4. The early and almost universal idolatry paid to the sun; which suits well with the great subtilty of that spirit, to entice mankind to worship his throne.
II. As to the eternity of hell torments, we have Origen again at the head of those who deny it; it being the doctrine of that writer, that not only men, but devils themselves, after a suitable course of punishment, answerable to their respective crimes, shall be pardoned and restored to heaven.—De civit. Dei. l. xxi. c. 17. The chief principle Origen went upon was this, that all punishments was emendatory; applied only to painful medicines, for the recovery of the patient’s health. And other objections, insisted on by modern authors, are the disproportion between temporary crimes and eternal punishments, &c.
The scripture phrases for eternity, as is observed by Archbishop Tillotson, do not always import an infinite duration: thus, in the Old Testament, for ever often signifies only for a long time; particularly till the end of the Jewish dispensation: thus in the epistle of Jude, ver. 7, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are said to be set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire; that is, of a fire that was not extinguished till those cities were utterly consumed. So one generation is said to come, &c. but the earth endureth for ever.
In effect, Mr. Le Clerc notes, that there is no Hebrew word which properly expresses eternity: עולם gnolam, only imports a time whose beginning or end is not known; and is accordingly used in a more or less extensive sense, according to the thing treated of.
Thus when God says, concerning the Jewish laws, that they must be observed לעולם legnolam, for ever, we are to understand as long a space as we should think fit; or a space whose end was unknown to the Jews before the coming of the Messiah. All general laws, and such as do not regard particular occasions, are made for ever, whether it be expressed in those laws, or not; which yet is to be understood in such a manner, as if the sovereign power could no way change them.
Archbishop Tillotson, however, argues very strenuously, that where hell torments are spoken of, the words are to be understood in the strict sense of infinite duration; and what he esteems a peremptory decision of the point is, that the duration of the punishment of the wicked is in the very same sentence expressed by the very same word which is used for the duration of the happiness of the righteous, which all agree to be eternal. “These, speaking of the wicked, shall go away εις ηολασιν ονεωνιον, into eternal punishment; but the righteous, εις ζωην αιωνι, into life eternal.”
Oldham, in his “Satires upon the Jesuits,” alludes to their “lying legends,” and the numerous impositions they practised on the credulous. The following lines are quoted from these legendary miracles, noticed under the article Legend, and the amours of the Virgin Mary are narrated in vol. ii. under the article Religious Nouvellete:—
Tell, how blessed Virgin to come down was seen,
Like playhouse punk descending in machine,
How she writ billet-doux and love discourse,