such when the Mountain was dissolved and did melt with fervent heat into Floods of burning Fire might look upon Death the utmost the fire could bring upon them with an unappaled countenance yea with great considence and comfort because of their well-grounded hopes of rest and happiness in Heaven whose habitation prepared for them there is beyond the reach of any Earthly Fire to consume But no wonder if the blind Superstitious Papists whose worship is mingled with such vanity and Indolatry be filled with such dread and horrour especially the more notorious Sinners amongst them surely the consciences of the most are now awkened the stings and lashes whereof no doubt above all other things did at this time encrease their terrour But what course do they take for the diverting Gods anger which so visibly did break sorth in these Flames and Fire from the burning Mountain and for the prevention of the threatned ruine they do not betake themselves to their knees to Fasting and Prayer in any way of Gods prescribing they do not apply themselves by Faith unto the Blood of Christ to appease the wrath of the angry God No. The Relation telleth us that The Religious appeared every where with much devotion carrying in Procession their Reliques especially those of St. Agatha the famous Martyr of Catania in which they reposed no small confidence followed by a great multitude of people mortifying themselves with Whips and other signs of penance And at another time The Bishop of the place followed by the Clergy Secular and Regular and an infinite number of the people went in solemn Procession out of the City of Catania unto Monte de St. Sophia carrying out with greatest Devotion their choicest Reliques and upon an Altar erected in view of the Mountain exposed them where they celebrated Masse and used exorcismes accustomed upon such extraordinary occasions Thus blind and sottishly Superstitions these people are But is the anger of the Lord hereby appeased No it is so much the more encreased and they cannot charm the noise and flames of the Mountain with all their Exorcismes But all the while they continue in their Superstitious exercices It is said The Moantain ceased not as before with excessive roaring to throw up it's smoke and flames with extraordinary violence and abundance of great stones were carried thorow the air some of them falling within their view though as ten miles distant from the eruption This was an open rebuke of them for their Superstition â—…o odious and abominable in the â—…ight of God CHAP. VI. Concerning the cause of the Eruption of Mount Aetna THe Supreme cause of the flames and fiery streams which brake forth from the Bowels of Mount Aetna was the Lord who is not only Ens Entium the Being of Beings but also Causa Causarum the Cause of Causes whatever was the second God was the first cause all the works of Nature in the World being effected by him who is the God of Nature in and by him every thing hath as it 's being so also it 's vertue and operation It is said Iob 9. 10. He doth great things past finding out yea and wonders without number amongst the Mirabilia Dei the wonderful works of God this is none of the least In Miracles God doth work more immediately and in wonders God doth work more remarkably than in ordinary works Moreover this Eruption of Fire which made such a dreadful devastation of houses carried with it the plain face of a Judgement and every judgement it is from God as the Judge of the World God is in no wise the Author of Sin but he is the Author of all penal evil the anger of the Lord did not only smoke but break forth into a Flame it was the breath of the Lord that did kindle this Stream which overturned and swallowed up so many Habitations And surely the Inhabitants of the place had been blowing up the Coals of Gods anger before by their Sins It was not without cause from themselves that this judgement was brought upon them The distance of this Place from Rome is but little and the difference between them in Idolatry and all sort of wickedness is reported to be lesse Sicily hath drunk deep of the Cup of Fornication which is in the hand of the Romish Whore and God made some of them drink something of the Cup of his Wrath and Indignation yea Sodomy it self is of frequent practice in those parts and God brings ruine like unto that of Sodom upon their houses by Streams of Fire and Brimstone though through infinite patience their persons were preserved The cause under God of these dreadful Eruptions was the Fire in the Bowels of the Mountain which meeting with a large quantity of combustible matter and kindling it could not be contained in so streight room but with such noise and violence brake forth in such flames and streams at the mouth and sides When this Fire was first kindled is not known the burning of the Mountain being more ancient than any History can remember What the Poets feign concerning the War of the Gyants with the Gods and their casting down great Enceladus with Thunder and keeping him down with vast Mountains and this of Aetna being thrown upon his head that this Fire was kindled by his hot breath is as ridiculous as it is fabulous Some are of the opinion that there are Fountains of Fire under ground as well as of Water and that in the bosom and bowels of the Earth God hath layd up Treasures of this Element enclosing it in vast Caverns as in so many Store-houses which Subterranean Fire they assign to be the cause of hot Bathes and that Mount Aetna as also Vesuvius with other flaming Mountains which Geographers and Travellers tell us are to be seen in all the parts of the World are the breathing holes of this Fire but the Scripture is wholly silent of any such work of God there we read of the Earth and the gathering together of the waters and the Fountains of the great deep but nothing of any Fountains of Fire mingled with either of these Elements and the laying up of this Element in store in a place so low when naturally it tendeth upwards is not easie to conceive besides who ever hath descended into the depths of the Earth to search and find out these depths of Fire Iustin giveth other reasons of this Fire Lib. 4. Caâ—… 1. Est antem terra tennis fragilis cavernis quibusdam fistulisque ita penetrabilis ut ventorum tota ferme flatibus pateat nec non ignibus generandâ—…s nâ—…triendisque soli ipsius naturalis materia quippe intrinsecus stratum sulphure bitumine traditur quae res facit ut spiritu cum igne inter interior a luctante frequenter compluribus lâ—…cis nunc flammas nunc vaporem nunc â—…umum eructet Indo denique Aetnae montis per tot socula durat incendium The meaning in brief is this The earth in
eat her Flesh and burn her with Fre. And again Chap. 18. throwout we have the destruction and burning of Babylon or Rome set forth at large Ver. 2. Babylon the great is fallen is fallen Ver. 4. Come out of her my people that ye pertake not of her Plagues Ver. 7. As she hath glorifyed her self and lived deliciously so much torment and sorrow give her Ver. 8. Her plagues shall come in one day and she shall be utterly burnt with fire for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her The Kings of the Earth that committed Fornication with her and Merchants and Ship-masters shall bewail her when they see the smoke of her burning Ver. 9. But in Heaven there shall be joy The Lord will rejoice the Prophets and Apostles will rejoice and all the Saints will rejoice in the vengeance which shall then be taken upon Her Ver. 20. Rome was standing and did rejoice when London was burning and I hope London will be standing and much more rejoice when Rome is burning London was burnt but in part Rome shall be utterly burnt with Fire London after it's burning is rebuilt in a great measure but Rome shall never be rebuilt after this burning This Babylon when it falleth shall never rise more Ver. 21. And a mighty Angel took up a stone like a great Mile-stone and cast it into the Sea saying Thus with violence shall that great City Babylon be thrown down and shall be found no more at all As a great Mile-stone thrown into the midst of the Sea is overwhelmed with Water so shall Rome be overwhelmed with Fire and as a Mile-stone cannot be raised and drawn out of the Sea so Rome when burnt shall never be raised again out of it's ashes and ruines Dreadful will the destruction of Rome be when the time of her barning is come those which stand a far off for fear of her torment who have been friends to her shall lament what lamentâ—…tions then will there be by such as shall be found in the place it self when it shall be set on Fire about their eares when the Pope and Cardinals and the other Inhabitants of that Filthy and Abominably wicked City shall be consumed together as is likely in the midst of the flames O the hideous out-crys which then will be made in every street when they are surrounded with Fire on all sides and there is no way left for them to escape when their Houses and Wealth and Persons shall be consumed together by the devouring flames when God by such a dreadful fire on Earth shall convey them down to the more dreadful fire of Hell Then the Lord will avenge all the blood of his Saints which under the Anti-Christian tyranny hath been shed for so many generations then he will avenge all the Idolatry Pride Covetousness Oppression Blasphemy Filthiness Cruelty and Wickedness of Rome together When the Grape â— of this Vine are fully ripe the Angel with his sharp Sicle will cut it and throw it into the Winepress of Gods wrath where it shall be squiesed and crusht to pieces When their iniquities are full then their ruine shall come And surely the time is not far off I am much of the perswasion that this generation shall not passe away before God will accomplish what he hath threatn'd concerning Râ—…nes burning and destruction the last Sands of the hour of Gods Patience seem to be running the forty and two months seem to be expiring and the two witnesses civilly slain it may be are arising and then Rome will quickly be faâ—…ling CHAP. X. Concerning the burning of the World 2 BY the burning of Mount Aetna we may be minded also of the burning of the World I mean the last general conslagration of the World at the end thereof whether Aetna's burning be a Prognostick of Rome's burning is not so certain but that it is a Prognostic of the Worlds burning and dissolution by Fire may be proved from Scripture as Luke 21. 11. Where our Saviour foretelling his Disciples what the signs should be of his coming and the end of the World amongst Wars Pestilences Earth-quakes doth reckon up fearful sights as one Fore-runner and I verily think there hath not been a more fearful sight since the days of our Saviour then this of the Eruption of Firâ—… and Brimstone from this flaming Mountain the Inhabitant of the place expected a general conflagration then but we may well say that this fearful sight is a Fore-runner of it foretold by Christ and therefore should put us in mind of it The notice of this great and universal burning of the World we have not from reason but from the Scripture the clearest and fullest place to prove this is 2 Pet. 3. 5 6 7. By the Word of God the Heavens were of Old and the Earth standing out of the Water and in the Water Whereby the World that then was being overflowed with Water perished But the Heavers and Earth which are now by the same Word are kept in store reserved unto Fire against the day of Iudgement and perdition of Ungodly men And Ver. 10. The day of the Lord will come as a Thief in the Night in the which the Heavens shall passe away with a great noise and the Elements shall melt with fervent heat the Earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnt up Here Note First That as the World of old was drowned by Water so that the World that now is shall be consumed by Fire as certainly as the former was sâ—… certainly the later shall be and as dreadful as the Flood was to Sinners on that day so dreadful and much more dreadful will the Fire be to Sinners on the last day Secondly It is by the Word of the Lord that this general Conflagration shall be effected by the Word of the Lord the World was made and by the Word of the Lord the World was Drown'd and by the Word of the Lord the world shall be burn'd In his word he hath foretold it and by his Word he will effect it Thirdly The Heavens and Earth are said to be reserved in store for fire when the Old World was drowned it was only the Earth and Inhabitants thereof the Heavens were untouch'd and the Earth also did remain undissolved and the same Earth did appear afterwards when the Flood was drawn off by God but at the last day the Heavens and Earth too shall be dissolved by Fire not by subterranean Fire as some imagine and that as when the World was drowned the Fountains of the great deep were opened and the Waters kept before in Store-houses were brought forth which overwhelmed the Earth so that there are Fountains of Fire in the bowels of the Eatth and that there it is kept in Store-houses all which then shall be opened and that the fire shall break forth in a more dreadful flame then ever was seen at Mount Aetna and set the whole Fabrick of the World on â—…ire For as
was said before we read nothing of this in the Scripture it is said that the Heavens and Earth are kept in store for Fire but it is not said that fire is kept in store for them Bâ—…sides how can we conceive that any Subterranean fire should have power to reach and dissolve the Heavens Fourthly The time of this burning of the World shall be at the day of Iudgement and perdition of the Ungodly called Ver. 10. The day of the Lord It will be at the day of Christ appearance to Judgement when he shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire to take vengeance on the Ungodly World having first raised up the Righteous from the dead and gathered them together from the four Winds and called them up into the Clouds and openly acknowledged and acquitted them and set them in a place of safty for as Noah and his Family were hid from the Deluge of Water in the Ark so the Lord will hide all the Righteous under his wing from the Fire and having examined and Sentenced the wicked unto Eternal perdition then most probably will the time be of his setting the World on fire and that all the wicked of all Generations will remain in the midst of those flames until the whole be consumed except themselves who will be then cast into a place of more dreadful burning I mean the everlasting fire of Hell The time cannot be far off the Lord will come very shortly Yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry Heb. 10. 37. And the Lord will come suddenly as a Thief in the night Ver. 10. When the World is secure and doth no more expect it than the old World did the Flood or the Sodomits did the fire then the Lord will come Fifthly Here is a more particular description of the burning of the World It is said Ver. 10. The Heavens shall 〈◊〉 away with a great noise and the Elements shall melt with fervent heat the Earth also and the the works that are therein shall be burnt up And Ver II. All these things than be dissolved The Heavens shall be in flames and the frame of them crack with a hideous noise far beyond whatever before did â—…ound in the ear of any mortal and like a great scroll they shall be rolled together and fly away out of sight all the Elements also shall feel the force of this fire and hereby be melted and consumed into nothing the Elementary fire and air and water shall all melt with this fervent heat and evaporate so as to be no more but especially the earth and works thereof shall be the subject of these burnings all the Buildings all the houses and Towns and Cities of the world shall be on fire together all the great and vast Mountains shall be in flames yea and the great Woods Plains and Fields and the whole Earth from the very bottom of it's foundation shall be on fire and be burnt up O what a dreadful fire will this be it will be dreadful to behold it how dreadful will it be then to feel it to be in the midst of it as the wicked shall be in their passage to the eternal flames of Hell when they shall see the Heavens on fire and the air on fire and the Water on fire and the Earth on fire Cities on fire and Fields on fire and themselves on fire Head Back Breast Belly Hands Arms Legs Feet every part on fire and that such a fire though it doth torment them yet that shall not be able to consume them when they see the Heavens which have endured so long to melt stones to be broken and the hardest mettals to be dissolved by the fervent heat of this fire and yet their bodies made so strong that their flesh shall not be consumed hereby O how fearful will this be tongue cannot utter thought cannot conceive the anguish of the wicked on this day and in this place of fire Mr. Doolittle in his Book of Rebukes doth Patheticplly set forth the wo of the Ungodly through this fire from page 297. to p. 305 See the inference which the Apostle doth draw from the consideration of these flames which shall burn the world 2 Pet. 3. 11. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy Conversation and Godliness Unto which add the 14th Vers. Wherefore be loved seeing ye look for these things be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless 1. Look to your state that you be Godly persons that you be regenerate and have the Image likeness of God upon you such will be safe and out of the reach of these flames at that day but wo be to the Ungodly they cannot escape 2. Look to your conversation that it be Holy that you be Holy in all manner of Conversation 1 Pet. 1. 15. These great burnings and dissolution of all things should take off your heart from the World which ere long will be in flames and quicken you unto a holy and circumspect walking that when the Lord doth appear you may be found of him in paece without spot and blameless and then you shall be taken to inhabit the new Heavens and new Earth those glorious mansions which the Lord will prepare for his people where you shall have the presence of the Lord with you for evermore The third burning which will be is the burning of Hell of which in the next discourse Fire and Brimstone in Hell to Burn the Wicked Psal. 11. 6. Upon the wicked he shall rain Snares Fire and Brimstone and an horrible Tempest this shall be the portion of their Cup. CHAP. I. The Introduction THe flames and fiery Streams which were rained down from Heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah formerly and which issued forth from the Earth in the Eruptions of Mount Aetna lately are but shaddows of the future flames and like painted fire in comparison with the streams of Fire and Brimstone which in Hell shall burn the wicked eternally For as the Glory of Heaven whilst we are in the dark Vale of this World doth far exceed all conception and therefore cannot be set forth in full by any description but as one saith whoever attempts to speak of an Heavenly state while himself is upon the Earth his discourse of that must needs be like the dark Dreams and Imaginations of a Child concerning the affairs of this World while it self is yet swadled and cradled in the Womb and the Apostle Paul himself though he had been rapt up unto the third Heaven and had such discoveries made unto him there that he wanted words to utter what they were as 2 Cor. 12. 2 3 4. Yet acknowledgeth that he understood like a Child and had but daak views of this Glory even as thorow a glass 1 Cor. 13. 11 12. So also the torment of Hell through that Fire and
that place being so thin and hollow and penetrable by the Winds and the nature of the soil so Sulphurious and so fit matter for the begetting and nourishing of Fire the motion of the Wind closed in doth kindle the Fire which belâ—…heth forth in smoke and flames and hence it is that the burning of Aetna hath endured for so many ages Unto which he addeth a little after speaking of the fall of the Waters Eadeâ—… causâ—… etiam Aetnae Montis â—…erpetuos ignes fâ—…cit Nam aquarum ille conâ—…ursus râ—…tum secum spiritum in imum sundum trahit atqâ—…e ibi suffecatâ—… tamdiutenet donec per spiramenta Terrae diffâ—…sus nutrimenta ignis incendat The cause of Aetna's perpetual Fire is from the great and perpetual fall of the Water near at hand which carryeth down the Wind and Air and suffoâ—…ateth it at the bottom whence it breatheth away through some crevices of the Earth towards the Mountain and this kindleth and bloweth up the Flames Another assigneth the cause more clearly thus â—… tnam constat ab â—…a parte qua Eurus Affricus flant habere speluncas plenas Sulphuris ad Mare deduct as Haespeluncae recipientes in se flâ—…ctus ventum creant qui agitatus ignem gignit ex Sulphures Mount Aetna saith he that way which the East and South wind do blow hath Caverns and Vaults full of Sulphur which reach so far as the Sâ—…a which Vaults receiving into them the Waves of the Sea Wind is begot hereby which Winds being violently moved doth beget the Fire out of the Sulphur and therefore afterward he telleth us that as the East and South Wind do blow so this Mountain doth more on lesser vomit up sparks and fire Lucretius Lib. 6. doth set forth the cause Primum totius subcava Montis Est natura fere â—…ilicum suffulta cavernis Omnibus est porro in speluâ—…eis ventus are c. The Mountain Aetna hollow is throughout With stones of Flint it's Cave are lin'd about Whereby it is held up The wind is there In every Cave begot by moved Air Through motion heat's engender'd iâ—… the Earth Thence fire springs forth and flames have birth Besides against the Mountain's Roots the Main Break her swoln Waves and swallow them again From whence unto the top of it's ascent The undermining Caves have their extent Through which the Bellows breath and cast forth flames With showers of stones ashes Thus concerning the cause of Aetna's burning which as to the second cause may rather be guessed at then fully understood CHAP. VII The Use of the Burning of Aetna THese late dreadful Eruption of Fire and Brimstone from Mount Aetna should carry our eyes upward unto God the Author hereof The Lord hath been lately upon the Earth he hath shown himself in great Majesty a Fire hath devoured before him and it hath been very tempestuous round about a smoke hath gone out of his mouth and Coals have been under his feet he hath clothed himself with flames and of late appeared very terribly in these Europaean parts he hath not only kindled fires in houses and Cities turning them into ashes and ruinous heaps but he hath also kindled a fire in a great Mountain which hath broken forth with a great flame We read Psal. 27. The voice of the Lord is powerful and full of Majesty the voice of the Lord is upon the Waters the God of Glory thunâ—…reth the voice of the Lordâ—… upon many Waters the voice of the Lord shaketh the Wilderness and maketh Lebanon to Ship like a young Unicorn Such Majesty and Power hath been in Gods voice which was heard from this Mount the voice of the Lord hath sounded from the Earth the God of Glory hath thundered out of the bowels of a great Mountain whereby the foundations thereof have been so shaken as if he would have overturned it in his anger Formerly the Lord brought forth streams of Water out of the hard Rock and lately he hath brought forth streams of Fire out of the deep Earth This is the Lord 's doing and it should be marvellous in our eyes If we wonder at the work let us wonder more at the Worker if we admire to hear of such floods of fire we have more reason to admire Gods infinite Power who hath effected this Use 2. The Relation of Aetna's burning should awaken impenitent Sinners out of their carnal security whilst they consider the hand of God herein and that this God who kindled such a Fire in the Mountain is highly incensed against them so long as they allow and indulge themselves in any Sinful practices and that the Fire of Gods anger which is kindled in his breast against them is ten thousand times more dreadful than the Fire which was kindled in the bowels of the Mountain yea that God is preparing the Fire of Hell for them which shall burn them everlastingly if they do not repent that God who hath power to kindle a Fire in the Earth hath power to kindle the Fire of Hell and he that hath power to keep alive the fire of this mountain for some thousands of years hath power to keep alive the Fire of Hell unto Eternity this he can do and this he will do and oh how fearful a thing will it be to be thrown into everlasting flames of which more largely in the next discourse Awake then all ye Sons and Daughters of sleep and security ye children of night and darkness and all ye workers of iniquity Look up and see how powerful and terrible the Lord is and how unable you are to make resistance when once his hand shall take hold on vengeance Gods anger now doth but smoke against you ere long it will break forth into a flame which will burn to the lowest Hell and never shall be extinguished Let me therefore perswade you to break off your Sins by repentance and apply your selves to Christ by Faith that the anger of the Lord towards you may bâ—… appeased and that being reconciled you may escape the dreadful effects of his displeasure CHAP. VIII Concerning the burning of London that may be Use. 3. THe Relation of Aetna's burning should lead us unto the consideration of the Burnings which may be and the Burnings which will be First Consider the Burnings which may be our dear and beloved City of London may be burnt again with fire and that not only â—…he Suburbs and Southwark and remaining Timber houses which the last Fire spared but also the New-built Houses of Brick many of them have been tryed that they can burn for no Building on Earth is a sufficient defence against Fire I don't think we are in danger of any such Fire as that of Aetna to break forth from under our feet out of the bowels of the Earth but we may be in danger of a Fire Forged in Hell I mean some Develish wicked men may be contriving again the burning of the City It is not long since this
our flourishing City was laid wast by devouring flames The Depositions given before Magistrates concerning the hands of the Papists set on work herein are not forgotten the principles of the Papists which will allow them to murder Princes blow up Parliaments Massacre people burn Cities if they be Hereticks as they call them are not altered The attempts of late to set houses in the City on Fire in several places have been made evident and I wish that there be no cursed design now on foot amongst such vile persons to burn our City and Massacre our persons together it is not amiss for us to think what may be the may be of a house's falling down upon our head in the street and being crushed thereby to pieces as some have been should put us upon continual preparation for death and much more when we are in danger of death many other ways If you should hear a cry at Midnight the Papists are come that Fire-balls are flying about the street that Fires are kindled in several parts of the City at the same time and that bloody cut throats stand ready to Butcher a naked people as they come forth of burning Houses with their goods If you should hear the groans and shreeks of your Neighbours whilst they are cruelly Massacred by the hands of merciless villains and when they approach your doors and you see no way of escaping but inevitable ' â—…ath is before you if you should then be found unprepared for death when you have no time to prepare how would you be surprized how would you be affrighted It is good to provide for the worst that when ever death doth appear in whatever shape it may not prove a King of Terrours How happy are those who have made their Peace with God when some men will not be at peace with them how little reason have those to fear the wrath of any here who are delivered from the wrath to come how safe is that treasure which is laid up in Heaven far beyond the reach of Thief or Rust or Flames of Fire get clear evidence of these things if you be delivered out of the snare of the Devil you need not be affraid of the snares of Men if you be not in danger of Hell ye need not be affraid of Death if you have well-grounded hopes to escape everlasting flames and to attain evealasting joys through your Intrest in Christ and his purchase you may smile at the flames of your Houses and laugh at destruction when it cometh But I hope if there be such a design which I neither do nor can affirm that the Lord will prevent the effusion of our Blood and Destruction of our City which too many may desire and that if ever they should attempt such a Massacre as in Paris or Ireland and to mingle our Blood and Fire together that the Lord will so spirit all true Protestants and Englishman to stand up so in their own defence which the Law of God and Nature will allow as by them to bring that Destruction upon themselves which they may endeavour against against all Justice and Law to bring upon Gods people Secondly Aetna's burning should lead us to the consideration of the Burnings which will be There are three great burnings that certainly will be 1. The Burning of Rome 2. The Burning of the World 3. The Burning of Hell CHAP. IX Concerning the burning of Rome First WE may be minded hereby of the Burning of Rome which certainly will be of which this Eruption of Aetna so near may be a Prognostick and Fore-runner it being of common observation amongst them that the extraordinary eruptions of this Mount are ominous especially unto Rome That Rome is the Babylon threatned with destruction and Fire will be evident if you look into the Description Rev 17. 1 2 3 4 5 6. And there came one of the seven Angels which had the seven Viols and talked with me saying unto me come hither I will shew unto thee the Iudgement of the great Whore that sitteth upon many Waters with whom the Kings of the Earth have committed Fornication and the Inhabitants have been made drunk with the Wine of her Fornication So he carried me away in the spirit into the Wilderness And I saw a Woman sit upon a Scarlet-coloured Beast full of names of Blasphemy having seven Heads and ten Horns And the Woman was arrayed in Purple and Scarlet colour and deâ—…ked with Gold and Precious Stones and Pearls having a Golden Cup in her hand full of Abomination and Filthiness of her Fornication And upon her Fore-head was a name Written Mystery Babylon The Great The Mother of Harlots and Abominatioâ—… of the Earth And I saw the Woman drunken with the Blood of the Saints and with the Blood of the Martyrs of Iesus That this Decription is applicable unto the Papacy of Rome and to no other is evident from every part thereof as it is explained by the Angel in this same Chapter and fulfilled as to every particular in the Popedom We are not to understand it of one particular Pope but of the whole Race and Succession of them who are called the great Whore sitting upon many Waters with whom the Kings of the Earth committed Fornication c. signifying the spiritual Fornication committed by them with her or the Idolatry which she draweth them unto the practice of The Waters are the People which she hath under subjection The Scarlet-Coloured Beast she sitteth upon having seven Heads and ten Horns is the great City of Rome and the state thereof the seven Heads signifie seven Mountains on which Rome was built therefore called Septi-collis Roma Seven-hill'd Rome Moreover the City is described to be the City which then Reigned over the Kings of the Earth which was the City of Rome the Emperial Seat at that time the ten Horns signifie the Kings of the Earth which give their power to the Pope for his support This Whore is called Babylon the great the Mother of Harlots who maketh the Nations drunk with the Wine of her Fornication and who her self is drunk with the Blood of Saints and Martyrs And to whom can this be applyed but unto the Pope who doth intoxicate so many Nations as with Wine or potions whence it cometh to pass that they wallow in the Filthiness of Spiritual Fornication and who hath shed so much of the Blood of Saints for the Testimony of Jesus against the Romish Superstition and Idolatry I should digress too far to apply all the parts of this description with other descriptions in the Revelations and of Anti-Christ in the Thessalonians unto the Pope of Rome as I might do and prove by unanswerable Arguments that the Pope is the Anti-Christ and Rome Spiritual Babylon That which here chiefly we should mind is the Judgement of this great Whore It is said Ver. 6. The ten Horns which thou sawest upon the Beast shall hate the Whore and shall make her desolate and naked and shall
from thee it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish and not that thy whole body should be cast into Hell and if thy Right hand offend thee cut it off and cast it from thee for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish and not that thy whole body should be cast into Hell That this Hell is not meant of the Grave into which the body shall be thrown is evident because those who do cut off the right hand and pluck out the right eye which offend that is mortifie those offensive lusts which are as dear and as hard to be parted withal as the members of the body shall be exempted and delivered from this Hell whereas none shall be exempted though never so holy and mortifyed from the Grave Yea and in this Hell it is said that both soul and body shall be destroyed Math. 10. 28. Fear not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the Soul but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell Now the soul is not destroyed with the body in the Grave as they both shall be if wicked after the Resurrection in Hell Moreover this Hell threatned by our Saviour to those that don't cut off right hands c. will appear plainly to be the place of torment prepared for the wicked by the description of it repeated three times Math. 9. 43 44 45 46 47 48. To go into Hell into that fire which never shall be quenched where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched By the unquenchable Fire we are to understand the fire which shall burn the body by the never-dying worm the worm of conscience which shall eternally gnaw the soul. This Hell is called a Prison 1 Pet. 3. 19 20. By which also he went and Preached â—…nto the Spirits in Prison which sometime were disobedient when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah By the spirits in Prison we are to understand the Souls in Hell the Souls of those wicked and disobedient persons in the old World who would not give â—…ar to the Preaching of Christ by his spirit in Noah and therefore a whole World on them were sent into the Prison of Hell together unto whom are gathered the souls of all that since have died in their Sins where they are bound up in chains of darkness and reserved unto the judgement of the great day Hell is also called a place of outer darkness where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth Math. 25. 30. It is called a Furnace of fire where all those that offend and do iniquity shall be thrown Math. 13. 41 42. It is called the great Wine-press of Gods Wrath where all the wicked shall be crushed to pieces under the exceeding and eternal weight of his wrath Rev. 14. 19 20. But especially it is set forth as a place of fire of which in the next particular Many have been the conjectures of Divines concerning the place where Hell is Some have thought it to be in the bowels of the Earth because it is spoken of as a place below and called by the â—…ame of a pit the bottemless pit out of which the smoke and locusts did arise Rev. 9. 2. And in which Sathan was bound and held as in a Prison Rev. 20. 1 2 3 7. And they have conceited the pit spoken of Num. 16. 33 Into which Corah Dathan and Abiram went down alive when the Earth clave asunder and swallowed them up was the pit of Hell into which both their soul and body together were immediately conveyed and that which hath the rather established such in this opinion hath been the vast quantity of Subterranean Fire which they imagine to be in the Bowels and Caverns of the Earth others have rather conceited it to be beyond this visible World which will pass away at the last day and removed at the greatest distance from the sedes bâ—…atorum the place where the righteous shall eternally Inhabit But the Scripture being silent as to this whatever is spoken on this subject where Hell is must needs be only by conjecture the Lord grant that none of us may know by experience our chief care should be that we may escape the punishment and not be inquisitive about that which the Lord hath not thought fit to reveal let it suffice us to know that there is such a place as Hell where the wicked shall be tormented CHAP. III. That Hell is a place of Fire and Brimstone THere is nothing that Hell is described by in the whole Book of the Scripture so much as by Fire and sometimes by Fire mingled with Brimstone It is called Fire Math. 3. 10. Every Tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewen down and cast into the Fire Hell-Fire Mark 9. 47. It is better for thee to enter into the Kingdom of God with one eye than having two eyes to be cast into Hell-fire A Furnace of Fire Math. 13. 42. And shall â—…ast them into a Furnace of Fire It is called a place where the wicked shall be tormented with Fire and Brimstone Rev. 14. 10. And he shall be tormented with Fire and Brimstone in the presence of the Holy Augels A Lake which burneth Fire and Brimstone Rev. 21. 8. And shall have their part in the Lake which burneth with Fire and Brimstone which is the second death I know that it is a great question amongst Divines whether the fire of Hell which shall burn the Wicked will be a Real fire or a Metaphorica fire There are men of great name who assert it to be a Mataphorical Fire only and that because it is called a Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels who cannot be hurt by a real Fire because the worm which never dyeth is Mataphorically taken for the everlasting gnawings of conscience because the New Ierusalem which is above is Metaphorically described to be of pure Gold clear like Glass the foundations to be garnished with all manner of precious Stones and the Gates to be Pearls Rev. 21. 18 19. And by the same reason they say the description of Hell in the Scripture is Metaphorical those that thus affirm the Fire of Hell to be Metaphorical are so far from lessening the torment hereby which this Fire will inflict that they so much the more aggravate it because that Metaphorical fire they say will afflict more than if it were Real fire for as the glory of the New Ierusalem that Building of God made without hands eternal in the Heaâ—…ens doth far surpass all Metaphores whereby it is set forth which are made use of only to help our understanding in the conceiving of it's Glory so also the pain and torture of the damned in Hell will be more horrible and intollerable than if they were to be cast into Nebecadnezzars fiery Furnace when it was heated seven times more than it was wont to be heat insomuch as
not so much as the smel of the Fire was upon their Garments but none shall be preserved from burning in this fiery Furnace indeed the wicked shall not be burnt up and quite consumed but they shall be always burning For Fifthly Hell-fire will be a continual Fire other firessometimes are in and sometimes out but this fire will be always in always burning without any intermission and always burning in the same high degree of intension there will be no aswagement of the Flames of Gods anger no abatement of the Fire of Hell this Fire will be always alike hot and always hot in the highest degree Sixthly hell-Hell-fire will be an unquenchable Fire Math 3. 12. But will burn up the Chaff with unquenchable Fire Mark 9. 44. Where their worm dieth not and the Fire is not quenched Now the fire of Gods anger before it break forth into so vehement a flame may be quenched by the Blood of Jesus Christ and the Fire of Hell may be prevented but hereafter it will be too late no Sacrifice will be accepted then to appease Gods wrath and if all the Waters of the Sea could be poured upon the flames of Hell-fire they would not put them out And therefore Seventhly Hell-fire will be an everlasting Fire Math. 25. 42. Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels Rev. 14. 11. And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever This Fire will be ever burning and the damned will be ever tormented therein Extremity and Eternity are the two most bitter ingredients of the damned's torments who can set forth the Eternity of the wicked's punishment in Hell-fire this Eternity is immeasurable it is incomprehensible all the Rays of the Sun may more easily be comprehended in a small room and all the Waters of the Sea contained in a small nutshel than boundless Eternity be conceived by our finite and shallow understanding none have shaddowed Eternity and set it forth better than those who have shown how infinitely short all measures and numbers do fall when they are applyed to the space of it's duration One expresseth himself thus on this subject in another language suppose ten thousand years past after that an hundred thousand Millions of years past after that ten hundred thousand Million of Millions of years past and yet you are not come to the end of Eternity no nor to the middle of Eternity yea you are but at the beginning of it add unto this the number of all the thoughts of Angels and Men of all the motions in every Creature of all the grains of sand which would fill ten thousand Worlds gather all the minutes of time from the beginning of the Creation of the World all the numbers of Arithmetick that can possibly be conceived and all this is but the beginning of Eternity How long will Eternity last Always When will Eternity end Never As long as Heaven shall continue to be Heaven and God shall continue to be God and the Saints shall be happy in the enjoyment of God so long shall the wicked be tormented in the Fire of Hell We may apprehend the everlastingness of this Fire of Hell but we cannot comprehend it CHAP. V. Concerning the Persons that shall burn eternally in the Flames of Hell IT is upon the wicked that the Lord will rain this horrible Tempest of Fire and Brimstone in Hell all the workers of iniquitie all that live and dye in their Sins must suffer the vengeance of Eternal fire These are the Chaff which shall be cast into the unquenchable Fire Math. 3. 12. These are the tares which shall be bound up in bundles to be burnt Math. 13. 30. These are the Goats which shall be condemned to everlasting fire Math. 25. 41. Look into a few places where in the plain Letter of the Scriptures the persons are described that shall be the subject of everlasting torment in Hell-fire Math. 13. 41 42. The Son of Man shall send forth his Angels and they shall gather out of his Kingdom all things that offend and them which do iniquity and shall cast them into a Furnace of Fire there shall be wailing and guashing of teeth Rom. 2. 6 8 9. Who will render to every man according to his deeds to them that are contentious and do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish upon every soul of Man that doth evil of the Iew first and also of the Gentile 2 Thess. 1. 7 8 9. The Lord Iesus shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming taking vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the Gospel who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his Power Take one place more amongst many Rev. 21. 8. But the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and Murderers and Where-mongers and Sâ—…rceers and Idolaters and all Lyars shall have their part in the Lake which burneth with Fire and Baimstone I shall spake more of the persons when I come to the application which I would chiefly insist uâ—…n the Doctrine being so well known and therefore I shall but briefly touch upon the reason why the wicked shall be eternally tormented in the flame of Hell and so come to the Use which I mainly intend R. The torment of the wicked in Hell is a punishment and therefore hath a respect unto Sin the guilt of which doth lay the wicked under an obligation hereunto and layeth God under an Obligation to inflict this punishment upon them Sin is the violation of a Holy and Righteous Law and an offence of an Infinite Majesty whose Justice requireth infinite satisfaction which it can receive no other way from Sinners themselves than by their undergoing the punishment of Hell although this punishment be not infinite in regard of the quality yet it is infinite in regard of it's duration and therefore the torments of the wicked shall have no end CHAP. VI. Application 1. Use of Examination WHen you had the relation of Sodom and Gomorrah's burning you might think this was done long ago and look upon your selves as unconcern'd when you had the Relation of Aetna's burnings you might think this was done a far off and look upon your selves as unconcern'd but when we come to discourse of Hell-burnings here you all are concern'd those burnings are past these are burnings to come those were burnings for a while these will be burnings for ever the greatest part of the children of men will be cast into these burnings and very few comparatively will escape O what a vast number of all kindreds and Nations and Languages will there be tormented for ever in Hell what a vast number of Christians yea of professours of the Gospel you had need to look to it that none of you be found in the number The dreadfulness of these everlasting burnings me thinks should stir you up with all sollicitousness
your selves upon him with a renouncing of your own righteousness accepting of him and his righteousness resigning up your selveâ—… unto him putting your neck under his Yoke have you received the spirit enabling you to pray mortifying Sin and quickning you unto all the duties of new obedience Hereby you may know the change of your estate If your hearts remain unhumbled unbroken for 〈◊〉 If you are strangers unto the work of Faith â—…nd never truely closed with Jesus Christ if you â—…re without the Spirit of Christ and under the power the reigning power of any Sin if you live in the neglect of prayer secret and with others and of the great Salvation which the Lord Jesus hath purchased if you have a form of Godliness but are without the power thereof you will be found foolish Virgins at last which will have no admittance into the Bride-chamber you will be found hypocrites whose portion is the burning Lake and it will be impossible for you to escape the damnation of Hell Heb. 2. 3. How shall we escape if we neglect so great Salvation CHAP. VII 2. Use of admiration at the security the wicked showing the cause thereof ARe the burnings of Hell so certain being threatned by God! are they so dreadful beyond any burnings that ever have been both in regard of feirceness and duration and are they indeed prepared for the wicked and all graceless Christless persons as their deserved portion and are the most of the children of Men wicked ungracious unrighteous unregenerate unbelievers who are already condemned to this place of torment Ioh. 3. 18. And by consequence every moment while such in danger of being drag'd sorth to execution Here then we may sit down and wonder at the senslesseness and carnal security of such persons especially of those who sit under the light of the word which doth make discovery of all thiâ—… most plainly unto them what ever their danger be what ever their Sins which have deserved Hell what ever Gods threatnings of everlasting burnings what ever execution there is and hath been upon other Sinners like themselves yet they are without any fear they are fast asleep in Sin and very secure though their conscience be full of guilt their hearts full of lust their lives full of Sin though their steps are carrying them forward in the broad way which leadeth unto destruction though death hath them upon the chase and is at their heels though the wrath of God pursueth them hard and is at their backs though the day wherein they must give an account and be punished for their iniquity hasteneth greatly and the Judge standeth at the door yet they care not they fear not none of these things do move them none of these things do trouble them they eat and drink and sleep and buy and sell and plant and build and go on in a sinful course as if they should live here eternally or as if their Soul should perish with their body and all these things foretold in the Word concerning future retributions were but meer fables First Some are thus secure through an Athistical perswasion that there is no God because they are enemies unto God and live in a course of Rebellion against him and so it is their Interest and desire that there should be no God therefore they do what in them lyeth to work themselves unto this perswasion there are too many in our age who endeavour to wear off all sentiments of a deity from their mind 's that they might Sin freely without any check and control that hereby they might arm themselves against the thrusts and wounds which the Sword and Arrows of Gods threatnings would otherwise give unto them and that by this means they might still the noise of their clamorous and accusing consciences which otherwise would give them no rest under such Heaven-daring provocations as they daily are guilty of But such persons if they will not believe the engravings of God which are upon the face of the Universe the impress of infinite power and an invisible Deity on his works which are visible unto the eye they shall not remain long under their Atheistical apprehensions but he will make them to know and feel that there is a God by the immediate impressions of his wrath upon their Souls and the dreadful flames of hell-Hell-fire which his breath will kindle to burn their bodies everlastingly Secondly Others are secure notwithstanding their danger through a fond perswasion that there is no Hell that there is no account to be given no judgement to be passed no punishment to be endured after this life but that death puts a total end to their being and that for ever We read in the Book of Wisdom Chap. 2d of the reasonings which such have Our life is short and in the death of a man there is no remedy neither was there any man known to return from the Grave For we are born at all adventure and we shall be hereafter as though we had never been for the breath in our Nostrils is as smoke and a little spark in the moving of our heart which being extinguished our body shall be turned into ashes and our spirit shall vanish as the soft Air our life shall pass away as the trace of a Cloud or like a Mist driven by the Beams of the Sun our time is a very shaddow that passeth away and after our end there is no returning for it is fast Sealed that no Man cometh again Hence they are secure and encourage themselves in wicked and licentious practices Come on therefore let us enjoy the good things that are present let us fill our selves with costly Wines and Ointments and let no flower of the spring pass by us let us crown our selves with Rosebuds before they be Withered let none of us go without his part of our voluptuousness for this is our portion and our lot is this Such persons they live like Beasts and they would perswade themselves that they shall dye like beasts that there is no immortality of the Soul that there will be no resurrection of the body and by consequence no punishment of both in Hell whereas right reason will evince that the Soul being a spiritual substance will survive the Body which the wiser Heathens have acknowledged and the Scripture doth clearly reveal this and that the body shall be raised again at the last day and both the soul and body of the wicked be eternally tormented in Hell which Scripture being the Word of God which no carnal reason could ever yet disprove these things are as certain as God as true Thirdly Others if they have not drunk in those Atheistical and Anti-Scriptural perswasions which some are besotted and intoxicated withall yet are secure and senseless of their danger through their ignorance or misapprehensions of God they conceive him to be made up all of mercy that there is no fury in him that however sinful they are or have been yet that God is more
Hell the spirit will uttterly sink under the the heavy burden and pressure thereof especially the pressure of that pure and weighty wrath which shall be immediately upon the soul. The terrours of conscience here and foretasts of wrath are intollerable in this World Prev 18. 14. The spirit of man will sustain his infirmity but a wounded spirit who can bear If the body be infirm and weak full of distemper and pain yet whilst the spirit is whole and sound whilst there is peace within the spirit may sustain this and bear up under it but if the spirit be wounded by the Arrows of the Almighty shot into it who can bear it if God let fall some scalding drops of his wrath upon the spirit if he kindle a spark of Hell-fire in ye conscience who can endure it no Balm nor Physitian on Earth can cure such wounds no Earthly riches or sensual delights can aswage these inward griefs and horrours which by the hand of God are imprinted upon the Spirit when the wicked are filled with dispairful agonies through apprehension of future approaching wrath and there remaineth nothing but a fearfull looking for of Judgement and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries Heb. 10. 26. this is enough to sink the heart of the stoutest under it's burden And if the wounds of the Spirit herebe so intollerable what will those be which the Lord with such mighty force and by his immediate hand shall give hereafter if you cannot bear some drops of God's wrath now what will you do when the full Viols of Gods wrath shall be poured out upon you if you be found under the guilt of sin if you cannot endure the sparks of Hell-fire how will you endure the flames and most burning heat thereof If the foretasts of Hell affect ye heart with such horrour and the fears thereof fill the Spirit with such amazement what will Hell it selfs do when the pains and anguish thereof is beyond the greatest fears and highest conceptions thereof Should you fall into the hands of the most cruel Men to torture and Massacre you this would be fearful should you fall under the power of Devils to tear and rend you this would be more fearful but to fall into the hands of God this will be most fearful this you cannot bear and yet if wicked you must bear it and that to eternity and can you sleep still in Sin under the thoughts of such danger Secondly Consider the sureness and unavoidabieness of Hell-fire nothing is more sure than what God hath revealed in his Word and nothing more unavoidable than what God hath threatned and such is the tormenting of the wicked and Ungodly in the flames of Hell-fire Whilst you are here upon the Earth there is a possibility of escaping future torments Pardon Pâ—…ace and Salvation are attainable If you lay your Sins to heart if you confess and forsake them you may find mercy if by faith you apply your selves unto the Lord Jesus you shall not perish but obtain eternal life But if go on still in your trespasse if you live and dye in a state of impenitency and unbelief it will be impossible for you to escape Indeed could you make you party good against God could you gather forces together and wage War against Heaven and obtain the Victory you might avoid the threatned punishment but alas God is infinite in power and will not permit any such attempts you will not be able to hold up head or hand against him who can stand in his sight when once he is angry God will bind all the Devils and wicked men and women together in chains of darkness stronger than any Iron chains and none shall be able to make any resistance Could you hide your selves at the last day from his eye could you fly from his presence into some remote corner could you creep under some Rock or Mountain and there be covered from his view you might think to escape but this cannot be Gods eye will follow you and his hand will reach you whither soever you go Could you by your Prayers and Tears move God to compassion and prevail for mercy as now you may do there might be some hopes of avoiding this punishment but 〈◊〉 Gods ear will be shut and the doors of mercy shut against you for ever your knocking at the door will be in vain it will never be opened your cryes and prayers will be no purpose they will receive no answer Hereafter the punishment of Hell will be unavoidable by the wicked Thirdly Consider the neerness of this punishment of Hell The sands of your life are running apace the time of your abode here is wasting very fast your bodies will quickly be in the Grave and if you dye in your Sins your soul will be as quickly in Hell You cannot long escape this punishment You may shuffle the thoughts of God and future wrath out of your minde for a time you may busie your thoughts about other thing whilst you are here but all these things will shortly shrink away from you and leave you naked and you must stand before God to be judg'd by him and to be condemned by him and to be punished by him God will meet you as a Bear bereaved of her whelps and rend the caul of your heart or like a roaring Lion and rear you in pieces when there shall be none to deliver God will take you into his hand and throw you out of his presence into the bottomless gulph of unquenchable burnings me thinks this should awaken you Fourthly And lastly consider the everlastingness of hell-Hell-fire and your torment which there you must endure if you be found in the number of unbelievers The wrath of God will never be at an end the Worm of your conscience will never dye and the Fire of Hell will never go out but the smoke of your torment will ascend up for ever and ever when you have been the space of as many Years in Hell as there Stars in the Firmament as there are drops of dew upon the Earth in the morning as there are spires of Grasse which spring out of the Earth as there are drops of Water in the Ocean as are there Sands upon the Sea shore your torments will be as far from being aswaged and as far from being ended as at the first minute of your entrance into this dreadful place As there is an infinite space of place if I may so call it to help our apprehensions beyond the circumference of the Heavens and the visible World in comparison with which ten thousand Millions of worlds would not fill up the space of the least speck so there is an infinite space of duration beyond the circumference and bounds of time in comparison with which the duration of ten thousand Millions of worlds for ten thousand Millions of years would not be so much as a Minute or the least imaginable instant and this whole eternity you if wicked must