MOTIVE FOR EARLY PIETY. 66 293 § 2. Dreadful are the representations which the Scriptures give of the punishment of the ungodly. Hell is described as a lake of fire;" of fire prepared to punish the "devil and his angels." "At the end of the world, the angels shall sev. er the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire." The Judge shall say, "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment." "He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." "The fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death." "And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever; and they have no rest day nor night." "It is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God." The Lord Jesus himself tells of one who lived in wealth and pleasure, but he died, and "in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom; and he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good Matt. xiii. 40, 50. Rev. xiv. 3. Matt. xxv. 41, Rev. XXI. E. 46. Matt. iii. 12. ་ 294 WRETCHEDNESS OF THE LOST. things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed; so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us that would come from thence." § 3. What bitter misery must they endure, who feel the wretchedness here described ! What outward torment! what inward anguish! How dire will be the horrors of the hellish prison! The place, the company, the state, will all unite to make hell a hell indeed. Figure to yourself a prisoner, in the most dismal dungeon of the most dismal prison. No light ever shines there. The poor sufferer has wept away a score of years in darkness. Black bread is his only food, water his drink. No human tongue ever utters one kind word to him. He hears no sound but the harsh grating of rusty doors, and the rattling of chains. In vain for him the sun shines, he sees it not. Others are happy, but he is wretched. Others have friends, but he has none. Others have homes, a dungeon is his home. Others have clothes, chains are almost his only covering. Others have comfort, no comfort is ever his. This is a prisoner in the dungeon of some earthly tyrant; but time is flying, a greater than man will soon set him at liberty. Ah! for what would you be in such a situation? Would the whole world bribe you to pass twenty years in such a dungeon? Twenty years thus spent would seem longer than twenty ages. Yet, ah! to those who have sunk to hell, what a heaven would the prisoner's dungeon seem! Compared with the miseries of damnation, his miseries would be blessedness. THEIR PLEASURES AND MERCIES ENDED. 295 § 4. All the delights of lost souls are gone for ever. Their pleasures, which they loved instead of God, are for ever departed. Their laughter is ended; their mirth is finished. They have done with play-houses, and card-tables, and taverns, and romances, and novels. They sing their wanton songs no more; but groan beneath the sting of every guilty pleasure. All their delusive hopes are fled; they no longer dream of heaven; but hope has left them to be tormented by black despair. All their false peace is passed away; and they learn by bitter experience, that there is no peace to the wicked. Once they deluded themselves with presumptuous expectations, and hoped for heaven, while they slighted the only way, that can lead a sinner thither; but now they are dreadfully undeceived. Once they could scorn religion as unnecessary strictness; but, now, too late they know that it was the only real wisdom. With all their pleasures, and delusive hopes, every other mercy forsakes them. No sabbath shines on them. No season of mercy cheers them with its light; their day is ended, and a horrible night of eternal darkness has begun. Once they might have prayed; but then they would not, and in hell they cannot. God calls on them no more; but has forgotten to be gracious. Jesus pities them no more; nor can his blood ever wash away one of their sins, though once it might have cleansed them from all. The Spirit strives with them no more. Once they would not turn; and now they cannot. No one will ever more pray for them: No friendly voice will ever say to them, "Sinner, turn, there is mercy for you." The sermons of ministers shall no long 296 HEAVEN LOST - HELL er weary them; for they shall hear of gospel grace no more: the admonitions of pious friends shall no longer trouble them; for in hell they are fixed beyond the reach of hope, or prayer, or admonition, or mercy. All the blessings of the eternal world, will be for ever lost to them, God will never cheer them with his smile. Never will they pass a single hour, where saints and angels enjoy a whole eternity. They are shut out of the heavenly city. Their eyes will never behold its glories; their ears never be enraptured with its melodies; their hearts never be gladdened with its delights. No crown of glory will ever be theirs. Their tongues shall never join the heavenly anthems of praise, for victory and salvation. God will never wipe one tear from their eyes; or remove one pain from their hearts; but will pour out upon them all the fierceness of his wrath. Jesus will never lead them to fountains of heavenly pleasure; not for one moment, manifest to them the smallest portion of that love, which in full perfection, he will manifest to his friends, through one eternal day. § 5. In hell too, every detestable evil, every abominable passion, will reign and triumph The unhappy creature, that sinks into that dreadful prison, will have no companions but tormenting devils, and the spirits of the damned. They, whose lives were the blackest, and whose di-positions the most horrid, will meet there. Nero and Herod, and cruel persecutors; Alexander, and bloody conquerors; the guilty crew of So. dom and Gomorrah; Paine and Voltaire, Hume and hardened infidels; profane blasphemers, ferocious murderers, swearers, adulterers, drunk THE ABODE OF ALL THAT IS HATEFUL. 297 ards, with Satan and his angels, will compose the dreadful society of hell. Among all these there will not be one mild disposition, or one circumstance to soften the rage of the infernal passions they feel within. There, alas! must they dwell, hateful, and hating one another; ever tormenting, and ever tormented; with every hellish passion, and every devilish disposition, augmented by the madness of despair. There not one soft word will be ever spoken; not one mild look ever seen; but rage and fury be vented in curses and blasphemy. O, could you endure in this world, such company for a single day! how dreadful is their lot, who must dwell with devils and the damned for ever! § 6. To all this misery is added, that of the fire that never shall be quenched. And Oh, who can dwell with devouring fire? who can endure everlasting burnings? All the torments which martyrs have suffered, would be almost easy, compared with the torments of damnation. Many of those faithful servants of God have yielded up their lives, in the midst of dreadful burnings; but these were not an everlasting fire. An old writer says, "I have read of the horrid execution of a traitor: being naked, he was chained fast to a chair of brass or some other metal, that would burn most furiously, being filled with fiery heat; about which was made a mighty fire, that by little and little caused the chair to be red and raging hot, so that the miserable man roared hideously many hours for extremest anguish, and so expired. But what an horrible thing had it been to have lain in that dreadful torment eternally." If merely a finger be burnt, or one limb be scorched, how torment |