exercised in hearing the word of God prayer Vpon which grounds you that are of the Parish of S. Antholins in London you y t are the hearers of the morning Lectures there are worthily to be cōmended the one because you haue founded a Lecture in that place at the fittest time of the day which as hath bin prooued is the morning wherein appeares your godly wisdome The other for repayring to heare the said Lecture wherin appeares your zeale and deuotion Many Cōgregations haue done religiously in this kinde but you surmount them all for howsoeuer the word is to be preached in season and out of season and no time or season is vnfit for the hearing of the same yet they are to bee commended aboue the rest which make choyce of the fittest time for this purpose There bee some which dare deride and slander this morning exercise but this ought not to derogate from the worthines excellency of it for I neuer heard of any action were it neuer so holy and vertuous but it alwayes had aduersaries to impeach it And this is a sure argument vnto me that it is a seruice acceptable vnto God aboue other of the same nature because it is more depraued slandered than any other for the more diuine that any action is the more enuy hath the deuil at it Let none therfore be discouraged or take offēce at this Lecture if they heare it any way euil spoken of but let this be my exhortation both to you that mayntayne it to you that repayre to heare it that you be not weary of well doing for so is the will of God that by continuing in well doing you may put to silence the ignorance and malice of foolish men Yours in the Lord Robert Gray AN Alarum to England Gen. 19.23 24 25. 23. The Sunne did rise vpon the earth when Lot entred into Zoar. 24. Then the Lord rayned vpon Sodom and Gomorra brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heauen 25. And ouerthrew those Cities and all the plaine and all the Inhabitants of those Cities and all that grew vpon the earth MAny and fearefull haue bene the iudgements which Almighty God from time to time hath executed vpon man for sinne But of all the examples of Gods vengeance this which he shewed vpon Sodom and Gomorrha for their impiety is most horrible and dreadfull for whose eares do not tingle whose flesh doth not tremble whose hart doth not melt to heare of such a sudden strange and mercilesse fire as this was which like a showre of raine fell vpon these cities and destroyed them Wée read of the torments of hell that they are vnspeakeable and as the heart of man cannot imagine the ioyes which are prepared for the godly no more can the heart of man imagine the miseries which are reserued in hell for the wicked and vngodly Now of all the iudgements which God hath inflicted vpon man in this world there is none which doth more resemble the paines of hell then this wherewith Sodom and Gomorrha were ouerthrowne Esay 30.33 it is sayd that in Tophet there is burning fire and a riuer of brimstone is there sayd to kindle it and Reuel 20.21 it is sayd that the diuell was cast into a lake of fire and brimstone and Reuel 21.8 all the wicked and vngodly are threatned to haue their portion in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death So that the torments of hel and the iudgement wherewith Sodom and Gomorrha were destroyed are fire and brimstone As therfore the torments of hell are vnspeakable and passe all other torments so this vengeance which the Lord inflicted vpon Sodom and Gomorrha resembling hell torments is the most grieuous and fearefull vengeance which euer was executed vpon any people in this world for this cause ought we more duly and seriously to consider it to the end that the horrour and dread thereof might strike and imprint a feare and trembling in our hearts to offend so great and mighty a God which is able to punish and destroy the vngodly euen in this world with such horrible and fearefull punishments And surely if euer we stood in néed of precepts to admonish vs of counsell to forewarne vs or of examples to terrify vs we now stand in néede of them in this hard and flinty-hearted age of the world wherein neyther precepts nor counsell nor examples of other folkes harmes can any thing preuayle with vs to make vs beware what things soeuer were written before were all written for our learning all people before vs haue bene made examples for vs yet nothing can moue vs or make vs wise but wée are as inrespectiue of Gods iudgements and as carelesse of his displeasure as though we had neuer read or heard any thing and so resolute are we in our impenitency that if we should see Sodom and Gomorrah burning before our faces the fearefull beholding of so strange an obiect might happely breede admiration and wonderment in vs but repentance and amendement of life it would not But Sodom lyes in the ashes of her destruction and wée haue raked by the remembrance of her in the ashes of obliuion Sodom is not so much as heard of by report in the day of our pride her destruction was a wonder indéed but we confirme the old prouerb The greatest wōder lasts but nine dayes And as the smoke of her and of her land sometimes ascended into the clouds and so vanished in like maner the remembrance of her and of her destruction is perished like smoke and forgotten as though it had neuer bene yet wée practise her sinnes and are corrupted more then shée in all her abominations shée is a younger sister to vs in iniquity and we iustify her in all our transgressions What a madnes is this to forget the iudgement wherewith she was destroyed and to practise her sinnes which was the cause shée was destroyed This is to be penny wise pound foolish for we may be well assured that if we practise her sinnes we shall taste of her iudgements Therefore in her name I haue vndertaken to giue an Alarum to this City and this land to eschew the sinns of Sodom lest they burne in the iudgements of Sodom and for the same purpose I haue made choise of this parcel of Scripture contayning a true plaine and perfit relation of that feareful ouerthrow which Almighty God brought vpon Sodom and her Cities for their abominations In which ouerthrow we haue foure things especially to consider 1. The suddennes of it it was by Sun-rise 2. The author of it which was the Lord from the Lord out of heauen 3. The maner of it which was with fire brimstone 4. The generality of it all the plaine and all the Inhabitants of the Cities all that grew vpon the earth were destroyed in this ouerthrow Lastly the cause of this sudden fearefull generall ouerthrow which was sinne
and iniquity The suddennesse of Sodoms destruction appeares in that the History reporteth that it happened by the Sunne-rise in the morning so that their destruction came vpon them vnawares Ouer-night they were all gathered together about Lots house to breake open his dores and in the morning their owne houses crackle about their eares are burnt ouer their heads and they themselues consumed in the same fire They made Lot and his ghests haue an ill night but now they themselues haue a worse morning for in their sinfull beds did the fire take them or if they were risen from their beds a showre of fire and brimstone gaue them a wofull good morrow And though this fire and brimstone came downe in a showre of rayne yet it was such a showre as was not discerned before it came the Skye was not ouercast the Sunne was not ouershaddowed with clouds nor the firmament with gloomy and thicke darkenesse as vsually it is before other showres but the Sunne did rise as fayre and bright vpon the earth as at other times so that there was no cause to expect or feare such a showre and by reason it hapned so soone in the Morning it took some of them in their beds some asléep some not throughly wakened some apparrelling themselues others preparing themselues to go about their sundry occasions but none of them dreaming of such an hot seruice as to haue fire and brimstone to their breakefast When Almighty God brought that vniuersall floud vpon the old world Noah was a Preacher vnto them of that age and by preparing the Arke he gaue them warning what was intended towards them In like maner when Iericho was layd leuell with the ground the ruines of that City were in a maner made manifest vnto the Inhabitants thereof by the seuen dayes compassing of it about and the sound of the trumpets did as it were sound foorth their destruction vnto them and euen vnto Pharaoh was Moses sent still the day before to forewarne him and giue him knowledge of the plagues which should ensue the day after but in this destruction of the Sodomites there was no man to forewarne them of it no prediction to foretell it no signe to demonstrate it so suddenly doeth vengeance take them euen vnawares and when they little thought of any such matter From whence growes this instruction vnto vs that such as continue and goe on still in their wickednes without repentance shall suddenly be destroyed before they be aware God sendeth downe his vengeance suddenly vpon the wicked euen when they cry Peace Peace and all is well then doth vengeance come suddenly vpon them as sorrow commeth vpon a woman trauayling with child This Elihu noted in his experience They dye suddenly sayth he meaning the wicked and the people shal be troubled at midnight that is when they looke not for it and they shall passe foorth meaning the iudgements of God and take away the mighty without hand that is quickly or contrary to all expectation Many and fearefull are the examples which we haue in the Scriptures concerning this matter Lots wife turning her head awry was her selfe at that very instant turned into a pillar of salt Zimry and Cozby were both slaine amidst their filthines Belshazzar in the height of his feasting reuelling and banquetting had his iudgement laid vpon him Dauid being astonied at the sudden destruction of the wicked maketh an exclamation by way of admiration concerning this matter Psalm 73.19 Oh how suddenly sayth he are they destroyed perished horribly consumed And surely the sudden destruction of the wicked is not onely terrible to them y t are striken with it but it causeth as many to wonder as eyther heare of it or behold it When the earth opened swallowed vp Corah Dathan and Abiram with their wiues and children they themselues did not onely send foorth pittifull and rufull outcryes at the suddennes of their owne destruction but all Israel that were about them fled at the cry of them death come it neuer so gently yet it is most terrible dreadfull to nature because it destroys nature but sudden death is a degrée more fearefull then death because death is the way of all flesh and it is appoynted for all men once to dye and therefore it is wisedome patiently to beare and not to feare that which cannot be auoyded but sudden death is neyther common to all nor necessary for any but it is like a Kains marke set vpon some few for examples sake to warne others to feare and liue preparedly In all worldly reason it is better to dye in a moment then of a long languishing sickenes Therefore Caesar was wont to say Repentinus inopinatus finis vitae est commodissimus But howsoeuer a long languishing sickenes is grieuous to nature and tedious to flesh and blood yet therein a man hath time to compose and set himself in order to dispose and set his house in order to yeld back his spirit to God which gaue it with old Simeon to sing that Swanlike song Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace according to thy word to giue testimony to the world that he dyes in the true faith of Christ and in loue and charity with all men so that he leaues a good report behind him which as Salomon sayth is better then a precious oyntment But as for him that dyes suddenly he can do none of these things and therefore he leaues a suspition behind him neyther can the iudging Nature of man hardly beléeue charitably of him For indéed to say the truth where God will haue mercy he commonly giues time to craue mercy but when he strikes suddenly it is a fearefull signe that he meanes to haue no mercy for so he threatens to the vngodly His destruction shall come suddenly he shal be destroyed speedily without recouery These things being duly considered we haue iust cause to pray with the Church in her Liturgy From sudden death good Lord deliuer vs. But you will say that we ought continually to liue so prepared and prouided for death that we should be ready at all times steale it neuer so suddenly vpon vs. True it is such in déed should be our readines and preparation But yet this is no good argument that therefore we should not pray against sudden death for thus I will instance against it Euery man is bound to prouide for his family things honest and necessary for their reliefe and mainetenance and he that doth not so is worse then an Infidell yet euery man notwithstanding must pray Giue vs this day our dayly bread Our prouision for bread must not hinder our prayer for bread neyther must our preparation for death hinder our praying against sudden death But you will say vnto me Doe you condemne all that dye suddenly or doe you thinke that sudden death is alwayes a spirituall iudgement What say you to good
King Iosias so much lamented by Ieremy and commended by the testimony of Gods spirit in the Scriptures What say you to many good men some drownd at sea some kild in fight some going well to bed and found dead in their beds do you affirme that sudden death to all these is a spiritual iudgement Surely concerning Iosias I answere that he dyed not a sudden death for he was wounded at Megiddo and after he was wounded he complayned to his seruants that he was very sicke wherevpon his seruants remoued him out of his owne charret into an other and afterward carryed him to Ierusalem and there he dyed Can Iosias be sayd to dye of a sudden death They doe but fâ—atter the world which countenance the sudden death of their friends with the example of Iosias for where it is sayd that he was taken in there nets the Prophet doth not meane by Nets the suddennes of his destruction but rather the cunning deuices and stratagems which his enemies vsed to worke his ouerthrow and so is Net taken Iob. 18.8 and in diuers other places besides And as for such as perish at sea they cannot be sayd to dye suddenly for when a man sets his foote into a ship he well knows that there is but halfe a foots breadth at the most betwéene him death so that a mans entrance into a ship to goe to sea is as it were an entrance into some dangerous sickenes and commonly there is some storme before a shipwracke which is a good premonition of ensuing danger when a man is vnder water he is not presently depriued of life but there is some reluctation of Nature in which time of reluctation there may be many a déep sigh sent vnto God for mercy and forgiuenes and as it is with those that goe to sea so it is with those that goe to fight who knoweth not that the chance of warre is vncertaine therfore when a man goes into the field to fight he should make account that he lies him downe vpon his sick-bed The Drums and Trumpets are to him as so many bells that sound forth his dolefull knell The Arrowes the Pikes the shot of all sort are messengers of death vnto him so that he cannot be said to die suddenly but that man dyes suddenly who being in perfect health and frée from all imminent danger is so depriued of life that there is no reluctation of Nature to bée perceiued And what are we to iudge of such Surely concerning such we are not onely to consider the present condition of their death but also to looke backe to their liues formerly past and if we find them to haue liued in al good conscience before God and men and to haue béene busied in some holy or charitable action at the howre of their death these men doubtlesse dye in the fauor of God sudden death is but a temporall iudgement vnto them it were against the rule of charitie piety to iudge otherwise of them for of what kind of death soeuer a iust man dyes it shal be wel with him his soule shal be at rest but if a man hath all his life time liued wickedly vnconscionably and be also taken by death in some vngodly vncharitable action out of al question suddeÌ„ death is a spiritual iudgment to such a man as it was to the Sodomites here in this place whom the Apostle S. Iude doth definitiuely condemne saying that they suffer the vengeance of eternal fire Let this therefore be the vse of all that hath bin said euen to pray against sudden death yet to liue alwaies so prepared for death that we may be ready at all times with the fiue wise virgins in the Gospel to go in with the bridegrome be partakers with him of al his pleasures which indure for euermore Now we are in the 2. place to consider the Author of this fearefull ouerthrow wherewith SodoÌ„ Gomorra were destroyed that was the Lord for the text saith The Lord rayned vpon Sodom Gomorrha brimstone fire froÌ„ the Lord out of heauen The phrase of spéech here vsed séemeth somwhat strange therefore diuers men haue diuersly interpreted it some haue thought it to be nothing els but a speach proper to the Hebrew tongue others haue thought it a redundancy of speach some againe haue thought that the holy Ghost would by this forme of speach note vnto vs a miraculous and extraordinary action aboue and beyond the course of nature but in reading the ancient fathers we may finde that they did vrge this place against certaine Hereticks of their time to proue the eternity of Christ So Marcus Arethusus in the Sirinian Counsell alledged these words against Photinus expounding them thus The Lord Christ to whom y e Father hath committed all iudgement did rayne from the Lord Iehouah his Father brimstone and fire out of heauen So that Almighty God by his Sonne did execute this fearefull vengeance vpon Sodom and her Cityes There was neuer any thing which hapned in the world eyther so miraculous or extraordinary but there haue bene euer some which haue eyther douted of the truth of it or disputed about the true cause of it Some haue doubted vpon the truth of Noahs floud Others haue attributed the cause thereof to the constellation of the Starrs or to fatall necessity Concerning the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha there be that do attribute it to the nature of the soyle for the country say they being full of pitch slime and other combustible matter the fire that destroyed these cities did burst forth of the earth Which assertion of theirs is cleane contrary to the Scripture here in this place which sayth that it came from heauen And amongst vs at this day if any strange accidents do happen eyther in the Ayre or in the Earth or in the Waters we referre them to some naturall cause or other being vnwilling as it were to acknowledge God to haue a hand in them And why should we be so willing to séeke out causes in nature for such things as fall foorth strangely in the world and so vnwilling to intitle the God of nature in them God made the Starres and the Planets and the rest of the celestial bodies of that kind to be for signes and seasons dayes and yéeres and this is the right and lawfull vse of them by their creation Let them be for signes saith Almighty God but not for causes Astra demonstrant non necessitant The Starrs doe sometimes foreshew such things as happen but they are not the inforcing causes of such things as happen Most impious therefore and blasphemous it is to ascribe these things to the influence and operation of the Stars for it is to rob God of his honour to derogate from his power to ouerthrow his prouidence and to tye God to secondary and subordinate
himselfe in his afflictions I should haue bene dumbe and not haue opened my mouth saith he because thou didst it Séeing his troubles came from God he confesseth he should haue indured them patiently Let vs therefore learne what to doe in the same case euen to be patient in our greatest troubles because God inflicts them and layes them vpon vs. The bird being caught in the lime-bush and not knowing the true cause of her calamitie striueth and struggleth to inlarge her selfe but the more she applieth her selfe to procure her fréedome the more she plungeth her selfe into thraldome the more feathers she loseth and the more vnable she makes her selfe to make her escape if she were at libertie Euen so the partie afflicted not knowing or acknowledging from whence his afflictions come the more he laboreth to recouer and rid himselfe out of his troubles the more hee inwrappeth himselfe into troubles the more meanes he vseth of his owne deuising to relieue himselfe the lesse comfort doth he féele and the heauier are his crosses vnto him But as the ship which by the violent course of a spring-tide is driuen vpon the maine doth patiently abide til the next spring-tide come and fetch her off knowing that as she was driuen vpon the ground by the Tide so she must be brought off with a Tide so that person which is crossed or afflicted knowing that his afflictions come from God doth patiently indure them knowing that he which laid his afflictions vpon him can also in his good time remooue them from him Lastly to acknowlege God to be the author of our afflictions stirreth vs vp more duly seriously to serue please him according to his wil. If there could haue bin found but 10. righteous men in Sodom the Lord would haue spared the whole citie for those Tens sake So if the Lord finde any thing in vs that is agréeable to his will or acceptable in his sight he will not punish vs nor afflict vs nor crosse vs further then may be for his glory and our good None can promise to himselfe though he be neuer so righteous that he shal be frée from afflictions but the afflictions of Gods children are gentle chastisments they come from the loue of a Father and not from the rigour of a Iudge We neuer read that euer he rayned downe fire brimstone vpon the godly but if at any time he do correct them his corrections are milde fatherly and tending to amendment and not to their destruction If therefore thou wilt haue God fauourable and kind and good vnto thée serue him feare him please him so if he do chastise thée it shal be for thy good and not for thy destruction Now in the third place according to my first obseruations let vs consider the maner of this destruction which the Lord brought vpon Sodom and Gomorrha and that was fire and brimstone fire which as we say hath no mercy fire from heauen which is more fierce fearefull then other fire fire mingled with brimstone whereby the fire became more furious and terrible and the whole Land made barren and fruitlesse for euer And this mercylesse fierce terrible fire mingled with brimstone came from heauen in a showre of rayne but neuer was there such a showre of rayne fell vpon the earth This was a rayne not to coole and refresh the earth but to burne and consume the earth and the Inhabitants thereof This was a raine not to make the Earth fruitfull but to make it fruitlesse for euermore This was a raine not to moysten the earth nor to make it spring and bring foorth things necessary for mans vse but it was a rayne to skorch and parch the Earth and to destroy both man and beast from the face of the Earth for it rayned fire and brimstone from heauen In the destruction of the old world we read that it rayned vpon the earth forty dayes and fortynights but it was water simply without any other mixture Amongst the rest of the plagues of Egypt raine was one but it rayned hailesâ—ones fire mingled with the haile and that raine hurt nothing but what was in the field but this raine which fell vpon Sodom was not water but fire nor hayle mingled with fire but fire mingled with brimstone and it did not onely destroy that which was in the field but whatsoeuer was either in field or citie within the house or without at home or abroad was destroyed with this raine man woman and child beast and cattell trées and herbes all perished with this raine And the more strange was y e maner of this iudgemeÌ„t because it is sayd that brimstone came from heauen We often read of brimstone in hell but it is very strange that a thing of so stinking and odious a smell as brimstone is should come from such a swéete and pleasant place as heauen is Lamentable and rufull hath béene the diuastation ouerthrow of diuers cities in the world as of Troy Carthage Ierusalem Thebes and such like insomuch as the very relation of their ruines hath mooued mens hearts to pittie the perplexed estate of all degrées distressed with such desolation But the maner of this destruction wherewith Sodom and Gomorrha were ouerthrowne is without comparison Neuer was there people so distressed If the rude and barbarous souldier had entred these cities by force and had put man woman child to the swoord imbruing their hands in the reuerend bloud of the old men ripping vp the bodies of women great with child taking the Infants sucking babes out of their cradles vpon the points of their speares deflowring wiues rauishing maides spoyling the widdowes and fatherlesse sparing no age sexe or degrée but destroying all before them with fire sword this had bene lamentable but yet such is the condition of warre and no strange thing had happened to these Cityes but such as had bene common to other cityes in their ouerthrow If the Lord had sent a famine vpon the people of these cities of Sodom Gomorrha broken their staffe of bread and diminished the oyle in the cruze and the meale in the barrell and had dryed vp all their springs fountaines so that they had bene inforced to haue eaten and drunke their owne excrements euery man to haue eaten the flesh of his owne arme and euery mother the childe of her owne wombe this had bene very miserable yet such as diuers other people besides haue tasted of But this people were otherwise surprised It was no mortall enimy but the immortall God that fought against this people The heauens sent downe their forces against this people and therefore in vaine was it to lift vp hands head or eyes towards heauen because from thence came their destruction If an enemy of the same mould that this people were of had besieged them there might haue béene some treaty some parley some conditions of peace of departing with bagge and
baggage of ransome or tribute hoped for but when they saw the heauens open aboue their heads and sending downe fire and brimstone vpon them whē they saw their houses on fire about their eares no place of refuge or safegard to flye vnto no meanes to escape when they felt the fire fall vpon their soft and tender bodyes as thick as rayne when they felt it scorche their flesh when they saw one another lye sprawling vpon the ground drawne to like a scrowle of parchment with y e scalding heat of the fire none able to help another none able to cōfort another what a miserable face of a citie was there thinke you quis talia fando temperet a lachrymis For the Lord rayned vpō these cities brimstone fire from the Lord out of heauen Now the reasons which moued the Lord to send this strange and terrible iudgement vpon these cities and people were especially 3. This God so wonderfull in power might and so feareful in his punishment had before this time drownd the world for sin but the people of Sodō Gomorrha were nothing terrified with that iudgemēt but were as wreched wicked in their courses as if they had heard of no exāple of Gods wrath against sin therefore now God sends fire to destroy them to let all the vngodly of the earth know that all the Elements and all creatures in heauen earth and hell are readie and prest to take vengeance vpon man for his sin when it pleaseth God to command enioyne them the Lord is not so bare of iudgements that he hath but one kinde to reuenge himselfe vpon y e vngodly he hath more thē one arrow of vengeance to the bow of his wrath he hath water to drawn thée fire to consume thée plague pestilence to destroy thée dearth famine to pine thée a thousand grieuous diseases to bring thée to thine end The earth is at his beck to open and swallow thée vp quick the Angels are at his commandment to strike 〈…〉 sudden death The deuils wayt vpon his will and if he bid them goe they haue power to tempt thée to bee thine owne butcher and executioner as to hang thy selfe to throw thy selfe downe headlong and break thy neck to cut thine own throat This God would haue y e sinner know And therefore let all the vngodly of the world feare this God trēble at his iudgmēts be careful cōscionable to serue please him take héed how they offend him for if they prouoke him he wil not spare them They haue not so many wayes to anger him withall as hée hath plagues punishments to destroy them withall And from hence an impenitent sinner may gather that there is no place of safety nor security for him a walled citie is no place of defence for a sinner his house is no castle vnto him his bed is no place of safegard for him for in al these places God hath messengers of death and destruction to attach him The second 〈◊〉 why the Lord brought this kind of iudgement vpon these cities people was y t the maner of their punishmēt might be suteable correspondēt to the maner of their sin for wheras they burned in the filthy lust of concupiscence one towards another against the order course of nature the Lord to punish this vnnatural heat of lust in thē brought a supernatural fire vpon them as they delighted in the filthy odious pleasure of sin defiled themselues with the hellish contagion of impietie so the Lord punished them with brimstone mingled with fire that as their sins made them stinke in the nosethrills of Almighty God so they might be choked stifled with the detestable stinking smell of brimstone as the Lord made the punishment of this people suteable to their sinne so he would haue al sinners know y t wherewith a mā sinneth by the same also shal he be punished for it was not vnpossible to the Almighty hand of God which made all the world of nought to haue drowned this people their land with the ouerflowing streames of Iordan or to haue deliuered them into the hands of y e foure kings as once before or to haue sent the infectious noysom pestilence among them but God chose rather to destroy thē with fire brimstone from heauen to giue notice to all posterities y t as they sin so shal they be punished Aarōs sonnes offred strange fire vpon the Altar therfore a strange fire from heauen destroyed them Samson suffering the eyes of his mind and the light of his reason to be extinguished was for his punishment depriued of his bodily eyes and lost the comfortable sight of this world And as he suffered himselfe to be captiuated and inthralled to the wil of a woman so was he made a slaue to the will of his vncircumcised enemies compelled by them to grinde in a mill like an horse then which there could not be a more seruile seruitude And it séemeth by the example of Diues that in hel there shal be some thing in the torments of the damned which shall haue some correspondency with their sinnes for Diues being vnmerciful in the world while he liued can finde no mercy nor compassion when he is dead either in hell or heauen he that would not giue a crum of bread to Lazarus in his life time cānot now get a drop of water to coole the typ of his tongue Howsoeuer therfore there be generall torments in hell for the damned yet it should séeme that there shall be some particular thing in their torments which shall haue some semblance with their sins the reason is because they might to their greater griefe be put in minde of their sinnes which were the cause of those tormēts The third last reason why the Lord from heauen sent downe this strange feareful iudgement vpon these cities people was because their sinnes cryed vp to heauen therefore God answered the cry of their sins with a punishmēt from heauen And this God doth to let vs sée how sin turneth heauen into hell and maketh the mercifull Sauiour of mākind to be an vnmerciful destroyer of mankind God is by nature a preseruer of men The shepherd of Israel A refuge for men to fly vnto for safegard succour but such is the strong effects of sin and so strangely worketh it with God y t of a preseruer of men it makes him a destroyer of men of a shepheard it makes him a leopard of a lambe a lyon The heauēs by nature giue rayne vnto the earth in due season to make it fruitefull and fertile to bring forth things necessary for the vse of man But sinne makes the heauens to bée brasse vnto vs causeth them to send downe fire brimstone storme tempest to make the earth barren fruitles destroy both man beast from off