against his Enemies yet judge of his Arme by his Voice With the Lord nothing is impossible but to do contradiction to lye and to deceive Surely e Psalm 9.10 Prov. 30.5 Psalm 125.1 They that know his Name will trust in him He is a shield unto his People and they shall be as Mount Sion that cannot be removed Duty 6 Sixthly and lastly Let Gods spirituall and mysticall Thunder by his Word and warnings of his Messengers prevails with you to draw off your hearts from sin Here I will shew you two things First how Ministers are to thunder in their Preaching f Plin. Jun. lib. 3. Epist 1. ad Tacitum Oratio magnifica excelsa tonat fulgurat g Hieron Libr. contra Jovin Jerome faith Demosthenes used to thunder against King Philip. The same h Idem in Apolog ad Pammac Ep. 50. Father writes thus Paulum quotiescunque lego videor mihi non verba audire sed Tonitrua When I read St. Paul methinks I do not hear words but Thunder Pericles is said to Thunder and Lighten all over Greece by his Eloquence Basil was said to Thunder in his doctrine and Lighten in his conversation So James the son of Zebede and John the brother of James were sirnamed by Christ i Mark 3.17 Boanerges which is The sons of Thunder Gregory Nazianzen saith of those brothers k Gregory Nazianzen Orat. 44.1 that by Preaching and Writing for Christ and against sin they thundred all the world over As Thunder awakens the drowzy so good Preaching the secure It spares yielding but breaks stubborn and obstinate sinners Saint Paul l Acts 13.9 set his eyes upon Elymas After the Lightning flew from his eyes the Thunder-clap followed in his reproof Ezekiel was bid to stamp with his feet clama ulula Ezek. 21. cry and howle a-against the Peoples sins How did our Saviour m See Mat. 11 and 23 chap. thunder out woes to the People when he preached on earth 'T is then the duty of Ministers to speak boldly plainly powerfully to the consciences of their People To cry aloud to lift up their voice as a Trumpet and tell Judah of her sins We should n Quintil. be full of Affections our selves if we desire to work upon our hearers and o Nazianzen our authority in preaching is marred by unholy living Sad one day will be the account of blinde seers sleepy watchmen and dumb Dogs that bark not to fright the Wolf or warn the Sheep Many Congregations still continue wast No compassionate to tell them of fire and brimstone from Heaven for their sins And how many shoot off a few Potguns against grosse sins and then lick them whole with ill applied promises But the blood of the People shall be required at their hands Nay the most faithful Messengers of Christ will acknowledge they come short of their duty considering the invaluable worth of soules they have to do with The best of us have stammering Tongues in this great Work and oftentimes wee doe it coldly and by halves Like Polipheme we see but with one eye like Malchus heare but with one eare like the Unicorn push against sin but with one horne like the Benjamites casting stones with one hand and like the Amazons giving suck but with one Breast as one complaineth We do not thunder in the Pulpit as we should nor lighten in our conversation as we might Many times we pray as if we prayed not and preach as if we preached not The good Lord lay not this coldnesse to our charge Caution Let me here lay in a Caution Place not good Preaching in loud speaking Judge of a Minister by his Brains not Lungs by his Heart not Throat and rather by his Matter then Voice or Tone Demosthenes when he heard an Orator bellow with a loud and roaring voice said p Erasmus Non quod magnum est bene est sed quod bene est magnum est I mark rather the goodnesse then loudnesse of an Oration Had the Minister a voice like Stentor or Farellus Yet if his Matter were not grave sollid and judicious his Preaching would amount to Magno conatu nihil discere an expence of much paines in beating the air without saying any thing for Edification So q Stob. Serm. 43. Theocritus saith of Anaximenes that he powred out a flood of words and a drop of Reason 'T is good ut soni magnitudinem pro loci moderemur amplitudine that our voice be no louder then for all the People to heare us r Vossius Inst Orat. lib 6. cap. 10. p 508 saith Vossius Therefore let not the voice be the main thing you esteem in a Minister for as a good Moses may be defective therein so the meanest voice hath some hidden grace and power to attend it Secondly as Ministers should Thunder in their Preaching so people should gladly receive their admonitions be warned and awakened by the Thunder of their reproofs saying as the People once to Moses Speake thou with us and we will heare but let not God speake with us any more by Thunder lest we dye In vooe hominis Tuba Dei The Gospell is Gods Trumpet at mans mouth When St. Paul thundred reasoning of righteousnesse temperance and judgement unhappy Å¿ Asts 24.25 Foelix trembled How shall God hear the Minister praying for you said Gregory to King Ethelbert if you will not heare him speaking from God The Lord saith one might have preacht to you in the flames as once in the Mount Sinai or by the Ministry of Angels and you would not have been able to heare it But now God is not in the Fire nor in the Earth quake but in the voice of a man like your selves he speaks to you by his Ambassadors Will not Love conquer Will you not heare obey and live If you refuse to heare Moses and the Prophets neither would you be convinced if the Dead should arise to warne you if Angels should preach in your Pulpits or the Lord give you vocall and articulate Sermons in Thunder from Heaven Object But what if some what in the lives of Ministers should contradict the word which they preach I answer Solution 1 Blessed be God disorderly Teachers are pretty well purged out 2 If any continue it is the fault of them that do not bring their wickednesse to light that such may be rooted out who make the offering to be abhord The sins of Teachers being teachers of sins 3 Such as feare God should endeavour to reap all the benefit they can from such as preach the Truth but live not accordingly in all things God spake to Moses out of a Bush We must attend to the words of a Minister though himselfe be fruitlesse In which sense we may be said to gather Grapes of Thorns and Figs of Thistles Note Though there be no fire nor heat in the Bellows yet blowing with them may awaken and kindle fire on the
knowledge enough to see their ignorance of it Of all those things that are extant concerning the principles Essence and Natures of the Creature how many of them are such Quae docti fingunt magis quam norunt which you must either believe gratis or may easily be forgiven if you believe not at all When a confused multitude of Contradictions are competitors for your Assent it is meerely at your courtesie which or whether any of them shall have it The Schoolmen thinke that some Objects are not intelligible by reason of their perfection Such are those Natures that are abstracted from matter as Angels and Soules Others by reason of their imperfection as the first matter privations and all things else Quae debilem habent entitatem Idest we are ignorant of many things by reason of our want of knowledge There being nothing in the whole Creation that is not knowable objective in it selfe And that there be so many thousand things that are not so subjective unto the wisest of us must needs be from some defect at home which I hope may prevaile with us to a penitent consideration of that which is lost and a wise and holy improvement of what we have left In order whereunto we shall have no great need of any mans Rhetorick to perswade us that such a Volumne as that of the Creature is was not written to be neglected A piece made up of innumerable varieties where there is nothing superfluous nothing defective nothing out of order no Errata's at all where the Matter the Method the Stile are all unimitable whence if the Author should strike out but one sillable all the Angels in Heaven could not supply it again This Epistle was not written to the sons of men to be laid aside No Reader we should study the works of God Psal 111.2 3 4. They are such as ought to command our meditations Not to please our phancies but to further our duty In every creature we may read God and we look upon it to little purpose if we doe not in the least Creature much of God Deus ita artifex magnus in magnis ut minor non sit in parvis He is so great a Work-man in his greatest works that he is not a jot lesse in the smallest His omnipotency wisdome and goodnesse in ALL. No power below Almighty no wisdome that is not infinite can make a Sparrow a Gnat a Straw No goodnesse lesse then Gods could give the great benefit of Being to so many usefull necessary pleasant excellent Creatures for the comfort of one And our Duty will be altogether as legible as our God that we ought to feare love obey praise admire adore such a workman and not to censure despise abuse any part of such a work If we take this course even in those Operations of that Almighty hand which have most of mysterie wrapping them about though we may misse of finding out the worke of God we shall yet light upon the God of the worke and though we may not satisfie our Curiosity which would be but the payment of contribution to a vanity we shall discharge our duty and if not in knowledge yet which is a more desirable proficiency we shall grow in grace It will never Reader I assure you repent either you or me upon our death-bed that the creature which hath retarded the motion of so many towards heaven hath facilitated ours or that we could never looke upon Heaven Earth Sea Beast Fish Fowle Plant Worme but wee saw our God For our help in this my much Honoured Friend and Neighbour the Reverend and Industrious Author hath taken a great deale of learned pains in reference especially to those works of God which lie much out of sight If you will Reader search the worke of this good man that is before you 't will the better enable you to profit by the unsearchable works of that great God which are beyond you and this he hath done in the former part of this Treatise And for your better direction in the view of such a prospect as the works of God will afford you And to teach you how to use your naturall eye-sight to a spiritual advantage you have already from the same hand DIVINE OPTICKS Divine Opticks by R.D. 1655. and a Tast of God besides what it gathered from his works in his DIVINE RELISHES Divine Relishes by R. D. 1648. that first and last he might furnish you a Table wanting nothing of what shall feast you to all Eternity the cheere being now and hereafter the same Only we shall then be called nearer and have better Stomachs Whilst you are in the way thitherward you are in Gods The Angel Guardian by R. D. 1654. and the Author will assure you of a Particular Angell to be your Guardian And how high a favour from God is such an Attendant for such Creatures For you and I Reader are inconsiderable pieces of Dust and Ashes The latter part of Thunder was occasioned by hose claps that sounded so often in our eares the last Winter I hope the Proverb is cross'd Winters Thunder never did English man good If this do not having brought forth these leaves laden with so much rich fruit 't will be English mens fault Men are naturally apt to entertain low thoughts of God Psal 42.3 Iob 21.15 Exod. 5.2 Iob 22.13 Psal 73.9 Deut. 32.15 and out of the abundāce of their hearts have wicked mouths accordingly spoken where is your God what is the Almighty I know not the Lord Can he judge through the dark clouds Thus They set their mouth against Heaven and lightly esteem the rock of their salvation I have read of a King that reigned in no very remote part of the world who having received a blow from the hand of God tooke a solemn Oath to be revenged on him and ordained that for ten yeares space no man should pray to him or speake of him Nor so so long as he was in Authority believe in him And of a Pope that would have his Pork forbidden him by the Physitian Al despetto de Dio Pope Julius the third in despight of God To root these undervaluations out and in their stead to fill our hearts with holy awfull reverentiall apprehensions of the infinite power greatnesse glory and majesty of the Almighty God beside what we have in his holy Word we have such a full demonstration of him in his Works that wee must either deny them to be his or confesse him to be a God greatly to be feared Psal 89.7 Deut. 7.21 Pal. 33.8 humanas motura tonitrua mentes A mighty God and a terrible whom all the earth should stand in awe of And what worke of God hath he qualified into more advantages of leaving upon our spirits awfull apprehenhensions of the Author then this of Thunder when the Scriptures mention it seldome if at all is it without the addition of some Declaration either of the Majesty
the Messiah so long expected or to hear his comfortable voice Answ 3 Next our Saviour knew the obstinacy of the Jewes that except they saw signes and wonders they would not believe in him Answer 4 Lastly This was done that there might he some harmony between the Law and Gospel Mr. Calvin writing of the terrible Promulgatiō of the Law saith thus Hic timor Evangelio quoque fuit communis This fear was also common with the Law to the Gospel Applying moreover that of the Apostle thereunto Heb. 12.26 Whose voice then shook the earth and now hath declared saying Yet once more will I shake not the Earth onely but Heaven The very day q Bishop Halls Contemplations lib. 5. of the Law p. 825. saith Doctor Hall wherin God came down in Fire and Thunder to deliver the Law even the same day came also the Holy Ghost downe upon the Disciples in fiery Tongues for the propagation of the Gospel No man receives the Holy Ghost but he that hath felt the terrours of Sinai Venerable r Bede Hom. vigil Pentecost Bede also shewes the harmony between the Law and Gospel in this respect There was Thunder Here the noise of a ſ Acts 2.2 mighty Winde There fiery flashes Here fiery cloven Tongues There the Mountain trembled and here the place where they assembled was moved There the sound of a Trumpet here they spake with divers Tongues Another thus describes it t Marlorat in Acts 2.2 p. 48. Sicuti lex Mosis est data in monte Sinai u Exod. 19.16 cum tempestate caeca nubibus caliginosis fumo ignifero vapore denso Tonitru diro Fulgore clangore divinae tubae terribili ita quoque datus est spiritus sanctus Jerosolimis insolito ingenti strepitu impetu venti quo Deus amborum Legis simul Evangelii virtutem expressit As the Law was given with a dark Cloud Thunder Lightning and shrill Trumpet So the Gospel saith he was confirmed by that violent rushing wind Acts 2. If those then that slighted Moses his Law were punished with death what shall become of them that dis-believe and disobey the Gospel of Jesus Christ For Fourthly and lastly 4 At the day of judgment There will be supernatural miraculous and most violent astonishing and prodigious Thunder and Lightnings at the day of Judgement That this is very probable will appeare 1 By divers Scriptures looking that way 1 Proved by divers Scriptures if not speaking fully to the point 2 By the consent of many learned Authors 3 By divers Arguments and Reasons shewing That and Why it will be so First see it proved by divers Scriptures looking that way For the time of Judgement will be w Zeph. 1.15 A day of trouble and distresse a day of darknesse and gloominesse a day of clouds and thicke darknesse Then x 2 Pet. 3.12 The heavens being on fire shall be dissolved y Isa 34.4 And rolled together in a scroll There shall be z Luke 21.25 Signs in the Sun Moon viz. Stupendious Ecclipses flaming Comets Earth quakes and divers Apparitions The Earth shall have the Palsie and the Heavens Convulsion fits a 2 Thes 1.8 Christ shall come in flaming fire to be revenged on sinners Then saith Peter b 2 Pet. 3.12 The elements shall melt with fervent heat q. d. Like scalding lead upon the wicked Christ saith c Mat. 24.29 The powers of heaven shall be shaken Which I suppose will be by Thunder and supernatural storms The Sun shall be darkned and the Moon shall not give her light So men shall stumble at noon day as if it were midnight You know it grows very dark before a storm The Stars shall be shaken and misplaced Those goodly Lamps of Heaven shall tremble CHRIST will loosen with one shake of his Arme all the Stars of Heaven A fearfull confusion wil then appear All the Elements shall be d Isaac Ambrose of Doomsday p. 94. disordered Fire shall fall from heaven whereas naturally it ascends the Aire shall be full of tempests thundrings the waves of the Sea swelling roaring foaming and mounting above the Clouds the Earth full of yawning clifts and violent tremblings Sea monsters will appeare on the Land and all Dumb creatures run about enraged so that none can tame them e Luke 21.26 Mens hearts failing them for feare f Revel 6.16 The great ones that were not good shall call to the rocks and mountains to cover them and yield some shelter from this terrible storm g Mat. 24.31 Angels with a great sound of a Trumpet shall gather the Elect from the 4 Winds h Mark 13.8 There shall be fearfull Earth-quakes which wil astonish the world i Mat. 24.27 As the lightning cometh out of the East and shineth to the West so shall the coming of the son of man be In a word k 2 Pet. 3.7 10. The world and all in it shall be burnt with fire Which fire in all likelihood l Pareus in Rev. 16.18 saith Pareus will be kindled and cherished by Lightning from Heaven Aquinas hath many subtle discourses about that fire yet he still maintains that it will be m Aquin. sum in suppl 3. Part. Quaest 74. Artic. 9 p. 130. Ex concursu mundanorum ignium from a meeting together of all mundane Fires Therefore Lightning will be amongst them Yet all these may be thought generall Scriptures There are four places of holy Writ which speak more particularly to the point in hand viz. that most terrible Thunder shall precede Christs Appearance 1 Sam. 2.10 The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces out of heaven shall he thunder upon them The Lord shall judge the ends of the Earth The best n Annotations super 1 Sam. 2.10 Commentators understand this place of the day of Judgement On that day the hearts of Gods enemies shall be frighted with loud Thunder-claps and their bones broken with hot THUNDER-bolts What enemy of Jesus Christ can then lift up his head Next consult we Psal 50.3.4 Our God shall come and shall not keep silence a fire shall devour before him it shall be very tempestuous round about him He shall call to the heavens from above and to the earth that he may judge his people Saint Peter saith The heavens shall passe away with a great noise A fearfull noise indeed As a Whirl-wind or tempestuous roaring o Jun. Tremel and our Annotations on 2 Pet. 3.10 say Expositors To these let me add that place in Rev. 16.18 And there were voices thunders and lightnings there was a great Earth-quake such as was not since men were upon earth This is St. Johns prophetical description of the Day of Judgement as appears by the p Revel 16.15 16 18 20. compared together context and so q Pareus Seb Meyer Hez Holland on Rev. 16. Pareus and others understand it
Secondly 2 Proved by divers Authors this may also be confirmed by the consent of divers Learned and godly Writers So that wee are not singular in this opinion that Thunder will be one solemnity at the day of Judgement Gerhard writing of the day of Judgment Gerhard tells us Then Thunder and Lightning shall amaze men and Angels the Sea and the waves thereof roaring Mendoza saith Mendeza Christ will thunder marvellously that day Gregory saith Gregory The Saints with loud shouts will thunder against the damned This grants that the many millions of Saints shouting will frame a noise more terrible to the wicked then they can imagine It will make their very hearts sink and faile within them Thunder and Lightning saith r Seb Meyer apud Mnrlora in Rev. 16.18 p. 34 p. 1173. Meyer do now terrifie those that confesse not a GOD It makes palenesse and trembling to seize on them Quid igitur facturi sunt omnes impii ubi haec super humanam aestimationem qualia nunquam antea à condito mundo horrenda apparebunt Vbi tota Orbis concutitur machina jam jam una cum impiis collapsura What then shal wicked men do when such horrible Thunders and Lightnings will appear as are beyond humane imagination or any thing hath hapned from the Creation when the whole frame of Nature shall be so shaken and broken therewith that with sinners it shall be demolisht and destroyed Pareus also is full to this Point more then once ſ Pareus in Apoc. 11.19 There shall be Lightniugs Thundrnigs and Voices Now saith he John is in the description of the last judgement and shewes how Lightnings Thundrings Earth-quakes and great Hail-stones will oppresse the wicked Tossanus also writes to the same purpose Tossanus and applieth it to the melting of the Elements and the shaking of the whole earthly Globe at the last day Here Pareus t Pareus in Apoc. 16.18 again There are Lightnings and Thunders in the aire Such as the shaking of the heavenly Powers melting of the Elements and horrible Tempests spoken of by Christ and Peter wherewith the Lord will at last come to judgement The Earthquake will be unsual and supernatural And no wonder for the earth being smitten with Lightning from Heaven shall be shaken and torne into a thousand pieces and by fire utterly consumed Oats on Jude saith thus u Samuel Oats on Jude 6. p. 166. If other Sessions and Assizes be feared by Malefactors what will this be Then Fulminabit Dominus in coelo The Lord will thunder from Heaven and the highest will give his voice And if Thunder or the ratling of a cloud be so terrible what terrour will there be when he shall thunder that sits above the clouds Then w Jerome Terra tremet mare mugit The earth shall quake the sea roar the Aire ring and the world burn If the Angels stand then amazed how agast shall wicked men be whose portion is with the Devil and his Angels And x Oates on Iude 14. p. 315. again Thunder saith Oates doth but demolish Mountains root up Trees but when God shall thunder out his Judgements he will crush and cast down Kings Princes and People that have not made him their Tower Thunder doth but shake the clouds and make them flye up and down as Birds in the Aire but when God shall thunder out his judgements he will shake and astonish the heart and conscience O miserable sinner how wilt thou tremble at that time Another thus speaks y Iohn Trap Com. on Rev. 16.18 p. 561. And there were Voices and Thundrings and Lightnings This is a description of the last Judgement when Heaven and Earth shall conspire together for the punishment of the wicked Another thus z Isaac Ambrose of Doomsday p. 95. What shall we then see but Lightnings Whirl-winds Coruscations blazing Stars flashing Thunders Here a Comet runs round in a circuit there a Crown compasseth that Comet Neare them a fiery Dragon sumes in flames Every where appeares a shooting fire as if all above us were nothing but inflamed aire a Joel 1.10 All the earth shall tremble before the Lord. Another b Hez Holland Expos of Rev. 16.18 p. 124. writes thus These things shew the horrible effects of the last Viol when Christ shall come to take vengeance at the last day Lightnings burning the earth and Thunder from Heaven All the Elements conspiring against the wicked Thus out of the mouths of ten Witnesses you have it confirmed that most dreadful and fatal Thunders will attend the last Judgement Let us now 3 ' Proved by Arguments or Reasons in the third Place see it further establisht by Arguments or Reasons shewing That and Why it will be so which are chiefely these four Reason 1 First because Christs second coming must be far more terrible then the first Christ at his first Appearance was attended by a general Peace in the world and with Carols of Angels He came as c Psalm 71.6 Rain upon the mown grasse silently sweetly into the world Then a babe cryed in the Manger but now Judah's Lion will roar and thunder in the Heavens Then he came riding on an Asses colt but now on the clouds Not attended with 12 poor Apostles but 12 thousand millions of Angels At his first coming he offered grace and mercy but now he will come in flames of Fire to execute Wrath and Vengeance d Aug. de sym bolo lib. 3. Jam locus misericordiae ibi justitiae Then he was judged and condemned of men but now he will judge the world Yet his first being on earth was not without glory interwoven with shame and sufferings Note There came to him Thunder and Voices from Heaven as I have shewn When he spake storms were husht when he called the dead arose when he commanded the Devils were cast out when he died the Sun put on sable weeds when he arose the Earth trembled and when he ascended the Heavens opened But his latter coming shall be far more glorious and terrible St. Austin brings in our Saviour speaking thus at the last day Behold the Carpenters son whom ye have disregarded Christ will then come in all his glory and the glory of his holy Angels Reason 2 Secondly this he will do to perplex and astonish all reprobate men and evil Angels e Mendoza in Reg. Vol. 1. p. 359. Quanto igitur terrore ac tremore improbi formidabunt quando his è Christ Domino Tonitruis ac Fulminibus quatientur saith Mendosa How great will the feare terrour and trembling of wicked men be when they shall be shaken with these Thunders and Lightnings from Jesus Christ If Belshazzar quaked when he saw the hand-writing on the wall how will he tremble and quiver when he shall see Christ in the Clouds Mille fulmina jaculantem hurling a thousand Lightnings and Thunder stones at him What care can
Christ saith the Apostle 'T is Treason to undertake an Embassy without commission I sent them not yet they ran saith the Lord RAN not knowing Why nor Whither like Ahimaaz in Samuel and like him too they can tell no tidings as one very well observes Note For climbing on high with the Ape they do but shew their own deformities Many now alive shall see the blasting of these Men either with Lightning or in their gifts I pray God give them repentance to life that they no longer play the young Vipers in gnawing out the bowels of their mother the Church 2 As Thunder or Lightning or both have appeared for the Church against the enemies of her Truth so also of her Peace You have seene how the Lord hath fought for Israel against f Exod 9.23 38. 1 Sam. 7.10 Psalm 18.13 14. Pharaoh with Thunder Lightning and against the enemies of Samuel and David with the same Artilery Never count your estate low and desperate so long as Heaven hath Hail-shot Lightnings and Thunder-bolts to relieve his people and crush their enemies Comfort 4 4 No storm no Thunder in Heaven but that of Halelujahs Though the glory of Jesus Christ be much brighter then Lightning yet it shall neither terrifie nor scortch us in Heaven Note Who shall endure everlasting burninge saith the Prophet g Isa 33.14 15. Isaiah He that walketh righteously and speaketh uprightly Saints triumphant shall be able to abide and endure the flame of Gods glory For gold and Jewels such are believers will not suffer by fire Above the Moon there is nothing but serenity peace and tranquility There will be an everlasting calm in Heaven Nothing but rest and joy nothing to molest or affright us On Earth stormes and Tempests Thunder and Lightning Hail and showrs Wars and commotions terrours and troubles The Sea is restlesse and all that sail therein All the creatures on the earth in the Aire and great Deep are in continual agitation in perpetual labour and motion Then looke a little lower not one moment of rest or ease in Hell But oh the blessed Tranquility that is in Heaven What a glorious change will there be When Peter was on the Mount encompassed with glory by and by a cloud overshadowed him But no cloud in Heaven to darken us No cloud in Heaven big with storms and Thunder to break over us and to terrifie and annoy us There will be Summer without Winter Day without night Sun-shine without shade Calm without any interposing storm for all motion ends at the Center There is no Earthquake in Heaven Heb. 12.28 opened That is a City that hath Foundations 'T is a kingdome that cannot be shaken Consider that place with the coherence Heb. 12.28 Just before he spake of Gods shaking the earth with his voice For at the delivery of the Law there was dreadful thunder by whose cracks the Mount quaked and trembled And yet once more the Lord will shake by most violent Thunders Not onely the Earth but the Heavens Not only Men but Angels who shall quake and stand amazed at the dreadfull appearance of Christ in judgment This will be such a shaking of Heaven and Earth as will loosen and dissolve the whole Frame so that the things shaken viz. Earth Heaven shall be removed and abolished But Heaven which is above all visible heavens the seat of blessed Souls is saith the Author a kingdome that cannot be shaken That is to say by Thunder or any thing else Then h Iob 37.2 Caution for Saints Elihu shall say no more Heark it Thundreth There shall be no more sorrow nor crying no paine nor feare all former things being passed away Our Thunder is no more heard by glorified Saints then their Halelujahs are by us And now having spread before Saints these Consolations Let me adjoyne thereto a necessary caution which concerns all Believers but especially those of the weaker Sex The Caution is this Not to be scared Caution for Saints affrighted or transpored in the time of Thunder and Lightning storms and Tempests by Land or Sea as to speak or act things unbeseeming their most holy profession And that there may be no mistake i Weems portraicture of Gods image in man p. 218 volumn 4. Divines tell us of six sorts of Feare 1. Naturall whereby every creature shuns its destruction 2. Humane which ariseth from a too vehement desire of this life with the continuance and comforts thereof Skin for skin and all that a man hath will he give for his life 3. Mundane when a man feares the losse of Transitories more then the losse of Gods favour Many that thought well of Christ did not confesse him for fear of the Pharisees Excommunication Note 4. There is a Servile fear whereby men long to avoid the punishment of sin yet k Isay 35.4 Luke 12.32 still entertain a love and liking to sin Some call it Esau's feare Others the Adulterous feare because the Adulteress is afraid of her husband lest he should surprize and punish her She feareth the l Qui recte timet Deum nihil timer praeter eum Origen in Levit. 16. Law and shame more then her husbands displeasure 5. Initiall Fear is when we are deterred from sin partly out of feare to displease and grieve the Lord and partly because of the consequence and wofull wages of sinne 6. There is a Filiall feare in Saints m Mat. 10.28 Acts 10.2 Heb. 11.26 Mal. 1.6 Luke 2.25 as a good Wife fears her Husband lest he should be grieved and a loving Child feares the frown of his Father more then the Rod. Now observe it well Note 1 Some sorts of Feare are From and With the spirit of Grace as Initial and Filial fear 2 Some Fear is From but not With the Spirit as Servile fear 3 Again some feare is With the Spirit but not From him As Natural and Humane fear 4 Lastly some Fear is neither From nor With the Spirit and such is Mundane Base Feare If then your fear of Thunder be only naturall it is neither good nor evill If it proceed from a n Res est imperiosa Timer Martial lib. 2. Epist 59. passionate and inordinate desire of life we must strive against it and begin to suspect things are not with us as they should be If you fear Thunder more then the Thunderer and his displeasure Then it is sinfull If you fear when it Thundreth least God should then smite you in and for your sin This is a slavish Fear and wicked men have it Note But if you fear Thunder and Lightning only as signes of Gods Power and Majesty desirous to honour worship him and hoping you shall not grieve or displease so good and gracious a Father though ten thousand worlds were folded up in a Temptation THIS certainly is a Filial Holy and Blessed Fear You then that have a share in Christ give not way to a servile and slavish
feare of Thunder and Lightning which makes People hide themselves and be almost at their o In metu consilia prudentium vulgi rumor juxta audiuntur Tacit in Hist lib. 3. cap. 11. wits end speaking rashly and unadvisedly with their Lips and doing those things which are far from suiting with their holy profession That we should rather take them to be Children or Mad-men to be Pagans or Robbers of Churches In a word to have some notable guilt upon them as Parricide Incest Adultery Murder or Perjury then to be serious intelligent and blamelesse Christians But that we are commanded to judge no man before the time O let the fear of God dispossesse your hearts of all servile inordinate and slavish p Mar. 18.28 Timorem Timere pellit us clavum clavo Fears If the feare of any thing unhinge you and render you unfit for Gods service or the employments of your Calling sit down and sadly conclude That feare is not of God Object But may some objest when it Thundred on Mount Sinai Moses quaked feared exceedingly Heb. 12.21 Solution To this I answer 1. q Exo. 19.16 All the people feared so Moses might be drawn by their example it might be his infirmity 2 Moses well knew this Thunder was supernaturall and miraculous so had reason to quake 3 Austin saith Brevis differentia legis Evangelii timor amor The Law produced feare but the Gospel love 4 Moses was afraid when it thundered but not as the people were Timuit Moses sed non Timore servili ut populus saith Ferus Moses indeed feared but his feare was not like the peoples servile but Filial which was r Timere Deum est nulla quae facienda sunt Bona praeterire faith Gregor in Mor. nothing else but a religious reverence and holy observance and Å¿ Nemo melius diligit quam qui maxime veretur offendere Salvian Ep. 4. awe of Gods Majesty and Power Feare should be the childe of goodnesse not cruelty the one is joyned with love the other with hatred Let wicked men feare Thunder with a slavish and hellish feare Omnes conscius strepitus timet saith Seneca A guilty conscience feareth every noise t Philip. in Job Aliud est timere quia peccaveris aliud ne pecees 'T is one thing to be affrighted after villany another thing to fear lest you offend God u Juvenal 13. Juvenal writing of guilty persons calling to minde their wickednesse when it thundreth saith thus Hi sunt qui trepidant ad omnia fulgura paellent Cum tonat Exanimes primo quoque murmure Caeli Let it passe for the true character of a wicked wretch to be still intrepidus ad culpam timidus ad paenam fearlesse in sinning and fearfull of vengeance 'T is a vile heart that fears Thunder more then sin which saith Chrysostme w Chrysostome Hom. 5. in Ep. ad Rom. is to be feared more then Hell We are worthy saith he of Hell if for no other cause yet for fearig Hell and the evills of punishment more then Christ Manifest you have the spirit of Love Adoption by crushing all unworthy and uncomely feares in the time of Thunder A greater Thunder must come wherein the Saints shall not fear but shout for joy For when the waves of the Sea shal mount up their foaming Billows when the Earth under us shall tremble with most terrible Earthquakes and have throws like a woman in travell When Lightnings shall be our chief Light and the Heavens over us roar with dreadful Thunder In a word When this goodly frame of Nature shall be on fire Then all true Believers shall lift up their heads because their Redemption draws nigh LAVS DEO Sylvester his Translation of Du Bartas his second day of the first week p. 44. BUt hark what hear I in the Heavens methinks The Worlds wall shakes and his Foundation shrinks It seems even now that horrible Persephone Loosing Meges Alecto and Tysiphone Weary of reigning in black Erebus Transports her Hell between the Heaven and us 'T is held I know that when a Vapour moist As well from fresh as from salt water hoist In the same instant with hot Exhalations In the airy Regions secondary Stations The fiery Fume besieged with the crowd And keen cold thicknesse of that dampish Cloud Strengthens her strength and with redoubled vollies Of joyned heate on the cold Leagher fallies Like as a Lion very late exil'd From 's native Forrests spit at and revilld Mockt mov'd and troubled with a thousand toyes By wanton children idle Girles and Boyes With hideous roaring doth his Prison fill In 's narrow Cloister ramping wildly still Runs too and fro and furious lesse doth long For liberty then to revenge his wrong This Fire desirous to break forth again From 's cloudy Ward cannot it selfe refrain But without resting loud it groans and grumbles It roules and roars and round round round it tumbles Till having rent the lower side in sunder With sulphry flash it have shot down its Thunder Though willing to unite in these Alarms To 's brothers forces his owne fainting Arms And th' hottest Circle of the world to gain To issue upwards oft is strives in vaine For 't is there fronted with a Trench so large And such an Host that though it often charge On this and that side the cold Camp about With his hot skirmish Yet still still the stout Victorious For repelleth every push So that despairing with a furious rush Forgetting Honour which the valiant prize Not as it would but as it may it flies Then the Ocean boyls for feare the Fish do deem The Sea too shallow to safe shelter them The Earth doth shake The shepheard in the Field In hollow Rocks himselfe can hardly shield Th' affrighted Heav'ns ope and in the Vale Of Acheron grim Pluto's selfe looks pale Th' aire flames with fire for the loud roaring Thunder Renting the Cloud that it includes asunder Sends forth those flashes which so blear our sight As wakefull Students in the winters Night Against the steel glauncing with stony knocks Strike sudden sparks into their Tinder-box Moreover Lightning of a Fume is fram'd Through't selfs hot drinesse evermore inflam'd Whose power past credit without razing skin Can bruise to powder all our bones within Can melt the Gold that greedy Mizers hoord In barred cophers and not burn the boord Can break the blade and never singe the sheath Can scorch an Infant in the womb to Death And never blemish in one sort or other Flesh bone or sinew of the amazed Mother Consume the shooes and never hurt the feet Empty a Cask and yet not perish it c. Methinks I heare when it begins to Thunder The voice that brings Swains up and Caesars under By that Tow'r tearing stroak I understand Th' undaunted strength of the divine right hand When I behold the Lightning in the Skies Methinks I see th' Almighties glorious Eyes When I perceive it rain down timely showers Methinks the Lord his Horn of Plenty pours When from the Cloud excessive water spins Methinks Heaven weeps for our unwept-for sins THE END
of the Author or the awe and terrour it doth or should beget in the Auditors When the Lord Thundreth in the Heavens Psal 18.3 29.3 Job 37.4 5. 't is the HIGHEST that gives his voice The God of GLORY Thundreth He thundreth with the voice of his EXCELLENCY God Thundreth MARVELLOVSLY with his voice The clouds poured out water the Skies sent out a sound thine arrowes also went abroad the voice of thy Thunder was in the heavens the Lightnings lightned the world What then The earth trembled and shook Psal 77.17 18. Virgil. lib. 1. Georg. Ipse pater media nimborum in nocte corusca Fulmina molitur dextra Quo maxima motu Terra trêmit fugere ferae mortalia corda Per gentes humilis stravit pavor Many dreadfull effects of Thunder you are remembred of in this Treatise If it fill our hearts with high holy reverential thoughts of the Thunderer that you constantly feare before him it is one I am sure that the Almighty Author doth designe and the very best that the work can produce Bede gives us the Relation of a holy man who never heard a great gust of winde but he would presently call upon God for mercy beseech him to be gracious to the sons of men If the winde increased he would lay all other businesse aside and attend alone to that one of Prayer If Thunder and Lightning followed he would then make hast to the Church and spend his time in Religious exercises till the storm was over And being asked by his friends why he did so His answer was have you not read Psal 18.13 14. The Lord thundred in the Heavens and the Highest gave his voice He sent out his Arrows scattered them Lightnings and discomfited them And it is recorded of Aquinas that when it Thundered he was wont to fall down and with much devotion to pray Lord help and succour thy servants whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood Job Iob 38. 39. cap. 40. ver 4. Cap. 41. 42. vers 6. if we be not mistaken in those definitions which we have received of that vertue had not many equals for Magnanimity and Fortitude and yet after an account of the greatnesse of God discovered in his mighty works how full is his heart of awfulnesse and feare And his friend Elihu being to mention the excellent marvellous roaring voice of Thunder they are his owne expressions knows not how to do it without a preface cloathed in feare and reverence At this also my heart trembleth and is moved out of his place Job 37.1 c. Neither should it be any abatement of our respects to the great God that Thunder is known to have its naturall causes For those causes are knoâ—n to have their cause too and are but the effects of an higher Nature hath nothing to boast of but what God endoweth her with who acteth without it beside it above it Contracteth or enlargeth it even as he pleaseth And when he doth not either of these yet doth he not leave any thing at any time meerly to the hand of its Causes but hath himselfe an Agency in the Production of it and that an immediate one Immediatione virtutis suppositi say some At least virtutis is confessed by all Nature hath nothing that she hath not received neither is she Independent in any one in the smallest operation For that would argue an Independency of power and that of being which none can challenge but God alone Do not say Then every thing that comes to passe in the world and even the daily imployments of Nature must call out our hearts to I know not how many duties For can you tell why they should not Is there any possibility of supererogation Can you love fear praise admire adore our God too much But yet Reader the greatest manifestation of the power majesty of God should work most Thunder is one of these and a voice of the Almighty loud enough to awaken our hearts to all these sorts of acknowledgments The reverend Author hath made it his present businesse in the ensuing Treatise to perswade our attention to it The discourse is pious and hath cost him some pains Your Prayers are desired that it may be useful and afford the people of God much profit which I am the more perswaded to hope of it when I finde it to be though in more words not a jot more then that pathetical exhortation of the Apostle Heb. 12.28 29. Let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly feare for our God is a consuming fire Which will abundantly praeponderate the prejudice it might otherwise receive from its Conduct into the world by the unable hand of so obscure and inconsiderable a Person as Reader Your servant in the work of the Gospel of Christ Jesus Edw Buckler THE CONTENTS TWo Observations raised from Job 26.14 Obser 1 That the highest operations most excelent works of GOD cannot be reached by Mans understanding The Reasons 7. Reason 1 Mans darknesse and sloath since the Fall Ubi of the grosse errors of Philosophers Of our want of Reading Travelling Meditation Of the Brevity of Life Reason 2 The variety of Species and Individuals Reason 3 The infinite wisdome of God which is stamped upon all his works Ubi of imperfect false Descriptions of Gods works Of some Rarities in Nature for which no reason can be given Reason 4 Gods Power and Wisdome is displayed in GREAT and SMALL creatures Ubi of the Whale Elephant and Precious Stones Reason 5 Men are admired who have any thing well IMITATED Gods Works Reason 6 A Mass and multitude of wonders do attend the visible Heavens Reason 7 PROVIDENCE is very mysterious and is a kinde of continuall Creation The Inferences follow which are four Inference 1 See their presumptuous folly and madnesse who pretend to know GOD and all his works Inference 2 See the necessity of Vniversities Learning Ubi of unwearied diligence in study Philosophy a faire Hand-maid to Theology Inference 3 Read what you can of GOD in the Volumn of Creation and Providence Inference 4 Comfort for Saints In heaven we shall know more of GOD and his works Heaven the rarest of Gods Works It hath been long preparing for us Obser 2 The terrible Meteor of THVNDER is a most lively manifestation of the LORDS greatnesse and power The trumpet of his glorious Majestie and matchlesse Perfections Four enquiries in the opening of this Truth Enquiry 1 How this expression in holy Job may be taken and understood Answ 3 wayes Enquiry 2 What Thunder is Ubi of it's Name Nature Effects Also of the Thunder-bolt Tempests Lightnings Earth quakes Haile great and fearefull Of violent Thunders and Lightnings mentioned in our Chronicles with dreadful effects Enquiry 3 If any other then GOD be the Author Instruments of these things Answ 1. GOD the efficient cause of Thunder which is his
VOICE A Digression of speech and how many wayes GOD is said to speak to us How the voyce of Man hath been loud terrible and perswading Stopping our eares in time of Thunder proved to be a SIN Answ 2. There be other Instrumentall causes of Thunder Good and Evill Angels chiefly Enquiry 4 In what cases especially or occasions God hath manifested or will discover his power and glory by supernaturall and most terrible Thunder Answer 1 At the castigation or overthrow of his and the Churches enemies in battell or otherwise Divers of Gods enemies have been routed and destroyed by Thunder and Lightnings Answer 2 When the moral Law was delivered on Mount-Sinai Of which 8 reasons are given Answer 3 At the Promulgation of the Gospel A Digression of Miracles under the Gospel and why none wrought 800 yeares before Christ That the Gospel was confirmed by Thunder is proved by divers Scriptures and some other Authors also by testimonies from the Gospels Enemies Four Reasons why the Gospel was confirmed thus Answer 4 There will be dreadful Thunder and Lightnings at the day of judgement Proved 1 By divers Scriptures 4 full places for for it 2 By foure Arguments or Reasons why it will be so A Digression of the unknown Time The Inferences follow which are four Infer 1 This Doctrine of Thunder is in travaile with terrour to all the enemies of God and his people Thunder proves a Deity Infer 2 Reproof to such as out-brave Thunder Ubi of such as have presumed either to slight or imitate this worke of God That Sodome was burnt with sulphurious Lightning proved out of Tertullian Next Infer 3 matter of admonition to six duties viz. First when you heare it Thunder feare before the great Jehovah 'T is a marvail how sinners dare go to sleep when it thundreth Secondly Follow right meanes to provide for your safety by getting into the arms of Christ For 1 Some repair to the strongest places and buildings for shelter The vanity of this shield 2 Others will ascribe rare Qualities to the Eagle Seal-skin Fig-tree Bay-tree and ringing consecrated and baptized Bells The folly and superstition thereof 3 Some few in the time of much Thunder apply themselves to Prayer holy conference Ubi of laying aside our Recreations when it thundreth Thirdly when the Thunder is over be not afterwards secure but cherish a filiall awe of God upon your hearts that the graces of his Spirit may like Swans eggs be hatched with Thunder Fourthly Be not unsensible of the last Winters praeternaturall Thunder Ubi How it fools the Astrologers presuming to foretell Thunder in their Almanacks and that such should not be tolerated in a Christian State Fifthly Learn to trust in the great and all-powerful God who is able to defend and deliver you Sixthly Let Gods spirituall and mysticall Thunder by his Word and Boanerges at length awaken us Where it is shewed 1 That Ministers should thunder in their Doctrine by earnest sound and powerfull preaching Caution Place not good preaching in loud speaking 2 That the people should labour to profit by powerfull Sermons as so many Alarms from Heaven A Digression of profiting by the Word though the Minister be not so holy as we could wish him Infer 4 Lastly This Doctrine of Thunder comes yet with an Olive-branch of Peace and Consolation to the Saints from divers Scriptures intimating that God is carefull of his people in time of Thunder and Tempests Comfort fetched in 1 From Naturall considerations As That Thunder is from Natural causes and oft produceth good effects in the Aire and Earth 2 From spirituall Meditations chiefly four First God of old was wont to reveal himselfe by Thunder Now in a soft and still voice Secondly Thunder and Lightnings are disposed and ordered by the Lord. Object Then surely none of Gods children receive any prejudice by it Sol. 1. We may not vote all such as suffer by Lightnings and Thunder-bolts to be Gods enemies 2 The good being in bad places or employments may suffer with the bad 3 It may be the wise God fore-seeth greater evills and tryals would befall them if they should escape 4 Hereby he doth warn the wicked what to expect 5 God usually doth preserve his People in such perills 6 If they perish by them they are hastned into Heaven though in a fiery Charet with Elijah Thirdly Thunder Lightning have been serviceable to the Saints 1. By kindling the wood for sacrifice 2. By oppossng the Churches enemies viz. 1. Such as are enemies to her Truth Hereticks and other Novelists have been destroyed by Lightning and Thunder An Item for Lay-Preachers 2. Such as are Enemies to the Churches Peace have also been subdued by Thunder 4 There is yet another Consolation for the Saints No Thunder nor Lightning in Heaven They can no more heare our Thunder then we their Hallelujahs All closed with a Cautionary Advice to the Saints Not to feare Thunder with a low and slavish Feare Indices Finis THE AUTHORS which are quoted in this TREATISE ABbot Abulensis Aelian Ainsworth Albertus Clem Alexandrinus Alsted Ambrose Isaac Ambrose Andrews Annotations Tho Aquinas Aristotle Augustine Avicenna Babington Bacon Du Bartas Baronius Basil Baxter Beda Bellarmine Bellonius Bernard Borrhaeus Dr. Brown Bullinger Anthony Burges Calvin Cambden Camerarius Joseph Caryl Casaubon Caussin Chrysostome M. T. Cicero Cyprian Day Despagne Empedocles Erasmus Evagrius Eusebius Dr. Featly Feltam Ferus Gallen Dr. Gouge Gribaldus Hugh Grotius Bishop Hall Dr. Hammond Heidfeldius Dr. Heyling Hildersham Hez Holland Hug de S. Vict. Huart Jenkins Jerome Josephus Isidore Junius Juvenal Lactantius Cornelius a Lapide Lanquet Lawrence Leigh Lightfoot Lyranus Magirus Marlorat Martial Mead. Melancthon Mendoza Seb Meyer Henry Moor Mornaeus Musculus Gregory Nazianz. Nicephorus Nierembergius Samuel Oates Origen Osiander Ovid Pareus Perkins Pierius Pignetus Philippus Plato Pliny Plutarch Polanus Quintilian Sir W. Raleigh Ramus Dr. Reynolds Rivius Rupertus Rutherford Rueus Salvian Sands Scaliger Shepheard Diodorus Siculus Simler Solinus Sozomen Strabo Strigelius Stow Tacitus Tertullian Tostatus Tremelius John Trap Vegetius Lud Vives Vossius Waterhouse Watson Weems Dr. Willet Ystella Zanchius cum aliis FINIS Job 26.14 But the Thunder of his power or his powerful Thunder who can understand IN this Chapter holy Job gives in his Answer to a third Disputation of his second friend Bildad which Response of Job hath two hinges to move on 1 An utter dislike of Bildads dealing with him as if what was urged by his Friend were not onely short but wide of the Mark And this he doth in the four first Verses of the Chapter 2 A Declaration of the Majesty Power and matchless Excellencies of Jehovah in himself and his wonderful works which Bildad only glanced at And this he performs in the remaining part of the Chapter In this 14 verse holy Job concludes his Meditations and after he had given an Enumeration or Induction of divers particulars he presents unto his friend the whole Fabrick
Closet By this all men are given distinct faces voices and gestures to prevent confusion and that one Relation may perfecty know another By this the wise little Ant nibbles each end of her corne that it may not grow in the Earth The c Nieremb Hist Nat. lib. cap. 11. Cassian Birds are never seen of the Inhabitants but when they need them to eate up their Locusts And the young d Psal 104.24 Ravens are fed when the old ones forsake them By this all States and Kingdoms rise to their vertical points and then decline By this the whole Creation in generall and the Church in speciall is wisely and excellently governed If saith e Rutherford one a creature yea the most excellent of created Angess should sit at the helm of this great World to rule and govern all things 48 hours the Sun would not rise in due time the walls and covering of this great building would fall the Globe of the World would reele too and d Psal 104.24 fro and stagger like a drunken man All would ravell into meet confusion But now who is able throughly to discerne and understand this government of the world by Christ and Angels Many things do seemingly come by chance As the cure of an Ulcer on the Lungs an enemies sword Opening a wound in that place by which the corruption did evacuate to the saving of life 'T was not by chance the Ram ready for sacrifice was intangled in the briars f Gen. 22.8 3â— For there was a Deus providebit Nor was it by g Exod 2.5 chance that King Pharaoh's Daughter found Moses in the Flags She went out to wash h Jun. Tremel Alio quidem consilio sed Deo impulsore ut expositum infantulum reciperet But Gods designe was that she should take up the little Infant When we cannot understand we must learn to admire the wise providence of God and say How ever it be yet God is just Nihil inter Deum hominemque distaret si constlia dispositiones illius Majestatis Aeternae cogitatio assequeretur humana saith i Lactantius in praefat Lactantius There would saith he be no distance between God and man if our Reason and Musing could fathom all his Counsels and Works Thus you see our first Observation illustrated and confirmed that the Lords highest and most excellent works cannot be reached by mans understanstanding For these are part of his ways but how little a portion is heard of him The Inferences follow Inference 1 First See the pride folly presumption and madnesse of such as affirm the contrary Alphonsus thought himself able not onely to know but to correct the Heavenly Orbs. When Eunomius boasted that he knew God his Divinity and Works k Basil Epist 1.68 quae est ad Eunomium Basil to tame the Heretick propounded 21 Queries concerning the little Ant As whether it hath Bones Liver Kidney Heart c. O Lord our governour how super-excellent is thy glory above the Heavens if thy name be thus excellent in one of thy meanest creatures Austin saith l Nieremb Nat. Hist l. 4. cap. 33. p. 69. The Manichees use to aske what need there was that God should make such a multitude of Creatures some no way necessary for Man and others exceeding hurtful unto him But they did not consider Omnia pulchra esse conditori artifici suo qui omnibus utitur ad Gubernationem Vniversitatis That all things are beautiful in the eye of our Creator who also useth them all for the good of the Universe Note If an ignorant person judge many Tooles in the Artificers shop to be needlesse or dangerous yet the skilfull Artist hath a designed and appointed use for them all at one time or other No Tool is superfluous m Gen 1.10 12 18 21 25 31. God pronounced concerning ALL the works of his hands that they were exceeding good Do not pick quarrels with such works of God as you doe not understand For Nature and the God of Nature do nothing in vain Multo facilius inveniet Syderum conditorem humilis pietas quam syderum ordinem superba curiositas saith the most learned n Augustin de Eclyps solâ—s Serm. Father A proud curiosity cannot so easily finde out the order and motion of the Starres and heavenly Orbs as an humble Piety their Wise Creator Inference 2 Secondly see the necessity of Universities and Learning in that with the best helps men doe but stammer when they talke of Gods wonderfull works Zeno thanked God for that shipwrack which drove him to the study of Philosophy and Crates cast his goods into the Sea that he might the more quietly attend it Much Time and Industry are required for any competent knowledge of Gods works Demosthenes travelled in Learning and good Studies 107 years Plato 80. and Socrates 98. Philosophia est rerum humanarum Divinarum scientia non ab hominibus inventa sed splendidissimum Dei Immortalis Donum Philosophy is the knowledge of Divine and Humane things not invented by men but imparted from God Diligence in the study of sacred Scriptures and Naturall Philosophy may bring us to know much of God in his works Peter Ramus from his Youth to his dying day never used by his good will any other Bedding then of straw blaming himselfe if the Artizans were at work before he was at his book Julius Caesar having spent the whole day in the Field about his Military concernments divided the night also after this manner One part for his sleep a second for the CommoÌ„wealth and a third for his Studies It is said of Demosthenes that he spent more Oyle then Wine because he studied so hard not onely by Sun but Lamp-light The study of Philosophy is very usefull for our better understanding many parts of holy Writ which treat of Gods works Julian the better to destroy o Sozomen 1.5 cap. 17. Christianity pulled downe all Schools and Nurseries of good Learning Nam propriis pennis configimur said he They wound and overcome us with our own weapons As the same earth is sweet in the Grape and bitter in the Wormwood and the same odour a refreshment to the Dove and poyson to the Scarabaeus So Philosophy and other humane Learning being qualified with Humility Piety and Charity may be very usefull to edifie the Church which through pride and contempt may also be employed to harmful purposes Inference 3 Thirdly Read what you can of God in the Volumn of Creation and Providence p See Divine Opticks p. 74. ad 79. For though you cannot not comprehend all his works yet so much of God is legible by all men in his creatures as will serve to silence and confound the reprobate Indian who hath not the Gospel 'T is a certain Truth that the Light of Nature without the light of Scripture shall suffice to leave men without excuse For The invisible things of God saith the
Apostle are clearly seene from the creation ef the world being understood by the things that are made even his eternall power and God-head so that they are unexcusable who neglect God in his creatures For the works of God q Calvin in Rom. 1.20 Artificem suum perspicue declarant saith Calvin Thay plainly in large golden Letters declare their wise and all-powerful Creator An Apelles need not put his Name to his Pictures Every judicious eye may read the Author in the worke Protogines well knew Apelles had been at his house when he found a certain line drawn on his Table which he knew no other hand could perform Every spire of Grasse stands up to proclaim a Deity r Dubartas The World 's a Book in Folio Printed all With Gods great works in Letters Capitall Inference 4 Fourthly Let this revive and comfort the Saints that in Heaven they shall attain to more knowledg of God and his works You that know something of God here it is nothing to that which you shall know in Heaven rightly s John 17.3 To know God is eternall life Here Providence may write in very strange and uncouth Characters Though now t Watson in Christian Charter p. 150. our Candle be in a dark Lanthorn and the Saints know not what GOD is a doing yet in Heaven wee shall see the reason of all Transactions and perceive their tendency to fulfill the Promise that u Rom. 8.28 All things shall worke together for good to the Church and people of God In Heaven we shall see divine Promises and Providences kissing each other We Pilgrims see little in this valley of Tears but our Prospect wil be glorious on the mountain of Spices Then you shall see the chiefe of Gods works the most glorious person CHRIST JESUS whom yet your Eyes cannot reach and whom having not seene you love To whose beauty the SUN is but a Globe of darknesse or spot of dirt And in comparison of him all the glory of Men and Angels is but obscurity The name of CHRIST is used by S. Paul five hundred times and no wonder for there be in it a thousand treasures saith Chrysostome Note As many pieces of silver are contained in one piece of gold so all those petty excellencies dispersed among the creatures are more eminently united in CHRIST Yea all the whole volumn of Perfections which is spread through Heaven and Earth is epitomized in CHRIST There also shall you see that goodly City which with reverence spoken God hath been * Mat. 25.34 John 14.2 1 Cor. 2.9 adorning and preparing for his chosen from the foundation of the world Now suppose there were a certain City or Palace on earth as all the men of the world famous for Art had beene rearing from the Creation to this day Note having all the Marble Chrystal Agat Pearl Rubies Diamonds and Emralds in the world to make adorn it with all the Silver and Gold which the creation affords to build it with and all the united strength and wisdome of Men and Angels to erect and furnish it Yet no Believer dare question but this Palace would be a Shepheards Cottage it compared with the New Jerusalem It would be in truth a meere Dungeon to Heaven Nineveh saith Diodorus Siculus had ten thousand Work-men at a time about it yet was 8 yeares in building Pliny saith that three hundred thousand Workmen were employed allong time about the building of Babylon And that the Aegyptian Pyramides had three hundred and sixty thousand men about the raising of them yet could not be finished in 20 yeares The Temple was a goodly structure and said the Jewes was x Iohn 2.20 46 yeares in building In a word The famous Temple of Diana was two hundred twenty years about Now if the World which GOD made in six dayes be so beautifull how glorious then is that y Revel 21. Mat. 25.34 Iohn 14.2 New Jerusalem which God hath been preparing from the foundation of the world And I goe said Christ to prepare a place for you If then you consider this worke of God you may well say with Job concerning ALL his works below here on Earth These are part of his wayes but how little a portion is heard of him Ad to this we shall not only see but enjoy Christ and these glorious things in Heaven Note For enjoying God you possesse all In him is all thine eye ever saw thine heart ever desired thy tongue ever asked thy minde ever conceived that was good Here is all Light in this Sun all Water in this Fountain Thou shalt drink down the refined sweetness of all creatures in Heaven Christ will keep for us the best Wine till last There you shall see and enjoy that New Heaven and new Earth wherein dwelleth righteousnesse So glorious and transcendently beautifull even to astonishment is that work of God that saith the a Isa 65.17 Prophet in comparison thereof the former work of God on earth shall not be remembred nor come into minde Europe is the Garden of the world Italy of Europe and Naples of Italy You may over-praise that or Rome or the Isles where there be two Summers yearely But you cannot over-praise over-thinke or in your ranging thoughts reach Heaven Yet you can fancy Cities made of Gold Rocks of Pearl Mountaines of Diamond and Rivers of Christal Note but all this cometh short of Heaven Assuredly no such trash is found there onely the Lord seeth we are taken with these toyes and he would draw our Mind and Faces thitherward This is certain the visible Heavens are but the ragged Suburbs of that City And all these created things though beautifull and goodly in themselves shall make one Bon-fire when the day of our Coronation comes And so much of the first Point that the Lords highest and most excellent Works cannot be reached by mans understanding Obser 2 The second and main thing intended in the Text and Treatise now comes to be handled which is this that The terrible Meteor of THUNDER accompanied with Lightning is a manifestation of the LORDS Greatnesse and Power the loud Trumpet of his glorious Excellency Majesty and matchlesse perfection In the opening and unfolding of which Truth our Method shall be this viz. To make diligent Enquiry 1 How this Expression of holy Job's may be taken and understood The Thunder of his Power who can understand 2 What THUNDER is What its Name Nature and effects are still keeping this of Job in our eye that no man can fully understand much lesse expresse what it is 3. Whether the Author be any other then God 4 In what cases especially GOD hath manifested or will discover to the Sons of men his Power and Glory by supernatural THUNDER Enquiry 1 First Let us enquire how this Expression of Jobs may be rendred and expounded The thunder of his power who can understand To which I answer from the best b Mr. Caryl
Jupiter but the great and eternall God Therefore although we may conjecture at the naturall causes of Thunder yet 't is safest to ascribe Thunder unto God as the prime Agent and Cause Efficient 2 Though God be the chief Author and Orderer of Thunder There may notwithstanding be other Instrumentall causes thereof all commissionated bounded and limited by the Lord. 1 Good Angels have some Influence on Thunder It is certain e Lawrence of Angels p. 34. saith one they can do any thing which Nature can doe They can move the Heavens They can move all corporall things almost in an instant They can stir Tempests move Waters and Windes They slew the powerful Army of Senacherib They brought Peter and the Apostles out of prison Blesse the Lord all yee f Psal 10.10 Angels which are mighty in strength which do his will They could make a g a Reg. 7.6 sound of many horses to be heard by the King of Assyria to his great amazement And by the same delegated power they can raise storms and tempests and make Thunder-claps in the aire You read in the Epistle to the h Heb. 2.2 Hebrews of the word spoken by Angels i Simler One thus expounds it That the Thunder and Lightning and sound of the Trumpet were caused by the Ministry of good Angels when the Law was given Concerning the great power of Elect Angels I have k In the Deputation of Angels p. 91 92. treated else-where If the l 1 Thes 4.16 voice of an Arch-angel will be so loud and terrible as to awaken all that are in their Graves Then much more have Angels power to move Thunder which is a whisper to that Have the Angels power to raise an Earthquake which the m Mat. 28.2 Gospel affirms then what should hinder but they have power if commissionated by the Lord to shake all the clouds break them asunder and so raise Thunder and Lightnings Nay 2 The fallen Angels if permitted can do it Satan we know hath a Principality in the n Ephes 2 2. Aire the place where these Meteors are ingendred o Mr. Medes Diatribae p. 99. ad 107. Learned Mede thinks it probable that all the Devils have their seat and Mansion there and not in Hell till the day of Judgement Nay p Hieronimus in Eph. 6. Jerome saith it is the Opinion of all the Learned that the Devils have their Mansion and Residence in the space between Heaven and Earth If so then their habitation and abode is in the place where Thunders and Lightnings are hatched and where Thunder-bolts are coyned As also where those Bullets the Haile-stones are moulded Devils have power to shake the Aire and raise mighty gusts of Winde by Land or Sea else the windes could not so commonly be sold by the Laplanders to the Merchants that desire them for Navigation Note Satan could not be Prince of the Aire unlesse he had some power and train in that Element above the other 3 Elements besides q Mr Jenkins on Jude 9. Vol. 2. p. 61. One saith he is hurtfull to men by Tempests Winds and Fires r Zan hius in Ephes 2. Tom. 6. p. 51 Zanchy observes the Devils hover in the aire Inde nos observare tentare invadere animalia homines excitare tempestates Multaque denique mala hominibus dare To watch tempt invade us and other creatures and send many evils on mankinde Neither is the word silent in this particular He Å¿ Psalm 78.48 49. gave up their cattel also to the haile their flocks to hot Thunder-bolts he cast upon them the fiercenesse of his anger wrath indignation and trouble by sending evill Angels among them These evill Angels were instrumentall causes of Blood Locusts Hail Frost Frogs croaking on earth and Thunder ratling in the aire t Iob 1.11.16 18 19. So when Satans Commission against Job was once signed he soon brought a Whirl-winde upon his Children and Fire in all likelihood u Fulgur Maximum Iun. flashes of Lightning on his Cattel and People to their ruine and destruction A Writer on that w Mr. Caryl on Iob Vol. 1. p. 162.176 place tels us Satan the Prince of the Air can do mighty things command much in that Magazine of Heaven where that dreadfull Artillery those fiery Meteors Thunder and Lightning are lodged and stored up Satan let loose by God can do wonders in the Aire Hee can raise storms He can discharge the great Ordnance of Heaven Thunder and Lightning And by his Art he can make them more terrible and dreadfull then they are by Nature He can so inrage them that no man is able to withstand their violence All this they do x Apoc. 7.1 ad 3. not by any absolute power of their own but meerly as Tyrants By the Lords commission saith Bullinger And ut y Zanchius Tom. 2. p. 51. Divinorum judiciorum executores saith Zanchy Barely as the Executioners of Divine Judgements Enquiry 4 Fourthly We proceed to enquire in what Cases especially and on what occasions the Lord Hath manifested or Will discover his own power and glory by Thunder in an extraordinary and supernatural manner I answer chiefly 1 At the Castigation of his and the Churches Enemies in Battell or otherwise 2 At the Delivery of the Morall Law on Mount Sinai 3 At the Promulgation of the Gospell 4 At the grand Assizes and dissolution of all things First 1 At the castigation of the Churches enemies at the Castigation of Gods and the Churches Enemies the bloody Persecutors of the Saints God hath had divers wayes of destroying his Enemies besides potent numerous valiant and well disciplin'd Armies As by Gideous 300 men The sound of Rams horns before Jericho Moses Rod Shamgers Goad Sampsons Jaw-bone and little Davids Sling He can destroy whole hosts of enemies by a z Isa 41.16 Whirlwind nay a a 2 Reg. 19.7 Blast He smiteth the b Psalm 46.9 horse and rider with madnesse breaks the Bow cutteth the speare in sunder and burneth their Charets in the fire saith the Psalmist The e Judg. 5.20 Stars in their course fight against Sisera by their d Annotations in locum Influences raising up storms and Tempests against him and his Host say Commentators The e Iosh 10.11 Lord discomfited the Enemies of Joshuah by Hail-stones from Heaven The like he hath done by THUNDER and LIGHTNING See Exod. 9. The Lord fought against Pharaoh by f Exod 9.23 28. Thunder and Haile the fire ran along upon the ground so there were mighty thundrings and fire mingled with haile very grievous which smote all that was in the field man beast herb and trees Whereupon g Origen in loc Hom. 4. Origen writes thus Vide temperamentum Divinae correptionis Non cum silentio verberat sed dat voces Doctrinam caelitus mittit perquam possit culpam suam mundus agnoscere He did not
only smite but instruct them by Thunder his Voice from Heaven and also by Moses his Admonitions In this Judgement the four Elements did meet and conspire to vex Pharaoh who had vexed Israel Aire in the Thunder Water in the Haile Fire in the Lightning and Earth in the Thunder-bolt if any there was Thus also the Lord destroyed the h 1 Sam. 7.10 Enemies of Samuel by Thunder The story saith that Samuel cryed unto the Lord and the Lord heard him and thundred with a great thunder that day upon the Philistims and discomfited them and they were smitten before Israel In the same manner did the Lord of Hosts treat the enemies of i 2 Sam. 22.14 15. Psal 18.13 14. David For he thundred from Heaven and the most High uttered his voyce he sent out Arrows and scattered them Lightning and discomfited them c. Here are three clear examples of the Lords chastising and fighting against his Enemies with Lightnings as shining Launces glittering Swords and Spears And with Thunder-claps as so many roaring and murdering Canon We need not therefore stay here to enquire whether that Fire that came down k Gen. 19. on Sodome or that on Nadab and Abihu or that on the l Numb 16.35 250 that offered incense were any other then violent Lightning from Heaven I will onely adde two famous instances recorded in Ecclesiasticall story We read of Anastatius the Emperour a bitter enemy and persecutor of the Church that God destroyed him by a Thunder-bolt from Heaven Also m Mornaus de Verit. Relig. Christ ca. 32 p. 350. under Marcus Aurelius there was a gallant Regiment wholly formed of Christians who when they were exceedingly straightned by their Enemies in Germany obtained by their fervent unanimous prayers hot Thunder-stones from Heaven to rout their Enemies accompanied with blessed showers to refresh themselves then ready to perish with extream heat and thirst whereupon they were ever after called the THUNDRING LEGION Secondly 2 At the delivery of the Law we read of extraordinary and supernatural Thunder when the Morall Law was delivered on Mount-Sinai n Exod. 19.16 18. Exod. 19. And it came to passe on the third day in the morning that there were Thunders and Lightnings and a thick Cloud upon the Mount and the voice of the Trumpet exceeding loud so that all the people that was in the Camp trembled After this God spake and delivered his Will in the ten Precepts which also he wrote with his own finger on o Exod. 32.15 Tables of Stone which were all made of Saphir say the Rabbins In p 1 Reg. 19.17 18. such a terrible way did the Lord appeare to Elias For there came a strong winde which rent the Mountaines and Rocks after this an Earth-quake then a Fire most likely a flash of Lightning after all this a still small voice was heard Quest Let us modestly enquire why the Lord being now about to reveale his Will to his People made divers Thunders to found as Trumpets before he gave his Decrees Of this eight Reasons may be given As Answer 1 First hereby was declared the Power Greatnesss and Majesty of the Law-giver Vt disceret populus eum magni aestimare that the people might learn to esteem him God did this q Dr. Willet on Exod. 19. Tanquam Imperatore praesente As if a great Emperour were coming before whom they use to blow Trumpets saith Chrysostom Commovit omnia Elementa saith another He shook all the four Elements that they might know he had power over all things Aire in the Thunder and Trumpet Water in the thicke and dark r Congruit Nubes in functionem legalem quae tenebrarum est non Lucis Cloud Fire in the Lightning and the Earth in the shaking and smoaking of the Mountains It is thus elegantly set forth by a Å¿ Bishop Halls Contemplations lib. 5. of the Law p. 827. Learned Writer of our Church in these words God was ever wonderfull in his Works and fearful in his judgments But he was never so terrible in the execution of his Will as now in the Promulgation of it Here was nothing but a Majesticall terrour in the Eyes in the Eares of the Israelites As if God meant to shew them by this how fearfull he could be Here was the Lightning darted in their eyes the Thunders roaring in their eares the Trumpet of God drowning the Thunder-claps the Voice of God out-speaking the Trumpet of the Angell The cloud enwrapping the smoake ascending the Fire flaming the Mount trembling Moses climbing and quaking Paleness and Death in the face of Israel uproar in the Elements and all the glory of Heaven turned into terrour In the destruction of the first World there were clouds without fire in the destruction of Sodome there was fire raining without clouds But here was fire smoak clouds thunder Earthquakes and whatsoever might work more astonishment then ever was in any vengeance inflicted But alasse the foolish Gods of the Heathens Aegyptians could do none of these things Answer 2 2 This was done to declare the imbecility infirmity and weaknesse of the Law-receivers and so beat down the Peacock Plumes that no flesh might glory in his presence Even t Exod. 26.19 Heb. 12.21 Moses quaked and trembled with the rest of the people As the eye of an Owle saith Lyranus twinkles at the Sun-light so the minde and understanding of man is stunn'd and dazled in Divine things Before the people thought they were holy but now they saw all their cleansing and holinesse was nothing worth For they were not able to abide in Gods presence nor hear his voice The Light on Mount-Sinai did help to see themselves miserable The Law would humble and fit us for mercy Let us see our selves lost creatures that the Law may be a Schoolmaster to bring us to Christ Such a Schoolmaster as that u Lightfoots Miscelanys cap. 60. Livy speaks of in Italy who brought forth his children intrusted with him to Hannibal so that if Hannibal had not been more merciful then ordinary they had all perished The Law doth not bring us to Christ to shew how well we can say our Lesson but to lay us prostrate at his foot for our neglect and inability We cannot keep the commands either w Anthony Burges Refin collectively ALL without failing in some or distributively there being not ONE command that any meere Man at any time can keep exactly The best may attain to do it x Austine Sine crimine non sine vitio without enormities perhaps but not without failings Answer 3 3 The Law was given with Thunder Lightning Trumpet and Earthquake to shew the Laws terrour to an awakened conscience allowing it selfe in sin 'T is said the Lawes of Drace the Athenian Legislator were writ in blood The Law of God was not so Yet accompanied with great solemnities and matter of astonishment to shew hee will not endure it shall
an apparition in a Cloud Lightning having no Representation That by this meanes the People might have no occasion to commit Idolatry As God himselfe saith Deut. 4.15 Take heed to your selves for yee saw no Image in the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb. For which Reason m Deut. 24.6 also the Lord did not let them know where Moses was buried lest the superstitious people should have worshipped his Dust and gone in tedious pilgrimages to his Grave Answ 7 7ly Gods delivering the Law with Thunder foreshewed the severity of the last day when all must be accountable how that Royall Law hath beene kept or wilfully broken For if the Law was so terrible when it was given then it n Bishop Babington on Exod 19. p. 278. shews there will be a blacke and tempestuous day when all the breaches of that Law shall be judged But of this we shall say more hereafter Answ 8 Lastly It might have this mysticall signification or application Thunder might set forth God the Father the Cloud God the Son who by assuming our humane nature shadowed the glory of the Deity drawing as it were a cloud or curtain before it The Lightning might set forth the Holy Ghost mighty in his operation shooting his Influences into the soule And the Trumpet might fignifie Angels that publish and make known his Will and delight to celebrate his Praise Thus you see why the Law was ushered in with Thunder Lightnings the sound of a Trumpet with the shaking and smoaking of the Mount in a supernaturall and miraculous way Thirdly 3 At the promulgation of the Gospel We read of extraordinary Thunder at the Promulgation and for the confirmation of the Gospel a circumstance it may be not commonly known nor considered Here I will shew the Reader in generall that the Gospel was ratified and confirmed by divers Miracles and then in particular by supernatural Thunder and voices from Heaven 1 The Gospel was confirmed by great and wonderfull o Hugh Grotius de verit Relig Chr. miracles In its infancy it was crowned and supported by divers p Hildersham on John p. 332. 396. Baxters Rest part 2. p. 223. Miracles as giving Food to the hungry health to the sick and sight to one that was borne blinde Marvellous was his conception in the wombe of a Virgin The miraculous Star appearing at his Birth was observed by the Chaldean Astronomers who came and offered rich Presents to Christ Now the wonderfull Miracles wrought by Christ Proved the Gospel to be of God As his turning water into Wine His dispossessing of Devils his raising q Acts 17.31 Rom. 1.4 others that were dead and himselfe the Third day according to the Scriptures Note Moreover the Sun was ecclipsed at his Passion in the 14 day of the Moon when she was fully opposed to the Sun so by Nature it was impossible To which we may add his Ascention and the ceasing of the Oracles All these gave in irrefragable Testimonies to the Gospel Divers of which Miracles as done by Christ the Hebrew Talmud doth grant r Iosephus Antiq. Iud. lib. 18. cap. 4. Josephus confesseth them Å¿ Huart his Trial of Wits cap. 14. p. 258. Publius Lentulus wrote of them from Jerusalem to the Roman Senate Nay Colsus and Julian deny them not If it should be here objected that many Prophets wrought Miracles before Christ How then did Miracles proclaim Christ to be the Saviour The judicious t Despagnes new observations on the Creed p. 79. ad 87. Despagnes hath very well untied this Knot 1 Before Christ Miracles were rare Few Men had power to work them and no ONE person did worke many 2 No Miracle was wrought for well neare 800 yeares before Christ So no Person working any Miracles came any thing near the time in which the Messiah was expected Note Therefore John the Baptist so noted a Prophet had yet no power of working Miracles Note 3 None of those of whom Christ is Descended according to the flesh had ability to work Miracles And none of the Tribe of Judah had ever that power or priviledge till our Saviours appearance because he was to come of that Tribe 2 And more particularly the Gospel was confirmed with a Voice from Heaven and supernaturall Thunder to usher it in This I shall prove or at least render probable by three sorts of Testimonies and then proceed to the Reasons why it was so The 3 Testimonies are these and a Triple cord is not easily broken The first and best from Gods word 1 Testimonies from the word Iohn 12.28 29. Father glorifie thy Name Then came there a voice from heaven saying I have both glorified it and will glorifie it again The people therefore that stood by and heard it said that it Thundered Now that really it did Thunder seems very probable because of the number nearnesse and confidence of them that heard and attested it 1 Their number Not one man but the People 2 Their nearnesse Not the People who stood afar off and heard a confused noise but the People that stood close by knew it to be Thunder 3 Their confidence They said it thundred without a peradventure or we suppose it Thunders Obser Some tell us others were not of their minde for it followeth in the same u Jobn 12.29 place Some said an Angell spake to him Solution Yet this might not be opposed to the former assertion of the People that said It thundred but rather be directed to that Voice which immediately followed the Thunder-clap saying I have glorifled it and will glorifie it againe Some of the People conceived these words were uttered to Christ by an Angell when indeed they were spoken by the Father of Christ to whom our Saviour had spoken just before When God revealed the things of Christs Kingdom to St. John Thunder was oftentimes the Prologue to make room for their better reception and that all others and not John onely might give the more heed to those a Rev. 4.1 5. Rev. 6.1 Revel 8.5 Revelations Rev. 4. The first voice which I heard was as it were a Trumpet talking to me which said come up hither and I will shew thee things which shall be hereafter And out of the Throne proceeded Thundrings Lightnings and Voyces So again Rev. 6. And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the Seales and I heard as it were the noise of Thunder one of the four Beasts saying come and see So again Rev. 8. And there were Voices Thunarings and Lightnings and an Earth-quake and the 7 Angels which had the seven Trumpets prepared themselves to sound The like Thundrings St. John heard at other times of his b Revel 14.2 Revel 19.6 Prophesie Mat. 17.5 You read there was a voice spake unto Christ in the Syriack it is Filia vocis The Daughter of a voice By which the Hebrews mean a Voice or Discourse following some Thunder-clap Secondly
2 Testimonies from learned Authors there be some Testimonies from Learned Writers that the Gospell was sealed and confirmed by Thunder Pignetus c Pignetus in Apoc. writing of that Thunder mentioned Rev. 8.5 saith thus Habet quiddam simile exordium Evangelicae praedicationis cum initio Promulgationis legis Exod. 19. The beginning of the Gospell is something like to that of the Law in the 19th of Exodus Rupertus saith God did proclaim the fulnesse of Christ and excellency of the Gospell with claps of Thunder Cornelius a Lapide saith that voice of Christ was voted Thunder by the People John 12. Quia vox haec maxima Crassisima Resonantissima erat instar tonitrui because it was a great and roaring voice like unto Thunder But if so loud as to be like it then surely it was all one as to the Peoples satisfaction as if it had been Thunder indeed Our d Annotatiōs on John 12.29 Annotations say it was no obscure whisper but loud as Thunder My reverend Unkle the Learned Dr. Hammond is very particular on this occasion He e Dr Hammond of the Reasonablenesse of Christian Religion Sect. 7. ad 11. p. 14. ad 22. affirmes this testimony of Thunder was three times given to the Gospel 1 At the Baptisme of Christ when the Heavens were opened or miraculously parted by Thunder the Dove descended and the voice followed This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased heare ye him 2 In the presence of three sober Men Peter James and John Behold there came a lightsome cloud to overshadow them and a voice out of the cloud followed 3 Not long before his death when he was praying to his Father a Voice came to him and the People said it thundred Thirdly to this add 3 Testimonies from the Gospels enemies that there have been Testimonies from the Gospels enemies Pulchrum est Testimonium quo nostra probantur ab hostibus saith Aristotle Ad probandam veritatem nihil efficatius testimonio adversariorū saith Gregory Nothing confirms our Opinion like the testimony of an Enemy So the f Acts 23.9 Scribes bitter foes to the Gospel said to the Sadduces concerning Paul earnestly preaching Christ that they found not any evill in him But if an Angell hath spoken to him let us not fight against God So Gamaliel a g Acts 5.39 Pharisee and grave Doctor of the Law advised the People Not to persecute the followers of Christ lest they be found to fight against God q. d. who hath confirmed Christianity by so many Miracles and Voices from Heaven When Christ was at Jerusalem in the midst of his bitter enemies assembled at the Feast of the Passeover and crowding after him out of novelty to see his Miracles Yet h Iohn 12 12 29 37 38. when God spake to Christ from Heaven this People confessed there was THUNDER joyned with the Voice John 12. But mark what followeth Though he had done so many miracles before them yet they believed not in him that the words of Esaias might be fulfilled who hath believed our report Now observe it well these incredulous stiff-necked Jewes though their eyes were blinded their hearts hardned that they would not receive CHRIST in the Gospel yet they confessed that a Voice bare witnesse to him from Heaven accompanied by Thunder and that themselves heard both the one and the other Next i Acts 22.1 ad 12. that of Saul is considerable Acts 22. He was an eminent Jew by Sect a Pharisee and through zeale a persecutor of the Gospel and its professors He k Acts 7.58 9.1 received the Garments of those that stoned Steven got Commissions also from the High Priests to persecute the Christians that were in Damascus Now heare his confession and relation of that which hapned to him by the way When I was come nigh to Damascus about noon suddenly there shone from Heaven a great light round about me and I fell unto the ground and heard a voice saying unto me Saul Saul why persecutest thou me c. These things were not done privately but were known to the Sanhedrin and there was company with him on the way There is a seeming difference in the Relations but the present reconciling thereof will strengthen our present observation l Acts 9.7 22.9 reconciled One place saith they stood speechlesse heard a voice but saw no man Another place saith They saw indeed the light and were afraid but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me Now m Dr Hamm. Reas Christian Religion p. 21. observe the same word in the Hebrew which signifieth a Voice signifieth Thunder also So where it is said They heard the voice the sense is this They heard the THUNDER attending the Flash of Lightning which encompassed St. Paul And when it is said They heard not the Voice It is explained in the words following They heard not the Voice of him that spake to him It should seeme St. Paul onely heard that But by St. Pauls answers and the consequent change of his principles and life the rest also came to know it very well The truth of this story St. Paul did boldly avow before the Jewes and Romans that questioned him about his change He became out of hand a Preacher an Apostle of the Gospel and at length sealed it with his Blood For he was beheaded saith n Euseb Hist Eccles lib. 8. cap. 18. Eusebius under Dioclesian praying for the Jewes and Gentiles For the Multitude assembled For the Judge also and Executioner that his Death might not one day be laid unto their charge Thus you see the confirmation of the Gospel by Thunder and Voices from Heaven attested by the Word of God judgement of Learned Men and confession of the Gospels Adversaries Quest But why was it thus Answer I answer for such Reasons as these 1 This was the highest Testimony that could well be given For it is not easily imaginable that there should be any greater assurance of the Gospels verity then that which may be reaped out of Gods speaking to us from Heaven in its behalf The violent cleaving or opening the Heavens and from thence the holy Spirit descending in a visible shape and lighting on Christ And out of the clouds a voice delivered to mortal men with Thunder Lightning Surely if this will not convince and satisfie us nothing will Answer 2 Again this was ordinary among the Jewes and under the second Temple the onely way of Gods revealing himselfe to the people Quod solum firme Oraculi genus temporibus Templi secundi restabat saith Learned o Hugh Grorius in Ioan. 12. p. 965. Grotius writing of the Voice from Heaven Note Moreover it is a thing expected of the Jewes that when the Messiah comes he shall be ushered with Thunder Therefore when it thundreth the Jewes light up Candles p Weems Vol. 2. lib. 1. cap. 2. p. 12. saith Weems hoping to see
themselves Psal 29. Give h Psal 29.1 3 5. unto the Lord O ye mighty glory and strength The God of glory thundreth His voice breaketh the Cedars He would have the great and mighty Potentates on Earth give glory to the Highest when he thundreth And lest they should be puffed up with their owne borrowed and momentary greatnesse which is nothing to his the Kingly Prophet doubleth his charge Give unto the Lord O ye mighty give unto the Lord glory and strength Yet he is not contented with this but reinforceth his charge in the second verse Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his Name Hereby he would give us to understand that Kings Magistrates and great men called by what title soever should reflect upon themselves when it Thundreth and know there is one in Heaven to whom they must give account who is infinitely greater then themselves Therefore as it is their Priviledge to Rule under him so it will be their wisdome and Honour to Rule for him Else God is able to crush and break the Cedars yea the Cedars of Lebanon None are so great but he is able by Thunder or otherwayes to humble them if they clash against the interest of Christ Zanchy i Zanchius Tom. 3. lib. 3. cap. 3. p. 360. writing of the Thunderbolt saith Quae Regum potentia apponi posset What power of Kings or strength of Palaces though built of Marble is able to resist it Claudius thought himselfe a God till the loud Thunder affrighted him then he hid himselfe and cried Claudius non est Deus Claudius is not a God Methinks I heare God speaking to every great Potentate as once to Job k Iob 40.6 9 10. when the Lord answered him out of a Whirl-wind Canst thou thunder with a voice like him Decke thy selfe now with Majesty and excellency and array thy selfe with glory and beauty cast abroad the rage of thy wrath and abase the proud q. d. Do all these things if thou canst which are done by the Lord and no creature can tread in his steps There is none like unto thee O Lord Thou art great and thy Name is great in might O who would not feare thee O King of Nations l Ier. 10.6 7. saith the Prophet Jeremy 2 Let all persons feare before the Lord and humble themselves in the time of Thunder Job 37. At this also my heart trembleth and is moved out of his place Heare attentively the noise of his voice m Iob 37.1 2. the sound that goeth out of his mouth He speaks this of Thunder The Lord saith n Zanch. Tom. 3. lib. 3 cap. 3. p. 360. Zanchy is able to send as many Thunderbolts as you have seen Hailstones in a storm if he pleaseth Then Quo se miseri mortales verterent Which way would poor Mortals turn themselves Feare therefore and tremble when you muse of the unlimited power and Majesty of God o Petron. Primus in Orbe Deos fecit timor The feare that is in men did first bringthem to acknowledg a Deity Propterea tonitrua propterea fulminum terrores ne bonitas Dei contemnatur saith p Basil Proaen ad Reg. fusius disputatas Basil very well For this very end saith he are Thunders and the terrours of Lightning lest the patience and goodnesse of GOD should be despised by us Let us feare before the greatnesse of God whose voice it is q Iob 37.1 2d 6. Elihu reasoned for God by the consideration of his power in this wonderfull work as you may see in Job 37. God thundreth marvellously with his voice Great things doth he which we cannot comprehend David hath penn'd a Psalm * Psal 29.9 purposely to adore God in this Meteor and hopes that in his Temple every man doth speak of his glory q. d. Whosoever observes God in Thunder and Lightning will adore his terrible Out-goings and magnifie him in the Temple and say Glory be to God on high When it thundreth sit downe and reason thus with thy selfe What if God should now strike me in my sin Could I welcome that Angell that should swear Thy hourglasse is run Time shall be no more Can I clearely evidence my interest in Christ Am I now busied in the Work of God Do I now employ my selfe in that which is lawfull will my rest be safe and may I safely and comfortably sleep till this THUNDER is over The night being come appointed for rest and sleep Note 'T is to me a marvell how an unpardoned sinner dare goe to sleep when it thundreth who for ought he knows may feel the hand of God and awake in Hell-fire A Thunder-bolt having parted his soule and body 'T is better with Evagrius to lye secure on a bed of Straw then have r Sin will Turpare Turbare It brings a staine sting a foul and turbulent conscience on a bed of Down having Curtains emboss'd with Gold and Pearl We eate drink and sleep saith ſ Hugo de Animâ lib. 3. Hugo as if the day of Judgement were past over Well might Augustus send to buy that Bed on which a man indebted could sleep Till God hath crossed our Debt book in Heaven I cannot believe any sleep to be sound or safe So then at all Times by Day and Night when you hear a confused noise of Thunder afar off begin to call in thy stragling thoughts to God But especially in its nearest approaches let thy heart be smitten with an awe of God and thinke with thy selfe Note One clap was so near that sure it was directed to the house where thou livest to the heart which thou lodgest Duty 2 Secondly Get into the cleft of the Rock and under the wing of Christ by Faith and Supplications and then thou art safe in the time of Thunder and Lightning t Jer. 26.20 Enter into thy chamber and shut the doore hide thy selfe as it were for a little while untill the Lords indignation be over-past Fly to GOD in JESUS CHRIST alone for protection that you may receive no injury by Thunder and Lightning Think not that any thing else will secure you besides this For 1 Some repair unto the strongest places for defence and shelter either in their owne houses or some where else changing their seats and shifting from place to place for their preservation So Augustus when it thundred fled under strong Arches and hollow dark Vaults for his protection But Dura resistunt Porosa autem fulmini transitum praebent Strong places doe chiefly feele the power and fury of a Thunder-bolt when it may be weake porous and yielding things give way and escape unhumbled Your white and cleare Lightning is said to have wonderfull Operations As to u Aristot Meteor lib. 3. cap. 1. melt the Blade spare the scabbard Dry up the Wine leave the Pipe entire Kill the Embrio not hurting the Mother So I w Plin. Nat. Hist lib. 2. cap. 51. read
k Eccles 9.1 Love or Hatred by any outward Dispensations Thinke not l Luke 13.4 saith Christ that those 18 men on whom the Tower in Siloe fell and slew them were sinners above all that dwelt in Jerusalem I tell you nay If we should judge thus We might condemn the generation of Gods children who have suffered as much if not m Lam. 4 6. Dan. 9.12 more then any others in the world one way or other 2 sometimes they are in bad places or employments with the wicked and then no marvell if the good be swept away with the bad Thus the Carkases of Moses and Aaron fell in the Wildernesse they proving incredulous with the rest of the people 3 It may be the Lord foreseeth greater evills and tryals would befall them in case they escaped Thus Josiah was slain in Battel yet because he lived not to see the miseries of succeeding times n Dr. Gouge his 3 Arrows p. 18. he is said to Goe unto the grave in peace 4 Hereby the Lord doth allarm and warn all wicked men and Hereticks what to o 1 Pet. 4.17 expect at his hands seeing he deales thus ruggedly and severely with his own children many times 5 Though some of Gods children should suffer by the Pestilence Thunder or War yet usually he doth preserve his People in such perillous times So Lot p 2 Pet. 2.9 Ezek. 9.4 6. Rev. 18.4 was pulled out of Sodome that he might not be destroyed with Lightnings and Fire from Heaven The three Children escaped the Fire and Noah the Deluge the Lord often marking out his People that Temporal calamities do not lay hands upon them 6 If Saints perish by Thunder-bolts or any other untimely sudden fearfull death they yet receive no injury in these Dispensations Note For hereby they are but hastned into Heaven though with Eliah in a fiery or bloody charet The Lord doth them no wrong to hurry them out of sin temptation misery and mortality into an estate of glory and blisse eternall so turning them over from Faith to Vision from Expectation to Fruition Mala quae sancti patiuntur ad Deum ire compellūt saith Gregory All fearfull Disasters which rob the SAINTS of Life do but serve as a rough winde to blow them suddenly into their desired Haven I mean Heaven Quid interest utrum Febris an ferrum de corpore solverit Non quâ occasione sed quales ad se exeant Dominus attendit in servis suis saith q Aug Epist 122. ad vict Austin very well It matters not say I whether a burning Feaver or flash of Lightning whether a stone in thy Bladder or Thunderstone in thy Head send thee out of this miserable world God minds not saith Austin the immediate occasion of thy coming to him but the condition and posture thy soul is in when it cometh The thing which God looks at is whether thou art growing on the Crab-stock of the First Adam or art ingrafted into Jesus Christ Sancti qui mala temporalia patiuntur habent suas consolationes spem futuri seculi saith the r Aug. Ibid. same Father In all their sufferings they have this Cordial the hope of a blessed Eternity with God Thus you see what to think of good men dying by Lightning Tempests and Thunder-bolts Comfort 3 3 Thunder and Lightning have bin serviceable to the Saints and may be again Note Lightning came from heaven to kindle their Sacrifice and manifest that God was with them So probably for Abel as Jerome and others think for the Lord by some outward and visible ſ Gen. 4.4 Testimony did approve of the Sacrifice of Abel not of Cain And most likely by sending a Fire from Heaven to kindle the wood for Sacrifice But 't is certain he dealt thus with the t 1 Reg. 18.38 Levit. 9.24 2 Par. 7.1 Sacrifices of Elijah and of Moses and Aaron and King Solomon When the People saw it they marvelled and cried out The Lord he is God So it may be a flash of Lightning rendred that Charet fiery that had u 2 Reg. 2.11 Elijah to Heaven in the Whirl-wind through the help of flaming Seraphims and blessed Angels that encompassed and drew the Charet to Heaven Again Thunder and Lightning have appeared in behalfe of the Church against such as were enemies to her truth or peace 1 To her Truth So Fire w Levit. 10.2 came and destroyed Nadab and Abihu for offering strange fire before the Lord to shew us Humana non ad miscenda divinis saith Procopius that humane fancies must not intermingle with divine things We must take heed saith Calvin that we do not alay his worship with mans inventions Note Now that the fire by which Nadab and Abihu were slaine was no other then Lightning is to me very probable in that neither their Bodies nor Garments were touched or burned by the flame as you may gather from the x Levit. 10.4 5. following discourse for they were carried forth in their Coates to be buried Lightning is of a subtle nature and might pierce their inward parts not hurting the outward Some Lightnings kill Penetrando non comburendo This Fire being coelestiall rather then purely Elementary consumes not the things which have pores and passages but rather where it finds resistance as it melts the silver not hurting the purse So their Flesh and Garments being full of pores might give way to the flash and y Annotat. in Locum Tostatus yet it might suffocate the spirits and by drinking up the radicall moisture cause Death Olympus the Arrian Heritick bathing himself uttered words against the blessed Trinity z Theatre of Gods judgements lib. 1. cap. 9. p. 64. but a three-fold Thunder-bolt strook him dead in the same place The complices of Corah Datha◠and Abiram a Numb 16.35 who usurped the Priests Office were destroyed with Fire from the Lord. A warning-piece for such as now usurp the Ministerial Function uncur'd uncal'd un-ordained Let them take heed lest Thunder and Lightning be their ruine when they presume to vent their illiterate crude incoherent and blasphemous stuffe These are not Pastors but Impostors St. Paul saith How shall they preach except they be sent What have they to do with his honour unlesse b Heb. 5.4 Called of God as was Aaron Let the Reader consult that notable place Zech. 13. from the third verse to the fifth And oh that such men would make the like acknowledgment in these dayes and humbly acquiesce in their former course and c ◠Cor. 7.24 1 Thes 4.11 Trade of life Let Magistrates take heed of d 1 Reg. 12.31 Jeroboams sin who suffered the lowest of the people to invade the Priest-hood Nay e 1 Reg. 13.33 any that had an itch towards it This became sin to the house of Jeroboam even to cut it off and destroy it from the face of the earth We are Ambassadors for