640 The Reafonablenefsof Vol. II. taken off the Rack , have their joints new fér, to be new rackt again ; fo the B6dies of wicked Mtn (hall be raifed to a new life, that they may be capa He of new pains. .The Efate of miferable Men is fet forth to ús by themolt (harp pains, and fenfible torments ; by the pain ofburning, Matti,. 25. 4t. Departye curled into everlaft- ing fire. The rich Man in the Parable cried out, that he was tormented in flames; and in the Revelations, the wicked are faid to be cafl intoa lake office arid brim11oner Fire is the tiioff alive thingin nature, andbrimflone the mòft combüffible td fhew bow quickand (harp the tormentof finners fhall be ; and it (hall beuniverfal, they (hall be call into the lake , their torments (hall be fharp as that of burning, and as univerfal as if they were drowned in flames. And to thew how great a fenfe they (hall have of thefe Sufferings the Scripture defcribes thofé who are condemned to thefe hideous pains, lamenting and wrigning their hands, and gnafhing their teeth' for very anguifh, Matth. 24. 51. There (hall be wailing and gnafhing ofteeth. Thus the Scripture reprefents to us the difinal fate of the damned, poflibly after' this fenfible manner, that it may accommodatethings toour capacity; but tobe fure, if thefe be not the very tormentsof Hell, they fhall be every whit as dreadful, as great as the terrors ofGod's wrath, which ill Men have laid up in ffore for them felves, can afford; and very probably they are of that nature, and fo great as not to be capable of being fully defcribed by any thing that we are now acpuainted withal ; for Who knows thepower ofGod's anger ? Who can imagine theworn that omnipotent juflice can do to finners ? As the Glory of Heaven and Joys of God's prefence are now inexplicable to us, fo likewife are the Torments of Hell, and the Miferies of the damned. Eye bath not fen, nor Ear heard, nor have enter'd into theheart ofMen, thofe dreadful things whichGod loath laid up for them that, hate him. 4. Which is the moil dreadful confderation of all, God can punifh for ever. The wrath ofMan is but a biafl, ,a ftorm that is foon over ; all mifery and tor- ments that Men can inflid expire with this life : but the miferable effects of the divine difpleafure extend themfelves to all eternity. For this reafon the judgment of God is call'd an eternal judgment Hob. 6..2. becaufe the Sentence which fhall then be pafs'dUpon Men, (hall aflign them to an eternalfrate; and thePunifhment that in purfuance of this Sentence fhall be infli£ted upon finners, is called an ever= liftingpunifhment, Mattb. 25. 46. and the inflruments of their torment are faid to be everlafling, Matth. 25. 41. it is called everlaflingfire. And Mark 9. 44, 48. you have it there three times repeated, Where the worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched. The fmoak ofthe bottomlefspit is faid to afcendfor ever and ever , Rev. 14. 5. and Rev. 2C. to. it is faid, that the wicked(hall be tormented dayand night ; forever and ever, without intermiflion andwithout end. It mull needs be then, as the Apoffle fays, Heb. ao. 35. a fearful thing to fallin- to the hands of the living God, that is, the God that livesfor ever: becaufe he that lives for ever, can punilh for ever. And this is that which makes the great differ- ence between the Effects of thewrath ofMan, and the difpleafureofGod; the wrath of Man, and the Effefts of it, are but for a moment; but the Effefts ofGod's dif- pleafure extend thetnfelves to all Eternity. By thefe particulars which 1 have briefly gone over, you may fee who is the great obled'of our fear; and when you have calculated the difference between God and Man, youwill find that there is no proportionbetween the Impotencyof Man, and the Omnipotency of God, between thofe evils that men can inflid upon us, and the terrors ofthe Lord, and confequently what great reafon we have to be afraid of offending God, and tranfgreflingour duty in any kind , to avoid any tem- poral danger and inconvenience. But I fhall not now enterupon theApplication of this ferious andweightyArgument. 5 SER-
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