Query: Hell

HELL

QUERY 1. Is there a hell or not?

To answer this, I shall make it appear, first, from the confession of heathens who had only the glimmerings of nature and never saw the Bible, and, second, from the testimony of Scripture.

First, from the confession of heathens. Though they could not tell distinctly (never being acquainted with the Word) yet, by the glimmering light of nature, they had some fancies and apprehensions of this place of the damned. They had one called Pluto who was the chief person in hell. He chiefly tormented those who were most wicked. They had their Charon's boats, a fancy that there was a man with a boat who ferried over wicked persons into hell. They had their Aetna, their burning mountains which they fancied to be hell. And they fancied hell to be a continual rolling of stones upon dead bodies, along with many other fancies. And so Pluto had many footsteps of hell. He said, "If a man has no punishment after he is dead, he shall have some guilt in him to torture and torment him." All these were merely apprehensions of hell, but these I pass.

Second, as you have a testimony from heathens, so you have this truth clearly from Scripture will but name two or three texts.

So Psalm 9:1, 'be turned into hell, and all the people that forget God." So Psalm 11:6: "Upon the wicked He shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and a horrible tempest." So Matthew 23:33: "Ye serpents, and generations of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell?" 2 Peter 2:4: "He cast them down to hell. They are locked up in chains of darkness to be reserved unto judgment." So Jude 6: "They are reserved in everlasting chains of darkness to the judgment of the great day." All these plainly prove that there is a hell.

QUERY 2. Why there must be a hell?

It appears by these demonstrations.

First, because of the filthy nature of sin. Sin is against an infinite God, and the offense being infinite, the punishment must be infinite also. But the punishment cannot be infinite upon earth because you stay here but a while and your bodies rot in the grave.
Therefore, of necessity, there must be a hell that must keep the bodies and souls of the wicked so that they may receive proportionable punishment to the sins they committed here upon the earth.

Second, because else the justice of God could never be satisfied for the sins of wicked men done here upon earth. And the reason is, first, because Christ would not satisfy and suffer God's wrath for wicked men; therefore, they must bear it themselves. Second, upon earth they cannot satisfy God's wrath. Why? Because sin, being an infinite offense, their punishment can be but finite, lasting for a time. Therefore, all their sufferings here cannot satisfy God's wrath due to them for their sins. Therefore, of necessity, there must be a hell to keep men to all eternity so that, by everlasting torments, Gods justice may be satisfied, which otherwise it could not be, 2 Thess. 1:6.

Third, it appears there must be a hell by those horrors and terrors of conscience that are in wicked men when they are dying. Many a man in his health will tush at hell; he will scorn the fire and scoff at the flames. Many a man, while he is in health, never thinks of hell; but he can drink one day, swear an other day, play the adulterer the third day, and sin every day, and the thoughts of hell never trouble him. But now bring this man to his sickbed and what horrors and fears seize upon his soul! Should a healthy drunkard appeal to himself when dying (as one said he would appeal from King Philip drunk to King Philip sober, who thereupon repealed his act and did the man justice), he would say this, "You who by your sinning have spent your strength and estate in drink, and do not think of hell when you are drunk, I would appeal to you, a dying man." Tell me, what would you say then? What would you then give for Christ? What would you then give for a pardon that you might not be damned? The very horrors and wounds of conscience at your dying day demonstrate that there is a time of torments to be endured by you. Else how should conscience be so terrible a vexation to the souls of men at that day were there not such a thing as hell provided for them? What made the Roman emperors to be afraid of death, and, when it thundered, to run under their beds for fear of death? Only this, that the very workings of conscience showed them something was to come after this life. The very terrors of conscience declare there is a hell, a place of torment provided for wicked men. And thus having finished these queries, the use I shall make shall be for condemnation and astonishment