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A25250 Ultima, = the last things in reference to the first and middle things: or certain meditations on life, death, judgement, hell, right purgatory, and heaven: delivered by Isaac Ambrose, minister of the Gospel at Preston in Amoundernes in Lancashire.; Prima, media, & ultima. Ultima. Ambrose, Isaac, 1604-1664. 1650 (1650) Wing A2970; ESTC R27187 201,728 236

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goats severed asunder each from other Vse 1 And now see the parties thus summoned raised gathered severed is not here a world of men to be judged all in one day Multitudes multitudes in the valley of decision Joel 3 14. for the day of the Lord is neer in the valley of decision Ioel 3.14 Blessed God! what a multitude shall stands before thee all tongues all nations all people of the earth shall appear at once all we shall then behold each son of Adam and Adam our grand-father shall then see all his posterity Consider this high and low rich and poor one with another God is no accepter of persons Heark O beggar petitions are out of date and yet thou needest not fear thou shalt have justice this day all causes shall be heard and thou though a poor one must appear with others to receive thy sentence Heark O Farmer now are thy lives and leases together finished this day is the new harvest of thy Iudge who gathers his wheat into his garner Matth. 3.12 and burns up the chaffe in fire unquenchable no boon no bribe no prayers no tears can avail thy soul but as thou hast done so art thou sentenced at the first appearing Heark O Land-lord where is thy purchase to thee and thy heires for ever this day makes an end of all and happy were thy soul if thou hadst no better land then a barren rock to cover and shelter thee from the Iudges presence Heark O Captain vain now is the hope of man to be saved by the multitude of an host hadst thou command of all the armies on earth and hell yet couldest thou not resist the power of Heaven see the trump sounds and the alarum summons thee thou must appear Heark O Prince what is the crown and scepter against thunder the greatness of man when it comes to encounter with God is weakness and vanity Heark all the world Ecclus 40.3 4. From him that sitteth upon the glorious throne unto him that is beneath in earth and ashes from him that is cloathed in blue silk and weareth a crown even to him that is cloathed in simple linnen all must appear before him the Beggar Farmer Land-lord Captain King and Prince and every man when that day is come shall receive his rewards according to his works Vse 2 But O here is the misery Every man must appear but Every man will not think on it would you know the sign of that man which this day shall be blessed it is he and onely hee that again and again thinks on this day that Ierome-like meditates on this summons and resurrection and collection and separation Examine then your selves by this rule is your mind often carried to these objects soar you on high with the wings of faith and a sound eye to this hill why then you are right birds truly bred and not of the bastard brood I pray you mark it every cross and disgrace and slander and discountenance losse of goods disease of body or whatsoever calamity if you are the children of God and destined to sit at the right hand of our Saviour they will ever and anon be carrying your minds to those objects of Doomes-day And if you can but say that experimentally you find this true in your selves if ordinarily in your miseries or other times you think on this time of refreshing then be of good comfort for you are of the brides company and shall enter into the marriage-chamber to abide there there for ever But if you are destitute of these kinde of motions O then strive for these properties that are the inseparable breathings and movings of an holy heart sound mind and blessed person every day meditate that every man shall appear one day and receive his reward according to his works You see how we have followed the cause and wel-neer brought it to finall sentence the term is discovered the Iudge revealed the prisoners prepared and the next time we shall bring them to the bar to receive their rewards This time depart in peace and the God of peace keep your souls spotless without sin that you may be well prepared for this day of judgment According to his works VVEe have brought the prisoners to their triall and now to go on how should this triall be I answer not by faith but works by faith we are justified by works we are judged faith onely causeth but works onely manifest that we are just indeed Here then is the triall that every soul of man must undergo that day Works are the matter that must be first enquired of and is there any wicked man to receive his sentence let him never hope to be saved by anothers super-erogating the matter of enquiring is not aliena but sua not anothers but his works Or is there any good man on whom the smiling Iudge is ready to pronounce a blessed doom Let him never boast of meriting heaven by his just deservings see the reward given not propter but secundum as Gregory Greg. 1. in illa verba 7. Psal poenit Auditam fac mihi mane misericordiam tells us not for his works as if they were the cause but according to his works as being the best witnesses of his inward righteousness But the better to acquaint you with this triall there be two points of which especially we are to make inquiry First how all mens works shall be manifest to us Secondly how all mens works shall be examined by God 1. Of the manifestation of every mans work Revel 20.12 Iohn speaketh And I saw the dead small and great stand before God and the books were opened and another book was opened which is the book of life and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works Revel 20.12 God is said to have books not properly but figuratively all things are as certain and manifest to him as if he had registers in heaven to keep records of them Remember this O forgetfull you may commit add multiply your sins and yet run on score till they are grown so many that they are out of memory but God keeps them in a register and not one shall be forgotten there is a book and books and when all the dead shall stand before God to receive their sentence then must these books be opened That is the book of Gods memory Mans conscience Eternall life There is a book of Gods memory and herein are all the acts and monuments of all men whatsoever enrolled and registred A book of remembrance was written before God for them that feared the Lord and thought upon his name Malac. 3.16 Malach. 3.16 This is that which manifests all secrets whether mentall or actuall this is that which reveales all doings whether good or evill In these Records are found at large Abels sacrifice Cains murther Absolons rebellion Davids devotion the Iews cruelty the Prophets innocency good mens intentions and the
sinners actions nothing shall be hid when this book is opened for all may run and read it stand and hear it How fond are we that imagine heavens eye such is this book to be shut upon us Do we not see many run to corners to commit their sins there can they say Let us take our fill of love untill the morning for darkness hath covered us and who seeth us who knoweth us Esai 29.15 Prov. 7.18 Esay 29.15 But are not the Angels of God about you 1 Cor. 4.9 We are a spectacle to the Angels saith the Apostle I am sure we must be to both to Angels and to men and to all the world O do not that before the Angels of God yea before the God of Angels which you would shame to do in the sight and presence of an earthly man Alas must our thoughts be known and shall not dark-corner sins be revealed must every word and syllable we speak be writ and recorded in Gods memorable book and must not ill deeds ill demeanours ill works of darkness be disclosed at that day yes God shall bring every work unto judgment with every secret thing be it good or evill Eccles 12.14 Eccles 12.14 Wail yee wicked and tremble in astonishment Now your closet-sins must be disclosed your private faults laid open Gods keeps the account-book of every sin every transgression Imprimis for adultery Item for envie blasphemy oaths drunkenness violence murther and every sin from the beginning to this time from our birth to our buriall the totall summe eternall death and damnation this is the note of accounts wherein are all thy offences written the debt is death the pay perdition which fury pays over to destruction But there is another book that shall give a more full I cannot say but a more fearfull evidence then the former which is the book of every mans conscience Some call it the book of testimony which every man still bears about him There is within us a Book and Secretary the Book is Conscience and the Secretary is our soul whatsoever we do is known to the soul and writ in our book of conscience there is no man can so much as commit one sin but his soul that is privy to the fact will write it in this book In what a wofull case will thy heart then be in what strange terrour and trembling must it stand possest when this must be opened and thy sinnes revealed It is now perhaps a book shut up and sealed Liber signatue clausus in die judicii aperiendus but in the day of judgement shall be opened and if once opened what shall be the evidence that it will bring forth there is a private Sessions to be held in the breast of every condemned sinner the memorie is Recorder grief an Accuser truth is the Law damnation the Judgement hell the Prison Devils the Jaylours and Conscience both Witnesse and Judge to passe sentence on thee What hopes he at the generall Assize whose conscience hath condemned him before he appear Look well to thy life thou bearest about thee a book of testimonie which though for a time it be shut till it be full fraught with accusations yet then at the Day of Doom it must be opened when thou shalt read and weep and read every period stop with a sigh every word be enough to break thy heart and every syllable reveal some secret thy own conscience upon the matter being both witnesse Judge accuser and condemner But yet there is another book we read of and that is the book of life Herein are written all the names of Gods elect from the beginning of the world till the end thereof these are the golden leaves this is that precious book of heaven wherein if we are registred not all the powers of hell or death or devils shall blot us out again Here is the glory of each devout souldier of our Saviour how many have spent their lives spilt their blouds runne upon sudden deaths to gain a perpetuall name and yet for all their doings many of these are dead and gone and their memories perished with them onely Christs souldier hath immortall fame he and onely he is writ in that book that must never perish Come hither ye ambitious your names may be writ in Chronicles yet lost writ in durable marble yet perish writ in a monument equall to a Colossus yet be ignominious O were you but writ in this book of life your names should never die never suffer any ignominy It is an axiome most true they that are written in the eternall leaves of heaven shall never be wrapped in the cloudy sheets of darknesse Here then is the joy of Saints at that Day of Doom this book shall be opened and all the elect whom God hath ordained to salvation shall see it read it hear it and greatly rejoyce at it The Disciples casting out devils return with miracles in their mouths O Lord say they even devils are subject to us through thy name True saith Christ I saw Sathan as lightning fall from heaven notwithstanding in this rejoyce not that the spirits are subject unto you but rather rejoyce because your names are written in heaven Luke 10.20 Luke 10.20 And well may the Saints rejoyce that have their names written in Gods book they shall see them to their comfort writ in letters of gold penned with the Almighties finger ingraven with a pen of a diamond thus will this book give in the evidence and accordingly will the Judge proceed to sentence Vse 1 Consider thou that readest what books one day must be set before thee a time will come when every thought of thy heart every word of thy mouth every glance of thy eye every moment of thy time every office thou hast born every companie thou hast used every sermon thou hast heard every action thou hast done and every omission of any duty or good deed thou hast left undone shall be seen in these books at the first opening of them thy conscience shall then be suddenly clearly and universally inlarged with extraordinary light to look upon all thy life at once Gods memory shall then shine forth and shew it self when all men looking on it as a reflecting glasse they shall behold all the passages of their misspent lives from their births to their burials Where is the wicked and deceitfull man wilt thou yet commit thy villanies treacheries robberies murthers debates and impieties Let me tell thee if so to thy hearts-grief all thy secret sinnes and closet villanies that no eye ever lookt upon but that which is a thousand times brighter then the Sunne shall then be disclosed and laid open before Angels men and devils and thou shall then and there be horribly universally and everlastingly ashamed never therefore go about to commit any sinne because it is midnight or that the doors are lockt upon thee suppose it be concealed and lie hid in as great darknesse as