SERMON XXIV.
Then
shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into
everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. —mat. XXV. 41.
I come now to speak of hell. Startle not at the argument; we must curse as
well as bless. See our gospel
commission, Mark xvi. 16.
In this verse you have—(1.) The persons
sentenced; (2.) The sentence itself. [Pg. 78]
First,
The persons sentenced; in that title, or terrible
compellation, ye cursed.
Secondly,
The sentence itself; where we have
1. Pama damni, the
punishment of loss, depart.
2. Pcena eeneus, the
pains, into fire.
3.
The duration, everlasting.
4.
The company and society, the devil and his angels.
I
shall prosecute the text in this order:
1.
Show you that there are everlasting torments in hell, prepared for the wicked.
2.
These torments shall be f nil at the day of judgment
3.
Concerning the persons sentenced; it shall light upon the cursed.
4.
The nature of those torments; the loss of communion with God in Christ, and the
horrible pain of fire; the duration, everlasting; and the company, the devil
and his angels.
First,
That there is a place of everlasting torments in hell,
prepared for the wicked.
This
being a truth hated by flesh and blood, ought the more
strongly to be made evident to us. Now there is a hell, if God, or men, or
devils may be judge.
1.
Let God be the judge. He hath ever told the world of a hell, in the Old Testament
and the New.
[1.] In the Old Testament, but sparingly, because
immortality was reserved as a glorious discovery, fit for the times of the
gospel: Deut. xxxii. 22, 'A fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn to
the lowest hell.' God's wrath is still represented by fire, which is an active
instrument of destruction; and the seat and residence of it is in the lowest
hell, in the other world. So Ps. xi. 6, 'Upon the
wicked he shall rain snares, and fire, and brimstone, and an
horrible tempest.' First snares, and then fire and brimstone.
Here they are held with the cords of vanity, and hereafter in chains of
darkness. Here they have their comforts, crosses, snares; then hell-fire for
their portion. So Isa. xxx. 33, 'For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is
prepared: he hath made it deep and large, the pile thereof is fire, and much
wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.' Tophet is the same place which is called the
[2.]
Now come we to the New Testament. There are places
without number. It is sometimes represented by fire, where we read of a furnace
of fire: Mat xiii. 42, 'And shall cast them into a
furnace of fire; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' God's wrath i» compared in the Old Testament to a fiery oven, where the
contracted flame appeareth most dreadful. Sometimes
to a lake of fire: Rev. xix. 20, 'And the beast was
taken, and with him the false prophet, that wrought miracles before him, with
which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that
worshipped his image; both these were cast into a lake of fire, burning with
brimstone.' At other times it is compared to a prison: 1 Peter iii. 19, 'By which also he went and preached to the spirits that are in
prison.' Or to a bottomless pit: Rev. ix. 11,
'And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit' There
is darkness, and chains, and gaoler, and judge; the
chains of invincible providence, and their own horrible despair. There is no
making an escape; but of this more hereafter. So that, unless we will count God
a liar, there is such a place of torment provided.
2.
Ask men. The blind nations had a sense of eternity, and fancies of a heaven and
hell, Elysian fields, and obscure mansions, and places
of torment There are some relics of this truth in the corrupt doctrine of the
Gentiles. But we need not go so far back as tradition: look to conscience.
Wicked men find in themselves an apprehension of immortality and punishment
after death: Rom. i. 32, 'Who
knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of
death.' Reason showeth that he that perfectly hateth sin will perfectly punish it; not in this life, for
abominable sinners are many times prosperous: here justice is not discovered to
the utmost, therefore guilty conscience presageth
there is more evil to come. There is much in these presages of conscience,
especially when we are more serious, however they
dissemble the matter when well: Heb. ii. 15. 'And deliver them from the fear of
death, who all their lifetime were subject to
bondage.' Yet, when they come to die, when they are entering upon the confines
of eternity, then they cannot hide their fears any longer. Oh! the horrors and terrors of wicked men when they lie a dying
I If ever men may be believed, it is then.
3.
The devils are orthodox in this point for judges. There are no atheists in
hell: Mat. viii. 29, 'And behold they cried out, saying. What have we to do
with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come to
torment us before the time?' They know there is a time when they shall be in
greater torment than now they are. Therefore, if we will take God's word or
authentic record for it, or man's word when he is not in a case to dissemble,
or the devil's word, there is a hell, or everlasting torments prepared for the
wicked.
Object.
1. But is it not an everlasting abode
under death, and, to· make it the more terrible to vulgar capacities, expressed
by eternal fire?
Ans. This were to make Christ a deceiver indeed, and to publish his
doctrine with a lie or a handsome fraud. But clearly—
1. There is a state of torment, as well as a state of
death. It is true it is called the second death, because deprived of eternal
life. [Pg. 80] which is the only true life; and because it is worse than
the temporal death; better never have been born: Mat. xxvi. 24, 'It had been
good for that man that he had never been born.' He doth not say, It had been good, but, It had been good, but, It had been good for that man. If
only death and annihilation were in it, what sense would there be in this
speech? Therefore there is a lively and effectual sense of the wrath of God.
Besides, the consciences of wicked men do fear and presage other kind of
punishment from God's wrath, or else why are they most troubled when they come
to die? Why is it so dreadful a thing to fall into the hands of the living God?
Heb. x. 31. We are mortal creatures, but God is a
living God; why should the eternity of God make his wrath terrible, but that there
is a fear of an eternal subsistence on our part also? We read of many and fewer
stripes, Luke xii 47, 48; Mat. xi. 22,
'It shall be more tolerable for
2.
There is a place of torment, a local hell, \~topon\~
\~basanou\~:
Luke xvi. 28, 'This place of torment' And Judas went to his own place,
Acts i. 25. As in all commonwealths, the prince hath
not only his palace but his prison; it must be somewhere, for the wicked are somewhere:
God keepeth it secret with wise counsel, because he
will exercise our faith, and not our sense: Job xxxviii. 17, 'Have the gates of
death been opened to thee, or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?'
This is one of the secrets of providence.
Object.
2. But how can it stand with God's love
and mercy to punish his creature for ever? Our bowels are troubled if we should
hear the howling of a dog in a fiery furnace for a small space of time. Now God
is love itself, 1 John iv. 8; therefore surely he will
not damn his creature to everlasting torments.
Ans.
Man is not fit to fix the bounds of God's
mercy, but the Lord himself; therefore take these considerations:—
1. God's punishments may stand with his mercy. It is very
notable, in one place it is said, Heb. x. 31, 'It is a fearful thing to fall
into the hands of the living God;' but in another place it is said, 2 Sam.
xxiv. 14, 'I am in a great strait; let us fall now into the hands of the Lord,
for his mercies are great.' The one noteth God angry,
the other God appeased. When God hath been long upon a treaty of love, patience
abused is turned into fury. The one showeth what God
is in himself, love, sweetness, mercy; the other, what
he is when provoked. The sea in itself is smooth and calm, but when the winds
and tempests arise, how dreadfully it roareth. God's
attributes must not be set a-quarrelling. He is love and mercy, but he is also
just, and true, and holy. If he were not angry for sin, he should not love his
justice, make good his truth, manifest his holiness, and so hate himself. If
God should pardon all sins, his abhorrency and hatred
of sin could not be manifested, and so he would lose the honour
of his infinite holiness; therefore in men and angels he would declare his
displeasure of it, and no less hatred of the sinner. God saw it best for his
own glory to suffer some to sin, and by sin to come to punishment Therefore do
not wallow in thy filthiness, and think that God will be all honey, that [Pg.
81] mercy wilt bear thee out. He hath said that Hare and drunkards shall have
their portion in the lake that burneth with fire and
brimstone. If God is merciful, and yet did such things to Christ, certainly he
may remain merciful much more, and yet punish thee.
2.
God doth it to show his mercy to others; it was necessary for the whole world
that God should inflict so severe a punishment Punishments are not always for
the emendation of the delinquent, but for the good of others. The bowlings and groanings of the
damned maketh the harmony and music of providence
more entire, saith Gerson. It was a necessary
provision for the good of the whole world, and meet for the beauty of
providence, that God should have a prison as well as a palace. Besides, for the
restraint of sin, there is more mercy in the restraint of sin, or the taking
away of sin, than there would be in restraining the punishment; this is the
great means to lessen corruption. Origen, that
thought the punishment of hell should one day have an end, yet thought not good
to suppress this doctrine, lest men should take liberty to sin. So Epicurus and
Seneca, that looked upon it as a poetical fiction,
thought it to be a fit invention. A temporal punishment would not have been
enough to restrain men; men are obstinate in sin, and will endure any temporal
inconveniences rather than part with their lusts: Micah vi.,
'Rivers of oil, the first-born of their bodies for the sin of their souls;' and
Baal's priests gashed themselves. It was the wisdom of God to find out such a
remedy; so that we may say, that God could not have been so merciful if he had
not appointed these everlasting torments. It was necessary they should be, for
they are a good help to virtue; and to threaten, unless they were, will not
stand with truth. Now which is the greater mercy? to
take away punishments or sine? to lessen the
miseries of mankind or their corruptions? Many have escaped hell by thinking of
the torments of it.
3.
The damned in hell cannot accuse God for want of mercy; it will be a part of
their torment in hell to remember that God hath been gracious; conscience will
be forced to acknowledge it, and to acquit God. Though they hate God and
blaspheme him, yet they will remember the offers of grace, riches of goodness,
and care of his providence · 'They will not see, but shall see, Isa. xxvi. 11. Oculos quos occlusit culpa, aperiet paena. As now when God bringeth carnal men under mercies, it is one of the
greatest aggravations.
Object.
3. How can it stand with his justice to
punish a temporary act with eternal torment or punishment?
Ans. 1. We are finite creatures, and so not fit judges of the
nature of an offence against God; the lawgiver best knoweth
the merit of sin, which is the transgression of the law. The majesty against
which they sin is infinite; the authority of God is enough, and his will the
highest reason. A jeweller best knoweth
the price of a jewel, and an artist in a picture or sculpture can best judge of
the errors of it.
2. With man, offences of a quick execution meet with a long
punishment, and the continuance of the penalty in no case is to be measured
with the continuance of the act of sin. Scelus
non temporis magnitudine, sed iniquitatis magnitudine metiendum est. Because man sinneth as
long as he can, he sinneth in ceterno
suo (as Aquinas), [Pg. 82] therefore he is
punished in aeterno Dei. We would live for
ever to sin for ever, and because men despise an eternal happiness, therefore
do they justly suffer eternal torment; and their obligations to God being
infinite, their punishment ariseth according to the
excess of their obligations.
Use 1. It informeth us of the evil of
sin. God will never be reconciled to them that die in their sins, but for ever
and for ever his bowels are shrunk up; though God be
love itself, and delighteth in nothing so much as in
doing good to the creature, yet he doth not only turn away his face, but
torment them for ever.
Use 2. It reproveth and convinceth—(1.) The atheist; and (2) The
carnal sensualist
1.
The atheist. These men are short-sighted; they cannot cut-see
time, and look beyond the grave. There is a hell; how will you escape it?' Men
think incredulity or unbelief is the best remedy against this fear. Do but
consider, there is ten thousand to one, at least, against you. None more credulous than the atheist. If it prove true, in what a case are you? As sure as God
is, this is true. It will do you no hurt to venture the safest way, upon
probabilities, till we have further assurance. Take heed of indenting with God
upon your own terms: Luke xvi. 31, 'They have Moses and the prophets; if they
believe not them, neither will they be persuaded if one came from the dead.' We
will give laws to heaven, have one come from the dead. God is not bound to make
them see that wilfully shut their eyes, nor to alter
the course of his providence for our sake.
2.
The carnal sensualist; that is, the practical atheist, that put it off, because
they cannot put it away, Amos vi. 3. Many that know
themselves careless, wretched creatures, yet are not
at all troubled about things to come. A star that is bigger than the earth yet seemeth to us to be but a spark, because of the great
distance between them and us. The sensual man looketh
upon all things of the other world to be at a distance. It may be nearer than
they are aware of; their damnation sleepeth not; it lieth watching to take hold of them. God can easily put you
into the suburbs of hell, as Belshazzar, Dan. viii.
5, if you be negligent, and slip your time. You should labour
to be found of him in peace. Now is the time of making peace with God; if not,
'Depart, ye cursed.' So is every man by nature. And such who were never brought
to a sense of the curse, and have not fled to Christ for refuge, Heb. vi. 18, and are not at leisure to think of eternity, God's
curse cleaveth to them.
Use 3. To chide us for our unbelief. The
knowledge of these things swimmeth in the brains; we
are guilty of incogitancy at least This
appeareth
1. By our drowsiness, and
weakness, and carelessness about the things of eternity. Did we believe that
for every lie we told, or every one whom we deceived or slandered, we were
forced to hold our hands in scalding lead for half an hour, how afraid would men be to commit an offence! Temporal things affect us
more than eternal. Who would taste meat if he knew it were present death, or
that it would cost him bitter gripes and torments? How cautious are we in
eating or drinking anything in the stone or cholic or
gout, where it is but probable [Pg. 83] it will do us hurt! We know certainly that sin hath death in it:
'The wages of sin is death,' Rom vi. 23; yet we
continue in sin.
2. By our backwardness to good works. Sins of omission will
damn a man, as well as sins of commission, small as well as great. Christ saith
not, Ye have robbed, but, Not fed, not clothed; not,
Blasphemed, but, Not invoked the name of God; not that you have done hurt, but
that you have done no good.
3. By our weakness in temptations and conflicts. We cannot deny
a carnal pleasure, nor withstand a carnal fear, Mat. x. 28; shrink at the least
pains in duty. The whole world promised for a reward cannot induce us to enter
into a fiery furnace for half an hour; yet, for a momentary pleasure, we run
the hazard of eternal torments.
4. By our carelessness in the matters of our peace. If a man were in danger of death every moment, he would not be quiet till he had got a pardon. How can a man be quiet till he hath secured his soul in the hands of Jesus Christ? 'He that believeth not in Christ, the wrath of God abideth on him.'