of their consciences and to hang them as in a map before their eyes upon the wall of their memory for an everlasting confusion and torment unto them The name of God that is fearfull Deut. 28.58 shall in the end be fearfull to them that have taken it in vaine by swearing blaspheming or light usage of it Though in their desperate torment before all by their evill words actions the fruits of their envy And if the sight of so small good either outward or inward as is to be seene in this life doe yet stirre up such a painefull envy what then shall be the paine of that envy in the wicked when they shall behold the eternall glory good things enjoyed by others in heaven Looke how much the heavenly prosperity exceeds the earthly so much shall the paine of the hellish envy exceed al that ever hath bene on earth When the godly are exalted their enimies shall see it Rev. 11.12 the world shall know how God loves them Ioh. 17.23 the wicked shall see greeve gnash with their teeth pine away Psal 112.10 they shall be mad for the sight of their eyes Deut. 28.34 yea their eyes shall consume in their holes their tongue in their mouth Zac. 14.12 thē shall be weeping gnashing of teeth when they see others in the kingdome of God themselves thrust out Luk. 13.28 There is a bitter end threatned unto them that follow harlots Prov. 5.3.4.5 their dolefull song at last shall be Hovv have I hated instruction my heart despised reproofe c. vers 12. c. and the like wofull ditty is for them that follow wine or strong drink whereby they are inflamed unto more sin Esa 5.11.22 their unlawfull pleasure in the midst of their ungodly company shall at last bite like a serpent sting like a cockatrice Prov. 23.32 Then shall be woe to the mighty oppressours that oppresse a man and his heritage whereby they spoile themselves of their inheritance with God they joyne house to house on earth till they leave no place for the poore on earth nor any place for themselves in heaven Mic. 2.1.2 Esa 5.8 and the like woe is due to the unmercifull rich men who as they would not give a crumme so they shall not obtaine one drop of water from the tip of any finger to refresh them being tormented in the flame Luk. 16.24.25 The false witnesse shall not then goe unpunished Prov. 19.5.9 the railers and slanderers shall then be excluded out of the kingdome of God 1. Cor. 6.10 the lips of the flatterers backbiters shal be cut off Psa 12.3 their owne words shal be a snare for their soule Prov. 18.7 they shall then reape that which they have sowne they have CHAP. VIII Of the visible signes memorials of Hell whereby God calleth men to remember the end of the ungodly The vaine curiosity of thē that desire to be informed of Hell-torments otherwise then by the word and works of God which compared together afford us sundry Memorials of Hell a In each of the foure Elements Fire Aire Water Earth b In the country of Eden c In the land of Canaan both in the foure borders of it d within the land on both sides of the river Iordan e In the Iewes themselves in the state of their rejection f In the country of Italy g In the Torrid or hote Zone of the world the condition actions of the inhabitants h In the frozen Zones the extremity of cold other occurrences in those parts i In the temperate Zones in the publick state of Antichristian Romish religion with the appurtenances thereof k In private houses haunted with evill spirits inhabited by witches disordered innes tavernes l In particular persons possessed excommunicate terrifyed in conscience m In particular sinnes in thoughts words actions IT may be some will say or thinke in themselves we heare many fearfull things touching Hell-torments if we might see the same take a view thereof it would doe us more good To such I answer they know not what they desire When the bottomlesse pit was once at a certaine time in especiall manner opened very wide there arose such a smoak out of the pit as had almost choaked the whole world the Sunne the aire were darkened therewith poysonous locusts came out of that smoak and tormented men that they were weary of their lives and sought death that fled from them Rev. 9.1.2.3 c. It were not safe for curious men to looke with their carnall eyes into that bottomlesse pit nor to wish that hell destruction were naked open unto them for their warning neither should it be for their edification so much as the due remembrance and spirituall meditation thereof by help of the Scriptures They that will not beleeve Moses the Prophets would not be perswaded though one rose from the dead Luk. 16.30.31 If Abraham or Noah the ancient preachers of righteousnes should come againe into this world clothed with angelicall glory with a heavenly voyce should call men to repentance or if Angels should come and preach the kingdome of God yet could we not world doe every one of them containe a vast gulfe of destruction within them insomuch that each of them hath seemed unto some to lay clayme unto Hell as having that prison within their bounds The Fire by which Hell is so often described is of a consuming devouring nature this operation of it is often compared to eating the fewell put unto it is the meat thereof Esa 9.19 the more it hath the more hungrily it eateth by burning more fiercely it hath an insatiable belly never saith It is enough Prov. 30.15.16 And so it is like unto Hell which enlargeth herselfe openeth her mouth wide without measure to devoure the wicked Esa 5.14 Whether we conceive it as the highest greatest element encompassing the aire on every side as in the proper place that is commonly assigned unto it or whether we looke upon it in the dayly effects thereof on the earth in those few sparkles coales thereof scattered among us here below for our use it carries in it both wayes a resemblance of Hell to make us remember the end of the wicked in the sight of it The Aire is noted as the seat or station of wicked spirits where they soare over our heads as the ravenous foules over the chickens still ready to seaze upon us Therefore is the Devill called the prince of the power of the aire Eph. 2.2 his angels are spirituall wickednesses in high places Eph. 6.12 Satan is sayd to fall downe like lightning from heaven when his works are loosed Luk. 10.18 So often as we looke out into the aire so oft doe we passe by the gates of Hell by the Castles Towers of the enimy from whence he shootes his fiery darts from whence he watcheth his advantage to oppugne us to
make a prey of our soules 1. Pet. 5.8 Wheresoever the Devill his angels be there is an Hell they being still at our right hand Hell is in a manner alwayes about us Zacch 3.1 So long as mē converse walke in this aire so long doe they remaine in that park or chase where the Devill with his hell-hounds is continually hunting of soules to bring them to a miserable end for ever which end therfore is dayly to be thought on that they may prevent the enimy escape the snares of the hunter by putting on the whole armour of God praying incessantly Eph. 6.13 1. Pet. 5.8 The Watry Element Sea is another gulfe of destruction wherein multitudes have bene are dayly drowned swallowed up The dragons of the deep and the manifold uncouth monsters of the sea doe well declare what hell is there the great Leviathan according to that strange description of him Iob 41. may well appeare as Beelzebub the prince of the devils in that hell And if Ionas being swallowed up of one of them did account himselfe in the belly of hell Ion. 2.2 then must there be many hells in one sea Yea the very torments of Hell which our Saviour endured for us are represented by the deep whereinto he was plunged by the waters that entred into his soule Psa 69.1.2.15 further the Abysse or bottomlesse pit whereby Hell is named Rev. 9.1 20.1 is the same word whereby the deep sea is commonly expressed And thus is Hell resembled set before the eyes of men both in the name nature of this destroying element of the water The Earth also being the common grave of all mankinde while they are dayly resolved turned unto dust becomes another insatiable gulfe to represent Hell As in Corahs time the earth opened her mouth swallowed many at once Num. 16.31.32.33 so doth it still every day the difference is onely in the manner that there it opened of it selfe here it is opened by the grave-maker Yea further the deep pits of mire clay in the earth are likewise chosen by the holy Ghost to expresse the descending of our Redeemer into Hell the sorrowes of the second death that he endured therein Psa 40.2 69.2 insomuch that many doe contēd that the proper place of Hell is within the earth which though we neither affirme nor deny but reprove their presumption which without warrant will peremptorily maintaine the same yet in the pits of this earth we have an hell resembled unto us even by the Spirit of God in the Scriptures And thus in every one of the elements there is a mouth of Hell gaping upon sinners to make them remember consider what shal be the latter end of the wicked b After the materiall parts of the world we are now to consider of the divers places thereof in respect of their different situation estate And here againe the memorials of Hell of the latter end of the ungodly are either such as be more peculiar for some particular nations among whom he hath set his signes and wonders as in Egypt in Israel in divers others Ier. 32.20 or such as be more common to the world to many nations therein Among other particular nations countries above them all as the head crowne of the earth let us in the first place looke upon Eden the paradise therein from whence man was banished for his sinne The Lord as he had at first even in the state of innocency planted a tree of forbidden fruit within the garden as a memoriall of death evē of the second death consequently of an Hell provided for transgressours Gen. 2.9.17 so after the fall without the gardē in the border thereof he placed there on the East side a flaming sword which turned every way to keepe the way of the tree of life Gen. 3.24 This flame of destruction was like another visible Hell in the eyes of Adam his posterity by the dayly sight whereof they were warned not to presume against the commandement of God as they had done This present fire was unto them a monument of that eternall fire which should consume the transgressours As David was afraid when he saw the Angel of the Lord stand betweene the earth and the heaven having a drawne sword in his hand stretched out over Ierusalem 1. Chron. 21.16.30 so the children of Adam here seing the fiery chariot of the Cherubims Ezek. 1.13.14 and the flaming sword brandished and shaken about the garden were taught to feare remember the latter end threatned to the presumptuous offendours over all whose heads there hangeth continually a sword of vengeance ready to fall upon them Iob 19.29 Ezek. 21.9.10 c From the country of Eden let us come to the land of Canaan another Eden the pleasant land Dan. 8.9 where God planted another paradise set the second Adam to dresse the same for his Church is the garden of God Cant. 4.12.16 And here in like manner God gave speciall warnings to Israel set his markes in the holy land more then in others both round about in the borders thereof within the land also In the borders on the East side along the coast of the tribe of Iudah God placed as it were a visible on sinners whose latter end was set before their eyes for a warning to avoyd the sinnes that kindle such wrath From the East border come we to the South which was the border of Edom. Iosh 15.1 Num. 34.3 this land of Edom or Idumea is propounded by the H. Ghost as another Hell visible to the eye of faith being considered in the curse which God denounced against the same that the rivers therof should be turned into pitch not to be quenched night nor day the smoak ascending for ever that it should be an habitation of dragons Satyres scritch-owles Zijm Jijm c. Esa 34.5.9.10.13.14 c. In that South coast was also the wildernes of Zin Maaleh-hacrabbim or the ascent of the Scorpions Kadesh-barnéa Ios 15.1.3 Num. 34.3.4 by the sight of which places they were called to the remembrance of Gods judgments both by the fiery serpents scorpions in the great terrible wildernes Deut. 8.15 by their turning back from Kadesh when they were ready to have entred into the land Numb 14.25 Deut. 2.1 Their Westerne border was the great Sea the store-house of Gods judgements compared unto the great deep Psal 36.6 Their North coast was Lebanon Hermon Iosh 1.4 with 11.17 12.7 13.5.6 there were the dens of the lyons the mountaines of the Leopards Sol. song 4.8 which creatures the Lord useth as instruments of his wrath Ier. 5.6 with Dan. 7.3.4.6 by them the Lord describeth his owne anger against sinners Hos 13.7 so from every coast roared upon them by a flaming sword on every side called them to remēber his judgmēts d From
the outward borders of the holy land teturne we to the inward parts these on both sides of the river Iordan On this side above many other places Ierusalem the city of the great king offers it selfe to our consideration which though it were a type of heavē Gal. 4.26 Heb. 12.22 yet round about it there were signes set of the fearfull judgmēts of God of the last end of the wicked And first of all by the entry of the East-gate they had the vallie of Hinnom the high places of Tophet therein as it were a visible Hell Ier. 19.2 with Iosh 15.8 They there burned their children in the fire unto Baal Moloch with great impiety against God and cruelty to hornes their hoofes their haire well might that lake be this same pit As by the descent of an Angel into the poole of Bethesda those that first entred after the stirring of the waters were made whole of what disease soever they had Ioh. 5.4 so no wonder if after the stirring of these waters in Gadara by a legion of uncleane spirits together they were made unwholesome caused disease to those that drank thereof So often as men beheld or thought upon this devilish lake they had a spectacle of Hell before them they tooke the name of God in vaine if they did not learne hereby to watch fight against the wicked spirits to seeke the helpe of Christ that conquers them not to love their swine more then Christ nor to become as swine by wallowing in the mire of sinne 2. Pet. 2.22 left they also by the Devils should be carryed headlong into the lake of brimstone prepared for those that hearkē not unto the call of God e These were the markes tokens given to the Iewes but the Iewes themselves are given for signes warnings unto us for whē these many other memorials of the latter end were givē unto the Iewes despised of them then at last they themselves by the righteous judgment of God were made as signes and wonders unto the beleeving Gentiles called into their place to this day they remaine as memorials of Hell under the power of darknes their hearts being hardened their eyes darkened and covered with the spirit of slumber Rom. 11.7.8.10 Their state of rejection wherein they presently are is described in such phrase as the estate of those in Hell they are now in utter darknes while they are without Christ if they knew the misery of their estate then should they weep gnash their teeth Matt. 8.12 In this hell of utter darknes have they continued now these sixteen hundred yeares are scattered abroad among all nations for a warning unto them So often as we meet these obdurate Iewes in our streets consider how they are broken off from their olive the kingdome of God being taken from them given to others Matt. 21.43 so often are we to be mooved with compassion to thē as if they did weep howle before us as we are to pray for the day of their visitation so are we to worke the whole earth turning round about it continually even as the first flaming sword was about the garden of God in Eden This middle Zone though in comparison of Tophet it be an heaven yet in respect of other temperate Zones inhabited by us it is in many things like unto Hell As Hell is described by the burning heat that is therein Esa 30.33 Matt. 25.41 so in this Torrid Zone men are grievously afflicted tormented with heat men dwelling there under the Aequinoctiall line the climates on each side neere the same the Sunne burnes them by day and the beames thereof beating directly upon their heads doe strike them with a vehement heat round about the world even from the East unto the Westerne India in Aethiopia betwixt them both insomuch that some of them curse the Sunne every morning that it riseth As Hell is described by the blaknes of darknes that is there reserved for reprobates 2. Pet. 2.17 black being the colour of sorrow feare Psa 38.6 in the orig which make all faces to gather blacknes Ioel. 2.6 so under the hote Zone there dwell the black Moores the Aethiopians or burnt-faces as the word which the holy Ghost useth for them doth signify Act. 8.27 Their bodies visages are blacker then a coale some have bene frighted at the fight of them as if they had come out of Hell As in Hell men are under the vexation of the Devill that is called the prince of darknes Eph. 6.12 hath the power of death Heb. 2.14 so it is generally testifyed that the Indians both East West the Guineans betweene both in this hote Zone doe both worship the Devill that often appeares personally unto them are often beaten tormented by the immediate hand of the Devill in those visible apparitions with many other vexations to their unspeakable misery therefore in this regard there is not so much a shadow of Hell as a very Hell it selfe a kingdome of darknes As the state of those in Hell is described by a worme that torments them never dyeth Esa 66.24 Mark 9.44.46.48 so those that live in this Torrid Zone in Guinea have often ordinarily a worme of strange incredible length that breedeth in their flesh as those that travell thither have both seene and felt and in their flesh have brought home apparitions are imagined to ascend up out of the earth 1. Sam. 28.13 even so a man that should see these all-black naked impes come swarming up out of their holes from under ground each of them both at mouth nostrils breathing out the smoake of that Indian herb which is a part of their ordinary dyet it were no wonder if he thought the picture of Hell to be before him In fine as many for Māmon or riches doe sell themselves and loose their soules goe downe to Hell for ever 1. Kin. 21.20 even so many for the love of that treasure that is to be found in this hote Zone are content to adventure their lives in travelling thither in this journey there be multitudes that from time to time doe loose their mortall temporary lives and so in this regard also there is some consimilitude betwixt these two places And now if we doe well observe this strange work of God we shall therein perceive how unsearchable his judgements are his wayes past finding out in permitting this forlorne people that are so black in their bodies more black in their soules through their worship of the Devill to lye so long enthralled under the dominion of Satan that for so great a compasse round about the whole earth under the Aequinoctiall circle Seing the Lord hath made this visible Hell like a broad black belt or girdle to environ the very heart middle of the world how ought this to warne all the inhabitants