< 
 
 
 
 ,//&-t 
 

 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 GIFT OF 
 
 Lewis F. Lengfeld 
 
DISCOURSE 
 
 CONCERNING 
 
 The PROG E S S of the 
 GENERAL JUDGMENT. 
 
 IN WHICH 
 
 The modern Notions of Unherfal Salvation 
 are particularly confidered. 
 
 BY NATHAN A EL EMMONS, A. M. 
 
 PASTOR OF THE CHURCH m FRANKLIN. . 
 
 Behold, I come quickly ; and my Reward is with me, 
 fo give every Man according as his Work jhall be. 
 
 The SUPREME JUDGE. 
 
 PROVIDENCE (Rhode-IJIwd) 
 PRINTED W BENNETT WHEELER, 1783. 
 

 MATTHEW XXV. 31 46. 
 
 /<? Son of Manjhall come in his glory, and all fie holy angeh 
 with him, thenjhall be Jit upon the throne of bis glory. And befort 
 kirn Jhall be gathered all nations : And he Jhall Jeperate them one 
 from another, as ajhepherd diiidetb bis Jbeep from the goats. *And 
 be Jhall jet the Jheep on bis right hand^ but the goats on the left 7 'be* 
 Jbali the King jay unto them on his ri^ht hand, Cow e^ ye blefjtd of my 
 Fatbtr, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of 
 the world, for I was ar^hungend and ye gave me meat: I was 
 thirty and ye gave me drink : I was aftravger and ye took me in : Nak- 
 td and ye cloathed me : I was ftck and ye vifited me : f was in prifo* 
 And ye cams unto me. Then Jhall the righteous anfwer him, faying^ 
 Lord) vhenfaw we thee anhungered and fed thee ? or thirty and 
 gavt thee drink ? When faw we thee a fir anger and took thee in ? or 
 #a<edand cloathed thee ? Or when faw we thee fuk or in prifon and 
 came unto thee ? And the King Jhall anfwer and fay unto them^ 
 Verity 1 fay unto you^ inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the 
 leasJ of thefe my brethren, ye bart dene it unto me. Thin Jhall he fay 
 unto them on the left hand, D part from me, ye eurfed, into everlasJ- 
 ing fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was an-hungered 
 and ye gave no meat : I was tbirsly and ye gave me no drink : I was 
 aftranger and yj took me net in : Naked and ye doatbed me not : Sick 
 and in prif:n and ye vifited me not. Then Jhall they alfo anfwer him^ 
 Jay n^, Lord, when faw we thee an-hungered, or a thirft % or a gran- 
 ger, or naked, or fuk, or in prifon, and did not minitter unto thee ? 
 b-nf* ill he anjwer them, laying^ Verily I fay unto you, inafinucb as 
 ye did it not to cne of the leasJ of tbefe, ye did it not to me. And tbefe 
 Jhall go away into ever las! ing punijhment : but the righteous inte 
 ffe eternaL 
 
 IT is rhe inreation of this difcourfe, to explain and con- 
 firm the leufe of this paflage of (cripture. And fince 
 laipcurc is the bed interpreter of kfeif, we (hall corn* 
 
[ 4 3 
 
 I 
 
 pare the various representations in the text, whh thf 
 general tenor of the fucred oracles, 
 
 I. Our Lord here gives us a particular and lively re- 
 prefentation of the general judgment. "When the Son 
 of Man (hill come in his glory, and all- the holy angels 
 with him, then he (hall fit upon the throne of his 
 glory. And before him (hall be gathered all nations, Sec/' 
 This dcfcription of the great day refembles that of fe- 
 veral other infpired writers. Enoch alfo^ the fevenih 
 from Adam, prophefied of it, faying, 4< Behold the 
 Lord cometh with ten thoufands of his faints to execute 
 judgment upon all." Solomon fays, " God fhall bring 
 every work into judgment, with every fecret thing, 
 whether it be good, or whether k be evil." The a- 
 poftle Paul declares that God hath appointed a day, m 
 the which he will judge the world in righteoufnefs by 
 that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath 
 given affuranee unto all men, in that he hath railed 
 him from the dead." "We are told the fallen angels are 
 "referved in everlafting chains under darknefs, unto the 
 judgment of the great day/' And the apoftle John be- 
 held in wfion this great, and glorious, and folemn fcene. 
 ** I law the dead, fmall and great, ftand before God; 
 and the books were opened; and another book was 
 opened, which is the book of life: And the dead were 
 judged out of thofe things which were written in the 
 books according to their wprks." Thefe declarations 
 are too explicit to need any comment; they literally 
 fpeak the language of the text, and confirm the repre- 
 fentation it gives of the general judgment : Which is 
 alfo agreeable to the nature and apprehenfions of man- 
 kind as well as the character of the Deity and the 
 prclcnt difpenfa-tions of divine providence. 
 
 k 
 
[ 5 ] 
 
 It is, in the firft place, perfe&ly confonant to the na r 
 fure of men as moral agents. They are endued with 
 perception, reafon, memory, confcience, and all the 
 powers and faculties which are requifite to moral agency. 
 And being moral agents, they are proper fubjefts of 
 law and moral government. The Supreme Being there- 
 lore will treat them but according to their nature, to call 
 them to an account for all the deeds done in the body, 
 and give them a juft recompenfe of reward. Hence e- 
 very man carries in the very frame and conftitution of 
 his nature an irrefiftible evidence of a future judgment. 
 
 Accordingly, this is agreeable to the natural appre- 
 henfions of mankind. As they are fenfible they lie open 
 and naked to the view of the omnifcient God, fo they 
 naturally expeft he will call them to an account for all 
 the inward motions and exercifes of their hearts as well 
 as outward adions of their lives. The man who em- 
 brues his hand in the blood of his fellow-creature, 
 though concealed from every other eye but the omni- 
 fcient, has a fecret fearful apprehenfion of the righteous 
 judgment of God. And, though he is neither accufed 
 nor lufpefted of his crime, yet his own confcience binds 
 him over to the judgment of the great day. This is the 
 fecret voice of nature, which has difcovered itfelf on 
 many occafions. The Barbarians, when they faw the 
 viper on Paul's hand, " Said among themfdves, no 
 doubt this man is a murderer, whom though he hath 
 efcaped the fea, yet vengeance fuffereth nor to live." 
 The mariners in the fhip with Jonah, when they found 
 themfelves in danger of perUhmg by, a mighty tempi ft, 
 "Said, come let us caft lots, that we -may know f^r 
 whofe caufe this evil is come upon us." And when 
 Jofeph's brethren were thrull into prifon, and fubjcdcd 
 
 B to 
 
C 6 ] 
 
 to great and unexpe&ed misfortunes* they immediately 
 recoiled their cruel ami unnatural treatment of" their 
 brother, as the procuring caufe of their prefent calamities. 
 "They fa id one to another, we are verily guilty con- 
 cerning our brother, in that we faw the anguilh of his 
 foul, when he befowght us, and we would not hear : 
 Therefore is this diftreis come upon us." All men thus 
 feel the natural connexion between moral evU and phy- 
 {ical, between finning and fuffering, between guilt a&d 
 punifhment. Hence every man's confcience prefages a 
 future day of retribution, when he muft give an account 
 of himfelf to God, as the fupreme and final Judge, 
 
 And 1 this is further confirmed by the rectitude of the 
 divine character and government. Since the Author of 
 Nature is infinitely holy, juft and good, he muft neceffa- 
 rily conduct agreeably to thefe divine attributes in the 
 government of moral' beings, and difpenfe rewards and 
 punifhments according to their refpe&ive charters. 
 The prefent ftate of things, however, clearly evinces 
 that the day of retribution is yet to come. Here, as 
 Solomon obferves,. all things come alike to all, there 
 is one event to the righteous and the \vicked, and no 
 man knoweth either love or hatred, by the prelent dif- 
 penfations of divine pn^vidence towards him. But as 
 things cannot always continue fo under the arlminiftra- 
 tions of a Being of perfect reclirude ; fo the prefent ftate 
 of the world is a clear demonftration of a future general 
 judgment, when the Supreme Being will review the 
 conduct of all his intelligent creatures, and reward the 
 righteous and punifh. the wicked, according to their 
 works, 
 
 II. Our Lord fpeaks ot one diilinffion in the 
 
 of, 
 
C 7 3 
 
 ef men, which will abforb all other diftintfions, and 
 divide the whole world into two clafTes at the laft day.' 
 *' Before him (hall be gathered all nations : And he fhall 
 Jeparate them one from another, as a fhepherd divideth 
 his (heep from the goats: And he (hall Jet the fheep on 
 his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then (hall the 
 King fay unto them on his right hancf, Come, ye blcfled 
 of my Father, &c -For I was an-hungered, and ye 
 gave me meat: I was thirlty, and ye gave me drink: 
 I was a ftrangjr, and ye took me in : Naked and ye 
 clorhed me : i was fick, and ye vifited me : 1 was in 
 prifon, and ye came unto me. Then fhall he fay alfo 
 unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye curfed, 
 &c. For I was an-hungered, and ye gave me no meat: 
 I was thirfty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a ftran- 
 ger, and ye took me not in : Naked, and ye clothed me 
 not : fick and in prifon, and ya vifited me not/' 
 
 In many refpefts the righteous and the wicked re- 
 femble each other. They are often alike as to their 
 natural powers and abilities. In this view, Abfalom, 
 Joab and Ahitophel refembled Mofes, David and Solo- 
 mon. There is alfo a refemblance in their natural tem- 
 pers and ciifpofitions. Abfaloin and the young man in 
 the gofpel, were perhaps, in this refpeft, as amiable as 
 Mofes, or the beloved difciple who leaned on Jefus* 
 breaft. Thefe, and many other circumftances which 
 arife from birth, rank, fortune, religious denominations, 
 &c? are common both to the righteous and the wicked, 
 sad will not charaderife mankind at the laft day. But 
 there is a difference in the HEARTS of men, which 
 forms a capital diilinftion in their characters, and will 
 finally place fome on the right, and fome on the left 
 Ihond of^heir JuJge, And this is the diltindion, 
 
 Qur 
 
[ 8 ] 
 
 our Lord here mentions and defcribes. He reprefents 
 the righteous as poflefled of that divine love and charity, 
 by which they fought the glory of God and the good of 
 their fellow creatures in all their adions; Hut he repre- 
 fents the wicked as actuated by a low, mean, merce- 
 nary, contraded difpofition, which confined all thehr 
 views and purfuits to their own good. Bath thefe dif- 
 pofmons are defcribed by the apoftle Paul. His diforip- 
 tion of charity or divine love is in thefe words. 
 11 Though I fpeak with the tongues of men and of an- 
 gels, and have not charity, I arra become as founding 
 brafs, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the 
 gift of propheoy, and underftand all myfteries, and all 
 knowledge j and though I have all faith, fo that I could 
 remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 
 And though I beftow all my goods to feed the poor, and 
 thongh I give my body to be burned, and,have not cha- 
 rity, it profiteth me nothing." So fays our Lord in the 
 text: But the defcripdon -continues. "Charity fuffer- 
 cth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity 
 vaunteth not itfeif, is not puffed up, doth not behave 
 itfeif unfeemly, feeketk not her own, &c. Whereas the 
 contrary difpofition, the apoftle fays, makes " men lo- 
 vers of their own felves, covetous, boailers, proud, 
 blafphemers, difobedieht to parents, unthankful, unho- 
 ly, without natural affedion, truce-breakers, fa lie ac- 
 cufers, incontinent, fierce, defpifers of thofe that are 
 good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of ploafure, 
 more than lovers of God/' Heat and cold, light and 
 daiknefs cannot be more diametrically oppofite in their 
 nature and effefts, than thefe two difpoficions are. And 
 fince all mankind are governed by one or the other of 
 thefe two principles ot action, fo there is r*n cfTencial 
 diftinflion in their charaders, which juftly d 7 iominates 
 ^ them 
 
r* 3 
 
 them all cither righteous or wicked. Accordingly we 
 find the fcripture every where rakes notice of this capi- 
 tal diftinftion in the characters of men, and marks it 
 by fuch difcriminating epithets as thefe the godly and 
 the ungodly the holy and the unholy the juit and 
 the unjirft faints and finners the friends of God and 
 the enemies of God the children of fi'ght and the chil- 
 dren of darknefs the children of God and the children 
 cf the devil, 
 
 As this diftin<fb'on is of great importance, and clofely 
 connected with the fubjed before us, we fhall conCder 
 it a little more particularly. 
 
 The Supreme Being, in the courfe of providence, 
 hath acknowledged and paid a vifible regard to this dif- 
 linftion between the righteous and the wicked. In def- 
 cribing the character of Noah, he reprefents him as ef- 
 fentially different from the reft of mankind at that day. 
 ** God looked upon the earth, and behold it was corrupt : 
 For all flefti had corrupted his way upon the earth : 
 And the Lord faid unto Noah, come th*ou, and all thy 
 houfe into the ark : For thee have I feen righteous be- 
 fore me in this generation/ 1 Here God diftinguifhed 
 the righteous from the wicked, and, to exhibit a public and 
 vifible regafd to this diftindliou, he faved the righteous 
 and deltroyed the wicked. 
 
 He like wile aflerted and vindicated the didinguifhing 
 chara<fter of Job. " The Lord faid unto Saran, Haft 
 thou considered my fervanr Job, that there is none like 
 him in the earth, a perfect and upright man, one that 
 fcareth God and efcheweth evil " The great accufer of 
 the brethren difputed the truth of this divine declaration, 
 
 C " Then 
 
f to ] 
 
 * Then Satatvanfwered the Lord,- and faid,. Doth - Job'- 
 .fear God for nought ? Haft thou not made an hedgp* 
 about him, and about his houfe,, and about all he hath 
 on every, iidc ? Thou hail blefied.the work of his hands*; 
 and his fubftance is increaied in the land. But put forth 
 thine haud.now, and touch all that he hath, and he will 
 curfe thee to thy face." As if he had laid, There is no- 
 thing, fingular. in the. character of Job, He condu&s no 
 otherwife than any other perfon would in the fame fitua- 
 tion. Let any other man receive equal tokens of thy 
 love and favour, and he will'raake equal returns of gra- 
 titude and obedience. Sinners love thofe that Ipve them, 
 He is, like all other men, entirely governed by merce- 
 nary motives* Therefore only touch his intereft, and 
 (trip him of thofe peculiar favours thou haft layifhed 
 upon him, and. he will drop the rnaik, d4fcover his 
 hypocrifyy and eurfe thee to- thy face. To wipe 
 off thefe afperfions from Job's charader, and to con- 
 vince Satan that he aflcd from truly noble, difinterefted 
 motives, God gives him leave to try, him with any af- 
 flidions on calamities fhort of death* Satan with plea- 
 fure ma-kes the experiment. He brings a train of evils 
 upon Job in thick, fucceffion*. He ftrips him of his 
 wealth. He flays his fervants* And to clofe the fcene,- 
 he rends from his heart, the dear objects of his affe&ions, 
 by the fudden and furpriztng death of his children.- 
 Thus he tumbles him* in a moment^, from the fumrait 
 of human glory into the depths of human woe. Here 
 is a- fair trial. And wtiat is the effed? Does he curfe 
 God as Sitaa predided, and as an unholy, unfubmifEve 
 heart would naturally prompt him to do under fuch 
 a fevere, corrective ffrnRe ? Nothing more remote. 
 l< Then Jfc>barofe,and'rent his mantle, and fhaved his head,, 
 and fell down upoMthe groundi aiui worshiped, and faid ,. 
 
 Naked, 
 
{ II ] 
 
 Naked came I out of my. mother's womb, and naked 
 /hail I return thither. The Lord gave, and the Lord 
 hath taken away ; blefled be the name of the Lord." 
 Here is, as. far as can be, a vifible demonftration of the 
 eiFeiniaL difference between nature and grace, between 
 a faint and, a- firmer., 
 
 On another very memorable occafion, God explicitly 
 acknowledged the reality and importance of this dift-inc- 
 tion. He had refblved to deftroy Sodom. But pre- 
 vioufly to the execution of this defign, he revealed his 
 purpofeto Abraham, who immediately breaks forth into 
 the moft fervent interceilion fbrthofe -milerable objects. 
 And this is the language in which he addreflls, the Moft 
 High. " Wilt, thou deftroy tbeirighteous with th& 
 wicked ? That be far from thce to Jo, after this manner, 
 to flay the righteous with the wicked : And that the 
 righteous fhotikl be a& the wicked, that be far from thee, 
 fhall not the Judge of all the earth do right ? God gra- 
 cioufly replies to this and his repeated importunity, that 
 if he found fifty,, or forty-five, or forty, or thiity, or 
 twenty, or even ten righteous perfons in the city, he 
 would fpare the whole place for their fakes. And when 
 .neither of thefe numbers could be found, he delivered 
 jud Lor,, as a (landing monument that the Judge of all 
 the earth would do right. Such are the public, vifible, 
 linking teftimonies, which God himfelf hath borne to 
 the diilmdion between the righteous and the wicked. 
 
 David rnentioasand defcribes this -diflin&ipn almoft ia 
 every pfalm< If may fuffice to quote the firll as a fpe- 
 cimen of the reft. " Blefled is the man that walketh not 
 in the council of the ungodly, nor ftandeth in tLe uav of 
 nor jQtteth.ia- the feat of \\\t Jcorvfal* Bur 
 
I ] 
 
 delight is in the law of God ; and in hi?? law doth be 
 meditate day and nighr. And Jie fhall be like a tfee 
 planted by the rirers of water, that bringeth forrh his 
 fruit in feafon ; his leaf alfo (hall not wither, and what- 
 foever he doth (hall profper. The ungodly are nut fo ; 
 but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 
 Therefore the ungodly fhall not ft and in the judgment, nor 
 finncrs in the congregation of the righteous ; but the way 
 of the uugodfy /halt penjh." If it be fa id, this pfalm refers 
 to Chrift, it is fufficient to obferve that there is DO evi- 
 dence of it from any defcription of his perfon or cha- 
 rafter, nor from any part of it being applied to him in 
 the new-teftament. 
 
 The book of Proverbs is, in a manner, one continued 
 Contrail between the righteous and the wicked. 
 
 The declarations of Chrift on this head deferve fpecial 
 attention and regard. His fermon on the mount con- 
 tains a beautiful defcription of the difcrimiwating charac- 
 ters of the righteous. " BlefTed are the poor in ipirit : 
 For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Bleffed are they 
 that mourn : For they fhall be comforted. BlefTed are 
 the meek : For they fhall inherit the earth. Bleffed are they 
 which do hunger and third after righteoufneis: For they 
 fhall be filled. Bleffed are <he merciful : For they fhall 
 obtain mercy. Blefled are the pure in heart: For they 
 fhall fee God." That Chrift here intends to diftinguifh 
 faints from Tinners, in tefpe6t to the inward motions and 
 affrftionsof thair 6<rtfr//, is not only evident from the def- 
 cription itfelf, but from the obfervation which he imme- 
 diately fubjoins. " For i fay unto you, That except 
 your righteoufnefs fliall exceed the righreoufnefs of the 
 Scribes and Pharifees, ye fhall in no cafe enter into the 
 
 kingdom 
 
-[ 13 ] 
 
 kingdom ofheaven." And in the conclufion df this chap- 
 ter, he more particularly defcribes the nature and cflence 
 ef the diftinftion, which he had before been fpeaking of. 
 " Ye have heard that it hath been (aid, Thou (halt lore 
 thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy : But I fay unt 
 you, Love your enemies, blefs them that curfe you, do 
 good to them that ha-te you, and pray for them that del- 
 pitefully ufe you, and persecute you ; that ye may be 
 the children of yeur Father which is in heaven; for he 
 fnakerh his fun to rife on the evil and on the good, and 
 fendeth rain on the ju-ft and on the unjuft. For if ye 
 .love them that love you, what reward have ye? do not 
 even the publicans the fame ? And if ye falute your bre- 
 thren only ; what do ye more than others ? do not even 
 the publicans fo ? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your 
 Father which is in heaven is perfeft." Our Lord here 
 reprefcnts the children of God as bearing his divine 
 image, and pofltffing his divine fpirit, which diftinguifhel 
 them from the reft of mankind who are utterly defli- 
 tute of fuch a holy and heavenly temper. And in his 
 conference with Nicodemus, lie points out the fourcc 
 from whence they derive this fpecial grace, and who it 
 is that makes them to differ. "Verily, verily, I fay unto 
 you, Except a man be born again, he cannot fee the 
 kingdom of God. That which is born of the flefh, is 
 flefh : t and that which is born of the fpirir, is fpirit: 
 marvel not that I faid unto you, Yemuftbe born again/' 
 
 We have only to add the teftimonies of the apofilcs 
 
 to this important diftin6lion. St Paul declares, " If any 
 
 man have not the fpirit of Chrift, he is none of his.' 1 
 
 Again, " If any man be in (Thrift, he is a new creature: 
 
 , Old things are paffed away; behold, all things are be- 
 
 v come new." Apd he reprefenu faints as diibngu-fhcu 
 
 D " not 
 
[ '4 1 
 
 not only from finners, -but from thcj^-felves whilft in a 
 ilatc of nature, by the fpeeial influences of the divine 
 Spiric, "Aad you hath he fuJciencd, who were dead 
 in trefpaffcs and fins, wherein in time paft ye walked 
 according to the courfe of this world, according to the 
 prince of the power of the air, the fpirit that now work- 
 eth in the children ol difobedience : Among whom we 
 all had our converfation in times paft ; in the Itrft o! our 
 fltfh, and ot the mind : And were by nature the chil- 
 dren of wrath, even as others." And in another place, 
 alter mentioning a catalogue of the blacked chara^ers, 
 he reminds the Jaints, u Tha-t fuch were lome of you ; 
 but ye are wafhed, but ye are fan<tified, but ye are ju(- 
 lified in the name of the Lord Jefus, and by the Spirit 
 of our God." The apoftle John in the firft chapter of 
 his gofpel, fays, " As many as received Chrift, to them 
 gave he power to become the fons of God, eveu to them 
 that believe on his name: Which were born, not of 
 blood, nor ot the will of the flefh, nor of the will of 
 man, but of God." And in the third chapter of his firit 
 epiftle, he infills on the fame diftindion as a matter of 
 high importance. " Little children, let no man deceive 
 you (by pretending there is no difference between faints 
 and finners, for) he that doth righteouinefs is righteous, 
 even as he, that is Chrilt, is righteous : He that com- 
 mitteth fin is of the devil ; for the devil finneth from 
 the beginning. Whofoever is born of God cloth noc 
 commit fin ; for his feed remaineth in him : And he can- 
 not fin, becaufe he is born of God. In this the children 
 of God are manifeft, and the children of the devil : 
 Whofoever doth not righteoufnefs is not of God, nei- 
 ther he that loveth not his brother/' Thus the efTential 
 diftinftion between the righteous and the wicked appears 
 to be perfectly confonant to the whok tenor of 
 facred oracles. III. 
 
E ** } 
 
 III. Chrift further afTem that the righteous and rhfe 
 wicked fhall be feperat-ed from each other, and refpeo 
 tiveiy rewarded and punilhed at the laft day. " And he 
 fhall frperate them one from another, as a fhcpherd di- 
 videth his fheep from the goats : And he fhall Jet the 
 fheep on his right hand, but the goats on rhc left. Then 
 (hall the King lay unto them on his right hand ; Come, 
 ye blcffed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared 
 for you from the foundation of the world. Then fhall 
 he fay aHo unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, 
 ye curfed, into everlaftirig fire, prepared for the devil 
 and his angels," This reprefentation of the procefs of 
 the laft day fa'lls in with the natural opprehenfions of 
 mankind. They naturally exped a future judgment, and 
 they as naturally expecT: the judgment of God will be 
 according to truth, and proceed upon the immutable 
 principles of perfect reftuude. 
 
 And we have fuflkient grounds to etfpeft this, from 
 many inllanges of the divine conduct. God fepcrfcteJ 
 the fallen angels from the reft of the heavenly hofls, and 
 doomed them coal-late of darknefs and dtlpair. He 
 approved and preferved Noah, whilft he condemned and 
 deftroyed the ungodly world. He preferved juft Lot 
 from the ruins of Sodom. And he diftinguifhed Mofes 
 and Aaron, Caleb and Jofhua from that evil generation, 
 who were doomed to fail in the wildernefs. Thefe in- 
 ftances prefrjge a more general and perfedl difplay of re- 
 tributive juftice at the lai) day. And in this light they 
 are confideied and improved by the infpired writers of 
 the new teftament. The apoftle Peter urges them as 
 inconteflible proofs of future rewards and puriflimtiits. 
 ** For, fays he, if God (pared nor the an gels that finned, 
 Vuc call them down to b-cllj and delivered them 
 
.chains of dafknefs, to be referred unto judgment; and 
 (pared not the old .world, but laved Noah the eighth 
 perfon, a, preacher of righteoufnefs, bringing in the flood 
 upon the world of the .ungodly ; and turning the cities 
 .ef Sodom and Gomorrah into aChes, condemned them 
 ,\vith an overthrow, making them an enfample unto 
 thofe that after fliould live ungodly ; and delivered juft 
 Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked : 
 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the- godly out of 
 temptations, and to referve the uyuft unto the day of judg- 
 ment to be f unified" And the apoftle Paul realonsin the 
 lame manner upon the divine conduct towards the de- 
 voted Ifraelites. ,** But with many of them God was 
 not well pleafed ; for they were overthrown in the wil- 
 dernefs. Now all thefe things happened unto them for 
 .enfamples} and they are written for our admonition, upon 
 whom the ends of the world are come." Thele inftan- 
 ces leave us no room to doubt, that God will finally dif- 
 penfe rewards and punifhments to all mankind with per- 
 fed: rcftit tide and impartiality. 
 
 Nor is this lefs evident from the whole tenor and fpi* 
 -rit of the gofpel, which fets the rewards of the righteous, 
 and punifhments of the wicked after death, in the cleared 
 and ftrongeft light. The gofpel not only proclaims di- 
 vine mercy to all penitent ancLbelieving finners, but on 
 the contrary, denounces inevitable deftru&ion to all who 
 finally rejed the offers .of life. Accordingly our Lord, 
 when he fent forth his apoftles to preach the gofpel., gave 
 them fpecial charge x to proclaim its lolcmn fanflions as 
 well as its gracious propofals. " And he called unto 
 him the twelve, and began to fend them forth by two 
 and two. And he faid .unto them, In what place foever 
 ye enter into an houfe, there abide till y depart from 
 
 that 
 
t >7 ] 
 
 that place. And whofoever fliall not receive you, not- 
 hear you, when ye depart thence, fbake off the dull un- 
 der your feet, for a teftimony againil them. Verily, I 
 fay unto you, It (hall be more tolerable for Sodom and 
 Gomorrah, in the day of judgment, than for that city." 
 After ChriiVs refurre&ion, and jufl before his afcention 
 into heaven, he gave a eommiflion to bis apoftles, and. 
 to ail tluir fucceffors in the miniftry, to preach the gof- 
 pel wherever divine providence fhould call them. And 
 thei>r commiffion runs in this folemn form. " Go ye into 
 fill the world, and preach the gofpel to every creature : 
 He that believeth and is baptifed (hall be faved ; but he 
 that believeth not (hall be darn-ned." Here is the very 
 genius and fpirit of that gofpel, which is Jo be unfolded 
 and inculcated by all the minifters of (Thrift in every 
 age of the church. And according to this fummary of 
 the gofpel, future rewards nd punifhments appear to be 
 not only confident with the gofpel, but an efTential part 
 of if. Indeed the gofpel gives as full alTurance of the 
 deftrudion of unbelievers, as of the falvation of be- 
 lievers; and as infallibly fixes the certainty of future 
 
 punifhments as of future rewards. 
 
 
 
 This truth evidently runs through the whole frame 
 and contexture of the gofpel, and is interwoven with 
 all its peculiar and leading fentiments. We might in- 
 fiance in the dodrine of election, divine fovereignty, re- 
 generation, &c. But we fhall only mention the terms 
 of falvation, which are the cardinal precepts of the 
 gofpel. 
 
 Repentance is one of thefe. It is much infifled on 
 both in the old teflament and new. Solomon fays, " He 
 that covereth his fins fhall not profper : But whofo con- 
 
 E fefleth 
 
C! a- .] 
 
 fefleth and -forftketh them, flyull have mercy./ 
 tells us, " The Jacrifices of God are a broken fpirir : A 
 broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not def- 
 pile." Chrift alfo declares, ".He.- came not to call the 1 
 righteous, but fmners to repentance. And he exprefly 
 told fmners, on a certain occafion, " Except ye. repent^ 
 ye fhall all like wife perifh." 
 
 Faith in the Mediator is a term of the divine accep- 
 tance. " He that believeth and is baptifed (hall be faved : 
 Rue he that believech not (hall be damned/' t 
 
 Love to Chrift is a condition of divine approbation at 
 the laft day. " If any man love not the Lord Jefus 
 Chrift, let him be Anathama maranatha." That is to fay, 
 let him be accurfed when the Lord Cometh to judgment. 
 
 A forgiving fpirit is likewise necefTary in order to ob- 
 tain divine forgivenefs. "When ye fland praying for- 
 give if ye have ought againft any : That your Father 
 alfo, which is in heaven, may forgive your trelpafTes. 
 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father which 
 is in heaven forgive your trefpafles." 
 
 And it is equally neceflary to perfevere in all chriftian 
 graces and duties, in order to receive the end of our 
 iaith, even the falvatfon of our fouls. "Nowthejuft 
 fhall live by faith : But if any man draw back, my foul 
 fhall have no pleafure in hinv Bat we are not of thole 
 \vho draw back unto perdition : But of them that believe 
 to the faving of their fouls." Thefe terms of falvation 
 fpeak for themfelves. If they have any meaning, they 
 muft mean that thofe who comply with them fhall be 
 feved* but thofe who rejedi them fhall be lofl 
 
 The 
 
ff *9 1 
 
 * The dofttfne of future rewards and pvinifhments may 
 receive additional proof from many exprefs declarations 
 of fcripture. To recite every paflage in favour' of this 
 truth, would be to tranfcribe a great part of the bible. 
 We fhall therefore only mention a few which are the 
 moft plain, and pertinent to our fubjeft. We read in 
 the ninth pfalm, " The wicked fhall be turned into hell, 
 and all the nations that forget God/' There was a fet 
 of men, in the days of Malachi, who ridiculed all expe- 
 rimental religion and vital piety. They faid it was a 
 vain thing to ferve God, to walk mournfully before him, 
 or to keep his ordinances. They called the proud hap- 
 py, and applauded the workers of iniquity. In contraft 
 with fuch perfons, the prophet points the chara&ers and 
 future pro1pe6ts of the righteous in the moft lively co- 
 lours. " Then they that feared the Lord fpake often 
 one to another; and the Lord hearkened and heard it, 
 and a book of remembrance was written before him, for 
 them that feared the Lord and thought upon his name. 
 And they fhall be mine, faith the Lord of hods, in the 
 day when I make up my jewels; and I will fpare them 
 as a man fpareth his own fon that ferveth him. Then 
 fhall ye return, and difeern between the righteous and 
 the wicked; between him that ferveth God, and him 
 that ierveth him not/' 
 
 The a poftle Paul fpeaks equally plain and determinate 
 on this head, in the fecond chapter of Romans. " But 
 we are fgre the judgment of God is according to truth, 
 again ft them that commit fuch things. And thinkefi 
 thou, O man, that judgeft thofe that do fuch things and 
 doeft the lame, that thou fhalt efcape the judgment of 
 God ?. : Or dcfpifeft thou the riches f his goodness, and 
 forbearance,..and long.luffering j not knowing that the 
 
C 2 ] 
 
 goodnefs of God leadeth thee to repentance ? But after 
 thy hardnefs and impenitent heart, treafurcft np to thy- 
 felf wrath, againft the day of wrath, and revelation of 
 the righteous judgment of God ; who (hall render to 
 every man according to his deeds: To them, who by 
 patient continuance ira well-doing, feek for glory, and 
 honor, and immortality; eternal life: But unto them 
 that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey 
 unrighteoufnefs ; indignation and wrath, tribulation and 
 anguifh upon every foul of man (not fin of man, buc 
 Joul of man) that doth evil, of the Jew firft, and alfo 
 
 of the Gentile." 
 
 > 
 
 To thefe may be added, the declarations of Chrift. 
 14 Wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadech to 
 deftruflion, and many there be which go in thereat ; 
 Becaufe ftrait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which 
 leadeth uixo life, and few there be that find ir." " Not 
 every one that faith unto me, Lord, Lord, (hall enter 
 into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of 
 niy Father which is in heaven. Many will fay unto 
 me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophefied in 
 thy name ? And in thy name caft out devils ? And in 
 thy name done many wonderful works? And then will 
 1 profefs unto them, 1 never knew you : Depart from 
 me, ye that -work iniquity! 1 " Fear not them that kill the 
 body, but are not able to kill the foul: But rather fear 
 him, which is able to deflroy both foul and body in hell." 
 
 To enforce thefe folemn warnings, our compaflionate 
 Redeemer, -as it .were, fets before our eyes the certainty 
 and danger of future punifhments, by a number of well- 
 chofen and (Inking parables. To this end he fpoke the 
 parable of the vineyard of the towerof the rich fool 
 
 of 
 
* of the marriage fupper- of the ten virgins of the ta- 
 lents -of the tares and of the rich man and Lazarus. 
 Bach of thefe parables would greatly ferve to illuftratc 
 the fubjeft before us, but efpecially the two laft; which, 
 therefore, we beg leave to recite at large. The parable 
 of tfee tares is in the thirteenth of Matthew. " The 
 kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man uhich fowed 
 good feed in his field : But while men ilept, his enemy 
 came and fowed tares among the wheat, and went his 
 way. But when the blade was fprung up, and brought 
 forth fruit, then appeared the tares alfo. So the fervants of 
 the houfholder came, and faid unto him, Sir, didft not 
 thou fow good feed in thy field ? From whence then 
 hath it tares ? He (aid unto them, an enemy hath done 
 this. The fervants faid unto him, Wilt thou that we go 
 and gather them up ? But he faid, nay ; left while ye ga- 
 ther up the tares, ye root up alfo the wheat with them. 
 Let both grow together until the harveft : And in the 
 time of harveft, I will fay unto the reapers, Gather yc 
 together firft the tares, and bind them in bundles, to 
 burn them : But gather the wheat into my barn." Our 
 Lord's expofmon of his own parable fuperfedes any other 
 comment. It is this. " He that foweth the good feed 
 is the Son of man ; the field is the world ; the good feed 
 are the children of the kingdom, but the tares are the 
 children of the wicked one: The enemy that fowed 
 them is the devil ; the harveft is the end of the world ; 
 and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares 
 are gathered and burnt in the fire; fo fhall it be in the 
 end of the worldi The Son of man fhall fend forth his 
 angels, and they fhall gather out of his kingdom all 
 things that offend, and them which do iniquity : And 
 fhall caft them (not their fins> but them perfonally) into 
 * furnace oi fire; There fhall be weeping and knafhing 
 
 F of 
 
ef teeth. Then fhall the righteous fhinc forth in the 
 kingdom of their Father/' 
 
 The parable of the rich, man and Lazarus, in the fix* 
 teenth o( Luke, gives us a (till more yifibleand -afftfting 
 reprefentation of the mifcrits cf the damned. " There 
 was a certain rich man which was clothed in purple and 
 fine linen, and fared Turn ptuoufly every day. And there 
 ws a certain beggar, named Lszarus, which was laid 
 at his gate, full of (ores;, and dcfinng to be fed with the 
 crumbs^vvhich fell from the rich man's table: Moreover 
 the dogs came and licked his fores. And it came to pafs 
 that the beggar died, and was carried, by the angels into 
 Abraham's bofom. The rich man allo died, and was 
 buried : And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in tor- 
 ments, and feeth Abraham, afar off, and Lazarus in hi* 
 bofom. And he cried and fald, Father Abraham, have 
 mercy on- me,, and fend Lazarus, that he may dip the 
 tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue : For 1 
 am tormented in this flame. But Abraham faid, Son, 
 remember that thou in thy life-time r-eceivedft thy good 
 things, and likewife Lazarus evil things : But now be- 
 is comforted, and thou art tormented. And befides all 1 
 this, between us and you there is a great gulph fixed : 
 So that they which would pafs from hence to you, can- 
 not, neither can they pafs to us, that would come frorh 
 thence. Then he faid,, I pray thee therefore that thou 
 wouldeft fend him to rny 'father's houfe ; for I have five 
 brethren, tha{ he may teflify unto them, left they alfo 
 come into this place of torment, Abraham faith unto 
 him, They have Mofes and the prophets : Let tjiem hear 
 them. And he faid, nay, Father Abraham ; but ii one 
 wem unto them from the dead, they will repent. And 
 he faid unto him, if they hear not Mofes and the pro- 
 phets 
 
[ 23 ] 
 
 phets, neither will they be perfuaded though one rife 
 i'rom the dead." Nothing fhort of dreadful experience 
 can give us clearer evidence of future torments than 
 this parable ; nor afford a better comment upon our 
 Lord's reprefentation of the final feperation between the 
 righteous and the wicked, and their refpective rewards 
 and puniihmeiKs at the kit day. 
 
 There is one thing more contained in the text, which? 
 dderves particular notice, and that iSj 
 
 IV. The endlefs duration of future rewards and' pu- 
 flifhments. " Then fliall he fay alfounto them on the left 
 hand. Depart from me, ye curfcd, into ey^rlafling fire, 
 pre-pared for the devil and his angels. And thefe fhall 
 go away into everlafting pun&hment : But the righteous 
 into life eternal." This is the general voice of fcripture. 
 The prophet Daniel fays, " Many of them that fleep in 
 the dull of the earth fhall awake, fome to everlafting 
 life, and fome to fhame, and everlafting contempt." The 
 apoftle Paul aflerts, that " the Lord Jefus Chrift fhall be 
 revealed from heaven, with his mighty aegels, in flam- 
 ing fire, taking vengeance on thdm that kncny not God, 
 and that obey not the gofpel of our Lord Jefus Chrift : 
 Who (hall bepunifhed wnfo&verlafting deft ruction from 
 the prefence of the Lord, and from the glory of his 
 power." In Rev. 2Oth, 3d, the apoltle John tells us, 
 M He faw Satan caft into the bottomlefs pit."' This epi- 
 ther, which we meet with no lefs than fix times bcfidefr 
 rn this book, expreiTes in the tlrongeil manner the never- 
 ending miferies of the wicked, the fmoke of whofc icr- 
 ments is 'repeatedly faid to afcend forever and ever. 
 Our Lord once before aflerted the etcrniry of future pu- 
 niihments as clearly as he does in the text. ' II thy 
 hand ouend ihee cut it off: lc is better for thee t<* 
 
mto life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, 
 into the fire that never (hall be quenched : Where their 
 worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if 
 thy foot offend thee, cut it off: It is better for thee to 
 enter halt into life, than having two feet to be caft into 
 hell, into the fire that never (hall be quenched : Where 
 their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And 
 if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out : It is better for 
 thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye f 
 than having two eyes to be caft into hell-fire : Where 
 their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." In 
 this laft paffage the eternity of hell-torments is expreffed 
 i terms which admit of no evafion. Our Lord's argu- 
 ment here turns upon the infinite difparity between tem- 
 poral and eternal pains. Duration is the only point to 
 be illustrated. And finite is here fet in contraft with in- 
 finite duration. And this infinite duration is exprefled 
 by a variety of epithets, 'which are, of all others, the 
 mod plain, determinate and unexceptionable. 
 
 As to the words eternal everlafting forever and 
 ever they generally fignify a duration which is abfo- 
 lutely boundlefs, and are to be taken fo here, unlefs there 
 be fome fpecial reafon for re finding them ro a limited 
 duration. When they are applied to fubje&s which 
 are in their e-wn nature temporary ; 3his naturally leads us 
 to underftand them in a limited and reftnded fenfe. but 
 when they are applied to the fouls of men which are 
 immortal, the fubjed allows us to interpret them in their 
 moft comaion and extenfive meaning. The fouls of the 
 wicked may exift as long as the fouls of the righteous, 
 and therefore the tniteries of the former may run paral- 
 lel with the happinefs of the latter. And this is aflcrted 
 in the text. The fame word in the original is ufed to 
 
 exprefs 
 
-csprefs the duration of future punifhments, which is 
 ufed to exprels the duration of future rewards, " And 
 thefe flvall go away into everlafting pnnifhment: But the 
 righteous into life eternal" The Greek word here ren- 
 dered eternal and everlaftrng, is rendered fo fifty-feven 
 times in the new-teftamfcnt; and there are but two 
 places in the new-teftament, where the word eternal or 
 everlafting conies from any other Greek word. The 
 fame Greek word is likewife ufed both in the old and 
 new teftament, to fignify the eternity of the divine ex- 
 iftence.* And the Earl of Nottingham hath fhqwn, 
 that this Greek word Cgnifies eternity in the writings 
 of Plato, Ariftotle, Plutarch, and the beft Greek authors, 
 and that they have no better word in their language, by 
 which to exprefs a proper eternity or endlefs duration. f 
 Indeed Dr. Hartley, who maintains that the miferies of 
 the damned will finally ceafe, allows that the fcripture 
 expreflions concerning the eternity of hell-torments are 
 fttfficiently plain and determinate, and would eiiablifh 
 the point if any mere cxpreffions could poffibly do u, 
 which, however heabfolutely denies. And though Mr. 
 Seigvolk and others fay, the Greek words which the 
 infpired writers here made ufekdf to exprefs the eternity 
 of future punifhments, only fignify an age, or ages, 
 or ages of ages, or periodical eternities of 50, 100, 1000, 
 2000 years continuance, yet they do not tell us what other 
 words could have been ufed to exprefs an ablolute eter- 
 nity with more certainty and precifipn, or more to their 
 fatisfadion. According to their criticifms, if the infpired 
 
 G writers 
 
 * Sec Gen. it, 23. Ifaiah 40, 28, and 26, 4, and 57, 15. PfaJm 
 4^, 13, and 90, 2, and 93, 2, and 106, 48. Daniel 12, 7. Rom. 
 16, 16. i Tim. i, 17. 
 
 t See hi* crihcifrr* on thofc v/ords in his anfwer to Mr. Whiflon^ 
 Ed. 9, p, 36, 37, 38, 
 
C 26 ] 
 
 writers had really intended to afTert the endlefs -duration.- 
 of future punifhments, they could not have done it, be- 
 caufe there is no word in any language, which primarily 
 fignifies an abfolute eternity. But thefe and all other 
 critics, however, are obliged to own, that the infpired 
 writers have ufed fuch expreffions as fometimes fignify, 
 eternity and acknowledge that the fenfe of fuch expref- 
 (ions ought to be determined by the nature of the fub- 
 }e<5ls to yhich- they applied, and the connection in 
 which they are ufed. Hence there appears no force in. 
 the criticifms which have been made upon the words, by 
 which the eternity of future punilhmems is exprefled in 
 the facred oracles* So far as words, or mere expreffions 
 can determine the matter, it is abfolutely certain, that 
 both the miferies of the wicked, and the heppinels of 
 the righteous will run parallel with the interminable age> 
 of eternity. 
 
 Nor is there any thing in fcripture or reafon to take 
 off the force of thefe expreffions, or lead us to imagine 
 the wicked will ever be releafed from punifliment and 
 reftored to the divine favour, 
 
 i. We have no reafon to think fo from the nature of 
 fin. All allow that fin and guilt are infeperably con- 
 certed, and therefore that every fin deferves Jome pu- 
 nifhment. But many imagine, that no tranfient, mo- 
 mentary aft of a finite creature can contain fuch malig- 
 nity and guilt, as to delerve an eternal punifhment ; and 
 therefore that the damned rnuft finally be releafed from 
 punifhment, upon the foot of equity, having paid the 
 uttermoft farthing which they owed to divine juftice. 
 And if their guilt (hall ever ceafe, we may be affured 
 tlieir punifhment will alfo ceafe, for the Judge of all tha 
 
 earth 
 
[ 27 1 
 
 earth will do right, and punifh them no longer than they 
 deferve. But who, in the whole circle of the intelli- 
 gent creation, can tell us when their guilt, or defert of 
 punifhment will ceafe ? Sin and guilt are infeperably 
 connected. Guilt can no more be feperated from fin 
 than criminality. There is no fin without criminality, 
 and no criminality without guilt, or defert of punifhment. 
 Therefore both the criminality and guilt of a crime muft 
 continue as long as the crime continues, or till it ceafes 
 to be a crime and becomes an innocent aftion* But can 
 murder, for inftance, which is ,a crime in the very na- 
 ture of things, ever become a virtue ? Can time, or obe- 
 dience, or Jufferings, or even a divine declaration, alter 
 its nature, and render it an innocent adlion ? Virtue and 
 vice, fin and holinefs are founded in the nature of things, 
 and fo muflr forever remain immutable. Hence that 
 \vhich was once virtuous, will forever be virtuous ; that 
 which was once vicious, will forever be vicious ; that 
 which was once praife-worthy, will forever be praife- 
 worthy ; that which was once blame-worthy, will for- 
 ever be blame- worthy ; and that which once deferved 
 punifhment, will forever deferve punifhment. Now if 
 neither the nature of fin can be changed, nor the guile 
 of it taken away, then the damned, who have once de- 
 ferved punifhment, will forever deferve it, and confe- 
 quently God may, in point of juftice, punifh them to 
 all eternity. 
 
 2. There is no ground to cxpedl that thepunifhments 
 of the damned will ever foften and purify their hearts,, 
 and fo prepare them, in fome diftant period, to exchange 
 the regions of darknefs for themanfions of blifs, Among 
 others Dr. Hartley and Chevalier Ramfay build their 
 of the final reftitution of all lapfed beings 
 
 to 
 
to the divine favor, upon this foundation. They ima- 
 gine the piinifhmems of the wicked will naturally fofteu 
 and meliorate their hearts, and finally qualify them lor 
 the fociety and enjoyments of the blefled. They fup- 
 pofe God's ultimate view in punifhing the wicked alter 
 iieath is to reclaim them, and bring them to good. They 
 look upon fiich pcrfons as die in impenitence and unbe- 
 lief as peculiarly ferverfe and obdurate^ whom none of 
 the mild methods of providence and grace could ef- 
 fe&ually fubdue and reclaim in this life, and therefore 
 God is reduced to the di (agreeable- n-eceflity of purging 
 and purifying them by the harfh and ievere means of 
 hell-torments. They imagine God conitamly defires 
 and uniformly puriues the happincfs of every individual 
 of the human race, and will bring them all to pure and 
 permanent felicity as Toon as he can poffibly do it con- 
 fident with' t\:eir moral freedom and inveterate habits of fin. 
 And " as G<>d cannot be eternally fruftrated in his dcfigns; 
 as finite impotence, folly and malice cannot forever fur- 
 mount infinite power, wifdom and goodnefs ; as the fa- 
 crifice of the Lamb flain cannot be forever void and of 
 no effcft ; reprobate fouls and angels cannot be forever 
 unconvertible, nor God unappeafeable, nor moral and 
 phyfical evil unde'ftrudlible. Wherefore infernal pu- 
 nifhments muft at laft ceafe, and all lapfed beings be a-t 
 length pardoned and re-e(lablifhed in a permanent ftate 
 of happinefs and glory, never more to fall again. This is 
 the end and confummation of all things, and the defigns 
 of all God f s promiles and punifhments." 
 
 But is there any thing in divine revelation to fupport 
 this hypothefis ? That God vifits the righteous, in this 
 life, with pains, trials and afflictions for their f pi ritual 
 benefit, he hath exprefly told us, and they have found 
 
 to 
 
r *? i 
 
 to be true by happy experience. " My fon, defpife not 
 the chaftening of the Lord, nor faint when thou arc re- 
 tuked of him. For whom the Lord loveth he chaften- 
 cth, and fcourgeth every fon whom he rcceiveth. Fur- 
 thermore, we have had fathers of our flefh, which cor- 
 Teded us, and we gave them reverence : Shall we not 
 much rather be in fubjeftion unto the father of our fpi- 
 rits, and live ? For they verily for a few days chaftened 
 us after their own pleafure ; but he for our profit, that 
 we might be partakers of bis bolmefs" And David grate- 
 fully acknowledges that he derived real benefit frasn the 
 divine corrections. " Before I was affli&ed, I went a- 
 flray ; but now have I kept thy word. 1 know, O Lord, 
 that thy judgments are right, and thou in faithfulnefs 
 hath correfted me." Thus God lets his children know 
 the falutary nature of his iatherly chaftlfements. But 
 where do we find the leaft intimation in fcripture, that 
 God intends to punilh the wicked in a future ftate, lor 
 their benefit, as he here corrects his children for their 
 fpiritual good: Hath he not, on the contrary cxprefly 
 afTured the wicked, that he intends to punifh them, after 
 death, not to fave, but deftroy them, not to exprefs his 
 love towards them, but his indignation and wrath ? 
 This is the plain import of the (encence to be denounced 
 againft them at the laft day. " Depart from me ye curjcd, 
 into everlafting fire, prepared for the devil and his an- 
 gels." ** Vengeance is mine, and I will repay, faith th@ 
 Lord." "If I whet my glittering fword, and mine hand 
 take hold of judgment; I will render vengeance to mine 
 enemies, and will reward them that bate me." " What if 
 G >d, -willing to Jheiu his wrath, and make his power 
 known, endured with much long differing the vtjjeis of 
 -wrath fitted to definition" Here the wicked after death 
 are repreiented as the enemies of God, and as the.objofls 
 
 H of 
 
E 30 ] 
 
 of his wrath; and he is reprefeiued as punifhing then* 
 to reward them for their wickednefe, and to expreis his 
 wrath and dilpleafuie towards them, without the leaft 
 regard to their amendment and benefit. But if future 
 punifhments were intended as fatherly chaiHlemtnts to 
 purify the wicked, and qualify them for the eternal jys 
 of heaven, why are they then reprefeiued as expnifiv-e 
 of divine wrath, indignation and vengeance, initead of 
 the tender mercy ol God towards his offending but be- 
 loved offspring? The truth is, thcie exprefiions put it 
 beyond doubt, that God has diametrically oppofite ends 
 in chaftlfing the righteous in this life, and puniflhing the 
 \viaked in the next. Aad we may be a flu red God can 
 and will make his own means anfwer his own ends. As 
 lie defigns future punifhments (hall not > fofien^ut harden* 
 ihall not fave but deftroy the wicked ; fo they will even- 
 tually have this, and no other effect upon them. Ac- 
 cordingly, we find this confirmed by the mc-ft incontef-- 
 tible evidence. A punifhraent oi near fix thcufand years 
 continuance hath hitherto, in no meafut'C, iiibdued or 
 fofuned the heart of Satan, who Hill remains an avowed 
 and malignant enemy to God and man. The flgnal 
 pl-igues fent in rapid fucceilion on Pharaoh, infteac) of 
 fc.ftening, hardened his flubborn heart, and made him fe- 
 ven fold more a veilel of wrath fitted to deftruHon, GC 
 cording to the divine purpo/e and prsdi&ion concerning 
 him. And the tremendous judgments which fell on the 
 fubjefts of Safan's kingdom, at the pouring out of the 
 fixth vial had the fame hardening <?ffeclaad impreffion on 
 their impenitent hearts* " Tho fifth angel poured out 
 his via] upon the faat of the bead:- And his kingdom 
 was full of darkncfs, and they knawed their tongues for 
 pain, and blafphemed the God of heaven, becaufe of 
 their pains aad iheir fores, and repented not of their deeds "; 
 
 Hence. 
 
[ 31 } 
 
 Hence we are to conclude that the vials of divine wrath 
 to be poured on the enemies of Chrift at the laft day, 
 i-ltead of fohening and meliorating iheir hearts, will 
 only ferve to confirm and increafe their malignant dif- 
 potitions, to -render them more odious to God, ai*d 
 more unmeet for the fociety and enjoyments of the blef- 
 fed : And being thus eternally unqualified for heaven, 
 they will never find admiflion into thofe realms of love 
 and unpolluted blifs. Befides^ 
 
 3. There is no intimation in the word' of God, that 
 thole who are once federated from the righreous at the 
 laft day, fhall ever be united to them again. Our text 
 and many other paffages of fcripture clearly ascertain the 
 time, manner and reafon of the feperation between the 
 righteous and the wicked, but there is not a text, to be 
 found, which intimates when,, how, or for what reafon 
 they fhall be re-united. Every reprefentation of the ge- 
 neral judgment naturally leac ? s us to fuppofe, that God 
 will then finally fettle all the affairs of mankind, and ir- 
 reverfably fix their charters and conditions for eterni- 
 ty. Accordingly non-e of the moft able wiit-ers, that we 
 have met with, in favour of the final happinefs of all 
 lapfed beings, have prefumed to tell us 'when this impor- 
 tant event fhall take place, or the miferies of the damned 
 ithall ceafe. But if God intended to releafe them, one 
 would imagine, that he would have made it known in 
 his word, and relieved, them from that- intolerable def- 
 pair, to which they may now be liable for ages of ages, 
 Why fhould he fo particularly fix, and reveal, arid clef- 
 cribe the day when their pnnifhments fhall commence,, 
 but never give the lea ft hint concerning the time and 
 circumltances of their releafe ? is not this bare filence a 
 itcong prelumptioa that they fhall never be rdeafed, and a* 
 
 full 
 
[ 3* ] 
 
 full demonftrauon that no man can prwc that they 
 ver will ? 
 
 N. B. This Difcourfe may be divided here, 
 
 NO W if the abo.ve obfcrvations have fully eftabl>ifhed 
 the eternity of future punifhments, then we are 
 obliged to believe the doCtrine, whether we can a-nfwer 
 all the objections madd againft it, or not. It would be 
 very abfurd for a man to deny his own exiftence, the 
 exiftence of his fellow creatures, and the earth's annual 
 productions of herbs, fruits and flowers, becaufe, after all 
 his philofophical refearches, he is unable to Inveftigate 
 the mode of the divine operation in creation and provi- 
 dence. And it is equally abfurd to disbelieve the being 
 of God, the infpiration of the fcriptures, or the eternity 
 ef future punifhments, becaufe there may be feme things 
 eonneCted with thefe fubjeCls, which lie beyond the 
 fphere of human comprehenfion. It is not the intention 
 of thefe obfervations, however, to preclude an examina- 
 tion of any objections that may be urged againft the 
 eternity ot hell-torments, or any -other doCtrine of the 
 gofpel ; or to infinuate that we are bound to believe 
 real contradictions and abfurdities ; but only to prepare 
 the mind to look at the difficulties which we propofe to 
 confider, with candour and impartiality ; and lead us to 
 reft our faith upon the firm foundation of real evidence. 
 
 It is faid, that " by the feperation between the fheep 
 1 and the goats in the text, is not to be tinderftood a fe- 
 " peration between faints and finners, but only a fepera- 
 " tion between fin and the finner. The fins of men fhall 
 ct be feperated from their perfons, and their perfons fhall 
 " be faved, whilft their fins, and the father of them, the 
 
 " devil, 
 
[ 33 3 
 
 41 devil fhall be deftroyed.* This our Lord teacheth 
 " in the parable of the tares, and the apodle Paul ac- 
 M knowledgeth to be true, when he fays, fpeaking of hU 
 *' own evil conduit, It is no more I that do //, 'but fin that 
 *' divellsth i* me" 
 
 In anfwer to this, it is eafy to obferve, that though a 
 fin-ner may become a faint, and a faint may become per- 
 fectly holy, or free from ail in-dweliing fin and corrup- 
 tion ; yet the relation between him and his paft fins can- 
 not be diffolved. It will, for inftance, forever remain 
 true, that the apoftle Paul perfecuted the church of 
 Chrift, and that fin will always be his. He hath never 
 finned fince he arrived to heaven, and never will fin 
 again, yet the connection between him and his paft fins 
 will forever remain and be ///, fo as to enhance his own 
 happinefs, and difplay the riches of divine grace to wards 
 him. The notion therefore that fin can be perfectly dif- 
 conne&ed from the finner, that it can be burnt up, de- 
 ftroyed or annihilated is a grofs abfurdity. 
 
 Befides our Lord tells us in plain terms, that by fheep 
 and goats, he means all nations. And he ufes thefe me- 
 taphors in the fame feufe in which other infpired writers 
 ufe them; Sheep fignify good men, and goats bad, in 
 many other places of fcripture. f But if any one would 
 feel the abfurdity of fuppufing that goats reprefenr fins % 
 lee him only read the text according to this conftrudtion. 
 fl Then fhall he fay alfo nwo them on his left hand, De- 
 part from me, ye curfiedySW, into everlafting fire, pre- 
 pared for the devil and his angels. For i was an-hun- 
 
 I gered 
 
 See alafe catechifm, which, perhaps injuriwfly, c'aims the merit of 
 t John 10, 15, 26, 27, 28, 79. Dan, 8. Zach. 10, > 
 
[ 34 1 
 
 s. 
 
 gered, ami ycjins gave me no meat: I was thirfty* 
 ye fins gave me no drink: 1 was a itranger, and ye fins 
 took me not in: N^ked, and ye fins cloathed me not: 
 Sick, and in ptifon, and yc fi*>s vifired me not. Then 
 (hall thofeyw anh\er him, J<yjng 9 &c."" 
 
 It is objected farther, that " Chrift as mediator was 
 
 " fo united to mankind, that his actions were theirs, his 
 
 " obedience theirs, and his iuflcrings theirs, and confe- 
 
 " quently he hath as fully rcflorcd the whole human 
 
 " race to the divine favour, as if they had all obeyed 
 
 '* and iuffered in their own perfons. The divine law 
 
 " now hath no demands upon them, nor condemning 
 
 <s power over them. Their falvation folely depends 
 
 " upon their union to Chrift, \\hich God conftiruted 
 
 " and eftabliihed before the \vorld began. And by vir- 
 
 14 me ol that union, they will all be admitted to heaven, 
 
 w at the lad day, and not one of- Chrift's members, not 
 
 11 one of Adam's race will be finally loft." Mr. Rtlty 
 
 fays, * Ci Chrift having taken on him the feed of Abra- 
 
 " ham, he in them, and tbtjr in him, fulfilled all rightcc uf- 
 
 * { ncfs, obeyed the law, and underwent the penalty for 
 
 " the pall tranfgreffion, being thus mode perftcl in one" 
 
 *' According to this union^ or being in him, as branches 
 
 *' in the vine, as members in the body, &c the people 
 
 are confidered together with him through aH the cir- 
 * cumflances of his birth, life, death, reiurreclion and 
 6 ' g^ )r y* M t " And thus confidering the whole law iul- 
 
 filled in Jefiis. its precepts obeycc 4 , its prtialties endured, 
 
 ht now inherits the promife : And aj pre-hcndif g our- 
 in him, united to kim, through all his dotngs, and 
 his condition, and flate is ours. And thui 
 
 [' ftanding 
 
 * Trf atife a union. Bofton Ed. p. is, 
 f P. 26, 
 
 * c 
 
 ' 
 
1 [ 35 ) 
 
 ** fending in /5/w, we can indeed read 'the law, o'r the 
 " doctrine of rewards, and punifhments, without har : 
 " Becaule the punifhment, yea all the threatnings in che 
 " book of God, have been executed upon us (as fmnens 
 <4 and Jaw-breakers) in 
 
 This is the corner flone, this is the fole foundation 
 which Jupports the fcheme of univerfal ialvation as main- 
 tained by Mr. Relly, Mr. Murray, and their followers. 
 If this /hould give way, their whole fabric falls to the 
 ground, and their hopes perifh. We (hall therefore con- 
 fider this point with particular attention. 
 
 To fuppofe that mankind were " with Chrift through 
 all che circumftances of his birth, life, death, relurree- 
 tion and glory," is repugnant to the plaineft dilates of' 
 common fenfe. Chrift was born of the virgin Mary;. 
 was circumcifexJ the eighth day ; was, at thirty years 
 old, baptised of John in Jordan ; was, after this, led 
 into the wildernefs, where he failed forty days and forty 
 nights, and baffled all the devices of Satan ; and being 
 thus prepared, he went forth preaching thegofpel, heal- 
 ing the ikk, carting out devils and raifing the dead ; 
 till finally, he was betrayed by Judas, condemned by 
 Pilate, crucified between two malefactors, buried by 
 Jufeph of Arimathea, and after lying three days and 
 three nights in the grave, he arofe from the dead, af- 
 cended up into heaven, and fet down on the right hand 
 of theJVIcijdly on high. Were any, much Ids, the 
 whole human race with (Thrill in ?11 thcfe circumftanees 
 of his birth, life, death, relurredion and glory? Where 
 is the man who is confciom of being; acting, and luf- 
 fenng with Chrift in any of thcfe extraordinary and flu* 
 
 40*. 
 
E s* 3 
 
 penclous fcenrs? But had there been fuch an union be- 
 tween Chrift and mankind, that his obedience was 
 theirs, his fufferings theirs, and his glory theirs, they 
 niuft all, in every age of the world, be conlcious of 
 having the fame motives, the fame affections, the lame 
 forrows, and the fame joys that he had ; and of doing 
 the fame miraculous actions that he did. But what con- 
 cord had Chrift with Belial? What union of heart with 
 an ungodly world? Was he not pure, and harmlefs, and 
 feperate fro;m Tinners, through the whole courfe of. hi* 
 life and conduct upon earth ? 
 
 It may, perhaps, be faid that this is an unfair reprc- 
 fentation of the matter, and that by " Chrift's being in 
 mankind, and they being in him," is only intended, 
 that according to a certain divine conftirution, God con- 
 fiders what Chrift did and -fuffered as being done and fuf- 
 fered by mankind perfonally. The anfwer to this is 
 obvious. No divine conftitution or appointment what- 
 ever, could make Chrift's perfonal obedience and fuffeF- 
 ings ours. A divine conftitution cannot alter the jiature 
 of things, nor effeft impoilibilities. Can we conceive 
 that it is now in the power of the Supreme Being, by a 
 new, pofitive conftitution, to make Chrift the betrayer 
 t Judas, the crudfier of his crucifiers, and the perpe- 
 trator of all the fin and wickednefs of the whole human 
 race ? But it is no more impoffible for God to do this now, 
 than it was from eternity, to make a conftitution, by 
 xvhich, not only the actions of Chrift and of Judas, but 
 the aftions of Chrift and of aH mankind fhuuld be the 
 fame. The fuppofition of a divine conftitution relieves 
 no difficulty here. The notion that all mankind were 
 84 with Chrift through all the circumftances ol his birth, 
 life, death, refurre&ion and glory,' 1 is as abfurd as the 
 
 dodtiae 
 
I 37 1 
 
 lfo#riti] of franfubftantia'tion, of which no man csi* 
 form an idea. 
 
 And befides al! this, it is entirely unfcriptural. It i$ 
 not to be found among any of the unions which arc 
 jnentioned in the bible. We there find indeed the union 
 between the human and divine natures in the perfon <?{ 
 the Mediator. Chrift often aflerted both his humanity 
 and divinity. He proclaimed himlelf not only the Son 
 *>f Man, but the Son of God; and profefied to be not 
 only David's Son, but David's Lord. Accordingly, the 
 Jews, who underftood the true import of fuch phrafes, 
 considered him as afTuming divinity and equality with 
 God the Father ; for which they accufed him of the 
 crime of blafphemy. And our Lord, to vindicate him- 
 felf, never denied, but maintained his claim to the laft ; 
 which claim was founded upon the union between his 
 human and divine nature; Hence the apoftle John tells 
 us, " The word was made flefh and dwelt amongft us." 
 And we read, " Great is the myftery of godlinefs; God 
 manifeft in the flefh/' Such an union of the two wa-tures 
 in the perfon of Chrift, was necefiary to qualify him for 
 the work of redemption. For the divine nature fepe- 
 rately confidered, could neither fuffer, nor obey; and 
 the human nature feperate from the divine, could not 
 atone by obedience and death; but both thefe natures 
 being united in the perfon of Chrift compleatly qualified 
 him for the mediatorial work. Befides, this union was 
 alfo requifue in order to point out the obje&s for whom 
 he made atonement. He would appear to die for thofe, 
 in whofe nature he died. Had he took upon him the 
 nature of angels, and died in their nature, this would 
 l have proclaimed him the Mediator betwecen God and 
 them. Bat inafmuch as he did not take upon, him the 
 
 K nature 
 
[ 38 I 
 
 nature of angels, but that of the feed of Abraham, this 
 proclaimed him the Mediator between God and man* 
 No/ if Mr. Relly had only aflerted the nectffity ol iuch 
 an union as this, in order to render the fuflerings of 
 Chrift in the room of mankind, confident with the di- 
 vine attributes, we fhould have had no difpofhioh to 
 diflent from him. For we grant it would have been 
 inconfiftent with the divine truth, juiiice, mercy, wi(- 
 dom and love, to have fubjecled Chrift to ihofe luffer- 
 ings which he endured in the room of finners, had he 
 not been united to human nature, and fo become the 
 Mediator between God and man. But Mr. Kelly over- 
 looking this union between Chrift aiid innocent human 
 nature, maintains that Chrift was united to fiuful wan, 
 and -partook of their guilty and on that account de/erved to 
 iuffer, in point of juftifa.* In this view nncleed, the 
 fufferings of Chrift appear perfectly jufl, but not in the 
 lead degree meritorious, for there can be no met it in fuf- 
 Jering a jufl punijkment. So that had it been poffible for 
 fuch an union to have exifted as Mr. Relly pleads for, 
 it would have defeated the ends of Chrift's death, and 
 prevented an atonement for fin. 
 
 The fcriptnre like wife mentions an union between 
 Chrift and the cleft* A certain number of mankird 
 were chofen to falvarion from eternity, and given to 
 Chrift, in the covenant of redemption, as then ward of 
 his lufferi-ngs. 'Thefe are called the c.'ttf, or the ckmch, 
 and often alluded to in fcripture, particularly in tlr fol- 
 lowing pgffages. /' Bleffed be the God and Father of 
 rur Lord Jelus Chrift, who hath bltfled us with all fpi- 
 riru^l bl< flings in heavenly places in Chrift accotc'ir-g 
 as he hath chokn us /a blm % before the louuclarii D of 
 
 the 
 
 * Fa ^ 3) 4> 5> & 
 
the world, that we fhould be holy and without blame 
 before 'him in love." *' Be thou partaker of the afflic- 
 tions of the gofpel, according to the power of God ; 
 who hath faved us, and called us with an holy calling, 
 not according to our works, but according to his own 
 purpofe and grace, which was given us in Chrift, before 
 the world began/' " Ye alfo, as living ftoncs, are buik 
 Up a fpiritual houfe, an holy priefl'hood, to offer up fpiritual 
 facrifices, acceptable to God by Jefus Chrift. Where- ' 
 fore al(o it is contained in the fcripture, behold I lay in 
 Zion a chief corner ftone, t left precious ; and he that be- 
 jieveth on hi-m (hall not be confounded. Unto you 
 therefore, who believe, he is precious: But unto them 
 who are difobedient, the ftone which the builders difal- 
 lowed, the fame is made the head of the corner; and a 
 ftone of ftumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them 
 who ftumbleat the word, being difobedient, ivherettnto 
 elfo they were appointed. But .ye are a chofen generation, 
 a royal pricftbwd, an holy nation, a peculiar people/' 
 Thtfe, and many other puffjges uf fcripture fpeak of 
 the eleil, and fpeak of them as peculiar, and diftinfl from 
 the reft of mankind. All the world are not the cleft, 
 but the cleft are thofe who from eternity were chofen 
 out of the world, and who are reprdtnted in fcripture, 
 as entirely diftinft from the world. Our Lord hath 
 taken care to fix and determine this matter with great 
 precifion. He fays in the 24th of M it the ,v, u And many 
 fal r e prophets (hall arife, and flu II deceive many, and (hall 
 fhew great figns and wonder?, informk'h that ^if it were 
 poffible) they (hall deceive the very e'eft " Here the 
 tied are diftinc/t from therapy that were to be deceived. 
 Again,; in the ijth of J->hn. Child tclH his followers, 
 * If the -world hate you, ye know if hated me before it 
 hated you* If ye were of the world, the world would 
 
love his ovrn : But becaufe ye are not of the world, but 
 I have chtfen you out of the world, therefore the world 
 hareth you/' in the -i^th chapter, he hath thefe ex- 
 preffions. " I have manift.fted thy name unto the men 
 -which ihoti gaveft me out of the ivorld. I have giVln 
 them thy word ; and the world bath hated them, becaufe 
 they are not of the -world, even as I am not of the world." 
 
 Now as the eled were chofen to falvation from eter- 
 nity, in Chrift, as the means, and for Chrift, as the reward 
 of his fufferings and death ; fo it may be truly faid, that 
 there hath been a certain union or connexion between 
 Chrift and the elc& from eternity. But beGdes this, there 
 is another more intimate and vital union between Chrift 
 and the e!et 3 which commences in time \ but (hall en- 
 dure forever. For whom God predeftinates, them he 
 alfo calls ; and whom he calls, them he alfo juftifies ; 
 and whom he juftifies, them he alfo glorifies. Hence, 
 fays, the apoftle, (peaking of the fuccefs of his labours 
 among the Gentiles, c< As many as were ordained to eternal 
 hfe, believed" All the eled are brought in this life, by 
 the influences of the divine Spirit, to repentance and 
 faith. And in faith, this vital union to Chrift com- 
 mences. The believer then becomes united to Chrift 
 in his affefttortf, views, and inter efts. He loves what 
 Chrift loves, and hates what Chrift hates. He has the 
 lame views of the divine Majefty, of the divine law, of 
 fin, and of himfelf, that Chrift has. And he has a joint 
 intereft with Chrift in the love of God, in the protections 
 of providence, and in all the bleffings which refult from 
 the work of redemption. This union is of the lame na- 
 ture with that which fubfifts between Chrift and his Fa- 
 ther. Accordingly he prays, in the lyth of John, that 
 this union might commence, in tune, between him and 
 
 thofe 
 
E 4 3 
 
 thofe whom his Father had given him from eternity, 
 1* Neither pray I for thefe alone, but for them alfo who 
 /hall believe on me through their word ; that they all 
 may be one; as thou, Father, art ki me, and 1 in thee, 
 thar they may alfo be one in us" This union makes the 
 prin-dpal figure in the facred writings, and is oftener al- 
 luded to there than any other. It is. on account of this 
 union, that faints or believers, in diftin&ion from the 
 world, are faid to die with Chrift, to be crucified with 
 Chrift ; to be buried with Chrift ; to be quickened with 
 Chrift ; to ri/e with Chrift ; to live with Chrift ; to be 
 circtimcifed with Chrift j to be bsptifed with Chrift ; to 
 be compleat in Chrift ; to be members of his body, of his fleffi, 
 and of his bones. And it is on account of this union, that 
 Chrift and the church are fo often prefigured and repre- 
 fented by the various metaphors of Adam and Eve ; of 
 Adam and his pofterity ; of the hulband and wife ; of 
 Aaron and his robes; of the vine and its branches; of 
 the head and its members ; and of the corner ftone and 
 fuperftrufture, 
 
 Thefe unions, which we have now mentioned and 
 . defcribed, are the only ones refpe<5Ung Chrift and men, 
 that are to be found in the facred oracles. And thefe 
 are fo far from bearing the leaft affinity to that union 
 between Chrift ancl all mankind, which Mr. Reliy 
 pleads for, that they are utterly inconfiUent with it, and 
 fubverfive of it. If thefe be true, that muft be falfe. 
 And if thefe be true, thereto one or other of them, muft 
 every paffage of fcripture, which fpeafos of men's union 
 to Chrift, neceffarily refer; and of courfe, leave Mr, 
 Kelly's notion of union as deftitute of all fupport from 
 divine revelation, as from reafon and common fenfe. 
 
 L But 
 
But it may be ftlli urged ia favour of the aniver&i 
 fclvation of mankind, chat " Chriit tafted death for eve- 
 " ry man, and made full atonement for the fins of the 
 " whole world. And it is prepofterous to imagine that 
 w any of thofe who have been redeemed by the precious 
 blood of the fon of God, fhould be finally loft." I 
 anfwer, 
 
 Firft, this objection fuppofcs that God is obliged, in 
 juftice % to fave all mankind. Therefore, 
 
 Secondly, it fuppofes that mankind ftand in no need 
 of divine forgiven f/s. For if the price of redemption 
 which Chrift hath paid, hath fully difcharged the debt 
 which finners owed to God, then they now owe hi'm 
 nothing, and if they owe him nothing, they have no- 
 thing to be forgiven ; and therefore can never with pro- 
 priety ufe that petition in the Lord's prayer, " Forgive 
 us our debts as we forgive our debtors/' Wherefore, 
 
 Thirdly, there can be no grace difplayed in the falva- 
 tion of finners, by the gofpel. For if they all deferve 
 to be faved, it is an aft of //?/-, but not of grace, for 
 God to fave them, Though the apoftle indeed tells be* 
 1-ievers that they are "juftified/rr/p)' his grace, through 
 
 the redemption that is in Jefus Chrift." But, 
 
 
 
 Fourthly, this objection is entirely founded in a mif- 
 spprehenfion of the nanire of Chrift's atonement. It 
 was not the intention of Chrift, by his obedience and 
 death, to make void the law, to alter the nature of fin, 
 to move God in mercy^ or oblige him, in jfftice, to fave 
 finners; for all this was impoffible. But his defign toas, 
 to eflablifv the law, to condemn fin in the fiefh, and main- 
 tain the dignity of the divine character and government^ 
 
 and 
 
E 43 ] 
 
 and thereby open A door for the difplay of 'divint* mer- 
 cy and lorgivenefs towards a perifhing world. The 
 death of Chrift indeed hath removed all the obstacles, 
 which before flood in the way of the exercife of divine 
 mercy > and that is all. God is no more obliged, m 
 -point cfju/iice, to fave finners, than if Chrift had never 
 died, and made atonement for fin. If God f&ves any 
 of the human race now, it is an a 61 of mere grace % and 
 Bot of juftice. Hence the extent of Chrift's atonement 
 does not in the leaft determine, whether more or lefs, 
 whether a part or the whole of mankind will finally be 
 faved. This can be determined only by the divine de- 
 clarations > and gracious promi/es to Chrift, which, as we 
 have Ihown, all concur to reprobate the notion of uni~ 
 verfal falvation. 
 
 It is faid by fonre, that " God being from eternity 
 M perfefljy and independently bleffed, could have no 
 '"other motive in giving being to his creatures than 
 ** their good) and of conicqucnce, hemuft infallibly bring 
 " them all, fooner or later, to a Hate of perled happi- 
 w neis." 
 
 Though this objection is not void of plaufibility, yet 
 it feems to carry lomething in it extremely abfurd and 
 difhonorable to the divine Majerty. For the Supreme 
 Being to have himfelf entirely out of view in all his 
 works, and to make every thing in the univerfe folely 
 fubfervient to the good of the creature, looks like fetting 
 the creature above the infinitely great Jehovah ! Befides, 
 if the Deky aims folely at the good of the creature, 
 why fhould not the creature aim folely at his own good r 
 and make his own happinefs the fcle object of all 
 ddkes and puriuhs ? And why Ihould God 
 
t 44 3 
 
 him, if in the pnrfuit of this object, he cafls 
 reftrains prayer, and loves and ferres the creature 
 more than the Creator ? Moreover, if the Divine 
 Being aims folely at the good of every individual perfon, 
 why hath he not made every man perfectly happy 
 through every ftage and period of his ex i (fence ? Why 
 hath he made this world an Aceldema, a field of blood, 
 and fcene of every evil, where men are born to trouble 
 as the {parks fly upward? Why hath he not rather 
 poured one continued, uninterrupted ftream of happinefs 
 upon #/, as he hath upon the angels above, who have 
 never felt one fenful paffion, nor one fainful fenfation 
 flnce their exiftence? Perhaps it will here be faid, that 
 though God aims folely at the good of the intelligent 
 creation in general, yet this does not neccflarily imply 
 that he muft conftantly feek and promote the good of eve- 
 ry individual. We grant it, and abide the confequence, 
 which is this. If the good of the intelligent creation in 
 general, may fametimes, require God to give up the good 
 of individuals* then it may, for aught we know, require 
 him to give up the good of individuals forever. If 
 the general good of mankind once required the tem- 
 poral definition of Pharaoh and his hofls, who 
 knows but the general good of the whole intelligent 
 creation, may alfo require their eternal deftruftion ? 
 Therefore allowing that God does, in this fenfe, aim 
 fnpremely and folely at the general gsod of the intelli- 
 gent creation, yet he may neverthelefs make myriads 
 and myriads of individuals finally and eternally miferable. 
 
 There is, however, no reafon to think that God had f 
 from eternity, no other view in all his works of creation 
 and providence, than the general good of the created fy- 
 fterau This fuppofuion feems to originate from a falfc 
 
 conception 
 
t 45 ] 
 
 conception of the nature and bleftJnefs of the Divine 
 Being. God is not an infinite Intelligence, who is per- 
 fe&ly deftitute of z\\propenfions. He is not, as the Epi- 
 curians dream, an infinite Stoic, who is entirely unaffec- 
 ted with, and indifferent to, all created and uncreated 
 obje&s. But he is a Being of infinitely clear views, of 
 infinitely wife defigns, and of infinitely ftrong propenjities 
 and affefthns. And the perfeft, undifturbed, eternal gra- ' 
 lification of all thefe, is abfolutely effential to his infinite, 
 immutable bleffednefs. Though God was indeed per- 
 feftly blefled from eternity, independently of his crea- 
 tures, yet not independently of his own views, purpofes 
 and affe&ions. Could we only luppofe it poffible, that 
 God's purpofes and defjgns fhould now be erafed from 
 his mind* or that he fhould now find himfelf unable to 
 carry them into execution, this would prove an eternal 
 diminution of the divine bleflednefs. But fince known 
 unto God are all his works from the beginning ; fince 
 they have always flood prefent to his view, as fully ac- 
 complifhed, they have been an eternal fource of ineffable 
 fatisfa6tion, fell-complacency and delight. Now if Gpd 
 be capable of great and noble defigns, if he be capable of 
 great and noble exertions, and capable of taking a true, 
 rcal % infinite pleafure and delight in all his works, then it is 
 eafy to conceive that he might make his own pleojure* 
 hif own blejjednefs or glory the grand and fupreme objeft 
 in all his works of creation and providence, and have 
 but an inferior and fubordinate refpecfl to the good of 
 the creature. Accordingly the fcripture reprefents this 
 as his ultimate and fupreme end in the creation of the 
 world, " The Lord hath made all things for himfelf ; 
 yea, even the wicked for the day of evil." Prov. 1 6. 4. 
 The apoftle fays, that "of him, and through him, and 
 to him are all things." Rom, iz. 36. And it is the 
 
 M general 
 
general voice of heaven, " Thou art worthy, O Lord;, 
 to receive gl^ry, and honor, and power; tor thou haft 
 created all things, and for thy *P LEISURE, they 
 are &nd were created." Befides, the whole courfe of 
 providence from the beginning to this day, clearly de- 
 monftrates that God hath fought his own glory fupreme- 
 ly, and the good of the creature but fubordinately in all 
 his conduct He expelled the rebel angels from heaven, 
 deflroyed the old world, and burnt up Sodom and Go- 
 morrah, not for the ir gvod, but for his own glory, And 
 we know the perdition of Pharaoh and ol Judas was 
 not defigned for their good ', fince Chrift hath laid of the 
 one, that it had been good for him, if he had never 
 been born, and God hath told us, he raifed up the other, 
 that his name might be declared throughout aH the earth. 
 Hence the fuprcme and ultimate ends of the Deity in 
 the creation of the world, ciford no evidence in favour 
 of the universal faivation of the human race. It may be 
 confident with God's original and eternal defigns, for 
 aught we know, to continue the miferies of tht dam- 
 ned to all eternity. 
 
 We often hear the infinite love and mercy of the De- 
 ity pathetically urged as an irrefragable argument againft: 
 the eternity of future punifhments. It is faid, "this 
 " doftrine reprefents the divine benevolence as far below 
 11 the pity and companion that are found in the human 
 1 heart. A parent's love cannot endure the thought 
 J that the dear offspring of his own bowels fhould be 
 " made fuel for quenchlefs flames. And the moft ma- 
 " levolent man on earth does not even wijh that his 
 " worft enemy fhould lie down in eternal forrow, and 
 * dwell with everlafting burnings. Much lefs can the 
 r * kind parent of the univerfe, who is good unto sA\ i: 
 
 ." and 
 
[ 47 1 
 
 " and whofe tender mercies are over all his works, find 
 " it in his heart to doom any of the human race to the 
 " pains of hell forever" 
 
 This objection appears ro be rather an addrefs to the 
 fofc and tender paffions of human nature, than an appeal 
 to the cool and impartial dictates of right rcafon. The 
 weaker paffions of our animal nature, recoil in the view 
 of thofe ads of public juftice, which, our reafon, our 
 conference, and our real benevolence approve, and which 
 the divine authority hath abfolutely required. But who 
 would hence conclude that oyr love and compofllon tran- 
 fcend the tender mercies of the Deity ? Did not Noah 
 preach an hundred and twenty years to a ftupid and 
 impenitent world ? Did he not offer up ftrong. prayers 
 and cries to the Father of Mercies, that he would gra- 
 cioufly avert the dire deftruftion which hung over their 
 guilty heads ? And did he not "rife in fervor and impor- 
 tunity, as die period of their day of grace and fpace of 
 repentance drew nigh ? How then mult he have felt 
 when he flood a fpeftator of their final doom ! Who 
 can defcribe or conceive the tender emotions of his heart, 
 the painful conflicts and tumults of his breaft, when the 
 tremendous fcene opened to his view ! When he beheld 
 the rains falling, the fountains of the great deep break- 
 ing up, and all nature in convulfions; and heard the 
 waves roaring, and a guilty world, duy after day, cry- 
 ing, and praying, and rending the heavens with their 
 lall, expiring groans! But (hall we imagine that God 
 was equally flocked on this folemn occafron ! No ! He, 
 (if we may be allowed the companion) flood, like Bru- 
 tus, with ftern jultice. on his countenance, and beheld 
 his beloved, but guilty offspring receive the due reward 
 of their deeds. 
 
 Wkh 
 
C 48 ] 
 
 With what fervent importunity did Abraham befecch 
 the Moft High to fpare the devoted cities of Sodom and 
 Gomorrah ? And next morning, when he repaired to 
 the place where he had flood and prayed before the 
 Lord, and looked towards Sodorn and Gomorrah, and 
 towards all the land oi the plain, and beheld, and Jo, the 
 fmoak of the country went up as the fmoak of a furnace, 
 how did it awaken every tender feeling of humanity and 
 benevolence ? But who will hence conclude that the 
 Father of Mercies had lefs love and compaffion towards 
 the workmanfhip of his own hands, than Abraham ? 
 Hence nothing but our danger can equal our delufion, 
 if we imagine the Divine Being to be altogether fuch an 
 one as ourfelves, and judge of the divine clemency by 
 our own. What if Noah, what if Lot had done fo ! 
 What if Noah had faid, " I know the world is become 
 univcrfally corrupt. I know the earth is filled with 
 violence. I know God hath told me his patience is li- 
 mited to one hundred and twenty years. But 1 know 
 myown heart recoils at the thoughts of their deftruAion, 
 and it is my fincere defire and prayer to God that they 
 might be faved. And I alfo know God is infinitely more 
 kind, and gracious, and merciful than 1 am. I will 
 therefore negleft the ark, and build my houfe on the 
 fand, and fear no evil." But behold ! the floods come, 
 the winds blow, and the ftorms beat on his houfe, and 
 it falls, and great is the fall of it ! What if Lot had con- 
 fidered the divine threatnings as a mere mockery, like 
 his fbns-in-law, would he not have perifhed with them 
 in the ruins of Sodom ? And is it not equally dangerous 
 to reafon in the fame manner now, againft the threat- 
 nings of the wrath to come ? 
 
 But dill, fays the obje&or, is not God a God of love ? 
 
 and 
 
C 49 3 
 
 and is it the nature of love to punifh, especially its be- 
 lored objedls? I anfwer, yes; it is the genuine ten- 
 dency of true love, under certain circumflances to pu- 
 -mfh. True love to his child, induces the kind and in- 
 dulgent parent to ufe the rod of -correction for his good. 
 So fays Solomon, " He that fpareth his rod, haterh his 
 fon, but he that hveth him, chafteneth him betimes." 
 So whom the Lord loveth he chafteneth. 4< But this 
 Breaches not the cafe," replies the objeftor. " I can eafi- 
 11 ly conceive that love fhould punifh its beloved objeft 
 " for its good; but will it extend further? Will it pu- 
 4< nifh more than the benefit of the objeft punifhed re- 
 *' quires? Will it therefore punifli forever ?" No doubt 
 it will, when the good of the objefi punijhed Is not the end 
 propofed by the punifhment. It is not always the in- 
 tention of punifhment to cpnfult the good of the objedl 
 punifhed. This is never the cafe with refpefl to capital 
 punifhments in this life. It is love to his country, or a 
 tender regard to the public good, that induces the civil 
 magiftrate to condemn the traitor or murderer to a pain- 
 ful and ignominious death. It was love to God that fired 
 the breaft of Phineas, when he rufhed into the camp of 
 Ifrael, and flew Zimri and Kozbi. And then it was 
 confidered, approved and rewarded by the God of love. 
 " And the Lord fpake unto Mofes, faying, Phineas the 
 fon of Eleazer, the foa of Aaron the prieft, hath turned 
 my wrath away from the children of Ifrael ('while he 
 was zealous for my fake among them) that I confumed not 
 the children of Urael in my jealoufy. Wherefore fay, 
 Behold, 1 give unto him my covenant of peace, &c." 
 It is love to the objedls injured, and not to the objeds 
 punifheS, that dictates the nature, degree and duration 
 of their punifhment. Thus it is God's love to himfelf, 
 to his fon, to his Jaw, and to the general good of the 
 
 N univerfe 
 
 
C 50 ] 
 
 iniiverfe that induces him to punifh the wicked after 
 death. Ami as his infinite love to thefe .objects will 
 eternally remain, fo it will induce him to punifh the 
 wicked forever. His'Iove will burn to thelbweft hell. 
 Hence we find the nioft exemplary acls of divine juitice 
 are reprefented in fcripture as rhe expreffions of divine 
 mercy. " O give thanks unto the Lord, for he isgotd; 
 for his mercy endureth forever. To him that by wifdorn 
 made the heavens ; for, his mercy endureth forever. 
 To him that fmote Egypt in their firjl born, for his mercy 
 endureth forever. And brought out lirael from among 
 them; for his mercy endureth forever. But overthrew 
 Pharaoh and his hofts in the Red Sea ; for his mercy 
 endureth forever. To him that fmote great kings ; for 
 his mercy endureth forever. Andfiety famous kings; for 
 his mercy endureth forever. Sthon king of the sfmorites; 
 for his mercy endureth forever. And Og king of Bafhan ; 
 for his mercy endureth forever." Here the dif plays of divine 
 juftice are confidered as the difplays of the fame goodne/s 
 which firft gave birth to the creation of the world. But 
 to whom is the difplay of this juftice, a mercy ? To the 
 wicked ? Nay, but to the Ifrael, to the church of God. 
 Hence the degree and duration of the punifhments of the 
 wicked will always hold proportion to the degree and 
 duration of the divine love to the righteous. Accord ng- 
 }y God reprefenrs his punitive juflice as the nectflary fruit 
 and effect of his infinite goodnefs and mercy. When 
 Mofes rcquefled a fpecial manifeflation of his glory. 
 He told him he would caufe all hisgoodtiefs to pafs before 
 him. And to do this, he proclaimed himfelf rhe Lord, 
 the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long fuffering, 
 and abundant in goodnefs and truth and that will by 
 no means clear gui-ty" Thus it appears that divine^W- 
 ncfs may, and infallibly will punifl) rhe wicked forever^ 
 if ihe^e^ot theuniverfe requires their ^r/puni 
 
 ! 4 The 
 
[ 51 1 
 
 *' The punifhments of the damned," fay feme, " muft 
 ** difturb the joys of the blefled. For how can 
 " thofe pure and benevolent fpirits behold, 'without fain, 
 14 multitudes of their fellow-creatures, whom they love 
 '* as themfdves, eternally weltering under the vials of 
 " divine wrath." 
 
 In anfwer to this it may be obferved, 
 
 Firft, that thepunilhments of the damned are the dif- 
 plays of divine jufticc towards them. 
 
 Secondly, that they are the difplays of divine goodneff 
 towards the blejfed. Hbnce, 
 
 Thirdly, as difplays- of divine goodntfi , the heavenly 
 hofts ought not only to approve of them, but to rejoice 
 in them, and prti/e God ior them* And hence, , 
 
 Fourthly, the fcripture tells us, that the pure fpirits 
 above do rejoice in and praiie God for the eternal punifh- 
 ments which he inflids upon his aod their enemies. 
 Upon the fall of myftical Babylon* it is faid, "Rejoice 
 ever her, thou heaven, and ye holy apoftles and pro- 
 phets ; for God hath avenged you on her/' " And after 
 thcfe things I heard a great voice of much people in 
 heaven, laying-, Alleluia: Salvation, and glory, and 
 power unto the Lord our God : For true and righ- 
 teous are brs judgments ; fo'r he hath judged the great 
 whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, 
 and hath avenged the blood of his fervants at her hand. 
 And agiin they faid, Alleluia. And her fmoak rife up 
 forever and evsr< ;"' 
 
 It is faid, " If God fhould fave fome of mankind and 
 11 finally punifh others, then he 'would be a re/pefler of 
 s: 9 To* 
 
[ 5* ] 
 
 To this ft is fufficient to reply, that divine inspiration 
 affures us, that God's rewarding the righteous and pu- 
 nifhing the wicked is the very //;/, which demonftrates 
 him to be no refpe&er of perfons. " But if ye call on 
 the Father, who, 'without refpeB of perfonSijuJgeth accord- 
 ing to every mans work, pafs the time of your lojourning 
 here in fear." I Pet. i. 17. " And whatsoever ye do, 
 do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men j know- 
 ing that of the Lord ye (hall receive the reward of the 
 inheritance ;*for ye ferve the Lord Chrift. . But he that 
 doeth wrong, fiiall receive for the wrong which he hath done : 
 And there is no refpetf offcr/ons" ColofT. 3. 23, 24, 25. 
 And the apoftle tells the finally impenitent (inner, that 
 God will render to every man according to his deeds : 
 To them, who, by patient continuance in' well- doing, 
 feek for glory, and honour^ and immortality ; eternal 
 life : But unto them that are contentious, and do not 
 obey the truth, but obey unrighteoufnefs; indignation, 
 and wrath, tribulation and anguifh upon every foul of 
 man that doeth evil, of the Jew firft, and alfo of the 
 Gentile. For there is no re/peft of perjons with God! 9 
 Rom. 2. 6, 7, 8, 9, 11. 
 
 It is further urged againft the eternal punifhments of 
 
 the wicked, that u though God is obliged to fulfil his 
 
 " promifes, yet he is not obliged to fulfil his threatnings ; 
 
 " and therefore notwithftanding he hath threatened eter- 
 
 4 nal deftruition to the finally impenitent, yet we can- 
 
 ic not hence abfolutely determine that he will make them 
 
 * eternally miferable." 
 
 This objedlion does, in a great meafure, if not en- 
 tirely defeat itlelf. For it fuppofes, 
 
 Firft, that God has really threatened eternal deftruc- 
 tion to the wicked. Secondly* 
 
I 53 ] 
 
 Secondly* it Tuppofes that God may confiftetuJy with 
 juftice make them eternally miferable. 
 
 Thirdly, it fuppofes that it Is utterly impoflible for us 
 to know and prove, that he will not pynifo them eternally^ 
 becaufe thk cannot be known unlefs God \\z$ fr&mifed 
 HOC to fulfil his threatenings, wfakh is ablurd. 
 
 Fourthly, it fuppofes that it is probable that he will 
 ptfttf/k the wicked forever. Divine threatenings muft, ac 
 Jeaft, imply that it is in feme meafure probable, that God 
 will fulfil them, or elfe they imply nothing, have no 
 meaning, and anfwer no end. And this probability is 
 greatly corroborated by the many inftances, which the 
 fcripture gives us, of God's fulfilling his threatenings. 
 He threatened to deftroy the old world, in the (pace of 
 an hundred and twenty yeffrs. And accordingly at the 
 time appointed he deftroyed them. He threatened to 
 judge and deftroy the Egyptians, after a period of four 
 hundred years. And when the time of the promife and 
 threatening came, he overthrew the Egyptians, and fet 
 the feed of Abraham free from the houfe of bondage. 
 He threatened deftruftion to the Canaanites, and he de- 
 ftroyed them accordingly. He threatened a fcventy 
 years captivity to his people Ifrael, and he fulfilled his 
 threatenings. He threatened the total excifion of the 
 Jews* their city and temple, and they were cut off at 
 the time predided. He threatened the ruin of the fe- 
 ven churches of Afia ; and his threatenings have long 
 fince been fulfilled. He threatened the utter extin&ion 
 of Babylbn and Ninevah, and his threatenings have had 
 a moil exad and puncftual accompliflimenu* Thefe 
 and many other inftances which might be adduced, 
 
 O afford 
 
 * See Newton on the prophecies. 
 
[ 54 ] 
 
 afford a ftrong probability and preemption that God 
 will fulfil all his threatenings according to their real na- 
 ture and import. Nor does the cafe of Ninevah rightly 
 underftood fuppofe the contrary. God's threatenings 
 againft Ninevah were evidently conditional^ agreeably to 
 that 'divine maxim in the i8th of Jeremiah. " At what 
 inftant 1 fhall fpeak concerning a nation If that nation, 
 ngainft whom I have pronounced turn from their evil, 
 I will repsnt of the evil that 1 thought to do unto them-." 
 And Jonah and the king of Ninevah evidently under- 
 ftood the threatening with this implied condition ; or 
 \\hy did Jonah preach, or the Ninevites faft I Befides, 
 
 Fifthly, this objection fuppofes that it is as certain, as it 
 can be } that God will punifh the wicked eternally. No- 
 thing can make this more certain than the divine threat- 
 enwgs. If God's threat,en<ings do not fix the certainty of 
 future and eternal punifh men ts- beyond doubt, then if 
 God really intends to punifh the wicked to all eternity, 
 he cannot make them certain of it in this Hie, for he con 
 give them no higher evidence of it than h>is exprcfs de- 
 clarations and threatenings. So that if they will nor be- 
 lieve this evidence, neither would they be perfuaded, 
 though one rofe from the dead. Accordingly God af- 
 fares us, that his threatenings are as much to be relied on 
 as /;/'/ promifes^ and that his truth and divinity, are pledged 
 in both. Thus his promifes and threatenings are fee 
 upon a level in the i8th of Jeremiah.. " At what inftant 
 I (hall (peak concerning a nation, and concerning a king- 
 dom, to pluck up and to pull down, and to deitroy it j; 
 if that nation, again ft whom 1 have pronounced turu 
 from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to 
 do unto them. And at what inftant' I fhall fpeak con- 
 cerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build 
 
 and 
 
[ 55 ] 
 
 and to plant it j if it do evil in my fight, that it obey 
 not my voice, then I will repent of" ihz good wherewith 
 I laid I would benefit it." Here God exhibits the lame 
 evidence of the truth aud certainty of his threatenings 
 as of his promifes. And in other places he lets them 
 both on the lame immutable footing. " If ye be willing 
 and obedient, ye fhali <. *>t the' good of the land." Here 
 is a promife. " But if ye refute and rebel, ye fhall be de- 
 voured with the fword. Here is a threatening. And 
 then both are confirmed, by the following emphatical 
 afTeverafion, " for the mouth of the LORD bath Jpoken 
 it" And this mode of afTeveration is often ufed wkh 
 rtfptdl to the divine threatenings as well as promifes. 
 The threatenings againlt Tyre run in this folemn form': 
 "Therefore, thus laid the L O R D GOD, Behold I 
 am againft thee, O Tyrus, and I will caule many na- 
 tions to come up again 11 thee, as the fea caufeth his 
 waves to come up. And they (hall deftroy the walls of 
 Tyrus, and break down her towers: I will alfo (crape 
 her duft from her, and make her hke the top of a rock j 
 it (hall be a place for the fpreading of nets in the midft of 
 the fea : For 1 have fpoken it faith the Lord" Ez< k. 17. 
 3, 4, 5. This threatening proved true, and was fully 
 accomplished many ages ago.* There is another threat- 
 ening ngainfl God's own people of the fame tenor. *' Be- 
 caufe I have purged thee, and thou waft not purged, 
 thou fhah not be purged from thy filthinefs any more, 
 till I have caufed my fury to reft upon thee. I the Lord 
 have fpoken it ; it fbail &ome to pafs, and I wilt do it" Ezck. 
 14. 13, 14, Thus it appears that God's threatening^ 
 have the fame ground of certainty as \\\$ promi/es. They 
 are both founded on the infallible veracity, and abfolute 
 immutability of Him 'who cannot lie. 
 
 Another 
 * Sec Newton on the prophecies 
 
I 56 3 
 
 Another objection is this. " If fin and mifery be not 
 " totally abolilhed, and all mankind finally favcd, then 
 *' Satan will triumph, and Chrift will fail of accornplifh* 
 " ing one of his principal ends in the work of redemp- 
 ' tion, which is co bruife the .ferpent's- head, and d^ftroy 
 " the works of the devil." 
 
 To this it may be replied, in the firft place, that merely 
 the abolishing affin and mijery will apt deftroy the works of 
 the devil, and bruife the ferpent's head. For fuppoling 
 in any period of eternity, fin and milery fhbuld be per- 
 ietly ^bolifhed, Satan would ftill have caule to triumph, 
 that he had brought an indelible itain upon the divine 
 chara&er, and done an irreparable injury to his creatures* 
 and fo far fruftrated the kind and benevolent purpofcs of 
 the Deity in the work of creation. Unlefs, 
 
 Secondly, all the fin and mifery which he had proved 
 the means of introducing into God's world, are turned, 
 egaiuft him, and m,ade inftrumental of bringing more glory 
 to God, and,wortf happinefs to the univerte than if they 
 had, never exifted. When this is done, Satan is effedu- 
 ally conquered, his bead is bruifed, and his works de- 
 itroyed. But, 
 
 Thirdly, if the fin and mffery of ages, can be made 
 the means of bringing more glory to GvJ, and more hippi- 
 nefs to the univerfe, than if they had never exifted ; 
 Chen the fin and mifery of the damned through eternity, 
 may prove the means of promoting the fame ends for-" 
 ever. Therefore, in order effectually to deftroy the 
 works of the devil, and bruife the ferpent's head it may 
 be abfolutely necefTary that Satan and multitudes of his 
 followers (hould be eternally miserable. Accordingly 
 the fcripture reprefents Chrift' as triumphing over Satan t 
 
 by 
 
[ 57 ] 
 
 fey turning alt his fchemes and works againft him, and 
 finally calling him and his adherents into the bottonv 
 lefs pit, un-der the wrath of God, and the everlafting 
 contempt of the heavenly world. And ihns Chriit is 
 exalted, and his enemies are made his footitool. 
 
 Having fliown that there will be a general judgment 
 * that there is ai) effential diftinftion between the righ- 
 teous and the wicked that agreeably to this diftinction, 
 they will be feperated at thelaft day, and rewarded and pu< 
 niflied according to their works that their refpe&ive re- 
 wards and punifhments will endure/or^jdrand that there 
 arenoyW/Wobjedlions againft thefe folernnand interefting 
 truths ; it only remains to conclude this difcourfe with 
 fuch reflections as are naturally fuggefted by the fubjecl. 
 
 It is obvious to remark, in the firft place, that every 
 fcheme of univerfal falvation is utterly deftitute of any 
 foundation in the word of God. The foregoing obfer- 
 vations equally ftrike at the root of this opinion, in 
 whatever fhape it appears, or on whatever ground it is 
 built. Various fchemes have been purfued to eftablifh 
 the notion of the final reftoration and happinefs of all 
 lapfed beings. This notion perhaps was firrt conceived 
 in the fertile brain of Origin, who, like other great and 
 afpiring minds, made fuch grofs blunders in (peculation, 
 as men of an inferior fize are incapable of committing. 
 This opinion of his tranfpired with feveral others equally 
 abfurd and romantic. He maintained that " the fouls 
 of men do pre-exi(t that through their fault and negli- 
 gence they appear here inhabitants of the earth cloathed 
 in terreftial bodies- that the mytfery of the refurredion 
 is this, that we (hall be cloathed with heavenly or sethe- 
 rial bodies that after long periods of time the damned 
 
 P " (hall 
 
ftali be delivered from their torments, and 'try their for* 
 tunes again in fuch regions of the world as their natures 
 fit them for and that the earth, after her conflagration, 
 fhall become habitable again, and be the manfions of 
 men and other animals ; and this in eternal viciffitudes."* 
 Such crude and undigeited notions were propagated by 
 Origin, which probably would have dropt into oblivion* 
 eges ago, bad not the name of their author carried more 
 weight with fome, than the ftrength of his arguments. 
 Out of this rubbHb, however, the Romifh clergy formed 
 the abfurd do&rine of Purgatory. And after them, 
 Chevalier Ramfay, Dr. Hartley and others have built, 
 on the fame foundation, the do&rine of the final refto^ 
 ration of all lapfed beings to the divine favor* 
 
 Others have founded their expectation of the final 
 bappinefs of the whole intelligent creation on the infinite 
 goodnefs and mercy of the Supreme Being. They fup- 
 pofe that the endlefs mifery of the creature cannot be 
 reconciled with the nature of his crime, nor the bound- 
 lefs love and benevolence of the Deity. This fchemc 
 hath been generally adopted by deiftical writers. 
 
 And, of late, Mr. Relly hath devifed another method 
 of arriving to the fame conclufio^ and maintained, that 
 all men will be faved by virtue of th^ir union- to Chrift, 
 which God conftitutcd and eftablifhed from eternity, 
 without any aft or exercife of theirs. This is the laft 
 improvement upon the dodrine of univerjal falvation ; 
 and is, of all others, the moft abfurd and. repugnant td 
 the genius and fpirit of -the gvfpel*. 
 
 But the notion of univerfal falvation, in every form of 
 it, is fo ablurd, that it hath never met with general accep- 
 tance 
 * Pfaenix, V6I, .1. Page ii* 
 
C 59 1 
 
 mnce among thofe that have called themfelves Chriftians; 
 They have never adoped it as an article in any of their 
 formulas, creeds, or confeffions of faith. Even the Ro- 
 mifh church have not embraced it. They do not ima- 
 gine that every finner willhave the benefit of purgatory, 
 but fuppofe mulritudes are fo guilty as to be lent direft- 
 ]y to heU, and fbiall there remain forever. Only a few 
 individuals have believed and propagated this doctrine, 
 in any age of the world, as Dr. Hartley frankly acknow- 
 ledges. His words are thefe, *"" It is farther to be 
 obierved, that the fear of death is much increafed by 
 the exquifiteneis of the punifhments threatened in a fu- 
 ture ftate, and by, the variety of the emblems* reprefen- 
 tations, analogies, and evidences, of natural and revealed 
 religion, whereby all the terrors of all other things are 
 transferred upon tho(e punifhments ; alfo by that pecu^ 
 liar circiunftanceof the ETERNITY of them, which 
 feems to have been a general tradition previous to the 
 appearance of chriftianity, ampngft both Je,\vs and Pa- 
 gans, and which has been the dc&rine cf the chriftian 
 world ever fince, fome vtry Jew perfons excepted." 
 This general difbelief of the dodrine of univcrfalfalva- 
 tion bears a very dark afpefl upon the truth of it. For 
 had ic been true, and plainly revealed in thefacred ora- 
 cles, it is flrange that the chriftian world could never 
 yet be brought to embrace it; cfpecially fince it is a 
 doflriue fo every way adopted to pleale and gratify all 
 the natural defires erf the human heart. The belief of 
 it would not have afforded half the evidence oi its trurfr, 
 as the difbelief of it, for fo many ages, affords of its 
 falfehood. There h-as been every thing to lead mankind 
 to embrace it, and nothing to rejeft ir r had it been tra&* 
 But on the other hand, there has been every thing to 
 
 kadi 
 *" Qbfecvation* on an, i Yol, Page 467 
 
* 1 
 
 lead mankind to rejeft, and nothing to embrace the doc- 
 trine of eternal punifhments, had it been fulfe. Thera- 
 fere it is next to a miracle, that the chriftian world fhould, 
 lor fo many ages, embrace the do&rine of eternal pu- 
 nifhments, and rejeft that of univerfal falvation, had not 
 the do&rine of univerfal falvation been really falfe, and 
 that of eternal punifhments moft evidently true. In no 
 cafe, perhaps, the general voice of the chriftian world 
 ought to have more weight than in this; efpecially fincc 
 it fo fully concurs with fhe genera! voice of fcripture* 
 We have feen that all the doiftrines, declarations, pre- 
 cepts, promifes and threatenings of the gofpcl confpire 
 to condemn the notion of univerlal falvation. Indeed 
 had the bible been written on purpofe to refute it, we 
 can hardly conceive that it could have contained any 
 thing more plain, full and determinate againft it. And 
 Chevalier Ramfay acknowledges, that " St. Jerom, St. 
 Gregory, ofNyfla, St. Auguftin, and St. Cyril, of Alex- 
 andria, attacked and confuted this opinion, as maintained 
 by Origin, before the fifth general council held at Con- 
 ftantinople."* In fhort, there is every kind of evidence 
 againft it. It ftands condemned by fcripture, by reafon, 
 and by the general voice of mankind for more than a 
 thoufand years paft. 
 
 Secondly, it appears from what hath been faid, that 
 tkis fentiment is not only falfe, but very dangerous. 
 
 If there be an cffential difference between faints and 
 finners ; iftheyfhall be feperated from each other, at 
 the hit day, and eternally rewarded and punifhed ac- 
 cording to their works, as we have endeavoured to (how 
 in the preceeding difcourfc, then the notion of univerfal 
 
 falvation 
 
 * Philofophical Principles, 2 Vol. Page 24$. 
 
folvation, efpecially as maintained- by Mr. Relly and his 
 followers, is fundamentally wrong and abfolutely fatal. 
 Their doftrine teaches, that holinefs and piety are empty 
 Kames ; that faith, love, repentance, humility and lub- 
 miffion, are no other than hypocrify, pride and idolatry > 
 that it is imp< flible for a man to prevent his falvationby 
 the moil irreligious, abandoned, profligate life; that 
 there is no < iTcntial difference between the righteous and 
 the wicked ; that they (hall not be feperated at the laft 
 day, but Cain, Pharaoh, Hainan, Herod, Judas, Pilate, 
 and all the reft of the impenitent world, (hall fit down 
 \vith Abraham, Ifaac and Jacob in the kingdom of glory, 
 and no human foul be finally (hut out. Such a doftrine 
 as this is replete with infinite milchief, It ftrikes at the 
 root of all experimental religion. It confounds oil no- 
 tipns of virtue and vice. It deflroys all diftindtion of 
 charadlers. It faps the foundation of morality. It takes 
 off every reftraint from vice. It opens the flood gates 
 of iniquity. It renders even God, and Chrift, and the 
 prophets and the apoftles, the minifters of fin. It fpeaks 
 peace to the wicked, to whom, faith God, there is no 
 peace. It has indeed every fignature of a damnable 
 doftrine. There are many errors, no doubt, in regard 
 to the modes and forms, and fome of the doctrines of re- 
 ligion, which, though they cannot abide the clear light 
 of the laft great day, will not exclude men from the fa- 
 Tour of God, or the kingdom of heaven. But this is a 
 prafltcal error of the firft magnitude, which will even- 
 tually prove fatal in the day of decifion. Our Lord hath 
 fo clearly defcribed the procefs of the final judgment, 
 that we may as certainly know now, that all unrege- 
 nerate, unholy, impenitent, unclean, impure perions 
 fhail then be condemned, as if we now flood before that 
 awful tribunal, and heard the la-ft decifive fentence de- 
 
 nounccd 
 
f <* I 
 
 flounced agsinft them, Depart, ye curfed,into cverlafting 
 fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. 
 
 Some feem reluflant to pronounce abfolutely upon 
 the fatal tendency of this do&rine, and chufe only to 
 fay, if it be true^ we are as fafe as thofe who embrace 
 it. But we ought rather to fay, if there be no future 
 judgment then we are all iafe, but not otherwife. Admit 
 a future judgment, and there remains no room for doubt, 
 whether God will make a difference between him that 
 ferveth him, and-him that ferveth him not; between 
 him that fweareth, and him that feareth an oath. In- 
 deed the fuppofition that no diflin&ion will be rade be* 
 tween the righteous and the wicked at the laft day, 
 \vholly fuperfedes the tieceflity and even propriety of a 
 general judgment, Why fhould God appoint a day, in 
 which, to judge the world in righteoufnefs, if no per- 
 fons were to be judged, no characters to be examined,, 
 and no difplays of rctribudve juftice to be made ! " B 
 not deceived, God is not mocked ; for what a man 
 fowcth, that (hall he alfo reap. For he that foweth to 
 the flefh, (halt of the ft&fh reap corruption : But he that 
 foweth to the fpirit, fhall ofthcfpirit reap life ever- 
 Jafting." 
 
 
 
 Did the human heart naturally prefer light to d;irk> 
 nefs, and truth to error, it would be fufficient to difco- 
 ver the truth and expole the error, and leave every prr- 
 fon to follow the cool dilates of his own underftanding. 
 But f)ce the cafe is quite the reverfe, it becomes proper 
 to addrefs the hearts and confciences, the hopes and 
 fears of men, and, give divine truths all the advantages 
 which they neceflarily derive from the motives of eter* 
 niiy. Hence the apoftles addielTed mankind on the 
 
 weighty 
 
C *3 1 
 
 Weighty concerns of the foul, with great folemnity, 
 tenderncfs and pathos- " Knowing therefore the terror 
 bf the Lord, we perfuade men/' " Now then we are 
 ambafladors for Chrift, as though God did befeech you 
 by us ; we pray you in Gh rift's Itead, be ye reconciled 
 to God." Supported and dire&ed by fuch examples as 
 thefe, there needs no apology for addrefling thole who 
 are particularly concerned in this ferious fubjedt, and 
 warning them againft che fatal dangers to which they 
 are eminently cxpoled. 
 
 There are ny> at this day, who are labouring to 
 reafon themfelves out of the belief of all truth both hu- 
 man and divine; and boaft of arriving to a certainty 
 that all things are uncertain. But it may be queftioned 
 whether the human mind, which is formed to fee and 
 feel the force of truth, will permit any man to approach 
 nearer to perfe6t -Jctpftcrfm^ than perfect knowledge. By 
 an habit of refilling truth, however, fome may have 
 unfettled their minds refpe&ing divine things, at kail ; 
 and become expofed to embrace error, if any thing, in- 
 ftead of truth in matters of religion. And for this realon,. 
 they are very liable to fall in with the delufive fcheme of 
 univerfal falvation, which hath a tendency to diffufe 
 fome glimmering rays of light in their dark and defpair- 
 ing minds. But let fuch be entreated to awake from 
 their reveries* and attend to the great realities with 
 which they are lurrounded and connedled. Eternal 
 rewards and punifhments are lubftamial realities, whe- 
 ther they believe them to be fo or not. By (hutting their eyes 
 ag%inft them, theirdanger is not in the lead diminifhed, but 
 greatly enhanced. The period is battening when they 
 muft be thoroughly a wakened from their deluGve dreams* 
 The fokmn fccnes of the laft day will draw the curtaia 
 
 ttfidd 
 
fide, arul open upon their aftonifhed minds the great 
 realities which we have defcribed. And thefe objects, 
 -which, at a tiiftance, made Felix and Belfhazzar tremble, 
 -will equally (hock their guilty .fouls, \\ henevcr their 
 prefence can no longer be refifted. A realizing fenle of 
 guilt, and folly, and the divine wrath will, make any 
 human heart ftopp, and fill it with unutterable anguifh, 
 horror and defpair. O I that they would therefore turn 
 from fuch gloomy pjofpe&s, and attend to thofe lumi- 
 nous truths, which will pour a flood of light into their 
 ravifhed minds, and give them that joy which is un- 
 fpeatable and full of glory. 
 
 There -is a larger number than thefe, perhaps, who 
 are making fwift and bold advances in the caufe ot in- 
 fidelity, and leave no methods unemployed to difcredit 
 divine revelation, and fubvert the foundations ol chrif- 
 tianity. They need not tell the world their motives. 
 Were they not convinced that the bible contains the 
 do6lrine of eternal punifhments, they would not wrack 
 their inventions to find arguments to perfuade them- 
 ftlves and others that the fcriptures are a cunningly 
 devifed fable. Let this doftrine be erafed from the bi- 
 ble, and every deift would become its votary, and ex- 
 change his Bolingbroke, Voltaire or Chefterfield for 
 that lacred volumn. It is this do&rine alone that com- 
 pels them to renounce a book, which bears fo many fig- 
 natures of divinity, and which they are compelled to 
 acknowledge contains the moft excellent inftruftions, 
 inftitutions a<nd commands, but fo 'weak is their infide- 
 7//y, we prefume they would rejoice to find the bible 
 on their fide, to confirm their wavering hopes and fee- 
 ble profpefts of future happinefs. And this is what the 
 dfcherae of univerfal falvation propofes. It flatters thetn 
 
 the 
 
the bible is their friend, and announces eternal felicity 
 to them an4 to all mankind. Accordingly numbers of 
 a deiltical turn have become converts to this agreeable 
 dodlrine, and many -others are eminently expofed to fall 
 into the fata] fnare. But this is flying from the iron 
 weapon and rufhing on the bow of fteel. For if any 
 difcard the bible becayfe they imagine it does contain 
 the doilrine of eternal punishments, or embrace it be- 
 caufe they think it does not, they will infallibly meet 
 with disappointment and ruin in the end. There is one 
 way and but one, in which, they may efcape the wrath 
 which is to cdme, and that is, by repentance towards 
 God, and faith in our Lord Jefus Chnft. This is the 
 only foundation of hope, that God hath provided and 
 revealed; nor can any other foundation be laid, which 
 will not give way, when the winds blow, and the 
 dorms of divine wrath beat upon the guilty foul. 
 
 The fons of pleafnre, who indulge to every flnful gra- 
 tification, find it exceedingly difficult, in their ferious 
 intervals, to ftifle their natural apprehenfions of guilt 
 and punifhment, and therefore readily catch hold of 
 any thing which promifes them impunity in the paths 
 of vice. The doftrine of falvation for all men, without 
 exception, or diftinftion of characters, perfectly gratifies 
 their hearts and coincides with their reigning views and 
 purfuits. Accordingly, when this is propofed to their 
 belief, they will, ifpoffible, yield their aflent, and (hake 
 offthofe painful fears of the wrath to come, through 
 which, they have all their life time been fubjecft to bon- 
 dage. But let them beware of this flender fhelter. It 
 will infallibly deceive and difoppoint them. The agrec- 
 ablenefs of the doftrine is a ftrong indication of its re- 
 pugnancy to the gofpel of Chnft, which was never re- 
 
 R lifted 
 
lifhed by perfons of an immoral, profligate charafter. 
 When John preached Herod was offended. When Chritt 
 preached the whole congregation was filled with wrath. 
 And when Paul preached Cipon righteou/nefs, hmperance^ 
 2nd judgment to come, the loofe and abandoned Felix 
 trembled. And it is the genuine tendency of the 
 doctrines of rhe gofpel to convince profligate fmnen 
 that they are in the gaul of bitternefs and bonds of ini- 
 quity. They may therefore be aliUred^that the ioothing 
 do&fin-e of univerfal falvation is diametrically oppofite 
 to the truth as it is in Jcfus. Let them not then liiten 
 to the pleafmg delufion, and biefs themfelves, faying, 
 we fhall have peace, though w^ walk in the imagination 
 of our hearts* to add drunkennels to third. For the 
 Lord will not fpare them, but his anger, and hisjealou^ 
 fy fhall fmoak againflr them, and all the curies that are 
 written in the book of God (hall He upon tfrern forever^ 
 " Rejoice, O young, man, in thy youth, and let thy 
 heart chear thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in 
 the ways of thine heart, and in the light of thine eyes: 
 Bur know ttooti, that for all the/e things God ivill bring thea 
 into judgment" "Be not deceived : Neither farnicators, 
 nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abu- 
 fers of themfelves with mankind, nor thieves, nor cove- 
 tous, nor drunkards, nor revile-rs,, nor extortioners fhall 
 inherit the kingdom of;God." 
 
 There is another -qlafs of men whofe cafe borders up* 
 on defpair, and calls aloud lor the prayers and compaf- 
 fion of every pious heart : 1~ mean thole who have re- 
 nounced their former faith, and built all their hopes for 
 eternity upon the (lender foundation, thirt no man can pof* 
 fihly be loft. My friends, are you certain that without 
 love, without faith, without holincls f . you can fce-tha..- 
 
 Lord? 
 
C 6 7 ] 
 
 Lord? Are y6u certain, nctwithflanding all the divine 
 threatenings, there is no wrath to come ?. Are you cer~ 
 tain, that men canr.ot be under (bong delufions, to be- 
 lit vc: a lie, that they may be damned ? Are you certain 
 that you can appear before the judgment feat of Chrift 
 \vith iufety ? /MC you certain that there is no meaning- 
 in this laving of our compaflionate Redeemer* " What 
 is a man pn-rired, if he fhould giin the whole world, and 
 lole his own ioul ? or what (hall a -man-give in exchange 
 for his foul ?" in a word, are y^u certain, it is abfolurely 
 impoflible, that your precious-and immortal fouls mould 
 be loll forever ?.' If not, what an amazing rifk do you 
 run, to fufpend all your eternal interelts upon a fmgle 
 point of mere /peculation, which (lands condemned by the 
 concurreiu voice of reafon, of confcience r of fcripture, 
 and of the chriltian world ! But (to ufe nearly the words 
 of an eminently great and pious divine) if you are de- 
 termined to enquire no farther into the matter now, give 
 me leave, at leail, from, a (iucere concern, that you may 
 not heap upon your heads more aggravated ruin, to in- 
 treat you, that you would be cautious how you expofe 
 yourfelves to yet greater danger, by what you mutt 
 yourfelves own to be unneceiLry, L mean,. Attempts t9 
 fiervtr! others from believing the truths of ths goffiel. Leave 
 them* for God's fake, and for your own, in poflcffion of 
 thole pleafures, and thofe hopes, which nothing but the 
 truth as it is in Jbfus can give them ; and ad not as if .. 
 you were folicitous to add to the guilt of an infi iel tha- 
 tenfold damnation, which they who have been the per- 
 verters and dedroyers of the (bub of others, mufl expeit, 
 to meet, if thole divine threatening.? which they have 
 fo adventroufly oppofed flloukl prove, as tlwy. cenainly 
 will, the molt ferious, and to them the molr dreadfuf, 
 truihs,. 11 1 cannot prevail here, but the pride o 
 
C <58 ] 
 
 i 
 
 playing ajuperiority of under Banding fliould bear on fuch 
 readers, even in oppofmon to their own favorite maxims 
 of the innocence of error \ and the equality of all religions con- 
 fi/lcnt ivith focial virtue, to do their utmoft to trample 
 down the truths of the gofpel with contempt ; I would 
 however difmifs them with one propofal, which I think 
 the importance of the affair may fully jtiftify. If you 
 have done with your examination into the promifes and 
 threatenings of the gofpel, and each of you determine 
 ta live and conducft himfelf as if they were aflu redly 
 falfe, fit down then, and make a memorandum of that de- 
 termination* u On fuch a day of fuch a year, I delibe- 
 " rately refolved, that I would live and die rejecting all 
 " experimental religion. This day I determined, not only 
 fi to renounce all vital piety, but alfo to make it a ferious 
 * part of the bufinefs of rny life, to deftroy, as far as I 
 ft poffibly can, all regard to it in the minds of others ; in 
 fl calm, Heady defiance of that day, when the followers 
 " of Chrift lay, he fhall appear in fo much majefty and 
 " terror to execute the vengeance threatened to his ene- 
 " mies." Dare you write this, and fign it ? I firmly be- 
 lieve that many a man, who would be thought an Uni- 
 verfatift, and endeavours to increafe the number, would 
 not do it. And if you in particular dare not do it, 
 whence does that fmall remainder of caution ajife? The 
 caufe is plain. There is in your confcience fome fecret 
 apprehenfion, that thefe oppofed, thefe rejected, thefe de- 
 rided truths of the gofpel may, a/ter all prove true. And 
 if there be fuch an apprehenfion, then let confcience do 
 its office, and convince you of the impious madnefs of 
 siting as if they were moft certainly and demwftrabty falfe. 
 Let it tell you at large, how poffible it is that haply you 
 may be feund fighting again ft God : That, bold as you are 
 in defying the terrors of the Lord, you may poffibly fall 
 
 into 
 
I *9 J 
 
 into his hands ; may chance to hear that defpifcd fen- 
 tence, which when you hear it from the mouth of the 
 eternal Judge, you will not be able to defpife : I will 
 repeat it again, in fpite of all your (corn, you may bear 
 the King fay to you, Depart accurfod, into ever faff ing fire, 
 -prepared for the devil and his angels. 
 
 If any thing farther needs to be added, it is by way 
 of direction, how to fhun the baneful influence of thefe 
 dangerous opinions, which it is the bufineJs of fome, at 
 this day, to propagate with great apparent zeal. 
 
 And here the firft thing that occurs is, to fearch the 
 Jcriptures, which are the infallible ftandard of truth and 
 error. We fhould carry every doftrine, which .offers it- 
 felf to our belief, " to the law and to the teftimony/' 
 and abide that divine decifion. The rule is perfeft. 
 The only danger lies in the mifapplication, which in- 
 deed is too often the cafe. No corrupt principle of a 
 religious nature, hath ever failed to prefs the bible into 
 its fervice, and claim the fan^Hon of divine authority. 
 But though fome disjointed Sentences in the word of 
 God, may feem to countenance the moft abfurd and li- 
 centious opinions, and their votaries may fly to this di- 
 vine fandiaary for protection ; yet the facred oracles 
 taken in their general .connexion, fully reprobate every 
 falfe fcheme of religion that ever has been, or ever can 
 be devifed. They draw fuch a character of the Supreme 
 Being, of Jefus Chrift, of the Divine Spirit, of the human 
 heart, and of the genuine nature and effects of pure and 
 undefiled religion, that the doflrines according to godlinefs^ 
 may be clearly diftinguifhed from all their counterfeits, 
 The fcriptures in general have a plain, determinate, 
 
 S conMetu 
 
C 7 1 
 
 confident meaning, which may be clearly underftbocL 
 Therefore no two oppofite doctrines of religion" can both: 
 be agreeable to the word of God ; but one or the other* 
 nault necefTarily itand condemned by it. He wee, for 
 iuitance, if the doctrine of^eternal puniftimems be really 
 Agreeable to the bible, a$ we have endeavoured to fhowy 
 then the doflrine of universal falvation is entirely con- 
 trary to it, and not one text that can be found, does, in 
 its true fenfe, give the lead degree of evidence in its-fa--- 
 vour. This being the cafe, there is- all encouragement- 
 to fearch the fcriptures, to lee which of thele two dia- 
 metrically oppofite doclrines is true. It would be ft range 
 indeed if this could not be determined by every honeffc 
 enquirer, if any are in doubt therefore, we would in- 
 treat them to take heed to this fure word of prophecy,, 
 
 which is able to raake them wile uato falvation.. 
 
 \ 
 
 In the next place, there, is caution to be ufed again ft'r 
 the (education of thofe who propagate corrupt and dan- 
 gerous fentiments. Be not deceived by their pretenfions 
 to fnperior penetration and knowledge. Men of the 
 ftrongeft minds and 'mod: extenfive literature have ofteiv^ 
 committed the groffeft blunders in their religious (pecu- 
 lations, and then employed all their learning and abilities* 
 to maintain and propagate them. Some of the enemies 
 of divine revelation, and of the peculiar dbclrines of ther 
 gofpel, have difplayed fhining talents and a profufton of 
 teaming, in pleading the caufe of error, and attempting 
 to lhake the pillars of our holy religion. And many of 
 their admirers appear to have been dazzled and allured 
 into their fn-ares by an implicit faith in their great abili- 
 ties. But this betr .*ys weaknefs. Great men are not* 
 always wife : . They are liable, to err ; , and therefor 
 
t 7' ] 
 
 ffeouftf examine their opinions as well as thofe of other 
 men, and admit them only upon the foot of real 
 
 evidence. 
 
 Nor are we to be biaffed in favour of rnei>'s licentious 
 principles, on account of their amiable moral characters. 
 k is o -juft observation of Dr. Brown, that men of ftrifl: 
 morality have often dilTVminated the molt licentious and 
 pernicious doctrines. Iris well known, that Epicurus, the 
 father of doftrmalliccntioufnefs', never Jived sip to hisprin- 
 ciples, bar maintained a regular and exemplary life. 
 Spinofa, the father of fpeculative sftbeifm, was a man of 
 fobriety and apparent devotion, Lord Herbert, who was, 
 if not the father, yet the principal advocate for Dei/m\n 
 the laft century, appears to have had a ferious mind, and 
 a confciemious regard to duty. And we Know that fome 
 of the advocates' for ui>iverial-falvation, are men of ami- 
 able natural difpofitions and fair moral characters. But 
 ought we hence to entertain a more favourable regard' 
 for atheifm, deifm,. or any other licentious doflrines. 
 Bv no means. Thofe principles are ftill-to be fhuned at 
 the peril oi our fouls* 
 
 Nor again, are we to believe the propagators of error, 
 though they throw out the molt pompous and fokmn 
 aile venations of their fincerity, impartiality and uneoni* 
 mon intercourfe with the Deity, and concern for his glo- 
 ry. Tho' we fcrupJe not their fincerity, yet we icruple 
 the propriety of throwing out the profeffion of it, 
 which can have no tendency to enlighten, but only pre- 
 judice the minds of the credulous. This, whk h we vei>- 
 uire to call an artifice, is often employed by the advo- 
 uiiiverlai falvatioiv Mr, White } in his trcatifa 
 
[ 7* 3 
 
 n the univerfal Federation of all fmful creatures to the 
 divine favour, * makes the mod folemn yfTeverations of 
 his fincerity and facred regard for the divine glory. His 
 cxpreffions are thefe, " And here I do in the fear ef God 
 " mod humbly prodrate myfelf before his divine Majefty, 
 " and in the deeped fenfe of my own darkwefs and dif- 
 4< tance from liiim, do with all my might beg of th*t in- 
 *' finite goodnefs I am endeavouring to reprefcnt to 
 " others, that if iomething like this platform and prof* 
 u pedt of things, be not agreeable to that revealed and 
 cc natural light he hath given to us, that my underdattd- 
 " ing may be interrupted and my defign fall, and that 
 " the Lord would pardon my attempt .; and 1 know 
 11 he will do fo, for he hath given me to have no fur- 
 " ther concern for this matter, than as I apprehend 
 11 it to be a mod glorious truth, witnefled to both by the 
 " fcriptures of truth and by the mod ^ffential principles of 
 " our own reafon, and which will be found at the laft 
 *' c opening of the everlading gofpel, to recover in that 
 w opening a degenerate world." Mr. Relly holds out 
 the fame lure to his readers, to place an implicit faith 
 in the rectitude of his views, and the divinity of his doc- 
 trines*. In a preface to one volume of his writings, he 
 allures his readers that his difcourfes were delivered ex- 
 tempore, without any previous ftudy or forethought, and 
 flowed from his lips as ttoey were dilated by the divi-ne 
 fpirit. For fays he, I followed that divine dire&ioii 
 given to the apodles, " Take no thought beforehand 
 what ye fhall fpeak,, neither do ye premeditate : for it is 
 not ye that fpcak, but the Holy Ghoil." How pre- 
 fumptous is it for any man, at this day, to pretend to 
 imitate the apodles in this refped ! and efpecially for 
 
 Mr, . 
 * .Page 6. 7. 
 
{ 73 ] 
 
 Mr. Relly, who in his writings every where ridicules 
 all experimental religion, inward piety, holy affectations, 
 tn-d chriftian graces and tempers ! 
 
 Error often employs Tuch artifices as truth neither 
 needs nor approves. They fometimes, however, prove 
 fuccefsful, and deceive the inattentive and unguarded. 
 Thofe who ufe them therefore are dangerous perfons, 
 and their corrupting influence is ftudioufiy to be avoided. 
 Their doctrines are fatal if imbioed ; and even when they 
 are not fully adopted, they tend j to harden the heart, and 
 ftupify the confcience. The bare thought that fomc 
 maintain that all will be faved, begets a fecret hope 
 that poflibly it may be true,and that there is not io much 
 danger in impenitence and unbelief z$ many have long im- 
 agined, and pretended. Therefore to hear the untverJalifl'S 
 preach, or read their writings, merely to 'know what they 
 can fay in defence of their errors, is like Eve's liftening 
 to the reafoning of the ferpent, and may, in the eventj 
 prove equally fatal. Accordingly thefcriptnre charafter- 
 ifes falfe teachers, and warns you to avoid them. The 
 apoftle Paul, who was troubled with the perverters of 
 the gofpel, treats them with great plainnefs and feverity. 
 " Bat though we, or an angel frqm heaven, preach any 
 other gofpel unto you, than that which we have preach- 
 ed unto you, let him be accurfed. As we (aid before, 
 To fay I now again, if any man preach any other gofpel 
 unto you than that yc have received, let him be accurf- 
 ed/' The apoftle John direfts man to have no iaitimate 
 connection with falfe teachers. " If any come unto you f 
 and bring not this dotrine, that is the doftrine of Chrift 
 mentioned in the preceeding verfe, receive him not into 
 your houfe, neither bid him God fpeed. For he chat 
 biddeth him Gcd fpeed s is partaker of his evil deeds/' 
 
 T And 
 
[ 74 .3 
 
 AnJ Solomon gives a fimilar caution and direction. 
 44 Ceafe, my Ion, to hear the inltru6tton that caufttb /* 
 err." Thus you have not only the voice of reafon, but 
 the voice of God to warn you to ftiun the pretence and 
 influence of thole that lie wait to deceive.. 
 
 The laft direction is, to repent and believe the gofpel. 
 This will .place you beyond the reach of all fatal errors. 
 When your hearts are eftablifhed with grace, you will 
 no longer be liable to be carried about with diverfe and 
 ft range dodrines. When you yield cordial obedience 
 to the divine will, there is a promife that you ftiall know 
 of doftrines whether they be of God. When you-em- 
 brace tbe gofpel from the beart^ it will be out of the pow~ 
 cr of Satan or any of his mltruments to deceive )*>e. 
 When jou iincerely love God, all things (hall work to- 
 gether for your good, and prepare you more and more 
 for the great, and glorious, and folemn (cenes, whi)ch 
 death, judgment and eternity will foon open to your 
 view. Bat fo long as you remain in a ftate of impeni- 
 tenceand unbelief, you are in imminent dangerof making 
 fhipwreck not only of your faith, but of your pre- 
 cious and immortal fouls. Though you fhould efcape 
 every fatal error, and in fpeculation, clearly underftand 
 every doftfine of the gofpel, yet if you hold" even the truth 
 in unrighteoufnefs, you will certainly perife. An ortho- 
 dox creed and a fair external appearance are of no avail, 
 in point of divine acceptance, without a broken and con- 
 trite heart, and an unfeigned love oLthe truth. For with 
 the heart man believeth unto righteoufnefs : And -without 
 bolitte/s- no man fhall fee the Lord. Therefore let the 
 wicked forfake his way, and the unrighteous man his 
 thoughts : And let him return unto the Lord, and he will 
 have mercy on hiiu ; aaJ so our God lor he will abun^ 
 
 daatly 
 
[ 75 1 
 
 pardon. Nor is there the leaft excufe for a mo- . 
 ment's delay. Behold, now is the accepted time ; be- 
 hold, now is the day of falvation. Life and death are 
 now fet before you. This is the only day of grace and 
 fpace of repentance you will ever enjoy. You are now 
 placed bet ween two vaft eternities of happinefs and \voe. 
 You are therefore of all the creatures of God, in the moft 
 critical, ferious and folemn iltuation. Your life, or your 
 death, your happinefSj or your mifery for a boundlefs 
 eternity, is fufpended on theilender thread of life." And 
 death is advancing with rapid fpeed to feal up your ac- 
 count for the judgment of the great day ; when in the 
 view of the affembled univerfe, you muft hear your 
 doom, and either rife with the righteous to -man-dons of 
 eternal blifs, or fink with the wicked down to regions of 
 eternal darknefs, horror and defpair ! Be intreated then t 
 O finner, to agree with thine adverfary quickly, while 
 thou art in the way with him, leaft he deliver thee to the 
 Judge, and the Jttdge deliver thee to the officer, and 
 thou be caftinto prifon. Verily thou (halt by no means 
 come out thence, till thouhaft paid the uttermoft farthing.!! 
 
 E 
 
 F R R" A T A; 
 
 Pige T<J: i jih line 'from the top, for piint$ read pai*tK 
 Pa^c 38. I j h line from the top, for man read men. 
 Page 41. 5th line from 'he bottom, for tktret* read thin 
 Page 43, 8rh line rrom the bottom, for havt read Ueve. 
 Page 49* lathimc from the boitoai 3 for tktn uad