The inference from all this shall be the application which our Saviour makes of this parable-" Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh;" as if He had said, the design of this parable is to instruct us, that we ought to be continually vigilant, and always upon our guard, and in a constant readiness and preparation to meet the Bridegroom; because we know not the time of His coming to judgment, nor yet, which will be of the same consequence and concernment to us, do any of us know the precise time of our own death. Either of these may happen at any time, and come when we least expect them. And, therefore, we should make the best and speediest provision that we can for another world, and should be continually upon our watch, and trimming our lamps, that we may not be surprised by either of these; neither by our own particular death, nor by the general judgment of the world: "Because the Son of man will come in a day when we look not for Him, and at an hour when we are not aware."

More particularly, we should take up a present and effectual resolution not to delay our repentance and the reformation of our lives, that we may not have that great work to do when we are not fit to do any thing; no, not to dispose of our temporal concernments, much less to prepare for eternity, and to do that in a few moments which ought to have been the care and endeavour of our whole lives; that we may not be forced to huddle up an imperfect, and, I fear, an insignificant repentance; and to do that in great haste and confusion, which certainly does require our wisest and most deliberate thoughts, and all the consideration in the world.

And we should provide store of oil in our vessels, wherewith to supply our lamps, that they may burn bright to the last; I mean, we should improve the grace which we receive in baptism, by abounding in the fruits of the Spirit, and in all the substantial virtues of a good life; that so "an entrance may be ministered to us abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."

"

By this means, when we are called to meet the Bridegroom, we shall not be put to those miserable and sharking shifts which the foolish virgins were driven to, of begging, or borrowing, or buying oil; which will all fail us when we come to depend upon them; and though the dying man may make a hard shift to support himself with these false comforts for a little while, yet when the short delusion is over, which will be as soon as ever he is stepped into the other world, he will, to his everlasting confusion and trouble, find the door of heaven shut against him; and that, notwithstanding all his vast treasure of pardons and indulgences, which have cost him so much and are worth so little, he "shall never see the kingdom of God."

And, lastly, we should take great care that we do not extinguish our lamps by quitting the profession of our holy religion upon any temptation of advantage, or for fear of any loss or suffering whatsoever. This occasion will call for all our faith and patience, all our courage and constancy.

Nunc animis opus, Enea, nunc pectore firmo.

When it comes to this trial, we had need to "gird up the loins of our minds," to summon all our forces, and to "put

on the whole armour of God, that we may be able 1 Pet. i. 13. to stand fast in an evil day, and when we have done all to stand." And now, my brethren, to use the words of St. Peter, "I testify unto you, that this is the true grace of God wherein 1 Pet. v. 12. ye stand." The Protestant Reformed religion, which we in this nation profess, is the very Gospel of Christ, the true ancient Christianity.

And, for God's sake, since in this hour of temptation, when our religion is in so apparent hazard, wo pretend to love it to that degree, as to be contented to part with any thing for it, let us resolve to practise it, and to testify our love to it, in the same way that our Saviour would have us show our love to Him, by keeping His commandments.

I will conclude all with the apostle's exhortation, so very proper for this purpose, and to this present time: "Only let your conversation be as it becometh the Gospel of Christ;" that is, Phil. i. 27. chiefly and above all, take care to lead lives suitable to the Christian religion: and then, as it follows, "Stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the Gospel; and in nothing terrified by your adversaries, which to them is an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God."

Now unto Him that is able to establish you in the Gospel, and to keep you from falling; and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory, with exceeding joy; to the only wise God, our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

OF THE ETERNITY OF HELL TORMENTS.*

(Preached before the Queen, at Whitehall, March 7, 1689-90.) And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal.—Matt. xxv. 46.

AMONG all the arguments to repentance and a good life, those have the greatest force and power upon the minds of men, which are fetched from another world; and from the final state of good and bad men after this life. And this our Saviour represents to us in a most lively manner, in that prospect which, in the latter part of this chapter, He gives us of the judgment of the great day; namely, that at the end of the world the "Son of man shall come in His glory, with His holy angels, and shall sit upon the throne of His glory; and all nations shall be gathered before Him," and shall be separated into two great companies, the righteous and the wicked; who shall stand the one on the right hand, and the other on the left of this great Judge, who shall pronounce sentence severally upon them according to the actions which they have done in this life; the righteous shall be rewarded with eternal happiness, and the wicked shall be sentenced to everlasting punishment. "And these (that is, the wicked) shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life. eternal."

The words are plain and need no explication. For I take it for granted, that every one, at first hearing of them, does clearly

A better-reasoned discourse upon this vexed question has never been written. The author is fair and calm in his statements, which is more than can be said for some of the modern divines who have undertaken to oppose the view of Tillotson.

apprehend the difference between the righteous and the wicked, and between endless happiness and misery: but although these words be so very easy to be understood, they can never be too much considered by us. The scope and design of them is, to represent to us the different fates of good and bad men in another world, and that their ends there will be as different as their ways and doings have been here in this world: the serious consideration whereof is the greatest discouragement to sin, and the most powerful argument in the world to a holy and virtuous life because it is an argument taken from our greatest and most lasting interest, our happiness or our misery to all eternity: a concernment of that vast consequence, that it must be the greatest stupidity and folly in the world for any man to neglect it.

This eternal state of rewards and punishments in another world, our blessed Saviour hath clearly revealed to us. As to one part of it, viz., That good men shall be eternally happy in another world, every one gladly admits it: but many are loath that the other part should be true, concerning the eternal punishment of wicked men. And therefore, they pretend that it is contrary to the justice of God to punish temporary crimes with eternal torments: because justice always observes a proportion between offences and punishments; but between temporary sins and eternal punishments there is no proportion. And as this seems hard to be reconciled with justice, so much more with that excess of goodness which we suppose to be in God.

It seems strange that the real question as to the duration of punishment should be so frequently forgotten by disputants who argue on opposite sides. The real question relative to eternal punishment is not so much whether a man is to be for ever made miserable for sins committed during the brief span of this mortal life, but whether there be such state of mind in any individual as that of eternal sin. For it is self. evident, that if there be eternal sin, there must be eternal misery. In the nature of things, wherever men exist who love what God hates, and also hate what God loves, they must be unhappy. And if they are unhappy, they are in a state of punishment. The real question, therefore, is, whether sin is to be eternal? No creature who has similarity of feeling with God can ever be unhappy wherever he may be. It is not the position, but the disposition, that makes a man happy. The all-important question is, will God in the life beyond the grave force upon a man's mind that spirit of holiness which while this side the grave the man deliberately rejected ? And, if so, surely it would be an impeachment of the Divine goodness if, in the long run, God intended to make a man happy against his will, not to do so at the beginning or before death.

And therefore they say, that though God seem to have declared that impenitent sinners shall be everlastingly punished, yet these declarations of Scripture are so to be mollified and understood, as that we may be able to reconcile them with the essential perfections of the Divine nature.

This is the full force and strength of the objection and my work at this time shall be to clear, if I can, this difficult point. And that for these two reasons: (First), for the vindication of the Divine justice and goodness-"That God may be justified in His sayings, and appear righteous when He judgeth." And (Secondly), Because the belief of the threatenings of God in their utmost extent is of so great moment to a good life, and so great a discouragement to sin for the sting of sin is the terror of eternal punishment; and if men were once set free from the fear and belief of this, the most powerful restraint from sin would be taken away.

So that, in answer to this objection, I shall endeavour to prove these two things:

(First), That the eternal punishment of wicked men in another world is plainly threatened in Scripture.

(Secondly), That this is not inconsistent either with the justice. or the goodness of God.

(First), That the eternal punishment of wicked men in another world is plainly threatened in Scripture; namely, in these following texts: (Matt. xviii. 8) "It is better for thee to enter into life halt and maimed, than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire." And (Matt. xxv. 41)" Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." And here in the text, "These (that is, the wicked) shall go away into everlasting punishment." And Mark ix. it is there three several times with great vehemency repeated by our Saviour, "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." And (2 Thess. i. 9) speaking of them that know not God, and obey not the gospel of His Son, it is said of them, "Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction."

I know very well that great endeavour hath been used to