CHristian Friends, of what degrée soever, I beg at all of you for Christs sake, and the good of your own souls, to spend one half hour in reading over this small Book, or tend to hear [Page 5] the reading of it: let me entreat you not to neg­lect so great salvation, and lay by all your bu­sied affairs to hear of the coming of Christ, of the great day of Iudgement, which is now even at the door; throw by all to prepare your lamps of Oyl against his coming; for his appear­ance is a glory to them that fear him; but it will be a terrible day to the wicked, according to my Text of Scripture before laid down. Satan is now loose in the world, he deceives four parts of the Earth: yea, Gog and Magog he gathers together, whose number is as the sands of the Sea; yea, he compasses the camps of the Saints, and the beloved City: so he, like a flying Locust, doth corrupt Gods people against the great Assizes to condemne them, when fire shall fall from Heaven and devoure the wicked, and the Divel that deceived the false Prophets of the world, shall be cast into the lake of this fire and brimston with them; then shall Christ sit in judgement and power, and his Saints with him, judging the twelve Tribes of Israel, and the dead small and great shall rise and receive according to their works, and whosoever be not found in the Book of Life shall be cast in the lake of fire and brim­stone for ever, where shall be wéeping and gnashing of téeth; but the righteous shall ne­ver sée this, he shall rejoyce when he séeth the vengeance, he shall wash his féet in the [Page 6] blood of the wicked, so that a man shall say, There is a reward to the Righteous, verily he is God that judgeth the Earth, Psal. 58.10, 11.

Oh kearken I beséech you and repent you of your former sins, in what condition will that man be in whose works are not good, a fearful thing it is to lose Heaven to obtain Hell, to lose the favour of God, to be cursed with the Divel to lie in torments for ever. Rent your hearts and not your garments turn to the Lord all you that are heavy loaden of your sins; are as red as scarlet he will make them as white as snow saith the Lord of Hosts, I do not desire the death of a sinner, but rather would have you repent and live. Dearly beloved Friends, the Lord doth not desire you to go astray, but to o­bey his Call while its open unto you; for after death comes judgement; tis no referring your sin of repentance: to day if you will hear his voice harden not your hearts; to morrow is a­nother day, and who knows what a day brings forth: Lie not wallowing in your corrupted­nesse like to beasts; for the day of slaughter is nigh, a just reward is prepar'd for the wicked; the punishment of Hell might afright you but only you are a people of very hard mettle, mis­believing of the Scriptures, like to the Scribes and Pharisées; but if like to them you do evil, you might partake of their punishments: also I say, how gloomy a sight is the coming of [Page 7] Christ to the Righteous: for at the Resurre­ction God will wipe away all tears from your eyes, and there shall be no more death, whether sorrow nor crying; neither shall there be any pain to thee, for the former things are past a­way; but the fearful, and unbeliever, and the abominable, and unbelievers and whoremong­ers, and sorcerers, ans Idolaters, and all lyars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death and terriblest, Rev. 21.4, 8. it makes a reasonable Christian go out of his wits to think of the terrible punishment of Hell; strive there­fore I beséech you to enter in at the strait gate; For many I say unto you will strive to enter in and cannot be able, Matth. 7.13. For when once the Master is risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand at the door knocking, without saying, Lord, Lord, open to us; but the Lord will answer, I know you not whence you are, depart from me all you workers of iniquity, Luke 13.25, 27. Oh what a dismall Sentence is this to be deprived of the joyes of Heaven, and the presence of Christ, wherein is all fulness of joy, lacking nothing, and rest and peace for evermore. Consider the Lillies how they grow; the toyl not, the spin not, and yet I say unto you Solomon in all his glory was not arayed like to one of these: if God so then cloath the grasse which is to day in the [Page 8] field, and to morrow is cast into an Oven, and how much more will he cloath you, O you of little faith, Luke 12.17, 18. O consider my dear Friends, and he better grounded towards God in true faith, through Iesus Christ. You sée and know that God is able to let you want for nothing so you will but serve him. Mark what God saith in Ezekiel 33.4, 5. Whosoever heareth the sound of a Trumpet and takes not warning, if the sword come and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head: but he that taketh warning delivereth his own soul. I beséech you Friends, now you hear this day the sound of God in your ears, take warning hereby, prepare for the coming of Christ in the courts of Heaven to judgement; for assuredly that man that is found unprepared at that day will be in a most damnable condition, they shall burn as an oven; yea, and all the proud and all that do wickedly shall be stub [...]le, and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord; that is, shall not leave neither root nor branch; but unto them that fear my name saith God▪ shall the Son of righteousnesse rise with healing in his wings, and you shall tread down the wicked, for they shall be as ashes under the soles of your feet, Malac. 4.1, 2, 3. We have great cause to work out our salvation with fear and trembling: what man would run himself in danger when he may escape it. Be not idle [Page 9] dear Friends, but spare of your ordinary sléep to muse of the word of GOD, for great is the reward of the righteous in Heaven; yea, love you your Enemies, and doe good, and lend unto the needy, hoping for none again, and your reward shall be great, and you shall be Children of the highest, Luke 5.35. sée also the manner of Christs coming to Iudgement: the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the noise of the Arch-angell, with Trump of God, and those which died in Christ shall rise first: then we that are alive and remain, shall be caught up with them together in the Clouds, to méet the Lord in the Air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord, Thes. 4.16, 17, 18. but the day and hour knoweth no Man, therefore watch and pray for the coming of Christ, for it will over-take you as a thief in the night: there­fore sleep not as do others, but watch and be sober, for they that sleep, sleep in the night, they that be drunken, be drunk in the night; but let us who are of the day be sober, put­ting on the brest plate of Faith and Love, and for a Helmet put on the hope of salvation, And I beséech you brethren to know them that labour among you, and are over you in the Lord; abstain from all appearance of evill, do good and not hurt, for he that diligently séeketh good procureth favour, but he that seek­eth [Page 10] hurt provoketh shame, Pro. 11.27. so it must néeds be with the wicked a perpetuall shamefull thing for a Christian to be so simple as to lose the presence of God, and his glori­ous kingdome, to gain the intolerable flashing of Hell Fire; and to be accompanied with di­velish companions, to foreshew the glorious light of Heaven, where is light for evermore, to obtain Hells obscured darknesse, to be be­reft of everlasting Ioyes, to suffer perpetuall Torments; this is true, that these torments are prepared for the Damned, which shall be known to all those which is reserved for those torments, by the most wretchfull and indigna­tion of God, a just reward for the wicked: for saith Job, Chap. 21.30. The wicked is reser­ved to the day of Destruction, they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath. How oft is the Candle of the wicked put out, and how oft cometh her Destruction upon them, they are stubble before the wind, and as chaff that the storm carrieth away, his eyes shall see his Destruction, and she shall drink the wrath of the Almighty, Job 17.18, 20. strive to escape this wrath of God, else will your own eyes sée your sudden destruction come upon you; is it not better to serve God and be in safety, then to serve the Devill and be in utter destruction: 'tis time Christian Friends to prepare your selves for the day of doom, for it is even at the [Page 11] door, the signs of Christs coming doth signifie the same; for in the latter days there shall be Wars and Rumors of Wars with great slaugh­ters, blood touches blood, the Father against the Son, and the Son against the Father, one Neighbour against the one, not knowing his Friend from his Foe, and the day is not yet, great signes will be in Heaven and in Earth, before the notable day of the Lord cometh, the Moon shall be turned into blood, and the Sun shall be darkened and forbear her shine­ing: Young men shall see Visions, Old men shall dream dreams, and divers notable signes will be before the day of the Lord cometh, Acts 2.19, 20. these are the signes of the com­ing of Christ, and the generall Resurrection: when the Lord shall appear in the Clouds with magnificent glory coming in the Air, with his Saints judging the Twelve Tribes of Is­raell, but when this is accomplished there will be peace and safety, but then cometh sudden destruction as a Thief in the night; therefore Christian Friends, watch and pray, for you know not at what hour the Son of Man com­eth: you sée and have heard, and do know that most of these things are accomplished, and we are now in peace and safety, and you know not how suddenly destruction may come upon you: pray, pray for the Lords coming, it is even at the door, it cannot be far off: for our ancient [Page 12] Fathers have wrought that the world should last Six Ages: that's to say not six thousand years, for the longest liver was Methusaleh, who lived nine hundred sixty and nine years, and then dyed, Genesis 5.27. his age six times doubled makes it appear that the last day is not far of us, but will be accomplished in the year from the Creation, to the year of the Lords resurrection 5886. but then the Apostles testi­fie, write in the book of the Acts, if the dayes be not shortned, there shall be no flesh saved, this beloved is to put you off from knowing the day of the Lords coming: be carefull good peo­ple to prepare your selves, do not think with the scoffers of the world that God will not come; or like to Seduces and false Prophets, bringing in damnable doctrine of Heresie, but behold many shall follow their pernicious ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evill spoken of, Pet. 2.2. if God therefore spared not the Angels that sinned, but cast them down to Hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judge­ment, much more wil he reserve the fire of hell for the extortionall sinners of this world: he spared not the whole world, but drowned it, saving eight persons: bringing the floods upon the world of the ungodly, so also shall fire and brimstone burn up the wicked, and leave them neither root nor branch, the Lord also turned [Page 13] the city of Sodom and Gomorrah unto ashes, condemned them with an overthrow, making an example to all those that ever after should live ungodly, and delivered just Lot, who was vexed with the filthy conversation of the wick­ed: so will GOD doe at the Iudgement day, he will sever the wicked from the righteous, and shower upon them everlasting Torments; we in England do as justly deserve sudden de­struction, as did these Cities of Sodom and Go­morrah, for there was not any one sin raigned there, but it is as frequently here, the sin of pride never raigned more, then it doth at this hour, both in City and Country, and that's cloaked over with a badg of Galantry: to what profit is it to be as Dives was in the Gospell, to dwell in a sumptuous Building, to wear rare apparel, to fair delicately every day, to have all the delights that the world could af­ford him, to be in damnable torments for ever: be content and strive not dear Friends to gain this to loose heaven, for the glory of the world is as nothing to the glory of God: besides sin so aboundeth in number, it is more then the sands of Sea, Sodom had not the sins as we have, why therefore O God are we not de­stroyed! O thou God art infinite in mercy and truth, sparing thy people, willing them to a­mendment of life; but I wil present to your view what sins are now in groth at this present time [Page 12] [...] [Page 13] [...] [Page 14] first raigns pride, covetousness, malice, envy, hatred, in all abundance, besides the most dam­nable sins of cursing and swearing, lying, drun­kenness, whoredom, and divers other sins which are weights to weigh a sinner down to Hell.

Oh dear Friends, put from you sin, which is the main thing that kéeps you from Heaven; yea, you take delight in sinning to fulfill the lusts thereof: you think when you roar it in Taverns you do a good work when you hurt both soul and body; you vapour and exalt your selves when you should be méek and lowly, you drink Béer and Wine to excesse when you should be sober; besides, running to carnal lusts when you should be chast, using most damnable Oaths and prophane actions, letting your mouths speak guile, acting all evil abomi­nably to the face of God, and thus in the pra­ctice of sin you run continually, never thinking of the terrible day of Iudgement; yea, mighty terrible will it be to the wicked: and who will be able to stand before the righteous Judge, who judges in truth and righteousnesse, accor­ding to the work of every mans doings? In what a sad condition my friends are you in to he judged according to your doings: doth it not behoove you all to have a care of your actions, if your works be bad, you must receive its just reward of punishment; if your works be just, your case will be happy at this general seat of [Page 15] Iudgement; after life there is no pleading your case; for your case is before known: you are either recorded in the Book of Life or Death, there is no Lawyers to plead for fées, there is none of your earthly friends can pay the ransome of your souls, in what a vaile of misery are you plunged in at this hour, the Di­vel is on one side of you, against the word of Sentence is past to bring you to eternal dam­nation, your own conscience on the other side witnessing against you of all the hidden secret sins, which you in your life time have commit­ted, the wrath of Gods fury hangs over you, his scourging Rod which will torment you, Hell lies under you ready to swallow ye up, where the most damnable torments of Hell fire is prepared for the wicked, then all calamities, sorrows and hellish torments presses you at once and compasses you about on every side: the losse of Heaven and the presence of God is a hellish torment, without any other torment, with the losse of the profitable love of God, and the glory thereof, besides to be punished in the flames of Hell for evermore, where there is wéeping and gnashing of téeth, Matth. 24.30. When the Son of Man shall come in his Glory, and all the holy Angels with him, and before shall be gathered all Nations together, and he shall separate them one from another as a shep­herd divideth his Sheep from his Goats; and [Page 16] he shall set the Sheep on the right hand, and the Goats on the left; and to the righteous shall say, Come ye blessed of my Father inhe­rit the Kingdome of God, prepared for you from the beginning: but to the wicked he saith, Go you cursed into everlasting fire, pre­pared for the Divel and his Angels, Matth. 24.31, 32, 34, 41. Lo. these shall go away into everlasting punishment, and the Righteous into life Eternal.

Dear Brethren the way to escape these pu­nishments dependeth only on things, that is to fear God, and kéep the Commands of GOD; these are also lost in your self, redéemed by Christ. What Christians in the world would endanger themselves of death, for the gaining of a trifled matter run into Hell, and forsake Heaven, falling into eternal misery▪ and might obtain eternal Glory.

A word to you worldly men that makes a God of your Riches, pinching and grinding the poor for gain, It will be easier for a Camel to go thorow the eye of a needle, then for such a rich man to enter into life eternal. But trust not unto uncertain riches; now lay upno earthly riches in store for the morrow, but lay up riches in Heaven, where moth nor rust can­not corrupt. And a place where is all fidelity, blisse and joy, and eternal happinesse, relieve the poor and néedy, and turn not from them: [Page 17] for know you what is given to the poor with charitable friends is lent to the Lord, and your reward will be great in the Kingdome of Hea­ven. But such covetous worldly men that will not relieve the oppressed, but lay up their gold in store for many years, are counted like the fool in the Gospel that was suddenly tain from his riches and indanger'd himself of ever­lasting damnation. Lay up no treasures on earth, take care neither for any thing; for to morrow thou mayst go to thy grave. Then hap­py is he that hath laid up treasures in Heaven to all eternity, where moth nor rust cannot corrupt, nor Thieves break thorow nor steal; For Heaven and Earth must passe away, and fly from the presence of God, and not one tit­tle of the Gospel of Christ shall passe away.

O England, beware of Gods heavy wrath and severe judgements against thée for thy rebellious sinning against him: the Lords wrath will consume thée except spéedy repen­tance, he hath stretched out his hand of afflicti­on on the Land, as a toll to the day of Doom, And it shall come passe saith the Lord, at that day I will search with Candles, and punish the men that are settled in their lees, that saith in their heart the Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil; therefore their goods shall be­come a booty, and their houses a desolation, they shall also build houses, but not inhabit [Page 16] [...] [Page 17] [...] [Page 18] them, they shall plant Vineyards, but not drink the Wine thereof; the great day of the Lord is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty men shall cry then bitterly, that day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distresse, a day of wastnesse and desolation, a day of darknesse and gloominesse, a day of CLOVDS and thick darknesse, a day of tumpeting and ala­rum against the fenced Cities, and against the high Towers: and distresse I will bring upon wicked men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord, and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung: neither their Silver nor their Gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lords wrath; give good regard to this you rich men, who like the great fishes of the sea eateth up the poor & small fish­es, but those the Lord speaks in Micah 6.12, 15. the rich men are full of violence, shall I ac­count them pure that uses false ballance with baggs of deceitfull weights, no, I rather ac­count him a deceiver of the poor; and at this generall day he cannot be able to stand before the Iudgement seat of Christ, but will be by his own Conscience prest from the presence of God, wishing the Hills to cover him and hide him from the presence of the Almighty; but when that the word of sentence is past, he must depart to that lake of Fire that burneth [Page 19] for ever, where there is wéeping and gnashing of téeth, from which place O mighty God de­liver us; but if a man will be willing to loose his life to save it, he shall arive to his desired Haven, which is a Heavenly Ierusalem and glorious throne of Christ, as mystically it was put for those prophesies to John in the Rev. 21.9, 10, 27. and there came unto me one of the seven Angels, and talked with me, saying, come hither, and he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high Mountaine, and shewed me that great City descending out of Heaven from God, having the Glory of God, and his light was like unto stone most preci­ous, even like a Jasper stone clear as Christall, and had a Wall great and high, and had twelve Gates, and at the Gates twelve Angels, which are the manner of the twelve Tribes of the Children of Israell; there was three Gates on the North, three on the South, three on the West, three on the East, and the Walls of the City hath twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve Apostles, of the Lamb, and the City lyeth four square, the length, and the bredth, and the height of it are equal, the building of the walls of it was of Jasper, and the City was pure Gold, like unto clear Glass, the Foundation thereof was grounded with precious stones, and the twelve Gates were twelve Pearls, and the Gates of this City were [Page 20] pure Gold, as it were transparent Glass; and no temple is therein, for the Lord God Al­mighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it. This City of Heaven hath no néed of the light of the Sun or of the Moon, for the glory of God and the Lamb is the light thereof, and also there proceedeth out of the Throne of God, and the Lamb a pure river of water of Life, as clear as Chrystal, and in the midst of the street was the Tree of life▪ which bears twelve manner of fruits, and yieldeth her fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree was for the healing of Nations, there is no night there, and they need no Candle, neither light of the Sun; for the Lord God giveth them light, and they shall raign for ever and ever; these sayings my Friends are faithfull and true: for the Lord God hath shewed unto his Servants the thing which must shortly be done.

Oh beloved consider the Glory of this Hea­venly Jerusalem, no man is able to imagine or conceive the wisdome of God, and the Ho­nour and Glory of the Lamb, and his ama­rous Throne which is the Portion of the Righteous and their greatest reward: For behold saith God I come quickly and my re­ward is with me, to give to every man accord­ing to his works, what are our works by which we must be Iudged? Oh Base and Filthy, more worse then the Beast of the Field, we [Page 21] work nothing that's good, we act mischiefe con­tinually to the Face of God, by our most De­bauched Swearing, and Cursing, Whordome, and Drunkennesse, Pride, and Covetous­nesse, Extortionall Idolatry, and Deceitfull Living and Murmuring at the handy works of God; but lo, the portion of those wicked men is to be burned in a lake of Fire, which burn­eth for ever and ever: they will be Tormen­ted with the memory of things past, present, and to come: the Rich man will think of his Fidelity that is past his punishment at pre­sent, and his intolerable Torments to come. You Rich Men be convinced and make not a god of your Riches, but make such uses of your Tallents that GOD hath lent you; be'st thou a King, Rule in Peace, Execute Iudgement upon Mercies, spread forth the Gospell of Christ throughout the whole Do­minions: and you Iudges and Magistrates in chiefest, Iudge equity and right, give Iu­stice to the Poor as well as to the Rich: let not the Ballance of Wickednesse out-weigh the Book of Life; nor hide nothing from God, for his all-séeing eye doth bring secret things to a clear light, for what is done in your se­cret Courts, will be proclaimed on the house Top, to you Lawyers recall your selves to remembrance what Law is, let not handfuls of Gold and Silver carry you from a rightfull [Page 22] Case, be you a pleader for the poor, and re­déem them from an earthly bondage, and your Saviour will plead for you, and Iudge you according at the great Assizes, and redéem you; Next you Ministers of God, measure out the Fruits of Righteousnesse to the People, sound forth the Gospell with boldnesse, rehearse no­thing but sound Doctrine, which prodéeds from the spirit of truth, and he as a shining light by your zeal and conversation; and lay aside all Superstition, Popery, Schisme, or Heresie, which hath bred Destruction in the Land: And lastly to you People in General, of what degrée soever, or opinion, Take these few Rules and Administrations before I end, or quite conclude my Book: to you Learned, search you the Scriptures, and you'l find me not to diminish the word of God, the Law of the Lord, then practise and follow what you find Writ in the Old and New Testament; and to the Ignorant People, I advise you to hearken to the Learned, and to those that Preaches the Gospell, and what they com­mend unto you, and lay it to heart, and search out your Salvation with Fear and Trembling,

First séek to find God in your hearts, then learn to know him, & he acquainted with him: for if you never séek to know him, how should you ever think to live with him; you think [Page 23] in your hearts how should we know him, that we nere beheld with our mortall Eyes: no my Friends, you must sée him spiritually and not mortally; for no mortall eyes is able to behold his exceeding magnificent Glory: he sent Christ in the Flesh because we should believe, but for all this, yea for all the means he can use, we will not believe him: yet you say you believe there is a God, but wherein doe you believe? for if you believe aright, how dare you to offend so great a God? no my Friends, if you believe aright, you'l séek to please him, and not offend him, but fear his Iudgements, and trust in his Mercy; for he is slow to anger and of great kindnesse. Therefore beloved Conclude with me, with these sayings, fear God and keep his Commandements, and then you may hope to believe aright: pre­pare your selves against this great day of the Lord, for unto you that fear my name, it will be a day of joy and rejoycing, a day of fidelity, mirth and gladnesse with eternal Bliss, when the Wicked man shall lie and be Cursed with Curses, the Plagues of Hell Tormanting him, the Memory of things past oppressing him, the howle of fearfull Divels affrighting him, the heavy wrath and curse of God hang over him, and worst of all, the Everlasting Tor­ments to come, which doth strike him in ever­lasting despair: our wordly pains are wonder­full [Page 24] to be endured, were we but to sit still a month and ne're to move, to ly in Prison seven years, to hold our hands in Fire for an hour, to be stormed to Death, is nothing to this un­knownable Torment, of our earthly torment: the Tormented or the Tormentor dieth and hath an end, but the Pains of Hell hath never end. For the Grace of our magnificent God the Father, and the Glory of his Sonne our Saviour, accompanied with the holy Ghost, defend us from Hell, and bring us to Hea­ven to raign with him from everlasting to e­verlasting, Amen.