Again, after the last judgement there remains death eternal appointed for him: which stands in these three things. I. A separation from all joy and comfort of the presence of God. II. Eternal fellowship with the devil and all his angels. III. The feeling of the horrible wrath of God, which shall seize upon body, soul, and conscience, and shall feed on them as fire doth on pitch and brimstone: and torment them as a worm crawling in the body, and gnawing on the heart: they shall always be dying, and never dead: always in woe, and never in ease. And this death is the more grievous because it is everlasting. Suppose the whole world to be a mountain of sand, and that a bird must carry from it but one mouthful of sand every thousand years: many innumerable thousands of years will be expired before she will have carried away the whole mountain: well, if a man should stay in torment so long, and then have an end of his woe, it were some comfort: but when the bird shall have carried away the mountain a thousand times: alas, alas, a man shall be as far from the end of his anguish and torment as ever he was. This consideration may serve as an iron scourge to drive men from their wicked lives. Chrysostom would have men in their meetings in taverns and feasts, to talk of hell, that by often thinking on it, they might avoid it. A grave and chaste matron, being moved to commit folly with a lewd ruffian; after long discourse, she called for a pan of coals, requesting him for her sake to hold his finger in them but one hour; he answered, that it was unkind request: to whom she replied, that seeing he would not hold so much as one finger in a few coals for one small hour, she could not yield to do the thing for which she should be tormented body and soul in hell fire for ever. And so should all men reason with themselves, when they are about to sin. None will be brought to do a thing, that may make so much as their finger or tooth to ache: if a man be but to snuff a candle, he will first spit on his finger; because he can not abide the heat of a small and tender flame. Therefore we ought to have great care to leave our sins, whereby we bring endless torment to body and soul in hell fire, to which our fire is but ye in comparison.
Againe, after the last iudgement there remaines death eternall appointed for him: which standes in these three things. I. A separation from all ioy and comfort of the presence of God. II. Eternall fellowship with the deuill and all his angels. III. The feeling of the horrible wrath of God, which shall seaze vpon bodie, soule, and conscience, and shall feede on them as fire doth on pitch and brimstone: and torment them as a worme crawling in the bodie, and gnawing on the heart: they shall alwaies be dying, and neuer dead: alwaies in woe, and neuer in ease. And this death is the more grieuous because it is euerlasting. Suppose the whole world to be a mountaine of sand, and that a bird must carrie from it but one mouthfull of sand euery thousand yeares: many innumerable thousands of yeares will be expired before shee will haue carried away the whole mountaine: well, if a man should stay in torment so long, and then haue an ende of his woe, it were some comfort: but when the bird shall haue carried away the mountaine a thousand times: alas, alas, a man shall be as farre from the end of his anguish and torment as euer he was. This consideration may serue as an iron scourge to driue men from their wicked liues. Chrysostome would haue men in their meetings in tavernes and feasts, to talke of hell, that by often thinking on it, they might auoide it. A graue and chast matrone, being mooued to commit follie with a lewd ruffian; after long discourse, shee called for a panne of coales, requesting him for her sake to holde his finger in them but one houre; he answered, that it was vnkinde request: to whome shee replied, that seeing he would not hold so much as one finger in a fewe coales for one small houre, shee could not yeeld to doe the thing for which shee should be tormented bodie and soule in hell fire for euer. And so should all men reason with themselues, when they are about to sinne. None will be brought to doe a thing, that may make so much as their finger or tooth to ake: if a man be but to snuffe a candle, he will first spitte on his finger; because he can not abide the heate of a small and tender flame. Therefore we ought to haue great care to leaue our sinnes, whereby we bring endlesse torment to bodie and soule in hell fire, to which our fire is but yee in comparison.
