But as Flea-Bitings
The sermon warns of the eternal torments of hell, prepared by God for the wicked, and compares them to earthly sufferings.
Thomas Brooks warns of the dreadful reality of hell, describing it as a torment far greater than any earthly suffering. He emphasizes that the fire of Tophet, prepared by God, is eternal and unquenchable, reserved for the graceless and wicked. Brooks vividly illustrates the horrors of hell, where every sense is tormented, and contrasts the fleeting pains of this world with the everlasting agony of the next. He reminds listeners that just as there are varying degrees of glory in heaven, there are also varying degrees of torment in hell, highlighting the seriousness of one's spiritual state. The sermon serves as a sobering call to repentance and a reminder of the eternal consequences of one's choices.
Text
"Topheth has long been prepared; it has been made ready for the king. Its fire pit has been made deep and wide, with an abundance of fire and wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of burning sulfur, sets it ablaze." Isaiah 30:33
Alas! the brick-kilns of Egypt, and the furnace of Babylon, were but as a blaze of straw, compared to this tormenting Tophet, which has long been prepared for the great and mighty ones of the earth!
Oh, how dreadful must that fire be--which is prepared by God Himself, and which is kindled by the breath of the Lord, and which shall never be quenched! Such is the fire which is prepared for the great and mighty ones of the world! Oh, the easeless, the endless, the remediless, the inevitable torments which are prepared for those who are graceless!
In hell their wanton eyes shall be tormented with ugly and fearful sights of ghastly spirits! In hell their ears, which used to be delighted with all delightful music, shall now be filled with the hideous cries, howlings, and yellings of devils and damned spirits! In hell their tongues of blasphemy shall now be tormented with drought and thirst; and though with the rich glutton, they cry out for a drop to cool their tongues--yet justice will deny them drops, who have denied others crumbs! In hell their hands of bribery, cruelty, and tyranny shall now be bound with everlasting chains, and so shall their feet, which were once swift to shed innocent blood.
In a word, their torments shall be universal--they shall extend to every member of the body, and to every faculty of the soul.
Ah, sirs! Fire, sword, famine, prisons, racks, and all other torments which men can invent--are but as flea-bitings, compared to those scorpions! They are but as drops, compared to those vials of wrath! They are but as sparks, compared to those eternal flames that all unsanctified people shall lie under.
Look! as the least joy in heaven infinitely surpasses the greatest comforts on earth, so the least torments in hell do infinitely exceed the greatest that can be devised here on earth.
Ah, sirs! Remember this--as there are degrees of glory in heaven--just so, there are degrees of torment in hell. As those who are most eminent in grace and holiness shall have the greatest degrees of glory in heaven--just so, those who are most vile and wicked on earth shall have the greatest degrees of torments and punishments in hell.
Sermon Outline
- I. The Preparation of Hell
- A. Topheth has long been prepared for the king
- B. The fire pit has been made deep and wide
- C. The breath of the Lord sets it ablaze
- II. The Torments of Hell
- A. The fire is prepared by God Himself
- B. The fire is kindled by the breath of the Lord
- C. The torments are endless and remediless
- III. The Extent of Torments
- A. Torments extend to every member of the body
- B. Torments extend to every faculty of the soul
- IV. The Comparison of Torments
- A. Fire, sword, famine, and other torments are but as flea-bitings
- B. The torments of hell infinitely exceed earthly torments
Key Quotes
“Fire, sword, famine, prisons, racks, and all other torments which men can invent--are but as flea-bitings, compared to those scorpions!” — Thomas Brooks
“As the least joy in heaven infinitely surpasses the greatest comforts on earth, so the least torments in hell do infinitely exceed the greatest that can be devised here on earth.” — Thomas Brooks
“As those who are most eminent in grace and holiness shall have the greatest degrees of glory in heaven--just so, those who are most vile and wicked on earth shall have the greatest degrees of torments and punishments in hell.” — Thomas Brooks
Application Points
- The torments of hell are a reality that should motivate us to live a life of holiness and obedience to God.
- The degree of torment in hell will be commensurate with the degree of wickedness on earth.
- We should not take earthly sufferings lightly, as they are but a faint shadow of the torments that await the wicked in hell.