1 Pet. i. 4. God hath regenerated us to a lively hope, by the refurrection of Jefus Christ from the dead, even to, aplaptov, an incorruptible inheritance. Schleufner, eternal happiness. Comp. 1 Pet. iii. 4.

Rom. ii. 7. To thofe who, by patient continuance in well-doing, feek for glory, and honour, and, αφθαρσίαν, aplagrav, incorruption, (Schleufner, eternal happiness,) (wny avov, everlasting life.

1 Cor. xv. 42. So is the refurrection of the dead; it is fown, ev ploga, in corruption, it is raised, aplaposa, in incorruption.

Εν

1 Cor. xv. 50. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does, plopa, corruption inherit, Taplapoiav, incorruption, or incorruptibility. Schleufner, eternal felicity.

1 Cor. xv. 53. This corruptible must put on, aplapolav, incorruption.

1 Cor. xv. 54. When this corruptible shall have put on, aplapolav, incorruption.

2 Tim. i. 10. Jefus Chrift, who hath abolished death, and brought life, and, apbaρsay, incorruption, or incorruptible life, (Schleufner, eternal felicity,) to light, by the Gospel.

Wifd. ii. 23. God created man, God created man, επ' αφθαρσια, to be immortal, and made him to be an image of his own eternity.

Wifd. vi. 18, 19. The giving heed unto wisdom's laws is the affurance, aplapoias, of incorruption; and, aplapota, incorruption makes us near to God.

SECTION XIII. My aдobavy, JavaTos, deftroyed; fhall not undergo δεύτερος θάνατος.

John vi. 50. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat of it, xa perq anolarn, and may not die, "i. e. finally, but be "raised again, and have everlasting life." Newcome. See xi. 25. 26.

John viii. 51. Verily, verily, I fay unto you, if a man keep my word, θανατον 8 μη θεωρησει εις τον awva, he fhall never fee death, i. e. after his refurrection, or for the age. Comp. vi. 58; xi. 25, 26; Luke xx. 35, 36.

John xi. 25. I am the refurrection and the life; he who believeth in me, και αποθανη ζησεται, though he die, yet he shall live.

John xi. 26. And whofoever liveth and believeth in me, 8 μη αποθανη εις τον αιώνα, hall not die for ever. Comp. Luke xx. 36.

४

Luke xx. 35, 36. Those who fhall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the refurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage; ετε γαρ αποθανειν ετι διναναι, neither, indeed, can they die any more; for they are like angels, and fons of God, being fons of the refurrection.

Obferve, that this peculiarly ftrong and pointed expreffion of our Lord is ufed in answering a question propofed to him by his learned and inveterate enemics, relative to the refurrection of mankind to a

future life. See alfo 1 Cor. xv. 54, 55; 2 Tim. i. 10; Rev. xxi. 4. By these plain texts, the doubtful and figurative must be interpreted. See rule fourth.

James v. 20. He who turneth a finner back from the error of his way, faveth a foul, ex Javars, from death, and covereth his multitude of fins. See Newcome's note; Sherlock's Serm. vol. iii. ferm. 6. Comp. Pl. xxxi. 1, faveth the foul, not from the firft death, but from the fecond death.

1 John iii. 14. We know that we have paffed over, εκ τε θανατε εις την ζωην, from death to life, because we love the brethren. From death to life eternal. Comp. John iii. 15; Matt. vii. 13, 19. 1 Cor. xv. 26. He must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet; the laft enemy, xaтapyαu JavaTos, who will be destroyed is death.

1 Cor. xv. 54. Then will come to pass the words. which are written, κατεπόθη ὁ θανατος εις νίκος, death is fwallowed up in victory.

Obferve, that the apoftle quotes this ftrong expreffion from the Old Teftament, towards the conclufion of the anfwer which he makes to queftions proposed by his opponents concerning the refurrection of the dead. The paffage is taken from Ifaiah xxv. 8, which Bishop Lowth tranflates, " He fhall utterly destroy death for ever;" and Mr. Dodfon, "death "will be fwallowed up for ever." See alfo Hofea xiii. 14. and comp. v. 57. From v. 51 to 58 fhould all be read to fhew, in the strongest manner, that the

future happiness of the righteous will be truly im-* mortal and without end. The phrafe, ver. 54, is further illuftrated by the following text.

2 Cor. v. 4. For we that are in this tabernacle, groan, being burdened; not that we wish to be uncloathed, but cloathed upon, we иαтαпоdй то dunlov υπο της ζωης, that mortality may be fwallowed up by life.

2 Tim. i. 10. The appearance of Jefus Chrift, καταργησαντος μεν τον θανατον, who hath abolithed death, and hath brought life and immortality, or in corruption, to light by the Gofpel.

This is introduced towards the beginning of a letter of serious exhortation to Timothy, a preacher of the Gofpel, as the principal doctrine of it. Comp. ver. I, 9, 11, 12.

Rev. xxi. 4. And God will wipe away all tears from their eyes, xxi & Davalos en cola ÈTI, &c. and death will be no more, &c. M. Antonin. in the paffage already quoted from him, ufes a parallel phrafe, μηκετι αυθι γινεςθαι, to exprefs total extintion.

Rev. ii. 10, 11. Be faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life. ..... He that overcometh, fhall not be hurt, ex T8 JavaTY TO SEUTEρy, by the fecond death.

Rev. xx. 6. Happy is he that hath part in the first refurrection; (i. e. either the glorious ftate of the church, or, a real reign with Chrift;) on fuch, o dev-' 7epos avajos, the fecond death hath no power.

In the foregoing enumeration of texts, fome of the terms and phrases used in them, when confidered apart by themselves, are not determinate as to the duration of future happiness. All these, however, are fairly and properly to be explained as fignifying everlasting duration, either by the words that are joined with them, by the fubject with which they are connected; by the many plain and unfigurative words and phrases which diftinctly affert the incorruptible nature, and the endless and immortal duration of the future life and happiness of the righteous, and that they cannot die any more; or by the general fpirit and tenor of the New Teftament; or by all thefe. See the 1ft, 4th, and 6th rules of interpretation.

CONCLUSION.

IN natural philofophy, that hypothefis which explains and accounts for acknowledged facts with the greatest clearness, and the feweft difficulties, ought to be adopted. If it folve the feveral phenomena fimply and eafily, and there be no other hypothefis but what is attended with abfurdities and contradic tions, there is a moral certainty that it is the true one. Now this rule, I apprehend, fully applies to the notions which we have endeavoured to establish relative to the duration, both of the punishment of the wicked, and of the happiness of the righteous, in the life after this.