l"Iead_ VI. Ti)e Pun~'lmunt of Lofl irJ Hell. -409 ~nd which the drcadfi1I exoerience of the da:11ned can .only , fufficiently unfold. But that we may have fome· .conception of the horror of it, let the tollov:.ring things be coniidered. • · l.fl, God is the chief good, and therefore to be feparat– ed from him mufl be the chief evii. Our native country, ,eur relarions, and our life, are good; and therefore to be .deprived of them we reckon a great.evil: and the better any thing is, fo much the greater evil is the lofs of it : wherefore God being the chief go0d, and no good .co :n– para!Jle to llim . ther.e can be no 1ol.s fo great as the lofs of God,. The fuil enjoyment ot him is the high·fl: pina– cle of happinefs the creature is capable of arriving at: to be fully a~d finally feparated from him, mull then be the !owetl Hep of mifery which t11e·rational creature can be reduced to_. To be caft o.ff by ·men, by good men,. by the beft of men, is he;:tvy; what mua it then be, to , b<! rejected of God? of goodnefs itfelf! - _ · · 2Jfy, God is the fountain of all goodnefs, from wlticlt ulJ go_odnef.'i flows unto the creatures, and by which it is continued in them, and to them. Whatever goodnefs or per_fcction, natural as well as moral, is in any ~rea- , ture, it is from God, and depends ~pon him, as the light is from, and depends on the fun: for every,,ereated be– ing, as fuch. is a dependent one. ~Therefore a total iepat'a· tion from God, :wherein all comfortable communication betwixt God and a rational creature is abfolutely blocked u;), mllll of nece£llty bring along with it a total edipfe of all light of comfort and eafe .whatfoever. If there be bat one window or open place in a houfe, and that be quite ibut up; it is evident t.here can be nothing but darknefs ii\ that houfe. Our Lord tells usj (Matth~ xix-. · 1 1 7.) Ther'?:h nonegood but one, that is God. N 0thing good ot~ comfonable is originally fro ~n the creature: whatever good or cq:nfor.tabk thing one finds in one's ft:·lf, as health ' ofbody, peace ofmind; whatever fweetnefs, reil: , ple.lfure, or delightt oHe finds in other creatures, as in meat, drink, ~rts and fciences : all thefe are bu't feme faint rays of the !divine perfetl:ion.s, comrnunicelte from God w1to the creatures, andd_epend:ng on a contlant . influence from him for their confervation, which failing, they would immeM m · diatcly
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