CHAPTER VI. THE MISERY OF THOSE, WHO, BESIDES LOSING THE Sect. 1. The connection of this with the preceding chapter. 2. (I.) The enjoyments of time which the damned lose: 3. (1.) Their presumptuous belief of their interest in God and Christ; 4. (2.) All their hopes; 5. (3.) All their peace of conscience; 6. (4.) All their carnal mirth; 7. (5.) All their sensual delights. 8. (II.) The torments of the damned are exceeding great: 9. (1.) The principal author of them is God himself: 10. (2.) The place or state of torment; 11. (3.) These torments are the effects of divine vengeance; 12. (4.) God will take pleasure in executing them; 13. (5.) Satan and sinners themselves will be God's executioners; 14. (6.) These torments will be universal; 15. (7.) Without any mitigation; 16. (8.) And eternal. 17. The obstinate sinner convinced of his folly in venturing on these torments; 18. And entreated to fly for safety to Christ. have pardon, but that they verily think they are pardoned already? If you could ask thousands in hell, what madness brought them thither? they would most of them answer, We made sure of being saved, till we found ourselves damned. We would have been more earnest seekers of regeneration, and the power of godliness, but we verily thought we were Christians before. We have flattered ourselves into these torments, and now there is no remedy. Reader, I must in faithfulness tell thee, that the confident belief of their good state, which the careless, unholy, unhumbled multitude so commonly boast of, will prove in the end but a soul-damning delusion. There is none of this believing in hell. It was Satan's stratagem, that being blindfold they might follow him the more boldly: but then he will uncover their eyes, and they shall see where they are. 1. As godliness hath a promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come; and if we 'seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,' then all meaner things shall be added | unto us ;' so also are the ungodly threatened with 4. (2.) They shall lose also all their hopes. In the loss both of spiritual and temporal blessings; this life, though they were threatened with.the and because they sought not first God's kingdom wrath of God, yet their hope of escaping it bore and righteousness, therefore shall they lose both up their hearts. We can now scarce speak with it and that which they did seek, and there shall the vilest drunkard, or swearer, or scoffer, but be taken from them that little which they have.' he hopes to be saved for all this. O happy world, If they could but have kept their present enjoy- if salvation were as common as this hope! Nay, ments, they would not have much cared for the so strong are men's hopes, that they will dispute loss of heaven. If they had lost and forsaken all the cause with Christ himself at judgment, and for Christ, they would have found all again in plead their 'having eat and drank in his presence, him; for he would have been all in all to them. and prophesied in his name, and in his name cast But now they have forsook Christ for other things, out devils;' they will stiffly deny that ever they they shall lose Christ, and that also for which neglected Christ in hunger, nakedness, or in prithey forsook him; even the enjoyments of time, son, till he confutes them with the sentence of besides suffering the torments of hell. their condemnation. O the sad state of those men, when they must bid farewell to all their hopes! When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish; and the hope of unjust men perisheth. The eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost.' The giving up the ghost, is a fit, but terrible resemblance of a wicked man giving up his hopes. As the soul departeth not from the body without the greatest pain; so doth the hope of the wicked depart. The soul departs from the body suddenly, in a moment, which hath there delightfully continued so many years: just so doth the hope of the wicked depart. The soul will never more return to live with the body in this world; and the hope of the wicked takes an everlasting farewell of his soul. A miracle of resurrection shall again unite soul and body, but there shall be no such miraculous resurrection of the damned's hope. Methinks, it is the most pitiable sight this world affords, to see such an ungodly person dying, and to think of his soul and his hopes departing together. 2. (I.) Among the enjoyments of time, they shall particularly lose their presumptuous belief of their interest in the favour of God, and the merits of Christ-all their hopes-all their false peace of conscience-all their carnal mirth -and all their sensual delights. 3. (1.) They shall lose their presumptuous belief of their interest in the favour of God, and the merits of Christ. This faise belief now supports their spirits, and defends them from the terrors that would otherwise seize upon them. But what will ease their trouble, when they can believe no longer, nor rejoice any longer? If a man be near to the greatest mischief, and yet strongly conceit that he is in safety, he may be as cheerful as if all were well. If there were no more to make a man happy, but to believe that he is so, or shall be so, happiness would be far more common than it is like to be. As true faith is the leading grace in the regenerate, so is false faith the leading vice in the unregenerate. Why do such multitudes sit still, when they might and divideth his spoils,' and then doth he esta- With what a sad change he appears in another shall not escape.' O cruel peace, which ends in world! Then if a man could but ask that hope- such a war! The soul of every man by nature less soul, Are you as confident of salvation as is Satan's garrison: all is at peace in such a man you were wont to be? what a sad answer till Christ comes, and gives it terrible alarms of would be returned! O that careless sinners judgment and hell, batters it with the ordnance would be awakened to think of this in time! of his threats and terrors, forces it to yield to Reader, rest not till thou canst give a reason of his mere mercy and take him for the Governor all thy hopes, grounded upon Scripture-promi- then doth he cast out Satan, 'overcome him, ses-that they purify thy heart; that they quick-take from him all his armour wherein he trusted, en thy endeavours in godliness; that the more thou hopest, the less thou sinnest, and the more exact is thy obedience. If thy hopes be such as these, go on in the strength of the Lord, hold fast thy hope, and never shall it make thee ashamed. But if thou hast not one sound evidence of a work of grace on thy soul, cast away thy hopes. Despair of ever being saved, except thou be born again; or of seeing God, without holiness; or of having part in Christ, except thou love him above father, mother, or thy own life. This kind of despair is one of the first steps to heaven. If a man be quite out of his way, what must be the first means to bring him in again? He must despair of ever coming to his journey's end in the way that he is in. If his home be eastward, and he is going westward, as long as he hopes he is right, he will go on; and as long as he goes on hoping, he goes farther amiss. When he despairs of coming home, except he turn back, then he will return, and then he may hope. Just so it is, sinner, with thy soul: thou art born out of the way to heaven, and hast proceeded many a year; thou goest on, and hopest to be saved, because thou art not so bad as many others. Except thou throwest away these hopes, and see that thou hast all this while been quite out of the way to heaven, thou wilt never return and be saved. There is nothing in the world more likely to keep thy soul out of heaven, than thy false hopes of being saved, while thou art out of the way to salvation. See, then, how it will aggravate the misery of the damned, that, with the loss of heaven, they shall lose all that hope of it which now supports them. 5. (3.) They will lose all that false peace of conscience, which makes their present life so easy. Who would think, that sees how quietly the multitude of the ungodly live, that they must very shortly lie down in everlasting flames? They are as free from the fears of hell as an obedient believer; and for the most part have less disquiet of mind than those who shall be saved. Happy men, if this peace would prove lasting! When they shall say, peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they The talk of death 6. (4.) They shall lose all their carnal mirth. They will themselves say of their laughter, it is mad; and of their mirth, what doeth it?' It was but as the crackling of thorns under a pot.' It made a blaze for a while, but it was presently gone, and returned no more. and judgment was irksome to them, because it damped their mirth. They could not endure to think of their sin and danger, because these thoughts sunk their spirits. They knew not what it was to weep for sin, or to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God. They could laugh away sorrow, and sing away cares, and drive away those melancholy thoughts. To meditate, and pray, they fancied would be enough to make them miserable, or run mad. Poor souls! what a misery will that life be, where you shall have nothing but sorrow; intense, heartpiercing, multiplied sorrow; when you shall neither have the joys of saints, nor your own former joys! Do you think there is one merry heart in hell; or one joyful countenance, or jesting tongue You now cry, 'A little mirth is worth a great deal of sorrow:' but surely, a little which would have ended in etergodly sorrow, nal joy, had been worth much more than all your foolish mirth; for the end of such mirth is sorrow. ? 7. (5.) They shall also lose all their sensual delights. That which they esteemed their chief good, their heaven, their god, must they lose, as What a fall will the proud, well as God himself. As his dust and bones will not be known from the dust and bones of the poorest beggar; so, neither will his soul be honoured or favoured more than theirs. What a number of the great, noble, and learned, will be shut out from the presence of Christ! They shall not find their magnificent buildings, soft beds, and easy couch es. ambitious man, have from the top of his honours! | rable burden to their souls. If it were but a creature they had to do with, they might better bear it. Woe to him that falls under the strokes of the Almighty! It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.' It were nothing in comparison to this, if all the world were against them, or if the strength of all creatures were united in one to inflict their penalty. They They shall not view their curious gardens, had now rather venture to displease God, than their pleasant meadows, and plenteous harvests. displease a landlord, a customer, a master, a friend, Their tables will not be so furnished, nor atten- a neighbour, or their own flesh; but then they ded. The rich man is there no more clothed will wish a thousand times in vain, that they had in purple and fine linen, nor fareth sumptuously been hated of all the world, rather than have lost every day.' There is no expecting the admira- the favour of God. What a consuming fire is tion of beholders. They shall spend their time his wrath! If it be kindled here but a little, in sadness, and not in sports and pastimes. how do we wither like the grass! How soon What an alteration will they then find! The doth our strength decay, and turn to weakness, heat of their lust will be then abated. How will and our beauty to deformity! The flames do it even cut them to the heart, to look each other not so easily run through the dry stubble, as the in the face! What an interview will there be, wrath of God will consume these wretches. They cursing the day that ever they saw another! O that could not bear a prison, or a gibbet, or a fire, that sinners would now remember, and say, for Christ, nor scarce a few scoffs, how will they 'Will these delights accompany us into the other now bear the devouring flames of divine wrath? world? Will not the remembrance of them be 10. (2.) The place or state of torment is purthen our torment? Shall we then take this part-posely ordained to glorify the justice of God. nership in vice for true friendship? Why should we sell such lasting, incomprehensible joys, for a taste of seeming pleasure? Come, as we have sinned together, let us pray together, that God would pardon us; and let us help one another towards heaven, instead of helping to deceive and destroy each other.' O that men knew but what they desire, when they would so fain have all things suited to the desires of the flesh! It is but to desire their temptations to be increased, and their snares strengthened. When God would glorify his power, he made the worlds. The comely order of all his creatures, declareth his wisdom. His providence is shown in sustaining all things. When a spark of his wrath kindles upon the earth, the whole world, except only eight persons, are drowned; Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, are burnt with fire from heaven; the sea shuts her mouth upon some, the earth opens and swallows up others; the pestilence destroys by thousands. What a standing witness of the wrath of God, is 8. (II.) As the loss of the saints' rest will be the present deplorable state of the Jews! Yet aggravated by losing the enjoyments of time, it the glorifying the mercy and justice of God is will be much more so by suffering the torments intended most eminently for the life to come. of hell. The exceeding greatness of such tor-As God will then glorify his mercy in a way that ments may appear by considering the princi- is now beyond the comprehension of the saints pal author of them, who is God himself the that must enjoy it; so also will he manifest his place or state of torment-that these torments justice to be indeed the justice of God. The are the fruits of divine vengeance-that the Al- everlasting flames of hell will not be thought too mighty takes pleasure in them—that Satan and hot for the rebellious; and, when they have there sinners themselves shall be God's executioners burned through millions of ages, he will not re-that these torments shall be universal-with-pent him of the evil which has befallen them. out mitigation —and without end. Woe to the soul that is thus set up as a butt for the wrath of the Almighty to shoot at! and as a bush that must burn in the flames of his jealousy, and never be consumed! 9. (1.) The principal author of hell-torments is God himself. As it was no less than God whom the sinners had offended, so it is no less than God who will punish them for their offenHe hath prepared those torments for his enemies. His continued anger will still be devouring them. His breath of indignation will placable. kindle the flames. His wrath will be an intole-rebellious ces. 11. (3.) The torments of the damned must be extreme, because they are the effect of divine vengeance. Wrath is terrible, but revenge is imWhen the great God shall say, 'My creatures shall now pay for all the abuse of my patience. Remember how I waited | soul, but a sinful soul, that must suffer. Fire your leisure in vain, how I stooped to persuade will not burn, except the fuel be combustible; and entreat you. Did you think I would always but if the wood be dry, how fiercely will it burn? be so slighted? Then will he be revenged for The guilt of their sins will be to the damned every abused mercy, and for all their neglects of souls like tinder to gunpowder, to make the Christ and grace. O that men would foresee flames of hell take hold upon them with fury.this, and please God better in preventing their The body must also bear its part. That body, woe! which was so carefully looked to, so tenderly cherished, so curiously dressed, what must it now endure! How are its haughty looks now taken down! How little will those flames regard its comeliness and beauty! Those eyes, which were wont to be delighted with curious sights, must then see nothing but what shall terrify them; an angry God above them, with those saints whom they scorned, enjoying the glory which they have lost; and about them will be only devils and damned souls. How will they look back, and say, 'Are all our feasts, and games, and revels come to this? Those ears which were accustomed to music and songs, shall hear the shrieks and cries of their damned companions: children crying out against their parents, that gave them encouragement and example in evil; husbands and wives, masters and servants, ministers and people, magistrates and subjects, charging their misery upon one another, for discouraging in duty, conniving at sin, and being silent, when they should have plainly foretold the danger. Thus will soul and body be companions in woe. 12. (4.) Consider also, that though God had rather men would accept of Christ and mercy, yet, when they persist in rebellion, he will take pleasure in their execution. He tells us, 'fury is not in me:' yet he adds, 'who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle; I would go through them, I would burn them together.' Wretched creatures! when he that made them will not have mercy upon them, and he that formed them will show them no favour. As the Lord rejoiced over them to do them good; so the Lord will rejoice over them to destroy them, and to bring them to nought. Woe to the souls whom God rejoiceth to punish! He will laugh at their calamity, he will mock when their fear cometh: when their fear cometh as desolation, and their destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon them.' Terrible thing, when none in heaven or earth can help them but God, and he shall rejoice in their calamity! Though Scripture speaks of God's laughing and mocking, not literally, but after the manner of men; yet it is such an act of God, in tormenting the sinner, which cannot otherwise be more fitly expressed. 13. (5.) Consider that Satan and themselves shall be God's executioners. He that was here so successful in drawing them from Christ, will then be the instrument of their punishment, for yielding to his temptations. That is the reward he will give them for all their service; for their rejecting the commands of God, forsaking Christ, and neglecting their souls at his persuasion. If they had served Christ as faithfully as they did Satan, he would have given them a better reward. It is also most just, that they should be their own tormentors, that they may see their whole destruction is of themselves; and then, whom can they complain of but themselves? 14. (6.) Consider also that their torment will be universal. As all parts have joined in sin, so must they all partake in the torment. The soul, as it was the chief in sinning, shall be the chief in suffering; and as it is of a more excellent nature than the body, so will its torments far exceed bodily torments: and as its joys far surpass all sensual pleasures, so the pains of the soul exceed corporeal pains.-It is not only a Doth God tell 15. (7.) Far greater will these torments be, because without mitigation. In this life, when told of hell, or if conscience troubled their peace, they had comforters at hand; their carnal friends, their business, their company, their mirth. They could drink, play, or sleep away their sorrows. But now all these remedies are vanished. Their hard presumptuous unbelieving heart was a wall to defend them against trouble of mind. Satan was himself their comforter, as he was to our first mother: 'Hath God said, ye shall not eat? Ye shall not surely die. you that you shall lie in hell? matter: God is more merciful. a hell, what need you fear it? Christians? Was not the blood of Christ shed for you? Thus, as the Spirit of Christ is the comforter of the saints, so Satan is the comforter of the wicked. Never was a thief more careful lest he should awake the people, when he is robbing the house, than Satan is not to awaken a sinner. But when the sinner is dead, then Satan hath done flattering and comforting Which way, then, will the forlorn sinner look for comfort? They that drew him into the It is no such Or if there be Are not you snare, and promised him safety, now forsake him, | them with the reason of a man. | Who art thou, that thou shouldst bear the wrath of God? Art thou a god or a man? What is thy strength? Is it not as the strength of wax, or stubble, to resist the fire; or as chaff to the wind; or as 16. (8.) But the greatest aggravation of these dust before the fierce whirlwind? If thy strength torments will be their eternity. When a thou- were as iron, and thy bones as brass; if thy founsand millions of ages are past, they are as fresh dation were as the earth, and thy power as the to begin as the first day. If there were any heavens, yet shouldst thou perish at the breath hope of an end, it would ease the damned to of his indignation. How much more, when thou foresee it; but for ever is an intolerable thought. art but a piece of breathing clay, kept a few days They were never weary of sinning, nor will God from being eaten with worms, by the mere supbe weary of punishing. They never heartily port and favour of him whom thou art thus resistrepented of sin, nor will God repent of their suf-ing!-Why dost thou tremble at the signs of fering. They broke the laws of the eternal God, almighty power and wrath? at claps of thunder, and therefore shall suffer eternal punishment. or flashes of lightning; or that unseen power They knew it was an everlasting kingdom which which rends in pieces the mighty oaks, and tears they refused, and what wonder if they are down the strongest buildings; or at the plague, everlastingly shut out of it. Their immortal when it rageth around thee? If thou hadst seen souls were guilty of the trespass, and therefore the plagues of Egypt, or the earth swallow up must immortally suffer the pains. What happy Dathan and Abiram; or Elijah bring fire from men would they think themselves, if they might heaven to destroy the captains and their comhave lain still in their graves, or might but there panies, would not any of these sights have lie down again! How will they call and cry, daunted thy spirit? How then canst thou bear 'O death! whither art thou now gone? Now the plagues of hell? Why art thou dismayed come and cut off this doleful life. O that these with such small sufferings as befal thee here? pains would break my heart, and end my being! A toothache; a fit of the gout, or stone; the O that I might once at last die! O that I loss of a limb, or falling into beggary and dishad never had a being! These groans will the grace? And yet all these laid together will be thoughts of eternity wring from their hearts. one day accounted a happy state, in comparison They were wont to think sermons and prayers of that which is suffered in hell.-Why does the long; how long then will they think these approach of death so much affright thee? endless torments. What difference is there how cold it strikes to thy heart! And would not betwixt the length of their pleasures and their the grave be accounted a paradise, compared pains! The one continued but a moment, the with that place of torment which thou slightest? other endureth through all eternity. Sinner, re- —Is it an intolerable thing to burn part of thy member how time is almost gone. Thou art body, by holding it in the fire? What then will standing at the door of eternity; and death it be to suffer ten thousand times more for ever is waiting to open the door, and put thee in hell?-Why does the thought or mention of in. Go, sleep out a few more nights, and stir hell occasion any disquiet in thy spirit? And about a few more days on earth, and then thy canst thou endure the torments themselves? nights and days shall end: thy thoughts, and Why doth the rich man complain to Abraham of cares, and pleasures, shall all be devoured by his torments in hell? Or thy dying companions eternity; thou must enter upon the state which lose their courage, and change their haughty lanshall never be changed. As the joys of heaven guage?—Why cannot these make as light of hell are beyond our conception, so are the pains of hell. as thyself?-Didst thou never see or speak with Everlasting torment is inconceivable torment. a inan under despair? How uncomfortable was his talk! How burdensome his life! Nothing he possessed did him good: he had no sweetness in meat or drink; the sight of friends troubled him; he was weary of life, and fearful of death. If the misery of the damned can be endured, why cannot a man more easily endure these foretastes of hell? What if thou shouldst see the devil appear to thee in some terrible shape? Would not thy heart fail thee, 17. But methinks I see the obstinate sinner desperately resolving, If I must be damned, there is no remedy. Rather than I will live as the Scripture requires, I will put it to the venture; I shall escape as well as the rest of my neighbours, and we will even bear it as well as we can.' Alas! poor creature, let me beg this of thee, before thou dost so flatly resolve, that thou wouldst lend me thy attention to a few questions, and weigh |