such torment no way agrees to the nature of God God is love 1 Iohn 4. 16. it is his nature there is no anger nor fury in love fury is not in me Isa. 27. 4. God wills us to love enemies that abuse wrong and hate us God will do so much more love his enemies Luke 6. 35. if God should only love them that love him doe not the Publicans the same Mat. 5. 46. all that is in God is God is infinite God is love love is infinite without bounds and limits though we in our shallownesse and nâ—rrowness have often set bounds and limits to infinitenesse there was never any beginning in God therefore no beginning of his love the infinite blessed God is one and ever the same I am the Lord I change not Mich. 3. 6. this love delights in mercy and love and not in punishing of sinne that is his strange act Isa. 28. 21. Christ died to answer the Law we brake Christ did not purchase the love of God he loved us before the world began and ever will Joh. 13. 1. God was never without his love nor is ever out of that love Christ saith thou hast loved them as thou hast loved me Joh. 17. 23. at what shall God be angry or unsatisfied for God was never angry with Christ nor his people nor at the being of sin nor at Christ taking our sins upon him for he laid them on him the iniquity of us all Isa. 53. 6. Proof XVI It is not suitable to the mercifulnesse of a father to his child of a Creator to his Creature the work of his hands to impose so great a punishment without end upon any of them that were worse then to forsake the works of his hands and is contrary to Ps. 148. 8. Your heavenly father is mercifull Luk. 6. 36. rich in mercy Eph. 2. 7. the Lord is gracious of great mercy the Lord is good to all and his tender mercies are over all his works all thy works shall praise thee and thy Saints shall blesse thee Psal. 145. 8 9 10. he is good to all he despiseth not any Job 36. 5. no Respecter of persons Acts 10. 34. Proof XVII Sin cannot overcome his love where sin hath abounded grace abounds much more Rom. 5. 20. this declares the mercy of God to be greater then sin if so the grace of God is to all to the worst for sinne abounds in them most and where sinne abounds grace abounds much more if so then all their sins shall be forgiven and if any were so to suffer how hath grace abounded to them much more where sinne hath abounded answer this if ye can with the Lord there is mercy Psal. 130. 7. the Lord is good to all therefore to the worst of men his tender mercies are over all his workes therefore to the worst of men also for they are the work of his hands Job 34. 14. Isa. 64. 8. therefore there is no punishment for any to endure never to end he that bids us not to be overcome with evil but to overcome evil with good he wil not be overcome with evil but will overcome all evil with his infinite goodnes that which is finite cannot possibly overcome that which is infinite Proof XVIII God he is just therefore he will not do any thing but that which is just and right the greatest punishment of the breach of his law is death he will not inflict another much less a worser punishment then he hath expressed in his Law Justice is in number weight measure God requires things equal ye may see the mind of God in his command in forbidding any thing to be done but that which is equal and suitable to the fact as eye for eye tooth for tooth hand for hand foot for foot stripe for stripe Exodus 21. 24 25 26. How much she hath glorified her selfe and livâ—d deliciously so much torment and sorrow give her Rev. 18. 7. what measure you mete to others shall be measured to you again murder an horrible and grievous sin yet it is punished with an equal punishment in this life life for life he that shed deth mans blood by man shall his blood be shed Gen. 9. 6. life for life is equal but to lose life for life and also to suffer so great torment never to end is not equal Proof XIX It is no profit nor pleasure to God for any to suffer such endless torment he hath no pleasure in the death of any Ezek. 18. 31 32. much less can it be any pleasure to him for any so to suffer he desires mercy and not sacrifice Mich. 6. 6. if so he desires not any should be so sacrificed in a torment never to end God abhors cruelty Amos 1. 3 6 13. and casting off pity Proof XX It is not for the glory of God to impose such a punishment upon any glory lieth not in imposing great and terrible punishments that belongs to cruelty is abhorred by the light of nature Glory lieth in great mercy and forgivenesse Exod. 34. 6 7. the greater mercy and forgiveness the greater is the grace and the more is it to the glory of God love covereth all sins Prov. 10. 12. he that covereth transgreâ—sion seeketh love Pro. 17. 9. if man his glory is to passe over transgression Prov. 19. 11. it is for the glory of God to do so much more God made all things and doth all things for his glory he seeketh hâ—s glory in his exceeding greatness and riches of his grace Ephes. 2. 7. it is more for his glory to save all then to save a few the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life Rom. 5. 18. sin could not hinder Manasses Mary Magdalen persecutors wicked prodigals to find mercy I cannot admit to think any thing that is cruel to be in God in love whose goodness is unsearchable past finding out farre above all we can ask or think there is such a confused noise among men of the grace love of God so many several voices that we are in confusion and know not what to make of it look above and hearken to the sweet voice above in the Region of love what is the voice in Heaven they agree in one there is no voice comes from Heaven but love peace and good will to man let men say what they will I rest satisfied in the voice above that is onely a voice of love and good will it s enough to satisfie any in this doubt and suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of Heavenly Hosts praising God saying glory be to the highest on earth peace good will to men Luk. 2. 13 14. not onely to some men but to all people v. 10. this is glad tidings indeed good news from Heaven the best news that ever was that God hath good will to men there is no ill will all is good will to men this causeth peace and praise glory be to the highest for his sweet peace and good will to men to all people Conclusion in reading the Scriptures we are not to understand any text in such sense as is not plain in Scriptures or contrary to Scriptures or contrary to the Law of nature or against the general goodness of God to mankind or to lessen the goodness of God or contrary to the gracious spirit and mercifulness of a Saint or contrary to the mind of Christ which he declared when on earth or contrary to the fruits of the blessed Spirit the nature of the love goodness and mercy of God or that shall tend to contradict or lessen the glory of God or lessen the greatness and riches of his grace for it is not to be imagined that God who is onely wise should doe and teach contrary things Sure I am from hence arise no inconveniency to the Gospel nor is it any dishonour to God nor any grief nor hinders faith and love in any good man nor any discouragement to any in serving of God that there is not to be a punishment for any to endure that shall never end There is not any thing more plaine then that which hath been said to him that will agree to truth some will not agree to any thing though never so plain and certain if contrary to the tradition of their Fathers this their way is their folly and their posterity approve their saying Psal. 49. 13. who hath believed our report and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed Isa. 53. 1. Some believed the things that were spoken and some believed not Acts 28. 29. they make a man an offender for a word and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate and turn away the just for a thing of nought Isa. 29. 21. O God the Lord the strength of my salvation thou hast covered my head in the day of battel Psal. 140. 7.
corporal Fire work upon a Spirit and able to make to live without food or refreshment to eternity and to make Fire burn without wood is no proof that he will do so and is as silly a kind of reasoning as to say God is able to do all things with God all things are possible therefore he will do all things men should not build their vaine conceits upon Gods power without his word 2. Others say the Fire of Hell is not corporal but spiritual Fire but that it cannot be neither for there is no spiritual fire if it cease to be natural fire it ceaseth to be true fire it cannot be spiritual because they say it is natural it cannot be natural because they say it is spirituall it cannot be neither of them because they say it is partly corporal and partly spiritual the one to burne the body the other to burn the soul Hell flames are materiall yet not all materiall saith Willet Synop. pag. 1010. if so there are two Fires in Hell Bernard saith Fire shall burn thy flesh and a worm thy spirit conscience accusing Isidore saith their minds burn with sorrow and their bodies with the flame 3. Others say Hell Fire is neither material nor spiritual nor mixt but metaphoricall figurative so Austin and some of the modern Preachers say Calvin thinketh that there is no true Fire in Hell for saith he the wood and worm is to be taken metaphorically but saith another that the Fire is so to be taken I utterly deny Ten opinions of the Learned of the places of Hell 1. M. Edm Leigh Hugo and others say Hell is a bottomlesse pit but there is no place without a bottom which is the earth 2. It is generally agreed that Hel is in the lower parts of the earth but where these lower parts should be Mr. Perkins on the Creed saith no man is able to define the lower parts of the earth is great abasement saith Dr. Fulk on Phil. 2. 7. the lowest degree of Christs humiliation Eph. 4. 10. one part of the earth is not put in opposition to another part thereof but to Heaven Psal. 103. 13. David saith thou hast fashioned me in the lowest parts of the earth Ps. 139. 15. was David born in Hell 3. Bish. Bilson Mr. Wheatly and others say Hell is below but how many miles it is to Hell they do not say nor cannot tell 4. Bellarm. Lyria and others say Hell is in the earth neer the centre thereof if so ye may know how farre it is to Hell the earth being round the circumference thereof being twenty one thousand and six hundred miles the whole consisting of 360 degrees at 60 miles a degree the diameter of the terestrial Globe is six thousand seven hundred and eighty two miles and one eleventh so there to the centre or middle point is three thousand three hundred and ninty miles and halfe at length deep into the earth to Hell but in the day of Judgement when the earth shall be consumed with fire as 1 Pet. 3. 7. where shall Hell be then it cannot be in the centre of the earth when there is no earth 5. Mr. Leigh and others say Hell is a lake the lake is a sea as appears Luke 5. 1 2. where the swine were choaked Luke 8. 33. whose common depth is not half a mile men seek Hell in the bottom of the sea because they know not where to find it Hell cannot be the lake because Hell was cast into the lake Rev. 20. 14. 6. Others say Hell is in the Aire the Devil is the Prince that ruleth in the air Eph. 2. 6. the air then is the Devils hel saith Willet Synops pag. 1018. is so then all we that are alâ—ve are in Hell we do find it is not a place of so great torment for almost all men like is well for there they desire â—o dwell 7. Others say Hell is above neer the third Heavens within the view of the glorious Saints and alledge for it Isa. 66. 42. Rev. 14. 10. if so it is very far to Hell Astronomers say that there are three Heavens above the Firmament where the fixed stars are is a hundred and sixteen millions of miles above the earth which is so high that if a stone or weight should fall from thence and continue falling an hundred and fifty miles an houre it would be eithy eight yeares two weeks four dayes five houres and twenty minutes a falling down to the earth 8. Some say the absence of Gods face is Hell but that is not called hell but wrath Isa. 54. 8. this was Cains punishmen from thy face shall I be hid my punishment is greater than I can beare Genes 4. 13 14. the hiding of Gods face causeth sadness and the breaking of the bones of comfort Psâ—l 5. 81. Behold his eye-lids try the children of men Ps. 11. 4. if shut they are troubled if open they are comforted 9. Some say Hell is in this life and is a guilty accusing conscience Dr. Willet saith a guilty troubled conscience is a Hell and prison of the Soul what may rather be called Hell then anguish of Soul the Judges Tribunal is in the Soul God sitteth there as Judg the conscience is the Accuser fear is the Tormentor guilt in the Soul wounds the Spirit a wounded spirit who can beare Prov. 18. 14. they the spirits in prison 1 Pet. 3. 1 9. this is the wrath of God that abideth upon him that believeth not in the son Joh. 3. 16. Heaven is Gods face and presence and our greatest joy in this life Exod. 33. 15 16. and so will be the next Psal. 17. 5. thou wilt fill me with the joy of thy face in thy presence is fulnesse of joy Act. 2. 18. pleasures or pleasantness that is pleasant joyes at thy right hand in the full enjoyment of thee are sweet delights eternal Some say Hell is a locall place Augustine saith it is not a place Doctor Willet saith the place of Hell maketh not the torments it is a question sâ—ith he whether the place make Hell or the absence of the presenâ—e of God Synops p. 1056. 10. Another saith it is in the other side of the blew cloud that appeareth to us in the air others say where the place of Hell is they cannot tell whether it be in the Earth or in the Water or in the Air it is not revealed saith Greenwood they that have taken pains to find it out are as far from it as ever some of the Ministers of France affirms that Father Coâ—ton the Jesuite did enquire of the Devil for a plain place of Scripture to prove Purgatory so they are at as great a losse to prove Hel by a plain place of Scripture truly translaâ—ed their Hel of torments never to end Also the learned agree not upon which Scripture to ground their Hel-torments upon for that place one of them alledge to prove it another of themselves deny it that it is so â—o
world he should not have gone to the world to come therefore by his fall he lost no happinesse nor eternall life in that world for he could not by that fall lose more than he had and was to have death is according to nature but to attain immortality is above nature Adam being earth and from the earth his enjoyment life and loss and punishment must of necessity be earthly how cometh he then by his fall to be capable of a punishment never to end unless by his fall he could purchase eternall life which none will affirm eternall life cannot be by the first man much less by Sin I deny not but the wages of sin is death Rom. 6. 23. there is a difference to be put between a naturall death and a judiciall death the first is from nature the second is from sinne if the common death that all die Hebr. 9. 27. were the punishment of sin as most men think then Christ by freeing his from the punishment of sin by bearing death for them of necessity he must free them from dying a naturall death but Christ freeth not his from a natural death yet freeth them from the punishment of sin therefore to die the common death is no part of the punishment of sinne for where sin is satisfied or pardoned or forgiven the punishment is not inflicted if it be how is it forgiven even men when they pardon inflict not the punishment all confess some mens sins are pardoned how then cometh it to passe that they die for sin whose sin is pardoned He that keepeth my saying shall not see death John 15. 21. is not to be referred to a naturall death but to perish a judiciall death John 3. 16. the Scripture declares that there shall be a Resurrection of the dead the just and unjust Acts 24. 15. the unjust would enter into life but shall not John 5. 20. Unto whom I swore in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest Psalm 94. 11. Hebrews 4. 7. and your selves thrust out Luke 13. 28. when they rise to judgement at the last day they shall be consumed with the earth by fire that 's their end so that not to enter to be thrust out the second death and to perish is one thing if they live for ever and have eternal life how do they perish and how is the end of those things death Rom. 6. 21. if there be no end to be carnally minded is death Rom. 8. 6. how is this true if they live for ever and not die Sin being a transgression of the Law is a legall sin and so is to have a legall punishment for some sins is death Rom. 6. 23. inflicted by God as Gen. 38. 9 10. and by man a legall death is not from nature but from sin and is a second death if a man for murder be put to death in dying he dieth the first and second death for in dying he dieth a naturall death and a judiciall death this later is a second death in that it is not from nature but from sin Men put the stresse of the punishment of sinne upon the second death but what that second death is they cannot agree among themselves the Ministers in their late Annotations on the Bible on Revel. 20. 9. on such the second death hath no power interpret it not to be destroyed by Antichrist nor by the Turk v. 9. so then according to their interpretation it is not a punishment never to end Mr. Perkins saith the second death is a totall separation from God if so it is not a punishment without end and in that God is every where Psal. 139. 7 8. if they be anywhere how are they absent from God If the second death be a death it is not a life of misery never to end that is not a death unless eternall life be a death they confess eternall life in misery is worse than death if so then it is not a death but another thing The fiâ—st death is the destruction of the body a separation of soul and body the second death must be like it the second death is an image of the first else how is it a death and a second death the second Adam being man was an image of the first the Scripture saith the second death is like the first Luke 6. 1. the second is like to it Matth. 22. 39. Therefore as the first death so the second is a separation of soul and body else how is it a death or a second death Reuben by going into his fathers bed deserved a judicial legal death but did not die for it Gen. 49. 3 4. 35. 22. 1 Chron. 5. 1. let Reuben live and not die Deut. 33. 6. a judicial or second death the Jewes Onkelos read Deut. 33. 6. let Reuben live and not die the second death and Ionathan on Isa. 65. 6. I will deliver their carkasses to the second death vers. 17. the Lord will slay them with the second death by which it appears the Jewes count the second death is to be slaine and if so it is not a life of misery never to end as some say the book of the Revelation speaks of the second death Doctor Featly and Dr. Lighâ—foot and others say that book treats of the Church and things done in this world and if so then the second death is a punishment of this life they also interpret Heaven in that book to be the Church and the late Annotat. Bible and Mr. Brightman and others on Apoâ— 20. 10. say that the Devil in that place is the great Turk It is their opinion that say the wages of sin is not death they say it is a life of misery never to end which is worse and more than death therefore their opinion is contrary to the word that saith it is death filled with all unrighteousnesse haters of God despitefull proud inventers of evill things they that commit such things are worthy of death Rom. 1. 31 32. these are great sinners yet the word saith not that they are worthy of more then death and therefore why should any say they are worthy of more then death and if the end of these things are death Rom. 6. 21. therefore there is not any thing to come after death 2 Kings 7. 4. the soul that sinneth shall die Ezek. 18. 14. 26. that is all that sin doth bring forth God in giving his Law did express the punishment of the breach of it saying in the day that thou eatest of that tree thou shalt surely die Gen. 2. 17. dying thou shalt do that is naturally and judicially not touch it leâ—t ye die Gen. 3. 3. to bear iniquity is to dye for it Levit. 22. 9. Numb. 18. 22. that one man dye for the people Joh. 18. 14. the body is dead because of sin Rom. 8. 10. he that is dead is freed from sin Rom. 6. 7. neither sin nor punishâ—ent hath any thing to do with a dead man this iniquity shall