There are three things which do slake our pains in this life, mitigation, hope, and comfort, but none of these can help in hell. For the first we know the rich1 man could not have• drop of water. In this life, it may fall out, that a man that whippeth us an whole day long may be weary, but our tormentors in hell are spirits, and therefore never weary. Again if such whippers in this life should never wax ⟨p. 696⟩weary in whipping us, yet it may be they shall kill us, or at the least leave us nu•• and senseless, but in hell though our bodies continually burn, yet shall they never consume. Thirdly on earth, though neither tormentors wax weary, nor we tormented be consumed, yet the whips and instruments would wear and waste, and should have some ease that way: but hell fire is unquenchable, and the worm of conscience unsatiable; and therefore no hope of mitigation. But what comfort is there in hell? if the sight of the pleasures lost, which they might have had, if the beholding of our enemies advanced into that glory, which we could not deny to them, and wish for our selves, if the entering into pain and shame even before our adversaries, whom we hate, and in whose sight we would be better esteemed, do increase the pains of the sufferers, then all these show there is little comfort in hell. First the damned shall be within the hearing of this, which they have lost, Come ye blessed of my father; and the godly shall be within the hearing of this to the damned, Go ye cursed into everlasting fire. The wicked indeed shall remember their pleasures, they had on2 earth, but to the increase of their woe, for it is a double misery to have been happy, and now to have lost it. The old man in the comedy saith, I have a son, nay, alas, I have had a son. The wicked, I say, shall wish then, that they had heard the word of the Lord, and that will be another discomfort. Last of all, they shall be in the hand of the devil their enemy, and he shall torment them even in the sight of the godly, whom they hated as their enemies; the devil played with them in this world, but he will not play with them in his kingdom, and therefore there is no comfort. The last help is hope, and but for that, they say, the heart would burst, and surely for any hope in hell their hearts may burst indeed.
THere are three things which doe slake our paines in this life, mittigation, hope, and comfort, but none of these can helpe in hell. For the first we know the rich1 man could not haue• drop of water. In this life, it may fall out, that a man that whippeth vs an whole day long may be weary, but our tormentors in hell are spirits, and therefore neuer wearie. Againe if such whippers in this life should neuer waxe ⟨p. 696⟩wearie in whipping vs, yet it may bee they shall kill vs, or at the least leaue vs nu•• and senselesse, but in hell though our bodies continually burne, yet shall they neuer consume. Thirdly on earth, though neither tormentors waxe weary, nor we tormented be cōsumed, yet the whippes and instruments would weare and waste, and should haue some ease that way: but hel fire is vnquencheable, and the worme of conscience vnsatiable; and therefore no hope of mitigation. But what comfort is there in hell? if the sight of the pleasures lost, which they might haue had, if the beholding of our enemies aduanced into that glory, which we could not denie to them, and wish for our selues, if the entring into paine and shame euen before our aduersaries, whom we hate, and in whose sight we would bee better esteemed, doe increase the paines of the sufferers, then all these shew there is little comfort in hell. First the damned shall be within the hearing of this, which they haue lost, Come yee blessed of my father; and the godly shall be within the hearing of this to the damned, Goe yee cursed into euerlasting fire. The wicked indeede shall remember their pleasures, they had on2 earth, but to the increase of their woe, for it is a double miserie to haue beene happie, and now to haue lost it. The old man in the comedie saith, I haue a sonne, nay, alas, I haue had a sonne. The wicked, I say, shall wish then, that they had heard the word of the Lord, and that will be another discomfort. Last of all, they shall bee in the hand of the diuell their enemie, and hee shall torment them euen in the sight of the godly, whom they hated as their enemies; the diuell played with them in this world, but hee will not play with them in his kingdome, and therefore there is no comfort. The last helpe is hope, and but for that, they say, the heart would burst, and surely for any hope in hell their hearts may burst indeede.
- 1The pains of hell are endless, cas• less, and hopeless.The paines of hell are endlesse, cas• lesse, and hopelesse.
- 2Tere•t.
