The Wells of Salvation Opened, Section 17
SECT. XVII.
FRom the consideration of the Motive 3.Damnation of all such as do not obtain salvation. The damnation of all such persons will be Dreadfull and Certain.
(1.) The Damnation of such as are not saved will be dreadful.
1. The Day of their damnation will be dreadful.
2. The Sentence of their damnation will be dreadful.
3. The Execution of their damnation will be dreadful.
1. The Day of the damnation of such as are not saved will be dreadful, and that is the last day, the day of judgement: O how dreadful will this day be to you that are wicked and ungodly, when the Heavens shall be opened, and the Lord Jesus Christ, the Judge of the world shall descend with a shout, with the voice of the Arch-Angel, and the loud sound of a Trumpet; when the Earth shall be opened, and you shall be raised out of the dust, and summoned to appear before Christs Tribunal; and the Books shall be opened, and all your sins shall be made manifest before the whole world; when the Heavens shall be on fire, and melt down upon you, and pass away with a great noise; and the Earth shall be on fire, and burn under you; and every Mountain and Hill shall flee away before Christs face; and Christ shall be on fire, and come in flames of anger to take vengeance upon you for your sins. Think, O think how dreadful this day of damnation will be unto all such of you as shall not then be found in a state of salvation! O what dread will seize upon you so soon as your eyes are opened, and you find the predictions of the word which you formerly slighted to be true, and perceive that now indeed the day of Gods wrath is come, when you shall be dragged like so many malefactors before the Judgement-seat, and there stand naked horribly lashing your selves in the reflections of conscience upon your fore-past wickedness; how will you be ready to tear your selves to pieces for your folly and madness, that you did not provide for this day, and flee from this wrath of God, which then you will not be able to escape? how willingly would you creep into some rock, or under some mountain, or abide still in your grave, or cast your selves into the Sea, if possibly any place could be found to hide you in this terrible day, but shall be able to finde no hiding-place for your selves? Think what hideous thoughts, what sinking fears, what horrible perplexity of mind you will on this day be filled withall, it will be a dreadful day.
2. The Sentence of the damnation of such as are not saved will be dreadful; when the Books are opened where your sins are recorded, and you are convicted by the Judge; then he will proceed to pass sentence upon you. Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels, Matth. 25.41. O dreadful words! the voice will be loud with which they will be pronounced, such as shall reach the ears of all the wicked together of all generations, and how will they all quake and tremble at the sound thereof! You may cry it may be to the Lord for mercy, but it will be in vain; you may say, Lord open to us, and receive us into thy Kingdom, that we may participate in the joyes thereof; but he will say unto you, Depart from me, I know ye not all ye workers of iniquity: But if you must depart, you may wish for his blessing, as Esau, though it were but an inferiour blessing; no, depart ye cursed, depart with a curse: If then you must depart with a curse, you may wish for some convenient place of abode, and good company, as Cain, when he went forth from the presence of the Lord with a curse, he built a City to dwell in, and took some comfort, it may be in his habitation, and wife, and children; no, depart into everlasting fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels; you must dwell in devouring fire, and inhabit everlasting burnings, and your companions will be the Devil and his Angels, and fellow-damned sinners, in whom you will not find the least comfort, which leads to the third particular.
3. The Execution of the Damnation of such as are not saved, will be dreadful, and this will be in Hell; when the irreversible sentence of damnation is passed upon you, immediately the execution will follow, and you will be haled from the Judgement seat, and the everlasting doors of the prison of Hell will be lifted up, where a horrible fire is burning, which can never be quenched, into which you must enter, and be shut down, and shut in to take up your eternal abode in that place of torment; there every part will be tormented, every member of your bodies, every faculty of your souls, and that in the highest degree of extremity beyond your now capacity, and your torments will have no intermission, neither will you have any hopes of their conclusion. I have already treated in my Book of Judgement of the universality, extremity, and eternity of the torments of the Damned, and therefore shall not here inlarge. From what hath been said, you may evidently perceive, that the Damnation of such as are not saved will be dreadfull, which should awaken you to endeavour after your salvation, especially if withall you consider,
(2.) That the Damnation of such as are not saved will be Certain; where there is no Salvation there will be unavoidable Damnation, because between these two hereafter there will be no middle condition; such as are not saved will most certainly be damned; Heaven or Hell, eternal happiness, or eternal misery will be the portion of all the Sons and Daughters of Adam. I might shew, that Gods Justice, and Holiness and Truth, doth require the Damnation of all such as do not obtain Salvation by Jesus Christ, so that either God must prove unholy, and unjust and false in his Word, which is impossible, or you which are not saved must be damned, therefore this is most certain, there is no escaping of the damnation of Hell by such as neglect the great Salvation of the Gospel, Heb. 2.3.
And methinks by this time I should hear some of you cry out as the Iews when Peter preached, or the Jaylor, O what shall we do to be saved?