The saints everlasting rest, or, A treatise of the blessed state of the saints in their enjoyment of God in glory wherein is shewed its excellency and certainty, the misery of those that lose it, the way to attain it, and assurance of it, and how to live in the continual delightful forecasts of it and now published by Richard Baxter ...

CHAP. IV. The greatness of the torments of the damned discovered.

* 1.1SECT. I.

HAving thus shewed you how great their Loss is who are shut out of Rest, and how it will be aggravated by those Additional losses which will accompany it: I should next here shew you the greatness of those Positive sufferings which will accompany this loss. But because I am to Treat of Rest rather then of Torment, I will not meddle with the Explication of the quality of those sufferings▪ but onely shew their greatness in some few brief discoveries, l••st the careless sinner, while he hears of no other punishment but that of loss, before mentioned, should think he can bear that well enough by his own resolvedness, and so flatter himself ••••hop•• of a tollerable hell. That there are, besides the loss of Happiness, such actuall sensible Torments for the damned, is a matter beyond all doubt, to him that doth not doubt of the truth of the Scripture;

and that they will be exceeding great, may appear by these Argu∣ments following.

First, From the principal Author of them, which is God him∣self: As it was no less then God whom the sinner had offended, so it is no less then God that will punish them for their offences. He hath prepared those torments for his Enemies; His continued Anger will still be devouring them; His Breath of Indignation will kindle the flames; His Wrath will be an intollerable burden to their souls. O, if it were but a creature that they had to do with, ••hey might better bear it, for the Penalty would be answerable to the Infirmity of him that should inflict it: A childe can give but an easie stroak, but the stroaks of a Gyant will be answerable to his strength: Wo to him that fals under the stroaks of the Al∣mighty! They shall feel to their sorrow, That it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God: It were nothing in com∣parison to this, if all the world were against them, or if the strength of all creatures were united in one to inflict their penalty. They had now rather venture upon the displeasure of God, then to displease a Landlord, a Master, a Friend, a Neighbour, or their own Flesh; but then they will wish a thousand times in vain, that they had lost the favor of all the world, and been hated of all men, so they had not lost the favor of God; for as there is no life like his Favor, so is there no death like his displeasure; O what a consum∣ing fire is his Wrath? If it be kindled here, and that but a little, how do we wither before it, as the grass that is cut down before the Sun? How soon doth our strength decay and turn to weakness? and our beauty to deformity? Churches are rooted up, Common∣wealths are overthrown, Kingdoms depopulated, Armies de∣stroyed, and who can stand before his wrath? Even the Heavens and the Earth will melt at his Presence, and when he speaks the word at his great Day of Accompt, they will be burnt up before him as a scrole in the fire. The flames do not so easily run through the dry Stubble, or consume the Houses where its violence hath prevailed, as the wrath of God will feed upon these wretches. O, they that could not bear a Prison, or a Gibbet, or Fire for Christ, no nor scarce a few scorns from the mouths of the ignorant, how will they now bear the devouring fire?

SECT. II.* 1.2

2. THe place or state of torment is purposely ordained for the glorifying of the Attribute of Gods Justice. As all the Works of God are great and wonderful, so those above all, which are specially intended for the eminent advancing of some of his Attributes: When he will glorifie his Power, he makes the worlds by his Wisdom: The comely order of all and singular creatures declare his Wisdom; His Providence is shewn in sustain∣ing all things, and maintaining Order, and attaining his excellent ends, amongst the confused, perverse, tumultuous agitations of a world of wicked, foolish, self-destroying Miscreants: When a spark of his Wrath doth kindle upon the earth, the whole world, save onely eight persons, are drowned; Sodom Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboim are burnt with fire from heaven to ashes; The sea shuts her mouth upon some; The earth doth open and swallow others; The Pestilence destroyeth them up by thousands: The present de∣plorable estate of the Jews may fully testifie this to the world: And yet the glorifying of the two great Attributes, of Mercy and Justice, is intended most eminently for the life to come. As there∣fore when God will purposely then glorifie his Mercy, he will do it in a way and degree that is now incredible and beyond the comprehension of the Saints that must enjoy it; so that the blood of his Son, and the enjoyment of himself immediately in Glory shall not be thought too high an honor for them: So also, when the time comes that he will purposely manifest his Justice, it shall appear to be indeed the Justice of God: The everlasting flames of Hell will not be thought too hot for the Rebellious; and when they have there burned through millions of Ages, he will not re∣pent him of the evil which is befaln them. O, wo to the soul that is thus set up for a Butt, for the wrath of the Almighty to shoot at! and for a Bush that must burn in the flames of his Jealousie, and never be consumed!

SECT. III.* 1.3

3. THe torments of the damned must needs be extream, be∣cause they are the effect of Divine Revenge: Wrath is terrible, but Revenge is implacable: When the great God shall

say, I will now be righted for all the wrongs that I have born from rebellious creatures; I will let out my wrath, and it shall be staied no more, you shall now pay for all the abuse of my Pati∣ence! Remember now how I waited your leasure in vain, how I stooped to perswade you; how I, as it were, kneeled to intreate you: did you think I would alwayes be slighted by such mis∣creants as you? — O, who can look up when God shall thus plead with them in the heat of Revenge? Then will he be reven∣ged for ever mercy abused, for his creatures consumed in luxury and excess; for every hours time mispent; for the neglect of his word, for the vilifying of his messengers, for the hating of his people, for the prophanation of his ordinances, and neglect of his worship, for the breaking of his Sabbaths, and the grieving of his Spirit, for the taking of his Name in vain, for unmerciful neg∣lect of his servants in distress. O the numberless bils that will be brought in! And the charge that will overcharge the soul of the sinner! And how hotly Revenge will pursue them all to the highest! How God will stand over them with the rod in his hand (not the rod of fatherly chastisement, but that Iron rod wherewith he bruiseth the rebellious) and lay it on for all their neglects of Christ and grace!* 1.4 O that men would foresee this! And not put themselves under the hammer of revenging fury, when they may have the treasure of happiness at so easie rates! And please God better in preventing their woe!

* 1.5SECT. IIII.

SECT. IIII.

4. COnsider also how this Justice and Revenge will be the delight of the Almighty. Though he had rather men would stoop to Christ and accept of his mercy, yet when they persist in rebellion, he will take pleasure in their execution. Though he desire not the death of him that dyeth, but rather that he repent and live; yet when he will not repent and live, God doth desire and delight in the execution of Justice:* 1.6 conditional∣ly, so that men will repent, he desires not their death, but their life, Ezek 33.11. yet if they repent not, in the same place he uttereth his resolution for their death, vers. 8.13. He tels us, Isai. 27.4. That fury is not in him, yet he addeth in the next

words, Who would set the bryers and thorns against me in battel? I would go through them, I would burn them together. What a dole∣ful case is the wretched creature in, when he shall thus set the heart of his Creator against him? and he that made him will not save him, and he that formed him will not have mercy upon him, Isai. 27.11. How heavy a threatning is that in Deut. 28.63. As the Lord Rejoyced over you to do you good, so the Lord will Re∣joyce over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought. Wo to the soul which God Rejoyceth to punish. Yea, he tels the simple ones that love simplicity, and the scorners that delight in scorning, and the fools that hate knowledg, That because he called and they refused, he stretched out his hand and no man re∣garded, but set at nought all his counsel, and would none of his reproof, therefore he will also laugh at their calamity, and mock when their fear cometh; when their fear cometh as desolation, and their destruction as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish cometh upon them, Then shall they call upon him, but he will not answer, they shall seek him early, but shall not finde him; for that they hated knowledg, and did not choose the fear of the Lord, Prov. 1.22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29. I would intreat thee, who readest this, if thou be one of that sort of men, that thou wilt but view over seriously that part of the Chapter, Prov. 1. from the 20. verse to the end, and believe them to be the true words of Christ by his Spirit in Solomon: Is it not a terrible thing to a wretched soul, when it shall lie roaring perpetually in the flames of Hell, and the God of mercy himself shall laugh at them? When they shall cry out for mercy, yea, for one drop of water, and God shall mock them in stead of relieving them? When none in Heaven or earth can help them but God, & he shall rejoyce over them in their calamity? why, you see these are the very words of God himself in Scripture: And most just is it, that they who laughed at the Sermon, and mocked at the Preacher, and derided the people that obeyed the Gospel, should be laughed at, and derided by God. Ah poor ignorant Fools, (for so this Text cals them) they will then have mocking enough,* 1.7 till their heart ake with it! I dare warrant them them for ever making a jeast of Godliness more, or making them∣selves merry with their own slanderous reports. It is themselves then that must be the woful objects of derision, and that of God himself, who would have crowned them with glory. I know when

the Scripture speaks of Gods laughing and mocking, it is not to be understood literally, but after the maner of men: but this may suf∣fice us, that it will be such an act of God to the tormenting of the sinner, which vve cannot more fitly conceive or express under any other notion or name, then these.

* 1.8SECT. V.

5. COnsider who shall be Gods Executioners of their Tor∣ment; and that is, First, Satan. Secondly, Themselves. First, He that was here so successful in drawing them from Christ, will then be the Instrument of their punishment, for yielding to his temptations. It was a pittiful sight to see the man possessed, that was bound with chains, and lived among the Tombs; and that other that would be cast into the fire, and into the water: but alas, that was nothing to the torment that Satan puts them to in Hel: That is the reward he wil give them for all their service; for their rejecting the commands of God, and forsaking Christ, and neglecting their souls at his perswasion. Ah, if they had served Christ as faithfully as they did Satan, and had forsaken all for the love of him, he would have given them a better reward. Secondly, and it is most just also, that they should there be their own tormentors, that they may see that their whole destruction is of themselves; and they who were wil∣fully the meritorious cause, should also be the efficient in their own sufferings; and then who can they complain of but themselves? and they will be no more able to cease their self-tormenting, then men that we see in a deep Melancholy, that will by no Arguments be taken off from their sorrows.

* 1.9SECT. VI.

* 1.106. COnsider also how that their torment will be universal, not upon one part alone, while the rest are free, but as all have joyned in the sin, so must they all partake of the torment. The soul, as it was the chief in sinning, shall be chief in suffering; and as it is of a more spiritual and excellent nature then bodies are, so will its torments as far exceed our present bodily sufferings. As the joys of the soul do far surpass all sensual pleasures, and corporal contentments, so do the pains of the soul surpass these corporal

pains; and as the Martyrs did triumph in the very flames, because their souls were ful of joy, though their bodies were in pain; so though these damned creatures could enjoy all their bodily pleasures, yet the souls sufferings would take away the sweetness of them all.

And it is not onely a soul, but a sinful soul that must suffer; The guilt which still remains upon it, will make it fit for the wrath of God to work upon; as fire will not burn except the fuel be combu∣stible, but if the wood be dry, or it light upon Straw, how fiercely will it burn them? Why, the guilt of all their former sins will be as Tinder or Gunpowder to the damned soul, to make the flames of hell to take hold upon them with fury.

And as the soul, so also the body must bear its part; that body that must needs be pleased whatsoever became of its eternal safety, shall new be paid for all its unlawful pleasures: That body which was so carefully looked to, so tenderly cherished, so curiously drest; that body which could not endure heat, or cold, or an ill smell, or a loath∣some sight; O what must it now endure! How are its haughty looks now taken down! How little will those flames regard its comliness and beauty! But as Death did not regard it, nor the Worms regard it, but as freely feed upon the face of the proud and lustful Dames, and the heart of the most ambitious Lords or Princes, as if they had bin but beggers or bruits; so wil their tormentors then as little pitty their ten∣derness, or reverence their Lordliness, when they shall be raised from their graves to their eternal doom. Those eyes which were wont to be delighted with curious sights, and to feed themselves upon beauteous and comely objects, must then see nothing but vvhat shall amaze and terrifie them; an angry, sin-revenging God above them, and those Saints vvhom they scorned enjoying the Glory vvhich they have lost; and a∣bout them vvill be only Devils and damned souls: Ah then how sadly wil they look back and say, Are all our merry Meetings, our Feasts, our Playes, our vvanton Toyes, our Christmas Games, and Revels come to this? Then those Eares vvhich vvere vvont to be delighted vvith Musick, shall hear the shriekes and cries of their damned companions, Children crying out against their Parents, that gave them incourage∣ment and example in evil, but did not teach them the fear of the Lord: Husbands crying out upon their Wives, and Wives upon their Husbands, Masters and Servants cursing each other; Ministers and People, Magistrates and Subjects charging their misery upon one another, for discouraging in Duty, conniving at sin, and being

silent or formal, when they should have plainly told one another of their misery, and forewarned them of this danger. Thus will Soul and Body be companions in Calamity.

* 1.11SECT. VII.

7. ANd the greater by far will their Torments be, because they shall have no one comfort left to help to mitigate them. In this life when a Minister foretold them of Hel, or Conscience begun to trouble their peace, they had Comforters enough at hand to relieve them▪ Their carnal friends were all ready to speak comfort to them, and promise them that all should be well with them, but now they have not a word of comfort, either for him or themselves. Formerly they had their business, their company, their mirth, to drive away their fears, they could drink away their sorrows, or play them away, or sleep them away, or at least time did wear them away; but now all these remedies are vanished: They had a hard, a presumptuous, un∣believing heart, which was a wall to defend them against troubles of minde, but now their experience hath banished these, and left them naked to the fury of those flames: Yea, formerly Satan himself was their comforter▪ and would unsay all that the Minister said against them, as he did to our first Mother; Hath God said, Ye shall not eat? Yea shall not surely dye. So doth he now, Doth God tell you that you shall lye in Hell It is no such matter, God is more merciful, he doth but tell you so to fright you from sinning: Who would lose his present pleasures, for fear of that which he never saw? Or if there be a hell, what need you to fear it? Are not you Christians? And shall you not be saved by Christ? was not his blood shed for you? Mi∣nisters may tell you what they please, they delight to fear men, that they may be masters in their Consciences, and therefore would make men believe that they shall all be damned, except they will fit themselves to their precise humor. —Thus as the Spirit of Christ is the Comforter of the Saints, so Satan is the Comforter of the wicked, for he knows if he should now disquiet them, they would no longer serve him; or if fears and doubts should begin to trouble them, they would bethink themselves of their danger, and so escape it: never was a theif more careful lest he should awake the people when he is robbing the house, then Satan is careful not to awake a sinner: And as a cutpurse will look you in the face, and hold you in a tale,

that you may never suspect him while he is robbing your pockets, so will Satan labour to keep men from all doubts or jealousies or sor∣rowfull thoughts. But when the sinner is dead, and he hath his prey, and his stratagem hath had success, then he hath done flattering and comforting them: VVhile the sight of sin and misery might have helped to save them, he took all the pains he could to hide it from their eyes: but when it is too late, and there is no hope left, he will make them see and feel it to the utmost. O, which way will the forlorn sinner then look for comfort? They that drew him into the snare and promised him safety, do now forsake him, and are forsaken them∣selves. His ancient comforts are taken from him, and the righteous God, whose forewarnings he made light of, will now make good his word against him to the least tittle.

SECT. VIII.* 1.12

8. BUt the great aggravation of this misery, will be its Eternity. That when a thousand millions of ages are past, their Torments are as fresh to begin as the first day. If there were any hope of an end, it would ease them to foresee it; but when it must be for ever,* 1.13 that thought is intollerable: much more will the misery it self be so. They were never weary of sinning, nor ever would have been, if they had lived eternally upon earth; And now God will not be weary of plaguing them. They never heartily repented of their sin; and God will never repent him of their sufferings; They broke the Lawes of the eternal God, and therefore shall suffer eternal pu∣nishment; They knew it was an Everlasting Kingdom which they refused when it was offered them, and therefore what wonder if they be everlastingly shut out of it; It was their immortall souls that were guilty of the trespass, and therefore must immortally suffer the pains. O now what happy men would they think themselves, if they might have layen still in their graves, or continued dust, or suffered no worse then the gnawing of those worms! O that they might but there lye down again! What a mercy now would it be to dye? And how will they call and cry out for it? O death whither art thou now gone? Now come and cut off th••s doleful life! O that these pains would break my heart, and end my being! O that I

might once at last dye! O that I had never had a beeing!—These groanes will the thoughts of Eternity wring from their hearts. They were wont to think the Sermon long, and prayer long; how long then will they think these Endless torments? What difference is there betwixt the length of their pleasures, and of their paines? The one continued but a moment, but the other endureth through all eternity. O that sinners would lay this thought to heart! Remem∣ber how Time is almost gone: Thou art standing all this while at the door of Eternity; and death is waiting to open the door, and put thee in: Go sleep out yet but a few more nights, and stir up and down on earth a few more dayes, and then thy nights and dayes shall end; thy thoughts, and cares, and pleasure, sand all, shall be devoured by eternity: thou must enter upon that state which shall never be changed. As the Joyes of Heaven are beyond our conceiving, so also are the pains of Hell. Everlasting Torment is unconceivable Torment.

SECT. IX.

[ 9] BUt I know if it be a sensuall unbeliever that readeth all this, he will cast it by with disdain,* 1.14 and say, I will never believe that God will thus Torment his Creatures: What, to delight in their tor∣ture! And that for everlasting! And all for the faults of a short time! It is incredible: How can this stand with the infiniteness of his mercy? I would not thus Torment the worst enemy that I have in the world, and yet my mercifulness is nothing to Gods. These are but threats to awe men: I will not believe them.

* 1.15Answ. Wilt thou not believe? I do not wonder if thou be loath to believe so terrible tidings to thy soul as these are; which if they were believed and apprehended indeed according to their weight, would set thee a trembling and roaring in the anguish of horror day and night:* 1.16 And I do as little wonder that the Devil who ruleth thee, should be loath, if he can hinder it, to suffer thee to believe it: For

if thou didst believe it, thou wouldest spare no cost or pains to escape it. But go to: If thou wilt read on, either thou shalt believe it be∣fore thou stirrest, or prove thy self an Infidel or Pagan. Tell me then, Dost thou believe Scripture to be the word of God? If thou do not, thou art no more a Christian then thy horse is, or then a Turk is: For what ground have we besides Scripture to believe that Jesus Christ did come into the world, or dye for man? If thou believe not these, I have nothing here to do with thee, but refer thee to the second part of this book, where I have proved Scripture to be the word of God. But if thou do believe this to be so, and yet dost not believe that the same Scripture is true, thou art far worse then either Infidel or Pagan: For the vilest Pagans durst hardly charge their Idol Gods to be lyars: And darest thou give the lye to the God of Hea∣ven? And accuse him of speaking that which shall not come to pass? and that in such absolute threats, and plain expressions? But if thou darest not stand to this, but dost believe Scripture both to be the word of God, and to be true; then I shall presently convince thee of the truth of these eternall Torments. Wilt thou believe if a Prophet should tell it thee? Why read it then in the greatest Prophets, Moses, David, and Isaiah, Deut. 32.22. Psal. 11.6. & 9, 17. Isai. 30.33. Or wilt thou believe one that was more then a Prophet? Why hear then what John Baptist saith, Mat. 3.10. Luk. 3.17. Or wilt thou believe if an Apostle should tell thee? Why hear what one saith, Jud. 7.13. where he cals it the vengeance of eternall fire; and the blackness of darness for ever. Or what if thou have it from an Apostle that had been rapt up in Revelations into the third Heaven, and seen things unutterable? Wilt thou believe then? Why take it then from Paul, 2 Thess. 1.7, 8, 9. The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven, with his mighty Angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. And 2 Thess. 2.12. That they all might be damned, who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in un∣righteousness. So Rom. 2.5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Or wilt thou believe it from the beloved Apostle, who was so taken up in Revelations, and saw it, as it were, in his visions? Why see then, Rev. 20.10, 15. They are said there to be cast into the lake of fire, and tormented day and night for ever. So Rev. 21.8. So 2 Pet. 2.17. Or wilt thou believe it from the mouth of Christ himself the judg? Why reade it then,

Mat. 7.19. & 13.40, 41, 42, 49, 50. As therefore the Tares are gathered and burnt in the fire, so shall it be in the end of this world: the Son of man shall send forth his Angels, and they shall gather out of his Kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, &c. So Mat. 18.8, 9. So Mark 9.43, 44, 46, 48. Where he repeateth it three times over, Where their worm ne∣ver dyeth, and their fire is not quenched. And Mat. 25.41, 46. Then shall he say to them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into ever∣lasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels: For I was, &c. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, and the righteous in∣to life eternal.

What sayest thou now to all this? Wilt thou not yet believe? If thou wilt not believe Christ, I know not whom thou wilt believe: and therefore it is in vain to perswade thee any further: Only let me tell thee the time is at hand when thou wilt easily believe, and that with∣out any preaching or arguing: when thou seest the great and terrible day, and hearest the condemning sentence past, and art thy self thrust down to Hell (as Luk. 10.15.) then thou shalt believe, and never doubt again: And do not say but thou wast told so much. Surely he that so much disswades thee from believing, doth yet believe and tremble himself. Jam. 2.19.

And whereas thou thinkest that God is more merciful; why sure he knowes best his own mercifulness. His mercy will not cross his Truth. Cannot God be infinite in mercy, except he save the wilful and rebellious? Is a judg unmerciful for condemning malefactors? Mercy and Justice have their several objects: Thousands of humble, believing, obedient souls shall know to their eternall comfort that God is merciful, though the refusers of his grace, shall lye under Justice. God will then force thy conscience to confess in Hell, that God who condemned thee was yet merciful to thee. Was it no mercy to be made a reasonable creature? And to have Patience en∣dure thy many yeers provocations, and wait upon thee from Sermon to Sermon, desiring and intreating thy repentance and return? Was it no mercy to have the Son of God, with all his blood and merits freely offered thee, if thou wouldest but have accepted him to go∣vern and to save thee? Nay when thou hadst neglected and refused Christ once, twice, yea a hundred times, that God should yet follow thee with invitations from day to day? And shalt thou wilfully re∣fuse

mercy to the last hour, and then cry out that God will not be so unmercifull as to condemn thee? Thy conscience will smite thee for this madness, and tell thee, that God was merciful in all this, though such as thou do perish for your wilfulness. Yea the sense of the great∣ness of his mercy, will then be a great part of thy torment.

And whereas thou thinkest the pain to be greater then the offence, that is because thou art not a competent Judg; Thou knowest what pain is, but thou knowest not the thousand part of the evil of sin; shall not the righteous Judg of the world do justly? Nay, it is no more then thou didst chuse thy self: Did not God set before thee Life and Death? and tell thee, If thou wouldest accept of the Go∣vernment of Christ, and renounce thy Lusts, that then thou shouldest have eternal Life? And if thou wouldest not have Christ▪ but the World or Flesh to rule over thee, thou shouldest then endure eter∣nal torments? Did not he offer thee thy choice? and bid thee take which of these thou wouldest? yea, and intreat thee to chuse aright? And dost thou now cry out of Severity, when thou hast but the con∣sequents of thy wilful choice? But it is not thy accusing God of cru∣elty that shall serve thy turn; in stead of procuring thy escape, or the mitigation of thy torments, it will but make thy burthen the more heavy.

And whereas thou saist that thou wouldest not so torment thy own enemy; I Answ. There is no Reason that thou shouldest: For is it all one to offend a crawling Worm of the earth, and to offend the eternal glorious God? Thou hast no absolute dominion over thine enemy, and there may be some fault in thy self as well as in him, but with God and us the case is contrary: Yet thou makest nothing of killing a Flea if it do but bite thee, yea a hundred of them though they did not touch thee, and yet never accusest thy self of cruelty: Yea, thou wilt torment thy Ox all his life time with toilsome labor, and kill him at the last, though he never deserved ill of thee, nor dis∣obeyed thee & though thou hast over him but the borrowed authori∣ty of a superiour fellow creature, and not the soveraign power of the absolute Creator: Yea, How commonly dost thou take away the lives of Birds and Beasts and Fishes? Many times a great many of lives must be taken away to make for thee but one meal? How many deaths then have been suffered in obedience to thy will from thy first Age to thy last hour? and all this without any desert of the creature? And must it yet seem cruelty, that the Soveraign Creator, who is ten

thousand times more above thee, then thou art above a Flea or a Toad, should execute his Justice upon such a contemner of his Autho∣rity? But I have given you some Reasons of this before.

* 1.17SECT. X.

BUt methinks I perceive the obstinate sinner desperately resolving, If I must be damned, there is no remedy, rather then I will live so precisely as the Scripture requireth, I will put it to the venture, I shall scape as well as the rest of my neighbours, and as the most of the world, and we will even bear it as well as we can.— Answ. Alas, poor creature! would thou didst but know what it is that thou dost so boldly venture on: I dare say thou wouldest sleep this night but very unquietly. Wilt thou leave thy self no room for Hope? Art thou such a malicious implacable enemy to Christ and thy own soul? And dost thou think indeed, that thou canst bear the wrath of God? and go away so easily with these eternal Torments? Yet let me beg this of thee, that before thou dost so flatly resolve, thou wouldest lend me thine attention to these few Questions which I shall put to thee, and weigh them with the reason of a man, and if then thou think thou canst bear these pains, I shall give thee over and say no more.

1. Who art thou, that thou shouldest bear the wrath of God? Art thou a God? or art thou a man? what is thy strength to under∣go so much? Is it not as the strength of Wax or Stubble to resist the Fire? or as Chaffe to the Winde? or as the Dust before the fierce Whirlwinde? Was he not as stout a man as thy self, who cryed to God, Job 13.25 Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro? and wilt thou pursue the dry stubble? and he that confesseth, I am a worm and no man, Psal 22.6. If thy strength were as iron, and thy bones as brass, thou couldest not bear; If thy foundation were as the Earth, and thy power as the Heavens, yet shouldest thou perish at the breath of his Indignation: How much more when thou art but a little piece of warm, creeping, breathing Clay, kept a few days from stinking▪ and from being eaten with Worms, by the meer support and favor of him whom thou thus resistest?

2. If thou art able to wrastle with the indignation of the Almighty,* 1.18 why then dost thou tremble at the signs of his Power, or Wrath? Do not the terrible Thunder-claps sometime fear thee? or the Lightning flashes? or that unseen Power which goes with it,

in renting in pieces the mighty Oakes, and tearing down the strong∣est buildings? If thou hadst been in the Church of Withicombe in De∣vonshire, when the lightning broke in, and scorched and burnt the peo∣ple, and left the brains and haire upon the pillars, would it not have made thee afraid? If thou be but in a place where the plague doth rage, so that it comes to so many thousand a week, doth it not astonish thee to see men that were well within a few dayes to be thrown into the graves by heaps and multitudes? If thou hadst stood by when Pha∣roah and his people were so strangely plagued, and at last drowned to∣gether in the Sea, or when the earth swallowed up Dathan, Abiram and their companies, and the people fled away at the cry, lest the earth should swallow them up also: or when Elias brought fire from Heaven to consume the Captains and their compaines; would not any of these sights have daunted thy spirit? Why, how then canst thou bear the hellish plagues?

Thirdly, Tell me also, if thou be so strong, and thy heart so stout, why do those small sufferings so dismay thee which befal thee here? If thou have but a tooth ake, or a fit of the gout, or stone, what groans dost thou utter? What moan dost thou make? The house is filled with thy constant complaints: Thy friends about thee are grieved at thy pains, and stand over thee condoling thy miserable state: If thou shouldest but lose a leg or an arm, thou wouldest make a greater matter of it; If thou lose but a friend, if thou lose thine estate, and fall into poverty, and beggery, and disgrace, how heavily wouldest thou bear any one of these: And yet all these laid together will be one day accounted a happy state, in comparison of that which is suffered in Hel. Let me see thee shake off the most painful sickness, and make as light of Convulsive, Epileptick, Arthritick, Nephritick pains, or such like diseases when they selfe upon thee, and then the strength of thy spirit will appear. Alas, how many such boasters as thy self, have I seen made stoop and eat their words? And when God hath but let out a little of his wrath▪ that Pharaoh who before asked, Who is the Lord, that I should let all go for him? have turned their tune, and cryed, I have sinned.

Fourthly, If thy stout spirit do make so light of hel, why then doth the approach of death so much affright thee? Didst thou never finde the sober thoughts of death to raise a kind of dread in thy mind? VVast thou never in a feaver, or a consumption, or any disease wherein thou didst receive the sentence of death? If thou wast not, thou wilt be be∣fore

long: and then when the Physitian hath plainly told thee that there is no hopes, O how cold it strikes to thy heart? VVhy is death to men the King of terrors else? and the stoutest champions then do abate their courage? O but the grave would be accounted a palace or a Paradise, in comparison of that place of Torment which thou desperately slightest.

5. If all this be nothing, go try thy strength by some corporall torment: As Bilney before he went to the stake, would first try his finger in the candle: so do thou; Hold thy finger a while in the fire, and feel there whether thou canst endure the fire of Hell: Austin men••tioneth a chast Christian woman who being tempted to uncleanness by a lewd Ruffian, she desireth him for her sake to hold his finger an hour in the fire; he answereth, It is an unreasonable request; How much more unreasonable is it (saith she) that I should burn in Hell for the satisfying of your lust? Lo say I to thee: If it be an intoller∣able thing to suffer the heat of the fire for a yeer, or a day, or an hour, what will it be to suffer ten thousand times more for ever? VVhat if thou were to suffer Lawrence his death, to be rosted upon a Grid∣iron? or to be scraped or pricked to death as other Martyrs were? Or if thou were to feed upon toads for a yeer together? If thou couldest not endure such things as these, how wilt thou endure the e∣eternal flames?

6. Tell me yet again, if Hell be so small a matter, why canst thou not endure so much as the thoughts or the mention of it? If thou be alone, thou darest scarcely think of Hel, for fear of raising disquietness in thy spirit: If thou bein company, thou canst not endure to have any serious speech of it, lest it spoile the sport and mar the mirth, and make thee tremble as Faelix did when Paul was discoursing of the Judgement to come. Thou canst not endure to hear a Minister preach of Hell, but thou gnashest thy teeth; and disdainest him, and reproachest his Ser∣mon, as enough to drive men to desperation or make them mad. And canst thou endure the Torments, when thou canst not endure so much as to hear of them? Alas, man, to hear thy Judgment from the mouth of Christ, and to feel the execution, will be another kinde of matter them to hear it from a Minister.

7. Furthermore, what is the matter that the rich man in Hell men∣tioned in, Luk. 16. could not make as light of it as thou dost? VVas not he as likely a man to bear it as thy self? VVhy doth he so cry out that he is tormented in the flames? and stoop so low as to beg a

drop of water of a beggar that he had but a little before despised at his gates? and to be beholden to him that had been beholden to the dogs to lick his sores?

8. Also what aileth thy companions who were as resolute as thy self, that when they lye a dying their courage is so cooled, and their haughty expressions are so greatly changed? They who had the same spirits and language as thou hast now, and made as light of all the threats of the word, yet when they see they are going into another world, how pale do they look? how faintly do they speak? how dole∣fully do they complain and groan? They send for the Minister then, whom they despised before, and desire to be prayed for, and would be glad to dye in the state of those, whom they would not be perswad∣ed to imitate in their lives. Except it be here and there a desperate wretch, who is given over to a more then Hellish hardness of heart. VVhy cannot these make as light of it as thou?

9. Yet further, if thou be so fearless of that eternall misery, why is the least foretast of it so terrible? Didst thou never feel such a thing as a tormenting conscience? If thou hast not, thou shalt do. Didst thou never see and speak with a man that lived in desparation? or in some degree of these wounds of spirit, that was neer despair? How uncomfortable was their conference? How burdensome their lives? Nothing doth them good which they possesse; The sight of friends, or house, or goods which refresh others, is a trouble to them: They feel no sweetness in meat or drink: They are weary of life, and fearful of death: VVhat is the matter with these men? If the Misery of the damned it self can be endured, why cannot they more easily endure these little sparks?

10. Again, tell me faithfully; VVhat if thou shouldest but see the Devil appear to thee in some terrible shape? VVould it not daunt thee? VVhat if thou shouldest meet him in thy way home? Or he should shew himself to the at night in thy bed-chamber? would not thy heart faile thee? and thy hair stand an end? I could name thee those that have been as confident as thy self, who by such a sight have been so appaled, that they were in danger of being driven out of their wits. Or what if some damned soul of thy former acquaintance should appear to thee in some bodily likeness? Would not this amaze thee? What fears do people live in, whose houses or persons have been but haunted with spirits? Though they have only heard some noises, and seen some sights, but never felt any hurt upon their

bodies? Alas, what is this to the Torments of Hell? Canst thou not endure a shadow to appear before thee? O how wilt thou endure to live with them for ever? Where thou shalt have no other company but Devils and the damned; and shalt not only see them but be tor∣mented with them, and by them? And as incredible a matter as this seems to thee▪ if thy through conversion prevent it not, thou knowest not how few months thou shalt be out of this estate.

11. Lastly, Let me ask thee one more Question: If the wrath of God be to be made so light of, as thou dost; Why did the Son of God himself make so great a matter of it? When he who was per∣fectly innocent himself, had taken upon him the payment of our debt, and stood in our room▪ and bore that punishment that we had deserved, it makes him sweat forth water and blood, it makes the Lord of Life to cry, My soul is heavy, even to the death: It makes him cry out upon the cross, My God, my God Why hast thou forsaken me: Surely if any one could have born these sufferings easily, it would have been Jesus Christ: He had another measure of strength to bear it then thou hast.

And let me tell thee one thing, which every one understandeth not: Thou wilt have sins of a more hainous nature and degree to suffer for, then ever were laid upon Jesus Christ, and consequently a punishment of a sorer degree? * 1.19 For Christ suffered only for the breaches of the Covenant of workes, and not for the violation of the Covenant of grace (properly so called, that is, not for the final non-performance of the conditions of this Covenant,) There was no mans final unbelief or impenitencie, or resisting the Spirit, that did lye up∣on Christ: Howsoever the aggregation of all mens sins might aggra∣vate his burden, yet the punishment due to those sins particularly, was not like the punishment which is due to thine: For as the first Cove∣nant gave not so great a reward, so neither did it threaten so great a penalty as the later doth: And the penalty which the new Cove∣nant threateneth, Christ never underwent. So that the punishment which thou must suffer, is that which the Apostle speaks of Heb. 10.26. Of how much sorer punishment, &c. and that fearful look∣ing for of Judgment, and fire which devoureth the adversaries, Heb. 6.8. Wo to poor sinners for their mad security! Do they think to finde it tolerable to them, which was so heavy to Christ? Nay, the Son of God is cast into a bitter agony, and bloody sweat, and do∣lorous complaints, under the curse of the law alone▪ and yet the

feeble foolish creature makes nothing to bear also the curse of the Gospel! the good Lord bring these men to their right minds by Re∣pentance, lest they buy their wit at too dear a rate.

LECT. XI.* 1.20

ANd thus I have shewed you somewhat of their misery, who miss of this Rest prepared for the Saints. And now Reader, I demand thy resolution, what use thou wilt make of all this? Shall it all be lost to thee? or wilt thou as thou art alone consider of it in good earnest? Thou hast cast by many a warning of God, wilt thou do so by this also? Take heed what thou dost, and how thou so re∣solvest; God will not alwayes stand warning and threatning; The hand of revenge is lifted up; the blow is coming, and wo to him who∣ever he be on whom it lighteth; Little thinkest thou how neer thou standest to thy eternal state, and how neer the Pit thou art dancing in thy greatest jollity; if thy eyes were but opened, as they will be shortly, thou wouldest see all this that I have spoken before thine eyes without stirring from the place (I think) in which thou standest. Dost thou throw by the Book, and say, It speaks of nothing but Hell and Damnation? Thus thou usest also to complain of the Minister; but wouldst thou not have us to tell thee of these things? should we be guilty of the blood of thy soul, by keeping silent that which God hath charged us upon pain of death to make known▪ wouldst thou perish in ease and silence? and also have us to perish with thee, rather then to awake thee, or displease thee by speaking the truth? If thou wilt be guilty of such inhumane cruelty, yet God forbid we should be guilty of such most sottish folly! There are few Preachers so simple, but they know that this kinde of Preaching is the ready way to be hated of their Hearers: And the desire of applause, and the favor of men is so natural to all men, that I think there is few that delight in such a displeasing way: Our temptations to flattery and Man-plea∣sing are too strong for that. But I beseech the consider; Are these things true, or are they not? If they were not true, I would heartily joyn with thee against any Minister that should offer to Preach them, and to affright poor people when there is no cause; and I should think such Preachers did deserve Death or Banishment: But if every word of these threatnings be the words of God, and if they be as true as thou livest and readest this, what a wretch art thou that

wouldest not hear it, or consider it? Why, what is the matter? If thou be sure that thou art one of the People of God, this Doctrine will be a comfort to thee and not a terror; but if thou be yet carnal and unregenerate, methinks thou shouldest be as fraid to hear of Hea∣ven as of Hell, except the bare name of Heaven or Salvation be suffi∣cient; sure there is no Doctrine concerning heaven in all the Scripture, that can give thee any comfort but upon the supposal of thy conver∣sion. What comfort is it to thee to hear that there is a Rest remain∣ing for the people of God, except thou be one of them? Nay, what more terrible then to read of Christ and Salvation for others, when thou must be shut out? Therefore except thou wouldest have a Mini∣ster to preach a lye, it is all one to thee for any comfort thou hast in it, whether he Preach Heaven or Hell to thee: His Preaching Hea∣ven, and Mercy to thee, can be nothing else but to intreat thee to seek them, and not neglect or reject them, but he can make thee no promise of it, but upon the condition of thy obeying the Gospel; and his preaching Hell▪ is but to perswade thee to avoid it: And is not this Doctrine fit for thee to hear? Indeed if thou were quite past hope of escaping it, then it were in vaine to tell thee of hell, but ra∣ther let thee take a few merry hours whilst thou maist; but as long as thou art alive there is some hope of thy recovery, and therefore all means must be used to awake thee from thy Lethargy. O that some Jonas had this Point in hand to cry in your ears [Yet a few days, and the Rebellious shall be destroyed] till you were brought down on your knees in sackcloth and in ashes! Or if some John Baptist might cry it abroad, Now is the Ax laid to the root of the Tree, every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewen down and cast into the fire; O that some son of Thunder, who could speak as Paul, till the Hearers tremble, were now to Preach this Doctrine to thee! Alas, as terribly as you think I speak, yet is it not the thousand part of what must be felt; for what heart can now possibly conceive, or what tongue can ex∣press the dolours of those souls that are under the wrath of God? Ah, that ever blinde sinners should wilfully bring themselves to such unspeakable misery! You will then be crying to Jesus Christ, O mercy! O pitty▪ pitty, on a poor soul,! Why, I do now in the name of the Lord Jesus cry to thee; O have mercy, have pitty, man, upon thine own soul; shall God pitty thee who wilt not be intreated to pitty thy self? If thy horse see but a pit before him, thou canst scarce∣ly force him in; Balaams Ass would not be driven upon the drawn

Sword, and wilt thou so obstinately cast thy self into hell, when the danger is foretold thee? O who can stand before the Lord, and who can abide the fierceness of his anger? Nah. 1.6. Methinks thou shouldest need no more words, but presently cast away thy soul-damning sins, and wholly deliver up thy self to Christ. Resolve on it immediately, man, and let it be done, that I may see thy face in Rest among the Saints. The Lord perswade thy heart to strike this Covenant without any longer delay: but if thou be hardened unto death, and there be no remedy, yet do not say another day, but that thou wast faithfully warned, and that thou hadst a friend that would fain have prevented thy damnation.

Notes

• * 1.1

  §. 1.
• * 1.2

  §. 2.
• * 1.3

  §. 3.
• * 1.4

  Psal. 2.9.
• * 1.5

  § 4.
• * 1.6

  How this is to be understood, reade in my Treatise of Re∣demption.
• * 1.7

  So also Psal. 37.13.
• * 1.8

  §. 5.
• * 1.9

  §. 6.
• * 1.10

  Duplex damna∣torum poena est ingehennâ, nam & mentem urit tristitia & cor∣pus flamma. Bernard. de meditat. gehennalis sup∣pli••ii.
• * 1.11

  §. 7.
• * 1.12

  §. 8.
• * 1.13

  Horrendo modo fit miseris mors sine morte, finis sine fin•• de∣fectus sine defectu; quia mors semper vi∣vit, et finis semper in∣cipit, et defectus deficere nescit. Mors perimit et non extin∣guit, dolor cruciat, sed nullatenus pavorem fugat: flamma comburit sed nequ••quam tenebras excutit. Gregor Moral. lib. 9.
• * 1.14

  Object.
• * 1.15

  Answ.
• * 1.16

  Credunt Judaei quod ex Israel∣itis solis tria genera mortuorum in die judicij sint resuscitanda: quorum unum futurum sit Israelita∣rum probissimorum: alterum improbissimorum & impijssimorum, tertium mediocrium qui non mi∣nus benè quam malè operati ••uerint. Probos illos è vestigio ad vitam aeternam inscriptum obsigna∣tumque, improbos autem in G••hennam, sive ignem insernalem abjectum iri dicunt: Mediocres vero istos peccatores per spatium Chadaschim sive mensium tantummodo duodecim pro peccatis ipsorum in inferno torquebuntur; deinde corpora eorum consumentur, ventusque cineres eorum d••fflando dis∣perget subter plantas pedum justorum, &c. Sic Rabbi Pechal è Talmudo magno, ut Buxtorfius Synag. Judai. cap. 1. p. 25.26.27. Ad hanc haer••sia appropinquat doctrina Papistarum.
• * 1.17

  §. 10.
• * 1.18

  Reade Ps. 77.18. Exod. 9.28.
• * 1.19

  See this proved in my Apho∣rismes of Justificat.
• * 1.20

  §. 11.