not onely recouer her former beautie but obtaineth a farre more excellent glorie Num. 17.8 The budding of Aarons rod was verie admirable and the resurrection of our bodies is more wonderfull but it is the Lords doing and is maruellous in our eyes 1 The resurrection is comfortable in regard of the chaunge of the bodie which shall then in beautie asmuch exceede the former estate thereof as the bright Sunne doth excell the least Starre in glorie 1. Cor. 15.41.44 For the bodie which is sowne in corruption is raised in incorruption it is sowne in dishonour and is raised in glorie it is sowne in weakâ—nesse and is raised in power it is sowne a naturall bodie and is raised a spirituall bodie Thus shall the bodie become more excellent in foure principall respects It shall be immortall and so freed from corruption it shall bee glorious and so deliuered from dishonour it shall not neede the helpes of foode Phisicke sleepe or clothing and so bee exempted from weaknesse it shall bee bright pure and nimble and so shall differ from the naturall bodie For as birds being hatched doe flie lightly vp into the skies which being egges were a heauie and slimie matter so man which by nature is a massie substance being hatched by the resurâ—ection Zanch. de â—per Dei is made pure and nimble and able to mount vp into the heauens The sinne of our first parents in Paradise added shame to their nakednesse but in the resurrectioâ— this shame shall be abolished and in stead thereof the bodie shall in euerie part become glorious and beautifull If the Creeple which lay at the temple gate being restored to his lims by Peter and Iohn did come into thâ— temple walking leaping Act. 3.8 and praising God oh how much greater cause of reioycing and glorifying God shall the godly haue when all deformâ—ties and infirmities of the bodie shall bee taken away Aug de Ciu. lib. 22. c. 19 and they made not onely whole and sound but euen beautifull and glorious 2 As the beautie of the bodie doth of it selfe commend the felicitie of the resurrection so shall the reuniting of the soule with the bodie much enlarge the â—xcellencie thereof Two old friends that haue bene a long time and with great distance of place separated each froÌ„ other how glad and ioyfull are they when they meet together and embrace one another how doth the kinde father salute his sonne returning home Luk. â—5 20 and shall not the soule and bodie two old friends knit together in the nearest league be exceeding ioyfull and glad at their renewed vnion in the resurrection This cannot otherwise bee if either the forme or end of this reuniting bee considered The forme is glorious and angelicall Luk 20.36 for the godly are equall vnto the Angels and the sonnes of God since they are the children of the resurrection of life The end is blessed and happie for they that haue done good Ioh. 5.29 shall come foorth to the resurrection of life Thus in respect of the glorie and beautie bestowed on the bodie and the felicitie imparted both to soule and bodie vpon the vnion in the Resurrection the godly may well bee said to enioy a great measure of heauenly felicitie The consideration hereof may serue to asswage and sweeten the bittternesse of those miseries which happen to the childreÌ„ of God in this life This was Iobs comfort in the middest of his grieuous triall I am sure that my redeemer liueth Iob. 19.25 and that I shall rise againe out of the dust at the last day This was Dauids ioy in the dayes of his wonderfull afflictions Psal 16.9 My heart is glad and my tongue reioyceth my flesh also shall rest in hope for thou wilt not leaue my soule in the graue neither will thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption Yea the remembrance hereof hath made many to submit themselues willingly to martyrdome and to sticke to the truth to the death Heb. 11.35 For diuerse haue bene racked and would not accept of deliuerance that they might obtaine a better resurrection Though the redemption from the racke were a thing much to bee desired yet the redemption from hell and the resurrection to eternall life was much more to be sought for without which condition they wold not be deliuered For what though the racke should rent their flesh and disioynt their limmes they were assured that at the resurrection all should bee conioyned and perfected Here then wee may learne not to care for any ignominie that can bee done vnto vs nor bee much troubled for any infirmities that can befall our bodies knowing that the same must one day be eaten with wormes and consumed with rottennesse but especially being assured that the same shall be reformed and refined in the Resurrection SECT 2. The second steppe into heauen at the day of iudgement namely The ioyfull appearing before Christ AT the birth of our blessed Sauiour though it were base the heauenly quire chaunted it ioyfully Luk. 2. In his infancie when he lay swadled in a cratch in stead of a cradle Mat. 2. and tooke his Inne in a stable in stead of a stately pallace yet the Wise men came from the East to adore him In his riper years albeit he came attended only with poore fishermen Mar. 10. yet Rulers kneeled to him and when he rode meekely to Ierusalem vpon an Asse Mâ—t. 21. the people cutte downe boughes and strewed their garments in the way to honour him at his passion the Centurion acknowledged him to be the Son of God Mat. 27. and Ioseph of Arimathea after his death honoured his corpes with a seemely funerall If our Sauiour in his birth life and death being the dayes of his weaknesse and infirmitie was thus honoured by men and Angels how glorious shall hee be in the day of power and maiestie when he shall appeare in the clouds sit vpon a glorious throne and bee attended by blessed Angels and decked with a Crowne of glorie Now shall the godly meete him in the ayre with great ioy and sing Hosanna in excelsis Blessed is the king that commeth in the name of the Lord. The Saints happinesse doth now consist in three principall points First in beholding the glorie of Christ secondly in being vnder his iudgement thirdly in being themselues honored with the dignitie of Iudges 1 When Iacob heard of the honour of his sonne Ioseph in Aegypt his heart failed him through distrust yet when he beheld the chariots which he had sent for him his spirit reuiued but when he saw him hee said vnto him Now let me dye Gen. 46.30 since I haue seene thy face So fareth it with the children of God in this life being hindred through their infirmities from the comfortable considerations of Christs exaltation yet when they shall see his chariots the blessed Angels whom hee shall send to gather the elect from the foure
their prolonged life and cursing their societie who happely haue bene with him companions in iniquitie To forgoe his wealth it will be a death and to remember how that he hath damned his soule for scraping it together it will be a hell to him Now doth death lay siege to the castell of the bodie and dischargeth an hundred Canons of calamities vpon the same conuulsions feauers aches and infinite paines which disquiet the bodie distract the minde vexe the patient and grieue the beholders making the one to burst foorth many times into blasphemies causing the other in compassion to shed plentie of teares and at last it dischargeth a volley of pangs which euen breake the heart strings and separate those old friends the Soule and the Bodie Then comes in the conscience with her book of accompts and she shewes many old reckonings and arrerages she will tell the sicke man of his sinnes which he hath committed of the commandements which he hath contemned of the time that he hath vainely consumed of the dishonors done to God the wrongs to men and iniuries to himselfe the frailty of his youth the folly of his riper yeares and the iniquitie of his whole life then would hee keepe the commaundements of God but it is not permitted then would he redeeme the time mis-spent but hee cannot be suffered then would he faine deferre the time of his accounts but it will not bee graunted Iob. 13.26 Thou writest bitter things against me saith Iob and makest me possâ—sse the sinnes of my youth The Lord by his chastisements will shew that he remembreth sinne and by inflicting the same will bring mens sinnes to their cogitations and make the remembraunce thereof more bitter vnto them then gall and wormewood their sinnes which were their companions to play with them will now be an enemie to plague theÌ„ that which was a foxe to deceiue them will become a wolfe to deuoure them that which was like an angell to tempt them will now be as a diuell to torment them Now to aggrauate these calamities doth Sathan set in foote for when death layeth siege to the bodie then doth he most eagerly assault the soule and his manner is to bestirre himselfe exceedingly Reu. 12.12 when hee sees that he hath but a short time He will make heauie sinne seem light that so he may bring men to presumption or the light sinnes heauie that soe hee may driue them to desperation In the middest of all these dolours and distractions the distressed soule thinkes vpon the nearenesse of his accompt to be made Greg. mor. lib. 24. c. 17 and by how much nearer the iudgement approcheth by so much the more is it feared because a man shall then finde within a short time that which he cannot forgo throughout all eternitie Miserable man that thou art whose condition this is whither wilt thou flie for comfort in the middest of this distresse If thou looke vpon thy wealth it will be a corasiue to thy soule if thou behold thy friendes they stand weeping about thee if thou haue recourse to thy conscience it is tormenting within thee life that thou louedst so well biddes thee farewel and death that thou hatedst most extreamely salutes thee yea hell it selfe gapeth for thee and the diuels are readie to torment thee The onely refuge to a poore soule in this distresse is the recourse to Gods mercie but what hope can the wicked haue therein at the day of their death Rom. 2.4 who haue despised the riches of his bountifulnesse and patience and long suffering in the time of their life Now thinkes the dying man Oh if I might liue still how would I bestirre my selfe in working forward my saluation What cost what paines and care would I bestow and take to escape this horror of soul But all these good motions come too late Cum vult improbus c. Aug. For the wicked when he would he cannot because that when he might he would not Now is it too late to crie Oh that I might dye the death of the righteous Num. 23. when a man hath neglected to liue the life of the righteous This is the true president of a wicked mans will and testament consisting of three principall points his goods he bequeathes to his Executors because he cannot carie them with him his bodie and bones he leaues to the wormes and rottennesse and they will consume them his soule goes to the diuell and he will torment it This indeed he would not haue so but it is his will against his will Behold here then we see a maine difference between the godly and the wicked in that the day of death is a comicall Catastrophe to the one but a tragicall conclusion to the other In this life there is the same condition to the godly the wicked Eccles 9.2 yea happely worse to the godly then the wicked but at their death it fareth with them as it doth with the dogge and the dere For as the dogge which in his life time is cherrished at his death is cast to the crowes but the dere which is chased and pursued in the time of his life when he dyeth is carefully brought home and dressed so the wicked which liue pleasantly in their life are at their death cast foorth into the place of darkenesse but the godly who are pursued and persecuted in their life are caried at the day of their death by the blessed Angels into Abrahams bofome Luk. 16.22 This being the fruite of sinne it should be a reason to restraine vs from the same It is straunge to see how preposterous our courses are the most presume of Gods mercie in their life time that they may sinne the more securely and in death they feare his iustice lest they be condemned but they should feare his iudgements in the time of their life and then may they reioyce in his mercie at the day of their death To conclude then the conclusion of mans life let all the wicked that celebrate their birth dayes with mirth and festiuitie celebrate the day of their death with feare and sorrow for a wo belongs to them that haue had their consolation in this world Luk. 6. And if it happen also that there be no bands in their death neither in the paines of the bodie nor the vexatioÌ„ of soule their case is yet the more lamentable because there remaines the more punishment hereafter But let the wicked forsake his waies Esa 55.8 and the vngodly his owne imaginations and turne to the Lord in true and heartie repentance and let all those that would haue comfort in the day of their death be carefull to leade a sanctified life alwaies remeÌ„bring that commonly such a life such a death Qualis vita finis ita Aug ad Dioscor and as death leaues a man so the last iudgement shall find him CHAP. 2. SECT I. The first steppe of the wicked into hell at the day
law and feare you that So the end vse of all this is that the maiestie of Christ in his appearing and strictnesse in iudging might possesse our hearts with dread and cause vs to finish our saluatiō with feare and trembling This lesson Saint Paule teacheth 2. Cor. 5.10 We must all appeare before the iudgement seate of Christ c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 notes an exceeding great feare Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord we perswade men And surely if men did consider that their works must all come to iudgement before such a strict and glorious Iudge it would make them tremble and stay them from those sinnes into the which they runne without feare What theefe is so desperate that being sure he cannnot escape the Iudges hands would yet continue his stealing Lo thou whosoeuer thou art canst not possibly auoide the appearing before Christ the dreadfull Iudge shall not the cogitation of this reclaime thy heart from wicked motions and thy life from vngodly actions But will Christ call euery man to an accompt for his body his soule his temporall benefites and spirituall blessings the spending of his time and conuersation in his calling for his sinnes of cōmission and omission Oh good God what an Audit haue many to make for their manifold impieties and mōstrous profanenesse for consuming the talents of grace and treasuring nothing but wrath against the day of wrath Rom. 2.5 and of the declaration of the iust iudgement of God Whē Ioseph said to his brethren Gen. 45.3 I am Ioseph your brother whom you sold into Aegypt his brethren could not answer him for they were astonied at his presence When our Sauiour shall shew that blessed head that was crowned with thornes those holy hands that were pierced with nailes that gracious side that was thrust thorough with the speare and say Behold I am be whom your sinnes caused to bee crucified and sold into the hands of Pontius Pilate and the malitious Iewes shall not the vngodly be vnable to answer him for astonishment like Iosephs brethren and bee speechlesse like the man that wanted a wedding garment Mat. 22. Then would the kings of the earth Reu. 6.15 and the great men and the rich men and the chiefe Captaines and the mightie men and euery bondman and euery freeman hide themselues in the dennes and rockes of the mountaines and say to the rockes and hils Fal on vs hide vs from the presence of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lambe but alas it will not be Seeing then that all things must be thus dissolued and the comming of Christ is so dreadful both for the end and manner of his appearing 2. Pet. 3.10 what manner of men ought we to be in holy conuersation and godlinesse If a man had some matter of waight wherein his whole estate were to be tried before an earthly Iudge how carefull would he be to consider his cause sollicite his Aduocate and get the fauour of the Iudge Behold at this time all lyes a bleeding euen our soules and bodies more deare vnto vs thē the whole world yea then tenne thousand worlds what care and industrie should we vse whilest there is time to examine our estate sollicite Christ Iesus our Aduocate and Iudge that we may be deliuered from the feare of conuiction in that great and dreadfull day of iudgement I will therefore conclude this meditation with our Sauiours exhortation Luk 21.36 Watch and pray continually that you may be counted worthie to escape all these things that shall come to passe and that ye may stand before the sonne of man when he commeth thus gloriously to iudgement SECT 3. The third steppe of the wicked into hell at the day of iudgement namely their exceeding astonishment vpon the sentence of condēnation THus haue we brought the vngodly man to the barre where being accused by the heauens and the earth with all the creatures therein conuicted by a iury impanelled of heauenly and earthly inhabitants the elect Angels and blessed Saints and hauing his conscience crying Guiltie in stead of a thousand witnesses what can be expected at the hands of a most iust Iudge in the day of vengeance but the sentence of condemnation and what that is out Sauiour himselfe hath shewed M◠25.24 Depart from me ye cursed into euerlasting fire prepared for the Diuell and his Angels Few words but full of bitternesse Depart from me those are words of separation you cursed words of obiurgation into euerlasting fire words of desolation prepared for the diuell and his angels a dolefull exemplification There are two reasons why these wordes should yeeld astonishment First because they are intollerable secondly because they are irreuocable Amos. 3.8 The Lyon hath roared who will not be affraid saith the Prophet but behold this thundering foorth the sentence of condemnation is a thousand times more fearefull When Baltazar in the midst of all his tolitie saw the fingers of a hand writing vpon the wall of his pallace Dan. 5.6 Thou art waighed in the ballance and art found too light thy kingdome is giuen to the Medes and Persians his countenance was chaunged his thoughts troubled him so that the ioyntes of his loynes were loosed and his knees smote one against another If the Lords temporall decree had this effect in Baltazar euen before he vnderstood the writing how shall this sentence of eternall death whereby the wicked are separated from the kingdome of heauen astonish those vpon whom it shall be pronounced Behold 1. Sam. 3.11 saith the Lord I will do a thing in Israel whereof whosoeuer heareth his eares shall tingle Shall the eares of men tingle which heare of the iudgment brought vpon Elies house onely and shall they not glow when they heare this dreadfull iudgement passed vpon so many millions of sinfull soules when that shall be fulfilled Ezek 5.8 I will execute iudgement in the sight of the nations so that those which heare it shall say Lo this is the man that neither regarded the Lords promises nor trembled at his threatnings and see now how hee quaketh at his iudgments When the Lord had deliuered the law in his dreadfull voice the Israelites desired Exod. 20.19 he would speake no more to them lest they shold dye so would the vngodly faine haue Christ be silent now Psal 2. but he will speak to them in his wrath and vexe them in his sore displeasure he will send foorth his glorious voice which shall make the Cedars of Libanus to shake the same shall be a sword piercing the hearts of all wretched miscreants We reade that the band of men and officers that came to apprehend Christ in the garden of Gethsemane were striken downe with the power of his words saying onely Ioh. 18.6 I am he how then shall they be striken dead thinke you which appearing before his dreadfull throne shall heare him vtter
5.20 and light darkenesse and all those who haue loued darkenesse rather then light Iob. 3.19 Mar. 9.44 6 This torment is called the Worme that neuer dieth alluding to that of Isaiah Esa 66.24 And they shall goe foorth and looke vpon the carkases of them that haue trespassed against me for their worme shall not dye As of the putrifaction of the bodie there breedeth a worme which eates and consumes the bodie so from the corruption of the soule tainted with sinne there ariseth the worm of conscience which gnaweth and vexeth the soule with continuall anguish Rom. 2.9 So saith the Apostle Tribulation and anguish shall be vpon the soule of euery one that doth euill 7 The torments of hell are called a death because that as by the separation of the bodie from the soule the bodie dieth so the soule and bodie being separated from God Vita vita meae Aug. Con. lib. 7. b. who is the life of their life do dye the second death Also death being the most terrible bitter thing in this life Arist Eth. lib. 3. cap. 6. as the Philosopher saith it may very fitly giue denomination to that condition which is most bitter and miserable in the life to come Now when the estate of the damned is called death we must not vnderstand it as of men alreadie dead but readie to dye when the veines of the bodie and the strings of the heart being ready to breake the dying man is possessed with intolerable anguish by reason of death-pangs Of this death Bernard spake when he said Bâ—rn de Consid ad Eugen. li. 5. Horreo in manus incidere mortis viuentis vitae morientis calling it very fitly A liuing death and a dying life These are the dolefull agents The miserable patients subiects to these torments are together with the diuels the wicked and vngodly who shall bee tormented both in bodie and soule the bodie shall bee tormented because it would not obey the soule the soule because it would follow the rebellious bodie both soule and bodie because they obeyed the instigations of Sathan and left the directions of Gods holy Spirit 2. Cor. 5.10 We must all appeare before the iudgement seate of Christ that euery one may receiue the things that he hath done in his bodie whether they be good or euill For as the bodie hath sinned with all the senses and parts thereof so shall they all receiue a condigne and correspondent punishment The eyes that were delighted with beholding nothing but vanitie shall now bee frighted with beholding of vgly diuels the eares that tooke pleasure in hearing slanders and filthie talking shall be troubled with the howlings and blasphemies of hellish spirits the nose that disdained any smell but sweete perfumes shall feele the lothsome stinch of fire and brimstone the fine and daintie bodie that with the rich man was wont to bee clothed in fine linnen shall with him be tormented in the flames of vnquenchable fire the mouth that offered the sacrifices of deliciousnes to the deuouring belly and tooke such pleasure in quaffing and carousing shall drinke of the pure wine of the wrath of God Reu. 14.10 In a word all that bodie which should haue bene the temple for Gods spirit but was made a cage for vncleane spirits shall be tormented in euery part without mitigation and intermission Neither shal the bodie be thus vexed alone but as the soule hath bene to the bodie like Simeon to Leui a brother in iniquitie so shall it also partake with the bodie of the same punishments The memorie shall call to mind that which is past and the vnderstanding coÌ„sider that which is present and both ioyne together to disquiet themselues Now shall it bee thought vpon how many good motions haue bene neglected how without fruite pardon and remission of sinnes hath bene offered what sweet ioyes are lost and what grieuous torments are found for what trifling foolish and filthie sins these intolerable infinit and endlesse punishments haue bene bought how easily these miseries might haue bene auoyded but now how impossible it is to obtaine euen the least mitigation thereof Thus whilest these faculties are busied in vexing of them selues the Lord shall powre downe vpon them the vials of his wrath so that the affections being set on fire with the exhalations of furie and burning with the wicked zeale of reuenge shall grow mad and rage cast out blasphemies both against heauen and earth 3 Lo these are the lamentable fruits of these intolerable torments vpon these miserable patients For how can the heauie wrath of God the irksome societie with the diuels the mercilesse fire of hell the filthie tormeÌ„ting prison the dolefull place of darkenesse the neuer dying worme and the dreadfull second death vexing the soule with terrors and the bodie with flames how can they I say but yeeld that which our Sauior doth so oft inculcate Mat. 8.13.22 Luk. 13. There shall be wailing and weeping and gnashing of teeth Therefore is hell from these effects not vnfitly compared to Topheth in the valley of Benhinnom 2. Chr. 28.3 which hath the name from the noise that they made with their instruments that the scriching of their children which they sacrificed to Moloch might not be heard For so shall hel yeeld most hideous horror with extreame dolefull noises curses shall be their hymnes and howling their tunes blasphemie shall be their ditties and lachrymae thâ—ir notes lamentation shall be their songs and scriching their straines yea cursing blasphemie scriching and howling shall be their daily morning and euening song sighs sobs and gnashing of teeth shall be their dolefull descant and diuisioÌ„ But what shall all the damned be tormeÌ„ted alike Surely no for albeit the least torment in hell doth farre exceede the greatest torture on the earth yet are there very different degrees of punishment Luk. 12.47 The seruant that knew his maisters will did it not shall be beaten with many stripes Mat. 11.22 But it shall be easier for Tyrus and Sidon at the day of iudgement then for Corazin and Bethsaida As many liue vnder the same Sunne yet all feele not the like heate from it Greg. mor. lib. 4. cap. 43. so many may bee subiect to the same torments of hell in the same manner though not in the same measure But miserable and most accursed shall his condition be who shall tast euen the least measure and degree thereof And are the torments of hell so dreadfull is the state of the damned so dolefull Who can thinke vpon the one without feare or consider the other without pitie Well might our Sauiour say concerning Iudas Mat. 26.24 It had bin good for him if he had neuer bene borne And happie indeed had he and other castawaies bene if they had neuer seene the light or bene created some loathsome toades or hatefull serpents that so they might neuer haue bene partakers of hels
by day and by night at home and abroad in life and in death yea it will not onely guide thee as Moses did the children of Israel to the celestiall Canaan but as Iosua did will there take vp her habitation with thee for euer And as the starre led the Wise men till they came to Christ Mat. â— and then stood still so shall this light of ioy leade thee to the kingdome of heauen and there stand still in the firmament of thy soule world without end SECT 3. The third steppe to Heauen before the day of iudgement namely Ioy comfort at the day of death THe traueller that hath a long iourney to take though happely hee meete with many delights by the way yet is glad when he cometh within the kenne of his countrie but reioyceth exceedingly when hee hath attained the end of his iourney Behold the waies of righteousnesse are the steps we take in our trauaile the peace of conscience setteth before vs the ioy of the heauenly mansions but the day of death giueth vs fruition thereof and is therefore to be desired of all those that are trauelling the right way to the kingdome of heauen The heauenly bodies are best seene in the euening when the Sunne is set and the heauenly ioyes are most enioyed at the euening of our dayes when the Sunne of our life is set by reason that the soule is then deliuered from a masse of corruptions and both soule and bodie from a mixture of infinite miseries The godly may now especially be said to set foote into heauen in a twofold respect First because they are freed from the calamities of this life the bitternesse whereof doth greatly allay the sweetnesse of the heauenly ioyes Secondly Eccles 12 7 because their soules returning to God do actually possesse those eternall ioyes which the kingdome of heauen doth yeeld 1 Concerning this life what is it but a vale of miserie and what is the fruite thereof Psal 90.10 but labour and sorrow therefore doth the Oracle of heauen rightly pronounce Reu. 14 13. Blessed are the dead which dye in the Lord because they cease from their labours The sea-faring man is glad when he meets with a pleasant gale of winde that will bring him to the hauen where he would bee Lo this world is the sea the bodie the shippe the soule the mariner and death the pleasant gale of wind that brings vs into the hauen of eternal blisse This the Apostle insinuates in an elegant Metaphor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phil. 2.23 when he saith I long to be dissâ—lued and to bee with Christ. When Noah had bin tossed vp and downe in the floud almost a whole yeare was he not glad thinke you of mount Ararat whereupon he rested the Arke So the children of God hauing bene tossed vp and downe the waters of this wicked world peraduenture for many yeares haue they not reason to be glad of the day of death the mount Ararat that giues rest to the beaten barke of their turmoyled soules bodies Is the soule kept in the bodie as it were in a prison Seneca Tully c. and is not the day of death therefore to be desired as the day of deliuerance from imprisonment Surely yes and that makes Simeon to say Lord Luk 2.29 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou loosest now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace according to thy word The dayes of man saith Iob are as the dayes of an hireling Iob. 7.2 And as the seruant longeth for the shadow and an hireling looketh for the end of his worke so do the godly looke and long for the euening Sun-set of their age because then the time of labour is past and the day of paiment comes in which causeth theÌ„ to pray Euen so Reu. 22.20 come Lord Iesus 2 As the faithfull are by death deliuered from the miseries of this life which hindred their felicitie so are they by it as it were by a gate led and let into the ioyes of heauen For the soules of the iust when by death they pay the old debt do receiue a new reward of ioy which they shall neuer repay Salomon saith comfortably Pro. 14.32 The righteous hath hope in his death but the Apostle more comfortably We know 2. Cor. 5.1 that if our earthly house of this tabernacle bee destroyed we haue a building giuen of God euen an house not made with hands but eternall in the heauens If the godly dyed doubtfully and with a staggering confidence there were some reason they should suffer a wonderfull conflict and reluctation in death but seeing they commit their soules into the hands of a faithfull Creator 1. Pet. 4.19 and their bodies to the ground with an assured confidence that at the last day they shall with the same eyes behold their Redeemer Iob. 19. who will send his Angels to fetch them and hath promised to glorifie them seeing that being dissolued they shall be with Christ Phil. 1.23 haue the reward of their workes following them to heauen Reu. 14.13 where their time shall bee spent in singing the hymnes of prayses to the harpe of glorie Reu. 5.8.9 haue they not reason to long for death to search for it more then for treasures and to reioyce when they finde it Dauid saith that the death of the Saints is precious in the sight of the Lord. Psa 116.15 And our Sauiour makes the day of death the Saints seede time for that happie haruest wherein the Angels shall be reapers to gather the good corne into the Lords barne the kingdome of heauen For except the wheate corne fall into the ground and dye Ioh. 12.24 it bideth alone but if it dye it bringeth foorth much fruite Seeing now that death is of such singular vse to the godly wee see that to bee a most false position of the Philosopher and an erroneous opinion of many Christians That death is the worst and most terrible thing that can happen to man For albeit that to the wicked it be so yet to the godly it is not to whome if either you respect their freedome from temporall miseries or the fruition of eternall felicitie The day of death is better Eccles 7.3 then the day that they are borne If the house wherein thou dwellest were rotten Cypr. de mortal sect 17. and readie to fall on thy head if the shippe wherein thou art carried leaked very daungerously and like to drowne thee wouldest thou not leaue thy house and desire the shore that might yeeld thee safetie Then maruell not that the godly desire to be freed from the crazed houses and leaking shippes of their mortall bodies and long for the houses hauens of euerlasting securitie What though death be a serpent and sting the wicked griping them at the heart yet to the elect Christ hath vanquished this serpent and plucked out his sting yea deaths sting being sinne
As bodies that haue fewest bad humors are least shaken with agues so those that are freest from sinne though death assault them bitterly are least annoyed by the pains and terror of death Our Sauiour saith Ioh. 16.33 Be of good cheare I haue ouercome the world and I may say Bee of good cheare 2 Cor. 15.16 for Christ hath ouercome death 2 This may be an occasion to mitigate that extreme sorrow which many take vppon the death of their godly friends seeing their death yeeldeth rather cause of coÌ„fort then of sorrow of mirth then of mourning and of reioycing rather then of weeping and lamenting If you loued me you would reioyce saith our Sauiour to his disciples because I said Ioh. 14.28 I goe to the Father so those that loue their friends indeed haue cause to reioyce rather then to mourne for their death because they go to be glorified with their heauenly Father The little child that sees the mother cutting and bruising the sweet and pleasant hearbes and flowers is sorie because hee thinkes they are spoiled but the mother hath a purpose to preserue theÌ„ whereby they are made much better A simple bodie that should see the Gold-smith melting the pure mettals would bee discontent imagining that all were marred whereas the skilfull workeman hath a purpose to cast some excellent peece of plate thereof So wee silly men when the Lord cuts off some of our friends by death like the flower and lets others wither like the greene hearbe and when he melteth them in the fornace of the graue are ouercome with sorrowfull conceipts as though some euill thing were befallen our friendes whereas we should remember that the Lord hath a purpose by this meanes to preserue them and to transforme them into that glorious estate which the Angels enioy in heauen And this reason is first intimated and after plainely expressed by Saint Paule in his dehortation to the Thessalonians I would not brethren haue you ignorant concerning them which are asleepe 1. Thes 4.13 that you sorrow not as others which haue no hope Who would be sorrie to see his friend fall asleepe seeing that thereby he is made lightsome fresh and lustie Now death is to the godly nothing but a sleepe whereby they are refined and refreshed why should we then be offended therewith If thy friend which dieth bee wicked then hast thou iust cause of mourning but if thou knewest him to liue and die in the feare of God howsoeuer nature or affection may haue force to wring teares from thine eyes or sighes from thy heart yet hast thou reason to reioyce and be glad for his happie change as Augustine his example may teach Aug confe lib. 9. v. who bridled the infirmitie of Nature and suppressed his teares at his mothers death though he honoured and loued her dearely thinking it an vnfit thing to celebrate her funerals with weeping and wailing because she had liued religiously and died vertuously 3 To conclude this point me thinkes if there were no farther reason to perswade yet euen this meditation might mooue any one to the practise of godlinesse in that it yeeldeth this heauenly peace of conscience in the time of our life and eternall consolation at the day of our death Oh what a sweete comfort will it be to thee my Christian brother when friends honour wealth dignities and all other comfortes in the world become vaine and faile thee to haue the ioyfull peace of conscience to rest with thee When thou shalt bee able recounting thy sincere care in Gods seruice to pray with good Nehemiah Neh. 13.22 Remember me ô my God concerning this to say with godly Hezechiah vpon his death bed 2. King 20.3 I beseech thee ô Lord remember now how I haue walked before thee in truth and with a perfect hart and haue done that which is good in thy sight and with our blessed Sauiour before his passion Ioh. 17.4 Father I haue glorified thee on earth I haue finished the worke which thou gauest me to doe For then shall the vprght câ—nscience eccho a comfort to thy humble soule and either the Lord wil enlarge the lease of thy life with Hâ—zechiah or glorifie thee in the heauens with his beloued Sonne CHAP. 2. SECT 1. The first steppe into heauen at the day of iudgement namely A blessed Resurrection IF the godly in this life and at the day of their death haue a tast of those heauenly ioyes which cannot be expressed how much more shall they haue in the resurrection when body and soule shall both be reunited and indued with a blessed condition Therefore do the Scriptures describe the excellencie of the resurrection by sundry comfortable metaphors Ioh. 12. 1. Cor 15. Saint Paule compares it to the husbandmans haruest when reaping and receiuing the fruites of his labours his heart reioyceth and so shall it be to the godly for they which sowe in teares at the day of death shall reape in ioy at their resurrection Pro. 19.17 2. Salomon saith hee which hath pittie on the poore lendeth to the Lord and looke what he layeth out it shall bee payed him againe Now men that haue great debts desire earnestly the day of payment and behold our Sauiour calleth the day of resurrection Luk. 14.14 The day of payment because then hee hauing his reward with him Reu. 22.12 will come foorth of euerie ones debt and reward their goodâ—esse with glorie 3. Those that labor must needes haue a time to rest in that so they may be refreshed Our life is nothing but labour our death a sleepe and therefore the Apostle fitly calles the resurâ—ection Act. 3.19 Thâ— time of refreshing being as the gladsome morning to a siâ—ke man Psal 49.14 15. which hath tossed and turned vp and downe wearily all the night long The bird that hath bene kept a great while in a cage will chaunt it merrily when shee commeth foorth into the open aire the prisoner that hath lyen loÌ„g in the duÌ„geon reâ—oyceth exceedingly when he hath obtained libertie so shall the resurrection be ioyfull and comfortable to the godly when they are deliuered from the cage and prison of the graue and restored into the glorious libertie of the sonnes of God Rom. 8.21 There is nothing that doth better râ—semble set foorth the excellencie of the Resurrection then the spring time for as we flourish in our childhood bring foorth fruite in our youth waxe ripe in our old age and wither at our death so wee spring fresh againe at our resurrection The trees in winter being despoiled of their leaues the garden of the flowers and the fields of the grasse do seeme vtterly to perish but when the Spring time comes they all waxe as fresh and flourishing as euer they were so the body which during the winter of many ages is depriued of her beautie and turned to rottennesse doth at the Spring time of the resurrection
looke vp to the heauens hee beholdeth nothing but a dreadfull darknesse if hee looke downe to the seas he vieweth nothing but the tossing waues if he behold his ship he heares the ioynts thereof cracke very fearfully if he cast his eyes vpon his companions they looke pale and pitifully and in a word there is nothing to be seene but feare and dread on euery side and if it happen that the ship of mans fraile body do saile safely and quietly in the sea of this troublesome world commonly men haue small care of arriuing at the hauen of eternall blisse Those that are in danger of drowning Jonas 1 5. wil cast all into the sea to saue their liues should not we cast all away to saue our soules Shall the feare of drowning in the sea make vs forgo our goods shall not the dread of drowning in hell cause vs to forsake them It is good counsell therfore Aug. in Psa 36. Trample the sea of this world vnder thy feete lest thou be drowned in it Who is he that expecting and hoping for saluation in the life to come would hazard the same for these trifles which hee must needs forgo and how soone or in what maner he knowes not Fie vpon it that all the naturall ornaments of the soule or bodie or all the externall vanities in the world which can be enioyed but a few yeares should cause any Christian man to neglect his soule and the life which can neuer haue an end As for the prophane worldling and secure Atheist I would propound this question to him though his cogitations being carnal he cannot conceit the ioyes of heauen For there is no nation so barbarous but it doth acknowledg there is a God Cic. de leg l. 1. and though he be growne more sottish then the barbarous heathen that he say in his heart there is no God yet let him tell me whether he do not sometimes feare at the remembrance of hell yea though he labor mightily to deface obscure the cogitation thereof would he not giue much that he might be sure to be free from the danger of it yea though he become not onely carnall and brutish For they do beleeue and tremble Iam. 2. but euen worse then the diuels Suppose for the more euident demonstratiō of his folly it were doubtfull whether there were any hell iudgement or torments prepared for the wicked yet what madnesse is it for the loue of these things which are certainly vaine and must certainly be forsaken to be in any possible danger of such intollerable torments And I would faine know of this wretch who doth thus labour to nourish Atheisme that he may securely hoise vp the sailes of vanitie For the wicked perswades himselfe there is no God that he may boldly become abominable Psal 14.1 safely set open the floud gates of iniquitie and without feare or danger haue full scope in the field of impietie what present benefite he hath by his prophanesse and profuse abusing of temporall blessings more then the godly Christian by his religious conuersation and sober vsing of them And what sensible I will not say godly man doth not rather desire to liue like the gracious Emperours Gratianus Vt referunt Eusebius Socrates c. Constantine Theodosius then those gracelesse wretches Caligula Nero and Heliogabalus But leauing the Atheist to his conuersion or confusion let none that feare God and desire heauen suffer themselues by their seruile affections to be made slaues to these base and contemptible things Cypr. A man cannot with one eye behold the earth and with the other at the same time looke vp to the heauens neither can he affect these earthly vanities and withall long after eternall felicitie Chrysost in Iohan. hom 53. in fine He that hath his hands full of siluer must first emptie them before he can catch any gold in them so cannot a man lay hold on heauenly things till he haue let goe the loue of earthly For as in naturall operations the corruption of one must be the generation of another and the diminishing of one the augmentatiō of the other so in spirituall apprehensions the forsaking of one must be the meanes of embracing another you cannot serue God and Mammon Mat. 6.24 First therefore labour good Christian with thy selfe to win and waine thy affections from the loue of this world which I know will be a matter of much difficulty and doth therfore require the greater diligence For Sathan doubtlesse will deale with thee as he did with our Sauiour Mat. 4.8 when he shewed him the kingdomes of the world he shewed him also the glory of them so is it his policie to varnish those vanities which hee meanes to vtter as pictures coursly wrought seeme faire a far off so if thou behold them with a superficiall view they may easily delude thee but come neare and touch them and try them and thou shalt finde they are all meere vanities Some haue thought that at least all the three kinds of goods that is of fortune Philo in lib quid deter potior insul alij the bodie and the minde being conioyned doe produce an absolute felicitie as the Elements combined though not seuerally do make the world but that was their error For albeit in their first frame the bodie with all his members the soule with all her faculties and the earth with all her partes beeing viewed vno actu by the Creator were like the many strings of a sweete and well tuned instrument Gen 1.31 euen all very good Yet since the fall of man they are fallē to such a discord that they can neuer agree together in anie gracious harmony Rom. 8.20.22 til Christ at his second comming doe set them in tune The viewe therefore of their vanitie should cause thee to despise them and to conclude with Salomon Eccl. 12.13 Let vs heare the end of all feare God and keepe his commandements To this purpose haue I penned the first part of this treatise that the same may be a preparatiue to the other following Where thy house is ruinous thou wilt haue care to repaire it and where thy body is ill affected thou wilt take physicke to cure it be not then lesse carefull for thy soule then thou art for these earthly tabernacles So that where thou seest thy self caried forward with the immoderate loue of these vaine delights there apply such medicines as are here prepared for thee to the which if they proue weake in operation thou mayest adde more simples out of the heauenly garden of Gods word but in any case apply them with prayer the onely meanes to make them effectuall CHAP. 1. SECTION 1. A view of the vaine condition of man in respect of the goods of the mind and first of the vnderstanding Eccles 1.2 VAnitie of vanities saith the Preacher vanity of vanities all is vanity If euer there were any man
made so senslesse in the regard and wielding of good things that neither learning aduise nor any exhortation can do it any good Whilest the prodigall child had wherewith to maintaine his riot Luk. 15.13 he played the ruffian not thinking vpon his father at all so doth sacietie make men dissolute and forgetfull of their heauenly Father Therfoâ—e doth Moses warne the Israelites to take heede Deu. 8.11 4 lest when they haue filled themselues they forget the Lord. And as sacietie makes men forget GOD so it makes them forget their brethren that are in distresse for when Diues fared daintily Luk. 16. he thought not vpon poore Lazarus Yea it makes them forget themselues and those things that belong to their saluation which causeth our Sauiour to giue that warning Luk. 21.34 Take heede to your selues lest at any time your hearts be oppressed with surfetting and drunkennesse and that day come vpon you vnawares Lastly it is the tinder to kindle the firebrand of concupiscence and therefore doth the Apostle exhort the Ephesians not to be filled with wine Eph. 5.18 because therein is excesse meaning such excesse as doth breed accesse to sinne A man that refraineth not his appetite saith Salomon is like a citie which is broken downe and without wall Pro. 25. vlt. For as such a battered citie lieth daungerously open to the siege of the enemie so is such a Christian dangerously exposed to the assaults of Sathan who vseth it as an especiall stratageme to intangle the children of God by daintie fare as the lamentable experience of our first parents in Paradise can sufficientlie tell vs. Gen. 3. Seeing then that pompous and daintie faâ—e dulleth the wit emptieth the purse nourisheth idlenesse bâ—eedeth sicknesse causeth forgetfulnesse and kindleth concupiscence it is a grosse error to thinke those happâ—e which fare daintily euerie day as Diues did Those gormandizers which are of Philoxenus minde Aristot Eth. ib. 3. ca. 11 who wished that his necke were as long as a Cranes that hee might haue a long tast of his meate and drinke what should they gaine hereby if they had their wishes And those that make their bellies their gods Phil. 3.19 their kitchins their temples their tables their aultars their dainties their sacrifice and so do not serue the Lord but their bellies as the Apostle saith Rom. 16.18 do they not thinke that they must one day answer for the good creatures of God which they haue vainely consumed and for their owne soules and bodyes which they haue abused Yes surely they shall one day disgest their daintie morsels in torments which they haue deuoured in their bankets Aug. in Psa 48. Conc. 2. And what difference in the meane time is there betweene them and the poorest wretch sauing that in their liues they prouide more worke for the Physitian at their deaths more meate for the wormes To them Sampsons riddle will not well agree Iud. 14.14 Out of the eater came meate and out of the strong came sweetnesse for behold their eating yeelds nothing but stinch and filthinesse I may iustly complaine in the Prophets words Ezek. 16.49 The iniquitie of Sodome is the sinne of our land pride and fulnesse of bread and abundance of idlenesse for our opulencie hath made many loftie hearts and lazie hands Men rise vp early to follow dunkennesse Esa 5.11 Iude. 12. and feede themselues at feasts without all feare Little do such thinke of our Sauiours hungering and thirsting and of the bitter cup that he dranke for our sakes but let all those that feare God embrace sobrietie and temperance in their feeding and feasting And although it be lawfull to vse the creatures of God more plentifully at some times then at others and to feast with friends and neighbours yet can Iobs practise teach vs Iob. 1.5 that it is a daungerous libertie and requires the eye of circumspection and the sacrifice of prayer lest our table become a snare vnto vs. Christians should learne at all times to say with a godly father S. Augustin Thou hast taught me O God to come to my foode as I come to take physicke rather to suffice nature then to satisfie his appetite Howsoeuer thou doest prouide for the bodie haue care for Gods sake my Christian brother to nourish the inward man and to feed thy soule a diuine substance ten thousand times more to be respected then thy base bodie and to that end desire the sincere milke of the word 1. Pet. 2.2 that thou mayst grow thereby Is it not a wonder to consider that whereas faith teacheth vs that the soule is immortall and experience sheweth that the bodie is mortall yet most people contrarie both to faith and experience do so neglect the soule as though it were mortall and so cherish the bodie as if it were immortall Prayer and meditation hearing the word of God and reading good bookes which are the foode of the soule they little regard and seldome vse but their bodies they feede both as often as they need and as daintily as they are able But learne thou a better lesson of our blessed Sauiour Iohn 6.27 Labour not for the meate that perisheth but labour for the meate that endureth to euerlasting life Feed vpon Christ Iesus the bread of life by a liuely faith And as Elias went in the strength of the foode ministred by the Angell till he came to mount Horeb 1. King 19. so shalt thou go in the strength of this food vntill thou come to the celestiall mount Sion where thou shalt enioy the foode of Angels and be partaker of those exquisite and daintie viands that are prepared for the lambes supper Reu. 19.9 SECT 5. Of costly Apparell VVE reade that the man in whom the plague of leprosy was found should haue his clothes rent Leui. 13.45 and his head bare and should put on a couering vpon his lips and crie I am vncleane Wold you not imagine the man to be mad that should be proud of those markes of his miserie Consider then that the transgression of Adam stript him and all his posteritie of the robes of grace Gen. 3.7 and brought vpon them the leaprosie of sinne and a shamefull nakednesse and their clothes are like the rent clothes the bare head and the couering of the leaprous man euen demonstrations of their miserie and yet behold they are proud of them and doe glorie in them as it were a theefe in his burning in the hand the euident note of his theft and conuiction or as a beggar bragging of his ragges the onely ensignes of his base estate Lo thus doth man glorie in his shame Phil. 3.19 Is not that matter worthie the title of vanitie which the silly moth one of the tendrest weakest creatures is able to consume or if it be cloth of gold is subiect to rusting or if fine silke is not free from staining and
fretting Too much curiositie and pomp in apparell doth commonly follow defects of nature and are the ordinarie markes of a proud heart When Apelles saw one of his prentises to haue painted Hellen badly Clem Alex. paidag lib. 2. cap. 12. yet to haue decked her with gold verie brauely he said merily Wel done sirra though thou couldest not paint her beautifull 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet thou hast made her rich Many women are like this picture of Hellen though Nature hath not made them faire yet by decking and tricking vp themselues they will needs be fine thus are they faine to patch vp the defects of nature and when they haue done so they waxe proud of it like the bird that is decked with the plumes of another bird I know that to heare that defects and deformitie are the foundation of their pride some will not brooke it and when they shall be challenged of pride in their costly and curious apparell they will excuse it or denie it But the matter it selfe wil witnesse against them for who would put on gorgeous apparrell where they could not be seene of others And this was Socrates obseruation closely touched Aelian Var. hist lib 7. when his wife Zantippa would not put on her best clothes to go see a solemne shew Wife quoth he if thou wilt not put them on to see the shew yet do it that thy self may be seene there Psa 58.1 Are your mindes set vpon righteousnesse saith the Prophet Experience may answer No for the mindes of most men and women are set vpon vanitie and that not a little vpon the vanitie of apparell Is it not strange to see how many wits are set on worke to this purpose some labouring in the matter others studying about the forme and all endeuoring to bring vanitie to her perfection Cypr. de habitu virgin sect 11. The godly fathers obseruation is worthie the noting that God did not make sheepe of a purple or crimson colour but man with the diuels helpe a very cunning workman deuised these and many such other vanities Some thinke that pompe and brauerie in apparell is no fault but if that were so why hath the holy Ghost noted it in the Rich man Luk. 16.19 that he was clothed in purple and fine linnen I will not say with Ambrose Lib. 1. de virgin That a woman gorgeously and sumptuously attired is a house of all infernall diuels yet may I boldly say that such a one is a snare and dangerous prouocation to leudnesse Yea but euery one that is thus attired doth not intend to intrap any thereby Well admit there be no such intent yet may there easily be such an effect but suppose that neither of those do follow yet art thou not altogether blamelesse because thou hast offered poison Hieron ad Nepot if any man would haue drunke it The Lord by his Prophet Zephanie threatened Ierusalem Zeph. 1.8 that he would visite all such as were clothed in strange apparell Was there euer any people more culpable and worthy of reproofe in this respect then our disguised nation apt to take vp the fantasticall fashion of euerie countrey Looke vpon men and women and you shall perceiue in one and the same creature the English speech the Spanish fashion the Italian behauiour a manly shape a beastly life Spectatum admissi risum teneatis amici Would it not make euen Heraclitus laugh to behold this compouÌ„d of vanities Heraclitus was a man that always wept Is there not reason to dread the Lords visitation Esa 3.16.26 The daâ—ghters of Sion though exquisite in their brauerie shall come farre too short of the daughters of England yea if pride her selfe were to set vp shop she might take patternes of vs. Haue we not reason to feare that which is therefore threatened to Ierusalem that our gates shal mourne and lament and that our land being desolate shall sit vpon the ground as Iob did in the daies of his affliction Iob 1.20 in sackcloth and ashes The Lord giue vs grace so to feare it that wee may neuer feele it These things should be seene in apparell Hieron Ep. 84. necessitie honestie and decency Apparell must be neat but not of a disguised fashion Zeph. 1.8 both affected basenesse and exquisite nicenesse are extreames 1. Pet. 3.3 It must be comely but not too costly and if costly yet without riot or too much curiositie It must not be alwaies alike for it was Diues fault Luk. 16.19 that he was braue in apparell euery day It befittteth not euerie one to weare rich attire though Queene Hester may haue her royall apparell Hester 5.1 And though persons of state may weare rich clothing Luk. 7.25 yet they may not line it with pride But alas in these dayes neither fashion cost time place person or estate is respected but against the lawes both of God and man the most do seeke in their attire to content themselues though thereby they abuse both themselues and others Well now seeing that such cost and curiositie in apparell is vaine in it selfe dangerous in vse and odious to God when it is the nurse or note of pride let it be farre from euerie good Christian to take delight in brauing it as the world doth Psal 138.6 The Lord as it were in disdaine beholdeth the proud a farre off but giueth grace to the lowly Silkes and veluet and cloth of gold make a glorious shew in the eyes of men but sackcloth and the garment of haire are gracious in the sight of God Ionah 3.6 Esa 37 1. 1. King 21.29 and haue moued him to looke vpon the wearers thereof with the eye of fauour and compassion because they are good signes of humiliation If God haue blessed thee this way remember the poore that waÌ„t clothing so shalt thou cloath Christ in his members who will not let the least ragge thou giuest be vnrecompenced Mat. 25 40 If thou canst not be induced strictly to obserue that commaundement Luke 3.11 He that hath two coates let him part with him that hath none yet see not any perish for want of clothing Ioh 31.19.20 but let their loynes blesse thee because thou warmest them with the fleece of thy sheepe Oh that our dayes yeelded many Dorcases Acts 9 39 that the poore might shew the coates and garments which such compassionate women make for them but I feare it may be sooner wished then obtained To conclude be not ouercarefull for thy bodie in decking it but adorne thy soule with grace and if thou wilt be in a good fashion get into Iobs fashion Iob 29.14 I put on iustice and it couered me my iudgement was as a robe and crowne and put vpon thee the garments of the Queenes daughter Psal 45.13 who is all glorious within by sincerity and her clothing is of the wrought gold of grace But aboue all Rom.
13.14 put on the Lord Iesus Christ Thus when thou art decked with these externall and internall robes of grace and with the inherent and imputed righteousnesse of Christ the same shal be as the cloake of Elias 2. Kin. 2.14 deuiding the waters of the Iordan of this troublesome world that thou mayst passe ouer to the beautifull Iericho of eternall ioy And as when Isaac smelled the sauour of Iacobs garments Gen. 27.27 he blessed him so when the Lord smelleth the sweet aire of these garments of grace he will assuredly blesse thee with the white robes of eternall glorie in his euerlasting kingdome Reu. 6.11 SECT 6. Of stately buildings and sumptuous furniture HE that will see the vanitie of stately buildings with the complemeÌ„ts thereunto belonging let him take a view of Salomons house 1. King 7.1 which was thirteene yeares in building vnder the hands of so many thousand workmen and heare him also what he saith of it Eccle. 2.4.5 I haue built me houses I haue planted me vineyards I haue made me gardens and orchards and planted in them trees of all fruite c. Whatsoeuer cost or art could do or deuise Salomon had it to beautifie his workes but marke his censure as well as his description Vers 11. I looked on all the workes that my hands had wrought and behold All is vanitie and vexation of the spirit What is the vsuall foundation of stately buildings but pride and ambition Did not this humor set the builders of the towers of Babylon on worke Gen. 11.4 For they will build them a citie and a tower whose top may reach vnto the heauen that they may get them a name And this is also euident in the arrogant brag of that loftie king many hundred yeares after Dan. 4.27 Is not this great Babel that I haue built for the house of the kingdome by the might of my power and for the honour of my maiestie Marke how the conceipt of the greatnesse makes him arrogant and in false assuming the honour of the worke he is very impudent But if the matter be well waighed there is no great reason that any one should be proud of his buildings for euery one hauing his due the honour of the worke rather belongs to the builder then to the owner nay many may haue cause to be ashamed of their stately houses being void of habitation and nothing but meere mock-beggers 2 As pride layeth the foundation so crueltie and oppression doe oft times finish the worke Are there not many to whom the Prophets commination doth iustly belong Ier. 22.13 Wo vnto him that buildeth his house by vnrighteousnesse and his chambers without equitie and this circumstance makes it more odious that such cost is bestowed and employed with neglect of the Lords house The Prophet Aggeus taxeth and taunteth the Iewes after their returne from the captiuitie in these words Is it time for your selues to dwell in your seeled houses Agge 1.4 and this house lie waste Doubtlesse there was neuer any age more culpable in this kinde then ours for euery one that hath enough for his owne house hath nothing to bestow in repayring the Church Yea there are manie wretched cormorants who doe not onely let the Lords house lie waste but doe their vttermost euen vtterly to ruinate it Yea some with the spoyles of the Church do purchase lands and build them goodly houses and yet these sacrilegious wretches would bee counted faithfull Christians Saint Iames willeth them to shew him their faith by their workes Iames 2.18 If their stately houses the fruite of their fraud and couetousnesse and the monuments of their pride and arrogancie may be demonstrations of faith the world shall witnesse with them that they are very good Christians but thus many do make their buildings worse then the buildings of Iericho Iosua 6.26 not laying the foundation thereof in the bloud of their bodies but in the bane of their soules And let such know that the curse of God is vpon their glorious houses and that the stones of the wall shall crie out for vengeance Hab. 2.11 and the beame out of the timber shall answer it with an eccho and say Amen 3 What becommeth of all these are the buildings perpetuall or permanent yea doth not time with sundry accidents as fire thunder lightening tempests earthquakes and the like consume them Câ—â—er Epist sa n. lib. 4. Ep. 5. The carkasâ—s of mighty townes and cities such as Aegina and Corinth are scarce to be seen Where is that goodly building of Ierusalem that rauished our Sauiours disciples with admiration and are not those Egyptian Pyramides which were reckoned amongst the wonders of the world exceedingly defaced and decayed Chrys in Ep. ad Coloss Hom. 2. medio Therfore doth Chrysostome verie well compare mens buildings to swallowes neasts which in winter do fall downe of themselues and wherein as he saith do we differ from litle children which in their sports doe build them houses saue that their building is with play and pleasure ours with labour and paine The like may be sayd of domesticall ornaments which hath bene said of the houses For what are they but baites for theeues care for seruants worke for rust foode for moaths and mice and other base creatures The garden may instruct vs rather then delight vs by shewing vs what we are euen a flower and it is a good place to set our sepulcher in with Ioseph of Arimathea that in the middest of our delights we may remeÌ„ber our death As for orchyards they may preach humiliation vnto vs by remembring vs of our common calamitie through the tasting of the forbidden fruite This being the due estimation of these momentanie vanities it may serue to abate the arrogancie of those who waxe proud and stately because of their stately buildings and rich furniture Such may remember that a little womb contained them at their birth and a small graue will serue them at their death and why then should they seeke for such pompous habitations in the time of their life Let vs rather imitate Noah Gene 8.20 who after the flood built an altar then Caine Genes 4.17 who after the Lords threatning built a citie Let vs seeke better habitations then those that may perish by sundrie meanes in the time of our life and must needs be forsaken at our death Heb. 11.10 Abraham being called of God was easily perswaded to forsake his house and his owne countrey because hee locked for a citie whose builder and maker is God so the children of God should remember that they haue a building giuen of God 1. Cor. 5.1 that is an house not made with hands but eternall in the heauens The remembrance whereof should make these earthly tabernacles vile in their eyes As for the wicked who are so besotted with the loue of this world that they endeuour to erect perpetuall habitations in this
health strength and at last doe vtterly depriue men of them And as the Fuller with raising of the nappe and shearing of the cloth makes it weare soft and seemely but withall sooner then it wold be so do pleasures raise vp the nap of the spirits yeelding present content but withall bring olde age and death before their time 3 As pleasures do hurt the bodie so do they annoy and infect the soule They are like thorns in hindering the growth of godlinesse Luk. 8.14 like Syrens in lulling men asleepe in sinne and securitie Whilest Sampson slept vpon Dalilahs lappe Iud. 16. his lockes were shaued off and his eyes put out so when pleasure hath lulled men asleepe she will shaue off the lockes of grace and besot the soule with a spirituall blindnesse 4 But Saint Peter speakes of a further and farre more daungerous fruite of pleasure when hee saith that those which haue bene ledde with sensualitie 2. Pet. 2.13 shall receiue the wages of vnrighteousnesse And what that is it appeareth in Abrahams speech to Diues Luk. 16.25 Sonne remember that thou in thy life time receiuedst thy pleasures non thou art tormented So that the intollerable torments of hell are the reward of pleasures yea the more the pleasures the greater the torments for the Lord doth weigh out his iudgements according to the measure of mens vanities Reu. 18.7 So much as she hath liued in pleasure so much giue you to her torment and sorrow This is a meditation very meete for these dayes of voluptuousnesse for now is the Apostles Prophesie fulfilled In the last daies men shall be louers of pleasures more then louers of God 2. Ti. 3.1.4 I knowe there is scarcely such a miscreant but hee will in this behalfe indeuour to iustifie himself but when the Preachers of Gods word being the Lords Ambassadours beseech men in his name yet they cannot perswade them to forsake any pleasures is it not euident that they loue their pleasures more then they loue God Men that liue pleasantly seeme to liue happily but indeede their life is miserable and their condition lamentable The sweete and Christall riuer runnes pleasantly as it were sporting it selfe winding and turning his siluer streames vp and downe by many a faire and goodly meadowe a great while but at last it fals into the salt sea and there loseth his sweetnesse and becomes brackish so many wicked men which for a while doe turne and winde themselues vp and downe through the medowes of pleasure and bath themselues in the transitorie blisse of this world do at last fall into the mouth of hell and there lose all the sweetnes of their pleasures and find nothing but the brackishnesse of paines eternall Aul. Gel. lib. 1. cap. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 how much that was the learned agree not as Pet. Mosel in Aul. Gel. sheweth When Lais that famous Curtisan of Corinth asked Demosthenes a great sum of mony to lye with her one night he answered her wisely That he would not buy repentance at so deare a rate Consider then deare Christian that the price of pleasure is not onely the infirmitie of bodie and anguish of soule but of eternall paines and torments in hell are not all the pleasures in the world though thou mightest enioy them tenne thousand ages too deare to be bought at such a price we reade that king Lysimachus being constrained through thirst Plutar. Apoth to yeeld his kingdome to the Scythians when he had drunk the cold water said O good God for what a small pleasure haue I lost so great a kingdome Beleeue me if thou giue thy selfe to pleasure to thy soules daunger though thou draw it foorth as Salomon did yet when it is vanished thou wilt say O good God what endlesse torments am I subiect to and what a glorious kingdome haue I lost for trifling and momentanie pleasures Doe with thy pleasures rather as Dauid did with the water brought him by his Worthies whereof he wold not drinke but powred it foorth saying O Lord 1. Sam. 23. be it farre from mee that I should do this is not this the bloud of these men If pleasures offer themselues in neuer so glorious a shape to allure thee let neither thy hands touch them nor thy hart tast them but powring them foorth say with thy selfe O Lord be it farre from me that I should yeeld to these pleasures are they not the price of my soule This if thou shalt doe the Lord will yeelde thee heauenly delights in stead of earthly Psal 36.9 thou shalt be satisfied with the fatnesse of his house and he will giue thee drinke out of the riuers of his pleasures SECT 10. Of Friends and Friendship ALthough nothing bee more consonant and contenting to the nature of man then societie whereupon hee therefore hath his name homo of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Scaliger de causis ling. Lat. Vt Cic. de Amic yea although the vse of friendship were as frequent and necessarie as the Elements yet may this benefite of friendship be also raunged very iustly in the Catalogue of vanities Salomon describeth a friend thus Pro. 17.17 A friend loueth at all times if he onely be a friend who loueth at all times how few true friends are there For the most are like the swallow which sings merrily with vs all the sommer but bids vs farewell towards winter Many will willingly accompanie their friends while they saile safely with a pleasant wind but when the tempest of danger or trouble ariseth they will quickly flinch and forsake them A friend is counted another selfe but most frends in time of need will giue a man leaue to trust to himselfe Das nihil dicis Candide 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mart. lib. 2. It is a common thing to say All things are common among friends when nothing is communicated and I am wholly yours is soone said but seldome seene Doth the whole world yeelde one Damon or Pythias one Pilades or Orestes No a faithfull friend is a Phoenix The Philosophers said ingeniously Arist Cicero Hieron ad Paulin. that affinitie in manners and conditions should be the foundation of friendship and the auncient Father diuinely Ambros de Offic. lib 3. That the feare of God and loue of his word should be the glue to knit men together in the league of true loue but profit pleasure vanitie and iniquitie is the foundation glue that vnites most When friendship is once begun is it not kept on foote by flattery for the imperious nature of man being impatient of reproofe and aduise it is thought good rather to sooth and claw then to fall to iarres So that most men become like the Iuie to the tree and the beare bind to the wheat which clippe them till they haue killed them And such friends as these when oportunitie is offred proue faithlesse and trecherous killing where they kissed
wake with the little tender babe And as children grow in age and stature so doth the cost and care of parents grow and increase The health the honestie the credite and good estate of the children is the continuall meditation of the parents and if they prooue towardly impes yet is the future hope conceiued of theÌ„ very doubtfull and the comfort variable but the care most certaine and infallible Children should be like the oliue plants Psal 128.3 yeelding the oyle of gladnesse chearefulnesse vnto their parents faces but many by their vngracious behauiours doe make their faces shine with teares and doe couer them with shame They should be as arrowes of protection in the hands of the strong Psal 127.4 but they become swords and darts of sorrow and anguish to pierce their pareÌ„ts hearts What a heart-breake was that vnto Adam Gen. 4.8 that hauing but two sonnes the one of them should murther his owne and onely brother And what a thing was it that when as Isaac had but two children the one of them married with wiues that were a griefe of mind to his mother Gen. 26.35.27.46 and made her wearie of her life But thus doe parents often hatch such filthie egges as proue vgly serpents Sometime it happeneth that contrarie to the course of nature the parents performe the funerall rites to their children and the fame is exceeding grieuous to them 2. King 4. How is the Shunamite distracted for the death of her sonne and how doth Dauid fast and lye on the ground 2. Sam. 12. vpon the sicknesse of his child and if that nature be not extreame in this respect they haply liue to their farther discomfort He that hath married his daughter saith a wise man hath performed a waightie worke Eccles 7.25 but I may say truly howsoeuer passion may crosse reason that he which hath buried his child in the feare of God hath perfourmed a waightier worke For much care and feare is thereby escaped I am not ignorant that the death of Children hath brought the graye heads of some parents with sorrow to the graue but who knoweth not which is worse that the life of children doth often bring their gray heads with sorrow and â—hame to their sepulchers In such a case there is iust cause of wering a mourning weede The most sort of parents I confesse through their folly do turne this temporall blessing into a curse and this comfort into a corrasiue and make it both vanitie and vexation of spirit Such are they that bring vp their children too nicely tenderly or else doe vtterly neglect their education to their owne discomfort and their childrens ouerthrow This was the fault of Dauid who loued his sonne Absolon too tenderly 2. Sam. 14. and would neuer displease Adoniah froÌ„ his childhood 1. Râ—g 1.6 The fruite of which indulgence appeared afterwards when the one attempted to depose his father the other sought to disinherite his brother But the iudgement of God was very grieuous vpon old Eli 1. Sa. 2.24 4. cap. a remisse man who when his sonnes deserued seuere chastisements for their notorious wickednesse onely rebuked them with a verbal reproofe Most parents are very prouident for their childrens profits and those things that belong to their bodies but few haue care of the things that appertain to their soules they decke them in braue apparell build them faire houses and purchase theÌ„ goodly lands but do litle regard their vertuous and godly education Thus as if it were enough for the husbandman to sow his corne but neuer weede it and the gardener to plant a tree and neuer prune it so they thinke it enough to haue children though they neuer haue care of their good bringing vp whereby they peruert the principall ends of marriage and procreation For whereas they should haue endeuoured to haue had of so many childreÌ„ so many heires of the kingdome of heauen they haue alas for pitie prepared so many firebrands for hell This may be a warning to al parents who doe fondly dote vpon their children and a reason to moderate their affections that their hearts be no more set vpon them then is expedient that the current of their loue runne the right way that they doe not cocker and nuzle them vp in vanity and vice but breede them vp in the instruction and information of the Lord. Eph. 6.4 That howsoeuer they prouide for their outward estate they indeuour to make them rich in faith and gracious in their conuersation for this shall tend to the fathers credite the childrens comfort and Gods glorie Psal 127.5 Happie is that man that hath his quiuer full of such arrowes he shall not be ashamed when he speaketh with his enemie in the gates SECT 14. Of Recreations THe estate and conditioÌ„ of mankinde is such both in respect of his bodie and his minde that neither the one nor the other is able substantially to performe prosecute those offices that belong vnto them if they shall be conuersant in continuall agitatioÌ„ and motion The reason hereof is because the vitall and animall spirits are to the bodie and the minde like the oyle to the lampe which if it be not sometimes repaired will be quickly extinguished Now as nature challengeth some intermission for her better refreshing so hath Almightie God herein condescended to mans necessitie permitting to him some libertie for the relaxation both of minde and bodie by Recreations consonant to them both and not dissonant froÌ„ that holy profession which becommeth a Christian For the bodie 2. Sa. 1.18 such exercises as shooting and slinging which were practised for recreations in peace and were necessarie also for defence in the time of warre and the praises of men exquisite in that skill are mentioned in the booke of Iudges Jud. 20.16 as the seuen hundred Beniamites that could sling at a haires breadth meaning by an extensiue kind of speech very neare For the mind some such as ingenious sober riddles are as that of Sampsons Iud. 14.14 Out of the eater came meate and out of the strong came sweetnesse And such no doubt were diuerse of the Queene of Shebaes questions 1. Kin. 10.3 wherewith she prooued Salomon To this purpose serueth Musicke 2. Chro. 9.1 by meanes whereof Dauid that excellent Musitian did calme and pacifie the minde of Saul 1. Sam. 16.24 vexed and disquieted with a melancholicke humour stirred vp by an euill spirit Yet are these and the like recreations and exercises nothing else but meere vanities Amongst all the recreations that haue bene deuised there is in my conceit none comparable to that heaueÌ„ly science of Musicke which causeth Salomon to single it out from the rest Eccles 2.8 Yet behold his censure of it When he had prouided him men-singers and women-singers the delights of the sonnes of men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vide Tremel in hunc locuÌ„ harmonie and harmonies that
of iudgemen namely their amazednesse in the resurrection THe princely Prophet hauing deciphered the vaine indeuours of wicked and couetous carnall men labouring to establish perpetuall habitations to them and their posteritie concludeth thus of them Psa 49.14 They lye in the graue like sheepe and death gnaweth vpon them If this were all their miserie it were lesse to be maruelled at but behold whilest death is feeding vpon their bodies and turning them to rottennesse hell fire seizeth vpon their soules and vexeth theÌ„ with torments neither is this the finall conclusion of their wretchednesse For as it is appointed to all men once to dye Heb. 9 27. So after that commeth the iudgement wheÌ„ both soule and bodie must be reunited that they may bee tormented together Thus the life of the vngodly is spent in wickednesse their death is with horror â—oel 2.2 Zeph. 1.15 Diuerse mistake these places of the Prophets applying them to the day of â—udgement whereunto they cannot agree except â—y the way of illusion and their rising againe shall be with much terror The Prophets do describe the day of Gods vengeance vpon the Iewes and the terrors of their enemies insultings by diuerse dreadfull speeches calling it a day of darknesse and blacknesse a day of cloudes and obscurity a day of wrath and a day of trouble and heauinesse a day of destruction and desolation If the comming of the enemie and the Lords approching with temporall afflictions bee thus terrible blacke cloudy and desolate oh how dreadfull shall the comming of Christ and the day of spirituall vengeance bee to â—he wicked For they shall bee wonderfully amazed in their resurrection exceedingly terrified at their arraignement and dolefully astonied at the sentence of condemnation 1 Their resurrection shall be with much amazednesse by reason of the sodainnes The sodaine comming of the day of iudgement is set foorth by sundry similitudes in the holy Scriptures 1. Thes 5. Mat. 24. Luk. 21. Eccles 9. it shall come like an enemie a theefe and a snare it shall speedily assault like an enemie slily breake in like a theefe and suddenly entrap men like a snare If a man should suddenly wake forth of his sleepe and see his house on fire and his friends wailing and weeping about him wold it not amaze him Lo death is but a sleepe and the graue is the bedde when a wicked man awaketh and shall behold on the one side his sinnes accusing him and on the other side the hellish feends and furies readie to vexe him a troubled conscience burning within him the frame of the heauens the earth flaming without him vnder his feete the fearefull pit of hell readie to deuoure him ouer his head the axe of Gods iudgment lifted vp to strike him and many of his friends wailing and howling about him because of the instant desolation and destruction oh how do we thinke that this miserable man shall be amazed A sudden thunder-clappe awaking a man will make him start and quake and will not the sudden showt and sounding of the Archangell and trumpet of God cause men to tremble 1. Thes 4.16 When Adoniah heard the trumpets sounding at Salomons coronation he was much dismayed 1 King 1. and fearing the presence of Salomon arose and went and tooke hold on the hornes of the altar When the vngodly which now sleepe in the dust of the earth shall heare the Archangell and the trumpet ratling at our Sauiours coronation it must needes dismay them much and so much the more because they shall find no sanctuarie but must be brought before him that is greater then Salomon to receiue their fatall doome 2 As the sodainenesse of this dreadfull day rowzing them from death is terrible so the end thereof also is lamentable their resurrection being to destructioÌ„ Joh. 5.29 For they that haue done euill shall come foorth to the resurrection of condemnation yea they shall rise to perpetuall shame and contempt Dan. 12.2 The prisoner though he come forth of the filthie and darksome dungeon into the sweet and wholsome aire yet when he must goe to his triall in some desperate case had rather if he might remaine there still The graue is a prison of filthie rottennesse and darknesse yet happie were the wicked man if he might haue an eternall habitation therein and not be brought to iudgment WheÌ„ Dalilah cryed suddenly to Sampson Jud. 16.20 The Philistims are vpon thee Sampson he awaked thinking to shew his strength as at other times but the Lord was departed from him Therefore the Philistims tooke him put out his eyes brought him to Azzah bound him with fetters and made him to grind in the prison house Lo thus shall the wicked be awaked at the day of iudgement when because the Lord is not with them the eyes of consolation shall be put out they shall bee brought to the iudgement seate of Christ who shall cause them to bee bound in fetters and to bee cast into the prison house of hell there to bee tormented world without end Act. 23.8 Now shall the wicked Sadduces which say there is no resurrection nor spirit find that there is both a resurrection for their shame and contempt and spirites for their torments and confusion The Diuels said to our Sauiour that hee came to torment them before their time Mat. 8.29 so shall these wretched men thinke they are raised to iudgment before their time but it may be said to them in the Prophets words Wo be to them for their day is come Ier. 50.27 and the time of their visitatioÌ„ Seeing now my Christian brother that the day of Christs comming shall bee thus speedie and the resurrection of the vngodly so full of miserie and amazednesse let the remembraunce therof cause thee so to leade thy life that thou maiest bee fitly prepared for the one and happily escape the other Reu. 20.6 Blessed are they that haue part in the first resurrection for on such the second death hath no power Yea happie and thrise happie is he who by the power of Gods spirit is in this life raised from the death of sinne to the life of righteousnesse for behold he shall assuredly in the life to come enioy a resurrection to eternall life and saluation SECT 2. The second steppe of the wicked into hel at the day of iudgment namely their terror in beholding Christ and appearing before his throne of iudgment WHen Adam had takeÌ„ of the forbidden fruite Gen. 3.8 being naked he would faine haue hid himselfe from God walking in the garden in the coole of the day the poore sinner naked both in body and soule would faine hide himselfe from the presence of Christ comming to iudgement in the euening of the world but it may not be For as it is intollerable to abide his presence so is it impossible to auoid it Euery eye must see him Reu. 1.7 Mat. 25.32 and all the
this final sentence vpon them Depart from me ye cursed For behold this curse shall bee a thousand times more grieuous then the cursed and bitter water to the suspected woman Num. 5.18.24 which caused her thigh to rot her belly to swell and made her to be detestable accursed among her people For hereby both belly and thigh head and heart yea bodie and soule shall all be filled with bitternesse become accursed and detestable in the sight of Almightie God and all the holy companie of heauen 2 This makes the sentence more dreadfull in that it cannot be reuoked by any meanes possible The sentence proceeding from the iudgement seate of mortall men may be reuoked or stopped by sundry meanes as by appellation by supplication by complaint or restoring the condemned to his former estate but all these hopes and helpes shall be fruitlesse when this sentence of condemnation shall come forth from the throne of the Lord whose iudgements are more resolute then the decrees of the Medes and Persians which might not be altered 1. There can be no appeale for it must bee to a higher Iudge but there is none such 1. Tim. 6.15 For he is the onely and blessed Prince the King of Kings and Lord of Lords hee hath the key of Dauid Reu. 3.7 when hee shutteth no man openeth the Father hath committed the iudgement vnto him Ioh. 5.27 2. There is no hope of helpe by supplication For Wisedome euen the diuine wisedome of the Father Christ Iesus saith Because he called to them and they would not heare therefore they shall call vpon him and hee will not heare Yea if Iob and Noah and Daniel stood vp to intreat for them it should be in vaine 3. Whither shall the damned go to complaine themselues what to the Lord whose spirit they haue grieued what to the Angels whose ministerie they haue abused what to the Saints whose righteous soules they haue vexed this were a fond conceipt and a fruitlesse course Iob saith well Iob. 9.33 There is no vmpire wheÌ„ God and man are at oddes 4. There is no hope of restoring of the damned to whoÌ„ the Lords wordes shall bee such as he saith to Ieremie I will put my wordes into thy mouth like a fire Jer. 5.14 and this people shall be as wood and it shall deuoure them Psal 2. He will bruse them with a rod of iron and breake them in peeces like a potters vessell so that there shall not be left a shard to fetch fire with When Esau came to Isaac his father for a blessing which was passed before to Iacob Gen. 27.33 his father said I haue blessed him and he shall be blessed and he poore soule could not get the blessing though hee sought it with teares Heb. 11. So resolute shell the Lords sentence be at the day of iudgement I haue cursed them they shall be cursed and no teares or weeping shall bee able to reuoke it for the Lord hauing spoken it hee will not repent nor alter the words that are gone out of his lippes Loe this is a time of punishment and not of pardon Men that are on the sea seeing some mightie tempest arise are much affraid when it beates vpon the shippe it maketh them amazed but when they begin to sinke Insequitur clamorque virûm stridorque rudentum â—irg Aene. lib. 1. oh what crying and scriching may there be heard amongst theÌ„ So when wicked men foresee the daunger of future iudgement it makes them affraid when they are brought before the tribunall they shall be mightily astonied but when they beginne once to sinke into the pit of euerlasting perdition oh Lord what howling and scriches will they send forth Well seeing this sentence of condemnation is so intolerable and irreuocable why alas haue men no more care to auoide it Many yea the most defer their repentance in this life as though there were hope of pardon in the day of punishment but our Sauiour teacheth vs better Mat. 5.25 Agree with thine aduersarie quickely whilest thou art in the way with him lest thine aduersarie deliuer thee to the Iudge and the Iudge deliuer thee to the sergeant and thou be cast in prison Let euery one that hath the feare of condemnation before his eyes seeke reconciliation at the hands of God by true and vnfained repentance and that quickly whilest he is in the way of this life lest hee bee separated with Go your cursed and so the damned spirits the sergeants of hell carrie him to the place of euerlasting torments When men are perswaded by Preachers to paines cost or care in their saluation to abridge themselues of their profits pleasures vanities and iniquities so to enter into heauen by the streight gate they are readie to say with our Sauiours flinching followers Ioh. 6.60 This is a hard saying But would to God they did remember and consider this hard saying Go ye cursed into euerlasting fire and that would surely make them carefull with Abraham Gen. 21.11 to cast out wicked Ismael out of the houses of their soules though it bee grieuous in their eyes and euen with most painfull indeuours studie to make their election sure and to escape that fatall and finall sentence of condemnation Remember the Apostles exhortation To day if you will heare his voyce harden not your hearts Heb. 3.7 And this do lest at the day of iudgement you heare that voyce of terror that shooke the earth and will shake the hearts of all those that shall be goates separated on the left hand for they shall stand naked before the tribunall seate of Christ to heare with trembling harts the voyce of his condemnation 3 ern who haue shut their eares at the voyce of his exhortation CHAP. 3. SECT I. The first steppe of the wicked into hell after the last iudgement namely the losse of Gods presence and all heauenly coÌ„forts Hest 7.8 WE reade in the storie of Hester that king Ahashuerosh hauing decreed the death of haughtie Haman as the word went out of the kings mouth the officers presently couered his face and caried him to the place of execution so when Christ hath pronounced the sentence of Condemnation vpon the wicked shame shall couer their faces and the infernall officers the damned spirits shall instantly carie them to hell there to be tormented for euer When the sentence of banishment was pronounced against Coriolanus Plutar. in vita Coriol he to mooue the Iudges to compassion pleaded for himselfe his valiant deedes and praised the souldiers that had serued with him in the wars but all to no purpose so the wicked to mooue Christ to commiseration shall say to him in that day Lord Lord Mat. 7.22 haue not we by thy name prophecied and by thy name cast out diuels and by thy name done many great workes but all to as little purpose for Christ will professe vnto them
I neuer knew you depart from me you workers of iniquitie And this Depart from me is the first degree of punishment vnto the vngodly being now not in the suburbes but entred within the walles and gates of hell It is indeed but a priuatiue punishment which Diuines do vsually call poena damni but it hath a positiue effect for as the absence of the Sunne causeth darkenesse and the lacke of meat leanenesse so the want of Gods presence bringeth exceeding griefe and heauinesse Psa 16.11 yea as the fulnesse of ioy and pleasure is had by the enioying of his presence so the fulnesse of sorrow and miserie shall possesse the hearts of men by being excluded from the fruition thereof It must needes be a great miserie not to be with him without whom there is no being It is written that when the Arke of God was taken by the Philistims old Eli with griefe fel backward and dyed 1. Sam. 4.18.19 and his daughter in lawe Phineas wife fell on trauelling through sorrow and lost her life If the losse of the Arke which was onely a figure pledge of Gods presence was thus grieuous to them how shall the losse and lack of Gods presence it selfe cause the condemned to trauell with griefe and heauinesse of heart and to wish that they might with Eli and his daughter end their miserie with ending of their liues If a man had bene in some good possibilitie of an earthly kingdome Chrysâ—st ad pop Ant. Hom. 48. and through his owne folly had lost it how do you thinke it would haue grieued him Is there any comparison betweene the meanest mansion in the kingdome of heauen and the greatest Monarchie in the world Now then when a man hauing bene not onely in possibility of this kingdome but euen sure of it if he would haue vsed his indeuour to attaine vnto it shall by his negligence haue lost it will it not vexe and torment him will it not cause him to rate himselfe and say What a beast was I through mine owne folly to lose such a blessed inheritance It was exceeding â—rkesome to Absalon 2. Sam. 14.32 to be banished foorth of his fathers presence so that hee might not behold his face what a hell then shal it be to be banished for euer forth of his presence 2. Cor. 1.3 who is the father of mercie and God of all consolation whose loue to his children is more then Dauids to his sonne Absalon or his brother Ionathan yea greater then the mothers loue to her tender babe Esa 49.15 It was not the least part of Adams punishment that hee was cast out of Paradise and depriued of Gods presence neither is it a small miserie to be excluded forth of the kingdome of heauen and to lose the face and fauour of Almightie God Chrysostome iudgeth it to be much more bitter then the pains of hell yea worse then a thousand hels Super. Mat. Hom. 33. if there were so many howsoeuer it is Ibid. Hom. 28. surely it must needes bee exceeding grieuous We haue a Prouerbe Where the eye seeth not the heart grieues not If the damned soules might not behold the felicitie that they haue lost by their folly their griefe would be the lesse but as the elect shall haue fruition thereof to their perpetuall comfort so the view thereof shall yeeld an euerlasting corrasiue to the coÌ„science of the reprobate The Captaine of the King of Israel would not beleeue that it was possible by any meanes there should bee such a plentie as Elizaeus had promised but the Prophet tels him Behold 2. King 7.2 thou shalt see it with thine eyes but thou shalt not eate thereof As this was added to the punishment of his infidelitie that though he should not tast it yet he should see it so shall it be to the reprobate at the day of iudgement when Christ with all his holy Angels and blessed Saints shall appeare in glory that which the Psalmist hath shall bee fulfilled Psa 112.10 The vngodly shall see it and it shall grieue him he shall gnash with his teeth and consume away the desire of the vngodly shall perish It shall grieue the vngodly to see the Saints of God in glorie and he shall pine away with griefe he shall desire that hee might bee partaker thereof with them but this desire of his shall be fruitelesse according to our Sauiours saying Luk 13.28 There shall bee weeping and gnashing of teeth when they shall see Abraham and Isaac and Iacob and all the Prophets in the kingdome of God and themselues thrust out of doores And what greater disgrace can come to a man then to be thus contemptuously thrust foorth of the blessed society of heauen and to be shut without where shall bee dogges and inchaunters Reu. 22.15 and whoremongers and murtherers Idolaters and whosoeuer loueth or maketh lyes Now shall those that haue denyed Christ before men be denyed before the face of Almightie God and those that haue despised and scorned the societie of the godly shall be scorned and contemned in the presence of men and Angels If the losse of a deare friend be grieuous and the separation of the soule from the bodie exceeding terrible the losse of the fellowship of Saints cannot but bee much more grieuous and the separation both of soule and body from Almightie God must needs be both terrible and intollerable He therefore spake truly who said That the teares of hell are not sufficient to bewaile the losse of heauen Seeing then the losse of Gods presence and the coÌ„forts of heauenly ioyes is so great and grieuous is it not extreame folly in men that will rather incurre this dangerous and dolefull losse then they will lose their smallest profites or trifling pleasures yet such is the folly of most men But wouldst thou escape this misery then thinke vpon the Prophets words 2. Chr. 15.2 The Lord is with you whilest you are with him and if you seek him he wil be found of you but if you forsake him he will forsake you If thou be with God in the kingdome of grace thou shalt be with him in the kingdome of glorie but if thou forsake him in this life he will forsake thee in the life to come Cast me not away from thy presence ô Lord Psal 51.11 and take not thy holy Spirit from me saith Dauid Is this thy prayer behold then if thou grieue not Gods Spirit hee will not take it from thee and except thou cast thy selfe out of Gods presence by infidelity and disobedience hee wil not cast thee foorth It is said of Henoch Gen. 5.24 that he walked with God and it is immediatly added that he was no more seene for God tooke him away so shall it be done to all those that vnfainedly feare God He that walkes with God in holines as Henoch did shall not be excluded from his presence but bee taken vp into
torments I wonder to think of some that vse to confirme their speeches with this fearefull execration Would I were damned if c. Alas alas full little do they know what they say if they cōsidered the horror of condemnatiō they wold trēble to take such words in their mouths Here that exhortation hath notable vse Psal 4.4 Stand in awe and sinne not If we be in some great mans daunger that is able to be reuenged vpon vs Lord how wee creepe and crouch feare But we shold feare him which is able to destroy both soule bodie in hell Mat. 10.18 If men had harts to conceiue grace to beleeue and minds to meditate vpon these fearefull torments it must needes make them stand in awe and restraine them from sinne but alas for pitie the force of sin hath banished the feare of God and the dread of hell else would men neuer liue as they doe There are some vngodly men and women so nice and tender that they cannot abide the heate of the Sunne and the biting of a flea will not suffer them to sleepe oh that such could consider what it is to frie in the vnquencheable flames of fire brimstone and to haue the neuer-dying worme gnawing at their consciences Some are so coy that they cannot abide to looke vpon the sores of poore Lazarus and so vnmercifull that they stoppe their eares at the cry of their distressed brethren oh that they would remember what a filthie prison is prepared for the damned and what yelling and howling the mercilesse shall one day heare Some there are to whom the seruice of God is exceeding painefull and irkesome as to kneele at prayer to be any thing long at a Sermon or the like oh that such had grace to meditate vpon the irkesome and painefull torments prepared for the damned For would not the consideratiō remembrance and meditation hereof correct their lewd affections drie vp the fountaine of their filthie words change the course of their vaine conuersation and make them willing to do any thing so they might escape those torments If a man haue but some extreme fi◠of the gowt collicke or tooth-ach what paines and cost will he be at to be eased But what are these to the paines of hell yet fewe there are that will bestow cost or care to auoide them Do but thinke a little vpon Diues how that for one droppe of water to coole his tongue he would haue giuen the whole world if he had bene Lord of it yet could not obtaine it and it will cause thee with prayers and teares and true repentance to finish thy saluation in the feare of God Chrys in 2. Epist ad Corin. hom 10. If thou shouldest come into a loathsome prison and there see some looke pale and wan others bound in chaines and fetters others hungring and thirsting others shut vp in the darke and filthie dungeon making piteous lamentation would it not mooue thy heart with commiseration and cause thee carefully to auoide those courses that might bring thee into the like daunger Then thinke vpon the prison and dungeon of hell and consider seriously with thy selfe how many poore souls looke pitifully there how many are bound strongly in Sathans fetters how many are shut vp in the place of vtter darkenesse and being continually tormented with the hellish fiends doe nothing but waile and weepe and gnash their teeth and it must needs make thee remember the rich mans speech Luk. 16.28 I beseech thee father Abraham send Lazarus to warne my brethren lest they come into this place of torments What art thou like Thomas Iob. 20. that thou wilt not beleeue except thou see and feele Exod. 10.7 art thou like Pharao that thou wilt not feare before Aegypt be destroyed I meane wilt thou feele the torments of hel before thou feare them and wilt thou be destroyed before thou wilt leaue thy sinnes Alas that any man should be so carelesse and senslesse in the view of such torments The bodie is subiect to bad repletion diseases by sweet meates but it must be purged by bitter potions so must the discreete Christian purge his soule of the filthie humors of sinne and the repletion of vanitie by deepe meditation of the bitter paines of hell We reade of one who vpon the violence of any temptation to sinne would lay his hand on burning coles and being not able to endure the same wold say to himselfe Oh how vnable shall I be to endure the paines of hell and this cogitation did mightily restraine him from euill If thou wilt not practise this experiment yet at the least ponder seriously these meditations and they will I hope through Gods gracicious assistance make thee carefull and able to maister thy corruptions and to ouercome Sathans temptations SECT 3. The last period of the paines of the damned which is the Eternitie of their torments WHen I consider the condition of the damned it makes me remember Nebuchadnetsar Dan. 4. who for his pride was driuen from his kingdome had his dwelling with the beastes was made to eate grasse with the oxen and wet with the dew of heauen till his haires were growne as Eagles feathers and his nailes like birds clawes for so shall the damned for their wickednesse be driuen at the day of iudgement from the kingdome of God haue their dwelling with the Diuels bee tormented in the flames of fire and transformed into the lothsome form of the vgly fiends of hell Herein indeed Nebuchadnetsar and they do differ his deposing was but carnall and temporall theirs is spirituall and eternall he was punished thus onely till seuen times passed ouer him they shall be thus plagued till seuentie times seuen times seuen times be passed ouer euen for euer and euer That is a long sentence that hath no period a large day that yeelds no euening and ample torments that haue no end behold such a sentence such a day and such tormēts art thou come now to meditate vpon my Christian brother and therefore inlarge thy meditation to the vttermost that thou mayest fruitefully ponder these fearefull torments The greatnes of the pains of hell in regard of the qualitie is lamentable but the grieuousnesse thereof in respect of the quantity makes them intolerable Wee haue an old saying That is no bad day that hath a good night The sharpest conflicts to the souldier the roughest tempest to the mariner and weariest iourney to the traueller are not without comfort because they yeeld an expectation of an end but the torments of hell being as endlesse in quantitie as they are easelesse in qualitie yeeld not the least glimpse of consolation to the damned spirits Was it not wonderfull in the dayes of Iosua that the Sunne and Moone stood still Iosua 10.13 and hasted not to go downe for a whole day that the people might be auenged on their enemies But how wonderfull will it be when the Sun and Moone
a recompence as thou mayest lift vp pure hands with comfort in this life so shall Christ take thee by the hand at the day of iudgement Mat. 25. and say to thee Enter into thy maisters ioy When the kings daughter is all glorious within Psal 45. and her clothing of wrought gold shee shall be brought vnto the king with ioy and gladnesse and shall enter into the kings Pallace and so shall it bee done to euery sanctified Christian at the last day he shall bee brought by the blessed Angels to Christ the most blessed king with great ioy hauing heard his gracious sentence Come yee blessed shall enter into his glorious pallace the kingdome of heauen and possesse the same for euer and euer CHAP. 3. SECT 1. The first steppe into heauen after the last iudgement namely Freedome from miserie EXperience teacheth that the consideration of passed miserie doth giue a sweet rellish to future felicitie Olim haec meminisse iuuabit Virg Aened 1. the remembrance of the fierce assaults sharpe conflicts and deadly fights is ioyfull to the souldier the cogitation of escape from the deuouring gulfes perilous rockes and dangerous streights yeeld delight vnto the mariner and is not the sicke man glad when the extremitie of his fit is past though he be not as yet restored to his perfect health So fareth it with the children of God at the last day the consideration of their deliuerance from the dangerous combats with sinne and Sathan their escaping the perilous sayling in the seas of this troublesome world and freedome from the sicke fits of their inward corruptions doth adde abundantly to their euerlasting happines in the world to come and the greater their troubles or daungers haue bene the more is their comfort Now to the end that this happinesse of the children of God may the better appeare the mappe of escaped miseries is to bee considered of vs as that blessed Captaine and Pilot Christ Iesus with his seruants and souldiers haue described the same in the sacred Scriptures 1 The soule is deliuered from disordered passions as hope and feare ioy and sorrow which contending like so manie contrarie disordered elements and humors in the bodie and strugling like the hote exhalation in a cold cloud do distract the mind and rent the soule like a cloud When man was at vnitie with God there was a sweet harmonie friendship betweene all the faculties of his soule but when man rebelled against his God as al the external creatures opposed themselues against him to worke his ruine so did his internall cogitations conspire against him to be reuenged on him for his sinne and now that man is reconciled and acquited by the finall sentence of the great Iudge all his vnruly and rebellious perturbations are brought into subiection 2 The godly are deliuered from sundrie outward calamities as sicknes pains labour reproch c. to the which the dearest seruants of God are subiect yea froÌ„ the which the Son of God in the dayes of his infirmitie was not exempted for Dauid had a Doeg to accuse him a Shimei to reuile him 1. Sam. 22.9 2. Sam. 16.7 1. Sam. 24. c. a Saul to persecute him But now Ioh. 16. the sorrowes of the godly shall be turned into ioy Reu. 21.4 and Christ will wipe all teares from their eyes Euen as tender hearted mothers do wipe from the eyes of their little babes the teares which they shedde through the sense of some calamitie so will the Lord with the handkerchiffe of compassion drie vp the streames of his childrens teares that issued from the springs of dolour 3 They are deliuered froÌ„ the prouocations allurements of the wicked world which is the fanne and firebrand of iniquitie Reu. 19.20 For the beast and that false Prophet which wrought miracles whereby hee deceiued the world shall now be cast into a lake that burnes with fire and brimstone there to bee tormented for euer and all the vngodly shall bee destroyed with an euerlasting perdition 2. Thes 1.9 and so shall neuer haue power any more to tempt or torment the children of God That was a gracious petition of our blessed Sauiour I pray not Ioh. 17.15 that thou shouldest take them out of the world but that thou shouldst keepe them from euill But forasmuch as the most sanctified seruants of God whilst they are in the world are not free from all prouocations of euill happie is he that is freed from dwelling any longer in Mesech and hauing his habitation amongst the tents of vngodlinesse 4 They are deliuered from the power of the diuel who now goeth about like a roaring Lyon 1. Pet. 5.8 seeking whom he may deuoure Christ came to loose the workes of the Diuell 1. Ioh. 3.8 and albeit hee hath not as yet vtterly crushed his power Rom 16.20 yet is hee the God of peace that will shortly treade downe Sathan vnder our feet and cast him into the lake of fire and brimstone Reu. 20.10 Saint Iohn hauing related a victorie ouer Sathan Reu. 12.12 bids Reioyce therefore you heauens and yee that dwell therein and shall not the seruants of God haue great cause to reioyce now when not onely Sathans power is weakened his fierce darts quenched but himselfe vtterly subdued and fettered in the infernall lake for euer 5 They are deliuered froÌ„ the slauerie of sinne which is grieuous to all those that desire to liue godly The sense hâ—reof made Saint Paule crye out Rom. 7.24 O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer mee from the bodie of this death Lo here is the deliuerance that the holy Apostle did so earnestly desire For the cause ceassing the effects must needes follow mans corruptions being conquered the worlds allurements abolished and Sathans darts quenched the soule and bodie of man being reformed and refined there shall neither remaine any cause of sinne or if there did any fit subiect for sinne to worke vpon And now is the time when the spouse of Christ shall bee washed and cleansed Eph. 5.26.27 that shee may bee without spot or wrinkle 6 They are deliuered from death as Saint Iohn saith There shall bee no more death Reu. 21.14 And no maruell for as light expelleth darknesse so eternall life putteth death to flight Rom. 6.23 Death is the reward of sinne so that sinne being abandoned death must needs be abolished Can that which is immortall dye to affirme that were to vtter a senslesse coÌ„tradiction Therfore when this corruptible 1. Co. 15.54 hath put on incorruption and this mortall hath put on immortalitie then shall bee brought to passe that saying that is written Death is swallowed vp into victorie If our first parents had kept themselues vpright they could not haue died for their state was angelicall neither can the Saints of God dye now because they are like to the Angels Luk. 20.36 7 Lastly they are deliuered
from hell and from the second death euen the eternall death both of bodie and soule tenne thousand times more dolefull and dreadfull then the temporall and corporall death Now this hell and death shall bee cast into the lake of Reu. 20.14 fire Whereby albeit the propheticall Euangelist vnderstand The infernall spirits yet he saith Hell it selfe because they are both confined within the same miserable immutable bounds neither of them both hauing power ouer the children of God This thing Abraham tels the rich man Betweene you and vs there is a great gulfe set Luk. 16 20. so that they which would go from hence to you cannot Doubtlesse it can neuer come into the heartes of the elect that they should bee willing to go into hell and it is as impossible they should be able as that they should be willing if they could they would not and if they would they cannot Thus whilest the Elect are deliuered from the disordered passions of the soule the externall calamities both of soule and bodie the prouocations of the world the power of Sathan the slauerie of sinne the feare of death and the dread of hell they may very well be accounted blessed and happie and the meditation thereof should make euery one desirous to bee partakers of that happinesse If a man had a true sense of these miseries oh what would hee giue to be freed from them how much wold the worldling giue to redeeme himselfe from temporall death But how many worlds wold Diues giue if he had them to be deliuered from the intolerable paines of eternall death If thou desire to bee freed from all these miseries and calamities then sticke to the truth Io. 8.32.36 and it shall make thee free He that will raigne must conquer and hee that would conquer must fight valiantly Labour then very earnestly to conquer and subdue thine owne corruptions the worlds allurements and the diuels temptations and then assure thy selfe though the miseries of the damned were as many as the Locusts of Aegypt yet they shal haue no power ouer thee but thou shalt escape them all Reu. 2.11 For hee that ouercometh shall not be hurt of the second death SECT 2. The second degree of happinesse after the last iudgement namely The fruition of celestiall felicity IF Noah hauing escaped the floud Gen. 8.20 builded an altar and offered burnt offerings thereupon if the children of Israel sung ioyfully for their deliuerance from Aegypt Exod. 15.1 if Dauid were so glad for escaping the hands of his cruell enemies Psa 34.3 that he praiseth God and exhorteth others to ioyne with him in magnifying the Lord how much more had they cause to reioyce the one when hee had obtained a quiet habitation in the restored earth the other that rich possession of the pleasant land and the third the expected fruition of the princely Crowne So may it bee said of the children of God If they haue cause to offer the sacrifices of praise vpon the altar of a thankfull soule for escaping the inundation of sinne to sing Alleluiah with chearefull voyces for their deliuerance from the Aegypt of hell and to magnifâ—â— the Lord for freeing them from the deadly assaults of al their infernal enemies how much more are they bound when they are seated in the heauens possessed of the celestiall Canaan and haue the crowne of eternall glorie set vpon their heades to magnifie the Lord for his mercie and to say with the blessed Angels Praise Reu. 7.12 and glorie and wisedome and thankes and honour and power and might be vnto our God for euermore For behold this is the highest pitch and perfection of their happinesse Whilest I am to take a view of the kingdome of heauen oh that I might with the holy Apostle bee taken vp into the third heauens 2. Cor. 12.2 And whilest I shall endeuour to blaze foorth the blisse of the celestiall Ierusalem oh that the light of that glorie might shine into my sinfull soule that my thoughts being winged with the contemplation of Angels Reu. 21.15 and the Angels golden reede being giuen mee to measure that citie withall I might be able to comprehend with the blessed Saints the excellencie of that glorious place which farre surmounteth euerie humane estimate that so my soule being rauished with the glorie thereof my pen might distill the Nectar of comfort to inflame the harts of those that shall ioyne with mee in this sweete meditation For how alas shall he that was euer in darknesse be able to describe this light how can he that is of the earth measure the heauens or he that hath alwaies liued in this vale of miserie know what belongs to the mountaine of true felicitie No more surely then hee which is a slaue by birth and base by his continuall habitation is able ingeniously to describe the thrones the state and maiestie of Princes How many workes of God euen in this life do surmount our reach Ioh 3. If Nicodemus vnderstand not the manner of our regeneration how shall hee be able to conceiue the excellencie of glorification The dearest seruants of God who had Eagles eyes and Angels meditations Esay S Paul 1 Cor 2.20 can tell vs that neither eye hath seene nor eare hath heard neither haue those ioyes come into mans heart which God hath prepared for those that loue him Though our eyes haue seene many glorious obiects and our eares haue heard report of greater matters yet our conceipt hath farre exceeded them both But behold the ioyes that God hath prepared for his elect do exceedingly surpasse the apprehensioÌ„ of all our senses both externall and internall Aug. de ciu Dei lib. 22. thâ—y may be obtained they cannot be valued Cott. in Cicer de nâ—t Deor. lib. 1. Hee in Tully said truly That it is an easier matter to know what God is not then to tell what hee is and so mâ—y I sâ—y in this case That it is much easier to tell what is not in heauen then what is there And therefore Saint Augustine in relating the blisse thereof taketh stand and demaundeth this of himselfe after a large discourse What shall I say surely I cannot tell Sed Deus habet quod exhibâ—at Aug. super â—oh hom 3. but I know that God hath such ioyes to bestow Yet forasmuch as the Lords pen-men haue according to our capacities described in sundry places diuerse particulars of this heauenly blessednes let vs briefly and according to the rules of sobrietie collect and consider the samâ— for our instruction and comfort And in the consideratioÌ„ thereof wee will obserue three principall points first the wonderfull beautie of that habitation secondly the glorious view and vision of Almightie God thirdly the blessed condition of the Saints in glorie 1 If any one looke for a curious discourse of the matter or forme of the heauens I intend to faile his expectation My desire in these
day in heauen when they enioy not onely the places beautie and the beholding of Christ his glorie but shall themselues also be glorified Mat. 13.43 and shine as the Sunne in the kingdome of their Father Shall they not be glad to be there and wish themselues euerlasting tabernacles in that glorious mount Sion And this shall assuredly be the condition of the godly at that day For as the Lords glorie reflected vpon Moses Exo. 34.30 made his face to shine when he was vpon the mount so shall the Saints of God become glorious in beholding the glory of God and of Christ 1. Ioh. 3.2 and so shall be like vnto him For as hee shall chaunge our vile bodies Phil. 3.21 that they may be like to his glorious bodie so shall he refine and beautifie the faculties of our soules 1. Co 12.10 that the perfection of grace may concurre with the fruition of glorie And euen as a little water mixed with much wine loseth his owne nature and taketh the tast and colour of the wine as iron put into the fire becomes white and like to the fire his old forme being chaunged and as the ayre perfused with the light of the Sunne is so transformed into the brightnesse thereof that it seemes not so much to be lightened as to be light it selfe so shall euery humane defect and deformitie bee now dissolued and abolished in the Saints of God and they shall bee transformed into the glorious image of Almightie God What tongue is able to expresse or heart conceiue the happinesse of Gods children being thus in glorie They enioy a kingdome Mat. 25. yea and that a glorious kingdome for it is the house of God the kingdome of heauen Tit. 1.2 they obtaine a life and that a blessed life for it can neuer see death they haue the hidden Manna Reu. 2.17 the white stone and the new name written in it They are clothed in the long white robes of honour and dignitie Reu. 7.9 and adorned with the palmes of triumph and victorie They sit vpon the glorious thrones of maiestie Reu. 3.21 and haue set vppon their heads the crownes of eternall glorie 2. Tim. 4.8 When Naomi returned from her peregrination shee said to her old acquaintance Ruth 1.20 Call me not Naomi but call mee Marah for the Almightie hath giuen mee much bitternesse but contrarily may the child of God say when hee returns from the pilgrimage of this world Call mee not Marah but call me Naomi for the Almightie hath giuen me much beautie and blessednesse The honour that Pharo did to Ioseph was very great but yet it was with this exception Gen. 41.40 In the kings throne will I be aboue thee Pharo will sit alone vpon his throne but behold the honour that Christ will do to his seruants when he will also vouchsafe them this dignitie that they shall sit with him vpon his throne for they are heires Rom. 8. yea coheires annexed with Christ who hath promised thus Reu. 3.21 To him that ouercommeth will I graunt to sit with me in my throne euen as I ouercame and do sit with my Father in his throne But here it may peraduenture be demanded whether there be an equalitie or difference of the degrees of blisse and glorie to all the elect in the kingdome of heauen For answer whereunto we must consider that there is a double equalitie to wit Proportionâ— quantitatis of proportion quantitie which ariseth not from the obiect Almighty God who is alwaies the same but from man the subiect who is not in euery particular alike capable of glorie For as the same meate is more delectable to the tast of some then of others the same obiect is better seene by some then by others the same matter better vnderstood of some then of others so the same glorie shineth more brightly into the soules of some then of others Two vessels of a diuerse content may be filled with the same wine yet by reason of their bignesse differ in quantitie of that they containe two mettals of a diuerse kind may be cast into the same fire yet receiue a different heate according to their different nature two men of sundrie statures may be fitted with the same cloth of gold each of them hauing that which is sufficient in proportion though in quantitie they differ so the soules of the godly may be all filled with the same wine of gladnesse be made feruent with the same heate of comfort and clothed with the same robes of glorie yet differ much in respect of their capacitie And according to the measure of grace shall be the measure of glorie 2. Cor. 9.6 for they that sow sparingly shall reape sparingly but they that sow liberally shall reape liberally so that whilest some shine like the brightnesse of the firmament Dan. 12.3 other some shall shine as the starres for euer and euer Yet happie and thrise happie shall that man be who shall be partaker euen of the least degree of heauenly glorie for it infinitly surmounteth all the glorie and dignitie of the world This being the blessed condition of the elect in heauen the meditation thereof should affect vs accordingly First it may make vs despise the vaine and base felicitie of this transitorie life and to count all doung and drosse in respect of those admirable ioyes that are prepared for the godly in the kingdome of heauen It was a hard thing for Abraham to leaue his owne countrie and to trauell as a pilgrime he knew not whither yet the expectation of the heauenly citie wonne his affection from his natiue habitation Heb. 11. so should the sweet consideration of heauenly happinesse weine our harts from the loue of earthly vanities Cic. Tuscu quaest lib. 1. Lactant. instit lib. 3. Cap. 18. It is written of one CleoÌ„brotus that reading Platoes booke of the Immortalitie of the Soule hee was so rauished with the conceipt thereof that hee cast himselfe headlong into the sea It was his sinful error to depriue himselfe of life but his desire of immortalitie may make many Christians ashamed whom neither the expectation of immortalitie glorie or felicitie can estrange from the loue of this vaine world Psal â—4 11 One day in the Lords house is better then a thousand yea surâ—ly one hower in the kingdome of heauen is better then a thousand yeares in the greatest blisse this vaine and wretched world can yeeld Let vs learne therefore to tune our affections to Dauids dittie that we may be able to say of the celestiall tabernacle as he speaketh of the terrestriall Ibid. I had rather be a doore keeper in the house of the Lord then to dwell in the tents of the vngodly 2 It may yeeld comfort to all those that haue liued godly because they shall enioy the comfort of a glorious vision a blessed habitation and the crowne of eternall glorie and