The Works of John Bunyan, vol 3 by John Bunyan (summer books .TXT) 📕

And fall before them dead.

62. This shall we see, thus shall we be, O would the day were come,

Lord Jesus take us up to thee,

To this desired home.

63. Angels also we shall behold,

When we on high ascend,

Each shining like to men of gold,

And on the Lord attend.

64. These goodly creatures, full of grace, Shall stand about the throne,

Each one with lightning in his face,

And shall to us be known.

65. These cherubims with one accord

Shall cry continually,

Ah, holy, holy, holy, Lord,

And heavenly majesty.

66. These will us in their arms embrace, And welcome us to rest,

And joy to see us clad with grace,

And of the heavens possess’d.

67. This we shall hear, this we shall see, While raptures take us up,

When we with blessed Jesus be,

And at his table sup.

68. Oh shining angels! what, must we

With you lift up our voice?

We must; and with you ever be,

And with you must rejoice.

69. Our friends that lived godly here,

Shall there be found again;

The wife, the child, and father dear,

With others of our train.

70. Each one down to the foot in white,

Fill’d to the brim with grace,

Walking among the saints in light,

With glad and joyful face.

71. Those God did use us to convert,

We there with joy shall meet,

And jointly shall, with all our heart,

In life each other greet.

72. A crown to them we then shall be,

A glory and a joy;

And that before the Lord, when he

The world comes to destroy.

73. This is the place, this is the state, Of all that fear the Lord;

Which men nor angels may relate

With tongue, or pen, or word.

74. No night is here, for to eclipse

Its spangling rays so bright;

Nor doubt, nor fear to shut the lips,

Of those within this light.

75. The strings of music here are tun’d

For heavenly harmony,

And every spirit here perfum’d

With perfect sanctity.

76. Here runs the crystal streams of life, Quite through all our veins.

And here by love we do unite

With glory’s golden chains.

77. Now that which sweet’neth all will be The lasting of this state;

This heightens all we hear or see

To a transcendant rate.

78. For should the saints enjoy all this But for a certain time,

O, how would they their mark then miss,

And at this thing repine?

79. Yea, ‘tis not possible that they

Who then shall dwell on high,

Should be content, unless they may

Dwell there eternally.

80. A thought of parting with this place Would bitter all their sweet,

And darkness put upon the face

Of all they there do meet.

81. But far from this the saints shall be, Their portion is the Lord,

Whose face for ever they shall see,

As saith the holy word.

82. And that with everlasting peace,

Joy, and felicity,

From this time forth they shall increase Unto eternity.

OF HELL, AND THE ESTATE

OF THOSE THAT PERISH.

1. Thus, having show’d you what I see

Of heaven, I now will tell

You also, after search, what be

The damned wights of hell.

2. And O, that they who read my lines

Would ponder soberly,

And lay to heart such things betimes

As touch eternity.

3. The sleepy sinner little thinks

What sorrows will abound

Within him, when upon the brinks

Of Tophet he is found.

4. Hell is beyond all though a state

So doubtful10 and forlorn,

So fearful, that none can relate

The pangs that there are born.

5. God will exclude them utterly

From his most blessed face,

And them involve in misery,

In shame, and in disgrace.

6. God is the fountain of all bliss,

Of life, of light, and peace;

They then must needs be comfortless

Who are depriv’d of these.

7. Instead of life, a living death

Will there in all be found.

Dyings will be in every breath,

Thus sorrow will abound.

8. No light, but darkness here doth dwell; No peace, but horror strange:

The fearful damning wights11 of hell

In all will make this change.

9. To many things the damned’s woe

Is liked in the word,

And that because no one can show

The vengeance of the Lord.

10. Unto a dreadful burning lake,

All on a fiery flame,

Hell is compared, for to make

All understand the same.

11. A burning lake, a furnace hot,

A burning oven, too,

Must be the portion, share, and lot,

Of those which evil sow.

12. This plainly shows the burning heat

With which it will oppress

All hearts, and will like burnings eat

Their souls with sore distress.

13. This burning lake, it is God’s wrath Incensed by the sin

Of those who do reject his path,

And wicked ways walk in.

14. Which wrath will so perplex all parts Of body and of soul,

As if up to the very hearts

In burnings they did roll.

15. Again, to show the stinking state

Of this so sad a case,

Like burning brimstone God doth make

The hidings of his face.

16. And truly as the steam, and smoke,

And flames of brimstone smell,

To blind the eyes, and stomach choke,

So are the pangs of hell.

17. To see a sea of brimstone burn,

Who would it not affright?

But they whom God to hell doth turn

Are in most woful plight.

18. This burning cannot quenched be,

No, not with tears of blood;

No mournful groans in misery

Will here do any good.

19. O damned men! this is your fate,

The day of grace is done,

Repentance now doth come too late,

Mercy is fled and gone.

20. Your groans and cries they sooner should Have sounded in mine ears,

If grace you would have had, or would

Have me regard your tears.

21. Me you offended with your sin,

Instructions you did slight,

Your sins against my law hath been,

Justice shall have his right.

22. I gave my Son to do you good,

I gave you space and time

With him to close, which you withstood,

And did with hell combine.

23. Justice against you now is set,

Which you cannot appease;

Eternal justice doth you let

From either life or ease.

24. Thus he that to this place doth come May groan, and sigh, and weep;

But sin hath made that place his home,

And there it will him keep.

25. Wherefore, hell in another place

Is call’d a prison too,

And all to show the evil case

Of all sin doth undo.

26. Which prison, with its locks and bars Of God’s lasting decree,

Will hold them fast; O how this mars

All thought of being free!

27. Out at these brazen bars they may

The saints in glory see;

But this will not their grief allay,

But to them torment be.

28. Thus they in this infernal cave

Will now be holden fast

From heavenly freedom, though they crave, Of it they may not taste.

29. The chains that darkness on them hangs Still ratt’ling in their ears,

Creates within them heavy pangs,

And still augments their fears.

30. Thus hopeless of all remedy,

They dyingly do sink

Into the jaws of misery,

And seas of sorrow drink.

31. For being cop’d12 on every side

With helplessness and grief,

Headlong into despair they slide

Bereft of all relief.

32. Therefore this hell is called a pit, Prepared for those that die

The second death, a term most fit

To show their misery.

33. A pit that’s bottomless is this,

A gulf of grief and woe,

A dungeon which they cannot miss,

That will themselves undo.

34. Thus without stay they always sink,

Thus fainting still they fail,

Despair they up like water drink,

These prisoners have no bail.

35. Here meets them now that worm that gnaws, And plucks their bowels out,

The pit, too, on them shuts her jaws;

This dreadful is, no doubt.

36. This ghastly worm is guilt for sin,

Which on the conscience feeds,

With vipers’ teeth, both sharp and keen, Whereat it sorely bleeds.

37. This worm is fed by memory,

Which strictly brings to mind,

All things done in prosperity,

As we in Scripture find.

38. No word, nor thought, nor act they did, But now is set in sight,

Not one of them can now be hid,

Memory gives them light.

39. On which the understanding still

Will judge, and sentence pass,

This kills the mind, and wounds the will, Alas, alas, alas!

40. O, conscience is the slaughter shop, There hangs the axe and knife,

‘Tis there the worm makes all things hot, And wearies out the life.

41. Here, then, is execution done

On body and on soul;

For conscience will be brib’d of none,

But gives to all their dole.

42. This worm, ‘tis said, shall never die, But in the belly be

Of all that in the flames shall lie,

O dreadful sight to see!

43. This worm now needs must in them live, For sin will still be there,

And guilt, for God will not forgive,

Nor Christ their burden bear.

44. But take from them all help and stay, And leave them to despair,

Which feeds upon them night and day,

This is the damned’s share.

45. Now will confusion so possess

These monuments of ire,

And so confound them with distress,

And trouble their desire.

46. That what to think, or what to do,

Or where to lay their head,

They know not; ‘tis the damned’s woe

To live, and yet be dead.

47. These cast-aways would fain have life, But know, they never shall,

They would forget their dreadful plight, But that sticks fast’st of all.

48. God, Christ, and heaven, they know are best, Yet dare not on them think,

The saints they know in joys do rest,

While they their tears do drink.

49. They cry alas, but all in vain,

They stick fast in the mire,

They would be rid of present pain,

Yet set themselves on fire.

50. Darkness is their perplexity,

Yet do they hate the light,

They always see their misery,

Yet are themselves all night.

51. They are all dead, yet live they do, Yet neither live nor die.

They die to weal, and live to woe,

This is their misery.

52. Amidst all this so great a scare

That here I do relate,

Another falleth to their share

In this their sad estate.

53. The legions of infernal fiends

Then with them needs must be,

A just reward for all their pains,

This they shall feel and see.

54. With yellings, howlings, shrieks, and cries, And other doleful noise,

With trembling hearts and failing eyes,

These are their hellish joys.

55. These angels black they would obey,

And serve with greedy mind,

And take delight to go astray,

That pleasure they might find.

56. Which pleasure now like poison turns Their joy to heaviness;

Yea, like the gall of asps it burns,

And doth them sore oppress

57. Now is the joy they lived in

All turned to brinish tears,

And resolute attempts to sin

Turn’d into hellish fears.

58. The floods run trickling down their face, Their hearts do prick and ache,

While they lament their woful case,

Their loins totter and shake.

59. O wetted cheeks, with bleared eyes,

How fully do you show

The pangs that in their bosom lies,

And grief they undergo!

60. Their dolour in their bitterness

So greatly they bemoan,

That hell itself this to express

Doth echo with their groan.

61. Thus broiling on the burning grates, They now to wailing go,

And say of those unhappy fates

That did them thus undo.

62. Alas,