how much the Mercies promised in it exceed the things alluded to The Manna God rained down to Israel was Material this is Spiritual That came from the Clouds this from the highest Heaven from the bosome of God the Father That was hidden in the Dew and in the Golden Pot this in the Virgins Womb and now in the Heavens that fed the Body this the Soul That was apt to breed Worms and stink this can see no corruption That preserved none from Death Your Fathers did eat Manna in the Wilderness and are dead Job 6.49 But he that eats of this hidden Manna lives for ever So of the White Stone They were material the Romans gave this is Spiritual They were inanimate this is a Living Stone Those were Tokens of a Temporal Election and Absolution this of a Spiritual and Eternal Those its probable were given sometimes to vile and wicked persons this to none but true Believers So for the new Name it is a name of Dignity and Honour excelling the names of the great ones of the Earth Let Believers labour to drink in the Comfort of these things Vse 3. If this Doctrine be true Then let all the Saints from these Promises wax valiant in fight quit themselves like men yea like good Soldiers of Jesus Christ endure the greatest fight of Afflictions Heb. 10.32 Put on and handle well your Armour of Righteousness to repel and repulse Temptations on the right hand and on the left Set your Watch and keep it strictly as Soldiers must do upon Pain of Death A Soldier being asleep when he stood Sentinel his Officer ran him through thinking it an act of Justice to leeve him as he found him It 's a time of War and our continual dangers should move us not to sleep as do others but to watch and be sober Let Christians keep close to the Standard 'T is Death by Martial Law for Soldiers to run away from their Colours they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed Follow Christ your Captain in all ways dirty and clean in all weathers fair and foul in all Ordinances in all Providences If any man serve me let him follow me saies Christ Joh. 12.26 And strive to make good your ground yield not to your Spiritual Adversaries Divines observe there is no armour provided by Christ for the back to shew that we must give no ground to our Enemies A Captain delights not in Renegadoes If any man draws back my Soul shall have no pleasure in him Heb. 10.38 They are the Prophets words say some but God's say others It's true both ways Neither God nor his People can take plea-pleasure in Apostates Fight couragiously against your Spiritual Enemies as for your Bodily Enemies you have another Rule Love your Enemies pray for them that persecute you Mat. 5. And if your Enemy hunger feed him if he thirst give him drink Be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good But as to your Soul Enemies fight manfully and stoutly against them give them no Quarter If you spare them your Life your Soul must go for it It was the Saying of a Captain to his Soldiers having the Spanish Army before them and the Sea behind them Either you must drink up this Sea or eat up these Spaniards So it is here either we must fight and overcome our Sins or drink up the Sea of God's Wrath. O cease not combating till all your foes be made your foot-stool This Church of Pergamos was overcome by the Doctrines of Balaam and the Nicolaitans holding both Adultery and Idolatry lawful Doctrines pernicious to sound Truth and a holy Life only some held fast Christ's Name and did not deny his Faith Antipas resisted unto Blood the rest are called upon to strive to overcome these Doctrines by these sweet Promises in the Text And hath not the Dragon poured out a flood of Errors amongst us of late Are not many carried away with divers and strange Doctrines Do not some go about to null the Eternal Decrees of God to make void the Satisfaction of Christ to deny and deride the Imputation of his Righteousness to Believers in the matter of Justification to maintain the Doctrine of Free-will and final Apostacy from Grace And doth it not then concern us to keep the word of Christ as Soldiers must keep the Word their General gives them so let all Christ's Soldiers keep the word of Precept the word of Promise and the word of his Patience that he may make the same honourable report of you which he doth of them Joh. 17.6 And they have kept thy Word Who knows how soon the same Trials may be upon us that were upon Antipasâ— â—ere in his Church Oh! that we may be found faithful Martyrs as he was Know our Call to the battle is clear our Cause is good and our Comforts sweet when we have been slaying our Lusts conquering Errors and Temptation from the Devil and the World Christ will meet us as Melchizedek met Abraham when he came from the slaughter of the Kings bringing forth bread and wine supports and comforts to our souls Melchizedek's Bread and wine were to Abraham Pawns and Pledges of Canaan the Land of Promise and Christs supports and comforts shall be to us Earnests of Heaven and Glory See what consolations flow in these promises to the Overcomer as the Manna of old fell about the Camps of the Israelites and was preserved in the Golden Pot so hidden Manna falls about the Overcomer and is preserved in his heart Pardon is the white stone and Adoption the new name and all these though secrets to others are well known to himself Let all that are listed to fight under Christ's Banner encourage themselves and one another with these words To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden Manna and will give him a white stone and in the stone a new name written which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it SERMON IV. REV. II. 26 27 28. He that overcometh and keepeth my works unto the end to him will I give power over the Nations And he shall rule them with a rod of Iron as the Vessels of a Potter shall they be broken to shivers even as I received of my Father And I will give him the Morning-star HERE is another of those gracious Promises Christ makes to the Overcomers though directed to the Officers and Members of the Church in Thyatira yet is written as the other are for the common benefit of these seven Churches and of all others to the end of the World This Thyatira was a City of Lydia not far from Ephesus called Thugateira which doth signify a Daughter as Mr. Brightman observes for as a Daughter new-born is always growing in age and stature till she comes to full ripeness so it was with this Church which he therefore stiles Growing Thyatira The true Believers went on from faith to faith and so consequently conquering and to conquer Not like languishing Ephesus
are the Devils Bayliffs and Agents shall cast some of them into Prison and then bids them be faithful unto death verse 10. which implies that it might reach even to life it self To encourage them to faithfulness in all he gives this sweet promise in the Text as if he had said get Victory here and if it comes to the worst men can do which is to kill the body I give you my faithful word they shall do no more they shall go no further I will secure you from that which is a thousand times more to be feared viz. the second death which is the sting and emphasis of the first that shall not touch or hurt you So then the observation lies plain before us viz Doct. That Overcomers shall not be hurt of the second Death Sin Satan and the World are the Enemies true Believers are the Overcomers as was declared in the former Sermon To these is this promise made hence it is said They shall never perish John 10.27 And he that believeth on the Son shall not see Death John 8.51 viz. the second Death for as to bodily death the Psalmist saith What man is he that liveth and shall not see death Psal 89.48 We shall now enquire 1. What is meant by the second death 2. What is the great hurt thereof 3. Why Overcomers shall not be hurt by it Quest 1. What is the second death Answ Death sometimes signifies great afflictions and distresses Intreat the Lord your God says Pharaoh to Moses and Aaron that he may take away from me this death only Exod. 10.17 that is the judgment of the Locusts then upon him for being such Locusts as never was before nor should be after they might be a deadly annoyance to them as well as devour the fruits of the Earth So St. Paul speaks of Gods delivering him from a great death 2 Cor. 1.10 meaning an imminent danger which he calls a death because it was past means help and hope of delivery Such deaths he was in often 2 Cor. 11.23 which were either such sicknesses and persecutions in which there appeared no hope of escaping with life or such pains as were equivalent to the pangs of death But more particularly 1. Death is taken for the dissolution of nature dissolutio compositi so some define it the dissolving the earthly house of this Tabernacle 2. Cor. 5.1 A Tent or Tabernacle is destroyed not by consuming of the parts but by taking them asunder the death of the body is no annihilation but a dissolution of the parts of which man is compounded a cutting a-sunder the soul and the body This is the first death which the Apostle Paul desired I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ Phil. 1.23 The soul sleeps not when a man dies for then his wish had been vain upon his dissolution he could not have been with Christ but the union between the body and soul is cut a-sunder and the soul which wilst in the body was absent from the Lord is then absent from the body and present with the Lord 2 Cor. 5.8 This is that death all must pass under or something equivalent to it It is appointed for all men once to dye Heb. 9.27 Statutum est It is enacted in the Court of Heaven by a Statute-Law more sure than the Laws of the Medes and Persians which cannot be altered A sentence gone forth out of the mouth of God concerning all men never to be reversed Death passed upon all men for that all have sinned Rom. 5.12 2. Death is taken for Hell and destruction even the wrath of God inflicted upon them that are finally overcome by the enemies of their Souls Death and hell were cast into the lake of fire this is the second death says the Apostle John Rev. 20.14 Men dead and buried before were now sent body and soul to Hell Rev. 21.8 Qu. 2. Wherein lies the great evil and hurt of the second death Answ It is altogether unexpressible and inconceivable Who knows the power of thine anger says David Psal 90.11 Let none be offended or affrighted at the opening of it A Sermon of Hell if rightly emproved may keep us from Hell The hurt and evil of the second death lies in Two things 1. There is paena damni the punishment of loss This is great and grievous for they who fall under it lose all good at once they lose Heaven that holy habitation that sedes beatorum the mansion and dwelling-place of all that are blessed When Tully was banished from Italy and Demosthenes from Athens they were so troubled that as oft as they looked towards those places they wept What is Italy and Athens and a thousand such places more if compared with Heaven Though here unsound Professors may have room in Gods sanctuary yet there will be no place for them in his Palace hereafter To be excluded hence will trouble and perplex them They lose the best dainties there seems to be eating and drinking in Heaven Christ will gird himself and make his Servants sit down to meat and will come forth and serve them Luke 12.37 They shall have flagons of Wine to comfort them and Christ will say to them eat O Friends and drink abundantly O beloved I take it spiritually in a far better way than can be here O the misery of them that shall never taste of the Supper of the Lamb of these refreshments in Heaven Poor men grieve when they are sent away empty from a rich mans Table much more sorrowful will they be who shall never eat of Christ's dainties In this also they lose the best inheritance Ahab was sick with grief when he could not enjoy Naboths inheritance as we read 1 Kings 21. It will make them head-sick and heart-sick also who shall be deprived of that incorruptible undefiled and never-fading inheritance reserved in Heaven for Overcomers for the Promise is He that overcometh shall inherit all things Rev. 21.7 Yea they lose the best company the society of Angels and Saints Here they despise their company then they would be glad of it but shall not have it How desirous was the rich man that Lazarus might be sent to him Luke 16. On Earth he despised him and in Hell desired his company but it could not be granted him a great gulph being fixed between them which would not permit it And which is yet worse they lose the company of God and Christ When Orpah was to part with Naomi her Mother-in-Law she lifted up her voice and wept Ruth 1.14 O how will they who shall be separated from God drench and even drown themselves in tears His gracious presence is the chief good of his creatures yet this is the first word of that dreadful sentence Christ at last pronounceth Depart from me Mat. 25.41 To go from him who hath the words of Eternal Life is the most bitter part of the second Death If Cain when banished from the Society of Saints where God was worshipped
I have read of a Tyrant who devised that Torment to keep a living man in his Coffin and feed him till by his own filth he bred Worms and those Worms fed upon him till he died by them A sad Judgment it was fell upon Herod to be eaten up of Worms Acts 12.23 But what is it then to have a worm gnaw upon the Soul This is that Christ speaks of This is nothing but the tormenting acts of Conscience termed a Worm 1. Because as a Worm is bred out of the Putrefaction of the subject in which it is so is this there is much filth of sin in the Conscience by which the Mind and Conscience is defiled Titus 1.15 inwardly full of rottenness and all uncleanness as the Pharisees were Mat. 23. and this may easily breed Worms 2. Because as Worms gnaw upon a man so will a man's Conscience gnaw upon him when he shall think what offers of Grade and Salvation he had and neglected them what Motions of the Spirit in the Word and under the Rod he had and quenched and resisted all and would suffer nothing to prevail how near he came to the Kingdom and yet fell short and is shut out Thus will the Worm of Conscience gnaw upon men to their unexpressible Grief and Vexation 6. The Fire will burn and torment them I am tormented in this flame saies one in Hell Luke 16.23 24. The horror of Hell is set out by Fire a Lake of Fire Fire and Brimstone and a burning Tempest Psal 11.6 Whether material Fire or not is not material but such as will torment Soul and Body beyond the hottest fire that men can make for the breath of the Lord as a River of Brimstone will kindle it The fire of Nebuchadnezzar's furnace was terrible being seven times hotter than ordinary Dan. 3. The Fire God rained from Heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah was very grievous Gen. 19. The Fire that burnt down the chief City of this Nation in 1666 was fierce and furious the Fire that will burn down the World at the last Day will be more dreadful yet but the Fire of Hell will be more terrible than all the rest 7. Despair will greatly afflict them they will be there without hope of escaping from under all the former evils To be in a Valley of Achor and see no door of Hope to be in a stormy Sea and have no Anchor of Hope to stay upon must needs make a mans case desperate In Hell all Hope is cut off which makes the heart to break Every man on this side Hell is a man of Hope To him that is joyned to all the living there is Hope Eccles 9.4 But in Hell there is no out-let of Hope the Hypocrites Hope perisheth Job 8.14 This will wound more cruelly than the Devil can do Hope deferred makes the heart sick but Hope utterly destroyed will make the heart break In Hell the Hypocrites Hope shall perish and the Cobweb Hopes of wicked men will be swept down and be as the giving up of the Ghost Here if men be in great Afflictions and under the guilt of great Transgressions there is upon their putting their mouths in the dust Hope in Israel concerning these matters but there is no Hope that Sin will be pardoned or Miseries be removed Spes alit Agricolas The Husbandman plows in Hope and soweth in Hope Here men pray in hope and hear and weep in Hope but in Hell their Cries and Tears are hopeless Seas of Tears will not quench one spark of the fire and this Despair links and torments them beyond expression 8. The place in which they suffer these things will yet aggravate their Misery 'T is called a Pit a Pit without water a bottomless Pit Rev. 9.1 Joseph's Pit Jeremie's Dungeon Paul's Prison and Bonner's Cole-house were pleasant and delightful places compared with this The worst place on Earth is infinitely better than the best place in Hell To live in Bridewel or in Bedlam is very grievous but these are places of Pleasure when this is spoken of 9. The company yet encreaseth the vexation Good-company is a great comfort in trouble and misery It is such a relief as hath made some even to forget their sorrow But here the Devil and his Angels and all the wicked wretches that ever were on earth and lived and died such shall be the company of hell Not one good person among them It will raise the happiness of Heaven that not one wicked person shall be there not an Hypocrite among them and it will no less aggravate the Misery of Hell that none but such are there It was a grief of mind to Rebecca to be among the Daughters of Heth Gen. 27. ult The filthy company and ways of the Sodomites were a vexation to the Soul of just and righteous Lot 2 Pet. 2.7 8. David when forced to dwell in Mesech cries Wo is me How will they lament in Hell where damned Devils will be their Society and these Companions their cruel Tormentors So they are called Mat. 18.24 The Devils are great Tormentors of the Bodies and Souls of men It was the Saying of a good man I had rather endure all the Torments men can devise than see the Devil with my bodily eyes What a miserable case will theirs in Hell be who shall both see and feel them their cruel Tormentors who will have no Pity shew no Mercy will not spare but cruciate and afflict as much as they are able 10. The Eternity of all the former Evils doth and will aggravate the Misery of them in Hell they are punished with everlasting destruction from the Presence of the Lord and shall never see his face with comfort 2 Thes 1. They rise to everlasting shame and contempt Dan. 12.2 Their worm dieth not and their fire is not quenched Mark 9. called Everlasting Fire everlasting Burnings the vengeance of eternal fire Mat. 25. Esay 33. Jude 7. The blackness of darkness for ever Jude 7. All this is without mitigation intermission or cessation O! who can bear it If they in Hell might have ease but one hour in a thousand years it were some comfort but there the smoak of their Torment ascendeth up for ever and ever and they have no rest night nor day If after Ten thousand years a man might be taken up out of Torments the hopes of that would support but there they must lye in the scorching flames of God's Wrath for ever O who can endure unquenchable Fire Did we consider what an Eternity of Torment is to live ever dying and yet never dye to be in a Circle of Sorrow that knows no End in Variety and Extremity of Pains that have no Period but after a man hath been under these Torments as many Ages as many Millions of Ages as there have been Moments or Minutes since the Creation he is as far from coming out as he was in the first moment he went in O how inconceivable dreadful will this be Now