worm shall never die, their fire never be quenched, and repeated it over and over". And this fire is not designed for their purification, as some dream, but expressly for their DESTRUCTION *, for their second death", for their EVERLASTING PUNISHMENT, than which nothing can be plainer to determine against their notion. The righteous will be considered as the wheat, and the wicked as the chaff, and the tares, which are not to be purified, but to be burnt, and that with unquenchable fire, and the smoke of their torments shall ascend for ever for ever. And this is so far from being out of love to them, as being designed at last for happiness, that in them God means to show his wrath, and make his power known, as being vessels of wrath fitted for destruction. Thus God teaches us his word; nor can any with the least show of reason say, but that the eternity of hell torments, and that under the notion of a punishment, is as plainly and fully expressed, as though God had intended we should believe it. Why then is a guilty world so loath to believe it? Doubtless it is because they do not feel that they deserve it. And not being sensible, that they deserve eternal damnation, they venture to disbelieve it, and endeavour to evade the testimo. ny of divine revelation; and then proceed to raise objections from reason against it.

As to their methods of evading the testimony of divine revelation, they need no particular answer; because these men themselves are sensible, that the Scriptures speak quite plain enough. And if they would for once, speak out their hearts, they would say, that it is not because the eternity of helltorments is not plainly revealed in Scripture, but only because they do not like to believe the doctrine, that makes them doubt it. It seems too severe that the sinner should lie in hell to all eternity. Therefore they set themselves to evade Scripture, and to raise objections against it. And no sooner will these men have heard, what has now been advanced concerning the law of Moses, and the law of nature, as requiring perfect obedience on pain of eternal damnation, but these objections will be in their minds.

u Mark ix. 43-48. x Matt. x. 28. 2 Thes. i. 9.

z Matt. xiii. 30. Luke iii. 17,

y Rev. xx. 14.

1. "It is not right for God to require of his creatures more than they can do, under the penalty of any punishment at all."

2. "If some sins do deserve some punishment; yet no sin, how great soever, deserves eternal damnation."

3. "Or rather, strictly speaking, sin deserves no punishment at all."

Now these positions, every one will soon discern, need no particular answer from divine revelation; because, the whole of divine revelation is itself a standing confutation of them. Did not God from Mount Sinai require the whole congregation of Israel to love the Lord their God with all their heart, and obey him in every thing? And was not the curse denounced against the man that should fail in any one point? Now could the whole congregation yield this sinless perfection every day of their lives, without the least defect in heart, or life? And did not the curse mean, at least, some punishment? And thus the whole law of Moses is a standing confutation of their first maxim. And as for the other two, if any regard was to be had to the plain declarations of the New Testament, sin not only deserves punishment, but everlasting punishment; and at the day of judgment it will be inflicted on all Christless sinners. But it is no satisfaction to these men, to have their objections answered, and their mouths stopped, by the word of God. For, although they pretend to believe the holy Scriptures to be divine; yet, finding so many things in the bible that do by no means suit them, they do as St. Paul did in another case, appeal to Cæsar, as the higher power, and where he hoped to have better justice done him. So, with the same view, these men appeal to reason; nor will they believe the Scriptures mean this or that, how plainly soever expressed, unless it quadrates with their notions, and so appears to them rational. Now were there no depravity in their hearts, to blind and bias their minds, I should have no fear of joining issue according to their desire, and submit these points to be decided solely by reason. For I believe they can be demonstrated from reason as fully, although not so easily, as from Scripture. The Scripture has given us an edition of the law of nature, much plainer and more legible

than that which we have by nature. And this indeed is the true cause that these men appeal from it, as the light of truth there shines too insufferably bright, and refer themselves to reason which, our depravity being so great, they can more easily shut their eyes against. However, who knows but that their hearts may be touched, when the great God is brought into view, and set before their eyes! Therefore,

Let us place ourselves before the awful tribunal of Christ, and attentively view these points, in the light in which they will stand at that solemn day, when every man's conscience will be convinced that God's law is strictly just.

When Christ comes in the glory of his Futher, and all the holy angels with him, and the infinite majesty and greatness of the invisible God shines forth in him, and it appears that all the nations of the earth are as the small dust of the balance, or drop of the bucket before him; yea, that the whole created system is as nothing and vanity, when compared to God, the great being, the almighty creator, now each of these objections will be sapped at their very foundation". When God appears,

c For these objections, and the whole scheme they belong to in all its various shapes, grow up out of the heart's insensibility of the infinite greatness and glory of God. It would otherwise, be quite impossible that men, and men of thought and penetration, should ever once imagine, that, in a perfect moral government, where an exact proportion is, as themselves acknowledge, always observed, and what is most fit, and right, and beautiful is always done, that in such a government, the GREAT GOD should be less regarded, than the created system; the INFINITE CREATOR less respected, than the finite creature: for it is a more gross absurdity, than it would be for a mathematician to affirm, that a million such systems as ours, would be less than a pin's point. And yet, as absurd as it is, it lies at the bottom of almost all the corrupt schemes of religion now in vogue.-First they lay it down for a maxim, "that the honour of the DEITY is not at all considered, or regarded by the supreme moral governor of the world; but only the good of the creature." And upon this foundation, chevalier Ramsey builds his scheme, and so do the ingenious Hutcheson and Turnbull, and the celebrated Taylor, and so does Tindal the famous Deist.---And each, taking this point for granted, seem to demonstrate their various schemes.-Ramsey, "that all, even the devils not excepted, will be finally happy." Hutcheson and Turnbull, "that we naturally have the moral image of God in our hearts."---Taylor, "that we are not fallen creatures." Tindal, "that the Old and New Testament are not from God."

But let this stupidity be removed from the heart, and a realizing sense of the infinite greatness and glory of God fill the soul, so as thoroughly to convince the

infinite blame deserved infinite punishment; i. e. the eternal torments of hell. I might have known this before: but I shut my eyes against the light. I pretended, that because I could not comprehend his infinite greatness and glory, that therefore I could not be laid under an infinite obligation thereby. But I might have known, that a conviction of his infinite greatness and glory did infinitely oblige. Conviction without comprehension, I always knew did oblige in others' cases. As, when I have been convinced that others had more knowledge and wisdom than myself, I never doubted but that I was thereby obliged so much the more to pay them a superior respect on that account," although their knowledge and wisdom were above my full comprehension. Nor did I ever doubt but that those who were convinced that the torments of hell were eternal, were guilty of infinite folly, in rushing into such an endless misery, although dreadful, infinitely beyond their comprehension. And why might not I have known, that a conviction, without a comprehension, of God's infinite worthiness to be loved, honoured, and obeyed, would render me infinitely to blame, in treating him with disrespect and contempt! I might have known it. But I loved darkness rather than light. I loved the ways of sin; and God was not in all my thoughts! But now, alas! the day is come! And I am at the bar, ready to receive my final doom! God is just! My mouth is stopped! I am self-condemned!" Thus, at the day of judgment, the sinner's reason and conscience will be thoroughly convinced, that he deserves to be punished; all his impotency notwithstanding, and that, even with the eternal torments of hell. And so that will be, not only a day of wrath, but also of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God. And since all mankind must see the justice of God's law, sooner or later; would it not be wiser for them who esteem themselves the wits of the world, instead of endeavouring to blind their minds. by false reasonings, rather to lay open their minds honestly to the light, while there is yet hope in their case? since otherwise, with all their boasted wit, they themselves, to their un

f Rom. ii. 5.

speakable regret, will eternally think they acted the part of fools.

Thus, then to sum up all in a few words, it appears that the law from Mount Sinai, given immediately by God himself, to the whole congregation of Israel, required sinless perfection, as the condition of eternal life; and for the least failing threatened eternal damnation; and therefore, by this law, not any could be justified in the sight of God; and yet the whole congregation were obliged heartily to approve this law to be strictly just in all its rigour; which if they did, would prepare them to understand, believe, approve of, and comply with the Gospel; and so the law was in its own nature, suited to be a school-master to bring them to Christ, that they might be justified by faith. And the law of nature, being for substance the same with that from Mount Sinai, is suited to answer the same end, with respect to the Gentile nations, who were never under the Jewish dispensation. And so Jew and Greek are all under sin; the whole world stand guilty before God; and by their own virtue or goodness, no flesh can be justified in his sight, and so all stand in absolute perishing need of Christ, and free grace. And now, upon a review of all that has been said, the following remarks and inferences may justly be made :

1. "The law of Moses, and St. Paul's manner of reasoning upon it, are inconsistent with the Arminian scheme of religion, and do as effectually confute it, as the scheme of the Pharisees, and Pharisaical Christians of that age.”

One of the most fundamental maxims in the Arminian scheme, is, "that in the nature of things, it is not just for God to require more of his creatures than they can do, and then threaten to punish them for not doing." And when

g And so they suppose, that God was bound in justice to make some abatements in his law, and to bring it down to a level with our present state; and yet are so absurd and inconsistent, as to suppose, that Christ died to purchase these abatements, i. e. died to get justice done us. And if we will yield sincere obedience to this new abated law, we shall be justified and saved. This sincere obedience, it seems, is the utmost that God in justice can require of us. So then, if we yield this, we shall be justified, because we have come up to the rule of òûr duty. Or, if we have any defects, (i. e. are not so sincere as we should be,) Christ will make up for them. These are the notions of many, and they for sub