or the Place where the Devils 
 \ are
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 87 
 
 are puniflied, and the Damned with 
 them after this Life. For fuch a 
 quantity ot Fire would furely have 
 deferved to be mentioned amongft the 
 Wonders of the Terreftrial Glebe; _. 
 and the Word of Go^_, which is Co 
 particular in the Defcription of the o- 
 ther parts of it, would not wholly 
 have omitted that, or at leail: would 
 not have infmuated the quite contra- 
 ry to it. 
 
 g. A third Argument againft He/Ps 
 being at or about the Center of the 
 Earth, is, that fuch a fuppofed Place 
 there muft be too fmall to contain the 
 lapfed Angels, and the infinite Num- 
 bers of the Damned. It is certain, if 
 we compare the Earth with the Hea- 
 vens, it is but as a 'Drof of the Btic-m. 40, 
 ket to the Ocean, or, as the fmalleft^^' 
 Particle of the Tinft of the Balance 
 to the whole Body of the Earth. It 
 is affirmed by Alfronomers, that the 
 lead of the fixed Stars is bigger than 
 the Earth, and that, by rcafon of the 
 G 4 vail:
 
 jin F N Q u I u Y into the 
 
 ^^afi: diftance between us and them, if 
 we Mere from thence to behold the 
 Earth, it woiiM appear to us as no- 
 thing ; To iiKOafiderable for Magni- 
 tude is this fordid Globe, not only in 
 refpe<El: ot Godj who, as the Prophet 
 Cap. & fpeaketh, iaketh up the IJIes as a very 
 v''''f- little thtn<i. but of the Heavens too, 
 which, 11 compared with that, are 
 immenfe, and aimoft of infinite Ex- 
 teijfion. 
 
 Now if the whole Body of the 
 Earth, thus confidered, is fo fmall, 
 what then mufl: the leaft part of it, 
 viz. that neareil: the Center be ? 
 
 ^ B Y the Fall of Angels there was 
 fteV* ^ao-/waj a greit Gap made in 
 Heaven, a vait void Place there. Nov/, 
 
 * Aug. de Civ. Dei. 1.22. c- i. Qui (viz. Deus) 
 de niortalf Progenie, m?rit6 jufteque damnata tan- 
 turu Populum pt r gratiam fuam colligit, ut inde fup- 
 P'.eat & inftauret Partem, qux lapfa eft Angelorum ; 
 ac fie ilia dilefta ^^' fuperna Civitas ncn fraudetur fuo- 
 rum numero Civium, quin etiam fortaiHs & uberiorc 
 litetur. 
 
 a^
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 89 
 
 as St. Anftiftj and many other learn- 
 ed Men have fuppofed; one kind is 
 to fupply for another, Men to recover 
 what Angels fell from, thofe having 
 left their Stations we are to poiTefs 
 them J Heaven having loft a Number 
 of Spirits, that Lois is to be made up 
 with Souls : For that Place admitteth 
 no vacuum J no more than this ; Na- 
 ture abhorreth it and Grace too. If 
 then fuch a Number of Angels fell as 
 caufed a great Chafm in the vaft Orb 
 of Heaven it felf, how can they be 
 conceived as containable in a minute 
 Part of the little Ball of the Earth ? 
 And then if we add to thefe the pro- 
 digious Numbers of the damned Men, 
 as contained and punifhed in the fame 
 Place, the Hypothefis will be much 
 more incredible. 
 
 Now that the Number of Angels 
 that fell was indeed very great, even 
 beyond our prefent Apprehenfion, will 
 appear, if we confidcr how it is faid, 
 t]iat the Tail of the great Dragofi^^^^- «2* 
 
 when
 
 90 An Enquiry into the 
 
 when he fell, drew with him the third 
 ^art of the Stars of Heaven. The 
 
 job3S. 7. Angels are called Stars by G/J^himfelf, 
 the Stars reprefenting them not only 
 in the Glory and Brightnefs of their 
 
 iCor. 15. Nature, (fo St. ^'^/z/ faith, One Star 
 differ eth from another Star in Glory ^ 
 but alfo, and principally in the Multi- 
 tude and mighty Numbers of them ; 
 the Hofts of Heaven being, like the 
 Stars of it, faid to be innumerable. 
 Nor are the lapfed Angels to be ef- 
 teemed much lefs fo than the Holy and 
 Ele£l: ; for the Saints taken up to fup- 
 ply their Places are ftill fpokcn of m 
 Numbers altogether indefinite, they 
 
 Rev. 5. are faid to be Thottfands of Thoufands ^ 
 
 *^' and Myriads of Myriads ; and to be 
 a great Multitude of all Nations^ and 
 
 c. 7- V. 9. li'indredsj and Teo^kj and Tongues ^ 
 which no Man can number. And if 
 the Saints, or they who are faved, are 
 numberlefs, what then are the Dam- 
 ned ? It is a fad and difmal Contem- 
 plation to enter into a Comparifon 
 between them in this refped ; and yet 
 
 I can-?
 
 Nature and Tlace t?/ H E l L. 91 
 
 I cannot but obferve what is plainly 
 alBrmecl in the holy Scriptures, viz. 
 Strait is the Gate^ and narroiv is thef''^'^^^', 
 fVay ijuhich leadeth unto LifCj and 
 fe'ju there be that find it ; but wide is 
 the Gate J and broad is the JVay that 
 leadeth unto T>eftru^ionj and many 
 there be that go in thereat. This 
 Comparifon was made by Truth it 
 felf, and the Argument needeth no 
 Enforcement ; the Subjeft of it, al- 
 though melancholick and fad, is yet 
 beyond a poflTibility of Contradi£lion : 
 And therefore they who fix the Di- 
 menfions of Hell in the Earth, and 
 ftate it to any determinate Number 
 of lapfed Angels and miferable Men, 
 are unpardonably prefumptuous; they 
 intrude into thofe things which they 
 have not feen, they undertake that 
 which is impoffible for them to do, 
 'VIZ. to demonftrate that which, whilft 
 they are on Earth, they cannot com- 
 prehend ; and to define that which 
 with us is really indefinite. 
 
 It
 
 92, -^^ E N Q u I R Y into the 
 
 It is a poor, mean, and narrow 
 Conception both ot the Hum hers of 
 the Damned, and of the Dimenfions 
 of Hellj which ^ T)rexelius hath 
 laid down. The former he fuppofed 
 to be an hundred thoufand Millions 
 of Men : And the other a Place Iquare, 
 a German Mile each Way, /, e. fo 
 much in Length, Depth, Heighth, 
 and Breadth. The Nuinber he cai- 
 leth a prodigious, ftupenclous Num- 
 ber, and a Place of thofe Dimenfions, 
 he faith, is capable ot receivi.ig fuch 
 a Number of Men. But al?s 1 How 
 infinitely fhort is that Computation 
 to thofe Multitudes who, as many^ 
 are fet in Oppofition by Chrift to the 
 few Saints, whicb^ yet no Man can 
 number ? Certainly, if a Million or 
 more of Msn have been brought in- 
 to the Field at one Time, by one 
 Prince, as Hiftorians tell us, were by 
 
 * Drexelius de Damnator. C^rcere & Rogo, par. 
 2. cap. 8. 
 
 Tamer^
 
 Nature and Tlace o/Hell. 93 
 
 Tamerlane the Zagataian Tartar j a- 
 gainft Bajazet King of the Turks ; 
 what mil ft the Number of tlie whole 
 Body of Men be, at the fame time 
 living upon the Face of the whole 
 Earth ? And if the Numbers of Men 
 alive upon the Earth, at one time, 
 do furmouDt any certain Calculation, 
 how may it be guefled at, if multi- 
 plied by the Computation of thofe 
 Ages of Years the World hath already 
 continued, and thofe that poflibly are 
 to come ? 
 
 T>^,Btirnet^ in his Theory oftheBumen 
 
 Earth J fuppofeth it an ^^7^^^^^ ^^^^^^c Earth* 
 as the bed Account of the GenerationLib.3. 
 of all the Planets, and maketh the^^^* 
 twentieth Part of its Semidiameter on 
 either, I fuppofe he meaneth, on eve- 
 ry Side the Center, the Sphere of the 
 Central Fire ; the nineteen Parts be- 
 ing requifite, as he faith, to fecure us 
 from the Apprehenfion of the Earth's 
 being confumed by the Central Fire. 
 Now though this is a much more no- 
 ble
 
 c;4. -^/^ E N Q u I R Y into the 
 
 ble Idea of fuch a Furnace of Fire as 
 Hell may be fuppofed to be, yet is it 
 by no means difficult to number the 
 Men wliich a Sphere of that Magni- 
 tude will contain : Nay, the Globe of 
 the Earth it felf hath its certain 
 Bounds and Limits, and the Under- 
 ftanding of Men hath found out the 
 Dimenfions of it ; and were it hollow 
 from the very Superficies, may pofli- 
 bly, for ought that I know to the 
 contrary, by the Rules of Art com- 
 prehend and define the Number of 
 Men it would contain ; but that there 
 iliall never be a greater Number than 
 that, is what no Mortal can affirm. 
 For how can any one fix a Time for 
 the putting an End to the Generations 
 of Mankind? G<?^ hath referved that 
 peculiarly to himielf, who, as he in 
 the Beginning made the World, and 
 Mankind in it, fo doth he only know 
 the Time when, with them, it fihall 
 ceafe to be. He certainly filenceth all 
 fuch Accountants, and biddeth them 
 to ceafe thtir Curiofity, who faith,
 
 Nature andT^lace o/Hell. 95 
 
 ^Tis not for you to knov: the Times and ^q^^ i.j. 
 Seafens which God hath keft hi his 
 O'-ji'n To'-juer, 
 
 T o leave then fucli nice, and 
 therefore dangerous, becaufe forbid- 
 den, Speculations: Let us proceed to 
 that which is, with fometliing more 
 of Pveafon, urged againft us, in De- 
 fence of the foregoing Hypothens, 
 viz. The mighty Vulcanoes^ or vail 
 Eruptions of Fire out of certain 
 Mountains, that have been taken No- 
 tice of in all Ages of the World. 
 And here, I readily grant that fome 
 of thefe, viz. JEtiid.^ Vefuvius^ Hel- 
 ga^ Hecla^ thofe of Guatimalla^ and 
 fome others, according to the Re- 
 ports of credible Authors, are prodi- 
 gioufly great : And the Noifes, Flames 
 of Fire, wonderful Qiiantities of bi- 
 tuminous Matter, Stones, Allies, and 
 the like, which are thrown out of 
 them, are fo terrible and furprifmg, 
 that they gave OccaHon enough for 
 t\Q Poetical and Fanciful to conceit 
 
 that 
 
 /
 
 95 An Enquiry into the 
 
 that they were the Mouths of Hell, 
 But if we take them into a ftrid Ex- 
 amination, and weigh them in the 
 Balance of Truth, we (hall find that 
 they are far from being really fo ; and 
 that they are only Fires of Nature's 
 kindling in fome of the extreme Parts 
 of the Earth, and not Refults of a 
 general Tophety about the Centec of 
 it. 
 
 I very freely acknowledge, that 
 there are many and great Cavities in 
 the Body of the Earth ; and likewife, 
 abundant Veins of fuch Matter, as 
 not only yieldeth to the Power of 
 Fire ; bur, in a manner, coveteth, 
 and catcheth at it. And where that 
 Matter is lodged within, or difpofed 
 amongft thofe Cavities, and they ef^ 
 pecially lie under the diredl Beams of 
 the burning SttUj they are very apt 
 to take Fire ; and, according to the 
 Quantity and Quality of them, to 
 rage more or lefs. Such I imagine 
 the Nature of thefe Vukanoes^ or 
 
 burn*
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 97 
 
 burning Mountains to be. Not that 
 the Fire of them is contrary to the 
 Nature of odier Fire, in that it doth 
 not calcine or confume what it feedeth 
 upon, as WIS fan:ied by Philofophers 
 in TertulUafPs time : But that they 
 proceed from hidden Stores of inflam- . 
 mable Matter, the Mountains them- 
 felves being in the Nature of Chim- 
 nies, of fuch a folid incombuftible 
 Subilance, as yicldeth not to the Vio- 
 lence of the Flames. And this ap- 
 peareth from the A flics that are 
 thrown out of them, the mighty 
 Quantities of which, far beyond any 
 thing elfe, clearly prove both the de- 
 vouring, alterative Nature of the 
 Fire, and the vaft Stores of bitumin- 
 ous and fulphureous Matter in the 
 great Cavities of the Earth, near 
 thofe Mountains ; the In-brcaches or 
 Down-fallings of which do not only 
 feed thofe Fires, but alfo, by reafon of 
 the Air that is gotten into, and pent 
 within thofe Caverns, occafion more 
 violent and convulfive Shocks, or 
 H Earth-
 
 98 j^n E N Q^u I R Y mt^ the 
 
 Earthquakes, to thofe Parts of the 
 World, than are experienced elfe- 
 where. 
 
 Indeed, if thefe Vulcanoes were 
 much more confiderable than they are 
 for Number, and were equally dif- 
 perfed through all the Quarters of the 
 Terrcftrial Globe, as well towards the 
 Polar Circles as near the Equator ; 
 and [^ the Fire that appeareth out of 
 the Tops of them were pure Flame, 
 conftantly bright and clear, we might 
 be apt to think them fo many Vents 
 or Diicharges of a central Fire : But 
 when we find tliat they are but few in 
 Number, and the chiefeft of thofe too 
 nean he torrid Zone, and from their 
 Tops to iflue forth, now clear Fire, 
 then thick, black Smoke, and fome- 
 times little or nothing at all ; wemufb 
 conclude, that they are only particu- 
 lar Fires, probably of the Stints kin- 
 dling at firlf, and fmce continued by 
 the cafual and incidental Applications 
 
 of
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hkll. 99 
 
 bf that Tahihm, which thofe Parts 
 of the Earth adminifter to them. 
 
 I might here difmifs the Opinion of 
 HeWs being in, or about, the Globe 
 of the Earth, were it not fancied by 
 fome, that, at the End of the World, 
 when the Fabrick of Nature fliall be 
 diiTolved, this fhall be the Scene for 
 the Punidiment of Devils and wicked 
 Men. So the learned Dr. Henry More, 
 " At the Conflagration of the Earth, Grand 
 " the great Channel of the Sea fliall ^j^-^^J^>: 
 " be left dry, and all the Rivers fliallnefs, l.5 
 " be turned into Smoke and Vapor ;^^^* ^' 
 " fo that the whole Earth fliall be in- 
 " veloped in one entire Cloud of un- 
 " fpeakablc Thicknefs, which fhall 
 " caufe more than an Egyptian Dark- 
 " nefs, clammy and palpable to be felt » 
 " which, added to this choaking Heat 
 " and Stench, will compleat this Ex^ 
 '' ternal Hell^ a Place of Torment, 
 " appointed not only for the pro- 
 ^' phane Atheiif and Hypocrite, but 
 " alfo for the Devil and his Angels ; 
 H 2 " where
 
 lO 
 
 lOO An E N Q^u I R y into the 
 
 " wliere their Pain will be proportio- 
 " nated accordiijg to the Untamed- 
 " neis of their Spirits, and Uneven- 
 '' nefs of their perverfe Confciences. 
 
 B u T, with fubmillion to fo great 
 a Name, I take the Conflagration of 
 the Earth to be, rather a Proof of 
 He/Ps not being fituate there, than a- 
 ny Argument that it is. For if that 
 2 Pet. 3. of St. Teter hath Relation to the End 
 of the World, and the Manner of the 
 DiiTolution of it, as it is generally 
 fiippofed, and particularly by him to 
 have, it is exprefly faicl there, that the 
 Earth jh all be burnt up [^}ci£lx>ca.ri3-efcci'\ 
 iliall be defliroyed or confumed by 
 Fire. Which Expreilion certainly 
 implieth more than the Converfion 
 of the watry Subftance of the Globe 
 into Smoke and Vapor, and the more 
 folid Part of it into Heat and Stench : 
 For thereby, they are not fuppofed to 
 be burnt up, or confumed by Fire ; 
 but only to fuiTer a Change, to be 
 new modified or altered, and fo to 
 
 con-
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell, i O i 
 
 continue to eternal Ages. Befides, 
 St. TeUr had before faid, God fjf^ared'^ ret. 2. 
 not the Angels that finned j but caft 
 them down to Hell. Where he plain- 
 ly fpake of Hell^ as a Place in Being, 
 not only then when he wrote ; bute- 
 ver fince the Fall of Lucifer and his • 
 Apoftate Angels, and not to com- 
 mence at the End of the World. And 
 therefore, this Earth, although we do 
 not luppofe it at the End of the World 
 quite burnt up or con fumed by Fire, 
 but receiving never fo much Horror, 
 Stench, and other difmal Qualities 
 from that terrible Cataftrophe, can- 
 not yet be the Hell into which the 
 Devils were caft down ; becaufe they 
 were caft down to Hell^ and delivered 
 into Chains of T>arknefsj to be re- 
 ferved^ or kept, as I obferved before, 
 there xo?.a(^ojt/.gi'»j punifhed [in the pre- 
 fent Tcnfe] ets x^iTir', unto [the great 
 Day of] Judgment. As the learned 
 Doctor Hammond from the King's 
 Manufcript obferveth it ought to be 
 read : And not as St. Aufiinj and the 
 H 3 Vul^
 
 lOi An Enquiry into the 
 
 Vulgar Lathi conftrue it \In Judtch 
 funtendos njel criic'tandos~\ to be here- 
 after piiniflied or tortured in the Day 
 of Judgment. So that upon the 
 whole Matter, the Conflagration of 
 the Earth is fo far from being an Ar- 
 gument of HelPs being in, or on the 
 Earth, that it is a very good one to 
 the contrary. 
 
 Ch a
 
 Nature ani Tlace of Hell. I o j 
 
 Chap. VI. 
 
 A Conjedure that the Body 
 of the Sun u the Local HelU 
 zvith an j^pology for the No- 
 'velty of it, 
 
 THE Mind of Man is not only 
 a curious, inquifitivc Principle, 
 but apt to be very incredulous and dif- 
 fident ; efpecially when it cannot, in 
 fome meafure, comprehend the Truths 
 that offer themfelves to be embraced 
 by it. Hence it is, that fome Men, 
 taking into their Coiifideration the 
 Subject in Debate, and finding a Lo- 
 cal Hell J or Place of true, real, and 
 everlafting Fire , liardly reconcila- 
 ble to their prefent Apprehenfion of 
 Things, have flatly denied the Exif- 
 tence of it. And although the Holy 
 Scriptures have plainly enough decla- 
 red for fuch a Place, yet they have 
 chofcn rather to expound away the 
 H 4 Text,
 
 104 ^^ Enquiry into the 
 
 Text, and make Hell a mere putative 
 and phantaftick Being, than to ac- 
 knowledge the Reality of it ; and at 
 the £ime time confefs themfelves un- 
 able to tell how it is, or where it may 
 be found. 
 
 Others difcerning the Raflinefs 
 and Danger of that Conclufion, and 
 willing to avoid the mifchievous Con- 
 iequcnces of it^ as alfo to fatisfy the 
 curious, and fearching Nature of 
 the Soul of Man, have rather pla- 
 ced it where Pveafon telleth us it can- 
 not be, than that it fliould be thought 
 to be no where. Now having in 
 the foregoing Chapters oppofed both 
 thefe, having lirft eftabliflied the 
 Doftrine of a Local Hellj and then 
 fet down the Improbability of its be- 
 ing in, or about, the Body of the 
 Earth : Having examined the Scrip- 
 tures, and obferved there the former 
 plainly revealed, but the other no 
 where either pofitively aiferted, or 
 t)y found Inference to be thence de- 
 duced:
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 105 
 
 duced : Having likewife confulted 
 Philofophy, and found that alto- 
 gether repugnant to, and not in the 
 leaft favouring that Opinion ; I pro- 
 ceed now to offer a Conje(Eture, which 
 I take to be more agreeable both to 
 Scripture and Reafon than the former, 
 viz. tliat, (be Body of the Sun is the 
 Local Hell. 
 
 Do not, I befeech you, ftart at 
 the Propofition ; be not offended at 
 the Novelty of it. Some things, 
 when they are firft advanced, feem 
 light and lefs ferious ; but when they 
 are maturely reflecEled on, they juftly 
 challenge the moft profound Contem- 
 plation. And however jocular and 
 ludicrous, at firft fight, this may ap- 
 pear ; yet when you have confidered 
 of it, I doubt not but you will be- 
 flow a farther, and more intenle 
 Thought upon it.
 
 106 ]An 1E.N du iRY into the 
 
 A N opinion is not prefently to be 
 condemned and difmifled, becaufe it 
 is new. I confefs in Points of Faith, 
 and neceflary Belief, whatfoever is 
 introduced apparently novel is dan- 
 gerous : But in Matters of Speculati- 
 on and Theory, it is not fo •, except it 
 tend to weaken Faith, and vitiate 
 Practice. Revealed Truth ftandeth, 
 like the forbidden Tree^ in the midil 
 of the Garden : There is a Noli me 
 tangere written upon it ; and we are 
 not by any Means to make bold with 
 it : But mere Opinions are, like the 
 Fruit of the reft of the Trees, freely 
 permitted our Touch and Tafte, and 
 we may eat, or not eat of them, as 
 our Curiofity leadeth us. And truly, 
 however unnecefTary Curiofity in 
 Matters of Religion may be juftly 
 difcouraged ; yet to have fome Curio- 
 lity in them, methinks, is commien- 
 dable. Revelation doth not difcard 
 Reafon. It found us Men, and it 
 dealeth with us as fuch. And, as a 
 
 Facul-
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell, ley 
 
 Faculty of diftinguifliing one thing 
 from another, and forming DeduQi- 
 ons and Inferences from Things is our 
 Specifick Difference from Brutes ; fo 
 no where, that I know of, is this di- 
 ftinguifliing Principle better exerted, 
 this Difference more plainly fpecified 
 by us, than in the Search and Contem- 
 plation of Truth. 
 
 "We are not prefently to con- 
 clude, that all thofe things which are 
 not plainly revealed in the Holy Scrip- 
 tures are withheld by Goi^ from us. 
 For God is the Author of Nature, as 
 well as Scripture ; and the eternal 
 Law which he hath written in our 
 Hearts is to be attended to as well, 
 though not in the fame Degree, as the 
 more exprefs Declarations of his Will. 
 I do believe it beftfor the World, that 
 Revelation fhould be juft as it is ; and 
 that it would not have been better, if 
 more had been difcovcrcd to us. The 
 Holy Spirit of God hath, no doubt, left 
 manyTruths unrevealed, to reward the 
 
 In«.
 
 lo8 An Enquiry into the 
 
 Induftry and Pains of thofe that feek 
 after them. It was God that implan- 
 ted in our Minds the Love of Truth, 
 and interwove it with our Natures. 
 On which Account, I hold it good to 
 ftir up the Gift of God that is in us, 
 to exercife our difcerning Faculty, to 
 contemplare the Works of the Crea- 
 tion and Providence, and to obferve 
 how they contribute to the Proof of 
 natural Religion, and to the Illuftra- 
 tion of revealed Truth. He who 
 thus employeth his Talent, fhall not 
 only receive it with Intereil:, but ha- 
 
 i?\-c?' "^'^^^^ '^^^^ ^^^^ ^fi ^f what he hath^ 
 more fljall be given to him. Whilfb 
 he who laycth it by, folded up in the 
 Napkin of Incogitancy and Sloth, 
 fliail be juftly deprived of it. 
 
 That fuch will be the Confe- 
 quence, with refpi;£t to this "World, 
 as well as the next, is evident, not on- 
 ly from the Divine Appointment, God 
 having direcliy fo decreed it ; but from 
 Experience too, and the Reafon of 
 
 the
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 1 09 
 
 the Thing. For what is more plain 
 than that fome Men, by a ftudious 
 and rpe:ulative Life, have as much 
 improved and railed their Minds a- 
 bove the common Level, as others by 
 aftupid and thoughtlefs Inaftivity 
 have funk them down beneath it ? 
 Hence it is tliat one difcourfeth, rea- 
 foneth, and fpeaktth more like an An- 
 gel than a Man, when at the fame time 
 it may be juftly difputed whether there 
 be any difference between another and 
 a good tradable Horfe ; for as the 
 Carrier's Horfe joggeth on in the 
 fame Road, and knovv<?th when he is 
 to take up his Load, and when to fet 
 it down, when he is to ftop, and when 
 to move, is pleafed when his Proven- 
 der is fweet, and refufcth it when it 
 is mufty : So his Rider feemeth in that 
 rcfpect alone to be above him, for he 
 ploddeth on too in the fame little Cir- 
 cle of Things, employethhis Thoughts 
 on the Roads and Dilhes before him ; 
 and, if he is queftion'd in any thing 
 beyond that narrow Sphere^ he re- 
 main-
 
 i 10 An Enquiry into the 
 
 maineth tit ^ifcis in arido Montium 
 jtigOj mute as a Fiih, and quite out of 
 his Element. 
 
 And the Reafon of this great dif- 
 parity between two of the fame Spe- 
 cies is plain, viz, becaule Habits are 
 not only the Confequents, but the 
 Perfedion of Afts ; fo that every 'i-^pv^- 
 v-oc^ or frefli Acquifition of the Under- 
 ftanding wideneth the Faculty, giveth 
 farther degrees of Ability to it, and 
 difpofeth the Mind to an Habit of bet- 
 ter knowing ; whereas a torpid and 
 lazy Stupidity contracteth and cramp- 
 eth the Mind, and fo fafteneth it to 
 the Senfes, that it cannot reflect on 
 any thing but what doth neceffarily 
 thruft it felf in the way ; its Thoughts 
 are thereby at befl included within the 
 Compafs that it took up by the fenfi- 
 ble Horizon of the Eye, and cannot 
 extend themfelves beyond it : Where- 
 as Speculation and Theory make a 
 Man feel that he hath within him 
 not only an animal, but alfo an intel- 
 
 leclual
 
 Nature and T^lace 0/ He LL. Ill 
 
 leQ:ual Principle of Life ; fo that -we 
 may almoft fay, that the Soul of Man 
 blefled with the Benefit of Knowledge 
 and Happinefs of Speculation, doth 
 as much differ from it ielf, without thofe 
 Improvements, as in the fame State it is 
 defcribed to differ from it felf, when 
 in its Tlatofikal State of Inactivity. 
 
 Neither is Speculation benefi- 
 cial only to one's felf, but to others 
 too ; for as the Love of Truth invi- 
 teth and flirreth up our Endeavours 
 after it, fo the fame Affedion perfua- 
 deth a free Communication of it. All 
 Good is communicative, and in this 
 refped, as well as any other, the 
 Creek Proverb is very true, 'Avi^p ccyot- 
 fi'J^ Kou'ov 6LycL^u\\ A good Man is a 
 common Good. For the Treafure 
 which the Ipeculative Perfon, with the 
 Oil both of his Lamp and of himfelf, 
 diggeth out of the hidden Mines of 
 Learning or Nature, is imparted gene- 
 roudy to the Publick; he enricheth 
 that at his private Expence, and ma- 
 
 keth others wife by his own Harms. 
 
 Am D
 
 Ill An Enquiry into the 
 
 A N D as Theory is in it felf truly 
 beneficial to the Publick -, fo hath it 
 been efteemed and venerated as fuch 
 by Mankind in all Ages of the World. 
 The firft Inventors of ufeful Arts were 
 accounted Gods, and had divine Ho- 
 nours and Acknowledgments paid to 
 them, and their Memories were pre- 
 ferved and continued facred unto late 
 Pofterity : And it hath been the Prac- 
 tice of all wife and flourifhing Com- 
 monwealths to found Academies, or 
 Places of Study, for the Advantage 
 and Erudition of the Curious ; that 
 their Minds being withdrawn from 
 fenfual and fecular Employments, they 
 might the better apply themfelves to 
 the Knowledge of Letters, and to the 
 Speculation of Truth ; and the Con- 
 fequence of this hath been the Im- 
 provement of all the liberal Arts and 
 Sciences, to that beighth of Perfec- 
 tion they are now arrived at. 
 
 In
 
 Nature and Tlace of H^ll, lij 
 
 I N vain therefore do Men difpute 
 againfl: S^ecidatioii ; for though the 
 Abufes of it may dsferve Correption, 
 yet furely it is it felf above Cenfure; 
 the beft things, we know, are liable 
 to Milapplication, and, when corrupt- 
 ed, degenerate into the worff ; but ffill 
 that is no Argument againll them. 
 We ought not certainly to conceive 
 the leail Prejudice againft Rel'tgioHj 
 becaufe its Beauty is fuch, that it pre- 
 vaileth with fome who are not truly 
 religious, to put on the Mask of it ; 
 and when they have fo done, under 
 the Cover of that, they many times 
 ' a6l the vilelf Impieties. Nor is it any 
 real Reproach to Truths that its oppo- 
 fite Falfliood is fometimes drels'd up 
 in its Cloaths, and lb palmed upon 
 the World for it. If Religion wer^ 
 not excellent, there would not be fo 
 many Hypocrites as there are ; and if 
 Truth were not amiable, there would 
 not be fo much Paint and Fucus 
 laid on Falfities to make them look 
 I like
 
 114- An E N Q^u I R Y m^ the 
 
 like it : So though Speculation hath 
 been biaflcd and wire-drawn by the 
 PafTions and Interefts of evil Men, 
 and made to ferve to the apparent Da- 
 mage both of Religion and Truths, yet 
 is it in it felf never the lefs valu- 
 able for that ; becaufe that is fo 
 far from being the natural Refult and 
 Confequence of it, that no one thing, 
 purely of this World, hath been more 
 conducive to the real Good and Eftab- 
 lifhment of both. 
 
 I would not here be miftaken, as if 
 I preferred the fpeculative part of Re- 
 ligion above the pra£lick ; I enter into 
 nofuch Difpute ; or, as if I thought all 
 Men proper for the refined part of it ; 
 I might as well fuppofe all cut out for 
 Politicians : But I urge this becaufe I 
 take Speculation to be commendable 
 in all, and neceifary in fome, and be- 
 caufe I would not have the Ornament, 
 both of a Man and a Chriftian, de- 
 fpifed and trodden under Foot. 
 
 There
 
 Nature and TIdce ^/ HelL. ti$ 
 
 T H E R E is a great difference be- 
 tween reprefenting Religion as a mere 
 Science, and urging the Excellence 
 and NeceiTicy of Knowledge in Reli- 
 gion ; the former of thefe few have 
 affirmed, and the latter, as few deni- 
 ed ; and both the Affirmers of the one^ 
 and Denyers of the other, have been^ 
 generally fpeaking, Enthujiafts, 
 
 I T may perhaps be the fault of the 
 Men of this Age to be more violent 
 on Difputes than on the Performance 
 of their known Duties ; many fanfie 
 themfelves skilled in the Depths of 
 Controverfy, and for that Reafon 
 think themfelves of a fuper-eminent 
 fize for Piety ; when really in Under- 
 ftanding they are Babes and mere 
 Dwarfs for Practice : But what then ! 
 fliall Reafon be quite laid afide becaufc 
 of thefe Mens vain Pretences to it ? 
 Shall that have nothing to do in Mat- 
 ters of Religion, becaufe fome of its 
 Myfterics are above it, or becaufe 
 I 2 fome
 
 115 y^/; E N Q_u I R Y into the 
 
 fo:Tie of its Profeilors are below it, 
 Or at leaft are not entire Mafters of 
 it ? This is a Confequence that requi- 
 reth more than ordinary degrees of 
 Speculation to make out; and if it 
 were admitted, would be ferviceable 
 to none that I know of, but them that 
 challenge an implicit Faith to all their 
 Didlates and Determinations, and ex- 
 tol and magniiie Ignorance as the true 
 Parent of Devotion. Certainly the 
 Difputings of this Age, bad as they 
 y^re, are not worfe than the profound 
 and dark Ignorance of fome preceding 
 ones. 
 
 I fpeak not this to encourage Men 
 to be talkative, and given to difpute ; 
 to entertain either themfelves or others 
 with crude, indigciled Notions, or to 
 make Speculation their chiefeft Study 
 or Bufmefs. No ! but to let us fee that it 
 is the part of a Man to think, and to dif- 
 courfe ; and that Knowledge is to be eil 
 teemed no mean part of our Duty. Un- 
 doubtedly the Minifters of Chrifl do 
 
 well
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. I ij 
 
 well to inculcate Practice; but cannot 
 tint be done without flyin^^ in the 
 Face of Knowledge ? Is not tbe Inno- 
 cejtce of the 'Dove confillent with the 
 Wifdom of the Serpent ? Is not the 
 Perfe8:ion oF the one the Comple- 
 ment of the other ? Can there be a 
 compleat Innocence without Wifdom^ 
 any more than a true and perfect JVif- 
 dom without Innocence 1 If ye k7ioiv^f']^^- 
 
 I- I"" 1 7* 
 
 thefe things doth furely prefiippole '* 
 Knou'ledgej and the Happinefs confe- 
 quent to Tra&ice will not be taken 
 away or diminiflied, becaufe it is 
 grounded upon Kno^d;ledge. One ne- 
 ceiTary Qualification of true Zeal is, 
 that it be according to Kno'W ledge ;?.om. lo. 
 and we are exhorted by the ApoIHe to^' 
 be in ^Onderflanding Men^ and to /;/- iCor. i+; 
 creafe in the Kno'ojledge of God, Doth ~^* 
 not St. 'Paid fiy, The invifible things cAoi', i. 
 of God J, even his eternal To%;:;er and^^ 
 Godhead J are clearly feen from the^^^^ 
 Creation of the Worlds being tinder-'^^- 
 flood by the Things that are made ? But 
 can the Works of tlie Creation tlc- 
 I 3 c.larc 
 
 nr\. I.
 
 1 18 An Enquiry m\o the 
 
 clare the Power and Glory of the Cre- 
 ator to them that do not behold them ? 
 If the Eye of Reafon be put out, or, 
 which amounteth to the fame thing 
 be kept faft fliut againft the Wonders 
 of them, how can the admirable Con- 
 trivance of the great Archite(Sl: be 
 difcerned from them ? 
 
 Speculation then is both a reveal- 
 ed Duty and a part of natural Re- 
 ligion too, and confequently ought 
 to be efteemed by us, both as we are 
 Chriilians, and as we are Men. It is 
 like a generous Fruit Tree growing 
 in the rich Soil of Religion ; out of 
 which indeed there are apt to fprout 
 many noxious Suckers and luxuriant 
 Branches, which both may, and 
 ought to be cut off; but then due 
 Care is to be had in the doing it, that 
 the Stock it felf fuffer no Injury, left 
 inftead of mending we mar the whole 
 Matter, and Religion be deprived of 
 one of its faireil: and moft fruitful Pro- 
 dudions : Knowledge is Religion's
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell, 119 
 
 Leaven, it diflfufeth the Efficacy of 
 its Ferment through the Lump till the 
 whole is leavened. It is the Salt that 
 feafoneth all its Duties, and without 
 which Obedience itfelf is infipid and 
 taftelefs, the Sacrifice of an Afs, a 
 mere empty and fenfelefs Nothing. 
 To be fliort. Speculation is not only 
 a Qualification of a Divine, but an 
 Accomplifliment in any Perfon. And 
 therefore it is not merely the Neceffi- 
 ty of fome, but ought to be the 
 Choice of all. The Perfedion of the 
 Duty the former fliould always aim at, 
 but a competent Meafure of it all are 
 engaged to attain, I mean according 
 to Mens Capacities and Opportuni- 
 ties ; and truly the leaft degree of it 
 in any is rather to be cherilli'd than 
 chaftis'd, as deferving Praife and En-" 
 couragement, not a Frown and Re- 
 buke. The more curious Men are in 
 Religion, the better; I do not per- 
 ceive how they can underhand too 
 well: It is more commendable certain- 
 
 1 4 ly
 
 % 10 ^n Enquiry into the 
 
 ly to be neat than flovenly, to have a 
 diftinguifliing Palate than no Tafle at 
 all. 
 
 Our Religion is fuch as will bear 
 the Teft of the niceft Reafon^ and 
 needeth not to fear the moft ftrift and 
 clofe Applications of it ; for if fome 
 of its Myfteries are above it, yet none 
 are againft it. And though its Sancti- 
 ons, with refpeft to the next Life, 
 are not in their full Extent and Lati- 
 tude explain'd to us ; yet may we, by 
 a diligent Attention to them, in a 
 great Meafure attain to a clear and dif- 
 tind Perception of their Nature and 
 Quality. And the exercifiug our felves 
 in this, is both a delightful and profi- 
 table Work. It cannot furely but be de- 
 lightful to be enquiring after our Fa- 
 ther's Country, thofe happy Regions, 
 where after a fliort and painful Life end- 
 ed, we hope to pitch our Tents, and live 
 fqr ever. It cannot but be profitable 
 to ruminate on the dreadful Punifla« 
 ments annexed to the breach of our 
 
 Duty,
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell, ill 
 
 Duty, that fo, by the Performance of 
 that, we may take care to avoid them. 
 The more the former are confidered 
 by us, the more pleafurable will our 
 Search after them be ; and the more 
 the latter are revolved in our Minds, 
 the greater Averfion will they work 
 in them to the Enticements of Sin : 
 And therefore it hath been the Care 
 of holy and good Men, that they 
 might effedually perfuade us to lead 
 virtuous and godly Lives ; to difplay 
 and lay open, as much as poiTibly they 
 could, the Glories and Beatitudes of 
 Heaven, as the very ftrongefl: Charm 
 and moft powerful Alleftive to it. 
 And that they might deter us from 
 Wickednefs and Vice, to prefent to 
 our View the horrid Torments and 
 Agonies of Hellj as the moft direct 
 and fure Antidote againft it. And as 
 their Endeavours have been all along 
 ^yell defigncd, fo, no doubt, they have 
 been very cffeclual to reftrain and re- 
 fprm the Actions of Men ; for if thefe 
 
 Argu-
 
 Ill An Enquiry into the 
 
 Arguments will not prevail, there are 
 none that will. 
 
 Other Motives there are befides 
 the Veracity of G^^/j and the Signifi- 
 cation ot his Will, proper to infufe 
 Faith and Holinefs ; elfe why are not 
 thofe the only ones made ufe of by 
 Divines to excite and encourage Men 
 to live and die to the Lord ? Indeed he 
 that doth really believe in God m\x^ 
 believe that he is true ; and a Decla- 
 ration of the true God to fuch as be- 
 lieve in him, is a fufficient Motive of 
 Alfent in all Cafes ; but yet thofe are 
 hardly the only Motives to Affeht in 
 any, and fpecially not in the Cafes of 
 a general and explicit Account of the 
 Rewards and Punifhments of the 
 next Life, as they arc Perfuafives to 
 Piety and Virtue in this. 
 
 The Suitablenefs or Agreement of 
 them to our Nature is fomething diffe- 
 rent from both the other; and yet I 
 take that to be an Argument, and a 
 
 very
 
 Nature and Tiace o/Hell. izj 
 
 very good one too, for our A fTent to 
 them. And indeed this is the true 
 Reafon of learned Mens Inquiry into, 
 and difcourfing of the Nature and Qua- 
 lity of them, viz. that they may make 
 them appear to be what to be fure 
 they are. Rational, and adapted to 
 our Conftitution and Being as we are 
 Men, and by Confequence proper to 
 work on the PafTions and Afle£lions of 
 our Nature as fuch. 
 
 And God himfelf hath, in this rcf^ 
 peO:, vouchfafed to condefcend to our 
 Infirmities ; for he hath not only, as 
 our fupreme Lord, laid his Commands 
 upon us, which he might have done 
 and gone no farther, if he had fo plea- 
 fed; but, as our juft Judge, he hath 
 ordained Sandions, and, as our all-wife 
 Creator, he hath fuited them to the 
 Frame and Temperament of our Be- 
 ings. And he hath promulged them, 
 not in general Terms only, but with 
 many fmgular Particularities ; which, 
 when throughly and with exprefs In- 
 tent
 
 114 -«^/^ Enquiry into the 
 
 tention of Mind confidered by us, 
 muflrgain our AiTcntto them, and fully 
 fatistie us of the Truth of the divine 
 Revelation of them; and that they 
 could come from no other than the 
 God that made us, and who alone 
 knoweth the Workmanfhipof his own 
 Hands. In a Word, the Rewards pro- 
 pofedare not only (aid to be large, 
 but, by the Defcription made of them, 
 they appear to be rational too. And 
 the Punifliments threatned are both 
 great, and fuch, we are allured, as are 
 pungent and afflictive to the whole 
 Man. That the Truth of this may 
 the better appear, it may be conveni- 
 ent to inliaace in a few Texts of 
 Scripture, that give fufiicient Intima- 
 tion of the Nature and Qiiality of 
 them. 
 
 Now concerning the Rewards of 
 the next Life, it is faid, not only in 
 Rom. 8. general Terms, that the Sufferings 
 1 8. of this Life are not 'worthy to be com- 
 ^ared to the Glory that jhalLbe reveal- 
 ed
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell, 1Z5 
 
 Ci^i/i ns : But that the Nature of that 
 Glory might in fome fort be difcerned 
 by us, the fame Apoftle telleth us, 
 that 7101V ijve fee through a Glafs dark- 1 Cor. 13. 
 Ijj but then Face to Face : Now I^^' 
 know in part J but then I jhalL know 
 even as 1 am known. And St. 'John 
 faith, Beloved:, now are we the Sons^^^^^-'^-'^' 
 of God J and it doth not yet appear 
 what we ft?all be y but we know that 
 when he appeareth^ we Jhall be like 
 him y for we Jhall fee hi;n as he is. 
 And our Lord and Saviour himfelf 
 pronounceth the pure in heart blejfedjf^t-'^^t-'^' 
 for they Jhall fee God. And he telleth 
 his Difcipies thus, In my Father^ sst. ]oh. 
 Houfe are many ManfionSj I go to^^'"^^^' 
 prepare a ^lace for you ^ that where 
 I am J there ye may be alfo. And ac- 
 cordingly the Apoftle affirmeth, that 
 we Jhall be ever with the Lord. And i TheC 
 therefore it was that he fo earneftly"^* *^* 
 defired to depart, that {o he might be 
 with Chriji which is far better. And Philip, i. 
 the Author of the EpilHc to the He-'^^'' 
 brews clk'cm.eth it the great Privilege 
 
 of
 
 ^l6 ^^;^ E N Q u I R Y into the 
 
 of Chriftians, that they are entituled 
 Heb. xii. to the heavenly Jenifalemj and to the 
 ^^'^^'^^' Society of an Innumerable Company of 
 Angels J of the general Ajfembly of 
 the Church of the firft born ; of 
 God the Judge of all^ of the Spirits 
 of jufl Men made perfect J and of J e- 
 fus the Mediator of the new Cove- 
 nant. And Chriil himfelf faith, To 
 Rev.3.2i.^^-^ fjj^f oqjercometh will 1 grant to 
 
 Jit with me in my Throne ^ evert as I 
 alfo overcame J and am fet down with 
 my Father in his Throne. And the 
 Adoration that is paid to G^^ and 
 Chrijij, is particularly defcribed in the 
 fourth and fifth Chapters of the Re- 
 velations. 
 
 S o then, if to know as we are 
 known ; if to contemplate the blelTed 
 Face of Godj and to be like him; 
 if to enjoy the fweet Society of our 
 deareft Lord and Mafter, and to be 
 fellow Citizens with the Saints and 
 Angels, and to pay our Service, Ho- 
 mage and Adoration to him that fit- 
 
 teth
 
 Nature and Tlace 0/ H E l l. 1 17 
 
 teth on the Throne j and to the Lamb 
 for ever and ever : If thefe, I fay, 
 are to be looked upon, as, what in- 
 deed they are, explicit Defcriptions of 
 the Nature and Quality of the Joys of 
 Heaven, then ' are not they, like the 
 Ark of old J, forbidden to be feeUj they 
 are not t\\Q fecret things that belong 
 to God ; but part of the revealed 
 things that belong to usj and to our 
 Children for ever^ that we may there- 
 by be encouraged to do all the U^ords Deut. 29; 
 of the Law. For though it is very "''i' "^''• 
 true that Eye hath not feen^ nor Ear i Cor. 2. 
 heard J neither have entered into the^' 
 Heart of Man., the things which God 
 hath frepared for them that love 
 him : Yet it is alfo as true, what 
 immediately foUoweth, Bnt God hath v. 10. 
 revealed them unto us by his Spirit j 
 '■ji'hich fearcheth all things ^ yea the 
 deep things of God. ^ 
 
 And that the Nature and Quality 
 of the Punifhments is revealed like- 
 wife, is evident from what hath been 
 
 al-
 
 1 18 An Enquiry into the 
 
 already alledged in the fecond, third 
 and fourth Chapters of this Book ; fo 
 that I fliall obferve nothing more here, 
 than that it is not only the bare pre- 
 ceptive part of the Gofpel we are to 
 attend to ; but, in order to our ful- 
 filling that, we filall do well to have 
 a fpecial regard to the Promifes and 
 Threatnings of it, as principally de- 
 figned to influence our Affections, 
 which is confeiTedly the direct and 
 great bufinefs of Religion. 
 
 And indeed thefe, I mean the par- 
 ticular Promifes and Threatnings of 
 the Gofpel, are alone accommodate to 
 allay the Heats and Diforders of our 
 Nature : And the want of them hath 
 been, and is the Defe£l, the great 
 Defect of other Religions, and is a 
 fu-^cient DiftinCtion of the Pvcvelation 
 of the everlaft ing Gofpel from them all. 
 The Chriftians Heaven is clearly ano- 
 ther thing, and of a quite different Na- 
 ture from the Elyzian Fields of the 
 ancient Heathen, and from the fenfu- 
 
 al
 
 Nature and Tlace ^/Hell. IZ9 
 
 al Taradife of the prefent Mabume- 
 tan ; and the Hell defcribed in the 
 Golpel is not with the fame Particula- 
 rities to be met with in any other Re- 
 ligion, that is or hath been in the 
 whole World. Kno\L'ing therefore ^"2- Cor. 5. 
 on the one hand, thefe Terrors of the^^'- 
 Lord J 'we ^erfuade Men y and havings 
 on the other, thefe Tromifes^ 'ive ex- 
 hort them to cleanfe themfelves from 
 all Fllth'inefs both of Flefb and Spi- 
 rit j ferfeEilng Holme fs in the Fear of^' >"'• 
 the Lord. 
 
 I N Fine, to bring the whole to as 
 fhort an IlTue as I can ; as Speculation 
 in general is commendable, fo the Re- 
 wards and Punifliments of the next 
 Life are proper Objcds of it. And 
 fo long as Men have a due Regard 
 and Veneration to the facred Autho- 
 rity of Holy Writ, and behave them- 
 felves with an humble, modeft, and 
 fubmilTive Refpt£l to it, they may 
 propofe fuch Reafons as they take to 
 be explanatory of what the Holy 
 K Scrip-
 
 1 30 An Encluirx mo the 
 
 Scriptures have declared concerning 
 thefe Things, as well as any other 
 whatfoever. And he who denieth 
 this, and telleth me that the general 
 Account we have in Scripture of the 
 Glory that (hall be revealed in us, hath 
 received no additional Force at all, 
 nothing proper to work on the Hearts 
 and Affections of Men from the pro- 
 found, but clear Reafonings of, (for 
 inliance) amongft fome others, the 
 2/f ""1. ^^^^ incomparable Dr. Scott:, doth, at 
 the fame time, what in him lieth to 
 fatisfy me, that there is an End both 
 of writing and fpcaking ; and that all 
 Ratiocination whatfoever, beyond the 
 bare Letter of the Text, is unnecefTa- 
 ry, and what is more, unlawful too* 
 
 T o be Brief, if I were not well 
 ♦Burnet'^affured of the ^ Liberty each Man 
 ^^'J?^^j/hath of propounding a fj^eculative 
 lib .4. o 9.Queftion.concerning thefe things, with- 
 r/ha^py^o'at the lead apparent Hazard either of 
 // //i ^/j/i|ii5 ov/n, or other Mens Salvation, by 
 (anattamio doiHg ^ notluifg la this World 
 ''^^'''^'^'^ ' ' ihould
 
 Mature and Tlace of H^ll, i ^ I 
 
 fhould have obliged me to enter upon^^^J // 
 this Argument : But fince I am Mly And make 
 perfuaded that the Souls of Men,^f^^"_''^ 
 without their own previous, conconii'^uresco»- 
 tant, or fubfequent Fault, can receive 17,S«<< 
 no real Prejudice by a moderate at-^''^«'»" 
 tending to fuch like Speculations ^sivLn l- 
 thefe: and that this, which I nowr?'"S, 
 
 ' ' hato right 
 
 advance, may rather be ufeful and (Qv-t^^fer bis 
 viceable to Religion than other wife ',tSd,fy^' 
 I have adventured to propofe it as a«"'^'i'«^- 
 ConjeBure and no more, to be embra- '*"' 
 ced or refufed as Men in their Judg- 
 ments fhall be convinced of the Pro- 
 bability or Improbability of it. On- 
 ly thus much I muft fay for it at pre- 
 fent, that having well weighed and 
 confider'd it, it feemeth, according 
 to the Module of my poor Underftand- 
 ing, highly probable ; and fuch as is 
 back'd with found and convincing 
 Reafons, which are the Subjed of the 
 following Cliapteti 
 
 K i ChafV
 
 Iji An E N Q.U I R y /«fo ?^e 
 Chap. VII 
 
 Reafons for the afore[a'td Con- 
 jeilure^ 
 
 HAVING conje8;ured that the 
 Body of the Sun is the Tarta- 
 rus or Local Hell^ it will be expelled 
 that fome B^eafons be laid down to jul^ 
 tify, and (hew the Probability, at 
 leail, of the AfTertion. 
 
 T. N o w the firft that I fliall bring 
 for this Purpofe, fliall be drawn from 
 the Nature of the Body of the Sun, 
 And here, I hope, it will not be ex- 
 pefted that I fliould give you a parti-^ 
 cular Defcription of the Stin\ Body, 
 fb as to fet down the Modus of its 
 Exiftence or Operation. Thatj I con- 
 fefs, is a Task too difficult for my Un- 
 dertaking. Or, that I fliould give an 
 Account of all thofe Theories that 
 jhave been formed of its feeming vari- 
 ous
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 15J 
 
 ous Motions, with refpeO: to this 
 Terreftrial Globe, and the other Parts 
 of the vifible Creation. This, could 
 I perform it never fo exa6lly and well, 
 would not be pertinent to my prefent 
 Purpofe : For which it will be fuffici- 
 ent if I obferve, what, indeed, is ob- 
 vious to each Man's Senfe and Reafon, 
 that the Body of the Suu is real, cor- 
 poreal F/re. If any one be fo If upid 
 as to doubt, or fo hardy as to deny 
 this, let him only betake himfelf to 
 thofe Parts of the World that lie di- 
 rectly under the Line, and there ex- 
 pofe his naked Body to its fcorching 
 Beams, when in its full Meridian 
 Strength : Or, if that be too long a 
 Voyage for him, let him even in thefe 
 cooler Climates, on a clear Summer's 
 Noon, lay himfelf open to its pier- 
 cing Rays, when coUeded into the 
 Focus of a reflecting Concave, or o- 
 ther Burning Glafs, and he will re- 
 ceive immediate and fenfibleSatisfa£li- 
 on. That the Body of the Sun is 
 Fire, is as evident, as that it fliineth. 
 K :^ It 
 
 y^'^
 
 I J4 ^^ Enquiry into the 
 
 It 13 as demonftratively the Fountain 
 of Heat as of Light ; it doth no lefs 
 refrcfli as with the Communication 
 of its fervid, than delight us with the 
 DiiFufion of its lucid Quality. And 
 he who queftioneth this, may as well 
 doubt whether or no it be Day, when 
 it is apparently above our Horizon. 
 
 Yv'e have had a mighty flir amongft 
 
 cur experimental Philofophers about 
 
 the Terpetual Fire, We have been 
 
 z)>-.Piot. told by a Gentleman, that in the Zi- 
 
 inVhihi ^^.,^^ Asbeftinum or Earth-flax, he 
 
 ol% Num. thought he had found out an everlaft- 
 
 '^^^' ing Wick ; and if he could have been 
 
 but fo happy as to place it fo as that it 
 
 might be conftantly fupplied with that 
 
 liquid Bitumen, which he had heard 
 
 of at T itch f or d'mShr op/hire^ theBufi- 
 
 nefs would have certainly been done. 
 
 He told alfo of certain Fire in fome 
 
 Veins of Coals, very deep in the 
 
 Earth, that required neither Air to 
 
 preferve its Adivity, nor any other 
 
 than its own conifituent Matter to 
 
 feed
 
 Uature and Tlace of Hell, i j jr 
 
 feed upon. But then it was fuch a Fire 
 as gave Light indeed, but did not 
 burn ; a mere lambent Flames like 
 that of thofe fepilchral Lamps of the 
 Ancients, which upon the leait Admif- 
 fion of Air into them were extinct, 
 and vaniflied into nothing, and left be- 
 hind them, no not fo much as the 
 leaft Smoke or Vapor, 
 
 N o w thefe fanciful Accounts miglit 
 ferve well enough to entertain and di- 
 vert witty Men ; but they will hardly 
 ftand the Tell: of a clofe Difquiiiti- 
 on. In truth, if they were through- 
 ly diicuiled, they would be found to 
 be mere notional Whims, fuch as have 
 no other Exiftence than in the fertile 
 Brain of him that firft related them. 
 
 But what need Men be fo very 
 earneft to hunt out for that which is 
 every Day prefented to them ? by the 
 Light of which they behold and dif- 
 cern other Objects, the burning Heat 
 of which they are fo fenfible of^ and 
 K 4 the
 
 I ^6 j4n Enquiry into the 
 
 the Continuation of which, they are 
 perfeQly fatisfied hath been ever fince 
 the World was. This Fire, as the 
 Pf. lo. 4.Pfahni{l: {^Q2\it\\\^Goeth forth from the 
 uttermoft 'Part of the Heavens j and 
 runneth about to the End of it again ^ 
 and there is nothing hid from the Heat 
 thereof. This Fire is placed at fo con- 
 venient a Diftance from the Earth, 
 that its Heat is cxtreamly comforting 
 to us ; which, if it were nearer us, 
 would fcorch and burn us up to no- 
 thing. It is a Fire that is neitlier op- 
 preil with, nor devoid of proper Mat- 
 ter. It hath not fo much Fewel as to 
 choke, nor fo little as to Itarve its 
 Flames. It is not fometimes languid 
 and weak, and at other times over- 
 violent and raging ; but it is always 
 the fame, and ever refplendent w^ith 
 an equal and bright fliining Luftre. 
 In a Word, when I contemplate this 
 great, glorious, and burning Objed, 
 I am filled with Wonder and Amaze- 
 ment to think what Tyrenean Moun- 
 tains of Sulpliur, how many Atlan- 
 
 tick
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell, i 37 
 
 tick Oceans of fcalding Bitumen, are 
 requifite to maintain fuch mighty, 
 fuch rapid Flames. 
 
 The Mtnas and Vefuvios of the 
 Earth are mere Glow-worms to \u 
 The meaneft cuh'nary Fire that is, 
 is far larger, compared to them, 
 than the very largell: of them all ; nay, 
 than they all put together are, when 
 conferrM with it. If they who fup- 
 pofe only a Metaphorical Hell^ ^o it 
 for this Reafon, that they cannot con- 
 ceive where fuch a material Fire fliould 
 be, as is fufficient for fo great a Work ; 
 let them but look on this, and they 
 will fee an Objecl: adequate at leafl: to, 
 if not exceeding, the very utmoll 
 Stretch of their Imagination, But, 
 
 II. I T may be w^orth my wliilc to 
 enquire fomewhat more particularly 
 into the Magnitude of the Body of 
 the Sun., the reafonablencfs of my 
 Hypothefis in a good Meafuredepend- 
 ing on it. The Body of the Sun wns 
 
 ludgcd
 
 1^8 An Enquiry into the 
 
 judged by Tycbo-Brahens (who of all 
 Philofophers attributed the leaft Mag- 
 nitude to it) to be an hundred thirty 
 nine times bigger than the Earth. Co- 
 pernicus computed it to be an Hun- 
 dred fixty and two. And the old Tto- 
 lematck Hypothejis would have it to 
 be one Hundred fixty feven. But Thi- 
 Itppus Lansbergms fuppofed it to be 
 much larger, viz. Four Hundred 
 thirty four times bigger than the Earth, 
 and diftant from it Fifteen hundred 
 ij^midiameters of the Earth ; each of 
 which containeth between three and 
 four thoufand Miles. This Account 
 of the Magnitude of the Sun's Body, 
 though far larger than the other, is 
 yet but very fmall in Comparifon of 
 that, which tlie moll skilful Allrono- 
 mers and Mathematicians of this Age 
 Hugen. do givc of it. Hugeuifts telleth us 
 Coimo- that CafJIni in France ^ and Mr. 
 Lib. 2. Flamftcd amongft ourfelves, aiErm, 
 that it is diftant fl'om the Earth ten 
 or eleven thoufand of the Earth's Di- 
 ameters \ from- whence it is colle61:ed, 
 
 that
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 139 
 
 that it is a Million, nay more than e- 
 leven hundred thoufand times bigger 
 than the Earth. And he addeth, that 
 he himfelf hath, by a probable Con- 
 jefture, found it to be twelve thou- 
 fand of the Earth's Diameters diftant 
 from it. Which httge, vaft Space ^ 
 faith he, if it were to be meafured by 
 Numbers of Miles j would take up 
 more than feventeen Millions of Ger- 
 man Miles ; but perhaps we Jhall bet- 
 ter conceive the vafinefs of it in our 
 Minds J if we me a fur e it by the fwift- 
 7iefs of fome certain Motion. And if 
 we fuppofe a Bullet to proceed with 
 the fame fwiftnefs it dothj when jiifl 
 difcharged from a Cannon's Mouth ^ 
 it would take up almoft twenty five 
 Tears in its ^ajfage from the Earth 
 to the Sun, Nor is this the largefl: 
 Account that hath been given of this 
 .Thing. For ^ Eratofthenes affirms 
 
 * Citid by Willet upon Gen. from Plutarch dc Pla- 
 citis Philofophorum, Lib. 2. Cap. 31, 
 
 the
 
 1^0 An Enquiry into the 
 
 the Sun to he eight hundred and four 
 Millions of Furlongs diftant from the 
 Earth ; which at eight Furlongs to the 
 Mile maketh above an hundred Mil- 
 lions of Miles of it. 
 
 B u T I need not infiH: on this laft 
 Account; it will be over and above 
 fufficient for my Furpofe if the Sun^ 
 Body come up, or near to the Calcu- 
 lation of our late and moft eminent 
 Aftronomers, who earneftly contend 
 that it is ten, eleven, nay, more than 
 twelve hundred thoufand times bigger 
 than the Earth.' I leave it to profefl- 
 ed Arithmeticians to fum up, if they 
 can, the fquare Miles of its Superfi- 
 cies; or, what is more, the cubical 
 Miles of its folid Content i whilft I 
 fatisfie my felf with obferving, i:hat if 
 they who fuppofe Hell to be in the 
 Earth, think the twentieth part of its 
 Semidiameter on every fide the CeA^ 
 ter to be Sphere fufficient for tlie Ac- 
 tivity of its Flames ; then certainly 
 the Body of the Sufh which is fo ma-
 
 Nature and Tlacc o/" H E l l . 14. 
 
 ny hundred thoufand timeSj as thefe 
 Philofophers have defcribed it, bigger 
 than the whole Earth, muft be ac« 
 knowledged by all to be capacious e- 
 nough for that Purpofe. 
 
 I do not think that any one can have 
 much to objeti: againft this Hypothe- 
 fis, either from the nature of the Bo- 
 dy of the Sfifi^ or from tlic magni- 
 tude of it. It hath apparently the 
 Advantage of the other in thefe re- 
 fpe£ls, which yet are the principal, and 
 ought to be of the greatelf Weight 
 with us* For fince it is exprelly re- 
 vealed in the Word of Go^^j that there 
 is fuch a Thing or Place as HeU-¥ivey 
 and that the fame is appointed for the 
 Punifhment of an innumerable Com- 
 pany of Devils and wicked Men : And 
 fince this is fo far from being found a 
 thing impoirible, that we have plain 
 demonftrative Proof of fuch a Place 
 of Fire in the World, abundantly 
 large, and capable of receiving vail, 
 inHnite Numbers both of Devils, and 
 
 alfo
 
 1 42. u4n Enquiry into the 
 
 allb of the Bodies of Men ; have we 
 not feme Reafon to infer that this is 
 pofTibly the Hell ? I am fure no one, 
 without an exprefs Revelation from 
 Godj can fay it is not. But be- 
 fides thefe direct and eflential Proofs 
 for it, there are other confequential 
 ones fufficiently declaring the proba- 
 bility of it, fome of which Ihall be 
 taken, 
 
 5» From the Pofitidn or Situati* 
 on of it ; concerning which I fhall not 
 pretend to frame any new Hypothefis 
 of my own, but proceed upon that^ 
 which, as it was very ancient, i^ not 
 the moll ancient of all, fo hath it been 
 revived by modern Philofophers, and 
 is nov/ generally received by the learn- 
 ed in that way, viz, the old Tjthago^ 
 rick and new Co^ernican Syfbem, 
 which fuppofeth the Sim^ and not 
 the Earth, to be placed iii the Center 
 of the World. 
 
 t
 
 Nature and Tlace o/Helu 1 43 
 
 1 fhall not need to contend for the 
 Truth of this Hypothefis, or to fee 
 down what it hath to fay in defence of 
 it felf, to the various Objedions drawn 
 from Senfe, Reafon and Scripture a- 
 gainft it. This hath been already fuf- 
 ficiently done by many eminent Hands, 
 and particularly by the famous Gajfen- 
 dusj in the third Book of his Aftrono^ 
 mical Inftittitmij to which I refer the 
 learned Reader. I fhall therefore at 
 prefent take it for granted, and ufe it 
 as the Foundation of three or four Ar- 
 guments for my Opinion. In order 
 whereunto I fhall lay it before the 
 Eye of my Reader, only with this Va- 
 riation from the ufual Figure, that the 
 Earth and the Sun are, in fome mea- 
 fure, proportioned to the foremention- 
 ed difference in the Magnitudes of 
 them. 
 
 Behold therefore the Sun fixed 
 in the Center ot the Univcrlc, about 
 which in then* levcral i^rbits the Pla- 
 cets
 
 144 ^/? E N Q u I R Y into the 
 
 nets are fuppofed to move ; and among 
 them this terraqueous Globe on which 
 we live, in an Orbit large enough for 
 the Moon to move round it as its Af^ 
 fecla, without interfering with the 
 Planets of Venus and Marsj between 
 which it is placed. In the Orbits near 
 the Stm are Vemis and Mercury j iri 
 thofe beyond the Earth are Mars^ 
 Jupiter J and Saturn^ and beyond 
 them the Firmament of the fixed 
 Stars ; between Saturn and which 
 there is fuppofed to be a mighty, 
 yea almoll: infinite fpace ; fo that by 
 reafon of the diftance between the 
 Earth and fixed Stars, not only the 
 Earth, but even the magnus Orbis 
 it felf^ or the whole Heaven where- 
 in the Earth moveth and performeth 
 her Courfe round the Sun^ is, when 
 compared with the Orb of that im- 
 menfe Firmament, but as a Tingle 
 Point. 
 
 Such is the Copernl'can Syftem 
 of this vifible World, to which I 
 
 ftall
 
 Nattdre and Tlaccof Hell. I4§ 
 
 fhall only add the Ccclum Empyreum 
 ia the fame Form that Gaffeudus de- 
 Icribsth it m the vulgar 'Ptolemaic k 
 Scheme, omitting i\\^ primttm mobile^ 
 and the Cry ftalline Heavens ; becaufe 
 as they make neither for nor againft 
 our Opinion, fo they do not fuit or 
 agree with our Hypothefis. Now 
 that which I defire to be obferved 
 from this Scheme m the 
 
 I ft Place, is, tliat the two Ex- 
 treams or Opponents in the higheft 
 degree, are the Emj^yreumj and thd 
 Body of the Stm. The former of 
 thefe is confciTed by Divines, as Gaf- 
 fendiis affirmeth, to be the Region of 
 Angels and happy Soulsi And there- 
 fore what more rational than to fup- 
 pofe the latter to be the Seat of De- 
 vils and miferable Spirits ? We know ^ 
 Heaven and Hell have be:n all along 
 oppofed, and judged to be quite con- 
 
 • .y ff Dr, Brrrow on t'j: Cr:id. Art. Hi dcfcehded 
 inL HclU 
 
 h traiy
 
 I z^.(5 An E N Q.U I R Y into the 
 
 trary the one to the other. Indeed, 
 there are not greater and more direct 
 Oppofitioiis in Nature than they are*? 
 hot and cold, black and white, hard and 
 foft,or any other adverfe, or evencon- 
 tradi6lory Terms may as foon be pre- 
 dicated of the fame SubjeQ:, as Heaven 
 and Hell agree in any one Property, 
 Degree or Quality whatfoever. 
 
 Their Contrariety reacheth even 
 Gal. 5.i7.to this World; The Fie jh, faith St. 
 jP^///j lufteth agahifl the Spirit _, and 
 the Spirit againft the Flejhj and thefe 
 are contrary the one to the other. And 
 if we obferve the Account that imme- 
 diately followeth, of the Works of 
 the Flefli and the Fruit of the Spirit, 
 they will plainly appear to be fo. Foi* 
 what can be more contrary to Adid- 
 teryj FornicatioUj ^Oncleannefs and 
 Lafcivionfnefs^ x.\\2in Love ; the pure 
 feraphick Love of God^ and the true 
 iincere Love of our Neighbour _, the 
 doing to him as we would he fhould 
 do unto us ? What JJiore contrary to 
 
 Idoh"
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 147 
 
 Idolatry and Witchcraft^ than Joy and 
 ^eace in the Holy Ghoft? What 
 more contrary to Hatred and Vari^ 
 anccj, to Wrath and Strife ^ to Envy- 
 ings and Mnrthers^ than Long-fuffer' 
 ingj Gentknefsj Goodnefs, Meek-' 
 nefs ? What to Herejiesj than i^^/>^ .? 
 And what to T)nmkeiinefsznd Revel- 
 lingSy than Temperance ? Thefe are 
 entirely oppofed to each other here, 
 and what is more, they are the Seeds 
 of a compleat, fixed and irreverfible 
 Oppofition hereafter* 
 
 The Natures of Virtue and Vice 
 are fo far oppofed in this World, as 
 that Virtue can never be Vice, or 
 Vice Virtue ; yet if they are confide-^ 
 red with relation to their Subje£i:, 
 they are alterable ; for a good Man 
 may become bad, and a bad Man may 
 become good. But in the next World 
 they are oppofed in this no lels than 
 all ocher refpe£ls : For, after Deaths 
 our Habits, according to their rcfpec- 
 tive Predominancy, will be always ex- 
 L 2 tended
 
 II. 
 
 14S An E N CLU I R y Into the 
 
 tended to the very utmoU Pitch they 
 are capable of. If they are Good, 
 they will be refined and made altoge- 
 ther Impeccable; if they are Evil, 
 they will be envenomed with all Vi- 
 rulency and Malignity, which will be 
 \Vholly irrecoverable. The time is 
 then at hand when Men fhall be ei- 
 ther confirmat't in BonOj vel obfirmati 
 in Malo y or, in the Language of the 
 Rev. 22. Holy Gh^oft, when he that is unjuftj 
 'will be tinjiifl ftillj and he that is fil- 
 thy^ 'will be filthy Jt ill ; as he that is 
 righteous, is more righteous ftill, and 
 he that is holy is more holy ftill. 
 
 Nor are Heaven and Hell con= 
 trary to each other only in the Quali- 
 ties and inward Diipofitions of their 
 Subjefts, but to all other Intents and 
 Purpofes whatfoever. God the King 
 of Heaven^ is directly contrary to 
 SataUj the Prince that ruleth in the 
 Children of Difobedience. Indeed, 
 G^^and Satan are not Contraries, ra- 
 tione Efentiaj, with refped to their 
 
 Ef-
 
 Nature and Tlace of H ell. 149 
 
 EflTence, or Being. There are not 
 two contrary independent EiTences, 
 the one Good, the other Bad ; as Plu- 
 tarch and the Manicbees imagined. 
 But they are oppoftd as to the Nature 
 and Operation of their Beings, and 
 that in tlie higheft Degree pofllble. 
 God is a Being lelf-fuflicient, and in- 
 dependent, infinitely pure, good, h.o- 
 ly, gracious, beneficent, and whate- 
 ver elfe containeth i\\ ic Perfeftion. 
 Satan J for his Exidence, dependeth 
 upon the Will of God : But as to the 
 Nature and Operation of his Being, 
 quite contrary to that of God i he is 
 corrupt, evil, wicked, malicious, de- 
 ftruclive, and the like. God is the 
 Fountain of all Grace and Virtue ; 
 Satan is the Author of all Sin and 
 Wickednefs. God is infinitely happy 
 in the Contemplation of himfelf, and 
 ihe beauteous Works of his Power and 
 Goodnefs ; Satan is wretchedly mife- 
 rable in reflecting on his own Defor- 
 mity, and the Odioufnefs of that De- 
 pravity he hath introduced into the 
 ^ L 3 World.
 
 1 50 An E N Q u I R T into the 
 
 "World. The Contrariety between God 
 and Satan might be fet forth in fundry 
 Oliver Iijitances ; but it is fo apparent* 
 that tjie mentioning of thefe perhaps 
 may be thought fuperfluous. 
 
 I pafs on therefore to obferve a Con- 
 trariety not only in the Rulers and 
 Subjects of thefe two Kingdoms, but 
 in their Oncers and Minifters too ; 
 thofe of Heaven are the upright, lio- 
 ly, glorious Angels ; thofe of Hellds^ 
 the fallen, impious, foul Devils, * 
 The Oppofition that is between thefe 
 two Orders of Beings is beyond our 
 Comprehenfion at prefent ; but yet 
 enough of it wc know to aifure us 
 they ftand at the greateft Diftance the 
 onQ to the other ; the former are An- 
 gels of Light, the latter of Darknefs : 
 The former are ready and chearful Ex- 
 ecutioners of the Will and Commands 
 of God ) the latter are forced Drud- 
 
 * Vide Sanctum Augi^ft. dc Civ. Dei. lib. xi. c. 33. 
 
 ges
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 151 
 
 ges and tired Slaves of Satan : The 
 former, as they afTiil: to, fo they re- 
 joice in the ConveiTion of Sinners ; 
 the latter are employed in tempting 
 and endeavouring, by all Means, to 
 enfnare and feduce the Righteous : 
 The former have from God the con- 
 ftant Care of the Upright in this 
 World, to defend and proteft them 
 according to that of the Pfalmift, He . , 
 Jh all give bis Angels charge over thee^w^ \i' 
 to [keep thee in all thy JVays ; they 
 jhall bear thee up in their Hands j left 
 at any time thou dajh thy Foot againft 
 a Stone : The latter are permitted 
 by him to purfue their own devilifli 
 Spight and Malice, in now and then 
 afflicting the Godly for their Tryal, 
 as i"^ the Cafe of Job ; and in many 
 times bringing fuch of the Wicked as 
 are forfaken of Godj to their defer v- 
 ed End and Punifliment. In a word, 
 the former, as they are Inhabitants 
 of the llegions of Glory themfelves, 
 fo do they delight in conducting the 
 Saints to, and placing them on their 
 L 4 Thrones,
 
 1 51 ^n Enquiry into the 
 
 Thrones, in fitting on them their 
 Garments of Light, and adorning them 
 with their Crowns of Righteoufnefs 
 and eternal Life ; whilft the latter, be- 
 ing condemned to the Prifons of Hor- 
 ror and Darknefs, become the furious 
 Liftors and Tormentors of the Dam- 
 ned, tumbling them down headlong 
 into thofe Dens and fiery Dungeons, 
 where they fliall be tortured Day and 
 Night, and fuH-er the Pangs of the fe-? 
 cond Death for ever and ever. 
 
 B u T to brix^g this Argument to 
 its Head ; fince there is nothing more 
 diftant from God than Satan^ from 
 jflngels than 'De'vils^ from Smuts than 
 StnmT's^ from EleB than Reprobate :, 
 from Blejfed than Curfedj from ^y*- 
 ved than 'Damned., from Glory and 
 Light than Horror and 'Darknefs., 
 from Life than Deaths, from Friiiti- 
 m than Defpair^ from Hallelujahs 
 and Doxologiesj than Curfmgs and 
 Execrations^ i^om perpetual Exulta- 
 tions j, Singing:^ and Rejolciiigs :, than 
 
 eter-^
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell, i 53 
 
 eternal Weeping and JVaUingj and 
 gnajhing of Teeth : I fay, fince tlicre 
 is m thefe and all other Inftances fo 
 diredl a Contrariety in the Natures of 
 Heaven and Hell^ how can we think 
 but that there nuift be likewife tlie 
 greateft ^ diftance of Space between 
 them ? Efpecially fince this is inferred 
 not only from the Rcafon of the 
 Thing, but in fome meafure (landcth 
 on the firm and ftedfaft Foundation of 
 Scripture it felf: For in the Parable 
 the rich Man being tormented /// Hell^ 
 lifted up his Eyes^ andfaw Abraham a--^^- ^^^^^ 
 far off. And Abraham afterwards told * ^ 
 ^ivesj that between the two Places 
 where they were, there was a mighty^- 25. 
 Gtilfh fixed, fo that they who would 
 pafs from the one to the other could not. 
 
 * Dr. Earrow on the Creed. It is obvious that this 
 Sheol Cwben mcfl abfdutely and properly taken, thi Cir* 
 cumjfanccs cj Difcottr^e abcut it imply ing fo muh) is 
 cctnmcnly cppt/ed to Heaven^ n:t only in Situatim^ 
 but in Dimenjion and D'jiance. ^hid tiiis, he before 
 faith, is according to the vulgar Opinicn, as it jecms 
 anciently ever the World. Art. He defcendeil into 
 Hell, 
 
 Which
 
 154 ^^ Enquiry into the 
 
 Which Expreffion cannot in any Rea- 
 fon be fo reftrained to the Decree and 
 Purpofe of God J as to have no rela- 
 tion at all to the foregoing one, or to 
 exclude the vail Hiatus^ the almoft 
 bound lefs Space that God hath put 
 between them ; banlihing the Wicked 
 as far from the T^ re fence of the Lordj 
 and from the Glory of his ^ower^ as 
 they can be imagined, or as they can 
 really and pofTibly be. Again, 
 
 2. Be pleafed to obferve from the 
 forementioned Scheme, that the Em- 
 ^yreiim and Body of the Sun are not 
 only Oppofites in the greatelt Degree •, 
 but they are like wife oppofed as high- 
 eji and loweji^ which hath been as ge- 
 neral a Notion of Heaven and Hell as 
 any one of Mankind hath entertained, 
 and which is frequently infifted on in 
 the Holy Scriptures themfelves. I do 
 not fky that the higheft Heaven hath 
 been univerfally taken for the Place 
 where the Souls of Good Men are 
 happy after Death ; or the lowefl Hell^ 
 
 for
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 155 
 
 for the Place where the Wicked are 
 puniflied : For the Defcriptions we 
 meet with of them in fome of the 
 Heathen Poets fuiteth not with this 
 Notion. 1)tphilus an ancient Co- 
 inick Poet, cited by Clemens Alexan- 
 drhiuS:, fpeaketh of them as followeth, 
 
 c/^i/o Ka\b'4e{ nyyi, JVe are of Opinion j\\h. 5. 
 that in Hades there are two Taths or 
 Tlaces^ one for the Jufij the other 
 for the Wicked J howbeit^ the Earth 
 doth cover them both. Thus Virgil 
 fuppofeth them both to be in the in- 
 feriiai Regions, although in diftinQ: 
 and moil: diftant Places. For fo he, 
 
 Hie locus efi partes ubi fe via fttdit ^viti^. 
 
 I lib. 6. 
 
 m ambaSj 
 dexter a qua "Ditis magnifub mmiia 
 
 tendit ; 
 Hdc Iter Elyfium nobis ; at Uva ma- 
 
 lorum 
 Exercet pcenaSj (^ ad impa Tartar a 
 
 mitt it. 
 
 Which
 
 1^6 !/^;^ E N Q u I R Y into the 
 
 Which may be Englifh'd thus; 
 
 Here the Way parts j and cuts it f elf 
 
 in twain ; 
 To the great Pluto'j Walls the Right 
 
 doth bend J 
 By which to blefl Elyfium we tend : 
 But the left leads to TartarV t or f ring 
 
 Celh 
 The ^lace where damned Souls are 
 plagued in HelL 
 
 By this it is plain, that Virgil 
 thought the infernal Regions contain- 
 ed both the Tartarus and Elyfitm 
 too. Except we will fay that this 
 was only, what in Truth I take it to 
 be, a mere Poetical Deicripdon of the 
 other World, and the Scene thereof 
 laid, not according to the true Judg- 
 ment or Belief of the Poet, but to the 
 Occafion of the Poem. But, how- 
 ever that was, others were dubious 
 whether the Souls of good Men went 
 to th9 Ely/ian Fields, wherever that 
 
 PlacQ
 
 Nature and Tlace 0/" He ll. i 57 
 
 Place was, or to Heaven ; or, at leaf!:, 
 they affirmed that feme went to Hea- 
 veUj and foine to the Elyfian Fields. 
 For fo Seneca the Tragedian j 
 
 Oiiifqtiis eft placide potens^Yitrcnlts 
 T>omtnufq; Vita fer vat mnocuas Ala-^^^^^^' 
 
 nils J 
 Et incriientnm Mitis Imperinm regit ^ 
 Animoq; farcit : Longa ^ermenfus 
 
 din 
 Foelicis avi Spatia^, vel Ccelum petit ^ 
 Vel lata fcelix Nemoris Elyjii loca. 
 
 That is, 
 
 He that is great and good^ 
 That'*s Lord of Life^ yet keeps his 
 
 Hand from Bloody 
 And mildly reigns^ after a good old Age 
 Of happy Tears fpent on the World's 
 
 great Stage ^ 
 Either to Heaven flies j or ftrait re- 
 moves 
 To the fjueet Shades of the Elyfian 
 Groves, 
 
 But
 
 I jS An Enquiry into the 
 
 But however the Poets difFer'd in 
 their Thoughts concerning the Place 
 whither the Souls of the Virtuous 
 went after this Life *, yet it is certain 
 that all the Heathen, as well Poets 
 and Philofophers, as others, p laced the 
 chief Refidence or Court of the fu- 
 pream God in the higheil: Regions of 
 Heaven \ and laid the Scene of Hell 
 as low and deep as they could ima- 
 gine. Regnare in Coslo Jovem^ VuU 
 gus exiftimat : Jd do£lis fariter ^ /;/- 
 doSlis ferp.iafiim eft. Tliat Jupiter 
 reigneth in Heaven^ faith ^ Lallan- 
 tius^ is commonly thought : This, 
 both the learned and unlearned are 
 perfuaded of. Hence the ufual Ad- 
 jun£bs or Epithets of Jttfiter were^ 
 'oKvix-kK^, and 'o.\i;V7r/a <f^d/j.(x.Toc voLiau 
 A Metaphor fetclvd from Olympus^ 
 
 * Laaantiusdefalfa Religione: Lib. i. Cap. il. 
 Arid, de Coelo. i. 3. kj 'Oj-*i?5S r dvi'^Aior izJ" ©oo* 
 
 thatj
 
 Nature and T^dace 0/ H E l l. 159 
 
 that, as that was the higheft Moun- 
 tain they knew, fo he dwelt in the 
 higheft Places that were ; which in 
 plain Terms was, at other times, thus 
 expi'eil: by them, 'o? viriprccJoc /o'/xaTix 
 vKid, And therefore all thofe Philofo- 
 phers that took the Soul to be a Ray, 
 or Emanation of tlie Divinity ; that 
 it came from Godj and, if it prefer- 
 ved its Dignity, returned to him ; and 
 that its Happinefs confifted in the 
 Fruition of, or its Conjundion with 
 God, muft fuppofe the Seat of its Fe- 
 licity to be the fame with God^, which, 
 according to the general Opinion, was 
 the highell Heaven. 
 
 As for He 11^ that was called by 
 them, Lccdhifimaj the lo'wefi Places ; 
 and ;^aVa o Tru^/xtva fcft g'^a, a Gulph v\zto\xi 
 that hath uo Bottom ^ being it felf the^^*'^°"^' 
 Bottom and lowcll: oi all things. And it 
 was peremptorily co icluded by them; 
 Nil ultra jacet Inferos^ that nothmg g^^^^^^ 
 was beyond or lower than Hell, If you i "g. 
 run over all .the Poets, faith Bifliop 
 
 Biljon^
 
 i6o A'fi Enquiry into the 
 
 Bilfon^ you fhiU find that withond 
 general Confent they placed Hell^ not 
 only HocTO) below ^ but i^tto y^o>itc, quite 
 under the Earth. And the Gods ot 
 Hell^ according to their Fafhion of 
 having Gods for all Places, were ftiled 
 Hefioa. 'x-no-^omx fubterraneoiis.^ 2,Vi^ pofiti fiib 
 Ovid. j'^Y-rd Numma Mttndt^ i. e. The 'T)ei- 
 ties of the World placed under the 
 Earth. So that this Notion of He a- 
 ven and Hell, that they were the high- 
 ell: and loweli Places, feemeth to have 
 been generally received, and owned 
 by the ancient Heathen^ 
 
 There is a pretty Account of 
 the Heighth of Heaven, and Depth of 
 Hell in He/lod^s Theogonia, where the 
 Tartarus is placed juil: as far under the 
 Earth as Heaven is above it. And 
 that we might in fome Meafure con- 
 ceive the vail Diftance of them both 
 from us, it is exprelTed by the Moti- 
 on of an Iron Wedge or Ingot, fall- 
 VA^ from the one to the other. In its 
 Palfage from the Heaven to the Earth,
 
 Isfature and T^lace of Hz ll, i6i 
 
 the Poec faith, it would contain nine 
 Days, and fo many Nights, and reach 
 its Journey's End on the tenth ; as it 
 would alfo take up the fame Time in 
 paffmg from the Earth to He//. 
 
 "O(T0V io^^oc, £9* OtTTo y(^i\^c, Hefiod; 
 
 {xav 
 'EX ycd>]g y^ocTiuv </*£KaT>7 ig Taproc^v 7iii\: 
 
 I do not think the Poet there pre- 
 tended to an exact Calculation of the 
 Time of its Palfage to the re?l Space 
 that is between them ; as Hugenius 
 did by the like Example, to fhew the 
 Diftance between the Sun and the 
 Earth, which I before inilanced in ; 
 but that this was then the utmoif No- 
 tion he had of the Heighth and Depth 
 of Things, beyond which, he thought 
 there was nothing but Heaven and 
 He//y according to the general Opini- 
 M on
 
 l6l ^n E N Qjj I R Y into the 
 
 on, that they were the highefl and 
 loweft Places. The like Account of 
 lihd. 0. Heaven and He 11^ Homer giveth, when 
 after Jupter had proclaimed a CelTa- 
 tion of Arms between the Greeks and 
 Trojans^ he threatens that if any of 
 the Gods were fo bold as to break his 
 Orders, he would take him and throw 
 him into Hell^ which he defcribeth 
 as a deep Pit very far off; yea as far 
 below the Earth as Heaven is above 
 it. 
 
 ToVo-ov 8i'£p6' dU'-QLo oaov a^'.'(gH £5"' diTo ycmi. 
 
 So confonant and agreeable to the Na- 
 tural Sentiments of all Mankind is 
 jDrexsJiui ^^^^^ Conclufion of T>rexeliiis. Jure 
 de D^mn. jjio h'lc Impoborum Career Loco mfimo 
 ^cv^ui.eftj uti Beat or um fedes ammnjjma 
 c^P- ^- LiOCO fiimmo ac nobil'tjjimo. 
 
 A N D if we look into the holy Scrip- 
 tares, we Iliall fiad the fame Account
 
 NatPire and Tlace of Hell, i (5| 
 
 Account of them there, both before and 
 after the coming of Chrift. Thus Zo^ 
 J^/jar^'m the Book of J^^, fpeaking of the 
 Wifdom of God faith, It is as high asJo^-"'^' 
 Heaven J Wfiat can'il thou do ? Deep- 
 er than Hell^ What can'ft thou know ? 
 That this is to be underftood of Hea- 
 veil and Hell^ ftridlly fpeaking, or 
 properly lb called, will be acknow- 
 ledged, if we attend to what prelent- 
 ly foUoweth. The Meafure thereof 
 is longer than the Earthy and broader 
 than the Sea ; that is, It is beyond all 
 the Works of the Creation, or as he 
 fpeakcth of it before, The Secrets of v. d; 
 it are double to that 'ujhich is. Godj 
 if he had fo pleafed, could have made 
 more Worlds than he did, or thofe as 
 large again as they are ; for his Wif- 
 dom is more than double to the whole 
 Creation, or to all that which is. It 
 furmounteth the highefl: Part of it 
 which is Heaven^ it fathonieth the 
 loweil: Depth of it which is Hell^ it 
 meafureth out the Length of the Earthy 
 and the Breadth o^ tlie Seas. Confo- 
 M 2 ;ianc
 
 164 Jn'^^ Q.U I R Y into the 
 
 nant to this, is that of the Pfahriift, 
 pr. 139. If I afcend into Heaven ^ thou art 
 
 '^* there; If I go down into Hell ^ thou 
 art there alfo > If I take the Wings 
 of the Mornings and dwell in the ut- 
 termoft Tarts of the Sea^ even there 
 alfo fhall thine Hand lead me^ and 
 thy right Hand Jhall hold me. A 
 plain Defcrlption of the Ornniprefence 
 of God^ whofe Nature, Operation, and 
 Influence extend themfelves through 
 the whole Creation, both Heighth 
 and Depth, and Length and Breadth 
 of it. Of the fame Importance with 
 refped to the Heighth of Heaven and 
 Depth of Hell., is that Declaration in 
 
 Amos 9.2. the Prophet AmoSj Tho"* they dig down 
 into Hell^ thence fhall my Hand take 
 them ; though they climb uf into Hea- 
 ven., thejice will I bring them down. 
 So in the Poetical Allufion of the 
 King of Babyloirs Defl:ruQ:ion to the 
 Fall of Lucifer J we have thefe memo- 
 
 Ifa. 14. rable Expreilioos. Thou hafl faid in 
 
 ^3? &c. ^ijy Ueartj I will afcend into Heaven^ 
 I will (;xalt my Throne above the 
 
 Stars
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. iS^ 
 
 Stars of God ; Tet^ as it followeth 
 ibon after, jhalt thou be brought doivn 
 to Hell, Again, Thou haft fa'id^ I 
 will afcend above the Height h of the 
 Clouds ; / ivill be like the moft High. 
 'But how art thou fallen from Heaven ^ 
 O Lucifer J Son of the Morning I Hell 
 from beneath is moved for thee:, ^o 
 meet thee at thy Coming. Thus our 
 Blejfcd Saviour defcribing the Heighth 
 of Capernaum'' s Pride and Glory, to- 
 gether with the Depth of her enfuing 
 Mifery, fetteth them forth by the moft 
 emphatical Antithefis of Heaven and 
 HelL Thou Capernaum j faith he^^^st. n. 
 which art exalted unto Heaven^ i. e, ^* 
 to the very higheft Pitch of Glory, 
 Jhalt be brought dowUj, or, as it is ia 
 another Evangelift, Jhalt be thruji^'^'^'^*' 
 down to He II J viz. to the very low.*^' 
 eft State of Mifery. 
 
 I fiiould be tedious, fliould I pur- 
 fue the Illuftratioa of this Point any 
 farther ; I fliall therefore briefly ap- 
 ply it to my prefcnt Purpofe, and pafsi 
 M 3 on*
 
 1(55 An Enquiry into the 
 
 on. In the forementioned Scheme, 
 it is evident, the Globe of the Earth 
 is placed between the Empyrean Hea- 
 veUy and the Body of the Sun ; and 
 that it ftill muft be fo, let it be m 
 what Part foever of its Orbit it will: 
 Whence it foUoweth, that if Heaven 
 be above it in one Extreme, the Sun 
 muft be below it in the other, and by 
 Confcquence that this Notion of Hell 
 too fuiteth with that Place, 
 
 I confefs, indeed, this and the for-» 
 mer Argument have no Weight at all 
 in them, if the Hypothefis be not ad- 
 mitted, or the Earth be fuppofed to 
 be the Center of the created World : 
 For, then the Earth and not the Sun 
 would be in the higheft Degree op- 
 pofed to Heaven^ and would alfo be 
 the loweft Part of the whole Crea- 
 tion. But then, I conceive, it would 
 alfo from hence follow, that the Earth 
 Dove'5 niuft be the Hell ,too, according to 
 S«^M- ^^^^^ Conclufion of Dr. Dove^ If any 
 thi'i^m^ ask where Hell isj, fttrely it is in the 
 ^'^•'^' lowefi
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell, 16"/ 
 
 lowejl Tarts of the Earthy hecanfe 
 they are the far the ft from Heaven. 
 But that hath been ah'eady difproved, 
 both from the Compofition of the 
 Globe of the Earth, and from the Mi- 
 nutenefs of it. And therefore, the. 
 burning Nature of the SurP^ Body, 
 and the Magnitude of it are, to me, 
 not only Arguments of its being the 
 Tartarus or Local Hell^ but, for that 
 very Reafon, a good Proof too, of 
 the Truth of the T yth agora-Cop erni- 
 can Syftem, which hath fo placed the 
 Heaven^ the Earthy and the He 11^ as 
 fuiteth with the Nature and Conlti" 
 tution of each one of 'hem, and is a" 
 greeable likewife to tl e univerfal No- 
 tion which Mankind hath received of 
 the fituation of them. 
 
 g. 'T I s worthy of our Obfervation, 
 in the next Place, under tliis Head, 
 that the Empyreum^ and Body oi the 
 Sun are oppofcd, not only in the ex- 
 tremeft Degree, and as highefl and 
 lowell, but as the greatell and leaft. 
 M 4 It
 
 1 68 An Enquiry into the 
 
 It is confciTed there are other Bodies^ 
 in the State of Nature that now is, by 
 far lefs than that of the Sun, Our 
 Edi-th^ the Moon^ and moft of, if not 
 all, the Tlanets are in Magnitude 
 greatly exceeded by it. But when 
 the glorious Frame of this vifible 
 World Hiall be deiiroyed, and all the 
 intermediate Orbs and Bodies in them 
 lliall be annihilated, fo that Heaven 
 and Hell (hall only remain \ the Stm 
 will then appear to be, by numberlefs 
 Degrees, the leaft of thole two Works 
 of Qod which are to endure unto all 
 Ages. And fince it was the Ambition 
 of Satan to equal tlie Moll High, and 
 that, as we may fairly fuppofe, as well 
 in his Omniprefence as Omnipotence, 
 it being the Nature of Pride to fwell 
 itfelf iato a larger Bulk, and to take 
 up more Room than really belongeth 
 to it, it feemeth very confonant to 
 Reafon, that he who could not con- 
 tent himfelf, in his Sphere, lo enjoy 
 the fpacious, and almoft infinite Re- 
 gions of Light, fhould for his Punifh'^ 
 
 ment
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hkll. i6^ 
 
 ment be expelled tliofe vail: and glo- 
 rious Habicatioris , and be thrown 
 down into, and incarcerated in the 
 clofe and narrow Dungeon of Hell, 
 And as the boundlefs, indefinite Orbs 
 of Heaven are well judg*d to be the 
 proper Habitation of God^ becaufe 
 they beil dcfcribe and fet forth his In- 
 finite Nature to us; fo the Body of 
 the Sun^ which with refpect to them 
 is, as it were, afinglePoint, may feem 
 no unfit Dwelling-Place for Satan and 
 his accuried Accompiice^j as beft iuit- 
 ing with the Nothingaefs of their Be- 
 ing, who fet themielves up in Oppo- 
 fition to the Glory, and Majefly of 
 their great Creator. 
 
 4. Another. Reafon for the 
 Sun's being the Tartarus^ drawn from 
 the forementioned Scheme is, that it 
 is placed in the Center of the Uni- 
 verfe, from which it is fuppofed not to 
 have moved in the leaft at any Time. 
 Of all the AflPeclions of Place, Immo- 
 bility fuiteth beil with Eternity. A- 
 
 rijloth
 
 170 An Enquiry Into the 
 
 ' tf'iov. It is not reafonable that any 
 thing moveable fl)Otild be eternal. The 
 Ancient Tythagorkk^s placed Fire in 
 the Center, or Middle of the World, 
 for this Reafon, becaufe they fuppo- 
 fed it to be the Element into which 
 all the reft fhould be refolved, and 
 that it fliould remain for ever. But 
 though, perhaps, they might not have 
 any good Foundation whereon to build 
 their Hypothefis, yet we are alTured 
 from better Authority than theirSj 
 that when God fhall think fit to put 
 2 Pet. 3. an end to this World, the Heavens 
 Jhall pafs away with a great Noifi^ 
 and the Elements jhall melt with fer- 
 vent Heat ; the Earth alfo^ and the 
 Works that are therein Jhall be burnt 
 ti^j i, e. All thole heavenly Bodies, 
 wdiich move now with fo much Har- 
 mony and Exadnefsj fliall then be no 
 more, they fliall fhrivel together like 
 a Scroll of Parchment \ the Elements 
 alfo of Air and Water fliall with ex- 
 tream Heat be evaporated, and the 
 
 Earth 
 
 10
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell, i 71 
 
 Earth with all, as well the folid and 
 ftony, as combuftible Works that are 
 therein, fliali be quite confum'd and 
 deflroy'd. 
 
 That the World fhall have an 
 End, is a Point fo clear in the Chri- 
 flian Religion, that it needeth not to 
 be proved from the Principles thereof; 
 neither is he worthy the Name of a 
 Chriftian who maketh any doubt of 
 it. And that this End or Deftrudlion 
 of the World fhall be by Fire, is a 
 Truth acknowledged, not only by the 
 generality of Chriifians, but by many 
 Heathens themfelves ; ^//W pwd toti Minudus 
 Orb't \3 ipjl Mundo cum Sydertbus fit- !,^^^^» P' 
 is minantnr Inccndium^ Ru'mam molt- 
 untur : They threaten Fire and Flame 
 to the whole IVorldy and even Ruin 
 and T)eftru6iion to the Heavens the?n- 
 felveSj vuith the Stars that are and 
 Jhine therein j faid O^avius in Minn- 
 cius Foeltx of the Chrillians in his 
 time • not rcmcmbring that the Hea- 
 then
 
 171 An Enquiry into the 
 
 then Poet had before then thus writ- 
 ten, 
 
 ^*^* Effe quoque in Fatis remtntfcitur af- 
 1. 1. fore Temfusy 
 
 ^io Mare^ quo Tellus correjptaque 
 Regia Cceli 
 
 Ardeatj & Mundi Moles o^erofa la- 
 bor et. i. e. 
 
 He alfo calls to mind how by decree 
 
 Of Fates J a time fioalL come when 
 Earth and Sea., 
 
 And Heavens high Throne Jhall burn^ 
 and the whole Frame 
 
 Of this great World fl jail be confttm'd 
 in Flame, 
 
 And before him the Verfes which 
 go under the Name of the Sibylline 
 Oracuio- Oraclcs thus, 
 
 rum, 1. 
 
 Tunc ardens Fhivius Coelo manabit ah 
 
 altOj 
 IgneuSj at que locos confiimet funditus 
 
 omnes^ 
 
 Terram->
 
 Nature and Tlace (3^ H e ll. 17 
 
 Terramque^ Oceanumque ingentemj ^ 
 
 ccertila Tontt^ 
 Stagiiaqiie^ turn FluvioSj Pontes 2)i- 
 
 temque feverum^ 
 C(B left em que Toliim^ Ccelt qnoqtie Lti- 
 
 m'lna in umitn 
 Fluxa rtietit ; Forma deletd frorfiis 
 
 eorum 
 Aftra cadent etenim de Coslo cun^a 
 
 revulfa. 
 
 Which in our Language are thus, 
 
 Then jloall a burning Flood flow from 
 on high J 
 
 And with its fiery Stream all things 
 deftroy : 
 
 Earth J Ocean J, Lakes j Rivers j Fotuu 
 tains J Hellj, 
 
 And Heaven J the Lights in tF Fir- 
 mament that dwell., 
 
 Shall lofe their beauteous Form^ and 
 darkened a. I 
 
 ^rofd from their Places down from 
 Heav'n Jh all fall. 
 
 So
 
 iy4 -^^^ Enquiry inti^ the 
 
 Seneca de So Seueca tlic Philofoplier, and o- 
 fd^S. thers of the Stoicks both thought and 
 c-2^. taught, Sydera Syderibus mctirrent^ 
 & omiit flagrante materia uno Igite 
 qiiicqtiid nimc ex d'tfpofito lucet ar de- 
 bit j i. e. The Stars jhall make In^ 
 roads on one another j, and the "juhole 
 World being on Flames, whatfoever 
 now Jhineth in comely and decent Or* 
 der Jhall burn together in one Fire, 
 
 Now that this mighty Conflagra^ 
 tion (hall be effeded by the Word^ or 
 miraculous Command of God^ as the 
 whole World was created by it, is 
 moft certain : And that he will make 
 ufe of natural Caufes to that End, 
 and, amongft the reft, chiefly of the 
 Sun^ is not unhkely : But whether 
 that iliall be fo or no, 1 think we can- 
 not with greater probability look for 
 the nup ouooi'/ov, the Fit'e that is to con- 
 tinue to all Eternity, than in the Place 
 where fo great a Body of it is fixed, 
 
 and
 
 Nature and Tlace t?/ He ll. 17^ 
 
 and where it hath remained immove- 
 able fo many Ages, even from the 
 Foundation of the World. 
 
 I am not infenfible that an Objedi- 
 on may here be raifed againft me, viZi, 
 that the Sun is a part of this vifible 
 World, and by Confequence as fuch 
 muft be confumed at the general De- 
 flrudlion. But to this I anfwer, that 
 as a Sun^ or a part of this World, it 
 Ihall ; for there will then be no farther 
 need of the Light and Heat thereof, 
 to refrefh and comfort thofe Creatures, 
 which God hath made, and which fliall 
 then be no more : But, fince the Place 
 appointed for the tormenting of the 
 Damned muft certainly be exempted 
 from the general DeftruQion, as well 
 as the Manfion of the Saints and blef- 
 fed Angels ; fo why the Stm may not 
 be that Place, as well as any other 
 part of the Creation whatfoever, there 
 can be no Reafon fhewn : If the fore- 
 going Scheme be allowed, I think 'cis 
 ^ good one, why it Iliouid be, that it 
 
 is
 
 1^6 An Enquiry into the 
 
 is ilippofed no lefs fixed and immove- 
 able than that ; in which refped it is 
 equally difpofed, with that, to remain 
 unto all Eternity. 
 
 I have laid the Reafons drawn from 
 the Tojition of the Body of the Sim 
 together, urider one Head ; becaufe, 
 as they receive Strength from, fo they 
 give Light to the premifed Scheme of 
 the vifibie Creation, and do indeed 
 mucually fupport and iiluilrate each o- 
 ther. But, 
 
 4. Another Reafon for the 
 probability of this Opinion fhall be 
 drawn from the Time of the Sun*s 
 Creation ; and that we may apprehend 
 the full force of this Argument, we 
 mull have recourfe to the Fall of Lu- 
 cifer and his apoilate Angels, who 
 are acknowledged to have once poP 
 fefled the heavenly Habitations, but 
 for attempting the Mod High, were 
 thrown down into their infernal Pri- 
 fon. Now it can hardly be fuppofed 
 
 thae
 
 Nature and Tlace o/" He ll. i 77 
 
 that Hell was created before the De- 
 vil and his Angels finned, both be- 
 caufe it was originally defigned, or, as 
 our Lord fpeaketh, prepared for them, 
 that is, for the Punifhment of their 
 Sin ; and becaufe if fuch a Thing were 
 in Being before, it cannot well be i- 
 magined but that they muft have fome 
 Knowledge of it, which Knowledge 
 would furely have kept fo acute and 
 quick- fighted Creatures as they were, 
 from daring to incur the fevere Pu-^ 
 nifhment of fuffering the Vengeance 
 of eternal Fire. 
 
 No ! it is more obvious and ra- 
 tional to think, that there was then 
 none but the Em^yreum^ or angelical 
 World created, which containing in 
 it nothing but what was Bright, Glo- 
 rious and Beatifick, they might think 
 themfelves fo fecure of that State 
 (there being then no other, and they 
 knowing themfelves to be created 
 Immortal or Eternal, a parte poji^ 
 and therefore not capable of Annihi- 
 N lation)
 
 lyS ^n E N Q_u I R Y into the 
 
 lation) as that God himfelf could not 
 difpoirefs them of it ; and might from 
 thence be induced to affed an Equali- 
 ty with him. But God^ whofe Purpo- 
 fes and whofe Power they had not a 
 full Comprehenfion of, ( for how 
 fhould finite Creatures comprehend an 
 infinite Creator ? ) to difappoint their 
 haughty and afpiring Humour, to baf- 
 fle and confound their vain Attempts, 
 and to punifli their Infolence, at once 
 layeth the amazing Scene of their 
 Torment and his own Glory \ and to 
 fhew the vaft and eafie Efficacy of his 
 Omnipotence, fpeaketh this beautiful 
 Univerfe into Being, which we now 
 fo much contemplate and admire. The 
 firft part of which that was created, 
 I fuppofe, to be the Body of the Sun ; 
 inno which the Devil and his Angels 
 were thrown down, that it might be 
 at the fame time an Inftrument of 
 Praile and Glory to God, of Torment 
 and Punifhment to them, and of great 
 Good and Benefit to the whole new 
 Creadon* 
 
 This.
 
 Nature and Tiace of Hel l. i 79 
 
 This I take to be no ways difa- 
 greeable to Alofes his Hiiloiy of the 
 Creation, where we are informed, 
 that the firft thing which the divine 
 Fiaf produced, was Light y which, 
 as Dr. Nichols telleth us, the Rabbins Confe- , 
 will have to be the Suu, I know not^rX.J^f 
 how fruitful their Invention may be ^^^^'^ i- 
 but I think it is indifputable that the 
 Su^ is the great Fountain of Light to 
 this planetary World, the Hiilory of 
 whofe Creation Mofes giveth us. And 
 it remaineth a Difficulty infuperable 
 to me, how Light (the Benefits of 
 which both they, for whofe fake AIo- 
 Jes more immediately wrote, were, 
 and all Mankind elfe arc, obliged to 
 praife God for) fliould be in this pla- 
 netary World without the Stm, 
 
 1 know the fame learned Perlbri 
 will not have a£lual Light to be then 
 produced, but only a tendency to it. 
 but how that comcth up to tlie Text, 
 I mufl: own it is not in me to difcern ; 
 N ?, for
 
 1 80 An E N Q.U I R Y into the 
 
 for immediately after Mopis faith ex- 
 Gcn. I. $. prefly, that the Light he called T>ay > 
 where he giveth us as plain a Defcripti- 
 on of the Light hQmQd.nt as words can 
 make. It was the Light which God 
 called T)ay^ that the Efficacy of the 
 divine Fiat produced ; and what the 
 Light is which maketh, and indeed is, 
 the T)ay^ any ordinary Underftanding 
 may perceive : This therefore feemeth 
 to be plain enough ; but then the Dif- 
 ficulty will be, how to reconcile this 
 with the Account of the fourth Day's 
 V. \S. Creation, where it is faid, that God 
 made two great Lights ^ the greater 
 Light to rule the T)ayj, and the lejfer 
 Light to rule the Night j, he made the 
 Stars alfo. 
 
 Now to wind our felves out of 
 this Labyrinth, the fame learned Per- 
 fon hath given us an excellent Clue ; 
 for he hath told us, that both the La- 
 tin word Facere, and the Original 
 word Gnafah (in our Tranjlation ren- 
 dered to 77iake) fignifie not only a ncjj 
 
 Forma-
 
 Nature and Tlace o/Uell. 1 8 1 
 
 Formation J, but any new ^fe or out' 
 ward Appearance of a thing. For 
 the Proof and Illuftration of this, I 
 refer you to the Do£lor in the fore- 
 cited Place, and obferve, that though 
 the Tlanets^ according to him, and 
 the Sun too, according to me, (for 
 we may conclude this certainly of one 
 as well as the other) were formed be- 
 fore then ; yet they are properly faid 
 to be made the fourth Day, Becaufe 
 they were then appointed to be for 
 Signs^ and for SeafonSj for DaySj and 
 for Tears, That was the Ufe for 
 which they were created, and which 
 they were that Day, and not before 
 put to : Times and Seafons, Spring 
 and Autumn, Summer and Winter, 
 were then decreed. The Sun was or- 
 dered to beat over the oblique Path of 
 the Zodiack, or rather, according to 
 our Hypothefis, the Earth was com- 
 manded to move in her Elleipfis in 
 fuch a manner as fliould alternately 
 advance to, and withdraw her Parts 
 from immoderate Heat ; that fo hav- 
 N 3 ing
 
 iSl jin Enquiry into the 
 
 ing fpent her Strength in the Sum° 
 mers Produdions , fhe might have 
 time to recruit with new Moifture 
 and other Qualities, and by the Fat« 
 nefs which drops from the Clouds be 
 the better difpofed for another Har« 
 veil. 
 
 Nor let any one think that this 
 was fo inconfiderable a part of the 
 Creation, as that it fliould not be 
 thought to take up an whole Day : 
 We know that in making a Clock, or 
 any other piece of mechanical Work- 
 rnanfliip of that Nature, it requireth 
 not only Skill, but Time too to dif- 
 pofe and fet the Wheels and Move- 
 ments in their proper Places and Or- 
 der, that fo they may anfwer the re^ 
 fpedlive Ends and Functions they were 
 framed for, And certainly the Har- 
 mony, and admirable Contrivance of 
 the various Motions that are in the 
 great Machine of this vifible World, 
 do as much demonilrate the Wifdom 
 and Power of Godj as the Produdion 
 / ■ '' ' of
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell, i 8 j 
 
 of its Subftance out of Nothing j and 
 may as well be fuppofed to take up 
 time in the doing of it, as any other 
 Part or Operation in the Creation 
 whatfoever. 
 
 This Difficulty therefore being o- 
 ver, I hope the Time that T have alot- 
 ted for the Creation of the S/m will 
 be allowed of, and then the Inference 
 which I before made from it, if it be 
 well confidered, cannot be thought ir- 
 rational. 
 
 5. T H E laft Argument I fhall urge 
 in favour of this Opinion fhall be 
 drawn from the ancient and almoft u- 
 niverfal Idolatry of the Sun, That 
 the Sun was one of the firft Idols ^i^n 
 paid their Worfhip to, we have great 
 Realon to believe ; fince, as far as we 
 have any account of Time, and the 
 Tranfadions of the World, we ftill 
 meet with the Idolatry of it. We 
 have it mentioned in the Book of Job 
 (which is believed to be the firft writ- 
 N 4 ten
 
 1 84 An Enquiry into the 
 
 ten of any in the holy Bible) with 
 Videz>r. this Remark upon it, that it is an Ini^ 
 V'arf^' ^///'O' to be pumjhed by the Judges^ 
 pbrafeup. tosfethet with the Reafon why it 
 
 en Job. ° , - .J , -> . 
 
 ought to be animadverted upon, viz. 
 Job. 31. becaufe it is a 'Denial of the God that 
 is above. 
 
 Sammes T K E ingcnlous Mr. Sammes; tells 
 Britannia, ^5^ that in the Thenician Tongue Mo- 
 loch fignifieth the King of the Gods : / 
 Now Molock or Molech was nothing 
 but the Sim^ as is evident from the 
 Scripture, where we are told, that 
 the Jews (having, I fuppofe, learnt it 
 from the Canaanit^Sj as they from 
 the Syrians) offered up human Sacri- 
 2 Kings fices to it, making their Children ta 
 ^3- 10. ^^p through the Fire to Moloch : 
 Concerning which it is farther added, 
 T. n. that Jojiah took away the Horfes that 
 the Kings of Jitdah had given to the 
 SuHj i. e. had dedicated to it, and 
 like wife burnt the Chariots of the Sun 
 with Fire. - 
 
 The
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell, 185 
 
 The great Idol of the Moabttes 
 Baal Teor was (as is affirmed by 
 learned Men) the Sun, under which 
 Name a little modified or varied, it 
 was worfliipped by divers other Na- 
 tions, as Mr. Sammes affirmeth, viz. 
 by the Cretes and Lacedemonians^ by 
 the Tyrians and Ajfyrians^ by the 
 Qatils and ancient Britains, 
 
 That the Sun was generally wor- 
 fhipped in the oriental Parts of the 
 old World is moft certain, the migh- 
 ty Empire of Terjia being entirely de- 
 voted to it : And it was fo unanimouf- 
 ly adored by the Ajjyrians and Ara- 
 bians , that the God Belatucadrus is Loco 
 faid by that learned Antiquary to be^'^^ ^ 
 derived from Bel-Atur-Qadar., which 
 in the Vhenician Tongue fignifieth 
 Bel of the black, fwarthy or Sun- 
 burnt Ajfyrians. And he remarks far- 
 ther out of Macrobius, that the Ajjy- 
 rians called the Sun CAD; the In- 
 terpretation of which Name is One or 
 Qnly, which Attribute was given to 
 
 the
 
 1 0i5 j4n Enquiry into the 
 
 the Sun^ becaufe, as the fame Author 
 reporteth, he was the greateft and al- 
 moft the only God, the reft being ac- 
 counted but his AlTifters or Coadju- 
 tors. 
 
 ^aturnai. Macrobius (as alfo Dr. Ni- 
 y ' ^* f^<?/j-remarketh) fpendeth feven whole 
 Chapters in the firft Book of his Sa^ 
 turnalia^ to prove that A^pollOj MarSj 
 Mercurlus^ Mfcttlafius^ SaluSj Her-- 
 culesj JJiSj Serapis^, Adonis ^ Atys^ 
 OJyrisj Horns ^ NemeJiSj TaUj and e- 
 ven Saturp and Jupiter were nothing 
 elfe but the Sun. As for the Egyp^ 
 t'tans^ it is plain enough why they 
 worfhipped the Sun^, viz. becaufe to 
 his Heat and kindly Influence they 
 owed both the Birth and Growth of 
 Laaan- their beloved Garden Gods : Namjt^ 
 ^"^ ' ^ ' 'ne So lis igiteo Calore^ neqtie nafci quic-^ 
 quam neqtie augeri potejl^ cujus fotu 
 conctpiunttir J nafcuntitrj ftifientauttur 
 omnia ^ as La6tantius oblerveth : 
 "Which alfo he telleth us was the Rea- 
 fon why the Story of Saturn's Geni^ 
 
 tdlin
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell, i S^ 
 
 talia abfcijfa was by the Stoicks inter- 
 preted of the Sun, In a word, the 
 Sun was fo univerfally worfhip'd, that 
 in Julius Cafars time, fome Nations 
 that did not fo much as know of the 
 Herd of the other Roman Gods, yet 
 paid their Adoration to that great I- 
 dol. For fo he in his Commentaries 
 telleth us of the Germans ^ ^eorum Cx^^r. 
 numero eos fobs ducunt qiios cernuntj g^,"^' 
 ^ quorum opbus aperte juvantur.^^^^-^'^^^^ 
 Solemj Vulcanum ^ Lunam^ reliquos 
 Tie famd quldem acce^erunt. That 
 they held thofe only for Gods which 
 they faWj and by whofe Means they 
 were plainly and manifejily ajjijled^ 
 viz. the Smtj the Moon and Fire : 
 As for the other Godsj they had not 
 fo much as heard of them, 
 
 B u T to the Parpofe : It is a cIofeNichoi-f 
 and excellent Obfervation of Dr. Ni-f^;^^[^^' 
 chols^ that the Devil was much pleafedp*''^ 2. 
 with Serpent-Worfhip, and that he 
 mightily delighted in it : And he bring- 
 eth fome Inftances out of approved 
 
 Authors
 
 l88 !/^;^ Enquiry into the 
 
 Authors to fhew that he, as it were, 
 thereby gloried and triumphed in his 
 unhappy Deception of our firft Parent 
 Eve^ by or under the Form of a Ser- 
 pent, exulting in that fatal Mifcarri- 
 age among the poor Idolaters, 
 
 And had he not as great Reafon, 
 tliink we, to triumph over the wretch- 
 ed Folly of Mankind, in fo univerfal- 
 ly impofing on them the Idolatry of 
 the Sun-^ whereby he made them not 
 only to deny the God that is above^ 
 but in Oppofition to him to aflert and 
 vindicate the Seat of his own Empire 
 below : And, which was above all 
 worthy of his Craft and Cunning, e- 
 ven to adore and worfliip the Place 
 where he knew he fliould hereafter 
 punifli and torment them for ever ? 
 
 C H A P^
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 189 
 
 Chap. VIII. 
 
 Ohjeiiions from jithelfm and 
 Philofophy anfwered. 
 
 HAVING produced fome Rea- 
 fons for the probability of my 
 AiTertion, it may be proper in the next 
 place to remove the Objeftions, which 
 I apprehend will be made againft it : 
 For it cannot be imagined that a Pro- 
 pofition of this Nature and Con(e- 
 quence fliould be ftarted in fo late and 
 curious an Age of the World as this 
 is, and not meet with Oppofition. The 
 SubjeO: of it is that which concerneth 
 every Man, and it becoraeth thofe 
 who are capable of judging, to conii- 
 der whether or no it may be true : 
 And the great Variety there is in the 
 Underftandings and Tempers of Men, 
 will, no doubt, caufe fome to think 
 well, others the contrary of it. Thofe 
 Arguments that feem rational to me 
 
 may
 
 1 90 An Enquiry into the 
 
 may have little Weight with anothel^ 
 Perfon; and as I condemn no Man 
 for difagreeing with me, fo I know not 
 why any one fhould be angry with me 
 for yielding my AfTent to that which 
 he may polTibly difallow. The holy 
 Scriptures, as I have before fhewn, are 
 filent, or at leaft have not pofitively 
 determined in the Matter under De- 
 bate, and our Church hath no ways 
 interpofed her Authority : And if fome, 
 particular Men, and thofe chiefly of 
 the Romtjb Communion, have been 
 zealous for the Opinion of HelPs be- 
 ing placed in the Earth, yet fmce their 
 Pofition feemeth to me not to be right- 
 ly grounded, I hope I may, without 
 Offence, have the Liberty to diflent 
 from them. That AfTertion is not ^6 
 eftabliilied, even amongft themfelves, 
 as to obtain univerfal AfTent ; many of 
 their learned Men are otherwife per- 
 fuaded : ^ Thomas Aquinas ^ although 
 
 * Aquln. Sum. Thcol. Suppl. tertise partis. Arficn 
 Utrum Ignis Irferwi fit fub TerrS,
 
 Nature and Tlace of Helu 191 
 
 he would be thought not to gainfay 
 it, yet at the fame Time ihewed him- 
 felf fufficiently diflatisfied about it ; 
 and as to the Tlace of HeU^ where it 
 is fituate, owned himfelf at a Lofs. 
 And not only fo, but faid, He thought 
 no Man in this World would be ever 
 able to tell where it is, excepting by 
 exprefs Revelation from the Spirit of 
 God, 
 
 Far be it from me to pretend to 
 any thing like that, nor do I direftly 
 define where it is, I only put in my 
 Conje£lure, or give my Opinion ; and 
 yet in the fame Place where Aquinas 
 faith this, he telleth us that Tytbago- 
 ras placed the feat of Punifhment in 
 the Sphere of Fire, and that he alfo 
 placed that in the middle, not of the 
 Earth, but of the Univerle, or whole 
 World, and for this he quoteth Ar'tjlo- 
 tie de Casio. Indeed Artftotle telleth Arift. de 
 us there, not of Pythagoras himfelf, ^"'^°**^' 
 but of certain Tythagortckj or Italian 
 ^hilofofhers that placed the Sphere of 
 
 Fire
 
 191 i/^;? Enquiry into the 
 
 Fire there, and that they alfo called It 
 Jupiter's Prifon, 'bi aio? cpu^aKHv ovo^o^- 
 
 t>i(Si'^ To tWtHV i^OV THV ^Q^V UXJp, 
 
 So fair an Hint as this might, me- 
 thinks, have given fome free Philolb- 
 phizing Chriftian, an occafion to take 
 this Matter into his Confideration, e- 
 ipecially fince that antiquated and out- 
 dated Philofophy hath once more lift- 
 ed up its Head and is not afliamed to 
 Ihew its Face. 
 
 But that I may oblerve, in this part 
 of my Difcourfe, fomething of Me- 
 thod, I fhall defend my felf againft 
 the Arrows that are levelPd at me, 
 out of the Quivers of Atheifm^ ThL 
 lojbphy and Serif ture : And as to the 
 
 First of thefe, it is poffible I 
 may be blamed for advancing this Pro- 
 pofition, in that thereby I may feem 
 to have given too great an Handle to 
 Atheifts^ which now the World is too 
 full of, who perhaps may fay, that yoa 
 
 1)to_pian
 
 Nature and T^lace of W ll. 193 
 
 Utopian Divines, in your romantick 
 Defcriptions of the other World, can- 
 not tell where to place your Hell^ in- 
 to which yet you have the Charity to 
 condemn us : Some of you are for 
 having it near the Center of the Earthy 
 others of you fuppofe the whole Earth, 
 and all that which is to be the Matter 
 of the general Conflagration at the 
 laft Day, to be the Fire in which thole 
 whom you are pleafed to call wicked 
 Men fliall fuflPer everlafting Torments ; 
 and now forfooth fteps forth one that 
 will have the Body of the Sun to 
 fcorch us eternally. 
 
 But, if it be a good Argument a- 
 gainft the Infallibility of the Rom'tjh 
 Church, (and it is your own) that 
 they themfelves know not where to 
 place it, fome affirming it to be in the 
 Pope alone, others in a general Coun- 
 cil, and a third Party in botli thefe u- 
 nited : Why is it not a good Argu- 
 ment againll your Hell^ that you your 
 fclves know not where to place it, 
 O whether
 
 194- -^^ ^ ^ ^u I R y inPQ the 
 
 whether in the Body of the Sim^ the 
 Center of the Earth, or on the Sur- 
 face of it ? 
 
 T o this I anfwer, that admit the 
 Cafes between the feveral Claims to 
 Infallibility, and the feveral Places in 
 which it is faid Hell may be, were pa- 
 rallel, as it will appear prefently they 
 are not; yet the Inference from thence 
 drawn doth not much affect me. In- 
 deed if all the Defenders of the Do- 
 £trine of an Hell had, before now, u- 
 nanimoudy agreed concerning the Na- 
 ture and Place of it ; then to have in- 
 troduced into the World a novel Opi- 
 nion would have been to break the 
 Ice, and to make Way for a various, 
 and, according to this Objedion, an 
 uncertain diverfity to have entered. 
 But fince there is and hath been a di- 
 verfity of Opinions, and no one hath 
 been lb fettled, as to pretend to uni- 
 verfal Reception, it will not much in- 
 creafe the uncertainty of the Matter 
 
 (if
 
 Nature and Tldve of Hell, i 9 j 
 
 ( if it were fo) that one more be ad-* 
 ded to the reft. 
 
 But if this fuffice not, I anfwer 
 more direQly, that the different Opi- 
 nions of Men, concerning the Modui 
 or 'Vbi of a thing, doth not take a- 
 way the Truth and Certainty of the 
 Thing itfelf, except they can invali- 
 date not only the feveral Pleas made 
 to it, but like wife all other Arguments 
 or Reafons upon which the thing itfelf 
 is founded. If a Doctrine be efta- 
 bliilied on any confell Principle, it 
 matters not how many, or how wrong 
 the Claims be that are made to it. To 
 give an Inltance or two of this. 
 
 Some affirm, that the Body of 
 Cbrijt is prefent in the holy Sacrament 
 of the Lord's Supper by way of Tran- 
 fiibjlantiation^ others by way of G?;;- 
 fiibftantiation^ oxXvcx^^ figuratively on- 
 ly, and others really h\ii facr amen tal- 
 ly ; but however thefe difter concern- 
 ing the Manner of its Prcfence, yet 
 O 7. all
 
 Id6 ^n E N (^u I R Y into the 
 
 all agree, that it is prefent, becaufe 
 it is exprefly affirmed to be fo by Cbrifty 
 whofe Word is the Standard, and ulti- 
 mate Refolution of all their Faith. 
 Thus many, nay, almoft infinite Par- 
 ties have, and do put in their Claims 
 to the Chriftian Religion ; but will we 
 from thence conclude that there nei- 
 ther is nor hath been fach a thing at 
 all ? when that is evident from plain 
 Matter of Fad at prefent, and from 
 undeniable Hiftory of times pafi:. In 
 like manner it is difputed amongft Phi- 
 lofophers, whether the Stiu or th^ 
 Earth be placed in the Center of this 
 vifible World, and fome will have this, 
 fome that to be Hxed there ; but cer- 
 tainly it would be a ftrange Inference 
 fi'om hence, that there is no Center at 
 all, when that is demonftrable from 
 the Nature of a Sphere, the Figure 
 of which the Machine of this World 
 is flippofed almoft on all Hands to re- 
 femble. Thus, though it is not, and 
 indeed cannot be abfoiutely determin- 
 ed by us, whilil we are in this Life, 
 
 where
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 1 97 
 
 where HeU is placed ; but that fome 
 will imagine it to be in one, and o- 
 thers in another part of the World, 
 yet fince it hath been made evident be- 
 fore from allowed Principles, that 
 there muft be an He//, the difference 
 of Opinions, as to the Place of it, is 
 really no Argument againft it, any 
 more than it is in the Cafes but now 
 mentioned, and forty more that might 
 be named. 
 
 If it be asked, How then comes 
 this Argument to be urged againll the 
 Infallibility of the Romljh Church, 
 fince, according to me, there may be 
 fuchaThing, notwithltandingthe va- 
 rious Opinions they entertain about it? 
 I anfwer, that we do not bring this a- 
 gaiaft tliemasan Argument primarily, 
 and of itfelf conclufive, farther than 
 we can difprove each one of their 
 Claims to it : If \vc could evade all 
 and every of their Pleas but one, and 
 knew not what to lay to that, they 
 jivere fafe enough , notwithltanding 
 O 3 they
 
 198 An Enquiry into the 
 
 they had never fo many, and fuch 
 falfe Pretences to it. But the mifchief 
 of it is, we have confuted them leve- 
 rally and jointly too, and proved that 
 the Principle itfelf is not to be defend- 
 ed, much lefs the particular Ways by 
 which they have endeavoured to main- 
 tain it. 
 
 B E s T D E s, there is a great diflFe« 
 rence in the Subjects of thefe two De- 
 bates, the one of them is about a Mat- 
 ter prefent and demonftrable, which 
 by Confequsnce admits of, and there- 
 fore reqiiireth plain and certain Pro^ 
 bation ; fo that it is pertinent enough 
 to objedl againil: them that pretend to 
 fuch a thii:g, that they cannot agree 
 about it, becauie if they had it, it 
 would prove itlelr; and they could 
 not but agree in the Oemonftration of 
 it : Whereas the other, viz. the Sub- 
 je8: of this Debate is concerning an 
 Object future and invifible (for though 
 the Body o; che Sun.^ as fuch, is pre- 
 fent and vifibie, yet as it polTibly is 
 
 and
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 199 
 
 and fhall be the Tartarus^ it is by no 
 means fuch) and therefore as to the 
 Place of it far from demonftrable ; fo 
 that though the Mediums oMered for 
 the Solution of it are not Dogmatical, 
 but only Problematical and Logical, 
 yet fmce they are the beft the Nature 
 of the Subjed will bear, they are to 
 be allowed of till they have received 
 fufficicnt Confutation. 
 
 However then, it may perplex 
 and puzzle the Caufe of Infallibility, 
 that th'^re are fo many, and fuch warm 
 Difputes about it, anion gft the Preten- 
 ders to it; becaufe, without clear and 
 evident Proofs for it, they are nothing 
 elfe but fo many Demonftrations a- 
 gaintl: it : Yet every new Opinion 
 touching the "P/ace of //<?//, that hath 
 but a probability on its fide, is fo far 
 from giving Atheifts Advantage a^ 
 gainft, or letting them loofe from the 
 Dodrine of it, that it tieth them do- 
 fer to it ; and they can never to any 
 Purpofe conclude againft it, till they 
 O 4 have
 
 zoo An Enquiry into the 
 
 have proved each way of its Solution 
 (and by Confequence this among the 
 reft) to be irrational. 
 
 It is, I confefs, the peculiar Hu- 
 mour and Infelicity of this, to be 
 Sceptical beyond the Examples of fore- 
 going Ages, and the Men of it are ve- 
 ry apt to feoff at that which they have 
 not fome experimental or rational Ac- 
 count of; hence it is that they endea- 
 vour to fix all abfurd and contradicto- 
 ry Confequences they can think of, 
 upon the Articles of our Faith, and a- 
 mongft the reft, this of an everlafting 
 Hell hath been not the leaft ridiculed 
 by them. But certainly if it be once 
 made plain to their Reafon, that there 
 is a place of true corporeal Fire in the 
 World, fufticient to anfwer the Ac- 
 count that is given of Hell in the ho- 
 ly Scriptures, and that it hath conti- 
 nued ever fmce the Creation of the 
 XJniverfe : They will, 1 hope, at leaft 
 leave off" imputing an ImpoiTibility to 
 it, and, if they have any Ingenuity 
 
 will
 
 Nature and Tlace c/Hell. 201 
 
 will acknowledge , that what hath 
 liood for fo many, may poflibly re- 
 main unto eternal Ages ; fo that this 
 Propofition is fo lar from enlarging 
 the handle thefe Gentlemen have hold 
 of, that it hath rather pared it and ta- 
 ken it fliorter, by fetting them a Task 
 which they will not perhaps fo eafily 
 perform, as at tirfl: fight they may pro- 
 mife themfelves to do. 
 
 I. It may be obje£led againfl: me, 
 that there are fome things in Philofo- 
 phy I may feem to have paiTed over 
 too flightly, which yet defcrve more 
 particular Confideration ; for inftance, 
 Firft, May it not be demanded, whe- 
 ther it be not precarious to reduce the 
 central Fire to the Nature of our cu- 
 linary Fire, that fo it may need a con- 
 tinually renewed Nitro-fulphurcous 
 'Pabulum? For the Aifertors of central 
 Fire may fay, it is of the lame Nature 
 with the folar, being an abforpt Sun^ 
 and whatever way may be found for 
 
 the
 
 2.0X An Enquiry into the 
 
 the maintaining of the one, will fervc 
 alfo for the other. Now if there were 
 the fame Evidence for the central Fire 
 that there is for the folar, this Objec- 
 tion would have weight with it ; but 
 fince the central Fire is a mere Crea- 
 ture of the Brain, and ftandeth upon 
 no fure Foundation, either of Senfe or 
 Demonftration as the folar doth, there 
 is no Reafon I fiiould admit the Con^ 
 fequence, Befides, if we confider, we 
 may perceive a manifeft difference be- 
 tween them. The Influence and O- 
 peratiouj of the Sufi's, Fire flieweth 
 plainly enough that it hath an open 
 Sphere to a£t in, and therefore though 
 we cannot demonftrate how, or in 
 what manner the vail Body of it is 
 maintained ; yet have we reafon to 
 think that it is not, in this refped, of 
 any other Nature than our common. 
 Fire : For we experience the very 
 fame Etfe^ls of the one, as we do of 
 the other ; which is a good Argument 
 that the Nature of the Caufe is the 
 
 fame
 
 Nature and \Place c/ Hell. Z03 
 
 fame too. ^ But the fuppcfed cen- 
 tral Fire is, by the very Hypotheds 
 incruftated, i. e, inclofed or fliut up 
 with a circum-ambient Solid, which 
 muft both preclude any nitrous Tabu- 
 lum from without, and alfo obil:ru6t 
 the force of thofe Operations from 
 within that are confequential to its ve- 
 ry Being. So then, till we liave fome 
 Demon il: ration of another Species of 
 Fire different from our material culi- 
 nary Fire, in this elTential Property of 
 it, befides the folar, which is manifeft- 
 ly not fo, we cannot, as I before urg- 
 ed, fuppofe a Fire of any magnitude 
 to continue near or about the Center 
 of the Earth. 
 
 2. It may be obje^lcd to my Ar- 
 gument againll- the infufficiency of the 
 central Fire to contain the Damned, 
 
 * Dr. Burnet'y Theory cf ih'^ Em thy /. > c. 6. This 
 central Fire muji be iiulijed i,i a Shell of ^reat Strev.p^th 
 and ¥irmne\i ; \or being of itfdf the l[ghtefi and rntjt 
 ailive cf all hodics, it would nJ be detained in that Lrv- 
 eji Prijoa V}ith:ut ajircn^ Guard upon it. 
 
 from
 
 204 ^^ Enquiry into the 
 
 from the numbers of lapfed Angels, 
 that except the Philofophy of Spirits 
 were better fettled it may not con- 
 clude : If they are fixed to Vehicles 
 they may require a larger fpace, if 
 not, and Spirits admit penetration of 
 Dimenfions, they may take up room 
 little enough. To this I return, that 
 if it were an abfolute NecefTity laid 
 on us from Revelation to believe the 
 Hell to be in the Body of the Earth, 
 we muft then account for it this way, 
 viz. by Spirits admitting penetration 
 of Dimenfions, there being no other 
 left whereby we can poiTibly fuppole 
 the infinite Numbers of Devils and 
 damned Spirits to be contained in it. 
 Or, if we had any fuch Defcription of 
 Spirits in the holy Scriptures, then it 
 would be to no purpofe to feek for a 
 larser Place elfewhere, than in the 
 Earth, becaufe that would then be a- 
 bundantly fufficient for it: But fince 
 neither of thefe is plainly revealed, we 
 are at Liberty to Philofophize upon 
 them. And, as to the latter, the Phi- 
 lofophy
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 205 
 
 lofophy of Spirits, I affirm, it will be 
 extreme difficult to conclude concern- 
 ing their Nature in this refpect, and 
 efpecially to determine pofitivelyj that 
 it mull confifl in admitting penetra- 
 tion of Dimenfions, becaufe 'tis con- 
 trary to that of Bodies fo to do. There 
 are fome Things that confelTedly agree 
 with the Nature of Bodies and Spirits 
 too, (I mean here created Spirits:) 
 And therefore we cannot infer a Con- 
 trariety between them in all refpecls. 
 Time and Place, for Inftance, are ac- 
 knowledged on all hands to be com- 
 mon to them both: That the Hrll: of 
 thefe is, the very Notion of their Cre- 
 ation witnelTeth, and that the latter 
 properly doth affect them, is confef- 
 fcd even by thofe who affirm, that 
 they admit penetration of Dimenfions. 
 Dr. Alore, the great AlTertor of this, 
 fuppofeth a local He//, And if there 
 be one, I mufl: fay, it is inconceive- 
 ablc to me how that Place fliould be 
 occupied by Spirits, i^ they are not 
 fixed to fome Vehicles or other. If 
 
 this
 
 2.0(5 uin Enquiry Into the 
 
 this be not fuppbs'd, we may as well,; 
 I think, crowd all the Devils toge- 
 ther into a Baker's Oven, as imagine 
 that God prepared, i. e. made an Hell 
 on .purpofe for their Prifon, and for 
 the Seat of their Punifliment. 
 
 B u T if this do not fatisfie, I de- 
 fire it may be obferved, that the infi- 
 nite Numbers of Devils was but part 
 of my Argument ; there was added to 
 it that of Men too^ whofe Spirits, we 
 are allured, are fixed to Vehicles, and 
 that thofe Vehicles alfo fhall receive 
 the fame Sentence, and undergo the 
 fame Fate with their Spirits; for all 
 Men jhall rife again with their Bo- 
 dies^ and jhall give an Account for 
 their own Works; and they that have 
 done Good jhall go into Life everlajL 
 ingj and they that have done Evil into 
 everlajiing Fire, 
 
 La s t l y, This Objeftion doth 
 not in the leaft invalidate my Propofi- 
 tion ; on the contrary, it affifts and 
 
 eon-
 
 Nature and Tlace 0/ H E l l . 20^ 
 
 confirms it ; for however the unfet- 
 tlednefs of thePhilofophy of Spirits m 
 this particular, viz. whether they 
 are fixed to Vehicles, or admit pene- 
 tration of Dimenfions, may afFe£l the 
 Hypothefis of Hellh being in the 
 Earth, becaufe, if the firft of them be 
 true, that is thereby rendered altoge- 
 ther incredible ; yet is the Suppofiti- 
 on, that the Body of the Sun is the lo-^ 
 cal Hellj not concerned at all with 
 them, becaufe that may confift with 
 either, there being abundantly more 
 Space there than can be imagined to be 
 taken up by the Bodies of Men only: 
 So that the latter mull be allowed to 
 be the furer and more rational Hypo- 
 thefis of the two in this refpeft, which 
 is all I am concerned in, and the chief 
 thing that Argument was brought to 
 prove. 
 
 3. Once more it may be objected, 
 that we are not fufiicienrly allured 
 even of the Nature ot rlie Suji\ Bo- 
 dy it fclF, that it is of a ii^:ry and burn- 
 ing
 
 208 An Enquiry into the 
 
 ing Subftance ; for ^ Arijlotle telleth 
 us, that in all fimple Bodies, fuch as 
 are the Heavens, the parts are of the 
 fame Nature with the whole ; and by 
 Confequence the Subftance of the Stm 
 and Stars is not igneous but ethereal : 
 And that the Motion of the Orbs is 
 the caufe of that hot and liery Qua- 
 lity in the Air, which feemerh to pro- 
 ceed from the Stm and Stars them- 
 felves. And for the proof of this he 
 inftanceth in an Arrow headed with 
 Lead, which by the Swiftnefs of its 
 Motion through the Air will be hea- 
 ted fo as to melt the Lead it is poin- 
 ted with : From whence he inferreth 
 that if Wood and Iron and Lead by 
 mere Motion will take Fire, then 
 much more will the Air, which is 
 nearer to the Nature of Fire than they 
 are, be apt fo to do. 
 
 * Ariilrdt. de Ccelo, 1. 2. e. 7. 
 
 Now
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 109 
 
 Now though this hath fome little 
 Appearance of Truth with it, when 
 taken entire and all together, yet if 
 we confider it apart, it will be found 
 to be weak, and altogether unbecom- 
 ing a Philofopher to affirm : For 
 though in Bodies, which are purely 
 fimple and unmixed, the parts mufl be 
 of the fame Nature with tlie whole; 
 yet who fees not that the Heavens, as 
 they contain in them all thofe vaft and 
 glorious Luminaries that entertain and 
 delight the Eye, are not of fuch a fim- 
 ple uncompounded EiTence ? The Sim 
 and the fixed Stars are pofiibly of the 
 fame Nature, but it is agreed on all 
 hands, that the Planets are of a diiler- 
 ent Confi:itution. The Stm and each' 
 £xed Star, as it is thought, fliine with 
 their own Light •, but the Planets are 
 opake, dark Bodies, that borrow all 
 their Light from his Beams, and fliine 
 only as they refleft them to us. They 
 are of the fame Nature with this our 
 Earth, which is rightly judged to be 
 ^ne of them, and to be as beneficial 
 
 £ by
 
 ZIO An Enq^uirt into the 
 
 by retorting the Sun's Light to them, 
 as they are by remitting the fame to 
 us ; and therefore we may as well con- 
 clude, that the Rain, Snow, Hail^ 
 Lightning, and the like, are of the 
 fame Nature with the Air, whilil: they 
 are lodged there, as that all the Bo- 
 dies contained in the vail Regions of 
 the Sky are of one pure ethereal Sub- 
 ftance. 
 
 Neither is the Motion of the 
 heavenly Sphere (fhould we fuppofe 
 it to move) the Caufe of that Heat 
 we obferve in the Air ; for then we 
 fliould experience it the fame at all 
 Times, fince, according to the Hypo- 
 thefis, the Heavens move round at all 
 Times with an equal Swiftnefs of Mo- 
 tion ; but that the Heat is not always 
 the lame is evident, and was confeffed 
 Loco by Ariftotle himfelf, when he told us, 
 praaift. ^j^^^ -^ ^^ necclTary the Air which is un- 
 der the Body of the heavenly Sphere 
 fliould, by its Motion, be heated, and 
 ynoft of all under that part of it where 
 
 tie
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell, lii 
 
 the Suf^ is fixed ; for when that rifeth 
 and draweth near to us, fo as to be o- 
 ver us, then the Heat is the greatell. 
 Now that thus it is, is fo plain that 
 he could not deny it; but why it 
 fhould be thus, if what he aflerteth 
 be true, that the S/m is of the fame 
 Nature with the reft of the heavenly 
 Orb, he giveth no manner of Reafon^ 
 nor indeed can there be any given for 
 it. He did well therefore not to go a^ 
 bout to prove or explain it ; for he 
 might far better rely on the Autho- 
 rity of his Ip/e dixit J than offer at 
 Arguments for his Aflertion, which 
 would, he knew, be apt to betray the 
 Weaknefs of the One, and by Confe- 
 quence the Infufficiency of the other; 
 
 H I s Commentator, Havenreuter^ 
 endeavoureth to clear and ftrengthen 
 his Opinion ; but in vain. For having 
 bwned, that he there fuppofeth one 
 bnly Caufe of Heat in tlie Air, viz. 
 Motion, yet that he might make liiin 
 agree with other Philofopbers, who^ 
 
 P 2 he
 
 Z 1 1 "^^n E N Q^u I R Y into the 
 
 he faith, fuppofe three, he will have it 
 to be the Motion of fome certain par- 
 ticular Body, containing in it the o- 
 ther two, viz. Light, and a peculiar 
 innate Virtue or Power to produce 
 that Heat : To which laft Caufe, the 
 Virtue, Power or Influence of the 
 Exercita- Sun's Body, he telleth us, Julius Ca- 
 tione74- far^ ScaliQev attributeth fo much as 
 
 c. 2. con- " 
 
 tra Car- to affirm, that if the Sun moved not 
 *^*"""*' at all, it would heat the Air, not lefs, 
 
 but more than by its Motion it now 
 
 doth. 
 
 But this is, I think, plainly to 
 give up Ariftotle^s Notion, and not to 
 defend or explain it. For if the Heat 
 proceed from the Virtue or Influence 
 of this certain particular Body, then 
 this, and not the Motion of the whole 
 Sphere, is the Caufe of it. But how 
 this is the Caufe of Heat more than 
 any other Part of the Sphere, if it be 
 of the fame Nature with the refl:, is 
 that which was to be made out, and 
 remaineth unrefolved fliil.
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. Z i 5 
 
 "What he aimeth at, towards the 
 Clofe of that Chapter, hath fome lit- 
 tle fliew of an Argument with it, but 
 no great Weight. His Words are thefe, 
 H/c ant em quteritur quo?nodb htinc Ef- 
 feEium producant^ fiqu'tdem qualttate 
 nulla patibili StelU funt frad'ttie ? 
 RefpoJidendiim ejij Calorcm excttari 
 in ipfo Aere a Sole^ non quod Radii So- 
 ils a6iu Jlnt cal'idij fed quia "uehemen- 
 ter funt liiminoji., ^ propterea Ji refe- 
 Tuntur^ ^ refranguntur Aerem atte- 
 nuajitj atqne ilium attenuatum igne- 
 um^ atque calidmn efficiuntj i. e. If 
 it be here demanded^ ho^jij the Stars 
 produce this Effect j fince they are not 
 fuppofed to be endued '■juith any fenfi- 
 ble Quality ? We ajifjuer^ that the 
 Heat is produced in the Air itfelf by 
 the Sun^ not becaiife its Beams are 
 aVtnally hot^ but becaufe they are xr- 
 ry luminous _, and therefore j if they 
 are returned j, and refracted j they 
 whet and jharpen the Air^ andfo ren- 
 der it fiery and hot. But now, that 
 P 3 the
 
 2.14 An Enquiry into the 
 
 the Rays of the Sun caufe Heat and 
 Fire in the Air, becaufe they are lu- 
 minous, is juft as true and fignificant, 
 as that Flame is bright and luminous, 
 becaufe it is hot. There is altogether 
 as much Confequence and Illuftration 
 in the one of thefe, as in the others 
 There is, indeed, fomething in the 
 laft Claufe, the whetting and fharpen- 
 ing of the Air by its Refradion, which, 
 for ought T know to the contrary, 
 may be the Caufe of the Heat and 
 Fire in it. But then the Queftion is, 
 whether this doth not proceed from 
 the burning Nature of the Sm{*s Bo- 
 dy ; which, we may well think, it 
 doth, fince this feemeth, as probably, 
 to be the very Way whereby our 
 common culinary Fire communicateth 
 itfelf to Bodies, that at a Diftance, or 
 through fome aery Space, are apt to 
 catch at and receive its Property. 
 
 I know but of one Argument more, 
 fupporting Arijiotle^s Opinion againfl: 
 mine, that is worth taking notice ofj 
 
 viz*
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell, z i 5 
 
 viz. That the Air on the Tops of 
 the higheft Mountains is very cold, fo 
 that the Snow continueth there moft 
 part of the Summer, when yet it is 
 very hot in the Valleys. But this, I 
 think, is too light to overthrow fo 
 fure and eftabhihed a Truth : And 
 there are good Reafons to be given for 
 this, without deftroying the fiery Na- 
 ture of the Smi. For, may not the 
 Cold on the Tops of Mountains be 
 accounted for by the brisknefs of the 
 Air, which hath a more free and open 
 PalTage there than it can have in the 
 pent and coop'd up Valleys ? We 
 know, in fome Countries that are ex- 
 ceeding hot in themfelves, the cool 
 Breezes do fo alloy the fultry Qiiality 
 of the Climate, that, though without 
 them, they would hardly be habitable, 
 yet are they not only tolerable, but 
 pleafant enough to them that are re- 
 freflied by them. And we may expe- 
 rience the like daily in our culinary 
 Fire, that when a Room is well warm- 
 ed with a good Fire, if there happen 
 P 4 to
 
 H6 An Enquiry into the 
 
 to be a Door on each fide, one over 
 againft the other, a^nd they are left 
 open, the Air fhall be much cooler in 
 the intermediate Space, than in that 
 Part of the Room which is fartheft 
 off from the Fire. 
 
 B u T if the Air on the Mountains 
 Top be fuppofed ftill and quiet, and as 
 to the Motion of it fcarce perceptible, 
 yet is it at leaft more rare and fiibtile 
 there than in the Valleys, and therefore 
 not fo qualified to retain the hot and fie- 
 ry Particles as the other. We may ex- 
 perience fomething analogous to this> 
 by fetting on two large Iron Pots o- 
 ver a Fire, filling one with Liquor, and 
 putting nothing into the other. Now 
 though the Fire under both is the 
 fame, and that which is empty fliall 
 be fooner hot, and as to it f^lf, in a 
 greater Degree than the other which 
 is full ; yet when once the Water is 
 boiling hot^ that fliall not only retain 
 the Heat longer than the other, but 
 the Liquor fliall be more fenfibly fcal- 
 \:' ' ding
 
 Nature and T I ace o/^Hell. 217 
 
 ding in that than the Air is in the o- 
 ther. Now, in the Vallies the Air is 
 thicker, and approacheth nearer to the 
 Nature ofan humid than on the Moun- 
 tains; and when once it is heated 
 through with the Sun's Beams, will 
 both retain the Heat better, and more 
 fenfibly affedl us. And this is the Rea- 
 fon why a Garment, or any other thing 
 of a fuitable Subftance or Compofi- 
 tion, laid in the Sun^ or before a 
 Fire, fhall, after fome time, be plainly 
 warmer than the adjacent Air, %!iz, 
 becaufe it hath a greater Aptitude to 
 receive and lodge the fiery Matter that 
 maketh its way into it. Befides, when 
 the Surface of the Earth is warmed 
 by the SuUj the Air next it muft par- 
 take of its Heat by way of RefleQiion, • 
 which may be another Caufe of the ' 
 Intenfenefs of it. Thus the middle 
 Region of the Air is held by natural 
 Philofophers to be colder than the 
 lower ; not that the fuppofcd Element 
 
 of
 
 2 1 8 An E N Q u I R s into the 
 
 ofFire, and Body of the Sun have no 
 Operation at all upon that ; but becaufe 
 its Rays are reflefted and doubled in 
 this. And I doubt not but ou r experi- 
 mental Philofophers, if they would fet 
 themfelves to work, would eafilyfind 
 out Inftances enough of the Operation 
 of our culinary Fire, in all refpeds ana- 
 logous to this. For when I plainly 
 fee that, which by its Nature is dif^ 
 pofed to be melted by the Fire, to be 
 melted alfo by the Smi^ and that which 
 is hardened by the one, to be harden- 
 ed alfo by the other ; I cannot think 
 they are of different Natures and Con- 
 ftitutions, which do fo exadly pro- 
 duce the very fame Effects. 
 
 But, that I may not feem to ftand 
 only on my own Bottom, I fhall 
 here fet down the Sentiments of two 
 curious and excellent Philofophers of 
 this prefent Age, who have dire^lly 
 concluded concerning the Sun's fiery 
 and burning Nature, as I have now 
 done. 
 
 The
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 1 19 
 
 T H E one is Dr. Nichols^ who, in l]is^^^^^^^^;,.^^ 
 Account of thePoflibility of the Mofa- a iLerji, 
 ical Creation, having laid down this, 
 That the Chaos extended to the fartheft 
 Limits of the Magnus Orbis^ or (as 
 he was pleafed to call it ) that Circle 
 which Saturn defcribeth about the 
 Sun ; fuppofeth it in the firft place to 
 be drained of all its terreous and o- 
 pake Matter ; and then again to be re- 
 fined by drawing off all its aqueous un- 
 inflammable Matter : But befides thefe, 
 faith he, in all natural Bodies we find 
 an undious inflammable Matter, which 
 did remain ftill diffufed throughout the 
 \vhole Exfanfum^ which, upon the 
 Command of the divine Wordj, fubfided 
 to the central Point of the whole Mag- 
 nus Or bis : All which vaft Quantity 
 of unftious Matter, being compared 
 together into one Globe, broke out 
 that, viz. the fourth Day, into the 
 Solar Flame. 
 
 I am not here concerned in the Do- 
 dor's Hypothefis, either as to the Mo- 
 dus j,
 
 ZIO jin Enquiry into the 
 
 dusj, or Time of its Formation : I only 
 bring this to fliew his Senfe of the Na- 
 ture of it, which he hath declared to 
 be igneous in Terms as plain as can pof- 
 fibly be expreiTed. 
 
 The other Authority I fhall name 
 Kugenmsis th^ito^Hugenius. And that he fup- 
 £oTs, pofeth the Body of the Smi, to be of 
 lib. 2. the fame, or the like Nature with our 
 Fire, for Heat as well as Light, is evi- 
 dent from the whole Scope of the Se- 
 cond Book of his Cofmotheoros : Where- 
 in fetting down his Conjectures con- 
 cerning the Coeleftial Earths, or Pla- 
 netary Worlds, he fuiteth both their Or_ 
 naments and their Inhabitants to their 
 feveral Diftances from the Sun^ which 
 he maketh the commou Fountain both 
 of Heat and Light to them all. It 
 may not perhaps be unacceptable to 
 the curious, inquifitive Reader, to re- 
 late, in brief, what he imagineth pe- 
 culiar to the Site or Pofition of each 
 Planet, with regard to this. 
 
 Mercury
 
 Isfature and ^lace of Hell'. Ill 
 
 Mercury he fuppofeth to be thrice 
 as near to the Sun as our Earth is : 
 " From whence it folio weth, that the 
 " Smt> appeareth to them in its Diame. 
 " ter thrice as big as we take it to be^ 
 " and fo both its Light and Heat is 
 " nine times more to them than it is 
 ^' to us : Which, by Confequence, 
 '' would be altogether intolerable to 
 " us, and would perfectly burn up the 
 " fcorched Herbs and Grafs, were 
 they in all refpe£ts the fame with 
 them as they are with us : And yet 
 (faith he) this hindereth not, but 
 " that the Creatures, living in that 
 " Planetary Region, may be fo or- 
 " dered, that they may find their de, 
 " fired and wiflied for Temperature 
 " in that vaft Heat, and their Herbs 
 *' may be of that Nature as to en- 
 " dure, nay, require the Force of it, 
 " Nor is it to be wondered at, ifthoie 
 '' Mcrcuriahfls admire how we can 
 *' bear our Cold, or can have any En- 
 <' joyment of that little Light we 
 *' have, fince we are removed fo much 
 
 " farther
 
 22.Z -ri^;^ E N Q u I R T into the 
 
 " farther from the Sun than they are. 
 
 "To the Inhabitants of the Planet 
 *' Venus J he faith, the Sim appeareth 
 " larger than it doth to us by a Di- 
 " ameter and half, and in its Orb, ra- 
 *' ther more than double ; by which 
 *' he muit afford them twice as much 
 " Heat and Light as he doth to us- 
 " And therefore that Planet cometh 
 *' fo much the nearer to our Tempe- 
 " ramenti 
 
 "But the Light and Heat of the Sim 
 " to them that dwell in Mars is dou- 
 " bly or trebly lefs than it is to us, 
 " and yet, as we believe, not in the 
 " leaft to their Inconvenience or Lols; 
 " And the Sun being looked upon 
 " from Jiipter hath its Diameter five 
 " times lefs than with us ; and accor- 
 " dingly there the twenty fifth Part 
 " of that Light and Heat which we 
 " have is perceived by them • and Sa-^ 
 " turn hath but the hundredth Part 
 *' of that Light and Heat which we
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 115 
 
 *"' have from the Sun ; and therefore 
 *' the Light and Heat muft be very 
 " fmall to the Inhabitants of thofe 
 " two Planets, if we were to judge of 
 " it by our prefent Apprehenfion of 
 " things: But without doubt to the 
 " Dwellers there it is fuch, as they 
 " have no caufe to complain of it. 
 
 And when he cometh to write di- 
 rectly of the Sjm\ Body, he faith ; 
 ^' There are fome to whom it feem- 
 *' eth not improbable that there are 
 " Animals alfo and Dwellers there ; 
 " but what Reafon they have to think 
 " fo, I know not : For it doth not 
 " certainly appear whether the Mat- 
 " ter of that vaft Globe be hard or 
 " liquid ; though from the Nature of 
 " Light it be moft likely to be liquid. 
 *' And then, after fome curious Ob- 
 fervations concerning a fuppofcd Ine- 
 quality in its Circumference, and the 
 Macule that appear in it, with the 
 brighter Spots that fome profefs to 
 have obferved, he cometh to this Con- 
 
 clufion,
 
 114 ^/^ Enquiry into the 
 
 clufion, Stimmnm qu'tdem in Sole Ca- 
 *' lorem Fervoremque ejfe certo ere* 
 '' dendttm eft ; in quo nihil omninb nof. 
 ^' trorum Cor^oriun Jimile vivere -^ojjit 
 " aut momento fu^erejfej i. e. We are 
 " undoubtedly to believe, that there 
 " is the greateft Heat and Burning 
 " in the Sun ; in which nothing like 
 " our Bodies can live, or fubfifl: fo 
 " much as one Moment. And there- 
 *' fore, as he goes on, we are to con- 
 " ceive in our Minds fome other 
 " kind of living Creatures quite diffe. 
 " rent from the Nature of all thofe 
 " that we have either {^t\i or thought 
 " of; which is almoft the fame thing 
 " as if we fhould fay, there is no 
 " room left for our Conjecture here. 
 " And then he addeth ; Eft qtiidem 
 ^' tarn praftansj tantaque Molis Cor- 
 '^ pus J baud dubiej maxmd Ratione^ 
 " ac propter infignem aliquem Ufum 
 " creatum. Without all doubt a Body 
 " fo excellent, and of fo vaft a Bulk 
 " muft be created with the greateft 
 " Reafon, and for fome extraordinary 
 
 '' Ufc
 
 jSlature and Tlace of Hell, 11$ 
 
 " Ufe and End : Sowriteth that great 
 and eminent Philofopher. 
 
 And truly when I confider with 
 how acute and perfpicacious an Eye 
 he hath viewed the feveral Parts of 
 this vifible World ; and that amongf^ 
 the many probable Conjedures hf^ 
 hath made upon them, there is none, 
 no not the leall: Mention of any Place 
 therein anfwerable to the Defcription 
 we have o^ Hell in the Holy Scrip- 
 tures, excepting the Body of the Sun, 
 which, according to his Opinion, ex- 
 actly fuiteth with it, this being botli 
 a great and very extraordinary Uie, 
 for which it might be created ; and 
 the fuppofcd Dwellers there, being al- 
 o of a quite different Conftituticn 
 and Make from thofe of this World; I 
 fay, wlien I confider this, I am the 
 rather inclined to believe that thii' may 
 be the Hcllj becaufe in the whole vifi- 
 ble World there is no other Place 
 that looks like it. 
 
 0.
 
 Zl6 An E N Q^u I R y mto the 
 
 I am not infenfible that a Difficulty 
 or two may here arife from the noble 
 Idea he hath formed of the Ifupend- 
 ous Works of God^ viz. That the 
 fixed Stars are of the fame Nature with 
 the Stm ; and that the Sim is one of 
 them. That they are likewifc placed 
 in the Centers of fo many Vortices-, 
 and are attended upon by the like pla- 
 netary Worlds that the Sun is. From 
 whence, in prejudice to my AlTertion, 
 one or both of thefe two things may 
 feem to follow, viz. That the Sun 
 may not be placed in the Center of the 
 Univerfe ; for he being looked upon 
 from the Earths that move round, each 
 Star muft appear to them as one of the 
 fixed Stars doth now to us ; or, that 
 there mufl be fo many Hells as there 
 are fixed Stars. 
 
 Now thefe I call Difficulties rather 
 than Objedions, becaufe they are 
 founded on a mere Conjecture which 
 may be falieas well as true ; and if it 
 be true, neither of the Inferences doth 
 
 nece-
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. Z17 
 
 necefTary follow. What is, oristraiif- 
 afl:ed in another Vortex^ as without 
 exprefs Revelation from God^ it isim- 
 pofTible for us to know, fo is it nothing 
 at all of our Concern. We have recei- 
 ved an Account of the Creation, and 
 of its Parts, fo far forth as our Salva- 
 tion dependeth upon it, in the Book 
 o\:God\ where we are told not only 
 of this our Earth, which we fee and 
 whereon we live, but of an Heaven, 
 and an Hell too ; of an Heaven above^ 
 and of an Hell beneath y of an Hea- 
 ven into iz'bich the Son of God a fiend- 
 edj and of an Hell into 'which the old 
 Serpent the T)cvil 'was caji doisjn^ 
 In a word, of an Heaven that is above 
 the Stars ofGod^ and of a nethermoft 
 Hell, Now fuch being the Account 
 that we have received of thcfe things 
 from God himfelf, we mull take Care 
 that our Philofophical Conjectures do 
 not contradicl it, but that they be at 
 leall: confident with it. That there- 
 fore there are fo many feveral Vortices^ 
 m every rcfp'jct the lame with this of 
 (i, 2 ours>
 
 2.2.8 An Enquiry into the 
 
 ours, we are not to determine. But 
 this we may be fure of, that if there 
 are fo many Worlds as that Philofo- 
 pher fuppofeth, they muft be confift- 
 ent with the Truth o^God revealed to 
 us in the holy Scriptures ; which 
 fpeaking but of one Heaven^ where is 
 the Throne of God^ and one Hell crea- 
 ted for the T)evil and his Angels, we 
 muft beware how we diredly conclude 
 I'pon any more. 
 
 I anfwer then to the firft of the ob- 
 jected Difficulties, that if all thefe '^ 
 Vortices are allowed of, yet why may 
 not this of ours be placed in the mid- 
 dle as well as any other ? That theuni- 
 
 * D. Greg. Aftron, 1. i. Propof. 6'^. Corn- 
 mune Centrum gravitatis Soils onmiumque Planeta- 
 runi 6c Conietarum quielcit ; Quod proinde pro 
 Centre Syftematis Solaris, ipfmfque adeo Mundi ha- 
 bendum eft — Porro fi univerfs Corporum omnium 
 Compagi(five Mundo) Figura competat. Limited 
 que ftatuantur ; aliud nurium Syftema potior! jure 
 ejus Meditullium vendicat, quam Solare noftrum 
 aliudque igitur nullum Centrum^ quam fupra dc- 
 finitum, Mundo convenit. 
 
 verfal
 
 N^tture and Tlace of Hell. 229 
 
 verfal Creation is of an orbicular 
 Form may well be imagined ; fince, as 
 far as any of itappeareth, either to our 
 Senfe or Reafon, no other can be dis- 
 cerned or apprehended by us. Now 
 though the Vortices are never fo nu- 
 merous, and the Worlds in them ne- 
 ver fo many, yet they mull: be limited 
 fomewhere ; and where they terminate, 
 there we fuppofe the Empyreum to 
 begin. It mattereth not how many 
 the Vortices are, or how large the 
 Spaces be, if this be placed the fir- 
 thefl: off from that Heaven^ which is 
 the Throne oiGod^ and where Chrijt 
 fitteth at the right Hand of his Fa- 
 ther ; and why it may not there, doth 
 not the leaft Reafon appear. So that 
 they, to whom it may feem rational 
 to entertain this augull Idea of the Uni- 
 verfe in their Minds, may fuppofe 
 thefe Vortices with fafety enough to 
 their Faith ; nay, they may thereby 
 improve the Notion oi the Devils and 
 wicked Mens Exclufion and Banifli- 
 pent from God\ Prefencc, between 
 Q, 3 whic'i
 
 ZjO ^n Enquiry into the 
 
 which and whom there are fo many 
 Worlds, fiich immenre and indefinite 
 Spaces as bereave them of all hopes of 
 tlie leafbGlimpfe of the glorious and 
 beatifick Vifioii of God. 
 
 To the other DiiEculty I anfvvcr 
 thus; fuppoie there be fo many Vor- 
 tices as there are fixed Stars, each 
 Star being placed in the Center of its 
 Vertex^ and that they are likewife in- 
 circled with planetary Earths as our 
 Sum is; yet it doth not neceflarily fol- 
 low, that thofe Stars fiiould be ap- 
 pointed as fo many Places of Punifli- 
 ment for Offenders, although wx fiip- 
 pofe this of our Vortex to be, becaufe 
 we are not auiired that their Inhabi- 
 tants (if we grant them to partake of 
 the fame rational and fpiritual Nature 
 that we dp) have finned, and fallen 
 iliort of the Glory of God^, as we have 
 done. They may (as I but now ar- 
 gued) be removed farther off from that 
 fiery Dungeon into which God caft 
 liown the old Serpent j and the extent 
 
 of
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell, i^i 
 
 of this Vortex ^ may be the farthefl 
 Limits of his reach, to which he may 
 be confined, and beyond which the 
 Chain, wherewith he is fettered, may 
 not permit him to pafs. And there- 
 fore being freed from his enfnaring 
 Temptations, they may have flood 
 faft in. the Righteoufnefs and Integrity 
 wherein they were created; fo thac 
 there may be no occafion at all for any 
 more fuch Places of Punilliment as 
 this of our Vortex is thought to be. 
 Nor will it from hence follow, that 
 thofc fiery Bodies are lefs neceflary 
 and ufeiul in them than the Stm is in 
 ours. There are a great many other 
 high and excellent Ends to which fuch 
 glorious Bodies as they may ferve- 
 Ends fo admirable and ufcful, that 
 they have hitherto taken off the Eyes 
 
 * Sanftis AugiifUnus defjribit duas Societatfs 
 Angelorum, uium truentcm Deo, alteram tuincn- 
 te:n T) phu : illani in Cojiis Coeloriim habitantcm, if- 
 tam indc dcJL;£lain in hoc inriino acrio Coelo tu- 
 multuantcm. Dc Civ. Dei, lib. xi. c. 33. 
 
 0.4 of
 
 %^% .An E N Qj] I R Y into the 
 
 of the beftand moft acute Philofophers 
 from difcerning any other in the Sun 
 it felF, however probable it be that 
 this, which I have here infifted on, 
 may be added to the refl:« 
 
 There are other Answers that 
 ipight be returned to thefe Difficulties, 
 but being, as they thcmfelves are? 
 merely conjeftural, I think it not 
 worth the vvdiile to fpend time upon 
 ' them i nor had I troubled the Reader 
 with this little, but that fome cu- 
 rious Gentlemen might perhaps have 
 thought themfelves flighted, had they 
 been altogether palled by unregarded. 
 
 I proceed now to thofe more plain 
 and common Objedions, which pofli- 
 Lly may be drawn by good and well 
 meaning Men, from the holy Scrip- 
 tures, and from the confeiTed Benefits 
 gf the Stm^ to which this ufe that I have 
 named, may feem contradictory or ad- 
 Verfe, thg firfi: of which will afford 
 Matter for the next Chapter. 
 
 C H A ?i
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell, 13J 
 Chap. IX. 
 
 Ohje^iions from the holy Scrip- 
 tures anfzvered. 
 
 IT is not my Defign here to dif- 
 prove the Obje£lions that are u- 
 fually brought from the holy Scrips 
 tures^ againft the Copernican Syftem 
 of the World : That, as I before laid, 
 bath been ah'eady vindicated by fat" 
 better Pens, and needeth not the Af- 
 fiftance of my weaker Hand to fup- 
 port it. I iliall therefore pals them by 
 as iufficiently confuted. All that I 
 fliall confider at prefent are (bme few 
 Paflages of Scripture (for many there 
 are not) which declare fuch things of 
 this great and glorious Creature of 
 God^ as feem inconfilient with this 
 End, for which, amongft the reft, I 
 affirm it probable to have been made, 
 And, 
 
 F J R s T)
 
 234 -^^^ ^ N Q u i R Y into 
 
 First, It may feem flran ^ that 
 tliis End fhould not be fo much as 
 mentioned in the holy Scriptures^ a- 
 mongil: thofe others, for which they 
 declare it to have been created. We 
 find, in the firll Chapter of Genejis^ 
 Gen- I. and elfe where, that it was made to 
 rule and govern the Day^ to diftin- 
 pf.scJ.S. guiili it from t\\Q Night j and that it 
 fhould he fir Times and fir Seafons^ 
 for 'Days and fir Tears. We find it 
 Deut.33. farther faid by Mofes, to be made to 
 produce or bring forth p-ecious Fruits, 
 We find that it was reckoned by the 
 Pfalmift as part of thofe Heavens 
 pr. 19. whicli were made to declare the Glo- 
 ry of Godj and of that Firmament 
 whioh flje'weth his handy Work. We 
 find it to have been made as a general 
 Bleffmg to Mankind ; for it is efteem- 
 ed as an Inftance of God's Benefi- 
 -^^^ , cence to Mankind, that he makeththe 
 45- Sun to Jhine on the Jujij and on the 
 ^njuft. And the wife Treacher tell- 
 Ecclef.ii.eth us, that it is a pleafant thing for 
 ^* the Eyes to behold the Sun, Not. 
 
 withilanding
 
 Nature and TUce of Hell. 135 
 
 withftanding which, we find, that it 
 w^as made to be a Punifliment or Af- 
 fliction to fome: So after that the 
 Gourde which fprang up out of the 
 Earth, and came up over Joiiahj that 
 it might be a fliadow over his Head, 
 was withered; the Sun., by God's 
 Appointment, beat u^on the Head ofh^^^^ 4.' 
 'Jonah J that he fainted J and wijhedin ' 
 himfelftodje. And therefore it is pro- 
 mifed as a BlefHng to the Righteous, 
 that the Sttn flmlL not fmite him by vc. 121, 6, 
 ^ay ; and to the Church of the Gen- 
 tiles^ among many other Freedoms 
 and Mercies, that the Heat of the Snn^^^^. 49. 
 jhall not fmite them. 
 
 10. 
 
 Now amongfl: all thefe Ends, for 
 which it was made, if it were defign- 
 ed alfo as a Punifliment to wicked 
 Men hereafter, why would not that 
 be intimated in the Word of God as 
 well as any other ? To this I anfwer, 
 that Mofes intended his Writings prin- 
 cipally for the Information and Im- 
 provement of tlic J/raelites ; and 
 
 they
 
 %^6 An Enquiry into the 
 
 they having been educated in a dark 
 and ignorant Slavery, and having 
 their Minds chiefly faftened on Li- 
 berty and Freedom from their late and 
 fevere Bondage, and on the Land of 
 Canaan J the PofTefTion of which they 
 were proniifed to be conduced to ; he 
 did not fomuch mind them of the Re- 
 wards and Punilliments of the next 
 Life as thofe of this. And therefore 
 in his Account of the parts of the 
 Creation, he fet down only thofe 
 Ends for which it was apparent and 
 demon ftrable they were made ; and by 
 which they were fo beneficial to Man- 
 kind, that they could not but be ac- 
 knowledged by every one to be evi- 
 dent Demonftrations of the Power and 
 Goodnefs of their great Creator; both 
 which God had declared to the IJrae- 
 litesm particular, by many miracu- 
 lous Performances, which befpoke the 
 lame to them, no lefs plainly than 
 the Works of the Creation did to the 
 lyhole World.
 
 Islature and Tlace of Hell, l^y 
 
 Nor did lie only dire6l his Writ- 
 ings to this End, but he condefcended 
 alfb to the meancft Capacity ; and in 
 his Hiftory delivered fuch things as 
 were moil: plain and eafie to be under- 
 flood by them. He fpake of the hea- 
 venly Bodies, not as they really were 
 in their own Natures, fo much as they 
 were taken and apprehended to be by 
 the vulgar ; he called the Moon 2. great 
 Light as well as the SuUj although it 
 is not really luminous in its own Na- 
 ture, but only as it returneth the •5'//;/'*s 
 Light to us. He did not pretend to 
 fet forth all the Ends or Ufes for which 
 they were made, but only thofe for 
 wliich they manifcftly ferve to us that 
 live upon this Globe. Nor are they 
 profeiledly treated of in any other part 
 of the whole Bible, but only occafion- 
 ally mentioned on the Account of their 
 ordinary Operations, or as they have 
 been extraordinarily diverted from 
 them by the Command of God. And 
 now for us to confine the Ufc and Ope- 
 rations
 
 238 u4n Enquiry into the 
 
 rations of all thofe great and glorious 
 Bodies only to the poor pittance of 
 this Earth, which is as nothing in ref- 
 pe£l to them, when the Word of 
 God hath not fo done, muft argue a 
 Uranger piece of Pride and Arrogance 
 in us than it would in the Men of a 
 little Country Village, fhould they i{' 
 ue out a Declaration, that the whole 
 Globe of the Earth and Seas was made 
 purely for their Service, and that all 
 the reft of Mankind were not in the 
 leaft concerned with it. 
 
 A N D as it is but rational, and by 
 no means againft Scripture, to fuppofe 
 that thofe vaft and mighty Bodies may 
 ferve to fome other purpofes than what 
 may appear to us at prelent ; fo the 
 Sun in particular, which . is judged to 
 be, if not the greateft, yet certainly as 
 great as any, may have its peculiar and 
 iatrinfick Ufe as well as any of the reft* 
 And fmcethis that I have named is, in 
 every refpecl, worthy of it, and none 
 can be imagined more agreeable, either
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 1^9 
 
 to its Conftitution, or to its Pofition, 
 than this; of both which we havefuffi- 
 cient, tho' general Informations, in the 
 holy Scripnresj I do not fee how it can 
 be judged an unreafonable Prefumption 
 to fuppofe it defigned for this End, al- 
 though it be not there exprelly declar- 
 ed to be lb. God hath given us only 
 general Intimations of the Situation of 
 that Heaven J which is his Throne, 
 and where the Saints enjoy the beati- 
 iickVifion; and yet it hath not been, 
 thought inconfiftent withthePvules and 
 Precepts of Theology to add the Em-^ 
 pyrenm to the ufual Scheme of the 
 World, and to fuppofe that the Scene 
 of all thofe Glories and Felicities which 
 flow from it ; and therefore why this 
 Hypothefis concerning the Hell may 
 not be allowed of as well as that of the 
 Heaven^ I can fee no Reafon ; fmce that 
 is as much conjeclural as this, and 
 this ftandeth altogether upon as firm 
 and fure a Foundation as that. 
 
 I
 
 1.^0 An Enquiry into the 
 
 I F the Reafon be demanded, why 
 God hath not given us a full and par- 
 ticular Reprefentation of thefe things 
 in his holy Word ? I anfwer, that he 
 did it not becaufe he would not dif- 
 courage our Induftry at prelent ; nor 
 would he anticipate that entire and 
 plenary Satisfa£lion which muft arife 
 from our perfect and compleat Know- 
 ledge of them in the Life to come. 
 Again 
 
 2. If the Body of the Sttn be real- 
 ly that which I fuppofe it to be, njiz. 
 the Prifon into which the Devil was 
 thrown down ; and in which he and 
 his Angels are tortured ; may it not 
 feem llrange that in the holy Word of 
 God itfelf, God and Chrift fliould be 
 compared unto it, and called by its 
 very Name ? For fo the Pfalmift ex- 
 
 ^^•84. ri.pi'efly. God is a Sun. And the Pro- 
 phet foretelling the Incarnation or 
 Coming of the Son of God m the Flefh 
 
 Mai.4'2.fakh. But unto yon that fear my 
 
 Name
 
 Nature and Tlace ij/Hell. 141 
 
 N'ame jhall the Sun of Right eoiifnefs 
 arife iv'tth healing m his Wings. But 
 now, if God^ the high and holy one that 
 mhabiteth Eternity^ be fo jealous of 
 his Honour, as that he will not be li- 
 kenM to any thing /;/ the Heavens a- 
 hove J, or in the Earth beneath ^ or m 
 the IVaters under the Earth ; how 
 then can he be compared to that which 
 is fuppofed to be lower yet than the 
 loweft of all thefe, even the moil 
 hateful and loathfome Dungeon of 
 Hell^ which is fluffed full of thofe im- 
 pure and wicked Wretches which are 
 moft contrary and hateful to him ? 
 And if Qhrift be both Righteous in 
 himfelf, and the meritorious Caufe of 
 all Righteoufnefs in us : If he hath ri- 
 fen with healing in his Wings ^ and be- 
 llowed Salvation upon all them that 
 truly believe in him ; how can he en- 
 dure to be refembled to that which is 
 indeed the very Pit of Defi:ruQ:ion, 
 and from the Jaws of which he came 
 on purpofe to deliver us ? 
 
 R T 
 
 o
 
 Zi^Z An E N Q^u I R Y into the 
 
 T o the iirft of thefe, I anfvver. 
 That God is compared to the Siin^ not 
 as it is the Tartarus^ or place of Pu- 
 nilliment for the Wicked in the next 
 World, but as it Js the moft glorious 
 and refplendent Part of this ; as it 
 is a Stifij, the Fountain of Light and 
 Heat, the Principle of Life and Healthy 
 of Fruclification and Exhilaration to 
 all Creatures. Ln thefe Refpects, God^ 
 fo far as he can be likened to any Crea- 
 ture, may be compared to that. Nor 
 is the other Ufe, to which it may po(- 
 fibly ferve hereafter, fuch a Blemifli 
 to its Glories and Perfedions here, as 
 to deftroy or take off the Similitude 
 or Refemb lance between God and it. 
 No, even as it is the fuppofed Hell^ 
 or place of Punifhmcnt to the Wicked, 
 it is the Creature of God ftill, and 
 therefore Good •, it is the Place ap", 
 . pointed by him for the Execution o^ 
 his Jul! ice, and by confequence for the 
 Manifeilation of his Glory. If the I- 
 dolatry which was paid to the Sun by 
 
 the
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 24 J 
 
 the Heathen World did not hinder but 
 that God would fuflfer his Saints to 
 compare him to it, much lefs will the 
 Suppofition of its being the Tartarus^ 
 u e. an Inftrument of his Juftice and 
 Glory, be any ObfbruiSlion to that 
 Comparifon. By being an Idol, it 
 was the Occafion of Mens denying the 
 God that is above : But by being the 
 He//, it maketh even the T)evils to 
 belkve and tremble. If God in the 
 Scripture is once faid to be a Sun ; letDeut. 4. 
 us remember too, that he is there alio ^f^^^' 
 more than once faid to be a fo^/fmmngHeb.iu- 
 Fire. 
 
 T o the other Part of the ObjeOii- 
 on, I reply. That Cbrifl is called tbe 
 Sun of Right eoufnefs^ is, indeed, by 
 a rich Allufion to that great Star of 
 the Day ; which is the fame to us in 
 Nature that Chrift is in Grace. For,, 
 ais in Nature, the Sun affifteth us in 
 the Enjoyment of all the good things 
 of this Life ; fo in Grace "jcfus Chrijl i Cor. i.- 
 is of God made unto us Wifdom^ Righ- ^°* 
 R 2 teoufuefs^
 
 Z44 -^^ Enquiry into the 
 
 teoufnefsj San^lificat'ion. and Redemp- 
 tion. If the Sun therelbre be faid to 
 be the Love and Joy of Nature, the 
 Church, in Contemplation of the Sun 
 of Righteoufnefs, may be faid to re- 
 joyce in him with 'joy nnfpeakable and 
 full of Glory, Alexander the Great 
 faid very well, that Nature could not 
 bear t'uvo Suns : Nor can Grace admit 
 of fuch a Competition. And there- 
 fore, the Romamfls do very ill to efta- 
 blifli two Suns in the Firmament of 
 the Church, i. e. two Names where- 
 by Mankind fliall be faved ; Jefus 
 and Mary, The blelTed Virgin hcrfelf 
 exprefs'd her Dependence on this Sun^ 
 when in a kind of Rapture and Exta- 
 Luke r. fy? fl^e cried out. My Soul doth mag- 
 4^, 47* nlfy the Lordj and my Spirit hath re- 
 joiced in God r/iy Saviour, That fa- 
 cred Receptacle of the Sun of Righ- 
 teoufnefs^ all glorious as fhe is, is not 
 herfelf the Sun of Righteoufnefs ; that 
 Holy Womb, which was for fome 
 Time the Temple of God^ ought not 
 to be eileemed by us as the God of the 
 
 Temple,
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 14.5 
 
 Temple, God forbid then, that we 
 iliould go about to take away the U- 
 nity from the Sun of the Church. It 
 is upon this Account that Chr'tft was 
 called the Sun of Right eon fnefs. And 
 well might he be refembled to it. But 
 yet this is not the leail: Hindrance why 
 the Sun may not ferve as an Inllru- 
 ment of God's Glory., for the Punifli- 
 ment of the Wicked in the next Life, 
 any more than it is inconfident with 
 Chrifl's Office and Title of Saviour ^ 
 whereby he is the Sun of the Church, 
 that he will at the laft Day be the 
 Judge alfo of Mankind, and fay unto 
 the Wicked, T)e part from me ye C//r-Mat.25. 
 fed:, into everlafting Fire^ pre^ared^^' 
 for the T^evil and his Angels, 
 
 5. It may be obje6led againft my 
 IIypothefi5, that the Devil is laid, in 
 the Book of Job^ to be going to and ]ch. 1.7. 
 fro in the Earth ; and 'uj a Iking up and 
 doivn in it ; and is rcprcfented by St. 
 ^eteVj as a roaring Lyon "Ji^alking upi Pet. 5. 
 and down (viz. on tiie Earth) feeking^' 
 R 2 ''juhom
 
 1^6 An Enquiry Into the 
 
 whom he may devour. And devils 
 are iiiicl in the Gofpel to pfefs Men 
 and Swine ; and the lower Region of 
 the Air is generally thought to be full 
 De cir. of evil Spirits ; and St. Aujiin parti- 
 2f^,^^^^;cularly fuppofeth them to tumultuate 
 in it. But St. Teter^ as hath been 
 often obferved, faith, that God not on- 
 ly caft the Angels that finned down to 
 Hell;, but alfo delivered, them into 
 Chains ofDarknefs to be referved^ i. q. 
 as I have affirmed, kept Prifoners un- 
 to Judgment. From all which it may 
 be urged, 
 
 1. That the Diftance from the 
 Sun to the Earth is fo great, that their 
 Prefence on the latter feemeth to con- 
 tradiO: the Notion of their Tmprifbn- 
 ment in the former. And, 
 
 2. That the Body of the Sun is 
 fo very bright and glorious a Creature, 
 that it cannot well be thought to be 
 the proper Manfion of Darknefs. 
 
 I, T o
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 1 47 
 
 I . T o the former of thefe I anfwer, 
 that the Suu, notwithftanding its Dif- 
 tance from the Earth, may as well be 
 fuppofed to be the fixed and proper 
 Seat of tlie Devil's Imprifonment, 
 though not abfohite Confinement at 
 prefent, as any other Place whatfo- 
 ever. The Pfalmift faith of the 
 holy and elecl Angels, God /ha/lv^-n-it. 
 give his Angels charge over thee^ to 
 keep thee in all thy JVajs : And the 
 Apoftlc faith, Are they not all minif- 
 tring Sprits^ fent forth to minijicr for ^'^- ^- ^ 4» 
 them '-ji'ho are Heirs of Salvation ? 
 What then! Are not the Angels 
 therefore in Heaven? Their OSce 
 is to attend and guard the Faithful 
 here upon Earth ; and yet Heaven j 
 which is vaflly farther from the Earth 
 than the Sun is, is the Place of their 
 Habitation, whither they repair with 
 an unimaginable Celerity, when their 
 fpecial Services are finiflied. Thus 
 the Devils may have Hell appoint- 
 ed for the Place of their Condemna- 
 tion, and yet be permitted to move 
 R 4 beyond
 
 Z48 An E N QJ3 I R Y into the 
 
 beyond that their Prifon, fl:ri£lly 
 fpeaking, at fuch Times as God^ in 
 his Wirdom, thinketh fitting to give 
 fome of them particular Licenfe, to 
 wander in the Air, or compafs the 
 Earth, to tempt the Wicked, to try 
 the Righteous, and to work their 
 Malice again ft the Church of God, 
 And therefore, though the Earth and 
 the Air are the Places wherein they 
 alTault us, yet Hell is their Home, and 
 God remandeth them thither whenfo- 
 ever he pleafeth. 
 
 This Notion of their retrained 
 and enlarged Condition we have a 
 plain Account of in the Gofpels of St. 
 Mat. S. Matthew and St. Luke ; in the for- 
 ^'** mer of which the Devils expoftulate 
 with, and befeech Chr'ift not to ^ tor- 
 ment them before the Time : On which 
 Text the learned Dr. Hammond thus 
 paraphrafeth, Our Time is not ^et 
 
 * i?r. Hamniondj ccerc5% 
 
 come
 
 Nature and Tlace o/Hell. 249 
 
 come of being remanded to our ^ri- 
 fins J do not thou haften and precipi- 
 tate it. This Paflage St. Lnke repeat- 
 ing, and, as it were interpreting, faith, 
 They befinght him that he 'uaotild not Luk. 8. 
 command them to go out into the Abyfs^^^^ 
 /. e. faith the fame learned Expofitor^ 
 the Pit of Hell^ the Place created for 
 the Devil, and his Angels, wherefoe- 
 ver it is fituate. 
 
 In fhort, the Devils are not all of 
 them always clofe, but fome of them 
 at fometimes, viz,, when God pleafeth, 
 Prifoners at large ; and nothing hin- 
 dereth but that the Sun may be the 
 Place of their clofe Imprifonment ; 
 and, as I hinted before, the whole 
 Vortex may be, not improbably, tlie 
 Sphere of their enlarged Motion. 
 Which huge Space is yet to them an 
 Imprifonment ; for if, admitting ////- 
 genius his Hypothefis for true, it be 
 compared with the vafl Number of 
 the other Vortices^ of the lame Na- 
 ture and Kind with itfclf^ and firthcr 
 
 yet,
 
 250 jin E N Q u I R T into the 
 
 yet, with the Empyreuntj which is 
 fuppofed to be indefinitely extended a- 
 bout, over and beyond them all, even 
 this whole Vortex ^ although fo won- 
 drous large as it feemeth to us, whofe 
 Spirits are checked and hindered ia 
 their Motions by thofe Bodies, to 
 which they are fo clofely united, can- 
 not be judged any other than a Con- 
 finement to them ; who being nothing 
 but mere Spirit, are, no doubt, pof^ 
 feffed as with a Defire, fo with a Pow- 
 er to move themfelves through the 
 whole Creation, except where they 
 are othcrwife retrained and prohibit- 
 ed by God, 
 
 And this Hypothefis is the rather 
 to be received, becaufe, as it fuiteth 
 with the Opinion of them that fuppofe 
 the Air to be full of thofe evil Spirits, 
 from whence Satam himfelf is called, 
 the Trince of the Tower of the Air : 
 So it doth not deftroy the Notion of 
 a Tartarus J which hath always been 
 taken for a Place, not only of Punifli- 
 
 ment^
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell, 251 
 
 ment, but of Confinement too ; and 
 with refpecl to which, the fame Word 
 Bx<TocnXe<v is, in the Gofpels, ufed to 
 llgnifie both, 
 
 I know it is affirmed by fome, that 
 the Devils do not at all fuftei* in the 
 infernal Flames at prefent, but that 
 they have their Refidence altogether 
 in the Air ; whence, at the Day of 
 Judgment, they fliall be precipitated 
 into the Fire iwhich is prepared for 
 them. But though that Do£lrine be 
 favoured by fome of the Antients, as 
 "^ Dr. JVhttby fheweth, yet the other, 
 which fuppofeth them to be in a State, 
 at leaft capable of fuffering at prefent, 
 though not in fuch a Manner, or to 
 that Degree they fliall do at the Day 
 of Judgment, when they fliall be fo- 
 lemnly condemned to, and abfolutely 
 confin'd in, and without any Intermif- 
 fion cruciatcd with the Flames of the 
 hake that burnctb '•jjith Fire and 
 
 * Whitby'j Ccmmtnt m i Pet. ii. 4. 
 
 Brim'
 
 iji !/^;^ E N Q u I R Y into the 
 
 Brimftone ; as it is not contradi£l;ed 
 by any thing the Ancients affirmed^ 
 excepting what fome of themfaid, that 
 the 'Devils kneiv not any thing of their 
 "Damnation till after the Coming of 
 Chrijij which is a mere Dream, and 
 far from having any Foundation in 
 Scripture, fo is it generally afferted by 
 learned and orthodox Interpreters. 
 
 Loco D R. Whitby faith, that if the De~ 
 
 prxdi(a. >uiis do not fujfer in the Flames of 
 Hell till the Day of Judgment j then 
 much lefs do Men : And indeed this is 
 collected with great Reafon, for tru- 
 ly it would be very hard to fiippole 
 Men in a worfe Condition than De- 
 vils. The Devils finned purely from 
 themfelves, Men as they were tempted 
 to it by Devils. Devils were created in a 
 much higher Condition than Men, and 
 finned againft greater Light and greater 
 Manifefl:ations of God's Nature and 
 Goodnefs than were ever given to 
 Men : And therefore we may with 
 good AiTurance conclude, that if Men^ 
 
 immedi=
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 253 
 
 immediately after their Departure out 
 of this World, and before the Day of 
 Judgment, do fuffer the Pains of Hel/j 
 much more do the Devils the fame. 
 
 And that Men are in a fufFering 
 Condition prefently after their Souls 
 quit this mortal Station, our Saviour 
 plainly telleth us in the i6th Chapter 
 of St. Luke*s Gofpel ; where he re- 
 prefenteth the State of the Dead, in 
 ^ives giving us an Inflance^of the 
 wicked Man's Puniiliment in the 
 Flames oi Hellj and that immediately 
 after his Death, whilft his Kinsfolk 
 were alive, and might be warned from 
 coming into that Tlace of Torment. 
 'Tis true, this is a Parable, but cer- 
 tainly our Saviour would never de- 
 liver his Doctrine of the State of the 
 Dead (which he purpofely there doth) 
 quite diflPcrent from, if not contrary to 
 that which in truth and reality it is. 
 
 The learned Gualterj upon thatQ^j^,^^^ 
 Place faith, JFe mufl throwjhly tnain-^'^^^^-y^\-
 
 154 '^'^^ Enquiry into the 
 
 tain J againjl fiojflng Epicures ^ that 
 
 there is a certain ^Flace prepared for 
 
 the Wicked J into which their Souls j 
 
 firaight after T^eath , and their Bo- 
 
 dies J after the ReJitrre6iion, are re^ 
 
 ceived. And in another Place he lay- 
 
 eth down the fame Doftrine in this 
 
 Uem In Manner, The fiim of all that is faid 
 
 ^L?^"^' h f^^^ Trophet is this,, That the Medes 
 
 fhotild kill the King ^/"Babylon, and 
 
 his Soul be caft do'isjn to Hellj among 
 
 other Tyrants J to fitjfer everlafting 
 
 Torments. This Tlace hath an evident 
 
 Tejiimonyj teaching us that Souls do 
 
 not die with their Bodies ^ but are 
 
 Spirits immortal y and gathered into a 
 
 ¥lace appointed for them^ the Wicked 
 
 to Hell where utter ^arknefs isj and 
 
 eternal Weeping and gnajhing of Teeth, 
 
 MoHerus MolkruSj upon the fame Place, writ- 
 
 Efa?' ^ ^^^'^ t\ms^ In thefc Verfes is defer ihed the 
 
 State of the 'Dead which depart this 
 
 Life in their Sins^ without Repentance^ 
 
 as it is in the Story of the rich Glutton j 
 
 Luke 1 6. For^ as he was carried to 
 
 He 11^ fo this Tyrant and all others
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 155 
 
 that dye in their SinSj defcend to 
 Hell, Btillinger likewife : The Tro- BuiUngcr 
 ^het goeth on to defer ibe thewretched-^^^l^' 
 fiefs ^/Balthafar, the "juicked King of 
 Babylon, 'u^hen therefore he was 
 thrnft through the Body in many Pla- 
 ces by the Soldiers that brake into the 
 'Palace J his Soul went ftr ait to Hell:, 
 where two things are to be obferved 
 Firftj That the Soul of Man doth not 
 dye with his Body : Next^ that Hell 
 is apj^ointed as a certain ^ lace for the 
 Souls of the Wicked:, which is here 
 avouched to be beneath us. Thus 
 Lyra : Here is the Infultation of the Lvra in 
 Tie ad : Fir ft. Again ft the Soul ofthe'''''^' 
 King of Babylon : And^ Secondly^ As 
 touching the burial of his Body. Con- 
 cerning the firft we mufl: know, The 
 Jews and Catholick Writers expound 
 this Tlace of NebuchadonozorV Soul 
 defcending to the Tains of the 'Dam- 
 7ied i but itmuft be referred to Baltha- 
 far his Nephew. And fo it is faid 
 Hell:, i. c. the 'Devil ^ the Ruler of 
 He II J tinder thce^ becaufv Hell is faid 
 
 to
 
 i$6 An Enquiry into the 
 
 to be beneath the Earthy is troubled^ 
 
 becaufe the 'Devils were bufie about 
 
 the receiving and leading his Soul, 
 
 Lyra In Lyra faith alfo in another Place, Toft 
 
 ? o*c ^* ^^^^fi''^ Vit a prafejitis ftatim c apt us eft 
 
 ad Toenam Gehenna. After the Courfe 
 
 of this prefent Life the Wicked is 
 
 ftraightiL'ay carried to the Torments 
 
 Bulling, of Hell. And BuUinger^ on the fame 
 
 eund."''* Place faith, If thou underftand this 
 
 Horn. z\'r^holly of the 'Place of the 'Damned : 
 
 They are furely thrown down headlong 
 
 to Hell J as many as being here confu^ 
 
 med with DifeafeSj dye without Faith 
 
 and Repentance. Rightly therefore 
 
 doth Hell follow after Death. So O- 
 
 O^i^n^tr ftander : Hell follow eth the Deaths 
 
 not of the Godly J, but of the Wicked : 
 
 Thefcj after their corporealDeath^de^ 
 
 fiend direBly to Hell. 
 
 These and many other very learn- 
 ed Interpreters are quoted by Bifliop 
 Bilfon in Confirmation of this Point, 
 concerning which he delivereth his 
 
 own
 
 Nature and Tlace of HeLl, 157 
 
 own opinion thus, " Our Lord and^^J^«"^'^ 
 " Mafter, almoil: one Thoufand Cvzcbri/i's 
 " hundred Years fince, made the SouF'^'^''"^'^ 
 " of the rich Man, Lnie 1 6. to fay 
 " of Hell Fire J I am tormented in 
 " this Flame. And St. Jnde faid of 
 " Sodom and Gomorrah ^ They are fct 
 " forth for an Example ixv^U ^^lu^U 
 " (/'aiiv U7r£;^^a-ai (in or by) fuffering 
 *' the Timijhment of eternal Fire, 
 " And the Inhabitants of thofe Cities 
 " are affirmed by the Apoftle, even 
 " then when he wrote, to fuffer ever- 
 " lafting Fire." (Which alfo is, as 
 will be fliewn , exa6lly Dr. Ham^ 
 mond\ Senfe of the Place.) " It is 
 " therefore, faith the Bifliop, one and 
 " the fame Fire of Hell^ that punifli- 
 " eth the Wicked, before and after 
 " Judgment ; which was prepared 
 " long fince, as Ifaiah faith, and is e- 
 " verlafting, /. e, not ending or chang- 
 *' ing into another Fire, but increal- 
 " ing and kindling with greater fierce- 
 *' nefs, at the Day of Judgment ; . 
 ** that all the Wicked, both Men and 
 S " An-
 
 Z58 An E N Q^u I R y mo the 
 
 " Angels, may receive a Damnation 
 '' anfvverable to their Deferts, which 
 ** in part they now feel, but then ex- 
 " peQ: a fharper and forer Torment 
 " than yet is executed on them, which 
 " is the terror of Judgment, and ful- 
 " nefs of Damnation referved for 
 [\ them. 
 
 But why do I fo earneftly con- 
 tend for the Truth of this Do£lrine, 
 that the Devils and Souls of wicked 
 Men deceafed do fuffer at prefent in 
 the everlafting Fire, fince my Hypo- 
 thefis concerning the Sun's being the 
 Tartarus J or Place of Punifhment in 
 the next Life, may confift with either 
 the one or the other ? For even the 
 Defenders of the former, viz, that 
 the Devils do not at prefent fufFer 
 therein, confefs that the Hell^ to which 
 they are pre-condemned, doth actual- 
 ly exift ; and that it is, and hath been 
 from the Foundation of this vifible 
 World, prepared for them ; and that 
 in Contemplation of it they tremble, 
 
 and
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell, 259 
 
 and are filled with prefent Horror : So ^'- '^'hit- 
 that whether they all, or any of them,prrdia*. 
 adually fuffer therein at prefent is not 
 very material ; fince it being placed in 
 the Center of the Sphere of their Ha- 
 bitation and Motion, even according 
 to them, the Devils cannot but diicern 
 and know it, and confequently mufb 
 be afFeded with it. 
 
 2. A s for the T!)arknefs in the 
 Chains whereof they are faid to be re- 
 fervedj I take it to be an Obje6lion a- 
 gainll me of little Weight, becaufe it 
 will admit of federal Solutions. If it 
 be underlliood of the Darknefs of the 
 Place, which is the proper Seat of 
 their clofe Imprifonment, it is not al- 
 together unintelligible how even that 
 may confift with my Hypothefis. For 
 if the Figure of the Sun, as it was 
 difcovered by Kerchcr and Schciner_, 
 through the great Telcfcope at Rome, 
 in the Year 1635, (and which I have 
 here laid before tlie Eye of my Reader 
 to give him a jurt Idea of the Body of 
 S 2 the
 
 l6o ^n Enquiry into the 
 
 the Sufi) have any thing of Truth ia 
 it, as it is thought by fome learned in 
 that way to have ; there are not only 
 great Fountains or Ebullitions of Fire 
 and Light fpread thick over the whole 
 Body of it, but in many Places dark 
 Spots reprefenting Dens or Caverns ; 
 which therefore may not irrationally 
 be fuppofed the proper Seats of the 
 Blacknefs of Darknefs. 
 
 But there is no necelTity to de- 
 pend altogether on this : For by Dark- 
 nefs may well be underftood that 
 Blhidnefs^ with which, as with Chains, 
 they are fettered, that they cannot ap- 
 proach the glorious Light of Heaven ^ 
 in comparifon of which even the 
 brighteil: Light of this World is Dark- 
 7iefs, This Darknefs may either be 
 confidered as inherent in themfelves, 
 being part of the Punifliment infiid- 
 ed when they were caft down, as we 
 know the Men of Sodom^ a Type and 
 Refemblance of Hell^ were ftricken 
 with BUndnefs ; or elfe as ix, may pof- 
 
 fibly
 
 2s[ature and Tlace of Hell. l6l 
 
 fibly be caufed by the Operation of the 
 Obje6t from without, as we fee the 
 cloudy Pillar was a Trouble and T)ark' 
 nefs to the Egyptians j but a Comfort 
 and Light to the Ifraelites, Now a- 
 ny of thefe Reafons make it plainly 
 intelligible, how that and the like Ex- 
 prefTions of Scripture may agree with 
 my Hypothefis ; which if Fire and 
 Darknefs may confift together, as the 
 Word of God diredly telleth us they 
 may, by placing both of them in Hel\ 
 biddeth as fair for the Solution of the 
 Point, as any other whatfoever. 
 
 S3 Chap.
 
 z6z An Enquiry into the 
 
 Chap. X. 
 
 Ohjedions^ from the Benefits of 
 the dun to us in this Worlds 
 anfwered. 
 
 E c A u s E the Benefits we re- 
 ceive fl'om the SuH in this 
 "World are fo great, that they may, 
 perhaps, occafion fome unthinking Men 
 to be fcandalized at my Propofition ; 
 I fhall particularly infift on fome of 
 the chiefeft of them, and fhew that 
 they are by no means inconfiftent 
 with it. I begin with the 
 
 I. First, and indeed the mofl 
 apparent of them all, Light ; a Blef- 
 fing fo very necellary, that without it 
 all others fignifie little. Light j as \t 
 was the firft, lb was it a m oft effential 
 part of the Creation : For the Dark- 
 nefs that involved the Mafs was al- 
 together as ill as either its want of 
 
 Form
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell, idj 
 
 Form or Emptinefs ; if that had con- 
 tinued, although the jarring Elements 
 had been feparated, yet would there 
 have remained nothing but Ataxy and 
 Confufion, and fo the Chaos had beert 
 as great as ever. This the difcerning 
 Eye of God forefaw, and therefore he 
 commanded, there Jhonld be Light jGQn,\.i. 
 the glorious Light of the Suji^ whofe 
 ftreaming Splendor breaking out from 
 amidll the Darknefs immediately re- 
 ceived his Approbation, and he faw v. 4. 
 that it was good y and that according 
 to the very nobleft Chara£ler of Good^ 
 it being fo diffufive of itfelf as to be- 
 come univerfal, extended not only to 
 the inferior Works of, the Creation, 
 but to God'*s Mafter-piece, Man^ for 
 whofe Service all other things were 
 made, and efpecially the great abun- 
 dance and variety of Objefts that en- 
 tertain that moft curious Organ the 
 Eye, which would be altogether ufe- 
 lefs and fuperfluous were it not for 
 Lights by which alone it hath an op- 
 portunity of expatiating in the View 
 S 4 of
 
 z54 -^« E N Q^u I R Y into the 
 
 of all thofe that appear grateful and 
 pleafing to it. Now this lovely Crea- 
 ture Light being nothing but an Ef- 
 fed or Emanation of the Suh^ it nnuil 
 go againft the Grain to think, that the 
 Fountain of Glory and Light to us 
 here fhould be the Region of Horror 
 and IDarknefs hereafter, 
 
 2. Another Benefit we receive 
 from the Sun is Life,, for his warm 
 and enlivening Influence maketh all 
 Nature fruitful ; the Sun hath been 
 aKvays judged as the Husband of Na- 
 ture, to concur in the Generation of 
 Animals and Plants: Of Animals, for 
 fo the Proverb concerning the Head 
 and Chiefcft of them. The Sun and a 
 Man beget a Man : And then for 
 Plants, when the Sun withdraweth in 
 the Winter, the dry Stocks feem as it 
 were decayed and dead, yea altogether 
 lifelefs and fteril, till his return in the 
 Spring raifeth up a vital and fecund 
 Principle in them. And in this refpe£t, 
 iio lefs than the former^ it feemeth 
 
 hard
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. l6$ 
 
 hard to conceive how the Well- Spring 
 of Life fliould be the Lake of the (lia- 
 dow of ^Death, 
 
 3. Once more, the Sun as it is 
 the Light and Life^ fo is it the very 
 Joy of Nature. All things are exhi- 
 larated and refreflied by the Warmth 
 and Brightnefs of Iiis comfortable 
 Beams ; at his appearance each Morn- 
 ing the difmal Darknefs of the Night 
 is difpelled, and gladfom Day fucceed- 
 eth ; at his approach m the Spring the 
 Earth putteth on her frefli Apparel, 
 the Fields are green and verdant, the 
 Trees bud forth and bloflbm, and the 
 Birds with their wild Notes welcome 
 the Chariot of this returning Con- 
 queror ; who having diilol ved the hard 
 Frofts, and chafed away the thickcil: 
 Mifts and Fogs of Winter, createth a 
 fprightly Cheerfulnefs in all Creatures. 
 Could we fuppofe the plcafant and 
 lightlbme Summer, in its full Strength 
 and Beauty, to follow tiie Cold and 
 Gloominefs that is in the depth of 
 
 Winter;
 
 l66 An E N Q u I R T into the 
 
 V/iiiter; could the Earth from that 
 poor and naked State immediately ap- 
 pear clothed with all the Ornaments 
 oi' her rich and gawdy Drefs, it would 
 certainly affect us with a mofi: deli- 
 cious Aftonifliment. But that is a 
 Change too great for us to bear at 
 once, and therefore the all-wife Provi- 
 dence of God hath ordered the Succef- 
 fion of Summer and Winter by cer- 
 tain Steps and Degrees, that fo we 
 might not be furprifed and overcome 
 by it. 
 
 These are fome of the Benefits 
 we receive from that glorious Crea- 
 ture the Sun ; which though they are 
 very great, yet do they not hinder, 
 but that if we are not fo affeded with 
 them as to ferve God fincerely and 
 thankfully for them, it may poilibly 
 torment and plague us more hereafter, 
 than it doth refrefli and pleaie us here. 
 
 And tliis will appear to be no ways 
 irrational, if we confider the great va- 
 riety
 
 Nature and Tlace 0/ Hell. l6y 
 
 riety that God hath implanted in the 
 Nature of his Creatures, and the dif- 
 ferent Ends to which one and the 
 fame Thing doth oftentimes ferve. 
 The Elements of Earth, Water, Air, 
 and Eire, which are plainly difcerned 
 and diftinguiflied in the Compofition 
 of this World, have in each one of 
 them not only a Diverfity, but even 
 a Contrariety of Effeds. 
 
 What is more beneficial to us than 
 the Earthj whole teeming Womb 
 bringeth forth fuch plenty of Necef- 
 faries, fuch ftore of Delicacies, that 
 curious Man, had he been left to 
 his own Option, could not have 
 wiflied for greater? What is there 
 that can be thought of, needful ei- 
 their to the Support or Comfort of 
 Life, which that doth not furnifli us 
 with ? How many Sorts of ftrength- 
 ening Grain, what fweet and nou- 
 rifliing Roots, what variety of whol- 
 fomc Herbs, what lovely and moff de- 
 licious Fruits doth it abound with ? 
 3 What
 
 l6S An Enquiry into the 
 
 What Flocks of Sheep, what Herds 
 of larger Cattle, and what infinite 
 Numbers of other Animals that ferve 
 apparently either to the Ufe or Plea- 
 fure of Man doth it fuftain ? And yet, 
 in how many feveral Refpeds may 
 we fuppofe even this our common 
 and great Benefactor to be alfo ad- 
 verfe and hurtful to us? Particularly, 
 if it were not tilled and cultivated, 
 how foon would it degenerate from 
 that Beauty which now delights us ; 
 How would Weeds and Thorns and 
 Thiftles over-run the Face of it ? So 
 that it w^ould rather feem an horrid 
 Wildernefs than a pleafant Garden- 
 But, as it is at prefent, notwithfland- 
 ing all the Art and Induflry of Man 
 to the contj-ary, how many unfavoury 
 and noxious Roots, how many diftafte- 
 ful and poifonous Herbs, how many 
 naufeous and deadly Fruits doth it 
 produce? What wild and ravenous 
 Beafts, what voracious and hurtful 
 Animals, what vexatious and venom- 
 ous Infeds doth it conflantly nou- 
 
 . rifli ?
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 269 
 
 rlfh ? Nay, flie is fo apparently more 
 free and liberal to thefe her Produc- 
 tions than to the former, that flie 
 hath been rightly accounted /jis Ala- 
 teVj ift'ts NovercUj a fond natural 
 Parent to thefe, but a cruel, nig- 
 gardly Step-dame to the other. 
 
 If wc pafs on from the Earth to 
 the Water J we fliall find the fame Op- 
 pofition there likewife: For, according 
 to the common Obfcrvation, what fo 
 good a Servant as that, and yet what 
 fo bad a Mafter? But befides the evil 
 of Inundations and Deluges, where- 
 by abundance is our Deiiruftion, and 
 too much plenty altogether as bad as 
 if not more pernicious, than Want • 
 doth not the Nature of the Thing in- 
 form us, that if there were running 
 Rivers in Taradife^ there was a ftand- 
 ing Lake at Sodom ? If the Waters 
 were fwect at Elim_, they were ac 
 Mar ah bitter ; if fome are frefli, others 
 are Salt ; ii: fome are clear and plcafant 
 to the Talle, others arc muddy and 
 
 unfa-
 
 170 An Enquiry into the 
 
 unfavoury ; if fome are pure and lim- 
 pid, others ftink and are corrupt ? In 
 a Word, if there are Shoals of excel- 
 lent and wholfom Fifh in fome, there 
 are Snakes and Toads, and thoufands 
 of poifonous and deftrudive Animals 
 in others. 
 
 I F we proceed from the Water to 
 the Air^ there are therein Storms no 
 lefs than Calms, and Hurricanes as 
 well as mild and gentle Breezes ; there 
 is what we call an ill, as well as a 
 good Air, and thick foggy Mifts as 
 oft as clear and ferene Skies. The 
 fame Clouds that fome times defcend 
 in l^ews and Tirops of Rain., do at o- 
 ther Times throw down Hail-Jiones 
 and hot Thunder -bolts ; they now fend 
 forth Blaftings and Mildews upon 
 Herbs and Fruits, and then fcatter 
 their Snow like Woolj and their hoary 
 Frofts like A floes. Then for the 
 winged Inhabitants of the Air, there 
 are amongft them both Doves and Vul- 
 tures, and hoarfe fcreaming Bitterns, 
 
 as
 
 Nature and Tlace 0/ Hell. 171 
 
 as well as fweet chanting Nightin- 
 gales. In fliort, if there are fbme 
 whofe melodious Notes ravifh the 
 Ear, whofe delicious Flelh pleafeth 
 the Talle, or whofe furprifing Beauties 
 charm and attraft the Eye, there are, 
 to weigh down for thefe. Ravens and 
 Screech-Ovvls, and Bats and Hornets, 
 which are our Antipathy and Aver- 
 fion. 
 
 So alfo in Fire ; fFbatj, as St. j^ii-St. Aug, 
 Jfin faith, is more glorious j, more love- ^ei, iS. 
 Ly to look upon than Fire,, than flam- ^2- c. 4. 
 ing Jhumig Fire ? JVhat ts more life- 
 fill than Fire to ivarm and comfort^ 
 to purge J cleanfe andpirifie^ to drefs 
 our Meat J to prepare and make it 
 ready for the Conco6lion of the Sto- 
 mach ? But then J faith he, there is 
 nothing in the World 77iore vexatious 
 and troublefome than Fire^ vjhen it 
 fcorcheth and bur net h us. The fame 
 Fire therefore ^ being penally applyed^ 
 is moji pernicious J "ji'hich^ when con- 
 veniently
 
 zyi An Enquiry into the 
 
 venteutly ufedj is mojl commodious 
 and profitable to us. 
 
 Now, the Reafon why I obferve 
 thefe various and contradiQory Affec- 
 tions in the Natures of things, is to 
 let us fee that the Smij like other Crea- 
 tures, may be fo conftituted as to 
 contain in it that which may incom- 
 mode and moleft us ; however to him 
 that iooketh only on the Surface of 
 things, and doth not penetrate into 
 the Depth of them, it may feem to be 
 made only for our Benefit and Plea- 
 fure. And, indeed, this is fo far from 
 being hard to conceive that it is obvi- 
 ous, and admitteth of dire£t and plain 
 Demonftration. We have feen be- 
 fore out of the Scriptures, that the 
 being being fmitten by the Sun was 
 reckoned a Plague and Judgment. 
 Loc. prse-And St. Aujliu telleth us, that Male- 
 ^^^' faBors in his 'DaySj and fuch as did 
 not pay their l^ebts^ were by their 
 Judges condemned to be expofed to^ 
 or laid a roajiing in the Sun^ which, 
 
 la
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 173 
 
 in Africa where he lived, and where 
 the Sun fhineth violently hot, was 
 an extreme Punifliment. Nor is its 
 Heat only troublefome ; its Light 
 too may offend. For if we look up- 
 on it in its full meridian Strength, 
 we fhall be dazled, not delighted ; 
 and if our Eyes, like thofe of Owls, 
 were bereaved of the Defence of their 
 Lids, we lliould no more endure the 
 piercing Light of his Beams than they ; 
 but if obliged to a conftant behold- 
 ing of them for any Time, fhould be 
 thereby reduced to a Sate of perfect 
 'Darknefs. 
 
 Now, if the Sun is apt to be fo 
 troublefome and off^enfive to us here, 
 where we are at fuch a mighty Dif- 
 tance from it ; what do we think, 
 would it be, if we were caft into the 
 very Body of it, and made capable of 
 fubfilling in it, and enduring all thofe 
 fliarp and dreadful Torments that fo 
 vail and vehement a Fire mullinflid? 
 
 T And
 
 Z74 ^^ E N Q^u I R T into the 
 
 A N D as the Benefits of the Sun to 
 us here do not really hinder, but that 
 it may be forely afflidive to us hereaf- 
 ter ; fo we have no Reafon to imagin 
 that it is contrary to the Nature o^Hell 
 Fire, though it may punifli wicked 
 Men hereafter, to be beneficial to us 
 Lib. & here. St. ^///?i« faith of the Natures of 
 ^^a^. prae -pi^j^-jg^ jj^ general. That it is not from 
 
 our Tleafiire or ^ain^ but as it is con- 
 fidered in it felfj that the Nature of 
 every thing yieldeth Traife and Glory 
 to its Maker, And he faith particu- 
 larly of Fire, that they are not to be 
 heard J who praife in it the Light _, 
 but difpraife the burning Heatj be- 
 caufe they attend not to the Nature of 
 the Thing it filf, but to their own- 
 "Profit or T)ifprofitj their own T lea- 
 fur e or T^ain. They would fee ^ indeed^ 
 by its Light y but they would not be 
 burnt by its Heat : But^ faith he, 
 they do notconfiderthisj that the fame 
 Lights which flea feth them., is hurt- 
 ful to infirm and weak EyeSj and that 
 fome Creatures live with Qonveniency 
 
 and
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. lyj 
 
 ^/i^ T>elight^ in thofe very Burnings 
 they are fo out in Love "jiith. And 
 he concludeth yet more particularly 
 of Hell Fire. Sic eft ^ Natura Ig- 
 nis aternij Jine ulld T^ubitationej 
 laudahilisj quamvis l^amnatis Impi- 
 is futurus fwnalis : That its Nature 
 isj '■iZ'itbout all Doubt ^ excellent and 
 ^raife-'-Ji'orthyj ho'-ji'ever it7naypmijj? 
 thofe luickcd Men that ftoall be con^ 
 demned to it. 
 
 It is the Prerogative of Godj to 
 bring Light out of Darknefs, as well 
 as Good out of Evil : And if he 
 from the horrid Sin of Satan ^ and 
 the apoftate Angels, took Occafion to 
 raife the ftupendous Fabrick of this 
 World, and to create Mankind in it, 
 that they might inherit the Kingdom 
 from which the former, by Tranfgrcf- 
 fion, fell ; why may not we alfo think, 
 that he hath ordained the Scat of their 
 Puniibmcnt for our prefentGood, and 
 out of their "Darknefs and Death ^ cau- 
 fed Light and Life to fpring up to us ? 
 
 T 2 C II A p.
 
 X7<5 An Enquiry into the 
 
 Chap. XL 
 
 Of the Etermty of Hell's Tor^ 
 merits. 
 
 HAving run through what I deter- 
 mined to obferve of the Tlace 
 of Hell J before I put a Conclufion to 
 this Treatife, I think it neceflary to 
 add fomething concerning the Eterni- 
 ty of its Tunijhjnetits : This, as I in- 
 timated in the beginning of this Dif^ 
 courfe, being objeQed againft, as well 
 as the Locality of it. 
 
 No^A," there are two Opinions re- 
 pugnant to the Eternity of Hell's 
 Torments ; the one of Origen^ a moft 
 learned Presbyter and Catechilf in 
 the primitive Church, who yet, a- 
 mongfl: other Hetorodox and unfound 
 Opinions, is known to have held^ 
 
 ^ That
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 177 
 
 ^ Tbat wicked Men^ and even 2)^- 
 vils^ after they have fuffered a Jharp 
 and continued Torment for their Sins^ 
 /hall J feme at one Time^ and fome at 
 another ., fboner or later ^ according to 
 the greater or lejfer "Depravity of 
 their Wills ^ be reconciled to God and 
 finally faved. 
 
 The other of thofe who affirm not 
 that wicked Men fliall be faved, but 
 that they Jhall Ire reduced to their fir fl 
 Nothing ; or that there will be an ut- 
 ter Extin6lion of their Being. I fliall 
 with all convenient Brevity, 
 
 FirJIj, Confider what is diftinclly 
 urged for thefe Opinions apart ; and 
 then, 
 
 * Qua de re mifericordior profefto fuit Origcnes, 
 qui & ipfum Diabolum & Angelos ejus, port graviora 
 & diuturniora fupplicia, ex illis Cruciatibus eruen- 
 dos atque fociandos fanftis Angelis credidit. Aug.dc 
 Giv. Dei, I. 21. c. 17. 
 
 Secondly^
 
 Z78 An Enquiry hito the 
 
 Secondly^ In Oppofition to them 
 both, I iliail prove that the Torments 
 of Hell are fro^erly eternal^ or that 
 they iiiall never have an E. d, but 
 fliall endure, in the very utmoft La- 
 titude of the Phrafe, for ever and e- 
 ever. And, 
 
 Fir ft:, As to the Opinion of Ori- 
 gen. It is very true , that Father 
 jdoth not feem to afTert what he de- 
 li vereth concerning this Matter pofi- 
 tively, but only by way of Problem, 
 ^ and leaveth others to their Liberty 
 of thinking as they are perfuaded. 
 And therefore, He is not fo much 
 to be blamed, as if he had been dog- 
 m.atical in it. But however, fmce 
 the contrary is plainly (as you' will 
 fee prefentiy) taught in the Holy 
 Scriptures, he hath been juftly con- 
 
 * Nunc autein difputardi fpecie magis quam deii- 
 riendi prout pofTumus ejfercemur. Il-;e/ Afv^r. 1. i. 
 c. 6, Interprete Rufino. 
 
 demned
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 2*7^ 
 
 demned by the Church of Chriji for 
 it. He built his tottering Edifice 
 chiefly upon this fandy Foundation. 
 ^ That as well in the next as this 
 "World, all Orders, both of thofe we 
 call Devils and Men, are endued 
 with free Will, or a Libercy of Choice : . 
 '}- That Rewards and PuniHiments 
 Ihall be difpenfed in the next World, 
 not only according to previous De- 
 merits, but likewife according to that 
 which is well or ill done then. || That 
 all Punifhments both now and then 
 are purely emendatory, and are like 
 fharp Corrofives in the Hand of the 
 great Phyfician, who will apply them 
 fo as to reduce his Patients to a com- 
 
 * Si aliqui ex his Ordinibus qui fub Principatu 
 Diaboli agunt, poterunt aliquando in futuris Sficulis 
 converti ad Bonitatem pro eo quod eil in ipfis liberi 
 Facultas Arbitiii, &c. 
 
 ■\ Interim tain in his qux videntiir & temporali- 
 bus Saeculis, quani in illis quae non vidcntur & eterna 
 funt omncs ifbi pro Ordine, pro i<.ationc", pro Modo 
 & merilorum Dignitatibus difpeniantur. 
 
 II Quantoma^iiintclligendumcft:i!«: huncMedicum 
 nollrum Dtum, volentem dilucrc vitia Animorum 
 softoruni uti hujufccmodi panalibus Curis, &o. 
 
 T 4 pleat
 
 z8o An E N Q^u I R Y into the 
 
 pleat and pcrfeQ: Health, to a State 
 of harmonious and eternal Felicity. 
 
 But all this, however fmooth and 
 agreeable it may appear to Fleili and 
 Blood, is yet, if the Scriptures be 
 true, undoubtedly falfe. 
 
 That the Devil and his Angels 
 have not fuch a Freedom of Will and 
 Choice,' as to be capable of embrac- 
 ing, and doing that which is good, 
 of willing and chufing a Reconcili- 
 ation with Gody is plain from the in- 
 veterate and confirmed Malice of their 
 Natures. The Devil is fliiled in the 
 
 Mat. 13. Scriptures, The Enemy nccT ^o^w. The 
 
 ^^' Adverfary of Godj, and of all Goodnefs. 
 
 I Joli-3'^-^i^cl as he finneth from the Beginnings, 
 fo when he finneth, he fmneth from 
 liimfelf. He is not tempted to 
 it by any other, but finneth direft- 
 ly from the malicious Pravity of his 
 
 Joii.S-44'Own Will. He was a Murderer 
 
 from the Begimting., and abode not 
 
 in the Truths becaufe - there is no 
 
 Truth
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell, x8i 
 
 Truth in him : Whejt he Jpeaketh a 
 Lie J he Jpeaketh of his 0''jimj for he 
 is a Liar and the Father of itj faid 
 one who knew both him and his Na- 
 ture full well. He is the great ©^-Rev.is.p. 
 ceiver ''jvhich deceiveth the "jvhole 
 World. And therefore, we find that 
 when Satan entered into Judas j he 
 immediately went about to betray ]o\mii, 
 Chrift. And when Satan filled the^^* 
 Hearts of Ananias and Sapphira_y Afts 5. 3. 
 they lied to the Holy Ghoji, Nay^ 
 he endeavoured to deceive Chrifl him- 
 felfj and tempted even the only be- 
 gotten Son of God to forfake his 
 Father's Sei'vice, and to fall down 
 and ^juorjhip him. And therefore, how 
 any Chriftian could be fo far de- 
 ceived by him, and led away by his 
 *DeviceSj as to think he is, or can 
 be, in a State of Salvation, and ca- 
 pable of being reconciled unto Godj 
 is hard to imagine. It is faid of O- 
 rigefij that he was fo verled in the 
 Scriptures that he had them all by 
 Heart, without Book. But, if {b^ 
 
 k
 
 iSz An Enquiry into the 
 
 it is very ftrange he fliould make 
 no better Ufe of them, than to broach 
 a Doclrine To contrary to the whole 
 Tenor of the Bible, and for which 
 there is not the leafl: Ground or Colour 
 there. I challenge the moft acute of 
 his Followers to fhew me one Text 
 that direftiy pointeth at fo much as a 
 PolTibiliiy of SataJt's Reconciliation 
 with God. And then when we have 
 fo many, and fo clear. Proofs of his 
 utter Enmity to God^ and to all Good- 
 nefs ; w^hen it is exprefly faid there is 
 710 Truth in him^ how can he be fup- 
 pofed to love Godj, who is Truth it- 
 felf ? And if he be the Wicked one^ 
 how can he chufe, and acquiefce in 
 the Holy one of Tjrael ? 
 
 And as he himfelf is, fuch alfo are 
 his Angels. They are ufually joined 
 together, both for Difpofitions, and 
 for Punifliment too. If they were 
 caft out of Heaven with him, doubt- 
 lefs the Crime, for which they were 
 expelled, was of the fame Nature 
 
 . with
 
 Nature and Tlace o/Hell. 285 
 
 with his; and is likewife confirmed 
 and radicated in them, as well as in 
 him. They encouraged, they buoy'd 
 him up in his Rebellion, and are, 
 therefore, defervedly Sharers with him 
 in his Fall, and in all the fatal Con- 
 fequences of it. One of the moft for- 
 midable of which to them was, that 
 they were caft out of a State of Hap- 
 pinefs and Blifs, into one of Mifery 
 and Torment: Which Torment is 
 not, as Origen fancied, mitigated or 
 increafed, according to their prefent 
 Demerits ; but is always extreme , 
 and the pure Effed of their primi- 
 tive Rebellion. Not that their pre- 
 fent Malice and Wickednefs again ft 
 God doth not deferve the Punifli- 
 ment they now labour under; but 
 that their prefent State both of con- 
 firmed Wickednefs , and extreme 
 Punifhment is, by the juif Judgment 
 of Godj become the necelTary Sequel 
 of their Fall : So that their former 
 State of Innocence and Blils is nei- 
 ther in the whole, nor in part to be 
 
 re-
 
 2.84 -An Enquiry into the 
 
 retrieved by them. They are not now 
 Probationers or Candidates for an hea- 
 venly Crown, but fettered Slaves^ con- 
 demned to toil, and fuffer in their in- 
 fernal Prifon. 
 
 The Notion that all Punifhments 
 are purely emendatory is falfe; but 
 efpecially in the Devil and his An- 
 gels, who are nianjfeftly incorrigible ; 
 who have proceeded even to the laft 
 and moft capital Crime ; a Crime that 
 cannot be pardoned, Salvd Jujiitidj 
 with Safety to the Jujiicej, or even 
 to that which is fo much pleaded for 
 by Origen and his Admirers, the 
 Mercy of God i which, though infi- 
 nite as himfelf, is yet not capable of 
 being extended to thofe obftinate and 
 wilful Offenders, to them that defpife, 
 revile, and trample it under Foot, to 
 them that contemn, and undermine, 
 and oppofe the gracious Defigns o^ it. 
 Nor is this affirmed gratis ^ as the 
 contrary Hypothefis purely is; but it 
 is back'd with clear and undoubted 
 
 Proofs
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. z85 
 
 Proofs from the holy Scriptures. For 
 there it is exprefly faid, That f he Rev. 
 great 'Tyragofi 12: as c aft out ^ that old'' '" 
 Serpent^ called the Devil and Satan : 
 He was caft out^ and his Angels 'Ujere 
 caft out with him; neither was their 
 ¥lace found any more in Heaven. 
 And, Verily the Son of God took ^^ot^^^^.^^ 
 on him the Nature of Angels ., but he 
 took on him the Seed of Abraham. 
 And that Nature which was not af- 
 fumed, was not ranfomed by him, 
 but left to the Thraldom and Mifery 
 of Hell. And accordingly we read 
 that the 'Devil was caft into the Lakcr,^ „^ 
 of Fire and BrimftonCj where alfo ic. 
 the Beaft and falfe Trophet are^ and 
 Jhall be tormented Day and Nighty 
 i. e. without Intermiffion, for ever, 
 I fliall have Occafion to mention and 
 vindicate fome other Texts of Scrip- 
 ture, of the fame Importance with 
 this, when I come to treat of Hell'<, 
 Torments in general, with Refpedl to 
 the Devils and damned Men too. I 
 fliall therefore infift no farther on this 
 
 at
 
 1^6 ^4n Enquiry into the 
 
 at prefent, but fliall clofe up this Re- 
 folution concerning the Nature, and 
 irremediable State of the T)evil and 
 his Angels J with that known Deter- 
 St. Aug. mination of St. Aiiflin, Credendum 
 1^ 'SYv • efl T^amones effe Spiritus nocendi cu- 
 
 Dei,lib.S. •' . , t-t n- ' A 
 
 cap. 2i. ^td'tjjimosj a jnjtitta ^enitus alienosj 
 Stiver bid tumidos^ Invtdentid lividoSj 
 Fallacid callidos : ^ii in hoc qiiidem 
 Aere habitant ^^ quia de Cceli JiiperiO" 
 ■ ris fiiblimitate dejeBij merito irre* 
 grejjibilis TranfgreJJJonis ^ in hoc Jibi 
 congruo veht Car cere pradamnati 
 ftintj i. e. We are to believe that the 
 devils are Spirits moji dejiroiis of our 
 Hurt J perfe£fly abhorrent of all 
 Righteonfhefsj fwelled or blown up 
 with TridCj meagre with Envy^ in 
 deceit moft crafty^ who inhabit the 
 lower Air^ becaufe being caft down 
 from the Height hs of the ftipreme 
 Heaven^ they are^ through the juji 
 *Defert of their irretrievable Tranf- 
 grefloUj condemned to the infernal 
 ^Frifon^ as mofi congruous^ and Jit for 
 them. 
 
 And
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 287 
 
 A N D as Origen\ Hypothefis is ab- 
 folutely falfe, with refpe£l to the T)e- 
 'vil and his Angels : So is it in regard 
 of damned Men too ; who after this 
 Life have not fuch a liberty of Choice 
 as he fpeaketh of: Neither are Re- 
 wards and Punifliments difpenfed to 
 them accordingly as they behave them- 
 felves in that State ; nor are their Suf- 
 ferings properly emendatory, or in. 
 order to their final and eternal Happi- 
 nefs. 
 
 'T 1 s true indeed, whilft we are in 
 this World we are endued with Free- 
 dom of Will, and it is the great Hap- 
 pinefs of our Condition here, that we 
 are not necelTitated to do Evil : For 
 Life, as well as Death, is fet before 
 us, and we have a Power to refufc the 
 Evil, and to chufe the Good. And 
 as Helps in order to this End, we have 
 Reajon and IJnderJtandingj and Me^ 
 mory implanted in us; which Facul- 
 ties I will not deny but that even the 
 
 Damned
 
 z88 jin Enquiry into the 
 
 Damned may, in fome fort, have in 
 the next Life. But then they, who 
 from hence infer that they have the 
 Freedom of Will before fpoken of, 
 make a very wrong Dedudion, for 
 the Circumftances of this and the next 
 Life are vaftly diff-erenty and thofe 
 Faculties, though they ferve to good 
 Ends here, yet there they are left: 
 them to improve and heighten their 
 Defpair, to increafe and aggravate 
 their Mifery, and not as a Means to 
 lead them to a better Life, or to bring 
 them out of their fharp and never cea- 
 Rom.8.28.fing Torments. For as allj even the 
 worft Things of this Life, "ji'ork toge- 
 ther for Good to them that love God^ 
 to them '■jnho are called according to 
 his Turpo/e y fo all, even the beft 
 Things (if any fuch can be fuppofed) 
 in thofe that hate him, and are repro- 
 bated by him hereafter, fhall naturally 
 tend to add Fewel to their FlameSj 
 and Bitternefs to their Cup. 
 
 What
 
 Nature and Tlace o/HkLl, 189 ' 
 
 What will it then avail the Wick- 
 ed that in Hell they fliall iinderftand 
 and remember too, fince it will be a 
 great Part of their Panifliment fo to 
 do ? Confcience will then have its full 
 Force upon them ; and the furious Re- 
 flexions they will then make upon 
 themfelves, that they might have been 
 happy but they would not ; that they 
 have let the Day of Grace flip ; that 
 in Contempt of Godj and his moft 
 merciful Defigns to fave them, they 
 have wilfully plunged themfelves into 
 the horrid Pit of Deftruftion : Thefe, 
 I fay, and the like Reflexions wiH 
 break in upon them, and confound 
 them with all the Terrors of a guilty 
 and felf-condemned Breafl:. And if it 
 be truly faid in this World, when the 
 Gaflies are flight, and there is Ba/m in 
 G lie ad J and healing Virtue in the 
 Waters of Bethefda^ and by Confe- 
 quence where there is a Door open for 
 Hopes of Cure, that a '•jijounded Spirit P^ov. 1%, 
 v;ho can bear ? How can the Agonies 
 U -ad
 
 290 An E N Q u I R X into the 
 
 and Tortures of it be endured, when 
 the Sword of Defpair cutteth deep, 
 and pierceth the very Vitals, and the 
 Wounds it giveth are perfedlly incura- 
 ble? What though the natural EflPed 
 of Pain be to fet the Mind on work 
 to contrive fome Way or other to get 
 out of it 1 What though Reajbnj Un- 
 derftanding and Memory be, like mer- 
 cenary Soldiers, employ'd by the Will 
 to ferve to this End ; and they likewife 
 are not wanting to the damned in 
 Hell! yet if there be no Means left 
 them for the Attainment of that End, 
 if that is altogether out of their 
 Sphere, and beyond their Power to ac- 
 complifli, they may join their Forces 
 to as little Purpofe, as the ^Daughters 
 of Danaus did theirs to fill the Barrel 
 with Water, whofe Holes let it out as 
 fail at the Sides and Bottom, as they 
 poured it in at the Head. The rich 
 Man indeed in Hell fought for Re- 
 drefs and Mitigation of his Pains, he 
 eameftly applied himfelf to Abraham^, 
 Luke 16. that he would fend Lazarus ta dip the 
 
 '*■ tit
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell; 19I 
 
 tip of his Finger in Water to cool his 
 Tongue J tormented in thofe Flames: 
 But we know that he was denied even 
 that fmall Refrefliment, and the Rea- 
 fon which was given for it was, not 
 his prefent Misbehaviour in that State 
 he was then in, but the ill Manage- 
 ment of his pad Life, where he had 
 received bis goodThings J and unchari- 
 tably refufed them Lazarus i and the 
 Faculty of Remem.brance was ftirred 
 up in him, not to mitigate and fwect- 
 en, but to enhaunce and embitter his 
 Sufferings, Remember Son^ that thou v. 25. 
 /;/ thy Life time receivedft thy good 
 Things J and like'juife Lazarns his evil 
 Things ; but now he is comforted j and 
 thou art tormented. 
 
 The prefent Life then is the only 
 time of Probation; Behold! now is ^q^^, ^,2, 
 the T>ay of Salvation i as the Tree fal-^^^^^^^ ^ 
 leth f ^t lieth : And as we have de- 2* 
 meancd our felves well or ill here, (b 
 is it likely to fare with us for ever here- 
 after. No after Corredlions or Amend- 
 U 2 ments
 
 1(^1 j4n Enquiry into the 
 
 ments can be made in our Condition, 
 we fliall no more be admitted to the 
 Terms of Option and Choice •, but as 
 Death leaveth us, fo will an unaltera- 
 ble Eternity find us. All our good 
 Purpofes indeed, and pious Refoluti- 
 ons Eternity will improve and perfe£l 
 for us, but it altereth no Man as to his 
 Rev. 22. main Eftate; but as he that is holy 
 ^^' will be holy ft ill J, io he that is filthy 
 will be filthy ft ill. There will then 
 be no more Atonement or Offering 
 Rom. 6. for Sin, fmce Chrift being raifed from 
 ^' the "Dead dieth no more ; and they 
 
 who have defpifed the all-fufficient 
 Sacrifice of his Death upon the Crofs, 
 and counted the Blood of the Covenant 
 an unholy Thing in this Life, fliall ne- 
 ver reap any Benefit from it in that 
 which is to come. 
 
 I N vain therefore do the pretended 
 
 Followers of Origen alledge*'^for the 
 
 countenancing of their Opinion, that 
 
 I Cor. \S'^^ ^^' Taulj that as in Adam all dye _, 
 
 22. even fo in Chrift ft?all all be made a- 
 
 live /
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 19^ 
 
 live ; inferring from thence, that as 
 by Adar/Ps TranfgrefTion all Men be- 
 come fubje£l to Death temporal, and 
 liable to Death eternal ; fo by Cbriji\ 
 Sufferings and Merits, all Men fliall be 
 raifed to fuch a State as is freed from 
 thofe evil Confequences or Effefts of 
 their firil Parents Fall ; otherwile, fay 
 they, the Remedy is not proportion- 
 ed to the Difeafe, nor will th^fecond 
 Adam be found fo powerful to fave, as 
 x\\itfirll was to delf roy : For the Apof- 
 tie in that Place difputeth only of the 
 Refurreftion of the Flefli, or if he be 
 fuppofed to fpeak concerning a fpiritu- 
 al Refurre£lion, yet that the AU'm 
 the latter Claufe mull: be taken in a 
 limited Senfe, is evident from the Ex- 
 planation he giveth of it in the Verfe 
 following^ where he telleth us^ that 
 they are only fuch as are ChriJPs aty.^^i 
 his coming. Others indeed fhall at 
 the laft Day come forth, not to the 
 Rcfurre8:ion of Life, but to the Re- 
 furrcclion of Damnation ; or, as the 
 Propliet Daniel expretrcth it, to Shame Dan. 12. 
 U :? and'''
 
 Z94 -^^ E N Q^u I R Y Into the 
 
 and everUftmg Contempt. For tlio'' 
 
 we doubt not but the Redemption 
 
 Qhr'ift wrought was univcrfal, for he 
 
 1 Tim. 4. /J tJ^Q Saviour of all Meitj yet the 
 
 Benefits of that Redemption are ef- 
 
 feiSlually applied only to fuch as by a 
 
 finccre Repentance and lively Faith 
 
 embrace him • for he is the Saviour, 
 
 y. prxd. f^ecially of them that believe j, and ex- 
 
 Luke ii'ce^t we recent we jhall all ftirely 
 
 ^' jperi/b. But in the next Life God will 
 
 neither, that we know of, enter into 
 
 a new Covenant Vv^ith Sinners, nor 
 
 will he renew the old, and fo that is 
 
 no proper Time at all for Faith; and 
 
 though Repentance is never fo in this 
 
 Worldj yet it will then be too late, 
 
 becaufe there will be no Virtue in it. 
 
 The Faith of damned Men, will, like 
 
 that of Devils, caufe only Confufion 
 
 and Trembling, and their Repentance 
 
 will be like that of Efiu\ for the lofs 
 
 of his Birthright, which he could ne- 
 
 Heb. 12. ver regain, though he fought it care- 
 
 *7' fully with Tearss 
 
 And
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 195 
 
 A N D if there is no Alteration to 
 be wrought in their Sufferings by in* 
 ward Difpofitions, much lefs will there 
 by^any external Operation of the Pu- 
 nifliment it felf; as if that were of a 
 purgative and cleanfing Nature, and 
 like the fliarp and fevere Providences of 
 this Life emeudatory and fanative : For 
 tho'G^^may indeed be confidered un- 
 der the Notion of a Thyficianj yet he 
 may be fuppofed to meet with them 
 whofe Cafes are loftj who are corrupt, 
 putrified and gangreenM Members, and 
 are therefore without Mercy to be 
 cut off, and like the unprofitable Tree, 
 fit for nothing but to be hewn dowftj-^^^^^^ 
 and thrown into the Fire, A Phyri-»9' 
 cian is not prefently to be taxed with 
 want, either of CompafTion or Skill, 
 for giving over a Patient that lieth 
 paft Cure of a contagious and mortal 
 Diftemper. Much lefs is it expeded 
 from him, that he fhould raife the 
 Dead, and rcftore Life to that Body 
 from which it is adually departed, 
 i U 4 So,
 
 1(^6 An E N Q.U I R Y into the 
 
 . So, who art thou, O Marij that ob- 
 JQ^left againft Go^., and wouldeft have 
 him to want either Pity or Power, 
 becaufe he giveth them over, who 
 have made themfelves incapable of his 
 Cure, and are fo far paft Grace, that 
 they are even dead in TrefpaiTcs and 
 Sins. And if in this World he leave 
 an hard'ned Tharaoh to himfelf, be- 
 caufe he h3.th forfakeri him, doubdefs 
 
 1 chron. i^ ^^^^ next be 'will caft fuch an one. 
 
 25. i?. off for ever, 
 
 I T is very true, by cupping an4 
 the Application of other Cauilicks it 
 iometimes happeneth, that Life, when 
 there feemeth to be no Hope left, is 
 retrieved, and the Patient reftored to 
 his former Health. So likewife the 
 great Thyfic'tan^ now and then, work- 
 eth wonderfully on the Hearts of no- 
 torious and great Sinners ; and by 
 Sicknefs, or fome other fevere Difpen- 
 fation, recovereth them into a State 
 of Salvation ; but then we mufl: re- 
 member that thefe Cafes are fo far 
 
 fron:^
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. l^J 
 
 fiom being certain and general, that 
 they are extraordinary', and very rare. 
 And, as there is no depending on, fo 
 there is no arguing from them. 
 
 I F it be here urged that it is as na- 
 tural an Effed of Fire to purge and 
 cleanfe, as it is to enflamc and tor- 
 ment, and therefore, that the Wicked 
 may be caft into Hellj m order to be 
 refined, as well as punifl:ed ; I anfwer, 
 that the Scriptures no where teach or 
 countenance any fuch Do£lrine, but, 
 on the contrary, declare that they are 
 condemned to that Place, there to un- 
 dergo ox fiijfer the Vengeance of eter-]\xd.Q\.i. 
 7ial Fire. And truly, if the Damned 
 are fuppofed to remain there till they 
 are purified by any peculiar or necef- 
 fary Operation of the Flames them- 
 felves, they may as well be fuppofed 
 to continue there for ever. Since we 
 have none, no not the leafi: Account 
 of any fuch Virtue, either prcfent or 
 future, in them. As for the Juifice 
 imd Mercy of G'<?^in this Punifliment 
 
 of
 
 198 -^^^^ Enquiry into the 
 
 of the Damned, thofe fliall be cleared 
 and accounted for, after I have eftab- 
 liihed the Eternity of it upoxi his 
 Truth and Word. 
 
 And fo much may fufficeto be par- 
 ticularly laid down concerning Ort- 
 geji's fanciful Hypothefis, vtz>. That 
 the ^Devils and damned Men Jhall^ 
 after they have fiiffered moft fevere 
 and jharp Torments for their SinSj be 
 releafed from their Sufferings j and 
 finally faved. I fhall now, briefly as 
 may be, in the 
 
 2. Place fliew the Infufficiency of 
 the other Opinion, *viz. That the 
 Wicked fhall be reduced to their fir ft 
 Nothings or, That there ft? all be an 
 utter Ext in 51 ion of their Being. I 
 confefs the Scriptures call the Punifli- 
 ment of the Wicked in the other 
 World ^ Terijhing and T)eftruBion. 
 
 * Locus Mat. ic. 28. Perditionem tantutn Animae 
 in Gehenna, non Cruciatuiii denunciat. Smalcius 
 contra Meilnerum. 
 
 And
 
 Nature and T^lace o/Hell. 299 
 
 And from thence, fome infer "^ that 
 it is a perfe6l Ceilition of their Be- 
 ing. But thofe Words in the Scrip- 
 tures, as well as other Authors, and 
 even in common Speech, do fignify 
 fometimes, not an End of Being, but 
 a State of Mifery much worfe than 
 not Being. It is commonly faid of 
 carelefs and diilolute Pcrfons, that 
 they run upon their own Deftruc- 
 tion : Not that they direftly and pre- 
 fently murder themfelves, but becaufe 
 they unadvifedly throw themfelves in- 
 to fuch Courfes as muft needs make 
 their future Condition of Life very 
 unhappy. And in Tiberius his Let- 
 ter to the Senate of RomCj he thus 
 expreileth himfelf \ Ita me T>ij 
 ^eaqiie omnes ^ejus pei^dantj qitam 
 hodie me perire fentiOj where he 
 ufeth botli the Words, to deftroy and 
 
 * Tgni «terno illi quidcm Chiifti Hoftes, qui funt 
 Diabolus & Angcli ejus, cum impiis cruciabuntur & 
 it<k delcbuntur, CrcUius Com. in i Cor. 15. 
 
 + Ste Dr. Tillotlbn'j Sir nun before tbe J^eat, en 
 ^/. Mat. 25. 46. 
 
 to
 
 500 An Enquiry into the 
 
 to J^erifl:)^ to fignify the Torment he 
 then felt in his Mind. And certainly 
 faith the learned ^ Bifliop TearfoUj 
 We may as well conclude^ that when- 
 ever any one faith ^ ^^oKKv/xcci, ^erijj 
 i. Q. I am deftroyed or undone^ he 
 muft intend thereby that he adiually is 
 no more J as that the 'Deftrii6iionj or 
 ^eriflnngy now fpoken of^ mnft de- 
 note the -perfeB T)eletion or Annihi- 
 lation of the JVicked, 
 
 N o K can this Inference be more 
 juftly drawn from its being called 
 Death ; fmce the fame Scriptures that 
 give it this Name, affure us alfo, that 
 Death doth not make an End of us ; 
 HeK9.27.for ^y/f^r that is the Judgment. To 
 live properly, is to a 61 with Pleafure 
 and Delight ; and to die, is to ceafe 
 fo to a£l:. The firft Death therefore, 
 the Death of the Body, confifteth in 
 its Separation from the Soul, by which 
 
 * On the Creed hi Art. And the Life eyerlailing. 
 
 it
 
 Nature and Tlace cf Hell. 301 
 
 it Is abfolutely difabled from all k\di 
 A6liv^ity. And the fecond Deaths the 
 Death of the Soul, confifteth in its 
 Separation from God, the Lilc of ra- 
 tional Nature. And therefore, when 
 the Wicked are fentenced to depart 
 from Godj and are baniflied his Pre- 
 fence, they are, in the moll proper 
 Senfe of the Word, T>ead i becauie 
 they are divided from that Principle 
 of Lifcj by which they can alone a6t 
 with Complacency and Satisfaction. 
 There arCj indeed, fome other Atten- 
 dants or Confequences of both thefe 
 Deaths. For, in the firll, the Body, 
 after its Separation from the Soul, is 
 not only rendered thereby unaftive or 
 incapable of the Pleaiurc of Life^ but 
 is likewife liable to be prey'd upon by 
 Worms and other Animals, and to un- 
 dergo fuch Mutations and Corrup- 
 tions, as its inglorious Ellate is fub- 
 jeQ: to. So alfo in the fecond Death, 
 the Soul after its Separation from God^ 
 though it be not annihilated, yet is it 
 put into a State of Diflionour and 
 
 Sutl
 
 jol An Enquiry into the 
 
 Rev.2i.8.SuflPering : And therefore, The Lake 
 of Fire into which the fearful j and 
 unbelieving J and the abominable _, and 
 Murderers^ and Whoremongers^ and 
 Idolaters^ and Liars ^ and^ in a Word, 
 all thofe who are not found written 
 
 c. 20. 14. in the Book of Life, are to be caji^ is 
 diredly called, the fecond T>eath. 
 The Expreflion therefore of T>eath 
 doth no more fignify the utter Ex- 
 tinction of the Sinner, than the for- 
 mer of Deftrudion doth, and both 
 of them imply that which is much 
 more formidable, viz. his eternal An- 
 guifh, and Torment. And this lead- 
 eth me, 
 
 2. To the true Opinion, which I 
 fhall now confirm with clear and ex^ 
 prefs Teftimonies of Scripture againfl: 
 them both. Now the Holy Scriptures 
 moft plainly declare, that the Punifh- 
 ment both of fallen Angels, and of 
 thofe miferable Men who muft be 
 their Alfociates in a future State, fhall 
 be eternal. This is evidently proved 
 
 from
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. :^oj 
 
 from the Sentence which our Saviour 
 C/jriJ^ telleth us, he will pronounce 
 againft the Wicked at the Day of 
 Judgment. Tiepart from me ye cur. wfat. 25, 
 fed into everlafling Fire j pre j^ are d for ^'* 
 the Tievil and his Angels, And that 
 their Torments fliall be of as Ions 
 Continuance as that Fire which is e- 
 verlafiing, St. ^^^///alTureth us: For, 
 faith he, They Jhall be pniijhed li'ithirhcL 
 everlajiing T)eJIru^ion from the Tre- ^''^' 
 fence of the Lerd^ and frora the Glory 
 of his To'-ji^er. I know it is objefted, 
 that the Word Everlafling or Eter- 
 7ial, is in Scripture ufed for Things 
 of a long Continuance indeed, but 
 not of infinite duration. So Cir- 
 cumcifion is called an everlafling Cove-^^^- ^7» 
 nant. And St. Jnde telleth us, Tbe^'' 
 Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are fct 
 forth for an Exarr^plej ftiffcring the 
 Vengeance of eternal Fire. But we 
 fee Circumcifioa is by God\ Appoint- 
 ment aboli filed; and thofe Flames 
 which confumed the Cities of the 
 Plain are lonn; finccextin[iuinied. And 
 
 there-
 
 304 -^^ Enquiry into the 
 
 therefore, there feemeth to be no 
 NeceiTity of underftanding the ever- 
 lafiing Fire of Hell^ and the eternal 
 Torments of the Wicked, in the fcho- 
 laftick Senfe of the Words, to fignify 
 thofe which fliall have no End j but 
 only fach as fliall have a long Conti- 
 nuance, or fuch as fliall make an End 
 of the Sinner, as that Fire which St. 
 Jude caileth everlafting., did of So- 
 dom and the adjacent Cities^ 
 
 T o this, I anfwer, that the Word 
 'ai6jv.'©^, interpreted in our Language, 
 fometimes everlajiingj and fometimes 
 eternal J is indeed in Scripture, and 
 efpecially in the Old Teftament, ta* 
 ken now and then for a long, but not 
 an endlefs Duration. But, whenever 
 it is thus to be underftood, the Scrip- 
 tures themfelves declare this to be the 
 meaning of it. And where there is 
 no fuch Evidence from Scripture, then 
 it is to be taken in its proper Signifi- 
 cation, as itconfeffedly is in fonie Pla^ 
 ees. But there is no Declaration in 
 
 the
 
 Nature and Tlace t?/ He ll. jOJf 
 
 the whole Bible, that the miferable 
 Eftate of Devils and wicked Men 
 fliall have an End. On the contrary, 
 the Eternity of their Torments is as 
 plainly affirmed as Words can exprefs 
 it. For our Lord, in the forementi- 
 oned Dcfcription of the Day of Judg- 
 ment, having told us, that the Punifh- 
 ment of both fliall be the fame, doth, 
 at the winding up, or Conclufion of 
 the whole, affirm, that tbefcj viz, the 
 'S^'icXiQ,^^ [hall go away into everlaJiing'M.nu^'-^, 
 Tunijhment ; but the Righteous tut o^^' 
 Life eternal. Where the fame Word 
 'A(6;v((5p being predicated both of the 
 Punifhmentof the Wicked, and of the 
 Life of the Righteous, we have as 
 much Reafon to believe, that the for- 
 mer fhall be properly everla fling, as 
 that the latter is properly eternal. For 
 thefe two being direftly fet in Oppo- 
 fition to each other, and the fame E- 
 pithct applied to both, plainly fliew 
 that they mulf be of equal Duration. 
 And that the Happinefs of the Righ- 
 teous Hiall have no End, St. Taut af- 
 X fureth
 
 3o6 An Enquiry into 
 
 fureth us, when he telleth us, that 
 
 2 Cor. \ our light Ajflt6iionj "which is but for 
 
 *"' a Moment:, worketh for us a far 
 
 more exceeding and eternal Weight of 
 
 Glory ; or, as it is in the Original, 
 
 /„'|h^. vi2i. fuch an Eternity of Glory, 
 
 oppofed to the Moment of Affliction 
 
 here, as is not to be exprefsM but by 
 
 Hyperbole upon Hyperbole j an Hyfer^ 
 
 hyperbolical Eternity of folid and fub- 
 
 ftantial Glory. Now the Happinefs 
 
 of Heaven itfelf would not be fuch, 
 
 if it were not properly eternal. If 
 
 the PoiTefTion of it were not certain 
 
 and unalterable, it would be lame 
 
 and imperfeCl, for amidft all its Joys, 
 
 it would damp the Spirit to think that 
 
 they were finite ; that the Time would 
 
 come, when its Felicities fliould have 
 
 an End, or its Enjoyment of them 
 
 muft ceafe. This would bring fuch 
 
 a Concern upon the Mind, fuch an 
 
 Heavinefs upon the Spirit, that it 
 
 would rob the Soul of that entire and 
 
 plenary Satisfadion it muft otherwife 
 
 take
 
 Nature and Tlace 0/ He ll. ^07 
 
 take in thole pure and pleafant Regi- 
 ons. But God J to fecure us againft 
 thofe difmaying Fears, hath promifed 
 us a FeHcity adequate to our very Be- 
 ings, nay, as immortal as himfelf. 
 For fo St. ^aulj -^ Urcd-ndxlon c-ur nv^ca i Thef.4, 
 t(ro.ae0a, rjue jh all ever be 'with theLord- ^^' 
 Where God^, by his Apoftle, hath added 
 this Heaven to Heaven^, that it fliall 
 be fuch to us, whillt he is the Lord. 
 And that furely will be, not only e;^ 
 ^ oucoioc for an Age, or fome great Pe- 
 riod and Revolution of Time, or d$ 
 t2; Aj'cova^ Tcov aj^tcov, to Ages of Ages, 
 as the Objetlers do interpret the 
 Phrafe ; but 7rai7oTe alvjaysj which ad- 
 mitteth of no ReftriQion, but plain- 
 ly importeth, in the fcholaftick Senfe 
 of the ^ovd.^fot' ever and ever. Now 
 fuch being the Eternity of Life, into 
 which the Rigliteous fliall go, the 
 Eternity of Punifliment, into which 
 the Wicked fliall be fentcnced to depart, 
 mud be the fame. And that it is fo, 
 we may gather farther, from that 
 plain Account whicii our blejfed Savi- 
 X 2 our
 
 3o8 An Enquiry into the 
 
 our giveth of it, in the ninth Chapter 
 of St. Mark'^s Gofpel; where he hath 
 told us, more than once or twice, that 
 in Hel/ the Worm d'teth notj and the 
 Fire is not quenched. The Worm., as 
 was obferved before, from leveral of 
 St; Aug. the Fathers, is, as St. Atiftin exprefs- 
 Dcf ui) ^y ^aith, figuratively referred to the 
 20.' Soul, and the Fire is properly fpoken 
 of the Body ; and furely both Body 
 and Soul mull needs be eternally mife- 
 rable, fmce the Worm of the one dieth 
 not J and the Fire of the other is not 
 quenched. Where the prefent Tenfe 
 is not quenched, doth ftrongly and 
 emphatically denote the future \ as is 
 evident, not only from the Place from 
 whence it is quoted, but from this, 
 that it is juft before called the to ttu^ 
 TO afl-jJtsovj the Fire unquenchable ^ or 
 as our Tranflation defervedly readeth 
 it, the Fire that never jhall be quench- 
 ed. Now, if the Fire of Hell fhall 
 never be extinguifhed, it muft re- 
 main, as it is at prefent, a Torment 
 
 to
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 309 
 
 to all thofe that are and fliall be caft 
 into it for ever and ever. 
 
 As for the nup a/cov/or, or eternal 
 Fire J mentioned by St. Jude., who- v. 7. 
 foever readeth Dr. Hammonds Note 
 upon that Text, will be fatisfied that 
 there is no Neceflity at all of under- 
 ftanding it of the Fire which confum- 
 ed thofe Cities ; but rather that there 
 is a Conjunction of all Circumftances 
 in the Context to perfuade the Un- 
 derfbanding it of the eternal Hell. 
 For the Inhabitants of thofe Cities 
 being undoubtedly fignified by the 
 Names of them, (For thefe were they 
 that giving tliemfelves over to For- 
 nication, and going, or having gone^ 
 after fbrange Fled:) the Apoftle affirm- 
 erh, that they are fet forth for an Ex- 
 ample, ^jV£;^»fl-a/, undergoing^ or dif- 
 fering \\.'^ the prcfent I'enfc], viz. at 
 that time when St. 'Jndc wrote this, 
 the Vengeance oi eternal Fire. 
 
 X 5 Such
 
 3X0 \An E N Q.U I R Y into the 
 
 Such and the like are the Decla- 
 rations of the Holy Scriptures con- 
 cerning the Eternity oi Hell\ Tor- 
 ment, which have been interpreted in 
 theproperSenfe of the Words, not on- 
 ly by modern Theology, as is infinuated 
 ztiuro^ by the Author of the Letter of Refo- 
 fcmernim l^t^on coficemmg Origen and his chief- 
 Origen, ^ Opuious y but by the unanimous 
 ^'^'^' 'and concurrent Agreement of all An- 
 tiquity, Origen only excepted ; as is 
 confefTed even by that Author him- 
 p, 7, felf tov^^ards the beginning of his 
 Book, however he feemed to have 
 forgotten it near the Clofe. For he 
 telleth us, that his Opinion, concern- 
 ing the Liberation of the puniilied, 
 whether Men or Daemons, is fuch, 
 that they, 'uiz, the Antients could 
 not tell whether they fliould be grie- 
 ved or laugh at it. And he ingeniouf- 
 ly acknowledged, that he could not 
 oppofe to this feverer Cenfure fo 
 much as one more favourable in his 
 Behalf, becaufe the more antient Au- 
 thors,
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. ^ r i 
 
 thors, however they favoured and 
 admired his Perfon, (as he had {hewn 
 before under the former ^lare) were 
 yet all profefled Enemies to that his 
 T>ognia, 
 
 It will, therefore, I hope, be fuf- 
 ficient to fet down, out of the infi- 
 nite Authorities that might here be 
 produced, a Specimen or two of what 
 the Ancient Fathers taught concern- 
 ing the Point in Difpute. And 
 
 TertuUiaUj in his Apologetick, and 
 other Pieces, very often declareth both 
 his own, and the Opinion of the 
 Chriftians in his Time about it. ^^Tertui. 
 firmamus te, Anima., rnancre pofl^^ T^^^ 
 Vita d'ifpiin6iionem ^ & expert are Anim«. 
 T>iem Judicijj proque MeritiSj nut 
 Cruc'iatibus dejlinarij aiit Rcfriger'iOy 
 utroque femp'iternOj i. e. JVe Chrijl 
 tians affirm that the Soul rcmahietb 
 after this Life^ and that it expe6i' 
 eth the T)ay of Judgment ; and tbat_, 
 according to its T)cferts^ it is deJiiH- 
 X 4 ed
 
 311 An E N CLU I R Y into the 
 
 ed either to Torments :, or to Blifsj 
 and both of them Everlajiing. A- 
 gain, ^itjudicaturus Jit Cult ores fu- 
 OS In V'tta aterna Retr'ibut'ionemj, 
 frofanos in Jgnem aqtie ^erpetem ac 
 jugcm , i. e. IV ho '•jvill adjudge his 
 P?'orjhip^ers to the Rfjuard of eter- 
 nal Life ^ but the Trofaue unto Fire^ 
 and that equally perpetual and ever- 
 lajiing. 
 
 Cyprian. St. Cy^ridu faith, Cremabit addic- 
 Demetrl- tos ardeus Jcm^er Gehenna ^ & viva- 
 anuni. cibus Flammis verax Vcena : Nee e- 
 rit unde habere Torment a vel Requi- 
 em pojfmt aliquando^ vel Fin em. Ser- 
 vabuntur cum Corporibus fuis Anim£ 
 tnfinitis Cruciatibus ad T^olorem^ i. e. 
 Tjoe true Ttmijhment of a burning 
 Hell jh all al-juays torture the damn- 
 ed^ with living Flames : Nor Jl)all 
 their Torments have,, at any Time^ 
 cither IntermiJJion or End : For both 
 their Souls and Bodies Jhall be pre- 
 ferved and kept to fujfer eternal 
 jP^pix- ep^iy^^^ Again, Manet fojimodtm 
 
 ■ Career
 
 Nature and Tlace of K ell. 313 
 
 Career at emus j ^ jugis F lemma, & 
 7(ena perpetua. There remain etb ta 
 them afterwards J the eternal Tt}fon^ 
 the everlafltng Ftre^ the perpetual 
 *PuniJhment. And elfewhere he laith, 
 Ernntque in Tenebrls ^ Gehennali- 
 bus Flammisj Toena irremedlales^ 
 inconfumpt'ib'iles Ignes^ Dolores per- 
 petu'tj Tormenta /cterna, i. e. There 
 Jhall be in the outer ^arknefs and 
 Flames of Hell irremediable T*U' 
 fiiJhmentSj unquenchable Fires , per- 
 fettial Trains J and everlafiing Burn- 
 ings. 
 
 The Bijloop and Clergy of Rome,, 
 in an Epiftle to St. Cyprian ^ write 
 thus, T^aravit T>eus Coelum^ fed pa- 
 ravit ^ Tartarum ; paravit Refrige- 
 ria, fed paravit etiam aterna fiippli- 
 ciaj i. e. God hath prepared an Hea- 
 ven., but he hath prepared an Hell 
 too ; he hath prepared RcfrefhmentSj 
 but he hath alfo prepared everlafiing 
 Tunijhments. And, 
 
 St.
 
 314 -^^'^ Enquiry into the 
 
 1. 21. 'hath beftowed a whole Eook upon 
 the Eternity of //^//'s Torments, a- 
 gainft the various Opinions of the 
 Epicttreatis., Ferifatetkksj Vlato- 
 n'lfts^ Origentfts^ and fuch lewd and 
 carnal Chrtftimis^ as depended upon 
 either InterceiTions of Saints, or the 
 external Participation of the Holy- 
 Sacraments, or the Of us oj^eratum of 
 Prayers, Alms-deeds, and the like ; 
 in Oppofition to all whom he hath 
 proved at large, That the Bodies of 
 Men /hall not be annihilated by 
 "Death ; but that thofe of the Wicked^ 
 Jballj after the Refurre6fion„ re- 
 main in the Torments of Eternal 
 Fire^ that it is not neceffaryj that the 
 ferifhing 'Dijfohttion ^ or utter Ex- 
 tin^ion of the Flefl)^ floould fol- 
 lo-ju from extreme Vain and An" 
 giiijh. That living Bodies may fubjlft 
 in real Fire, That the Fire of Hell^ 
 although it be material^ may by its 
 Adhefion torment evQn incorporeal 
 
 Spirits ^
 
 Nature and Tlace c/ H E l l . 315 
 
 Sprits. That Jnflice doth not re- 
 quire that the Time of Sufferings 
 Jhould be no longer than the Time 
 wherein the Offences were committed. 
 That the Tunijhments after 'Death 
 are not infftSied for the Sake of purg- 
 ing and cleanfing the Criminals. 
 And, in a Word, That their Opinion 
 is mofl falfe^ who fay that the Pu- 
 nifhment of Devils and damned Men 
 fhall not be perpetual and without 
 End, 
 
 And thus having from the Scrip- 
 tures, and Writings of fomc of the 
 Fathers of the Church, eftabliflied 
 the Truth of the Point under debate ; 
 I fhall now make fome Return to 
 what is objc6bed againft it, from the 
 Jujiice and Mercy of Godj and fo 
 pafs on to the Conclufion of the 
 Whole. 
 
 It is objefted to the Truth now 
 laid down, that it cannot be confiif- 
 ent with the Qoodnefs and JnJUcc of 
 
 Godj
 
 316 ^n Enquiry into the 
 
 Godj to inflid eternal Punifhments 
 for temporal Offences^ there being rio 
 manner of Proportion betwixt thefe 
 two. And to make way for this Ob- 
 jeftion to enter, that it may have the 
 freer PaiFage and greater Force with 
 it, the Nature of Shi^ the Nature of 
 Vumjhment^ and the Nature of diflri- 
 butive Jtiflice are all mifreprefented 
 to us. As to the 
 
 ^^'ount^ Firjij The Nature of Sin^ we are 
 ^f. p. 72! told. That it feemeth true., and not 
 dijhomurable to Godj that Sin it felf 
 proceedeth from no ^ower of the Sin- 
 ner'^s 0''jvn making., neither is the Tlea- 
 fure of it from any Suitablenefs or 
 Congruity which he devifed j for he 
 findeth them both made ready to his 
 Hand J only he was fo carelefs and un- 
 happy as to tranfpofe Things from their 
 due Places J and make fuch Combina* 
 tions of them as were to his own ^a- 
 maze in the Event . and Cuch as were 
 not primarily intended by that mofl 
 wife and benevolent Mindj, which 
 
 made
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell, ^ly 
 
 made atid ordered all things to the beft 
 they were capable of. Concerning the 
 
 Secondj It is affirmed by the fame 
 Author, That the Reafon of all Tu- 
 ntjhinents htfli6ied by God or Matij 
 is the Vrofit of the pmijhedj, the E- 
 mendat'ton of the '2 arty fnffering. 
 And as to the 
 
 Third J It is faid, That diftributive 
 Juftice conflfteth in proportioning the 
 Fain and Smart of the Vnnijhment 
 to the Vleafnre reaped by the Tratif- 
 greffion. 
 
 But thefe Objeclions, if they are 
 looked into, will appear frivolous, and 
 to have little Weight with them. 
 
 I. T H E Art and Slight of the firft 
 lieth chiefly in extenuating the hei- 
 nous Nature of Sin, by afcribing it 
 partly to God_, and partly to the Sin- 
 ner, as if God had ordained both the 
 Power and the Pleafure of it ; and as 
 
 if
 
 3 1 8 ^n Enquiry into the 
 
 if it were only an Infelicity, or at 
 nioft, a Carelefnefs in the Sinner. 
 
 B u T to this I anfwer ; If by Tow- 
 er is meant Authority or Licence to 
 Sin, then it is certainly falfe, and moft 
 difhonourable to Godj to fay, that 
 the Sin it felf proceedeth from a Pow- 
 er of his, and not of the Sinner's own 
 making : For this direclly taketh the 
 Odium from off the Sinner, and 
 throweth it upon God, This maketh 
 God J and not the Sinner, the Author 
 Eccius. of Sin ; but faith the Son of Strach^ 
 
 15. II, X2. ' ... -^ 
 
 Cidy not thou J, it is through the Lord 
 that I fell away J for thou oughteji 
 not to do the Things that he hateth. 
 Say not thou he hath caufed me to err 
 for he hath no needofthefinfulMan. 
 V. 2c. The Lord hath commanded no Man to 
 do wickedly J neither hath he given a- 
 ny Man Licence to fin. 
 
 Or, if by Power IS meant Inclina- 
 tion or Appetite to SiUj which both 
 advifeth the Fad, and enforceth the 
 
 Com-
 
 ^Nature and ^lace of Hell, 319 
 
 CommifTion of it, neither is that from 
 Go^j but from the Sinner's felf ; for 
 fo St. 5^?;^^j- exprefsly, Let no i^/^;/Jamfs i. 
 /ay, '-Ji'hen he is tempted^ I am tempt- ^' ^' 
 ed of God^ for God cannot be tempted 
 with Evilj neither tempteth he any 
 Man } but every Man is terapted 'ujhen 
 he is drawn away of his own Lnfi 
 and enticed, 
 
 B u T if by Power is meant only a 
 Faculty or Ability in general of ading 
 or not afting, then it is true what the 
 Son of Sirach, in the Chapter before 
 cited, affirmeth, that God made Man Eccius. 
 from the Beginning, and left him in the ^^* ^^* 
 Hand of his own Counfelj i. e. God 
 endued Man with a Liberty of Will, 
 and made him a free Agent, and fo 
 gave him a Tower of finning or not 
 finning ; but then the Sin doth not 
 proceed from this Tower as the neceP 
 fary Caufe of it j for that is contrary 
 to the very Suppofition. And the 
 Tower it felf is fo far from extenua- 
 ting, that it doth indeed inhaunce and 
 
 ag-
 
 32.0 An Enquiry into the 
 
 aggravate the Sin, becaufe it is a ma- 
 nifell: Abufe of a great and moft ex- 
 cellent Gift of God. To explain this 
 in a familiar Inftance. Suppofe a 
 Prince ihould raife a Man of a low and 
 mean Degree to an high and honour- 
 able Station, and put him into fuch a 
 Poft as is not only very profitable to 
 himfelf, but attended with great Pow- 
 er over others, whereby he is enabled 
 to do many Things, both good and 
 bad, which in his humble and abje6b 
 Eftate he could not poffibly be fuppo- 
 fed to attempt : Now if the Perfon 
 thus advanced, far beyond his Defert 
 and by the fole Favour and Kindnefs 
 of his Prince, fo that he is to be ef^ 
 teemed merely his Creature, ufeth 
 this Power not to fupport and defend, 
 but to injure and affront his Sovereign • 
 pray tell me whether this Power^ fo 
 abufed by him, can be judged any Ex- 
 cufe for his Villany ? I am fure the 
 good Patriarch Jofeph thought other- 
 wife, when the Advancement he met 
 with in his Mafter's Houfe, and the 
 
 Au-
 
 Nature and Tlace ofVl^hL, 311 
 
 Authority he was invefted with, gave 
 him an Opportunity or Vo'X'er of com- 
 mitting a very foul Crime againft him. 
 But he refufedj and faid to bis Maf-Gen. 39. 
 ter*s JVifej Behold my MaJIer ijnotteth ' 
 not what is with me in the Houfe^ and 
 he hath committed all that he hath to my 
 Hand ; there is none greater in this 
 Houfe than Ij 7t either hath he kept 
 back any thing from me but thee^ be^ 
 caufe thou art his JVife ; how then 
 can I do this great Wickednefs , and 
 Sin againft God? 
 
 This for the Tower of Sinning; 
 and as to the Vleafnre of it, there is 
 none that I know of in it, or if there 
 be, that little there is, is certainly of 
 the Sinner's own deviling, and is fui- 
 table and congruous to none but him- 
 fcU'; for it confiitcth purely in his de- 
 bauched Fancy, and falfc Opinion of 
 Things. For God^ as is confeiTcd in 
 the Objeclion, intended and ordered 
 all Things for the bell: they are capa- 
 ble of- but the Sinner by tranfpoling 
 Y thein
 
 321 An "E i^i Q.U I R ^ into the 
 
 them from tl:ieir due Places, diihirbetli 
 the Harmony of Things, from whence 
 alone arifeth all true Pleafure. And 
 this tranfpofing of Things from their 
 due Places, and putting them out of 
 the Courfe which God allotted to 
 them, contraQ:eth a greater Guilt than 
 the Epithets of unhappy or carelefs 
 would be thought to betoken ; for it 
 is indeed a dire£t Oppofition of the 
 Sinner's Will againft God\ : God will 
 have Things go one way, but the 
 Sinner will have them go another* 
 And therefore though God doth not, 
 cannot fuflrer any real Injury, or De- 
 triment from the TranfgrelTions of a 
 Sinner, yet fince there is fuch an infi- 
 nite Diliance between an Almighty 
 Being encircled with Glory and Pow- 
 er, and a mere lump of Clay, or heap 
 of Duft and Aflies, informed and in- 
 fpirited purely by his Goodnefs and 
 Power, and which by Confequence is 
 altogether his Creature, and the Work- 
 manlliip of his Hands ; for this poor 
 and defpicable Creature, I fay, that 
 
 liveth
 
 Nature and Tlace o/Hell. 32.I 
 
 liveth and moveth only in him^ to ex- 
 alt himfelf above his Maker; for a 
 Worm to attempt to controul the So- 
 vereign Lord of all Things; for a 
 Man to refift God,, and to fpurn at his 
 mighty and only Benefactor, is a Crime 
 of that complicated Guilt, that the 
 Odioufnefs of it cannot now be fully 
 conceived, much lefs exprelled by us; 
 and therefore, if perfilfed in, may 
 well be thought to defer ve a Puniih- 
 ment infinite in Duration, as the Ma- 
 jefty againft which it is committed, is 
 fuch in all Refpe^ls whatfoever. 
 
 I am a little cautious here how I 
 exprefs my felf as to the Infinity or 
 the Punifliment, becaufe it is urged, 
 that the making the Tnnijhment inf. j,,,,,„f 
 nite in all Refpe^s, becaufe God ^J"^^''^^f; 
 fij fits fuch a Rule for the meafurlng 
 a Fault by as ijuill make all Sins c- 
 qual. But I do not affirm, that the 
 PuniHiment of all the Damned is in- 
 finite in all RefpeQs ; nor do I make 
 the Infinity of God the only Reafon 
 y 2 even
 
 314 ^^ Enqu I R Y into the 
 
 ev^en of its Infinity of duration. For 
 the Wilfulnefs and Impenitency of the 
 Sinner cometh into the Account as 
 well as the infinite Majefty and Good- 
 nefs of the Perfon againft whom the 
 Sin is committed ; fo that I do not 
 make all Sins equal either for Guilt 
 here, or for Punifhment hereafter. 
 
 I. Not for Guilt here ; for though 
 the Nature of Sin in general be of 
 that horrid Quality I have now de- 
 fcribed, and muft, in it felf confider- 
 Norns*;jed, be (as the ingenious Mr. Norris 
 p. 385. 'hath demonft rated) the very greateft 
 of all podible Evils, and confequent- 
 ly (as he argueth) deferve even an E- 
 ternity of Punifliment ; yet there may 
 . be, as was hinted, greater or lefler 
 Degrees of Wilfulnefs and Impeni- 
 tency in particular Inftances of it, 
 which may aggravate or leifen the 
 Guilt of them. And Godj again!]: 
 whofe infinite Majefty they are com- 
 mitted, hath a Right to pafs by and 
 pardon what and how he pleafeth. 
 
 And
 
 Nature and TUceof Hell. 3Z5 
 
 And he hath declared, that he re-VLioiM* 
 membreth 'vahereof '■jne are madej he 
 conjldereth "due are but frail T)itft ; and 
 that in the final Sentence of Condem- 
 nation, he will involve, not all Sin- 
 ners, (for who then could Hand be- 
 fore him ? ) but thofe only who are 
 obftinately and impenitently fuch ; 
 thofe who have adhered to the Part, 
 and maintained the Fa6lion of SataUj, 
 againft himfelf, and againft his Chrijtj, 
 and that alfo, to their Lives end. 
 Now all fuch, becaufe they are guilty, 
 not of a temporal, but an eternal Of- 
 fence, are worthily punifhed with an 
 eternal Punifliment^; for that Sin is an 
 eternal Offence (a parte pofi) againft 
 the Majefty of God is plain from hence, 
 that an eternal Satisfaction is due to 
 him for it. Otherwife what Neceffity 
 would there have been for the eternal 
 Son ofG^<^to have come into the World 
 and to have died for it ? Which Death 
 of his was therefore a fufficient Satis- 
 faction for Sin, becaufe the Dignity of 
 hisPerfon, being infinite, gave fuch a 
 Y 3 value
 
 32.6 An Enq^uiry into the 
 
 value to it, that what he fuffered, 
 though but for a fliort Time, was e- 
 quivalent to what we (liould have en- 
 dured unto all Eternity. In fhort tho' 
 Ovia. the Ad o^ Sin be tranfient, yet the 
 teft'dem'i^O'^ence 01* Guilt is permanent, and 
 culpa pe-'v^^iU endare for ever, unlefs expiated 
 rit. by the Death of Chriftj which there- 
 fore, that it may expiate the Offence, 
 is eternal. And therefore the Man 
 who, at the Bar o£God''s Juftice, can- 
 not plead that Satisfaftion, or Chrift's 
 Payment of the Debt in his own Right, 
 fiiall at the laft Day, by the juft Judge, 
 or great Kingj be delivered over to 
 the Tormentors., till he him/elf fay 
 (which alasl he cannever do) all that 
 is due unto him. Nor doth it from 
 hence in the 
 
 • 2 Place follow, 'viz. becaufe all 
 wicked Mens Punifliments in the other 
 World are eternal, that therefore they 
 are equal. For thofe that are the 
 fame in Duration may bevaftly diffe- 
 rent as to their Degree. And as one 
 
 Star
 
 Nature and Tlace 0/ He l l. 317 
 
 Star differ eth from another Star m^^or. i^* 
 Glory J and one faithful Servant is 
 made Ruler over five Cities ^ and ano-^^^^ »?• 
 ther oven teUj, which reprefenteth a ' 
 different degree of Blifs, or at leail of 
 Glory in the eternal Reward or good 
 Men ; fo one Servant fhall be beaten^- ^^' 47> 
 with many J and another vi'ith fewer 
 Strides, And it /hall be more tolera-^i^t.w. 
 ble for Tyre and Sidon., and even for ^^ ' 
 the Land of Sodom in the T^ay of 
 Judgment J than for thofe Cities and 
 Places wherein the mighty Works of 
 Chrift were done, and they repented 
 not ; which evidenceth that there are 
 degrees of Punifliment even m that 
 eternal Hell which God hath prepar- 
 ed for the Wicked, according to that 
 of St. AuftiUj Nequaquam negandurn \\\g, de 
 eft etiam i^fum aterum Ignem ^ pro di- j,2V.c.i*^6' 
 verfitate Meritorum^ quamvis malo- 
 rum_, aliis levioremj aliis futurum 
 ejfe graviorem ; five ipfius vis at que 
 Ardor pro ^oend dignd cujnfque va- 
 rietur 3 five iffe aqualitcr ardeat, 
 fed non aquaii Mole ft id fentiaturj i.e. 
 ' ¥4 In
 
 3 18 An^^ QjJ I R Y into the 
 
 It is by no me^ns to be denied^ but 
 that even the eternal Fire will., ac- 
 cording to Mens ^efertSj though evil_, 
 he to fime lighter j and to fome more 
 grievous y whether its force and heat 
 Jhall vary according to the condign 
 Vunijhrnent of each Sinner ^ or that 
 equally burn J but yet be not to be felt 
 with equal Tain and Trouble, As 
 for the 
 
 2. Objection, viz. That the 
 Re a fin of all Tiinijhments infliBed by 
 Cod or Man J is the Trojit of the pu-^ 
 nijhedj or Emendation of the Tarty 
 fujfering; a little will fuffice to be 
 faid to that, becaule it is dire6i:ly and 
 manifeftly falle; for the formal Rea- 
 fon of ail Puniiliinent is the Preven- 
 tion of Sin, or fecuring the Law a- 
 gainft Tranfgreifors and Violators of 
 it. Indeed Emendation of the Party 
 fullering is fo far the Reafon of Punifh- 
 ment, as it falleth in with, and fup- 
 porteth that great End; but where 
 there is no Likelihood or Hopes of_ 
 
 that
 
 Nature and Tlace of ¥iELh. 319 
 
 thatj Pimifhment hath none, no not 
 the leaft Regard to it. This is evi- 
 dent in all capital Punifhments what- 
 foever. As likewife m perpetual Ex- 
 iles, Slavery, and the like, of which 
 how the End or Reafon can be the 
 Good, the Political Good it muft be 
 in thofe Inftances, of the Party fuf- 
 fering, is inconceivable. Lefs yet will 
 ferve in Anfwcr to the 
 
 5. Fiz. That diftrtbutive Jujiice 
 confifteth in j)roportiontng the ^aht 
 and Smart of the Ttintjhment^ to the 
 ^leafure reaped by the TranfgreJJion. 
 For though Juftice may be concerned 
 to proportion the Punifhment to the 
 greater or lefTer Degree of Malignity 
 in the Crime ; yet how it is concern- 
 ed in the Pleafure of that which hath, 
 or at leaft is fuppoied by Juftice to 
 have, none in it, mud be hard to i- 
 maginc. I doubt not but there is as 
 much pretended Pleafure in over-reach- 
 ing a Man in a Bargain, as there is 
 in breaking open an Houfe; but that 
 
 the
 
 330 u4n Enquiry into the 
 
 the diftributive Jujiice of a Nation 
 is obliged to treat thofe two Faults 
 with an equal Punifhment, I fuppofe, 
 will not be affirmed. Indeed as Juf- 
 tice hath none, no not the leaft Re- 
 gard to the Pleafure that is fanfied to 
 be in a Crime, fo I doubt not but that 
 Sinners, generally fpeaking, take more 
 Pains, and create more Vexation and 
 Trouble to themfelves, to purchafe 
 Damnation, than good Men do to ar- 
 rive at the glorious Manfions of eter- 
 nal Blifs. 
 
 Besides what hath been already 
 faid towards the clearing and vindica- 
 ting the divine Jujiice and Mercy m 
 the eternal Punifliments of the Dam- 
 ned ; it may be farther confidered, that 
 the Rewards, which God hath promi- 
 fed to Obedience, do as far exceed the 
 Merits of our beft Performances, a£ 
 the moft reflecting Sinner can pretend^ 
 that thofe Punilhments are greater 
 than the Demerits of his Crimes : 
 That God hath not by any four jie- 
 
 celTita-
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 331 
 
 cefTitating Decree predeftinated any 
 one to thofe Torments, but that it is 
 within the Sinner's own Breaft, either 
 to be everlaftingly happy, or eternally 
 miferable. That God hath plainly 
 propofed, and made known theT^rms 
 and Conditions upon which eternal 
 Happinefs may be obtained, and eter- 
 nal Mifery avoided. That he hath 
 likewife made thofe Conditions pofli- 
 ble^ nay that, by the AfTiftance of 
 his Grace, he will enable every one 
 who fincerely endeavoureth it, to per- 
 form them : What therefore can be 
 more juft than, after all this, to beftow 
 the one, and to inflid the other? 
 What can be more good than to cre- 
 ate a Being capable of the higheft 
 Happinefs, and then to leave it to its 
 own Choice whether it will be fb or 
 no ? So that in this Cafe the Sinner, 
 if he incurreth eternal Punifliment, 
 can have no other to blame but him- 
 felf, becaufe his Deftru^lion is purely 
 from himfelf. 
 
 Add
 
 532» jin Enquiry into the 
 
 A D D to all this, in the laft place, 
 that Punifliments are not threat'ned 
 primarily with a Defign to be inflict- 
 ed, but to deter Men from the Com- 
 miHion of that againll: which they 
 are threat'ned ; and therefore the fix- 
 ing and determining llie Nature of 
 thefe, is not fo properly an A£l of 
 Juftice as of Trudence in a Lawgiver, 
 to fecure a juft Deference to his Au- 
 thority, and a due Obfervance to his 
 Injunctions. And by how much the 
 feverer thefe are, in the Cafe before 
 us, fo much the greater Manifeftati- 
 ons are of the divine Goodnefs, which 
 hath laid fuch forceable Obh'gations 
 upon Men to be Holy, and confe- 
 quently to be Happy : So that God 
 feemeth in great Mercy to have threat- 
 ned an Hell^ on purpofe to fright 
 Men into Heaven. And truly, as St. 
 Qhryfoflom obferveth, ej' ycA petwav httsi- 
 Chryfoft. Micev, ei /^H KoAaciV £To(uaffev, i% osv ttoX- 
 a^An i* ^^^ '^ pj«o-i?ve!a? t7r£Tu;i^0','. \. q. If God 
 
 o=h. had not threatened an Hell„ if he had 
 
 not
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 3^} 
 
 not prepared or made ready an eter- 
 nal Vumjhment ^ not many would 
 have obtained kis everlafiing King- 
 dom, 
 
 Chap.
 
 334 -^^ Enquiry into the 
 
 Chap. XIL 
 
 ^application of the Whole. 
 
 IN the concluding Chapter of this 
 Book I think it proper to apply 
 my felf to four forts of Men. 
 
 1. To th^ fpeculative Atheijij vjho 
 denieth the Being of a Godj, and deri- 
 deth a future State, both good and bad^ 
 both Heaven and Hell. 
 
 2. To the fraBical Atheijij who 
 though he profefTeth to believe thefe 
 things, yet liveth as if they were alto- 
 gether unworthy of his Belief. 
 
 5. T o fuch Chrtftians as entertain 
 other Notions of Hell than what I 
 have here laid down. And, 
 
 4. T o them (and I hope fome fuch 
 there will be) who may agree to, and 
 
 b^
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 335 
 
 be fatisfied with what I have written 
 of it. And, 
 
 I . F o R you Gentlemen of loofe 
 and atheiftical Principles, I think my 
 felf in Duty bound to warn you of 
 that evident Deftrufbion into which 
 thofe Principles naturally lead you. 
 And if that which I have treated on in 
 this Difcourfe have any, though but 
 the leaft appearance of Truth with it, 
 mcthinks it fhould flop you in your 
 Career, and put you at leaft upon 
 confidering whither you are going. I 
 queftion not but it will be its Fortune 
 to meet with fome of you, who may 
 think your felves obliged to look into 
 it, if for no other Rcaibn, yet to fee 
 what you can pick out of it for the 
 Subjed of your Wit and Drollery. 
 But as it was good Counfcl given to 
 the opprefTed Subjefts of Herod^ to be 
 fure of his Death before they pub- 
 lickly rejoyced at it ; fo I would ad- 
 vife you. Gentlemen, to be fure of 
 your Hand, that there is no Hell be- 
 fore
 
 ^^6 Jin Enquiry into the 
 
 fore you fcofF and jeer at the Punifh- 
 ments of it. Indeed the Triumphs of 
 your Wit, fhould you happen to be 
 in the right, will pafs olTwell enough, 
 with a pleafant and brisk Air, amidft 
 the Applaufes of your Admirers ; but 
 after all, fliould you be in the wrong, 
 fliould there prove to be an Hell^ I 
 fear you will carefs one another in it 
 with as ill a Grace as Malefa£lors do at 
 the Place of Execution. The poinan- 
 cy of your Reflexions, however in- 
 fipid and flafliy now, will then, re- 
 fulting from the juft mixture of proper 
 Ingredients, have its full Taile and 
 Relifli : And your Jefts, though they 
 do little elfe than fliew their Teeth at 
 prefent, will then bite like a Serpent, 
 becaufe they will then be put home to 
 their true ObjeO:, transferred from the 
 fuppofed to the reaU from the credu- 
 lous to the incredulous Fool, to the 
 Fool that now laith in his Heart there 
 is no God ; who being then dripped 
 of his beauifli Drefs, will lay hiinfelf 
 
 open to your Lafli in his naked Sim- 
 plicity^
 
 Nature and Tlace o/'Hell. 
 
 plicity, and fafficiently expbfe himfelf 
 both to your Laughter and Indignati- 
 on. For however you may hug and 
 pleafe your felves with a fond Ima, 
 gination that you are wifer than the 
 reft of Mankind;, that you are not to 
 be impofed upon by the crafty Tales 
 of Pricfts, and the cunning Inventi- 
 ons of fubtlc Politicians ; yet when 
 the Devil hath once brought you to 
 his Lure, decoy'd you into his Net, 
 and caught you in his Trap ; believs 
 me, Sirs, you will then too late find 
 your felves the only gulled and chea- 
 ted Perfons: There will be no Scepti- 
 c'ljm there. Your beloved and now 
 extolled Principle af Senfe will fully 
 convince you of the Truth and Reali- 
 ty of thofe Torments, which you 
 would not now believ^e ; and all the 
 evafive Shifts of your abufed Rcafin 
 will afford you no means of Efcape, no 
 not the Icaft Loophole to creep out at 
 from them. It is rationally prefumed, 
 that notwithftanding your Endea- 
 vours to ftiilc ir, you have a faithful 
 Z ^Yit. 
 
 357
 
 33^ ^^ Enquiry mo the 
 
 Witnefs of tliefe things in your own 
 Breafts, which now and then, in 
 fpight of all, cloth remind you of 
 them i and who knoweth but the 
 S^m^, even in whofe fight you are not 
 afhamed to offend, and who is a Wit- 
 nefs of your daring Impieties, may be 
 ordained to punifli you for them ? 
 There is a confelTed Analogy between 
 Confcience and the Sun in this World, 
 and it is not impolTiblc but that as 
 one is the inward, fo the other may 
 be the outward Plague of the other ; 
 as the one is the fVorm that dieth 
 not J fo the other may be the Fire 
 that never jhall be quenched. 
 
 But whether this Conjedure have 
 Truth with it or no, you may be af- 
 fured that there is an Hell; if it be 
 not there, it is certainly fomewhere 
 elfe. And this I dare more than con- 
 jedure, that if you your felves would 
 but attend to all the Principles of hu- 
 man Adions \ if you would take m 
 the whole Extent of our Nature, and 
 
 not
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 359 
 
 not difcard the better half of it, the 
 Soul; the Certainty of Hell-Vive 
 would be no lefs vifible and glaring to 
 the Eye of your Mind, than that of 
 the Sun is, in a clear Day, to thofe of 
 your Body. It would be well therefore 
 if the daily Sight of the one would put 
 you in Mind of the dreadful Punifli- 
 ments of the other, for this might 
 pofTibly be a Means to move you to 
 efcape them. 
 
 2. A s for you who profels the Be- 
 lief of a future State, that acknow- 
 ledge an Heaven and an Hell^ and yet 
 live as if there were neither, you are 
 under a much greater Condemnation 
 than the former. For they, bad as 
 they are, do yet a6l; according to their 
 Principles; but you, by living con* 
 trary to yours, do manifelHy betray 
 them. They are Religion's generous, 
 open Enemies ; you its treacherous, 
 fecret Foes, from whom much more 
 Danger and Mifchief may be expell- 
 ed. For Religion doth oot, cannot 
 Z 2 fuf-
 
 ^^0 An Enquiry into the 
 
 fuffer fo much from the rude Attacks 
 of thofe its avowed Adverfaries a- 
 broad ; as it doth from the deep and 
 fatal Wounds it receiveth from yoUj 
 its falfe Friends at Home. And there- 
 fore if there be one Place in the Dun- 
 geon of He/l darker than another ; 
 (and fo there is, as furely as there are 
 Manila in the Body of the Sun) it 
 mulf be you, you Traitors, that de- 
 
 lerve it. But I forget my DeOgn, 
 
 which is not to fuppofe you there, not 
 to bring you, but to prevent your 
 coming, thither. And furely this is fo' 
 charitable, that you your felves, if you 
 have not quite loll: your Wits, will affift 
 me in it. And all that I crave of you 
 to this End is, that you would fit 
 down, and put it earneftly to your 
 felves, what it is to live with devour- 
 ing Flames J what it is to dwell with 
 everlafiing Burnings. Reprefent to 
 your Minds, in as lively Ideas as you 
 can, the horrid Torments by Fire e- 
 ven in this World ; Think of the Roa- 
 rings of Vhalaris his Brazen Bull, of 
 
 which
 
 Nature and Tlacc o/^Hell. 541 
 
 which the witty Inventor Ber'tllus 
 made the firft Experiment. Think of 
 the Gridiron of St. Lauj^ence ; the 
 boyling Caldron of Oil into which the 
 Evangelill: St. John was put, before 
 the Latin-Gate at Rome^ and the un- 
 paralelled Tortures by Fire, it is faid 
 the Englijh fuffered from the 'Dutch 
 21 Ambo'tna i or what others you have 
 either read of in Hiitory, or may fur- 
 nifli your felvcs with, out of the rich 
 Store-houfe of Fancy and Imagina- 
 tion. And then, when you have done 
 this, think, how tliat all thefe are but 
 as Fleabites, as nothing, in Compari- 
 fon of the dreadful Torments of Heli 
 Flames, which exceed all thefe in De- 
 gree, as much as the vaft Body of the 
 Sun exceedeth a poor culinary Fire, 
 or as Devils are more ingenious and 
 malicious to torment than Men. And 
 then, for Duration, thefe, you know, 
 can be but momentary and Ihort ; but 
 thofe, as you have heard, are lailing 
 and permanent, and will endure for 
 ever and ever. 
 
 IL -^ And
 
 342* -^n E N Q^u 1 R y hto the 
 
 And now, how can you think on 
 fuch an Eterntty as this and not trem- 
 ble ? How can you profefs to believe 
 all this, and yet boldly walk on in the 
 ready Road to it? For, be ye allured, 
 every Sin you commit, every lewd, 
 difhonefi: and ungodly Aftion you are 
 guilty of, is a plain Step, a direci: Ad- 
 vance towards it ; and will as certain- 
 ly, if perfifted in, lead you thither, 
 as keeping on m a known Way, from 
 one Place to another, will bring a 
 Man to the City or Town, his Jour- 
 ney is deilgned for. It is no great 
 Matter whether you your felves a du- 
 ally intend this or no •, for he who is 
 iafenGbly carried down the Stream in- 
 to a devouring Gulph, is as fure to 
 perifli there, as he who wilfully throw- 
 La. 46. 8. etli and pluiigeth himfelf into it. Re- 
 member this therefore, O ye Tranf- 
 grejjors, and jhew your Jelves Men, 
 Be advifed of the Danger you are in ; 
 and, while you have Opportunity and 
 Power fo to doj refcue and fa ve your 
 
 felve^
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell, 343 
 
 fclves fi'om it. It is the Saying of the 
 Wife-Man, and worthy it is to be 
 written with the Point of a Diamond, 
 that, He 'who feeketh M'tfchief^ it /haIl?to\. u. 
 come unto him ; and he that pnrftieth ^^' ^7' 
 Evil J furfueth it to his o'uju T)eath. 
 Be not then, by an irrational Adhe- 
 rence to thofe Ways that inevitably 
 tend to your Deftru^lion, led^ like vrov. 7. 
 an Ox to the Slaughter ^ and like a'^^' 
 Fool to the Corrosion of the Stocks, 
 Do not ll:op your Ears to fuch friend- 
 ly Admonitions, but turn away in 
 time from your irreligious Courfes, 
 the Path that leadeth to Death and 
 Hell y and make hafte into the Ways 
 of Godiinefs, the Road to eternal Life 
 and Happinefs. It is certain the feri- 
 ous Confideration of thefe things will 
 have this Erfe8: upon alL but llich as 
 have the inconfiderate Courage to be 
 damned. But, 
 
 3. It is very probable there may 
 
 be fome that entertain otlicr Notions 
 
 of Hell than what I have here laid 
 
 Z 4 down.
 
 down, and that either as to its 7lace, 
 or as to the Eternity of its Punifli- 
 ments. 
 
 T o you who may not be fatisfied 
 with the former, I have this fliort re- 
 qucll to make ; that, as you think fie 
 to take your Liberty, fo you would 
 not condemn me for making ufe of 
 mine. There is a confelTed Latitude 
 in the Foint of the Tlace^ of Hell > 
 and therefore I have taken all the 
 Care imaginable to declare, that the 
 Propofition, concerning the Body of 
 the Sun's being the local Hellj is 
 purely conjectural. If the Reafons 
 brought for it do not fatisfy you, you 
 are but where you were, and there can- 
 not be any great harm done: Becaufe 
 I do not either arraign your Senfe, 
 or magifterially impofe mine. In- 
 deed, I thought my felf obliged, be- 
 fore I introduced a new Hypothefis, 
 to fliew why I did not acquiefce in 
 the old: But, if that which I ha vie 
 laid on that Head too, feem ill-grpund- 
 • \ ed.
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hzll, 345 
 
 ed, upon Information, there are 
 Hopes of Amendment : For I am not 
 Co fond of my Notions as to ven- 
 ture with the good Bifhop, who af- 
 ferted the A^itipdes^ to be branded 
 as an Heretick for them. Obltinacy 
 is that which above all things I would 
 avoid \ and if you are thoroughly per- 
 fuaded I am in the wrong, and think 
 it worth the while to fet me right, 
 inftead of being offended with, I fliall 
 be indebted to you; and I do here 
 faithfully promife, I. will not be a- 
 Ihamed to acknowledge the Obliga- 
 tion. 
 
 A s for you that differ from me a- 
 bout the Eternity of Hell's Torments, 
 I cannot be fo indifferent towards 
 you, becaufe I take that to be a ne- 
 cefTary part of the Chriftian Do^trine^ 
 and a fundamental Point of Faith, ex- 
 prcfsly contained in the laft Article of 
 our Belief, and founded dirc^lly upon 
 the Word of God: And therefore if 
 any of you cannot reconcile this with 
 
 the
 
 ^l\6 ^4n Enquiry into the 
 
 the Notions you have of the Mercy 
 and Juftice of God j yet fince this is 
 revealed in the Word of Godj and 
 embraced by the whole Catholick 
 Church, whatever Opinion you may 
 cherifh privately, within your own 
 Breads, you ought not to publilh 
 it : Becaufe this is a fundamental 
 Point, and of a very nice Con- 
 fequence, which toucheth the Ef- 
 ence and Operations of God^ whofe 
 Thoujhts are not as our Thoughts , nor 
 are our JVays like his JVuys^ and 
 therefore we cannot reach or fathom 
 the Depth of them ; but this we may 
 be affur'd of, that as they are Mercy 
 and Truth to fuch as keep his Cove^ 
 najitj and his Tefiimonies ; fo even 
 in refpecl of thofe who iliall be con- 
 demned to everlafiing Burnings^ he 
 will, at the great Day of Judgment, 
 plainly appear to the v/hole World, 
 and even to themielves too, to be 
 jufiified in his Sayings j and clear 'when 
 he is judged.
 
 Nature and Tlace of UtLL. 3 47 
 
 4. I have now only one Word 
 more to oifer to you that are not adr 
 verfe to what I have written on this 
 Occafion, and I have done : And that 
 is, that you would not look upon 
 thefe Things as dry and ufelefs Specu- 
 lations, but fuch as ought to have a 
 flrong Influence on our Lives and 
 Converfations. I am fure, whenever 
 I turn my Eye towards the SiiUj with 
 an exprefs and actual Intention of 
 Mind to thefe Things, inilead of 
 worfhipping and adoring that, I can- 
 not refrain myfelf from breaking out 
 into this, or the like devotional Me- 
 ditation to the great Creator of it. 
 
 OGo^j who above all thy fublu- 
 nary Creatures, haft dignified 
 Man with the Light of Reafon, which 
 affordeth him many full and fubftan- 
 tial Proofs of a future State ; and haft 
 alfo exprefly declared in thy holy and 
 revealed Word, that there is a Life 
 after this, wherein good Men fliall be 
 
 rewarded,
 
 5^8 An Enquiry into tk 
 
 rewarded, and evil Men puniflied ; 
 that the Righteous fliall be received 
 into thy heavenly Kingdom, and that 
 the Wicked lliall be fnut out from 
 thence, and thrown into the horrid 
 and ditmal Pit of HeU. O God, who 
 haft farther declared, that the Hell 
 was prepared for the T>ev'ilj that re- 
 bellious Spirit, and an innumerable 
 Multitude of Angels that fell with 
 him, who are referved there in Chains 
 of l^arknefs unto the Judgment of 
 the great i>ay ; and that it will alfo 
 be the Fate of infinite Numbers of 
 ungodly Men to be, both Soul and 
 Body, caft into it ; and hafl alfo ex- 
 prefly called it, reewa t2 '/ru^V, the 
 Hell of Fire J and defcribed it to be 
 a Lake of Fire that bnrneth T>ay and 
 Night for ever. I am inclined from 
 all this to conclude, that it is a migh- 
 ty and vaftly extended Place, far be- 
 yond what can be fuppofed to be at 
 or near the Center of this little Ball 
 of the Earth, and of a Nature not 
 likely to fubfift there ; but though it 
 
 fuiteth
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 340" 
 
 fjiteth not with my Reafon to think 
 it there, yet do I not in the leaft dif- 
 belicve that it is, nay, there appear 
 to me plain Evidences of it : For 
 when I confider the Works of thy 
 Hands, and, as I conceive ftiy felf 
 obliged, ferioufly contemplate the 
 beautiful Fabrick of this great vifi- 
 ble World, amongfl: the red of its 
 Parts, a Body of a vaft and wonder- 
 ful Bulk, ten hundred thoufand times 
 bigger than this Globe of the Earth 
 and Seas, prefenteth itfelf daily to my 
 View, which by the burning Heat of 
 its Rays fenfibly convinceth me of 
 the hot and fiery Conftitution of its 
 Nature : And being, according to the 
 Opinions of the beft and molt acute 
 Philofophers, fituate at the extreme]!: 
 diftance from the Empyrean Heaven^ 
 where is the Throne of thy Glory, 
 and the Seat of the blefTcd Angels, 
 and the happy Souls of juft Men made 
 perfect ; being it is diredly oppolite 
 to that in this, as Heaven and Hell 
 are to each other in all refpe6ls what- 
 
 focvcr :
 
 35^ -^^ Enquiry into the 
 
 foever ; being that is the higheft and 
 this the loweft Place, that the greatell 
 and this the leaft of thy everlafting 
 Works ; being this remaineth no lefs 
 fixed and unmoveable than that ; be- 
 ing this was the firft part which thou 
 didll create in this vifible World, im- 
 mediately fucceeding the Sin and Fall 
 of Lucifer and his Angels ; it feemeth 
 to me, upon the beil: Reafon I have 
 of Things, to be the Place which 
 thou madeft for their Prifon, and for 
 the Punifliment both of them and of 
 wicked Men. And I am the rather 
 confirmed in this, becaufe of the ear- 
 ly and almoft univerfal Idolatry paid 
 to it, it fuiting well with the extream 
 Subtlety of that apoftate Spirit to en- 
 tice Mankind to deny thee the God a- 
 hove J and to worfliip at once the Seat 
 of his Kingdom, and the Place of 
 their own eternal Torment. And 
 though this End of its Creation is 
 not plainly mentioned in thy revealed 
 Word, yet is it not in the leaft con- 
 tradided by it, or any Part of it ; 
 
 , nay
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell, j 5 i 
 
 nay, I tliink there is one Hint that 
 foundeth Ibmething like it. For there 
 I read of an Angel that poured out bis^^"^- 1^- 
 Fiol upon the Sun,, and Tcwer '•juas ^' ^" 
 given him to fcorch Men '■juith Fire,, 
 and Men were burned with great 
 Heat J and blafphcmed the Name of 
 God J and they repented not to give 
 him Glory, 
 
 I T is true indeed, thou haft fulrer- 
 ed thy Saints to compare thee to it ; 
 but this they did, not as it is the Place 
 of Punifliment \x\ the next World, but 
 as \t is the mofl: glorious and refplen- 
 dent Part of this : As it is the Foun- 
 tain of Light and Heat, the Principle 
 of Life and Health, of Frudiiication 
 and Exhilaration to all Creatures ; 
 which Benefits, though very great, 
 and abfolutely necelTary to us in this 
 Life, do not yet hinder, but that it 
 may alfo be the Inftrument of thy 
 Glory in puiiilliing the Enemies of 
 thee and thy Goodnels to all Eternity 
 hereafter. 
 
 F o K
 
 352* ^n Enquiry into the 
 
 For that the Torments of Hell are 
 eternal^ or without End, is a Truth 
 eftablifhed upon the exprefs Teilimo- 
 ny of thy Word, and the univerfal 
 Confent of thy holy Church. 
 
 F R o M all which I apprehend it to 
 be my certain Duty, neither with the 
 Speculative Atheift to deny the Exi- 
 gence of an Hell^ nor with the Prac- 
 tical to live fo as if I dreaded not to 
 come thithero 
 
 Grant therefore, O Lord, that 
 I may be fo affected with the mighty 
 Benefits which thou halt ordained the 
 Stm to be an Inftrument of to me 
 here, that I may not be punifhed in 
 the Flames of Hell^ whether it be fi- 
 tuate there, as I imagine, or elle where, 
 for ev^er hereafter. This I beg of thee, 
 for the fake of Jejiis Qhr'tjl^ the 
 bright Sun of Right eoujitefsj who is 
 appointed to be the Judge both of 
 ^uick and T^ead. To whom wuth 
 
 Thee,
 
 Nature and Tlace of Hell. 55 J 
 
 Thee, O Father^ and the Holy Ghoft^ 
 Three TerfonSj and One eternal God„ 
 be alcribed all Honour and Gloiy. 
 both now and tor evermore. Amen. 
 
 A^ 
 
 ^OST-
 
 5s4 
 
 '^^ "V:^'^^^- ^f^^^ 
 
 
 
 POSTSCRIPT. 
 
 HAVING fhewn my Papers to 
 fome of my Friends for their 
 Opinion, and amongft the reft, to 
 the ingenious and very learned Mr. 
 TVilliam Wall^ Author of the Htflo- 
 ry of Infant Bapt'tfm ; he gave me, 
 together with his Advice to publifli 
 the Treatife, his Thoughts on fome 
 PalTages, and v/ithal added this, viz. 
 
 " I have a Notion, which whether 
 you will judge agreeable to your 
 Hypothefis, I know not : I will 
 however briefly communicate it to 
 you. I think it very probable, that 
 there are, belonging to the Sun, a 
 great many more Planets than what 
 
 (( 
 
 we
 
 POSTCRJPT. 555 
 
 " we fee, fome perhaps within the 
 " Orb of Mercury^ never feen nor to 
 " be feen by us; but a great number 
 *' 'without^ or beyond the Orb of Sa- 
 " tiirUj which we can never fee (till 
 " they are on Fire) partly by reafon 
 " of the diftance from us, and partly 
 " becaufe they, being very remote 
 " from the Sun, do receive but a 
 " weak Light from him, and do much 
 *' more weakly reflect it. 'Tis known, 
 " as you obferve, that the dillance 
 " from the Orb of Saturn to the Orb 
 " of HxM Stars, is almofl: infinite. I 
 " do not think that God made all that 
 *' fpace void. To take the Icaft mea- 
 " fure for that fpace : Suppofe it be a 
 " thoufand times as much as from Sol 
 *' to Saturn : Then there being fix 
 " Planets in the latter, there may pro- 
 " portionably be fix thoufand in the 
 " former. I believe, that when any 
 " Planet comes, by force of God's 
 " Providence and Decree, to be de- 
 " (troyed, the ordinary way of its de* 
 '' ftruclion is, by falling into the Sun, 
 Aa 2 *' or
 
 5;d POSTSCRIPT. 
 
 " or fo near the Flames thereof, as to 
 " be burnt up ; that we our felves 
 " have feen many of thefe funeral 
 " Fires ; I mean, that all Comets are 
 fuch. The plain Phaenomenon of a 
 Comet is, that it is a foiid Body, a- 
 bout the bignefs of the Earth (fome- 
 thing more or lefs) all on Fire ; and 
 the late Aftronomers ( Sir Ifaac 
 Ne'-j:;ton^ Mr. Halley^ Mr. Flam- 
 ftead ) have obferv'd, that they al- 
 ways have their line of Motion, 
 falling toward the Sun. One, or 
 " more of them (after they have feem- 
 " ed to have fallen quite into the Sun) 
 " have been feen afterward to emerge 
 " again cut of that Flame, and mount 
 " again from him fafter than ever they 
 " fell, and {q go back quite out of out 
 " fight. Their Elements in the mean 
 *' time (fuch Elements as they have, 
 " that are evaporable) being turned 
 "• into Vapour and Smoke, do (both 
 " in their Deicent, and in their Afcent 
 '' again, if they have any) make that 
 " Tail or Hair of the Comet which 
 
 u 
 
 (,<. 
 li 
 u 
 u 
 u 
 
 u 
 
 " we
 
 FOSTSCRl FT. 357 
 
 " we fee ; which Tail or Hair may (if 
 " the Comet get up again far enougfi 
 *' out of the Heat) fettle again upon 
 " that Nucleus, or Coal of the Co- 
 " mets Body, and perhaps become a 
 " much more glorious Planet or Earth 
 *' than it was before. 
 
 " You need not wonder that in 
 " the three thoufand Years, that the 
 " Stars and Planets have been obferv'd 
 " by Aftronomers, neither "Jije nor a- 
 " ny of the five about us have yet fal- 
 " len ; it has not been our lliare by 
 " the proportions of this Hypothefis; 
 " for if there fall one in about ten 
 " Years (as I think in the fifty Years 
 " of our Time there have been about 
 " five) there have been at that rate, 
 " in three thoufand Years, three hun- 
 " dred. But all our fix do make Icfs 
 " than a three hundredth Part of the 
 " whole Number. If Tcllus fliould 
 *' live to lee the fall of any of the o- 
 " ther five, I hope fljc would be a- 
 [[ larmM. 
 
 A a :? "It
 
 558 PO STSCRIPT. 
 
 "It may be ob)e61:ed againft this, 
 " that by Sir I/aac NeiL'ton's Calcu- 
 '' lations, fome Comets (i. e, as I 
 *^ make 'cm Planets on Fire) have 
 '' been {tQW as high as the Orb 
 " of Mars ; which may feem too 
 " great a diftance from the Sun, for 
 them to be there fired by him; but 
 it muft be confidered, that the Pla- 
 nets are of very different Conftitu- 
 tions, as to their Capacity of bear- 
 ■^ ing Heat or Cold : And that as Tel- 
 ^^ Itis^ i^ fii? were to be brought into 
 the Orb of Mercury., would be fi- 
 red, fo one of the remote Planets, 
 which I iiere fuppofe, may take Fire 
 when it approaches the Sun fo nigh 
 f' as Mars, 
 
 " This Notion or Conjefture 
 '^ (which I defire to propofe to you 
 " with all the lame Rules of Modefty 
 '' that you do yours to the World) 
 *' being joined with fome Paffages 
 " concerning our Earth, which by 
 
 "God's 
 
 ii 
 
 a
 
 T ST SCRIPT. ^y^ 
 
 " God's Word are certain, may form 
 " this Hypothefis concerning the fate 
 '' of the Earth, with refpe^l to the 
 " Sun, part of it uncertain, but part 
 " moll certain. 
 
 " That when our bleiTed Saviour 
 " fhall come in the Clouds, ^c. and 
 " the dead in Chriil being firfl: raifed, 
 *' the Righteous then living fliall (be- 
 *' ing changed) be caught up together 
 " with them to meet the Lord in the 
 *' Air, never more to be parted from 
 " him; then the Earth, being now 
 " forfaken of God, and of all that 
 " was good in it, will be left (toge- 
 '^ ther with the Moon) to fall into 
 " that horrid Flame : In which De- 
 " fcent (before it ever come to the 
 ^' Fire icfelf) not only the wicked 
 " Men, with all that is on the Surrace, 
 " will be burnt up ; but alfo the 
 " Heavens, i. e. the Sky about the 
 " Earth, will be dilTolv^d, and the E- 
 *^ lements (of Air, Water, Cf?r.) be c- 
 " vaporatcd, or melt with fervent 
 A a 4 ^'^ Float,
 
 5<5o POST SCRIPT. 
 
 " Heat, and the Body of the Earth 
 " burnt to a Coal. But whether this 
 " Coal will (like a Nut-fhell let fall 
 ■ ■ into a great Flame) be toiled out a- 
 '^ gain, and carried to a new and bet- 
 " ter Place in the Firmament, and be- 
 " come a new Earth in a new Heaven 
 ^^ or Sky, and there be the Scene of 
 " the millennial State, I at prefent 
 " forbear to confider : But fo much is 
 " plainly declared in the Scripture, 
 " that after all tliis the general Judg- 
 " mcnt will be ; which will transfer 
 " the Righteous into a Place or State 
 " much better, not only than tliis 
 " here, but even that millennial State 
 " itfelf ; and the Wicked into that Tr'ijp 
 *' omLviov^ concerning the Place of which 
 '^ you have made (as I rake it) fo pro- 
 " bable a Coniedure. 
 
 F I N I S.
 
 A 
 
 SUPPLEMENT 
 
 T O 
 
 Mr. S WIND E n's 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 Concerning the 
 
 ETERNITY 
 
 O F 
 
 H E L l's Torments, 
 
 Dcfipcrc tandem vel potius infanirc definamu?. 
 Sufficiat unicinque proponere fuam fentenriam, 
 optimis, quibus poterit, rationibus & argn- 
 mcntis inunitam : fine damno altcrius, abfqiie 
 contumeliis aut rixis : qua: r.ihil faciunt ad vc- 
 ritatem, aut ad fuas caufa; probntioncm. 
 
 Burnet do ftatu Mort. & Rcfurgent. 
 
 L O N T> O N: 
 
 Printed for T. A s T l f. y, in the Year 
 M.DCC.xxvii.
 
 
 ^^^^l^a?.^ 
 
 SUPPLEMENT 
 
 T O 
 
 Mr- S w I ND E n's 
 
 E N Q^ U I R y, ^c. 
 
 HIS Gentleman in his 
 Chapter upon the Eternity 
 of He IPs Torments J having 
 (as well as indeed through- 
 out his whole Work) allowed a full 
 Scope to the Freedom of Thciight^ 
 and juftly defended all fj^eculative 
 Enquiries ; the prefent Attcwft is 
 neitlier to defend nor decry his Hy- 
 ^otheJiSj but to difcover Truth j and 
 as fuch, will, I hope, prove accep- 
 table. 
 
 The
 
 ^6i\ On the Eternity 
 
 The Notions of the human Spe^ 
 ciesj as to a future State j are fo va- 
 rious, that, a Comtek ion of ^Z'^;;?^ as 
 it' feemed to be wholly Mr. Swin- 
 den's Defign, is no other than the 
 Purfuit I have in View; and this may- 
 be clearly perceived by the following 
 Papers drawn up, foon after the fir(l 
 Appearance of his Book, for the Sa- 
 tisfaclion of a Lady of great Worth 
 and Honour, who defired to know the 
 whole State of the Controverjy relat- 
 ing to this important En q^ij i r y . 
 
 Now, it mufl appear greatly fur- 
 prizing, that after Mr. Swinden has 
 declared his Approbation of the Free- 
 dom of Thought^ wliich ought to be 
 allowed to every Writer^ that he 
 ihould pronounce fuch an Jpfe T)ixitj 
 as to alTert (in the 284//^ Page of his 
 Chapter, on the Eternity ^/ HellV 
 Torments) that, " the Mercy of God^ 
 '' wliici;, though infnitc as Himfelf^ 
 
 "is
 
 of Hz L l's Torment s* 5 (55 
 
 '' is yet not capable of being extended 
 ^' to Sinners, 
 
 In Order therefore to fet this Mat- 
 ter in as clear a Light as 'pofTible, I 
 fliall produce the Sentiments of a very 
 learned Foreigner, (the Reader will 
 eafily apprehend I mean Moniieur Le 
 Clerc) whofe Defenfe of Arch- 
 bifliop Tillotson's T)ofirine was 
 tranflated from the French Original 
 by the Reverend Dr. T)cfaguliers ; 
 which in JuiHce both to Him and the 
 Author, I fliall here infert Verbatim, 
 
 The Doctrine delivered by Arch- 
 bifhop TiLLOTsoN ia his 35th Ser- 
 mon, I have here faithfully fet down. 
 I fhall alio add a few Remarks, and 
 draw fome Confequences which ap- 
 pear proper for the Defenfe of the 
 Chrtftlan Religion^ again If thofe who 
 rejecf it upon account of its teaching 
 the Eternity of the Tains of the fiext 
 Life. 
 
 " The
 
 36(5 Of the Eternity 
 
 " T-H E eternal State of Re'ujards 
 " and Tunijhments in another World 
 " (fays the Archbifhop) our BleJJed 
 " Saviour hath clearly revealed to us. 
 " And as to one Part of it, viz. 
 " That good Men fliall be eternally 
 " happy in another World, every one 
 ' " gladly admits it : But many are loth 
 " that the other Part fhould be true, 
 " concerning the eternal Punifliment 
 " of wicked Men. And therefore they 
 " pretend that it is contrary to the 
 " Juftice of God to punifli temporary 
 " Crimes with eternal Torments : 
 " Becaufe Juftice always obferves a 
 '' Proportion between Offences and 
 " Punifliments ; but between tempo- 
 " rary Sins and eternal PuniQiments 
 " there is no Proportion. And as 
 " this feems hard to be reconciled 
 " with Juftice, fo much more with 
 " that Excefs of Goodnefs which v/e 
 " fuppofe to be in God. 
 
 " Anq
 
 of Hel h's Torments. ^6y 
 
 "And therefore they lay, that 
 ^' though God feems to have declared 
 " that impenitent Sinners fliall be e- 
 " verlaftingly puniflaed, yet thefe De- 
 " clarations of Scripture are fo to be 
 ^' mollified and underftood, as that 
 " we may be able to reconcile them 
 ^' with the efTential Perfedions of the 
 " Divine Nature. 
 
 iC 
 
 " This is the full Force and 
 Strength of the Objeftion. And 
 " my Work at this Time fliall be to 
 " clear, if I can, this difficult Point. 
 " And that for thcfe tv/o Reafons. 
 " Firjlj For the Vindication of the 
 " Divine Juftice and Goodnefs : That 
 " God may bejujiified in his Sayings, 
 *' and appear Righteous '■sjhcn he 
 '■'' jiidgeth. And Secondly^ Becaufe 
 *' the Belief of the Tlircatnings of 
 " God in their utmoit extent, is 
 *' of fo great a Moment to a good 
 " Life, and fo ?reat a Difcouragc- 
 " menu to Sin; fo;- the Sting of Sm is 
 
 tlie
 
 3(58 On the Eternity 
 
 " the Terror of eternal Punifliment ; 
 " and if Men were once fet free from 
 " the Fear and Belief of this, the 
 ^' mod: powerful Reftraint from Sin 
 " would be taken away. 
 
 "So that in Anfwer to that Ob- 
 " je£bion, I fliall endeavour to prove 
 " thefe two Things. 
 
 " Firjij That the eternal Punifh- 
 " ment of wicked Men in another 
 '' World is plainly threatned in Scrip- 
 " ture. 
 
 " Second!;)' ., That this is not incon- 
 ^' fiilent either with the Juftice or 
 ^' the Goodnels of God. 
 
 " Firftj That the eternal Puniih- 
 " ment of wicked Men in another 
 " World, is plainly threatned in Scrip- 
 *' ture, namely, in thefe following 
 " Texts^ Mat. 1 8. i8. It is better 
 " for thee to enter into Life halt and 
 " maimed J than having t'wo hands 
 
 " or
 
 of Hell's Torrr.ents. ^6^ 
 
 " dr t'UJO feet to be cafi into cverlaji- 
 *' ingFire. Kx\^ Mat,2^. 41. T)e- 
 " fart ye cur fed into everlafiuig FirCj 
 '< prepared for the T^evU and bis An^ 
 " gels. And here in the Text^ Thefe^ 
 " that is, the 'Vi'icked fball go a'-ji^ay 
 " into everlafiing V v.ntfloment . And 
 " Mark 9. it is there three leveral 
 " Times with great vehemency re- 
 " peated by our Saviour ., '•jshere their 
 " JVorm dieth not ^ and the Fire is not 
 *' quenched. And 2 Thejf. i. 9. fpeak- 
 " ing of them that bw-ju not Godj 
 " and obey not the Gofpel of his Son : 
 " It is faid of them, -iz^ho jhall be pu- 
 nifhed '-juith ever laf ing Deflruftion, 
 
 u 
 
 " I know very well, that great En- 
 " deavour hath been iifed to avoid 
 *' the Force of thefe Texts ^ by fhew- 
 " ing that the Words, for ever and 
 " everlafling^ are frequently iifed in 
 " Scripture in a more limited Senfe, 
 *' only for a long duration and conti- 
 '' nuance. 'I'hus, for ever^, doth ve- 
 '' ry often in the OldTeflament only 
 B b '' fi"ni-
 
 370 On the Eternity 
 
 " iignifie for a long time, and till the 
 " end of the '^eijvijh Difpenfation. 
 '* And in the Epjlle of "it.Jude^ 
 ' verfe jth. The Cities of Sodom 
 " and Gomorrah are faid to be fet 
 " forth for an Example^ fiijfermg 
 " the Vengeance of eternal F'lrej that 
 " is, of a Fire that was not extin- 
 " guifhed till thofe Cities were utter- 
 " ly confumed. 
 
 There is no Hebreisj Word which, 
 properly fpeaking, fignifies Eternity j 
 or a Time without end, ZD^iy Holam 
 means only a Time, whofe beginning 
 or end is not known ; according to 
 the meaning of its Root, which fig- 
 nifies to hide. Thus it is taken in a 
 ftrider, or lefs ftricb Senfe, according 
 to what is treated of. When God, or 
 his Attributes are meant, this Word 
 is underftood in its greateft Extent ; 
 that is, it means a true Eternity. But 
 when it is applied to Things which 
 have a beginning and an end, it is 
 then alfo taken in as limited a Senfe 
 
 " as 
 
 t./v-
 
 ofHEL l's Torments, 371 
 
 as the Thing requires. Thus when 
 God fays concerning the J'^i^v/Z? Laws, 
 that they mud: be obferved LZ]'7iy'7 le- 
 holam_, for ever, we are to underftand 
 as long a fpace of Time as God fliould 
 think fit ; a fpace whofc end was 
 unknown to the Jews before the 
 coming of the Meffiah. All general 
 Laws, and fuch as do not regard par- 
 ticukir Occafions and Circumftances, 
 are made for ever ; whether it be ex- 
 prefsM in thofe Laws or not ; which 
 yet is not to be underftood in fuch 
 manner as if the foveraign Power 
 cou'd no way change it. The for e- 
 'ver is conftantly underflood, till the 
 Soveraign thinks fit to change that 
 Law. So the Archbifnop makes it 
 no Difficulty. 
 
 *' I fhall readily grant, y^jj* he^ that 
 " the Words, for ever and evcrlafthig^ 
 " do not always in Scripture fignify 
 " an cndlefs Duration ; and that this 
 '* is fufficiently proved by the Inflan- 
 " ces allcdgM to this Furpofc. But 
 B b 2 ;; tJicn,
 
 372- On the Eternity 
 
 " then, Secondly^ It cannot be denied 
 ** on the other hand, that thefe Words 
 " are often in Scripture ufed in a lar- 
 " ger Senfe, and lb as necelTarily to 
 " fignify an interminable and endlels 
 " Duration. As where Eternity is 
 " attributed to God, and he is faid 
 " to live ever and ever : And wherd 
 " eternal Happinefs in another World 
 "" is promifed to good Men, and that 
 " they ftjall be for ever i2;ith the 
 " Lord. Now the very fame Words 
 " and ExpreiTions are us'd concerning 
 " the Punifliment of wicked Men in 
 " another Life, and there is great 
 " Reafon why we fliould underifand 
 " them in the fame extent : Both, be- 
 " caufe if God had intended to have 
 " told us that the Punifliment of 
 " wicked Men fliall have no End, 
 " the Languages wherein the Scrip- 
 " tures are written do hardly afford 
 " fuller and more certain Words, than 
 ^' thole that are ufed in this Cafe, 
 " whereby to exprefs to us a Dura- 
 " ration without End : And likewife 
 
 " which
 
 of He L lV Torments. yj'^ 
 
 " which is almoft a peremptory De- 
 " cifion of the Thing, becaufe the 
 " Duration of the Punifliment of 
 " wicked Men is in the very fame 
 ^' Sentence exprefsM by the very fame 
 ^' Word, which is us'd for the Dura- 
 " tion of the Happinefs of the Righ- 
 " teous : As is evident from the Text^ 
 " Thefe^ fpeaking of the wicked, Jhall 
 " go wjuayj d^ KoAoto-jv a/co'v/ov^ iu^o eter- 
 " 71 al ^unijhment ; but the righteous 
 " G^^ ^6oHv a.'(i)v/o", into Life eternal. I 
 proceed to the 
 
 £C 
 
 " Second Thing I proposed ; name- 
 *' ly, to fliew that this is not incon- 
 " fiftent either with the Juftice or the 
 *' Goodnefsof God. For in this the 
 " Force of the Objeftion lies. And 
 " it hath been attempted to be an- 
 " fwered feveral Ways, none of which 
 " feems to me to give clear and full 
 " Satisfaction to it. 
 
 B b 3 " Firjl,
 
 374 O^ ^^^^ Eternity. 
 
 a 
 
 Firft^ It is faid by fome, that be- 
 " caule Sin is infinite in refpe8: of 
 " the Objed againll whom it is com- 
 " mitted, which is God, therefore it 
 " deferves an infinite Punifliment. 
 
 "But this I doubt will upon Ex- 
 " amination be found to have more of 
 Subtlety than of Solidity in it. 'Tis 
 true indeed, that the Dignity of the 
 Perfon againft whom any Offence is 
 " committed, is a great Aggravation 
 " of the Fault. For which Reafon 
 ^' all Offences againfi: God are certain- 
 " ly the greateft of all other : But 
 " that Crimes fhould hereby be heigh- 
 " ten'd to an infinite Etegree, can by 
 " no means be admitted ; and that 
 " for this plain Pvcafon ; becaufe then 
 *' the Evil and Demerit of all Sins 
 " muft neceffarily be equal ; for the 
 " Demerit of no Sin can be more 
 " than infinite : And if the Demerit 
 *' of all Sins be equal, there can then 
 " be no Reafon for the Degrees of Pu- 
 
 " nifhment
 
 o/ H E L lV Torments. 375^ 
 
 " nifhment in another World : But 
 " to deny that there are Degrees of 
 " PuniQiment there, is not only con- 
 " trary to Reafon, but to our Savi- 
 " otir*s exprefs Allertion, that fome 
 " Ihall be beaten "juitb many Stripes ^ 
 *' and fome with fewer, and that it 
 " fliall be more tolerable for fome in 
 '' the l^ay of Judgment than for o- 
 *' thers. Befides, that by the fame 
 " Reafon that the leaft Sin that is 
 " committed againll: God may be faici 
 *' to be infinite, becaufe of its ObjeO:; 
 " the leaft Punilliment that is inflic- 
 " ted by God may be faid to be infi- 
 " nite, becaufe of its Author ; and 
 " then all Punifliments from God 
 " as well as all Sins againft him 
 " would be equal ; which is palpably 
 " abfurd. So that this Anfwer is by 
 " no Means fulBcicnt to break the 
 *' Force of this Objcdion, 
 
 Besides, it may be obferv'd, 
 
 that the Perfon againft whom a Fault 
 
 is committedt makes it to be greater, 
 
 13 b 4 when
 
 37<5 On the Eternity 
 
 when it is direftly againfl: that Per- 
 fon, and not when it regards him 
 only indirectly. All the Crimes that 
 are committed in a Kingdom are op- 
 posed to the Will of the Prince ; yet 
 all are not Crimes of High-Treafon, 
 neither are they punifli'd fo feverely. 
 Crimes of High-Treafon are fuch as 
 are committed with a Defign to hurt 
 the Perfon or Authority of the Prince; 
 and not all thofe that are committed 
 againft the Laws of the State. Thus 
 in refpect of God, Atheifm and all its 
 Confequences are more directly com- 
 mitted againft God, and are much 
 greater Sins^ than thofe which are 
 Breaches of other Divine Laws. Be- 
 fidesj as to the Aggravation of a Sin, 
 we muft have regard to the Circum- 
 ftances ; as for Example, to the De- 
 gree of Knowledge of them that fin, 
 the Malice of their Behaviour, the ill 
 Confequences of their Actions, and 
 other fuch Things. Thefe Circum- 
 ftances do much more aggravate the 
 3in, than the Object, againft which 
 
 it
 
 oj H E L lV Torments. 377 
 
 It was committed. Juftice requires 
 the Weaknefs of the Sinners to be 
 confider'd, as well as the Perfon a- 
 gainft whom the Sin is committed. 
 
 " It is faid by others, continues 
 " the Abp, that if wicked Men lived 
 " for ever in this World, they would 
 " fin for ever, and therefore theyde- 
 " ferve to be punilli'd for ever. But 
 " this hath neither Truth nor Reafon 
 " enough in it to give Satisfa£lion. 
 *- For who can certainly tell, that if a 
 " Man lived never fo long he would 
 " never repent and grow better ? 
 
 " Befides that, the Juftice of God 
 " doth only punifli the Sins which 
 " Men have committed in this Life, 
 " and not thofc which they might 
 " poiTibly have committed if they 
 '' had lived longer. 
 
 " Thirdly^ It is faid in the laffc 
 " Place, that God doth fet before 
 f Men cverlailingHappinefs and Mi- 
 
 ^ fcry,
 
 57^ On the Eternity 
 
 " feiy, and the Sinner hath his 
 
 " Choice. Here are two Things 
 
 *' faid which bid fairly towards an 
 " Anfwer. 
 
 " Firflj That the Reward which 
 *' God promifeth to our Obedience is 
 '^ equal to the Punifhment which he 
 " threatens to our Difobedience ; but 
 " yet this I doubt will not reach the 
 " Bufinefs; becaufe, though it be not 
 '^ contrary to Juilice to exceed in Re- 
 " wards, that being Matter of mere 
 " Favour ; yet it may be fo to exceed 
 " in Puniihments. 
 
 " Secondly J, It is farther faid, that 
 *' the Sinner in this Cafe hath no- 
 " thing to complain of, fmce he hath 
 *' his own Choice. This I confefs is 
 '' enough to filence the Sinner, and 
 " to make him to acknowledge that 
 **= his Deflruclion is of himfelf ; but 
 ^' yet after all that, it does not feem 
 " fo clearly to fatisfy the Objedlioa 
 ^ from the Difproportion between the 
 f Fault and the Punifhment. 
 
 t And
 
 of Hell's Torments. 379 
 
 «^ A N D therefore I fhall endeavour 
 " to clear, if it may be, this Matter 
 " yet a little farther by thefe follow- 
 " ing Confiderations. 
 
 " FirJIj Let it be conrider''d, that 
 " the Meafure of Penalties, with 
 '' refpe^l: to Crimes, is not only, 
 " nor always to be taken from the 
 " Qiiality and Degree of the Offence, 
 " much lefs from the Duration and 
 " Continuance of it, but from the 
 " Reafons of Government; which re- 
 ^' quires fuch Penalties as may, if it 
 " be pofTible, fecure the Obfcrvation 
 *^ of the Law, and deter Men from 
 " the Breach of ir. And the Reafon 
 " of this is evident, becaufe if it 
 " were once declared that no Man 
 " fliould luffcr longer for any Crime 
 " than according to the Proportion of 
 " the Time in which it was commit- 
 " ted, the Confequence of this would 
 
 be, that Sinners would be bet- 
 '^ ter Husbands of their Time, and 
 
 ^' fin 
 
 cc
 
 380 On the Eternity 
 
 " fin fo much the fafter, that they 
 " might have the greater Bargain of 
 **^ it, and might fatisfy for their Sins 
 ^^^ by a iliorter Punilhment. 
 
 a 
 
 " And it would be unreafonable 
 likewife upon another Account ; be- 
 " caufe fome of the greatefl Sins may 
 " perhaps be committed in the fhort- 
 " eft Time ; for inftance Murder ; the 
 " A8: whereof may be over in a Mo- 
 " ment, but the EfFeds of it are per- 
 " petual. For he that kills a Man 
 " once, kills him for ever. The AEt 
 *' of Murder may be committed in a 
 trice, but the Injury is endlefs and 
 irreparable. So that this Objedlion 
 of temporary Crimes being punifh- 
 ed with fo much long Sufferings, 
 
 u : 
 
 is plainly of no Force. 
 
 " Besides that, whoever confi- 
 " ders how inefFedual the threatning 
 " even of eternal Torments is to the 
 " greateft Part of Sinners, willfoonbe 
 " fatisfy 'd that a lefs Penalty than that 
 
 " of
 
 of He L Cs T^orments. 381 
 
 «^ of eternal Sufferings, would to the 
 
 f' far greateft Part of Mankind have 
 
 " been in all probability of little or 
 
 " no Force. And therefore, if any 
 
 " Thing more terrible than eternal 
 
 " Vengeance could have been threat- 
 
 " ned to the Workers of Iniquity, it 
 
 " had not been unreafonable, becaufe 
 
 '^ it would all have been little enough 
 
 " to deter Men effe(ftually from Sin. 
 
 " So that what Proportion Crimes 
 " and Penalties ought to bear to each 
 '^ other, is not fo properly a Confi- 
 " deration of Juftice, as of Wifdom 
 ^^ and Prudence in the Law-giver. 
 
 '^ And the Reafon of this feems 
 <« very plain, becaufe the Meafure of 
 '' Penalties is not taken from any Ilrict 
 '' Proportion betwixt Crimes and Pu- 
 *' nifliments, but from one great End 
 " and Defign of Government, which 
 '' is ;to fecure the Obfervation of 
 "^ wholefome and necelTary Laws ; 
 '^ and confcqucntly whatever Penal- 
 
 '' tics
 
 381 On the Eiernitj 
 
 " ties are proper and neceflary to this 
 'f End are not unjuft. 
 
 " And this Confideration T defire 
 " may be more efpecially obferved, 
 " becaufe it ftrikes at the very Foun- 
 '^ dation of the Objedion. For if 
 " the appointing and apportioning of 
 " Penalties to Crimes be not fo pro- 
 *^ perly a Confideration of Juftice, 
 " but rather of Prudence in the Law- 
 ** giver ; then whatever the Difpro- 
 ^^ portion may be between temporary 
 " Sins and eternal Sufferings, Juftice 
 "^ cannot be faid to be concerned in 
 " it. 
 
 " Justice indeed is concerned, 
 " that the Righteous and the Wicked 
 " fhould no: be treated alike; and 
 " farther yet, that greater Sins fhould 
 " have a heavier Punifhment, and 
 ^'' that mighty Stnnets fhould be migh- 
 '' tily tormented y but all this may be 
 " conGder'd and adjaited in the De- 
 " gree and the Irit'.;nfnefs of the Suf- 
 
 " fering,
 
 of He L lV Torments. 383 
 
 ^^ fering, without making any DifFe- 
 " rence ia the Duration of it. 
 
 ^^ The Cafe then in fliort ftands 
 " thus. Whenever we break the 
 " Laws of God, we fall into his 
 '' Hands, and lie at his Mercy ; and 
 '' he may without Injufticc infliO: 
 " what Punifliment upon us he 
 " pleafeth : And confequently, to fe~ 
 *' cure his Law from Violation, he 
 " may beforehand threaten whatPe- 
 " nalties he thinks ht and nccelHiry 
 *' to deter Men from theTranfgrcflion 
 " of it. And this is ngt eftccmM un- 
 '' juft among Men, to punifli Crimes 
 " that are committed in an inftant, 
 " with the perpetual Lofs of Ellate, 
 " or Liberty, or Life. 
 
 For the right underftanding of 
 this, we muH: know, that the Pains 
 fettled by the Laws, are only appoin- 
 ted for one, or fome one of thefc four 
 Ends. The Firfl is to repair the In- 
 jury, as when a Man is condemned to 
 
 repair
 
 384 On the Eternity 
 
 repair the Wrong that he has done to 
 another. The Second, is to correct 
 thofe that have committed a Fault, 
 whether they be puniflied in their 
 Goods or Perfons ; to the intent that 
 People may obferve the Laws, and be 
 honell: Men. The Third, is to pre- 
 vent Evil, by making an Example of 
 fome, to hinder others from commit- 
 ting the Diforders for v/hich Punifli- 
 ments are inflicted, and which would 
 otherwife be prejudicial to Society. 
 The Fourth, is to fatisfy offended Ju- 
 flice, by impofmg Pains proportional 
 to the Crimes. Several Things may 
 be found upon this Subject in Gro- 
 Tius, de 'J tire Belli ^ VaciSj B. 2. 
 Chap. 20. And Puffendorf de 
 Jure Natura ^3 Gentium_, B. 8. 
 Chap. 3. 
 
 The ^ains of another Life are 
 neither appointed for repairing an In- 
 jury, or making the Sinner to amend, 
 nor for preventing Evil, at leaft at 
 the Time that they are inflided, as all 
 
 the
 
 of He L lV Torments. 385 
 
 tile World noiv believes. Bat it is 
 only of thofe Pains, of which fome 
 pretend to affirm that there is not an 
 equal Proportion obferv'd between 
 the Crime and its Punifliment. The 
 Injury is greater or lefs, according to 
 the Circumftances, and the Reparati= 
 on varies alfo according to them, as 
 may be learn'd in the forenam'd Au- 
 thors ; fo that fometimes not upon 
 account of the prefent Wrong, but 
 upon account of the Confequences, a 
 Reparation is exafted, which is much 
 greater than the Damage done. Of- 
 tentimes alfo to reform a People, or 
 prevent an Evil, much more fevere 
 Pains are inflicted than would other- 
 wife be, if the People were not ad- 
 difted to certain Vices, and if nothing 
 was to be fear'd for the future. This is 
 the Reafon of the want of Proporti- 
 on, which fometimes appears to be 
 between the Punilhments which the 
 Sovereigns infliclj and the Faults 
 which have been committed. Bat if 
 we throughly examine the Reafon*? 
 C c why
 
 38(5 On the Eternity 
 
 why the Sovereign does thus, fiippo- 
 fing him juft^ we fliall not find fuch 
 a Difproportion as at firfl: appears to 
 be ; becaufe we iliall eafily conceive^ 
 that the Circumftances, in which a 
 State happens to be, do very much 
 diminilli, or aggravate the Faults ; 
 which are not fo much confiderM in 
 themfelves, as in refpefl: to the Harm 
 which they may do to the State, if 
 they are not feverely punifli'd. That 
 we may rightly underhand what Pro- 
 portion there is between the Fault and 
 the PuniQiment, we muft, together 
 with the Fault, weigh all the Evil 
 which it wou'd caufe at certain Con- 
 jun6lures, if it was not feverely pu- 
 niiliM ; for this is what the Sovereign 
 confiders when he is govern'd by 
 Wifdom, and willing to obfer-e Juf- 
 tice. Thus in this, as well as in eve- 
 ry Thing elfe, he muft obferve the 
 Rules of Juftice, and of Proportion 
 between the Faults and the Punifh- 
 ments. If the Sovereign, for the Repa- 
 ration of a Damage, fmall in it feU^ and 
 
 which
 
 ofHEL l's Torments. 387 
 
 which could have no ill Confequences, 
 fliou'd impofe a Puniiliment altoge- 
 ther difproportionable, he might very 
 defervedly be faid to be unjult. 
 
 Therefore I don't knovv% whe- 
 ther the Anfwer that ArchbifliopTiL- 
 LOTsoN gives here is altogether l^uis- 
 fa6i:ory. Neverthclefs it may be faid, 
 that it" God's Threats be confider'd in 
 themlelves, and belore the Execution 
 of them be ^q^vi (and that is the Man- 
 ner in which we confider them whilll: 
 we live) they may ferve to repair the 
 Wrong that is done to another, to 
 better thofe that are frighted with 
 them, and to prevent a great many E- 
 vils. If we confider them as being 
 yet but Threats, and before their 
 Execution, no Man can complain 
 of them. Tho' they fliould menace 
 Pains much greater than one would 
 think cou'd be dcferv'd by the Sins o^ 
 fo blind and frail a Creature as Man, 
 and whofe Confequences do not ex- 
 tend beyond this Earth or this Life; 
 C c 2 yet
 
 388 On the Eternity 
 
 yet God cou'd not be faid to be unjull, 
 neither cou'd the Holy Scripture give 
 us an ill Notion of his Juftice; becaufe 
 we know that Threats are not exe- 
 cuted With the utmoft Rigour, and 
 that more Severity is exprefs'd than 
 defign'd, to fright thofe whom we 
 love and wou'd keep in their Duty. 
 The Cafe being thus, it may be faid, 
 to quiet the Mind of thofe who are 
 ftartled at the Eternity of the Punifh- 
 ments, that no one on Earth can com- 
 plain of the divine Juftice, in Refpedl 
 to the Pains of the next Life, becaufe 
 no one yet knows what will be their 
 Execution at the Day of Judgment, 
 
 nor how the Souls of wicked Men are 
 treated now when they di^. Befides, 
 God has in this Life given us fo many 
 Proofs of his Kindnefs, both in the 
 Works of his general Providence, 
 and in the Revelation of the Gofpel, 
 that he very well deferves that we 
 fhou'd rely upon him in RefpecEt 
 of the next Life, and be perfuaded 
 that he will ^o nothing that is con- 
 trary to the ftrideft Juftice. If his 
 
 Threats
 
 t?/ H E L l's Torments. 3^9 
 
 Threats contain excellive Pains, he 
 has it always in his Power to mode- 
 rate them, as Equity lliall require ; 
 and we muft not doubt but that he 
 will do it, if his fovereign ,Perfe6:iou 
 engages him to it. For my Part, I 
 am perfuaded, that the Clouds which 
 darken our Sight being then difpers'd, 
 the Wicked and the Good will have e- 
 qual Reafon to acknowledge his Juftice 
 on the one Hand ; and en the other, 
 how much thofe have been in the 
 wrong who have exposM themfelves 
 to the Effects of it. Then let fuch as 
 find Fault with the Gofpel Revelation, 
 becaufe it Ipeaks of eternal Punifl:- 
 ments, own themfelves in the wrong, 
 and forbear complaining till they have 
 fcen the Execution of thofe Punifli- 
 ments. Let them in the mean Time 
 entertain a favourable Opinion of the 
 Divine Bounty and Juflice ; judging 
 of the future by what is already pafs'd. 
 Nothing unjufl: is rcquirM of them> 
 and the Advice which is given of 
 them, cannot but be very much foi' 
 tlicir Advantage. It can be no Preju- 
 C c 3 dice
 
 590 On the 'Eternity, 
 
 dice to them, to have had an high Q- 
 pinion of God's Attributes, and they 
 hazard all in beginning, even in this 
 Life, to blafpheme againft their Ma- 
 ker, in cenfuring his Revelation. Muft 
 they for the Satisfaftion of an unrea- 
 fonable Paflion expofe themfelves to 
 the moft fevere Effects of the Divine 
 Juflice, if there be a Divine Juftice, 
 as we have fuch Reafons to believe as 
 they can by no Means overthrow : 
 They are at leaR forc'd to confcfs, 
 that no Body can demonftrate the 
 contrary ; and in fuch a Doubt, a 
 Man muif be mad to inveigh againft 
 what he will find but too true. 
 
 Lajfly^ I take no Notice of the 
 fourth End of Punifliments, infiicled, 
 according to fome, only to fatisfy of-- 
 fended Juftice ; tho' it is ufual to re 
 fer to Punifliments of that fort, thofe 
 of the next Life ; becaufe the Arch- 
 bifliop takes no Notice of them m 
 what he has juft faid ; and what he 
 fays after \^rds will anfwer all the Ob- 
 
 ieclions
 
 of Hel l's Torments. 391 
 
 je£bions that can be raisM on this Oc- 
 cafion, concerning the Difproportion 
 of the Faults and the Puniflaments. 
 
 '^Secondly, fays he^ This will 
 " yet appear more reafonablewhen we 
 ^' confider, that after all, hethatthrea- 
 " tens hath Ifill the Power of Executi- 
 " on in his own Hands. For there is 
 " this remarkable Difference between 
 " Promifes and Threatnings ; that he 
 " who promifeth palTcth over a Right 
 " to another, and thereby ftands ob- 
 " liged to him m Jufticeand Faithful- 
 '*^ nefs to make good his Promife ; and 
 " if he do not, the Party to whom 
 " the Promife is made, is not only 
 " difappointed, but injurioufly dealt 
 " withal: But in Threatnings it is 
 " quite otherwife. He that threatens 
 ^^ keeps the Right of puniHiing in 
 " his own Hand, and is not obliged 
 " to execute what he hath threatned, 
 " any further than the Reafons and 
 " Ends of Government do require : 
 '^ And he may without any Injury to 
 C c 4 " the
 
 392' On the Eternity 
 
 " the Party threatned, remit and a- 
 " bate as much as he pleafeth of the 
 ^^ Punifliment that he hath threatned j 
 '^ and becaiife in fo doing he is not 
 " worfe but better than his Word, no 
 " Body can find Fault, or complaia 
 " of any Wrong or Injuiiice thereby 
 ^^ done to him. 
 
 a 
 
 " Nor is this any Impeachment of 
 God's Truth and Faithfulnefs, any 
 " m.ore than it is efteem'd among 
 " Men a Piece of Falfhood not to do 
 " what they have threatned. God 
 " did abfolutely threaten the Deftru- 
 " £lion of the City of Nineveh^ and 
 " his peevilh Trophet did underftand 
 ** the Threatning to be abfolute, and 
 " was very angry with God for em- 
 " ploying him in a Meflage that wa§ 
 " not made good. But God under- 
 *' flood his own Plight, and did what 
 " he pleased, notwithftanding the 
 " Threatning he had denounced ; ancj 
 " for all Jonah was fo touch'd m Ho- 
 t' nour, that he had rather have ^\^^ 
 
 ■ '' him»
 
 of Hell's Torments. 395 
 
 ^' himfelf, than that Nineveh fhould 
 " not have been deftroy'd, only to 
 " have verifyM his MelTage. 
 
 ^' I know it is faid in this Cafe, 
 ^' that God hath confirm'd thefe 
 ^' Threatnings by an Oath, which is 
 " a certain Sign of the Immutability 
 '' of his Counfel : and therefore his 
 " Truth is concern'd in the ftri£l and 
 '' rigorous Execution of them. The 
 *' Land of Canaan was a Type of 
 " Heaven, and the Ifraelites who re- 
 " bell'd in the Wildernefs were alfo a 
 " Type of impenitent Sinners under 
 " the Gofpel ; and confequently the 
 " Oath of God concerning the rebel- 
 " lious Ifraelites^ when he /ware in- 
 " his IV rath that they JhotUd not en- 
 *"' ter into his Reftj that is, into the 
 " Land of Canaan^ doth equally o- 
 " blige him to execute his Threatning 
 " upon all impenitent Sinners under 
 " the Gofpel, i^\2it they Jhall never en- 
 *' ter into the Kingdom of God, And 
 " this is very truly realon'd, fo far as 
 ' " the
 
 94 O;? ^^^ Eternity 
 
 " the Tlireatning extends, which if 
 ^^ we attend to the plain Words of it^ 
 ^* beyond which Threatnings are ne- 
 ^' ver to be ilretch'd, doth not feem 
 ^' to reach any further than to tlie Ex- 
 4^ chifion of impenitent Sinners out 
 •" of Heaven, and their falling finally 
 " fliort of the Reft and Happinefs 
 " of the Righteous : Which, however, 
 " diredly overthrows the Opinion 
 " afcrib'd to Origen^ that the Devils 
 <i' and wicked Men fliall all be faved 
 4' at laft ; God having Jworn in his 
 t* Wrath J that they Jhall never en- 
 ^' ter into his Reft. 
 
 Nevertheless, it is certain that 
 whatever agrees with the Type does 
 not necefTarily agree with the Anti- 
 type ; and that this typical Divinity 
 contains rather Applications of Palfa- 
 ges to a Subjed different from that 
 which they direftly treat of, than de- 
 monftrative Proofs. This is the Rea- 
 fon why School-men fay that nothing 
 can be concluded from- Symbols. Theo^ 
 
 logia
 
 of Hell's Torment s^ 395 
 
 logia SymboUca non eft Argument at t- 
 va. Except the Scripture teaches us 
 that God had regard to fuch and fuch 
 Things, when he expreffes himfelf af- 
 ter fuch a particular manner, we can- 
 not fpeak of Types \yith any Cer- 
 tainty. 
 
 " But then, as to the eternal Mi- 
 " fery and Punifliment thr^atned to 
 " wicked Men in the other World, 
 " though it be not neceflarily com- 
 " prehended in this Oath, that they 
 " fljall not enter into his Reft ; yet 
 " we are to confider, that both the 
 " Tenor of the Sentence^ which our 
 " bleifed Saviour hath aflurM us will 
 " be pafb'd upon them at the Judg- 
 " ment of the great Day, T>epart je 
 '' cttrfed into everlafting fire ; and 
 " likewife this Declaration in the Text, 
 " that the Wicked jhall go away into 
 " everlafting Tunifiment y though 
 " they do not reftrain God from do- 
 " ing what he pleafcs, yet they cut 
 ''' off from the Sinner all reafor.able 
 
 " Hopes
 
 39^ On the Eternity 
 
 " Hopes of the Relaxation or Mitiga- 
 ^' tion of them. For fin ce the great 
 " Judge of the World hath made fo 
 *' plain and exprefs a Declaration, 
 " and will certainly pafs fuch a Sen- 
 '' tence, it would be the greateft Fol- 
 " ly andMadnefsintlie Wo rid for the 
 '' Sinner to entertain any Hope of 
 
 efcaping it, and to venture his Soul 
 
 upon that Hope. 
 
 46 
 
 ^^ I know but one Thing more^ 
 " commonly faid upon this Argument, 
 " that feems material. And that is 
 " this, that the Words T>eath and ^e- 
 " Jiru^ion_, and Terijhing^ whereby 
 '' the Punifliment of wicked Men in 
 " the other World is moft frequently 
 '' exprefs'd in Scripture^ do moft pro- 
 " perly import Annihilation^ and an 
 " utter End of Being, and therefore 
 " may reafonably be fo underflood in 
 *' the Matter, of which we are now 
 " Ipeaking. 
 
 ^' To this I anfwer, that thele 
 " Words and thofe, which anfwer 
 
 " them
 
 of Hel lV T'orments, 397 
 
 " them in other Languages, are of- 
 " ten, both m Scripture^ and other 
 " Authors^ ufed to fignifie a State of 
 " great Mifery and Suffering, without 
 " the utter Extinction of the Mifer- 
 " able. Thus God is often in Scrip- 
 " Uire faid to bring Dejiru^ton upon 
 " a Nation when he fends great Judg- 
 " ments upon them, though they do 
 " not exterminate and make an utter 
 " End of them. 
 
 *' A N D nothing is more common 
 " in moft Languages, than by Ter'tfl?- 
 " ing to exprefs a Perfon's being un- 
 " done and made very miferable. As 
 *' in that known PaiTage in Tiherfus'*s 
 " Letter to the Roman Senate, Ita 
 " me "Dii T>eaqHe omnes fejiis per- 
 " dantj quam hodie per ire me fetitio^ 
 " &:c. Let all the Gods and Goddejfes 
 " faith he, deftroy 7ne '•Ji'orfe^ than at 
 " this 'very Time I feel my felf to pc- 
 " rijh., &c. in wliicli laying, the 
 *' Words, deftroy Tundiperijh^ are both 
 *' of them ub\l to cxprcfs the mifcr- 
 
 " able
 
 598 On the Etermtj 
 
 " able Angulfli and Torment, whicH 
 *' at that Time he felt in his Mind, 
 *' as Tacit its tells us at large* 
 
 And as for the Word T>eath ; a 
 " State of Mifery, which is as bad or 
 " worfe than Death, may properly 
 " enough be call'd by that Name: 
 " And for this Reafon the Punifliment 
 "of wicked Men after the Day of 
 " Judgment is in the Book of the Re- 
 " velat'ton fo frequently and fitly call'd 
 " tbefecondT>eathyKQW,x^. 14. And 
 " the Lake of Ftre^ into which the 
 " Wicked Jhall be caft to be torment- 
 " ed in it, is exprefly call'd the fecond 
 " T>eath, 
 
 "But befides this, they that ar- 
 '*■ gue from the Force of thefe Words, 
 *' that the Punifhment of wicked Men 
 in the other World fhall be nothing 
 elfe but an utter End of their Be- 
 ing, do neceflarily fall into two 
 great Inconveniences. 
 
 " First
 
 of H^L l's Torments. 399 
 
 " First, that hereby they exclude 
 " all pofitive Piinilliment and Tor- 
 " ment of Sinners. For if the fecund 
 " T>eath^ and to be deftroy'd, and to 
 " fer'tjh^ fignifie nothing elfe but the 
 " Annihilatmi of Sinners, and an utter 
 " Extinction of their Being ; and it' 
 " this be all the Effe6l of that dreadful 
 *' Sentence^ which fliall be pafsM upon 
 " them at the T>ay of Judgment^ 
 " then the Fire of Hell is quench'd 
 " all at once, and is only a frightful 
 ^' Metaphor without any Meaning. 
 " But this is diredly contrary to the 
 ^' Tenor of Scripture^ which doth fo 
 " often delcribe the Punifliment of 
 " wicked Men in Hell by pofitive 
 " Torments : And particularly our 
 " Blefled Saviour^ defcribing the la- 
 " mentable State of the Damned in 
 " Hell, expreily fays, that there jhall 
 " be weeping and iz' ailing^ and gnajh- 
 " ing of 'Teeth. Which cannot be, iif 
 " Annihilation be all the Meaning and 
 " Effe£l of the Sentence of the Great 
 '' Day, 
 
 " Se-
 
 400 On the Eternity 
 
 " Secondly, another Inconvc- 
 ^' nience of this Opinion is, that if 
 " Anwhilation be all the Punifliment 
 *' of SJnuers in the other World, then 
 " the Punifhment of all Sinners muft 
 " of Neceffity by equal, becaufe there 
 ^' are no Degrees of Annihilation or 
 *' Not-being, But this alfo is mofl 
 " diredly contrary to Scripture^ as 
 " I have already fhewn. 
 
 " I know very well that fome who 
 " are of this Opinion do allow a very 
 " long and tedious Time of the moffc 
 " terrible and intolerable Torment of 
 " Sinners, and after that they believe 
 " that there fhall be an utter End of 
 ' their Being. 
 
 "But then they muft not argue 
 *' this from the Force of the Words 
 " before mentioned, becaufe the plain 
 ^' Inference h'om thence is, that An- 
 " nihilation is all the Punifhment that 
 *' wicked Man fhall undergo in the 
 '' next Life \ and if that be not true, 
 
 " ag
 
 of Hel lV Tormtnts. dpi 
 
 " as I have plainly fhewn that it is not, 
 
 " I do not fee from what other Words 
 
 " or Exprefilons in Scripure they 
 
 " can find the lead Ground for this 
 
 *' Opinion, that the Torment of wic- 
 
 " ked Men fhall at laft End in their 
 
 " Annihilation, And yet admitting 
 
 *' all this, for which I think there is 
 
 *' no Ground at all in Scripture^ I 
 
 " cannot fee what ffreat Comfort Sin- 
 
 ners can take in the Thought ot a 
 
 " tedious Time of terrible Torments 
 
 " ending at laft in Annihilation,^ and 
 
 " the utter Extinclion of their Be- 
 te 
 
 ings. 
 
 W E muft confefs that there is Rea- 
 fon to tremble, tho' we only fuppole 
 that impenitent Sinners will be tor- 
 mented by fome terrible Punifliment, 
 during the Time that it Ihall pleafe 
 God, and whofe Duration will be un- 
 known to them ; they having no End 
 to expect of their Mifery, except it be 
 the entire Annihilation of their Be- 
 ing, '['hus without making the Pu- 
 D d niihments
 
 402r On the Eternity 
 
 ments to be eternal, ftriftly fpeaking, 
 a Kind of Torment may be fuppos'd, 
 which is fufficient to fright and curb 
 the Sinners. The Reafon that the 
 Threats of the Gofpel do not produce 
 their due Effed upon Men, is not 
 owing to the Duration of their Tor- 
 ments, which the Wicked are threat- 
 ned with ; but altogether to this, that 
 thofe Punifliments do not atfe£l their 
 Senfes, appearing to them to be at a 
 Diftance. Prefent Pleafures blind 
 them, and move their Paffions fo vio- 
 lently, that the Ideas of a Futurity, 
 diftant as they imagine, do hardly af- 
 fect them. 
 
 Moreover, thofe that are for 
 Pains which muft end in an Annihila- 
 tion, take their Foundation for fuch 
 an Opinion, partly from thofe PalTages 
 which mention pofitive Pains, as in 
 all thofe Places where Mention is 
 made of a Fire^, which will burn the 
 Wicked ; and fr-om thence they have 
 their Idea of thofe terrible Punifh- 
 
 " ments;
 
 of He L l's Torments. 4O3 
 
 ments ; and partly from thofe which 
 . fpeak of an Endj, as of T>eathj which 
 according to them will put an End 
 to that Fire by annihilating the Sin- 
 ners, after they have been punifliM. 
 Buc Archbiiliop Tillotson does 
 juftly object to them, that the Punidi- 
 ment of Fh^Cj which is doubtlefs a 
 pofitive Punidiment , is nam'd the 
 fecond 'Death j and confequently 
 Death does not fignify an Annihila- 
 tion. Neverthelefs, if any one dil- 
 turb'd at the Difproportion of eternal 
 Pains with the Sins of Men, and for 
 fear of oflending ithe divine Juftice, 
 fliou'd rather choofe to follow this O- 
 pinion, than that which is commonly 
 received ; I don't fee why it fl-iou\l be 
 look'd upon as fo great a Crime, and 
 equal to the denyingof the whole Gof- 
 pel. They that accufe others fo radily, 
 fay enough to thole Men that reflcd 
 upon it •, and for thofe that do not, 
 even tl:e Eternity of the Punifliment 
 will not fright them, as Experience 
 {hews. Atleafl, it is infinitely better 
 D d 2 for
 
 404 O/? the Eternity 
 
 for a Man to believe the Gofpel, ad- 
 mitting of fuch a kind of PunilTiment, 
 as to rejed it wholly, becaufe he can- 
 not allow of eternal Punifhments 
 which the Gofpel is faid to teach. 
 
 " Thirdly J, fays the Archbifhop, 
 " We may confider farther, that the 
 " primary End of all Threatnings is 
 " not Punifhment, but the Preven- 
 " tion of it. For God does not 
 *' threaten that Men may fm and be 
 " punifhed, but that they may not 
 " fin, and fo may efcape the Punifh- 
 " ment threatned. And therefore the 
 " higher the Threatning runs, fo 
 " much the more Mercy and Good- 
 " nefs there is in it ; becaufe it is fo 
 " much the more likely to hinder 
 " Men from incurring the Penalty 
 " that is threatned. 
 
 " Fourthly J Let it be confidered 
 " likewife, that when it is fo very 
 " plain that God hath threatned e- 
 " ternal Mifery to impenitent Sin- 
 
 .*' ners.
 
 of Hell's Torments. 4C5 
 
 ^ ners, all the Prudence in the World 
 " obliges Men to believe that he is in- 
 " good Earncft, and will execute 
 " thefe Threatnings upon them, if 
 " they will obftinately ftand it out 
 " with him, and will not be brought 
 " to Repentance. And therefore in all 
 " Reafon we ought lb to demean our 
 " felvcs, and fo to perfuade others, 
 " as knowing the Terror of the 
 " Lord, and that they who wilfully 
 " break his Laws are in Danger of 
 " eternal Death. To which I will 
 " add in the 
 
 u 
 
 " Fift/j and laft Place, That if we 
 fuppofe that God did intend that 
 *' his Threatnings fliould have their 
 " Effea to deter Men from the 
 " Breach of his Laws, it cannot bei- 
 *' magiii'd that in the fame Revelati- 
 *' on which declares thefe Theatnings, 
 " any Intimation fhould be given of 
 '' the Abatement or Non-execution of 
 ^' them. For by this God would Irave 
 '' weakened his own Laws, and have 
 D d 3 " taken
 
 40(5 On the 'Eternity. 
 
 " taken off the Edge and Terror of 
 " his Threatnings ; becaufe a Threat- 
 ''^ ning hath quite loft its Force, if we 
 " once come to believe that it will no^ 
 f' be executed : And confequently it 
 " would be a very impious Defign to 
 go about to teach or perfuade any 
 Thing to the contrary, and a be- 
 traying Men into that Mifery , 
 which, had it been firmly believ'd, 
 miizht have been avoided. 
 
 't)' 
 
 " W E are all bound to preachj 
 
 " and you and I are all bound to be° 
 
 " lieve the Terrors of the Lord. Not 
 
 '*^ {o^ as faucily to determine and pro- 
 
 " nounce what God muft do m this 
 
 " Cafe ; for after all, he may do what 
 
 " he will, as I have clearly fliewn ; 
 
 ^^ But what is fit for us to do, and 
 
 ^' v/hat we have reafon to expe£l, if, 
 
 " notwithftanding a plain and exprefs 
 
 ^' Threatning of the Vengeance of e- 
 
 '' ternal F'trej we ftill go on to trea- 
 
 f' fiire tip to otir /elves Wrath againfl 
 
 ^\ the T>ay of Wrath ^ and the Re^ 
 
 velatkn
 
 of H EL l's T^orments- 407 
 
 " veldtioji of the Righteous Judg' 
 *' ment of God\ and will defperate- 
 " ly put it to the Hazard, whether^ 
 *' and how far, God will execute his 
 *' Threatnings upon Sinners m ano- 
 " ther World. 
 
 " And therefore there is no Need 
 " why we fhould be very folicitoufly 
 '' concern'd for the Honour of God's 
 " Juftice or Goodnefs in this Matter. 
 " Let us but take Care to believe 
 '*' and avoid the Threatnings of God ; 
 " and then how terrible foever they 
 " are, no Harm can come to us. And 
 *' as for God, let us not doubt but 
 '' that he will take Care of his own 
 " Honour ; and that he, ic-'^o is Holy 
 " /// all his JVays J and Righteous in 
 <-^ all his IVorks, will do nothing that 
 '' ' is repugnant to his eternal Good- 
 " nefs and Righteoufncfs ; and that he 
 " will certainly fo manage Things at 
 " the Judgment of the Great Day, as 
 " to be juftified in his Sayings ^ and 
 << to be righteous "johen we are judged. 
 D d 4 '! For
 
 40 8 On the Eternity 
 
 *' For notwithftandixHg his Threat-? 
 ^' nings, he hath referved Power e- 
 " noiigh in his own Hands to do right 
 ^' to all his Perfeftions : So that we 
 ^' may reft aiuirM that he will judge 
 '•^ the JVorid in Right eoitfnejs j and 
 " if it be any wife inconfiftent either 
 *' with Righteoulhefs or Goodnefs, 
 ^' v/hich he knows much better than 
 " we do, to make Sinners miferable 
 *' for ever, that he will not do it ; 
 *' nor is it credible, that he would 
 ^' threaten Sinners with a Punilli- 
 " ment which he could not execute 
 ^' upon them. 
 
 These Reflexions of Archbifhop 
 TiLLOTSoN^s are, no doubt, full of 
 good Ssnfe and Piety, and that Coun- 
 fel may be followed which he very 
 prudently gives. Yet fome People 
 have cenfur'd this Place in his Ser- 
 mon, accufmg him of having fpoken 
 very imprudently. If God, fay thofe 
 Men, has not given us any ExpreiTl- 
 on in Holy Scripture, from which we 
 
 may
 
 of He L lV Torments, 409 
 
 niay imagine that he will not put his 
 Threats in Execution, leil: it fliould 
 deftroy the Effecls of them ; why does 
 Archbifhop Tillotson in this Place 
 infinuate, that perhaps God will not 
 put them in Execution ? It is a great 
 Imprudence to reveal what God has 
 been pleasM to hide, and as it \\ ere 
 to betray his Secret. He fhould have 
 kept that Knowledge to himlelf ( if 
 he thought he knew it) and not make 
 it known to thofe who might make 
 an ill Ufe of it. 
 
 But this is only Cavilling ; for 
 what he has faid can have no ill Effecl: ; 
 fmce in the Main , they that might 
 make an ill Ufe of fuch a Thought, 
 mull remember, that the Archbiiliop 
 only fpeaks doubtfully of it, that he 
 was not infallible, and that they fliall 
 not at all be more excufable for hav- 
 ing followed his Opinion, in Cafe that 
 he was miilaken. If God has not tied 
 his Hands by his Threats j much Icfs 
 will he be oblig'd to a£l according to 
 
 the
 
 4^0 On the Eternity 
 
 the .Conjectures of Divines. Thus we 
 lliould think and always aO: with the 
 greateft Caution to avoid the EiTeO: 
 of his Threats, whatever it be. Ne- 
 verthelefs, we mml: do Juftice to this 
 excellent Archbifliop, and obferve, on 
 the other Hand, that there are fome 
 Cafes where it is well to difcover v/hat 
 In other Cafes it would be proper to 
 conceal. If there were wo Objecti- 
 ons to be made againft the Eternity 
 of the Torments, it would not be 
 well to meddle with that Qiieftion • 
 but fmce we know that there are fome 
 Men who attack the Gofpel on that 
 Side, and pretend to fliew that the 
 Doftrine of it is not confident with 
 itfelf; bccaufe, as they fay, it af- 
 firms God to be jufl: and good, and 
 at the fame time teaches, that he 
 puniflies Sin in a manner that is not 
 agreeable to his Juftice or Goodnefs. 
 We are oblig'd to bring back fuch 
 Men, and to hinder their Reafbnings 
 from being prejudicial to others, and 
 encouraging them to Libertinifm. 
 
 There-
 
 of H E L l's Torment s^ 411 
 
 Therefore, to prevent this Evil, ^nd 
 extirpate it jufl as it is taking Root, 
 by patting an End to all Dilpute about 
 it, we are oblig'd to declare, That 
 if any one can'c perfaade himfelf tliat 
 eternal Torments are juft, he had bet- 
 ter look upon what the Gofpel fays 
 of them as Threats, or Qomminatory 
 Tunijhments (as the Expreflion is) 
 than to rejecl the whole Gofpel upon 
 that Account. It is better in fuch a 
 Cafe to be an Origejiijl than an Unbe- 
 liever f that is, to disbelieve the E- 
 ternity of the Torments out of re- 
 gard to God's Juftice and Goodnefs, 
 and obey the Gofpel in every thing 
 elfe ; than wholly to rejeft Revelati- 
 on, imagining that it contains fome- 
 thing contrary to the Idea which it 
 felf gives us of God, and which is 
 conformable to the Light of Nature. 
 Mr. Qamphuyfe^ a Perfon famous in 
 //^//j;/^ upon account of feveral Pie- 
 ces of Poetry, has pubHckly declared, 
 that he had been tempted to rejeft the 
 Chriftian Religion altogether, whilil 
 
 he
 
 41^ On the Eternity 
 
 he believed that it taught the Eternity 
 of Torments ; and that he never over- 
 came thofe Temptations, till he found 
 that the Threats of the Gofpel might 
 be taken in another Senle. It was for 
 promoting the Salvation of fuch doub- 
 ting Men, that Archbifliop Tillot- 
 soN fpoke as he did. 
 
 SaintJerom, at the end of 
 his Commentary upon Ifa'iah^ after 
 quoting fome Paflages by which Ori- 
 GEN pretended to prove, that the 
 Punifliments of the next Life would 
 not be eternal, exprefles himfelf thus: 
 Tag, 514. r. 3. Ed. Bened. " They 
 *' fay all this, hoping to fhew, that 
 " after the Punifhments and Tor- 
 " ments, Refrefhments will come, 
 " which muft now be conceal'd from 
 " thofe that can be afted upon by 
 " Fear, that the Dread of the Punifh- 
 " ment may keep them from finning. 
 " We muft leave this to the Know- 
 " ledge of God alone, whofe Punilli- 
 " ments, as well as Mercies, are fef- 
 
 " tied :
 
 ^ H E L l'j" torments. 41 j 
 
 " tied; who knows whom, which 
 " way, and how long, he defigns to 
 " punifh. Let us only fay what be- 
 " comes human Frailty ; O Lord^ re- 
 " buke me not in thine Indignation ; 
 " neither chaften 7ne in thy Dif^lea- 
 " fure, ^£ omnia. repUcanP adfeve- 
 rare cupientes poji cruciatus ^ tor- 
 mentdj futura refrigeria^ qua nunc 
 abfcondenda flint ab his qn'ibus timor 
 utilis eft ; nt dnm fnpplicia reformi- 
 dantj pec care defiftant. ^lod nos 
 *T>ei folius debemus fcientia derelin^ 
 quere ; cujus nonfolum mifericordi^j 
 fed ^ torment a in ponder e fitnt^ ^ 
 novit quern J quomodoj ant quamdiu 
 debeat judicare. Solumque dicamus 
 quod human a convenit fragilitati : 
 Domine, ne in furore tuo arguas me, 
 neque in ira tua corripias me. This 
 is much after ArchbiOiop Tillot- 
 son's manner. The Fear of eternal 
 Punifliments, when it induces Men 
 to obey the Gofpel, cannot but be 
 ufeful (according to him) although it 
 fhould be ill-grounded ; and it would 
 
 not
 
 414 On the Eternity 
 
 not be well to deliver from that Fear 
 thofe on whom it produces fo good 
 an Effea. 
 
 B u T on the other hand, when we 
 have Tuch Men to deal with as rebel 
 againft the Gofpel, upon account of 
 the eternal Torments, and endeavour 
 to feduce others from believing it ; 
 it is better to let them believe the 
 Punifliments finite, than to throw 
 them wholly off of the Chriftian Re- 
 ligion, or give them an Advantage to 
 ftrive againil it. St. Jerom himfelf 
 was moderate in that Cafe, as it ap- 
 pears by his Words following : " As 
 " we believe that there are eternal 
 , " Torments for the Devils, for all 
 " thofe that deny the Being of God, 
 " for all the Impious, which fay in 
 " their Hearts, There is no God ; fo 
 " we believe that the Sentence of the 
 " Judge is foftned and mix'd with 
 " Clemency towards thofe Sinners and 
 *' impious Men which yet have been 
 " Chrillians, and whole \Yorks muft 
 
 **be
 
 of Hel lV Torments. 4^5 
 
 " be prov'd and purgM by Fire." Et 
 ficiit Emboli & omnitmi negatorunij 
 atque impiornm^ qui dixenmt in corde 
 JiiOj non eft Deus ; credimus aterim 
 torment a : fic peccatorum atque im- 
 fiorumj ^ tamen Chr'tfiianortim ^ quo- 
 rum opera in igne probanda fttut at- 
 que pur ganda., moderatam arb'itramur 
 ^ m'tftam dementia fententiam judi- 
 CIS. Other Fathers have folio wM the 
 fame Notions, as may be feen in Mr. 
 Huet's Origeniana^ Book 2. Q. ii< 
 
 5. They who are of that Opinion, 
 at leaft in fome refpe£ls, believe that 
 God may have threacned m fiich a 
 manner, not only to awe Men by 
 Fear, as a Father often threatens his 
 Children with what he does not mean 
 to do ; but becaufe there being infi- 
 nite Kinds of Sinners and of Sins, 
 there is no limited Term for all in 
 common, and it is even a great Part 
 of the Puniihment that there is no 
 pofitive Promife that it will have an 
 End, or Knowledge of the I'ime 
 
 when
 
 4.i<5 On the Eternity 
 
 when that End will be. This lafl: will 
 be wholly conceard, and the firft is 
 only a Confequcnce drawn from the 
 Mercy and Juliire of God, which are 
 only known to himfelf. God will con- 
 dennn the Impenitent to certain Pains, 
 without letting them know what he 
 defigns to do : As among Men, Cri- 
 minals are publickly condem'd to the 
 Death which they have defervM, tho' 
 there is an Order for their Pardon^ 
 which they are not to be made ac- 
 quainted with till the Moment they 
 txpecl to die. It might after the 
 fame Manner happen (according to 
 thole whole Opinion I am explaining) 
 that God would condemn to Pains 
 fin limited J as to their Duration, fuch 
 Men as his Mercy would afterwards 
 releafe at different Times, after they 
 had fuffer'd as much as his Juftice 
 would require. The Holy Scripture 
 would have calFd Eternal^ fuch Pu- 
 nilliments as are to be of an unlimit- 
 ed Duration in refpeQ: of the Crea- 
 tures, and whofe End is only known
 
 of Hel l's Torments. 4x7 
 
 of God ; which is the proper Mean- 
 ing of the Hebrew Word udVij;, 
 which is exprefs'd by the Greek 
 Word cu6)i', which fignifics fuch a 
 Time. 
 
 Supposing the Cafe to ftand thus, 
 as indeed it may; the Thought of 
 fuch Punifhments is dreadful enough 
 to caufe the moft hardened to trem- 
 ble; if they expe£l and confider any 
 fuch thing. As for thofe that are alto- 
 gether Unbelievers, they are no more 
 afraid of the eternal Punifhments 
 which they don't believe, than of li- 
 mited ones. 
 
 This Notion was made ufe of In 
 the I ft Tome of the ^arrha/iana., to 
 endeavour to bring back thole whom 
 the Obiedions of M. Bayle's Mam- 
 chat j (for I don't look upon their O- 
 pinion as his) might have ftartlcd, or 
 dilTwaded from the Belief of Chrifti- 
 anity. For indeed if the Holy Scrip- 
 ture fliould reprcfent God to us in a 
 B e Man-
 
 41 8 On the Eternity 
 
 Manner different from the Idea whicfi 
 his Works give us of him, as the Ob- 
 jeQions Manichai fuppofe ; or if it 
 fhould reprefent God as an hurtful 
 Being, and an Enemy to Virtue, it 
 cou'd not be a divine Revelation. It 
 would not be Piety but Folly, to be- 
 lieve a Book to be from God which 
 fhould affirm any fuch Thing, tho' 
 the fame Book fhould in other Pla- 
 ces fay the contrary; for it would 
 be a Contradiction, of which the Spi- 
 rit of God can no more be the Au- 
 thor than he can be the Author of 
 Evil. 
 
 Monsieur Bayle thought fit a- 
 gain to introduce his Mankhaij and 
 has anfwer'd for them at full length to 
 the Article concerning Ori GEN. See 
 ihQfecojtd Edition of his Diction- 
 ary. I fliall not undertake to con- 
 fute them here, not thinking it necef- 
 fary. They who have his Dictionary 
 may read the Replies of the Mani- 
 chaij, and I will fuppofe them known. 
 
 I be-
 
 of He L l's Torments. 419 
 
 I believe M. Bayle will not think 
 
 me in the Wrong for defending the 
 
 Chriftian Religion ^ the Truth of 
 
 which I believe, and for which I 
 
 would lay down my Life, if God 
 
 fliould call me to it; when at the 
 
 fame Time he thinks it allowable to 
 
 furnifli with Arms thofe which he 
 
 thinks to be in an Error, and for whom 
 
 I don't fuppofe that he would lofe the 
 
 fmalleft Advantage. If I have any 
 
 fliarp ExprefTions againft the Mani^ 
 
 cbaij they cannot refled upon him, 
 
 who according to all Appearance dif- 
 
 approves their Doctrine; but I look 
 
 upon all the Attempts made by the 
 
 Manichai againif Chriifianity, as le- 
 
 vell'd at me who profefs it, and am 
 
 perfuaded that nothing can be found 
 
 in the Chriftian Religion which is 
 
 contrary to Reafon. If it be ask*d 
 
 why I have not anfwerM fooner, I 
 
 fiy that I did not imagine that any 
 
 Body could have been led afide by 
 
 fuch Replies ; but fince I underftand 
 
 that fomc People are puzzl'd with 
 
 E e 2 them.
 
 410 On the Eternity 
 
 them, I was willing to take Notice 
 of 'em in a few Words, to fliew 
 that they are no Way terrible to me. 
 It were to be wifli'd, as I faid in the 
 6th Tome J that the Manichai wou'd 
 eftabhfli fome Principles, that one 
 might be able to difpute with them. 
 But I was willing to anfwer here 
 diredlly, left what I then objeQied 
 fhou'd be look'd upon as a Trick to 
 fliift off the Difpute. 
 
 T fliall ftill reafon upon the Princi- 
 ples of the Ortgemftj which was in- 
 troduced in the Tarrhafiana : M. le 
 Clerc's Essays, under the Title of 
 Parrhasiana, are tranflated into 
 Englijh^ 8vo. Not to exafl: too 
 much of the Mankhaij or of thofe 
 which like their Replies. It is better, 
 as I faid before, to give them up 
 fomething, and bring them over to 
 the Gofpel; than to keep them at a 
 Diftance by requiring more of them 
 than they wouM be willing to grant. 
 M. Bayle-^s Mankhai have in fome 
 
 Mea-
 
 of He L lV Tor merits. 42.1 
 
 Meafure been affected with it, fince 
 they confefs that the Origenifl of the 
 Tarrbajianaj by making eternal Hap- 
 pinefs fucceed the eternal Torments 
 whijh the damned are to fuffer, has 
 taken of the greatejl "Difficulty of 
 the Manichsi ; namely j the Eternity 
 of the Moral and of the Thyfaal 
 Tains of Hell, M.' Bayle indeed 
 quotes a Jefuit, who fays fomething 
 concerning the Opinion of Origen, 
 which does agree with all that the O- 
 rigenift fays. We know that ; but 
 thought it as allowable for us to put 
 what Words we pleas'd in the Mouth 
 of the Origeniji ; as it was for M. 
 Bayle to make his Manichai fpeak 
 after what manner he thought fit, 
 
 Firftj The Manichai (ay, that the 
 Goodnefs of God, which, as we con- 
 ceive it, ought to be an ideal Good- 
 nefs ^ that is, without any Mixture of 
 Ill-will, ought not to fuffer him to 
 make us buy eternal Happincfs, with 
 the fuffcring of the lead Pain, but hp 
 E c 5 ought
 
 411 On the Eternity. 
 
 ought to do us Good without theleaft 
 Mixture of Evil. To this I anfwer, 
 Firjij That God having made an in- 
 finite Number of Creatures, of dif- 
 ferent Degrees of Perfeftion, to fliew 
 his Power an infinite Number of 
 Ways ; he has form'd Man, who in 
 his Order is neither one of the moil: 
 perfect, nor one of the moft imper- 
 fed. Secondly^ It cannot be doubted, 
 but that the Divine Bounty can be- 
 llow more or leis upon a Creature, 
 according to his Pleafure : So that a! 
 Creature has no Reafon to complain, 
 becaufe God, who owed him nothing, 
 has given him no more. Thirdly^ 
 God has not created the Mind of 
 Man fo perfect, as to enable him ne- 
 ver to wander from his Duty, or from 
 the Rules which Reafon and Revela- 
 tion prefcrib'd him to become accep- 
 table to him, and happy even upon 
 Earth ; neither has he given him a 
 Body fo ftrong, as not to be liable to 
 feveral Inconveniencies ; but he has 
 given him the Means of being happy, 
 ^ ■ if
 
 of Hell's Torments. 413 
 
 if he will but obferve the Rules 
 prefcrib'd him, being oblig'd by no 
 unconquerable Neceflity to violate 
 them. 
 
 I affirm that there is nothing in 
 this, that can give Men any Reafon 
 to conceive any difadvantageous No- 
 tions of the Goodnefs of God. For 
 the Goodnefs of God, however infi- 
 nite in it felf, is not oblig'd to com- 
 municate it felf to every one of his 
 Creatures, in the fulleft manner pofli- 
 ble. If the Creator's Bounty is not 
 free, Nothing in the V/orld can be 
 fo ; for by what Contract is the Crea- 
 tor oblig'd to give a Creature (which 
 he defigns to draw out of nothing) 
 all that he can poffibly beftow ? There 
 can certainly be no fuch Contradl, 
 neither is there any Thing in his Na- 
 ture to oblige him to be fo communi- 
 cative to every Creature, as to be 
 unable to beftow any more upon it 
 after having created it. If this was 
 true, God muft have made but one 
 E e 4 Sort
 
 414 ^^ ^^^ Eternity 
 
 Sort of Creatures, whereby this Li- 
 berality muft have been {^o wholly ex- 
 haufted, as to make him uncapable 
 of beftowing any Thing more. O- 
 therwife thefe Creatures might, ac- 
 cording to the Mankhaan Obje£lion, 
 fay, that his ideal Goodnefs does not 
 appear in his Works, and that they 
 are not all equally well treated, nor 
 with the fame Liberality. From this 
 alfo would follow a downright Abfur- 
 dity, namely, that God's Creatures 
 wou'd be as perfect as himfelf ; that 
 is, wouM have infinite Pcrfe^lions, 
 which is impoflible ; becaufe other- 
 wife it might ftill be faid that God 
 might have given them infinite De- 
 grees of Perfection, which he has not 
 given them; and confequently that 
 his Goodnefs appears in them only li- 
 mited, and only capable of limited 
 Effeds. After this rate, God muft 
 make as many Gods as Creatures^ 
 (which is a Contradiction) otherwife 
 his ideal Goodnefs would not appear. 
 
 What
 
 ^ H E L lV Torments^ 4Z5 
 
 What then muft be faid in this 
 Cafe ? That the Goodnefs of God is 
 in it felf infinite, but that each Crea- 
 ture is finite, and therefore uncapable 
 of exhaufting that Bounty. But the 
 Infinity of God's Goodnefs appears? 
 from the infinite Number of Objeds 
 to which it is more or lefs extended, 
 and that after an infinite Number of 
 Ways, efpecially as it beftows eternal 
 FcHcity on an infinite Number of in- 
 tellegent Creatures. After this man- 
 ner alfo does the Almighty Power of 
 God appear in the Univerle ; not that 
 God has made it either wholly, or in 
 its Parts, as perfect as himfeh^ which 
 would imply a Contradiction ; but it 
 fhews it felf in the vafl: Number of 
 its EflPeCts of all Kinds, whether known 
 to us, or unknown to us, but percei- 
 ved by other intelligent Beings. 
 
 Secondly^ Man's Imperfection has 
 been the Reafon that he has made an 
 ill Ufe of his Liberty, and err'd from 
 
 his
 
 ^l6 On the Eternity 
 
 his Duty ; and this has brought upon 
 him all the Evils which happen tp 
 him in this Life, and in the next- 
 from which God would preferve him 
 if he fhould continue in Innocence, 
 This is an EflFeffc of the Liberty which 
 he was created with. Had he made 
 a good Ufe of his Liberty, he might 
 have procur'd himfelf the Favour of 
 Heaven, and a thoufand Blellings 
 which are the Confequence of it ; 
 but it has happened otherwile. 
 
 Here pur Mankhai reply, that 
 this Liberty is a fatal Gift, and that 
 if Man was created by a good Being, 
 he would not have beftow'd on him 
 fuch a Talent as he might have made 
 an ill Ufe of, in a manner deftruQive 
 to himfelf; and which, according to 
 us, God knew that he would make 
 an ill Ufe of. They ufe all their Rhe- 
 toric to aggravate the Evil which this 
 Gift has brought upon Mankind ; and 
 which they might have avoided, if he 
 that made them, had cheated them of 
 
 fuch
 
 of Hell's Torments- 417 
 
 fuch a Nature that they could not 
 err from their Duty, 
 
 But all thefe Arguments againft 
 the Creator's Goodn^s, will vanifh, 
 if we confider well what I have before 
 obferv'd, and what the Origemji of 
 the Tarrhajiana faid upon that Sub- 
 ject. The Liberty of doing 111 is an 
 ImperfeQion in fuch a fickle Creature 
 as Man, if we compare him with 
 Creatures of a more exalted Nature, 
 which may be exempt from it ; and 
 the divine Goodnefs does not tax him 
 with it as a Crime : It only condemns 
 him for the ill Ufe which he makes of 
 it, becaufe it is in his Power to make 
 a good Ufe of it. And even to pre- 
 vent that ill Ufe, and lead Man to 
 Happinefs, God has in the Gofpel pro- 
 posM to him eternal Rewards, and 
 unlimited Punifliments. It is in Man's 
 own Power to avoid thefe Punilh- 
 jnents, and obtain the Rewards. 
 
 But
 
 4^8 On the Eternity 
 
 But then, fay they, God knew 
 what wou'd happen. It is true, cer- 
 tainly God was not miftaken in his 
 Defign, he did not intend to create 
 Angels :'uncapable of finning, when 
 he made Man ; but before we go on, 
 we mufl: obferve, that if the divine 
 Goodnefs has made Man liable to fall, 
 it has alfo given him the greateft Mo- 
 tives pofTible to prevent his Fall. If 
 he has been in danger of bringing 
 Torments upon himfelf, he has alfo 
 had the Power to avoid them ; and 
 not only fo, but even to obtain 
 eternal Happinefs, which God was 
 not obliged to give him. This being 
 obferv'd, I fay, that God was not o- 
 bligM to prevent, by his Almighty 
 Power, the Evil which he forefaw 
 would happen, through Man's own 
 Fault; becaufe that Evil which is ^o 
 much talked of, and againll which 
 fome endeavour to enflame the vul- 
 gar and weak Minds, is but of a 
 fmall Duration in it felf, and in (all its 
 
 Confe-p
 
 o/ H E L Ls Torments. 4^9 
 
 Confequences, and can no Ways break 
 the Order of the Univerfe ; becaufe 
 God can take it off in a Moment, and 
 will at lafl do it for all Eternity, ac- 
 cording to the Opinion of tlie Ori- 
 geniji. 
 
 But, why mufl: Men go through 
 Evil, before they can feel all the Ef- 
 fects [of the divine Goodnefs? I have 
 already anfwerM, that this is a Confe- 
 quence of Man's imperfecl Nature; 
 which couM not have that Degree ot 
 Imperfedion which it has, without 
 being liable to what has happen'd. 
 Either we mull fay, that God cou\! 
 make nothing imperfect, compared 
 with himfelf, which is abfurd, as I 
 have fliewn ; or we muft grant that 
 he made Beings that want fomething, 
 and which have been expos'd to the 
 Inconveniencics which were the refult 
 of that Want ; but that God may 
 remove thofe Inconveniencics when 
 he plcafcs, and after what Manner he 
 pleafes. 
 
 As
 
 43 o On the JEternity 
 
 A s for Example, God cannot make 
 Creatures without beginning, becaufe 
 to be created, and to have no begin- 
 ning, are contradictory Propofitions. 
 Nev^erthelefs, this Confequence may 
 be drawn from it, viz. That God has 
 hzQa an infinite Space of Time, or a 
 Time without beginning, without 
 fhewing his Goodnefs. Yet ( T dare 
 fay) there is not any one fo void of 
 Senfe as to complain, becaufe God 
 has not from all Eternity made him 
 ienfible of his BlefTmgs ; as being a 
 Thing which implies a Contradiction. 
 But God manifells his Goodnefs to 
 intelligent Creatures, during another 
 Kind of Eternity, of which they are 
 capable, that is, for a Duration with- 
 out end. Thus it is that God reme- 
 dies the Inconveniency which arifes 
 from the Nature of the Creature, 
 which, how perfeQ: foever it be in 
 its Kind, muft have had a Beginning. 
 So in refpeCt of a Creature oi a 
 changeable Nature, and which chan- 
 ges
 
 of He L lV Torments. 43 1 
 
 ges for the worfe, becaufe God has 
 left it its Liberty; he afterwards brings 
 a Remedy for that Misfortune, in fuch 
 a wonderful Manner, as the Creature 
 is bound for ever to give him Thanks, 
 and not to quarrel with the Almighty 
 for not having been made of a more 
 exalted Nature, after fuch an unwor- 
 thy Manner as the Mankhai do. 
 
 Thirdly^ If God had made Men of 
 fuch a Nature, as not only to be lia- 
 ble to fall, but alfo never to rife again 
 when once he was fallen, and God 
 had forefeen that he wou'd actually 
 fall and fo never rife again upon any 
 Account whatever; it might be faid 
 that God had created him for that 
 Fall and its Confequences. But God, 
 who has forefeen that Man wou'd fall, 
 does not damn him for that ; but be- 
 caufe, being able to rife again, he 
 rifes not; that is, becaufe he free- 
 ly retains his evil Habits till the 
 End of his Life. This is a Step of 
 Mercy already veryconfiderable. Firft^ 
 
 Becaufe
 
 432. On the Eternity 
 
 Becaufe no one is call: into the Tor- 
 ments of the Impenitents, but by his 
 own Fault. Secondly^ Becaufe a great 
 many lay hold of this Goodnefs of 
 God, and rifnig from their Sins, form 
 virtuous Habits, by which they avoid 
 the Pains of the next Life, and before- 
 hand tafte a great deal of Calm and 
 Sweetnefs even in this. 
 
 As for the others, on whom God 
 inflicts Punifliments after Death, and 
 who by their Folly bring Evil upon 
 themfelves, and upon each other dur- 
 ing this Life : After God has punifhM 
 them according to his Juftice, he will 
 (if we believe the OrtgenijT) transfer 
 them to a State of eternal Felicity. 
 Thus it is that God fhews an infinite 
 Mercy; and as to the Impenitent, 
 there will not be any one of them, but 
 what will accufe himfelf of all the Evil 
 that he has fuffer'd, and at laft give 
 God Thanks for ever. F'trft:, That 
 God had created them fuch as to be 
 able to attain eternal Happinefs. Se- 
 
 condlyj
 
 ^ H E L l'^ TorrP^ents. 453 
 
 condlyj Becaufc tho' they had made 
 fuch an ill Ule of their Liberty, yet 
 notwithftanding all that, God has not 
 for ever excluded them from Happi- 
 nefs, but has been willing (after the 
 Sinners have juftly fuffer'd the Punifh* 
 ment due to their Impenitence) to 
 admit them to that Happinefs which 
 they had not purfued tho' God had 
 fliew'd them the Way. They will 
 not any more remember either the 
 Pains of this Life, or the Pains of the 
 other, except it be to thank God that 
 they are deliver'd from them, and to 
 admire the more his Mercy and Good- 
 nefs. For indeed we do not know 
 how far God may carry the Torments, 
 according to the Rigor of his Juftice ; 
 neither can we fciy that he will not 
 annihilate the Impenitent after they 
 have endured Hell Torments. Ab- 
 folutely fpeaking, God can take away 
 from the Creature all that he has giv- 
 en it ; and if he does not do it (elpc- 
 cially when an ill life lias been mailc 
 of his (jifts) he thereby Ihevvi his 
 V f ' Mer-
 
 434 ^^ ^^^^ Eternity. 
 
 Mercy. The Impenitent therefore will 
 always have great Occafion to thank 
 God, and accufe themfelves ; inliead 
 of ccnfuring him, as M. Bayle's 
 Manich^i do. Who doubts but that 
 it is infinitely more advantageous 
 to have been created, tho' liable to 
 fome Inconveniences, than never to 
 have been created at all ? Who does 
 not fee the Divine Goodnefs lliine in 
 this, in a Manner worthy of it felf,? 
 
 Fourthly, but M. Bayle's Mani- 
 7ikbai make this further Objedion, 
 'VIZ. that if it be faid that the Dura- 
 tion of the Evils, which Man fufTers 
 here, and in the other Life, is no_ 
 thing, v/hen comparM with Eternity, 
 it will give Occafion to this unphilo- 
 fophical Reafoning, namely, that ac- 
 cording to this Principle an hundred 
 thoufand Millions of Ages, and any 
 other finite Duration, during which 
 the Creatures fliou'd fuffer, mufl: be 
 iookM upon as nothing when com- 
 parM with Eternity. I anfwer, Firfl 
 
 that
 
 of Hel l's l^ormcnis. 435 
 
 that it is true that a paft Duration, 
 how long foever it has been, is no- 
 thing in Refpecl of Eternity, if it has 
 no evil Confequence of everlafting 
 Duration. This cannot be doubted of, 
 if we are but capable of Realoning ? 
 for there is no Comparifon between 
 Finite and Infinite-, and a Philofopher 
 who fliou^d argue otherwife deferves 
 to be fent to School again. Thus 
 wfien a Creature has thro' its own 
 Fault iufter'd any determinate Tiniej 
 when it might have avoided, there 
 will be no Comparifon between the 
 Severity and the Goodnefs of God. 
 This is a Thing of Mathematical E- 
 vidence, not to be difputed by any 
 one that knows how to think. But, 
 Secondly J to fatisfic even fuch Argu- 
 ers, an Origenifl^ who rightly under- 
 rtands his own Principles, will anfwer,- 
 that he docs not define the Duration 
 of the Torments, but that they will 
 be longer or fliortci-, as Juflicc fliall 
 requiic. According to the lame Prin- 
 ciples, the Duration of the Torments 
 F f 2 will
 
 436 On the Eternity 
 
 will be fhorter as the Torments are 
 fliarper , and there will be as much 
 Variety in the Pimifliments, as there 
 was in the Sins. But if it fhou'd be 
 rephed, that the Duration of the Tor- 
 ments will be long in RefpeO: to the 
 Life of the Impenitent, and to the 
 Time of the evil Confequences of 
 their Mii>behaviour, an Origenift need 
 not fear that fuch a Notion fliou'd be 
 prov'd abfurd, or contrary to the Ho- 
 ly Scripture. Becaufe what is obje£l- 
 ed againft him concerning Torments 
 that are to laft feveral Ages does no 
 Way confute his AfTertions; for he 
 does not believe that they will laft fo 
 long, tho' he cannot determine their 
 Duration. It can't be alledg'd againft 
 him, that a long or a fhort Duration 
 differ only comparatively \ fmce the 
 Duration of the Pains muft be pro- 
 portioned to the Sins, and to all their 
 Circumftances. 
 
 Fifthly^ M. Bayle's Mankhai 
 fay that all the Advantage which the 
 
 Or'u
 
 o/ H E L lV Torments, z] 37 
 
 Origenifts feem to have in this Dif^ 
 pute, is owing to the Falfities which 
 are proper to them ; as on the one 
 Hand, giving a great Extent to the 
 Power of the Free-Will ; and on the 
 other, fubllituting eternal Happinefs 
 inftead of the eternal Torments , 
 which they fupprcfs. But the Ori- 
 genifts will anfwer the Manichai^ 
 that they are very bold to call that 
 Falflaood, which Origen has taught 
 concerning Free- Will , when them- 
 felves have been condemn'd^ not on- 
 . ly by all the Reft of Mankind, who 
 ^ acknowledge Free- Will ; but alfo by 
 the whole Chriftian Church, which 
 has conftantly detefted the Do6lrine 
 of Manes, concerning Frce-Will, 
 which he deny'd. It is not Origen 
 alone who has attack'd this Opini- 
 on of Manes ; but all who have 
 fpokcn of this Heretick, and have de- 
 tefted his Do^lrine, whether Eaftern 
 or Weftcrn Writers ; efpecially be- 
 fore the Difputes with the Pelagi- 
 ans, TIic Origenifts wou'd aHo al- 
 ^ F f 3 ledge,
 
 43 8 On the Eternity 
 
 ledge, that it is falfe to liiy that it 
 may be concluded from the Terms 
 of Holy Scripture, that the Tor- 
 ments will be eternal ; and there is 
 jio Need of dwelling any more up- 
 on that Topic after what has been 
 faid» I do not believe that the Ob- 
 jeQ:ions of the Manicba:i againil: the 
 Goodnefs of God can be call'd unex- 
 ce^tionable Truths ; or that the An- 
 fwers of the Origenifts in Defence 
 of the Divine Goodnefs can be term\i 
 Falfities , fmce, Philofophically fpea- 
 king, the Opinions of the Latter have 
 a Foundation infinitely ftronger, a- 
 gainfl: which the Mauichai can makq 
 no reafonable Objedlion. 
 
 Sixthly , Nothing then can be 
 more abfurd, than wholly to deny 
 Hell Torments, to defend the Divine 
 Goodnefs. An Orlgentfl^ by fuppof- 
 ing them finite, eafily removes all 
 Difficulties. He finds in God the fol- 
 lowing Tokens of Goodnefs , and 
 fuch a Goodnefs as muft truly be in- 
 finite.
 
 o/ H E L Ls Torme?2ts. 439 
 
 finite. Namely, Firji^ that God has 
 created Men to be kind to them, out 
 of pure Goodnefs ; for having no Be- 
 ing, we had not done any Thing 
 which cou'd bring on us the Effects 
 of his Kindnefs. Secondly^ he has 
 given them a thoufand excellent Qua- 
 lities, as appears by the Invention of 
 Arts and Sciences, both Speculative 
 and Praftical. Thirdly^ he has en- 
 compaf^'d them with a numberlefs 
 Quantity of fenfible Benefits or Blef- 
 fings that aflfed their Senfes, which 
 are enjoy'd with a great Deal of Plea- 
 fure, and tend much to their Ad- 
 vantage, if they are ufed moderately : 
 And as for Life, all Men love it, 
 except a few melanchoUy People- 
 Fourthly J he has fhewn them , by 
 Reafon and Revelation, the Things 
 which were nccelfary to be known in 
 Order to their obtaining Happinefs 
 (by their Obedience to him) both in 
 this Life and after Death. Fifthly^ 
 the Commands which he has laid on 
 them, are of fuch a Nature, that 
 V f 4 they
 
 440 On the Eternity 
 
 they 'cannot but be happy in oblerv- 
 ing them ; fince they all promote 
 the good of Human Nature, and all 
 Men reap an Advantage from them • 
 for they can bellow nothing on the 
 Almiglity, who has no more Need 
 of tlictii after once he has created 
 them, than he had in the Duration 
 without end, which preceded the Cre- 
 ation of the World. Sixthly^ God's 
 Commands are eafy to be obferv'd, if 
 we will conform our felves to right 
 Reafon ; and nothing can make them 
 difficult but a contrary Habit. Se- 
 venthly^ fuch an Habit may be over- 
 com.e, and if we fall, God is not imr 
 placable; he will be fatisfied if we do 
 but rife again. Eighthly^ he immedi- 
 ately gives eternal Happinefs to thofe 
 that have repented, and puniflies the 
 Impenitent with moderate Torments 
 before he lets them enter in Poileffion 
 of thcit laid eternal Happinefs, which 
 iiiews, that he has created Man with 
 a Def.ga to make him happy ; which 
 
 if
 
 of Hell's TTorments. 441 
 
 if Man has not been at firft, is only 
 thro' his own Fault. 
 
 Nothing can be objeded a- 
 gainft this but the Inconveniences, 
 which are annex'd to an intelligent 
 Nature which is liable to change, and 
 which God was not willing to pre^ 
 vent ; becaufe he look'd upon them 
 as nothing in Comparifon of the 
 Good which he has refolvM to blefs 
 Mankind witli. But then (fay the 
 Pifciples of Manes) muft not a 
 Mother, who forefees that her Daugh- 
 ter will yield to the Temptations of 
 a debauch'd Man, make hafte and hin- 
 der her, if fhe has a Value for her 
 Daughter, and for Chaftity ? Can fhe 
 her felf be reckon'd honed, if fhe 
 does not prevent it ? We fay nothing 
 here of the Indecency of comparing 
 Divine Providence with a Woman 
 that proftitutes her Daughter, tho' 
 our Refped for God Almighty ought 
 hardly to bear with fuch a Way of 
 fpcaking. In a Word, the Mankbai 
 
 arc
 
 442^ On the Eternity 
 
 are abominable Hereticks , Enemies 
 of the Holy Scripture and tbe Go- 
 fpel, in ufing fuch Expreflions ; and 
 furely, the Gentleman that pleads for 
 them cannot be of their Opinion. 
 But to the forementionM ObjeQion 
 we anfwer, that fuch a Mother, 
 ought, as much as in her lies, to pre- 
 vent the Evil which Ihe fears. Firji^ 
 Becaufe fhe is fo commanded in the 
 Gofpel. Secondly^ Becaufe when the 
 Milchief is done flie can no Way re. 
 medy it, or prevent its evil Confe- 
 quences. Thirdly^ Becaufe the Evil 
 which fuch a Woman fuffers to be 
 committed, and its Confequences, 
 are in Refpe8: to her felf as well as 
 her Daughter, great and confiderable. 
 But God, who is our Creator and 
 Lawgiver, m.ay permit a Work which 
 he has made fickle, to be (as it were) 
 out of Order \ becaufe fuch an In- 
 convenience is fcarce any Thing in 
 KefpeO: to him, and he can eafily re- 
 medy it as foon as he fhall think fit. 
 This is what the Origenift has ihewn 
 
 in
 
 of He L l's Torments. 44| 
 
 in his ^arrhajiana; where with a 
 handful of Dull:, pnlveris exiguija- 
 fiuj he has laid a fwarm of Difficul- 
 ties, which were in a pompous Man- 
 ner brought in concerning the Dif- 
 order that we fee in the World, 
 whofe End we car.not yet any way 
 forefee. 
 
 Besides, what has been faicl 
 may as well be applied to moral as to 
 phyfical Evil, to the Vices, as to the 
 Sufferings of Men ; and we need not 
 make any diftincler Application of it 
 to thefe two Kinds of Dilbrdcrs. 
 
 Neither fliall I take up any 
 Time to fhew, that if the Holy Scrip- 
 ture taught us any Thing unworthy 
 of God, or implied contradidory No- 
 tions, it cou'd not be of divine Infpi- 
 vation, or chain our Faith. The Thing 
 is felf-evident ; therefore I enlarge 
 no more upon this Head, leaving the 
 Reader to think the refl: ; bccaule I 
 wou'd not appear to make the Orige- 
 
 nijl
 
 444- ^^ ^^^^ Eternity 
 
 nifl triumph, left odious Confequences 
 fhou'd be drawn from it. 
 
 Laftly^ If any one fhou'd take it ill 
 that I reafon upon the Principles of 
 an Origcniji^ tho' I am not altogether 
 of Oki gem's Opinion ; he muft con- 
 fider^ that I did not begin, Firjij to 
 cover my felf with a borrow'd Name; 
 I was only willing by this to imitate 
 M. Bayle, who has taken upon him 
 to perfonate the Man'ichai, Second- 
 ly j They that have nicely examin'd 
 Origen^s Opinion, have acknow- 
 ledged, that bating fome Tlatonk 
 Whimfies, which may be blotted out 
 of his Syftem, without overthrowing 
 it ; (fuch as thePras-exiftence of Souls, 
 the Revolutions of all Things in fet- 
 tled Periods, and other fuch Notions) 
 the reft has been generally receiv'd 
 and efteem'4 by all the Eaft ; till 
 TriEOPHiLUS of Alexandria^ and o- 
 ther hot Men of his Time, caus'-d 
 him to be condemn'd, rather to over- 
 throw fuch Men as they hated, than 
 
 out
 
 of He L lV Tor mints. 445 
 
 out of regard to Truth. Befides, O- 
 RiGEN has always been look'd upon 
 as ^ Member of the Chriftian Church, 
 in which alfo he died ; after he had 
 been a ConfeiTor, during the Perfecu- 
 tion of T>ecius ; and had fliewn a 
 great deal of Conftancy, and appear'd 
 very willing to fufter Martyrdom. A 
 great many have formerly, and of late 
 Years, written in his Defence, whofe 
 Books any one may confult. And then 
 what Origen has advancM concern-^ 
 ing the End of Hell Torments, was 
 but what he thought he found in 
 the Holy Scripture, which ke endea- 
 voured to explain after the belf Man- 
 ner that he cou'd. He only argued 
 for its Authority, but the Man'tchai 
 diredlly againft it. 
 
 But after fo long a Digreffion, let 
 us hearken anew to A rchbifliop Til- 
 lot son, who will fliew us what u(e 
 we ought to make of the manner in 
 which the Holy Scripture has ex- 
 prefsM the Pains of the next Life. 
 
 T H L R E-
 
 44<J On the Eternity 
 
 " THEREFORE Sinners, fays he^ 
 " ought always to be afraid of it, 
 " and reckon upon it; and always 
 '" to remember, tliat there is great 
 *' Goodnefs and Mercy in the Se- 
 '"^ verity of God's Tlireatnings ; and 
 " that nothing will more juftify the 
 *^' Inflidlionof eternal Torments, than 
 " the foolifli Prcfumption of Sinners 
 " in venturing upon them, no twit h- 
 " ftanding fuch plain and terrible 
 " Threatnings. 
 
 " This, I am fure, Is a good Ar- 
 " gument to all of us, to iL'ork out 
 " our Salvation with Fear and Trem- 
 '' bl'tng'] and with all poffible Care 
 " to endeavour the Prevention of 
 *' that Mifery which is fo terribly 
 ^' fevere, that at prcfent we can hard» 
 " ly tell how to reconcile it with the 
 " Juftice and Goodnefs of God. 
 
 " This God heartily defires we 
 " would do ; and hath folemnly 
 
 ^* fworny
 
 of H'EL lV Torments^ 44.7 
 
 *' fworn, that he hath no Tleafiire 
 
 " in the ^eath of the Wicked j but 
 
 *' rather that he fljould turn from his 
 
 " JVickednefs and live. So that here 
 
 " is all imaginable Care taken to 
 
 *' prevent our Mifcarriage, and all 
 
 " the AlTurance that the God of 
 
 *' Truth can give us of his Unwil- 
 
 " lingncfs to bring this Mifery upon 
 
 " us. And both theie, Fm fure, are 
 
 " Arguments of great Goodnefs. For 
 
 " what can Goodnefs do more, than 
 
 *' to warn us of this Mifery, and 
 
 " earneftly.perfuade us to prevent it; 
 
 " and to threaten us fo very terribly 
 
 " on purpofe to deter us from fo great 
 a Danger ? 
 
 (6 
 
 " And if this will not prevail with 
 " us, but we will go Hill on to de- 
 '' fP^I^ ^^^^ ^^^hes of God'^s Goodnefs^ 
 *' and Long- fiijfer tug., and Forbear- 
 " ance ; what in Reafon remains for 
 " us, but a fearful looking for of 
 " '^judgment y and fiery Indignation to 
 *' conjume us ? And what almoil 
 
 *' can
 
 448 On the Eternity 
 
 ^' can Juftice, or even Goodnefs it 
 " felf do lefs, than to infli8: that Pu- 
 " nilliment upon us, which with 
 " Eyes open we would wilfully run 
 " upon ; and which no Warning, no 
 ^' Perfuafion, no Importunity could 
 prevail with us to avoid ? And 
 when, as the Apoftle lays, know- 
 ing the Judgment of Godj, that they 
 which commit fuch Things are wor- 
 thy of Death ; yet for all that we 
 " would venture to commit them. 
 
 a 
 
 u 
 
 "And therefore, whatever we 
 fuffer, we do but inherit our own 
 Choice, and have no Reafon to 
 complain of God, who hath fet be- 
 " fore us Life and Death, eternal 
 ^' Happinefs and Milery; and hath 
 " left us to be the Carvers of our 
 " own Fortune : And if, after all this, 
 " we will obftinately refufe this Hap- 
 " pinefs, and wilfully run upon this 
 " Mifery, fFo unto us ! for we have 
 " rewarded Evil to ourfelves. 
 
 " You
 
 of He ll's Torments, 449 
 
 " You fee then, by all that hath 
 *' been faid upon this Argument, 
 " what we have all Reafon to ex- 
 " pe£V, if we will ftill go on in our 
 " Sins, and will not be brought to 
 " Repentance. You have heard, what 
 " a terrible Punifliment the juft God 
 " had threatned to the Workers of 
 '' Iniquity ; and that in as plain 
 *' Words as can be ufed to exprefs 
 *' any Thing. Thefe^ that is, the 
 *' Wicked^ jhall go a'way into ever- 
 *' lafiing Tunijhmentj but the Right e- 
 " ous into Life eternal. 
 
 " Here are Life and T>eathj Hap- 
 " pineis and Mifery fet before us. 
 " Not this frail and mortal Life, 
 " which is hardly worth the having, 
 " were it not in Order to a better 
 " and happier Life- nor a temporal 
 " Death , to get above tlie dread 
 *' whereof fliould nor, methinks, he 
 " difficult to us, were it not for the 
 *' bitter and terrible Coufequences 
 G g of
 
 450 On the Eternity 
 
 " of it : But an eternal Life, and 
 " an eternal Enjoyment of all Things 
 " which can render Life pleafant and 
 *' happy ; and a perpetual Death, 
 " which will for ever torment us, 
 " but never make an End of us. 
 
 " These God propounds to our 
 " Choice: And if the Confideration 
 " of them will not prevail with us to 
 " leave our Sins, and to reform our 
 " Lives, what will ? Weightier Mo- 
 " tives cannot be proposM to the Un- 
 " derftanding of Man, than everlajl- 
 " ing Tunijhmentj and Life eternal; 
 " than the greatell: and moft durable 
 " Happinefs, and the moft intolerable 
 " and lafting Mifery that human Na- 
 " ture is capable of. 
 
 " Now, confidering in what Terms 
 " the Threatnings of the Gofpel are 
 " exprefs'd, we have all the Reafon 
 " in the World to believe that the 
 " Punifliment of Sinners in another 
 " World will be everlafting. How- 
 
 " ever.
 
 of He L lV Torments. 451 
 
 ^' ever, we cannot be certain of the 
 
 " contrary, Time enough to prevent 
 
 " it ; nor till we come there, and find 
 
 " it by Experience how it is : And if 
 
 " it prove fo, it will then be too late 
 
 " either to prevent that terrible 
 
 " Doom, or to get it reversed. 
 
 " Some comfort themfelves with 
 " the uncomfortable and uncertain 
 *' Hope of being difcharg'd out of 
 *' Being, and reduc'd to their firffc 
 " Nothing ; at leall:, after the tedious 
 " and terrible fuffering of the mod 
 " grievous and exquifite Torments 
 " for innumerable Ages. And if this 
 " ihould happen to be true, good 
 *' God 1 how feeble, how cold a Com- 
 " fort is this ? Where is the Reafon 
 " and Underftanding of Men, to 
 " make this their laft Refuge and 
 " Hope ; and to lean upon it as a Mat- 
 " ter of mighty Confolation,that they 
 " fliall be miferable beyond all Ima- 
 *' gination, and beyond all Patience, 
 " for God knows how many Ages ? 
 G g 2 " Hav^
 
 45i O^ ^^^ Eternity 
 
 " Have all the Workers of Iniquity 
 " no Knoujledge ? No right Senfe and 
 " Judgment oi' Things? No Confi- 
 " deration and Care of themfelves, 
 " no Concernment for their own laft- 
 " ing Intereil and Happinefs? 
 
 (( 
 
 '' ORIGEN, I know not for 
 what good Reafon, is faid to have 
 '^ been of Opinion, That the Punifh- 
 " mentof Devils and wicked Men, af~ 
 " ter the Day of Judgment, will con- 
 " tinue but for a thoufand Years ] and 
 " that, after that Time, they Ihall all 
 " be finally faved. I can very hardly 
 " perfuade my felf, that fo wdfe and 
 " learned a Man as Origen was, 
 '•' fhould be pofitive in an Opinion for 
 " which there can be no certain 
 " Ground in Reafon, efpecially for 
 " the punctual and precife Term of 
 ^' a thoufand Years; and for which 
 " there is no Ground at all, that I 
 " know of, from divine Revelation. 
 
 " But
 
 of He L lV Torf?jents. 4>3 
 
 "But upon the whole Matter, 
 " however it be ; be it for a thoufand 
 " Years, or be it for a longer and un- 
 " known Term, or be it for ever, 
 " which is plainly tlireatned in the 
 " Gofpel : I fay, however it be, this 
 " is certain, that it is infinitely wifer 
 '* to take Care to avoid it, than to 
 " difpute it, and to run the final Ha- 
 '* zard of it. Put it which Way 
 " we will, efpecially if we put it 
 " at the worft, as in all Prudence we 
 " ought to do, it is by all pofTible 
 '^ Means to be provided againfi- : 
 " So terrible, fo intolerable is the 
 " Thought, yea, the very leaft Sufpi- 
 *-' cion of being miferable for ever. 
 
 " And now give me Leave to ask 
 '* you, as St. Taul did King j^gri^- 
 " /^, T^o yon believe the Scriptures ? 
 " And I hope I may anf.ver for you, 
 *' my fclf, as he did for Agrippa^ I 
 '.'- kno^j:; you do believe them. And in 
 " them thefe Things are clearly re- 
 *' vealed, and are Part of that Creed 
 Gg 5 '' of
 
 454 ^^ ^^^ Eternity. 
 
 " of which we make a folemn ProfefR- 
 " on every Day. 
 
 *' And yet, when we confider how 
 ^' moft Men live, is it credible that 
 *' they do firmly believe this plain 
 " Declaration of our Saviour and 
 " our '^tidgej that the Wicked Jhall 
 " go into everlafting Tunijhmentj but 
 " the Righteous into Life eternal ? 
 
 *^ O R if they do in fome fort be- 
 " lieve it, is it credible that they do 
 " at all confider it ferioufly, and lay 
 " it to Heart ? So that if we have a 
 " Mind to reconcile our Behef with 
 " our Afl:ions, we muft either alter 
 " our Bible and our Creed, or we 
 " mufl: change our Lives. 
 
 " L E T us then confider j and f; em 
 our felves Men, And if we do fo? 
 can any Man, to pleafe himfelf for 
 a little while, be contented to be 
 punifhed for ever ; and for the Sha- 
 dow of a fhort and imperfeft Hap- 
 
 ;^' pinefs
 
 of Hel l's Tormc/Us, 455 
 
 " pinels in this Life, be willing to 
 
 " run the Hazard of being really and 
 
 " eternally miferabie in the next 
 
 " World? 
 
 " Surely this Confideration a- 
 " lone, of the extreme and endlefs Mi- 
 " fery of impenitent Sinners in ano' 
 *' ther World , if it were but well 
 " wrought into our Minds, would be 
 '' fufficient to kill all the Temptations 
 " of this World, and to lay them dead 
 " at our Feet ; and to make us deaf to 
 *' all the Enchantments of Sin and 
 " Vice : Becaufe they bid us fo infi- 
 " nitely to our Lofs, when they of- 
 *' fer us the Enjoyment of a fliort 
 *' Pleafure, upon fo very hard and un- 
 <' equal a Condition, as that ofbe- 
 " ing miferabie for ever. 
 
 *' T H E eternal Rewards and Pu- 
 " nifliments of another Life, which 
 " are the great Sandion and Securi- 
 *' ty of God's Laws, one would think 
 J^ Ihould be a fufficient Weight to 
 G g 4 l\ caft
 
 45<5 On the Eternity 
 
 " caft the Scales againft any Plea- 
 " fure, or any Pain, that this World 
 " can tempt, or threaten us withal. 
 
 " And yet, after all this, will we 
 " ilill go on to do wickedly, when 
 " we know the Terrors of the Lord^ 
 " and that we muft one Day anfwer 
 " all our bold Violations of his LaW) 
 " and Contempts of his Authority? 
 *' with the Lofs of our immortal 
 *' Souls, and by fujfermg the Ven- 
 " geance of eternal Fire ? 
 
 " What is it then that can give 
 Men the Heart and Courage ; but I 
 recal that Word, becaufe it is not 
 true Courage^ but Fool hardinefs^ 
 " thus to out-brave the Judgment of 
 '' God, and to fet at nought the hor- 
 " rible and amazing Confideration of 
 *' a miferable Eternity ? How is it 
 *' poflible that Men that are awake, 
 " and in their Wits, fliould have any 
 " Eafe in their Minds, or enjoy fo 
 ^* much as one quiet Hour, whilft fo 
 
 " gr^at
 
 cj H E L lV Torments. 457 
 
 " great a Danger hangs over their 
 
 " Heads, and they have taken no to- 
 
 " lerable Care to prevent it ? If we 
 
 " have any true and juft Senfe of this 
 
 ^* Danger, we cannot fail to fliew 
 
 *^ that we have it, by making hafte to 
 
 " efcape it, and by taking that Care 
 
 " of our Souls, which is due to im- 
 
 *' mortal Spirits that are made to be 
 
 ^' happy or miferable to all Eternity. 
 
 The Archbifhop goes on with fuch 
 Exhortations to the End of his Ser-r 
 mon. What I have quoted is fuffici- 
 ent to fhew (fuch as have not read 
 his Works) how much they deferve 
 that Praife which they have met with. 
 
 The fafeft and wifeft Way, as to 
 the Torments of the next Ltfe^ is to 
 believe that GOD will never do any 
 Thing but what is agreeable to his 
 T>ivine Attributes ; and at the lame 
 Time to ufc all the Care imaginable 
 to avoid the Effeft of his Threats • 
 which (whatever it be) fliall be the 
 
 more
 
 458 On the Eternity 
 
 more terrible, the more it is defpifed. 
 Nothing offends a Law-giver more, 
 than to fee that the greater his Threats 
 are, the lefs they are regarded ; and 
 that inftead of meeting with Obedi- 
 ence^ they are cavilPd at. Then let 
 fuch as complain of GOD's Threats^ 
 be now ^flleiit^ and drive to obey him ; 
 it will be Time enough for them to 
 complain when they have feen the 
 Execution of them, lithen they think 
 them unjuft. But let thefe Men be- 
 ware, left they fliou'd bring them up- 
 on their owfp Heads^ by complaining 
 beforehand^ of what they have not yet 
 been made fenjible of. 
 
 Thus concludes M. le Clerc'^s 
 Defenfe of Archbiiliop Tillotfon, We 
 ihall next produce the Oppofition 
 made to thefe Arguments by William 
 Ltipton^ M. A. Fellow of Lincoln 
 College, in a Sermon by him preach- 
 ed before the Univerfity of Oxford at 
 St. Marys, Novemb. 2/{th, 1706, and 
 ivhich he printed under the following 
 
 Title
 
 of Hell's Torments* 459 
 
 Title — TbeEtevnky of future Punifli- 
 ment p'oved and vindicated. But 
 how he has proved is the Subjed of 
 our Enquiry, 
 
 Mr. Lupton from his Text of 
 A/^^. Ch. 2 5.Ver. 46. And thefe JhalL 
 go away into Everlasting Tufiijh^ 
 mentj thus opens Gladiator like, 
 viz. " Though GOD hath revealed 
 " the eternal Duration of future 
 " Punifliment, in the plaineft and 
 " moft pofitive Terms ; yet the iw- 
 " fioiis Glojfes of Jbme^ and the Dic- 
 '^ tates of an immoderate Self-Love 
 " in others, have reprefented this im- 
 " portant Article of our Faith as atn 
 " furd and incredible. 
 
 The impious Glojfes j he means, 
 are the foregoing Arguments brouglit 
 in Defenfe of an omnipotent i\/<?rrv, 
 the Extenfion of which divine Attri- 
 bute., fuch rigid Dogmatics, as out 
 Declaimer, would infmuate the Al- 
 mighty is with-hcld from granting to 
 tniferable Sinners. But
 
 ^6o On the Eternity 
 
 But from mere Reclamation^ let 
 us proceed to more fubftantial Reafin. 
 Full fraught is his whole Difcourfe 
 with a Volubility of hard Names ; 
 and now from the impious Glojfes of 
 fome^ he farther adds, that " fome o- 
 *' thers have been fo profanely and 
 " blafphemoufly bold, as to queftion 
 " the Equity of God's Turpofes ". 
 This round Ajfertion is fo diftant from 
 Truth J that it is his own Adherents on- 
 ly who are guilty. Then fancying e- 
 very 'Declaration^ he makes, to be de- 
 finitive i he leaves his general Epi- 
 thet of Some^ and condefcends to no- 
 minate Archbifhop Tillotson. 
 
 H E firfi avers J that the Argu_ 
 MENTs brought hyhAmM^Jointlycon. 
 fidered^ seem abundantly fufficient to 
 fatisfy all Difficulties — (But I dare 
 fay upon a careful Examinat ion, that 
 they will not seem fo conclufive to 
 any Body elfe— ) and then adds, " tho^ 
 *' the contrary hath been infinuated 
 *' in a Difcourfe too well known^ 
 
 (mucli
 
 o/ H E L l's Torments. 461 
 
 (much better known indeed than any 
 he will ever deliver either from the 
 Pulpit or the Prefs) " which was fome 
 " Years ago publifhed by one, whofe 
 *' extraordinary perfonal Accomplifh- 
 '' ments and high Station in the 
 " Church do command fo very great 
 " Deference, that it may perhaps be 
 " thought fcarce allowable to menti- 
 " on any Part of his Writings, other- 
 '' wife than with Approbation and 
 " Applaufe : But he hath, in this Par- 
 " ticular, made it very plain, that e- 
 '' ven the greateft Men have their 
 " Intervals of Mifapprehenfion and 
 " Miftake. 
 
 Now, left the Reader fhould think 
 I have already been too fevere upon 
 this Cafuijlj I will here produce the 
 Sentiments of two Gentlemen upon 
 this "Debate. i:\\(:firji is the Writer 
 of that Prelate's Life, \ who in the 
 
 \ The Lire of Ahp. Tilhtfcn is well wrote, ani 
 was compiled from the Minutes of" the late Mr. Y^junz 
 Dean of Salisbury, in which likewilc the Author was 
 greatly afTifted by lip. Hurmt. It is printed (in Fo- 
 lio to bind up with his Work?) by H. Curll in the 
 Strand. Hi
 
 4^1 On the Eternity 
 
 141 Page thereof thus remarks, Ipeak- 
 ing of Mr. Ltipton^ " He falls, fays 
 *' he^ in a moft violent manner upon 
 " this great and good Man, on Ac- 
 *' count of his Sermon on the Eter- 
 " n'tty of Hell Torments, In this In- 
 *' ve8:ive the young Author, ( for I 
 " cannot think him very Old^ either 
 " by the Force of his Arguments, or 
 " the Candour of his Management 
 " of them) exprefles a great deal of 
 " Warmth againft the BiHiop ; and if 
 " hard Words, and malicious Infinu- 
 " ations, a Confidence of alTerting 
 " and an aifuming Air throughout, 
 " are Proofs of a good Caufe, and 
 " the better of the Argument, Mr. 
 " Lnpon has obtained the Vidlory 
 " over Archbilhop TUlotfon ; but 
 " if thefe are only the vifible Ef- 
 " fe8:s of a vain Opinion of himfelf, 
 " we never had a Piece fuller of Va- 
 " nity and Affedation. Firii: then, 
 " I cannot help declaring, that from 
 " the Difcourfe, I dare believe, that 
 " the Author with all his Self-Opini- 
 
 " on.
 
 of Hel lV Torments. ^6 J 
 
 " on, and Aflurance, would not have 
 " prefumed to publiih it, had not the 
 '' great Man he attacked been dead- 
 " I mull: farther obferve, that he does 
 " not pretend to alTert, that the E- 
 " ternity of Tttnijhments is dented by 
 " the Bifliop, but will not allow 
 '' that his Arguments are fufficient to 
 *' frove if, and therefore he fupplies 
 " better, as he would have us believe. 
 
 " I fhall give but a Specimen of his 
 
 *' Confutation of the Bifliop's Argu- 
 
 " ment. — That to prn'tfl-) eternally 
 
 '^ Man fir tem^ovcivy Crimes, can ne- 
 
 " ver be jufl'ified by the common Rea- 
 
 '^ fin that is brought in its Defenfe, 
 
 " viz. That if the Wicked Ihould 
 
 <' live always, they would fin on to 
 
 ^' Eternity, for that it feems not a- 
 
 '' greeable to eternal Juftice to pun- 
 
 " ifli Crimes that 7iever '-juere commit- 
 
 " ted. But fays our Author, 7/"//^6'J'/;/- 
 
 " ner has provokedGod to that degree 
 
 '^ as to make him with-holdhis^^ying- 
 
 " Grace ; then the Conficquence is f> lain, 
 
 " that
 
 4^4 ^^ ^^^ Eternity 
 
 *' that the Sinner not being able to re^ 
 " pent,, or turn without that Savings 
 *' Grace, he muft inevitably Jin on to 
 " Eternity J and is therefore jujily 
 " pmijhed by eternal Torments. 
 
 "But can there be any thing in 
 " Nature more abfnrd than this ? 
 ^' To folve the T)ifficulty that lay 
 *' againft the common Argument^ that 
 " the 'wicked wouldy^// on eternally if 
 '' they lived fo long ; he would fix a 
 " greater Injttfiice on G O D than the 
 " former Argument had done ; for 
 " here^ he makes GOD pmijh the 
 *' Sinner for not re^enting^ when he 
 " with-holds the only Means of his 
 
 " being capable of doing fo, Sav- 
 
 " ing Grace. 
 
 ^' This Author''s Arguments are in- 
 '' deed all a mere begging the ^efii^ 
 <' on J in taking that for ^r^?;/^^'^, which 
 '' wants chiefly to be poved. If he 
 " had thought the Abp. had weaken- 
 " ed, or gone againft any Doctrine of 
 " the Scripture, he ought firfi: t^ have 
 
 !* fix'd
 
 of He L L^s Torments, 465 
 
 '^ fix'd^/j Senfe of theTextson which 
 " he built this Doftrine. For Exam- 
 *^ pie, he ought particularly to have 
 ** fliewn, that the Scripture was to 
 " be taken literally bercj tho' not in 
 " other places J and given irrefraga- 
 " ble Arguments to prove 'ovhy it 
 " fliould befo. He fhould have fliewn 
 " that — for ever — everlaftingj &c^ 
 " in the Scripture-Senfe, were always 
 " underllocd as we do iio-jUj or as he 
 " does J of fomething that never can 
 '' or vDtll have an End. One Gcne- 
 " ration comethj and ajiothcr goethj 
 *' bnt the Earth endureth for Ever, 
 *' is a Text in Scripture, and yet I 
 " believe this Gentleman will not con- 
 " tend, that there is to be no End 
 " of the Earth J, and ftill tell us he 
 " believes the Bible. It being noto- 
 " rious, that as the Scripture often, 
 " by all the Earthy only means the 
 " Land of "^udah^ or of Jfrael y lo 
 " thofe Terms of, for evcr^ al-juays^ 
 *^ "isAeverlafi'ing^ are frequently made 
 H h " ule
 
 ^66 On the Eternity 
 
 life of to exprefs a long 'Duration o 
 Time^ which yet will have an End. 
 
 "He fhould therefore have clear- 
 *' ed this Point in the firft Place, and 
 '* evidently have fhewn why thofe 
 " Words fhould bear in this Cafe a 
 " different Senfe". ^ 
 
 I fhall fay no more to Mr. Lttpon_, 
 after what this Gentleman has urged 
 in behalf of the good Archbifhop, 
 but leave him ; entirely acquiefcing in 
 his own Sentiments of his Sermon, 
 That it is not equal to the great 
 fV eight and Difficulty of the Argu- 
 ment. \ 
 
 * See Archbifhop Tillotsok's Life, ut Sufra^ 
 pag. 142, 145 and 144- 
 
 -|- Mr. Luptom's Dedication of his Sermon ta 
 Dr. Jdams. 
 
 A LET-
 
 0,6-] 
 
 A 
 
 LETTER 
 
 TO THE 
 
 BOOKSELLER. 
 
 SIR, 
 
 PERCEIVING, by the Tui;- 
 lick '^Prints J that your Editor 
 of the new Edition of Mr. S win- 
 den's Enquiry, &:c. intends a Sup- 
 plement to his Chapter on the Eter- 
 nity of Hell's Torments : I was of 
 Opinion , that after the two great 
 Names of Tillotson and Lupton, 
 to hear the Sentiments of One no way 
 interior to either, would be accepta- 
 ble to tlie Curious. I need not lay, 
 H Ii 2 I mean
 
 4^8 On the Eternity 
 
 I meaa Dr. Thomas Burnet, late 
 Mafter of the Chart er-Houfej whofe 
 clear Reafoning, happy Genius, and 
 elegant Stile are equally to be admii*- 
 ed. In the Works publiHied by Him- 
 felf, he has given the V/orld a Speci- 
 men only of what we might reafon- 
 ably have hoped for, had not Death 
 and his fingular Modelly deceived 
 us. He is in this Place introduced, 
 pleading the Caufe of thofe unhaj^^y 
 TerfonSj whofe paji Lives have ren- 
 dered t\\Q\v frefent State fo miferable 
 as to fear the Lofs of their Souls. 
 
 In a Treatife, (of which himfelf 
 permitted but few, very few Copies 
 to be printed) intitled, 2)^ Statu 
 Mortuornmj ^V. After giving us a 
 full Account of the Opinions of the 
 antient and modern Authors, facred 
 and profane, as to the State of the 
 damned i even exhaufting the Sub- 
 ject, and modeftly offering alfo his 
 own Opinion, back'd by as found Ar- 
 gument as the Nature of his Subjed 
 
 per-
 
 of H E L lV Torments, 469 
 
 permits; he declares for the Merci- 
 ful Side of the QLitflion ; which 
 'Declaration I the rather communi- 
 cate, becanfe but few Readers can 
 ever hope to fee it in the Original ; 
 by Reafon of the great Secrecy and 
 Caution with which it has be.n moft 
 beautifully reprinted, and difpersM in- 
 to a very fmall number of Hands; 
 and the greateft Care taken by the 
 learned Editor that it fhould never 
 become publickly common. ^ 
 
 I N the 319^^ and 320^'^ Pages of 
 this moft excellent Piece is the fol- 
 lowing PaiTage. 
 
 * This Work is intitled De Statu Mortuorum CJ 
 Refur^entitcm. Accefferitnt EpiflcJa duje circa LibeUum 
 4e Archaelcgi]S PhilofjphiciS' Auchore Th o m a B u r- 
 NETio, S. T. P. Lond. 1723. ifto. In the Pre- 
 face whereof is this remar- able Pafllige, V:fum cfl in 
 p(iuciJftmorum ufum aliquot dX^tnpIiiria rrfcudcre : i^uip' 
 pe quia *tjrc ferrent ex doclcribus nc?inulli, magm 
 fummi viri jiudio excultum .pus aVtjuando foifaa ititC' 
 rire p'jff- Adhibita tamen eji cauttla, ne in vul^us e- 
 manaret. i^uifefuii 'gitur bunc libdllum in trjanusfuniir 
 firit, is jc nulla modo paffurum a eju^tjuam aut calami 
 aut typii dffciibi, datafide^ chjiriii^ifc. 
 
 H h 3 Noifis
 
 47^ 0/7 the 'Eternity. 
 
 Nobis dijficile cfl oynnem cxucre hu. 
 man'ttatem : T)co difficil'ius omncm mi- 
 ferkord'tam, Et fi nattiram nojlram 
 cor rump ere aut de fir iter e polftimus^ T)i- 
 i)tnam nou pojfumns. Tulfarnnt olim 
 t^ir^f'and in ^ualle Hinnom, 7ie cxau- 
 dirctur a populo © a parent thus in- 
 fantum clamor _, qui immolabantur i- 
 dolo igneOj & vagiebant acerbe inter 
 flammas. Sedtctum licet at her a re- 
 fonare feccris C07itinuis tonitribuSj, 
 nnnqnam effcics ut in hoc Tophet^ de 
 quo loquimtirj excrnciatornm plaji- 
 flus ^ ejulatus non afcendant in au- 
 res Jehova^ pair is mifericordiartim. 
 Refpice pauUfper^ Jl placet^ doctor 
 immifericors quale nobis exhibes fpe- 
 Baculum : ^tale Theatrum Trovi- 
 dentin : miilto major em parte7n huma- 
 ni generis aftuantem inter Jlajmitas 
 per (Sterna facula, O digna T)eo & 
 Angelis fpeBatoribus fcena I dein ad 
 dernulcenditm aureSj dum plangoribus 
 & ululatu Caelum Terramque replet 
 hac infelix tnrba^ harmGuiam habcs 
 
 plane
 
 of HzL l's Torr/7ents. 4.71 
 
 plane d'lv'ina'rn. Illud prat ere a vii- 
 hi dolet lion parmn^ quod ij'ideam ^ 
 hoc modo tantam J^artem nature ra- 
 tionalis inntilcin faEiam., fnnd'itus 
 ferdifam^ (3 reje[faneam : hijlar 
 /alts infuljiy aut injtar i}appce pro- 
 jeBam for as ^ fine nfu ant fpe fntnra, 
 i. e, " To Mankind it is dihiicult to 
 " put off their Humanity J harder to 
 " G O D to lay afide all Mercy, A nd 
 " tho' we may corrupt or deftroy our 
 " own Nature, yet havewenoPow- 
 " er over the Divine: It was ufual to 
 *' beat Drums in the Valley o^iHinno'n 
 *' to hinder the Parents and Populace 
 " from hearing the bitter Cries of 
 '' their Infants, from amidft the Flames 
 " offered to their wooden Idol : But 
 tho' you make the Air ring with a 
 continued Thunder, you cannot 
 hinder the Weepings and Waihngs 
 *' of thofe tormented in that Tophct^ 
 " (of which we now treat) fi'om af- 
 " cending up to the Ears of a '^Jcho- 
 " vah^ the Father of Mercies. 
 
 Hh 4 " Look
 
 472* On the Eternity^ &cc. 
 
 " Look back a little, if you pleafe, 
 " thou Broacher of Cruelty, what a 
 " fine Spe6lacle, how delightful a 
 ^^ Theatre of Providence thou difplay- 
 " eft, much the greateft Part of Man- 
 *^ kind fweltering in Flames for an E- 
 *' ternity : A Scene this, fit for God 
 " and Angels to be Spedlators of! 
 ^' )Again, you afford us a Harmony al- 
 " moft divine, to charm our Ears, in 
 " hearing this unhappy Company fill 
 " Heaven and Earth with their Cries 
 *' and Hov/lings, Belides it is no fmall 
 ^' concern to me, to fee by this Means 
 " fo large a Part of the rational Crea- 
 " tion made ufelefs, altogether loft, 
 " and rejected, thrown away like Salt 
 " without Savour, or dead Wine, ufe< 
 " lefs and hopelefs. 
 
 Such are the Sentiments of this 
 truly great Man. / amj 
 
 Sir, J'our humble Servants 
 and 
 
 Philalethe^.
 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 A 
 
 Page 
 
 ACc9unf of Origen refuted. 3 15 & feq. 
 Aristotle aga'mji the Eternity 
 of Moveables, p. 17c. JJJhts that the 
 Sun is not Igneous, 2o3 
 
 Atheists, or Sccpticks, their Doubts^ 210 
 
 Scruples and Reafoning^ proceed from 
 
 an evil Difpofttion in their AffeHions^ 4 
 Auguftin (St.) his Defcription of FirCy 271 
 
 508, 527 
 
 Author, Probability of his Hypothefis in 
 
 fixing the Locality of Hell in the Sun, 
 
 i4r, 128 
 
 jfn Objection againfl it, p. 175'. Anfiuercd^ 
 
 177. Script ure-ObjeHions anfwered^ 253. 
 
 Philofophical-Obje£lions anfiver^d^ 262 
 
 B 
 
 Barrow, (Or.) his Nitions of IIclI, 14-, 153 
 
 Billon, (Bp.) his Survey of QhniVs Sufferings, 
 
 and Notions of Hell Hre^ 56, 257 
 
 Senfe
 
 INDEX. 
 
 " ' Senfe of the Schoolmen, P* 59 
 
 Bullingcr, his Notion of Hell., 2 5 5 
 
 Burnet, {Dr. Thomas,) his Notions of Cen- 
 tral Fire ^ ^3 J 203 
 
 Chriftian Notions of Hell, 1 2 
 
 Chrylbftom, (^St.') his Notion, 332 
 
 Conicience and the Sun, the Analogy between 
 them, 328 
 
 Copernican Syflem, 144, 253 
 
 Cyprian, (St^) his Notions of Hell, 3 1 2 
 
 D 
 
 Devil, the Nature and irremediable State 
 ^ him and his Angels, as determined by 
 St. Auftin, 28^ 
 
 Dove, (Z)r.) his Notion of a Local Hell, 
 
 ip, 166 
 
 Drexcllus, his Notion of Wi^i^l, 162 
 
 E 
 
 Epicurus, his Fear of Death, 5 
 
 Experimental PhilofopherSy their Notioni a- 
 boiit t\iQ perpetual Fire. 134 
 
 F 
 
 Fire, Central and Culinary widely dijferent, 
 
 78 
 
 Future
 
 I N T> E X. 
 
 Future State, its Reafenabknefs, p. i 
 
 'the Doubters of this DoEirine generally deny 
 the Being of a God, p. -. One ^////? be 
 Cickmivkdged upon the Belief of the other, 
 p. 8. Dr. ^2X10'^'* s Notions thereof ^ ?•--!> 
 5;. Sentiments of Dr. Hammond and 
 Bp, Billon, 5 5 
 
 Gassendus, Z^/V Coclum Empyrcum, 145 
 
 167 
 Gehenna, explained^ 45: 
 
 Gods, Heathen^ affertcd by Macrobius, to 
 
 be nothing but the Sun^ j8<5 
 
 GuALTERUS, his Notion of the Place of 
 
 Hell, 253 
 
 H 
 
 Hammond, (Dr.) of the eternal Fire of 
 Hell, 309 
 
 Havenreuter, a Commentator upon Ariftotlc, 
 in "vain endea'uours to firengthen his Opinion, 
 
 21 r 
 
 Heaven <7«^ Hell contrary to each othcr^ 
 
 14^, 14S 
 
 HELL-Fire, not Metaphorical //// Real, 
 p. 42. Locality of Hell proi-ed, p. 6c. 
 'The Improbability of its being In, or about 
 the Center of the EartJi, p. 75. Nature 
 of //J- Fire, p. 76. Notions of the Heathen 
 Pcets, 1 5 5 
 
 HefiodV
 
 I N 'D E X. 
 
 lluGENiUS, his Account of the Diftance hs- 
 twecn the Sun and the Earth, />. i6i. Of 
 
 the Nature oj the 'bun's Fire^ 2 20 
 
 K 
 
 Kircher, i^c, his Difco'very of the Figure 
 of the Sun at Rome, Ann. 1635, P-259 
 
 Lord's Supper, the ridiculous Notions of that 
 
 Sacrament jufily expofed, 195 
 
 \juciK^''s Notion of Hell, 21 
 
 M 
 
 MoLLERUS, Ms Notion of Hell, 254 
 Moloch, Mr. SammesV Account of that 
 
 More, (J)r. Heiiry,) his Notions of Hell 
 FirCy 9P, 205 
 
 N 
 Natures, different, of Virtue and VkCj 
 
 jS orris, his Definition of Sin, 7,14. 
 
 Nichols, (Dr.) his Account of the Molaical 
 
 Creation, 179, 219 
 His Obfervation that the Devil was 
 
 much pleafed with Serpent- WorfJoip, 187 
 Notions of the Author defended from the Ca- 
 
 ^nls of Atheifts, i^c. 189 
 
 Objec'
 
 I N "D E X. 
 
 O 
 
 Objeelions, two, i. Jg^infi the Locality 
 (?/" Hell. 2. Jgaiyijithc Eternity of its 
 Torments, p. \6. The fornia Opinion 
 confirmed by Bp.Vt^it^on^ (j'c- p. i^, 3-, 
 
 ^S 9 
 Or I GEN, bis Notion, of the Eternity of 
 Hell Torments, />. 27. Of his Follow- 
 ers refuted, 292. The Infufpciency of 
 Annihilation, 2^8, 312 
 
 Ofiander'j- Notion of Hell, 255 
 
 0\ id's Notion of Hell, 10, 17:, 326 
 
 Plato'^ A^o//o;2 of Hell, 159 
 
 Pearfon, f5/>j his Sentiments, ^00 
 
 Punilliments, future, particularly of the Tar- 
 tarus or Hell, p. 8. y/ Review of the^ 
 feveral Opinions concerning the Place ot 
 Hell, 21 
 
 Pythagoras, placed the Seat of Puniihmcnt 
 /» /Z;^ Sphere 0/ Fire. ' 19^ 
 
 R 
 
 Ray, (Mr.) hisOhferi'ationon the Nature of 
 Fire, ^4 
 
 Religion, the Reafonablenefs of it, its only 
 Bafis, ' i^o 
 
 Rome, Church of, its Infillibility truly ccn- 
 Cured, ' ii^<^ 
 
 SenecaV
 
 1 N T> E X. 
 S 
 
 SenecaV iVo/io/^ 0/ Hell, 157, 174 
 
 Soul, its Immortality, the JJfertion of this 
 Do^rine^ not irrational^ 51 
 
 Sun, the Body of that Planet, conjeEtured 
 to be the Local Hell, p. 103. An Apo- 
 logy for the Novelty of this Opinion, p. 
 105. Reafons for the afore [aid Conjec- 
 ture, 152. I. ^oe^-At\.\^Q of the Body of 
 the Sun 13 ? . 'ithe Magnitude of the Sun'5 
 Body. 1 3 7. Its Diftance from the Earth, 
 according to Mr. Flamfted, i^c. p. 138. 
 'The Sun fixed in the Center of the Uni™ 
 verfe, p. 143. The Author' s Prayer to 
 the Sun, 347 
 
 Supplement , containing the different 
 Notions of other Writers, relating to 
 the Eternity of Hell's Torments , viz. 
 Monfteur le ClercV Recital^ and Defenfe 
 of Archhifhop TillotfonV Arguments there- 
 on^ 363, &leq. 
 
 Mr. Lupton's Notions exnmined and refuted , 
 p. 459, &leq. Dr. Burnett's Sentiment s^ 
 
 p. 47(5. 
 T 
 
 Theogonia, (Heliod's,) a pretty Account 
 therein^ of the Heighth of Heaven, and 
 Depth of Hell. 160 
 
 Torments of Hell, the Eternity of theniy 
 2-j6. The Scripture Account thereof^ 30:. 
 Confirmed by Tertullian, 311. By the 
 Biihop i^i^rf' Clergy <?/ Rome, 313. By St. 
 Auftin, 314
 
 I N 7) E X, 
 
 VirgilV Nothn of Hell, 
 W 
 
 22, 1)5 
 
 Wall, (Afr.) his Sentiments of this Work, 
 application of the whole both to Atheifts 
 ^«^ Believers, 334 
 
 World, its Conflagration, bytbeSvi^y not 
 mf likely J 174 
 
 FINIS.
 
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 at the Dolphin and Crown in St, 
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 flia with DEATH. By N. Spinckes, 
 a Presbyter of the Church of England* 
 The Third Edition. 
 
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 Socrates, Sozomen, and Theodo- 
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 from the Originals, by Samuel Parker, 
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 fiajlical Hiftory^ by Charles Lesly, M. A* 
 Together with the Lives of each refpec- 
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 and Illuftrations in the Margin, from the 
 beft Authors^ as likewife neceliary Indexes, 
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