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

Thirdly, Consider the nearness of this punishment of Hell. The sands of your life are running apace; the time of your abode here is wasting very fast, your bodies will quickly be in the Grave, and if you dye in your Sins, your soul will be as quickly in Hell. You cannot long escape this punishment; You may shuffle the thoughts of God and future wrath out of your mind for a time, you may busy your thoughts about other thing; whilst you▪ are here; but all these things will shortly shrink away from you, and leave you naked, and you must stand before God to be judged by him, and to be condemned by him, and to be punished by him; God will meet you as a Bear bereaved of her whelps, and rend the caul of your heart, or like a roaring Lion, and rear you in pieces; when there shall be none to deliver; God will take you into his hand, and throw you out of his presence into the bottomless gulf of unquenchable burnings: me thinks this should awaken you.

Thirdly, Consider the neerness of this punishment of Hell. The sands of your life are running apace; the time of your abode here is wasting very fast, your bodies will quickly be in the Grave, and if you dye in your Sins, your soul will be as quickly in Hell. You cannot long escape this punishment; You may shuffle the thoughts of God and future wrath out of your minde for a time, you may busie your thoughts about other thing; whilst you▪ are here; but all these things will shortly shrink away from you, and leave you naked, and you must stand before God to be judg'd by him, and to be condemned by him, and to be punished by him; God will meet you as a Bear bereaved of her whelps, and rend the caul of your heart, or like a roaring Lion, and rear you in pieces; when there shall be none to deliver; God will take you into his hand, and throw you out of his presence into the bottomless gulph of unquenchable burnings: me thinks this should awaken you.

Fourthly, And lastly, consider the everlastingness of Hell-fire, and your torment which there you must endure, if you be found in the number of unbelievers. The wrath of God will never be at an end, the Worm of your conscience will never dye, and the Fire of Hell will never go out; but the smoke of your torment will ascend up for ever and ever, when you have been the space of as many Years in Hell, as there Stars in the Firmament, as