see all that passeth in either state. Whatever is to be said of this, we have ground from the word to conclude, that the damned shall have a very exquisite knowledge of the happiness of the saints in heaven; for what else can be meant by the rich man in hell his seeing Lazarus in Abraham's bosom? One thing is plain in this case, that their own torments will give them such notions of the happiness of the saints, as a sick man has of health, or a prisoner has of liberty. And as they cannot fail of reflecting on the happiness of those in heaven, more than they can attain to contentment with their own lot: So every thought of that happiness, will aggravate their loss.. It would be a mighty torment to a hungry man, to see others liberally feasting, while he is so chained up, as he cannot have one crumb to stay his gnawing appetite. To bring music and dancing before a man labouring under extreme pains, would but increase his anguish: How then will the songs of the blessed, in their enjoyment of God, make the damned roar, under their separation from him!

5thly, They will remember, that time was, when they might have been made partakers of the blessed state of the saints, in their enjoyment of God: And this will aggravate their sense of the loss. All may remember, there was once a possibility of it; that sometime they were in the world in some corners of which, the way of salvation was laid open to mens view; and may wish they had gone round the world, till they had found it out. Despisers of the gospel will remember with bitterness, that Jesus Christ, with all his benefits, was offered them; that they were exhorted, intreated and pressed to accept, but would not: and that they were warned of the misery they feel, and obtested to flee from the wrath to come, but they would not hearken. The gospel-offer slighted, will make a hot hell; and the loss of an offered heaven, will be a sinking weight on the spirits of unbelievers in the pit. Some will remember, that there was a probability of their being eternally happy; that some time they seemed to stand fair for it, and were not far from the kingdom of God! That they had once almost consented to the blessed bargain; the pen in their hand, as it were, to sign the marriage contract betwixt Christ and their souls; but unhappily, they dropped it, and turned

back from the Lord to their lusts again. And others will remember, that they thought themselves sure of heaven, but, being blinded with pride and self-conceit, they were above ordinances, and beyond instruction, and would not examine their state, which was their ruin: But then they shall in vain wish, they had reputed themselves the worst of the congregation in which they lived; and curse the fond conceit they had of themselves, and that others had of them too. Thus it will sting the damned that they might have escaped this loss.

Lastly, They will see the loss to be irrecoverable; that they must eternally lie under it, never, never to be repaired. Might the damned, after millions of ages in hell, regain what they have lost, it would be some ground of hope; but the prize is gone, and can never be recovered. And there are two things here, which will pierce them to the heart. (1.) That they never knew the worth of it till it was irrecoverably lost. Should a man give away an earthen pot full of gold for a trifle, never knowing what was in it till it were quite gone from him and past recovery, how would this foolish action gall him, upon the discovery of the riches in it! Such a one's case may be a faint resemblance of the case of despisers of the gospel, when in hell they lift up their eyes, and behold that to their torment, which they will not see now to their salvation. (2.) That they have lost it for loss and dung; sold their part of heaven, and not enriched themselves with the price. They lost heavenly for earthly profits and picasures, and now both are gone together from them.

The

drunkards cups are gone, the covetous man's gain, the voluptuous man's carnal delights, and the sluggard's ease; nothing is left them to comfort them now. The happiness they lost remains indeed, but they can have no part in it for ever.

USE. Sinners, be persuaded to come to God through Jesus Christ, uniting with him through a Mediator; that ye may be preserved from this fearful separation from him. O be afraid to live in a state of separation from God, lest that which ye now make your choice, become your eternal punishment hereafter: Do not reject communion with God, cast not off the communion of saints; for it will be the misery of the damned, to be driven out from that com

munion. Cease to build up the wall of separation betwixt God and you, by continuing in your sinful courses; repent rather in time, and so pull it down, lest the cape-stone be laid upon it, and it stand for ever between you and happiness. Tremble at the thoughts of rejection and separation from God. By whomsoever men are rejected on the earth, they ordinarily find some pity to them; but if ye be thus separated from God, ye will find all doors shut against you. Ye will find no pity from any in heaven; neither saints nor angels will pity them whom God has utterly cast off: None will pity you in hell, where there is no love but lothing; all being lothed of God, lothing him, and lothing one another. This is a day of losses and fears. I shew you a loss, you would do well to fear in time: Be afraid lest you lose God; if ye do, a long eternity will be spent in roaring out lamentations for this loss. O horrid stupidity! Men are in mighty care and concern to prevent worldly losses: But they are in hazard of losing heaven, the communion of the blessed, and all good things for soul and body in another world: Yet as careless in that matter, as if they were incapable of thought. O! compare this day with the day our text aims at. This day is heaven opened to them, who hitherto have rejected Christ, and yet there is room, if they will come; but that day the doors shall be shut. Now Christ is saying unto you, Come, then he will say, Depart; seeing ye would not come when ye were bidden. Now pity is shown; the Lord pities you, his servants pity you, and tell you, that the pit is before you, and cry to you, that ye do yourselves no harm: But then ye shall have no pity from God nor man.

Secondly, The damned shall be punished in hell with the punishment of Sense; they must depart from God into everlasting fire. I am not in a mind to dispute, what kind of fire it is which they shall depart into, and be tormented by for ever, whether a material fire or not? Experience will more than satisfy the curiosity of those, who are disposed rather to dispute about it, than to seek how to escape it. Neither will I meddle with that question, Where is it? It is enough that the worm which never dieth, and the fire that is never quenched, will be found somewhere by impenitent sinners. But (1.) I shall evince, that whatever kind of fire it is; it is more vehement and

terrible than any fire, we on earth are acquainted with. (2.) I shall condescend on some properties of these fiery

torments.

As to the first of these; burning is the most terrible punishment, and brings the most exquisite pain and toriment with it. By what reward could a man be induced to hold out his hand, in the flame of a candle for an hour? All imaginary pleasures on earth, would never prevail with the voluptuous man, to venture to lodge but one half hour in a burning fiery furnace; nor would all the wealth in the world, prevail with the most covetous to do it. Yet, on much lower terms, do most men in effect, expose themselves to everlasting fire in hell, which is more vehement and terrible, than any. fire we on earth are acquainted with; as will appear by the following considerations.

1. As in heaven, grace being brought to its perfection, profit and pleasure do also arrive at their height there: So sin being come to its height in hell, the evil of punishment doth also arrive at its perfection there. Wherefore, as the joys in heaven are far greater than any joys which the saints obtain on earth, so the punishments of hell must be greater, than any earthly torments whatsoever; not only in respect of the continuance of them, but also in respect of vehemency and exquisiteness.

2. Why are the things of the other world represented to us in an earthly dress in the word; but that the weakness of our capacities in such matters (which the Lord is pleased to condescend unto) does require it; it being always supposed that these things of the other world, are in their kind more perfect, than that by which they are represented? When heaven is represented to us under the notion of a city, with gates of pearl, and the street of gold; we look not to find gold and pearls there, which are so mightily prized on earth, but something more excellent than these finest and most precious things in the world; when therefore we hear of hell-fire, it is necessary we understand by it something more vehement, piercing and tormenting, than any fire ever seen by our eyes. And here it is worth considering, that the torments of hell are held forth under several other notions than that of fire simply: And the reason of it is plain; namely, that herc

by, what of horror is wanting in one notion of hell, is supplied by another. Why is heaven's happiness represented under the various notions of a treasure, a paradise, a feast, a rest, &c. but that there is not one of these things sufficient to express it? Even so, hell-torments are represented under the notion of fire; which the damned are cast into. A dreadful representation indeed! yet not sufficient to express the misery of the state of sinners in them. Wherefore we hear also of the second death, (Rev. xx. 6.) for the damned in hell shall be ever dying; of the winepress of the wrath of God, (chap. xiv. 19.) wherein they will be trodden in anger, trampled in the Lord's fury, (Isa, Ixiii 3.) pressed, broken, and bruised, without end: The worm that dieth not, (Mark ix. 44.) which shall eternally gnaw them; a bottomless pit, where they will be ever sinking, Rev. xx. 3. It is not simply called a fire, but the lake of fire and brimstone, (ver. 19.) a lake of fire burning with brimstone, (chap. xix. 20.) than which one can imagine nothing more dreadful. Yet, because fire gives light, and light (as Solomon observes, Eccl. xi. 7.) is sweet, there is no light there, but darkness, utter darkness, Mat. xxv. 30. For they must have an everlasting night, since nothing can be there, which is in any measure comfortable or refreshing.

3. Our fire cannot affect a spirit, but by way of sympathy with the body to which it is united; but hell-fire will not only pierce into the bodies, but directly into the souls of the damned; for it is prepared for the devil and his angels, these wicked spirits, whom no fire on earth can hurt. Job complains heavily, under the chastisement of God's fatherly hand, saying, "The arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit," Job vi. 4. But how will the spirits of the damned be pierced with the arrows of revenging justice! How will they be drunk up with the poison of the curse on these arrows! How vehement must that fire be, that pierceth directly into the soul, and makes an everlasting burning in the spirit, the most lively and tender part of a man, wherein wounds or pain are most intolerable!

Lastly, The preparation of this fire, evinceth the inexpressible vehemence and dreadfulness of it. The text calls it prepared fire, yea, the prepared fire, by way of eminency.