know that God both is and that he is iust and therefore hee will punish wicked sinners and by that meane declare his iust iudgement against vicious wretches The deseruing cause of death of sinne as ignorance of God disobedience of the truth especially of the Gospell of Christ Iesus and obedience of vnrighteousnesse as the Apostle sheweth as also want of charitie and charitable behauiour towardes the poore and needie members of Christ Iesus as hee himselfe doth teach vs. Neyther are these sins only meritorious of death but euen euery sinne though the smallest want of that which the law requireth is in it selfe odious and deadly For the wages of euery sinne is death The persons subiect to this death are all the Sons of Adam is as much as all are Sinners yet all of them shall not die this death namely they that are redeemed by the bloud of Christ who by his death hath deliuered them from this death by them through sinne deserued Those then shall die this death that were reprobated of God and who by their wickednesse and hardnesse of heart which could not repent haue treasured vp vnto themselues wrath against the day of wrath Depart from me ye cursed saith Christ into euerlasting fire The cursed then are they that must die this accursed death I neuer knew you saith Christ Depart from me ye workers of iniquitie They that shal die this death are such as Christ knew not owned not neuer acknowledged for his and such as whiles they liued were very hypocrites nourishing some sinne or other in their bosomes though they did many glorious and good works as preach baptise eiect diuels cure diseases and were perhaps of great account with men The Apostle saith that the Lord Iesus will render vengeance at his appearing vnto them that know not God and obey not the Gospell So that all which are ignorant of God and which disobey the Gospell of his Sonne shall die this death This then I say All impenitent sinners shall be damned all that beleeue not in Iesus Christ as Mahometaus incredulous Iewes and all other Infidels and all that professe Christ in name but denie him in example All these liuing and dying without sound repentance shall die this death And I proue it thus Except ye beleeue saith Christ that I am he you shall die in your sinnes but the Iewes beleeue not that Iesus the sonne of Mary was the Messias foretold therefore they shall die in their sinnes Hee that obeyes not the Sonne shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him but neyther Iewes nor Mahometans obey Christ Iesus Therefore neyther of them shall liue but die Peter being full of the holy Ghost said that Christ is the Stone euen the fundamentall stone of mans saluation Neyther is there quoth he saluation in any other for among men there is giuen none other Name vnder heauen whereby we must be saued All therefore that either denie him or beleeue not in him and do not know him whether Iew Turke Persian Moore Indian American or who else soeuer all such shall bee damned cannot bee saued For by his knowledge shall my righteous seruant Christ Iesus Instifie many And we which are Iews by nature and not sinners of the Gentiles know that a man is not iustified by the works of the law but by the faith of Iesus Christ God saith Saint Iohn hath giuen vnto vs eternall life and this life is in that his Sonne Hee that hath that Sonne hath that life and hee that hath not that Sonne of God hath not that life But Mahometans Iewes and Infidels haue not that Son therefore they haue not eternall life in spe and shall not haue it In Re but so continuing shall vndoubtedly die the damned death of the wicked for ought that man can tell I say further that those which professe Christ in word and in shew but denie him by their deeds addicting themselues to wicked lusts as whoredome pride drunkennesse auarice idlenesse epicurisme those I say shall vndoubtedly perish without mature and true repentance Know ye not saith Saint Paul that the vnrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdome of God Be not deceiued neither fornicators nor Idolaters nor adulterers nor wantons nor buggerers nor theiues nor couetous nor drunkards nor raylers nor extortioners shall inherite the kingdome of God But among Christians there are offenders in all kinds of the sinnes aforesaid therefore if they shall die in them they cannot possibly scape damnation Our Lord saith that The fearefull and vnbeleening the abhominable and murtherers whoremongers sorcerers idolaters and all lyars wherewith the Christian world aboundeth shall haue their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death And finally S. Iude speaking of sundrie wicked Epicures cept into the Church saith that for them is reserued the blacknesse of darknesse for euer Thirdly I say that all they which professing Christ doe notwithstanding adde vnto the faith of Christ and coyne articles which they doe propose as necessarily to be beleeued to saluation all such I say by this their presumption do cut themselus off from Christ and shall vndoubtedly perish except they shall repent In like manner they that doe take from the faith any essentiall point and needfull absolutely to saluation they also are subiect to damnation which without repentance they cannot scape Ye shall put nothing vnto the word which I command you neither shall ye take ought therefrom It was twise at least giuen in charge by Moses When Moses was now dead and the gouernment cast vpon Ioshuah God gaue him the same lesson in effect Thou shalt not turne away from it to the right hand nor to the left In like manner Agur saith Put nothing vnto his words least he reproue thee and thou be found a lyar I protest saith Christ to euery man that heareth the words of the prophecie of this booke If any man how precise how pure how holy how austere how sanctified soeuer he seeme or how learned soeuer he be and wit tie in the iudgement of men shall adde vnto these things God shall adde vnto him the plagues that are written in this booke and if any man shall diminish of the words of the booke he meaneth the true sense and substance of the words of this prophecie God shall take away his part out of the booke of life and out of the holy Citie and from those things which are written in this booke If any subiect or subiects shall presume to repeale the lawes of the kingdome or to make new lawes and to vrge men to receiue and obey them the king in the mean time vnacquainted with their proceeding or disliking it they shew themselues busie bodies rebellious turblent and taking vpon them as kings they incurre the displeasure of
which saith that the Begger died and was carried by the Angels into Abrahams bosome the Richman also dyed and was tormented after his death in Hell For where should the soules of men be after Death but either in Heauen with Christ or in Hell with the Diuell Non est vllus vlli locus medius vt possit esse nisi cum Diabolo qui non est cum Christo There is not any place for any man to be any where but with the Diuell who is not with Christ saith Saint Austen There are two receptacles for mens soules Heauen and Hell Tertium penitus ignoramus a third place we are vtterly ignorant of saith one The Scripture speaketh of no moe then two Thus wee haue seene what Death is to wit a disiunction of the soule from the bodie and not a dissolution of the Soule with the bodie the soule remaining vncorrupt and In aeternum as Lactantius speaketh Death though for the Nature of it it bee but one and the same to wit a temporarie diuorce or separation of the soule and body which were married or vnited by God himselfe yet in respect of the state into which men are by it admitted it is double and in regard of the meanes or waies whereby it is effected it is manifold for as Seneca truely speaketh Mille ad hanc aditus patent there are a thousand waies to bring a man to Death In respect of the persons dying and of that estate which they are let into by death death is twofold a death of the godly and a death of the wicked a sanctified and comfortable death a miserable and vnhappie death Of the former Balaam speaketh in his wish Let me die the death of the righteous and let my last end be like his and Dauid in the Psalme Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints Of the latter our Sauiour speaketh in the parable when he saith O foole this night will they the diuels he meanes fetch thy soule from thee And againe The rich man also died and was buried and being in hell tormented c. Furthermore death we said was manifold for the waies or meanes thereof For albeit death bee the common way of all flesh Omnibus est eadem lethi via non tamen vnus Est vitae cunctis exitijque modus yet all men goe not the same way vnto death Mille modis lethi miseros mors vna fatigat Death meets with vs a thousand waies As into a great Citie or into the maine Sea so vnto death there are many waies It is as the center wherein all the lines doe meete a towne of Mart wherein many waies from contrarie coasts doe end Hos bella hos aequora poscunt His amor exitio furor his saeua cupido Vt sileam morbos Some are eaten vp of warres some are swallowed vp of the Seas The old world was drowned the Sodomites were burned the disobedient Prophet was killed of a Lion the mocking children were deuoured of two Beares Senacheribs Armie was killed with an Angell Herod Agrippa was eaten of wormes Pherecides of lice a King of Epirus was killed with a tile a King of Israel with an arrow and of France with a dagger some haue beene swallowed vp of the earth some haue beene killed of Serpents some haue beene eaten of Wolues one was killed of rats some by the fall of towers and trees some by one meanes some by another But we will bring them to some heads yet heere we promise no accuratenesse There is therefore an ordinarie way of dying which is vpon ordinarie causes and is common to all the sonnes of Adam since their transgression or there is a death by causes more rare and extraordinarie as by pestilence samine battell opening of the earth wilde beasts and the like Or thus there is first a naturall death which is when nature is spent when her forces are exhaust A light will go out of it selfe when the flame wants oyle waxe or tallow to feed on A mellow apple will fall of it selfe and through-ripe corne will shill without shaking O' this death Eliphaz speaketh Thou shalt goe to thy grane in a full age as a ricks of corne commeth in due season into the barne and such a death Iob and Dauid died of whom it is said they died in a good age and full of daies Secondly there is a ciuill death which is inflicted by the ciuill Magistrate Who is the Minister of God to take vengeance on him that doth euill Such a death died Achan vnder Ioshuah and the two theeues vnder Pilate But it may be asked if the magistrate may lawfully take away the life of an offender seeing no man is absolute Lord of the life of man but only God To the soyling of this doubt if any be wee must know that the Magistrate is Gods Lieutenant or God in office according to the Psalme I haue said yee are Gods and as Iehosophat saith hee executes not the iudgements of men but of the Lord whose creature he is and whose person he represents and who beareth not the sword for nought but for the protection of the good and for the terrour and suppression of the wicked Those therefore that are cut off by the Magistrate as he is a Magistrate or the Minister of God as S. Paul doth stile him they are not cut off by Man but by God in as much as the authoritie is Gods by which they bee cut off And although we be all as one by Christ yet is it in respect of the Communion of the Spirit and not by reason of any politicke or worldly parilitie And albeit Christ hath made vs all Kings yet we may iustly say with Christ Our Kingdome is not of this world though begunne in this world and our regalitie may very well stand without wrong to Caesar or his sword But to returne Ciuill death is double iust or iniust A man dies iustly when he dies for some wickednes committed or for some notable villany as high treason intēded and plotted though not performed Thus Ioab was slaine at the commandement of Salomon as also Shimei both of them by Benaiah In like maner Bigtan and Teresh were both hanged for intending seeking to lay violent hands vpon their King Ahashuerosh Thus iustly died those Powder-Papists that most barbarously plotted with one blast to haue blowne vp this whole Church and State vnder the wings whereof it is protected Praise be vnto Christ for euer who hath honoured vs with this saluation and let all good people say Amen Againe a man dies vniustly when he dies vndeseruedly Thus died Naboth vnder Ahab S. Iohn the Baptist vnder Herod the Martyrs of Christ vnder Tyrants and Christ himselfe vnder Pilate For though that Christ his death was most iust in
shunne those things which are painefull Neither doe they indure to dye for honesty sake but that they might escape and auoide some euill or greeuous thing Secondly it may bee asked whether a man may not lawfully hazard his life yea and expose himselfe to certaine death for the Churches sake or for the good of his Countrey Yea no doubt he may and must if necessitie so require Hereby saith Saint Iohn we perceiued loue that Christ laide downe his life for vs therefore wee ought also to lay downe our lines for our Brethren And Saint Paul saith I passe not at all neither is my life deare vnto my selfe so that I may fulfill my course with ioy and the ministration which I haue receiued of the Lord Iesus to testifie the Gospell of the grace of God And when Agabus by the inspiration of the Spirit had told Paul that the Iewes should bind him and deliuer him to the Gentiles wherevpon some that heard it with teares besought him that hee would not goe to Ierusalem Then Paul answered What doe yee weeping and breaking mine heart For I am ready not to be bound onely but also to die at Ierusalem for the Name of the Lord Iesus And vnto the Philipians he profesteth his willingnesse to dye for their confirmation Yea saith he and though I be offered vp vpon the sacrifice and seruice of your Faith I am glad and reioice with you all And this kinde of death is very honourable For sanguis Martyrum est semen Ecclesiae the bloud of the Martyrs is the seede of the Church Persecutiembus creuit Ecclesia Martyriis coronata est The Church saith Saint Ierome increased by persecutions and was crowned by Martyrdomes Tanta est virtus Martyrij vt per illam credere etiam ille cogatur quite doluit occidere So great saith Saint Cyprian is the force of martyrdome that thereby euen he is forced to beleeue with thee that was ready to haue killed thee The Phoenix as Epiphanius others doe report when she is come to her full age gathereth in some high mount a pile of Myrrhe Frankencense and other Spices which being kindled by the heate of the Sunne she suffereth her selfe to be burnt vp and of her ashes there first breedeth a litle worme which at last becomes a Phoenix so the Martyrs of Christ hauing gathered a pile of vertues and good works when they see the glory of God and the good of the Church requires it expose themselues to the scorching heat of persecution and sacrifice themselues by patience in the flames therof that by their death the posteritie of the Church might be preserued another generation of faithful Christians springing as it were out of their ashes Philo saith that the Coriander seed being cut into little peeces euerie parcell thereof bringeth out as much as the whole seede would haue done so it may be said that euery inch of the Martyrs euerie drop of their bloud is exceeding fruitfull Ligabantur saith Saint Austen They were bound beaten butchered burned multiplicabantur and yet they multiplied insomuch as at last Christianitie did preuaile Emperours Kings and Queenes submitting their soules to the Scepter of Christ Iesus and being become noursing-fathers and noursing mothers of the Church which is the Spouse of Christ as Esay prophecied In like manner honourable and honest is their death that die for the safegard of their King and Countrie How readie is the hand to set it selfe before the head caring for no danger that I may so speake so that the head may bee preserued whole The King is the Head of a Kingdome what good Subiect or Seruant will not willingly glue his life to saue the life of his Soueraigne Dulce decorum est pro patriâ mori it is a sweete and honest death saith Horace which a man indures for his country Patria est communis omnium nostrum Parens Our country saith Tully is the common Mother of vs al. Chari sunt liberi c. We loue saith he our children kindred acquaintance but our Countrie alone hath all the loues of all men omnes omnium charitates patria vna complexa est for which what good man would refuse to die to doe it good For the Commonwealth is a name of an vniuersall Citie on which wee ought to bestow our selues wholly and as it were to consecrate our selues A wiseman should refuse no danger for the safetie of his Countrie for thus saith Tullie he reasons with himselfe Non mihi soli sed etiam atque adeò multo potius natus sum patriae I am not borne for my selfe alone but also and much more too for my Countrie Vita quae fato debetur saluti patriae potissimum soluatur Let the life which is due to destinie bee payed especially for the safegard of the Countrie O fortunata mors quae naturae debita pro patria potissimum est reddita O blessed death saith hee which being due as a debt to nature is payed especially for the Countries good And vndoubtedly they that willingly and deuoutly lay downe their liues for God and their Countrie being called thereunto are of all others most louing and most couragious neither doe they die but liue in happie and eternall memorie with God who no doubt rewardes their momentanie crosse with an immortall crowne of glorie in the heauens Thirdly it may be demanded whether the death of Christ and of the holy Martyrs may be called voluntarie seeing they died at the commaund and by the execution of others I answere their death was voluntarily but not with wicked wilfullnesse sustained of them For Christ could haue saued himselfe then when hee suffered himselfe to be apprehended condemned and executed for hee had power to lay downe his life and take it vp and might to doe what he listed no man could take his life from him against his wil for being verie God he could not be compelled And for the Martyrs of Christ they died in deed by the malice of others and not through the malicious wilfulnesse of their owne spirits yet did they willingly die choosing rather to die then to denie their Lord and to betraie a good cause A man will cast away his wares rather then bee drowned himselfe so the Martyrs would willingly embrace the fire rather then dishonour God by cowardize and loose their soules by Apostacie And that it may fully appeare that their death was with their willes though not simply as if they were in loue with death or were wearie of their liues aske the cause of their profession What made who forced them to embrace the faith No man but they willingly through the worke of Gods Spirit receiued it Againe though they did embrace it yet if they would haue forsaken and for sworne it they might haue saued their liues and perhaps haue come to preserment
the king and deserue no better then death it selfe euen so are they the Children of death who teach their Traditions in the Church which is the kingdome of Christ for the doctrines of God and deuise new articles of saith not heard of in the ancient Church and presse them vpon vs as necessarily to be beleeued and they likewise who destroy the faith or maime it by their subtractions and denialls of Articles necessarily to be beleeued Let them looke to it therefore that deny the Trinitie or the Diuinitie of Christ and which deny saluation by Christ alone and they that teach worshipping of images adoration of reliques prayer for the dead transubstantiation and all they that beleeue it is of necessitie to saluation for euery Christian to be subiect to the Bishop of Rome affirming all to be Heretiques that refuse him to bee their chiefe Pastor on earth Finally all wicked and impenitent Sinners without exception of any shall dye this death Wit wealth birth beauty strength friends attendants these things cannot exempt them Tophet is prepared for Kings if wicked and Christ as Iude speaketh out of an ancient Prophecie will rebuke All the vngodly Saul shall not bee deliuered by his crowne nor Nabal by his Coffers Achitophel shall not bee helpt by his counsell nor Absalon by his beautie nor Haman by his honour nor Caiaphas by his priesthood nor any man by his greatnes by his high Offices and spacious Kingdomes These things cannot saue the body from Death much lesse able are they to saue the soule from Hell Nec prece nec pretio the Iudge will not bee perswaded by prayer nor blinded by bribing nor peruerted by any meane but vvill reward euery man according as his worke shall be without respect of persons The nature of this death is not easily to bee described to the full for neither hath the eye seene nor the eare heard neither hath it entered into mans heart to conceiue the panges and torments that are prepared for the wicked Only they that feele them are able if able to expresse them Neuerthelesse seeing the Scriptures are not wholly silent wee may be bold to speake by their direction First therefore the damned are depriued of the fauour of GOD and the comfort of his presence Secondly they doe indure horrible and very painefull punishments both in Soule and bodie Thirdly their paines are endlesse their tortures abide without ease for euer All these three Saint Paul affirmeth in one Verse together when he saith they shall be Punished with euerlasting perdition from the presence of the Lord and from the glorie of his power Here is Paena Damni the punishment of losse and lack at the least exprest and the eternitie of it if not also Paena Sensus the punishment of feeling panges and torments but our Sauiour sheweth that the wicked shal suffer Euerlasting Paine and Esay saith that their worme shall neuer dye nor their fire bee quenched There shall bee weeping and gnashing of teeth Planè fltetus ex dolore stridor dentium ex furore They shall weepe saith Bernard for sorrow and grinde their te-th through rage Hell fire is full of paine and altogether voide of comfort In fire there are two things heate and light Hell-fire is hot but darke if it giue light it is not the light of comfort but of miserie to let the damned see those things which might affright and grieue them But this fire is not as I suppose such fire as ours is neither is their worme such a worme as creepes vpon the earth or as is bred in our body but it pleaseth the Holy Ghost by these words to point out and as by simitudes to shew vnto vs the griefes and gripes of the damned which shall be with much paine and horrour as the burning of a fire or the gnawing of wormes The Diuell and the wicked saith Damascene shall bee deliuered vp into euerlasting fire Non materialem qualis est apud nos not vnto a materiall fire as is with vs but into such as is knowne to God And Saint Austen doth thus somewhere dispute about this point If the fire of Hell bee corporall it must bee fed by corporall fuell which beeing once wasted it also must goe out But it 's certen that hell-fire shall neuer fayle therefore it is spirituall but if it bee a corporall fire but by creation euerlasting then must the soules of men feele a corporall fire The Gluttons Soule in the parable was tormented greeuously burnt extremely but vvith vvhat fire with hell-fire indeed but it is improbable that elemenrary or bodily fire could affect a spirit out of the body But let vs not dispute vvhat kinde of fire it is but rather studie to keepe our selues from feeling it This fire saith Christ is euerlasting semper vrens nunquam exurens torquet non extorquet punit sed non finit it alwaies burnes but neuer burnes them vp it paines them but kils them not it afflicts but endes not It is called Ignis inextinguibilis fire vnquenchable for it neither is put out it selfe neither doth it extinguish those whom it doth torment Hell-fire saith S. Gregorie seeing it is incorporeus not bodily it is neither kindled by the help of man nor fed with wood but beeing once made it continueth vnquenchable and stands not in neede to bee kindled neither wants it heate Neither must it seeme hard that the paines of the wicked must indure euer For though indeede their liues had an end some sooner some later yet if we consider the infinitie of his person whom they sinned against and againe that their sinnes left an immortall and indeleble staine in their soules and finally the eternall auersion of their willes that if they had liued euer they would haue sinned euer if we consider these things I say it will appeare there is no cruelty or iniustice in the Lord to punish them with eternall perdition so as that their death shall be without death their wants without want their destruction without destruction And that which doth aggrauate their misery is that their companions are no better then the Diuels and the place of their abode no sweeter no better then Hell it selfe which of all places in the world is the worst the habitation of Diuels voide of order full of horror vbi nulla spes boni nulla desperatio mali where there is no hope at all of any good and no despaire of euill But yet in Hell there shall be differences and degrees of paines euen as in heauen there will be degrees of glory For pro disparibus ponderibus peccatorum erunt etiam disparia tormenta paenarum as Saint Augustine speaketh according to the different degrees of sinnes there shall bee different degrees of torments The seruant that knowes his Maisters will and doth it