Christ's certain and sudden appearance to judgment

when they have spent the time of as many years in Hell as there are Stars in the Firmament, Sands on the Sea shore, and Moats in the Sun, their torment will be as it were beginning, and no nearer a conclusion; than the first day they were cast into that place. Who can express this eternity? when we launch forth our thoughts in the consideration thereof, we lose them quickly; it being such a deep which ⟨p. 141⟩cannot be fathomed, such a vast Ocean which cannot be measured; yet a little to extend your thoughts in the consideration of the Eternity of the wickeds punishment. I shall by one or two suppositions illustrate something of the vastness hereof.

when they have spent the time of as many years in Hel as there are Stars in the Firmament, Sands on the Sea shore, and Moats in the Sun, their torment wil be as it were beginning, and no nearer a conclusion; than the first day they were cast into that place. Who can express this eternity? when we lanch forth our thoughts in the consideration thereof, we lose them quickly; it being such a deep which ⟨p. 141⟩cannot be fathomed, such a vast Ocean which cannot be measured; yet a little to extend your thoughts in the consideration of the Eternity of the wickeds punishment. I shall by one or two suppositions illustrate something of the vastness hereof.

Suppose that this globe of Earth on which we tread were hollow, and that it were filled with great folio Books, as full as it could hold; and moreover there were Books heaped up upon it to fill the whole circumference of the air round about it; yea that the whole space of place to the uttermost verge of the Empyrean Heavens were filled with Books; and all this vast number of Books were filled with figures in the highest degree of multiplication; O what a number of Books would there be in the whole space of place? what a number of figures in these Books? and what a vast number would there be deciphered by these figures? A bit of paper half as broad as an half penny will hold the figure of the number of as many years as have been since the creation of the World; what then would a whole leaf of a great folio hold? what would a whole folio hold: what then would a room full of folios hold? but what would the whole World full of folios hold? now if at the end of time, when the wicked go to Hell, God should fill the whole space of the World with folios full of figures of numbers; and tell the wicked that every thousand year one of these numbers should be subtracted, and promise them when all the numbers were subtracted our of all these Books, they should have a release out of their torments; they would have a small spark of hope, that after the subtraction of so many millions,