of disobedience When the Apostle exhorts thee to finish thy saluation with feare and trembling he inferreth this as a reason to enforce his exhortation which some fondly account a reason of libertie for it is God that worketh both the will and the deede Phil. 2.12.13 So that Gods worke must not hinder but further thy indeuors Christ lookes that those which are ingrafted into him shold bring forth much fruite Ioh. 15.5 The Lord cannot abide to sustaine losse in anie of his gifts especially if they be spirituall Whosoeuer therefore hideth his talents of grace Mat. 25.30 shall surely be punished When the Lord had bene verie gracious to Iuda his vineyard Esa 5. he expected from it the good fruites of godlinesse but wheÌ„ it brings foorth the sowre grapes of iniquitie he expostulateth with them on this manner What could I haue done more to my vineyard and leaues them to their owne censure Iudge ô ye men of Iuda and ye inhabitants of Ierusalem betweene me my vineyard Consider then did not the Lord create thee after his owne image and behold thou hast defaced it by sin Hath he in mercie restored thee and like a kinde father set thee vp againe being a banckrupt in grace What could he doe more for thee Iudge betweene the Lord and thine owne soule and grieue not that holy Spirit which hath changed thy heart and sealed thee vp to the day of thy redemption SECTION 3. Of the Memorie OVr Sauiours saying most needs be true The seruant is not greater then his master Ioh. 13.16 Now the Memorie is but the Vnderstandings seruant and hath in charge the keeping of her conceits so that if the vnderstanding be vaine the memorie cannot be exempted from vanitie And this is one vaine dependance of the memorie that it must be preserued and tilled with perpetuall toyle or care or else it becomes barren if it be not often whetted it waxeth rustie and is like the leaues of bookes which being seldome vsed do cleaue together Now besides that the vnderstanding must be a perpetuall drudge for the preseruing of the memorie the memorie requiteth her ill like a faithlesse seruant retaining those things shee should reiect and reiecting those things she should retaine like the sieue which holds fast the course brans but lets the fine flower fall away Cic. de fin bon lib. 2. so that euery one may say with Themistocles to Simonides offering to teach him the art of Memorie I had rather learne the art of Obliuion for I remember what I would forget and forget what I would remember Wrongs reuenges Manâ—t altamente repostuÌ„ iudictuÌ„ Paridis Virg Aen. lib. 1. and euery discontent the cogitation whereof bringeth anguish and indignation to the soule the Memorie can easily and ordinarily register Cains enuie to Abel and Esaws malice to Iacob is verie soundly setled and not easily remooued but good memorable things are quickly forgotten When people come to heare the word of God they commonly bring chinkie and leaking soules and therefore the Apostle biddeth vs take heed that we runne not out Heb. 2.1 The Sabbath containing the memoriall of our redemption and a day to be employed in the word of God and the workes of our saluation is litle thought on when mens birth dayes faires festiuities and dayes dedicated to vanities and follies are well remembred And therefore is the Lord faine to giue a watchword Remember the Sabbath day Exod. 20. When men do fauours and kindnesses to men they thinke that they should be had in euerlasting remembrance but the inestimable benefites and blessings of Almightie God bestowed vpon men are quickly forgotten Let those that wold not deceiue themselues looke vpon their memories in the Israelites and there shall they behold as in a glasse that which may make them blush and be ashamed Remember the day sayeth Moses in the which ye came our of Aegypt What Exod. 13.3 is it possible to forget that day which should be celebrated for a perpetuall memoriall of their wonderfull deliuerance Exod. 12.14 Yes surely for we find that they remembred not the Lords hand Psal 78.42 nor the day when he deliuered them Nehem. 4. â—4 Nehemiah bids the Iewes remember the great Lord and fearfull a man would thinke that a needlesse exhortation for how can they but remember that God which had kept them as the apple of his eye led them graciously through the wildernesse subdued their many and mightie enemies and giuen them possession of an excellent inheritance But wee see that they forgot God their Sauiour Psa 106.21 who had done great things for them for they did not fruitfully remember him How oft doth Moses exhort them not to forget the law What forget the law which was deliuered in that wonderfull manner vpon mount Sinay by almightie God himselfe in flaming fire with sound of a trumpet and in the middest of glorious Angels Yes they did forget the law Hos 4.6 as the Prophet complaineth of the best of them And that this forgetfulnesse was not peculiar to them let experience speake and it shall witnesse with mee Though the Lord hath drawne his commandemeÌ„ts into so short a summe euen ten words Deut. 4.13 as they are called yet how many thousand Christians are there at this day who are not able to repeate them much lesse to vnderstand them albeit they can remember other things very readily Do but soundly and seriously examine thy selfe my Christian brother and thou shalt finde iust cause to say concerning thy forgetfulnesse both of heauenly blessings and diuine instructions Gen. 41 9. with Pharaohs butler I call to mind my fault this day For thou shalt be enforced to confesse that thou hast let many a good lesson slippe foorth of thy mind and receiued many a blessing for which thou hast not bene thankfull Well sithence the memorie is so defectiue and faultie it is thy part to seeke the strengthening of it that what is wanting by nature may bee supplied by industrie and grace for diligence is the mother and the nurse of memorie To be briefe seeing the walles and foundations of holinesse are thus battered and defaced in the forts and faculties of thy soule pray with the Prophet Psal 51.12.14 Create in me a new heart ô God and renew a right spirit within me and establish me with thy free spirit Labor with thy selfe by thine industrie and with God by heartie prayer that thou mayest by the assistance of his holy spirit the enlightener of the vnderstanding Ioh. 14.26 the guide of the will and the reuiuer of the memorie be enabled to conceiue affect and retaine those good things which in this life may be for thy comfort and thy euerlasting saluation in the life to come SECTION 4. Of Sciences Arts and Trades THe fountaine being stopped the streames do soone drie vp the tree being plucked vp the leaues and fruit do
of stayed old age But sithence the Almightie hath decreed the varietie of our dayes and that we must tast of the adiuncts peculiar to euery age wherein we liue let those that are young thinke vpon Salomons exhortation Eccles 12.1 Remember thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth an exhortation very needfull For most do liue loosly in their youth reseruing old age for godlinesse offering sinne and Sathan the flower of their daies and keeping rottennesse for the Lord but with such sacrifices God wil not be pleased besides that these mens continuance in sinne in their youth makes it so habituall that it will hardly be shâ—ked off when they are old Let those that are young therefore cleanse their wayes by taking heede thereunto according to Gods word Psal 119.9 And let them season the yong vessels of their soules with the sweet wholsome liquor of piety that they may sauour of the same so long as they liue SECTION 2. Of Beautie Strength and Agilitie WHen man was first created as diuine vertues adorned his minde so glorious maiestie beautie shined in his face and shape but through his fall the ornaments of his soule were defaced and by the same the seemlinesse of his bodie was deformed quantum mutatus ab illo He that had seene Adam in Paradise and afterwards met him in the vast fields would neuer haue knowne him to be the same man and in this defaced and deformed image Gen. 5.3 did he beget his posteritie so that the reliques of our moderne beautie are but like the ruinous walles of a razed citie the rotten stocke of a flourishing tree and the withered stemme of a fragrant flower Yet is this defaced and deformed beautie too much set by though it be vaine in substance variable in durance dangerous to the beholder and oft-times hurtfull to the possessour 1 Those were words worthy the mother of Salomon Fauour is deceitfull Pro. 31 30· and beautie is vaine As many flowers are faire to the eye which are nothing pleasing to the smell and as many a stinking and stinging nettle groweth with the sweete smelling rose so the painted sepulchers of this vile bodie haue nothing buried in them but filthinesse and oft times vnder the faire countenance there lurkes very foule conditions thus is fauour deceitfull 2. And what is not beautie like the drops of deaw which are either drawne vp with the Sunne or dried vp with the winde For sicknesse will change it sorrow will waste it age will wither it and death consume it What an alteration will a poore tertian feauer make in a faire face When Naomi returned to Bethlehem Ruth 1. shee was so chaunged with the griefe of her husband and sons deaths that euery one wondred at her saying Is not this Naomi And though beautie escape sorrow and sicknesse yet age will seize vpon it whose propertie it is to set wrinkles in the smooth forehead and to change the snowie and vermilion face into a wan and swarthie colour neither is it more possible to preuent this then to stay the course of time There was neuer any so beautifull by the vnion of symetricall proportions oâ— the wel disposing of colours which things concurre to the perfection of beautie but shee might say in time with Naomi Call me not Naomi but call me Marah And when as sicknesse sorrow and old age haue battered the faire forts of beautie death dischargeth her Cannons and layeth her flat vpon the earth and then the fairest face that euer was by nature or art must be trampled vpon with the feete eaten with wormes or consumed with lothsome rottennesse and then what difference can a man finde betweene Thersites and Narcissus The Epitaph of Rosamund that mirrour of beauty is worthy the remembrance Hac iacet in tumba Rosamundi non Rosamunda c. The worlds sweet rose not Rosamund This earthen vault doth shield And lothsome smels not redolent Her bodie now doth yeeld Thus is beautie vaine Yea the more the beautie the greater the vanitie As the softest stone is easily pierced the finest lawne quickliest stained and the freshest flower soonest withered so the most resplendent beautie is foonest consumed 3 As beautie is vaine and variable so is it dangerous to the beholder whereof Salomon hauing had wofull experience warneth his son not to d sire the beautie of the strange woman Pro· 6.25 nor to let her take him with her eye lids And there is reason of his borrowed speech for beautie is an enchauntresse and bewitcheth a net and entangleth a fire and enflameth a baited hooke and catcheth Gen. 6.1 The sonnes of God saw the daughters of men that they were faire and they tooke them wiues of all that they liked 2. Sam. 11.12 Dauid from the top of his pallace saw beautifull Bathsheba washing her selfe and his heart was inflamed towards her Loe those that for their religious education were called the sonnes of God and hee that for his vertuous conuersation was counted a man after Gods owne heart are insnared by beautie and the one makes prophane mariages the other commits vnlawfull adulterie The wise mans counsell is therefore worthy the taking Eccles 9.8 Turne away thine eyes from beholding a beautifull woman And his reason is worth the noting for many haue perished by the beautie of women The truth of which the deadly broiles raised betweene the Phoenicians and the Grecians Herod in Clio. initio through their mutuall rapes can sufficiently testifie 4 Neither are these the hurtfull bounds of beauties snares thus to hurt the beholder but like as the Basiliske by beholding himselfe in a glasse As to Lucretia and Virginia Liu. lib. 1. 3. is killed with the reflecting of his owne poyson so doth beautie many times turne to the bane of the possessour Gen. 34. If Dina had not bene faire it is like she had neuer bene deflowred So that as Absalon perished with his owne haire which hee kept very curiously 2. Sam. 18. so diuers haue bene destroyed by their beautie which they haue preserued most carefully Gen 12. Gen. 26. This Abraham in Egypt and Isaac in Palestina considered when they feared to acknowledge their owne wiues lest their beautie might haue bene the losse of the womens honestie and the husbands liues And this was the Poets obseruation in Peneius speech to his daughter Daphne Votoque tuo tua forma repugnat Ouid. Met. lib. 1. that rare beautie and perpetuall virginitie would hardly dwell together Yea happie had many a one bene if she had bene deformed for then she had neuer bene defiled And is beautie thus vaine then learne to despise it is it so dangerous then haue a care to shunne it Oh what cost and care and art doe many vse to nourish a secret enemie to themselues and an engine for others Is beautie a vanitie then pray with Dauid Psal 119.37 Turne away mine eyes O Lord from
As bodies that haue fewest bad humors are least shaken with agues so those that are freest from sinne though death assault them bitterly are least annoyed by the pains and terror of death Our Sauiour saith Ioh. 16.33 Be of good cheare I haue ouercome the world and I may say Bee of good cheare 2 Cor. 15.16 for Christ hath ouercome death 2 This may be an occasion to mitigate that extreme sorrow which many take vppon the death of their godly friends seeing their death yeeldeth rather cause of coÌ„fort then of sorrow of mirth then of mourning and of reioycing rather then of weeping and lamenting If you loued me you would reioyce saith our Sauiour to his disciples because I said Ioh. 14.28 I goe to the Father so those that loue their friends indeed haue cause to reioyce rather then to mourne for their death because they go to be glorified with their heauenly Father The little child that sees the mother cutting and bruising the sweet and pleasant hearbes and flowers is sorie because hee thinkes they are spoiled but the mother hath a purpose to preserue theÌ„ whereby they are made much better A simple bodie that should see the Gold-smith melting the pure mettals would bee discontent imagining that all were marred whereas the skilfull workeman hath a purpose to cast some excellent peece of plate thereof So wee silly men when the Lord cuts off some of our friends by death like the flower and lets others wither like the greene hearbe and when he melteth them in the fornace of the graue are ouercome with sorrowfull conceipts as though some euill thing were befallen our friendes whereas we should remember that the Lord hath a purpose by this meanes to preserue them and to transforme them into that glorious estate which the Angels enioy in heauen And this reason is first intimated and after plainely expressed by Saint Paule in his dehortation to the Thessalonians I would not brethren haue you ignorant concerning them which are asleepe 1. Thes 4.13 that you sorrow not as others which haue no hope Who would be sorrie to see his friend fall asleepe seeing that thereby he is made lightsome fresh and lustie Now death is to the godly nothing but a sleepe whereby they are refined and refreshed why should we then be offended therewith If thy friend which dieth bee wicked then hast thou iust cause of mourning but if thou knewest him to liue and die in the feare of God howsoeuer nature or affection may haue force to wring teares from thine eyes or sighes from thy heart yet hast thou reason to reioyce and be glad for his happie change as Augustine his example may teach Aug confe lib. 9. v. who bridled the infirmitie of Nature and suppressed his teares at his mothers death though he honoured and loued her dearely thinking it an vnfit thing to celebrate her funerals with weeping and wailing because she had liued religiously and died vertuously 3 To conclude this point me thinkes if there were no farther reason to perswade yet euen this meditation might mooue any one to the practise of godlinesse in that it yeeldeth this heauenly peace of conscience in the time of our life and eternall consolation at the day of our death Oh what a sweete comfort will it be to thee my Christian brother when friends honour wealth dignities and all other comfortes in the world become vaine and faile thee to haue the ioyfull peace of conscience to rest with thee When thou shalt bee able recounting thy sincere care in Gods seruice to pray with good Nehemiah Neh. 13.22 Remember me ô my God concerning this to say with godly Hezechiah vpon his death bed 2. King 20.3 I beseech thee ô Lord remember now how I haue walked before thee in truth and with a perfect hart and haue done that which is good in thy sight and with our blessed Sauiour before his passion Ioh. 17.4 Father I haue glorified thee on earth I haue finished the worke which thou gauest me to doe For then shall the vprght câ—nscience eccho a comfort to thy humble soule and either the Lord wil enlarge the lease of thy life with Hâ—zechiah or glorifie thee in the heauens with his beloued Sonne CHAP. 2. SECT 1. The first steppe into heauen at the day of iudgement namely A blessed Resurrection IF the godly in this life and at the day of their death haue a tast of those heauenly ioyes which cannot be expressed how much more shall they haue in the resurrection when body and soule shall both be reunited and indued with a blessed condition Therefore do the Scriptures describe the excellencie of the resurrection by sundry comfortable metaphors Ioh. 12. 1. Cor 15. Saint Paule compares it to the husbandmans haruest when reaping and receiuing the fruites of his labours his heart reioyceth and so shall it be to the godly for they which sowe in teares at the day of death shall reape in ioy at their resurrection Pro. 19.17 2. Salomon saith hee which hath pittie on the poore lendeth to the Lord and looke what he layeth out it shall bee payed him againe Now men that haue great debts desire earnestly the day of payment and behold our Sauiour calleth the day of resurrection Luk. 14.14 The day of payment because then hee hauing his reward with him Reu. 22.12 will come foorth of euerie ones debt and reward their goodâ—esse with glorie 3. Those that labor must needes haue a time to rest in that so they may be refreshed Our life is nothing but labour our death a sleepe and therefore the Apostle fitly calles the resurâ—ection Act. 3.19 Thâ— time of refreshing being as the gladsome morning to a siâ—ke man Psal 49.14 15. which hath tossed and turned vp and downe wearily all the night long The bird that hath bene kept a great while in a cage will chaunt it merrily when shee commeth foorth into the open aire the prisoner that hath lyen loÌ„g in the duÌ„geon reâ—oyceth exceedingly when he hath obtained libertie so shall the resurrection be ioyfull and comfortable to the godly when they are deliuered from the cage and prison of the graue and restored into the glorious libertie of the sonnes of God Rom. 8.21 There is nothing that doth better râ—semble set foorth the excellencie of the Resurrection then the spring time for as we flourish in our childhood bring foorth fruite in our youth waxe ripe in our old age and wither at our death so wee spring fresh againe at our resurrection The trees in winter being despoiled of their leaues the garden of the flowers and the fields of the grasse do seeme vtterly to perish but when the Spring time comes they all waxe as fresh and flourishing as euer they were so the body which during the winter of many ages is depriued of her beautie and turned to rottennesse doth at the Spring time of the resurrection
A THREE-FOLD RESOLVTION verie necessarie to saluation Describing EARTHS VANITIE HELS HORROR HEAVENS FELICITIE PSAL. 107.43 Who so is wise will ponder these things By IOHN DENISON Batchelour in Diuinitie LONDON Printed by Richard Field for Iohn Norton 1608. ⧠To the right worshipfull Sir William Willoughby Knight the best blessings of this life and euerlasting blessednesse in the life to come ALthough right worshipfull my many employments well knowne vnto you might seeme a sufficient remora to my pen yet my desire by all meanes to do good hath more preuailed with me then those lets wherewith I haue conuersed These meditations a testimonie of my desires I make bold to present vnto you to whom if they be worthy of any respect they do belong in many respects as I might sufficiently manifest but that I hold it more expedient to remaine a thankfull silent debter then to become a publicke trumpeter of your priuate fauours If you iudge them worthie vouchsafe them I pray you your patronage if not your pardon at least your acceptance as a token of his thankefull minde who will euer rest Your Worships at commaundment in Christ Iesus I. D. 1 Let heauens powre downe their sweetest influence Let them inrich you with the earths best treasures Let them withall instill truths quintessence Heau'ns ioyes do far surmount all earthly pleasures 2 Let the celestiall powers you guard and guide And countermine when wicked powers conspire Let spotlesse bloud which ran from harmelesse side Quench vnto you the euer burning fire 3 And let the winged Posts voyd of delayes From glorious throne when great Iehoua sendeth Translate your soule when death shal end your daies To that celestiall blisse which neuer endeth To the Reader THe last period and principall Resolution of euery Christian is or should be to glorifie God in the fruition of eternall felicitie Wherein we must remember that remote ends haue subordinate meanes to produce their effects which ought in no case to be neglected And as the sea-man for the getting of his prize must haue care of three principall points first to ballance his ship discreetly secondly to shun the daungerous gulfes of the sea thirdly to get good landing in a safe hauen So euerie Christian that desireth the fruition of true felicitie must first so ballance his affections that they be not ouer-burdened with the loue of this world secondly hee must haue a care to shun the gulfe of hell and eternall destruction thirdly hee must labour to get the kingdome of heauen for his hauen Vpon these pointes good Christian must thy Resolution cast anker if euer thou resolue to be eternally happie Now to helpe forward thy resolution behold here the Worlds vanities deciphered Hels torments displayed and Heauens happines described Meditations in my conceit neuer more fit then in these wretched dayes wherein men are become too great louers of the world haue lost the dread of hell and the desire of heauen The Lord blesse them to thy comfort and saluation And if thou receiue any good by them recompence my paines with thy prayers 〈…〉 〈…〉 〈…〉 last iudgement 〈…〉 2. Society with the diuels the daâ— 3. Eternitie of the hellish torment 〈◊〉 3. Heauens felicitie 1. Before the day of iudgment 1. Sanctimonie of life 2. Peace of conscience 3. Comfort at the day of death 2. At the day of iudgment 1. Ioy at the resurrection 2. Comfort to meet and come before 3. Consolation vpon the sentence 〈◊〉 blessed 3. After the last iudgeâ—â—â—â— 1. Freedome from torments and mâ— 2. Fruition of celestiall glâ—â—â—◠〈…〉 The first part Of the Earths vanitie in generall AS it was in the dayes of Noah and Lot Luke 17.26.29 so shall the coÌ„ming of the sonne of man be saith our blessed Sauiour that Sonne of man For as in those times they did eate and drinke marrie build and plant that is exceedingly prosecute the vaine profites and pleasures of the world till the floud came and destroyed them so shall it be when the Sonne of man shall be reuealed Was the world euer more addicted and deuoted to these vanities then now it is and haue we not therefore iust cause to expect that refining fire 2. Pet. 3.10 which shall burne vp all the corruption vpon the face of the earth Almightie God hath giueÌ„ to men three mansions of a diuerse qualitie first the world wherein they liue 2. the graue wherein they corrupt 3. either heauen wherein they are crowned or hell wherein they are tormented In the world their companion is vanitie in the graue the worme in heauen the Angels and in hell the diuels Yet such is the folly of most men that they would haue perpetuall habitations and euerlasting happines in this vaine world to whoÌ„ Augustines speech is very fit August confess lib. 4. cap. 12. Seeke for that which you seek but not where you seeke it you seeke a blessed life in the region of death alas it is not there What extreme folly is this to seeke felicitie where nothing can be found worthy the affecting and following if all were weyed in the ballance of iudgement and discretion What is the world with the things of the world but enimitie against God euen pitch which defileth birdlime which intangleth and a snare which intrappeth Is not her coate misery her crest iniquitie and her motto vanitie Neither are these adiuncts lesse permanent then eminent both in the entrance continuance and conclusion of this life For we come into the world wailing and weeping we liue in it with toyling and moyling and we leaue it with grieuing and groning Iob. 1.21 Vide Praefa Plin. ad lib. 7. Naked came we out of our mothers wombe and naked must we returne againe Thus both the Orient and Occident the Prologue and the Epilogue of our life is nakednesse And if we view the sundry times places and courses of our life behold they yeeld nothing but vanitie and misery Infancie is weake and feeble youth is rash and dissolute old age froward and doting The pleading places yeeld contention the house cares the countrey labour the Court enuie the sea tempests and pirats the land theeues and robbers Pouertie is despised wealth is enuied wit is distrusted folly is derided yea which is most lamentable vice is aduanced and vertue disgraced Man is by many writers called a little world 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not vnfitly in that he is a modell of the miseries of this greater world hauing within him sinne rebelling against him without the world to allure him before Satans snares to intangle him behind a wary conscience to dog him on the right hand prosperitie to inueigle him on the left hand aduersity to vexe him vâ—der his feet the graue open to swallow him and ouer his head the iudgements of God readie to fall vpon him So that a man in this life may verie well be compared to a sea-man in a dangerous and tempestuous nauigation if he
fretting Too much curiositie and pomp in apparell doth commonly follow defects of nature and are the ordinarie markes of a proud heart When Apelles saw one of his prentises to haue painted Hellen badly Clem Alex. paidag lib. 2. cap. 12. yet to haue decked her with gold verie brauely he said merily Wel done sirra though thou couldest not paint her beautifull 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet thou hast made her rich Many women are like this picture of Hellen though Nature hath not made them faire yet by decking and tricking vp themselues they will needs be fine thus are they faine to patch vp the defects of nature and when they haue done so they waxe proud of it like the bird that is decked with the plumes of another bird I know that to heare that defects and deformitie are the foundation of their pride some will not brooke it and when they shall be challenged of pride in their costly and curious apparell they will excuse it or denie it But the matter it selfe wil witnesse against them for who would put on gorgeous apparrell where they could not be seene of others And this was Socrates obseruation closely touched Aelian Var. hist lib 7. when his wife Zantippa would not put on her best clothes to go see a solemne shew Wife quoth he if thou wilt not put them on to see the shew yet do it that thy self may be seene there Psa 58.1 Are your mindes set vpon righteousnesse saith the Prophet Experience may answer No for the mindes of most men and women are set vpon vanitie and that not a little vpon the vanitie of apparell Is it not strange to see how many wits are set on worke to this purpose some labouring in the matter others studying about the forme and all endeuoring to bring vanitie to her perfection Cypr. de habitu virgin sect 11. The godly fathers obseruation is worthie the noting that God did not make sheepe of a purple or crimson colour but man with the diuels helpe a very cunning workman deuised these and many such other vanities Some thinke that pompe and brauerie in apparell is no fault but if that were so why hath the holy Ghost noted it in the Rich man Luk. 16.19 that he was clothed in purple and fine linnen I will not say with Ambrose Lib. 1. de virgin That a woman gorgeously and sumptuously attired is a house of all infernall diuels yet may I boldly say that such a one is a snare and dangerous prouocation to leudnesse Yea but euery one that is thus attired doth not intend to intrap any thereby Well admit there be no such intent yet may there easily be such an effect but suppose that neither of those do follow yet art thou not altogether blamelesse because thou hast offered poison Hieron ad Nepot if any man would haue drunke it The Lord by his Prophet Zephanie threatened Ierusalem Zeph. 1.8 that he would visite all such as were clothed in strange apparell Was there euer any people more culpable and worthy of reproofe in this respect then our disguised nation apt to take vp the fantasticall fashion of euerie countrey Looke vpon men and women and you shall perceiue in one and the same creature the English speech the Spanish fashion the Italian behauiour a manly shape a beastly life Spectatum admissi risum teneatis amici Would it not make euen Heraclitus laugh to behold this compouÌ„d of vanities Heraclitus was a man that always wept Is there not reason to dread the Lords visitation Esa 3.16.26 The daâ—ghters of Sion though exquisite in their brauerie shall come farre too short of the daughters of England yea if pride her selfe were to set vp shop she might take patternes of vs. Haue we not reason to feare that which is therefore threatened to Ierusalem that our gates shal mourne and lament and that our land being desolate shall sit vpon the ground as Iob did in the daies of his affliction Iob 1.20 in sackcloth and ashes The Lord giue vs grace so to feare it that wee may neuer feele it These things should be seene in apparell Hieron Ep. 84. necessitie honestie and decency Apparell must be neat but not of a disguised fashion Zeph. 1.8 both affected basenesse and exquisite nicenesse are extreames 1. Pet. 3.3 It must be comely but not too costly and if costly yet without riot or too much curiositie It must not be alwaies alike for it was Diues fault Luk. 16.19 that he was braue in apparell euery day It befittteth not euerie one to weare rich attire though Queene Hester may haue her royall apparell Hester 5.1 And though persons of state may weare rich clothing Luk. 7.25 yet they may not line it with pride But alas in these dayes neither fashion cost time place person or estate is respected but against the lawes both of God and man the most do seeke in their attire to content themselues though thereby they abuse both themselues and others Well now seeing that such cost and curiositie in apparell is vaine in it selfe dangerous in vse and odious to God when it is the nurse or note of pride let it be farre from euerie good Christian to take delight in brauing it as the world doth Psal 138.6 The Lord as it were in disdaine beholdeth the proud a farre off but giueth grace to the lowly Silkes and veluet and cloth of gold make a glorious shew in the eyes of men but sackcloth and the garment of haire are gracious in the sight of God Ionah 3.6 Esa 37 1. 1. King 21.29 and haue moued him to looke vpon the wearers thereof with the eye of fauour and compassion because they are good signes of humiliation If God haue blessed thee this way remember the poore that waÌ„t clothing so shalt thou cloath Christ in his members who will not let the least ragge thou giuest be vnrecompenced Mat. 25 40 If thou canst not be induced strictly to obserue that commaundement Luke 3.11 He that hath two coates let him part with him that hath none yet see not any perish for want of clothing Ioh 31.19.20 but let their loynes blesse thee because thou warmest them with the fleece of thy sheepe Oh that our dayes yeelded many Dorcases Acts 9 39 that the poore might shew the coates and garments which such compassionate women make for them but I feare it may be sooner wished then obtained To conclude be not ouercarefull for thy bodie in decking it but adorne thy soule with grace and if thou wilt be in a good fashion get into Iobs fashion Iob 29.14 I put on iustice and it couered me my iudgement was as a robe and crowne and put vpon thee the garments of the Queenes daughter Psal 45.13 who is all glorious within by sincerity and her clothing is of the wrought gold of grace But aboue all Rom.
health strength and at last doe vtterly depriue men of them And as the Fuller with raising of the nappe and shearing of the cloth makes it weare soft and seemely but withall sooner then it wold be so do pleasures raise vp the nap of the spirits yeelding present content but withall bring olde age and death before their time 3 As pleasures do hurt the bodie so do they annoy and infect the soule They are like thorns in hindering the growth of godlinesse Luk. 8.14 like Syrens in lulling men asleepe in sinne and securitie Whilest Sampson slept vpon Dalilahs lappe Iud. 16. his lockes were shaued off and his eyes put out so when pleasure hath lulled men asleepe she will shaue off the lockes of grace and besot the soule with a spirituall blindnesse 4 But Saint Peter speakes of a further and farre more daungerous fruite of pleasure when hee saith that those which haue bene ledde with sensualitie 2. Pet. 2.13 shall receiue the wages of vnrighteousnesse And what that is it appeareth in Abrahams speech to Diues Luk. 16.25 Sonne remember that thou in thy life time receiuedst thy pleasures non thou art tormented So that the intollerable torments of hell are the reward of pleasures yea the more the pleasures the greater the torments for the Lord doth weigh out his iudgements according to the measure of mens vanities Reu. 18.7 So much as she hath liued in pleasure so much giue you to her torment and sorrow This is a meditation very meete for these dayes of voluptuousnesse for now is the Apostles Prophesie fulfilled In the last daies men shall be louers of pleasures more then louers of God 2. Ti. 3.1.4 I knowe there is scarcely such a miscreant but hee will in this behalfe indeuour to iustifie himself but when the Preachers of Gods word being the Lords Ambassadours beseech men in his name yet they cannot perswade them to forsake any pleasures is it not euident that they loue their pleasures more then they loue God Men that liue pleasantly seeme to liue happily but indeede their life is miserable and their condition lamentable The sweete and Christall riuer runnes pleasantly as it were sporting it selfe winding and turning his siluer streames vp and downe by many a faire and goodly meadowe a great while but at last it fals into the salt sea and there loseth his sweetnesse and becomes brackish so many wicked men which for a while doe turne and winde themselues vp and downe through the medowes of pleasure and bath themselues in the transitorie blisse of this world do at last fall into the mouth of hell and there lose all the sweetnes of their pleasures and find nothing but the brackishnesse of paines eternall Aul. Gel. lib. 1. cap. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 how much that was the learned agree not as Pet. Mosel in Aul. Gel. sheweth When Lais that famous Curtisan of Corinth asked Demosthenes a great sum of mony to lye with her one night he answered her wisely That he would not buy repentance at so deare a rate Consider then deare Christian that the price of pleasure is not onely the infirmitie of bodie and anguish of soule but of eternall paines and torments in hell are not all the pleasures in the world though thou mightest enioy them tenne thousand ages too deare to be bought at such a price we reade that king Lysimachus being constrained through thirst Plutar. Apoth to yeeld his kingdome to the Scythians when he had drunk the cold water said O good God for what a small pleasure haue I lost so great a kingdome Beleeue me if thou giue thy selfe to pleasure to thy soules daunger though thou draw it foorth as Salomon did yet when it is vanished thou wilt say O good God what endlesse torments am I subiect to and what a glorious kingdome haue I lost for trifling and momentanie pleasures Doe with thy pleasures rather as Dauid did with the water brought him by his Worthies whereof he wold not drinke but powred it foorth saying O Lord 1. Sam. 23. be it farre from mee that I should do this is not this the bloud of these men If pleasures offer themselues in neuer so glorious a shape to allure thee let neither thy hands touch them nor thy hart tast them but powring them foorth say with thy selfe O Lord be it farre from me that I should yeeld to these pleasures are they not the price of my soule This if thou shalt doe the Lord will yeelde thee heauenly delights in stead of earthly Psal 36.9 thou shalt be satisfied with the fatnesse of his house and he will giue thee drinke out of the riuers of his pleasures SECT 10. Of Friends and Friendship ALthough nothing bee more consonant and contenting to the nature of man then societie whereupon hee therefore hath his name homo of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Scaliger de causis ling. Lat. Vt Cic. de Amic yea although the vse of friendship were as frequent and necessarie as the Elements yet may this benefite of friendship be also raunged very iustly in the Catalogue of vanities Salomon describeth a friend thus Pro. 17.17 A friend loueth at all times if he onely be a friend who loueth at all times how few true friends are there For the most are like the swallow which sings merrily with vs all the sommer but bids vs farewell towards winter Many will willingly accompanie their friends while they saile safely with a pleasant wind but when the tempest of danger or trouble ariseth they will quickly flinch and forsake them A friend is counted another selfe but most frends in time of need will giue a man leaue to trust to himselfe Das nihil dicis Candide 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mart. lib. 2. It is a common thing to say All things are common among friends when nothing is communicated and I am wholly yours is soone said but seldome seene Doth the whole world yeelde one Damon or Pythias one Pilades or Orestes No a faithfull friend is a Phoenix The Philosophers said ingeniously Arist Cicero Hieron ad Paulin. that affinitie in manners and conditions should be the foundation of friendship and the auncient Father diuinely Ambros de Offic. lib 3. That the feare of God and loue of his word should be the glue to knit men together in the league of true loue but profit pleasure vanitie and iniquitie is the foundation glue that vnites most When friendship is once begun is it not kept on foote by flattery for the imperious nature of man being impatient of reproofe and aduise it is thought good rather to sooth and claw then to fall to iarres So that most men become like the Iuie to the tree and the beare bind to the wheat which clippe them till they haue killed them And such friends as these when oportunitie is offred proue faithlesse and trecherous killing where they kissed
2. Sa. 20.9 Mat. 26.29 like Ioab and Iudas and that breaketh the heart of him who relyeth vpon such a one If an enemie had wronged me saith Dauid I could haue borne it Psal 55.12 implying that for a friend to prooue trecherous it was intollerable Thus doth the friendship of our dayes begin with iniquitie continue with flatterie and end with trecherie So that the Lords querulous admonition doth verie well agree with our times Ier. 9.4 Let euery one take heed of his neighbour trust you not in any brother for euery brother wil vse deceipt and euery friend will deale deceiptfully To these inconueniences may be added the iarres that vsually fall out among friends and that oft times vpon trifling occasions No instrument is sooner out of tune then the harmonie of friendship and then as the purest wine prooues the tartest vineger so the most inward friendship being dissolued turnes into the deadliest hatred And as the peeces of cleare Christall cannot be reunited by any art so the nearest friendshippe turned into hatred doeth hardly admit any reconciliation according to the diuine Prouerbe Pro. 18.19 A brother offended is harder to winne then a strong citie and their contentions are like the barre of a pallace Friendship should be as the houses that ioyne together and as the stones thereof one stone and one house helping to support and vphold one another but they are sometimes ponderous occasioÌ„s rather to suppresse and pull downe one another For as sheepe doe eagerly follow one another into the forbidden pasture so many a good man is brought to do euill by the societie and example of his friend Confes 2. lib fine as Saint Augustine ingeniously confesseth of himselfe and therupon iustly exclaimeth O nimis inimica amicitia And as it hath oft fallen out that they which haue aduentured themselues to saue a man from drowning haue by that meanes bene drowned themselues so many a one by his readinesse to succour and pleasure his friend hath bene brought into the same snare and made partaker of the same daunger To manifest this by stories which is euident by daily experiments were very superfluous Ad Demonicum So hard a thing it is to haue an absolute friend It is a straunge speech of Isocrates That there is a friend who will grieue for his friends mishap and indeuour to releeue him in distresse yet repine also at his good fortunes but it is true in obseruation hath reason also of it For there is in euery man by nature a secret selfe loue Omnesmeliùs sibi mallent quà m alteri Ter. whereby he wisheth better to himselfe then to others which is the cause of this repining humour Now let it be supposed that none of all these euils were incident to friendship that neither iarres daungers or trecheries had any place in dissipating or dissoluing of the same yet were this enough to set foorth the vanitie thereof That friends cannot alwaies liue together but against their wils are subiect to separation and that by sundrie accidents and vnexpected calamities Whereof we haue a notable instance in Abraham and Lot Gen. 13. who by reason of their seruants variance were enforced to depart one from the other And if nothing else effect this yet death strikes the dolefull stroke of separation and then the dearer the loue the greater the losse For as by the losse of one of the optickes the other is endaungered so by the losse of one friend the other must needes be much perplexed Then doth Dauid mourne ouer Ionathan with a great lamentation 2. Sa. 1.26 Wo is mee for thee my brother Ionathan The consideration of all this may be a notable meanes to auoide the Prophets curse and woe Ier. 17.5 Cursed be the man that maketh flesh his arme Isa 3.1.1 Wo be to them that go down into Aegypt for help For if friendship be so fraile and vaine why should any man depend vpon it to depart from the liuing God or to diminish his coÌ„fidence in him Iob. 23.21 Embrace Eliphaz his exhortation Acquaint thy selfe with God whose loue once set vpon thee is immutable Ioh. 13.1 whose fauour and kindnesse is vnspeakeable his power inuincible and his promise inuiolable 2. Chro. 15.2 The Lord is with thee whilest thou art with him he is the first in inuiting and last in reiecting Oh what a singular priuiledge is it to haue God to be our friend if men reioyce in their great and louing friends how much more may wee make our boast of God all the day long Psal 44.10 If thou desire to be partaker of this priuiledge remember our Sauiours saying You are my friends Ioh. 15.14 if you do whatsoeuer I command you SECT 11. Of Mirth IOy and Mirth is a thing desired of all except some few whom a certaine inhumane and melancholie disposition hath distinguished from others so that it will not be haâ—d for this delightfull vanitie to find patrons enough in the world but who is he that shall be able to free it from the iust imputation of vanitie We reade of some Aul. Gel. noct Attic. lib. 3. ca. 15. whom ouermuch ioy hath brought to their graues very speedily as Diagoras of Rhodes who hauing three sonnes which wonne the prizes in seuerall exercises at Olympus when his children in a filiall reuerence cast their garlands ouer him and the people with admiration applauded him fell downe dead in the place In him and others the like mentioned by historians the Prouerbe faileth The merier heart the longer life And surely immoderate mirth cannot be but very hurtfull by reason that it disperseth and spendeth the vitall spirits which are the munition of the heart the castle of the bodie Besides this the Lord enuying the pleasant estate of wicked men which are strangers from the life of God doth often shoot out his arrowes of dolour and discontent Psal 32.10 so that their ioyes become very momentanie the end of their mirth is heauinesse like a faire calm Pro. 14.13 that endeth with a blustering storme Ioh. 20.4.5 Which causeâ—h Zophar to aske Iob Knowest thou not that the rei ycing of the wicked is short and that the ioy of hypocrites is but fâ—r a moment as if he should say If thou knowest not that thou knowest nothing And as the Lord deales with the wicked in iudgement so doth he with the godly in compassion knocking at the doore of their hearts with the hammer of chastisements and affliction mixing like a carefull Physitian his cordials with corrasiues to keepe them low and to cherish in them a contrite heart and an humble spirit So that Salomons saying for the vicissitude and chaunge of things is often proued true There is a time to laugh and a time to weepe Eccles 3.4 a time to dance and a time to mourne For the drifâ— of his discourse is not to teach that it should be so
of iudgemen namely their amazednesse in the resurrection THe princely Prophet hauing deciphered the vaine indeuours of wicked and couetous carnall men labouring to establish perpetuall habitations to them and their posteritie concludeth thus of them Psa 49.14 They lye in the graue like sheepe and death gnaweth vpon them If this were all their miserie it were lesse to be maruelled at but behold whilest death is feeding vpon their bodies and turning them to rottennesse hell fire seizeth vpon their soules and vexeth theÌ„ with torments neither is this the finall conclusion of their wretchednesse For as it is appointed to all men once to dye Heb. 9 27. So after that commeth the iudgement wheÌ„ both soule and bodie must be reunited that they may bee tormented together Thus the life of the vngodly is spent in wickednesse their death is with horror â—oel 2.2 Zeph. 1.15 Diuerse mistake these places of the Prophets applying them to the day of â—udgement whereunto they cannot agree except â—y the way of illusion and their rising againe shall be with much terror The Prophets do describe the day of Gods vengeance vpon the Iewes and the terrors of their enemies insultings by diuerse dreadfull speeches calling it a day of darknesse and blacknesse a day of cloudes and obscurity a day of wrath and a day of trouble and heauinesse a day of destruction and desolation If the comming of the enemie and the Lords approching with temporall afflictions bee thus terrible blacke cloudy and desolate oh how dreadfull shall the comming of Christ and the day of spirituall vengeance bee to â—he wicked For they shall bee wonderfully amazed in their resurrection exceedingly terrified at their arraignement and dolefully astonied at the sentence of condemnation 1 Their resurrection shall be with much amazednesse by reason of the sodainnes The sodaine comming of the day of iudgement is set foorth by sundry similitudes in the holy Scriptures 1. Thes 5. Mat. 24. Luk. 21. Eccles 9. it shall come like an enemie a theefe and a snare it shall speedily assault like an enemie slily breake in like a theefe and suddenly entrap men like a snare If a man should suddenly wake forth of his sleepe and see his house on fire and his friends wailing and weeping about him wold it not amaze him Lo death is but a sleepe and the graue is the bedde when a wicked man awaketh and shall behold on the one side his sinnes accusing him and on the other side the hellish feends and furies readie to vexe him a troubled conscience burning within him the frame of the heauens the earth flaming without him vnder his feete the fearefull pit of hell readie to deuoure him ouer his head the axe of Gods iudgment lifted vp to strike him and many of his friends wailing and howling about him because of the instant desolation and destruction oh how do we thinke that this miserable man shall be amazed A sudden thunder-clappe awaking a man will make him start and quake and will not the sudden showt and sounding of the Archangell and trumpet of God cause men to tremble 1. Thes 4.16 When Adoniah heard the trumpets sounding at Salomons coronation he was much dismayed 1 King 1. and fearing the presence of Salomon arose and went and tooke hold on the hornes of the altar When the vngodly which now sleepe in the dust of the earth shall heare the Archangell and the trumpet ratling at our Sauiours coronation it must needes dismay them much and so much the more because they shall find no sanctuarie but must be brought before him that is greater then Salomon to receiue their fatall doome 2 As the sodainenesse of this dreadfull day rowzing them from death is terrible so the end thereof also is lamentable their resurrection being to destructioÌ„ Joh. 5.29 For they that haue done euill shall come foorth to the resurrection of condemnation yea they shall rise to perpetuall shame and contempt Dan. 12.2 The prisoner though he come forth of the filthie and darksome dungeon into the sweet and wholsome aire yet when he must goe to his triall in some desperate case had rather if he might remaine there still The graue is a prison of filthie rottennesse and darknesse yet happie were the wicked man if he might haue an eternall habitation therein and not be brought to iudgment WheÌ„ Dalilah cryed suddenly to Sampson Jud. 16.20 The Philistims are vpon thee Sampson he awaked thinking to shew his strength as at other times but the Lord was departed from him Therefore the Philistims tooke him put out his eyes brought him to Azzah bound him with fetters and made him to grind in the prison house Lo thus shall the wicked be awaked at the day of iudgement when because the Lord is not with them the eyes of consolation shall be put out they shall bee brought to the iudgement seate of Christ who shall cause them to bee bound in fetters and to bee cast into the prison house of hell there to bee tormented world without end Act. 23.8 Now shall the wicked Sadduces which say there is no resurrection nor spirit find that there is both a resurrection for their shame and contempt and spirites for their torments and confusion The Diuels said to our Sauiour that hee came to torment them before their time Mat. 8.29 so shall these wretched men thinke they are raised to iudgment before their time but it may be said to them in the Prophets words Wo be to them for their day is come Ier. 50.27 and the time of their visitatioÌ„ Seeing now my Christian brother that the day of Christs comming shall bee thus speedie and the resurrection of the vngodly so full of miserie and amazednesse let the remembraunce therof cause thee so to leade thy life that thou maiest bee fitly prepared for the one and happily escape the other Reu. 20.6 Blessed are they that haue part in the first resurrection for on such the second death hath no power Yea happie and thrise happie is he who by the power of Gods spirit is in this life raised from the death of sinne to the life of righteousnesse for behold he shall assuredly in the life to come enioy a resurrection to eternall life and saluation SECT 2. The second steppe of the wicked into hel at the day of iudgment namely their terror in beholding Christ and appearing before his throne of iudgment WHen Adam had takeÌ„ of the forbidden fruite Gen. 3.8 being naked he would faine haue hid himselfe from God walking in the garden in the coole of the day the poore sinner naked both in body and soule would faine hide himselfe from the presence of Christ comming to iudgement in the euening of the world but it may not be For as it is intollerable to abide his presence so is it impossible to auoid it Euery eye must see him Reu. 1.7 Mat. 25.32 and all the
this final sentence vpon them Depart from me ye cursed For behold this curse shall bee a thousand times more grieuous then the cursed and bitter water to the suspected woman Num. 5.18.24 which caused her thigh to rot her belly to swell and made her to be detestable accursed among her people For hereby both belly and thigh head and heart yea bodie and soule shall all be filled with bitternesse become accursed and detestable in the sight of Almightie God and all the holy companie of heauen 2 This makes the sentence more dreadfull in that it cannot be reuoked by any meanes possible The sentence proceeding from the iudgement seate of mortall men may be reuoked or stopped by sundry meanes as by appellation by supplication by complaint or restoring the condemned to his former estate but all these hopes and helpes shall be fruitlesse when this sentence of condemnation shall come forth from the throne of the Lord whose iudgements are more resolute then the decrees of the Medes and Persians which might not be altered 1. There can be no appeale for it must bee to a higher Iudge but there is none such 1. Tim. 6.15 For he is the onely and blessed Prince the King of Kings and Lord of Lords hee hath the key of Dauid Reu. 3.7 when hee shutteth no man openeth the Father hath committed the iudgement vnto him Ioh. 5.27 2. There is no hope of helpe by supplication For Wisedome euen the diuine wisedome of the Father Christ Iesus saith Because he called to them and they would not heare therefore they shall call vpon him and hee will not heare Yea if Iob and Noah and Daniel stood vp to intreat for them it should be in vaine 3. Whither shall the damned go to complaine themselues what to the Lord whose spirit they haue grieued what to the Angels whose ministerie they haue abused what to the Saints whose righteous soules they haue vexed this were a fond conceipt and a fruitlesse course Iob saith well Iob. 9.33 There is no vmpire wheÌ„ God and man are at oddes 4. There is no hope of restoring of the damned to whoÌ„ the Lords wordes shall bee such as he saith to Ieremie I will put my wordes into thy mouth like a fire Jer. 5.14 and this people shall be as wood and it shall deuoure them Psal 2. He will bruse them with a rod of iron and breake them in peeces like a potters vessell so that there shall not be left a shard to fetch fire with When Esau came to Isaac his father for a blessing which was passed before to Iacob Gen. 27.33 his father said I haue blessed him and he shall be blessed and he poore soule could not get the blessing though hee sought it with teares Heb. 11. So resolute shell the Lords sentence be at the day of iudgement I haue cursed them they shall be cursed and no teares or weeping shall bee able to reuoke it for the Lord hauing spoken it hee will not repent nor alter the words that are gone out of his lippes Loe this is a time of punishment and not of pardon Men that are on the sea seeing some mightie tempest arise are much affraid when it beates vpon the shippe it maketh them amazed but when they begin to sinke Insequitur clamorque virûm stridorque rudentum â—irg Aene. lib. 1. oh what crying and scriching may there be heard amongst theÌ„ So when wicked men foresee the daunger of future iudgement it makes them affraid when they are brought before the tribunall they shall be mightily astonied but when they beginne once to sinke into the pit of euerlasting perdition oh Lord what howling and scriches will they send forth Well seeing this sentence of condemnation is so intolerable and irreuocable why alas haue men no more care to auoide it Many yea the most defer their repentance in this life as though there were hope of pardon in the day of punishment but our Sauiour teacheth vs better Mat. 5.25 Agree with thine aduersarie quickely whilest thou art in the way with him lest thine aduersarie deliuer thee to the Iudge and the Iudge deliuer thee to the sergeant and thou be cast in prison Let euery one that hath the feare of condemnation before his eyes seeke reconciliation at the hands of God by true and vnfained repentance and that quickly whilest he is in the way of this life lest hee bee separated with Go your cursed and so the damned spirits the sergeants of hell carrie him to the place of euerlasting torments When men are perswaded by Preachers to paines cost or care in their saluation to abridge themselues of their profits pleasures vanities and iniquities so to enter into heauen by the streight gate they are readie to say with our Sauiours flinching followers Ioh. 6.60 This is a hard saying But would to God they did remember and consider this hard saying Go ye cursed into euerlasting fire and that would surely make them carefull with Abraham Gen. 21.11 to cast out wicked Ismael out of the houses of their soules though it bee grieuous in their eyes and euen with most painfull indeuours studie to make their election sure and to escape that fatall and finall sentence of condemnation Remember the Apostles exhortation To day if you will heare his voyce harden not your hearts Heb. 3.7 And this do lest at the day of iudgement you heare that voyce of terror that shooke the earth and will shake the hearts of all those that shall be goates separated on the left hand for they shall stand naked before the tribunall seate of Christ to heare with trembling harts the voyce of his condemnation 3 ern who haue shut their eares at the voyce of his exhortation CHAP. 3. SECT I. The first steppe of the wicked into hell after the last iudgement namely the losse of Gods presence and all heauenly coÌ„forts Hest 7.8 WE reade in the storie of Hester that king Ahashuerosh hauing decreed the death of haughtie Haman as the word went out of the kings mouth the officers presently couered his face and caried him to the place of execution so when Christ hath pronounced the sentence of Condemnation vpon the wicked shame shall couer their faces and the infernall officers the damned spirits shall instantly carie them to hell there to be tormented for euer When the sentence of banishment was pronounced against Coriolanus Plutar. in vita Coriol he to mooue the Iudges to compassion pleaded for himselfe his valiant deedes and praised the souldiers that had serued with him in the wars but all to no purpose so the wicked to mooue Christ to commiseration shall say to him in that day Lord Lord Mat. 7.22 haue not we by thy name prophecied and by thy name cast out diuels and by thy name done many great workes but all to as little purpose for Christ will professe vnto them
thy soule with the diamond of a deepe meditation and let it not passe thence till it haue wrought and perfected the worke of true repentance in mortifying thy corrupt affections and rectifying thy profane conuersation Otherwise assure thy selfe that if thou wilt not breake off thine iniquities by repentance and make an end of sinning thou shalt surely meet with a correspondent recompence for there shall be no end of thy torments The third part Of the ioyes of Heauen in generall WHEN Cyrus sought to win the hearts of the Persians to him Iustin lib. 1. he caused them to be assembled and to toyle and take great paines in cutting downe a wood and the next day after he feasted them and then demaunded whether they had rather liue as they did that day or the day before and when they all chose as no maruell to liue in mirth and feasting he told them that if they would follow Astyages their life should be as the day of toyling but promised that if they would sticke to him and be his followers it should be like the day of feasting The like is here propounded to thee my Christian brother in these Meditations If thou wilt follow the world and Satan the god of the world behold thou seest there is nothing to be got thereby but infinite toyle in this life and eternall torments in the life to come but if thou wilt take vp our Sauiours crosse and follow him Mat. 19.28 thou shalt surely haue the reward of euerlasting happinesse So that I may say to thee as Moses said to the Israelites Deu. 30.15 Behold I haue set before thee this day Life and good death and euill Onely in this I differ Ioh. 2.10 that as our Sauiour aâ— Cana in Galile reserued the best wine last so haue I first set before thee death and euill and now am to offer thee life and good that if it may be through the view of hels torments the kingdome of heauen may suffer violence Mat. 11. The eye of man is not able to behold the brightnesse of the heauens in a foggie mist neither can the eyes of our vnderstanding pierce thorough the mists of earthly vanities to that exceeding glory which shineth in the heauens If thou belong to the kingdome of God thou shalt in the Treatise following meet with the riches of that inheritance which doth belong to thee so that thou mayest reade it to thy exceeding comfort being the mappe and modell of that heauenly possession and habitation which Christ Iesus hath purchased for thee And if the same affect thee with ioy know this for thy further comfort that all this is infinitely lesse then that celestiall blisse whereof thou shalt one day be partaker CHAP. 1. SECT 1. The first steppe of the godly into heauen before the day of iudgement namely Sanctimonie of life WHilest the children of Israel were yet trauelling in the wildernes the Lord appointed Moses the man of God Deut. 34.1 to goe to the toppe of mount Nebo from whence he shewed him the spacious region of the pleasant laÌ„d of Canaan which afterwards the Israelites shold possesse so deales Almightie God with his seruants euen whilest they are trauelling in the wildernesse of this troublesome world he doth from the high tower of a sanctified speculation shew them an excellent prospect of the celestiall Canaan the kingdome of heauen the fruition and fee-simple whereof he will afterwards bestow vpon them And therefore one saith well Bern. Serm. super Ver. 10. cap. â—0 Sap. The kingdome of heauen is graunted promised shewed and receiued it is graunted in Predestination promised in Vocation shewed in Iustification and receiued in Glorification When Adam was in his innocencie hee had his habitation in the terrestriall Paradise so when the sonnes of Adam are in some measure restored by regeneration to that holinesse which they lost by their fathers fal they do enter into the celestiall Paradise Whereby those visions are fulfilled Reu. 3.12 that New Ierusalem is come downe out of heauen The tabernacle of God is with men and he is their God 21.3 and they are his people and God himselfe is their God with them This will be euident if we consider the heauenly priuiledges wherewith the Saints and seruants of God are indowed euen in this life To let passe the PatriciaÌ„ robes of the blessed Sacraments 1. They obtaine pardon and remission of their sinnes Psa 32.1 Blessed is the man whose iniquities are forgiuen and whose sinnes are couered saith the Prophet Dauid Lo this blessednesse do the children of God obtaine in the remission of their sinnes And to this forgiuing of sin being the foundation of felicitie there is added the giuing of grace for the reformation of their liues for where sinne is pardoned there it is purged so that they are no more strangers from the life of God Eph. 2. but it is their meate and drinke to do the will of their heauenly father their thoughts and meditations are lifted aboue earthly cogitations their words are gracious as becommeth the heauenly citizens and their conuersation holy while they are clothed with the white robes of righteousnesse like the companie of our Sauiours blessed attendants in the kingdome of heauen Reu. 7.9 Thus are they by grace vnited vnto Almightie God obtaine his gracious protection Ioh. 17.22 according to our Sauiours heauenly petition as the Psalmist saith Psal 5.12 For the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Crowne implyeth more then a simple protection as Psal 84.11 1. Pet. 4.14 For thou Lord wilt blesse the righteous and with fauour wilt crowne and compasse him as with a shield So that the Lord doth euen in this life crowne his childreÌ„ with grace and glorie they may boldly come in the presence of God and talke with him in their prayers and they haue the benefite of his Angels attendance Psal 91. 2 Againe as they are vnited vnto God by grace so are they ingrafted into Christ who is the fountain of all heauenly happinesse and can say with the Apostle Gal. 2.20 I liue not any more but Christ liueth in me And a man thus established by faith in Christ may truly bee said to be in heauen as Saint Iohn saith Iohn 5.24 He hath euerlasting life and is alreadie passed from death to life There are many wretches which scorn the godly count their pietie folly Psal 4.2 and turne their glory into shame esteeming â—hem for the most base abiects of the world whereas their condition is most happie for though they be vnder the persecution of wicked Esau yet are they euen then with Iacob in Bethel Gen. 28.17 the house of God and the gate of heauen 3 Hereunto wee may adde the communion of Saints and fellowship with the elect Angels whereof the Apostle speaketh when he saith Phil. 3.20 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We are free
by day and by night at home and abroad in life and in death yea it will not onely guide thee as Moses did the children of Israel to the celestiall Canaan but as Iosua did will there take vp her habitation with thee for euer And as the starre led the Wise men till they came to Christ Mat. â— and then stood still so shall this light of ioy leade thee to the kingdome of heauen and there stand still in the firmament of thy soule world without end SECT 3. The third steppe to Heauen before the day of iudgement namely Ioy comfort at the day of death THe traueller that hath a long iourney to take though happely hee meete with many delights by the way yet is glad when he cometh within the kenne of his countrie but reioyceth exceedingly when hee hath attained the end of his iourney Behold the waies of righteousnesse are the steps we take in our trauaile the peace of conscience setteth before vs the ioy of the heauenly mansions but the day of death giueth vs fruition thereof and is therefore to be desired of all those that are trauelling the right way to the kingdome of heauen The heauenly bodies are best seene in the euening when the Sunne is set and the heauenly ioyes are most enioyed at the euening of our dayes when the Sunne of our life is set by reason that the soule is then deliuered from a masse of corruptions and both soule and bodie from a mixture of infinite miseries The godly may now especially be said to set foote into heauen in a twofold respect First because they are freed from the calamities of this life the bitternesse whereof doth greatly allay the sweetnesse of the heauenly ioyes Secondly Eccles 12 7 because their soules returning to God do actually possesse those eternall ioyes which the kingdome of heauen doth yeeld 1 Concerning this life what is it but a vale of miserie and what is the fruite thereof Psal 90.10 but labour and sorrow therefore doth the Oracle of heauen rightly pronounce Reu. 14 13. Blessed are the dead which dye in the Lord because they cease from their labours The sea-faring man is glad when he meets with a pleasant gale of winde that will bring him to the hauen where he would bee Lo this world is the sea the bodie the shippe the soule the mariner and death the pleasant gale of wind that brings vs into the hauen of eternal blisse This the Apostle insinuates in an elegant Metaphor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phil. 2.23 when he saith I long to be dissâ—lued and to bee with Christ. When Noah had bin tossed vp and downe in the floud almost a whole yeare was he not glad thinke you of mount Ararat whereupon he rested the Arke So the children of God hauing bene tossed vp and downe the waters of this wicked world peraduenture for many yeares haue they not reason to be glad of the day of death the mount Ararat that giues rest to the beaten barke of their turmoyled soules bodies Is the soule kept in the bodie as it were in a prison Seneca Tully c. and is not the day of death therefore to be desired as the day of deliuerance from imprisonment Surely yes and that makes Simeon to say Lord Luk 2.29 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou loosest now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace according to thy word The dayes of man saith Iob are as the dayes of an hireling Iob. 7.2 And as the seruant longeth for the shadow and an hireling looketh for the end of his worke so do the godly looke and long for the euening Sun-set of their age because then the time of labour is past and the day of paiment comes in which causeth theÌ„ to pray Euen so Reu. 22.20 come Lord Iesus 2 As the faithfull are by death deliuered from the miseries of this life which hindred their felicitie so are they by it as it were by a gate led and let into the ioyes of heauen For the soules of the iust when by death they pay the old debt do receiue a new reward of ioy which they shall neuer repay Salomon saith comfortably Pro. 14.32 The righteous hath hope in his death but the Apostle more comfortably We know 2. Cor. 5.1 that if our earthly house of this tabernacle bee destroyed we haue a building giuen of God euen an house not made with hands but eternall in the heauens If the godly dyed doubtfully and with a staggering confidence there were some reason they should suffer a wonderfull conflict and reluctation in death but seeing they commit their soules into the hands of a faithfull Creator 1. Pet. 4.19 and their bodies to the ground with an assured confidence that at the last day they shall with the same eyes behold their Redeemer Iob. 19. who will send his Angels to fetch them and hath promised to glorifie them seeing that being dissolued they shall be with Christ Phil. 1.23 haue the reward of their workes following them to heauen Reu. 14.13 where their time shall bee spent in singing the hymnes of prayses to the harpe of glorie Reu. 5.8.9 haue they not reason to long for death to search for it more then for treasures and to reioyce when they finde it Dauid saith that the death of the Saints is precious in the sight of the Lord. Psa 116.15 And our Sauiour makes the day of death the Saints seede time for that happie haruest wherein the Angels shall be reapers to gather the good corne into the Lords barne the kingdome of heauen For except the wheate corne fall into the ground and dye Ioh. 12.24 it bideth alone but if it dye it bringeth foorth much fruite Seeing now that death is of such singular vse to the godly wee see that to bee a most false position of the Philosopher and an erroneous opinion of many Christians That death is the worst and most terrible thing that can happen to man For albeit that to the wicked it be so yet to the godly it is not to whome if either you respect their freedome from temporall miseries or the fruition of eternall felicitie The day of death is better Eccles 7.3 then the day that they are borne If the house wherein thou dwellest were rotten Cypr. de mortal sect 17. and readie to fall on thy head if the shippe wherein thou art carried leaked very daungerously and like to drowne thee wouldest thou not leaue thy house and desire the shore that might yeeld thee safetie Then maruell not that the godly desire to be freed from the crazed houses and leaking shippes of their mortall bodies and long for the houses hauens of euerlasting securitie What though death be a serpent and sting the wicked griping them at the heart yet to the elect Christ hath vanquished this serpent and plucked out his sting yea deaths sting being sinne
we leade a sanctified life for such honour and happinesse haue all his Saints SECT 3. The third steppe into heauen at the day of iudgement namely The comfortable and honorable sentence of acquiting Come you blessed of my Father THe Lord by his Euangelicall Prophet did in times past make this gracious promise concerning his forlorne desolate Church In an acceptable time haue I heard thee Esa 49 8. in the day of saluation haue I helped thee And Saint Paule making the time of promulgation of the Gospell the period of his promise addeth by the way of exemplification 2. Cor. 6.2 Behold now the accepted time behold the day of saluation If the Apostle spake thus of the time wherein saluation was published and offered how much more may it bee said of the day wherein saluation is giuen and receiued Behold the day of saluation euen now behold it when the Sauiour of the world is become the Iudge of the world and shall pronounce the comfortable sentence of mercie and absolution Come yee blessed of my Father Mat. 25.34 possesse the kingdome prepared for you from the beginning of the world In which sentence euery word hath his woorth and weight and deserues to be ingraued in letters of gold Come saith Christ there is a blessed vocation ye blessed of my Father a gracious appellation possâ—sse the kingdome a happie exaltation prepared for you from the beginning of the world the foundation of all consolation It is worthie the obseruation that all Christs words are words of consolation his deedes are deedes of compassion and his workes the workes of propitiation Thus is Christ alwaies lâ—ke himselfe exceeding compassionate In the time of his life hee cryes Come vnto me all you that labour and are heauie laden Mat. 11.28 and I will refresh you Ioh. 7.37 If any man thirst let him come to me and drinke At his death vpon the crosse his armes are stretched out and his bloud gusheth forth as if he should say Come that I may wash thee come that I may embrace thee At the day of iudgement he cals Come ye blessed of my Father receiue the kingdome prepared for you And this Come is most comfortable of all others being such a word as Salomon speakes of Like apples of gold Prou. 25.11 with pictures of siluer euen as precious and pleasant as possibly may be Come yea but who You blessed of my father There are sundry kinds of blessings mentioned in the word of God Psal 5. Thou Lord wilt blesse the righteous and with fauour wilt crowne him as with a shield there is the blessing of protection The Lord blessed the house of O bed Edom 1. Ch. 13.14 and all that hee had there is the blessing of prosperitie Psa 128.3 Thy children shall bee like the Oliue plants round about thy table there is the blessing of procreatioÌ„ Thou crownest the yeare with thy goodnesse Psal 65.11 and thy steppes droppe fatnesse there is the blessing of plentie Euen in these and such like are the godlâ— often blessed but the Blessing of blessings is that which is here mentioned Come you blessed Mat. 25.34 receiue the kingdome And this blessednesse is both obtained by Christ and pronounced by him Isaiah 65.8 Destroy not my Vine saith the Lord and why for a blessing is in it Receiue the kingdome saith our Sauiour why because you are the blessed of my Father Happie are the people that are in such a case yea happie and thrise happie are they who are the blessed of the Lord. Our Sauiour somtimes promiseth the kingdome of God Luk. 12. Feare not little flocke it is your Fathers will to giue you a kingdome Sometimes hee exhorteth men to seeke the kingdome of God Mat. 6. First seeke the kingdome of God and the righteousnesse thereof and his promise is comfortable his exhortation profitable But behold here hee takes men by the hand and bids them come and take possession of the kingdome which is much more comfortable because fruition farre exceedeth expectation That was a gladsome speech of Christ to the penitent thiefe Luk. 23.43 This day shalt thou bee with me in Paradise but this is farre more gladsom when Christ shall say Come and possesse it and so shall presently take both soule and bodie into his eternall kingdome If Dauid said Psa 1.122 I was glad when they said vnto me We will go into the house of the Lord how ioyfull and glad shall the children of God be wheÌ„ Christ shall say vnto them Come you blessed of my Father into the house of God euen the kingdome of heauen This was Gods bountifull goodnesse to Adam that before he was created the Lord had prouided abundantly for him and furnished most exquisitly as it were for a great guest the tables both of heauen the earth and the sea with all things necessarie for his vse and delight But behold here a greater mercie of the Lord towards the elect that altogether without their merite not onely before they were borne but euen before the foundations of the world were laid the Lord hath prepared a blessed and glorious kingdome for theÌ„ And this is the elects happinesse that at the last day when these foundations of heauen and earth shall bee shaken Christ will call them most graciously to possesse the kingdome which cannot be shaken Heb. 12. Wee reade in the first of Luke Luk. 1.44 that Elizabeth wondered at the blessed Virgins visiting of her and said that so soone as the voice of her salutation sounded in her eares the babe in her wombe did leape for ioy Shall not our Sauiours sentence bee more admirable then the Virgins salutation and as soone as it sounds in the eares of the elect shall it not cause the hearts in their bellies euen to leape for ioy Seeing now that the condition of the godly is so happie that they shall bee partakers of this thrise happie sentence let euery ones care and carriage bee such that he may enioy the comfort thereof For as they onely are the sheepe of Christ which heare his voice in the ministerie of his holy word Ioh. 10.27 and follow him in the steppes of righteousnesse so shall they onely be the sheepe on his right hand they onely shall heare him say vnto them Come you blessed of my Father and follow him into his kingdome Mat. 25.33 To those that haue fedde him being hungrie clothed him being naked and visited him being sicke and in prison to those that haue sanctified his Sabboths honoured his name embraced his word and dealt vprightly with their neighbours to them I say doth this blessing belong Let no man then bee ouercome with Dauids infirmitie to say I haue cleansed my heart in vaine and washed my hands in innocencie For the Apostles words shall euer bee found true Your worke shall not bee in vaine in the Lord. 1. Co. 15.58 And behold here
day in heauen when they enioy not onely the places beautie and the beholding of Christ his glorie but shall themselues also be glorified Mat. 13.43 and shine as the Sunne in the kingdome of their Father Shall they not be glad to be there and wish themselues euerlasting tabernacles in that glorious mount Sion And this shall assuredly be the condition of the godly at that day For as the Lords glorie reflected vpon Moses Exo. 34.30 made his face to shine when he was vpon the mount so shall the Saints of God become glorious in beholding the glory of God and of Christ 1. Ioh. 3.2 and so shall be like vnto him For as hee shall chaunge our vile bodies Phil. 3.21 that they may be like to his glorious bodie so shall he refine and beautifie the faculties of our soules 1. Co 12.10 that the perfection of grace may concurre with the fruition of glorie And euen as a little water mixed with much wine loseth his owne nature and taketh the tast and colour of the wine as iron put into the fire becomes white and like to the fire his old forme being chaunged and as the ayre perfused with the light of the Sunne is so transformed into the brightnesse thereof that it seemes not so much to be lightened as to be light it selfe so shall euery humane defect and deformitie bee now dissolued and abolished in the Saints of God and they shall bee transformed into the glorious image of Almightie God What tongue is able to expresse or heart conceiue the happinesse of Gods children being thus in glorie They enioy a kingdome Mat. 25. yea and that a glorious kingdome for it is the house of God the kingdome of heauen Tit. 1.2 they obtaine a life and that a blessed life for it can neuer see death they haue the hidden Manna Reu. 2.17 the white stone and the new name written in it They are clothed in the long white robes of honour and dignitie Reu. 7.9 and adorned with the palmes of triumph and victorie They sit vpon the glorious thrones of maiestie Reu. 3.21 and haue set vppon their heads the crownes of eternall glorie 2. Tim. 4.8 When Naomi returned from her peregrination shee said to her old acquaintance Ruth 1.20 Call me not Naomi but call mee Marah for the Almightie hath giuen mee much bitternesse but contrarily may the child of God say when hee returns from the pilgrimage of this world Call mee not Marah but call me Naomi for the Almightie hath giuen me much beautie and blessednesse The honour that Pharo did to Ioseph was very great but yet it was with this exception Gen. 41.40 In the kings throne will I be aboue thee Pharo will sit alone vpon his throne but behold the honour that Christ will do to his seruants when he will also vouchsafe them this dignitie that they shall sit with him vpon his throne for they are heires Rom. 8. yea coheires annexed with Christ who hath promised thus Reu. 3.21 To him that ouercommeth will I graunt to sit with me in my throne euen as I ouercame and do sit with my Father in his throne But here it may peraduenture be demanded whether there be an equalitie or difference of the degrees of blisse and glorie to all the elect in the kingdome of heauen For answer whereunto we must consider that there is a double equalitie to wit Proportionâ— quantitatis of proportion quantitie which ariseth not from the obiect Almighty God who is alwaies the same but from man the subiect who is not in euery particular alike capable of glorie For as the same meate is more delectable to the tast of some then of others the same obiect is better seene by some then by others the same matter better vnderstood of some then of others so the same glorie shineth more brightly into the soules of some then of others Two vessels of a diuerse content may be filled with the same wine yet by reason of their bignesse differ in quantitie of that they containe two mettals of a diuerse kind may be cast into the same fire yet receiue a different heate according to their different nature two men of sundrie statures may be fitted with the same cloth of gold each of them hauing that which is sufficient in proportion though in quantitie they differ so the soules of the godly may be all filled with the same wine of gladnesse be made feruent with the same heate of comfort and clothed with the same robes of glorie yet differ much in respect of their capacitie And according to the measure of grace shall be the measure of glorie 2. Cor. 9.6 for they that sow sparingly shall reape sparingly but they that sow liberally shall reape liberally so that whilest some shine like the brightnesse of the firmament Dan. 12.3 other some shall shine as the starres for euer and euer Yet happie and thrise happie shall that man be who shall be partaker euen of the least degree of heauenly glorie for it infinitly surmounteth all the glorie and dignitie of the world This being the blessed condition of the elect in heauen the meditation thereof should affect vs accordingly First it may make vs despise the vaine and base felicitie of this transitorie life and to count all doung and drosse in respect of those admirable ioyes that are prepared for the godly in the kingdome of heauen It was a hard thing for Abraham to leaue his owne countrie and to trauell as a pilgrime he knew not whither yet the expectation of the heauenly citie wonne his affection from his natiue habitation Heb. 11. so should the sweet consideration of heauenly happinesse weine our harts from the loue of earthly vanities Cic. Tuscu quaest lib. 1. Lactant. instit lib. 3. Cap. 18. It is written of one CleoÌ„brotus that reading Platoes booke of the Immortalitie of the Soule hee was so rauished with the conceipt thereof that hee cast himselfe headlong into the sea It was his sinful error to depriue himselfe of life but his desire of immortalitie may make many Christians ashamed whom neither the expectation of immortalitie glorie or felicitie can estrange from the loue of this vaine world Psal â—4 11 One day in the Lords house is better then a thousand yea surâ—ly one hower in the kingdome of heauen is better then a thousand yeares in the greatest blisse this vaine and wretched world can yeeld Let vs learne therefore to tune our affections to Dauids dittie that we may be able to say of the celestiall tabernacle as he speaketh of the terrestriall Ibid. I had rather be a doore keeper in the house of the Lord then to dwell in the tents of the vngodly 2 It may yeeld comfort to all those that haue liued godly because they shall enioy the comfort of a glorious vision a blessed habitation and the crowne of eternall glorie and
torments I wonder to think of some that vse to confirme their speeches with this fearefull execration Would I were damned if c. Alas alas full little do they know what they say if they cōsidered the horror of condemnatiō they wold trēble to take such words in their mouths Here that exhortation hath notable vse Psal 4.4 Stand in awe and sinne not If we be in some great mans daunger that is able to be reuenged vpon vs Lord how wee creepe and crouch feare But we shold feare him which is able to destroy both soule bodie in hell Mat. 10.18 If men had harts to conceiue grace to beleeue and minds to meditate vpon these fearefull torments it must needes make them stand in awe and restraine them from sinne but alas for pitie the force of sin hath banished the feare of God and the dread of hell else would men neuer liue as they doe There are some vngodly men and women so nice and tender that they cannot abide the heate of the Sunne and the biting of a flea will not suffer them to sleepe oh that such could consider what it is to frie in the vnquencheable flames of fire brimstone and to haue the neuer-dying worme gnawing at their consciences Some are so coy that they cannot abide to looke vpon the sores of poore Lazarus and so vnmercifull that they stoppe their eares at the cry of their distressed brethren oh that they would remember what a filthie prison is prepared for the damned and what yelling and howling the mercilesse shall one day heare Some there are to whom the seruice of God is exceeding painefull and irkesome as to kneele at prayer to be any thing long at a Sermon or the like oh that such had grace to meditate vpon the irkesome and painefull torments prepared for the damned For would not the consideratiō remembrance and meditation hereof correct their lewd affections drie vp the fountaine of their filthie words change the course of their vaine conuersation and make them willing to do any thing so they might escape those torments If a man haue but some extreme fi◠of the gowt collicke or tooth-ach what paines and cost will he be at to be eased But what are these to the paines of hell yet fewe there are that will bestow cost or care to auoide them Do but thinke a little vpon Diues how that for one droppe of water to coole his tongue he would haue giuen the whole world if he had bene Lord of it yet could not obtaine it and it will cause thee with prayers and teares and true repentance to finish thy saluation in the feare of God Chrys in 2. Epist ad Corin. hom 10. If thou shouldest come into a loathsome prison and there see some looke pale and wan others bound in chaines and fetters others hungring and thirsting others shut vp in the darke and filthie dungeon making piteous lamentation would it not mooue thy heart with commiseration and cause thee carefully to auoide those courses that might bring thee into the like daunger Then thinke vpon the prison and dungeon of hell and consider seriously with thy selfe how many poore souls looke pitifully there how many are bound strongly in Sathans fetters how many are shut vp in the place of vtter darkenesse and being continually tormented with the hellish fiends doe nothing but waile and weepe and gnash their teeth and it must needs make thee remember the rich mans speech Luk. 16.28 I beseech thee father Abraham send Lazarus to warne my brethren lest they come into this place of torments What art thou like Thomas Iob. 20. that thou wilt not beleeue except thou see and feele Exod. 10.7 art thou like Pharao that thou wilt not feare before Aegypt be destroyed I meane wilt thou feele the torments of hel before thou feare them and wilt thou be destroyed before thou wilt leaue thy sinnes Alas that any man should be so carelesse and senslesse in the view of such torments The bodie is subiect to bad repletion diseases by sweet meates but it must be purged by bitter potions so must the discreete Christian purge his soule of the filthie humors of sinne and the repletion of vanitie by deepe meditation of the bitter paines of hell We reade of one who vpon the violence of any temptation to sinne would lay his hand on burning coles and being not able to endure the same wold say to himselfe Oh how vnable shall I be to endure the paines of hell and this cogitation did mightily restraine him from euill If thou wilt not practise this experiment yet at the least ponder seriously these meditations and they will I hope through Gods gracicious assistance make thee carefull and able to maister thy corruptions and to ouercome Sathans temptations SECT 3. The last period of the paines of the damned which is the Eternitie of their torments WHen I consider the condition of the damned it makes me remember Nebuchadnetsar Dan. 4. who for his pride was driuen from his kingdome had his dwelling with the beastes was made to eate grasse with the oxen and wet with the dew of heauen till his haires were growne as Eagles feathers and his nailes like birds clawes for so shall the damned for their wickednesse be driuen at the day of iudgement from the kingdome of God haue their dwelling with the Diuels bee tormented in the flames of fire and transformed into the lothsome form of the vgly fiends of hell Herein indeed Nebuchadnetsar and they do differ his deposing was but carnall and temporall theirs is spirituall and eternall he was punished thus onely till seuen times passed ouer him they shall be thus plagued till seuentie times seuen times seuen times be passed ouer euen for euer and euer That is a long sentence that hath no period a large day that yeelds no euening and ample torments that haue no end behold such a sentence such a day and such tormēts art thou come now to meditate vpon my Christian brother and therefore inlarge thy meditation to the vttermost that thou mayest fruitefully ponder these fearefull torments The greatnes of the pains of hell in regard of the qualitie is lamentable but the grieuousnesse thereof in respect of the quantity makes them intolerable Wee haue an old saying That is no bad day that hath a good night The sharpest conflicts to the souldier the roughest tempest to the mariner and weariest iourney to the traueller are not without comfort because they yeeld an expectation of an end but the torments of hell being as endlesse in quantitie as they are easelesse in qualitie yeeld not the least glimpse of consolation to the damned spirits Was it not wonderfull in the dayes of Iosua that the Sunne and Moone stood still Iosua 10.13 and hasted not to go downe for a whole day that the people might be auenged on their enemies But how wonderfull will it be when the Sun and Moone
shall lose their light and vttâ—rly cease to measure time by their motion leauing the same to passe on without end or intermission till the Lord be fully auenged vpon all the wicked in hell Therfore are all the torments of the reprobate noted with the Epithets of Eternity and perpetuitie The shame that shall couer their face Dan. 12.2 Mar. 9.44 is perpetuall the worme that gnaweth their conscience neuer dyeth Mat. 25.46 the pain which they shall go into is endles the fire that shall deuoure them Iude. 7. is eternall the torments of the fierie lake last for euer Reu. 20.10 the perdition which shall punish them from the throne of the Lord 2. Thes 1.9 and the glorie of his power is euerlasting and the death which they suffer is an euerlasting death It goeth hard with a man that would faine dye but cannot and such shall be the conditioÌ„ of the damned as Saint Iohn speaketh of certaine men Reu. 9.6 They shall seeke death but shall not find it and shall desire to die but death shall flie from them And it is a iust recompence that they which might haue found life but would not seeke it should now seeke for death and not find it Thus shall they be like to a man that lyes with many waights vpon him to bee pressed to death crying and calling for more waights to dispatch him but alas hee cannot get them so shall they wish euen an increase of torments to end their liues but it shall not bee graunted That is a fearefull iudgement which the Lord threateneth to the Iewes Behold Ier. 8.17 I will send Serpents and Cockatrices among you which will not be charmed but this is a farre greater iudgement that the Lord will cast men into the euerlasting fire Mat. 3.12 that shall neuer be quenched If those who are shut vp in the dungeon of hell had so many thousand yeares to endure there as there bee sands on the shore fishes in the sea stars in the firmament or grasse in the field there were some hope and comfort though God knowes it were very small but when so many millions of ages and worlds are passed ouer their torments alas for pitie are as fresh and new to beginne againe as euer they were according to that of Gregory They poore wretches haue a death without a death Mor. lib. 9. cap. 48. an end without an end a defect without a defect for the death liueth the end alway beginneth and the defect neuer faileth Is it possible for Almightie God not to be eternall neither is it possible for the punishment of the wicked in hell to be temporall offences against an infinite Maiestie require an infinite punishment Many to embolden themselues to sinne in this life are willing to remember that Gods mercie endureth for euer but such shall in the life to come receiue the reward of their sinnes and prooue against their willes that the arme of his iustice is as large as the arme of his mercie and that his wrath and indignation also endureth for euer Dauid hath a dolefull complaint Will the Lord absent himselfe for euer Psal 77.7 and will hee shew no more fauour is his mercie cleane gone for euer hath God forgotten to be gracious and hath he shut vp his tender mercies in displeasure Alas this were a pitifull case indeed he hath not dealt thus with Dauid but hee will deale so with all the damned Of many things in the world me thinkes this is most admirable That men perswading and assuring themselues there are such pains prepared for the wicked do yet liue as though they feared no such thing some making but a iest of sin Prou. 14.9 Iob. 15.16 others drinking it vp like water Oh God is mercifull thou wilt say not desiring the death of a sinner and that giues them hope I but to whom is God mercifull to all nay shall not the greatest part of the world tast of his heauie indignation Mat. 7. What to euery man how lewd so euer he bee nay hee hath threatened that to a man going presumptuously on in his lewdnesse without remorse Deut. 29.20 he will not be mercifull If it were bruted for certaine that in a citie where there are thousands the Prince would shortly vse some strange and seuere execution vpon an hundred but vpon whom it were vncertaine would it not cause euerie man to tremble If it were told ten going ouer a bridge that one of them should fall into the water would it not make euery one looke to his feete lest he should be the man If a skilfull Phisitian should assure a towne that many in it were infected with some daungerous disease what running and riding would there be to Phisitians to preuent the same Behold now men do heare that the King of Kings will shortly come to execute his fierce wrath vpon many Rev. 22.12 Iude. 13. they know that not one of ten but rather nine of ten are in danger of falling from the bridge of iniquitie into the pit of eternall destruction Mat. 7. and see that in euery towne many are infected with those daungerous diseases which bring eternall death yet how few are found that tremble looke to theÌ„selues or seeke to the Phisitian of their soules that they may escape these daungers Who would for thousands of goldly burning in the fire for only one dayes space who is so mad that he would for one houres pleasure be racked a whole yeare together and yet alas how many are there that for trifles doe damne themselues to the fire of hell and how many that for foolish and sottish sinnes such as are odious in the sight of God hatefull to men and hurtfull to their owne health do bring them selues to the racke and torments which endure not for an howre or a yeare but for euer and euer and if it were possible for euer and after If euer it please God to visite thee with sicknes thinke with thy selfe deare Christian as thou sittest or lyest in thy bed how irkesome it would bee to thee if thou shouldest lye alwayes in that small paine without comfort or company of friends and if that seeme tedious to thee bethinke thy selfe how gieuous it will bee to lye in the vnspeakeable torments of hell without all comfort and companie saue of the terrible fiends and miserable soules of hell and that world without end and this meditation must needes mollifie thy heart and humble thy soule But alas men do not remember or else do onely superficially consider these things But I beseech thee for Gods sake who created thee like himselfe for Christs sake who shed his bloud and dyed to redeeme thee and for thy soules sake which should be more precious to thee then ten thousand worlds let not these infinite torments bee passed ouer with a short or shallow consideration but engraue the remembrance thereof in the most sensible and secret part of