cond death.

And whofoever was not found written

in the book of life, was caft into the lake of fire.

Rev. xxi. 8. Sinners, &c. fhall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is, & Davaros & deuTepos, the fecond death.'

The three laft texts explain what is meant by the fecond death. It confists in Death himself, and Hades, or the state of the dead, and all who are not written in the book of life, being caft into the lake of fire; which is figuratively faying, that they fhall be abolished, or that there fhall be an end put to death, to the state of the dead, and to there being any who are not written in the book of life. For when Death

into fire that must

mean nothing else

When death is an

himself is represented as being caft cause him to die, the figure can than his being totally destroyed. nihilated, the state of the dead is destroyed alfo. Now fince the figure neceffarily implies the extinction of death, (which is alfo afferted, Rev. xxi. 4, in plain language, ὁ θάνατος εκ εσθαι ετι,) and of the fate of the dead; it muft alfo include, in this connection, the extinction of the state of those who are not written in the book of life. For fuch as are in this state are mentioned as being likewife caft into the lake of fire. Thefe figurative expreffions, however, cannot be extended to the annihilation of finners themselves; fince this would be irreconcileable with the feveral plain affertions of the Apoftle Paul. Then, fays he, 1 Cor. xv. 24 to 26, will be the end, when Chrift fhall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father;

when he fhall have done away all rule, and all authority and power, (ie. all his enemies, fin and death;) for he must reign till he have put all enemies under his feet. The laft enemy that shall be deftroyed is death. (the wages of fin, Rom. vi. 23, confequently - fin itself, James i. 15.) and swallowed up in victory, ver 54, 55. Jefus Chrift hath abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light, by the gofpel; 2 Tim. i. 10. But if this fecond death be eternal, or reduce the subjects of it to annihilation, death is not abolished; it is the conqueror, inftead of being vanquished; it triumphs, but is not destroyed.

Thefe plain texts, therefore, according to the fourth rule of interpretation, will not permit the figure to imply the extinction, or eternal death, of the perfons of those who are not written in the book of life, but limit it to the state of fuch On the contrary, the nature of the figure itself, and the plain expreffion with regard to death, in Rev. xxi. 4, require the figure to be interpreted of the total extinction of death, and confequently of the state of the dead.

Nor is it any objection to this explanation, that it interprets the fame figure differently in the fame fentence, when applied to different fubjects. For even plain phrafes and words fometimes have different meanings in the fame fentence. We have noticed this with refpect to the doxology, Rev. v. 14, in page 13; with regard to avos, in pages 18, 19; and refpecting feveral other words, page 19. The following are used firft literally, then figuratively; voμos,

Rom. vii. 23; σωμα, 1 Cor. xii. 12, 13, πλαξ, 2 Cor. iii. 3; auπw, 2 Cor. iv. 6. In 1 Cor, iii. 16, vas is ufed figuratively; and in the 17th verfe, which continues the argument, it occurs firft figuratively, then literally, and is afterwards elliptical in a figurative fenfe. In the fame verfe, alfo, apa is first used figuratively, and then literally.

As it is called the fecond death, it is natural to conclude that it will bear fome analogy to the first death. Now, from the first death there will be a refurrection to life. It is reasonable, therefore, to fuppofe, that from the second death, after the firft refurrection, there will likewife be a fecond refurrection to another state of being. Then mortality will be swallowed up by life. 2 Cor. v. 4.

The second death is reprefented as being effected by fire, Rev. xx. 6, 14. The wicked are compared to fuel for fire, to chaff, tares, withered branches, &c. Matt. iii. 12; xiii. 30, 40, 42; Luke iii. 17; John xv. 6; Ifa. ix. 13; xiii. 11, 12; xlvii. 14. Now, fuch fuel neither continues burning without end, nor is annihilated. Its ftate is changed by the action of the fire, but it is not reduced to nothing. Death effected by fire, therefore, does not accord with the idea either of eternal torment, or of total extinction of being. But it agrees with the notion of a change to greater purity being effected by it.

The fecond death is mentioned in the Chaldce paraphrafes, Deut. xxxiii. 6; Ps. xlix. 11; Ifa. lxv. 6,15; xxii. 14; Jer. li. 39, 57.

SECTION VIII. Φθείρω.

1 Cor. iii. 17. If any man, eps, corrupt the temple of God; God, eg, will corrupt him. See Whitby's note. Unlefs he repent. Eng. Trans. "If any man defile the temple of God, him will God deftroy." Si quis hunc coetum, Deo facrum, doctrina pariter ac exemplo depravat. Schleufner.

SECTION IX. Φθορα.

Gal. vi. 8. He that foweth to the flesh fhall reap, bogav, corruption.

2 Pet. ii. 12. Εν τη φθορά αύλων καλαφθαρησονται, fhall be deftroyed by their own corruption; or, will be destroyed in their corruption of themfelves. See ver. 19. Newcome. Will bring upon themselves the greatest mifery. Schleufner.

What is vitiated or putrified, is neither immortal, nor is it annihilated. It neither undergoes eternal torment, nor extinction of being.

SECTION Χ. Κολάσις.

The word is derived from xoλaw, to punish, which comes from the Hebrew, 2, to restrain, to keep back. The verb occurs in the New Teftament only in the two following paffages.

Acts iv. 21. So when they had further threatened them, (the Apostles,) they released them, not find18, το πως κολάσωνται αύλες, how they might

punish them, on account of the people. The punisha ment intended to have been inflicted appears from the 17th verfe, and chap. v. 28, 40, to have been defigned to change their conduct, and engage them to refrain from preaching Jefus and the refurrection.

2 Pet. ii. 9. The Lord knoweth how to deliver those who are godly out of temptation, or trial, and to referve, adixes, those that are unrighteous, to the day of judgment, noλaCoμeves, to be punished. If this be interpreted of punishment in the future life, by the fifth rule of interpretation, we cannot argue from it. If it be underftood of temporary punish ment, it cannot extend farther than to death.

The fubftantive, xoλaris, occurs in the New Testament only in the two following instances.

Matt. xxv. 46. And these fhall go away, εIS xoxaow awviov, into everlasting punishment, or lasting chastisement, or painful chastisement for an age.

1 John iv. 18. Because fear hath noλao, torment, or punishment, as Elzner, l'Enfant, and Wakefield, tranflate it. Lamb. Bos fays, xoλa015 is sometimes used for nwλucis, obstaculum.

In the first of the above texts, xoλars relates to the future punishment of the wicked; therefore, by the fifth rule of interpretation, we cannot argue from it. In the fecond, the fenfe is not fufficiently clear to decide the fubject of the prefent difcuffion, though it has nothing adverse to the idea of painful chastisement. For a full and fatisfactory