which for the purity and foundness of them may be call'd Gold, Silver or Precious Stones; or those which for the falfhood and corruption of them may be call'd Wood, Hay or Stubble: I fay, if any Man build upon this Foundation of Jefus Chrift,

(13) Whatever be built, every Man's work Shall be made manifeft. For the laft day hall declare it, it fhall then be certainly known, of what Nature foever it be, whether Orthodox or otherwife. Because it shall be reveal'd by a very ftrict examination, fuch as for the fearching Nature of it may be call'd Fire; and the Fire fhall try every Man's Work, every Doctrine which he has Built upon the foundation of Jefus Chrift, of what fort foever it is.

(14) Now if any Man's work abide which be bath built thereupon, if he has fincerely Preach'd Gofpel-truths, and built you up, not in nice and fubtile notions, but in faving knowledge, he shall receive a reward for fo doing.

A

(15) But if any Man's work fhall be burnt, if he has taught unfound and groundlefs Doctrines, fuch as cannot endure a ftrict teft, and may for the badness of them be call'd Wood, Hay or Stub ble, which cannot withstand the Fire; If I fay, he has taught fuch Doctrines, he shall fuffer lofs, even the lofs of all that reward which is laid ug for fincere and Orthodox Preachers of the Word; but yet, if he did this ignorantly, as I am willing to believe of him, he himself fhall be fav'd. But he fhall not be fav'd without a great deal of dif ficulty: he fhall be fav'd, 'tis true; yet so as by

Fire.

Being fav'd fo as by Fire is a proverbial speech, which denotes efcaping very narrowly or with the

W

utmost

utmoft danger. Accordingly 'tis said, I have overthrown fome of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and re were alfo in the greateft danger of being overthrown, for I fav'd you as a firebrand pluckt out of the burning, Amos 4. 11. Thus alfo God faies, Is not this a brand pluckt out of the fire? Zech. 3. 2. that is, Is not this Jeru falem a place which I dearly iove, and which I have fav'd from deftruction, even when fhe was in the greatest danger of it? Thus again, Others Save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, Jude 21. that is, fnatching them out of the greatest danger of deftruction. The fame expreffion is us'd in the very fame fenfe by many Heathen Writers.

There are, I confefs, diverfe other expofitions of this Text; but I have given that which in my opinion feems moft probable. Now if this interpretation be true, then it is apparent, that the Apoftle did not dream of Purgatory, when he wrote it. However, whether this be the true interpretation, or no; I fhall fhew,

Secondly, That thefe Words cannot poffibly denote a Purgatory Fire. For 1. This fire is defign'd for the trial of Men's works, and not for the torment of their Souls: whereas the fire of Purgatory is faid to be defign'd to torment the Souls of thofe, whofe works have been already try'd and approv'd. 2. This fire is to try every Man's work, even those that Build Gold, as well as thofe that Build Hay and Stubble: whereas the fire of Purgatory is not fuppos'd to try every Man's work; because fome Perfons do never go to Purgatory. 3. 'Tis faid, the Man fhall efcape, not by fire, but

as by fire whereas thofe that believe a Purgatory cannot fay, that a Man fhall efcape fo as by fire, but muft affert that a Man fhall efcape by fire, R 4

thar

Part II. that is, by enduring the torments of Purgatory. And confequently, this Text do's not speak of a real fire of Purgatory, but must be understood to fpeak of a very narrow efcape, an escape fo as by fire.

11. St. Paul, that he might declare the Univerfal Sovereignty of Chrift, faies that God alfo bath bighly exalted him, and given him a Name which is above every name; that at the Name of Jefus every knee fhou'd bow, of things in Heaven, and things in Earth, and things under the Earth, Philip. 2. 9, 10. Now our Adverfaries think, that the things under the Earth muft denote the Souls in Purgatory. But why may not the things under the Earth fignify the Dead? Or why may they not fignify the Devils in Hell, who are fubject to our Savior, and are forc'd to acknowledge his Dominion? The Apoftle defign'd only to fhew that Chrift was Lord of all Creatures, in what place foever they be, whether above or below; all are his, and all fhall obey his power. As well the Dead, whom he fhall raife hereafter; or the Devils whom he has conquer'd by his Death: as the Angels in Heaven, and Men that are at prefent alive upon Earth.

'But I confefs, I think it much more probable, that the things under the Earth do fignify the Dead that lie in their Graves. Becaufe St. Paul feems to refer to the words of Ifaiah, where the Lord faies, unto me every knee fhall bow, chap. 45. 23. and he uses thefe very words of Ifaiah for the proof of a Refurrection, faying, for we fall all ftand before the Judgment feat of Chrift; for it is written, as I live, faith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, Rom. 14. 10, 11. From whence it is plain, that the Dead are part of those whofe knees

fhall

fhall bow to God; and confequently, fince these are the words of the fame St. Paul, why fhou'd we not think that he includes the dead, when he faies, at the Name of Jefus every knee shall bow, both of things in Heaven and things on Earth, and things under the Earth.

12. 'Tis faid that Chrift went to Preach to the Spirits in Prifon, 1 Pet. 3. 19. that is, fay our Adverfaries, to the Souls in Purgatory. But there are two interpretations of this difficult Text, each of which is very probable, and overthrows our Adverfaries argument from it.

First, it may be faid, that by the Spirits in Prifon are meant fuch Perfons, as are Prisoners to their lufts, and in bondage to their fins. 'Tis plain, that the Scriptures do often speak after this manner. Thus Chrift is faid to bring the Prisoners out of Prifon, and them that fit in darkness out of the Prifon-boufe, Ifa. 42. 7. He shall let go my Captives, faies God by the fame Prophet, chap. 45. 13. and he fhall fay to the Prifoners, go forth, chap. 49. 9. and proclaim Liberty to the Captives, and the opening of the Prison to them that are bound, chap. 61. I. Now Chrift did not deliver the World from any real Prifon, but from the Prison of their lufts and the flavery of the Devil, by the Preaching of the Gofpel; and 'tis acknowledged on all hands, that thefe words must be fo explain'd. Sin is alfo reprefented as a state of Captivity. Thus we read of the Cords of a Man's fins, Prov. 5. 22. and of the Bond of iniquity, Acts 8. 23. and of Serving fin, Rom. 6. 6. and of fin's having dominion over us, verfe 14. and of being taken Captive by the Devil at his Will, 2 Tim. 2. 26. And accordingly the Apoftle's words may be thus Paraphras'd, Our Lord was quickned by the Spirit, even by that Spirit,

by

by which he went alfo and preach'd to thofe impious wretches of the old World, who were inflav'd by their Lufts, even the Spirits fhut up in the prifon of Sin; thofe I mean, which were fometime difobedient, viz. at that time, when once the Long-Suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, &c.

Secondly, By the Spirits in prifon may be understood the Souls of thofe who are now tormented in the other World, for the crimes committed by them during their Life-time; particularly fuch as wou'd not repent at the preaching of Righteous Noah, and are now punifh'd in Hell for their difobedience. For 'tis plain, that Hell is often reprefented as a prifon in the Holy Scriptures; particularly by St. Peter, who wrote thefe controverted Words, and fpeaks of the Apoftate Angels being caft down to Hel, and deliver'd into chains of dark-.. nefs, 2 Pet. 2.4. And St. Jude faies of God, that the Angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he bath referved in everlasting chains under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day, verf. 6. And accordingly the Apostle's Words may be thus paraphrafed, Our Lord was quickned in the Spirit, by which also he went and preached (in the days of Noah) to the Spirits now in prifon, even in the prifon in Hell; thofe Spirits, I fay, which fometime were disobedient, when once the long-fuffering of God, &c.

Now if either of these Interpretations be admit ted, then what becomes of the Spirits in Purgatory? Why must we explain the Words after fuch a fanciful Manner; and that without any neceffity, and against the highest probability? But fuppofing that we have not fufficient reafon to admit of either of thefe Interpretations (which neverthelefs Our Adverfaries will never be able to prove) yet