of the liuing sacrifices what needed the burning of the same after it was dead and senselesse obscurely to intimate if not falsely that the fire of affliction as you would haue it should consume the Messias God had therefore another meaning as I take it in commanding ech sacrifice after it was slaine to be offered to him by fire Forwhere of all creatures subiect to mans sight and sense fire was the fittest for the light heate force and motion thereof to designe vnto the people the brightnesse of Gods glorie the zeale of his holinesse the grace of his Spirit and seate of his habitation in the heauens God gaue the Iewes fire from heauen to burne perpetually on his Altar which did teach them with what cleannesse of hands and feruentnesse of heart the things which hee required should bee offered vnto him and did separate the sacrifices dedicated vnto God from all prophane abuse and humane vse and made them ascend towardes the place of his glorious presence that he might accept them with fauour and be pleased with them All which significations of heauenly fire were most perfectly accomplished in the sacrifice of Christ Iesus For neuer man nor Angel offered vnto God any seruice with like puritie and charitie as the Lord Iesus offered himselfe to his Fathers will and that his oblation did not onely clense his body from all corruption of mortalitie and infirmitie as appeared by his resurrection but pearced the heauens with admirable celeritie and efficacie and preuailed in the presence of God to bee a sweete smelling sauour for all the sonnes of God Some of these things you seeme to acknowledge As fire to signifie the Acceptation of Christs death in that it was a sacrifice of a sweete sauour ascending vp to God What reason then haue you that fire should note the wrath of God powred out on Christes soule and body before he died Shall one and the same fire in one and the same sacrifice import both gracious acceptance with God and terrible vengeance from God These be contraries in mine eyes whatsoeuer they be in yours That fire in sacrifices did shew Gods fauour and not his anger the sacrifices of Gedeon Salomon and Elias doe plainly prooue which God with fire from heauen consumed not in token of any displeasure against them or dislike of their offerings but in signe of very fauorable acceptations both of their persons and sacrifices Euen so at the first offerings of Aaron the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people and there came a fire from the Lord and consumed the burnt offering vpon the Altar which when all the people saw they gaue a shout for ioy and fell on their faces This fire descending from God and consuming that sacrifice God commaunded to keepe burning for euer on his Altar and none might approch to him with any other fire in incense or offering in so much that when Nadab and Abihu the sonnes of Aaron tooke strange â—…ire to offer before the Lord and not of that which alwaies burned on the Altar God destroyed them with fire The fire then which consumed the sacrifices of the Iewes was miraculously deliuered them by God and ioyfully receaued of all the people and therefore did not argue to them any wrath or vengeance on their sacrifices but rather the fauour and good liking of God which the Scripture noteth by the sweete odour of the sacrifice As when Noah made his burnt offerings to ascend by fire the Scripture saith the Lord smelled a sauour of rest that is he shewed himselfe to be appeased and his anger to rest So when Aaron and his sonnes were to be consecrated Priests God said to Moses Thou shalt make to smell by fier that is thou shalt burne the whole Ram as a burnt offering it shall be to the Lord a sauour of rest that is a pleasing sacrifice And for that cause God willed the Iewes in their peace offerings whereby they gaue thanks for their safetie and prosperitie to vse fire and saith of it ISSHE this burning by fire or this sacrifice made by fire is a sauour of rest vnto the Lord. And so in incense which Saint Iohn resembleth to the prayers of the Saints fire was likewise required to teach them that their prayers went vp before God as the smoke of sweete odours and were accepted of him Then not affliction or indignation on the Sacrifice was declared by the fire which God commaunded to be vsed in all kinds of sacrifices but rather an ascending vp to the presence of God and an accepting thereof in the sight of God which is farre from your suffering of hell paines in the soule of Christ for which you bable so much in both your bookes But the Apostle sayth as the bodies of beasts were burnt without the campe so Christ suffered without the gate Were it granted that fire in Sacrifices did signifie probation or affliction which is no way proued you are no whit the neerer to your suffering of hell paines in the soule of Christ. For the bodies of beasts sayth the Apostle were burnt which can by no pretense of these wordes be stretched farder than the afflictions of Christes bodie when he was carried to be crucified without the gate And the chopping of the holocaust in pieces that it might the more conueniently be layed on the wood to burne maketh as slender proofe that Christes soule suffered the paines of hell notwithstanding your graue deuice that Christes soule was chopt in pieces and not his bodie which conceits of yours declare your follie but helpe not your cause Those Sacrifices whereof part was burnt by fire and the rest reserued for the Priest and sometimes for the owner that brought them to feast before the Lord had their bloud shed at the doore of the Tabernacle as well as the other and so resembled the death of Christ no lesse than the other though God would haue no part of the one to be eaten by the Priests or people as the other were but to be wholly consumed by fire because they were wholly reserued or dedicated vnto him And this the Apostle respecteth in that comparison which he maketh of the bodies of beasts burnt without the campe whereof the Priests that serued in the Tabernacle could not be partakers They were consumed by fire because the Priests should not eat thereof to foreshew as the Apostle noteth that such as were addicted to the seruice and ceremonies of the Law and the outward Temple could not be partakers of the trueth which is in Christ except they did leaue those elements of the Law which seemed so glorious in their eyes and followed Christ out of the gate bearing his reproch whose bloud was most holy and most sufficient to sanctifie the people though hee were cast out of the citie to suffer as a malefactour and wicked person Neither were the dead bodies of those beasts consumed by fire out
sayth d 1. Tim. 5. I charge thee in the presence of God and of the Lord Iesus Christ and of the elect Angels that thou obserue these things without preiudice or partiaâ—…tie And againe we are made a e â—… Cor. 4. spectacle to the world to angels and to men And likewise s The woman ought to haue power on her head because of the Angels that is she ought to couer her head in signe of subiection to the power of the man because the Angels beholde this as all other actions of men either in the Church or in the world From this power to heare and see what is sayd and done on the face of the earth euen in the secret and darke places thereof the diuell is not excluded in that he is an Angel though fallen from heauen and cast vnto the earth yet an g Reuel 12. accuser and so a beholder of good whom he impugneth and of badde ouer whom he ruleth And what maruell that Angels who by their creation excell vs in power and might haue this incident to their condition when as men God opening their eyes can see things done in heauen and earth which naturally they can by no meanes see When Dothan was besieged by the Aramites to apprehend Elizeus and his seruant was afrayd at the sight of them the Prophet encouraging his seruant sayd h 2. Kings 5. Feare not for they that be with vs are moe then they that be with them and prayed God to open his seruants eyes which the Lord did and h 2. Kings 5. he looked and beholde the mountaine was full of â—…ierie charets and horses round about Elizeus i Mark 1. Assoone as Iohn was come out of the water where he baptized Iesus in Iordan Iohn saw the heauens cleaue asunder and the Holy Ghost descending on Christ like a Doue Steuen likewise not only had his face changed in the Councell k Acts 7. as the face of an Angell but looking stedfastly into heauen saw the glory of God and Iesus standing at the right hand of God Which though the incredulous Iewes did no wayes beleeue but stopped their eares when they heard him so say and ranne vpon him all at once and cast him out of the citie and stoned him as a blasphemous liar yet can he be no Christian Christ might see what he would that doubteth whether Steuen saw this with his bodily eyes or no the Scripture being so resolute for it how impossible soeuer it be to our eyes This power to beholde things farre distant notwithstanding all impediments interiected not onely Christ had when he would as appeareth by his words to Nathaniel l Ioh. 1. v. 48. Before Philip called thee being vnder the figge tree I saw thee for which Nathaniel acknowledged him to be the Sonne of God but he promised his that they should see greater things m Vers. 50. Because I sayd to thee I saw thee vnder the figge tree beleeuest thou Thou shalt see greater things then these n Vers. 51. Verily verily I say vnto you henceforth you shall see the heauens open and the Angels of God ascending and descending vpon the Sonne of man Since then Christ could and o Luke 10. vers 18. did see Satan like lightning fall downe from heauen I make no doubt but he could open his owne eyes to see the remote parts of the earth when it pleased him though vsually he did it not by reason he needed it not for he knew all things and euen what was in man which the Angels doe not and therefore needed not any such vse of his eyes but when he saw his time which in this case he might like lest the dâ—…uell should despise him as hauing greater power and cleerer sight then Christ did or could shew himselfe to haue For which cause also Christ would stand on the pinnacle of the Temple without the diuels helpe to let him know that he wanted not power to doe greater things then the diuell vrged him vnto but onely that hee would take his owne time and do nothing at the diuels instigation or motion nor repugnant to the will and pleasure of God A third way the diuell had if Christ would permit it to set these things before our Sauiours eyes Satan is able not onely to assume what shapes he will and to transforme himselfe into an Angell of light but also to make specters and shewes of any thing in the aire and to deceiue the eyes of men when he is suffered by God so to do which not onely experience of all ages but the Scriptures themselues confirme wherein all p 2. Thess. 2. false woonders and signes are ascribed to the operation of Satan By this meanes Simon the Sorcerer so bewitched the whole citie of Samaria that q Acts 8. they all from the least to the greatest gaue heed vnto him and sayd This man is the great power of God The Sorcerers of Pharaoh r Exod 7. turned their rods into serpents and changed the riuers into r Exod 7. bloud and brought s Exod. 8. frogs vpon the land of Egypt as Moses and Aaron did and other miracles could the diuell haue done as we see by killing of Iobs t Iob. 1. sheepe and seruants with fire from heauen and the u Iob. 2. smiting of Iobs bodie with sore boiles had not the hand of the Almightie stopped him and thereby made the Sorcerers confesse that x Exod. 8. v 19 there was the finger of God It was therefore no hard thing for Satan to frame the appearances of kingdomes and cities and shew the similitudes of them from euery part of the earth since they are but the figures and semblances of things that we see with our eyes which Angels good and badde haue in their power when they are sent of God to do his will Howbeit Satan could not delude the eyes of Christ without his knowledge and leaue though Satan did not so thinke And therefore all these wayes being possible yet I thinke the second most agreeable to the words and see no cause why we should measure Christs sight when pleased him by mans reason when as he did so many things heere on earth aboue all humane power and reason For he often y Marke 4. walked on the sea and z Iohn 20. came and stood in the midst of his disciples when the doores were shut and made the ship that receiued him in the sea of Tiberias a Iohn 6. to be by and by at the land whither they went besides many thousand miracles which he wrought with his word and hand whiles he conuersed amongst men Of which if no Christian may make any question why flie you to imaginations or visions so long as Christ had power enough with his eyes to behold whatsoeuer Satan could shew him It was Satans act you will say to shew them and not Christes Satan as an angell might see
had God chiefly respected the execution of his iustice against sinne his owne sonne was most vnfit to be subiected to that vengeance which was prepared for deuils but God in the recompense which he required for sinne chose rather to haue his holinesse contented and his glory aduanced than to haue his iustice inflicted to the vttermost And therefore he selected the person of his owne sonne that might fully satisfie his holinesse and maruellously exalt his glorie but on whom of all others his iustice could take least holde not that his iustice should be neglected but that a moderate punishment in his person for the worthinesse thereof would weigh more euen in the balance of Gods exact iustice than the depth of Gods wrath executed on all the transgressours The chastisement of our peace layd vpon him will proue the same For where the wages of sinne is death and death due to sinne is threefold spirituall corporall and eternall as I haue formerly shewed such was the person of our Sauiour that two parts of death due to sinne could by no rule of Gods iustice fasten on Christes humane nature The gifts of Gods spirit and grace could not be quenched nor diminished in him he was full of grace and trueth he had not the spirit by measure as we haue but of his fulnesse we all haue receiued It is my father saith he that honoureth me whom ye say to be your God yet haue ye not knowen him but I know him and if I should say I know him not I should be a liar like vnto you but I know him and keepe his word and do alwayes the things that please him The cleerenesse of trueth knowing Gods will and fulnesse of grace keeping his word beeing continually present with the humane soule of Christ most apparently the death of the soule which excludeth all inward sense and motion of Gods spirit could haue no place in him by reason the death of the soule is the want of all grace and height of all sinne from which he was free much lesse could any part of Christs manhood by Gods iustice be condemned to euerlasting death or to hell fire since there could nothing befall the humanitie of Christ which was vnfit for his Diuinitie they both being inseparably ioyned together or repugnant to that loue which God so often professed and proclamed from heauen or iniurious to the innocencie and obedience which God so highly accepted and rewarded or preiudiciall to mans saluation which God so long before purposed and promised No weight of sinne no heat of wrath no rigour of iustice could preuaile against the least of these to cast Christ out of heauen and combine him with diuels in the second death which is the lake burning with fire and brimstone There is onely left the third kinde of death which is corporall to which Christ yeelded himselfe willingly for the conseruation of Gods iustice who inflicted that paine on all men as the generall punishment of sinne for the demonstration of his power who by death ouercame death together with the cause and consequents thereof and for the consolation of the godly that they should not faint vnder the crosse nor feare what sinne and Satan could do against them It was loue then in God towards vs to giue his sonne for vs So God loued the world that he gaue his only begotten sonne that whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue life euerlasting but farre greater loue to his sonne than to vs though the burden of our sinnes which we could not beare were layd vpon him For since God hath adopted vs through Christ Iesus vnto himselfe and made vs accepted in his beloued of force he must be much better beloued for whose sake we all are beloued And if to make the world by his sonne were an excellent demonstration of Gods euerlasting and exceeding loue towards his sonne to send him into the world that the world through him might be saued doth as farre in honour and loue exceed the former as our Redemption by which heauen is inherited doth passe our creation whereby the earth was first inhabited Neither was it possible that God should remit the rigor of iustice against sinne for the loue of any but onely of his owne sonne whom because he loued as deerely as himselfe and had made heire of all things worthily and rightly did the wrath of God against man asswage and yeeld to the loue of God towards his owne sonne against whom no punishment could proceed but such as was fatherly and serued rather to witnesse obedience than to execute vengeance For though you Sir Discourser in the height of your vnlearned skill resolue that Christ could suffer no chastisement but all his sufferings were the true and proper punishment or iust vengeance of God for sinne yet the Prophet Esay telleth vs the chastisment of our peace was vpon him and the word Musar which the Prophet there vseth deriued from Iasar is the proper word that in the Scripture signifieth the correction of a father towards his sonne and of God likewise towards his Church Chastise thy sonne saith Salomon while there is hope As a father chasteneth his sonne ‖ so ‖ the Lord chasteneth thee sayth Moses to Israel My Sonne refuse not the chastening of the Lord. Blessed is the man whom thou Lord doest chasten The like may be seene by those that will looke Deutr. 21. vers 18. Ierem. 2. vers 30. Ierem. 31. vers 18. Psal. 118. vers 18. The Apostle concurreth with the Prophet Esay touching Christes sufferings and sayth Though he were the sonne yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered He learned obedience which is the subiection of a sonne to his fathers chastisement he tasted not vengeance which is the indignation of an enemie requiting Yea the very death which Christ suffered in the body of his flesh was so farre from being an effect of Gods proper wrath that it was an increase of Gods loue towards him and as well the price of our Redemption as the cause of all his honor following Therefore the Father loueth me sayth our Sauiour because I lay downe my soule or life to take it againe And so much the Prophet foretolde Therefore will I giue him sayth God a part in many things and he shall diuide the spoile of or with the mightie because he poured out his soule or life vnto death Which the Apostle sheweth to be thus verified in Christ. He humbled himselfe being obedient vnto the death euen the death of the Crosse. Wherefore God also highly exalted him and gaue him a name aboue euery name that in the name of Iesu euery knee should bow of things celestiall terrestrial and infernall euery tongue confesse that Iesus Christ is the Lord to the glory of God the father All power honour and iudgement in heauen earth and hell are therefore deliuered
madde mens fits than sober and Christian verities And in plaine reason how agreeth this word principall either with proper or with immediate both which are ioyned by you with it Where God is principall there vseth he other meanes and instruments besides himselfe and his owne hand Principall hath alwayes accessaries and instruments and where they intermeddle they vse not Gods immediate hand but such meanes as they are able and apt to guide So that when God is principall punisher he is neither proper nor immediate punisher but vseth the seruice and force of his creatures to perfourme his appointment and when he is either the proper or immediate executour of his owne will he neither needeth nor vseth his creatures And here the third time you play with the word proper but very improperly as you did twice before first with Gods proper wrath then with the soules proper facultie of suffering now with the proper punisher which can no way be matched with principall and applyed to God without a palpable absurditie For referre principall whether you will to the determination or to the execution of Gods wil and iudgement to say that God is the principall determiner of his owne will is a wicked speech For who is Gods counseller to aduise him or associate to assist him that God should be principall and others concurrent with him to promote his will with their consents or restraine it with their dislikes God is not only a Iudge of the world but the sole Iudge thereof to make him principall and not sole therein is to impart his right and glorie vnto others which he will not endure Wee shall see honour and admire and with heart and voice magnifie the righteousnesse of Gods Iudgement that shall be giuen by his Sonne â—…n which sense it is said The Saints shall iudge the worlde yea we shall iudge the Angels but that is by submitting our wils to his and by glorifying his iudgement as in heauen his Saints alwaies doe not by clayming voices with him There is then no Iudge of the soule but onely God and to say he is principall Iudge thereof is apparantly to dishonour him Will you referre principall to the execution of Gods iudgements then he must haue some others to conioyne with him in common and they must vse such meanes as lie in their power and so God is neither the proper nor immediate punisher of the soule where he is the principall And when it pleaseth him to take vpon him the chiefe execution of his owne iudgement what cause is there he should call assistants vnto him Doth he lacke wisedome or power that his creatures must aide and helpe him I wish you to weigh your words better before you wade in things aboue your height Your words are absurd your matter is more absurd and the proofes you bring for it are most absurd of all To bring Christs soule within the compasse of hell paines you flash out the fire of hell as a fable and turne out of seruice the rest of the torments there namely reiection from the kingdome of heauen the sting of Conscience confusion of Sinne horrour of darkenesse and diuels despaire of ease and such like as no paines or at least as no substantiall paines of hell you suppose a paine which you imagine commeth from the immediate power of God vpon the soules of the wicked as well in earth as in hell and so not onely you make God the tormentor of soules and diuels in hell with his owne immediate hande but you so aggrauate the paine thereof with fierie words that the reprobate may fully feele it in this world and yet it neither doth end their liues nor waste their bodies which a pange of the stone or a fit of an Ague will doe The best proofe you bring for all this is a bold face and bigge words wherewith you bid all the world NOTE it is so But Sir if charitie did not stay me I should NOTE you rather for an idle talker then for a booke-maker which thinke it lawfull for you to allegorize all that the Scripture mentioneth or threatneth of hell and in the end broach out of the heate of your owne head a Chymysticall hell as well in this world as in the next and so little regard either the truth of Gods speech or the faith of the whole Church or the consciences of all good men that without any further trouble or triall WE MVST NOTE you say so Such archers such arrowes such cheapmen such chaffe a man of your pitch will hardly be brought to any other passe The bottome of your building for it deserueth not the name of a foundation it is so weake and rotten is this which I wish the Reader to NOTE it is so notable stuffe That where there are but three sorts of the soules suffering paine as you conceiue the first by the immediate hand of God the second by sympathie with the bodie and the third by her vehement and strong affections The affections you say are neither immediatly for sinne nor punishments at all properly in themselues the soules second facultie of suffering by sympathie with the bodie you affirme is not proper but common to vs with beasts the first therefore in your conceit is the proper and principall humane suffering for sinne which Christ must needs feele being a man made of God to suffer for all our sinnes Of this wandring and halting diuision I haue spoken before It is euident the soule may suffer paine from and with the bodie and from and by her owne powers and faculties of vnderstanding will sense and affections and from the hand of God immediate or mediate that is vsing other meanes than are beforenamed to punish the soule That the paine of the bodie paineth the soule of man there can be no question naturall euidence and dailie experience sufficientlie confirme it and this is that which you call sympathie when both doe suffer paine together the one from and with the other Touching the eies and eares how often impressions they make of feare and sorrow for our selues and others when the bodie is not touched nor pained euerie woman and childe can giue testimonie Threats rebukes euill reports taken in at the eares dangers distresses and losses foreseene or seene in our selues and others which must needs trouble and grieue the soule are no newes in any condition or person The affections which are both vngodlie and vnrulie are so manie blasts and stormes tossing the soule to and fro with anger and feare with desire and dislike with pensiue care of earthlie things and foolish pitie with hope and despaire with vnlawfull loue and hatred with vaine ioy and vnprofitable sorrow and with a number like headie and hastie passions insomuch that they often driue the soule to rage and furie or end this life with griefe and disdaine As for the vnderstanding and will the soule conceiuing Gods iust and heauie displeasure against sinne and knowing
to anie person the substance or the circumstance of the thing By all the rules of Art and reason to whom the definition doth agree the thing defined must likewise agree Now ech definition importeth the substance not the circumstance of the thing defined And so if Christ suffered the substance or damnation it is euident by your doctrine he was damned which is a corollarâ—…e in Christian religion fit for such a considerate Colonell as you are I will say no woorse Yea such is your deepe insight in these matters that with turning and winding as a worme doth in wood to make Châ—…st suffer the substance of those paines which the damned do suffer you exclude him against your owne intention and assertion from all both substance and ciâ—…cumstance of that which the Iudge pronounceth and inflicteth on the damned For where the sentence of the Iudge Depart from me ye cursed into euerlasting fire conteineth in it reiection from Gods kingdome malediction and torment of eternall fire with their necessarie consequents Reiection and malediction Christ neuer tasted by your owne confession Continuance of time and place are as you say meere circumstances onely and not agreeable to Christ there remaineth then the fire of hell which you allegorize by no meanes acknowledging any TRVE sire in hell for that you vtterly denie Now allegories are by no meanes the substance or essence of anâ—…e creature and so you teach Christ suffered the substance of all that the damned doe suffer saue that he suffered as your selfe confesse no part of that which Christ by his iudiciall sentence inflicteth on the damned which is the substance of all that the damned do or shall suffer Thus what Christ pronounceth on the damned you make circumstantiall and allegoricall and what is no way compâ—…ised in his sentence of condemnation you make that only to be substantiall and essentiall in hell-paines let the Reader now iudge whether this hel be not of your owne framing and not of Gods ordaining This is follie sufficient by a vaine distinction of substance and circumstance to exclude all that Christ pronunceth on the damned from the substance of hell paines but because it maketh an open gap to Atheisme to allegorize the greatest torments that God hath ordained for the wicked in hell and to admit nothing for the substance thereof saue that which was common to Christ with the damned which can be neither reiection malediction nor eternall torment of fire since Christ suffered none of these and yet as you affirme he suffered the substance of all that the damned doe suffer let vs more largelie consider what paines are essentiall to damnation and to hell not that hell which your running head hath latelie hatched but that which the word and will of God hath for euer established as also whether there be true fire in hell or no that we may the more plainly perceiue what vanitie and impietie you haue aduentured to make hell and so heauen to be euerie where as touching their substance and the chiefest torments of hell to be imaginarie paines deuised and conceiued by your selfe and a few of your sect without all warrant of holie Scripture or witnesse of ancient and Christian beleeuers Wherein when I speake of substance and essence thou must not thinke gentle Reader that I meane precisely matter and forme as Philosophers do which bodies only haue I speake as a Diuine of rewards and punishments in which that is most essentiall and substantiall which God hath ordained shal be generall and perpetuall in either kinde Then that is essentiall to damnation or to the paines of hell reserued for the damned which God by his word and will reuealed hath prouided and established for all that shal be damned excepting or sparing none but including them all in one and the same iudgement And if thou finde by the word of God that the place of hell and perpetuall torment there be necessarily and generally decreed and appointed for all the reprobate that shall be damned make sure account that is essentiall to the punishment and paines of hell which the will and word of God hath ordained and expressed shall ineuitably and eternally pursue and punish the wicked For Gods will and ordinance is most essentiall and substantiall in all these things and what he hath determined and setled generallie and eternallie without ceasing or changing to take holde on the wicked that is the substance and essence of their punishment and of hell-paines which is their portion In my Sermons I deliuered manie parts of hell-paines which by no meanes could with any sense of religion be applied to Christ. The Discourser neither doth nor can denie them but shifteth them off as either allegoricall or not essentiall to the paines of hell I shall therefore need but to examine whether they be figuratiue or proper speeches as also whether they be essentiall or accidentall to the condition and punishment of the damned which I am content in order to do Out of the sentence of the Iudge to be pronounced against all the reprobate I obserued foure parts of hell-paines inflicted on all the damned to wit Reiection malediction vengeance of fire and continuance therein for euer Touching reiection and malediction the Discourser plainly confesseth that in Christ there could vtterly be none of these as also neither desperation dereliction nor sting of conscience This confession I take to be verâ—…e true though it be neither agreeable to himselfe in other places nor conformable to his generall positions otherwise But of that afterward In the meane while if reiection from all grace and glorie and extreame malediction of bodie and soule be essentiall paines in hell and punishments for sinnes and Christ neuer tasted these then Christ neuer suffered all that the damned doe suffer as touching the essence and substance thereof And first of reiection from the kingdome of God what say you Sir Deuiser for I may rightly so call you that take vpon you to deuise vs a new hell not heard of in the Scriptures is it either no paine to the damned or is it no essentiall part of their punishment to be thrust out of the kingdome of heauen The losse of good things when they be perceiued and desired doth by nature no lesse grieue and asflict the soule of man than the presence of euill doth offend him All earthly creatures as well as man affect that which is good for them and from the desire of good which is naturall to all it is not possible that man should be exempted but as by sense and vnderstanding he discerneth higher and better things than the rest so this affection and inclination after he truely perceiueth or fully beholdeth them is exceedingly inflamed with them and when he findeth himselfe disappointed and depriued of them his griefe increaseth according to the goodnesse of the things and greatnesse of his desire The ioy and honour then of the saints in the kingdome of God when
is the substance of condemnation but also for that the rest of hell paines are not inflicted till both these take hold on the soules of men For so long as men haue any part or hope of heauen they are not condemned to hell neither shall the finall iudgement of God proceede against any till their owne consciences doe first conuict them and condemne them And therefore as in Christs sentence reiection and malediction stand before the rest so in perfourmance they must take place before eternall torment of fire shall follow Gods iudgement being certainely iust shall be without all contradiction euen in the consciences of the condemned who then shal be their owne accusers and as hell hath no communion with heauen no more can a man bee adiudged to hell but he must first be excluded from the possession and expectation of all heauenly ioy and blisse I speake of the order and coherence of the punishments not of any long distance of time betweene them forsomuch as that iudgement shal be as quickly executed as pronounced The torment of fire is the third part of this iudgemenâ—… which I make no question but you will acknowledge to be an essentiall paine of hell whatsoeuer you intend by the name of fire For if this also be accidentall to damnation I maruaile much what is substantiall But you are content to admit this for the substance of hell paines so you may allegorize it and make thereof what best fitteth your fansie Then if Christ suffered not the torment of hell fire so much threatned to the wicked in the Scriptures and inflicted on the damned by Christs sentence it is very plaine he suffered no part of the substance of hell paines vnlesse your learning serue you to say that when Christ commeth to giue Iudgement against all the damned he shall vtterly forget and mistake himselfe and in stead of the substance of hell paines pronounce onely the circumstances thereof against the reprobate both men and Angels Here therfore is the place to examine whether the fire of hell be allegoricall or no for that it is essentiall to the paines of hell can be no doubt with any but with Atheists and Infidels which know not God since it is named by Christ as a chiefe punishment prepared for the diuell and his Angels Wherein I wish thee gentle Reader aduisedly to marke what is said on either side it is a matter of no small moment both to Christian religion and true godlinesse whether it shall be lawfull for euery vnstable wit at his pleasure to allegorize whatsoeuer liketh not his humour in the sacred Scriptures For if the small and eternall Iudgement of God against the wicked be allegoricall then surely the reward of the faithfull from the same Iudge at the same time must likewise be allegoricall And if we once bring all that is threatned and promised in the world to come to be figures and allegories we endanger the power and iustice of God which must openly appeare to all the world in the punishment of sinne if he be a God and displeased and offended with sinne as also his mercy bountie and glorie in crowning his elect to be nothing but types and figures The end of all things which is the time of iudgement must openly and fully performe whatsoeuer God in this life threatneth or promiseth and if that day doe not plainly distinguish betweene righteousnesse and vnrighteousnesse the elect and the reprobate and shewe a most sensible difference betwixt the kingdome of heauen and the torments of hell to the view of men and Angels without figures or allegories no time after is or euer shal be appointed for that purpose The first reason which leadeth me to beleeue the fire of hell to to be a true substantiall and externall fire and no allegorie is that which is and must be the ground of all Religion to wit the proper signification of the word threatned in the Scriptures to the wicked and by Christ inflicted on the damned Otherwise if we hold not fast this rule not to runne to figures in expounding the Scriptures except the proper signification of the words in any place be against the trueth of faith or honestie of manners we shall leaue nothing sound or assured in the word of God For when the mind is possessed with any errour whatsoeuer the Scriptures auouch to the contrarie men thinke it to be figuratiue as S. Austen rightly obserueth Your selfe approue this rule when it maketh any thing for you your words are I like well that no figure is to be admitted in Scripture where there is no ill or hurtfull sense following litterally Now that externall and substantiall fire is denounced to the wicked in the Scriptures and shall accordingly torment the damned in hell what iniurie is it to the Christian faith or what repugnance hath it with the rest of the Scriptures We doe and must beleeue that Christ shall come to iudge the quicke and dead and with his owne mouth shall openly adiudge the reprobate to euerlasting fire prepared for the deuill and his angels What necessitie then is there to allegorize this fire It is impossible you thinke for soules and deuils which are spirits to be punished with externall and corporall fire and therefore the fire in your conceit must be figuratiue Shall it be impossible to God when he speaketh the word to performe the deede or is it too hard for you to conceaue the manner how it shall be done I trust you take not vpon you to restraine the maruailes of Gods workes to the reach of your wits or to measure the greatnesse of his arme by the weaknesse of your hand How many thousand things are there in the creation conseruation and alteration of the world in the aire in the earth and euery part thereof which are daily before our eyes and yet farre passe our vnderstanding To tie Gods trueth and glorie to your capacitie were madde deuinitie to make any thing vnpossible for him which his mouth hath spoken were meere infidelitie He that created spirits of nothing can as easily make them capable of paine and punishment from fire or whatsoeuer meane pleaseth him to vse But fire hee hath threatned vnto men and deuils By fire therefore shall they be tormented which his hand that is Almightie and his mouth that is all true shall perfourme in the sight of all the world A second reason is that Christ shall pronounce these words in Iudgement where the guiltie must perceiue what is their doome the ministers must know what they shall execute and the elect must discerne what they are to approoue Now allegories are exactly knowen onely to the speaker the hearers except they can search the heart can not certainely knowe the meaning of figures and parables till they be expounded Christs iudgement therefore shall be plaine and proper and containe nothing in it that any way may hinder the present and euident conception execution or approbation
of it The end and vse of parables which are allegoricall similitudes ouâ—… Sauiour confessed when his disciples asked him Why speakest thou to them in parables Who answered because it is giuen to you to know the secrets of the kingdome of heauen but to them it is not giuen To them that are without all things are done in parables that seeing they may see and not discerne and hearing they may heare and not vnderstand Then serue parables and allegories which are both one to hide the meaning of the speaker and to darken the vnderstanding of the hearer But the Iudgement of Christ hath cleane contrarie purposes and must haue plaine and proper speech that the whole world may heare it with their eares vnderstand it with their hearts and see it executed with their eyes For how should allegories or metaphores be executed by Gods Angels who shall be the ministers in that iudgement or how shall all the elect concurre with Christ in iudgement if he vse metaphores and allegories knowen onely to himselfe It is euident therefore the generall and finall sentence by which the wicked shall be adiudged to euerlasting fire must haue in it no figures nor allegories but onely plaine and proper speech which must be heard and vnderstood of all good and bad and be presently put in execution by the ministers that attend that Iudgement A third is that where parables by reason of their darknesse must be expounded before they can be conceiued when Christ doth declare the meaning of them his exposition of necessitie must be in plaine and proper words lest a darke and doubtfull exposition breed a further confusion in the mindes of the hearers than the parable it selfe The parable of the good seed sowed by the owner of the ground and of tares sowed by the enemie as also of the haruest and reapers when the Disciples of Christ prayed him to declare vnto them he expounded it in these words The sower of the good seed is the sonne of man the field is the world the good seed are the children of the kingdome the tares are the children of the wicked the enemie that soweth them is the diuell the haruest is the end of the world and the Reapers be the Angels As then the tares are gathered and burned in the fire so shall it be in the end of the world The Sonne of man shall send forth his Angels and they shall gather out of his kingdome all offences and the workers of iniquitie and shall cast them into a furnace of fire there shal be wailing and gnashing of teeth And vpon occasion of the parable of the draw-net cast into the sea and gathering all kinds of men and after seuering the good from the bad our Sauiour repeating the same exposition in the same words So shall it be in the end of the world the angels shall go forth and seuer the bad from among the iust and shall cast them into a fornace of fire sayd to his Disciples Vnderstand ye all these things and they sayd to him Yea Lord. The parable they vnderstood not but this they vnderstood The fire therefore into which the wicked shall be cast is no parabolicall but a plaine and proper speech Againe Christ expoundeth the parable by it it is therefore no allegorie but a true and proper speech by which Christ opened the obscuritie of the parable and his Disciples presently conceiued his meaning by the proprietie and perspicuitie of his words Then that the Angels of God in the end of the world shall seuer the wicked and cast them into a furnace of fire is an euident plaine and proper speech easie to be vnderstood of euerie Christian by the verie hearing of the words vttered without recourse to you Sir Deuiser to helpe allegorize them or to bring in stead of them the immediat soules suffering which you still auouch but neuer take the paines to proue or vse the meanes to vnfold Fourthly your new conceit hath no coherence with the sense or words of the Holy ghost but either he must correct his speech wheresoeuer he mentioneth the fire of hell or you must recall your fansie who suppose an inward paine in the soule from the immediat hand of God to be hell fire For if that which you call hell fire be only within the soules of the wicked how can they DEPART GO or BE CAST INTO HELL FIRE which by your imagination is cast into them not they into it And therefore when our Sauiour so often affirmeth that the wicked shall be cast into hell fire and iudicially willeth them to depart from him into euerlasting fire you must set him to schoole and teach him to speake righter and according to your opinion to say that hell fire shal be cast into them But if these be fooleries most vnfit for any Christian man to controll the sonne of God in his speech and to condemne him of open and childish ignorance as not knowing the difference betwixt an externall and internall fire then learne to reuerence the veritie and grauitie of the word of God and to confesse that he which seeth and setleth all things in heauen earth and hell cannot so forget himselfe as to mistake the one for the other For if the fire be a violent externall and locall agent into which the wicked shal be cast then are the words of our Sauiour and of the Prophets and Apostles most proper and pertinent to the matter but if that fire which shall torment the damned be nothing but an internall paine rising within the soule by the immediat hand of God then are all the speeches of the Holy ghost expressing their punishment wide from the sense and dissonant from the truth of that which you suppose they would deliuer Dauid describing the vengeance that God at the last will execute on the wicked sayth Vpon the wicked God will raine snares fire and brimstone This raining vpon them sheweth that the meanes and matter of their torment shall be without them and not an anguish onely rising within them as you imagine of hell fire The diuell that deceiued them was cast sayth S. Iohn into a lake of fire and brimstone and whosoeuer was not found written in the booke of life was cast into the lake of fire The Holy ghost by your direction must haue sayd the lake of fire was cast into the diuell and into euery one that was not found written in the booke of life It is better sayth our Sauiour to enter into life maimed than hauing two hands to goe into hell into the fire that neuer shall be quenched Our Sauiour by your doctrine is not well aduised so to speake when he should haue sayd It is better to enter into life maymed than hell fire to goe into you And when Christ foretelleth that the Angels shall seuer the badde and cast them into a furnace of fire he committeth two great ouersights by your new Diuinity the first
in saying the Angels shall cast the badde into a furnace of fire where indeed by your deuice the furnace of fire shal be cast into the badde the next in that he sayth the Angels shall cast them into the fire which hath no trueth in it if the soules of the wicked inwardly suffer from the immediate hand of God alone as you teach For how do the Angels cast the wicked into the fire when the immediate hand of God inflicteth that which you call hell fire on the soule without any instruments or inferiour meanes These mockeries you must make of the Scriptures before they will serue your new conceit that hell fire is an allegorie and importeth nothing but a paine raised within the soule by the immediate hand of God alone which what agreement it hath with the doctrine and descriptions of the Holy ghost I leaue the Christian Reader to consider Fiftly the word Gehenna which Christ authorized in the new testament to signifie hell hath no iust representation of hell if there be no substantiall and externall fire in hel For where anciently the children of Iudah built the place of Topheth in the valley of the sonne of Hinnom to burne their sonnes daughters in the fire vnto Molech which valley the eighteenth of Iosue placeth neere to Iebusi that was afterward Ierusalem and calleth Gehinnom and the chiefe councel of Ierusalem whiles their power lasted vsed to punish certaine offences with fire in the same valley lying neere to their citie Our Lord and Master either taking the word that was vsuall among the people in his time to import hell and establishing it with his authoritie or resembling hell to the place of tormenting burning malefactors with fire so wel knowen to the Iewes nameth it Gihanna in Syriack which the Hebrues call Gehinnam the Euangelists 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Latines Gehenna In this application of the word that the one might fitly resemble the other three things were chiefly respected as Peter Martyr rightly obserueth vpon the second chapter of the second booke of Kings First that being a valley to wit a lowe bottome it resembled hell which is beleeued to be beneath the earth Secondly for the fire wherewith the wicked are tormented in hell euen as the children were in that valley burnt with fire Lastly the place was vncleane and detestable whither all vile and lothsome things were cast out of the citie of Ierusalem euen as defiled and wicked soules are cast out of the kingdome of heauen into hell And howsoeuer you may quarrell with the first and last respects because you thinke them not Canonicall though I finde them grounded on the Scriptures if that were to this present purpose the second is without contradiction the maine reason why our Sauiour tooke the word Gehenna to represent hell and is expressed by himselfe when so often in the Gospell he addeth fire to the word Gehenna and expoundeth the one by the other that is Gehenna by vnquenchable fire Whosoeuer shall say foole to his brother shal be worthy of the Gehenne of fire that is of the vale of fire or of hell And againe It is better for thee to enter into life with one eye than hauing two eyes to be cast into the Gehenne of fire which is the vale or lake of fire and hell fire In the Gospel written by S. Marke Christ ioyneth the one as an explication to the other It is better to goe halting into life than hauing two feet to be cast into GEHENNA into the fire that neuer shal be quenched So that the resemblance of true fire in either place painfull to the sufferer and dreadfull to the beholder was the chiefe respect why our Sauiour allowed GEHENNA in the new Testament to signifie hell and consequently doth assure vs there is true fire in hell For if hell haue no fi e in it besides an inward and inherent paine of bodie or soule as we see in all violent and burning diseases Christ might more fitly haue resembled hell to any sharpe and sore sicknesâ—…e than to an externall and sensible fire which can haue no reference to hell if the torments there be only spirituall and internall These reasons lead me to râ—…solue and beleeue that the fire of hell so much threatned to â—…he wicked in the Scriptures and inflicted on the damned shall be a true visible and externall fire wherein lest thou shouldest thinke Christian Reader I rest too much on mine owne opinion as this Dâ—…scourser doth in all things on his I am content to let thee see that the Ancient and Catholike Fathers of Christes Church haue constantly professed as much before me and condemned the Discoursers conceit as an open errour repugnant to the Scriptures and hurtfull to the Christian faith I haue alreadie produced the testimonies of so many Fathers in the conclusion of my Sermons touching this point the writers being of the greatest learning and account in the Church of Christ as may satisfie the â—…ober and stumble the froward theiâ—… iudgement concurring with the manifest words of holy Scripture yet because this Discouâ—…ser lightly regardeth their concents vainely shifteth off their proofes let vs heare and examine his answere to their assertions The Fathers by me cited were Austen Ambrose Chrysostome Eusebius Tertullian Lactâ—…ntius Cyprian Minutius Pacianus and Gregorie besides the wordes of Sibylla which many of those Fatheâ—…s accept and alleage as proceeding from God to witnesse the trueth and terrour of his generall iudgement to all the world and agreeing with the tenour of holy Scripture His answere beginneth and endeth in this wise You set your sâ—…lfe to prooue that in hell there is materiall fire But it seemeth you are now almost afraid so to call it yet you call it true fire which also wee vtterly denie All your proofes such as they arâ—… runne to prooue corporall and materiall fire yet eternall except your Scriptures which vtterly prooue nothing at all And me thinkes you should not care for corporâ—…ll fire now in hell seeing you seeme to beleeue no torments for damned soules saue on ly at the resurrâ—…ction For thus you reason as the bodie hath beene the instrument of the soules pleasure in sinne so it shall be of her paine But all prouocations and pleasures of sinne the soule taketh from her bodie all actes of sinne she committeth by her bodie Therefore the iustice of God both temporally and eternally punisheth the soule ONELY by the bodie Or therefore all the soules paine for sinne both temporally and eternally is by the body This is your owne reason which being true why should you care for corporall fire in hell before the last iudgemâ—…nt You begin and end with two notorious vntrueths and falsifications of my words that at least you may make others beleeue there is some likelihood in yours when I dare not stand by mine but am either afraid of them or conclude directly
firy worme not dying nor destroying the bodie but breaking forth of the bodie with vnceasing anguish Howbeit because S. Austen leaueth it indifferent for euery man to refer the WORME properly to the bodie or figuratiuely to the minde as he liketh best so that by no meanes he thinke the bodies in hell shall not be touched with the paine of fire I left it likewise free for euery man to make his choise and saw no need of farther answer Touching brimstone you may iest at S. Iohn if you list who saith of the wicked they shall be tormented in fire and brimstone before the holy Angels and before the Lambe and likewise of the diuell that he was cast into a lake of fire and brimstone or if you please you may oppose God himselfe and aske whether materiall brimstone were mixed with the fire which hee rained from heauen on Sodom and Gomorre and why hee powred them both on the heads of those wicked ones as if fire alone were not sufficient to destroy them who are set forth for an ensample by suffering the vengeance of eternall fire But howsoeuer you presume to alter or new frame the iudgements of God after your fansies when I reade that God hath rained brimstone and fire out of heauen on Sodom and the cities adioyning and will raine fire and brimstone vpon the wicked as Dauid testifieth I dare not allegorize either of them because I reuerence the word of God which is his will and by no meanes distrust his power For if God will haue brimstone mixed with hell fire to make it burne not onely the darker and sharper but also the lothsommer and so to grieue the sight smell and taste of the wicked which haue heere surfeited with so many vaine pleasures what haue you or any man liuing to say against it yea rather why teach you not men to tremble at the terror of Gods iudgements who can and will so fully punish all the powers and parts of bodie and soule with one and the same fire in hell Your obiection of true chaines and much wood I called sleeuelesse in deed I should haue called it witlesse for but you no man that would seeme wise euer did account it worth the obiecting or answering Who knoweth not that the names of artificiall things applied to Gods iudgement or gouernement must not import with him as they doe with vs things made or prouided with mens handes but the woonderfull works and powerfull acts of God tending to the same end for which these artificiall things do serue with vs As when we read in the Scriptures of Gods sword cup bow booke sootestoole furnace and such like Is any man so foolish as to aske after the Cutler Goldsmith Flâ—…tcher Stationer Carpenter Mason that made those things for God and not rather to looke to the vse of these things amongst men and thence to collect the marueilous and manifest effects of Gods power iustice counsell and prouidence determining and perfourming in this world and the next what pleaseth him against men and Angels The chaines wherewith the deuils are bound Peter calleth the chaines of darkenesse not of mettall which man can frame and they note the ineuitable subiection and immutable condition of deuils plunged in outwarde and inward darkenesse malediction and horror whereby they are now kept vnto damnation without any power to resist or decline the iudgement which shall be pronounced on them That God hath a Smith to make Iron chaines to bind the deuill or a fueller to cut and fetch wood for hell fire lest it should faile these were such meriments to be concluded out of Scripture that if you find no vanitie nor absurditie in them against the trueth and glorie of God you may take the Legend or the Alcoran into your Creede without any scruple of conscience but if these things be more then sottish then deserue your obiections a worse name then I gaue them The Scriptures you say shew no more any true fire in hell then true chaines and much wood To suppose those things to be needefull for hell which are prepared by the hands of men is a very wicked and wilfull impietie For so should hell fire quickly cease which Christ hath said shall be euerlasting And that the Scriptures prooue no more the trueth of fire there then they doe of wood is an open and arrogant vntruth For first all the Fathers of Christs Church and the soberest Diuines of our time are condemned by this insolent assertion as ignorant and absurd teachers who confesse the trueth of hell fire to be established by the Scriptures which of wood they do not Secondly the words of Christ and his Apostles are chalenged to be false For they in plaine speech affirme fire to be in hell which of wood they doe not Thirdly the reason whereupon the Defenders obiection is grounded ouerthroweth all religion in this life and all reward in the life to come For this is and must be the pillar whereto his obiection leaneth The Scripture nameth fire and so it nameth wood and therefore it sheweth the trueth of the one no more then it doth of the other but if the wood be figuratiue so must the fire be Applie this reason to the Church of Christ on earth or to the kingdome of heauen or to Christ himselfe and see whether it will not vtterly subuert them all and make all Gods promises and graces here and in heauen to be allegoricall and not literally true Of Christ God saith Behold I will lay in Sion a stone a tried stone a precious corner stone And of himselfe Christ saith I am the true Vine Were it not braue blasphemie to say the Scriptures shewe Christ to be no more a true God then a true Stone or a true Vine because they affirme of him all three To his Church God saith I will lay thy foundation with Saphires and will make thy windowes of Emeraudes and thy gates shining stones All thy children shall bee taught of God and much peace shall be to thy children in righteousnesse shalt thou be established Shall we say that wisedome peace and righteousnesse here promised to the Church are figuratiue because Emeraudes and Saphires mentioned in the very same place must be figuratiuely taken Christ saith to his disciples I appoint you a kingdome as my Father hath appointed to mee that you may eate and drinke at my table in my kingdome Are all the rewards of the faithfull in the kingdome of heauen allegoricall because this most apparantly is so Proude and false therefore is that surly resolution of yours Sir Discourser who auouch the Scriptures shewe no more true fire in hell then much wood because the Prophet in one place nameth them both and if your obiections be no better let the Christian reader iudge whether there be any cause you should so earnestly call for an answere But let vs view the place whence you
terrible cracks of that flaming fire to haue their eyes blinded with the bitter smoke of that fuming gulfe to be drowned in the deepe lake of Gehenna and to be torne eternally with most greedie wormes to thinke on these things and many such like is a sure way to renounce all vice and refraine all allurements of the flesh Apparently then the fire of hell by the confession of all these ancient aud Christian writers is locall as kept vnder the earth externall as inclosing the damned both men and diuels and sensible to the eyes with obscure flames tormenting all the parts of the body with an horrible paine of burning but not consuming them And that the fire of hell shal be an externall and true fire what proofe can be fairer or fuller than that Scriptures and Fathers with one voice professe that Christ shall come to iudge the world in flaming fire which shall melt the elements with heat and dissolue the heauens and threfore without question must needs be a true substantiall externall fire and that the same fire with which he shall come to iudge shall deuoure his aduersaries Behold sayth Esay the Lord will come with fire that he may render his indignation with the flame of fire for the Lord will iudge with fire There shall goe a fire before him when he commeth to iudge sayth Dauid and burne vp his enemies roâ—…nd about The Lord Iesus sayth Paul shall shew himselfe from heauen in flaming fire rendring vengeance to them that know not God and obey not the Gospel For to such remaineth no sacrifice for sin but a fearefull expectation of iudgement and a violence of fire which shall deuoure the aduersaries Fire sayth Arnobius shall go before Christ comming to iudgement euen fire which shall performe two offices with one and the same aspect it shall lighten the friends and inflame the enemies of God for the fire which shall burne the sinfull shal be made brightnesse to the iust The end of this present world saith Iustine Martyr is the iudgement of the wicked by fire as the scriptures of the Prophets Apostlesdeclare and likewise thâ—… writings of Sibylle so blessed Clemens that liued with the Apostles in his Epistle to the Corinths affirmeth Christ shall come sayth Ambrose with his heauenly army and with fire as his minister to giue vengeance â—…or the sire of iudgement shall serue him to reuenge the reprobate sayth Gregorie Paul sheweth sayth Theodoret that iudgement shal be full of terror noting first the Iudge comming from heauen then their power which minister vnto him who are the angels lastly thâ—… kinde of punishment for the wicked shall be deliuered to the flame of fire There are two properties in fire to burne and to shine the shining propertie the assembly of Saints shall enioy by the other shall wicked men be punished So Basil There are two forces in fire one to burne the other to shine the sharpnesse of â—…ire which punisheth is layed vp for those that deserue burning the light and shining thereof is allotted to the ioy of the blessed And Athanasius Fire hath two forces the one of shining which shall be giuen to the iust the other of burning which shall be diuided to sinners Ierom likewise Fire shal be light to the faithfull and punish the vnbeleeuers And Theophylact Christs comming shall be in flaming fire as Dauid professeth of him A fire shall goe before him and shall burne his enemies round about For this fire shall offer burning to sinners and no shining but to the iust it shall giue light and shining and no heat or burning The fire I trust which hath these two properties to lighten the iust and torment the wicked is an externall and sensible fire and with that fire Christ shall come to dissolue the heauens melt the elements and punish the wicked neither shall the spirituall and internall paine of the soule which the Discourser maketh his hell fire come neere the Saints or be ioyous and comfortable to any as the fire of iudgement shal be to the saints of God Then all sorts of writers Prophets Euangelists Apostles and Diuines of all ages Yea Philosophers Poets and Sibyls haue taught the wicked shall â—…e punished with true fire and not with metaphores and the Sonne of God in person hath confirmed the same and all sectes Iewes Pagans and Christians haue beleeued it God taking speciall care as well by deeds as words that the truth and terror of his vengeance vpon sinne should not be vnknowen to all the world For which cause he hath not only made the earth in many places as Aetna Vesuuis and else where to burne with perpetuall fire but hath often destroyed sinfull persons and places with fire from heauen to let all men see and know that the vengeance decreed threatned and executed on the wicked is sensible and true fire from God which he hath made of all senseles creatures the most violent potent and fearefull meanes to punish Therefore did he raine fire and brimstone vpon Sodome and Gomorre when their sinnes were at full punished the people that murmured at him with fire calling the name of the place THABHERAH because the fire of the Lord burnt amongst them as likewise he sent Firie serpents to bite them when they spake against him So Fire came out from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fiftie men of Corahs company that presumed to offer incence vnto the Lord as before it had destroyed Nadab and Abihu for offering strange fire before the Lord. And at Eliahs word Fire came downe from heauen twice and deuoured two Captaines with their two bands of an hundred men Insomuch that when Satan would haue Iob beleeue he was punished by Gods owne hand he gate fire to fall from heauen vpon Iobs sheepe and seruants the messenger making this report The fire of God is fallen from heauen and hath burnt vp thy sheepe and seruants and deuoured them Which kind of vengeance Iames and Iohn the Disciples of Christ desired when their master was repelled by the Samaritans and denyed lodging as willing to haue that inhumanitie punished to the example of all others but that they were repressed by him who came to saue and not to destroy Thus hath God often by true and sensible fire from heauen declared and verified the certaintie of his generall and finall iudgement when his Sonne shall appeare in flaming fire to render vengeance to all that know not God and obey not the Gospell and that fire of Iudgement which shall burne heauen and earth shall shine to the Saints with ioy and comfort and punish the wicked by tormenting them for euer This you thinke is not against you for you deny that Now there is corporall fire in hell whatsoeuer there shall be hereafter when bodies also shal be there vnited and tormented with the soules and this
only is your question or nothing Many shifts you haue sent vs in your late defence which sauour neither of learning nor religion but a slenderer then this you haue sent vs none For first this is not the chiefe doubt whether there be now in hell any true fire or no which you say is your ONLY QVESTION or nothing but what is the substance of damnation due to sinne and what vengeance for sinne all the wicked must suffer in hell not for a time but for euer and we should haue suffered had we not been redeemed this is the right maine point in question For this is the full waight and burden of our sinnes which you say must be laid vpon Christ before we could be freed from it and this is the proper payment and wages of sinne which we should haue payed had we not beene ransommed by the death of Christ and therefore by your owne conclusions Christ must and did pay the same which else we should haue payed That which the damned doe presently suffer in hell is not the full burden nor iust vages of their sinnes else the terror of Iudgement as well as the taking of their bodies were wholy superfluous if the true payment and full vengeance of their sinnes were executed on them before Iudgement But the reprobat as well men as Angels are Reserued vnder darknes vnto the iudgement of the great day and Vnto DAMNATION which sleepeth not though it be not already to the full performed on either Againe a great number of the wicked shall neuer trie the torments of the soule seuered from the body because the day of Christ shall find them liuing as the Apostle testifieth and not part their soules from their bodies but cast both ioyntly into hell fire so that the vengeance of sinne before Iudgement which you would so faine fasten on and make YOVR ONLY QVESTION commeth too short of all your owne conclusions and is excluded by the expresse words of your limitations in your late defence For you subiect Christ to all Gods proper wrath and vengeance so farre as was due generally for all mankinde to suffer But the fire of hell before Iudgement except it be the selfe same that also remaineth after iudgement belongeth not by Gods iustice to all men in generall by reason manie shall not suffer it but after iudgement It is euident therefore that the fire of hell before iudgement is not your maine question because it neither is the full wages nor vengeance of sinne nor generally due to all mankinde but the right and true question is touching hell fire after iudgement wherein body and soule shall burne feeling the torment and violence of euerlasting fire according to the measure of ech mans sinnes Howbeit if we marke well the words of holy Scripture this which you would so gladly make your question is no question at all For by the sentence of the Iudge it manifestly appeareth that there is but one aud the same fire prouided for all the damned both men and diuels and that fire not onely is euerlasting without end or change but prepared and made ready before the day of iudgement as the words of our Sauiour doe plainly import who will say to all the wicked without exception Depart from me ye cursed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into that euerlasting fire which is alreadie prepared for the diuell and his angels The article so often repeated suffereth the fire whereinto the wicked shall be cast to be none other fire but the selfe-same that is euerlasting and prepared for the diuels The Participle of the Preterperfect tence argueth the time when that fire was prepared for the diuell and his angels to be perfectly past before iudgement Of the first there can be no question Idem quippe ignis crit supplicio scilicet hominum attributus Daemonum dicente Christo Discedite à me maledicti in ignem aeternum qui paratus est Diabolo Angelis eius Vnus quippe ignis vtrisque erit sicut veritas dixit The same fire sayth Austen shall serue for the punishing of men and Diuels Christ saying Depart from me ye cursed into the fire euerlasting which is prepared for the Diuell and his Angels One fire shal be to both as the trueth hath spoken The second that hell fire is prepared before the day of iudgement and abideth euerlasting from the time of the preparation without any new creating or altering at the day of iudgement is as euident by the sacred Scriptures Esay who liued and prophesied more than eight hundred yeeres before our Sauiour reuealed this doctrine sayth of it as we heard before Tophet is prepared of old or long since the burning thereofis as the fire of much wood the breath of the Lord like a riuer of brimstone doth kindle it Our Lord and Master almost one thousand six hundred yeeres since made the soule of the rich man in the sixteenth of Luke to say of hell fire I am tormented in this flame And S. Iude proposing the destruction of Sodome and Gomorrhe sayth They are set foorth for an example 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in or by suffering the punishment of euerlasting fire Where we see the fire which God rained from heauen on Sodome and Gomorrhe is called euerlasting and the inhabitants of those cities are affirmed by the Apostle euen then when he wrate to suffer euerlasting sire for an example of the iust iudgement of God It is therefore one and the same fire of hell that punisheth the wicked before and after iudgement which was prepared long since as Esay sayth and is euerlasting that is not ending or changing into another fire but increasing and kindling with greater fiercenesse at the day of iudgement that all the wicked both men and angels may receiue a damnation answerable to their deserts which in part they now feele but then expect a sharper and sorer torment than yet is executed on them which is the terrour of iudgement and fulnesse of damnation reserued for them Then notwithstanding your sleights and shifts Sir Discourser that Christ suffered the substance and essence of hell paines and that happily there shall be corporall fire after Iudgement yet now there is no true fire in hell we find it resolued by the Scriptures and auouched by all the ancient Fathers and the best learned Diuines of our time that the fire of hell so much threatned in the Scriptures to the reprobate is a true substantiall and externall fire and the same that was prepared for the deuils euen from their fall and doth and shal dure as well before as after Iudgement for euer into which the soules are and at the generall resurrection the bodies of all the wicked shall be cast there to burne with vnspeakeable and vnceaseable torments And though I thinke it not fit for any man to take vpon him to deliuer the quality or force of that fire further then the Scriptures
respect as they are bodily things represent the soule of Christ or any matter pertaining to it In that respect as they are bodily things without any sacred action or passion they figure neither bodie nor soule of Christ nor are indeed any figures at all But you speake of sacrifices of beasts which can not beare that name in the Scriptures without some sacred action and passion ordeined by God to praefigure the sacrifice of his Sonne And where euery thing which was appointed of God to foreshew the comming and dying of his Sonne was a figure of him not in respect of any bodily matter or forme for so all things of that kinde should naturally haue beene figures of Christ and not by gods appointment which is most absurd and false but in regard of some holie rare or beneficiall action passion or propertie authorized by God to represent the power and vertue of Christ appearing in our flesh you like a deepe Diuine seuer from those sacrifices all sacred actions and passions ordained by God to make them both sacrifices and figures and then tell vs that in respect of their earthly and bodily substance they were no figures of Christes soule When you sayd Sacrifices you included those sacred actions and passions which made them sacrifices and figures of Christes sacrifice and therefore to exclude them againe with an idle respect is a silly and emptie refuge If vnder bodily things you comprise externall and sensible actions and passions then is it euident that by sensible signes in those Sacrifices God did alwayes and altogether declare the ioynt sufferings of Christ for the sinnes of the world but not the paines of hell nor the death of the soule from which you alwayes and altogether slide vnder pretence of my grosse vttering it though I vtter it in the selfe-same words and parts which the Scripture doth But how considerate are you when you vouch that the Scape-goat representeth not Christes soule vnlesse onely in respect of the escaping of it when the other goat died yet not the body of the holocaust but the vtter consuming by sire of the whole signifieth the sufferings of whole Christ What agreement hath ESCAPING with VTTER CONSVMING and yet you make both these actions to be figures of the sufferings of Christes soule So that Christes soule by your refined figures did escape free from death and not escape free from death for you defend that Christ died the death of the soule and was vtterly consumed and could not be consumed but as it were escaped and yet escaped not and was at it were vtterly consumed and yet could no way be consumed but escaped free and vntouched as the Scape-goat did Such is your settlednesse that yea and no with you are as it were all one That fire did signifie the incorruption of Christes flesh after death is very hard and farre fetcht Sacrifices had their respect to Christes death not to any thing further or afterwards All things are farre fetcht with you that come not from the whirlepoole of your owne head It is the iudgement of S. Austen and other learned Fathers which you so lightly esteeme The same substance of the bodie shall be changed into an heauenly qualitie quod ignis in sacrificio significabat velut absorbens mortem in victoriam which fire in sacrifice signified as it were swallowing vp death in victorie Whom Bede disdaineth not to follow Ignis in sacrificio id significabat velut absorbens mortem in victoriam Fire in sacrifice did signifie victorie euen swallowing vp death Cyril is of the same minde Agreeably to the sacrifices did heauenly fire consume all things that were done by our Sauiour in the bodie and restored them all neerer to the nature of his Diuinitie for rising from the dead he ascended to heauen his passage to which place the nature of fire doth shew To farder sufferings after Christes death no sacrifice had respect because there neither were any nor needed any but to the efficacie and glorie consequent to Christes death the fire in sacrifices had respect as these Fathers affirme Against whom though you euery where oppose the worm-eaten warrant of your owne words I trust you will somewhat relent to the Apostles authoritie who telleth you that the high Priests going intâ—… the most holy place with the blood of the sacrifice once euery yeere signified Christes entring the heauens with his owne blood which I hope was after both his death and his resurrection As for an other sense out of Austen that it should signifie our perfection and burning charitie it can not be true for the holocaust-sacrifice out of question primarily signified the person of Christ not ours Also you both here do seeme to double vnderstanding by the holocaust both incorruption after death and a perfect burning loue in vs now in this life which things are farre distant and can not stand together You are so giddie that you dislike euerie thing and so hastie that you conceiue nothing right S. Austen sayth indeed that fire in the holocaust may note the feruent â—…esse of charitie and brightnesse of immortalitie which are all one with perfection and incorruption What fault finde you with this The holocaust you say signified primarily the person of Christ not ours Doth S. Austen denie that It suffâ—…ceth for the trueth of his wordes that those sacrifices did principally point out Christes sufferings grace and glorie and consequently ours For as we haue fellowship with his afflictions and are conformed vnto his death so shall we be partakers of his perfection and incorruption and be fashioned to his image 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If we suffer as he did sayth Paul that we may be glorified as he was not presuming an equalitie with him but promising a conformitie to him The Sacrifices then which as you grant primarily signified the person passion and perfection of Christ did secondly note and teach our dying to sinne our rising againe in glorie and appearing before him in perfect holinesse which in this life we endeuour but can not attaine to the full till by death we be freed from sinne The bearing of Christs Image is enough to iustifie Saint Austens speech For he neither saith that the holocaust did primarily signifie the members of Christ nor that men could haue perfection of charitie in this life but when Christ shall present vs righteous and glorious vnto his Father then shall he offer vs as holocausts vnto God And yet in the meane while what hindereth Saint Austen to exhort vs that the Diuine fire of Gods wisedome and grace may wholy inflame vs and euen consume vs Who but a moth of your mould would giue Saint Austen the lâ—…e twice in two lines for so speaking and in the third line after charge him with doubling as if Christs puritie in this life and glorie after this life could not stand together or the perfection of Gods Saints here such as
a new compasse of hell that shall containe all that the wicked doe suffer in this life or elsewhere be it neuer so little If you will fall to creating of new helles shew your commission otherwise you may create your selfe a woorse condition than you are ware of Thinke you that any wise or godlie Reader will rest himselfe vpon such inuentions or such conclusions as these be Who can say how little or how small the paine was which Christ suffered You onely can tell how great it was for you say Christ suffered a sense of Gods wrath equall to hell it selfe and to all the torâ—…ents thereof For this if you would spare vs as well proofes as words we might at length perhaps beleeue you meant some trueth Why presume you to determine a iust equalitie in Christes sufferings to the very paines of hell vpon your owne head What Scripture teacheth you so to say Nay who can say you declaâ—… or comprehend the infinite greatnesse of it You haue comprehended and declared the iust measure of it for you make it equall with hell And yet as constant in this as in all other things you presently adde that Christs anguish might very well be and was no doubt infinite euen in those bodily stripes and wounds whose paines otherwise were finite Where if you take infinite for great or aboue mens reach and knowledge as sometimes the word is vsed then speake you nothing to the purpose For Christes paines may be great and intolerable to vs though nothing neere the paines of hell But if you take infinite as contrarie to finite which you do in this place by opposing it to finite then infinite indeed is more than hell for the paines of hell are finite in degree though infinite in hauing no end Howbeit in the meane while you wrong the Godhead of Christ in whom nothing is infinite besides his Diuine Nature and the force thereof So that if Christ did suffer paines truely infinite his Godhead must suffer which is infinite blasphemie by reason his manhood being a creature could not nor might not suffer but that which was finite both in waight and end Such speculations you broach out of your owne brest without any likelihood of trueth or concurrence with the sacred Scriptures and then you aske Who can limit or measure the furie of Gods seuere iustice against sinne As if God who is truely infinite as well in power as in all other points did his vttermost against Christ and the creature in Christ were able to beare the brunt of the most that Gods iustice and power could inflict vpon him Such desperate vntrueths well become your sobrietie who will say any thing so you may haue some shift of words to shrowd your selfe vnder but the Scriptures will teach you that Christes sufferings were of infinite price in respect of the person who was God and man not of infinite paine which exceedeth the power and strength of all creatures I aske do you grant that Christ suffered Gods wrath in spirit as the Apostle 1. Thess. 5. distinguisheth the spirit and the soule I answere do you heare that you grosly mistake the Apostle if you make the soule and the spirit two seuerall substances in man otherwise if they be but one your question is very childish For the immortall substance of mans soule suffereth whether it be by her sense affections vnderstanding or will And this is no Sophistrie deceiuing you with the word soule but it is the recalling you to conceiue rightly of the soule of man which is an immortall and spirituall substance subiect to paine as well by her vnderstanding and sense as by her affections and will and by what other meanes soeuer it pleaseth God to punish her As for the wrath which you would haue suffered in Christs spirit when you tell vs what you meane by wrath whether the apprehension of Gods wrath against our sinne or the absolute impression of paine from the immediate hand of God or the due consideration of the case wherein Christ stood when he suffered for our sinnes which might iustly breed feare care and sorrow in his soule besides the affliction of bodily paines and anguish which his immortall and humane spirit must needs discerne and feele you shall receiue a fuller answere Till then holde vs excused if we spend not time to guesse grope after your blinde and hid fansies Howbeit whatsoeuer Christ suffered in his soule it was religious and meritorious in him I meane euen the feare sorow and smart which hee humbly obediently and patiently suffered as from the hand of God whosoeuer were the meanes and other wrath than that you shall neuer be able to proue was inflicted on Christs spirit or soule Who can say but that this was as hot and scorching as hell fire it selfe We see then your forwardnesse to haue it so but withall your foolishnesse that daunting all others as vnpriuie to Gods secrets and Christes sufferings you only take vpon you to tell vs out of your casting boxe how great and how hot the paine was which Christ suffered in soule euen as great and as hot as hell fire it selfe What dreames be these to mocke men withall and to fraight the Christian faith with As if you had of late receiued some Reuelation from heauen that Christes paine was full as hot as hell fire I will not diminish the paines which the Sonne of God suffered for our sakes but am well content to aggrauate them to the highest so farre as the Scriptures giue me any light or leading but you that extenuate his paines described in the Scriptures and deuise other paines for him as hot as hell fire no where testified by the Holy Ghost what defence can you bring for your doings Who can say no Nay who can say yea that doth not rush headlong into Gods secret counsels as you doe Be these the proofes whereon you pinne the paines of hell suffered in Christes soule Who can say they were not as hot and scorching as hell fire it selfe Frie in your follie I wish you no worse fire if I knew not your vaine I should thinke you sicker than you are I haue no doubt but Christes paine on the Crosse was proportioned to his patience which God meant to proue though not to ouerpresse otherwise the measure of his paine saue that it exceeded not the strength of his manhood as I do not know no more doeth any man liuing except hee will deceiue himselfe with his owne dreames as this Discourser doth For though we may by nature in some sort coniecture how grieuous it was for Christ to hang three houres by the woundes of his hands and feet all his bones being vnioynted yet know we not how farre the power and iustice of God made way to that paine who can by any meanes as well as without all meanes increase paine to what degree he will For my part therefore I will not meddle with
the people that Christ came to saue the house of Israell by giuing his life for their sinnes and that sinne caused the onely Sonne of God to be crucified in the flesh and to suffer the most vile and slaunderous death of the Crosse and consequently willed them to remember how grieuously and cruelly Christ was handled of the Iewes for our sinnes and to set before their eyes Christ crucified with his body stretched on the Crosse his head crowned with sharpe thornes his hands and his feete pearced with nayles his heart opened with a speare his flesh rent and torne with whips his browes sweating water and bloudâ—… by this stirreth vp the hearers to the hatred of sinne that was so grieuous in the sight of God that he would not be pacified but onely with the bloud of his owne Sonne And though there were a thousand examples in the Scripture shewing how greatly God abhorred sinne yet this one is of more force then all the rest that the Sonne of God was compelled to giue his body to bee bruised and broken on the Crosse for our sinnes After these premonitions follow your words Christ hath taken vpon him the iust reward of sinne which was death not the whole reward of sinne which is an vtter exclusion from all grace and glorie and the eternall damnation of body and Soule in hell fire but the death of his body bruised and broken on the Crosse by the cruell rage of the Iewes which is particularly and plainely before described Now the death of the body inflicted on all mankind for sinne is the iust though not the full reward of sinne and by suffering that Christ freed vs from all condemnation of sinne which otherwise in vs would haue beene euerlasting And this explication the same Homily addeth to the former words which you cite though you purposely suppresse it When all hope of righteousnesse was past on our part and wee had nothing whereby wee might quench Gods burning wrath and worke the saluation of our Soules Then euen then did the Sonne of God come downe from heauen to be wounded for our sakes to be reputed with the wicked to be condemned vnto death to take vpon him the reward of our sinnes and to giue his body to be broken on the Crosse for our offences Here are both the places which you patch together the one noting Death to be the iust reward of sinne the other expressing what kind of death Christ suffered for vs as the reward of our sinne euen the breaking of his body on the Crosse for our offences In the second proposition you shew more deprauing of the publike doctrine of this Realme For where the second Homily saith in expresse words that our Grandfather Adam by breaking Gods commaundement in eating the Apple forbidden him in Paradise purchased not onely to himselfe but also to his posteritie for euer the iust wrath and indignation of God who condemned both him and his to euerlasting death both of body and Soule you transferre this iudgement from Adam to Christ which the Homily doeth not and least you should bee taken tardie with open blasphemie you leaue out the word EVERLASTING which is euident in the Homily and vpon those maimed and forged collections you inferre that by the Homily Christ tooke on him for vs the death both of body and Soule Why say you not Christ tooke vpon him EVERLASTING death both of body and Soule which was the iust and due purchase or wages of our sinne by the plaine words of that Homilie You feared blasphemie and therefore you chose rather to falsifie the place then to want some defence for your Doctrine Christ you will say died that death which was the reward of our sinne by the Booke of Homilies To belie publike Authoritie so grossely in so great causes is a quadruple iniquitie What death Christ died for our sinnes is openly professed and euen pictured before our eyes in this very Homilie the words I repeated in the Section before What death was the wages of our sinne if the word euerlasting did not fully declare the same Homilie in the same Section whence your words are taken doth twice most abundantly teach Adam tooke vpon him to eate of the tree forbidden and in so doing he died the death that is to say he became mortall he lost the fauour of God he was cast out of Paradise he was no longer a Citizen of heauen but a fire brand of hell and a bond-slaue to the Diuell And sixe lines after So that now neither Adam nor any of his had any right or interest at all in the kingdome of heauen but were become plaine Reprobates and cast-awaies being perpetually damned to the euerlasting paines of hell fire It would fairely fit your new Doctrine to defend that Christ was a Reprobate and a Cast-away yea a fire-brand of hell and a bond-slaue to the Diuell perpetually damned to the euerlasting paines of hell fire And though I be perswaded you detest these diuelish impieties and hellish blasphemies yet you regard little your cause or your conscience which vouch in Print that Christ suffered that reward of sinne which by the Booke of Homilies was due to vs all those things by the same Booke in the same place being due to vs. You will shift of this matter as if these things might be granted in substance not in circumstance and in our countenance not in his But such shifts are so shamefull and sinfull in this case that I thinke your owne friends wil altogether mislike your flying to the Booke of Homilies for the death of the Soule or the iust reward of sinne in all mankind there mentioned to be suffered in the Soule of Christ. Also our great Bible appointed by Authoritie to be read in publike Churches expresly saith as much It is a poore pittance when you finde no helpe for your new made hell in the whole Text of the Bible to run to the Printers additions set by the sides of the Booke who often annexe things in the Margine for direction or explication as they thinke good which declare the Printers or Correctors but not the Authors nor Translators mind Your wits I trust be not so weake but you can discerne between the English translation of the Text commaunded to be publikely read in the Church and the Marginall notes added by others without any warrant of publike Authority for ought that I see And therefore I take not my selfe nor any man else to be bound to those notes farder then they euidently concurre with the truth of the Text though they may be sometimes profitable for the opening of hard places That Christ was in an Agonie the Euangelist affirmeth and the English Translator hath done his duetie in expressing so much but what the cause was of that Agonie is beyond the Commission of a Translator to specifie since the Scripture concealeth it and so publike Authoritie which appointed
by dangers and doubts weighed and considered by the spirit of Christe I know no reason why you ascribe them meerely to the flesh As for the contrarieties which you would take hold of that Christ as a man did abhorre and feare death and yet not somuch as to fall into that agony or bloudy sweate for feare of his sufferings with such a slacke and shallow Reader as you are they may beare a shew of repugnancie but to any man that marketh or vnderstandeth what is said it accordeth full well that Christ might haue a naturall feare of death which is common to all the godly and yet no such perplexed feare for any sufferings of his as to sweate bloud for paine therof And this maketh more against you then you wil seeme to acknowledge For if Christ had no such afflicting feare in regard of his owne suffring or passion but only in respect of vs and our danger then certainly by the censure of Ambrose Ierom and Bede Christ suffered no paines of hell nor of the damned since they would bread another maner of agony then this life could endure And howsoeuer the view of death fast clasped with hell till Christ did breake the knotte thereof might seeme terrible to Christes humane consideration yet for somuch as he was secured from the one by the innocency vnity and dignity of his person though he submitted himselfe to the death of his body this feare was both righteous and religious and as farre from the paines of the damned as any sufferings of the soule in this life might be e Defenc. pag. 100. li. 10. He would not he could not so feare and be affrighted yea and piteously astonished with such sorrow oppressing him as to sweate drops of bloud onely for feare of his bodily death Neither would he pray at all much lesse so vehemently and so often times as he did against that which he perfectly knew was Gods will and his owne most willing purpose to vndergoe It is more then folly to mistake misplace and misapplie euerie thing after this sort as you doe and then to collect you know not what nor why from your owne vnwise and rash presumptions What if Christ had more cause of sorrow in the Garden then his bodily death ergo he felt the paines of the damned inflicted on his Soule by Gods immediate hand Tie this argument to the manger litter is fitter for it then an answere Such blockish and brutish sequences were the first morter that plastred your hell paines to Christs passion The worke of our redemption which Christ now vndertooke to haue pronounced and setled by the righteous iudgement of God and his Elect to be freed and pardoned of all their sinnes by the sufferings of his person The worke of our redemption was cause enough to prouoke Christs bloudy sweate and to be restored to Gods fauour by his mediation as also satan to be reiected from preuailing against them or so much as accusing them was a matter of the greatest moment in all Christian Religion What maruaile then if the manhood of Christ when it approched so waightie a worke as by prayer first to obtaine and confirme all this that after he might the more cheerefully and constantly accomplish his obedience vnto death What maruaile I say if the glory of Gods iudgement and power of his wrath the number of our sinnes and neglect of our owne state the sharpe and eger malice of satan made Christ with all possible feare of the great might and maiestie of the Iudge all passionate sorrow for the crimes and contempts of the prisoners all earnest and zealous intention of prayer against the impugner and impediment of mans deliuerance to agonize himselfe euen vnto a bloudie sweate If in our prayers the spirit of Christ stirre vp f Rom. 8. sighes vnspeakeable when we remember what danger we were in what sorrow cries and teares may we iustly thinke the fountaine of mercie and pietie would powre forth in our behalfe when our saluation was now in question before the Iudge of all the world and how burned that fire and flame of Christs loue and care for vs till he was comforted and assured from heauen that God would not by our wickednesse or vnworthinesse be stayed from performing his mercies towards vs in Christ his Sonne nor from accepting Christs obedience and sacrifice as the full ransome for all our transgressions notwithstanding all the resistance that sinne or satan could make in the righteous iudgement of God This you will say God long before had purposed and promised vnto his Sonne Christ was most earnestly to aske what God had faithfully promised to graunt And that made Christ the more earnestly pray for it since God had from the beginning determined as well to haue it asked by his Sonne as graunted by himselfe And therefore Christs supplications for vs in the daies of his flesh and at the hower of his passion now approching were as needefull as his sufferings forsomuch as pietie and charitie are perceiued rather by the Soule then by the flesh and God would neuer haue accepted the outward murdering of Christs body without the inward and acceptable sacrifice of his voluntarie obedience patience and loue euen vnto death which were the points that were chieflly pretious in Gods sight g Defenc pag. 100. li. 19. Or else Cyrill meaneth no more but that Christ naturally misliked and 〈◊〉 euen as all flesh doth all bodilie paine and death This we alway yeelde and it maketh nothing against vs. It maketh lesse for you that Christ had and lawfully might haue as you graunt a naturall misliking and shunning of all bodily paine and death and consequently knowing the sharpnesse of the paine that was prepared for him on the crosse might without breach of pietie or repugnance to Gods knowen will desire to haue that Cup passe from him if it were possible for man by Gods good pleasure to be otherwise redeemed and saued And this reseruation of Gods will in his prayer FATHER 〈◊〉 Luke â—…2 IF THOV VVILT take away this Cup from me which was the possibilitie ment by Christ and his present preferring Gods will before the instinct of nature liking ease in presently saying Neuerthelesse not my will but thy will be done doth exquisitely proue that Christ was not astonished in his prayer nor past remembrance of Gods knowen will as you dangerously surmise and no cause you should conclude he felt hell paines in this agonie because the Scripture concealeth the sense of his feruent supplication when after comfort receiued from heauen he fell into an agonie of most earnest and ardent prayer in which his sweate was like drops of bloud And therefore your foolish and wicked imagination that Christ in his agoniâ—… was so amazed that he knew not what he prayed nor discerned when he impugned the will of God is without all leading or likelihood of the word of God and grounded onely vpon your wilfull and hastie
you must bring stronger stuffe then such wordes as besides their diuers significations haue manie figuratiue translations and applications which will not serue you to conclude any thing for your hell paines suffered in this life These are the mightie proofes that were vnanswered which indeed I neglected as prouing nothing and so would yet haue donne had not you so mouthly called for an answeare as if the things had beene verie materiall which in truth are weake and faint u Defenc. pag. 119. li. 31. The confession and behauior of the reprobate do sundry times in this life testifie so much What is their confession in things which they know not euen as much as your assertion That they are somtimes inwardly and fearefully either tormented by satan or by their owne consciences I easily admit but what is the feare of hell either in the elect or in the reprobate to the true paines thereof which the wicked after this life shall feele that they feele an horror confounding them I neuer denied as also the godly may feele a terror pursuing them but if you determine this to be all the torment the wicked shal find in hell you were best take heed of deluding Gods iudgments against sinne and playing with fiery words in steed of euerlasting fire It is another manner of torment that there abideth the damned then this guilt of conscience remorse of sinne and a fearefull expectation of iudgement and fire in which the wicked sometimes lead their liues with horror and confusion and yet it is open blasphemy to ascribe any of these horrors or feares of the reprobate vnto Christ since they vtterly quench all persuasion of Gods fauour loue and patience towards them which if we affirme of him we wrap him within their reprobation x Defenc pag. 119. li. 32. The Diuels are many times out of the locall hell as when they are in this world But Diuels are neuer released of hell sorrowes Therefore the true sorrowes of hell are euen in this world and then possibly may be inflicted on wicked men as they are on Diuels which are sometimes out of the locall hell We speake of men here liuing on earth and you runne to Diuels ranging in the aire or compassing the earth for proofe of your hell-paines Which is as much as if you did plainely confesse you can find no Scripture to prooue that mortall men in this life may endure the torments of hell For the example of Diuels inferreth no more the paines of hell to be suffered of men in this life then the presence of elect Angels here on earth doth prooue that men in this life may enioy the perfection of Gods heauenly ioies and glory since the angels of God whithersoeuer they goe or wheresoeuer they are cannot be depriued or diminished of that inward power and light blessednesse and glory in which they are confirmed for euer With Angels elect or reprobate men after this life shall haue a resemblance and conuenience the faithfull saith Christ shall be a Matth. 22. as the Angels of God in heauen and the cursed are cast b Matth. 25. into euerlasting fire prepared for the diuell and his angels But in this life except we will waxe mad we must make no equiualence betwixt their estates and ours So that from the diuels condition to mans in this life there is no consequent more then the imitation and communion of his wickednesse in the reprobate whose children they are because they fulfill his desires and an expectation and feare of his punishment Otherwise as the earth is neither heauen nor hell no more is mans life on earth matchable with the ioyes of the good or paines of the bad Angels which haue the place of their abode determined and assigned them in heauen or in hell saue when they are sent or loosed by God to attend the execution of his will And yet if the place of hell had no greater nor other paines then the diuels alwayes carrie with them and in them why should they so much feare to be a Luc. 8. v. 31. sent into the deepe or b Iudae epla v. 6. be reserued vnto the iugdement of the great day and c Peter 2. ca. 2. kept vnto damnation feare they without cause or are they kept and reserued to no more nor worse paines then already they feele That is no reseruation where there is nothing but a continuation of the very same that was besore It is certaine therefore howsoeuer you presume the contrarie that the place of hell hath greater paines euen for the diuels then they feele any heere on earth or before the last day and howsoeuer their inward confusion and desperation doe horribly persue them in all places since their fall yet a more fearefull torment abideth them in hell and especially when the last iudgement commeth which is the set time that shall torment them by addicting and fastning them to eternall and intolerable fire Yet the sorrowes of hell are in the world By such logicke you may prooue the paines of hell to be in heauen and the ioyes of heauen to be in hell and so make a full confusion of all things which well becommeth your newe found faith For the Scriptures beare witnesse that Satan not only c Luc. 10. fell from heauen but made his d Reuel 12. battell or rebellion in heauen and after his fall e Iob 1. stoode among the children of God and euen with f 1. King 22. the host of heauen g Reuel 12. There was a battaile in heauen saith Iohn Michael and his Angels fought against the Dragon and the Dragon fought and his Angels But they preuailed not neither was their place found any more in heauen And the great Dragon called the diuell was cast into the earth Therefore reioyce ye heauens and ye that dwell in them Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea for the diuell is come downe vnto you with great wrath knowing that his time is short h 1. King 22. I saw the Lord sit on his throne saith Michaiah the Prophet and all the host of heauen stoode about him on his right hand and on his left hand Then there came foorth a lying spirit and stoode before the Lord of whom the booke of Iob testifieth that i Iob 1. v. 6. when the children of God came and stoode before the Lord Satan came also among them Certaine it is that Satan and his angels sinned euen in heauen and were cast out of heauen after their defection from God carrying alwayes with them and within them the losse of their originall brightnesse and the chaines of inward and fearefull darknesse whereby they find themselues reiected from Gods sauour despoyled of their former light and glory and reserued for the iudgement of the great day at which they tremble as well as at the place of their perpetuall imprisonment where their torments are and shal be increased though
they be neuer freed from that horrible confusion in which they lie And therefore they scare the place prouided for them and besought Christ neither k Luc. 8. to send them into the deepe and bottomlesse pit nor to l Matth. 8. torment them besore their time Neither was there onely transgression reprobation and confusion in the place of heauen where the Angels sinned and whence they were cast but of the blessed Angels S. Iohn saith that one of them m Reuel 20. came downe from heauen hauing the key of the bottomlesse pit and a great chaine in his hand who tooke the Dragon which is the diuell and bound him and cast him into the bottomlesse pit and shut him vp and sealed vpon him And were it doubtfull of Angels how they could retaine the measure of their brightnesse and blessednesse in the place of hell yet heare we Dauid confesse of God himselfe and of his spirit If I ascend to heauen thou art there if I get downe to hell thou art there So that the very fountaine of all holinesse and happinesse is in heauen earth and hell and yet the states of these three places are not confounded because the perfection of all goodnesse is present in euery of them The goodnesse and glory of God is not so fastned vnto places that either Paradise or heauen did priuilege men or Angels from sinne as heauen did not the diuels nor hell it selfe can hinder the happinesse of the blessed Angels when they are sent with power from God to execute his pleasure And yet this doth not confound the distinction of places or states in heauen or hell but that heauen is now the place where the brightnesse of Gods glory is reuealed to his Saints besides their internall and continuall vision of God which maketh them most happie and neuer leaueth them whethersoeuer they goe And therefore the Angels that sinned were cast thence that they should not defile the place of Gods presence with their wickednesse and hell is likewise the prepared mansion for the diuels where vengeance from God is powred on them and greater shall be when after iudgement they shall be closed in perpetuall prison though till that day some of them be suffered to beare rule in the aire and to worke in the children of disobedience for the triall of the saints and farder setting forth os Gods most glorious wisedome power and rightcousnesse n Defenc. pag. 119. li. â—…7 Lastly the true ioyes of heauen may be out of the locall heauen as when the glorious Angels haue bene and tarried some while here on earth with men Yet did they neuer for a moment want the toyes and glory of heauen From Angels endued with inward and heauenly light power holinesse and happinesse and by grace euerlastingly confirmed therein no argument can be drawen to our weake sinfull and variable condition neither doe we dispute of Gods power what he can doe but of his will and ordinance whereby he hath appointed heauen to be his seat that is the place where his glory is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and eternall and perfect blessednesse bestowed on all the inhabitants thereof be they men or Angels And though the Angels whethersoeuer they goe or whatsoeuer they doe retaine the cleere sight of God and the perfection of their 〈◊〉 all happinesse yet that is no proofe that we liuing here in mortall and miserable flesh can haue that on earth which they haue For example take some parts or consequents of that heauenly ioy and blisse which the Angels being heere on earth keep immutable and you shall soone see how grossely you erre in communicating their glory to men yet dwelling in houses of clay The Angels of God 〈◊〉 here on earth can neither erre sinne nor die they can feele no necessity infirmity nor miserie they need not eat sleepe nor rest they are indued with light that cannot be obscured with holinesse that cannot be defiled with ioy that cannot be diminished with power that cannot be resisted by men or Diuels Can these things be attributed to mortall men here on earth without open and palpable heresie Wherefore it is an erroneous and presumptuous inference that o Defenc pa. 120. 〈◊〉 2. If Angels may enioy heauen really being in the world that men heere liuing may doe the like p Defenc. pag. 120. 3. It is possible for Gods goodnesse to communicate some reall foretasie thereof vnto some blessed men also A taste of glory which neither continueth nor satisfieth can not be called heauen which is the perfect and perpetuall fulnesse of all kinde of blisse and want of all kinde of miserie S. Peter teacheth vs that God q 1. Pet. 1. begetieth vs into a liuely hope to an inheritance incorruptible vndefiled and vnchangeable reserued in the heauens for vs who are by the power of God kept by faith vnto saluation readie to le shewed in the last time If the taste of glory which you talke of be not immortall immutable vndefiled with any defect or miserie it may not be called heauen nor be sayd to be the inheritance reserued for vs in heauen And therefore though some blessed men haue had a sight of some glory which you call a taste thereof as Moses Esay Steuen and others yet that doth not proue them to haue beene really in the ioyes of heauen How osten is it written of the Israelites that they saw the glory of the Lord and yet they were ouerthrowen in the wildernesse r Exodus 24. ver 16. 〈◊〉 17. The glory of the Lord saith Moses abode vpon mount Sinai and the sight of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountaine in the eies of the children of Israel So when Aaron offered his first offering for his Priesthood and blessed the people t Leu t. 9. v. 23 The glorie of the Lord appeared to all the people of whom God saith u Numb 14. vers 22. All these men which haue seene my glory my miracles which I did in Egypt and in the wildernesse and haue tempted me these ten times certainly they shall not see the land whereof I sware to their Fathers When Salomon had builded and consecrated the temple with praier and sacrifice x 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The glory of the Lord 〈◊〉 house so that the Priests could not enter into the house of the Lord because the glory 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lord had filled the Lords house And when all the children of Israel saw the fire and the glory of the Lord come downe vpon the house they bowed themselues with their faces to the earth vpon the pauement and worshipped and praised the Lord. I trust the King the Priests and the People were not all in the ioies of heauen and yet they all with their eies saw the glory of God there presented before them and such as were religious and obedient saw it to their exceeding ioy y Defenc. pag. 120. li. 5. That God doth
no death of the Soule 519 The Fathers professe true fire to be in hell 46 The Fathers plainly remoue the death of Christs Soule from the worke of our redemption 330. 331 All Christs Feares were holy 215 Feare and sorrow in Christ were sufferings for sinne 345 Christs Feare in the Garden was religious 371 Christs â—…eare and sorrow were painfull but religious sufferings 372 What Feare and sorrow Christ was to yeelde vnto God when he offered the ransome of our sinnes 374 What things Christ might iustly and greatly feare in the Garden 380 â—…eare may be intellectâ—…ue or sensitiue 383 Christ might feare many thinges besides hell paines 385 Why Christ feared more then Mattyrs doe 395 Christ might iustly feare the pâ—…wer of Gods wrath 380 Figuratiuely the Soule may be said to be crucified 80 Fire in hell is not allegoâ—…icall 40. 41. 42. 43 The Fathers professe tâ—…ue fire to be in hell 46 It is possible that brimstone may bee mingled with fire in hell 47 The same fire punishâ—…th the wiâ—…ked both bâ—…fore and after iudgeâ—…ent 55 What fire did signifie in sacrifices 112. 113 What fire might note in the holocaust 116 How Christ was Forsaken on the crosse 409 How farre and wherein Christ was Forsaken are the things questioned 414 What forsaking could not be found in Christ 414 We were forsaken of God till Christ 〈◊〉 vs by his death 417 Christ neuer forsaken of hope and comfoâ—…t â—…7 God shewed by the present euent that he had not forsaken hâ—…s sâ—…nne 419 We stâ—…iue not for the word but for the sense and maner of forsaâ—…ing 431 G GEhenna was not vsed in speaking to the Gentiles 618 God can doc more then he will 23 Gods loue to Christ appeared euen in his death 20. 21 Gods purpose in the death and crosse of Christ. 154. 155. 156 God vseth meanes and instruments in punishing 33 God tempereth loue and iustice in punishing his elect 147. 255 God worketh good by euill 254 God is iust as well in forgiuing as in punishing sin 262 God was able to saue vs otherwise then by Christs death 287 God was the author of all Christes afflictions but not with his immediate hand 298. 299 God vieth his creatures to performe his iudgements 302 God is the principal agent in all our sufferings but not with his immediate hand 302 Gods hand worketh whatsoeuer meanes he vseth 300. 301 Gods loue to his sonne ouerswaied his hatred to our sinnes 268 Gods iustice in subiecting Satans kingdome to Christs manhood 230 The Gospell differeth much from the Law 264 How the Graue is aâ—… habitation for the godly 575 God would not haue our flesh as yet freed from the Graue 670 Christ was not Guilâ—…y of our sinne though he took our punishment on him 162. 163 The whole man is guilty of all sinne 185. 186 187. 208 Guilty stretcheth as well to the punishment as to the fact .266 A mediator not guilty of the sinne for which he doth mediate 276 H HAdes what it signifiâ—…th with the Greeke Fathers 589. 590. 591. 592. 593 Hades what it is with Chrylostom 589 Athâ—…nasius taketh Hades for hell 599. 6â—…0 Hades in Athanasius Creed is not the graue 659 Hades with Ignatius is not the graue 657 The soules of the godly are not in Hadâ—…s 602 Hades is a place of darkenesse 609 How Hades is vsed in the new Testament 629 Hades with new writers is the graue or hell 609. 610 611 Hades is a place vnder the earth 613 Hades an vnseene and darke place 618 Hades in the Creed must signifie hell 649 Hades is not the ignominie of the graue 651 Hades was first the name of the diuell 615 Hades is hell or the diuell in the new Testament 619 Hades is hell in the new Testament without any figure 621 Why Hades signifieth hell in the new Tâ—…stament 647 Hades with the Pagans was the place not the state of the dead 616 The whole created world is Hades with the Defâ—…nder 615 Hades in effect is nothing but death with the Defender 624 How 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Inferi concurre in signification 579 How the Defender wauereth about Hades 619 How Hades is vsed in the Reuelation 642 How Hades shall be cast into hell fire 644 S. Luke maketh Hades a place of torment 621 What Hades Matth. 11. 23. is threatned to Capernaum 630 Many Greeke copies haue Act. 2. 24. the sorrowes of Hades 625 Hades in the Scriptures opposed to the highest heauens 635 Christ loosed the sorrowes of Hades 625. 626 The wall of Hades not broken but by Christ. 657 Hades hath not all the dead 646 Hades followeth after death 643 Hades taken for the rulers or persons in hell 647 The soules of the godly are not in Hades 602 Hanging on a tree was not the whole curse of the law 236 Hanging on the crosse a cursed kind of death 237 Innocents and penitents not truely accursed though Hanged on a tree 238 Hard speeches should rather bee qualified then strained to the highest 271 All affections make sensible alterations in the Heart 1â—…3 194 The heart is the seat of mans affections and actions 2â—…3 The Hâ—…art suggesting euill sinneth 311 The ioyes of Heauen are proper to the place 455 456 The sight of God in this life â—…uch differeth from the sight of his face in Heauen 456 The Saints of God had some sight of God in earth but not comparable to that in Heauen 460 The soules â—…re not yet in the same height of Heauen where Christ is 5â—…0 541 How many Heauens the Scriptures make 541. 542 The graces of God in earth are not the ioyes of Heauen 461 Why the Heauens are compared with hell in the Scriptures 634 God is not the immediate and principall inâ—…cter of Hell paines 2â—… 29 The sentence of the iudge containeth the essence of Hell paines 35 Christ suffered not the substance of hell paines 36 Reiection from Gods kingdome essentiall to Hell paines 37. 38 Malediction essentiall to Hell paines 38 Hell fire is not allegoricall 40. 41 42. 43. 49. 53 54 I neuer said Hell fire was materiall 44 The Fathers professe tâ—…ue fire to be in Hell 46 51. 52 So doe later Diuines 49. 50 It is possible that brimstone may be mingled with fire in Hell 47 Chaines there are in Hell though not of iron â—…7 Whether there be true fire in hel before the iudgment is not the question 54 Christ suffered not the essentiall part of hell paines 56 Hell paines not the cause of Christs agonie 58. 59 The sharpnesse of Hell paines 60 The foretast of iudgement in Hell is neither full finall perpetuall nor genâ—…rall 210 Positiue punishment now in Hell 214 The suffering of Hell paines no way necessarie to our saluation 220 Men may feare but not feele the truâ—… paines of hel in this life 320 The paines of hell are no naturall affections 383 Christ might feele somewhat extraordinarie yet not the paines of hell 391 The vehemencie of hell