Sudden destruction, and that without remedy!

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Sudden destruction, and that without remedy!

(Thomas Vincent, "God's Terrible Voice in the City". This book was written shortly after "The Great Fire of London" of 1666, which turned the once renowned city of London, into a ruinous heap!)

We read in Psalm 75:8, "The Lord holds a cup in His hand, which is full of foaming wine mixed with spices. He pours out the wine in judgment, and all the wicked must drink it, draining it to the dregs!" He may allow His people to drink the top of it; but the most bitter and dreggish part, which is at the bottom--the wicked shall drink and drain in Hell! If God whips His children with rods--He will scourge His enemies with scorpions!

The wicked will feel what an evil and a bitter thing it is, so audaciously to fly in the face of the great God, by their hideous oaths and blasphemies, by their horrid wickedness and abominations, whereby they do, as it were, challenge God to do His worst against them!

Surely the judgments intended purposely for the ungodly--are yet to come! And they will be exceeding great, because of the more pure and unmixed wrath which will accompany them!

When God draws forth His glittering sword, and makes ready His sharp arrow upon the string; when God clothes Himself with fury as with a garment, and His hand takes hold on vengeance; when their iniquities are grown fully ripe, and the day of their visitation and recompense has come--how then will the wicked be terrified! What amazing horror will then surprise this vile generation! "Can their hearts endure, or their hands be strong--in the day that the Lord shall deal with them?" Ezekiel 22:14

Then the Lord will roar from His holy habitation with such a terrible voice, as shall make their ears to tingle, their hearts to quake and tremble! He will roar like a lion, and tear them in pieces--and there shall be none to deliver!

I suppose they may not now expect judgment, nor fear it--any more than the whole world did their drowning in Noah's day; or Sodom and Gomorrah did their burning--because deceitful sin has hardened their hearts! Long continuance in sin, with impunity--has seared their consciences as with a hot iron! But they are in the greatest danger--when they sleep with the greatest security! When men grow desperately hardened against often and all reproofs--what follows, but sudden destruction, and that without remedy! "When men cry 'peace and safety'--then sudden destruction comes upon them, as travail upon a woman with child--and they shall not escape!" 1 Thessalonians 5:3

And if some of this perverse and wicked generation drop away without a remarkable temporal destruction, God will make His righteousness evident to them in the eternal world--when He claps up their souls as prisoners in the lowest dungeon of hell, appointing . . .
horrid devils to be their jailors;
flames of fire to be their clothing;
hideous terrors and woe to be their food;
other damned tormented spirits to be their companions;
where they must lie bound in the chains of darkness, until the judgment of the great day!

And when that fearful day has finally come, and the angels have blown the last trumpet, and gathered the elect to the right hand of Christ--then one will be sent with the keys of the bottomless pit, and the infernal prison will be opened for a while; and like so many rogues in chains--they shall, together with all their fellow sinners, be brought forth, and be joined to the dirty flesh of their bodies, which, like a nasty rag, they shall then put on; and with most rueful looks, and trembling joints, and horrible shrieks, and inexpressible confusion and terror--they shall behold the Lord Jesus Christ, whom in their life-time they despised and affronted--come down from heaven in flaming fire, to take vengeance upon them! He Himself will sentence them to the flames of eternal fire, and drive them away from His throne and presence--into the utter darkness of Hell, where they must take up their lodging for evermore!

"It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God!" Hebrews 10:31

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