Tormenting Tophet, Part 3
The third part of the deſcription of Tophet, is ſet downe in theſe wordes,The third part. He hath made it deepe. He hath made it deepe.
Many from theſe words do goe about to proue the locall place of Hell, concluding it to bee below: as from the ſignification of Sheol alſo.Sheol.
Sheol is taken for a Pit, or Graue, or Hell: the ſtate of the dead, the place of the damned ſpirits.
In the Scriptures, ſometimes it is taken for the Graue, and ſometime for Hell: ſo is foreign alſo.
The Septuagint tranſlating the Hebrew into Greeke, and expreſſing there the ſenſe of Sheol, vſed foreign both for the death of the body in the Graue, and of the ſoule in Hell.
Mercer vponupon Geneſis ſayth,Mercer in c. 37. Gen. That the proper ſignification of Sheol, is to ſignifie all places vnderunder the earth, and not the pit or graue alone: wherupon it is eueryevery where oppoſed to heauen, which is higheſt of all.
Hell is called by the name of Abyſſus in the Scriptures,Abyſſus. which ſignifieth a déepe and vaſt gulfe vnderunder the earth, a bottomleſſe pit: into which the deuils feare to bee ſent: and where they are chained and bound when it pleaſeth God.Luke 8. Reu. 20.
From which Abyſſus, there is an aſſent to the earth, no deſcent lower: Reuelat. 9.2. and 11.7. and 17.8. and therefore hell ſuſpected to bee beneath.
Nic. de Lyra in Eſai.Becauſe Tophet is here ſayd to be profunda, deepe, Nicolaus de Lyra putat eſſe circa centrum terrae: Thinketh that it is about the centre of the earth.
The Apoſtles that preached to the Iewes, vſed the word Gehenna, from the Hebrewes, which they well vnderſtood: and Saint Iames writing to the Iewes, ſayth; The tongue is inflamed of Gehenna, of hell: but the reſt of them that preached to the Gentiles, vſed the word foreign, which name was knowne vntounto them, and they tooke it to be a place vnderunder the earth, where the wicked after this life were puniſhed.Tartarus Heſiod. in Theogonia.
Tartarus (which is vſed for Hel) is ſo farre vnderunder the earth, as Heauen is aboue the earth, ſayth Heſiodus.
The Poet ſpeaking of it, ſayth, Tartarus ipſe bis patet in praeceps tantum: .i. Tartarus is twice as deepe as Heauen is high.
The Rabbines hold Hell to bee below: as Rabbi Abraham ſayth:Rab. Ab. in c. 2. Ionae. Sheol makom, &c. Sheol is a deepe place oppoſed to Heauen which is on high.
And Rabbi Leui ſayth,Rab. Leu. in cap. 26. Ioh. Sheol hi mattah, &c. Sheol is abſolutely below, and is the centre.
The Scriptures alſo place Hell below:Eſay 14.9. Sheol beneath is moued for thee to meete thee at thy comming.
Moſes calleth it the lower hell:Deu. 32.22. Fire is kindled in my wrath, and ſhall burne vſque ad infernum inferiorem, to the bottome of hell.
The Pſalmiſt calleth it a déepe pit: Let him caſt them into the fire, Pſa. 140.10.and into the deepe pits, that they riſe not: And in another place, he calleth it the Pit of Perdition.Pſal. 55.
Iohn calleth it a Burning Lake, Reu 20.in the Reuelation, which muſt needs bee below.
Pron. 9.18.Salomon ſpeaketh of the depth of this place, ſaying, The gh…ſts of an harlot are in the depth of hell.
Pro. 15.24.And againe, The way of Life is on high, to auoyde from hell beneath.
Thus it is manifeſt, that Hell is beneath in the loweſt parts of the workemanſhip of God: But preciſely to ſay, where,Locus inferni. whether in the centre of the centre of the world, or in the ayre, or in the water, or vponupon the earth, it is not reuealed: neyther is it needful for vsus to know: but ſurely it ſhall bee in the moſt remote place from Heauen, which is in and about the earth: for the ſoules of the righteous when they are diſſolued from their bodies, do preſently paſſe to the locall place of Coelum Empyraeum: and the ſoules of the damned are conſtrayned to ſtay below in the loweſt Elements, where they are and ſhall be tormented for euermore.
But if a man be too curious in this poynt,Socrates. I would wiſh him conferre with Socrates, who being aſked what was done in hell, ſaid: Hee neuer went thither, nor communed with any that came from thence: By which anſwere he derided the curioſity of the demander.
Euclides (as Maximus writeth) being demaunded of one what the Gods did,Maxim. ſerm. 23. and with what things they were beſt delighted, ſayde, As for other things I know not, but I am ſure of this, that they hate all curious perſons.
But this is not the thing we ayme at in this depth of Hell.
This word Deepe doth bewray vntounto vsus the impoſſibility of getting out,Obſeruatio. once in: for God hath made Hell ſo déepe, as there is no bepe of crawling out.
In inferno nulla redemptio: In hel there is no redemption: Therefore,Infernus Infernus ab inferendo dictus, quia ita inferuntur & praecipitantur, vt nunquam aſcenſuri ſint: that is, Hell is ſayde of caſting in, for they ſhall bee ſo caſt downe, as they ſhall neuer hauehave hope or power of cravvling out.
Infernus (ſaith Hugo) est profundus fine fundo : that is,Hugo. A deepe vvithout bottome. That party that had not on the wedding garment, was not onelyonly caſt into hell, but hee was alſo bound hand and foot: and all to ſhew the impoſſibility of getting forth, once in: Binde him hand and foote, Mat. 22.13and caſt him into vtter darkenes.
Simile.Now alas, if a man be bound hand and foot, and caſt into a well fiue thouſand fadomes deepe, what hope hath he of euer comming out? ſo hell is deep, and he that is once tumbled in, ſhall neuer come forth more.
Luk. 16.28.This is euident by the ſpeech of Diues, who ſaid: O Father Abraham, ſend Lazarus, or ſome from the dead, that my brethren may not come into the like place of torment. What is the reaſon that Diues begged not for his own paſſage from thence vntounto them, who was able to hauehave taught the dolours of hell by wofull experience? O he knew that that had been booteleſſe, for he ſaw ingentum hiatum, A great gulfe ſet betwixt heauen and hell, that made the paſſage impoſſible.
In earthly priſons and dungeons, a man by ſome or other meanes happily may get out: but hell is deepe, ſo deepe, as Heauen, Earth, and Hell, can neuer helpe one poore ſoule forth.
This then well conſidered, ſhould Vſe 1 worke deepe humiliation in the ſoules of eueryevery of vsus, that ſo grace may receyue vsus, and not this deepe deuoure vsus.
One depth cryeth and calleth out for an other: the depth of hell calleth to vsus for anſwerable humiliation: hee that will not bee humbled for his ſins héere, ſhall bee humbled and tumbled to the deepe of hell hereafter.
God giueth grace to the humble: Simile.yea the déeper thou art in the Law, the higher ſhalt thou be in the Goſpel, the deeper in hell, the higher in heauen: a bucket, the déeper it goeth into the well, the more water it bringeth vp with it: ſo the déeper a man is humbled for ſinne, the more ſhall bee his grace of ſaluation. Humble your ſelues therefore vnderunder the mighty hand of God, that yee may bee all exalted in the day of Viſitation.
Luk. 18.13.In this déep was the poore Publican, when in bitterneſſe of heart he vttered theſe words, Lord be mercifull to me à ſinner: A ſinner by birth, a ſinner by life, a ſinner by thought, a ſinner by word, a ſinner by worke, a ſinner by ſins of omiſſion, a ſinner by ſinnes of commiſſion, a ſinner beforè my conuerſion, a ſinner many thouſand times ſince my conuerſion: Lord bee mercifull to me a lamentable ſinner.
Ʋſe 2 Againe, ſéeing hell is ſo deepe, as once in, no hope of crawling out: Let vsus ſeeke the Lord while hee may bee found, Eſay 55.6.and call vponupon him while hee is neare. 1. Cor. 6.2.Ecce nunc tempus acceptum: Behold novv the accepted time, behold novv is the day of ſaluation.
This life is the time wherein wee muſt worke out our ſalúation with feare and trembling, if after this life we will bée fréede from the deepe damnation of Tophet.
The irrationall creatures themſelues are very carefull to take their times and ſeaſons, as ſaith the Prophet Ieremy, 8.7. The Storke, the Turtle, Crane and the Svvallovv obſerue their times and ſeaſons: there is a time when the Swallow is with vsus in England, and there is a time when hee takes his leaue of vsus.
That ſilly creature in the ſixt of the Prouerbs, Gathereth in Summer to maintaine the poore life of it in Winter: So ſhould wee take our time; for after this life, there is neyther place for pardon, nor time for repentance.
Yet for all this, golden Time is not reſpected, but men doe poſte off their repentance from day to day, till at the laſt, they ſinke into the depth of hell.
Yea the time of Grace is tedious to many, they muſt hauehave ſome or other carnall delight to driue it away: Tis death to many to attend willingly vppon the meanes of their ſaluation, an houre or two; but there will come a time, when they ſhall wiſh, that all their life had been ſpent at the hearing of Sermons and Prayer, as tedious as it ſéemeth to them now.
O the damned in Hell would giuegive (if it were in their power) a million of worlds to hauehave but one houre granted them to liue on the earth againe,Tempus gratiae negligere, eſt abſolute animam perdere. that ſo they may come within compaſſe of offered grace to ſaluation. But if yee will not heare the Lord when hee calleth to you, there will come a day when ye ſhall cry, Lord, Lord, and his eares ſhall be ſhut to your prayers, and his iuſtice ſhall caſt you into the deep dungeon of Tophet, Math. 5.26.there to remayne, till yee hauehave payed the vttermoſt farthing.