Pet iii 19 "By which alſo he went and preached unto
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mainhindrance.
I will tellyou where I think it lies : (1.) In theheſitancy and ſtaggering ofour faith aboutthecertainty and reality ofthings inviſible.
(2.) In ſome ſpecial guilt upon the confcience, whichdiscourages us. (3.) In a negligent and careleſs courſe of life, which is not ordinaritybleſſed with much evidence or comfort. (4 ) In the deep engagements of our heartsto earthly things : they could not be ſo cold to Chriſt, ifthey were not over-heated with other things.
Till theſe diſtempers be cured, no arguments can profper that are ſpent tothis end. The Lord diffolve allthoſe ties betwixt us and this world, which hinder ourconſent andwillingness tobediffolved, and tobe with Chriſt, which is far better.
Andnowwe have had aglance and glimmering light, a faint umbrage of the ſtate ofthe ſeparated fouls ofthejuſt in heaven : itremains that I ſhewyou ſomewhat ofthe ſtate and caſe ofthe damned fouls in hell. Adreadful repreſentation it is ; but it is neceſſary we hear of hell, thatwe may not feel it.
T * ** 1 PET. iii. 19. By which alſo hewent and preachedunto thespirits inprifon.
INthe former diſcourſe wehavehad ajuſtviewofheaven, and of the ſpirits of juſt men made perfect, the inhabitants of thatbleſſed region of light and glory.
Inthis ſcripture we havethe contraryglaſs, repreſenting the unspeakable miſery of thoſe fouls or ſpirits which are ſeparated bydeath from their bodies for a time, and by fin fromGod for ever ; arreſted by the law, and ſecured in theprisonofhell, unto thejudgment of the great day.
Afermonofhellmaykeep ſome ſouls outofhell, anda fermon ofheaven may be the means to help others to heaven : thedefire ofmy heart is, that the converſations ofall thoſewho ſhall readtheſe diſcourſes ofheaven and hell, might look more like a diligent flight from the one, and pursuit ofthe other.
The ſcope ofthe context is a perſuaſive to patience, upona profpect of manifold tribulations coming upon the Chriſtian churches, ſtrongly enforced by Chriſt's example, who both in his own perſon, v. 18. and by his ſpirit in his ſervants, v. 19. exerciſedwonderful patience and long-fuffering as a pattern to his people.
This 19verſegives us anaccount of his long-fuffering towards that diſobedient and immorigerous generation offinners,
A. Treatise of the Soul of Man. onwhom he waited anhundred and twenty years in the mini. ſtry ofNoah.
There are difficulties in the text. *Eſtius reckons on less than ten expoſitions ofit, andfaith, " Itis a very difficult fcripture in " ththejudgmentof almoſt all interpreters;" but yet I muſt ſay, thoſe difficulties are rather brought to it, than found in it.
It is a text which hath been rackt and tortured by Popith expofitors, tomake it ſpeak Chriſt's local deſcentinto hell, and toconfeſs their doctrine ofpurgatory ; things which itknew not.
But, ifwe will take its genuine ſenſe, itonly relates the fin andmiſery ofthoſe contumacious perſons, onwhomthe ſpirit of Godwaited fo long inthe miniſtry ofNoah; giving an account of, 1. Their fin on earth ...
2. Their punishment inhell.
1.Their fin on earth, which is both ſpecified and aggravated.
(1. ) Specified ; namely theirdiſobedience. They were ſometimes. diſobedient andunperfuadable ; neither precepts nor examples couldbringthem torepentance.
(2.) This theirdiſobedience is aggravated by the expence ofGod's patience uponthem forthe fpace ofanhundred and twentyyears, not only forbearingthem ſo long, but ſtrivingwith them, asMoſes expreſſeth it; orwaiting on them, as the apoſtle, here : but all to no purpoſe; theywere obſtinate, ſtubborn, and unperfuadable to the very laft.
2.Behold, therefore, inthenextplace, the dreadful, but moſt just, and equal punishment of theſe ſinners inhell; they are called, ſpirits in prison, i. e. the fouls now in hell † .
At that time when Peter wrote ofthem, they werenot entire men, but/pirits, inthe proper ſenſe, i. e. ſeparated fouls, bodileſs, and lonely fouls : whilſt in the body, it is properly a foul; butwhen feparated, a ſpirit according to fcripture-language, and the ſtrict notion of fuch abeing.
Theſe ſpirits, or fouls,in the ſtateoffeparation, are faid tobe inaprison, thatis, inhell, as the word elfewhere notes, Rev. xx.
7. andJude, ver.6. Heaven andhell are the only receptacles of departed, or feparated fouls .
Thusyouhave, in a few words, thenatural, andgenuine ſenſe oftheplace, and it isbut wasting time to repeat, and refel the many falſe, andforced interpretations ofthis text, which corrupt minds, and mercenary pens, have perplexed, anddarkened it
* Pfal . xxxi. 6. Eccl xii. 7. Ads vir50.
†Locushicomniumpaeneinterpretumjudicio dificillimus. Eftius,
A Treatise of the Soul ofMan.
withal: Thatwhich I levelat, is compriſed inthisplain pro. pofition.
Doct. Thit the fouls or spirits ofallmenwhodie in a fate of unbelief and disobedience, are immediately committedto the prison ofhell, there tofuffer the wrath ofGoddue to their fins.
Hell is ſhadowedforth to us,infcripture,bydiversmetaphors; " for we cannot conceive ſpiritual things, unless they are fo
" cloathed and shadowed out unto us †." Auguſtinegives this reaſon for the frequent use ofmetaphors and allegories, in ſcrip. ture, becauſe they are fo much proportioned toour ſenſes, with whichour fenfes have contracted an intimacy and familiarity ; andthereforeGod, to accomodatehistruth toour capacities,doth as it were, this way embody it in earthly expreffions, according to that celebratedobfervation ofthe Cabbalists, Lumenfupremum nunquam defcenditfine indumento; the pure, and fupreme light never defcends to us without agarment or covering.
In the OldTestament, the place and ſtate ofdamned fouls, isfet forth
bymetaphors takenfromthe moſtremarkable places, andexemplary acts of vengeance upon ſinners in this world ; as the overthrowof the giants by the flood, thoſe proHelbcalled the digious finners that fought against heaven, and were Tweptby the flood, into the place oftor. placeof giants
Tothis Solomonis conceivedtoallude, andwhy. in Prov. xxi. 16. " The man thatwanders out of the way ofun.
"derstanding, ſhallremainin the congregation ofthedead;" inthe ments.
Hebrew it is, he hall remain with the Rephaims, or giants.
Theſegiants were the menthat more eſpeciallyprovokedGod to bring the flood upon the world; theyare alſo noted as the firſt inhabitants of hell, therefore from them the place of torment takes its name, and the damned are faid to remain in the place of giants.
Hell called Tophet, and Sometimes hell iscalled Tophet, Iſa. xxx. 33 .
This Tophetwas in the valley ofHinnon, andwas famous fordivers things. There the children of why.
Ifrael cauſed their children to pass through the fire toMoloch, or facrificed to the devil, drowning their horririble ſhrieks and ejaculations with the noifeofdrums.
In this valley alfo was the memorable flaughter ofeighteen hundred thousand ofthe Affyriancamp, by an angel, in one night.
There, alſo, the Babylonians murdered the people of Jerufa + Spiritualia capere non poffumus, niſiadumbrata,
ATreatise of the Soul ofMan. lem, at thetaking ofthe city, Jer. vii. 31, 32.
So that Tophet was amere ſhambles, the public chopping-block, on which the limbs ofboth young and old were quartered out, by thousands.
Itwas filled with dead bodies, till therewas no place for burial.
By all which it appears, that no ſpot ofground in the world was fo famous for the fires kindled initto destroy men, for thedoleful cries that ecchoed from it, or theinnumerable multitudes that periſhed in it; for which reaſon it is made the emblem ofhell.
Sometimes it is called a " lake of fire burning with brimſtone," Rev. xix.
20.denoting the moſt exquiſite torment,by anintenſe anddura. ble flame.
Hell a lake offire.
And in the text, it is called a prison, where the ſpiAprison. rits ofungodly men areboth detainedand puniſhed.
This notion ofa priſon gives us a lively repreſentation of the miferable ſtate ofdamned fouls, and that eſpecially in the following particulars.
First, Priſoners are arreſted, and ſeized by authority of law; it is the law which ſends them thither, and keeps them there ; the mittimus of a juſtice is but the inſtrument of the law, whereby they are deprived of liberty, and taken into cuſtody.
The law of God, which ſinners have both violated and deſpiſed, at death takes hold ofthem, and arreſts them.
It is the lawwhich claps up their ſpirits in priſon, and in the name and authority of the great andterrible God, commits them to hell.
Allthatare outof Chriſt, are under the curſe anddamning ſentenceofthe law, whichnowcomes tobe executed on them,Gal. iii. 10.
Secondly, Priſoners are carried, or haled to priſon, by force and conſtraint ; natural force backs legal authority : the law is executedby rough and refolute bailiffs, who compel themtogo, though never ſomuch against their will; this alſo is the cafe of the wicked atdeath : Satan is God's bailiff, to hurry away the law-condemned fouls to the infernal priſon.
The devil hath the power ofdeath, Heb. ii. 14. as the executioner hath of the bodyofacondemned man.
Thirdly, Prifoners are chained and bolted in priſon, to pre- 'vent their eſcape ; ſo are damned ſpirits fecured by the power ofGod, and chained by their own guilty and trembling conſciences, in hell, unto the timeofjudgment, and the fulness of miſery; notthat they have notorment inthe meantime : alas ! werethere no more but that fearful expectation of wrath and fiery indignation, ſpoken ofby the apostle, Heb. x. 27. it were an inexpreffible torment ; but there is a farther degree of tor
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ment tobeawarded them at thejudgment ofthegreat day, to which they are therefore kept, as in chains and priſons.
Fourthly, Prifons aredarkand noiſome places, not built for pleaſure, as other houſes are, but for punishment; ſo is hell.
Jude, ver. 6. " Reſerved in everlasting chains under darkness," as he there deſcribes the placeoftorments, yea, utter darkness,
Matth. viii. 12. extreme or perfect darkness.
Philoſophers tell usof thedarkness of this world, Non dantur purae tenebrae, that there is nopure or perfect darkness here, without fome mixture of light; but there is not aglade oflight, not a ſpark ofhope or comfort ſhining into that prifon.
Fifthly, Mournful fighs andgroans are heard in priſons: Pfals xcvii. II. Let the " fighingofthe prisoners come beforethee," faith the pfalmiſt.
But deeper ſighs and emphatical groans areheard in hell, " There ſhall be weeping and wailing, and " gnaſhing of teeth," Matth. viii. 12.
Those that couldnot groanunder the ſenſe of fin onearth, ſhall howl under anguiſh anddefperation inhell.
Sixthly, There isa timewhen priſoners are brought out of the priſon tobe judged, and then return inaworſe condition than before, to the place from whence they came. Godalfo hath appointed aday for the folemn condemnation of thoſe ſpirits in prifon.
The ſcriptures call it " the judgment of the "great day," Jude ver. 6. from thegreatbuſineſsthat istobe donetherein, and the great and folemn aſſemblythat ſhallthen appear beforeGod.
But I will infiſt nolongeruponthediſplayof the metaphor; my buſineſs is to give you a repreſentationofthe ſtate and condition ofdamnedfouls inhell, and to affift your conceptions of them, andof their ſtate.
It is adreadful fight I am to give you this day; but how much better is it to fee, than to feel that wrath ? The treafures thereofſhall ſhortly be brokenup,andpouredforth upon the ſpirits ofmen.
You had in the former diſcourſe, a faint umbrage ofthe fpititsofjuſt men in glory ; in thisyou will have an imperfect repreſentationofthe ſpiritsof wickedmen inhell: and look, as the former cannotbe adequate andperfect, becauſe thathappineſs ſurpaffeth our knowledge; foneither can thisbe fo, becauſe the miſery of the damned paſſeth our fear.
Thecafeand ſtate ofadamned ſpirit willbe belt opened in theſe following propoſitions.
Propoſition 1. That theguilt of allfin gathers to, andfettles VOL .II.
Cce
A Treatise of the Soul of Man. in the confcience of every Christless finner, andmakes upavaft treasure of guilt in the course of his life in this world.
Thehigh and awfulpowerofconfciencebelonging totheunderſtanding faculty in the foul of man, was ſpoken to before, as to its general nature, and that confcience certainly accompanies it, and is infeparable from it, was there ſhewed; I am here to confider itas the feat or centre of guilt, in allunregenerate and loſt fouls.
For look, as the tides waſh up, and leave the ſlime and filth upon the ſhore, even ſoall the corruption and fin that is in the other faculties ofthe ſoul, fettle upon the confcience.
" Theirmind and confcience (faith the apostle) is defiled," Tit. i. 15. it is, as itwere, the fink ofa finner's foul, into which all filth runs, and guilt ſettles.
The confcience of every believer is purged from its filthineſs by theblood of Chriſt, Heb. ix. 14. his blood and his ſpirit purify it, and pacify it, whereby it becomes the region of light and peace; but all the guilt which hath been long contracting, throughthe life ofan unbeliever, fixes itſelfdeep and faft inhis
'confcience; " It is written uponthe tables of their hearts, as "with a pen of iron," Jer. xvii. 1. i. e. guilt is as a mark or character, faſhioned or engraven in the very ſubſtance of the foul, as letters are cut intoglaſs with adiamond.
* Confcience is not only the principle engagee, obliged unto God as ajudge,butthe principal director andguide of the foul, in its courſes andactions, and conſequently, the guilt of all fin falls upon it, and reſts in it.
The foul is both the ſpringand fountain of all actions, that go outward from man, and the term or receptacle of all actions inward; but in both forts of actions, going outward, and coming inward, confcience is the chief counsellor, guide, and director in all, and ſo the guilt which is contracted either way, must be upon its head.
It is the bridle of the foul, to reſtrain it from fin; the eye of the foul , to direct its courſe; and therefore is principally chargeable with all the evils of life.
Bodily members are but inftruments, and the will itself, as high and noble a faculty or power as it is, moveth not, until the judgment cometh to a conclufion, and thedebatebe ended in the mind Now, in the whole courſe and compaſs of a ſinner's life in this world, what treaſures of guilt must needs be lodged in his confcience What a magazine of fin and filth must be laid up there? It is faid ofa wicked man, Job xx. 11. " His bones are
" full of the ſins of his youth ;" meaning his ſpirit, mind, or confcience, is asfullof fin, as bones are of marrow ; yea, the very fins ofhisyouth are enoughto fill them: andRom. ii. 5.
ATreatise of the Soul ofMan.
they are ſaid " to treaſure upwrath against the day of wrath," which is only done by treaſuring up guilt ? for wrath and guilt are treasured up together in proportion to each other.
Every dayofhis life vaſt ſums have been caſt into this treasury, and the patience ofGod waiteth till itbe full, before he calls the finner toan account and reckoning, Gen. xv. 16.
Prop. 2. All thefin and guilt, contracted upon the fouls and consciences of impenitent men in this world, accompanies andfollows theirdeparted fouls tojudgment, and there brings them under the dreadful condemnation of the great and terrible God, which cuts offall their hopes andcomfortsfor ever.
" If you believe not that Iam he, you shall die in your ſins,"
John viii. 24. And Job xx. 11. " His bones are full ofthe fins " of his youth, which ſhall lie down with him in the dust."
No propofition lies clearer in fcripture, or ſhould ly with greater weight on the hearts of finners: nothing but pardon can remove guilt; but without faith and repentance there never was, nor ſhall be a pardon, Acts x. 43. Rom. iii. 24, 25. Luke xxiv.
46, 47.
Look, as the graces of believers, ſo the fins ofunbelievers follow the foul whitherſoever itgoes. All their finswho die out of Chriſt, cry tothemwhenthey gohence, Weare thy
works, and we will follow thee.
The acts of finare tranfient, but the guiltand effects of it are permanent ; and it is evident by this, that in the greatday, their confciences, which are the books of records, wherein all their fins are regiſtred, willbe opened, and they ſhall be judged by them, and out of them,
Rev. xx. 12 .
Now, before that general judgment, every foulcomes to its particularjudgment, and that immediately afterdeath : of this
Iapprehend the apoſtle to ſpeak inHeb. ix. 27. " It is appointed " for allmen once to die, but after that thejudgment."
The foul is preſently ſtatedby this judgment in its everlaſting and fixed condition. The foul of a wickedman appearing before God, in allits fin andguilt, andby him fonterced, immediatelyit gives up all its hope, Prov. xi . 7." When a wicked man
" dieth, his expectation ſhall periſh; and the hope of the unjuſt "man periſheth."
His ſtrong hope periſheth, as fome read it, i. e. his ſtrong delufion : for, alas, he took his own ſhadow for abridge over the great waters, and is unexpectedly plunged intothegulphof eternal mifery, as Matth. vii. 22.
This periſhing, or cutting offofhope, is thatwhich iscalled CCC 2 Etiamſpes valentiffima, i.e. Eventhe ſtrongest hope.
ATreatise of the Soul ofMan, in fcripture thedeathofthefoul, for folongthe soul will live,as ithath anyhope. The deferring of hope makes it fick, but the final cutting offofhope ſtrikes it quite dead, i. e. dead as to alljoy, comfort, or expectation ofanyfor ever, which is that death which animmortal fout is capable to fuffer : The righte ous hathhope in his death , but every unregenerate man in the worldbreathes out his laſt hope in a few moments after his laſt breath, which ſtrikes terror into the very centre of the foul, and is adeath-wound to ir, Prop. 3. Thefouls ofthe damnedare exceeding largeandcapacious ſubjects of wrath and torment ; and in theirfeparate ftate theircapacity is greatly enlarged both by laying asleep all those affections whose exercise is relieving, and throughly awakeningatt thosepaffions which are tormenting.
The foul of man beingbynature a ſpirit, anintelligent ſpis rit, and, in its fubttantial faculties, aſſimilated to God, whofe image it bears ; it must, for that reaſon, be exquifitely ſenſible ofall the impreſſions and rouches ofthe wrathofGod upon it.
The ſpirit of man is a molt tender, ſenſible, and apprehenſive creature; the eye of the body is not toſenſible of a touch, a nerve of the bodyis not ſo ſenſible when pricked, as the fpirit ofman is ofthe leaft touchofGod's indignation upon it. "A " wounded fpiritwho can bear ?" Prov. xviii, 14.
Other external wounds upon the body, inflicted either by man orGod, are tolerable; but that which immediately touches the ſpirit of man, is inſufferable : who can bear or endure it ?
And as theſpirit ofman hath the moſt delicate and exquifite ſenſe of mifery; ſo it hath a vaſt capacity to receive, and let in the fulness ofanguish and mifery into it: it is a large veſſel, called, Rom. ix. 22. "A veſſel ofwrath fitted to deftruction.
The large capacity of the foul is ſeen in this, that it isnot in thepower ofall the creatures in the world to fatisfy and fill it: it candrink up, as one ſpeaks, all the rivers of created good, and its thirſt notquenched by ſucha draught, but after all, it cries, Give, give. Nothingbutan infiniteGod can quiet and fatisfy its appetite andraging thirſt.
Andas it iscapable and receptive of more good than is found inall the creatures, ſo it is capable of more miſery and anguish thanallthecreatures can inflict uponit.
Let all theelements, ofmen on earth, yea, all the devils and damned in hell, conſpire, andunite in a deſign to torment man; yet whentheyhave doneall, his ſpirit is capable of a farther degree oftorment ; a torment asmuchbeyond it, asarack isbeyondahardbed,orthe sword in his bowels is beyond the fcratchofa pin. Thedevils
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Indeedaretheexecutioners and tormentorsofthedamned; but ifthatwere allthey were capable to fuffer, the torment ofthe damned would be, comparatively, mild andgentle towhatthey are. Oh, the largeneſs ofthe understanding of man, what will itnottake into its vaſt capacity !
Butadd tothis, thatthedamned fouls have all thoſe affections laidinadeep and everlasting deep, the exerciſes whereofwould be relieving,by emptying their fouls ofanypart oftheir mifery; and all thoſe paſſions throughly and everlastingly awakened, which increaſe their torments.
The affections ofjoy, delight andhope, arebenumbed in them, and laid faſt aſleep, never tobe awakened into act any more.
Theirhope,inſcripture, is ſaidtoperish, i. e. it ſo peritheth, that, after death, it ſhall never exertanother act to alleternity.
The activity ofany of thoſe affections would be likea coolinggale, or refreſhingſpring, amidst their torments; butas
Adrianlamentedhimself, Nunquamjocosdabis,Thoushalt never be merrymore.
And as theſe affections are laid aſleep, ſo their paffions are rouzed, and thoroughly awakened totormentthem ; ſo awaken. ed,as never tofleep any more. The fouls ofmen areſometimes joggedand ſtartled in this world, by the words or rods ofGod, but preſently they leep again, and forget all: but hereafter the eyes oftheir fouls willbe continually held waking, to behold and confider their miſery, their underſtandings willbe clear and moſt apprehenfive; theirthoughts fixedanddetermined ; their confciences active and efficacious; and, by all this, their capacitytotake inthe fullest of their misery, enlargedtothe uttermolt.
Prop. 4. Thewrath, indignation,and revengeofGodpouredout, asthejust rewardoffin, uponthesocapaciousfouls of thedamned, istheprincipalpart of theirmisery in hell.
Inthe third propoſition I ſhewedyou, that the ſouls ofthe damnedcanhold more miſery than all the creatures can inflict upon them.
When the foul fuffers from the handofman, itsfuf ferings arebut either by way of tympathy with the body; or if immediately,yet it isbut a light ſtroke the hand ofacreaturecan give: Butwhen it has todo witha fin-revengingGod, and that immediately, this ſtroke cuts offthe ſpirit of man, as 'tis expreffed, Pfal. lxxxviii. 16. The body is the cloathing of the foul
Most ofthearrows thotat the soul inthisworld, dobut ſtick in thecloaths (i. e.) reachthe outwardman: Butinhell, the ſpirit ofman is the white at which God himself ſhoots.
Allhis envepomed arrows strike the foul, which is, after death, laid bare
ATreatise of the Soul ofMan. andnakedtobe woundedby his hand. At death, the foul ofe verywickedmanimmediately falls into the hands ofthe living
God; and " it isa fearful thing to fallintothe handsofthe liv. ingGod," astheapostleſpeaks, Heb.x. 31. Theirpunishment is " from the presence of the Lord, and from theglory of his
" power," 2 Thef. i. 9. They are not put overto their fellowcreatures to be punished,butGod willdo it himself, andglorify hispower,as well as hisjuſtice, intheirpunishment. The wrath ofGod lies immediatelyupon their ſpirits, and this is the " fiery
" indignation which devoureth the adverſaries," Heb. x. 27. A fire that licks up the very ſpirit of man. Who knoweth the power ofhis anger ! Plal. xc. 11. How inſupportable it is, you maya littlegueſsby that expreſſion ofthe prophetNahum, chap . i. 5, 6. " The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and
" the earth is burnt at his preſence; yea, the world, and all " that dwell therein.
Who can ſtand before his indignation ?
"And who can abide in the fierceneſs ofhis anger ? His fury " is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown downby
" him."
Andas ifangerand wrathwere not words ofa fufficientedge and ſharpness, it is called fiery indignationandvengeance, words denoting the moſt intenſe degree ofdivine wrath.
For indeed his power is tobe glorified inthe deſtruction ofhis enemies, and thereforenow hewilldo it topurpoſe. He takes them now into hisown hands. No creature can come at the foul immediately, that isGod's prerogative, andnowhe hath todowith it himſelfin fury, and revenge is poured out. " Can thy handsbe
" ſtrong, or thy heart endurewhen I shall deal with thee?"
Ezek. xxii. 14. Alas ! the ſpirit quails and dies under it. This isthehell ofhells .
What doleful cries andlamentings have weheard fromGod's dearest children, when but ſome few drops ofhis anger have been ſprinkled upon their fouls,here inthis world ! But, alas ! there isnocompare betwixt the anger, or fatherly difcipline of God over the ſpirits ofhis children, and the indignation poured out from thebeginning ofrevenges upon his enemies.
Prop. 5. Thefeparatespirit of a damned man become's a tor. mentor to itselfby the various and efficacious actings of its own confcience, which are afpecial part of its torment in the other world.
Conſcience,which ſhould havebeen the finners curb on earth, becomes the whip that muſt laſh his foul in hell.
Neither is there any faculty, or powerbelonging to the foul ofman, ſo fit and able todo it as his own confcience. That which was the feat
ATreatise of the Soul of Man.
andcenter of all guilt, nowbecomes the featandcenter ofalltorments. The ſuſpenſion of its tormenting power in this world isa mystery, and wonder toallthat duly confider it.
For certainlyſhould the Lord let a ſinner's confcience flyupon him with rage, inthe midst ofhis fins and pleaſures, itwould put him into ahell upon earth, as we ſee in the doleful inſtances ofJudas,
Spira, &c. Buthekeeps ahandofreſtraintupon them, generally, inthis life, and fuffers them to fleep quietly by a grumbling or feared confcience, which couches by them as a fleepy lion, and lets them alone.
But no fooner is the Chriſtleſs ſoul turned out of thebody, and caſt for eternity at the bar ofGod, butconfcience is rouz . ed, and put into a rage never to be appeaſed any more.
It now racks and tortures the miſerable ſoul with its utmoſt efficacy and activity. The mere preſages and forebodings ofwrath, bytheconfciences of ſinners in this world, have made them lie with aghaſtly paleneſs in their faces, univerſal trembling in all their members, a cold ſweating horror upon their panting boſoms, like men already in hell: But this, all this, is but as the ſweating of the stones before the great rain falls.
The activities of conscience (eſpecially in hell) are various, vigorous, and dreadful to confider, ſuch are its recognitions, accusations, condemnations, upbraidings, Shamings, and fearful expectations.
1. The confciencesof thedamned will recognize, and bring back the fins commited in this world freſh to their mind : For what is confcience, but a regiſter, or book of records, wherein every fin is ranked inits proper place and order ! This act of confcience is fundamental toall its other acts ; for it cannot accuſe, condemn, upbraid, or ſhame us for that it hath loſt out of its memory, and hath no ſenſeof.
Son remember, ſaid Abraham to Dives, in the midst ofhis torments.
This remembrance of fins paſt, mercies paſt, opportunities paſt, but eſpecially ofhope paſt and gone with them, never to be recovered any more, is like that fire not blown (ofwhich Zophar ſpeaks) which confumes him, or the glittering ſword coming out ofhis gall, Job
XX. 24. c.
2. It chargeth and accuſeth thedamned ſoul; and its charges are home, poſitive, and ſelf-evident charges : A thouſand legal and unexceptionable witneſſes cannotconfirm any point more thanone witneſs in a man's boſom can do, Rom. ii. 15. Itcon victs, and ſtops their mouths, leaving them without any excuſe orapology.
Juſt and righteous are thejudgments ofGodupon thee, faith confcience : In all this ocean of miſery, there is nos
Treatise of the Soul ofMan. onedropofinjury or wrong : Thejudgment ofGodis accorda ingtotruth.
3. It condemns aswellas chargeth andwitneſſeth, andthat with adreadful fentence; backing and approving the fentence and judgment ofGod, I John iii. 21. every ſelf.deſtroyer willbea felf-condemner: This is aprime part oftheir misery.
Prima esthaet ultio, quodfe Judice, nemonocens abfolvitur, improba quamvis Gratiafallacispraetoris vicerit urnam.
Juv. Sat.13.
4. The upbraidings ofconfcience, in hell, are terrible and infufferable things: To be continually hit in the teeth and twitted with our madness, wilfulness, and obſtinacy, as the cauſe ofallthat eternal miſery whichwe have pulleddownupon our own heads , what is it, but the rubbing of the wound with falt and vinegar? Ofthis torment holy Job was afraid, and therefore refolvedwhat inhim lay toprevent it, whenhe ſaith,
Job xxvii. 6. " My heart (i.e. confcience) ſhall not reproach " me ſo long as I live." Othe twits and taunts ofconfcience are cruel cuts and laſhes tothe foul !
5. The thamings of conscience are unſufferable torments.
Shame arifeth from the turpitude ofdiscovered actions.
If ſome mens ſecret filthineſſes were but publiſhed in this world, it wouldconfound them; what then will itbe, when all ſhalllie open, as it will, after this life, and theirown confciences ſhall caftthe ſhameofalluponthem? They ſhall notonly bederided byGod, Prov. i. 26. butby theirownconfciences alſo.
Laſtly, the fearful expectations of confcience, ſtill looking forward into more and morewrath to come, this is the very fum andcomplement of their misery.
What makes a priſon ſo dreadful toa malefactor, but the trembling expectation he there lives under of the approaching afſizes ? Much after the ſame rate, or rather after the rate ofcondemned perfons pre. paring forexecution, do theſe ſpirits inpriſonlive intheother world.
But alas no inſtance or ſimilitude can reach home to their cafe.
Prop. 6. That which makes the torments and terrors ofthe damned spirits so extreme and terrible, is, that they areume lievable miſeries, and torments for ever.
They are not capable eitherof, 1.A partial relief, by any mitigation, or 2.Acomplete relief, byafinal ceffation.
ATreatise of the Soul ofMan.
1. Not of a partial relief, by any mitigation; could they butdivert their thoughts from their miſery, as they were wont to do in this world, drink and forget their forrows ; or had they but any hope of the abatement of their miſery, it would be a relief to them : Butboth theſe are impoſſible.
Their thoughts are fixed anddetermined : to remove them (though but for a moment) from their miſery, is as impoſſible as to remove amountain : Their fin and miſery is ever before them.
Asthe bleſſed in heaven are bono tonfirmati, ſo fixed andfettled
inbleſſedneſs, that they are not diverted one moment from beholding the bleſſed face of God, for they are ever with the Lord : So the damned in hell are malo obfirmati, ſo ſettled and fixedin themidst of all evil, that their thoughts and miſeries are inſeparable for ever.
2. Much leſs can their undone ſlate admitthe least hope of relief by a final ceſſation of their misery.
All hope periſheth from them, and the periſhing of theirhope is the plaineſt proof that can be given of the eternity of their misery. For were therebut the remoteſt poſſibility of deliverance at last, hope would hang upon that poſſibility : And whilst hope lives, the foul is not quite dead ; the death of hope is the death of a man's ſpirit : The cutting off of the foul fromGod, and the laſt act of hope to fee or enjoyhim for ever, is that death which an immortal foul is capable of fuffering. " Depart from " me, ye curſed, into everlasting fire," is that ſentencewhich
Itrikes hope and foul dead for ever .
In theſe ſix propofitions you have the true and terrible repreſentation of the ſpirits in prifon, or the ſtate of damned ſouls.
I have not mentioned their affſociation with devils, or the diſmal place of their confinement, which, though they complete their miſery, yet are not the principal parts of it, but rather acceſſories to it, or riversrunning into the ocean oftheir misery.
The sum of their miſery lies in what was openedbefore, and the improvementof it is in that which followeth.
Infer. 1. Is this the ſtate of ungodly fouls after death ? Then it follows, that neither death nor annihilation are the worst of evils incident to man.
Aristotle calls death the most terrible of all terribles, and the ſchoolmen affirm annihilation to be a greater evil than themoſt miferable being : But it is neither ſo, nor fo; the wrath of God, the worm of confcience, are much more bitter than death.
The pains of death are natural and bodily pains : The wrath ofGod andanguiſh ofconfcience are ſpiritual and inward : Thoſe are but the pains of a few hours ordays, theſe are the unrelieved torments ofeternity.
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And as for annihilation, what a favourwould the damned account it! Indeed if we reſpect the glory of God'sjustice, which is exemplified and illustrated inthe ruin of thete miſe rable fouls, it is better they ſhould abide as the eternalmonuments thereof, than not tobe at all; butwith refpect to themfelves we may fay, as Chriftdoth ofthe fon ofperdition, Mat. xxvi . 24. " Good had it been for them if theyhad neverbeen
" born ."
For a man's foul to be of no other ufe than a veffel ofwrath, to receive the indignation, and be filledwith the fury ofGod; furely an untimely birth, that never was animated with a reasonable foul, is better than they: For alas ! they feek for death, but it flies from them. The immortality of their fouls, whichwas their dignity and privilege above other creatures, is,now their misery, and that which continually feeds and perpetuates their flame.
Here is a being without the comfort of it, a being only to howl and tremble under divine wrath, a being therefore which they would gladly exchange with the contemptibleft fly, or most lothfome toad, but it cannot be exchanged, or annihilated.
Infer. 2. Henceit follows, that the pleasures offin aredear bought, and cofily pleasures.
There is a greater difproportion betwixt thatpleature and this wrath, than betwixt a drop of honey and a fea of gall. Could a man diſtil all the imaginary pleaſure of fin, anddrinknothing elsebut the highest and most refined delights of itall his life, though his life ſhouldbe protracted to the term of Methuselah's; yet one day, or night, under the wrath ofGod would make it adear bargain.
But, 1. 'Tis certain finhathnofuch pleaſures togive you: They are embittered either by adverſe ſtrokes of providence from without, or painful anddreadful gripes and twinges of confci ence, within; Jobxx. 14. " His meat in his bowels is turned,
"it is the gall of afps within him. "
2. 'Tis as certain, the time ofa finner is near its period whenhe is atthe heightofhis pleaſure in fin : For look, as high delights inGodſpeak the maturity of a foul for heaven,. and itwill notbe longbefore ſuchbe inheaven; ſo the heights of delight in fin, anſwerably ſpeak the maturity offuch a foul for hell, and it willnot be long e'er itbe there.
Sin is now a big embryo, and ſpeedily the foul travails with death.
3. According to the meaſure of delights men have had in fin, will be the degrees and meaſures of their torments in hell,
Rev. xviii. 7. fo much torment and forrow, as there was delight, and pleaſure in fin.
4. To conclude, " the pleaſures of fin arebut for a feafon,
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as you read, Heb. xi. 25. but the wrath of God inhell is for everandever. There is a timewhen the pleaſures of fin canpotbe calledpleaſures tocome, but the wrath ofGod thatwill ftill be wrath to come. Oh! confider for what a trifle you fell your fouls.
When Lyfimachus parted with hiskingdom for adraught of water, he faid when he had drank it, Forhow
Short a pleasure have Ifold a kingdom! And Jonathan lamented, 1 Sam. xiv. 43. " Italled but a littlehoney, and I must die."
Satan would not charm ſo powerfully as he doth with the pleaſures offin, if this point were wellbelieved, andheartily applied.
In'er. 3. What a matchless madness is it to caſtthefoul into God'sprijon, tosave the body outof man'sprison!
Menhave their prifons, andGod hath his: But becauſe the one is an object of fenfe, and the other an object of faith, that only is feared, and this flightedall over this unbelieving world ; except by a very small number of men, who tremble at the word ofGod. Now this I ſayis the height of madneſs, and willappear tobe ſo in a juſt collation of both in a few particuculars.
(1.) Man's priſon reſtrains the body only, God's prifon foul and body, Mat. x. 28.
The ſpirits of men (as my text fpeaks) are the prisoners there. Oh! what a vaſt odds doth this ſingle difference make ! A thousand times more than the captivating and binding of the greatest king or emperor differs from the imprisonment of a poor mechanic or vagrant beggar. (2.) In man's priſon there are many comforts and unSpeakable refreshments from heaven, but in God's priſon none, but the direct contrary. You read of the apostles, Acts xvi.
25 howthey ſang in the prison: The SpiritofGod made them abanquet of heavenly joys, and they could not but fing at it :
Though their feet were in the ſtocks, their ſpirits were never more at liberty.
Algerius dated his letters from the delectable orchard of the Leonineprison; where, faith he,flows thefweateft nectar.
Another tells us, Chriſt was always kind to him ; but fince he became a prisoner for him, he even overcame himfelf in kindness.
I verily think (faith he) the chains of my Lord are all overlaid with pure gold, and his cross perfumed.
But the worst terrors of the prisoners in hell come from the prefence ofthe Lord, 2 Thef. i. 9. " God is a terror to them."
(3 ) The cauſe for which a man is caft into priſon by men, may be his duty, and ſo his confcience inuſt be at leaſt quiet, if not joyful in ſuch ſufferings. So was it with Paul, Acts xxviii. 20. " For the hope of Ifrael am I bound with this
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"chain: " This diffuſes joy and peace through the confcience into the whole man.
But the caute for which men are caſt intoGod's prifon, istheir fin and guilt, which arms their own confciences against them, and makes them, asyou heard before, ſelf-tormentors, terrors tothemſelves. What odds is here ! (4.)
In man's priſon the moſt excellent company and ſweet ſociety may be found.
Paul and Silas were fellowpriſoners. Inqueen Mary's days the moſt excellent company to be found in Englandwas in the prisons : Priſons were turned into churches.
But inGod's priſon no better ſociety is to be found than that ofdevils anddamned reprobates, Mat. xxv. 41.
(5.) In man's prifons there is hope ofa comfortable deliverance, but inGod's prifonnone: Mat. v. 26. " Thou shalt not come out thence
" till thou hast paid the laſt mite." 'Tis an everlasting prifon.
Compare theſe few obvious particulars, andjudge thenwhat is tobe thought of that man, who ſtands readier to caſt himſelf into anyguilt, than into the leaſt ſuffering.
What is it but as if aman ſhould offer his neck to the ſword, to save his hand?
The Lord convince us what trifles our eſtates, liberties, and lives are to our fouls, or to the peace and purity of our confciences.
Infer. 4. What an invaluable mercy is the pardon of fin, whichfets the foul out of alldanger of going into this prifon!
When the debt is fatisfied, amanmaywalk asboldly before
the prifondoor as he doth before his own : They that owe nothing, fear no bailiffs.
'Tis the law (as I faid before) that commits men to priſon, a mittimus is but an inftrument of law; but the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in them that believe, Rom. viii. 4. Yea, they are made the righteousness of God in bım, 2 Cor. v. 21. There can be no proceſs of law against them.
For who ſhall condemn when it isGod thatjuſtifieth? Rom. viii. 33, 34. And that Divine juſtice might be no bar to our faith and comfort, he adds, Itis Christ that died; and yet farther, to afſure us that his death had made plenary fatisfaction toGod for allour ſins anddebts, it is added, yea, rather, that is risen again : q.d. If the debts of believers to Godwerenot fullypaid and fatisfiedfor by thebloodofChriſt, howcomes it topaſs thatour furety is diſcharged, as by his refurrection he appears tobe ! Oh believer ! thybonds are cancell'd, the hand-writing thatwas against thee isnailedto the croſs, the bloodofChriſt hath done that for thee that allthe gold and filverinthe world could not do, I Pet. i. 18, 19. " It is a * coun
*Αντίλυθρον eft pretium ex adverfo refpondens.
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" terprice fully anſwering to thy debts," Mat. xx. 28.
And hence, to the eternaljoyof thy heart, refult three properties of thy pardon, which are able to make thine eyes guth out with tearsofjoy whilst thou art reading of it.
1. It is a free pardon to thy foul, though it coſt Chriſt dear, itscoſts thee nothing. We have redemption,even" the remif- " fion of fins, according to the riches of his grace," Eph. i. 7.
The project of it was God's, not thine; the price for it was Chrift's blood, not thine; the glory and riches of free grace are illuſtriouſly diſplayedin thy forgivenneſs.
2. It is as full asit is free ; a complete and perfect cauſe produceth a complete and perfect effect, Acts xiii. 39. " Juſtified
" from allthings."
Whatever thy fins be for nature, number, or circumſtances of aggravations, they cannot exceed the value ofthemeritoriouscauſeofremiffion. ThebloodofChrift cleanfeth us from all fin.
3. It must be as firm as it is freeand full, even an irrevocable pardon for evermore.
Chriſtdid notſhedhisblood at a hazard ; thewayofjustificationby faith, makes the promiſe ſure, Rom. iv. 16. The Juſtified ſhall nevercome again undercondemnation. Oh the unspeakablejoy that flows from this ſpring ! Oh the triumphsoffaith upon this foundation !
Is itnot raviſhing, melting, overwhelming, and amazing, to think thus with thyſelf! Here ſit I with ajoyful, plenary, free pardonof fin inmyhand, whilst many, who never finned to that height and degree I have, lie groaning, howling, ſweating, and trembling under the indignation ofGod, pouredout like fire upon their fouls in hell. A greater finner ſaved, and leſſer damned.
Ohhow unspeakably ſweetisthat reſt intowhich my terrified and diſquieted foul is come by faith ! Rom. v. 1. Heb. iv.
3- "We which have believed, do enter into reſt."
Oh bleſſed calm after a dreadful tempeſt ! This poor breast of minewas latelypanting, ſweating,tremblingunderthehorrorsofwrath to come, terrified with the viſions ofhell. No other found was in mineears, but thatof fiery indignation todevourtheadverſaries .
Oh what price canbe putupon my quietus eft ! What value upon a pardon, delivered as it were at the ladder's foot! Oh precious hand of faith that receives it! But oh the moſt preciousbloodof Chriſt which purchaſed it ! IfSatannow come withhis accufations, the law with its comminations, deathwith itsdreadful fummons, I havein a readiness to answerthem all.
Here is the law, the wrath ofGod, and everlasting burnings, thejuſt demerit offin uponone ſide, anda poor ſinful creature ontheother: Butthe covenantofgracehath ſolvedall. Anast
A Treatise of the Soul ofMan. ofoblivion is past inheaven, " Iwillforgivetheiriniquities,and " their fins and tranfgreffions will I remember no more."
In this act ofgrace my foulisincluded; I am in Chrift, and there is no condemnation.
Die I must, butdamned I shall not be:
Mydebts are paid, mybonds are cancelled, my confcience is quieted: let death do its worst, it thalldo me noharm; that blood which fatisfiedGod, may well fatisfy me.
Infer.
5. How amazingly fad and deplorable is thesecurity, andftilness of the consciences offinners, under alltheir own guilt, and the immediatedanger ofGod's everlasting wrath!
Philofophers obſerve that before an earth-quake the wind lies, and the weather is exceeding calm and ſtill, not abreath of wind going. So it is in the confciences of many, just before the tempeſt and ſtorm ofGod's wrath pours down upon them.
What a golden morning opened upon Sodom, and began that fatalday ! Littledid they imagine ſhowers of fire had beenready to fall from ſopleasant and ferene a ſky as theyfaw over their heads. How ſecure, ſtill, and unconcerned are thoſe today, who it may be ſhall rage, roar, and tremble in hell to morrow! Caefar hearing of a citizen of Rome who was deep in debt, andyetſlept foundly, wouldneeds have his pillow, as ſuppoſing there was ſome ſtrange, charming virtue in it,
It iswonderful to confiderwhat ſhiftmenmake to keep their confciences in that ſtilneſs and quiet theydo, under ſuch loads ofguilt, and threatnings of wrath, ready to be executed upon them.
It must be strong opium that ſo ſtupifies and benumbs their confciences; andupon inquiry into the matter we shall find itto be the effect of, 1. A trong delusion ofSatan.
2. A fpiritual judicial ſtroke ofGod.
1. This ſtilneſs ofconfcience,upon the brink ofdamnation, proceeds from the ſtrong deluſions of Satan ; blinding their eyes: and feeding their falſe hopes: He removes the evil day at manyyears imaginary diſtance from them, and interpoſeth many a fair day betwixt them and it, and in that interpoſed ſeaſon, time enough to prepare for it; without ſuch an artifice as this, his houſe would be inan uproar,but this keeps all in peace, Lukexi. 21. " Byprefuminghe feeds their hopes, andby their hopes deſtroys their ſouls *."
Some he diverts from all ferious thoughts ofthisday by the pleaſures, and others by the caresof this life : andto that day cometh uponthem uns awares, Luke xxi. 34.
Prafumendoſperans,etſperandopercunt.
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2. This ſtilneſs of conscience, inſo miferable and dangerous a ſtate, is the effect of a fpiritual, judiciat ſtroke ofGod. uponthe children ofwrath.
That's a dreadfulword, Ifa. vi.
10. "Make the heart ofthis people fat, and make their ears heavy, and ſhut their eyes:" The eye and ear are the two principaldoors or inlets tothe heart; when thefe are ſhut, the heartmustneedsbe inſenſible, asthe † fatofthebody is. There isa fpirit ofadeep fleep poured outjudicially upon ſomemen,
Na. xxix. 10. ſuch as that uponAdam whenGod took a rib fromhis ſide, and he felt it not: Butthis isupon the foul, and isthe fame as togiveupaman toareprobate lenfe.
Infer. 6. The case ofdiftreffed confciences upon earth, is exreeding fad, and calls upon allfor the tendereſt pity, andutmost helpfrommen.
You ſee the labourings ofconfcience, under the fenfe ofguilt andwrath, is a special part of the torments ofhell ; of which there is not a livelier emblem orpicture, thanthediftreſſes of confciences in thisworld.
It must be thankfully confeffedthere are twogreatdifferences betwixt the terrors ofconfciencehere, and there: One, in the degrees ofanguish, the other, in the reliefs of that anguish.
The ordinary diftreffes ofconfciencehere, compared with thoſe ofthedamned, are as the flame ofa candle to a fiery oven, a mildandgentle fire; or as the ſparks that fly outof the topof achimney, tothe dreadful eruptions ofVesuvius, ormountErna.
Besides, theſe are capable of relief, but thoſe are unrelievable :
Theirheartsdie, becauſe their hope is periſhed from the Lord.
But yet of all the miſeries and diſtreſſes incident to men in thisworld, none like thofe ofdiſtreffed confciences; the terrors ofGod fet themselves in array, or are drawn up in battalia against the foul, Job vi. 4. "Whilft I faffer thy terrors (faith
"Heman) I am distracted," Pfal. Ixxxviii. 15. Yea, they not only diſtract, but cut offthe ſpirit, ashe adds, ver. 16. They lick up thevery ſpirit ofaman, andnonecan bear them, Prov. xviii. 14. for now a man hath to do immediately with God; yea, with the wrath of the great and dreadful God: And this wrath, which isthe moſt acute and ſharp ofall torments, falls uponthemoſt tender andſenſible part, the ſpirit andmindwhich now liesopen and naked beforehim to be wounded by it. No creaturecan adminifter the leaſt relief, by the application ofany temporal comfort or refreshment to it. Gold and filver, wife
† Naturaliſts agree that fatnot only makes animalsunruly, but alfo, is void offenfation.
Gluff.
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All that can be done for their relief, is by ſeaſonable, judicious, and tender applications ofſpiritual remedies : And what canbedone,ought tobe donefor them. What heart canheara voice like thatofJob, " Havepity upon me, havepity upon me,
" O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me;" andnotmelt into compaffion over them ? Is there a word of wiſdom in thyheart, let thy tongueapply it tothe reliefof thy diſtreſſed brother : Whilft his heart meditates terror, let thine meditate hisfuccour.
Itis not impoſſible but thou, who lendeſt a friendlyhand to another, mayeſt, e'er long, need one thyself; andhe thathath ever felt the terrors of the Almighty upon his foul, hath motive enough todraw forth the bowels of his pity to another in the like caſe.
Alas for poor diſtreſſed ſouls, who have either none about themthatunderſtand, and are able and willingto speak aword inſeaſon to theirweary fouls, or toomanyaboutthem toexaſperate their forrows, and perfecute them whomGod hath ſmitten.
You that have both ability and opportunity for it, are under the ſtrongest engagements in the world to endeavour their relief with all faithfulness, ſeriouſneſs, compaſſion, and conſtancy.
Did Chriſt ſhed his blood for the ſaving of fouls, andwilt not thou ſpend thybreath for them ? Shall any man thathath found mercy from God, ſhew none to his brother ? God forbid. A foul in hell is out ofyour reach ; but theſe thatare in the fuburbs ofhell are not : The candle of intenſe ſorrow is put to the thread of their miferable life; and ſhould they be fuffered to drop into hell, whilft you ſtand by as unconcerned ſpectators of fuch a tragedy, you will have little peace.
Your unmercifulneſs totheir fouls will be a wound toyour own.
Infer. 7. Be hence informed of the evil that is in fin, be convincedof the evil that is in it, by the eternal misery that followeth it.
If hell be out of meaſure dreadful, then fin must be out of meaſure finful : The torments of hell do not exceed the demerit of fin, though they exceed the understandings of men to conceive them. God will layupon noman more than is right.
Sin is the founder of hell; all the miſeries and torments there, arebut the treaſures of wrath which ſinners, in all ages, have been treaſuring up; and how dreadful foever it be, it isbut the'Aντιμisin, the recompenfe which is meet, Rom. vi. 23.
" Thewages of ſin is death. "
Wehave flight thoughts of fin; Fools make a mock offin :
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But ifthe Lordbythe convictionsofmens confciencesdidbut leadthem thro' the chambers ofdeath, andgivethem a fight of thewrath tocome; could webutfee the piles thataremade in hell(as the prophet calls them, Ifa. xxx. 53.) to maintain the flames of vengeance to eternity; could we but understandin what dialect thedamned ſpeak of fin, who ſee the treatures of wrath broken up toavenge it, ſurely it would alter our apprehenfionsof fin, and ſtrike cold to the very hearts of finners.
Cannot the extremityand eternityofhell-torments exceed the evilthat is in fin? What words then can expreſs the evil of it? Hell flameshave the nature ofapunishment, butnotofan atonement.
Oh think on this, you that lookupon finasthe verieſt trifle, thatwill fin for the value of apenny, that look upon on allthe bumiliations, broken-hearted confeffions, and bitter moans of the faints under fin, as frenzy, or melancholy, lighting them asacompanyofhalf-wittedhypochondriac perfons ! Thou that neverhadft one fick night, or faddayin all thy life upon the account of fin, let me tell thee, that breast ofthine mustbethe feat offorrow; that frothy airy ſpiritofthine must be acquaintedwith emphatical fobs andgroans. God grant itmay beon this fide hell, by effectual repentance; elſe it mustbe there, in theextremity and eternity offorrows, Jafer. 8. What enemies are they to the fouls of men, who are
Satan's instruments, to draw them into fin, or whosufferfin to dieupon them !
When there were but two perſons inthe world, onedrew theother into fin; andamong the millions of menandwomen now in the world, where are there two tobe found that have innocafe been Inares todraw some into fin? Some tempt defignedly, taking the devil's work out ofhis hands; others virtuallyandconfequentially, byexamples, which haveacompelling power todraw others with them into fin.
The first fort are among the worſt of finners, Prov. i. 10. the latter are amongthe beſt offaints; feeGal. ii. 14.whoſeconverſation is fo much in heaven, that nothing falls out in the courſe thereof, which maynot farther ſome or other in theirwaytohell?
Amongwickedmen, there are five forts eminentlyacceſſory to the guilt and ruin of other men's fouls. (1.) Looſeprofeffors, whoſe lives give their lips the lie; whoſe converſations make their profeffionsblush. (2.)Scandalous apoſtates, whoſe fall is more prejudicial than their profeſſionwas ever beneficial toothers. (3.) Cruel perfecutors, who make the lives, liber-
VOL. III.
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A Treatie of the Soul of Man... ties, and eſtates of men the occaſion ofthe ruin oftheir confciences.
(4.) Ignorantand unfaithful miniſters, who ſtrengthen thehands of the wicked, that they ſhould not return from their wickedness.. (5.) Wicked relations, who quench and damp every hopeful beginning of conviction and affection in their friends.
Of all, which I ſhall diſtinctly ſpeak in the next difcourſe, to which, therefore, I remit itatpreſent.
Andmanythere are who ſuffer fin to lie upon others, without a wife and ſeaſonable reproof to recover them.
Oh what cruelty to fouls is here ! The day is comingwhen they will curſe the time that ever they knew you :
' Tis poſſible you may repent, but then, it may be, thoſe, whoſe ſouls you have helped to ruin, are gone, and quite out of your reach.
The Lord make you ſenſible what you have done in ſeaſon, left your repentance come too late for yourſelves, and them alfo.
Infer. 9. How poor a comfort is it to him that carries allhis fins out of this world with him, to leave much earthly treasure
(especially ifgotten byfin) behind him ?
It is apoor conſolation tobe praised where thou art not, and tormented where thou art ; to purchaſe a life of pleasure to others on earth, at the price of thy own everlasting miſery in hell.
All theconfolation, ſenſual, voluptuous, and oppreffing worldlings have, is but this, that they were coached to hell in pomp and ſtate, and have leftthe same chariot to bring their graceleſs children after them, in the fame equipage, to the place of torments.
There be five confiderations provoking pity to them that are thus paſt into a miferable eternity, and caution
•to all that are following after, in the fame path.
First, That fatal mistake in the practical underſtanding and judgment of men deſerves a compaſſionate lamentation, as the cauſe andreaſon of their eternal miſcarriage and ruin.
They looked upon trifles as things of greatest neceffity, and the moſt •neceſſary things as mere trifles; putting the greatest weight and value upon that which little concerned them, and none at all upon their greatest concernment in the whole world, Luke xii . 21.
Secondly, The perpetual diverſions that the trifles of this world gave them from the main uſe and end of their time. O what a hurry and thick fucceſſion of earthly buſineſs andencumbrances filled up their days ! So that they could findno
+Quidprodeft effe, quod eſſe non prodeft : Tertull.
ATreatise of the Soul ofMan..
time togo alone, and think of the awful and weighty concernments of the world to come, James v. 5 .
Thirdly, The total waſte and expence of the only ſeaſon of ſalvation, about theſe vaniſhing, impertinent trifles, which is never more tobe recovered, Ecclef. ix. 10.
Fourthly, That theſe deluding ſhadows, the pleaſures of a moment, is all they had in exchange for their fouls, a goodly price it was valued at, Mat. xvi . 26. i Fifthly, Thatby ſuch a life they have not only ruined their own fouls, but put their poſterity, by their education ofthem
: inthe fame course oflife, into the ſame path ofdeſtruction, in which they went to hell before them.
Pfal. xlix. 13. " Their poſterity approve their ſaying."
Infer. 10. How rationalandcommendable is the courage and resolution of thoſe Christians, who chuſe to bear all thefufferings in this worldfrom the hands of men, rather than to defile and wound their confciences withfin, and thereby expose theirfouls to the wrath ofGodfor ever!
That which men now call pride, humour, fancy, and stubbornneſs, will, one day, appear to be theirgreat wisdom, and the excellency oftheir ſpirits.
It isthe tenderness oftheir conſciences, not the pride and ſtoutneſs of their ſtomachs, which makes them inflexible to fin; theyknow the terrors of a wounded confcience, andhad rather endure anyother trouble from the hands of men, than fall by known fin, into the hands of an : angryGod.
Try them in other matters, wherein the glory of God, and the peace or purity of their confciences are not concerned, and fee if you can charge them with ſtubbornneſs and fingularity. It was the excellency ofthe ſpirits of the primitive
Chriftians, that they durſt tell the emperor, to his face, when he threatned them with torments ; " Pardon us, O emperor,
" thou threatneſt us with a prifon, butGod with hell *." Do we call that ingenuity and good nature, which makes the mind ſoftandtractable totemptations, and will rather venture upon guilt thanbe eſteemed ſingular ?
+ Salvian tells us of ſome in his time, who were compel- " led to be evil, left they ſhouldbe accounted vile." And was that their excellency ? May I not fitly apply the words of Salvian here : O in what honour and repute is Chriſt among Chriſtians, when religion ſhall make them baſe and ignoble ! He
Eee 2 * Ignoſce imperator, tu carcerem minaris, Deus gehennam.
†Mali effe coguntur, ne viles habeantur.
ATreatise of the Soul ofMan. that underſtands what the punishment of fin will be inhell, ſhould endure all things rather than yield to fin on earth.
Indeed, if you that threaten, and tempt others to violate their confciences, could bear the wrath of God for them in hell, it were fomewhat; but we knowthere is no fufferingby aproxy there, they trembleatthe word ofGod, and have felt the burdenof guilt, and darenot yield to fin, tho' they yield their eſtates andbodiesto prevent it.
Infer. 11. Howpatientlyshouldwe bear the afflictions of this life, bywhichfin is prevented andpurged?
Thediſcipline of our ſpirits belongs toGod the Father of Spirits; he corrects ushere,thatwemay not be punished hereafter,
1 Cor. xi. 32. " We are chaſtened of the Lord, that we ४८maynot becondemnedwiththe world."
It is better for us to groan under afflictions on earth, than to rearunder revengingwrath inhell.
Parentswho are wife, as well as tender, had rather hear their children fob and cryunder the rod, than stand with halters about their necks on the ladder, bewailing thedeAructive indulgenceoftheir parents.
Your chaſtiſements, when fanctified, are preventive ofall the mifery opened before.
It is therefore as unreasonable to murmur againstGod, becauſe you ſmart under his rod, as itwould be to accuſe your dearest friendofcruelty, becauſehe ſtrained yourarm to ſnatchyou from the fall ofa house, or wall, which he faw ready to crush and overwhelmyou in its ruins.
Ifwe had leſs affliction, we ſhould have more guilt. We fee howapt we are to break over the hedge, andgo aftray from God, with all the clogs of afflictions deſigned for ourreſtraint; what ſhould wedo ifwehadno clogat all; It is better for you tobe whipped to heaven with all the rods of affliction, than coached to hell with all the pleaſures oftheworld.
Chriftian, thyGod ſees, if thou do not, that all theſe trou. bles are few enough to save thee from finand hell.
Thy corruptions require all theſe, andall little enough. " Ifneedbe, " ye are in heaviness," 1 Pet. i. 6.
If there be need for it, thydearest comforts onearth ſhalldie, that thy foul may live; but if thy mortification tothem render thy removal needlefs, thou and they ſhall live together. 'Tis better tobe preferved inbrine, than rot in honey.
Sanctified afflictions, workingunderthe efficacyof the blood ofChriſt, are the ſafeft way to our fouls.
Infer. 12. Howdoleful a change doth the death of wicked men make upon them! from palaces on earth, to the prison of hell.
ATreatise of the Soul ofMan.
No fooneris the foul ofawickedman ſtepped out ofhis own doorat death, but the ſerjeants ofhellare immediately upon it, ſerving the dreadful ſummons on the law-condemned wretch.
This arreſt terrifies it more than the hand-writing upon the plaiſter of the walldid him, Dan. v. 5. How are all aman's apprehenfions changed inamoment ! Out ofwhat adeep ſleep aremoſt, andout ofwhata pleaſantdream ofheaven are ſome awakedand ſtartledatdeath,by thedreadful arreſt andfummons ofGod to condemnation.
Howquicklywould allaſinner's mirth bedamped, and turned intohowlings in this world, ifconfcience werebut throughly awakened ! It isbut forGod to change our apprehenfions now, and it wouldbedone ina moment: but the eyes of moft mens foulsare not opened tilldeath hath ſhut theirbodilyeyes ; andthen how fudden, andhow ſad achange is made in one day!Othink what itis topaſs from all the pleaſures and delights of this world intothe torments and miſeries of that world; from a pleaſant habitation, into an infernal priſon; from the depth of ſecurity, to the extremity ofdeſperation ; from the arms andboſoms of dearest friends and relations, to theſociety ofdamned ſpirits ! Lord, whata change ishere; hadagracious change been made upontheirheartsby grace, no ſuchdoleful change couldhave been made upon their ſtate by death : little dotheir ſurviving friends think what they feel, orwhat is their eſtate inthe other world, whilft theyarehonouringtheir bodies with ſplendid and pompous funerals. None on earth have fo much reaſon to fear death, to make much of life, and uſe all means to continue it, as thoſe who will, and muſt, be ſo great loſers by the exchange.
Infer. 13. Seehere the certainty, and inevitableness of the Judgment of thegreatday.
This priton, which is continually filling with the ſpiritsof wickedmen, is an undeniable evidence of it: for why is hell called a prifon, and why are the ſpirits ofmen confined and chainedthere, butwithrespect to thejudgmentofthegreatday?
As there is a neceſſaryconnection betwixt fin aud punishment, ſobetwixt puniſhing and trying the offender; there are millions offouls in cuſtody, aworldof ſpirits inprison ; theſe muſt bebroughtforth to their trial, for God will lay upon noman more than is right; the legality oftheir mittimus to hell, will beevidenced in their folemaday oftrial. God hath therefore
" appointedaday in which he willjudgethe world in righteouf- !"pels,by that manwhomhehath ordained," Acts xvii . 31 .
A Treatise of the Soul of Man.
Here ſinners run in arrears, and contract vaſt debts; inhell they are ſeized and committed, at judgment tried and catt for the fame.
This will be a dreadful day, thoſe that have ſpent fo prodigally upon the patience ofGod, must nowcome to a ſevereaccount for all; they have paſt their particularjudgment immediately after death, Eccl. xii. 7. Heb. ix. 27. By this they know howthey ſhall ſpeed in the generaljudgment, and how it ſhallbewith them for ever, but tho' this privatejudgment fecures their damnation fufficiently, yet itclears notthe juſtice ofGod before angels and men ſufficiently, and therefore theymust appear once more before his bar, 2 Cor. v. 10. In the fearful expectationofthis day, thoſe trembling ſpirits now lie in priſon, and that fearful expectation is a principal part of their prefent mifery and torment. You that refuſe to come to the throne of grace, fee ifyou can refuſe to make your appearance at the bar ofjustice ; you that braved and brow-beat your miniſters that warnedyou ofit, fee ifyou can out-brave your judge too as youdid them.
Nothing more ſure or awful than ſuch a day as this.
Infer.
14. How much are ministers, parents, and all to whom the charge of fouls is committed, bound to do all that in them lies, to prevent their everlasting misery in the world to come!
The great apoſtle ofthe Gentiles found the conſideration of the terror of the Lord, as a ſpur urging, and enforcing him to a minifterial faithfulness and diligence ; 2 Cor. v. II . "Know- "
ingtherefore the terrors ofthe Lord,weperfuade men." And thefamehe preſſeth upon Timothy, 2 Tim. iv. 1 , 2. " I charge thee, therefore, before God and the Lord Jesus Chriſt, who " ſhall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing, and his kingdom; preach the word ; be inſtant in ſeaſon and out of " ſeaſon ; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long-fuffering and " doctrine." Oh that thoſe towhom ſo greata truſt as the fouls of mentis committed, would labour to acquit themfelves with all faithfulneſs therein, as Paul did, warning every one night and day with tears, that ifwe cannot prevent their ruin, which is moſt deſirable; yet at least we may be able to take
God towitneſs, as he did, that we are pure from thebloodof allmen.
Oh ! confider, mybrethren, if your faithful plainneſs, and unwearied diligence to fave men's fouls produce no other fruit but the hatred of you now; yet it is much easier for you to bearthat, than that theyandyou too ſhould bear thewrathof
God for ever.