The Communion of Saints, Chapter 2
Chapt. 2.
Of the horrible miseries that Divils and men fel into, after they had forsaken God.
That we may the better discern Gods grace vntounto vsus in Christ, who hath freed vsus from al calamities, and restored vsus to a most happy state, from which we shal never fal: let vsus take a view more particularly of the many miseries which syn did bring vponupon the creatures; so wil the benifit of our redemption appear most precious our harts shalbe filled with gladnes, and our mouth with songs of prayse, to him that hath saved vsus from so great a destruction.
2. The Divil having willingly rebelled against God, repented not of his wickednes, but being ful of malice, set himself as an enemie against the Lord and his creatures. And for this cause is named in Hebrew †Iob. 1. 6. Re… 20. 2.Satan, that is … ffiend, an ‖1. Pet. 5. 8.adversarie, enemie or resister, *zach. 3. 1.hindering al good, ‡Mat. 13. 28. 39.beginning and1 Tses. 2. 18. helping forward al evil. He is caled also with his felowes †foreign Deut. …2. 17.Shedim, that is wasters; for the scath and hurt which they doe, ‖Luk. 8. 29. 30 33.preying vponupon the creatures and spoiling them: and *foreign Levit. 17. 7.Seghnirim, that is rough, rugged or hayrie, for the horror of ther hiew wherin they appeared like ‡Isa. 13. 21. & 34, 14.Satyrs, or other vgly creatures; and wherwith they terrified such as saw thē. In Greek he is named †Mat. 4. 1,Diabolos (Divil,) that is a calumniator, because he maliciously Rev. 12. 9. 10. Iob. 1. 9. 1… & 2. 4. 5.accuseth, detracteth & depraveth, the persons, words, actions, not of men onelyonly, but even of *Gen. 3. 3. 4. 5.God himself. He is caled also the ‡foreignwicked or malignant one, for molesting, & with his1. Ioh. 2. 13. †Ephes. 6. 16.fyrie darts endevouring mans ruine & miserie: the ‖Mat. 4. 3.Tempter, for assaying to draw men vntounto sin: a *Revel. 12. 9.Serpent & a Drago, for his subteltie & fiercenes, and venemous nature; an ‡Luk. 11. 24vnclean spirit, for his filthines: a †1 King. 22. 23.lying spirit, for his falshood and deceit, being a Liar, and the father ‖Ioh. 8. 44.thereof, no truth is in him. And though one Divil be principal, yet hath he many partners caled *Mat. 25. 41.his Angels; al of them malicious and ‡Mat. 10. 1.vnclean spirits like himself, going about with him that †1. Pet, 5. 8.roring lion, to rend and to devour. These Ephes. 6. 1….spiritual wickednesses, ar authors, instruments and abettours of al maner *Mat. 4. 3. 9. & 12. 45. Iob 13. 2. Act. 5. 3 Rev. 16 14.vngodlines, vnrighteousnes, abomination and vncleannes; they seek by al means to overthrow Gods kingdome, & to stablish their own; therfore like ravenous birds ‡Luk. 8. 5. 12.they devour vp the seed of the word, least men should believ it and be saved: & like †Mat. 13. 25. 28. 39.envious men, sow tares among the wheat, and goe their way; they corrupt mens minds with errors & heresies, the doctrines ‡1 Tim. 4. 1.of Divils. Great knowledg they hav to doe evil, and ar therefore caled foreign Mark. 5 12.daemones that is cunning or skilful; great abilitie also to effect it, and ar therfore named *Colos 2. 15.principalities & powers; their captain being caled ‡Iohn. 14. 30the Prince of this world, for his effectual †Ephs. 2. 2.working in the children of disobedience; & is compared Luk. 11. 21.to a strong man armed, keeping his pallace; yet is he also raunging abroad and very diligent to work mischief; & therfore *Iob. 1. 7 & 2. 2.compasseth the earth to and fro, and walketh about in it; seeking, to ‡Luk. 22. …1.winnow the godly as wheat, and make their saith to fayl. And as ther is no end of these fiends wickednes in themselves, & their own abominable nature: so neyther would ther be end or measure, of their cursed actions and effects; wer it not, that God restreyneth their malice, and hath set vp the kingdome of his holy son Iesus, to †1, Iohn 3. 8.loose the workes of the Divil; to destroy & Heb 2. 14. Rev. 12. 7. 10abolish him.
3, And as these fowl spirits, being fallen from grace, thus set them selves against God & al goodnes; so God againe cast them out of his favour & from his presence, wherin is the *Psal. 16. 11.fulnes of joy,) from the cheerful light libertie and happines which they injoyed, & thrust them down ‡2. pet. 2. 4. Iude vers. 6.into hell, there keeping them in everlasting chaines vnderunder darknes vntounto damnation in that day when he wil come to judge the world. And although they have in the mean space some loosnes & libertie, not onelyonly to range abroad in the world but even †Iob. 1. 6. 7. 1 King. 22. 19 11. 22. 23.to appear before God in heaven, when, he pleaseth so to suffer them: yet hav they no joy in his presence, but ‖Iam. 2. 19.horror & trembling; neyther is ther any comfortable *2 Cor. 6. 14. 15. Mat. 8. 29communion between his majestie and them, nor peace between the holy spirits & them; but Michael and his Angels ‡Rev. 12. 7.warreth against them, †Iude ver. 9.striveth with them, and ‖Zach. 3. 1. 2.rebuketh them in the name of the Lord, for his chosens sake. Enmitie hath *Gen. 3. 15. Eph. 6. 12. &che also put, & warr between the saincts on earth and them; the saincts whom he hath redeemed from their damnation by the ‡Eph. 1. 7.blood of his beloved son; by whose blood they †Rev. 12. 1…overcome; and vnderunder their feet, the God of peace ‖Rom. 16. 20wil tread down Satan shortly. In dread those damned spirits are of the *foreign Luk. 8. 3….bottomlesse-deep, which they desired Christ that he would not command them into; and fearfully they exspect from his hand, torment, the effect of that ‡Gen. 3. 14.curse which is come vponupon them to the vtmost, and shal be executed in vnspeakeable manner & mesure in that day when (having fulfilled the mesure of their sin,) they shalbe †Revel. …0. 10. Mat. 25. 41.cast into the lake of everlasting fyre & brimstō, prepared for them; & so without end or relaxation of their miserie, be separated from the Lord and al his Saincts, from hïs life, light, and blessed communion, for ever and yet.
4. Men that had ben made in the similitude of God, holy just happy & immortal, without any want or imperfection in sowl or body; not cōtinewing in this honour but making shipwrack of faith by beleeving the word of Satan; & of good conscience, by obeying his counsel, & acting the same: wheras they were promised to be as Gen. 3. 5.Gods knowing good & evil, fel by this means into corruption and miserie, and became like divils, *Atheists. Eph 2. …2.without God in the world; subject to the horrour of his wrath, and eternal damnation. Whose woeful estate is to be considered, first in regard of sin; (which stayed not in one actiō but fretted as a canker and overflowed all:) secōdly of punishments for sin; Both of these are in sowl and body and their ful mesure or accomplishment is, of the one in this world, of the other in the world to come.
5. The first sin of man was as venim, that soddēly spred it self into al the powers of sowl & body: & subdued thē al vnderunder death & corruption so soon as the serpent had bittē him. And as he was the root of al mankind; so did the contagion also spread into al the branches his children. By ‡Rom. 5. 19.his disobedience, many wer made synners, and became … dead; even by the †…e. 15. ver. 16.one offence of that one man, was the evil propagated vntounto *ver. 18.al men, to condemnation: who now being evil by nature, could neyther ‡Mat. 12. 34speak nor doe good, but dayly wexed worse. So that when the Lord †Psal. 14. 2. 3. 4. Rom. 3. 10. 11. 12.from heaven looked down vponupon the son…s of Adam, to see if ther wer any that did vnderstand, that did seek God: behold al wer gone back, al wer corrupt, none that did good, no not one; yea even the children Lev. 12. Psa. 51. 5. & 58. 3from theyr birth & conception, vnclean and sinful.
6. The corruption and nakednes of man in sowl, is to be seen in the Vnderstanding, which *1. Cor. 2. 14 Ier. 10. 14.perceiveth not, neyther can know the things of God; yea though light shine into this darknes, yet doth not the ‡Iohn. 1. 5.darknes comprehend it, †Dan. 29. 23 4.the hart knowes not, the ey sees not, the ear hears not after much instruction: mans wisdom is but ‖1. Cor. 1. 20foolishnes, and whatsoever he savoureth in mind, is *Rom. 8. 7.enmitie against God, and ”Vers. 6.death to himself. The hart of man, which is the fountayn ‡prov. 4. 23.whence al the actions of life do flow; is †foreign and foreign import al these evils. Ier 17. 9.crooked, crafty, deceitful above al, and wretched, desperatly sick even vntounto death: so that ‖Gen. 6. 5.every fiction of the thoughts of his hart, is onelyonly evil every day, *Gen. 8. 21.even from his childhood. And as the mind is without ‡Ier. 4. 22.the knowledge of God, or †Psal. 106. 21forgetful if it hav known him; so is it otherwise ‖1 Tim. 6. 7.corrupted in the faculties therof, & caried with *Eph 4. 17.vanitie. The Conscience which al mē hav within them, to *Rom. 2. 15.bear witnes of their works, this also is ‡Tit. 1, 15.defiled togither with the mind; and through custom of syn, & Satans effectual working is †1. Tim. 4. 2.seared as with a hot yron and bcome without remorse or feeling. The ‖Psal. 81. 11Wil is also alienated from God, and from his *Prov. 1. 25. 30.correction counsel, or ”Isa. 28. 12.hearing the same. Al the other affections in like manner corrupted, by cruel ‡Tit. 3. 3.hatred one of an other, even of own †Prov. 19. 7.brethren; of that which is ”Mic. 3. 2.good, yea even of ‖2. Chron. 19 2.God himself: the love and delite being set on †Psal. 4. 2.vanitie & wickednes Finally the sowle of synfull man is fraught wth ‖Rom. 1. 29. &c.al vnrighteousnes wickednes, maliciousnes, wrath, envie, debate, covetousnes, inordinat lusts, ambition, pride, vnmercifulnes, and deep hypocrisie, with al other vices: being *Mat. 12. 44.empty and destitute of every good grace & virtue; he hath neyther ‡Psal. 36. 1. Luk. 18. 2.fear of God, nor reverence of man; yea, that there is †Psal. 10. 4.no God, be al his cogitations.
7. The body (which is the ‖…. Cor. 5. 1.earthly tabernacle & *foreign Dan. 7. 15.sheath of the sowl,) and al the members of the same, ar fit instruments to fulfill the evil thoughts of the mind; & ‡Rom. 6. 13. 19.be given over in like weise to ye service of vncleānes & iniquity. The evils which lust hath conceived inwardly, ar by Satans help and these instruments, brought forth and effected. Herevpon doth man commit al iniquity with greedines: his †Psal. 58. 2.hands execute wickednes and crueltie; his ‖Prov. 1. 16.feet run to evil, and make hast to shed blood; his *2. Pet. 2. 14.eyes ar full of adulterie and cannot cease to syn, defiled with ‡Prov. 6. 17. & 30. 17.haughtines and mockinge, with †Psal. 10. 8.murder and ‖Mat. 20. 15.maliciousnes; his thorat *Rom. 3. 13.is an open sepulchre, the venim of aspes is vnderunder his lips; his mouth, full of cursing and bitternes; his tongue, an ‖Iam. 3. 6. 8.vnruly evil ful of deadly poisō, a world of wickednes, defiling the whol body, & setting on fyre the wheel or course of nature, being it self set on fyre of hell, wherwith he curseth men & *Levi. 24. 11.blasphemeth God. His carkesse he decketh & clotheth with pride; his belly he pampereth & filleth with excesse, for it is his ‡Phil. 3. 19.God; he is powred out into al lasciviousnes. Neyther is ther any †Rom. 1. 26. 27. 29. Lev. 20. 10. 13. 15.vncleannes, fornication, vnnatural filthines or beastlines, wherwith he abuseth not his own body: no trecherie, theft, murder, Witchcraft, worship of idols, yea even of ‖Rev. 9. 20. 21. Psal. 106 37 38.Divils, which he committeth not. And these things he doth with an high hand & obstinat hart, til he becom most *Iob. 15. 16.abominable & fiilthy, drinking iniquitie as water; making it ‡Prou. 10. 23a pastime to doe wickedly, †Psal. 36. 4.refusing not any evil; but for to glutt himself with his lothsom delites, addeth syn vntounto syn, and ‖Deut. 29. 19drunkennes vntounto thirst, groweth *Eph. 4. 19.past feeling, and after his Rom. 2. 5.hardnes & hart which cānot repēt, heapeth vp wrath against the day of wrath, and of the revelation of the just judgement of God, vntounto whom he hath sayd †Ieb. 21. 14. 15.depart from me, for Idesire not the knowledge of thy wayes; who is the Almighty that I should serv him, and what profit should I hav, if I should pray vntounto him;
8. So men that would themselves be ‖Ezek. 28. 2. Gen. 3. 5.Gods, ar fallen to such impietie that they ar not far from the lothsom nature of divils; which our Saviour signified, when he caled Iudas *Ioh. 6. 70. &. 8. 44.a Divil; and the Iewes, the Divils children. And now God abhorreth al wretched mans works & even his most ‡Isa. 1. 13. 14religious actions, which his troubled, ignorāt & hypocritical cōscience, causeth him to perform. The Lord regardeth neyther †Gen. 4. 5.him nor his offring, his sacrifice is ‖Prov. 21. 27an abomination, his prayer is *Psal. 109. 7turned to syn, al his worship is ”Mat. 15. 9.vayn, his works of mercy ‡Mat. 6. 1. 2.vnprofitable, and †Tit. 1. 15.nothing is pure vntounto him, his labour ‖Prov. 10. 1….& his revenues ar vntounto syn, he himself lieth ”Eph. 2. 1.dead in syns, & the *Psal. 11. …sowl of God doth hate him. Therfore ‡Iob. 11. 20▪his eyes shal fayl, his refuge shal perish, and his hope be exspiration of sowl: for he †Eccles. 4. 17▪offreth the sacrifice of fools, and knoweth not that he doth evil; he is ‖2 Tim. 38.reprobate concerning faith, abominable ‡Tit. 1. 16.and vntounto every good work reprobate.
9. The reward of syn vntounto man, from the iust hand of God, is fearful ‡Deut. 32. 35vengeance †Prov. 3. 33.curse and ‖Rom. 6. 23.death, begun in this world, to be fulfilled in the next. His vengeance and curse God inflicteth, sometime by his own powrful hand, vponupon the bodies and sowles of sinners; sometime he vseth his creatures to torment them: yea often he vexeth one man by an other, and even by himself. For man in himself hath confusion, and is ‡Gen. 3. 7. 10ashamed of his own body and members; his reason, wil and affections, ar often at warr one with another, & his concupiscences †Iam. 4. 1.fight within him: rankerous envie ‖Psal. 112. 10fretteth and consumeth him; carking covetousnes *1 Tim. 6. 10pierceth him through with many sorrowes; his own inordinate lusts doe vex ‡2 Sam. 13. 2. 4.and make him sick and lean; generally his whol life he leadeth in vanitie †Eccl. 2. 17.and vexation of spirit, al his dayes ar sorrowes, & his travail grief; his hart taketh not rest in the night; for he is like ‖Isa. 57. 20. 21.the raging sea that cannot rest, whose waters cast vp mire and dirt; ther is no peace vntounto him. Again he is often troubled in minde for his misdeeds, guiltie fears do torment his conscience, and he is *1 Ioh. 3. 20.condemned of his own hart; ‡Gen. 4. 13.dispayring of al help & mercy at Gods hand: wher vponupon men dread oft-tymes †Psal. 53. 5. Lev. 26. 36 Deut. 28. 65. 66.wher no dread is, and the sound of a leaf shaken, doth chase them away, they flee as from a sword and fall, no man pursuing them; a *Iob. 15. 21. 22sound of fear is in their ears, that in their prosperitie the destroyer shal come vponupon them, neyther beleev they to return out of darknes. So that in this miserie, lothing longer life; some lay violent hands ‡2 Sam. 17. 23. Act. 1. 18.on their own bodies, and murder themselves. And man to man, doth all manner mischief and outrage, that they are as †Eccles. 3. 18 Iob. 24. 5. 7. 9. 14. 15. 21. 22.beasts vntounto themselves by reproching, blaspheming, robbing, defyling, captiving and murdering one an other both secretly and openly, not sparing their own brethren, wives, children, or dearest freinds, in their savage wrath, hatred and crueltie. The Lord moreover afflicteth their bodies with ‡Deut. 28. 21 22. 35. &c.many greevous and noysom sicknesses; their bowels ar inwardly tormented with payns, their ioynts and lims with aches; silthy leprosies, sores and botches do vex and deform them; burning & pestilent fevers do afflict & consume them: neyther is ther any part or member from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot, which is not smitten & wounded; even the mind and vnderstanding with phrensie and *Dan 4. 13. 29. 30 31.madnes; and the bodies somtime devoured with lice and †Act. 12. 23.vermin, whiles they ar yet alive.
10. The creatures all, ar executioners of Gods iust iudgments vponupon wicked men. The heavens somtyme with-hold their dewes and rayn, and become like *Lev. 26. 19.brasse: somtime they send down stormie tempests ‡Psal. 18. 12. Exod. 9, 23. 24.with haylstones and fyre and other evil influences, to destroy the earth, the inhabitants & fruits therof. The Psal. 121. 6.Sun smiteth them by day, the moon by night; the *Iudg. 5. 20.stars from their bulwarks fight against them. The earth eyther ‡Gen. 4. 1… & 3. 1….yieldeth not her fruit, but is like yron; or bringeth forth thorns and thistles and venemous weeds: yea somtimes †Num. 16. 32openeth her mouth, and swalloweth men vp alive. Honger and famine do afflictt them, that for want of food, they ar enforced to eat the flesh of their ‖Deut 28. 53 57.own children. The wild beasts ‡2 Kin. 17. 25.prey vponupon & devour them; even the smallest and vilest creatures, *Exod. 8. 6. 17. 24.as frogs, flies, lice and the like; ar ministers of wrath and vengeance vponupon the disobedient. The syre breaketh out & burneth them with their substance; the water overfloweth & drowneth them. The ‡Psal. 35. 5. 6. 2 Kin. 19. 35.Angels of the Lord, do pursue, scatter and destroy them. And the Divils vntounto whom wretched men yield homage & obedience, do tyrannize over their †Mat. 8. 32.goods, their bodies and their …owls; Mark. 9. 17. 18. 20. 22.tearing and tormenting them, casting them into fyre and into water; *Luk. 8. 27. 29. & …1. 14depriving them of reason sence and speech: having them also in horrible bondage vnderunder syn, ‡Eph. 2. 2.working effectually in them, and holding them as in a snare †2 Tim. 2. 26vntounto their own wil. So that the benefits of God towards them, wicked men do abuse to further Psal. 73. 4. 5—8.lic…nciousnes and presumption; by his punishments also they are not bettered, but increase impiety as it is written *Reu. 16. 9.Men blasthemed the name of God; which hath power over these plagues, and they repented not to give him glory: ‡vers. 11.they blasphemed the God of heaven for their payns and for their sores, and repented not of their works.
11. Therfore after a few evil dayes on earth, which also for his sins a… Prov. 10 27shortned, the man being broken, decayed and worn out with miseries, is caused at last to goe to *Iob. 18. 14.the King of fears; death feazeth vponupon him, and separateth the sowl from the body; neyther can ‡Psal. 49. 7. 9.any man redeem his brother, or giv his ransom to God, that he may liv stil for ever, and not see the grave: but †Iob. 27. 20. 22.terrours take him away as waters, a tempest stealeth him away by night; God casteth vponupon him (his plagues,) & spareth not, though he would fayn slee out of his hād; as a whirlwindProv. 10. 2… that passeth, so is the wicked no more. For *Psal. 146. 4his spirit departeth, he returneth to his earth, then his thoughts perish, his ‡Psal. 49. 14form & bewty consumeth; & as he himself, so his †Prov. 10. 7.Name also shal …ot. His sowl being Luk. 12. 10.fetcht away from the body, (wherin it lived and joyed but †Iob. 20. 5.a litle while in the momentany plesures of sin,) is brought to the †1 Pet. 3. 19.prisō of hel; wher al dāned ghosts fearfully exspect their final doom, at the great day of God; when the sowles being again ioyned with their carkesses which the Lord Act. 24. 15.wil rayse out of the dust; the seas and death and hell *Rev. 20. 13.having delivered vp the dead which were in them, they shalbe iudged every mā according to their works ‡2 Cor. 5. 10.done in the body. the †Rev. 20, 12.books shalbe opened, and all things brought to light that were 1 Cor. 4. 5.hid in darknes, the counsels of the harts, made manifest; the Iob. 20. 27.heavens shal declare mans wickednes, and the earth shal rise vp against him; account shalbe given of ‡Iude. ver. 15 Mat. 12. 36.every evil work and idle word, and God wil render to these sinners †Rom. 2. 8.indignation and wrath; they shalbe ”Mat. 13. 39—42. & 25. 31. 32. 41 46.cast into the fyrie lake prepared for the Divil and his Angels, & with thē be tormented in those eternal flames; being for ever separated from the ”2. Thes. 1. 90presence of the Lord, & from the glorie of his power, from his comfort life and light: & Death shal †Psal. 49. 14.feed vponupon them, the fyre ‖Ioh. 20. 26.that is not blowen shall devour them. Then shalbe *Mat. 8. 12.weeping & wayling and gnashing of teeth, with too late repentance and fruitlesse lamentation, in that ‡Rev. 20. 24.second death, and vtter darknes, where the ”worm shal† Isa. 66. 24. Mark. 9. 43. 44. not die, nor the fyre be quenched for evermore. This is the portion of the wicked from God; and the reward of their sins, from the hand of the Most High.
The wicked is kept vntounto the day of destruction; they shal be brought forth to th… day of wrath.
Iob. 21. 30.