21. Demonstration. The principal efficient cause of the fire of the present life is God, the author and governor of nature; but of the fire of hell, it is God, the judge and avenger of sins and sinners.
The present fire is both kindled and nourished by chemical operations; but the fire of hell is stirred and preserved by the breath of the Lord.
The present fire acts upon souls only through bodies as intermediaries; but the fire of hell torments and tortures them immediately.
The present fire will at length be extinguished; but the fire of hell will endure perpetually.
The former gives light; the latter produces exterior darkness. The former, by setting aflame, dissolves and consumes; the latter afflicts and burns, and nevertheless does not destroy. The former can both be diminished and extinguished by human art; the latter eludes all efforts and is sustained by the power of God.
Corollary I
22. Therefore, to the question whether the fire of hell is the same as that which we use in the present life, it must be answered that it is indeed the same if the principal effect of tormenting and burning is regarded, but that it differs greatly from the present fire if the other effects1 and the manner of acting are considered.
Corollary II
23. Hence the difficulties which are moved against the real fire of hell from the effects and properties of the fire customary to us must be judged of plainly no moment: that the latter burns but consumes, sets aflame but gives light, and so forth.
For when we call the fire of hell real, we do not affirm that it is the same as this fire of ours.
We call it real in order to deny that it is metaphorical; we call it real on account of the real effects of burning and scorching; we call it real because it exists not only in apprehension but in reality, and is the instrumental cause by which God punishes the reprobate and afflicts the damned.
For the rest, we freely grant—indeed, we teach—that it differs in more than one respect from the present fire.
Yet because it differs in more than one respect from the present fire, it does not follow either that it is metaphorical or that it is not real. It will be called and will be real fire for as long as it produces in the reprobate that kind of affections which is proper to customary fire, and for as long as God uses it as a means and instrument by which he takes punitive action against the reprobate.