Philosophers were of this opinion That wicked people shal go after they depart hence into a horrible place called Tartarus where they shal be eternally tormented that good men shal go after their departure out of this life into a pleasant place called Elizium where they shal live happily for ever Which opinion of theirs clearly shews that they had some imperfect notions of Mans future Eternity either in torment or happiness Again they who write of the world tel us That the people of every Nation in the world are of some Religion and they who are of any Religion do hold That there is a life after this life where it shall go well with the good and ill with the bad of mankinde for ever Why else are they Religious Doubtless that must needs be a manifest Truth that appears to be so not onely by the light of the holy Scriptures but also by the Light of Nature and the common opinion almost of all people in the world Nay by the common practise of the Divel himself who as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour endeavouring by his temptations apparitions possessions and wiles with deâ—uded sinners to deprive as many of mankind of eternal salvation as possibly he can and to bring them at last unto everlasting damnation from which Good Lord deliver us CHAP. III. Describes the misery of that everlasting condition of woe and punishment that the wicked shall go into at the the end of the world HAving hitherto proved the Doctrine Of mans future Eternity I shall in the next place explain it and first of all I shall mournfully look downward towards the miserable Eternity of such as shall be damned and shew you so far as I know it by Scripture-Revelation wherein the misery of their everlasting punishment which is the punishment of punishments doth chiefly consist namely in these three particulars 1. In their punishment of loss 2. In their pain of sense 3 In the everlastingness of both these kinds of punishment First The misery of that everlasting cursed and damned condition that the wicked shal go into at the end of this world doth consist in their punishment of loss and that in these four respects 1. They shal be punished with the loss of the comfortable and beatisical presence of God the Father Son and Holy Ghost They shall depart and go away from the Lord in such a sort as that they shal never have any savour nor any refreshing from the presence of the ever-blessed and glorious Trinity God being the chief good and the greatest felicity and his loving kindness being better then life therefore to be punished with the loss of his favour will be as it were the everlasting death of the damned and their greatest loss and saddest misery 2. They shal be punished with the loss of heaven that place of celestial rest and blessedness where God is said to dwell whither Christ is ascended and where the Lord will manifest himself unto his people to their everlasting comfort and happinesse There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth saith our Saviour when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob all the Prophets in the kingdom of God and you your selves thrust out Luke 13. 28. 3. They shall be punished with the loss of the blessed Communion of all the holy Angels in heaven for seeing they shal be punished with the loss of the favourable presence of God with the loss of heaven it follows that they shal be punished with the loss of the joyful fellowship of all the holy angels who do alwaies behold the face of God in heaven Mat. 18. 10. 4. They shal be punished with the loss of the comfortable company of all the Saines in heaven and of all their glorious perfections heavenly priviledges for sith they shal depart from the Lord and shal be shut out of heaven and cast into hell where they shal for ever remain unpardoned and unsanctified retaining their vile hearts and sinful natures therefore it necessarily follows that they shal be deprived of the happy society of all the Saints and of all those celestial perfections and blessed priviledges that they shal enjoy when they shall be ever with the Lord in the kingdome of heaven Luko 16. 22 to 27. We think their loss to be very great who are punished with the loss of the temporal good things of this life but alas What is that to the loss of the eternal good things of the life to come A Godly Gentleman observing the gallant accommodations of a pious Noble man took occasion to speak to him after this Christian manner My Lord said he you had need make sure of heaven or else when you die you will be a great looser it infinitely concerns both great and small to make sure work about their Salvation otherwise when they die they will be great losers for they will lose not onely their comforts on earth but also the joyes of heaven and that without all hope of recovery Luke 16. 23 24. Secondly the misery of that wofull and cursed condition called The damnation of hell that the wicked shal go into after the day of Judgement doth consist in their pain of sense or in that sensible pain that they shall bee punished withall in hell that terrible place of torment and that in sundry particulars worthy of our most serious consideration 1. They shâ—l be punished universally with a sensible pain all over as in their bodies and in all the parts thereof and in their souls and in all the faculties thereof These shal go away into everlasting punishment it is spoken of the wicked after they were condemned to go in their bodies and souls into Everlasting fire prepared for the divel and his angels Mat. 25. 41 46. 2. They shall be punished extreamly with a grievous sensible torment in their whole man for They shall go into hell into the fire that never shall be quenched and into the lake that burns with fire and brimstone Mark 9. 46. Rev. 21. 8. Though fire and brimstone be terrible yet the thing thereby signified is more terrible indeed indeed the largest and most capacious heart alive cannot conceive how extream their pain and misery will be upon whom the total wrath of God shall abide for ever John 3. 36. Rev. 14 10. Iâ— â—aâ—n if Judas if Spira and others were so grievously tâ—rmented with despair and horrour of Conscience when the terrours of God were upon them and if the wrath of God upon Christ for a while caused his soul to be exceeding heavy and made his bodie sweat as it were great drops of blood how extreamly will the infinite fierce wrath of God torment the damned in hell when it shall abide on them for all Eternity 3. They shall be punished continually without having any ease intermission or freedom from pain throughout the infinite space of Eternity how can it be
be just to the eternal praise and glory of the soveraign justice and wrath of God against final unconverted sinners Rom. 3. 8. Revelat. 6. 17. It is the opinion of sundry of our English Divines that God intends the glorifying of the 2 great attributes of his mercy and justice most eminently at the day of judgement and in the world to come And surely the vessels of mercy and the vessels of wrath will find it so at the last day and from thenceforth to all eternity Job 21. 29 30 31. 1 Pet. 1. 4. 2 Pet. 2. 9. 17. Ah Christians Christians I who write and ye who read and hear these things must not onely be spectators of the praise of Gods mercy and justice but parties also upon whom either the infinite mercy or the infinite justice of God shall be everlastingly glorified but whether of these I cannot tell God knoweth In the name of Christ Let us work out our salvation with fear and trembling for our God is a consuming fire presumptuous sinners who go on impenitently in their sins shall at length find to their costs that they have treasured up wrath to themselves against the day of wrath and that the justice of God as well as his mercy endures for ever none more terrible then God provoked wo and again wo to them all against whom mercy it self shall rise up in judgement Now consider this ye that forget God lest he tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver Psal. 50. 22. CHAP. VI. Directs you how to apply the great doctrine of mans future eternity whereby you may escape everlasting punishment and obtain life eternal after this life is ended HAving done with the explication of the doctrine concerning the great state of mans future eternity I shall in this last Chapter apply it unto you and that by way of exhortation unto these two duties 1. Believe it in the generall That mans future condition shall be eternal either in happiness or misery 2. Provide in particular for your own future condition that it may not be miserable but happy to all eternity First believe it in the general that the condition of all mankind in the world to come shal be everlasting and endless either in felicity or misery Though you cannot see any thing beyond the Grave with the eyes of your body yet with the eyes of your understanding thorow the perspective glass of the Word by the grace of Faith you may see beyond this world the great prospect of Man's Eternity iâ— the world to come both that of glory and that other of torment and how blessed the one and how miserable the other Hence one faith that man is a future creature the eye of his soul looks beyond this life towards Eternity and hence it is that Faith is described to be the evidence of things not seen the nature and use of Faith is to be as it were in stead of sight or to make the unseen and eternal things of hell and heaven which God hath revealed to be in existence as if our bodily eyes beheld them therefore that you may believe this universal received Truth as verily as if you saw it fulfilled meditate pray and confer about it 1. Meditate of the certainty of this Doctrine That all mankind at the end of this world shall go in their bodies and souls into an everlasting condition either of happiness or misery and consider you have as plain places of Scripture and as strong Scripture Arguments to prove it as you have to prove any Doctrine contained in the Bible as appears by what hath been already said in our second Chapter Again consider how that this Doctrine hath been received for a Truth in all ages of the world not only by Jews Christians but also by Gentiles and Heathens and therefore if you do not believe it you are worse then Infidels and Pagans because they have onely the twilight of Nature and you have the clear light of the sacred Scriptures to convince you of the verity of it Mat 25. 46. Although none can have good hope to go to heaven to enjoy that happiness there which they would not believe here yet it is to be feared that many go to hell to feel that misery there which they would not believe here 2. Pray to God to give you grace to believe it and by faith to foresee what the Scripture hath so plainly foreshewnâ— who knows but that the Lord may perswade you of the truth of it whilest you are praying to him to incline your hearts to believe it Dan. 9. 21 22 Mat. 7. 7. 3. Confer about it if need be with some able Minister of the Gospel to the end that you may be strengthened and confirmed in your belief of it Mal. 2. 7. Acts 10. 5. 6. One told Bishop Hooper after he was in Queen Mary's days condemned to be burned That life was sweet and that death was bitter thinking thereby to have disswaded him from suffering for righteousness sake But the good Bâ—shop replyed The life to come is more sweet and death to come is more bitter Surely such as mens belief is of heaven and life eternal to come and of hell and everlasting punishment to come such will be their desires and endeavours to escape the one and to obtain the other And this let al men know for certain That the wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment and the righteous into life eternal at the last day whether the generality of the world do now believe it yea or no Mat. 25. 46. Secondly Provide in particular for your own condition in the world to come that it may not be miserable but happy to all eternity That you ought first and above all to provide for your own eternal salvation and that it is rare Christian Policy so to do these places of Scripture do fully prove it Seek yee first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you Mat. 6. 33. Strive to enter in at the strait gate for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be able Luke 13 24. Give diligence to make your calling and election sure for so an entrance shall be ministred unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 2 Pet. 1. 10 11. Daâ—nescene makes mention of a certain Countrey where they choose their King of the meanest of the people and such was their detestable disloyalty as that upon any dislike taken they would depose him and banish him into an Island where he should be starved to death one of their Kings more wise then the rest considering hereof sent money before hand into the Island into which he feared he should be banished which coming to pass the Islanders received him with joy and he lived in plenty amongst them till his dying day If men be so wise and careful
everlasting endeavour these two things 1. Endeavour to understand how Christ is offered in the Gospel unto sinners namely to be Wisedom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption and all in all unto all sorts of sinners who see a need of him and who are willing to have him joyntly together for these holy and heavenly ends Mat. 11. 28. John 7. 37. 2. Endeavour to receive Christ and God in Christ and to rest upon him alone for salvation as he is offered unto you in the Gospel John 1. 12. Isai 26. 3 4. Chapter 50. 10. Say not I must not presume to accept of Christ because my sins are many and great and I am not humbled enough for them For verily verily Christ had not come into the world but to save sinners yea and the chief of sinners who come to him to be saved And Christ who is rich in grace exspects not to receive any thing from poor sinners but to be received by them Rev. 22. 17. Therefore defer not your believing or accepting of Christ but endeavour to come to him as God shall draw you and be willing to close with Christ and to believe on him as God shall make you willing and humbly put your selves upon Christ and wholly give up your selves unto Christ to be taught pardoned sanctified and saved by him in his own appointed time and way and then know for a certain that Christ will in no wise refuse you but will undertake to be the author of eternal salvation unto you and that God in Christ will be your God and portion for ever Psalm 73. 25 26. Thirdly Live a holy life according to the Rule of all Gods Commandments For the Scripture saith That without holiness none shall see the Lord and that godliness hath the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come 1 Tim. 4. 8. And again That the grace of God which bringeth salvation doth teach us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world Titus 2. 11 12. 2 Pet. 3. 11. 1 John 3. 3. For this end that you may live a holy life make use of these three helps 1. Apply by saith the death and resurrection of Christ and the particular Promises of Sanctification made to believers in Christ whereby you may be renewed in your whole man after the image of God and enabled more and more to dye to sin and to live to newness and holiness of life Rom. 6. 4 6 14. Galatians 5. 24. 2. Observe the summe of the ten Commandements which is To love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mindo and your neighbour as your selves Love thus exercised in sincerity of heart is the fulfilling of the Law and the Epitomy of a pious life 3. Get the ten Commandements by heart which are the Rule of a holy life that so your heart being the keeper of them you may ever remember to live according to them endeavouring by degrees in the use of reading hearing meditation and the like means to understand what sins are forbidden and what duties are required in every one of the the ten Commandements for that purpose that you may eschew the sins therein forbidden and perform the duties therein required having a special care to studie and to practise the duties of your relations and to strive most against your greatest sins and to watch over your thoughts words and wayes out of a holy fear of sinning the rather because your thoughts words and actions must be rewarded or punished for all eternity Rom. 2 6 7 8 9. 2 Cor. 5. 10. Whatsoever you do in the practise of godliness do all by the Rule of Gods Word in the strength of Christ through the help of his Spirit to the glory of God the adorning of the Gospel the strengthning of your own assurance and the good example of others and all this out of singular love and thankfulness to God for his unspeakable love unto you in Jesus Christ. Luke 1. 74 75. John 14. 15. 2. Cor. 5. 14. One Symelces Captain of the Guard to Emperour Adrian caused this inscription to be set over his Tomb Here lyeth Similis who saw many years and lived but seven Let all Christians take special notice of it that they live no longer then while they live so as becometh the Gospel of Christ. Philip. 1. 27. Ephes. 2. 1 2 5 1 Tim. 5. 6. In short let our Conversation be in heaven leâ— our discourse be on things above let our thoughts be on our future Eternity and so let us live to God on earth for Eternity as that we may live with God in heaven to Eternity 2 Cor. 5. 14 15. Phil. 3. 20. Coloss. 3. 2. Fourthly Renew your repentance and faith all the dayes of your life as your sins are renewed which that you may practise these three particulars 1. Commune with your own heart every morning and evening and consider how and in what respect you have sinned the day or night past either by Commission or Omission Psalm 4. 4. Haggai 1. 5. 2. Having thought of your sins and manifold failings repent and abhor your selves for them beseech God for Christ's sake to forgive them and to cleanse you from them and withall Remember that you have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous who is the propitiation for our sins and be not faithless but believing 1 John 2. 1 2. 3. Resolve with full purpose of heart through the grace of Jesus Christ to sin no more lest a worse thing befall you Job 34. 31 3â— Jo. 5. 14. Justine Martyr would say it is best of all not to sin and next to that after sinning to repent and amend Thirdly if you would avoid everlasting misery enjoy eternal felicity after your temporal life is ended then make use of the outward means and ordinances of God that are necessary to be used unto salvation and especially of these four sorts following 1. Hear the word of God publickly preached 2. Pray daily to God everlastingly to save you 3. Make use of the two â—ew Testament Sacraments Baptisme and the Lords Supper 4. Obey the Ministers of Gods word who are set over you in the Lord. First hear the word of God publickly preached as generally at all times when you have opportunity for it so especially upon the Saâ—bath day Hear saith the Prophet Isaiah and your soul shall live who hath eares to hear saith our Saviour let him hear Isai 55. 3. Matth. 13. 9. Again Christ informes us that hearing is the one thing needfull because not onely faith but also every other grace usually cometh by hearing yea and is confirmed and increased by hearing Acts 14. 21 22. 1 Pet 2. 2 3. Secondly pray daily to God in the name of Christ to
to provide for this life which is but temporal how prudent and provident should they be for the life to come which is eternal If any say unto me What shall we do that we may escape everlasting punishment and inherit life eternal at the end of this life which is one of the best questions that ever was asked and my Answer unto it is this that you may be delivered from everlasting misery and that you may be provided for life eternal against the time your temporal life shall end and be no more take these three general directions 1. Learn necessary principles 2. Practise necessary duties 3. Use necessary means First if you would be saved from eternal damnation and with everlasting salvation after this life is ended then learn the fundamentall principles of the christian Religion that are most needfull to be known unto salvation as suppose those Articles of Faith contained in that famous Creed commonly called the Apostles Creed But more particularly labour rightly to understand these four principles which are the first things in the Christian Religion that every one ought to learn and believe First that there is one onely living and true God who is a spirit infinite in being and all perfection distinguished into three persons the Father the Son and the holy Ghost the Maker and Governour of all things who made man after his own Image in knowledge righteousnesse and holinesse and so in a happy condition Gen. 1. 27. with Col. 3. 10. and Eph. 4. 24. Secondly that our first parents Adam and Eve sinned in eating the forbidden fruit and thereby fell from their original righteousnesse and became dead in sin and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body and they being the root of all mankinde the guilt of their sin was imputed and the same death in sin and corrupted nature conveyed to all their posterity descending from them by ordinary generation so as that our first parents by their fall brought themselves and all mankind into a sinfull and damnable condition Rom. 5. 12. to 20. 1 Cor. 15. 21 22. Thirdly that Mankind thus fallen being unable to deliver themselves out of the estate of sin and misery God so loved the world that he sent forth his onely begotten son Jesus Christ who was conceived by the holy Ghost in the womb of the Virgin Mary of her substance and borne of her yet without sin and so became man and was and continueth to be God and man in two distinct natures and one person for ever who was made under the Law and was obedient to it and endured the misery which was due to man for breaking of it who died for our sins and suffered for our salvation and was buried and rose again the third day who ascended up into heaven and sitteth at the right hand of God from whence he will come to judge both quick and dead Acts 10. 42. Fourthly that the Lord requires all people who would be saved through his mercy in Christ to repent of their sins to believe in his Sonne Jesus Christ to live a holy life and to wait upon him in his own Ordinances as the word prayer and Sacraments And they who by the grace of God sincerely obey these precepts shall be saved and they who wilfully and finally disobey them shall be damned in their souls after death and particular judgement and in their bodies also after their resurrection and at the general and last judgement Mark 16. 16. Rom. 8. 13. Matth. 25. 46. Though these are the main principles that are most needful to be known unto salvation yet I shall mind you not to rest here but to read and search the holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise unto salvation and perfect unto all good works Jo. 5. 39. 2 Tim. 3. 15 16 17. Secondly if you would escape everlasting punishment and inherit life eternal at the end of this life then practise the fundamental duties of the christian Religion that are most necessary to be done unto salvation which are chiefly these four in respect of the acts and exercise of saving grace 1. Repent of all your sins 2. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ with all your hearts 3. Live a holy life according to the rule of all Gods commandements 4. Renew your repentance and faith all the dayes of your life as your sins are renewed First repent of all your sins both original and actual Repent saith our Saviour for the kingdome of God is at hand and again I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance and except ye repent ye shall perish Matth. 4. 17. Matth. 9. 13. Luke 13. 3. Now then that you may truly repent of all your sins observe these three rules 1. Search and try your wayes whereby you may find out your sinnes of all all sorts be not too hasty in this duty but ransack every corner of your heart and think of your sinnes till you find them out so farre as that you can remember no more and consider how you have deserved the wrath of God and the damnation of hell for your sins that so you may be truly affected and humbled with the sense of your sinfull and miserable condition Acts 2. 37. 2. Having found out your sins and considered the wrath and curse of God due to you for them fall down upon your knees and humbly confesse your sinnes to the Lord and be sorry for them chiefly as they are contrary to the holy nature and the righteous law of God and the gracious Gospel of Jesus Christ judging your selves for them and praying to God in the name of Christ for pardon of them and power against them Luke 11. 4. 3. Forsake your wicked waies and turn from all your sins unto God purposing and endeavouring for time to come to walk with him in all the waies of his commandments Ezek. 18. 21 22 30 31. 1 Thess. 1. 9. Next to impenitency take heed of late repentance If I had ten thousand souls saith an able Divine I would not adventure one of them upon a death-bed-repentance therefore repent betimes and lest your repentance should be too late let this be the day of your sincere conversion Deut. 29. 18 19 20. Hebr. 3. 7 8. Secondly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ with all your heart and you shall be saved For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Bucholcerus did so descant upon this Text in his last Sermon before his death that he ravished the hearts of his hearers with the greatness of Gods love to believers Surely it cannot but be a taking thing with all people that Christ ever was and ever will be the Common salvation of all Believers Jude v. 3. Therefore that you may believe to life