M LETTER TO THE Rev. C. E. DE COETLOGON, a.m. EDITOR OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS's" LATELY - REVIVED SERMON, ON The .Eternity of Hell - Torments. by the Author of dialogues on the universal restoration. LONDON' #rmtea foe ttje lutljor 5 And fold by the Printer, No. 5,7, Wych-Street; T. Scqllick, City-Read, Moorfields; And J. Marsom, High-Hofhorn. Jfl. DCC. fcXXflJC. LETTER, 3tc. Sec. &c. Reyerenb Sir, SOME time the beginning of November, a friend qf mine, fent me down to CanterbuJ^, at which. place I was.thenjupon a vifit, a fermon, written by that good man Prefident Edwards, on the Eternity of Hell Torments, revifed and cprrefted by yourfelf, and fup pofed to be publilhed, at this time, in oppofition to my fentiments refpe&ing the Univerfal Reftoration; with a defire that I would give an anfwer thereto. This I for fome time declined or riegle&ed, for feveral reasons : i . Eecaufe I never-in my life yet wrote any anfwer to pamphlets that were written profejjedly againft me ; and why then fhould I write an anfwer to a book wherein my name was not fo much as mentioned ? 2. I have no great opinion of cpntroverfial writings in general ; the combatants more commonly feek after victory than truth ; and therefore, I'think unlefs we can determine to lay prejudice afidej we had better do nothing in thefe matters. 3. Writing on con troverfy is- fometimes attended with many bad confe- A 2 quences, ( 4 ) quences, fuch as alienating the affections of Chriftians one from another, ^cc. which evil things give occa fion to the unbelieving world to mock and defpife the profeffoES of religion, and even religion itfelf. 4. A confiderable part of that fermon confifts of matters that I am not concerned to anfwer in the leaft : As, for inftance, that the wicked will not be .annihilated ; this I believe as milch as you ; and fliat God will fulfil his threatenings, unlefs a change of heart and life pre-. vent. 5. I have already anfwered the fum of Mr. Edwards's arguments in favour of endlefs damnation, in my Dialogues upon Reftoration ; which being in the hands of many people, and to be had by all who choofe to read them, I thought what was there urged might be judged fufficient, at leaft until fuch time as a fair and candid anfwer, without railing or reviling, was given to what was written, by Dr.Chauncey, my felf, and many others ; whofe writings upon this fufi- jedt have been publilhed in London of late. But fome are ftill defirous of a fhort an'fwer being particularly given to what fo great and good a man as Mr. Edwards had advanced upon the fabjerSt of endlefs damnation ; and the rather, becaufe it may be reafonably fuppofed, that a man- of his profound learning, good ferife, and piety, would advance the. ftrongeft poffible arguments and proofs ofthe truth of that doctrine, efpecially when treating pjofefTedly upon it. Being heartily willing to be inftrudted wherein I may err ; and laying myfelf open to , conviction, I take up my pen to anfwer about four pages of that fermon, which is all I am concerned to anfwer-— Page 14— 18. I fay, >( 5 ) ". I fay, this is all that I am concerned to anfwer i For were I even to allow that God might, confiftent with his, perfections, leave men to fufFe'r endlefs < punifhirierit for their fins, it would be no proof that it will certainly be the cafe, efpecially if promifes, or even intimations of the bontrary, can be found in the Scriptures. It would be as difficult, to prove by rea fon, that annihilation is contrary to the divine perfec tions, as that endlefs damnation is fo ; and 'yet, if annihilation is contrary to the Scripture threaten- ings or promifes, it cannot be true, however.it may be thought confiftent with' the divine perfections. We are to go to the law. and to the teftimony :, the word of God muft decide thefe irpport.int queftions ;> for reafon alone is. not fnfficient ii > r the tafk.i I never would venture todecide by reafon au4 my judgment, in fuch axafe as the General Reftoration ; though itis generally allowed that reafon feems to incline 'to that fide. of the queftion :--- As, for inftance, reafon would fi^y, God was infinitely, perfect, completely happy in the enjoyment of himfelf, needed nothing ; andthere-* fore, as he'eoujd receive nothing, he could have ,no other defign in giving intelligences exiftence,, but to v make them- happy ; and would never, therefore, have fuffered them to exift at all, either with defign to make them miferable, or if he fprefaw that they would fo abufe their faculties, as to put it out of his po'wer to make them happy. Reafon would further fay, God loved his creatures when he made them, and that he, being unchangeable, muft' love them ftill ; and as love feeks to make all its objects happy, fo all created in telligences muft be holy and happy at laft, if God can make them fo; and that, as he is able to perform all his pleafure, he cannot fail in this. Reafon might further go on to fay, that all intelligences are the i , children} ( 6 ) children of God; and that, as a kind father would not, if he had the power, appoint part of his family to have the 'greateft happinefs conferred on them, and ordain others of his children to the moft amazing tor tures, without any defign for their good — much lefs would the wife, powerful, arid' infinitely good God, act thus partially. Thus might I eafily write many pages of as rational aguments, at leaft, in favour of the general and final rtjioration, as are found irt the nine firft pages of the book before me, in favour of endlefs torments. But let us come to the merits of the caufe. If the words x.o\a aimtoy, ce"rtainly intend, endlefs ferments, I am grofly deceived; and will thank you, or any other perfon, in the fpirit of Chrift, to convince me of my error. This very text that Mr. Edwards takes to prove endlefs mifery, the ingenious Mr. Petitpierre, takes ,t» proye the reftoration. Thefe are his words : ' There remains laftly, and under the fifth head, ? yet one very remarkable text ; where our Lord Jefus - « Chrift himfelf, gives the name of chtifiifement- to fu- ' ture fufferings: Thefe (fays he, fpeaking of the ' wicked) fhall go away into everlafting punf/bment. Now, ' though the word punifhment is made ufe of in our « verfions \ in the original Greek, the word xoX«m; is ' particularly applicable to the pruning of trees, which ' therefore implies correction, or chaftifement ; and ' was in ufe to exprefs that correction, by which men « were made better, like to trees, who have undergone ' the operation of pruning, or lopping off the dead or ' unfruitful branches. I fhall prove to my readers, ' by '( 7 J « by fuch authorities as cannot be fufpected, that the * Greek word Ko\aenS, fignifies chaflifement. And thefe ' authorities fo refpectable, are, two learned Divines : ' one the illuftrious Grotius, in his Rights of War and * Peace ; the other, the celebrated Wyttenbach; in his ' Effay on doclrinal Theology. Grotius fays exprefly, ' that the kind of punifhment which tends to tbe improve- ' ment of the criminal, is what the philofophers called, ' among other things, bolafis, or chaflifement *. And ' Wyttenbach, who writes this paffage from Grotius, .' fays — that God, in the inflicTion~ of fufferings, has ' three ends in view ; the firft of which is the corredion of ' the offender, in order to his future amendment. And that 4 the Greeks frequently gave ty fuch fufferings, the name 'kolafis.' • / . 4 Thus we fee, fronrunqueftionable evidence, that i the Son of God himfelf, calls future punifhment chaf- 1 tifement : Now, a never-ending chaflifement, is a * contradiction ifl terms. ' The word eternal, muft * therefore, in that connection, fignify, a long ani ' dreadful -correclion ; which w^ll never ceafe till fin is ' fubdued, and the heart of the finner difpofed, and ' properly prepared, to experience the efficacy_of Di- « vine Redemption : that power of God, whereby the * Son was fent to be, the Saviour of the world; that he, * by the grace of God, Jhould tqfte death for every man : * not for our fins only, but for the fins of the whole world.'' Therefore, if this amiable Divine is right, this text does not certainly and neceffarily intend endlefs mifery: For firft, the word -eumm; may intend bidden, duration, * Droit de la Guerre et de la Paix, 4e la tradutlion de Barbcyrac : Liv. II. Chap. xx. Sect. 7. ( 8 ) titration, or a limited period : and, fecondly, the word K-Asm-i, intends chaflifement ; which, in the nature of things, cannot be endlefs. As for the .word aion, I wifh no better rule to ren der it, and its derivatives, by, than is given in the, , Evangelical Library, Vol. II. p. 46, 47. in the notes upon the Hiftory of Redemption, written by Mr. Ed wards, reflecting the word gnolam — ' Time hidden^ '01 concealed, from man : as well indefinite and eternal, '¦as finite ; as well paft, as future. It feem6 much * more frequently ufed for an indefinite, than for an * infinite time. And even Mr. Levi explains it, hy * petpetual — evcrlajlingly — Figuratively, a certain num- * ber of years. ' We think the moft accurate method of explaining ' the different meanings of this phrafe, would be to re- ' duce them to a general term ; and none feems to pro- ' mile fo fair, or has been fo generally applied to it, ' as ace. But the moft important thing is, to efta- * blifh a criterion to determine its full import, in any * text required. The remaTk of Schindlerus' is cer- « tainly juft ; namely, that the fubjecl mufl determine it. ' May we not venture then to fay — That the terms" -for ever, everhfting, &c. are always to be taken in the * utmojl latitude the f ub jell will admit of; and, therefore, ' tb be extended to a proper eternity, when there is * nothing decifive to forbid it.' This is exactly according to the rule Which I have frequently laid down — That, in all cafes, the fubject muft determine the meaning of the words : and I am willing to be tried by this rule. Therefore, in the fiitl place, 1 fhall fhew, why I think the texts and argu- ( 9 ) iargtafnents ufed by Mr. Edwards, are infufiicient to prose endlefs mifery; and, fecondly, give fome reafons why I cannot conceive that aionion, when applied to, future mifery* muft neceffarily intend endlefs. I. Mr. Edwards thinks, that the wicked fhall be fentenced to tneir punifhment at the time that all temporal things are come to an end ; and, therefore, their punifhment muft be endlefs — becaufe time it felf, ages, pet iods, and difpenfations, fhall be at an end ; the earth, and the vifible heavens, fhall be dif- folved, and never exift any more to eternity. This I fhall endeavour to anfwer, by fhewing — that the earth and heavens fhall be renewed after their diffolution. And that it fhall be the fame earth that fhall be deftroyed by fire, that fhall be created new, feems evident from thefe Words — And there was no more fea ; as well as from the parallel drawn by St. Peter, between the old world, its deftruction by water, and its renewal by the word of God ; and the deftruc tion of the fame by fire, in the day of. judgment, and at the time ofthe perdition of ungodly men ; and its glorious renewal again ; which we, according to his promife, look for. Befides, we are told, that in this new earth there fhall be no more curfe — a plain inti mation that it is the fame fubftance which once was Curfed ; or why this expreffion ? Some indeed fuppofe, that thefe new heavens, and new earth, are co-eVal with the Millennium, and are only ,a defcription of the glory of that period, when the knowledge of the Lord fhall cover the earth, as the waters cover the fea : But I think the contrary is evident, from the following confiderations : B i. The ( io ) i. The Millennium, or Chrift's reign on this earth before its diffolution, is, five times, exprefly limited to a thoufand years, in Rev. xx. during which time, fatan is to be bound, and confined in the abyfs j thefe exprefs years, he fhall deceive the nations no more. The martyrs and faints of eminence fhall be raifed, live and reign with Chrift a thoufand yfars. The fame number of years fhall pafs between the firft and fecond refurredtion. After thofe years fhall fatan- be loofeda little feafon, and fhall deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, &c. But in the new earth the fervants of God fhall reign to the ages of the ages, Rev. xxii. 5. which furely is a Very different period from a thoufand years ; one being definite and revealed, and the other indefinite and con cealed from man. 2- In the Millennium the earth and fea fhall re main, and the abundance ofthe fea fhall be converted to the church of God '; but in the new earth, the fea fhall be no more. 3. The Millennium ends before the fecond or general refurredtion takes place : In the fecond refur redtion, the fea muft give up its dead ; confequently, this event muft take place before the new earth is created, in which the fea fhall no more exift. 4. In the Millennium, Jerufalem, or Jehovah Sham- mah, is to be built; four-fquare, having twelve gates ; according to the prophecy of Ezekiel, chap, xlviii. and is to be about ten miles fquare, or forty miles in cir cumference ; four times as large as this city of Lon don, with all its fuburbs. But when the new earth fhall be created, the Holy City, even New- Jeru falem, fhall defcend from God, out of heaven ; which fhall1 ( « ) fiiall be twelve thoufand furlongs, or fifteen hundred miles fquare ; and a wall of jafper, of the fame height. This city, fix thoufand miles' in circumfe rence, fhall be very different from the Millennial Jeru falem ; though, like that, it lieth four-fquare, and hath twelve gate?. * 5. The temple of the Lord, in the Millennium, Jhall be built upon a high mountain, raifed and exalted by the power of God ; while other moun tains fhall be brought low. According to Ezekiel's meafure, the temple will be about a mile fquare ; and will not, like the fprmer temples, ftand in the city, but at the diftance of more than thirty miles to the northward. But when the new heavens, and new earth, Jhall be created, and tlie Holy City fhall defcend — the throne of God and the Lamb fhall be in it, and his fervants fhall ferve him there ; and there fhall be no temple therein : fqr the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it : Rev. xxi. 22. 6. In the Millennium — The light of the moon fhall be as the. light of the fun ; and the light of the fun fhall be f even-fold, as the light of feven days, in the day that the Lord bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the Jiroke of their wounds :_ Ifai. xxx. 26. And men fhall fear the Saviour, as long as the fun and moon fhall endure, throughout all generations, when he fhall reign in Mount Zion, and before his ancients, glori- oufly ; even to the confounding of the moon, and the making the fun afhamed, by his fuperior glory : . See Pfal. lxxii. 5. Ifai. xxv. 23. But the New jeru falem, when it fhall defcend to the new earth, fhall have no need of the fun, neither of the moon, -to B 2 fhine ( 12 ) fhine in it : for the glory of G6d doth lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. I 7. During the Millermium, it will be poffible for death, and even the curfe, to enter : — The child fhall die an hundred years old; or, according to Bifhop Lowth — ' He that dieth an hundred years old, fhall 4 die a boy :' — And not only f o ; but he fhall-'be deemed accurfed, or cut off, at that early period of his life, on the account of his fins : See Ifai. Ixv. 20. At the clofe of that glorious period, fatan fhall be loofed — the nations of the earth fhall be deceived, fhall rebel againft the Lord, fhall be devoured by fire from heaven — the wicked fhall be raifed to the re furredtion of damnation, fhall be called to judgment — the world fhall be fet on fire — the whole terra queous globe fhall be turned into the lake of fire and - brimftone — the wicked fhall be judged according to their works ; condemned, pronounced accurfed, and fentenced to this dreadful fire, with the devil and his angels. Here are curfes many and great upon the earth and its inhabitants, after the Millennium ; but in the new earth, after the curfe fhall be wholly re moved, and all things fhall be m,ade new, there fhall be no more curfe, no more pain, no more forrow, no more crying, no more death ; for the former things, fin, and its confequences, fhall all pafs away : Rev. xxi. 4, 5. xxii. 3. 8. It appears plain, that the new earth is fo far from being cotemporary with the Millennium, that it cannot take place till after the conflagration ; which is an event that St. Peter confidered as certain, but did not, as many now do, reft in that gloomy part of the fcene, but looked forward with glorious expectation to that ( 13 ) that period, when the earth and the heavens, according to the promife of God, fhall be renewed, and made a fit habitation for righteoufnefs, or righteous perfons : See 2 Pet. iii. io — 13. 9. The earth and heavens fhall pafs away and be diffolved, after the Millennium ; fhall wax old like a garment, fhall be burnt up, &c. but the new heavens and new earth, which God fhall create, fhall remain before him as long as men fhall exift : See Pfal. cil. 25, 26. Heb. i. 10, 11, 12. 2 Pet. iii. 7. 10, 11, 12. Rev. xx. n. xxi. 1. Ifai. lxvi. 22. Many other differences might be fhewn, between the earth in its millennial ftate, and in its new created ftate ; but thefe are fully fufficient. I would juft obferve, that fome fuppofe the new1 creation of the heavens and earth only figurative expreffions, and not to be underftood literally ; hut by the fame rule, the conflagration and diffo- lution of the heavens and earth, and all thefe things, by fire, muft be underftood metaphorically for the diffolution of the Jewifh church ftate ; and in this light only it is taken by fome — And all thofe who deny the reality ofthe new creation of the hea vens and earth, according to the plain literal fenfe of the words, muft, to be confiftent with themfelves, gand fome of them do) deny the conflagration, explain the coming of Chrift to be metaphorical -only, the firft refurredtion to be fpiritual, and, confequently, the fecond, or general refurredtion, to be of the fame kind : Yea, fome affert, that the flood of water in Noah's time, was only a general fpread of iniquity ; and by the fame rule go farther, and deny that there was really any fuch men as Adam, Seth, Enoch, &c. but ( H ) but only different church ftates. By this means every fact, and every promife, yea, and every threat ening, may be evaded, or fpiritualized away. To fuch as thofe no reafoning of mine will avail; becaufe they deny all the prerjoifes, from which I draw any confequences — but I apprehend, when God calls any fayings true and faithful, we. may not only depend upon it that they are true in fome hidden fenfe, and fhall be performed in fome fpiritual and obfcure manner ; but that they are true in the plain literal fenfe, and fhall be accomplifhed in that manner which the words na turally import. Now thefe promifes ofthe new hea vens, earth. &c. are faid to be true and faithful words, Rev. xxi. 5. xxii. 6. and therefore I doubt not of their accomplifhment : See my Expofition of the firft Six Verfes of the Twenty-firft Chapter of Revelations, in my Book of Dialogues, Page 170 — 181. There are fpme others who fuppofe this new hea-; ven and earth, which John faw, to be heaven itfelf; and that all the wonderous things, fpoken of in Rev. ¦ becaufe our Saviour fays, 4 Verily, I fay unto thee, thou fhajt not depart thence, * till thou haft paid' the uttermoft farthing, or the 'very laft mite,' This paffage has been brought by fome as a proof of the general reftoration ; but I look upon it as nothing to the purpofe, one way or the o.ther. But fome will fay, What is the meaning of it ? I Will endeavour to tell what I think; and I have no other key but what the connection gives me : — Our Lord had been advifing nqt to give offence one to another, neither by adtions, nor yet by words — and then fays, ' Therefore, if thou bring thy gift to * the altar, and there remembereft that thy brother « hath ought againft thee, leave there thy gift before * the altar, and go thy way ; firft be reconciled to thy * brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Agree * with thine adverfary quickly, whiles thou art in the * way with him, left at any time thp adverfary deliver 4 thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the 6 officer, and thou be eaft into prifon. Verily, I fay C a ' ant« ( 20 ) c unto thee, thou fhalt by no means come ou,fc 1 thence, till thpu haft paid the uttermoft farthing :'• St. Matth. v. 23 — 26. The queftion that will throw light on this paffage, is this : Who is thp adverfary? I heard of a wpman that went to hear a min jfter preach, and he topk this ter.t, * Agree with ' thine adverfary,' &c. — and in difcourfing upon it, endeayoured to prove that God was the adverr fary, fcc, S0.me tjme ^fter, fhe went to hear another minifter at- the fame place, an,d he topk the fame text^ and fpent confiderable time in proving that the devil ¦ was our adverfary ; which was true : But ought we to agree with him ?. But the words naturally lead u,s to conclude the offended brother tp be the adverfary ; Lfor Solomon informs us, that * A brother offended is 4 harder to be. won than a ftrong city ; - and their ' contentions are like the bars of a caftle,' Prov. xviii. 29. It is plain that our Saviour advifed well, that all differences between men fhould be as fpeedily and amicably fettled as poffible, and upon the eafieft terms — becaufe, if we neglect to make proper con- ceflions, when the adverfary is difpofed to liften to terms of accommodation, the confequence will be, that when he gets us lawfully into his power, he will put us to as much expence as poffible. I, was much ftruck, laft fummer, with an account, that a friend of mine gave me, of a very peculiar law that exifts in the Borough of Southwark, for the re*- covery of fmall debts, under forty fhjllings : — The creditor, by a fummons, calls the debtor before the court, and he is ordered to pay a fhilling or eighteen pence- a-week, till the whole he paid ; which the cre ditor is obliged to receive — but , if the debtor ab- £cend6, and goes out of the diftridt, before the whole be ( *1 ) pe paid, then the creditor hath power, if ever he finds him within the jurifdidtion, to take him, and eaft him immediately into prifon ; where there is no releafe for him, unlefs he pays the whole fum, or lies in prifon, if he owes under twentyjfhillings, a time not exceeding twenty days: if above twenty fhillings, may be kept in prifon forty days ; and then he is difcharged, and the debt is forever cancelled : neither he can the creditor keep him in prifon a day over the time, without being liable to a confiderable penalty. He that. taught men to be thus merciful, is infinitely more fo himfelf. God commanded the children of Ifrael, at the end pf every feven years, to make a releafe, both of debts and fervants, who chofe to be free ; and every fiftieth year to proclaim a jubilee ; at which feafon not only every man was to go out free, but every inheritance' alfo, except a houfe in a walled city. This appears to me to fhew, by a moft beautiful figure, that the time will come, when every Have of fin, fatan, and death, fhall go out free ; and the inheritance originally intended for men fhall be given them, notwithftanding all their forfeitures — and if that feafon of the jubilee doth not point out fuch an event, I would wifh to know what it does reprefent to us ? But I need not have faid fo much to invalidate the proof of endlefs mifery from thofe words of Chrift, (Matth. v. 26.) as they do not appear to have the leaft relation to the fubject — but whatever they relate to, the very word till feems to imply, that the time would come, when the uttermoft farthing fhould, or might be paid — or, why is fuch a word ufed ? But I fprbear, and pafs to notice the fifth and laft proof Mr. Edwards has brought to prove endlefs mifery. ' The Scripture fays abfolutely, that 4 their putulbment fhall not have an end,' Mark ix. 44. 4 Where ( 22 ) _,.-« Where, the worm dieth not, and the fire is not * quenched.' Now it will not do to fay, the meaning 4 is, that their worm ftiajl live a great while ; or, that it 4 fha.ll be a long time before their fire is quenched-— 4 For, if ever the time come that their worm fhall die, 4 if ever there fhall be a quenching of the fire at all, 4 then it is not true, that their worm dieth not, 4 and the fire is not quenched : For, if there be a dying 4 pf the wprm, and a quenching of the fire, let it 4 be , at what time it will, nearer pr farther of, it is 4 equally contrary to this negation, It dieth not — - it is 4 not quenched :' Page 17, 18. This objection is ftated with all its force ; and an attempt is made to anfvy.er.it in my Dialogues, Page 41 52. To which I refer the Reader, for a full folution of this difficulty. j By the fame mode of reafoning jhat Mr- Edwards has here ufed, I might reafon againft many facts. God faid, (Lev. vi. 13.) ' The fire fhall eve rbe burn - 4 jng upon the altar; it fhall' never go, out.' Now, an Ifraelite might have reafoned jn this, manner : — Our aljrar-fervice, and fiicrifices, fhall always conti nue ; they can never ceafe : for if the fire ever ceafes to burn in any period, near or far off; it will not be true, that * The fire fliall ever, be b.urning upon the 4 altar ; it fhall never go. put.' God frequently threatened Ifrael and Judah, to burn their land and cities, with' fire that fhould not be quenched ; as, in Jer. iv. — ' Left my fury come forth like fire, and '¦ burn, that none can quench it,' &c. vii. 20. 4 Therefore, thus faith the Lord God ; Behold, mine * anger, and my fury, fhall be poured out upon this * place ; upon man, and upon beaft, and upon the * rv - ti 4 trees ( n ) * trees of the" field, and upon the fruit of the ground ; 4 and it fhall burn, and fhall not be quenched.7 — xvii. 27'. 4 Then will I kindle afire in the gates* thereof, and 4 it fhall devour the palaces of Jerufalem, and it fhall 4 not be quenched? Arhos, v. 6. — 4 Seek the Lord, and ye fhall live; • left he break out like fire in the houfe bf Jofeph, 4 and devour it, and there be none to quench it in 4 Bethel.' 2 Kings, xxii.' 17. — ' My wrath fhall be kindled 4 againft this place, and it fhall not be quenched.' 1 Ezek., xx. 47, 48. — ' Behold, I will kindle a fir* • in thee ; and it fhall devour every green tree in thee, 4 and every dry tree : the flaming flame fhall not be * quenched; and all faces, from the fouth to the north, 4 fhall be burnt therein. And all flefh fhall fee, that 4 1 the Lord have kindled it : it fhall not be quenched.' Now, fuppofe I was to apply Mr. Edwards's rea foning to all thefe .paffages ; and , fay — 4 If ever 4 there fhall be a quenching of thefe fires at all'; then,, ' it is not true, that the flaming flame fhall not be 4 quenched : for if there be a quenching of the fire, 4 let it be at what time it will, nearer or farther off, 4 it is equally contrary to this negation, it fhall not be * quenched.' — Suppofe, while I was thus reafoning, fome perfons fhould interrupt me ; and tell me, that they had lately travelled through the land of Judea, and found the fire gone out ; and that they faw no cities, nor country, burning in thofe parts : and I fhould fay — ' I wonder any man can have the im- 4 pudence to come upon Englifh ground and fay, 4 thofe fires are gone but, which God faid, fhould not 'be; ( 24 ) 4 be quenched : if I believed as you do, ' I would fhut 4 up my Bible, and tell God, he was a liar :' What would any rational mart fay vof me ? Some time ago, a very Capital minifter iri Lo'ndciri ufed the form above-cited of me ; afld wondered at the impudence of any man, to come upon Englifh ground, and preach Univerfal Salvation ; and that, if he believed that doctrine, he would fhut up his Bible, and tell God that he was a liar. — - 1 defired the gen-* tleman that told me, to give my love to him, and tell him, that if it iiad not been true,' perhaps he woald never have had a Bible to fhut up. But I hppe the Lord will keep him from believing it, till he learns to fpeak more refpectfully of the God of Sotfndlefs com- pafiion, whofe tender mercies are over all his. works : For I hope never to hear of Jehovah being called a liar in any pulpit in London, or elfewhere. However thefe gentlemen may preach againft me, I am deter mined never to preach againft them. Rafh affertions will never convince me that I am wrong : But if any of them will deign f o reafon with me, in a Chriftian-- like manner, whether by words or writing ; I will hear candidly what they have to fay ; and if I cannot be convinced, I will, as politely as I can, give them my reafons why I cannot./ i But to return to tlie consideration of the fire that Jhall not be quenched. It is likely, fome may interpret .the fire which God threatened fhould devour Jerufa lem, metaphorically, bf his anger : v But this helps not the matter at all ; for, in feven'ty years after thefe denunciations, God faid, by the prophet — ' Thus ' faith the Lord of hofts, I am jealous for Jeru- 4 falem, and for Zion, with a great jealoUfy. And I ' ani I is ) k1am very fbrfe difpleafed with the heathen, that are at *eafe: for I was but a little difpleafed, and they ' • helped forward the indignation., Therefore, thus ' faith the Lord, I am returned to Jerufalem with *' mercies ; my houfe fhall be built in it, faith the * Lord of hbfts: and the Lord, fhall yet comfort ' Zion, and fhall yet choofe Jerufeknrr* Zech. i. 14 — 17. So that, by corifulting other paffages of Scripture^ and the reafon bf things ; we find thofe threateriings of fury, and fire that fhould not be quenched --- though fulfilled according to the very fpirit and meaning of the predictions — did not intend even endlefs ruin arid defolation ; far lefs ftillj burnings that fhould never ceafe : fince the fires and flames threat ened did ceafe, when they had totally confumed the cities, &c. and though the defolation was total, it did not always continue : though from the letter of thofe texts, feparately taken, one would naturally have con cluded, that God's anger would always have conti nued againft the nation — that the cities fhould be for ever defolate — and the whole land fhould conti nue to burn and fkme, like thie fierceft volcano, till the lift great fife fhould reduce the whole earth to one ' prodigious mafs of undiftinguifhed ruin. And this fame reafoning will apply to the terrible threatenings of our Lord, jn the pafiage cited above. Though the face of that text, confidered fingly, might caufe us to believe, that the mifery of the wicked would be absolutely without tnd\ yet, as we have feen fimilar exprefltons ufed for ruiri and defolation, which had a period ; it is not certain* that endlefs mifery muft be intended in thofe words of Chrift : and if any thing dectifive can bt brought from other parages to D fotbid ( w ) forbid that idea being affixed to thofe words' ; then, it will be as certain that Jefus Chrift did not intend end lefs mifery, by the fire that fhould never be quenched ; as jt is, that God did not intend endlefs defolation} and perpetual, never - ceafing burningst to the cities and country of Judea, by the fire that fhould mt bt quenched. I think, therefore, that I have faid.enough to prove. that the texts.and arguments ufed by Mr. Edwards, in* feypur of the,abfpluj:e eternity pf mifery, do not, by any means, (in my h$rnble.opinipii) amount^Q any cigar, certain, decifive proof of the fame. This was' the fifft thing I promifed ; and therefore-, ,1 come, fecondly, to give fome reafons why I cannot at prefent \_Lord, open mine eyes, if I am wrong!'] con* ceive that aionion, when applied to future'mifery,' muft neceffarily intend endlefs ; or, in other words, why I cannot believe the proper eternity oi hell torments; , ¦ ¦¦'¦¦¦ <[.[,. x, Becaufe the fame word$ and expreffions, that are ufed to fet forth the dufation of future mifery,