of their Duty? (87:) If God makes ufe of Means for that End, and doth not immediately exert his Omnipotence alone, fcarce could any other more effectual Means be found out to make the Blessed approve themselves in their Choice conformed to the Divine Will, and perfevere therein, than the continual Contemplation of thofe miferable Beings who have done otherwife. Election is matter of Freedom, and not to be excited or prevented by other means than a Representation of Good or Evil to the Understanding. Since therefore God has undertaken to conduct and preferve an almost infinite multitude of thinking Beings to all Eternity, thro' all the Changes and Succeffions of things, in as great a degree of Happiness as is poffible, without Violence done to Elections; where is the Wonder if he leave a few to the Mifery which they brought upon themselves, thereby to give the reft a Warning how much they ought to ftand upon their guard against the like? There is no neceffity therefore to attribute eternal Punishment to the Divine Vengeance, (nor is there properly any fuch thing in God, but it is ascribed to him, as other human Pasfions are, in condefcenfion to our Capacity.) For fince these Punishments may be conceived to promote the good of the whole, they may arise from the Goodness, and not the Vengeance of the Deity.

NOTES.

X.

(87.) See ABp. Dawes's Serm. 5. p. 73, &c. or Note 82. Or it may be for the perpetual Benefit and Improvement of fome other Systems; fee the latter end of Note 81. Or perhaps for a ftanding Monument and Warning to the Heathen World during their State of Probation, which for ought we know, may be extended beyond this Life, as well as that of Chriftians themselves.

See Scott's Chriftian Life, 8vo. 2d Vol. p. 551.

Something of this kind, I humbly apprehend, muft be conceived as the Reafon for Hell-Torments, in order to make them confiftent with perfect Goodness [q.] how long foever this may be neceffary to continue, or whatever we fuppofe the Nature of these Torments to be; of which below. [q.] See Note 13

ther it is

at all.

X. As to the fecond Objection, The Matter is To the feyet in debate whether it were better to be miferable cond 'tis than not to be at all, and there are Arguments on that the replyed, both Sides. (88.) 'Tis manifest that, what the Ob- matter is jection mentions, viz. thofe Evils which over-bal- yet in delance the Defire and Happiness of Life put an End bate wheto Life itfelf, and that fuch Objects as are hurtful preferable to the Sense, at length deftroy it. The fame feems to be mito hold good in thinking Subftances, viz. those ferable or things which affect the Mind to a higher Degree not to be than it is able to bear, may in like manner put an The Mifend to it. For they may be fuppofed either to drive ery of the us to Madness, or fo far to diforder the thinking Damned Faculty, as to make us think of nothing at all. may be Who can tell whether the Punishment of the Wicked may not lead them into a kind of Phrenfy and men. Madness? Thus they may indeed be very miserable, and become a fad Spectacle to others; they may be fenfible of their Mifery also, and strive against it with all their Power, but while they do not observe or believe that it is founded in perverse Election, they may hug themselves in the Cause the Effects whereof they abhor; being still wife in their own Opinion, and as it were pleafing themfelves in their Mifery.

Thus the more they labour under it, the more they embrace the Cause of it, and thereby become their own hindrance from ever getting free; and will not fuffer themselves to be any thing but what they are. This we fee done daily by mad and fran

NOTES.

tic

(88.) A moft elaborate Difputation on this Subject may be feen in Bp. Barlow's Remains, p. 470, &c. But our Author, in the laft Subfect. of his Book, par. 5, &c. very reasonably grants, That Non-existence becomes preferable to Existence whenever the Sum of Mifery exceeds that of Happiness, and Evil becomes predominant in the whole; and therefore if he takes this Queftion in the fame Senfe, he had no great occafion to start it. Nay the Question will be about an abfolute Impoffibility, if any Mifery which over-ballances the Happiness of Life do ipfo facto put an End to Life, as our Author maintains in this very Paragraph: Concerning which Notion fee Note 37.

Ff3

like that

of Mad.

The

choofe

their miferable

Lovers,

angry, ambiti

ous envious Perfons indulge them

felves in

tic Perfons, and reckon it a part of their Unhappinefs. The Divine Goodness therefore is not to be charged with Cruelty for letting them continue in that Existence, though it be very miserable, when they themselves will not have it removed: or for not altering their Condition, which they utterly refufe to have altered. 'Tis better for them indeed not to be, than to be: but only in the Opinion of wife Men, to which they do not affent. For they indulge themselves in their obftinate Election, and though every way furrounded and oppreffed with Woes, yet will they not alter what they have once embraced. We have frequent examples in this Life resembling this kind of Obstinacy.

XI. We fee perverfe People voluntarily underDamned going Pains, Afflictions, Torments, and even Death itself, rather than repent of their Resolution and change what they have once determined in their State, as Mind. Nor is it uncommon for fome to indulge and in a manner please themselves in their very Miferies. Thus the forrowful love all fuch things as aggravate and foment their Grief: and in like manner the Envious, the Angry, the Ambitious, the Defpairing: not that they are infenfible of Uneafiness under these Paffions, or do not believe themselves to be miferable; but because they had rather have that Mifery fo long as they enjoy their Choice, than want it and them too; or at least they can perfift in it, because they do not observe that this Mifery arises from thence. When therefore the Wicked obftinately oppose themselves to God, and refuse to make their Elections conformable to his Will, they take delight perhaps in that very Oppofition: to hate God, to difobey his Commands, and strive against him with all their Power, is pleafing to them; and though they see themselves overwhelmed with innumerable Evils, yet they had rather endure them all than repent. As Men that are defperately in Love, ambitious, envious, choose

thofe things which increase

their Mi

fery.

to

to bear Torments, lofs of Estate, and hazard of Life, rather than lay afide these foolish and bewitching Affections. We may easily conceive then how the Wicked in Hell may be in very great Mifery upon the increase of their Obftinacy and Folly, and yet unwilling to be freed from them. All fee and exclaim against the Folly, Mifery, and Madness of those Men who spend their Estate in Vice, impair their Health, and bring on an untimely Death; and for no other end but becaufe they will do fo: yet they perfift in this, and their Obftinacy increases with their Evils. These are fome Preludes of the Mifery of the Damned, and from hence we may understand that these Perfons are extremely miserable, and yet will not be fet at Liberty (89.)

NOTES.

It

(89.) From hence likewife we may understand what a natural, abfolute, and indifpenfible Neceffity there is for watching over all our Habits, Affections, Appetites, &c. for curbing our Paffions, and correcting our Defires by Reafon; for taking a ftrict and conftant care that these be neither violent, irregular, nor fixed on improper Objects in this Life, if we hope to avoid Mifery in the Life to come. For if these accompany us into the other World, (and if we confider what Scott and Rymer have faid upon the Subject, it will appear infinitely probable that they do) the fame or greater Unhappiness must unavoidably attend them there. If we fhall have any Memory in the other World of what paffed in this (which we must have, in order to give us either a good or evil Confcience, and to make us capable either of Reward or Punishment in that refpect) how probable is it that we shall then alfo feel the force of all thofe Habits and Affociations which in this Life were so strong as to raise Paffions, Affections, &c. in us, and make us conftantly proceed upon them for felf-evident Principles, and purfue them for ultimate Ends of Action? "And this being fo, of what unspeakable confequence are the Actions of Men, that "thus draw after them a Chain of Joys or Woes, as long as "Eternity? And how careful ought we to be to what course "of Life we determine ourselves, confidering that our Eternal "Fate depends upon what we are now doing, that every moral "Action we perform is a Step to Heaven or Hell-wards, that "in every bad Choice we make, we are planting our Tophet, "or our Paradife, and that in the Confequence of our present Actions

Ff4

T

Such Punishment

is very

It may be objected, that these miferable Beings may receive fome kind of Pleasure from their Elections. But we place Felicity not barely in the At of choofing, but much more in the Enjoyment of the Objects chofen. The more obftinately therefore any one chooses abfurd and impoffible things, the more miferable will he be when fruftrated of his Choice; and we may imagine the damned to be always fruftrated: nevertheleís, after fo much Warning and Experience, they do not intend to alter their Elections, but ftill perfift in them, oppreffed with the Sense and Weight of their Mifery, and plunged in deep defpair. For it is poffible that they may be regardless or ignorant that there is no other Way for them to be freed from these Miferies, but by altering their Elections, and not know how to do this, fo as to perfift in them for ever, and become more defperate by Difappointments, and to augment and multiply their Misery by new Attempts, which prove no lefs unhappy. The Power of willing the State they are in is not therefore of any Service to them towards the Attainment of Happinefs, but renders them capable of Eternal Mifery. For fuch Elections may have the fame Relation to this kind of Mifery, as the natural Appetites have to Pain.

XII. Now it is fufficiently confonant to the Divine Goodness to permit or inflict this kind of great, and Punishment, nor would it be less fubfervient to the very well Ends for which Punishments are wont to be impoanfwers fed, viz. that by a previous Apprehenfion of them of Divine we may learn to be wife, and others be deterred from offending by our Example. For who does not

the End

Punish

ments.

NOTES.

dread

"Actions we fhall rue or rejoice to eternal Ages? Scott, 2d "Vol. p. 26. See alfo 4th Vol. Chap. 6. p. 992, &c. Fol. "Edit. or Hutchefon on the Conduct of the Paffions and Af"fections, §. 4, and 6. or Note 81, 87, 90, and par. 14, of "this Section.