TWO TREATISES One of the Latter day of Iudgement The other of the Ioyes of Heauen 1. Cor. 15.52 In a moment in the twinckling of an eye shall the Trumpet blow and the dead shal be raised and we shal be chaunged that are found aliue Mat. 24.22 Except those dayes should bee shortened no flesh should be saued but for the elects sake those dayes shal be shortned Imprinted at London by Thomas Creed and are to be solde at his house in the Olde Change at the signe of the Eagle and Childe 1600. The Epistle to the Reader GEntle Reader my desire hath bene of a long time to set downe vnto thee the Excellent the Decaied and the Restored Estate of man if by Gods grace I might or may as yet in good time performe it Wherof I haue finished a great part the which if God giue good successe in due time shall be added to that which is alreadie published wherein I haue set downe the Excellent Estate of man by declaring how God created him after his Image The thing that I haue aimed at both in that and this or any thing else that hereafter I shall do is only to profit and to do good And therefore at this time and according to this time and troublesome dangerous dayes of this world prognosticating the vtter ruine and decay thereof I haue thought good by this Treatise of the Latter Iudgement to put you in remembrance that you may be ready and prepared when the Trumpet shall blowe and when we shall be called to our account That euery one of vs in the meane time may haue this in our minde and in our mouth Good Lord prepare vs to thy kingdom and shorten the daies of sinne Ezekias desired to haue his dayes prolonged And vnto Iosias it was pronounced for a blessing that his time should be shortned Which of these two was the better choyce that I leaue to thy resolutiō perswading thee to that which I take to be best Suprema cogita Cor sit in aethere Foelix qui potuit mundum contemnere Thine to his power S. I. A TREATISE OF the latter day of iudgement Act. 10.36 to 43. Ye know the word which God hath sent to the children of Israel preaching peace by Iesus Christ which is Lord of all Euen the word which came through all Iudea beginning in Galile after the Baptisme which Iohn preached To wit how God annointed Iesus of Nazareth with the holy Ghost and with power who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the diuell for God was with him And wee are witnesses of all things which hee did both in the land of the Iewes and in Ierusalem whom they slew hanging him on a tree Him God raised vp the third day and caused that he was shewed openly not to all the people but vnto the witnesses chosen before of God euen to vs which did eate and drinke with him after he arose from the dead And he commaunded vs to preach vnto the people to testifie that it is hee that is ordained of God a Iudge of quicke and dead EVery one no doubt is desirous to know what shall bee done at the latter day at the day of doome and iudgement A doctrine very necessary to them that haue any care of themselues and of their owne saluation and very profitable also to prouoke vs to the loue knowledge and feare of God And so much the more profitable and necessary it is by how much the nearer that day is at hand and approacheth beeing as our Sauiour Christ saith hard at the doores Concerning these words which I haue read vnto you I shall require you to haue regard vnto these principall matters First what is the cause why this generall iudgement shal be Diuision Secondly the declaration of this iudgement Thirdly who shall be the iudge Lastly how it pertaineth to the wicked to the godly wherunto I haue thought good to ad an exhortatiō the better to be prepared The cause wherfore Christ shal come to iudgement principally is no other but that which procured death vnto vs and the last generall iudgement shall make that matter more certain not only that this bodily death which is a seperation of our soule body for a time shal not serue the turne be inough to satisfie that punishment which we haue deserued but also that some shall be deliuered to eternal death both of body and soule as indeed we should be all in that estate were it not for the benefite of Christ his death The sinne transgression of Adam as also the sins and transgressions of vs al was is the cause why God is displeased with vs and why his wrath is vpon vs and why we are subiect vnto death and why wee shall appeare before the iudgement seate of God Psal 90.9 For when thou art angry saith the Prophet All our dayes are gone we bring our yeares to an end as it were a tale that is told wee consume away in thy displeasure Thou wilt set our misdeeds before thee and our secret sinnes in the sight of thy countenance Our misdeeds haue procured death had not Christ died for vs and rose againe from death to deliuer vs from feare They were the cause why we were shut out from heauen had not Christ ascended vp into heauen to procure vs an entrance they had brought vs to the fearefull iudgement of God and to the heauy and wofull sentence of euerlasting condemnation and endlesse destruction if by the meanes of our Sauiour Christ we might not be deliuered from it For when we were at hell gates and appointed to destruction he came with this ioyfull message Come againe ye children of men As indeed his first comming here on earth was to saue and not to destroy and to call sinners to repentance that they might bee receiued into the fauour of God and haue their sinnes forgiuen them but this his second comming at the latter end of the world shall be to iudge to tender vengeance and to destroy those sinners who in this life were against his glory and their owne saluation to call them now to account whom when time was he called to repentance and who now shall be punished by the extremitie of the wrath of God Who if they had well regarded it in their life time might haue bene receiued into fauour their sinnes being forgiuen so that at the day of iudgement they should not haue beene put to any hazard for them nor ventured the daunger of losse of body and soule for them Here in this life they might haue escaped that which in that day they shall not be able to auoyd We see in all well ordered Realmes that if it were not for offences committed and for the manifold outrages of robbers theeues and murderers the Iudges needed not ride their circuit neither shuld there be any iudgement heard of But as before that man had disobeied God this sentence was
giuen out If thou doest eate thou shalt die the death so seeing he hath diuersly and most notoriously offended therefore hath God appointed a day to sit in iudgement to make this sentence more sure and knowne and to put it in ful execution We read of Enoch that holy man Wisd 4.10.14 that hee walked with God that is that he pleased him was beloued of him so that wheras he liued among sinners God translated him and tooke him vp into heauen least wickednesse should alter his vnderstanding For his soule pleased God and therefore God hasted to take him away from wickednesse least he should giue his consent vnto sinners and fal into the selfsame condemnation with them But because wee haue grieuously offended his maiesty therfore shal we be brought before his iudgement seat For righteousnesse is immortall but vnrighteousnes bringeth death Thus then through the bane of sin wee are subiect vnto Gods wrath and heauy iudgemeÌ„t which in the end of the world at the second comming of Christ shall bee pronounced against vs. According to that we read Eccle. 11.9 Reioyce ô yoong man in thy youth let thy heart cheare thee in the dayes of thy youth and walk in the waies of thy heart in the sight of thine eies But know that for al these things God will bring thee to iudgement But here many of vs follow the course of the stream with all other Atheists vngodly persons who because they see that God delayeth the time of his comming to iudgement therfore they think there shal be no iudgemeÌ„t at all Of whom the holy Apostle S. Peter doth thus prophecie in his 2. Epistle Chap. 3.3 Some mock at the iudgement day as though it should not be This first vnderstand saith he that there shal come in the last dayes mockers which will walke after their lusts And say where is the promise of his comming For since the fathers died all things continue alike from the beginning of the creation Seed time haruest sommer and winter one generation decayeth and an other commeth in place thereof And because they see the same course of the world to continue that was from the beginning they are ready to say as those of whom I made mention when I opened vnto you the doctrine of resurrection Our life say they is but a breath and so forth and when we are dead there shall be no more remembrance of vs and therefore we will doo thus and thus euen what we list Which is a token of Gods iudgement vpon theÌ„ who sometime suffereth the obstinate offender to do in a maner what hee list as we read Ps 81. v. 11.12 So I gaue them vp to the hardnesse of their heart and they haue walked in their owne counsels Where we must not imagine that they can doo any thing against Gods will who doth so bridle and restraine them that they shall do no more then that which hee will suffer them God doth not onely restraine and bridle them but furthermore sends his fearefull iudgements vp-them oftentimes to ouertake them that they may knowe there is a God that iudgeth the earth Gods iudgements in this world and that such malefactors are further reserued vnto the day of iudgement And therefore we see so many strange and wonderfull examples of Gods wrath daily before our eies Which strange examples we cannot say are wrought by meÌ„ or by chaÌ„ce because they passe the compasse of mans reason how they shuld be wrought how they shuld come to passe but that we may say as Pharaohs enchaunters said This is the finger of God that is to say this is the worke and punishment of God when he bringeth vpon men and women sore plagues sudden death and strange ends so that we cannot otherwise chuse but confesse it to be so These punishments God doth send not onely to feare vs from the like offences that they haue committed vpon whom God hath exercised and executed his iust iudgement but also that wee may bee put in minde that there is a iudgemeÌ„t to come and that hee hath begun the anger and wrath of his fierce iudgement here vpon earth Which plagues and punishments are fore-tokens and as it were manifest signes of the iudgement to come The feeling of this iudgement engraffed in vs by nature Yea there is an inward feeling of this iudgement engraffed in vs by nature For they that commit any sinne as murder fornication adultery blasphemie and many other the like albeit they can so conceale the matter that none aliue do know it or be priuy vnto it yet oftentimes they haue a griping in their conscience and they feele as it were the very flashings of hell fire within them Which is a strong reason to shewe that there is a God before whose iudgement seate they must answere for their sinnes offences and misdeeds Some suppresse the knowledge of the latter iudgement Yet such there are who being possessed with an euill humor and ouercome of their naughtie wicked desires that the coÌ„sideration of Gods heauy iudgement to come cannot preuaile to moue them to relâ—nt or to haue any remorse of their euill life but rather they endeuour to suppresse the feeling of that which by nature and by the light of reason is engraffed within theÌ„ and are desirous willingly to forget it As S. Peter speaketh of them 2. Pet. 3.5 This saith he they willingly know not that the heauens and earth are reserued vnto fire against the day of iudgement and of the destruction of vngodly men they willingly know not So when it comes into mens consciences that there is a iudgement to come and when they feele an inward feare within them for their misdeeds they doo not take profit by this inward feeling of Gods iudgement whereby it pleaseth God to call them to the knowledge of themselues to be humbled in his sight to call for mercy forgiuenesse of sinnes to turne to God in newnesse of life that so they might preueÌ„t Gods iudgement be saued But they are so mightily ouercome of sinne and of their euill desires which rule and raigne within them that they turn this inward feeling and this inward calling of God to their owne hurt And as the fashion of the world is they desire to put away such sad thoughts betake themselues to merry coÌ„pany and pleasant conceits or else to other pastimes of carding dicing bowling such like So that the diuel through their owne coÌ„sent holdeth him still in his chaines whereas they might seeke meanes to be deliuered from the subiection whereby the diuell retaineth them in his seruice and keepeth them within his power if they themselues were any thing willing to be deliuered and set free By a sad looke saith the wise man Eccle. 7.4.5 the heart is made the better And it is better to be in the house of mourning theÌ„ in the house of laughter When the holy Apostle S. Paul Act.
no doubt they feele that there is giuen to them a spirit of bondage and feare through which they tremble at their owne estate They are in mount Sinay where is the burning fire blacknesse darknesse tempest and the sound of a Trumpet in consideration whereof they tremble and are inwardly tormented But thou wilt say the wicked prosper and reioyce in their dayes they are bound in no such bondage nor feare no such feare Thou canst not tell neither doest thou know the heart of wicked man howsoeuer hee boast in his substance and outward prosperitie and seemeth to haue peace peraduenture there is a bitter remembrance within him of the iudgement to come He may delight and sport himselfe but in that laughing the heart is sorrowfull and that myrth doth end in heauinesse And albeit they striue maruellously to cast out this feare yet if they could cast it out from them as out of a cannon and fieldpeece yet would it euermore returne vnto them againe and vexe their heart that so flyeth from it If they would full faine seare vp their consciences as with a hot and glowing Iron yet sometime it will awake them as out of a sleepe so â—aht vpon a sudden they shall see a fearfull sight of death and iudgement And as we read Rom. 8.19 That the feruent desire of the creature wayteth when the sonnes of God shall be reuealed so also we may well say that the consciences of men do groane as it were vnder the burthen of sinne and earnestly desire to be diâ—burthened and yet they shall not For at the iudgement day when all the creatures of the earth shall haue their desire then shall the consciences of the wicked torment them a fresh and that more fiercely then euer they did before For then shall the time be that we shall giue account and God shall bring all our secret sinnes to light our consciences bearing witnesse against vs. The diuell shall accuse And yet there remaineth an other accuser beside God and our owne conscience and that is the diuell who alwayes sought our destruction and brought vs vnto it by diuers temptations and sugered baytes The diuel shal be at hand to accuse vs to call for iudgement against vs who after our iudgement is giuen and the sentence past shal be ready most terribly to torment vs world without end And to bring this to passe then shall he lay deeply to our charge and call for iudgement against vs reioycing and triumphing that he hath so good a cause before so righteous a Iudge earnestly crauing that hee will iudge vprightly because iustice and iudgement is the preparation of his seat and his throne is established by it I pray thee therefore will this accuser say giue sentence with me and iudge him to bee mine which while hee liued would be none of thine mine he or she whosoeuer is by right and they haue deseâ—erued to suffer torments with me and seeing they haue followed my wayes in theyr liues now let them be partakers of my punishments And shall not the Iudge of the world doo right saith Abraham and minister righteous iudgement yea doubtlesse as the Apostle S. Iude vers 14. hath set it downe Behold the Lord commeth with thousands of Saints to giue iudgement against all men and to rebuke all the vngodly among them of all their wicked deeds which they haue vngodly committed and of all their cruell speakings which wicked sinners haue spoken against him When all matters are thus made manifest all shall be iudged partly according to the confession of their owne guiltie conscience and partly by the word of God which they haue hard and which they haue either neglected or despised euen by the selfesame word shal they be iudged For by that shall they be made without excuse and the more culpable before Gods iudgement seate As we may reade in the Gospell of S. Iohn Word Chap. 12.48 He that refuseth me and receiueth not my words hath one that iudgeth him the word that I haue spoken it shall iudge him in the last day Where by the way we are taught to haue the more regard of the word of God and with reuerence to heare it with remembrance to keepe it in our hearts and with care to expresse it in our liues and conuersation that it may be a helpe to our saluation whereas otherwise it is like to bee our Iudge to our condemnation Which is further declared by that which is set downe Acts 13.40.41 Beware therefore least that come vpon you which is spoken of in the Prophets Behold the despisers and wonder and vanish away For I worke a worke in their dayes a work which yee shall not beleeue if a man would declare it vnto you Which worke by the interpretation of the learned is the vnspeakable vengeance of God vpon those that contemne his word Thus then beeing in his presence and after the generall trial of our cause and after we haue giuen our account shall Iesus Christ who is appointed to be the Iudge of quick and dead proceed to Iudgement in seperating the iust from the vniust the good from the bad the wheat from the chaffe the sheepe from the goates For in this world they are mingled together the good with bad and God suffereth his raine to fall as well vpon the vniust as the iust neither is he hasty to separat them the one from the other in this life To the end that he may shewe his patience toward the wicked in giuing them time and space to repent as also by their meanes he exerciseth his Church and people to teach them patience and to try whether they will stand stedfast vnto him or fall away from him with the rest of the world And as he rebuked his Disciples because they desired that fire should come downe from heauen to consume the Samaritanes so also he findeth fault with them that would haue a seperation before the iust time come According as we read in the Epistle to the Romans Chap. 12.19 Vengeance is mine I will repay it saith the Lord. God knoweth his iust time and his appointed time is the end of the world Which matter is very effectually set downe in a Parable Mat. 13.12 For after the good feede was sowne and the blade sproong vp and brought forth fruite then appeared also tares Then came the seruants of the housholder and said vnto the maister Maister sowedst not thou good seed in thy field from whence then hath it tares And hee said to them the enuious man hath done this Then the seruants said vnto him Wilt thou then that we goe and gather them vp But hee said nay least while ye go about to gather the tares yee pluck vp also with them the wheat Let both grow together vntill the haruest and in time of haruest I will say to the reapers gather ye first the tares and bind them in sheaues to burne them but gather the wheat into my barne The
liues madnesse and their end without honor But now how is it that they are counted among the children of God and that their prouision is among the the Saints and that they are so highly in Gods fauour Therefore we haue erred from the way of truth and the light of righteousnesse hath not shined vnto vs and the Sunne of vnderstanding rose not vpon vs. We haue wearied our selues in the way of wickednesse and destruction and we haue gone through daungerous wayes but wee haue not knowne the way of the Lord nor liued in his feare And now hauing heard the chiefest matters concerning the day of doome and the generall and last day of iudgement that wee may the better bee prepared vnto it let vs heare what counsell is giuen vs in holy scriptures And first that of the Apostle S. Paul may take place and seemeth greatly to tend to this purpose Which counsell wee read 1. Cor. 11.13 in this sort If wee would iudge our selues we should not be iudged and this profit wee should reape thereby that in time to come we should not be condēned with the world But as a matter full of terror and pensiuenesse wee will not enter into so deepe a consideration nor trouble our consciences so farre as to iudge our selues or to fall into examination of our owne wayes Whereas no doubt if wee should so doo it would fall out most happily on our side For if vpon due try all and examination without all partiallitie and affection wee should pronounce sentence of iudgement against our selues according to our deserts it would bee no otherwise nor no better then condemnation And yet not that condemnation which woorketh dispaire but such a condemnation whereby wee might bee acquitted from euerlasting condemnation As the same Apostle writing to the Corinthians 2. Cor. 7.9 I now reioyce saith he not that yee were sory but that yee sorrowed to repentance For yee sorrowed godly so that in nothing ye were hurt by vs. For godly sorrowe causeth repentance vnto saluation not to bee repented of but the worldly sorrowe causeth death So verily if wee would enter into iudgement with our selues it would procure a griefe and sorrowe but such a sorrowe especially if it came from a well meaning minde that should not be vnto death For by iudging of our selues we should take a viewe of that death and of those torments which by reason of our sinnes we deserue And by this meane we should be driuen to repentance and to seeke after God to bee reconciled vnto God to returne into his fauour that our consciences might be disburthened of so great feare which the seuerity of the last iudgemēt of god might work within vs that we might haue boldnesse and comfort in that day But if we walke on securely carelesly and wil not once vouchsafe to enter into iudgement with our selues then may we a while be merry in this world but our mirth shal hereafter be turned into mourning As the wise mā doth put such carelesse persons in remembrance that in their iollitie they might not too much forget themselues Reioyce saith he if so be it seeme good in thine eyes but remember therewithall that thou shalt be called to account and to iudgement Eccle. 11.9 and 12.14 And therefore he giueth this counsell Chap. 7.14 It is better to go to the house of mourning then to the house of feasting Anger is better then laughter for by a sad looke the heart is made the better Better it is to be in the house of mourning and to weepe for our sinnes wherby we are in daunger of Gods iudgement then to be in the house of feasting and forgetfulnesse to enioy some pleasure with the world for a small time seeing our life is but as a span long that here onely and in this life is the time of forgiuenesse that we may be pardoned Better it is to be angry with our selues then to please our selues in such sort and a sad minde is a meane and a great help to further our repentance And how shall we obtaine so godly a purpose as to bee set free from Gods heauy anger which we haue most iustly deserued if we doo not vse the meanes which tend therevnto Commonly where iudgement is there followeth condemnation but heare how sweete and comfortable it is that in iudging of our selues after this order which I haue set downe vnto you we shall find a way to be quit from euerlasting condemnation Which we can no way escape if in this life wee doo not iudge our selues and condemne our selues by true repentance calling for mercie and forgiuenesse that wee may be receiued into Gods fauour and not in time to come to be condemned with the world For in so iudging of our selues it is not a meanes to cause vs to dispaire but to haue a better hope and an enduring and a reioycing comfort which comfort shall neuer bee taken from vs if still wee be mindfull to call our selues to iudgement and haue an eye to our wayes that wee do not offend God Wherefore let euery one of vs pray that our hearts may bee so prepared against this iudgement day that we may be most willing to call our selues to account and to iudgement So that hauing thus humbled our selues after a while all feare shall passe away from vs and our hearts shall be filled with ioy and whereas heretofore we haue wished that this day should not bee now wee shall desire in heart to haue it come to passe And so much the more because our consciences shall assure vs our sins being forgiuen that we shall not bee among the number of them that shall be condemned but among them to whom it shall be said Come yee blessed inherit the kingdome prepared for you Which comfortable words God graunt we may then heare to our euerlasting comfort Spend the time in an honest vocation An other remedy to auoyd the seueritie of this punishment is to seeke to please God in this world in an honest vocation and trade of life For as idlenesse is the cause of many sinnes and vices so godly painfulnesse is the mother of all vertues and which doth breede a great comfort to our cōsciences against the time when we shall be called to our account how we haue spent our time and imployed those good gifts wherewith God hath inabled vs. Therefore in the Gospell before the declaration of the latter day of iudgement there is mention made of the talents that were bestowed they that receiued them were called to the reckoning how they employed them the slothfull being bound hand and foote and cast into vtter darknesse and the painfull highly aduanced So that there is a way offered to auoyd iudgement and they that are therein negligent and carelesse shall be guilty of iudgement and shall fall into diuers mischiefes and sins which shal make them more faulty and worthy of greater condemnation The life of man somewhere is