Sin Stigmatized, Part 1 · Section 119 – Section 120
§ 119.
FOr I conſider, Their puniſhment.that both by Gods, and mans Law, next after inditement and conviction, followes ſentence; and after ſentence is paſt, comes execution; if a reprive, or pardon be not ſued out, in the interim. Wherefore, as drunkards have ſeene their ſinne laid open, ſo let them now hearken to their puniſhment:
If there be any of theſe Antipodes to God and his Kingdome, who like Trees, have rooted both head and heart into the earth, and ſet heaven at their heeles, that have in this Treatiſe, as in a picture, taken a full view of his owne horrid and deteſtable condition, and with Bupalus the Painter, read the lively character of his odious and deformed demeanour; and after hee hath ſeene, as in a cleare glaſſe, the ugly face of his foule heart, with thoſe ſpots and wrinkles, which otherwiſe hee could not have confeſt in himſelfe, and further ſeene how miſerably hee hath been deluded in his judgement, touching the religious; and ſhall notwithſtanding reſolve againſt yeelding, and preferre the humouring of his ſoule, before the ſaveing of it, and ſhall thinke it a diſparagement to repent him of his errors, and would rather obſtinately continue in them, then diſclame them; ſo ſhutting his eyes, that hee may not ſee; and ſtopping his eares, that hee may not heare; and hardening his heart, that he may not conſider; preſumptuouſly, as Pharaoh did; maliciouſly, as Ca…n did; deſperately, as Ahab did; and blaſphemouſly, as Iulian did; let him know this, that he ſhall ſurely periſh. The reaſon of it, is taken out of the Proverbs, an Arrow drawne out of Salomon's ſententious Quiver, read the words, and tremble, A man that hardneth his neck, when he is rebuked, ſhall ſuddenly be deſtroyed, and cannot be cured, Prov. 29.1. yea, ſaith the Lord himſelfe, Prov. 1.24.25.26. becauſe I have called, and ye refuſed; I have ſtretched out mine hand, and ye would not regard, but deſpiſed al my counſell; I will alſo laugh at your deſtruction, and mock when your feare commeth.
And of this we have ſundry inſtances. The Sonnes of Ely would not harken unto, nor obey the voyce of their father, why? becauſe (ſaith the Text) the Lord was determined to deſtroy them, 1 Samuel 2.25. Their hearts muſt be hardened, that they may be deſtroyed. I know, (ſaith the Prophet to Amaziah) that God hath determined to deſtroy thee, becauſe thou haſt done this, and hast not obeyed my counſell, 2 Chr. 25.16.20.
O remember that there is a day of account, A deſcription of the loſt judgement and of hell.a day of death, a day of judgement comming, wherein the Lord Ieſus Chriſt ſhall bee revealed from heaven, with his mighty Angells, in flaming fire, to render vengeance unto them which obey not unto his Goſpell, and to puniſh them, with everlaſting perdition from the preſence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power, 2 Theſ. 1.7, 8, 9. Iude 15. Wiſdome 5.1. to 10. at which time thou ſhalt heare him pronounce this fearefull doome, Depart from me ye curſed, Matth. 25.41. which is an everlaſting departure, not for a day, nor for yeares of dayes, nor for millions of yeares, but for eternity; and that from Chriſt to the damned, to the divells, to hell, without either end, or eaſe, or patience to endure it; at which time, within thee ſhall bee thine owne guilty conſcience, more then a thouſand witneſſes, to accuſe thee; the Divell, who now tempts thee to all thy wickedneſſe, ſhall on the one ſide, teſtifie with thy conſcience againſt thee; and, on the other ſide, ſhall ſtand the holy Saints and Angels, approving Chriſt's juſtice, and deteſting ſo filthy a creature; behinde thee, an hidious noyſe of innumerable fellow damned reprobates; tarrying for thy company; before thee, all the world burning in a flaming fire; aboue thee, that irefull …dge of deſerved vengeance, ready to pronounce the ſame ſentence upon thee; beneath thee, the fiery and ſulphureous mouth of the bottomleſſe pit, gaping to receive thee; into which being caſt, thou ſhalt ever bee falling downe, and never meet a bottome; and in it thou ſhalt ever lament, and none ſhall pitie thee; for thou ſhalt have no ſociety but the Divell and his Angells; who being tormented themſelves, ſhall have no other eaſe, but to wreak their fury in tormenting thee; thou ſhalt alwayes weep for paine of the fire, and yet gnaſh thy teeth in indignation, for the extremity of cold; thou ſhalt weep to think, that thy miſeries are paſt remedy; to think, that to repent is to no purpoſe; thou ſhalt weep to thinke, how for the ſhadow of a few ſhort pleaſures (if they could bee called pleaſures) thou haſt incurred theſe ſorrowes of eternall paines, which ſhall laſt to all eternity: thy conſcience ſhall ever ſting thee, like an Adder, when thou thinkeſt, how often Chriſt by his Preachers offered thee remiſſion of ſinnes, and the Kingdome of Heaven freely, if thou wouldeſt but believe and repent; and how eaſily thou mighteſt have obtained mercy in thoſe dayes, how neere thou waſt many times to have repented, and yet diddeſt ſuffer the divell and the world to keep thee ſtill impenitent; and how the day of mercy is now paſt, and will never dawne againe, for thou ſhalt one day finde, that conſcience is more then a thouſand witneſſes, and God more then a thouſand conſciences.
§ 120.
IF you will not believe mee, yet at leaſt believe Pharaoh, The ſame further amplifiedwho in the rich mans ſcalding torments hath a Diſcite a me, learne of me; he can teſtifie, out of wofull experience, that if wee will not take warning by the word (that gentle warner) the next ſhall be harder; the third and fourth, harder then that; yea, as al the ten plagues did exceede one another, ſo the eleventh ſingle, exceeds them all together: innumerable are the curſes of God againſt ſinners, but the laſt is the worſt, comprehending and tranſcending al the reſt; the fearefulleſt plagues God ſtill reſerves for the upſhot, all the former doe but make way for the laſt.
When the Dreame, and the Miracle, and the Prophet had done what they could upon Nebuchadnezzar; God calls forth his temporall judgements, and bids them ſee what they can doe; if they will not yet ſerve, he hath eternal ones, which will make them repent every veine of their hearts and ſoules, that they did not repent ſooner.
Oh that I could give you but a glimpſe of it, that you did but ſee it, to the end you might never feele it, that ſo you might be won, if not out of faith, yet out of feare; for certainly, this were the hopefulleſt meanes of prevention: for though diverſe theeves have robd paſſengers, within ſight of the Gallowes; yet if a ſinner could ſee but one glimpſe of hell, or bee ſuffered to looke one moment into that fiery Lake; hee would rather chooſe to dye tenne thouſand deaths, then commit one ſinne: and indeed, therefore are wee diſſolute, becauſe we doe not thinke what a judgement there is after our diſſolution; becauſe wee make it the leaſt and laſt thing we thinke on; yea, it is death, wee think, to thinke upon death, and we cannot indure that dolefull bell, which ſummons us to judgement.
Something you have heard of it here, and in Section the 44. But, alaſſe! I may as well with a Cole paint out the Sunne in all his ſplendor, as with my pen, or tongue, expreſſe the joyes of Heaven (which they willingly part withall) or thoſe torments of hell (which they ſtrive to purchaſe) For as one ſaid, that nothing but the eloquence of Tully could ſufficiently ſet forth Tullie's eloquence: ſo none can expreſſe thoſe everlaſting torments, but hee that is from everlaſting, to everlaſting; and ſhould either man, or Angell, goe about the worke, when (with that Philoſopher) hee had taken a ſeven-nights time to conſider of it, hee might aske a fortnight more, and at the fortnights end, a monethmonth more, and be at his wits end, at the worlds end, before he could make a ſatisfiing anſwer, otherthen his was, that the longer he thought of it, the more difficult he found it: alaſſe! the paine of the body, is but the body of paine; the anguiſh of the ſoule, is the ſoule of anguiſh.