world must be brought to iudgement before him There are two principall things in our Sauiours appearing that shall abash and terrifie the wicked first his exceeding great maiestie secondly the strictnesse of his iudgement 1 The Scriptures in setting foorth the Maiestie of his comming are very copious He shall come in the cloudes of the heauen with power and great glorie Mat. 24.30 that men may behold him in his maiestie whom they would not before vouchsafe to looke vpon in his humilitie Esa 53.3 And this Maiestie shall be conspicuous and glorious in diuerse respects 1 In respect of the admirable signes that go before him which shall be correspondent to his admirable Maiestie Saint Matthew describeth them thus Mat. 24.29 And immediatly after the tribulation of those dayes shall the Sunne be darkened and the Moone shall not giue her light the Starres shall fall from heauen and the powers of heauen shall be shaken An eclipse being great hath bene very fearefull to some and the darkenesse at our Sauiours passion made the world to wonder how fearefull then and how wonderfull shall the comming of Christ to iudgement bee when the Sunne and Moone and Starres shall all lose their light and the heauens with their powerfull influences be vtterly obscured as inferiour lights are wont at the bright shining and glorious appearing of Christ Iesus When the Maister of the family dieth Chrysost in Mat. hom 49. the house is troubled the seruants lament and put on mourning apparell so when man the inhabitant of the world is neare his end and comming to his triall his old friends and seruants both in heauen and earth do thus clothe themselues in mourning weedes being also abashed to behold the glorie of the Sauiour of the world Saint Luke likewise saith Luk. 21.25 There shall be signes in the Sunne and in the Moone and in the Starres and vpon the earth trouble among the nations with perplexitie the sea and the waters shall roare and mens hearts shall faile them for feare and for looking after these things that shall come vpon the world Onely an earthquake if it be vehement is verie fearefull and the inundation of waters terrible but now when the whole massie globe of the earth shall totter and shake the mightie seas roare and rage and the glorious heauens become blacke and duskie how shall the hearts of men bee appalled with dread and terror to behold the same 2 Christs appearing shall be glorious in respect of his attendants not silly Fisher men as in the dayes of his infirmitie but holy Saints and blessed Angels as consorting with this day of Maiestie Jud. ver 14 Behold he cometh with thousands of his Saints to giue iudgement against all men and to rebuke all the vngodly c. And as Christ shall come with his many Saints so shall he appeare with his infinite troupe and traine of Angels Dan. 7.10 For thousand thousands shall minister to him and ten thousand thousands shall stand before him Yea he shall come with all his holy Angels and these being his fierie messengers Mat. 24.31 he shall send with a great sound of a trumpet to gather together the elect c. Thus glorious seruants shall attend a glorious maister If Saint Iohn a holy Euangelist fell at the feete of Christ as dead when he beheld him Reu. 1.17 and Esay a heauenly Prophet cryed out Wo be to me for I am of polluted lippes Esa 6.5 because he saw the King and Lord of hostes compassed with the glorious Seraphims shall not the maiestie of this great God Tit. 2.13 euen our Sauiour Iesus Christ daunt the hearts of the wicked at his appearing euen more then can bee expressed 3 Christs comming shall be glorious in regard of the complements of honour which he shall haue at his appearing 2. Thes 1.7 He shall come in flaming fire with the sound of an Archangell he shall come in the cloudes and ride vpon the wings of the winde Act. 1. It was straunge to see mount Sin a on fire at the deliuerie of the Law Eod. 19. but how straunge will it be when the heauens shall passe away 2. Pet. 3.10 and the elements shall melt with heate and the earth with the workes therein shall be burnt vp then shall he sit vpon a throne of glorie Mat. 25.31 and before him shall be gathered all nations The day was when he poore man stood before the iudgement seate of Pontius Pilate to receiue his sentence but now Pontius Pilate with all the potentates of the earth must stand before his throne to receiue their dolefull doom The gloriousnesse of which throne Daniell describeth Dan. 7.6 saying His throne was like a fierie flame and the wheeles like burning fire yea so full of dreadfull maiestie it is that when the earth and the sea do come to be arraigned before it they flye away Reu. 20.11 not able to behold the glorie thereof and the Iudge that sitteth thereupon And therfore whereas at his birth onely Ierusalem was troubled and at his passion Mat. 2. Luk. 22. the tender hearted women of Ierusalem wept now at his comming to iudgement Mat. 24.30 Reu. 1.7 All the kindreds of the earth shall mourne and waile before him Euen so Amen 2 Secondly as his appearing is glorious so shall the strictnesse of his iudgement be no lesse maruellous If a man might be called to an account for his grosse sinnes onely there were some hope of safetie but Christ will call for an account of euerie idle word Mat. 12. yea he will bring to iudgmēt euery secret thought Rom. 2.16 and who alas shall be able to answer him one of a thousand Job 9.3 When the Lord casteth his infinite discerning eye vpon the most excellent of his creatures Job 4.17.15.15 he findeth no stedfastnesse in them no not in his Saints and Angels yea the heauens are not clean in his sight This caused Dauid to say Heare my prayer ô Lord Psal 143.2 and hearken to my supplication but enter not into iudgement with thy seruant for in thy sight shall no flesh liuing be iustified If Dauid a man after Gods owne heart put vp his petition appealing from the iustice of God vnto his mercie how vnable shall the wicked be to stand foorth with boldnesse Psal 1. or to lift vp their heads with confidence in the day of iudgement What shall the shrubbe of the desert do Gregor when the Cedar of Paradise shall be shaken what shall the lambe doe where the Lyon doth tremble and if the righteous scarcely be saued 1. Pet. 4.18 where shall the vngodly and the sinner appeare The warie Auditor will consider the seuerall reckonings that hee is to make so should the wise Christian thinke vpon the particular accompts that Christ will exact at the generall day of iudgement Consider then that hee will call thee to
A THREE-FOLD RESOLVTION verie necessarie to saluation Describing EARTHS VANITIE HELS HORROR HEAVENS FELICITIE PSAL. 107.43 Who so is wise will ponder these things By IOHN DENISON Batchelour in Diuinitie LONDON Printed by Richard Field for Iohn Norton 1608. ⧠To the right worshipfull Sir William Willoughby Knight the best blessings of this life and euerlasting blessednesse in the life to come ALthough right worshipfull my many employments well knowne vnto you might seeme a sufficient remora to my pen yet my desire by all meanes to do good hath more preuailed with me then those lets wherewith I haue conuersed These meditations a testimonie of my desires I make bold to present vnto you to whom if they be worthy of any respect they do belong in many respects as I might sufficiently manifest but that I hold it more expedient to remaine a thankfull silent debter then to become a publicke trumpeter of your priuate fauours If you iudge them worthie vouchsafe them I pray you your patronage if not your pardon at least your acceptance as a token of his thankefull minde who will euer rest Your Worships at commaundment in Christ Iesus I. D. 1 Let heauens powre downe their sweetest influence Let them inrich you with the earths best treasures Let them withall instill truths quintessence Heau'ns ioyes do far surmount all earthly pleasures 2 Let the celestiall powers you guard and guide And countermine when wicked powers conspire Let spotlesse bloud which ran from harmelesse side Quench vnto you the euer burning fire 3 And let the winged Posts voyd of delayes From glorious throne when great Iehoua sendeth Translate your soule when death shal end your daies To that celestiall blisse which neuer endeth To the Reader THe last period and principall Resolution of euery Christian is or should be to glorifie God in the fruition of eternall felicitie Wherein we must remember that remote ends haue subordinate meanes to produce their effects which ought in no case to be neglected And as the sea-man for the getting of his prize must haue care of three principall points first to ballance his ship discreetly secondly to shun the daungerous gulfes of the sea thirdly to get good landing in a safe hauen So euerie Christian that desireth the fruition of true felicitie must first so ballance his affections that they be not ouer-burdened with the loue of this world secondly hee must haue a care to shun the gulfe of hell and eternall destruction thirdly hee must labour to get the kingdome of heauen for his hauen Vpon these pointes good Christian must thy Resolution cast anker if euer thou resolue to be eternally happie Now to helpe forward thy resolution behold here the Worlds vanities deciphered Hels torments displayed and Heauens happines described Meditations in my conceit neuer more fit then in these wretched dayes wherein men are become too great louers of the world haue lost the dread of hell and the desire of heauen The Lord blesse them to thy comfort and saluation And if thou receiue any good by them recompence my paines with thy prayers 〈…〉 〈…〉 〈…〉 last iudgement 〈…〉 2. Society with the diuels the daâ— 3. Eternitie of the hellish torment 〈◊〉 3. Heauens felicitie 1. Before the day of iudgment 1. Sanctimonie of life 2. Peace of conscience 3. Comfort at the day of death 2. At the day of iudgment 1. Ioy at the resurrection 2. Comfort to meet and come before 3. Consolation vpon the sentence 〈◊〉 blessed 3. After the last iudgeâ—â—â—â— 1. Freedome from torments and mâ— 2. Fruition of celestiall glâ—â—â—◠〈…〉 The first part Of the Earths vanitie in generall AS it was in the dayes of Noah and Lot Luke 17.26.29 so shall the coÌ„ming of the sonne of man be saith our blessed Sauiour that Sonne of man For as in those times they did eate and drinke marrie build and plant that is exceedingly prosecute the vaine profites and pleasures of the world till the floud came and destroyed them so shall it be when the Sonne of man shall be reuealed Was the world euer more addicted and deuoted to these vanities then now it is and haue we not therefore iust cause to expect that refining fire 2. Pet. 3.10 which shall burne vp all the corruption vpon the face of the earth Almightie God hath giueÌ„ to men three mansions of a diuerse qualitie first the world wherein they liue 2. the graue wherein they corrupt 3. either heauen wherein they are crowned or hell wherein they are tormented In the world their companion is vanitie in the graue the worme in heauen the Angels and in hell the diuels Yet such is the folly of most men that they would haue perpetuall habitations and euerlasting happines in this vaine world to whoÌ„ Augustines speech is very fit August confess lib. 4. cap. 12. Seeke for that which you seek but not where you seeke it you seeke a blessed life in the region of death alas it is not there What extreme folly is this to seeke felicitie where nothing can be found worthy the affecting and following if all were weyed in the ballance of iudgement and discretion What is the world with the things of the world but enimitie against God euen pitch which defileth birdlime which intangleth and a snare which intrappeth Is not her coate misery her crest iniquitie and her motto vanitie Neither are these adiuncts lesse permanent then eminent both in the entrance continuance and conclusion of this life For we come into the world wailing and weeping we liue in it with toyling and moyling and we leaue it with grieuing and groning Iob. 1.21 Vide Praefa Plin. ad lib. 7. Naked came we out of our mothers wombe and naked must we returne againe Thus both the Orient and Occident the Prologue and the Epilogue of our life is nakednesse And if we view the sundry times places and courses of our life behold they yeeld nothing but vanitie and misery Infancie is weake and feeble youth is rash and dissolute old age froward and doting The pleading places yeeld contention the house cares the countrey labour the Court enuie the sea tempests and pirats the land theeues and robbers Pouertie is despised wealth is enuied wit is distrusted folly is derided yea which is most lamentable vice is aduanced and vertue disgraced Man is by many writers called a little world 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not vnfitly in that he is a modell of the miseries of this greater world hauing within him sinne rebelling against him without the world to allure him before Satans snares to intangle him behind a wary conscience to dog him on the right hand prosperitie to inueigle him on the left hand aduersity to vexe him vâ—der his feet the graue open to swallow him and ouer his head the iudgements of God readie to fall vpon him So that a man in this life may verie well be compared to a sea-man in a dangerous and tempestuous nauigation if he
Citizens of heauen meaning indeede that as we are infranchised and incorporated into the heauenly Ierusalem our coÌ„uersation should bee correspondent to this dignitie And of this priuiledge doth he speak very comfortably Ephes 2.6 saying that God hath raised vs vp together made vs sit together in the heauenly places in Christ Iesus So that Gods Saints on earth though they be poore and base in regard of their outward estate yet being faithfull they are heires of grace and haue seates of honour in heauen together with the thrones and dominations and are therefore no more strangers and forrainers Eph. 2.19 but Citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of faith True it is that as yet the childreÌ„ of God on earth do not actually but potentially and mystically enioy these priuiledges yet because of the present comfort and future certainetie thereof they are actually ascribed to them as alreadie obtained When our Sauior meanes to comfort his seruants to banish distrust of Gods prouidence he saith Feare not little flocke Luk. 12. for it is yours Fathers will to giue you a kingdome Loe this kingdome the Lord doth assure to his children in this life by giuing them the earnest of his spirit for the assurance of the same Howbeit 2. Cor. 5.5 as Dauid was annoynted by Samuel a great while before he obtained the Crowne so doth the Lord annoint his children in this life with the oyle of gladnesse but sets not the crowne of glory vpon their heades 2. Tim. 4.8 till the triumphant appearing of Christ Iesus 1. Joh 3.2 Dearely beloued euen now are we the sons of God saith Saint Iohn so that being adopted in Christ Rom. 8.17 and heires annexed with him we haue assurance of that heauenly dignitie which is prepared in the heauenly places for the sons of God Thus the godly in respect of the remission of their sinnes the sanctificatioÌ„ of lâ—fe their vnioÌ„ with God their ingrafting into Christ their Communion with the Saints and other priuiledges of grace and happinesse whereof they are possessed may very well bee said to haue made an entrance and set foot into the kingdome of heauen and to haue a glimpse of that glory which shall shine most resplendently at the great day of reward These things being wisely weighed in the ballance of a sanctified soule yeeld sundrie profitable vses 1. Hereby a man may haue triall of his future estate by duly considering his present condition Is thy hart profane thy faith dead and thy conuersation wicked then may I say to thee as Iehu said to IehoraÌ„ 2. King 9. What hast thou to do with peace what hast thou to do with the kingdome of heauen which belongeth onely to the righteous and hath no roome for the vnrighteous 1. Cor. 6.9 Reu. 21.27 nor entertaineth any vncleane thing But canst thou discerne in thy selfe a sound faith though it be like smoking flâ—xe and an vpright conuersation albeit not free from all infirmitie then may I say to thee as our Sauiour said to Zachaeus Luk. 19.9 This day is saluation come to thy house thou hast set one foote into heauen 2 This may be a motiue to holinesse of life and conuersation Some in the weakenesse or profanenesse of their hearts will bee readie to demaund Mal. 3 14. What profite is it to keepe Gods commandements to walk humbly before the Lord of hostes and behold such a one may here receiue an answer for we see that the godly are in this life interessed in many heauenly priuiledges and shall assuredly in the life to come be partakers of euerlasting happinesse Therfore Saint Peter hauing exhorted men to linke a iustifying faith with sanctified vertues in a golden chaine concludes his exhortation with this reason 2. Pet. 1.5.11 For by this meanes an entring shall be ministred vnto you abundantly into the euerlasting kingdome of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ making the kingdom of Grace the portall to the kingdome of Glorie 3 To a faithfull and a godly man this meditation may minister much cause of true comfort Luk. 10. Reioyce in this saith our Sauiour that your names are written in heauen so let this bee thy comfort my Christian brother that the Almightie hath enrolled thee amongst the holy companie of heauen And herein blesse God for his mercie with the blessed Apostle who considering the greatnesse of his fauour vouchsafed to the Colossians rendreth hearty thanks to God for deliuering them out of the power of darknesse Col. 1.13 and translating them into the kingdome of his deare sonne A man that stands vpon a high and sure rocke laughes to scorne the rough surges of the raging seas and so may a Christian that hath laide this good foundation of a sound faith and a sanctified life safely reioyce against all the surges of troubles and temptations whatsoeuer For though the raine fall Mat. 7.25 and the flouds come and the windes blow and beat vpon this building it shall not fall because it is builded vpon a rocke yea the gates of hell shall not be able to preuaile against it SECT 2. The second steppe to heauen before the day of iudgement namely Peace of conscience AS sorrow of heart and horror of conscience are the vsuall fruites of sinne and iniquitie so is ioy of heart and peace of conscience an ordinarie companion of godlinesse and honestie Gen. 3.8 Adam hauing transgressed and defiled himselfe with sinne when God cals for him doth hide himselfe Abraham a man of a sound faith prompt obedience Gen. 22.1 when the Lord speakes to him answereth chearefully Here am I. Thus we see both parts of the Prouerbe fulfilled Prou. 28.1 The wicked flyeth when none pursueth him but the righteous is bold as a lyon When the heauens are clogged with foggie mists it causeth a sudden darkenesse vpon the face of the earth and when the bodie is oppressed with pale melancholie humors the heart is heauie and the countenance cast downe but the mistes being expelled by the brightnesse of the Sunne all the Horizon laughes for ioy and the pale humors being purged the heart is ioyfull and makes the countenance chearfull So do the mistes and humors of sinne clogge and molest the heart of man but the same being expelled and purged by the bright Sun-shine of righteousnesse the heart is enlarged and reioyceth yea daunceth with ioy as Dauid speaketh Psal 13.5 and the heart being ioyfull maketh a chearefull coâ—ntenance Pro. 15.13 so that the voyce of ioy and gladnesse is heard in the tabernacles of the righteous Psa 118.15 And this ioyfulnesse of hart chearefulnesse of face and gladnesse of tongue do testifie Rom. 14.7 that the kingdome of God is righteousnesse peace and ioy in the holy Ghost Of this fruite doth Salomon speake where he saith Pro. 15.15 That a good conscience is a continuall feast setting it foorth with the same
we leade a sanctified life for such honour and happinesse haue all his Saints SECT 3. The third steppe into heauen at the day of iudgement namely The comfortable and honorable sentence of acquiting Come you blessed of my Father THe Lord by his Euangelicall Prophet did in times past make this gracious promise concerning his forlorne desolate Church In an acceptable time haue I heard thee Esa 49 8. in the day of saluation haue I helped thee And Saint Paule making the time of promulgation of the Gospell the period of his promise addeth by the way of exemplification 2. Cor. 6.2 Behold now the accepted time behold the day of saluation If the Apostle spake thus of the time wherein saluation was published and offered how much more may it bee said of the day wherein saluation is giuen and receiued Behold the day of saluation euen now behold it when the Sauiour of the world is become the Iudge of the world and shall pronounce the comfortable sentence of mercie and absolution Come yee blessed of my Father Mat. 25.34 possesse the kingdome prepared for you from the beginning of the world In which sentence euery word hath his woorth and weight and deserues to be ingraued in letters of gold Come saith Christ there is a blessed vocation ye blessed of my Father a gracious appellation possâ—sse the kingdome a happie exaltation prepared for you from the beginning of the world the foundation of all consolation It is worthie the obseruation that all Christs words are words of consolation his deedes are deedes of compassion and his workes the workes of propitiation Thus is Christ alwaies lâ—ke himselfe exceeding compassionate In the time of his life hee cryes Come vnto me all you that labour and are heauie laden Mat. 11.28 and I will refresh you Ioh. 7.37 If any man thirst let him come to me and drinke At his death vpon the crosse his armes are stretched out and his bloud gusheth forth as if he should say Come that I may wash thee come that I may embrace thee At the day of iudgement he cals Come ye blessed of my Father receiue the kingdome prepared for you And this Come is most comfortable of all others being such a word as Salomon speakes of Like apples of gold Prou. 25.11 with pictures of siluer euen as precious and pleasant as possibly may be Come yea but who You blessed of my father There are sundry kinds of blessings mentioned in the word of God Psal 5. Thou Lord wilt blesse the righteous and with fauour wilt crowne him as with a shield there is the blessing of protection The Lord blessed the house of O bed Edom 1. Ch. 13.14 and all that hee had there is the blessing of prosperitie Psa 128.3 Thy children shall bee like the Oliue plants round about thy table there is the blessing of procreatioÌ„ Thou crownest the yeare with thy goodnesse Psal 65.11 and thy steppes droppe fatnesse there is the blessing of plentie Euen in these and such like are the godlâ— often blessed but the Blessing of blessings is that which is here mentioned Come you blessed Mat. 25.34 receiue the kingdome And this blessednesse is both obtained by Christ and pronounced by him Isaiah 65.8 Destroy not my Vine saith the Lord and why for a blessing is in it Receiue the kingdome saith our Sauiour why because you are the blessed of my Father Happie are the people that are in such a case yea happie and thrise happie are they who are the blessed of the Lord. Our Sauiour somtimes promiseth the kingdome of God Luk. 12. Feare not little flocke it is your Fathers will to giue you a kingdome Sometimes hee exhorteth men to seeke the kingdome of God Mat. 6. First seeke the kingdome of God and the righteousnesse thereof and his promise is comfortable his exhortation profitable But behold here hee takes men by the hand and bids them come and take possession of the kingdome which is much more comfortable because fruition farre exceedeth expectation That was a gladsome speech of Christ to the penitent thiefe Luk. 23.43 This day shalt thou bee with me in Paradise but this is farre more gladsom when Christ shall say Come and possesse it and so shall presently take both soule and bodie into his eternall kingdome If Dauid said Psa 1.122 I was glad when they said vnto me We will go into the house of the Lord how ioyfull and glad shall the children of God be wheÌ„ Christ shall say vnto them Come you blessed of my Father into the house of God euen the kingdome of heauen This was Gods bountifull goodnesse to Adam that before he was created the Lord had prouided abundantly for him and furnished most exquisitly as it were for a great guest the tables both of heauen the earth and the sea with all things necessarie for his vse and delight But behold here a greater mercie of the Lord towards the elect that altogether without their merite not onely before they were borne but euen before the foundations of the world were laid the Lord hath prepared a blessed and glorious kingdome for theÌ„ And this is the elects happinesse that at the last day when these foundations of heauen and earth shall bee shaken Christ will call them most graciously to possesse the kingdome which cannot be shaken Heb. 12. Wee reade in the first of Luke Luk. 1.44 that Elizabeth wondered at the blessed Virgins visiting of her and said that so soone as the voice of her salutation sounded in her eares the babe in her wombe did leape for ioy Shall not our Sauiours sentence bee more admirable then the Virgins salutation and as soone as it sounds in the eares of the elect shall it not cause the hearts in their bellies euen to leape for ioy Seeing now that the condition of the godly is so happie that they shall bee partakers of this thrise happie sentence let euery ones care and carriage bee such that he may enioy the comfort thereof For as they onely are the sheepe of Christ which heare his voice in the ministerie of his holy word Ioh. 10.27 and follow him in the steppes of righteousnesse so shall they onely be the sheepe on his right hand they onely shall heare him say vnto them Come you blessed of my Father and follow him into his kingdome Mat. 25.33 To those that haue fedde him being hungrie clothed him being naked and visited him being sicke and in prison to those that haue sanctified his Sabboths honoured his name embraced his word and dealt vprightly with their neighbours to them I say doth this blessing belong Let no man then bee ouercome with Dauids infirmitie to say I haue cleansed my heart in vaine and washed my hands in innocencie For the Apostles words shall euer bee found true Your worke shall not bee in vaine in the Lord. 1. Co. 15.58 And behold here
looke vp to the heauens hee beholdeth nothing but a dreadfull darknesse if hee looke downe to the seas he vieweth nothing but the tossing waues if he behold his ship he heares the ioynts thereof cracke very fearfully if he cast his eyes vpon his companions they looke pale and pitifully and in a word there is nothing to be seene but feare and dread on euery side and if it happen that the ship of mans fraile body do saile safely and quietly in the sea of this troublesome world commonly men haue small care of arriuing at the hauen of eternall blisse Those that are in danger of drowning Jonas 1 5. wil cast all into the sea to saue their liues should not we cast all away to saue our soules Shall the feare of drowning in the sea make vs forgo our goods shall not the dread of drowning in hell cause vs to forsake them It is good counsell therfore Aug. in Psa 36. Trample the sea of this world vnder thy feete lest thou be drowned in it Who is he that expecting and hoping for saluation in the life to come would hazard the same for these trifles which hee must needs forgo and how soone or in what maner he knowes not Fie vpon it that all the naturall ornaments of the soule or bodie or all the externall vanities in the world which can be enioyed but a few yeares should cause any Christian man to neglect his soule and the life which can neuer haue an end As for the prophane worldling and secure Atheist I would propound this question to him though his cogitations being carnal he cannot conceit the ioyes of heauen For there is no nation so barbarous but it doth acknowledg there is a God Cic. de leg l. 1. and though he be growne more sottish then the barbarous heathen that he say in his heart there is no God yet let him tell me whether he do not sometimes feare at the remembrance of hell yea though he labor mightily to deface obscure the cogitation thereof would he not giue much that he might be sure to be free from the danger of it yea though he become not onely carnall and brutish For they do beleeue and tremble Iam. 2. but euen worse then the diuels Suppose for the more euident demonstratiō of his folly it were doubtfull whether there were any hell iudgement or torments prepared for the wicked yet what madnesse is it for the loue of these things which are certainly vaine and must certainly be forsaken to be in any possible danger of such intollerable torments And I would faine know of this wretch who doth thus labour to nourish Atheisme that he may securely hoise vp the sailes of vanitie For the wicked perswades himselfe there is no God that he may boldly become abominable Psal 14.1 safely set open the floud gates of iniquitie and without feare or danger haue full scope in the field of impietie what present benefite he hath by his prophanesse and profuse abusing of temporall blessings more then the godly Christian by his religious conuersation and sober vsing of them And what sensible I will not say godly man doth not rather desire to liue like the gracious Emperours Gratianus Vt referunt Eusebius Socrates c. Constantine Theodosius then those gracelesse wretches Caligula Nero and Heliogabalus But leauing the Atheist to his conuersion or confusion let none that feare God and desire heauen suffer themselues by their seruile affections to be made slaues to these base and contemptible things Cypr. A man cannot with one eye behold the earth and with the other at the same time looke vp to the heauens neither can he affect these earthly vanities and withall long after eternall felicitie Chrysost in Iohan. hom 53. in fine He that hath his hands full of siluer must first emptie them before he can catch any gold in them so cannot a man lay hold on heauenly things till he haue let goe the loue of earthly For as in naturall operations the corruption of one must be the generation of another and the diminishing of one the augmentatiō of the other so in spirituall apprehensions the forsaking of one must be the meanes of embracing another you cannot serue God and Mammon Mat. 6.24 First therefore labour good Christian with thy selfe to win and waine thy affections from the loue of this world which I know will be a matter of much difficulty and doth therfore require the greater diligence For Sathan doubtlesse will deale with thee as he did with our Sauiour Mat. 4.8 when he shewed him the kingdomes of the world he shewed him also the glory of them so is it his policie to varnish those vanities which hee meanes to vtter as pictures coursly wrought seeme faire a far off so if thou behold them with a superficiall view they may easily delude thee but come neare and touch them and try them and thou shalt finde they are all meere vanities Some haue thought that at least all the three kinds of goods that is of fortune Philo in lib quid deter potior insul alij the bodie and the minde being conioyned doe produce an absolute felicitie as the Elements combined though not seuerally do make the world but that was their error For albeit in their first frame the bodie with all his members the soule with all her faculties and the earth with all her partes beeing viewed vno actu by the Creator were like the many strings of a sweete and well tuned instrument Gen 1.31 euen all very good Yet since the fall of man they are fallē to such a discord that they can neuer agree together in anie gracious harmony Rom. 8.20.22 til Christ at his second comming doe set them in tune The viewe therefore of their vanitie should cause thee to despise them and to conclude with Salomon Eccl. 12.13 Let vs heare the end of all feare God and keepe his commandements To this purpose haue I penned the first part of this treatise that the same may be a preparatiue to the other following Where thy house is ruinous thou wilt haue care to repaire it and where thy body is ill affected thou wilt take physicke to cure it be not then lesse carefull for thy soule then thou art for these earthly tabernacles So that where thou seest thy self caried forward with the immoderate loue of these vaine delights there apply such medicines as are here prepared for thee to the which if they proue weake in operation thou mayest adde more simples out of the heauenly garden of Gods word but in any case apply them with prayer the onely meanes to make them effectuall CHAP. 1. SECTION 1. A view of the vaine condition of man in respect of the goods of the mind and first of the vnderstanding Eccles 1.2 VAnitie of vanities saith the Preacher vanity of vanities all is vanity If euer there were any man
Tirpsi initio who at the birth of any child vsed to sit downe and weepe recounting the calamities that were by it to be encountred but when any one dyed they sported and reioyced rehearsing the miseries from which he was deliuered But what is this to the spirituall calamitie and miserie of sin which is increased by old age and the debts of our transgressions which are augmented by long life It is a worthie question of Ierome Hieron ad Heliador What difference is there betweene him that hath liued ten yeares and him that hath liued a thousand years sauing that when death comes hee that is the oldest goeth to the graue loaden with the greatest burthen of sinnes If a man grow dayly in debt and behind hand we say he hath a good turne when God hath taken him soorth of the world how much more should we thinke him happie who is by death deliuered from running further into the debts of sin Rom. 3.19 whereby he is brought into the Lords danger These euils are great which long life bringeth vpon vs but besides it keepeth good things from vs and vs from good things For we know that whilest we are at home in the body 2. Cor. 5.6 we are absent from the Lord. The desire of long life makes vs forget eternall life and the hope thereof causeth the neglect of our preparation to death for whilest euery one thinks he may liue yet a little longer hee perswades himselfe that hee hath time enough to repent Is not he a foolish souldier that would haue the warres rather prolonged then ended that he may haue the trophees of victorie Now our life being a warfare and the day of our death the day of honour and triumph is there not iust cause that they which haue receiued the first fruite of the spirit Rom. 8. should sigh for their ful and final redemption But this being the vanitie of long life all those world-louers are iustly taxed who like the Israelites would make a Canaan of Aegypt and heauenly mansions of this earthly habitation being loth to forsake it though they be subiect to a thousand inconueniences in it But as those that are much giuen to wine will not stick to drinke the lees so those that loue this world and life too well will rather embrace old age with all the preiudices thereof then leaue it What is there in this life to be desired and if there were any thing yet what is that to the life to come To say the most for long life say that the Lord offereth vs two iewels the one base and temporall the other excellent and eternall is it not extreame folly to preferre the temporall before the eternall And such is the folly of those which preferre long life in this world before eternall life in the world to come But what is it not lawfull to desire long life surely yes with that condition implyed in Dauids prayer Psal 30.9 Shall the dust giue thanks vnto thee If thou desire to glorifie God by liuing long then mayest thou desire it and so doing mayest haue great hope to obtaine it CHAP. 3. SEC 1. A view of those externall vanities which are called the goods of Fortune and first of Nobilitie WHen Dalilah would betray Sampson into the hands of the Philistims Iudg. 16.6 shee intreateth him to tell her wherein his great strength lay knowing that if once the same were weakened hee might easily be vanquished Euery souldier that can approch to the standard or come neare the Generall will preasse hard and aduenture with daunger to encounter them considering that the one being the eye the other the voyce of the armie in their victorie consisteth the glorie of the conquest The like course haue I thought good to take in this spiritual warfare for being to encounter the combined forces of the minde the bodie and of Fortune I first assayed to set vpon the ornaments of the minde afterwards assaulted the armado of the bodie which being like the lockes of Sampson and the Captaine and standard-bearer of the armie thou shalt finde foyled and slaine except thy heart yeeld balme to cure them and their fires quenched vnlesse thy affections send foorth oyle to kindle them And now by Gods grace I will encounter the stragling and vnranged forces of Fortune And first I wil beginne with Nobilitie a meere externall good which happeneth vnto men in their birth onely through their auncestors worthinesse Those that are stict in the decyphering and blazing of gentrie account none noble but such as are remoued a third degree froÌ„ ignobilitie Nam genus proauos quae non fecâ—mus ipsi Viâ—ea nostra voco Ouâ—â— Met. lib. 13. holding absurdly that the auncestors can giue that they haue not and decking fondly the naked and new borne babe with the plumes of his progenitors If descents make nobilitie how cometh it to passe then that many of most ancient families haue lost their generositie by antiquitie whilest wealth the nurse of Nobilitie hath fayled But thus indeed they make Nobilitie like the shippe that brought home the youth of Greece which was peeced with sundrie plankes that at last it had nothing of that matter whereof it was made I haue read a pleasant storie of a great Prince who standing much vpon these vanities was perswaded by one which knew how to fit his humor that his noble pedegree might be deduced from Noahs arke wherewith when he being much affected did wholly addict himselfe to the searching foorth of that his ieaster told him that his endeuour therein would be nothing honourable to him for if you fetch your pedegree from Noahs ark quoth he my selfe and other such simple fellowes as I am who now reuerence you as a god shall prooue your poore kinsmen a worthy reproofe of a proud conceit and a fond enterprise If there be any that stand vpon these tearmes it will not be hard to fetch his originall sixteene hundred yeares beyond the time of the floud euen from Adam but with like inglorious successe for in him through a trecherous rebellion against his God hee shall finde his bloud so stained that all the men and Angels in heauen and earth are not able to restore it If vertue were deriued by propagation as vice is and if parents could as well impart vnto their children their prowesse as their pollution Nobility were an ornament of most honourable respect but seeing that as the deadly hemlocke groweth in the fertile ground and rich ore is digged foorth of the barren soyle so vertuous and honourable children many times proceed from meane parentage and base and ignoble descend from honorable progenitors And seeing that vertue the onely foundation of true Nobilitie is an acquisit and diuinely instilled habit Nobilitas sola est atque vnica virtus there is no reason that noblenesse of birth should be so priced as it is It is not the descent in birth but the liuing vertuously
As riches are vncertain so are they insatiable Eccles 5.9 For he that loueth siluer shall not be satisfied therewith and he that loueth riches shall be without the fruite thereof this also is vanitie Te esurire cogunt Qu. Curt. lib. 7. Riches make men hungrie as the Scythians sayd to Alexander so that the rich are like the dropsie man which the more he drinketh the more he thirsteth Hence it commeth to passe that contrary to all sense the more that men haue the more they desire and the older men waxe the more couetous they grow as if a traueller being nere his iournies end Cic. de Sen. shold encrease his luggage or as though the Citizen should bee building when the enemie is battering Thus it happeneth to the rich man as it doth to the waspe which being greedie of the hony at last fals into the barrell so that she cannot get out for wealthy men falling into a vaine of couetousnesse do at last sticke so fast in their insatiable desire that they can neuer deliuer themselues so long as they liue If this were not so how could that possibly come to passe which Salomon speaketh and experience verifieth Eccles 4.8 There is one alone and there is not a second which hath neither sonne nor brother yet is there no end of all his trauell neither can his eye be satisfied with riches neither doth he thinke For whom do I trauel and defraud my soule of pleasure this also is vanitie A man may sweare it is but vanitie that a man should vexe and turmoile himselfe yea defraud himselfe of pleasure and which is more of saluation also for wealth when hee hath no vse of it When thou seest a man euer thirstie thou doest not thinke him to be well though he haue aboundance of all sorts of drinke so when thou beholdest a man alwayes thirsting greedily after the pelfe of this world though hee possesse aboundance thou mayest well account him a miserable man Hom. Odys lib. 11. Hor. Serm. lib. 1. sat 1. like Tantalus in the Stygean lake and like the drudging Indians which toyle in the golden mynes but enioy none of the ore Hydropem conscientiaÌ„ Aug· de verbo Dom. ser 5. initio Eccles 5. 3 It is no small dispraise of riches that they make a dropsie conscience but behold a worse fruite of them then so There is an euill sicknesse that I haue seene vnder the Sunne to wit Riches reserued to the owners thereof for their euill the other sicknesse of parting with them is grieuous but this of being plagued with them is exceeding dangerous Our blessed Sauiour compareth the cares of this life and deceiueable riches to thornes Mat. 13.22 a most fit comparison and no maruell being his who is best able to censure and set foorth the nature of all things both in heauen and earth for as thornes doe pierce and pricke those things which touch them so do riches pierce the hearts of the owners thereof being got with paines kept with care and lost with griefe yea sometimes causing the possessors throate to be cut How many dangers doe riches expose men vnto stirring vp theeues to lye in waite souldiers to râ—se vp in armes yea sometimes the children to long for and hasten the parents death Are not rich men oft made spunges to gather much that it may be wrung from them againe and doth it not cause them to be hunted after and angled for like fishes In Psal 64. passim as Augustine saith In regard whereof the Poet spake not vnwisely when he called gold a more hurtfull mettall then iron Ferroque no centius auruÌ„ Ouid. Met. lib. 1. 2. As thornes are shilter for serpents to lurke and hide theÌ„selues vnder so are riches the harbourers of many sins For they that will be rich 1. Tim. 6.9 fall into temptations and snares and into many noysome and foolish lusts which drowne men in perdition and destruction They are the mother of pride and presumption and therefore S. Paule bids Timothie charge them that are rich in this world 1. Tim. 6.17 that they be not high minded and that they trust not in vncertaine riches but in the liuing Lord yea he accounts them the water that yeelds moisture to couetousnesse the roote of all euill The examples are innumerable that might be brought for the proofe of this point It was the wages of vnrighteousnes that seduced Balaam 2. Pet. 2.15 yea the foulest fact that euer was committed in the world was through the loue of money I meane the selling of our blessed Sauiour by that accursed traitor Iudas 3 As thornes do stop vp wayes hinder the growth of corne and the path of passengers so do riches hinder the growth of grace stop vp the way to the kingdome of heauen and that makes our Sauiour say Mat. 19.23 24. A rich man can hardly enter into the kingdome of heauen yea to adde this vehement speech It is easier for a Camell to go thorough the eye of a needle then for a rich man to enter into the kingdome of God The Euangelist saith that the disciples were exceedingly amazed at this speech how much more should it amaze those that are great possessors and louers of riches What are riches so vncertaine that they will be gone like the Eagle are they so insufficient that they make the soule insatiable are they so hurtfull in piercing the heart with anguish shrouding the serpent of sin and stopping the way to heauen Let the meditation thereof then be a motiue to embrace the Prophets exhortation If riches increase Psal 62.10 set not thy heart vpon them For why shouldest thou set thy heart vpon nothing yea that which is worse then nothing But this is an euill sicknesse and will hardly be cured as experience teacheth Was there euer such gaping after gaine and such deluing in the bowels of the earth for the bewitching ore yea such damning of soules to the pit of hell for that which should be counted trash and be troden vnder foote Alasse what do men meane to take such paines in hoarding vp that gold and siluer Iam. 5.3 the rust wherof shall be a witnesse against them at the day of iudgement A man that were going some great iourney or swimming ouer an arme of the Sea would not loade himselfe but go as light as may be consider then deare brother that thou art going to heauen which is a long a daungerous and a difficult iourney wilt thou loade thy selfe with this ponderous pelfe which will tire thee exceedingly thou art passing ouer the daungerous ocean of this surging world wilt thou carie that which will serue to drowne thee in the gulfe of eternall destruction Nay rather if thou haue any sense of a maÌ„ Hieron ad Pamach alias ex aliis imitate Crates the Thebane and cast away thy goods rather then they shall cast away thee For what
vale of miserie neuer longing or looking after the heauenly mansions prepared by our Sauiour Ioh. 14.2.3 let â—hem know that one day they must leaue all and not haue so much as the benefite of one of the walkes of their gardens or galleries but in stead thereof shall bee shut vp in that lothsome place of darknesse which yeeldeth nothing but wailing weeping and gnashing of teeth SECT 7. Of a great familie and many attendants IF sumptuous buildings remaine like a cottage in a vineyard Esa 1.8 and like a lodge in a garden of cucumbers as the Prophet speakes of Ierusalem they become the passengers wonderment and display the owners vanitie but when they are fraught and furnished with great families then doe men as well commend them as admire them yet is all this but vanitie Vide. Sect. 12. 13. For if those Oeconomicall leagues and linkes which are most neare and naturall be vaine as it is euident they are then can it not be otherwise in that which is more remote and seruile Many there are who are exceeding proud of their great traines and their many seruants but as iustly as a ruinous house may be proud of many proppes or a prisoner of his many keepers The blessed Angels go about the world neither hauing nor needing any seruants what shall we repute them inferiour to vs silly men that both haue and need them nay rather in their power let vs view our owne weaknesse and be humbled Seruants should indeed be props and pillars to their maisters but they oftimes become chinks and pillers being neither silent in their secrets nor faithfull in their affaires fulfilling our Sauiours saying A mans enemies shall be they of his owne houshold Mat. 10.3 Mich. 7.6 Psal 101. Dauid was as industrious as might be to free his house from badde seruants yet had he a leude Achitophel who gaue vngracious counsell to his rebellious sonne 2. Sam. 6. Our blessed Sauiour had but twelue disciples that were continually conuersant with him yet one of them yea he whom he trusted with his treasure proued a traitour And doe not our owne stories make mention of diuers great meÌ„ The Dukes of Buâ—kingham and Suffolke and others Hollinsh which haue bene vtterly vndone by the treacherie of their vntrustie seruants Is it not an ordinarie thing for men to haue such seruants as will kindle and nourish the coales of contention and incense and stir vp their maisters to vnlawfull actions and attempts Such were the seruants of Abraham and Lot Gen. 13. who iangled among themselues eueÌ„ to the separation of their maisters though kinsmen and deare friends such were the seruants of Abimelech Gen. 21. who vnknowne to the king their maister offered Abraham iniurie in his welles of water yea the seruants of another Abimelech wronged Isaac likewise Gen. 26. euen contrary to the expresse commaundement of the king It is no maruell that Saul had a Doeg to feed his malitious humour 1. Sam. 22. in accusing Dauid and Abim lech when as Dauid had followers that perswaded him to a wicked reuenge 1. Sam. 24. euen to lay hands vpon the Lords annointed But what are all seruants such God forbid yea I know there are some that doe feare God vnfainedly serue their maisters faithfully yet I feare that summe is small We reade not of one seruant that went with Noah into the arke not one that departed with Lot out of Sodome yet is it not lâ—ke that either of theÌ„ was without seruants Besides this if a man do seriously consider his dutie as well as his dignitie he shall finde that his superioritie and attendance is rather a matter of burthen then of honour Oneris quaÌ„ honoris for behold how many seruants hee hath so many soules hee hath to answer for The maister is charged with the seruants sanctifying of the sabboth Exo. 20 10. and Abraham is commaunded to circumcise euery man-child Gen. 17.12 both him that is borne in his house and him that is bought with money yea the commaundement is doubled and vehemently vrged Ver. 13. He that is borne in the house and he that is bought with money must needes be circumcised And this is Abrahams praise pronounced by the Lords owne mouth that he will teach not onely his sonnes but his houshold also to keepe the way of the Lord Gen. 18 19 to doe righteousnesse and iudgement The strictnesse of this dutie hath caused the Spirite of God in the sacred Scriptures 1. Kin 5.15 to coÌ„found the names of father and maister Mat. 8.6 sonne and seruant to teach vs that as the obedience of seruants to their maisters should be filiall so the care of maisters ouer their seruants should be parentall Here then those that haue great families euen troupes of seruants and followers may rather learn to be humbled then exalted vpon the conceit of their great trains A maister is not seene in the possession Arist Pol. lib. 1 cap. 4. but in the vse of his seruants To possesse many seruants is a meere vanitie but not to vse them is a dangerous iniquitie To prescribe Oeconomicall precepts it is not my purpose in this place onely one rule I would perswade euery maister of a familie to learne of ingenious Seneca Sen. Ep. 47. Not to esteeme of a seruant by his mysteries but by his manners and of vertuous Dauid Psal 15. To make much of such as feare the Lord for there is little hope that he shall be a good seruant to his maister that hath no care to serue the Lord. SECT 8. Of Honour fame and glorie IT is a straunge thing and worthie of admiration that men should be proud in the schoole of humilitie and vaineglorious in the place of shame and reproch where all the creatures of God betweene heauen and earth being subiect to vanitie for mans fall and fault are badges and ensignes of his dishonour Againe what madnesse is this when men haue a theater in heauen to desire earthly spectators to seeke to conquer in one place Chrys hom 17. in Rom. and to be crowned in another Yet behold this folly and madnesse possesseth the minds of most men who being employed in the heauenly warfare of Christianitie doe seeke to be crowned with the vanishing shadow of earthly honour and estimation What is the â—onour glorie and credite of the world but a certaine vulgar applause not the reward of resplendent vertue but the popular guerdon of vanitie and many times the recompence of apparant iniquitie He is a foole that will commit his glorie to the chest of another mans lips Bern. super Cant. Serm. 13. medio it is a wiser course to keepe it thy selfe but the safest of all to commit it to the custodie of him 2. Tim. 1.12 Cautus in â—ustodiendo fidelis in re â—ituendo Bâ—rn ibid. who is able to keepe that which thou hast
committed to him against that day being warie in keeping and faithfull in restoring whereas those that depend vpon the applause and opinion of other men are made sometimes great sometimes little Ber. Ser. de nat Io. Bap ferè initio Arist eth li. 5. cap. 5. and sometimes nothing at all and this caused the Philosopher to discard Honour from being Felicitie 1 This is one bad propertie of worldy honour to puffe vp to inflame those that are held in reputation being a notable and daungerous firebrand of pride foorth of which there ariseth a smokie vapour that will scarcely suffer a man to know himselfe For as when Bucephalus was without his furniture any man might ride him but being in his caparison he would suffer no man but Alexander to come on his backe so many there are which in their meane estate were mild but being aduaunced became loftie and imperious When Samuel first spake to Saul of his promoting to the kingdome he speakes basely of himselfe 1. Sam. 9.21 thus Am not I the sonne of Gemini of the smallest Tribe Diuerse of the Caesars at their first entring vpon the Empire saluted their followers with the terme of Fellow souldiers Commilitones Sueton. but ere long both Saul and the Caesars became verie haughtie WheÌ„ Herod was applauded by those flatteâ—ers which cryed at the hearing of his oration The voyce of God Act. 12.12 it lifted vp his heart with a daungerous vaine-glorie that cost him his life What effusion of bloud did the coÌ„tention for honour cause in the broiles betweene Caesar and Pompey And how many lost their liues about the like in the warres betweene the houses of Lancaster and Yorke in our land Yea did not the iealousie of this vain honour moue Herod to murther the infants Euseb lib. 1 cap. 9. Macrob. Saturn lib. 2. cap. 4. not sparing his owne child as the Historians do write that hee might haue slaine our Sauiour 2 As honour inflameth the owner with pride so it kindleth enuie in others For as whilest the doue playeth herselfe in her flying and taketh pleasure in her swiftnesse of wing the hauke seizeth vpon her so whilest men doe content and please themselues with worldly honour enuie which alwaies waiteth vpon honour layeth hold vpon them and many times fetcheth them downe Hee therefore spake truely who called obscuritie the mother of tranquillitie but fame and honour the foundation of danger Dan. 6.3.4 When Daniel was preferred aboue the other rulers and gouernours of Darius those rulers and gouernours sought an occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdome and their malice had bene effectuall against him had not the Almightie hand of God stopped the mouthes of the fierce Lions It was indeed a great honour for Dauid to kill Goliah 1. Sam. 18.9.10 and to be met receiued home with dauncing and singing Dauid hath slaine his ten thousand but the same had like to haue cost Dauid his life For when he fled from Saule to Achish the king of Gath 1. Sam. 21.11.12 thinking there to be safe by being vnknowne the kings seruaÌ„ts said to him Is not this Dauid the king of the land did they not sing vnto him c. Oh how glad would Dauid then haue bene if he had neuer bene partaker of that daungerous honour which would not tolerate his safetie This is no small preiudice yet behold a farre greater inconuenience accompanying honour whilest some seeking to hold their reputation in the world dare not professe or practise those things which may tend to the honour and glorie of Almightie God as those chiefe rulers which durst not confesse Christ for feare of the Pharisies Ioh. 12.42 because they loued the praise of men more then the praise of God 3 Honour and glorie is verie brittle like Archimedes glassie spheare Hath not experience shewed that those whose excellencie mounted vp to heauen Iob. 20.6 and made their nest as high as the Eagle Ier. 49.16 haue bene brought downe So that it wold make a man not considering the slipperinesse of honours ladder to wonder with the Prophet ouer the king of Babel How art thou falne from heauen ô Lucifer Isa 14.12 sonne of the morning and cut downe to the ground thou that didst cast lots vpon the nations What is become of those foure Monarchies of the world which the king of Babylon saw in a vision are they not almost vanished like his dreame and vision of them which hee vtterly forgot Alexanders pompe and solemnitie at Babylon Dan. 2. was wondrous great Q. Curt. lib. 10. when he kept as it were a parliament of the whole world For he lay seuen daies vnburied but not many dayes after he could scarce obtaine the honour of buriall Adonibezec had the glorie of conquest ouer seuentie kings Iudg. 1 7. who hauing their thumbes cut off picked crummes vnder his table yet at last himselfe had the like disgrace to be conquered and to lose his thumbes But that of many others was a most lamentable and memorable spectacle of Zedechiah 2. King 25.6.7 who being a mightie king was taken captiue by the Babylonians arraigned at Riblah saw his children slaine before his face had his eyes pickt out and lastly was led to Babel where he dyed miserably Lo here the inconstancie of worldly dignitie and the mutabilitie of those that enioy honour to shine for a while and presently to be obscured to be aduaunced to honor for a litle space and quickly to be debased to be very rich to day and to morrow to be impouerished Hest 3.1.7.10 now to be with Haman exalted to the highest seate of dignitie and by and by to be hanged Is it not straunge to haue knowne the father a great commander and to see the sonne a base vassall the one to inhabite a stately pallace the other to liue in a poore cottage the one to sit vpon his triumphant throne the other to lye in the dust of desolation But thus it cometh to passe Pro. 27.24 For riches remaine not alway nor the crowne from one generation to another Yet is this more straunge to behold one and the same man brought from the highest pitch of earthly felicitie to the lowest step of extreame miserie 1. Cor. 7.31 Thus doth the fashion of this world passe away and the glorie thereof vanisheth like the vapour of smoake And the Lord of hostes hath decreed this to staine the pride of all glorie Esa 23.9 and to bring to contempt all those that be glorious in the earth Seeing now that the honour ctedite and worship of this world is but a vulgar applause the nurse of pride the firebrand of enuie and the companion of inconstancie good Lord what do men meane so earnestlie to hunt after it Alas who would make any reckoning of this vaine and variable world Who art thou that gloriest in this glassie and windie vanitie What art thou greater
Horror of conscience CAn a sower tree bring foorth sweet fruite or can a filthie fountaine send forth any but bitter streams No more can the prophane heart and lewd conuersation yeelde and send foorth any thing but the sower fruit and bitter waters of a troubled conscience Sweet meat must haue sower sauce and the heart which tooke delight and pleasure in committing of sinne must afterwardes be vexed with anguish and sorrow in remembrance of the same Sinne sheweth a harmlesse mouth like the viper but with her hidden teeth she infuseth deadly poyson she weepes like the crocodile but wounds like a serpent and leaues the sting of conscience behind her to vexe the sinfull soule The sacred Scriptures do by sundrie notable comparisons set foorth the miserable condition of those wretched men whom the conscience of sinne doth vexe in this life Zophar Iobs friend makes a notable Antithesis betweene the estate of the godly and the wicked in this respect Job 11.15 The godly shall lift vp his face without spot be stable without feare but the eyes of the wicked shal fail and their hope shall be griefe of minde The wicked through the terror and conscience of sin shall be like men whose extreame amazednesse doth depriue them of the vse of their senses both externall and internall whereas the godly shall haue a chearefull countenance with an vpright conscience And his friend Eliphaz likewise Job 15.20 The wicked man is continually as one that trauelleth of child As the pregnant mother is vexed with many sodaine throbbes and thinkes euery one to be a warning of her daungerous and painefull approching trauell so the lewd and wicked liuer that trauelleth with iniquitie hath many inward throbbes which gripe his heauie hart and represent vnto his pensiue soule the imminent euerlasting destruction Againe in the 24. verse Affliction and anguish shall make him affraid When the Lord comes against a wicked maÌ„ he brings foorth his forces of affliction and anguish which rise vp in ciuil warre till they effect that which Salomon hath in the Prouerbes The wicked flieth when no man pursueth him Cap. 28.1 And no maruell for the distraction and dread of conscience is a sufficient enemy to daunt the stoutest wight that breatheth Pro. 18.14 A wounded spirit who can beare Job 27.20 And Iob himselfe also saith that terrors shall take the wicked as waters and as a tempest shall carie him away by night As a tempest arising suddenly filleth both the heauens and earth with dreadfull darkenesse so do the stormes of dread arising in the conscience of a wicked man The Prophet Esay doth elegantly discipher the miserable condition of such men on this manner Esa 57.20 The wicked are like the raging sea that caÌ„not rest whose waters do cast vp mire and dirt And surely there could be nothing more fit to set foorth the restlesse and wretched estate of a wicked man who as hee swelleth with the surges of pride and haughtinesse of heart as hee casteth foorth the filthie foame of his owne shame and boyleth with the fire of an enuious spirit so is he tossed vp and downe with euery blast of anguish and blowne about with euery gale of terror neither is he like those seas which sometimes do obtaine calmnesse but like Euripus which is in continuall agitation boyling Pomp. Mel. lib. 2. and therefore doth the Prophet conclude vpon his similitude Ver. 22. There is no peace saith my God to the wicked All this is euident by Caines wicked murmuring Gen. 4.13 Gen. 27.38 Esaues bitter weeping Mat. 27.3 and Iudas desperate mourning all which were indeede like a restlesse raging sea and like Noahs doue found not one twigge of sound comfort whereupon to rest their distressed soules Our Sauiour speaking of the paine of the damned saith Mar. 9.44 That their worme dyeth not this worme is the sting of conscience which is neuer plucked out and this worme begins euen in this life to nibble at the hearts of desperate sinners Of this thing the Poets were not ignorant Animóque obiecit Eryn nim Ouid. Met. lib. 1. when they fained that such men were vexed with Furies meaning indeed the furious hoâ—ror of their fearfull conscience arising from their wicked conuersation Wee reade that Nero that Romane moÌ„ster Sueton. in vita Neron cap. 34. hauing after many villanies like a vile wretch murthered his owne mother was exceedingly perplexed with the remorse memorie of his damnable and vnnaturall fact affirming that he was vexed with his mothers ghost with whips of the hellish furies with burning torches and albeit the souldiers the Senate and people did by their applause indeuour to comfort him yet was he neuer able to endure the horror of conscience proceeding from his villanous wickednesse Neque tamen sceleris conscientiam aut statim aut vnquam ferre potuit so close did this neuer dying worm cleaue to his clogged conscience The conscience of man by the diuine ordinance of Almightie God doth keepe an Assise and erect a tribunall in the soule of euery one euen in this life First to make way to these proceedings the conscience dogges vs and takes notice of all our actions Thy heart knoweth that thou likewise hast cursed others Eccles 7.24 though thou hast forgot it yet consult with thy conscience and it will tell thee that thou hast done it When the sonnes of Iacob had forgotten their crueltie towards their brother committed many yeares before their conscience quickened by a present affliction speaks thus vnto them Gen. 42.21 We haue verily sinned against our brother in that we saw the anguish of his soule Sometimes a man goes away with his sinne as Gehazi went with the siluer and the garments and saith peraduenture as he said 2. King 5.25.26 Thy seruant went no whither but the conscience will answere with Elizaeus Went not my heart with thee when thou didst priuily slaunder thy neighbour steale sweare falsely commit filthinesse or the like 2. When the conscience hath taken notice of some great crime it calleth vs to the barre and there it accuseth vs reckoning vp our sinnes and setting them in order with their circumstances thus the prodigall child taxeth himselfe Luk. 15.18 Father I haue sinned against heauen and before thee So is the conscience like the Clearke of the Assizes laying open the bookes and cases which before lay hid in obscuritie 3. Lest there should be any fond excusing the conscience hauing accused giueth in further euidence for proofe of the inditement and beareth witnesse to the accusation as the Apostle sheweth Rom. 2.15 Therefore doth the Lord take that course with Adam Gen. 3.11 appealing to his conscience whether hee haue transgressed the commandement enioyned him yea or no because hee knew his conscience would testifie agaâ—nst himselfe 4. The conscience hauing made euident that which was obscure and ratified as it were with a
of iudgemen namely their amazednesse in the resurrection THe princely Prophet hauing deciphered the vaine indeuours of wicked and couetous carnall men labouring to establish perpetuall habitations to them and their posteritie concludeth thus of them Psa 49.14 They lye in the graue like sheepe and death gnaweth vpon them If this were all their miserie it were lesse to be maruelled at but behold whilest death is feeding vpon their bodies and turning them to rottennesse hell fire seizeth vpon their soules and vexeth theÌ„ with torments neither is this the finall conclusion of their wretchednesse For as it is appointed to all men once to dye Heb. 9 27. So after that commeth the iudgement wheÌ„ both soule and bodie must be reunited that they may bee tormented together Thus the life of the vngodly is spent in wickednesse their death is with horror â—oel 2.2 Zeph. 1.15 Diuerse mistake these places of the Prophets applying them to the day of â—udgement whereunto they cannot agree except â—y the way of illusion and their rising againe shall be with much terror The Prophets do describe the day of Gods vengeance vpon the Iewes and the terrors of their enemies insultings by diuerse dreadfull speeches calling it a day of darknesse and blacknesse a day of cloudes and obscurity a day of wrath and a day of trouble and heauinesse a day of destruction and desolation If the comming of the enemie and the Lords approching with temporall afflictions bee thus terrible blacke cloudy and desolate oh how dreadfull shall the comming of Christ and the day of spirituall vengeance bee to â—he wicked For they shall bee wonderfully amazed in their resurrection exceedingly terrified at their arraignement and dolefully astonied at the sentence of condemnation 1 Their resurrection shall be with much amazednesse by reason of the sodainnes The sodaine comming of the day of iudgement is set foorth by sundry similitudes in the holy Scriptures 1. Thes 5. Mat. 24. Luk. 21. Eccles 9. it shall come like an enemie a theefe and a snare it shall speedily assault like an enemie slily breake in like a theefe and suddenly entrap men like a snare If a man should suddenly wake forth of his sleepe and see his house on fire and his friends wailing and weeping about him wold it not amaze him Lo death is but a sleepe and the graue is the bedde when a wicked man awaketh and shall behold on the one side his sinnes accusing him and on the other side the hellish feends and furies readie to vexe him a troubled conscience burning within him the frame of the heauens the earth flaming without him vnder his feete the fearefull pit of hell readie to deuoure him ouer his head the axe of Gods iudgment lifted vp to strike him and many of his friends wailing and howling about him because of the instant desolation and destruction oh how do we thinke that this miserable man shall be amazed A sudden thunder-clappe awaking a man will make him start and quake and will not the sudden showt and sounding of the Archangell and trumpet of God cause men to tremble 1. Thes 4.16 When Adoniah heard the trumpets sounding at Salomons coronation he was much dismayed 1 King 1. and fearing the presence of Salomon arose and went and tooke hold on the hornes of the altar When the vngodly which now sleepe in the dust of the earth shall heare the Archangell and the trumpet ratling at our Sauiours coronation it must needes dismay them much and so much the more because they shall find no sanctuarie but must be brought before him that is greater then Salomon to receiue their fatall doome 2 As the sodainenesse of this dreadfull day rowzing them from death is terrible so the end thereof also is lamentable their resurrection being to destructioÌ„ Joh. 5.29 For they that haue done euill shall come foorth to the resurrection of condemnation yea they shall rise to perpetuall shame and contempt Dan. 12.2 The prisoner though he come forth of the filthie and darksome dungeon into the sweet and wholsome aire yet when he must goe to his triall in some desperate case had rather if he might remaine there still The graue is a prison of filthie rottennesse and darknesse yet happie were the wicked man if he might haue an eternall habitation therein and not be brought to iudgment WheÌ„ Dalilah cryed suddenly to Sampson Jud. 16.20 The Philistims are vpon thee Sampson he awaked thinking to shew his strength as at other times but the Lord was departed from him Therefore the Philistims tooke him put out his eyes brought him to Azzah bound him with fetters and made him to grind in the prison house Lo thus shall the wicked be awaked at the day of iudgement when because the Lord is not with them the eyes of consolation shall be put out they shall bee brought to the iudgement seate of Christ who shall cause them to bee bound in fetters and to bee cast into the prison house of hell there to bee tormented world without end Act. 23.8 Now shall the wicked Sadduces which say there is no resurrection nor spirit find that there is both a resurrection for their shame and contempt and spirites for their torments and confusion The Diuels said to our Sauiour that hee came to torment them before their time Mat. 8.29 so shall these wretched men thinke they are raised to iudgment before their time but it may be said to them in the Prophets words Wo be to them for their day is come Ier. 50.27 and the time of their visitatioÌ„ Seeing now my Christian brother that the day of Christs comming shall bee thus speedie and the resurrection of the vngodly so full of miserie and amazednesse let the remembraunce therof cause thee so to leade thy life that thou maiest bee fitly prepared for the one and happily escape the other Reu. 20.6 Blessed are they that haue part in the first resurrection for on such the second death hath no power Yea happie and thrise happie is he who by the power of Gods spirit is in this life raised from the death of sinne to the life of righteousnesse for behold he shall assuredly in the life to come enioy a resurrection to eternall life and saluation SECT 2. The second steppe of the wicked into hel at the day of iudgment namely their terror in beholding Christ and appearing before his throne of iudgment WHen Adam had takeÌ„ of the forbidden fruite Gen. 3.8 being naked he would faine haue hid himselfe from God walking in the garden in the coole of the day the poore sinner naked both in body and soule would faine hide himselfe from the presence of Christ comming to iudgement in the euening of the world but it may not be For as it is intollerable to abide his presence so is it impossible to auoid it Euery eye must see him Reu. 1.7 Mat. 25.32 and all the
an account for thy bodie with the parts and members thereof whether thy handes haue bene readie to distribute to the poore whether thy feete haue troden the good path thine eyes haue beheld the thing that is right thy toung hath vttered wordes which might minister grace to the hearer thine eares haue bene open to heare the cries of the needie He will call thee to an accompt for thy soule and the faculties thereof whether thine vnderstanding hath bene furnished with sanctified knowledge thy affections knit to heauenly delights and thy memorie retained holy instructions He will call thee to accompt of those temporall benefits thou hast obtained thy health strength wealth wit beautie and the rest and how thou hast put foorth euerie talent of his bountie to the aduancement of Gods glorie and the good of thy brethren He will call thee to an accompt for the spirituall graces and mercies which hee had offered or imparted to thee what fruite thou hast had by the preaching of the word what entertainement thou hast giuen to his spirit when hee knocked at the doore of thy heart and what thy growth hath bene in grace and godlinesse He will call thee to an accompt of thy carriage in thy calling if thou be a Magistrate how thou hast behaued thy selfe in the administration of iustice in maintaining the iust cause of the widow supporting the poore and defending the fatherlesse without bribes feare fauour or any other partiall respect If thou be a Minister how thou hast laboured in preaching the word instantly in season and out of season and how thou hast fed the flocke of Christ committed to thy charge with vertuous discipline wholesome doctrine and holy conuersation If thou be a father how thou hast bred and brought vp thy children if a maister how thou hast gouerned thy seruants He will call thee to an accompt for thy sinnes of omission and commission not onely cruell Ahab for taking away Naboths vineyard 1. King 21. but also mercilesse Diues Luk. 16. because he releeued not poore Lazarus In a word euery man from the richest Craesus to the poorest Codrus and euery transgression from the highest blasphemy to the least infirmitie must come to a strict triall in iudgement There are sixe principall remedies and refuges of the guiltie before the iudgment seates of mortall men either the Iudge may be deceiued through ignorance forestalled with fauour ouercome with power bowed with pittie corrupted with money or moued with arguments Ille Iudex nec gratÃa praeuenitur c. Aug. de synch lib. 3. but when the sinfull soule comes before the tribunall seate of the immortall God all these forts of confidence shal faile him 1 This Iudge cannot erre through ignorance Reu. 2.23 for he searcheth the hearts and the reynes Heb. 4.13 yea all things are naked and open to his eyes before whom wee must appeare Ioh. 1.48 He that saw Nathanael vnder the Figge-tree knoweth our goings out our commings in and is able to set before vs euen our most secret sinnes to repeate those we do not remember to reueale those we would hide and to conuict vs of those we would deny 2. He cannot be forestalled with fauour Reu. 2.23 for he is no respecter of persons but will giue to euery man according to his workes The poorest beggar shall find as good audience in this court of iustice as the mightiest Prince in the world Though amongst men Eccles 3.16 wickednesse be in the place of iudgement yet will Christ iudge most iustly euen all those who haue iudged most vniustly 3. He cannot be ouerswayed with power Mat. 28.18 for to him all power is giuen both in heauen earth Therefore may I say with the Prophet The high lookes of man shall be humbled and the loftinesse of men shall bee abased in that day Esa 2.11 Those that say in the pride and stubburnenesse of their hearts Let vs breake their bonds asunder Psal 2. and cast their cordes from vs shall then be dashed in peeces with the stone of mount Sion Dan. 2.45 and all their power and puissance shall not bee sufficient to deliuer them 4. As he cannot be ouercome with power so can he not be mooued with pitie There was a time wheÌ„ the wicked might haue repented when Christ offered pardon and powred foorth his precious bloud to cleanse them Heb. 10. but now there remaines no more sacrifice for sinne There was a time wheÌ„ he wept ouer Ierusalem but now alas there is no place for pardon or repentance though Ierusalem should seeke it with teares All the teares in the world though they distilled like the waters of a fountaine cannot now mooue Christ to compassioÌ„ for his meekenesse shall bee turned into wrath and hee that before wept for the miserie of the vngodly Reu. 6.16 will now laugh at their destruction Pro. 1.26 5. He will not be corrupted with gifts which blinde the eyes of worldly wise men the wealthiest in the world must come poore naked and emptie handed before Christ and then shall they find that Riches auaile not in the day of wrath Prou. 11.4 but righteousnesse deliuereth from death If the iealous man will not beare the sight of any ransome Prou. 6. nor bee pacified though thou multiplie the giftes will our Sauiours wrath by any rewards be mitigated towards those that being espoused to him in Baptisme haue prostituted themselues to euery abhomination Heb. 6. and crucified him daily with their grosse iniquities 6. Lastly all the Rhetoricall reasons and Logicall arguments of men that are most acute shal nothing mooue him in this behalfe Hieron ad Heliodor in fiâ—e foolish Plato with his scholers nor Aristotle with his arguments shall preuaile but a litle The conscience shall bee permitted to accuse and Sathan suffered to vrge but no aduocate allowed to pleade the cause of the wicked The Angels shall not plead for them being witnesses to their wilfull wickednesse the Saints shall not for it is their office to iudge the world 1. Cor. 6. Christ will not because they embraced not his mercie and mediation when they might haue had it themselues may not for they shall obtaine no audience And being thus destitute of all hope and coÌ„fort what can possesse their hearts but dread and horror what can they expect but the dreadfull sentence of coÌ„demnation to be pronounced vpon them When the Lord had appeared to the Israelites in most glorious manner on mount Sina Moses speaketh thus vnto them Feare not Exod. 20. for God is come to prooue you and that his feare may be before you that you sinne not Marke Feare not yet feare as if he should say Indeede this glorious appearing is very dreadfull yet feare not this so much but rather let this bring to your cogitations his future fearefull appearing when the Lord shall come and call for an accompt of this his
law and feare you that So the end vse of all this is that the maiestie of Christ in his appearing and strictnesse in iudging might possesse our hearts with dread and cause vs to finish our saluatiō with feare and trembling This lesson Saint Paule teacheth 2. Cor. 5.10 We must all appeare before the iudgement seate of Christ c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 notes an exceeding great feare Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord we perswade men And surely if men did consider that their works must all come to iudgement before such a strict and glorious Iudge it would make them tremble and stay them from those sinnes into the which they runne without feare What theefe is so desperate that being sure he cannnot escape the Iudges hands would yet continue his stealing Lo thou whosoeuer thou art canst not possibly auoide the appearing before Christ the dreadfull Iudge shall not the cogitation of this reclaime thy heart from wicked motions and thy life from vngodly actions But will Christ call euery man to an accompt for his body his soule his temporall benefites and spirituall blessings the spending of his time and conuersation in his calling for his sinnes of cōmission and omission Oh good God what an Audit haue many to make for their manifold impieties and mōstrous profanenesse for consuming the talents of grace and treasuring nothing but wrath against the day of wrath Rom. 2.5 and of the declaration of the iust iudgement of God Whē Ioseph said to his brethren Gen. 45.3 I am Ioseph your brother whom you sold into Aegypt his brethren could not answer him for they were astonied at his presence When our Sauiour shall shew that blessed head that was crowned with thornes those holy hands that were pierced with nailes that gracious side that was thrust thorough with the speare and say Behold I am be whom your sinnes caused to bee crucified and sold into the hands of Pontius Pilate and the malitious Iewes shall not the vngodly be vnable to answer him for astonishment like Iosephs brethren and bee speechlesse like the man that wanted a wedding garment Mat. 22. Then would the kings of the earth Reu. 6.15 and the great men and the rich men and the chiefe Captaines and the mightie men and euery bondman and euery freeman hide themselues in the dennes and rockes of the mountaines and say to the rockes and hils Fal on vs hide vs from the presence of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lambe but alas it will not be Seeing then that all things must be thus dissolued and the comming of Christ is so dreadful both for the end and manner of his appearing 2. Pet. 3.10 what manner of men ought we to be in holy conuersation and godlinesse If a man had some matter of waight wherein his whole estate were to be tried before an earthly Iudge how carefull would he be to consider his cause sollicite his Aduocate and get the fauour of the Iudge Behold at this time all lyes a bleeding euen our soules and bodies more deare vnto vs thē the whole world yea then tenne thousand worlds what care and industrie should we vse whilest there is time to examine our estate sollicite Christ Iesus our Aduocate and Iudge that we may be deliuered from the feare of conuiction in that great and dreadfull day of iudgement I will therefore conclude this meditation with our Sauiours exhortation Luk 21.36 Watch and pray continually that you may be counted worthie to escape all these things that shall come to passe and that ye may stand before the sonne of man when he commeth thus gloriously to iudgement SECT 3. The third steppe of the wicked into hell at the day of iudgement namely their exceeding astonishment vpon the sentence of condēnation THus haue we brought the vngodly man to the barre where being accused by the heauens and the earth with all the creatures therein conuicted by a iury impanelled of heauenly and earthly inhabitants the elect Angels and blessed Saints and hauing his conscience crying Guiltie in stead of a thousand witnesses what can be expected at the hands of a most iust Iudge in the day of vengeance but the sentence of condemnation and what that is out Sauiour himselfe hath shewed M◠25.24 Depart from me ye cursed into euerlasting fire prepared for the Diuell and his Angels Few words but full of bitternesse Depart from me those are words of separation you cursed words of obiurgation into euerlasting fire words of desolation prepared for the diuell and his angels a dolefull exemplification There are two reasons why these wordes should yeeld astonishment First because they are intollerable secondly because they are irreuocable Amos. 3.8 The Lyon hath roared who will not be affraid saith the Prophet but behold this thundering foorth the sentence of condemnation is a thousand times more fearefull When Baltazar in the midst of all his tolitie saw the fingers of a hand writing vpon the wall of his pallace Dan. 5.6 Thou art waighed in the ballance and art found too light thy kingdome is giuen to the Medes and Persians his countenance was chaunged his thoughts troubled him so that the ioyntes of his loynes were loosed and his knees smote one against another If the Lords temporall decree had this effect in Baltazar euen before he vnderstood the writing how shall this sentence of eternall death whereby the wicked are separated from the kingdome of heauen astonish those vpon whom it shall be pronounced Behold 1. Sam. 3.11 saith the Lord I will do a thing in Israel whereof whosoeuer heareth his eares shall tingle Shall the eares of men tingle which heare of the iudgment brought vpon Elies house onely and shall they not glow when they heare this dreadfull iudgement passed vpon so many millions of sinfull soules when that shall be fulfilled Ezek 5.8 I will execute iudgement in the sight of the nations so that those which heare it shall say Lo this is the man that neither regarded the Lords promises nor trembled at his threatnings and see now how hee quaketh at his iudgments When the Lord had deliuered the law in his dreadfull voice the Israelites desired Exod. 20.19 he would speake no more to them lest they shold dye so would the vngodly faine haue Christ be silent now Psal 2. but he will speak to them in his wrath and vexe them in his sore displeasure he will send foorth his glorious voice which shall make the Cedars of Libanus to shake the same shall be a sword piercing the hearts of all wretched miscreants We reade that the band of men and officers that came to apprehend Christ in the garden of Gethsemane were striken downe with the power of his words saying onely Ioh. 18.6 I am he how then shall they be striken dead thinke you which appearing before his dreadfull throne shall heare him vtter
5.20 and light darkenesse and all those who haue loued darkenesse rather then light Iob. 3.19 Mar. 9.44 6 This torment is called the Worme that neuer dieth alluding to that of Isaiah Esa 66.24 And they shall goe foorth and looke vpon the carkases of them that haue trespassed against me for their worme shall not dye As of the putrifaction of the bodie there breedeth a worme which eates and consumes the bodie so from the corruption of the soule tainted with sinne there ariseth the worm of conscience which gnaweth and vexeth the soule with continuall anguish Rom. 2.9 So saith the Apostle Tribulation and anguish shall be vpon the soule of euery one that doth euill 7 The torments of hell are called a death because that as by the separation of the bodie from the soule the bodie dieth so the soule and bodie being separated from God Vita vita meae Aug. Con. lib. 7. b. who is the life of their life do dye the second death Also death being the most terrible bitter thing in this life Arist Eth. lib. 3. cap. 6. as the Philosopher saith it may very fitly giue denomination to that condition which is most bitter and miserable in the life to come Now when the estate of the damned is called death we must not vnderstand it as of men alreadie dead but readie to dye when the veines of the bodie and the strings of the heart being ready to breake the dying man is possessed with intolerable anguish by reason of death-pangs Of this death Bernard spake when he said Bâ—rn de Consid ad Eugen. li. 5. Horreo in manus incidere mortis viuentis vitae morientis calling it very fitly A liuing death and a dying life These are the dolefull agents The miserable patients subiects to these torments are together with the diuels the wicked and vngodly who shall bee tormented both in bodie and soule the bodie shall bee tormented because it would not obey the soule the soule because it would follow the rebellious bodie both soule and bodie because they obeyed the instigations of Sathan and left the directions of Gods holy Spirit 2. Cor. 5.10 We must all appeare before the iudgement seate of Christ that euery one may receiue the things that he hath done in his bodie whether they be good or euill For as the bodie hath sinned with all the senses and parts thereof so shall they all receiue a condigne and correspondent punishment The eyes that were delighted with beholding nothing but vanitie shall now bee frighted with beholding of vgly diuels the eares that tooke pleasure in hearing slanders and filthie talking shall be troubled with the howlings and blasphemies of hellish spirits the nose that disdained any smell but sweete perfumes shall feele the lothsome stinch of fire and brimstone the fine and daintie bodie that with the rich man was wont to bee clothed in fine linnen shall with him be tormented in the flames of vnquenchable fire the mouth that offered the sacrifices of deliciousnes to the deuouring belly and tooke such pleasure in quaffing and carousing shall drinke of the pure wine of the wrath of God Reu. 14.10 In a word all that bodie which should haue bene the temple for Gods spirit but was made a cage for vncleane spirits shall be tormented in euery part without mitigation and intermission Neither shal the bodie be thus vexed alone but as the soule hath bene to the bodie like Simeon to Leui a brother in iniquitie so shall it also partake with the bodie of the same punishments The memorie shall call to mind that which is past and the vnderstanding coÌ„sider that which is present and both ioyne together to disquiet themselues Now shall it bee thought vpon how many good motions haue bene neglected how without fruite pardon and remission of sinnes hath bene offered what sweet ioyes are lost and what grieuous torments are found for what trifling foolish and filthie sins these intolerable infinit and endlesse punishments haue bene bought how easily these miseries might haue bene auoyded but now how impossible it is to obtaine euen the least mitigation thereof Thus whilest these faculties are busied in vexing of them selues the Lord shall powre downe vpon them the vials of his wrath so that the affections being set on fire with the exhalations of furie and burning with the wicked zeale of reuenge shall grow mad and rage cast out blasphemies both against heauen and earth 3 Lo these are the lamentable fruits of these intolerable torments vpon these miserable patients For how can the heauie wrath of God the irksome societie with the diuels the mercilesse fire of hell the filthie tormeÌ„ting prison the dolefull place of darkenesse the neuer dying worme and the dreadfull second death vexing the soule with terrors and the bodie with flames how can they I say but yeeld that which our Sauior doth so oft inculcate Mat. 8.13.22 Luk. 13. There shall be wailing and weeping and gnashing of teeth Therefore is hell from these effects not vnfitly compared to Topheth in the valley of Benhinnom 2. Chr. 28.3 which hath the name from the noise that they made with their instruments that the scriching of their children which they sacrificed to Moloch might not be heard For so shall hel yeeld most hideous horror with extreame dolefull noises curses shall be their hymnes and howling their tunes blasphemie shall be their ditties and lachrymae thâ—ir notes lamentation shall be their songs and scriching their straines yea cursing blasphemie scriching and howling shall be their daily morning and euening song sighs sobs and gnashing of teeth shall be their dolefull descant and diuisioÌ„ But what shall all the damned be tormeÌ„ted alike Surely no for albeit the least torment in hell doth farre exceede the greatest torture on the earth yet are there very different degrees of punishment Luk. 12.47 The seruant that knew his maisters will did it not shall be beaten with many stripes Mat. 11.22 But it shall be easier for Tyrus and Sidon at the day of iudgement then for Corazin and Bethsaida As many liue vnder the same Sunne yet all feele not the like heate from it Greg. mor. lib. 4. cap. 43. so many may bee subiect to the same torments of hell in the same manner though not in the same measure But miserable and most accursed shall his condition be who shall tast euen the least measure and degree thereof And are the torments of hell so dreadfull is the state of the damned so dolefull Who can thinke vpon the one without feare or consider the other without pitie Well might our Sauiour say concerning Iudas Mat. 26.24 It had bin good for him if he had neuer bene borne And happie indeed had he and other castawaies bene if they had neuer seene the light or bene created some loathsome toades or hatefull serpents that so they might neuer haue bene partakers of hels
comparison that Saint Iohn vseth in describing the ioyes of the kingdome of heauen calling them the Lambes supper Reu. 19 9. but indeed all the delicates in the world are not to be compared to the feasting of a good conscience This the Spouse sheweth in the second of the Canticles Can. 2.5 He brought me into his wineseller Loue was his banner ouer me Lo here the Ambrosian Nectar wherewith Christ Iesus maketh the heart of his spouse glad causing her to cry out Stay me with flagons Ver. 6. and comfort me with apples for I am sicke with loue where the sacred soule is cast into a holy swound being rauished with the vnspeakeable comfort that she enioyes vpon this peace of conscience Indeed these heauenly ioyes and comforts are not tasted of the wicked for how can they see that haue no eyes or those rellish the peace of coÌ„science which want their spirituall tast Yea who is able to expresse the excellencie of this peace nay who is able to conceiue it but those that enioy it Neither indeed are they able for it passeth all vnderstanding Phil. 4.7 In respect of which large excelleÌ„cie of the peace of conscience it may very wel be counted a part of the kingdome of heauen whose ioyes are endlesse and infinite If we consider the fountains also from whence this spirituall peace doth spring wee shall perceiue that our present comfort vpon earth and future consolation to be enioyed hereafter in heauen do both arise and flow from the same heads and fall into the same Ocean of felicitie 1 A iustifying faith yeelds this peace Rom. 5.2 for being iustified by faith wee haue peace towards God through our Lord Iesus Christ And this peace yeelds ioy as it followeth in the next verse and that no small ioy for they that doe truely beleeue in Christ Iesus 1. Pet. 1.8 doe reioyce with ioy vnspeakeable and glorious What could the Apostle haue said more of the ioy which the Saints shall enioy hereafter in the kingdome of heauen then to call it Vnspeakable glorious no maruell for as the first sight of the blind man wherby he saw men walke like trees Mar. 8.28 was the same whereby he saw them to be men a far off though it was at the first more confused so the inchoate ioy and peace of coÌ„science which wee obtaine in this life being vnspeakeable glorious and passing all vnderstanding hath more then a resemblance of that celestiall glorie which shall be imparted more abundantly and perfectly in the life to come 2 The children of God are endued with the spirit of God whereby they receiue the comfortable testimonie of their adoption Rom. 8. the same manumitting spirit doth also yeeld them most heauenly consolation Ioh. 14.16 3. This peace of conscience is the fruite of a holy conuersation as I said before and the Apostle can tell vs of his owne experience for his reioycing is this 2. Cor. 1.12 the testimonie of his conscience that in simplicitie and godly purenesse he hath had his conuersation in the world Besides this there is also an vndoubted Hope which being the first fruites of the spirit doth after a sort put the children of God in possession of the kingdome of heauen So that wheÌ„ they do from the watch tower of a good conscience lift vp this Iacobs staffe or rather this Iacobs ladder Gen. 28.12 of a stedfast hope vnto the heauens and there behold with holy Stephen the glory of God Act. 7. it rauisheth and reioyceth their hearts more then any tongue is able to expresse Thus do the godly in this life tast of the ioyes of heauen the sweetnesse whereof is such that it swalloweth vp all the waues of temporall distresses causing them with Paule and Silas to sing Psalmes in the prison and to say with Dauid Act. 16.25 Psa 94.19 In the middest of all my troubles thy comforts ô Lord haue refreshed my soule Which maruellous effect this peace of conscience could neuer haue in encountering and conquering these infinite earthly calamities were it not of a diuine and heauenly Nature But what haue all the children of God this peace and comfort alike Surely no but according to Zeba Zalmunnaes words As the man is Iud. 8.21 so is his strength it may be said in this case as the man is so is his comfort and ioy For where the life is qualified with a great measure of grace there the heart is replenished with a great measure of ioy Neither are these ioyes alwaies participated alike but as the heauens are sometime bright and sometime obscured so the Sunne of comfort shineth sometimes more brightly sometimes obscurely in the hearts of Gods children So that one while they complaine thus Psal 77. Will the Lord absent himselfe for euer and will hee shew no more fauour and other whiles Psal 35.9 their soule is ioyfull in the Lord and all their bones do say Who is like vnto thee ô Lord yet euen in their greatest distresse Dulciores sunt lachrymae orantâ—uÌ„ quà m gaudia Theatrorum Aug. super Psal 1â—7 the very teares of the godly are sweeter then all the showtes laughters at the Theaters This being the excellencie of the peace of conscience let it be thy care good Christian to obtaine and maintaine it A kinde and comfortable friend is much woorth but who can prize the peace of a quiet conscience Lo it was the best hymne the blessed Angels could sing Luk. 2.14 Glorie be to God in the highest heauens and peace on the earth The best Legacie our Sauiour could leaue to his seruants My peace I leaue with you Iohn 14.27 my peace I giue you The best prayer the Apostle could make for the Thessalonians Now the Lord of peace 2. Thes 3.16 giue you peace alwaies by all means Though there be many that say Psal 4. Who will shew vs any good and haue their minds wholy set vpon their corne their wine and oyle yet the godly haue more true gladnesse from the Lords countenance by a thousand degrees then the worldling hath in all these transitorie trifles Hast thou a good conscience then cherish it it is the greatest blessing vnder heauen Is this peace and comfort of conscience wanting or weake in thee then vse the meanes whereby the same is procured and preserued Labour to obtaine a sound faith a sanctified life Esa 32.17 for the worke of righteousnesse is peace Melchizedec being king of righteousnesse Heb. 7.2 was after that the king of peace get righteousnesse and peace will follow it Psal 85.11 For righteousnesse and peace will kisse each other yea the more thou art conuersant in holinesse of conuersation the more abundant shalt thou be in the comfortable peace of conscience For where righteousnesse flourisheth Psal 72.7 there shall be abundance of peace Behold it will be thy companion both
winds and to carrie them into the land of the liuing their hearts shall bee much comforted but when they shall looke vpon the face of Christ and behold his glorie how shall their mouths be filled with laughter and their tongues with ioy Luk. 2.29 If Simeon beholding Christ a little infant in the temple reioyced saying Lord now lâ—ttest thou thy seruant depart in peace what peace and ioy shall the godly haue when they behold Christ a triumphant King at the day of iudgement when they shal not take him vp in their armes as Simeon did but shall bee embraced by him in the armes of his mercie Though Peter seeing Christ in his troubles fled from him when hee went to mount Caluarie yet he said it was good staying with him when he saw him glorified on mount Tabor It is written of Salomon 1. King 10.24 That all the world sought to see him and to heare his wisedom If men were so desirous to see Salomon the shadow how much more desirous shall they bee to behold Christ Iesus the substance in comparison of whose glorie and wisedome Salomons was but like a droppe of water to the mightie Ocean yea in respect thereof nothing but folly and deformitie We obserued before that Iob reioyceth vpon the remembrance of his resurrection and here wee may consider how he addeth and iterateth for an augmentation of his ioy Ioh. 19.27 That he shall see and his eyes shall behold his Redeemer And this yeelded Stephen much comfort and caused him to lay down his life chearefully when he beheld Christ on the right hand of God Act. 7. Mat. 13. Blessed are your eyes for they see and your eares for they heare saith our Sauiour that which many kings and great men would haue bene glad to haue seene heard but could not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 AbrahaÌ„ reioyced to see the day of Christ and saw it and was glad If Abraham beholding it by the eye of faith onely reioyced so exceedingly what would hee haue done if hee might haue externally seene and heard and handled of the word of life 1. Ioh. 1.4 as the Disciples did These things wee write vnto you that your ioy may bee full If the relation of these things yeeld the fulnesse of ioy how much more thinke you did the contemplation and fruition thereof And yet is this also inferiour and farre too short of the beholding of Christ in glorie at the day of iudgement Once our Sauiour said Ioh. 20.29 Blessed are they that haue not seene and haue beleeued but now I may say Blessed are they that see and do not beleeue because that now Faith which vnited vs to Christ in the kingdome of grace doth vanish and only loue which vniteth vs to God in the kingdome of glorie doth remaine 2 This is the Saints happinesse that they shall bee iudged by Christ For now shall that bee fulfilled in the manifestation of his glorie which the Prophet speaketh of the reuelation of his grace Psa 102.16 When the Lord shall build vp Sion and when his glorie shall appeare hee shall turne vnto the prayer of the destitute and not despise their desires It is vsuall in our trials for the Iudge to bid the Iurors Looke vpon the prisoners oh with what a compassionate eye shall Christ looke vpon the elect which come before his iudgement seate Gen. 18.25 When Abraham intreateth the Lord for Sodome he reasoneth on this manner Bâ—e it farre from thee for doing this to slay the righteous with the wicked that the righteous should bee euen as the wicked be it farre from thee shall not the Iudge of all the world do right And so may it bee said concerning our Sauiours iudgement before whom all the world must appeare farre be it from him that the righteous should fare as hardly as the wicked shall not he the Iudge of all the world doe iudgement 2. Thes 1.7 Now it is iust with him to render peace comfort to the godly aswell as tribulation and anguish to the wicked at his appearing with his holy Angels Saint Paule asketh Rom. 8.33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods chosen seeing God doth iustifie them and may not I say Who shall be able to condemne the righteous seeing Christ shall iudge them did Christ shed his precious bloud to wash them and lay downe his life to redeeme them and will he now suffer theÌ„ to perish No man yet euer hated his owne flesh Eph. 5. but nourisheth and cherisheth it and behold we are flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones Let Sathan then and all the damned crew accuse and charge and chalenge the godly yet Christ being their iudge they shall neuer bee conuicted they shal neuer be condemned 3 Besides the contemplation of Christ and the fruition of his fauour in iudgement behold a further priuiledge of the children of God for they themselues shall at this day become Iudges Mat. 19.28 and sit vpon thrones of maiestie with the great Iudge and iudge the twelue tribes of Israell Know you not 1. Cor. 6.2 that the Saints shall iudge the world The most may answer negatiuely to this question it is a point which few do know or consider But let all the wicked and vngracious vpon the earth remember though now they be neuer so mightie in the world that the godlie whome they haue scorned wronged and disgraced albeit they be poore and simple shall one day be assistants vnto Christ and sit with him vpoÌ„ the bench when themselues shall stand trembling at the barre of his tribunall and shal be subiect to their assent in their iust and most deserued condemnation Lo then here is a singular cause of ioy and comfort to all those that do vnfainedly feare God The remembrance of the dreadfull day of iudgement cannot be altogether without terror to vs but when we consider that Christ shall be our Iudge the consideration thereof may be sufficient to affect our hearts with gladnesse Heb. 4.15 The Apostle notes it for a matter of much comfort that wee haue such an high Priest as hath tasted of our infirmities that so hee may be touched with them And surely it is our great happinesse that wee shall haue him our Iudge who hath bene subiect to seuere iudgement that so he may haue compassion vpon vs at the dreadful day of account therefore Christ biddeth vs when his coming to iudgement approacheth then to lift vp our heads and cheare vp our hearts Luk. 21.28 because our redemption draweth neare To conclude seeing that the iudgement of Christ shall be terrible to the wicked and comfortable to the godly let vs embrace that heauenly exhortation of S. Iohn 1. Ioh. 2.28 And now little children abide in him that when hee shall appeare we may be hold and not bee ashamed before him at his comming Which happinesse we shall assuredly obtaine if