Secondly, This privative destruction, lieth in the want of all comfort and peace, and joy that might be in the soul. Take away the Sun, and there remaineth nothing but horrible darkness; take God away, and the soul is full of all darkness and horror. Hence in Hell are said to be gnawing worms, and weeping and wailing, and gnashing of teeth. Dives desired but a drop of water to cool his tongue, and but the top of his tongue, yet could not obtain it; not a drop, and for the top of the tongue. This was to show that there could not be the least comfort, the least ease, the least quietness of conscience; and indeed this is the great part of Hell. Some have thought Hell to be nothing but the torments and horror of conscience, but the Scripture cannot so be put off Yet certainly, this is the Hell of Hell, the greatest part of destruction, that the guilt of a mans sins shall perpetually gnaw and tear his conscience, which will then be awakened, and will fall like so much scalding Lead into the eye of a man. And if a good conscience be a continual Feast, that tormenting disquieted conscience in Hell, will be a continual unspeakable ⟨p. 224⟩evil. Oh, we see but what the very drops of this torment hath wrought upon men! Cain went up and down trembling, all the pleasures, all the delights, and travails he took, could not drive out that trembling. Judas, with what horror doth he cry out? He cannot bear his burden. And therefore the damned brought in, crying to the mountains to cover them, and the hills to hide them, Rev. 6.16. Oh, is this nothing to you, or a light matter, who sit and hear these things! Those gross and foul sins, which now make no torment nor gripings in thy conscience; thou canst run into all beastly excess, and thou findest no gnawing worms upon thee: Oh, consider, and believe it, the time is coming when conscience will be awakened, and not the least corner of thy soul will be freed from torments and howlings! Go on then, and eat and drink, and care for none of these things; but remember this, destruction will fall upon thee whether thou wilt or no. Oh, that men would pity themselves! Or rather; Oh, that God would pity your souls, and make you to consider the latter end of your sins! At last they will bite like an Adder, and sting like a Serpent.
Secondly, This privative destruction, lyeth in the want of all comfort and peace, and joy that might be in the soul. Take away the Sunne, and there remaineth nothing but horrible darknesse; take God away, and the soul is full of all darknesse and horrour. Hence in Hell are said to be gnawing wormes, and weeping and wailing, and gnashing of teeth. Dives desired but a drop of water to coole his tongue, and but the top of his tongue, yet could not obtain it; not a drop, and for the top of the tongue. This was to shew that there could not be the least comfort, the least ease, the least quietnesse of conscience; and indeed this is the great part of Hell. Some have thought Hell to be nothing but the torments and horrour of conscience, but the Scripture cannot so be put off Yet certainly, this is the Hell of Hell, the greatest part of destruction, that the guilt of a mans sinnes shall perpetually gnaw and teare his conscience, which will then be awakened, and will fall like so much scalding Lead into the eye of a man. And if a good conscience be a continual Feast, that tormenting disquieted conscience in Hell, will be a continual unspeakable ⟨p. 224⟩evil. Oh, we see but what the very drops of this torment hath wrought upon men! Cain went up and down trembling, all the pleasures, all the delights, and travils he took, could not drive out that trembling. Judas, with what horrour doth he cry out? He cannot beare his burden. And therefore the damned brought in, crying to the mountains to cover them, and the hils to hide them, Rev. 6.16. Oh, is this nothing to you, or a light matter, who sit and hear these things! Those grosse and foul sinnes, which now make no torment nor gripings in thy conscience; thou canst runne into all beastly excesse, and thou findest no gnawing worms upon thee: Oh, consider, and believe it, the time is coming when conscience will be awakened, and not the least corner of thy soul will be freed from torments and howlings! Go on then, and eat and drink, and care for none of these things; but remember this, destruction will fall upon thee whether thou wilt or no. Oh, that men would pitty themselves! Or rather; Oh, that God would pitty your souls, and make you to consider the latter end of your sinnes! At last they will bite like an Adder, and sting like a Serpent.
