HEAVENS Glory, Earths Va ­nitie, and Hels Torments.
Of the Glory of the bles­ sed Saints in Heauen.

TO the end there might want nothing to stirre vp our mindes to ver­tue, after the paines which Al­mighty God threateneth to the [Page 2] wicked, he doth also set before vs the reward of the good: which is, that glory and euerla­sting life which the blessed Saints doe enjoy in heauen, whereby hee doth very mighti­ly allure vs to the loue of the same. But what manner of thing this reward, and what this life is, there is no tongue, nei­ther of Angels nor of nen, that is sufficient to expresse it. How­beit, that wee may haue some kinde of [...]auour and knowledge thereof, I intend here to re­hearse euen word for word, what S. Augustine saith in one of his meditations, speaking of the life euerlasting (ensuing this transito [...]ie time) and of the joyes of the blessed Saints in [Page 3] heauen. O life (saith he) prepa­red by Almighty God for his friends, a blessed life, a secure life, a qui [...]t life, a beautifull life, a cleane life, a chast life, a holy life; a life that knoweth on death, a life without sadnesse, without labour, without griefe, without trouble, without cor­ruption, without feare, without variety, without alteration; a life replenished with all beautie and dignity; where there is nei­ther enemy that can offend, nor delight that can annoy, where loue is perfect, and no feare at all, where the day is euerlasting, and the spirit of all is one; where Almighty God is seene face to face, who is the onely meate whereupon they feed [Page 4] without loathsomenesse: it de­lighteth mee to consider thy brightnesse, and thy treasures doe reioyce my longing heart. The more I consider thee, the more I am striken in loue with thee. The great desire I haue of thee, doth wonderfully delight me, and no lesse pleasure is it to me, to keepe thee in my remem­brance. O life most happy, O kingdome truely blessed, wher­in there is no death nor [...]nd, neither yet succession of time, where the day continuing euer­more without night, knoweth not any mutation; where the victorious conqueror beeing ioyned with those euerlasting quires of Angels; and hauing his head crowned with a gar­land [Page 5] of glory, singeth vnto Al mighty God one of the songs of Syon. Oh happy, yea, and most happy should my soule be, if when the race of this my pil­grimage is ended, I might bee worthy to see thy glory, thy blessednesse, thy beautie, the wals and gates of thy Citie, thy streets, thy lodgings, thy noble Citizens, and thine omnipotent King in his most glorious Ma­iestie. The stones of thy wals are precious, thy gates are ador­ned with bright pearles, thy streets are of very fine excel­lent gold, in which there ne­uer faile perpetuall praises; thy houses are paved with rich stones, wrought throughout with Zaphirs, and couered [Page 6] aboue with massie gold, where no vncleane thing may enter, neither doth any abide there that is defiled. Faire and beauti­full in thy delights art thou O Ierusalem our mother, none of those things are suffered in thee, that are suffered here. There is great diuersitie betweene thy things and the things that wee doe continually see in this life. In thee is neuer seene neither darkenesse nor night, neither yet any change of time. The light that shineth in thee, com­meth neither of lampes, nor of Sunne or Moone, nor yet of bright glittering Starres, but God that proceedeth of God, and the light that commeth of light, is he that giueth clearenes [Page 7] vnto thee. Euen the very King of Kings himselfe keepeth con­tinuall residence in the middest of thee, compassed about with his officers and seruants. There doe the Angels in their orders and quires sing a most sweete & melodious harmonie. There is celebrated a perpetuall solem­nitie and feast with every one of them that cōmeth thither, after his departure out of this pilgri­mage. There be the orders of Prophets; there is the famous company of the Apostles; there is the inuincible army of Mar­tyrs; there is the most reuerent assembly of confessors; there are the true and perfect religi­ous persons; there are the holy Virgines, which haue ouer­come [Page 8] both the pleasures of the world, and the frailtie of their owne nature; there are the young men and young women, more ancient in vertue than in yeares; there are the sheepe and little lambes that haue escaped from the wolues, and from the deceitfull snares of this life, and therefore doe now keepe a per­petuall feast, each one in his place, all alike in ioy, though different in degree. There Cha­ritie raigneth in her full per­fection, for vnto them God is all in all, whom they behold without end, in whose loue they be all continually inflamed, whom they doe alwayes loue, and in louing doe praise, and in praising, doe loue, and all [Page 9] their exercises consist in praises, without wearinesse, and with­out trauell. O happie were I, yea, and very happy indeed, if at what time I shall bee loosed out of the prison of this wret­ched body, I might be thought worthy to heare those songs of that heauenly melodie, sung in the praise of the euerlasting King, by all the Citizens of that so noble Citie. Happie were I, and very happie, if I might obtaine a roome among the Chaplaines of that Chap­pell, and wait for my turne also to sing my Halleluia. If I might bee neare to my King, my God, my Lord, and see him in his glory, euen as hee hath promised mee, [Page 10] when he said: O Father, this is my last determinate will, that all those that thou hast giuen vnto me, may me with me, aad see the glory which I had with thee before the world was cre­ated. Hetherto are the words of S. Augustine. Now tell mee (Christian brother) what a day of glorious shine shall that bee vnto thee (if thou lead thy life in Gods feare) when after the course of this pilgrimage, thou shalt passe from death to im­mortallity; and in that passage, when others shall beginne to feare, thou shalt beginne to re­ioyce, and lift vp thy head, be­cause the day of thy deliuerance is at hand. Come forth a little (saith S. Ierome vnto the Vir­gine [Page 11] Eustochia) out of the prison of this body, and when thou art before the gate of this Ta­bernacle, set before thy eyes the reward that thou hopest to haue for thy present labours. Tell me, what a day shall that bee, when our Lord himselfe with all his Saints, shall come and meete thee in the way, say­ing vnto thee: Arise and make hast O my beloued, my delight, and my Turtle doue, for now the Win­ter is past, and the tempestuous waters are ceased, the flowers doe beginne to appeare in our land. Cant. 2. How great ioy shall thy soule then receiue, when it shall be at that time presented before the Throne of the most blessed Trinity, by the hands of the ho­ly [Page 12] Angels, and when shall bee declared thy good workes, and what crosses, tribulations, and iniuries thou hast suffered for Gods sake. Acts 9. S. Luke wri­teth, That when holy Tabitha, the great almes giuer, was dead, all the widdowes and poore folke came about the Apostle S. Peter, shewing vnto him the garments which shee had giuen them: wherewith the Apostle being moued, made his prayer vnto Almighty God for that so mercifull a woman, and by his prayers he raised her againe to life. Now what a gladnesse will it be to thy soule, when in the middest of those blessed spi­rits thou shalt be placed, with remembrance of thy almes [Page 13] deeds, thy prayers and fastings, the innocency of thy life, thy suffering of wrongs and iniu­ries, thy patience in afflictions, thy temperance in diet, with all other vertues and good workes that thou hast done in all thy life. O how great ioy shalt thou receiue at that time for all the good deeds that thou hast wrought; how clearely then shalt thou vnderstand the value and the excellencie of vertue. There the obedient man shall talke of victories; there vertue shall receiue her reward, and the good honoured according to their merite. Moreouer, what a pleasure will it bee vnto thee, when thou shalt see thy selfe to bee in that [Page 14] sure hauen, and shalt looke back vpon the course of thy nauiga­tion which thou hast sailed here in this life: when thou shalt re­member the tempests wherein thou hast been tossed, the straits through which thou hast passed, and the dangers of theeues and pyrats, from whom thou hast escaped. There is the place where they shall sing the song of the Prophet, which saith, Had it not beene that our Lord had beene mine helper, it could not be but my soule had gone into hell. Especially, when from thence thou shalt behold so many sins as are committed every houre in the world, so many soules as doe descend euery day into hell, and how it hath plea­sed [Page 15] Almighty God, that among such a multitude of damned persons, thou shouldst be of the number of his elect, and one of those to whom he would grant such exceeding great felicity and glory. Besides all this, what a goodly sight will it bee to see those seats filled vp, and the Ci­tie builded, and the wals of that noble Ierusalem repaired again? With what chearefull embra­cings shall the whole court of heauen entertaine them, behol­ding them when the come loa­den with the spoiles of their vanquished enemies? The [...]e shall those valiant men and wo­men enter with triumph, which haue together with the world conquered the weakenesse of [Page 16] their owne fraile nature. There shall they enter which haue suf­fered martyrdome for Christs sake, with double triumph ouer the fl [...]sh and the world, ador­ned with all coelestiall glory. There shall also daily enter ma­ny young men and children, which haue vanquished the ten­dernesse of their young yeares with discretion and vertue. Oh, how sweet and sauorie shall the fruit of vertue then be, although for a time before her roots see­med very bitter: sweete is the cold euening after the hote sunnie day; sweete is the foun­taine to the weary thirstie tra­uail [...]r; sweet is rest and sleepe to the tired seruant: but much more sweet is it to the Saints in [Page 17] heauen to enioy peace after warre, security after perill, eter­nall rest after their paines, and trauels: for then are the warres at an end, then need they no more to goe all armed, both on the right side and on the left. The children of Israel went forth armed towards the land of Promise, but after that the land was conquered, they laid downe their speares, and cast a­way their armour, and forget­ting all feare aud turmoile of warre, each one vnder the shad­dow of his pavillion & harbour enioyed the fruit of their sweet peace. Now may the watching Prophet come downe from his standing, that did watch and fix his feete vpon the place of the [Page 18] Sentinell: There is no more feare of inuasion by the terrible armies of the bloody enemies: there is no place for the subtill crafts of the lurking viper: there cannot ariue the deadly sight of the venomous Baseliske, nor yet shall the hissing of the anci­ent Serpent be heard there; but onely the soft breathing ayre of the holy Ghost, wherein is be­holden the glory of Almighty God. This is the region of all peace, the place of security, situ­ated aboue all the Elements, whether the cloudes and stor­mie winds of the darke ayre cannot come. O what glorious things haue beene spoken of thee, O Citie of God. Blessed are they (saith holy Tobias) that [Page 19] loue thee, and enioy thy peace. O my soule praise our Lord, for he hath deliuered Ierusalem his Citie from all her troubles. Happy shall I be, if the remnant of my posterity might come to see the clearenesse of Ierusalem: her gates shall be wrought with Zaphirs and Emeraulds, and all the circuit of her wals shall bee built with precious stones, her streets shall bee paued with white and polished marble, and in all parts of her territories shal bee sung Halleluia. O ioyfull countrey! O sweete glory! O blessed companie! who shall be those so fortunate and happy that are elected for thee? It see­meth a presumption to desire thee, and yet I will not liue [Page 20] without the desire of thee. O ye sonnes of Adam, a race of m [...]n, miserably blinded and de­ceiued. O ye scattered sheepe, wandring out of your right way, if this be your sheep-coat, whether goe you backeward? What meane you? Why suf­fer you such an excellent bene­fit to be wilfully lost for not ta­king so little paines? What wise man would not desire, that all labour & paine of the world were imposed vnto him? that all sorrowes, afflictions, and di­seases were euen poured vpon him as thicke as haile; that persecutions, tribulations, and griefes, with one to molest him, another to disquiet him, yea, that all creatures in the world [Page 21] did conspire against him, being scorned and made a laughing stocke of all men; and that his whole life were conuerted into weepings and lamentations; so that in the next life hee might finde repose in the heauenly harbor of eternall consolation, and bee thought meet to haue a place among that blessed peo­ple, which are adorned and beautified with such inestima­ble glory. And thou, O foo­lish louer of this miserable world, go thy way, seek as long as thou wilt for honors & pro­motions, build sumptuons hou­ses & pallaces, purchase lands & possessions, inlarge thy territo­ries & dominions, yeā, cōmand if thou wilt the whole world, [Page 22] yet shalt thou neuer bee so great as the least of all the seruants of Almighty God, who shall re­ceiue that treasure which this world cannot giue, and shall en­ioy that felicity, which shall endure for euermore, when thou with thy pompe and ri­ches, shall beare the rich glut­ton company, whose buriall is in the deepe vault of hell: but the deuout spirituall man shall bee carried by the holy Angels with poore Lazarus into Abra­hams bosome, a place of perpe­tuall rest, ioy, sollace, and eter­nall happinesse.

Earths vanitie.

VAnitie of vanities, and all is but vanitie, saith the wisest Preacher that euer wrote: One generation passeth, and another commeth, and all is but vexation of spirit. Which diuine theorem, that we may the better perceiue, let vs set our selues to the serious meditation of it: for the more we search, the more we shall see all things to be vanity, nothing constant, nothing for our eter­nall [Page 70] good, but our soules salua­tion. Mans life on [...]arth doth no sooner begin, but his [...] ap­proacheth, his death hasteneth. Some come vpon the stage of this world but to haue a brea­thing, and are presently gone: others stay a while longer, it may be a day, perhaps a weeke, perhaps a month, peraduenture a yeare, or it may be some few yeares: but alas! the lon­ger they stay, the greater their griefe, care, feare, and anxietie of minde. Euen in the infancie of age man is oft times left as M [...]ses sometime was, in the flouds of misery; but as age in­creaseth, sorrow increaseth, be­cause sinne increaseth: when youth runnes most at randome, [Page 71] and thinketh it selfe most safe, it is then hemm'd in with grea­test dangers; then the rash­foole-hardy minde of man hur­rieth him headlong to hell, ex­cept the irresistible power of Gods preuenting grace doth speedily stay him; then his wits are euen intoxicated with a frenzie of iniquity, and wholly bent vpon riotousnesse, rash­nesse, luxury, iollitie, superflui­ty and excesse in carnall plea­sures. Hee then deuoteth his time, and addicteth himselfe to all manner of euill, drinking, dancing, reuelling, swaggering, swearing, whoring, gaming, quarelling, fighting; and in the meane while neuer thinkes on heauen, nor feareth hell. His [Page 74] head is frought with vanities, his heart with fallacies, where­by his soule is brought into a labyrinth of inextricable mise­ries. So great is the temerity of his vnaduised minde, that no consideration of Gods iudge­ments, either past, or present, or to come, can set a stop to his wickednesse. His youthful­nesse damps at no bogges, quag­mires, hils, or mountaines; but wingeth him ouer all impedi­ments, mounts him ouer all mo­tiues that might way-lay his sinnes. He sticks not to offend his maker, to recrucifie his re­deemer, to resist (shall I say his sanctifier, no, but) the Spirit whom God hath giuen to be his sanctifier: and if hee so carry [Page 73] himselfe toward th [...]se, no mer­uaile that he derideth his Tutor, scornes the Minister (like the little children that mock'd Eli­sha) oppresseth his poore bro­ther (as Pharaoh did the Israe­lites:) spareth not Infants (no more then Herod did) regardeth not parents (no more then Ho­phin and Phinius did.) Let the mother direct him, the father correct him, his ancients in­struct him, alas! all is in vaine: youth makes men head-strong, selfe-conceited, and proud, so that they swell with an ouer­weening opinion of their owne worth; they thinke themselues the onely wits of the time, the onely men of the world, more fit to teach others then to learn [Page 74] themselues, more able to giue then to take aduice. If they goe on a while in their lewd cour­ses without the restraining and renewing Grace of God, they get a habit of euill, are hardned through the custome of sinne, none may resist them, none compare with them, no law of God or man can restraine them; They take counsel together against Psa. 2. 2, 3 the Lord, and against his annoin­ted, saying, Let vs breake their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from vs. Whereupon of­tentimes (the ripenesse of sinne being hastened by outragious­nesse of sinning) God suddenly N [...]quities vitae non sinit esse senew. cuts them off, in their intempe­rancy, luxury quarrels, and dis­orders; which shewes their [Page 75] vainnesse to be meere vanity. Suppose they grow as great as Tamberlaine, yet a Gunne, Pike Arrow; nay, a Fly, Flea, or Gnat; a dram, nay, a drop of poyson, proues them to be vaine men: one of these silly creatures may send him presently to his crea­tour to receiue his final doome. Yet alas! what doe these most minde? The bum-basted silken Gallants of our time, that come forth like a May morning, deck­ed with all the glory of Art; the Epicurean Cormerants, the gus­ling and tipling tosse-pots, the dainty painting Dames, the de­licate mincing Ladies, the sweet-singing Syrens, the dan­cing Damsels, the finicall youths, the couzening Shop­keeper, [Page 76] the crafty Crafts-man: I say, what doe all these, but set their minds vpon vanitie? vp­on glory, honour, pride, drosse, and such like trash, which weighed in the ballance of the Sanctuary proue lighter then vanity? Doe we not sometime see more spent vpon one suite in Law then would keepe a poore Country towne with the inha­bitants for a whole yeare? See wee not more spent vpon one suite of apparell, for one proud carkasse, then would build a Free-schoole? So that the cloathes on many a Gallants backe exceeds his Rent-day. See we not more spent vpon a Feast to satisfie the curiosity of a few, then would satisfie the [Page 77] necessity of a hundred poore wretches almost famished to death? See wee not more drunke in a Tauerne at one [...]it­ting by a small company, then would serue a troope of sturdy Souldiers in the field? Many goe daily to the Tauern, where they sticke not to spend their twelue pence, who would grudge to giue one penny, nay, one farthing to a hungry beg­ger. Againe, is there not now more spent vpon a Ladies fea­ther, then would pay a meane mans tythes? Is there not more spent vpon one paire of sleeues then would cloath sixe bodies? and more spent at a Whitsun­ale, then would keepe the poore of the Parish for a yeare? Haue [Page 78] wee not amongst our Gentry, some of the female sexe, who will spend more vpon a Glasse and a pot of complexion, then they will giue a whole yeare at their gate? they must be men­ders of that which God makes, makers of that which God marres, turning themselues (like the Camelion) into all shapes, though neuer so grisly and vg­ly; and being neuer well till they be most ill, neuer (as they conceit) in fashion, till indeede they be out of all fashion. If this be not a vanity of vanities, who can tell what is vanity? Euery man is an eye-witnesse of this vanity, the more is the pittie that it should be so common: your Lady, the Merchants wife, [Page 79] the trades mans wife, nay, all of all sorts are a degree aboue their estate. Your Gallant is no man, vnlesse his haire be of the womans fashion, dangling and wauing ouer his shoulders; your woman no body, except (contrary to the modesty of her sexe) shee be halfe (at least) of the mans fashion: shee jets, she cuts, she rides, shee sweares, she games, shee smoakes, shee drinkes, and what not that is e­uill? She is in the vniuersall portraiture of her behauiour, as well as in her accoutrements, more then halfe a man; the man on the other side, no lesse wo­manish. Wee may well admire and exclaime with the Poet, O tempora! O mores! O the times! [Page 80] O the manners of these times! O quantum est in rebus mane! O how great a nothing is there in all things! What a vanity of va­nity hath ouerspread the age we liue in? Were our forefathers now aliue to be spectators of this vanity, it would strike them into amazement. In their dayes the Pike, the Speare, the Sword, the Bowe, the Arrow, Musket and Calieuer, with the warlike Horse, were the obiect of exer­cise and recreation: Now the Pot, the Pipe, Dice and Cards, and such like vanities, indeede worse then the quintescence of the extreamest vanity. We are now all for ease, wee must lye soft, fare deliciously, goe sump­tuously, drinke Wine in bowles, [Page 81] carowse healths, till health be quite drunke away; nay, wee must kneele to our drinke, when we will not kneele to him that gaue vs our drinke▪ we doe ho­mage to that which takes away the vse of our legges, nay, of our braines, our hearts, wits, sence, [...]eason, when we refuse homage to him that gaue vs all these. O vaine man that dost thus forget thy God▪ and abuse thy selfe! why dost thou thus suffer thy selfe to be swallowed vp in the gulfe of vanity, which hath no bottome but misery? Why sufferest thou the Diuell thus to take thee on the hip, that he may cast thee downe into the Abisse of hell? Art thou so bewitched with that which will [Page 82] haue an end, a sudden end, a wretched end? Thy hony will proue Gall in the end, and thy Wine Vinegar. In these faire roses of vanity the Diuell hides his pins, that shall pricke thee, when thou lookest to be re­freshed with their sweet smels. These vanities wee purchase at no easie rate; it is with the pro­curement of punishment, anrd losse of happinesse: As the bi [...]d that accepts of the Fowlers meat buyes it full dearely, with the losse of her owne life: so when we accept these vanities from the Diuell, it is with the losse of better things, in price a­boue the whole world. In these contracts with Satan, we make Esau's pe [...]niworth, sell heauen [Page 83] for a messe of pottage; Claucus exchange, Gold for Copper. Now thou art pompering thy corruptible flesh; but let pale death step in, and clap thee on the shoulder, wher's thy mirth, wher's thy felicity? thy volup­tuous vanity doth presently ex­pire. There is a banquet set be­fore thee, in which are all varie­ties of delicacies, but alas! eue­ry one poysoned: darest thou touch or taste any one of them? by sin thou poysonest all those outward blessings of God, which in themselues are wholesome and good: and wilt thou ingur­gitate that which is poyson to thy soule? Tell me when all is done, two or three hundred yeares hence, what thou wilt be [Page 84] the better for all thy dainties, more then the poore man that neuer tasted them? Nay, how much better in the day of triall, and at the houre of death? Then all thy pride, pompe, and plea­sure shall be turned into squa­led deformity, & irrecouerable calamity; then vanity sh [...]wes it selfe in the proper colours, then death, and knell, and hell doe all conspire to aggrauate thy sor­row; yea, then hell begins to come to thee before thou come to it; thy eyes sleepe not, thy senses rest not, thy perplexed heart burnes within thee, thy wounded conscience bleeds within thee; thou seest nothing but terror, thou feelest nothing but horror; thou thinkest thy [Page 85] self to be haunted with sprights, ghosts, and hellish furies, sting­ing thee with Adders, pursuing thee with Torches and fire­brand. That saying of the Hea­then man is then, if no [...] before, verified: Suae quemque exagitant suriae; euery man is tormented with his owne fury, which is his conscience. Besides thy wife, children, or other friends ( [...]o the exasperating of thy griefe) doe stand about thee weeping, as loath to part from thee: whereas thy sinnes follow thee, and will follow thee, doe what thou canst; hell gapes before thee with a wide mouth as rea­dy to deuoure thee, destruction on both sides attends thee: backe thou canst not goe, for a [Page 86] dead corps followes thee so neere that thou canst not part from it, it is tied vnto thee with an indissolueable knot; besides, conscience followes thee, and cries out against thee, and will not leaue thee; continually it presents thee with the dreadfull spectacle of thy doleful and wo­full sinnes. If this were now seriously considered, how would it make thy heart to ake with grieuing, thy eyes to swell with weeping, thy hands to be al­wayes lifted vp, thy knees euer bended? How wouldest thou striue to subdue thy flesh to the spirit, sensuality to reason, reason to faith, and faith to the seruice of God? But thou dost not now consider this, that thy sinne is so [Page 87] fast linkt to thy conscience, that at the last (albeit not before) it will pull and hale thee, and rack and prick thy conscience, which will accuse, conuict, & condemn thee: all thy vanities, all thy iniquities, will then pursue thee like so many furious ghosts. Then ex ore tuo, out of thy own mouth shalt thou be iudged, thou euill seruant: thy owne mouth shall confesse that thou hast followed nothing but va­nity: What a vanity was it for me to make earth my heauen, and so to admire & euen adore this earth, that it is a hell to for­sake it? What a wofull bargain haue I made to sell my soule for vanity? I was borne in vanity, I haue liued in vanity, and it is [Page 88] my feare that I shall dye in va­nity. Oh how griefe followeth griefe? my heart is terrified, my thoughts hurried, my consci­ence tortured, I fry in anguish I freeze in paine, I stand agast and know not which way to turne me▪ my friends must for­sake me, my [...]oes will deride me, my earthly ioyes and comforts (I should call them vanities) haue betraid me. Indeede my friends may goe with me to the graue, but there they must leaue me; my riches, pleasures, and such like vanities vanish before; but my sinnes and conscience will neuer leaue me; the diuell will still pursue me: hee that tempts me now to sinne, will then torment me for sinning, [Page 89] vntill I cry out with Cain, My punishment is greater then I can beare. A horse is but a vaine thing to saue a man, said the sweet singer of Israel: so say I, all earthly things are too vaine to saue a man, to make him blessed, I appeale to the conscience of euery man, if thou hast tried the pleasures of vanity (and who hath not?) whether thou maist not take vp the words of Saint Rom. 6. 12. Paul, What fruit haue I of those things, whereof I am now asha­med? Shame, and griefe, and guilt, and punishment are the fruit of vanity: enough I thinke to rend our hearts from affect­ing of it. Thinke vpon this thou that art in the trace of vanity, that thou maist make a retreat; [Page 90] loose no more time herein (for thou hast already lost too much) redeeme the time, because the dayes are euill; and why are they euill, but because they are vaine? Whatsoeuer is without the circumference of euill, is about the sphere of vanity. Re­solue therefore with thy selfe that all things earthly, worldly, carnall, sinfull, are vaine: the fashion of this world passeth away, faith the Apostle, 1 Cor. 7. 3. The fashion, [...], a word very emphaticall: it signifies first an accidentall and externall figure without substance; se­condly, the habit, vesture or cloathing of a thing. Saint Paul vseth this word to debase the world, by intimating vnto vs, [Page 91] that the world is cloathed with a vesture, that is, wearing and wasting, the fashion of it lasteth but for a time, it is ready euery houre to put on a new fashion: againe, by intimating vnto vs, that the world is without any substantiall forme, like vnto shewes and shadowes, that vanish in the representation. Saint Luke cals all Agrippa's pompe but a fancie: Dauid cals the yeares of a man but a tale, Psal. 90. 9. We spend our yeares as a tale that is told. As a tale, nay, as a thought (for so much the originall word doth import) and how many thoughts may a man haue in an houre? Nothing is more chang­able then a vesture, nothing more fugitiue then a shadow, [Page 92] nothing more fickle then a fan­cie, nothing more swift then thought. What a disproportion therefore is it for the immortall soule of a man to be fastened vnto things which are of such a variable nature? What a folly for vs to preferre those which are but momentary (for so I may more truely cal them then tem­porall) vnto those things which are indeede eternall? Glasses are in great vse amongst vs, yet▪ be­cause of their brittlenesse who esteemes them precious? We smell to flowers, because they are sweet; but because they are fading▪ we regard them there­after. It were well if we would deale thus with all other vani­ties, viz. regard them as they [Page 93] are: vse the creatures we may, but not abuse them; serue our selues of them, but not serue them; inioy them, but not ouer­ioy in them.

Now because examples are are very effectuall, whether we vse them by way of dehortation, or whether by way of exhorta­tion, let me propound one or two in this matter whereof I am treating, that by them thou maist be beaten off from the va­nities and iniquities of this pre­sent euill world. When Alex­ander in the height of his glory kept * a Parliament of the whole Conuen­tum ter­rarum orbi [...]. world, himselfe was summoned by death to appeare in another world. It was a wonderfull president of the vanity and va­riety [Page 94] of humane condition (saith the Historian) to see mighty Iustin. l. 2. Zerxes flote and flye away in a small vessel, who before wanted Sea-roome for his Ships. When Belshazzar was laughing and Dan. 5. quaffing with his Princes and Concubines, carowsing healths in the sacred Vessels; deaths se­cretary, the hand-writing on the wall, told him he was weighed in the ballance, and his King­dome was finished. And before him his father Nebuchadnezzar (at that time the greatest Mo­narch in the world) as he was strouting in his Galleries, and boasting of his owne power and honour, a voyce from heauen told him that his Kingdome was departed from him, that he Dan. 4. [Page 95] should be driuen from amongst men, that he should haue his dwelling with the Beasts of the field, &c. And the sentence was fulfilled on him the same houre. So Zedekiah was a liuely specta­cle 2 Kin. 25 of this worlds vanity and misery, who of a potent King became a miserable captiue, saw his children slaine before his face, after that had, his eyes put out, and died miserably in pri­son. I had almost forgotten Sa­lomon, the wisest King that euer Eccl. [...]. was, hauing giuen himselfe to take pleasure in pleasant things, hauing made great workes, built goodly Houses, planted Vine­yards, Gardens, and Orchards, and planted in them trees of all fruit, & hauing gathered siluer [Page 96] and gold, and the chiefe trea­sures of Kings and Prouinces, being now full of wisedome, and schooled with experience, he is licensed to giue his sen­tence of the whole world, and euery man knowes what his censure was: Vanity of vani­ties, Eccl. 1. [...]. vanity of vanities, all is va­nity. This wise King trauelled all the world ouer, and the fur­ther he went the more vanity he did see, and the neerer he looked, the greater it seemed, till at last he could see nothing but vanity. Wouldst thou know what is to be seene, or heard, or had in this vast Vniuerse? Vani­ty saith Salomon, yea vanity of vanities; and what else? Vani­ty of vanities. And wh [...] else? [Page 97] All is vanity. Nothing beneath the Moone that hath not a tinc­ture of vanity. Nay, the Moone it self, the Sunne▪ all the Planets, all the Starres, the whole body of the Heauens, is become sub­iect to Vanitie. The creature is subiect vnto Vanity, saith the Apostle, Rom. 8. 20. that is, the whole frame of the world, con­sisting of the coelestiall and ele­mentary region, the visible hea­uens with all their goodly fur­niture of Starres and of coelesti all bodies, and the earth with her ornaments, and the other elements. The heauens shall pe­rish, Psal. 10 [...]. [...]. and they shall waxe old as doth a garment, and the Lord shall change [...]hem as a vesture and they shall be changed. As a garment [Page 98] the older it wax [...]th, the lesse comely it is, the lesse able to warme him that weares it: so the materiall heauens by conti­nuance of yeares decrease in beauty and vertue. The neerer the Sunne drawes to the end of his daily course, the lesse is his strength; in the eu [...]ning we feele the Sunne to decay in his heat, and he waxeth alway the weaker. Now if those superi­our bodies, then much more things inferiour and sublunary, are included within the com­passe of vanity.

But it was my purpose, when I first set vpon this subiect, so ample and large, to be so much the more short▪ euery vnderstanding can of it selfe [Page 99] discourse, where such plenty of matter is offered. I haue there­fore (according to the modell of that gift which God hath giuen me) contriued a great pi­cture in a little ring, set forth the great vanity of this world in a little Map.

Let vs now learne the lesson of Saint Iohn, the beloued Dis­ciple of Christ, who wrote so much of loue, doth yet dehort vs from louing the world, 1 Ioh. 2. 15. Loue not the world, neither the things that are in the world. Why not the world? for three reasons: 1. If any man loue the world, the loue of the father is not in him. 2. All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not [Page 100] of the father, but is of the world. 3. The world passeth away, and the lust thereof: that is, it is vaine and vanishing, yea in the ab­stract Vanity. For these reasons we must not suffer our hearts to cleaue to the best things in the world, as if h [...]ppinesse were to be sound in them. Follow the counsell of the holy Ghost, 1 Cor. 7. 31. Vse this world as though thou vsed it not, f [...] the fashion of this world go [...]th a­way. Vse the things of this world as helpes to thee in thy trauell to heauen-ward, but let them not steale away thy heart from better things, from God, and Christ, and heauen, and peace of conscience, and ioy in the holy Ghost: these must de [Page 101] light the heart of a Christian, who was redeemed, not with cor­ruptible 1 Pet. 1. 19. things, as siluer and gold, but with the precious bloud of Ie­sus Christ, in comparison of whom all the things of the world must seeme losse and drosse, and dung, and whatsoe­uer is most despitable in the eyes of m [...]n. If riches increase, set not thy heart vpon them: no treasure, no pleasure, no honor, nor gold, nor plate, nor iewels, Ps. 62. 10 nor house, nor land, nor appa­rell, nor friends, must steale a­way thy heart. We must be affected to these things, as The­odoricke In bonis [...] us tacet, in ma [...]is [...]i­det, in v­trisque Philoso­ph [...] [...]. the good King of A­quitaine was with his play; * In good casts he was silent, in ill mer­ry, in neither angry, in both a [Page 102] Philosopher, or a wise man. We must not make these a riuall vn­to God, we must not leane vpon these by our confidence: for they are a reed that shall quick­ly breake, and the shiuers will run into our hand.

Death is the most terrible of all things that are terrible, said the Philosopher Aristotle: it is terrible both to man and beast, but most terrible to a wicked man that is worse then a beast, when he remembers his sinfull life past, the complexion of his flesh, the palenesse of his face, the dissolution of his members, the rottennesse of his bones, the obscurenesse of his graue, the solitarinesse of his sepulcher, the gnawing of wormes, and the [Page 103] like. But alas (albeit these are terrible, yet) these are nothing without the consideration of sin, which is the sting of death, the strength and victory of the graue. Thinke vpon thy sinnes, whereof thou art guilty, and for which thou must dye, as the condemned malefactor that af­ter sentence pronounced, is hur­ried to the fatall place of execu­tion, to suffer deserued punish­ment. Remember, yea againe and againe. I say, remember, how miserably, how violently, how sodainly, others haue suf­fered death, that were guilty of those sins which are more pre­dominant in thee then they were in them. Art thou a thiefe? which thou maist be, though [Page 104] thou we [...]t neuer attached for theft by the lawes of m [...]n; for couetousnesse is a Pick▪ purse before God: read and remem­ber how Achan dyed, Iosh. 7. Art thou a whoremaster? which thou maist be as well in thy minde as in thy body: then 1 Sam. [...] ▪ read and remember how Hophni and Phineas dyed, how Zimri Num. 25 8. and Cosbi were slain in the very act of their vncleannesse. And Iezabel an impudent strumpet dyed a sodaine and shamefull death. Art thou a blasphemous swearer that dost rend & grinde the sacred name of God be­tweene thy teeth? Remember him vnder the Law that was stoned to death for his blasphe­my. Art thou an Idolatrous [Page 105] impe of the Popish Church, that dost leaue our Lord to worship our Lady, and giue that honour to S [...]ints, nay, to stockes and stones, which is proper to God alone? call to minde how Sen­nacharih was slaine in the midst Is 37. vlt of his Idolatry. Art thou an intempe [...]ate drunkard, that dost s [...]crifice thy time and state, nay, [...]oule and body vnto Bacchus, rising ea [...]ly to drinke strong drinke, and sitting vp l [...]te till W [...]ne infl [...]ne thee? thinke Dan. 5. vlt. vpon Belshazzar that was slaine in the midst of his cups, whilst he was drinking in that Wine, which the swords of his ins [...]l­ting enemies drew out of him together with his l [...]test blood▪ Art thou a couetous V [...]rer, [Page 106] that dost let out thy mony to men, thy time to Mamon, and thy soule to Satan, that like a common Hackney jade wilt not beare thy debtors one houre past thy day? or art thou a gri­ping oppressor, that dost racke thy poore tenants, and exact vpon thy neighbour, to gaine a little transitory trash? Remem­ber Nabal, and remember that Miser in the Gospell, who being Luk. 12. asleep in security, and dreaming of enlarged barns and plentifull haruests, was sodainly [...]erest of all, and being awaked vpon the hearing of his Soule-knell perceiued himself to be for euer wretched. Consider whether these and the like sinners, that haue made their souls the slaues [Page 107] of vanity, haue not in the end made themselues the slaues of misery. Haue they prospered, or haue they perished? if they haue prospered, then follow them; if perished (as indeede they haue) then in the feare of God retire out of their paths, lest thou be speedily cut off, hauing no information of the danger, till thy owne eyes ama­zed with the sodainnes behold it in the shape of ineuitable damnation. Be thou warned by their examples; for God hath punished sinne in them, to preuent sinne in thee: Vt ex­empla Cyprian ser. [...] ▪ d [...] Laps. sint omnium, tormenta paucorum; that the torments of some few may be terrours vnto all: like as thunderbolts fall [Page 108] (Paucorum periculo, sed omnium metu) to the hurt but of few, though not without the horror of all. That ship which sees another ship sinke before her, lookes about her, puls do [...]ne her saile, turneth he [...] c [...]se, and escapes the san [...]s, which else would swallow her vp as they done the other. When the earth swallowed vp Corah and his confederates, all Israel that were round about them, fled at the cry of them, for they said, Lest the earth swallow vs vp also, Num. 16. 34. The Bird will not light on the lime bush, nor into the net, if she see ano­ther insnared before her; the Ho [...]se will not follow another, whom he sees to sticke fast in [Page 109] the mire: oh be not lesse wise then bird or beast, nor more br [...]tish then Horle and Mule that hath no vnderstanding. If thou [...]st another fall into the fire, thou wilt not willingly fol­low him; then follow not sinners to the fire of h [...]ll, lest thou be constrain [...]d at last, when it shall be too late, to bewaile thy fol­ly: to c [...]y out with those that haue mispent their time in va­nity, Oh that now I might dye the death of the righteous! oh Thus [...]ran cis Spi [...]ra crie [...] out, after he had renoū ced the profession of true pietie, for the posses­sion of earths va­nity. that I might not d [...]e at all! oh that I might f [...]ele in my consci­ence the least hope of pardon, which is as vnpossible as to vn­lade all the water in the vast Ocean with a spoone! Oh that God would giue mee the least [Page 110] dram of grace, which is as im­possible as for the least graine of Mustardseed to fill the whole earth! preuent this betimes, which thou maist doe, by aban­doning the vanity of the world; and so liue, that wheresoeuer or howsoeuer thou dyest, whether abroad or at home, by day or by night, sl [...]eping or waking, whether as [...]d in death or a deli­berate death, thou maist willing­ly commend thy spirit vnto the hands of God [...]s vnto the hands of a faithfull creator; and maist say with the Bride, Come Lord Iesu, euen so, come Lord Iesu, come Reu 22. quickly: my heart is prepared to enter into thy rest, receiue me into the armes of thy mer­cy, entertaine mee into thy [Page 111] owne kingdome, that leauing the vanity of this world, I may with thy glorified Angels and blessed Saints, enioy that e­uerlasting felicity of a better world, which neuer shall haue an end.

Adew therefore vain world, with all worldly delights what­soeuer: and now solitary soule begin to take thy sola [...] in bet­ter things. And to proue the world vaine, and consequently thy selfe vaine, behold these shapes, read th [...]se Verses, and in order open the leaues that are folded vp. Herein, as in a mir­rour, behold thy owne estate, read, and consider what thou readest, that thou maist know and see thy owne vanity. [Page 112] Here thou shalt see what thou wert, what thou art, and what thou shalt be. Dust thou wert, dust thou art, and vnto dust thou shalt returne: dust in thy crea­tion, dust in thy constitution, dust in thy dissolution.

Of the punishments which the Lord threat­ neth vnto such as liue a sinfull life.

ONe of the principall meanes that our Lord hath vsed oftentimes to bridle the hearts of men, and to draw them vnto the obedi­ence of his commandements, hath beene, to s [...]t before their eyes the horrible plagues and punishments that are prepared [Page 117] for such persons as be rebels and transgressours of his Law. For although the hope of the rewards that are promised vnto the good in the life to come, may moue vs very much here­unto: yet are we commonly more moued with things that beirkesome vnto vs, than with such as be pleasant: euen as we see by daily experience, that we are vexed more with an iniury done vnto vs, than delighted with any honour; and we are more troubled with sicknesse, than comforted with health: and so by the discommodity of sicknesse, we come to vnderstand the commodity of health, as by a thing so much the bet­ter perceiued, by how much [Page 118] more it is sensibly felt. Now for this cause did our Lord in times past vse this meane more than any other, as it appeareth most clearely by the writings of the Prophets, which are euery where full of dreadfull sayings and threatnings, wherewith our Lord pretendeth to put a terrour into the hearts of men, and so to bridle and subdue them vnder the obedience of his Law. And for this end he com­manded the Prophet Ieremie, That he should take a white booke, and write in the same all the threatnings and calamities which hee had reuealed vnto him, euen from the first day he began to talke with him, vntill that present houre, and that he [Page 119] should read the same in the pre­sence of all the people, to see if peraduenture they would be moued therewith vnto repen­tance, and to change their for­mer life, to the end, that he might also change the determi­nation of his wrath, which he had purposed to execute vpon them. And the holy Scripture saith, That when the Prophet had done according as he was commanded by almighty God, and had read all those threat­nings in the presence of the people, and of the Rulers; there arose such a feare and terrour amongst them, that they were all astonished, and as it were bestraughted of their wits, look­ing one in anothers face, for the [Page 120] exceeding great fear which they had conceiued of those words. This was one of the principall means which almighty God v­sed with men in the time of the Law written, and so he did also in the time of the Law of grace: in which, the holy Apostle saith, That as there is reuealed a iustice, whereby God maketh men iust, so is there also reuea­led an indignation and wrath, whereby he punisheth the vn­iust: for which cause, S. Iohn Baptist (the glorious forerunner of our Sauiour Christ) was sent with this commission and em­bassage, to preach vnto the world That the axe was now put to the root of the tree and that euery tree that brought no [...] forth [Page 121] good fruit, should be cut downe and cast into the fire. Hee said moreouer, That there was ano­ther come into the world, more mighty than hee, that carried in his hand a fanne, to winnow and cleanse therewith his floore, and that he would put vp the corne into his garner, but the chaffe he will burne in a fire that should ne­uer be quenched. This was the preaching and embassage which the holy fore-runner of our Sauiour Iesus Christ brought into the world. And so great was the thunder of these words, and the terrour which entered into mens hearts, so dreadfull, that there ran vnto him of all estates and conditions of men, euen of the very Pharisees and [Page 122] Publicans, yea, and Souldiours also (which of all others are wont to be most dissolute, and to haue the least care of their consciences) and each of them demanded for himselfe particu­larly of that holy man, what he should doe to attaine vnto sal­uation, and to escape those ter­rible threatnings which he had denounced vnto them, so great was the feare they had concei­ued of them.

And this is that (deare Chri­stian brother) which I doe at this present (in the behalfe of Almighty God) deliuer vnto thee, although not with such feruency of spirit and like holi­nesse of life, yet that which im­porteth more in this case, with [Page 123] the same truth and certainty; for so much as the faith and Gospell which Saint Iohn Bap­tist then preached, is euen the same now taught.

Now, if thou be desirous to vnderstand in few words, how great the punishment is, that al­mighty God hath threatned in his holy Scriptures to the wick­ed, that which may most briefly and most to the purpose be spo­ken in this matter, is this: That like as the reward of the good is anvniuersall good thing, euen so the punishment of the wick­ed is an vniuersall euill, which comprehendeth in it al the euils that are. For the better vnder­standing whereof, it is to be no­ted, That all the euils of this life [Page 124] are particular euils, and there­fore doe not torment all our sences generally, but onely one, or some of them. As taking an example of the diseases of our body; we see, that one hath a disease in his eyes, another in his eares: one is sicke in the heart, another in the stomacke, some other in his he [...]d. And so diuers men are diseased in diuers parts of the body, howbeit, in such wise, that none of all these diseases be generally through­out all the members of the bo­by, but particular to some one of them. And yet for all this, we see what griefe onely one of these diseases may put vs vnto, and how painefull a night the ficke man hath in any one of [Page 125] these infirmities, yea, although it be nothing else but a little ach in one tooth. Now let vs put the case, that there were some one man sicke of such an vni­uersall disease, that he had no part of his body, neither any one joynt or sence free from his proper paine, but that at one time and instant hee suffered most exceeding sharpe torment in his head, in his eyes, and eares, in his teeth, and stomack, in his liuer and heart: and to be short, in all the rest of his mem­bers and joints of his body, and that he lay after this sort stret­ching himselfe in his bed, being pained with these greefes and torments, euery member of his body hauing his particular tor­ment [Page 126] and griefe: Hee (I say) [...]hat should lye thus pained and afflicted, how great torment an [...] g [...]iefe of minde and body (thinke ye) should he sustaine? Oh, what thing could any man imagine more miserable, and more worthy of compassion? Surely, if thou shouldest see but a d [...]gge to be so tormented and [...]ri [...]ued in the street, his very paines would moue thy heart to take pitty vpon him. Now this is that (my deare Christian brother, if any comparison may be made betweene them) which is suffered in that most cursed and horrible place of hell, and not onely during for the space of one night, but euerlastingly, for euer and euer. For like as [Page 127] the wicked men haue offended Almighty God with all their members and sences, and haue made armour of them all to serue sinne, euen so will he or­daine, that they shall be there tormented euery one of them with his proper torment.

There shall the wanton vn­chaste eyes be tormented with the terrible sight of Diuels: the eareswith the confusion of such horrible cries and lamentations which shall there be heard: the nose with the intollerable stinke of that vgly, filthy, and loath­some place: the taste, with a most rauenous hunger and thirst: the touching, and all the members of the body with ex­treame burning fire. The ima­gination [Page 126] shall be tormented by the conceiuing of griefes pre­sent: the memo [...]y, by calling to minde the pleasures past: the vnderstanding, by considering what benefits are lost, and what endlesse miseries are to come.

This multitude of punish­ments the holy Scripture signi­fieth vnto vs, when it saith, Mat. 15. Psal. 10. That in hell there shall be hunger, thirst, wee­ping, wailing, gnashing of teeth, swords double edged, spirits crea­ted for reuengement, serpents, wormes, scorpions, hammers, wormewood, water of gall, the spi­rit of tempest, and other things of like sort. Whereby are signifi [...]d vnto vs (as in a figure) the multitude and dreadfull terrour [Page 127] of the most horrible torments and paines that be in that cursed place. There shall be likewise darknesse inward and outward, both of body and soule, farre more obscure than the darke­nesse of Aegypt, which was to be felt euen with hands, Exod. 20. Th [...]re shall be fire also, not as this fire here, that tormenteth a little, and shortly endeth, but such a fire as that place requi­reth, which tormenteth excee­dingly, and shall neuer make an end of that tormenting. This being true, what greater won­der can there be, than that they which beleeue and confesse this for truth, should liue with such most strange negligence and carelesnesse as they doe? What [Page 130] trauell and paines would not a man willingly take to escape euen one onely day, yea, one houre, the very least of these torments? and wherefore doe they not then, to escape the euerlastingnesse of so great paines and horrible torments, endure so little a trauell, as to follow the exercise of vertue. Surely, the consideration of this matter were able to make any sinfull soule to feare and trem­ble, in case it were deepely re­garded.

And if amongst so great num­ber of paines, there were any manner hope of end or release, it would be some kinde of com­fort: but alas it is not so, for there the gates are fast shut vp from [Page 131] all expectation of any manner of ease or hope. In all kinde of paines and calamities that be in this world, there is alwayes some gap lying open, whereby the patient may receiue some kind of comfort: sometimes reason, sometimes the weather, sometimes his friends, some­times the hearing that others are troubled with the very same disease, and sometimes (at the least) the hope of an end may cheare him▪ onely in these most horrible paines and miseries that be in hell, all the wayes are shut vp in such sort, and all the hauens of comfort so embarred, that the miserable sinner cannot hope for remedy on any side, neither of heauen, nor of earth, [Page 130] neither of the time past, or pre­sent, or of the time to come, or of any other meanes. The dam­ned soules thinke, that all men are shooting darts at them, and that all creatures haue conspired against them, & that euen they themselues are cruell against themselues. This is that distresse whereof the sinners doe lament by the Prophet, saying: The sorrowes of hell haue compassed me round about, and the snares of death haue besieged me: For on which side so [...]u [...]r they looke or turne their eyes, they doe con­tinually behold occasions of sorrow and griefe, and none at all of any ease or comfort. The wise Virgins (saith the Euange list) that stood ready prepared at [Page 131] the gate of the Bridegrome, entred in, and the gate was forthwith locked fast. O locking euerla­sting, O enclosure immortal, O gate of all goodnesse, which shal neuer an [...] more be opened a­gaine. As if he had said more plainly, the gate of pardon, of mercy, of comfort, of grace, o [...] intercession, of hope, and of all other goodnesse, is shut vp for euer and euer. Six dayes and no more was Manna to be ga­thered, but the seuenth day, which was the Sa [...]bath day was there none to be found: and therefore shall he fast for euer, that hath not in due [...]me made his prouision aforehand. The slugg [...]rd (saith he wise man) will not till his ground for [Page 134] feare of cold, and therefore shall he beg his bread in summer, and no man shall giue him to eat. And in another place he saith: He that gathereth in summer, is a wise sonne, but he that giueth himselfe to sleeping at that season, is the sonne of confusion. For what confusion can be greater then that which that miserable coue­tous rich man suffereth, who with a few cr [...]ms of bread that fell from his table, might haue purchased to himselfe abun­dance of euerlasting felicitie, and glory in the kingdome of heauen? But because he would not giue so small a thing, he came to such an extreame ne­cessity that he begged (yea, and shall for euer beg in vaine) one­ly [Page 135] one drop of water, and shall neuer obtaine it. Who is not moued with that request of that vnfortunate damned person, who cried, O father Abraham haue compassion on me, and send downe Lazarus vnto me, that he may dip the tip of his finger in wa­ter, and touch my tongue, for these horrible flames doe torment me exceedingly. What smaller request could there be desired than this? He durst not request so much as one cup of water, neither that Lazarus should put his ▪ whole hand into the water, nor yet (which is more to be wondered at) did he request so much as the whole finger, but onely the tip of it, that it might but touch his tongue; and yet [Page 134] euen this alone would not be granted vnto him. Whereby thou maiest perceiue, how fast the gate of all consolation is shut vp, and how vniuersall that interdict [...]d excommuni­cation is, that i [...] there laid vpon the damned, si [...]h this rich Glut­ton could not obtaine so much as this small request. So that wheresoeuer the damned per­sons doe turne their eyes, and on which sid soeuer they stretch their hands, they shall nor finde any manner of com­fort▪ [...]e it neuer so small. And as he that is in the S [...]a choaked, and almost drowned vnder the water, not finding any st [...]y whereupon to [...]t his fo [...]t, stretcheth forth his hands often­times [Page 135] on euery side in vain (be­cause all that he graspeth after, is thin and liquid water, which deceiues him) euen so shall it fare with the damned persons, when they shall be drowned in that deepe Sea of so many mi­series, where they shall striue and struggle alwaies with death, without finding any succour or place of stay, whereupon they may rest themselues. Now this is one of the greatest paines wherewith they be tormented in that cursed place: for if th [...]se torments should haue their con­tinuance limited but for a cer­taine time, though it were for a thousand, yea▪ a hundred thou­sand millions of yeares, yet euen this would be some little com­fort [Page 138] vnto them, for nothing is perfectly great, in case it haue an end: But alas, they haue not so much as this poore and mise­rable comfort: but contrariwise, their paines are equall in conti­nuance with the eternity of al­mighty God, and the l [...]sting of their misery with the eternity of Gods glory. As long as al­mighty God shall liue, so long shall they dye: and when al­mighty God shall cease to be God, then shall they also cease to be as they are. O deadly life, O immortall death▪ I know not whether I may truely tearme thee, either life or death: for if thou be life, why dost thou kil? And if thou be death▪ why doest thou endure? Wherefore [Page 139] I will call thee neither the one, nor the other, for so much as in both of them there is contained something that is good: as in life there is rest, and in death there is an end (which is a great comfort to the afflicted) but thou hast neither rest nor end. What art thou then? Marry, thou art the worst of life, and the worst of death; for of death thou hast the torment, without any end, and of life thou hast the continuance without any rest. O bitter composition, O vnsauory purgation of our Lords cup! of the which, all the sin­ners of the earth shall drinke their part.

Now in this continuance in this eternity, I would wish that [Page 138] thou (my deare Christian bro­ther) wouldst fixe the eyes of thy consideration a little while: and that as the cleane beast cheweth the cud, euen so thou wouldest weigh this point within thy selfe with great deli­beration. And to the intent thou maiest doe it the better, consider a little the paines that a sicke man abideth in one euill night, especially if he be vexed with any vehement griefe, or sharpe disease. Marke how oft he tumbleth and toss [...]th in his bed, what disquietnesse he hath, how long & tedious one night seemeth vnto him, how du [...]ly he counteth all the houres of the clocke, and how long he deemeth each houre of them to [Page 139] be, how he passeth the time in wishing for the dawning of the day; which notwithstanding, is like to helpe him little towards the curing of his disease. If this then be accounted so great a torment, what torment shall that be (thinke you) in that e­uerlasting night in hell, which hath no morning, nor so much as any hope of any dawning of the day: O darknesse most ob­scure! O night euerlasting! O night accu [...]sed euen by the mouth of almighty God and all his Saints! That one shall wish for light, and shall neuer see it, neither shall the bright­nesse of the morning arise any more. Consider then what a kinde of torment shall that be, [Page 142] to liue euerlastingly in such a night as this is, lying not in a soft bed (as the sicke man doth) but in a hot burning furnace, fe­ming out such terrible raging flames. What shoulders shall be able to abide those horrible heats. If it seeme to vs as a thing intollerable to haue onely some part of our feet standing vpon a pan of burning coales, for the space of repeating the Lords prayer, What shall it be (thinke you) to stand body and soule burning in the midst of those e­uerlasting hot raging fires in hell, in comparison of which, the fires of this world are but painted fires. Is there any wit or iudgement in this world? Haue men their right sences? [Page 143] doe they vnderstand what these words import? or are they per­aduenture perswaded, that these are onely the fables of Poets? or doe they thinke, that this ap­pertaineth not to them, or else that it was onely ment for o­thers? None of all this can they say, for so much as our faith assureth vs most certainly herein. And our Sauiour Christ himselfe, who is euerlasting truth, crieth out in his Gospell, saying, Heauen and earth shall faile, b [...]t my word shall not faile.

Of this misery there follow­eth another as great as it, which is, that the paines are alwayes continuing in one like degree, without any manner of inter­mission, or decreasing. All man­ner [Page 142] of things that are vnder the cope of heauen, doe moue and turn round about with the same heauen, and doe neuer stand still at one state or being, but are continually either ascending or descending. The sea and the riuers haue their ebbing and flowing, the times, the ages, and the mutable fortune of men, and of kingdomes, are euermore in continuall motion. There is no feauer so feruent, that doth not decline, neither griefe so sharp, but that after it is much aug­mented, it doth forthwith de­crease. To be sho't, all the tri­bulations and miseries are by little and little worne away with time, and as the common saying is, Nothing is sooner dried [Page 145] vp than teares. Onely that paine in hell is alwayes greene, onely that feauer neuer decreaseth, onely that extremity of hear knoweth not what is either eue­ning or morning. In the time of Noahs flood, almighty God rained forty dayes and forty nights, continually without ceasing vpon the earth, and this sufficed to drowne the whole world. But in that place of torment in hell, there shall raine euerlasting vengeance, and darts of furie vpon that cursed land, without euer ceasing so much as one onely minute or moment. Now what torment can be greater and more to be abhor­red, than continually to suffer after one like manner, without [Page 146] any kinde of alteration or change? Though a meat be neuer so delicate, yet in case we feed continually thereupon, it will in very short time be very loathsome vnto vs: for no meat can be more precious and deli cate than that Manna was, which almighty God sent down vnto the children of Israel in the Desart, and yet because they did eat continually thereof, it made them to loath it, yea, and prouoked them to vomit it vp againe. The way that is all plaine (they say) wea [...]ieth more than any other, because alwayes the variety (yea, euen in punish­ment) is a kinde of comfort. Tell me then, if things that be pleasant and sauory, when they [Page 147] be alwayes after one manner, are an occasion of loathsome­nesse and paine: what kinde of loathsomenesse will that be which shall be caused by those most horrible paines and tor­ments in hell, which doe con­tinue euerlastingly after one like sort? What will the dam­ned and cursed creatures think, when they shall there see them­selues so vtterly abhorred and forsaken of almighty God, that he will not so much as with the remission of any one sinne, mi­tigate somwhat their torments. And so great shall the fury and rage be which they shall there conceiue against him, that they shall neuer cease continually to curse and blaspheme his holy [Page 148] name. Vnto all these paines, there is also added the paine of that euerlasting consumer, to wit, the worme of conscience, whereof the holy Scripture maketh so oftentimes mention, saying, Their worme shall neuer dye, and their fire shall neuer be quenched. This worme is a fu­rious raging despight and bitter repentance, without any fruit, which the wicked shall alwayes haue in hell, by calling to their remembrance the opportunity and time they had whiles they were in this world, to escape those most grieuous and horri­ble torments, and how they would not vse the benefit there­of. And therefore when the miserable sinner seeth himselfe [Page 149] thus to be tormented and vex­ed on euery side, and doth call to minde how many dayes and yeeres he hath spent idly in va­nities, pastimes, and pleasures; and how oftentimes he was ad­uertised of this perill, and how little regard he tooke thereof: What shall he thinke? What anguish and sorrow shall there be in his heart? Hast thou not read in the Gospell, that there shall be weeping and wailing, and gnashing of teeth? The famine of Aegypt endurd onely seuen yeares, but that in hell shall en­dure euerlastingly. In Aegypt they found a remedy, though with great difficulty & charge; but for this, there shall neuer a ny remedy be found. Theirs [Page 150] was redeemed with money and cattell, but this can neuer be re­deemed with any manner of ex­change. This punishment can­not be pardoned, this p [...]ine cannot be exchanged, this sen­tence cannot be reuoked. Oh, if thou knewest and wouldest consider, how euery one con­demned to hell, shall there re­maine tormenting and renting himselfe, weeping and wailing, and saying; O miserable and vnfortunate wretch that I am, what times and opportunities haue I suffered to passe invaine? A time there was, when with one cup of cold water I might haue purchased to my selfe a crowne of glory, and when also with such necessary workes of [Page 151] mercy in relieuing the poore, I might haue gained life euerla­sting. Wherefore did I not looke before me? How was I blinded with things present? How did I let passe the fruitfull yeares of abundance, and did not enrich my selfe? If I had beene brought vp amongst In­fidels and Pagans, and had be­leeued that there had beene no­thing else but onely to be born, and to dye, then might I haue had some kinde of excuse, and might haue said, I knew not what was commanded or pro­hibited me: but for so much as I haue liued amongst Christians, and was my selfe one of them professed, and held it for an ar­ticle of my beleefe, that the [Page 152] houre should come when I should giue vp an account after what order I had spent my life: forsomuch also as it was daily cried out vnto me by the conti­nuall preaching and teaching of Gods Embassadours (whose aduertisements many follow­ing, made preparation in time, and laboured earnestly for the prouision of good workes:) forasmuch I say as I made light of all these examples, and per­swaded my selfe very fondly, that heauen was prepared for me, though I tooke no paines for it at all: what deserue I that haue thus led my life? O ye in­fernall furies, come and rent me in peeces, and deuoure these my bowels, for so haue I iustly de­serued, [Page 153] I haue deserued eternall famishment, seeing I would not prouide for my selfe while I had time. I deserue not to reap, because I haue not sowne; I am worthy to be destitute, because I haue not laid vp in store; I deserue that my request should now be denied me, sith when the poore made request vnto me, I refused to releeue them: I haue deserued to sigh and la­ment so long as God shall be God; I haue deserued, that this worme of conscience shal gnaw mine entrails for euer and euer, by representing vnto mee the little pleasure that I haue en­ioyed, and the great felicitie which I haue lost, and how far greater that was which I might [Page 154] haue gained, by forgoing that little which I would not forgoe. This is that immortall worme that shall neuer dye, but shal lye there euerlastingly gnawing at the entrailes of the wicked, which is one of the most terri­ble paines that can possibly be imagined.

Peraduenture thou art now perswaded (good Reader) that there can be added no more vn­to this, than hath beene said. But surely the mighty arme of God wanteth not force to cha­stice his enemies more & more: for all these paines that are hi­therto rehearsed, are such as doe appertaine generally to all the damned: but besides these ge­nerall paines, there are also [Page 155] other particular paines, which each one of the damned shall there suffer in diuers sorts, ac­cording to the quality of his sinne. And so according to this proportion, the hauty and proud shall there be abased and brought low to their great con­fusion. The couetous shall be driuen to great necessity: the glutton shall rage with conti­nuall hunger and thirst. The lecherous shall burne in the ve­ry same flames which they themselues haue enkindled. And those that haue al their life time hunted after their pleasures and pastimes, shall liue there in continuall lamentation and sor­row. But because examples are of very great force to moue our [Page 156] hearts, I will bring onely one for this purpose, wherby some­what of this matter may the better be perceiued. It is writ­ten of a certaine holy man, that he saw the paines (in spirit) of a licentious and worldly man in this sort. First he saw how the diuels that were present at the houre of his death, when hee yeelded vp his ghost, snatched away his soule with great reioy­cing, and made a present there­of to the prince of darkenesse, who was then sitting in a chaire of fire, expecting the comming of this present. Immediately af­ter that it was presented before him, he arose vp out of his seat, and said vnto the damned soule, that he would giue him the pre­heminence [Page 157] of that honourable seat, because he had beene a man of honour, ann was alwayes ve­ry much affected to the same. Incontinently after that he was placed therein, crying and la­menting in that honourable tor­ment, there appeared before him two other most ougly di­uels, and offered him a cup full of most bitter and stinking liquor, and made him to drinke and carouse it vp all, perforce; saying, It is meet, sithence thou hast beene a louer of precious wines and bankets, that thou shouldest likewise proue of this our wine, whereof all we doe vse to drinke in these parts.

Immediately after this there came other two, with two fiery [Page 158] trumpets, and setting them at his eares, began to blow into them flames of fire, saying, This melody haue we reserued for thee, vnderstanding that in the world thou wast very much delighted with minstrelcie and wanton songs: and sodainly he espied other diuels, loaden with vipers and serpents, the which they threw vpon the breast and bellies of that miserable sinner, saying vnto him, that forsomuch as he had beene greatly delight­ed with the wanton embracings and lecherous lusts of women, he should now sollace himselfe with these refreshings, instead of those licentious delights and pleasures, which he had enioy­ed in the world. After this sort [Page 159] (as the Prophet Esay saith in the 47. chapter) when the sinner is punished, there is giuen measure for measure, to the end, that in such a great variety and propor­tion of punishments, the order and wisedome of Gods iustice, might the more manifestly ap­peare.

This vision hath almighty God shewed in spirit to this ho­ly man for aduertisement and instruction, not that in hel these things are altogether so mate­rially done, but that by them we might vnderstand in some man­ner the varietie and multitude of the paines which be there appointed for the damned. Whereof, I know not how some of the Pagans haue had a [Page 160] certaine knowledge: for a Poet speaking of this multitude of paines, affirmed, That although he had a hundred mouthes, and as many tongues, with a voyce as strong as yron, yet were they not able onely to expresse the names of them. A Poet he was that spake this, but truely therin he spake more like a Prophet or an Euangelist than a Poet. Now then, if all this euill shall most assuredly come to passe, what man is he, that seeing all this so certainly with the eyes of his faith, will not turne ouer the leafe, and begin to prouide for himselfe against that time? Where is the iudgement of m [...]n now become? Where is their wits? yea, where is at least their [Page 161] selfe-loue, which seeketh euer­more for his owne profit, and is much affraid of any losse? May it be thought that men are be­come beasts, that prouide onely for the time present? Or haue they peraduenture so dimmed their eye-sight, that they cannot looke before them? Hearken (saith Esay) O yee deafe and ye blinde, open your eyes that you may see; Who is blinde but my seruant? And who is deafe but yee, vnto whom I haue sent my messengers? And who is blind, but he that suffereth himselfe to be sold for a slaue? Thou that seest so many things, wilt thou not suffer thy selfe to see this? Thou that hast thine ears open, wilt thou not giue eare hereun­to? [Page 162] If thou beleeue not this, how art thou then a Christian? If thou beleeue it, and doest not prouide for it, how canst thou be thought a reasonable man? Aristotle saith, That this is the difference betweene opinion and imagination, that an imagi­nation alone is not sufficient to cause a feare, but an opinion is: for if I doe imagine that a house may fall vpon mee, it is not enough to make me afraid, vn­lesse I beleeue or haue an opi­nion it will be so indeede: for then it is sufficient to make me afraid. And hereof commeth the feare that murderers al­wayes haue, by reason of the suspition they conceiue, that their enemies doe lye in wait [Page 163] for them. If then the opinion and onely suspition of danger is able to cause the greatest cou­rage to feare, how is it that the certainty and beleefe of so ma­ny and so great terrible miseries (which are farre more sure than any opinion) doth not make thee to feare. If thou perceiuest, that for these many yeares past thou hast led a licentious and sinfull life, and that at the last, according to present iustice, thou art condemned to these horrible torments in hell: if al­so there appeare by probable coniecture, that there is no more likelihood of thy amend­ment for ensuing years to come, than there was in those already past, how happeneth it, that run­ning [Page 164] headlong into so manifest a danger, thou art not at all a­fraid? Especially, considering the sinfull state wherein thou liuest, and the horrible paines and torments which doe attend for thee, and the time which thou hast lost, and the endlesse repentance which thou shalt haue therefore in the most hor­rible torments of hell. Assured­ly, it goes beyond the compasse of all common sence & conceit of humane reason, to consider, That there should be such neg­ligent, wilfull, grosse, & carelesse blindnesse, able to enter and take such deepe rooting in the soule of man.