is a Death that has a Sting to hurt to twinge and wound the Sinner with even then when it has the utmost Mastery of him And this is the Death that the saved are delivered from not that which is natural for that is the end of them as of others but the second Death the Death in Hell for that is the Portion of the Damned and it is from that that the Saints have a Promise of deliverance He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second Death And again Blessed and Holy is he that hath part in the first Resurrection on such the second Death hath no Power It is this death then that hath the Chambers to hold each damned Soul in and Sin is the twining winding biting poysoning Sting of this Death or of these Chambers of Hell for Sinners to be stricken stung and pierced with The Sting of Death is Sin Sin in the general of it is the Sting of Hell for there would be no such thing as Torment even there were it not that Sin is there with Sinners for as I have hinted already the Fire of Hell the Indignation and Wrath of God can fasten and kindle upon nothing but for or because of Sin sin then as sin is the Sting and the Hell of Hells of the lowest and upmost Hells Sin I say in the Nature of it simply as it is concluded both by God and the Damned to be a breach of his Holy Law so it is the sting of the second Death which is the Worm of Hell But then as Sin is such a Sting in it self so it is heightned sharpned and made more keen and sharp by those Circumstances that as concomitants attend it in every act for there is not a Sin at any time committed by Man but there is some circumstance or other attends it that makes it when charged home by God's Law bigger and sharper and more venom and poysonous to the Soul than if it could be committed without them and this is the Sting of the Hornet the great Sting I sinned without a Cause to please a base Lust to gratify the Devil here is the Sting Again I preferred Sin before Holiness Death before Life Hell before Heaven the Devil before God and Damnation before a Saviour here is the Sting Again I preferred moments before everlastings temporals before eternals to be racked and always slaying before the Life that is blessed and endless here is the Sting Also this I did against light against Convictions against Conscience against perswasion of Friends Ministers and the godly Lives which I beheld in others here is the Sting Also this I did against warnings forewarnings yea though I saw others fall before my face by the mighty Hand of God for committing of the same here is the Sting Sinners would I could perswade you to hear me out A Man cannot commit a Sin but by the Commission of it he doth by some circumstance or other sharpen the Sting of Hell and that to pierce himself through and through and through with many sorrows Also the Sting of Hell to some will be that the Damnation of others stand upon their score for that by imitating of them by being deluded by them perswaded by them drawn in by them they perish in Hell for ever and hence it is That these principal Sinners must dye all these deaths in themselves that those damned ones that they have drawn into Hell are also to bear in their own Souls for ever And this God threatned to the Prince of Tyrus that capital Sinner because by his pride power practice and policy he cast down others into the Pit therefore saith God to him They shall bring thee down to the Pit and thou shalt die the Deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the Seas And again Thou shalt die the Deaths of the Vncircumcised by the Hand of Strangers for I have spoken it saith the Lord God Ah! this will be the Sting of them of those that are principal chief and as I may call them the Captain and Ring-leading Sinners Vipers will come out of other Mens â—â—e and flames and settle upon seize upon and for â—ver abide upon their Consciences and this will be the â—ting of Hell the great Sting of Hell to them I will yet add to all this How will the fairness of â—â—me for Heaven even the Thoughts of that Sting â—hem when they come to Hell It will not be so much â—heir fall into the Pit as from whence they fell inâ—o it that will be to them the buzzing noise and â—â—arpned sting of the great and terrible Hornet How â—t thou fallen from Heaven O Lucifer there is the Sting thou that art exalted up to Heaven shalt â—â—e thrust down to Hell though thou hast made thy â—eâ—t among the Stars from thence will I fetch thee down there is a Sting To be pulled for and â—hrough love to some vain lust from the everlasting â—ates of Glory and caused to be swallowed up for 〈◊〉 in the Belly of Hell and made to lodge for ever in â—he dark some Chambers of death there is the pierâ—â—ing Sting But again as there is the Sting of Hell so there â—s the Strength of that Sting for a Sting though never so sharp or venom yet if it wanteth strength â—o force it to the designed Execution it doth but â—ittle hurt But this Sting has strength to cause it to pierce into the Soul The Sting of Death is Sin and the Strength of Sin is the Law here then is the â—trength of the Sting of Hell it is the Law in the perfect Penalty of it for without the Law Sin is dead Yea again he saith Where no Law is there is â—o Transgression The Law then followeth in the executive part of it the Soul into Hell and there strengthneth Sin that Sting in Hell to pierce by itâ— unutterable charging of it on the Conscience the Soul for ever and ever nor can the Soul justly murmur or repine at God or at his Law for that then thâ— sharply apprehensive Soul will well discern the justâ—â—ness righteousness reasonableness and goodness oâ— the Law and that nothing is done by the Law unto it but that which is just and equal This therefore will put great strength and force into Sin to sting the Soul and to strike it with the Lashes of a Scorpion Add yet to these the abiding Life of God the Judge and God of this Law will never die When Princes die the Law may be altered by the which at present Transgressors are bound in Chains But oh here is also that which will make this Sting so sharp and keen the God that executes it will never die It is a fearful thing to fall into the Hands of the living God FINIS a Ezek. 3. 18 19. b Luke 10. 62. c 2 Thes. 3 â— d Luke 16. 22 23. e Psal. 49. 8. f Prov. 23. 26. Mat. 15. 19.
prosundity to dive into the mysterious depths of Hell Hell is a place and state utterly unknown to any in this visible World excepting the Souls of Men nor shall any for ever be capable of understanding the Miseries thereof save Souls and fallen Angels Now I think as the Joys of Heaven stand not only in speculation or in beholding of Glory but in a sensible Enjoyment and unspeakable Pleasure which these Glories will yield to the Soul So the Torments of Hell will not stand in the present lashes and stroaks which by the Flames of eternal Fire God will scourge the Ungodly with but the Torments of Hell stand much if not in the greatest part of them in those deep thoughts and apprehensions which Souls in the next World will have of the Nature and Occasions of Sin of God and of separation from him of the Eternity of those Miseries and of the utter Impossibility of their help ease or deliverance for ever O damned Souls will have thoughts that will clash with Glory clash with Justice clash with Law clash with it self clash with Hell and with the everlastingness of Misery but the Point the Edge and the Poison of all these thoughts will still be gauling and dropping and spuing out their stings into the Sore grieved wounded and fretted place which is the Conscience though not the Conscience only For I may say of the Souls in Hell that they all over are but one wound one sore Miseries as well as mercies sharpen and make quick the Apprehensions of the Soul Behold Spira in his Book Cain in his Guilt and Saul with the Witch of Endor and you shall see Men ripened Men inlarged and greatned in their fancies imaginations and apprehensions though not about God and Heaven and Glory yet about their Loss their Misery and their Woe and their Hells 10. Nor doth their ability to bear if it be proper to say they bear those dolors which there for ever they shall endure a little demonstrate their greatness Everlasting burning devouring fire perpetual pains gnawing worms utter darkness and the ireful words face and strokes of divine and infinite Justice will not cannot make this Soul extinct as I said before I think it is not so proper to say the Soul that is damned for Sin doth bear these things as to say it doth ever sink under them and therefore their place of torment is called the bottomless Pit because they are ever sinking and shall never come there where they will find any stay Yet they live under wrath but yet only so as to be sensible of it as to smart and be in perpetual anguish by reason of the intollerableness of their burthen But doth not their thus living abiding and retaining a Being or what you will call it demonstrate the greatness and might of the Soul Alas Heaven and Earth are short of this greatness for these though under less judgment by far do fade and wax old like a Moth-eaten Garment and in their time will vanish away to nothing Also we see how quickly the Body when the Soul is under a fear of the rebukes of Justice How soon I say it wastes molders away and crimbleth into the Grave but the Soul is yet strong and abides sensible to be dealt withal for Sin by everlasting burnings 11. The Soul by God's Ordinance while this world lasts has a time appointed it to forsake and leave the Body to be turned again to the Dust as it was and this separation is made by death Therefore the Body must cease for a time to have sense or life or motion and a little thing brings it now into this state But in the next World the wicked shall partake of none of this for the Body and the Soul being at the Resurrection rejoyned this death that once did rend them asunder is for ever overcome and extinct so that these two which lived in Sin must for ever be yoked together in Hell Now there the Soul being joyned to the Body and death which before did separate them being utterly taken away the Soul retains not only its own being but also continueth the Body to be and to suffer sensibly the Pains of Hell without those decays that it uses to sustain And the Reason why this death shall then be taken away is because Justice in its bestowing its rewards for transgressions may not be interrupted but that Body and Soul as they lived and acted in sin together might be destroyed for sin in Hell together Destroyed I say but with such a Destruction which though it is everlasting will not put a Period to their sensible suffering the vengeance of eternal Fire This death therefore though that also be the Wages of Sin would now were it suffered to continue be an hindrance to the making known of the Wrath of God and also of the created Power and Might of the Soul 1. It would hinder the making known of the Wrath of God for it would take the Body out of the way and make it uncapable of sensible suffering for sin and so removing one of the Objects of Vengeance the Power of God's Wrath would be so far undiscovered 2. It would also hinder the Manifestation of the Power and Might of the Soul which is discovered much by its abiding to reâ—in its own being while the Wrath of God is grapâ—ng with it and more by its continuing to the Body 〈◊〉 sensible being with it self Death therefore must now be removed that the â—oul may be made the Object of Wrath without â—olestation or interruption That the Soul did I â—y yea that Soul and Body both might be so Death â—ould now be a Favour though once the Fruit of â—in and also the Wages thereof might it now be â—uffered to continue because it would case the Soul â—f some of its burthen For a tormented Body canâ—ot but be a burthen to a Spirit and so the wise Man â—nsmuates when he says The Spirit of a Man will â—stain his infirmity that is bear up under it but â—et so as that it feels it a Burthen We see that â—ecause of the Sympathy that is between Body and â—oul how one is burthened if the other be grieved A sick Body is a Burthen to the Soul and a wounded Spirit is a Burthen to the Body A wounded Spirit who â—an bear but death must not remove this burthen but the Soul must have the Body for a Burthen and the Body must have the Soul for a Burthen and both must have the Wrath of God for a Burthen O therefore here will be burthen upon burthen and all upon the Soul for the Soul will be the chief Seat of this burthen But thus much to shew you the Greatness of the Soul I shall now come to the second Thing which was propounded to be spoken to and that is to shew you what we are to understand by losing of the Soul or what the Loss of the Soul is What
sinful Soul to this I do not ask what he saith with his Lips for he will assuredly flatter God with his Mouth But what doth his actions and carriages declare as to his acceptance of this incomparable benefit For a wicked man speaketh with his feet and teacheth with his fingers With his feet that is by the way he goeth and with his fingers that is by his acts and doâ—ngs So then what saith he by his goings by his acts and doings unto this incomparable benefit thus â—rought unto him from the Father by his only Son Jesus Christ What saith he Why he saith That he doth not at all regard this Chrâ—st nor value the Grace thus tendered unto him in the Gospel First he saith That he regardeth not this Christ that he seeth nothing in him why he should admit him to be entertaâ—ned in his affections Therefore the Prophet speaking in the Person of Sinners says He Christ haâ—h no form nor comeliness and when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him And then adds to shew what he meaneth by his thus speaking saying He is dâ—sâ—ised and rejected of Men. All this is spoken with reference to his Person and it was eminently fulfiâ—â—ed upon hâ—m in the days of hiâ— flesh when he was hated maligned and persecuted to death by Sinners And is stiâ— fulfilled in the Souls of Sinners in that they cannot abide to think of him with thoughts that have a Tendency in them to separate them and their Lusts asunder and to the making of them to imbrace him for their darling and the taking up of their Cross to follow him All this Sinners speak out with loud voices in that they stop their ears and shut their eyes as to him but open them wide and hearken diligently to any thing that pleaseth the Flesh and that is a Nursery to Sin But 2. As they despise and reject and do not regard his Person so they do not value the Grace that he tendereth unto them by the Gospel this is plain by that indifferency of spirit that always attends them when at any time they hear thereof or when it is presented unto them I may safely say That the most of Men who are concerned in a Trade will be more vigilant in dealing with a Twelve-penny Customer than they will be with Christ when he comes to make unto them by the Gospel a tender of the incomparable Grace of God Hence they are called fools Because a price is put into their hands to get wisdom and they have no heart unto it And hence again it is that that bitter complaint is made But my People would not hearken to my voice and Israel would none of me Now these things being found as practised by the Souls of Sinners must needs after a wonderful manner provoke wherefore no marvel that the Heavens are bid to be astonished at this and that damnation shall seize upon the Soul for this And indeed The Soul that doth thus by practice though with his mouth as who doth not he shall shew much love he doth interpretatively say these things 1. That he loveth Sin better than Grace and darkness better than light even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed And this is the Condemnation that light is come into the World and Men love darkness more than light as is manifest because their deeds are evil 2. They do also by their thus rejecting of Christ and Grace say That for what the Law can do to them they value it not they regard not its thundering threatnings nor will they shrink when they come to endure the Execution thereof wherefore God to deter them from such bold and desperate ways that do interpretatively fully declare that they make such desperate conclusions insinuates that the Burden of the Curse thereof is intolerable saying Can thy Heart endure or can thy Hands be strong in the day that I shall deal with thee I the Lord have spoken it I will do it 3. Yea by their thus doing they do as good as say That they will run the hazzard of a sentence of death at the day of judgment and that they will in the mean time joyn Issue and stand a Tryal at that day with the great and terrible God What else means their not hearkning to him their despising of his Son and the rejecting of his grace yea I say again what else means their slighting of the Curse of the Law and their chusing to abide in their sins till the day of death and judgment And thus I have shewed you the Causes of the Loss of the Soul And assuredly these things are no fables Object But some may Object and say But you denounce all against the Soul as if the Body was in no fault at all or as if there were no punishment assigned for the Body I Answer The Soul must be the part punished because the Soul is that which sins Every q Siâ— that a Man doth is without the Body Fornication or Adultery excepted Is without the Body that is as to the wilily inventing contriving and finding out ways to bring the motions of sin into action For alas What can the Body do as to these it is in a manner wholly passive yea altogether as to the lusting and purposing to do the wickedness excepting the sin before excepted Ay and not excepting that as to the rise of that Sin for even that with all the rest ariseth and proceedeth out of the Heart the Sul. For from within out of the Heart of Man proceed fornication adultery murder thefts covetousness wickedness deceit lasciviousness an evilâ—eye blasphemy pride foolishness all these evil things come from within and dâ—filâ— the Man that is the outward Man But a difference must always be put betwixt defiling and being defiled that which doâ— sileth being the worst not but that the Body shall have its share of judgment for Body and Soul must be destroyed in Hell the Body as the Instrument the Soul as the Actor but oh the Soul the Soul the Soul is the Sinner and therefore the Soul as the Principal must be punished And that God's indignation burneth most againâ— the Soul appears in that death-hath seized upoâ— every Soul already for the Scripture saith That every natural or unconverted Man is dead Dead How Is his Body dead No verily his Bodâ— liveth but his Soul is dead Dead but with whaâ— death Dead to God and to all things Gospell good by reason of that benumâ—ing stupefying and senselesness that by God's just Judgment for and by sin hath swallowed up the Soul Yea if you observe you shall see that the Soul goeth first or before in punishment not only by what has been said already in that the Soul is first made a partaker of death but in that God first deals with the Soul by convictions yea and terrors perhaps while the Body is well or in that he giveth up
similitude of 〈◊〉 Love I speak of what is revealed the secret thing belong to the Lord our God Now by all this iâ— manifest the Greatness of the Soul Men of greatnesâ— and honour if they have respect to their own glory will not chuse for their familiars the base and rasâ—â— Crue of this World but will single out for their fellows fellowship and communion those that are moâ—â— like themselves True the King has not an equalâ— yet he is for being familiar only with the Nobles oâ— the Land so God with him none can compare yeâ— since the Soul is by him singled out for his walking Mate and Companion 't is a sign it is the higheâ— born and that upon which the blessed Majesty looksâ— as upon that which is most meet to be singled out for communion with himself Should we see a Man familiar with the King we would even of our selves conclude he is one of the Nobles of the Land but this is not the Lot of every Soul some have fellowship with Devils yet not because they have a more base Original than those that lye in God's bosom but they through sin are degenerate and have chosen to be great with his Enemy but all these things shew the Greatness of the Soul 4. The Souls of Men are such as God countâ— worthy to be the Vessels to hold his Grace the Graces of the Spirit in The Graces of the Spirit what like them or where here are they to be found save in the Souls of Men only of his fulness have all we received and grace for grace received into what Into the hidden Parts as David calls it Hence the King's Daughter is said to be all glorious within because adorned and beautified with the Graces of the Spirit For that which David calls the hidden part is the inmost part of the Soul and it is therefore called the hidden Part because the Soul is invisible nor can any one living infallibly know what is in the Soul but God himself But I say the Soul is the Vessel into which this golden Oyl is poured and that which holds and is accounted worthy to exercise and improve the same Therefore the Soul is it which is said to love God Saw ye him whom my Soul loveth and therefore the Soul is that which exerciseth the Spirit of Prayer With my Soul have I desired thee in the night and with my Spirit within me will I seek thee early With the Soul also Men are said to believe and into the Soul God is said to put his Fear This is the Vessel into which the wise Virgins got Oyl and out of which their Lamps were supplied by the same But what a thing what a great thing therefore is the Soul that that above all things that God hath created should be the chosen Vessel to put his Grace in The Body is the Vessel for the Soul and the Soul is the Vessel for the Grace of God But 5. The Greatness of the Soul is manifest by the Greatness of the Price that Christ paid for it to make it an Heir of Glory and that was his procious Blood We do use to esteem of things according to the Price that is given for them especially when we are convinced that the purchase has not been made by the Estimation of a Fool. Now the Soul is purchased by a Price that the Son the wisdom of God thought fit to pay for the redemption thereof what a thing then is the Soul Judge of the Soul by the Price that is paid for it and you must needs confess unless you count the Blood that hath bought it an unholy thing that it cannot but be of great worth and value Suppose a Prince or some great Man should on a sudden descend from his Throne or Chair of State to take up that he might put in his bosome some thing that he had espyed lying trampled under the Feet of those that stand by would you think that he would do this for an old Horse-shooe or for so trivial a thing as a Pin or a Point nay would you not even of your selves conclude that that thing for which the Prince so great a Man should make such a stoop must needs be a thing of very great worth Why this is the case of Christ and the Soul Christ is the Prince his Throne was in Heaven and as he sat there he espied the Souls of Sinners trampled under the Foot of the Law and Death for sin now what doth he but comes down from his Throne stoops down to the Earth and there since he could not have the trodden-down Souls without price he lays down his Life and Blood for them But would he have done this for inconsiderable things no nor for the Soul of Sinners neither had he not valued them higher than he valued Heaven and Earth besides This therefore is another thing by which the Greatness of Soul is known 6. The Soul is immortal it will have a sensible Being for ever none can kill the Soul If all the Angels in Heaven and all the Men of Earth should lay all their strength together they cannot kill or annihilare one Soul no I will speak without fear â—f it may be said God cannot do what he will not do then he cannot annihilate the Soul but notwithstanding all his wrath and the vengeance that he will inflict on sinful Souls they yet shall abide with sensible Beings yet to indure yet to bear punishment If any thing could kill the Soul it would be death but death cannot do it neither first nor second The first cannot for when Dives was slain as to his Body by death his Soul was found aliâ—â— in Hell He lift up his Eyes in Hell being in torment The second death cannot do it because it is said their Worm never dies but is always torturing them with his gnawing but that could not be if time or lying in Hell-fire for ever could annihilate the Soul Now this also shews the Greatness of the Soul that it is that which has an endless life and that will therefore have a Being endlesly O what a thing is the Soul The Soul then is immortal though not eternal That is eternal that has neither beginning nor end and therefore eternal is properly applicable to none but God hence he is called the eternal God Immortal is that which though it hath a Beginning yet hath no end it cannot dye nor cease to be and this is the state of the Soul It cannot cease to have a Being when it is once created I mean a living sensible Being For I mean by living only such a Being as distinguishes it from annihilation or uncapableness of sense and feeling Hence as the rich Man is after death said to lift up his Eyes in Hell so the Begger is said when he dyed to be carried by the Angels into Abraham's bosome And both these sayings must have respect to the