I will burn you with the thought of hell! If you should again try to allure me to act unjustly, I will say to myself: what! shall I choose hell for the sake of a handful of earth? God forbid that I should burn forever for such a miserable gain! Pride of life, vanity of the world, favor and esteem of men! I will burn you with the thought of hell! If you try again to mislead me into doing or omitting anything against the Christian law by your criticisms and ridicule, by your flattery and promises, by your threats and persecutions, I will say to myself: what! shall I choose hell for the sake of human respect, for the love of the world? God forbid! Let others do as they please; I will not go to eternal torments for the sake of being like them. Crosses and trials of this life, whatever may be your name (and send me as many of them, O good God! as Thou knowest I can bear), I will sweeten you with the thought of hell. If you should try to move me to murmur against the will of God, I will say to myself: what! these are not the eternal pains of hell that I have so often and so richly deserved. Hell shall be to me a spur to preserve me from sloth and tepidity in the service of God, and to urge me on to the constant practice of the Christian virtues, and to mortify and restrain my senses. If any difficulty should try to come in my way, I will say to myself: what! am I to shirk any labor when there is question of escaping an eternal hell? No! there must be no rest until I can say to myself at the end of my short life: now I am sure of escaping the danger of hell and of entering into eternal joys! Strengthen, O Lord! by Thy powerful grace this resolution of mine. Amen.
FORTY-SECOND SERMON.
ON THE COMPANY OF THE REPROBATE IN HELL.
Subject.
The company of the reprobate is a terrible hell in itself.—Preached on the fourth Sunday in Lent.
Text.
Sequebatur eum multitudo magna.—John vi. 2.
“A great multitude followed Him.”
