CHRISTIAN MODES.

PART I.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD IN CHRIST.

CHAPTER V.

EVIL SUBJECTIVE CHARACTERISTICS.

1, Of Incidentals.-2, Of Constituents.

"A fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains."-DEUT. xxxii. 22.

WHAT may be generally understood by Evil, or the class of characteristics that now claims our consideration having been explained already in a comparison with its antithesis, now duly considered as far as circumstances would permit, there will be no occasion for pausing here at its name and notion; but we may proceed with some other particulars concerning, or belonging to, a subject of the kind. Among these, the UBI, or place, though frequently but a relation, is generally noticed for one: and the vulgar prejudice in favour of localities being such, that even happiness and righteousness, which may be thought infinite, must have their sphere and boundary as aforesaid-it will be hard to deny the same incidental to sin and misery, which one would fain persuade one's self, are rather limited. Indeed, one should be glad to learn, that so small a prison, hell, or ADES, as the centre of our planet, was large enough to hold all the evil spirits by which it is troubled and tormented; that they might regularly depart with their bodies when

they go hence, whether to the land of darkness, or to the fire that cannot be quenched, and be no more seen nor heard of.

But it would seem from different allusions to the subject in Scripture, as if the place for evil subjects was at present only in preparation, and the central fire was to be regarded rather as a light shining in a dark place, and not a place like heaven, in which there are many mansions-until it burst forth in a general blaze, from the centre of the earth to its surface. Or, as some have indulged a fancy of comparing the earth to a beast in its health or ordinary functions, they may go on to conceive, that by the fire in preparation, or, as it is said, "the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels," (Matt. xxv. 41,) was meant the process of dissolution, or the progress of an inward fever which was sure to consume the patient with violent eruptions at its proper crisis. But without denying aught that cannot be disproved, one might spare one's-self the trouble of casting about for hypotheses on the local habitation or principal quarters of sin and misery, either here or hereafter; as some who have travelled must know, that hell is not stationary, any more than the evil spirits, its supposed inhabitants; but that their hell and their evil spirits go along with them every where at present; and hereafter, whether they should be secluded with their evil spirits in the centre of the earth, or be falling and rolling with them on its ignited surface, whether this or that be their dole, will make little odds to the wretched sufferers. For burning is torment any where, in a fiery lake or a bottomless pit; in a falling star, or in the train of a comet; or millions of miles from either, in infinite space. Therefore, with the perfect conviction that every one must have of present guilt, instead of endeavouring to determine the place or sphere of future torments, their thoughts would be better engaged in endeavouring to avoid them.

Any one by straining a poetic imagination, if he happen to have it, may give as horrible a representation of the place

VOL. II.

G

of torment as ever any poor maniac doating on misery almost could conceive; but men of reflexion, who have noticed in themselves some of the spiritual and intellectual properties above-mentioned, and felt their intensity at times must be sensible, that even liquid sulphur were no great aggravation to the worm that dieth not, or what it might be, and will easily recognize in the bitter and endless gnawing of such worm the fire that never shall be quenched" (Mark ix. 43, 44).

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It were a hard task for any one to analyse even the feelings that he actually experiences, and refer their ingredients to their several sources or affinities, but much harder to specify "those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken" (Luke xxi. 26); and so it is to conjecture how the storm may fall; whether on the soul, receiving the things done in the body (Cor. II. v. 10), or on the body, being destroyed "that the spirit may be saved" (Cor. I. v. 5); or on both soul and body, suffering in one common fate or destruction (Matt. x. 28). But all who have any feeling and observation must know, that they have felt something like the part here mentioned, an hysteric affection rising somewhere; by which not only the powers of the soul, or higher department are shaken, but even the ordinary functions of the body are liable to be disturbed sometimes, and the body itself perhaps wasted to a shadow, or consumed as by a slow fire. And, to strengthen their common, private, and internal evidence, in this case, in which no evidence can be too complete ; some may also recollect the anguish of maniacs just alluded to, which, though illusive, and, like our present capacity, both for suffering and enjoyment, limited of course, may still be very terrible to a considerate witness, and naturally lead him to conceive, what that anguish might become with a real foundation and redoubled sensibility, or acuteness of sensation.

The same bitter spectacle might also be enough to do away with an overweening notion that some men have, of

future punishments not consisting with the known goodness of the Creator. For no one who looks feelingly on this poor creature can doubt the reality of his sufferings; no one who sees and hears him can be ignorant as to the pangs which God Almighty may and will perhaps inflict on others if deserved; as, for example, on others who may be the chief cause of such a wretch's sufferings, and what may be preparing for them, which yet they fondly hope to escape. Or, perhaps being both to blame, as "evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived," (Tim. II. iii. 13,) they may prove hereafter, as they do now sometimes, each other's torment being, as it were, a very hell to each other: for such are many upon earth, without any public or political atrocities; as invasion, with wasting and massacre; and without the natural calamities, ELEMENTAL INVASIONS, as we may call them, of flood and tempest; in short without the woe of Ariel, a multitude of strangers like small dust...with thunder and with earthquake and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire" (Isai. xxix. 5, 6). They are devils, only by the evil incidentals which they pour (it may be singly) on each other from their evil constituents; these evil constituents (to speak geographically) being, as it were, the city or kingdom of hell, and the evil incidentals its outskirts. For every considerable city or kingdom will have its outskirts, which are so mingled with the adjoining country, that one can hardly be distinguished from the other; but it may be possible, in this instance, to succeed so far as to distinguish the evil subjective characteristics of incidentals from those of constituents, in the same manner as the good subjective characteristics were distinguished.

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§ 1. The opposite subjective characteristics, or contrasting properties, of the good incidentals before considered, being evil subjective characteristics of, or simply Evils of incidentals, are many to bear, or only to read of, so that a moderate sample of them only may be enough to men

tion, as 1, Low life and Insignificance; 2, Slavery, Servitude, &c.; 3. Debts, Taxes, Conscriptions; 4, Poverty and Want; 5, Obscurity and Neglect; 6, Infamy and Ridicule; 7, Trials and Temptations. Which, however, are not extreme afflictions, nor necessarily any, but may be even benefits, and that oftener than the supposed advantages against which they are poised. Because these incidentals do not necessarily imply any demerit in their object or receiver, the person on whom they alight, and for whom they are decreed; nor always any inconvenience either, as every one must know who has experienced them, and is capable of appreciating their fruits or effects accordingly. They are proper matters to exercise a man's wisdom and virtue certainly, as it is said, "In the day of adversity consider" (Eccles. vii. 14): not, however, because adverse circumstances are more critical and alarming than prosperous circumstances, for on that score perhaps both kinds would be about equal, but for other reasons: as, 1, to reconcile our feelings to what they naturally, but not properly, abhor, by a better view of the case; and, 2, to found upon such view some improvements that cannot so well be derived from prosperity.

In the first place, it must needs appear no easy part to reconcile a man's feelings to what he is in the habit of considering adverse to himself; and therefore notes by this very expression; for the meaning of adversity is something against us: and how will you reconcile us to that which is against us? Either our outward condition, or a part of it, is against us or not; if the former, we cannot be reconciled to it; if the latter, it cannot be adversity; to adversity, therefore, in either case, we cannot be reconciled.

So it may seem; but there are, in fact, two sorts of adversity, as there are of prosperity; one comparative and mediate, the other positive and final; just as there are two sorts of success at play well known to adepts in the art of gambling. But the men of this world, looking no farther than to this world, are mostly apt to think, like young gamesters, only of their first chance, and to laugh at damnation.