A Christian Library, Chapter 32 – Chapter 33
CHAP. XXXII.
And as bounty is the most beneficiall grace, and giving the greatest gaine in every respect: For almes to the poore, is like powring a paile of water into a dry Pump, that fetcheth up much more then was put in: So contrariwise, to be unmercifull to the poor, and hard-hearted, or to wrong them whereby to enrich our selves is alike heynous sin, and the ready way to want here, and to find no mercy hereafter, as might most plentifully be shewn, Prov. 22.16. Iames 2.13.
It is said, Prov. 11. He that with-holdeth more then is meet shall surely come to poverty, ver. 24. And so Ver. 25, 26. He that with-draweth hic corne, the people shall curse him: but blessings shall be upon the head of him that selleth corne. And Prov. 28. He that giveth unto the poor, shall not lacke; but he that hideth his eyes, shall have many a curse vers. 27. And Prov. 22.16. He that oppresseth …he poor, to increase his riches; and he that giveth to the rich shall surely come to poverty. Give then, that you may never want: hide not your eyes, that you may not inherite many a curse. But of this by the way onelyonly; for I would have you specially to take notice, that if we shew no mercy here, if we will not heare the suits of the poor when they crave of us for reliefe, neither will God give us audience, when we shall sue unto him hereafter. According to that Prov 21.13. Who so stoppeth his eares at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himselfe, and not be heard. Yea, he shall have judgement without mercy, that shewes no mercy, James 2.13. For whereas to those that have fed the hungry, cloathed the naked, visited the sicke, &c. Christ shall say, Come ye blessed of my Father, &c. Contrariwise to those that have not done these duties he shall say, depart from me ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the Devill and his Angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meate, I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drinke, I was a stranger, and ye tooke me not in, naked and ye cloathed me not, sicke and in prison, and ye visited me not: For inasmuch as ye did it not to my poore members, ye did it not to me: So these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the other into life ete…nall, Matth. 25.31. to 47. Where are two things considerable: They to save their purses, would not be at a little cost for the poore while they lived: and what have they got by it Now they are dead, b…t fir…t, an everlasting separation from Gods blisfull presence, and th…se unutterable joyes before mentioned, and to be for ever confined in a bed of quenchlesse flames. For this departure is not for a day, nor for years of dayes, nor for millions of yeares, but for eternity, into such paynes as can neither be expressed, nor conceived: There shall be no end of plagues to the wicked and unmercifull, Math. 25.41. Mark 9.44. Their worme shall not dye, neither shall their fire be quenched, Isa. 66.24.
Neither is the extremity of paine inferiour to the perpetuity of it, Rev. 19.20. & 20.14. & 18.6. 2 Pet. 2.4. Heb. 10.2…. Jude 6. The plagues of the first death are pleasant, compared with those of the second: For mountaines of sand were lighter, and millions of yeares shorter then a tythe of these torments, Rev. 20.10. Iude 7. The pain of the body is but the body of paine; the anguish of the soule, is the soule of anguish. For should we first burn off one hand, then another, after that each arme, and so all the parts of the body, it would be deemed intolerable, and no man would endure it, for all the pleasures and profits this world can afford, and yet it is nothing to that burning of body and soule in Hell. Should we endure ten thousand yeares torments in Hell, it were grievous, but nothing to eternity; should we suffer one paine, it were miserable enough: but if ever we come there, our payns shall be for number and kinds infinitely various, as our pleasures have been here: Every sense and member, each power and faculty, both of soul and body, shall have their severall objects of wretchednesse, and that without intermission, or end, or ease, or patience to endure it, Luke 12.5. & 16.…4. Matth. 3.12. Yea, the paynes and sufferings of the damned, are ten thousand times more than can be imagined by any heart under heaven. It is a death, never to be painted to the life: no pen, nor pensill, nor art, nor heart can comprehend it, Mat. 18.8, 9. & 25 30. 2 Pet. 2.4. Isa. 5.14. & 30.33.
CHAP. XXXIII.
Now what heart would not bleed to see men, yea multitudes run head long into these tortures, that are thus intolerable? dance hoodwink'd i…to this perdition. O the folly and madnesse of those that prefer earth, yea, hell to heaven! time to eternity, the body before the soule; yea the outward estate before either soule or body. These are the worlds fooles, meer children, that prefer an apple before their inheritance: Besotted sensualists, that consider not how this life of ours, if it were not short, yet it is miserable: and if it were not miserable yet it is short▪ that suffer themselves to be so bewitcht with the love of their money, and their hearts to be rivered to the earth, to be so inslaved to covetousnesse, as to make gold their God? Certainly were they allowed to have but a fight of this Hell, they wo…ld not do thus▪ if they did but either see or foresee, what they shall one day (without serious and unfeigned repentance) feel, they would not be hired with all the worlds wealth, to hazard in the least the losse of those everlasting joyes before spoken of, or to purchase and plunge themselves into those caselesse and everlasting flames of fire and brimstone in hell, there to fry body and soule, where shall be an innumerable company of Devils and damned spirits to affright and torment them, but not one to comfort or pity them. But O that thou who art the Sacred Monarch of this mighty frame! wouldst give them hearts to believe, at least, that the soule of all sufferings, are the sufferings of the soule; that as painted fire is to materiall, such is materiall to hell fire That things themselves are in the invisible world: in the world visible but their shadowes onelyonly: And that whatsoever wicked men enjoy here, it is but as in a dream, their plenty is but like a drop of pleasure, before a river of sorrow and displeasure; and whatsoever the godly feel, but as a drop of misery before a river of mercy and glory. Then would they thinke it better to want all things, then that one needfull thing; whereas now they desire all other things, and neglect that one thing which is so needfull: They would be glad to spare something from their superfluities, yea if need requ…re even from their necessaries, that they might relieve and cherish the poor distressed members of Iesus Christ. And let so much serve to have been spoken of the reasons that concern our selves in particular, and how God hath promised to blesse the merciful man in his soule, body, name, and estate. I should now go on to declare, that what the liberall man g…ves, his seed shall inher…t: But I consider, that if for the increasing of their estates, for the obtaining of heaven, and the avoyding of everlasting destruction of body and soule in Hell, will not prevail with rich men to do some good with their goods while they l…ve; whatsoever else can be spoken, will be lost labour, and to no purpose. I grant there are some of them such desperate doting fools, that they can find in their hearts to damn their own souls, and go to hell, to leave their sonnes rich: and therefore it will not be amisse to set down (or poynt them to) a few of those promises which God hath made to the mercifull or liberall mans seed, and posterity after him. I'le alleadge but three places onelyonly.