And that so great sinners are worthy of more punishment than corporal death I believe was scarce ever doubted of by any but Mr. R. that ever were acquainted with Scripture and the sound writings that explain it yea I doubt not but the proudest Jesuit in the world would easily grant it and if it be needful to be proved these considerations may be sufficient for it Sin deserves worse punishment than corporal Death 1. That this is no more than the Beasts and Birds endure who never sinned they dye and dye totally whereas men though never so wicked dye only in their bodies as all but Atheists will acknowledge And can we think an obstinate rebellious sinner deserves no worse than that which the most harmless useful creatures do suffer 2. That the best of the Saints suffer death as well as the worst yea some of them have suffered much worse viz. by conflicting many years with horrid Temptations to despair and the like as Mr. Glover a most excellent Christian in the Book of Martyrs is said to have been in despair five years together And shall we think the wicked are worthy of no worse evil than the best of God's children have undergone God forbid p. 102. In the former part of his Book He tells us of some Books that were burnt in London by the Hangman and saith thereupon the same Spirit is alive to burn this which he hath written And I think it doth as well deserve that honour as ever any book in the world did as may appear not only by what hath been seen of it hitherto but also and especially by that which follows to the end of it and particularly by this act of his in this Page I am upon viz. by urging Rom. 6.21 to prove that there is not any thing to come after Death to speak in his own plain words p. 141. lin 16. Surely it is more than bad enough to doubt whether there be any thing to come after Death or not much worse to hold absolutely that there is not for that contradicts the Scriptures which tell us that after Death there is a Judgment and a Vengeance to be inflicted on them that obey not the Gospel of Christ 2 Thess 1.9 Hebrews 9.27 Heb. 9.27 and in a word everlasting shame and contempt to the wicked he means Dan. 12.2 c. But for a Man to act Mr. R.'s part and to urge Holy Scripture in defence of such a Heathenish Opinion who can imagine how horrible a thing it is in the eyes of God I doubt not but he would suffer worse than corporal Death for it if God should deal with him after his deserts what ever slight thoughts he hath of it And how far these words The end of these things is Death I say how far these words are from proving that there is no Punishment for any after Death is so plain that there 's little need of any thing to be said about it for Death here signifies as before Eternal damnation As when it is said if ye live after the flesh ye shall dye that is be Damned Rom. 8.13 for however they live they are as much subject to temporal Death as 't is clear Proof 3d. R. Their Opinion of a Punishment never to end makes not sin p. 146. but Christ to be the cause of their so suffering for if Christ had not come there had been no Resurrection and if no Resurrection there could be no Punishment after Death But Christ may not be supposed to be the cause of their Punishment c. B. If this be a Proof it is a very ugly one certainly and will not be much valued by them that know what Christ or Sin or Punishment is However I shall not think much to say something to it I confess Christ is said to be the cause of the Resurrection of the Dead He is the efficient cause of the Resurrection of the wicked as he is God of the same substance with his Father and he is the Meritorious cause of the Resurrection of the Saints as their Head and Mediator I mean as their Resurrection is a glorious Resurrection in Philip. 3.11 If by any means I may attain to the Resurrection of the Dead * Intelligit non simplicem sed gloriosam Zanch. in loc Now observe his Argument Without the Resurrection the wicked could not be punished after Death Christ is the cause of their Resurrection if they be raised therefore if they suffer for ever Christ is the cause of it which is absurd This is manifestly his Proof in this matter and how absurd it is may be shewed in a Parallel case as thus Without life and strength Men could not rob on the High-way but it is God that gives them life and strength and without him they could not have them therefore God is the cause of their Robbing Would not a Christian abhor such a Reasoning as this yea would not the Devil himself be almost ashamed of it and yet if I am not most exceedingly mistaken it is as good a Reasoning as that of his yea the very same in kind If he had not forgotten all his Logick he might have remembred that Causa sine quâ non is not a cause strictly and properly so called but only a pre-requisite condition c. Sine ullo causali Influxu as the Learned Scheibler expresseth it * Topic. de causis cap. 2. Artic. 4. If my Author had not had Ink and Paper or something that might serve in stead of them he could not have written these his many Infallible Proofs yet if we speak properly it was not his Ink or his Paper or any such thing that was the cause of his writing them but his Error and his desire of defending it c. And seeing his great weakness in this particular it will not be much amiss to bring in to his Assistance the Learning of his Learned Brother Mr. Tho. Hobbs of Malmesbury who though in some things he speaks more honestly than my Author hath done yet is no approver of the Doctrine I contend for For in his Leviathan Chapter 44. p. 346. as the Reverend Dr. Tully citeth him in his Exposit Symboli he supposeth the Everlasting Punishment spoken of in the Gospel A Digression to Mr. Hobbs to be meant not of every Damned Man in particular but only to be specifical and to respect divers of them successively so as that one should be punished a time and then be turned into nothing then another to come in his place and so soon as he is annihilated another after him and another again after him and so on Which doubtless was the fruit of his own Invention for I verily believe it never came into the Head of any Man before him But I answer Answ 1 1. By his leave there can be no Everlasting Punishment upon them at this rate unless they who are first annihilated are made alive again after their annihilation for if they
Hell They will be Blasphemers Revel 16.9 11. when they cannot be Atheists Drunkards and Cheaters c. and will hate God's people when they cannot hurt them They will always be destitute of true Holiness and be enemies to it when they are in Hell though they will be hindred from following the sins they like of Hell will be as full of sin as of Torment yea and a great part of its Torment will be by sin as well as for sin Will it not fill the Hypocrites hollow heart with vexation to think with himself what a silly Dissembler he hath been to remember what care he took to deceive others and what pains he used to deceive himself and how careless he was of that time which was given him to prepare for Eternity Will it not torment the Drunkard to think how he served the Devil till he could not stand on his Legs how he valued a Barrel above Heaven and the company of Sots before communion with Christ in his ways and so of the rest In a word when a reasonable creature comes to see that he hath been his own Ruine by following the ways of his own heart and hath lost at once the world and Heaven by his wilful wickedness when he was also warned of the danger time after time and beseeched to turn that he might be saved who knows whether this very Remembrance of his former follies as the Means and Causes of his uncurable Miseries will not be as great a Torment to him as hell-fire it self Doubtless we cannot here comprehend what a Hell sin it self will prove to the sinner that lives and dies under the guilt thereof To conclude this Section 't is observable that the Jesuits themselves who of all the Men in the World are least apt to think the worst of sin since they have found out ways to make satisfaction for it themselves yet I say these very Men do constantly own the Doctrine of the Everlasting Punishment of the wicked hereafter as Bellarmin Valentia Vid. Baronii Disp. de peccato Mortali part 2. sect 3. and the like Sophisters And therefore Reader if thou can'st see no Reason for it but judgest it unjust that they should be so punished thou wilt shew thy self more Blind than these Sons of Darkness And so much for the Proof of the Doctrine asserted CHAP. II. SECT I. A Tast of Mr. Richardson's Grapes in the beginning of his Garden or the Sophistry and Impertinencies of the former Pages of his Pamphlet discovered HAving laid down some Proofs of the Doctrine asserted and vindicated those Proofs from Mr. R. and his Fellow's Evasions and Exceptions I shall now proceed with God's permission and assistance to examine his Book and encounter the Enemies of this Truth whether great or small that are to be found therein And though we may call them Legion for that they are many yet I trust thou wilt find Reader in due season that their united strength is far enough from being insuperable My Author was wise enough to foresee that all good Christians would not have a good Opinion of Him or his Work and therefore supposeth in his Epistle to the Reader that in this unthankful Age those that are in the Dark themselves might reject and undervalue the new Light he hath afforded them and say of Him as some did of Christ He hath a Devil and is mad why hear ye him And truly if they shall say so of him I shall not much reprove them for it For in the entrance of his Book he writes as though madness were in his heart as 't is expressed in Ecclesiastes As though a Spirit of vanity and impertinency had guided his valiant Pen For he begins with a discourse of Christ's Descent into Hell and seems to please himself abundantly in setting his Betters at variance with each other I mean by reckoning up the different Expositions of that Article amongst Protestant Divines And what I pray you is that to the purpose he aims at For what if Vrsinus and Mr. Perkins were not altogether of the same Opinion with Bucer and others as to the sense of that Article yet 't is sufficiently known that they were far from thinking with Mr. R. that there is no Hell nor no Everlasting Punishment for the Wicked hereafter Or what if Hell in that Article do not signifie the place of Torment for the Enemies of God yet how will it follow that it doth not signifie such a thing in those places where mention is made of Hell-fire and of destroying Body and Soul in Hell and the like To his Impertinency may be added his Impiety for I find not any thing of that sentence in the place cited out of Dr. Fulk his Defence of the English Translation which he alledgeth for His in the 5. Page of his Book Afterwards he brings in the Opinions of some learned Men about the word Sheol which is as much to the purpose as the other He tells us that it sometimes signifies the Grave and what thanks shall we give him for such a discovery but yet alas he had not shewed more of his Learning in the two former Pages than he hath shewed of his folly in two Lines following in p. 11. where he tells us that Sheol cannot signifie Hell in their speech that believe there is no Hell As much as if he had said The Devil is not conceived to be an Enemy to Mankind by those that believe there is no Devil which hath been the Ale-house Doctrine of some Damners and Sinkers in our days And then he adds The Greeks say plainly that Mens Souls shall vanish like smoke If they do the more ignorant are they and if English Men think so too they would be so much the fitter to hear and believe the Doctrine of his Book which is no better than the other His Head hath as much of Atheism in it which can by the force of imagination turn Hell into a Dream and Everlasting Punishment into a Bug-bear and Scare-crow as he that fancies the Soul to be turned into smoke But enough of this Let us see a little of his Sophistry in his Cavil at Dr. Ames his speech if it be his indeed His Sophistry Dr. Ames saith Mr. R. tells us in his Marrow of Divinity p. 4. that the Scripture speaks nothing distinctly of the place of Hell or the manner of Torture there Whereupon he thus replies upon the Doctor If so then it speaks nothing of these things for what the Scripture speaks it speaks distinctly But while he thus makes game at Doctor Ames he doth another mischief viz. make himself ridiculous for none but a Caviller would gather Mr. R.'s conclusion from it His meaning I dare say was only this that it speaks nothing distinctly concerning its scituation In what part of the World it is placed how far distant from the Sun or Stars or what compass it is of or the like But doth not mean that it speaks
the way Thou goest in and fear going astray More careful this will make Thee to avoid All evil and still keep Thee well employ'd This will Thee cause to shun the Paths of sin And mind the End when ought Thou dost begin Nought wilt Thou do God's Justice to incense If Hell Thou dost believe sin's Recompence What for some short-liv'd sinful pleasure shall I incur the Pains of Death perpetual What for some short-breath'd perishing delight Shall I forgo the Beatifick sight Which Heav'n affords and this of loss entwine With pains of Sense No Hell shall ne'er be mine On such unequal Terms Though sin entice I 'l never buy it at so dear a Price Most true it is thy Faith should work by Love The Love of God and Man should chiefly move Thee to decline what ever may offend An Holy God yet may the fearful end Sin leads to sometimes thought on move Thee more Than all the charmes of Love could heretofore Live thinking oft then on the Pains of Hell Which none escape but Those that here live Well S. N. Acrosticks upon the Name of the Author J. B. J OHN is his Name in Hebrew Jochanan Which signifies at least a Pious man O n whom his God his Grace hath multiplied More than on multitudes of men beside H is upright Life and painful Labours give Most signal proofs of this where he doth live N o one can justly spot the Coat he wears Nor through his fault blaspheme the Name he bears B RANDON I add that you assur'd may be The Author 's him I mean and none but he R ight such an one as John describ'd 'T is he Who is what this his Name notes him to be A Man though young in Years yet old in Grace Whose Gifts among the Elder may take place N or doth't become the Gravest to despise His Youth whose Actions speak him gravely wise D oubtless God's Church is happy in such Youth Skilful to strike Gaths with the stone of Truth O n whom whoso shall cast Dirt of contempt Let such see how themselves may be exempt N ought have I more to add his Christ'n name is John A name of Grace annext to Natures name Brandon Ad Authorem Hexastichon PRosâ sic Prologi vice carmina qualia feci Si Naturae negat facit Indignatio versum Qualemcunque potest quales ego vel Cluvienus Juv. Sat. 1. Num. 15. Quae tua si statuunt Nomina Parce mihi Parcas quòd Primùm proso sermone Rogatus Scribere causatus dans Tibi signa Rei Exìn quòd lusi Numeris super horrifera Re Haud benè compositis Nec tibi digna tuli Sum tamen Proximus tibi amicus Amicus tuus fidelissimus S. N. THE TABLE THe Epistle giving an Account of the Author 's Writing CHAP. I. SECT I. The Introduction with some Reflections upon the Author of the opposed Pamphlet pag. 1. CHAP. I. SECT II. An endless state of punishment for the wicked in another World proved and those Proofs vindicated from the Exceptions of Mr. Richardson and his Brethren the Socinians p. 3. CHAP. I. SECT III. Other Texts of Scripture urged and Arguments grounded on Scripture p. 12. CHAP. II. SECT I. A Tast of Mr. Richardson's Grapes in the beginning of his Garden or a Discovery of his gross Sophistry and grievous Impertinencies in the former Pages of his Discourse p. 23. CHAP. II. SECT II. Mr. R. his Observations upon Hell-fire the Damnation of Hell the rich Man and Lazarus Tophet the Worm that never dyeth observed and censured p. 26. CHAP. II. SECT III. Mr. R.'s Inventions upon the Parable of the Tares of the word Cursed of Eternal Damnation of the word Fire with a Query of the Corporiety of Hell-fire p. 29. CHAP. II. SECT IV. His pleasant Game or a view of that pretty sport that he makes with the various Opinions of learned Men about the place where Hell is fixed p. 34. CHAP. II. SECT V. His admirable Combate with Mr. Ed. Leigh upon the Point and his causless Triumph over him being a Vindication of the said Mr. L. his arguments p. 38. CHAP. III. SECT I. Mr. R.'s Attempt to remove as he calls the main Pillars of Hell-Torments p. 46. CHAP. III. SECT II. The strong Man armed and his strength tried or Mr. Richardson's deep considerations considered p. 61. CHAP. III. SECT III. Mr. Richardson's Richest Learning discovered or his many Infallible Proofs disproved p. 70. CHAP. III. SECT IV. The remaining part of his Proofs from the 7th to the last being the 20th carefully examined p. 89. CHAP. IV. SECT I. The Uses of the Point by way of Information in several particulars p. 113. CHAP. IV. SECT II. A discovery of the madness of wicked Men in following their sins c. And their extreme misery hereafter that dye such here p. 116. CHAP. IV. SECT III. An humble and serious Exhortation to the Gentry and others which concludes with some questions to the damners and sinkers p. 132. CHAP. IV. SECT III. A Continuation or a word to the better sort of Gentry viz. the Religious p. 140. CHAP. IV. SECT IV. Particular directions for the escaping of Hell-torments being six in number with a caution to all and a consolatory conclusion to the servants of God p. 145. The Authors distance from the Press has occasioned these ERRATA'S which the Reader is desired to Correct PAge 2. Line 23. add most probably p. 16. l. 31. for Bond read Land p. 38. l. 21. for Instance r. Sense p. 51. l. 7. for innovation r. invention p. 66. l. 3. add Almost p. 99. l. 1. leave out for p. 120. l. 31. for strange r. strong p. 134. l. 31. for selves r. souls p. 138. l. 7. leave out the word Two p. 142. l. 32. for furious r. Serious 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 OR Everlasting Fire NO FANCY CHAP. I. SECT I. The Introduction with some Reflexions upon the Author of the opposed Pamphlet THAT the way of the wicked deceiveth them Prov. 12.26 is one of the Sacred Oracles of that God who cannot lye nor be deceived It fills them with Sorrow when they look for Joy and is as the Gall of Asps within them even then when it is sweet to their Mouths and pleasing to their corrupt affections Job 20.14 Mr. Caryl See the late Expositor in his Notes upon the place But O how bitter will it be to them hereafter when all the sweetness of it is past and ends in those sorrows that never end when their continued Rebellions against the King of Heaven have laid them under perpetual punishment and bound them in everlasting Chains of Darkness and Damnation Object But say some we hope there is no such danger for that Doctrine hath been suspected of late yea Mr. R. hath professedly opposed it His Light hath discovered the rotten Foundations upon which it is built and hath proved all those black and dismal Imaginations concerning it to be no better than the effects
have spoken of a punishment never to end and have wept for them that should suffer that if there were any such to be endured by any B. It is not unfit to be noted how blind those Men are that have not a mind to see the Truth He would have spoken of such a Punishment if there had been such c. As some Men will face us down and vow most stoutly that they did not those things which we saw them do So Mr. R. by that speech of his would make Christians believe that our Lord never spake any thing to that purpose when they have often read his plain words concerning it Matth. 25. last Verse These shall go away into everlasting punishment But saith he He would have wept for them that should have suffered such a Punishment And so he might for ought he knows to the contrary for many things that Jesus did are not written Joh. 21. But it is not written so of him True but what of that for in the Gospel we read of some that should dye in their sins and be shut out of Heaven Matth 7.14 c. and yet we read not that he wept for them which notwithstandiâ—g was a misery in the saddest sense His 6. Consideration is an Assertion p. 120. That Scripture maketh no mention of any Punishments but those in this life which certainly argues more strength of his Brow than of his Brain 31. to the end and will not be believed by them that believe the 25. of Matth. to mention no more at this time for therein we find a Day wherein all Nations shall be gathered before Christ and have their sentence according to their works to everlasting life or punishment which will be after most of them have been dead a long time as I need not prove to them that believe that Article of our Creed that He shall come to judge the quick and the dead There is nothing more that needs to be considered by me but only his heaping up Texts of Scripture one upon another for upon this occasion in this 120. page he hath as many Texts as Lines which yet prove no more that there shall be no punishment after this life than Mr. Hobbs his Latine Epistle to Mr. Wood will prove Dr. Fell to be no Scholar And this Reader may be a caution to thee that thou dost not always conclude the Excellency of a Book or a Sermon from the multitude of Texts of Scripture that are alledged therein for a Man may name many when most of them are little to the purpose they are brought for and then they will profit thee no more than the Meat that goes beside thy Mouth will nourish thee 'T is not how many Texts but how pertinent to the point in hand that is to be most regarded p. 121. R. God's punishment of sin is not of so large an extent as his mercy Psal 108. Thy mercy is great above the Heavens And more of the same excellency which they that want may read in the same page I shall not trouble my self to transcribe it B. We would know what he means when he saith God's punishment of sin is not of such a large extent as his mercy If he mean that the principle of it and whence it flows viz. God's Justice is not so extensive as his mercy I may safely deny it His Justice being Infinite as it is the Justice of an Infinite Being If he means it of the exercising mercy and his inflicting punishment Then I say in like manner that the objects of punishment are as many yea more than the objects of his special and saving mercy All that live and dye ungodly shall feel his vengeance and they are without controversie the greatest Number Wide is the Gate that leads to destruction Matth. 7.14 15 and many there be that go in thereat and on the contrary Narrow is the way that leadeth to life and few there be that find it That of the Psalmist That his mercy is great above the Heavens signifies no more than the Infiniteness of his mercy in that it knows no bounds but was from everlasting predestination and shall be to everlasting glorification upon the objects of mercy even them that fear him but doth not intimate that he will actually pardon more sinners than he will punish p. 122. R. Death in Job is called the King of Terrors therefore Death is the greatest punishment and the most terrible But if there were an everlasting punishment after Death Job 18.14 that would be the King of Terrors for Death is not terrible in comparison of that B. This reasoning is not so strong as at first view it may seem to be and is very far from proving that Death is the worst punishment that ungodly sinners are subject to For first What necessity is there of expounding Job 18.14 of death The Text doth not mention Death and I know nothing in the Context that will force us to interpret it thereof The Learned * Interpretum pene dixerim Coryphaeus Vti Doctiss Polus in praef ad vol. 2. Synops Mercerus a Man well skilled in the Hebrew renders it by gravissimos terrores which may be in this life as well as in another The King of Terrors by a common Hebraisme signifies powerful commanding conquering Terrors which may be fitly understood of the Soul in its separated state when the Terror of the Lord and the immediate impressions of his wrath have taken hold upon the impenitent Soul Well but my Author will not so easily yield to have it understood of any thing but Death because that is most for his design wherefore let us see if taken in that sense it will be any help to his cause and I shall not fear to undertake the Negative I will prove I say that it will not For the King of Terrors is but most terrible if we make the most of it that we can Now Death may be said to be most terrible though there be a greater terror after Death For most terrible is not necessarily the very uttermost terror that can be but in general very terrible As when the Thunder shook down the Houses in Amsterdam upon the Heads of them that dwelt therein it may lawfully be said that it was a most terrible Day to them yet the Day of Judgment will be more terrible than that 2 Pet. 3.10 wherein the Heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the Earth with the works therein shall be burnt up So when Men are said to be most excellent Scholars or Souldiers we mean only that they have very good skill in Armes and Arts but not that they do exceed all others therein And in a word the Scripture-phrase is Consonant to this for in Ezekiel 33. Ezek. 33.28 the Lord threatned to lay the Land most desolate yea he assured them of it I will lay it most desolate and yet it suffered not a greater desolation than other
his Brethren shall undertake to prove it I will undertake to Answer them And to that which he hath said I reply thus That Christs Sufferings in the place of his people were sufficient to deliver them from everlasting punishment though he did not suffer for ever for his Temporal Sufferings were of infinite merit and value as being the Sufferings of an Infinite Person the Eternal Son of God whom all the Highest Angels are enjoyned to worship or in St. Paul's phrase God over all blessed for ever in Rom. 9. Rom. 9.5 For like as the greatness of an Injury is measured by the greatness of the person that suffers it so the value of the satisfaction is esteemed by the Excellency of the Person that makes the Satisfaction as is well observed by the excellent and acute Author in the Margin in his Anatome Samosatenianismi Mart. Z. Thalyaeus quaest 1. Arg. 11. p. mihi 81. Actus secundi necessitatem supplevit tum dignit as personae tum pondus passionum c. But of this something hath been said already only I may add thus much that the eternity of Christ's Sufferings if it might be supposed could not work our deliverance if his Temporal Sufferings could not For according to strict justice He being to suffer in our place could not deliver us till he had suffered sufficiently for us But now in case he had been to suffer for ever he should never suffer sufficiently till he had suffered for ever which 'till implies a contradiction since Eternity can never expire wherefore his rare invention in this case is nothing worth And whereas we suppose the dignity of Christ's person as he is God to add such a value to his Sufferings that his Temporal Sufferings may serve instead of our Eternal Sufferings he gives us this for Answer That the Godhead of Christ did not suffer which I confess is a Truth but nothing at all to the purpose for though his Godhead did not suffer yet he who is God did suffer though only in his humane Nature And it was more for God to suffer for a time than for sinful creatures to suffer for ever and with his Sufferings for his people God his Father is fully satisfied since he hath given himself for them an Offering and a Sacrifice of sweet smelling savour to God Eph. 5.2 But against this he objecteth after this manner p. 157. R. God was never unsatisfied He is Perfect Infinite Blessed unchangeable and how could he be so if he were unsatisfied at any time B. Herein he doth greatly mistake our meaning and supposeth that we hold God was discontented when we say there was need of a satisfaction to be made unto him for the sins of his people Thick Ale certainly that could fill the Gentlemans head with such gross Imaginations That indeed were as bad Divinity as most that hath come from Rome or Malmsbury and needs no more to confute it than the consideration of those Perfections of God which my Author mentioneth But to recover him out of this Error we would tell him that we mean not by a Satisfaction such a thing as makes God better contented or happier than he was before that were madness so much as to imagine but such a thing as Answers the demands of his Law and Justice which necessarily require that sin should be punished according to its demerit either upon the sinner himself or his Surety as the Learned Dr. Owen hath excellently demonstrated in his Diatriba upon that subject * De Justitiâ Divinâ which my Author I hope will not undertake to confute And now let us proceed to the remaining Proofs that he gives us in the following pages p. 162. p. 162. Proof 4 R. Zephan 1.18 He shall make a speedy Riddance of them in the day of his wrath But to continue for ever in Punishment is no speedy Riddance So the pouring out his Anger is called a Day which agrees not to a punishment that never ends B. Bold men will not scruple to act like themselves he that hath perverted so many other Texts to his purpose will do the like by this yet 't is fit we should tell him of it whether he will repent of it or no Wherefore we desire him or his companions to observe that the Text doth not say as he saith but thus The whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his Jealousie for he shall make a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land Which words manifestly speak of a National judgment here in the World but prove nothing of such a quick dispatch in another world after the day of general Resurrection And as for the word Day it is not always used to signifie a day and no more or thereabouts but a time indefinitely as when we read of an Evil day and of the day of Visitation and the like In that day the Lord alone shall be exalted Esay 2.17 and what day is that Surely for ever after this world is ended Eternity will be the day of his Glory and no less shall be the day of his Favour to his Servants and of his Vengeance upon his Enemies Proof 6 R. The opinion of a punishment never to end doth cause much sin I deny that p. 163 c. Here he adds several Proofs such as they are some of the choicest of which I shall examine R. 1. It causeth fear True indeed it doth so but is it therefore the cause of sin If so what shall we think of the threatnings of God's judgments in this world doubtless they cause or should cause fear in the wicked man yet he had not best say that they cause or should cause sin in them R. 2. Fear troubles the hearts of many of the Lords people he means his Faithful people and Christ saith Let not your hearts be troubled John 14. It seems he would have their Fears removed by telling them that there is no hell nor Everlasting Punishment for any after this life But wise men will not go that way to work in comforting the Godly but rather will comfort them by telling them that Christ hath saved them from it and delivered them from that wrath to come R. 3. If the Soul apprehends it self lyable to Everlasting Punishment it cannot submit to God or be quiet What doth he mean in saying It cannot submit to God If he means a contentedness to undergo that Everlasting punishment we say God requires them not so to be content but rather to be content to turn to him and his service and to accept of Christ as Saviour and Lord that they may in a way of Faith and Holiness escape that Punishment If he mean any thing else he may keep his meaning to himself unless the world had need of it And if he think wicked men should be quiet with their Spiritual state aand live contentedly and securely in a state of sin I must profess I know no
aforesaid in his Comment on the Epistle to the Colossians Now when he saith If all Men are in God all Men are in Christ I grant it in the sense aforesaid All men are by Christ for he upholdeth all things by the Word of his Power And to the last passage Heb. 1.3 'T is commonly confessed that All who are in Christ shall be saved To this I say my Return is thus That if he mean All who are Members of Christ's Mystical Body or that have an Interest in Christ's Merits and Righteousness as it is meant in Rom. 8. v. 1. Then I grant that All who are in Christ shall be saved which that very Text demonstrateth But I utterly deny that All men are in Christ in this sense of the word But if he mean All that are by Christ made and maintained in the World by him then I deny that All such shall be saved for in this sense the Devils may be said to be in Christ Colos 1.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And thus Mr. R.'s rich Invention is proved to be worth nothing but scorn and contempt R. In Rom. 5. The second Adam in saving p. 178. is put in opposition to the first Adam in sinning And if All Nations shall be blessed as was foretold in Gen. 22. Every particular must also for the general word All includes every particular And it is a great lessening of the riches and fulness of God's grace and goodness to say that God hath made this World for All and the best World but for a few B. That which he would have us gather from Rom. 5. is manifestly thus That as all Mankind are liable to destruction by means of the first Adam so all shall be freed from it by the merit of the second Adam Jesus Christ But I cannot think how he will find any Text in it Rom. 5.18 cleared that may be made very serviceable for such a design unless it be the 18. Verse of that Chapter As by the offence of one judgment came upon all Men to condemnation so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all Men to justification of life But this will easily be answered For the comparison there made between Adam and Christ is not in respect of the Number of Persons that are saved or destroyed but in respect of the causes of Salvation and Damnation That as the cause of Damnation even sin is originally only from Adam so the cause of Salvation even Righteousness and Justification is wholly from Christ As all sinners became sinners through the first Adam and so are liable to damnation through him so all justified Persons are justified through Christ the second Adam and have a right to Heaven only through his Righteousness imputed to them So that when Paul saith by the Righteousness of one the free gift came upon all Men to justification of life it is not so to be taken as if Justification were common to All men but that it is through the Righteousness of Christ that All who are justified are justified viz. that none are justified otherwise As the Psalmist saith the Lord upholdeth all that fall Psal 145.14 not that he upholdeth every one that falls for some fall irrecoverably as Judas Pharaoh the Sinners against the Holy Ghost c. but that All who being fallen are upheld and preserved from falling away utterly are so upheld only by him Hanc Deo tribuit gloriam quod sine ejus ope nemo sustentetur Musculus in Psal 145. as a worthy Expositor on the place This glory saith he the Psalmist ascribes to God viz. That without his help none are upheld Rom. 8.30 Whom he justified them he also glorified but God doth not glorifie them that live and dye unconverted for Except ye be converted Matth. 18.3 ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Matth. 18.3 Therefore neither doth he justifie any such Persons Nor is he more fortunate in alledging Gen. 22.18 for though All in it self be inclusive of every particular Genes 22.18 opened yet in that place all Nations cannot signifie all particular Persons of every Nation for if all Nations should be blessed in this largest sense none should be cursed as our Lord will say unto many at the last Day Matth. 25.41 Depart from me ye cursed Wherefore by all Nations understand some of all Nations or if you will many of all Nations even all true believers in every Nation And that the word all Nations doth not always mean all men in general Esay 2.2 is plain by Esay 2.2 where it is said that All Nations should flow to the Mountain of the Lord's house which cannot be said of all in general and is expressed by many in the 4. of Micah 1. Vers And as for the fulness and riches of God's goodness it is not to be judged of by the number of them that are saved by it The goodness of God how to be judged of but rather by the way and manner wherein and whereby they are saved and by that great Salvation which his People shall partake of Briefly thus The riches of God's grace and goodness is seen in the excellency of its effect For Life is a more excellent thing than Death and Righteousness than Sin and secondly in the powerfulness of the work for it argueth a greater power to save than to destroy to justifie than to condemn as 't is a greater matter to reform a few than to corrupt and harden a great many against the holy Ordinances and ways of God An Idle Hypocrite is too well able to do the one but a painful Minister is scarce able to do the other And by the way we do not say as Mr. R. that God hath made the best World or Heaven but for a very few For many shall come from the East and the West and sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven yet they are few in comparison of them that miss of Heaven Matth. 7.14 as was seen before from the words of him whom he dares not I hope contradict or cavil at And if a Man can think it is an obscuring of God's goodness to say that he hath not made Heaven for so many as he hath made the Earth for he may think it much more a denying of his goodness to say that he hath made comfortable provisions for the Birds and Beasts and at the same time reserved many thousands of mighty Angels for extream and everlasting punishment Yet so it is whether my Author allow of it or not he that spares the one did not spare the other He that prepares Food for these in this world hath prepared everlasting fire for those in another world Yet if a man do hence object and cavil against God's goodness 't is a sign he hath little goodness himself See 2 Pet. 2. Judes Epist Matth. 25.41 and as little wit but he goes on R. Shall we
it and providing for it is his natural work which his natural affection moves him to But his threatning or correcting of it is in respect of the other his strange work which he doth not as a Parent but as an offended Parent Thus punishing is God's strange work such as he doth not as he is God but as he is an offended God and yet this work of his may continue for ever as we have an Example in the fallen Angels And I think his everlasting punishment is more plainly as well as more frequently discovered against wicked Men than it is against wicked Spirits in the holy Scripture Lastly The Death of Christ is so far from disproving our Doctrine that it doth most strongly confirm it For if God did punish his Son with an accursed Death when he bare the sins of his People in this World what wonder is it if he punish the impenitent with an everlasting curse or punishment in the World to come Nor did Christ dye to make an atonement for the sins of any such as might easily be proved if it were necessary Proof 16 R. Such Punishment agrees not to the mercifulness of the Creator to his Creature p. 185. to impose such a Punishment on any of them And then he adds some places that say he is rich in mercy and the like B. Surely this would be very good news for the Devils to hear of if it were true But we have our Lord's words to assure us of their everlasting punishment Matth. 25. and elsewhere which shew my Author was mistaken in thinking that it cannot stand with his goodness as he is their Creator Yet we say not that he will punish any thus as they are Creatures but as they are offending and rebellious Creatures And as for his Mercy we have spoken of it before and though it be great yea infinite yet it hath its proper object and will not be acted in opposition to his truth which tells us of everlasting punishment for the wicked as well as of Eternal life for the Righteous Proof 17 R. Sin cannot overcome his love where Sin abounded p. 186. Grace abounds much more Rom. 5.20 This declares the mercy of God to be greater than sin if so the grace of God is to all even to the worst of men for sin abounds in them most And where sin abounds grace saith the Apostle abounds much more If so then all their sins shall be forgiven And if any were to suffer eternally how doth grace abound to them much more where sin hath abounded Answer this if you can B. This is a precious Proof indeed and such as he hath shewed his chiefest strength in and therefore he is pleased to triumph over the poor ignorant Men that Preach up the Doctrine of Everlasting Punishment c. as though he had a certain and an everlasting victory over them as to this particular Thus and thus the case stands and Answer this if you can As brave a Challenge as any Gentleman of his Quality ever need to make to such as we But did he not argue against his own conscience as well as against us and our Doctrine or could he really believe that this Proof was unanswerable if so we shall have cause to consider the words of Solomon The Fool rageth and is confident Behold Sir the work is undertaken your command with me is as good as a Law and I will Answer you if I can And first I will deal with your first Assertion that sin cannot overcome his love which is such a speech as I have seldome met with in any Book but yours If it be meant of God's faithful Servants of humble and penitent sinners I grant that his love will overcome in due time all their sins and be magnified towards them by pardon here and glory hereafter Rom. 8.35 for What shall separate them from the love of Christ Rom. 8. But if he speak of the proud contemners of his Word and ways and the deceitful workers of iniquity that continue such then though we care not to say that their sin doth overcome his love yet we confidently affirm that it will so provoke his wrath as to cause him to punish them for ever in the life to come See Col. 3.6 John 3.36 Matth. 25.46 Psal 92.7 and many other places His second Assertion That God's mercy is greater than sin hath been spoken to already and I need now to say but this about it That it is greater than the sin of Devils and yet Devils shall suffer for ever for their sins and so we may say God's healing power is stronger and greater than Diseases and yet Men dye by them for all that His third Assertion That the grace of God is to all even to the worst of Men if it be meant of his saving grace or such mercy as accompanies salvation is a gross untruth for the Gospel tells us that he that believeth not shall be damned Mark 16. v. 16. And his other That all the sins of all Men shall be forgiven is as loud an Error and let him prove it a truth if he can Thus much for his Vanity His Subtilty follows Where sin abounds grace much more abounds Rom. 5.20 therefore the grace of God abounds to all sinners yea to the worst for sin abounds most in them And if they suffer eternally How doth grace or mercy abound to them Yea doubtless this is the Beast that carries the Bell but let us pursue it a little His gross abuse of Rom. 5.20 and we shall perceive that 't is not a pretty Creature but a horrible deformed Monster For I dare challenge Mr. R. and all his Brethren yea all Mankind to shew me any one Text of Scripture that ever was more abominably abused more wretchedly wrested whether by Papists Socinians Atheists or any sort of Men than this Text of St. Paul is in this case by Him For when the Apostle saith where sin did abound grace did abound much more he doth not mean that God will shew himself most gracious to them that have committed the most or greatest sins for then Pharaoh Judas and Jezabel should be more blessed than Moses Joseph and the Virgin Mary And our Damners and Sinkers be more happy than the holy Prophets Apostles and Martyrs For sin hath most abounded in them if we take Mr. R. his sense of the word But the abounding there mentioned is the abounding of it in the sense and feeling of the sinner that God's gracious goodness hath appeared most wonderful in the eyes of those Penitent sinners to whom sin hath appeared most vile and hateful That the abounding of sin in that place is of this nature the words just before will make evident for we read thus therein the Law entred that the offence might abound Surely it was not given to make men abound the more in sin or to make them more sinful than otherwise they would be but to make men more
the exercise of Mercy and works of Love in particular more than Sacrifices at the hands of his people for the particle there used is not an absolute Negative but a Comparative only as in the Text before Ezek. 18.23 Vid. Rivet in Hos 6.6 where the Particle not doth not deny his pleasure to punish but compares his will of punishing with his will of returning and of their Salvation in case they turn in Truth and prefers the latter before the former Now if we do but state the matter thus and infer the conclusion according to the sense of the Text it will need little or nothing more to be said for its confutation for who sees not the vanity of this Argument God regards the exercise of Charity and Works of mercy more than Sacrifices therefore none shall be punished for ever c. If he will take leave to infer thus I will give him leave to make the same conclusion from the History of Job's Cattel or the fiery Tails of Sampsons Foxes He concludes this Proof with a very great truth That God abhors cruelty but 't is such a Truth as little concerns either his design it self or the things that he had said immediately before but is brought in by the head and shoulders and is forced to stand in this improper place by the meer violence of his Resolute Pen. If he would make it serve his turn he must of necessity make it appear that God cannot punish an impenitent sinner everlastingly without being cruel which I am confident he cannot do and do verily hope he will not undertake to do And if he think so I might easily subdue his error if it be not maintained by an invincible perverseness and that by telling him wherein the cruelty of a punishment consisteth to wit not in the duration of it or degree of it but in the nature and merit of it As first when the person punished is not fit to bear the punishment as if a man should punish the perverseness of a child with a Rack instead of a Rod or as if he should disown and disinherit him for some smaller acts of disobedience to him This were cruelty because the punishment in the one is of such a nature as is unfit for the child to bear and in the other because 't is such as is not due for such an offence nor deserved by it as it respects man And therefore our honest Professors that revile and reproach us behind our backs for preaching God's word and taking their Tythes and make lyes of us for telling them the sad Truths that concern them are like enough to be indicted for cruelty when the Judge of the world shall come for though these things through his good Providence do not hurt us much yet they are things that are not deserved upon the former accounts and therefore are no better than cruelties in the eyes of him whose we are and whom we serve And on the other side though a punishment be never so great and grievous yet if it be such as the person punished doth deserve for his offence it is not cruelty but justice That wretched Villain Ravilliack that murthered that Renouned King of France in his Coach King Henry the IVth if I mistake not was afterwards taken and Tormented to death in a fearful manner yet I believe there were few honest men that ever accused his Judge of cruelty for condemning him to such a death because they knew he had well deserved it by the horrid crime he had committed And now having taken so much pains to make good his bad cause in the nineteen Proofs that we have seen there is no doubt but he will make the best use he can of his strength and skill in his 20th and last Proof as the Candle gives a great light a little before it goes out And behold what it is Proof 20 R. 'T is not for the glory of God to impose such a Punishment upon any man p. 189. for glory lieth not in imposing great and terrible Punishment but in mercy and forgiveness Exod. 34.6 7. But by his leave I judge otherwise and do not doubt but it is for his glory to impose great Punishment upon the wicked namely for the glory of his Justice which he doth not so much as pretend to disprove unless it be by telling us that glory consisteth in mercy and forgiveness for which he alledgeth Exod. 34.6 7. And how vain all this wisdome is a few Lines may discover for certainly God's glory doth not lye only in mercy and forgiveness for he was glorified upon his greatest Enemies even hard-hearted Pharaoh himself Rom. 9.17 yet he was not glorified in a way of mercy upon him but in a way of vengeance and severity and the same may be said of the Devils And in that Text in Exodus as the Lord proclaims himself to be merciful and gracious so one that will by no means clear the guilty or wicked so remaining And the not clearing of them is not an act of mercy my Author himself being Judge Then he adds thus R. Proverbs 10.12 'T is said Love covereth all sins But what of that for it doth not mean that God's love will cover or forgive all Men's sins penitent or impenitent no sure the Prophet tells us of some Esay 27.11 That he that made them will not have mercy upon them 'T is meant therefore of the love of Men one towards another Love so far as it prevails will cause a Man to cover to wit to overlook and pass by the sins of his Brethren against him vid. Synopsin crit in Pro. 10.12 so far as with a good conscience he may But he proceeds R. God doth all things for his glory p. 190. and it is more for his glory to save all men than to save a few In what sense we hold that few shall be saved hath already been shewed To wit comparatively with them that dye in their sins and perish for otherwise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Rev. 7.9 the number of them that are saved is a great number Now if Mr. R. supposeth that 't is more for God's glory to save all Men than to save some only he may enjoy his Opinion but ought not to impose it upon us as an undoubted truth without a sufficient proof which he hath not been pleas'd to give us The Apostle speaks all in a Verse of them that are saved 1 Cor. 1.18 and of them that perish Surely then God doth not save all for we read of some that perish but he doth what is most for his glory saith Mr. R. himself Therefore it is not most for his glory to save all or to save the Impenitent And if it were most for his glory to save all Men why would it not be most for his glory to save all the Angels too for is not their nature as noble and their salvation as precious as Man's And yet
the Pharisees made light of him and derided him in Luke 16.14 Thus of the 4th Direction Direct The 5th If you would escape Hell make sure of a true and sound conversion and wait upon God in the use of all holy means for it But above all things take heed you mistake not in so great a concern nor think your selvs converted when it is not so Matth. 18.3 Except ye be converted ye cannot enter into the kingdom of Heaven And surely if a Man cannot come to Heaven without it he cannot escape Hell without it neither Now you must not think your selvs converted while you are predominantly in love with any wicked course whatsoever or in plainer English while you count sin your liberty and priviledge and had rather follow any way of wickedness than a way of real and universal religiousness if it were not for fear of the shame of the World or the damnation of Hell Many I doubt not are religious sober civil just c. out of constraint not willingly and forbear gross sin more out of dread of punishment than out of any love to God or obedient regard to his Will and Law serving God as the poor Indians did the Devil viz. for fear lest otherwise he should do them a mischief And what do you think is such service worth assuredly very little or rather nothing in the sight of God who seeth the principles of Mens works and services and looks more upon the Bent of the mind and will than the matter of the work Know thou the God of thy Father and serve him with a willing mind 1 Chron. 28.9 A blockish slavish unwilling service when the work is done which he had rather should not be done is fit only for a sensless Deity or a dumb Idol not for the high and holy one Believe it you are not truly and savingly converted till God and holiness have the main disposition of your hearts and wills till you had rather have God in Christ for your everlasting portion to enjoy than Honor and Wealth and all this World 's good till then you are but Worldlings till you had rather walk in a way of holiness than follow the most gainful Trade of sin As a false defrauding servant is never turned to be a true and faithful servant till he had rather be true and faithful to his Master than to cheat and defraud him Pray therefore for your selves as the Apostle for the Thessalonians that God would direct your hearts to his love or as our Church that he would encline your hearts to keep his Law Dir. 6 Acquaint thy self with Christ search the Scriptures and see how sufficient a Saviour he is how able and willing to receive and relieve returning sinners Did he reject any that were but truly willing to accept of him Did he not come into the World to save such and complain that the People would not come unto him that they might have life Them that come unto him with true faith and repentance he will in no wise cast out Joh. 6.37 O sinner if thou wilt heartily forsake the Devils drudgery he will save thee from Hell and all its damnation If thou turnest from every evil way and givest thy self up to him relying wholly upon his merit and righteousness he will give thee acceptance in the sight of his Father and deliver thee from the wrath to come 1 Thess 1. ult So much for the use of Direction I come now to one or two Uses more and so shall put a period to my Discourse In the next place then It may serve for our Instruction and may teach us not to envy at the prosperity of wicked Men nor to judge Gods ways to be unequal because of their impunity joyned with final impenitency in this present World No cause to judge so when we consider that he hath a Hell to punish them in for there the sinner shall have enough of sin and such wages as is suitable to his works of iniquity There the proud sinner shall be low enough the jovial sinner shall be sad enough the sottish sinner be thirsty enough the Revengeful sinner have vengeance enough the Damner and Sinker be damned enough and sink deep enough into the lake of fire There they that tyrannized over pious Christians shall be insulted over by the Devil and be buffeted by the unclean Spirits they that willingly forget their God and Souls shall remember their sins whether they will or not they that made light of Christ and Sermons shall be loaded to the full with wrath and curses and in a word they that grinn'd at godliness shall gnash their teeth at their impieties God to whom vengeance belongeth will avenge himself upon them and punish them with everlasting destruction from his presence 2 Thess 1.8 9. Lastly Let me hence add a word to the godly in general let them be exhorted to grow more and more 1. In Grace and holy obedience for what love what service what obedience can ever be suitable to that goodness of God which saves them through Christ from the everlasting punishment their sins deserve We may well exhort them to all holy duties by the mercies of God Rom. 12.1 They can never do too much for his Glory that hath done so much for their Salvation for he will give them eternal Life and they shall never perish Joh. 10. 2. In comfort and spiritual joy Rejoyce in the Lord always saith the Apostle to such Phil. 4.1 Christ is their all-sufficient Saviour and they shall surely be saved from wrath through him Rom. 5.9 why should any worldly Troubles trouble them overmuch since they shall have none in the world to come Death can do no more than rot them and hell no more than fright them Rejoyce therefore O faithful Christian and give thanks at the remembrance of the goodness of thy God the joy of the Lord is thy strength O let it be thy work too Yea most certainly it shall be so at the coming of Christ to judgment He will then receive thee to himself Joh. 14.3 His love shall then be stronger than death and conquer the last enemy for thee Thou shalt be filled with Joy and Glory when the wicked shall have their fill of shame and sorrow and shalt be accepted graciously with him when all the enemies of his Holiness shall be banished from his Presence and be buried alive in everlasting fire And now bless the Lord O my Soul for all his gracious Providences and in special for all his gracious Assistances in this small Work Say not This Work thy Hand to End hath brought Or This thy Labour hath attain'd unto Say rather thus This God by me hath wrought He 's Author of that little Good I do To Him be Glory for ever and ever FINIS
do than for such a one as I yet it is better it should be done by me than by none Mistake me not Reader I speak not this A Digression of Mr. Chewney his Book in any measure to undervalue that piece which Mr. N. Chewney hath opposed unto it But let these particulars be considered in the case 1. That it is very small and 2. so general that there is need enough of another Book to that purpose for it is not a fourth part of his subtilties which he hath engaged with therein and I think I may say it is scarce a tenth part And the Reason why He did not Confute his false Glosses and fair pretences more particularly is as he tells us in his Epistle to the Reader because he thought them to be very Obvious to every Judicious eye to use his own words in that place But with due respect to his Name and Works he might easily have considered that a Pamphlet of this nature was not designed to deceive the Judicious but rather the ignorant and unstable And if it do but so and so harden such persons in their sinful courses Satan will not think that he hath sowed his Tares in vain Secondly What if others can do it better than I yet it will be nevertheless lawful for me to do it as I can Must I resolve to lay down my Ministry and to Preach no more because I cannot Preach so well as they that can Preach better No sure no reason for it Doubtless I may and must do my Lord and Master what Service I can though I cannot do what others can Thirdly Others can do it better thou saist and I do not gainsay it But I rather look what men will do than what they can do If they can save us from Drowning when we are fallen into the River yet if they will not do it we are never the more beholding to them And if they can 't is their own fault that they did not or at least it was not mine for I did not hinder them from so doing Fourthly If thou thinkest I have done amiss in it do but shew me my Error in a Sober and Christian way and I shall I hope be thankful for it and shall be ready to retract any thing therein which thou canst prove to be unsound or unseasonable Fifthly If yet thou will not be in Charity with my poor Scribble but art resolved to be offended at it Then Reader thou mayst be offended still Behold it lies at thy mercy and if thou canst not otherwise content thy self Thou maist take thy Pen and write against it If thou let it alone I am sure it will do thee no hurt if thou Readest it though only to cavil at it It is possible it may do thee some good And if it doth give God the Praise and the Author thy Prayers who is Thy Servant for the Sake of Jesus J. B. Wargrave Berks July 20. 1676. The PRINTER thought fit to insert Dr. Gregory's Approbation of the Work in his Letter to the Author as followeth Worthy Sir I Have though too hastily read over Your Book for which You deserve many Thanks from him who is your Adversary and do hereby receive them from me who am a friend to you and every man else who is of your Complexion I mean a Lover of Virtue and a defender of Truth It is my Opinion that you have much obliged both Your Antagonist and Your Reader Your Antagonist by convincing him of his Error Your Reader if already Orthodox by confirming him in a great Article of his Faith Methinks the Cavils of that Pamphlet wherewith you deal are so weak and fond so clearly Confuted by those strong Arguments which you have produced from Scriptures and Reason that if the Author of that worthless Scroll shall not upon his serious perusal of Your Book subscribe to that Truth which therein you have asserted 't is much to be feared that his obstinate perseverance in so foul an Error against such clear Convictions will ere long bring him to that place which he now denieth and make him sensible by sad experience that there is indeed an Hell Who this Person is I cannot tell perhaps a Sceptick perhaps a downright Atheist and probably a man of a lewd and vicious Conversation for the Truth is such persons are most concerned to believe and were it possible to prove that there is no Hell who have no ground to expect any share in Heaven But whosoever your Opponent may be I have so much Charity for his Immortal Soul as to wish that he may reap that Advantage from your Book which therein you design him that he may timely see his gross mistake and renounce his Heresie lest hereafter he be forced to confess an Eternity of Torments when it will be too late to escape them So Prayeth Your Neighbor Friend and Brother 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 F. Gregory Hambleton Mar. 28. 1677. To the Doubting READER REader dost Doubt whether an Hell there be Doubt on till Dooms-day come then shalt thou see What now thou'lt not believe Then shall quick sense Soon give the Lye to Doubting-Diffidence A Fancy now Hell-fire thou dost account Whose sharpest pains in thine esteem amount Unto no more than if with Launce thou cut Some callous senseless piece of Flesh I but When the great God that made thee shall thee call To stand before his dreadful Tribunal And Curse thee straightway to a real Hell What wilt thou think 't is then if thou can'st tell I 'l tell thee what in short if so I may Fore-speak the thoughtful Language of that Day 'T is Hell indeed 't is Hell Hell now I see Yea feel the pains of Hell which could I flee How happy I But now Woe woe's me woe Fancy 't is not but Sense that makes it so A Fancy this This scorching Fire A Fancy this This wrathful Ire A Fancy this This fearful Pain Fancy all this Which shall remain From Age to Age still to endure Oh! Hell A Fancy 't is not sure Could I but live on Earth as heretofore I 'de never dare to call it Fancy more But live like one forc'd to believe 'T is Hell from whence there 's no reprieve Thus when hell Flames have wrought in thee a Faith Forcing assent to what this Author saith Then wilt thou say oh that I had been wise To credit this and not Fool-like despise What now I find and feel For now I see 'T was ill to Doubt whether an Hell there be S. N. To the READER without Doubt DOubt Thou dost not Reader go to 't is well To doubt and doubting drop down into Hell How dreadful is' t Far better 't is to fear An evil look'd for and in Time prepare Against the worst may come worse 't will not be Because Thou dost believe Eternitie Of Torment after Death Nay rather This Will prove a Mean leading to future Bliss This will Thee move all Times to mind