Chap. II. Of 'HELL. they fulfer, than 'by 'the convil.tion of their torn Minds, that they werl' the foie Caulcs of it. WhAt Repentmgs tvtll be kindled wzthm them, fur the fiuprd neglel.t of the great S•!- vntion fo dearly pmchafed, and earne!ll y offered to them, What a,fiery .addltlon to theu· Torment, that when God was fo willing to fave them, they were fo wrlful to be damned? They will never forgive themfelves, that for the fhort and mean Pleafures ofSenfe, which if enjoyed a thoufand Years, cannot reco~pence the Jofs of Hea~en, nor requrte the pains of Hell for an lroUl', they mull: be deprrved of the one, and fufler the other for CV~~ The Sorrow and Rage will be increafed by Defpa ir : for when the wretcl;ed.Sinner fees the Evil is peremptory, and no Outlet of Hope, he abandons hunfelf to the vro)ence of Sorrow, and by cruel Thoughts wounds the_ Heart more, than the fiercell: Furies in ~~~nan~onlcr~:s.~~~lt~~·~~~ci;/~mH~j:P·~;ie~;~l !ethe0~it~jJ a~~~~e~~:; .'~d Heaven is in them, by thofe holy and joyful Affel.tions that are always exercifed in the Divine Prefence; fo the Damned are in Hell, anc\ Hell is in them by thofefierce and miferable Paffions that continually prey upon them. CHAP. ii. I The Etemity Of Mi(ery llJakes it moft inrolerable. The 'fr'Jlice of fjod clear'd in the , Eternal prmijlnmnt of Sinners for temporary Sins. The Wifdom of God reqt~ires that the Punijhmmt threatned foould be powerf"l to prefer)!e the Co~nmands of th~ Law in)!iolab/e. There is an infepa.-able comuxion ·bmoem the Chotee and ABions 'of Men hire; and their Condition for e)!er. Tbe Damned are unqualified for any Fa)!ollr. J),e ilninenfe gr1ilt of Sin reqi<ires a proportion ill the Pu>~ifbment. THE Eternity of their. Mifery .in•. kes i't abov.e all other C. onficlerations intolerable: ' Our Saviour repeats tt thnce m the fpace of a few Verl'es, to ,terrrfy thofe who fpare f0me favoritc Corruption, that in Hell t!Je1r Wor~ d~es hot, and the Fire if never quenched. God will never rererfe his Sentence, and they lhaiJ pever change their State. How willingly would carnal Men rafe the word Eternal out of the Scriptures; but to their grief they find it joined with the Felicity_ of Heaven, anti the Torments of Hen; The fecond Death has all the terrrble (}Qalltles of the firfi, but not the cafe. and ~nd it , brings to Mifery. All the Tears of thofe forlorn Wretches fhall ,never quench one fpark of the Fire. Where are the delicious Fare, the Mufick, th~ Purple, and all the carnal Delights of the Rich Man? they are all changed into a contrary fiate of Mifery ; and that Jlate is fix'd for ever. From hi,s vanifhing Pa.radife he defcended into an everlafling Hell. In this the Vengeance of God is infiqitely _mor~ heavy.than the moll: terribleexecutionfromMen. Human Jufiice and Power can inflil.t but one Death (that will be foon difpatch'd) upon a Malefal.tor worthy to fuller a hundred Deaths; if he be condemned tO the Fire, they cannot thake him live and die together, to bum and not be confumed. But God will fo far fupport the Damned in their Torments, tha,t they !hall always have firength to feel, tho no ftrength patiently to endpre them.. Thofe extream Torments which would extinguifh the prefent Life in a mo111ent; fhaU be fulfered for ever, This Confiderationinfinitely aggravates the Mifery: For the loft Soul, rack'd with tlu; fearful Contemplation of what it muft fuller for ever, feels, as it were at once, all ihe Evils that llJall torment it in its whole duration. The perpetuity of the Mifery is always felt by previfion. This is as the cruel breaking of the Bones upon the Wh~el1 .when the Soulrs tormented by the forefight ofM1fery, that wtthout. allays !hall conunl!e m the Circulation of Eternal Ages. To make this more fenfible, let us confi~er;, tliat pa in makes the Mind obfervant of the paffingof the haul's. In Pleafures, Time with a quick an~ lilent motion, infenfibly llides away ; but in Troubles the :£::!.'3urs are tedious ; i.n violent Pams we reckon the Minutes as long. 'Tis obfervable, how paffionately the a.ffiil.ted Pfa!mtft complains, Wrll the Lord caft off for ever? ;WzHhe b~ favourable no more? Doth hu Promife fail for M;ermore ? Hath he forgotten to be graciow? li~th he in Anger fhut uA hu tender Mercies? Pfal. 77· 7· In .what various pathe\Jck For.ms does hcexprefsthe fame Affel.tiori _? Tho he had affurance that the graciou• God \VOU!d not be always revere, yet his AngU101 forc'd from him ComplaintS, as if the !rwment . of his Trouble were an Eternity. But '~hat .firains of Sorrowi ~r~ ~~Orig ,~pe P,~~P~~, ;. v.,;}191 P.:f19,cs ') the~ _pre_,. fent fenfe of the1r M•fery, have always •n then·.Thot1ghts tHe vaft Etermty whcreio. the~ muft fuffer it? A. a~ d Whel'i
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