DISC. XIII.] THE PUNISHMENTS IN HELL. 617 when there are valuable ends in divine providence, and God's government of the world to be subserved, by suffering such wilful, rebellious, and impenitent crea- tures to become sacrifices to their own iniquity and his justice, and perpetual monuments to other worlds of their own madness and his holiness. Such is the case of a sinful spirit, and therefore a God ofjustice may pro- nounce upon it, and execute the eternal misery. SECTION II. The strongest and most plausible Objections against the Perpetuity of Hell answered. I think these reasons, which have beengiven, are suf- ficient to justify the ministers of thegospel in represent- ing the punishments of hell as everlasting ` But man, sinful man does norlove to hear of this dreadful perpe-, tuity of hell : They would fain find some period to these sorrows, they search on every side if there be no way for escape from this prison, no door of mercy, no cranny of hope left among the reasons of things, or among the at- tributes, or the transactions of the blessed God : And they are ever proposing some methods to cut short this eternity, which scripture .ascribes to the punishment of impenitent sinners. I shall endeavour therefore here to give a fair and plain answer to the strongest objections against this doctrine which I ever yet have met with. Objection I. The first objection is raised from a criti- cism on the words of scripture. The Greek and Hebrew words, say they, which we translate eternal and. everlast- ing, where the torments of hell are mentioned, are not always used for proper and complete eternity, they some- times signify only a long duration : So God gave Abra- ham and his seed the land of Canaan " for an everlast- ing possession," Gen. xvii. 8. but now the Turks pos- sess it. " Several of the statutes of the levitical lawwere said to be everlasting," Lev. xvi. 34. But they are all abolished in the gospel. " The sons of Aaron had an everlasting priesthood conferred upon them," Evod. xl. 15. But this office is cancelled by the kingdom of the Messiah, and finished for ever. Besides, let it be remembered, says the objectors, that the Hebrew word t:D ur Olam, and the Greek Ago and Aiwves signify only the various ages or periods of time which belong to the duration of creatures, or to some
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