considered the first branch of the Doctrine to be true that there is an extreamitie of torments in hell If then we auoide the breach of mens lawes because of those chastisements and paines of death Vse which are threatned to those that breake them how much more should we beware of the breach of Gods law which is so threatned with punishments intollerable and death eternall in hell If a law were made that whosoeuer drinkes wine shall vpon conuiction for sometime hold his whole arme in the fire or in boiling lead for a punishment how many should we see drunken with wine though they loued it but God he that can cast into hell hath made a law that whosoeuer eateth and drinketh with sinners or as sinners doe shall be cut off or all in pieces to destruction Math. 24.50.51 and be thrust into hell both arme body and soule where they shall be tormented day and night in the fire that neuer goeth out and should not this be inough to cut the cup from our mouth Ioel 1.5 I meane of excesse and drunkennes So much and intollerably doe they suffer who come into this place of torment that Christ bids vs rather to cut off and â—ast away our right hand or foote that is the dearest things â—e haue then with them to be cast into this euerlasting â—â—re Math. 18.8 And if this firy argument cannot moue vs what will If wee should heare a sudden crie of fire fire how would it trouble vs but Gods word and Gods Ministers that preach his word speake of an eternall fire that still burneth and hath euer burnt from the beginning of time ordained before time was euen fire and much wood a lake of fire and pit of burning fire and should not this trouble euery bone in our body Or if fire come will we be as sâ—ubble for it I know that my speech of this is not pleasing alas then what pleasure can it be to feele it I speake not to please your eares I speake to saue your soules And whether I speake or hold my peace the fire burnes still As fathers threaten their yong children with the fire so we doe you with hell fire not to cast you in but to make you to runne further from it and the meditation cannot but be profitable and euen breake the stone in your hearts When Baltazar sawe the hand that wrote it troubled him out of measure Dan. 5.5.6 And if we would often common with our hearts by the word of these things it could no lesse trouble vs to heare of them then it troubled that great Monarch to see the writing on the wall Besides the feare of these would make vs feare to sinne according to that tremble and sinne not Psal 4.4 And he that so feareth hell shall escape it as he that neither feares so nor at all shall be sure to fall into it For as one saith truly none is so deepe in these torments as he who least thought of them But we put this euill day farre from vs and that makes vs to sit on our seats of sinne as we doe Am. 6.3 We reade not the word or what we reade there we beleeue not and therefore we runne into excesse as if there were no hell All the account that some make of hell is that they shall cast fire brands there but such are fire-brands thereof and to such it may be said as men vse to say when they haue well supped in an Inne that the worst dish is behind that is the reckening and that that must pay for all Then will follow Sonne remember thou hast had thy pleasures Luk. 16.25 or good things here The summe is he that wil follow his lusts shall without his repentance follow them to his cost He that burnes in adultery shall burne in hell He that killes here shall hang there and hee shall thirst there Luc. 16.24 that is drunken heere And what shall it profit a man to winne the whole world and lose his owne soule Math. 16.26 This made Paul to keepe a cleare conscience Act. 24.16 and the consideration of this makes the godly feare to offend Therefore Ierom Whatsoeuer I doe me thinkes I heare this sound still in my eares Arise ye dead and come to iudgement And thus in regard of the extreamitie of torments hell is intollerable so is it also in respect of the continuance and teaâ—me there For they that are in hell are there in paines without ease and time without end And now where the damned shall be in hell time without end Doct. 2. The second branch of it we secondly which is the second branch of the doctrine learne that the torments in hell are endlesse So Daniel speaking of the resurrection of sinners describeth the condition to which they shall bee raysed in their bodies by the names of shame and contempt and cals it Perpetuall shame and contempt Dan. 12. â— And Apoc. 20.10 Hell is called the pit bottomlesse because in it there is no redemption and from it no returning the Apostle Iude alluding to the fire that they of Sodome and the Cities about were destroyed with sayth in effect that they passed from the vehemencie of that fire to the vengeance of eternall fire Iude 7. Where hee likewise calleth hell-Hell-fire eternall fire The smoake of this furnace is alwayes mounting it ascendeth vp for euer sayth Saint Iohn Apoc. 14.11 This tormenting worme of hell is immortall The worm dyeth not sayth Saint Marke Mark 9.46 Hitherto belongs that answer of Abraham to this Rich-man They that would goe from hence to you cannot neyther can they come from thence that is from hell to vs Luk. 16.26 His meaning is Once in hell euer in it One vseth this comparison As a man that is to be pressed to death calleth for more and more weight but cannot haue it so all the condemned to second death through an extremity of torments in that lake of death call for death that there might bee an end but death flyes from them that is end there is none nor any to bee hoped for For when so many thousands of yeares are past as haue beene moments of time since time began the torments of the damned cannot end that are endlesse The Reasons Where there is no repentance of sinne there is no end of torments for sinne After death and in hell there can be no repentance for Repentance is by the Ministery of the word and the vse of it is in this life onely 2. Tim. 2.25 Apoc. 2.21 Secondly so long as the damned continue sinfull so long they shal be tormented but they must needs euer be sinfull in hell and therefore in hell euer bee tormented This oyle can neuer be spent the oyle of sinne and therfore the wrath of God which is as fire to the same must euer burne and who shall quench it Thirdly they that despise the counsell of God against themselues and therefore will not heare when God calleth must make account
to me Gen. 25.32 Where contrarily promising to themselues long life and their lease may be out to morrow they lay vp all their treasure in their barnes and full bagges Luk. 12.19 not caring for their other house till this be taken from them A reproofe therefore to those Vse 3 who as if they forgate the common way of all the liuing make it a strange thing to die and who liue as if there were no house of darknes to passe vnto nor way in death to walke in but the ignorance of a way so beaten by so many how can it be excused And yet if we find any little alteration or change in our stomacke in our body or bones how doe we wonder at it how passionate be we and how pettish for it as if it were some great wonder that any of Adams children should sicken die How will such be able quietly and with any peace to beare the comming of death the Lord himselfe when they are so agast at the approch of these his purueiers or petti-deaths whom he sends before to prepare for his comming How haue such remembred euery day to looke for death and euery houre to prepare to die or rather how haue such forgotten to esteeme of euery day as of their last day and to prepare for euery houre as for their dying houre But of this I haue spoken largely in my Sermons of life and death specially the first and second theâ—e Thus we haue heard that it is common both to rich and poore to die Yet in the order obserued in the text this poore godly man he that was in such misery pained with such hunger died first It was to hasten him to glory and from the euils he endured here And so we secondly learne Doctr. 2. that the deaths of the righteous are their gaine or a speedy taking of them from euils present and to come So saith Esay the righteous that is they that loue righteousnes and haue it imputed are taken away or gathered from the euill to come Esa 57.1 That is both from the euill of sinne and from the euils that come by sinne and this taking away is in their bodies for the graue in their soules for glory Thus was d 2. King 22 20. Iosuah taken away a good King and a good King young Euils were neare therefore was he taken from those euils and plagues at hand Enoch also he that is reported of that he pleased God Heb. 11.5 was for his great gaine walking among sinners taken vp to God Gen. 5.24 And thus the Lord sheweth himselfe to be a rewarder of them that seeke him Hebr. 11.6 or that walke with him as Henoch did The blessed dead that die in the Lords as Christians or for the Lord as Christian martyrs are taken or haue rest from their labours that is euils present saith S. Iohn Apoc. 14.13 And when the cheekes of the godly are blubbered with weeping for the euils they see and euill things they suffer of the vnworthy world God doth not delay by taking them out of the world to himselfe to wipe all such teares of paine and crying from their eyes Apoc. 21.4 Esa 25.8 The reasons The Lord remembreth whereof they are made and knoweth that as dust they will quickly be moued with the wind of long troubles and therefore will not contend for euer with them that is ouerlong lâ—st the spirit should faint before him Esa 57.16 Also if the rod of the vngodly did rest alwaies vpon them they might put foorth their hand to wiâ—kednesse Psal 125.3 So should God lose his good subiects which he will not doe and therefore will not suffer them to be tempted aboue that they be able 1. Cor. 10.13 Secondly the world is not worthy of such Hebr. 11.38 or the righteous are a blessing that the world cares not for Now a blessing vnregarded or vsed vnworthily may worthily be taken away Where therefore the wicked set so little by the righteous God doth hasten to take them away for their plague and the euerlasting good of his children Thirdly in this life the godly haue nothing but losse vpon losse as the losse of their good labours the losse of their good name and the losse of their time here Besides for their afflictions their death onely makes an end of them life and misery being as two twins that are borne together and must die together And is it not then the great aduantage of the righteous and their great preferment by death that by it they are drawne out of so many and fatall euils into the blessed rest and glory of God in the which they shall continue euer So long as they abide here in their tents of warre they must not put off their harnesse at any time day and night they must lie in the field expecting a battell wherein is no time of truce For if Satan be ouercome at one time at another hee will set vpon them onely death ends the battell not to his auaile but to theirs They that die in those battells are ouercome in those other the Saints neuer ouercome till they die and is not their death then their vndoubted aduantage and gaine that so die But doth God take away the righteous speedily and soonest because the world is not worthy of them Vse 1 as the wicked are vnworthy to liue in the world Then they that suruiue the righteous haue iust cause to feare that for their vnworthinesse such are taken from them and because they no better regarded them nor Gods loue by them Some reioice when a good man dies not because he is taken from labour to rest from death to life but because they hated him for his goodnes and desired rather his roome then his company here but let such know that Lot being departed out of Sodome fire and brimstone will come quickly after Gen. 19.17.23.24 For the wheate being gathered into the barne what shall be done with the tares shall they not being bound vp for the fire be set on a burning Math. 13.30 When the godly Lazarus is dead not long after dieth the vngodly Dines but Lazarus is in Abrahams bosome and the rich man in hell in torments Assoone as Noah is in the Arke the world that mocked him is in their graue of waters and most of them in their center of fire Therefore when the righteous perish the wicked behind them haue great cause to howle and weepe but no cause to laugh or be merry except this may make them glad that making no good vse of their happy ends their owne vnhappy end is not farre off that waiteth for them to damnation Now consider this yee that forget God lest he teare you in peeces and there be none to deliuer you Psal 50.22 Let Lazarus let the godly be regarded while they liue with you lest for your contempt of such God take them to blisse and send you to hel Or if God remoue some yong and in their tender bud
ease in hell Doct. 1. The fiâ—st branch of it nor end of hell or no going out of hell nor end of torments in hell For where hell is there are torments and in hell there is no redemption that is comming out This is the doctrine and this doctrine is a roote of two branches The first that there is an extremitie of torments in hell The second that these torments in hell are endlesse For the extremitie of the torments it is expressed in the Scriptures by things most dreadfull and terrible out of measure as vnquenchable fire Math. 3.12 a lake of fire burning with brimstone Apoc. 19.20 and a lake of fire and brimstone Apoc. 20.10 Of all torments none is so extreame as by fire for fire and all destruction by fire is terrible But it is more and most terrible euer to flote vpon a riuer of fire nay euer to be ouer head and eares in a burning lake of fire and brimstone Terrible needes must this be iâ— any thing in the world be terrible Therefore Esay crieth out Who can dwell with the deuouring fire who can dwell with the euerlasting burning Esa 33.14 As if he had said no man can And yet the damned whom God will throwe into it shall by the power of his iustice be strengthened for their greater increase of torments vnspeakeable to be in it and to burne in it world without end Further and for further terrour it is called vtter darknesse Math. 22.13 where is fire yea a whole lake of it and no light or a darke land couered with deadly obscuritie where the light that â—s is darkenesse Iob. 10. â—1 22 It were terrible to be in a dungeon of darknes for a short time how terrible then to be in this hell of darknesse for euer They that loue darknes more then light shall haue inough of it here and passe from affected darknes to vtter darknes from one darknes to another We reade of torments inuented by men and of cruell ones indeede inflicted by heathen-men vpon Christians as fornaces of fire caldrons of boiling oile brasen Bulles and that Moloch in the valley of Hinnom where Idolators burnt their children to the dwell 1. King 11.7 But hell is larger then so and the thing exceedes all report 1. King 10.7 Nebuchadnezars fornace was heated seuen times Dan. 3.19 this more then seuenty times seuen To be shut vp in the belly of a brasen Bull ouer a small fire and there to be till the heate kill him must needes be a lingring and terrible death but hell is much worse and without end Therfore doth the Prophet Esay compare hell to Tophet Esa 30.33 and Mathew speaking of it calles it Gehenna Math. 5.22 That is Tophet because of the lamentable screakings of children sacrificed in that fire but the screakings of young and old in the Tophet of hell the fire and burning there is both intollerable and eternall Thus hell torments must needes be great in respect of the extremitie The reasons The greater sufferings the greater torment The sufferings spoken of are exceeding great and yet farre lesse then any of those that are prepared for the damned in the Tophet of hell For these earthly may be expressed and conceiued those in hell cannot Secondly the wrath of God shall then be executed to the full against sinners and vpon sinne which is executed more fauourably here and with some mixture of clemencie Also the diuels are in place and put in office to further the affliction in that lake of torments Thirdly if those torments that afflict the body onely be so great and intollerable how great and intollerable must they be that shall afflict both soule and body in hell The torments of hell are vniuersall in all the parts of the body and tender powers of the minde together all at once shall be tormented The paines of this life are for the most part particular in some part of the body or in some facultie of the soule and yet how extreame they sometimes proue to be and how insufferable they that feele them can tell The tooth-ache is but the griefe of one part perhaps but of one tooth and yet some hauing it in some extremitie haue wished themselues out of the world the like of the stone strangury and the like What then when euery part shall be racked and euery facultie tormented and when they shall crie out in hell with this rich man O I am tormented in this flame Luk. 16.24 One speaking at the crosse of those tortures to which that cursed parricide M. Henry Greenwood at 〈◊〉 crosse Rauilliack the murderer of the last french Henry was put vnto writeth thus His arme that did that cursed act was taken from his shoulder his nailes pulled from his hands and feete his flesh piece by piece fet from him with hote burning pincers and burnt before his face and he rent asunder in the end with foure horses This is much but the booke written of his terrible and deserued death speaketh of much more and yet all this and more might without any pulles or the least touch of the soule haue bin endured if the cause had bin good for which he so died But in this lake of brimstone and fire that is neuer quenched all parts as head armes legs hands feet what not all shal be tormented and euer tormented not in an artificiall fornace as that of France but in the great wine presse of the wrath of God Apoc. 14 â—9 and in that horrible burning which the breath of the Lord like a riuer of brimstone doth kindle continually Esa 30.33 Some pieces of flesh shall not onely be set from them as from that french parricide with burning pincers but if this be a torment as who can deny it all the flesh on their backes shall be so or rather much worse tormented by diuels in hell His nailes were pulled from his fingers and feete once they shall be tormented euer as if theirs were euer so One arme was taken from his shoulder c Books of the terrible and deserued death of 〈◊〉 Râ—uillâ—acke the booke saith by consuming it in terribl maner in fire and brimstone here all the members of their body shall euer burne in fire and brimstone and neuer be consumed Hee was rent by horses and diuels shall racke these in euery member If his breasts were pinched and seared the brawne of his armes and thighes the calfe of his legges and other fleshy parts of his body if into the holes of his flesh that the burning pincers made were powred scalding oyle rosin pitch and brimstone as the booke saith which made the tormented creature to yell out with horrible outcries like some tormented soule in hell surely the damned in hell shal haue inough of such things hippe and thigh And yet I haue said nothing of the soule nor her torments that exceede all this besides that it shall be so and much worse for euer Now who will deny these things well
which is not to iustifie but more to condemn him for as he called him father in no obedience so now he cals him sonne with no comfort Hee called him father and would not doe as a sonne and now hee calleth him sonne and will not bee as a father to him Besides he bids him remember for a further scourge of his conscience in the late losse of all his delights past which hee could not but remember with horrible torment and griefe And here wee learne that the pleasures of sinne leaue a bitter and wofull losse of remembrance in the conscience for hereafter Doct. therefore Zophar in Iob speaking of the reioycing of the wicked how short it is and of all the ioy of hypocrites which is but for a moment sayth that sin which once was sweet in the mougth of the sinner and which hee hid vnder his tongue to wit as sweete sugar shall turne in his bowels as meate doth in the stomacke and hee shall haue a loathsome remembrance of it in the vomite of those deadly morsels which hee shall bring vp againe for God shall draw it out of his belly Iob 20.12.13.14.15 And here that which Abner sayde to Ioab concerning the sword which was drawne without mercy may truly bee applyed to sinne Shall it not bee bitternesse in the later end 2. Sam. 2.26 That is though it please for a time yet after a while what pleasure can it promise or giue when the best end of it is bitternesse The louely lookes of wine when the pleasant eye of it is in the cuppe and when as Salomon sayth it moueth therein aright that is leapeth or spirteth in it hath in those that take it immoderately a very bitter after taste the end of it biteth as a Serpent and stingeth as an Adder Prou. 23.31.32 they feele pleasure at the first but they shall finde sorrow and paine at the last with Remember drunken sonne thou hast had thy pleasures here Salomons young man is bidden to reioyce that is to take his fill of the delights of life if no perswasion can turâ—e him but what is the reckoning and what will all that dainty cheere cost him The wise King tels him as one that knew something by his owne deare bought experience That for al this God willbring him to iudgement Eccles 11.9 that is the reckoning will come and God williudge him to damnation for it He also shall bee remembred and therefore this Remember Sonne is an Item to him Esay speaking of such as placed all their delight in that which we at this day call good fellowship preparing for that troupe and furnishing the drinke offerings for that number sayth speaking in Gods person and name I will number you to the sword there goes the reckning that is as yee prepared for sinners so yee shall speede as those sinners and as you gaue them drinke so yee shall drinke of their cup Esa 65.11.12 to destruction for saith the Lord My seruants shall eate and yee shall bee hungry my seruants shall drinke and yee shall be thirsty my seruants shal reioyce and yee shall be ashamed and my seruants shall sing for ioy of heart and yee shall criefor sorrow of heart and howle for vexation of mind vers 13.14 The meaning is Heere my seruants fare ill and yee well hereafter all shall be contrary when that sting of remembrance that hath daggers-prickes beginning to pricke and you to feele it Ieremie also may come in as a witnesse who in this very case saiâ—th That the wayes and inuentions of the wicked in Iudah shall end in much bitternesse and as it were in the point of a weapon that shall pierce to the heart Ier. 4.18 Therefore say the despisers of God in the booke of Wisedome being pricked of their owne consciences Wee fooles thought his life speaking of the godly mans life madnesse and his end without honour but now he is counted among the children of God and his portion is among the Saints Wisd 5.4.5 When they heard this saying in the voice of their consciences Remember sonnes they changed their note and beganne to say What hath our pride profited vs and what good hath the pompe of riches brought vs All these things are past like a shadow and as a Poste that passeth by verse 8.9 Thus the pleasures of sinne end in a very bitter remembrance The reasons The pleasures of sinne are a sweet poyson that much vexeth those that cate it and for riches ill vsed Christ compareth them to thornes Math. 13.22 Now athorne in the foot causeth great paine but what prickings come from such thornes in the conscience Also the lusts of sinne are but baites that haue hookes in them and when the baite of sinne is gone the hooke abideth still in the sinner Secondly it is a part of the sinners punishment to feele continuall gnawings and pullings after sinne committed by that worme that dyeth not And if so here how much more in that lake that burneth with fire and brimstone where sinners shall receyue all their penny worths together Thirdly the pleasures of the wicked goe away in their death if they continue till they dye as they often doe not But to haue beene happy and to bee miserable what can it bring but horrible vexation and death before the time and how can it but torment the sinner to remember that he who once was full of pleasures is now filled with paine and hee who had so much liuing now dead hath nothing that is nothing but misery sorrow and his iust desert in the paines of hell and second death And admonition not to feede vpon the sweet meate of sinne Vse 1 though neuer so well sawced by him that bids vs to eate but to our destruction at least to a great distemper and generall disorder in our Christian healths or Christian state If any would entise vs by the colour of the wine let vs consider that the colour of it is deceitfull and as we heard hath a biting losse of remembrance in the end of it Prou. 23.32 When the strange woman that is the harlot flattereth with her words Prou. 2.16 let vs auoyde her as wee would some deepe ditch Prou. 22.14 a whore is a deepe ditch full of great danger hee that falleth into it shall hardly rise againe not weake men only but strong men haue beene deceyued by her as Sampson nor simple men onely but the wisest as Salomon Prou. 7.26.27 Perhaps thou mayest bee called out of the good way by such as say Come cast in thy lot with vs wee shall finde precious riches and fill our houses with spoyle Prou. 1.13.14 that is doe as wee doe and you shall bee rich as wee are but consent thou not for there will be a bitter remembrance of all these things one day What got Balaam by the sweet wages of sinne which hee loued was hee not cast away by them Iude 11. Such wages of sinne preuayle much at this day with too many and