Having thus endeavour'd to Refute what this great man hath Unhappily replied to the Arguments urged in vindication of God's Juftice and Goodness; I shall proceed to his other opinions, which feem to be no lefs Abfurd, no less Dangerous, though advanced under the character of Confiderations whereby he endeavours to clear this matter, the doctrine of Eternal punishments. And

1st, It is proposed as very confiderable, that the measure of Penalties with respect to crimes is not only nor always to be taken from the quality and degree of the offence, much less from the duration and continuance of it, but from the ends and reafons of government; fo that what proportion crimes and penalties ought to bear to each other, is not fo properly a confideration of Juftice, as of Wisdom and Prudence in the Law-giver. And hence 'tis concluded, that whatsoever the difproportion may be between Temporary fins and Eternal sufferings, Juftice cannot be faid to be concern'd in it.

The Disproportion is here again taken for granted; but of that already.

That

That the Determination of punishments and their Proportion to crimes do bear refpect to that great end and defign of government, fecuring the obfervation of wholfom and neceffary Laws, may very well be acknowledged: But that this end of Government, fingly confider'd, altogether exclufive of Juftice, fo that Justice cannot be faid to be concern'd in it, fhould be fix'd as the Sole Reason and Foundation of Eternal Punishments, is by no means allowable; the Affertion is directly False and directly Destructive of that Faith, which 'tis brought to Establish. It is not poffible that any man fhould, upon this principle, ftedfaftly believe the Eternity of punishment. For if there be no other Reason and Foundation of Eternal punishments befide the ends and reasons of government, then the only End and Reafon of them will be finally outdated and abfolutely Void, when this world fhall be no more, when the Laws and the Government fhall be abolished together; and there is no caufe to expect, that the means will be applied, when the Only Reason of those means is D 2 ceafed,

ceased, when the Only End of those means is already Accomplished.

According to this account therefore, by Eternal punishments, and by the Threatnings of that punishment we are strictly to understand the very fame thing. For mere Threatnings would Influence us to the observation of Laws, and that as effectually, though the Evils denounced were never to be Executed, as if they will be really inflicted, upon our difobedience, and are foretold us in order to avoid them, which is the true ftate of the matter: Mere Threatnings, I fay, would Influence our behaviour, and that equally in both cafes; fuppofing the Reality of the evil denounced to be in both cafes equally believed. Now whofoever hath Thought enough to perceive this, (and any man's Thoughts will mount much higher, when in pursuit of fuch discoveries as would infallibly rescue him from all Dread and Solicitude, from all Interruption and Uneafinefs amidst the utmoft finful enjoyments) whofoever can thus reflect and thus obferve, that the Actual execution of Eternal punishment

cannot

cannot fecure the obfervation of Laws, because the obligation of Laws will cease, when all Humane governments and this state of things shall be diffolved, before the Time of Inflicting the torments Denounced; and that Threatnings, fuppofing a Belief of the evil denounced, do with equal prevalency move us to obedience whether the evil fo denounced will really be the confequence of our Disobedience or not; and is, at the fame time, perfuaded, that this great end of government, the obfervation of Laws, is the Only Reason, the Only Foundation of Eternal punishment, will either intirely abandon all Apprehenfions of it, or however, the Belief of it must fit very loofe upon him.

But this account is no lefs Falfe than Dangerous. And indeed every Reply, that adds new Force to an Objection inftead of Satisfying and removing it, may, for that very reafon, be justly fufpected as a Groundless and Falfe account; and the reasonableness of fuch a fufpicion is in this particular plainly exemplified. For even in Humane Adminiftrations, though penalties

D 3

1

penalties do bear ever fo plain and immediate a respect to the observation of Laws, yet they are always to be determined by Justice, or confiftent with it. And much lefs fhould we dare to Imagine, that any punishment, especially that which is of greatest moment, that which is Eternal, should be apportion'd by Almighty God in fuch a manner, that bis fuftice fhould not be concern'd in it. No; the Diftribution of Rewards and Punishments is the proper object of his Juftice, and 'tis as manifest an Abfurdity to affirm, that this Attribute fhould not be concern'd in determining the state of future mifery, as that his Power and Wisdom fhould not be concern'd in the Creation of the world, or his Goodness and Mercy in the works of our Redemp÷ tion.

And therefore, after all the ftrefs that is laid upon fecuring the obfervation of Laws, the true ftate of the matter is nothing but this, which is obvious to every man who understands the first principles of Chriftianity, That God Almighty hath under the Gospel, pofitively determined a state

of