The misery of those, who, besides losing the Saint's Rest, lose the enjoyments of time, and suffer the torments of hell.
§ 1. The connexion of this with the preceding chapter. § 2. (I.) The enjoyments of time which the damned lose: § 3. (1.) Their presumptuous belief of their interest in God and Christ: § 4. (2.) All their hopes: § 5. (3.) All their peace of conscience: § 6. (4.) All their carnal mirth: § 7. (5.) All their sensual delights: § 8. (II.) The torments of the damned are exceeding great: § 9. (1.) The principal author of them is God himself: § 10. (2.) The place or state of torment: § 11. (3.) These torments are the effects of Divine vengeance: § 12. (4.) God will take pleasure in executing them: § 13. (5.) Satan and sinners themselves will be God's executioners: § 14. (6.) These torments will be universal: § 15. (7.) without any mitigation: § 16. (8.) and eternal: § 17. The obstinate sinner convinced of his folly in venturing on these torments: § 18. and entreated to fly for safety to Christ.
§ 1. As _godliness hath a promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come_; and if we _seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness_, then _all_ meaner _things shall be added unto us_: So also are the ungodly threatened with the loss both of spiritual and temporal blessings, and because they sought not first God's kingdom and righteousness, therefore shall they lose both it and that which they did seek, and there _shall be taken from them that_ little _which they have_. If they could but have kept their present enjoyments, they would not have much cared for the loss of heaven. If they had _lost and forsaken all for Christ_, they would have found all again in him; for he would have been _all in all_ to them. But now they have forsook Christ for other things, they shall lose Christ, and that also for which they forsook him; even—the enjoyments of time—besides suffering the torments of hell.
§ 2. (I.) Among the enjoyments of time, they shall particularly lose—their presumptuous belief of their interest in the favor of God, and the merits of Christ;—all their hopes;—all their false peace of conscience;—all their carnal mirth;—and all their sensual delights.
§ 3. (1.) They shall lose their presumptuous belief of their interest in the favor of God and the merits of Christ. This false belief now supports their spirits, and defends them from the terrors that would otherwise seize upon them. But what will ease their trouble, when they can believe no longer, nor rejoice any longer? If a man be near to the greatest mischief, and yet strongly conceit that he is in safety, he may be as cheerful as if all were well. If there were no more to make a man happy, but to believe that he is so, or shall be so, happiness would be far more common than it is like to be. As true faith is the leading grace in the regenerate, so is false faith the leading vice in the unregenerate. Why do such multitudes sit still, when they might have pardon; but that they verily think they are pardoned already? If you could ask thousands in hell, what madness brought them thither? they would most of them answer, "We made sure of being saved, till we found ourselves damned. We would have been more earnest seekers of regeneration, and the power of godliness, but we verily thought we were Christians before. We have flattered ourselves into these torments, and now there is no remedy." Reader, I must in faithfulness tell thee, that the confident belief of their good state, which the careless, unholy, unhumbled multitude so commonly boast of, will prove in the end but a soul-damning delusion. There is none of this believing in hell. It was Satan's stratagem, that being blindfold they might follow him the more boldly; but then he will uncover their eyes, and they shall see where they are.