Fire and brimstone from heaven, from earth, in hell, or, Three discourses I. Concerning…

The blind Heathen were persuaded of this; for however they were ignorant of Christ, and his first coming to redeem the World, as also of the Resurrection, and his second coming to Judge the World; yet by the light of nature and reasonings from thence, they arrived to the understanding of a Deity, who was both just and good, as also that the soul was immortal, and that both rewards and punishment were prepared for the souls of men after this life, according as they were found, either virtuous or vicious; and therefore as they did feign such a place as Elysian Fields, where the virtuous ⟨p. 90⟩should spend an eternity in pleasures: So also a place called Tartarum, or Hell, where the vicious and impious should be eternally tormented. This Tartarum the Poets did set forth with many fictions, to affright people from vicious practices▪ such as of the four Lakes of Acheron, St•x, Phlegethon, and Cocytus, over which Charon in his Boat did waft over the departed souls; of the three Judges Aeacus, Minos, and Rhadamanthus, who were to call the souls to an account. and judge them to their state; of the three furies Tisophone, Megaera, and […], who lashed guilty souls to extort confession from them: of Cerberus the Dog of Hell with three Heads, which would let none come forth, when once they were in; and of several sorts of punishment inflicted, Iron chains, horrid stripes, gnawing of vultures, wheels, rolling great stones, and the like.

THe blind Heathen were perswaded of this; for however they were ignorant of Christ, and his first coming to redeem the World, as also of the Resurrection, and his second coming to Judge the World; yet by the light of nature and reasonings from thence, they arrived to the understanding of a Deity, who was both just and good, as also that the soul was immortal, and that both rewards and punishment were prepared for the souls of men after this life, according as they were found, either vertuous or vicious; and therefore as they did feign such a place as Elizean Fields, where the vertuous ⟨p. 90⟩should spend an eternity in pleasures: So also a place called Tartarum, or Hell, where the vicious and impious should be eternally tormented. This Tartarum the Poets did set forth with many fictions, to affright people from vicious practices such as of the four Lakes of Acheron, Stx, Phlegethon, and Cocytus, over which Charon in his Boat did waft over the departed souls; of the three Judges Aeacus, Minos, and Rhadamanthus, who were to call the souls to an account. and judge them to their state; of the three furies Tisophone, Megaera, and , who lashed guilty souls to extort confession from them: of Cerberus the Dog of Hell with three Heads, which would let none come forth, when once they were in; and of several sorts of punishment inflicted, Iron chains, horrid stripes, gnawing of vultures, wheels, rowling great stones, and the like.