contrary to the world for so the world is conquered and hee that suffers becomes subject to another but we are slaine saith the Apostle and our slaughter is our victory nay more than victory in so doing we conquer the conquerours and command our oppressors More than conquerours is more than any Caesar achieved unto or ever Monarch effected in his greatest victories Who can say so but Christians Emperours have conquered with difficultie and lost with greater facility all their kingdomes They have beene lesse than conquerours and never gotten victory but left it to others to gaine it from them O the honour of this spirituall kingdome and excellency of grace that even thriveth best vnder oppressions and worldly violence The regression of the Kingdome All the honour of this Kingdome redoundeth unto Christ and shall then appeare when he appeares to take his Kingdome great dominion He should have had no subjects but for the Spirit and none so victorious but for Martyres who as they have first honoured Christ by death shall of him againe bee first graced with life Those that are alive and converted shall bee a glory to Christ as hee will bee a glory to them It is for the persons in the sacred Trinity mutually to raise glory one to another Wee are therefore ordine retrogrado come from the kingdome of grace to the Kingdome of power from the administration of the Spirit to the administration of the Son and seeke after three things as glorious as the former and yet more outward but not lesse spirituall for perfection in the Trinity is both wayes obserued and effected in progression the Father perfects his worke in the Sonne and the Sonne in the Spirit so in regression the holy Ghost perfects grace in power and the Son perfects power in glory We will speake of the Sons taking ruling and delivering up of this kingdome of power Christs taking of the Kingdome of power Heb. 2.5 mention is made of a world to come and the subjectioÌ„ thereof to Christ This wee see not saith the Apostle as yet accomplished but wee see Iesus Christ crowned and made a King in heaven His presence on earth as yet wee have not save in the holy Ghost But hee will appeare in his body and take this Kingdome and whole world to himselfe and turne out of it all the ungodly in the earth His enemies that would not suffer him to reigne over them by his Gospell are then to bee brought before him and slaine in his presence The taking of his great power Revel 11.17 At the last trumpet and the last woe all Kingdomes fall to Christ But how I pray you marke the text He shall take to himselfe his great power and reigne To himselfe immediately to himselfe for forme and manner of government He left it in the hands of the Spirit and now takes it againe to himselfe no more depriving the Spirit of the honour of it in the re-assumption than hee did himselfe when he deposed it into the hands of his Spirit Now the question will bee how this is done The answer is with great power greater than ever before for it destroyes them all that now destroy the earth How is it taken Daniel assoiâ—es this doubt and makes it glorious and wonderfull in his extraordinary description of it Dan. 7.9 10. c. First the Lord Iesus takes it from his enemies and casts downe their thrones and makes them seates for his Saints Rev. 20.7 he takes it from the last beast even because of the little horne and his blasphemous and bloody words Secondly hee takes it from the Ancient of daies who in a glorious and most illustrious manner installes the Lord Iesus into his kingdome Thirdly he is attended and waited upon by the innumerable company of Angels by whom hee is brought to the Ancient of dayes Reade the rest and admite at this inauguration and solemnization of the day of Christs coronation upon earth who now in heaven is crowned with glory and immortality When it is taken 2 Tim. 4.1 At the Epiphanie of his kingdome Marke 13.26 Luke 21.27 when the powers of heaven are shaken and the starres that shine in them are humbled to the ground Earthly potentates that are advanced above others shall bee made low The fall of such starres will not hinder the sight of Christ but honour it Other starres being bigger than the earth would overlay it and men and suffer no man to stand upon earth to see the Lord Iesus come in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Hee must bee seene of all eyes and therefore it is most safe to give the sense of the Scriptures by the Scriptures and to say of this day as of the former shadowes of it in Babylon and Aegypt Isa 13.10 and 14.12 13. Ezek. 32.7 8. The starres of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light The Sunne shall bee darkned in his going forth and the Moone shall not cause her light to shine the bright lights of heaven are put out when Pharaoh falleth by the Babilonians and Lucifer sonne of the morning ascended into heaven above the heights of the clouds and starres themselves to bee like the most High comes downe to the ground when by the Medes and Persians Belshazzar is pulled from the orbe of his height and honour Christ the bright shining starre of Iacob and the advanced Scepter of Israe is risen and shall rise to smite all corners and subdue all Nations Let us therefore advance him from the taking of the kingdome to the ruling of it Christs ruling and reigning in his kingdome Dan. 7.14 On this day dominion is given to Christ Zech. 14.9 One Lord one name and that over all the earth In this day will hee reigne in and over all mankinde Rev. 11 15. Now the world does not acknowledge him for one Lord as being ruled by many neither does it worship him by one name as being distracted into many religions but this will Christ remove at his day and rule by a more equall power and uniforme worship Paul is our witnesse 1 Cor. 15.24 25 26. c. that the end and delivery up of this kingdome to God even the Father cannot be till rule authority and power of devils in hell men upon earth and even death the last of enemies be fully vanquished and subdued and for this purpose I might produce all the Prophets and holy Apostles speaking glorious things of Christs reigning and ruling at the sound of the last trumpet and comming of the last woe Rev. 10.7 All the Prophets are witnesses and St. Peter speaking of the same thing adds to them all the Apostles 2 Pet. 3 2. They have ill done that have muzled up the mouthes of the Prophets with a Consummation and conclusion in Christs incarnation The Iewes dispute Dan. 2.35 and 7.11 That Messiah must come when the Monarchies are as chaffe before the winde and quite blowne out of the world When the
them are to bee held for the expectation of the Messiah The seaventh is the most famous and illustrious of all the rest First for the incarnation of our Saviour 2. For his doctrine and death 3. For Ierusalems desolation and destruction which is the end wee have now in hand 70. yeeres take up this time the first yeere begins with Christs birth and blessed comming into the world and for 30. yeeres Luke 3.23 he lives in obscurity save his disputation with the Doctors at his age of 12. yeeres 18. yeeres more he spends in labour and subjection to his parents This time puts well on the 70. yeeres and for one weeke counting from 30. to 38. is Christ most famous in publishing himselfe Messiah Dan. 9.27 and for 7. yeeres confirmes the covenant with many Hee preacheth by himselfe for halfe of this weeke he dies in the middst of it and chargeth his Apostles to continue the rest and remainder of it to the Iewes onely A wonderfull mercy to this nation if there had beene any good nature in it never man spake like him did like him or suffered like him He will neither off the Crosse nor out of the Pulpit till hee have accomplished a weeke of extraordinary mercy to an ill deserving nation but this weeke ended in the 38. yeere of his incarnation hee comes to Peter in a voyce and vision to perswade him hee may freely preach and converse with the Gentiles Act. 10. Paul takes this for another argument of mercy in the beginning of judgement Rom. 11.14 He provokes to emulation and salvation by the Gentiles and thus continued the Gospell betweene Iew and Gentile a long time But this obstinate people would bee moved by nothing and therefore in the last weeke if not the last yeere are destroyed The desolator Christ or the Romanes it mattereth not now executeth the words of him that in the daies of his flesh uttered them Math. 22.7 Christ the King sendeth forth his armies and destroies the murtherers and burnes their Citie I have received it from the Oracle of God and learned Expositor M. Ioseph Meade the best Delian diver that ever I found in these mysteries that S. Iames Chap. 5.7 8. meanes by the comming of Christ his comming in the Romane army So Zachary hath it Zach. 14.4 his feete in the Romanes stand upon the same mount he prophecied and this wary Expositor takes further warrant from an Ancient Writer and alleageth Oecumenius so clearing the text before him Brethren the Bible is the best History in the world it triumpheth over all humane knowledge and carrieth our minds and memories over the vast and devouring space of time not onely past but yet to come It makes us live now as if we had lived with our dead Ancestors or were to live with our surviving posterity It gives us piercing eies makes us see into the very deepth of darkenesse and to foretell deeds that are yet to be done Onely much wisedome and much watchfulnesse are required of him that will apply for good such secrets The pure oyle Exod. 27.20 for the lights to cause the lamps to burne must bee beaten for with much labour and affliction the light of Gods word must bee prepared and with patience preached and made to shine in the Church Would God this nationall example of the Iewes might bee the instruction of our nation we have had better than a 70 yeeres continuance of the glorious Gospell if we provoke God like these stubborne Iewes it is our duty from the like danger to looke for the like punishment I will say no more I see the patience and punishment of the same God take him whilst he offereth mercy least hee leave thee when thou would bee glad to finde his favour The persons The persons here punished are the Iewes and must be an example unto us of obstinacy and wilfulnesse against God They are bold to sinne and must beare with basenesse the marke of God above all people Their end and misery Their end is the very tragedie of all miseries and compendium of the last woe They are punished as if doomesday were come upon them God it is that will bee the Author of all tragedies and write out all men the parts they are to play in this world Hee is not partiall to the greatest when they grow insolent against him Darius of a great Emperour is put to play the poore begger and in the drought of death to call for drinke from an enemie Baiazet the grand Signior of the Turkes turnes the stage of his honour into a footstoole for Tamberlane to mount on horse-backe Valerian by Sapores is commanded the same service and thousands more of examples might bee brought The greatest Worthy and the least worme are subjects to God and without wrong must bee made to serve his providence Fortune wee say on the great Theater of the world deales with us as wee doe with our selves in the change of our garments in our lesser Chambers when we have unclad our selves every man weareth but his owne skin and so the proudest and most presumptuous are of the same nature with the meanest when they are stripped of some few raggs they weare wee are to meete with an hard master that will not pardon us farthings Math. 5.26 In the way we might have done well but now being come to the end of our journey we must abide both our pay and paine Hell fire will be the hotter by how much God in patience hath beene the cooler Tarditas supplicij gravitate pensatur the calme of Gods mercy ends in the tempest of his justice Men shall see now how to sorrow but not to solace themselves Isid l. 1. de sum bon Ad aggrevatum ut videant unde doleant non ad consolationem ut videant unde gandeant they have played with those things that now will not please them When they come to number with God as well for magnitude as multitude of sinnes they shall perceive themselves burthened as wel for conscience as memory There is sinne saith a Father both in weight and number etsi non timeas quando expendis time quando numeras The many seventies injoyed by the Iewes became severe in the count and for short weekes they have now sharpe miseries Cum illis ludunt quae illis laedunt They sport with that which will not spare them They become carelesse of their evils and then carelessenesse sadnesse suddennesse will overtake them The time was when God called for that which they would not give and now may call for that which God will not grant like Dives they deny morsels and want dropps when they neede them Would they give their soules to God when they have given them to the devils he will none of them but commands as the text hath it the devils to fetch them without their wils It is small happinesse that concludes with so heavy newes Some say he is a happy sonne whose father goes to the
feete and foundation even the ten divided toes in the bottome of that terrible image are crushed and conquered by the victorious stone whose kingdome becomes a mountaine filling the whole earth Hee must then take place when the last beast is slaine his little horne having eyes to watch the ten hornes and to speake blasphemies against God is consumed Vtter ruine must befall all Christs enemies before he take from the Ancient of dayes his dominion and universall command over all the world Hence they would conclude against Christians that their Messiah is not come for they urge us by our owne confession that hee came in the dayes of Augustus Caesar when the last beast flourished most was farre enough from chaffe or clay it was not then come to the tenne toes or ten hornes in which it hath held to this day and therefore as yet Messiah is not yet come Stay stubborne Iewes wee will not take these texts from you but grant them and yet deny your consequent for Messiah by the testimony of the same Prophet must first come to redeeme Dan. 9.24 Your weekes are gone and might assure you Messiah is come and hath made reconciliation for you us He is gone to heaven and hath left his kingdome in the hands of his Spirit against him you have rebelled and brought upon your selves the end in my text repent and hee will returne to you and you shal see him as Daniel hath delivered unto you and witnessed by an Apostle of Christ Act. 3.19 20 21. and is the onely and last reason of the stay and slackenesse of his comming and performance of his promise to you in special 2. Pet. 3.9 Would God you were at as good agreement with our holy Apostles as wee are with your Prophets we should soone and suddenly both meete in this kingdome of power Balaams prophecie Numb 24.15 to the end Of this kingdome Balaam is forced to speake and by a starre and his shadowes gives in parables an excellent prospective for the view of things a farre off but not nigh at a great distance of time but not present in this age The star smites Moab in the shadowes of it but it shall unwall all the sonnes of Seth immediately by it selfe and last appearance Amalecke the first of Nations is destroyed by the prayers of Moses and sword of Ioshua true types of Christ and Chittim the last of Nations shall by Christ himselfe immediately perish Of both these it is said more than of all the rest They shall perish for ever The reason is plaine Amaleke was the first that fought with the ancient Israel in the wildernesse to hinder their passage into Canaan and therefore must be smitten for ever Now is the surrogate Israel of God in the like wildernesse Rev. 12.6 14. and Chittim onely makes warre with it and therefore as Amalek of old must perish for ever To Ashur all Nations were smitten by the shadowes of the rising starre but from Ashur to Chittim the starre Christ by conjunction and secret influence makes one Starre smite another and as he sets the. Egyptians against the Aegyptians Isa 19.2 so be sets Ashur against Ashur Chittim against Chittim both against Heber till his honour come by Christ Ashur is the land of Assyria Chittim is put for the Iles of the Gentiles Ashur begins with Nimrod Gen. 10. a sonne of cursed Cham. He is the first mighty hunter after honour and begins his kingdome with Babylon the building of confusion both for religion language and love From Babylon hee hunts into Ashur or the land of Assiria and builds Nineveh and at length fils the great Continent of the world with his Monarchy The Babylonians take it and hold it till the Medes and Persians become Lords of their kingdome and Continent Thus the Lord dasheth kingdome against kingdome and like a potters vessell breaketh them one upon another From the Continent to the Iles of the Gentiles the same Christ translateth the Monarchies and ends them in the Sonnes of laphet Chittim a sonne of Iaphet Gen. 10. being divided from the Continent by the Seas finds posterity in time to passe the Seas and by ships from his Coasts carrieth Alexander the Great Dan. 2.32 and 7.6 and 11.3 1 Maccab. 1.1 with his Army who killeth Darius and from Ashur to Chittim translateth his kingdome The rising starre knowes how by his secret opperation to stirre up Chittim against Chittim and to punish the Iles for Idolatry and tyranny he sets the inhabitants thereof together by the eares for their sinnes and by the Romanes at length brings the Monarchy from the Graecians to us and settles the glory of it in Rome where it slourished to the birth of Christ and long after At length this massie monarchie drencht in blood even the best blood the blood of Saints began to reele and totter and from one Caesar fals to ten Kings from yron legs strongly united to ten toes weakely divided they hang upon the same feet of the Image but their division is fatall to the Empire These toes in the Image and ten hornes on the head of the last beast are the last of Chittim and remaine to this day for perdition by Christ as farre as Iaphet is not perswaded to dwell in the tents of Shem Gen. 9.22 what now remaines but that the third Sonne of Noah alwayes chosen of God for his chiefe servant should obtaine the kingdome and that Heber hitherto afflicted by Ashur and Chittim should be made glorious at the comming of the Lord Iesus The promise of the new heavens and the new earth is made to them Isa 65.17 18. and 66.22 this quoted by S. Peter 2 Pet. 3.13 applyed by him to the Iewes and by them to be expected in the day of judgement when hee takes his great power to reigne The same is repeated Rev. 21.1 and applyed to Ierusalem vers 2. of this as a mystery S. Paul speakes Rom. 11.25 and quotes Isaiah who Isa 59 18. brings it in with the subversion of Chittim or the Ilands What shall I say more let Peter expound Isaiah and Isaiah Peter and we shall quickly resolve of this mystery Of the length of the day of Iudgement Zech. 14.7 Having spoken of Ierusalems desolation as Christ did Math. 24. comes in the like manner to their consolation and saies The Lord my God shall come and all the Saints with thee then describes the day of judgement 1. by light to manifest all deeds of darknesse 2. by the purity of this light it shall not be cleare and darke that is one part light and another darke like a day of creation but it shall be light without darknesse 3. the unity of this day it is to be one how long soever Christ will not be interrupted in his kingdome or stayed in his judgement 4. the knowledge of this day both when it shall begin how long it should continue and when it shal end is onely belonging to the King that
all Weepe and howle Iam. 5.1 ye rich Iewes for your miseries ready to come upon you You have but gathered your wealth for your enemies and such canker and rust of sinne cleaves unto it that it will witnesse and worke against you Your pleasures profits preferments and wantonnesse have fed and filled your hearts for the day of slaughter You have killed the just without resistance but by their patience and your persecution you are now to perish and the Lord is nigh to execute the same upon you I touch still what I have taught before because I would be remembred and made fruitfull to my Reader The losse of their lives and liberties Never died people more desperately and the market they had made to sell the bloud of Gods servants for nothing is now made for them The Romans buy theirs as cheape as ever they sold Christs Never Tragedy more lamentable and if Iesus Christ had not taken some pitty upon them there had not beene left one piece of their flesh untorne in pieces Mat. 24.22 Neither was captivity better than death Ier. 22.10 That was never more verifyed thā now for to this day have they lived in their remainders as the most remarkeable wretches in the world Let this end of the Iewes be our instruction and admonition that we may be wise and not perish for the contempt of the Gospel Their misery in the world to come The bloud of Christ pursues them to Hell It is not satisfied with the bloud in their bodies but deservedly makes them a prey to Divels as well as men It were an harsh censure to say they went all to Hell that perished by the Romans We will examine their case by Scripture and a fearefull presage thereof in the Revelation The eternall end of the Iewes Matth. 24.13 Hee that shall endure to the end the same shall be saved Men even amongst you will apostatize and fall to the Iewes againe but whosoever shall hold out till their end come shall not perish with them v. 15. Men are bidden reade with understanding An Item set upon no other signe but this When you see the Roman Army placed in the Mount of Olives escape for your lives But how shall they escape when the Army lies in their way and a watch against them on every side the City I answer God raised the first Army and gave liberty to all that would reade and understand to be gone and now went the Christians to Pella as I have shewed this prophecie for their safety being seconded with a sound from heaven saying Goe to Pella goe to Pella The promise is that Christians sound and sincere in faith to the end shall escape History tels us they escaped who then perishes but rebels to the Gospel The Text tels us that the beleeving Iewes had the beginning and that the end was for all those that obeyed not the Gospel It give men leave to be charitable but I desire sinne may have his due and especially Gospel-sinnes Let men tremble that have a minde to treate more favourably of this end and see what it is to call for the bloud of Christ to be upon them The presage of their eternall woe Saint Iohn lived to see it and penned his Revelation after the destruction of the Citie He alters the style of Hell and gives it a name that no Prophet or Apostle did before him Hee deserves to be named that helped me to this knowledge Master Ioseph Mede whose praise to Gods glory bee it spoken I can never blazen too much I shall recall what I quoted in one place for the style of Hell Rev. 19 20. The Lake of Sodome or fire and Brimstone A new appellation of Hell upon this accident as that judicious and industrious man relateth it Multitudes of Iewes being met withall by the Romans upon the banks of Iordan are miserably slaughtered as formerly was touched and their dead bodies buried in the River But GOD will not suffer them there to rest but by the strength of the streame tumbles them from place to place till hee plunge them into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone for their buriall and graves A sad spectacle in my judgement and no small conjecture that their soules were buried in hell Saint Iohn seemes to intimate so much to me I will not bind any man to the strict observation of it still my desire is to presse the punishment of disobedience to the Gospel Such notes I am sure thou mayest credite better than Popish legends and fables to make men feare hell into which by Idolatry they teach them to leape and never listen after any legend or reading to prevent that I will now wholly leave the instance of the Iewes and teach all the misery of Hell in the lamentable extremity of it and extreame lamentation Matthew 13.42 A furnace of fire there is the lamentable extremitie wailing and gnashof teeth there is extreame lamentation The extremitie we will expresse in foure termes first fire secondly darkenesse thirdly worme fourthly perdition The fire of Hell Fire and water as they are of best use so wee say of them they are without mercy It is their nature to doe what they doe but it is the nature and property of God to have mercy and therefore most unnaturall to be without mercie It is just with God to change his mercy into justice and kindle for the damned an unmercifull fire Wee can quench our unmercifull fires with water but in hell no water no not a drop will bee allowed not to quench but not so much as to coole the heate of that flame upon the tippe of the tongue The fire is a fearefull extremity that nothing can allay it Spirits are agents too subtile to be patients in our fire they are more quicke in avoyding than that element can smite them It hath beene much questioned by Schoolemen what we might deeme hell fire to be If corporall how shall it torment spirits and soules of men If spirituall how bodies and the flesh of men It were casie to answer by adding to fire the breath of the Almighty who is able to extend or contract any creature to touch bodies or spirits with what torments he pleaseth I had rather rest in some lively example than busie my selfe with rules of uncertainties Our blessed Lord and Saviour is best able to tell us by experience what fire that is that God kindles against sinne and with what extremitie it scorcheth and scourgeth the poore soule that must buckle and bend under it I will present unto you for an example Iesus Christ in the Garden and upon the Crosse Christs agony in the Garden Feare and sorrow begin his Passion The objects that feare Christ and worke him to sorrow are no easie scarcrowes and spectrums of men Nay all the Devils in hell are not able to put Christ into a Passion To make him heavy in heart and soule is no small weight of woe to complaine it presseth him to the very
to sinne and of evils they ever feare the least looking to their temporall life and never regarding their spirituall Thousands feare to dye a corporall death that never heed what it is to die an eternall Feare were better placed upon sinne than sorrow If wee would feare to sinne wee should not need to feare to suffer and in suffering wee were better place our feare upon the second than first death Vtter perdition is not in this world that is reserved for the day of death and dungeon of hell The misery of the place It is sometimes called a prison and judge what an hell it were to live and lie in a dungeon with Monsters of men in this world It is Tartarus of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Pagan name for fearefull and formidable Spectacles They have imagined hell full of horrour for such shapes and shadowes as they have fancied and fabled by their Poets but those are poore affrightments to the dreadfull and terrible face of God and his frowning countenance Cōscience will skarre them more than shadowes and darkenesse than doating dreames It is Tophet or Gehenna a mercilesse place Infants yelling in the fire of Gehenna had their voyces cryings and shrikings drowned by Drums from being heard of their parents The brands of Hell may roare in the Lake and none will bee found to pitty them They cry too late the doore of mercy being shut against them and God of heaven turned their irreconcileable enemie Extreame lamentation They shall weepe their bellies full and to weeping adde wailing and wishing they had never beene They shall wring their hands and curse the day they were ever borne And when sorrow shall doe no good gnash their teeth and grinde them against God for their excessive plagues Teares shall not be taken for repentance but serve to coole the heart and dant the spirits so that extremity of cold may make their teeth chatter and gnash together Heat and cold with all excesses and aggravations of sorrow may meet together We have but lightly touched what they must deepely taste would God it might teach us by so miserable an end to make a happy beginning of our salvation and subjection to the Gospell in this world I will now dispatch the rest more briefely and wish thee the benefit in the whole Vnknowne misery Peter questioneth what we quarrell withall and say hell is not so hot as Preachers make it Peter knowes not how to make it hot enough He had rather aske the question and say What shall the end be than determine It were some comfort to a subject of hell to know his worst Men so solace their soules upon earth with a stubborne resolution to their tormentors doe your worst I know what you can doe and there is an end but it will not be so in hell their sturdy stomackes must come downe and not dare the Almighty to the tryall of his strength The reasons why in hell men shall never faddom the bottome of their woes are these first he that smites is infinite and therefore can augment every blow hee gives Wee whip our children often till they bee senselesse and carelesse of the rod but God will worke them feeling as well as whipping and if need be by an unwonted blow fetch bloud out of another veine Men shall sooner be weary with suffering than he with smiting and every touch shall deare them more than other Secondly man shall never know his owne capacitie Hee hath enough to day to fill him to the brimme his vessell shall be stretched and strained to hold as much or more the next day and so for all eternitie hee shall be inlarged to receive torments Thirdly eternity of extremity can never be brought to light there is still behind whatsoever the measure be for the present We onely that obey the Gospell know our worst and what can be done for us in this world happy time we suffered for God and his truth that we may never suffer for sinne in hell The confusion of unbeleevers Where shall they appeare Sinners and ungodly persons shall be ashamed to be seene and shall finde no place where to hide their shame A marveilous alteration shall befall them and it shall be a wonder to see what a change is made in all their behaviour Impudency and boldnesse did attend them in all places now feare and shame shall accompany them where soever they are I will touch them in two things here related their appearance and place as no ground can hold them from trembling so no sight but it will put them to shame The appearance of unbeleevers It can hardly be credited with what audacious boldnesse and bold audacity men and women dare appeare before God in this world not once thinking that they are either in his debt or danger They prepare not for their audite and account They are like that impudent Ruffian that pictured upon his Target God and the Devill with an inscription under both Vnder God was written si tu nolis if thou wilt not have me I am at a point with thee of defiance c. Vnder the Devill directly opposite to God iste rogitat I am for the Divell and his service God must take them as they are for they meane not to mend and if hee like them not at their worst take them Divell Men live as if they were either to be happy here or without hope hereafter To gaine the world they count all things lawfull and judge they have nothing to injoy when they leave it This makes them appeare empty before God and ashamed of their madnesse and misery Our speech and language might learne us the lesson of our folly We say when wee would be credited for certainty It is as certaine as death and then like fooles we crosse our selves and alter the stile when we have forgotten our selves I did no more thinke of it than my death I judge you by your owne mouthes and manifest your madnesse You beleeve there is nothing that is more certaine than death and confesse there is nothing you lesse thinke of As God shall judge mee is as ready as words and yet by workes you deny it fearing nothing lesse than his judgement To contemne his Law and despise his Gospell is your ordinary practise He may command you will not obey He may threaten you will not feare He may promise you will not beleeve His justice you dare affront his mercy controul his anger does but provoke you his goodnesse emboldens you to sinne You resist and rebell against his Spirit outface and disgrace his Ordinances rage and raile against his Ministers scoffe and scorne at your brethren and there is not any wickednesse you blush at or once checke or challenge your selves for the wrong you doe to God and men Law and Gospel But tell me what you will doe and how you will deale at your appearance and meeting with your judge you have made others tremble defore you and according to your authority have lorded it over your inferiours Thinke seriously of your standing before a greater Lord and gaine an Advocate to pleade with him You shall not bee able to shew your faces or open your mouthes without him Laugh no longer yee impudent sinners at your audacious practises take counsell betimes Bee afflicted and mourne and weepe let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to heavinesse Humble your selves in the fight of the Lord and hee shall lift you up Iam. 4.9 10. Lift not up your selves and brow-beat his Ordinances but beare downe the stout and stubborne heart to bee ashamed betimes and the Lord will encourage you in the evill day Presumptuous persons will pricke on in their pride and perish in the end It will be terrible for them to appeare before God that never appeared before him in prayer but alwayes against him Thinke of this appearance and by the Gospel make your preparation Vnbeleevers have no place free from feare Where shall they appeare They may not hide themselves and yet no place shall be safe for their appearance They will be calling to rockes and mountaines to fall upon them and cover them from from the direfull and irefull Iudge But no hill will be intreated to hide them no rocke to rush upon them Miserable wretches that can beare their sinnes with ease had rather lie under hards rockes and massie mountaines than the least touch of Gods wrath Sampson tooke the Gates of Gaza with the posts and barres upon his shoulders and bare them to the very top of the hill such stout Sampsons are our sinners that stick at no sinne breake open the floud-gates of all impietie pull up all posts and barres that should shut them up and carry all down before them and raise up to the very top of the hill the hight of their horrible crimes All places are defiled with their uncleannesse and they leave no roome in the earth for righteousnesse to dwell in Such as they brew such must they drinke and God will not leave them a place where to shew their heads or shelter themselves from danger No Cave shall cover them no den of darkenesse keepe them from eternall darkenesse I will conclude with Saint Paul 2 Cor. 5.11 Knowing therefore the terrour of the Lord wee perswade men but wee are made manifest to God and trust also are made manifest in your consciences If the terrour of the Lord as we have touched it were made manifest vnto men they would bee perswaded but alas it will never worke till men apply it to their consciences in them have I laboured to fixe this worke and have found ill hearers of it My comfort shall be with assurance that to God wee are made manifest we deale sincerely and wish it may worke kindly in all for their timely conversion and holy conversation to the end Amen FINIS