Household Prayers, Prayer 20
The twentieth Praier, VponUpon eternall death.
Of thoſe that ſleepe in the duſt of the earth, ſome ſhall awake to euerlaſting life, others to rebuke and ſhame without end. Their worme ſhall not die; and their fire ſhall not be quenched: there ſhalbe weeping & gnaſhing of teethe.
Dan. 12. Eſay. 66. Mat. 15.
ALmighty god, for whoſe glorie all nations are created. Thou which art the mightie and the faithfull God, keeping thy couenant, and free mercy with a thouſand generations of thoſe that louelove thee, and obey thy commandements, & which giueſt againe the very ſame vntounto thoſe that hate thee, and rebell againſt thee with eueryevery of them euen to their face, whoſe will is the iuſt and ſoueraigne cauſe of all that is done in heauen, and in earth, whoſe counſailes are vnſearchable, and iudgements moſt profound and admirable. O Father and gouernor of all things, thou haſt euen from the beginning of thy vnſpeakable good neſſe framed man, and reclothed him with ſuch an excellency, as did ſufficiently preach forth the infinite power of thy hand, which had created him ſuch a one. I wil not, neither can I aſcend higher then thy word teacheth me, to enquire wherefore thou wouldeſt not ſo eſtabliſh the bleſſed being of this the greateſt and chiefeſt of thy viſible workes, that he might not fall, I hauehave matter enough to occupy the ſtrength of my ſoule, to meditate vponupon, to hauehave in deteſtation, yea euen before thy Maieſtie to accuſe the pride of our nature, which thought not it ſelfe in honor ſufficient, vnleſſe it were equall with thy deitie, freeing it ſelfe from all feare, and obedience vntounto thee, and by that raſh ingratitude caſt himſelfe headlong from innocency into ſinne, from life into temporall and eternall death. To thee, O Lord, belongeth righteouſneſſe, and to man confuſion & ſhame, and thou, after thy good pleaſure, ſheweſt mercy to whom thou wilt ſhew mercy. The vaine Philoſophie, and fooliſh curioſitie, which is not content with the ſimplicitie of Chriſtian faith, retained within the limits of thy ſacred Oracles, ſhal make much enquiry about this fall of Adam, to the end (if ſhe could) to penetrate into thy ſecret counſaile, about the creation and end of thy workes; yea euen in that which toucheth the election and reprobation of mankind ſhee dareth in this bottomleſſe pit to dicourſe of thy infinite iuſtice, & the argument of thy incomprehenſible glory, meaſuring both the one and the other, with her terreſtiall conceits, for to declare in her imaginations, thy grace to the elect, and thy iudgement againſt the reprobate, daring to pleade their cauſe, as alſo ſhe will reſolue of their eſtate after this life, and of the qualitie of their puniſhments. But thy children, O heauenly Father, inſtructed by thy doctrine through the light of thy ſpirit, will in their hearts humblie reuerence thy decrees, which are alwayes iuſt, euen in the firſt condemnation of al mankinde, and will be content to magnifie thy goodneſſe, for the grace that it hath pleaſed thee to beſtow vponupon them in Ieſus Chriſt, adopting them by him of thy free mercy into thy family. For they hauehave learned in thy ſchoole that the inacceſſible brightneſſe of thy iudgements, dazleth the beſt ſighted mindes and ſpirits: yea waſteth and conſumeth them when they preſume to approach to enquire the ſecret cauſes. This doe I know, (neither will I know any more) that all things doe worke for the beſt in thy elect, becauſe that hauing known them before all ages, thou haſt alſo predeſtinated them to be made conformable to the image of thy Son, called and iuſtified them to be glorified. The veſſels of wrath prepared to perdition, do feele none of theſe free mercies and celeſtiall riches, whereof it comes, that when they thinke vponupon death, they ſee nothing but feareful, horrible, damnable, all intollerable paine, without diminution or end: an infernall diueliſh, and endleſſe torment, a gnaſhing of teeth, with blaſphemy and diſpaire, a perpetuall diſquiet both in body and ſoule, an eternity to their woe and damnation; and which is worſe, a moſt merciful God, whom they ſhall know to be in heauen, and yet not to bee their God, but their aduerſary, & ſoueraigne Iudge, to be as ſeuere and rigorous to them, as he ſhall be gentle and fauorable to his children. This is in ſumme, all that the reprobate may expect or hope for in death. This alſo maketh, that when they find they are vtterly deſtitute of the pledge of their fredome, which thy elect (O Lord) doe carry with them, in this ſinne of nature (namely faith in Chriſt) dead for their ſinnes, and riſen againe for their righteouſneſſe; theſe miſerable men departe this their earthly habitation, with great griefe and trembling, vſually at the hower of death caſting forth many woeful ſobbes, infallible fore-runners of their miſery at hand: As in truth they want no more thereof but the proofe that they are going to make, of the eternall torments with the diuells in the burning lake of fire and brimſtone, which is neuer quenched, giuen to the ſoule preſently vponupon the temporall death, and to both body and ſoule in the day of the reſurrection of all fleſh, I ſay in the ſecond & eternall death, a death which continueth without dying, and without conſuming, or deſtroying, that which it makes to languiſh for, euer in a furnace, always burning, deuouring and conſuming: amongeſt which vnſpeakeable torments (yea ſuch as mans thought is not able to conceiue) this paine is not the leaſt to the damned (but rather an other cruell death) that they neuer hauehave any motion of the ſpirit to repent or conuert vntounto thee the onelyonly and true God. I beſeech thee therefore, O Lord, that as thou haſt giuen me grace to belieue that by thy grace I am made a veſſell of mercy, I may liue in the life of the righteous, ſanctified by the ſpirit of Chriſt, to depart happily in him, and ſo to aſcend vntounto thee into thy new Sion, and there to receiue the price of the victorious crown, which this great Sauior of the elect hath purchaſed for the perfection of their glory. So be it.