especially since it appears to be contrary to the plain Doctrine of the New Testament in other Places, as well as to the whole Turn and Tenor of it: (Compare No. XI.) Mr. W. goes on; "Utter Destruction, or what we should call Annihilation, "must therefore be the utmost Expectation of "such enormous Sinners: unless the Intimation the

Prophet" (that is, the Apocryphal) "Esdras has "given us of a Resurrection after the second Death "is over, may afford them some Glimpse of Comfort, "after the several Ages of their Torments are over, "tho' not till those Torments have more than out"balanced all the Enjoyments of their whole sinful "Life." That they may soon do. What were the Enjoyments, for instance, of Judas's sinful Life? Such as have been outbalanced, in all probability, ten thousand times over already, by his doleful Condition in Hades: Yet his Punishment, properly so called, in Gehenna, will not commence till the Day of Judgment. But this by the bye: It is not worth while to enquire, what Expectations of Annihilation, or what Glimpses of Comfort, with regard to another Resurrection, these enormous Sinners may have; or what Conjectures, mere Conjectures, other Persons may make concerning them. The Cause must be determined by Evidence. And according to the Evidence arising from the Constitution of Nature, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, there appears to me no reason to expect either of these things. Particularly with regard to the Text before us; he that can infer from these Words of our Saviour, either utter Destruction of Being, or Restoration to Happiness, is endued with a Faculty of inferring, which I have no desire to be master of. Because the Words certainly may point out, (and naturally

seem to do so, rather than otherwise,) a third State, distinct from the other two; and more agreeable than either of them, to other Testimonies of Scripture.

No. XXIV.

Mark . 29. But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost, hath never Forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal Damnation. See above No. XI.

If he hath never Forgiveness, as it appears from Matt. xii. 31, 32, he hath not, his Damnation must be eternal. Consequently, the Word aivios, and the Phrase εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, here denote Eternity. Whether this eternal Damnation will be eternal Destruction of Being, or something else, we must learn from other Texts.

No. XXV.

Mark iv. 25. For he that hath, to him shall be given: And he that hath not, from him shall be taken even even that which he hath.

He that hath, (viz. any Increase or Improvement,) to him shall more be given; and he that hath not made any such Use and Improvement, of his original moral Endowments; from him, by the Appointment of God, even in the natural Consequences of things, they shall be taken away. This is a Truth, which World is concern'd, lies

in part, and as far as this open to our Experience. The Seeds of Virtue, if not cultivated, decay; the moral Sense, and, in short, the whole Sum of our moral Powers, if not

improved, are impaired; vicious Acts gradually weaken virtuous Principles and Sentiments, and inveterate vicious Habits almost wholly destroy them. This we see; and therefore, if agreeably to our Lord's Declarations relating to this matter, such Neglect and Abuse of our moral Powers should at last be punish'd with an entire Deprivation of them; it is no more than the complete Execution of that Plan of Providence, in another State, which we see begun, and imperfectly carried on, in the present. Compare No. XXI.

No. XXVI.

Mark ix. 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48. And if thy Hand offend thee, cut it off: It is better for thee to enter into Life maimed, than having two Hands, to go into Hell, into the Fire that never shall be quenched : where their Worm dieth not, and the Fire is not quenched. And if thy Foot offend thee, cut it off; it is better for thee to enter halt into Life, than having two Feet, to be cast into Hell, into the Fire that never shall be quenched: where their Worm dieth not, and the Fire is not quenched. And if thine Eye offend thee, pluck it out: It is better for thee to enter into the Kingdom of God with one Eye, than having two Eyes to be cast into Hell-fire: where their Worm dieth not, and the Fire is not quenched.

It is hard to say, how any Doctrine can be taught more plainly, than the Eternity of future Punishment is, in this Passage. Suppose it to be true, and that it was our Lord's Design to teach it; how could he

have done it in plainer Words, or in a more emphatical Manner? He seems here to explain his own Meaning of the other Phrases, which he sometimes uses upon this Subject. If Scruples be rais'd, however unjustly, about the Import and Extent of the word aivios, here nothing depends upon that Term. It rather appears from hence, that that Term, as applied to this Subject, must be understood in its full Extent: since it is here repeated, time after time, that the Fire is unquenchable, and the Worm never dies. And it is our Lord's manifest Design, to warn his Disciples to part with anything in this World, however useful or dear to them, rather than expose themselves to the Danger of this State; because it is irretrievable. One would not, methinks, set aside the Evidence of so plain, and so strong, a Testimony of Scripture, upon so interesting and so important a Subject; without something of very considerable weight, on the other side, to overbalance it. Let us see then, what Engine Mr. W. employs to remove it; and whether he does it by fair Strength, or only by Artifice and Evasion. He allows, in the first place, that1 "this affecting De"scription of the Torments of Hell, looks at first 'sight, liker their proper Eternity, than almost any "other in the whole Bible. We have had the same "Discourse of our Saviour's indeed, already from St. "Matthew xviii. 8, 9. (see No. XIV.) but not set down. "so distinctly, nor under quite so terrible a Repre"sentation as here. However, it being directly taken "from the last Verse of Isaiah, where it evidently 'belongs to a Judgment upon some wicked Men in "this Life only, which is very far from eternal; and "belonging to dead Carcasses, which can never be "eternal Ages in consuming, either by Worms or Fire; 1 Page 41.

"and being join'd either with the Sight, or Abhorrence of those Carcasses by all Flesh upon this Earth only, 'tis most evident, that it does no way infer "the proper Eternity of such Punishment, but rather "the contrary."

The great Engine, we see, that is play'd against us, is the last Verse of Isaiah, which is this,--And they shall go forth, and look upon the Carcasses of the Men that have transgressed against me; for their Worm shall not die, neither shall their Fire be quenched, and they shall be an abhorring unto all Flesh. Now supposing here every thing that Mr. W. supposes, that this Fudgment, and this Consumption of the dead Carcasses, is in this Life only; and that this Sight and Abhorrence of them, is upon this Earth only; then indeed it is most evident, that we can no way infer the proper Eternity of this Punishment, which Isaiah speaks of: But it is so far from being most evident, that it is not evident at all, that therefore we cannot infer the proper Eternity of the Punishment, which our Saviour describes in this passage of St. Mark's Gospel. For see how the Argument will run; Our Saviour in describing the Punishment of the Wicked in Hell, has taken some Images and Expressions from the last Verse of Isaiah: But Isaiah meant to describe by those Images and Expressions only a temporal Punishment, or a Judgment executed upon this Earth only; therefore we cannot infer from our Saviour's Description of the Punishment in Hell, the proper Eternity of such Punishment. No; what should hinder us? Are the Words capable of denoting a proper Eternity, when the Subject will bear, and the Occasion, and Context, lead to it? This is not deny'd. On the contrary, it is acknowledged, that