through the countless ages of His own eternity, to the exclusion of man from His presence?

xvii. S. "The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is."

Two things are remarkable here. 1st. The contradictory terms in which the existence of the beast is spoken of; which are elucidated by supposing, that having possessed immortality, it is said he then was; having lost it, that he, in the sight of God and angels, is as though he were not; yet with respect to men who judge according to appearance, he is. 2nd. That he shall arise out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: now, the bottomless pit is supposed to be the place of his endless torment, which this passage expressly contradicts; and going into perdition, must imply the loss of all things, even of existence, which as the gift of God, must be valuable.

xix. 18. "That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. 20. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that

sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth."

xx. 14. "And death and hell were cast into the. lake of fire. This is the second death. 15. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life, was cast into the lake of fire."

xxi. 8. “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolators, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death."

Now, in reviewing these passages, I think that some of the expressions used, limit the duration, but for which, others might imply eternity. That which is to take place in the presence of the Lamb, and of all His holy angels, must be at the day of judgment, and before Christ is set down at the right hand of God, having put all things under His feet; and that death cannot continue to prevail in the sense contended for, then, is manifest: since the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death, and death being destroyed, by being cast into the lake, so all else that is cast in, must have been destroyed also: and it is observable that it is said, " and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up, and they have no rest day or night;" not that it shall ascend, and that they shall have no rest and the expression, "they have no rest day nor night" can have no meaning, if understood to apply subsequently to that time, when God hath sworn, time shall be no longer, and there shall be neither day nor night. And further, they are declared to be slain previously to their being cast into the lake, the consummation of the day of judgment; and that by a sword proceeding out of the mouth of

the Lamb, which must imply a spiritual death. Even these passages, obscure and difficult as they confessedly are, admit of a sense that preserves the harmony of scripture, which the doctrine I am opposing totally destroys.

I now come to the consideration of those words whereon the doctrine of Eternal Misery, in an especial manner, must be seen to rest; the whole course of scripture else, admitting an harmonious construction.

St. Matthew, c. v. v. 29. " And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee; for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish,* and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 30. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee; for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell."

xviii. 7. "Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come: but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! 8. Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. 9. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire."

That thine eye should perish, rather than thy whole body should be cast into hell. Here we see the sense in which our Saviour used the word perish: look into the scriptures, and you will find that those who are cast into hell are said to perish. This, in mere human writing would not weigh much, but in the word of God is an important consideration.

St. Mark, c. ix. v. 42. "And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. 43. And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for THEE to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 44. Where THEIR Worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 45. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for THEE to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 46. Where THEIR Worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 47. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for THEE to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: 48. Where THEIR Worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 49. For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.* 50. Salt is good: but if the salt have lost its saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another."

says

Salt preserves the flesh offered in sacrifice from corruption, until the purpose for which it was destined is answered. So shall every one be salted with fire;" but what is the purpose for which our Saviour this to preserve us from corruption, w ilst we have time to offer an acceptable sacrifice. "Salt is good;" the means are sufficient, but in proportion to our corruption, its saltness is insufficient; therefore, He says, have salt in yourselves, then ye shall have peace: from whence come wars?-from your eorruptions. But wherein are salt and fire analogous ?-by preserving from corruption. It shall be a hedge to him, and he shall be deterred from the practice of evil, by apprehension of this fire to which all sin tends. As the stimulating pungent qualities of salt preserve the sacrifice from corruption, so fire being applied by the eye of faith, restrains from that which bringeth corruption.

Of these passages it is only the words, "where their worm dieth not," that imply eternal duration ; because, although the fire is everlasting, and never shall be quenched, yet it cannot be imagined that it confers immortality; therefore the duration of the substance to be cast in, must be limited by its own nature: if that, therefore, is mortal, its duration cannot be eternal.

The inference then, from the term everlasting, applied to the fire, is, that its nature is eternal; and this sufficiently warrants its being so called, especially as it heightens the terror of the threat, and precludes the possibility of escape; which, after this declaration, that it is unquenchable fire, nothing could have given rise to, but the erroneous interpretation that it is a state of eternal sentiency and torment to those to whom it is the instrument of destruction: and that the nature of the fire is everlasting, as appointed by the Divine Creator, several considerations suggest. It is so called by St. Jude, describing its temporal effects, in the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha; since that is the only sense in which they are set forth suffering the vengeance of eternal fire."

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Further it is said to be prepared for the devil and his angels; for all who in the countless ages of eter nity, may forfeit their existence in bliss. Everlastingly then, new occasions may arise, when, by their imperfection, God's creatures, to their own eternal ruin, shall become subject to the exterminating fire.

In the 25th St. Matthew there is this remarkable distinction, that the blessed are invited to come into the kingdom prepared for them, from the foundation of the world; whilst to the wicked He shall say,