The Sinners Last Sentence, Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII. The eternity of the Sinners miſery in the other World, with the grand Reaſon of it.
I Come now to the eternity of the Sinners puniſhment, in that word Everlaſting.
foreign, The word is refer'd to God, and then is uſed for that which is eternal, à parte ante, or that never had a beginning. Sometimes it's refer'd to the rational Creature, and then ſignifieth an eternity, a parte poſt, or that which never hath an end. The word comes from foreign, an Age, becauſe what is everlaſting, endureth through all Ages and Generations, and infinitely beyond them.
The Doctrine which I ſhall draw from this property of ungodly mens puniſhment ſhall be this.
Doct. 3. That the puniſhment of the wicked in the other World will be everlaſting. It will not only be extream, in regard of its intention; but alſo eternal, in regard of its duration. Their privative puniſhment will be eternal: They ſhall be puniſhed with everlaſting deſtruction, from the preſence of the Lord, 2 Theſſ. 1.7, 8. And ſo will their poſitive puniſhment be, Jude, verſ. 7. Sodom and Gomorrah, and the Cities about them are ſet forth, ſuffering the vengeance of the eternal fire. And Chriſt tells us, There the worm never dieth, and the fire never goeth out, Matth. 18. And again, it's called the Lake that burns with fire and brimstone for ever.
It were no ſmall eaſe to the damned, if they had hopes of any end of their miſery; though after as many millions of millions of years as have been moments ſince the Creation, and as are Creatures ſmall and great in both worlds; but it may not be, it cannot be; after all theſe years they are not to remain one moment the leſs in Hell.
I ſhall only give the Reaſons of it, and proceed to the Uſe.
There are ſeveral Reaſons given why the Sinners temporal fault ſhould have an eternal puniſhment.
1. Some tell us, He refuſed eternal Life, and therefore it's but reaſon he ſhould be puniſhed with eternal death. They had eternal pains and eternal pleaſures ſet before them, and they choſe eternal pains. In chooſing the way, they choſe the end; they choſe the way of the Fleſh, the way of their own Hearts, and ſo conſequentially they choſe Hell, to which that way led. Now if a man hath but his own choice, whom can he blame but himſelf? If a man have what he deſireth and loveth, if it be ill with him, he muſt thank himſelf. He that ſinneth againſt me, wrongeth his own Soul: all that hate me, love death, Prov. 8. ult, Jer. 4.17, 18.
2. Others tell us, That if they ſhould live here for ever, they would ſin for ever; therefore God taking the will for the deed, puniſheth them for ever. They die eternally for ſin, who would have lived eternally in ſin. Vellet ſine fine vivere ut poſſet ſine fine peccare, Greg. Man would live here for ever, if he had his will, that he might ſin for ever. Scotus and Aquinas tell us, Peccant in aeterno ſuo & puniuntur in aeterno Dei: They ſin in their eternity, and God puniſheth them in his eternity. If God would give them an eternal abode on Earth, they would imploy it in diſobeying and diſhonouring him eternally. And becauſe they would ſin for ever, therefore they ſhall ſuffer for ever; Jer. 8.5. The Children of Iſrael are ſlidden back with a perpetual back-ſliding; they hold faſt deceit, and refuſe to return. How loath are they to forſake their Luſts: 1. They hold them faſt. As a Fountain ſendeth forth water, ſo doth the Sinner ſend forth wickedneſs, Jer. 6.7. Now a Fountain ſendeth forth water freely without conſtraint, and conſtantly without ceſſation. What any thing doth naturally, it doth eaſily and unweariedly. The Sun ſhines naturally, and he ſhines without any pains or tireſomeneſs. The Fountain ſends forth water naturally, and doth it with eaſe and conſtancy. So the Sinner ſins naturally, and doth it delightfully and unweariedly. When the Body and its members, the inſtruments of ſin, are tired and worn out, and unable to execute the luſts of the fleſh, the body of ſin is ſtill freſh and vigorous in plotting and conſpiring evil, and in embracing and cheriſhing evil motions: whence it appears, that man ſinning naturally would (if he lived) ſin eternally, and thence ſay they, He is tormented for ever. But,
3. The principal Reaſon of the eternity of the Sinners miſery, and indeed the only reaſon in my Judgment (with due reſpect to others) is the infinite demerit of ſin, as committed againſt an infinite Majeſty. Becauſe the Sinner is not capable of bearing a puniſhment infinite in intenſion, therefore he muſt have it infinite in duration. I doubt not, but if the Sinner were able to bear the infinite ſtroak of Divine Juſtice (notwithſtanding his will to ſin for ever, and his choice of eternal death, and all the other reaſons that are uſually brought for the eternity of their pains,) he ſhould not ſtay long in that priſon of Hell, but quickly be releaſed: But becauſe a poor finite Creature hath not a back ſtrong enough to bear an infinite blow, therefore he muſt be always ſuffering.
The notoriety and malignity of ſin proceeds from the dignity of the Perſon againſt whom its committed, as I have largely ſhewn elſe-where. Becauſe the Authority of an infinite God is diſpiſed, the Law of an infinite God diſobeyed, the Love of an infinite God undervalued, and the Image of an infinite God defaced by ſin, therefore there is an infinite demerit in ſin. In a Treatiſe called The Incomparableneſs of God. And becauſe man cannot give ſatisfaction infinite in value, therefore he muſt give that ſatisfaction which is infinite in time, or rather in its eternity, Pſal. 49.7, 8. Pſal. 51.4. Job 7.20. And conſidering that God was reſolved to have full ſatisfaction for ſin, I conceive Chriſt himſelf could not have ſatisfied for the ſins of any, if he could not have offered a Sacrifice of infinite merit to anſwer the infinite demerit of ſin. But herein the Wiſdom and Goodneſs of God did ſuperabound, in providing an Antidote ſtronger than the Poyſon; for whereas ſin is infinite, only Objective, as committed againſt an infinite God: The Sacrifie of Chriſt is infinite, both Objective and Subjective, as offer'd up to an infinite Majeſty, and offer'd by one that was an infinite Majeſty; whoſe Perſon being infinite, rendred his Sacrifice of ſuch boundleſs value and merit.