created so if a mans miseries after this Life were only in the creatures all created miseries would never make Hell but still the Soul would live under them all But it is only under the wrath of the great God that the soul dies Fourthly Consider the torments of the Devils whence is all their Torments now For Jude tells us they are reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day c. And they are not wholy freed Now Doth God apply any creature to this work Mar. 8.29 Doest thou come to torment us before the time There was nothing tormented them but his presence and power c. And this wrung from them this great complaint Now they do not torment themselves though they have a Conscience yet this is not the great tormenter and we do not read that they are executioners one of another or that God doth use the ministry of the good Angels in the punishment of the evil though the good Angels strive with them for the preservation of the Saints now what Creature has power enough to torment the Devils such great and mighty Creatures as they are surely it is nothing else but the wrath and indignation of the great God which is the fire that is reserved for the Devil and his Angels to be made objects of and lye under for ever this the Lord doth suspend here in this life by the Kingdom of Christ because now there is a time of patience and the Lord has service to imploy them in as vessels of dishonour which if they should lye under the wrath of God perfectly poured out they would not be able to perform and therefore the Lord doth forbear them that at last wrath may come upon them to the uttermost Fifthly Consider the first fruits and inchoations of Hell in this life and that either in wicked men or in the Saints in wicked men Heb. 10.27 there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some sparkles of Hell a certain fearfull looking for of Judgment and fiery indignation c. As the people of God have here some sparks of Heaven by the Spirit of adoption some earnest and glimpses of Heaven see it in Cain Gen. 4.13 and Judas his Soul is filled with horror and amazement that they would rather chuse all the miseries of the Creatures and to lye under the whole Creation call to Mountains to cover them to be freed of it and therefore they cry out it is too late for me to repent is' t possible for me to be pardoned I know God will never have mercy upon me and therefore their soul chooseth strangling any thing to put them out of this torment what did Judas aise who did hurt him he had money in his purse there was no evil of the Creature upon him he gratified the high Priests and many of that crew only there was a secret touch of Gods own finger upon him an immediate drop of wrath let in upon his Conscience c. And not only in wicked but in godly men as Job and Heman Job 6.4 The arrows of the Almighty stick in me and the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me and surely inward terrors are the most terrible and there are no medicines in the whole creation that can heal a wounded spirit all friends estates honours relations will be to a man as the white of an Egge in the day when the terrors of Gods wrath do compass a man about as if God speak peace to the Soul none can speak terror no not all the Creatures and the most exquisite miseries that can be inflicted by them â—s appears by Martyrs so if God speak terrors there is none can speak comfort nothing in the Creature can help or ease as appears by men that have had all things the world can afford and yet their spirits were 〈◊〉 wounded in them they had â—or he least relief thereby so 〈…〉 Heman Psal 88.5 We know of no pressure that was upon him by the Creatures and yet he complains he was free among the dead as a man in Hell already while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted there was something beyond what all the Creatures could inflict Now there is joyes that the Saints receive here from God under Heaven joy unspeakable and glorious and of the same kind though they differ in degree with those in glory so the terrors here are of the same kind only they differ in degree from the torments of Hell they have a taste of the Cup which in Hell they shall drink of it a full drought and therefore as the one is joy unspeakable and full of glory so is the other torments unspeakable and full of sorrow and in this God uses the ministerie of no Creature neither doth the hearts of men discerne any thing but the wrath and terrors of the Almighty Sixthly It doth more fully appear in the suffering of Christ if we look upon him as in the Garden he was in an agony Mat. â—6 38 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his soul was invironed and compassed about with sorrow now all the misery that can come from the Creature can never compass the Soul about there will be some door open but here he sees no way our and therefore Mark 14.33 he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sore amazed under the apprehension of wrath and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his Spirit failed within him Psal 40.13 His heart in the middle of his body was melted as wax and this anguish of spirit so wrought upon his body that it made him to sweat drops of blood whence is all this affliction that was upon Christ we read of no Devils that were let loose upon him to torment him his very presence was their tormenter here and his wrath shall be their tormenter hereafter we read of no Angels that had commission to afflict him nay we read of an Angel that appeared from heaven to comfort him Luke 22.43 which would have been enough to have raised up a mans Spirit under the greatest afflictions of the Creatures nor was it from any inward unquietness in his own Spirit for there was no seeds of such fearfull distempers in him for he knew no sin there was no guile in his mouth it could not be from any bodily pain for in the Garden the Jews had not laid hold upon him there was no evil upon him and it could not be fear of a bodily death for it was for this cause that he came into the world and it was that which he did desire and long for with desire have I desired to eat the Passeover with you I have a baptism to be baptized with and how am I straightned till it be accomplished but the cause was the sence of the wrath of God lying upon his spirit Isa 53.10 it pleased the Lord to bruise him he hath put him to grief to beat him to pieces and to grind him to powder as his Soul was made an
me ye cursed and the Lord does it to manifest an attribute to shew the power of his wrath Psal 90.11 Rom 9 22 Now if God manifests his displeasure here by the creature how miserable can he make a man But much more when he does it immediately for that is the fire that is here spoken of the immediate wrath of God upon the soul and if but a few drops of it let in upon the hearts of some of his own people make their strength to consume away and turn their moisture into the drought in Summer If when it seased upon Christ the Green-tree it did come so fiercely because the Father was pleased to bruise him how much more will the Lord delight to bruise thee If Christ did sweat drops of blood and was in an agony under the sence of this wrath Oh! where must thy poor soul be whom the Lord will hate and deal with as an enemy for ever a vessel of wrath Thirdly When a man shall in judgment be given over to sin perfectly and all the restraints of the spirit of God upon a man shall be taken away there is a twofold restraining grace upon mens acts and upon their lusts and men are in many things under both here for their acts Gen. 20.6 I withheld thee that thou shouldest not touch her and their lusts when thou goest up to worship no man shall desire thy Land but now God will let out mens lusts to their full length and a mans thoughts shall be taken up with them for ever a man shall feed upon his darling eat the fruit of his own wayes and be filled with his own devices Now to be given over to be proud for ever drunk for ever from the cup of Gods right hand unclean for ever scoffers for ever and that which was before a mans pleasure shall now be his torment It is but for God to change a mans apprehensions and it will be so here Amnon desired Tamar but after his Lust was satisfied it vanished and the hatred wherewith he hated her was more then the love with which he loved her before 1 John 2.17 The world passeth away and the Lust thereof as we see in Judas while the Lust of covetuousness was up there was nothing so desirable as money though it was but Thirty pieces of silver but the Lust passeth away and now there is nothing in the world that troubles Judas like to this so that he hangs himself to be rid of it and so it will be hereafter the Lust shall be gone and then for a soul to be given over unto it in judgment shall be a mans continual torment for as the Saints in Heaven shall be confirmati in bono so the damned in Hell shall be obfirmati in malo and that in judgment therefore Aquinas has well observed as in Heaven the Saints shall be doing good for ever but all their good actions pertinent ad beatitudinis praemium so in Hell the wicked shall be doing evil for ever and they can do no otherwise but these mala pertinent ad damnationis poenam c. Fourthly The society that a man shall be judged unto for ever for it is part of the happiness of the saints in Heaven that they shall be gathered to their fathers to Abraham and Isaac to have their souls bound up in the bundle of the living 1 Sam. 25. gathered to the souls of just men made perfect so for a man to be gathered to the devils have their portion with the devil and his angels a creature that we have looked upon with the greatest hatred here yet then must be thy companions to run out an eternity with this is the god of this world to him thou hast lived here and with him thou shalt live for ever Psal 125.5 Lead them forth with the workers of iniquity for here men are mixed but then he will rank them with those of their own kind and they shall remain in Tophet which was a place in the valley of Ainon a place famous for three things there were memorable acts of mourning there the children of Israel did cause their children to pass through the fire to Molech that is sacrifice their children to the Devil there Eighteen hundred thousand of the Assyrian camp were destroyed by an Angel in one night Isa 30.31 Isa 31.33 Through the voice of the Lord shall the Assyrian be beaten down for Tophet is prepared of old c. And there did the Babilonians murther the people of Jerusaleâ—n at the taking of the City Jer. 7 31. Because they had burnt their sons in Tophet to the Devil therefore they should fall and be destroyed themselves in Tophet and they should bury there till there was no place this place is put for the place of the damned and Hell is called Tophet the valley of slaughter or the invisible valey of Hinnon Prov. 21.16 It is called Coetus Gigantum those in Gen. 6. that did provoke God to bring the floud upon the world of the ungodly they being the first noted inhabitants of Hell therefore from them the place has its name and all that go down since are said to go down into the Congregation of the Giants whom in their disobedience and rebellion they have followed Fifthly The very consideration of the happiness of the saints Luk. 13.28 To see Abraham and Isaac in the kingdom of God and themselves thrust out Time was that I had as fair offers as precious oppertunities as they had and it may be means and outward mercies far beyond them but I have despised knowledg and I would none of the fear of the Lord I had my portion in this Life and therefore now they are comforted but I am tormented I was so foolish as to account their life madness and their end to be without honour but now they are numbred amongst the Saints of the most high and I am shut out Oh that you could call time again This is the language of souls in Hell Sixthly Here there is something that may mitigate sorrow but all such things shall be taken away after this life First It 's an ease to a mans heart here to speak of his misery and to vent it that he may have some to pity him and condole him but there shall be none to pity a man then for the law of nature shall cease after this Life and the devils shall not pity men nor men pity one another but rather inbitter their condition unto a man for ever Secondly Here a man in sorrow can turn himself unto some creatures and comfort himself with them as Cain fell to building of Cities c. But all the creatures are but for the time of this Life and in this Life they are thy good things but after this Life there is no sweetness or use of any creature to eternity for God shall be all in all Thirdly But it may be said surely God is a God of mercy he will
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I do not speak this with my mouth and my conscience gives me the lye but Conscience speaks the same thing and joint with me in the testimony 2 Cor. 12. This is our rejoycing the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our conversation in the World but more especially to you-ward c. Conscience brings his carriage towards them to the rule and judges of it to agree and to be consonant thereunto and therefore gives testimony within him and into this Court the spirit of God commonly comes to assist conscience to pronounce the sentence For conscience is defiled and so over-awed and bribed and blinded by lust that it cannot many times pronounce a right sentence till the Spirit of God comes into the Court and acts Conscience and causeth it to judge aright of his estate and and wayes also and therefore Rom. 9.1 My conscience bears me witness in the Holy Ghost the Holy Ghost doth witness with Conscience and Conscience in the power of the Spirit does witness to the man so in a wicked man it is a Spirit of bondage that is does cause Conscience to witness bondage which else by reason of the self love and self flattery that is in the man it will never do and in a godly man it witnesseth grace and adoption which of it self it can never do and therefore the spirit is a witness in Heaven and in earth also even in a renewed Conscience the spirit does 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We come now to give the reasons or the grounds of the point which will be best done by answering these Questions First As inordinate love unto a mans self has been the great cause of all a mans sins 2 Tim. 3.2 So it is self loathing that is the cause of all a mans Torment a man shall be a burden to himself Job 7.20 A terror to himself Jer. 20 4. As by self love they have corrupted themselves so by self loathing they shall torment themselves for ever and so the Lord will take the same way in punishing that they have taken in sinning That the sin that a man hath here taken most pleasure in shal hereafter be to him the matter of his his greatest torment as we see it here immediately as soon as God does awaken the Conscience there is no sin so dreadful to a man as his darling and he fears nothing like that which he has most loved and desired so it will be hereafter in a mans punishment also as nothing was so loved admired and deifi'd as himself so there shall be nothing that he shall loath and abhor like himself for ever and answerable to a mans self love so will his self loathing be for Revel 8.8 so much pleasure so much torment No sin wil will pierce Herods heart like to his rodias And there is no sin that a man spares more here than his darling and there is none will be more cruel to them hereafter and as a worm feed upon their hearts and eat up their inward man for ever and so it is in it self also as there is nothing they have loved more and spared more here they have wholly been cruel unto others but unto themselves sparing they shall not be so hereafter but above all others they shall be cruel to themselves for ever Quest 2d Secondly Seeing God will torment a man by himself why is the main of a mans torment in his Conscience above all other faculties It is true that as every faculty hath been filled with the fruits of all unrighteousness so every faculty shall be a Vessel filled with wrath but above all others why the Worm in the Conscience Answ First Because it is the spirit of the man and that wherein his main strengh lyes Prov. 18.14 Secondly Because it is the tenderest part of the soul it 's resembled to the eye Matth. 7.3 And therefore most sensible it is capable of more torment than any other of the faculties and powers of the soul what soever Thirdly There the Lord will inflict the punishment where the sin mainly is now of all the faculties of the soul there is none so defiled as the Conscience Tit. 1.15 For the guilt of all the sins of the whole soul is there Jer. 17.1 Heb. 9.4 There are the Treasures of sin therefore there wil the Lord power out the Treasures of wrath c. Quest 3. Thirdly But if the Lord will torment the Conscience why doth not the torment rest there But he will make that the instrument to torment the whole man Why shall that do it rather than the wil or affections c. But the torment of the whole soul must come in by the Conscience this is the Flood gate or as I may call it the Funnel of wrath Answ First Because God has given unto Conscience he greatest honour in the soul and has exalted it above all other powers and abilities of the soul whatsoever The main of the Image of God was stampt upon it at first if we judge by the renewing of it for the great effect of redemption is there Heb. 9.14 And of renovation also Ephes 4 23. It is called the Spirit of the mind 1 Thes 5.23 The Spirit Pro. 18.14 It is to be referred ad illam partem que nobilissima est Calv And therefore the main work of Sanctification lies in the Conscience a pure Conscience Now the Image of God in Sanctification is renewed therefore where this Image is most renewed there it was most planted for we are renewed according to the Image of him that created us And the main thing that God respeâ—â—s in all Ordinances Heb. 9 8. is to make the man perfect according to his Conscience and that is Conscientiam puram pacatam râ—ddere to pacifie it and purifie it this is the perfection of the Conscience and the perfection of the Conscience is the perfection of the man Now that which was the great glory of the soul that shall be the shame of it God will turn a mans glory into shame and that which should have been his perfection that shall become his torment for ever Secondly Conscience has the greatest Office and power and authority in the soul it is Gods Vicegerent every man is as it were a petty Kingdome and as God has set Princes upon earth in their several Kingdomes so he has in the man also and he has committed unto Conscience the whole Law of God and the whole duty of man and Conscience is that in joyns it upon all the faculties and that sees it executed Rom. 13 5. You must be subject that is not only ratione externae coactionis but internae obligationis Conscience is subject unto none but God but the whole soul is put in subjection unto the Conscienceâ— and let men the greatest upon earth command yet if Coscience gives it non plaeet it is no law in the man it shall never be obeyed Dan.
and filthy doctrines and by this means and by Satans assisting them in their doctrine and backing it with miracles and great works they shall gather together the Kings of the earth against the Church of God to their own destruction and final overthrow surely therefore there is a great deal of danger that a man may be deceived and his judgment may be corrupted because it is the last refuge of Satan that he has to uphold his kingdome by sending forth unclean spirits Thirdly Most men unto whom these spirits come Heb. 5.13 they find them children for he that is unskilful in the word of righteousness he is a babe and therefore being children in understanding Ephes 4.14 and not men grounded in the principles of the doctrine of Christ therefore they are tost to and fro with every wind of doctrine tossed as a wave and carryed about as a cloud and from these two the Metaphors are taken if the wind be this way the wave is born and the cloud carryed about and if the wind do turn it is blown the contrary way they lead captive silly woman omnes haereses ex gynecaeis is a proverb in the ancient Church and the more ingnorant any people are the easier are they turned away from the truth and the sooner do they give ear to fancies and fables and he that shall consider the ignorance of our people in the principles of Religion and that in a great many of those that profess Religion and think themselves to be knowing Christians and yet have but only a general and a smattering confused knowledge and a man would be far from wondering that so many were corrupted but rather he would wonder that all were not taken captive by Satan Fourthly False teachers use a great deal of artifice to that end that they may deceive and they do it under the fairest shows and the most specious pretences Antichrist Rev. 17.3 gives the wine of her formention in a Golden Cup that is that by which it is offered unto the world it is a very alluring and taking way and as a Harlot whose lips do drop as the hony-comb and all is under a show of love unto Christ and a colour of love to you a pity to see you so deceived there is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 16.18 all under great pretences of holiness there is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there is a great deceit as in the most deceitful Play and they are cunning Gamesters and there is a subtilty and deep craftiness of men that go by method and bring in one thing after another Eph. 4.24 and there are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Pet. 2.3 feigned words some made words and a kind of coined language that sounds finely but put it together and it signifies nothing but the meaning is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they do make merchandize of you and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Pet. 2.18 they give out something that shall be as a bait some pretences of liberty some shows of a greater Communion with God and a nearer approach unto Christ and with this bait you shall be taken when in the mean while the book is not seen and sometimes brought to you under great shows of holiness in the men they come to you in sheeps cloathing as if they were Sheep though they be Wolves and the Ministers of Satan transform themselves into the Ministers of Righteousness 2 Cor. 11.13 14. for such are false Apostles deceitful workers transforming themselves into the Apostles of Christ and no marvel for Satan himself is transformed into an Angel of light c. Rev. 13. and we know that Antichrist when he rose had two horns like a Lamb and Austin saith of Pelagius Nomen Pellagii non sine lande posui quia vita cita ejus à multis praedicabatur Yea Satan doth creep into Peter himself and he may be corrupted and Barnabas also with that dissimulation for they shall deceive if it were possble even the very elect though totally and finally it is not possible but yet they may far deceive them for indeed there be many that hold the foundation and whose souls may be saved in the day of the Lord yet may build Hay and Stubble upon the foundation and therefore we should leave room for charity towards some who have not had that touch of Satan upon their spirits that others have and endeavour to pluck them as firebrands out of the fire that they may not wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction but pray that the Lord would deliver them from the temptations and seducements of Satan c. discover his Wiles to them that they may say was there not an errour in my right hand and men are so much the rather to be pityed because being ignorant and unlearned they more easily become the prey of false teachers who are very industrious and laborious and lay out themselves to the utmost Math. they will compass Sea and Land to make a Proselite they compel you to be Circumcised that they may glory in your flesh that is multitudine sequacium in the multitude of their Desciples and followers some men think it is an excellent thing to be the founder of a new sect as they said of Paul Acts 24.5 he was a ring-leader of the sect of the Nazarenes I know that many say this by way of reproach to the people of God that would walk out of conformity to the world that they are but sectaries and brand them dayly with new names and new light c. because they would not have their old darkness be discovered but this is but one of the fig leaves of Antichrists covering which shall fall off from him and he shall fly away naked and men shall see his shame notwithstanding Lastly There is a mighty power of Satan and an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that goes along with them 2 Thes 2.9 as soon as Antichrist did but appear in the world by and by all the world wandred after the Beast and received his Image and his mark in their right hand and in their foreheads men will he quickly engaged to profer themselves in such a way and having received the mark in the forehead they will receive it in their right hand to defend it and stand for it so that a man would wonder to see men so soon turn'd after another Gospel and their words fret as a Gangrene or a Cancer that doth quickly infect all that comes near it and we may see what strong poison this liquor of Antichrist is and what a deceit it is by the power of it not only upon the ignorant but upon the learned and not only upon them that were a lump fit to receive any leaven but even those that were counted and we may hope to be Godly men of eminent parts and great abilities and men that have done great services and shine
as great lights and are great preachers that have converted Souls to God and yet the Dragons Tail sweeps away the third part of the Stars of Heaven and casts them unto the Earth c. Now all these eonsiderations should prevail with us that he that thinks he stands may take heed lest he fall because there is a great danger of deceiving the best and the holiest and the wisest men and turn them aside from the simplicity of the Gospel I should have been more particular in the discovery of Antichrist in all his colours especially that great Character and stamp which is on all his followers to be persecutors of the Saints of the most high who refuse to worship his Image or to receive his mark but that I have reserved to treat on more largely because I look upon the time of the killing of the witnesses to draw near for which the spirits of men are exceedingly qualified and therefore the Saints had need to stand upon their watch Tower for the Beast and the false Prophet c. conspire against them 2ly Considert is a very dangerous thing for a man to be deceived for first a mans judgment being corrupted it will make way for a very corrupt conversation no man is better then his judgment but men generally I may say all men are worse now they are the greatest corruptions that are the fruits of corrupt doctrine and their doctrines do back them and are not the fruits of their lusts only as we see it in the Pharisees all their fins were justified by their doctrines and they had so fitted it as it served to maintain their wicked wayes there is a spirit of uncleaness goes with the false prophet wheresoever he goes Rome is spiritually Egypt Zach. 13. and Sodons and Jude compares the false teachers in his times with the worst of sinners and surely their latter end is worse then their beginning 2 Pet. 2.22 it 's happened unto them according to the true proverb the dog is turn'd to his vomit again c. Vnclean opinions must needs bring forth unclean conversations Secondly It is a hard matter for a man to repent being once engaged Gal. 3.1 and taken with it for it 's said men are bewitched that they do believe that lye of Popery especially that they cannot say is there not a lye in my right hand and false doctrine is compared to leaven and if it be mixed with dough it is very hard if not impossible ever to separate them and therefore we read of very few men that ever appeared much against any truth of God that ever have returned but they in their pride did persist and God did give them up though they were convinced themselves and spake lyes in hypocrisie and knew them to be so yet for all this they could not repent of them for God in judgment gave them up unto a Conscience seared with a hot Iron and truly it is a fearfull judgment to be given up of God to believe a lye and it is to a man a very dangerous sign that he is not of the sheep of Christ Joh. 10.5 a stranger they will not follow they know not the voice of a stranger and thereby the rottenness of mens hearts may be manifested there must be heresies sayes the Apostle for that end and that they that are approved may be made manifest also Thirdly They are called damnable heresies 2 Pet. 2.1 In a double respect First They are a dangerous sign and token of damnation unto them that are ensnared by them Rev. 13.8 They that do pertake in the doctrine of Popery they are those whose names are not written in the Lambs book and they are such as in themselves deserve damnation indeed all sin is in its own nature damnable and so must this be in a special manner in a way of eminency so called such as Judas is called the Son of perdition because he was appointed unto a more then ordinary distruction and the Pope the man sin because eminent in sinning so here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because they come under a more remarkable distruction then other sins do and the Lord says their damnation sleeps not they were of old ordained thereunto Jude 4. But I would not be mistaken in all this and grieve the hearts of any tender Conscience whom the Lord would not have grieved that hold some lesser errours which may be because we see with different Lights Nay I deny not but a godly man may be deceived in some errours that happily do strike at the foundation also for a time but he doth not continue in them but I say to hold them and continue in them as it makes way for a more eminent destruction so it is a most dangerous sign of reprobation Lastly It is a very dangerous forerunner of judgment unto a nation and of Gods removing the Candlestick and giving a Church a Bill of Divorce you may see it in the Church of Rome and if men will be Idolaters and Blasphemers and deny the Resurection and the Scriptures if men countenance the woman Jezebel and the Doctrine of the Nicholaitans it will follow that Christ will quickly come against them and fight against them with the sword of his mouth The last times of the Jewish Church were infected with heresy which bred divisions and such distraction amongst them till it destroyed the whole face and frame of Church and common wealth and in the last times there shall be the most dangerous Doctrines broached till the Lord shall avenge his truth by a judgment upon the Beast and the false Prophet Gods truth is dear to him he has exalted his word above all his name and the opening of his bosome and publishing of truth in the World has cost the blood of the Son of God He could never have been a Prophet if he had not been a Priest all his offices and the performance of them depend upon his Priesthood and no man shall have a benefit by Christ as he is a Prophet or as he is a Priest or as he is a King that has him not first as his Priest and closed with him therein and his word is the great expansum that God has stretched forth over Kingdoms and Nations Rom. 10.17 By this he judges them and hews them and slayeth them he will not suffer the dishonour of it nor his people cannot bear it but Rivers of tears run down because men keep not the Law of God and so many have shed their blood for it and indured cruel tortures and mockings and wandered about the World to carry the Gospel where the sound of it was not heard and if they cannot bear it surely Christ himself will bear it much less And therefore let me tell you if a kingdome were as dear unto God as the signal upon his right hand he would pluck it thence and if any people shall go about it to set up themselves and vent their own Lusts and do
holy Math. call no man father upon Earth no man Rabbi upon Earth search the Scriptures Act. 17.11 John 4.1 try the spirits take nothing upon trust it s no disparagement unto the best Ministry to subject their doctrine to the Scriptures Christ himself ordered us to subject his doctrine to the tryal search the Scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life they testifie of me and by this he did confirm his doctrine if once you take things from the authority of man you set the man in the place of Christ and God in judgment may give him up to errour that you may be mislead by him who was so willing to follow his Commandment 1 Cor. 12.2 You were caried away with dumb Idols as you were led the blind lead the blind it is an honour due to God onely to be believed ex authoritate dicentis And therefore away with the names of men I am of Paul and I of Apollo c. For Paul and Apollo c. Is nothing but instruments by whom you believe and there cannot be a greater injury to your Teachers then to set them in the place of Christ c. Sixthly Avoid as much as possible Society with those by whom thou mayest be drawn to be seduced cease to hear that instruction that causeth thee to err from the way of knowledge Prov. 19.27 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth supposing that gain is godliness 2 Tim. 6.5 from such withdraw thy self 1 John 1.10 receive them not into your house bid them not God speed have no common familiarity with them fly from enemies to the truths of God as from a Plague or else if thou dally with them thou wilt be in danger of being insnared by them Lastly Be much in prayer to be preserved when so many even the third part of the Stars of Heaven be swept down that thou mayest stand with the Lamb and not receive the mark of the Beast when the World wonders after him it is a great mercy and therefore say Can. 1.7 Lord shew me where thou feedest where thou makest thy flocks to rest at noon for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions remember it is not parts nor learning nor common grace that will secure a man from believing lyes for we see men of the greatest parts commonly are taken the wits and the disputers of this World and it is not a form of godlyness nor a profession of Religion but it is walking close with God in that profession we see men in our days that have driven the trade of Religion for many years together and yet may become but broaken professors and prove bankrupt at last become the Leaders of some new Sect and there the height of their Religion ends and if once thy heart sit loose in prayer even in this know thou art immediately in danger to be corrupted and seduced for if once a man cease to pray against sin thou art in danger to commit it this is the way for a man to keep his Conscience pure in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of it that his judgment be not defiled But there is a double misery that we do labour under at this time as there are heresies and false doctrines on the one side and you must keep your Consciences pure from that leaven so also there is profaneness and all manner of devilish practises on the other side and men do commonly think by objecting the one to justify themselves in the other some are enemies unto Christ in opinion teaching for doctrines the traditions of men and there are some are enemies to Christ in conversation whose god is their belly who glory in their shame and give themselves over unto all excess of riot Christ has enemies even where his kingdom is set up Psal 110 2 For he must rule in the middle of his enemies the time will come when he shall rule over them but now he rules amongst them and those enemies are of three sorts First Some are Christians but not in purity as Hereticks and false teachers and some are Christians but not in sincerity as hypocrites and those that are false hearted and lastly some are called Christians but have not so much as an external conformity and such are prophane and all professed workers of iniquity and there is onely this difference between them one speaks against the Truth and the other lives against the Truth and so all the benefits that we have by having the name of Christ called upon us is this ad hoatantum preceptorum sacrorum scite cognoscimus ut post interdict a gravius peccemus It will be necessary therefore that something be spoken to fortifie your souls and to exhort you to keep your Consciences pure from principles of prophaneness in conversation as well as principles of heresy in opinion for all mens ways are grounded upon the principles with which their mind is stored and by these the man walks and therefore the great work in conversion is to distroy mens former principles and cast down their strong holds and bring their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reasonings into subjection lay but these two principles in a mans heart that the Church cannot err and that the Church of Rome is the true Church onely and that man though he know not or consent not unto many of the doctrines of Popery yet he is a Papist in his principles and these will necessarily bring in all the rest and inforce the man to consent unto them all as they shall be discovered to him so there are certain principles that if they be layd in a mans heart though he may not walk in many ways of Prophaneness but for some reasons there is a restraint upon him yet he is in his heart a prophane man and will be ready to break forth into all the ways of prophaneness as occasion and opertunity shall present it self and the principles are such as these First That is the best Religion that men do receive by tradition from their Fathers so they in Jer. 44.17 Our Fathers did burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and then they had plenty of victuals but since there has been innovations and changes in Religion we have never seen peace nor a good day Have any of the nations changed their gods Jer 2 1◠That Religion which they have received by inheritance they take themselves deeply ingaged to keep close to it and say will you be wiser then your fore-fathers and will you say that they have all dyed in errour and will you condemn all these to Hell as men living in errour who were counted good men in their generation When as we know that Christ dyed to redeem us from our vain conversation that we received by tradition from our Fathers and men meerly acquainted with the 1 Pe◠1.18 Scriptures do know that God has promised unto his people
dost hate him as Christ said of the Pharisees which of you can accuse me of sin I heve done many good works amongst you for which of them do you stone me so the people of God may say you cannot accuse them but for the good that they have done you for wheresoever they are they are as dew upon the Grass thou shalt be a blessing only men hate the image of God in them as it 's said of Panther animal hominibus inimicissimum it doth so hate a man that it will fly at the picture of a man so it is but a little relemblance of God that is in the best of the Saints here in this life and yet men hate God so that they cannot endure his image in any man Tert. Bonus vir Caius seius sed ideo malus quia Christianus This shews that thou art an unregenerate man a child of the Devil and not new born unto God Now thou art a child of wrath and for thee is this eternal fire prepared Secondly Mark 3.7 I would exhort you all to flee from the wrath to come it is the greatest evil that can befall a soul and therefore that which above all things else a man should fly from Fuga is conversant only about that which is evil and that which a man apprehends to be so Now the greater the evil is the more hasty is the flight Now There is no evil like to that of the wrath to come therefore let the whole soul be put out in this to fly from it as the most dreadful destruction that can befall a soul First Consider there is a possibility to escape it truly it is in vain to exhort a man to fly from that which he cannot scape as it is a vain thing for men to think to fly from death or judgment that they cannot escape it will overtake them and so for them to think to fly from any threatening in the word of God if they do continue in their sins it will certainly overtake them Did not my word overtake your Fathers says the Lord But this wrath a man may so fly from as to escape for Christ wins souls from the kingdom of Satan every day he translates them out of the kingdome of Satan which is the kingdom of darkness into the kingdome of his dear Son and it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is a metaphor taken from translating a man from his native soil translating a man as you do Colonies and so many are translated dayly and they pass from death to life Oh! That the Lord would perswade you knowing the terrour of the Lord to fly from the wrath to come Christs is a kingly conquest and he has not a subject in his kingdome but he has won him from the kingdome of Satan and all that number that are called and chosen and faithful that are with the Lamb were all once in Satans kingdome and all the Saints that are or shall be in glory they were all of them children of wrath as well as thou even Abraham the Father of the faithful who together with his Father Terah and Nachor and his brother Lot Josh 24.23 all served other Gods beyond the River only God called this righteous man to his foot Isa 41.2 And therefore there is as great a possibility for thee to escape this wrath as there is for any man in the World therefore fly from it Satan never wins again any one Soul out of the kingdome of Christ for the Father that gave them to Christ is stronger then all and no man can pluck them out of his hands and he doth now win ground of the kingdome of Satan and gains souls from him every day indeed after this life Heaven and Hell sha divide the World and there is a gulph set there is no changing places if a man would come from Hell to Heaven he cannot for a mans eternal state is cast and there is no change of it unto eternity and therefore the judgment passed upon a man at the last day is called eternal judgment Heb. 6.2 because the doom and sentence that shall be passed upon a man there is for eternity and therefore make hast fly from the wrath to come delay not the time for that hastens for if death should overtake thee before thou hast made this escape thou wilt be a child of wrath and lye under wrath for ever but here there is no gulf set but there may be a translation out of darkness Secondly Consider that after this Life you shall have to do with God immediately you shall fall into the hands of the living God immediately and Gods workings by the creatures shall have an end Now we find what fearful effects of wrath have been brought forth if God do but arme the creatures against a man if the Lord do but cause Lice to seise upon Herod they devour him immediately and he gives up the ghost and if the Lord give a man up into the power of Satan to torment him at his pleasure and we see how many thousand miseries he would bring upon him as we see in his dealing with Job when yet the Lord gives him only a power over the body and estate not over his soul and his life and yet How did he lay a load upon him That his life was a burden to him and he chused to dye rather Now if God can shew forth so much wrath by a creature how much more by his own immediate hand And if God in the creatures now do chastise with Rods by his own hand he will then do it with Scorpions His little finger will be heavier than the creatures loins for as a man cannot know Love by all that is before him because all the creatures cannot convey the Love of God unto the soul as it is so a man cannot know hatred by all that is before him for all the creatures together cannot dispence unto a man the whole displeasure of God that is Gods own work therefore fly from it if we should fly from it in the stream much more in the fountain Thirdly It is done by way of revenge and therefore it must needs be dreadful for Deut. 32.31.41 He has said vengeance is mine and I will repay there shall be a just recompence of reward to every sinner Heb. 2.1.3 Now if we consider what a wrong sin is it is such an infinite evil that all the created comforts and good things of this life cannot make satisfaction for they being only created good things but sin is an act committed against an infinite and an uncreated Good and between created and uncreated finite and infinite is no proportion Rom. 7.13 Sin is out of measure sinful and therefore the wrath of God is out of measure dreadful for it must be a just revenge a full recompence Isa 27.6.7 He will punish his people in measure but he will punish his enemies without measure because it is done in justice