but labour and sorrow cut off and we soone gone Psal 90 10. And Hier. saith Sin amplius vixerimus If wee liue aboue 80. yeeres it is no life to be called but a death rather Now when we die the world is at an end with vs we goe to the house of our age and come forth no more to tell any tales Wherfore Iesus make vs ready against death comes and then Mercy will make vs happy when iudgemēt coms The very period of the Iudgement time some say shall be at midnight Quia illahora Angelus Egyptum deuastauit eademque hora electos suos de mundo liberabt Because in that houre say they the Angel did slay the First-borne in Egypt and that in that houre will hee deliuer his elect from Egypt of this world Some say Econtra The iudgement time shall be in the day either because the Prophets doe call it The day of the Lord Or else because that night if the time of night shall be as bright as the day Others say whose opinion Isodore citeth that The generall Resurrection shall be in the same night wherein our Sauiour made his Resurrection that is On Easer euen a the feast of the Pasouer and for that cause saith hee many in the Primitiue Church of the faithfull did watch that whole night as expecting the Iudges comming if we may beleene this Author But these men I answere first with that worthy father Haec est fidei regnla dixit Christus dixit Apostulus This is the rule of Faith to say Thus said Christ thus the Apostle Now this is more then Christ or his Apostles saide and so more then you or I must beleeue Next for that they speake of the Night time I answere either with Aug. It shal be Nocte rerum In the niht of the knowledge of actiōs Non temporum Not in the night seasn of time Or els I say with he meaning of the Text He shall come in the night that is Suddenly vnexpected when no man so much as dreameth on his then comming and as in the night things are done that men know nor so that time shall be when men thinke not This is sure whensoeuer it shall be A Trumpe shall blowe Inerrorem To terrifie As Theophilact in Mat. 24 ait And a shrill cry shall bee so lowde that All Soules in Heauen and Hell and bodies in the graue shal heare and at the hearing thereof appear before the Iudge Who as Beda in cap. 21. Lucae saith Ea forma electis apparebit qua in monte apparuit reprobis vero in ca forma qua in Cruce pependit Sall appeere to his chosen in that forme wherein hee appeared to Peter lames and Iohn on the mountaine that is gloriousl his face and clothes glistering Mat. 17.2 But to the reprobate hee shall appeare in that forme and shape which he had when hee hanged on the Crosse Let vs then who desire and hope for saluation worke it by faith and serue God here that that blessed day may be welcome to vs hereafter and how God will be serued Old Hier. tels you It will bee better by Aduerbs then by Verbs Videat quisque vt bonum opus bene bona intentione faciat quia non bonum facere sed bene facere laudabile est non enim in eo quod facimus sed quod bene facimus Let euery one saith he do good workes well and with a good minde for the praise is not in the doing good but in the doing well Example be the Pharisie he did good I fast twisea week I giue tythes of all I possesse I am no Extortioner vniust adulterer Lu. 18.2 But he did not well for he wanted a good intention which hee had not and waned not a proud heart which he had Wherefore he said Not like this Publican Ver. 2. And Christ saide Not iustified Vers 14. Thus all vnregenerate persons may doe Bonum Good but not Bne Well they cannot doe good well because they haue not in the sight of God a good will the person before God is not plausible because bee wants Faith nor the worke to GOD acceptable sith it wants not sinne What is not of Fath is sinne Romanes 14.23 3. The end to iudge the world is the third part of my text and this third part is taken in fiue sneses First for all creatures in the world Secondly for all mankinde Thirdly for the elect Fourthly for the reprobates Fifthly for the desires of the world as lusts of the yes desire of the heart pride of life and in the second senese for all mankinde is worlde in my text properly taken for God shall iudge all mankinde good and badde and bring them all to iudgement In the twentieth Chapter of the Reuelation and twelfth verse Saint Iohn saw the dead both great small stand before God for their iudgeent and the bookes were opened and euory one was iudged acording to the things written in those bookes and the Sea gaue vp her dead and death hell gaue vp his dead A question is heere mooued how the damned soules in hell and the Diuels the fallen Angels shall be iudged at the last day that are iudged already at this day Solu I answere that in respect of condemnation they shal not at the last day be iudged seeing they before hand are condemned by Gods eternall decree by his word by their owne consciences but in regard of aggrauation they shal be iudged because their pains shall be increased themselues strictly lookt vnto for hurting the godly any more In this world Peter was sitted Iob was wounded in the next world they are and shall be blessed the blessed shal be crowned crowned with a crowne of immortality white array Apoc. 3.5 And thus much by the way let me tell you as I passe along this third part of my text that White shall be the last apparell that we shall lastly weare it shall be the last weare which we shall weare and it wil weare lastingly euen so long as this mortall shall weare immortality after this mortall hath put on immortality White is a colour betokening purite and so the fitter colour for Heauen where al 's is Puritie It is the colour which wee shall haue in Heaen where no impure nor vncleane thing is Ephe. 5.5 This white was the colour wherewith Christ was mocked and this where shall bee the colour wherewith wee shall be crowned White was a color wherewith Christ was clad when hee was in miserie Luk. 23.15 And white shall bee that colour wherewith wee shall be clothed when we are in maiestie In the 1. of Iohn chap. 3. ver 2. It is said Wee shall bee like vnto him that is as Caluin saith Corpus nosrum humile reddet conforme corpori suo glorioso Hee shall make our clay bodies like his gloriou body And in the 17. of Mat ver 2. the Text saith When he ea transfigured his face didshine like the Sonne and his
betaken it selfe to it wings and is fled from peoples hearts godlines is become as a vagrant gees vp and downe from towne to towne from partie to partie for want of imployment the intertainment thereof is a passeport whipt away from the earth and sent home to heauen the place where it was borne Religion is fixt in the sphere of no mans heart there is none that doth good no not one it is now Plannet-like sometimes nigher sometimes farther off he who giues it oâ—be-rome This moneth discards it the moneth following we haue so many temporizers that few shall be eternized so many on earth that few in heauen So much dissimulation that Momus his wish to Iupiter as the Poets faint to haue a glaslewindow in mens brests to diseerne betweene their hearts and their words would be a Boone to the world So little fidelitie that an honest plaine dealing man is Animal rarum like a nightrauen seldome seene so that we may instly with Diogines take a candle and a lanthorne at noone day and say Quae ro hommem I seeke a man We liue in an age I cannot say the least God be thanked it is the last but I may too truely say the worst and as the Cynicke said of an Italian Take a light and seeke cuerie hole and not finde a worse so say I of our times Take paines and search all stories and not finde the like Hence I inferre that these bee the last daies and farthest times of our Sauiours comming that the appointed day is at our very heeles because now our good friends doubt may be easily resolued when the Son of man shall come shall he finde faith on the earth Luk. 18.8 Yea. doubtlesse some and but a little and yet some else the world could not stand For I dare say we have some saithfull Eliahs that obtaine raine in time of neede some holy Moses that stand in the gap of Gods wrath to keep his iudg meÌ„ts froÌ„ vs some blessed Abrahams that pleade with God euen the case of this citie else I beleeue that the wals hereof had beene downe long ere this Preuention is the hart of pollicie and let vs learne Christian policie to preuent the policie shall bee that which Peter teacheth vs To amend our lines Act. 2.38 Euery one to mend one the preuention will-be this we shall bâ— nesther punished with the wicked nor shall we perish with the wicked Not pnnished My people be not partakers of her sinnes least you beare a part of her plagues Apoc 18.4 Not perish He that turnes to the Lord his souleishall liue Ezech 18. Let vs then who desire to escape both punishing and perishing too looke to all Christ tels vs ignorance shall excuse no man the seruant gaue his maister none answere at his reture the text ait and the reason is giuen by Chri Vt sciamus in die inditij cessare excusationem peccati To giue vs to vnderstand that at the day of iudgement none excuse will sarue the turne only my text tels vs we shall be iudged in righteousnesse and right is no wrong In righteousnesse God created man in righteousnes created man should liue in righteousnesse liuing man should die and in righteousnesse liuing and dead menshal be iudged Gifts blinde the eies of the wise but our Iudge will not be bribed Iudges may be partiall to parties but God is no accepter of persons Iudges may be moued with pittie but our now Iesus will be then Iudex A iudge all for iustice In isto tantum seculo misericors est Hier. in 105 Psalme Onely in this world God is mercifull in the next world mercy hath no seare pittie hath no plea. Let all then take heede how they liue in this interstiticall time before iudgement least being found guâ—tie when they shall be conuented before the great Iudge at the great Assise of the world they haue that dismail Mittimns made of Ite to their distressed soules from the hands of him who will iudge in righteousnesse 5. The sift part of my text is the partie who must iudge vs Your honorable worshipfull and religious patience hath afforded me eies and eares in this more then two houtes trauell through the way of my texâ— I beseech you let not now my prolixitie make you thinke ouerlong the time to stay vntil the end of my tourney that you may heare the whole discourse for t hast a pace and presse towards the marke It any then aske me who this iudge shall be who the man is that is appointed to iudge the world I answere It is the man Iesus Christ God and man who died for man to iudge man For he that was God was borne vpon the earth as man for vs he that was borne vpon the earth as man for vs wrought vpon the earth as God for vs he who wrought vpon the earth as God for vs died vpon the eresle as man for vs and he who died vpon the crosle as man for vs rose againe the third day as God for vs to make vs the adopted sons of his father Now he that was thus borne did thus worke so die and so rise againe he who was God and man to adopt man shall iudge man The truth of this appeares out of our creede Where we beleeue in Iesus Christ who ascended into heauen shall thence come to iudge both the quicke and the dead tappeares out of Rom 14.10 where the text saith We shal al appeare before the iudgement seate of Christ it is plaine loh. 5.22 The father indgeth no man but hath giuen all iudgement to the sonne which words are spoken by our Sau our himselfe Iesus Christ the Iudge The Sonne then shall be iudge yet we must not think that the Father and the holy Ghost are seduced froÌ„ this iudgement but this we must hold that the sonne Iesus Christ our Sauiour shal iudge immediatly really locally personally visibly the other two shall iudge inuisibly onely by giuing their consent Christ shall execute sentence vpon the world personally In forma hominis In the forme of a man in the same forme which he tooke on him when he was on earth Whereupon Bernard saith Vulnera seruanit in diem iudicij vt videant ea Iudaes confundâ—â—tur He hath kept his wounds vnto the day of iudgement that the Iewes may see them and bee confounded The whole Trinitie shall iudge Authoritatiue with equall authoritie but Christ shall iudge executatiue with execution of sentence be cause Iudex debet esse manifestus omnibus iudicandis The Iudge must shew himselfe and be manifest to al that shall be iudged For wee must know that the Father and the holy Ghost shal not be seene according to their diuine nature of all that must be at iudgement for then all should be blessed and all should be blessed for the seeing of God is blessednesse and blessednesse is the seeing of God For as in hell Maxima paena The greatest punishment is the
goodnesse it selfe and no good thing will hee keepe from them that feare him and serue him in holinesse and righteousnesse of life This Iudgement day then is good in respect of God and man In God to shew his great mercy iust iudgemēt to the godly the wicked In man that a crowne immortal might be absolute that the fulnes of perfectiō might make a perfect fulnes 2 The resolution he not only in a kind of intentionall determination verbally said it that which had bin sufficient too for Psal 33.9 Dixit factum est He spake the word and it came to passe But more he hath with mature deliberation resolued vpon it for my Text saith Hee hath appointed a day that is Flatly agreed vpon As if the blessed Trinity had held a Councel about it as about the making of man Let vs make man So Gen. 1.26 Let vs apoint a day for Iudgement And then after that secret heauenly Parliamēt hold the Act was published as a reuealed thing which belongs to vs our children for euer That there is an appointed day of Iudgement Deut. 29.29 Agreeing to this is that of the He. c. 9.27 Statutum est hominibus vt semel moriantur pastea vero iudicium It is apointed for all men once to die and after that coms the Iudgement It is appointed therfore needs must be nay both apointed therfore shal be Death Iudgement too With god is no chāge no alteration no shadow of either for Ego dominus non mutor I am the Lord and I chāge not Mal. 3 6. Solus deus recipit immortalitatem quia non capit mutalit atem Only god is imortal because only God is imutable The heauens change look old as doth a garment but thouart the same thy years fail not Psa 102.27 Why doth the sun guid the day the moon the stars gouern the night Because god hath apointed it why doth not the sea ouerflow the earth it being so many degrees higher thē the earth but keep it selfe in it bounds which it passeth not Because God appointed it Why haue we a winter a Summer and not al one season of the yere Because God hath appointed it Why doe al the godly look for a iudgemēt day Because god hath appointed it So we haue light and darknes day a night a spring a fal Al because god apointed all If your aske me why Iacob was predestinat before al worlds to saluation Esaw hated to damnation I answer Statuitdeus because god apointed If you aske me why Saul was casheird of his Kingdome and Dauid inthrōned I answere Statuit Deus God hath appointed it If you aske me why Absolon did hang betweene heauen and earth by the ruffinly hair of his head A destruction to giue our now such people instruction I answere Statuit Deus God had appointed it If you aske me why I doe and you must looke for a Iudgement day I answere with my Text. Quia statuit Deus Because God hath appointed it The Rainbow hath many colours two Dominant Fiery and Watry the watry colour remembreth vs of the Deluge past and bids vs feare it no more the Fiery aduertiseth vs of the Iudgement to come and bids vs daily looke for it If you aske me why I haue retained my Text and what that speakes is law Statuit Deus Because God hath appointed it 2 The second part of my Text is the vncertaintie of the day of Iudgement for Quinatus ante tempus Hee that was borne before time And Qui dedit esse tempori Who gaue a beeing to all time will come In tempore In a fit time to iudge vs. Pro tempore For lost time we who are Heires of time when as Non erit amplius tempus There shal be no more time Time it selfe shal be no more as wee read Apock 10.6 that is No more time of persecution of murther of Sinne whereof the sixt Angel spake Apoc. 9.13 The time of persecution at that time shall cease and yet time it selfe shall not haue cessation Antechrist with all Complices of his shal be destroyed so there shall bee no time for hurt nor destruction sith the destroyer himselfe shall bee destroyed but Ipsum Tempus in quantum tempus Time in that it is time shall suffer no destruction In three things appeares the vncertainety of the day of Iudgement 1 The place where 2 The manner how 3 The time when It is vncertaine in what place wee shall bee iudged It is vncertaine in what manner wee shall bee Iudged and it is vncertaine what time the Iudge will come to Iudgement 1 The place any particular place of Iudgement or where the Iudge will appeare to Iudge is to vs vtterly vnknowne more then that Paul speaks of 1. Thes 4.17 Then wee who liue and remaine shall bee caught vp in the clouds to meet the Lord in the Aire and so shall bee with him for euer So that the generall place is the Aire In the 6. of Mat. 64. In the 13. of Marke 26. In the 21. of Luke 27. The Iudge there speaking of himselfe at his comming saith That it shall bee in the Clouldes of Heauen That is both as the Marginall hath it and as the most vnderstand it Sitting vpon the Clouds as he was taken vp which opinion is the common receiued opinion of the learned There were of the Friers and are at this day of opinion that the valley Iehosaphat which is situate towards the Eeast betweene Ierusalem and the Mount of Oliuet shall bee the place where say they the throne shall bee set and where wee shall all be Iudged the proofe of which opinion they cite out of Ioel. 2. chap. 3. verse 2. where the text saith I will gather all nations and will bring them downe into the valey Iehosaphat The reasons mouing them to this opinion are two 1 Because they hold Ierusalem and the places about it adiacent to bee neere the middle of the earth and therfore being a place so copious so famous most fit for the place of Iudgement 2 Because Iohosaphat in the Original doth singnifie the Iudgement of the Lord. The which opinion of theirs thus I answere That for the places cituation to be about the middest of the earth or world that I leaue to the Cosmographers to be decided according to their iudgement in that Arte and facultie Also the wordes signisication shall cause none alteration sith they who are learned in the Hebrewe tongue will acknowledge no lesse But for the places quotation they must obserue that the Text is to bee vnderstoode either by way of allusion alluding to the valley where God did by a great and vnsupposed vnexpected mean at the humble paier of Iehosaphat ouercome that good Kings enemies for the enemies fell to Ciuill war among themselues and one slew another Moab and Amon fell vpon Mount Seir and they euery one vpon the other as wee
cap. 1. Circa medium capitis He hath these words Per quot dies tendatur iudicium hoc incertum est sed Scripturarum more sanctarum diem poni solere pro tempre nemo qui illas litter as quamlibet negligenter ligerit nescit How many daies that iudgement time shall holde it is vncertaine but it s the custme of the Scripture to put a day for the length of time and none haue beene so little conuersant in the Scriptures but know this Had Augustine thought it shuld be mentall he neede not haue spoken of Daies for it would haue a short cut be soone dispatcht On the other side Some supposeit shall be Mental onely and they bring the not Canonicall Scripture for proofe Wisedeme cap. 4. ver 19. Without a voice he shall burst them Others hold that the Sentence of iudgement shall bee both Mentall and Vocal because the Iudge shall iudge both as God and man therefore that his iudgement shall be both after a diuine and an humaine manner But for these opinion although I rater thinke with the last yet I say Of secret things which belong to the creator there can bee no sure determination by the creature Thus I pray O Lord increase our faith tell our death so shall we be sure to be Christs when wee are dead and then shall we not care whether the iudgement be vocall or mentall ne or both Some are of opinion that so many men shall be saued as diuelsfell Some that so many shall be saued as Angels stood A third sort say That there shall be in heauen two wals the one of Angels the other of men and that the ruine of the Angels shall be restored with Virgins the other wals shall haue so many Saints to make vp that as there are both Angels and Virgins But these vncertaine opinions of men I leaue to the future trial of such holy men as shall inioy blessednesse there where they shall truely iudge of these opinions In the meane time my Quaere is whether the number of the Angels that stood or the diuels that fell be the greater Of the Angels that stood some thinke they are moe in number now remaining then all the material things created and the Prophet speaking of them sets down no determinate number of them but they are thousand thousands and ten thousand thousands Deut. 7.10 that is they are innumerable Quoad nos in respect of vs. As for the diuels that fell thogh with Bucanus in his booke of Angels I suppose that there is Paene innnmerabilis numerus Almost a number without number not to be numbred yet I beleeue that more stood by the mercy of God then were suffired to fall in his iustice onely what I thinke in this to be true I know not This I know if that the redeemer of our soules hath written all our here-names in the Cataloque of the holy ones that shall be saued it wil not hurt vs though wee know not the number of them that shal be sued true faith will assure vs of the one now and bring vs assuredly where we shall know the other hereafter 4 The fourth part of my text is the manner how we shall be iudged set downe to be In righteousnesse for the goodnesse of the vpright Iudge may be a warrant to vs for righteousnesse in iudgement Righteousnes in God is De essentia A part of his essence nay it is God for Quicquid est in deo deus est Whatsocuer is in God is God therefore to haue him giue Rectum in dicium right iudgement it is no doubt Dauid saith He is inst in all his waies and righteous in all his workes and according to a worke of righteousnesse he will iudge the world therefore he saith Psa 35. Iudge me according to ty righteousnesse True iustice is Suum cuique tribuere To giue euery one his owne saith the Philosopher and so will God render to cuery one according to their workes be they good or euill Among many pettie Iudges Ignorantia legis the ignoraÌ„ce of the law maketh a default in iudgement But our Iudge was the lawgiuer himself therfore there needeth no writ of errour be sued out among all Iudges Ignoratia facti the ignorance of the fact for want of true Euidence may produce a wrong sentence but this Iudge is Serntator cordium The searcher of all hearts he knoweth al thoughts as the Psalmist saith Yea knoweth what wee will doe before it is done and therefore he must needes iudge aright when it is done This Iudge who shall iudge vs was once iudgd himselfe and we who one day must be iudged doe at this day oft in dge others but yet others and our selues shall be once iudged by him who will one day be iudge of all yea and that in righteousnesle as himselfe was not iudged Pilate the iudge yeelded that he found no fault in him at all and yet against all right with more wrong he gaue sentence vpon him the tenour whereof the Euangelists haue concealed yet in an old writer I finde it thus recorded Iesus Nazari seductor populi quem gens tua namprobauit regem propter contentum Caesareae magistatis praecipio te primum flagellari secundum principum statuta deinde in cruce ileuari I lictor expedi crusom Iesus of Nazareth a seducer of the people one whom thine owne nation haue allowed King for contempt of the Maiestie of Cesar I doe command that according to the Lawes of Princes Thou be first whipt then lifted vp to the Crosse Goe Sergeant prepare the Gibbet Thus dealt Pilate with him in whose mouth was found no guile then what shall become of vs in whom is found so much For if the iust man fall seauen times a day Pro. 24.16 How shall they escape whose life is continual fal Howsoeuer my text saith we shall be iudged in righteousnesse we shall haue our due and beare but our owne burthen yet that without helpe God knowes is too heauie Were the Iudges in the world like the Iudge of the world to iudge all in righteousnesse oh it were well Socrates laught because hee saw great theeues hang vp little theâ—ues but we may grieue to see poore flies intangled where Bees pasle through without any stoppage the best is this All are but Stewards and al must be countable Habent supremi iudices superiorem iudicem Chiefe Iudges shall haue the chiefe Iudge to iudge theÌ„ if they for fauor do not giue true iudgement If in a country thou seest the oppression of the poore the defrauding of iudgement iustice be not astonied at the matter for he that is higher then the highest regardeth and there be higher then they Eccl. 5.7 Si tanta in terris haberetur fides quanta in caelis exspectatur merces If men had so much faith on earth as they expect teward with the sonne of man in heauen good Lord what a world should we haue But farth of late hath
priuation of the seeing God whereupon Chrys saith Impij non tantum dolebunt de ipso supplicio quam quod repelluntur a tale consortio The wicked shall not so much lament the paines which they suffer as the company from which they are kept So in heauen the greatest happinesse all being happinesse and being all happinesse is to see God that is as wee can see him and as he will bee seene For in the world to come God shall bee seene of all whole but not of all wholly of all whole because the whole number of the Elect shall see him but nor of all wholly because God is infinite God shal be seen in the world to come so far forth as is fit either for the creator to reueal himselfe to his creature or for the creature to see the creator but the whole Deity neyther is nor can bee seene for bee is a spirite and Deum nemo vidit unquam neuer man saw God at any time 1. Iohn 4.12 Therefore whereas Iob saith I shall see God in my flesh cap. 19.26 And whereas Iohn saith Wee shall see him as hee is 1. cap. 3. vers 2. whereas it is of Iacob Gen. 32. and of Moses Exod 33. said that they saw God And whereas Paul saith Wee shall see him face to face 1. Corin. 13.12 Wee must not take the words litterally but the meaning of the words That we shall see God as hee will be seene Wherefore by this seeing of God in the world to come is meant the cleere knowledge which wee shall thē haue of God which knowledge shal not be with the eies of our body but the eyes of our mind and that too either by meanes as by his word works or outward signes or else without means by speciall Reuelation For onely God hath seene God Iohn 6.46 For I do bele ue that in the world to come there shall be diuersity of ioyes one starre differeth from another in glery 1. Cor. 15.41 that is as Wirth and diuers of the learned expound it there shall be Honoris gloriae graedus vna tamen eadem faelicitas aeterna Degrees of honour and glory and yet but one eternall felicity Also my Sauiour saith In my fathers house there be many dwelling places Iob. 14.2 Which although Caluin obseruing the worde many saith the text doth not nominate Diuers as Difference in glory and therefore thinketh that there shal be in heauen no degrees of glory yet for mine owne particular I belceue with them that thus expound this place Multitudo mansionum differentiam quoque gloriae significat the multitude of manfions signifieth diuersities of glory But as in the oddes of ioyes I hold that the least shall be full neyther able to hold any more nor desiring any more so doubtlesse the difference of seeing God shall be ex parte videntis non visi Of the party seeing not of him who is seene Fill two vessels of vnequall bignesse with any liquor and the bigger holds more then the lesse yet both are full so an olde declined or an ill imperfect eye seeth the Sunne much worse then a young and perfect eye and yet the Sunne shewes it selfe and shieth to all alike Thus doe I beleeue it will be between God and his Saints the holy ones in the world to come God is knowne 3. maner of waies 1. Quod est 2. Quid est 3. Sicut est That heis What he is As he is 1. That he is so he is known to the Diuels and the wicked Credunt demones et trement the Diuels beleeue there is a God tremble I am 2.19 2. What he is and so is known to the Angels in heauē in our blessed coūtry 3. As he is so he shal be neither seen nor known neither of Saints nor wicked neither in this world nor the world to come for Finitum nequit comprehendere infinitum They that are finit can neuer cōprehend what is infinite The Church also at the last day shall iudge as Christ tels vs Ye shall sit on seats and iudge the twelue tribes of scaell Luk 22.30 that is as some expound it Ibierunt omnes sancti iudicis sententiam approbantes There shall be all the holy ones to approue Christs sentence and subscribe to his iudgement Vpon this text a woorthy writer saith thus The Apostles iudge the world at this day by the preaching of the Gospell whoso beleeueth shall bee saued at the last day the whole world shall be iudged by Christ according to the Gospell preached by the Apostles and in this sence the Saints being members of Christ Iudicabunt cum Christo mundum et Angelos hoc est Diabolos Shall iudge together with Christ the world the cuill Angels the Deuils as wee may reade 1. Cor. 6.2 Musculus expounds it thus The faith of the Apostles shall take away aell excuses from the Ifraelites that is At that day of iudgement shall rise vp to condemne them as our Sauiour tells the people Luke 11.31 The Queene of the South shall rise in iudgement with the men of this generation and condemne them for shee came from the vtmost parts of the earth to heare the wisedome of Salomon and behold a greater then Salomon is heere the men of Niniueh shall rise in iudgement with this generation and shall condemne it for they repented at the preaching of Ionas and behold a greater then Ionas is heere And as our Sauiour speakes Iohn 12.4 The worde that I haue spoken shall iudge you at the last day otherwise we must know that Christ the Iudge shall sit alone in iudgement In that will be the blessed day the day in which wee shall be blessed and after which wee shall enioy eternall blessednesse in heauen In heauen Sciemus amabimus gaudebimus laudabimus We shall know wee shall loue wee shall reioyce wee shall praise saith Hugo First wee shall know God his counsells his secrets his iudgements the causes natures beginning and endings of all creatures saith this Cardinalis yea I assure my selfe that in Heauen we shall know one another but how Not with an earthly knowledge I suppose that shall vanish away with all earthly desire sith our will shall then bee the same with Gods will wee shall bee glad to see them damned whom God hath damned and them saued whom God hath made heyres of saluation Branmelerus is of an opinion that heauen wee shall know those with whome on earth we haue conuersed as Parents Kindred friends yea all the Patriarchs and Apostles Adam Abraeham Moses Dauid Peter Paul the rest euen those that we neuer saw his reasons are 1. Because the Apostles in Mount Tabor at the time of Christs transfiguration knew Moses and Elias whom they neuer saw before Mat. 17.4 If they did so being in corpore infirmo In a body of infirmitie what shall they and wee doe when we are In corpore glorioso In a body of glory 2. Againe wee shall be in heauen as
know him not nor obey his Gospell 1. Thes 2.8 No Abigaile shall serue for intercession The terror of that day cānot be vttered because the iudges sētence shall not be altered mā while he was liuing would euer be sinning and God after that sētēce wil euer bepunishing Then shall the Archangels loud voice be heard that voice which cleaueth the rockes openeth the graues raiseth the dead oyneth soules to their bodies all In momento In a moment twinkling of an eie Then shall the vnbeleeuers misery come then shall be the strict examination the narrow serching and idle words accounting then Exigetur e nobis me tempus impensum quomedo fuit expensum We must giue account of all time allotted vs how we haue bestowed it For Non est capillus de capite nec momentum de tempore de quo rationem non reddendum There is not an haire of our heads nor a moment of time for which we must not be accountable the reason is Cuia qui pro frigida agnae dabit mercedem Becuse he who for a cup of colde water will giue a reward Pro verbo osioso statuit paenam For an idle word hath allotted a punishmet He that created time was borne for vs in the fulnes of time be assured he will iudg vs for our notvsed or abased time the greatmā the world mā the little world both haue a time and time will come that the Great mā shall haue an end the little man who hued in the great mā shal be iudgd at that end Whē that end shal com the secrets of al harts shall be disclosed for as Musculus on Genesis saith about Sodoms destruction Quod noctu peccatur luce diurna punitur Sinne by night committed by day shall be punished Then shall it be saide to a sinner as Nathan said to Dauid 2. Sam. 12.12 Thou didst this secretly but I will doe it before all Israell and before the Sunne In this world God afflicts his chosen and then iudge how in the next world he will toment the wicked And as Greg speaking of Herods cruelty to holy Iohn Baptist saith Magna crudelit as cum sacram caput fuit decollatum maior cum allatum homicidium ostentatum adhuc maior quia saltatrici datum sed Maxima quia in potestatem adulterae assignatum It was great crueltie to behead an holy man more to bring the heade and make boast of the murther greater to giue it to a Dancer but greather then all to assigne it into the hands of an Adultresse In the end concluds it with this remarkable note Hinc vnusquisq colligat quid illic passuri sunt quos reprobat si hic ua cruciat deusquos amat By this may alisuppose how God will torture that wicked in the next world whō he hateth when hee thus afflicteth his chosē in this world whō he loueth In this world heads to his seruants falts Iob. 14.17 In the world to come he wil sift the vngod lies sins And as Bar in Can. ser 15. saith Quid in Babilone tutum si in Hierosolyma fiat scrutinum If there bee made a serch in Ierusalē what safety can be expected for Babylon The Papists say if there be but two places Heauē hel Non est quis medius locus vt possit u◠mo esse nisi cum Diabolo qui non est cum Christo There is none interstitial place but that he who is not with God must needs be with the denil If that euery one as the truth is after this life is imediatly In puncto temporis In a very instant of time gone to soys or to pains hath reward or punishmēt what then need we a Iudgemēt day I answer yes in two respects 1. Because the body hath bin a coagēt with that Soule in good or in euil that body as yet lyeth sencelesse in the graue shall so do vntil that last dome euē without any feeling now it is meet that as it hath bin a coactor so it may be a copartner that which vntil then it shal not be 2 Because God will render to euery one according to the full measure of Mercy or Iustice so it is that vntil that Iudgement day neither the godly shal haue their ful fruition consummation of ioyes nor that wicked of pains their measure wherfore to make both cōpleat absolute ioyes to the godly and pains to the wicked As also that two old friends might meet again together to renew old acquaintance A Iudgemēt day must be Gods mercie was refused his son Iesus misused therefore his iniuries must be reuenged his enemies must be confounded the wicked must together be punished Vt tormentis panalibus socientur qui socij fuerunt in vitijs To associate them in tormēts who were cōpaniōs in sin Paul the third Pope of that name made questiō of three things liuing which dying he said hee should bee resolued off 1. In sit Deus if there were a God 2. An Annimae immortales If soules did liue after the bodies were dead 3 Siqui inferno If any were in Hell Now these three questions will haue time after the Iudgement-time to be discussed by leasure the one to the Athist the other to the carelesse Liuer the last to the vnrepentant offender all three to the sayle of Hell the damned persons in Prison Now to this necessitie of Iudgemēt generall two things make a certaintie to euery man in perticular The Author 2 The resolution 1 The author is God and that God is Ordo naturae natura mentis humanae terrores conscientiae ordo societatis Politicae sacrorum hominum coucensus The wonder full decencie euen of nature the nature of mans mind the terrors stings of conscience the order of politicall societie betweene man and man doth plainly shew As Perkins saith in his Armil aurea Nay as the heathē Orator said Nulla geus tam sera There is no Nation so wilde no Harbarian so barbarous but in heart will acknowledge it Wherefore in his Tusc Questions he reports of Protagoras Abderites that because he beganne his booke with doubt De dijs vero neque vt sint neque vt non siut dicere habeo As concerning the Gods I haue nothing to say but that they may be and may not be He was banished the citie and the whole contry by a publike Edict and with a generall consent his bookes were burnt to ashes Now this God that is is Magnus sine quantitate bonus sine qualitate Is great without quan titie good without qualitie As Aug. saith Whose freewil elected vs whose power created vs whose loue preserued vs whose mercie at the appointed day will crowne vs if we in our allotted dayes will serue him This God is called in Latine Deus of Do to giue Iam. 1.17 because Onem dat He giues euery good and perfect gift In English he is called God Quasi good yea he is
read 2. Cr. 20.23 And so this may haue a reference to that and may fignifie the valley of destruction for the wicked Or else doubtlesse it hath relation vnto the word Iehosaphat which signifieth Iudgement or pleading or arbitrating of matters Wherfore I auerre conclusiuely that it is not to bee vnderstood of the locall place of Iehosaphat but onely of Iehosaphat so termed and called because the Iudgement then executed on the damned shall resemble that which was vpon Ichosaphats enemies Thus then of the place of Iudgement no man must determine because the Scripture doth no where define for it is a Canon Where the Scripture leaues none euidence wee must lend no faith but that there shall bee a place we must all resolue Latet dies locus timeatur omnis dies locus the day and place is vnkuowue that euery day and happily Place too might bee feared 2 The manner the manner may partly bee gessed because in holy writ it is plainly described Saint Iohn saith Videbunt in quempupugerunt They shal see him whom they thrust through cap. 19.37 Ergo ait Aug. vidibunt corpus ipsum quod lancea percusserunt sic videbitur a pijs impijs a Iustis iniustis a gaudentibus plangentibus a conficis confusis Therefore saith Austine They shall see that very bodie which they peareed with a Speare and so he shal be seene of the godly and the wicked of the iust and the vniust of them that shall reioyce and those that shall lament of those that bee saued and those that be confounded The circumstances then of the manner of the Iudges comming partly shall bee these fiue 1 The Iudge shall Iudge in the meere forme of a man yet not in the forme of a meere man sith he is was and will bee more then man Licet homo verus non tamen homo merus this is plaine Act. 1.2 Where when bee was taken vp into the Cloudes from his Apostles as they stood looking stedfastly towards Heauen as he went the Text saith Two men stoode by them in white apparell which said Yee men of Galile why stand yee gazing into Heauen This Iesus which is taken vp from you into Heauen shal so come as ye bane seen him go into heauen So like a man he went and like a man he shall come Vnde Aug. Ser. 64 De verbis De Forma illa erit Iudex quae sub iudie estetit illa iudicabit quae iudicata est That forme shall bee Iudge that yeelded to a Iudge that shall iudge which was iudged it self And if iudgement should be onely among the iust and holy Ones to them would the Iudge appeare as in the forme of God sayth this Docter but because all must bee iudged iust and vniust and sith it cannot bee that the vniust and wicked should see God Talis apparebit Iudex qualis videri possit abijs quos Coronaturus est abijs qua damnaturus est Tract in Iohn cap. 5 The Iudge shall so shewe himselfe as hee may bee seene both of those that shall bee crowned and those which shall bee damned For at that time he will Dare praemia secundum bona opera non propter bona opera Giue rewards according to good works but not for good workes As may bee prooued Apocal. 20. And Matthew 16.27 Also Ciuit. lib. 20. cap. 24. Manifestus veniet inter iustos iniustos indicaturus iuste qui prius veuit occultus ab iuiustis iudicandus iniuste Hee shall manifestly come among the both iust and vniust to iudge iustly who before obscurely hidden came among the vniust to be iudged vniustly In the forme of a Seruant shall the Iudge bee seeene Occulta erit forma Dei Occultus erit in Seruo Filius Dei Hidden shall bee the forme of God and the Sonne of God in thee forme of Man The Sonne of man shall appeare because the power of GOD shall make that appearance and the Sonne of God shal Iudge the appearers because hee will take the forme of man for the Iudgement 2 Canet tuba The Trumpe shall blow that is some admirable signe Accipitar Shall bee receiued which by diuine appointment Dabitur Shall be ginen and this signe is diuersly termed in the Scripture Sometimes to bee The voice of an Archangell sometimes The trumpet of God sometimes The voice of the Sonne of God And verily it may well bee called a Trumpet because God doth come then like one who is ready to wage warre against his enemies and such shall bee the virtue of it that at the hearing thereof all shall arise Though some with the Martyres haue their bones burnt to ashes others deuoured by beasts some rotted in the graue some lost in the earth and one perhaps a thousand miles from the other yet these all by Gods diuine power and might shall bee vnited and knit together and beeing the felse same bones which the creature had before it dyed shall receiue the very same flesh though it be denoured by wormes and returned to dust from whence it came Yea and that Eaendem numero the same numerarie flesh as the Logitians terme it and not Specie in shape and likenesse as the Anabaptists falsely holde Deum noua creare corpora sed his similia That God will create new bodies but yet like to our former In the 1. Thes 4.6 it is said The Lord shall descend from heaeuen with a shout with the voice of an Archangell with the trumpet of God A shout doth properly belong to marriners who for incouragement doe al shout together when they cast forth their oares and it should seeme the Apostle alludeth to these both as the marginall note hath it and as Aretius on that place expounds it The same Aretius holds the shoute to bee the loud crie of the Angels Lyra Wirth expounds this shoute to be the crie of the Iudge calling all to iudgement o-others thinke it shall bee the confused crie of all the vnreasonable creatures The voice of the Archangel is thought by some to be The great and generall noise of the heauenly troupe that shall attend the Iudge Bucer thinkes it the hie note of the Captain of the heauenly Hoast Lyra saith The voice of Christ commanding all to iudgement shall be vox imperatiua the swaying ouercomming voice the voice of the Archangell calling to iudgement shall be vox executiua The accomplishing or sinishing voice the voice of execution that as the Saints shall iudge the world 1. Cor. 6.2 so when the Lord shall crie Arise ye dead to iudgement euen that crie shall be the Eccho as it were and crie of the angelicall multitude The trumpet of God saith the Glosse shall be the commanding all to arise after which rising instantly shall bee the iudgement Others thinke the trumpet shall be the manifest appearing of the Iudge Musculus thinkes it shall bee some outward signe which may bee called and termed A Crie terrible and
clothes were as white as the light So hee is white and wee shall be white Now to this great Iudgement to which wee must come when our corruptible shall haue on this incoruptible white there are three Apparators that doe summon the World as my text hath it Vs I say Mankind who liue in the world 1. Infirmitas paenalis Infirmitie penall 2 Senectus temporalis Age temporarie 3 Mors ineuitabilis Death ineuitable And these three sammon all to Iudgement because all are sublunary and subiect to corruption all had a beginning ad must haue an ending euen ended by him by whom they were begunne him I say That hath appointed a day in which hee will Iudge the World The first of these Apparators doth threaten the second doth prosecute the third doth produce Infirmitie threatneth misery Age doth prosecute calamitie and Death doth bring vs with him into the High Commission Court of Iudicium speciale Our particuler Iudgement before the Iudge of the World to answere for iniquitie where if our Lawyers bee not good the Cause will goe against vs. We see in these daies that booke-cases alter and what is Law before one Iudge is ouerruled by another but sure I am that what is Law in this world shall not bee Law in the world to come Else would I deeme no people sooner saued then Lawyers because they who are good and conscionable Lawyers as we haue diuers such as will talke for their Clyents now I suppose they would plead harder for themselues then 1. Infirmitie doth summon vs for that is a punishment for the first sinne which whether it was Lust as many of the old writers held it out of Gen. 6.2 or whether it was ignorance as sme say or whether Pride to haue an equalizing of themselues with God as Hierome Gregory Nazianzene prooue and Augustine Tract in Iob. 49. affirmeth that I leaue because my text doth not find it And this infirmity is partly in the soule which delighteth not in heauenly things as it should but in earthly things as it should not partly in the body subiect to hunger cld nakednesse and as Iob saith Man borne of a woman hath but a short time to liue and is full of miseries Iob. 14.1 For befides miseries naturall of which as Gallen saith there are three hundred as yes sbiect to blindnesse bleerednesse thicknesse Eares to deafenesse impostumes foulenesse Mouth and tongue to cankers toothache dumbnesse Head to rewmes megrims giddines Throat to stuffings stranglings hoarcenes hands and legs to palsies gowtes feeblenes there are also miseries accidentall imprisonings venummings peril 's by fire waters cattell men These all are miseries and all these miseries are all messengers euen Remembrancers to put vs in mind of the iudgement day at hand for mans miseries are like Iobs bad tidings chap. 1.23 the end of ne euill message was the beginning of another 2. Age doth cite vs that when we see our hairs gray our bodies bend our eies dimme all decline wee cannot choose but thinke of our ende at hand vnlesse Nolumus agnoscere quod igno norare uon possumus Wee will not know what wee cannot but know The very passing by graues the vewing of Monuments fading memories for monuments and all must dye the sleeping of Nature the impayring of strength these things me thinks being cnsidered should teach vs to remember that which will close vp our eyes stoppe vp our breath lay vs in a companilesse bed a darke narrowe six foote grae 3 Death this Vltimum terribilium Last of all terrible things as Aristotle cals it doth serue a certaine vncertaine Summon vpon vs for Iudgement sith after the one instantly comes the other and there is no purging third place as the Papists vainely vilely salsely hold Diues dyed and was in Hell in torments Lazarus dyed an was carried into Abrahams bosome Duo sunt habitacula in igne aeterno in regno aeterno non est quis medins Locus vt possit nemo esse nisi cum Diabalo qui non est cum Christo Ther 's but two places saith Augustine in the euerlasting kingdome in eternall fire and there is no third place that he who is not with God must needes be with the diuell Many things there are that put vs in minde of death death puts in minde of iudgement and when Mors fecit quod potuit death hath done what must be Indicium faciet quod erit Iudgement will performe what shall be One faith God will one day aske vs all at the last day three questions 1. Qui. 2. Qnales 3. Quanti What we are by creation what by continuation how we haue profited Suppose the Almighty examine any of vs here vpon these interrogatories we cannot but answer Ad idem directly to the quesion for it is follie to lie to him who knowes better then we 1. Well then for our creation we will confesse that wee are Ad imaginem dei facti Vessels take heeue we make not our selues vassels made after his owne image 2. If we be asked what we are by continuation why that the Diuell without who fees our actions harts our counsels knows our very thoughts Quatenus animus externis se prodit sigus As our minde bewraies it selfe by outward signes as P. Mat. in 1. Sam. saith who shall Astare iudicio be by the Lord at iudgement as one saith and whom Augu. brings in pleading his inditement against vs thus These sinners O iust iudge are thine Per gratiam through grace in which they were made but mine Per culpam through sinne by which they are marde thine as they were framed mine as they are fowled thine in mercie mine in iustice thine by thy death mine by their life c. can tell and our conscience within which is as a thousand witnesses can testifie 3. But when he comes to Quantum profecimus How much wee haue profited though with that idle seruant Luk. 19.22 Ex ore nostro Out of our owne mouth he might iudge vs ye out of his mercie fraught with iustice he goes to his owne bookes searcheth the records there hee waies our sinnes and Christs merits together in a ballance to see how our faith can cacth holde to turne the scales I pray God therefore we may liue in this world like iust men for they liue like Paul and Paul liued by the Faith of the Sonne of God Gal. 2.20 So if wee liue like iust men wee shall haue the rewards of iust men euen the kingdome of heauen where God and his Sonne is and whethe God and his Sonne Iesus send vs all A question more curious then needfull is moued by some about this day of iudgement to wit whether the definitiue sentence shall goe and pasle on vs Mentally or Vocaly that is whether it shall bee onely in mens mindes hearts and consciences or whether wee shall all be called name by name It should seeme Augustine thought it to bee Vocall for De ciuit liber 20.