[2.] It is without intermission : Eev. xx. 10, ' They shall be tor- mented day and night, for ever and ever.' Not a drop to cool their
VeR. 41.] SERMONS UPON MATTHEW XXV. 99
tongues. Here sin is everlasting ; all day it runneth in the mind, and all night it playeth in the fancy. Wicked men begin the morning with it, and end the day with it. Man is ever haunted with his own horrors, and the wrath of God inflicted upon him.
Thirdly, The next aggravation is, it is ' prepared for the devil and his angels ; ' for them principally, and others to bear them company : Satan, and all that are seduced by him, are tormented together. There is a principality among the devils, one that was chief and ringleader in the rebellion against God, he and his angels ; and then wicked men make up the company in that region of darkness. It was a sad judgment on Nebuchadnezzar when he was turned out among the beasts ; but the cursed of the Lord are turned out among (■ v.ls. If a man knew a house were haunted, he would not lie in it for a night. You must keep company with Satan and his angels for evermore. The saints enjoy God, and have the company of good angels ; but you must dwell with devils. If the devil should appear to thee in some terrible shape, would not thy heart fail thee ? Thou canst not look upon any in hell but thou must remember enemies to thy soul as well as to God.
Use 1. This should make us consider the folly of sinners, that will run this hazard for a little temporal satisfaction ; for as he cried out, ' For how short a pleasure have I lost a kingdom ! ' when he had parted with his sovereignty for a draught of water ; so you, out of a desire of present contentment, forfeit heaven, and run the hazard of eternal torments. When thou art about to sin, think of this. We need all kind of helps.
1. To stir us up to godliness. If men were as they should be, sweet arguments would be enough; but now we need the scourge. It is good to counterbalance any temptation, when it is violent. My heart will call me fool to all eternity. Can I dwell with everlasting burnings ?
2. To rouse us up to the consideration of our natural misery.
[1.] Partly that we may ' flee from the wrath to come,' Mat. iii. 7. There is no way but by Jesus Christ. We need every day to look back. In their flight to Zoar they were not to look back upon Sodom, lest there should be relentings kindled. But it is good to look back in this sense ; we shall see nothing but fire and brimstone behind us.
[2.] That we may be thankful to Christ: 1 Thes. i. 10, 'Even Jesus, which hath delivered us from wrath to come.' He was sub- stituted in our room and place ; he suffered a kind of hell in his own soul, or else this must have been our portion.
Use 2. Are we of the number ? There is a catalogue of the damned crew : Kev. xxi. 8, ' But the fearful, and unbelieviag, and abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone.' The fearful ; such as, for the fear of men, swerve from the holy profession and practice of godliness. The unbelieving ; all that remain in an impenitent estate. Abominable, murderers, whoremongers ; impure gnostics, such as ranters : 1 Cor. vi. 9, ' Be not deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor
100 SERMONS UPON MATTHEW XXV. [SeR. XXVII.
covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.' Is there any likelihood of deceit there. Cor- rupt nature is always devising one shift or another wherein to harden conscience. Idolaters; it is dangerous not to be right in worship. The covetous cometh in, Gal. v. 5, 'Nor covetous man, who is an idolater : let no man deceive you ; for because of these things, the wrath of God cometh upon the children of disobedience.' We think it a small matter. All liars ; not only the gross liar, but the heretic ; as heresy is called a lie : it is good to keep to the pattern of sound words. The hypocrite's hell is his portion: Mat. xxiv. 51, 'Appoint him his portion with the hypocrites : there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' Hypocrisy, it is a practical lie.
SERMON XXVII.
And tliese shall go away into everlasting punishment : hut the righteous into life eternal. — Mat. XXV. 46.
The words are a conclusion of a notable scheme and draft which Christ gives us of the last judgment. In that day there will be — (1.) A congregation ; (2.) A segregation ; (3.) A discussion of the cause ; (4.) A solemn doom and sentence, both of absolution and condemna- tion ; (5.) And, lastly, execution, without which the whole process of that day would be but a solemn and useless pageantry. The execu- tion is in the text ; wherein observe —