The Sinners Last Sentence, Chapter 14
CHAP. XIV. How little cauſe to envy Sinners, and how careful we ſhould be to avoid their eternal miſery.
Ʋſe 1. WE may learn hence what little cauſe any have to envy Sinners their fat and ſweet in this World. Alas, for their poor ſhort pleaſures of ſin, they muſt have extream and eternal torments. Who would grudge them their portion, or eat of their Dainties, or buy their Bargains, that is not mad, and quite bereaft of his wits, Prov. 23.17, 18. My Son, envy not Sinners: for ſurely there is an end. I, and a ſad end for poor Sinners. An end of Woe, and Wrath, and Death, and Miſery, without any end or eaſe. Ah what ſad Objects are they of Pity, who laugh a minute, and muſt weep for ever! who for a little gigling mirth, and poor droſſy pleaſures, muſt fry eternally in Hell flames among Devils and damned Spirits.
Ex. Reader, Believe and conſider this miſery of the Wicked, and be reſtleſs, till thou art ſecured againſt it. Ponder it well, to be among Devils, thoſe ſtinging Serpents, roaring Lions, frightful Monſters, would make thy hair ſtand an end, and thy heart to ake; but to be amongſt them in extremity of Torments, in fire, in fire kindled by the infinite wrath of God, and in univerſality of Torments, to have all kind of Judgments and Plagues inflicted on thee; I, and on every part of thy Body, and all the powers of thy Soul; and to ſuffer all this for ever, ever, ever. Canſt thou bear the company of Lions, and Bears, and Wolves, and Adders, and Serpents, & the deformed Monſters here for ever? How then wilt thou bear the Company of Devils, hideous, monſtrous, frightful Hell-hounds for ever? Thou canſt not bear the pain of our fire for one day, no not for one quarter of an hour; how then wilt thou bear the pain of Hell fire for ever? Ah who can dwell in everlaſting burnings! who can endure abiding flames? The Patient in a violent fit of the Stone, or Colick, or Gout, ſupports himſelf with this Cordial, This will not laſt long. The Woman in labour, in the extremity of her pains, hath this to revive her, All this, through the kindneſs of God, will ſoon be over. The Primitive Chriſtians comforted themſelves under their dreadful Sufferings from their Perſecutors, with this, Our light Afflictions are but for a moment. They are black Clouds, but will ſoon paſs over, and vaniſh away. But, Reader, if once thou art turn'd into Hell, into thoſe unconceivable intollerable flames, amongſt thoſe frightful Devils, thou canſt have nothing to bear up thy Spirit, not the leaſt hope of any ceſſation, or intermiſſion, or remiſſion of thy pains. Ah how will diſpair, like a dagger, ſtab thee to the heart! what a cutting coroſive will it be to think, I am here amongſt horrid, hideous, helliſh Devils, (who have been my Tempters, and are now my Tormentors,) baniſhed the bliſsful preſence of God and Jeſus Chriſt, ſuffering thoſe torments, and pains, and miſery, to which all the fires and racks on Earth are but as the raſing of ſkin to Nebuchadnezzars fiery Furnace. Ah what Tongue can tell what this poor Body ſuffereth in every part of it! Ah what Underſtanding can apprehend the anguiſh and remorſe of this Soul, its cutting Reflections on what it hath been and done, and its killing praeviſion of what it muſt undergo, and I muſt endure all this for ever! Though my pains are ſo extream in their intention, yet if they were ſhort in their duration, I had ſome ground of comfort; nay, if they were to laſt no more millions of years, than there are Stars in Heaven, and drops of water in the Ocean, I ſhould have ſome crevis of light, ſome hope to bear up my heart: But alas, alas, I am here in the midſt of this curſed Crew, under theſe extream ineffable pains, and muſt be here for ever. The wrath upon me is abiding wrath, Joh. 3. ult. It is wrath to come, and ever will be wrath to come. After Ages, and Generations, and millions of them; I, and millions of millions of them, my pain would not be a moment the nearer a period. My night of darkneſs and horrour will be along night indeed, the Clock will never ſtrike, the time will never paſs, the morn will never dawn, and the Sun will never riſe. O what ſhall I do, thouſands, and thouſands of thouſands, millions, and millions, of millions, of millions, ſignifie not a moment to my wretched and curſed eternity. Ah ſuch company, ſuch miſery, and that for ever, ever, ever! Reader, doth not thy Soul tremble to think of this, which will be the portion (probably) of moſt in the Chriſtian World; and wilt thou give thy ſelf a moments reſt, in a ſtate liable and obnoxious to it: For the ſake of thy precious Soul, if thou haſt any true ſelf-love, Break off thy ſins by Repentance, and thine Iniquities by accepting of thy Redeemer. Hell hath not yet ſhut its mouth upon thee, nor is the gate of Mercy yet ſhut againſt thee. O bleſs the Divine Patience, and know the things that concern thine own peace.
Thy life is ſhort and uncertain; when once death ſeiſeth thee, thou art immediately fixed, there can be no change, no alteration of thy ſtate. Tears, Prayers, Groans, Sighs, Sobs, will work nothing, prevail nothing with the Judge to alter his Sentence, or thy Condition. Now is the accepted time, now is the day of Salvation. Therefore, O Sinner, Agree with thine Adverſary quickly, while thou art in the way with him; leſt at any time the Adverſary deliver thee to the Judge, and the Judge deliver thee to the Officer, and thou be cast into Priſon. Verily I ſay unto thee, thou ſhalt by no means come out thence, till thou haſt paid the uttermoſt farthing, Matth. 5.25, 26. But having written largely of this in another Treatiſe, and intending to ſpeak of it here only by way of Preface, to what I mainly intend, and now come to diſcourſe of, and that is the Nature, Danger, Cauſe, and Curſe of Sins of Omiſſion, in the reaſons of this ſevere Sentence, I ſhall ſpeak no more thereof, but proceed to the third general part of the Text, and that is the reaſon.