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xarus might be in it, or may be in it ftill, SERM, and yet not in that State of Happiness and Blifs, which he shall be received to hereafter.

Let us next therefore proceed to examine what we are to understand by Hell, in which the Rich-Man lifted up his Eyes, and complained of his Torments. Now the Word in the original Language is Hades, which fignifies no more than an invifible Place, and is often used, both in the Holy Scriptures, and in the ancient Writers, to fignify that Place, wherein all Souls, whether good or bad, are received and retained till the Day of Judgment *. And in this large Sense must it be understood in the 89th Pfalm. What Man is he that liveth and shall not fee Death? Shall be deliver his Soul from the Hand of HELL? ver. 47. Where if the Word were to be understood of the Hell of the Damned, a fhort Answer might be given, that many a Man will be preserved from it. But the Words themselves fhew that it is used here of the general Receptacle of Human Souls, the -Place whither all must go that die. And this is all our English Word HELL, primarily fig

* Vide Voffii ibid. Quæft. 2. and Suicer. Thefaur. in "Adus, vol. 1. col. 89. and Burnet de Statu Mortuor. cap. 4. p. 6266.

nifies,

SERM. nifies, though indeed we now generally use it
XIX. in the worse Sense. But it's original Signifi

cation was a hidden, obfcure, and invifible
Place: It being derived from an old Saxon
Word, Hil, or hell'd, which fignifies to bide,
or to be hidden and covered. And to this
very Day a Wound is faid to be healed when
it is covered with Skin; and in many Parts of
England, He that covers an Houfe is called
an Hellier.
And therefore it was an Instance
of no fmall Prudence in our first Reformers,
that, when there were great Disputes in the
World, concerning the Place our Saviour's
Soul went to, during the three Days his Bo-
dy was in the Grave, (fome contending that
it was into the Place of wicked Souls, and o-
thers that it was into the Place of good Ones)
they made Choice of the Word Hell, to put
into the Creed, a Word that pleafed both
Sides, because it took in both their Mean-
ings.

"

However fince, in the Parable we are now confidering, Hell is directly and obviously opposed to Abraham's Bofom, we must neceffarily understand it of the particular Receptacle of unhappy Spirits. But ftill it is certain that it only fignifies that Place or State, which wicked Souls are in before the Refur

rection;

XIX.

rection; because their State afterwards is al- S ER M. ways expreffed by another Word, the Word Gehenna, which is fometimes tranflated Hell, and fometimes Hell-Fire; but always fignifies that Place where Body and Soul both fhall be punished hereafter; whereas Hades, as I have faid, denotes that Place where the Soul only is received whilst separate from the Body.

Nothing then remains except it be to fhew how the Rich-Man's being in Flames as foon as he died, can be reconciled with the Doctrine, that none fhall be caft into the Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels till the Day of Judgment. But now if this Flame may be understood of the Anguish which the Rich-Man underwent and fuftained in his Mind from the Reflection which he could not help paffing upon his wicked and ungodly Life; and from the Dread he was in of the Doom that fhall one Day be pronounced upon him; then this Difficulty also is eafily got over. And why should it not? For though none fhall be tormented with any outward Tortures till the Day of Judgment; yet certainly the Dread and Fear of thofe Tortures which fhall then be inflicted, and the continual Despair of ever escaping them, or of their ever having an End, must be a

SER M. Torment infupportable, even before they are

XIX.

inflicted.

It is true indeed the Parable expreffes the Rich-Man's Torment by an external Flame: But then we are to confider it is but a Parable, and therefore not to be interpreted so as to contradict much clearer Revelations in Scripture. We may argue from the princi pal Defign of a Parable: But there are often Circumftances in Parables, which are only brought in to embellish the Story: So here the Rich-Man is reprefented as tormented in Flame, only that he might express how be holden he should be for the leaft Office of Kindnefs from Lazarus now, to whom in his Life-Time he had been fo inhuman and cruel. But we can no more conclude from hence that he was in any real and external Flames, than we can that He and Lazarus had their Tongues and their Fingers then with them; or that they who are in Hell can fee and discourse with those that are lying in Abraham's Bofom; or that a Drop of Water from the Tip of a Finger can cool or give Eafe to the Pains of the Damned.

4

Having now explained the two Texts from the Mouth of our Bleffed Lord himself; we have a ready Solution of the other two I

i

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cited from St. Paul. The Apoftle was wil- SER M. ling to be abfent from the Body, and to be prefent with the Lord, 2 Cor. v. 8. and had a Defire to depart that he might be with Chrift, Philip. i. 23. And nothing I hope that has been faid by me, or that is defigned to be faid, is inconfiftent with his Defire or Wish. Every good Man, we humbly truft, will in fome Degree be prefent with the Lord, when he leaves his Body; will be with Chrift, when he departs from hence: i. e. When he dies he will be taken under Chrift's Protection, into whofe Hands St. Stephen the first Martyr refigned his Spirit, when he fell asleep, Acts vii. 59, 60. There he will be free from the Troubles of this World, will enjoy the Eulogy and Commendations of his own Breast, will reft affured of the Crown our Lord has for him in Reserve, and will probably be réfreshed in the Time intermediate with a gra cious Display of his Saviour's Glory, which he expects hereafter to be a Sharer in, though at present he may only contemplate and behold it at a Distance from him. If the Enjoyment of a State like this will fatisfy the Apostle's Wife and Defire to be with Chrift; then nothing that we have afferted from the Apostle himself, or from any other of the inspired