devill but an heire of such happinesse may have as heavy an end Abraham remembred Dives of paines in hell for pleasures upon earth Men that have despised the Gospell were blessed if they might die like beasts and be buried like wormes A Toad is touched with lesse misery in the hatred of man than men that for sinne are hated of God A bitter cup that is in Gods keeping and though vengeance bee not powred out of it yet it neither sleepeth nor resteth there for ever Iudgements doe not follow crimes as thunder doth lightning neither is a wicked mans pang alwayes superscribed in his forehead Wickednesse hath Sugar in the mouth and sorrow in the heart wantonnesse like oyle shineth in the face and is festered in the soule worldly things upon the best termes are vaine but vile with sinne men may up and be rich with injury grow great by secret evils and not know their wofull end If these things had better conditions they were no great friends to us but as they are by us to corrupted they are no lesse then tormenters A gay coate will not alwayes beare out a corrupt heart nor high title a hell in the conscience Sophar in the booke of Iob powreth out curses upon the head of an impious man te les him hee shall sucke the gall of Aspes and be slaine by a Vipers tongue The sunne that shineth faire six dayes upon a wicked mans tabernacle may bee clouded the seventh and then for delay he comes to pay the interest Surely when the heavens shall shrivell as a scrole and the Mountaines move like frighted men then no Cave shall bee found to receive or mighty Mountaines to fall upon them Count them miserable who for a while are made fortunate by impiety fooles are at no time happy if wicked men were wise they would cease to be evill Iniquity is an undoubted proofe both of folly and misery Grieve not at the sinners impunitie and prosperity because rightly discerned they even then neither prosper or goe unpunished Vulgar people for their names lie buried with their bodies but great persons and kingdomes stand upon record We are marveilous blind in their use men thinke such and such persons miscarried not by sin but simplicity They are dare hazzard the same way and looke for better successe Let mee never bee credited if they fare better then their neighbours Their Chronicles wil come out with the same edition and addition of better wits It is no working against Gods workes that hath alwayes cursed ill courses mans end in this world ends not his misery in hell Hee stands for a time upon the slippcrie yee and being in darkenesse knowes not when Gods Angell shall push him into hell Psal 35.6 Three aggravations of his misery first the place of his standing this is slipperie Secondly it is possessed with darkenesse and therefore being in the way to fall hee cannot have the wit to place one foote for safety Hee that walkes upon the yee in darkenesse must needs have a downefall as deadly as a break-neck God is angry every day with sinners and could find in his heart to cast them into hell that he spares them is his patience not his pardon for hee will punish in the end Hee will one day breath fire upon those coles that in mercy hee breathed into us His fire shall fall as raine catch them like snares To sire he will adde brimstone and to both an horrible tempest Psal 11.6 The streame and current of Gods wrath shall runne like a River of brimstone the very pile of the pit is fire and that fire hath also much wood to worke on Isa 30.33 This after-clap of hell is the worst and should have our greatest care of prevention before it be too late and wee have lost both our lives and him that is unto us both life and length of daies One hand by the pulse askes the other how wee doe and our eye is on our Vrine to divine in what danger wee are why is there not a pulse panting and beating within to admonish us of our inward estate With what presumption doe we daily provoke God to blow these Soules into hell that once he breathed into our bodies The Lord teach us Wisedome to thinke of our end that when wee are taken of our feete to fall on our beds and from them to the cold earth we may not be raised off our foundation but rest on him that will sustaine us if we obey his Gospell Let the good departure of my Soule to salvation bee alwaies evident to my faith and I shall be the lesse curious to care how darke and deadly it entred into my body It is the going out more then the comming that concernes every hearer of Gods Gospel This was St. Augustines meditation and shall be mine for ever that my end may conclude my sorrowes and begin my joyes The true cause For the cause of this end we are taught by our Text to be sinne and in speciall the sinne of the Gospell Irreligious honest men and civill insidels know not this sinne they have no light and leading unto it Conscience applies no such fact to the Law as to disobey the Gospell neither does the Law trouble any man with accusation of this sin It is solely and solitarily the Gospels office to convince of this fault To want faith in God is reproved by the Law but in a Mediator by the Gospell To want personall righteousnesse is the crime the Law will charge us with but to want the righteousnesse of another must come to bee evinced by the Gospell Holinesse of nature is what the Law requireth and condemneth the contrary but holinesse of Grace infused by the Spirit is the light of the Gospell and to bee destitute thereof is the greatest condemnation Iohn 3.19 This must teach us first to distinguish the sinnes of the Law and the Gospell how to aggravate them Secondly seeing faith and the Gospell are free gifts wee must neither bee closse freinds unto nature nor open friends unto grace We have no power to reach so high as the Gospell or call for faith at our pleasure wee are more ready to reject both and reason against them with the stubborne Iewes than convinced and yeeld them our obedience Thirdly wee must looke to our danger Turkes and Tartars that never heard of the Gospell shall escape better than Christians They shall be beaten with few stripes for that little they have received we with many for our great and gracelesse neglects In stead of rods God will lash us with Scorpions who have neither answered the utmost of our power or greatnesse of our meanes Math. 11.15 and 13.12 Civil moral men under the Gospell are in greatest danger because they oppose their owne righteousnesse to Christs righteousnesse and will not be moved to master themselves in a meane conceite of their best proficiencies These are in danger to want faith because it is needlesse for those that
to sinne and of evils they ever feare the least looking to their temporall life and never regarding their spirituall Thousands feare to dye a corporall death that never heed what it is to die an eternall Feare were better placed upon sinne than sorrow If wee would feare to sinne wee should not need to feare to suffer and in suffering wee were better place our feare upon the second than first death Vtter perdition is not in this world that is reserved for the day of death and dungeon of hell The misery of the place It is sometimes called a prison and judge what an hell it were to live and lie in a dungeon with Monsters of men in this world It is Tartarus of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Pagan name for fearefull and formidable Spectacles They have imagined hell full of horrour for such shapes and shadowes as they have fancied and fabled by their Poets but those are poore affrightments to the dreadfull and terrible face of God and his frowning countenance Cōscience will skarre them more than shadowes and darkenesse than doating dreames It is Tophet or Gehenna a mercilesse place Infants yelling in the fire of Gehenna had their voyces cryings and shrikings drowned by Drums from being heard of their parents The brands of Hell may roare in the Lake and none will bee found to pitty them They cry too late the doore of mercy being shut against them and God of heaven turned their irreconcileable enemie Extreame lamentation They shall weepe their bellies full and to weeping adde wailing and wishing they had never beene They shall wring their hands and curse the day they were ever borne And when sorrow shall doe no good gnash their teeth and grinde them against God for their excessive plagues Teares shall not be taken for repentance but serve to coole the heart and dant the spirits so that extremity of cold may make their teeth chatter and gnash together Heat and cold with all excesses and aggravations of sorrow may meet together We have but lightly touched what they must deepely taste would God it might teach us by so miserable an end to make a happy beginning of our salvation and subjection to the Gospell in this world I will now dispatch the rest more briefely and wish thee the benefit in the whole Vnknowne misery Peter questioneth what we quarrell withall and say hell is not so hot as Preachers make it Peter knowes not how to make it hot enough He had rather aske the question and say What shall the end be than determine It were some comfort to a subject of hell to know his worst Men so solace their soules upon earth with a stubborne resolution to their tormentors doe your worst I know what you can doe and there is an end but it will not be so in hell their sturdy stomackes must come downe and not dare the Almighty to the tryall of his strength The reasons why in hell men shall never faddom the bottome of their woes are these first he that smites is infinite and therefore can augment every blow hee gives Wee whip our children often till they bee senselesse and carelesse of the rod but God will worke them feeling as well as whipping and if need be by an unwonted blow fetch bloud out of another veine Men shall sooner be weary with suffering than he with smiting and every touch shall deare them more than other Secondly man shall never know his owne capacitie Hee hath enough to day to fill him to the brimme his vessell shall be stretched and strained to hold as much or more the next day and so for all eternitie hee shall be inlarged to receive torments Thirdly eternity of extremity can never be brought to light there is still behind whatsoever the measure be for the present We onely that obey the Gospell know our worst and what can be done for us in this world happy time we suffered for God and his truth that we may never suffer for sinne in hell The confusion of unbeleevers Where shall they appeare Sinners and ungodly persons shall be ashamed to be seene and shall finde no place where to hide their shame A marveilous alteration shall befall them and it shall be a wonder to see what a change is made in all their behaviour Impudency and boldnesse did attend them in all places now feare and shame shall accompany them where soever they are I will touch them in two things here related their appearance and place as no ground can hold them from trembling so no sight but it will put them to shame The appearance of unbeleevers It can hardly be credited with what audacious boldnesse and bold audacity men and women dare appeare before God in this world not once thinking that they are either in his debt or danger They prepare not for their audite and account They are like that impudent Ruffian that pictured upon his Target God and the Devill with an inscription under both Vnder God was written si tu nolis if thou wilt not have me I am at a point with thee of defiance c. Vnder the Devill directly opposite to God iste rogitat I am for the Divell and his service God must take them as they are for they meane not to mend and if hee like them not at their worst take them Divell Men live as if they were either to be happy here or without hope hereafter To gaine the world they count all things lawfull and judge they have nothing to injoy when they leave it This makes them appeare empty before God and ashamed of their madnesse and misery Our speech and language might learne us the lesson of our folly We say when wee would be credited for certainty It is as certaine as death and then like fooles we crosse our selves and alter the stile when we have forgotten our selves I did no more thinke of it than my death I judge you by your owne mouthes and manifest your madnesse You beleeve there is nothing that is more certaine than death and confesse there is nothing you lesse thinke of As God shall judge mee is as ready as words and yet by workes you deny it fearing nothing lesse than his judgement To contemne his Law and despise his Gospell is your ordinary practise He may command you will not obey He may threaten you will not feare He may promise you will not beleeve His justice you dare affront his mercy controul his anger does but provoke you his goodnesse emboldens you to sinne You resist and rebell against his Spirit outface and disgrace his Ordinances rage and raile against his Ministers scoffe and scorne at your brethren and there is not any wickednesse you blush at or once checke or challenge your selves for the wrong you doe to God and men Law and Gospel But tell me what you will doe and how you will deale at your appearance and meeting with your judge you have made others tremble defore you and according to your authority have lorded it over your inferiours Thinke seriously of your standing before a greater Lord and gaine an Advocate to pleade with him You shall not bee able to shew your faces or open your mouthes without him Laugh no longer yee impudent sinners at your audacious practises take counsell betimes Bee afflicted and mourne and weepe let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to heavinesse Humble your selves in the fight of the Lord and hee shall lift you up Iam. 4.9 10. Lift not up your selves and brow-beat his Ordinances but beare downe the stout and stubborne heart to bee ashamed betimes and the Lord will encourage you in the evill day Presumptuous persons will pricke on in their pride and perish in the end It will be terrible for them to appeare before God that never appeared before him in prayer but alwayes against him Thinke of this appearance and by the Gospel make your preparation Vnbeleevers have no place free from feare Where shall they appeare They may not hide themselves and yet no place shall be safe for their appearance They will be calling to rockes and mountaines to fall upon them and cover them from from the direfull and irefull Iudge But no hill will be intreated to hide them no rocke to rush upon them Miserable wretches that can beare their sinnes with ease had rather lie under hards rockes and massie mountaines than the least touch of Gods wrath Sampson tooke the Gates of Gaza with the posts and barres upon his shoulders and bare them to the very top of the hill such stout Sampsons are our sinners that stick at no sinne breake open the floud-gates of all impietie pull up all posts and barres that should shut them up and carry all down before them and raise up to the very top of the hill the hight of their horrible crimes All places are defiled with their uncleannesse and they leave no roome in the earth for righteousnesse to dwell in Such as they brew such must they drinke and God will not leave them a place where to shew their heads or shelter themselves from danger No Cave shall cover them no den of darkenesse keepe them from eternall darkenesse I will conclude with Saint Paul 2 Cor. 5.11 Knowing therefore the terrour of the Lord wee perswade men but wee are made manifest to God and trust also are made manifest in your consciences If the terrour of the Lord as we have touched it were made manifest vnto men they would bee perswaded but alas it will never worke till men apply it to their consciences in them have I laboured to fixe this worke and have found ill hearers of it My comfort shall be with assurance that to God wee are made manifest we deale sincerely and wish it may worke kindly in all for their timely conversion and holy conversation to the end Amen FINIS
thy Servants heare The text I have now chosen toucheth upon the things which are both commoda and accommodata profitable and seasonable for these times wherein the house of God groaneth under affliction Two purgatories attend and waite upon Gods family in this world one of water another of fire and no sooner are Gods servants washed with the water of baptisme but presently they are cast into the fire of affliction and proved and tryed as gold Both are expressed in this Chapter the first to the 12. ver and the second from thence to the end That we may have the mind of Christ cease from sinne and live to the will of God the washing of the new birth is necessary only the second purgatory seemeth unquoth and strange that fyrie trialls should befall innocencie and the purity of Saints bee persecuted by sinners but the reasons of the Apostle will quiet this conceit and comfort them First with greater inward joy than any outward sorrow can command Vers 13. Secondly with a greater fulnesse of glory than any malice can obscure the very spirit of glory resteth upon them that the worst of tongues can never wipe off Vers 14. Thirdly with a better cause than contumelie can conquer Vers 15.16 Fourthly with a sweeter season than sorrowes can sowre Ver. 17. And this reason the text alledgeth out of which I will rayse these five propositions 1. God hath a house 2. God judgeth his house 3. God in judgeing makes Choyce of a fit time 4. God having a fit time doth but begin with his house 5. Where God begins to judge he makes there an end God hath a house The sense of this proposition is plainely and fully expressed in 1 Tim. 3.15 That thou maiest know how thou oughtest to behave thy selfe in the house of God which is the Church of the living God This house then is the Church a holy spirituall living and growing house 1. Pet. 2.5 Eph. 2.21 No house in the world that is honoured with these properties besides and therefore fittest for the holy spirituall and living God to dwell in Other houses are all materiall and corporall wherein God is neither included nor out of which he can be excluded in regard of his infinite essence though in the manifestation of his essence hee resideth ever in his Church after a transcendent manner Where shall a maister most delight to be but at home and what home hath God but his Church The earth is the Lords and the fulnesse of it but the Church is his speciall possession and the mansion of his glory The Church is Gods house because he is both owner and maker of it The Lord if you marke it is maister of his house not after the custome of men who first owne and then build for God should have nothing to owne did hee not first make Psal 100.3 He hath made us and not we our selves we are his people and the sheepe of his Pasture Beside this grand title God makes challenge to his Church by other rightfull claimes as election Amos 3.2 by redemption Tit. 2.14 Provision Psal 31.19.84.11 protection Isa 31.5 Vses in respect of the householder Vse 1. To cast our care upon God who being maister of his family will take care for it 1 Pet. 5.7 Casting presupposeth confidence for he that doubteth will scarce rest securely on God Like as a man that treadeth on the Ice and quaketh at the least cracking will bee loth to cast downe his body where he feareth to venture his foot But we need not be timorous when wee are to cast our care upon God but may trust him with our bodies and soules and then try him as the maister of that household whereof we are members Secondly It must also teach us holinesse for holinesse becommeth Gods house for ever Psal 93.5 Hence is it that the Lord lets the wicked lie uncleansed as habitations unfit for the majestie of heaven and therefore suffred to drop downe in their owne rottennesse and corruption but rather than his owne house should not be clensed hee himselfe will take his fanne and purge his sloore and handle the besome to sweep out every dirty and noysome corner yea hee will punish it that hee may refine and repaire it Isa 27.9 Our pollutions in this kingdome must have a sweeping for the Lord having begun with us if wee be his house hee will not give over untill hee hath searched every corner and hallowed us to his owne use Vses in respect of the family 1. It must perswade us to unity the very sight of two things in the house of God made Paul exceeding joyfull Col. 2.5 faith and order Faith makes fast God and his house so firme in societie that nothing can devide them Steadfastnesse of faith makes Gods house stand and rest immovable yet would it be as a confused heape if order should not beautifie it Order sets God in the family as Maister all other as servants and teacheth us hee must command and wee obey and happy is the family when it is so ordered True faith and right order are the two grounded pillars for this house to rest upon which reeleth and is ready to fall upon their first and least removall Wee must therefore take heed to the first and least disjoyning of these two admit error or evill in eyther and it will indanger the whole A house devided in it selfe cannot stand our devisions eyther in doctrine or discipline make a rent in the house of God By the one we weaken faith and by the other the beautie of order Peace which all men call for must bee grounded on these two pillars no truth no true peace no order no sure peace neyther is it enough to have them in the Lawes of the family but they must bee within even in the heart and soules of all those that will accord in one house Alas when we plead for peace wee observe not the rule Mar. 9.50 Have salt in your selves and peace one with another Vnseasoned and unsanctified men want the true ciment that should knit them into one building with the Saints of God As long as we are rotten within wee will rage without and cry out of the most innocent for the breach of peace Peace is lovely but where there wants the true love of God and his truth that sanctifieth the heart there is no roome for true concord The house of a wicked man saluted with peace repels it backe to him that offred it Math. 10.13 He must be a sonne of peace that will admit the salutations of Gods messengers Luk. 10.6 Filius Ecclesiae must be filius Dei He that is a stranger to the Lords tabernacle is most forward to disjoynt the frame of it and will prove in his maisters family that unruly servant that smites his fellow servants and first complaines of breach of peace Oh let truth and peace kisse each other and happy shall be the house of God Let every man say with David
Psal 120.7 I am for peace in Gods family and cursed be they that are for warre Secondly we must learne from hence compassion and mutuall pitty as being all of the same household In a body if one member suffer all suffer with it and the tongue will complaine of the little fingers ake Let us commiserate our brethren over-seas and not suffer the seas more to devide us than the wals of a house can devide a family Those cold winds that blow betweene us must no whit coole the fervor of our love which wee must labour to keepe in heart by our affections to them and prayers for them every one labouring to expresse the forwardnesse of his heart according as God offers ability and meanes for in this house Kings may doe that which subjects cannot the rich may doe that poore men are not able men may doe what women are too weake to effect But all may send prayers to heaven like fire to fall upon the earth and consume their enemies Apoc. 8.5 The Lord Iesus takes fire from the Altar whereon our prayers are offred and casts it upon the earth which presently causeth voyces thundrings lightenings and an earthquake that is worketh our revenge and our adversaries ruine Revelat. 11. verse 5. Out of their mouthes proceedeth fire the prayers and prophecies of the witnesses devoureth their enemies Act. 12. verse 5. upon the Churches prayers Peter is delivered and bailed from prison Herods souldiers and chaines the first and second ward of keepers doores and yron gates are unable to deteine when the forcible and fervent prayers of the Church pull to heave him out Oh pray pray pray for the peace of Zion they shall prosper that thus love her Never did the Church of God enjoy any great deliverance but prayer procured it If wee cannot pray wee may not hope for any good to Gods people Let us with Peter and Iohn at the howre of prayer goe up to the temple Act. 3.1 and likewise to the tops of our houses Act. 10.9 and both publikely and privately importune our Father who seeth in secret as well as in the synagogue to have mercy upon Zion Hypocrites that pray onely in publike have their rewardes that they are not heard of God but seene of men and do rather hinder than helpe in prayer being an abomination unto the Lord. Yee that feare the Lord both privately and publikely make your requests knowne to him that is ready to heare you Take unto you words and say Spare thy people O Lord and give not thine heritage to reproach that the heathen should rule over them c. Last-use in respect of ill neighbours The last use is to shew us that the house of God hath alwaies beene pestered with peevish perverse and persecuting neighbours little love hath beene lent to this house by sinners which are liberall enough in the hurt and hatred of it Saints in a manner live by themselves and are seldome kindly visited by this unkind world If heaven were not more propitious and bountifull they of the household of God were most miserable Warres on all sides are waged against this house and all cry downe with it downe with it even to the ground Rome seekes the ruine of it and runnes hastily to such a prey but wee are to know that all the warres of our adversaries are sacrilegious warres as assaulting the very house of God If any man destroy the temple of God him will God destroy What is more abominable to God and man than to pull downe Churches The holy warre of Rome is to ruinate Gods houses and reare up the houses of Baal Such holinesse is hellish and though it prosper for a time yet it returnes at last upon the hairy scalpe of such as goe on to supplant his house and crusheth them under the ruines of their owne mine Zech. 12.2.3 6. the Church proveth at last a cup of poyson to eate out the enterals of these that devovre it a burdensome stone to quash in peeces such as lift at it a hearth of fire to consume the drosse and stubble that would choake and oppresse it God judgeth his house The people of God drink of the cup Ie. 49.12 but not in judgement that is the judgement of perdition 2. Pet. 3.7 Iudgement saith the text doth but begin with them but where it endeth it is a judgement indeed God may bathe his sword in the heaven of his Church but it will come downe upon the People of his curse to judgement Isa 34.5 How the Lord judgeth his house Iudgements fall upon this house either secretly or openly Hos 12.14 Secret judgements are compared to the moth and rottennesse I will be unto Ephraim as a moth and to the house of Iudah as rottennesse Tinea damum facit non sonitum Thus God is sooner found in the issue than felt in the blow A moth frets a garment secretly and rottennesse eates into a tree unsensibly As a moth to a garment and rottennesse to a tree so is God to the proceedings of Ephraim and designes of Iudah that is hee frustrateth their indeavours and makes their enterprises fruitlesse The purest garment is subject to the moth and the strongest tree to rottennesse so the best and most worthy attempts may in their event and successe for the sinnes of a nation prove abortive and unprofitable As may appeare in these five particulars First in wealth Secondly in strength Thirdly in Counsels Fourthly in courage Fiftly in religion for in these especially may wee observe the secret and most hidden judgements of God 1. God is often a moth in our wealth and outward estate Wealth is the blessing of God yet Deut. 28 16 17 18. a curse is threatned against it and for disobedience often executed our obteyning possessing expending of wealth are often blasted of God with secret judgements When wee have secret waies to gather God hath as secret wayes to scatter Pro. 11.24 Wee learne of an ill maister Matth. 4.3 rather to desire to make stones bread or raise a living out of lying other hard and unwarrantable courses than to make bread of Gods Word wee thinke it necessary that wee live but how we care not following the heathens rule that wealth must bee gotten to supply necessity no matter for right Hor. Vnde habeat nemo quaerit sed oportet habere Theeves Vsurers oppressors deceitfull Merchants and tradesmen are resolved they must live but how in what manner and by what meanes they weigh not O that wee would never force any stone to releive us that every word of God might be our warrant to take up whatsoever we owne or use and we no more willing to sin against God than not to live 2. God is often a moth in our strength Strength of body is another blessing of God and â—â—fitts a man to be serviceable to God and his countrey The Church hath now need of able and hardy men thaâ— may indure to stand in the open field