Angels and equall to them Luke 20.36 and the Angels in heauen doe assuredly know one another as appeares Dan 10.13 where the Angell that appeared to Daniel told him how he was withstood by the Prince of Persiae if hee had not knowne him how could he haue distinguished him to be that Prince â—â—â—…eside if we shall know God himselfe as I haue showed you â— much more shall wee know one another thus Adam beeing cast into a sleepe knew his Wife Euah and could say This is flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone When as yet hee neuer before had seene her But this hee did Spiritu sancti plenus et vera Dei cognitione praeditus Beeing full of the holy Spirite and indued with the true knowledge of God saith this Author And Greg. Dial lib. 4. saith Quia illic omnes communi claritate conspiciunt non est quod ibi nesciant vbi Scientem omnia sciunt Because that in Heauen with a common cleare brightnesse and bright clearenesse all there doe see it cannot be that they may bee nescient where they know him that knowes all 2. Amabimus wee shall loue God good things one another God that there hath crowned vs good things that there are with vs one another that there are all brethren among vs for manent haec tria now remaine these 3 Faith Hope and Loue But the chiefe of these is Loue 1. Cor. 13.13 because Faith and Hope are but in this world to crowne vs in the next and when they haue obtained their ende they leaue But Loue doth neuer leaue vs it goeth with vs to Heauen where whilest we liue wee shall loue there euer liue and there euer loue 3. Gaudebimus wee shall haue ioy without measure without compare without end without measure for it cannot bee equald without compare for it shall be infinite without ende for it shall be euerlasting 4. Laudebimus wee shall praise God without griefe without trouble without wearinesse without griefe for all reares shall bee wiped from our eyes without trouble nothing shall molest vs without wearines for no mortall accident shal comencere our bodies sith Aquinas saith They shall bee seuen times cleer er then the glorious Sunne O the glory of that happinesse thrice happy are they that are so happy that kingdome where youth shal flourish without age where life knowes none end where beauty neuer fadeth loue neuer cooleth sicknesse neuer pierceth ioy neuer ceaseth That kingdome where sorrow is neuer felt complaint neuer heard mourning neuer seene ill neuer feared That kingdome where our knowledge shall bee perfected our vnderstanding shall be polished our acquaintance increased That kingdome where our soules shall bee in felicity our bodies in eternity both soules and bodies in maiesty Oh thrise happy day when soule and body shall there meere and welcome be that appointed day which brings with it this blessed day The meditation of this day these things will teach vs many things and as Ionas gourd did comfort him chap. 4.7 so this may instruct vs. Mark. 13.37 that kept him from heat and this may shelter vs from danger It may teach vs to watch and pray sith wee know not the time of our dissolution whether our special iudgement shall be in the morning of our youth the noone-tide of our strength or the euening of our age Whether we shall be Praemoniti forewarned that we may be Praemuniti forearmd or whether we shall haue a Scarbrough warning suddenly be gone We read of a certaine watery serpent called Ephemeron that Simul oritur moritur no sooner bred but dead And Aristotle writes of certaine flies by the riuer Hippanis that they are bredde in the morning strong at noone and dead ere night These are the Emblemes of man as in a map describing our mortality Let vs then be warned for Qui non cauet pauet He feareth that takes no heed Nemo cauenda timet quimetuenda cauet whoso feareth what is to be preuented needeth not preuent what is to be feared Gregory saith Nemo in huius vitae itinere torpeat ne in Patria locum perdat quiae enim adhuc bene licet agere scimus an cras liceat ignoramus Let none goe dully in the iourney of this life least he loose his place in the heauenly country for though we know wee haue time to do well to day we know not whether we shall liue to morrow yea or nay Let vs therfore confes our sins not to man as the Papists bid vs who are Curiosum genus hominum ad cognoscendam vitanialienam desidiosum ad corrigendam suam A certain curious company of Shauelings to correct other mens liues and stothfull in mending their owne but to God Is enim nunc vidit quae fiunt postea punit eos qui paenitentiam non agunt For hee seeth what we doe now and punishes them that repent not heereafter If wee acknowledge our sinnes hee is faithful and iust to forgiue vs our sins 1. Iohn 1 9.2 It may teach vs to set a guard about our actions a watch about our lips with good Dauid least we offend with our tongue 3. It may teach vs to season all our actions with discretion least at any time wee deale rashly as Saint Peter did when he did cut off Malcus eare 4. It may teach vs obedience with Noah to prouide the Arke while the weather is calm with Ioseph it may make vs prouident in time of plenty to lay vp against a day of scarcity in the Summer of our youth against the winter of our age If Lot had aboade in Sodome in the time of burning how could hee haue scaped If we loue the world in this time of sinning how shal we be saued We see in the example of Sodome that what is offended at midnight is punished at noone day for the sunne did rise vpon Sodome that day and yet soone after came Sodomes destruction now Sodemes iudgement hath a reference to the last iudgement thus The light or Sun-rise is Gods iudgement the night or Sodomes fall is the committing of wickednesse the parallel is this whatsoeuer it committed in the night of the Sodome of this world shall be made manifest in the Sun-rise of the world to come Lastly it may comfort vs who are Gods chosen whose names are written in the booke of life to thinke that the will of our maker hath giuen all iudgement to our redeemer if our friend be our Iudge we will hope to escape the vigour of iudgement if sentence come from our Sauiour we may be assured of saluation This made Hillarion so often call to his soule Exi anima mea exi Goe out my soule goe out willingly from the prison of my bodie thou hast serued God these 70. yeares neuer feare now nor be loath to be going whose life and death when good Saint Hierome read he clapt vp his booke saying Hillarion shall be the champion whom I will follow This made Policarpus that hee would neuer by flattering nor threatning be drawne from the feruice of his Sauiour liuing he neuer did him hurt and dying he beleeued glory This made that holy man on his death-bed say Neu vitam sperno nec mortem timeo quia dominum bonum babeo I neither loath my life nor dread my death because I haue so good a maisten This made Paul desire to be dissolued and to bee with Christ which is best of all This makes the godly in the booke of the Reuelation crie so earnestly Veni domine Iesu venicito Come Lord Iesu come quickly Euen so Amen and let Amen say Amen Come Lord Iesu to make an end of a wicked miserable vnconscionable vncharitable word Come Lord Iesu to seale vp the kingdome of grace which maketh thy Saints stay so long and with long weary waiting crie Qamdiu domine How long Lord iust and true Come Lord Iesu to hasten thy Kingdome of glory that we may the sooner meet the King of glory and be carried among the Angels into the place of glory there to enioy the crowne of glory with all the companie of heauen to sing glory to God on high Al which he that made vs for his Sonnes sake grant vs euen Christ the righteous to whom with the Father the Son and the holy Ghost be ascribed all praise power maiestie and dominion throughout all ages now and euermore Amen FINIS
know him not nor obey his Gospell 1. Thes 2.8 No Abigaile shall serue for intercession The terror of that day cānot be vttered because the iudges sētence shall not be altered mā while he was liuing would euer be sinning and God after that sētēce wil euer bepunishing Then shall the Archangels loud voice be heard that voice which cleaueth the rockes openeth the graues raiseth the dead oyneth soules to their bodies all In momento In a moment twinkling of an eie Then shall the vnbeleeuers misery come then shall be the strict examination the narrow serching and idle words accounting then Exigetur e nobis me tempus impensum quomedo fuit expensum We must giue account of all time allotted vs how we haue bestowed it For Non est capillus de capite nec momentum de tempore de quo rationem non reddendum There is not an haire of our heads nor a moment of time for which we must not be accountable the reason is Cuia qui pro frigida agnae dabit mercedem Becuse he who for a cup of colde water will giue a reward Pro verbo osioso statuit paenam For an idle word hath allotted a punishmet He that created time was borne for vs in the fulnes of time be assured he will iudg vs for our notvsed or abased time the greatmā the world mā the little world both haue a time and time will come that the Great mā shall haue an end the little man who hued in the great mā shal be iudgd at that end Whē that end shal com the secrets of al harts shall be disclosed for as Musculus on Genesis saith about Sodoms destruction Quod noctu peccatur luce diurna punitur Sinne by night committed by day shall be punished Then shall it be saide to a sinner as Nathan said to Dauid 2. Sam. 12.12 Thou didst this secretly but I will doe it before all Israell and before the Sunne In this world God afflicts his chosen and then iudge how in the next world he will toment the wicked And as Greg speaking of Herods cruelty to holy Iohn Baptist saith Magna crudelit as cum sacram caput fuit decollatum maior cum allatum homicidium ostentatum adhuc maior quia saltatrici datum sed Maxima quia in potestatem adulterae assignatum It was great crueltie to behead an holy man more to bring the heade and make boast of the murther greater to giue it to a Dancer but greather then all to assigne it into the hands of an Adultresse In the end concluds it with this remarkable note Hinc vnusquisq colligat quid illic passuri sunt quos reprobat si hic ua cruciat deusquos amat By this may alisuppose how God will torture that wicked in the next world whō he hateth when hee thus afflicteth his chosē in this world whō he loueth In this world heads to his seruants falts Iob. 14.17 In the world to come he wil sift the vngod lies sins And as Bar in Can. ser 15. saith Quid in Babilone tutum si in Hierosolyma fiat scrutinum If there bee made a serch in Ierusalē what safety can be expected for Babylon The Papists say if there be but two places Heauē hel Non est quis medius locus vt possit u◠mo esse nisi cum Diabolo qui non est cum Christo There is none interstitial place but that he who is not with God must needs be with the denil If that euery one as the truth is after this life is imediatly In puncto temporis In a very instant of time gone to soys or to pains hath reward or punishmēt what then need we a Iudgemēt day I answer yes in two respects 1. Because the body hath bin a coagēt with that Soule in good or in euil that body as yet lyeth sencelesse in the graue shall so do vntil that last dome euē without any feeling now it is meet that as it hath bin a coactor so it may be a copartner that which vntil then it shal not be 2 Because God will render to euery one according to the full measure of Mercy or Iustice so it is that vntil that Iudgement day neither the godly shal haue their ful fruition consummation of ioyes nor that wicked of pains their measure wherfore to make both cōpleat absolute ioyes to the godly and pains to the wicked As also that two old friends might meet again together to renew old acquaintance A Iudgemēt day must be Gods mercie was refused his son Iesus misused therefore his iniuries must be reuenged his enemies must be confounded the wicked must together be punished Vt tormentis panalibus socientur qui socij fuerunt in vitijs To associate them in tormēts who were cōpaniōs in sin Paul the third Pope of that name made questiō of three things liuing which dying he said hee should bee resolued off 1. In sit Deus if there were a God 2. An Annimae immortales If soules did liue after the bodies were dead 3 Siqui inferno If any were in Hell Now these three questions will haue time after the Iudgement-time to be discussed by leasure the one to the Athist the other to the carelesse Liuer the last to the vnrepentant offender all three to the sayle of Hell the damned persons in Prison Now to this necessitie of Iudgemēt generall two things make a certaintie to euery man in perticular The Author 2 The resolution 1 The author is God and that God is Ordo naturae natura mentis humanae terrores conscientiae ordo societatis Politicae sacrorum hominum coucensus The wonder full decencie euen of nature the nature of mans mind the terrors stings of conscience the order of politicall societie betweene man and man doth plainly shew As Perkins saith in his Armil aurea Nay as the heathē Orator said Nulla geus tam sera There is no Nation so wilde no Harbarian so barbarous but in heart will acknowledge it Wherefore in his Tusc Questions he reports of Protagoras Abderites that because he beganne his booke with doubt De dijs vero neque vt sint neque vt non siut dicere habeo As concerning the Gods I haue nothing to say but that they may be and may not be He was banished the citie and the whole contry by a publike Edict and with a generall consent his bookes were burnt to ashes Now this God that is is Magnus sine quantitate bonus sine qualitate Is great without quan titie good without qualitie As Aug. saith Whose freewil elected vs whose power created vs whose loue preserued vs whose mercie at the appointed day will crowne vs if we in our allotted dayes will serue him This God is called in Latine Deus of Do to giue Iam. 1.17 because Onem dat He giues euery good and perfect gift In English he is called God Quasi good yea he is
know eth no man no not the Angels of heauen saue the father only what then needs man grieue to be ignorant when the blessed Angels are content not to know it yea more Iesus the Sonne of God was content to be nescient for our sakes In quantum homo in that he was man Some say he knew it euen Quatenus homo as he was Man but not Eatenus to reueale it to men Some haue boasted of reuelations by theÌ„ to set down desinitiuely a certain day of iudgment some by the Astrological aspects of stars some by Arithmetical supputarioÌ„s of numbers would diuine the time of the last time al salse to seduce the simple Of which sorts of people I may say as Cato said of the Sooth-sayers of his time I wonder that they doe not laugh when they meete each other in the streets There were diuerse of the learned in times past who held that as the wals in Iericho fell down the feueÌ„th day after they were coÌ„pasled about with blowing of truÌ„pets shouting of the children of Israel as we read Ios 6.20 So the balding of this world after those 6 great daies wherof one is to the Lord as a 1000. Pet. 3.8 years a 1000. years as one day shal fal theÌ„ shal be that coÌ„tinuall sabaoth when al times seasons shall meete together in coniunction whereof the Prophet Esay speakes ca. 66.23 Theold Thadalmost said the idle Prophesie of Elias falsly shrouded vnder his name in the Iewes Thalmuld is much tossed haled by many that the world shal last 6000. years 2000. vacui before the Law 2000 vnder the Law and 2000. vnder the Gospel The strength of their weake coniecture is 1 As in sixe dayes the Lord made heauen earth and al that therein is so in 6000. yeeres the Lord shall gouerne this world being subiect to generation and corruption and as the seauenth day he rested so in the 7000. shall he hauing gatheredtogether his Church by the preaching ' of his word bring all to euerlasting rest and peace 2. As the Sabaoth was instituted in the euening of the sixt day So by this Sabaoth being vnderstood the last Sabaoth in the end of the last 2000. yeres or a little before shall come the heauenly Sabaoth when all shall rest 3. As the six first Fathers Adam Seth Enos Cainan Malaltel Gared are deade and Enoch the seauenth from Adam was translated into Heauen aliue and sawe no death So for the space of 6000. yeeres the world and death in the world shall bee and in the 7000. shall be blessednesse and immortalitie To shew the errour of this Prophesie in false computation of yeares it will more trouble your Honorable and iudicious cares then edify your hearts onely thus much know that there were before the Law aboue two thousand and fiue hundred yeres and vnder the Law sewer then two thousand Besids this the opinion wants a grouÌ„dworke for it hath no Scripture for Euidence now where that foundation failes there the building fals But what shall be vnder the Gospell wee shall not know vntill the Audit day come at what time euery Mans bill of accounts shall be put in by appointment of the Creator of Time and wages God make vs mean-while good seruants giuen in particular to all Some haue supposed that because Christ liued vpon the earth 32. yeeres and some six moneths that therefore the Time vnder the Gospel shall bee so long for say they The Church hath a relation to Christ and the body of the one a type of the other So then as the naturall bodie tinued on earth 32. yeares so shall the mistical body the Gospell the Church wee who are his members prouided still that sith at the end of these yeares say they shal be the euerlasting Iubiiee of our soules that in the Interim euery one of these yeeres haue a relation to the Mosaicall Iubile that after so many fiâ—â—es bee expired the end shall come But this being but opinion and the opinion of some I leaue it in hast to your reuerend opinions now and to beescanned by the opinions of all at leasure hereafter only desiring you to consider with mee thus much That all ages of man are limited to a certaine number of yeeres except the last part of old age Infancie is reckoned to holde vntill the third or fourth yeare Childhoode vntill ten yeeres Pubertie vnto eÌ„ighteene youth vnto fiue and twentie Courage vntill thirtie fiue or fourtie yeres Constant age vnto fiftie luÌ„pish age vntil 65 only decrepit crookedage hathno time of yers presixt but euen to last vntill the last and the last gaspe bee it sooner or farther off to be the Stage post or bound of tha So likewise this last age of the world cannot bee determined vntill by the Determiners appointment wee see a certaine determination In the meane time let vs redeeme the time considering the time Let vs redeem the time or euilnes of the time with the goodnesse of our liues Let vs take his couÌ„sell who gaue the best councell euen councell for our soules To watch and pray least that day come vpon vs vnawares and finde vs vnprouided Consider at that day what a Iudge we shal see afrowning Iudge he that damned the poore seruant Mat. 25.28 for hiding his Talent and bringing him onely his owne without inerest Hee that damned the poore soule Mat. 22.13 for comming to the marriage feast without his wedding garment Hee that damned the fiue foolish virgins Mat. 25.12 for not coming iumpe at the houre and finall threatneth to dame all those that worke iniquite Mat. 13.41 Doe not wee reade how he cast out Adam the first man for eating an apple Drowned the old world wholly for wicked imaginations al but Noah and his family saued by a seely Arke of pine-trees Reiected Saul and cast him out of his Kingdome for sparig the Amalekites Punished Dauid a man otherwise after his owne heart with plagues and his rebellious sonne for the committed acts of adultery and murther Threw the Angels out of heauen That light as Austine thinkes which Moses speakes of in the first of Genesis Turnd Lots wife into a piller of Salt And then Qui Angelis pijs non pepercit Hee who neither sparde the Angels nor good men how shall wee wretched Sinners looke to escape It is good for vs to thinke vpon these things and to consider that Our redemption draweth nigher now then when we first beleeued Rom. 13.11 For if Paul held those the last daies wherein he liued who liued so many yeeres since euen but 37. yeares after Christs Passion and beheaded in the 14. yoeere of Nero what may we think of ours The great Papist Bellarmine affirmes that we haue not 400. to come but be it wee had 4000. to the worlds end what is that to vs The Psalmist sayth Our daeyes are but threescore yeeres and ten and if they bee of strength fourescore yeers and if so all is
cap. 1. Circa medium capitis He hath these words Per quot dies tendatur iudicium hoc incertum est sed Scripturarum more sanctarum diem poni solere pro tempre nemo qui illas litter as quamlibet negligenter ligerit nescit How many daies that iudgement time shall holde it is vncertaine but it s the custme of the Scripture to put a day for the length of time and none haue beene so little conuersant in the Scriptures but know this Had Augustine thought it shuld be mentall he neede not haue spoken of Daies for it would haue a short cut be soone dispatcht On the other side Some supposeit shall be Mental onely and they bring the not Canonicall Scripture for proofe Wisedeme cap. 4. ver 19. Without a voice he shall burst them Others hold that the Sentence of iudgement shall bee both Mentall and Vocal because the Iudge shall iudge both as God and man therefore that his iudgement shall be both after a diuine and an humaine manner But for these opinion although I rater thinke with the last yet I say Of secret things which belong to the creator there can bee no sure determination by the creature Thus I pray O Lord increase our faith tell our death so shall we be sure to be Christs when wee are dead and then shall we not care whether the iudgement be vocall or mentall ne or both Some are of opinion that so many men shall be saued as diuelsfell Some that so many shall be saued as Angels stood A third sort say That there shall be in heauen two wals the one of Angels the other of men and that the ruine of the Angels shall be restored with Virgins the other wals shall haue so many Saints to make vp that as there are both Angels and Virgins But these vncertaine opinions of men I leaue to the future trial of such holy men as shall inioy blessednesse there where they shall truely iudge of these opinions In the meane time my Quaere is whether the number of the Angels that stood or the diuels that fell be the greater Of the Angels that stood some thinke they are moe in number now remaining then all the material things created and the Prophet speaking of them sets down no determinate number of them but they are thousand thousands and ten thousand thousands Deut. 7.10 that is they are innumerable Quoad nos in respect of vs. As for the diuels that fell thogh with Bucanus in his booke of Angels I suppose that there is Paene innnmerabilis numerus Almost a number without number not to be numbred yet I beleeue that more stood by the mercy of God then were suffired to fall in his iustice onely what I thinke in this to be true I know not This I know if that the redeemer of our soules hath written all our here-names in the Cataloque of the holy ones that shall be saued it wil not hurt vs though wee know not the number of them that shal be sued true faith will assure vs of the one now and bring vs assuredly where we shall know the other hereafter 4 The fourth part of my text is the manner how we shall be iudged set downe to be In righteousnesse for the goodnesse of the vpright Iudge may be a warrant to vs for righteousnesse in iudgement Righteousnes in God is De essentia A part of his essence nay it is God for Quicquid est in deo deus est Whatsocuer is in God is God therefore to haue him giue Rectum in dicium right iudgement it is no doubt Dauid saith He is inst in all his waies and righteous in all his workes and according to a worke of righteousnesse he will iudge the world therefore he saith Psa 35. Iudge me according to ty righteousnesse True iustice is Suum cuique tribuere To giue euery one his owne saith the Philosopher and so will God render to cuery one according to their workes be they good or euill Among many pettie Iudges Ignorantia legis the ignoraÌ„ce of the law maketh a default in iudgement But our Iudge was the lawgiuer himself therfore there needeth no writ of errour be sued out among all Iudges Ignoratia facti the ignorance of the fact for want of true Euidence may produce a wrong sentence but this Iudge is Serntator cordium The searcher of all hearts he knoweth al thoughts as the Psalmist saith Yea knoweth what wee will doe before it is done and therefore he must needes iudge aright when it is done This Iudge who shall iudge vs was once iudgd himselfe and we who one day must be iudged doe at this day oft in dge others but yet others and our selues shall be once iudged by him who will one day be iudge of all yea and that in righteousnesle as himselfe was not iudged Pilate the iudge yeelded that he found no fault in him at all and yet against all right with more wrong he gaue sentence vpon him the tenour whereof the Euangelists haue concealed yet in an old writer I finde it thus recorded Iesus Nazari seductor populi quem gens tua namprobauit regem propter contentum Caesareae magistatis praecipio te primum flagellari secundum principum statuta deinde in cruce ileuari I lictor expedi crusom Iesus of Nazareth a seducer of the people one whom thine owne nation haue allowed King for contempt of the Maiestie of Cesar I doe command that according to the Lawes of Princes Thou be first whipt then lifted vp to the Crosse Goe Sergeant prepare the Gibbet Thus dealt Pilate with him in whose mouth was found no guile then what shall become of vs in whom is found so much For if the iust man fall seauen times a day Pro. 24.16 How shall they escape whose life is continual fal Howsoeuer my text saith we shall be iudged in righteousnesse we shall haue our due and beare but our owne burthen yet that without helpe God knowes is too heauie Were the Iudges in the world like the Iudge of the world to iudge all in righteousnesse oh it were well Socrates laught because hee saw great theeues hang vp little theâ—ues but we may grieue to see poore flies intangled where Bees pasle through without any stoppage the best is this All are but Stewards and al must be countable Habent supremi iudices superiorem iudicem Chiefe Iudges shall haue the chiefe Iudge to iudge theÌ„ if they for fauor do not giue true iudgement If in a country thou seest the oppression of the poore the defrauding of iudgement iustice be not astonied at the matter for he that is higher then the highest regardeth and there be higher then they Eccl. 5.7 Si tanta in terris haberetur fides quanta in caelis exspectatur merces If men had so much faith on earth as they expect teward with the sonne of man in heauen good Lord what a world should we haue But farth of late hath