# The difficulty of escaping the damnation of Hell



## Blueridge Believer (Aug 12, 2009)

sermon15

My hearers, I am not without apprehensions, that the passage, which I have chosen for the subject of this discourse, will sound harshly in your ears; and that its first effect will be to excite, in many breasts, feelings by no means favorable to the reception of truth. But it is a passage, which was uttered by the compassionate Savior of sinners, and I cannot, I dare not, pretend to be more merciful than he; I dare not suffer either a false tenderness, or a fear of giving offence, to prevent me from calling your attention to his words; words, which, if properly regarded, cannot fail to produce the most salutary effects. The words, to which I refer, are recorded in Matthew xxiii. 33. How can ye escape the damnation of hell?

This appalling question was addressed by our Lord to the scribes and pharisees. It evidently intimates that their situation was exceedingly dangerous, if not desperate;—that it was almost, if not quite, impossible for them to escape final condemnation. My impenitent hearers, I will not assert that your situation is equally dangerous, or that your escape from the dreadful retributions of eternity is equally improbable. But the word of God will justify the assertion, and a regard to your eternal interest constrains me to assert, that your situation is exceedingly dangerous; that the obstacles which oppose your salvation are very great and numerous; and that the improbability of your escaping the wrath to come, is by no means small. To produce in your minds a conviction of this truth, is my object in the present discourse. Could you be thoroughly convinced of it, one great obstacle, which now opposes your salvation, would be removed. So far as I have observed, nothing more effectually prevents men from flying from the wrath to come, than a groundless persuasion, that to escape it is easy. Nothing so much encourages men to neglect religion, as a false belief; that they can easily become religious at any time. Nothing prevents more persons from obtaining a well founded hope of salvation, than a delusive hope that they shall, some how or other, be saved. Could this delusive hope, this groundless persuasion, be destroyed; could they be made to see their real situation, and the obstacles, which oppose their escape, they would, at once, be alarmed; their false peace would be effectually disturbed, and they would begin to cry, with earnestness, what shall we do to be saved? How shall we escape the wrath to come?

It is for these reasons, my careless hearers, and not to gratify myself; that I call your attention to this subject. It is much more for your interest, than it can be for mine, that you should entertain just views respecting it. Let me then hope for your attention, while I endeavor to show you, from the word of God, what your situation actually is: what are the obstacles which oppose your escape and which render it highly improbable that you will escape final condemnation.

Edward Payson 1783-1827

This is worth the time to read and send to lost loved ones and unsaved religionists.



.......... And come, you my Christian hearers—come all, who have been rescued from this fatal current; all, who can feel compassion for perishing immortals, come, and assist in crying to him for help. That you may be excited to this, look at the scene before you. Look around, and see how many of your children, acquaintances and friends, are swept away towards perdition, while they sleep and know it not, and no voice, but that of God, can rouse them. Do you know whither they are hastening? Do you know what hell is? Do you consider how improbable it is, that they will escape its condemnation? Do you consider that unless grace prevents, they will, in a few years, be lifting up their eyes in torment and despair? Surely, if you know and consider these things, one universal cry of; God have mercy upon them! will burst from every Christian heart.


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## Spinningplates2 (Aug 12, 2009)

I'm afraid I have to disagree. I don't think this should be sent to loved ones unless you want to be taken off the Christmas list.


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## Blueridge Believer (Aug 12, 2009)

Spinningplates2 said:


> I'm afraid I have to disagree. I don't think this should be sent to loved ones unless you want to be taken off the Christmas list.



I'm afraid I do not understand you brother.


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## Andres (Aug 12, 2009)

yes, sorry I have agree with Spinningplates. I just don't think lost anyones will care to read that. It is too long and wordy for them.


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## coramdeo (Aug 12, 2009)

*Thanks*

Thanks for calling our attention to this site / preacher.


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## Blueridge Believer (Aug 12, 2009)

Andres said:


> yes, sorry I have agree with Spinningplates. I just don't think lost anyones will care to read that. It is too long and wordy for them.



Who knows what soul may be bought under conviction by this message. I will agree that most modern day Americans are probably too stupid to read something of the magnitude due to thier education in the public fool system, but try we must. It seems everyone around us is on what Bunyan, in The Pilgrim's Progress called, "enchanted ground". They are simply asleep.


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## Blue Tick (Aug 12, 2009)

Spinningplates2 said:


> I'm afraid I have to disagree. I don't think this should be sent to loved ones unless you want to be taken off the Christmas list.



They may or may not read... However...

Were called to persuade men of the Terror of the Lord.

Ezekiel 33:1-6



> 33:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them, If I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and make him their watchman, 3 and if he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people, 4 then if anyone who hears the sound of the trumpet does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. 5 He heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But if he had taken warning, he would have saved his life. 6 *But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand.*


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## ewenlin (Aug 12, 2009)

I thought this was one of your written sermons till I saw Edward Payson. Haha. Thanks for this!


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