Alphonsus Liguori

“ Thou shalt leave hell, but not until as many ages have passed away as there are drops of water, leaves on the trees, and grains of sand on the sea-shore," he would rejoice more than a beggar would on hearing the news that he was made rich. Yes! since all these ages will pass away, should they be multiplied an infinite number of times, and hell will be ever at its beginning. ”

“ He who once enters hell shall never leave it for all eternity. This thought made David tremble, and say, " Neither let the deep swallow me up, and let hot the pit shut her mouth upon me." (Ps. lxix. 15.) When the lost one has fallen into that pit of torment, the pit closes its mouth and opens it no more. In hell there is a door of entrance, but no door of exit ”

“ As long as the sinner lives, he can ever hold to the hope of a remedy; but if he shall be caught by death whilst in sin, all hope for him will be ended. " When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish." ”

“ The belief in this eternity, is an article of faith; it is not only a certain opinion, but is a truth witnessed to us by God in many places of Holy Scripture: " Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire." (S. Matt. xxv. 41.) "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment." (S. Matt. xxv. 45.) "Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction." (2 Thess. i. 9.) "Every one shall be salted with fire." (S. Mark ix. 48.) As salt preserves things, so the fire of hell, in the very time in which it torments the lost, performs the office of salt, preserving life to them. ”

“ IF hell were not eternal it would not be hell; for that pain which does not last long, is not very great. One sick person has an abscess lanced, and another has a gangrene cauterised; the pain is great, but in a little while after the operation is completed, the pain is not very great. But what would the pain be if that cutting and that cauterising lasted for a week, or for an entire month? When a pain lasts for a long time, even should it be a very light one, such as the eye-ache or a swelling, it becomes unbearable. ”

“ S. Bernard explains, that as the sheep feeding upon the grass consume the blades and leave the roots; so death feeding upon the lost, kills them every moment, but leaves them life, that it may continue to kill them with pain for ever. S. Gregory says, that the condemned " delivered up to the avenging flames, will ever die." If one dies, killed by grief, every one pities him; the condemned one will have at least some one to pity him. No, the wretched one dies through grief every moment ”

“ There the fire consumes, that it may always, preserve."
Now, what madness would it be of any one, who, to obtain one day of pleasure should condemn himself to be shut up in a pit some twenty or thirty years. ”

“ Every lost one would gladly make this compact with God, "Lord, increase my pain as much as Thou wilt; cause it to last as long as Thou pleasest: put a limit to it, and I am content." But no, for this limit will never be; the trumpet of Divine justice will sound out in hell nothing but " for ever, for ever; " " never, never."
The lost will ask of the devils, " Watchman, what of the night? " (Isa. xxi. 11.) When does it end? and when will these trumpets, these cries, this stench, these flames, these torments finish? Then it will be answered to them, " Never! " " never! ”