The Theater of Gods Judgments, Book 1 · Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII. Of the third and worst sort of Apostata's.
BY how much the more God hath in these latter daies poured forth more plentifully his graces upon the sonnes of men, by the manifestations of his Sonne Christ Iesus in the flesh, and sent forth a more cleere light by the preaching of his Gospell into the world than was before times; by so much the more culpable before God, and guilty of eternall damnation are they, who being once enlightened and made partakers of those excellent graces, come afterwards either to despise or make light account of them, or goe about to suppresse the truth, and quench the spirit which instructed them therein. This is the Sinne against the Holy Ghost, which is mentioned in the sixth and tenth chapter to the Hebrewes and in the twelfth of Luke; and in another place, it is called a Sinne unto death, because it is impardonable, by reason that no excuse of ignorance can be pleaded, nor any plaister of true repentance applyed unto it. The Apostata's of the old Testament under the Law were not guilty of this sinne: for although there were many that willingly and malitiously revolted and set themselves against the Prophets of God, making warre as it were with the Holy Ghost; yet seeing they had no such cleere testimonies of Christ Iesus, and declaration of Gods Spirit as we have, their sinne cannot be properly said directly to be against the Holy Ghost, and so never to be remitted: according to the description of this sinne in those passages of Scripture which were before recited, as it may manifestly appeare by the former example of King Manasses. The Apostle himselfe likewise doth averre the truth hereof, when he saith, If we sinne willingly after that we have Heb. 10. 26, 27, 28, 29.received the knowledge of the Truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinnes, but a fearefull looking for of judgement, and violent fire, which shall devoure the adversaries. If any man despised Moses Law, he died without mercy, under two or three witnesses: of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be worthy, which treadeth under foot the Sonne of God, and counteth the bloud of the new Testament as a prophane thing, whereby he was sanctified, and doth despight to the Spirit of Grace. Here we may see that this sinne is proper to those onelyonly that lived under the Gospell, and have tasted of the comfort and knowledge of Christ.
Iudas Iscariot (that wicked and accursed Varlet) committed the deed, and feeles the scourge of this great sinne: for he (being a Disciple, nay an Apostle of Christ Iesus) moved with covetousnesse, after he had devised and concluded of the manner and complot of his treason with the enemie, sold his Lord and Master, the Savior of the World, for thirty pieces of silver, and betrayed him into the bands of theeves and murtherers, who sought nothing but his destruction. After this vile traitour had performed this execrable purpose (by reason whereof he is called the sonne of perdition) he could finde no rest nor repose in his guilty conscience, but was horribly troubled and tormented with remorse of his wickednesse, judging himselfe worthy of a thousand deaths, for betraying that innocent and guiltlesse bloud. If hee looked up, he saw the vengeance of God ready to fall upon him and insnare him: if hee looked downe, he saw nothing but hell gaping to swallow him up: the light of this world was odious to him, and his own life displeased him, so that being plunged into the bottomlesse pit of despaire, he at last strangled himselfe, and burst in twaine in the midst, and all Math. 27 Acts 1.his bowels gushed out.
There is a notable example of Lucian, who having professed Christianity Suid.for a season under the Emperour Trajan, fell away afterwards, and became so prophane and impious, as to make a mocke at Religion and Divinity; whereupon his sirname was called Atheist. This wretch, as he barked out (like a foule mouthed dog) bitter taunts against the religion of Christ, seeking to rend and abolish it, so he was himselfe, in Gods vengeance, torne in pieces and devoured of dogs.
Porphyrie also (a whelp of the same litter) after he had received the knowledge of the truth, for despight and anger that he was reproved of his faults by the Christians, set himselfe against them, and published books full of horrible blasphemies, to discredit and overthrow the Christian Faith. But when he perceived how fully and sufficiently he was confuted, and that he was reputed an accursed and confounded wretch for his labour, in terrible despaire and anguish of soule he died.
Iulian the Emperour, sirnamed the Apostate, cast himselfe headlong into the same gulfe: for having been brought up and instructed from his childehood in the Christian faith, and afterward a while a profest reader thereof to others in the Church, as soone as he had obtained the Empire, malitiously revolted from his profession, and resisted with all his power, the Faith and Church of Christ, endeavouring by all means possible, either Socrat. Theod. Sozom.by force to ruinate and destroy it, or by fine sleights and subtilties to undermine it. And because his purpose was to doe what hurt hee could to Christians, therefore he studied by all he could, to please, content, and uphold the contrary party, I meane the Painims: he caused their temples first to be opened, which Constantine his predecessor had caused to be shut up: he tooke from the Christian Churches and their Ministers those priviledges, liberties, and commodities which the said Constantine had bestowed A theisme, lib. 1. cap. 25.upon them: and not content with this, he confiscated the Church revenues, and imposed great taxes and tributes upon all that professed the name of Christians, and forbad them to have any schooles of learning for their children. And yet more to vexe and grieve them, he translated many orders of the Church discipline and policy into Paganisme. After he had thus by all means striven to beat down the Scepter of Christs kingdome, it turned quite contrary to his expectation; for in stead thereof, the scepter of his owne kingdome was broken and brought to nought: at that time when making warre upon the Persians, he was wounded with an arrow, which Socrat. l. 3. hist. Eccles. c. ….pierced his armour, and dived so deep into his side, that he died thereof. When he undertooke this voyage, he was furnished with such bravery both of apparell and all things else, as it might seeme it appertained to him and none else to overwhelme and oversway the world; still belching out threats against poore Christians, whom he hed determined at his returne from Persia utterly to destroy, and leave none alive, as was afterwards reported by one of his Councell. The number of his souldiers was so innumerable, and his strength so impregnable, that he made no other reckoning but to be lord of Persia in a very short space. But loe how the Lord overturneth the attempts of his enemies: This great army (as S. Chrysostome reporteth against the Heathen) in which he put so much confidence, seemed ere long to be rather a vaste and weak multitude of women and infants, than an host of Warriours: for by evill and foolish conduct and government, there rose so great a famine amongst them, that their horses which were provided for the battell, served for their bellies, yea and for want of that too, many hundreds died for hunger and thirst. Even when he skirmished, his owne side came to the worse, doing more scath to themselves, than to their enemies; and lastly (leading them so undiscreetly) they could not by any means escape, out were constrained after he was slaine, to intreat the Persians to suffer them to retyre; and so as many as could, escaped and fled away to save their lives. And thus this brave army was thus miserably dismembred and discomfited, to the everlasting shame of that wicked Apostate.
One of the Treasurers of this wicked Emperour (who to please his Master, Theod. l. …. c. 13. Sozom. l. 5. c. 8. Contempt of the Word, lib. 1. cap. 34.forsooke also the Religion of Christ) being on a time mocking and deriding the ministry of the holy Word, died miserably on a sudden, vomiting his owne bloud out of his mouth, and (as Chrysostome saith) his privy parts being rotten and purrified, and consumed with lice, for all that ever he could doe to remedy the same.
It is recorded of Trebellius the first King of the Bulgarians, that being converted with his people to the faith of Christ, to the end to give himselfe more quiet to the meditation and exercise of Religion, resigned over his kingdome to his eldest sonne: whom when hee perceived to renounce the Faith, and to follow strange gods, he not only deprived of all his Royall dignity, but also caused his eyes to be put out, for a punishment of his Apostacie, and bestowed the kingdome upon his other sonne; shewing thereby, that he that abandoneth the true light of salvation, is not worthy to enjoy the comfortable light of the world.
During the heptarchy of the Saxons here in England, there raigned in …eda Eccl. hist. lib. 3. cap. 1.Northumberland two Kings; one called Ostrich, who was King of the Deirians, and the other Eaufride King of the Bernirians (for into those two Provinces was that countrey antiently divided.) These two Kings before they came to their Crownes, were by the preaching of Paulinus converted to the Faith of Christ, and baptised into the same Faith; but as soone as God advanced them to their Kingly dignities, presently they expelled the King of Glory out of their hearts, and renouncing Christ, betooke themselves againe to their filthy Idols. But they joyed not long in this their Apostacie; for within one yeare they were both slaine by Cedwalla King of the Britaines, the one in battell, the other comming to sue for peace: And so they forsaking Christ in their prosperity, were forsaken by him in their adversity, and given over to be a prey into the hands of their enemies. This yeare wherein these two Kings thus revolted and were slaine, hath upon it the marke of vengeance to this day: for by the common consent of all Chronicles, that the memory of these Apostates might be utterly defaced and blotted out, it was reckoned in the account of the next Kings raigne, to wit Oswold, a holy and religious man; and so both the name of the Kings, and the time of their raigne, is, in detestation of the Apostacie, utterly left out of our English stories, as if they were unworthy to have a place among men, much more among Kings, that forsooke Christ of their owne accord, without any constraint or compulsion thereunto.
A Divine at Louvaine, one Iames La…onus, who was well instructed at the first in the knowledge of the Truth, afterwards renouncing the same, endeavoured with all his power to oppugne and oppresse it. This man being on a time mounted into a pulpit, to preach before the Emperour Charles the fifth, was at the very instant so amased and astonished, that no man could perceive what he said, and so made himselfe a laughing stocke to all that audience. Seeing himselfe thus disgraced, he returned from Brussels to Louvaine, where he fell into such griefe and sorrow of minde, for the dishonour which he had gotten, that it turned at length into despaire: and in his dayly Lectures, these or like words oftentimes escaped after that goodly Sermon, That he had impugned the truth of God: which when divers of his owne Coat heard, they caused him to be shut up fast in a house, where in desperation he died, telling every man he was damned, and that he could not hope for salvation or remission of his sins, because that of meer malice he had resisted and made war with God.
Cardinall Poole an Englishman, had also somtimes professed himselfe to be well seen in the sincerity of the Gospell, yet contrary to his conscience he sent into his countrey the Trophies and Ensignes of Antichrist the Pope, which before had been rased out and abolished the realme; but he died two or three daies after Queene Mary, in horrible griefes, terrors, and fearfulnesse, without any shew of repentance.
Stephen Gaediner Bishop of Winchester, and after Chancellor of England, shewed in his young yeares some forwardnesse to withstand the Popish abuses and superstitions; but as soone as he was exalted to honour, he turned over a new lease, and began freshly and furiously to afflict and to rend the poore & faithfull servants of Christ, putting them to the cruellest deaths he could devise. And yet more to discover his prophanenesse and rebellion, he wrote many books against the pure Religion of God: and being thus swolne with venomous spight against the Sonne of God, beside the extreame covetousnesse, whoredomes, and extortions which raigned in him, behold the Lord layd his hand of wrath upon him, and stroke him with so strange a malady, that before his death such horrible stinke issued from him, that none of his friends and servants, no not himselfe, could endure the savour thereof: his belly was swolne like a taber, his eyes distracted and sunke into his head, his cheeks thin, and the appearance of his whole face very terrible: his breath savoured of a filthy and intolerable stinke, and all his members were rotten with continuall griefes and swounings; yet this vile wretch in the midst of all these torments ceased not to yell out continuall blasphemies, and infamous speeches, and so despighting and maugring God, died.
Peter Castellon Bishop of Maston, having attained to great riches and renowne, by the means of the Gospell, turned notwithstanding his backe to Christ, and mightily inveyed in his sermons at Orleance against the profession of his Religion; seeking to make it knowne, that he had not onelyonly abjured and denied it, but also that hee was a profest adversary unto it. This man sitting at a time in his chaite, fell into a strange disease, which no Physitian had ever seene, or could search out the cause of; for one halfe of his body was extreme hot, and burned like fire, the other extreame cold, and frozen like Ice; and in this torment with horrible cries and groanings he ended his life.
A gray Frier called Picard, who once was not ashamed of the Gospell, afterwards set himselfe to preach against that which he had professed, and being in the pulpit at Orleance, after infinite blasphemies which he had disgorged against the Truth, at last said, That he protested before God and the holy assembly, that he would never preach more after that day, because he was an Apostate: which saying he by and by impudently and constantly denied, to the perill and damnation of his owne soule; thinking by his horrible cursings and forswearings, to abuse the poore ignorant and superstitions people; but he no sooner came into the field, but the puissant hand of God over-reached him, and stroke him speechlesse, so that he was carried thence halfe dead, and within short space died, altogether without any appearance of repentance.
Among other Iudges which shewed themselves hot and rigorous in persecuting and proceeding against the faithfull prisoners of Valence in Daulphine, and other Romanes, at that season when two Ministers of the same city suffered Martyrdome, one Lanbespin a Counsellor, and Ponsenas the Kings Atturney at the Parliament of Grenoble, both two having been professors in times past, were not the backwardest in that action; but God made them both strange examples of his wrath: for Lanbespin falling in love with a young maid, was so extremely passionate therein, that he forewent his owne estate, and all bounds of civill honesty, to follow her up and down whithersoever she went: and seeing his love and labour despised and set at nought, he so pined away with very thought, that making no reckoning of himselfe, such a multitude of lice so fed upon him, and tooke so good liking of their pasture, that by no means he could be cleansed of them; for they increased and issued out of every part of his body in such number, as maggots are wont to engender in a dead and rotten carrion. At length a little before his death seeing his owne misery, and seeling Gods heavy vengeance upon him, he began to despaire of all mercy; and to the end to abridge his miserable dayes, he resolved to hungerstarve himselfe to death. Which purpose the lice furthered; for they stucke so thicke in his throat, as if they would have choaked him every moment: neither could he suffer any sustenance to passe downe by reason of them. They that were eye witnesses of this pittifull spectacle, were wondrously moved with compassion, and constrained him to eat whither he would or not. And that they might make him take culliss…s and other stewed broaths, because he refused and strove against them, they bound his armes, and put gagges into his mouth, to keep it open whilest others poured in the food. And in this wise being gagged, he died like a mad beast, with abundance of lice that went downe his throat; insomuch that the very Papists themselves stucke not to say, That as he caused the Ministers of Valence to have gagges thrust into their Persecution, lib. 1. cap. 15.mouths, and so put to death, so likewise he himself died with a gagge in his mouth.
As touching Ponsenas, commonly called Bourrel (a very Butcher indeed of poore Christians) after he had sold his owne patrimony, and his wives and friends also, to the end to buy out his office, and had spent that which remained in house▪keeping, hoping in short space to take up twise as much as he had scattered, fell downe into a strange and unknowne disease, and shortly grew in despaire of Gods succour and favour towards him, by a strong remembrance of those of Valence, and the other Romanes which Persecution, lib. 1. cap. 15.he had put to death, which would never depart out of his minde, but still presented themselves before him: so that as one bestraught of reason and sence, he denied his Maker, and called upon his destroyer the Devill, with most horrible and bitter ensuings: which when his Clearke perceived, he layd out before him the mercies of God, out of all places of the Scripture, to comfort and restore his decayed sense. But in stead of returning to God by repentance and prayer, he continued obstinate, and answered his Clerke (whose name was Stephen) in this wise; Stephen, Stephen, thou art blacke: So I am and it please you (quoth he) but I am neither Turke nor Moore, nor Bohemian, but a Gascoigne of red haire. No no (answered he) not so, but thou art blacke; but it is with sinne. That is true (quoth he) but I hope in the bountifull mercy of God; that for the love of Christ who died for me, my blacke sinnes shall not be imputed to me. Then he redoubling his choler, cried mainly after his Clerke, calling him Lutheran, Huguenot, Villaine. At which noise his friends without rushed in to know what the matter was. But hee commanded, that Stephen his Clerke should presently have a paire of bolts clapt on his heeles, and to be burned for an Heretique. In briefe, his choler and rage boyled so furiously in him, that in short space he died a fearefull death, with horrible howling and outcries. His creditors scarse gave him respite to draw his carkasse out of his bed, before they seised upon all his goods, not leaving his poore wife and children so much as a bed of straw to lye in: so grievous was the curse of God upon his house.
Another great Prince having in former time used his authority and power to the advancing of Gods kingdome, afterwards being seduced by the allurements of the world, renounced God, and tooke part with the enemies of his Church, to make warre against it; in which war he was wounded to death, and is one notable example of Gods just vengeance, to all that shall in like manner fall away.