these silly dumbe creatures it is a maruell that they doe not break their league with man and shake off the yoke of obedience toward him It is a maruell that y e earth doth not rent in sunder vnder man as he walkes vpon it séeing it is so plagued with barrennesse for the sinne of man It is a maruell that our oxen and our horses with their hornes and hooues doe not make warre against vs séeing we are such vnrighteous tyrannicall Lords ouer them not content to haue their vse and seruice except wée plague them besides into such vndeserued vengeance of GODS wrath by our sinnes and transgressions Let vs therefore forbeare and eschew sinne and flye from it as from a Serpent séeing by it wée doe not onely draw downe Gods heauy iudgements vpon our heads but also wée plague our posteritie and the very dumbe and vnreasonable creatures into the wrath of Gods vengeance by our sinnes and transgressions And let vs further learne the perfect hatred of GOD against sinne who doth not onely punish it in maÌ„ which committeth it but in all things which any way serue man in his sinfull courses and let vs estéeme no sinne small séeing the infinite maiestie of God is offended by it infinite torments are prepared for it and nothing can satisfie for it but the inestimable price of Christes blood applyed to the conscience by a true and liuely faith Now it remaines that in the last place we examine the cause why the Lord brought such a fearefull destruction vpon this land and people There must néeds be some great cause that did exasperate the Lord to execute such a fierce strange iudgemeÌ„t vpon them The cause is not hard to be found out for nothing doth separate man from God but sinne nothing doth prouoke God to punish plague and destroy man but sin nothing doth draw downe the iudgements of God vpon man but sinne and sinne it was that mooued the Lord to reuenge himselfe thus seuerely vpon this land and people as it appeares by the wordes of Almightie God to Abraham Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and because their sin is exceeding grieuous I will go downe now saith the Lord. Sin brought death into the world they are twinnes bred and borne in one day sinne and destruction are Relatiues admit the one and the other followes death and destruction growes foorth of sinne as fruite from the tree and therefore if we sin we may surely expect to be punished and if we be punished we need not doubt of the cause but we may safely thinke with our selues it is for our sinnes Therefore as we haue considered the punishment of Sodom so let vs consider the sins of Sodom which were the cause of her ouerthrow and destruction The Prophet Ezechiel doth make knowne vnto vs the sinnes of this people to be foure Pride fulnesse of bread idlenesse and vnmercifulnesse towardes the poore But these were not all the sins of SodoÌ„ for the Scripture layes downe another sinne practised amongst this people which because it did either beginne amongst them or was more practiseâ— amongst them then amongst any other people beside deriued the name from them and so holds it to this day but the Prophet doth reckoÌ„ the forenamed sinnes to be the sinnes of this people because they were the principall causes of that vnnaturall sin which wiâ—h the cry thereof brought such a fearefull vengeance vpon them In speaking of the sinnes of Sodom I will kéepe the same order that the Prophet obserueth in the place before cited placing Pride in the first ranke as though it were the Ring-leader to the rest and the roote from whence all other vices doe follow and so it is indéed and therefore it is called the Center in the sphere of mans life from whence are drawne lines to the circumference of iniquitie If a man haue any good gifts or qualities in him pride doth expell and abandon them if a man haue none pride will not giue place for any to enter and the first thing that pride works in maÌ„ is an irrespectiue care and an incurious respect of God hee cares not for God he séekes not for God hée doth not trust and relye vpon God nay he thinkes alwayes there is no God for the obiect of his pride is his God and in it he doth trust vpon it he doth relye and he sets it vp as an Idoll not onely in his owne heart but in the eyes and view of the world to the end all men may applaud admire honour and magnifie it as if a man be proude of his Nobilitie of his dignitie and greatnesse of his wealth and riches of his credit and estimation of his learning and wisdome of his apparel of his costly and goodly buildings or whatsoeuer else is the obiect of his pride he doth not onely set his heart vpon it himselfe séeking all meanes to vphold and maintaine it deriuing all his ioy and contentment from it depending vpon it as vpon the staffe and stay of his strength but he must haue all other men likewise to commit Idolatry with it and as the finger is alwayes where the paine is and the eye where the affectioÌ„ is so is the heart of a proud man alwayes setled fixed vpon y e thing whereof he is proud And therefore it is true that Dauid speaks of him he cares not for God he séekes not for God he thinks alwayes there is no God as he is thus careles inrespectiue of God so is he most iniurious to his neighbor in scorning disdaining despising vildly estéeming him Superbus nesâ—at esse socius A proud man acknowledgeth none to be his equall A proud man is alwayes contentious and by reason he is wholy possest with selfe-loue a man shall neuer haue iustice at his haÌ„ds for which cause Moses gaue warning to the Israelites not to chuse a King that should lift vp his heart aboue his brethren for when the chiefe Magistrate is proud and haughty all iustice and iudgement is peruerted he gouerns all things after the rule of his owne proud conceyts And euen as when a man winnoweth wheate the chaffe mounts aloft though it be light and vnprofitable but the wheate falls downe vnto the grouÌ„d though it be more precious and excellent then the chaffe eueÌ„ so when a proud man sits in gouernment vanity is preferred but iustice and iudgement are depressed Dauid complayneth of the proud that they had him excéedingly in derision and in another place that they imagined a lye against him noting vnto vs thereby that in the first place they scorne and disdayne all men and in the second place that they wrong maligne and deale vniustly with euery man Thus is a proud man fouÌ„d impious towards God iniurious to his neighbour not capable to receyue any good gifts or graces as a certain Philosopher told Alexander perceyuing his pride God
and iniquity The suddennesse of Sodoms destruction appeares in that the History reporteth that it happened by the Sunne-rise in the morning so that their destruction came vpon them vnawares Ouer-night they were all gathered together about Lots house to breake open his dores and in the morning their owne houses crackle about their eares are burnt ouer their heads and they themselues consumed in the same fire They made Lot and his ghests haue an ill night but now they themselues haue a worse morning for in their sinfull beds did the fire take them or if they were risen from their beds a showre of fire and brimstone gaue them a wofull good morrow And though this fire and brimstone came downe in a showre of rayne yet it was such a showre as was not discerned before it came the Skye was not ouercast the Sunne was not ouershaddowed with clouds nor the firmament with gloomy and thicke darkenesse as vsually it is before other showres but the Sunne did rise as fayre and bright vpon the earth as at other times so that there was no cause to expect or feare such a showre and by reason it hapned so soone in the Morning it took some of them in their beds some asléep some not throughly wakened some apparrelling themselues others preparing themselues to go about their sundry occasions but none of them dreaming of such an hot seruice as to haue fire and brimstone to their breakefast When Almighty God brought that vniuersall floud vpon the old world Noah was a Preacher vnto them of that age and by preparing the Arke he gaue them warning what was intended towards them In like maner when Iericho was layd leuell with the ground the ruines of that City were in a maner made manifest vnto the Inhabitants thereof by the seuen dayes compassing of it about and the sound of the trumpets did as it were sound foorth their destruction vnto them and euen vnto Pharaoh was Moses sent still the day before to forewarne him and giue him knowledge of the plagues which should ensue the day after but in this destruction of the Sodomites there was no man to forewarne them of it no prediction to foretell it no signe to demonstrate it so suddenly doeth vengeance take them euen vnawares and when they little thought of any such matter From whence growes this instruction vnto vs that such as continue and goe on still in their wickednes without repentance shall suddenly be destroyed before they be aware God sendeth downe his vengeance suddenly vpon the wicked euen when they cry Peace Peace and all is well then doth vengeance come suddenly vpon them as sorrow commeth vpon a woman trauayling with child This Elihu noted in his experience They dye suddenly sayth he meaning the wicked and the people shal be troubled at midnight that is when they looke not for it and they shall passe foorth meaning the iudgements of God and take away the mighty without hand that is quickly or contrary to all expectation Many and fearefull are the examples which we haue in the Scriptures concerning this matter Lots wife turning her head awry was her selfe at that very instant turned into a pillar of salt Zimry and Cozby were both slaine amidst their filthines Belshazzar in the height of his feasting reuelling and banquetting had his iudgement laid vpon him Dauid being astonied at the sudden destruction of the wicked maketh an exclamation by way of admiration concerning this matter Psalm 73.19 Oh how suddenly sayth he are they destroyed perished horribly consumed And surely the sudden destruction of the wicked is not onely terrible to them y t are striken with it but it causeth as many to wonder as eyther heare of it or behold it When the earth opened swallowed vp Corah Dathan and Abiram with their wiues and children they themselues did not onely send foorth pittifull and rufull outcryes at the suddennes of their owne destruction but all Israel that were about them fled at the cry of them death come it neuer so gently yet it is most terrible dreadfull to nature because it destroys nature but sudden death is a degrée more fearefull then death because death is the way of all flesh and it is appoynted for all men once to dye and therefore it is wisedome patiently to beare and not to feare that which cannot be auoyded but sudden death is neyther common to all nor necessary for any but it is like a Kains marke set vpon some few for examples sake to warne others to feare and liue preparedly In all worldly reason it is better to dye in a moment then of a long languishing sickenes Therefore Caesar was wont to say Repentinus inopinatus finis vitae est commodissimus But howsoeuer a long languishing sickenes is grieuous to nature and tedious to flesh and blood yet therein a man hath time to compose and set himself in order to dispose and set his house in order to yeld back his spirit to God which gaue it with old Simeon to sing that Swanlike song Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace according to thy word to giue testimony to the world that he dyes in the true faith of Christ and in loue and charity with all men so that he leaues a good report behind him which as Salomon sayth is better then a precious oyntment But as for him that dyes suddenly he can do none of these things and therefore he leaues a suspition behind him neyther can the iudging Nature of man hardly beléeue charitably of him For indéed to say the truth where God will haue mercy he commonly giues time to craue mercy but when he strikes suddenly it is a fearefull signe that he meanes to haue no mercy for so he threatens to the vngodly His destruction shall come suddenly he shal be destroyed speedily without recouery These things being duly considered we haue iust cause to pray with the Church in her Liturgy From sudden death good Lord deliuer vs. But you will say that we ought continually to liue so prepared and prouided for death that we should be ready at all times steale it neuer so suddenly vpon vs. True it is such in déed should be our readines and preparation But yet this is no good argument that therefore we should not pray against sudden death for thus I will instance against it Euery man is bound to prouide for his family things honest and necessary for their reliefe and mainetenance and he that doth not so is worse then an Infidell yet euery man notwithstanding must pray Giue vs this day our dayly bread Our prouision for bread must not hinder our prayer for bread neyther must our preparation for death hinder our praying against sudden death But you will say vnto me Doe you condemne all that dye suddenly or doe you thinke that sudden death is alwayes a spirituall iudgement What say you to good
King Iosias so much lamented by Ieremy and commended by the testimony of Gods spirit in the Scriptures What say you to many good men some drownd at sea some kild in fight some going well to bed and found dead in their beds do you affirme that sudden death to all these is a spiritual iudgement Surely concerning Iosias I answere that he dyed not a sudden death for he was wounded at Megiddo and after he was wounded he complayned to his seruants that he was very sicke wherevpon his seruants remoued him out of his owne charret into an other and afterward carryed him to Ierusalem and there he dyed Can Iosias be sayd to dye of a sudden death They doe but fâ—atter the world which countenance the sudden death of their friends with the example of Iosias for where it is sayd that he was taken in there nets the Prophet doth not meane by Nets the suddennes of his destruction but rather the cunning deuices and stratagems which his enemies vsed to worke his ouerthrow and so is Net taken Iob. 18.8 and in diuers other places besides And as for such as perish at sea they cannot be sayd to dye suddenly for when a man sets his foote into a ship he well knows that there is but halfe a foots breadth at the most betwéene him death so that a mans entrance into a ship to goe to sea is as it were an entrance into some dangerous sickenes and commonly there is some storme before a shipwracke which is a good premonition of ensuing danger when a man is vnder water he is not presently depriued of life but there is some reluctation of Nature in which time of reluctation there may be many a déep sigh sent vnto God for mercy and forgiuenes and as it is with those that goe to sea so it is with those that goe to fight who knoweth not that the chance of warre is vncertaine therfore when a man goes into the field to fight he should make account that he lies him downe vpon his sick-bed The Drums and Trumpets are to him as so many bells that sound forth his dolefull knell The Arrowes the Pikes the shot of all sort are messengers of death vnto him so that he cannot be said to die suddenly but that man dyes suddenly who being in perfect health and frée from all imminent danger is so depriued of life that there is no reluctation of Nature to bée perceiued And what are we to iudge of such Surely concerning such we are not onely to consider the present condition of their death but also to looke backe to their liues formerly past and if we find them to haue liued in al good conscience before God and men and to haue béene busied in some holy or charitable action at the howre of their death these men doubtlesse dye in the fauor of God sudden death is but a temporall iudgement vnto them it were against the rule of charitie piety to iudge otherwise of them for of what kind of death soeuer a iust man dyes it shal be wel with him his soule shal be at rest but if a man hath all his life time liued wickedly vnconscionably and be also taken by death in some vngodly vncharitable action out of al question suddeÌ„ death is a spiritual iudgment to such a man as it was to the Sodomites here in this place whom the Apostle S. Iude doth definitiuely condemne saying that they suffer the vengeance of eternal fire Let this therefore be the vse of all that hath bin said euen to pray against sudden death yet to liue alwaies so prepared for death that we may be ready at all times with the fiue wise virgins in the Gospel to go in with the bridegrome be partakers with him of al his pleasures which indure for euermore Now we are in the 2. place to consider the Author of this fearefull ouerthrow wherewith SodoÌ„ Gomorra were destroyed that was the Lord for the text saith The Lord rayned vpon Sodom Gomorrha brimstone fire froÌ„ the Lord out of heauen The phrase of spéech here vsed séemeth somwhat strange therefore diuers men haue diuersly interpreted it some haue thought it to be nothing els but a speach proper to the Hebrew tongue others haue thought it a redundancy of speach some againe haue thought that the holy Ghost would by this forme of speach note vnto vs a miraculous and extraordinary action aboue and beyond the course of nature but in reading the ancient fathers we may finde that they did vrge this place against certaine Hereticks of their time to proue the eternity of Christ So Marcus Arethusus in the Sirinian Counsell alledged these words against Photinus expounding them thus The Lord Christ to whom y e Father hath committed all iudgement did rayne from the Lord Iehouah his Father brimstone and fire out of heauen So that Almighty God by his Sonne did execute this fearefull vengeance vpon Sodom and her Cityes There was neuer any thing which hapned in the world eyther so miraculous or extraordinary but there haue bene euer some which haue eyther douted of the truth of it or disputed about the true cause of it Some haue doubted vpon the truth of Noahs floud Others haue attributed the cause thereof to the constellation of the Starrs or to fatall necessity Concerning the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha there be that do attribute it to the nature of the soyle for the country say they being full of pitch slime and other combustible matter the fire that destroyed these cities did burst forth of the earth Which assertion of theirs is cleane contrary to the Scripture here in this place which sayth that it came from heauen And amongst vs at this day if any strange accidents do happen eyther in the Ayre or in the Earth or in the Waters we referre them to some naturall cause or other being vnwilling as it were to acknowledge God to haue a hand in them And why should we be so willing to séeke out causes in nature for such things as fall foorth strangely in the world and so vnwilling to intitle the God of nature in them God made the Starres and the Planets and the rest of the celestial bodies of that kind to be for signes and seasons dayes and yéeres and this is the right and lawfull vse of them by their creation Let them be for signes saith Almighty God but not for causes Astra demonstrant non necessitant The Starrs doe sometimes foreshew such things as happen but they are not the inforcing causes of such things as happen Most impious therefore and blasphemous it is to ascribe these things to the influence and operation of the Stars for it is to rob God of his honour to derogate from his power to ouerthrow his prouidence and to tye God to secondary and subordinate