it would ease the damned to foresee it, but for ever is an intolerable thought. They were never weary of sinning, nor will God be weary of punishing. They never heartily repented of sin, nor will God repent of their suffering. They broke the laws of the eternal God, and therefore shall suffer eternal punishment. They knew it was an everlasting kingdom which they refused, and what wonder if they are everlastingly shut out of it? Their immortal souls were guilty of the trespass, and therefore must immortally suffer the pains. What happy men would they think themselves, if they might have lain still in their graves, or might but there lie down again! How will they call and cry, "O death, whither art thou now gone? Now come, and cut off this doleful life. O that these pains would break my heart, and end my being! O that I might once at last die! O that I had never had a being!" These groans will the thoughts of eternity wring from their hearts. They were wont to think sermons and prayers long; how long then will they think these endless torments!-What difference is there betwixt the length of their pleasures and their pains! the one continued but a moment, the other endureth through all eternity. Sinner, remember how time is almost gone. Thou art standing at the door of eternity; and death is waiting to open the door, and put thee in. Go, sleep out a few more nights, and stir about a few more days on earth, and then thy nights and days shall end; thy thoughts, and cares, and pleasures, shall all be devoured by eternity; thou must enter upon the state which shall never be changed. As the joys of heaven are beyond our conception, so are the pains of hell. Everlasting torment is inconceivable

torment.

17. But methinks I see the obstinate sinner desperately resolving, "If I must be damned, there is no remedy: rather than I will live as the scripture requires, I will put it to the venture; I shall escape as well as the rest of my neighbours, and we will

even bear it as well as we can." Alas! poor creature, let me beg this of thee, before thou dost so flatly resolve, that thou wouldest lend me thy attention to a few questions, and weigh them with the reason of a man. Who art thou, that thou shouldest bear the wrath of God? art thou a god or a man? what is thy strength? is it not as the strength of wax or stubble to resist the fire; or as chaff to the wind, or as dust before the fierce whirlwind? If thy strength were as iron, and thy bones as brass; if thy foundation were as the earth, and thy power as the heavens; yet shouldst thou perish at the breath of his indignation. How much more when thou art but a piece of breathing clay, kept a few days from being eaten with worms by the mere support and favour of him whom thou art thus resisting!-Why dost thou tremble at the signs of Almighty power and wrath? -at claps of thunder; or flashes of lightning; or that unseen power which rends in pieces the mighty oaks, and tears down the strongest buildings; or at the plaugue when it rages around thee? If thou hadst seen the plagues of Egypt, or the earth swallow up Dathan and Abiram, or Elijah bring fire from heaven to destroy the captains and their companies, would not any of these sights have daunted thy spirits? How then canst thou bear the plagues of hell? Why art thou dismayed with such small sufferings as befal thee here? a tooth-ache, a fit of the gout or stone, the loss of a limb, or falling into beggary and disgrace? And yet all these laid, together will be one day accounted a happy state, in comparison of that which is suffered in hell.-Why does the approach of death so much affright thee? O how cold it strikes to thy heart! and would not the grave be accounted a paradise compared with that place of torment which thou slightest? Is it an intolerable thing to burn part of thy body, by holding it in the fire? what then will it be to suffer ten thousand times more for ever in hell? Why does the thought or mention of hell occasion any disquiet in thy spirit? and canst thou endure the torments themselves?

Why doth the rich man complain to Abraham of his torments in hell? or thy dying companions lose their courage, and change their haughty language? Why cannot these make as light of hell as thyself? Didst thou never see or speak with a man under despair? how uncomfortable was his talk! how burdensome his life! nothing he possessed did him good: he had no sweetness in meat or drink: the sight of friends troubled him: he was weary of life, and fearful of death. If the misery of the damned can be endured, why cannot a man more easily endure these foretastes of hell? What if thou shouldest see the devil appear to thee in some terrible shape; would not thy heart fail thee, and thy hair stand on an end? and how wilt thou endure to live for ever, where thou shalt have no other company but devils and the damned; and shalt not only see them, but be tormented with them and by them? Let me once more ask, If the wrath of God be so light, why did the Son of God himself make so great a matter of it? It made him sweat as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. The Lord of life cried, My soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death. And on the cross, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Surely if any one could have borne these sufferings easily, it would have been Jesus Christ. He had another measure of strength to bear it than thou hast. Woe to thee, sinner, for thy mad security? Dost thou think to find it tolerable to thee, which was so heavy to Christ? Nay, the Son of God is cast into a bitter agony and bloody sweat, only under the curse of the law; and yet thou, feeble, foolish creature, makest nothing to bear also the curse of the gospel, which requires a much sorer punishment.(g) The good Lord bring thee to thy right mind by repentance, lest thou buy thy wit at too dear a rate!

§ 18. And now, Reader, I demand thy resolution! What use wilt thou make of all this? shall it be lost to thee? or wilt thou consider it in good earnest?

(g) Heb. x. 29.

Thou hast cast away many a warning of God; wilt thou do so by this also? Take heed, God will not always stand warning and threatening. The hand of revenge is lifted up, the blow is coming, and woe to him on whom it lighteth! Dost thou throw away the book, and say, it speaks of nothing but hell and damnation?-thus thou usest also to complain of the preacher. But wouldst thou not have us to tell thee of these things? should we be guilty of the blood of thy soul, by keeping silent that which God hath charged us to make known? wouldst thou perish in ease and silence, and have us to perish with thee, rather than displease thee by speaking the truth? If thou wilt be guilty of such inhuman cruelty, God forbid we should be guilty of such sottish folly. This kind of preaching or writing is the ready way to be hated; and the desire of applause is so natural, that few delight in such a displeasing way. But consider, Are these things true, or are they not? If they were not true, I would heartily join with thee against any that fright people without a cause. But if these threatenings be the word of God, what a wretch art thou that wilt not hear it, and consider it! If thou art one of the people of God, this doctrine will be a comfort to thee, and not a terror. If thou art yet unregenerate, methinks thou shouldst be as fearful to hear of heaven as of hell, except the bare name of heaven or salvation be sufficient. Preaching heaven and mercy to thee, is entreating thee to seek them, and not reject them; and preaching hell, is but to persuade thee to avoid it. If thou wert quite past hope of escaping it, then it were in vain to tell thee of hell; but as long as thou art alive, there is hope of thy recovery, and therefore all means must be used to awake thee from thy lethargy. Alas! what heart can now possibly conceive, or what tongue express, the pains of those souls that are under the wrath of God! Then, sinners, you will be crying to Jesus Christ, O mercy! O pity, pity on a poor soul! Why, I do now, in the name of the Lord Jesus, cry to thee, O have mercy, have pity, man, upon thy own

soul! Shall God pity thee, who will not be entreated to pity thyself? If thy horse see but a pit before him, thou canst scarcely force him in; and wilt thou so obstinately cast thyself into hell, when the danger is foretold thee? Who can stand before the indignation of the Lord? and who can abide the fierceness of his anger? (h) Methinks thou shouldest need no more words, but presently cast away thy soul-damning sins, and wholly deliver up thyself to Christ. Resolve on it immediately, and let it be done, that I may see thy face in rest among the saints. May the Lord persuade thy heart to strike this covenant without any longer delay! But if thou be hardened unto death, and there be no remedy, yet say not another day but that thou wast faithfully warned, and hadst a friend, that would fain have prevented thy damnation.

(h) Nahum i. 6.