Discourses, or, Sermons on several Scriptures

Or if it be possible that in your deepest Thoughts you can conceive any thing more dreadful than this, you may call it a Sea of molten Brimstone, set all on fire, and continually spewing out sooty dark Flames, wherein endless Multitudes of sinful Wretches must lye tumbling to all Eternity, burnt up with the fierceness of a tormenting and devouring Fire, scourged with Scorpions, stung with fiery Serpents, howling and roaring incessantly, and none to pity, much less to relieve and help them, grinding and gnashing their Teeth through the extremity of their Anguish and Torture. ⟨p. 132⟩If now you can fancy any thing more terrible and dreadful than this, Hell is that, yea and much more: For these things are Metaphorical; and though I cannot deny but some of these may be properly and literally true, yet the literal sense of these Metaphors do but faintly and weakly show us what the least part of those everlasting Torments are.

Or if it be possible that in your deepest Thoughts you can conceive any thing more dreadful than this, you may call it a Sea of molten Brimstone, set all on fire, and continually spewing out sooty dark Flames, wherein endless Multitudes of sinful Wretches must lye tumbling to all Eternity, burnt up with the fierceness of a tormenting and devouring Fire, scourged with Scorpions, stung with fiery Serpents, howling and roaring incessantly, and none to pity, much less to relieve and help them, grinding and gnashing their Teeth through the extremity of their Anguish and Torture. ⟨p. 132⟩If now you can fancy any thing more terrible and dreadful than this, Hell is that, yea and much more: For these things are Metaphorical; and though I cannot deny but some of these may be properly and litterally true, yet the litteral sense of these Metaphors do but faintly and weakly shew us what the least part of those everlasting Torments are.

Secondly, Another Demonstration of the dreadfulness of this Vengeance is this, That it is a Wrath that shall come up unto, and equal all our Fears. You know what an inventive and ingenious thing Fear is, what horrid Shapes it can fancy to it self out of every thing: Put but an active Fancy into an Affright, and presently the whole World will be filled