Sin, in the nature and tendency of it, hath an evil and mas lignity in it which paffeth all conception. In its nature it is a fubverfion of the divine law and government, a contempt of infinite majesty and authority; robs God of his glory, Chrift of his purchase, and immortal fouls of eternal life; and in the finally difobedient, operates an eternal reproach to the govern ment of God, which cannot be removed but in their suffering a punishment fully adequate to the evil of it. Can a temporary punishment be adequate? Who will avow it? We are finful and partial, finite and incompetent judges in a matter fo much above us: we cannot comprehend the immensity of the Divine Majefty, the infinity of his authority and of the crea tures obligations, the worth of eternal life in his favour, of re◄ deeming blood and the great falvation contemned, the dignity of his government, the importance and glory of his everlasting kingdom in all the arrangements, connexions and defigns of it, nor any one principle of a decifive judgment, whereupon we can poffibly determine, by reafon, that a temporary punishment can be adequate to the evil of fin: But to our best apprehenfions the contrary is apparent, Wherefore, when God, the great Governor and Judge, who has perfect knowledge of it, denounces the wages of fin is eternal death, it is perfectly credible; it is sealed with infallibility. I wave the difcuffion of the fubject of the infinite evil and ill demerit of fin, because it appears needlefs: it hath been maintained, by many writers, with arguments which have never been answered, and which, to me, appear unanswerable. Until fomething is adduced against it more than hath been offered, we may reft in it as decided. I fhall only fuggeft two things more to evince the credibility of the infinite ill demerit of fin, and the everlasting punishment of it in the finally disobedient. One is, that a temporary punishment is inadequate, infufficient, and cannot anfwer

It is objected, a finite creature cannot commit an infinite offence, to render him deferving an eternal punishment. This is eafily faid: But where is the proof of it? It is not self-evident, and we demand the evidence of it; they cannot prove it. The finite capacity of the creature is no proof; but the infinite inferiority and obligations of the finite creature, is one thing that renders the contempt of infinite Majefty, and difobedience to the infinite authority of our adorable Creator and fupreme Lord, fo infi, nitely vile and heinous. Is not all fin infinitely offenfive to God? the abo

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anfwer the purpose of a final, capital punishment in the government of God. It hath been already noted, " that temporary fanctions and motives are altogether incongruous in nature, unequal in dignity and importance, and inadequate in energy, to the nature and fupport of an everlasting kingdom, and to the design of illustrating an infinitely perfect government. We add, a temporary, finite punishment only, of the finally disobedient,

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mination which his foul hateth? Who can deny it? If fo, is it not because there is an infinite evil and offence in it? Do not the finally impenitent and difobedient practically ftand in the juftification of their iniquities? And may not the Supreme Judge of the world, juftly bear an eternal testimony of indignation against fuch offences and hateful characters? Men, finite as their capacities are, may commit fuch crimes against the state as treason, robbery, murther, &c. for which they may juftly be forever cut off (by capital execution) from the kingdoms and states of this world: why then may they not commit fuch crimes against God and his government, for which they may as righteously be eternally cut off and excluded the kingdom of God and the fociety of the bleffed, in a state of punishment? For if the autho rity of God, the dignity, neceffity and excellence of his government, and the glory and importance of his kingdom, as far exceeds that of the states and kingdoms of this world, as fuch an eternal punishment exceeds their capital executions, which none can deny; then fuch a punishment may be as wife, righteous and neceffary in the divine government, as all allow thofe to be which are executed by men: And the character of finite in the objection hath no weight in it. It is alfo objected, the tranfgreffion of a moment, and of this fhort life in this world, cannot deserve an eternal nishment. The force of the objection lies in the fhortness of the time which the criminal hath lived, and in which the crime was committed. But this circumftance is comparatively of no weight in judging of the demerit of crimes. A young murtherer of twenty years old, muft as certainly fuffer death, by the laws of God and man, as one of fixty or eighty years old, although he hath not lived half the time: And one who kills inftantly, as another who is a longer time in perpetrating murther. It is the malignity of crimes in their nature and tendency which doth determine their ill demerit, and not the circumstance of time. A robber commits murther---he doeth it in an inftant, by a blow, the thruft of a fword, or a ball from a piftol through the head or heart: A trefpaffer goes into his neighbour's orchard, robs his pear-tree of fix or eight bushels of excellent pears, it takes him fome hours to shake off, gather up and carry away the pears, and compleat his trefpafs---Can any one doubt which of thefe crimes is greatest and deferves the greater punishment? According to the objection, the criminality and ill defert of the trefpafs exceeds that of the murther by fome hundreds of degrees, in proportion to the length of time in the perpetration of it; whereas by the common fenfe and fuffrage of all men, the murther is far the greater crime and deferves a much feverer punishment; and their judgment is founded in the malignity of it, and in

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dient, cannot illuftrate the character of God and his perfect government, in higheft glory. For fuch a punishment cannot illuftrate his immenfe Majefty, his infinite authority, the infinite dignity and importance of his government, together with his infinite holinefs, juftice and hatred of fin: nor finally, can it fupport and establish the fecurity, peace, dignity, honour and authority of his government, as fully and effectually as though their crimes had never been committed; "the important end of all final, capital punishment." This might be illuftrated feveral ways---one inftance is fufficient to evince it. If fin deferves only a temporary punishment, and no more justly can, or ever will be inflicted, then it feems the everlasting kingdom of the Moft High, can never be fettled and established in a ftate of eternal tranquility, fecurity and peace, in infinite dignity and glory, by any punishment that can be inflicted on the ene

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the nature and tendency of it. The circumftance of time in the commiffion of tranfgreffion having but little weight with them. This well grounded judgment of men is weighty, but we might appeal to an infinitely greater authority to fettle this point. No one fuppofes our first parents had lived long, or were long in the commiffion of the great tranfgreffion;

in eating the forbidden fruit" and yet for this one tranigreffion, fo circumftanced in respect to time, fin and mifery hath entered the world, a curfe is denounced upon the earth, and death intailed upon our firit parents and their numerous pofterity in all ages to the end of the world. A convincing evidence as fact, that we can make no judgment of the malignity of fin and punishment which a righteous God will inflict upon the finally difobedient, " from this circumftance of time," and the objection hath no folid weight in it, however it may serve to amufe, corrupt, and delude fuperficial minds. If fin hath not fuch infinite evil and ill demerit in it, as to incur an eternal forfeiture of the favour of God and bleflings of his kingdom, where is the neceffity of the great propitiation and eternal redemption of Chrift? And if it doth incur fuch a forfeiture, the wicked may righteoufly be forever excluded the kingdom of God: and is not fuch a punishment eternal ? To purfue the tenet we oppofe with one confequence more. If fin deferves but a temporary punishment, then, it feems, when this punishment is endured, law and justice are fatisfied, the prifon doors mult be opened, the everlafting chains knocked off, the prifoner fet at liberty under the protection of divine government. Whether they bow to the authority of it or not, upon this principle, they cannot be any longer holden; they must be fet at liberty (altho' they have all their malignity and implacability about them) to roam in the dominions of God, neither bleffed nor curfed, belonging neither to heaven or hell, or any known place in the univerfe. Is this poffible? what more contrary to reason, and the whole tenor of the revelation of God? the absurdity of it, must be manifeft to all men. In what ever way we trace this tenet, the consequential abfurdities of it meet us and stare us in the face.

mies of it. For no temporary punishment, however extreme and of long continuance, can change the hearts and nature of the wicked, into good fubjects; and after the devil and his angels and the finally impenitent from this world, have endured their temporary punishment, and all that (upon this principle) can be inflicted, they may remain the inveterate enemies and difturbers of it, throughout their immortal exiftence. The end of final capital punishment is totally defeated: And is it poffible, that fuch neceffity fhould arife from the nature of things, or the conftitution of the divine government, that the Moft High muft (in an ungovernmental manner, against the plain language of his revealed conftitution) either convert his implacable ene mies into good beings, or annihilate them, or never fettle his great kingdom in eternal peace, fecurity, dignity and glory? This whole refult and conclufion, is fo abhorrent and repugnant to the fupreme, fovereign, uncontroulable and infinitely perfect dominion of God, dictated to us by reafon and the revelation of God, as fhews the principle that inferrs it, to be abfurd and impoffible to be true. Whereas that punishment which is requifite in the nature of things to anfwer not only thofe ends forementioned, but all the wife ends of the divine government and to the final establishment of it in eternal fecurity, peace, dignity and glory, muft be wife, holy, juft and good; and the execution of it, upon the implacable enemies of it, must be highly neceffary and important. A temporary punishment we have seen, is wholly inadequate and infufficient--that alone which is eternal, can and will do it; and therefore is credible. Which leads to the other particular to evince the credibility of this doctrine, viz. God hath defignedly taught us" the infinite ill demerit of fin in the everlasting punishment, which he hath denounced against the disobedient. Capital ftatutes and fanctions (in the reafon & nature of things) ought to be clear and determinate, both in refpect to those who are made liable to the penalty---and in the proportioning the penalty to the demerit of crimes. In this is difplayed the wifdom, righteousness and goodness of government. Thofe from heaven are perfect and without ambiguity: these ftatutes, fanctions and threatnings are defigned to teach men the evil, malignity and ill defert of the crimes; as well as the certainty of

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the punishment annexed, upon tranfgreffion and conviction. They do not speak in fuch ambiguous language, they shall endure fuch punishment whether right or wrong, whether proportioned to or beyond the demerit of the crimes, which would be to establish iniquity by law. But in the declaration of the punishment, we have defignedly fet forth the ill demerit of the crimes which fubject to it, to warn and guard against the commiffion of them. And when executed, it is, among other ends of government, that others feeing the great wickedness and great punishment of them " may hear and fear and do no more fo wickedly." Men may err in affixing punishment to crimes, but the Judge of all the earth cannot. Wherefore when he

denounceth, the wages of fin is eternal death, and that he will punish the disobedient with everlasting deftruction---he doth defignedly teach us, that in his unerring judgment, fuch is the evil, malignity and ill demerit of fin, that it doth as righteously deferve eternal death--as wages is due to the labourer; and that he to whom vengeance belongeth, will furely repay it to the finally disobedient. And thefe truths in connection, he teacheth us in a way most suitable to his immense wisdom, majesty and authority, and to the wife and great ends of his government. When, acting in character, as fupreme law-giver and judge of the world, he denounceth this tremendous punishment as the juft wages of fin, to the workers of iniquity. And these instructions and admonitions coming from fuch infallible, infinite authority, are defigned to convey the conviction and belief both of this ill demerit and punishment of fin, with deep fenfibility and energy to the hearts and confciences of men; to restrain from wickednefs and awaken them to repentance and life, Surely, these instructions fo given, are most highly credible, upon the ground of fuch authority only, if the feeming objections to our feeble reafon and understanding were a thousand times ftronger, than they, are made to appear. For no truth is more felf-evident, than" that the declarations of the God of truth, must be true. In the reafon of the thing, this muft conclude us, it fuperfedes and precludes all cavils and objections. To judge a priori, or any other ways, and stand upon our own reason against the authority of the universe---to fay it is incredible, exceeds all belief---what is it? but to op

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