Sonne of God the Sauiour of the world the Redeemer of Israel For the great day of his wrath is come 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iude 6. the great day where we may note the vniuersality of it all the dayes of iudgement going before were but types and figures but Epitomes and compends of that day that great day that is to come the drowning of the old world was a great day the burning of Sodome and Gomorrah a great day the ransacking of Ierusalem a great day yet all these together will not expresse and shew forth the least part of that dreadfully incomparable great day that is to come And who can stand It is a Metaphor drawne from those that whiles some eminent danger hangeth ouer their heads cannot looke vp but speedily they flie away vntill they are out of breath their spirits spent so they fall groueling to the ground so saith our Sauiour Christ mens hearts shall faile them for feare and for looking after those things that shall come to the world Luke 21.16 The cause of this their flying is not only the fearefull apparitions of heauen as presages and prognostications of their dismall doome but Erynnis conscientiae as Melancthon cals it the sting of conscience like a fiend of hell dogs and driues them for the wicked flie when none pursueth them Pro. 28.1 They therefore are said to stand that are not terrified appaled which are not cast downe neither in body nor minde but doe confidently expect and wait their Masters comming therefore it was our Sauiours counsaile vnto his Disciples and in them vnto his whole Church hauing forewarned them that he would come vpon them at a time that they wote not of as trauell vpon a woman as a thiefe in the night he doth fore-arme them too by willing them to be frequent in watching feruent in prayer Watch therefore pray continually that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to passe and that you may bee able to stand before the Sonne of man Luke 21.36 Thus hauing Analysed the whole Chapter diuided my Text and expounded the wordes I draw forth this generall doctrine and it flowes naturall of its owne accord without any violent strayning or iniury vnto the Text this is the doctrine 1. Doct. that the state and condition of the wicked is full of horror at the day of iudgement This is proued by phrases of Scripture First It is called the Lords day the day of the Lord intimating thereby that as the wicked haue had their day the terme of their life wherein they dare as boldly to commit sinne as if they should neuer come to iudgement and as the Prophet Amos speaketh putting farre off the euill day and approching to the seat of iniquity Amos 6.3 so likewise the Lord will haue his day and these are the dayes of vengeance saith our Sauiour Christ Luke 21. v. 22. wherein the Lord will execute the seuerity of his wrath vpon sinne and sinners Secondly it is called the day of wrath now the wrath of a King is the messenger of death how much more the wrath of the Lord of Hosts the breath of whose nostrils kindleth that euerlastingly burning Tophet and his wrath abideth for euer vpon the children of disobedience in that burning Lake of hell fire for they that haue iustly prouoked the Lord vnto wrath in this their life time by fornication by vncleannesse by inordinate affection by euill concupiscence by couetousnesse which is Idolatry by wrath by anger by maliciousnesse by cursed and filthy speaking Colos 3.5.8 shall be sure to finde the recompence and their reward wrath for wrath the very fruit of their owne fruitlesse works for for these things sake the wrath of God commeth vpon the children of disobedience Colos 3.6 temporally by manifest iudgements of his wrath and eternally in hell where his wrath abideth for euer and for euer in that dungeon of Dogs that is among the wicked whose estate is worse then a Dogs as namely Inchanters Whoremongers Murtherers Idolaters and whosoeuer loueth or maketh lyes Reuel 22.15 Thirdly our Sauiour Christ speaking of that day saith that it should come vpon the world as trauell vpon a woman with child which is not onely to be vnderstood of the vncertainty of it when it will come yet as sure will it come as trauell vpon a woman with child but the similitude holds true in another sense that as a woman with child drawing neere to her trauell is in sorrow and cryeth in her paines Isay 26.17 a punishment peculiar to that sex by reason of our first Parents transgression Gen. 3.16 she doth oftentimes send foorth bitter sighes and sobbes grieuous grones lamentable cryes vncertayne whether her issue will bee a Beniamin the sonne of her right hand or a Benoni the sonne of her sorrow death yet still doth shee lift vp her eyes vnto the Hils from whence commeth her helpe so the wicked shall lift vp their eyes vnto the Hils for they shall cry vnto the Hils for helpe vnto the Mountaynes for succour and vnto the Rocks for safety yet they shall receiue none from neither Me thinkes I heare not onely Ieroms Trumpet sounding in mine * Surgite mortui venite ad iudicium eares but a horrible howling of a promiscuous multitude a greater mourning weeping and lamentation was neuer heard in Rama Matt. 2.18 Parents weeping for their children children for their parents the husband for the wife the wife for the husband yet can they not helpe one another but as they haue beene companions in sin so shal they be cōpanions in torments and such torments that are matchlesse farre beyond the paynes of women for her paynes end either with a happy birth or with as happy a buriall for better is the day of death then the day wherein we are borne but the paines of the wicked are endles easelesse remedilesse and as they haue conceiued iniquity so shall they receiue the fruit thereof Fourthly S. Iohn describing the miserable estate condition of the Church vnder Antichrist doth very liuely set forth the desperate estate and cōdition of the wicked at the day of iudgemēt they shall seeke for death in those dayes and shall not finde it they shall desire to dye and death shall flye from them Reuel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist l. 3. Ethic. 9.6 Death according to the Philosopher is of all terribles the most terrible and vnto the naturall man it is euen death to remember death yet full glad would the wicked bee if they might returne to their graue againe neuer heare and feele that dreadfull doome of diuine iustice denounced and inflicted vpon them at that last euerlasting iudgement in Hell Gregor Moral Vbi erit miseris mors sine morte finis sine fine defectus sine defectu quia mors ibi semper incipit deficere nescit where the wicked shal be
by the wicked which seeme to men to fall to the earth when as indeede if faithfull in their indeuours to worke a sinners conuersion they shine like starres for euer and euer Dan. 1 2. v. 3. The Heauen say they is the sacred Bible and Canonicall Scripture containing in it the reuealed will of the King of Heauen by meanes whereof we are led vnto Heauen as the Wise-men were to Christ by the conduct of a Star Ioh. 5.39 Matth. 2. v. 9. Within the Pages of this holy Writ Christ the Church the Ministers are placed like the Sunne Moone and Starres in the Firmament of Heauen This Heauen departed in the raigne of Antichrist and became as a clasped Booke in respect of the vse of it for almost as good as if it had not beene at all then the people neuer a iot the better by it when the Laiety might not read it but through the Priests spectacles when Images were Lay-mens Bookes and sacred Scripture departed like a scrole that is lockt vp in an vnknowne tongue Earthquakes doe signifie seditions alterations mutations of Kingdomes and Empires such as began in the Papacy and doe not end as yet but still doth that exceeding dreadfull beast Daniel 7. v. 19. stirre vp seditions disturbe cōmon peace shake Kingdomes blowe vp Parliaments cut off and anathemize Kings by the thunder-bolt of excommunication yea and afterwards Canonize Deuils for Saints if they would aduenture to kill Kings The Mountaynes are say they the Prophets whom the breath of Antichrist doth ouer-turne and by the same breath of that not erring Man of sinne doe the Schole-Doctors by their false glosses and peruerse interpretations corrupt depraue and ouer-throw the sense of the Prophets The Ilands say they are the workes and writings of Philosophers which the same Doctors doe peruert some other way beyond the minde and meaning of Philosophers so that there is nothing cōmon with the Prophets nor with true Philosophie Kings and rich men c. are the Monarchs of the world and other priuate men made subiect to the Popes Catholicall and Vniuersall Supremacy when Kings must hold the stirrup and kisse the greasy feet of that triple-crownd Monster Hid themselues in dennes that is say they the Cels Cloysters Solitary places Nests of Nunnes and vnsociable Monkes I will not disallow of this allegorizing interpretation for it may very well stand for current but according to the simple sense and meaning of the words as they lye nakedly to be considered and if Scripture may interpret Scripture the Prophet Isaiah maketh them playne expounding this place in the selfe same termes or this place expounding that both setting forth the narrow strait and desperate perplexity which the wicked are brought vnto They shall goe into the holes of the Rocks and into the Caues of the earth for feare of the Lord and for the glory of his Maiesty when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth Isaiah 2.19 yea and to strike a deeper dread and horror into the hearts of the wicked he doth ingeminate it like that triple woe in the eight of the Reuelation vers 21. And said to the Mountaynes Rocks Fall on vs c. Here the holy Ghost doth allude vnto two places of Scripture the first is the tenth of Hosea v. 8. the second is the 23. of Luke vers 30. both describing the desperate estate of the wicked where our Sauiour speaketh of a certayne time when these things should be after hee had spoken of the destruction of Ierusalem which was a type of the consummation of the world and dissolution of al things but in Hosea the Prophet speaketh of the captiuity of Israel which was a figure of Ierusalems vtter diuastation and the worlds finall destruction as Hierome obserueth vpon that place It was an old dotage of Aquinas vpon this place who as his custome is to turne all things into Allegories doth wrest this place of Kings and chiefe Captaines and would haue it to be vnderstood of the Romish Clergy the Bishops the Archbishops and the rest of that rabble cloistred Monks and Masse-muttering Priests crying vnto the Mountaines that is inuocating the Saints imploring their patrocinie and their safeguarding protection from the wrath that is to come But these cursed Crue that rob Christ of his honor who is that one only Mediator 1. Tim. 2.5 pro quo nullus interpellat sed ipse per omnibus as Augustine defines a Mediator by making as many Mediators as there are Saints departed shal at that day find the Saints no better then Iobs friends miserable comforters and that the inuocating of them shall be no more regarded then the shouting and crying of the Priests of Baal 1 King 18. v. 27. Hide vs from the face of him that sitteth vpon the Throne and from the voice of the Lambe Obiect But how shall the wicked and vnfaithfull bee able to speake these words when as they neuer knew Christ sitting in his Throne nor vnderstood him to be the Lamb of God that taketh away the sinnes of the World as Peter told the Iewes that through ignorance they did crucifie Christ as did also their Gouernours Acts 3. v. 17. for had they knowne they would neuer haue crucified the Lord of glory Sol. I will not insist vpon any curious distinction either of Logicians or Schole diuines concerning ignorance In briefe I answere thus that the wicked out of the horror and hellish despaire of a distracted conscience partly by reason of that imminent danger without them the guilt of cōscience within them they shall be compeld to acknowledge Christ to bee that Incarnated Word of truth sent out of the bosome of the Father and to be that Lambe of God slaine for as many as beleeue then they shall see know be made to acknowledge him though in their life time they called his sacred Deitie into question yet then shal they acknowledge him without all question As Pharaoh at the first answered Moses and Aaron intreating him from the Lord to let the children of Israel goe that they may celebrate a feast to the Lord in the wildernesse Quis est Deus Who is the Lord as though he had thought belike that there had bin no God as Atheists say in their heart There is no God Psal 14.1 or that he himselfe had beene God onely Exod. 5.2 yet afterward hee learned a new lesson being instructed by diuers sorts of afflictions which were as so many Sermons to conuict and conuince him of Atheisme and was compelled to acknowledge God to be the Authour of them Exod. 8. and he only to be prayed vnto Exod. 14. So shall the wicked at that day howsoeuer at this day they doe scorne deride and not beleeue in Christ to be Iesus a Messias a Sauiour but persecute him in his members Act. 9.4 when they see the truth of prophesies fulfilled the destruction at hand their owne dismall desolation drawing neer then shall they acknowledge Christ to be the
we haue kept them how wee haue spent them whether we haue gained our goods through others hurt building our houses like the Moth Iob 27. vers 12. The Moth is made fatte by spoyling the booke and barkes wherein they liue so the couetous is made rich in deuouring the poore Of which sort are these Vsurers Extortioners Cheaters Brokers and all couetous Ahabs whatsoeuer that ioyne house to house land to land vntil there be no place for the poore to dwell in For great men must render great account when that great Land-Lord comes to reckon with them and biddes them giue an account of their steward-ship for they may be no longer stewards Secondly we shall giue an account how wee haue kept them Indeed wee are but keepers of our wealth though wee had the world at will Amb. l. de Nab. c. 14. Custos es tuarum non Dominus facultatum Thou art but a keeper thou art not Lord ouer thy goods and substance Chrys Deus enim diuitiarum suarum dispensatores esse voluit non Dominos God will haue vs dispensers and disposers of our goods vnto the good of others and not to bee Lords ouer them our selues and therfore they be goods Non quod faciunt bonum sed vnde facias bonum not that they make a man good but because a man by them may doe good imploying them to the glory of God the good of his neighbour and his owne comfort First vnto God laying out temporall things for spirituall comforts in maintaining the Preachers in defending the Gospell in repayring his Temples Secondly thou must lay them out vpon thy neighbor making friends of thine vnrighteous Mammon as thy Master commands thee Luk. 16. v. 9. Stips pauperum thesaurus inopum was the word of the good Emperour Constantius The rich mans treasure is the poore mans stock so that he that denies them what they stand in need of denies them their due of which sort Saint Iames speaks of that haue their presses full of garments and their chests full of coyne but their gold and siluer is cankered their garments motheaten whiles Christ himselfe in the person of a begger stands at their doore with an empty belly and a naked backe crying for a morsell of bread to put in their belly or some old cast garmēt to couer their nakednesse and yet they are sent away as comfortlesse and as empty-handed as euer they came thither No maruell therefore though Saint Iames so sharply inueigheth against rich men against such kinde of keepers of their goods Goe to now ye rich men weep and howle for the miseries that shall come vpon you your riches are corrupted and your garments motheaten your gold and siluer is cankered and the rust of them shall be a witnesse against you and shall eate vp your flesh as it were fire ye haue heaped vp treasure against the last dayes Iames 5. v. 1.2.3 Thirdly he shall giue an account how hee hath spent them whether vpon workes of superstition to the dishonour of God or in the vnnecessary quarrels of the Law to the hinderance of his neighbour or in spending of them vpon Whores and Harlots vntill pox and penury bee his end or in surfetting and drunkennesse to the ruinating of his estate danger of soule hurt of body losse of credite griefe of friends vndoing of his children 1. Tim. 5.8 and such a one is worse then an Infidell To conclude therfore this point euery man must giue his account vnto God the King as wel as the Subiects the Prince as well as the People Ministers and Magistrates Parents and children Masters and seruants rich and poore good and bad and euery transgression from the highest blasphemy to the least infirmity must be brought to a strict tryall at the Day of Iudgement Which is the third reason aggrauating the fearefull estate and condition of the wicked at the Day of Iudgement The fourth reason why the estate and condition of the wicked is so full of horror at the Day of Iudgement is by reason of the multitude of witnesses and accusers which shall come forth to witnesse accuse and condemne them at that Day As first of all GOD himselfe aboue them which knoweth and sealeth vp their sinnes as it were in a bag Iob 14.17 And therfore saith Iob in a case of controuersie that could not bee decided My witnesse is in heauen So Samuel declaring to the people his integrity how vprightly he had conuerst amongst them hee takes the Lord to be a witnesse betwixt him and the people 1. Sam. 12. v. 5. Whereby we may see how fearefull a thing it is thus to dally with our all-seeing and all-knowing God as to call his sacred Maiesty to be a witnes in matters of vntruth cōtrary to our own knowledge and the testimony of our owne conscience For assuredly the Lord will bee a witnesse a swift witnesse they are the words of his owne mouth I will be a swift witnesse against the Sorcerers against the Adulterers against false swearers against those that oppresse the hireling in his wages the widdow and the fatherlesse and that turne aside the stranger from his right and feare not me saith the Lord of hostes Mal. 3. v. 5. The second sort of accusers are the Deuils the whole rabble of that infernal Kingdome the common sworne aduersaries to all mankind and if they dare to accuse the brethren the Saints and seruants of God as hee did that perfect and vpright man of God holy Iob. Assuredly this will bee his practice at that day he wil bring forth a most exact bill of all our sinnes committed all our life long Presto erit saith Augustine Diabolus ante tribunall Christi recitabit verba professtonis nostrae obijciet nobis in faciem omnia quae fecimus in quo die in quo loco peccauimus quae facere debuimus The Deuil wil be ready before the Tribunall of Christ and will recite the words of what wee haue made profession of and obiect our owne sinnes to our faces in what day and at what place wee did commit them and all other circumstances howsoeuer wee now cast them behind our backes then will hee bring them forth before our faces It behooues vs therfore to be watchful ouer our owne wayes considering the Deuil watcheth ouer vs so that hee wil not let passe any one of our sinnes vnregistred but will bring them forth to the confusion of the wicked yea if it were possible of the Saints at the day of Iudgement The third sort of accusers are the Angels beside them I wil not here maintaine Origens opinion who saith Vnusquisque Angelorum aderit producens illos quibus praefuit qui testimonium prohibebit quot annis circa eum laborauit ad bonum instigando sed monita eius spreuit That as euery man hath his particular Angel attending on him prouoking him to good protecting him from euill euery mans particular Angell shal
with Augustine August de Symb. l. 3. Iudex ille nec gratiâ praeuenietur nec misericordiâ flectetur nec fletibus mitigabitur This Iudge will not be preuented with fauour moued with mercy nor mitigated with teares nec sententia eius lata vnquam reuocabitur neither will the sentence once past against them euer bee reuoked any more which is the third thing that I am to speake of This sentence is the more dreadfull because it is irreuocable sentence proceeding from the Iudgement seate of mortall men may be reuoked or stopped by sundry meanes as first by appealing vnto some higher Iudge as Paul appealed vnto Caesar but at this great Assise there is no higher Iudge for he is the onely and blessed Prince the King of Kings and Lord of Lords 1. Tim. 6.15 And the Father hath committed all Iudgement vnto him Ioh. 5.27 2. The Iudge vpon better and more mature deliberation may alter his opinion but there is no alteration of Iudgement when it is once gone forth from the Throne of the Lord whose Iudgements are more resolute then the Decrees of the Medes and Persians which might not bee altered When Esau came to his father for a blessing which was formerly past to Iacob his father said I haue blessed him and hee shall be blessed Gen. 27.33 So resolute shall the Lords sentence be at the day of Iudgement I haue cursed them and they shall bee cursed and as Balaam said vnto Balak The Lord hath blessed and he cannot reuerse it Numb 23.20 So say I The Lord will not reuerse this his sentence of malediction Goe ye cursed neither will hee alter the thing that is gone out of his lippes 3. By supplication but because the wicked turned away their cares from hearing the Lord whē he entreated them by his Word it shall bee iust with God not to lend an eare when they doe call and cry vnto him there is not any of that glorious Court of Heauen that will friend them so much as to speake a word in their behalfe Should the Saints whom they euer despised accounting their life madnesse and their end to be without honour Wis 5.4 Should the Angels whose Ministry they haue refused and abused if they did should God himselfe heare them whose Spirit they haue so oftentimes grieued And therefore Iob said well There is no vmpire when God and man are at oddes Iob 9.33 Reas 6 Now the last Reason which doth aggrauate the horrour of the wicked is the punishment of losse Schol. poena damni the consideration of Heauens banishment and Hels eternall imprisonment is a sufficient torture vnto the soule of the wicked and as Chrysostome iudgeth it to bee much more bitter and irksome then the paines of Hell Duplex est damnatorum poena nam mentem vrit tristitia corpus flamma Isidorus de meditatione Ignis gehennalis yea worse then a thousand Hells if there were so many Chrysost super Mat. Hom. 33. according to our Sauiours saying There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when they shall see Abraham Isaac and Iacob and all the Prophets in the Kingdome of God and they themselues thrust out of dore Luk. 13.18 VVhere shal be Dogges and Enchanters and VVhoremongers and Murtherers and Idolaters and whosoeuer loueth or maketh lies Reuel 22.15 And not only shall they be debard of the ioyes of Heauen and glory of the Saints but they shall be depriued of all Earthly comforts and all their former delights The Pome granat tree the Palm tree the Apple tree shall wither the Apples after which their soule lusted shall depart from them and they shall finde none Yea if a drop of cold water would comfort them it shall be denied them The Epicure shall bee depriued of his daintie dishes the Drunkard of his bowles of wine the Adulterer of his wanton Mistris the Couetous and Vsurer of their gold which they made their God To conclude they shall be depriued of all Heauenly ioyes of all earthly comforts But I will begin to sing a Song of melody and proclaime a yeere of Iubile vnto the children of God Consolemini consolemini Lift vp your heads saith our Sauiour Christ for your redemption draweth neere Luke 21.28 There is a great Emphasis in the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which doth signifie a freedome from captiuity a restoring vnto a former libertie As if our Sauiour should say The Church as lōg as she is in this world she is like Israel vnder Pharaoh held captiue in imprisonment and slauerie But now at this great Assise there shall be a gaole-deliuerie an euerlasting freedome from all euils whatsoeuer our life is wouen full of miseries Psal 90.10 Diu viuere est diu torqueri Aug. Tertul. vita carcer the best of it is but labour and griefe We are borne into the world weeping and bewailing as it were our owne ensuing miseries the progresse of our life is labor the end is griefe Ioseph was neuer wearier of the dungeon Daniel of the Den of Lions Dauid to dwel in the Tents of Kedar then the children of God are to remaine so long in the Land of Egypt in the Prison of this world and therefore it is said that they looke and long for a Citie to come whose Builder and Maker is God But then shall we be euerlastingly deliuered from all the miseries and calamities which now we are subiect vnto the soule shall be deliuered from disordred passions as hope feare ioy and sorrow the body from sundry outward calamities as sicknesse paine labour reproch from prouocations and intisements of the wicked world from the power of the deuil frō the slauery of sin from death from hell it is our marriage day when our rotten bones shall be raised out of the dust of the earth we shal be clad with glory shal meet Christ in the clouds 1. The. 4 1◠shal be euer with the Lord Where we shall haue an euerlasting Sabbath ioy vpon euery ones head sorrow sighing shal flee away Thē shal we see God face to face that with these eyes saith Iob. God shall wipe away all teares from our eyes there shall be nö more death neither sorrow nor crying neither shal there be any more paine Reuel 21.4 There shall be no more Winter nor Summer heat nor cold day nor night death nor hel But there shall be Vita sine morte Dies sine nocte securitas sine timore c. There shall be life without death day without night security without feare pleasure without paine tranquillity without labour beauty without deformity strength without weaknesse euery thing that is good without any thing that is bad To conclude Eye hath not seene nor eare heard neither hath it entred into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that loue him Isa 64.4 1. Cor. 2.9 Let the faithfull soule sigh out this meditation with blessed Gregory Bone Iesu