these appears to be most worthy of God, and most analogous to the present administration of Providence, I leave the world to judge. The arbitrary scheme is perplexed with many difficulties, of which the other stands clear. There are certain consequences of actions and habits, which, of course, will take place. And if these will constitute a just and adequate punishment, (and who can prove they will not?) what reason is there to superadd any other kinds of torment, pro arbitrio, which have no natural connection with the crimes to be punished? If it be asked, what all these natural consequences are, which will constitute this punishment in the future world; I answer, that I am not able to tell distinctly; nor do I know who is. But we see that vice has terrible consequences, which naturally attend and follow it, in the present scene of things. And there is no reason to think that it will be otherwise, when this scene of things is over. It is easily conceivable, how inveterate and incurable habits of it may affect the temper and frame of the soul. And though there may be more difficulty in this point, with regard to the new-raised body "; yet we know n m See this proved in a piece entitled, The Doctrine of Hell Torments distinctly and impartially discussed. Printed for J. Noon, 1738. I don't undertake to answer for all the author's premises; but I agree with him in his conclusion, that "the pu"nishments are not arbitrary." n Non tamen omne malum miseris, nec funditus omnes Corporeæ excedunt pestes; penitusque necesse est Multa diu concreta modis inolescere miris. Habits contracted in the body in this state of probation, may adhere to it after the resurrection; just as they would have done, if the sinner had lived all the intermediate time, and no interval had passed in the grave. And how these may affect it, we that the man cannot be happy, while the mind is miserable. Besides, the nature of the state and place to which they are condemned, must be taken into consideration; as also the company they are confined to; that of beings like themselves, wholly alienated from the nature and life of God; and such as have extinguished all the sparks of virtuous and In the natural result and necessary good affection. consequences of these things together, their punishment will consist; and nothing more terrible can be presented to a thoughtful and virtuous mind. Supposing this to be the case, the threats of eternal punishment must be considered as so many plain declarations of the natural consequences of a wicked life; and will not so properly be executed, by the particular interposition of any being whatever, as come to pass of course, necessarily, and in the very nature of things. It is absurd therefore to say, that this punishment is "extremely cruel and barbarous, "both in the threatening and in the execution "." The execution results from the nature of things; from the necessary connection between natural and moral good and evil; and the threatening is a fair warning, a gracious admonition, or, as I said before, a plain declaration of what will and must inevitably follow, if men choose and finally persevere in their cannot tell distinctly, unless we knew more particularly with what bodies they shall be raised. • Indulgens est enim, (Deus,) etiam tunc cum minatur; dum per hæc homines ad recta revocantur. Nam quibus ad honestam vitam deest ratio, metus est necessarius; ut qui rationem reliquerunt, vel terrore moveantur. Novatian. de Trinitate, cap. v. Mr. Ray's three Physico-Theological Discourses, discourse the third, cap. ult. See choice of the latter. This is so far from being an act of cruelty, that it is an instance of goodness, designed to prevent men from incurring the punishment denounced, by leading them to repentance. And to complain of it, is a thousand times more absurd, than to complain of a man who shews you a precipice, only to hinder you from being dashed to pieces. But, 4thly, I make it a distinct observation, in order to vindicate the ways of God to man, with regard to this subject, that men were apprised and forewarned of this constitution, and of the consequences of a wicked life. The debate before us was, in the beginning of it, confined to the case of Christians. Not because others also shall not be brought into judgment, and punished as their iniquities deserve; but because the gospel, the punishments denounced in which only we are now considering, concerns itself only with Christians. And these have no reason to complain that they are not previously informed of the danger, and forewarned of the terrible consequences of their disobedience. For as For as life and immortality are brought to light by the gospel, so also in the same gospel is revealed, in the plainest and most positive terms, the wrath of God against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. If men will not believe this revelation, in this particular, but pervert its plain meaning, though expressed in variety of phrases, and repeated a thousand times over, by vain and groundless criticisms, and darken truth by words without knowledge; it is their own act, and their own fault, and the consequence be to themselves. They cannot, with any reason, reproach their Creator, as if he had not done his part, in setting before them while they were in their state of probation, that the wages of sin is death, eternal exclusion from his heavenly kingdom, and an everlasting state of punishment with the Devil and his angels. And it is, methinks, something surprising, that Christians should make such a doubt of this matter, with the plain declarations of the gospel lying open before them, since it was a doctrine commonly received, even by the heathens. Socrates' (from whom, by the bye, rather than from the gospel, Mr. Whiston seems to have borrowed his division of mankind) plainly supposes that some sinners, such as have been guilty of great and repeated acts of sacrilege, murder, or the like, will be judged incurable, and condemned to hell, (ὅθεν οὔποτε ἐκβαίνουσιν,) from which they will never be delivered. But it is foreign to the point in hand, to collect the authorities to this purpose. And it is, in some measure, done already, in Mr. Ray's Discourse, which I referred to above. Bishop Butler, as usual, represents this matter in a fine light: "Gentile writers," says he, "both moral"ists and poets, speak of the future punishment of "the wicked, both as to the duration and degree of "it, in a like manner of expression and of description, as the scripture does; so that all which can 66 66 positively be asserted to be matter of mere revela"tion, with regard to this doctrine, seems to be, "that the great distinction between the righteous "and the wicked shall be made at the end of this world; that each shall then receive according to 66 66 “his deserts. Reason did, as it well might, conclude “that it should, finally and upon the whole, be well "with the righteous, and ill with the wicked: but "it could not be determined upon any principles of "reason, whether human creatures might not have "been appointed to pass through other states of life "and being, before that distributive justice should 'finally and effectually take place. Revelation "teaches us, that the next state of things after the "present, is appointed for the execution of this jus"tice; that it shall be no longer delayed: but the mystery of God, the great mystery of his suffering "vice and confusion to prevail, shall then be finish"ed; and he will take to him his great power and "will reign, by rendering to every one according to "his works." This great point Christians are now assured of, with all the clearness imaginable; and if they miscarry in their main pursuit, by depending on something else, the blame will lie at their own door. Again, 66 As men were sufficiently apprised of this constitution of things, of these consequences of a wicked life, or what is the same in other words, of the perpetuity of future punishments; so they were at liberty, and had it in their power to avoid them. It is implied in the very notion of a state of trial, that as it must administer occasions to try our virtue, so it must furnish us with all necessary means to secure it for when men are really tried above their strength, it is, in the account of morality, no trial at all. So much seems to be clear, a priori, from the very nature of a state of probation. And if we attend to our own, we shall find it to be the case in fact. It is evidently in our power to avoid all |