day of iudgement they shall not escape though his iudgement doo not presently take hold on them They cannot slip from God or auoyd him but are bound as it were with secret chaines so that in time to come they shall bee drawne do iudgement who are kept vntill that time to be punished euen as the oxe which is fed fatted to the slaughter So that it behoueth vs to wayt vpon the time of the last iudgement which God hath appointed and so to continue in hope and patience vnto the ende of our liues and not to be offended thogh the wicked be not punished But euery one of vs ought to haue respect to our owne wayes to keepe our selues within the compasse of Gods feare least that fall vpon vs which we thinke and looke should fal vpon other and wonder with our selues why it is not so Againe as the word of God dooth instruct vs let vs cōsider these two principall causes why God delayeth this day of iudgement One is that the day of iudgement shall not come vntill the number of the elect be fulfilled as we may reade Reu. 7.2 And I saw another Angel come vp from the East which had the seale of the liuing God and he cried with a loud voyce to the foure Angels to whom power was giuen to hurt the earth and the sea saying Hurt ye not the earth neither the sea neither the trees till we haue sealed the seruants of our God in their foreheade And then shall the iudgement be as we reade Math. 24.22 Except those daies should be shortned there should no flesh be saued but for the elects sake those dayes shal be shortned Secondly this Iudgement is delaied that the stubborne and vngodly may be thereby without excuse For they haue warning inough exhortations threatnings at all times what their sinnes deserue and what they are to looke for so that they cannot be ignorant of the iudgemēt day neither can they say that they are oppressed at vnawares And this may suffice to proue not onely that sinne and our offences is and shal be the cause of iudgement but also they that sin of set purpose in scoffing and mocking sort think that there shall be no iudgement or rather do suppresse and bury within thēselues if it might be the inward feeling knowledge of the same that to their great hurt shal not escape that heauy vēgeance of God thogh yet they be forborn Also that the minds of the godly be not troubled although they do not presently see that god doth exercise his iudgments punishments vpon them and that they faint not in wel doing but still hold on their course remembring that God hath appointed a day of iudgement vpon the which they must stay and depend and vnto the which they must referre all matters and then shall all their causes be heard and all their griefes eased Notorious sinnes procure notorious punishments in this world but especially at the iudgement day shall the full measure of all plagues and punishments be fulfilled And so much the more because that in this world many rule and raigne in their wickednesse and are as it were scotfree and as the Prophet saith They come in no misfortune like other men neither are they plagued according to their deserts But the latter day the day of doome and iudgement is and shall bee their day of assises and of their perpetuall execution Wherefore let none of vs all suppresse and banish the inward feeling and knowledge of this iudgement day seeing that by nature it is engraffed into our hearts and secret knowledge but rather let in haue that effect in vs that of right it ought to haue We see it true in worldly matters and I would to God it were as true in heauenly matters For questionlesse the forethought of the assises and of the execution doth feare many from their wicked purposes and makes them take an other course And so no doubt would the remembrance of the iudgement day preuaile with vs but that wee are carelesly perswaded that it is farre hence and that we shall neuer see it nay more then that many thinke it shall neuer be Well how far off the iudgement day is God knowes and wee may euery day looke for but by the way take this for thy learning that thy dying day is and shall be thy iudgement day and assure thy selfe that thou shalt so find it For when thy soule is parted from thy body then shalt thou presently appeare before Gods iudgement seate to giue thy account and pray that it may be to thy comfort and not to thy destruction Heb. 9.27 2 Now for the description and declaration of this generall iudgement which is the second principal matter in this text that both they which either mocke or doubt of the iudgement to come and they also which are well neare perswaded thereof might be throughly perfectly and certainly enformed therefore the order and maner of this iudgement is set downe in the scriptures and word of God principally and especially in the 25. Chap. of Mat. vers 31. and so forth in these words And when the Sonne of man commeth in his glory and all the holy Angels with him then shall hee sit vpon the throne of his glory And before him shall be gathered all Nations and hee shall separate them one from an other as a shepheard separateth the sheepe from the goates And he shall set the sheep on his right hand and the goates on the left Then shall the King say to them on his right hand Come ye blessed of my father inherite the kingdome prepared for you from the foundations of the world Vnto them on the left hand he shall say Depart fro me ye cursed into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the diuel and his Angels And these shall go into euerlasting paine and the righteous into life eternall Which description and declaration cannot be more plainely euidently and briefly set downe setting forth vnto vs First the comming of the Iudge with his company that is al the holy Angels Secondly the general appearance of all the people of the world Thirdly the office of the Iudge in separating the good from the bad And lastly the pronouncing of iudgemēt by definitiue sentence without all reuocatiō Al which matters God willing shall be handled when I come to entreate of the Iudge so that I need not to stand vpon this point but to referre you thither where in a more fit place it may be considered And as here the order of the iudgement is expressed so in other places of scripture other matters are specified which are very necessary to giue vs further vnderstanding herein As first concerning the day when this iudgement shall be the signes that shall go before this day as also how suddenly it shall come vpō the world Cōcerning the day the Prophets do foretell how terrible it is likely to be The day The day of the Lord
godly therefore may comfort themselues with this that in time to come though not presently and out of hand there shal be a seperation The kingdome of heauen is likened vnto a drawe net cast into the sea that gathereth of all kindes of things which when it is full men draw to land and sit and gather the good into vessels and cast the bad away So shall it bee at the end of the world the good and the bad shall be parted after that the trumpet hath blowne and the dead bee raised Againe the seed sowne is the word of God preached The field wherein it is sowne is the world the good seed are they which with an honest heart heare the word and keep it and bring forth fruite and these be the children of the Kingdome and the tares are the children of the wicked and the enemie that soweth them is the diuell and the haruest is the end of the world and the reapers be the Angels As then the tares are gathered and brent in the fire so shall it be in the end of the world The sonne of man shall send forth his Angels and they shal gather and they shall seperate Math. 13.39 When the regions and parts of the earth are white then is the time of haruest As we read in the Reue. 14.15 That the Angel cried with a loud voyce to him that sate on the cloud Thrust in thy sickle and reape for the time is come to reape for the haruest of the earth is ripe As though he saw the time when the number of Gods elect and chosen children should bee fulfilled and the sinnes of the vngodly and wicked come to a full measure And the Angel thrust in his sharpe sickle on the earth and cut downe the vines of the vineyard of the earth and cast them into the great Wine-presse of the wrath of God So shall the bad bee seperated from the good as a shepheard seperateth the sheepe from the goates and the Iudge who is meant by the shepheard shall commaund the sheepe to be set on his right hand and the goates on the left the good and the bad And then will hee addresse himselfe to giue sententence and to take order for the execution of his iudgement And who shall stay or hinder this iudgement Sentence or who shall auoyd the fiercenesse furiousnesse of his wrath Shall the king be deliuered by the multitude of an host No he shal be but as one man naked and vnarmed and without helpe and hee that shall come to iudge him commeth with infinite thousands of Angels The strength of the strong man shall then stand him in no stead but in stead of strength he shall bee resolued into feare and weaknesse The wealth of the rich man shall not ransome him for riches shall not preuaile in the day of wrath Before so wise so vpright such a Iudge of that courage thou shalt stand whom neither feare shall daunt nor fauour shall moue nor gold shal bribe and corrupt him neither any entreaty or prayer then at that time shall perswade him There shal be no respect of persons no falsifying of the cause no colours nor excuse to blinde him no learning no men of lawe shall defend thee no wit nor pollicie shall go beyond this Iudge no speech nor flattery shall preuaile with him in a word what shall worldly helpes doo when the world it self shal vanish awaye Nothing that shall be deuised shall turn his mind nothing shall alter or reuerse his iudgement it shall passe without deniall and without all reuocation For then shall hee come to iudge the world righteously and to minister true iudgement vnto the people And thus after that the sheepe be seperated from the goates shall iudgement be executed and sentence shall be giuen in such sort and order as we read it set down Mat. 25.34 Then shal the king that is the Iudge say to thē on his right hād Come ye blessed of my father inherit yee the kingdome prepared for you frō the foūdatiōs the world But to thē on his left hand he shal say Depart frō me ye cursed into euerlasting fire which is preparêd for the diuell and his angels And these shall go into euerlasting pain and the righteous into life eternall By reason of which fearefull sentence the wicked shall haue good cause to say to the mountaines and to the Rocks Reue. 6.15 Fall on vs and hide vs from the presence of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the lambe For the great day of his wrath is come and who can stand They shall desire to hide thēselues in dens amōg the Rocks and moūtains but yet shal they not auoid his presence they shal desire death shall not find it seeke after it and yet shall death fly frō them And as the diuels as we read in the Gospell besought Christ that he would not torment them before their time so now shal the time of the terrible wrath of God be whē the diuels together with all the people that haue either forgotten or not regarded and highly displeased God to the vtter hazard of their soules shal be cast into hell and throwne into endlesse torments And therefore shall his comming be in flaming fire to render vengeance against the sinners of the earth who not onely shall be depriued from the presence of God and from the glory of his power and frō the company of the blessed Angels and redeemed soules but that which is far worse and more grieuous and lamentable they shall be punished with euerlasting perdition and destruction And the Angels that seperat the good from the bad shal then gather out of his kingdome all things that offend and them which do iniquitie and shall cast them into a furnace of fire there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth When as the iust and godly shall shine as the Sunne in the Kingdome of their father and when the accursed sort shall go downe by a by way a backe way and a blacke with many a sigh and sob from God from the Angel from the Saints from ioy from glory from blisse with the fiends of Hell to suppe in the pallace of darknesse with the princes of horror at the table of vengeance in the chaire of calamitie with the crowne of death vpon their head hauing nothing before their eyes but infinite torments prepared for them 4. By the sentence pronounced and last iudgement giuen How this iudgement pertaineth to the godly and to the wicked an entrance is laid open vnto me to declare vnto you how this iudgement pertaineth to the wicked and vnto the godly which was the last thing in this treatise of the latter iudgement that I purposed to speake vnto you of Vnto the which I haue thought good to adde an exhortation that wee may be prepared against the time hauing oyle in our lampes with the fiue wise virgines that waited for the comming of the
liues madnesse and their end without honor But now how is it that they are counted among the children of God and that their prouision is among the the Saints and that they are so highly in Gods fauour Therefore we haue erred from the way of truth and the light of righteousnesse hath not shined vnto vs and the Sunne of vnderstanding rose not vpon vs. We haue wearied our selues in the way of wickednesse and destruction and we haue gone through daungerous wayes but wee haue not knowne the way of the Lord nor liued in his feare And now hauing heard the chiefest matters concerning the day of doome and the generall and last day of iudgement that wee may the better bee prepared vnto it let vs heare what counsell is giuen vs in holy scriptures And first that of the Apostle S. Paul may take place and seemeth greatly to tend to this purpose Which counsell wee read 1. Cor. 11.13 in this sort If wee would iudge our selues we should not be iudged and this profit wee should reape thereby that in time to come we should not be condēned with the world But as a matter full of terror and pensiuenesse wee will not enter into so deepe a consideration nor trouble our consciences so farre as to iudge our selues or to fall into examination of our owne wayes Whereas no doubt if wee should so doo it would fall out most happily on our side For if vpon due try all and examination without all partiallitie and affection wee should pronounce sentence of iudgement against our selues according to our deserts it would bee no otherwise nor no better then condemnation And yet not that condemnation which woorketh dispaire but such a condemnation whereby wee might bee acquitted from euerlasting condemnation As the same Apostle writing to the Corinthians 2. Cor. 7.9 I now reioyce saith he not that yee were sory but that yee sorrowed to repentance For yee sorrowed godly so that in nothing ye were hurt by vs. For godly sorrowe causeth repentance vnto saluation not to bee repented of but the worldly sorrowe causeth death So verily if wee would enter into iudgement with our selues it would procure a griefe and sorrowe but such a sorrowe especially if it came from a well meaning minde that should not be vnto death For by iudging of our selues we should take a viewe of that death and of those torments which by reason of our sinnes we deserue And by this meane we should be driuen to repentance and to seeke after God to bee reconciled vnto God to returne into his fauour that our consciences might be disburthened of so great feare which the seuerity of the last iudgemēt of god might work within vs that we might haue boldnesse and comfort in that day But if we walke on securely carelesly and wil not once vouchsafe to enter into iudgement with our selues then may we a while be merry in this world but our mirth shal hereafter be turned into mourning As the wise mā doth put such carelesse persons in remembrance that in their iollitie they might not too much forget themselues Reioyce saith he if so be it seeme good in thine eyes but remember therewithall that thou shalt be called to account and to iudgement Eccle. 11.9 and 12.14 And therefore he giueth this counsell Chap. 7.14 It is better to go to the house of mourning then to the house of feasting Anger is better then laughter for by a sad looke the heart is made the better Better it is to be in the house of mourning and to weepe for our sinnes wherby we are in daunger of Gods iudgement then to be in the house of feasting and forgetfulnesse to enioy some pleasure with the world for a small time seeing our life is but as a span long that here onely and in this life is the time of forgiuenesse that we may be pardoned Better it is to be angry with our selues then to please our selues in such sort and a sad minde is a meane and a great help to further our repentance And how shall we obtaine so godly a purpose as to bee set free from Gods heauy anger which we haue most iustly deserued if we doo not vse the meanes which tend therevnto Commonly where iudgement is there followeth condemnation but heare how sweete and comfortable it is that in iudging of our selues after this order which I haue set downe vnto you we shall find a way to be quit from euerlasting condemnation Which we can no way escape if in this life wee doo not iudge our selues and condemne our selues by true repentance calling for mercie and forgiuenesse that wee may be receiued into Gods fauour and not in time to come to be condemned with the world For in so iudging of our selues it is not a meanes to cause vs to dispaire but to haue a better hope and an enduring and a reioycing comfort which comfort shall neuer bee taken from vs if still wee be mindfull to call our selues to iudgement and haue an eye to our wayes that wee do not offend God Wherefore let euery one of vs pray that our hearts may bee so prepared against this iudgement day that we may be most willing to call our selues to account and to iudgement So that hauing thus humbled our selues after a while all feare shall passe away from vs and our hearts shall be filled with ioy and whereas heretofore we haue wished that this day should not bee now wee shall desire in heart to haue it come to passe And so much the more because our consciences shall assure vs our sins being forgiuen that we shall not bee among the number of them that shall be condemned but among them to whom it shall be said Come yee blessed inherit the kingdome prepared for you Which comfortable words God graunt we may then heare to our euerlasting comfort Spend the time in an honest vocation An other remedy to auoyd the seueritie of this punishment is to seeke to please God in this world in an honest vocation and trade of life For as idlenesse is the cause of many sinnes and vices so godly painfulnesse is the mother of all vertues and which doth breede a great comfort to our cōsciences against the time when we shall be called to our account how we haue spent our time and imployed those good gifts wherewith God hath inabled vs. Therefore in the Gospell before the declaration of the latter day of iudgement there is mention made of the talents that were bestowed they that receiued them were called to the reckoning how they employed them the slothfull being bound hand and foote and cast into vtter darknesse and the painfull highly aduanced So that there is a way offered to auoyd iudgement and they that are therein negligent and carelesse shall be guilty of iudgement and shall fall into diuers mischiefes and sins which shal make them more faulty and worthy of greater condemnation The life of man somewhere is