III. 1. We may, in the third place, consider a few of the circumstances which will follow the general judgment. And the first is the execution of the sentence pronounced on the evil and on the good. _These shall go away into eternal punishment, and the righteous into life eternal._ It should be observed, it is the very same word which is used, both in the former and the latter clause: it follows, that either the punishment lasts for ever, or the reward too will come to an end. No, never, unless God could come to an end, or his mercy and truth could fail. _Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun, in the kingdom of their father_, and shall _drink of those rivers of pleasure which are at God’s right hand for evermore_. But here all description falls short; all human language fails! only one who is caught up into the third heaven, can have a just conception of it. But even such an one cannot express what he hath seen: these things _it is not possible for man to utter_. The wicked, meantime, _shall be turned into hell_, even _all the people that forget God_. They will be _punished with everlasting destruction, from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power_. They will be _cast into the lake of fire burning with brimstone_, originally _prepared for the devil and his angels_; where they will _gnaw their tongues_ for anguish and pain, they will _curse God and look upward_: there the dogs of hell, pride, malice, revenge, rage, horror, despair continually devour them. _There they have no rest, day or night, but the smoke of their torment ascendeth for ever and ever. For their worm dieth not, and their fire is not quenched._ 2. Then the heavens will be shriveled up _as a parchment scroll, and pass away with a great noise_: they will _flee from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and there will be found no place for them_.[53] The very manner of their passing away is disclosed to us by the apostle _Peter_: _in the day of God, the heavens being on fire, shall be dissolved_.[54] * The whole beautiful fabric will be overthrown by that raging element, the connection of all its parts destroyed, and every atom torn asunder from the others. By the same _the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnt up_.[55] The enormous works of nature, _the everlasting hills_, mountains that have defied the rage of time, and stood unmoved so many thousand years, will sink down in fiery ruin. How much less will the works of art, though of the most durable kind, the utmost efforts of human industry, tombs, pillars, triumphal arches, castles, pyramids, be able to withstand the flaming conqueror. All, all will die, perish, vanish away, like a dream when one awaketh?