534 Of_ H E L L Chap. I. that when all his Sons and Daughters rofe up to comfort him, he refufed to be eo~ and fi1id , I "'ill go don•n mourmng to the Grave. Indeed this overwhelming Sorrow is hotl; a Sin and a !'unin1menr. 'Tis ordained by the righteous and unchangeable Decree of God, that every mordmate AffeElion in Man lhould be his own Tormentor. But if tile lofs of a pOOl' frail Creature for a lhort time be fo affiitling, how infupportable will the Son·ow be for the lofs of the Blelfed God for eve1·? Who can fully conceive the Extent and Degrees of that Evil? For an Evil rifes in proportion to the Good of which it deprives us: It mull thcJ<efore follow, that Celeftial Blelfednefs being an infinite eternal Good1 the exclufion from it is proportionably,·Evil. And as the Felicity of theSaints refults from the Fruitioil of God in Heaven,- and fi·omcomparifon with the contrary State: So the Mifcry of the Damned arifes both from the thoughts of loft Happinefs, and from the Jaftmg Pain tha[ torments them. ·· · . It may be replied, Jf this be the utmoll Evil that is confequenttoSin, the Threatnmg of 1t IS hl<cly to deter but few from the pleaflng their corrupt Appetites: for carnal. Men have fuch grofsand viti'lted AffeElionsthat are carelefs of fpirirual Happinefs. T/J'J t11nnot tttjle and fee ho1v good the Lord u. , - · To this a clear Anfwer may be given: In the next State, where the Wicked !hall be /or e\·cr without thofe Carnal ObjeEls that here deceive and delight them, when deprived of all things that plcafetheir voluptuous Senfes, their Apprebenfions will be changed; they 01all under!land what a Happinefs it is to enjoy God, and what a Mifery to be expell'd from the Celcftial Paradife. Our Saviour cells the 'Jews, There fhaU be weeping anJ gn.[bmg of Tm h, when ye fbaU fee A braham, Ifaac, and Jacob, and aU the Prophets in the f(ingdom of God, andyor~yor~r [elves thmft or~t, Luke I). 28. How will they pine with envy at the fight of that triumphant Felicity, of which they lhall never be Pa.takers ? To fee that blelfed Company encring into the facrcd Manlions of Light, will make the lofs of Heaven infinitely more difcernable and terrible to the Wicked, who ,!hall be call inro outer Darkmjj, and for ever be deprived of Communion with God and his Saints. Depart from me, will be as dreadful a part of the Jud!lment, as Eternal Fire. , With the lofsof the moft excellent Good, the futrering of the moft affiitling painful Evil IS )OJn'd. The Sentence rs, · Depart ye Cflr{ed mto Everlajltng Fm. And If an imaginary Sorrow conceived in the Mind without a real external <...:aufc, . as in melancholy Perfons, when grofs Vapours dJr'ken and corrupt the brightnefs and purity of the Spirits that are requifite for its chearful't'fpl!rations, is often fo oppreffing, that Nature finks under It ; How infupporrable will the Sorrow o! condemned Sinners be, under the impreflion and fenfe of God's Almrgluy and avengm~ Hand, when 1t lhall fully appear l10w pure and holy he is in his. Anger .for Sin, ho~v )Ull and dreadful in punilhing Sinnm I It ~;le~:;, ~~ll i~~~~~~~h~'[;;;~ ;;}aih~~~~i~~~/"arn~; t~~llls ~Y ~~iihrnL:~:k~~f~~~~! number of Suflerers 01all be fo far from aflording any Relict, that the Mifery is aggravated by .the Company and Communication of the Miferable. Every one is furrounded ~~~n:f~:~iJ;~g~~t,~~:i~~ ~~~,~~l~r:~ ~~~~:~~~; ~fe~~f~f,~n;.e~~~t\~rea1:h~,~~~: ment and vexation of every one. As when the Wmd·confp1res. with the Flame, 'us more fierce and fpreading: . . caJie;1~}c t~~~c:y~:;; of i~:~~~ ~\'it ~a~~'fu~~da~~~Fc~~~~;~f ~~~i~m:i~l~:~~~:hJ ~~u~ meot, that not only the Saints lhall glorify his Jullice in the condemnation of the wiJ ~,~: d~r:a1~? ~:~~~~ ~- ~~~=~~~~d~~g~~r"fnnl:i:~r~e:~l~~~ a~~r,~·n\:,~~;, J~ftl:~if;:~ in the Parable of the Marnage-Feall, w_hen_ tax'd for Ius prefumptuous mtrufl~n Wtthour a Wedding-Garment,. Ho>V camejl tho11 rn httlm ? ":as fpeechlefs: fo they.Wlll find n~ ~~~ar~fi~~~'ei':f~~~fi~~~rc~~~DO::uc;~~i:.":h~ b~~~~;~e:~~:b;~~~~~~~~~~~~;~~!,~~~ Divine Mercy for their Salvation, that were inefle/J:ual by their Contempt an& Obfh· nacy. All the compaffionace Calls by his Word, with the holy Motions of the Spirit, were like the fowing of Seed in the ftony Gi'Ound, that took no Root, and never came to perfetlion. All his terrible Threatnings ·were but as Thunder to the Deaf, or Lightning to the Blind, that little affetls them : the bounty of his Providence de6gn'd to lead tbem to Repentance, had the fameeffe8: as the Showers of Heaven uponBnarsand Thorns, chat make them grow the fa!ler. And that a Mercy fo ready to pardon, did not pro· duce in them a correfpondent Affetlion of grateful obedient Love ; but by the malt unworthy P!·ovocations they pluck' cl down the Vengeance due to obftmate Rebels, will fo cimigcthi: Damned againll chemfclvcs, chat they wlll be lcfs m1ferable by the Mfh~~
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