Sermons and Discourses Volume 4, Sermon 5 – License
Of the Eternity of Hell-Torments.
MATTH. 25.46.
And theſe ſhall go away into everlaſting puniſhment, but the Righteous into life eternal.
AMong all the arguments to Repentance and a good Life, thoſe have the greateſt force and power upon the minds of men, which are fetch'd from another World; and from the final ſtate of good and bad men after this Life. And this our Saviour repreſents to us in a moſt lively manner, in that proſpect which, in the latter part of this Chapter, he gives us of the Judgment of the great Day, namely, that at the end of the World the Son of Man ſhall come in his glory, with his Holy Angels, and ſhall ſit upon the Throne of his Glory; and all Nations ſhall be gathered before him, and ſhall be ſeparated into two great Companies, the Righteous and the Wicked; who ſhall ſtand the one on the Right hand, and the other on the Left of this great Judge; who ſhall pronounce ſentence ſeverally upon them according to the actions which they have done in this Life: The Righteous ſhall be rewarded with eternal happineſs, and the Wicked ſhall be ſentenc'd to everlaſting puniſhment. And theſe, that is, the Wicked, ſhall go away into everlaſting puniſhment, but the Righteous into Life eternal.
The Words are plain and need no explication. For I take it for granted, that every one, at firſt hearing of them, does clearly apprehend the difference between the Righteous and the Wicked, and between endleſs Happineſs and Miſery: But although theſe Words be ſo very eaſy to be underſtood, they can never be too much conſider'd by us. The Scope and deſign of them is, to repreſent to us the different Fates of good and bad men in another World, and that their Ends there, will be as different, as their Ways and doings have been here in this World: The ſerious conſideration whereof is the greateſt diſcouragement to Sin, and the moſt powerful argument in the World to a holy and vertuous life: Becauſe it is an argument taken from our greateſt and moſt laſting intereſt, our happineſs or our miſery to all Eternity: A concernment of that vaſt conſequence, that it muſt be the greateſt ſtupidity and folly in the World for any man to neglect it.
This eternal ſtate of Rewards and Puniſhments in another World, our Bleſſed Saviour hath clearly revealed to us. And as to one part of it, viz. That good men ſhall be eternally happy in another World, every one gladly admits it: But many are loth that the other part ſhould be true, concerning the eternal puniſhment of wicked men. And therefore they pretend that it is contrary to the Juſtice of God to puniſh temporary Crimes with eternal Torments: Becauſe Juſtice always obſerves a proportion between Offences and Puniſhments: but between temporary Sins and eternal Puniſhments there is no proportion. And as this ſeems hard to be reconcil'd with Juſtice, ſo much more with that exceſs of Goodneſs which we ſuppoſe to be in God.
And therefore they ſay, that though God ſeem to have declar'd that impenitent Sinners ſhall be everlaſtingly puniſh'd, yet theſe declarations of Scripture are ſo to be mollified and underſtood, as that we may be able to reconcile them with the eſſential perfections of the Divine nature.
This is the full force and ſtrength of the Objection. And my work at this time ſhall be to clear, if I can, this difficult Point. And that for theſe two Reaſons. Firſt, For the vindication of the Divine Juſtice and Goodneſs: That God may be juſtified in his ſayings, and appear Righteous when he judgeth. And Secondly, becauſe the belief of the threatnings of God in their utmoſt extent is of ſo great moment to a good Life, and ſo great a diſcouragement to Sin: For the ſting of Sin is the terrour of eternal puniſhment; and if men were once ſet free from the fear and belief of this, the moſt powerful reſtraint from Sin would be taken away.
So that in anſwer to this Objection, I ſhall endeavour to prove theſe two things.
Firſt, That the eternal puniſhment of wicked men in another World is plainly threatned in Scripture.
Secondly, That this is not inconſiſtent either with the Juſtice or the Goodneſs of God.
Firſt, That the eternal puniſhment of wicked men in another World is plainly threatned in Scripture, namely, in theſe following Texts, Matth. 18.8. It is better for thee to enter into Life halt and maimed, than having two hands or two feet to be caſt into everlaſting fire. And Matth. 25.41. Depart ye curſed into everlaſting fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels. And here in the Text, theſe, that is, the wicked, ſhall go away into everlaſting puniſhment. And Mark 9. It is there three ſeveral times with great vehemency repeated by our Saviour, where their worm dyeth not, and the fire is not quenched. And 2 Theſ. 1.9. ſpeaking of them that know not God and obey not the Goſpel of his Son, it is ſaid of them, who ſhall be puniſh'd with everlaſting deſtruction.
I know very well that great endeavour hath been us'd to avoid the force of theſe Texts, by ſhewing that the words, for ever and everlaſting, are frequently us'd in Scripture in a more limited ſenſe, only for a long duration and continuance. Thus, for ever, doth very often in the Old Teſtament only ſignify for a long time and till the end of the Jewiſh Diſpenſation. And in the Epiſtle of St. Jude, verſe 7th. The Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are ſaid to be ſet forth for an example, ſuffering the vengeance of eternal fire, that is, of a fire that was not extinguiſh'd till thoſe Cities were utterly conſumed.
And therefore to clear the meaning of the forementioned Texts. Firſt, I ſhall readily grant, that the words, for ever and everlaſting, do not always in Scripture ſignify an endleſs duration; and that this is ſufficiently proved by the inſtances alledg'd to this purpoſe. But then, Secondly, it cannot be denied on the other hand, that theſe words are often in Scripture uſed in a larger ſenſe and ſo as neceſſarily to ſignify an interminable and endleſs duration. As where Eternity is attributed to God, and he is ſaid to live for ever and ever: And where eternal happineſs in another World is promiſed to good men, and that they ſhall be for ever with the Lord. Now the very ſame words and expreſſions are uſed concerning the puniſhment of wicked men in another life, and there is great reaſon why we ſhould underſtand them in the ſame extent: Both, becauſe if God had intended to have told us that the puniſhment of wicked men ſhall have no end, the Languages wherein the Scriptures are written do hardly afford fuller and more certain words, than thoſe that are uſed in this caſe, whereby to expreſs to us a duration without end: And likewiſe, which is almoſt a peremptory deciſion of the thing, becauſe the duration of the puniſhment of wicked men is in the very ſame ſentence expreſs'd by the very ſame word which is us'd for the duration of the happineſs of the righteous: As is evident from the Text, Theſe, ſpeaking of the wicked, ſhall go away, foreign, into eternal puniſhment, but the righteous, foreign, into life eternal. I proceed to the
Second thing I propos'd; namely, to ſhew that this is not inconſiſtent either with the Juſtice or the Goodneſs of God. For in this the force of the Objection lies. And it hath been attempted to be anſwered ſeveral ways, none of which ſeems to me to give clear and full ſatisfaction to it.
Firſt, It is ſaid by ſome, that becauſe ſin is infinite in reſpect of the Object againſt whom it is committed, which is God, therefore it deſerves an infinite puniſhment.
But this I doubt will upon examination be found to have more of ſubtlety than of ſolidity in it. 'Tis true indeed, that the dignity of the Perſon againſt whom any offence is committed is a great aggravation of the fault. For which reaſon all offences againſt God are certainly the greateſt of all other. But that crimes ſhould hereby be heighten'd to an infinite degree can by no means be admitted; and that for this plain reaſon; becauſe then the evil and demerit of all ſins muſt neceſſarily be equal; for the demerit of no ſin can be more than infinite: And if the demerit of all ſins be equal, there can then be no reaſon for the degrees of puniſhment in another World: But to deny that there are degrees of puniſhment there, is not only contrary to reaſon, but to our Saviour's expreſs aſſertion, that ſome ſhall be beaten with many ſtripes and ſome with fewer, and that it ſhall be more tolerable for ſome in the day of judgment than for others. Beſides, that by the ſame reaſon that the leaſt ſin that is committed againſt God may be ſaid to be infinite becauſe of its object, the leaſt puniſhment that is inflicted by God may be ſaid to be infinite becauſe of its Author; and then all puniſhments from God as well as all ſins againſt him would be equal; which is palpably abſurd. So that this anſwer is by no means ſufficient to break the force of this Objection.
Secondly, It is ſaid by others, that if wicked men lived for ever in this World they would ſin for ever, and therefore they deſerve to be puniſh'd for ever. But this hath neither truth nor reaſon enough in it to give ſatisfaction. For who can certainly tell that if a man lived never ſo long he would never repent and grow better?
Beſides, that the Juſtice of God doth only puniſh the ſins which men have committed in this life, and not thoſe which they might poſſibly have committed if they had lived longer.
Thirdly, It is ſaid in the laſt place, that God hath ſet before men everlaſting Happineſs and Miſery, and the ſinner hath his choice. Here are two things ſaid which ſeem to bid fairly towards an anſwer.
Firſt, That the reward which God promiſeth to our obedience is equal to the puniſhment which he threatens to our diſobedience. But yet this I doubt will not reach the buſineſs: Becauſe though it be not contrary to Juſtice to exceed in Rewards, that being matter of meer favour; yet it may be ſo, to exceed in Puniſhments.
Secondly, It is further ſaid, that the ſinner in this caſe hath nothing to complain of, ſince he hath his own choice. This I confeſs is enough to ſilence the ſinner, and to make him to acknowledge that his deſtruction is of himſelf; but yet for all that, it does not ſeem ſo clearly to ſatisfy the objection from the diſproportion between the fault and the puniſhment.
And therefore I ſhall endeavour to clear, if it may be, this matter yet a little further by theſe following Conſiderations.
Firſt, Let it be conſider'd, that the meaſure of Penalties with reſpect to Crimes is not only, nor always, to be taken from the quality and degree of the offence, much leſs from the duration and continuance of it, but from the ends and reaſons of Government; which require ſuch penalties as may, if it be poſſible, ſecure the obſervation of the Law, and deterr men from the breach of it. And the reaſon of this is evident, becauſe if it were once declar'd that no man ſhould ſuffer longer for any Crime than according to the proportion of the time in which it was committed, the conſequence of this would be that ſinners would be better husbands of their time and ſin ſo much the faſter, that they might have the greater bargain of it, and might ſatisfy for their ſins by a ſhorter puniſhment.
And it would be unreaſonable likewiſe upon another account; becauſe ſome of the greateſt ſins may perhaps be committed in the ſhorteſt time; for inſtance, Murther; the act whereof may be over in a moment, but the effects of it are perpetual. For he that kills a man once kills him for ever. The act of Murther may be committed in a trice, but the injury is endleſs and irreparable. So that this objection of temporary Crimes being puniſh'd with ſo much longer ſufferings is plainly of no force.
Beſides, that whoever conſiders how ineffectual the threatning even of eternal torments is to the greateſt part of ſinners, will ſoon be ſatisfy'd that a leſs penalty than that of eternal ſufferings would to the far greateſt part of mankind have been in all probability of little or no force. And therefore if any thing more terrible than eternal vengeance could have been threatned to the workers of iniquity, it had not been unreaſonable, becauſe it would all have been little enough to deterr men effectually from ſin.
So that what proportion Crimes and Penalties ought to bear to each other, is not ſo properly a conſideration of Juſtice, as of Wiſdom and Prudence in the Lawgiver.
And the reaſon of this ſeems very plain, becauſe the meaſure of Penalties is not taken from any ſtrict proportion betwixt Crimes and Puniſhments; but from one great end and deſign of Government, which is to ſecure the obſervation of wholeſome and neceſſary Laws; and conſequently whatever Penalties are proper and neceſſary to this end are not unjuſt.
And this Conſideration I deſire may be more eſpecially obſerved, becauſe it ſtrikes at the very foundation of the objection. For if the appointing and apportioning of Penalties to Crimes be not ſo properly a conſideration of Juſtice, but rather of Prudence in the Lawgiver; then whatever the diſproportion may be between temporary Sins and eternal ſufferings Juſtice cannot be ſaid to be concern'd in it.
Juſtice indeed is concern'd, that the Righteous and the Wicked ſhould not be treated alike; and farther yet, that greater ſins ſhould have a heavier puniſhment, and that mighty ſinners ſhould be mightily tormented; but all this may be conſider'd and adjuſted in the degree and the intenſeneſs of the ſuffering, without making any difference in the duration of it.
The caſe then in ſhort ſtands thus. Whenever we break the Laws of God we fall into his hands and lye at his mercy, and he may without injuſtice inflict what puniſhment upon us he pleaſeth: And conſequently, to ſecure his Law from violation, he may beforehand threaten what penalties he thinks fit and neceſſary to deterr men from the Tranſgreſſion of it. And this is not eſteemed unjuſt among men, to puniſh Crimes that are committed in an inſtant with the perpetual loſs of Eſtate, or Liberty, or Life.
Secondly, This will yet appear more reaſonable when we conſider, that after all he that threatens hath ſtill the power of execution in his own hands. For there is this remarkable difference between Promiſes and Threatnings, that he who promiſeth paſſeth over a right to another, and thereby ſtands obliged to him in Juſtice and Faithfulneſs to make good his promiſe; and if he do not, the party to whom the promiſe is made is not only diſappointed but injuriouſly dealt withal: But in threatnings it is quite otherwiſe. He that threatens keeps the right of puniſhing in his own hand and is not obliged to execute what he hath threatned any further than the reaſons and ends of Government do require: And he may without any injury to the party threatned remit and abate as much as he pleaſeth of the puniſhment that he hath threatned: And becauſe in ſo doing he is not worſe but better than his word, no body can find fault, or complain of any wrong or injuſtice thereby done to him.
Nor is this any impeachment of God's truth and faithfulneſs, any more than it is eſteem'd among men a piece of falſhood not to do what they have threatned. God did abſolutely threaten the deſtruction of the City of Niniveh, and his peeviſh Prophet did underſtand the threatning to be abſolute, and was very angry with God for employing him in a meſſage that was not made good. But God underſtood his own right, and did what he pleas'd notwithſtanding the threatning he had denounc'd, and for all Jonah was ſo touch'd in honour that he had rather have dyed himſelf than that Niniveh ſhould not have been deſtroy'd, only to have verifi'd his meſſage.
I know it is ſaid in this caſe, that God hath confirm'd theſe threatnings by an Oath, which is a certain ſign of the immutability of his counſel; and therefore his Truth is concern'd in the ſtrict and rigorous execution of them. The Land of Canaan was a Type of Heaven, and the Iſraelites who rebell'd in the Wilderneſs were alſo a Type of impenitent Sinners under the Goſpel; and conſequently the Oath of God concerning the rebellious Iſraelites, when he ſware in his wrath that they ſhould not enter into his reſt, that is, into the Land of Canaan, doth equally oblige Him to execute his threatning upon all impenitent Sinners under the Goſpel, that they ſhall never enter into the Kingdom of God. And this is very truly reaſon'd, ſo far as the threatning extends; which if we attend to the plain words of it, beyond which threatnings are never to be ſtretch'd, doth not ſeem to reach any further than to the excluſion of impenitent Sinners out of Heaven and their falling finally ſhort of the Reſt and Happineſs of the Righteous: Which however, directly overthrows the Opinion aſcrib'd to Origen that the Devils and wicked men ſhall all be ſaved at laſt; God having ſworn in his wrath that they ſhall never enter into his reſt.
But then, as to the eternal miſery and puniſhment threatned to wicked men in the other World, though it be not neceſſarily comprehended in this Oath that they ſhall not enter into his Reſt: yet we are to conſider, that both the tenour of the Sentence which our Bleſſed Saviour hath aſſur'd us will be paſs'd upon them at the Judgment of the Great Day, Depart ye curſed into everlaſting fire; and likewiſe this Declaration in the Text, that the Wicked ſhall go away into everlaſting puniſhment, though they do not reſtrain God from doing what he pleaſes, yet they cut off from the Sinner all reaſonable hopes of the relaxation or mitigation of them. For ſince the great Judge of the World hath made ſo plain and expreſs a Declaration, and will certainly paſs ſuch a Sentence, it would be the greateſt folly and madneſs in the world for the Sinner to entertain any hope of eſcaping it, and to venture his ſoul upon that hope.
I know but one thing more, commonly ſaid upon this Argument, that ſeems material. And that is this, That the words death and deſtruction and periſhing, whereby the puniſhment of wicked men in the other World is moſt frequently expreſs'd in Scripture, do moſt properly import annihilation and an utter end of Being; and therefore may reaſonably be ſo underſtood in the matter of which we are now ſpeaking.
To this I anſwer, that theſe words, and thoſe which anſwer them in other Languages, are often, both in Scripture and other Authors, uſed to ſignify a ſtate of great miſery and ſuffering, without the utter extinction of the miſerable. Thus God is often in Scripture ſaid to bring deſtruction upon a Nation when he ſends great Judgments upon them, though they do not exterminate and make an utter end of them.
And nothing is more common in moſt Languages, than by periſhing to expreſs a perſon's being undone and made very miſerable. As in that known paſſage in Tiberius his Letter to the Roman Senate, *Ita me Dij Deae que omnes pejus perdant quàm bodiè perire me ſentio, &c.Let all the Gods and Goddeſſes, ſaith he, deſtroy me worſe than at this very time I feel my ſelf to periſh, &c. in which Saying, the words, deſtroy and periſh, are both of them us'd to expreſs the miſerable anguiſh and torment which at that time he felt in his mind, as Tacitus tells us at large.
And as for the word Death; a ſtate of miſery which is as bad or worſe than death may properly enough be call'd by that name: And for this reaſon the puniſhment of wicked men after the Day of Judgment is in the Book of the Revelation ſo frequently and fitly call'd the ſecond death. And the Lake of fire, into which the wicked ſhall be caſt to be tormented in it, is expreſly call'd the ſecond death.Rev. 20.14.
But beſides this, they that argue from the force of theſe words, that the puniſhment of wicked men in the other world ſhall be nothing elſe but an utter end of their Being, do neceſſarily fall into two great inconveniencies.
Firſt, That hereby they exclude all poſitive puniſhment and torment of Sinners. For if the ſecond death, and to be deſtroy'd, and to periſh, ſignify nothing elſe but the Annihilation of Sinners and an utter extinction of their Being; and if this be all the effect of that dreadful Sentence which ſhall be paſs'd upon them at the Day of Judgment, then the Fire of Hell is quench'd all at once, and is only a frightful Metaphor without any meaning. But this is directly contrary to the tenour of Scripture, which doth ſo often deſcribe the puniſhment of wicked men in Hell by poſitive torments: And particularly our Bleſſed Saviour, deſcribing the lamentable ſtate of the damned in Hell, expreſly ſays that there ſhall be weeping and wailing and gnaſhing of teeth; which cannot be, if Annihilation be all the meaning and effect of the Sentence of the Great Day.
Secondly, Another inconvenience of this Opinion is, that if Annihilation be all the puniſhment of Sinners in the other World, then the puniſhment of all Sinners muſt of neceſſity be equal, becauſe there are no degrees of Annihilation or not-being. But this alſo is moſt directly contrary to Scripture, as I have already ſhewn.
I know very well that ſome who are of this Opinion do allow a very long and tedious time of the moſt terrible and intolerable torment of Sinners, and after that they believe that there ſhall be an utter end of their Being.
But then they muſt not argue this from the force of the Words before mentioned, becauſe the plain inference from thence is, that Annihilation is all the puniſhment that wicked men ſhall undergo in the next Life; And if that be not true, as I have plainly ſhewn that it is not, I do not ſee from what other words or expreſſions in Scripture they can find the leaſt ground for this Opinion, that the torment of wicked men ſhall at laſt end in their Annihilation. And yet admitting all this, for which I think there is no ground at all in Scripture, I cannot ſee what great comfort Sinners can take in the thought of a tedious time of terrible torment, ending at laſt in Annihilation and the utter extinction of their Beings.
Thirdly, We may conſider further, that the primary end of all Threatnings is not puniſhment, but the prevention of it. For God does not threaten that men may ſin and be puniſh'd, but that they may not ſin, and ſo may eſcape the puniſhment threaten'd. And therefore the higher the threatning runs, ſo much the more mercy and goodneſs there is in it; becauſe it is ſo much the more likely to hinder men from incurring the penalty that is threatned.
Fourthly, Let it be conſider'd likewiſe, that when it is is ſo very plain that God hath threatned eternal miſery to impenitent Sinners, all the prudence in the World obliges men to believe that he is in good earneſt and will execute theſe threatnings upon them, if they will obſtinately ſtand it out with him, and will not be brought to Repentance. And therefore in all reaſon we ought ſo to demean our ſelves, and ſo to perſwade others, as knowing the terrour of the Lord, and that they who wilfully break his Laws are in danger of eternal Death. To which I will add in the
Fifth and laſt place, That if we ſuppoſe that God did intend that his threatnings ſhould have their effect to deterr men from the breach of his Laws, it cannot be imagin'd that in the ſame Revelation which declares theſe threatnings any intimation ſhould be given of the abatement or non-execution of them. For by this God would have weaken'd his own Laws, and have taken off the edge and terror of his threatnings: Becauſe a threatning hath quite loſt its force, if we once come to believe that it will not be executed: And conſequently, it would be a very impious deſign to go about to teach or perſwade any thing to the contrary, and a betraying men into that miſery which had it been firmly believ'd might have been avoided.
We are all bound to preach, and You and I are all bound to believe the terrors of the Lord. Not ſo, as ſawcily to determine and pronounce what God muſt do in this caſe; for after all, He may do what he will, as I have clearly ſhewn: But what is fit for us to do, and what we have reaſon to expect, if notwithſtanding a plain and expreſs threatning of the vengeance of eternal fire, we ſtill go on to treaſure up to our ſelves wrath againſt the day of wrath, and the revelation of the righteous Judgment of God; and will deſperately put it to the hazard, whether, and how far God will execute his threatnings upon Sinners in another World.
And therefore there is no need why we ſhould be very ſollicitouſly concern'd for the honour of God's Juſtice or Goodneſs in this matter. Let us but take care to believe and avoid the Threatnings of God; and then, how terrible ſoever they are, no harm can come to us. And as for God, let us not doubt but that he will take care of his own Honour; and that He, who is holy in all his ways, and righteous in all his works, will do nothing that is repugnant to his eternal Goodneſs and Righteouſneſs; and that He will certainly ſo manage things at the Judgment of the Great Day, as to be juſtified in his ſayings, and to be righteous when we are judged. For, notwithſtanding his Threatnings, he hath reſerved Power enough in his own hands to do right to all his Perfections: So that we may reſt aſſur'd, that he will judge the world in righteouſneſs; and if it be any-wiſe inconſiſtent either with Righteouſneſs or Goodneſs, which He knows much better than we do, to make Sinners miſerable for ever, that He will not do it; nor is it credible, that he would threaten Sinners with a Puniſhment which he could not juſtly execute upon them.
Therefore Sinners ought always to be afraid of it, and reckon upon it: And always to remember, that there is great Goodneſs and Mercy in the ſeverity of God's Threatnings; and that nothing will more juſtify the infliction of eternal Torments, than the fooliſh preſumption of Sinners in venturing upon them, notwithſtanding ſuch plain and terrible Threatnings.
This, I am ſure, is a good Argument to all of us, to work out our Salvation with fear and trembling; and with all poſſible care to endeavour the prevention of that miſery which is ſo terribly ſevere, that at preſent we can hardly tell how to reconcile it with the Juſtice and Goodneſs of God.
This God heartily deſires we would do; and hath ſolemnly ſworn, that he hath no pleaſure in the death of the wicked, but rather that he ſhould turn from his wickedneſs and live. So that here is all imaginable care taken to prevent our miſcarriage, and all the aſſurance that the God of Truth can give us of his unwillingneſs to bring this miſery upon us. And both theſe, I am ſure, are arguments of great Goodneſs. For what can Goodneſs do more, than to warn us of this miſery, and earneſtly to perſuade us to prevent it; and to threaten us ſo very terribly, on purpoſe to deterr us from ſo great a danger?
And if this will not prevail with us, but we will ſtill go on to deſpiſe the riches of God's goodneſs, and long ſuffering, and forbearance; what in reaſon remains for us, but a fearful looking for of Judgment and fiery Indignation to conſume us? And what almoſt can Juſtice, or even Goodneſs it ſelf do leſs, than to inflict that puniſhment upon us, which with eyes open we would wilfully run upon; and which no warning, no perſuaſion, no importunity could prevail with us to avoid? And when, as the Apoſtle ſays, knowing the Judgment of God, that they which commit ſuch things are worthy of death; yet for all that, we would venture to commit them.
And therefore, whatever we ſuffer, we do but inherit our own choice, and have no reaſon to complain of God, who hath ſet before us Life and Death, eternal Happineſs and Miſery, and hath left us to be the Carvers of our own Fortune: And if, after all this, we will obſtinately refuſe this happineſs, and wilfully run upon this Miſery, Wo unto us! for we have rewarded evil to our ſelves.
You ſee then, by all that hath been ſaid upon this Argument, what we have all reaſon to expect, if we will ſtill go on in our Sins, and will not be brought to Repentance. You have heard, what a terrible Puniſhment the juſt God hath threatned to the Workers of Iniquity: and that in as plain words as can be uſed to expreſs anything. Theſe, that is, the wicked, ſhall go away into everlaſting Puniſhment, but the righteous into Life eternal.
Here are Life and Death, Happineſs and Miſery ſet before us. Not this frail and mortal Life, which is hardly worth the having, were it not in order to a better and happier Life; nor a temporal Death, to get above the dread whereof ſhould not methinks be difficult to us, were it not for the bitter and terrible conſequences of it: But an eternal Life, and an eternal enjoyment of all things which can render Life pleaſant and happy; and a perpetual Death, which will for ever torment us, but never make an end of us.
Theſe God propounds to our choice: And if the conſideration of them will not prevail with us to leave our ſins, and to reform our lives, what will? Weightier Motives cannot be propos'd to the underſtanding of Man, than everlaſting Puniſhment, and Life eternal; than the greateſt and moſt durable happineſs, and the moſt intolerable and laſting miſery that human Nature is capable of.
Now, conſidering in what terms the Threatnings of the Goſpel are expreſs'd, we have all the reaſon in the world to believe that the Puniſhment of Sinners in another world will be everlaſting. However, we cannot be certain of the contrary, time enough to prevent it; not till we come there, and find by experience how it is: And if it prove ſo, it will then be too late either to prevent that terrible Doom, or to get it revers'd.
Some comfort themſelves with the uncomfortable and uncertain hope of being diſcharg'd out of Being, and reduc'd to their firſt Nothing; at leaſt after the tedious and terrible ſuffering of the moſt grievous and exquiſite Torments for innumerable Ages. And if this ſhould happen to be true, good God! how feeble, how cold a comfort is this? Where is the Reaſon and Underſtanding of Men, to make this their laſt Refuge and Hope; and to lean upon it as a matter of mighty conſolation, that they ſhall be miſerable beyond all imagination, and beyond all patience, for God knows how many Ages? Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? No right ſenſe and judgment of things? No conſideration and care of themſelves, no concernment for their own laſting Intereſt and Happineſs?
Origen, I know not for what good reaſon, is ſaid to have been of opinion, That the puniſhment of Devils and wicked men, after the Day of Judgment, will continue but for a thouſand years; and that after that time, they ſhall all be finally ſaved. I can very hardly perſuade my ſelf, that ſo wiſe and learned a man as Origen was, ſhould be poſitive in an Opinion for which there can be no certain ground in Reaſon, eſpecially for the punctual and preciſe term of a thouſand years; and for which there is no ground at all, that I know of, from Divine Revelation.
But upon the whole matter, however it be; be it for a thouſand years, or be it for a longer and unknown term, or be it for ever, which is plainly threatned in the Goſpel: I ſay, however it be, this is certain, that it is infinitely wiſer to take care to avoid it, than to diſpute it, and to run the final hazard of it. Put it which way we will, eſpecially if we put it at the worſt, as in all prudence we ought to do, it is by all poſſible means to be provided againſt: So terrible, ſo intolerable is the thought, yea the very leaſt ſuſpicion of being miſerable for ever.
And now give me leave to ask You, as St. Paul did King Agrippa, Do you believe the Scr…ptures? And I hope I may anſwer for you my ſelf as he did for Agrippa, I know you do believe them. And in them theſe things are clearly revealed, and are part of that Creed of which we make a ſolemn profeſſion every day.
And yet when we conſider how moſt men live, is it credible that they do firmly believe this plain Declaration of our Saviour and our Judge, That the wicked ſhall go away into everlaſting Puniſhment, but the righteous into Life eternal?
Or if they do in ſome ſort believe it, is it credible that they do at all conſider it ſeriouſly, and lay it to heart? So that if we have a mind to reconcile our belief with our Actions, we muſt either alter our Bible and our Creed, or we muſt change our Lives.
Let us then conſider, and ſhew our ſelves men. And if we do ſo, can any man to pleaſe himſelf for a little while be contented to be puniſh'd for ever; and for the ſhadow of a ſhort and imperfect happineſs in this life, be willing to run the hazard of being really and eternally miſerable in the next World?
Surely this conſideration alone, of the extreme and endleſs miſery of impenitent Sinners in another World, if it were but well wrought into our minds, would be ſufficient to kill all the temptations of this World, and to lay them dead at our feet; and to make us deaf to all the Enchantments of Sin and Vice: Becauſe they bid us ſo infinitely to our loſs, when they offer us the enjoyment of a ſhort Pleaſure, upon ſo very hard and unequal a condition as that of being miſerable for ever.
The eternal Rewards and Puniſhments of another Life, which are the great Sanction and Security of God's Laws, one would think ſhould be a ſufficient weight to caſt the Scales againſt any Pleaſure, or any Pain, that this World can tempt, or can threaten us withal.
And yet, after all this, will we ſtill go on to do wickedly; when we know the terrors of the Lord, and that we muſt one day anſwer all our bold violations of his Law, and contempts of his Authority, with the loſs of our immortal Souls, and by ſuffering the vengeance of eternal Fire?
What is it then that can give men the Heart and Courage; but I recall that Word, becauſe it is not true Courage, but fool hardineſs, thus to out brave the Judgment of God, and to ſet at nought the horrible and amazing conſideration of a miſerable Eternity? How is it poſſible that men that are awake, and in their wits, ſhould have any eaſe in their minds, or enjoy ſo much as one quiet hour, whilſt ſo great a danger hangs over their heads, and they have taken no tolerable care to prevent it? If we have any true and juſt ſenſe of this danger, we cannot fail to ſhew that we have it, by making haſte to eſcape it, and by taking that care of our Souls, which is due to immortal Spirits that are made to be Happy or Miſerable to all Eternity.
Let us not therefore eſtimate and meaſure things as they appear now to our ſenſual and deluded and deprav'd Judgments; but let us open our eyes, and look to the laſt iſſue and conſequence of them: Let us often think of theſe things, and conſider well with our ſelves, what apprehenſions will then probably fill and poſſeſs our minds, when we ſhall ſtand trembling before our Judge, in a fearful expectation of that terrible Sentence which is juſt ready to be pronounced, and as ſoon as ever it is pronounc'd to be executed upon us: When we ſhall have a full and clear ſight of the unſpeakable Happineſs, and of the horrible and aſtoniſhing Miſeries of another World: When there ſhall be no longer any Veil of Fleſh and Senſe to interpoſe between them and us, and to hide theſe things from our eyes: And, in a word, when Heaven with all the Glories of it, ſhall be open to our view; and, as the expreſſion is in Job, Hell ſhall be naked before us, and Deſtruction ſhall have no covering.
How ſhall we then be confounded, to find the truth and reality of thoſe things which we will not now be perſuaded to believe? And how ſhall we then wiſh, that we had believed the terrors of the Lord; and inſtead of quarrelling with the Principles of Religion, and calling them into queſtion, we had lived under the conſtant ſenſe and awe of them?
Bleſſed be God, that there is yet hope concerning us, and that we may yet flee from the wrath to come; and that the Miſeries of Eternity may yet be prevented in Time: And that for this very end and purpoſe, our moſt Gracious and Merciful God hath ſo clearly revealed theſe things to us, not with a deſire to bring them upon us, but that we being warned by his Threatnings, might not bring them upon our ſelves.
I will conclude all with the Counſel of the Wiſe Man; Wiſd. of Solomon, ch. 1. ver. 12, 13, 16.Seek not Death in the error of your Life, and pull not upon your ſelves deſtruction with the works of your own hands. For God made not death, neither hath he pleaſure in the deſtruction of the Living: But ungodly men with their works and words have called it down upon themſelves. Which that none of us may do, God of his infinite Goodneſs grant, for his Mercies ſake in Jeſus Chriſt: To whom, with Thee, O Father, and the Holy Ghoſt, be all Honour and Glory, Dominion and Power, Thankſgiving and Praiſe, both now and for ever. Amen.
Succeſs not always anſwerable to the probability of Second Cauſes. A FAST-SERMON Preached before the Houſe of COMMONS, ON Wedneſday, April the 16th. 1690.
Jovis 17. die April. 1690.
Ordered,
THat the Thanks of this Houſe be given to Dr. Tillotſon, Dean of St. Pauls, for the Sermon Preached before this Houſe Yeſterday; And that he be deſired to Print the ſame; And that Sir Edmund Jenings do acquaint him therewith.
Paul Jodrell, Cler. Dom. Com.