righteousnes vnto eternall life That all that beleeue in him walking after the spirite and not after the fleshe might be pertakers of his heauenly kingdome and made the sonnes of God For which cause to the better confirmation of our faith and hope of saluation It is requisite to shewe the ordenance and promyse of God from the beginning touching our iustification in his sonne Iesus Christ that thereby wée may be stirred vp by the great goodnes of god for to séeke by Christe Cor. 1.2 the riches of his glorious inheritance vpon the Sainctes Ephe. 11. hée béeing ordained thereto of God before the beginninge of the worlde was made vnto our glory Touching whome in this Booke of mans glorification wée must especially looke vnto Christes two coÌ„mings séeing that hée is the Author and finisher of our redemption and hath adopted vs to be the sonnes of glory by appearing once in the fleshe to put sinne to flight by the offering vp of him self to death whome the Father raysed vp to lyfe and is entred into heauen to appeare now in the sight of God for vs and shall come againe to chaunge our vile bodyes Phil. 3. to be facyoned lyke to his glorious body Wherfore in that wée haue such an high Aduocate in heauen by whome wée haue an incorruptible crowne of blessednes propounded and set before vs Let vs walke woorthy and laudable vnto God according to the grace giuen vs in Iesus Christe that wée may obteine the rewarde thereof And now to consider the purpose of the heauenly Father how hée hath blessed vs in all manner of heauenly thinges by Chris te according as hée hath chosen vs that wée should be Saints through the beloued Iesus It followeth that wée kéepe alwayes a ioyfull remembrance that as the glory of the last house or teastament of God was greater then the first so is it in the manner of the two commings of Christ for first hée came in the humilitie of the fleshe to be to vs a sauing health béeing borne of the Virgin Mary by the woorking of the holy Ghoste very man and mortall and yet the same very GOD and immortall who béeing in the shape of God and equall with God Collos s â— Phil. 2. in whome dwelleth all the fulnes of the Godhead bodyly yet did he neuerthelesse make him self of no reputation takeing vpon him the shape of a seruant and became lyke vnto man and was founde in his apparell as a man humbling him self to all obedience for though hé e were Gods sonne yet learned hée obedyence Heb. 5. by those things which hée suffered and was made perfect Ihon. 1. and the cau se of eternall saluation vnto al that obey him according to Iohn In the beginning was the woord and the woord was with God and the woord was God and this woorde was made fleshe beeing the lyfe and light of men giuing power to all that beléeue in him to be the sonnes of God for it pleased the father to send his sonne in the sinfull fleshe béeing without sinne and by sinne dampned sinne in the flesh and loused the woorkes of the deuill Rom. â— Whome he maketh heire of all things béeing the brightnes of him self bearing vp all thinges with the woord of his power for so it was the will of the Father that in him should all fulnes dwell Heb. 1. and that in him all thinges should haue their béeing that hée might be all in all Thus the Almighty Creator hath performed his blessed promyse Collossians â— when hée sayde that the séede of the Woman shall breake the Serpents head and when long after he sayd vnto Abraham vnto thy séede will I giue this land Gen. 3. for one that come out of thine owne body shall be thyne heire and thy seede shall bee as the starres in number And Abraham beléeued the Lord and it was imputed to him for righteousnes Gen. 15. And also the Lord sayde againe to Abraham when he was 89 yeare olde I will make my couenant betwéen mée thée and will multiply thé e excéedingly for behold my testameÌ„t is with thée that thou shalt be a father of many nations my bond betwéen mée thée thy séed after thée shal be an euerlasting testament Gen. 17. I wil be good to theÌ„ giue theÌ„ the land wherin thou art a stranger euen all the lande of Canaan for an euerlasting possession and wil be their God for Saâ—a shall beare a sonne and thou shalt call his Name Isac and she bare Abraham a sonne euen the same season which the Lord had appointed Thus it pleased the Almightie God to choose vs and not we him shewing foorth hereby the abundancie of his loue and mercie in that he hath mercie vpon theÌ„ which are not yet in the worlde and in that he declareth his great goodnes in multiplying his louing kindnesse towarde those that are present and to them that are past and to them that are to come for after that Adam thorough sinne brought in the corruption of nature that the euill seede of wickednesse was sowen in all mens hearts whereby death raigned by meanes of sinne then this darnell and cockle of vice and iniquitie did grow ripe in the first generations of Adam that they walked after their owne stubborne and fleshly will neglecting Gods goodnes That the Lord was thereby prouoked to bring his water floud vpon the world and destroy all mankind except Noye and his houshold And then after that the ofspring of Noye was againe multiplied to a great people by processe of time they waxed also vngodly and wicked but the Lord had giuen his raine bowe for a couenant that he would neuer destroy the world with watermore And then the most highest did choose him a man from among them whose name was Abraham whom he loued and to him onely God shewed his wil and made an euerlasting couenant with him promising him as is aforesaid that he will neuer forsake his seede and so in his old age gaue him Isaac the first testimonie of Gods promise and couenant begun so faithfully performed in Christ Iesus to the ioy and comfort of man in that we see euidently that God is righteous and true and hath giuen vs an assured hope of our election that by that onely seede of Abraham we shal enioy the euerlasting possession of that new blessed land of Canaan the first lande of promise Therefore this record we must beare in our selues that God is true and that what hee do or say can no man change what he promiseth he can not but perfourme And nowe the more to confirme this ioye faith hope which Abraham our first father of beliefe had to God in respect of the birth of Isac and prosperitie of his seede The Lorde to our example tryed whether righteous Abraham would beare an immutable minde towardes his God to loue him aboue all the dearest thinges which he
droue off from day to day till the floud came vnawares vpon them and ouer whelmed gulled into their throts Gen. 7. and how lamentable the Sodomites were that abode in sinne and wallowed in the lustes of the flesh and pleasure of the world and in the lusts of eating and drinking and vicious life euen till the fire and brimstone came downe from heauen and consumed and burnt them vp mo st â—ufully and heauily but now behold Gen. 19. there is comming a thousand fold more of fire and brimstone of flames of wee of flouds of sorrow and burning plagues of paine at this daye when all the frame of this world shall flye on a fire and the Lord shall say depart ye cursed into euerlasting woe the before turne vnto me saith the Lord and I will turne vnto you and hast to come away yee people from slumbring in sinne Zach. 1. and tarry no longer in your carnall lustes and worldly desires walking with old Adam in filthy and vaine conuersation but awake and rise vp to Christ in holines of life knowing that you are redeemed with his precious bloud as of a lambe vndefiled and without spot that you may be found vnto laud honour and glorie at the appearing of Iesus Christ Pet. 1.1 when ye shal giue accoumptes to him who shall come with all power Pet. 1.4 to iudge the aâ—icke and dead for which cause ye ought to awake out of sinne and sit downe vpon the lap of repentance there making you readie dayly and hourely with the garments of righteousnes the breast plate of faith and loue and putting on the golden helmet of hope the precious badge of your saluation thereby making your calling and election sure that when his glorie appeareth you may be merry and glad and not ashamed Wherfore consider this dreadfull day in which behold how wofull how trembling and fearefull it shall be to see all the borders of the heauens and earth in a raging blaâ—â—ng and consuming fire that wee shall crye vnto the hilles and rockes to fall on vs and how pitifull shall this day be in which all the kindreds of the earth shall mourn with greeuous lamentings and weepings therefore let this consideration enter into the eares of thy heart as the sounde of a terrible trumpet â—â—uddering and shaking thy fleshly man with the remembrance of the groning cryes of the wâ—es in hell and aâ—â—mating thy inward man with the ioyfull voices of blessednes in heauen considering that such is the glorie that the gospell propound of the one side and such is the dreadfull damnation which it threateneth of the other siâ—e as that the one is an eternall kingdome of glorie prepared for the good and godly people the ioy whereof surpasseth the other is a place of horror and a furnace of vnquencheable paines ordained for the wicked into the which they shall be damned and cast from the face of their Gâ—â—â— there remaining swallowed vp into the dreadfull and arke gulphes of hell for euer and euer and there shall continue tormented with fire and brimstone for euer where euerie place and corner is filled with curses and woes and with most heauy lamentations and bewaylinges where alas the heapes of woes the stormes of punishments the raging of spirites the horror of Sathan and the crying of soules may pearce your hartes with the woundes of sorrow to think of the griefes that shal be accompanied with the lameÌ„table damnation of departing from god from his kingdom of heauen whereby it shall make that day of sentence and iudgement of death giueÌ„ by Christ to be most trembling dreadfull and fearefull Notwithstanding there is no cause why any man shuld feare himselfe so that he perseuere in the christian faith good life as a sure refuge and anker He that beleeueth neede not feare although great shal be the feare of the dreadfull day of dome when Christ shall shew himselfe sodenly vnlooked for from an high after the maner of a flash of lightening dreadful to the wicked who shall be cast into euerlasting fire uost amiable louely to the godly persons which shal be called to the feloship of the heauenly kingdome for the Lord will let none of his chosen be away but be shrowded vnder the protection of his Angels for it is written Psal 34. the angel of the Lord tarrieth about them that feare him deliuereth them yea hee will comfort them euen when that sodaine and sore perplexity of mind and earnest des peration shall go as a quauie and wind ouer all nations that the people of the earth shall consume and pine away as peple of an other world for feare of beholding the terrible stroke of God the powers of heuen to moue contrarie to their creation the earth shake and reele the sea boyle and swel with most dreadful roring noise to the dismaing of al mens hartes to behold the whole vniuersall world and al the nature of things ready to be shaken in sunder like an earthen pot when the bright shining s un being the fountaine of the light of the earth heauens shal with sodain darknes couer his face imbraiding the vngodly with their blindnes because they would not see follow imbrace the euerlasting s on lanterne of the world Iesus Christ the moone shal giue no light and the stars fall which hath bene so many hundred yeares fastened to the firmament Then the glorie of the Lord shal come his face burne that no man can abide it Esay 3. and shall set vp the power of his voyce an angrie countenaunce with a consuming fire then the kinges shall vani sh as the scums of the water and shall say to the mountaines couer vs Ose 9. and to the hilles fal on vs fearing the fire of Gods indignation now kindled ouer the whole world doubting to be girded in the flame thereof whereat all the nations of the world shal strike their breastes beholding the signe of the sonne of man which being sâ—ne a vniuersall trepidation shall come vnto all mens hartes when the Iewes shall see whom they haue offended and the Gentiles s hal see the maiestie of the crosse which they laughed to scorne for they shall see the sonne of man whom they dispised comming on high in the cloudes of the ayre with a great armie of Aungels Esay 26. who commeth out of his place to visite the wickednes of them that dwell vpon the earth and who shall abide it for then shall the axe be put to the roote of the trees so that euery tree that hath not brought foorth good fruit shall be hewen downe and cast into the fire when fire and brimstone storme tempest shall be their portion to drinke which obstinate sinners haue heaped to them selues despising the goodnes patience and long suffering of God which meanes he vsed in their life time to call them continually to repentance but then shall
it bee to late to knocke when the dore shall be shut and to late to crye for mercie when it is the time of iustice for hee shall thus come according to Mathew Math. 25. in his glorie and all the holy Aungels with him and then sit vpon his seat of iudgement and all nations gathered before him seperating the one from the other as a shepheard diuideth the sheepe from the gotes and shall set the sheepe on the right hand and the gotes on the left and then shall hee ioyfully say to them on the right hand Come yee blessed children of my father inherite the kingdome prepared for you from the beginning of the world And then hee shall say to them of the left hand depart from me ye cursed into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the diuels and his angels wherin the Apostle setting before our eyes the glorious maiestie of Christes comming and the effecte of his comming may séeme to pricke all mens harts euen to bléed for sorrow of their sinnes to think vpon this fearfull sentence of Christ who thus commeth as saith Iohn Baptist with the fanne in his hand Matth. 5. and will purge his floure and gather the wheat into his barne béeing the righteous and the chaffe which are the wicked he will burne with vnquechable fire by which wée plainly sée the seperation of the good from the ill with the deserts and rewardes of bothe parties Ephe. ◠and with the whole manner of the latter iudgement which no people high or low shall escape for all things in heauen and in earth according to Paul to the Ephesians shall bee gathered togither in Christe and Christe as a iust iudge shall deuide them into two parties and will showe vnto bothe a iust cause of his iudgement Math. 25. that the iust may knowe with what well dooinges they haue attained so great felicitie and ioye and the ill may know with what offences they haue deserued euerlasting punishment for Christe shall say with a mylde and mery cheare to them which hath doone the déedes of righteousnes and mercy for his name sake Come yee blessed of the Lord inherit the kingdome and be clothed with your heauinly mansion Wherfore stirre vp your hartes to imbrace this ioyfull voyce of voyces which hath powre to kendle and inflame all humble harts to run after godlines with all looue power and might of the soule without wearynes to obtaine the ioy of Christes kingdome for which cause stoppe not your eares harden not your harts follow not your lusts EPhes 1. hunt not after worldlynes but thrist after righteousnes and walke in the narrow way and guyde the féete of thy conscience in the holy path that leadeth and conducteth to this eternall saluation and moste blessed Cittie the ioye wherof is so superabundant the glory so triumphant the blessednes so heauenly the pleasure so swéet the treasure so excéeding Cor 1.2 the place so incomparable that the eye hath not séene nor the eare euer heard nor the hart could euer thinke the ioye which is prepared in heauen for vs for suche is the inheritance as to bee made the glorious Sonnes of GOD crowned with glorie and immortalitie for euer Cor. 2.5 where death is chaunged to euelasting lyfe nakednes clothed with Gods brightnes sorrowes turned to perpetuall ioy and all our infirmities are chaunged into to eternall and incorruptible happines In respect wherof séeing wée knowe of a certaintie that if our earthlye mansion or corporall presence wherein wee now dwell were destroyed that wee haue a building or Cittie ordained of GOD beeing an habitation not made with handes but eternall in heauen the verry kingdome of Christe and re st of GOD for which wée should sigthe and grone desiring to bee clothed with our mansiō which is from heauen but yet wée must bee héere clothed and not naked as men without good lyfe for as long as wee are in this tabernacle and world wee shoulde sigth with the s obbes of true repentance and grone with the gréefe of godly sorrow abhorring sinne and wickednes in that wee would not be found vnclothed but would be clothed vpon with the garment of righteousnes that mortalitie might bee swallowed vp of lyfe Reue. 3. To the obtayning wherof Christe counsell vs to buye of him golde tryed in the fyre that wee may bee riche and to buye of him white rayment that wee may be clothed which is treuth and righteousnes that our filthie nakednes doo not appeare as if wee were sotted in the corruption and lustes of the olde Adam thereby indaungering our selues because we neither seeke for the garments of Godlynes with pure diligence and looue nor knock with the hand of stedfast vnfeigned faith nor aske with deuotiō of sincere prayers the giftes of his grace to bee found at the great mariage of the Kings sonne without our wedding garments and so s ubiect to the Ministers of Gods wrath who shall bee commaunded and charged to bynde vs hand and foote and to cast vs moste dreadfully into vtter darknes Wheruppon print and establishe this for euermore in thy hart how greeuous and lamentable it shall bee abooue all greefes and s orrowes when Christe shall say to his Reapers or ministring Angels Take those cursed bynde them lyke tares in sheaues to be brent And al so print it in thy hart and mynde as in a remembring Booke or looking glass e how heauie and lamentable a case it shall bee to beholde the looke of Christe Math. 1◠when his lippes shall wagge with furie and indignation and his toung sparkle out the fierie streames of a wasting and consuming fire when hee turneth to them that stande on the left hand with dyrefull and terrible voice saying Goe away from mee you cursed and execrable of my Father which are woorkers of iniquitie and regarded not righteousnes departe you to fire which neuer shall bee quenched Math. 25. which is prepared for the deuill and his Angells Oh consider how sorrowfull and heauie shall this departure bee into all heauines from whence you shall neuer bee redéemed nor pittied how bitter and gréeuous shall that sentence bee how lamentable shall those cursed soules bee whiche shall neuer againe be comforted that must forsake the presence and sight of Christe for euer that must bee depriued from heauen from ioy from all pleasure for euer that hath loste the glorious and renowned inheritance of new Ierusalem for euer that hath lost the hapines which others inioy for euer-and now are departed into bitter torments greeuouslye to bee vexed for euer what a losse is that O wretched people what a paine is this you may faint to think it And therefore awake vp ye drunkards and wéepe mourn and howle all yée gluttons and wine sippers least you go with Esau from your byrthright and s up the pottage wine dregges of hell fire ye vncleane persones come to the waters of lyfe