that was attributed vnto men and Saincts departed out of this life If he haue reuealed that man of sinne that taketh the whole office of Christ vpon him If he haue sent all the plagues and famines and earthquakes that his wisedome and counsell deuised best for the fatherly correction of his people before the iudgement If nations and kingdomes which are either enemies to his Gospell or straungers from his Church haue banded themselues against the Lord and against the generation of the godlie If the father haue been against the sonne and the mother against the daughter and brother against brother for the name of Christ If many false Prophets haue come in the name of Christ taught the people shameful forgeries when the Lord neuer sent them If men betray one another and hate and persecute one another for their conscience sake If iniquitie be so filled vp with the measure of it selfe as it can hardly bee any more augmented Finally if the preaching of the Gospell be at this day carried from one kingdome to another welneere vnto the ende of the world and all these things to be the tokens of Christes comming And if so manie straunge thinges haue happened besides in these our daies that haue not done the like in manie ages before and all these in the Church and concerning the Church and most agreeable to the time of Christes owne prophesie Then is the second warning of the Trompet sounded vnto iudgement It is high time therefore to awake out of sleepe and to slumber no more in the cogitations of vngodlinesse It is time that wee should cast off the cares of this life and make our selues readie for the daie of the Lord It is time yea more then time that wee should cast away the workes of darknesse and put on the armour of light It is time that wee should laie awaie all filthinesse and sinne for now is our saluation neerer then when wee first beleeued The axe is now put to the roote of the tree that euen now wee must either bring foorth fruite or els bee cut downe and cast into the fire Behold now is the acceptable time now is the daie of saluation now will the Lorde shewe himselfe a mightie GOD and his name shall be magnified in all the world He came at the first and wee knewe him not beholde he commeth againe and all men shall knowe him he came before simplie to take our nature vpon him and to dye for our sinnes but he cōmeth againe as a conquerour to be reuenged of his enemies and as a bountifull Prince to reward his Subiects He came into the world which he himselfe had made but the world would not receiue him because it was not worthv of him Wherfore hauing wrought the work of our redemption he ascēded vp vnto his Father where by his holie spirit he hath gouerned kept and preserued his Church one thousand and well neere sixe hundred yeares and now he commeth in his own person to call all men to an accompt and to cite all men to his Iudgement and those that haue vsed their talents well in this life shall be sure of an eternall reward in his kingdome Math. 25. but if they haue been negligent and vnprofitable seruants and without care of the Lords comming he will cast them into the vttermost darknes where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth There shall be no Lord no King no Emperour nor Pope vpon the earth that shall bee exempt from this Iudgement Can any Prince or Magistrate of the world compare himselfe in brightnes and glorie vnto Lucifer that glorious Angell yet he might not escape the iudgement of GOD but the higher he was in glorie the greater was the shame of his fall Remember therefore O ye Christian Princes and Magistrates and ye that haue charge and rule of Gods people whom God hath made his Liutenants generall within your owne dominions remember that the Lord is comming and will call you to an accompt before the throne of his Iudgement The greater your Kingdomes and Territories be the greater is the reckoning that he requireth of you and the more absolute you bee in commaunding all the more are you bound to giue an accompt for Ye are the Caesars to whom Paule appealed from you lieth no appeale to anie superior in this life As the Lord hath deliuered vnto your custodie the greatest number of Talents so he looketh to reape at your hands the greatest gaines It pitieth me to temember the woful and greeuous state of all mortall men in this miserable life the desperate and dangerous case wherein they liue the often and imminent perills that they fall into the manifold temptations vexations and disquietnes of mind that they are brought into the continuall inticements of the flesh and the diuell that they enter into besides the rash and furious and vngodlie actions that they desperatelie runne into That when they shall shortlie stand before the Tribunall seate and their owne conscience iustlie accusing them thereof there shal be no wisedome no policie no counsell no eloquence of the tongue that can excuse or satisfie the least offence of this life This is the generall state of all mankinde But alas for griefe that Princes should both nowe and then also before the Iudgement seate be in more wofull case than all other persons and subiects of this mortall life That they should bee in greater daunger than all men liuing that they shoulde bee subiect to more miscarying and mishaps than all men liuing that they shoulde haue more vexations disquietnesse and cares of minde than all men liuing that temptations of the flesh that prouocations vnto lust and desire of pleasures shoulde take more holde of them than of all men liuing and that the way vnto all vngodlie actions should be more open vnto them than to all men liuing And of all these thinges must they shortlie yeelde an account together with all men liuing And yet beholde when the Awdit is ended for this a Quietus est for all matters concerning themselues there is a new inditement framed against them wherein they must bee called to an other reckoning Then shall the Register of all their gouernement bee read before them then will it be seene whether they haue ministred Iustice vnto their people That is to say Whether they haue hearde the fatherlesse and oppressed when they haue cried vnto them Whether they haue taken notice of such appeales as haue ben made vnto them Whether they haue punished vngodlie and corrupt Iudges which solde their subiectes for siluer and the righteous for a poore rewarde Whether they haue spared the innocent bloud and not pardoned them that runne on still in wickednesse Whether in all their publique enterprises they haue respected the glorie of GOD more than their owne commodities Whether they haue nursed protected and defended the Churche of GOD to the vttermost of their power Whether they haue preserued it from all heresies errours
vaine worde that they haue spent all the time of their life and so to receaue iudgement for the same Thus are all mortall men and women cyted to appeare before the Iudgement seate of God to aunswere for themselues There shall then be no excepting of persons before him but Emperors Kings and Princes their subiects seruaunts and vassals all both Magistrates and people the highest Prelates and poorest Ministers Lords and tenants masters and seruants parents and children olde and young one with another shall all stand before the face of the Lorde to receiue their iudgement and either for their vngodlinesse to be accused and condemned or else hauing walked with a perfect heart before him they shal bee iustified and saued by the death and redemption of Christ Wherefore seing al these things shall thus happen that shortly how sodainly we know not and seing the day of the Lord wil steale vpō vs like a theefe in the night 2. Pet 3. when the hauens shall passe away and the earth and al the workes therein shal be vtterly burned with fire seeing we shall immediately be caried away vnto iudgement and seeing the Lord is not slacke but will speedelie come as he hath promised what manner of persons ought we to be in holinesse and godly conuersation How ought we to purge our liues from the dead and damnable workes of this world to serue the true and liuing God Howe well furnished ought we to be at all houres with all the armour of God that nothing but truth may proceede out of our mouths That all our actions bee defended by iustice and vpright dealing That wee may treade all our steppes in the Gospell of peace That we may haue a strong faith to withstand the deuill and all the temptations of this life That wee relie whollie vppon the saluation of Christ and that the word of God may dwell plentifully in vs wherewith we being indued we shall be readie at euery instant to meete the Lord when he commeth in the clowdes with power and great glorie But what shall the Lord say to them that bee so carelesse and negligent as they will not watch one small time in praier and meditation for his comming Shall they not in that great day be accused of the greatest vnfaithfulnes in the world Yea shall they not bee condemned of foule and beastlie ingratitude when for the pure loue that he beareth to vs he hath so sensiblie before hand shewed vs of all these things that haue happened and hath willed vs to watch and bee readie with our Lampes burning because the Sonne of man will come at such an houre as we knowe not O vngratefull and faithlesse generation maie he saie it repenteth me that I haue been so kinde and louing to you and that I haue bestowed vpon you so large and ample benefites when ye were dead in the burthen of your sinnes and were in thraldome of the deuill and of all your mortall enernies and had no other waie to be relieued but by me I humbled my selfe from the throne of my Maiestie and tooke your nature vpon me I came not as I might haue done like a great Prince and Monarch of this world but was content to abase my selfe to be borne of a poore woman to bee brought vp like a poore childe to walke in the forme of a poore seruant and to liue poorely from the daie of my birth to the daie of my death I indured nakednesse and cold and hunger for your sakes yea thirtie yeares together and vpward did I abide all the calamities of this life for your sakes I submitted my selfe to the lawe of man and obserued euerie iot and title of the same for your sakes I fasted fourtie daies and fourtie nights for your sakes I wrought great miracles and wonders in the world for your sakes And when the time of my passion was come I sweate water and bloud for your sakes I was scourged buffetted and beaten for your sakes I abode a crowne of sharpe thornes vpon my head for your sakes I indured spitting railing and despightfull words against my selfe for your sakes And in the ende I suffered amost shamefull and cruell death vppon the Crosse for your sakes For you and your saluation haue I done all this and yet ye will not beleeue the signes that I haue shewed nor prepare your selues to watch for my comming Therefore I will come so sodainlie vppon you as it shall be too late for you to repent and whome I finde not watching and prepared for me him will I cast into the vttermost darkenes where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Wherefore my deare brethren in Christ when we haue diligentlie weighed and considered these things how iustlie how innocentlie and how purelie ought wee to shewe our selues in all the whole course of our liues looking daylie and hourelie for the appearing of our Sauiour that we maie be blamelesse in the daie of his cōming It is for our learning edifying that al the holie Scriptures are written that all the teaching instructiōs warnings therin are giuē that all the miracles of God from the beginning haue been shewed that all the examples of our forefathers haue been published that God from the beginning was so mindfull of our redemption that he sent his owne Sonne for our saluation It is we that he hath been so carefull to preserue so many ages together in the middest of so many crooked and peruerse nations from the hands of so many cruell bloudie tyrants Who were preserued in the Arke from the first destruction of the world by waters but we Who were saued from death in the great famine of Egipt and countries adioyning but we Who were deliuered from Pharao from the inhabitants of Chanaan and from manie other nations with a mightie and stretched out arme but we Who were preserued in the great and horrible persecutions of the Primitiue Church from being vtterly consumed of tyrants but we Who were safelie kept by God as the apple of his owne eye in so great and generall Apostacie of the Church but we Who were againe deliuered by God from the power of Antichrist and were indued with the knowledge of his truth but we Nay who haue receiued so many tokens of the end of the world warnings of Christes comming as we For the heathen haue no knowledge of his lawes And they that bee straungers from Christ feare not his iudgements And all they which sinned without law shall perish without law Againe if iudgement begin first with the house of God what shall become of them that beleeue not the Gospell Why do not wee then with all faithfulnesse and willng heart receiue all these Oracles sent vs by God Why doe wee not thankfully accept his benefites Why do we not beleeue his promises Why do wee not prepare our selues for his iudgements Why doe we not weepe and bewaile and lament for our sinnes Why are we so stonie and
a little before the day of iudgement Our Sauiour Christ saith that before the end of the world Nation shall rise against nation Math. 24. Mark 13. and Realme against Realme and there shall be famines and pestilence and earthquakes in certaine places When Antichrist hath long and quietly helde the possession both of the temporall and spirituall swordes when hee hath manie yeeres taken vpon him the office of Christ to be the King of Kinges and Lord of Lords and to haue the domimon aswel of the soules as of the bodies of men it is great horrible griefe vnto him to loose so high a dominion and to stoope from the office of God which hee taketh vpon him among men to become as an other man therefore he deuiseth by all meanes to punish and disquiet the Saints of God Whom he may bring into his power them he vexeth them he tormenteth them he burneth them hee destroyeth without all pitie or mercie And if they be such as for their authoritie and greatnesse he cannot or by reason of the protection of others he dare not bring vnder his tyrannie he stirreth vp Kings and Princes of his confederacie to make warres vpon them Or if that faile he moueth their owne subiects to rebel and put themselues in armes against them Whereby hee hath at this day set in an vprore the whole Christian world kingdome against kingdome and nation against nation one people against another that he may the easier as hee thinketh defende his proud and insolent gouernment his false and superstitious religion and the seate and dignitie of his Popedome Neither can that place of Scripture of Nation rising against Nation and kingdome against kingdome be more necessarilie vnderstood of anie other warres to be made between Prince Prince than such as Antichrist raiseth vp for religion sake Neither did I euer heare of anie warres before this age of ours between the nations kingdoms of Christendome for Christ his cause that is to say for the true worshipping of him for the preaching of his Gospel for the difference in opinions for the libertie of the conscience and for the triall of the true Church and that so earnestlie and continuallie and without hope of reconciliation till now that Antichrist for the sauing of his dominion hath made all these commotions and troubles in the world which cannot bee decided till Christ in his owne person come to trie his own cause in iudgement But for all other temporall causes the Nations and Princes of Christendome haue one risen against another euer since the time that Christ ascended vp into heauen Wherefore this is the sense meaning of these words of Christ Towards the ende of the worlde when Antichrist is reuealed and that he feareth to forgo his Crowne and dominion hee shall stirre vp the Princes that be his Confederates to warre vpon the Nations and Cities that professe the Gospel that what he is not able to doe of his owne power nor by his false and forged miracles nor by gathering of his general Councels nor by pronouncing of his excommunications and curses nor by the wrong interpretations of the Scriptures nor by the writings and disputations of his schoole Doctors nor by sending abroad of his Seminarie priests and hypocrites that wil he endeuor to do by the help of other princes vnder pretence of doing God good seruice And this notable token foretolde of Christ as touching his second comming we see is alreadie at hand and is like euerie day more and more to bee verified to the great effusion of Christian bloud In like manner as concerning famine pestilences and earthquakes foreshewed by Christ in the second place they are not so fitlie to bee referred to anie of those which houe ben in times past before this man of sinne was reuealed For those haue been heeretofore manie great and horrible yee and at somtimes in some places almost vniuerfall But those which haue happened and shall happen in our time when Antichrist shal be more and more reuealed superstition abandoned the power of the beast decreased the kingdome of Christ reuiued the Gospel freelie published and the second warning of the trumpet sounded those be vndoubted testimonies and tokens that the day of the Lord is at hand Such haue were now had within the compasse of these few yeeres euen manie and great and horrible somtimes in particular Cities and Countries and sometime in whole Prouinces of Christendome What wonderfull famines haue we had in places distressed besieged by the champions of Antichrist both in Fraunce the Low Countries and other Christian Prouinces not sent immediately by the finger of God but constrained for the most part by the crueltie of Antichrist by whose meanes it is to be prooued that beyond the horror of all famines that euer I heard of or read men haue been constrained to pull out the dead carkases buried in graues to make sustenance for their bodies Pestilences also there haue been manie and great besides those former signes and tokens In England in Fraunce in Spaine in Italy welneere in euerie countrie of Christendome We our selues also haue lately heard and felt great and fearefull earthquakes to put vs in minde of the promise of Christ and therefore to assure our selues of his speedie comming vnto iudgement least if we prouide not for the same we be sodeinly taken tardie and for our wickednes be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone that neuer shal be quenched In the third place is shewed what anguish trouble the Saints of God shall endure for Christes sake especially when they haue made it manifest to all the world that the Pope of Rome is that sonne of perdition which exalteth himself aboue God For then doth he seek by all maner of meanes to kil destroy them by imprisonment by torment by fire by sworde by poyson by laying in waite by treason by charging them with heresie by taking away their good name and by causing them to bee hated of all people euermore imagining with himselfe that by these persecutions hee shall so wast and destroy them that at the length the remembrance of them shall be cleerely extinct from the face of the earth Howbeit the more blood he spilleth the more the Church of God increaseth and the longer thinketh to put off the day of iudgement the sooner shall it be hastened for the chosen sake and for the destruction of the wicked worlde and of him in the midst thereof Fourthly when the worlde shall perceiue so great troubles to arise by preaching of the Gospel and that no temporall benefite commeth thereby that it causeth kingdomes to bee at warres one against another that there be as great or greater famines plagues and earthquakes as euer that iniquitie aboundeth more that euer that the loue of men faith towards God is lesse than euer that Gods displeasure is more greeuous than euer Finally that the Pope for all the preaching against
hard hearted that there is No example of temporall punishments in other no feele of Gods wrath in our selues no threatning of Gods vengance to come no remembrance of punishments past no remorse of conscience for our sinnes no promise of temporall blessings no assurance of eternall rewards neither signes in heauen aboue nor tokens in the earth beneath nor the hope of euerlasting saluatiō nor feare of perpetuall damnation that can once effectually moue vs to amend our liues and make vs to forsake the sinne that reigneth in our mortall bodies although we know die kingdome of heauen to be neuer so neere nay euen at the very doore Wherefore I feare me it will be pronounced against vs that was sometime against the vnbeleeuing cities of Iuda Woe be vnto you Christians and especiallie you that haue takē vpon you to reforme my Church and to haue my Gospell preached among you woe I say bee vnto you For if the signes and myracles that haue bin in your time and among you had bin done among the Turkes and Infidels yea among the most sauadge Indians of the world they would long since haue repented insackecloth and ashes O that wee would open the fountaines of our heart and powre in contrition into our soule O that wee had a floud of teares to bewaile the multitude of our sinnes O that we would haue but some parte of that affection towards our selues that the creatures of God haue towards vs For they mourne and lament for our sins they long for our deliuerance because of our sinnes The earth trembleth quaketh because of our sinns The Sonne and the Moone want of their light and beautie for our sinnes The Heauens powre downe floudes of destruction for our sinnes The plants and hearbes lacke their vertue and operation for our sinnes The windes goe foorth of their places the seasons of the yere keepe not their wonted course for our sinnes yea the natures of all creatures are in a manner changed for our sinnes But what shall I saye more The Angels of God doe mourne for our sins The verie soules of the righteous doe lament for our sinnes And it greeueth the spirite of God himselfe that we persist in our sinnes But all this mooueth not our senses nor yet melteth our owne heartes for our sinnes All that we speake all that we write all the labor we take is in vaine For our heart is as hard as the Adamant and our soule refuseth counsell Euerie man speaketh of the mercies of GOD Euerie man acknowledgeth his benefits Euerie man hath the word of God in his lippes Euerie man crieth Lorde Lord but no man dooth the will of his heauenlie Father Euerie man confesseth the tokens of Christ to bee come but no man prepareth him selfe his comming No man maketh attonement with his brother no man sheweth the fruites of faith no man forsaketh his wicked life no man keepeth his vessell pure and holie to the Lorde Euerie man blameth euerie man reprooueth euerie man condemneth shamefull actes in others but no man amendeth anie one sinne in himselfe O gracious GOD why shoulde thy people thus forget thee why shoulde they bee thus stiff-necked against thee why shoulde they so deepelie dissembled with thee why shoulde they make as though they beleeued thy worde when they bee so farre from reforming of their liues why should they be so rauished with earthlie delightes that perish in a moment and contemne the hauenlie ioyes which continue for euer why shoulde they bee thus distraught from the sense and feele of hapinesse to followe the delightes and pleasures of their owne fancies Shal the care of transitorie riches of this world drowne the desire of glorie in the worlde to come Shall the vglie and deceaueable lustes of sinne that breede long and bitter repentaunce preuaile aboue the beautifull contemplation of thine eternall Godhead Shall this vale of miserie wherein wee see nothing but sinne and wickednesse nothing but care and vexation of minde nothing but perilles by lande and sea at home and abroade in bedde and at boord in freedome and in bondage in pouertie in welth in honour and disgrace at all times and in all places both in life and in death bee more deepelie printed in our heart than the Kingdome of Christ wherein the bodie shall bee chaunged from corruption to immortalitie from dishonour to glorie from weakenesse to strength from a naturall bodie to a spirituall bodie wherein all paines and sorrowes shall bee vtlie vanished and all quietnesse and tranquilitie of conscience shall dwell for euermore Nay shall the affection which wee beare to father or mother or brother or sister or wife or children or landes or goods or to haue die whole earth at our becke and commaundement once seperate vs from the loue that is in Christ Iesus from the companie that wee shall haue with his holie Angells from the fellowship of all the godlie and elect people and from the continuall fruition of Gods diuine presence and Maiestie GOD forbid What is the cause then that wee so greedelie imbrace and laye holde vpon these transitorie thinges Nothing verelie but the corruption of our owne nature the following of our owne sensuall pleasures and the instigation of the diuell who laboureth now towardes the ende of the worlde more stronglie than euer to drawe all the soules that he can into damnation with himselfe of whom we to our great shame stande in seare as though Christ our Conqueror had neuer redeemed vs as though he that had once saued vs could no more defende vs. But alas why shoulde wee not continuallie and vnfainedlie praye vnto God to assist vs and with the strength of his holie spirite to defende vs from all our wicked enemies that in him by him we may haue grace to vanquish and ouercome whensoeuer we are pressed or disquieted either in bodie or minde But as concerning sinne albeit wee for our owne parts haue made such a couenant with death as whatsoeuer be said vnto vs we will not amend haue entered into such a league with hell that we will not be saued albeit we haue refused the mercie of God that calleth all men to repentance and would all men to be saued yet after we haue once receaued the knowledge of the truth and haue been baptized in the name of Christ and haue promised to liue in his true faith and feare let vs neuer so treade vnder foote the Sonne of God nor worke such despite vnto the spirit of grace that through our vngodlie and sinfull life we shoulde make the Gentiles to hate the name of Christ for our sakes and by this meanes to keepe both out selues and others too out of the kingdome of Christ Which otherwise if they saw our iust and sincere conueration answerable to the forme of our profession they would ioyne them selues vnto the bodie of Christ so magnifie his name ouer all the world Shall not the zeale of our forefathers who in