صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

9

uft needs make a terrible impreffion upon the minds of Men, who ever confider at all: and the case must, beyond all doubt, be very bad, when thofe who do all that they can do, and a great deal more than they should do, to help it, can make it look no better. You, who say that you think a very long duration of Hell-Torments a fufficient motive to a good life, fhew, by your own Lives, that you think fo. If you do this, you will both approve your felves to be honest Men, and provoke us, who believe more than you, if we have any fhame or sense of our Duty, to an emulation and victory over you, in goodnefs: and, by this means, to prove whose belief beft ferves the Interest of God and Religion; and that we may fafely take for the trueft. Nay, if you do but live thus, this will be the likelieft way to bring you to the Jame belief with us, if we are in the right there being no fuch ready way to truth, as a good life.

Serm. s.

God give us all grace, feriously to
lay to heart what has been faid,
and to learn truly to fear him,
M 3
who

Serm. 5.

who hath power to destroy both Body and Soul in Hell, where the Worm dyeth not, and the Fire is not quench'd, yea, I fay unto you, to fear him.

SERM.

SERMON VI

The true meaning of the Eternity of Hell-Torments.

Matthew 25. 41.

Then shall be Say unto them on the left hand, depart from me, ye curfed, into everlasting fire, prepar'd for the Devil and his Angels.

I'

Am now upon the Subject of the Eternity of Hell-Torments, and have already advanc'd fo far in it, as to have prov'd in general, both from Scripture and Reafon, that the Torments of Hell will be truly & properly eternal, or have a duration without end.

[blocks in formation]

183

Serm. 6.

2

But because many, of those who

Serm. 6. feem to allow the Eternity of HellTorments in general, or, at leaft, the Authority of thofe Texts of Scripture, which, we think, plainly affert it: do nevertheless give fuch particular explications of what they mean, both by it and them, as do, in great measure, weaken the force, and confequently leffen the influence of them, upon the minds of Men. I therefore think my felf oblig'd, in justice to my subject, but much more in juftice to God and Religion, and Charity to the Souls of Men, to inquire fomewhat more diftinctly into this matter; and, for this purpose, I have propos'd

Thirdly, More particularly to explain, what we are to understand by the Eternity of Hell-Torments: in order to obviate those false meanings, which the Socinians and others give, of feveral of thofe Texts of Scripture, upon which we build our belief of it. And, in doing this, I will endeavour,

First, To refute the falfe meanings, which are given of it, and the

the Texts of Scripture relating to it.

And

Secondly, To fhew, and establish, the true meaning.

First, I am to refute the falfe meanings, which are given of it, and the Texts of Scripture relating to it; and they are thefe which follow.

First, That the only eternal punishment of the damn'd fhall be annihilation, or an utter extinction of their beings.

Secondly, That, if they fhall eternally exift, yet they fhall have no other eternal punishment, than their lofs of God and Heaven, and the natural confequences of that, and of their eternal existence: but fhall not moreover eternally undergo pofitive Torments.

Laftly; That not all the damn’d fhall be eternally tormented, but that many of them fhall, in time, be releas'd from their Torments.

Serm. 6.

« السابقةمتابعة »