No. LVIII. Ch. ix. 22.--The Vessels of Wrath fitted to Destruction. N.B. Nothing can be inferr'd from this Text in favour of Annihilation. It does not relate to the Retributions of the World to come; but to the Dispositions of Providence, and the Judgments of God, with regard to Nations, or People, in this World. It is one Instance, amongst the rest, that the Scripture does not use the word aπóλeia, (Destruction,) in the Philosophical Sense of Annihilation. No. LIX. I Cor. i. 18.—The preaching of the Cross is to them that perish, Foolishness: But unto us which are saved, it is the Power of God. It is plain what is here meant by the word perish: Them that perish, is explain'd by the Opposition ofus which are saved. The former are not saved, and therefore in that Sense they perish, or are lost. It may not be amiss to set down here, once for all, various Passages of the New Testament, where this word is used; in order to discover, and, if we can, ascertain, its Meaning. Matt. ii. 13. Herod will seek the Child (añoλéσai) to destroy him. -v. 29, 30.—that one of thy Members should perish (ἀπόληται). Matt. vii. 13.-the way that leadeth to Destruction (ἀπώλειαν). viii. 25.-Lord, save us; we perish (aπoλλúμela). ix. 17. And the Bottles perish. x. 6. the lost Sheep of the House of Israel: (ἀπολωλότα). ver. 28.-able to destroy both Soul and Body in Hell. See No. X. him. ver. 39.—shall lose it,-loseth his Life. ver. 42.-shall not lose his Reward. xii. 14.-held a Council, how they might destroy XV. 24. xxi. 41. Mark i. 24. unto the lost Sheep He will destroy those Wicked Men. Art thou come to destroy us? To torment us, Matt. viii. 29. ii. 22.—the Bottles will be marred (àπoλoûνтai): iii. 6.—how they might destroy him. iv. 38.-Carest thou not that we perish? viii. 35.— shall lose it, lose his Life for my sake. ix. 22.-Cast him into the Fire, and Waters, to destroy him. ver. 41.—shall not lose his Reward (oỷ μǹ ȧπоλέση). xi. 18.—sought how they might destroy him. Mark xii. 9.-He will-destroy the Husbandmen. Luke v. 37.-the Bottles shall perish. ix. 24.—lose his life, and ver. 25.-lose himself, or be cast away. Where åπoλéoas is explain'd by ζημιωθείς. ver. 56.—is not come to destroy Men's Lives. ver. 33. A Prophet cannot perish out of Feru salem. Luke xv. 4-lose one (viz. Sheep)——that which is lost. ver. 6, Sheep which was lost. ver. 8, lose one piece: ver. 9, the piece which I had lost. ver. 17, I perish with Hunger. ver. 24, He was lost. ver. 32, and was lost (ἀπολωλώς). xvii. 27, 29.-the Flood-destroy'd them all: Fire and Brimstone, and destroyed them all. lose his Life. ver. 33, shall -to seek and save that which was lost xix. 10.(τὸ ἀπολωλός). ver. 47.—sought to destroy him. xxi. 18.—not an Hair of your Head perish. John iii. 15, 16.—should not perish, but have eternal Life. vi. 12.-that nothing be lost. ver. 27, the Meat which perisheth. ver. 39, I should lose nothing. x. 10. Thief cometh-to destroy. ver. 28. They shall never perish. xi. 50.-that the whole Nation perish not. xii. 25. He that loveth his Life, shall lose it. xvii. 12.-none of them is lost. See No. XLVIII. John xviii. 9. I have lost none. ver. 14.-one Man should die for the People. Compare Ch. xi. 50, 51. What is here ἀπολέσθαι, is there ἀποθάνῃ, and ἀποθνήσκειν. Acts iii. 23.-shall be destroyed (¿§oλo@pevėýøetai) from among the People. v. 37.—He also perished; (viz. Fudas of Galilee.) XXV. 16.-to deliver any Man to die; (eis àrÓλειαν). Rom. ii. 12.-shall perish without Law: See No. LV. Ch. ix. 22. No. LVIII. xiv. 15. Destroy not him with thy Meat;I Cor. v. 5.—for the Destruction (eis öλeßpov) of the Flesh. Rom. viii. 11.—the weak Brother perish : — x. 9.—were destroyed of Serpents: ver. 10, were destroyed of the Destroyer; a Destroying Angel; and their Carcasses fell in the Wilderness: Heb. iii. 17. Compare Numb. xiv. 29, &c. xv. 18. They which are fallen asleep——are perished. 2 Cor. ii. 15.—and in them that perish. iv. 3.-it is hid to them that are lost. But not destroyed. ver. 9. 2 Thess. ii. 3. The Son of Perdition. ver. 10, in them that perish. As for Ch. i. 9, see No. LXIX. 1 Tim. vi. 9. See No. LXXII. Heb. i. II. They (the Earth, and Heavens) shall perish. Heb. xi. 28. He that destroyed the first-born, (¿ ỏλoðpeúwv) ver. 31, the Harlot Rahab perished not. Jam. i. II. The Grace of the Fashion of it perisheth. iv. 12. Who is able to save and to destroy. See No. LXXXI. I Pet. i. 7.-Gold that perisheth. 2 Pet. iii. 6. The World-overflowed with Water, perished. ver. 9, not willing that any should perish. 2 John ver. 8. That we lose not those things.Jude 5. Afterward destroyed them that believed not. ver. II. And perished in the gainsaying of Core. Rev. ix. 11.—the Angel of the bottomless Pit,—in the Greek Tongue hath his Name Apollyon: that is to say, a Destroyer; (Marg.) Ch. xvii. 8, 11. The Beast goeth into Perdition. That is, the great tyrannical Power, or Empire, represented by the Beast, will be destroy'd. From these Passages, where the word oλλuμai, or some of its Compounds or Derivatives, is used, we may see plainly, that nothing can be inferr'd, merely from the Use and Sense of that word in the New Testament, in favour of Annihilation. It may be ask'd, in which of the Texts above, it has any such Import? Let them be pointed out. I will point out one or two, in which it is as likely to bear this Signification as in any of the rest; and yet if Mr. Whiston admits it, he must relinquish a considerable part of his Scheme. John iii. 15, 16. If Annihilation be here meant, it is plainly said that these Believers shall not be annihilated; contrary to Mr. W's Insinuations, that even the Blessed in Heaven shall at last be no more. But it is far from being plain or certain, that this is the sense of the Word either here or in that other similar Text, John x. 28. Whatever the Word may mean in the mouth of a Philosopher, (as where Socrates says in Plato, ἀθάνατος ἡμῶν ἡ ψυχὴ, καὶ οὐδέποτε ἀπόλλυται,) this is not the Meaning of it in Scripture, or in other Writings which do not treat of Philosophical Subjects. We may (as Bishop Pearson observes) as well conclude that whosoever says he is undone (öλλvμaɩ, perii,) intends thereby that he shall be no more. On the Creed, P. 393. No. LX. 1 Cor. iii. 13, 15. Every Man's work shall be made manifest. For the Day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by Fire; and the Fire shall try every Man's work, of what sort it is.——If any Man's work shall be burnt, he shall suffer Loss: But he himself shall be saved; yet so, as by Fire. If any Man's work shall be burnt [by the Fire, at the Day of Judgment, says Mr. W.] he shall suffer Loss: |