thing whatsoever is within Him or without Him or about Him whatsoever He thinkes upon remembers heares sees turne all to his torment No marvaile then tho the terrour of a wounded conscience bee so intolerable 3. As the exultations of the Soule and spirituall refreshments doe incomparably surpasse both in excellency of Object and sweetnesse of apprehension all pleasures of seâ—se and bodily delights so afflictions of the Soule and spirituall pangs doe infinitely exceede both in bitternesse of sense and intension of sorrow the most exquisite tortures can possibly bee inflicted upon the Body For the Soule is a spirit very subtile quicke active stirring all life motion sense feeling and therefore farre more capable and apprehensive of all kinds of impressions whether passions of pleasure or inflictions of paâ—â—e 4. This extremest of miseries a wounded spirit is tempered with such strong and strange ingredients of extraordinary feares that it makes a man a terrour to himselfe and to all his friends To flee when none pursues at the sound of a shaken leafe To tremble at his owne shadow to bee in great feare where no feare is Besides the insupportable burthen of too many true and causefull terrours it fills His darke and dreadfull Fancy with a world of fained horrours gastly apparitions and imaginary Hells which notwithstanding have reall stings and impresse true tortures upon his trembling and wofull heart It is empoysoned with such restlesse anguish and desperate paine that tho life bee most sweete and Hell most horrible yet it makes a man wilfully to abandon the one and willingly to embrace the other that Hee may bee rid of it's rage Hence it was that Iudas preferred an Halter and Hell before his present horrour That Spira said often what heart quakes not to heare it that Hee envied Cain Saul and Iudas wishing rather any of their roomes in the Dungeon of the damned then to have his poore heart so rent in pieces with such raging terrors fiery desperations upon his Bed of death Whereupon at another time beeing asked Whether Hee feared more fearefull torments after this life Yes said Hee But I desire nothing more then to bee in that place where I shall expect no more Expectation as it seemes of future did infinitely aggravate and enrage His already intolerable torture 5. The Heathens who had no fuller sight of the foulenesse of sinne or more smarting sense of divine vengeance for it then the light of naturall conscience was able to afford and represent unto them yet were woont in fiction to shadow out in some sort and intimate unto us the insufferable extremities of a minde troubled in this kinde by hellish furies following malefactors with burning fire-brands and flames of torture What understanding then is able to conceive or tongue to report in what case that sinfull conscience must needs bee when it is once awakened which besides the notions of naturall light hath also the full Sun of Gods sacred Word and that pure Eye which is ten thousand times brighter then the Sunne and cannot looke upon iniquity to irradiate and enrage it to the height of guiltinesse and depth of horrour Both heart and tongue Man and Angell must let that alone for ever For none can take the true estimate of this immesurable spirituall misery but hee that can comprehend the length and breadth of that infinite unresistable wrath which once implacably enkindled in the bosome of God burnes to the very bottome of Hell and there creates the extremity and endlesnesse of all those un-expressable torments and fiery plagues which afflict the Diuels and damned Soules in that horrible Pit 6. Not onely the desperate cries of Cain Iudas Latomus and many other such miserable men of forlorne hope but also the wofull complaints even of Gods owne deare Children discover the truth of this Point to wit the terrours and intolerablenesse of a wounded Conscience Heare how rufully three ancient Worthies in their times wrastled with the wrath of God in this kinde I reckoned till morning saith Hezekiah that as a Lion so will hee breake all my bones Even as the weake and trembling limbes of some lesser neglected Beast are crusht and torne in pieces by the unresistable Paw of an unconquerable Lion so was His troubled Soule terrified and broken with the anger of the Almighty Hee could not speake for bitternesse of griefe and anguish of heart but chattered like a Crane or a Swallow and mourned like a Dove Thou writest bitter things against mee saith Iob and makest mee to possesse the iniquities of my youth The arrowes of the Almighty are within mee the poyson thereof drinketh up my spirit the terrours of God doe set themselves in aray against mee O that I might have my request And that God would grant mee the thing that I long for Even that it would please God to destroy mee that Hee would let loose his hand and cut mee off Nay yet worse Thou scarest mee with dreames and terrifiest mee through visious So that my Soule chuseth strangling and death rather then my life Tho God in mercy preserves his servants from the monstrous and most abhorred Act of selfe-murder yet in some melancholike moode horrour of minde and bitternesse of spirit they are not quite freed from all impatient wishes that way and sudden suggestions thereunto My bones waxed old saith David through my roaring all the day long Day and night thy hand was heavy upon mee my moysture is turned into the drought of Summer Thine arrowes sticke fast in mee and thy hand presseth mee sore There is no soundnesse in my flesh because of thine anger neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sinne For mine iniquities are gone over my head as an heavy burden they are too heavy for mee I am troubled I am bowed downe greatly I goe mourning all the day long I am feeble and sore broken I have roared by reason of the disqujâ—tnesse of my heart Heare also into what a depth of spirituall distresse three worthy servants of God in these later times were plung'd and pressed downe under the sense of Gods anger for sinne Blessed Mistris Brettergh upon Her last Bed was horribly hemmed in with the sorrowes of death the very griefe of Hell laid hold upon Her Soule a roaring Wildernesse of woe was within Her as She confessed of Her selfe She said her sinnes had made Her a prey to Satan And wished that she had never been borne or that shee had been made any other creature rather then a Woman Shee cryed out many times Woe woe woe c. A weake a wofull a wretched a forsaken woman with teares continually trickling from her eyes Master Peacock that man of God in that His dreadfull visitation and desertion recounting some smaller sinnes burst out into these words And for these saith Hee I feele now an Hell in my conscience Vpon other occasions Hee cryed out
with the wrath of God and left to the horrour of some hideous temptation 4. Heare Master Hooker a man of great learning and very sound in this point I varie some words but keepe the sense entire Happier a great deale is that mans Case whose soule by inward desolation is humbled then hee whose heart is through abundance of spirituall delight lifted up and exalted above measure Better is it sometimes to goe downe into the pit with him who beholding darknes and bewailing the losse of inward ioy and consolation crieth from the bottome of the lowest hell My God My God why hast thou forsaken mee Then continually to walke arme in arme with Angels to sit as it were in Abrahams bosome and to have no thought or cogitation but of peace and blessing himselfe in the singularity of assurance above other men to say I desire no other blisse but only duration of my present comfortable feelings and fruition of God I want nothing but even thrusting into heaven and the like For in the height of spirituall ravishments thou art in great hazard of being exalted above measure and so may bee justly exposed to a Thorne in the flesh the Messenger of Satan to buffet thee which is a very heavie case But now on the other side the lowest degree of humiliation under Gods mighty hand is the nearest step to rising and extraordinary exultation of spirit The extremest darknesse of a spirituall desertion is wont to go immediately before the glorious Sun-rise of heavenly light and un-utterable lightsomnes in the soule David securely pleasing and applauding himselfe in his present stability and strong conceit of the continuance of his peace brake out thus I shal never be moved Lord by thy favour thou hast made my mountaine to stand strong But hee was quickly throwne downe from the top of his supposed unmoveable hill taken off from the height of his confidence and lay trembling in the dust Thou didst hide thy face and I was troubled But now that sweetest rapture of incredible joy for so he spake The ioy which I feele in my conscience is incredible did arise in Master Peacocks heart when hee was newly come as it were out of the mouth of Hell Mistris Bretterghs wonderfull reioycing followed immediately upon her returne out of a roaring wildernesse as she called it What large effusions of the Spirit and overflowing rivers of heavenly peace were plentifully showred downe upon Robert Glovers troubled spirit after the heaviest night in all likelyhood that ever he had in this world by reason of a greivous Desertion 5. Nay heare the Spirit of all truth and comfort Himselfe immediately Who is among you that feareth the Lord that obeyeth the voyce of his servant that walketh in darkenesse and hath no light Let him trust in the Name of the Lord and stay upon his God Whence wee may draw a double comfort in time of Desertion first Because in thy present apprehension thou finds and feeles thy selfe in darkenesse and to have no light thou art ready therupon to conceive and conclude un-necessarily against thy owne soule that Gods favour Iesus Christ grace salvation and all are gone for ever And this is the most cutting sting sorest pang which grievously afflicts and rents the heart in pieces with restlesse angvish in such Cases Out of what depth of horrour doe you thinke did these heavie groanes and almost if not altogether for the time despairing speeches spring in those blessed Saints mentioned before Will the Lord cast off for ever And will hee be favourable no more Is his mercy cleane gone for ever Doth his promise faile for evermore While I suffer thy terrours I am distracted I am amazed confounded and almost mad with feare least my soule should bee swallowed up with the horrours of eternall death I am afraid lest the Lord hath utterly withdrawne his wonted favour from me Woe woe woe c. A weake a wofull a wretched a forsaken woman I have no more sense of grace then these curtaines Oh! how wofull and miserable is my estate that must thus converse with hell-hounds It is against the course of Gods proceedings to save mee c. But now herein the deserted in the sense I have said are much deceived and extremely wrong their owne soules in such extremities not considering that their walking in darkenesse and having no light may most certainely consist with a saving estate and a Beeing in Gods favour tho for the present not perceived Which appeares plainely by the quoted place Wherein Hee that walketh in darkenesse and hath no light is such an one as feareth the Lord and obeyeth the voice of his servant Now the feare of God and obedience to the Ministery are evident markes of a gracious man Hence it is that when the servants of God are something come againe unto themselves they see and censure their owne unadvisednesse in that respect disavow and disclaime all termes tending that way which they let hastily fall from them in heate of temptation And I said faith David this is my infirmity but I will remember the yeeres of the right hand of the most High Truly said Master Peacocke my heart and soule have been far led and deepely troubled with temptations and stings of conscience but I thanke God they are eased in good measure Wherefore I desire that I bee not branded with the note of a forlorne reprobate Such questions Oppositions and all tending thereto I renounce Here then is a great deale of comfort in the greatest darkenesse of a spirituall desertion for wee may assure our selves that God by his blessed Spirit hath a secret influence and saving worke upon the soule of his Child when there is no light or feeling of his favour at all The Sun we know tho hee leaves his light upon the face of the earth yet notwithstanding descends by a reall effectual influence into the bosome and darkest bowels thereof and there exerciseth a most excellent work in begetting mettals Gold Silver and other pretious things It is proportionably so in the present Point A poore soule may lie groveling in the dust afflicted tossed with tempest and in present apprehension have no comfort and yet blessedly partake still of the sweet influence of Gods everlasting love of a secret saving worke of grace and almighty support of the sanctifying Spirit Let us looke upon the Lord Iesus himselfe His holy soule though hee was Lord of Heaven and Earth upon the Crosse was even as a scorched heath-ground without so much as any drop of deaw of comfort either from Heaven or Earth and yet at the same time hee was gloriously sustained by an omnipotent influence And God was never nearer unto Him than then neither Hee ever so obedient unto God And I make no doubt but that the judicious eye of the well-experienced Physition may many times easily observe it in those troubled tempted and deserted soules which they
His soule in the Bundle of the living for ever now especially when Hee preferres the love and light of His countenance before life and would not willingly offend Him in the least sinne for all the World c. Let Him yet proceede further in Davids foot-steps and strengthen His fainting Soule with all that heavenly Manna of richest mercy which Hee hath heard read or knowne to have been showred downe at any time from the Throne of Grace into the heavy humble and hungry hearts of His afflicted hidden Ones Let Him refresh His memory with consideration of Davids deliverance by this meanes from deeper distresse Of that most memorable and triumphant resurrection as it were and recovery of those three worthy Saints of God Master Glover Mistris Bretâ—ergh Master Peacocke from greatest â—â—tremitie in this kinde into most un-utterable joyfull exultations of spirit And so of others within the Register of His observation remembrance and reading But principally and above all Let Him live and die Let Him rest and recreate Himselfe for ever with surest hold fast and sweetest thoughts upon that heavenly and healing Anti-type of the Red Sea the pretious Blood of the Lord Iesus And let Him ground upon it that tho Satan with all His hellish Hosts and utmost fury pursue his fearefull Soule like a Partridge in the mountaines even to the very brinke of despaire and mouth of Hell yet even then when all rescue and deliverance is neerest to bee utterly despaired of For it is the Crowne of Gods glorious mercy to save when the Case seemes desperate and there is no hope of humane helpe or possibility of created power to comfort I say then that Soule-saving Sea of His Saviours hearts-blood will most certainely and seasonably open it selfe wide unto Him as it did to those above-named blessed Saints and swallow up into victory Hell Death the Grave Damnation the present wofull desertion with all other adversary power and at length make Him a faire and pleasant passage thorow the sweetned pangs of death into the heavenly Canaan which flowes with joyes and pleasures un-mixed and endlesse more then either Tongue can tell or heart can thinke 9. Ninthly a spirituall desertion may seeme a proportionable fit and most proper punishment and meanes to correct and recover the Christian which out of infirmity and feare deserts the Lord Iesus and the Profession of His blessed Truth and Gospell If any bee ashamed of Him refuse to doe or suffer any thing for His sake who hath given unto us His owne hearts-blood it is most just that in such a Case Hee withdraw Himselfe in respect of all sense and feeling of divine favour and fruites of grace or any comfortable influence at all upon the Consciences of such Cowardâ—â— that so they being left to the darkenesse of their owne spirits and by consequent to the taste even of Hellish horrour for the time they may bee brought againe to themselves and taught by such terrours to returne and become infinitely more willing to embrace the Stake if the times should bee so cruell and kisse the instruments of death then langvish any longer in the despairing extremities of such a desertion to acknowledge it incomparably better to passe thorow the temporary bitternesse of Popish fire then to bee abandoned to everlasting flames Nay and that which is the greater Hell to bee robbed of and rent from Him in whose glorious presence alone is not onely life and all lightsomnesse even in this life but also fulnesse of ioy and pleasures for evermore in the life to come This Point appeares and is prooved by Gods dealing with some of our Martyrs in Qveene Maries time Thomas Whittell a blessed Martyr of Iesus was by the wicked suggestions of some Popish incarnate Divels drawne to subscribe to their Hellish Doctrine But considering in cold blood what Hee had done was horribly vexed and as Hee reports of Himselfe felt Hell in his conscience and Satan ready to devoure him Which terrible desertion and trouble of minde made Him quickly returne with great constancy and fortitude and turne a most invincible and un-mooveable Martyr Heare some passages from His owne Pen. The night after I had subscribed I was sore grieved and for sorrow of conscience could not sleepe For in the deliverance of my Body out of bonds which I might have had I could finde no ioy nor comfort but still was in my conscience tormented more and more c. And I said to Harpesfield sc. That my Conscience had so accused mee through the iust iudgement of God and His Word that I had felt Hell in my Conscience and Satan ready to devoure Mee And therefore I pray you Master Harpsfield said I let mee have the Bill againe for I will not stand to it When the Lord had led Mee to Hell in my Conscience through the respect of His fearefull iudgements against mee for my fearefulnesse mistrust and crafty cloaking in such spirituall and weighty matters yet Hee brought mee from thence againe c. See also the Story of Iames Abbes and Thâ— Benbridge Gentleman Act. and Monuments pag. 1864.2246 10. Tenthly God is many times forced by their frowardnesse luke-warmenesse worldly-mindednesse cowardlinesse Selfe-confidence falling from their first-love and other such spirituall distempers to visite and exercise His Children with variety and sometimes severity of crosses and corrections as losses in their outward state afflictions of Body disgraces upon their good name oppression by great Ones discomforts in Wives Neighbours Friends Children c. upon purpose to put life quicknesse fruitfulnesse and forwardnesse into them that thereby they may bee more gloriously serviâ—cable to Himselfe more profitable to others and more provident to treasure up peace unto their own Soules against an evill Day God humbleth us saith a worth Divine by afflictions and pricketh the swelling of our pride Hee cutteth and loppeth us to the end wee may bring forth the more fruit Hee filleth us with bitternesse in this life to the end wee might long for the life to come For those whom God afflicteth grievously in this World leave it with lesse griefe Hee who hath formed us to feare Him knoweth that our praiers are slacke and cold in prosperity as proceeding from a spirit that is cooled by successe and which are endited by custome The cries which our owne will produced are feeble in comparison of those which griefe expresseth Nothing so ingenious to pray well as sorrow which in un instant formeth the slowest tongues to an holy eloquence and furnisheth us with sighes which cannot be expressed c. But now many times this Physicke which pincheth onely the Body and wasteth us but in things of this World doth not so worke as Hee would have it and therefore Hee is constrained in love and for our good to proceede to more sharpe and searching Medcines to apply more strong and stirring Purges which immediately vexe the Soule As horrible and hideous injections A spirituall Desertion and
other hereafter in the meane time every day spent so sensually is a true Purgatory And every day passed in the contrary Christian course is an earthly Paradise 2. Secondly Let them marke well the different Ends of these men Tho the one now carries away the credite and current of the times and with all bravery and triumph tumbles Himselfe in the pleasures riches and glory of the world and the other is kept as they say under batches neglected and contemptible to carnall eyes trampled upon with the feete of pride and malice by the prouder Pharisees and hunted with much cruelty and hate by Men of this World Yet watch but a while and you shall see the End of this upright man whatsoever his sorrowes and sufferings troubles and temptations have beene in this life to be most certainly peace at the last Marke the perfect man and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace Psal. 37.37 He either passeth fairely and calmely thorow the Port of Death to the Land of everlasting rest and reioycing or else if a tempest of extraordinary temptation seize upon Him in the Haven when He is ready to set foote into heaven which is the Lot of many of Gods dearest Ones for ends seeming best to the ever-blessed Majesty as perhaps to harden those aboue Him that hate to be reformed c. Yet all the hurt he hath thereby is upon the matter besides serving Gods secret holy pleasure an addition to His happinesse for an immediate translation from the depth of temporary horrour as in Maister Peacocke and Mistris Bretlergh to the height of endlesse joy makes even the joyes of Heaven something more joyfull Hee feeles those never-ending pleasures at the first entrance more delicious and ravishing by reason of the suddaine change from that bitternesse of spirit in the last combate to the excellency and eternity of heavenly blisse His Soule in this case after a short eclipse of spirituall darkenesse upon His Bed of death enters more lightsomly into the full Sunne of immortall glory But what doe you thinke shall bee the end of the other Man He is in the meane time it may be in great power and spreading Himselfe like a greene Bay tree revelling in the ruffe and top of all worldly jollity and wealth wallowing dissolutely in choisest delights and vamest pleasures yet waite but a while and you shall see him quickely cut downe like grasse and wither as the greene herbâ— For God shall suddenly shoote at Him with a swift arrow It is already in the bow even a bow of steele shall send forth an arrow that shall strike Him thorow and shall shine on his gall His power and his pride shall bee overthrowne in the turne of an Hand All his imperious boisterousnesâ—e shall melt away as a vaine foame The eye which saw Him shall â—â—e him no more neither shall hiâ— place any more behold him He must downe into the grave naked and stript of all power and pompe all beauty and strength a weaker and poorer worme then when he fâ—â—st came out of the wombe Here further for this purpose and fuller exprâ—ssion of my meaning in this point how a worthy friend of mine instancing in the exemplary and dreadfull downe-falls of Haman Shebnah and others labours to fright gracelesse great Ones out of their luxury and pride security and sinfull pleasures by consideration of their Ends. Oh then saith he ye rich and great ye proud and cruell Ambitious and honourable take from their wofull examples the true estimate of your riches and your power your pleasure and your honour wherein ye trust and whereof yee boast but as Israell in Aegypt of a broken reede Consider that like sinnes will have like ends That God is to day and yesterday and the same for ever That the pride and cruelty oppression and luxury of these times have no greater priviledge then those of the former But when for a while you have domineered farre and neare Had what you would and done what you liâ—t dispeopled Parishes and plaines for your Orchards and walkes pulld downe many houses to set one up from betweene whose battlements and turrets at the top you can see no end of your meadowes your fields and your lands the measuring whereof as the Poet speakes would weary the very wings of the kite When your Clientary traine hath bin too long for the streete and your bare respect hath shooke the hat from the head and bent the knee afarre off when you have clapt whole Manours on your backs or turnd them downe your throates when you have scoured the plaineâ— with your horses the fields and woods with your bounds and the heaven with your hawkes when with pheasantâ— tongues you have furnisht whole feasts and with the Queene of Aegypt drunke dissolved pearle even fifty thousand pounds at a draught and then laide your headâ— in Dalilaâ—s lappe When if it were possible yoâ— have spent your whole lives in all that royall pompe and pleasure which that most magnificent King and Queeâ—â— did Hist. 1. for an hundred and fourescore dayes 〈◊〉 word when you have wallowed in all delights and stood in pleasures up to the chin Then even then the pit is digged and death of whom you dreame not stands at the doore Where are you now Or what is to bee done Come downe saith Death from your pleasant Prospects Alight from your Iades Hood your kites Cupple up your curres bid adew to pleasure out of your beds of lust Come naked forth and downe with mee to the chambers of death Make your beds in the dust and lay downe your cold carkasses among the stones of the pit at the roots of the Rockes And you great and delicate Dames who are so wearied with pleasure that you cannot rise time enough to dresse your heads and doe all your trickes against dinner To wash your bodies with muske and dawbe your faces with vermilion and chalke To make ready your pleasant baites to poyson mens eyes and their soules You whorish lezabels thinke you now you are meate for men Nay come head-long downe to the dogs If not suddenly so yet dispatch and put off your caules eare-rings and round tyres your chaines bracelets and mufflers your rings wimples and crisping pinns your hoods vailes and changeable sutes your glasses sine linnen with all your Mundus muliebris Isa. 3. And put on stinke in stead of sweete smell baldnesse in stead of well-set haire burning in stead of beauty Wormes shall make their nests in your brests and shall eate out those wanton windowes and messengers of lust Yea rottennesse and stinch slime and filth shall ascend and sit downe in the very Throne of beauty and shall dwell betweene your eie-browes All this is very wofull and yet there is a thousand times worse Besides all this Thou that now laies about the for thee world and wealth for transitory pelfe and rotten pleasures that lies soaking in luxury and pride vanity and all kinde
of voluptuousnesse shalt most certainely very shortly lie upon thy Bed of death like a wilde bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord either sealing thee up finally in the desperate senselessenesse of thine owne dead heart with the spirit of slumber for everlasting vengeance even at the doore or else exemplarily enraging thy guilty conscience upon that thy last bed with hellish horrour even before hand For ordinarily the more notorious servants of Satan and Slaves of lust depart this life either like Nabal or Iudas Tho more by many thousands die like hard-hearted sots in security then in despaire of conscience If it bee so with thee then that thine heart when thou shalt have received the sentence of death against thy selfe die within thee as Naballs And most commonly saith a worthy Devine Conscience in many is secure at the time of death God in his iustice so plaguing an affected security in life with an inflicted security at death I say then thou wilt become as a stone most prodigiously blockish as tho there were no immortalitie of the Soule no losse of eternall blisse no Tribunall in Heaven no account to bee made after this life no burning in Hell for ever Which will make the never-dying fire more scorching and the ever-living worme more stinging by how much thou wast more senselesse and fearelesse of that fiery lake into which thou wast ready to fall Death it selfe saith the same Man cannot awaken some consciences but no sooner come they into hell but conscience is awakened to the full never to sleepe more and then she teareth with implacable fury and teacheth forlorne wretches to know that forbearance was no payment But if it please God to take the other course with thee and to let loose the cord of thy conscience upon thy dying Bed thou wilt be strangled even with Hellish horrour upon earth and damned above ground That Worme of Hell which is a continuall remorse and furious reflexion of the Soule upon its owne willfull folly whereby it hath lost everlasting ioyes and must now lie in endlesse easelesse and remedilesse torments is set on worke whilest thou art yet alive and with desperate rage and unspeakeable anguish will feede upon thy Soule and flesh The least twitch whereof not all the pleasures of ten thousand Worlds would ever bee able to countervaile For as the peace of a good so the pangs of a guilty conscience are unspeakable So that at that time thou maist iustly take unto thy selfe Pashur's terrible name Magor-Missabib Feare round about Thou wilt be a terrour to thy selfe and to all thy friends And that which in this wofull case will sting extremely No friends nor Physicke no gould nor silver no height of place nor favour of Prince not the glory and pleasures of the whole World not the crownes and command of all earthly kingdomes c. can possibly give any comfort deliverance or ease For when that time and terrour hath overtaken thee which is threatned Prou. 1.24 Et seq Because I have called and yee refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded But yee have set aâ— naught all my counsell and would none of my reproofe I also will laugh at your calamity and will mocke when your feare commeth When your feare commeth as desolation and your destruction commeth as a Whirlewinde when distresse and anguish commeth upon you Then shall they call upon Me but I will not answere they shall seeke mee earely but they shall not finde mee for that they hated knowledge and did not chuse the feare of the Lord. They would none of my counsell they despised all my reproofe Therefore shall they eate the fruitâ— of their owne way and be filled with their owne devises I say when this terrible time is come upon thee then will the mighty Lord of Heaven and earth come against thee as a Beare that is bereaved of her whelpes and will rent the caule of thy heart and will devoure thee like a Lion He will come with fire and with His charets like a Whirle-winde to render His anger with fury and His rebuke with flames of fire All his terrours at that houre will fight against Thee and that unâ—quenchable anger that burnes to the very bottome of Hell and sets on fire the foundations of the mountaines The empoysoned arrowes of His fiercest indignation shall be drunke with the bloud of thy Soule and sticke fast in it for ever In a word the fearefull armies of all the plagues and curses sorrowes and un-sufferable paines denounc'd in Gods Booke against finall Impenitents shall with un-resistable violence take hold upon thee at once and pursue thee with that fury which thou shalt never bee able either to avoide or abide And who is able to stand before this holy Lord God who can abide in His sight when He is angry who can deliver out of His hand what man or Angell what arme of flesh or force of Armes what creature or created power what Cherub or which of the Seraphins is able to free a guilty conscience from the ever-knawing Worme and an impenitent wretch from eternal flames Oh Me thinkes a sensible fore-thought of these horrible things even at hand should make the hardest heart of the most abominable Behall to tremble at the roote and fall asunder in His brest like drops of water To haue his end in his eye and seriously to remember the tribulation and anguish that shall shortly come upon His Soule the affliction the Worme wood and the gall should fright and fire Him out of all His filthy gracelesse good-fellow courses 3. Thirdly Let them consider what horrour it will bee in evill times I meane not onely at death and the last Day which are the most terrible of all but also In times of disgrace and contempt of common feare and confusions of the state of sickenesse crosses restraint banishment temptations or any other dayes of sorrow I say at such times to finde in stead of peace fiery scorpions in their consciences innumerable sins graven there with an iron pen un-repented of Heare how excellently Austin foretels forewarnes them into what a forlorne and fearefull state they shall most certainely fall when after a short gleame of worldly glory they fall into tempestuous and troublesome times Of all afflictions incident to the Soule of man there is none more grievous and transcendent then to have the Conscience enraged with the guilt of sinne If there bee no wound there if all bee safe and sound within if that bird of the bosome sing sweetely in a Mâ—â—s brest it is no matter what miseries be abroad in the World what stormes or 〈◊〉 be raised against Him What arme of flesh or rage of foes beset Him rouâ—d For Hee in this are hath presently recourse unto His conscience the safest Sanctuary and Paradise of sweetest repose and finding that sprinkled with the bloud of the Lambe filled with abundance of peace