576 THE NATURE DP THE rUN.ISHMENTS IN HELL. [DISC. XII. ther they are buried or not buried, worms devour those who by the custom of their country are not burned with fire : And perhaps , he might refer the words. of Isaiah lxvi. f24, where the prophet seems to foretel the punish- ment of those who will not receive the gospel, when it shall be preached to all nations : They, says he, that is, the true Israel, the saints of God, or Christians, they shall go forth and look upon the carcases of the men who have transgressed against me, for their worm 'shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh. It is highly probable that this is only a metaphor referring to the punishment of the souls of obstinate unbelievers in hell, for it would be. but a very small punishment indeed, if only their dead bodies -were devoured by worms or fire, or rather no punishment at all besides a memorial of their sin. 2. Consider, the gnawingof worms and the burningof fire are some of the most smart and severe torments that a living man can feel in the flesh; .therefore the vengeance of God, upon the souls of obstinate sinners, is set forth by it in our Saviour's discourse; and it was probably well-known amongst the Jews, as appears by some of the apocryphal writings'; Judith xvi. 17. " Woe to the na- tion that rises up against my kindred ; the Lord Almigh- ty will take 'vengeance of them in the day of judgment, putting fire and worms in their flesh, and they shall feel them and weep for ever." And .Eccles. vii. 16, 17. " Number not thyself among the multitude of sinners, but remember the wrath will not tarry long. Humble thy, soul greatly; for the vengeance of the ungodly is fire and worms." 3. Consider, whether worms feed upon a living man or devourhis dead body, still they are suchas are bred in his own flesh : but fire is brought by other hands and appli- ed to the flesh: Even so this metaphor of a worm hap- pily represents the inward' torments, and the ,teazing and vexing passions which shall arise in the souls of those unhappy creatures, who are the just objects of this pu- nishment ; and it is called their worm, that worm that be- longs to them, and is bred within them by the foul vices and diseases of their souls : " But the fire which shall never Le quenchecr refers rather to the pains and anguish
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