And besides, if it be so, that they are laid under such a necessity of hating and blaspheming God, for so many ages, in the manner that has been spoken of, a necessity utterly inconsistent with human liberty; then they will have no reason whatever to condemn themselves for all this enmity and blasphemy of theirs, for so long a time, after they are made perfectly holy and happy, and see that they had no reason at all for such malice and rage; but that all was infinitely against reason, and that at the same time there was infinite reason that they should love and honor God. But how extremely incongruous is such an imagination, that God would lay those he intended for the eternal bounty and blessedness of dear children, under such circumstances, that they must necessarily hate him, and with devilish fury curse and blaspheme him for innumerable ages in the most unreasonable manner, and yet never have cause, even when they are delivered and made happy in God's love, to condemn themselves for it, though they see the infinite hatefulness and unreasonableness of it, because God laid them under such necessity of it, that they could use no liberty of their own in the case? I leave it for all to judge, whether God's thus ordering things, with regard to such as he, from great benevolence, intended for eternal happiness in a most blessed union with himself, be credible.

§ 31. That which lasts as long as the world stands, is sometimes said to be forever. Yet the space of man's life in comparison of the state that succeeds is often represented as a moment, the shortest space, yea, even as nothing. And so the space of time to the end of the world is represented as very short, Heb. x. 37. Here in a particular manner observe those words of Christ, Rev. xxii. 10, 11, 12. After Christ had shown John the end of the world, the day of judgment, and consummation of all things, he says, "The time is at hand. He that is unjust let him be unjust still, &c.-Behold I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Here Christ represents to his beloved disciple the space from that time to the end of the world, to be very short, after he had from time to time represented to him (in the course of those visions, of which this is the conclusion) the state of the punishment of the wicked to be everlasting, and forever and ever; as chap. xiv. 10, 11, and xix. 3, and xx. 10. And even in this 22d chapter, 5th verse, when Christ says,-Behold I come quickly, and so represents the time to the end of the world to be but short, we are naturally and justly led to compare this representation with that which is made of the duration of the future state both of good and bad after the judgment; and to draw inferences accordingly concerning the duration of that following state, on many accounts: As, I. The same Jesus, in the same course or series of visions, by which John is directed in this book, makes both representations: and the future state of the righteous and wicked, especially of the latter, is set forth in a representation that is insisted on, and repeated from time to time, as being forever and ever. 2. He at this very time, and in the same vision (as may be seen verse 5 of this same 22d chapter), says of the blessedness of the righteous, that it shall be forever and ever; the very same phrase that is used before, from time to time, to set forth the duration of the misery of the wicked. 3. After he had spoken of the glory of the righteous as being forever and ever, he, in the midst of those words, wherein he represents the time to the end of the world as very short, joins both righteous and wicked together, representing their state as fixed, unalterable and everlasting, in the same expressions; " The time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still. Behold I come quickly." The shortness of the time to the end

of the world, is expressed in the words immediately preceding those that express the endlessness of the state of both righteous and wicked; and then again the words immediately following express the same thing over again, " Behold I come quickly." And, 4. The words immediately following these, naturally lead us to the same comparison, even to compare the duration of. the time before the coming of the Judge, and the duration of those rewards and punishments which he will render to men according as their works shall be; "Behold I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his works shall be." The shortness of the time before his coming to judge and recompense men, is declared, for the comfort of the righteous, and terror of the wicked; and the thing that justly renders the consideration of the measure of duration before Christ's coming comfortable to the saints, though it seems so long on some accounts, is, that it is very short in comparison of the duration of the reward that shall follow; and so the thing that should justly make the measure of time, before the judgement, terrible to the wicked, is, that though they may be ready to please themselves that the time is so long, yet it is very short in comparison of the punishment that shall follow. And in other places of Scripture, the time preceding the punishment of the wicked in particular, is represented as very short. Thus it is threatened that God would bring upon them swift destruction: and it is said, the things that shall come upon them, make haste, and that vengeance shall come speedily on the enemies of the elect, and the like. And the punishment of the wicked itself is always represented as everlasting and endless.. Whence we may most reasonably suppose, that those phrases, when applied to future punishment, are used in their most proper sense, and not at all in the same manner as when applied to the space preceding, which is here spoken of as comparatively very short.

When the fire of hell is represented as that which shall never be quenched, it is not thereby meant that it shall not be quenched till it has consumed its fuel and goes out itself. For, by being quenched, as the word is used in Scripture, is meant, not only a being extinguished or put out, but a going out, or ceasing, or ending in any respect. So the words are to be understood, Isai. xliii. 17, "They are extinct, they are quenched as tow," i. e., their power and rage shall be like the fire of tow, that lasts but for a very little while, and then goes out. Vessels of mercy, and vessels of wrath, are expressly distinguished. And the apostle James speaks of some that shall have judgment without mercy, James ii. 13; which proves the punishment of hell is not the effect of mercy, and that mercy and pity never shall be exercised towards the damned.

§32. Hutcheson on the Passions, p. 77, 3d edition, says, "No misery is farther the occasion of joy to a sedate temper, than as it is necessary to some prepollent happiness in the whole." It would be worth while particularly to examine this matter, and inquire, whether there be not something in the natural sense of desert, which God has implanted in creatures that are moral agents, which tends to acquiescence in the pains or suffering of the ill-deserving, not merely from a natural desire of good to ourselves or others, or good to the universal system, but as what a sense of desert naturally tends to, as a gratification of that sense.

§33. It is manifest, that God's design in punishing his enemies, is in part to convince them of his greatness and majesty, and to make them know their folly in despising them, as well as to make his glory and majesty visible to others, even to the whole universe. Exod. ix. 14-17, "For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth. VOL. I.

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For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth. Aud in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to show in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth." Psal. 1. 21, "These things hast thou done, and I kept silence: thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thyself; but I will reprove thee, and set them in or der before thine eyes." Therefore the punishment of the wicked is not anni hilation.

§ 34. The same disposition and habit of mind, and manner of viewing things, that is indeed the main ground of the cavils of many of the modern freethinkers, and modish writers, against the extremity and eternity of hell torments, if given way to, and relied upon, would cause them to be dissatisfied with almost any thing that is very uncomfortable in a future punishment, so much as the enduring of the pain that is occasioned by the thrusting of a thorn under the nail of the finger, for a whole year together, 365 days, day and night, without any rest, or the least intermission or abatement. In short, it will be found, that there will be no satisfying the infidel humor, with any thing that is very contrary to men's inclinations: any thing that they are very averse to bear, they would be averse to believe. There are innumerable calamities that come to pass in this world, through the permission and ordination of divine providence, against which (were it not that they are what we see with our eyes, and are universally known and incontestable facts) this cavilling unbelieving spirit would strongly object; and, if they were only proposed in the theory as matters of faith, would be opposed as exceedingly inconsistent with the moral perfections of God; and the opinions of such as asserted them would be cried out against, as in numberless ways contrary to God's wisdom, his justice, goodness, mercy, &c., such as, the innumerable calamities that have happened to poor innocent children, through the merciless cruelty of barbarous enemies; their being gradually roasted to death at the fire by Indians, shrieking and crying for their fathers and mothers; the extreme pains they sometimes are tormented to death with, by some terrible diseases which they suffer; the calamities that have many times been brought on whole cities, while besieged, and when taken by merciless soldiers, destroying all, men, women and children, without any pity; the extreme miseries which have been suffered by millions of innocent persons, of all ages, sexes and conditions, in times of persecution, when there has been no refuge to be found on earth; yea, those things that come to pass universally, which all mankind are the subjects of, in temporal death, which is so dreadful to nature, and which the human nature which God has made is so extremely reluctant to. There is no trust at all to such notions and views, such seemings as are the main ground of these men's objections against the torments of hell, as recorded in the Scripture. The main thing is, that it is terrible, and so seems shocking to the inward apprehension of their minds; and this they call a being shocking to common sense, when it is indeed no otherwise so, than as it is very opposite to common inclinations.

AN ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE

OF THE

REV. DAVID BRAINERD,

MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL; MISSIONARY TO THE INDIANS FROM THE HONORABLE SOCIETY, IN SCOTLAND, FOR THE PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE; AND PASTOR OF A CHURCH OF CHRISTIAN INDIANS IN NEW-JERSEY;

WHO DIED AT Northampton, in New England, OCTOBER 9TH, 1747, in the 30TH YEAR

OF HIS AGE:

CHIEFLY TAKEN FROM HIS OWN DIARY, AND OTHER PRIVATE WRITINGS, WRITTEN FOR HIS OWN USE.

ADVERTISEMENT TO THE WORCESTER EDITION.

THE particular account, given in this book, of Mr. BRAINERD, save that part which relates to his last exercises and his death, we have been constrained to omit. This omission is not only a matter of necessity, as we had not room for the entire account. but we think of propriety, as it consists almost wholly of extracts from Mr. BRAINERD'S Diary, and in his own words. A few brief remarks are indeed interspersed by Mr. EDWARDS, to connect the extracts, and give the whole the cast of a continued Narrative. But the account taken at large is too much of a mere compilation to be numbered properly among his works. It will not be possible we confess to feel the pertinency and weight of the Reflections which Mr. EDWARDS has made on these memoirs, so sensibly as if they had been just read, as in fact they are supposed to have been. But if the reader will consider what we have inserted, as a specimen of Mr. BRAINERD'S views, exercises and efforts, as a Christian, a Preacher and a Missionary, as de ailed through more than two hundred preceding pages, he will not be badly prepa to veruse the Reflections.