What then remains, but that we look out for fome more competent and fufficient caufe of these general Notions and Apprehenfions of Mankind, as to future punishments? And what can this be, but either fome inward Divine impreflion of these things upon the minds of all Men: or fome outward Divine Revelation, for them (and, if either, much more both, of thefe: who shall dare to doubt the truth of what God thus teacheth?) or at leaft, fuch a fuitableness and agreeablenefs in the nature of the things themfelves, to the nature and reafon of Mankind, as has made them univerfally acknowledg'd and receiv'd by them? And this brings me to confider the Reasonableness of believing that there fhall be future punishments for the wicked, or the grounds which we have from reafon for the belief of them. But this, together with the Inferences which might be made from what has been already faid, muft be the Subject of another Difcourfe. Serm. 2. Serm. 3. SERMON III Preach'd before King WILLIAM at The Certainty of Hell-Torments, from Principles of Nature and Reason. Matthew 25. 41.. Then shall he fay unto them on the left hand, depart from me, ye curfed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels. I Now come to confider the Arguments, which we have from ReaTon, for the belief of a future state of punishment for the wicked. And And here, allowing that there is a God (and I do not pretend to argue about future punishments, with fuch as will not allow that) I mean, à Being of Infinite Holiness, Justice Wifdom, Power, and, in fhort, of all poffible Perfections: and the Creator of Man, and of this World in which we live, I think it will be no very difficult matter to establish the belief of future punishments, from Reason, upon pretty clear and fure grounds. That fuch a God as this can punith Sinners, in another life, is evident at first fight, and is deny'd by no body: and therefore the only question is what he will do: and I hope foon to fhow, that we want not store of good Arguments, to induce us firmly to believe that he will do this. Serm. All the Arguments drawn from Reason to prove the Immortality of the Soul, are implicitly and in effect, fo many plain proofs of the certainty of future punishments for the wicked. For, befides that our Reason is not able to conceive any fo wife and noble End, for which God should E 4 have 3. M have given Men immortal Souls, as Serm. 3. that he might thereby have an oppor tunity of rewarding or punishing them in another life, according to their behaviour in this. Besides this, I fay, it is evident from the nature of the thing it felf, that if the Souls of wicked Men fhall exift at all in another life, their very existence muft become a punishment to them, they must neceffarily exift in mifery and torment. Some Torments will naturally arife, from that very frame and difpofition of mind, full of malice, envy, anger, and perhaps vain hankerings after bodily and fleshly Enjoyments, which wicked Men hall carry with them into another Life. Others, from those ftinging Reflections, which they fhall there make, upon their paft folly, bafenefs, ingratitude,undutifulness and unfaithfulness to God, and their own Reafon which, however they may here make a shift in great measure to divert, or at leaft very much to alleviate the fmart of, by carnal and fenJual Pleafures, they will there find (where their Souls fhall be no longer imprifon'd in fuch bodies as they now arc, which obftruct their natural ope rations, 3. rations, and help mightily to cloud and obfcure their notions of things) Serm. 3; cannot poffibly be avoided: and that too in their full force, with the most penetrating and cutting Aggravations imaginable. And then farther, tho' we should fuppofe, without any reafon, that God will not immediately inflict pofitive Punishments upon Sinners in a future State, yet it is plainly against all reafon to fuppofe, that God will give them any affurance that he will never do this: and if not, they, confcious to themselves of their own demerits, muft conftantly be under the most dismal Fears and Apprehenfions of being feverely punish'd, by the more immediate Hand of God, one time or other. And all this put together, even tho' we fhould fuppofe nothing more (which yet, before I have done, I hope to prove we have great reafon to do) will make up a very fubftantial ftock of mifery and torment, for wicked Men in another Life. All the Arguments, that prove the certainty of future rewards for good Men in another World, do like 1 |