[b]All the hell that you shall ever have![/b]("The Mute Christian Under the Smarting Rod" or, "The Silent Soul with Sovereign Antidotes" by Thomas Brooks, 1659, London.)Consider Christian, that all your . . . trials and troubles, calamities and miseries, crosses and losses,which you meet with in this world--isall the hell that you shall ever have!Here and now you have your hell. Hereafter you shall have your heaven! This is the worst of your condition; the best is yet to come! Lazarus had his hell first, his heaven last; but Dives had his heaven first, and his hell at last. You have all your pangs, and pains, and throes here--that ever you shall have! Your ease, and rest, and pleasure--is yet to come!Here you have all your bitters;your sweets are yet to come! Here you have your sorrows;your joys are yet to come! Here you have all your winter nights;your summer days are yet to come!Here you have your evil things;your good things are yet to come! Death will put an end to all your sins--and to all your sufferings! Death will be an inlet to those joys, delights, and comforts--which shall never have an end! Who can seriously meditate upon this, and not be silent under God's most smarting rod?
_________________SI Moderator - Greg Gordon
Hallelujah!
I was reading through this text and I am UNDONE!!Christian! Your present afflictions are not greatif compared with the afflictions and torments of many of the damned, who when they were in this world, never sinned at so high a rate as you have done! There are many now in hell, who never sinned against such clear light as you have done, nor against such special love as you have done, nor against such precious mercies as you have done! Certainly there are many nowa-roaring in everlasting burnings, who never sinned as you have done! What are your afflictions, your present tormentscompared to the torments of the damned, whose torments are . . . numberless, bottomless, remediless, and endless!Whose pains are without intermission of mitigation; who have: weeping served for the first course, and gnashing of teeth for the second course, and the gnawing worm for the third course, and intolerable pain for the fourth course! Yet the pain of the body is least part of pain. The very soul of sorrow and pain is the soul's sorrow and pain! The everlasting alienation and separation from God is served for the fifth course!Ah, Christian! how can you seriously think on these things and not lay your hand upon your moutheven when you are under the greatest temporal sufferings? Your sins have been far greater than many of those who are now in hell, and your 'great' afflictions are but a flea-bite! compared to theirs! Therefore hush your murmuring, and be silent before the Lord!