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THE
EtERNAL,
DURATION
OF
FDISG.
RT1tc.
end?
Can
ye
imagine
that
such vain
tidings, such sooth
Mpg
flattery,
will
ever melt
them to
repentance
and
love,
when all the
grace
of
the
gospel, mingled
with the
-
blood
and tears
of
the
Son
of
God
will
,not
do
it? Would
not
this
manner
of
preaching rather encourage
then
to
run
on
still in
their
rebellions,
and
make them more regard
-
less
of
their
highest
interest?
Would it
not tempt
them
to
give
a
loose to
their"
vilest
inclinations, and
all
the
flagrant and abominable enormities
of
their
own
hearts,
when they
shall
be
told
that
these punishments,
which
the
Bible calls
everlasting, shall one
day come
to
.an
end?
Besides,
I
believe
it has
been observed
in
every age,
that
the
fears.
of
this worm which
never
dies,.
and
this
eternal
fire which shall
never
be
quenched,
have
been
made
abundantly
useful
in
the
providence
of God
to
lay
a powerful restraint
on the
unruly
vices
of
some sinners,
who have
never
been awakened and drawn into saving
penitence, or reclaimed
to
a
life
of
sincere holiness
;
and
if
the
restraint of
this
terror
were
taken
away,
how much
more
would all
iniquity abound
among those
who
have
no inward principle
of
goodness?
Let
us
proceed
then
to preach
the same
terror
which
the
blessed
Jesus
thought
not
unworthy
of
his
ministry;
and
may
the
providence,
and the grace
of
God
give success
to
our
labours,
both
for
the
restraining
the
extravagant
vices
of
the
Wicked,
for the saving conversion
of
many sinners, and for
a
guard
and
restraint
to- the
young and
wavering
chris-
tians.
*
The
late Doctor Thomas
Burnet, in
his
Latin
Treatise
of the
ra
State
of the
Dead,
and those who rise
again,"
opposes the doctrine of
the
eter-
nity
of future punishments, and
shews who
of the ancient fathers
seems
to
be
of the
same opinion with
him:
but
he
tells-
us,
that
these
ancient
fathers,
when
they treated of
this subject, often gave the same advice
to
others,
which
he himself
gives in
these
words.
"
Whatsoever
you
deter-
mine
within
yourself and
in
your
own
breast, concerning these punish-
ments,
whether they
are
eternal
or
no,
yet
you
ought
to
use
the
common
-
doctrine and
the
common
language
when you
preach
or speak to
the
people, especially
those
of the
lower
rank,
who are
ready
to
run head-
long into
vice,
and are
to be
restrained
from evil only by
the
fear
of
punishment: and
even
among
good
christians there are infants
to
be
nourished with
milk;
nor
is
their diet
to be
rashly changed,
lest
through
intemperance they
fall into diseases.
.
nd he adds
in
the margin,
"
Whosoever shall
translate
these senti-
ments
into our mother tongue,
I
shall
think
it
was done
with an evil de-