The Penguin Book of Hell

by Scott G. Bruce

  7. DARKNESS

  “Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said: The night comes.”14

  The watchman did not say that nights are coming, but only the night. He said so, because in Hell there is only one night, one eternal night, one everlasting night. The fire of Hell burns, but gives no light. No stray sunbeam, no wandering ray of starlight ever creeps into the darkness of Hell. All is darkness—thick, black, heavy, pitchy, aching darkness. It is not darkness like ours, which is only an image of the darkness to come. This darkness is thicker than the darkness of the land of Egypt, which could be touched with the hand. “So, the wicked in Hell will never see light.”15 This darkness is made worse by the smoke of Hell.

  8. SMOKE

  “The smoke of their torments shall go up forever and ever.”16

  Stop up that chimney where the fire is burning. In half an hour, the room will be full of smoke, so that you cannot stay there. The great fires of Hell have been smoking now for nearly six thousand years. They will go on smoking forever. There is no chimney to take this smoke off; there is no wind to blow it away. See those great, black, heavy sulfurous clouds rising up every moment from the dark fires. They rise up till the roof of Hell stops them. The roof drives them back again. Slowly they go down into the abyss of Hell. There they are joined by more dark clouds of smoke leaving the fires. So, Hell is filled with sulfur and smoke, in which no one on earth could breathe or live. How then do they live in Hell? In Hell they must live, but they are stifled and choked each moment, as if they were dying. Now listen!

  9. TERRIFIC NOISE

  “There shall be a great cry such as has not been heard before.”17

  You have heard, perhaps, a horrible scream in the dead of night. You may have heard the last shriek of a drowning man, before he went down to his watery grave. You may have been shocked in passing a madhouse, to hear the wild shout of a madman. Your heart may have trembled when you heard the roar of a lion in the desert or the hissing of a deadly serpent in the bushes.

  But listen now—listen to the tremendous, the horrible uproar of millions and millions and millions of tormented creatures mad with the fury of Hell. Oh, the screams of fear, the groanings of horror, the yells of rage, the cries of pain, the shouts of agony, the shrieks of despair from millions on millions. There you hear them roaring like lions, hissing like serpents, howling like dogs, and wailing like dragons. There you hear the gnashing of teeth and the fearful blasphemies of the devils. Above all, you hear the roaring of the thunders of God’s anger, which shakes Hell to its foundations. But there is another sound!

  10. A RIVER

  “It is the day of slaughter and of treading down, and of weeping to the Lord, the God of hosts.”18

  There is in Hell a sound like that of many waters. It is as if all the rivers and oceans of the world were pouring themselves with a great splash down on the floor of Hell. Is it really the sound of waters? It is. Are the rivers and oceans of the earth pouring themselves into Hell? No. What is it then? It is the sound of oceans of tears running down from countless millions of eyes. They cry night and day. They cry forever and ever. They cry because the sulfurous smoke torments their eyes. They cry because they are in darkness. They cry because they have lost the beautiful heaven. They cry because the sharp fire burns them.

  Little child, it is better to cry one tear of repentance now than to cry millions of tears in Hell. But what is that dreadful sickening smell?

  11. THE SMELL OF DEATH

  “His stench shall ascend, and his rottenness shall go up.”19

  There are some diseases so bad, such as cancers and ulcers, that people cannot bear to breathe the air in the house where they are. There is something worse. It is the smell of death coming from a dead body lying in the grave. The dead body of Lazarus had been in the grave only four days. Yet Martha his sister could not bear that it should be taken out again.20 But what is the smell of death in Hell? St. Bonaventure says that if one single body was taken out of Hell and laid on the earth, in that same moment every living creature on the earth would sicken and die.21 Such is the smell of death from one body in Hell. What then will be the smell of death from countless millions and millions of bodies laid in Hell like sheep?—Ps. How will the horrible smell of all these bodies be, after it has been getting worse and worse every moment for ten thousand years? “They shall go out and see the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against Me. They shall be a loathsome sight to all flesh.”22

  Now let us enter into Hell and see the tremendous torments prepared for the wicked.

  12. THE DEVIL

  “An angel laid hold on the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and bound him, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up.”23

  Our journey lies across that great sea of fire. We must go on till we come to the middle of Hell. There we shall see the most horrible sight that ever was or will be—the great devil chained down in the middle of Hell. We will set off on our journey. Now we are coming near the dwelling-place of Satan. The darkness gets thicker. You see a great number of devils moving about in the thick darkness. They come to get the orders of their great chief. Already you hear the rattling of the tremendous chains of the great monster! See! There he is: the most horrible and abominable of all monsters, the devil.

  His size is immense! “He shall fill the length of the land.”24 St. Frances saw him. He was sitting on a long beam which passed through the middle of Hell. His feet went down into the lowest depths of Hell. They rested on the floor of Hell. They were fastened with great, heavy iron chains. These chains were fixed to an immense ring in the floor. His hands were chained up to the roof. One of his hands was turned up against Heaven to blaspheme God and the saints who dwell there. His other hand was stretched out, pointing to the lowest Hell! His tremendous and horrible head was raised up on high, and touched the roof. From his head came two immense horns. “I saw another beast having two horns.”25 From each horn smaller horns without number branched out, which like chimneys sent out fire and smoke. His enormous mouth was wide open. Out of it there was running a river of fire, which gave no light, but an abominable smell: “Flame cometh out of his mouth.”26 Round his neck was a collar of red-hot iron. A burning chain tied him round the middle. The ugliness of his face was such that no man or devil could bear it. It was the most deformed, horrible, frightful thing that ever was or will be. His great fierce eyes were filled with pride and anger and rage and spite and blood and fire and savage cruelty. There was something else in those eyes for which there is no name, but it made those on whom the devil’s eyes were fixed tremble and shake as if they were dying. One of the Saints who saw the devil said she would rather be burned for a thousand years than look at the devil for one moment!27

  16. THE SOUL BEFORE SATAN

  The devils carry away the soul which has just come into Hell. They bear it through the flames. Now they have set it down in front of the great chained monster, to be judged by him who has no mercy. Oh, that terrible face of the devil! Oh, the fright, the shivering, the freezing, the deadly horror of that soul at the first sight of the great devil. Now the devil opens his mouth. He gives out the tremendous sentence on the soul. All hear the sentence, and Hell rings with shouts of spiteful joy and mockeries at the unfortunate soul.

  17. THE EVERLASTING DWELLING-PLACE OF THE SOUL

  As soon as the sentence is given, the soul is snatched away and hurried to that place which is to be its home forever and ever! Crowds of hideous devils have met together. With cries of spiteful joy, they receive the soul. “Demons and monsters shall meet. The hairy ones shall cry out to one another.”28 See how these devils receive the soul in this time of destruction. “In the time of destruction, they shall pour out their force. The teeth of serpents, and beasts, and scorpions, the sword taking vengeance on the ungodly unto destruction.”29

  Immediately the soul is thrust by the devils into that prison which is to be its dwelling-
place forever more. The prison of each soul is different according to its sins.

  St. Teresa found herself squeezed into a hole or chest in the wall. Here the walls, which were most terrible, seemed to close upon her and strangle her. She found her soul burning in a most horrible fire. It seemed as if someone was always tearing her soul to pieces, or rather as if the soul was always tearing itself in pieces. It was impossible to sit or lie down, for there was no room. As soon as the soul is fixed in its place, it finds two devils, one on each side of it. There are spirits created for vengeance, and in their fury, they lay on grievous torments. St. Frances saw them. One of them is called the striking devil, the other the mocking devil.

  18. THE STRIKING DEVIL

  “Striking hammers are prepared for the bodies of sinners.”30

  If you want to know what sort of a stroke the devil can give, hear how he struck Job: “Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord, and struck Job with a grievous ulcer from the sole of his foot to the top of his head. Then Job took a tile and scraped off the corrupt matter, sitting on a dung-hill. Now when Job’s friends heard all the evil that had come upon him, they came to him. For they had made an appointment to come together and visit and comfort him. And when they had lifted up their eyes afar off they did not know him. And crying, they wept and sprinkled dust on their heads. And they sat down with him on the ground for seven days and seven nights. And no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.”31

  The devil gave Job one stroke, only one stroke. That one stroke was so terrible that it covered all his body with sores and ulcers. That one stroke made Job look so frightful that his friends did not know him again. That one stroke was so terrible that for seven days and seven nights his friends did not know him again. That one stroke was so terrible that for seven days and seven nights his friends did not speak a word, but sat crying, and wondering, and thinking what a terrible stroke the devil can give.

  Little child, if you go to Hell, there will be a devil at your side to strike you. He will go on striking you every minute forever and ever, without ever stopping. The first stroke will make your body as bad as the body of Job, covered from head to foot with sores and ulcers. The second stroke will make your body twice as bad as the body of Job. The third stroke will make your body three times as bad as the body of Job. The fourth stroke will make your body four times as bad as the body of Job. How then will your body be, after the devil has been striking it every moment for a hundred million years without stopping?

  But there was one good thing for Job. When the devil struck Job, his friends came to visit and comfort him, and when they saw him, they cried. But when the devil is striking you in Hell, there will be no one to come and visit and comfort you and cry with you. Neither father, nor mother, nor brother, nor sister, nor friend will ever come to cry with you. “Weeping she has wept in the night, and the tears are on her cheeks, because there is none to comfort her amongst all them that were dear to her.”32 Little child, it is a bad bargain to make with the devil, to commit a mortal sin, and then to be beaten forever for it.

  19. THE MOCKING DEVIL

  “Shall they not take up a parable against him, a dark speech concerning him?”33

  St. Frances saw that on the other side of the soul there was another devil to mock at and reproach it. Hear what mockeries he said to it: “Remember,” he said, “remember where you are and where you will be forever; how short the sin was, how long the punishment. It is your own fault; when you committed that mortal sin, you knew how you would be punished. What a good bargain you made to take the pains of eternity in exchange for the sin of a day, an hour, a moment. You cry now for your sin, but your crying comes too late. You liked bad company; you will find bad company enough here. Your father was a drunkard and showed you the way to the public-house; he is still a drunkard. Look at him over there drinking red-hot fire! You were too idle to go to Mass on Sundays. Be as idle as you like now, for there is no Mass to go to. You disobeyed your father, but you dare not disobey him who is your father in Hell. Look at him, that great chained monster; disobey him if you dare!”

  St. Frances saw that these mockeries put the soul into such dreadful despair that it burst out into the most frightful howlings and blasphemies.

  But it is time for us now to see where the sinner has been put—his everlasting dwelling-place.

  20. A BED OF FIRE

  The sinner lies, chained down on a bed of red-hot blazing fire! When a man, sick of fever, is lying on even a soft bed, it is pleasant sometimes to turn round. If the sick man lies on the same side for a long time, the skin comes off, the flesh gets raw. How will it be when the body has been lying on the same side on the scorching, broiling fire for a hundred millions of years! Now look at that body, lying on the bed of fire. All the body is salted with fire. The fire burns through every bone and every muscle. Every nerve is trembling and quivering with the sharp fire. The fire rages inside the skull, it shoots out through the eyes, it drops out through the ears, it roars in the throat as it roars up a chimney. So will mortal sin be punished. Yet there are people in their senses who commit mortal sin!

  21. WORMS

  “The worm that dies not. He will give fire and worms into their flesh that they may burn and feel forever.”34 St. Basil says that in Hell there will be worms without number eating the flesh and their bites will be unbearable. St. Teresa says that she found the entrance into Hell filled with these venomous insects. If you cannot bear the sight of ugly vermin and creeping things on the earth, will you be content with the sight of venomous things in Hell, which are a million times worse? The bite or the pricking of one insect on the earth sometimes keeps you awake, and torments you for hours. How will you feel in Hell, when millions of them make their dwelling-place in your mouth and ears and eyes, and creep all over you, and sting you with their deadly stings through all eternity? You will not then be able to help yourself or send them away because you cannot stir hand or foot. One of the most painful things in the world is to be much frightened.

  22. FRIGHT

  “When they thought to lie hid in their obscure sins, they were horribly afraid and troubled. For neither did the den which held them keep them from fear. For noises coming down troubled them, and sad visions appearing to them, affrighted them.”35

  Do you know what is meant by being frightened out of one’s senses? A boy wanted to frighten two other little boys. In the daytime, he took some phosphorus and marked with it the form of a skeleton on the wall of the room where the little boys always slept. In the daytime, the mark of phosphorus is not seen; in the dark, it shines like fire. The two little boys went to bed, knowing nothing about it. Next morning, they opened the door of the room where the two little boys had been sleeping. They found one boy sitting on his bed, staring at the wall, out of his senses. The other little boy was lying dead! This was fright.

  You will be lying helpless in the lonesome darkness of Hell. The devils come in the most frightful shapes on purpose to frighten you. Serpents come and hiss at you. Wild beasts come and roar at you. Death comes and stares at you. How would you feel, if at the dark hour of midnight, one that was dead should come to your bedside and stand over you and mock at you? You hear the most horrible shrieks and dismal sounds which you cannot understand. The sinner, frightened out of his senses at those terrible sights in the darkness of Hell, roars out for help—but there is nobody to come and help him in his fright: “Being scared with the passing of beasts and the hissing of serpents, they died of fear.”36

  * * *

  Now look to those little doors all round the walls of Hell. They are little rooms or dungeons where sinners are shut up. We will go and look at some of them.

  24. THE DUNGEONS OF HELL

  (a) The First Dungeon: A Dress of Fire

  “Are not your garments hot?”37 Come into this room. You see it is very small. But see in the midst of it there is a girl, perhaps about eighteen yea
rs old. What a terrible dress she has on—her dress is made of fire. On her head, she wears a bonnet of fire. It is pressed down close all over her head; it burns her head; it burns into the skin; it scorches the bone of the skull and makes it smoke. The red-hot fiery heat burns into the brain and melts it: “I will burn you in the fire of my wrath, you shall be melted in the midst thereof as silver is melted in the fire.”38 You do not, perhaps, like a headache. Think what a headache that girl must have. But see more. She is wrapped up in flames, for her frock is fire. If she were on the earth she would be burned to a cinder in a moment. But she is in Hell, where fire burns everything, but burns nothing away. There she stands burning and scorched! She counts with her fingers the moments as they pass away slowly, for each moment seems to her like a hundred years. As she counts the moments, she remembers that she will have to count them forever and ever.