ment, than for you. Here is a Difference then will be made by the Lord in the time of the Judgment; and fo confequently there will be a Difference of Punishment in Hell. Again, Luke xii. 47. And that Servant which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his Will, Thall be beaten with many Stripes. But be that knew not, and did commit things worthy of Stripes fhall be beaten with few Stripes, v. 48. This Text is very full for the Proof of the Point, that the Lord will meafure out the Punishment, according to their Works. Because the Punishment of the wicked comes in a way of Wages, Merit or Defert. Rom. vi. 23. for the Wages of Sin is Death; but the Gift of Ged is Eternal Life, (Or Eternal Life is the Gift of God) through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Heaven and Eternal Glory is given unto the Saints in a way of Grace; but Hell and eternal Mifery will come to poor Sinners in a way of Debt or juft Defert. Thus we fee how God will judge, or punish each particular Perfon according to their Works. But thofe who fhall be the leaft punished, will have as much as they can bear; for the Wrath of God, due to the leaft Sin will be heavy; but oh, how heavy will the Punishment be of fuch who fin againft great Light, or perifh under the ufe of Gofpel Means. It is the Hypocrite in Sion that will tremble, as having the hottest Place in Hell affign'd unto them.

Verfe 12. And the Sea gave the Dead which were in it; and Death and Hell delivered up the Dead which were in them, and they were judged every Man according to their Works.

CI 19 Mmm

This

This further makes out what I have already expreffed, that that is to be underftood firft, which fometimes is mentioned laft, as here. In v. 12. We read that the Dead, fmall and great, ftood before God; which muft certainly take in the whole Number of all that is to be raised, and therefore were raised that they might fand before God; and yet we read after this, in v. 13. That the Sea gave up the Dead, which were in it, Death and Hell delivered up the Dead which were in them, which is onlya further Account given us, that by the Dead, fmall and great, muft be meant of the whole Number of all the Wicked, that ever have been, are, or fhall be; and therefore brought over again, with thefe Expreffions, and the Sea gave up the Dead which were in it, Death and Hell deliver'd up the dead which were in them. To fhew that though they lie at the bottom oftheSea,and have lain there never fo long, it may be for hundreds and thousands of Years; yet from thence they must come forth; the Sea will give up their Dead which were in it; having delivered up the Dead Bodies of the Saints before at the beginning of the thousand Years, when Chrift defcended from Heaven; it must now deliver up the rest of the Dead, which fhall be found therein, not one fhall be left behind.

By Death and Hell delivering up the Dead which were in them, I underftand, that as the Sea gave up their dead Bodies, fo Hell deliver'd up their Souls. Orthus, by Death delivering up its Dead, may be referr'd to the Body, because it is the Body that Death feizes upon and keeps under its Bars and Doors, until this time, in which it now muft deliver them up, for the Soul to be reunited to them again:

Wherefore

Wherefore it is that Hell muft deliver up its Dead alfo, that is the Soul which may be called their Dead, because their Souls, though they have Life in them, (being of an immortal Nature) yet they being the Subjects of Death, muft lie under the Pain of the fecond Death for ever: Hell may be faid to deliver up their Dead, when it delivers! their Souls to be re-united unto their Bodies." up This further proves what I faid before, that by the Dead Small and Great in this Place, múft be underftood of the Wicked, becaufe Death and Hell deli vers them up, the one the Body, and the other the Soul.

And they were judged every Man according to their Works. This ftill fhews us, that the Sea giving up their Dead, Death and Hell delivering up the Dead which were in them, is in order to the Judgment, and therefore are faid to be judged, every Man according to their Works. And though none but the Men are expreffed in thefe Words, yet the Woman is included in or under the Man. As for Infants, or fuch that die in Infancy, though they are not expreffed in particular, yet it is certain that they muft all arife too, and may be fignified in the Word fall. Because there will be none fo fmall but what muft rife to Judgment, the manner how God will proceed in judging of Infants is too great a Secret for us to pry into, for where the Scriptures have not a Mouth to speak, we must not have an Ear to bear. Our Duty, I humbly conceive in this Refpect, is to think charitably of thofe who die in Infancy, according to thofe Words of Chrift, Suffer little Children to come anto me, and forbid

them

t

them not, for of fuch is the Kingdom of Heaven Which Words do fhew, that the Kingdom of God doth confift, and is made up of Infants, as well as of adult Believers; and therefore by the Word fmall, if applied unto Infants in this Place, I ra ther understand them to be confidered in the firft or having part in the first Resurrection, though not expreffed until afterwards; but if applyed to the Wicked, as this laft Judg ment is, then the Words Small and Great takes in all Sorts, Ranks, and Degrees of Sinners, whe ther old or young, High or Low, Rich or Poor; these must all stand before God; to wit the Lord Jefus Chrift, that great and awful Judge, when he fhall fit upon this white Throne, that they may be judged every Man according to their Works or what fhall be found written in the Books, that fo a righteous Sentence may be given, unto every Perfon according to their Deferts..

Verfe 14. And Death and Hell were caft into the Lake of Fire. This is the fecond Death."

Thefe Words may feem to be a very ftrange Expreffion, how Death and Hell Jhould be caft into the Lake of Fire; whereas this Lake can be understood of no other than Hell it felf, and how Death and Hell is to be cast into Hell, may look fomewhat my fterious; but this being the Conclufion, or winding up of the laft Judgment, I understand the meaning to be, that poor and undone Sinners, who are the Subjects of Death and Hell, having had their Trial, and found guilty, are therefore caft into the Lake of Fire. So that by Death and Hell being

caft

caft into the Lake, muft be meant of all the wicked and ungodly who fhall be found to be the Subjects of Death and Hell: These after their Trials are over, fhall be caft, Soul and Body, into Hell.

Or by Death and Hell may fignify Sin with all its difmal Effects, Death and Hell being the Effects of Sin, for none had known what Death and Hell had meant, if it had not been for Sin. Wherefore

it is Sin, and all thofe upon whom it fhall be found in that Day, who fhall be caft into the Lake of Fire; Yea the Scum and Dregs of the whole Creation, fo far as it was defiled, will be as it were fwept off into this dreadful Lake, where Sin with all its direful Effects will be fettled upon its own Bafis. Zech. v. II.

This is the fecond Death; which indeed is an Eternal Death. The firft Death is only a Separation of the Soul from the Body for a time, and that which the Children of God have a part in as well as others The Second Death is a Separation of (not the Soul from the Body, but) both Soul and Body, (not for a time, but for ever) from the comfortable Prefence of God, Chrift, Saints and Eternal Glory; to lie among Devils and Damned Spirits in the Lake of Fire to all Eternity. This I understand to be the fecond Death; and a terrible Death it is: May the Lord in Mercy make poor Sinners fenfible of it, before they come into that Place of Torment. But this Death, all who are interested in Chrift, or have part in the firft Refurrection, are delivered from, and fhall never be touched with it.