Seel TetE M'OaLD TO COME. not suppose that the blessed God, and our Lord Jestis Cln ist, designed and intended that mankind should believe the pains and punishments of hell will he eternal ? 'C'an I then be censured for endeavouring to establish and promote the awful doctrine which both God the Father and his Son intended should be believed, and by which they designed to guard both the law and the gos- pel ? A doctrine which was left on record to deter sinners front the paths of sin and destruction, and to awaken the souls and consciences of men to repentance ? On the other hand, can those teachers be approved of God or good men, whose evident design is to lead the world to disbelieve this solemn "and terrible warn- ing of the great God ? Let us proceed in these enquiries, and address ourselves to those wicked and tniserable creatures, who are actually suffering this divine vengeance. Let us ask them, how they approve of this sort of preaching which withholds from the eyes antl ears, and consciences of men, the most dreadful circumstance of these horrors? Will any of the damned wretches of hell thank us for hiding so dreadful a part of these miseries from them ? Will they bless us for lessening the threatened curses and indignation of a God ? sr No, says the condemned wretch, those preachers are worthy of lay curses and not toy thanks, who abated these terrors of Me Lord, and shortened his threatened punishment'; for they persuaded me to hope there would be an end of my misery, and thereby tempted me to venture upon those sifts which I should have renounced with abomination, had I believed the words of God, and these everlasting torments. O cursed and cruel preachers, who by sòftening.and curtailing the sentence of eternal misery, -gave a sort of licence to may wickedness, and broke one of the strongest bars that restrained me from sinning ! "fis by this sort of flattery they paved my way down to hell, and have brought me into this prison, this eternal anguish whence there is no release *." Say, ye who preach that the gates of hell shall one day be opened to let out the prisoners, ye whó tell sinners there is a time of release for then), say, do you expect to fright them out of their sins by- lessening their fear of God and -his wrath to come ? Do you hope to bring obstinate and impenitent rebels to a more speedy remorse for sin, and to begin a life of holiness, by persuading them that these terrors of God shall have an end ? 'e Some of the ancients have callei those preschen, who shorten the pains of hell the merciful or compassionate doctors : And Doctor Thomas Burnet calls those merciless or uncompassionate, who preach the eternity of it : But I think -it will appear one day, that those are truly the compassionate writers and teachers, who most effectually affright and prevent-Men from sin and damnation.; and those who have given wicked men hope of their release from hell, will be in danger of being Charged with smoothing their wáy'to this misery, by sof,ening esa terrors of it.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=