/ . bares fhrick at the lafhing of their bodies, and all hell be filled with th,c cric~ and ccchoes ofwo, wo, 1 vo for their torments, and the darkneffc ?. May be you will obJeCt, 1f there be fire, ihcre is affurcdly light: nay, (without quefbon) th1s}ire hath heat, no ltght; it is a dark fmoaky flame, that burnes d1m to the eye, yet !harp to the fenfe ; or 1t may be (as fome do imagine) this fire affords a little Sulphureous or obfcure bght, but how nu; for comfort, bur coofufion. Conceive it thus, he that in .the twilight fees defor– med Images, or in the night beholds fhapes of gholl:s, and fpmts, by a dunme dark light, why better he f•w nothing, then fuch terrible vifions; !uch fears, nay a thoufand rimes worfc are prcfcntcd to the eyes of Reprobates; they may d1fcern through .dark– neifc, the ugly faces of fiends, the foul Vlfages of Reprobates, the funous torments of their friends, or parents, while all lre t~gether in the fame condemnation. \Vhat comfort affords this ligh't, where nothwg lS feen bur the Judges wrath, and the pnfon– ers punifhmcnt? 0 (will they cry) that our eyes were out, or the flames were quen, checl,or that fomc period were put to this endleffe night of darkneffc !bot all in vain; lo, pillars of finoak arife out of the infernal pit, which darken the light, as the fire lightens the darkneffc : and this the fecond difference. Thirdly, there is yet another differenee,in the fuel .or objeU ofthisfire; ours burne not without materials,this works alfo on fpi>ituals. It is (I confeffc) a quell:ion whether de– vils fuffa by fire? and how may that be? fomc are of opinion, that they are not only fpi– rits,but have bodies;not organical as ours,but aereal,or fomcwhat more fubtile then the aire it fclf: this opinion howfocver moll: deny,yct .Aujlineargues for it; for if men and devils'( faith he) 3rc punifhed in the famefire,and that fire be corporeal, how arc Devils capable ofthe fuffcring, unleffc they have bodies (like men) fit for the impreffion ? And yet if we deny them to have bodies, I fee no impoffibility, but that fpirits themfclvcs may fuffer inj1ell-firc: is it not as eafie with God to joyn fpirits and firc,as fo)Jls and bo– dies? as therefore the foul may fuffer •hrough the body, fo hkewife may thof~ fpirits be tormented by fire. I will not argL!e the cafe either with, or againll: .Aufline; yet fafely may we put this conclufion,Not omly men in their bodies, but devils andfonts m1tj/ together be tormented m hellfire, Thus our Saviour couples them in that !all: heavy doom, 6'o, ye wrfod into everlafling fi'e preparedfor the Devils ami his .Angels. What a fire is this? it tries the reins, it fearchcth the bowels, it piercerh the very foul and inmoll: thoughts. 0 fire above mcafure ! where fpirits are the tormentors, damnation the ptmifhment, men and devils the fuel, and the breath of an offended God the Bellowes. Think not on your fires, that gives you heat for warmth, or light for comfort; neither fear you him that k!_llsyonr bodiCJ, but hath no further commiflion to hurt your fouls: here is another. fire, another Judge; afire that kindles fouls, a Jndge that fends bodies and fouls io ever– lajfing fire: fuch hors, fuch darkneffe, fuch objects accompany this fire; the hear is into– lerable, darkncffe palpable, body and f9ul both combull:ible, all burn together that have– finned together..This is the third diff~rcnce. AuguR d, ci· vie. dei I. 21.. c. Io. Mmh. oS 41, Laltly~ there is a difference in Durapce; our fire dies quickly,_ but hell-fire lifts fw ever. Th1s lS done ( Guth .AJiflmc) adm.rably, yet actually; the burmng bod1es never con– fume, the kindled fire never wall:es with any length of time. \Ve read of a certain fait inSicilia, that if put into the fire, it fwims as in water, and being put into water crack– les as m fire; We read of a fountain in Libya, that in a cold night is fo hot, that none can touch it, and in a hot day fo cold that none could drink it: If God thus work mira– cles on earth, do'll: thou feci< a reafon of Gods high and heavy judgement in hell? I fee the ptt, I cannot find the depth; thc_re is a fire that now ll:ands as it was created; it mull: be endured, yet never, never mull: be ended. The cullomc of fomc cvuntreys, that burn M1lcfa.Crours, uf~ the leall: fires for greatcll offenders, that !o the heat being ~elfened, the pams m1ght be prolonged ; but if this be fo terrible to them, whofe fire MirU,fei;veriJ m,diJAug.ihiJ Aug dt!civit. 1 Dc1. 1. 2h ts but httlc,and whore time cannot be long;what an exceeding horrible torment is this in hdl,whcrc the fire 1s cxtrcam great,& the time for ever and evcrlall:ing? Suppofe you. or any one of you fh0uld he one nigbt grievoufly afflicted, with a raging a fit of theStona: Coll1ck, Strangury, Tooth-ach, pangs of Travel, and a thoufand fuch miferies inci– dent to man, how would you toffe and tumble? how would you turo your fides, tell the clock, count the hours, expeCl: every moment for the gay-bright morn, and till then ell:e~m every hour a year,& every pang a mifery mntchleffe,& intoletablc?O then what wdl!t be (thmk you) to l1e in fire & bcimftone,kept in highefl: flame.by'thc imquenchable – wrath of God,_ world wi~hout end? How tedious will be that endleffc night, where the clock never ll:nkes, the tunes never paffes, the morr. never (lawns,. the Sun never riTes. where thou canll not turn,nor toffe, nor tumble, nor yet take ariy rcft; where thou !halt' K k k ~ave nothing
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