kill vs neither booteth it vs to waste our goods on Physitians to keepe vs froÌ„ it for albeit they promise faire yet they their babes die as soon as others our Lawers cannot in this book-case plead no not for their owne liues no King so welthy no Sampson so stout no horse so swift no spear so long no armor of proof so sure but as the Behemoth Leuiathan he scorneth all Therefore to preuent all the hurts harms that accoÌ„pany Death such as die vnprepared I gather this doctrine All Gods children must whilest they liue heere seeing they know they must die bee exceeding carefull to watch and wake for Deaths comming whensoeuer it be least it come suddenly vpon them and so surprise and take them away vnawares and vnprepared the proofes be in Isa. 38. 1. The Lord said to Hezekiah by Isaiah Put thine house in order for thou shalt die and not liue And this did all the godly Fathers before their death as Abraham disposed and prouided for his children before his death Gen 25. 5. 6. Isaak Iacob blessed their children Gen. 27. and 48. and 49. so did Moses blesse the twelue Tribes exhorting them also to serue the Lord and the like did Ioshua Deutr. 33. Iosh 23. and 24. and Dauid did the like prouiding further for the Temple and the functions thereof 1. Chron. 22. to the end of that booke that God might bee serued after his death better then while he liued Abraham Iacob and Ioseph had an holy care for their buriall Gen. 23. and 49. and 50. Simon and Paul desired to die in peace and bee with Christ our Sauiour and Steuen commended their soules to God forgaue and prayed for their enemies c. Then Moses desired God to teach him to number his dayes that he might apply his heart to wisedome Psal. 90. 12â— This also by a voyce from heauen is confirmed to be a blessed thing as Reu. 14. 13. Blessed are the dead which hereafter die in the Lord euen so saith the Spirit for they rest from their labors and their works follow them And contrarily how fearefull it is to die vnprepared we see in that Corne hoorder who when hee made most account to eat drinke take his ease and be merry that night his soule was taken from him Luk. 12. 15. to 23. Reasons ratifie this truth likewise 1. All our former watchings ouer all our life is lost labour if in this point we become sleepy and secure 2. To die is one of the greatest works and most dangerous roâ—kes mans life is subiect vnto if heere wee make shippewracke wee are vndone for euer for what auaileth it to liue godly and die wickedly not one iot as Ezech. 18. 24. 3. At our death time Satan is most subtle busie and fierce to ouerthrow our faith for if now hee preuaileth against vs he hath gotten his wished desire but if now he be vanquished he is out of hope euer to preuaile and so layeth downe the bucklers at our feete for euer therefore stands it vs much on hand to watch and for want hereof many goe meerely to the pit of perdition 4. Death by this premeditation and preparation will be more welcome vnto vs for dangers foreseene are lesse greeuous 5. I shall more easily contemne this world by often thinking that I am a stranger in it and abstaine from many sinnes which otherwise I would commit and will repent of all my sins committed and omitted and the rather because all Gods Elect did so and were saued and so shall I. 6. God commands vs to watch for commanding vs to watch for the day of iudgement he will haue vs make a godly death for as wee die so shall wee be iudged and therefore must bee watchfull and pray much for a godly end 7. If we performe this duty many commodities accompany it if not vndoubted damnation to all that die in sin vnrepented for death in it selfe is the way to hell to the wicked but to the godly a portall by which the soule passeth out of the fraile body to heauen or is as the Angell that guided Peter out of prison and sets them at liberty Acts 12. 8. 9. whereas to the wicked it is a cruell Sergeant to arest and cast them into prison The first vse serues for instruction for my vigilant Christian how hee is to watch generall and speciall for death The first generall care whereof is in leading a godly life and then shall hee be sure of a godly and blessed death for eternall life hath three degrees one in this life when a man leades a new sanctified heauenly life and can say truely that now hee liues not but Christ liueth in him Galath 2. 20. and this all such can say as doe vnfainedly repent beleeue and obey iustified from and sanctified against their sinnes and haue the peace of Conscience with other good gifts graces of the holy spirit which are the earnest penny of their saluation The second degree is in the end of this life at our death when the body goeth to the earth and soule to God the third at the last iudgement when body and soule revnited doe ioyntly enter into eternall blisse and of this first watch I haue spoken in the first part before Then secondly we must watch and be in readinesse for the second degree of eternall life euen for death for man goeth to the house of his age as Eccles. 12. 5. that is towards his graue and therefore must prepare for it and labour to pluck out of our hearts that erroneous imagination wherewith euery man naturally blesseth himselfe thinking so highly of himselfe that though hee had one foot in the graue yet beleeues hee shall not yet die and what a folly is it for man to stumble thus at the threshold ere they be aware of the house many charge and chide olde age to come vpon them vnexpected but who compelleth them thus falsly to conclude So if any complaine of Deaths vnlooked-for approach wee may answer Who bade them bee so foolish as not to looke for him Cruell and vnmercifull Death makes league with no man though as Isai saith chap. 28. 15. 18. The wicked make a league with Death that is in the fond imagination thinking that Death will not come neere them though all the world should be destroyed and seeing this naturall corruption is in euery mans heart we must daily fight against it and expell it out for so long as it preuailes we shall be vtterly vnfit to make any preparation for death but will bee like the foolish debtor that keepes no account of his debt and then maruells how the Creditor should remember to demand it thou hast owed this debt euer since thou wast borne and before thou wast borne and is it strange that now after some yeares past thou art called vpon for it what if the day of payment be not
to render vp to the Lord our speciall callings and talents with their well-occupied encrease And lastâ—y as to the best keeper our bodies life and soules beseech his Grace as he in mercy and of his vnspeakeable loue gaue them vs and all temporall and spirituall good things with them hee will now in like fauour and mercy receiue them againe and keepe them safe for vs vntill the day of iudgement and then bestow them and himseâ—fe vpon vs grant we may euer be with him and he with vs. 8. In the last agony of death we must draw vnto vs al strength of body and soule now in this â—ast combat quit vs like men As 1. we are to rest by faith vpon the preseÌ„t fauour mercy of God in Christ perswading our hearts soules that now Neyther death nor life nor Angells nor Principâ—lities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be abie to separate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord Râ—m 8. 38. 39. and so plucking vp â—â—r broken hearts shew our selues to be that which long we laboured for viz. to be true Christians 2. Then let heart tongue and voyce bee imployed onely in prayer to God for patience in our anguish for comfort in this our greatest distress for strength in our temptations and for wished and victorious deliuerance from them for a godly end and a ioyfull receiuing and conducting of vs by his holy Angels vnto Abrahams bosome yea endeauour to dye praying for now our weapons be but prayers teares sighes and groanes misery must caâ—l for mercy and let our last words be Lord be mercifull to me a sinnâ—r Lord Iesu receiue my soule Come Lord Iesu come quickly And thus with our â—iues let vs breake vp our watch And thus farre of our watch against Death yet there bee that for better keeping of a true watch and performing of this most necessary necessity thoroughly contriue this preparation vnto a weekes worke or weekely Diarie sorting for euery day of the weeke vnto themselues certaine deuout exercises and meditations so as though they were to die presently that day as thus The first day of the weeke they wholly spend in this meditation that they are mortaâ—l and must die and therefore they so vse and dispose of the commodities of this life and their callings as though before night they must hence labouring to obey that coÌ„mandement of Christ Luk. 12. 35. 36. Let your loynes be gâ—rt about your lights burning And ye your selues like vnto men that wait for their Master when he will returne from the wedding that when he commeth and knocketh they may open vnto him immediately Blessed are those seruants whom the Lord when he commeth shall find waking c. and so set their house in good order for they must die The second day they spend in meditating vpon death the precedents and horror thereof to whom they willingly yeeld yet so that by faith in Christ true repentance and renued obedience they sweeten the taâ—t sharpnesse thereof whereby they shall be able they doubt not cheerefuâ—ly comfortably to drinke of this cup Math. 20. 22. 23. The third day they thinke vpon their sins and with broken and contrite hearts confesse them to the Lord. Psal. 32. 5. 6. 7. and that with such vehement feruency of spirit earnest sweating agonie in soule as if within that day or houre they shuld by death be attached The fourth day with their greatest deuotion and most careful preparation they come to the holy Communion which they call viaticum and so victuall themselues therewith for reliefe in their iourney to heauen ioyning therevnto the reading and preaching of Gods sacred word applying the same to the present purpose so nye as may be suting and agreeing with Christs last Sermon in the Chamber before his death Iohn 13. and 14. 15. and 16. not without prayer and praise to the holy Trinity I he fift day they spend in meditation and prayer for the more liuely and effectuall working of Gods holy Spirit in their harts the better entertainment of Gods sacred word in their soules and opening of their eyes to see their weakenes wickednesse and accursednesse and for wished power to ouercome all temptations assaulting their soules specially at their death-time The sixth day in all humblenesse of heart and feruentnesse of deuotion they pray for a spirituall death wholly heauenly free from all doubtings greefe temptations or fears with an infallible sight of the Sonne of God in some though small manner most comfortable feeling apprehension of the ioyes of heauen contempt of this world with the perfect fulfilling to them of all Gods promises made to them for the life to come and that whatsoeuer holy duty is in them wanting by ignorance or weakenesse the holy spirit of God would suggest vnto them and supply that so the whole glory might be the Lords and to them in life and in death Christ should be aduantage Phil. 1. 21 and that walking through the valley of the shadow of death they should feare nothing for the Lord would be with them and his Angels safely conduct them to Paradise The seuenth day they giue hearty thanks to Almighty God for the innumerable benefits bestowed vpon them spiritually and temporally beseeching his maiesty to continue the same so far forth as hee seeth expedient for them vowing to make the rest of their life if any part be remaining a perpetuall Sabbath vnto the Lord vntill they bee translated to his kingdome where with all his Angels and Saints they shall solemnize an euerlasting Iubilie then this day they vse a deepe meditation and repetition of all the exercises of the sixe daies going before and to euery of these dayes they select certaine fit Psalmes and praiers c. And thus according to my skill haue I charged my watch-man in the best manner I could deuise to prepare for death and when I haue done all I find my selfe vnable to finde the depth of this principle for want of experience which I cannot learne vntill I dye my selfe Onely this I know that albeit this watch be vnreprooueable and necessary for all Christians yet as we see in a Master of Fence if a strong champion set vpon him he will soone set him out of all his fence and make a foole of him so if Death assaile vs aboue our nature and strength wee will soone forget all these instructions and fall to cursing blaspheming and no man woteth with what violence death will assault him therefore would I wish him euer to lead a godly life and keepe a carefull watch annexing to the first obseruations this weekely Diary and that circularly that is weeke after weeke to renew it to our dying day and then to both to desire the Lord himselfe to watch ouer vs else all will be in
is that they are suddenly taken at vnawares and vnprouided and this makes them vnpatient and to cry for some respit to make them ready for Death that is the Lord must stay for them stil but let them watchfully prepare for Death and wait for the Lord as is meet and say Come Lord Iesu come quickly 2. The vnprepared want faith for had they neuer so little faith it would free them from this feare and would animate them against all terrors as Psal. 46. 1. c. for as the body so long as the soule remaineth therein liueth so man so long as Faith abides in his soule needeth not feare Death no more then we feare sickenesse whiles wee enioy perfect health or pouerty while wee abound in wealth 3. There is no feare of death where there is no sinne for sinne is the cause that God depriueth vs of life but the vigilant and godly in time pull out the stings of Death and in Christ their sins are couered and not imputed vnto them Psal 32. 1. 2. Rom. 4. 7. and they sinne not 1. Iohn 3. 9. yea now to them death it selfe is slaine and swallowed vp in victory by the death of Christ 1. Cor. 15. 54. 55. 56. foreseeing that the prick or sharpnesse of Death is sinne and the power of sinne is death Iesus Christ hath accomplished the Law for vs and thereby taken away the sting of Death so that it shall neuer hurt vs any more and so to vs death now is no death but an entrance to life 4. God is euer with the Elect in their troubles and will not for sake them and though they walke in the valley of the shadow of death they will feare nothing Psal. 23. 1. 4. Gen. 46. 4. Luke 22. 43. hee being with them how can they feare to say nothing that he is in league and couenant with them to doe them all good and to remooue from them all harmes and hurts as Isa. 43. 1. c. Feare not I haue redeemed thee I haue called thee by name thou art mine when thou passest through the waters I will be with thee and through the riuers they shall not ouerflow thee when thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not bee burnt neyther shall the flame kindle vpon thee c. 5. Death is but a passage or vvay to life which now is so broad and smooth beaten by all Gods Saints that a man may blindly in the darke tread it without stumbling 6. Such as die in the Lord rest from their labors and their workes follow them and what labouring man after his dayes toyle and trauell would not rest from his labours and betake him to his bed and sleep so we by death shall rest from all the miseries whereunto this life is subiect and shall sleepe as in our beds and what a blisse is this specially to the godly who of all others in this life bee most miserable for they are subiect not onely to the common calamities of this life as of sicknesse pouerty losses c. but also besides these the world doth hate reuile persecute them that so bitterly and extreamely that many of them be imprisoned racked and tormented and cruelly put to death as Heb 11. 36. c. and 2. Cor. 11. 23. c. So that to them it is a great happinesse to rest from their labours and yet to rest from their labors by Death is but a part and not perfect blisse or happines for then a labouring Oxe or trauelling Horse were happy when they died yet they loath tremble to die but they that die in Christ haue another increase of happinesse for they enter into glory and their workes that is the reward of their workes follow them for they shall bee in euerlasting ioy why then should Gods children feare death seeing it is an end of present euills and a beginning of felicitie eternall 7. Death bringeth vs in glory to see God our Father and Iesus Christ our sweet Sauiour and the Holy Ghost our sanctifier of whom wee haue seene nothing hitherto but his pourtrait described by the Prophets Apostles which one thing ought to moue vs more then any thing to desire our dissolution for if the Queen of Saba came so farre to see Salomon and to heare his Wisedome how farre should wee goe to heare a greater then Salomon Luke 11. 31. Saint Austin wished he had liued to see Roman triumphantem Paulum praedicantem Christum in carne but those sights were nothing to these in the highest Heauens wher Christ with all his Angels Saints triumph in glory for now shall that blessing of our Sauiour in Luke 10. 23. be perfectly in vs fulfilled viz. Blessed are the eyes that see the things that ye see for I tell you that many Prophets and Kings haue desired to see these things which ye see and haue not seene them c. the only contemplation of whom will make vs fully content and will dampe and take from vs the remembrance and sense of all other profits and pleasures whatsoeuer Then with him wee shall see all the Angells Patriarchs Prophets Apostles Martyrs and Saints of God who haue in all ages excelled in vertue and godlinesse with all the holy Preachers who shine as the Sunne and Starres in the firmament of Heauen a sight surpassing that which Socrates hoped after his death to see to wit the Noble Heathens that liued before him as Agamemnon Aiax Vlisses c. 8. By Death our soules shall be separated from our bodies and made more free and capable of the profound mysteries of Gods Hierarchy and Heauenly Kingdome for then the vaile being remoued from our eyes and as Nazianzen writeth Our heauenly soules no longer pressed downe by our earthly bodies wee shall see the Lord face to face and know him as wee are knowne 1. Cor. 13. 2. and plainely behold that which we now worship for them shall we enter into the sanctuary of our God euen to the Holy of Holies there will God shew vnto vs as to his intire friends the whole glory and riches of his house and blessed kingdome and keepe nothing backe from vs. Blessed Death wilt thou not make hast to come and conduct vs thither for thou art the wholesome Physicke which curest vs of all diseases and afflictions and by casting vs into and vnder the earth liftest vs to the highest heauens to liue with God for euer 9. Death is to vs the beginning of life which Epaminondas a Heathen at his Death could see saying to his frends Be merry for now I begin to liue and so Ignatius Now I begin to be Christs Disciple so then in truth death is life and the life wee heere lead is but a limping death onely the one and the other are masked vnder false visages for as writes Chrysostome Our life which is full of misery hath a faire visour on which causeth fooles to loue it and Death which is the beginning
of life hath a foule visage to fright boyes and fooles which causeth it to be feared and hated for want of wisedome and true iudgement but take off the maske and thou shalt see Death very amiable and life odious and terrible 10. Death is to be desired before life and the day of our decease before the day of our Natiuity I meane in respect onely of temporall good and euill prosperity aduersity else not for by our birth wee enter to sorrow and by death end it and goe vp to God wherefore in olde time Sepulchers were built in Gardens as Ioh. 19. 41. not only among our sports to put vs in mind of our ends and so to vse the same moderately but also to teach vs that ioy and pleasure is a consequence of death and an entry to Gods Paradise of pleasure and therefore let vs liue to God and Death shall not hurt vs. The fourth Vse serues for terror to the wicked who hearing of this early watch and preparation for death will none of it they bee not so foolish as to defraud themselues of the comforts and delights which God gaue them with the frightfull thoughts of gastly death this would bee able to fright a fearefull simple body out of his wits and to draw honest neighbours to desperation and what needs this pudder shall not wee be saued as our neighbours and vvhat doe wee desire more doth euery man so as you say or shall all that prepare not so as you prescribe be damned our fathers nor forefathers euer taught vs any such matters and we will not nor desire to bee better then they as for you ye be vncharitable men God forgiue you I answer here is a great deale of good stuffe pact together if wee had time to vndoe and consider it But in the meane while know ye that wee desire nothing of you more then the Lord exacteth of his dearest children and therfore not to be trodden vnder foote by you for we liue not by examples but by the Lawes of the Almighty whereunto all men ought in all humility bee obedient before father or life it selfe neyther is heere any thing pressed but what your selues know to be requisite and could wish ye did if you as many and most men doe and you must lay vpon your death-beds knowing feeling what they miserable men doe Yet if you refuse this diet as ouer tart take then your owne no man will blame me for giuing you good counsell and because I giue you ouer yet follow wise Salomons aduise and that the rather for that without compulsion you often of your owne accord vse it viz. Goe to the house of mourning for there is the end of all men and hee that is liuing taketh it to heart Eccles. 7. 2. where hee would haue all men bestow sometime daily to think what pressures and agonies shall assault vs at the houre of death and for the better consideration hereof hee would haue vs goe to the house of mourning and not of banqueting and there behould a man dying and that we should marke the heauy accidents and painfull passions of that houre and take it to heart for as it fareth to day with him so shall it tomorrow fare with thee and with all the world this thou canst learn without his or any further direction for comming to the house to visit thy neighbours there shalt thou see a very sick man forsaken now of naturall heat his senses without much mouing his face like lead the bowles of his eyes sunke in his head his mouth full of fleame and some his throat ratling his tongue swollen his necke winding euery side his breast beateth and panteth for life ready to burst for paine the veynes still all infallible tokens of death Now take this to heart and take the case to be thine own for this is the way of all the world and then now seeing and viewing such perplexed extremities in others reflect and represent the like image to bee shortly in thy selfe Imagine that thou lay vpon thy death-bed that thy Physitions had now giuen thee ouer thy friends and kinsfolke stood weeping wringing their hands about thy bed vnable to help or comfort thee but rather augment the greefe of thy departure and thou the while speechlesse and helpelesse O how dreadfull shall this departure and last farewell be to thee and to them where wealth shall not asswadge thy woe but plunge thee deeper in the gulph of calamity neither honours assist thee for thou must leaue them with like vehement smart as thou gottest them with greedy desire and badde conscience thy wonted delights breed within thy soule that neuer-dying worme and neuer-quenched fire what counsell wilt thou heere take who formerly hast refused all good connsell couldest not abide to heare of death no more canst now to goe out of thy body will bee too intollerable to abide within is vnpossible to deferre the time to end thy will but vntill to morrow will not bee granted death is in poast-haste now art thou abashed that thou diddest not watch and prepare for this houre Oh hadst thou wist but it is too late now thou cryest fye fye vpon thy brutish behauiour and now for feare horror wouldest flee from thy selfe for then shalt thou see thy selfe beset with horrible monsters that is with thine owne sinnes which as furies pursue and hedge thee in all the time past shall seeme vnto thee as the twinkling of an eye but the time to come endlesse pittilesse and remedilesse so that thou maist truly say The snares of Death compasse me round about and the pangs of hell got hold vpon mee and I shall finde trouble and heauinesse c. Psal. 116. 3. 4. But returne wee to our sicke man againe whom vnexpected Death frustrateth of all his counsels and could not come in a worse time for now hee curteth off violently the webs of all his deuises and with one pellet ouerthroweth all his castles built in the ayre then commeth in the Physitian with his It will not be thinke good sir no longer of life you must be gone These be heauy tidings then his sorrowes shall bee vnspeakeably encreased when he recounteth with himselfe that his body which now hath some life in it shall after an houre be depriued of sense life spirit soule for if it be an hard matter to bee pulled away from these things which no doubt so neerely toucheth man how bitter I pray you will be the separation of the body from the soule for such two louing familiar friends which haue alwaies liued sweetly together cannot be diuided without vnspeakable griefe if the Oxe doe commonly low and mourne when his yoke-fellow which was wont to draw with him is taken away how will euery one of vs mourne when the soule shall bee separated from the body and as Sathan in our life time set forth to him Gods mercy nothing but Mercy hiding his Iustice so vvill
he now extenuate his mercy and presse his iustice to draw him to desperation so that now all his sinnes vvhich hee in his life-time committed vnrepented vvith so great facility shall violently at once rush vpon him as an armed host of bloudy enemies vvhich vvith open eyes hee shall novv to his shame and damnation behold oh how heauy and grieuous vvill they then seeme to bee vvhich formerly vveâ—â—-so sweet pleasant Thus the soule fighteth vvith painefull sickenesse heauy temptation and feare of Gods iudgement with many moâ— troubles temporall as spirituall at one instant on man a sicke and a dying man not vvoting vvhether to turne himselfe nor yet vvhat shift to make for if hee looke vpvvard hee seeth the sword of Gods iustice if downe-vvard his sinnes accusing him if to the time past all his vanities past like a shadow if to the time to come eternity it selfe and vvhat shall he doe recoyle to the body he cannot longer to abide in this sort he shall not be permitted but forsaking God in his life time shall be forsaken of God in Death if repentance preuent not and thus in the end the soule remoueth to his place and the body to the earth whence it came now this is thy case and therefore though we cannot escape Death yet let vs escape the sting and bitternesse of this Death for the true vvisdome of man is to measure all his actions by the squire of his short life and so to goe through all temporall affaires that he lose not the eternall and if some small losse of goods or preferment take away our sleepe what should the meditation of assured death doe should vve not doe as in games of actiuity at Olympus exercise our selues some fiue yeares before that in the day of triall we might winne the prize so we should now consider al inconueniences in death and against the game day be sure to get the prize and goe to heauen let fore-warned be fore-armed The fift Vse serues for comfort for Gods elect who take vvarning betimes hasten to prepare themselues against this fearefull guests comming to take away all frights feares he brings with him meet him halfe the vvay not to entreat for their liues as Shemei did Dauid but to iustle vvith him ere he come to his full strength to pull out all his stings while hee as Sampson sleepeth and as vve see vvhen bloudy vvarres bee at hand such as doubt of the victory betake themselues either to a forrein countrey a farre off or to some noble mans seruice vvho is the generall and commander of the vvhole field so escape And so vse vvise men seeing it vnpossible for them to escape death and iudgement they take godly courage and with all carefulnes prepare for his comming and vvhen all this is done seeing hee is like to be too hard for them in this combat they in time betake themselues vnto the seruice of the Lord of life and death vvho vvill not see his seruants at any hand miscarry and if they beleeue in him though they were dead yet should they liue and whosoeuer liueth and beleeueth in him shall neuer die Iohn 11. 25. 26. for though death as an armed man assault them to the separating of their soules from the bodies yet all this shal to them turn to the best for Death now hauing no further Dominion nor power ouer them departeth as a dastard curre that hath bit one of his Masters sheepe yet not slaine it whereby the sheepheard tendereth it the more and man thus torne is not slaine but dismembred a little but the sheepheard of our soules will recouer and fully cure it and in the meane while the body freed of all fears and troubles shall be honourably buried and the Lord of life will see it shall not be awaked abused nor miscarry vntill he awake him vp to life neuer to die any more and as for the soule his Angells shall carry him to Abrahams bofome and what looseth hee now by this combat for though he be ouer come of death as Christ his Lord and Master was yet he getteth the victory and by dying conquereth death and thus the day of Death is the master day iudge of all other dayes the triall and touch-stone of our life the last Act of the worlds comedy for if wee die a godly death it honoureth all our actions but if an euill then it defameth and deformeth them all yea the death of the righteous that is of euery beleeuing and repentant sinner is a most excellent blessing of God and brings with it many worthy benefits for 1. Death is to vs conuerted into a sweet sleepe and our bodies shall lye in our graues as in a doulne bedde freed from all dangers cares vexations and temptations and is the complement of the mortification of our flesh and wee now are freed from sinne 2. They are blessed that die in the Lord they rest from their labours and their works follow them Reuel 14. 13. 3. It separates vs from the company of the wicked 4. It seateth vs in heauen where we shall see God face to face Iesus Christ in his glory which sight so rauisheth the holy Angels that it is the fulnesse of their contentation as Psal. 16. 11. Thou will shew me the path of life in thy presence is the fulnesse of ioy and at thy right hand there are pleasures for euermore Yea this farre surpasseth Salomons royalty commended by the Queene of Saba 1. King 10. 1. 8. 9. 5. It puts vs in possession of all these benefits that Christ hath purchased for vs Psal. 126. 5. 6. for so ong as wee are in this world wee are saued but by hope Rom. 8. 24 but when we die we shall fully enioy them a ioy it was to the Israelites after their long bondage in Egypt to enter into the land of promise so to a Prentice to be made free much more to vs to bee set at the liberty of the sonnes of God in heauen 6. If there were no death sin would neuer end with vs but wee should be euer filled with iniquity our sorrowes and labours would neuer forsake vs but wee should bee euer in soule and body most miserable if wee died not who would regard the death of the soule nor prepare against the day of doome 7. It openeth vnto vs the gate of heauen euer since we were borne we haue beene sailing to this Hauen and now being within sight of it we rowe backward from it yet no Sailer beaten with tempestuous waues but would be at the hauen no traueller passing dangerous waies but would bee at home and no godly man but would be at rest If an old aged man would make true relation of his life from his conception to his dissolution and declare all the sorrows he passed through and the heart vtter all her greefes and gripings it sustained all this while I suppose that not onely wee our selues
though it seeme vnpossible for vs to know at the instant Christs sudden comming yet if wee bee wiâ—e wee will watch and pray and set all things in as good order as if now hee were comming and at the doore And so farre of this third Motiue The fourth Motiue to watchfulnesse is to consider the manner how they shall rise to iudgement and to meet the Lord in the clouds which the holy Scriptures teach vs to be thus The Iudge will send his Angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shal gather together his Elect from the foure â—â—indes and from the one end of the heauen vnto the other Math. 24. 31. Ioh. 5. 28. 29. and 1. Cor. 15. 52. and 1. Thes. 4. 16. for as God now in his Church by his Ministers who cry aloud lifting vp their voyce like a trumpet Isa. 58. 1. and speake to them to liâ—â— and raise them vp from the deadnesse of sinne and gather them to Christ so in the last day will he speake vnto them in the voyce of the Archangel and in the trumpet of God to gather them to himselfe that such as had part in the first resurrection Reuel 20. 6. might haue now their part in the second The Vse heereof â—â—rues to forewarne and fore-arme aâ—l men in the feare of God to make a carefull conscience of their waies for though they dâ—e once rot in their graues yet must they rise to iudgement and then shall it be our only comfort to heare the voice of the Arch-Angell awaking vs out of our beds to come before our Sauiour and with him to enter into his glory for now shall the body bee released from the prison of the corrupt graue and as Ioseph to appeare before Pharaoh Gen 41 14 be newly attired in robes of glory and ioyned againe to his soule ioyfully appeare before the Lord whereas the wicked as those tares bound in bundles to be burnt shall be drawne and haâ—â—d as theeues and malefactors to the barre to be arraigned and condemned to hell fire Math. 13. 30. And so farre of this fourth Motiue The fift Motiue to watchfulnesse is the generality of this iudgement for all shall appeare before the iudgement sâ—at of God Math. 25. 32. Ioh. 5. 28. 9. Rom 14. 10 2. Cor. 5. 10. Acts 24. 15. Reu. 20. 1. 13 and 1. 7. and is figured in Ezech. 37. 2. 3. rich and poore olde and young none shall bee priuiledged the Priests shall not claime sanctuary nor the people begge exemptions nor the bidden ghuests coyne excuses no bribing of the Angells and Summoners no answering by Proctor no appearing by Atturney the Iudges themselues must this day stand below to be iudged the Lawyers are put out of Plea the Popes who absolued prodigally all others must now begge for pardons for themselves no demurres admitted nor appealing to Generall Councells or higher Courts this being the highest of all others the husband shall not answere for his wife nor the father for his son nor the mother for her daughter nor the nurce for her babe in the swathes all must personallie appeare yea euen those which were burned to dust ashes and after their ashes were scattered abroad with the winde and part spread vpon the waters that they should neuer rise again as Euseb. Eccles. lib. 5. c. 1. yet all shall rise and that day onely Adam shall see all his posterity And if but one had beene exempted from this appearance thou mightest conceiue some hope to bee absent but seeing all must appeare prepare to meete thy God O Israell Amâ—s 4. 12. for vvho that day hath oyle enough for himselfe or is so iust that he may entreat for others this vvere not only supererogation but superarrogancy and what place dare habour a Shebâ— against Dauid a traitor against his King a runnagate from his Master and a Ionah from the Lord if the Angels be iudged shall men looke to escape nay as Iael Sisera euery creature is ready to take part with the Lord of Hosts against his enemies insomuch that the graue sea death and hell vvill that day deliuer vp their dead and conceale not any from him and which is worse and mark it O thou wicked man thou must rise and when thou appearest in iudgement thou shalt shew thy selfe as sinfull and wicked a man in the presence of God and all the world as presently thou liuest here shalt be at the time of thy death shalt bring with thee al the abhominations of thy sinfull life and death to iudgement so that all that shall behold thee shall pointing at thy filthinesse say behold the man and his workes for thy body dying shall rise an vngâ—orious base and shamefull bodie full of corruption yet immortall and thy wretched soule as it departed out of thy body full of sinne and shame so shall it rise againe and therfore consider if thou wouldest now bee loth to be rapt thus in thy ragges of sinne and in the case thou presently standest to iudgement then fall not now to amend thy life else thy abhominations all as a dogge his Master will trace yea goe before thy face to Gods tribunall for it is not the graue nor any fire but onely the bloud of Christ that shall clense thee from thy sinnes and make thee accepted of God 1. Ioh. 1. 7. now is the acceptable time now is the day of saluation now is ife eternall by thee eyther gotten or quite lost thinke vpon it and watch for it But here against the reprobate cauilleth and saith â—ush this is a tale the case is not so hard but a man may make some shift I am but low of stature I will couch downe and hide me and how then can I be seene or missed in such a throng and multitude and in so busie a time Yet consider thou Gods word in Psal. 139. 1 6 7. Ierem. 23. 24. Obad. 6. 3. 4. Amos 9 1. 2. 3. Reuel 6. 15. 16. 17. and 20. 13. Ecclus 16. 17. and thou shalt finde this fancie vnpossible and that nothing will nor can hide thee from the all-seeing eye of the Lord and seeing nothing workes thee this dayes shame and sorrow but thy sinnes then amend now whiles thou art here in this life by true repentance faith and new obedience and he will both cure couer all thy sinnes for Christ alone is the place to hide thee in he will preserue thee from trouble he will informe and teach thee in the way wherein thou shalt goe and he wil guide thee with his eye and thus shall euery one that is godly make his prayer vnto him in a time when he may be found but in the great water-flouds they shall not come nye him Psalm 32. 1. to 10. this is the onely place to hide thee in euen vnder the wings of Christs merits and mercies there and no where else shalt thou bee full secure But the Gauiller
that for vanity vexation of spirit would offend his good God damn his owne soule the price of Christs bloud loose heauen and purchase hell a frenzie of frenzies O. that men would beleeue that experienced Preacher proclainâ—ing that all is most vaine vanitie then would not they thus be-dirt themselues to heap riches vniustly to climbe to honours ambitiously to gorge themselues with worldly delights swynishly to forget their God impiously and all for the loane of vanity for an vncertaine shadow of time aelas what will thy dainty fare profit thee when as for staruing the poore thou in hell cannot obtaine one drop of water Luke 16 25. Or thy stately building helpe thee truely no more then the strong buildings of the Temple did the Iewes who seeing their Temple burne flung themselues into the fire as Sardanapalus with his riches to burne together with their Temple they so trusted in or great Babel did to deliuer Nabuchadnezzar from Gods iudgements Dan. 4. 27. Oh beloued play not thus the beasts to trust in stones heaped vpon stones they cannot free thee from Gods inevitable wrath but rather increase thy damnation if thy buildings be 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 and oppression as 〈◊〉 13. 〈◊〉 2. 9. shall thy braueries glistering apparel do it theÌ„ remember the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and proud Herod Agriâ—pa where of the one was turned to hell the other eaten vp with lies 〈◊〉 what is appalet but moa 〈…〉 deate and the signe 〈…〉 shame for had we neuer sinned we had neuer heeded to weare it bearing the gracious immage of God in our bodies as soules but now wee are fain to couer the shame of our nakednes that sinne hath brought vpon vs which is so great in truth that if necessitie would permit as gentlewomen do with their gloues and maskes though they thinke not so both hands and face to should be couered so sowly hath sinne disfigured our excellent creation that as a destowred Virgin wee should be ashamed to shew our Aegyptian or Black-Moore faces Chimney-Sweepers hands to speake nothing of the basenes beggery of apparel for what more base then for a Lord or Duke to weare cloth which is but the cast greasie garment of a scabbed or â—otten Sheepe and what more beggerly then to digge into the Earth for gold to the Sea for Pearles to the rocks for stones to the flowers and puddles for colours to Hogges for grease and a thousand things more to apparell and trim our sinfull bodies the fuell of Hell fire 〈◊〉 for suffering the poore to dye for cold and wanâ— of apparell which wee store up for moaths and shall one 〈◊〉 be a witnes against thee Iames 5. 1. 2. 3. weep loued weepe and howle for this madnes and ensuing misery and forget not that fiery 〈…〉 ng day the remembrance whereof makes the very Deuils to tremble quake and should make euery sinfull man weepe and howle repent and forsake this folly which kindleth the coales of hell to consume vs oh my bretheren beloued in Christ Iesus would we not repute him vnwise that would robbe the poore 〈…〉 sse the widdow defraud the fatherlesse steale from the Church of God to enrich himselfe to bestow it vvholly vpon a famous snow-ball which in short space would â—hawe to water or to make an admirable Becon vpoÌ„ an hill for men 〈◊〉 vpon which at the first newes of the enemyes arriuing should be set on 〈◊〉 yet a Snowball is sure to stand while the frost holds and a 〈◊〉 to continue 〈◊〉 the enemy land but this 〈◊〉 and the pompe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not sure to stand one Day and who theâ— would waste himselfe and endangerâ—llis soule 〈◊〉 vncertaine vanities and 〈…〉 ments to finne and destruction but most certaine letts to saluation and well doing wherefore my Dearely beloued let vs all seeing and knowing these vanities be wise to saluation and omitting these mock begger build-ings of sinfull deuises whereby worldlings thinke as the builders of Babel to get them a name when they most work their owne confusion bodily and spiritually labour to haue our names written in heauen Luk. 10. 20. and conteyning this world and vncertaine habitations with Abraham the father of the faithfull labour and looke for a Cittie hauing a foundation whose builder and maker is God and not fondly with Peter at a glimpse of felicitie not woating what we doe wish to build Tabernacles heare below and so to forgoe and forget our felicitie aboue as we see all worldlings generally doe this is to play foolish Hobab who ready to enter vpon the holy land and possessions of the Cananits after long wandring in the wildernes would not enter in but depart to his owne countrey and kindred Num. 10. â—9 then which what more sottish The third vse serues for admonition also for all men to see to themselues in time for if this great Temple and Queene cittie of all the world was in a short time conuerted to dush ashes and if semblably all the world and the glory thereof shall be we wot not how soone and suddenly fired let vs then I beseech you consider our selues poore and sinfull wretches who whether the world stand or fall shall shortly be turned to dust and ashes for what is man but a vapour a wind a shaddow a dreame a nothing then which what more transitorie and vanishing these doe but scarce appeare and are gone straight so is the life of euery mortall weight to day a man to morrow none Baruch made care where and how to liue when God should visite the whole land The Lord tels him by Ieremy Behold that which I haue built will I destroy and that which I haue planted I will plucke vp euen this whole land and seekest thou great things for thy selfe seeke them not as if he had said the whole land and people shall be destroyed the Temple and Cittie shall be burned so art thou more precious to me then all these thou art not to looke to escape when others greater and better then thee perish take thy life for thy portion vse that well else thy soule and body shal be confounded c. His case is ours we see all die and must come to iudgment Heb. 9. 27. 2. Cor. 5. 10. Rom. 14. 10. And shall we as great sinners as they looke to escape No no we must hence let vs prepare and make ready The like lesson giueth Elisha to Gehazi 2. King 5. 26. 27. Shewing him this was no time to hoord wealth by hooke and crooke but to fast and pray for his owne sinnes and the sinnes of the whole land and at no hand touch this pestilent leaprosie I would to God we all semblably would consider that we were not sent to this world to make our selues mighty men as those giants before the flood Gen. 6. 4. Nor yet borne as hogges in sties to be fatted to eate drinke take our ease
morning tels his dreames as they in Ierem. 23. 25. 28. I haue dreamed I haue dreamed c. This sinne is so hainous before God that hee in this life to say nothing of that to come punisheth it with on of the greatest plagues as can be named to wit with blindnesse of minde hardnesse of heart and sleepinesse and want of feeling of the sin euer pleasing themselues herein and condemning painfull labourers 〈◊〉 more busie then is cause yet no watcâ—man so slouthfull as will sleepe whiles his captaine is present in the campe but Christ is present euer with his drawne sword Ioh. 5. 14. And walketh in the midst of the seuen golden candlesticks still crying to euery Peter louest thou mee feede my sheepe feede my lambes feede by word by life by hospitalitie c. Andlo Hanniball is at the gates and darest thou sleepe in this caâ—â— Godly was that Minister who at his first entering vpon his charge began to make his graue to minde him of his charge speedily to be discharged and of his mortalitie that he was to die and come to iudgement and answer for his Baâ—lywick and withall appointed a watchman to ouerwatch him and cry daily to him finish thy graue for death hastneth for thee Whose example I would these bould fellowes would imitate and that their people would awake these sleepers and crie to Archippus Take heede to the Ministery that thou hast receiued in the Lord that thou fulfill it Coloss. 4. 17. The â—aâ—t vse serues for terrour to a worse rort of people then these who kill and murther both the watchmen that the Lord set vpon the walles of Ierusalem and together with them the people they watch ouer in a word Ministers and people committed to their charges in taking from them that holy tribute which God himselfe at the first establishment of Church gouernment gaue his Ministers for their seruice in the Tabernacle of the Congregation and made it a law to continue for euer as appeareth plainly in Numb 18. 20 21 22 23 24. Iosh 13. 14. Lâ—uiâ— 27. 30 31 32 23. And because this allowance was to scant godly men bought and gaue lands for euer Likewise Deo Ecclesiae for vpon those termes their Charters run now these also are taken away whereby Gods Ministers are robbed pressed downe kept in plaine beggery and contempt vnable to releeue themselues or to furnish themselues with necessaries for their calling and so consequently the people are for nothing robbed of the tenth part of their goods vnder colour of paying them for the seruice done for them in the Church of God when they doe nothing in the Church but rather are enemies to God to his Ministers and to the poore people who by reason of this want die Atheists for want of preaching and instructing them in the Lords waie and the greater is this sinne because few regard it and so many are accessarie to this sinne that to speak against it is to make warre against all the world and yet we see otherwise the greater the insurrection is the more is the danger specially when men robbe and inuade the King of heauens liberties and territories this threatneth vniuersall destruction as in the old world the sinne of the Sodomites c. and of the Cananites and Iewes Nay this sinne is so glazed and siluer guilt ouer that none can spie nor suspect the mischiefe thereof much lesse are able to preach against it Sathan vsing so all his skill to couer it as a sinne of sinnes and a sinne that deceiueth many otherwise very godly men which if they saw the horriblenesse thereof would neuer touch it to gaine a thousand worlds saue they only as suffer it and are robbed and vndone by it yea these hiue robbers besides the depriuing of people and Ministers of their goods that they keepe vnder their feete both Ministers and people that they shall not mute once against their Sacriledge lest these drone Bees sting them to death and whereas all men make title to Gods Church and thereby contribute some portion to the maintenance of Gods seruice they blush not to bragge and vaunt that God nor his Church shall haue a pinne from them whiles they liue of all they possesse nay they will take and snatch from God and his Church by force all possibly they can and what title can such haue to God or holy Church that impudently without law to robbe both A lamentable case that couetousnesse and ambition should so ouersway any bearing the name and nature of a man much more of a Christian that to puffe vp himselfe in pride and contempt of God and his ministery and to prinke his wife and children in sinfull brauerie riot and excesse idlenesse and sensualitie should make no conscience to bath himselfe and his posteritie in the bloud of his brethren yea the knowne price of Christs sacred bloud and that in all ages and for euer too we say and see it by daily experience that bloud will haue bloud and the Lord himselfe saith so to in those that but kill mens bodies only as we see in Ahab and Iesabell in Naboths matter but what shall become of such as kill men women and children soules and bodies and so farre forth as in them lieth send them to hell fire Dauid would not drinke of the water fetched from the well of Bethlem because it was the bloud of three men that went in ieopardie of their liues for it but they eate and drinke the bloud of infinite numbers yet make no conscience nor scruple thereof 2. Sam. 23. 15 16 17. The last of the tenne plagues of Aegypt which was the soarest of all the rest was the killing of the first borne of man and beast for then Pharaoh rose vp in the night he and all his seruants and all the Aegyptians and there was a great crie in Aegypt for there was not on house where there was not one dead c. Exod. 12. 29. to 34. but this is much more fearefull and lamentable whereby these Church-champions staruing persecuting and molesting with an implacable secret hatred the Lords watchmen and stripping them of that God gaue them not only one in euery house but euery on in euery house of euery Parish they set foote in is vnmercifully and cruelly slaine and that not only in bodies but also if Gods mercies preuent not in soules too Ioptah tooke this a strong plea against the king of Ammon Iudg. 11. 24. that as he ought rightfully possesse that which Chemosh his God had giuen him to possesse so Iphtah and Israel ought to possesse what the Lord their God gaue them and by like consequent may wee so reason looke what allowance the Lord gaue vs and ours for euer that ought we to enjoy but hee gaue vs this holy tribute and therefore ought we quietly enioy it vnlesse by expresse word hee reuoke this donation which he neuer did But if you answer that this is true if we
expressed in the counterpane that which is presently and at all times due must continually be in readinesse Thirdly we must labour to meditate often and seriously of our death and of the state of the dead whereunto wee all hasten for rich poore shall lie down alike in the dust and the wormes shall couer them saith Iob. chap. 21. 23. to 26. but because our selfe-loue and world inesse is so great that wee account nothing so bitter and vntoothsome as the meditations of our departure as Ecclus. 41. 1. O death how bitter is the remembrance of thee to a man that liueth at rest in his possessions vnto the man that hath nothing to vexe him and that hath prosperitie in all things yea vnto him that is able to receiue meate and therfore let vs strengthen this practice with prayer as did Dauid and Moses Psal. 39. 4. and 90. 12. so wee may bee inabled to resolue our selues of death continually for how soeuer by a generall speculation wee thinke sometimes something of our ends yet vnlesse the spirit of God be our Schoolmaster to teach vs this duty wee shall bee neuer able soundly to resolue our selues of the presence and the speedines of death for hee alone must lighten our mindes with knowledge and fill our hearts with his grace that wee may rightly consider hereof and so esteeme of euery day and houre as if it were the very day and houre of our death So the dangers foreseene will be lesse greeuous and we shall more easily contemn this world with the vanities thereof and keepe our selues in good fashion according to the Prouerbe Remember the end and thou shalt neuer doe amisse Ecclus. 7. 36. and approoue right Christians for as saith Gregorie The life of a Christian is nothing else but a continuall meditation of Death and as a watchman euer thinketh and looketh for the enemies comming and therefore will not sleepe so must wee often meditate of death and make account that euery present day shal be our dying day and euery night our bed to be our graue and so for that remnant of time wee haue to liue euer walke in the feare of God and so hee shall neuer need to feare Death who by a godly life hath giuen due entertainment to the feare of God We must not onely be euery day willing to die but bee ready with oyle in our Lamps esteeming euery day the last day of our liues which that wee may the more cheerefully doe we must endeuour before death come to pull out the stings of death that is the power strength thereof by true repentance and faith in Christ Iesus Sampson was soone vanquished when the Philistines found where his great strength lay and thou mayest put safely a serpent in thy bosome if thou pull out his sting so take sinne away which is the sting of Death then may Death as a Bee without a sting hum and buzze about thine eares but not harme thee wherefore if wee would liue when we are dead wee must die to sinne and to the world and flesh while we are aliue and not omit these duties 1. To humble our selues for all our sinnes past confessing them wholly against our selues and in prayer crying instantly to God for pardon of them 2. For the time to come to turne to God and to carry a purpose resolution and endeuour in all things to reforme both heart and life according to Gods word 3. We must euer beleeue in Christ by whom the sting of death is taken out for they onely feare Death who feare and doubt whether Christ died for them if then Death hath bin slaine by Christ Iesus then now to the faithfull it is no death but a sleepe a separaration a passing from the world and a going vp to God a disioyning of the soule from the body Philip. 1. 22. 23. Ioh. 13. 3. and a consecration as if wee said it is a solemne ceremony by which the faithful are wholly consecrated and dedicated vnto God to the end that hereafter they should render vnto him no other sacrifice nor exercise but to sing and set forth the prayses of God to sanctifie his holy name and so it is called Baptisme also for that by Death we passe as Israell through the red Sea and Iordan to the Holy Land of the liuing for the thing that maketh vs most feare death is that we behold it in the myrrour of the Law which sets it forth vnto vs vnder a shape and shew that is very fearefull to looke vnto and vnder the forme of a Sergeant armed with the anger and wrath of God and accompanied and guarded with all the threats and curses of the Law against all those that violate transgresse the same who commeth violently and implacably to serue his writ to arest vs to appeare before Gods high Tribunall all excuses set apart and to receiue the sentence of damnation to hel fire eternally without ease or release baile or maine-prize which dealing of Death is so terrible to the flesh and soule of a sinner that the very remembrance of it is exceeding bitter to a man that is sowsed and soaked in the pleasures of this world for it now flattereth none regardeth no persons weigheth not friendship careth not for rewards to looke vnto but in imagination is very grimme ougly and cruell and killeth downe-right without mercy where it hitteth and who can abide his comming Now to free vs from this sight fright and feare we are to behold Death in the myrrour of the Gospell stinglesse disarmed and conquered by Christ and so swallowed vp in victory for vs his Beloued and Elect. 5. Seeing then that the sting of death is sinne and that the power and force of euery mans particular death and iudgement lieth in his owne sinnes wee must heerein be exceeding watchful to spend our time and study in vsing all good meanes that our sinnes may be remoued and pardoned for see how many sinnes be in thee so many stings of sinne be in thee also which wound thy soule to death therefore let not one sin remain for which thou hast not humbled thy selfe and repented seriously and if we will liue eternally let vs begin to liue that eterna'l life before wee die which is the first degree of eternity Let vs now rise to a new life by the first resurrection that we may haue part in the latter Reuel 20. 6. and now labour for sauing knowledge that we need not be Catechized on our death-bed Now labour we for true peace of conscience that we be not to agree with our aduersary when we are arested and when it is too late we hauing nothing to pay yet we see to our sorrow that of all businesse this is least respected much care is for the tenement the body little for the tenant the soule and least for the Landlord Christ Iesus But such as hasten not their worke shew they looke not for their Master and they that
take no care of paying their rent shew they despise their Landlord to their own losse hurt and confusion 6. Study and exercise daily the Art of dying most men lay how to liue in the world but a Christians care should be how to die well out of this world and that master-care carrieth about all the inferiour and subordinate cares and affaires of this life therefore let vs invre and accustome our selues daily by little and little to die before death come for hee that leaues the world before the world leaues him reacheth the hand to death as to a welcome messenger and with Simeon departs in wished peace and as men that are appointed to runne a race exercise themselues before in running that they may get the victory so should we begin to die now while we are liuing that we might die well in the end so Paul 1. Cor. 15. 31. said that hee died daily not so much for that hee was daily in danger of death by reason of his calling but for that in all his dangers and troubles hee inured and exercised himselfe to die for when men do make the right vse of their afflictions and endeuour to beare them patiently humbling themselues as vnder the correction of God then they begin to die well and to doe this indeed is to take an excellent course He that would mortifie his greatest sinnes must begin to doe it with small sinnes which when they are once reformed a man shall be able more easily to ouercome his miseries so likewise he that would beare the crosse of all crosses namely death it selfe must first of all learne to beare small crosses as sickenesse troubles losses which may fitly be tearmed little deaths and the beginning of death it selfe and wee must first of all acquaint our selues with these little deaths before wee can be able to beare the greatest death of all Against the afflictions and calamities of this life are as it were the Harbingers and Purueyors of Death and we must first learn how to entertaine these messengers that when the Master shall come wee may in better manner welcome and cheere him 7. As many as bee able to doe any good seruice eyther for Gods glory or his Church or Common-wealth or to any priuate man or woman because his departure hence is vncertaine and the night of his day draweth on hee must hasten with all speed to doe it lest death preuent him and it be laid to his charge so that hee loose his reward for this point note Eccles. 9. 10. Iohn 9. 4. Galat. 6. 10. And hee that hath care to spend his daies in well-doing shall with much comfort peace of conscience end his life for he that labours for the good of others shall be beloued while he is here and lamented when he is gone but such as onely make worke for themselues as hogs at the trough both liue without being desired nor beloued and dying are neuer missed nor lamented Let vs then doe all to Gods glory and mens good and thus farre of our generall watch Next followes our particular vvatch for death as thus So soone as wee feele sickenesse seize vpon our bodies then is it high time to begin our particular watch and preparation for death where 1. Wee must consider whence our sickenesse commeth euen by the speciall prouidence of God and the cause of this affliction is our sinne as Lam. 3. 30. Mich. 7. 9. Math. 9. 2. Iohn 5. 14. Wherfore is the liuing man sorrowfull Man suffereth for his sinne and though there be no other causes of our death yet sickenesse comes ordinarily and vsually of sinne and therefore speedily must we make a new examination of our hearts and all our liues passed say with Israell Let vs search and try our wayes and turne againe vnto the Lord Lamen 3. 40. and so labour to bee reconciled vnto him in Christ though wee haue formerly beene long assured of his fauour 2. Wee must make a new confession vnto God of our new and particular sinnes not forgetting the old specially the sinnes of our youth and ignorance before our calling and thereto Thirdly make new prayers and more earnest then euer before with vnexpressed sighes and grones of the spirit and that for pardon of the same sinnes and for full reconciliation with God in Christ. In the exercise of these three duties stands the renouation of our faith and repentance whereby they are increased quickened and reuiued and the more sickenesse preuailes in the body the more should we be carefull to put them in vre that spiritual life might encrease as temporall life is decayed then are we to forgiue and desire to be forgiuen of all the world specially of our owne Minister 4. If our paines and sickenesse discourage vs wee are to set speedily our house in order and then send for our Parish Minister who if it may be must not be absent from vs while breath is in our bodie but to exhort perswade encourage answere our doubts pray with vs and for vs help vs in our feares and temptations and as a Bride for her Bridegroome make vs ready attyring vs in the wedding garment and robes royall for the marriage of the Sonne of God neyther must their godly neighbours be now absent but as they haue been formerly privy to our godly liues so if we accuse and condemne our selues they must testifie the truth of vs further then the Ministers knowledge extends and so comfort and set them as eye and care-witnesses of our former life in assured hope of vndoubted saluation 5. And because no godly meanes must be omitted to preserue life till God take it away the Physitians skill is not to be refused obseruing this order that where the Diuine ends there the Physitian must begin and not contrarily for let vs neuer look for health in body vntill wee haue a faithfull and sanctified soule desiring God to blesse the meanes he vseth for vs which we truely cannot doe vntill our Consciences perswade vs of the pardon of our sinnes 6. This done let vs set our soules in order and see how wee stand in the fauour of God and so shall wee die more voluntarily quietly and patiently and let vs labour that our sinnes die in vs before we die in the world and consider we what an excellent thing it is for vs to end our liues before our deaths and in such sort that at that houre wee haue nothing to doe but to die and that then we haue need of nothing no not of time nor of our selues c. but sweetly and comfortably to depart this life 7. This sanctified preparation will cause vs not onely ioyfuâ—ly and cheerefully to depart this life but withall in ful and hopeful assurance of a glorious resurrection First to commit our wiues and children and people vnto the protection of Almighty God to receiue them at his hand in his bâ—essed Kingdome againe Secondly then
trimme the chambers and vvhat not that so they may be freed from all blame receiue their Master with ioy and be of him commended and rewarded So though Gods Elect be through the whole course of their liues and for death also very watchfull that so they may bee approued of God come hee when he please to iudgement yet if by Gods messengers they bee aduertised that his comming is by infallible signes at hand then they prepare and trimme their lamps a fresh and so vse to the two former a third more speciall watch and so a threefold Cable will not bee soone burst and thrise blessed are those seruants whom their Lord when hee commeth shall find so doing Luk. 12. 43. which being so I out of this third member and sense of my text arise this doctrine Whosoeuer will escape the dreadfull sentence of condemnation in the day of Iudgement and be receiued to eternall glory must most carefully watch for our Sauiour Christ Iesus comming to iudgement Before I descend to the proofes of this doctrine so little respected of many I will shew the necessity therof that so my godly Christian may be perswaded more carefully to stand vpon his watch As first there is not a more effectuall Doctrine to rouse the sluggard from his deadly security and sleeping in sinne then to blow in his â—are this fearefull trumpet to call him to iudgement and in time prepare for it no man almost so dead in sinne but will be awaked at this Alarum 2. Who seeth not the sensuall licentiousnesse of this age we liue in that they neyther regard heauen nor hell but as an horse to the battell rush vpon the pikes of all wickednesse with greedines and therefore ought to be put in minde and terrified with Gods iudgements allured with his promises for the â—ife to come 3. A booke case it is that all must die and come to iudgement Heb. 9. 27. Rom. 14. 10. 12. and 2. Corinth 5. 10. 11. as thou tenderest then thy saluation remember that thou art a man a Christian in that thou art a man needs must thou die yet not as a beast to be quite extinguiâ—hed for thy body shall but rest and sleepe a while in the graue and for that terme of time thy soule shalâ— be carried into a region of weale or woe And in that thou art a Christian belieue this article of the Christian faith that thou must in body and soule rise come to iudgment and therfore prepare for it that now for it is high time and thou hast idled ouer-long and it is ouer-late to make any delay 4. Sathan mans deadly enemy labours to hide from vs this day so fearefull and faine vvould perswade vs that there shall bee no day of iudgement and preuaileth with all Mockers Sadduces and Atheists his schollers though he can neuer perswade himselfe therein which makes him beleeue and tremble Iam 2. 19. and though it be yet it is not in haste for the daies are prolonged Ezech. 11. 3. and 12. 22. out and though it come it shall not come so suddenly but a man may make somâ— shift to hide him in that throng or haue respit to say his prayers or cry Lord haue mercy vpon mee and marke it will Satan say iâ— thou shouldst entertaine such frightfull meditations of death of hell of iudgement c. they would depriue a man of all worldly comforts make them weary of their liues therefore needfull it is for them to know how it is likely to fare vvith them if they repent not and I would that but the very remembrance of that day which is so fearefull to Sathan that it causeth him to feare and tremble and which should make rich men weepe and howle Iam. 2. 19. and 5. 1. were deepely infixed in our hearts and then should it not greatly need to call vpon them once twice thrice to watch for then euery man would be a Niniuite Ion. 3. 6. and would at euery temptation remember this counting day whereas now alas no sooner is the thunder-clappe of Gods temporall iudgements past but with Pharaoh their hearts be hardned with Israel they repent of reformation and with hogge and dogge returne to their weltring in the mire and to their olde vomit as though there were no God no heauen no iudgement no hell 5. The world is wholly drowned in infidelity Luke 18. 8. and needs must bee conuinced thereof and drawne to repentance faith and new obedience that wee all may cheerefully meete the Lord in the clouds and bee saued 6. The due meditation vpon this day will enforce vs to contemne the world and all the vanities thereof Seeing then they must be fired and we iudged for abusing them hee that beleeueth this will soone contemne all present vanities and hasten to future felicitie and euer will be thankefull to God for giuing him this warning to pul the stings of that day out of his conscience before dooms day come that so that day bee not terrible vnto him but a ioyfull wedding day translating the nature of it from a day of iudgment to a day of redemption conuerting it from the door of hell to the blessed gate of heauen 7. This doctrine of the last iudgement is moreouer in sundry respects profitable for 1. It will stirre vs vp to serue God sincerely without hypocrisie 2. It will cause vs suruay our liues and iudge our selues that we be not iudged of the Lord it will also pull downe our pride and loath the best thing that will hinder our reckoning in that day 3. It will cause vs make no more account of this world then of an Inne or baiting-place and to ioy that wee haue occasion to leaue it and the vanities thereof 4. It is Gods day of redemption and our yeare of Iubely to warne vs to enter into the possession prepared for vs before all worlds Thus of the premises wee see that this watch appertaineth to all men and that none must refuse this so necessary a worke Now this Doctrine is proued true and sound and is confirmed in Math. 24. 42. and 25. all c. Mark 13. 33. out Luke 12. 35. to 49. and 17. 20. out and 21. 25. to 37. Iohn 5. 27. c. 1. Thes. 4. 15. out and 5. 1. to 12. and 2. Thes. 1. 7. out and 〈◊〉 Tim 408. Apoc. 20. 12. out and 22. 20. all which places call and exhort vs to watch and prepare our selues for this great day This is figured in Exod. 19. as the Lord commanded Moses to sanctifie the people against the third day so Christ bids 〈◊〉 against doomes day 2. as God gaue signes of his comming so did Christ. 3. as Moses brought the people to meet the Lord so the Angels gather the Elect to iudgement 4. as the people 〈◊〉 the thunders and trumpets so shall they feare in that day 5. as God then deliuered the Law so then will hee iudge
the violaters thereof 6. as that day waâ— for the good of the Elect so will this be to Reasons enforce this Doctrine 1. Because the Iudge himselfe commandeth vs so to doe Luke 11. 28. 2. Gods iustice mercy calls for this day to punish the wicked and crowne the godly 3. The Lord sundry times and after diuers manners forewarned vs heereof as 1. by pronouncing the sentence of Death for sinne before it was committed Gen. 2. 17. 2. by often repeating the same sentence in the Law Deutr. 27. 26. 3. by the euidence of euery mans conscience summoning as it were all men to appeare at the day appointed before the great Iudge of all the world Ioh. 8. 7. and 1. Iohn 3 20. 21. Rom. 2. 15. 16. 4. by his speciall temporall iudgements that figure it as vpon the old world Sodom Babel Canaan c. 5. by many signes and tokens fore-running and presaging the same 6. by deliuering his talents to bee occupied vntill his comming againe Luk. 19. 12. 7. 7. by the word of God warning all to iudgement 4. The ends for which Christ commeth to iudgement iustifie the same as 1. for the glory and praise of his Iustice for all eternity 2. inrespect of the compleat fulfilling of Christs three offices And then shall he deliuer vp the kingdome to his father when hee hath put downe all power rule and authority 1. Cor. 15. 24. e. 3. for the crowning of the Elect with immortality in heauen for hauing abolished Sinne and Death and reconciled the Elect hee shall deliuer them to his Father to be crowned with eternall glory and shall triumph ouer all his enemies for euer 4. In respect of men that euery man may receiue his iust desarts be they good or euill 5. for the deliuerance of the creatures from the slauish bondage of corruption whereunto it is subiect Rom. 8. 20. 6. meet and right it is that the Lord should bee reuenged vpon Satan and all his complices for troubling his Elect and consequently vpon all the world for persecuting and afflicting any manner of way his holy Church who now as the bloud of Abel cry against their oppressors Reuel 6. 9. â—0 Luk. 18. 7. and with their prayers hasten the Lord to iudgement and so likewise do the cries of the poore of the hireling the stranger widdow and fatherlesse Deut. 24. 14. 15. Gen. 18. 20. and 4. 10. 6. 5. 6. 7. Iam. 5. 4. the complaint of the Angels of Satans sowing tâ—res Mat. 13. 27. the accusations of Sathan Reu. 12. 10. and the sins of all the world crying to God all which hasten his comming to this great assises and the while he stayeth and delayeth his comming for causes best knowne to himselfe as the complement of the Elect c. also he is faine by strange fearefull and extraordinary iudgements to punish the world when for want of executing Iustice men hiding their eyes Leuit. 20. 1. and to visit countries and people vvith strange plagues and calamities and that for the peace of his Elect else the world would grow out of frame Satan and his kingdom become ouer-insolent and the poore and weake be trodden vnderfoot and therefore there must be a day of generall iudgement The Doctrine thus proued it followeth to giue some vses for the edifying of the conscience whereof the first serues for confutation of all Atheists Sadduces Epicures ignorant Sotts Mockers and whosoeuer besides of that cursed crue and litter who impudently desperately deny there shall be any day of iudgement and therefore without reremorse giue the raines of liberty to all sensuality and abhominations Math. 22. 23 and Acts 23. 8. and 1. Cor. 15. 12. Phil. 3. 18. 19. and 2. Pet. 3. 3. 4. The reasons of these foolish-witty sinners be these the whole world stands of beleeuers and vnbeleeuers but there is no general iudgment day for neyther of these for the beleeuer hath life euerlasting and shall not come to iudgement but passeth from death to life Ioh. 5. 24. as for the vnbeleeuer hee is condemned already Iohn 3. 18. and needs no further iudgement and therefore there shal be no iudgement at all for it is needless I answer By iudgement is meant sometimes absolution as Math. 25. 34. other while condemnation Iohn 5. 24. now God will iudge the iust and the wicked Eccles. 3. 17. the beleeuer shall not come to the iudgement of condemnatioÌ„ yet shal he come to the iudgement of absolution Math. 25. 34. 40. 41. they reply that all men at their seuerall deaths and departure out of this world are iudged and what needs the generall I answer That notwithstanding this particular iudgement granted onely vpon mens soules there must and shall be a generall Sessions and that for the aboue recited reasons as also 1. Because in the first particular iudgement the soule onely is iudged and the body is interred in the graue therefore meet it is that as soule body honoured or dishonoured God together both should be paid or pained together and therefore must both appeare that day to be iudged according to their workes 2. The Lord in pronouncing his sentence of absolution as of condemnation will be iustified and glorified in the face of all the world 3. The Lord will haue this to bee a day of generall triumph ouer sinne and Satan and there must a day be assigned for it and therefore are wee to watch for it The second Vse serues for instruction for Gods children to bee wise and watchfull for seeing there must bee a generall day of iudgement wee must without delay or procrastinations prepare for it which I take we shall performe the better if wee vse the few motiues offered to your considerations to stir vp your hearts for this work wherof I raise my first motiue from the very names and attributes of that fearefull day for the names in part shew the nature thereof whereof some be fearefull to rouse the sleepy sluggard others comfortable to encourage forward the godly and both in time to regard their saluation as 1. This day is called the day of iudgement Math. 12. 36. Luk. 10. 14. and who knoweth not that to iudge meaneth properly to doe iustice vpon malefactors for it is contrary to the name of sauing deliuering or redeeming Ioh. 12. 47. 48. and therefore thereby is meant a day of damnation which implyeth thus much that in that day Christ the Iudge will bee so offended with his enemies that hee himselfe will sit in iudgement vpon them to condemn them to hell we know that Monarchs sit not in iudgment for toyes howsoeuer reprobates make but a sport of sin Pro. 4. 19. though they tread vnder foot the very bloud of Christ the Iudge himselfe 2. It is called a snare Luk. 21. 35. because as birds when they fare best misdoubt no danger are vnawares caught in a snare so when the wicked are most secure this
will reply that this requireth much businesse and it is a death to many a good fellow to leaue his folly and labour for piety and therefore we know when our Sauiour walked vpon earth he was so meeke and mercifull and is so still that hee would deny vs any thing that we requested of him and will hee not now likewise be intreated at the generall supplication of all poore people appointed to death yea almost of all the world to grant vs this one and neuer but this one petition that there shall neuer bee any day of iudgement then should we liue meerely sleepe carelesse from all feares and frights and die ioyfully and as for any estate after this life we should looke for none nor yet trouble him to prouide for vs while we be heere for we would shift euery man for himselfe and liue by our wits and me thinkes he should not deny all the world this one request so easie for him to grant and so tending to his honour and glory and beneficiall to vs for now would we serue him duly and offer euery man bountifully vnto him gifts and offerings yea and restore to hoâ—y Church for Gods seruice all the spoyles taken from it so all things considered hee should bee no looser for what losse to him to depriue a few of life eternall seeing he hath the fulnesse and perfection of all glory in himselfe and needs not our prayers nor praises better that a few busie fellows should euer loose heauen then that all reprobates being so many gentlemen and so tall proper and faire conditioned men should for euer boyle fry in hell-fire This supplication questionlesse would soone be granted and if all will not ioyn with me I know God respecteth neyther persons nor multitude I will my selfe request it I know he will not deny it me I answer This indeed would be a fine deuise to gather heapes of gold and â—â—lâ—er for if any couetous Balaam or Iudas who sometimes were in high fauor with God were bid as once Salomon was 1. King 3. 5. to aske what hee would haue granted him or as Elisha did the Shunamite 2. King 4. 13. 14. Methinkes I see in my minde what concourse and suite would of all the world bee made vnto them not to desire wisedome nor children nor any temporal boone but that there should be no day of iudgement to as many as at a reasonable rate price would buy it at Iudas hand euery man according to their ability and as for kingdomes riches honour and glory hee should not bee to seeke for Herod would giue Master Iudas the halfe of his kingdome to liue securely with Herodias Balthasar would make him third Ruler in the kingdome cloath him with purple and put a chaine of gold about his necke to deliuer him from the hand-writing vpon the wall and Felix to deliuer him from this feare of that day would shew him no small friendship Esau to pleasure him would sell his birth-right Satan the God of the world would giue him all the kingdoÌ„es of the world and the glory of them to secure him from this day nay who would not make a purse for this collection and contribution yea crouch and kneele too to master Iudas to buy this immunity no pardon to this neuer was heauen so little regarded nor immortality at a lower price nor God himselfe as now when most men are content to forfeit heauen and depriue themselues of all the good things of God and withall to giue to the most accursed of men euen to the Deuill Iudas masses of gold and siluer which they would neuer do to the poore members of Christ to procure this cursed pardon and now Iudas fault is that he is not couetous enough oh that hee would for this pardon aske aboundantly gold pearles iewels and what not and hee should haue it vvith thankes though they themselues liued beggers euer after for now the couetous Iudge would poure out his bribes the deceitfull Counsellors his Angells the double-faced Atturney his double fees the Oppressors and Sacriledgers their ill gotten goods spoyls of Gods Church the crafts-men their cousening money the Physitions their spoyles of the sicke the Vsurers their bagges the inordinate liuers as hunters faulkners seruing-men and banquerupts their idle and false prophane theeueries yet the poore harlot wil sell to her very petticoat to get money for Christs poore Apostle yea all theeues robbers murtherers and adulterers all rogues vagabonds and who not will now spare no labour nor cost by hooke or crooke to satisfie master Iudas his greedy gutte that he shall neuer neede heereafter to sell his Master for money To conclude what vngratious hypocrite miserable corne-hoorder inordinate pestilent liuer out of a calling egregious malefactor theeuâ—sh cut-purse subtle conycatcher filthy and beastly liuer swaggerer swearer drunkard and idler whosoeuer yea the very A theists howsoeuer otherwise they contemne all yet would sell all for this freedome for then would they open the very gates of hell to entertaine Satan himselfe and all his children not regarding what mischiefe they did being now exempted from iudgement and hell-sire neyther is this my deuised fiction to sport recreate your mindes as it is a lamentable truth to be mourned sorrowed of all Gods elect for goe through the whole world enquire of this point wishing euery man as in the sight of God to declare his Conscience and if they doubt not you shall finde that not onely malefactors but infinite swarmes of Professors are of this minde if wishing would preuaile them that there should bee no day of iudgement for howsoeuer in their troubles they desire to be dissolued and be with Christ yet as weomen great with childe desire they were deliuered but vvhen their houre commeth they cry out and wish it were further off So when the time of their dissolution approacheth they abhorre death and iudgement which noteth they haue not yet learned to die nor prepared for iudgement but with that hypocrite in Micha 6. 6. Would bow and bribe the Lord with burnt offerings and calues of a yeere old with thousand of Rammes and ten thousand riuers of Oyle and giue his first-borne for his transgression and the fruit of his body for the sin of his soule which plainely conuinceth that there is no faith vpon the earth Luke 18. 8. This is the case of all men almost that they would giue any thing that there should bee no day of iudgement and that because their consciences tell them that the day of iudgement is their very day of execution and therefore to escape this day regard not though they depriue all Gods Elect from heauen yea God himselfe from his honor and glory Christ Iesus from his body mysticall the Church and themselues be transformed to beasts in body and soule dying together And this is a notable touch-stone to try mans present state God-ward If with Simeon Paul
there bee in that hellish city and if the Diuels themselues being spirits cannot abide this burning how much lesse shall corporall men doe it all feares be nothing to this terror al torments be but sports to this death what then shall wee doe to preuent all this but as is aboue-said and euen as Isaiah chap. 33. 14. 15. aduiseth saying who among vs shall dwell with the euerlasting burnings Hee that walketh in iustice and speaketh righteous things refusing gaine of oppression shaking his hands from taking of gifts stopping his eares from hearing of bloud and shutting his eyes from seeing euill Hee shall dwell on high c. and so much of the throne of God And so farre of the ninth Motiue The tenth Motiue to watchfulnesse is the manner of Christs proceeding in iudgement for first before him shall bee gathered all Nations Hee being set vpon the throne of his glory and he shall separate them one from another as a Shepheard separateth the sheepe from the goates and hee shall set the sheep on his right hand and the goates on the left Math. 25. 31. 32. 33. Where first note heere is no producing of Witnesses nor impanelling of Iuries because the Iudge himselfe knoweth the very secrets of all hearts and is perfectly priuy to euery mans waies according to Reuel 2. 23. All the Churches shall know that I am hee which search the reynes and hearts and I will giue vnto euery one of you according to your workes And besides this euery mans guilty conscience shall be as a thousand witnesses and as a booke of inditements and euidences against him assenting and consenting to this proceeding of his Iudge Rom. 2. 15. 16. and 1. Cor. 4. 5. Math. 16. 19. Reuel 20. 12. and so remaine vpon the file that day this separation of the wheate from the tares of the sheepe from the goates and lambes from the wantonkyddes is the entrance beginning of the execution of Gods iudgement vpon the wicked which how gastfull and distastefull it will be to the diuels themselues as also to all Reprobates no heart can conceiue nor tongue relate In this life the goatish worldlings lord it and scorned to be set on the worser hand but now they are faine to stand below and giue place to their betters for the Iudge of all the world can easily discerne betweene the precious and the vile and place eyther of them in their proper rankes and now the wretches full of sorrow see how the day is like to goe with them for the Iudge himselfe many yeeres before told them vpon which hand the Reprobate should be placed though they regarded it not but applied it to others iudging others for left-handed men and not themselues but now the conscience gnaweth and crieth guilty formerly they were full of presumed faith and hope neuer doubting to say they doe it to be thus placed but now the wretches which they scorned to place vvith their dogges appeare cheerefully with great boldnesse on the better hand before the faces of such as tormented them and tooke away their labours this killeth the proud and haughty heart and casteth them downe to hell gates now could they wish they had neuer beene borne or being borne had ledde Lazarus life now with the Leaper they put their hands vpon their heads and cry I am vncleane I am vncleane Leuit. 13. 45. Now they see all the gates and well-springs of mercy locked and quite dried vp now the worme of Conscience as a greedy Wolfe Viper or Vulture beginneth a-fresh to gnaw their hearts and will neuer die and thus before the Iudge speakes a word they iudge themselues who would not doe it when they were required so to doe and now they see and for greefe eate their hearts and weepe in their soules that for so momentany shadowes of pleasures and profits they were so mad as to renounce God forfeit heauen sell themselues to hell torments and dispossesse themselues of eternall blisse which might easily be attained if in the time accepted they had accepted thereof Oh that they might but once againe but for a little time return to the world againe oh how would they knowing what they know repent fast pray yea doe all good workes specially to Christs brethren how deepely would they lament their sinnes reforme their liues and in all things obay the watch men of their soules who euer formerly they hated and whose hearts and soules of set purpose they vexed grieued with their drunken abhominations since the time their soules were separated from their bodies their case was euer lamontable yet desired to see this day in hope of some comfort when they receiued their bodies and when the Lord came to iudgement but now euery way the case is worse soule and body must together trudge to hell fire for euer and who is able to abide that burning they desired poore wretches to appear soule body this day before their iust Iudge and to come once more to hearing and to haue their causes more throughly heard and scanned but alas how are they repelled as vnknowne and workers of iniquity Math. 7. 22. 23. Now could they wish that soule and body had neuer come together but that the body had still rotted in the graue Alas now what shall they doe there is no place to hide them nor flee vnto for releefe seeing they haue so hainously prouoked the Lords wrath while time and tide serued they regarded it not now Gods turne commeth with his sword of Iustice to cut them off and so this day is turned vnto night woe bee vnto them that euer they sinned The vse we are to make now in good time of this dolefull appearance serues both for terror to the wicked to repent in time and for wholesome admonition to the godly to beware of hypocrisie or apostacie or backe-sliding from the Lord we see heere the lamentable perpleâ—ity of the wicked and reward of sinfulnesse and how the whole state is in one moment ouerturned and that such as tooke themselues in respect of their saluation cocke-sure doe fall to desperate ruine albeit in their life-time they thought they had such abundance of faith and the same so powerfull that they could not perish possibly and if faith failed yet entreaty and crying for mercy would effectit but now foolish had-I-wist commeth in too late as had I wist of this I had not made my belly my God my lands my heauen my 〈…〉 mon my master my goatish lecherie my solace this world my portion nor gloried in that whereof I am now confounded and euer shall be ashamed Now they repent and euer shall repent that they no sooner repented but this repentance is but the feeding of the worm of conscience now they though too late finde who is the greatest lyar Michaiah the true or Zedechiah the false Prophet the faithfull Preachers or deceitfull hypocrites the word of God or the perswasions of the world the counsell of
now but too late rue and to their cost feele the heart of a poore man Now iudgement is mercilesse to them that shewed no mercy for as they stopped their eares at the cry of the poore so now Gods eare is stopped against them a day there was when they howted the poore from them now the time is come when Christ howâ—eth them to hell and iust it is that he that forsooke God and was ashamed of his word and af 〈…〉 icted Saints that GOD should forsake him and his Saints should so likewise and as the shame of all creatures bee ashamed to know or regard him Math. 10. 28. The Vse serues for admonition to all Gods children to consider before hand what an vnrecouerable losse it will be to any creature thus in wrath and for euer to be separated from his God and from all goodnesse and to bee made a Deuill for what made the falling Angells Deuills but the depriuing stripping of them from all graces and gifts of God and to bee cast to all heauy designements Then consider what childe what seruant or subiect can abide or endure to heare such terrible words Depart from me ye cursed so full of indignation wrath and anguish from the mouth of the most mercifull euer blessed Sauiour of the world knowing and foreseeing what losse followeth vpon the speaking of the words and what vnspeakeable torments shal in the necke thereof seize vpon his soule and body and that for euer in hell and vvhat a shame of shames is it now to be thus disgraced and degraded before all the world and that at such an instant as he most needeth and is most friendlesse helpelesse and standeth vpon his doing or vndoing for euer oh this would kill a mans heart and will cast downe the stoutest heart liuing no sentence no prison no execution to this shame Consider but the case of a married wife who though she lose all her friends and liue in extreame penury yet so long as shee enioyeth her husbands fauour and loue she will comfort her selfe against all indignities but if she play the harlot and he say vnto her depart from nice thou accursed whoore this killeth her heart she looseth all the benefits of wedlocke incurreth the hatred of all men and is cast into extreame misery and shame in the world to her dying day and yet is this but a temporall losse and in losing him she â—oâ—eth not God if shee repent and amend nor heauen nor life but heere in losing this bridegroome of the Elect man loseth with him all goodnes and is endowed and possessed vvith all badnesse This point is further strengthened if we consider and meditate vpon Psal. 27. 12. Isa. 49. 15. Ezech. 10. 3. 4. and 11. â—2 and 43. 2. Exod. 33. 3. Iosh. 7. 7. Iudg. 2. 2. out of which places wee may see what it is to lose so good so louing and mercifull a God who worse then Cain Esau Saul Iudas yet Cain could not abide the burthen of sinne and loosing Gods fauour perswaded his soule that whosoeuer mette him should kill him Esau sould his birth-right and though hee sought the blessing with teares hee could not finde it Heb. 12. 17. Saul could not abide that the Lord would not answer him and Iudas hanged himselfe yea it was a death to Absolon though a trecherous parricide to be debarred his Fathers presence 2. Sam. 14. 30. yet these had contentments in this life in full measure vnlesse it were Iudas but heere contentment is to be expected in nothing no more then a swinner can drowning who can catch at nothing but water so these wretches swimming in the Lake that burneth with fire and brimstone can catch and lay hold on nothing but at fire to helpe them withall If Dauid mourned that he was exiled from the Tabernacle Ps. 42. 1. c. and 84. 1. c. and 132. 1. and 1. Sam. 26. 19. and Theodosius that by Ambrose he was forbidden the Church how much more shall these excommunicate persons mourn and lament when they bee exiled Gods presence and Church triumphant and thrust into that hellish synagogue where is nothing but weeping and gnashing of teeth when Assuerus spake but one angry speech to haughty Hâ—mâ—n Ester 7. 8. as the word went out of the Kings mouth they couered his face and ledde him to execution and yet that was but a temporall but this is an externall execution and what would a damned person in this case giue to recouer Gods presence and fauour that doe thou now and thou shalt not miscarry whereas all teares lamentations spent in hell will bee vnsufficient therefore repent in time We repent and are right sorry for temporall losses as Adam for Paradise Elie for the losse of the Arke Reâ—oboam for his kingdome but no losse to this when after thy sentence denounced thou must without delay trudge the blacke way to perdition with many a deepe sigh and comfortlesse sobbe to sup in that full hungry pallace of perdition and confusion with the Prince of darkenesse and his accursed complices at the terrible table of Gods vengeance and then wilt thou with Caine cry My punishment is greater then I can beare Gen. 4. 13. for the greater the good thing wee lose is the greater will bee our sorrow but God is the greatest good of all and to lose him bringeth the greatest sorrow greefe then God is the center and rest of mans soule therefore as there is no separation to that of the soule from the body of one member from another so is there no greefe to this separation of the body from the head of one member in this body from another and of man from his good God in whom he liueth mooueth and hath his being and all his felicity and therefore this losse is vnsupportable and as some think greater and soâ—er then the paines positiue viz. the losing of God for what hypocrite or heart of man can now abide to heare Angell or Deuill say Where is now thy God Micha 7. 10. Psal. 42. 3. and 143. 7. The remedy for all then is this to thinke now of this depriuation and to preuent it to performe such duties of faith and obedience as we would then vvish vvee had performed in true and hearty repentance and remember here now to exercise stoutnesse against sinne Sathan and all worldly vanities Malachy 3. 13. and not for them against our good God and his Saints and withall as an effect of a true liuely faith vse all mercy to the poore and loue to Gods Ministers and euer draw nye to God that hee may draw nye in that day to vs and so farre of the first member of this execution of the sentence and of the priuatiue paines or sorrow of losse and therefore in time prepare against it The second point is of the latter part of the execution which is called the paines positiue or paiâ—es of sense because they
are afflicted as well vpon the outward senses of the body as vpon the inward faculties of the soule and these paines are twofold the one remote or vvithout man the other propinque neere and vpon mans soule and body the outward paines remooued from the whole man are such externall torments as are accidentall and seize vpon him by reason of the place or prison it selfe and the company therein As for the place where the wicked shal bee tormented is called Hell the names thereof expresse the nature of the same and first the Heathen illuminated onely by the light of nature and rules of equity call it first a forgetting of all goodnesse 2. a desire of euil 3. the waters of greese and renouncing of all ioyes 4. weeping and lamenting 5. a Lake of misery and euerlasting loathing of the former workes 6. a darke place 7. darkenesse it selfe 8. a place of terror trouble and vexation vvhere dwelleth no order but confusion and euerlasting horror 9. wringing 10. an infectious hole 11. a place breathing exhalations of brimstone 12. a botttomles pit c. where we see how nature iustifieth the Lord in mens consciences how naturall wittes deuise acknowledge iudge of diuersities of torments due for sinners though they neuer were taught them out of Gods Word yet they iudge these to bee the worthy reward of sinne and sinners Secondly the Scripture termes the place by these names Hell Math. 10. 28. Euerlasting perdition 2. Thes. 1. 9. A Lake burning with fire and brimstone which is the second death Reuel 21. 8. the deepe Luke 8. 31. Gehenni or the valley of the sonnes of Himmon Ier. 7. 30. and 19. 6. Math. 23. 23. Tophet Isa. 30. 33. and 2. King 23. 10. vtter darkenesse Math. 23. 13. vnquenchable fire Mat. 3. 12. and 13. 25. a place without Reuel 22. 15. which names as fearefull as they bee expresse not the thousand part of the ineffable paines thereof onely as in a figure by these names the Scripture lispe to our capacity rather then in expresse termes doe vtter the full effect of Gods wrath vpon sinners and therefore in speaking of these torments we must carefully beware that that which is figuratiuely spoken in Scripture be not taken not expounded litterally as some doe but learne and aduertise our hearers that whereas vve cannot conceiue nor vtter the extremity of these torments nor the fulsomenesse of this horrible prison yet the Scriptures expresse them by the sharpest and most intollerable punishments we know or can conceiue as fire brimstone darkenesse weeping c. and yet when wee haue heaped together all the attributes and names we know all are insufficient to declare it being incomprehensible onely let vs beleeue what wee cannot vtter and carefully auoid that cursed place betimes lest then wee bee made to feele that which now wee will neither beleeue nor eschew which God forbid and so farre of the names thereof Secondly the nature of the place teacheth what shall be the tortures and torments of such sinners as shall be cast into it neither will I bee curious in this bloudy point which nature abhorreth to bee prolixe in but onely by some few circumstances referre the deeper consideration thereof to euery mans secret meditation praying Almighty God to worke in them and me heereby such effects that we may euer auoid the the things that bring vs to it as for the nature of the place 1. Hell is described to be a prison or dungeon prepared for the Deuili and his Angelis Math 25. 4. Christs his and our aduersaries must not God be reuenged vpon his enemies and the more Christ powreth the vengeance of his reuenge vpon Satan and all reprobates the more is he glorified and his power magnified and therefore hell must be such a wide place as shall containe the whole wrath of God in the highest and extremest degree and therefore the place must be terrible where is nothing but vexing and tormenting iustruments of Gods wrath 2. The best places and sweetest vpon earth if they be not kept cleane and sauoury will soon become fulsome much more will hell made a place of dishonor and of the execution of his wrath for wee see how all places wherein God inflicteth the iudgement of his wrath are full of horror as Ierusalem Math. 23. 37. Babel Isa. 13. 19. Bozra in Edom Isa. 34. 11. 12. Niniueh Zâ—ch 2. 13. 14. c. much more hell wherevpon light all Gods curses 3. If worldly prisons and dungeons become so fulsome that in short time men lose therein their health and liues for the stinch want of contentments much more in hell for all prisons be paradises to this and the horror thereof passeth all horrors so that the very deuils desire respit not to be sent thither Luke 8. 31. 4. Here are all the torments of Gods wrath as fire brimstone and such fire as burneth euen spirits surpassing all fires Oh what anguish and torment sustaineth he that is subiect to these instruments 5. This further aggrauateth the terror and horror of the place in that it containeth not onely all the tortures and instruments of Gods fearfull vengeance but is a place of vtter darkenesse and blackenesse that is voyd of all comfort farre beyond Pharachs plague of 3. daies palpable darkenesse Exod. 10. 21. but this for euer the soarest punishment that can be inflicted vpon man is to cast him to a dungeon or darke place and yet this is nothing to that a plague of plagues fitting such as sinne in darknes and that call darkenesse light Iohn 3. 19. Ezech. 8. 12. Isa. 5. 20. Ephes. 5 8. 11. c. 6. Then the company they finde there be the Deuill and his Angelis all Reprobates and badde people as full of malice hatred and all villeny as euer they were when they liued vpon earth albeit the close prison keepes them from practising it and what a death is it for a man to bee constrained to liue euer in such a company where Satan and his Angells hatred to man is now greater then euer it was for now to their eternall confusion they feele the full reward of their wickednesse wrought to man who might haue stood in their Angell-like state had it not beene for man and therefore ceaseth not in all they can to maligne all Reprobates and the like do one Reprobate to another as agents of one anothers misery 7. Their exercise in hell is weeping and gnashing of teeth so that they cannot speake nor thinke any one good thing Thus we see both the name nature and circumstances of this fearefull place and therefore being so terrible it were wisedome for all men to beware of it and labour for heauen to dwell in euer The other sort of the paines positiue bee called the internall paines inflicted vpon both soule and body which may bee guessed partly by that which hath beene spoken of the prison and partly by the
very Deuils how hard-hearted gracelesse soeuer tremble and quake heere all springs of mercy are locked against such as shewed no mercy no one word of comfort to such as denied comfort to the comfortlesse heere Lazarus the beggar scornes to be at a gentlemans command to reach him a droppe of water for that hee denied him the crunmeâ— that fell from his table which now to his cost he rues it and feeles the wants and heauy heart of a poore man and iust it is that such as stop their eares at the cry of the poore should then cry and not be heard Oh dolefull place that yeelds no comfort and oh more wretched people that foresee not this misery to preuent it but most miserable that now hearing and knowing it no warning will serue them no calling will awake them no threatnings no not hell fire will terrifie them and therefore such as haunt mischeefe shall fall into it But O ye holy watchmen and sheepheards of the people for Christs sake cry out aloud lift vp your voyces like a trumpet giue thosee sleepers no rest vntill they bee awaked from their deadly sleep and you godly Christians exhort one another whilest it is called to day lest your hearts be hardened by the deceitfulnesse of sinne and this day come suddenly vpon you and take you away when a mans house is set on fire all the towne and country will forthwith arise to helpe to quench the fire and it is very well done but heere mans soule and body is set on hell fire yet to preuent this danger which is more then the burning of an house or towne no man helpes the watchman is asleepe the gentleman though the house of his soule be all fired snorts in his sinne and must not be awaked the neighbors help to rocke him in the cradle of security vntill death comes and arests him to come to iudgement and then the man and his workes fall in the fire and what misery findeth he not there the guilty conscience the neuer-dying worme the flames vnquenchable the darkenes frightfull comfort no where paines without and terrors within The holy Martyrs burning heere in the flames of fire felt no such matter they died in a good cause had a good conscience towards God and man vvere very cheerefull forgaue their enemies prayed for the Church exhorted one another to patience and constancie perswaded comforted and confirmed the people in the truth reioyced in spirit sang prayses to God prayed instantly to the very last gaspe committed their soules to God in full hope of a ioyfull resurrection and finally as in a burnt sacrifice more then Conquerers ascended vp to Heauen which should animate all men to retaine a good Conscience leade a godly life and be sure of a blessed comfortable death and resurrection vvhereas contrarily a bad Conscience and the guilt of a wicked life portendeth a fearfull death an heauy resurrection to be executed in hell fire But heere the wicked coyne obiections and demand how it is that the mercifull God can finde in his heart thus strangely and seuerely to punish any sinner seeing our sinnes cannot hurt him nor our piety benefit him Iob. 35. 6. 7. and 32. 3. If all be in heauen hee is not the richer nor if they be all in hell is he the poorer I answer 1. God is almighty whose infinitenesse of power wisedome and iustice makes him willing and able to inflict vpon sinners the most exact and sharpest punishment as pleaseth his Maiesty and therefore as he is a God and mighty in all his workes that is to say great wonderful terrible Nahum 1. 1. c. Cant. 8. 6. 7. Deut. 29. 20. so specially sheweth he the same in punishing Reprobates and for that cause is called the God of righteousnesse and the God of vengeance Psal. 94. 1. 2. and seeing all his other workes be wonderfull and full of Maiesty we may be assured hee is so in smiting the wicked 2. As his mercy patience is vnspeakable great in inuiting waiting for sinners repentance Rom. 2. 4. so is his iustice impatience as great if he be contened for in God mercy and iustice are termed Gods two armes therefore must be of equall length and bignesse as well in punishing the wicked as pardoning the godly 3. Sinne is a most odious and impudent aduersary to God and to all his workes prouoking his iustice in the highest degree labouring to bring the Author of all Being to a none being and all his creatures with him and therfore must God be reuenged vpon it and his fauourites as vpon the greatest enemies to his glory in the highest degree 4. This is Gods ordinance that such as feare and obey him in this life should to heauen and the others to hell this is the principall condition of his gracious couenant and therefore it must bee so 5. All transgressions against the Kings person or bloud royal are high treason to be punished with the extreamest tormens as can be deuised but the Reprobate sinne against the King of Kings in crucifying and killing his Sonne and heyre apparent within his owne Court raigning in heauen and therefore no punishment is great enough for such as crucifie the Sonne of God to death to say nothing how they coÌ„spire with Satan to disturb and persecute his Church to robbe the Lord of his honour and glory and to bring all to confusion 6. A Reprobate is an heart-murtherer of God himselfe and a destroyer of all his ordinances wishing there were no God no Iudge no heauen no hell no resurrection nor life immortall and therefore should be seuerely punished 7. The godly cry against them and so doe their bloudy sinnes and therfore the râ—ghteous Iudge must doe iâ—stice vpon them according to their demerits 8. In sinning there passeth through euery mans hart a practicke discourse of the vnderstanding laying before the sinner as it were in the one scale of the ballance the delight ease pleasure or profithe reapes by sinning and in the other the wrath of God if he sinne and hell torments with the losse of Gods fauour kingdome and all his goodnesse which all in respect of his greedinesse to sinne he renounceth maketh a couenant with death and hell and now is turned to it and receiueth his owne madde choyce The next Vse then is for vs not for lust and lustinesse in sinne thus to set at naught the Lord and his regalities for though this bee but the first degree to the paines of hell and as it were the suburbs thereof yet all the teares spent in hell are vnsufficient to bewaile the losse of Heauen and of Gods presence and yet we see millions preferre the losse of their least commodities before it but they shall finde this a greater losse when without delay they must after the sentence denounced trudge the black way to perdition with many a deepe sigh and comfortlesse sobbe from God and all the
more of heauen then any of vs yet the thinking of that country much encreaseth his sorrow and so will it be to the wicked in the midst of their iollities a sting in their soules as a tart sawce making their sweetest melodies sowre deadly If this meditation were holpen with the light of a liuely faith it would as Elishaes salt sweeten all the waters of Iericho and as Elias fiery Chariot soone lift vs vp to heauen and the vvhile make al the bitter pains of this life comfortable to vs for if the loue of Lands and desire of Riches cause the paines taken for them to seeme nothing vvhat should the loue of Heauen effect in our soules should vvee for this Countrey refuse any toyle vvee know how all condemne Esau for selling his birth-right for a messe of redde pottage and what are the very best things in this world but vanity and vexation of spirit and God forbid wee should loose our birth-right in heauen for the loue of vncertaine pleasures a wise pilgrime will forbeare all delights that hinder his return and reserue all pleasures vntill hee come home and so should we else we will not come thither in haste Abraham obeyed God calling him out of his country Heb. 11. 9. because he looked for a City whose maker was God and Paul vvas content to beare all afflictions because hee looked for things that were not seene 2. Cor. 4. 17. and 5. 1. 2. and vvhosoeuer assureth himselfe of heauen will little regard this sinfull life which one point should cause worldlings to looke about them The second Vse serues for thankefulnesse to our good God for redeeming vs from hell and all miseries whereunto by our sinnes and the sinnes of our sorefathers we had wretchedly plunged our selues and of his vnspeakeable loue and mercy made vs his elect children heyres of his kingdom and if thou take this to be but a slender benefit then coÌ„der what a damned soule would giue if he had wealth to be thus freed and do thou now the like for by nature thou wast the childe of wrath as well as hee Ephes. 2. 3. And therefore if Noah escaping the Deluge wherein millions were drowned and Israell deliuered from Pharaohs tyranny and Dauid from Saul forgat not due thankefulnesse much more ought wee deliuered from the flouds of Gods wrath tyranny of Sathan and cruelty of all enemies yea and from the euerlasting paines of hell be euer thankefull in this and the life to come for this most gracious deliuerance and blessed aduancement to his holy kingdome in heauen The third Vse serues for comfort to the Elect which goe to euerlasting life and to heauen and that in three respects 1. Of the ends why eternall life was ordained 1. that God might manifest the riches of his grace to his Elect 2. that the godly might enioy the full fruits of Christs death and the promised rewards of their labours and indignities in this life sustained 3. that they might magnifie the great vvorkes and mercies of God wrought for them 2. In regard of the effects of eternall life 1. that they may be as the Angells of God Math. 22. 30. not in substance but in conditions 2. that wee may be made partakers of the dignity of Christ in his three offices as Kings Priests and Prophets though not in the same excellency 3. In regard of certaine degrees of heauenly ioyes vvhereof the first degree of our comfort and ioy shall be in respect of the generall resurrection 1. For it shall bee a ioyfull day to vs. 1. For the Angells will awake and comfort vs in the Lord. 2. Ioyfull it shall be for that our soules and bodies separated by death shal now againe be ioyned together and glorified together eternally 3. Ioyfull shall it be in respect of the holy communion of Saints whereunto we shall be ioyned to praise the Lord. 2. A second degree of glory will this he that wee shall appeare before Christ our Sauiour be absolued and sit vvith him to iudge the wicked enter vpon his sweet promises of eternall life 3. A third degree of glory is that he will iustifie and saue vs from our sinnes 4. The fourth degree of ioy is in that wee shall be honoured with the dignity of Iudges 5. A fift degree is after we haue thus triumphed and troden our enemies all vnder feet in most glorious and triumphant manner we shall with Christ our head and all his Angells and Saints goe to life eternall which is the end of all our wishes and desires where for euer we shall enioy the presence of the holy Trinity where the inhabitants of the heauenly Ierusalem bee all Angells and Saints for Nobility all the Sonnes of God for vnity brethren for wisedome and knowledge all taught of God for experience they al ouercame the world for multitude they cannot be numbred for amity they liue in coÌ„tinuall peace their work praising seruing the Lord for piety they keep a perpetual sabbath euery day an holy day to the Lord. 6. The 6. degree is in regard of our continuance in heauen which is euerlasting without end but if these ioyes had had an end then had it not been an heauen but it is eternall without end greefe wearinesse oldage or any corruption for vvhen Death is swallowed vp in victory how possibly can wee die our Sauiour being life it selfe 7. The seauenth degree is that the Lord will poure into our soules and bodies all the communicable graces of his Spirit for when we are vnited to Christ our head and then by vertue of this vnion and communion mysticall wee be in all created gifts and graces belonging vnto all and euery part of our soules and bodies like him but not in the same degree 8. The eight degree of ioy is a freedome from all miseries whatsoeuer belonging to body and soule and in stead thereof be enriched with the contrary blessings which the Lord grant vs. And thus farre of the thirteene Motiues for watchfulnesse against the day of iudgement and of the timely vses wee are to make thereof Hauing dwelt thus long vpon these Motiues I will now draw in my sailes and hasten to the shore exhorting euery man in the Lord that as this triple watchfulnesse is necessary and concerneth euery man that euery Christian particularly watch and prepare himselfe accordingly for while the arrows of the Lords wrath flie ouer euery mans head and are not yet fallen euery man may see and prouide for himselfe and escape were it proclaimed that for some priuy fault onely known to himselfe the King whole life the Lord long preserue would execcute in euery town some 100. â—0 or 10. persons nay but two in euery towne whom pleased him all would feare and by all meanes labour to exempt and secure themselues least he should be one of that number but we know that the fewer number in euery Towne or Hamlet shall bee saued Mat. 7.
punishment which shall be layed vpon the soule it selfe and all the faculties thereof as the cogitation memory vnderstanding will and affections c. then of the body and of euery member therof for wherein euery man sinneth therein is he tormented But these torments are partly vnknown and so I pray God they may euer be and partly so lamentable that no Christian heart can abide to dwell long vpon so dolefull a subiect and therefore I referre you to others that writ largely thereupon beseeching Almighty God to giue vs all grace to consider wisely and in time of all that hath beene said and to make a ready vse thereof to Gods glory and our saluation and not to run sottishly vpon Gods iudgements denying there is an hell as doe Sadduces Atheists Ideots Infidels and Nullifidians and vngodly liuels whose liues proclaime it 〈◊〉 and 2. such as deny there is any heauen as Epicures Belly-gods Worldlings Sodomites Inordinate liuers idlers out of a calling c. 3. all Theeues Oppressors Sacriledgers poore Cony-catchers 4. all Protestants at large Christians without faith or good workes Selfe louers Hypocrites Mis 〈…〉 cordists Origenists c. but let vs watch and pray The first vse wee are to make of this thirteenth Motine serues to shew how necessary it is for all men to know this principle concerning hell the reward of the wicked that in these respects 1. It bringeth the wicked to the knowledge and feare of God for when they consider the vnspeakeable power that is in the mildest word proceeding from Gods mouth they must needs accuse the hardnesse of their owne hearts vpon which it cannot worke vnlesse it be to their destruction whereas here we see the commanding voyce of God to depart from him to be so forcible and powerfull that neither man nor deuill is able to withstand it but all as slaues from the whip will runne to hell fire and therefore should they now not sin against the Lord whose very voyce is more terrible then hell it selfe and this reason vseth Dauid in Psal. 29. 4. out to exhoxt all men and by name the mighty Nimrods betimes to obey his glorious voyce in his word 2. Satan would perswade all men that there is no hell thereby to set all to worke iniquity without remorse and therefore this doctrine must be often whetted vpon them to feare 3. Most men yea Professors though they can discourse heereof are so wicked euen in the very bosome of the Church and liue so loosely as if there were no hell at all for how few will for feare thereof forgoe on◠houres pleasure or one mite of profit or auoid any temptation Satan can cast at them and therefore needful it is to set before them often what dainty fare they shall finde in hell whether they hasten and if this will not reforme them nothing will seeing it is the last remedy in the Bible vsed to presse men with 4. Were there no heauen to enioy no God to reward no hope of immortality yet should men for feare to burne in hell forbeare now to sinne for vve see how men for feare of temporall penalties forbear to transgresse the Lawes of the land yet Gods lawes penalties nor promises which far surmount these are not regarded heere a felon or traitor may be pardoned there no obstinate malefactor shall and though for a while he respiteth him in this life it is but to reach his hand the higher to let the weight of his stroke in the life to come to fall vpon him the heauier and his deferring is the more to inferre the thicker and surer blowes and of no ill paiment shall he need to complaine that hath the wages of his wickednesse withheld from him in this life to receiue the totall summe together and for euer in hel this would breed in the most valiantest Atheist liuing such a gasping terror and quaking dislike that euer after hee should abhor not onely the least branch of sinne but withall euery thing alluring or aspecting thereto and vvithall should haue hell it selfe pictured in euery corner of his gardens orchards banqueting houses and places of delight in more carefull manner then euer had the Pharisies Gods lawes broydered vpon the fringed Phylacteries of their garments and so would notwithstanding now all parents and superiors doe well their duty it is often to relate to their families the paines ordained in hell fire and so admonish them to beware of that burning place 5. The knowledge that there is an hell is behoofefull in sundry respects as 1. it rectifieth the conscience when the neuer-dying worme gnaweth thereat and signifieth vnto vs that still we haue some vnrepented sinners summoning vs to iudgement and damnation 1. Ioh 3. 20. 2. this should cause vs in all our carriage to misdoubt our actions euery of them and euer setting the Lords blessed word before vs feare him who is able to cast soule and body to hell Math. 10. 38. 3. it should make vs wary neuer to forfeit but still to retaine sure our title to Gods kingdome and therefore be carefull neuer to commit any of those sinnes that depriue vs of Gods kingdome as be in 1. Cor. 6. 9. Galat. 5. 19. Eph. 5. 3. c. 4. It maketh vs thankefull for our Election withall teacheth vs to be careful to obserue the same in the whole course of our liues lest wilfully we relapse and euer feare all our waies Ephes. 1. 3. to 7. 5. This is a forcible meanes to weane vs from the world and all sinfulnesse and to cause vs to hasten to enter in couenant with God afresh and so open a doore to heauen and to all Christs treasures of grace which God grant we doe speedily The second Vse serues for reproofe of such as deny there is any hell and therefore will not watch these be Atheists Nullifidians Epicures Worldlings inordinate liuers malefactors c. but that there is an hell appeares by the aboue quoted titles of hell 2. By our consciences accusing when we sinne 3. the very Heathen in all ages and places how prophane soeuer affirmed that malefactors should to hell 4. Chysostome in his Homelies 48. and 49. and 50. Ad populum Antiochenum confuteth this error And therefore let all men stand in awe and sinne not but beleeue lest they approoue worse then the Deuils who beleeue and confesse it and tremble at the minding thereof Iames 2. 19. The third Vse is for admonition for all men generally that seeing there is an hell and the paines thereof vnspeakable yea so great as no heart can conceiue onely by the names of the extreamest punishments vpon earth as fire brimstone darkenesse death an euereating worme and neuer dying they bee shadowed because vvee can conceiue no soarer nor greater torments all vvorldly torments bee finite and temporall these infinite spirituall pittilesse easelesse remedilesse a paine beyond all paines and greefe surmounting all greefes at the very names whereof the