!lWetlitation. Char.8. ~e&. 6 /\t--o. r4. r 1 a dark.;fmoak!, which afcends up out of 1hitt pit fJjfire fo~-;r a~i~;;;.~Aftr~~~~ 19· 3 is, that hath no light, but is all dark, yea darkntfs it fdf, yea blacknefs of darknefs, fuch a darknefs both ofof fire and fmoake that It may be fclt,as being a thoufand times thicker then the darknefs of Egypt: indeed that darkncfs was but for three dayes, but this darknefs is for ever and ever: that darknefte had fomc liborry, for even then Ph 4 • roah could fend for Mofn,but this darknelfc is a very chainc;•hey "" rcferved i?J chai;,, ' Per. 2 · 4 ofdm·k:;tejfe; in everlttjfing chainn. n11der dark,zlt{>·: it is called c:haines to fhe w that a ' J•a' 6 man fhall be as unable to get out of hell, if once he be. thtre, as a man fcttercd with chaincs in darknefs is unable to free himfelf, or to find the way out of that dark pbco. Rev. '9· 2o Nay a llrange fire it _is in a~ other rcfpect, the Apoltlc calls it a !akJ offire, or a poole offire, or If thou wilt, a nver of fire; to note the abundance of torments that are in hell; that as in rivers and lakes the water is plentiful, fo plentifu l torments !hall be for them, that fhall be call into this direful place : it is not onely fire, but a lak.; offire, Revel. 20, 10 nor onely a lake offire, but a lakJ offire and brimj/one too; who·e t!Jt BMjl and th< fa!fo Prophet, jha/1 be tormentedday and mgbtfor ever and ever. 0 here is a new A che/am""' and va'ile of f!innom, places no lelfer of terror then of torment, where the fury of the great Judge burnes in a fiery brimllone, and his revenge boyles in a fiery torrent, li– mitlelfe and unquenchable. In all thefe texts confider the horrible threatnings of the Gofpel, the fevere intermination of eternal paines. This is not legal preaching ; the law never threatned thus; Some maintainc lhongly, that the terrors of the law did end in a temporal death, for they could affright no further; but in the Gofpel heaven and hell were opened, and laid before the fonncs of men. In fome rcfpects the law is indeed more terrible then the Gcfpel, becaufe it allowed no Ihercy to the repenting finner in greater inll:ances, as the G~fpel does: But then ifwe compare the itatc of thofe .men who fell under the evilsofthelaw, with thofe who fall under the evils threatncd in the gofpel,we fhall find thefe to be in a far worfe condition then thofc were, Heb." 10 , 2 a, 29 as much as hell is worfe then being fl:oned to death,or being thrufl: through with a fword: to which purpofe faith the Apofl:le, H e that dtfpifed Mof.:s law dyed withom mercy und,r tlVO or three witncjJe;;of how mucb fortr punijhment fuppofc ye,jiJall he be thought tVGrthyJll'ho bath trodden underfoot the So1me of God,and hath co1trucd the blood of the Cov<nant,where. with he was[t~.nUijied,an 1mholy thmg, and hath done defpite unto t>e Spi;-it ofgrace? they were punifhed by death that -tranfgrelfed Mo(es law,but of how much forer punifh. mentare they worthy,who trangrelfe the Gofpel of jefus Chrill? Oh let none millake the mercies of the new Covenant, nor turne the grace of God into wantonnelfe ; for the mercies of the Gofpelneither allow us to fin, nor inflic'l: an eafier punifhment for fin,_but rather they oblige us to more holinefs under a greater penalty. Thus far 0 my foul, ~for the information of thy judgment, now for tl:c fiirring up of thy affections. I. Relijh. 0 eternity ofhell! 0 that thou wert c.ver in my mind when plcafurc fawneth, when tuft provoketh, when the flefh rebelleth, when the fpirit failcth! the very thoughts of this Eternity, if fancrified to me, might be to my fouls eternal advantage; thoughts of hell driving me to jefus Chrill: are quell:ionlefs to be chcrilhed, and to be kept alive. And therefore 0 my foul go on, confider of this Etemity ofhell, till thou feelefr fome relifh of its bitternefs;anci beginll to fear and tremble, . to detefl: thy fin, to grieve and to be afhamed forthy fin, to maintaine an holy jealoufie, -anger and indignation a· gainft thy felffor fin; to pity thofe that by their fin are in danger of this Ercmity, and to love thy jefus with a fincere love, who by his death, hath delivered thy foul from the nethermoll: hell. And to that purpofe ··-··· . _ I. Confider the eternity of that which divines call thep~tinc of lo.ffe: 0 that fad word, MAtt/ 1 , 25 ; 41 departye c~trftd into everlnfling fire! that word depart comprehends in it the lolfe ofaU: as 1. The lolfe of God: this is the great torment of a damned man, that he is without God; the prefence of God makes heaven to~e heavtn, and the abfence of God makes . hell more hell; If Abfolon counte4 it fo great mifery, that he was weary of his lfe, be· eau\(: he might not fee his father for a while, what a wearinefs will it be to the damned, that they fhall not fee God to be their father, not onely for a while, but for ever and evet? it is-ou.r compla'int ufually in damps, dejecrions, defertions, God is gone: but oh what complaints are thofe of the damned in hell, that God is gone for eva? they are not ban\fhed out qf Gods prefence onely for a day, or a month, or a year, or dunn;: the time of this life, but for ever and ever ; they mull: never fee his fuce againe. •· 'This D•po~~rtcomprehends the lolfc of Chrill: though they may own him atthe !all d1y a>
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