THe recompence of the righ­teous and the reward of the wicked described, in this verse are both decla­red to be euerlasting, the one embraceing, the other despising an eternall Maiestie; these that shall goe into euerlasting paine, are the mercilesse, the cruell and hard hearted and with them all that goe not into life eter­nall, [Page 2] all those that shall not inherit the kingdome of God. 2. Cor. 6.9.10.

Our Sauiour Christ describing the pu­nishment of the damned, [...]th. 13. [...]. in the parable of the Tares, sheweth that by his Angels they shall be bound vp into bundles to be burned, teaching that they that partici­pate in sinne, shall be partakers in punish­ment, and further, that their iudgement shall be irreuocable, their misery remedi­lesse their estate helplesse, for whom God bindeth, who can be able to loose.

Curious deuision of the words I pur­posely omit, obseruing the generall in­struction which ariseth out of the words, without wresting of them, or digressing from the true meaning of them.

The vngodly shall assuredly receiue the punishment of eternall damnation at the day of iudgement.Doct.

This Doctrine it further confirmed by sundry places of Scripture.

In the 13. of Mathew is taught that the Angels shall gather together the tares that is, [...]ath. [...]3. [...]0.42. [...] the childrē of the wicked and bind them into bundles to burne them.

In the 20 of the Reuelation is shewed that death and hell (that is, the heires of death and hell) were cast into the lake [Page 3] of fire: which is the second death.

In the 21 of the Reuelation is threat­ned that the fearefull, and vnbeleeuing, and the abominable, and murtherers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idola­ters, and all lyers shall haue their part in the lake which burneth with fier and brimstone, which is the second death.

Tribulation and anguish (saith Saint Paul) shall be vpon the soule of euery one that doth euill, of the Iew first, and also of the Grecian.

And in his Epistle to the Thesolonians, that Iesus Christ shall shew himselfe from heauen, with his mighty Angels, In fla­ming fier, rendring vengeance to them that doe not know God, and which o­bey not the Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ.

Because the Iustice of God doth exact and inferre, that as euery man doth sow,1 Res. so he shall reape, and therefore he that sow­eth to the flesh, of the flesh shall reape cor­ruption, as one the other side, he that sow­eth to the spirit, doth of the spirit reape e­ternall life.

How doth it stand with Gods Iustice to punish a temporall offence with an e­ternall punishment.Quest.

[Page 4] Answ.The wicked are iustly punished for these causes.

1 Because their sinnes are the offence of an eternall maiestie

2 Because they neglect an eternall good, propounded and set before them, which by obedience they may obtaine, and so choose eternall mesery through walking in diso­bedience.

3 Because if they did liue eternall, they would also sin eternally.

4 Because the damned doth sinne etern­ally their transgression is coeternall with their punishment, as therefore they shall euer remaine in torment, so shall they for euer remaine in vnbeliefe, impenitencie, blasphemy; so that their punnishment is not larger then their sinne deseruing it.

For the opening of this doctrine. 2 things are to bée considered.

• 1 Wherein the damna­tion of the wicked con­sisteth.
• 2 How farre their pu­nishment extendeth.

For the first, The damnation of the wicked standeth in a twofold punishment called paena damni, et paena sensa, the pu­nishment of losse, and the punishment of sense.

The punishment of losse is a seperation [Page 5] from the presence of God, and from all ioyes and pleasures attending the same. This is that which the Apostle teacheth, that they shall bée punished with euerlast­ing perdition, from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power: And how great a mistery this is may ap­peare in that they that are seperated from Gods presence are seperated from all ioy and pleasure, betwéene which and ex­treame sorow and misery there is no meane, for in Gods presence (and not else where) is fullnesse of ioy, and at his right hand (and no where else to be found) are pleasures for euermore: and for this cause our Sauiour Christ accounteth it the greatest happinesse of the pure in heart that they shall see God, and Cain accoun­teth it not, the least iudgment that should befall him héere on earth, that he should bee hid from the face of God. It [...] were so greiuous to Cain to be seperated from the place of Gods worship héere on earth, which is but a tipe of the seperation in the life to come, oh how greiuous then must it néedes bée to the damned in the life to come, to be indéed excluded from the glo­ry of God, and happinesse of the glorified.

The punishment of scense is the infli [...] ing [Page 6] of torments and miseries, both one soule and body, for this shall be the misery of the damned, that they shall not rest without ioy and sorrow, but as they shall be depriued of all happinesse, so shall they be oppressed with all vnhappinesse, as they shall bée debarred of all delight and plea­sure, so they shal be filled withall vnspeak­able torments. By many things are their torments expressed in the holy Scriptures most terrible and most painfull our Saui­our Christ saith, their worme neuer dy­eth, and their fier neuer goeth out, and againe, cast that vnprofitable seruant into vtter darknesse, there shall bee weeping and gnashing of teeth, Math: 25.30. with many the like paraphrases and denomina­tions expressing the like. Now if nothing can be more terrible then vtter darknesse, being that plague of Egypt which next to the death of the first borne most of all mooued Pharoahs hard hart, if nothing more painfull inwardly then the gnaw­ing of the heart, with the teeth of the ser­pent, if nothing outwardly, then the heate and burning of fier, yea, if nothing more intollerable then the continuance of these torments without ceasing or intermission, then suredly by these descriptions the Lord [Page 7] would haue vs know, that the punish­ment of the damned is most intollerable, and so great as the fury of Gods wrath a­gainst sinne can kindle, and the rage of Satan can inflict.

Now the reasons that the damned doe suffer, not onely the punishment of losse, but of sense, that is, that they doe not on­ly loose the benefit of comfort, but are also tormented, are these.

First, of the punishment of losse.1 Reas. Be­cause they neglect and despise the true good grace and glory offered vnto them, yea, and God himselfe, the fountaine of all good, and therefore it is equall and iust that their punishment extend to this, that they be seperated from God and his glory, from all good and happinesse. For God will forsake them that forsake him,

Secondly, of the punishment of sense. Because they haue chosen to follow that which is euill and forbidden vnto them,2 Reas. therefore it is iust, that the reward of their owne hands be giuen vnto them, yea, it is equall, that his owne iniquities take the wicked himselfe, and that hee be holden with the cords of his owne sinne.

As for the second consideration, how 2 [...]e the punishment of the wicked doth ex­tend, [Page 8] it is euident that it extendeth.

1 First, to euery one, with out respect or differences of persons or properties, to old, young, rich, poore, weake and mighty, no­ble and ignoble, wise and foolish, Tribula­tion and anguish shall be vpon the soule of euery one that doeth euill, Rom. 2 9. And Tophet is prepared of old: it is euen prepared for the King; hee hath made it deepe and large. Esay 30.33.

Secondly, to euery part of the damned 2 both to soule and body, yea to euery part of either of them, so that not so much as Diues tongue can be frée from the heate of this torment. Luk. 16.24.

Thirdly, to the vttermost extreamitie, 3 for it shall be the extreamest torment that may bée, the breath of Gods fury kind [...] ling it, Esa. 30 33. and being without any pittying or commiseration: For there shall be iudgement mercilesse to him that sheweth no mercy. Iames. 2.13.

4 Fourthlie, to be without ceasing or in­termission, so that it shall be restlesse, with­out so much as the refreshing of a drop of water (which were a small thing in such a fier) to coole any part of the tormented, & therefore our Sauiour Christ saith in th [...] place before named, that there worm [...] ne [...]er [Page 9] dieth, and their fier neuer goeth out: the worme biteth so long as he liueth, and the fier tormenteth so long as he burneth. [...]ifthlie, to eternitie, for it shall be euer­lasting 5 without end, and therefore it is not onely called fier to expresse the greatnesse of it, but euerlasting fier to expresse the continuancie of it, Math: 25.41. Which causeth me to remember what one sayeth in his meditations, if the damned were to continue in their torments but a thousand [...]housand yeares, yet had they some hope, [...]f but so many yeares as there are starres [...]n the skie, sands on the sea, grasse on the [...]round, and dust on the face of the earth [...]n the greatest drought, yet there should be [...]n end, nay if but so many thousand thou­ [...]and yeares as are starres in the skie, [...]ands on the sea, grasse on the ground and [...]ust on the face of the earth, yet should [...]here be one day an end of their torments, [...]ut their misery is farre otherwise, for so many thousand yeares being ended, so ma­ny thousands of thousands are againe to [...]egin, which also euer shall begin, and ne­ [...]er shall haue end.

Now if it bée demaunded by the way [...]hither there shall bée in hell materiall fi­ [...] to the torment of the damned;Quest.

[Page 10] I answer, it is no point of faith, or mat­ter necessary to saluation to know,Answ. yet fréely to deliuer my opinion, without [...]s­pargement to the opinion of the con [...]y minded, I sée no reason to the contrary. For insomuch as y^e body sinneth with the soule, it is iust that it be punished with the soule, now insomuch as the Scripture haue expressed this torment of fier, I thinke it curiositie to expound that by a figure, and to be faine to search out another figuratiue speech to finde a matter to torment the body, fier being apt to tor­ment, and being the greatest of all tor­ments, neither is it naturall that may be said, that then there must by that reason be a materiall worme to gnaw, as well as fier to burne, for fier can torment the body, but a worme cannot torment the soule, and therefore that which cannot lit­terally be vnderstood to be done, must be figuratiuly expounded, which exposition that may be done, so vnderstood, néede not but litterally to be expounded.

1 Vse.This doctrine may be a powerfull mo­tiue to all wandring sinners, that goe a­stray after, the corruptions of their owne hearts, in the desert paths of disobedience, to returne vnto their God by true repent­ance, [Page 11] least they dye the death for their dis­ [...]bedience, if the poore shéepe in the wilder­ [...] did but know, that if they continue [...]ng from their fould, they should as­ [...]uredly bée deuoured of the Wolfe, they [...]ould surely (although wanting reason) [...]y the very conduct of sense make hast to [...]he custody of their Sheep-heard, this then [...]eing most certaine, that all that goe a­ [...]tray from the wayes of God, and so con­ [...]inue wandring, either till their day of their [...]isitation be past, or till death take away [...]e time and place of repentance, shall bée [...]euoured of hell and destruction, oh how [...]hould this moue vs, spéedily to returne to [...]he fould of Christ, to wash away our sins [...]ith the teares of repentance, to redéeme [...]e time, and to be warned, that they [...]ome not into this damnation.

Hence may all obstinate and impeni­ [...]ent sinners, to their terrour, sée the assu­ [...]ed end of all their wicked courses by the [...]ternall damnation both of body and [...]ule.4 Vse. What then shall become of all Ido­ [...]ters, Adulterers, Drunkerds, Swear­ [...]s, breakers of Gods Saboths, couetous [...]arth-wormes, Vsurers, Oppressors, and [...]ch like, that liue and dye in their sinnes. [...]urely they shall be bound vp in bundles [Page 12] to be burned, they shall goe into euerlasting paine, malefactors one earth hau [...] some hope after sentance to escape [...] temporall punishment for men are dra [...]ne by many meanes to reuoke their sentences, and to grant their gracious pardons, but in this iudgement the damned haue to goe with God, who is feared by no mans dreatnesse, altered by no reward, with whom is no chaunging or shadow of turning, and therefore his sentence is vnreuocable neither after this life is there any time, place, or libertie of repentance: but as the trée falls so it lies, either to life or de­struction. Amen.