In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the urgency of repentance and salvation. He refers to the story of Noah's Ark and how nobody listened to God's warning and got into the ark. The preacher highlights the consequences of neglecting one's soul, including death, judgment, and eternal damnation. He urges sinners to awaken and turn to God before it is too late. The sermon also mentions the example of a young girl who fervently sought salvation and encourages listeners to follow her example.

Christ depicts hell as a place where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched, as a furnace of fire. It's referred to as the lake of fire and brimstone. We cited that scene from Luke 16, and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame. Just give me a little drop on the end of his finger. My throat is parched. I'm in torment. So what the Lord said is a place of weeping and wailing. Can you imagine what it would be like if we could open the lid of hell and hear the weeping and the wailing of the damned? What pain I can't describe. I read about, you know, I read about those that have suffered third-degree burns, put in special burn units. I read about the debridement, where they have to take away their dead flesh. I read about them groaning and crying and screaming because of the pain. And then I think, little men realize, I think the power and the depth of the wrath of God. Imagine every part of your body being on fire at the same time so that every fiber of your being is feeling the intense torment of being burned. Imagine. But the most terrible thing about hell remains yet to be said. More awful than the fact that it is a place of torment and alleviated in both body and soul, in varying degrees. Indeed, the most awful thing that can be said about it, the inconceivably terrible thing about it, is that it's empty. You know and I know, in this world, it doesn't make any difference what the pain is. It may be something like a toothache. It may be a heart attack. It may be light. It may be excruciating. But if we can only say to ourselves, tomorrow it'll be better. In a year I'll be cured. Or of whatever distress we have. We know that it ends with the grave. There's always some consolation, no matter what the pain, in the hope that it will cease. A time will come when there'll be no more. On the other hand, suppose you had anything. It wouldn't make any difference. Trifling, call it a toothache if you please. A headache. With the knowledge that you'd have it forever. Would never get the slightest bit better. You'd never wake up one morning and find it's gone. Never would be. Just something like that. With the aggravation of the knowledge that it would always be with you. That's what Jesus Christ says about the world to come. It's not only punishment. It's eternal punishment. That's the word. Eternal. That's the awesome word. If only it were something other than eternal. But it isn't. It's eternal. Jesus Christ has various ways of expressing this. I call your attention just to one or two of them. One figure he uses, you all know. He describes hell as a place where the fire is not quenched and the worm dieth not. What's the meaning of that kind of imagery? Well when Jesus Christ refers to the place where the worm dieth not he is referring to one method of destroying the human body after it has died. Namely by burying it in the earth and having it consumed by maggots. You all know full well that when we do place a body in the ground it decays, it's destroyed, it's consumed. But as soon as a maggot has devoured a body the maggot dies because it has no more food on which to sustain its own existence. And the body having been destroyed, it perishes. When Jesus Christ therefore describes hell as a place where the worm dieth not hell is a place where the worm is at war, is never destroyed because the body it doesn't die because that it devours is never consumed. The fire is a reference to the other method by which we dispose of dead bodies, namely cremation. We know that when a body is burned as soon as the body has been completely consumed the fire goes out. It has no more fuel to sustain it. When Jesus Christ describes this place this hell, this coming judgment as a place where the fire is not quenched the meeting again is unmistakable. The fire doesn't go out because that which is burning is never consumed. How could you think of language more graphic, more vivid, more unmistakable? The fire is not quenched. The worm dieth not. Go to heaven by coming to earth. And if a man or woman doesn't come in time all the speechifying of priests and so-called good people will not take the soul from hell and put it into heaven. Oh, the deceivers that these ecumenical ministers are! These ungodly men! These blinded men! They will not tell the people the truth but one day the people in hell we read will rise up against them and they will say to them hast thou fallen like us into hell? Read the Bible and find out what's going to happen to these lying clergymen that tell people that you never go to hell. Romans 1, 28, 32 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient being filled with all unrighteousness fornication, wickedness, covetousness maliciousness, full of envy, murder debauch, deceit, malignity, whisperers black biters, haters of God disdainful, proud, boasters inventors of evil things disobedient to parents without understanding covenant breakers without natural affection implacable, unmerciful knowing the judgment of God that they which commit such things are worthy of death not only do the same but of pleasure in them that do them Romans 1, verses 28 to 32 Oh, he's been down there all this time that fellow, the rich man's body according to the scriptures, still in the grave his old brain's long since decayed but his memories with him in hell I'll tell you, memories can be mighty sweet or they can be awfully bitter son, remember remember Lord, let's be done with this now what's done's done let's just take me on a tour he remembers I went and the lady's head down and Abraham says, son there's a man going around he remembers being warned of his wife he remembers that he and he washed his but he never did get rid of his blood and it's still and there's a little girl and she looks up what a day it'll bring for gonna get into the algae now a big hen can kill men that spite no, no, no, no in the presence of the Holy Father in the presence of the Holy Son in the presence and with God's holy book in my hand I would cry out to you flee flee flee from the wrath that is to come Adam and Eve never knew the man who lived in the age before the flood never knew they would enlarge hell but they did the nation of the Jews never knew it would enlarge hell but it did the Christian church by apostasy never dreamed it would enlarge hell but it did consider, dear sinner friend this night your latter end your end is near sinner awake before your doom is eternally and forever sealed beware of taking the first step and what is the first step to an enlarged hell it's neglecting God's salvation the holy word speaks nothing but God's eternal truth and it asks the question how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation the neglecting of salvation is taking a step which seals your loss of salvation forever your sins have put you in a lost condition by neglecting salvation you take the first of these three steps which will lead you to eternal damnation why do you neglect dear sinner friend why do you neglect the salvation of your immortal soul you know that you're a sinner you know very well that the wages of sin is death you know very well that after death there is judgment you know there is a heaven you know there is a hell you know that if you live in your sins you will die in your sins you will be buried in your sins you'll rise again from the dead in your sins you will appear before the God of heaven on his great white throne judgment in your sins and if you appear before God in your sins you will go to that hell of which this chapter speaks a hell enlarged to take your doomed and damned soul forever you know all this and yet you neglect God's salvation oh dear sinner awake before it is forever too late oh immortal soul listen to this solemn fact if you do not turn from neglecting your soul you will be damned forever more withdraw your feet this very night from the broad road that leads to hell accept the cleansing blood of Christ which purchased you for Christ upon his cross oh take God's grace now the forgiveness of sins by the blood of the lamb it was Bishop J.C. Ryle the first Church of England Bishop of Liverpool who said this the saddest road to hell is that which runs under the pulpit where the gospel is preached pass the Bible where the gospel is recorded and through the midst of warnings and invitations beware neglect not do not neglect God's salvation