The sinner never leaves his sin till sin first leaves him. Did not death put a stop to his sin, he would never cease from sin. This may be illustrated by a similitude thus: a company of gamesters resolve to play all night; … their candle, accidentally or unexpectedly, goes out, or is put out, or burnt out; their candle being out, they are forced to give over their game, and go to bed in the dark; but had the candle lasted all night, they would have played all night. This is every sinner’s case in regard of sin: did not death put out the candle of life, the sinner would sin still. Should the sinner live forever, he would sin forever; and, therefore, it is a righteous thing with God to punish him forever in hellish torments. Every impenitent sinner would sin to the days of eternity, if he might live to the days of eternity. "O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever?" (Psalm 74:10). Forever, and evermore; or forever and yet — for so the Hebrew loves to exaggerate: as if the sinner, the blasphemer, would set a term of duration longer than eternity to sin in. The psalmist implicitly saith, Lord, if thou dost but let them alone forever, they will certainly blaspheme thy name forever and ever. I have read of the crocodile, that he knows no maximum size, he is always growing bigger and bigger, and never comes to a certain pitch of monstrosity so long as he lives. Every habituated sinner would, if he were let alone, be a monster, perpetually growing worse and worse.