worthy pursuits, are no longer concealed within their own breafts, but laid open to the perfect knowledge of all those to whofe cenfure they are the moft fenfible.

Very many of thofe expreffions, by which the fate of the wicked is defcribed in the fcriptures, taken in their literal fenfe, denote utter deftruction, or extinction of being. Thus, the apoftle Peter fays, 2 Pet. iii. 7. that "the earth is referv. ❝ed unto fire, against the day of judgment, and ". perdition of ungodly men;" and in the paffage quoted above from the Epistle of Paul to the Theffalonians, the punishment of the wicked is called "everlasting deftruction." If this should actually be the fate of the wicked, their punishment may more properly be faid to be eternal, than upon the former fuppofition, there being no reverfion of the fentence, or remiffion of the rigour of it.

SECTION III.

Of the duration of future punishment.

HE duration of future punishment, accord

THE

ing to the scriptures, as I obferved before, will be very long, but uncertain; which is the general meaning of that word which we render everlafting; being applied to many things which are exprefsly

exprefsly faid to be of limited duration, as the priesthood of Aaron, and the kingdom in the family of David. For, even if we confider Chrift as intended by the feed of David, and that the duration of his dominion was foretold in the prophecies, ftill his kingdom, we are affured, will have an end, as we learn, 1 Cor. xv. 24. "Then "cometh the end, when he fhall have delivered "up the kingdom to God, even the Father;"then shall the Son alfo himself be subject unto "him that put all things under him, that God "may be all in all.”

There can be no doubt, but that the punishment of the wicked will be very awful; but if God be a juft and righteous governor, it must be in proportion to the fins, by the commiffion of which it is incurred; and there is no proportion between finite and infinite. Befides, in the fcriptures, the divine being appeals to mankind, whether his ways be not equal, that is, just and reasonable, Ezekiel xviii. 25. And Abraham takes it for granted, that "the judge of all the earth must

do that which is right." Gen. xviii. 25. that is, what is agreeable to our ideas of juftice and equity. It is, moreover, exprefsly faid, Pf. ciii. 9. that "God keepeth not his anger for ever," that" in judgment he remembereth mercy," and that "he is not extreme to mark iniquity." These expreffions seem to be intended to give us an idea

of

of the divine character, and the general maxims of his conduct; and muft, therefore, refpect his government in a future world, as well as this. Alfo, whenever the divine justice and mercy are compared, the latter is always represented as of greater extent than the former. Thus he is faid, Ex. xx. 5. "to vifit the iniquity of the fathers upon the "children unto the fourth generation, but to fhew mercy to thousands of them that love him."

It is remarkable, that the punishment of the wicked is always defcribed in general terms only, expreffive of great and uncertain fufferings; whereas, if the doctrine of the proper eternity of hell torments had been ftrictly true, we might have expected, that it would be said, in fo many words, that it should have no end, and that the greatest ftress fhould always have been laid upon this most important circumftance, as being most interesting and alarming to all mankind.

Our Saviour, indeed, fays, Mark ix. 44. that "their worm dieth not, and the fire is not "quenched;" but this is manifeftly a figurative expreffion; and, befides, the words are taken from Ifaiah Ixvi. 24. where they are applied to the burning of dead bodies. All the meaning may be, that the fire fhall not be quenched till it has confumed that which fhall be committed to it, fo as to have anfwered its deftined end; that is, till thofe wickVOL. II.

ed

ed perfons who are doomed to thofe flames be destroyed, or till their vices be thoroughly corrected.

Christ also fays of Judas Iscariot, Matt. xxvi. 24. that" it had been good for him, if he had not "been born." But this, again, is a figurative expreffion, used to denote extreme mifery and diftrefs in general, especially such as is apt to make men wish, from anguish of mind and impatience, that they had never been born; which was the cafe with Job, though at the time that he used fuch expreffions as these, Job. iii. it is probable that his fufferings had been greatly overbalanced by his happiness.

It must likewise be allowed to be an argument of confiderable weight against the proper eternity of hell torments, that the number of those who believe and obey the gospel, and of the virtuous and good in general, who alone are entitled to the happiness of heaven, is fometimes represented as small, in comparison with that of the difobedient and wicked; as when our Saviour fays, Matt. vii. 13. "Enter ye in at the ftrait gate; for wide is "the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to "destruction, and many there be who go in there"at: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the

way which leadeth unto life, and few there be

<< that

"that find it*." Now there seems to be no way of reconciling this with the notion of divine goodnefs, but upon the fuppofition that the wicked will either finally perifh, like plants or fruits which never come to their maturity, or that just and fevere punishment will be a means of correcting and improving them. For God, having a perfect fore-knowledge of all that would actually happen, cannot be supposed to have made a voluntary choice of a system, the final iffue of which he knew would be the everlasting and inexpreffible mifery of the greater part of his creatures.

It must be allowed, however, that the fcriptures represent the punishments of the wicked in a future world, to be exceedingly dreadful, fo that we have reafon to be alarmed to the utmost extent of our faculties. Even this may stagger fome; but it will not appear inconfiftent with the ufual government of God, if it be confidered, to how much anguish and diftrefs many fingle acts of fin and folly often expofe us in this life; and, therefore, it is very poffible, that all the vices of this prefent state may expofe us to inexpreffibly greater fufferings in the life to come.

*It is proper to observe, however, that, in the opinion of some, this paffage, and others of a fimilar turn, do not relate to the final state of mankind in general; but to the state of things at the time when the words were delivered, and to the outward profession of christianity only.