Sin the Plague of Plagues, Part 5
What Damnation is.What damnation is, and that privatively and poſitively conſider'd.
Damnation may be conſider'd:
1 Privatively, as (paena damni) a puniſhment of loſs.
2 Poſitively, as (paena ſenſus) a puniſhment of ſenſe.
An inſtance of both we have, Mat. 25.41. Then ſhall he ſay to them on his left hand, Depart from me (there's privative damnation) into everlaſting fire, there's poſitive damnation: As ſin is negatively a not doing good, and poſitively a doing evil; ſo damnation is a denial of good to, and inflicting of evil upon ſinners. Salvation is ademptio malt, the taking away of evil, and adeptio boni, an obtaining and enjoying of good; 'tis both wayes expreſt, Joh. 3.16. God ſo loved the world, that he gave his Son, that whoſoever believeth in him ſhould not periſh, (there's negative ſalvation) but have everlaſting life, there's poſitive ſalvation: So the damnation of ſinners, 'tis negative, depart from me; and poſitive, into everlaſting ſire: In which Text we may obſerve:
1 Who are to hear and to undergo this doom, viz. them on his left hand, the goats, the ſ… ners, the workers of iniquity, as 'tis Matth. … 23.
2 The Sentence or Doom it ſelf, Depart frome; woe unto you, ſaith God, Hoſ. 9.12. whe… I depart from you; but woe, woe, woe will it b… when ſinners muſt depart from God: The puniſhment (which i… worthy of a remark) doth anſwer to, and is called by the name of ſin; What is ſin? but a departure from God: And what the doom of ſinners? departure from God; a… if God ſhould ſay to them, you liked departin… while you lived, now depart from me; yo… would none of me, nor my company, now I'… none of you, nor yours; Depart from us, is th… cry of ſinners to God, Job 21.14. Depart from m… will be the cry of God to ſinners.
3 Here is the ſtate wherein ſinners muſt b… when they receive this doom (Curſed) God wi… not fend them away in peace, or bleſs them before they go, but away they muſt with a vengeance, and with a curſe at their backs; they loved curſing, and curſing ſhall be unto them; all the curſes in the Book of God ſhall light on them.
4 Here is the torment they are to undergo fire, yea everlasting fire, kindled by the wrath and maintained by the wrath of God.
Laſtly, the company they are to have, none but the Devil and his Angels: Depart from me y… curſed into everlaſting fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels.
A little to gloſs on this briefly; 'tis as if ſinners ſhould ſay to God in the day of Judgment Lord have mercy upon us; Mercy! ſaith G… mercy upon you! No, no, I will have no mercy on you; time was when you might have had mercy without judgment, but now you ſhall have judgment without mercy; depart, depart: If they ſhould then beg and ſay, Lord, if we muſt depart, let it be from thy Throne of judgment, but not from thee: Yes, ſaith the Lord, depart from me, depart from that preſence of mine, in which there's joy, depart, and go to hell: Lord (if they ſay) ſeeing we muſt be gone, yet bleſs us before we go, let thy bleſſing be upon us: Oh no, ſaith God, be gone with a curſe, depart ye curſed: Oh Lord, if we muſt go from thee, let us not go into the place of torment, but appoint ſome place, if not of pleaſure, yet of eaſe: No, depart into fire, burning and tormenting flames: Oh Lord, if into fire, let it be but for a little while, let the fire be ſoon out, or we ſoon out of it, for who can dwell in everlaſting burnings! No, no, neither ſhall you nor the fire know an end, be gone into everlaſting fire: Ah Lord! let it be long then before we go thither: No, depart preſently, the Sentence ſhall be preſently put in execution: Ah Lord, let's at leaſt have good company, that will pitty us, though they cannot help us! No, no, you ſhall have none but tormenting Devils, they that you obey'd when they were Tempters, you ſhall be with as Tormentors. Oh what miſery hath ſin brought on man! to brin; him to hear this dreadful doom, Depart from me ye curſed! &c.
But as to the particulars. I ſhall begin with the privative part, Paena damni; or, privative damnationthe (paena damni) penalty of loſs which will not be the leaſt plague of the ſinner… hell; he ſhall be deprived of all good, never to enjoy good day or good thing more: when once a man is damned, he may bid adieu to all good, Luke 16.25. But to go on by degrees, and ſtep by ſtep: This then we ſay;
1 1Parting with all the good things they had here.That damned ſinners will be ſtrip'd naked, and deprived of all the good things they had in this life: Wicked men are called the men of this world, Pſal. 17.14. they have their portion and conſolation in this life, Luke 6.24. and 16.25. Many of them fare well, and proſper in this world, they have ſtately houſes, ſpread Tables, full Cups, ſoft Beds, pleaſant Walks, delightful Gardens, filled with fragrant and odoriferous fruits and flowers; they ſit at the upper end, they have the grandure and gallantry of this world; but when they come to be damned, neither riches, nor honors, nor pleaſures will deſcend with them: Wicked men would be content with the good they have, if they might have it alwayes, if (Dives-like) they might be cloathed with Purple, and fine Linnen, and fare deliciouſly for ever, they would ſay, happy is the people that is in ſuch a caſe! Pſa. 144.12.-15. But this vain petty happineſs, ſuch as 'tis, they muſt part with for ever, and bid adieu for good and all to all their good: When Devils fetch away their ſoul, whoſe ſhall all theſe things be? Luke 12.20. none of theirs, all muſt be left behind; the… cannot carry with them a drop of water to coo… their tongue: to have a portion of this world may be a mercy, but to have the world for a portion is a miſery; to have all good things in this life, and but for this life, is a miſery indeed! thou ſhalt be cloath'd with ſilks no more! eat the fat, and drink the ſweet no more!
O…. But Saints themſelves muſt part with theſe things t…?
A. … But the beſt on't is, they ſhall have better things in lieu of them: The impenitent ſinner … from all his good to all evil, but the Saint g…s from all his evil (and but from a little good) … goods who would not part with Coun…e… for gold? with a world for heaven? this the Saint doth, and 'tis a good exchange, I trow; but when a man muſt part with all his Jewels, all his fine things, his wine and muſick, and the delig…ts of the Sons of men, and have no good thing left him …h how ſad!
2 Though ſinn… will count this a great loſs, 2Part with the comfort they had from them.yet it is the lea…, for they muſt part not only with theſe things, but the joy, pleaſure, and delight they had from them: Theſe things are moſt conſiderable for the uſe and comfort of them: The rich man, Luke 12. cheer'd himſelf not in having much goods, but that he expected eaſe and mirth from them: The wicked ſpend their daies in mirth, Job 21.12. and have a brave time on't, as they think; they ſing care away all the day long, and refreſh themſelves with Requiems and Placebo Songs; they chant at the Viol, &c. and though indeed this frolick joy be a miſery of it ſelf (for what truer miſery then falſe joy?) their laughter being but madneſs, yet 'tis the beſt they have in this world: But this alſo muſt be parted with, theſe crackling of thorns will go out, and their mirth will end in woe, their joy in ſorrow, their light in darkneſs! and 'twill add to their grief in hell, that they were ſo merry on earth: When this evil day comes, they will ſay there's no pleaſure in remembring their good daies: It ſeems Dives was loath to think of this, and therefore Abraham ſaith, Son remember, but 'twas a ſad remembrance to remember good as loſt and gone for ever! they will ſay then as Adrian did, Animula vagula, blandula, quo vadis? non ut ſoles dabis jocos! Oh my poor ſoul, thou wilt laugh, and joke, and droll no more!
3 3Pat wi…h their peace and …cu…i…y, or their inſ…ſibility.They muſt ſuffer the loſs of all their peace: 'Tis true…, the wicked here have no real and ſolid peace, for there is no peace to the wicked, ſaith my God, Iſa. 48.22. and 57.21. but they have that which they call peace, and which is to them inſtead of peace, viz. ſecurity and ſtupidity, a ſeared and benum'd conſcience, and becauſe of this they think they are in peace; but when they come to hell, all this will be otherwiſe, Conſcience that was ſear'd as with a red h…t iron here, will feel the flames there, and ſtartle at it: They that met with no trouble here, will be conſumed with terrors there, Pſal. 73.13. There are no ſeared conſciences in hell, they are all tender and ſenſible there: Then will Conſcience awake, and rouſe up like a Lyon, or gnaw like a worm: That they ſhall no longer have the little eaſe of diſſembling their pain, as they were wo… to do here.
4 4With their hope.Sinners then muſt loſe the hopes they had of heaven: Wicked men have no reaſon to hope for heaven, and yet they will hope, though againſt hope; as Abraham and good men hope againſt hope when they have Gods promiſe; ſo the wicked hope againſt hope, notwithſtanding Gods threatning; they will be building their hopes as high as heaven, though they build on the Sand, and without a foundation; but this houſe muſt fall, and the fall will be great, from the hopes of heaven into hell, Mat. 7.22.—27. The hope of Gods people keeps their heart from breaking, and it ſhall never be aſhamed, but this hope of ſinners will break their heart in hell, for there 'twill be aſham'd, when the wicked dies, his expectation ſhall periſh, and the hope of unjuſt men periſheth, Prov. 11.7. Their hope ſhall be as the giving up of the Ghoſt, Job 11.20. The Hypocrites hope ſhall periſh, and his truſt is but as a Spiders web; he ſhall lean upon his houſe, but it ſhall not ſtand; he ſhall hold it faſt, but it ſhall not endure, Job 8.13.-15. where will the hope of hypocrites be when God taketh away his ſoul, will God hear his cry, when trouble comes upon him? No, no, he will not, Job 27.8, 9.
5 They muſt part from, 5From all good company.and ſuffer the loſs of all good company; they ſhall no more have the company of one good man; in this world the wicked fare the better for Gods people being among them; and though they deſpiſe, and ſcoff at them, and think them not worthy to live, yet God himſelf aſſures us, that the world is not worthy of their converſe, they are too good for this world, Hebr. 11.38. yea, though the wicked count good and holy mens lives to be folly and madneſs, yet when they come to die, they would be glad with all their hearts, that their ſouls might be in as good a condition as theirs after death. Balaam that wicked wretch, who loved the wages of, and lived in unrighteouſneſs all his daies, yet could wiſh to die the death of the righteous, and that his latter end (Hebr. his afterward, or after ſtate) might be as theirs, Numb. 23.10. Then they would be glad to take hold of the ſhirt of a Jew (one that is ſo inwardly, Rom. 2.28, 29.) and ſay, we will go with you, for God is with you; but they will find a great Gulf fixed between them, Heaven will not hold any of the wicked, nor ſhall Hell have any of the righteous to hold. The wicked ſhall not ſtand in judgment, nor ſinners in the Congregation of the righteous, Pſa. 1.5. Here below they may through in, the bad among the good, but hereafter God will find them out, and ſeparate them; and though now, many a ſinner may ſeparate from the world to joyn with Saints, yet then God will ſeparate them from Saints, and joyn with ſinners and devils, they ſhall be excommunicated from the ſociety of Saints, and be deliver'd up to Satan (the Executioner of Gods wrath and vengeance) and ſhall have no company but the damned Crew.
6 6They muſt be without the heaven they hoped for.They muſt be not only without their hopes of heaven, but without heaven which they hoped for; to have parted with their hopes for poſſeſſion, had been no loſs, but gain; but to part with their hopes; and with heaven too, is a double loſs: Whatever ſhall be the Saints portion, they muſt go without it, and be no ſharers in it in the leaſt degree: And though perhaps (as ſome think) the wicked may be permitted to look into heaven, as Dives ſaw Lazarus in Abrahams boſom, yet it will be but to heighten the depth of their miſery, by letting them ſee what they by their ſin have deprived themſelves of: To loſe Heaven, is to loſe a Kingdome and glory, more worth and glorious than all the Kingdomes of this world, and their ſeveral glories united in one; 'tis to part with Reſt (Sabbatiſme) for ſo 'tis called: Sabbaths they cared not for while they lived, and Sabbatiſme, or reſt, they will have none, when they die. They gloried in their ſhame in this world, and they ſhall have ſhame enough, but no glory in the world to come: The thoughts of their having been happy, though but in conceit, and that others are really happy, and for ever, but they excluded from any ſhare in any happineſs, 'twill cut them to the heart.
7 They muſt ſuffer the loſs of God himſelf, 7They muſt be parted from Godwho is the Heaven of Heaven: All good things are but as a drop to the Ocean, in compariſon of him, Pſa. 73.25. whom have I in Heaven but thee, as if all the reſt were nothing: If a Saint were to go to Heaven this very day, he would ſay as Abſolom, why am I come up from Geſhur, if I may not ſee the Kings face, 2 Sam. 14.32. This then will be the miſery of miſeries to the damned, that they muſt depart from God, in whoſe preſence only there is joy and pleaſures for evermore: This face of his they muſt ſee no more, unleſs it be as ever frowning upon them in Hell. The good people ſorrowed moſt for the words that Paul ſpake, viz. that they ſhould ſee his face no more, Acts 20.38. This, this will be the pricking, cutting, wounding of ſinners to the heart, that they muſt ſee Gods face no more, no more of his goodneſs, no more of his patience, no more of his mercy. When Cain (a type of this) was turned out of, and baniſhed from the preſence of the Lord, he cryes out, that his puniſhment was intollerable, Geneſ. 4.13.
8. 8This eſtate unalg terable.They ſhall not only be deprived of all good things, but continue in an utter incapacity of any alteration for the better. This makes Heaven ſo much Heaven, that 'tis alwayes ſo; and this makes Hell to be ſo much Hell, that 'tis alwayes ſo: In this world there is a door of hope, a day, an offer and means of grace, ſpace for repentance, a Mediator in Heaven, a patient God, poſſibility of being bleſſed; but when once damned, the door is ſhut, 'tis in vain to knock; the day, offers, and means of grace is at an end; there's no room left for repentance; Gods long ſuffering will ſuffer no longer, the Mediation of Chriſt Jeſus is over, there's no poſſibility of mending their condition: Oh methinks we ſhould hear the words of the wiſe, Eccl. 9.10. Whatſoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might, for there is no work (no working out ſalvation) in the grave, whither thou art going: Think of it, poor ſoul, think of it betime, till it be too late; for if thou die in thy ſins, though thou ſhouldeſt weep out thine eyes in Hell, 'twill ſtand thee in no ſtead; God will not know thee, nor hear they cry, but laugh at thy calamity, and mock thee in the midſt of thy torments, Prov. 1.25, 26.
Thus I have briefly ſhown the privative part of Damnation; wicked men muſt part with all their goods, with their joys, their peace, their hopes, good company, (all which ſtood them in great ſtead in this world) with Heaven, and which is more and worſt of all, with God himſelf, and be utterly incapable of ever being in a better condition: And what think you now? Is not ſin exceeding ſinful? that ſeparates him from all good, paſt, preſent, and to come; if 'twere only from paſt good, that which Adam enjoy'd in Paradiſe, or only from preſent good, what men have in this world, 'twere the better to be endured; if futurity and Eternity were ſecured, 'twere pretty well; but ſinful ſin hath cut off Paradiſe, that none of us were ever in Eden ſince we came into the world; it hath ſpoiled, imbitter'd and poyſon'd with a curſe all preſent temporal enjoyments, that they prove ſatisfactions to none, but vexations to all; and yet ſo ſpiteful, and of ſo malignant a nature is ſin, that it reſerves its worſt till laſt, even Hell and Damnation, and 'twill be worſe to us in Eternity, then 'twas in time. And to make this appear yet more evidently and fully, I proceed to the