and angels hovered about them there.  And the glory of the dwellers there was equal, and with one voice they sang praises alternately to the Lord God, rejoicing in that place.  The Lord said to us, This is the place of your brethren the righteous.

And over against that place I saw another, exceedingly parched, and it was the place of punishment.  And those who were being punished there and the angels who punished them wore dark raiment like the air of the place.

    Certain persons there were hanging by the tongue.  These were they
    who blaspheme the way of righteousness, and under them lay a fire
    whose flames tortured them.

    Also there was a great lake full of flaming mire in which were
    certain men that pervert righteousness, and tormenting angels
    afflicted them.

And there were also others, women, hanged by their hair over that mire that flamed up, and these were they who adorned themselves for adultery.  And the men who mingled with them in the defilement of adultery, were hanging by the feet with their heads in that mire, and they exclaimed in a loud voice:  We did not believe that we should come to this place.

And I saw the murderers and their accomplices cast into a certain narrow place full of evil snakes where these evil beasts smote them while they turned to and fro in that punishment, and worms like great black clouds afflicted them.  And the souls of those who had been murdered said, as they stood and looked upon the punishment of their murderers, O God, just is thy judgment.

And other men and women were aflame up to the middle, and were cast into a dark place and were beaten by evil spirits, and their inwards were eaten by restless worms.  These were they who persecuted the righteous and delivered them up to the authorities.

    And over against these were other men and women gnawing their
    tongues and having flaming fire in their mouths.  These were false
    witnesses.

And in a certain other place there were pebbles sharper than swords or any needle, red hot, and women and men in tattered and filthy raiment, rolled about on them in punishment.  These were the rich who trusted in their riches and had no pity for orphans and widows and despised the commandment of God.

    And in another great lake full of boiling pitch and blood and mire
    stood men and women up to their knees.  These were the usurers and
    those who take compound interest.

The noted preacher, scholar and president of Princeton College, Jonathan Edwards, in his famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” put in forcible and picturesque language the religious and legal view of punishment as vengeance: