[2.] Foena seiisus, ' into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.' (1.) Into fire, not purifying, but tormenting ; for so hell is a place of torment, and a state of torment : Luke xvi. 24, ' I am horribly tormented in this flame ; ' and ver. 25, ' He is comforted, and thou art tormented ;' ver. 29, ' That they come not into this place of torment.' (2.) It is for duration, everlasting fire. It had a beginning, but will never have an end. The saints in all their troubles can see both banks and bottom ; tiiey never met with any such hard condition, but it had an end ; but here there still remaineth a fearful looking for more fiery indignation from the Lord. The glory which they refused is everlasting glory, and the torments which they incur are everlasting torments. (3.) It is said, ' Prepared for the devil and his angels.' This showeth the greatness of the misery or the wicked. Tlie devil and his angels must be their everlasting companions ; they who enter- tained his suggestions in their hearts shall then remain for ever in his company and society. As Christ with his blessed angels and saints make one kingdom or family, living together in perpetual blessedness ;
360 SERMONS UPON ROMANS VIII. [SeK. XLIV,
SO the devil and his angels, and the wicked, make one society, living together in perpetual misery. This is the sentence of condemnation — the christian notion of it.
2. The difficulty to get rid of these feai'S.
[1.] We all deserve condemnation upon many accounts, both upon the account of original sin : Eom. v. 18, ' As by the offence of one judgment came upon all to condemnation, so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all to justification of life.' Our actual ofiPences make it more our due ; for 'the wages of sin is death,' Kom. vi. 23. The second death as well as the first.
[2.] In our natural estate we were actually condemned by the sen- tence of the law, which is confirmed by the gospel, if we refuse the offered remedy : John iii. 18, 19, ' He that believeth not, is condemned already;' and ver. 12, 'This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil.'
[3.] Our consciences own it, that where there is guilt there will be con- demnation ; and therefore ' our own hearts condemn us,' 1 John iii. 20. And unless this condemnation be reversed, and that upon good grounds, we can have no firm and solid peace within ourselves. Conscience speak- eth aloud this truth, and is the more to be regarded ; partly because —
(1.) The fears of the guilty creature are founded in the nature of Grod, his holiness and justice. His pure holiness: Hab. i. 13, 'Thou art of purer eyes than to behold iniquity.' It is a natural truth that sin is displeasing to God, and maketh the sinner hateful and loathsome to him, and worthy to be cast off and punished by him. God's holi- ness is at the bottom of all our fears. We fear his wrath, because it is armed with an almighty power ; we fear his power, because it is set a-work by his justice; we fear his justice, because it is awakened by his holiness, which cannot endure sin and sinners : 1 Sam. vi. 20, ' And the men of Bethshemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God ?' So also on the other hand, all men's security ariseth from a misprision of God's nature, as if he were not so holy : Ps. 1. 21, ' Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself,' not much offended with sin. Now, for the justice of God: Kom. i. 32, They knewthe just judgment of God {SiKulcofia, his righteous dealing,) that they that do such things, are worthy of death.' He hath revealed his wrath from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. Men are convinced in their own consciences, that they are liable to his condenmation and judgment. The barbarous people of Melita had a sense that divine vengeance followed sinners : Acts xxviii. 4, 'He is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, vengeance suffereth not to live.' Therefore till God's justice be appeased a man can have no satisfaction in him.
(2.) The next reason, because of the deepness of the impres.sion. The conscience of sin is not easily blotted out ; man is conscious to himself that he hath offended God, and deserved his wrath ; and this trouble and fear is not easily appeased, nor the wounds of conscience healed. The apostle still goetli upon this argument against the Jews, that the sacrifices could not make the worshipper perfect as appertain- ing to the conscience, Heb. ix. 9, that is, perfectly remove the guilt, or
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the fear of condemnation and punishment, Heb. x. 2. The wor- shippers were never so purged as to have no conscience of sin ; so that the expiation and purging out of sin is no slight thing.