the rationall dispute of the Apostle that hope must cast an eye upon a future condition for saith he Hope that is seen is not hope Rom. 8. 24. that is sense not the grace of hope That is a pregnant place Col. 1. 5. For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven observe heaven is made the proper place and seat of hope And res sperandae the things hoped for are called hope as in the before cited place So glory is sometimes annexed to hope Col. 1. 27. And sometimes salvation 1 Thess 5. 8. And hope is called a blessed hope Heb. 6. 18. Tit. 2. 13. A hope of future beatitude and blessednesse And sometimes hope is united to eternall life Tit. 3. 7. The very center and stage of hope is eternity It looks beyond this life and being fledged by lively acts and exercise it makes its nest in eternall felicity Observe that reviving argument of the Apostle 1 Cor. 15. 19. If in this life only we have hope in Christ we are of all men the most miserable Observe I say hope flies beyond this Spes nostra penetrat pervadit ipsum coelum ipsamque coelestem gloriam A Lap. life and treads down the limitations of it if in this life only Hope anchors upon eternity casts its anchor within the vail Heb. 6. 19. Pareus observes that this phrase Alludit ad sanctuarium Interiora sunt ipsa dei visio omnis gloria beatorum opes Id. templi quod velo separatum a reliquo templo coelum praefigurabat Eternity is the prize of hope Hope is here in the bud but is blowne in eternity Everlasting blessednesse is the shoare hope sailes to the crown hope aimes at It is that only which quiets the patient yet springing expectations of a Saint And so Joy its triumph is in eternity Ex beatifica dei visione quae est summum beatorum in vita aeterna praemium orietur in cordibus sanctor um ineffabilis latitia exultatio Ger. which is the noon-day of joy The Saints joy is in its harvest in glory And therefore the Apostles phrase is full 1 Pet. 1. 8. Joy unspeakable and full of glory Heaven is the palace of joy and eternity is the day of the Saints everlasting nuptials And the Apostle Jude couples the presence of Gods glory and joy together Jude v. 24. Isa 61. 7. In the presence of his glory with exceeding 1 Joh. 1. 4. joy The believers joy here is but the Gaudebunt electi propter loci amoenitatem propter jucundam societatem propter corporis glorificationem propter mundum quem contempserunt propter infernum quem evaserunt Bonav softer-musick and his joy in heaven the fuller harmony This joy of eternity Mat. 25. 21. is called The joy of our Lord because God shall fill the souls of his people with this joy by himself not by his creatures by his immediate presence not by the interposition of creature-contributions riches delights c. God being the highest and infinite good the sweetest pleasure and the most pleasant sweetnesse shall spring to the Saints by his presence inexpressible joy So the grace of joy it swels here and is as a river posting to the sea of a joyous eternity Thus all graces have their designe Gaudebunt sancti infra se de coeli creaturarum pulcritudine intra se de corporis animi glorificatione juxta se de hominum Angelorum associatione Lud. in eternity they all hoyse sail on this Ocean Every grace hath its peculiar relation to eternity and it is in fieri till it be perfected in eternall glory it is in the womb till it be delivered by eternity which is the aime and the consummation of all grace Doest thou study thy own grace thou wilt be alwayes quoting eternity In a word The thoughts of eternity establish grace grace would seem a tedious and a burdensome thing but that it is travelling towards eternity glory is the seal of grace this makes faith Jub 19. 25 and hope resolute as shortly both to be landed in eternity and there to be inhanced into a nobler forme faith to be turned into vision and hope into fruition this settles the waverings of grace of love patience and zeal that in eternity they shall be resolved into glory and these divine qualifications 2 Tim. 4. 8. shall be transformed and nobilitated into perfection Grace would be the trouble not the triumph of a Christian were it to be buryed for ever and entombed in the dust but the eternity to come melts away all the fears and hesitations of grace Thus the thoughts of eternity quicken grace Men act faith and love lively and vigorously as eying eternity It is feathers to the arrow of grace How doth the soul claspe about Christ with the kind and strong embraces of faith as knowing it shall Gal. 2. 20. be enthroned in his bosome for ever It 's Constantines motto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In this overcome This flings sparkes into a gracious heart thy patience shall triumph in eternity Grace and faith 1 Tim. 6. 12. fight undauntedly eternity holding the crown before them this is bellowes to the fire of grace it shall be enshrined in eternall fruition The sun of eternity doth shoote up the flower of grace puts heat into the flames of zeal and love it self to beleeve on God by couragious faith suffer for him with invincible patience act for his glory with fired zeal all this is but sutable because the soul shall enjoy God for ever It is the for ever the long lease of heaven if glory may be stained with the name of lease turnes every grace into a springing Psal 103. 5. eagle this for ever puts spirits animation and life it self into the graces of a believer The thoughts of eternity render grace more lovely and amiable A poor believer casting his thoughts on a future eternity more prizeth one dram the least degree of grace then as many worlds as omnipotency can create then all the excellencies of the whole creation could they be accumulated into one heap One the the most imperfect degree of grace will secure the soul for ever snatch it out of all the stormes of eternall wrath will bolt hell gates and keep down the trap-door of a miserable eternity that the poor soul shall not be ingurgitated in endlesse calamity There are two things amplify the riches of grace and ennoble it to an inestimable value The Divinity of its 2 Pet. 1. 4. nature and the eternity of its being for grace cannot be annihilated but melted or rather raised into glory The Philsopher Bias rejoyced in this very sentence Omnia mea mecum porto I carrie all about me And so the poor believer rejoyceth in this he carries faith love and grace about him which are the choysest riches and which will be not only his rescue but his renown to all eternity The poor
be this Mans eternall condition admits of no changes or distinction of time There shall be no night in heaven nor any day in hell In the eternity of glory there shall be no full or wanes of the Moon no falling of the leaf or Autumnall declination that is a pregnant place Rev. 22. 5. And there shall be no light there and they need no candle neither light Rev. 22. 25. of the sun for the Lord giveth them light that is by his immediate presence c. In heaven the sun shall not set nor the morning star arise there shall be no clouds to vail the Saints happinesse no stormes nor tempests to be the shadow of a disturbance no frost to pinch or afflict the bodies of believers which shall be bespangled with glory no winters day to shorten the beatificall vision And so in the eternity of misery there shall be no spring nor pleasant resurrection from the dolefull grave of a winter That is very remarkable Mat. 25. 30. Cast ye the unprofitable servant into utter darknesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some render it abundant darknesse it may well be understood in tenebras circumferentes environing darknesse the mantle of darknesse In eternall calamity there shall be no chirping birds or green-livered fields to be the emblemes of an approaching Summer hell shall not be gilded with a sunshining day But eternity shall be an identicall condition simul semel the interchangeable seasons of the year shall cease in eternity the serenity and blacknesse of the skies the flourishing beauty and wither'd deformity of the earth the eclipses and changes of the celestiall bodies the dawning morning and the duskish evening shall all be unknown in eternity And an everlasting night shall overshadow the damned and an eternall morning shall refresh the blessed who shall be ever sunning themselves in the presence of God and the Sun shall be laid aside as uselesse in heaven for it would not be seen for the brightnesse of God Now there can be no distinctions of time in the eternity of the blessed and this method shall runne through the whole discourse Reas 1 For all changes in heaven would argue imperfection all mutability is imperfect and therefore God who is Solennis ibi festivitas festiva ibi aeternitas ibi nec est defectio sed optima refectio Alard infinitely perfect is immutable such transient changes would cause a wane in the Saints happinesse Now there is a double royall perfection in heaven 1. Of purity 2. Of felicity Imperfection is a weed which growes not there there shall no deficiencie Psal 17. 15. stain the celestiall beatitude When man hath attained to a perfection of excellency as infallibly he shall in glory there shall then be no defect to be the womb of dissatisfaction It would be tedious to the glorified Saints to tell the flying houres again Aeterna vita omni taediocaret Ambr. tom 3. and passe through a variety of seasons for the Saints to be incht again with the sharpnesse of a Winter or scorcht with the over kind beames of a Summers sun this is inconsistent with that delight they shall in heaven be ravished with so their comforts would grow as cold as the season Besides that of the Apostle is observable 2 Pet. 3. 12. Wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heat this text abrogates such disturbance whether it be understood of a purgation or annihilation Unquestionably this may be asserted what ever may imply the least shadow of trouble or distast shall be banisht the court of glory the joyes of eternity shall not be eclipsed with the least vicissitude or unpleasantnesse And Gods immediate presence shall scatter all changes and distinctions of time when his glory is in the full what clouds can appear God is as immutable Ex visione Dei omnia beatorum bona unicè oriuntur dependent in his glory as in his nature and the Saints shall ever in heaven lie under his radiant appearancies see his face Mat. 5. 8. behold his glory Joh. 17. 24. and he will be an everlasting spring to his glorified ones Vicissitudes in time shall melt in the presence of the Lord the rivers of heavens pleasure shall admit of no doubts or decayes there shall no night vaile the day of eternall salvation Nor shall there be any distinction or change of times in the eternity of the damned For 1. Reas 1 This would alleviate and mitigate the miseries of the damned some variety would be the womb of some pleasure some light would be some refreshment Eccles 11. 7. Truly light is sweet and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun But in hell there shall be all severity but no mercy there shall be no day-break to revive executed reprobates could there be changes of times or seasons in hell there might fall out a winter and Dives might meet with a showre to cool his tongue but pity visits not those dismall prisons what ever may contribute to the abatement of the damneds misery shall be everlastingly banisht In heaven there shall need no light Rev. 22. 5. In hell they shall have none they shall so far want the comfort of the sun as they shall not be blest with the light of a candle none of natures variety and embroydery in point of seasons not the sharpest and the harshest seasons shall shed the least refreshment on the tortur'd reprobate This would be some ground of comfort to the damned to tell their past miseries for alteration of seasons implyeth a succession which as I shall shew is impossible in hell they might then with some reflexion of joy recollect there are so many sharp winters or dark nights of misery blown over and this would be some satisfaction to suppose that some of their calamity was wasted Now misery is the only signe in hell nor shall one drop of mercy fall into a hell of fire there shall be no preterition in the torment of the damned but they shall alwayes be in actu moriendi in the act of execution August they shall hang in fiery chains and those chains shall never break or they die in those chains As our Saviour expresseth himself in that dolefull language Mat. 8. 48. Where the worme dieth not Sed semper corrodit nunquam satiatur which alwayes gnawes but never is satisfied which language might be a knell to awaken us from our most stupefied security But thus much of the 1. Conclusion CHAP. II. Concl. 2 Man 's eternall condition admits of no gradation THere shall be no degrees in eternity In heaven there shall be all perfection in hell all defection The buds of joy shall not blow in heaven there shal be no maturation of happinesse or ascension to superiour thrones Rev. 3. 21. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne No rising to greater dignity or more sublime
nihil addi potest Arist and cast into a nobler form fals short of perfection Now the Saints in glory enjoy a double perfection 1. A perfection in their persons They are perfect in all purity holinesse and unspotted transcendency their beings are refulgent with all rich and rare enoblements in all excellent capacities their natures shall shine with the diamonds of perfection as I may so say And 2. A perfection of inheritance the fulnesse of possession and therefore 2 Tim. 4. 8. heaven is alwayes represented by the Luk. 12. 32. most sublime enjoyments A Crown Joh. 3. 16. a Kingdome life a throne Now perfection Rev. 3. 21. that is the bound and bank to As they said of Cyrus Satia te sanguine Cyre So I may say Satia te gloria Sancte limit all expectation Our desires cannot sail beyond the pillar of perfection Nor fly above an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the top the firmament confines the eye of the body and heaven the ambition of the soul And thirdly There can be no further hopes in the blesseds eternity because the Saints in eternity enjoy God immediately which is Summum bonum in summo gradu the chiefest good in the highest degree God is comprehensively all inconceivable good As the Sun containes more light gradu eminentiori in a more eminent degree and consideration then all the candles in the world when lighted The beatificall vision is not all happinesse epitomized but enlarged in the most incomprehensible latitudes And when the Saints shall come to enjoy a free and full sight of God without the interposure of cloud or curtain then shall they say as the Queen of Sheba concerning Solomons glory 1 King 10. 7. Behold the one halfe was not told me All the expectations of the glorified ones shall be swallowed up in inexpressible admirations How sweet those glorious intuitions shall be that the Saints shall enjoy in heaven our most vast conceptions are not able to comprehend God being essentially whatever deserves the name of good And I need not by way of amplification of the Argument make mention of that glory that the humane nature of Christ shall shine in and how pleasing that pretious sight will be to the redeemed ones when arrived at the heavenly countrey And therefore to look for further happinesse is a solecisme in a blessed eternity And as eternity shall confine the hopes of the Saints so it shall bury all expectations of the sinner Hell shall be the grave of all the reprobates hopes Here indeed all hope was not smoothered and evaporated they had a reconcileable God Gods bowels 2 Cor. 5. 19. were not totally restrained but repentance might have enlarged them the treasury-door of mercy and grace was not lockt up but faith could have opened it and the oyle of grace might have procured the oyle of gladnesse and there was still a blanck in the lease for the sinners name to be put in upon conversion to God Mat. 25. 1. But in the eternity of the damned every door of hope is shut and lockt up and all expectation of change or compassion shall be silenced All longing for or looking after either 1. A totall extinction of the remembrance of them that ever there were such caytiffes in the World might cease Or 2. A releasment from their torturing extremities Or 3. An advancement to happinesse and change of the wrack into a throne I say all these hopes shall cease and evaporate in the damneds eternity Nay further the reprobates carnall hopes which was their pleurisie here and with which they were so elevated and rejoyced their hopes of pleasure and profit All their sinfull hopes that cursed tympany they did swell with here their hopes to satisfie their lusts the titillation of their sinfull hearts nay all their formall hopes that Christ would not blast a professed Christian shall all die and fade in their eternity And the damned shall be overwhelmed with cursed desperation as full of torment as void of comfort and hope for evermore the wretched despaire of Judas being the monster his exulcerate conscience brought forth was but a sad embleme of the Reprobates condition in eternity when they shall lie in an hopelesse helplesse endlesse easelesse condition of extremity to all everlasting And it must be so Because the Reprobate never had any true hope or rationall expectation in this life Indeed happily they were inflated with presumption here and their hearts were deluded into a vain dream of future glory but their soules were never winged with true hope it may be with the blaze of hope but not with the grace of hope They never were raised with the Heb. 11. 1. expectation of faith and the reason is because they never had any interesse in Christ which is objective objectively the summe of all true hopes Nor Col. 1. 27. was their hope fastned to or fixed upon a promise for they had no title to a Gospell-promise Indeed all the hopes and expectations of a sinner here they are but the ebullitions of fancy an anchor in the water both uselesse and ridiculous And if their hopes were but counterfeit coyne and alchymie expectation here what shall their hopes be in miserable eternity when they shall be out of sight of the land of promise And what should be a ground to the damned of hope 1. The greatnesse of their torment this is but commensurate to regular justice their inexpressible miseries are but the execution of Gods justice which is essentiall to the divine nature and which after this life is inexorable the very miseries of the reprobate shall be the glory of Gods righteous severity and the very flames of hell as I may say shall cast a light on divine justice Gods compassions in eternity are seal'd up to reprobate ones Or 2. Shall the duration of their torments fill the reprobate with hope Alas every sin they have committed deserves eternall calamity and that propter infinitam Majestatem offensam because of an infinite Majesty offended For sin being infinite ratione objecti in reference to the object the person incensed and because no punishment can be adequate to the deserving of sin in the greatnesse of it For how can a finite creature undergoe an infinite wrath what is abated in greatnesse shall be made up in the duration of the punishment So that the duration of misery shall be no argument to suggest the least hopes to the damned for eternall pain shall be proportionate to divine justice So that hope the last comforter of a wicked man shall leave him in eternity and everlasting despaire shall be as an ever corroding worme to him The Prophet Daniel speakes of an Angell coming down from heaven and saying Hew the tree down and destroy it cut off Dan. 4. 23. her boughs shake off her leaves and scatter her fruit abroad yet leave the stumpe of the roots thereof in the earth Upon which words Ambrose descants elegantly
of his glory comes to This portion behind which our understandings cannot see to tell out is a rare incouragement and puts life Heb. 11. 1. into our vivacious grace this plumes and inflames grace and this makes faith to swell to consider what eternity will bee what felicities it will be the fruitfull wombe of And so inconceivable Hujus poenae potentiam nulla vox exponerè nullus poterit sermo explanare nihil est inâ—ebus corruptibilibus quod conferri possit incorruptibilibus sive bonis sive malis Non est dubium quin id quod nulla temporis mensura circumscribitur nulla etiam creata mente comprehenditur Aug. miseries which the damned shall be overwhelmed with naturally and genuinely they are like beacons upon a hill or lanthornes upon a watchtower for caution and prevention but however they aggravate the feares and amazements of wicked men sinners here cannot fadome the torments of their execution how sharpe and smarting and penetrative their miseries shall be they know not the worst of their punishment this is a worme to the wicked here there are bitter but yet concealed calamities behind Unbelievers in this life cannot imagine or in their most sorrowfull conceptions apprehend what wounds how sore how deep how intolerable the scorpions of Gods eternall wrath shall make when twisted into his scourge There is more calamity reserved for the reprobate then either he will believe or can conceive This is one of those arcana divini imperii those secrets which God hath lockt up in his own knowledge nor will communicate to inferiour beings As the day of judgment is one Rom. 8. 18. of the times and seasons which is not given us to know Some things there Sicut infans in utero matris conclusus de pulcritudine hujus lucis nihil novit sic in hujus vitae tenebris de aeternitate nil possumus perfecti aut solidi scire are the knowledge whereof is shut up in the breast of God nor shall his mind therein be opened untill the accomplishment and fulfilling of all things at the great and last day wheraof the full knowledge of eternity is one great considerable counsell Nor doth God in this cast a disrepute or disrespect upon his people here below as if they should wholly be shut out of his counsels for this the Psalmist contradicts Psal 25. 14. But there are three reasons why God is pleased to conceal some things from his people here God would alwayes leave his people in a longing posture that the heat of their desires and the fervour of their industry might not be dampt God keepeth and reserves many mysteries to give fire to the prayers and animation to the graces of his people God will not give in to his Saints a full history of all his intentions and decrees that he may finde work for his people This life is a Place of appetite not satiety Could the Saints fill and quiet their ambitions here they would sail no further to seek another coast but here is no place of satisfaction God hath many things written in such a cypher and character that here we may long to interpret but cannot unriddle them To keep his Saints humble God hath his reserve of counsels Could Quemadmodum imbecillior est visus quam ut ad stellas pertingat sic intellectus noster infirmior est quam ut coelestia gaudia plene percipiat Ger. the people of God see all with an open face this would feed and foster their pride and presumption as if they were the privy counsellours and secretaries of God himself God covers many things in his own wisdome to teach man the lesson of his own darknesse and imperfection The riddles of nature limit and keep down the boasts of Philosophy and so God drawes the curtain in a great measure here to fix mens eyes on the cloud of his own disability Paul when he was 2 Cor. 12. 6. acquainted in his rapture with inexpressible revelations God sends him Satan to be a thorne in the flesh to statuminate and confine his thoughts that they might not exceed their due station These mysteries which God keeps in his own breast doe but unravell mans weaknesse and they are a clear demonstration what an infant in knowledge our understanding is God doth in this smother those thoughts of man which otherwise would prove immoderate and exorbitant God doth reserve many things from the full knowledge of man to set a glosse on and to inhaunce the future glory of his Saints That though here there may be a filme upon the 1 Cor. 13. 12. eye of their understanding yet in heaven God shall be a sun to chase away all clouds and all Gods everlasting decrees secret counsels and Tum justi omnia scient quae Deus fecit scienda tam ea quae praeterita quaÌ„ postmodum sunt futura Anselm sacred determinations shall be in a fair print and Jesus Christ shall be the interpreter This shall be one part of the Saints blessednesse hereafter they shall be as free from the cloud of ignorance as from the spot of impiety And in Gods concealing many things whereof the full knowledge of eternity is one he doth but raise the market of glory it selfe And now at last the imperfect Anatome of our eternall estate is finisht and in it hath been made good what hath been asserted in this last conclusion to wit that our knowledge of eternity here in this life is but faint and faltring and the unskilfulnesse of him that hath undertaken the description hath but thickened the cloud and encompassed the argument in hand with greater difficulties But if any light hath broke forth from the weake discussion of this point so that eternity may be any thing more apparent or visible his imperfections shall not wholly annihilate his happinesse But the sum of all shall be this Eternity is a superlative identicall never-ending condition whether it set us upon the throne of glory or see us fastned to the wracke of eternall calamity Applicat And now lest the picture of eternity may be rased out of our thoughts after it is drawn let the memory of it be kept fresh and lively in a close Application which shall run in two streams The first part of the Application shall be more generall as taking in within its circuit the whole body and corporation of man it shall be to all universally But the second part shall be more particular either as relating to the Saints being the fullest argument of their joy and triumph or else referring to sinners as being the saddest word in their doom Eternity is the torture and poyson of their highest extremity CHAP. XIII Vse of Exhortation Branch 1 FIrst let this exhort us all To fill our thoughts with Eternity Let this word alwayes lie floating on our meditations It is recorded of Philip K. of Macedon that he gave a pension to one to come to
and a systeme of distempers about him who hath more diseases then veins so that if Galen had lost any disease to treat on he might finde it in him he courts and cals for death and waits for one issue more among all the rest an issue out of the world But doth such reumatique flegmatique decrepit frantique sinners suppose death will be a crutch to keep them from falling into hell Surely those diseases which attend nature in the socket in the declension of it if grace have not cured them death shall turne them into insupportable maladies 4. And the tired worldling who hath gone himself out of breath in the pursuance of world affaires he looks upon death as a quiet and retired chamber to rest in But let such a one consider if in all his pursuites he hath not followed an interest in Christ and made that the object of his sweat he shall take up his lodging in a bed of eternall flames Not to amplifie the argument further Death doth not strangle the sinner or stiffle the Saint but only serries them both over to eternity But it shall land them at a different place as may be manifest upon the review of these particulars And first let us observe what death is to a believer Death is the believers change his alteration not his execution his transplantation not his dissolution When Job 14. 14. a believer dies God doth but take a flower out of the wildernesse and plant it in his Garden or take a rose out of the field and put it in his bosome Josephs change from the Prison to the Gen. 42. 12. Throne from being a Prisoner to become a Prince and Jobs change from Job 41. 39. the dunghill to a reduplicated condition were but the pregnant prefigurations of the Saints change by death It doth only change the copy the state the countenance of a child of God and make him who looked pale with trouble and misery here look fresh with glory and beauty for ever Death to a Saint only turnes the scale 2 Cor. 4. 17. and makes it weigh down with a weight of eternall glory As the Moon after its change comes to its full so death it placeth the poor inconsiderable derided scoft Saint whose body it may be is covered with soares and soul beleaguered with agonies and name with reproaches and estate with losses in the throne of boundlesse felicity and sets the Crown of immortality on his head Death is the last day of a believers non-age whilest the Saints live here they live upon a Pension the allowance of providence they are under age but death brings them to receive their portion and therefore heaven is called an inheritance Death is the last day Si tanta tam suavis est aâ—â—ha quam deus hic suis largitur quanta erit hareditas ipsa quam suo tempore praestabit A Lap. of the Saints Apprentiship it manumits the Saint to eternall liberty Here all the Saints are like Jacob they serve for their Ruchels and death puts a period to their servitude to all their longings groanings sighs to all the harshnesse they endure all the toyles they sustain all the bread of adversity Observa quod Christus non dicit ut serviant mihi Sancti sed ut videant gloriam meam Musc and water of affliction they feed upon In a word Death frees the believer from all not only his labours but from his mean allowances as he is an heir under age an heir of promise observe the word promise and puts him in possession of the full transcendent revenues of everlasting never-dying honour and glory Death is the Saints Secretary to write his releases Death brings the Saint into the same presence-Chamber with Jesus Christ Joh. 17. 28. it opens the door for the Saint to come in to God and a conclave of Angels the life of a Saint here is but an unkind wall an injurious lattice between Christ and him now death breaks down this wall and opens the wall for the Saints entry to lie in the everlasting embraces of Jesus Christ it Cant. 2. 14. plucks up the hedge that the Saint may Mors piorum nihil allud est quam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad Christum laetabatur Patriarcha Jacobus cum videret currum a filio Josepho missum nos contristabimur quando coelestis Joseph currum nobis mittit quo in coelum evehamur Ger. goe over to his beloved it draws the curtain that the believer may have a full view of the beauties of Christ it doth as it were pluck the maske from the face of Christ to present him in his sweetest lovelinesse to the Saint Death takes away all obstructions and impediments of an absolute and entire fruition of the Lord Jesus while we are here we may receive a letter from Christ now and then in Gospell communion but death lodges us in the bosome of our pretious friend Death is the fiery chariot to bring us to the Court of Christ Death is the rest and cessation of a believer from all his disquieting and tumultuous disturbances in the world 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the quiettation of a Saint A learned man observes that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rest is the same with that which the Hebrewes call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 refrigeration or refreshment And so death indeed is nothing but the unlading of a Saint of all his burdens the closing after the sun-set it layes the body of a believer in a sweet sleep for a while and brings his soul into the banqueting house of In altera vita deus sanctos ab omnibus miseriis liberatos in vera prepetua quiete laetitia gaudio gloria constituet Chemn eternall felicity Here the poor believer is scorcht sometimes with the heat of Gods wrath sometimes with the storming of Saints malice sometimes with the boyling of his own corruptions and sometimes with the toyles of the affairs of the world but death takes the Saint out of the heat Sed in Christo iis qui in ipsum credunt mors est somnus quies refocillatio Id. and brings him into the chearing shade of endlesse happinesse The Saints dissolution shall unchain him from all his distemperatures and oppressions he was fettered with here and shall lay him at rest in the refreshing ravishing bosome of Jesus Christ Death is the messenger of Christ to bring the Saint newes of an eternall victory the Herald Christ imployes to usher the Saint to the throne Here lies the indulgence of the Lord Christ and one pretious fruit of his bloud That death which was the effect of sin the monster from the womb part of the curse which sin drew upon the head of mankind is now blossomed into a rare blessing and is under Christ the Saints best friend the honourable Ambassadour of Christ to tell the Saint of an approaching crown But now let us traverse the darke side and see under
be to accumulate their infelicity Their souls shall not be refreshed with the dewes of celestiall happinesse God in the full passage of eternity shall not once draw the curtain to refresh the damned with a transient view of that glory which shall for ever encompasse his Saints I might here superadd their exile and banishment from the harmonies and hallelujahs of heaven those seraphicall musicks which are the everlasting redundancies of the Angels obedience and the Saints joy And I might likewise take notice of the damneds exclusion from the refreshment of common pitty and commiseration The reprobates in eternity shall not Prov. 1. 26. have the Levits courtesie the refreshment of a compassionate look they shall eternally be banisht all moaning Psal 92. 8. language they shall never hear the Ipsimet damnati sese invicem odio prosequentur ac miseriis suis mutuo insultabunt Ger. sounding of the bowels of man nor be indulged with the compassions of God I say these things might be enlarged but this punishment of losse which the damned shall be afflicted with will more clearly appear when the gain the felicities of heaven shall come into debate and discussion I now fall upon the punishment of sense consisting in all those actuall torments which the damned shall undergoe which as David speaks of Gods works Psal 40. 5. Many O Lord my God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hom. are thy wonderfull works And as Nestor spake of the miseries they endured at the siege of Troy so I may say of those calamities they are not more grievous for their nature then numerous for the account As the Father comprised all in one short sentence Ibi nihil aderit boni nihil aberit mali But I shall comprise those chief punishments which shall consume and torment the damned under these few heads They shall be tortured with the scorching heat of fire mentioned in many places of Scripture Mat. 18. 9. Mat. 3. 12. Mar. 9. 48. Luke 16. 24. c. Now for the handling of this particular I shall dispatch it in these three things 1. Quest Whether this infernall fire be materiall or no Answ Answ There are many who seem to affirme it and use many arguments Gehenna illa quae etiam stagnum ignis sulphuris dicta est corporeus ignis erit cruciabit corpora damnatorum Aug. de civ dei for the assertion As 1. In the articles of faith we are to adhere to the letter unlesse evident and necessary occasion draw us from a literall interpretation Now these miseries are often called fire Mat. 15. 41 c. And 2. To this fire is ascribed sulphur flames wood Isa 30. 33. Now the Word would not give such properties to immateriall fire 3. The bodies of men cannot be more exquisitely tormented then with fire one spark is exceeding dolorous And Nebuchadnezzars furnace was but a type of hell and therefore there is no reason to recede from their opinion And then on the contrary part it is urged 1. That corporeall fire can make no impressions on a spirit as the Devils and the souls of men are All agents Daemonas animas â—ationales non aliter cruciari igne corporeo quidam asserunt contra suam voluntatem quam quod in eo detineantur tanquam in perpetuo carcere Thom. as Philosophers observe doe act on a capable object now spirituall substances are not so to materiall agents Now to this it is answered 1 Our souls here are often afflicted in corporeall distempers Et corpore afflicto anima ipsa dolet 2. Although coporeall fire doe not act on the soul by a physicall and naturall power yet God can infuse a power into fire as the instrument of his wrath and vengeance even to scorch and singe the souls of the damned Though fire cannot do it as Divines observe Virtute physica tamen virtute hyperphysica And it is a good observatioâ— a learned man that Talis est cujusque rei natura actio qualem Deus creator Omnipotens eam vult esse si corpora damnatorum urantur non consumantur nonne illud est miraculum Et quomodo dicitur ignis contra naturam agere cum agat voluntate Dei that is The nature and the action of every thing is such as the Almighty creator will have it and commands it to be if the bodies Alii dicunt si ignis infernalis esset materialis tum extingui posset sed resp sicut corpora damnatorum etsi comburuntur tamen non consumuntur sic ignis inferni etsi se exerit in damnatorum poena tamen non extinguitur Vtrumque ergo est per miraculam of the damned are burned and not consumed is not this a miracle as the bush Exod. 3. in the beginning And then how can that fire be said to act against its own nature that acts according to the will of the God of nature and therefore it may be asserted that the fire of hell may reach the souls of the damned if God give it a command or impose on it a quality and power so to do Now to clear the whole in a word The infernall fire may be considered two wayes 1. Ratione sui in reference to it self and so it cannot have any power on a spirituall substance 2. Ratione agentis principalis cujus est instrumentum in regard of the principall agent whose instrument it is and so it can act upon spirituall beings and make the same painfull impressions as it would do upon corporall But not further to amplifie the controversie that saying of St. Augustine is August remarkable Cujusmodi ignis infernalis est hominem scire arbitror neminem nisi forte cui Spiritus divinus ostendit i. e. None can know what this fire is of what kind of what power unlesse extraordinarily the Spirit of God reveal it to him And another piously Let us earnestly importune the Lord that this knowledge whether the fire of hell be materiall or not be never manifested to us by experience Quest 2 And it would not be any great digression if we should examine the difference between our fire and infernall fire wherein the vast diversity lies Our fire can be extinguisht the hottest flames can be put out by the greatest streames the holy fire of the heart love cannot be quenched no not by many waters Cant. 8. 7. but Job 20. 26. the fire of the hearth can be extinguished Deut. 32. 22. the greatest conflagrations will either die of themselves or be quenched by an exterior power But the fire of hell is an everlasting flame tears cannot quench it bloud cannot allay it Could the damned weep an Ocean they could not extinguish one sparke of this fire Our fire must be maintained by continuall supplies of fuell take away the pile of wood and the fire goes out but the fire of hell shall not be Isa 30. 33. fed with wood but with wrath Gods indignation shall