®cl'litatton. Chap.8. Sea.6. b:ur. zB 67. not fo much as 01 1e minutes eafe: theyJludl have no rrfl day nor night: it is comfort to a fick man thoDgh he cannot fleep in the night, if he may have cafe in.. the morning ; but in hell there is no reil:, night, nor mornmg: m the mormng they ]hallfay, would 6cd tt we 1 -c ivtning 1 a;-;d at evening they (~'.Y, . ~l'ON~d Gad z:t were m~rning. And the reafonof l>f••"-:- 9· 44, 46 48. their continual fuffering, is bccaufe of thm contmual finmng; the very language of hell is curung, fwearing, blafphemmg, and therefore there IS no ~effat1on of paine, nor intcliniffion of torment, nor permtffion of comfort; the wrath ofGod ab•dcs on them,fatth Chrifr · it doth not light on them for a turn, but it abides on them for ever. 3 . Confider the eternity of that :vorme ofco?fcicnoe within the damned; not only paine without, but a flammg confc1ence 1swtthm: there IS a worme (as Chrifl: ir:r; culcates) which mver dics; when ·Calig1tla heard but the voice of thunder, he was fo terrified within, that he ran under a bed : as the damned are in hell, fo there is an hell in them: and this is that worme Chrill: fpeaks of which will gnaw them, and feed on them to all eternity. The gnawings of this worme are thofe feveral confidcrations,that their underlbndings, confciences, memories lhallbring into them: as for example. 1. They !hall confider of the greatnefs of that glory which they have loll:; what? 'tis· not a piece of earth, a crown, a diadem of gold, but an exceeding eternal weight ofglory: Oh they have loll: God and Chrill:, they h~ve loll heaven , and all the inhabitants of heaven ; oh they have loll: God,the vifions of God, and fruitions of God to ~n eternity: and at this confideration the worme gives one deadly bite. 2. They !hall confider of the pollibifity that once they were in of obtaining heaven; is not this theirlanguage; Once I livid underJuch a Minjlry, and many a time heJet brfore nu lifeand death, many a time he called on me, remrne, returne~ 0 Shulamite, returne,returnc! 1mmy a time he prayed ever me, wept over me, befought me with tears to c:onfider whither I WAs a going, ,:znd had I b~-tt embraced the tenders, offers, and motiuns of grace he made, now I might hflve hlld poffcjfion ofthe inhtrfitancc, I mi<~ht have been amongjl y:md blejJed Saints, who am now tormented with th•fe damned fiends: And at this confideration the worme gives him another deadly bite. 3· They lhall confider of the great probability that once they WCI'C in of obtaining heaven; and this is more: Oh I had once the gales of the Spirit to ajfijl me; I wasfemetinz<sf ully purpofed to have been another man,to have cleaved to Chrifl, and to have f01]•ok.. the world; I wa< almojl refolved to have been wholly for God; I '""' once even turning from my bafe feducing lufls, and I wa; purpofed ntruer to rakf them11p again: I had evenc~tjl offmy old companions, and IMS refolved to have affociatcd myfelf JVith the dear people ofGod; andyer I returned back_, and loft my hold, andbrokf my pro– mifes, and jlackfd my purpofes, and now where amy ! ! 0 wo is me, that once I J>as [o faire for heaven, and am now in hell! if I hadfollowed on.tofeek.. the Lord , and brought tho{e beginnings to matllrity, I might now have beenjinging with the Saints, inJfead ofhowling mth thcje reprobates. Andat this confideration the worme gives him another deadly bite, · 4- They !hall confider of the golden time and opportunity for heaven which God afforded them whilll they wereliving, and now is gone, Oh will they fay, I had once' . time enough to have WrOJtght out myJalvation withfeare and trembling, yea I had fo much 1·imr; that I k_.new not what to do with it ; lwMfaine to devife mirths;>fooleries>paftimes, f() pajJe away the time; 0 the golden hours I did enjoy! oh the bleffedf eafons ofgrace I fome– times had! but now its gone,"its gone, itsgone; oh my days arecHt off, mygtaf{e Urun, my f un isJet, ttnd it will never, never, never rife again! time WM that God himfe!fhcld me the candle that I might d• his work_, but alas! alas! lloytcred till aliJV.U btrnt out: oh that I had b11t oneofthofeye~~rs to live over againe! oh that I had but one wee".._, one day, one houre of that preciom time I once enjoyed: •h that G•d 1vould tllrne me into the world, and iry me onr:e again,how I wouldjpend my life on earth; how!Jvould I repent and fajl, and pray, and watch, and hear, and read, anddo all duties? But oh! oh! oh! it's now too late: the pits mouth wherein I am, u Jealed up, and there is no redemption hence; here I am, an_d here I mufl lye in thefe fl'orching flames for truer; and truer, ,and ever. And at •thiS confideration the worme bites againe: oh who can tell the many confiderations, and confequently the many deadly bites ofthis worme of confcience of damned fouls , in hell ! . · . 4· · Confider the eternity of that fpace and duration through which the damned mult• endure all thofc loffes~ torments, ll:ings ·of confcience, why this is Eternity it felf, thi$ is that Eternity indeed which we call the eternity ofhell; nay, this is hell in hell. 0 the roarings 'in hell at this very conlidera:ti.p':l; If I might b11t endure all the painesofhe/lfo' rnan_v mrll•ms of yeaq a< ther' fire ftm'd's'on the[M·jhtJrt- , orgrflffe·p•ln on the fltrth, or ·- ~ · · - - - millS
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