not find it." The fire of hell is such as multitudes of tears will not quench it, — length of time will not finish it, — the vial of God's wrath will be always dropping upon a sinner. As long as God is eternal, he lives for ever to be avenged upon tlie wicked. O Eternity ! Eternti y ! who can fathom it ? Mariners haA'e their plum- mets to measure the depths of the sea ; but what line or plummet shall we use to fa- thom the depth of eternity? The breath of the Lord kindles the infernal lake, Isa. XXX. 33. ; and where shall we have engines or buckets to quench that fire? O Eter- nity ! If all the body of the earth and sea were turned to sand, and all the air up to the starry heaven were nothing but sand, and a little bird should come every thou- sand years and fetch away in her bill but the tenth part of a grain of all that heap of sand, what a numberless number of years would be spent before that vast heap of sand would be fetched away ? Yet, if at the end of all that time, the sinner might come out of hell, (though long) yet there would be some hope : but this word Ever, breaks the heart ! " The smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever." What a terror is this to the wicked, enough to put them into a cold sweat, to think, as long as God is eternal, he lives for ever to be avenged upon sinners !
Qiiest. Here a question may be moved, Why sin that is committed in a slwrt time should be punished eternally ?
Ans. We must hold with St. Augustine, " that God's judgments on the wicked, — occultu esse possunt, injusta esse non possunt, — may be secret, but never unjust." Tlie reason why sin connnitted in a short time is eternally punished, is, because every sin is committed against an infinite essence, and no less than eternity of punishment can satisfy. Why is treason punished with confiscation and death, but because it is a gainst the king's person, which is sacred : much more that offence which is against God's crown and dignity is of an heinous and infinite nature, and cainiot be satisfied with less tlLin eternal punishment.
Use 2d. Of comfort to the godly. God is eternal, therefore lives for ever to reward the godly, Rom. ii. 7., " To them who seek
OF THE ETERNITY OF GOD
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for clory and honour, eternal life." The people of God here are in a suff. ring con- dition : Acts XX. 23., " Bonds and aflli;- tiotis abide me." Tiie head being crowned with thorns, the feet must not tread upon roses. Tlie wicked are clad in purple and fare deliciously, while the godly suffer. Goats climb upon high mountains, while Christ's sheep are in the valley of slaughter. But here is the comfort : God is eternal, and he hath appointed eternal recompenses for the saints, — in heaven are fresh delights, sweetness without surfeit, and that which is the crown and zenith of heaven's happi- ness, is, it is * eternal,' 1 John ii. 2.5. Were there but the least suspicion that this glory must cease, it would much eclipse, yea embitter it ; but it is eternal. WHiat angel can span eternity? 2 Cor. iv. 17., " An eternal weight of glory." The saints shall bathe themselves in the rivers of di- \'ine pleasure ; and these rivers can never be dried up, Ps. xvi. II., " At thy right hand are pleasures for evermore." This is the Elali, the highest strain in the apostle's rhetoric, 1 Thess. iv. 17., " Ever with the Lord." There is peace without trouble, — ease without pain, — glory without end, — " ever with the Lord." Let this comfort the saints in all their troubles ; their suffer- ings are but short, but their reward is eter- nal. Eternity makes heaven to be heaven : 'tis the diamond in the ring. O blessed day that shall have no night ! The sun-light of glory shall rise upon the soul, and never set ! O blessed spring, that shall have no autumn, or fall of the leaf! The Koman emperors have three ci'owns set u])on their heads, the first of iron, the second of silver, the third of gold : so the Lord sets three crowns on his cliildren, — grace, — comfort, — and glory. And this crown is eternal, I Pet. V. 4., " Ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." The wicked have a never-dying worm, and the godly a never-fading crown. O how should this be a spur to virtue ! How willing should we be to work for God ! Though we had nothing here, God hath time enough to re- ward his people ; the crown of eternity shall be set upon their head.
Use S(L Of exhortation. 1. In general, study eternity. Our thoughts should chief-