THE GREAT DAY OR A SERMON SETTING forth the desperate estate and condition of the wicked at the day of Iudgement Preached at Saint Andrews in Holborne at London By Nathaniel Grenfeild Master of Artes and Preacher of the Word of God at Whit-feild in Oxfordshire LONDON Printed by W. Stansby for Iosias Harrison and are to be sold at the Golden Anchor in Pater-noster row 1615. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL SIR GEORGE SPEAKE Knight N. G. wisheth heartily all happinesse SIR THe Wise mans censure concerning the many Booke-makers of his time Morbus insanabilie scribendi cacoëthes Iuuenal Quod de scriptis sacris authore spiritu sanctâ—dici non potest veruÌ„ de illis quae vanitas humana exculpit quotidie Fayius Traditiones decreta Pontificum Canones generalium consiliorum quoad obsequij fidei necessitatem praesertim refelluntur mee thinks as much taxeth this Writing world of ours wherein men are almost no men vnlesse they be men in print all is but a CoÌ„mentarie vpon the Preachers words Of making many bookes there is no end Eccl. 12.12 I wish to God that there were once an end which I feare me will not bee vntill the world ends of making such books as serue to no end but to the corrupting of maners infecting the hart weakening zeale and that some good Augustus would banish them as hee did fleshly * Amatoriae Nafonis in quibus non est tutum rudem exerceri Erasmus Ouid out of our Bethel Christian England into some Bethauen into some Idolatrous Superstitious and Heathenish Nation that worship the Sunne and the Moone Castor and Pollux Rats and Mice in stead of the true God of Heauen or sent backe for Vagrants into Italy or the Stewes of Rome where like an adulterous broode they were first borne and bred or that they were all serued with the same sauce Stapleton Praefat. Moral as by Stapletons report Saint Ephraim wittily vsed two bookes of Apollinaris who finding them in a womans keeping borrowed them of her and glued the leaues so hard together as the booke could neuer after be opened For as one saith well ten Sermons at Pauls Crosse doe not so much good for moouing men to true doctrine as one of these bookes doe harme with entising men to ill liuing and that more Papists are made by the merry bookes of Italy then by the earnest bookes of Louaine so that they doe not only win the wils of the weake vnto wantonnesse but tend something to the corrupting of true religion Saint Iames reprooues very sharply those that with the same tongue blesse God curse man Iam. 3.9 why then should the same Caracters set foorth Machiauels workes and Moses writings Christ and Belial the vnchast loue of wanton Heathens and the chast and reciprocall loue of Christ and his Church But as for such bookes as haue our Sauiour for their subiect the holy Ghost for their Author Gods glory for their end that are like so many Cannons planted against the Gates of hel that tend wholly to the demolishing of Satans Kingdome vndermining the Bulwarks of Babylon but building vp the Walles of Ierusalem why should not the sound of such goe foorth into the ends of the world and when they sound foorth the end of the world To which end I haue preacht pend and through the importunitie of others contrarie to mine owne minde and meaning when I preached now imprinted this little Tract and Treatise how free I am from Salomons censure of such as print themselues let him that is wiser then Salomon bee a witnesse I am bold to fly vnto your Worship and to entreate you that you would vouchsafe to bee cald a Patron vnto it as you are to learning though farre I must confesse below your worthinesse The many testimonies of your loue from time to time toward my eldest Brother and my selfe doe challenge more at our hands then my penne can expresse or the weakenesse of our vtmost power make the least requitall A handfull of water was fitter to be powred into a Beggars dish then to be presented vnto a King yet a King accepted of it though a beggar gaue it because he gaue what he had and had no better to giue nay it is acceptable to God if we haue no greater gift to offer to cast a mite into the Lords Treasurie whereby I am induced to conceiue that you will no lesse willingly accept of this Paper gift of mine a Schollars Mite the truest testimoniall of mine intimate affections and manifestation of my duty what is wanting shall bee supplied in praying for you vnto God for your preseruation and for an encrease in all spirituall graces namely of faith which may keepe you from trembling at the day of your death and in the day of Iudgement From Whitfield Iuly the 10. Your Worships to be commanded in the Lord NATH GRENFEILD THE GREAT DAY REVEL 6.15.16.17 verse 15 And the Kings of the earth and the great men and the chiefe Captains and the mighty men and euery bondman and euery free man hid themselues in the dennes and in the rockes of mountaines verse 16 And said to the mountaines and rocks Fall on vs and hide vs from the presence of him that fitteth vpon the Throne and from the wrath of the Lambe verse 17 For the great day of his wrath is come and who can stand THis Chapter contains in it sixe parts and euery part the opening of a Seale by the Lambe and euerie seale a distinct mystery the foure first Seales being opened mention is made of foure Riders riding vpon foure horses of foure different colours a white vers 2. a red vers 4. a blacke vers 5. a pale verse 8. vnto the beholding whereof Saint Iohn was inuited The first Rider is described by two adiuncts Adiunctis Arcu Corona Effectu Fine a Bow and a Crowne was giuen vnto him vers 2. Secondly by the effect conquering Thirdly by the end to conquer vers 2. The second Seale being opened the second Rider which Saint Iohn was willed for to come and see is described Potestate Instrumento first by his power power was giuen vnto him c. vers 4. Secondly by an instrument there was giuen vnto him a great sword The third Rider is described by a paire of Ballances he that sate on this horse had a paire of Ballances in his hand vers 5. the mystery whereof is vnfolded by a sounding voice vers 6. The fourth Seale being opened there came foorth a Rider vpon a pale horse and the Rider is described first by his name death Secondly by a companion hell followed with him and both are described by their power power was giuen vnto them c. vers 8. The interpretation of these foure horses is as mysticall as Nebuchadnezzars dreame and may very well beare the selfe same interpretation which Daniel gaue of that great Image whose head was of gold brest and armes of siluer belly and thighes of brasse
Sonne of God the Sauiour of the world the Redeemer of Israel For the great day of his wrath is come 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iude 6. the great day where we may note the vniuersality of it all the dayes of iudgement going before were but types and figures but Epitomes and compends of that day that great day that is to come the drowning of the old world was a great day the burning of Sodome and Gomorrah a great day the ransacking of Ierusalem a great day yet all these together will not expresse and shew forth the least part of that dreadfully incomparable great day that is to come And who can stand It is a Metaphor drawne from those that whiles some eminent danger hangeth ouer their heads cannot looke vp but speedily they flie away vntill they are out of breath their spirits spent so they fall groueling to the ground so saith our Sauiour Christ mens hearts shall faile them for feare and for looking after those things that shall come to the world Luke 21.16 The cause of this their flying is not only the fearefull apparitions of heauen as presages and prognostications of their dismall doome but Erynnis conscientiae as Melancthon cals it the sting of conscience like a fiend of hell dogs and driues them for the wicked flie when none pursueth them Pro. 28.1 They therefore are said to stand that are not terrified appaled which are not cast downe neither in body nor minde but doe confidently expect and wait their Masters comming therefore it was our Sauiours counsaile vnto his Disciples and in them vnto his whole Church hauing forewarned them that he would come vpon them at a time that they wote not of as trauell vpon a woman as a thiefe in the night he doth fore-arme them too by willing them to be frequent in watching feruent in prayer Watch therefore pray continually that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to passe and that you may bee able to stand before the Sonne of man Luke 21.36 Thus hauing Analysed the whole Chapter diuided my Text and expounded the wordes I draw forth this generall doctrine and it flowes naturall of its owne accord without any violent strayning or iniury vnto the Text this is the doctrine 1. Doct. that the state and condition of the wicked is full of horror at the day of iudgement This is proued by phrases of Scripture First It is called the Lords day the day of the Lord intimating thereby that as the wicked haue had their day the terme of their life wherein they dare as boldly to commit sinne as if they should neuer come to iudgement and as the Prophet Amos speaketh putting farre off the euill day and approching to the seat of iniquity Amos 6.3 so likewise the Lord will haue his day and these are the dayes of vengeance saith our Sauiour Christ Luke 21. v. 22. wherein the Lord will execute the seuerity of his wrath vpon sinne and sinners Secondly it is called the day of wrath now the wrath of a King is the messenger of death how much more the wrath of the Lord of Hosts the breath of whose nostrils kindleth that euerlastingly burning Tophet and his wrath abideth for euer vpon the children of disobedience in that burning Lake of hell fire for they that haue iustly prouoked the Lord vnto wrath in this their life time by fornication by vncleannesse by inordinate affection by euill concupiscence by couetousnesse which is Idolatry by wrath by anger by maliciousnesse by cursed and filthy speaking Colos 3.5.8 shall be sure to finde the recompence and their reward wrath for wrath the very fruit of their owne fruitlesse works for for these things sake the wrath of God commeth vpon the children of disobedience Colos 3.6 temporally by manifest iudgements of his wrath and eternally in hell where his wrath abideth for euer and for euer in that dungeon of Dogs that is among the wicked whose estate is worse then a Dogs as namely Inchanters Whoremongers Murtherers Idolaters and whosoeuer loueth or maketh lyes Reuel 22.15 Thirdly our Sauiour Christ speaking of that day saith that it should come vpon the world as trauell vpon a woman with child which is not onely to be vnderstood of the vncertainty of it when it will come yet as sure will it come as trauell vpon a woman with child but the similitude holds true in another sense that as a woman with child drawing neere to her trauell is in sorrow and cryeth in her paines Isay 26.17 a punishment peculiar to that sex by reason of our first Parents transgression Gen. 3.16 she doth oftentimes send foorth bitter sighes and sobbes grieuous grones lamentable cryes vncertayne whether her issue will bee a Beniamin the sonne of her right hand or a Benoni the sonne of her sorrow death yet still doth shee lift vp her eyes vnto the Hils from whence commeth her helpe so the wicked shall lift vp their eyes vnto the Hils for they shall cry vnto the Hils for helpe vnto the Mountaynes for succour and vnto the Rocks for safety yet they shall receiue none from neither Me thinkes I heare not onely Ieroms Trumpet sounding in mine * Surgite mortui venite ad iudicium eares but a horrible howling of a promiscuous multitude a greater mourning weeping and lamentation was neuer heard in Rama Matt. 2.18 Parents weeping for their children children for their parents the husband for the wife the wife for the husband yet can they not helpe one another but as they haue beene companions in sin so shal they be cōpanions in torments and such torments that are matchlesse farre beyond the paynes of women for her paynes end either with a happy birth or with as happy a buriall for better is the day of death then the day wherein we are borne but the paines of the wicked are endles easelesse remedilesse and as they haue conceiued iniquity so shall they receiue the fruit thereof Fourthly S. Iohn describing the miserable estate condition of the Church vnder Antichrist doth very liuely set forth the desperate estate and cōdition of the wicked at the day of iudgemēt they shall seeke for death in those dayes and shall not finde it they shall desire to dye and death shall flye from them Reuel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist l. 3. Ethic. 9.6 Death according to the Philosopher is of all terribles the most terrible and vnto the naturall man it is euen death to remember death yet full glad would the wicked bee if they might returne to their graue againe neuer heare and feele that dreadfull doome of diuine iustice denounced and inflicted vpon them at that last euerlasting iudgement in Hell Gregor Moral Vbi erit miseris mors sine morte finis sine fine defectus sine defectu quia mors ibi semper incipit deficere nescit where the wicked shal be
with Augustine August de Symb. l. 3. Iudex ille nec gratiâ praeuenietur nec misericordiâ flectetur nec fletibus mitigabitur This Iudge will not be preuented with fauour moued with mercy nor mitigated with teares nec sententia eius lata vnquam reuocabitur neither will the sentence once past against them euer bee reuoked any more which is the third thing that I am to speake of This sentence is the more dreadfull because it is irreuocable sentence proceeding from the Iudgement seate of mortall men may be reuoked or stopped by sundry meanes as first by appealing vnto some higher Iudge as Paul appealed vnto Caesar but at this great Assise there is no higher Iudge for he is the onely and blessed Prince the King of Kings and Lord of Lords 1. Tim. 6.15 And the Father hath committed all Iudgement vnto him Ioh. 5.27 2. The Iudge vpon better and more mature deliberation may alter his opinion but there is no alteration of Iudgement when it is once gone forth from the Throne of the Lord whose Iudgements are more resolute then the Decrees of the Medes and Persians which might not bee altered When Esau came to his father for a blessing which was formerly past to Iacob his father said I haue blessed him and hee shall be blessed Gen. 27.33 So resolute shall the Lords sentence be at the day of Iudgement I haue cursed them and they shall bee cursed and as Balaam said vnto Balak The Lord hath blessed and he cannot reuerse it Numb 23.20 So say I The Lord will not reuerse this his sentence of malediction Goe ye cursed neither will hee alter the thing that is gone out of his lippes 3. By supplication but because the wicked turned away their cares from hearing the Lord whē he entreated them by his Word it shall bee iust with God not to lend an eare when they doe call and cry vnto him there is not any of that glorious Court of Heauen that will friend them so much as to speake a word in their behalfe Should the Saints whom they euer despised accounting their life madnesse and their end to be without honour Wis 5.4 Should the Angels whose Ministry they haue refused and abused if they did should God himselfe heare them whose Spirit they haue so oftentimes grieued And therefore Iob said well There is no vmpire when God and man are at oddes Iob 9.33 Reas 6 Now the last Reason which doth aggrauate the horrour of the wicked is the punishment of losse Schol. poena damni the consideration of Heauens banishment and Hels eternall imprisonment is a sufficient torture vnto the soule of the wicked and as Chrysostome iudgeth it to bee much more bitter and irksome then the paines of Hell Duplex est damnatorum poena nam mentem vrit tristitia corpus flamma Isidorus de meditatione Ignis gehennalis yea worse then a thousand Hells if there were so many Chrysost super Mat. Hom. 33. according to our Sauiours saying There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when they shall see Abraham Isaac and Iacob and all the Prophets in the Kingdome of God and they themselues thrust out of dore Luk. 13.18 VVhere shal be Dogges and Enchanters and VVhoremongers and Murtherers and Idolaters and whosoeuer loueth or maketh lies Reuel 22.15 And not only shall they be debard of the ioyes of Heauen and glory of the Saints but they shall be depriued of all Earthly comforts and all their former delights The Pome granat tree the Palm tree the Apple tree shall wither the Apples after which their soule lusted shall depart from them and they shall finde none Yea if a drop of cold water would comfort them it shall be denied them The Epicure shall bee depriued of his daintie dishes the Drunkard of his bowles of wine the Adulterer of his wanton Mistris the Couetous and Vsurer of their gold which they made their God To conclude they shall be depriued of all Heauenly ioyes of all earthly comforts But I will begin to sing a Song of melody and proclaime a yeere of Iubile vnto the children of God Consolemini consolemini Lift vp your heads saith our Sauiour Christ for your redemption draweth neere Luke 21.28 There is a great Emphasis in the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which doth signifie a freedome from captiuity a restoring vnto a former libertie As if our Sauiour should say The Church as lōg as she is in this world she is like Israel vnder Pharaoh held captiue in imprisonment and slauerie But now at this great Assise there shall be a gaole-deliuerie an euerlasting freedome from all euils whatsoeuer our life is wouen full of miseries Psal 90.10 Diu viuere est diu torqueri Aug. Tertul. vita carcer the best of it is but labour and griefe We are borne into the world weeping and bewailing as it were our owne ensuing miseries the progresse of our life is labor the end is griefe Ioseph was neuer wearier of the dungeon Daniel of the Den of Lions Dauid to dwel in the Tents of Kedar then the children of God are to remaine so long in the Land of Egypt in the Prison of this world and therefore it is said that they looke and long for a Citie to come whose Builder and Maker is God But then shall we be euerlastingly deliuered from all the miseries and calamities which now we are subiect vnto the soule shall be deliuered from disordred passions as hope feare ioy and sorrow the body from sundry outward calamities as sicknesse paine labour reproch from prouocations and intisements of the wicked world from the power of the deuil frō the slauery of sin from death from hell it is our marriage day when our rotten bones shall be raised out of the dust of the earth we shal be clad with glory shal meet Christ in the clouds 1. The. 4 1◠shal be euer with the Lord Where we shall haue an euerlasting Sabbath ioy vpon euery ones head sorrow sighing shal flee away Thē shal we see God face to face that with these eyes saith Iob. God shall wipe away all teares from our eyes there shall be nö more death neither sorrow nor crying neither shal there be any more paine Reuel 21.4 There shall be no more Winter nor Summer heat nor cold day nor night death nor hel But there shall be Vita sine morte Dies sine nocte securitas sine timore c. There shall be life without death day without night security without feare pleasure without paine tranquillity without labour beauty without deformity strength without weaknesse euery thing that is good without any thing that is bad To conclude Eye hath not seene nor eare heard neither hath it entred into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that loue him Isa 64.4 1. Cor. 2.9 Let the faithfull soule sigh out this meditation with blessed Gregory Bone Iesu
the silent night onely is guiltie of these vnchast actions and secret chambers are only priuie vnto these works of darkenesse this sin is more suspected then knowne and yet knowne too well to be too too generall Drunkennesse may be the third head of this monstrous Hel-hound and Cerberus of sinne how generall is this shamelesse swinish idle base beastly sinne growne It was once but one mans sinne and of infirmity too as not knowing the vertue of the grape Chrysost nor the qualitie of that liquor and long since it hath beene scorned as the beggers fault Hence came the Prouerbe As drunke as the Begger But now adayes it is reputed not only the Seruingmans complement but the Gentlemans grace Seneca spake wel of these times Habebitur aliquando abrietati honor plurimum caepisse vini virtus erit The time shall come that honour shall be attributed to drunkennesse and to drinke much wine shall bee accounted vertue and valour How many now adaies draw their whole Patrimonie thorow their throate making a practice almost a profession of drunkennesse rising vp earely to follow strong drinke and so continue vntill night till wine enflame them Isaiah 5.11 And as the Wise man speaks tarrie long at the wine Prou. 23.29 Our Tauernes our Innes and Alehouses were they well lookt into by the Magistrate would yeeld too many of such kind of stayers by who vnder pretence of drinking a pot or two fill their braines ere they go away and emptie their purse I will not insist any longer in discoring Satans kingdom From the generalitie of these sins we may conclude an vniuersalitie of all the rest What sin is there but is growne as generall as euer the Plague was in any citie or countrie like Naamans leprosie it hath ouerspred the whole body From the sole of the foote to the crowne of the head there is no soundnes but wounds swellings putrifying sores Isa 1.6 Sin is growne vnto such an height and to such a head that it is safer for a man to commit sin then to reproue it and hee that refraineth his foote and runneth not into the same excesse of riot shall be a prey a scorne a by word a derision a laughing stocke Behold the regions are white vnto haruest sinne is ripe euen to the full growth and therefore assuredly it will not be long ere the Lord sends foorth his Labourers those winged executioners of his wrath with sickles in their hands to gather the wicked into bundles that they may be cast into hell It is the Lords gracious and mercifull dispensation to prorogue a while the tearme of his comming because wee should haue a little more time to repent in and so be left without lesse excuse Let vs then vse the Lords patience as a spurre and prouocation vnto repentance so saith the blessed Apostle prophesying of the Atheists of our time who doe not sticke to say VVhere is the promise of his comming Sheweth what vse they should make of the seeming slacknes of his comming his long suffering is an argument that the Lord is not willing that any should perish but that al should come to repentāce 2. Pe. 3.9 And thus mercifully the Lord dealt with the old world after hee had threatned their destruction hee gaue thē one hundred and twenty yeeres to repent in Gen. 6.3 Put not then off farre from thee the euill day if the Lord seemes slack it is because thou shouldest flye speedily with Lot vnto Zoar that is accelerate thy repentance Almighty God hath already whet his sword and bent his bow and made it ready how soeuer he may seeme slack yet he may easily come before thou art ready if hee doth come thou being vnprepared and vnprouided assuredly he will pay thee home for thus abusing his patience The Heathen writer could say thus much Valer. Max. Deum grauitate supplicij compensare tarditatem puniendi the greatnesse of his punishment shall recompence the slacknesse of his comming when he doth come when Deus dies vltionum conuenerint when the God of vengeance and the day of vengeance shall meet together thou shalt bee payed home for altogether I will conclude with that questioned Authour to the Hebrewes Yet a very little while and he that shall come wil come and will not tarry Heb. 10.37 The last vse shall bee an exhortation to repentance and that betime while wee haue time Walke saith our Sauiour Christ in the day Iohn 11. v. 9. that is in thy life which is but a moment a spanne of time The night commeth wherein no man can worke Iohn 9. v. 4. that is the night of thy death which is the conclusion of the day of thy life and then there is no more time to worke out our saluation For an Angell hath sworne from heauen by him that liueth for euermore that time shall be no more Apoc. 10.6 that is after this acceptable time no more time for repentance no more daies of saluation The Apostle wils vs to doe good while we haue time intimating therby that after this time Cypr. there is no more time Vitae aut hic amittitur aut tenetur cùm isthinc excessum fuerit nullus poenitentiae locus nullus satisfactionis effectus Life here is either got or lost for when we goe out of the body there is no place for repentance no effect of satisfaction if we haue sinned to day and haue not repented it may be wee shall haue leaue of the Lords patience to learne it better another day but after the transmigration of the soule from the body there remaines nothing else but a fearfull looking for of iudgement It stands vs therefore vpon the saluation of our soule to looke before wee leape to be certaine that wee haue one foote vpon the border of Canaan before wee leaue our earthly tabernacle Let vs make our election sure vnto vs by true and speedy repentance and seale vp this comfortable conclusion to our soules that our sinnes are pardoned in the bloud of Christ Suppose that the generall day of Iudgement were farre off and that this day of saluation were to shine vpon this Land still on to the worlds end yet what is that to thee or mee the day of grace endeth to thee and mee at the day of our death after that the Lord shall neuer offer mercy vnto vs. It is the gracious and merciful dispensation of almighty God who when hee may iustly cut thee off as thou art committing of sinne and throwe thee downe to hell yet hee giues thee space and time to repent of this thy sinning and so thy sinnes may bee done away Thus our Sauiour speaking of that woman Iezabel for so the holy Ghost points her out by the finger as it were in contempt saith That hee gaue her space to repent of her fornication and shee repented not Reuel 2.21 Meaning hee did let her liue to repent whereas if hee had cut her off before hee had taken