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
also other exteriour circles if any such be beyond our sight and probable conjecture By the στοιχεια Elements I vnderstand according to the nature of the word the Elements of Fire Aire Earth water whereof other creatures haue their constitution all which by that Iudiciall heate shall be loosed By the Earth and works therein I vnderstand the grosse corrupt commixture of the Earth together with the edifices and other workes of men remaining vpon the corrupt composition of the earth for otherwise every Scholler knoweth that the Elements are essences substances simple single as is the spirite of man That the Heavens are saide to passe away with an hissing noise he would teach that in that great daye the celestiall spheres shal depart or giue place with an hissing as doeth a scroule of parchment having received fire This sense is probable from the forme of speach vsed by Iohn where hee saith * Rev. 6.14 The Heauens departed as a scroule when it is rolled I well vnderstand that Iohn there speaketh of an other Heauen namely of the heavenlie places of the Saintes and visible face of the true Christian Church making as Paule faith * 2. Thess 2.3 A departure but as for the phrase or forme of speache it is borrowed from this effect as though hee should say The face of the mysticall Heauen the Church shall so depart from his former outstretched visibilitie as shall the materiall Heauens at last when they shall role away together As this by the way giveth a gird vnto these that pleade a perpetuall outstreatched visibilitie of the Church so it plainlie pronounceth that the superiour heavens shall once even in the day of the Lord depart and run together as a scroll That it is saide The Elements shall melt or bee loosed vvith heat or as they doe heate I know not what but this shuld be meant namely that the Elements and simple substances who nowe are commixt and possessed with corruption shall then bee loosed as pure siluer is melted from their commixture drosse and corruption and so consequentlie be restored into their first excellencie and libertie seeing this is the end of their groaning Rom. 8.19.20.21 Oh thou Churle that nowe cries Heart be at rest and oh thou Harlot that saiest with Babell * Isai 47.10 I am and none else what wilt thou do when the Heauens rattle the Elements melte the Earth and all earthly things are set on flame flie out of the Citie the fire is in the fieldes run out of Iudea the fire is in Syria climbe Nimrods Towre sulphure from Heaven powres down vpon thee skulpe in the cavernes of the earth and the earth it selfe falls on burning like a barrel of pitch descend into the Seas and the water is vanished through heat Nowe Cain the Citie builder shall see his Cittie on fire Absaloms Piller shall frye and hee that intytleth his house by his name shall in this great daye see it whollie on a flame Oh London London and oh ye her sister Citties in this great daye of the Lord if so the Lord meet not with you before what shal become of your golden shewes in your shops What in this daye shall become of your sumpteous ward-robes what shal then become of the rentalls debtbooks Surely this destinate fire shall pay all debts All these earthly works shall be set on flame and in a moment and trice all shall be consumed for which all haue cared and some consumed themselues The King as poore as the pesant and the meanest Cobler equal with Caesar If thou wilt hardly giue credence to me enquire of Diues that hauing passed the Session awayteth with horrour the generall Assises and hee will tell thee that his back and his soft rayment his bellie and his daintie fare haue made an everlasting parting Lazarus as rich as himselfe nay as riche and blessed in Abrahams bosome aboue by reason of faith as himselfe is beggerlie and accursed not worth a drop of cold water lodged in the Devils bosome belowe by reason he had no faith at least no liuely working faith The miserable Churle in the Gospell having filled his barnes sate downe saying Nowe soule rest thee but immediatlie hee heard from Heauen this speach Thou foole this night they shall take away thy soule Thus a fool and his substance were quicklie parted and when hee dreamed his soule shuld be at most rest then it was vtterlie divorced from rest And if before the great day of the Lord we see even every daye that worldlings and the world are sundred al they take with them to be but a winding sheet what shall we think of this great day of fire devouring vnmercifull fire that will not leaue so much as a winding sheet vnburnt to ashes when the Heavens shal depart with hissing the Elements dissolue the Earth and his workes be set on fierie flame what shall become of the gods of the Heathen and of our Romish halfe-gods and halfe-goddesses made of gold silver bone stone will they then for the Popes sake escape this devouring fire * Gen. 31.34 Rahel vnder the collour of a foule disease could cover her pretty gods from Labans eies But in this great daye who will cover their painted enoyled shrines no cursed shall be both Image and Image-maker howsoever now they are tearmed Lay-mens books yet in that great day it shall appeare true Habak 2.18 that Habakkuk long since writ namely that they are but teachers of lies Oh day of horrour oh thou day of feare and trembling oh that man is forgetfull of thee now pursuing egerlie after worldly trash vanitie all which in that great daye shal be turned into ashes Gold silver pretious stone trees plants hearbes flowers straw dyrt dunge all shall be jumbled togeather all wrapped vp in one for this is a fire of wrath and confusion All which well waighed what marvell was it that Salomon shuld crie out * Eccles 1.1 Vanitie of vanities Vanitie of vanities all is but vanitie When the fire shall cause all the glory of this worlde to vanish no marvel if it be called vanitie most vaine then is man that sells his soule and bodye to the Deuill for Vanitie Heere it will be demanded If so the faithfull shall together with the vnfaithfull frye in this fire thereto I answere when the floodes of wrath came vpon the old worlde then was Noah in the Arke when fire and brimstone rayned downe on the Citties of the plaine * Gen. 19.22 then was LOT in Zoar this question therfore is thus answered by Saint PAVL vnto the Thessalonians 1. Epist 4. Chapter verse 17. These that remaine liuing and these that arise from sleepe namelie from the graue shal be together caught vp in the clowdes to meet the Lord in the ayre As the waters of deludge ceazed on the disobedientspirits not on Noah as the fire and sulphure fastened on the carkases of these that vexed the spirit of Lot
* 1. Iohn 3.3 Every man that hath this Hope purifieth himselfe even as hee is pure Purgation goeth before salvation the putting off of the old Adam with his deceiueable lustes before the newe Adam can be put on with his holines and righteousnes before Christ can exalt thee Moses must humble thee before that Christs works be imputed thine thou must forsake the works that are thine before God adopt thee his Son thou must disclame the devill the father of thy corrupt nature and if thou wilt haue Christ to be thy King thou must covenant holy obedience due to that King The Heavens are pure in comparison of thee yet the Heavenly Spheres and glittering Starres must giue place to the brightnesse of his Throne howe much more must thy damnable corruption be cast awaye except thou togither with thy corruption will be for ever cast away Come wee but before an earthlie King Queene Lord oh howe we will trick vp our attire make bright our countenance and study to place our wordes in order and all this why do we because forsooth wee must come before a noble man a noble woman But howe prepare we for meeting of the Lord of Lords in the clowds who shall come with the * 1. Cor. 15 52. Matth. 24. sound of a Trumpet his Angels marching before to gather togither his Elect from one wind vnto another how are wee fitted with spirituall garments shall wee be clad with the workes of darknes with what face wil we look him in the face harlots faces theeuish faces murdering faces faces puft vppe with pride these will not serue the turne With what words will we greet the judge of all the world He saith we shal giue an accompt of all our * Mat. 12.36 Idle vvords and dare wee meete him with vnsavourie speaches and rotten words Away away with such care to please men and in the meane time carelesse to please God careles how Christ find vs occupied careles how to come before his judgement seate The Heavens shall giue place but man will stand still in the way of sinners the Elements shall melt but mans heart will not melte more than an Adamant the earth shal willinglie permit the fire to consume his corruption but man will not let the fire of God his spirite burne vp and consume his corrupt nature and vnprofitable lustes The Devils at the rememberance of this great day doe tremble but man can heare of the Great day the Fire of that day the iudgment of that day and never be stirred in his soul Oh miserable man and ten times more stupid than any creature striue and contend to feare before the Iudge of al the Earth studying holines and righteousnes without which thou shalt never see God Let now at last thy stony heart gush out teares as the Israelites * Nomb. 20 10.11 Rock gushed out waters bath thy soul in them contrite teares as in another Baptisme and rise vppe from thy earthly waies as * Act. 9. Saul smit downe rose from the Earth and hereafter shaking the scales of naturall blindnes from thy eies go and learne to be holy as our head is holy that so thou * 2. Pet. 3.14 maiest be found of him in Peace without spot and blameles Mount Sinaj vpon the promulgation of the holy law was al on smoke the smoke ascending as the smoke of a fornace and the mountaine trembled exceedingly but in this great daye of the Lord all the mountaines of the world all vallies high thinges lowe things shall not onely smoke but frye in a consuming flame The Israelites trembled at the first and shall not wee tremble at the second The Israelites durst not approch Sinaj before they were * Exo. 19.14 sanctified by Moses and dare we approach the great day of doome what time the breach of the Law shal be punished in the lake of scortching brimstone and vnquenchable fire before we be sanctified by Christ Iesus They durst not come neere the Hill with vnwashen clothes but wee think to stand before Christ his pure throne of Iudgment and that with vnwashen hands vnwashen hearts where as no one shall appeare without confusion of face that first haue not * Rev. 7.14 made their Robes vvhite in the blood of the Lamb. I say not in his owne workes but â— say againe in the blood of the Lambe Blessed therefore is he that watcheth and keepeth his spirituall garments least at his sodaine comming he walk naked and men ey and Angels see his filthines If thou shame not now at vnholy conversation and vngodlines in that great daye an hellish shame shall cover thy face and horrour of conscience shall confound thee If the Devill shal not then claime thee for his own do here shake of his livery cote of vnholines and teare of his cognizance of vngodlines but if thou here will carrie his vnholy brand in thy fore-heade hand and hart then togither with thy black Lord exspect to be committed to the * Rev. 21.8 Lake vvhich burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death In that great day wicked Cain and his Citie Nimrod his bloodhounds wicked Saule and his desperate Iaueling Balaam and his bribe the Vsurer and his money-bagges shal be parted Theuish Achan and his wedg of golde shal be sundred the harlot and whore divorced The murderer and his bilbow-blade the Idolater his shryne the dronken Nabal and his tipling cup the Merchant and his false measure the Courtier and his softe raiment Nebuchadnezzer and his pallatial prospects the Glutton and his belching banquet the mad dauncer and his instrument in that great daye they shall shake hands and never meet more Seing all which and more terrible than that must and shall bee effected what manner of persons shoulde Kings and Queenes be what maner of persons had rich men need to be what maner of persons had Prophets neede to be what maner of men and weomen had wee all neede to be in holines of conversation and godlines That when Cain shall roare for his murder C ham for not covering his fathers nakednes Esau for his mispent time scorning sacramentall signes Saul for his persecution the false Prophet for preaching Peace to men when men were not at peace with God Shechem for his defiling Dinah Alexander the Copper-smith for resisting Paul That when Demas shall wring his handes for departing from preaching the Gospell to liue as a Farmer and grazier that when proude Diotrephes shall curse himselfe for pratling and playing the busy-body against the Saintes to the end that then we may boldly hold vp our heads in the testimonie of a good conscience let vs nowe so liue as wee may not feare presently to die Let vs nowe study so to die as wee may not feare presently to make appearance before that glorious Iudge and al the glorious Armie of Heaven So liued not the earthly minded Prophet who in the testimonie of a bad conscience cryed Nomb. 23.10 Oh that I might die the death of the Righteous and that my last end might be like his But so lived the humble poor Apostle who in the testimonie of a good conscience cryed I desire to bee dissolued and to be with Christ So lived good Simeon who could say Lord now thou lettest thy servant depart in peace And so must every professor of Christ liue as when hee heareth Christ say * Reu. 22.20 Surely I come quickly he with longing soule may answere Amen even so Come Lord Iesus Amen Sic vivamus á¼Î½ Ï„á¿· κοσμω Vt ne simus á¼Îº τοῦ κοσμοῦ Amen
SOMMONS TO Doomes daie SENT VNTO HIS BELOVED ENGLAND AS A MEmoriall of his deepe printed Loue and Loyaltie By HENOCH CLAPHAM EDINBVRGH PRINTED BY RObert Walde-graue Printer to the Kings Majestie An. 1595. Cum Priuilegio Regio SCHOLASTICIS LArgè spatiari Rhetoris est strictè autem Dialectici Hoc proprium Academicorum Scholis illud Rostris Medium inter vtrunque hoc potius vt ἔυαγγελὶας Prophetae accommodatius hic studui Lineae si quae occurrunt otiosae error verò hujus saeculi loquacis maximè fluitans illas ego repudio nec probo Facilius autem est destruere quam astruere nec difficilius labeculae non serpente connivere quà m labiorum labem vt nè dicam luem in aliorum lucubrationes evomere Quid tum peto vt aequo si non placido legatis animo vel saltem pacato haec mea qualiacunque deponatis hoc summissè petitur ac flagito Valete H. C. THE EPISTLE SWEET ENGLAND wishing all true happines to thee and my soueraigne Queene ELIâ—â—â—â—TH whose blooâ—â—â—â—ersaries intestine aâ—â—â—â—rane God in due time convert or confounde Being vrged to voyage from thee for a season I haue heere commended vnto thy reading this mite of a mountaine of Good will Forewarning is a fore-arming neither will my sommoning thy soule howsoeuer harshe at first proue otherwise than healthfull at last Some in whome is small good Zeal but more malice will considering my person wring what sences they list from my sentences that so they may snarle behinde my back But let such learne that Loue will judge the best but Malice never spake well Some in whome Zeale overmatcheth knowledge will è contra affirme that I haue not plainlye ynough rebuked sinne c. Let such learne that I haue learned that there is one manner of Rebuke in the Church of the olde Testament another Rule in the Church of the newe Testament one maner of dealing with persons within the visible Church another wisedome towardes them that are without He that followes one rule for forme of rebuke may aswell confound the first and latter ministrie This not obserued causeth much teaching but no good done Wordes vttered according to knowledge discretiue * Prov. 25.11 are like apples of golde pictures of silver Accept it with no worse meaning than I offer it then neither shalt thou disdaine to receiue it nor I repent the guift and so beseeching the Lordes blessing to accompanie my labour I end Edinburgh 1595. Fulgura sic flammas qui terris servat iniquis Anglorum Sωter semper vbique siet Thy humble petitioner vnto God for thy good HENOCH CLAPHAM SOMMONS TO DOOMES-DAIE 2. PET. 3. vers 10.11 10 But the day of the Lord wil come as a Theefe in the night in the which the Heauens shall passe away with a noise and the Elements shall melt with heat and the Earth with the vvorkes that are therein shall bee burnt vp 11 Seeing therefore that all these things must be dissolued what maner persons ought ye to be in holy conversation and godlines THE holy Apostle PETER writing vnto all wheresoever that had obtained the like precious faith even the precious faith of Christianitie doth vnto all and so consequentlie vnto vs if wee be Christians deliuer many saving doctrines and wholesome exhortations grounded vpon their doctrines for the further confirmation of faith and increasment of sanctification Amongst which this one namly a Caueat and warning peale of the destruction of the whole worlde by fire and the great day of Doome is not least vrged but of all the rest most forciblie in this Chapter propounded and pressed and especially in these two verses now read Before the handling of which two verses it shall be vnto me neither grievous nor to you vnprofitable that I summe vp the precedents of the chapter In the two first verses the blessed Apostle stirreth vp the Readers of his Epistle to receiue the ensuing doctrine into the puritie of their mindes for indeede a corrupt minde will but mock there at and the rather they are mooved therevnto because the doctrine should be no newe or strange doctrine but even such a doctrine as before had bin delivered First by the holy Prophets secondly by the Apostles of our Lord Saviour which doctrine he calleth a Commandement because it was not a lesson left to learne or beleeue at a christians leasure or plesure but enjoyned vpon every Christians neck by the holy Prophets before Christ came by the blessed Apostles after Christ come a commaundement to the Church of the old Testament and a commaundement to the Church of the newe Testament and therefore not such a lesson as may be beleeved and vnbeleued received and refused at mens pleasures but a commaundement sent vnto all that study puritie of minde and do awaite the comming of our Sauiour In the thirde and fourth verses hee foretels the pure minded of certaine adversaries to the saide doctrine and this he doth first by setting down their time of arising namely In the latter daies secondly by giuing vnto them an Epithet drawn from the qualitie of their speach vz. Mockers thirdly setting downe a Synopsis or compendium of their speache which is this Where is the promise of his comming for since the Fathers died all things continue alike from the beginning of the Creation as though they should say You write and you talke of Christs comming vnto Iudgement saying that there shall bee an end of all these worldly thinges I cannot tell the old ancient Fathers they died and so do we die others came in their roomes and so doth there in ours and not onely that but such creatures as were then such are nowe daies moneths and years turne about departing and comming againe in a worde I see nothing changed but all things alike now as of old and therfore I cannot beleeue that the saying The World shall bee consumed and the Christ shall come vnto Iudgment that it is any thing else but a tale of Robin-hood and therefore I will walke on in the waies of mine owne heart and in the delight of mine owne eies making my heauen heere whilest I liue heere for after death I cannot beleeue there is any account no nor life no more then of a dead Dog and pitted caryon All these and such like blasphemies the holy Apostle accompts no better than a Mock and the persons themselues Mockers namely of God and his word In the 5. and 6. verses the Apostle rendreth a reason of their Atheisme Infidelitie namely that they are willingly ignorant of what That they are willingly ignorant how the heauens had their beeing by the word of the Lord for they think the Heavens to come of themselues as also ignorant howe the earth by the same word of ELOHIM was separate from the waters and had his foundation as the Psalmist saith laid vpon the waters Psal 24.2 and therefore by the same worde of God brought aboue the Earth