some glimâ—…s of the Glory of Heaven and if thoâ—… looâ—…est dowâ—…ward wâ—…th it thou maist see some glimps of the Fire of Hell Look doest thou not see a horrible deep and large pit filled with horribly burning Fire and that Fire filled with damned Men and Women Lay thy ear to the mouth of this pit and harâ—… what the dolorous complaints what the shreeks and yellings be of that cursed company and doest thou not perceive thy self hastning forward in the way to this place of burning and wilt thou go forward still or wilt thou suffer thy self to be carried on furiously by thy impetuous lusts until thou art fallen into this pit and there be no poâ—…sibility of ever getting forth again But more particularly I shall lay before you some considerations for the awakening of the secure First Think how doleful a day of trouble and adversity is like to be to you if you be then in danger of Hell where will the quiet and security which now you have appear on that day possibly it may last and abide with you so long as the warm Sun of prosperity doth shine upon you in the spring of youth and sensual delights whilst you thrive and flourish in the World whilst your friends and flatterers are about you your health and outward peace doth remain with you but you may live to see all your outward comforts lye dead before you and hid in the Grave from your sight for ever your Sun of prosperity may set at the noon-day of your lives and a black night of adversiry may come upon you stormy Winds and a bitter cold Winter of trouble and affliction may assault you wither all your sensual pleasures like the herb and Flower of the Field some unlooked-for-providence may blast your estate and your name bereave you of your dearest Friends and Relations and withdraw all the fewel and provisions which you have been storing and laying up for your flesh and sensual satisfactions how well and strong so ever you are for the present an unexpected Sickness and Death-threatning distemper may suddenly invade you and bring you down to the sides of the pit and fill you with such pain and grief as no outward enjoyments shall be able in the least to aswage And then think with your selves you that are in danger of Hell what dread is like then to seise upon you like an armed man which you will not be able to resist then your carnal security will fly away like a Bird or a Cloud and vanish like smoke in the Air then your false peace will be broken and torn to pieces like the Spider Webs by the feirce Winds as being utterly unable to resist the feirce blasts and rougher assaults of an adverse estate And oh how doleful and dismal is a day of trouble like to be to you when all outward stays and comfort and all nward quiet and peace shall fail together when there are storms abroad and worser storms at home great trouble without and greater trouble within when you shall fall under the scourge of outward affliction and under the lashes of an accusing conscience the fear of Hell and everlasting burnings is like to be more lively and afflictive in a day of trouble than when prosperity doth restrain conscience from doing it's Office Secondly Consider if you should escape the greater storms of outward affliction in your life yet you cannot escape the stroke of death and think how the apprehensions of future wrath and burnings are like to consume you with terrours at your later end Psal. 73. 19. Death hath a grim aspect and looks with a feirce countenance upon guilty Souls and when this enemy shall assault and wound you when your last sickness shall come prove mortal to you when the Phisitian shall give you over and leave you your friends shall mourn and stand weeping about you when death hath seised upon the extream parts of your body and the cold clammy sweats are upon you and then you apprehend the second death near yoâ—… which will immediately follow upon the first death when you think that whilst Friends are conveying your body to your Grave that Devils shall drag your Souls to Hell how are you then like to awake in horrour despair and utter confusion the dying sobs and Gâ—…oans of some guilty Sinners when awakened at their entrance in at the port of death are dreadful but the inward anguish of the heart is beyond all compass of conceit or expression of tongue Thirdly But think how fearful the seperation of your Souls and Bodies will be think with what dread your spirits will appear before God when your consciences shall furiously charge you with guilt of all the Sins which ever you committed and you have not one pardon to show nor one word to answer for your selves when being examined and accused and found guilty you shall be condemned unto eternal punishment think oh think what your horrour is like then to be Fourthly Think of the day of doom when the Lord Jesus shall come I mean when he shall come down from Heaven to judge the World when the Graves shall be opened and you called forth to appear before him and the Book of your conscience shall be opened and all your Sins made manifest to the whole World and having nothing to answer when you shall be Sentenced to everlasting Fire Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting Fire prepared for the Dâ—…vil and his Angels and when the Lord shall then drive you out of his presence into Hell O what will you shreeks and out-cryes be at that day See my Book of Christ's certain and sudden appearance to Indgement Fifthly Think of the punishment of Hell it self which you will be condemned unto and that First What will there be taken from you Secondly What there will be denied unto you Thirdly What there will be inflicted upon you First Think what in Hell will be taken from you all your riches will be taken away riches will then take the wing and be gone and you shall never set your eye upon them any more you shall never buy and sell and get gain any more never purchase Houses and Lands and Inheritance more and not then have so much Land left as whereon to set the sole of your foot all your money and estate wlil perish with your selves and oh how poor and miserable will you perceive your selves then to bâ—… when you are deprived of all your riches and treasures on Earth and instead thereof are made to possess treasures of wrath your honour also will be taken away and everlasting shame and contempt shall be poured upon you Although you may be raised to a higher seat than the ordinary rank now then you must stand upon even ground with the meanest even such whom you would think scorn to set with the Dogs of your Flock or to employ in the meanest office about you the crown will then be pluckt from the Head and the
spend in extremity of torment the real length of eternal torment cannot be measured and the imaginary length will be greater if I may so say because of your misery If a short time of misery here on Earth seem long what will an eternity of misery seem to be in Hell when the body is in health and the Soul is sweetned with delight time steals away insensibly Years seem Months Months Weeks Weeks Days Days hours but when the body is sick and the Soul imbittered with sorrow a short time seemeth long and it passeth away slowly in our apprehension Hours seem Days Days Weeks Weeks Months Months Years how do we count the Clock and reckon the Sands that fall in the glasse and time seem to have a Leaden heel how long then will the eternity of misery in extremity seem to be I believe that the space of one quarter of an hour in Hell will seem longer to the damned than a whole life of misery in this World yea I think I may add that a Minutes pains in Hell will seem longer to the wicked than a thousand years of pleasures in Heaven to the Righteous who will sweetly passe forward in the infinite duration of joy without the least trouble or tediousness so that the ternity of misery in Hell will be as it were a double treble yea thousand-fold eternity Me thinks these consideration should startle all you that are asleep in Sin me thinks they should make your hearts to quake and every joint to tremble me thinks the Sinners in Zion should be affraid and fearfulness should surprize the Hypocrites and I should hear some of you cry out as Isa. 33. 14. Who among us shall dwell with devouring Fire who among us shall Inhabit everlasting burnings And as the Jaylor Act. 16. 29 30. When awakened by the Earth-quake and the impression of guilt made by God upon his conscience Sirs what shall we do to be saved CHAP. IX 4. Use of Comfort to the Righteous SUch of you as are Righteous through the perfect Righteousness of Chriâ—… made yours by Faith without the imputation oâ—… which what ever righteosness you may have within you because imperfect it is impossible you should escape the damnation of Hell you that are clothed with the white Robes of Christ's Righteousness under which all your iniquities are covered and withall have the Spirit of Christ given unto you to work you into a conformity unto the Image of Christ in your regeneration and Sanctification which are inseparably joyned unto justification by Faith you may take comfort in this Doctrine which is matter of such terrour unto the wicked and Ungodly As in Sampsons Riddle out of the strong and feirce Lion came forth Honey and sweetness So this Doctrine which looks with such a feirce aspect upon those which are out of Christ yet will yeild sweetness unto you which are in him because there is no condemnation unto them which are in Christ Iesus Rom. 8. 1. Because Iesus hath delivered you from the wrath to come 1 Thes. 1. 10. Who shall lay any thing to your charge when God hath justified you who shall condemn you when God hath acquitted you Need you value then the wrath of men when you are delivered from the wrath of God Need you fear mens threatnings of temporal punishment which can reach no farther then the body when you are delivered from condemnation to the eternal punishment of Soul and Body in the Lake which burneth with Fire and Brimstone what though you should lose your estates yet since you are not in danger of losing your Souls what though you should be thrown into a Prison on Earth yet since you are not in danger of being thrown into the Prison of Hell you may take comfort and the consideration hereof may alleviate all your fears and grief upon the account of any pains and afflictions which in this life are upon you or you are in danger of You may say of them all these are not the torments of Hell there are light the other heavy these short the other eternal Lift up then your heads with joy yet a little while and you shall see what a difference the Lord will put between you and the wicked when they shall weep ye shall laugh when they shall mourn ye shall be glad when they shall cry and howl ye shall sing and leap for joy when they shall go with fighing to Hell and everlasting horrour in their hearts and all mirth and joy shall flee away from them for ever ye shall come with singing to Heaven and everlasting joy in your hearts and all sorrow and mourning shall flee away and never any more be found CHAP. X. 5. Use of Exhortation both to the Wicked and Righteous ANd now Sinners what will you do will you dare to go on in that broad way of Sin which ere long will open under you and let you down into the horrible gulp of unquenchable burnings can you be contented with a portion in this Life and to receive all your good things here and that Fire and Brimstone and everlasting burnings shall be the portion of your Cup hereafter will any pleasure of the Flesh and Sin for a season countervail that everlasting pain and misery which will be the bitter fruit and consequent of them Let me therefore exhort you without any delay to come out of the broad way of Sin It is the way of Hell and will you proceed any further in it You that are profane and unclean you that are Swearers Sabbath-breaker Scoffers of Religion Persecutors of Gods people Drunkards Covetous persons yea all you that are Hypocrites that are impenltent and unbelieving persons give me leave to stop you in your course or rather hearken unto the voice of God in his Word who calleth you to turn from your evil ways that iniquity may not be your ruine Come out of the broad way and get into the narrow way It hath a strait Gate namely the Gate of Regeneration this you most pass thorow you must become new Creatures get new hearts and lead new lives you must walk in the narrow way of mortification self denial new obedience otherwise you will certainly be numbred amongst the damned who will be everlastingly burned in the Fire of Hell the passage is difficult and the way narrow but both are necessary it is the passage from Death to Life and the way from Hell to Heaven Nothing in the World is so absolutely necessary as that which is necessary unto Salvation better the belly be without food than the heart be without grace better the back be without raiment than the Soul be without Righteousness better be starv'd than damned better be hang'd than burn'd better dye the most painful temporal death than endure the pains of eternal death What you should do that you may be saved from the everlasting burnings of Hell I refer you for direction in my Book of Words whereby you may be saved because I have not room for large direction here But â—…ch of you which read these Lines who have passed thorow the strait Gate of Regeneration and are got into the narrow way you are safe you are in the way to Heaven Learn to admire free grace which hath made the difference between you and Vilest Sinners use your endeavour to bring others into the same way commend to them the ways of God both by your Word and example and perseveer in these ways to your lives end be faithful unto the death that you may receive the Crown of Life I shall shut up all with the words of the Apostle 1 Cor. 15. 58. Therefore my beloved Brethrâ—… be stedfast and unmoveable always abounding the work of the Lord for as much as ye know your labour is not in vain in the Lord. When the wicked are stedfast and unmoveable in the ways of Sin and no argument can perswade them to forsake those ways when they abound always in the work of the Devil and the wages which they shall reap will be death and wrath and everlasting burnings in Hell be you stedfast and unmoveable in the ways of the Lord be not allured by flatteries not affrighted out of them by threatnings but abound more and more in the work of the Lord and your reward shall be everlasting life and Glory in Heaven FINIS
from thee it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish and not that thy whole body should be cast into Hell and if thy Right hand offend thee cut it off and cast it from thee for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish and not that thy whole body should be cast into Hell That this Hell is not meant of the Grave into which the body shall be thrown is evident because those who do cut off the right hand and pluck out the right eye which offend that is mortifie those offensive lusts which are as dear and as hard to be parted withal as the members of the body shall be exempted and delivered from this Hell whereas none shall be exempted though never so holy and mortifyed from the Grave Yea and in this Hell it is said that both soul and body shall be destroyed Math. 10. 28. Fear not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the Soul but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell Now the soul is not destroyed with the body in the Grave as they both shall be if wicked after the Resurrection in Hell Moreover this Hell threatned by our Saviour to those that don't cut off right hands c. will appear plainly to be the place of torment prepared for the wicked by the description of it repeated three times Math. 9. 43 44 45 46 47 48. To go into Hell into that fire which never shall be quenched where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched By the unquenchable Fire we are to understand the fire which shall burn the body by the never-dying worm the worm of conscience which shall eternally gnaw the soul. This Hell is called a Prison 1 Pet. 3. 19 20. By which also he went and Preached â—…nto the Spirits in Prison which sometime were disobedient when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah By the spirits in Prison we are to understand the Souls in Hell the Souls of those wicked and disobedient persons in the old World who would not give â—…ar to the Preaching of Christ by his spirit in Noah and therefore a whole World on them were sent into the Prison of Hell together unto whom are gathered the souls of all that since have died in their Sins where they are bound up in chains of darkness and reserved unto the judgement of the great day Hell is also called a place of outer darkness where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth Math. 25. 30. It is called a Furnace of fire where all those that offend and do iniquity shall be thrown Math. 13. 41 42. It is called the great Wine-press of Gods Wrath where all the wicked shall be crushed to pieces under the exceeding and eternal weight of his wrath Rev. 14. 19 20. But especially it is set forth as a place of fire of which in the next particular Many have been the conjectures of Divines concerning the place where Hell is Some have thought it to be in the bowels of the Earth because it is spoken of as a place below and called by the â—…ame of a pit the bottemless pit out of which the smoke and locusts did arise Rev. 9. 2. And in which Sathan was bound and held as in a Prison Rev. 20. 1 2 3 7. And they have conceited the pit spoken of Num. 16. 33 Into which Corah Dathan and Abiram went down alive when the Earth clave asunder and swallowed them up was the pit of Hell into which both their soul and body together were immediately conveyed and that which hath the rather established such in this opinion hath been the vast quantity of Subterranean Fire which they imagine to be in the Bowels and Caverns of the Earth others have rather conceited it to be beyond this visible World which will pass away at the last day and removed at the greatest distance from the sedes bâ—…atorum the place where the righteous shall eternally Inhabit But the Scripture being silent as to this whatever is spoken on this subject where Hell is must needs be only by conjecture the Lord grant that none of us may know by experience our chief care should be that we may escape the punishment and not be inquisitive about that which the Lord hath not thought fit to reveal let it suffice us to know that there is such a place as Hell where the wicked shall be tormented CHAP. III. That Hell is a place of Fire and Brimstone THere is nothing that Hell is described by in the whole Book of the Scripture so much as by Fire and sometimes by Fire mingled with Brimstone It is called Fire Math. 3. 10. Every Tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewen down and cast into the Fire Hell-Fire Mark 9. 47. It is better for thee to enter into the Kingdom of God with one eye than having two eyes to be cast into Hell-fire A Furnace of Fire Math. 13. 42. And shall â—…ast them into a Furnace of Fire It is called a place where the wicked shall be tormented with Fire and Brimstone Rev. 14. 10. And he shall be tormented with Fire and Brimstone in the presence of the Holy Augels A Lake which burneth Fire and Brimstone Rev. 21. 8. And shall have their part in the Lake which burneth with Fire and Brimstone which is the second death I know that it is a great question amongst Divines whether the fire of Hell which shall burn the Wicked will be a Real fire or a Metaphorica fire There are men of great name who assert it to be a Mataphorical Fire only and that because it is called a Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels who cannot be hurt by a real Fire because the worm which never dyeth is Mataphorically taken for the everlasting gnawings of conscience because the New Ierusalem which is above is Metaphorically described to be of pure Gold clear like Glass the foundations to be garnished with all manner of precious Stones and the Gates to be Pearls Rev. 21. 18 19. And by the same reason they say the description of Hell in the Scripture is Metaphorical those that thus affirm the Fire of Hell to be Metaphorical are so far from lessening the torment hereby which this Fire will inflict that they so much the more aggravate it because that Metaphorical fire they say will afflict more than if it were Real fire for as the glory of the New Ierusalem that Building of God made without hands eternal in the Heaâ—…ens doth far surpass all Metaphores whereby it is set forth which are made use of only to help our understanding in the conceiving of it's Glory so also the pain and torture of the damned in Hell will be more horrible and intollerable than if they were to be cast into Nebecadnezzars fiery Furnace when it was heated seven times more than it was wont to be heat insomuch as
the Metaphor doth come far beneath the thing which it is used to set forth Others are of the judgement that Hell fire will be real Fire it being so positively so plainly and so frequently asserted to be Fire fire with flames fire which shall burn and because nothing will put to greater pain than fire and because it is proper for the body to be tormented with some real material substance and when the Holy Ghost telleth us it shall be fire why should he turn this fire into a Metaphor which may tend rather to weaken our conceptions of it's horrour than to highten them and therefore in answer to that great Objection that it is said to be prepared for Devils they are ready to say it shall be such fire as will not only torment the Soul but also Devils too God having power to make such a fire the other Metaphors are made use of but once this of fire is the almost constant expression in Scripture where Hell is described I confesse that I do not judge these answers to be fully satisfactory for however the souls of wicked men and women may by sympathy with the body be tormented by real Fire yet God having made Devils to be wholly Spirits which are wholly incorporeal I don't apprehend how any fire or bodyly substance can have any impression upon them but that Fire Air Earth or Water are all the same things to them and that they are incapable of suffering by any of them that as Water cannot drown them so neither can fire burn them that as Air cannot refresh them so neither can Fire afflict them Indeed were the opinion of some Ancients true that Devils have bodies but more pure and resined such as cannot be seen any more than the Air a real Fire might be made so pure by God as to torment the Devils but I am altogether of the Judgement that Devils are wholly Spirits the Scripture asserting it and many reasons I might give of it but that it would be too large a digression moreover the fire of Hell I believe will be such as immediately to afflict the souls of the wicked and not only by Sympathy with the body because otherwise the torture of the body would be greater from it's immediate object than the anguish of the soul by Sympathy when the Souls desert of punishment is greater being more highly guilty of Sin than the body which is made use of only as an instrument Yet I cannot be of the opinion that the fire of Hell wâ—…ll wholly be Metaphorical for the reasons before given therefore I judge that both the opinions may be reconciled with themselves and the truth by asserting that this fire of Hell will be partly Metaphorical and partly real First I conceive that the fire of Hell will be in part Metaphorical and that this also will be the most grievous and tormenting though not to the sense yet to the soul to the devils who can be tormented by no other fire my meaning is that the Fire which will be Metaphorical is to be understood of the feirce anger and wrath of the Sin-revenging God who himself is called a consuming Fire Heb. 12. 19. And whose anger is often expressed by the Metaphor of fire in the Scripture and so that everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels and for the souls of wicked men and women which will be accompained also with a real fire prepared for their bodies of which in the next particular is the everlasting wrath of God which he hath treasured up against the day of wrath when he will open and bring forth those treasures and make immediate impressions thereof upon all damned spirits which shall burn worse than Fire and cause greater anguish to the spirit than any fire can do â—…o the sense hence it is said Heb. 10. 31. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God and that because the immediate strokes of Gods vengeance which damned Spirits shall fall under when he takes them into his own hands to punish them in Hell will above all things be most intolerable The Apostle saith 2 Thess. 1. 8. That the wicked shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord ana from the Glory of his Power This is to be understood causally as if he should have said that the destruction of the wicked shall arise from Gods Presence and glorious Power which will pâ—…t forth it self so mightily as to glorifie it self in the punishment of them in Hell God will appear in Heaven to the Angels and Saints in a flame of Love and make immediate and most sweet impressions thereof upon them which will be their chief happiness and God will appear in Hell to Devils and damned Spirits in a flame of wrath as a consuming fire and make immediate impressions of his wrath upon them which will be their chief misery for Sinners to be taken thus into the hands of God and punished by the fire of his wrath will be more dreadful than if the most furious Creatures in the World were mustered up together and let loose upon them to tâ—…ar them in pieces and devour them if they were tormented with the most exquisite torments which can possibly proceed from any second causes it would be no more than the biting of a Flea or the Prick of a Pin in comparison with these immediate strokes of Gods vengeance and the burning under the fire of his indignation Secondly The Fire of Hell I believe will be in part real I mean that fire whereby the body shaâ—… be afflicted I judge that as the torture will be real so that the fire whereby it will be tortured will be real too of all senses the feeling is most capable of being cruciated and afflicted and of all the objects of this sense fire is most afflictive and painful and therefore God hath appointed fire to be for the punishment of the body indeed other senses will be afflicted too the ear with hideous noises shreeks and yellings of fellow damned Sinners the eye with fearful ghastly and horrible spectacles the smell with suffocating odious and nasty stench worse than of Carrion or that which cometh out of an open sepulchre but the feeling will be most afflicted by the devouring and eternally burning Fire which the wicked shall be thrown into I shall not dispute whether this real fire of Hell will be such as our culinary fire I mean that in our Chimneys which sometime creeps into Houses and is of so great force us to burn down Cities and seiseth upon all combustible matter before it and which will continue no longer than it is fed by such gross matter or whether it will be more purely Elementary fire such as Philosophers affirm to be between the upper Region of the Air and the lower Orb of the Heavens or whether it will be such fire as sometimes breaks forth out of the bosom of the Earth at the
your selves upon him with a renouncing of your own righteousness accepting of him and his righteousness resigning up your selveâ—… unto him putting your neck under his Yoke have you received the spirit enabling you to pray mortifying Sin and quickning you unto all the duties of new obedience Hereby you may know the change of your estate If your hearts remain unhumbled unbroken for 〈◊〉 If you are strangers unto the work of Faith â—…nd never truely closed with Jesus Christ if you â—…re without the Spirit of Christ and under the power the reigning power of any Sin if you live in the neglect of prayer secret and with others and of the great Salvation which the Lord Jesus hath purchased if you have a form of Godliness but are without the power thereof you will be found foolish Virgins at last which will have no admittance into the Bride-chamber you will be found hypocrites whose portion is the burning Lake and it will be impossible for you to escape the damnation of Hell Heb. 2. 3. How shall we escape if we neglect so great Salvation CHAP. VII 2. Use of admiration at the security the wicked showing the cause thereof ARe the burnings of Hell so certain being threatned by God! are they so dreadful beyond any burnings that ever have been both in regard of feirceness and duration and are they indeed prepared for the wicked and all graceless Christless persons as their deserved portion and are the most of the children of Men wicked ungracious unrighteous unregenerate unbelievers who are already condemned to this place of torment Ioh. 3. 18. And by consequence every moment while such in danger of being drag'd sorth to execution Here then we may sit down and wonder at the senslesseness and carnal security of such persons especially of those who sit under the light of the word which doth make discovery of all thiâ—… most plainly unto them what ever their danger be what ever their Sins which have deserved Hell what ever Gods threatnings of everlasting burnings what ever execution there is and hath been upon other Sinners like themselves yet they are without any fear they are fast asleep in Sin and very secure though their conscience be full of guilt their hearts full of lust their lives full of Sin though their steps are carrying them forward in the broad way which leadeth unto destruction though death hath them upon the chase and is at their heels though the wrath of God pursueth them hard and is at their backs though the day wherein they must give an account and be punished for their iniquity hasteneth greatly and the Judge standeth at the door yet they care not they fear not none of these things do move them none of these things do trouble them they eat and drink and sleep and buy and sell and plant and build and go on in a sinful course as if they should live here eternally or as if their Soul should perish with their body and all these things foretold in the Word concerning future retributions were but meer fables First Some are thus secure through an Athistical perswasion that there is no God because they are enemies unto God and live in a course of Rebellion against him and so it is their Interest and desire that there should be no God therefore they do what in them lyeth to work themselves unto this perswasion there are too many in our age who endeavour to wear off all sentiments of a deity from their mind 's that they might Sin freely without any check and control that hereby they might arm themselves against the thrusts and wounds which the Sword and Arrows of Gods threatnings would otherwise give unto them and that by this means they might still the noise of their clamorous and accusing consciences which otherwise would give them no rest under such Heaven-daring provocations as they daily are guilty of But such persons if they will not believe the engravings of God which are upon the face of the Universe the impress of infinite power and an invisible Deity on his works which are visible unto the eye they shall not remain long under their Atheistical apprehensions but he will make them to know and feel that there is a God by the immediate impressions of his wrath upon their Souls and the dreadful flames of Hell-fire which his breath will kindle to burn their bodies everlastingly Secondly Others are secure notwithstanding their danger through a fond perswasion that there is no Hell that there is no account to be given no judgement to be passed no punishment to be endured after this life but that death puts a total end to their being and that for ever We read in the Book of Wisdom Chap. 2d of the reasonings which such have Our life is short and in the death of a man there is no remedy neither was there any man known to return from the Grave For we are born at all adventure and we shall be hereafter as though we had never been for the breath in our Nostrils is as smoke and a little spark in the moving of our heart which being extinguished our body shall be turned into ashes and our spirit shall vanish as the soft Air our life shall pass away as the trace of a Cloud or like a Mist driven by the Beams of the Sun our time is a very shaddow that passeth away and after our end there is no returning for it is fast Sealed that no Man cometh again Hence they are secure and encourage themselves in wicked and licentious practices Come on therefore let us enjoy the good things that are present let us fill our selves with costly Wines and Ointments and let no flower of the spring pass by us let us crown our selves with Rosebuds before they be Withered let none of us go without his part of our voluptuousness for this is our portion and our lot is this Such persons they live like Beasts and they would perswade themselves that they shall dye like beasts that there is no immortality of the Soul that there will be no resurrection of the body and by consequence no punishment of both in Hell whereas right reason will evince that the Soul being a spiritual substance will survive the Body which the wiser Heathens have acknowledged and the Scripture doth clearly reveal this and that the body shall be raised again at the last day and both the soul and body of the wicked be eternally tormented in Hell which Scripture being the Word of God which no carnal reason could ever yet disprove these things are as certain as God as true Thirdly Others if they have not drunk in those Atheistical and Anti-Scriptural perswasions which some are besotted and intoxicated withall yet are secure and senseless of their danger through their ignorance or misapprehensions of God they conceive him to be made up all of mercy that there is no fury in him that however sinful they are or have been yet that God is more
Robe be torn from the back and all the honour of wicked great ones belaid in the dust and they will find no more respect in Hell than other men wicked Princes and Noblemen wicked Knights and Gentlemen will have none to bow to them there and do them homage and the most High-born Ladies that are not New-born what ever they have here will find no Courtship hereafter but will be handled as roughly ns meanest of their attendants All your sensual delights and pleasures will then be at an end they are now but for a season Heb. 11. 25. Yea but for a moment Iob. 20. 5. Sometimes they fail before the life is at an end be sure hereafter they shall have an eternal Period In Hell there will be no Feasting and delicious fare to pamper the Flesh no carowsing and drinking Wine in Bowles no chanting to the sound of the Viol no singing dancing and making merry the glutton shall there have no sweet morsels the drunkard no sweet draughts no â—…or so much as a drop of Water to cool and refresh him the wanton shall no more melt in laâ—…ivious embraces nothing will remain of all your sweetnesses and pleasures here but the bitter remembrances accompained with unutterable grief and and grâ—…ans and the intollerable sting and bitings of the never dying-worm of conscience what ever you have prized and pleased your selves withal here you will then be stript of all and oh how bitter will this be to lose all that which you now so much esteem and love and place your chief happiness in Secondly Think what in Hell will be denied unto you you shall be denied admission into the Kingdom of Heaven when you see Abraham and Isaac and Iacob and many from the East and West and North South come and sit down in the Kingdom of God when you shall see all the Saints of all ages shine like the Sun and be caught up in the Clouds to meet the Lord and be crowned by him and received to inherit the Kingdom prepared for them ye shall be shut out no room will be found for you there you could find no room for Christ in your hearts here and he will find no room for you in his Kingdom hereafter The loss of Heaven of that unspeakable happiness which the Angels and Saints shall have in the immediate Vision and Frâ—…ition of God when you come to understand what it is will appear as many observe to be greater than the punishment of sense especially this lâ—…sse will be most grievous unto you who have had discoveries and proffers of it but neglected and refused it preferring some base lusts before it O how will you then be ready to tear your selves to piâ—…ces for madness and vexation Thirdly Think what punishment in Hell will be inflicted upon you First The soreness and intollerableness of it Secondly The sureness and unavoidableness of it Thirdly The neerness of it Fourthly The everlastingness of it First Consider the soreness and intollerableness of Hell's torments and that both of the pain which there you shall feel in your bodies and of the anguish which shall be put upon your souls If you be found amongst the Wicked and Ungodly at the last your bodies shall be tormented in every part in the flames of Hell-fire no pain is more grievous now to the body than the pain of Fire but what is the extinguishable Fire on Earth in comparison with the unquenchable Fire of Hell what is the Fire of Mans kindling in comparison with the Fire of Gods kindling what is Fire fed by Wood in comparison with Fire fed by the breath of God no Fire here can torment like to the fire which God hath prepared for the bodies of the wicked hereafter You have seen fiery Ovens and you have heard of Nebecadnezzars fiery furnace should your bodies now be thrown into such fires you would find them horribly painful but the pains of Hell-fire will be ten thousand times more horrible and tormenting your bodies now cannot endure much pain without expiring which puts an end thereunto but hereafter God will strengthen your bodies to endure they shall have greater strength and quicker sense and so more capacity for pain and they shall be filled to the uttermost of their capacity your bodies shall never dye and they shaâ—… be filled with pain in extremity and that to eternity this will be very sore All the tortures that ever were invented by the most mischievous mind or executed by the most cruel Tyrant on any whom they have had the greatest spleen unto are not so much as the least gentle touch in comparison with the torture which the least member of the damned shall endure in Hell Some of you have had extream pain in your heads others have had extream pain in your bowels others have been extreamly afflicted with pain in your legs others have felt much torture with the pain of your teeth but if you live and dye in Sin you shall be extreamly and eternally tortured with pain in every part your eyes shall be full of pain your tongues full of pain your hands full of pain your heads full of pain your backs full of pain your bellies full of pain your feet full of pain from the crown of your head unto the sole of your feet no part shall be free your bodies shall roul and tumble in flames and there burn with horrible pain and yet never be consumed But the anguish of your Soul will far exceed the tortures of your bodies and here words fail conceptions fall short who can tell how the worm of conscience will bite how dreadful the lashes of your consciences will be when they are let loose as Gods executioners with full rage upon you who can utterthe anguish you shall endure under the immediate impressions of God's wrath upon your souls this will exceed what ever can be inflicted by the means of any second causes The punishment of Hell fire will be very sore and intollerable such as are tender cannot without unutterable fear and grief bear the thoughts of being burned alive here on Earth and oh the shreâ—…kings of such persons when they have been brought to the fire and the flames have begun to seise upon them O I cannot endure it O I cannot endure it how intollerable then will Hell-fire be many Martyrs have endured great tortures in their bodies with much patience some were slain with the Sword some burnt with fire some scourged with whips some stabbed with Iron forks some their skins pluckt off whilst alive some their tongues cut out some stoned to death some starved with hunger cold some dismembred and naked to the shame of the World and yet in the midst of all their pains they have had a composed minde yea sometimes have been filled with joy God hath not suffered man to inflict upon them more than he hath given them strength to beaâ—… but there will be no patience to undergo the pains of
Hell the spirit will uttterly sink under the the heavy burden and pressure thereof especially the pressure of that pure and weighty wrath which shall be immediately upon the soul. The terrours of conscience here and foretasts of wrath are intollerable in this World Prev 18. 14. The spirit of man will sustain his infirmity but a wounded spirit who can bear If the body be infirm and weak full of distemper and pain yet whilst the spirit is whole and sound whilst there is peace within the spirit may sustain this and bear up under it but if the spirit be wounded by the Arrows of the Almighty shot into it who can bear it if God let fall some scalding drops of his wrath upon the spirit if he kindle a spark of Hell-fire in ye conscience who can endure it no Balm nor Physitian on Earth can cure such wounds no Earthly riches or sensual delights can aswage these inward griefs and horrours which by the hand of God are imprinted upon the Spirit when the wicked are filled with dispairful agonies through apprehension of future approaching wrath and there remaineth nothing but a fearfull looking for of Judgement and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries Heb. 10. 26. this is enough to sink the heart of the stoutest under it's burden And if the wounds of the Spirit herebe so intollerable what will those be which the Lord with such mighty force and by his immediate hand shall give hereafter if you cannot bear some drops of God's wrath now what will you do when the full Viols of Gods wrath shall be poured out upon you if you be found under the guilt of sin if you cannot endure the sparks of Hell-fire how will you endure the flames and most burning heat thereof If the foretasts of Hell affect ye heart with such horrour and the fears thereof fill the Spirit with such amazement what will Hell it selfs do when the pains and anguish thereof is beyond the greatest fears and highest conceptions thereof Should you fall into the hands of the most cruel Men to torture and Massacre you this would be fearful should you fall under the power of Devils to tear and rend you this would be more fearful but to fall into the hands of God this will be most fearful this you cannot bear and yet if wicked you must bear it and that to eternity and can you sleep still in Sin under the thoughts of such danger Secondly Consider the sureness and unavoidabieness of Hell-fire nothing is more sure than what God hath revealed in his Word and nothing more unavoidable than what God hath threatned and such is the tormenting of the wicked and Ungodly in the flames of Hell-fire Whilst you are here upon the Earth there is a possibility of escaping future torments Pardon Pâ—…ace and Salvation are attainable If you lay your Sins to heart if you confess and forsake them you may find mercy if by faith you apply your selves unto the Lord Jesus you shall not perish but obtain eternal life But if go on still in your trespasse if you live and dye in a state of impenitency and unbelief it will be impossible for you to escape Indeed could you make you party good against God could you gather forces together and wage War against Heaven and obtain the Victory you might avoid the threatned punishment but alas God is infinite in power and will not permit any such attempts you will not be able to hold up head or hand against him who can stand in his sight when once he is angry God will bind all the Devils and wicked men and women together in chains of darkness stronger than any Iron chains and none shall be able to make any resistance Could you hide your selves at the last day from his eye could you fly from his presence into some remote corner could you creep under some Rock or Mountain and there be covered from his view you might think to escape but this cannot be Gods eye will follow you and his hand will reach you whither soever you go Could you by your Prayers and Tears move God to compassion and prevail for mercy as now you may do there might be some hopes of avoiding this punishment but 〈◊〉 Gods ear will be shut and the doors of mercy shut against you for ever your knocking at the door will be in vain it will never be opened your cryes and prayers will be no purpose they will receive no answer Hereafter the punishment of Hell will be unavoidable by the wicked Thirdly Consider the neerness of this punishment of Hell The sands of your life are running apace the time of your abode here is wasting very fast your bodies will quickly be in the Grave and if you dye in your Sins your soul will be as quickly in Hell You cannot long escape this punishment You may shuffle the thoughts of God and future wrath out of your minde for a time you may busie your thoughts about other thing whilst you are here but all these things will shortly shrink away from you and leave you naked and you must stand before God to be judg'd by him and to be condemned by him and to be punished by him God will meet you as a Bear bereaved of her whelps and rend the caul of your heart or like a roaring Lion and rear you in pieces when there shall be none to deliver God will take you into his hand and throw you out of his presence into the bottomless gulph of unquenchable burnings me thinks this should awaken you Fourthly And lastly consider the everlastingness of Hell-fire and your torment which there you must endure if you be found in the number of unbelievers The wrath of God will never be at an end the Worm of your conscience will never dye and the Fire of Hell will never go out but the smoke of your torment will ascend up for ever and ever when you have been the space of as many Years in Hell as there Stars in the Firmament as there are drops of dew upon the Earth in the morning as there are spires of Grasse which spring out of the Earth as there are drops of Water in the Ocean as are there Sands upon the Sea shore your torments will be as far from being aswaged and as far from being ended as at the first minute of your entrance into this dreadful place As there is an infinite space of place if I may so call it to help our apprehensions beyond the circumference of the Heavens and the visible World in comparison with which ten thousand Millions of worlds would not fill up the space of the least speck so there is an infinite space of duration beyond the circumference and bounds of time in comparison with which the duration of ten thousand Millions of worlds for ten thousand Millions of years would not be so much as a Minute or the least imaginable instant and this whole eternity you if wicked must
but he looked with a sorrowful countenance and more sorrowful heart upon the wretched Cities as they burned especially on Sodom the chief City and where his habitation had been O the tears that now run down his Cheeks O the grief that doth fill his heart when he seeth such a strange shower of Fire and Brimstone rained down from Heaven upon that sinfull and now wofull place he was vexed at the Sins of the Sodomits before and now he is grieved at their misery he thinks of his Sons-in-Law and laments their folly that notwithstanding his warning would stay there to be burned which he knew that now they lamented much more he thinks of this Neighbour and that Neighbour how they are weeping and crying whilst they are melting and frying in the flames But Lot doth not abide long in Zoar for such fear as well as grief did possesse him that he did not think himself safe there and therefore fleeth to the Mountain whither he was warned at first to go by the Angels and there dwelleth in a Cave with his two Daughters Gen. 19. 30. CHAP. VIII Application to the Ungodly WE have here set before us an example and that both of the Sodomits burning and of Lot's escaping These things are recorded for our example The former is an example to the Ungodly the later is an example to the Righteous I. The Sodomits burning is an example to the Ungodly 2 Pet. 2. 6. And turning the Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow making them an example unto those that after should live Ungodly This example is set forth both to reprove the Ungodly and to warn the Ungodly 1. It reproves the Udgodly and that for the practice of such Sins as were the cause of Sodom's ruine Such as First Pride and Haughtiness I believe many in our age and Nation will vye with any of the Sodomits of old for Devilish Pride and haughty spirits if we may guesse at the pride of the heart by the garbs the look and the speach there are some and those not a few who seem to have outgone all former generations and may well be stiled the First-born of the Devil for this Sin although they have been brought forth at the later end of the World What shall we say when men of the higher rank do so generally without need disguise and hide their heads in others hair and that of the womanish length and for the most part of another colour than their own and when woman disguise and hide the natural colour of their faces with painâ—… and patches what shall we think of the flanting apparel the Antique and Apish fashions of the ruffling Gallants in our Nation not to speak of the excessive cost bestowed in their changeable raiment more being spent upon one suit worn by some but a few days then would be sufficient to cloth the backs and fill the bellies of some scores of poor Christians nor to insist upon the excessive time spent or rather mispent in dressing wherein some do consume near half the time which they spare from the bed and sleep What shall we say of the taunting language the scornful and reproachful speeches which some do fill their mouths withall and which they spit forth upon the people of God and that because of their holinesse and likenesse unto God whereby they despise not only them but also him whose image they bear what shall we think of the stately building the excessive showes and flourishes without and expensive furniture within and that when those houses are newly risen out of their ashes and when the Church lyeth wast and so many poor Families are brought to a morsel of Bread what do these things with many more which I might mention signifie but that pride doth compasse such persons about like a chain whereby they are enthralled and captivated and let me say this that the Devil hath hold of the end of this chain and is thereby dragging them downwards as high as they look towards the lowest Hell And here I could wish that professors of Religion themselves and many that in other regards do fear God could acquit themselves from the guilt of many gross outward demonstrations of inward prevailing Pride I will not say that all who have false hair have false hearts some I know are true-hearted and want a covering there and that all who are very curious in decking their outside according to the fashion are wholly untrim'd and unadorn'd within yet I could wish that the art of Periwig-making had never been found out and that the French modes had never been brought into our Nation and this I will say that plain apparel and dresses do very well become persons of great honour especially professors of Religion that it is very unsutable to the times for any to bestow much cost on ornaments when many of Christ members want necessaries and it is very unsutable to the Christian profession to bestow much time in adorning the body when the soul hath more need in the washing and adorning of which the time and pains will be best bestowed But I retire to the reproof of the Ungodly for other of their Sodoms Sins Secondly Fulness of Bread or intemperance in eating and drinking was another sin which Sodom was charged withall And how many are there in our days which may be charged with the same who come behind none in this Sin we read of the Prodigal Luke 15. 13. who wasted his substance with riotons living If we look abroad we may find too too many of these every where whose belly is their God who pamper the flesh indulge and enslave themselves unto their appetite and give themselves leave to exceed all bounds in their riotous practices spending their whole time and substance in their profuse living See how the Apostle setteth forth riotous persons 2 Pet. 2. 12 13. This reprove the excesse in drinking a Sin more in use amongst us then that of excesse in eating What is more common than this Sin of drunkenness both in City and Countrey how many are there that guzzle and swill in drink without measure that drench and soak themselves with Ale other strong liquors besot and drown their natural parts and gifte wasts their time in rambling up and down to Taverns and Ale-houses consume their wealth distemper their bodies and provoke God to destroy their souls Wo be to such persons Isa. 5. 11 12 13. Prov. 23. 29 30. Thirdly Abundance of Idleness was the third Sin of Sodom and when did this Sin more prevail then in our licentious age Idleness is a constant companion of intemperance yea rather the Mother that brings it forth at least the Nurse that brings it up How many golden sands of time do the most suffer to run waste how many golden seasons do they let slip wherein they might make provision for eternity did but they know the worth of time especially of the harvest tâ—…e the Summer-day
of the Gospel they would not lavish their time as they do they would not sleep in the Harvest and waste the whole day in Idleness and Sin until the night of death did overtake and suddenly surprize them when the least minute of time cannot be recalled though they could and would give ten thousand Worlds for it Fourthly Unmercifulness to the poor was another of Sodoms sins which the Ungodly are chargeable with here and shall be charged with and condemned for at the day of Christs appearance Math. 25. 41 42. It is no wonder that those who have no pitty on their own souls should have their bowels shut up against the poor that those who spend so much on their lusts should not spare any thing for the relief of other's wants None have more marâ—…le bowels than those who have the hardest hearts and none more unmerciful than those which are most Ungodly and Sinful Fifthly Abominable Filthiness is the last and chief Sin of the Sodomits And if the skirts of England were turned up what filthiness would there appear under them It is a shame to speak what is done of some in secreet yea too many declare their uncleanness like Sodom and are not ashamed to practice it in the sight of the Sun Whoredom and Adultrey what more common in this debauched generation Yea I wish that too many in England as well as Italy be not guilty of the Sin of Sodom properly so called I mean the lusting after strange flesh such vile affections some are given up unto through the just Judgement of God I might here further reprove the Ungodly of this generation for some Sins which the Sodomits did fall short in namely the hideous Oaths and blasphemy of some profane wretches who hereby bâ—…lch out their professed enmity against the God of Heaven and offer so open indignity unto him that we may wonder he is not provoked to rain down Fire and Brimstone upon them or to cause the Earth to open its mouth to devour them unto which I might add the aggravation which the Sins of nominal Christians receive from the Gospel light which shineth about them beyond what the Sodomits Sins were capable of which rendereth their Sins the more inexcusable and abominable in the sight of God but I hasten II. This example of Sodom's burning doth warn the ungodly to repent Repent O all the ungodly ones and turn from your evil ways otherwise your iniquities like the Sodomits will be your ruine otherwise Gods Judgement will overtake you and surprize you and you shall not be able to escape otherwise you shall be destroyed suddenly and that without remedy You seâ—… in this instance the fruit of ungodlinesse the wages of Sin the bitter issue and effect of flesh-pleasing and sensuality you see that God can be angry and that his anger doth burn worse than fire when it is kindled If you repent not God may bring some dreadfull temporal judgements upon you you have seen much in your days Plague Fire Sword you have heard of more in former days You know not what further calamities may be brought upon this City and Nation God may bring Plague and Famine together so that such who do not fall suddenly by the Plague shall be consumed more leasurely by the Famine he may bring a Famine of Bread and Famine of hearing the Word together wherein the Body shall starve and dye and the Soul starve and be damn'd and perish everlastingly he may bring Fire and the Sword together your houses may be set on Fire and your persons Massacred at the same time And alasâ—… what will you that are Ungodly do in a time of general calamity if the Pestilence should walk about your streets if the evil Arrows of Famine should fly about your ears if fire should consume your houses if the Sword should be made drunk with your Blood if Death should sit in your Windows if all things should be turned into uproar and confusion you that drink in iniquity like Water and lade your selves with guilt dayly you that are profane and ungodly and spend your time in idlenesse and all kind of luxury sleeping in the Harvest and shutting your ears against all the tenders of grace and mercy which are made unto you what wiâ—…l become of you in the Winter of affliction what comfort can you have upon a Bed of Sickness what refuge in a time of trouble A Godly Man hath his God to fly to in times of greatest danger and distress and there he shall find entertainment and welcome But whether will you fly God is your enemy who will laugh at your calamity Prov. 1. 26. Sinners what will you do in the evil day which may overtake you here on Earth when all refuge and support shall fail you when your comforts and enjoyments shall be taken from you or taking leave of you when God shall smite you and conscience bite you and Friends forsake you when the black Catalogue of your Sins shall be spread before you and grimm Death shall appear unto you bidding you come down into the Grave and the Devil shall wait for you to drag you down into Hell O the confusion that then you will be in when you perceive that you cannot live and you dare not dye when you feel your eye strings crack and your heart-strings break and your souls are now coming forth of their ruinous habitation where they will become a prey to Devils and be immediately conveyed to a place of torments think O think what your horrour is like to be here if awakened in the evil day through the apprehension of future Judgements what then will your horrour â—…e if you do not repent when the future and last Judgement is come and Christ is come in flaming Fire to take vengeance upon you and he shall rain on you Fire and Brimstone and a horrible Tempest but of this more when I come to treat of the everlasting burnings of Hell which the Lord Jesus will condemn all the Ungodly unto at the last day I shall only say that the burnings of Hell will not only exceed the burnings of Sodom and Gomorrah in feirceness and duration as through Gods help I shall show in the third discourse but also the Fire of Hell will be more intollerable by you than by the Sodomits themselves however vile Sinners they were Math. 11. 24. But I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable for the Land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of Iudgement than for thee As your Sins who have enjoyed the means of Grace are aggravated beyond the Sins of the Sodomits in this respect so your condemnation will be the greater and your punishment the sorer and more intolerable if you do not now take warning to repent CHAP. IX Application to the Righteous 2 LOt's escaping out of the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah is an example for the encouragement of the Righteous what ever judgement the Lord bringeth upon the wicked
and ungodly here you that are righteous shall escape God will hide you in the day of his anger when a Deluge of Judgements shall break in upon the ungodly God will provide an Ark for you when God raineth a horrible Tempest of Fire and Brimstone upon the wicked he will provide a Zoar for you God will either keep you from the judgement it self which befalleth others or else he will keep you in it and from that fiery indignation which is mingled with it be sure you shall be kept from the horrible Tempest of Fire and Brimstone which shall beat upon the head of the wicked at last when the Heavens shall be on Fire and pass away with a great noise and the Elements shall be on Fire and melt with fervent hâ—…at and the Earth shall be on Fire and all things here below in flames when the wrath of the Sin-revenging God shall break forth like a Deluge upon the Ungodly World and they shall be cast together into the Lake which burneth with Fire and Brimstone Heaven shall be youâ—… Ark your Zoar where you shall be in safety and made happy in the full enjoyment of God unto 〈◊〉 eternity Away then with fear and dread whatever the fâ—…owns and threatnings of men be though 〈◊〉 oâ—… the Ungodly may inveron you though the wrath of wicked men like fire be kindled against you yet being righteous you are safe since God is for you neither men nor Devils shall be permitted to do you real hurt God is your dwelling place and God is your hiding place you are under his wing whilst you remain here and you shall hereafter lye in his bosom for ever Fire and Brimstone from Earth in the burning of Aetna or Mount Gibel CHAP. I The Introduction THe History of Sodom and Gomorrah's flames and destruction by Fire and Brimstone from Heaven may seem incredible unto some who either are ignorant of the Infinite Power of God whereby he can do whatever he pleaseth as evidently appeareth in the mighty works thereof which could not be effected without the hand of Omnipotency and know not how feirce and hot his anger is which burneth in his breast against Sinners especially such Sinners as the Sodomits were which would quickly put the whole world into flames did not his infinite Patience restrain it for a while from breaking forth in it's rage and fury or whâ—… give no credit unto the Divine Authority of the Scriptures of whom there are too many in our age and Nation which doth relate this judgement on those wicked Cities which however being indeed the Word of God as might be proved by many unaswerable Arguments the record of them is undoubtedly true and may as firmly be believed as any thing may certainly be known which is the object of sence or demonstrable by reason Even as the future flames of Fire and Brimstone in Hell are discredited by such Atheists and Antiscripturists and little effectually believed of the most as appeareth by their secure walking in the broad way of Sin which leadeth to this place of most dreadful and eternal burning Therefore by way of Appendix unto Sodom's burning and by way of Introduction unto the burning of Hell I shall treat of Aetna or Mount Gibel's burning with Fire and Brimstone out of the bowels of the Earth especially in the eruption of it the last year which being a thing so late and so nâ—…ar and so attested by eye-witniss and so easily disproved yet not disproved as it would have been by this time had it been false I suppose will find credit with the most and may be of greater use than hath as yet been made of it from the relation we have had so barely of the thing without any mention made of the name of God or his hand or the end which he may have in such wonderful and stupendous burnings It is from the soul that the body hath it's life and motion it 's beauty and lustre when the soul is separated the body becomes a carkasse breathless lifeless ghaâ—…y and subject to putrefaction The whole world is full of God Praesentemque refert quaelibet herba Deum every pile of Grasse yea the meanest thing which is the object of our eye or any 〈◊〉 doth carry an Imprâ—…sse of God especially the greater works of Creation and Providence do bare large characters of the Deity and have Praise unto the Lord written more legibly upon them and although God be not the Soul of the World as some have affirm'd yet the whole Creation hath it's beauty from him and so far are any work truly admirable and great as God is taken notice of in them The Sun Moon and Stars and the whole frame of the Heavens are most great and illustrious as by their brightness and motion they declare the glory of the Lord their maker and ruler The Earth and Sea and all things in both as they set forth Gods infinite power and wisdom and goodness so far they are most worthy our observation and admiration All the good things we receive are onely so far truly good to us as we perceive them handed to us by God and Gods hand in afflictions also doth sweeten them to us when we are perswaded of the Author and God's love and design for our good in them To leave out God therefore in the consideration of any work is to leave out that which is chiefly remarkable without him we see but the carkasse without the Soul without the the life and beauty The design therefore of this Treatise concerning Aetna's late burning is to turn our eye upward towards God that we take notice of him and give him the glory of this work which is the wonder of all unto whom the notice thereof hath come There are six things under this subject which â—… shall briefly creat of First Concerning the Mountain of Aetna or Gibel in the general Secondly Concerning the Antecedents of the late Eruption of this Mountain Thirdly Corcerning the eruption of Fire and Brimstone it self from the Mountain Fourthly Concerning the concomitants of this eruption Fifthly Concerning the cause of this eruption Sixthly And lastly concerning the use and improvement which we should make of it CHAP. II. Concerning the Mountain of Aetna or Gibel in the general AETna is a Mountain in the Island of Sicily which Island is inviron'd round by the Tyrâ—… Sea but a small distance from Italy in one part of it up to which ancient Writers think it was joyned by an 〈◊〉 or neck of Land like as Pelepâ—…sus to Greece unto the continent of Italy but by the violent beating of the Sea upon that neck was devided asunder 〈◊〉 iâ—… so Iustin. lib. 4. cap. 1. and others are of the sâ—…me mind The heigth and bigness of this Aetna or Mount Gâ—…b is very great some 〈◊〉 it to be ten 〈◊〉 others fifteen mâ—…les distant from the head and top above to the foot and plain 〈◊〉 â—…nd perpendicular in a strait line to
Brimstone which shall burn the wicked is beyond all thought to imagine or words to express and when we have strained our conceptions unto the highest pitch when we have made use of the most dreadful and tremendous things that ever came to our eyes or eares or any way to our understanding to help us in the forming notions to our selves of the horrible punishment which the damned shall endure in the unquenchable flames of Hell fire all doth fall beneath and far short of the thing all our views hereof by any representations being like our sight of colours in the night which if not in whole yet in the greatest part do fly from our sight and disappear Yet since we are capable of understanding such future things only by shaddows and representations and nothing can represent future burnings in Hell so well as the greatest burnings that have been upon the Earth therefore we may receive some help by the Relation of Sodom and Aetna's Storms and Streams of Fire and Brimstone to conceive something of those whereby the wicked in Hell shall eternally be tormented Doct. That an horrible Tempest of Fire and Brimstone God will Rain upon the wicked in Hell as their deserved Portion In treating of this great subject I shall show First That there is such a place as Hell where the wicked shall be tormented Secondly That it is a place of Fire and Brimstone Thirdly What are the properties of this fire Fourthly Who are the persons that shall eternally burn in these flames Fifthly The reason of the eternal torment of the wicked by these flames Sixthly And lastly And chiefly I shall endeavour to improve this Doctrine in some Uses CHAP. II. That there is such a place as Hell where the wicked shall be tormented THe blind Heathen were perswaded of this for however they were ignorant of Christ and his first coming to redeem the World as also of the Resurrection and his second coming to Judge the World yet by the light of nature and reasonings from thence they arrived to the understanding of a Deity who was both just and good as also that the soul was immortal and that both rewards and punishment were prepared for the souls of men after this life according as they were found either vertuous or vicious and therefore as they did feign such a place as Elizean Fields where the vertuous should spend an eternity in pleasures So also a place called Tartarum or Hell where the vicious and impious should be eternally tormented This Tartarum the Poets did set forth with many fictions to affright people from vicious practices such as of the four Lakes of Acheron Stâ—…x Phlegethon and Cocytus over which Charon in his Boat did waft over the departed souls of the three Judges Aeacus Minos and Rhadamanthus who were to call the souls to an account and judge them to their state of the three furies Tisophone Megaera and 〈◊〉 who lashed guilty souls to extort confession from them of Cerberus the Dog of Hell with three Heads which would let none come forth when once they were in and of several sorts of punishment inflicted Iron chains horrid stripes gnawing of vultures wheels rowling great stones and the like Take part of Virgil's Description of this place which he feigneth Aeneas to have visited Lib. 6. Hâc iter Elisium nobis at lâ—…eva malorum Exercet pâ—…nas ad impia Tartara mittit Respicit Aeneas subito sub rupe sinistr â Maenia lata vidit triplici circundata muro Quoe rapidus flammis ambit torrentibus amnis Tartarens Phlegethon torquetque sonantia saxa Tisiphoneque sidens palâ—… à succincta cruent à Vestibulum insomnis servat nosttesque diesque Hinc exandiri gemitus sâ—…va sonare Verbera tum stridor ferri tractaeqâ—…e catenae This way unto Elisium leads where such do dwell As have liv'd vertuously th' other leads to Hell Where wickedness is punished Aeneas's eye Turns quick unto the left-hand-Rock and there Great structures closed in with triple Wall about This compass'd by Tartarian Plegethon throughout With feirce and fiery streams with noise like stones on shore Rowled by Waves of Sea On th'threehold of the â—…or Which lets into the place Tisiphone doth sit Awake both day and night to watch and look to it Girt with Red-pall Here he did hear the noise of chains The sound of cruel lashes th'groans and cryes from pains Which they endur'd within Although most of these things which we may find in many Poets and other Heathen Authors are fictions of their own brain yet that there is such a place as Hell is real and the punishment real and far beyond whatever any of the Heathens could imagine it to be Therefore let us consult the Scripture which will give clearer light in this thing where God who hath made and prepared Hell for the wicked hath made known the thing and threatned to punish the wicked there everlastingly Look into the Old Testament Psal. 9. 17. The wicked shall be turned into Hell and all Nations which forget God I know that the Original word for Hell namely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth signifie the Grave but here it must have a further signification than that of the Grave since it is appropriated unto the wicked and such as forget God otherwise it might as truely be said that the righteous shall be turned into Hell and those that remember and fear and love and serve God for they shall be turned into the Grave So Isa. 14. 12 13 15. How art thou fallen from Heaven speaking of the King of Babylon O Lucifer Son of the morning thou hast said in thine heart I will ascend into Heaven and exalt my Throne above the Stars of God yet thou shalt be brought to Hell to the sides of the pit That Hell here is not to be understood of the Grave only but of the place also where the wicked shall be tormented will appear if you compare this plaâ—… with Isa. 30. 33. Where the Prophet speaking of the same King of Babylon saith Tophet is ordained of Old yea for the King it is prepared 〈…〉 made it deep and large the pile thereof is 〈◊〉 much Wood the breath of the Lord like a 〈◊〉 of Brimstone doth kindle it Which descriptiâ—… is applicable unto no place but that place of everlasting burnings which the Lord hath prepared for the wicked Indeed Tophet was a real place upon the Earth where some Idolatrous Israelites did offer up their Children in sacrifice to Malec but here Hell is called Tophet in allusion to that place because of the shreeks and cryes which the damned shall make there worse than the children did in Tophet when they were Sacrificed by their cruel Parents In the New Testament it is most clear that there is such a place as Hell prepared both for the soul and body of the wicked to be tormented in Math. 5. 29 30. And if thy right eye offend thee pluck it out and cast it
mouth of flaming Mountains of which some think there are vast treasure below beyond whatever did ever appear to the eye such as did send forth those â—…aming and burning streams from Mount Aetna of late which at least will help us to conceive something what the Lake of Fire and Brimstone will be or whether it will be a fire created on purpose by God Sulphâ—…rions and stincking like unto but far beyond that which was raised upon the wicked of Sodom and Gomorrah which of all burnings that ever have been in the world I conceive did most lively represent the burnings of Hell Fire I shall not I cannot determine in this case but am most inclinable to think this fire will be immediately created by God differing from all fires that ever have been in the feirceness of it which by the word of Gods Power will be made and by the breath of hiâ—… indignation will be kindled and kept alive to eternity without any fuel to feed it except the bodies of the wicked which though they shall be tormented by it shall never be consumed by it CHAP. IV. Concerning the properties of Hell-fire THere are seven properties of Hell-fire First It will be a great Fire Secondly It will be a dark fire Thirdly It will be a feirce fire Fourthly It will be an irresistible fire Fifthly It will be a continual fire Sixthly It will be an unquenchable fire Seventhly It will be an everlasting fire First The fire of Hell which shall burn the wicked will be a great Fire We have seen some great fires which have burned many Houses together such as that in 1666. which burned down the greater part of London but this fire of Hell will be so great as to burn all wicked persons together all the wicked will be in flames at the same time the greatness of this fire is set forth Isa. 30. 33. Tophet is prepared of Old he hath made it deep and large the pile thereof is Fire and much Wood the breath of the Lord liâ—…e a stream of Brimstone doth kindle it Tophet doth signifie Hell the place where the damned shall be tormented of which before God hath made it deep and large the depths of the Earth or the depths of the Sea are nothing in comparison with the depths of Hell for those depths have a bottom but this is called the bottomless piâ—… Rev. 20. 1. It is deep and large of vast capacity it will be sufficient to contain all the Sinners of the Old World and all the Sinners of this world who have lived or shall live in every generation until the time of the Worlds dissolution The pile thereof is Fire and much Wood as much Wood being kindled doth make a great Fire so this Fire though it have no real Wood but that which will be equivalent will be very great especially being kindled by the breath of the Almighty as the breath of the Lord kindled those showers of Fire and Brimstone which came down from Heaven upon Sâ—…dom and Gomorrah so the breath of the Lord will kindle those streams of Fire and Brimstone which shall be in Hell Secondly Hell Fire will be a dark Fire there will not be the least glimmering of light in that doleful place which will add to the horrour thereof Hell is called by the name of utter darkness Math. 25. 30. It is caâ—…led blackness of darkness for ever Iude 13. There will be no light of Gods countenance not the least smothing of his brow his wrath will be poured â—…orth without mixture into the cup of his indignation which thâ—…y must drink of Rev. 14. 10. There will not be the least light of comfort nothing but weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth there will not be the light of the Sun or the Moon or the Candle and the fire it self will give no light all will be dark and black black Devils black Bodies black Souls and they may without light have perceivance one of another as Devils have now unto whom light is of no use or if there be a duskish light there to represent one anothers ruful countenances and other fright-ful spectacles be sure there will be no refreshing light thâ—…re the damned will be in a place and state of darkness for ever Thirdly Hell-fire will be a feirce Fire The Fire of Sodom of Aetna yea of London in the day of it's burning was feirce but no Fire burnt so feirce as Hell Fire will do The Fire of Gods anger and wrath will burn feircely now it doth but smoke against Sinners then it will break forth into a flame tongue cannot express how feircely the wrath of God will burn when hereafter it shall seise upon the Ungodly Psal. 90. 11. Wâ—…o knoweth the power of thine anger even according to thy fear so is thy wrath The power of the anger which any creature may have may be known it is finite it is limited it reacheth no further than the body but who knoweth the power of Gods anger it being infinite and unlimited and such as will reach the soul and most grieviously torment the Soul through it's immediate impressions According to thy fear so is thy wrath that is according to the fear which we may have of thee the wrath of man is not proportiable unto the fear which we may have of it we often fear that men can do more than they are realy able but the wrath of God is commensurate and proportionable unto the greatest fears thereof yea doth far exceed he can afflict more than our fears are able to conceive and that because of the infinite power of his wrath God will hereafter make the power of his wrath known as Rom. 9. 22. and how feircely then will it burn the fire also which will torment the bodies of the wicked will be very feirce it will be so feirce as to torment every part from the crown of the head unto the foot and every part in extremity in the utmost extremity and that beyond the present capacity Fourthly Hell-fire will be an irresistible fire all the power of Hell with their combined forces shall not be able to make the least resistance against the fire of Gods anger Nah. 1. 6. Who can stand before his indignation and who can abide in the feirceness of his anger his fury is poured out like fire and the Rocks are thrown down by him Isa. 27. 4. Who would set the Briers and Thorns against me in Battel I would thorow them I would burn them together Briers Thorns dried Stuble Chaff cannot resist a consuming fire so neither shall the wicked be able to resist the fire of Gods jealousie and the real Fire prepared in Hell for the body will burn with that feirceness that it will master and prevail over all none shall be able to keep off it's force it will pierce thorow and thorow every part of the body we read of the three Children which were preserved in the midst of the fiery Furnace so that