"burneth with Fire and Brimstone, which is the second "Death." Dr. Clarke's Sermon, How Christ has given us the Victory over Death: Vol. V. p. 234.

No. C.

Vers. 27. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh Abomination, or maketh a Lie: But they which are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. See No. LXI., LXIV., LXVI.

No. CI.

Ch. xxii. II, 12. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: And he that is filthy, let him be filthy still: And he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: And he that is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I come quickly; and my Reward is with me, to give every Man according as his Work shall be. See Dr. Clarke's two excellent Sermons on these Words, Vol. IX. p. 179. God will reward all Men according to their Deserts. Page 180, he says, "An "Argument still more pressing than either of the "former, (viz. Christ's declaring that he will reward "every Man according to his Works, and his warning "them of the Suddenness of his coming to distribute "those Rewards; an Argument more pressing than "either of these,) is this very Declaration, this ad"ditional Threatening, that even before his coming, "if they continue obstinate, he will forsake and leave "them to the Effects of their own Wickedness; He "that is unjust, let him be unjust still." P. 181;

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"Denouncing to the obstinately wicked and impenitent, that if they will not be brought to a timely "Repentance, by those Motives of Religion he has thought fit to afford them, he will give them up to "themselves to eat the Fruit of their own Ways, and "to be filled with their own Devices. He that is unjust," &c. P. 182. "If therefore Men will be wicked, after all reasonable means have been made. "use of for their Conviction; nothing is more fit, "nothing more becoming the supreme Governour of "all things, than to give them over to continue in "their Wickedness: Nor can any Punishment be more 'proper and equitable, if Men will be unjust in de"fiance of all the Arguments of the Gospel, in con"tempt of all the Mercies and all the Judgments "of God; than to let them be unjust still." P. 185. "Wicked men ought earnestly to be warned, that, if they repent not very speedily, the time will soon come when it shall be too late for them to have any "Alteration made in their State: He that is unjust,” &c. In the second Sermon, p. 211; he says,"Besides the Shortness of the Time itself, (viz. to the "End of the World ;) it is really to us much shorter, "in that to every particular Person, the World comes "to an end at the Conclusion of his own Life; and to "him, that moment which consigns him to Judgment, "by requiring his Soul of him, and putting an end to "all further Space of Probation; is in all respects the very same thing, as if the Day of his Death were "itself the great and final Day of Judgment.""That which will determine every Man's eternal "Portion, is of necessity and inevitably very near; "-for this Cause our Saviour represents his coming "as being very near: Behold, I come quickly," &c. P. 223; "All the Mercies and all the Judgments of

"God, all the Promises and all the Threatenings in "Scripture; in a word, the whole Design of the Gospel; is to call Sinners to Repentance. If they "will not be drawn by these Cords of a Man, by "these Motives suited to the Nature of rational "Creatures; God is not obliged to compel them "by Force, and to use Methods inconsistent with "his Government of the moral World." In the next Page, "If we will not be made happy, unless God "work a Miracle to alter our Wills; if we will not "become righteous, unless he change our Nature, and "compel us contrary to the Order and Method of his "Creation, and of his Government of reasonable "Creatures; both Reason and Scripture assure us, "that he may very justly suffer us to go on to be "wicked and miserable." Once more, p. 228;—“ Of "all obstinately wicked and incorrigible Persons, (it "is said) in the Words of the Text, at the end of the "whole Scripture; that if they will not be moved to "repent, by the things contain'd in that Book, by all "the Arguments and Motives of the Gospel; then he "that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he that is 'filthy, let him be filthy still."

I have quoted so much from Dr. Clarke,1 not only because it explains St. John's Words, but also

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1 I may add also Archbishop Tillotson. "This Life is the "Time of our Preparation for our future State. Our Souls will 66 continue for ever what we make them in this World. Such a Temper and Disposition of Mind as a Man carries with him out of this Life, he shall retain in the next. 'Tis true indeed, "Heaven perfects those holy and virtuous Dispositions which are begun here; but the other World alters no Man as to his "main State, he that is filthy will be filthy still, and he that is unrighteous will be unrighteous still." Sermon on Phil. iii. 20.

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because it lays the Foundation of the Doctrine I contend for. Here is no express Declaration indeed, either in the Text or Comment, of the Duration of future Punishments; but here is an express Declaration that God will reward every Man according as his Work shall be; and that Men may become so obstinately and incorrigibly wicked, that it will be in vain to use any means to recover them; and that therefore no more means will be used. It is possible in the Nature of Things that such Creatures may be annihilated, because there is a Power in being able to effect this. But to argue from mere Power, in this case, (and indeed in most cases,) is unphilosophical and absurd. We must attend to the Nature and Reasons of Things, and the Declarations of God's Will; and there is no ground from these to expect Annihilation, but much to the contrary. .

No. CII.

Such as

Vers. 15. For without are Dogs, and Sorcerers, and Whoremongers, and Murderers, and Idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a Lie. See No. C. and the other Texts there referred to. these are excluded out of the Holy City, have no Inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ, and of God, but are cast out into outer Darkness, where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth; have their part in the Lake which burneth with Fire and Brimstone, in the everlasting Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels; and the Smoke of their Torment ascendeth up for ever and ever.

No. CIII.

Vers. 18, 19. For I testify unto every Man that heareth the Words of the Prophecy of this Book, if any Man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the Plagues that are written in this Book: And if any Man shall take away from the Words of the Book of this Prophecy, God shall take away his Part out of the Book of Life, and out of the Holy City, and from the Things which are written in this Book.

One of the first Texts we quoted above is John the Baptist's Testimony of our Saviour, Matt. iii. 12. Whose Fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his Floor, and gather his Wheat into the Garner : But will burn up the Chaff with unquenchable Fire. This Text contains, says Dr. Clarke," a distinct Declaration, "that the great Design of God, as in every Dispensa'tion of Religion in general, so in the Gospel more "particularly, is to separate the Evil from the Good "by proper Trials: And that this Design will be "effectually accomplish'd by Christ; in the present "Life partly, and to certain Degrees; in the future "Life perfectly, totally, and finally." With this Declaration of the Baptist's, almost in the Beginning of the New Testament, agree our Lord's own Words here, at the End of it. We see in this last Chapter of the Revelation, the complete Establishment of the Kingdom and City of God; when the Wicked shall be separated from among the Just, totally and for ever. And this evidently appears from all the Texts produced in these two Chapters, to be the uniform Doctrine of the New Testament, from one end of it to the other.