CONSIDERATION XXVII
The Eternity of Hell
"And these shall go away into everlasting punishment." S. Matt xxv. 46.
First Point.
IF hell were not eternal it would not be hell; for that pain which does not last long, is not very great. One sick person has an abscess lanced, and another has a gangrene cauterised; the pain is great, but in a little while after the operation is completed, the pain is not very great. But what would the pain be if that cutting and that cauterising lasted for a week, or for an entire month? When a pain lasts for a long time, even should it be a very light one, such as the eye-ache or a swelling, it becomes unbearable. But why do I speak of pain? For a comedy or a concert that lasted over long, even for a day, would not be borne for weariness; how would it be if it lasted for a month or for a year? What then will hell be? in which it is not the hearing of the same comedy or music, or the suffering the eye-ache, or the swelling; nor is it suffering the torture of the lancing alone, or of the red-hot iron, but there will be all torments, all pains and for how long? Through all eternity, " Shall be tormented day and night, for ever and ever." (Rev. xx. 10.) The belief in this eternity, is an article of faith; it is not only a certain opinion, but is a truth witnessed to us by God in many places of Holy Scripture: " Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire." (S. Matt. xxv. 41.) "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment." (S. Matt. xxv. 45.) "Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction." (2 Thess. i. 9.) "Every one shall be salted with fire." (S. Mark ix. 48.) As salt preserves things, so the fire of hell, in the very time in which it torments the lost, performs the office of salt, preserving life to them. S. Bernard says, " There the fire consumes, that it may always, preserve."
Now, what madness would it be of any one, who, to obtain one day of pleasure should condemn himself to be shut up in a pit some twenty or thirty years. If hell were to last a hundred years; why do I say a hundred? if it should not last more than two or three years, still it would be great madness for a moment of vile pleasure to condemn oneself to two or three years of burning. But it does not treat of thirty, of a hundred, of a thousand, or of a million years, but of eternity; it is a question of suffering for ever, the same torments, which will never end, never be lightened even for a moment. The saints, therefore, had reason, whilst they were in this life, and even in danger of being condemned, to weep and to tremble. The blessed Isaiah although living in the desert in fasting and penitence, wept, saying, "Alas, unhappy me, for I am not yet delivered from the fire of hell."
Affections and Prayers.
O my God, hadst Thou sent me to hell, as truly many times I have deserved to be sent, and Thou through Thy pity hadst afterwards delivered me from it, how greatly would I have remained indebted to Thee? and from thenceforth what a holy life I should have begun to live? Now that with still greater mercy Thou hast preserved me from falling into it, what shall I do? Shall I turn again and offend and provoke Thee to scorn, in order that Thou mayest properly send me to burn in that prison of Thy rebels, where so many indeed truly burn for less sins than mine? Oh, my Redeemer, so have I acted in time past; instead of serving Thee in the time which Thou hast given me to weep over my sins, I have spent it in still further provoking Thee to anger. I thank Thy infinite goodness that has borne with me so long; if it had not been infinite, how could it ever have so borne with me? I thank Thee for having with so great patience waited for me till now, and I thank Thee especially for the light which Thou now givest me, by which Thou teachest me to know my madness, and the wrong that I
detest them, and I repent with my whole heart, pardon me by Thy Passion, and so assist me by Thy grace, that I may never offend Thee more. Justly now I ought to fear, that after another deadly sin Thou wilt abandon me. Oh, my Lord, I pray Thee, place before my eyes this just fear whenever the devil may tempt me to offend Thee again. My God, I love Thee, never will I lose Thee any more. Assist me by Thy grace, so that I may never more lose Thee.
Second Point.
He who once enters hell shall never leave it for all eternity. This thought made David tremble, and say, " Neither let the deep swallow me up, and let hot the pit shut her mouth upon me." (Ps. lxix. 15.) When the lost one has fallen into that pit of torment, the pit closes its mouth and opens it no more. In hell there is a door of entrance, but no door of exit; so Eusebius Emissenus says " there will be a descent, but no ascent," and he explains the Psalmist's words, " let not the pit shut her mouth upon me," (Ps. lxix. 15), as implying, that the pit, when it has received the wicked, is closed above and opened below. As long as the sinner lives, he can ever hold to the hope of a remedy; but if he shall be caught by death whilst in sin, all hope for him will be ended. " When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish." (Prov. xi. 7.) The lost, at least might be able to flatter themselves with this false hope, and so find some alleviation for their despair. That poor wounded one, confined to his bed, whom the physicians have despaired of being able to cure, yet flatters and consoles himself by saying, "Who knows, but that I may yet find some physician or some remedy to cure me?" That wretched one, condemned to the galleys for life, even comforts himself by saying, " Who knows, whether I shall succeed and free myself from these chains?" At least, I say, the lost might be able to say similarly, "Who knows, whether one day I shall leave this prison?" and so might be able to deceive themselves with this false hope. No. In hell there will be no hope, either true or false; no " Who knows?" " I will set before thee the things that thou hast done." (Ps. 1. 21.) The lost one will ever see his condemnation written before his eyes, that he must ever remain and weep in that pit of punishment. " Some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." (Dan. xii. 2.) Whence the lost not only suffer what they endure every moment, but they suffer in every moment the pain of eternity, saying, " That which I now suffer I have to suffer for ever;" as Tertullian says, "They bear the burden of eternity." Let us pray, then, to the Lord S. Augustine's prayer, " Here, burn Thou; here, cut Thou; here, spare not, that Thou mayest spare in eternity." The punishments of this life pass away. "Thine arrows went abroad." (Ps. lxxvii. 17.) But the chastisements of the other life never pass away. Let us fear these; let us fear that thunder, " the voice of Thy thunder," (Ps. lxxvii. 18); the thunder of eternal condemnation which will come forth from the mouth of the Judge in His judgment against the reprobate, " Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire." (S. Matt. xxv. 41.) " I, the Lord, have drawn forth My sword out of his sheath: it shall not return anymore." (Ezek. xxi. 5.) The punishment in hell will be great; but that which ought to terrify us the more, is, that it will be irrevocable.
But how, the hapless one will say, what justice is this? to punish a sin which lasts for a moment with an eternal punishment? But how, I reply, can a sinner dare, for a momentary pleasure, to offend a God of infinite majesty? Even according to human justice, says S. Thomas Aquinas, the punishment is not measured according to the duration of the sin, but according to its nature. "It is not because murder is committed in a moment that it is punished with a momentary punishment." For one deadly sin, one hell is little; but one offence against infinite majesty demands an infinite punishment. S. Bernardine of Sienna observes, " In every deadly sin, infinite injury is inflicted upon God, which demands, therefore, an infinite punishment." But as, perhaps, the creature is not capable of infinite punishment as to intensity, suggests S. Thomas, so God justly makes it infinite, as to extension.
Moreover, this punishment must be necessarily eternal; first, since the condemned cannot make any further satisfaction for their guilt. In this life the penitent sinner is able to make so much satisfaction, as the merits of Jesus Christ are applied to him. But the lost one is shut out from these merits, so that he cannot any more appease God; and as his sin is eternal, so also is his punishment. " It cost more to redeem their souls; so that he must let that alone for ever." (Ps. xlix. 8.) Hence, says Belluacensis, " Sin will be ever punished there, and never expiated;" as S. Augustine observes, "There, the sinner is not able to repent; " therefore the Lord will ever remain angry with him. " The people against whom the Lord hath indignation for ever." (Mai. i. 4.) Moreover, the condemned, even should God wish to pardon them, cannot be pardoned, for their will will be stubborn and confirmed in its hatred against God. Innocent III. said, "The reprobate will not be humbled, but in them the malignity of hatred will increase." S. Jerome writes of the lost, " They are insatiable in the desire of sinning." Whence the wound of the condemned is desperate, since it refuses even to be healed. " Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be healed?" (Jer. xv. 18.)
Affections and Prayers.
So, my Redeemer, if I were now condemned as I have deserved to be, I should be obstinate in my hatred of Thee, my God, Who hast died for me. O God! and what a hell it would be to hate Thee, Who hast so greatly loved me, and. Who art Infinite Perfection, Infinite Goodness, worthy of infinite love? So, were I now in hell, should I not be in that unhappy state in which I should no longer desire the pardon which Thou offerest to me? My Jesus, I thank Thee for the pity which Thou hast had towards me; and since now I am able to obtain pardon and to love Thee, I desire to be pardoned and to love Thee. Thou offerest me pardon, and I ask it of Thee, and I hope for it through Thy merits. I repent of all the offences which I have committed against Thee, O Infinite Goodness, and do Thou pardon me. I love Thee with all my heart. Ah, Lord, and what evil hast Thou done me that I should hate Thee as my enemy for ever? What friend have I had ever, who has both done and suffered for me as Thou hast, O my Jesus? Ah, suffer me not to fall again under Thy displeasure, and to lose Thy love; grant that I may rather die than this utter ruin should befall me. O shelter me under the mantle of Thy protection, and do not suffer me again to rebel against Thee.
Third Point.
Death is the thing which is most feared by sinners whilst they are in this life; but when they are in hell, it will be the thing which is most desired. " In those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them." (Rev. ix. 6.) When, as S. Jerome wrote, " O death, how sweet thou wouldst be to those to whom thou hast been so bitter." David says of the condemned, " Death gnaweth upon them." (Ps. xlix. 14.) S. Bernard explains, that as the sheep feeding upon the grass consume the blades and leave the roots; so death feeding upon the lost, kills them every moment, but leaves them life, that it may continue to kill them with pain for ever. S. Gregory says, that the condemned " delivered up to the avenging flames, will ever die." If one dies, killed by grief, every one pities him; the condemned one will have at least some one to pity him. No, the wretched one dies through grief every moment; but he neither has, nor will have, any one to compassionate him. Zeno the Emperor, confined in a dungeon, cried out, " Unclose to me for compassion's sake." No one was mindful of him, whence he was found dead, having despaired, since he had eaten the very flesh itself of his arms. S. Cyril of Alexandria says that the lost "lament, and no one rescues them; they weep, and no one compassionates them."
And this their misery, how long will it last? For ever and ever. Poor Judas! truly eighteen hundred years have passed since he has been in hell, and his hell is even now at its beginning. Poor Cain! he has been in the flames for five thousand eight hundred years, and his hell is only at its beginning. If a devil could be asked how long he has been in hell, he would answer, " Yesterday! " and if it was answered, " Hast thou not been condemned more than five thousand years? " he would reply, " Oh, if thou knewest what it is to say eternity, thou wouldst understand perfectly, that by comparison, five thousand years are but as a moment." If an angel were to say to one of the lost, " Thou shalt leave hell, but not until as many ages have passed away as there are drops of water, leaves on the trees, and grains of sand on the sea-shore," he would rejoice more than a beggar would on hearing the news that he was made rich. Yes! since all these ages will pass away, should they be multiplied an infinite number of times, and hell will be ever at its beginning. Every lost one would gladly make this compact with God, "Lord, increase my pain as much as Thou wilt; cause it to last as long as Thou pleasest: put a limit to it, and I am content." But no, for this limit will never be; the trumpet of Divine justice will sound out in hell nothing but " for ever, for ever; " " never, never."
The lost will ask of the devils, " Watchman, what of the night? " (Isa. xxi. 11.) When does it end? and when will these trumpets, these cries, this stench, these flames, these torments finish? Then it will be answered to them, " Never! " " never! " How long will they last? " For ever; " " for ever." Ah, Lord, give light to the many blind who, when urged not to lose themselves, reply, " If at last I go to hell, patience." O God, they have not patience to bear a little cold; to remain in an overheated room; to endure a blow; and hereafter, will they have patience to abide in a sea of fire, to be trampled upon by devils, and to be abandoned by God and by all, for eternity?
Affections and Prayers.
Ah! Father of mercies, Thou dost not abandon those who seek Thee. " Thou, Lord, hast never failed them that seek Thee." (Ps. ix. 11.) I, in the past time, have often turned away from Thee, and Thou hast not abandoned me; do not abandon me, now that I seek Thee. I repent, O Highest Good, of having so lightly esteemed Thy grace, that I have bartered it away for a mere nothing. Behold the wounds of Thy Son; hear their cry; they beseech Thee to pardon me: do Thou pardon me. And Thou, my Redeemer, bring ever to my remembrance, the pains which Thou hast suffered on my behalf; the love that Thou hast borne me; and my ingratitude, through which so many times I have deserved hell; that so I may ever bewail the insults I have offered Thee, and may ever burn with Thy love.
Ah! my Jesus, how shall I not burn with Thy love, when I think that for so many years I ought to be burning in hell, and then to burn for all eternity; and that Thou hast died to liberate me, and with so great compassion hast delivered me? Were I in hell, I should now hate Thee, and be compelled to hate Thee for ever; but now I love Thee, and I desire to love Thee for ever. This I hope for, through Thy Blood. Thou lovest me, and I also love Thee; and Thou wilt ever love me if I leave, Thee not. Ah, my Saviour, save me from the disgrace of leaving Thee, and then do with me as Thou wilt. I deserve every chastisement, and I accept it, that Thou mayest deliver me from the chastisement of being deprived of Thy love. O Jesus, my Refuge, how often have I condemned myself to hell, and Thou hast delivered me. Ah, deliver me from sin, which alone can deprive me of the grace of God, and carry me downwards to hell.