Religion

Hell a Furnace of Fire

by Benjamin Keach 1640–1704

From Spiritual Melody (1691), Part VII

Religion

WHen Saints shall glorified be,
The Sinners pangs excell;
When Saints shall all in Heaven sing,
Sinners shall houl in Hell.

The foolish Sinner little thinks
What sorrows will abound
Within himself, when on the brink
Of Tophet he is found.

Hell is, alas, beyond all thought
So frightful, and forlorn;
No mortal Creature can relate
The pangs that there are born.

God will exclude them evermore
From his most blessed face:
And them involve in misery,
In shame, and in disgrace.

God is the Fountain of all Good,
Of Life, of Light and peace;
They then must needs be wretched all
Who are depriv'd of these.

Unto a dreadful burning Lake
All on a fiery flame
Hell is compared; wo to them
Who once do feel the same.

✦ ✦ ✦

Hymn 145 in the source

MLA

Keach, Benjamin. “Hell a Furnace of Fire.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/keach/146/.

Chicago

Keach, Benjamin. “Hell a Furnace of Fire.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/keach/146/.

Read this poem with the Codex →

More by Benjamin Keach