The four last things viz. death, judgment, heaven, hell, practically considered and applied in…

1. The Wisdom of God requires, that the Punishment threatened in his Law, as it must be so firmly decreed, that all obstinate Rebels shall of necessity undergo it, so it must incomparably exceed all temporal Evils, to which Men may be exposed for their Obedience to the Divine Commands, ⟨p. 523⟩otherwise the Threatening would not be an effectual restraint from Sin: For the propinquity of an Evil makes a strong impression upon the Mind, and a present Fear makes a Person solicitous to avoid the incursion of what is ready to seize on him, without forecasting to prevent an Evil looked on at a distance. Therefore that the Sanction of the Divine Law may preserve the Precepts Inviolable, that there may be a continual reverence of it, and a fixed resolution in the Hearts of Men not to transgress, the Penalty threatened must be in its own Nature so terrible, that the fear of it may conquer the apprehension of all present Evils that can be inflicted to constrain us to sin. Therefore our Saviour warns his Disciples, Fear not them that can kill the Body, (make that part die that is mortal) but fear him that after he has killed, has power to cast into Hell; yea, I say unto you, fear him. Now if the threatening of an everlasting Hell, through Infidelity and Inconsideration, be not effectual in the Minds of Men to restrain them from Sin, if temporary Torments in the next State were only threatened, which are infinitely ⟨p. 524⟩more easy and tolerable, carnal Sinners would follow the swing of their corrupt Appetites, and commit Iniquity with greediness; this would seem to reflect upon the Wisdom of the Lawgiver, as if he were defective in not binding his Subjects firmly to their Duty, and the Ends of Government would not be obtained.

1. The Wisdom of God requires, that the Punishment threatned in his Law, as it must be so firmly decreed, that all obstinate Rebels shall of necessity undergo it, so it must incomparably exceed all temporal Evils, to which Men may be exposed for their Obedience to the Divine Commands, ⟨p. 523⟩otherwise the Threatning would not be an effectual restraint from Sin: For the propinquity of an Evil makes a strong impression upon the Mind, and a present Fear makes a Person sollicitous to avoid the incursion of what is ready to seize on him, without forecasting to prevent an Evil look'd on at a distance. Therefore that the Sanction of the Divine Law may preserve the Precepts Inviolable, that there may be a continual reverence of it, and a fixed resolution in the Hearts of Men not to transgress, the Penalty threatned must be in its own Nature so terrible, that the fear of it may conquer the apprehension of all present Evils that can be inflicted to constrain us to sin. Therefore our Saviour warns his Disciples, Fear not them that can kill the Body, (make that part die that is mortal) but fear him that after he has killed, has power to cast into Hell; yea, I say unto you, fear him. Now if the threatning of an everlasting Hell, through Infidelity and Inconsideration, be not effectual in the Minds of Men to restrain them from Sin, if temporary Torments in the next State were only threatned, which are infinitely