from thee it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish and not that thy whole body should be cast into Hell and if thy Right hand offend thee cut it off and cast it from thee for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish and not that thy whole body should be cast into Hell That this Hell is not meant of the Grave into which the body shall be thrown is evident because those who do cut off the right hand and pluck out the right eye which offend that is mortifie those offensive lusts which are as dear and as hard to be parted withal as the members of the body shall be exempted and delivered from this Hell whereas none shall be exempted though never so holy and mortifyed from the Grave Yea and in this Hell it is said that both soul and body shall be destroyed Math. 10. 28. Fear not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the Soul but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell Now the soul is not destroyed with the body in the Grave as they both shall be if wicked after the Resurrection in Hell Moreover this Hell threatned by our Saviour to those that don't cut off right hands c. will appear plainly to be the place of torment prepared for the wicked by the description of it repeated three times Math. 9. 43 44 45 46 47 48. To go into Hell into that fire which never shall be quenched where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched By the unquenchable Fire we are to understand the fire which shall burn the body by the never-dying worm the worm of conscience which shall eternally gnaw the soul. This Hell is called a Prison 1 Pet. 3. 19 20. By which also he went and Preached â—…nto the Spirits in Prison which sometime were disobedient when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah By the spirits in Prison we are to understand the Souls in Hell the Souls of those wicked and disobedient persons in the old World who would not give â—…ar to the Preaching of Christ by his spirit in Noah and therefore a whole World on them were sent into the Prison of Hell together unto whom are gathered the souls of all that since have died in their Sins where they are bound up in chains of darkness and reserved unto the judgement of the great day Hell is also called a place of outer darkness where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth Math. 25. 30. It is called a Furnace of fire where all those that offend and do iniquity shall be thrown Math. 13. 41 42. It is called the great Wine-press of Gods Wrath where all the wicked shall be crushed to pieces under the exceeding and eternal weight of his wrath Rev. 14. 19 20. But especially it is set forth as a place of fire of which in the next particular Many have been the conjectures of Divines concerning the place where Hell is Some have thought it to be in the bowels of the Earth because it is spoken of as a place below and called by the â—…ame of a pit the bottemless pit out of which the smoke and locusts did arise Rev. 9. 2. And in which Sathan was bound and held as in a Prison Rev. 20. 1 2 3 7. And they have conceited the pit spoken of Num. 16. 33 Into which Corah Dathan and Abiram went down alive when the Earth clave asunder and swallowed them up was the pit of Hell into which both their soul and body together were immediately conveyed and that which hath the rather established such in this opinion hath been the vast quantity of Subterranean Fire which they imagine to be in the Bowels and Caverns of the Earth others have rather conceited it to be beyond this visible World which will pass away at the last day and removed at the greatest distance from the sedes bâ—…atorum the place where the righteous shall eternally Inhabit But the Scripture being silent as to this whatever is spoken on this subject where Hell is must needs be only by conjecture the Lord grant that none of us may know by experience our chief care should be that we may escape the punishment and not be inquisitive about that which the Lord hath not thought fit to reveal let it suffice us to know that there is such a place as Hell where the wicked shall be tormented CHAP. III. That Hell is a place of Fire and Brimstone THere is nothing that Hell is described by in the whole Book of the Scripture so much as by Fire and sometimes by Fire mingled with Brimstone It is called Fire Math. 3. 10. Every Tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewen down and cast into the Fire Hell-Fire Mark 9. 47. It is better for thee to enter into the Kingdom of God with one eye than having two eyes to be cast into Hell-fire A Furnace of Fire Math. 13. 42. And shall â—…ast them into a Furnace of Fire It is called a place where the wicked shall be tormented with Fire and Brimstone Rev. 14. 10. And he shall be tormented with Fire and Brimstone in the presence of the Holy Augels A Lake which burneth Fire and Brimstone Rev. 21. 8. And shall have their part in the Lake which burneth with Fire and Brimstone which is the second death I know that it is a great question amongst Divines whether the fire of Hell which shall burn the Wicked will be a Real fire or a Metaphorica fire There are men of great name who assert it to be a Mataphorical Fire only and that because it is called a Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels who cannot be hurt by a real Fire because the worm which never dyeth is Mataphorically taken for the everlasting gnawings of conscience because the New Ierusalem which is above is Metaphorically described to be of pure Gold clear like Glass the foundations to be garnished with all manner of precious Stones and the Gates to be Pearls Rev. 21. 18 19. And by the same reason they say the description of Hell in the Scripture is Metaphorical those that thus affirm the Fire of Hell to be Metaphorical are so far from lessening the torment hereby which this Fire will inflict that they so much the more aggravate it because that Metaphorical fire they say will afflict more than if it were Real fire for as the glory of the New Ierusalem that Building of God made without hands eternal in the Heaâ—…ens doth far surpass all Metaphores whereby it is set forth which are made use of only to help our understanding in the conceiving of it's Glory so also the pain and torture of the damned in Hell will be more horrible and intollerable than if they were to be cast into Nebecadnezzars fiery Furnace when it was heated seven times more than it was wont to be heat insomuch as
the Metaphor doth come far beneath the thing which it is used to set forth Others are of the judgement that Hell fire will be real Fire it being so positively so plainly and so frequently asserted to be Fire fire with flames fire which shall burn and because nothing will put to greater pain than fire and because it is proper for the body to be tormented with some real material substance and when the Holy Ghost telleth us it shall be fire why should he turn this fire into a Metaphor which may tend rather to weaken our conceptions of it's horrour than to highten them and therefore in answer to that great Objection that it is said to be prepared for Devils they are ready to say it shall be such fire as will not only torment the Soul but also Devils too God having power to make such a fire the other Metaphors are made use of but once this of fire is the almost constant expression in Scripture where Hell is described I confesse that I do not judge these answers to be fully satisfactory for however the souls of wicked men and women may by sympathy with the body be tormented by real Fire yet God having made Devils to be wholly Spirits which are wholly incorporeal I don't apprehend how any fire or bodyly substance can have any impression upon them but that Fire Air Earth or Water are all the same things to them and that they are incapable of suffering by any of them that as Water cannot drown them so neither can fire burn them that as Air cannot refresh them so neither can Fire afflict them Indeed were the opinion of some Ancients true that Devils have bodies but more pure and resined such as cannot be seen any more than the Air a real Fire might be made so pure by God as to torment the Devils but I am altogether of the Judgement that Devils are wholly Spirits the Scripture asserting it and many reasons I might give of it but that it would be too large a digression moreover the fire of Hell I believe will be such as immediately to afflict the souls of the wicked and not only by Sympathy with the body because otherwise the torture of the body would be greater from it's immediate object than the anguish of the soul by Sympathy when the Souls desert of punishment is greater being more highly guilty of Sin than the body which is made use of only as an instrument Yet I cannot be of the opinion that the fire of Hell wâ—…ll wholly be Metaphorical for the reasons before given therefore I judge that both the opinions may be reconciled with themselves and the truth by asserting that this fire of Hell will be partly Metaphorical and partly real First I conceive that the fire of Hell will be in part Metaphorical and that this also will be the most grievous and tormenting though not to the sense yet to the soul to the devils who can be tormented by no other fire my meaning is that the Fire which will be Metaphorical is to be understood of the feirce anger and wrath of the Sin-revenging God who himself is called a consuming Fire Heb. 12. 19. And whose anger is often expressed by the Metaphor of fire in the Scripture and so that everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels and for the souls of wicked men and women which will be accompained also with a real fire prepared for their bodies of which in the next particular is the everlasting wrath of God which he hath treasured up against the day of wrath when he will open and bring forth those treasures and make immediate impressions thereof upon all damned spirits which shall burn worse than Fire and cause greater anguish to the spirit than any fire can do â—…o the sense hence it is said Heb. 10. 31. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God and that because the immediate strokes of Gods vengeance which damned Spirits shall fall under when he takes them into his own hands to punish them in Hell will above all things be most intolerable The Apostle saith 2 Thess. 1. 8. That the wicked shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord ana from the Glory of his Power This is to be understood causally as if he should have said that the destruction of the wicked shall arise from Gods Presence and glorious Power which will pâ—…t forth it self so mightily as to glorifie it self in the punishment of them in Hell God will appear in Heaven to the Angels and Saints in a flame of Love and make immediate and most sweet impressions thereof upon them which will be their chief happiness and God will appear in Hell to Devils and damned Spirits in a flame of wrath as a consuming fire and make immediate impressions of his wrath upon them which will be their chief misery for Sinners to be taken thus into the hands of God and punished by the fire of his wrath will be more dreadful than if the most furious Creatures in the World were mustered up together and let loose upon them to tâ—…ar them in pieces and devour them if they were tormented with the most exquisite torments which can possibly proceed from any second causes it would be no more than the biting of a Flea or the Prick of a Pin in comparison with these immediate strokes of Gods vengeance and the burning under the fire of his indignation Secondly The Fire of Hell I believe will be in part real I mean that fire whereby the body shaâ—… be afflicted I judge that as the torture will be real so that the fire whereby it will be tortured will be real too of all senses the feeling is most capable of being cruciated and afflicted and of all the objects of this sense fire is most afflictive and painful and therefore God hath appointed fire to be for the punishment of the body indeed other senses will be afflicted too the ear with hideous noises shreeks and yellings of fellow damned Sinners the eye with fearful ghastly and horrible spectacles the smell with suffocating odious and nasty stench worse than of Carrion or that which cometh out of an open sepulchre but the feeling will be most afflicted by the devouring and eternally burning Fire which the wicked shall be thrown into I shall not dispute whether this real fire of Hell will be such as our culinary fire I mean that in our Chimneys which sometime creeps into Houses and is of so great force us to burn down Cities and seiseth upon all combustible matter before it and which will continue no longer than it is fed by such gross matter or whether it will be more purely Elementary fire such as Philosophers affirm to be between the upper Region of the Air and the lower Orb of the Heavens or whether it will be such fire as sometimes breaks forth out of the bosom of the Earth at the
some glimâ—…s of the Glory of Heaven and if thoâ—… looâ—…est dowâ—…ward wâ—…th it thou maist see some glimps of the Fire of Hell Look doest thou not see a horrible deep and large pit filled with horribly burning Fire and that Fire filled with damned Men and Women Lay thy ear to the mouth of this pit and harâ—… what the dolorous complaints what the shreeks and yellings be of that cursed company and doest thou not perceive thy self hastning forward in the way to this place of burning and wilt thou go forward still or wilt thou suffer thy self to be carried on furiously by thy impetuous lusts until thou art fallen into this pit and there be no poâ—…sibility of ever getting forth again But more particularly I shall lay before you some considerations for the awakening of the secure First Think how doleful a day of trouble and adversity is like to be to you if you be then in danger of Hell where will the quiet and security which now you have appear on that day possibly it may last and abide with you so long as the warm Sun of prosperity doth shine upon you in the spring of youth and sensual delights whilst you thrive and flourish in the World whilst your friends and flatterers are about you your health and outward peace doth remain with you but you may live to see all your outward comforts lye dead before you and hid in the Grave from your sight for ever your Sun of prosperity may set at the noon-day of your lives and a black night of adversiry may come upon you stormy Winds and a bitter cold Winter of trouble and affliction may assault you wither all your sensual pleasures like the herb and Flower of the Field some unlooked-for-providence may blast your estate and your name bereave you of your dearest Friends and Relations and withdraw all the fewel and provisions which you have been storing and laying up for your flesh and sensual satisfactions how well and strong so ever you are for the present an unexpected Sickness and Death-threatning distemper may suddenly invade you and bring you down to the sides of the pit and fill you with such pain and grief as no outward enjoyments shall be able in the least to aswage And then think with your selves you that are in danger of Hell what dread is like then to seise upon you like an armed man which you will not be able to resist then your carnal security will fly away like a Bird or a Cloud and vanish like smoke in the Air then your false peace will be broken and torn to pieces like the Spider Webs by the feirce Winds as being utterly unable to resist the feirce blasts and rougher assaults of an adverse estate And oh how doleful and dismal is a day of trouble like to be to you when all outward stays and comfort and all nward quiet and peace shall fail together when there are storms abroad and worser storms at home great trouble without and greater trouble within when you shall fall under the scourge of outward affliction and under the lashes of an accusing conscience the fear of Hell and everlasting burnings is like to be more lively and afflictive in a day of trouble than when prosperity doth restrain conscience from doing it's Office Secondly Consider if you should escape the greater storms of outward affliction in your life yet you cannot escape the stroke of death and think how the apprehensions of future wrath and burnings are like to consume you with terrours at your later end Psal. 73. 19. Death hath a grim aspect and looks with a feirce countenance upon guilty Souls and when this enemy shall assault and wound you when your last sickness shall come prove mortal to you when the Phisitian shall give you over and leave you your friends shall mourn and stand weeping about you when death hath seised upon the extream parts of your body and the cold clammy sweats are upon you and then you apprehend the second death near yoâ—… which will immediately follow upon the first death when you think that whilst Friends are conveying your body to your Grave that Devils shall drag your Souls to Hell how are you then like to awake in horrour despair and utter confusion the dying sobs and Gâ—…oans of some guilty Sinners when awakened at their entrance in at the port of death are dreadful but the inward anguish of the heart is beyond all compass of conceit or expression of tongue Thirdly But think how fearful the seperation of your Souls and Bodies will be think with what dread your spirits will appear before God when your consciences shall furiously charge you with guilt of all the Sins which ever you committed and you have not one pardon to show nor one word to answer for your selves when being examined and accused and found guilty you shall be condemned unto eternal punishment think oh think what your horrour is like then to be Fourthly Think of the day of doom when the Lord Jesus shall come I mean when he shall come down from Heaven to judge the World when the Graves shall be opened and you called forth to appear before him and the Book of your conscience shall be opened and all your Sins made manifest to the whole World and having nothing to answer when you shall be Sentenced to everlasting Fire Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting Fire prepared for the Dâ—…vil and his Angels and when the Lord shall then drive you out of his presence into Hell O what will you shreeks and out-cryes be at that day See my Book of Christ's certain and sudden appearance to Indgement Fifthly Think of the punishment of Hell it self which you will be condemned unto and that First What will there be taken from you Secondly What there will be denied unto you Thirdly What there will be inflicted upon you First Think what in Hell will be taken from you all your riches will be taken away riches will then take the wing and be gone and you shall never set your eye upon them any more you shall never buy and sell and get gain any more never purchase Houses and Lands and Inheritance more and not then have so much Land left as whereon to set the sole of your foot all your money and estate wlil perish with your selves and oh how poor and miserable will you perceive your selves then to bâ—… when you are deprived of all your riches and treasures on Earth and instead thereof are made to possess treasures of wrath your honour also will be taken away and everlasting shame and contempt shall be poured upon you Although you may be raised to a higher seat than the ordinary rank now then you must stand upon even ground with the meanest even such whom you would think scorn to set with the Dogs of your Flock or to employ in the meanest office about you the crown will then be pluckt from the Head and the
Hell the spirit will uttterly sink under the the heavy burden and pressure thereof especially the pressure of that pure and weighty wrath which shall be immediately upon the soul. The terrours of conscience here and foretasts of wrath are intollerable in this World Prev 18. 14. The spirit of man will sustain his infirmity but a wounded spirit who can bear If the body be infirm and weak full of distemper and pain yet whilst the spirit is whole and sound whilst there is peace within the spirit may sustain this and bear up under it but if the spirit be wounded by the Arrows of the Almighty shot into it who can bear it if God let fall some scalding drops of his wrath upon the spirit if he kindle a spark of Hell-fire in ye conscience who can endure it no Balm nor Physitian on Earth can cure such wounds no Earthly riches or sensual delights can aswage these inward griefs and horrours which by the hand of God are imprinted upon the Spirit when the wicked are filled with dispairful agonies through apprehension of future approaching wrath and there remaineth nothing but a fearfull looking for of Judgement and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries Heb. 10. 26. this is enough to sink the heart of the stoutest under it's burden And if the wounds of the Spirit herebe so intollerable what will those be which the Lord with such mighty force and by his immediate hand shall give hereafter if you cannot bear some drops of God's wrath now what will you do when the full Viols of Gods wrath shall be poured out upon you if you be found under the guilt of sin if you cannot endure the sparks of Hell-fire how will you endure the flames and most burning heat thereof If the foretasts of Hell affect ye heart with such horrour and the fears thereof fill the Spirit with such amazement what will Hell it selfs do when the pains and anguish thereof is beyond the greatest fears and highest conceptions thereof Should you fall into the hands of the most cruel Men to torture and Massacre you this would be fearful should you fall under the power of Devils to tear and rend you this would be more fearful but to fall into the hands of God this will be most fearful this you cannot bear and yet if wicked you must bear it and that to eternity and can you sleep still in Sin under the thoughts of such danger Secondly Consider the sureness and unavoidabieness of Hell-fire nothing is more sure than what God hath revealed in his Word and nothing more unavoidable than what God hath threatned and such is the tormenting of the wicked and Ungodly in the flames of Hell-fire Whilst you are here upon the Earth there is a possibility of escaping future torments Pardon Pâ—…ace and Salvation are attainable If you lay your Sins to heart if you confess and forsake them you may find mercy if by faith you apply your selves unto the Lord Jesus you shall not perish but obtain eternal life But if go on still in your trespasse if you live and dye in a state of impenitency and unbelief it will be impossible for you to escape Indeed could you make you party good against God could you gather forces together and wage War against Heaven and obtain the Victory you might avoid the threatned punishment but alas God is infinite in power and will not permit any such attempts you will not be able to hold up head or hand against him who can stand in his sight when once he is angry God will bind all the Devils and wicked men and women together in chains of darkness stronger than any Iron chains and none shall be able to make any resistance Could you hide your selves at the last day from his eye could you fly from his presence into some remote corner could you creep under some Rock or Mountain and there be covered from his view you might think to escape but this cannot be Gods eye will follow you and his hand will reach you whither soever you go Could you by your Prayers and Tears move God to compassion and prevail for mercy as now you may do there might be some hopes of avoiding this punishment but 〈◊〉 Gods ear will be shut and the doors of mercy shut against you for ever your knocking at the door will be in vain it will never be opened your cryes and prayers will be no purpose they will receive no answer Hereafter the punishment of Hell will be unavoidable by the wicked Thirdly Consider the neerness of this punishment of Hell The sands of your life are running apace the time of your abode here is wasting very fast your bodies will quickly be in the Grave and if you dye in your Sins your soul will be as quickly in Hell You cannot long escape this punishment You may shuffle the thoughts of God and future wrath out of your minde for a time you may busie your thoughts about other thing whilst you are here but all these things will shortly shrink away from you and leave you naked and you must stand before God to be judg'd by him and to be condemned by him and to be punished by him God will meet you as a Bear bereaved of her whelps and rend the caul of your heart or like a roaring Lion and rear you in pieces when there shall be none to deliver God will take you into his hand and throw you out of his presence into the bottomless gulph of unquenchable burnings me thinks this should awaken you Fourthly And lastly consider the everlastingness of Hell-fire and your torment which there you must endure if you be found in the number of unbelievers The wrath of God will never be at an end the Worm of your conscience will never dye and the Fire of Hell will never go out but the smoke of your torment will ascend up for ever and ever when you have been the space of as many Years in Hell as there Stars in the Firmament as there are drops of dew upon the Earth in the morning as there are spires of Grasse which spring out of the Earth as there are drops of Water in the Ocean as are there Sands upon the Sea shore your torments will be as far from being aswaged and as far from being ended as at the first minute of your entrance into this dreadful place As there is an infinite space of place if I may so call it to help our apprehensions beyond the circumference of the Heavens and the visible World in comparison with which ten thousand Millions of worlds would not fill up the space of the least speck so there is an infinite space of duration beyond the circumference and bounds of time in comparison with which the duration of ten thousand Millions of worlds for ten thousand Millions of years would not be so much as a Minute or the least imaginable instant and this whole eternity you if wicked must
the Chief and most honourable of these Angels being the Son of God the Angel of the New-Covenant staying behind the other two Angels who went onwards towards Sodom revealeth unto Abraham what he was about to do unto Sodom giving him to understand that the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah was great and their sins exceeding grievous and that now he was going down to visit them for their sins whether he revealed to him what manner of destruction he intended to bring upon them we have no mention but whatever it were Abraham is full of fears because of Lot and therefore interceeds with the Lord in the behalf of the place as wicked as it was to prevent if possible the ruine and destruction thereof which was threatned Abraham knew of one righteous person namely Lot which was there and he hoped that there might have been others besides him if not of the City yet in Lot's Family and therefore he maketh bold to plead with the Lord that he would not destroy the righteous with the wicked because this would 〈◊〉 â—…eem just and right for the Judge of all the Earth to do and first he prayeth that if fifty righteous persons were found in Sodom the place might be spared for their sakes the Lord being very gracious readily promiseth it should be according to his request Abraham having encoâ—…ragement from one grant and fearing what the number of righteous persons in Sodom might be entreateth further that if five were wanting of the fifty the place might not be destroyed and having obtained his request herein he doth not rest but proceeds to beg with expressions of low humility that if but forty and then if but thirty and then if but twenty and last of all if but ten righteous persons were found there that the Lord would spare the place for their sakes Abraham speeds in his whole desire the Lord assuring him that he would not destroy the place if he found so many as ten righteous persons therein and Abraham leaves off asking before the Lord giveth any denial unto his suit and though Abraham did not request it yet the Lord himself did resolve it that not one righteous person should be consumed in the iniquity of the City and therefore as he sent Angels thither to destroy the place so they had a commission to save righteous Lot and his Family as we may see in the 19th Chapter The two Angels were now come in the evening unto Sodom whilst Lot providentially was sitting in the gate who seeing them enter riseth up from his seat and meeteth them and bowing himself toward the ground entreateth the favour of them that they would be his guests that night through his importunate request they refusing at first he prevaileth with them and so bringeth them home to his house where he entertaineth them with a feast They had not been long in Lot's House before the House was beset by the Men of the City upon notice of two extraordinary persons that were there possibly the bodies which those Angels had assumed were very beautiful to the eye and full of sparkling lustre being inform'd by such glorious spirits and this might entice the beastly or rather worse than beastly lusts of the Sodomits and enflame them with burning desires of committing that filthy sin with them which is not fit to be nam'd these desires bring the chief part of the City old and young from every quarter unto Lot's house who when they were come they require him to bring forth those Men as they supposed them to be that they might satisfie their lusts upon them Lot looking upon this as a piece of inhumanity and abominable wickednesse to offer such injury unto strangers that he got forth of his door and with fair words endeavoureth to perswade them the forbearance of this wickedness yea he is so far transported with desire of saving his guests from the filthy lusts of the Sodomits that inconsiderately he endeavours to divert them by making proffer of both his Virgin-daughters to them to be used or mis-used by them as they pleased so that his guests might be spared But the Sodomits are fully bent upon their wickedness and deafning their ears against his proposal they press in upon Lot and threatning to deal worse with him than with them they attempt to break open his door The Angels seeing what danger Lot was in amongst the furious and lustful multitude put forth their hands and pull Lot into his house and withall putting forth the power the Lord had given them they smite the Sodomits with blindness so that they could not find the door which notwithstanding that judgement of blindness upon their bodies being pricked forward by their blind and impetuous lusts they still seek after And now the ruine of Sodom is not far off the Angels reveal unto Lot who they were and that they were sent by the Lord to destroy Sodom and the Neighbouring Cities because of the crying wickedness which was in them therefore inquiring concerning his relations in that City they bid him bring forth all that belonged to him accordingly Lot goeth forth and calleth upon his Sons in Law and giveth them to understand what he had heard of the Angels concerning the near destruction of the City and therefore warneth them with all expedition to hasten out of the place but Lot seemeth unto his Sons in Law as if he had mocked and they give heed to none of his words The day being come that Sodom and Gomorrah must be destroy'd the Angels in the top of the morning hasten Lot to come forth and whilst he lingereth they lay hold on his hands and the hands of his Wife and Daughters and the Lord being merciful unto them bring them forth bidding him flee to the Mountain and escape for his life and not look back lest he should be destroyed which his Wife offering notwithstanding the warning to do was turned into a Pillar of Salt Lot being full of fears entreateth for Zoar and for his sake the Lord spared that City that Lot might retire unto it whilst he brought destruction upon Sodom and Gomorrah and the other Cities of the Plain CHAP. III. A general description of Sodoms Iudgement together with the efficient cause which was God and the meritorious cause Sodoms sins BEing thus led by the clew or 〈…〉 story we are at length come to 〈…〉 most tremendous and dreadful Judgâ—…ment 〈◊〉 God executed upon Sodom Gomorrah namely that horrible tempest of Fire and Brimstone which the Lord rained upon those wicked Cities for their sins the relation and description whereof we have Gen. 19. from the 23d Ver. to the 30th The Sun was risen upon the Earth when Lot entered into Zoar. Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah Brimstone and Fire from the Lord out of Heaven And he overthrew those Cities and all the Plain and all the Inhabitants of the Cities and that which grew upon the ground And Abraham gat up early in
help or relief refuge faileth them and there is no escaping no enduring of this pain and yet they must endure it until extremity of pain doth take away all sence of pain The terrour of the Sodomits through apprehensions of their present and unavoidable death before them was great but surely the way and manner of it namely by Fire from Heaven did cause greater terrour If it had been an ordinary Fire of which some natural cause might have been assigned it had not been so much but when it was a miraculous fire from Heaven created on purpose by the Lord to destroy those Cities surely their dread was extraordinary they could not chuse but see the more immediate hand of God in it and withall his frown and dreadful displeasure with the Fire â—… Brimstone which fell down from Heaven upon their houses and bodies they had scalding drops of Gods wrath â—…ch fell down upon their consciences we may think what impressions they had of the wrath of the Sin-revenging God on their spirits which caused a greatâ—… horror within than the bare apprehension of death in any shape could of it self effect when the guilt of so great Sins and the apprehensions of so great wrath did meet together in their consciences and they had no time nor way to get the guilt of Sin removed and the wrath of God appeased when conscience before asleep was awakened in the midst of flames when there was a Fire above the Sodomits the Fire of Gods anger Fire about and upon the Sodomits the fire which came down from Heaven Fire beneath the Sodomits the fire of Hell and fire within the Sodomits the fire kindled in their consciences O the horrour when Hell was already begun within them in the flashes and sparks of it words cannot utter the horrible anguish which then they had upon them CHAP. VI. Concerning the Persons that escaped 4 THe persons that escaped this dreadful judgement were Lot and his Family Like as it was in the Old World Noah was an upright man in his generation when the whole world besides were wicked and God provided an Ark wherein he saved Noah and his Family when all the kindreds and Nations of the world besides were drowned in the Deluge of Waters which was brought upon the Earth so also Lot being the only upright and righteous man in Sodom when all the City together with the neighbouring Cities were wicked God provided a Zoar for Lot whilst he brought a Deluge of fire upon those wicked Cities which consumed them and all the wicked together which dwelt in them 2 Pet. 2. 5 6 7 8. When the destroying Angels were sent unto Sodom God remembred righteous Lot and a mark for preservation was set upon his forehead because he did sigh and cry out for the abominations which were committed in the midst of the City And God remembred Abraham his Friend who had made intercession for Lot therefore he sent him out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the City wherein Lot dwelt CHAP. VII Concerning the Spectators of Sodom's burnings 5 COncerning the Spectators of this Judgement Abraham however remote his habitation was had a plain prospect of this Fire and burning of Sodom We read Gen. 19. 27 28. And Abraham gat up early in the morning unto the place where he stood before the Lord and he looked towards Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the Land of the Plain and beheld and lo the smoke of the Countrey went up as the smoke of a Furnace Abrahams heart did misgive him that those wicked Cities would not escape destruction what ever conditional promise the Lord had made unto him of their preservation therefore it is likely he arose and came to this place that he might see what became of the Cities and quickly he 〈◊〉 them to be all in flames by the great smoke which mounted up from them what his thoughts were is not mentioned but it is likely he was more than ordinarily affected with this more than ordinary Judgement such an appearance of God in the World clothed with such wrath and vengeance might well make even Abraham himself whatever Interest he had in God to quake and be astonished When he looked up to Heaven he saw God all in flames of anger when he looked down to the Earth he saw Sodom and Gomorrah all in flames of Fire He knew that Lot did dwell there and he did not know it may be but that Lot with his Family might be burning there and this might cause him to lift up his voice and weep be sure he knew that the wickedness of the Sodomits was very great and that the righteous of the place were very few if any when the Lord had promised him to spare the whole City for the sake of Ten righteous persons could they there have been found Ah Lord thought he what a wicked place is Sodom that it should not yeild Ten righteous persons O what an evil thing and a bitter is it to Sin against God and hereby to provoke him unto anger and what a fearful thing is it to fall into the hands of the living God when his anger is stirr'd up and doth burn thus like fire And if Abraham could so clearly discern the burning of Sodom and Gomorrah the Inhabitants of Zoar who dwelt so near might more clearly discern it An allarm they have in the morning which doth startle and awaken them they are called forth out of their houses to see this dreadful and tremendous sight The noise of Fire Fire Fire doth sound in their ear Fire from Heaven Fire in the Air Fire on the Earth Sodom on Fire Gomorrah on Fire Admah and Zeboim on Fire every place near them on Fire this they hear this they see the flames all about are very visible and very terrible O with what ruful countenances do they look upwards towards Heaven from whence the Fire did come and forwards towards Sodom and Gomorrah where the Fire was kindled they see all the Cities together in flames which being all cituated upon the Plain without any Mountain or Hill between they might in the Fields or on the tops of their houses have an easie prospect of And surely the Sinners of Zoar are now affraid and fearfulness doth exceedingly surprize the guiltâ—… surely their consciences now are awakened â—…nd do cause a trembling within them when they see God's vengeance executed in flaming fire upon their fellow-sinners before them Alas wo be to us who can endure such devouring fire who can bear such horrible burnings Hath Sodom and Gomorrah provoked God to destroy them with Fire from Heaven what then will become of us who have shared with them in the same guilt and have deserved the same punishment O whether can we flee to hide us from the wrath of God and shelter us from his fiery indignation Lot also who though he did not look back as his Wife did before he got into Zoar yet from thence no doubt
your selves upon him with a renouncing of your own righteousness accepting of him and his righteousness resigning up your selveâ—… unto him putting your neck under his Yoke have you received the spirit enabling you to pray mortifying Sin and quickning you unto all the duties of new obedience Hereby you may know the change of your estate If your hearts remain unhumbled unbroken for 〈◊〉 If you are strangers unto the work of Faith â—…nd never truely closed with Jesus Christ if you â—…re without the Spirit of Christ and under the power the reigning power of any Sin if you live in the neglect of prayer secret and with others and of the great Salvation which the Lord Jesus hath purchased if you have a form of Godliness but are without the power thereof you will be found foolish Virgins at last which will have no admittance into the Bride-chamber you will be found hypocrites whose portion is the burning Lake and it will be impossible for you to escape the damnation of Hell Heb. 2. 3. How shall we escape if we neglect so great Salvation CHAP. VII 2. Use of admiration at the security the wicked showing the cause thereof ARe the burnings of Hell so certain being threatned by God! are they so dreadful beyond any burnings that ever have been both in regard of feirceness and duration and are they indeed prepared for the wicked and all graceless Christless persons as their deserved portion and are the most of the children of Men wicked ungracious unrighteous unregenerate unbelievers who are already condemned to this place of torment Ioh. 3. 18. And by consequence every moment while such in danger of being drag'd sorth to execution Here then we may sit down and wonder at the senslesseness and carnal security of such persons especially of those who sit under the light of the word which doth make discovery of all thiâ—… most plainly unto them what ever their danger be what ever their Sins which have deserved Hell what ever Gods threatnings of everlasting burnings what ever execution there is and hath been upon other Sinners like themselves yet they are without any fear they are fast asleep in Sin and very secure though their conscience be full of guilt their hearts full of lust their lives full of Sin though their steps are carrying them forward in the broad way which leadeth unto destruction though death hath them upon the chase and is at their heels though the wrath of God pursueth them hard and is at their backs though the day wherein they must give an account and be punished for their iniquity hasteneth greatly and the Judge standeth at the door yet they care not they fear not none of these things do move them none of these things do trouble them they eat and drink and sleep and buy and sell and plant and build and go on in a sinful course as if they should live here eternally or as if their Soul should perish with their body and all these things foretold in the Word concerning future retributions were but meer fables First Some are thus secure through an Athistical perswasion that there is no God because they are enemies unto God and live in a course of Rebellion against him and so it is their Interest and desire that there should be no God therefore they do what in them lyeth to work themselves unto this perswasion there are too many in our age who endeavour to wear off all sentiments of a deity from their mind 's that they might Sin freely without any check and control that hereby they might arm themselves against the thrusts and wounds which the Sword and Arrows of Gods threatnings would otherwise give unto them and that by this means they might still the noise of their clamorous and accusing consciences which otherwise would give them no rest under such Heaven-daring provocations as they daily are guilty of But such persons if they will not believe the engravings of God which are upon the face of the Universe the impress of infinite power and an invisible Deity on his works which are visible unto the eye they shall not remain long under their Atheistical apprehensions but he will make them to know and feel that there is a God by the immediate impressions of his wrath upon their Souls and the dreadful flames of Hell-fire which his breath will kindle to burn their bodies everlastingly Secondly Others are secure notwithstanding their danger through a fond perswasion that there is no Hell that there is no account to be given no judgement to be passed no punishment to be endured after this life but that death puts a total end to their being and that for ever We read in the Book of Wisdom Chap. 2d of the reasonings which such have Our life is short and in the death of a man there is no remedy neither was there any man known to return from the Grave For we are born at all adventure and we shall be hereafter as though we had never been for the breath in our Nostrils is as smoke and a little spark in the moving of our heart which being extinguished our body shall be turned into ashes and our spirit shall vanish as the soft Air our life shall pass away as the trace of a Cloud or like a Mist driven by the Beams of the Sun our time is a very shaddow that passeth away and after our end there is no returning for it is fast Sealed that no Man cometh again Hence they are secure and encourage themselves in wicked and licentious practices Come on therefore let us enjoy the good things that are present let us fill our selves with costly Wines and Ointments and let no flower of the spring pass by us let us crown our selves with Rosebuds before they be Withered let none of us go without his part of our voluptuousness for this is our portion and our lot is this Such persons they live like Beasts and they would perswade themselves that they shall dye like beasts that there is no immortality of the Soul that there will be no resurrection of the body and by consequence no punishment of both in Hell whereas right reason will evince that the Soul being a spiritual substance will survive the Body which the wiser Heathens have acknowledged and the Scripture doth clearly reveal this and that the body shall be raised again at the last day and both the soul and body of the wicked be eternally tormented in Hell which Scripture being the Word of God which no carnal reason could ever yet disprove these things are as certain as God as true Thirdly Others if they have not drunk in those Atheistical and Anti-Scriptural perswasions which some are besotted and intoxicated withall yet are secure and senseless of their danger through their ignorance or misapprehensions of God they conceive him to be made up all of mercy that there is no fury in him that however sinful they are or have been yet that God is more