TRemble all yee people, stoope now and fall downe vnder the dreadfull and most iust Iudgement of that great Iehouah, which holdes in his hand, Heauen, Earth, and e­uery thing that therein is, weighing them in scales as though it were dust: Bee now amazed at the might of so mighty an arme, which in the twinck­ling of an eye crusheth and beateth downe sinners in his wrath, scattereth them as the winde doth the Gra­shoppers, and maketh them the subiect and argument of his glorie, in the sight of all Nations. O fearefull iudgements of the most High, which suffers not his glorie to be troden vnder foote, but when hee thinkes fit brings the iust and horrible plagues of his auenge­ment vpon the despiser of his holy Name. How ter­rible and full of horrour, quoth the Psalmist, it is to fall into the Lords hands, when hee puts on the armour and weapons of his wrath; as the holy Apostle Paul, sheweth in the tenth Chapter of the Epistle to the He­brewes, he may when he pleases punish with diuers pu­nishments [Page] and temporall plagues, besides the eternall damnation those that rebell against him and offend his sacred Maiestie. Tremble and shake againe (O Sin­ners) (for the Prophet Moses, in the 14. of Exodus pro­nounceth vnto you the decree from heauen so dire and frightfull, saying, that this great God without vsing the ministerie or meanes of any man sendeth his An­gels (the executioners of his vengeance) against the proud profane which sets light by his holy Name; That high minded Nabuchodonosor King of Baby­lon shall bee, though to his great shame, the first wee will produce for an ensample to all posteritie. Pharao King of Egypt, and the ten notable plagues, which, the same God, auenging his honour, did send vppon that swaggering spirit, are euident proofes of the same; waters turned into bloud, filthy Frogges, Lice, a­noyance of Flies, the mortalitie of men by pestilence, murren and death of Cattell, Boyles and Scabbes, Haile, and frighting Thunders, Grashoppers, obscu­ritie and palpable darknesse, briefely the very Angell of the same God whom he blasphemed made warre against him, yea' by things that seemed very contemptible and of no force; by the onely winde of his mouth and by his destroying Angell he ouerthrowes and quite vndoes the proud and insolent blasphemer Senacherib King of the Assyrians, for attempting with blasphemous words to spite this Soueraigne God, but the same most migh­tie God made him well knowe and all men after him, that it is he that punisheth and sheweth mercie, which killeth and keepeth aliue, which makes wonders in hea­uen and earth, and hee throweth e'en downe to the ground that loftie man, by the hands of Sarazar and A­dramalec his owne Children, within the temple of his owne false God Nezrok in Niniuie: And as the same [Page] our great God hath diuers and sundry wayes at hand, so doth he diuersly inflict and layeth paines vpon sin­ners: sometimes by the Elements, as Moses witnes­seth in the 26 of Leuit. and 11. of Deuteronomie. Some­times by sicknesses of sundry sorts. Exod. 15. Deut. 28. Sometimes by the Sword and by Warre. Ezech. 5. Sometimes by Famine, by Fire, by Captiuitie, briefly in a thousand manners when it pleaseth him to take re­uenge for his honour offended: night cannot hide the sin­ners from him: their strength and nimblenes of their bodie cannot saue them: Monarkes, Emperours, Prin­ces and Kings doe tremble and shake vnder his mightie hand: the strongest, and best fortresses tumble bowne at his onely looke: It is that terrible and potent God, of whom spake that Captaine of the Hebrues, Iudas Mac­chabeus, who is like in force and greatnes to the migh­tie God of the Hebrues? and the same posie hee vsed in his ensignes of war. Doe you think then you wretched and accursed blasphemers of the Name of the most High (at whose terrible lookes the earth doth tremble, the elements do [...], the heauen fadeth away, and the sea flyeth out) doe you thinke (say I to you) doe yee thinke to shunne the furie of his face, and escape the heauines of his arme that can not be auoided; O accur­sed blasphemers, the first and cheefest, more wicked and more abhominable than all other sinners, doe you not sée, that as many times as you open your stincking mouthes to blaspheme the Name of the Almighty, as many times the Diuels and frightfull fiends doe enter within your selues through euery blasphemie? Doest thou beléeue wretched blasphemer, that God which séeth and vnderstandeth thee is deafe or a sleepe, or else di­stracted and busie about some other busines, like the Idols of the Paynims, as the holy Prophet Elias did [Page] in old time, reproach vnto the Idolaters of those dayes? Dost thou thinke thou must neuer be called to accompt, for thy foule and stinking blasphemies, bee it neuer so late, that letting loose the reines of thy desolate tongue, which polluteth both heauen and earth, thou shalt thus still liue without God, without Faith, and Religion in this world? Thou art, O blasphemer! farre worse and more wicked than a Theefe, a Niggard, a Murthe­rer, a Lyar, a Whooremonger, a Wanton, an Adul­terer, a Drunkard, a Glutton, an Idolater, a Ruffian and Pandar, or a Conceaier of st althes: for thou art traiterous and rebellious vnto God, spitting in his face as many times as thou blasphem'st against his holy Name, with no lesse indignitie and ignominie, than the Iewes which did buffet and spit vpon the blessed Sauiour of the world. And if Saint Paul said in the sixt to the Hebrues, that sinners do crucifie once againe the Sonne of God, that being said in generall how much more in particular may it be applyed to the Swearers and Blasphemers of the Name of God.

For, those (as saith Saint Augustine) doe not sin lesse, which blaspheme our Sauiour Christ, raigning in hea­uen, than those which haue crucified him walking vpon the earth: Yea it may be said, that it is lesse sinne to blaspheme Iesus Christ hanging and dying on the Crosse, than now he is sitting and raigning in heauen, liuing, and triumphing. The Iewes, not knowing that he was the Sonne of God, did blaspheme and fil­thily bespit him; but now blasphemers, that know him to be the very Sonne of God, doe yet worse than euer the Iewes did, and are yet more wicked than the dam­ned which blaspheme God, in that by blasphemies they make this world their very Hell, by anticipation; It is most certainely held amongst the Diuines, that [Page] God is nothing so angry for the blasphemies of all the damned altogether, as for the blasphemie of one blasphemer aliue, for blasphemie is not forbidden to the damned: on the contrarie as the glorie of the Saints in heauen is to praise and blesse GOD, so is it a punishment and torment to the damned to blas­pheme him: but vnto the liuing it is most expresse­ly forbidden to speake blasphemie, vpon paine of e­ternall damnation: whence it followeth as it is aboue­said that the blasphemers, what pretence and colour soeuer they will couer their accursed swearing with­all, are worse and more wicked than the damned, and are like to this Monster fained by Homer, expoun­ded by Lucretius in this verse, ‘Prima Leo, postrema draco, media ipsa Chymera.’

A true Hyerogliphick or poesie of the wretched blas­phemers, swaggering like Lyons, venemous like Dra­gons, and no lesse abhominable diuerse and counter­fet in the framing their blasphemies, than these Chy­meraes hideous and inuented Monsters; But that wee may not stay ouerlong in the choise and picking out of the iust iudgements and plagues inflicted and vsed by the great GOD from time to time vppon blasphemers, wee will insist vpon one onely example among many, being an accident of fresh memorie and aboue all other most exemplarie, worthy to be consi­dered and remembred, in all ages; Set before your eyes this notable and dreadfull example of the iudge­ment lately executed by the Diuine vengeance vppon one named Anthony Paneter, an ordinarie Carrier in the territorie named La Condamina, three leagues di­stant from the Cittie of, Genoa in Italy: This man returning from the Cittie with two horses loaden with diuers wares, and his horses for the heauines of their [Page] burthen scarcely able to goe fast inough to bee at home afore night, fell vnto such chafing and rage, that cur­sing, banning, blaspheming despitefully, and with a desperate madnes the holy and fearefull Name of Al­mightie God, calling the Diuell to come to help him, or else that hee should carrie him away and his horses withall (as, alas! it is to ordinarie an vse of some Car-men, and Carriers both by Sea and by Land euery foote to blaspheme and curse the holy Name of GOD) this vile wretch not ceasing his furie on a sudden was stricken with the reuenging hand of him against whom hée did so outragiously vomit his blas­phemies; for beeing about two leagues forward on his way, still continuing his outragious cursing, swea­ring, and blaspheming, The earth mooued and sha­ken at the very horrour of his oathes and blasphemies would not, nor yet could any further beare and su­staine so vile a Monster, but at the will and iudge­ment of the Creatour opened it selfe, and gaped vn­der the feete of that vile wretch, and swallowed him vp to the necke, so that hee could by no meanes de­liuer himselfe from thence. Stay now and behold yee bloudie blasphemers, and detestable swearers; wor­ship heere in feare and trembling, the Maiestie and power of him against whom your voice speakes, and your tongue vtters such vile oathes and fearefull cur­ses; Let this wretch bee an example vnto you of a­mendment, leauing that filthy and damnable custome, whilest you haue time, & whilst yet God stayes his hand to call you vnto repentance & amendment. This wretch thus stricken with the hand of God, his two horses still followed their way vntil they came home; his wife seeing the horses thus come without their vnfortunate maister was instantly taken with great feare and amaze­ment, [Page] least that her husband should be slaine or robbed vpon the way by some théeues or others, so she stayed a little still looking for him, but hearing no newes of his comming, she gets out of the house and goes all lamen­ting and dolefull along the highway towards the Citty of Genoa, accompanied with some friends or neighbours of hers, because it was already late & about thrée houres in the night. She went not farre but that she found on the way one of her neighbours named Ambrose Vidoze, of whom (all amazed and distracted as she was) she as­ked whence he came, he said he came from Genoa; she further asked him whether he had met with her husband whereat yet all affrighted trembling and astonished at the horrible and frightull cries of this miserable Catiffe which he had heard, he told her that lately without see­ing him or any body hee did heare a voyce and dreadful crye vppon the way which said in these wordes. I am damnd, I am damnd to all the diuels of hell, because I haue so often and in so many fashions sworne and blas­phemed the holy name of God: Thus the poore Vidoze stricken with the terror of this fright could speake no more, but went home; where casting himselfe on his bed he died sodainly not able to speake a word: a thing ve­rily at the which our hayres may stand vpright on our heads able to shake and amaze all our sences.

The woman with her company pittifully crying and tearing herselfe, followes on her way and neuer leaues till they had found the said Anthonie Panetier whose frightfull voice they heard a far off stil crying that he was damned with all the deuils in hell, because he had so often and wickedly blasphemed the holy Name of GOD; besides that (a thing most wonderfull) hee was enuironed and assaulted by a troope of hungry and rauenous Wolues ready to deuoure him, had [Page] not some men with swords, staues, peeces and shot ranne thither, and yet could scarce maister them, so raging were these beasts against the man, as though they had beene sent thither like so many Sergeants to execute the vengeance of the Almighty. That wicked wretch made no long stay there but hee was summo­ned and cited before him whom hee had thus blasphe­med, for the next day hee was found dead, and yet could not bee drawne from thence. Such was the iudgement of the Diuine Maiestie, against this wretch: Such was the end of the said Painter, which shall re­maine for an ensample vnto all cursing, swearing, banning, and blaspheming persons, which make but a iest and mockerie at euery word to bring an oath and teare and take at their pleasure that great holy and dreadfull Name of Almightie GOD without any reuerence, or discretion; nay without any sub­iect, occasion, anger, choller, or crosse in the world; but through a most vile accursed and detestable vse and custome they haue inured themselues vnto, So that now a dayes (so depraued is this our age) a man thinketh to bee esteemed more braue and more drea­ded, which at euery word can sweare and trimme his speech with oathes, taking and tearing GOD from the head to the foote, and if any hearer hauing horrour bee offended, or goes about to rebuke them, his returne shall be vile words, and oftentimes blowes.

The holy Doctors of the Church agree all vppon this point and hold for certaine that all wickednesse, parricides, incests, poisonings, murthers, and other crimes are nothing so great, neither deserue such pu­nishment as doe blasphemie, inasmuch as all wicked­nesses (as the Prophet Samuel said) are at their first committed against men, but blasphemies are first and [Page] directly against the honour of God, and e'en as it were to spight him.

If Dathan, Corah, and Abiran for hauing mur­mured against Moses and Aaron, in the wildernesse, haue beene gulped vp and swallowed aliue with all their families into the deepest bowels of the earth, what must blasphemers looke for and expect but the very same and worse?

If any back-biteth or speaketh ill neuer so little of his King and Prince, hee is by and by chastned and put to an exemplarie death; Why should not the blasphe­mer be vsed so, sith that by his blasphemie hee doth no lesse then spit vpon the very face of God, which is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, and the Soueraigne Monark of all the world.

If the Law of worldly Kings and Princes is vn­violably obserued and executed against such men, Why shall not Gods Law bee likewise put in execution, which expressely and vpon great threatnings doth com­mand Kings and Magistrates to put the blasphemer to death, and to cut and roote him out from amongst his people to appease his anger?

The ancient Romanes did so abhorre and detest a Blasphemer, that finding no torments fit inough for his punishment they did giue him vp to the fury of their gods, after he had béen publikely whipped, causing this to be proclaimed before him.