shall be tormented with Fire and Brimstone, in the Presence of the Holy Angels, and in the Presence of the Lamb: And the Smoke of their Torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: (eis aiovas αἰώνων.)

Mr. W. has several Expedients to prevent this Passage from hurting his Hypothesis. First he observes, that "these are the first Places we have met with relating, "as is suppos'd, to the Torments of Hell, which " mention alaves Tav alávov, Ages of Ages; or even barely alaves [or Ages, in the plural number:] "i.e. several of such Ages succeeding one another." (p. 48.)

Now all that there is in this matter, I conceive, is this. The other New-Testament Writers express the Duration both of Happiness in Heaven, and Punishment in Hell, generally, if not always, by eis Tòv aiŵva, or the like, in the Singular Number. St. John in his Revelation raises his Style; and as he uses the Plural, and its Reduplication, (aiŵves Tŵv aiwvwv) with regard to the Kingdom of Heaven, so he does likewise with reference to the Torments of Hell. So that as far as the mere Terms are concern'd, we have all the reason in the world to think, that the two States will be of equal Duration. Well, but "the "Phrases are very far from denoting a proper Eternity." If he means that they never denote a proper Eternity, (à parte post,) the Assertion is evidently false. Even the Phrase in the Singular Number does so, in numberless Places. If he means that they don't denote a proper Eternity in these Places, it is, to say no more of it at present, begging the Question. Next he offers a "Conjecture, that the

"Smoke of such their Torment may ascend up in "Terrorem, longer than the Torments themselves of "particular Offenders continue; and that the Fire "and the Smoke thereto belonging, may be the common Place of Torment for Sinners, in different Ages and Periods of the World, one after another." It is not worth while to ask, What Ages and Periods, and of what World, since this World will be ended? The Conjecture is of no more weight than a Dream; and if he had attended to his own Texts, he would have seen there is no room for it. The Context plainly supposes that these particular Offenders themselves still exist in these Torments:-The Smoke of their Torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: And they have no rest Day nor Night,-We readily admit, nay we contend for the Observation he quotes from Sir Isaac Newton, "That the Degree and Dur"ation of the Torments of these degenerate and "antichristian People, will be no other, than what 'will be approved of by those Angels, who had "ever laboured for their Salvation; and that Lamb "who had redeemed them with his own most pre"cious Blood." This is the great Aggravation of their Guilt; and renders them worthy of much sorer Punishment; because they had trodden under foot the Son of God, and had counted the Blood of the Covenant wherewith they were sanctified, an unholy thing, and had done despite unto the Spirit of Grace: Heb. x. 29. Surely the Lamb who adjudges them to these Torments, will approve both of their Degree and Duration; and the Holy Angels will not only approve, but applaud his Justice. Mr. W. next intimates, that he is not yet fully satisfied, that these Words relate to the Torments of

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Hell

"They belong to the Worshippers of the "Antichristian Beast only. They are very much "the same with those, Isai. xxxiv. 9, 10. already “set down, p. 25. prius,——they may be thought 'directly parallel to them, and to belong to the 'Vengeance to be taken on the Enemies of God's 'People at the Battle of Harmageddon only. Which "surely is to be upon this Earth, and not in Ge"henna, or Hell. I determine nothing, till some "farther light appear; as it will presently." (p. 49.) This Light appears to him in the very next Page; where he owns, notwithstanding what he here says, (that this Vengeance to be taken on the Enemies of God's People, is to be upon this Earth, and not in Gehenna, or Hell,) notwithstanding this, I say, he owns, that "whatever Preludes to this dreadful Punishment "there may be upon this Earth, at the coming on of "this Fire and Brimstone, at the great Day; yet will

1 Dr. Clarke understands them of the Torments of Hell, and makes a Remark upon them to the same purpose with Sir Isaac Newton's. "Our Saviour himself, who loved us, &c. even He shall say, to those who impenitently reject his gracious Offers of Life, Depart from me, ye Cursed, into everlasting Fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels; Matt. xxv. 41. And, In the presence of the Holy Angels, and in the presence of the Lamb, who assuredly can take no pleasure in beholding any Punishment but what is necessary, shall they be tormented with Fire and Brimstone; Rev. xiv. 10."

Sermons Vol. X. p. 356, 357.

So also St. Cyprian,-In Apocalypsi quoque legimus, &c. And then reciting the Words, concluding with those in the eleventh Verse,-Nec habebunt Requiem die ac nocte, qui adorant Bestiam et Imaginem ejus: He adds, Cum ergo hæc tormenta, hæc supplicia in die judicii Dominus comminetur iis qui Diabolo abtemperant, et Idolis sacrificant; quo modo se putat, &c. Epist. p. 162. Ed. Fell.

"the up-shot of all be no other than the Fire of "Gehenna or Hell;--and that Gog and Magog, (the Enemies of God's People perhaps at the "Battle of Harmageddon,1) shall be tormented there." But of this in its proper Place. See No. XCVIII.

ever.

No. XCVI.

Apoc. xix. 3. And her Smoke rose up for ever and [Mr. Whiston: Babylon's Smoke rose up eis τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων, for Ages of Ages, p. 48.] The Smoke of a City cannot be supposed to rise up for ever and ever. But that is not the thing intended: The thing intended is, that God had now judged the great Whore, or the mystical Babylon, and destroy'd her so totally and finally that she should never be restored: Her Destruction should be, not merely for Ages of Ages, but for ever and ever. The Phrase, Her Smoke rose up, &c. is a strong prophetical Manner of representing an everlasting Destruction of the City or Kingdom it is applied to. There is no reason therefore to limit the Words as Mr. W. has done.

No. XCVII.

Vers. 20. These both, (viz. the Beast and the false Prophet,) were cast alive into a Lake of Fire burning with Brimstone. See No. XXVII., and that which here follows.

1 See Dr. Burnet de futura Judæorum Restaurat. p. 380,

381.

No. XCVIII.

Ch. xx. 10. And the Devil that deceived them, (viz. Gog and Magog) was cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, where the Beast and the false Prophet are, and shall be tormented Day and Night, for ever and ever.

"These two additional Texts," Mr. W. says, "are "evidently of the same sort with the foregoing, and "so stand in need of little additional Observation." (P. 50.) If he means by the same sort, that they relate to the same Subject with the foregoing; (viz. No. XCV., XCVI.) then, as he allows these to relate to the Punishment of the Wicked in Gehenna, he must consequently allow the foregoing to do so too. And how then can he say, as he does in this same Page, That excepting this single Place, the Duration of the Punishment of the Wicked, is never properly said to be for more than Tòv aiŵva, or an Age, a single Age, in all the Books of the Old and New Testament? And if these additional Texts do not relate to the same Subject with the foregoing, they may possibly stand in need of some additional Observation. But he wants to be rid of them: They lie heavy upon his Hypothesis, and like a Mill-stone about its Neck, will sink it. But let us attend to the additional Observation he is pleased to make :-"Only," continues he, "since the Place of Gehenna or Hell itself is said to "be prepared for the Devil and his Angels, Matt. xxv. 41. And the same Devil is here said to be cast into "this Lake of Fire, this makes it not a little probable" (I wonder what would make it certain?) "that, what