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á1lsc.-XIII.
THE PUNISHMENTS IN HELL.
819
speak concerning creatures,
to
affirm
positively,
that
their
existence
shall
be
equal
to
that
of
the blessed
God,
especially
.
with
regard
>
to
the
duration of
their punish-
ment;
perhaps
this
sort
of
language,
may
carry
in
it
something beyond what we are
called to
discourse about,
at
least
in
this mortal
state, and therefore
such
compari-
sons are more
safely
omitted.
But
I
would
remark here
still,
that
these
AiwveS
or
ages
both
of
reward and
punishment, which are
pronounced
concerning saints or
sinners, do
but
begin in
their perfec-
tion
at the
end
of
this world
;
and thence it
follows,
that
they must
enter
far into the
eternity.
of
God's existence
yet
to come
:
And
the
saints
will
be
made happy,
and
the
sinners
will be
punished
for long ages
after
the end
of
this world, and
all
the
Alcoves
or
ages
of
it.
And
though
God,
by
his
Spirit, has
not
been
pleased to make this
comparison
expressly,
nor assert our duration
commen-
surate
with his
own,
yet
he
is
pleased
to
express the
du-
ration of
the
punishment of
sinners
in
the same
common.
language,and
phrases, whereby
he
expresses
his
own
du-
ration, and the
happiness
of
the saints
;
and
hereby he
encourages
us
to express these.
punishments
by
the same
Common
words
in
our
language
too,
rather
than venture
to
cut
them
short
by
a greek
or
hebrew criticism;
without
any divine
warrant or
necessity
*.
Now are there any
sinners
so
void
of
understanding,
of
so
daring
and
desperate
a mind,
as
to
venture their
eternal
all
upon
such
a poor
criticism
of
words
?
Even
upon
supposition
these
terms
in
the greek and hebrew
might
signify any long
duration short
of eternity;
yet
there
is
a
terrible
hazard
in
confining them
to
this
sense,
since
they
denote a
proper
eternity,,
when
they describe
the
duration of
the blessed
God
;
and
I think
we
may
add
also,
the
duration of
the happiness
of
the saints.
Besides,
let
it
be
remembered,
that
the
other expres-
sions
of scripture,
which
denote
and
pronounce the
per
-
4'
The
word
aaib+,
perpetual,
is
applied
to
the chains
of devils; Jude
verse
6. as
well
as
to
God
;
Rom, i. 20.
and
however
the
word
aim,
and
auuvss
may
be
used for ages or periods in this world,
yet
aicayss
TWv
exLcev,
or
ages
of
ages,
is
never applied
in
all
the New Testament to any
thing
but God or Christ,
or.
the
'blessedness
of saints, or the punishment
of
sinners
;
and therefore
we
may
well
conclude,
that
all
these
four
run into
an
eternity
beyond all the supposed periods of
thisAorld,
and
far
beyond
all our
conceptions.