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Let us now come to the consideration of Eternal Evils. that from thence we may despise all which is temporal, be it good or bad. The evils of Hell are truly evils, and so purely such, that they have no mixture of good. In that place of unhappiness all is
eternal sorrow and complaint, and there is no room for comfort. Aelian relates a History, which being taken as a Parable, may serve to illustrate what we are about to speak of. He sayes in the utmost borders of the Meropes there is a cetrain place called Anostos, which is as much to say, from whence there is no re∣turn. There was to be seen a great Precipice, and a deep opening of the earth, from whence issued two Rivers, the one of Joy, and the other of Sadness: upon the brinks of which grew divers trees of so diffe∣rent fruits, that those who eat of the one, forgot all that might cause grief, but those who eat of the other were so possessed with an unconsolable sadness, that all was weeping and lamentations, until they at last died with signs and shedding of tears. What do those Ri∣vers signifie, but the one of them that, whereof Da∣vid speaks, which with his current rejoyced the City of God: the other that Flood of evil, which enters the Prison of Hell, and fills it with groans, tears, and despite without the least hope of comfort? for there shall the door be eternally shut to all good or expecta∣tion of ease; in so much as one drop of water was denied the rich Glutton from so merciful and pitiful a man as Abraham. There shall not be the least good that may give ease, nor shall there want a concourse of all evils which may add affliction. There is no good to be found there, where all goods are wanting: neither can there be want of any evil, where all evils whatso∣ever are to be found; and by the want of all good, and the collection of all evils every evil is augmented. In the creation of the World God gave a praise to e∣very nature, saying, It was good without farther ex∣aggeration; but when all were created and joyned together, he said They were very good, because the con∣junction of many goods advances the good of each particular: and in the same manner the conjunction of many evils makes all of them worse. What shall Heaven then be, where there is a concourse of all
goods, and no evils? And what Hell, where there are all evils, and no good? Certainly the one must be exceeding good, and the other exceeding evil. In sig∣nification of which the Lord shewed unto the Prophet Jeremias two little Baskets of Figs: in the one of which were excessively good ones, and in the other ex∣cessively bad, both in extremity. He does not content himself in saying they were bad, or very bad: but sayes, they were over-bad: because they represented the miserable state of the Damned, where is to be the sink of all evils without mixture of any good at all. And for this reason it is not a sufficient expression to say, they are evils: but they are to be tearmed evils excessively great.
No man will admire this, who knows the grievous∣ness of a mortal sin; for committing of which, as he is a man, he deserves hell, and as he is Christian, (ac∣cording to St. Austin) a new hell: that is, an Infidel merits one hell, and a Christian two, who knowing Christ incarnate and crucified for him durst yet sin and offend him. Sin is an excessive evil, because it is an infinite evil: and therefore it is not too much, if it be chatized with infinite evils. It is an evil, which is greater than the whole collection of all other evils; and for this reason 'tis not too much rigour, that the sinner should be chastized with the collection of all evils together. Those who wonder at the terribleness of eternal pains, know not the terribleness of sin. Whereupon St. Austin sayes;
Therefore the eternal pains seem hard and injust unto humane apprehensi∣on, because in the weakness of our natural under∣standing the sense of that eternal wisdom is want∣ing, by which might be perceived the great malice of the first prevatication.If then for that first sin committed, when Christ had not yet died for man, e∣ternal damnation was not thought too much, what shall it be, when we know that our Redeemer was so gracious as to give his life, because we should not
sin? From the necessity of so costly and precious a Medecine may be collected the greatness of the infir∣mity. I say the greatness, and danger of a disease is known by the extraordinary remedies which are ap∣plyed unto it, and by the things which are sought out for the cure, and without which the malady would be without remedy. We may therefore gather the in∣finite malice of a mortal sin, because there was no o∣ther means sufficient, but one so extraordinary, as was God to become Man, and give his own life for Man, dying a death so shameful, and painful as he did: offering a price so great, as was the excessive worth and infinite price of his merits and passion. Sin is an injurie against God; and as the injurie increases according to the greatness and worth of the person offended, so, God being infinite, the injury becomes of infinite malice: and as God is a good, which in∣cludes all goods, so a mortal sin, which is an injury done unto him, is a mischief which exceeds all evils, and ought to be punished with all pains and tor∣ments.
Aelian. lib. 3. va∣ria: Hist. c. 18.
Jer. 24.
Aug. lib. 21. c. 12.