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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49589	The wedding-supper as it was handled out of the fourteen first verses of the 22. chapter of Matthew, in sundry exercises in Tavistock in Devon. Wherein the offer of salvation, both to Jews and Gentiles, is noted: and divers plain and pithy doctrines observed, and applied. Being the effect of twelve sermons preached by Thomas Larkham, the oppressed pastor of the despised Church of Christ there.	Larkham, Thomas, 1602-1669.; Cross, Thomas, fl. 1632-1682, engraver.	1652 (1652)	Wing L442; ESTC R222016	113,881	272

notice of the provider and maker of a marriage Supper A certain King saith our English translation But in the Original A man a King or a man being a King 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Secondly who of his house was to be married for whose sake this great wedding was to be held His son The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a man that was a King that made a marriage for his Son The third particular shews us the Guests invited to this supper to wit First Jews unto the eighth verse Secondly Gentiles unto the end of the Parable But of that particular or any branch of it I have no purpose to speak at this time there being not much left of this hour Therefore of the First the feast-maker I am now to speak And here are two things held out concerning God to be considered First His humbling of himself under his being likened to a man Secondly His dignity though he be compared to a man yet it is to a man that was a King God is not a man but a Spirit and challengeth he that dares or can to liken him to to any thing Isaiah 40.18 To whom then will ye liken God Or what likeness will ye compare him unto And so also ver 25. To whom then will ye liken me or shall I be equal saith the Holy one And in the first of Timothy the 6. and 16. vers He only hath immortality dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto whom no man hath seen nor can see Yet nevertheless it is his pleasure to be set forth for our capacitie sake by Allusions to men Kings and other things that we might come to understand somewhat of this glorious invisible and hidden God Nihil est in Deo quod non eft Deus Every thing is most excellent that is in God in whom all good dwelleth Infinitely Eternally and Essentially For there is nothing in God which is not God I will not trouble you with Schoole Notions and subtilties But come to say first of that excellent frame of his in point of Humility or Humbling himself or condiscention Doct. The Doctrine shall be this The glorious God of Heaven and Earth is very Humble That is he is that exactly which the most Humble men are a little according to the measure of the Spirit proportionated out unto them Or as the man Christ Jesus was who had the Spirit not by measure though yet not above measure as he was man This would be a glorious discovery of God were it in the hands of one that had skill to manage it Reason 1 But we must do as we may In the name of the Lord Jesus therefore know That as it is the property of a gratious humble Soul to condiscend to men of low Estate Rom. 12.16 So God is said to humble himself to behold the things that are in Heaven and in the Earth Psal 113.6 He looketh on his meanest Creatures He raiseth up the poor out of the dust and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill ver 7. O what a Glory t is to great men to take notice of poor distressed mean ones But consider God must needs stoop very low to consider the best of his creatures for all the Nations in comparison of him are not so much as the drop of a bucket as the Prophet phraseth it Reason 2 Secondly consider what would you say of an eminent man a man of honour that having been abused by a poor scullion whom he is able to crush in a moment doth yet out of the goodness of his Nature and Humble frame of spirit Intreat Beseech send to first to have a reconciliation Would not all the World admire such a man Friends Thus God deals with sinfull men verse 3.4 of this chap. I am now upon And 2 Cor. 5.18 we read of Gods reconciling us to himself by Jesus Christ and of a Ministry of reconciliation And ver 19.20 of stooping so low and honouring man so much as to send Ambassadors or rather Petitioners to beg beseech and pray us to be reconciled to him Stand amazed O ye proud worms that have such proud implacable Stomacks that swell with venome like Toades and are better like mischievous Divels then like men So far are ye from being like Christian men O the wrath of pride as Salomon calls it I le sell my Plow I le do so and so though it cost me mine Estate I le not leave him worth a groat base Fellow Clown Mechanick Priest I le make him know that I am not his Companion Yea but thou art and shalt be the fellow creature of the meanest maugre thy pride Doth God do so or Dost thou think there is less difference between God and thy self then between thy self and the meanest man alive This is the second reason as I call it Reason 3 Thirdly We may argue or demonstrate the Humility of the Lord from the places of his dwelling or frame of spirit that he takes most delight in Isaiah 57.15 For thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth Eternity whose name is holy I dwell in the high and Holy place With him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the Humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones Unto babes doth God reveal himself Mat. 11.25 To the poor separated ones of the world will he be a father and they shall be his Sons and Daughters though he be the Lord Almighty 2 Cor. 6.18 I tell you if God were to walk abroad in the shape of a man he would sooner visite a poor humble gracious soul a thousand times then the Alaflantara fellows mincing Minions or scrapeing Muck worms of the Earth notwithstanding their Wealth Beauty or Gallantry He putteth down the mighty from their seats and exalteth them of low degree Luk. 52. Reason 4 Fourthly His humility is magnified and made apparent by his great and patient waiting to be gratious What man of fashion would wait upon beggers heels to do them good to fill their hungry bellies and to cloth their naked backs Behold saith the faithfull witness I stand at the door and knock if any man hear my voice and open the door I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me He waits even when his head is filled with dew and his locks with the drops of the night Cant. 5.2 He endures with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction Rom. 6.22 He is long suffering to us ward not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance These are glorious beams of that one Glory and excellency able to dazzle our eyes utterly whiles men are doing him all the mischief they can he is then waiting and striving to be gratious A Plaister was made for those Converts Acts the 2. of that very blood which they wickedly shed Vse 1 Then why should his Creatures be proud seeing the Creator is

be damned though he were a man of wax in the eyes of the World Thirdly Methinks we might say something of the blessed and Gracious opportunities God hath given unto you to move you to ply God day and night and to cry Christ Christ Bread bread for the Lords sake bread Object But I said but now Prayers must proceed from the spirit and that is that I need make it plain will some say Sol. Brethren our work is to bid you ask Gods work is to enable you to ask The work of Christs mouth to Lazarus was to bid him to come forth of the Grave It was the secret work of his Allmighty Power to make him alive that he might hear and obey that command Quest How should a man seek Grace at Gods hands aright Answ I answer He must be willing to take all that God hath promised to give to them that ask upon Gods own terms and conditions and limitations too in regard of desired temporal blessings Ye that say ye believe ye must repent c. Acts 2 38. Nay ye shall Rom. 6.1 2 3. What shall we say then shall we continue in sin that Grace may abound God forbid how shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death And so for outward things we are taught by Christs example in his Agony to say not my will but thy will be done In a word to take pleasure in the lovely wayes of holiness and to referr our selves to Gods Love Care Wisdom Power Truth and Faithfulness for outward things But the main thing in hand is to stir you up to keep begging of this Grace that is of the discovery of Gods love to thy poor Soul and that God would lift up upon thee the light of his Countenance So much of the first particular We come to the second to wit to shew you what is meant by the Marriage of the Kings Son Even no other thing no less priviledge then a most neer Union between Christ and the Elect. For even as a man and a woman by the bond of Marriage become one Gen. 2.24 Therefore shall a man leave his Father and his Mother and shall cleave unto his Wife and they twain shall be one flesh and so Mat. 19.4 5 6. it is confirmed by Christ and said to be a Union and a joyning together by God So is it between Christ and his Church Ephes 5. ver 23. and 31. And therefore it is said in my text The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a man that was a King that made a Marriage for his Son Where first God is signified with his free Grace as before And secondly This thing that I have now in hand viz. That it was his pleasure that his Son so fitted to be a husband to lost mankind by his incarnation as it is said A body hast thou given me and by his Death and Passion and glorious Resurrection and Ascension should be offered to all the world of the Jews and Gentiles and that there should be a General invitation to the end that as many as come should be not only Guests but the very Spouse and be married to Christ and assured thereof by the spirit of faith and sanctification So That the Doctrine shall be Doct. That there is a Marriage made and agreed upon for the Son of God by God the King of Kings with every gracious Soul T is ended as we use to say between them This is that which is here called the Kingdom of Heaven the work of Grace and it is therefore compared to a Marriage because there is such a neer union between all the Children of the Kingdom and Christ as there is between the Husband and the Wife I will for your better profiting by this so admirable point go upon some Particulars some Analogies and Resemblances between Marriages among men and this work of Union and Conjunction with Christ And first you know men use to go a woing as we call it they do either by themselves or their spokesmen make motions of Marriage and declare their love to the yong women they are willing to make their wives And this you know is first before there is an actual possessing and uniting Even so we read 2 Cor. 5.20 Now then we are Ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs steed that ye be reconciled to God Now when Christ was in the flesh he went a woing himself in his own person John 3.19 Light is come into the world end men love darkness c. But ver 29. of that chap. he hath a spokesman he goes a woing by his friend He that hath the Bride is the Bridegroom as you shall find there but the friend of the Bridegroom which standeth and heareth him rejoyceth greatly because of the Bridegrooms voice That spokesman there meant was John Baptist And the Bridegroom there meant is Christ now incarnate though the son of God from everlasting He was afterward crucified dead and buried and rose again the third day this is the Husband of the Church this is the yong man that is to be married as we use to say Cursed be they that destroy the History under a pretence of embracing the Mystery as some absurd men have in my hearing whom I therefore questioned but it was not in a time succesfull But I say this Christ went a woing himself but now by his messengers he doth it in Gospel-Preaching Secondly There is a mutual consent after the time of woing This is called a receiving 1 John 12. Vnio animarum est essentia matrimonii But as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name And indeed this is the very union and essence of the Marriage For such are regenerated as it followeth ver 13. Which are born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God T is a match My beloved is mine and I am his saith the Spouse Canticles 2.16 Thirdly There is an enjoying each other in the Married condition Can. 1. ver 2.3.4 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth for thy love is better then Wine Because of the savour of thy good Ointment thy name is as Ointment poured forth therefore the Virgines love thee Draw me we will run after thee the King hath brought me into his chambers We will be glad and rejoyce in thee we will remember thy love more then Wine the upright love thee O who can imagine what this secret enjoying of Christ is that hath not felt it There is a kind of spiritual copulation between Christ and every true believer Yea also between Christ and Congregations which are so many Mothers to bring forth And this puts me upon a fourth likeness Wives blessed of God are like

blessed Ordinances If the messenger sent please you not yea suppose you had just cause of your displeasure yet that will not excuse your slighting of the Sender and his gracious messages Do not think that what we do by vertue of the Authority which the Lord hath given us shall be let fall by him He will require an account of our sowing from all sorts of ground where we sow He telleth our fleetings He puts our tears into his bottle and our groans under your wrath of pride and folly are written in his book The Lord bless unto you these words You and I shall appear at the barr of his tribunal upon this very controversie between us And so much of the first part of this Text. The great ingratitude of the Jews comes next to be spoken of out of these words And they would not come There is an emphasis in these words they could not come Would they not come why would they not come Surely there can be no other reason given but this they would not because they would not So that here is intended to be set forth by the Holy Ghost First The willfull contempt of the People of the Jews And Secondly From the word they is to be noted the generality of their wicked wilfullness They it is not said some of them but they that is as it were all of them Surely the greatest part of them by farr They were upon the matter as we use to say all hanged in a string never a barrel the better herring They would not come Beloved it is a very sad story That God should have a peculiar people whom he calls his own John 1.11 He came unto his own and his own received him not But that there should be such a general defection and blindness on the whole Nation aver few only excepted not worth the speaking of is a sad aggravation of the condition of the Jews so pitifull in bondage to Wicked Will And is it so in Israel And shall we wonder if it be so among us But I will keep to my method which I have accustomed you unto This shall be the Doctrine Doct. That the great Grace of God in inviting men to the Marriage of his Son Christ is by the most of folk willfully refused or neglected That at least it is neglected but here wilfully refused Quest Question But you will say perhaps Why do you put into the Doctrine this word neglected seeing you have so urged the emphaticalness of the words before Answ To this I Answer That the greater contains the lesser where there is wilfull contempt there must needs be careless neglect Therefore no wrong is done to the Text. And I would lay the Doctrine as large as might be that it might be extended in the Application to the greater advantage of all the hearers We read of such a general distemper 2 Kings 17.13.14.15 But I will but read the 14. v. because the time runneth apace mark it Notwithstanding they would not hear but hardned their necks like to the neck of their fathers that did not believe in the Lord their God And so of Judah we read 2 Chro. 24.19 Yet he sent Prophets to them to bring them again to the Lord their God and they testified against them but they would not hear And there is the like complaint Psal 81.11 but my people would not hearken to my voice and Israel would none of me Such another instance is John 5.40 And ye will not come to me saith Christ to the Jews that ye might have life Reason Now the reason of this rejecting of God and his Son Jesus is because people are married already to their sinfull lusts So Isaiah 65.1.2 The Lord there complains of his spreading out his hands all the day unto a rebellious People which walked in away that was not good after their own thoughts Now when men either leane to their own wisdom or are Wedded to their own will or have any carnal worldly or sinfull distemper in their hearts and do inebriate themselves with the present comforts of the world though the things in themselves be lawfull or have inordinate cares or lastly do harbour and cling to any base lust whatsoever here there is no room for Christ he can have no entertainment Strong lusts hang upon men as an haereditary disease and they must not be crossed If you would oppose them they swell the more as a water that is pallisadoed up swells and overrunns all This is the reason that the gracious offer of Christ is so contemned and despised Vse 1 Then first learn that the enjoying of the outward means of Grace is no certain or infallible argument to prove people to be happy People may live under excellent vonchsafements and yet be of the number of negligent and unprofitable hearers yea despisers of them Many do deceive themselves in this kind Because they eat and drink in Gods presence c. they think there are Jews and Pagans enough to fill up hell But they shall have the worser place in Hell that have glorious means of Grace and despise them or though they do but slight them What is a man the better to have abundance of good food if he will not eat of it If Christ be offered and people will not receive As it is recorded of the Jews John 1.11 That when Christ came urto them they would not receive him and therefore had not the power or priviledge of being the Sons of God Their case is the worse not the better that Christ is among them but they do not receive him nor submit to him Vse 2 The second Use is to set forth the greatness of their sin that will not submit to Christ that will not receive him They expose themselves to great danger their sin is great for they set light by Gods Grace as it is said ver 5. of this chap. They made light of it they cared not for Christ his Supper Herein people do even despite the spirit of Grace Heb. 10.29 They tread under foot the son of God and count the blood of the covenant an unholy thing Yea they grieve Gods spirit which is condemned at least dehorted from Ephes 4.30 And indeed do but consider Would it not grieve a man when he hath made a feast for his friends and sent his messengers to call them thereunto if they should peremptority reject his kindness and good will Now here the danger must be very great this contempt being offered to the King of Heaven and Earth Surely they shall smart for it We read 2 Chron. 24.19 of this sin to wit that when the Prophets sent to the people to bring them back to the Lord had testified against them they would not hear Therefore it is denounced against them vers 20. by Zachariah the son of Jehojadah the Preist that they should not prosper and that the Lord had forsaken them It is true they stoned him for his labour ver 21. But yet they

another and tender hearted forgiving one another even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven you Eph. 4 31 32. Mot. 1 And indeed God is our Father and should not children imitate their Father Secondly the contrary practice is a grief to his Spirit by which we are sealed to the day of Redemption This is forbidden Eph. 4.30 Besides it is a snare to sinners and hinders the working of our Physick Vse 3 But thirdly for a third Use If the Lord be courteous to his enemies surely much more to his faithfull Servants yea though there be much weakness and frailty in them So we see in Jonah chap. 4. ver 9.10 11. Jonah is desperatly pettish very much out of frame yet God speaks kindly to him reasons fairly with him He knoweth our frame and considers our infirmities he is God and not man So much of the unworthy guests examination Now follows his conviction And he was speechless 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he was haltered At ille obmutuit vel ad verbum at ille capistratus erat He was dumb'd muzled he had a bit in his jaws he was tongue-tied he could not speak Let this be the Doctrine Doct. A wicked man when God shall have to do with him shall not be able to say a word in his own defence How weak will thy hand and thy heart be when God shall have to do with thee O sinner Reason And the Reason is because conscience will take Gods part and tell him that he is guilty For indeed it is the office of conscience to deal plainly Rom. 2.15 It will bear witness and either accuse or excuse Conscience is always good so far forth as it is conscience We use to say such a man hath little conscience and thou hast no conscience at all Whereby we mean they whom we so accuse have little or none their conscience is as it were laid asleep or made drunk But I say that which is of it left is always good and the judgement which God will give to men shall be upon the testimony of their own conscience a Condēnatio ex propria conscientia Muscul But will some say No man can make defence for himself in Gods presence be he never so good how then do you say wicked men shall not be able as if others could Doth not Job say cap. 9. v. 2 3. But how should man be just with God if he will contend with him he cannot answer him one of a thousand And in Eccles 7.20 For there is not a just man upon earth that doth good and sinneth not And Isa 64.6 But we are all an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags and we do all fade as a leaf and our iniquities like the winde have taken us away Rom. 3.9 10. Jews and Gentiles are all under sin as it is written there is none righteous no not one The refore not only wicked men shall be speechless before God I answer Although no man can justify himself in regard of any perfect obedience of his own because indeed all a mans perfection is to bewail his imperfection and to cleave close to the imputed righteousness of Christ by Faith yet the sincerity of a mans heart in a carefull endeavour to honour God is accepted of God an evidence of Faith whereby he may have comfortable access to God So Hezekiah 2 Kin. 20.3 appeals to the Lord. But a wicked man hath an accusing Conscience but no Christ at all to bear him up Again such as are sincere do cleave to the Lord with full purpose of heart though they are full of failings and therefore they shall not be so convicted and made speechless as wicked men shall Object 2 But may no body at the last day have a word to say Is it not said Matth. 7.22 many shall say unto me in that day c. and cap. 25.44 They that set on the left hand are brought in excusing themselves c. Sol. I answer that place is to be understood of the continuance of the hardness and deceit of some mens hearts even unto death I remember a good note of Mr. Perkins upon that place Matth. 7.22 to this purpose A man may live and die with a conceit of his happy condition c. and that 's the scope of both those places to shew the hardness of of some mens hearts even unto the very last And Secondly If any should be so impudent they will quickly be answered It will be to no purpose for them to plead in their own defence Christ will quickly cut their combs as ver 23. of the seventh chap. and ver 45. of the 25. chap. you may see they are sentenced notwithstanding and are executed accordingly So much for the explanation of the Doctrine The Uses follow Vse 1 And first for Information Wicked men that live in opposition to God and goodnes will one day be as mute as fishes though here they vapour it in their ungodly courses or colour over their wickedness by denying the Fact or else wrest Gods word in the defence of their sinfull courses They are never the clearer of their sins O saith the drunkard who dare say I was drunk I will make thee Sirrah answer it before thy Betters I will make thee answer it in the highest Court in England But Sirrah sith thou art good at that I mean to swagger and vapour let me tell thee for all thy big words thou shalt not have a word to say before God when he shal come to deal with thee Although men think to outface them that shall seek their Reformation yea be ready to take their remedy as in a matter of false accusation especially if they can get some great man to back them yet when the Lord takes them in hand they will be speechless I will tell you a dream of one of quality related to my self by the dreamer himself Said he I dreamd the day of judgement was come and all men appeared before Christ Some were white others spotted Me thought said he I was all white saving that I had one black spot upon my breast which I covered with my hand Upon the separation of these two sorts I got among the white on the right hand glad was I. But at last a narrower search was made and one came and pluckt away my hand from my breast then appeared my spot and I was thrust away among the spotted ones I pray consider what this Gentleman dreamed all of us shall finde one day to be true when such as are now bold sinners have words at will shal be speechless Would ye then not be speechless in that day under a condemning conscience Vse 2 Labour to get and keep a good conscience here 1 Joh. 4.7 Herein is our love made perfect that we may have boldness in the day of judgement c. Let us labour for the Wedding-garment for if our conscience condemn us condemnation will follow that conviction Rev. 20.12

No Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels Ye could not abide good company when ye lived on earth ye shall have Devils instead of them now God shall be glorified in his Saints because they received his testimony but ye would not therefore ye must not be their Companions Ye accounted them a burden to you the off-scowring of all things ye would not joyn with them ye cast them out of your Counsels not only wickedly but unjustly yea against all reason Now ye shall never have the comfort honour or happiness to see one of their faces more Devils and Reprobates such as your selves shall be your companions for the increase of your eternal torture and torment A word for application of this second particular from the word depart We may learn how to judge of them that have hearts separated from Gods People and ways now they are in Simon Magus his condition mentioned Acts 8.21 Wicked men are the men of their delight and this is their punishment already and will bring the other mentioned in the Text they shall be taken away and cast away which is the next viz. the third degree of misery in the punishment of ungodly men Learn therefore Doctr. That all wicked men are a company of Cast-aways a sort of good fornothings All that have not made God their portion nor have the Spirit of the Son are good for just nothing and therefore as that which is nought-worth they shall be cast away They themselves and all that they possess though never so much are under a Curse and shall be made to drink the water of jealousie Riches avail not in the day of wrath Prov. 11.4 They are curses to a wicked man who is an accursed Cast-away Cursed in the City and in the Field in his basket and in his store in the fruit of his body and of his land the increase of his kine and the flocks of his sheep Cursed when he cometh in and cursed when he goeth out Cursing vexation and rebuke shall follow him in all that he setteth his hand unto Deut 20.16 to the 21. ver For A graceless man to use a Country phrase is an unlucky fellow It is a blessing properly to a godly man that whatsoever he doth it shall prosper Psal 1.3 Again a graceless man makes the naked creature without an eye to the Creator the foundation of his happiness like a foolish man that hath great store of birds in his field and because they have pitch'd in his field he accounts them all his not considering that they will rise and flie away when he comes neer to them to take them So will all that wicked men have wherein they put their confidence when God comes to have to do with them it will appear that they with all that they have are good for nothing but to be cast away Object But yet Please your self with your notions may some say as long as you will These nothings as you call them and these cast aways are often in great prosperity when the godly and happy so called are in adversity Sol. I answer This was indeed Davids temptation Psal 73.12 Behold these are the ungodly who prosper in the world they increase in riches and hath formerly been and at this present is even mine also the shameless impudency and yet continued prosperity of some among you are both so continued yet truly I do believe that Adversity is never truly evil nor prosperity truly good For wicked men should not have any prosperity if it were good nor righteous men adversity if it were truly evil Here now is a place for faith and blessed is he that believeth Luke 1. Object But yet sometimes wicked men are imployed by God for the good of his Church as Cyrus was c. Therefore they are not altogether good for nothing or cast aways Sol. I answer God makes use of Devils sometimes as of wicked men for his own glory But my meaning is that no good shall ever come to themselves by any thing that they do Isa 10.12 Wherefore it shall come to pass that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon Mount Zion and on Jerusalem I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the King of Assyria and the glory of his high looks So this is the sum of all Let wicked men do what they will or seem to be usefull to others never so much or be made use of by God as sometimes they are yet they shall never do themselves good they are Cast-aways they shall be like the chaff which the wind driveth away c. Psal 1.4 And nothing that they have shall prosper with them And at last they shall be cast away quite from God all even seeming happiness into outer darkness which is the punishment it self and comes now to be spoken of Cast him into outer darkness that is into Hell-fire everlasting fire as it is called Matth. 19.8 9. Hereupon a Question may be moved Divers respects how Hell where there is said to be fire can be a place of darkness seeing it is the property of fire to give light and light and darkness are contrary To which I answer Fire that the place of torment prepared for the reprobate hath in the Scripture divers names in divers respects as in regard of the grievous pain there to be endured it is often compared to fire so Matth. 13.4.2 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire and Luke 16. ver 23. The rich man is said to be in hell in torments and ver 24. to be tormented in the flame And the wrath of God to be poured on the damned in Hell is so vehemently and frequently set forth by fire as that many both ancient and latter do hold and write that there is a corporal 〈…〉 sible fire there Augustine Jerome Ambrose Chrysostom Gregory Tertullian Lactantius Cyprian c. And that the visible fire of Hell shall after the day of judgement punish the damned corporally and eternally without quenching it self or consuming them Bilson But I wave this In regard of the uncomfortableness of a Hellish condition Darkness it is compared to darkness yea to outer darkness which is most remote from light Metaphoricè autem per tenehras Scriptura horrendum maerorem designat c. Calv. Calvin upon Matth. 8.12 saith that by darkness Metaphorically the Scripture understands horrid sadness which neither in words can be expressed nor in perception comprehended in this life For in that place there is a comparing of the sad condition the Jews should be in upon Gods departure from their Nation with Hell and they are threatened with outer darkness that is unspeakable sadness in allusion unto Hell And so in Scripture light is taken for joy and fulness of consolation as Psal 97.11 Light is sown for the righteous and gladness for the upright in heart And heaven is said to be the inheritance