A Catholicon, Part 1 · Subpart 5
The fifth lecture.
vers. 6. He hath reserued in euerlasting Whether the deuils be in the locall place of hell.chaines to the iudgement of the great day.] Doct. That the deuill & his angels though not yet in their full torment, are reserued and prepared to euerlasting damnation.
Testim. Math. 25. 41. Euerlasting fire prepared for the deuill and his angels. Reu. 20. 10. The deuill shall be cast out. So that by these places it appeareth, he hath not yet receiued his full punishment, nor yet is chained in the locall place of hell, because he ruleth in the aire, Eph. 2. 2. and he goeth vp and downe like a roaring lyon, &c. 1. Pet. 5. 8. But out of hell there is no returning, Luk. 16. yet he is truly said to be in hell & chained, because he carrieth about a fearefull and desperate conscience, fettered and chained with the liuely sense of Gods wrath and decree of condemnation.
Exempl. Math. 8. 29. The deuils desire not to be tormented before their time: that is, not to be sent downe into the deepe, luk. 8. 31. This sheweth that they looke for vnspeakable torment, but yet feele not the ful measure of it.
Exorn. As Pharaohs baker lay in fetters comfortlesse, especially after the interpretation of his dreame, and was afterward hanged and executed, Gen. 40. so the deuil is now kept in chaines till the day of execution.
Confirmat. Reuel. 12. 9. The deuill is cast out, because to God he is Sathan, an enemie; to his Church, diabolus, an accuser; to the world a serpent, that is, a deceiuer.
Applicat. 1. Against the heresie of the Origenists, that in the end the deuills shall be saued: seeing the Scripture saith, they are kept in euerlasting chaines.
2. Against the Papists, that make diuers Error 16.degrees of hell, and two of them, the Limbus patrum, and Purgatorie, they say are but for a time: here we see the chaines of hell are euerlasting, and that there is no hell, but for euer.
3. Here is a lesson of feare and terror, that if God spared not the angels, if they could not escape Gods iudgement, how much lesse shall men, though neuer so mightie escape?
4. A lesson of comfort, that the deuill is chained and fettered, he is able to doe vsus no more hurt, then the Lord permitteth: he could not without leaue hurt the swine. Mark. 5.
v. 7. Sodome and Gomorrha, and the cities about them, which in like manner, &c.] Doctrine. Like sinnes deserue like punishment, and partakers in euill shall be partakers in reward. These cities were Admah and Zeboim, Deut. 29. 23. which perished in the flames of Sodome and Gomorrha.
Testim. Reuel. 18. 4. Goe out of her that ye be not partakers in her sinnes, and receiue of her plagues.
Exempl. Gen. 49. 5. Simeon and Leui, as they were brethren in euill, so are they partakers in the same punishment. vers. 7. they are deuided in Israel. For Simeon had his lot vnderunder Iudah, Ios. 19. 1. and Leui was dispersed among the tribes. Obadiah, v. 14. 15. the Edomites because they did partake with the Assyrians in the destruction of Ierusalem, are partakers also of their destruction.
Exorn. Eccl. 9. 12. Like as fishes running into the net togither, are taken togither, and birds in the snare; so the wicked confederating themselues shal be enwrapped in the same iudgement of God, when it commeth.
Reason. For as it standeth with Gods iustice, that they which hauehave laboured together in Gods seruice, should be rewarded together, Luk. 22. 28, 29. so on the other side it is iust, that they which sinne together, should be punished together.
Applicat. 1. Against the Papists, who beeing idolatours as the Israelites were, Error 17. Papists idolaters.why should they not feare the same punishment? 1. Cor. 10. 7. But they will answer, they are not such idolatours, for they doe not worship an image, but as it hath relation to the Saint whose image it is. Ans. No more did the Israelites thinke that the golden calfe was the God that brought them out of Egypt, but a memoriall of him, because they did sacrifice such beasts vntounto God: as it may appeare, Exod. 32. 5. To morrow, saith Aaron, shaeli be an holy day laiehovah, to the Lord Iehova. Neither were the people so blockish to thinke, that a calfe could bring them out of Egypt, nor Aaron so wicked to worship a calfe.
2. We learne, that eueryevery man should take heede of those sinnes, which he seeth before his eyes to be seuerely punished; why should he thinke himselfe to be exempted? Nabal slaine for his couetousnes and erueltic, 1. Sam. 25. the Israelites for their gluttonie & adulterie, the blasphemer was stoned, Leuit. 24. Dathan and Abiram for their murmuring and rebellion, Numb. 16. Herod for his pride deuoured of wormes, Act. 1…. why should not couetous persons, adulterous, drunkards, blasphemers, feare the same punishments?
Are set forth as examples: or, for an ensample. Doctrin. 3.Doctrin. That Gods iudgements vponupon men for sinne, are not onelyonly executed as punishments of their wickednesse, but to be ensamples to admonish others.
Testimon. Prouerb. 19. 25. If thou smite a scorner the foolish will beware: that is, the simple will be warned by anothers punishment. Prou. 24. 32. I considered it well, &c.
Examp. Gen. 38. 11. Iudah prouideth for his sonne Selah by the example of Er and Onan, whome God killed for their wickednesse: but contrariwise Lamech is set forth as a prophane person, Gen. 4. 23. that would not be warned to take heed of murther by Cains example.
This example of Sodome and Gomorrha is often repeated in the scripture as most famous, Deut. 29. 23. Ier. 20. 16. 49. 18. Hosh. 11. 8.
Exornat. Like as a visible marke was set in Caine that all men should take warning by him: Lots wife was turned into a pillar of salt, to be a perpetuall monument to all posteritie: vt te suo exemplo condiret, to season thee with her example, as Augustine saith.
Aitiolog. Psal. 111. 4. God hath made his wonderfull workes to be had in remembrance: This is the ende why God sheweth his iudgements in the world, that other may be learned: like as the lightening and the raine falleth in the wildernesse, Iob. 38. 26. and the hayle in the forrest, Isay, 32. 19. that men may take heed: as a man will correct his seruant, that his child may be warned, so God punisheth the wicked, to admonish his owne children.
Applicat. 1. Against the Papists, that Error. 18.keepe backe these examples from the peoples Scriptures not to be kept frō the people.knowledge, and shut vp the scriptures in a straunge tongue, as the Pharises did shutte vp the kingdome of heauen, Math. 23. 13. 2. Against the carnall securitie of those, which make no vse of Gods examples vponupon others: but the righteous will be admonished. Isay. 26. 9. But the wicked wil not behold the high hand of God. See what Christ saith, Luk. 13. 4. Vnlesse ye repent, ye shall likewise perish.
Uers. 7. Committed fornication, and followed Doct. 4.strange flesh, suffer vengeance of euerlasting fire, &c. Here the Apostle sheweth some of the cheife sinnes of Sodome, fornication, and that sinne of vncleannesse which is against nature, which yet hath the name of Sodome: such as the Apostle describeth to hauehave beene the sinne of the Gentiles, Rom. 1. 27. This the Apostle calleth strange flesh: other sinnes also are described, Ezech. 20. 29. pride, fulnesse of bread, idlenesse, vnmercifulnesse.
Doctrin. These sinnes are worthy, and rewarded with euerlasting damnation.
Testim. 1. Cor. 6. 9. Neither fornicators, &c. shall inherit the kingdome of heauen. what is their reward then? they shall be cast into the lake of fire, Reu. 21. 8.
Examp. In the rich man, that led his life in all carnall pleasure and wantonnes: he is tormented in hell flames, Luk. 16. God iudged the old world for their sinnes, who nowe are in prison, that is, in hell, 1. Peter, 3. 20.
Exornat. Like as magistrates hauehave here their prisons, to the which they commit offenders: as Math. 18. 34. So hell is Gods prison.
Aitiolog. The reason why God punisheth the sinnes of men with euerlasting fire and destruction is both in respect of the maiestie of God, who is offended, and his euerlasting will transgressed: as we see sinnes committed against the prince, are most grieuously punished, 1. Sam. 2. 25. as also in respect of themselues, because they hauehave a will to sinne euer, if they could liue euer; as Gregorie saith, Adiusticiam dei pertinet, vt nunquam careant supplicio, qui carere noluerunt peccato: It belongeth to Gods iustice, that they should neuer want punishment, that would neuer hauehave beene without sinne. God punisheth the will as well as the acte, as he rewardeth the will, 2. Cor. 8. 12.
Applicat. 1. For the solution of certaine doubts: first, whether hell fire be a materiall or spirituall fire? Answ. We neither Hell fire not onelyonly corporal.thinke the same to be onelyonly spirituall, as Hierome imputeth to Origen, Gehenna tormenta non ponit in suppliciis, sed conscientia peccatorum: that he thought hell torment not to consist in punishment, but in the conscience of sinners: neither is the fire corporall onelyonly, as Augustine seemeth to be of opinion, that the deuils may be tormented with a corporall fire: but our opinion is, that hell fire shall be both a spirituall torment to the soule, and a corporall punishment to the bodie: as it is called the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone, Reuel, 21. 8. Mark. 9. 46. the worme dieth not: there is the torment of conscience, the fire neuer goeth out, that is, which tormenteth the bodies.
Secondly, it is obiected howe it may stand with Gods iustice to punish twice Whether one sinne may be twice punished.for the same sinne: and so Hierome seemeth to thinke vponupon these wordes of Nahum. 1. 9. Non consurget tribulatio duplex: affliction shall not come twice: that the Sodomites, Egyptians, Israelites, were but temporally punished. Answ. 1. The Apostle saith, The Sodomites suffer euerlasting fire: that as they were consumed with fire and brimstone once, and that countrey remaineth yet accursed, as we may see, Deut. 29. 23. beeing nowe turned to the dead sea; so they are for euer tormented in hell, their burning flames of vnnaturall lust are punished with euerlasting flames. 2. That place of the prophet hath no such meaning, but onelyonly, that the Lord will punish throughly at once, that he shall not neede to punish the second time, as Abishai saith, He would not smite Saul againe, 1. Sam. 26. 8. 3. Amongst men it is a very good rule not to punish twice for the same sinne where there is hope of amendment: but where they are incorrigible they may punish often: as God punished Pharao with one plague after another, because his heart was still hardned: Dauid was chastised but once with the death of the childe, because he repented. And as godlinesse hath the promises both of this life, and the next, 1. Tim. 4. 8. so it is iust that impietie should hauehave the punishment of both.
Thirdly, against the papists let it be obserued that onelyonly make the greater sinnes, which they call mortal and deadly worthy of condemnation, and there are seauen of Error. 19.them, pride, enuie, wrath, idlenesse, couetousnesse, gluttonie, lust: whereas all sinnes of themselues deserue death, Rom. 6. 23. but in Christ both these and all other are pardonable, Ioh. 1. 29.
Fourthly, all Atheists are here conuinced, that beleeue no hell, who shall feele it before they beleeue it, if they take not heede: let vsus then feare God, that is able to punish bodie and soule, Math. 10. 28. and let vsus by repentance clense our selues from these sinnes, so shall they neuer waigh vsus downe to hell, 1. Cor. 6. 11.