The Sinners Last Sentence, Chapter 2
CHAP. II. The diviſion and brief Explication of
4. THe Pronunciation of the Sentence, verſ. 41, 42, 43, &c.
In which we may take notice:
1. Of the Perſons ſentenced; theſe are deſcribed:
1. By their ſtation, on the left hand; Then ſhall he ſay to them on the left hand.
2. By their condition, curſed ones, Depart ye curſed.
2. Of their puniſhment. In which there is:
1. Pain of loſs, Depart from me.
2. Pain of ſenſe, which puniſhment is aggravated.
1. By its extremity, Fire. This is amplified:
1. By their Companions in thoſe flames, The Devil and his Angels.
2. By the Divine Ordination of it for them, Prepared for the Devil and his Angels.
2. By its eternity, Everlaſting Fire.
3. Of the reaſon of this puniſhment; For I was hungry, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirſty, and ye gave me no drink, verſ. 42, 43.
I ſhall begin with the Sentence, wherein every word ſpeaks Woe and Wrath, Fire and Fury, Death and Damnation; and every ſyllable ſpeaks the deepeſt Sorrow and dreadfuleſt Sufferings. It is like Ezekiel's Roll, written within and without; and within is written Lamentation, Weeping and Woe, Ezek. 2.10. The Lord Chief Juſtice of the World, the Judge of the Quick and Dead is now in all his Robes and Royalty, with millions of glorious Attendants, in the Glory of his Father, with all his holy Angels, ſet on the Bench. The poor Priſoner, whoſe trembling Soul is newly reunited to the loathſome Carkaſſe of his Body, is drag'd to the Bar, awaiting and expecting ſome doleful doom. He is lately come from Hell, to give an account of his Life on Earth, and to receive his Sentence; and loath he is to go back to that place of torments, as knowing that the pain of his Body will be a new and grievous addition to his miſery, when that ſhall burn in flames as his Soul doth already in fury. Therefore he pleads,
Priſoner.
Lord let me ſtay here (though poor wretch he hath his Hell about him in his accuſing, affrighting Conſcience) rather than go to that Dungeon of darkneſs. A ſight of thy beautiful Face may poſſibly abate my Sorrows, and thy Preſence may mittigate my Sufferings.
Judge.
No, ſaith Chriſt, here is no abiding for thee, be gone hence. Thou mayſt remember when my Preſence was thy Torment, when thou didſt bid me depart from thee, chooſing my room before my company. Now my abſence ſhall be thy Terror, I like thee not ſo well to have thee nigh me. Depart, I ſay, from me.
Priſ…ner.
Lord, if I muſt undergo ſo dreadful a doom, as to depart from thee, the Father of Lights, and Fountain of Life, yet bleſs me before I go; One good wiſh of thy Heart, one good word of thy Mouth will make me bleſſed where ever I go. Thoſe whom thou bleſſeſt, are bleſſed indeed; Bleſs me, even me, O my Father: At this parting grant me thy bleſſing.
Judge.
Sinner, be gone, and my curſe go along with thee. Thou haſt many a time deſpiſed my Bleſſing when it hath been offer'd to thee, though I was made a Curſe to purchaſe it for thee; therefore, I ſay, depart from me, and the Curſe of an angry Lord, and of a righteous Law accompany thee for ever. Depart, I ſay, thou curſed.
Priſoner.
Lord, if I muſt go, and thy Curſe with me, ſend me to ſome good place, where I may find ſomewhat to refreſh me under thy loſs and curſe. It's miſery enough to loſe thy preſence, Good Lord, command me to ſome good place.
Judge.
No, Sinner, be gone with my Curſe to that place which will torture and rack thee with extremity and univerſality of pains. The time hath been that thou haſt wallowed in ſenſual Pleaſures, now thou muſt fry in intollerable flames. Depart thou curſed into fire.
Priſoner.
Ah Lord, if I muſt go with thy Curſe, and to ſo woful a place as fire, I beſeech thee, let me not ſtay there long. Alas, who can abide devouring flames one moment? material fires of mans kindling are terrible, but how intollerable are thoſe flames which thy breath, like a ſtream of brimſtone, hath kindled? I beſeech thee, if I muſt go to it, let me paſs ſwiftly through it, and not ſtay in it.
Judge.
No, Sinner, depart, and my Curſe with thee, to thoſe extream Torments that admit of no eaſe, and no end, where the worm never dieth, and the fire never goeth out; to the Lake that burneth with fire and brimſtone for ever. Depart thou curſed into everlaſting fire.
Priſoner.
Lord, this is diſmal and dreadful indeed to go from thee, who art all good, and to go to fire which hath in it extremity of all evil, and to loſe thee, and fry in flames for ever, ever, ever; yet, Lord, if it is thy Will it ſhould be ſo, hear me yet in one deſire, let me have ſuch ſociety as may mitigate, at leaſt ſuch as may not aggravate my miſery.
Judge.
No, Sinner, thy Company muſt be ſuch for ever as thou didſt chooſe in thy life time. He who was thy Tempter, ſhall be thy Tormentor. And they who led thee captive at their will, ſhall be bound with thee in Chains of everlaſting darkneſs, and faggotted up with thee together for unquenchable fire. Such fiery Serpents, gnawing Worms, ſtinging Adders, poiſonous Toads, roaring and devouring Lions, hideous Monſters, frightful Fiends muſt be thy eternal Companions. Depart from me thou curſed, into everlaſting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels.
I ſhall now ſpeak particularly to the puniſhment of theſe wicked ones, and explain the words as I come to ſpeak to them.
foreign, Eſt Metaphora qua vita humana curſus per iter ſive proſectionem deſcribitur.I begin with the beginning of Chriſt's Sentence, viz. The pain of loſs, which ſhall be the puniſhment of the damned; Depart from me. The word depart is a metaphor which deſcribes the courſe of humane loſs by a Journey, Luk. 1.6. 2 Pet. 2.10. And alſo their progreſs to death, Luk. 13. The eternal death of the damned will conſiſt partly, if not principally in their departure from the Lord of Life.
But it may be Objected, Who can depart from him who is every where? Chriſt is God, Joh. 1.1. 1 Joh. 5.20. And God is Omnipreſent; Whither ſhall I fly from thy preſence? Pſal. 139.7. Therefore we muſt know there is a three-fold preſence of God or Chriſt:
1. There is the eſſential preſence of God, as he is infinite in his Being, included in no place, and excluded out of none, ſo none can depart from him, Pſal. 139.6. to 10. Jer. 23.24. Amos 9.2, 3.
2. There is the favourable preſence of God, as he is the Fountain of Life and Love, and the Father of Mercy, and kindneſs, and all good. The former is the preſence of his Being, this of his Bounty. This is as the preſence of the Sun by his heat chearing, and by his light delighting the Creature. His preſence in this ſenſe is the ſubſtance of his Promiſes; Fear not, I will be with thee, Iſa. 43.2, 3, 5. Jer. 1.8. Jer. 15.20. Luk. 1.28. Act. 18.10. His preſence in this ſenſe is the Redeemers purchaſe: He ſuffered, the Juſt for the Ʋnjuſt, to bring us to God, 1 Pet. 3.18. Thence the Name of the Redeemer is Immanuel, God with us, Matth. 1.23. Againſt his departure in this ſenſe, Jer. 14.8. is the Churches earneſt Prayer, Leave us not. And the fear of it doth ſo affect Moſes, that he is ready to throw up all, Exod. 33.15. If thy preſence go not with us, carry us not hence.
His preſence in this ſenſe is Heaven it ſelf, Pſal. 16. ult. In thy preſence is fulneſs of joy, at thy right hand are pleaſures for evermore, Luk. 22. 1 Theſſ. 4.17. Then we which are alive and remain, ſhall be caught up together with them in the Clouds, to meet the Lord in the Air: and ſo ſhall we ever be with the Lord. This is that preſence of Chriſt which the wicked ſhall want for ever; This is included in, Depart from me.
3. There is the afflicting puniſhing preſence of God. There is the preſence of his Fury, as well as of his Favour. In this ſenſe Job prayeth for God's abſence; How long wilt thou not depart from me? Job 7.19. Which Junius gloſſeth, Turn thine anger away from me. In this ſenſe God tells men, That he will viſit them, i. e. with Judgments. As a Father beholding his Child about ſome naughty Action, tells him, Il'e be with you preſently, meaning to correct him: Iſa. 23.17. Jer. 6.15. At the time that I viſit them, they ſhall be cast down, ſaith the Lord. In this ſenſe wicked men ſhall have the preſence of God for ever. His tormenting preſence, as well as the abſence of his Grace and Favour, will be their eternal portion. And certainly if his afflicting preſence in this World, which hath love for its Original, and their good for its end, be ſo grievous to his own people, that they cry out, Let him turn from me, Job 14.6. Let him depart away; what will his tormenting preſence be to the wicked in the other World, of which wrath, pure wrath is the Original, and ſatisfaction to juſtice his end.