not on Lot himselfe so this Fire of wrath not of Correction shall parche the bodies of the wicked not of the Lordes people As the faithfull that carrie heere the Crosse of IESVS on their shoulders may heereby receiue just occasion of comfort and rejoicing so theeues adulterers murderers witches all that loue lies and vnrighteousnes may bee smitten downe and not haue wherewithall to be solaced After this daye the greate daye of deliverance saith PAVL * Rom. 8. Wee groane that haue the first fruites of the Spirite These that nowe groane not for this day as for the day of gaole deliverie they shall groane in that day as being the day of fearefull captivitie That gret day oh my God thou knowes I long after looking for litle rest till that day but after that day desireth not the man that hath not received the earnest pennie of thy spirit for here is his Heauen neither doth he exspect any good in that great day of fire Oh my God cause me to be ravished so stronglie with the memoriall of that daye as alwaies present to my eyes as I may not dare at any hand to cease preaching thy sacred worde nor for any worldlie maintenance to bee drawne to conceale any trueth from thy people Amen After this day of deliverie groane not onely wee that haue the first fruits of the spirit and the first fruits sanctifie the whole lumpe Rom. 11.16 but saith the blessed Apostle * Rom. 8.21 22. c. Every creature whether having onely being or being and moouing or being moouing and sence every of them groane togeather vvith vs and traueleth in paine for the presence of this great day that so they as well as wee may bee delivered from their bondage of corruption As by our sinne they became corrupted and so subject to rottennes stench impuritie c. falling togeather with vs so they shall rise and recover their pristine glorious estate but not till the day of our deliverance and therefore introduced groning togither with the Faithfull after the Last day As these creatures after a sort do groane vnder the burden of our sin so woe vnto man more sensles than a stone that cannot grone vnder the burden of his owne sinne rather adding sinne vnto sinne as though it were no burden These creatures in their kinde desire after this great day as for the adulterer theef murderer of bodies or souls or both they and all their companions of darknes desire there may neuer come such a day The Atheists beleeue not that there will be such a day as for them they shal need none other to testifie against them than stocks stones oxen asses neerer God than they are The consideration of whose blindnes insensibilitie causeth the Lord sometimes to turne away from men and crie out * Isa 1.2.3 Heare oh Heauens and hearken oh Earth justifying the Ox and Asse before them Against such the Lord will call the Heavens aboue and the Earth to judge Psalm 50.4 as being persons vnworthie to be judged by any but insensible and vnreasonable creatures because such Atheists are vnreasonable and sensles If the Heavens the earth whome I see not to be accessarie to Satan and Adam his sin except because the Satan might be made of the heavens nature as Adam of the earthlie and so the lumps should suffer with the Reasonable creatures formed out of them being once apostate If the heavens the earth role away and giue place at the appearance of our Lord how shal wicked sinfull man author of his own and their miserie how shal he appeare before him that sitteth vpon the white throane from whome shall proceede nothing but pure judgement and justice For in the daye of this fire the Iudge shall appeare in vnspeakable glorie his garment as white as snow his throane a fiery flame a streame of fire issuing before him and thousands of Angels round about him Oh beloued brethren this shall be the great day of deliverance for the Iudge appeareth to take vengeance on corruption and to glorifie sinceritie and righteousnes If any enquire Whether the creatures shall be delivered from their corruption before man have received his full and finall doome in the flesh I answere that point seemeth to me not very plaine from holy writ yet by some reasonable conjecture I easilie condiscend to this vz. That the Creatures shall first bee loosed from corruption First because before man was the creatures were existent and that * Genes 1. good every one of them As they were created for mans vse so ELOHIM wold not bring man into the wast world as into an emptie house but first furnished the temporarie mansion of the world with al necessaries and then brought man into the pallace of the world and the most pleasant chamber therein Eden that therein he might be exercised Nowe when as the creatures shal be restored to their former libertie I see not to what end but that the same may as in the order of first creation be first restored and then manifested to mankinde in the glorious act of judgment for the letting of him see howe good and glorious all thinges were before they were attainted and corrupted through mans sin And this may well be a preparation to the judgement or generall Session of Christ Iesus Neither seemeth this to bee contrary to blessed Iohn his words where he saith * Revel 20.11 c. I sawe a great white throne and one sitting thereon from whose face fled avvay the Earth and Heauen after which giuing place of the corruptible heavens and the earth he introduceth the dead and the opening of the books of judgment And if the * 2. Pet. 3.13 newe Heauens and new Earth wherein Righteousnes shal dwell be the Heavens and the Earth then restored then so much the more plaine it is That all the creatures vnder degree of reason and Angels and men are onely creatures Reasonable shall be loosed from their bondage corruption corruption giving place to him that sitteth on the throne and then be readie as it were to giue in verdict with the Faithfull that haue vsed them soberlie righteouslie as also to witnes against the wicked that vsed them intemperatlie vnholilie to the dishonor of the Creator Secondly I am rather induced to thinke that before all men haue received full and finall doome they shall see the other creatures restored to libertie as for the animating and lifting vp of the heades of the Elect so and that more specially for the tormenting of the heartes of the Reprobate who having seene the Creatures restored and beautified shall then vpon the books opening be not onely driven from the sweet behold of Iesus * Psal 1.5 from the glorious Assemblie of the Saintes but also from enjoying somuch as the very sight of the excellent creatures If any demaund vvhat shall become of these Creatures after once they be delivered from corruption bondage I answer repaire
what time the old world was destroyed by water This I take to bee the true sence of them two verses In the seventh verse he teacheth the pure minded that the same worde that brought forth the former effects the same worde is the preseruer of the Heauens and Earth during the time of their conservation but that the same word hath determined an end vnto the Heauens and the Earth which shall as verely take place by fire as erst by water The day of which destruction shal be what time the Lord shall vtterlie destroye the vngodly closely intimating thus much As the waters overflowed the Earth in that day wherein God had appointed to preserue Noah and to destroy the vnbeleevers so verely shall the fire ceaze vppon the Heavens and Earth in that day wherein our God hath secretly concluded the destruction of all such mockers and vngodlie persons In the eight and ninth verses hee stirreth vp the beloued of the Lord to be grounded in a perswasion quite contrary vnto the former mockers First in not being ignorant as the former were willinglie ignorant Secondly to testifie their not being ignorant by beleeving first that before the Lord one day and a thousand yeares are alike this is secretlie opposed to the ignorant judgement of the mockers who thought God woulde neuer come because hee had driven so many yeares Secondly by beleeuing that the Lord will not be slack in keeping his promise of comming howsoeuer some in their foolishnes accounted him slack for the effecting of which beliefe in them hee giueth in the next words a reason not of the Lords slacknes but of his not destroying the world and comming vnto judgement as yet namely because he hath decreed a time wherein with all long suffering he will awaite the repentance of people that so they might be saued This secretly insinuateth thus much Euen as the Lord before he would destroy the old world by water did with loue and much patience even an * Genes 6.3 1. Pet. 3.20 hundred twenty years awaite the repentance of the people euen so with patience and asmuch ey more lenitie he now awaiteth the conuersion of people from Sinne to Sanctitie that so in that great and fearfull day they might bee saved and not with the vngodly be destroied Now come we to the text read wherin is considered two things First the propound of the doctrine generall in the first verse read by a simple affirmatiue Secondly by way of concession in the first clause of the next verse then an exhortation vrged by an interrogation in the next and last clause In the proposition generall wee haue to obserue the comming of the Lord in these wordes But the day of the Lord will come Secondlie the manner of his comming like a Theef in the night Thirdly what shall be effected by his comming vz. the passing away of the Heuens with the Elements melting Secondly of the Earth by the burning of fire Thirdly the concession of the whole in these words Seeing all these things must be dissolued The exhortation included in the interrogation lieth in these wordes What maner of persons ought ye to be in holy conversation and godlinesse The comming of the Lord expressed in these words But the day of the Lord vvill come is an opposition to the mockers negatiue axiome which was this The day of the Lord vvill not come And to make the affirmation more forcible the holy Apostle preponeth the particle But as though he shuld say You mockers affirme that the Lord vvill not come But I affirme he vvill come Thus the Apostles of Sathan and the Apostles of Christ will be ever in contradictions like to IEHOVAH and Satan in Paradise The Lord he said In eating of the tree of knowledge of good evill thou shalt dy the death Genes 2.19 Sathan soone after saide * Chap. 3.4 Ye shall not die at all The impes of Satan can say Loe all things in the world are as they were woont to be therefore God will not come to iudgment The Apostle of IESVS he saith But the day of the Lord will come Whether nowe shall we beleeue the abhominable Atheist or the blessed Apostle PETER To the wicked their fore-but the Apostle opposeth his But which But will prooue so mighty a wal in the end as neither mockers nor mockers disciple shall be able to leape over without breaking the neck of their soule The Apostle PAVL hee plainely saith to the Thessalonians * 1. Thes 5.2 Ye knowe perfectly that the day of the Lordshal come but our Mockers say vve knowe perfectly that the day of the Lord shall not come Holy IVDE bringeth in the prophecie of * Iude. 14.15 Henoch saying that the Lord commeth vvith thousandes of Saintes to giue iudgment And our Saviour himselfe affirmeth * Matth. 24. that Hee will come with the sounde of a Trumpet but our Helhounds affirme that all these things are but tales and devises of men whom shal we beleeue now The blessed Apostles and our Saviour himselfe or these birds of the bottomles pit that breath blasphemie against God and his worde A wonder of the worlde that man should be so infatuate and sensles But the Apostle a little before giues the reason hereof namely that they willingly are ignorant howe the Lord by his word hath made and conserved the Heauens and Earth as also howe heretofore by the same potent word hee brought the waters vpon the Earth to the destruction of all Creatures breathing excepting them in the Arke These Atheists blind Moles are ignorant of the Worde and works of God ey willingly ignorant else they could not but knowe that the Lord will come vnto judgment Let the rankest mocking Atheist answere to this question Is there not sometimes a qualme comming over thine heart when thou murdreist vvhen thou steales vvhen thou commits adulterie c. Feelest thou not sometimes a griping of thy Conscience Speake plaine ly not Oh yes thou Atheist thou art not ever exempted from such nips girds and cold qualmes What meanes thine hart to admit of such molestures Oh thou Atheist thy soule is affraid and trembles to come before one that will take an accompt of thy wicked life that will judge that sinne and plague it with Hell fire Thy Conscience therefore accuseth thee thy soule trembles with thy Predecessor Diagoras neither shalt thou escape the Iudge before whom thy soul so citeth and sommoneth thee * Prou. 14.13 Euen in laughing thine heart is somtimes sorrowfull and the end of thy mirth attainted with heavines Put the evill day farre from thee for a while yet the remembrance thereof wil somtimes crosse thy banquet when thou art so overthwarted imagine thy selfe to bee * 2. King 21.20 Ahab and that overthwarter to be Elijah Say vnto the twitching light of thy Conscience Hast thou found me oh mine Enemie and it shall answer I haue found thee for thou hast sold thy selfe to
worke wickednes in the sight of the Lord when the Apostle saith But the day of the Lord will come he wold oppose that Day vnto the daye of the wicked The wicked now haue their day the Lord then wil haue his day and therfore that great day is called the Lords day Christ his resurrection day is called the * Revel 1.10 Lords day because hee then triumphed over the Deuill death and sin so this day of Doome is called the Lords day because hee then will for ever commit the Deuill and those that haue delighted in the waies of death and sinne to everlasting torture As ABRAHAM could equally conclude against DIVES Thou hadst then thy pleasure and Lazarus his torment therefore now it is just that thou bee tormented and Lazarus haue pleasure so against all wicked ones I conclude As you haue your day nowe so Christ shall haue his day then walke on in the waies of your own flesh but be sure the day wil come that shal pay for al. In this day the wicked shall cry Hilles and mountaines fall vpon vs and cover vs from him that sitteth vpon the throane but as for the godly let them hold vppe their heades for then is come the fulnes of their redemption Woe be vnto these that nowe laugh because of sin for then they shall mourne but blessed be these that now mourne because of sinne for they then shall laugh and be comforted This day of the Lord saith PETER shall come as though hee should say tremble oh wicked man for thy day of judgment shall come be patient and rejoice thou that art persecuted for righteousnes sake for the daye of judging thy cause shall come This daye is figured out by the Prophet * Ioel. 3.12 14. IOEL vnder IEHOVAH his pleading in the Valley of Iehoshaphat in the daye of his threshing the Heathen Howsoeuer the Lord seeme now to be a sleepe the wicked thinking God like to themselues yet then the Lord shall awake as a Gyant refreshed with wine Pfal 50.21 bring them vnder the crushing blowe of his flayle a flayle of judgment that shall beat them like chaffe In the meane time let all knowe that whatsoever Mockers say The day of the Lord shall come Iudge righteouslie oh yee rulers of the Earth preferre not the cause of the Potent to the cause of Widowes and Orphanes slaughter not Christ in Habell commit not * 1 King 22.27 Michajah with Ahab vnto prison nor dare to feed the Lords Prophet with the bread and water of affliction for after yee haue had your daies of judging and pleading the Lords day shall come wherein hee will examine the cause of the poore and oppressed If yee haue not judged and done according to God his book but according to the inequall ballance of your owne making then hearken to * Isai 10.1 ISAIAH Woe vnto them that decree wicked decrees and doe vvrite grievous things for keeping back the poor from Iudgment and for taking away the iudgment of the poore of my people that Widowes may be their pray and that they may spoile the Fatherlesse What will yee do now in the day of visitation of destruction which shal come from farre to vvhome will ye flie for helpe and where will ye leaue your glory Oh yee Rulers of the Earth The day of the Lord shal come as verely as the Assirians Medes-Persians Graecians Syri-Egyptians vpon Iudah your judgments shall bee weighed in the ballances of the Sanctuarie if they be found faithfull and full weight then enter into the possession of glorie but if they be found partial and too light with Belshazzars kingdome then thou shalt be cast out for counterfeit coyne If oh yee widowes fatherles and wrongfull distressed ones ye here in the day of man cannot be equally dealt withall do not curse murmure but rest patient for a while Revel 6.9 as vnder the bloody Alter Iesus more injured than thou and after man hath had his day of playing Rex jex The day of the Lord shall come what time the Lord will examine their Law-books by his sacred Testament and call back the examination of thy cause in the hearing of men angels and devils Loosers must haue their sayings and the wicked their wordes for a season but The day of the Lord shall come wherein they shall bee forced to stand by and to hearken what the Lord shall say Iesus himselfe was here of the Rulers Priests of the people scarselie vsed as a Lord nay vsed like a traytor to Caesar like a sower of seditious doctrine like a superstitious conjurer in a worde like an of skouring of the world even as are his members but in this day hee will come as a LORD to whome al power in Heauen and Earth is given and they shall looke vpon him and his members mystical whome they haue pearced In the day of this life they would dominere and Lord it over him and his but now shall he and his Lord it over them In this day of the Lord Habel shal Lord it over Cain the * Matth. 2. slaughtered infants over the Fox Herod Lazarus ouer Dives In this day the Lord Iesus shal awake the mocking Atheist and let him knowe that there is a God that judgeth the earth The workers of iniquitie notwithstanding their preaching and casting out of Devils shall this day bee driuen from the societie of the faithfull and the face of Iesus Now the Lord wil examine how they haue * Mat. 25.24 fed and clothed the poore visited the prisoner and been mercifull vnto the distressed They shall in this day even every lippe-gospeller know what difference there is betwixt a dead faith or idle beleefe not working and a liuely Faith that bringeth foorth fruites of righteousnes and holinesse If they will not here in this life * Iam. 2.18 shewe their faith which is invisible by holy vvorkes which are visible then fear in that gret daye of our Lord to heare the sentence Depart from mee yee cursed into everlasting fire Mat. 25.41 Oh this shall bee a day of feare and horrour Our Lord shall bee vnto the wicked and vngodly the roaring Lyon of the tribe of Iudah but vnto the faithfull members of IESVS it shall be a day of solace and glorie for vnto them shall Christ be the meeke Lamb slaine from the beginning of the Worlde wiping away all teares from their eies setting them on his throane even as himselfe nowe sitteth on his Fathers throane so aeternize their felicitie vnto them for that shall be the Lords day Oh who will not beg with Lazarus now that he may glorie with Lazarus then who wil not now lay down the life of his bodie for an houre that so he may receiue of the Lord then life for yeares millions of yeares even for aeternitie of time beyond al time On the other side who will bee so madde to murther with Cain heere for satisfying
a sodaine momentaine lust and then bee damned to the pit of torment for ever who will be so mad as for sparing a little meate and drinke with the proud glutton from the needie to sell his body and soule to the Devill and the damnable pit for ever Oh foolish and vntoward fleshe of ours that remembers not this day this fearefull day to the workers of vnrighteousnes It is written of a certaine Ancient that he so lived as ever opening his eare and listening vnto the voice of the Angels trumpet that shuld cry Come come away vnto Iudgment If we would so liue as ever listening after the appearance of the Lord in this his day then assuredlie wee would not dare to rush into adulterie stealth and other prophanesses as we doe When thou art tempted to defile thy Neighbours bed to filtch away thy Neighbours goods to imprison or kill the innocent c. Then say thus within thy selfe Oh miserable man nowe the spirite of Hell with the bellowes of his malice is blowing and puffing vppe thy lustes to sette them on fire that so thy members may commit iniquitie this Sathan doeth to haue me damned with him If I followe the motion of this wicked spirit what gaine shal I therby win I shall satisfie my lust of vncleannes of filching of wrath of pride Oh but God hath damned that lust and set his curse vpon that work what if the terrible day of the Lord come as I am committing that sinne or if not howe shall I exspect Gods mercie vnto repentance after the doing of the sinne that knowes before hand that it is displesing vnto my God what is an howres plesure to fierie torments induring for ever why should I grieue God and cause the Devill to bee merrie thogh the great day of the Lord come not vppon me at this instant yet this day may be the day of my death then commeth my soules Iudgement shall I then hazard my soule nay shal I wittinglie commit it to the Devils seruice who is desirous to drawe me with himself vnto the black burning pit Thus debate with thy selfe then tell mee what pleasure thou canst take in sinning Oh Lord sweet Lord Iesus though this shal be a terrible day to the Atheist mocker and counterfeit Christian whose pleasure then endeth and whose endles pain and torture then beginneth yet vnto thy poore afflicted sonnes and daughters it shal be a day of glee and gladnes for then shall their dolour end and their never fading glorie beginne then shall the wicked be tormented in hell fire but thy people shall raigne in the beauteous heavens then shall the wicked be coupled and chained with the Devill and his Angels in the Iron bandes of thy wrath but thy sanctified members shall be * Iohn 3.2 like thee see thee as thou art wait vpon thee the Lambe whither soever thou goest Sweete Iesus sanctifie the consideration heereof vnto thy people that by the torture of the wicked the glorie of the godlie they may be drawn from sinne to serue thee in righteousnes and holines all the daies of their life But how shall this day come The Apostle hauing learned that of our Saviour Iesus what time hee preached vnto them the destruction * Mat. 24. of Ierusalem doth answer it shal come as a theefe in the night that is even as the theefe stealeth vpon a man in the night season vnawares to the housholder even in the time of his sleepe so shall this day of the Lord vnawares and sudenly come vpon the inhabitants of the earth ey our Saviour according to Lukes rehearsall saith that this day shall as a * Luk. 21.35 snare come on all them that dwell vppon the face of the whole earth that is even as the beast or bird not thinking of any danger neer is then vnawares caught in a snare so shall the dwellers on the earth sodainly without foreknowledge be arrested by the day of the Lord. Methinks to him that is content but to vnderstand according to sobrietie Rom. 12.3 another question and that a curious one is heerein answered Many demaund in what daye or in what yeare This great day of the Lord shall fall Of the houre and daye no professor of Christ dare define because our Saviour hath said plainlie * Matth. 24.36 Of that day and houre knoweth no man no not the Angels of Heauen but my Father only but concerning the yeare some dare determine for say they though the houre and day be not reveiled in the word yet the year is clear lie vnderstood from Daniel 12. c. neither say they let it be marveled that the yeare should be pointed at considering the Devils had some foreknowledge of that time when they cried * Mat. 8.29 Art thou come hither to torment vs before our time As also Elias plainlie fore-prophesied The World shall stand six thousand yeares and then it shal be consumed with fire And having determined the vttermost day to fall out Anno 1700. they then qualifie their judgment by saying that somthing of these times must be cut off from Mat. 24.22 c. To answer to all these things at large would require a peculiar treatise and it is bruited but I knowe it not of certaintie that * L. Chadderton M. of that Colledge one of Immanuel in Cambridge hath publikelie there confuted the opinion I therefore as I speak of it but by the way will therefore but by the way shape foorth this litle answere The shortning of the daies Matth. 24.22 is properlie spoken of the cutting of them troublous daies of miserie which came vpon Ierusalem what time the Romanes besieged it This may bee gathered from our Saviours words in the 15.16.17.18.19.20.21 verses aforegoing The people there are willed for avoiding them troubles to flee out of Iudea If them daies were ment of the daies immediatelie before the ending of the world to what end should hee speake of flying out of Iudea to what end should he will the people to make such haste in flying from house and substance and howe should it then bee better for such women as were not with child then for these that were except he ment that the first might with lesse paine and trouble flie away from the sworde of Titus and his souldiers as also from the sworde of the * Read Iosephus de bello Iud. Divided in the Citie why should he wish them to pray that these troubles might befall Iudea in the sommer rather than in the winter but that hee knewe that snowe and foule weather wold hinder the speedines of their flight Secondlie to cause our Saviour in DANIEL to giue foorth a limited yeare and then in the time of his fleshe to cut somewhat from that time even 12. yeares as some haue is to make Christ yea and nay which the Apostle PAVLE denieth 2. Corinth 1.19.20 as also a breaker of the Prophets which himselfe denieth Mat. 5.17