all his progeny,) lest he eat and live for ever. Thus a doctrine, which the worst christian who ever lived, in his greatest infirmity, and most presumptuous boldness, dared not say he wished should be true, has been adopted in compliance with the apparent meaning of detached texts, from having forgotten the apostles words that "no scripture is of private, or self interpretation; for the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 2nd Peter, c. i. v. 20. 21.

All scripture being given by divine inspiration, and therefore dictated by one spirit, must agree, when rightly understood. Now, the doctrine of eternal existence in misery, is contrary to the general tenor of scripture; it therefore is probably erro

neous.

If the passages whereon the doctrine is founded, admit of an interpretation that harmonizes with the rest of scripture, without including this doctrine, they cannot, for the reason above stated, be construed to include it.

I will now proceed to the consideration of those passages that have extorted an unwilling consent to this hard saying; and rigorous indeed must that form of speech be, which shall oblige the sincere christian to veil his eyes when he approaches the throne of God, not so much from the effulgence of His glory, as from the dread of His vengeance.

One passage which has been cited to prove the eternity of Hell Torments, is the 45th verse of the 25th chapter of St. Matthew.

"These shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal."

These words certainly imply that the one state is to be as final and conclusive, as incapable of change or alteration, as the other; and that they prove no more, we have the express authority of St. Paul, who, in the 1st chapter, 2nd Thessalonians, 7th and following verses, speaking of the general judgment, says, "When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord; and from the glory of His power."

Now, I will ask, do not these words explain those of our Saviour's, to which they plainly allude, "destruction from the presence of God?"—what can that be but extinction, since our existence depends on His spirit animating our mortal bodies? Whither shall I go from thy presence? asks the psalmist ; which no one can answer whilst existence remains."From the glory of His power." Can the glory of God's power be separated from the act? What but His power can punish in hell; and how can the wicked escape from it, except by ceasing to be? But the words are, "punished with everlasting destruction;" which expression will help us to understand how there can be an everlasting punishment without consciousness. I will first remark, that it seems to me to be universally true that all God's judgments on mankind are privative: according to

* Having asserted that all punishments at the hand of God are privative, I am aware that this will be disputed by those who think suffering essential to punishment; and will, therefore, endeavour to prove that suffering is only incidental to it.

the best observation I have been able to make, all recorded instances of them are such. Then, if they are punishments, they must last until that of which they deprive us is restored, or, until the

Punishment is a relative term, and always implies a previous conditional threat. Idiots, maniacs, and children, are exempt from the operation of criminal law, not because they cannot commit the mischief meant to be prevented, but because they cannot be operated on by the threatened punishment. When it is inflicted, it is done to vindicate the truth of the legislator, and thereby make the threat respected, and so, effectual to the purpose for which it was ordained, that is, to deter from the commission of crime; but this it can do no further than it is understood. Then, with respect to infinite punishments, all mankind are in the situation of idiots, maniacs, and children, with this difference, that the latter may form some conception of the threat, the former cannot; for having added million to million, for three score years and ten, eternity is still as much beyond their grasp as at first. Now all existence is derived from God, and punishment must be a modification of existence; but it must be a modification of the principle of existence previously possessed, else the person sinning, and the person punished, would be different, which would be inconsistent with the object of punishment, (which is the prevention of crimes.) Every conceivable modification of existence is either to add to, or to take away; if it is not the former, it must be the latter: then punishment must be privation.

Death, which is the fate of all animals, is represented as a punishment only, as to man. Now the difference must consist in this, that that which was natural and inevitable, as to the lower animals, was contingent as to man. Death is to mere animals loss of existence: the terms of the threat as to man, "in the day thou eatest thou shalt surely die," "dust thou art, and to dust thou shalt return," affix the same meaning to the word death, as in the other case; then, if the sorest punishment of all be privative, any thing less than that must be so too. All bodily pain arises from the derangement of the organ, or of the fluids pervading it; and appears designed to warn us of the approach of injury, and pain ceases when the part is irreparably injured, as in palsy, or mortification, So, perversion of the mental powers is attended with pain, which

course of nature would have effected that which punishment anticipates: and we shall see that this fully clears the meaning in the present case. Man is in possession of an existence, which, on certain conditions, would be to him the means of attaining Immortal Happiness; he neglects to perform the condition on his part: his punishment I consider to be, the being deprived of this existence. Now, it is thought, this punishment ceases at death, if death is understood to mean extinction: but then, man, I reply, must be restored to the capacity for happiness of which IT deprived him, else plainly the punishment continues, and will to all eternity. Torpid, and dull, and lost to all spirituality, must he be, who can doubt whether a sentence of banishment from the Divine presence is fitly described as a punishment, it being the very extreme of all punishments; and only needing the peculiarity of being eternal, to realize the blackness of darkness for ever. This explanation, so far from diluting and weakening the force of a threat, (viz. of eternal punishment,) the efficacy of which depends on its strength, carries it to nature's utmost verge, even to destruction; and while it debars from the enjoyment of every thing that is good, just stops short of the evil which it would be contrary to God's nature (for He is love) to

cause.

declines as the mind becomes depraved, and ends in insensibility; between insensibility and death, I can conceive no difference, but that the one is partial and the other total; both are privation then. So also of God's sore plagues; famine, pestilence, and the sword. Famine, the want of needful food; pestilence, the depravation of healthful humours; the sword, the cause of the dissolution of the continuity of the flesh, on which life depends: all are privatory judgments, and in their extremity, cause death.

I will now offer a few remarks on some texts in the Revelation of St. John; premising the general observation, that this book, not having been published till sixty years after our Lord's ascension, could not originate a doctrine like that in question. That book must be interpreted on general points, in conformity to the course of scripture; and, in these cases, the words quoted, like those passages wherein Saviour speaks of wailing and gnashing of teeth, will, I think, when viewed with the context, be found to apply to the day of judgment, and not to that state of things, when time shall be no longer.

our

Revelation, c. xiv. v. 9. "And if any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10. The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11. And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: (See Isaiah, c. xxxiv. v. 10.) and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image."

xv. 8. "And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from His power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled."

The temple here means, I suppose, God's immediate presence, which no man is to enter till the plagues are fulfilled. Now, in them is filled up the wrath of God, v. 7. "And the seven angels have seven golden vials, full of the wrath of God:" then the wrath of God is to be fulfilled, before any man can enter His temple. Can they be fulfilling,