Vipers will
come out of other men's fire and flames, and settle upon, seize
upon, and for ever abide upon their consciences; and this will be
the sting of hell, the great sting of hell to them.
I will yet add to this, how will the fairness of some for heaven,
even the thoughts of that, sting them when they come to hell. It
will not be so much their fall into the pit, as from whence they
fell into it, that will be to them the buzzing noise and sharpened
sting of the great and terrible hornet. "How art thou fallen from
heaven, O Lucifer!"--there is the sting. Thou that art exalted up to
heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell; though thou hast made thy nest
among the stars, from thence will I fetch thee down: there is a
sting. To be pulled, for and through love to some vain lust, from
the everlasting gates of glory, and caused to be swallowed up for it
in the belly of hell, and made to lodge for ever in the darksome
chambers of death: there is the piercing sting.
But again, as there is the sting of hell, so there is the strength
of that sting; for a sting, though never so sharp or venomous, yet
if it wanteth strength to force it to the designed execution, it
doth but little hurt. But this sting hath strength to cause it to
pierce into the soul: "The sting of death is sin, and the strength
of sin is the law.
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