nor Isaiah in his last verse, say one word about the consumption of their bodies by fire and worms; nor so much as mention worms at all. They speak indeed of one worm, that dieth not; which we have no more occasion to understand literally for a real worm, than to understand St. Paul's thorn in the flesh literally for a real thorn. In a word, so arbitrary and unreasonable is Mr. W.'s behaviour in this case, that he will not allow us to infer from the texts what they plainly say, viz. that the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched; (which, whatever the nature of the punishment may be, plainly implies that the duration of it is endless ;) while he himself takes the liberty to infer from them plainly what they do not say; that is, the consumption of the bodies of the damned by fire and worms. See his 109th page, and compare the quotation under Num. X. above.

Num. XXVII.

Mark ix. 49, 50. For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it?

It would be endless to recite the different interpretations of this text. But supposing it to relate to our subject at all, and that the fire here mentioned is the same with that which is spoken of in the six preceding verses; the only question will be, about the import of the word άoboeтaι, salted. Not that the Greek word has any ambiguity in it; but h Le Clerc and some others seem to imagine, that our Sa

Supplement to Dr. Hammond.

viour made use of one that had, and which signified either to be salted, or to be consumed. But if by being consumed they mean totally destroyed, so as to cease to exist, they make our Lord contradict all that he had been saying before, about the neverdying worm, and the fire that shall never be quenched. Others therefore suppose, that he here assigns the reason of their endless duration, by saying, that every such victim of God's righteous vengeance shall be salted with fire. It is well known that salt is the symbol of perpetuity; and it is sometimes put synonymously with brimstone, as Deut. xxix. 23. which in symbolical language denotes, that the fire it is joined with is not to be extinguished. A lake of fire and brimstone, or a lake of fire burning with brimstone, (Rev. xix. 20. xx. 10.) is a lake of perpetual fire. And when hell fire is thus described, it evidently shews it to be an eternal fire of torment and destruction; not in the sense of utter destruction of being, but in a sense exclusive of any restoration or recovery. But be this as it will, the text before us is too obscure to build any doctrine of consequence upon; especially if that doctrine be contrary to many clear passages of scripture, or to the general drift and design of it; as that of annihilation seems to be.

Num. XXVIII.

Mark xiv. 21. -woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born. See Num. XXIII.

If any one would see more on this subject, he may consult Daubuz on Rev. ix. 17; Lancaster's Symbolical Dictionary, under the word salt; Dr. Berriman's Sermon preached to the Religious Societies, 1738-9, on Mark ix. 50.

Num. XXIX.

Luke iii. 9. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Num. XXX.

Luke iii. 17. Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. For these two texts, see Num. I. and II.

As to Mr. W.'s saying that these words are very much of a piece with those already cited from Isaiah; (p. 41.) there appears to be little in it either as to the assertion itself, or the consequence he would have drawn from it. See Num. XXVI.

Num. XXXI.

Luke viii. 18. Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.

We have here the same instruction conveyed to us by the parable of the sower, which we had before from the parable of the talents; see Num. XXI. and compare Num. XXV. The present life is the season of cultivation and improvement. The seed, which is the word of God, is sown here; and must bring forth fruit here, or else the opportunity is lost for ever. Unfruitfulness will be punished with the loss of the very principle of fertility. And a power of which no proper use has been made, during the whole proper season of exerting that power, will be taken away.

Num. XXXII.

Luke xii. 5. But I will forewarn you whom you shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. See Num. X. St. Matthew's phrase there, is able to destroy both soul and body in hell, no more means utter destruction, or deprivation of being, than St. Luke's here, hath power to cast into hell.

Num. XXXIII.

Luke xii. 10. but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven. See Num. XI. and XXIV.

Num. XXXIV.

Luke xii. 46. The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. See Num. XIX.

It is plain here, from the whole context, that none but they who are ready when their Lord cometh, and open to him immediately, when he knocketh, are admitted into the kingdom of heaven. The rest are excluded, and have their portion with hypocrites and unbelievers. How unjustifiable then is the conduct of those, who would persuade them that they may, notwithstanding, have their portion, at last, with the saints!

Num. XXXV.

Luke xii. 47, 48. And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes.

These words plainly teach us, that the punish

ment of some sinners will be greater than that of others. But this, it seems, will not satisfy Mr. W., since some will be beaten with many, others with few stripes, in the future world; this, he says, "most naturally implies, that the punishment of

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some of the wicked shall be much longer than of "others." Now if the New Testament taught this doctrine, as plainly as it does the contrary, these words, if not most naturally, might naturally enough be thought to imply it. But if this be not the case, and if the words be as naturally capable of another sense, more consistent with the tenor of the New Testament; I leave the world to judge what the words most naturally imply. Surely one sinner may be beaten with fewer stripes, his misery and punishment may be less than another's; though the duration of their punishment be equal, and endless just as the degrees of glory and happiness in heaven may be various and different, though they be all of equal and eternal duration. Saying without proof, that this equal duration of torments is contrary to the most obvious rules of right and justice in the world, is doing nothing. We deny it; and assert that there is nothing contrary to right and justice, that they who are not fit for the kingdom of heaven, should be excluded out of it for ever. The consequences of this exclusion will be exactly according to the different demerits of sinners: so that the Judge of all the earth will certainly do right.

Num. XXXVI.

Luke xii. 59. I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite. See Num. IV. and XV. and Theoph. in loc.

k P. 108.