and the starres shall fall from heauen Meaning thereby that the most glorious and bright-shining creatures shall be clouded and obscured by the vnconceiuable brightnesse of Christs comming Moreouer is noted vnto vs the terrour of Christs comming in this that immediatly before it the very sea shall quake and tremble and in his kind crie out For it is said that the sea shall roare and make a noise in most doleful and lugubrious manner and mens hearts shall faile them for feare and for looking after those things which shall come on the world for the powers of heauen shall be shaken Oh what shal become of swearers drunkards whore-mongers such like in that day They shall séeke to créepe into an auger hole to hide their heads They shall then cry wo and alas that euer they were borne They shal wish that they had neuer béen borne or that their mother had born them toads And as it is said in the Apocalyps They shall say to the mountains and rocks Fall on vs and hide vs from the presence of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lambe For the great day of his wrath is come and who can stand We sée therfore that the comming of Christ shall not be base and contemptible as in his first visitation but it shall bée most terrible princely and glorious And as the Scriptures doe affirme that his comming shall bee with great terror and dread so also they doe shew that it shall bée very sudden and vnlooked for For the day of the Lord shall come as a theefe in the night as the trauell that commeth vpon a woman As a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the earth That is it shall suddenly catch and intangle all men wheresoeuer they bée in the world As the Earthquake which was some twentie yéeres agoe did suddenly take the world tardy they not thinking of any such matter So shall the comming of the sonne of man to iudgement take the world tardy and vnprepared For few there be that thinke of any such matter Sith therefore the second appearing of Christ shall bée with such suddennesse let vs feare and tremble for all sudden things are to be feared Phila. Well sir as you haue shewed vs the terror and suddennesse of Christs comming so shew vs the purpose and end of his comming Theol. The principall end of his comming shall be to kéepe a generall audit to call all men to an account to haue a reckening of euery mans particular actions to reward them according to their déeds as it is written The Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his Angels and then shall he giue to euery man according to his deeds Againe the Apostle saith to the Corinthians We must all appeare before the iudgement seat of Christ that euery man may receiue the things which are done in his body according to that which he hath done whether it be good or euill Héere wée doe plainely sée that the end of Christs comming shall be to iudge euery man according to his works that is as his works shall declare him and testifie of him and of his faith In another place the Apostle saith That the end of his comming shall be to render vengeance vnto them which know not God and which obey not the Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ which shall be punished with euerlasting perdition from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power Woe then vnto two sorts of men the ignorant the disobedient For the Apostle saith flatly they both shall be damned Me thinketh both the ignorant disobedient all other prophane men shold tremble to thinke of this that Christ shall come to render vengeance vnto them If we did certainely know that the Spaniard should inuade our Nation ouerrunne it and make a conquest of it that he should shead our blood destroy vs and make a massacre amongest vs yea that wée should sée our wiues our children our kindred and deare friends slaine before our faces so as their blood should streame in the stréets what a wonderfull feare and terrour would it strike into vs we would quake to thinke of it Shall we not then be much more afraide of the damnation of our soules Shall we not quake to think that Christ shall com to take vengeance If the Lion roare all the beast of the field tremble and shall not we be afraid of the roaring of the Lion of the Tribe of Iudah But alas we are so hard hearted and so rockt aslepe in the cradle of security that nothing can mooue vs nothing can awake vs. Phila. Now as you haue shewed vs the terror and end of Christs comming so also declare the manner of it Theol. The manner of it is this that the whole world shal be cited to appeare personally at the generall Assises before the great Iudge No man shal be admitted to appeare by his atturney but all must appeare personally None shall be suffered to put in sureties but all must come in their owne persons without baile or maine prize as it is written We must all appeare high and lowe rich and poore king and begger one and other as it is plainly set down in the 20. Chapter of the Reuelation where the spirit saith I sawche dead both great and small stand before God and the sea gaue vp the dead which were in her and death and hell deliuered vp the dead which were in them So then it is cléere that all without exception shall make their appearance at the great and dreadfull Assises Oh what a great day will that be when as the whole world shall appeare together at once If a king marry his sonne and dif other Kings Emperours Dukes Nobles to the marriage with all their pompe traine we vse to say Oh what a mariage what a méeting what a doe what a great day will there be but when the vniuersal world shal be assembled together not only al Monarks Kings and Princes but all other that euer haue béen from the beginning of the world al that are and shal be what a day will that be No maruel therefore though the Scriptures call it the day of God and the great day of the Lord. Now then when all flesh is come together to make their personall appearance then shall the son of God aseend vnto his tribunall seat with great Maiestie and glory For a fiery streame shall issue and come foorth before him thousand thousand Angels shall accompany him and minister vnto him and ten thousand thousand shall stand before him the iudgement shall be set and the books opened All the Saints also and true worshippers of God shall attend him and accompany him vnto his iudgement seat And not onely so but they shall sit vpon the Bench and Throne with him as it is written The Saints shall
an harlot drop as an honie-combe the roofe of her mouth is fofter then oile yet her latter end is bitter as worm-wood and as sharpe as a two edged sword All these prudent speeches of the holy Ghost doe most euidently shew vnto vs what a feareful thing it is to commit whoredome and so to fall into the hands of whores and harlots Therefore Iob saith of the wicked Their soule dieth in youth and their life among the whore-mongers Phila. You haue very well shewed out of Gods booke the great danger of whoredome and adultery And it is greatly to be lamented that men in this age make so light of it as they doe and that it is so common a vice nay that some alas with griefe I speake it doe professe it liue by it and prostitute themselues wholly vnto it Theol. Such men and women may iustlie feare the plaguing hand of God for the Lord saith by his Prophet Though I fed them to the full yet they commited adultery and assembled themselues by companies in harlots houses They rose vp in the morning like fed horses euery man neigheth after his neighbours wife Shall I not visit for these things saith the Lord Shall not my soule be auenged on such a nation as this Phila. Me thinketh if men were not altogether hardned in this sinne and euen past feeling and past grace this threatning and thundring of God himselfe from heauen should terrifie them Theol. A man would thinke so indéede but now we may take vp the old complaint of the Prophet I hearkened and heard and loe no man spake aright no man repented him of his euill saying What haue I done Euery one turned to their race as the horse rusheth into the battell Antile Tush whoredome is but a tricke of youth and wee see all men haue their imperfections Theol. You speake prophanely and wickedly For shall wee count that but a trick of youth for the which the Lord smote thrée and twenty thousand of his owne people in one day Shall we count that but a trick of youth for the which the Lord threatned Dauid his owne seruant that the sword should neuer depart from his house Shall we count that but a trick of youth for the which Hamor and Shechem the father and the sonne and many other both men women and children were cruelly murdred by Simeon and Leui the sonnes of Iacob Shall we count that but a trieke of youth for the which the Lord slew Hophni and Phineas the two sonnes of Eli the Priest in the battell of the Philistines Shall we thus set all at six and seuen and make light of such horrible villanies Doth not the seueritie of the punishments shew the greatnesse of the sinne Doth not the Apostle say These things came vpon them for our ensamples vpon whom the ends of the world are come and yet you passe it ouer with a tush and a tricke of youth as if God were to be dallied with No no be not deceiued God is not mocked They which will not be mooued now in hearing shall one day be crushed in pieces in féeling And they which now call whordome a tricke of youth shall one day howle and crie yell and yelpe for such trickes with woe and alas that euer they were borne Antil Oh sir you must beare with youth youth you know is fraile and youth will be youthfull when you haue said all that you can Theol. Yes but God doth allow no more libertie vnto youth then vnto age but bindeth all vpon paine of death to the obedience of his commandements The Apostle saith Let yoong men be sober minded Dauid saith Wherewith shall a yoong man cleanse his way In taking heede thereto according to thy worde The wise man saith Remember thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth And further addeth that if they will needes follow their lusts their pleasures and their owne swinge yet in the end he will bring them to iudgement arraigne them condemne them and tame them in hell fire well enough Phila. Yet we see men are so violently carried after their lust and so desperately bent that they will haue the present sweet and pleasure of sin come of it what will Come sicknesse come death come hell come damnation they are at a point they will pay the highest price for their lustes They will purchase their pleasures with the losse of their soules Oh wofull purchase O damnable pleasures Theol. Swéet meat will haue sower sawce and a dramme of pleasure a pound of a sorrow Such cursed catifes shal at last pay a deare shot for their pleasures Such desperate wretches shall one day know to their euerlasting woe what it is to prouoke God to sin with so high an hand against him They shall well know in spight of their hearts that vengeance is prepared for the wicked and that there is a God that iudgeth the earth Let al men therfore take héed in time For whoremongers and Adulterers God will iudge And the Apostle saith flatly That whoremongers and Adulterers shall not inherit the kingdome of God Let therefore no fornicator or vncleane person bee found amongst vs as was Esau But let vs abstain from fleshly lusts which fight against the soule And let euery one know how to possesse his vessell in holinesse and honour and nor in the lust of concupiscence as the Gentiles which know not God 1. Thess 4. 5. Héerein let vs consider the wise spéech of an ancient Father Sinne while it is in dooing ministreth some pleasure but when it is committed the short pleasure thereof vanisheth awaie and long sorrow commeth in stead of it Neither let vs héere reiect the saying of a wise Heathen Shunne pleasure for feare of smart Sowre things follow sweet and ioy heauinesse Antile Yet for all this you shall not make me beleeue that whoredome is so hainous a mattter You make more of it then it is Theol. True indéed For you and such as you are will beléeue nothing against your lusts and fleshly delights and that is the cause why you are deafe on this eare I will therfore adde a word or two more out of the oracles of God to that which hath vin spoken The wise king saith He that committeth Adulterie with women destroieth his owne soule and so is accessarie to his owne death which is no small matter For wée vse to say if a man hang himselfe drowne himselfe or any manner of way make away himselfe that he was cursed of God that Gods hand was heauie against him that the diuell ought him a shame and now he hath paid it him And all the countrey rings of such a strange accident when and where it falleth out and the Crowner of the Countrey doth sit vpon it How much more may all the world wonder at this that a man should destroy his owne soule and wittingly and willingly cast
they haue a thousand eies vpon them euery day and that not onely gazing vpon them but also prying very narrowly into them to spie out the least moat that they may make a mountaine of it For as in a cleane white paper one little spot is soone espied but in a péece of browne paper twenty great blurs are scant discerned euen so in Noble men Judges Magistrates Justices Preachers and Professors the least spot or specke is soone seene into but amongst the baser sort and most grosse liuers almost nothing is espied or regarded Phila. Sith the eies of all men are bent and fixed vpon such men as are of some note therefore they had neede verie heedfully to looke to their steps that they may take away all aduantage from them that seeke aduantage Theol. Yes verily And furthermore they had néed to pray with Dauid alwaies Direct my steps O Lord in thy word and let none iniquitie haue dominion ouer mee And againe Order my doings that my footsteps slippe not vphold mee in mine integritie For if such men bée neuer so little giuen to swearing to lying to drinke or to women it is espied by and by and therewithall their credit is cracked their fame ouer-cast their glory eclipsed and the date of their good name presently expired Phila. Now as you haue shewed what great hurt these sinnes doe bring vpon our soule bodies goods and name so also I pray you shew what danger they doe bring vpon the whole land Theol. Questionlesse they doe pull downe the wrath of God vpon vs all and giue him iust cause to breake all in péeces and vtterly to subuert ouerthrow the good estate both of church and Common-wealth yea to make a finall consumption and desolation of all For they be the very fire-brands of Gods wrath and as it were touch-wood to kindle his anger and indignation vpon vs. For the Apostle saith For such things commeth the wrath of God vpon the children of disodedience Phila. Declare vnto vs out of the Scriptures how the Lord in former times hath punished whole Nations and Kingdomes for these and such like sinnes Theol. In the fourth of Hosea the Lord telleth his people that hée hath a controuersie with the inhabitants of the Land and the reason is added because there was no truth nor mercy nor knowledge of God in the Land By swearing lying killing stealing and whoring they breake out and blood toucheth blood Therefore shall the land mourne and euery one that dwelleth therein shall be cut off Héere then we sée what it is that wil incense God against vs and cause vs all to mourne So likewise the Lord threatneth by his Prophet Amos that for the cruelty and oppression of the poore hée would plague the whole land Shall not the land tremble for this sayth the Lord and euerie one mourne that dwelleth therein Againe the Lord sayeth by his Prophet Ieremie Doe they prouoke mee to anger and not themselues to the confusion of their owne faces Therefore thus sayth the Lord Behold mine anger and my wrath shall bee powred vpon this place vpon man and beast vpon the tree of the field and vpon the fruit of the ground and it shall burne and not be quenched Againe the Lord saith If yee will not heare these words I swear by my selfe saith the Lord that this house shall be waste and I will prepare destroyers against thee euery one with his weapons and they shall cut downe thy chiefe Cedar trees and cast them in the fire Likewise the Lord threateneth by his Prophet Ezechiel saying Because yee haue not walked in my statutes nor kept my iudgements therefore behold I euen I come against thee and will execute iudgement in the middest of thee euen in the sight of Nations and I will doe in thee that I neuer did before neither will I doe any more the like because of all thine abhominations For in the middest of thee the fathers shall eat their sonnes and the sonnes shall eate their fathers Againe by the same Prophet the Lord saith The land is full of the iudgement of blood and the citie full of crueltie Wherefore I will bring the most wicked of the Heathen and they shall possesse their houses I will also make the pompe of the mighty to cease and the holy places shall be defiled When destruction commeth they shall seeke peace and not haue it Calamity shall come vpon calamitie and rumour vpon rumour Then shall they seeke a vision of the Prophet but the law shall perish from the Priests and counsell from the auncient The King shall mourne and the Prince shall be clothed with desolation and the hands of the people in the land shall bee troubled I will doe vnto them according to their waies and according to their iudgements will I iudge them and they shall know that I am the Lord. Last of all the Lord saith by his Prophet Heare O earth behold I will cause a plague to come vpon this people euen the sruit of their owne imaginations because they haue not taken heed to my words nor to my Law but cast it off Almost innumerable places to this purpose are to be found in the writings of the prophets but these may suffice to prooue the maine point to wit that the iust God doth punish whole nations and kingdomes for the sinnes and rebellions thereof Phila. Sith all these sinnes for the which the Lord did execute such vniuersall punishments vpon his owne people doe abound and ouerflow in this land may wee not iustly feare some great plague to fall vpon vs and the rather because our transgressions doe increase daily and grow to a full height and ripenesse so as it seemeth the haruest of Gods vengeance draweth neere and approacheth Theol. We may indéed iustly feare and tremble For if God spared not the Angels that sinned how shall he spare vs If he spared not his owne people what can wée looke for If hée spared not the naturall braunches how shall hée spare vs which are wilde by nature Are we better then they Can we looke to bée spared when they were punished Are not our sinnes as many and as great as theirs Doth not the same cause bring forth the same effect Is the arme of the Lord shortned Or is not God the same iust God to punish sinne now that he was then Yes yes assuredly And therefore wée haue great cause to mourne and lament to quake and tremble because there is a naked sword of vengeance hanging ouer our heads Thus did Ieremie thus did Amos thus did Abacuck when they plainely saw the imminent wrath of God approching vpon the people of Israel and Iudah Phila. I thinke we may the rather doubt and feare because the punishment of these forenamed vices is neglected by the Magistrate For commonly when they that beare the sword of Iustice doe not draw it out to punish notorious offenders and malefactours the Lord himselfe
iudge the world they shall iudge the Angels that is the diuels the Angels of darknesse Our Lord Jesus himselfe doth auouch the same thing when he said to his Disciples and in them to all true Christians Verily I say vnto you that when the sonne of man shall sit in the throne of his Maiesty yee which followed me in the regeneration shall sit vpon twelue thrones and iudge the twelue Tribes of Israel That is the Saints of God shall beare witnesse that the iudgement of Christ and sentence of condemnatien which he passeth against all vnbeléeuers is according to iustice and equity Thus then we sée how Christ shall be accompanied to his throne and with what glorie and Maiestie hée shall ascend vnto it Experience teacheth that when mortall Iudges hold their Sessions and generall Assises they are brought vnto the Bench iudgement seat with pompe and terrour For the Shiriffe of the Shire and Holbard-men with many Justices of peace and traines of others doe accompany them vnto the Bench. Then with how much more glory and maiesty shall the Sonne of God be brought vnto his royall Throne Thus then Christ being set vpon his iudgement seat all the vngodly shall bée conuented before him and he shall stand ouer them with a naked sword in his hand The diuell shall stand by them on the one side to accuse them and their owne conscience on the other side and the gaping gulfe of hell vnderneath them ready to deucure them Then shall the bookes be opened not any bookes of paper and parchment but the books of mens consciences For euery mans sinnes are written and recorded in his conscience as it were in a Register booke Then will God bring euery worke to iudgement with euery secret thought and set them in order before all the Reprobates Then will God lighten the things that are hid in darknesse and make the counsels of the heart manifest Then shall all the vngodly bée arraigned conuicted and hold vp their hands at the barre of Christs tribunall leat and shall cry guilty Then shall that most dreadfull sentence of death condemnation be pronounced against them by the most righteous Judge Go ye cursed into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the diuell and his Angels Oh dole full sentence Oh heauy hearing Whose heart doth not tremble at these things whose haire doth not stand vpon his head For then shall thousands which in this world haue florished as the cedars of Libanus be cast downe for euermore and shall drinke as a iust recompence for their iniquity of the bitter Cup of Gods eternall wrath indignation in the kingdome of darkenesse and in the fearefull presence of Sathan and all the rursed enemies of Gods grace Phil. Well now as you haue declared vnto vs the terror the suddennes the end the manner of Christs comming to iudgement so lastly shew vnto vs the right vse of all these things Theol. S. Peter telleth and teacheth vs the right vse of all for saith he Seeing all these things must be dissolued what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conuersation godlines As if he should say Sith the heauens shall passe away with a noise the Elements shal melt with heat the earth with the works that are therein shall be burnt vp sith also the cōming of Christ shall be with great terror to a feareful end in fearefull maner O how ought we to excell in goodnes So then S. Peter telleth vs that the true vse of all is this that hereby we be brought néerer vnto God euen to be more obedient to his will to walk in all his commandements making conscience of all our waies and studying to please God in all things and to be fruitfull in all good works liuing soberly iustly holily in this present euill world and shewing foorth the vertues of him which hath called vs out of darkenesse to this maruellous light so that we may be prepared against the day of his appearing that it may not take vs tardy For our life ought to be a continuall meditation of death We should alwaies liue as if wée should die or that our bed should bée our graue we must liue continually as if Christ should come to iudgement presently As it is reported of a godly man in the Primitue church that whether he eat or dranke or whatsoeuer he did hée thought alwaies hée heard the trumpet of the Lord with these words Arise yee dead and come vnto iudgement Put case it were certainly knowne that Christ wold come to iudgement the next Midsommer-day Oh what an alteration wold it make in the world how would men change their minds affections who would care for this world who would set his heart vnto riches Who would regard braue apparel Who durst deceiue or oppresse who durst be drunke Who durst sweare lie and commit adultery Nay would not all men giue vp themselues to the obedience of God would not all serue him diligently would not all men and women flocke to Sermons would they not giue themselues to praier and reading would they not repent them of their sinnes would they not cry for mercy and forgiuenesse Sée then what the knowledge of a certaine day approaching would effect And ought we not to doe all these things with as great care zeale séeing the day is vncertaine For who knoweth whether Christ will come this moneth or the next this yeere or next He himselfe saith Be ready watch for in the houre that ye thinke not of will the son of man come We thinke he wil not come this yéere nor next yeere nor this hundred yéere It may be therefore that he will come suddenly vpon vs we know not how soone For in an houre that we little thinke of will he come Therfore our Sauiour saith in the 13. Chapter of Mark. Take heed watch and pray for you know not when the time is And in the Gospell of S. Luke he saith Take heed that your hearts be not ouercome with surfetting and drunkennesse and the cares of this life and so that day come vpon you vnawares For as a snare shall it come vpon all them that dwell vpon the face of the earth We heare therefore how many watch words and caueats our Sauiour giueth vs when he saith Be in readinesse awake take héed watch and pray and looke about you lest that day come suddenly vpon you and take you napping It standeth vs all therfore vpon to be at an houres warning vpon paine of death and as we will answer it at our vttermost perill Phil. Proceed to speak of the torments of hel Theol. Concerning the torments of hell I do note thrée things which I will briefly speake of and they be these The extremity perpetuity and remedilesnesse thereof First touching the extremity thereof it standeth specially in these thrée things First that it is a separation from all ioy and comfort of the