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celestial Perfection, God the Word called up out of nothing the Chaos, a Place defigned by him for their Punishment, into which he caft them for their Apoftacy..

I would not be understood, that God was under an abfolute Neceffity to create this Earth or Hell, for the Reception, Confinement and Punishment of Lucifer and his Angels; for it is certain, as he was the Author of their Beings, he might have reduced them to nothing for their Offence. But this would not have been agreeable to their inherent Privilege of Eternity of Being, to their Right of Free-will, or indeed to the Juftice of God himself. Because the irreverfible Decree of God had granted to them Immortality, at the Time he created them, and likewife gave to them the Power of acting or doing what they pleafed, within the Limits of their Capacity: Therefore had God as a Punishment for this their Apoftacy, annihilated them, he must have acted contrary to his own Decree, which had given them Eternal Existence, and confequently had removed them in this Action from any Dread or Fear of Annihilation. They knew this to be their Privilege; but yet they were ignorant what Punishments infinite Knowledge and Power could inflict; they could not foresee that they should be expelled Heaven, and dri ven into Exile. The Juftice of God therefore demanded a Satisfaction agreeable to the Privileges he had before given them, on the one hand, and to their Sin on the other. For which Reasons as well as for the Sake of those who lived peaceably in Heaven, I apprehend, it was neceffary that God fhould prepare a Hell [i. e. an inferior Place to the Heaven, or Region of Happinefs] for the Reception and Confinement of those who were turbulent and contentious, rebellious and wicked, Peace and Rebellion are

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not Companions, Envy and Love are not united. Neceffary was this Act for the Peace and Quiet of Heaven, and neceffary for the Punishment and Condemnation of the Rebellious Angels.

2. We again repeat those Words of our Bleffed Saviour," Verily, I fay unto you, all Sins "and Blafphemies committed against the Son " of God fhall be forgiven." Agreeable to which Almighty Decree God the Word who had expelled them out of Heaven and caft them into outer Darkness, pitying the unhappy State they were then in, after (as has been hinted) Six Thousand Years (as we compute Time) began the Formation of the World out of Chaos in that Form and Manner as defcribed in the first Chapter of Genefis; for no fooner were Lucifer and his Angels caft into the Earth, but the Decree of their Salvation was proclaimed in Heaven, Now is come Salvation and Strength, and the Kingdom of our God, and the Power of his Chrift. All this was done to establish a Way and Method to bring them back to that State of Perfection and Happinefs from whence they fell. This the Reason, this the Motive which induced our Eternal God to form this Hell out of that confufed Hell, which was without Form and void, and full of Darknefs, Gen. i. 2. And a marvellous Work it was. Heaven declareth the Power of the Lord, and the Hell fheweth his handy Work.

3. As this Act of the Formation of the World out of Chaos happened after the Decree of Salvation, we may conclude, that it was done pursuant thereto, and at a certain Time or Period which the Almighty Creator had fixed and determined. The World formed, beautified and illuminated in the Order and Manner

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we now fee and behold it, a third Reason for its Creation, I take to be this: viz. The Creation of Man, i. e. To prepare Bodies [or certain little Places of Confinement] for the Reception of the apoftate Angels, (x) that therein they being

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(x) I think St. Paul plainly fets forth this Doctrine in his Epiftle to the Ephefians, Chap. ii. 1---7. And you, fays he, "hath God quickned who were dead in Trefpaffes and Sins, "wherein in Time past ye walked according to the Course of "this World, according to the Prince of the Power of the "Air, the Spirit that worketh in the Children of Difobedience. Among whom alfo we all had our Converfation in Times "paft, in the lufts of the Flesh, fulfilling the Defires of the "Flesh, and of the Mind; and were by Nature the Children "of Wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in Mercy, for his great Love wherewith he loved us, even when "we were dead in Sins, hath quickned us together with Chrift, "(by [whofe] Grace we are faved) And hath raised us up

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together to fit together in heavenly Places in Chrift Jesus. "That in the Ages to come he might fhew the exceeding "Riches of his Grace in his Kindness towards us."

1. The Apoftle here afferts the Pre-existence of the Soul, "In Time paft ye walked according to the Course of this "World, and in Times paft, we all had our Conversation a

mong the Children of Difobedience." Who were thefe Children of Difobedience among whom we ALL had our Converfation? Were they the Jews? Were they the Gentiles? Were they the Wicked Antidiluvians? Were they the Apoftate Angels? Yes, moft certainly. Among all these we had our Converfation, acted according to our own Defires, and were fubject to the Prince of the Power of the Air; for the Expreffion, Among whom we all had our Conversation in times paft, is the fame with faying, We ALL were in Times paft the Children of Difobedience. Which fets forth the Doctrine of the Præ-existence of the Soul in a pofitive Light. And certainly we who now actuate Bodies in this Time or Period were of old Children of Difobedience in Heaven, afterwards Tranf greffors of the Law given us at the Beginning of the Period of our Incorporality, and Reprobates during the Period from the Flood till the Coming of Chrift.

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being imprisoned for their Crime, fubjected to Death for their Rebellion (y), might come to a Senfe of their Guilt, withstand the Temptations of the Dragon, be purified as far as it is poffible for them to be in this Globe, and afterwards admitted into Places of greater Perfection and Attainment,, that is, into the Mansions spoken of in our Text.

For thefe Reafons, I humbly conceive, this Hell, or inferior Region, was created, formed and made comfortable and beautiful. But let it be fuppofed, that thefe Reafons are merely fictitious,

2. We were dead in Sins, i. e. We had all of us fo far apo ftatized, and involved ourselves in Perdition, that we had intirely laid afide all Thoughts of attempting, yea, even of defiring Reftoration to thofe heavenly Stations and Principalities we loft by our Difobedience.

3. But he hath quickned us together, and raised us up together, to fit together in heavenly Places, i. e. God the Word against whom we were of old difobedient, hath condefcended to take our Nature on him, and therein to reftore to us the Senfe of our unhappy Condition, and to raife in us a Defire of our Redemption by laying before us the Terms of our Salvation, that we embracing these Overtures of his Mercy and Kindness, during this Period of the Evangelical Difpenfation, may, notwithstanding former Difobediences, all of us attain the Perfection and State of Happiness we loft,

4. That in the Ages to come he might fhew the exceeding Riches of his Grace, i. e. that in the Age, wherein those who fi. e. who fhall be fo wife as now to come into the Terms of Salvation] fhall receive the Reward of their Obedience, may admire at the exceeding Exuberancy of the Mercy, Juftice and Love of our God and Creator, towards Us. Then fhall we know and fee, that we are no more Strangers and Foreigners, but Fellow-Citizens with the Saints [i. e. the ancient Companions of thofe who have kept their Principality] and of the Houfhold of God. This then is indeed the Great Love wherewith God hath loved Us.

(y) The Reader is defired to obferve, that I fuppofe the Revolutions of thefe Angels in Bodies, and that they may have actuated or affumed Bodies many times fince the Creation, in order for their Punishment, Probation and Reconciliation.

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fictitious, What will be the Confequence? Why, the apoftate Angels have committed a Crime, which God will not forgive: Their Sin, tranfacted in a fhort Time, punished with an everlafting Penalty in God's Comprehenfion; with God. there is no Remiffion of their Sin, they are doomed to Eternal Punishments to infinite Ages for this one Tranfgreffion. But how abfurd is this! What an Idea does it convey of God to our Minds? How can it be reconciled to those glorious Ideas recorded in Holy Scripture concerning his Nature and Attributes, his infinite Perfections and ever-durable Veracity? All Sins and Blafphemies fhall be forgiven. I will that all fhould repent. Repent, and again I fay, repent. Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die.

But the Doctrine I advance reprefents God every way agreeable to the moft worthy Ideas and Apprehenfions we are capable of forming concerning His Nature and Effence, whether they be those which are deducible from the Reafon of Mankind, or those which are recorded in the Books of the Old and New Teftament; for it introduces God as bringing back again the rebellious and apoftate Angels, and faying, Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die, O Inhabiters of Heaven. And whereas the Vulgar Opinion fuppofes no Reconciliation between God and these unhappy Beings, and confequently reprefents him as One who keepeth his Anger long, and that always; fo this plainly fets forth his Mercy and his Juftice: Just in punishing them for their Rebellion, and merciful in offering unto them Terms of Reconciliation and Restoration.

This Hypothefis of the Creation of the World will, I hope, give a full Answer to all the Atheifts, to Spinofa, Hobbs, Toland, &c. because -hence is apparent, the very Reafon and Caufe of it; viz. It was created for the Good and BeneE

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