Shall torture thee to all eternity Now tell me Soul what thy Objections are Is it Christ's Yoke Rod Cross that doth thee scare His Yoke is easie and his Burthen light His Laws not grievous but the Soul's delight All his Commandments are holy just good And better far than thy appointed food They sweeter than the Honey-Comb shall prove For all his Laws are summed up in love The love of God who is the chiefest good And of our Neighbour our own flesh and blood To the in hatred is on Earth a Hell But it 's a Heaven on Earth in love to dwell Shouldst thou not love the Lord with all thy heart Who goodness is and doth good impart With all thy soul since he 's the God alone Which to the soul gives satisfaction With all the mind for he doth fill the mind And cannot be by finite thoughts confin'd With all thy strength Thy Powers are not able Him to desire as he is desirable Tho all thy soul to th' utmost thou extend It cannot boundless goodness comprehend Love sweetly joins the heart to God alone And other gods before him will have none It will have none on Earth or Heaven above But God for its desire delight and love The Spouse disdains this is love's holy pride By Christ's companions to turn aside To please the Lord love doth the soul dispose And with his will in every thing to close Love worship's God according to his mind And loves to be within his will confin'd Love fears his Jealousie and stands in awe To take ought from or add ought to his Law. It casts all worship forged by man's will And doth the sale of Idol-mongers spill Love God and then his glorious Name to thee As precious Ointment poured out will be Strongly yet sweetly Love will thee restrain From taking his most holy Name in vain Love God so sabbath-Sabbath-days from morn till night Shall be by thee accounted a delight These Sabbaths of the Lord are holy blest Love's tristing times Feast-days and days of Rest Then the beloved blesseth Saints with grace And glory then they see his lovely face He entertaineth them in holy rest Days in his Courts of all days are the best From love to God neighbourly love doth flow From this sweet root this pleasant plant doth grow Since man was made in Gods similitude Since all men are of the same flesh and blood It 's for God's honour and our own behoof That we our Neighbour as our selves should love The light of Nature cries it's righteous To do as we would men to do to us If thou thy neighbour love thou wilt delight To keep him blameless and to do him right Love turns Superiors to Fathers kind And makes them of a condescending mind Love bounds their wrath moves to commiseration Love tempers rigour pleads for moderation When Justice matcht with Mercy sweetly reign Then all of Justice and of Mercy sing Blest is the land in which the law of love Doth rule in those below and those above Love maketh Equals deal with one another As every one were one another's brother Where Love prevaileth in inferiors It makes them kindly honour higher powers Love envies not superiors higher place But doth in God's Order still acquiesce Love maketh Subjects patient and mild Like to a kindly tender hearted child Who tho injur'd with grief and shamefac'dness Conceals his Father's faults and nakedness Love maketh man abhor man's blood to shed â—ince God hath man in his own Image made To sinful Anger Hatred Envy Spite Malice Revenge Love is most opposite Pure love destroys vile filthy lusts and flies From Fornications and Adulteries â—t purifies the heart and guards the eye And will not wrong a Neighbour's chastity He who is loving seeks his Neighbour's wealth And wrongeth none by Rapine or by stealth Love is most tender of a Neighbour's Name It thinks no evil and will not defame It loveth truth and doth abhor all lies False-witnessing reproaches calumnies Love is contented well with its own lot And what belongs to others covets not It 's opposite to the first inclinations Which tend to ill to sinful delectations Since Love's the end and sum of all the Law It 's pleasant in Love's easie yoak to draw The Law of Love is holy good and just But Oh! the lawless Law of sin and lust Like to a stinking humour spoils the taste Of Lust-sick men that the sweet food distaste To man's stiff Neck which galling lust doth spoil The Yoak seems hard which softer is than Oil. Yea no meer man is able since the Fall To keep these perfect Laws but breaks them all And every sin deserves God's curse and wrath Both in this present life and after death Yet O poor sinner turn not desperate Since with the Father there 's an Advocate Even Jesus Christ the Righteouss who hath Fulfill'd the Law appeas'd revenging wrath He hath the Law establisht answered All that it did demand or threatned Justice hath found a Ransom in the Son Full satisfaction for transgression He under lay the curse that he might free All from the curse who unto him do flee Come unto him who is the Lord's salvation And thou shalt not come into condemnation For all sins of omission and commission Thou shalt receive a full and free remission He will take off thy rags of filthiness And cloath thee with white robes of righteousness Was ever Traitor so perverfly mad To slight a pardon when it might be had To seek for cautioneis poor debters run Wilt thou an able off'red Surety shun Art thou with sins too heavy burden prest Come weary soul and Christ shall give thee rest Art thou for foughten and quite out of breath With the old man that man of sin and death Groan unto him that he may pity thee Say I 'm opprest Lord undertake for me He who cri'd out O wretched man am I Within a little sung of Victory Cry Help Lord sins prevail against me do Purge me subdue them and them quite undo Since without him thou canst do nothing right Be strong in him in the power of his might When thou com'st up out of the wilderness Lean upon him lean on him all thy stress Would thou have peace and comfort come to Jesus He is the peace and he alone can ease us By Faith receive him to dwell in thy heart He will thy conscience purge and ease its smart Take him as off'red in the Gospel-Call With this great gift the Father giveth all Stay wholly on him rest on him alone For to accomplish thy salvation To save thee from all sin and misery And with all goodness thee to satisfie Is not this work of Faith the hearts delight Is not this labour ease this burden light A hungry thirsty man will never think That it 's a grievous work to eat and drink It 's easing to a man with loads opprest To be disburden'd and to find a rest The wind tost traveller is glad to
had not his Wedding-garment on Incurr'd the Sentence of Damnation If thou come thither as to common food Thou wilt draw on the guilt of Jesu's blood Come with repentance mourn when thou dost see The Lord whom thou by sin didst crucifie Come hungring thirsting for this holy Feast The hungring soul shall be with goodness blest Come meek and lowly to Christ crucified The meek shall eat and shall be satisfied Christ dwells with those who are of humble Spirit And doth revive the heart of the contrite Thou must have Faith that Christ himself thou may Eat Spiritually not in a carnal way Purge out the leaven of hypocrisie And eat this feast with heart-sincerity Purge malice out Division detaste This is a Love and a Communion-feast Forgive the sins of others heartily As God for Christ's sake hath forgiven thee If wants discourage guilt stare in thy face Then judge thy self beg mercy seek for grace If thou seek Jesus fear not do not stay He hath all that thou want'st haste come away Come to the blood of sprinkling with thy sin The Fountain's open wash thy self therein As it 's of grace that the most glorious Lord Speaks unto us and seals his faithful Word By Sacraments so it is of his grace That we may speak to him in every place Yea he most graciously of us requires That we in every thing make our desires Known t' him by prayer and supplication That we may freed be of all vexation And that we may to our comfort find The peace of God guarding our heart and mind Offer thy hearts desires unto the Lord For things agreeable unto his Word Pray in the Spirit who helps up every groan And sigh and suit we cannot pray alone Pray in Christ's Name if access thou would'st have To grace and answers of thy suit receive This is the new and living way the gate Of life that leadeth to the Mercy-seat All those for whom Christ doeth interceed Mercy and grace find in the time of need Be humble fervent pray in love and faith Life up pure hands without doubting and wrath Confess thy sins with sorrow and with shame For mercies praise the Lord's most holy Name And pray that God's Name may be hallowed Before thou com'st to seek for daily bread If answers come not soon wait knock again He hath not said Seek ye my face in vain Seek ask knock wait with expectation Thou shalt rejoice in God's salvation The very pouring out of a sad heart Before the Lord will somewhat ease its smart He heareth prayer and he loves to hear His Doves his Turtles voice he bows his ear All their desires groans breathings chatterings Are pleasant musick to the King of Kings These broken Notes he joins in pleasant sets Of Musick and their moaning words repeats He hears Ephraim while he doth bemoan Himself he telleth every word and groan His bowels move he hath compassion Upon his pleasant child and his dear Son. Is it not meet that since the Lord takes pleasure To hear and to repeat thy suits takes leasure That thou with pleasure should'st persist to cry And wait his leasure till he do reply Sometimes he answers Prayers e're they are done Sometimes he answers e're they be begun For he regardeth our necessity And answereth our need before we cry And sometimes humble patient expectation Is a most needful part of supplication That man is indiscreet who is offended That he 's not answered ere his suit be ended The needy he will not forget alway The poor man's hope shall not be lost for ay Think it not then a weariness to pray To come by this new true and living way With boldness by the Blood of Jesus Christ The Son of God the merciful High-Priest Who doth for ever live to interceed For sinners sensible of sin and need And takes those who come to him by the hand And brings them into grace wherein they stand Into the holiest the Mercy-seat That from the God of Grace they Grace may get Pardons of sins cures of all maladies And for all wants full suitable supplies Light Life Strength Grace to do and persevere When they are tempt with pleasure or with fear Yea more than they can ask or think upon Grace Grace sure mercies God's salvation Are not then all God's Ordinances sweet Since in them he doth with his people meet Himself his Mind his Grace he doth impart To them and they pour out to him their heart Blessed are they the joyful sound who hear And to God's Word apply their heart and ear It 's Spirit and Life it light in darkness gives And when they faint and fear it them relieves O! blessed are they who are washed in The Fountain opened for faults and sin These Waters cleanse heal quicken and make grow All things where they do come and overflow And happy are they who by Christ the King Are brought into the house of banquetting And happy they who by his Sp'rit are led Unto his house of Prayer and there made glad If this begun-communion be so sweet What will it be when it 's in Heaven compleat As for Christ's Rod and Cross tho they appear So sharp and sad yet follow do not fear That he himself doth humble to reprove And chasten thee it 's condescending love For if thou wert without correction Thou wouldst a Bastard be and not a Son. It 's better to endure Paternal Ire Than bear the vengeance of eternal fire If thou receive the rod with spirit mild Thou maist be sure God treats thee as a child Why shouldst thou his chastising hand suspect Since for thy profit he doth thee correct That we may partake of his holiness And may bring forth the fruits of righteousness His fire will not consume thee but thy sin It purgeth out thy filthy dross and tin These Thorns are kindly sharp which hedge the way That thou maist not thy lovers find but say I will to my first husband go I know That it was better then with me than now He is to anger slow he stirs not all His wrath he quickly lets the quarrel fall He spares even when he strikes debates in measure Waits to be gracious gives space and leasure To those whom he chastiseth to repent Speaks to their heart to move it to relent Despise not the Almighty's chastisement And when he thee rebuketh do not faint Humble thy self under his mighty hand Obey his will it 's madness to withstand Turn to his hand that smites and kiss the rod And it is meet that thus thou say to God I have chastisement born I 'le not offend Have mercy give me Grace my faults to mend What I see not Lord teach me that I may Know secret sins and no more go astray Blest is the man who is of God chastised And from his Law thus taught and exercised Sin brings down rods rods bring forth fruits of peace Christ turns the fruits of sin to means of grace God's soveraign Grace
saith It is a fearful and horrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Let us consider somewhat in particular what manner of pains and punishments they shall be VII And first of all touching the place of punishment appointed for the Damned commonly called Hell. The Scripture in divers Languages useth divers Names but all tending to express the grievousness of punishment there suffered as in Latine it is called Infernum a place beneath or under ground as most of the Old Fathers do interpret But whether it be under ground or no most certain it is that it is a place most opposite to Heaven which is said to be above And this Name is used to signifie the miserable suppressing and hurling down of the damned to be trodden under the feet not only of God but of good men also for ever For so saith the Scripture Behold the day of the Lord cometh Mal. 4. burning like a furnace and proud and wicked men shall be as straw to that furnace and you that fear my name shall tread them down and they shall be as burnt ashes under the soles of your feet in that day And this shall be one of the greatest miseries that can happen to the proud and stout Potentates of the World to be thrown with such contempt down and to be trodden under feet of them whom they so much despised in this world VIII The Hebrew word which the Scripture useth for Hell is Seol which signifieth a great Ditch or Dungeon In which sense it is called in the Apocalyps The lake of the wrath of God And again A poole burning with fire and brimstone In Greek the Scripture useth Three words for the same place the first is Clades used in the Gospel which as Plutarch noteth signifieth a place where no light is the second is Zophoz in St. Peter which signifieth darkness it self in which sense it is also called of Job a dark land overwhelmed with deadly obscurity Also in the Gospel utter darkness The third Greek word is Tartaros used also by St. Peter which word being derived of the Verb Tarasso which signifieth to terrifie trouble and vex importeth an horrible confusion of Tormentors in that place even as Job saith of it There dwelleth no order but everlasting horror IX The Chaldee word which is also used in Hebrew and translated to the Greek is Gehenna first of all used by Christ for the place of them which are damned as St. Jerome noteth upon the Tenth Chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel And this word being compounded of Gee and Hinnom signifieth a Valley nigh to Jerusalem called the Valley Hinnom in which the old idolatrous Jews were wont to bury alive their own children in the honour of the Devil and to sound with Trumpets Timbrels and other loud Instruments whilst they were doing thereof that their childrens Voices might not be heard which place was afterwards used for the receit of all filthiness as Dung dead Carrions and the like And it is most probable that our Saviour used this word above all other for Hell thereby to signifie the miserable burning of Souls in that place the pitiful clamours and cries of the tormented the confused and barbarous noise of the tormentors together with the most loathsome filthiness of the place which is otherwise described in the Scripture by the Names of Addars Snakes Cockatrices Scorpions and other venemous creatures as shall be afterwards declared X. Having declared the Names of this place and thereby also in some part the Nature iâ— remaineth now that we confider what manner of pains men suffer there For consideration whereof we must note That as Heaven and Hell are contrary assigned to contrary persons for contrary causes so have they in all respects contrary properties conditions and effects in such sort as whatsoever is spoken of the Felicity of the one may serve to infer the contrary of the other as when St. Paul saith No eye hath seen nor ear heard nor heart conceived the Joys that God hath prepared for them that shall be saved we may infer that the pains of the damned must be as great again when the Scripture saith the felicity of them in Heaven is a perfect felicity containing omne bonum all goodness so that no one kind of pleasure can be imagined which they have not We must think on the contrary part that the misery of the damned must be also a perfect misery containing all afflictions that may be without wanting any So that as the happiness of the good is infinite and universal so also the calamity of the wicked is infinite and universal Now in this life all the miseries and pains which fall upon men are but particular and not universal As for Example We see one man pained in his Eyes another in his Back which particular pains notwithstanding sometimes are so extream as life is not able to resist them and a man would suffer them long for the gaining of many Worlds together But suppose a man were now tormented in all the parts of his body at once as in his Head his Eyes his Tongue his Teeth his Throat his Stomach his Belly his Back his Heart his Sides his Thighs and in all the Joints of his Body Besides suppose I say he were most cruelly tormented with extream pains in all these parts together without ease or intermission what thing could be more miserable than this What sight more lamentable If thou shouldest see a Dog lie so in the street so afflicted I know thou couldest not but take compassion upon him Well then consider what difference there is between abiding these pains for a Week or for all Eternity in suffering them upon a soft Bed or upon a burning Gridiron and boiling Furnace among a man's Friends comforting him or among the Furies of Hell whipping him Consider this I say gentle Reader and if thou wouldest take a great deal of labour rather than abide the one in this life be content to sustain a little pain rather than to incur the other in the life to come XI But to consider these things yet further not only all these parts of the body which have been instruments to sin shall be tormented together but also every-sense both external and internal for the same cause shall be afflicted with his particular torment contrary to the Object wherein it took most pleasure and delight in this World As for Example The Eyes were afflicted with the ugly and fearful fight of Devils the delicate Ears with the horrible noise of the damned Spirits the nice smell with poisoned stench of brimstone the dainty taste with most ravenous hunger and thirst and all the sensible parts of the body with burning fire Again the Imagination shall be tormented with the apprehension of pains present and to come the Memory with the remembrance of pleasures past the Understanding with consideration of the felicity lost and the misery now to come on O poor Christian what wilt
Christ The woman will not dive so deep To dispute his Commissions extent To whom he was to whom he was not sent But kindly came and humbly him ador'd Prest her suit and cries out Help me O Lord. It is not meet to cast to dogs the bread Says Christ with which the children should be fed She storms not at a Dog 's disgraceful Name But wifely makes advantage of the same Since I 'm a dog saith she for crumbs I plead Give me some crumbs Lord of children's bread Christ praised her great faith and did fulfil All her desire and gave her all her will. Tho Christ withdraw seek him he will appear He hears thy cry when he seems not to hear Tho he seem strange unto him kindly come Tho thou be call'd a dog yet seek a crumb If Satan say thou art a reprobate That by a dispute dark and intricate Concerning secret things and depths profound He may affright thee and thy mind confound Listen not to a lying murthering cheat Enter not with him on that great debate Come on Christ's call effectual vocation Will free thee from the fears of reprobation All whom he draws are called in effect And were from all Eternity elect But if thou say I fear the bitter smart Of a repenting prickt rent broken heart I must confess my sins with grief and tears And watch against my lusts with careful fears And thus my mirth is marr'd and my gladness Is turn'd to grief and melancholly sadness I answer that it is of God's free grace That for repentance there is any place Justice might say go weep in Hell and burn It 's grace that says Sinner repent and turn The pricking of the heart lets out the sin Which festers and destroys when kept within It 's for thy health that thy hard heart be rent That so thy vile impostume may be vent It 's not a Foe 's but a Physician 's wound God breaks the heart to make it whole and sound The Lord doth heal the broken in their heart Their pain is gain there 's pleasure in the smart There 's peace and safety in their watchful fears The Oil of Joy is mixt with Gospel-tears The Lord is broken by our whorish heart Should not our heart then break with grief and smart When Christ was bound our sins did make the bands They were the Nails that pierc'd his feet and hands They were the Thorns that tore and rent his head They were the Spear that made his heart to bleed The lashing Whips the Fists that did him beat They made his body weep a bloody sweat His outward pains the Agony within His troubled soul procured were by sin Look on him whom thou pierced Oh! look on still That grief thy heart and tears thine eyes may fill That kindly thou maist weep and mourn like one Who mourneth for a first and only Son. Sin is against the Lord breaks his laws It mars his Image and from God withdraws Thy sin doth vex and grieve the holy Sp'rit Should thou with grief for sin contrite They shall find mercy who confess and turn Comfort is promised to these who mourn The Oil of Joy the Lord for mourning gives And he the humble contrite heart revives If godly sorrow will not thee destroy It tends to life its tears are seeds of joy Gospel-grief which melts the heart aright Is sweeter far than all the world's delight And even godly grief the sweeter then All the delights of all the sons of men Who can the peace of God who doth transcend And pass all understanding comprehend Their Joy that 's full of glory who is able To express for it is unexpressable Christ calleth on thee Sinner to repent And he exalted is for this intent To give repentance and remission Imploy him to remove thy heart of stone They who are turn'd from sin to God by grace Find Wisdom's paths both pleasantness and peace The Word the Sacraments Prayers and Praise Are lightsome pleasant and delightsome ways Blessed is he who knows the joyful sound And who can say O Lord thy words were found I did them eat and thy word was to me My heart's delight and joyful melody Admire the Lord's low condescendency That he would speak and write to such as we And write so plainly that each hungry one Tho simple findeth food to live upon And so sublimely that the Learned might Not nauseate but search desire delight And in such useful sweet variety For to prevent loathing satiety Here Histories of grace and ancient things Of persons good and great of Saints and Kings Examples rare of Faith and Self-denial Of patience under the fiery Trial Of hope when Sense spoke nothing but despair Of Love over-coming ill with good O rare Of Fortitude join'd with a broken Sp'rit Of warlike courage in a heart contrite And wit to rule an Army and a Nation With wisdom that made wise unto salvation But O! the History of Histories So full of Miracles and Mysteries The Son of God his Incarnation His coming with life and salvation These good news are and will be ever fresh That God was manifested in the flesh And dwelt with us then on the Cross did die Rose from the Grave ascended up on high Much may be seen of God in the Creation But he 's more clearly seen in man's salvation For here appears God's wisdom manifold His spotless Justice doth it self unfold Suing the guiltless Surety till he died Not quitting him till he had satisfied Here Love shines bright as in its proper place Upon the Mercy-seat the Throne of Grace Lo this is love God who is Love did give His Son to death that Enemies might live His own beloved loving lovely Son Only begotten with his Father one In Essence one in Mind and one in Will who all his Father's Precepts did fulfil Who holy harmless spotless was yet he Got a command for the lost sheep to die To die both in their stead and for their good To wash away their sins with his own blood Christ lov'd the Father and he lov'd the sheep And so took pleasure this command to keep O matchless love it passeth all degree The Judge doth for the Malefactors die It was his meat to do his Father's will His work to finish Righteousness fulfil He went from place to place still doing good Healing the sick giving the hungry food Delivering from all maladies and evils Relieving them who were opprest with Devils He was most meek lowly in heart and mind Most merciful most affable and kind Easie he was to be intreated all Who call'd him found him ready on a call When called to a Marriage he went And made their water wine when wine was spent When call'd he went with Publicans and Sinners And even with Pharisees unto their Dinners All who did come for good got all they sought And often better than they askt or thought The man sick of the Palsie laid before Christ on a bed seeks health Christ giveth
every man have naturally a Love of himself and desire to conserve his own ease then should he also have fear of peril whereby he is to fall into extream calamity This St. Bernard expresseth excellently according to his custom O man saith he if thou hast left all shame which appertaineth to so noble a creature as thou art if thou feelest no sorrow as carnal men do not yet lose not fear also which is found in very beasts We use to load an Ass and weary him out with Labour and he careth not because he is an Ass But if thou wouldest thrust him into fire or fling him into the ditch he would avoid it as much as he could for that he loveth life and feareth death Fear thou then and be not more insensible than a beast Fear Death fear Judgment fear Hell. This Fear is called the beginning of Wisdom and not shame and sorrow for that the Spirit of fear is more mighty to resist sin than the Spirit of shame or sorrow Wherefore it is said Remember the end and thou shalt never sin That is Remember the final punishments appointed for sin after this life III. First therefore to speak in General of the punishments reserved for the Life to come If the Scriptures did not declare in particular their greatness unto us That they are most severe dolorous and intolerable For first as God is a God in all his Works That is to say great wonderful and terrible so especially he sheweth the same in his punishments being called for that cause in Scripture a God of Justice as also a God of Revenge Wherefore seeing all his other Works are full of Majesty and exceeding our capacities we may likewise gather that his hand in punishment must be wonderful Also God himself teacheth us to reason in this manner when he saith And will ye not then fear me and tremble before my face which have put the sand as a stop unto the sea and have given the water a commandment never to pass no not when it is most troubled and the floods most outragious As if he should say If I am wonderful and do pass your imaginations in these works of the Sea and others which you see daily you have cause to fear me considering that my punishments are like to be correspondent to the same IV. Another conjecture of the great and severe Justice of God may be the consideration of his infinite and unspeakable Mercy the which as it is the very Nature of God and without end or measure as his Godhead is so is also his Justice and these two are the two arms as it were of God embracing and kissing the one the other as the Scripture saith Therefore as in a man of this world if we had the measure of one arm we might easily conjecture of the other so seeing the wonderful examples daily of God's infinite mercy towards them that repent we may imagine by the same his severe justice towards them whom he reserveth to punishment in the next life and whom for that cause he calleth in the Scriptures Vessels of his Fury or Vessels to shew his Fury upon V. A Third Reason to perswade us of the greatness of these punishments may be the marvellous patience and long-sufferings of God in this life As for example in that he suffereth divers men from one sin to another from one day to another from one year to another from one age to another to spend all I say in dishonour and despite of his Majesty adding offence to offence and refusing all perswasions allurements good inspirations or other means of friendship that his mercy can devise to offer for their amendment And what man in the world could suffer this Or what mortal heart can shew such patience But now if all this should not be requited with severity of punishment in the world to come upon the obstinate it might seem against the Law of Justice and Equity and one arm of God might seem longer than the other Saint Paul teacheth this Reason in his Epistle to the Romans Rom. 2. where he saith Dost thou not know that the benignity of God is used to bring to repentance And thou by thy hard and impenitent heart dost hoard up vengeance unto thy self in the day of wrath and appearance of God's just judgment which shall restore to every man according to his works He useth here the words of hoarding up of vengeance to signifie as a covetous man doth hoard up money to money daily to make his heap great so the unrepentant finner doth hoard up fin to fin and God on the contrary side hoardeth up vengeance to vengeance until his measure be full to restore in the measure against measure as the Prophet saith and to pay us home according to the multitude of our abominations This God meant when he said to Abraham that the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full up Also in the Revelation unto St. John the Evangelist when he useth this conclusion of that book He that doth evil let him do more evil and he that liveth in filth let him yet become more filthy For behold I come quickly and my reward is with me to render to every one according to his deeds By which words God signifieth that his bearing and tolerating with sinners in this life is an Argument of his greater severity in the life to come which the Prophet David also declareth when talking of a careless sinner he saith The Lord shall scoff at him foreseeing that his day shall come This day no doubt is to be understood the day of account and punishment after this life For so doth God more at large declare himself in these words Ezek. 7th And thou Son of man this saith thy Lord God The end is come now I say the end is come upon thee And I will shew in thee my fury and will judge thee according to thy ways I will lay against thee all thine abominations and mine eye shall not spare thee neither will I take any mercy upon thee but I will put thy own ways upon thee and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. Behold afflictions cometh on the end is come the end I say is come it hath watched against thee and behold it is come the day of slaughter is at hand crushing is now come upon thee Shortly will I pour out my wrath upon thee and I will fill my fury in thee and I will judge thee according to thy ways and I will lay all thy wickedness upon thee mine eye shall not pity thee but I will lay thy way upon thee and thine abominations in the midst of thee and thou shalt know that I am the Lord that striketh Hitherto is the speech of God himself VI. Seeing then now we understand in general that the punishments of God in the Life to come are most certain to be great and severe to all such as fall into them for which cause the Apostle
and election sure The more you labour for Heaven the better the sweeter will your sleep be when you come to die And remember this as much sleeping in the day-time will hinder a man's Sleep at night so you that idle away way the time of your providing for Heaven in this your day you that sleep away the minute on which Eternity doth depend O! you will have a sad Sleep when death seizeth upon you Take heed therefore of sleeping whilst you live that so your sleep in the night of death may be comfortable unto you 5. And lastly If ever you would sleep an happy sleep when you die then take heed of the sleep of sin Sin in the Scripture is compared to a sleep Awake thou that sleepest that is thou that sinnest Sin is such a sleep as brings the sleep of death Sin brings the first death and sin brings the second death All miseries whatsoever are the daughters of sin If you would sleep an happy sleep and have an happy awakening at the Resurrection then take heed of the sleep of sin Awake thou that sleepest arise from the dead and Jesus Christ will give thee life Eph. 5.14 so Rom. 13.11 12 13. with which I will conclude and I pray you mark it well for it was a Text that converted St. Augustine Knowing the time beloved that it is now high time to awake out of sleep for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed The night is far spent the day is at hand Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armour of light let us walk honestly as in the day not in rioting and drunkenness not in chambering and wantonness not in strife and envying but put on the Lord Jesus Christ FINIS Books Printed for Richard Butler in White-Lyon-Court in Barbican A Practical and short Exposition of the Catechism of the Church of England by way of Question and Answer Wherein the Divine Authority and Reasonableness of every Question and Answer every Doctrine and Practice in it recommended are Evidenced and Improved against most Contemners of it and Dissenters from it with that Moderation and Plainness that it may engage all to adhere to and especially may instruct Children in the true Protestant Religion of the Church of England Humbly offered for the good of Schools and Youth By Nathanael Taylor M. A. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or the Baptism of Infants Vindicated by Scriptures and Reasons Humbly offered in Order to a Composure of Differences at this Juncture of Time. By Nath. Taylor M. A. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or an Alphebetical Martyrology containing the Trials and Dying Expressions of many Martyrs of Note since Christ Extracted out of Foxe's Acts and Monuments numents of the Church With an Alphabetical List of God's Judgments remarkably shown on many Noted and Cruel Persecutors Together with an Appendix of things pertinent to the understanding this Martyrology By N. T. M. A. T. C. C. Two Sermons of Hypocrisie and the vain hope of self-deceiving sinners Together with an Inspection into the Manners and Conversation of the People called Quakers whose fruits betel them to be Men of a Worldly Spirit hating true holiness and strangers to the simplicity that is in Christ All which is shewed in the following Treatise composed and published for the common good the startling and awakening of all Worldly and Opinionative Hypocrites of what Name or Sect soever and particularly the Quakers and the establishment and consolation of the upright and sound in heart in perilous and shaking times and intended for a further confutation of Quakerism By John Cheyney