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DISC.
xn.I
THE NATURE
Or
THE
YUNISI-IMÈNTS IN HE'LL..
585
appetite
they
seize
those
fair
appearances
to allay
their
thirst
and hunger, instead
of fruit
they
chew
nothing
but
bitter
ashes,
and
reject'the
hateful taste
with
spattering
noise
;
and
still
they
repeat
their
attempts
with
shameful
disappointment,
till
they
are
vexed,
and
tormented,
and
torri
with meagre' famine; and.
then are permitted
to
re-
sume the
shape of
devils again.
And
7w
hy May we
not
suppose
that
the
crimes,
of
which
the
wicked
children
of
men have.been guilty
in
the
present
life,
may
be
punished
with
some such kind
of
pairs
and confusion, both
of
body
and
soul,
as is
here
represented
in this
poetic,
emblem
or
parable
?
VII.
Another
misery
of
damned creatures
is,
that
"
vexing envy which arises
against
the
saints
in
glory,
and
which shall never
be
appeased or
gratified.
The
blessed
in heaven shall
be
for
ever
blessed,
and the
envy
of
devils
and of
damned
souls shall
never hurt
their
felicity,
nor
see their joys
diminished.
This
vile
passion of those
cursed spirits therefore against the
blessed
inhabitants
of
heaven, though it
rage ever
so high,
is
only
preying
upon
their
own
hearts, and increasing
their
own
inward
an-
guish.
Let
us
imagine
how
many
thousand
holy souls
are
ar-
rived
safe
at
paradise,
who were
surrounded
with
mean
and
low
circumstances here upon earth,
while
their
haughty
lords,
and
their
rich
insolent
neighbours, have
sinned themselves into
hell:
And
do
you think those
children
of
pride
can ever
bear this
sight
without envy?
How
many
martyrs
have
ascended to
glory from
racks,
and
tortures, and
fires,
here upon earth,
while
their
bloody and cruel persecutors
have been working
out
their
own datnuatio,n
by
these
inhuman acts
of murder
and
cruelty
?
And
will
not
these wretches,
under their
righteous
sufferings
and punishments
in
hell,
envy the
creatures
whom they have scorned,
and oppressed,
and
murdered
here
on
earth,
when they shall see them
placed
on high seats
in
the kingdom
of
heaven;
and
themselves
cast
into
utter
darkness?
And what
does all this envy do
but
increase
their
own
wretchedness
?
They are distracted
with
pride
and rage
to
think
of
these
high
favours
of
the
blessed
God
bestow-
ed
on
creatures,
whom they
treated
once with the
utmost
disdain. But their
envy,
like a viper, preys upon
their