will be 't will certainly be intollerable Rev. 6. 15 16 17. And the Kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men and the chief Captains and the mighty men and every bond-man and every free-man hid themselves in the Dens and in the rocks of the mountaines and said to the mountaines and rocks fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the Throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. This was a poor shelter for the mountains melt and the rocks rend at his angry presence for the great day of his wrath is come and who shall be able to stand Oh woful and miserable miscreants who can neither abide nor avoid the fearful wrath of God! It would be very sad news to a wicked man if one should come and tell him that that person who hateth him most of all others in the world hath power over him and is devising all the horrid torments that the wit of man can imagine which shall shortly be inflicted upon him But alas all this is but a very small thing I had almost said a very nothing in point of terrour If it be compared with what terrible and true tidings I am now from God to acquaint all Christlesse persons with Although you who are wicked do often pretend as those liars the Prophet Ezekiel speakes of much love to your God with your lips yet I am sure he doth not believe you But he who knoweth your hearts better then your selves saith Zech. 11. 8. that his soul loathes you and your soules abhorre him And if you die in this condition the misery which you shall endure in the other world shall be not what the finite understanding of one no nor ten thousand angry malicious men laying their heads together can devise to execute upon you but what the infinite understanding of that God who loathes you hath prepared to render your condition most exquisitely unspeakably and unconceivably miserable Mat. 25. 41. Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels There is the doleful emphasis of the misery of damned persons in the other world Their misery was prepared by the infinite wisdom of God who best knowes what ingredients are most torturing and his infinite hatred of their sinful persons will not suffer him to leave out the least of them They have vexed Isa 63. 10. Ezek. 16. 43. and 32. 9. and fretted Gods soul by their sins here and God will vex every vein of their hearts and be revenged on them to the utmost hereafter Histories mention many waies of torment which the heathenish and antichristian factions have invented to discover their cursed rage against the precious people of God As plates of iron burning hot which they have laid upon their naked flesh pincers red hot with which they have pulled off the flesh from the bones bodkins with which they have pricked their bodies all over casting them into Lime-kilns and into Caldrons of scalding lead their skins were flead off alive and their raw flesh rubbed with salt and vineger they were laid upon Gridirons rosted and basted with salt and vineger their bodies were rent asunder by fastning them to boughs of trees they were tossed upon the horns of Bulls with their bowels hanging out they were tortured on the rack on the wheel and on the gibbet with flaming fire under them These were very grievous waies of torment But alas these and many more such devises were no more then the inventions and executions of finite men which God permitted to be used upon the bodies of the people who were dearly beloved of his soul and therefore are but as bug-bears to scare children if they be compared with that most fearful vengeance which an infinite God hath decreed to execute upon all Christlesse persons in the other world Because of the infinite hatred that is in his soul against them In short The happines of heaven will be much more sweet then the people of God can conceive while they are here and the misery of hell will be much more dreadful then the wicked in this life either did or could possibly imagine 3. The Godly in the life to come shall have onely such company as they would have Man is a sociable creature therefore suitable society is a delight c. This will be a very considerable ingredient in that happinesse Here they cry out or have cause continually to cry out in the words of the Psalmist Psal 120. 5. Wo is me that I sojourn in Meshech that I dwell in the tents of Kedar Little doth the wicked ones of the world know and consider what an heart-breake they are to their godly neighbours and nearest relations because of the wicked courses which they take It is with them as it was with Lot 2 Pet. 2. 7 8. Their righteous soules are vexed from day to day with seeing and hearing of their unlawful deeds But hereafter they shall be in that place where no such persons shall have leave to appear Revel 21. 27. There shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth neither that worketh abomination or maketh a lie No dirty Dog shall set footing on that pavement of Glory In heaven thou shalt enjoy highest communion with God the Father who elected thee God the Son who redeemed thee and God the holy Ghost who sanctified and comforted thee Then shalt thou be in the company of innumerable Angels who have done thee more good offices then ever thou tookest notice of and the spirits of just men made perfect Here it is sweet yea very sweet to enjoy the company of one or two godly persons what will it be then to be in the company of all the righteous that ever were are or shall be Here the best of Christians are imperfect in their knowledge love and all other graces and yet wise and holy Moses chose rather to suffer affliction with them then to enjoy the pleasures of sinne for a season esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches then the treasures of Aegypt for he had respect to the recompence of reward Heb. 11. 25 26. But sure the company of Gods people when there is no ignorance envy frowardnesse or any other corruption will be much more desirable But on the other side the company of those that make not this choice will be a very great part of their torment they must depart into the place where the devil and his angels are Mat. 25. 41. Here if men do but fancy the apparition of one devil to them they look pale their hair stands up they shriek terribly and are ready to drop down dead What will their woful case be in the midst of the devils really abiding with them Here wicked ones have many persons as husbands wives children friends that are the delight of their eyes and the joy of their hearts But in the other world it would be a very great abatement of their misery
as themselves are they presently cry out without cause Oh sad Christians Oh unpleasant ways of God! But Solomon tells us that these strangers to Gods ways are not fit judges of them as to the point of joy Prov. 14. 10. The heart knowes its own bitternesse and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy The wicked know not in what bitternesse the people of God are sometimes so as to pitty them nor yet how exceedingly joyful they are at other times so as thereby to be provoked to get into that comfortable estate wherein they live so pleasantly Further suppose thou seest them often weeping sometimes they may weep for joy not for sorrow and bitternesse of heart and at other times the cause may be not the unpleasantness of the ways of God in which themselves walk but the wicked 2 Pet. 2. 7 8. and woful ways in which thou and such as thou art walk may make them to abound with tears as holy David did Psal 119. 136. Rivers of tears run down mine eyes because they keep not thy Law III. Because wicked men are carried so much by sence blessed be God for it we have enough to stop their mouthes from what they may see and hear if they will but observe and remember what they may in this kind But here their basenesse is frequently and notoriously discovered For they will either not observe when they may or else carelesly forget such useful observations and insist upon contrary examples I cannot more fitly compare them for their wickednesse to any then to such as all the world cries out of who are idle persons who when they come into Tradesmens shops they desire to see some of their wares some is accordingly shewed to them They find fault presently offer is made to shew them better wares but they fling away and will not see them which discovers plainly their ill minds who came onely to trouble others by caviling not to buy any thing for their own use T is proportionably so in this businesse wicked men pretend a desire of entring into Gods ways but that they dislike the uncomfortable behaviour of some who walk in them Hereupon we offer to shew them more comfortable Christians but all this will not prevail to win them to the wayes of God which is an apparent signe that not the pretended uncomfortablenesse of some Christians but their own habitual enmity against God and his ways is the true cause of their not embracing them Rom. 8. 7. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be Now for the proof of what is here asserted That there are many the Lord increase their number daily who walk in Gods wayes with much more comfort under all occurrences then any other persons whatever if wicked ones will but diligently observe their own families and the families of others they would see clearly That many small losses and crosses which put them into their dumps their godly relations and neighbours do bear with much evennesse of spirit and reall contentation under the righteous hand of God and do live much more chearfully in an afflicted estate then they do in a flourishing and outwardly prosperous estate They are like Paul 2 Cor. 7. 4. not only joyful but exceeding joyful in all their tribulations which many times wicked men are not in the greatest prosperity that they are capable of So that I may say to wicked men by way of allusion to Pauls words to King Agrippa Act. 26. 27. Do you believe these things I know you do or at least have cause enough to believe them The Second branch of the Objection was the observation of many who walk not in Gods holy and strict wayes to be alwaies very pleasant and merry and therefore their ways are rather to be chosen then Gods ways Besides what hath been already delivered which some would think abundantly sufficient to confound this cavil I shall adde Four Considerations more endeavouring if God be pleased to blesse them to make wicked ones ashamed and afraid of using this plea any more 1. They are most groundlesse joys Eccl. 2. 2. I said of laughter it is mad and of mirth what doth it It may be truly affirmed of all the joy of the wicked it is no better then madnesse You shall come into some places where you meet with those they call naturals and if you never saw or heard of them before their excessive laughter will presently discover them every word that is spoken and almost every straw that is stirred puts them into a fit of laughter as if they were the merryest persons in the whole country but their friends who sit and hear it hang down their pale faces and shed many a bitter tear under this sad providence would much rather have been childlesse if God had so pleased then call such a person son or daughter They know there is no cause for such excessive joy it proceeds wholly from their natural distemper So a great many wicked men like a company of mad men laugh shout and revel as if none in the world so merry as they in the mean time their godly Relations who know their joys to be wholly groundlesse and proceeding from a spirituall phrensie weep abundantly in secret to see them leaping and dancing as it were upon the very borders of the burning lake God who understands their condition better then themselves tells them if they dare believe him and wo to them if they do not that they have more cause to weep James 5. 1. Go to now ye rich men weep and howl for the miseries that shall come upon you and who besides God knows how soon wicked ones live every moment under all the heavy and dreadful curses that are written in Gods blessed Book So that for my part I should judge the condition of many more hopeful if their laughter were turned into roaring and out of a deep sense of their present sinful and dangerous estate they cried out in all companies under the impressions of Gods terrours upon them as the jaylor Sirs Act. 16. 30. what must I do to be saved A through sence of a present bad condition is one of the first necessary steps to a better future condition 2. They are grudged comforts Godly Solomon wisely adviseth Prov. 23. 6. Eat not the bread of him that hath an evil eye neither desire thou his daintiest meats If it be uncomfortable to partake of the delicates of a Muck-worm's feast who grudgeth what is eaten by his guests how much more may wicked men be unwilling to set their hearts upon these choisest worldly comforts which not a churlish gripple clown but a gracious and a bountifull God would not have them to be so much delighted with God seemeth to grudge every wicked man every comfortable smile he hath while he remaines Christlesse Hos 9. 1. Rejoyce not as other people was Gods language by the
their desires for them But is it so with the wicked Who dare affirme it while they are wicked they do not cannot desire to partake of all spirituall blessings A cursed Balaam Num. 23. 10. may desire to die the death of the righteous but no wicked man alive while such can desire to live the life of the righteous 1. They do not desire it Hear their own words Luke 19. 14. We will not have this man rule over us This was a very plain but yet a very rude and rebellious message and yet such dust-heaps are found in every corner such masterlesse monsters rise every where So that by their own confession they may be judged and condemned for being unwilling to live as the holy subjects of the King of Saints in this life 2. They cannot desire it Rom. 8. 7. The carnall mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the law of God neither-indeed can be By these words we see plainly the best of an unregenerate person is not onely averse but utterly adverse to the rule of holinesse and the Will being guided by the Understanding If the carnall mind as the Apostle here plainly asserteth be enmity against the law of God the rule of holinesse the carnall will cannot possibly be for conformity to it 3. The Meritorious cause of all the good which the truly godly person chuseth is the precious bloud of the Sonne of God Spirituall Causa procalactica graces and comforts here and the eternall glory of the other world are no cheap things but most costly and accordingly ought to be valued and improved by us Ephes 1. 7. In whom we have redemption through his bloud the forgivenesse of sinnes according to the riches of his grace Redemption is a very comprehensive word and many times is put for all the benefits of the Covenant of Grace So that every godly person may write this superscription upon his pardon assurance perseverance and all the other benefits he partakes of by Christ in this life These are the price of bloud and that the best bloud called precious 1 Pet. 1. 18 19. and that worthily because the bloud of God Act. 20. 28. And so being the bloud of an infinite person and consequently the price an infinite price This will much more hold true concerning the glory of the other world Heb. 10. 19. Having therefore brethren boldnesse to enter into the holiest by the bloud of Jesus No getting to the shore of glory but by a sinners swimming upon the most precious stream of a Saviours bloud These things ought to be frequently the meditations of Christians to inflame their loves to a most lovely and loving Saviour and to quicken them to endeavour suitable praises for all their costly priviledges in both worlds 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 4. The Formall Act of this Choice is that whereby they preferre Christ and all his spiritual blessings before all worldly things whatever This is the inseparable property of all and onely truly godly persons That they esteem God and the things of God above all other things is evident in the example of godly David as appeares by those remarkable words recorded in the 119. Psal 30. I have chosen the way of truth and Vers 173. I have chosen thy precepts compared with Vers 167. My soul hath kept thy testimonies and I love them exceedingly farre more then any thing in the whole world Psal 119. 103. How sweet are thy words unto my taste yea sweeter then hony to my mouth And Vers 72. The law of thy mouth is better to me then thousands of gold and silver Those words of the 4. Psal v. 6 7. Many there be that say who will shew us any good The many in the Text are all the ungodly The good was temporall as is clear from the seventh Verse But now godly David prayes for the light of Gods countenance i. e. the manifestation of his favour to his soul and professeth that such a precious mercy being obtained would make him more glad then any worldling could possibly be when his corn and wine encreased Yea Psal 63. 3. He preferres Gods loving kindnesse before life it selfe And that as Satan truly is to be preferred before all other worldly things whatsoever Job 2. 4. Skin for skin and all that a man hath will he give for his life But no wicked person living doth set such an high value upon God and the things of God But if God be twelve with him some worldly Object to which he is inordinately affected is alwaies thirteen as appears by those words Luke 14. 14. when Christ was speaking of the priviledge of the righteous at the resurrection one that hears him cries out Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God as if he had said in other words that is a glorious and happy estate I choose that for my portion Christ presently to discover his hypocrisie propounds the parable of the guests who were invited to partake of that priviledge he seemed so much to admire vers 16 17. and then we read vers 18. they all with one consent made excuses They seemed much to esteem the priviledge of Christians at the resurrection but their Oxen Farmes Wives lay much nearer to their heares for which we read vers 21. That the Master of the house was very angry as he had great cause as shall be hereafter proved Causa proâ—gumena 5. The Fountain of all the good the godly person chooseth is the Free Grace and favour of God towards his precious people which they all do deservedly admire in this life and will upon further grounds more perfectly admire to all eternity in the life to come The shoutings of all the godly in both worlds are and ought to be Grace Grace T is not considerable what carnall Sophisters may object against this truth because it was asserted in the third branch of the description That all the godly persons priviledges in both worlds were dearly purchased for them by the most precious bloud of Christ the Son of God and thereupon as they conceive Gods conferring those priviledges upon the Elect seems rather if not onely an Act of Justice and not at all of Grace In this hast I shall say no more and I think more need not be said then to name that pregnant Text of the Apostle for the confounding of that carnall cavil Ephes 1. 7. In whom we have redemption through his bloud the forgivenesse of sins according to the riches of his grace According to blessed Pauls divinity Christs bloud as the meritorious cause of Redemption and Remission is very well consistent with the grace yea the riches of the grace of God the Father T is very true they were exceedingly costly to Christ we are the greater debtours to his love for being willing by so great a price to purchase our peace t is as true they are not costly to us we have them without money and
this life they must everlastingly bid adieu to all true joy and comfort Rev. 14. 11. The smoak of their torments ascends for ever and they have no rest night nor day But many of them begin their hell here long before their translation hence as the godly their heaven A wicked man though in never so flourishing and prosperous condition in the eye of sense or reason cannot upon good ground be confident that his peace and comfort shall continue one week or day or hour longer Eccles 7. 6. For as the crackling of thorns under a pot which make a short blaze and is suddenly extinct so is the laughter of a fool Such God accounts and calls all wicicked men Amos. 8. 9. The Prophet Amos tels the wicked that their sun shall go down at noon day All the wicked mans considerable joy may be over before half his dayes be passed God delights to marre the mirth of Christless ones in the midst of their jollity Dan. 5. In the beginning of the Chapter we read that King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his Lords and himself his Princes wives and concubines were upon their merry pinnes quaffing and carowsing in golden and silver vessels taken out of the Temple But we read in v. 5. that all this joy was turned suddenly into extream sadnesse In the same hour came forth fingers of a mans hand and wrote over against the Candlestick upon the playster of the wall of the Kings Pallace and the King saw the part of the hand that wrote v. 6. Then the Kings countenance was changed and his thoughts troubled him so that the joynts of his loynes were loosed and his knees smote one against another v. 7. Then the King cried aloud c. Oh the inconsiderablenesse of that short liv'd joy which a wicked man cannot be rightly confident to enjoy for the small space of one poor hour Job 20. 5. These things premised if any person wish well to his own joy no choice but the Christians choice is the right way to obtain and retain it in both worlds 3. The Christians choice is as unquestionably the best in reference to the concernments of the other world It cannot be reasonably expected that in a piece of an hour I should goe over in my discourse the state of the Saints blessednesse in Heaven and the sinners misery in Hell that by comparing them together it may be discovered which choice is best that which leads to Heaven's happinesse or Hell's misery This may abundantly suffice for my present purpose to mention four remarkable Particulars which hold forth light enough convincingly to prove the conclusion I have delivered about this weighty point 1. The Godly mans choice will infallibly bring him to so happy a condition in the other world that he shall not desire or have cause to desire any other good then that he shall then be possessed of Psal 73. 25. The Psalmist expresseth himself thus Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee If this be the language of the Saints in this world surely there will be much more cause why it should be their In beatudine complebitur omne desiderium beatorum Aquinas constant language in the other world God is the universal good and they will then be in the fullest enjoyment of it that their natures are capable of and so there will be no need of the least contribution of any other good below God to perfect their substantial happinesse That sea of goodnesse will surely fill brim-ful all their largest vessels Psal 16. last vers Thou wilt shew me the path of life in thy presence is fullnesse of joy and so no room for any other objects But as for all the wicked their woful case will be far otherwise then their most afflicted estate ever was in this life In this world such is the admirable kindnesse of the glorious God to his cursed adversaries that he seems to deal with them more like children then like enemies The Psalmist tels us that in this life Psal 73. 7. they have more good things then heart could wish Here when they are in pain or any other affliction many of them can say to their servants Call my dear husband or wife to refresh me with their company Bid my beloved Child or faithfull Friend come and be helpfull to me Go fetch me such a costly Cordial to keep up my fainting spirits But in the other world God affords them no such comforts Their cup of gall and wormwood have not the least drop of any comfortable ingredient to qualifie the bitternesse thereof Luk. 16. 25. But Abraham said Son remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things and likewise Lazarus evil things but now he is comforted thou art tormented Wicked men have all the comfortable portion that they are like to receive from God in Psal 17. 14. this life no wonder therefore when death comes they are soloth to depart hence The request made was but for a very small courtesie vers 24. a finger dipt in water would have been but a poor meanes to abate the paines of his tongue tormented with hellish flames yet as small as it was it was denied to let all Christlesse persons know what they must trust to in the other world They must onely drink of the wine of the wrath of God without mixture not the least drop of mercy shall be mingled with it Rev. 14. 10. 2. The condition of all godly persons in the other world shall be much more comfortable then they can possibly conceive while they are in this life Oh how happy would many judge their condition to be if all that they could possibly conceive to be delightful to them might be enjoyed by them But the case of all glorified persons shall be far more comfortable then this comes to 1 Cor. 2. 9. Eye hath not seen ear hath not heard nor hath it entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that 1 John 3. 2. love him It never entred into the hearts of God best people here to conceive fully how happy their glorified condition shall be Their happinesse shall be made up of such ingredients which the infinitely wise God who prepared it shall judge to be most comfortable and sure infinite wisdome can best choose the most comfortable ingredients and his infinite love to his people will not suffer him to leave out any of them But now on the other side the waies that wicked ones choose will bring them to greater wo and misery in the other world then they can for the present fully conceive Psal 90. 11. Who knoweth the power of thy wrath The interrogation is to be resolved into this negation None can fully conceive the greatnesse of it We may conceive that it will be very dreadful and although we know not to the utmost how dreadful it