the more he laboured to block up the way of Christ the more passible As they said once of the Graeciaâ—s in the Epigramm whom they thought invuâ—nerable We shâ—ot at them but they fail not down we wound them but do'nt kill them See Exod. 1. 10 11 12 13. Acts 8. Acts 14. it became And what ever of Christ he thought to root out it rooted the deeper and rose the higher thereupon he resolved to engage no further but retired to a private life All the oppositions that the Dâ—vil and his instruments had raised against the Saints in all the ages of the world hath not diminished but encreased their number For the first three hundred years after Christ there was a most terible perfecution Historians tell us that by seven and twenty several sorts of deaths they tormented the poor people of God In these hot times of persecution many millions of Christians were destroyed And yet this was so far from diminishing of their number that it encreased their number for the more they were oppressed and perfecuted the more they were encreased And therefore some have well observed that though Julian used all means imaginable to suppress them yet he could never do it He shut up all their Schools that they might not have learning and yet never did learning more flourish than then He devised all manner of cruel torments to terrifie the Christians and to draw them from their holy faith and yet he saw that they encreased and multiplied so fast that he thought it his bâ—st course at last to give over his persecuting of the Saints not out of love but out of envy because that through his persecution they encreased This was represented unto Daniel Dan. 2. 34 35. in a vision Dan. 2. The Kingdom of Christ is set forth there by a little stone cut out of the Mountain without hands without art or industry without Engines and humane helps The stone was a growing stone and although in all the ages of the world there have been many hammers at work to break this stone in pieces yet they have not nor shall not prevail but the little stone shall grow more and more till it becomes a great Mountain and fills the whole earth And let this suffice for Answer to the first Objection I would justifie the Lord I would say he is righteous though Object 2 my house â—e burnt up but I have lost my goods I have lost my estate yea I have lost my all as to this world and how then can I sâ—y the Lord is righteous how can I justifie that God which has even stript me as naked as the day wherein I was born c. To this I answer Answ First Dâ—dst thou gain thy estate by just or unjust wayes and means If by unjust wayâ—s and means then be silent before the Lord. If â—y just wayes and means then know that the Lord will lay in that of himself and of his Son and of his Spirit and of his Grace and of Heavens glory that shall make up all thy losses to thee But Secondly Did you improve your estates for the glory of God and the good of others or did you not If not why do you complain If you did the reward that shall attend you at the long run may very well bear up your spirits under all your losses Consult these Scriptures 1 Cor. 1. 15. 2 Cor. 9. 6. Eccles 11. 1. Gal. 6. 7 8. Isa 32. 20. Isa 55. 10. Prov. 11. 18. Rev. 22. 12. But Thirdly What Trade did you drive Christ-wards and Heaven-wards and Holiness-wards If you did drive either The Stars which have least circuit are nearest the Pole and men that are least perplexed with business are commonly nearest to God no Trade heaven-wards or but a slender or inconstant Trade heaven-wards and holiness-wards never wonder that God by a fiery dispensation has spoiled your Civil Trade Doubtless there were many Citizens who did drive a close secret sinful Trade who had their by wayes and back-doors some to uncleanness others to merry meetings and others to secret Gaming Now if thou wert one of them that didst drive a secret Trade of sin never murmur because thy house is burnt and thy Trade destroyed but rather repent of thy secret Trade of sin and wonder that thy body is not in the grave and that thy soul is not a burning in everlasting flames Many there were in London who had so great a Trade so full a Trade so constant a Trade that they had no time to mind the everlasting concernments of their precious souls and the great things of Eternity They had so much to There were many who sacrificed their prâ—ciâ—us â—â—me â—â—ther to 〈◊〉 the Mâ—niâ—tâ—r of sleep or to Baccâ—us the Gâ—d of Wine or to 〈◊〉 â—he Goddes◠〈◊〉 Bâ—auty 〈◊〉 iâ— all â—ere due to the Bâ—d the Tavern and the â—rothel-house Numb 22. 32. 2 Pet 1. 10. do on Earth that they had no time to look up to Heaven as once the Dake of Alva told the King of Fraâ—ce Sr. Thomas More saith there is a Devil called negâ—tiuâ— business thâ—â— carrieth more souls to Hell then all the Dâ—vâ—â—s in Hell beside Many Citizens had so many Irons in the fire and were cumbred about with so many things that theâ— wholly neglected the one thing necessary and therefore it was but just with God to visit them with a fiery Rod. Look as much earth puts out the fire so much worldly bâ—siness puts out the fire of heavenly affections Look as the earth swallowed up Korah Dathan and Abiram so much worldly business swallows up so much precious time that many men have no leisure to secure their interest in Christ to make their calling and election sure to lay up treasure in Heaven to provide for eternity and if this have been any of your cases who are now burnt up it highly concerns you to justifie the Lord and to say he is righteous though he has burnt up your habitatâ—ons and destroyâ—d your Trade 'T is sad when a crowd of worldly business shall crowd God and Christ and Duty out of dooâ—s Many Citizens did drive so great a Publick Trade in their Shops that their private Trade to Heaven was quite laid by Such who were so busie about their Farm and their Merchandise that they had See Luke 14. 16. 22. no leisure to attend their souls concernments had their City set on fire about their ears Matth. 22. 5. But they made light of it that is of all the free rich and noble offâ—rs of Grace and mercy that God had made to them and went their wayes one to his farm another to his Merchandise Ver. 7. But when the King heard thereof he was wroth and he sent forth his Armies that is the Romans and destroyed those murderers and burnt up their City It is observable that the Exod. 20. 9. Vidâ— Exod. 29. 38 39. Numb 28. 3. Deut. 6. 6 7 8. Jews who were
inviolable principle and indelebly stampt upon mans nature that there is a God They that shall deny that there is a God must extinguish the very Light of Nature by which the very Heathen in all the Ages of the World have acknowledged a supream divine Being Bion of Boristenesa was a very great Laert. Atheist all his life time he denied the Gods despised their Temples and derided their Worship yet when death The stoutest Atheists that ever lived cannot resolutely and constantly believe there is no God hence Heathens have condemned some to death that denied there was a God came he would rather have endured the greatest torment then to have dyed and that not so much for fear of a natural death but for fear of what followed after lest God whom he had denied should give him up into the hand of the Devil whom he had served and therefore at the time of his death he put forth his hand crying Salve Pluto salve Welcome Devil welcome foolishly thinking to pacific the Devil by this flattering salutation And Tully observes of Epicurius that though no man seemed more to contemn both God and death yet no man feared more both the one and the other The Philosophers did with one consent affirm That there is a God and they called him Nomine Deum naturâ Spiritum ordine Motorem primum but knew him not He that shall deny there is a God sins with a very high hand against the light of Nature for every Creature yea the least Gnat and Fly and the meanest worm that crawls upon the ground will confute and confound that man that disputes whether there be a God or no. The Name of God is written in such full fair and shining Characters upon the whole Creation that all men may run and read that there is a God The Notion of a Deity is so strongly and deeply improst upon the tables of all mens hearts that to deny a God is to quench the very Principles of common Nature yea 't is formally Deicidium a killing of God as much as in the Creature lyes There are none of these Atheists in Hell for the Devils believe and tremble The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 James 2. 19. that is here used signifies properly the roaring of the Sea it implies such an extream fear as causeth not only trembling but also a roaring and screcking out Mark 6. 49. Acts 16. 29. The Devils believe and acknowledge four Articles of our Faith Mat. 8. 29. First they acknowledge God 2. Christ 3. The day of Judgment 4. That they shall be tormented then So that he that doth not believe that there is a God is more vile then a Devil to deny there is a God is a sort of Atheism that is not to be found in Hell On Earth are Atheists many In Hell there is not any Augustine speaking of Atheists saith That albeit there be some who think or would perswade themselves that there is no God yet the most vile and desperate Wretch that ever lived would not say there was no God Seneca hath a remarkable speech Mentiuntur qui dicunt se non sentire Deum â—sse nam etsi tibi affirmant interdiù noctu tamen dubitant They lye saith he who say they perceive not there is a God for although they affirm it to thee in the day-time yet by night they doubt of it Further saith the same Author I have heard of some that have denied that there was a God yet never knew the man but when he was sick he would seek unto God for help therefore they do but lye that say there is no God they sin against the light of their own consciences they who most studiously go about to deny God yet cannot do it but some check of conscience will flye in their faces Tully would say That there was never any Nation under Heaven so barbarous as to deny that there was a God I have seen a City without Walls but never any City but acknowledged a God Quicquid vides quicquid non vides Deus est Whatsoever thou seest and whatsoever thou seest not is God that is all things visible and invisible do express unto thee a Deity and lead thee as by the hand to contemplate heavenly spiritual and eternal things God is known by his effects though not by his Essence The Creation of the World is a glass wherein saith Paul we may Rom. 1. behold his eternal Power and God-head which that divine Poet hath well observed Du Bart. The World 's a School where in a general story God alway reads dumb Lectures of his glory Austin having gone round all the Creatures and seeing in Soliloquiis them the Characters of the God-head imprinted and seriously inquiring of them for God not one or two but all made him this Answer with an audible voice Non sum ego sed per ipsum sum ego quem quaeris in me I am not he but by him I am whom thou seekest in me I have heard saith my Author Mr. Francis Taylor on Pro. 6. 7. of some learned Atheists met together to discourse of the power of Nature to prove there was no God a poor shepherd present asked how the rain came then they bid him look upon a stiâ—l and he might know that vapours were drawn up by the Sun and let fall again as moisture in a still he replied I never yet could see a still work unless some man put fire to it This so wrought on one in the company that he gave glory to God and forsook his Companions I think Zeno hit the mark when he said to hear and see an Atheist dye will more demonstrate that there is a God then all the Learned can do by all their Arguments That Epitaph which was written upon Sennacheribs Tomb may well Herodot be written upon every Atheist He that looks upon us let him believe there is a God and learn to fear him In all the Ages of the World God has given a most severe testimony against Atheists That Assyrian that bragged at a Feast that he did never offer Sacrifice to a God was eaten up of Lice And Lucian a great Atheist going to Supper abroad left his Hounds fast when he went and as he returned home having railed against God and his Word his dogs fell mad met him and tore him in pieces I have read of some Heathens who being at Sea in a very dangerous storm where they were like to be cast away they began every one apart to examine themselves what should be the reason of so dreadful a storm and after that they had all cast up their accoâ—nts by querying with themselves What have I done said one and What have I done said another that has occasioned this storm At last it issued thus they remembred that they had Diagoras the Atheist on Board and rather then they would all perish for that Atheists sake they took him by
if slighted and contemned turn into the greatest fury and severity Divine wrath smoaks and burns against none so fiercely as it doth against those who are despisers of Gospel-mercies When gold is offered men care not how great or how base he is that offers it neither is it material by whom the Gospel is brought unto us whether it be brought unto us by Isaiah as some think a Prophet of the blood Royal or by Amos from amongst the Herdmen of Tekoa Let the hand be more noble or more mean that brings it if it be slighted and contemned provoked Justice will revenge it Such as slight the Gospel and contemn the Gospel they sin with a high hand against the remedy against the means of their recovery This is the condemnation this is that Joh. 3. 19. desperate sin that hastens Judgments upon Cities and Countries as Jury Asia Bohemia and other parts of the world have sadly experienced He that hath eat poyson and shall despise the means of his recovery must certainly dye for it He who when he hath committed Treason against his Prince shall not only refuse but scorn and flight his Princes favour and pardon and fling it from him with disdain is assuredly past all help and hope Sins against the Gospel are sins of a greater size of a louder cry and of a deeper dye then sins against the Law are and accordingly God suits his Judgments Where the Gospel shines in power it will either mend a people or mar a people it will either better them or worsen them it will either fit them for the greatest good or it will bring upon them the greatest evils Where it doth not reform there it will destroy And this London hath found by woful experience Slighting and contemning of the offers of grace in the Gospel is a sin that is not chargeable upon the greatest part of the world who lyeth in wickedness and who sit in darkness and in the region and shadow of death yea 1 Joh. 5. 19. Math. 4. 16. 't is a sin that is not chargeable upon the Devils themselves and therefore the more severely will God deal with those that are guilty of it The Gospel hath for above this hundred years shined forth out of the dark and thick clouds of Popery and Antichristianism which had over-spread the Nation And in no part of the Land hath the Gospel been preached with more clearness spiritualness life power and purity then in London And Oh that I had not cause to say that there was no part of the Nation where the Gospel was more undervalued slighted and contemned by many then in London For First Where the faithful and painful Ministers of the Gospel are slighted and contemned as Ministers of the Gospel there the Gospel is slighted and contemned Now were Math. 23. 37. Luke 10. 16. there none within nor without thy Walls O London that did slight scorn reproach and contemn the Embassadors of Christ who were faithful to their Light their Lord their Consciences and the Souls of their Hearers But Secondly Where the Ministrations of the Gospel where the Ordinances of the Gospel are slighted and contemned there the Gospel is slighted and contemned yea where any one Ordinance of the Gospel is slighted and contemned there the Gospel is slighted and contemned Where Baptism is slighted and contemned there the Gospel is slighted and contemned Where the Lords Supper is slighted and contemned there the Gospel is slighted and contemned where the offers A man upon whom the Gospel hath wrought savingly he will 1. prize all the Ordinances 2. practise all the Ordinances 3. praise the Lord for all the Ordinances Luke 1. 5 6. 2 Sam 19. 35. of the Gospel are slighted and contemned there â—e Gospel is slighted and contemned where the commands of the Gospel are slighted and contemned there the Gospel is slighted and contemned where the threatnings of the Gospel are slâ—ghted and contemned there the Gospel is slighted and contemned where the promises of the Gospel are slighted and contemned there the Gospel is slighted and contemned and where the comforts of the Gospel are slighted and contemned there the Gospel is slighted and contemned Now were there none within nor without thy Walls O London that did slight and contemn the Ministrations of the Gospel the Ordinances of the Gospel When old Barzillai had lost his taste and hearing he cared not for Davids Feasts and Musick There were many within and without the Walls of London that had lost their spiritual taste and hearing and so cared not for Gospel-ministrations for Gospel-ordinances There were many who under a pretence of living above Ordinances lived below Ordinances and made light of Ordinances yea who scorned vilified and contemned the precious Ordinances of Christ Thou art to them as a lovely song Ezek. 33. 31 32. saith the Prophet in the Hebrew it runs thus Thou art to them as one that breaks jests The Solemnity and Majesty of the Word was but as a dry jest unto them Ordinances were but as dry jests to many within and without the Walls of London and therefore no wonder if God hath been in such good earnest with them who have made but a jest of those precious Ordinances that are more worth then Heaven and Earth Many came to the Ordinances too much like the Egyptian Dog which laps a little as he runs by the side of Nilus but stays not to drink But Thirdly Such as are weary of the Gospel such slight the Gospel such contemn the Gospel Never were the Israelites more weary of Manna then many within and without the Numb 11. 6. Amos 8. 5. Walls of London were weary of the plain and powerful preaching of the Gospel We were better have a biting Gospel then a toothless Mass said blessed Bradford But were there not some that had rather have a toothless Mass then a biting Gospel Were there not many that were willing to let God go and Gospel go and Ordinances go and all go so they might be eased of their burdens and taxes and greaten their relations and have peace with all Nations and enjoy a sweeping trade and every one sit under his vine and under his fig-tree eating the fat and drinking the sweet and enjoy liberty to dishonour the Lord to gratifie their lusts to damn their own Souls and to bring others under their feet so weary were they of the blessed Gospel Fourthly Such as have but a low and mean opinion of the Gospel such are slighters and contemners of the Gospel such as prefer every toy and trifle and fashion and sinful custom 1 Cor. 1. 23. and base lust above the light of the Gospel the power of the Gospel the purity and simplicity of the Gospel the holiness and sweetness of the Gospel such are slighters and contemners of the Gospel Though it be better to present truth in her native plainness then to hang her ears with counterfeit Pearls yet there
which he presently began to do but God soon cut him off Thomas Blavar one of the Privy Counsellors of the King of Scots was a sore Persecutor of the people of God in that Theatrum Historicum Land when he lay on his dying-bed he fell into despair and cryed out that he was damned he was damned and when the Monks came about him to comfort him he cryed out upon them saying That their Masses and other trash would do him no good for he never believed them but all that he did was for love of money and not of Religion not respecting or believing that there was either a God or a Devil a Hell or a Heaven and therefore he was damned there was no remedy but he must go to Hell and in this case without a sign of repentance he dyed A Popish Magistrate having condemned a poor Protestant to death before his execution he caused his tongue to be cut out because he should not confess the truth but the Lord did retaliate it upon him for the next child he had was born without a tongue Cardinal Crescentius was a most desperate Persecutor of the people of God he was the Popes Embassador to the Anno 1552. Council of Trent and being one night busie in writing to his Master the Pope a huge black Dog with great flaming eyes and long ears dangling down to the ground appeared to him in his Chamber and went under the Table where he sate Upon which the Cardinal was amazed but as as soon as he had recovered himself he called his Servants to put out the black Dog that was come into his Chamber but they lookt round about his Chambers and the next Chambers but could find no black Dog upon which the Cardinal fell presently sick with a strong conceit which never left him till his death still crying out Drive away the black Dog drive away the black Dog which seemed to him to be climbing up his Bed and in that humour he dyed After the Martyrdom of Gregory the Bishop of Spoleta Flacchus Phil. Lonicer the Governour who was the Author thereof was struck with an Angel and vomited up his entrails at his mouth and dyed Mammea Agrippitus when he was fifteen years old because Cent. 3. cap. 12. he would not sacrifice to their Idols was apprehended at Preneste and whipt with Scourges and hanged up by the heels and at last slain with the Sword in the midst of whose torments the Governour of the City fell down dead from the Tribunal-seat Gensericus King of the Vandals an Arrian was a most Sigeb in Chron. cruel Persecutor of the Orthodox Christians he was possessed of the Devil and dyed a most miserable death in the year 477. Herod the Great who caused the Babes of Bethlehem to be Euseb Hist. slain hoping thereby to have destroyed Christ shortly after was plagued by God with an incurable disease having a slow and slack fire continually tormenting of his inward parts he had a vehement and greedy â—â— fire to eat and yet nothing would satisfie him his inward bowels rotted his breath was short and stinking some of his members rotted and in all his members he had so violent a cramp that nature was not able to bear it and so growing mad with pain he dyed miserably Herod Antipas who beheaded John Baptist not long after Euseb Hist falling into disgrace with the Roman Emperor with his incestuous Herodias the Suggester of that murther they were banished and fell into such misery and penury that they ended their wretched lives with much shame and misery Herod Agrippa was a great Persecutor of the Saints he was Acts 12. Joseph Antiq. lib. 19. cap. 7. eaten up of worms in the third year of his Raign as Josâ—phus observes He went to Caesarea to keep certain Plays in the Honour of Caesar the Gown he was in as the same Author relates was a Gown of Silver wonderfully wrought and the beams of the Sun reflecting upon it made so it glister that it dazled the eyes of the Beholders and when he had made an end of his starched Oration in this his Bravery his Flatterers Acts 12. 21 22 23. extolled him as a God crying out 'T is the voice of a God and not of a man Whereupon he was presently smitten by the Angel of the Lord and so dyed with worms that eat up his Joseph Antiq. lib. 18. cap. 13. entrails the blow the Angel gave him was an inward blow and not so visible to others and his torments more and more increasing upon him the people put on sack-cloth and made supplication for him but all in vain for his pains and torments growing stronger and stronger every day upon him they separated his wretched soul from his loathsom body within the compass of five days Euseb Hist Caiâ—phas the high Priest who gathered the Councel and suborned false Witness against the Lord Christ was shortly after put out of his Office and one Jonathan substituted in Euseb Hist lib. 2. cap. 7. his room whereupon he killed himself Not long after Pontius Pilate had condemned our Lord Christ he lost his Deputiship and Caesars favour and being fallen into disgrace with the Roman Emperour and banished by him he fell into such misery that he hanged himself Oh the dreadful Judgments that were inflicted upon the chief Actors in the Ten Persecutions Shall I give you a brief account of what befel them Nero that Monster of men who raised the first bloody Persecution to pick a quarrel with the Christians he set the City of Rome on fire and then charged it upon them under which pretence he exposes them to the fury of the people who cruelly tormented them as if they had been common burners and destroyers of Cities and the deadly enemies of mankind yea Nero himself caused them to be apprehended and clad in wild beasts skins and torn in pieces with Dogs others were crucified some he made Bonfires of to light him in his night-sports To be short such horrid cruelty he used towards them as caused many of their enemies to pity them But God found out this wretched Persecutor at last for being adjudged by the Senate an enemy to mankind he was condemned to be whipt to death for the prevention whereof he cut his own throat Domitian the Author of the second Persecution against the Christians having drawn a Catalogue of such as he was to kill in which was the name of his own Wife and other friends upon which he was by the consent of his Wife slain by his own Houshold-servants with Daggers in his Privy-Chamber his body was buried without Honour his Memory cursed to posterity and his Arms and Ensigns were thrown down and defaced Trajan raised the third Persecution against the Church he was continually vexed with Seditions and the vengeance of God followed him close For first he fell into a Palsie then lost the use of his senses afterwards
6. 5. Job 21. 12. Dan. 5 23. Amos 6. 4. burning from burning in sin to burning in Hell from burning in flames of lusts to burning in flames of torment except there be sound repentance on their sides and pardoning Grace on Gods O Sirs in this devouring fire in these everlasting burnings Cain shall find no Cities to build nor his posteriâ—y shall have no instruments of Musick to invenâ— there none shall take up the Timbrel or Harp or rejoyce at the sound of the Organ There Belshazzar cannot drink Wine in Bowls nor eat the Lambs out of the flock nor the Calves out of the midst of the Stall In everlasting burnings there will be no merry company to pass time away nor no Dice to cast care away nor no Cellars of Wine wherein to drown the sinners grief There is everlasting fire Matth. 25. 41. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for thâ— Devil and his Angels This terrible sentence breaths out nothing but fire and brimstone terror and horror dread and wo. The last words that ever Christ will speak in this world will be the most tormenting and amazing the most killing and damning the most stinging and wounding Depart from me there iâ— rejection Pack begone get you out of my fight let me never see your faces more It was a heavy doom that was past upon Nebuchadnezzar that he Dan. 4. 25. should be driven from the soâ—iâ—ty of men and in an extremity of a sottish melancholly spend his time amongst thâ— Beasts of the fiâ—ld but that was nothing to this soul killing word depart from me It was nothing to mens being cast out of the presence of Chrâ—st for ever The remembrance Berâ—ard in Psal 91. of which made one to pray thus O Lord deliver me at the great day from that killing word Depart And what saith another This word Depart the Goats with horror hears Sphynx But this word Come the Sheep to joy appears Basil saith That an alienation and utter separation from God Basil Asc Etic c. 2. Chrysost in Mal. Hom. 24. is more grievous than the pains of Hell Chrysostome saith That the torments of a thousand Hells if there were so many comes far short of this one to wit to be turned out of Gods presâ—nce with a Non novâ— vos I know you not What a grief were it here to be banisht from the Kings Court with Aâ—solom or to be turned out of doors with Hagar and Ismael or to be cast out of Gods presence with cursed Cain But what is all this to a mans being excommunicated and cast out of the presence of God of Christ of the Angels and out of the general Assembly of the Saints and Congregâ—tion of the first born to be Heb. 12. 22 23. secluded from the presence of God is of all miseries the greatest The serious thoughts of this mâ—de one say Many do abhor Hell but I esteem the fall from that glory to be a greater punishment than Hell it self 't is better to endure ten thousand Thunder-claps than be deprived of the beatifical vision Certainly the tears of Hell are not sufficient to bewail the loss of Heaven If those precious souls wept because they Acts 20. 38. should see Pauls face no more how deplorable is the eternal deprivation of the beatifical vision Depart from me is the first and worst of that dreadful sentence which Christ shall pass upon sinners at last Every syllable sounds horror and terror grief and sorrow amazement and astonishment to all whom it doth concern Ye cursed there is the malediction But Lord if we must Cursings now are wicked mens Hymns but in Heâ—l they shall be their woes Rev. 16. 9. 11 21. depart let us depart blessed No depart ye cursed you have cursed others and now you shall be curst your selves you shall be curst in your bodies and curst in your souls you shall be curst of God and curst of Christ and curst of Angels and curst of Saints and curst of Devils and curst of your companions Yea you shall now curse your very selves your very souls that ever you have despised the Gospel refused the offers of Grace scorned Christ and neglected the means of your salvation Oh sinners sinners all your curses all your maledictions shall at last recoyle upon your own souls Now thou cursest every man and thing that stands in the way of thy lusts and that crosses thy designs but at last all the Curses of Heaven and Hell shall meet in their full power and force upon thee Surely that man is cursed with a witness that is cursed by Christ himself But Lord if we must depart and depart cursed Oh let Of this fire you had need of some Devil or accursed wretch to descant saith One. us go into some good place No Depart ye into everlasting fire There is the vengeance and continuance of it You shall go into fire into everlasting fire that shall neither consume it self nor consume you Eternity of extremity is the Hell of Hell The fire in Hell is like that stone in Arcadia which being once kindled could never be quenched If all the fires that ever were in the world were contracted into one fire how terrible would it be Yet such a fire would be but as painted fire upon the Wall to the fire of Hell If it be so sad a spectacle to behold a malefactors flesh consumed by piece-meales in a lingering fire Ah how sad how dreadful would it be to experience what it is to lie in unquenchable fire not for a day a moneth or a year or a hundred or a thousand years but for ever and ever If it were saith One but for a thousand years I could bear it but Cyril seeing it is for eternity this amazeth and affrighteth me I am afraid of Hell saith Another because the Worm there Isâ—dor clar Orat. 12. never dies and the fire never goes out For to be tormented without end this is that which goes beyond all the bounds of desperation Grievous is the torment of the Dionys in 18. Apocaâ—yps Fol. 301. damned for the bitterness of the punishments but it is more grievous for the diversity of the punishments but most grievous for tâ—e eternity of the punishments To lye in everlasting torments to roar for ever for disquietness of heart to rage for ever for madness of soul to weep and grieve and gnash the teeth for ever is a misery Matth 25. ult beyond all expression Bellarmine out of Barocius tells of De arte moriendi a learned man who after his death appeared to his friend complaining that he was adjudged to Hell torments which saith he were they to last but a thousand thousand years I should think it tollerable but alas they are eternal And it is called eternal fire Jude 7. I have read of a Prison among the Persians which was