God's Wrath dreaijui to Sinners. mitred to die? Yet thefe , and all the witty Tortures that ever were invented by rhe greate!t MafiersofCruelty, are nothing in Comparifon of the Vengeance that God will take upon Sinners in Hell : And therefore he fays, Vnlgeanceiimine, I will recomptnct. As if he Ihould fay, Alas., all that you can do on'e to anOther fignifies norhing, it is not to be accounced Vengeanct, that is too~.eaca Name for fuch poor Effects. It is a Prerogative that God challengeth to himfelf to be the Avmger : And whatever Creatures meddle with, if they have not a Cornmiffion from him 'ic is their Sin; and therefore private Perfons, whom he·hach not in.. :vefted wi~hfuch Authority, ought not eo take upon them toavengetheirown Caufe. Or if they have a Commiffion, yet all their execurion of Yrngcanuis but feeble and weak. We find in EcclejiajlicuJ Hijfory that the Ho!J Ma.rtps .have ofte'n mock'd at all tt.le cruel Tortures of their enraged Per/tcutor.s, and GOd bath eithet taken from them all fenfe of Pain, or elfe g~ven them fuch ftrongConfoHuibns~ thatthey have rriumph'd in all the Extremity of them. 0 how have they hugg'd the S1.1ke at wh.ich they were to be burnt, courted the Beajls that were to devour rhem and been ftretch' Ci upon theR11ck with as much comem,as they have ftrctch'd themfelves upon their Beds ; and not fo much fuffered, as enjoyed their De~ths ! God has fo mercifully taken off the Edge and Keennefs of their T ormmu,to fhew that Vcngu,ce is his Right, and that they are but cOntemptible things that one Man can inflict upon another, fcarce wonhy eo be called Vmgeantto And be... fides, lee ic be never fo fharp and cuning, yet it, cannot be long durable ; the more intolerable any Tlrments are, che fooner they work our efcape from them. And rhough Malice may wilh the Perpetuity of our Pain, yet ic is not poffibiC for mortal Men eo profecute an immortal Revenge; the Death, either of them, or our felves, will puc a period to our Sufferings. And what a fmall matter is it eo undergo pain for a few days only ? This is not worthy eo be called Yfflgeance.' nor is itlike chat which the great God will inftitt_, which is both in.. fupport!tble and eternal. And therefore. Secondl.J, The Apoftle calls it a [RUing into the hnnJJ of the Liv;ng GoJ. 37I And this denotes to us the Perpetuity and Eternity of this Vengumu. God ever lives to intlitt it, and Sinner~ Ihall ever live eo fuffer it; for they fall .imo his Hands. God bath leafed out a Life to every wicked Man, he bath his Termof Yeari fee him, wherein he lives to himfelf, enjoying his Lufts, and the P1eafures and Profit6 of this prefent World; and all this while Ye,geanct intermeddle:s1ittle with him· But when his Life is expir'd, and his Yearsrun opt, he then falls into the Hands of the great Lord of all, and becomes the Poffellitlfl-of his Vengtanc~ and Juftice for ever. And then, heir the Jiving God_, and fu~h wicked Wretches mnft for ever live to endure che moft dreadful execution of his Power and Wrath. Were there any Term or Period fee to their T ormenu, lhould they when ther have enduryd them thoufands of thoufands of Years, afterwards be annihilated, the expetlation of this Releafe would give them fome fupport; yea, it would be fomd folace to them in their Suffe rings to think that at !aft they lhould be freed from them : But this is the Acunt of their Mifery, and that which makes them alto.- gether defperace, that it is for ever ; for ever they muft lye and wallow in thofo Flames tbot lhall never be quenched, and !hall always be bit and ftung with chat ' '1 Worm that jl1aO never die; they are fallen into the Hands of tb, Jivin~ God, who will never let them go as long as he lives; that is, never to all Etermcy. He is a confuming Fire, but yet fpends not any part of his Fewel; he confumes without diminifhin~ them, and defiroys,buc ftill perpetuates their being. A wife and in.. telligenc F1re, (as MinutiuJ calls him) that "devours the Damned_, butftillrepairs them, and by tormenting tHH nouriihes them for future Torments. S11pims ;g, ignil, urit & reficit, carpje & nutrit. And when they have lain burning in this Fire all Ages thac Arithmetick can fumm up, Millions of thoufands, and Thou.. fands of Millions, yet ftill it is but the beginning of their Sorrows. 0 think with your felves how long and tedious a little time feems, when you are in pain ·you complain then that Time hath leaden Feet, and wilh the Days and Hours ~ould roll away fafter; and you never find ehem fo fiow·paced, as when they pafs over a jtck Btd. Oh then what will it be when you lhalllye fweltring under the Wrath Rnd Vtngeance of the living God, the intolerablenefsof your Pain and Torment will make every Day feem a·~ Age, and every Year as long ~s Eternity, and yet you · muft lye chere an Etermty of thofe long Years. Mechmksthis cenfideratioit 0 ( · , . ... - · B b b b 2 Ettm•l
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=