they will be interpofed because they may or can be, if he pleases to difpenfe with the Conditions of his own Covenant, is to establish his own Hypothefis againft Chrift's express Declaration, and instead of conforming his Sentiments to Scripture, to overrule Scripture in favour of his Sentiments.

In short, the Judge of all the Earth will certainly do right. But we must not presume to prescribe to him, or encourage Men with Hopes of Salvation, and much less with a Title to it, upon any other than the declared Terms of the Gospel.

But farther, as this Theory fuppofes all the Threats of Scripture against Sinners to be absolutely null and void in themselves, fo with a View to mitigate the Severity of them, the above-mentioned Doctrine of a Purgatory was probably invented, or rather extorted from Holy Writ; and fome Divines among ourselves have at leaft ftrongly infinuated, that the most terrible Denunciations of Scripture are temporary, and written in terrorem only, and will be finally revoked by Divine Mercy; while others, from a Principle of Tenderness, no doubt, highly laudable in itself, are willing to hope that very few fhall be involved in the Sentence of Condemnation, (which they acknowledge indeed to be irreversible) and that the Number of the Damned shall bear no greater Proportion to the many that fhall be faved, than the Number of those who are confined

confined in a Prison in any Country does to them that are free.-The Doctrine of a Purgatory has been too often, and too effectually confuted to need any Confideration here; and as for the other Notions, the first of them has at least no Foundation in Scripture, and is directly contrary to it; and therefore is at best a Prefumption; the latter, if we examine the Lives and Converfations of Mankind in general by the Rule of God's Commandments, and the Tenor of Scripture, 'tis to be feared, will be unfupported by proper Authority.

Indeed both thefe Notions, as well as that of a Purgatory, feem to offer too great Encouragement to Wickedness and Vice; though the Adoptors of them, especially of the latter, ought not in Charity to be charged with any fuch Intention. For let a Man be perfuaded that the Punishment due to Sin is only finite, and he will too naturally make himself eafy under the Senfe of it, and repofe himself in the Prospect of a certain, though distant Reverfion of Happiness:-Or, let him be taught to believe that the Number of the Damned will be inconfiderably finall, he will be too ready upon comparing his Life and Actions with those of others who have outgone him in Wickedness, to exempt himself from that Number, and confequently be remifs in his Endeavours to enter it at that strait Gate, which we are exprefly told is very difficult of Accefs.In truth, both these Notions appear to be grounded in the Mifapprehenfion of Holy

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Writ; and therefore let us confult the Scripture a little for Satisfaction in this important Matter.Now we may obferve, that fcriptural Promises of Happiness to the Good, and Threats of Misery to the Wicked, are often expreffed in different, and always in general Terms. These shall go away into everlafting Punishment, but the Righteous into Life eternal. The Hour is coming, in the which all that are in the Graves fhall hear his Voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good unto the Refurrection of Life, and they that have done evil unto the Refurrection of Damnation.-Is there but one Divifion then of the whole Race of Mankind? Or, shall all be Objects of Divine Mercy or Justice, in an equal Degree? furely not; and if not, how shall we apply these general Promises and Threatnings to particular Cafes? The Scriptures enable us to do this by plainly and literally affuring us in numberless Places, that the Son of Man fhall reward every Man according to his Works; That God will render to every Man according to his Deeds; and that we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Chrift, that every one may receive the Things done in his Body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. These Texts evidently pronounce to all Men a Proportion of Happiness or Unhappiness, equal to their respective Deserts; they remove at once all the Difficulties that arife from

• Matt. xxv. 46. John v. 28, &c.

a supposed

a supposed Equality of Happiness or Misery, and are the best Preservatives both against Presumption and Despair.—That the Glory and Happiness of Heaven will admit of Degrees feems not only reafonably to be fuppofed from the vifible Difference of Proficiency made in Goodness and Virtue in this Life, but also from certain Paffages and Expreffions in the Scriptures themselves.-Our Saviour tells his Apostles, that in his Father's Houfe are many Manfions; and that in the Kingdom of God, as well as in all temporal ones, particular Stations and Pre-eminences will be allotted to particular Characters, we may conclude from the Promises of our Lord to his Apostles and immediate Followers, which are delivered with particular Marks of Diftinction from the general ones made to his faithful Servants unto the World's End. Verily I fay unto you, that ye which have followed me in the Regeneration, when the Son of Man fhall fit on the Throne of his Glory, ye alfo fhall fit upon twelve Thrones, judging the twelve Tribes of Ifrael. And every one that hath forfaken Houses, or Brethren, or Sifters, or Father, or Mother, or Wife, or Children, or Lands for my Name's Sake, shall receive an hundred fold, and fhall inherit everlasting Life.—There is a beautiful Paffage in the Prophet Daniel plainly referring to the last Judgment, and describing the Glory of the Juft. And many of them that fleep in the Duft of the Earth fhall awake, fome to everlasting

Life, and fome to Shame and everlasting Contempt : And they that be wife fhall shine as the Brightness of the Firmament, and they that turn many to Righteoufnefs as the Stars for ever and ever. Parallel to this is the Affurance of our Saviour, that the Righteous fhall fhine forth as the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father. To one, or both thefe Paffages, St. Paul feems to allude, and to intimate a Diftinction of Station at the same time, when he tells us, (fpeaking emblematically of the State of the Bleffed after the Resurrection) that there is one Glory of the Sun, and another Glory of the Moon, and another Glory of the Stars; and that one Star differeth from another Star in Glory.-Again, the different State of the Wicked hereafter, and the Degrees of everlasting Punishment, may be inferred likewife from the Import of the Scriptures in many Places. That a Disparity of Guilt shall be anfwered by a Disparity of Punishment, may be concluded from the peculiar Curfe denounced in particular Cafes. Whofoever shall not receive you, fays our Saviour, nor keep your Words, when ye depart out of that Houfe, or City, shake off the Duft of your Feet; Verily I fay unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the Land of Sodom and Gomorra in the Day of Judgment than for that City.-The Woes denounced against the Ungodly in general, are expreffed often in the most terrible Terms, and reprefented under the dreadful Images of outer Darkness,

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