I shall not determine. But, according to the Mercies, and the Covenant, of God in Christ Jesus, all Punishments I disclaim.1 Then, as to the other Sort of Men, who die without Faith and Repentance; those I reckon to be the same with Mr. Whiston's hardened and incorrigibly wicked Christians, who are not at all admitted to Repentance and Pardon in Hades: Which I take to be a Concession so far in my favour, as it supposes, that there may be some Men incurably and incorrigibly wicked.2

What Mr. W. says, that this Imputation (viz. Thou Fool) must be said in Opposition to known Truth; or must be an unjust Imputation; and, in the second place, it must not have been repented of;3 will be admitted, I suppose, without the Authority of the Apostolical Canons. Utitur, in re non dubia, testibus non necessariis.

If we confess our Sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our Sins, and to cleanse us from all Unrighteousness. I John i. 9. And the Blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth us from all Sin. Ver. 7. Not the Fire either of Purgatory, or Hell. Certè remissio peccatorum non definitur tormentis flammarum et suppliciorum satisfactionibus. Neque enim sensus est, quando Scriptura dicit, Christum meruisse nobis remissionem peccatorum, quod promeruit nobis tormenta flammarum, et acerbissima supplicia, quibus nobis ipsis pro peccatis satisfaciendum sit; sed ex misericordia Dei propter satisfactionem Christi, Scriptura tradit peccata remitti, hoc est, gratuito condonari et tegi, ne imputentur et exquirantur. Chemnicii Examen Conc. Trid. Pars. 3, p. 120.

No. IV.

Matt. v. 25, 26. Agree with thine Adversary quickly, whilst thou art in the Way with him: lest at any time the Adversary deliver thee to the Fudge, and the Fudge deliver thee to the Officer, and thou be cast into Prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost Farthing.

Upon these Words Mr. W. thus comments:1 "If by "the Adversary here be meant the Devil, and the "Text relates to the Prison of Gehenna, or Hell, and "not to that of Hades, as it is commonly understood; "this Assertion of our Saviour's most naturally im"plies, that at length, tho' not soon, the Wicked are "to be delivered out of that Prison; and is clearly "against the proper Eternity of Hell-Torments."

This Assertion of our Saviour's cannot imply all this, unless also it be supposed, that the Wicked in Hell are capable of making this complete Payment; that is, I presume, of repenting, and making their Peace with God; a Point by no means clear, either from this, or any other Text of Scripture. Nay, Mr. W. himself assures us, upon his own Authorities, that in Gehenna, or Hell, there is no Repentance.

This, he says, is perfectly agreeable to the Testi"monies sacred and primitive; which all agree, that "what Repentance or Pardon soever there may be in "Hades, the State of Preparation, there is no Hopes "of either in Gehenna, or Hell itself." If in other Places of his Book he expresses some Hopes, and drops some Hints, not very consistent with this. Declaration, I cannot help it. I am willing, that he

should not contradict himself, at least; and, perhaps, what follows may clear up all: "There can be no "Obstacle to my Belief of Origen's Doctrine (that "of the Restoration) but the Supposal of an utter "moral Incapacity in the Constitutions of these worst "of free Agents ever repenting and amending; with"out which Repentance and Amendment, as such "Creatures cannot, so it is no way desirable, that "they should, ever be made happy, either in this, or "another World." Here, then, the Point must rest at present, for these Words of our Saviour do not determine it; being only an Allusion to forensick Causes, whereby, when a Person is once cast into Prison, he is not (in the usual Course of things) discharged thence, till he has paid the uttermost Farthing of his Debt.2 The Particle till, (or ews av) does not imply that he ever will do so; being frequently used in Scripture, of Events that never come to pass

at all.

No. V.

Matt. v. 29, 30. It is profitable for thee that one of thy Members should perish, and not that thy whole Body should be cast into Hell.

If our Saviour had thought of the Doctrine of Annihilation, he might possibly have said, It is profitable

1 Page 131.

2 Literalis enim sensus loquitur de Judiciis forensibus in hac vita. Allegoria verò, juxta Christi et veterum etiam interpretationem, ad fraternam Reconciliationem, dum in hac vita sumus, hortatur, similitudine petita à civilibus Judiciis, ostendens, sine spe salutis in æternum damnandos illos, qui vel Reconciliationem petere nolunt, vel offensam remittere negant, sed in inimicitiis moriuntur. Chemnicii Examen Conc. Trident. pars 3, page 120. Where this Text is fully vindicated from favouring the Popish Doctrine of Purgatory, as also Mr. W''s.

for thee that one of thy Members should perish, (viz. here upon Earth) and not that thy whole Body should perish in Gehenna. The Word aπóλnтаi, here repeated, and used in opposition to the perishing of one Member, would have been stronger than in other Places, where there is no such Opposition.

No. VI.

Matt. vii. 14. Because strait is the Gate, and narrow is the Way which leadeth unto Life, and few there be that find it.

These Words have no other relation to the Subject we are upon, than as they suggest an Argument, of which the Writers on the other side of the Question never fail to make their advantage. They are all willing to suppose, when it will serve their turn, that1 much the greatest part of Mankind will inevitably be damned. This gives an Alarm to the Imagination, and the Passions; which immediately, without entering into the Merits of the Cause, prejudice us against the Doctrine. The Supposition, probably, may be founded in no good Reason; but as it would lead us here into too large a Digression, we must postpone the Consideration of it, till we come to the Chapter of Objections. In the mean time we may observe that Mr. W. himself, in another Part of his Work, gives such an Interpretation of the Text before us, that no

1 Page 18.

So Dr. Burnet too has his maximam partem gentis humanæ damnatum iri ad pœnas æternas; though he owns in the very next Sentence that he knows nothing of the matter, and that the Numerus miserorum planè incompertus sit. De Statu Mort. page 290.

such Doctrine can be drawn from it; and concludes with saying, there is great reason to hope, that, on the contrary, after all the gracious Methods of Providence have been tried, both in this World, and in Hades, the far greater part will at length be brought to some degree of Salvation.1 See No. XX.

NO. VII.

Matt. vii. 19. Every Tree that bringeth not forth good Fruit, is hewn down and cast into the Fire.

See above No. I. No farther Methods of Cultivation will be used towards a corrupt Tree, naturally incapable of bringing forth good Fruit: It is hewn down and cast into the Fire. And no other Probation will be afforded to Creatures, under a moral Incapacity of becoming better: as our Saviour's Reasoning in the Context seems to suppose they may be.

No. VIII.

Matt. vii. 23. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: Depart from me, ye that work Iniquity.

Here is plainly the Doctrine of Separation from Christ, or Exclusion from the Kingdom of Heaven, without any Intimation that it will not be final. The Justice of the Sentence rests upon the Wickedness of the Persons: And if these Workers of Iniquity would not continue to work Iniquity still, one would think they should rather be placed, somewhere, under the 1 Pages 115, 116, 117, &c.

C