as indeed he is as if Hell and Heaven were Nuga tricaeque the one not worth the avoiding the other not worth the enjoying But the heat of fire was never painted and the Devil is more deformed than represented on the wall there are unexpressible Torments in Hell as well as unspeakable Joyes in Heaven Some who write of Purgatory Bellarm. de Purg. l. 2. c. 14. Bellarm. de Aeter Faeli Sanct. l. 2 c. 11. Bosquier Dom. in festo post pentec tom 2. tell us the pains thereof are more exquisite though of short continuance than the united Torments that the earth can invent though of longer duration If the Popes Kitchin be so warm how hot is the Devils Furnace A Poetical Fiction is but a Meiosis Paena autem vehemens ac multo sevior illis Quas Ceditius gravis invenit aut Radamanthus Nocte diéque suum gestare in pectore testen Juv. Sat. 13. when brought to shew the nature of these real Torments The lashes of Furies are but petty scourgings when compared to the stripes of a wounded Conscience Tytius his Vulture though feeding on his Liver is but a Flea-biting to that Worm which gnaweth their Hearts and dieth not Ixion his Wheel is a place of rest if compared with those Billows of Wrath and that Wheel of Justice which is in Hell brought over the ungodly The task of Danaus his Daughters is but a sport compared to the torture of those whose Souls are filled with bitterness within whom are the Arrows of the Almighty the poison whereof doth drink up their spirit Look as men did drink iniquity like water so God will pour out the vials of his wrath they pressed him under their sins he will load them with his fury and indignation Deut. 32.22 they heaped up their sins as high as Heaven the fire which is kindled in his anger shall burn unto the lowest Hell their sins have been increased his wrath is treasured up the measure whereof appears from the several Names it is intitled with Mat. 13.42 Luk. 16.28 It is called A furnace of fire which speaketh intolerable heat A place of Torment which speaketh a total privation of ease A Prison Mat. 5.25 5.22 which speaketh restraint Gehenna from the Valley of Hinnom where the unnatural Parents did sacrifice the fruit of their bodies for the sin of their Souls to their merciless Idols The which word Gehenne vox Gallica by a Neighbour Nation is retained to signifie a Rack than the Torture of which Rev. 20.10 what more exquisite It is called A Lake of fire and Brimstone than the torment of the former what more acute than the smell of the latter what more noisom There is heat yet no light for it is termed Mat. 25.30 outer darkness In a word he hath made it deep and large 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost Hom. 25. de fut jud tom 6. the pile thereof is fire and much wood the breath of the Lord like a stream of brimstone doth kindle it Isa 30.33 But yet if I have not sufficiently set out the measure thereof if we believe not Moses and the Prophets which are with us let us impannel a Jury from Hell let them from the dead speak and see if their Verdict amount not to this It is an evil and bitter thing to depart from God and that his fear was not in them What saist thou O Cain is the fire of Hell more delightful than the flames of Bretherly Love thou didst abhor to live in whilst in the world Thou also O Achitophel is thy Treason and Conspiracy against the Lords anointed Nihil proderit damnatis quod in hac vitâ in perpetuâ saturitate ebrietate vixerunt quia tunc ne guttu am quidem aquae obtiuere possunt Nihil proderit eis quod vestibus usi fuerint splendidis quia induentur confusione corpora ipsâ—rum vestientur ignoâ—â—â—â—iâ Nihil proderit 〈◊〉 quod in hac vitâ constituti fuerint in honoribus quia in inferno nullus erit honor sed 〈◊〉 inuus gemitus dolor Ger. Med. 49. rewarded with that repute thou didst expect What thinkest thou O Belshazzar is the Cup of the red wine of the fury of the Lord as pleasing to thy taste as thy wine drunk in thy sacrilegious bowls Tell us O Judas will thirty pieces out-value the loss of an immortal Soul or countervail the misery of sixteen hundred and odde years in that place of darkness Or resolve us O Herod whether the breath of the Lord which keepeth alive these eternal Coals doth tickle thy fancy as sometimes vulgar air or popular breath now thou art proved a Man and no God by being brought down to the sides of the Pit The Fore-man speaks in these and the rest of their Names My punishment is greater than I can bear Gen. 4.13 I now proceed to consider it Secundum Durationem In its continuance and we need not go far for the resolution of this for it is called in the Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost ad Theod. laps Paraeâ— everlasting punishment the end thereof is not known its duration is undetermin'd Hell is a bottâ—mless pit and therefore shall never be fathomed It is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an unquenchable fire and therefore the smoke of their torments doth ascend for ever and ever Rev 4.12 Hell is a Prison from whence is no freedom because no Ransom to be paid no price will be accepted for one in that estate When we lie under great sorrows sinking troubles yet this strengthens us Dabit Deus his quoque finem God will put an end to all these But this is that which will augment the misery of a damned creature he is sensible his case is sad he is sure God hath decreed it shall be no better the sorrowful reflection upon which shall wound his Soul and in the anguish thereof cause him to utter with his mouth what his heart is astonished at Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings This is the portion of those whose Souls are removed far off from peace and forget prosperity in the bitterness whereof they complain My strength and my hope is perish'd from the Lord. Whilst I have been thus reasoning of Judgement to come possibly some Felix may tremble the thoughts of Hell may have kindled some affection towards heaven and he whom the love of Christ could not constrain yet the terror of the Lord may have almost perswaded to be a Christian 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cyr. Chat. 15. p. 389. being fore-warned he may desire to flee from this wrath to come Such I shall send to John Baptist for direction in this case Mat. 3.8 Bring forth fruits worthy of amendment of life Avoid those sins which do in a principal manner lead to these chambers of death and bring forth the fruits of Holiness the end whereof is Eternal Life Quest What are those sins which God hath affixed his condemnatory Sentence to the Commission of Ans I answer indefinitely in the language of the Apostle The wages of sin that is to say Rom. 6 23. of every sin is death but
more particularly God hath revealed his wrath from heaven against those sins which he doth usually reserve to punish in Hell First Vnbelief This is that sin which first made the breach between God and Man and hath ever since continued the fewd This was that which laid the foundation of Hell that digged that Pit of Perdition This is that which vilifieth God it maketh him a liar 1 Joh. 5.10 it eclipseth the Sun of Righteousness no wonder then if God will punish it in Everlasting darkness yea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chry. hom 25. de fut jud tom 6. not believing of Hell doth make more broad the way which leadeth to destruction Vnbelief in the heart is always accompanied with ignorance in the head and against both Gods vengeance is directed 2 Thess 1.8 Secondly Detraction Whisperers and Back-biters are joyned in the Catalogue with haters of God who are worthy of death Rom. 1.31 The Detractor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Tim. 3.11 is a Devil above ground his tongue is already set on fire from Hell which doth sadly presage what will be the portion of the Soul and Body for ever unless Repentance quench those flames He who hath here swords in his lips Psa 59.11 may expect hereafter his iniquity should be upon his bones He that smiteth others with his tongue may expect the Arrows of Gods Quiver to enter into his reins In a word he in whose mouth is a rod of pride may fear to be broke in pieces as a potters vessel by the staff of Gods indignation Thirdly Hypocrisie God will make a right path for his Justice towards those who turn aside from him by their crooked wayes The Holy Tongue admits not of the Neuter Gender nor will the God of Holiness allow neutrality in any person for The hypocrite in heart heapeth up wrath Job 36.13 and we finde Hypocrites and Vnbelievers meet together in that place of misery and their Griefs made the Standards of others sufferings Mat. 24.51 Luk 12.41 Fourthly Vncleanness This shall abide the trial of these I say not cleansing flames They who have burned in the fire of lust must not think much to be scorched in the flames of Hell Pro. 7.12 He who went after that Harlot as Solomon describes him as an Ox goeth to the slaughter shall finde in this place what follows He shall go as a fool to the correction of the stocks She to whom stoln waters were sweet and bread eaten in secret was pleasant shall vomit up those sweet morsels and her mouth shall be filled with gravel She who perfumed her bed with Myrrhe Aloes and Cinnamon Pro. 7.17 18. shall finde the end thereof as bitter as wormwood as sharp as a two-edged sword whilst they who go astray in her paths shall finde that her house is the way to Hell Prov. 7.27 Fifthly SENSVALITY A loving of pleasures more than loving of God The Harp and the Viol Is 5.12 14 the Tabret and the Pipe and wine are in their feasts but they regard not the work of the Lord neither consider the operation of his hands therefore Hell hath inlarged it self and opened her mouth without measure that they who did thus spend their dayes in mirth may in a moment descend thereinto Destruction is to none so sudden as to the sensual person Dan. 5.5 Whilst Belshazzar is tasting his wine in the same hour come forth the fingers of a mans hands and write his doom When the rich man cries Lu. 12.20 Soul take thine ease God breaks his sleep with that terrible voice Thou fool this night shall they require thy Soul Thus have I spoken to this estate or place of Hell I should next discourse of Heaven and there Sense will be the best Orator He alone can describe it who liveth in the fruition thereof But yet the People of God are not left in the dark concerning the nature of this Inheritance of the Saints in light They behold through a Glass yet darkly that which ere long they shall see face to face Even in this Wilderness of the world they have a Pisgah-sight of the Heavenly Canaan the description whereof followeth in the next Discourse MAT. 25.46 But the Righteous into Life Eternal IV. Of HEAVEN IN the former part of this Verse you had the black side of the Cloud here you have the bright part thereof you saw the mouth of the Bottomless Pit opened behold here the Heavens opened and the righteous ascending thereinto I have spoken of Hell let me now endevour to shew you the estate of the Saints in Heaven But how shall we sing the Lords song in a strange land Ps 137.4 was sometimes the sorrowful quaere of the Jews So I say Quis audet de his rebus positus in hac mortali carne quae aggravat animam aliquid dicere cum Paulus Apostolus hoc non valuit explicare qui in isto positus corpore usque in tertium caelum gratiâ operante valuit ascendere August de Sym. ad Cat. lib. 2. cap. 12. Think not that I can describe these Mansions of Glory who am imprisoned in a house of Clay the which whilst I do behold my eyes are dazled my hand doth waver whilst I undertake to describe them and I can but lisp forth my halfconceptions of the feliciry of that state Non possum dicere quia nec videre possum tamen aliquid non impudenter dico qui ex Scaipturis dico Aug. Ser. 10 de Resur mort yet so far as Scripture will give leave I shall endevour the prosecution of this subject for it must be an Angel from heaven or some blessed Saint who with that holy Apostle hath been eaught up into the third Heaven who can conceive these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which concern that estate Notwithstanding which I shall express my thoughts of it by prosecuting this Doctrine Doct. That the reward of the Righteous is Eternal Life In speaking to which I shall consider this Recompence of Reward this gift of God Eternal Life much after my method used in speaking to the wages of sin Hell or Death and so we may view it Rom. 6.23 1 Quoad Subjectum According to the Subject 2 Quoad Modum The Manner 3 Quoad Mensuram The Measure 4 Quoad Durationem The Duration thereof For the first I mean the Subjectum in quo The Subject in which this Glory shall be revealed this Eternal Life shall reside and what God will conjoyn in this estate of Bliss let not me separate The Subject then of this Happiness is the Body and Soul re-united The Body as well as the Soul was an instrument of grace here it shall be a vessel
and in it self Death is the separation of life from its subject Death is not only a cessation from action but a negation of existence for the soul may in a swooning fit cease to operate not to animate There may be a suspension of action where there is not a privation of its principle but death separateth the soul the fountaine of vital action from the body the subject thereof Secondly We will view death in what it is Accidentaliter ad aliud Accidentally and in reference to somthing without it self And that to 1 The Godly 2 The Wicked First To the Godly And so it is a rest from their labours 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost Hom. 51. de Sanct. Mar. Boren Proâ—â—â—c Blessed are they that die in the Lord from henceforth yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their labours and their works follow them Rev. 14.13 They rest from 1 Sin 2 Sorrows Both which the holiest of men are exercised with and subject to whilst they live in the world they labour under the former in the latter whilst in this dying life But when they dye that which doth separate them from their bodies doth unite them closer unto God Their death is the Funeral of their sins the resurrection of their Graces that which doth unpinion them of mortality doth also translate them into the glorious liberty of the Sons of God So that Death is but a change to a holy Job Job 14.14 Act. 7.60 2 Cor. 5.10 a sleep to a blessed Steven a dissolution of the earthly house to a holy Paul whilst by it he accounteth not to be found naked but to be cloathed upon with his house which is from heaven to have mortality swallowed up of life and by the death of his body Rom. 7.24 to enjoy his wisht for deliverance from the body of death And this for the first Death to the godly is a rest from their sins 2. It is a rest from their sorrowes Josephs feet shal no longer be detained in the stocks neither shal he complain of the iron which entred into his soulâ— Nor any of the Saints and holy Martyrs shall at all complain of the incessant malice of their enemies Death shal give them a resting-place for in the grave the weary shall be at rest There the prisoners rest together they hear not the voice of the oppressor Job 3.17 18 And all this shall not be the effect of a Stoical apathy or stupefactive cessation from sense and motion But by an introduction into real joy That soul which was before glewed unto the body shal therefore be dissolved that it may be with Christ and that which whilst it was in the world was but at best a prisoner of hope shall then be set at libertie and have eternity wherein to expatiate in the enjoyment of those mansions of glory which God hath provided for such whom he shall account worthy to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vâ—ri Septu The righteous also are taken away from the evil to come Isai 57.1 and their graves are but beds wherein they rest in the evening of their dayes And thus you see that as to live is Christ so to die is gain to believers whilst by it they rest from sin and sorrow Our next work is to consider death in its reference to the Wicked And to them it is the beginning of evil the entry of their woe They are the men who have hope only in this life and therefore are of all men the most miserable That death which in its intention is to put out the candle of a good mans life doth but snuff it and make it burne the brighter whilst their life of grace is consummate by being swallowed up in a never-ending life of Glory This shall cause the candle of the wicked to go out in a stench their Sun to set in a cloud their flattering day of prosperity to end in a dismal night of black eternal horror whilst by it they shall at once be separated from their bodies and from the presence of God in whose favour is life and from his right hand where are pleasures for evermore And thus I have answered this Question Quid sit What death is Secondly Quotuplex sit Of how many sorts it is And Death in its complexe notion represents it self under a threefold respect 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost Serm. 56. 1 Corporal 2 Spiritual 3 Eternal These three unnatural branches spring from one root to wit Sin The First is by sin The Second in sin The Third for sin The First is competent to both the Godly the wicked and hath been spoken to already Let us consider a little the second Spiritual Death and this also hatha double consideration 1. A Death in sin 2. A Death to sin The Apostle speaks of the former to the believing Colossians Col. 3.13 where he tells them that they being dead in sins and trespasses God hath quickned them together with Christ And thus the wicked are said to be dead whilst they live there being a separation between God the Author of Spiritual life and their souls the due subjects thereof by reason of their sins Psal 59.2 And this is the estate of every one of us until God saith unto us Live A Death to sin Secundum Spiritum â— mors est non credere vina quae câ—edebâ—t non jacere vana quae faciebat August Serm. 121. de Resurrect more And this is the estate of a lively Christian of one who is passed from death to life This is to be dead with Christ and is a testimony to him in whom it is that he shall live with him Rom. 6.8 This is not as the former the result of sin but the gift of God and of this death there is a twofold testimony First A death to the Law That is to say when we are brought by the threatnings in the Law to know that there is no salvation or life to be found by the Law but in Christ and this I doubt not to assert for the meaning of S. Paul Gal. 2.19 For I through the Law am dead to the Law that I might live unto God Secondly A dying to the World A deâ—pising all things therein or whatsoever it counteth admirable for the excellencie of the knowledg of Christ And thus to do is to be made conformable to the death of Christ Phil. 3.8 9 10. But I haste to passe over these which though fair fruit yet never grew on this tree profitable Doctrine but not arising from the present Text spoken to by transition rather then regular deduction from the subject I am upon I proceed to consider death in its third acception Eternal Death This is the in-let of Hell the sum of misery the second death which I suppose is not excluded yet not primarily intended in the words and hath power over none but such as have had
it is our greatest happiness not at all to run upon the score especially when God hath told us certainly The Soul that sinneth shall die 2 Tim. 2.25 but hath left it at a peradventure whether or no he will give us Repentance to the acknowledgement of the Truth He therefore that exerciseth himself to keep his Conscience void of offence taketh the surest course to be one who 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Joh. 5.24 though he may appear before Gods Tribunal yet he shall not come into Condemnation It is through Faith we are saved but our Faith thus working by Love herein is made perfect 1 Ioh. 4.17 that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgement MAT. 25.46 And these shall go away into Everlasting Punishment but the Righteous into Life Eternal III. Of HELL I Have formerly spoken of Death and its consequent Judgement the which seeing it is terminated in a definitive Sentence of Absolution or Condemnation I have chosen these words wherein we have described the different estate of the Wicked and the Righteous after Judgement They shall go away into everlasting punishment but these into life eternal And because we judge of Contraries best Ideo autem hunc tenere ordinem malui ut postea disseram de faelicitate Sanctorum nec à divinis ordo iste abhorret eloquiis c. Aug. de Civit. Dei lib. 21. cap. 1. where they are opposed each to the other we know the pleasure of light by experiencing the terrors of darkness the worth of health by feeling the woe which is in sickness I shall endevour to represent to your thoughts the nature or estate of Hell that so we may with greater vehemency aspire by our thoughts and actions towards Heaven The subject then of my present Discourse is To Treat of Hell in the Suburbs whereof every Son of Adam is born and therein doth inhabit till being born again he becometh the Son of God and consequently an Heir of Eternal Glory In these words we have these parts FIRST The Persons which are two sorts expressed under these terms 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Wicked those on the left hand 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Righteous on the right hand Secondly Their Places which are as different as their Persons The one shall go 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the former of which is Everlasting the latter Eternal I shall endevour to speak to both in their order Doct. The Proposition I observe from the first part is That the Portion of the Wicked is everlasting Punishment Or in the words of the Psalmist The Wicked shall be turned into Hell Psal 9.17 I suppose I need not multiply places to evince the truth of this Proposition if any man doubt of it let him consult his Conscience the secret rebukes whereof do sometimes anticipate Hell and give the sinner an earnest of that Sum of Misery the payment whereof never shall have end Let me ask such a sinner if he feel nòt that Worm crawling in his brest which shall never die If he is not sometimes even scorched in this life with some sparks of that unquenchable fire But I should be sorry to think my self speaking to any who are worse than the Devils who believe what I am about to speak and do tremble I therefore proceed to open this Abyss of Terror to bring to light the state of this place of Darkness by considering it in these respects 1 Secundum Materiam According to its Matter 2 Secundum Modum Its Manner 3 Secundum Mensuram Its Degree 4 Secundum Durationem Its Duration I shall speak to Hell and the Torments thereof according to all these respects For the First When I speak of this Materia Gehennae my purpose is not problematically to dispute or positively to assert any Corporeal fire in that place of Torment Aquinas Suppl ad 3. partem Quest 97. Art 5. Bellarm. de Purgat lib. 2 cap. 11. Eligat quisque quod placet aut ignem tribuere corpori animo vermem hoc propriè illud topice c. August de Civ Dei l. 21. c. 9. Qui ignis cujusmodi in qua mundi vel rerum parte futurus sit hominem scire arbitror neminem Ibid. de Civit. Dei l. 20. c. 16. which some out of choice rather than with clearness have possibly undertaken But my design is to treat of that Materîa circa quam that object upon which these internal flames are conversant as also the Materia ex qua that Pabulum ignis the fewel and foment of those everlasting burnings And as to the first we are to know That Soul and Body conjoyn'd are the adequate objects of this eternal fury They have been partakers in sin and therefore shall be sharers in suffering though the Soul as it was the Principal and Ring-leader of this Rebellion against its Creator shall have the first and deepest taste of this Misery Look as the Body whilst in this life by reason of the corruption of the Soul was made an instrument thereof to act impiety so when they are in Hell the Soul shall be the Efficient of that vexation and anguish which shall seize upon the Body Even as we see here they do sympathize together and partake of the weal or woe of either in this life Though I deny not but God doth positively inflict his wrath on the Body as well as on the Soul as we shall hear further ere long But Secondly Let us see what is the Materia ex qua that which doth kindle and doth keep alive those coals of fire which are heaped upon the heads of the wicked and that is Sin This is that which was the Parent of Hellish sorrow which did dig that Bottomless Pit and doth daily inlarge the Mouth thereof We lost our Right to Happiness when we let go our Title to Holiness and ever since we have departed from God our steps have took hold of Hell which is the production of the Creature not at all the operation of the Creator and though he execute it as an act of his Justice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theoph. in Mat. 23.41 yet he approveth not of it when it comes in competition with his Mercy for As I live saith the Lord I desire not the death of a sinner but rather that he turn from his iniquity and live Ezek. 33.11 And thus much for the first Consideration of Hell and its Torments SECONDLY We are to consider it Secundum Modum according to the Manner of that estate And this will further descry the nature of these Torments the manner of which consisteth 1 In privation of Infinite Good 2 In position of Vnspeakable Misery The First is that Paena damni The Second that Paena sensus which those miserable Creatures do lie under First That Privation is part of the nature of Hell seems to have some ground
Quatuor Novissima OR MEDITATIONS UPON The Four Last Things DELIVERED In four COMMON-PLACE DISCOURSES BY Thomas Longland M.A. and Fellow of S. JOHNS College in Cambridge O that they were wise that they understood this that they would consider their latter end Deut 32.29 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eccles 7. Haec spirituatis est exercitii summa haec forma studii spiritualis ut sapientèr disponamus praesentia nostra recogitemus in amaritudine animae nostrae praeterita futura quoque solicitè provideamus Bern. in Solen Pet. Paul Ser. 2. London Printed by A. Maxey for J. Rothwell at the Fountain in Goldsmiths-Row Cheapside 1657. TO THE REVEREND AND LEARNED Anthony Tuckney D. D. Regius Professor And Master of S. JOHNS College in Cambridge Reverend SIR THese few Discourses which next to their being Gods Sacred Truth derive all their Worth from your vouchsafing an Acceptance of them had not seen the light unless you had cast a smiling Aspect upon them and their Author ⸪ Eccl. 1.7 The gratefull Rivers acknowledg their Homage by sending their Streams to the Ocean from whence they were received Dumb Creatures teach me to speak and thankfully to acknowledge That next to God you are One to whom I owe what I have or can do You have been the Conduit through which he hath conveyed much good to my outward many Mercies to my inward Man I desire to praise him to testifie my Thanks to you by Devoting these Meditations to His Honour your Patronage and Perusing Let others commend their Patrons desire of Praise implieth weakness in the Subject your Brighter Name stands not in need of such a shadow as mens Applause to make it more Renowned in the world Native Worth is ever more respected than Adventitious Glory Yet excuse me if I say you are one who in these last dayes delight to Meditate of the last things who in these worst dayes put not the evil day far from you or him who presents it to your view Your Acceptance of these Papers doth make them more welcome to those who are looking Sion-ward and doth encourage him in what may promote his own or their journey thither who is St. Johns Col Camb. March 30. 1657. Yours In all Obligations Christian and Civil Thomas Longland Christian READER SUch thou art or my desire is thou shouldst be into whose hands these Papers are fallen I did once think to have saved my self the pains in writing though not thee the trouble in the perusal of an Epistle But being most privy to my own thoughts in the publishing these Discourses to the World and also the best Judge of my own Intentions in their composure I thought it convenient to acquaint thee That these Meditations were the Result of some vacant hours the occasion of which was what I pray may be their effect upon thee namely A desire so to number my dayes that I might apply my heart to wisdome Which afterwards I did deliver in a Learned Auditory yet contrary to my first thoughts I since resolved to communicate them unto others not doubting but they may through Gods Blessing be useful in the World and may in some measure testifie my desire to acknowledge my Obligations to him who hath Honoured me in the Acceptance of them to his Patronage These and such like were the Reasons of adventuring this small Essay of my Studies to vulgar view If any ambiguity in the Expressions be taken notice of know The safest Interpretation was my intention If any obscurity appeareth in the Phrase consider They were not delivered much less suited Ad Populum To the Vulgar And should I have altered the phrase in some places the sense would have been inverted If any thing else want an Apologie let thy Charity finde an Excuse Psal 30.12 Remember thy Tongue is thy Glory and is better used in Praying for than Censaring of him who is Cambridge March 30. 1657. Thine To promote thy Eternal Welfare T. L. HEB. 9.27 It is appointed to men once to die but after this the Judgment COnsiderations of death to living men Charron of Wisdom lib. 2. c. 11. Sect. 2. though usually most unwelcome yet are the most profitable to promote the Duty of Preparation thereunto for which purpose I have made choise of these words And because I will not build without a Foundation lest I erect a tottering Structure I wil first speak something to the scope of these words and then deduce a Proposition which shall be the Basis of my future Discourse These words as a Learned man notes are alledged by the Author to the Hebrewes Paraeus in locum as an Argument to evince or reason to prove that Christ neither could nor should offer oftner then once which is clear if we consult the precedent and subsequent words of the Text. But it being not my intention to speak to them as they stand in relation to the Context but as they make an intire Proposition I shall not be solicitous after any inquiry of their relative connexion but as they are in Thesi they are the declaration of the Decree of Heaven concerning our latter end Statutum est c It is appointed to men once to die but after this the Judgement I shall speak to them in order 1. Death 2. Judgment I. Of DEATH Doct. FRom the First they suggest to our Meditations this Doctrine That Death is inevitable A short yet sure Truth as we shall see in the sequel of this Discourse Were it not that the daily spectacles of mortalitie which we see the deep groans of dying men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost Serm. de Fid. leg Naturali Immortalia ne speres monet annus almum quae rapit hora diem Horat lib. 4. Od. 7. which eccho again which was the usual Salutation of one to Philip of Macedon That he was a man I say If these did not convince us of the truth of this Doctrine I might appeal to those sudden fits and fainting distempers the most healthful body doth sometimes perceive in it self To the course of Nature which shewes us as the longest day hath its closure in the night even so the longest life must have its period by death But as I do believe there is not amongst us such an Epicure who believeth not a life to come after death so I in charity hope there is not such an Atheist as doth believe he shall not die I will passe this therefore and proceed to discover the nature of death which I shall endeavour in the resolution of these Questions 1. Quid sit What it is 2. Quot uplex sit Of how many sorts it is 3. Quare sit Wherefore it is For the First In the resolution of this Question What death is Because it is a privation I shall not curiously seek out a positive definition but speak to it as it may be considered 1. Formaliter in se 2. Accidentaliter ad aliud First What it is formally
no part in the first Resurrection THIS is the dregs of the fury of the Lord the Cup of his sorest indignation which requireth eternity to drink it to the bottom This is the gnawing worm and unquenchable fire the sense whereof doth cause them on whom it is inflicted to meditate terror for ever THESE are the sparks which the wicked have kindled from the fire of their own lusts and wherein God will cause them to lye down in sorrow THIS is that Devouring fire who among us shall dwell with it Who among us shall dwell with these everlasting burnings Every one shal thus die for sin who is before dead in sin The next Question I am to resolve is Quare sit Wherefore it is which will be answered by inquiring Vnde sit Whence it is And there is a threefold rise of Death 1. Satan 2. Man 3. God The first by Temptation The second by Consent The third by Infliction 1. SATAN is the grand contriver of mans destruction and therefore is the Author of it not by a Physical but moral causality He is the Father of sin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jam 1.15 Sin the parent of death He who is the Antient of daies tells us the Devil is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A murderer from the beginning And through mans cowardise in consenting to iniquity he who at the first did but usurp hath now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the power of death and is not to be overcome but by Christ who is stronger then he And blessed be God that the Author of Death is overcome by him who is the Prince of life Heb. 2.14 15. and the Author and finisher of that faith against which the gates of hel shal not prevail But 2. Man consenting This is another cause of death to prove this see that remarkable place Rom. 5.12 Hic enim duo concurrunt tentator et obtemperator Zeged loc◠commu As by one man sin entered into the world Death by sin so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned We were no sooner children of Adam but we were sons of Death Our first Father Adam we in him did eat of that apple the core whereof doth yet stick in our throats and will at length choak us one by one Sin is our own work death is the Wages of sin which brings me to the third cause God inflicting If man by his sin saith he will die God by his decree saith he shall die so that man shal have his will though it end in his woe If Adam will needs entaile an hereditary curse upon his posterity God will so ratifie it by his supreme Act in heaven that it shall never be cut off it shall be inevitable seeing he hath appointed for men once to die And thus we have the resolution of these three Questions I shall only answer an objection and so proceed to use Object But is this true It is appointed to men men indefinitely to all men to die What is the reason we read of some persons who did not of some who shall not taste of Death Answ I. Answer Particular exceptions destroy not the verity of general rules because some go out of the backdoor we doe not therefore cease to say that the gate is the ordinary way out of the house and because some hath not seen death or others shall not we need not cease to affirm It is appointed for men once to die for men are said to die either properly and really or by way of aequivalency when they ungergo a Change equal with death Thus did Enoch when he was translated Elijah when carried to heaven in a fiery Charriot and this shall they undergo who shall be found alive when Christ shal come to judgment The essence of Death or rather its nature not consisting in cinerefaction but as I have before affirmed in a separation of life from its subject which in Gods people is accompanied with a blessed dis-union of sin from their soul They are no longer subjects of sin when once vessels of eternal glory The next thing in order of method will be to make some inference from what hath been said and let me premise this it will be wisdom for us to look this King of Terror in the face and to consider whether we are able to encounter with him or no and what Nero did when he heard he was sentenced by the Senate as an enemy to the Publick Weale to be punished More majorum despairing to live he tried the points of the Ponyards wherewith he had resolved to dye to feel their sharpness before he sheathed them in his bowels So it would be wisdome in us by serious reflection upon our frailty to die daily that so the day of our death may not surprize us unawares Storms are most terrible when they surprize us suddenly and without a shelter Death will then be most unwelcome when it overtakes us unprepared or unresolved to grapple with it I shall now endeavor to apply this Doctrine If this be true That death is inevitable Vse 1 then let us live as such who are to die Because death is an evil to nature let us not hasten it because it is a necessary consequent of our sin Let us endeavour that though it separate our souls from our bodies yet it seize not on us in such an estate which will separate both from God Because by Christ it is overcome and proves a friend to Grace by hasting its consummation in Glory let us not be afraid to encounter with it But alas how few of us make this improvement of the necessity of death How many by intemperance and disorder do dig their graves with their own teeth How many are there whose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whilest they are Somno vinoque sepulti before their passing-bell hath tolled and even whilest their bones are full of marrow Job 20 11. their souls are replete with the sins of their youth These are such who put far from them the evil day They consider not the daies of darknesse neither think of them any more then as the Prophane proverb is Their dying day Their inward thought is that not only their houses Psalm 49.11 but they shall abide for ever not considering there is a God in whose hands are their life breath and all their waies that their breath is in their nostrils and their life ere long may be as water spilton the ground that it will lay the greatest Prince leveld with the poorest Peasant Pallida mors aequo pulsat pede pauperum tabernas Regumque turres Hor at lib. 1. Od. 4. that Death regards not the scepter of a mortal Prince nor compassionates the sad estate of any nor will be bribed to give a release from natures bonds that the grizly hand of death will cover many a naked brest which formerly hath been the looking-glasse of lust and pride with a