[CHAP. VIII. Of a New Heaven, and a New Earth.]
The Ninth Argument was, That if a World could be dissolved, and that the Human Creatures should rise, and reunite; what World should they reside in?
All the Parts of my Thoughts generally agreed, That the Omnipotent GOD would command the Parts of His Servant NATURE, to compose other Worlds for them, into which Worlds they should be separated; the Good should go into a Blessed World; the Bad, into a Cursed World: and the Sacred Scripture declares, That there shall be a New Heaven, and a New Earth; which, in their opinion, was a Heaven and a Hell, for the Blessed and Cursed Human Kind of this World.
[CHAP. IX. Whether there shall be a Material Heaven and Hell.]
The Tenth Argument was, Whether the Heaven and Hell that are to be produced for the Blessed and Cursed, shall be Material?
The Minor Part's Opinion was, That they shall not be Material.
The Major Parts were of opinion, They shall be Material, by reason all those Creatures that did rise, were Material; and being Material, could not be sensible either of Immaterial Blessings, or Punishments: neither could an Immaterial World, be a fit or proper Residence for Material Bodies, were those Bodies of the purest Substance. But, whether this Material Heaven and Hell, shall be like other Material Worlds, the Parts of my Mind could not agree, and so not give their Judgment. But, in this they all agreed, That the Material Heaven and Hell, shall not have any other Animal Creatures, than those that were of Human kind, and those not produced, but raised from Death.
But when they came to argue, Whether there might be Elements, Minerals, and Vegetables, they could not agree; but some did argue, and offer to make proof, That there might be Mynes of Gold, and Rocks of Diamonds, Rubies, and the like; all which, were Minerals. Also, some were of opinion, there were Elements: for, Darkness and Light, are Elemental Effects: and, if Hell was a World of Darkness; and Heaven, a World of Light; it was probable there were Elements.