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

I know that it is a great question amongst Divines, whether the fire of Hell, which shall burn the Wicked will be a Real fire, or a Metaphorica ⟨p. 96⟩fire. There are men of great name, who assert it to be a Metaphorical Fire only, and that because it is called a Fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels, who cannot be hurt by a real Fire; because the worm which never dyeth is Metaphorically taken for the everlasting gnawings of conscience; because the New Jerusalem, which is above is Metaphorically described to be of pure Gold, clear like Glass, the foundations to be garnished with all manner of precious Stones, and the Gates to be Pearls, Rev. 21. 18, 19. And by the same reason, they say the description of Hell in the Scripture is Metaphorical: those that thus affirm the Fire of Hell to be Metaphorical, are so far from lessening the torment hereby, which this Fire will inflict, that they so much the more aggravate it, because that Metaphorical fire, they say will afflict more than if it were Real fire; for as the glory of the New Jerusalem, that Building of God made without hands eternal in the Heavens, doth far surpass all Metaphors, whereby it is set forth, which are made use of only to help our understanding in the conceiving of it's Glory: so also the pain and torture of the damned in Hell, will be more horrible and intolerable, than if they were to be cast into Nebuchadnezzar's fiery Furnace, when it was heated seven times more than it was wont to be heat; insomuch as the Metaphor doth come far beneath the thing, which it is used to set forth.

I know that it is a great question amongst Divines, whether the fire of Hell, which shall burn the Wicked will be a Real fire, or a Metaphorica ⟨p. 96⟩fire. There are men of great name, who assert it to be a Mataphorical Fire only, and that because it is called a Fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels, who cannot be hurt by a real Fire; because the worm which never dyeth is Mataphorically taken for the everlasting gnawings of conscience; because the New Ierusalem, which is above is Metaphorically described to be of pure Gold, clear like Glass, the foundations to be garnished with all manner of precious Stones, and the Gates to be Pearls,