and shut the heauens Abraham likewise preuailed so farre with God by his praiers for Sodome that if there had béene but ten iust men found in it it had béene spared The almighty God saith in the 15. chap. of Ieremy Though Moyses and Samuel stood before me yet mine affection could not bee toward this people Which doth plainely shew that Moyses and Samuel might haue done much with him had he not béene so fully bent against his people for their sins as he was So likewise he saith in the Prophecie of Ezechiel Though these three men Noah Daniel and Iob were amongst them they should deliuer but their owne soules by their righteousnesse Which also sheweth that if there had béene any possible entreating of him for the Land these thrée men might haue done it but now he was resolutely determined to the contrary In respect therefore that the zealous preachers and true professors of the Gospell doe so much preuaile wish God by their praiers they are said to be the defence and strength of Kingdomes and Countries of Churches and Common wealthes as it is said of Eliah that he was the Chariot of Israel and the horsmen thereof Elishah also was enuironed with a mountaine full of horses and Chariots of fire And sure it is that Eliah and Elishah are not onely the Chariots and Horsemen of Israel but also by their praiers they do cause God himselfe to be a wal of fire round about it as the Prophet saith in the 22. of Ezechiel verse 30. the Lord God saith I sought for a man among them that should make vp the hedge and stand in the gappe before me for the land that I might not destroy it but I found none Which sheweth that if there had béene but some few to haue stood in the breach he would haue spared the whole land This also appeareth more plainely in the Prophecie of Ieremy where the Lord saith thus Run to and fro by the streets of Ierusalem behold and inquire in the open places thereof if yee can finde a man or if there be any that executeth iudgement and seeketh the truth and I will spare it Oh then marke and consider what a man may doe yea what one man may doe what an Abraham may doe what a Moyses may doe what an Eliah may doe what a Daniel what a Samuel what a Iob what a Noah may doe Some one man by reason of his high fauor with the Eternal is able sometimes to do more for a land by his praiers and téeres then many prudent men by their counsell or valiant men by their swords Yea it doth euidently appeare in the sacred volume of the holy Ghost that some one poore Preacher being full of the Spirit and power of Eliah doth more in his study either for offence or defence either for the turning away of wrath or the procuring of mercie then a Campe-royall euen forty thousand strong or as the Spirit speaketh though they all haue their swords girded to their thighes and be of the most valiant men in Israel All this is clearly proued in one verse of the booke of the Psalmes where the Prophet hauing reckoned vp the sins of the people addeth Therefore the Lord minded to destroy them had not Moses his chosen stood in the breach to turne away his wrath lest he should destroy them Sée therefore what one man may do with God! Some one man doth so binde the hands of God that when he should strike he hath no power to doe it as it is said of Lot I can doe nothing till thou be come out Sée how the Lord saith he can doe nothing because he will doe nothing Hée doth wittingly and willingly suffer his hands to be manacled and bound behind him for some fewes sake which he doth make more account of then all the world besides so pretious and deare are they in his sight Likewise it is written that the Lord was excéedingly incensed against the Israelites for their idolatrous Calfe which they made in Horeb yet he could doe nothing because Moyses would not let him And therefore he falleth to intreating of Moyses that Moyses would let him alone and entreat no more for them Oh saith the Lord to Moyses let me alone that my wrath may wax hote against this people and that I may consume them Thus wée sée that except Lot goe out of the City and Moyses let him alone he can doe nothing Oh the profoundnesse and altitude of Gods mercy towards mankind Oh the height and depth length and breadth of his loue towards some Oh that the most glorious inuisible God should so greatly respect the sonnes of men For what is man that hée should be mindfull of him or the sonne of man that he should regard him Let vs therfore that are the Lords remembrancers giue him no rest nor let him alone vntill wée haue some security and good assurance from him that he will turne away from vs the wrath which we most iustly haue deserued that he wil spare vs and be mercifull vnto vs. Yea as the Prophet saith Let vs neuer leaue him nor giue him ouer till he repaire and set vp Ierusalem the praise of the world lest for default héereof that be charged vpon vs which was charged vpon the head of some of the Prophets in Israel that they were like the foxes in the waste places that they had not risen vp in the gaps neither made vp the hedge for the house of Israel For now adaies alas wée haue many hedge-breakers few hedg-makers many openers of gaps few stoppers many breakers of breaches to let in the flouds of Gods wrath vpon vs but very few that by true repentance goe about to make vp the breach and to let downe the sluces that the gushing streames of Gods vengeance may be stopt and staied Phila. I doe now plainely see that there be some in high fauour with God and as wee say greatly in his books sith his loue is so great vnto them that for their sakes he spareth thousands Theol. It is written in the Prouerbs of Salomon that the righteous in a land are the establishment of the kings throne and the wicked the ouerthrowing of the same The words are these Take away the drosse from the siluer and there will proceed a vessell for the finer Take away the wicked from the King and his throne shall be established in righteousnesse Likewise in another place the wise man affirmeth that the righteous are the strength and bulwarke of Cities Townes and Corporations but the wicked are the weakening vndoing of all Scornefull men saith he set a City on fire but the wise turne away wrath To this purpose most excellent is that saying of Eliphas in Iob The innocent shall deliuer the Iland and it shall be preserued by the purenesse of their hands Wée reade in the booke of the Chronicles that when the Leuites the
THE PLAINE MANS Path-way to Heauen Wherein euery man may cleerely see whether he shall be saued or damned Set forth Dialogue-wise for the better vnderstanding of the simple By ARTHVR DENT Preacher of the word of God at South-Shoobery in Essex The ninth Impression Corrected and amended with a Table of all the principall matters and three Prayers necessarie to be vsed in priuate families hereunto added ZEPH. 3. 5. Euery morning the Lord bringeth his iudgement to light he faileth not but the wicked will not learne to be ashamed LONDON Printed for EDVV. BISHOP and are to be solde in Pauls Church-yard at the signe of the Brasen Serpent 1607. THE CONTENTS of this Dialogue FIrst it sheweth mans misery in nature with the meanes of recouery Secondly it sharply inueigheth against the iniquity of the time and common corruption of the world Thirdly it sheweth the markes of the children of God and of the Reprobates with the apparant signes of saluation and damnation Fourthly it declareth how hard a thing it is to enter into life and how few shall enter Fiftly it laieth open the ignorance of the world with the obiections of the same Last of all it publisheth and proclaimeth the sweet promises of the Gospel with the abundant mercies of God to all that repent beleeue and truly turne vnto him To the right Worshipfull Sir IVLIVS CAESAR Knight one of the Masters of the Requests to the Kings Maiestie Iudge of the high Court of Admiraltie and Master of S. Catherines A. D. wisheth all good things in Christ Iesus HAuing finished Right worshipfull and made ready for the Presse this little Dialogue I bethought me sith the common maner of all that write any bookes in this age is to dedicát the same to one or to other of great place to whom I might dedicate these my poore labours At last I did resolue with my selfe none to be more fit then your worship both in regard of some affinity in the flesh as also because of those manifold good parts wherewith the Almighty hath endued you Hauing therefore none other thing to present your worship withall in token of a thankfull heart for your curtesies shewed towards me behold I doe heere send vnto you this third fruite of my labours now published Most humbly beseeching you to take it in good worth not weighing the value of the thing which is of no value but the simple and good minde and meaning of the giuer This worke doth sharply reproue and euict the world of sinne and therefore is like to find many deadly enemies which with cruell hatred will most eagerly pursue it vnto death Zoilus also and his fellowes I know will bitterly carpe at it Therefore it flieth vnto your Worship for protection and humbly desireth to take Sanctuary vnder your wings Wherefore I humbly intreat you to take vpon you the patronage and defence of it that by your meanes it may be deliuered both from the calumnious obloquies of euill disposed persons and also from the worlds malignity so as it may take no iniury And concerning this little volume the summe of the matter of it you shall finde in the Epistle to the Reader As concerning the manner heere is no great matter in learning wit arte eloquence or ingenious inuention for I haue heerein specially respected the ignorant and vulgar sort whose edification I doe chiefely aime at yet somewhat there is which may concern the learned giue them some contentment Whatsoeuer it be I leaue it with your Worship beseeching you to giue it entertainement And so I doe most humbly take my leaue commending both your selfe your good wife and your whole family to the mercifull protection of the euerliuing God From South-Shoobery in Essex April 10. Anno Dom. 1601. Your Worships to command in the Lord ARTHVR DENT THE EPISTLE TO the Reader GEntle Reader seeing my little Sermon of Repentance some few yeeres since published hath beene so well accepted of I haue for thy further good published this Dialogue being the third fruit of my labour wishing to it the like successe that God thereby may haue the glory and thou who art the Reader comfort I haue in one part of this Dialogue produced some of the ancient writers and some of the wise Heathen also to testifie vpon their oath in their owne language and to beare witnesse of the vglinesse of some vices which we in this age make light of which I wish may not be offensiue to any In other parts of this worke I do in a manner relinquish them But in this case I haue in my weake iudgement thought them to be of some good vse to shew forth thus much that if we doe not in time repent forsake our sinnes seeke after God both the auncient Christian fathers whose eies saw not that we see nor their eares heard that we heare yea the very Heathen also shall rise vp in iudgement against vs. Let none therefore stumble at it But if any doe let them remember I am in a Dialogue not in a Sermon I write to all of all sorts I speake not to some few of one sort But that which is done herein is not much more then that of the Apostle As some of your own Poets haue said Act. 17. which is warrantable One thing deare Christian I pray thee let me beg of thee to wit that thou wouldest not reade two or three leaues of this Booke and so cast it from thee but that thou wouldest reade it throughout euen to the end For I do assure thee if there be any thing in it worth the reading it is bestowed in the latter part thereof and most of all towards the conclusion Be not discouraged therefore at the harshnesse of the beginning but looke for smoother matter in the middest and most smooth in the perclose and wind-vp of all For this Dialogue hath in it not the nature of a Tragedy which is begunne with ioy and ended with sorrow but of a Comedie which is begun with sorrow and ended with ioy This booke medleth not at all with any controuerfies in the Church or any thing in the state Ecclesiasticall but onely entreth into a controuersie with Sathan and sinne It is contriued into six principall heads First it sheweth mans misery in nature with the meanes of recouery Secondly it sharpely inueigheth against the iniquity of the time and common corruptions of the world Thirdly it sheweth the markes of the children of God and of the Reprobates together with the apparant signes of saluation and damnation Fourthly it declareth how hard a thing it is to enter into life and how few shall enter Fiftly it laieth open the ignorance of the world with the obiections of the same Last of all it publisheth and proclaimeth the sweet promises of the Gospell with the abundant mercy of God to all that repent beleeue and truely turne vnto him The Authour of all blessing giue a blessing vnto it The God of peace which brought againe
and the starres shall fall from heauen Meaning thereby that the most glorious and bright-shining creatures shall be clouded and obscured by the vnconceiuable brightnesse of Christs comming Moreouer is noted vnto vs the terrour of Christs comming in this that immediatly before it the very sea shall quake and tremble and in his kind crie out For it is said that the sea shall roare and make a noise in most doleful and lugubrious manner and mens hearts shall faile them for feare and for looking after those things which shall come on the world for the powers of heauen shall be shaken Oh what shal become of swearers drunkards whore-mongers such like in that day They shall séeke to créepe into an auger hole to hide their heads They shall then cry wo and alas that euer they were borne They shal wish that they had neuer béen borne or that their mother had born them toads And as it is said in the Apocalyps They shall say to the mountains and rocks Fall on vs and hide vs from the presence of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lambe For the great day of his wrath is come and who can stand We sée therfore that the comming of Christ shall not be base and contemptible as in his first visitation but it shall bée most terrible princely and glorious And as the Scriptures doe affirme that his comming shall bee with great terror and dread so also they doe shew that it shall bée very sudden and vnlooked for For the day of the Lord shall come as a theefe in the night as the trauell that commeth vpon a woman As a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the earth That is it shall suddenly catch and intangle all men wheresoeuer they bée in the world As the Earthquake which was some twentie yéeres agoe did suddenly take the world tardy they not thinking of any such matter So shall the comming of the sonne of man to iudgement take the world tardy and vnprepared For few there be that thinke of any such matter Sith therefore the second appearing of Christ shall bée with such suddennesse let vs feare and tremble for all sudden things are to be feared Phila. Well sir as you haue shewed vs the terror and suddennesse of Christs comming so shew vs the purpose and end of his comming Theol. The principall end of his comming shall be to kéepe a generall audit to call all men to an account to haue a reckening of euery mans particular actions to reward them according to their déeds as it is written The Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his Angels and then shall he giue to euery man according to his deeds Againe the Apostle saith to the Corinthians We must all appeare before the iudgement seat of Christ that euery man may receiue the things which are done in his body according to that which he hath done whether it be good or euill Héere wée doe plainely sée that the end of Christs comming shall be to iudge euery man according to his works that is as his works shall declare him and testifie of him and of his faith In another place the Apostle saith That the end of his comming shall be to render vengeance vnto them which know not God and which obey not the Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ which shall be punished with euerlasting perdition from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power Woe then vnto two sorts of men the ignorant the disobedient For the Apostle saith flatly they both shall be damned Me thinketh both the ignorant disobedient all other prophane men shold tremble to thinke of this that Christ shall come to render vengeance vnto them If we did certainely know that the Spaniard should inuade our Nation ouerrunne it and make a conquest of it that he should shead our blood destroy vs and make a massacre amongest vs yea that wée should sée our wiues our children our kindred and deare friends slaine before our faces so as their blood should streame in the stréets what a wonderfull feare and terrour would it strike into vs we would quake to thinke of it Shall we not then be much more afraide of the damnation of our soules Shall we not quake to think that Christ shall com to take vengeance If the Lion roare all the beast of the field tremble and shall not we be afraid of the roaring of the Lion of the Tribe of Iudah But alas we are so hard hearted and so rockt aslepe in the cradle of security that nothing can mooue vs nothing can awake vs. Phila. Now as you haue shewed vs the terror and end of Christs comming so also declare the manner of it Theol. The manner of it is this that the whole world shal be cited to appeare personally at the generall Assises before the great Iudge No man shal be admitted to appeare by his atturney but all must appeare personally None shall be suffered to put in sureties but all must come in their owne persons without baile or maine prize as it is written We must all appeare high and lowe rich and poore king and begger one and other as it is plainly set down in the 20. Chapter of the Reuelation where the spirit saith I sawche dead both great and small stand before God and the sea gaue vp the dead which were in her and death and hell deliuered vp the dead which were in them So then it is cléere that all without exception shall make their appearance at the great and dreadfull Assises Oh what a great day will that be when as the whole world shall appeare together at once If a king marry his sonne and dif other Kings Emperours Dukes Nobles to the marriage with all their pompe traine we vse to say Oh what a mariage what a méeting what a doe what a great day will there be but when the vniuersal world shal be assembled together not only al Monarks Kings and Princes but all other that euer haue béen from the beginning of the world al that are and shal be what a day will that be No maruel therefore though the Scriptures call it the day of God and the great day of the Lord. Now then when all flesh is come together to make their personall appearance then shall the son of God aseend vnto his tribunall seat with great Maiestie and glory For a fiery streame shall issue and come foorth before him thousand thousand Angels shall accompany him and minister vnto him and ten thousand thousand shall stand before him the iudgement shall be set and the books opened All the Saints also and true worshippers of God shall attend him and accompany him vnto his iudgement seat And not onely so but they shall sit vpon the Bench and Throne with him as it is written The Saints shall
iudge the world they shall iudge the Angels that is the diuels the Angels of darknesse Our Lord Jesus himselfe doth auouch the same thing when he said to his Disciples and in them to all true Christians Verily I say vnto you that when the sonne of man shall sit in the throne of his Maiesty yee which followed me in the regeneration shall sit vpon twelue thrones and iudge the twelue Tribes of Israel That is the Saints of God shall beare witnesse that the iudgement of Christ and sentence of condemnatien which he passeth against all vnbeléeuers is according to iustice and equity Thus then we sée how Christ shall be accompanied to his throne and with what glorie and Maiestie hée shall ascend vnto it Experience teacheth that when mortall Iudges hold their Sessions and generall Assises they are brought vnto the Bench iudgement seat with pompe and terrour For the Shiriffe of the Shire and Holbard-men with many Justices of peace and traines of others doe accompany them vnto the Bench. Then with how much more glory and maiesty shall the Sonne of God be brought vnto his royall Throne Thus then Christ being set vpon his iudgement seat all the vngodly shall bée conuented before him and he shall stand ouer them with a naked sword in his hand The diuell shall stand by them on the one side to accuse them and their owne conscience on the other side and the gaping gulfe of hell vnderneath them ready to deucure them Then shall the bookes be opened not any bookes of paper and parchment but the books of mens consciences For euery mans sinnes are written and recorded in his conscience as it were in a Register booke Then will God bring euery worke to iudgement with euery secret thought and set them in order before all the Reprobates Then will God lighten the things that are hid in darknesse and make the counsels of the heart manifest Then shall all the vngodly bée arraigned conuicted and hold vp their hands at the barre of Christs tribunall leat and shall cry guilty Then shall that most dreadfull sentence of death condemnation be pronounced against them by the most righteous Judge Go ye cursed into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the diuell and his Angels Oh dole full sentence Oh heauy hearing Whose heart doth not tremble at these things whose haire doth not stand vpon his head For then shall thousands which in this world haue florished as the cedars of Libanus be cast downe for euermore and shall drinke as a iust recompence for their iniquity of the bitter Cup of Gods eternall wrath indignation in the kingdome of darkenesse and in the fearefull presence of Sathan and all the rursed enemies of Gods grace Phil. Well now as you haue declared vnto vs the terror the suddennes the end the manner of Christs comming to iudgement so lastly shew vnto vs the right vse of all these things Theol. S. Peter telleth and teacheth vs the right vse of all for saith he Seeing all these things must be dissolued what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conuersation godlines As if he should say Sith the heauens shall passe away with a noise the Elements shal melt with heat the earth with the works that are therein shall be burnt vp sith also the cōming of Christ shall be with great terror to a feareful end in fearefull maner O how ought we to excell in goodnes So then S. Peter telleth vs that the true vse of all is this that hereby we be brought néerer vnto God euen to be more obedient to his will to walk in all his commandements making conscience of all our waies and studying to please God in all things and to be fruitfull in all good works liuing soberly iustly holily in this present euill world and shewing foorth the vertues of him which hath called vs out of darkenesse to this maruellous light so that we may be prepared against the day of his appearing that it may not take vs tardy For our life ought to be a continuall meditation of death We should alwaies liue as if wée should die or that our bed should bée our graue we must liue continually as if Christ should come to iudgement presently As it is reported of a godly man in the Primitue church that whether he eat or dranke or whatsoeuer he did hée thought alwaies hée heard the trumpet of the Lord with these words Arise yee dead and come vnto iudgement Put case it were certainly knowne that Christ wold come to iudgement the next Midsommer-day Oh what an alteration wold it make in the world how would men change their minds affections who would care for this world who would set his heart vnto riches Who would regard braue apparel Who durst deceiue or oppresse who durst be drunke Who durst sweare lie and commit adultery Nay would not all men giue vp themselues to the obedience of God would not all serue him diligently would not all men and women flocke to Sermons would they not giue themselues to praier and reading would they not repent them of their sinnes would they not cry for mercy and forgiuenesse Sée then what the knowledge of a certaine day approaching would effect And ought we not to doe all these things with as great care zeale séeing the day is vncertaine For who knoweth whether Christ will come this moneth or the next this yeere or next He himselfe saith Be ready watch for in the houre that ye thinke not of will the son of man come We thinke he wil not come this yéere nor next yeere nor this hundred yéere It may be therefore that he will come suddenly vpon vs we know not how soone For in an houre that we little thinke of will he come Therfore our Sauiour saith in the 13. Chapter of Mark. Take heed watch and pray for you know not when the time is And in the Gospell of S. Luke he saith Take heed that your hearts be not ouercome with surfetting and drunkennesse and the cares of this life and so that day come vpon you vnawares For as a snare shall it come vpon all them that dwell vpon the face of the earth We heare therefore how many watch words and caueats our Sauiour giueth vs when he saith Be in readinesse awake take héed watch and pray and looke about you lest that day come suddenly vpon you and take you napping It standeth vs all therfore vpon to be at an houres warning vpon paine of death and as we will answer it at our vttermost perill Phil. Proceed to speak of the torments of hel Theol. Concerning the torments of hell I do note thrée things which I will briefly speake of and they be these The extremity perpetuity and remedilesnesse thereof First touching the extremity thereof it standeth specially in these thrée things First that it is a separation from all ioy and comfort of the