The fountain of life opened, or, A display of Christ in his essential and mediatorial glory wherein the impetration of our redemption by Jesus Christ is orderly unfolded as it was begun, carryed on, and finished by his covenant-transaction, mysterious incarnation, solemn call and dedication ... / by John Flavell ...

Inference 3.

* 1.1How dreadful a place is Hell! Where this cry is heard for ever, I thirst. There the wrath of the great and terrible God flames upon the damned for ever, in which they thirst and none relieve them. If Christ complain'd, I thirst, when he had con∣flicted but a few hours with the wrath of God; what is their state then, that are to grapple with it for ever! When millions of years are past and gone,* 1.2 ten thousand millions more are coming on. There's an everlasting thirst in Hell, and it admits of no relief. There are no full cups in Hell, but an eternal unrelieved thirst. Think on this ye that now add drunkenness to thirst, who tumble in all sensual pleasures, and drown nature in an excess of Luxury. Remember what Dives said in Luk. 16.24. And he cryed and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me; and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue,* 1.3 for I am tormented in this flame. No cups of water, no bowls of wine in Hell. There that throat will be parched with thirst, which is now drowned with ex∣cess. The songs of the Drunkard turned into howlings. If thirst in the extremity of it be now so unsufferable, what is that thirst which is infinitly beyond this in measure, and never shall be re∣lieved. Say not it's hard that God should deal thus with his poor creatures. You will not think it so if you consider what he exposed his own dear Sou to, when sin was but imputed to him. And what that man deserves to feel, that hath not only me∣rited Hell, but by refusing Christ the remedy, the hottest place in Hell.

In this thirst of Christ we have the liveliest emblem of the state of the damned, that ever was pres••nted to men in this world. Here you see a person labouring in extremity under the infinite wrath of the great and terrible God lying upon his soul and body at once, and causing him to utter this doleful cry, I thirst. Only Christ endured this but a little while, the damned must endure it for ever. In that they differ. As also in the innocency and ability of the persons suffering. And in the end for which they suffer. But surely such as this, will the cry of those souls be that are cast away for ever. O terrible thirst!

Notes

• * 1.1

  Infer. .3
• * 1.2

  Tunc edax flamina combu∣r••t, q••os nu••c carnalis dele∣ctatio pollui••. Tunc infinitum patens inferni barathrum, &c. Greg.
• * 1.3

  An English Merchant liv∣ing at Bant∣zick related this story to a godly Mini∣ster, that a friend of his (a Merchant also) went to a Covent, and dined with the Fryers there, their enter∣tainment was very noble; after he had dined and seen all, the Merchant fell to commending their pleasant lives; yea, said one of the Fryers to him, we live gallantly indeed, had we any body to go to Hell for us when we die. Mr Firmins R••al Christian.