0** ' .'• ** k i*Y ••'•-i Vfi Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from Duke University Libraries http://archive.org/details/considerationsOOdrex Y TriritcP/vr R^/t; Chi/ive/I at the Reft arid Ct~0wn itt /Trauis Cfuwc/iyat'2.'- THE ConGderations o F VREXELIVB UPON ETERNITY. Translated by Ralph Winter ton, Fellow of King's Col ledge in Cambridge, \6$z. L O N D O N Printed for J. Walthoe, J. Wcholfon, B. Tooke, D. Midwinter : and B. Cowfe. MDCCXVI. ZLbirzf. / a, *>•>.£ To the Right Wbrfliipful 3nd truly Religious Efamre, Mr. E. BENLOWES of Bnnt-HM in £//**, Wifheth Internal, External, and Eternal Happinefs. IT IB as well anfwend by him, who being asked, What this life was, /aid thus % It is nothing elfe but the Meditation of Death. If a Man Jljould ask me, What time is, 1 think I might fitly anfwer thus, m is nothing elfe but the Meditation of Eternity. Our Life is but a Pofting unto Death, and our Time a fhort days fail un- to Eternity. In this Time of life we are +s Pilgrims and Strangers, travelling to- furards our Cceleitial Country. We are as Sailors, bound for the Haven of Eternity. But and ffie rf#* dy way to long Ufa eyen to bjefled $ier~ tiity. Let no Man now challenge me for ufurpi ng another Mans Office, or trefpaf- fing upon Divines. I cannot fee but D/'- Wesw&fhygehiMimy well agree toge- ther: Both are feufocl shout curing of Difea/es either Spiritual or Covjwv*/* And hejie M a Mtdic*m fo* both* Take it an4 ufc it, Chriftian Header ; arid thou fhalt find by thine own experience that it hath all the Virtues ahove naentioned. So l conpfficAd thee ,tp the Thyfician both of JWy tf»rf &>#i, and heartily defire thy Temporal and Eternal Health and Welfare. ffylfh Winterton. Bom Kings Coll. June i, io>. WfO» Upon this !Boo{ of Eternity} TO reach Eternity our thoughts fir ft climbe On the fucceflive fteps and flairs of 'Time. And, what isTime? It is by Poets call'd, And by moft Painters represented Wld : But Poets and the Painters are too bold, For Time was never yet a Minute old : Nor yet, God SaturnJike, doth it devour The iflue which it breeds: For every hour' Were then a Murderer. But while we ftrain, And all created Natures for to gain Time to their Inch of being \ in the ftrifc They quite burn out the 'Taper of their life. But what's Eternity ? Good Reader, look, Not on my Verfes, but upon this Bcok :■ "Which I do wifh (andyet no harm) may be To all e'relafting. Stationer, but to thee. Orchard Williams. Upon on this fountain, eftcifedcfiuuuL JurtvayeS are wetiajiiiyq conwtandem a ^f* Eccl : t » g* } sk% Y^M? WIMP ^v b Tke infant playts wtlkftiemUWt to * §Uj k i iMStemi&£*tf*jfc \ CONSIDERATIONS UPON ETERS^I T X THE FIRST CONSIDERATION, What Eternity is ? Imenides being af- Cicere ked by Hiero King lib. I. of &W/y, What deNat. God was y defired Deer* one day to confi- der upon it s and after one , **Y ,paft, having not yet ound it out, defired yet two days more to :onfider further upon it • and after two lays, he defired three : and to conclude Jt length he had noanfwer to return unto £e King but this, That the more he bought upon it, the more (till he might : tor the further he bufied himfelf in" the torch th^eof, the further he was from B 2 finding z The fir ft Confideration finding it. The thing that wc are here now to confider upon is Eternity : and the firft queftion that offers it felf unto our con- federation is, What Eternity is ? Lib. 5. Boetius faith, That it is altoge- de Conf. ther and at once, the intire and rerfeft pofTeffion of a life that have an end, And let no man take it ill, if we fay that it cannot be known, and that the more we fearch into it, the more we lofe our felves in the fearch of it. For bow can that be defined which hath no bounds or limits? If a- ny man urge us farther and defire us to fhadow it out, at lean* by fome, though obfcure,defcription.* our anfwer is, That it may eafier be done by declaring what it is not, rather than what it is ; fa doth Plato concerning God-; In Ti- What God is, faith he, that 1 mao. know not? What he is not , that 1 know. So Augufiine Bilhop o', Jlippo, in his fixty fourth Sermon upon th< words of our Lord, defcribeth the trut beatitude which is in Heaven, by remo- ving from it the very thought of all evil JYe may move eajily fnd, faith he, whati x not there, than what is. In Heaven ther is neither grief, nor forrow, nor fenury, no defeft, nor difeafe, nor death, nor any ether, either willingly or by confltaint , and r o thou J}j alt always finda Croft. The whole life of Chrift was a Crofs, and Martyrdom ; ind doft thou leek reft and pleafure ? rherefore wc mull fet up our feat in tteaven, and not here, for here among fo many troubles it can never ftand quiet ; ind though all other things fhould fpire, /ct death at length will overturn. There s no true reft to be hoped for, but that which is Sternal. But if there be any reft a this life, this is it. For a Man to com- B 5 rnit 8 the fir ft Confidirdtnir mit himfelf, and all that is his to the Will of God, to put his whole truft and confi- dence in him, and to account all other things befide, but vain. So are EccIhs. we taught in Ecclefjiafticus ; Truft II. 21. in God y and abide in thy } ease* Without this reft of the Soul all other things are meer troubles, a meer Sea of tempeftuous Waves, and the very prefence of Hell. But I returrt'to the An- cients. In the fourth place they have reprefen- ted Eternity by the Sun and the Moon. The Sun reviveth every day, although it feems every day to die, arid to be buried. It al% ways rifeth again, although every nightie fetteth. The Moon alfo hath her In Hen- increafe after every wane. Car— decafyl. tullus hath pretty verfes to this purpofe. The Sun doth fet : the Svifk4oth rife aga*n y The Day dothdofe; the Day doth break again; Once fet our Sun, again it rifeth never : Once chfe oar. Day of. Life, it's Night for ever. In Hell there is Eternal night, but with- out fleep. There they deep not, becaufe they flept here, where they Ihould have watched : there they watch, becaufe here they Upon Eternity* 9 they flcpt in their fins ; indeed not long, but longer they would if they could, yea Eternally. But it is far otherwife with thofe that are in Heaven .• For a perpetual light fhall fhine forth to the Saints, and Eternity of time ;• there is reft, there is pleafure after long labours and watchings. In the fifth place, they have reprefen- ted Eternity by the Baftlisk. The Bajilirk is the moftvenemous of all Creatures, and it alone of all others (as Horus Niliacus faith) cannot be killed by humane force; yea it is fo virulent, that it killeth herbs with the very breath of it, that it puts to flight all other creatures with the tiffing ofit, and that it makes all birds fuddenly (Tlent upon the firft prefence of it. JElia- nus reports, that in the delart of Africa a certain beaft fell down being tired, and that the Serpents came together as it were to a feaft, to devour the carkafc, and that they prefently ran all away, and hid them, felves in the Sand, upon the fi^ht of the BaJMisk. Eternity f whether of joy or of torment, cannot be fhortned or diminifh- ed, much lefs taken away or avoided. Nei- ther is it ftrangc, if it affright all that are in their right wits, with the very thought ofit. Infinite arc the windings of this JS«- (ilisk ; unmeafurable and untwinable are the Orbs and Circuits of it. Oh Dragon to i-o Thefirji Confident h'n to be trembled at ! Let us divert a little to bur felves, It comes to pafs fometimes when a Man defcends into himfelf, and rips up his Confcience by confeflion, that, he finds many Serpents Nelb, and whole broods of Vipers, and .thereupon much marvelleth in himfelf, faying, Whence is there Co much venome in my breaft ? "Whence are Co many fat Snakes, Co many grievous and deadly fins ? Whence is there fo great an hoft of Lizards 1 Whence fo many filthy and luftfui cogitations ? I am afraid my ielf at fuch a numerous and pe- flilent brood. But marvel not ; we {hall eafily fhevv thee trie caufe thereof. A moirV and a rude place is very apt to breed Ser- pents. Lo then,, there is a double caufe. ; the mbifture of the .place,, and the negli- gence of them that mould look to it. So it is in the Soul 6i Man ; if we fpend ail our care upon our Body, handling it delicate.. ly, feeding it daintily, pampering it with feafts, andeffeminating it with pleafures, it muft needs be confeffed that the Soul, the inhabitant thereof, hath her dwelling in a moift. place. Add hither (loathful nefs, and neglect of Divine Duties. Let no care be had at all of Salvation ; Co the body be found, audit goeth well with it, let no re- gard be had what happens %o the Soul : let corifefiLon of fins, be leldom made unto XjqcI, Upon Eternity. 1 1 God, and when it is, but in a negligent manner : what marvel then, if a multi- tude of Serpents and poyfonous vermine breed there ? But (O good Chriftian Bro- ther) let the B/tJtlisk enter into thy breaft, that is, the cogitation of Eternity , and thou (halt prefently perceive that thefe venomous beafts will foon vanifh away. Thou confefleft that thy heart doth abound with thefe Snakes .• it is a fign therefore thou feldom thinkeft upon Eternity. A- mend therefore : and now at length begin to think upon this with thy felf, That which delighteth is but Momentary, but that which tormenteth is Eternal. In the fixth place, they have reprefented Eternity after this manner. There is a vafi den, full of Horrors: round about which.a. Serpent winds it felf, and in the winding bites itfelf by the Tail. At the right hand of the den {lands a young man of a beauti- ful and pleafant contenance, holHing in his right hand a bow and two arrows, and in his left hand an Harp. In the very en- trance of the Den fits an old man oppofite, and having his eyes very intent upon his t Xahle~Eoo\ ; according as the Cceleftial Globe by its motion, or the yonng-man {landing by,di£tates unto him,lo he writes. At the left hand of the den (\K$z grave Matron y grey-headed, and having her eyes - always x % The fir (I Confideration always bufied. At the mouth of the den there are four pairs, each higher than o- ther .• Tile firft is of Iron, the fecond of Brafs, the third of Silver, and the fourth of Gold, On thefe are little Children run- ning up and down and playing, and never fear the danger of falling. This is the P/- fture : The meaning is this. The Den fig* nifies the incomprehenfibility of Eternity : The Serpent that twines it felf about it, Time',*Tkeyortngman, God; in whofe hand is Heaven, Earth, and Hell. On Earth, and in Hell are the Arrows of the Lord faftned ; but in Heaven, there is nothing but Joy, and* the found of the Harp. The eld man is Fate, or rather, that which God hath decreed from all Eternity. The Ma~ tron, Nature : The Stairs , diftinfl: Times and Ages : The Children running up and down the Stairs, do (ignify things created, efpecially Man, who is fporting in matters Of Salvation, and playing and jefting in the very entrance of Eternity. Alack,alackJ O mortal Men, We have played too long amidft thefe dangers ; V/e are very near unto Eternity, even in the very entrance of it, whileft we live .• Let but death lightly touch us, and we are prefently fwallowea up of Eternity. Death need not ufe any great power, or fight long againft us ; we are thrown down headlong4n a moment, and Upon Eternity* 1 3 *nd tumble down thefc Stairs into the 0- cean of Eternity. Bethink your felves well, you that play upon thefe Stairs, and think upon any thing rather than upon Eternity, It may oe to day or to morrow you may be tranflated from 'Time to Eternity, CHAP. II. The fccret fenfe and meaning of Scripure is unfolded. AFter the Chapter of the Type and PiHure of Eternity, the Holy Scri- pture of Divine Truth {hall not unfitly follow. When Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, bad caft the three Hebrew Chil- dren into the fiery Furnace for refufing to obey his impious command, the'flame is laid to have afcended nine and forty cubits above the Furnace. Arrange thing : But not without a Myftery. What ? Did any Man accurately meafure the height there- of? Did any Man afcend and apply unto it a rule, to take the jnft meafure of it ? Was k juft nine and forty cubits, neither more nor lefs 1 Why not fifty ? For we ufe to number thus .• Twenty ,thirty, forty,fifty, though the number be fomewhat more or tefs. Here in this place there wants but ene of fifty. Surely there is a Myftery in 14 The fir ft ConfideTAtton it, and fome fecret meaning. The num- ber of fifty was wont to fignifie the year of Jubilee But the flames in the fiery fur- nace of Hell, although they rage both againft Body and Soul, and infinitely ex- ceed all the torments of this life, yet they ihall never extend Co far as the year of grace and Jubilee. In Hell there is no year of Jubilee, no pardon, no end of torments. Now,Now y is the time of Jubilee; not every hundred or fifty years, but every hour and every moment. Now one part of an hour may obtain pardon here, which all Eternity cannot hereafter. Now is the time, that in one little and fhort day we may have more debts forgiven us, than in the fire of Hell in all years and times to come hereafter. - Let us add hither another explication ' of Divine Scripture. When the Jojbua People of God did pafs over Jor- 3. l6. dan s the waters which came down toward the Sea of the plain (which is now called the dead Sea) failed until there were none left. And Ecclus in Scclejlafiicus it is faid, There 20. 12. is that buy eth much for a little. Thefe two Teftimonies of Scri- pture Gal frid \oyncth together, and there- upon difcourfeth thus. If Eternal bit- terneishe due unto thee, and thou may 'ft efcape Upon Eternity, 35 «fcape it by tailing of Temporal, certainly thou haft redeemed much for df little. I confefs, it is a Sea indeed in which thou faileft, but yet a dead Sea : and how much art thou bound to give thanks unto God, who, whereas thou haft deferved to be overwhelmed in the fait, roaring and un- navigable Sea, hath of his great mercy to- ward thee, furfered thee rather to fail in the dead Sea. (O blefled change .') That fo by the dead Sea thou mayeft pafs into the land of the living I This Writer compares all the adverfities of this I fe to the dead Sea y and Sternal puaifliment to the fait and unchangeable Sea. No Man can efcape them, he muft needs fall into the one, or in the other. What doft thou, O Man ? ( cryes out Saint Cbryfoflom, ) Art thou about to afcend up to Heaven, and deed: thou ask me whether there be any difficul- ties by the way ? Whatsoever we do, this dead Sea we muft pafs over : we may, if we will, arrive at the Haven of Tran- quility, and Sternal Happinefs. The Word of God moft high is the Scclef. Fountain of wifdom, and her ways I. 5. are everlafling commandments. Through this dead Sea there is no other way into the Region of the living, but the way of God's Commandments. We have a moft clear place of Scripture for it : 1 6 The fir (I Confi deration Mat. ip If thou wilt enter into Lfe, fzet} 17- the Commandment* : This fs the only way to Eternity. If a Cornell* man fhould ask a Divine of out us a La- times this qucftion, What is E- pide. ternity? His anfwer will b?, It is a Circle running back into ft felf, whofe Centre is Always, and C/>- cumferenceNo where, that is, which never fhall have end. What is Eternity ? It is an Orb every way round, and like Volvi- • it felf, in which there is neither tur, &> beginning -nor end. What is volve- Eternity Y It is a Wheel. tur in A wheel that turns, a wheel thai omne turnetb ever, f,that being often put in mind I \ Eternity , doth as often let it flip out of hy memory. Thou haft often in thy fight nd before thine cycs t Rings and Circles, pheres and Globes, Sun znd Moon : If thou C lookcif- 24 The fecond Confideration looked upon anv of thefe, they will pus thee in mind of Eternity, Nature her fell like a good Mother hath expofed them tc publick view, that, when we fee them, 01 hear of them, we might be invited to me. ditate upon Eternity,, Solinus reports that there is a Stone if Arcadia, called Asbejlos, vvhioh being onc< feton fire doth continually burn: Where- fore in times paft they were wont in Tern pies and Sepulchres to mak< Lib. 21. Lamps of it .* of which St. Au. deCivit. gufline maketh mention. I ad< cap. 5. that Pliny, Volateranus y Diofeori- des y and many others tell ftrangt wonders of a certain kind of Line or Flax which is called by divers names: For fom< call it Linum Asbeftinum, others Caryfil um y others Indicum, and others Linitn vivum. This is not only not confumed by fire butalfo is purged and cleanfed ; wherefor the dead Bodies of Xings heretofore,whe; they were to be put into the flrc,and to b* burned, nfed to be wrapped about with' Linen cloth made thereof, to keep thei afhes from confufion, and to difringuifl them from others Of fuch Flax Nero ha a Towel, which heefteemed of more prie than Gold and precious Stones. Behold Nature her felf, tike a Mijirefs and Guide leader. *f on Eternity. ij eadeth thee by the hand, and pointeth hee to a thing which the fire hath no power o confume. So fhall all the damned burn utf never (hall burn out. They (hall aU irays burn, but never be confumed ; they riall feek for death in/the flames,but fhaU ot find it. Therefore juftly doth one cry ut, wo Sternal ,that never Jball ave end / O end without end ! InHoro- ) death more grievous than all log. f a ~ 'eath. Always to die, and never pen. [fa, be quite dead ! So faith divine 66. 24. (aiah, Their fire Jhall never be Rev 0.6". uenched: And the Angel in the levelations, They pall defire to die : and eath Jhall flee from them. That the Salamander for a little time an indure, and live in the fire, be/ide A- ifiotle, Pliny, Galen, JElian, Viofcorides, t Augufiine alfo himfelf believed. This reature is very cold, and generated of [lowers ; the Sun and drought are death o it ; Therefore, according to Pliny, it ndures in the flame like Ice. Of the Skin hereof lights are made for perpetual bur- ling Lamps. God who made the Salaman- erof Earth and Clay, hath of hisgoodnefs ormed Man, though of the fame matter, et of a more excellent and noble nature. ic hath made him a little lower than the in S'*', Pfal. 8. 4. He hath afligned un- C - t«> 1 6 The fecond Confederation to him after this life the fellowship of the fame Kingdom with the Angels. But mat being in honour had no underfianding, am was compared unto the beajis that perijb JP/al. 49. 20. By his own malice he mad* himfelf fuch a SaUmander, that muft al- ways live or always die in Eternal flames, In thofe fiery prifons of Hell, all things are Eternal ; but thefejwc things efpecially € H A P. I. What things are Eternal in Hell. T H S damned himfelf is Eternal and dyetlv not. No Man can make ac end" of himfelf, or another. 'They pah feek death, and pall not find it, Rev. 9. 6 Yea the very defire of death, in as much as their defire cannot be fatisfied, fhall greatly increafe their torments, 2. The Vrifon itfelf is Eternal 5 It can ne- ver fall to ruin, it can never be broker down, it can never be digged, through. Il is barred up with rocks and mountains .; The locks and bars are fo firm and ftrong that none can get out. If any of the dam- ned fhould by God's permiGW before the day of judgment come out from thence vet ftill he fhould carry an Hell abou! him Upon Eternity- 17 lim, and never be free from torment. 5 The fire there is Eternal. Chrift him- "elf in Matthew faith as much exprefly ; Matth. 25. 41. Depart from me ye cnrfed nto everlajlingfire, or fire Eternal. Doft hou hear this word, Eternal The anger ?f the Lord doth kindle this fire, and it Tiall never be pnt out. To this bearerfr 'fa'iah witnefs, faying, The breath of the Ltrd like a fiream of Brimfione doth kindle t, h fhall burn night and day, and pal! lot le quenched, the fmoke thereof pall afi- -end up for ever and ever, Ifaiah 50. 33. Taiah 66. 24. Rev. 14. II. Eternal j>u- itpments, and Eternal Life are Relates, as St. Augufiine fpeak- "Lib, 12. :th ; and Relates are of like de Civ, •onrinuance : To fay therefore, c. 23. :hat Eternal Life fhall be with- out end, and Eternal punipment fhall have n end, is very abfurd. Who therefore vill defer his converfion ? 4. As the things mentioned before are Eternal, fo is the Worm, and confciencc ormented with deep defpair for the life >aft, Ifa. 66. 24. Their nu or m pall not die : »o prophefied Ifaiah. The Poets of old ranflated this out of Holy Writ into their Fables : For what is that Tityus of whom r ngil feign eth, That a flying Vulture every * a v gnaws and tears his Liver, which is C 3 every x8 The fecond Confident ion every night again repaired and made uj that every day the Vulture may have mor prey to gnaw upon ? What is the Vultut but the Worm we fpeak of ? And what i the Liver ,but the Confcience always gnawr and tormented ? 5. To this £*erf»/y of Hell belongethal fo t\v* I aft fentence, and the I aft Decree pro nounced by Chrift the Judge .• A decre (Alas ! ) irrevocable, immutable, £ter Mai. There is no Appealing from it ; I the fentence be once pronounced by th mouth of this Judge, it ftands irrevocahl for all Eternity. In Hell there is no re demption, not any, no not any ; but Ster nal defperation. The Blood of Chrii when it was newly poured out on th Mount of Golgotha, though_of infinite effi cacy for fatisfaction, yet reacheth not un to the damned. If the yoke of the Lor$ faith Saint Bernard \ be a yoke of Repen^ tance, you think that in it/elf it is notfweet But this you muft know, 'That it is moj fweet, if it be compared with the fire 1 which it is /aid, Depart from me ye curfe. into everlafting fire, Mat. 25. 41. 6. The Punipment or Pain of lofs alfo,a they call it, is Sternal, being the priva- tion of the fight of God for ever, whicf together with all the other torments of th damned Hull never have end : becaufi ther< Upon Eternity 29 there can be no place for fatisfaftion. For ilthough thefe torments fhall continue in- inite millions of years, yet there fhall not sne day, no nor one hour, no norfo much fa* a moment of reft and refpite be grant- ed. There fhall be viciffitude and variety of torments, but to their greater pain and ^rief. Chrift often foretold it by Mat- thew in plain words, Mat. 8 12. The tWdren of the Kingdom Jb all be caft out into •ttter darknefs ; there pall be weeping and ^nafiing of teeth : weeping, for heat ; and gnafiing of teeth, for cold. How then can Man be fo forgetful of himfelf and God ? How can he lb degenerate into a beaft '■? Yea rather, how can he become like a rock, or aftonc, fo fenfelefs, as when he fhall think upon the unfufferable and un- utterable torments of Hell, which never fhall have end, then not to fear and trem- ble, and fay with himfelf thus, I am for certain in the way to Eternity, and I know not how foon I may come to my journeys end : I (it on the ftairs of Eternity, and every little thruft is ready to plunge me into the bottomlefs pit ? But if it feem fo grievous and intolerable for a man to lye, though but for one night, on a foft Fea- ther-bed, and never fleep or clofe his eyes, but to figh and groan for pain in his head, jor any other member, for the C 4 . tooth- 3 o The fecond Cenfi deration tooth-ach, or for the ftone : If the night feems long, and the day a great way off, and the Sun to flack his coming .• And yet! as I faid, he lies upon a good Feather-bed, and if he will have but a little patience, he may hope to find eafe in the day, and help from the Phyfician, Alack, Alack ! how intolerable fhall it be to lie night and day in the fire, for a thoufand and a thoufana, and again, T fay, a thoufand years ! How intolerable fhall it be, there to watch, to hunger, -to thirft, to burn, to be tormen- ted extreamly in every part, and not to hope for any reft, or fo much as a drop of cold Water ; but to be always in defpair, andfo to fry and to be tortured for infinite millions of ages, and to be fo far from finding any end, as never to be able to hope for any end ! There, faith X>e Thomas, one hours puni(hment Chrift. fhall be more grievous, than an imitat. hundred years here in the moft lib. I. bitter punifhment that can be. cap 24. There is no reft, no confolation to the damned, Pfal. 6.1. Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chaften me in thy hot difpleafure. Pfal. 25 7. Re- member not the Jtns of my youth t nor my tranfgrejjiom. Unlefs thou wilt have mercy, O God, I mnft needs perifh. CHAP. Iff on Eternity. 3 1 CHAP. 11. Why Hell is Eternal. HEre arifeth aqueflion, which- is wor- thy to be known of all Men, How t can be, that God, who is good and mer- :iful, and whofe mercy is over all his ,vorks,fhould notwithstanding punifh even me mortal fin, committed, it maybe, in a noment, and in thought only 3 how he hould punifh fuch a fin, I (ay, for all Eternity ; and fo punifh it, that it mail lefcrve ftill always to be punifhed .* and hough millions of years be pafTed, yet it hall never be faid, This fin hath been ufficiently punifhed, it is enough, he »ath made fatisfa£tion for the wicked bought, by which he hath offended God. What then ? Hath God for one fin, nd that In thought only, decreed the pu- lifhment of everlafting fire ? What equa- ity is there in this, for a momentary fin, o appoint an Eternal punifhment ? Why loth blefled David cry out, give thanks 'ftto the Lord ; for he is good, and his mercy nd:ireth for ever ! Pfal. joo". I. 107. 1' l8. 1. 136. I. and why doth he repeat t twenty feven times, if God be fo fevere ? "o this S. Auguftin, Gregory, Thomas A- xinas, and others anfwer. That in every C 5 mor- 3 z the feconi Conjt&rAthn mortal fin the offence of its own nature is infinite, becaufe it is an Injury againft the infinite Majefty of God. Again, he that dyeth guilty of a mortal fin without repei*- tance, doth as much as if he fhould fin Eternally : For if he might live 'Eternally. he would fin Eternally : He hath not lofl a will to fin, but life in which to fin, ftill being ready to fin, if he might live ftill ; So he doth not ceafe to fin, but doth ccafe to live. Further it is to be confidered. That a damned Perfon can never ma£fi fatisfa&ion, though he {hould pay nevei fo much ; For being an Enemy, and not in favour with God, his payment is nol worthy acceptation ; feeing that he himfeli is not accepted with him. Neither in- deed, to {peak truly, can he be faid tc pay any thing ; becaufe he doth nothing, but fuffers only punifhmenf, and that againft his will. We will make the mat- ter yet more plain by a familiar example Suppofe amanfhoula borrow of his neigh> bour a thoufand Crowns, and for the uG thereof make over the Rent of his houfi unto him for ever. It may be hi twentj years he may thus repay the fum of Mo- ney borrowed ; But what then * Is he ^fully difcharged of all the debt ? Dot* there remain nothing to be paid ? The principal remains full as due to be paid. a* XTfon Eternity 33 as if there had been nothing at all paid. For this is the nature of fuch lones, that although the yearly ufe be paid, ftill the principal remains entire,anddue to be paid. So it is with the damned ; For although they fhould pay never fo much ; yet they can never get out of debt: They are debt- ors ftill, and ever fhall, I/a. I. 31. Tbe Jlrong JhaJl he as Uzv y and the maker of it as a /park ; they fo all both bum toge~ ther, and none pall quench them. Suetonius reports of Itiberius Ca- Suet, far, that being Petitioned unto lib. 3. by a certain offender to haften cap. 6, his punifhment,and to grant him a fpeedy difpateh, he made him this anlwer, Nondum tecum in gratiam redii r Stay Sir, Tcu and I are not yet friends* Chrift Is a moft juft Judge, no Tyrant, no "Tiberius. And yet if one of the damned after a thoufand years burning in Hell fhould beg and intreatfor a fpeedy dearh, he would anfwer after the fame manner, "Nondum tecum in gratiam redii t Stay, Tom and I are not yet.jriends. If after a thou- fand years more he fhould ask the fame thing;, he fhould receive the fame anfwer, Nondum tecum in gratiam redii y Stay, Tou . and I are not yet friends. If after an hun- dred thoufand years yet more, yea mil- lions of years, he fhould ask again, again he 3 4. The fecond Ctmfiderdtion he ihould receive the fame anfwer, Nbrt- dum tecum in gratiam redii, Stay ,Tou ati% I are not yet friends. The time was, -I offered to be thy Friend, but thou wouldft not ; yea, thy Father, but thou wouldft not. I offered thee my grace a thoufand and ti thoufand times ; but thou rejeftedft it. This I knew right well, and I held my peace, and further expected, forty, fifty, fixty years, to fee if thou wouldft change thy mind and courfe of life. But there followed no ferious or true repentance. Thou haftftt at nought all my counfel, and wouldft none of my -reproof, 'thou haft hated in- ftrti-Rion, and haft daft 'my words behind thee t Prov. i ; 25. Pfal. 50. 17. Eat therefore the fruit of thine own ways, and be filled" with thy own counfels, Prov. 1. 26. I will' laugh at thy deftruftion for ever : neither fhall my juftice after infinite ages give thee any anfwer but this. Nondum tecum in gratiam redii, Stay, Tou and I are not yet friends. Q God which art in Heaven ! O fin which throweft men headlong into hell, the hell of torments, and into the bottom- lefs pit of Eternal pain \ But righteous art thoUyO Lord, and upright are thy judgments. Pfal. 119. 137. Tuft and right it is, that he which would not by repentance ac- cept of mercy when it was offered, thonld by punijfamettt be tormented, and Upon Eternity. g$ and have juftice without mercy for ever. CHAP. III. Other motives to the conjtderation of Eter- nity t drawn from Nature. BUT I return to the School of Nature^ to confider further upon Eternity. There are found hot Baths' in certain Moun- tains and Rocks, whofe waters in running make fuch a noife and murmuring, that the difeafcd perfons that refoft thither for ture, . if at that entrance into the Bath y they do but imagine they hear mtffical In- ftruments, and an harmonious confort,they have their ears fo dulled with the continual noife- thereof, that the muilck which at firft was fwcet unto them, becomes at length, by their imagination working upon it, ve- ry loathfome, and a torment unto them : Eut if they imagine they hear a Drum, or any other loud founding inftrument, they at length grow almoft mad with the noifc thereof daily molefting and troubling them. From whence alfo we are led, as it were by the hand, to the confideration of Eter- nity. The weeping and wailing, yelling and crying which is heard at the firft en- trance of hell mouth under thofe infernal monn- 3 6 The fecond Confideratton * mountains fhall never ceafe, butfhall tor* ment the damned without end, and be no whit mitigated by time and long-fuffer- ance. But on the contrary the Blefled in Heaven fhall without wearinefe hear the Thrice Holy fung, Holy, Holy, Holy ; yea, and the more they hear it, the more they fhall be delighted with the found thereof. Chrift in his Conference with the Woman of Samaria, makes often mention of 8ter~. nity, and life everlafting. fVhofoever drink- eth of the water that I Jball give hint, Jball never thirfi : But the water that I Jball give him, Jball be in him a well of water, faring* ing up unto everlafiing life, John 4. 14. 1 would we did thirft with the Woman of Samaria after thofe watery and earneftly pray for them : Lot d give me of this wa- ter, that I thirfi not, John 4. 15. Give me, O Chrift, though but* drop of this water, that \s,fome thirfi and defire after Eternal life. In the year after the Nativity of our, Lord fourfcore and one (as Suetonius, Dion, and Pliniuj Secundus jtell at large) on the firft day of November, about (even of the Clock, at the Mountain Vefuvius in Cam- pania, there was an horrible eruption of fire, before which there went an unufuai drought, and grievous Earthquakes. There -was alio heard a noife under Earth, as if it had been thunder. The Sea roared and made Vfon Eternity- -37 made a noife ; the Heaven thundrcd as if mountains had in conflict met together ; treat ftones were feen to fall ; the Air was lied with fmoak and fire mixt together; the Son did hide his head. Whereupon it was thought by many that the World was almoft at an end, and that the laft day was come, wherein all fhould be consumed ^vith fire .• For there was fuch abundance of afhes fcattered up and down over Land and Sea, and in the Arir, that there was much hurt done amongft Men and Cattle, and in the Fields,tjiat Fifh and Fowl were deftroyed, that two Cities, the name of the one was Herculanum, and the name of the other Pompeii, were utterly ruined. Thefe and fueh other like Caverns in the Earth, with Precipices and fiery mountains always flaming, but never going our, are lively examples given us by God,to put us in mind of the nre of Hell, in which the Bodies of the curfed fiiall be always burn- ing, bat never be burnt out. Concerning this yon may read lertulli- *w, Minutius, and Pacian. 1ertui. Apdl. See,0 man, how provident- c 48. Minut, ly even Nature her felf doth in Oil. Pa- go before thee, ^nd as it cian. de pet- were lead thee by the hand nitent. Qp to the contemplation of E- confejf. Urnity, To 3 81 The fccond Confederation To conclude, This Time of ours carrieth with it fomc fign and print of Eternity^ Nature fain would have us learn the thing fignified by the fign, and take a fcantling of Eternity by the little module and mea- fure of time. It is the faying In Sent, of St. Augufiine^ This is the dif- fen. 270. . ference between things Temporal and Eternal : We love things Temporal more before we have them, and efteem them not fo much when we have them .* for the foul cannot be fatisfied but with true and fecure Sterility , and joy -which is Eternal and incorruptible. But things Sternaly when they are actually pojfefiedy are much more loved than before when they were only defired and hoped for .• For neither could Faith believe, nor Hope expe£t fo much as Charity and Love fhall find when once we fhall be admitted to. poffeflion. Why then doth not Earth feem vile in our eyes, efpecially when we , rriuft e're long forfake it ? And why do we not with ardent defire lift up onr eyes to Heaven where we fhall inherit a Kingdom, and that Sternal. T HE fthm art wgyhedL in 4ti bdUne&am \&rtfiunl wanting . ***,'$, %y A That man reqardetk fuofEtermtic, who weijhetk his money mart, aecur&telytheti his life . Upon Eternity, 41 THE THIRD CONSIDERATION UPON eternitt. Wherein the old Romans principally placed their Eternity. PLinius Secundus thought Epifi. l. thofe Men happy, which ad 1*at. either did things worthy to be wrote, or wrote things worthy to be -read ; but thpfe men of all moft nappy, which could do both. So the Romans thought they might three manner of ways eternize their fame, and tranfmit their names unto poiterity. Firft they wrote many excellent things ; many excellent indeed, but not all, not all chair, not all holy : They committed to writing their own blemifhes, their diflioneft loves, and filthy lufts ; But this was no honeft or Kings high way to Eternity. How many Books have died before theirAuthors, and accor- ding to flato, have been like unto the Gar- dens 4x The third Confideration. dens of Adonis- as foon dead as fprung up ! They pleafed not long which quickly plea- fed. But fuppofe the Books of all the Ro- mans fhould out-live time, and be always extant and expofed to publick view, yet they fhould not be able to give life unto their Authors Again, the Romans did not only write, bat alfo did many brave works worthy to be recorded by the pens of eloquent and learned men, and thefe works were of di- vers kinds. They fought Eternity in many things, but found it in nothing, as we are taught to believe. They were great (we do not deny it) in civil and warlike affairs, at home and abroad : admirable for their skill in Arts and Sciences : Magnificent and prbfufe in fetting forth Shews,and be- llowing Gifts .* wonderful even to aflo- nifhment for (lately Buildings, Tombs, Vaults, Monuments and Statues, as you may guefs by thefe few particulars, which I will briefly run over. AugufiuSy in his own name, and at his own proper charges, fet forth Plays and "Games four and twenty times, and at the charge of the common Treafury, three and twenty times : and never a one of thofe *roft him under two Millions and five hun- dred thoufand Crowns ; and this fo great a fum of Money, I fay, was all laid out upon Upon Eternity. 4? upon one Shew. The very meaneft and cheapeft that ever Auguftus fet forth, came to a Million two hundred and fifty thou- sand Crowns. Nero gilded over the whole Theatre; the Ornaments of the tyring Houfe and Comical implements he made all of Gold .• To thefe you may add fquare pieces of Wood or wooden Lots fcattered amongft the People, which had for their Infcripti- ons, whole Houfes, Fields, Grounds,Farms, Slaves, Servants, Bcafls, great (urns of Sil- ver, and many times Jewels a great num- ber : To whofoevers Lot fell any one of thefe, he prefently received according to the infeription. The fame Nero for a Donative to a com- mon Soldier, commanded to be told two hundred and fifty thoufand Crowns. Agrippina {Nero's Mother) caufeth the tike fum of Mony to belaid upon a Table, thereby fecretly reprehending and labou- ring to reftrain her Son's profufenefs. Whereupon Nero perceiving that he was toucht, commanded another fum to be ad- ded as great as the former, and faid thus, Nefciebam me tarn parum dedijfe, I forgot my felf in giving fo little. The fame Nero entertained at Rome for nine Months together Xing Tiridates^ and was every day atcoft for him twenty thou- fand 44 The third Confiderathn fand Crowns, which came in nine Month* to five millions and forty thoufand Crowns; And at his departure he gave him for *Vi- aticum, or to fpend by the way, two mil- lions and a half. What fhould I tell you of their ftately and magnificent builw dings ? Caligula the Emperour made a Bridge over an Arm of the Sea, three Miles Ion? There were Temples in Rome four hun- dred twenty four, moftof them were mag* nificent. Domitian fpent upon the fole gilding of the Capitol, feven millions. On the Stairs of the Ampbitbeater^v/hich were made all of Stone, there might fit very conveniently, fourfcore and feven thoufand fpe&ators ; above, there might ftand round about twelve thoufand. In all fourfcore and nineteen, thoufand. Befides many others, there were twelve publick Baths made by the Emperor,where Men might bathe gratis. In the hot Baths of Antoninus, there were of polifhed ftone one thoufand and fix hundred feats, and there might fo ma- ny men bathe themfelves very conveni- ently. In the Bath of Hetrufcus, a. yc Kin£s and Princes : You fhall in Saint *gufttne s fenfe obtain true and Eternal appmefs by the obfemtioa of thefe >ulcs following. I> fc Tic 48 the third Confederation 1. The Rule of Juftice. By filling juff- ly, and hating the very vizard and painti ed face of injuftice. 2. The Rule of Modefiy. By not being puffed up by the vain applaufes, acclama- tions and titles of honour, but by remefrti brinor vo ur felves to be bat men. 3. The Rule of the Fear and Love 4 God. By propagating by all means the true Woxftrip of God; by iubjeaihg aj humane power to his Divine Maje"fty i bj fervins: him in fear and Jove. 4. The Defire of Heaven. Zy&nm your love and atoonup'ontk Kingdori which is Eternal, where one'fttall not enVi anothe-rS power, ' 5. The Rule of Facility, ind readme} 'tojorgiv* By being fwift to for.give, a$j (low to punifh, but wh£n t^ glory "o God, and the neceflity of the Common wealth calleth for it. 6 Mercy and LiberdUfy. By tempef in" the feverity of the Laws by the Of of Mercy, and the Tweet odour of bene ficency. , v, . n Continency. By not giving the Re*n to Luxury, butby bridling your appetite and concupifcences ; and the more liter ty you have, the left abufing it:nYito \\ ^ntioufnefs. r 8. Moderation of Fafjlom. By choofnt rathe *pon Eternity 49 tther to get the con que ft over evil Paf- wis, than by domineering over Na- ons. o. The ftudy of Humility and JPf/ryerr. y doing all thcfc, not for vain-glory, * for the glory of God, and the attainm- ent of Eternal felicity : and again, by CVer neglefting that moft noble facrificc \ Humility and Prayer. Thefe Rules or Laws hath St. Auguftine ted upon the double gates of the r orid, are a glafs fit for Princes to look to. But, O ye Romans, how far have I gone^aflray from the way that leadeth Ito tfie 'gates whereon thefc Laws are ted ! Not to fpeak of other things, you ▼e, inftead of one and the only true God, ought in innumerable others, to wor- ip them which are no Gods. For Rome rfned to make it a great matter of Reli- >n, to refnfe no falfity ; and when (he Icth almoft over all Nations, to fery*?• Whc is their Mony> which they heaped up b yond belief ? «f ff*»? e *'^*J?% Ire their ftately and lofty buildings 1 Tk A re not tobefeen. Such are all things ell though to us they feem never fo great, n ■thing elfe but a meer fhadow,and a drea. upon Eternity. fi f they b& compared with Eternity, and :hofe things which are Eternal The foun- dation on which the whole fabrick of va" .lifting glory is fet up, is too weak and nouldcring, and made but of Clay. Stone md Marble cannot be engraven with Cha- •afters and Infcriptions of Eternity. Well aith LaHantius, *The works of mortal men tre mortal. That there was a Babylon, a Troy, a Carthage, and a Rome, we be- ieve : But if we will believe no more han we fee, there be fcarce any reliques or Ruinous parts of them remaining, to per- wade us that there weTe fuch Cities. So he feven wonders of the world, fo Nero's jolden Palace, Diocletian's hot Baths, An- "onius his Baths, Severus his Septizonium, ft/Hut his ColbiTus, Fompey's Amphithea- cr, have no footftep or print of them re<- naining ■; no, fcarce upon Record, or re- jittered in Books. And how far have all >f thefe come fhort of Eternity, CHAP. I. How far the Romans have gone afiray from the true way of Eternity, AT Nazareth, in a certain Conclave, called by the name of the BleiTcd /irgin, there is in one place mention made of ft The fisc&nd Conjidetation of a Kingdom,*?/ «>to& Kingdom there Jbd be no end, Lu.1.33. Such was not the Kinjj dom of Solomon : for that lafted but fa* hundred years, even to the Captivity <* Babylon. Such was not the Kingdom of.thi Romans, neither of the Perjians ,nor yet rhe Grecians. For where are now tho£ Kingdoms in former times moft flourifl* ing? Where are thofe moft ancient Mo. narchies? How great was Nebuchadnezz* in Chaldea and^r/'^and after him Belfban zar ? From them the Scepter was tranflat$< .unto the Medes and ferjians, to Cyrus arw Darius. Neither continued it there long From thence it was tranflated into Greia to Alexander, firnamed the Great, King o Macedon, for a long time moft vi£torio« and fortunate. But as warlike valour decay- ed,fo fortune failed. And fothe Scepter wa tranflated into Italy to Julius C*Jar, an* Oftavianus AuguftuS^ What is becomes all thefe Kings 'Where are they? But the* O Chriftian man, feek that Kingdom, Q which Kingdom there Jh all be no end. Nu- mantia, Athens, Carthage, and ^S^r^all an come toan end, they are utterly perifhed But asforthe Kingdom which isabove, Q that there jball be no end.Thc King that ru leth there is Eternal, and thofe that live ii that Kingdom are Eternal. The Lord pal teignjor ever and ever,Exod.l 5, J4.0n whid words upon Eternity. Jg «Vords r &\thQrige#, Dojt thou think that the Lord Jl>aU reign for ever and ever, ? Tea, he (hall reign for ever and ever y and beyond that too. Say what thou canft, thou (halt ftill come (hort of the duration of his King* Jptn. : the Prophet will ftill add fomething, \s for example,, after forever, yet more, and W£?,p,r bey.wd that too.Ps.nd ye^faith IJfyiore, rhough this Kingdom be Eternal, though nfinite^ though every way blefledjt hough k be promiied to us, not a word of that. For what man is there of a thoufand that fpends the Jea.ft part of a day in medita- ;ing upon that 1 that ever 'once makes mention of that \ that ever inftruSs his Wife, his Children, and his Servants con- vening that? We prattle much of all o- :her things \ but as for Heaven there is fcarce any mention made of that ; or if there be, (urely it is very rare. In fetting forth the commendation of \y\% own Coun- ty, every rn^n %% a nimble-tongued Orator : (lut, as for that which is our true Coiin- :ry indeed, we blulh and are almoft afha- rife), being top modeft in commending :hat. For it is come to pafs in thele days, by the difufe of holy conference, that men think themfclves not witty nor fa- cete enQUgh, ijnlefs they fpeak idle and unprofitable words, and make foolifh jc/ls: nay that is not allj unlefs their D 4 cheeks 54 The fecond Conftderatien cheeks fwell, and their lips run over with filthy and unfavoury Ipeeches. Oh ! This is to go aftray quite out of the way But let our hearts and mouths be filled with the praife and defire of things Eternal ; le^ our thoughts and words always run aftei them : we have no other way to true glo. ry, but this ; and there is no true glory^ but that which is Eternal. The chief Priefts and the Pharifees fl mongft the Jews, to overthrow Chrift'j power (as they thought) and to eterniz* their politick Government, aflembled themfelves together in Councel : and bj their foolifh wifdom (as it proved) made Decrees to their own hurt. Ele- Aifgufi. gantly fpeaketh St. Auguftimr pj them, Confulting and Delibe- rating together in full Court : The chief P rie (t~s, faith he, and the Pharifees tool counfet together what they fhould do foi their own good, and yet they (aid not, Lit us believe. The wicked and ungodly men fought more how to hurt and to deftroy, than how to provide for their own fecurity, that they might be faved. And yet the? were in fear and in counfel: For they faid. what do we ? For this man doth many Mira^ cles. If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on bim. And the Romans Jbah come, and take away both our Vlaee ana Nationj up on Eternity. 5*5 Uttofty John n. 47, 48. They were fraid to lofe things t Temporal y and never bought upon the life which is Eternal : ad fo they loft both. Such is the vanity, ad affected mockery of our foolifh cogl- itions. What are we ? and what is all bat we call ours ? Zb day we flourifh like flower, we are well fpoken of, wepleafe, ad are in favour with men : But ( alas ! ) > morrow our flower will fade, we fliail e ill fpoken of, and ©ut of favour with kk! and Man : Man whom hitherto we leafed ; and God whom we never ftu- ied for to pleafe. We ncgieft Heaven, ad keep not Earth : We get not the fa- our of God, and lofe the Worlds favour. .ad fo we are moft deplorately mifera- le, and deftitute on both fides. If death .'0«ld but fpafe thofe that are the happy nes of this World, it may be they might nd here feme glory, fome, I fay, fuch fit is; for there is none true but that 'hich is in Heaven, and Eternal. But alas / ) death fpares no Man 5 Cees in the ark, and is not feen ; and watches his me when he may fet upon us, when we link not of him. What fhall become of s? Whither will he carry us, if here we ave lived wickedly? To the bar of Chrifts 'dement, and from thence to the pit of left ; and from thence there is no re- D 5 demption $6 The third Confederation demption. Nobility from thence fets nc man free.' Power delivers no man. Th< applaufe of men formerly given, yielA there no comfort. Let us here feek tin favour of God and his glory. That is th< true glory which is got by the fhunniiij of vain glory .* and there is no true glofj but that which is Sternal. Solomon, in the Proverbs, defcrt Vrov. beth Wifdom like a Queen, atten. 3. 13. ded by two waiting-maids, Step, nity and Glory, the firft on tb right hand, the fecond on the left. Glory \ nothing worth, if there be not joyned witl it Eternity; that which all we Chriftiaii do expect. For here we have no continuity City, but we feek one to come, Sternal in th heavens. The righteous jh all be had in ever lafiing remembrance, Heb. 13. 14 2 Cor. 5 l. Pfal. 112. 6. To give an Alms to poor Man, to moderate a greedy appe tite, to refift an enemy of chaftity, thef are works that require not much pains, o time for the doing." and yet the remem brance of thefe, together with their re ward, fhall be Eternal, What a fmal thing was it that Mary Magdalen beftow ed upon our Saviours feet J How quickl had fhe done it! And yet it is made know throughout the whole world, Matth. 26. 1! Some others, it may be, would have ad mire ufon Eternity* f 7 rrired other things in her, her cherry heeks, Jber comely countenance, the deafant flower of her youth, her rare ;jace, her great riches, her affability and purtefie, and fueh like. Thefe were not be things which Chrift commends in her; tut it was the office which {he performed ■Wt&.his feet. The thing it felf was nor rreat: and yet it was a means to procure P* hct Eternal gloTy, and a never dying ftine. It Jlmll be preach throughout the vMt world: This is the Teftimeny of )hrift. This work of hers was not engra- en in Marble, nor caft in Brafs, nor pro- afllged in the Market-place, nor pro- Uimed with a Drum* and a Trumpet: and et it hath continued for a memorial of Lqr to this day, and io fhall for ever, and t Jha/l be preached throughout the whole virtd. If you confider the A&ion it felf, tudat Ifcariot the covetous Purfe-bearer Qtind fault with it : Simon the dwelling jxi protwl Pharifee condemned it: If the xatrer, it was bat an Ointment, at the 9Q& aol worth above thirty fmall pieces »f Gold : If the place, it was private : If he imtneffes prefent, they were but few: i'ihc per/on, fhe was a Woman, and one nfamous: And yet for all thefe, It pall * preached throughout the whole world. Saw many Emperors have advanced their Colours 5 1 The third Confederation Colours difplayed, their vi&orious and triumphant Eagles, and fet up their Stan- dards in their Hnemies Camp / How ma- ny warlike Captains have led popular Af«i mies, and commanded them worthily / How many provident Governours have ruled their people very wifely.' How ma- ny Kings have erected rare Monuments, and Statues, and built Caftles and Cities J How many learned Men have wafted their brains in new Inventions, and have like ChymickSy diftilled them into Receivers of Paper/ And to what cad all this? To keep their names in continual remem- brance, and to be recorded amongft wor- thy and memorable Men. And yet not- withstanding they lodge in the bed of fi- lence, and lie buried in the grave of oblivi- on. But one good work that the righteous doth, (hail be hid in everlafting remem- brance : Time and envy fliait never de* face and conceal it; the wifeft Mert^ Captains, Prelates, and Kings themfelve*, (hall with reverence read and hear it. It Jhall be preached throughout the whale world. The only way then to immortality and true Eternity is, to live well, and-ferto die Well. Go to now, ye Romans, if ye will feek Eternity in Statues and Marble monu- ^nents : but you (hall never find it there. I for upon Eternity. ^ ot my part will wifh rather with St. Ri** me, in the life of Paul the Eremite, Oh ^member, faith he, Hiereme a fmner r 7ho if God had given him the choice, /ould have preferred the poor Cloak of *aui with his good works, before the Scar- ft Robes of Kings with their Kingdoms, .ct ns Chriftians here, whilft we have title, make over our Riches, for fear left ft lofe riiem ; let its fend them before us ito another world: Heaven ftands open, eady to receive them. We need not oubt of the fafe carriage : the Carriers re very faithful and tnifty ; but they are he poor and needy of this world. We lake over unto them here by way of ex- hange a few things of little value, being ^ receive in heaven an exceeding Eternal veight of glory, i Cor. 4. 17. For fo hath- thrift promifed upon the performance of his precept. I fay unto you, Make to your 'Ives friends of the Mammon of unrighteouf- *fs: that when ye fail, they may receive ou into everlafting habitations. But let us *fs from the Romans unto others. CHAP. 6e found alive. We may Dream, and feign unto our elves, I know not what Eternities : But a the mean time we mufi needs die, and \te as water fpilt upon the grortnd, 2 Sam. 4. 14. Another and better type of Eternity was bund out at Conftantinople, in the year >f our Lord 459. The Church of Con- iantinople, in the time when Gennadi us vas Bifhop, was augmented by a new and loble foundation ot a Monaftcry of Aces- nets dedicated to Saint John Baptift. rhefe Accemets were fo called for not leeping, becaufe they were never all at mcc to fleep, but ftill to be exercifed in heir courfe night and day in finging praifes unto God. Thefe Accemets were lividcd after this manner into three Com. panies : $ t The i hird^onfidtrdtion panies : fo that when the firft compa- ny had made an end of finging divine praifes, the fecond (hould begin ; and when the fecond had made an end, the third fhould begin. By means of this godly inftitution, the City had in fome fort heaven within it felf always founding with the praifes of God; or at leaft a Type or Reprcfentation of the Eternity in Heaven, where God fhall be praifed for all Eternity % with great delight and cheerfulnefs, and without all wcarinefs. Therefore hath the Pfalmifi good caufc to cry out, Blejfed are they which dwell in thy houfe, they will fill be praifing Thee, Pial. 84. 4. Then {hall all the bleffed fay, as Peter did upon the Mountain, It is good for us to be here, Mattta 1 7. Bernard 4 For, as St. Bernard fpeak- Serm.i. eth, Eternity is true riches with- de Om. out mcafure : but he adds this S. S. wkhal, It is not found, unlefs it be fought with perfeverance. But how (hall we {o feck that we may ob- tain it ? Hear what the good Father faith: By Poverty, by Meeknefs, and by Tears, there is renewed in the Soul the {tamp and image of Eternity, which comprehendetb all times Firft, Poverty is the way to Eternity. Blejfed are the per infpirit : for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, Matth. 5 .3. Where upon Eternity. 63 iThere poor men are difperfed and forfa- En, there is the heart and the Money >cked up- together in the Cheft .* Where loney is expended according to the Rules f Avarice*, there is no affec-t or love of po- erty, there is no defire or love of Eter- ity. Secondly, Meeknefs : By Meeknefs 't make our Fclves fecure of things pre- :nt, and have an affurance of things ) come. Blejfed are the meek, for they Jball iberit the earth, Mat. f, 5. If any man ask, /hat fhall we fay of him that is void of ieeknefs and Patience, that can fcarce at ly timefpeak a mild word? What gains e by his implacable impatience ? What oth it profit him to rage and fret with ind- ignation, to make outcries and tumults, > fhew his will to do mifchief, though ? cannot effect, what he would ; or to con- lade, to falute no man civilly as if he 'ere an enemy to all humanity and affa~ ivity? What fhall we fay of fuch a man? Fthere be any fuch he is fure to fufFer >fs of goods or good name or both. For ie riches which he hath, he poffefleth ot, but keeps them like a dog, wnofep»o- crty is to bark at a man, to ny upon nim % cid to bite him : as for his good name, if e ftave any, he fhall not augment it by te title of impatience: and as for Hea- rt*, he lofeth that before he hath taken pofleflion 64 The third Confickrattin pofleftonof it. Thirdly, Tears For b weeping and mourning we redeem ■ time pair, we recover what we prodigal! fpent by .finning, ^ut this mourning an forrow mull not laft for an hour only, f for a day: for this is nothing elfe butJ do as he did, who at his Mothers deal put on mourning-clothes, forced for It prefent a few Tears, and fo went along* ter the bier, and left hex not till he 4^ her buried ; but the fame day, or the nt^ day after, wiped away all Tears from b Eyes,, changed his weeping into laughifl caft off his mourning clothes, and put I coloura. This is not to mourn in gap earned:, to make an end of mourning 1 fnddenly. But this we do (alasi ) te often. To day we make publick confeffi'c of our fins to God, and hear Abfolution we repent us of our fins, and receive t\ holy Communion : and within a day ajfr< we fin again with delight, and vfil|l fear, and oftentimes more gneyoufly tfo before. \Ve deteft for the. Rtf&M $ wicked eourfe of our life paft-J and we t* turn again, to the. fame pafs. We forfwe; the fins which we formerly committed and again the fame day we commit ■ fame. So with the fame tongue we ; pre claim Chrift innocent, and crucifie hi afrefh, %% if we were the ; true Bxot" ■ upon Eternity. tJ? 1 Vontius dilate, who with one and the ime mouth did both abiblve him and ondemn him, confefling that he found no %ufe of death in bim y Luke 23. 22, 24 and et adjudging him to be crucified. We are ery fickle and inconftant, but in nothing lore conftant than in the repetition of a icious courfe of Life. Alas! alas! we car- y. too much of the JMoon^ that is Incon- ancy, in our hreaft. Sometimes we are fo ealous and fo holy, that we will not ad- ut of a cheerful countenance, for fear ;ft it (hould hinder our fanctity and devo- on: we look demurely, cafring our eyes own to the ground, and knit the brows, s being angry with our felves, when we nd in our felves the leaft remifsnefs or 9idnefs inholy duties. But this fan&ity and evotion doth never continue long : after a /hile we begin to hate even piety it felf: nd theltream being turned, we turnagain 3 our former riot and intemperance ; and /e are as ready to diflolve the knot of riendfhip made betwixt God and us, as at he firft we were unwilling to have it knit. Lt length Piety , attended with fovrcw and tpenfance, prefents her felf again unto us, nd puts to flight lafcivioufnefs, until the ime comes that we begin to repent us of ur repentance. So we feldom continue 3.ng in any honeft and godly courfe, for it &6 The third Confident} on it feemj unto us too labprious: and at c very light beck we row down the ftream o our former oncleannefs. Such is the in conftancy of our life, that it prefents n our minds all forts of pleafures and vices We make an outward fhew of adorin: virtue ! but in heart and mind we fat down and worfhip vice; a moft laboriou kind of fervice. This is not the way unt Eternity, unlefs it be of punifhment am torments which (hall have no end. Let us (ingle out one ChrifKan man o many, and fuch a one efpecially as is vnoi addicted to his pleafure ; let us carry bin along with us to the mouth of a Furnac red hot and flaming; and then let ushegij to queftion him after this manner: Hov much pleafure wouldeft thou ask to conti nue burning in this Furnace for one day He will anfwer to this undoubtedly, would not be tormented in thefe flame forone day, to gain the whole world an. aH the pleafures in the world. But let n propound, another condition unto hiijl What reward wouldft thou ask to enduri this fire only for half a day ? Propound what reward yon will, there is nothing f delicate,fo precious, fo dear unto me, whicl I would be willing to buy at fo dear a price as thefe torments. But to try once more What reward and pleafure wouldft thdi r asl upon Eternity. 6j t to go into this furnace, and to (ray there ut one hour? His anfwer certainly will be liis, Let the mod covetous and impudent ian in the world ask what he can, that is ot to be compared with the unutterable nd unfuflferable fcorchings and torments f this fire, though theyfhould laft but for ne hour. If thefe anfwers be good and greeable to right reafon, How comes it o pafs, O God, that for a little gain, and hat but vile, for deceitful honour, and hat fugitive, for filthy pleafures, and that lot long, fo many men fo little regard £- ernal punifliment in Hell-fire ! We can- tot be perfwaded with any reward, no, hough it be to gain a whole world to flay mt tor one hour in fire Temporal : and yet, f either gain at any time invited us, or if lonour fmileth upon us, or pleafure allu- t th us, we never fear Hell and fire Eter- tal. But thou wilt fay, I hope for better ; jod is merciful, and his goodnefs will not uffer me to defpair, or to be terrified with :he fear of evil to come. So indeed we arc .vont to fpeak: and the words in them- "elves are not impious, if out works were pious. But for the moft part our works arc filch, that if we rightly confidcr them, we have little caufe to hope for mercy. It is i very dangerous and foolifh part, for a man :o live in a conflant courfe of ungodlinefs and 68 The third ^cnfidit At ion and to hope for >Et*mi}y amongft the blef. fed. Alas ! one fin is fufficierit to con- tkwvn us. Kfeoweftthou not what Cnrf* hath threatned in the Gofpel I Whofeeve\ pall fay unto his brother, Thou fool, fiall % in danger of hell fire , Matth. 5. 22. KrioW< eft thou not what Chrift hath forbidden WhofoeVer looketh upon a womvtn to Tuft of. U* her, hath committed Adultery with her at ready in his hearty. 2%. KnowerVthou ntf what Chrift hath premoni&ed ? Not eve* one that faith, Lord, Lord, Jhall 'enter into tit Kingdom of Heaven .• hut he which doth #h Willof-my father which is in heaven, M attto 7.21 Knoweftthou not that Chrift fhaU flwt many ont of the gate? He thai lovetl father or mother more than me, is not wortih of me: And he that taketh not his crofs am followed after me, is not worthy of me, Matth. 10.37,38. Kno weft thou not wh«t Chrift hath openly and plainly faid., and again repeated? Many be called, but fe& chofen, Matth. 20. 16, and 22. Sew indeed, yea very few. Knoweft thoti not how often Chrift hath exhorted to amendment of lifel Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye • jh all not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, Matth. 18. 5. // thy band or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cafi them from thee: It is better for thee to enter into life i halt, and maimed, rather than having two upon Eumhj. 69 70 hands, or two feet % to be cafi into ever- fting fire, v. 8, Except ye repent, ye fiall i Vikewife perifi, Luke 15. 5, And not Hg after, Strive to enter in at the firkight it .• for many; I & fay tmtc you, will fee k "enter inland fbxU not b? able, Ver. £4. noweft thou not how exprefly St. Fitui Bites up -all thofe things that hinder us 6m entering into that tleflfed gternUy \ be works of 'the fiefh mi mitnifejl, which e thefe; Adultery, Fornication, Unclean^, pi Lafcivioufnefs, Idolatry, Witchcraft, tcttecl, V4rianee, Emulations, Wrath, Strife, ititietij, JHeYefiet,. ^rtvytegt, \ Murders, rt&ke-nnefs, Revelling*, and fuch like : of fwhich l4eli you -before, *s 4 ~im<&e -teld h in time pxfi 9 Ithat they which do fuch Wgs, fo all not inherit the Kingdom of God. - ns up^nd *s riot le grieved fi !%hit he feeks by all means polfible to a- >rdit for the time to come, he may $ng rumfelf if he will, this Vain Spero, I hope, rd I hope : but this mans hope is indeed )ne at all, but mere raflihefs and pre^ ttfption For a man to adventure the inger of frripes and blows, is an evil that ly be born. To lofe at. play an hundred • athoufand Florins, is a great misfor- ine, but may -be endured. To lay his head c 70 The third Confiderdtion head at ftake, and to bring his life in dat ger, is a bad adventure ; but at the wor it is but lofs of life, and that lofs is nc of all other the greateft. But to hazar the eternal falvation both of body an foul, by living at uncertainties, by ho pin in words, and defpairing in works* nullifi ing hope by a wicked and ungodly life this is the moft extreameft of all evib this is the moft grievous misfortune a mil can fall into: this is moft pernicious ra& nefs and boldnefs: this is extream foil and madpefs. Now conjider this, ye that ■ get God, left he tear you in pieces, ar, there be none to deliver you, Pfal. 50. 22. I CHAP. III. *That the way of Eternity it diligently a} carefully to be fought after. T E T every Chriftian man therefoi I j often ask himfelf, and others al: which are in the place of God, this quel! on, What fhall I do that I may obtai bleffed "Eternity, or Eternal blefledneC Am I in the right way that Ieadeth unl Eternity ? Something I do indeed, but is but very little, and not worth lpeakit of, I thirft and breath after the joys whic are immortal and Eternal: but few are in works, cold and imperfect at the beft, ar altogethc upon Eternity* yi [together unworthy of an Eternal reward. think it long till I arrive at the haven, ut I am afraid of the troublcfome waves id tempefts by the way ? when as yet otwithftanding that is the fafeft and heft r ay unto heaven, which is moft rough and irrovv. This the very Truth it felf of ods mouth pronounceth, and Chrift pro- aimeth, faying, Snter ye in at the firait tie : For wide is the gate, and broad is the 'ay that leadeth to defiruttion, and many tere be (alack ! too many y hat go in thereat, ecau/e firait is the gate, and narrow is the ^ay which leadeth unto life ; and few there be lack! too few) that find it, Matth. 17. 5, 14. Again, Strive to enter in at the rait gate : For many, I fay unto you, will ek to enter in, and Jh all not be able, Luk. 5. 24. Oh what a fearful word is that I A N Y ; and that FEW! How lould it make us tremble ! But we mife- ble men deceive our felvcs, rafhly pro- ifing unto our felves Eternity: and yet cannot tell whether we may be more oly faid to hope, or to dream, that we all be reckoned amongftthofe few before entioned. Would to God now, even >w whileft it is the accepted time, and the *y of Salvation, 2 Cor. 6. 2. we would ive a diligent and an intent eye upon ternity, and reafon thus with our felves • U Alas' 7x The third Confideration Alas ! What is all this that I fuffer ; Or, that I fee others fuffer"? It is nothing if it be compared with Eternity What if I could reckon up as many labours and pe- rils as Saint Paul himfelf did undergo, as they are by him fet down in his lecond Epiftle to the Corinthians , and the eleventh Chapter? z Cor. 11.27. If I ftiould en- dure hunger and thirfe, enmities and inju- ries, ficknefs and poverty? Yea more, what if I were fioned with Saint Paul, and beaten with rods? What if I fuffered pip- it-rack? vet. 25. All thefe are nothing to punifhments Eternal. Therefore inallad- verfity, I mull: think with my felf, I (hall fee an end of all, Pfal. 119. $><*• ■ The Prophet Daniel having reckoned uo fundry calamities, at length addeth thefc words, E'ven to the time of the end: becaufe it is yet for a time appointed, Dan. 11. 35. Gome hither, come hither, all ye that are in affliction, in forrow, need, ficknefs, 01 any other calamity. Why do ye drown your felvesin your own tears? Why do ye make your life bitter unto you with impatience and complaining? Here is comfort foi you, great comfort drawn from the time of that fufTering. Are divers calamities upon you? Be not call down: have a good courage : they (hall continue only for a time)°Vo you fuffer contumely and re- proach '. upon Eternity* j$ ofrch ? Are ye wearied with injuries \ re other troubles multiplied on you ? afe to lament ; ail thefe {hall laft but » a time ; they fhalt not laft for ever ; ►ur fighing fhall have an end. Tears may diftil from your eyes for a ne\ but fighs and groans {hall not arife im your hearts for ever. The time is at nd, when you {hall be delivered from t grief ; and be tranflated unto everlaft- g happinefs. This is moft clear by that EcclefiafticttSy A patient man will bear • a time, and afterward joy [i)all fpring up to him y Eccluf. 1.23 But ye alfo which ink your felves the only happy Men on rth, and the darlings of the world, know fcis much, and be not proud, neither k up your horn ; All your fceming hap- hefs (for it is no more at the beft) hath it ftiort and narrow bounds and limits, d is quickly paffed over. Your triumph- I is but for a time ; your golden dreams t but for a time ; after a time, and that t long, death will command you to put f fortunes painted vizard, and (land a- sng the croud. Then {hall ye truly ap- ar fo much the more unhappy, by how uch the more ye fcemed to your felves fore, in your own foolifh imaginations, oft happy. Therefore whether forrow joy, all is bat for a time in this world h 2 Jt 74 The third Contention It is eternity alone which is not concluded within an/ bounds of time. Whethei therefore the body fuffer or the mind ; whc ther we lofe riches or honours ■ whethei our patience be exercifed by forrow « erief; cares, or any amnions, inward 01 outward, all is but painted and momentary if we think upon Eternal punifhments For when fifty "thoufand years id faying, Do but one thing for me, On- j pray for me, that I may be delivered om Sternal torment. Neither 'tis Tully out of the way when he *TylL id, No humane thing can feem Titfc. reat unto a wife man, who hath qti£fi. le knowledg of all Eternity , and Ub. r 2- F the magnitude of the whole 'orld. But Francis the Author of the •rder of the Francifcans, hath a faying r better than that of our, and to undergo any affliction, to be reed from Eternal punifhment. The dif- tfes of the Body move the nek man to mrge the Body: Let the difeafes of our louls move us alfo to take the purgation of epentance : let the deftre of our Salvation nove us: let the fear of Eternal death ind Eternal torments move us : let the lope of attaining Eternal life and Sternal ;lory move us. Let us embrace that vhich purgeth the Soul, and let usefchew hat which polluteth it. And nothing de- iles the Soul more than a filthy Body. Faithful is this counfel of Saint Ambrofe, md worthy of us to be embraced. O Chrift Jefus, grant unto us that we nay fo pofle Is things tranfitory and tempa- ral, that finally we lofe not the things which are EiernaU and give us grace to walk in their fteps, andto follow their good example, of whom Saint Augnjtinefyczk- cth ; Many there are, faith he, that wil- lingly come under the yoke, and of proud and haughty men, become humble and lowly, defiring to be what before they defpifed , and fiating to be what before they were; patting by, like {hangers, things prefent, and making halte with greedinefs after things to come. They pant in their running towards their Eternal Country, E,4 P«- jQ The third Confide rat ion preferring Abftinence before Fulnefs, Watching before Sleep, and Poverty be- fore Riches, accounting labour in the conquer! of vices to be but pleafure, lo- ving their enemies, palling by injuries; and all for the hope of an Eternal reward. And who then would not fuffer any extre- mity and labour, to purchafe unto thenv- iclves an Eternal reward? THE 9*7 Xhtve conJicUreJL-tke dtvyej ef 'oUL +Jkzyesirej ef ' nxiiettt lurt&r. Tf: y€.$ Thy ammtjfafr by-rn* ike voit* ofth'Tnanht UrewuL abtmt »*■&* arrows effrefmtvnn^ upn Eternity* J)i THE FOURTH CONSIDERATION UPON ETERNITT. How holy David meditated upon Ete rntiy and how we Jhould imitate him. THat God fiiould punifh the Ap- fiate Angels and Men condemned at the laft day, with Sternal pu- •nfhments, this hath feemed fo ftrange to Fome and fo incredible, that Origen him- felf (a man otherwife of an admirable wit ind excellent learning, very well skilled n Scripture, ) hath been lb bold as to teach, That the Devils and the Damned after a certain time, when they (hall be fufficiently purged by the fire from their fins, fhall at length be reftored £/&. 21. to grace. But St. Augujline and ^ *^j others convince him and con- tate j) e i demn him of this his error. cA ±2z* Yet notwithstanding this error ^£* *'. hath found in the world many ■ favourers. 8fc The third Confederation favourers. Certain Hereticks called the Aniti y have difleminated and fcattered il throughout Spain Y by divers their inter- pretations. Some thought that all the dam- ned, others that Chriftians only, other* that Catholicks only, others that thoft only that had been more liberal than o- thers in giving of alms, fhould be deliver- ed at length out of Hell. Though St. Au- guftine hath not refuted thefe their errors, yet the holy writ hath done it plainly and openly. Match. 25. 41. Depart from mt ye curfed into averlafting pre : And again, ver. 46. And thefe Jhall go away into ever- lafting punijhment y but the righteous into lift Eternal. Here no Gloffes or Interpreta- tions will ferve their turn to defend their errors. Wherefore the Divine T/almifi Xing David, though he delighted much in -the ^onfideration of both times, that which was paft, and that which was to come, Mine eyeJ y (faith he ) prevent the night-watches: Pfel. .119. 148. and a^ gain in another place, 'Thou holdeft mine eyes waking : I am fo troubled that I cannot fpedk. Pfal. 77.4. What was it, Blef- ied Prophet, that thus broke thy fleep ? What buiinefs hadft thou to do fo earfv before day.light ? Whatcaufed thee fo tJ Jkeep filence, and to be troubled in mind? Hen what he iaith, / have considered the Jays upon Eternity. 8$ tys of old, and the years of ancient times, id the years of Eternity I have had in my ind } Pfal. 77. 5. Lo, this was the thing lat broke his fleep, when he compared le years that werepaft with the years that ere to come, and with Eternity, Nei- lcr did he thusin the day only, but / call to -membrance, faith hc y myfong in the night .• commune with my own heart ,and myfpirit tade diligent fearch. ver. >6. And what loved him to this nightly exercife? Will ?e Lord ca/l off for ever ? and will he be fa- ourable no more ? is his mercy clean gone for ver ? See how he fears and trembles at be very confideration of Eternity , how he i afraid of Gods judgments, left God lould punifh them with Eternal punifh- nent. And what is the end and effe£r of this Meditation? And I faid, this is mine in- finity : But I will remember, &c. or, Vow I will begin. So in an inftant, at the 'ery fame minute, he became better than le was, and delayed not, neither did he lefcr his Repentance, and put it off till vorfe years ; -But, faith he, Now I will tegin, now I will live a more godly life ;han I have done He faith hot, After uch an hour, or after fuch a day ; but, How, even now. I, will fome men fay, tf I were as David was:. If I could medi- tate of Eternity as blelfed David did, it may $4 The fourth Confiderathn may be then I would readily and witli alacrity fay with David, Now I will be gin: But I am fo intangled with daily cares, fo hindrcd with worldly bufineft. fo diftra&ed into divers parts one way oi other, thatl^annot. I live amongnV men; I fee and hear much evil ; I have no timi or leifure once to have fo good a thought if mind as the thought of Eternity, Whet we meet together in company to mala merry, amidft our fports, and amongft oni cups, we never confer about fnch graft points: our minds wander up and down about many things, and cannot then fit themfelvcs upon the confideration of Eter- nity. At ourfeafts and merry-meeting*, we take our cups, and pleafe our felvtt in making jefts : Thoughts of Eternity are too fevere, too fad and melancholick to be entertained by us ; we banifh fuch out of our company. We enquire what news out of Italy, or France, or Spain. That which you tell usoffo often concerning Heaven and Hell, is now old, and grown ttale. We know it well enough already, what need you repeat it fo often, till we loath it? So by this means there is no place or time left once to think upon Eternity. ChriiHan Brother, it is true indeed which thou fayeft, I cannot deny it. But 1 could wifh thou wouldft be as ready and forward ufm Eternity. $f r orward to amend thy fault, as to confefs t. It is too clear and manifeft, we fee it vith our eyes, that there is little or no tare in the World of Eternity, although »ae thing or other every day ftill puts us n mind of it. | The Book of the Rites and Ceremonies >f the Church of Rome at the Confecration |>f their Bifhops doth appoint thefe words o be recited, Annos JEtemos in mentehabe y Keep ftill in mind the years of Eternity ; or Xhink upon Sternity. For when the Pope pew Ele£t, in a folemn manner is carried along to St. Meters Church, there goes one before him, having in his hand ourning flax, and (baking it, he repeateth thrice thefe words, Voter San&e, §c tranjtt gloria ntundi, Holy Father, fo the glory of the World pajfeth away. It were a devout and godly practice, ifwe did every day at the begin- ning and end of all our a£tions, fay unto our felves thefe words, Annos Mternos in mente babe, Think upon Eternity. But ef- pecially when we are tempted unto any fin, when the Devil fuggefts and puts into our minds ill thoughts, and wnen our Confcience is in danger of being wounded, O then Think ufen Eternity. C HA P. Stf The fourth Confiderathn CHAP. I. Divers admonitions to think upon Eternity* PHiUp King of Mace don appointed a cer- tain noble young man to falute him thrice every morning after this manner, Pbilippus, homo es ; Remember, Philip, Thou art but a man ; that being put daily in mind of his mortality ,he might carry him- felf towards mortal men like a mortal man. Much more ought every good -Chriftiaa- man, and true member of the Catholick Church, to be a monitor unto himfelf and with due confideration thrice, at the lead every day fay to himfelf, Eternity, Eterni- ty, Eternity! Why Jo? Set thine haufe in- order (faith the Prophet to King Hezehias;} For thoujhait die and not live. There will come an evening for certain, after which thou fhalt fee na morning ; or there will -come a morning, after which thou fhalt fee no evening. Have an efpecial care therefore in all thy anions ; that thou woundeft not thy Confcience ; and truft not too far to thofe things that perifh, for fear leaft tliou thy felf together with them Soft like wife perifh, and finally lofe the. things that are Eternal. It is a cuftom in Germany, and not to 4ie difliked, in the evening when a Candle upon Eternity. 8? firft lighted, or brought into a room, to r, Deus det nobis lucem JEternam y God ant unto us light Eternal. Wc (hall do :11 to imitate the Germans in this cuft- 1 : or rather it is already in ufe and hath en long ago in many Parts of this King- m, to fay, God grant us the light of Hea- rt. It is very good daily to put us in ind of Eternity. There is likewife a kind of Eternity in ivery and imprifonment, but infamous A horrible. It is a cruel puniftiment and orfe than death it felf in fome mens dgment, to be condemned to perpetual lprifonment, or to be a perpetual Gal- -flave. Thofe which are oppreffed with iicknefs ■other forrows, do likewife imagine with icmfelves, that even in their fufferings lere is a kind of Eternity. Whence it comes ► pafs that we often hear them utter fuch .(tempered fpeeches as thefe, Will this lafi 'ways 1 Shall I fiill without end be nailed if to my bed ? Jball I fuffer thefe fains and rrows -perpetually ? Jhall I always be thus txed and tormented ? Alack / thefe Eter- ities are but fhort, and foon come to an nd. But if it be fo grievous to flefti and lood to endure flavery or imprifonment ere on earth, though but for a moment for our life is no longer, according to Drf- vid s c8 8 The fourth Confi deration wW's meafure, but a fpan, which is vc lhort) what care and diligence, and wfc circumfpeftion ought we to ufe, that \ be not caft into the prifon of hell, and in the fathom] efs pit, where there is flave and imprifonment, pain and torment, be endured throughout all ages, beyoi all times, even to all Eternity. CHAP. II. That Eternity tranfcends all numbers of'i rithmetick. THere is a very common and we known Arithmetic!?:, which Chi dren are taught when they firft go i School; and this is it Suppofe there w a Mountain of very fine Sand as big astl whole Earth, or rather much bigger : the luppofe that every year an Angel fhoul take from this Mountain one, and but 01 grain of Sand ; how many thoufand, an thoufand, and again I fay thoufand, I how many hundred thoufand and y« more, how many thoufand millions o years muft there needs pafs, before it c* be perceived that the mountain is grow lefs,or any whit diminifh'd ? Let a man th? is skilful in Arithmetick fit down, and be gin to caft, how many years muft pafs be fox upon Eternity. 8? re the mountain, or half the mountain be imoved by the Angel. Certainly we can- >t conceive that ever he fhall be able to tft up the total number of the fand. But crein we are miftaken: for although we mnot conceive it poflible to be done, yet may be done. But Eternity exceeds this amber of years beyond all comparifon, is moft certain: for between a thing fi- \te and a thing infinite there is no compari- ng no proportion. Eternity hath no limits, o terms, no bounds, none at all. But ippofe the damned fhould burn in Hell o longer, than till the Mountain by grain fter grain, year after year, (hould by the ingel be quite removed , yet what an in- omprehenfible number of years muft firft a£s, before they can expe£t to fee the day f deliverance! But ( alas ! ) there is no iich day to be expeaed ; their torments hall have no end : After that incompre- lenfible number of yeaTS, it (hall be truly aid, Now beginneth their Eternity, their Iternity is not in any part expired, they re as tar from the end of their torments as hey were at the beginning. After a th° u - and years, yea after a hundred thoufand rears, there {hall not be an end, or middle, n beginning of Eternity, for the meafure >f Eternity is Always. The fame art of \ritkmctick about the bufinefs of Eternity* £o The fourth Confederation a late divine teacheth, in words fomewh different, but in meaning all one with tl former. I therefore add it, becaufe a ma can never fufficiently think or fpeak of i Confider, faith he, what is the length of I ternhy. How long (h all Go Cornelius and his Saints reign ? Hov «Lapidein longfhali the damned burni c- 15. Exod. Hell ? For ever. How long ver.S. that? Imagine an hundre thoufand years, Alas! Thati - nothing in refpeft of Eternity. Imagine te 1 hundred thoufand years, yea fo many ages Yet that is nothing, Eternity is ftill as Iobj as it was. Imagine a thoufcind millions o years: And yet that is nothing. Eternity 1 not a whit fhortned Imagine yet more , ioocoooooooooooooocooooooooooo;thou fand-thoufand; thoufand-thoufand; thou, iand-thoufand ; thoufand-thoufand-Milli. ^ns of years. Imagine, I fa V , the damnec ihould burn in Hell fo manf years, andyel thou haft not found the very beginning oi Eterntty.Im&gine once more fo many milli- ons ot millions of years as there are dropj m the Sea,and yet thou art not come to the beginning of Eternity. Such for continuance is the Eternity of joy intowhich thebleflcd ihall enter and the Eternity of torments which the damned frail fuffer. O Tefus fpare us, fpare us O Jefus, O Jefus, fave us, Have upon Eternity. 9 l ve mercy upon us,0 good Jefus, and fuf- us not to be plunged headlong into • bottomiefs pit, to be tormented with ? damned for all Eternity, 8ut yet if God would but lay unto the nned,let the earth be covered with moft e fand, and let the world be filled there- th,and let it be heaped up fo high ashea- o, and then let an Angel come once in e- ry thoufand years, and take one grain of id out of this heap ; when after fo many oufand years as there be grains of fand, b Angel (hall have removed the whole ap, then will I deliver you out of Hell : how would the damned exult and re- ice, and not think themfelves damned ! But las) after fo many thoufands of years there main yet more, and more, and infinite re to all Eternity ', even forever and ever. his is that heavy weight that fo preffeth ie damned. Let every one therefore that ineth, confider with himfclf, and again, fay, let him confider, that unlefs he re- »nt,* he fhall be prefl'ed and groan under lis heavy weight of Eternity. Gulielmus Veraldus, Bitfiop of Lions, a ;ry religious and learned man, hath ano- ier manner of reckoning,meditating upon ie innumerable number of years through- at which the damned (hall be tormented, f the damned, faith he, fbould every day iftil from their eyes but one {mall tear, and c $z The fourth Confi deration and thofe tears fhould be added togethe day after day, they would at length fs exceed the dfops of the Ocean : for the have their number and meafure; and it I eafie with God to fay, So many are & drops of the Ocean and no more ; but ih tears of the damned exceed all numbt and meafure. Alas! Alas! How little d we think upon thefe things ! How free! and wilfully do we fin, and make ot felves guilty of Eternal punifhment, an that oftentimes for a very little fhort afi 1 filthy pleafure. Yet there remains one way more, € cafting up this numberlefs number of yeaW Suppofe there were a fchedule of Parch ment a fpan broad, but fo long that i would begirt and incircle the whole Glob of the Earth: and fuppofe it were writte 1 all over very clofe with figures of 9, iroti one end to another: who fo skilful an A rithmetician, that can tell the numbe thereof ? What Mountain fo great, tha 1 confiftethof fo many grains of duftof fand What Ocean fo vaft, that containeth with- in it fo many drops of water? And yet thi is nothing to Eternity : it ftretcheth it fel further than fo ; it knows no bound ; it i extended beyond all meafure. But how far is is extended? It is extended infinitely and without end, If thy heart ( O Chri- ftia: upon Eternity- 9$ a Man) be not turned into a (tone, it not but melt at the confidcration of fe things, and the very thought of the tomlefspit ^nd Eternal punifhment will ce thee fear and tremble. If there be fenfe in thee, here it will {hew it felf. : as I faid before, too few think upon fe things ; and too many live fo fecure :heir falvation, as if there were no Hea- i,no God, no Hell, nor Eternity. Every ' they heap up fin upon fin, as if they nured and ftudied to make their laftday jxcecd the former, for the meafure and nber of their fins: and fo they pafs unto 'tnity fporting and playing as if they nt to prifon but a few weeks or days. :h men as thefe, faith St. Gregory, when :y fhould be mourning for their fins, ware dancing for their pleafure ; and icn they fhould be ferioufly meditating on death, they run laughing unto exe- cion. This is blindnefs indeed, this is livious madnefs. For this (h ort life which but the fhadow of Eternity, we labour yond all meafure ; but for the life which Eternal, and moft happy, we fcarce take y pains at all : And yet the not obtain- rof this life is the incurring of Eternal ath ; which as it is a torment more grie- us than all the torments of this life, fo this it is moft grievous, that there is no reft 9 4 The fourth Consideration reft or mitigation of pain, no not for o fhort hour in the infinite fpace of all 1 ternity. CHAP. III. What effeft and fruit the consideration of i ternity bringeth forth. AN D this is if that hath made fo mat good Chriftians, and fo many ho Martyrs fo prompt and ready to fufter ai torments, and any kind of death, that ev< in their greateft pains, when they lay wa lowing in their own blood,they were me ftout and couragious, and with a conftaj look and chearful countenance infultedt ver their Tormentors. They had the yea of Eternity in mind. This it is that hat made the world feem diftaftful and « pleafant unto many, infomueh that the have taken their leave of all pleafures, an embraced and entertained a fevere an ftrift courfe of life, giving themfelvi wholly to reading, meditation and praye and fuch holy duties, minding heaven, as heavenly things They had the years of i. ternity in mind. The thought of Sternh will make all things in this life feem eaii and pleafant, though to flefh and bloo they feem molt grievous and unpleafao upon Eternity- 95- makes all labours feem light and very ort. Prayer, ftudy, watching, and fueh ke holy duties it commends unto us, and akes them feem amiable. It feafons and treeteirs hunger and thirft. It mitigates le fenfe of pinching poverty. It makes 1 manner of crofTes in this life not only lerable, but alfo grateful and*comfor- ble. Whofoever hath the years of Eter- ty in mind, and imprints them within, ;eper and deeper by daily meditation, mnncth no labour, neither is daunted ith any loffes. Offer him a Kingdom, fer him all the delights and pleafures in tc World: and he will not change his >or eftate and condition for them. Such man as this is never complaining; he* idures all things, he fabmits himfelf to 1 For thus he thinks with himfelf, what fmall thing is this or that, that or this, id of how fhort continuance! I will lerefore endure it patiently ; it will not ft always. It is but for an hoiir, and that irery ftiort one, that mine enemies here >prefs me. Well, go to, ye detraaors, bite e ftili, if ye will, ye envious; I will not n from you This is your hour and the >werofdarknefs: But I expeft the day the Lord, and the day of Eternity ; and hy lhould I affiicl: and torment my felf ithforrowand lamentation? All this lif Je F « 96 The third Confederation is but a death of one hour: The viftory is not difficult ; but the triumph is Eternal Why fhould I be afraid of the raging waves of this troublefome world ? I have fight of the haven already Now it rains and thunders upon the heads of the good and godly ; but the ftorm will fhortly blow over. But upon his enemies God fhall alway rain fire and brimftone, ftorm andtempeft: this fhall be their portion to drink, Dan. 12. 2. And many of them that Jleep in the dufi of the earth ( fo pro- phefieth Daniel ) pall awake ; fome to e- verlafiing life, and fome to fhame and ever- lafling contempt. In the old Law God commanded Mofes, faying, Numb. 10. 2, Make thee two trumpets of ftlver, of an whole piece foalt tho/t make them, v. 4. I) they blow but with one trumpet, then Prin- ces, which are the heads of the thoufands oj Ifrael fhall gather themf elves unto thee. When ye blow an alarm, then the Camp ftall gs forwards. Unto thefe two trumpets we may compare thefe two words, NOW and A L W A Y S. This is the law oi the world, NOW let us be merry ; now let us rejoice ; now let us enjoy our goods, while we have them : come, let us now crown our felves with rofes, before they be'withered ; now let us leave in every hlace the -figns and footfteps of our joy. r They ft upon Eternity 97 'hey that attend only to the found of this 'rumpet, they that have ears to hear no- ling but this NOW, they live for the 10ft part fo, as if they were no ALWAYS >r to follow. Therefore they do not re- love the camp; ai -idft their pleafures ley wilfully forget that they are here at Pilgrims and ftrangers : whitherfoever le wanton flefh inviteth them they go ith greedinefs: they are bulled altoge- icr in heaping up riches and following ieafures ; and the found of this NOW >th fo obtund and dull their ears, that tey are deaf to all good counfels and pre- pts: and they will not fo much as lend 1 ear to that ALWAYS which fhall fol- w. But them which open their ears to rar, and their hearts to underftand, when ie Church foundeth both trumpets, (as often doth) and thereupon ferioufly con- ler with themfelves, and compare toge- erthisfhort NOW with that infinite and erlafting ALWAYS, they will ufe no lay, but prefently remove the camp ; ey live here as Pilgrims and ftrangers : ey have their loyns girt ; they remember at they are in a journey ; they fend their :hes and pleafures before them into their mntry which is above; they chufe rather enjoy them ALWAYS in Heaven, than OW for a fhort time upon earth. Cer- / F 2 tain 98 The fourth Confederation tain it is, whofoever heareth attentively, and mindeth ferioufly the AlaTm of thefe Trumpets, and thereupon compareth to- gether things tranfitory with things future, f nd things tranfitory with things Eternal^ he will prefently make himfelf ready to de- part, he will prepare himfelf a place oi burial, he will lay out his winding-fheet, he will fend ior his bier, and furniih him- felf with all things neceffary for his jour- ney, remembring (till in every place, thai he is paffingon the way to Eternity, and conferring with himfelf every day afterthii manner : How (hall I be able to give as account unto God for all my thoughts, words and deeds? and, When fhall I giv< up my account ? and what fentence wil. he oafs upon me? NOW therefore will: die unto my felf, that I may ALWAYS live unto my felf and unto God. Well i: it with that man, which timely and dail] thus thinketh upon eternity. Whatfoeve we do, we are pafling on our way, and w< do not know how fhort it is, unto the gat< which leadeth unto Eternity. At the laf hour of our life death {hall bring us unt< this o-ate, and compel us to enter. Let u therefore fo live, as if we were always ex- pecting death, that if it fhould pleafe Go< at anv time to vifit us with ficknefs, th< fore-runner of death, we may entertain i p.herrfulll upon Eternity. $9 :heer fully, and bear it patiently, lifting jap our eyes unto Chrift hanging upon the Crofs, the true and perfeft pattern of Pa- cience: and when the time of our diffolu- lion draweth near, praying thu3; Lord Jefu ftand by me and comfort me ; Lord Jefu be prefent with thy fervant that put- :eth his truft in thee; Lord J efu make me partaker of thy viftory, Lord Tefu receive my fpirit, and lead me through the dark- fome valley and fhadow of death, lead me and forfake me not until thou haft brought my foul into the land of the living, O thou moil potent conqueror of death, O thou which art my light, life, and falvation. E 5 THE To Turn be gfory both now and for ever Amen z?et j. Becauje mcmjhdUo in hi* ETSKtrw hahhiion Ecfo? Ahs how vnhU 'he l habitation £ccW file* he are the tunifes thougl his ficknefs were not very grievous ? Wouu he be content to want his fports and play fo long? Would he be content tobebount to his bed, though it were a feather-bed or a bed of Down, and never ftir abroac to fee any fights, or fhews, or make mer- ry with his ifriends? I think no man would And fhall I alone amongft all men enjoy reft and pleafure by anefpecial priviledge, and upon Eternity ld£ d have no end of grief and forrow? rely no. Will I, nill I, needs I muft iietimc or other lie down upon the bed I ficknefs, unlefs I be fuddenly taken /ay by death, which God forbid. (Ithis US a good wind, thefe were good cogitati- f) But what bed fhall I have next, lien death fhall thruftmeoutof this? My »dy muft rot under earth : For this is the ndition of all Men after death. But hat fhall become of my foul in another forld? Surely all Men do not go to the ne place after death. Do not fome go te way, and fome another? Is there not t Hell as well as an Heaven? Wo and is? What kind of bed {hall the damned id in Hell ? How many years fhall they i there? In what year after their firft itrance fhall the flames ceafe and be put it ? Afluredly Chrift doth not only in ord threaten to caft the wicked into ever* fting fire, but will alfo caft them indeed, his thing is certain and very manifeft. herefore the damned fhall burn in Hell r ever. Therefore a thoufand, and a. loufand, and again I fay a thoufand :ars will not fuffice to purge away the is of this fhort life. Therefore they ail never fee the fun any more, nor eaven, nor God, being moft miferable ternxJIy and without end. With fuch F 5 thoughts 104 The fifth Confederation thoughts as thefe this man became fo vigi lant and watchful, and proceeded fo wi that night and day he could not be at tti but Eternity did ftill run in his mind. Fai indeed he would have fhaken off til thoughts thereof, as gnawing worms ; b\ he could not. Therefore he followe fports and paftimes, went to merry meel ings, fought out companions like nimfel and fate oftentimes fo long at his cub that he laid his Confcience afleep, and J feemed to take fome reft : but when I: came again unto himfelf, his Confciem being awakened did prefently accufe hiij and fuggeft unto him afrefh forrowf thoughts of Eternity. Thus finding n left, he refolved at length to amend h manners, and to betake himfelf to a be ter courfe of life. And thus he began 1 reafon with himfelf, Miferable man thj I am, what do I here ? I fo enjoy tt world, that indeed I enjoy it not ; I fui fer many things I would not ; I wai many things which fain I would have ♦* fervc like a flave, but who will pay ir my wages! I fee well enough how tl world rewardeth thofe that love it, an do all their lives nothing elfe but ferve i But fuppofe I had the fruition of all tl delights and pleafures in the world th: my heart could wifh,* what certainty ca upon Eternity- ioj have how long they {hall laft 1 I am not rtain whether I (hall live till to morrow ■ no : Daily funerals fufficiently prove Ms. Oh Eternity y if thou were not / Oh ternity, if thy place be not in Heaven, lough it be on a foft Down- bed .• thou nft not but be bitter and unpleafant. It true indeed, it is a hard matter to with- raw our felves away from thofe things ^hereunto we are accuftomed, whether be feafting, or drinking, or company beping, or fuch like .* But whilft we slay and defer the time, death may revent us, and talce us away from all lefe. Why then doft thou delay ? why oft thou not impofe an honeft and happy eceflity upon thy felf, why doft thou ot refolve thus prefently with thy felf? Veil, I will be another Man than I have »een, if it pleafe God I live. This life afteth not long: But Eternity cndureth or ever. I muft walk now in a new vay ; I am refolved upon it; and Now I legin. Where art thou bleffed Eternity'? .tm fceking for thee, I am travelling to- wards thee. To conclude, he did as he faid, he took lis leave of the world, he changed the rourfe of his life ; and fo lived and died an loncft and godly Man. Oh Eternity, how few are they that tbinic io6 The fifth Confederation think thus ferioufly upon thee 1 Bnt cer tainly there are very few, fcarce any tha weigh and confider well with themfelvc what they are, and fa continue and perfi: in that confideration. We feek earneftl after all other things, only Eternity feem eth vile unto us, and not worth the look ing after. Our thoughts run after richej and yet the pofleflion of them is very un certain; we know not howibon theyfhal forfake us, or we them. We are ambition after honours : and yet they are flippery and foon Aide away from us. We are i love with pleafures: and yet they hay forrow and bltternefs in their latter end We defire reft : but it is of no long conti- nuance. We knit the knot of friendfhij with others : but it is fuch as death {hal quickly diflblve. We are never well bu when we are converting with others: bu our convention is never in Heaven, when it fliould be. We feek for abundance: bu it is there whesre it will fooa fail. Bu furely if we did more often and feriouflj think upon Eternity, we fhould not hav< fuch a fervent dchre after things of f( fhort a continuance I call Saint Bern an to witnefs, who faith thus, He that long. 4th after things. Eternal cannot but hatl things tranjitory. There are chat have often in thcii mouthi upon Eternity. \oj ouths I know not what Eternity, that ill promife and fwear, and make good folutions of amendment, and fay thus ; s long as I live, I will beware of fuch a Lace, or fuch a place, where I have for- erly been tempted to fin: I will never >me near fuch a Man, or fuch a Woman, r fuch a one that was my companion in ril, I will never come near him as long > I live. As long as I live, I will never o to fuch and fuch meetings, where there feth to be gluttony and drunkennefs, ancing, chambering and wantonnefs, nd fuch like. It fhall fuffice me that I aye been there once, and again, and ierhaps oftner ; that I have done as the ompany did, that I have finned with fuch nd fuch. Thefe are good refolutions : n this I commend thee, O Man ; Be- aufe fin is to be feared, thou doft well in mrpofing to avoid the occafion of finning: nd I could wifh thou wcrt as religious in •bferving what thou haft promifefi, as thou rt ready to promife. But ( alas/ ) after . day or two, yea an hour or two, too brgetful of thy promife and good refolu- ion, thou doft again the very fame thing vhich lately thou didft deteft, abhor and [brfwear. Therefore before thou makeft L vow or promife unto God, it is good to ue due confideration and for&fignt ; and when ib8 The fifth Confideratton when thou haft made a vow or promife un to God, it is neceffary to ufe after car and Chriftian fortitude in performance Thou muft promife nothing raflily and mi advifedly unto God: But what thou ha( Sromifed thou muft religioufly and con antly keep and obferve. How fevere Go* is in punifhing fuch as break their vov» and promifes, we are fufliciently taugb by the woful experience and lamentabl example of others CHAP. I. 1%e comparifon of mans labor and thefpldet one with another. THere is another Eternity^ and tha the worft of all, which thofe mei promife to themfelves, which will need creel: unto themfelves an heaven out o heaven, and be blefled before they b dead. Wherefore hear the word of the Lord ye fcornful men, faith the Prophet Ifaiah Becaufe ye have /aid, We have made a cove nant with death, and with hell we are a agreement, Ifaiah 28. 14, 15. O ye mac men! How vain, and none at all, is thi your EternityJ There is nothing perma* nent and perpetual in this prifen. Ele- gantly doth the Kingly Prophet declar* this upon Eternity. 10$ is Pfal. 90. 9. We fpend our years y th he, as a tale that is told, &c. We md our years in mufing y like the Spider , for fo fome read it. ) He could not ye declared it better, and in fewer ords Bor what are all our years but a ntinual mufing, and wearifome exer- fe ? All the time of our life is confumed id wafted away with vain labours, many •rrows, fundry fears, often fufpicions, id innumerable troubles : Even as the pider fpendeth herfelf in the weaving of er web. Our labours are continual , nked one unto another ; our fighs and roans continual, partly in the purfuing four profits and pleafures, and partly in fie removing and efchewing thofe things trhich we count evil. We do many hings, we undertake many labours, trou- lefome and grievous to be born, and lean- while ( alas ! fuch is our folly ) we >erceive not that we do but weave the Ipiders web, taking a great deal of pains, vith little fuccefs, to no end or purpofe. Ve fpend our years in mufing like theSpider. X is a great deal of pains and care that he Spider taketh in weaving of her web, he runneth much and often up and down, "he fetcheth a compafs this way and that way, and returneth often to the fame point, fhe fpendeth herfelf in a multitude of *i o The fifth Canfi deration offine-fpun threads, to make her felf round Cabinet ; fhe exenterateth her fell and worketh out her own bowels, to mak an artificial and curious piece of work which when it is made, is apt to be blow) away with every puff of wind ; {he hang eth it up aloft, fhe faftneth it to the roo of the houfe, fhe ftrengthneth it with ma ny a thread, wheeling often round aboul not fparing her own bowels, but fpendinj them willingly upon her work. Andwhei (he hath done all this, fpun her fine threads weaved them one with another, wrough her felf a fine Canopy, hanged it aloft and thinketh all is fure ; on a fudden ii the twinkling of an^ye, with a light fwee| of a beefome all falleth to the ground, anc fo her labour perifheth. But here is no all : Poor Spider ! fhe is either killed ii her own web, or elfe fhe is taken in hei own fnare, haled to death and troden un- derfoot. Thus the filly Animal may be truly faid, either to weave her own windr ing fheet, or to make a fnare to hang her- felf. Juft fo do many men, like the Spi- der, wafte and confume themfelves to get preferment, to enjoy pleafures, to gather riches, to keep them,- and to in- creafe them. In fuch projeas they fpend all their wit, and oftentimes the healths of their bodies, running up and down, la- bouring upon Eternity. Hi uring and fweating, carking and caring : trying themfelves and weakning their dies, even as the Spider doth by fpin- lg out of her own bowels. And when :y have done all this, they have but :aved the Spiders Web to catch Flies, a, oftentimes they are caught in their 'n nets, they are inftruments of their rn mifchief. ^The days of mirth which :y promife to themfelves, prove often- ties the days of mourning .• That which if call their palace, becometh their rying place, So nve fpend our years in *fing like the Spider .* I fay, in mufeng, j the moft part : For we often purpofe do many things, and do them not. And lat we do moft an end were better un- ne. Thofe things which we purfue with :h greedinefs, tor the moft part flie from ; and thofe things which we contend r with fuch earneftnefs, we feldom at- n to : But fuppofe we did, ( Alas ! ) ey have no perpetuity. So the covenant th death Jball be difannulled y and the reement ivith hell jball not fiand^ Ifa. 28. . We all confume away and die : and bich is worft of all, we blindly rufli ad-long into Eternity, from whence ere is no return. Guerrictts hearing thefe words read in e Church out of the Book of Genefis, Gen. c. Hearing, I fay, thefe wo read, the Very conceit or death wrouj fo ftrongly upon him, and made fo dt an impreffion in his mind, that hereto himfelf from the world, and gave himi wholly to his devotions, that fo he mi| die the death of the godly, and arr more fafely at the haven of Eternal fe city, which is no where to be found this world. CHAP. II. What is the bejl Jghtejlion in the World SAint Matthew telleth us of a yom Man that came unto Chrift, and pr pounded aqueftion unto him, Mat. 19. 1 And Saint Mark defcribeth the manner his coming to our Saviour, and his goi carriage: For, faith he, *there came running and kneeling to him, and ashed Ut Good Mafier, what Jhall I do that I m, inhe\ upon Eternity. H~f erit Eternal Life 7 . Mark io. 17. And ; Saviours anfvver was. *ithou knowefi the imandments : If thou wilt enter into life, ) the Commandments, Matth. 19 17. Philippi a City of Macedonia, the keeper he Prifon came trembling, and fell down re Paul and Silas, and moved this {Hon unto them, Sirs, what muft I do efavedl This was a very good queftion ; >etter and more profitable could not be ved. But, O good God, where is this jftion now in the world ? The world ull of other queftions: but this is fcarce ' where to be heard. Moll men do v adays betray themfelves by their ii queftions, and bring to light, and fiake others witneffes of their fimplici- or curiofity, or fome fuch hidden dif- i of mind. He which maketh diligent rch and enquiry where the beft wine to be fold, doth fufficiently declare at he loves beft, and where his chiefeft ; is. Another asketh fuch queftions a modeft Man would bluOi to hear : d this man {hews that his heart is full, I that out of the abundance thereof his uth fpeaketh. All mens mouths in all ces are full of queftions, fuch as thefe : But it is a rare thing to hear one n ask another this queftion, Do you nk this is the way to heaven ? It is a fault °II4 The fifth Confederation fault common to every vicious Man, more proper to the libidinous and lufrl the luxurious and riotous Man, though be plunged into the deep, and begins fink, and to be overwhelmed, yet feld or never to enter into a ferious confide tion with himfelf, and with a fincere m ask himfelf this queftion, Shall I ever th to obtain Sternal felicity by this courfe life ? Is this the way to heaven ? But all men thofe efpecially lea^t think u) fuch queftions as thefe, thofe I fay, I live a foft life, fare delicioufly, and vi low in pleafures, that feel little or no i row and affliction, or if they do at J time feel never fo little, labour what tJ can to be fenfelefs of it. To fuffer, t! count the greatefr of all evil. If it g well with them, they care not how it fi with others. If it be well with them the prefent, they take no care what ft follow after. They never once think aj Eternity. This is their daily ditty, 5 Heaven of Heavens is the Lords, but thee* he hath given to the fons of Men. T\ want neither ftrength of body or mil by which to efcape the hands of Men. 1 refently receiveth his reward. Of fuch appy-happy Men the kingly prophet s fpeaketti, Pfal, 73. 5. They are not in tble as other Men; neither are they pla— i like other Men, Pfal. 106. 39. They go faring with their own inventions. And : is a moft miferable eftate and conditi- of life, if there be any. For who i hath predeftinated to bring him into way of Eternal happinefs, he fpareth 1 not here in this life, but fcourgeth 1 daily. I might bring infinite exam- s to prove this: I will name but one ; : the like, I think, hath not been feen heard of in many ages* CHAP. n6 The fifth Confident ion CHAP. III. Bow Ged punijheth here, that he may fp hereafter. A firange example, the I bath fcarce at any time been heard of IN the year of our Lord, one thoufa one hundred eighty five, Andronit Emperour of the Ea(t being overcomes taken prifoner by Ifaac Angelo, had* heavy iron chains put about his neck, * laden with fetters and (hackles, and « moft barbaroufly and deipitefully ufc and at length in this manner was broue before the forenamed Ifaac. Before wh< complaining of his hard ufage, he was d liver'd ovef to the multitude to be abd at their pleafure. They being fet on fi with anger, thought it a fine thing to revenged of their enemy: And thus tb ufed him. They buffeted him, they bad nadoed him, they pulled him by the beai they twicht his hair from his head, tb dafnt out his teeth, they dragged him publick, they made him a laughing-doc they fufferedwromen to beat him with the fifts, Then they cut off his right hand and being thus maimed, they thruft hi into the dungeon of thieves and robbe without either meat or drink or any oth( thnig that was neceflary, or any one I loo upon Eternity- ny : after him. After a few days they put one of his eyes and being thus fhame- f mangled, having one eye put outg- one hand cut off, they put upon him ry forry (hort coat, fhaved his head, him upon a fcabbed Camel with his towards the tail, put upon his head a «rn of Garlick, made him hold in his 1 the Camels tail inftead of a Scepter, fo they carried him through the mar- place very leifurely with great pomp triumph. And here the moft impudent, and vile amongft the people, like fa- ;s, after an inhumane fort fell upon \ nothing at all confidering that not three days before he was no lefs than imperour, Crowned with a royal Dia- , commended, worfhipped, honoured, and adored of all men. Nothing at all Hing the oath of Allegiance, they :d and were mad upon him, and their I and madnefs fitted every man with •uments of mifchief againft him. Some :k him on the head with clubs, others d his noftrils with dirt, others fqueexed iges upon his face, fir ft foaked in the •ements of man and beaft, others run into the (ides with fpits. Some threw 1 (tones, others threw dirt at him : fome :d him mad dog, others called him and blockhead. An impudent woman running 1 1 8 The fifth Consideration running out of a kitchin with a kettle fcalding water in her hand, poured it up his head as he pafled by. There was nc which did not fome mifchief or other him. At length they brought him to t Theatre to make him a laughing-fto< took him down from the Camel, and hi ged him up by the heels between two p lars. Thus the poor Emperor having i fered a thoufand indignities ; yet he be them patiently, carrying himfelf like a m and a true Chriftian Champion. He * never heard all the while to lament, cry out of his hard fortune : for it h been to no purpofe. He was all the wb cafting up his account, which he was make unto God, and begging pardon i his fins. He was heard to fay nothing t only this, and this he faid often, Dorm miferere y Domine miferere, Lord have m cy, Lord have mercy. Unhappy Andronhus, which waft cot pelled to iuffer fuch things! But happy this, that thou didft fuffer them fo pal ently, as being the juft reward of fin. When he was hanged up, one won have thought their malice fhould ha ceafed: but they fpared him not then, long as he lived. For they rent his ct from his bodv : and toffed him up ai down with tneir hand, tearing him piec upon Eternity. Jjp '.ces with their nails. One more cruel an the reft run his fword through his ^ly, and guts, as he was hanging. Two icrs, to try whofe fword was fharpeft, •uft him through the back, leaning up_ their fwords with both their hands, re the moft miferable unhappy £mpe~ ir with much ado lifted up his maimed id to his mouth, to put out the blood, as ^e thought, from the frefh and bleeding und, and fo ended his life miferably. ter fome few days he was taken down m the gibbet, and thrown under one of | arches of the Theatre like a beafr, till le that had more humanity in them U the reft, removed him; but yet not- fhftanding he was not flittered to be bu- ll. O Andromcus ! O thou Emperor [he Eaft ! How much waft thou bound |o God, whofe will it was that for a few s thoufhouldeft fuflfer fuch things, that u mighteft not perifh for ever ! Thou \ miferable for a fhort time, that thou 'hteft not be miferable for all Eternity. I Ke no doubt but thou hadft the years of rnity in mind,feeing that thou didii fuf. ^uch things foconftantly&couragioufly. iicetas Chionates is mine Author, from om I borrowed this lamentable hiftory : he lived about the fame time, whea ; happened. Q Let tfio The fifth Confederation Let us Christians keep always in mind tl years of Eternity, So whatsoever adverfi ty or affli&ion happeneth, we (hall mo: eafily bear it. Hvery thing is fhort, we compare it with Eternity. For ourligi affliftion, which is but for a moment* from feaft to feaft, from delights to de- bits, from wickednefs to wickednefs, his is their Circuit. And when they think ey have almoft finifhed their Circuit of ickednefs, and gone over the round of eir luft, they begin again, returning 11 to their former courfe, till death ftea- th upon them before they be aware. The Children of Job made this law a- ongft themfelves, to feaft one another und, every one in his courfe. The good an their Father obferved and knew very ul, that this their feafling round, could G 5 not H4 The fixth Consideration not be without fin : And therefore he fen and fan&tfied them y and rcfe up early In tl rnorning,and offered burnt-offerings accordin to the number of them all y Job I. 5. As then fore the wicked delight and rejoice i going the circuit of their pleafure : S God fhall appoint them a circuit to g< but it fhall be a circuit of torments, an that perpetual and Eternal. BlefTed Vavi forelaw this likewife: For faith he, 'Thif. arrows event abroad: 'The voice of thy tku* dsr iv as heard in the Heaven , or, round abou Pfil. 77. 17, 18. Famine, War, Peftilefta Sorrows, Difeafes, Calamities, Death i felf, and all adverfities whatfoever tlto happen before the firit death, are the Ai vows of the Lord ; but they flie over ; the have wings, and they quietly flie from 0* to another. But the voice of ^hrs thunde. the voice of his anger and fury fhall cont nually roar in the prifon of Hell, and liti a wheel run round without wearing, fc all Eternity. This wheel, as if it were fii led with Gunpowder, when it hath one taken fire, fhall burn for ever and ever, fire is kindled in mine anger , and fiall but unto the loweft Hell, Deut. 32 22. There 3lfo another circuit, and that likewife Sternal : from unutterable cold to intol< rable heat, and from heat back again t cold, Job 24. 19. Drought and heat cor. [urn upon Eternity. 1I5 tmethe [now waters, (fo faith Job) and \ doth the grave thofe that have finned. t. Matthew (ignifieth it more exprefly by he gnajhing of teeth, and weeping of eyes. Matth. 12. 15. That we may more fully ;t out this horrible and incomprehenfible /heel, order requireth that we {hew how he Church agreeth with the holy Scrip- are in this, as the holy Fathers agree with he Church. We have here divers good dmonitions from all thefe, which if we ttend unto, we cannot eafily let Eternity lip out of our memory. C H A P. I. the An/wers of the holy Fathers and the Church about this. OF all the holy Fathers which? have lived in 'divers ages, we fhouid do ,veli to hearken unto five efpecially, Au- rufl'tne, Chryfcjfom, Gregory , Bernard, hau- *entius, Jupiniamts, The firft queftion here (which yet may feem a vain and foolifh one) is, Which i& rafier, and more tolerable, to fufFer pain n the head, eyes or teeth; to be troubled with the {tone ; to be pained with the Wind Cholick, or Iliac a fajjio, or any o~ ther acute difeafe; neither to flecp night G 4, or fi6 The Jixth Confederation or day, but to be tormented continuall without any refpite for three days toge ther. The que ft ion now is, I fay, Whic is eafier, whether to fuifer the pains noi mentioned, or elfe to eat a piece of fif which is made bitter by the breaking < the Gall. This may feem a very ridicu lous and moft idle queflion. For, hoi much better is it to pat fuch a whole fill rather than fuffer thofe fo grievous tor ments though but one day ! The bitter nefs of the nfh will not endanger a Max life, nor make him nek, but leave only bitter tafte in the mouth, which is unplea fingto it. It is truly anfwered. And ye how many thoufands of men make choic rather of the former ! For, how often dotj the Preacher teach and exhort, cry on and fpeak plainly ! Chriftian brethren confider well with your felves, and lool about you? the Eternal falvation of youi fouls is in queftion: If you walk this way you muft affuredly look for Eternal tor- ments: Chrift hath (hewed you anothc; way both by his life and do&rine. Retun therefore and repent, you have gone lon| enough aftray. You may if you will have entrance into heaven; if you be fhut oni it is your own fault: God is not wanting to thofe that are willing. It is true indeed There is fame bitternefs in ufing abfti- nence nfon Eternity. is;* we and farting, in confeffing of fins, in. ping the body under, in fetting a ftri& :qh over thy lenfes, in conquering ones /in living chaftly and continently: is is no eaue task : But, let it be what, vill, we mutt fufFer it. Luke 24. 20V rbt not Cbrift to have fuffered thofe tgiy andfo to enter into bis glory 7 . Let not ttle and ihort labour terrifie us. It is for a few years, or it may be but a ■ days, that we are to do and fufFer va- itly ; but our joy and reft fhall be Eter- ,. He overcometh all, whofoever oyer- teth and conquereth himfelf^' contain i himfelf, and refifteth his evil and «nt paffions, and all this for Chrift, Heaven, for blefTed Eternity. Chrift r his R.efurre&ion found his Difciples ng fifli broiled upon the coals: To ;h them how great things they fhould ; rwards fufFer : and that they were not :hink of a*foft and eafie life, but that r y were to be ftoned, whipped, cruci- , have their skin pulled over their ears;, t this, was the way to a joyful Refurre- n, and to the participation and fellow- >of Eternity with, the blefled .; that all ex. things were fmall and of no worth in iparifon of immortality, and that blef- aefs, which yet eye hath never feen. sfe things are often fooken of, but they C 5. src : i<*8 The frith C^nji deration are little regarded. This fifh bitter wit the over flowing of the gall, thatis,worU iy crofles and the furferings of this life, often fet before us: but it gocth again our ftomach, we cannot endure to taft* i it Eternity is a thing we often hear a we often read of, it is continually preach unto us, and ottea repeated: fcut we etab hear not, or believe not, or regard fie or if we do for a time, the cares of I world foon put it out of our minds, a we bury it in oblivion. But again, t Confcience often plays the Preaches, a recais to our mind thefe wfeolfom lefibi is intrant, dehorts, reproves ; but prev* nothing. All is in vain. For many are obfiinate and perverfe, that neither I Freacher nor their own Confcience c work upon them. But fbme are fo im| dent, that they will fet themfclves in c petition, and reply thus, Let it go v with ns hare ana we care not ; we nek knew nor xave what JbaU come her&afi we are all for prefent profits and phafm no man returneth again from the dead; I ther was H ever known that any one to hack again out of Hell. Come therefore^ us eatydrink^ and be merry , let us enjof goods and take our pleafure. Thefe arc worldlings Ditties : but let S. Attgnf determine this quefticn, Melius eft y mot anu upon Ettrntip. 1x9 maritudo infaucibus, quam jEternum tor- tetrtum in vifceribus. Better it is, faith he, >fujp?r a little bitternefs in the mouth, than 'ternal torments in the inward parts. It is ir better to fuffcr for our offences here t this World, than the World to come. ar better it is for threefcore years and n, continually together here on earth, to :puni{hed with moft grievous punifli- lents, than to fuffer the torments of Hell n one day, yea for one hour hereafter. at let us hear what another of the Fa- lers faith. Saint Chryfofiome propounds £ fecond queflrion after this Horn* 20. inner ; Suppofe one night in ad Pop. i hundred years a man ftould Antioc. tvc a fweet and pleafant cam, and be after punifhed an hundred Jars for it, would he think fuch a dream ere to be defired? And yet, faith the Fa- *r, as a dream isto an hundred years, fo this prefent life to the life to come, yea thcr it is much lefs : And as a drop'is to t rftain Ocean,fo are a thoufand years unto lernity. And in another place. r hat is there, faith he, to be Horn. 2$. mpared nnto Eternity! What in Epifi. 5 athonfmd years in compa- ad Heb. on of infinite ages which are * for to come ? Are they not like unto i fo the fixth Confider Alton the leaft drop oi a bucket compared to a bottomlcfs Well? Look for no end of tor- ments after this life, unlefs thou repent- eft before thou departeft out of this lite : for after death there is no place of repen- tance, no fhedding of tears will profit thee, or Jo thee any good. Though a Man In Hell ftiould gnalh his teeth, and blate out his fcorched tongue, he lhall not obtain fo much as a drop of cold water. Grant then that a Man fhould enjoy olea- fures all his life long, what is that to infi- nite apes which aTe yet for to come ? Here in this life aLl things good and bad have at length an end ; but the punifhmentstbn {hall be fuffered hereafter {hall have n< end. Set fire on the body here, and th< foul will foon depart: but after the refuP reaion, when the body fhali be fron henceforth immortal and incorruptible the Souls of the damned (hall always burr and not confume in Hell-fire. Thev (ha! yife ao-ain, incorruptible indeed : bu h3W?°Not to receive a Crown of mcoi ruptible glory, but to fufier Eternal tor merits. But let us hear what another* the Fathers faith, . Saint Gregory maketh anfwer to tn common oneftion; Will not druakenne foonet fteal upon a Man in the Wme-ce lar, (landing by the hogfliead, than m tt upon Eternity. 13 S irlour fitting at the table ? The fpoufe r Chrift triumpheth in the words of 5b- mon, he brought me to the Banquetting- wfe (or, as fome read it, He brought me to bis Wine-cellar) and his banner over e was love, or, He hath fet his banner of ve over me. Upon which words St Gre- try difcourfing faith thus, By the Wine- Mar what can we better or more fitly jnceive, than the fecret contemplation i Eternity ? For truly whofoever doth fe- ioufly confider with himfelf upon Eternity , nd let this confideration fink deep into lis mind, he may truly rejoyce, and tril mph with the Spoufe, faying, He hath fet is banners of love over me : For he will :eep better order in his love, loving him- elf lefs, God more, and even his enemies Ifo for Gods fake. But fuch is the nature >f this profound confideration, that it wilL nefently make a Man drunk. Make him Irunk? How ? With the drunkennefs of the !>eft defires, fuch as will lead him to a- tnendmentof life, carry himtohis heavenly Country, and bring him at length to joys Eternal. It was caft.in the Apoftles teeth, that they were drunk with wine : and fo they were indeed ; but it was with wine out of this Cellar. St. Gregory hath ma- ny excellent considerations and fayings wpon Eternity ,• amongft others he hath this, f 3 x The fixth Confident ion this, which is a very (hort one and a trv one, Momentum quod dele Hat, JEternu. quod cruciat, 'That which delighteth is m\ mentary, but that which tormenteth is Ete nal. Here I could wifh with jFob f Job I 25, 24. that thefe words were written I that they were printed in a Book I float th were graven with a -pen of Iron ! The! words, I fay, that which delighteth is mi mentary y but that which tormenteth is Ete. nal. The Booh, in which this fhould fc written, is the heart of man ; the pen . iron with which it fhould he written, isf< xious meditation ; the Ink with which fliould be written, is the Blood of ChriJ And thefe words fo imprinted and ingra ven in the bread, are then efpecially to b called to mind, and to be often repeatec when pleafure fawneth, when luft pro voketh, when luxury inviteth, when th fiefh rebelleth, and thefpirit faileth, whe there is occafion of fin offered, and dan ger of falling into fin. But let us hca what another of the Fathers faith; In the fourth place comes St. Bernard He fhall anfwer to the queftion here to b propounded In the lives of men there i fucn difference, that almoir now fo mam men fo many judgments concerning affli- ctions. There are found Come fo grievouflj and •continually aiHi&ed, that they ar< tCid) upM Eternity. i$£ eady to fall down under the cr ofc, as be- ng too heavy for them to bear. One is ppreiTed with poverty, another is afflicted yith ficknefs, another is overcharged with ecret debts, anothe* is tormented with **es, another is grieved and vexed with njurie* and flanders ; every man. thinketh hat moft grievous which in prefent hi uffereth. And many times it cometh to >afs that fueh as arc faint-hearted and im-« patient, wifh for death, run into the wa- »r, and make haft to the halter, thinking thereby to find an end of all their griefs Hid forrovvs ; whereas indeed that fuppofed sad becomes to them, but the beginning of their forrows, and fuch for rows as never [hall have end. But with the good and godly it is not fo: They patiently endure ill, Submitting themfelves in all things to Gad's good will and pleafure. They nei- ther defire to die quickly, nor yet to live long. Is it God's will they fhall die ? They alfo are willing. Will he have them die quickly? They are willing to that alfo. Will he have them live yet longer? They are not againft that. What God willcth, that they wilL: what he willeth not, nei- ther will they. Betide tbefe two kinds of Men, there is a third, and that is the greater! part of men, that defire to live Jong: And .there is alnaoft no Man io old, but i £<4 The fixth Confi deration but he hopes and defires to live yetanothei year. Thefe Men are never heard to fay, they have lived here enough. Death maketh too much haft with them, he co- meth to them too foon, yea and before his time. Here now the queftaon may be moved ; Who live? or who (hall live lon- ger J St. Bernard in his feventeerith Ser- mon upon the 91 Pfalm, upon thefe word' With long life will I fatisfe him y breaketh forth into this admiration, What it fo long as that which is Eternal } What it fo long as that which fhall have 00 end '". Life Sternal is the good end which we arc all to aim at, and this end is without end, And further he adds, That is the true day indeed after which there follows no night, where there is Eternal verity, and true £- terrify, and therefore true and Eternal fo- ciety. So then the queftion may be de- termined thus, That thofe only (hall live a long life truly fo called, whofoever {hall never die, but always live in heaven ; And -again, That thofe {nail die in a lingring death (alas! too lingring a death) wnofo- .ever fhall always die, but ever live in Hell : for they fhall live only there to be tormented always. Let us heasr but one more, and fo conclude. Lat&entiuj jFuftinianus (hall refolve the iaft queitiaa ior us. There arc, faith he, many upon Eternity. 15^ wny things in this World which nature ath fo appropriated and afligncd to fome ne certain place, that they are not to be >und in another place, unlefs it be in part, if fome flowers which grow in the new- Hind world we have only the feed : Of me living Creatures there are brought rer unto us only the Skins. Now Eternity a thing Co proper to another World, that is not to be found in this ; only the feed jereof we may have even in this World. nd what are the feeds of Eternity ? They e, faith Laurentius, Contempt of a mans fc the gift of Charity , and the tajle of brijl's works. To contemn ethers, is a ree that overfpreadeth the whole World, hofe Wood is Fewel lor the Fire of Hell. 9 contemn himfelf is a very finall feed, tree known in the world : Chrift brought down from Heaven with him who made nfelf of no reputation, and took upon him I form of a Servant , and became obedient, t to the Stable only, or the Manger, but :n to mount Calvary, unto death, even t death of the Crofs, unto the grave, vea ?n unto Hell, ver. 9. Wherefore God alfo tb highly exalted him. Behold, this little d is grown up and fpread in breadth, I is become the higheft of all trees. The ie Author, fpeaking of Charity, faith », The meafure of our glory and Eter- nal S 3 6 The fixth Confidtrathn rial reward fhall be according to the nw fure of our Charity For, To whom I it tit forgiven, the fame loveth little, Luk. 7. He obtaineth lefs grace, whofoever h; lefs Charity : And where there is lefs gru there alfo fhall be lefs glory. So then it moft true, The more thou loveft God, I more thou heapeft up unto thy felf Et nal rewards. The wliole Law is love y \ it muft be pure, chafte, and holy. I hi done with the fecond, which is Chan I come to the third, which is The U of Chrifis words. It is a common and w ty faying in the Rhetorick Schools, Hi to he thought a good prof dent who can lift Tully's works : We may fay as muck the School of Chriftianity, He hath ih< a good progrefs in Religion and Virtue, * can relijb Chrifis works \ who likes the U of Chrifis doHrine and example. But wl foever findeth no tafte almoft at all, relifh in the words and works of Chri whofoever is not moved, affe&ed, and lighted with thofe things which belong to the mind, and Chrifti2n piety, to H ven, and Eternal felicity ; but on the c trary findeth much fweetnefs in eati drinking, walking, laughing, jeftinig a playing: the fame Man may faty with f< row enough, too truly, How little Jeec MternHy have I within me, my God ! tat upon Eternity. 13^ thet, I have none at all. For when I :fcend into my felf, I fee manifeftly what •irit is within me, and whither my aife- ion carrieth me. To fpend whole nights i dancing, feafting, revelling, quaffing* icing and carding, hearing foolifh and He tales, reading impure Books, calling >r, and laughing at amorous Songs, play- igthe good fellow, and doing as the com- my doth; Oh! this never ofFendeth roe, lis is pleafing and delightful to me: But > hear of Chrift and his life, to hear of [oly Men that lived formerly, who were men giving to watching, falling, and rayer, or to read of their lives, that makes mufick in my ears, and this is an eye- >re unto me: I can neither hear nor fee : flop mine ears, and clofe mine eyes for rar left they fliould be offended. To hear Sermon of an hour long, it is death un- ) me, and therefore I feldom come to Ihurch: or if I do fometimes, I drive a- ray the time, either fleeping or prating, 'here are too many fuch men in the rorld: but of fuch it may be truly faid, ut they have no tafte 01 relifli at all of le works of Chrift. But now let us hear le judgment of the Church concerning ternity. The memory of Eternity is fo precious i the efteem of the Church that there is no ^38 The ftxth Confi deration noPfalm, or Prayer, no Hvmn but clofe with, Glory be to the Father, and to t Son, and to the Holy Gfoft ; As it was the beginning, is now, and ever (hall i world without end. Amen. As it was in t beginning, that is, before all beginnin trom all Eternity, without any beginnin ts now and ever Jhall be, world with end, that is, throughout all ages ; infinil innumerable, incomprehen{i£le ages • all Eternity. But let us leave the lirt rivers, and make haft to the fountain. CHAP. H. Clear Tefiimonies of Divine Scripture cot cerning Eternity, I Will produce only three witneflTes, Prophet, an Apoftle, and an €vang< How many and how great are the figl and groans of poor abjeft and defpife Men ! we may hear them every day. On or other every where is complaining, W is me poor man, I have few or no Frieac at all; I am difrefpeaed : I am fcorne and trampled under foot almoft by al Have patience a little, O man, fuffer for while; the day of comfort will rife a length, though it feem long firft. Remcm hi upon Eternity. 13^ r God's promife in the Prophe- Barucb of Baruch, Cafi about thee a 2. 2. tble garment of the righteouf- s, which cometh from God, andfet a D/Vr- n on thy head of the glory of the Everlafi- Dthers there are that accufe Nature, nplaining ftffl that fhe hath given too fa life to ravens and too fhort a great unto Man. Hear thus much, you it are frill complaining of the fhortnefs mans life, This life is fhort indeed : but icn this fhort and vain life {hall end, :re remains another life which never 11 have an end: If ye will not believe , yet believe St. Paul, 2 Cor. 5. 2. For know, faith St. Paul, that if our earthly ffi of this tabernacle were dijfolved, we I * building of God, an houfe not made th hands. Eternal in the heavens. What ?at lofs is it then, if this earthly taber- :le of our body be diflblved, when as we re a Royal Palace prepared for us, which lot fubjeft to diflblution? To the tefti- >ny ofthe Prophet and the Afofile, let add the teftimony of the Svangelifi Matthew, in whofe Gofpel we may d thefe words of our Saviour, Matth. 8. If thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut w off, and cafi them from thee ; It is bet- for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather %40 Thefixth C&nfi deration rather than having two hands or two feet be caft into everlafting fire. And if th eye offend thee, pluck it out, and caft it fn thee: It is better for thee to enter into I without eye j rather than having two eyes be caft into hell fire. O fire / O Hell,/; Eternity ! ^Time is nothing, if it be an pared with Eternity ; fhortnefs of life, a fo lofs of time is no lofs at all, but gf» fain, if thereby we gain Eternity, Chi ath promifed it, and St. Matthew hi recorded it, and fealed it in thefe wol of our Saviour, Matth. 19. 29. Every i that hath forfaken houfes, or brethren, ftfters, or father , or mother, or wife, children, or lands for my names fake, A receive an hundred-fold, apd Jball inbt tverlafting life. Is it not clear enough tl this promife is of bleffed Eternity, wfc we have fecurity given us of receiving hundred-fold reward ? Again, Chrifts cording to the fame Evangelift forewi ning of the latter judgement, three tin makes mention of Eternity exprefly thefe words, Matth. 25. 4.1. 45. everlafti fire, or eternal fire, everlafting ox eteri punijhment, and life eternal. Seeing therefore the holy Fathers, t Church, and the facred Scripture do many ways propound unto us the feric confederation 01 Esermty ; it is our p upon Eternity. 14? d duty, as many of us as look for Eternal c in Heaven, it is our part and duty fe- >ufly to meditate this with our felvcs ery one : O my God ! How feldom have teretofbre thought upon Eternity ! or if bave thought upon it, in what a cold, d negligent manner have I done it, not- ithftanding every day, yea every hour d minute I draw nearer and nearer unto etnity \ But for the time to come by the iftance of thy grace I will mind it more refully than heretofore I have done ; and at. any time through thy bounty, riches all increafe, I will not fet my heart upon iem : though the world fhould fmile up- 1 me, though I fhbuld want no tempo- 1 thing that my heart can deiire, though (bould feem to flow in never fo much mndance, yet will I ftill remember Eter- Ify. In the mid ft of my profperity thefe lajlbe my thoughts. But now long fhall lis laft ? Will this fair weather never unge? Will this comfortable Sun always line upon me? Or if I fhould live in pro- >erity all the days of my liife,what fhall it rofit me after death ? After this fweet but lort, pleafing but Perilous, unhappy hap- inefs, there {hall Inortly follow Eternity^ >*r77ity.Butif the world goes ill with me, r. it frown upon me, if I meet with many rofles, troubles and afflictions, if misfor- 1 tunes i^i Thefixth Confideration tunes befal me, if they rufh upon me IB waves, one on the neck of another, if be turmoiled and toffed up and down, the thefe {hall be my daily thoughts* Wei let the World have its courfe,I am contei to bear it, Gods will be done. Let tl fea be troubled, let the waves thereof roa; let the Winds of afflictions blow, let tfc waters of forrows rufh upon me, let tr clouds of temptations threaten rain an thunder, let the darknefs of grief and he, vinefs compafs me about, yea, though th foundations of the World fhould feem t (hake, yet will I not be afraid. Thei ftormswill blow over, thefe4Vindswillh laid, thefe Waves will fall, this tern pel cannot laft long, and thefe clouds fhall b difpelled. Whatfoever I fuffer here fhal fhortly have an end, I fhall not fuffer E temally y Come the worft that can com* death will jput an end to all my forrows an miferies. But no ftorm to that ftorm o Fire and Brimftone which the damned fhal fuffer in Hell Eternally and without end All things here fhall have an end, but th torments there fhall have no end. Whatfo ever is not within the circle of Eternity, i fhort, fwift, and momentary, it is but i fhadow, but a dream, fo faith St. Chry- fofiome, It is but a Modicum or a thing of no thing y a little , a very little ', for a little ivhiU ye; upon Eternity. r^j ea, a very little while. Often doth our aviour beat upon this, fpeaking to his >ifciples. All his own fufferings, yea his loft bitter death upon the crofs, he calleth «ut a little. All the fufferings, punifliments, nd violent deaths of the Apoftles, all but little: And why fhould not I alfo think : but a little, whatfoever here I fuffer hough I fhould fuffer it an hundred years sgether; Heb. 7. 27. For yet a little while 9 nd he that fiould come, will come, and will 01 i tarry. I will therefore fuffer patiently /hatfoever can happen, and account one ning only neceffary, and that is, To do othing agamft my Conscience, and dif- ieafmg unto God. For all is fafe and fure nth him who is certain and fure of bleffed -ternity. CHAP. Ill, %is life in refpecl of that which is to come, is but as a Drop to the Ocean, a little Stone to the Sand upon the Sea fhore, a Center to the Circle, a Modicum, a little, a very little time, a Minute to Eternity. And fuch are the fufferings of 'this ; life in ref. $e& of the joys that Jhall be hereafter. Oft true it is, whatfoever Iabdur or forrow we fuffer in this life, it is H but M 144 The fixth Confederation but a Modicum, or for a little while. It I the faying of St. Augufiine, 'this Modicun or little while feems long unto us, becaufei is not yet all pajl and gone : But when itjhal come to an end, then pall we perceive am underjland what a little while this Modicun was. The wifeft of Men being to fhev the vanity and fhortnefs of this prefen life, though it fhould he lengthned to ai hundred years, which few men can read unto; makes choice of the inoft minut things in the World^ whereby to expre( it, and fet it forth by way of refemblanc^ For thus we read exprefly in Ecclefiajlicu; 'The number of a man\s days at the raoft a^ an hundred years. As a drop of water un to the fea, and a gravel Jl one in lomparifr of the fand ; fo are a thou/and years to t^ days of Eternity , Ecclef. 18. o, 10. Aul why then do ye rejoyce in this, ye Ion lived Men, that ye have lived an hundrq years? All our years are, Whit are thejj They are as a drop of water unto the fe\ and a gravel Jlone, in comparifon cf tt fand. And what is a little Stone to th*^ exceeding high Mountains of Sand? Ail what is a fmall drop of Water to the dee and fathomlefs Sea? Such are fifty, fixt] yea, an hundred years. (Hear this, ye o, Men.) They are but a Modicum, a vei little while, but a MmuU of time, indc< nothil upon Eternity. 145- jthing at all to the days of Eternity. And ct fooiifh and miferable Men, we are irerjoyedwith this little Stone, this fmall cop. Our life is indeed a little ftone, but I Jewel, no precious Stone ; it is made 'no better matter than Sand. Cur life a drop, but not of fweet and frefb Wa- ff-; it is fait and brackifh as the Sea wa- r is. For all his days are forroivs, and his avel grief; yea, his heart taketh no reft the night: So faith the Treacher, Eccluf. 23. It is the counfei of St. Auguftine, ecal to mind, faith he, the years that e paft, from Adam to this prefentday: Un over all the Scripture ; it is but al- bft yefterday fince he fell, and was ffufi: out of Paradife For where are ofe times that are paft ? Certainly, if ou hadfr lived all the time fince Adam is thruft out of Paradife, even unto this efent, thou wouldft perceive and con- fs, That thy life was not long, which is foon fled away. For what is any Man's te ? Add as many years as thou wilt, lagine the longeft old age. What is it ? it not as a Morning blaft? All this is oft true. I pray you tell me, where is iam now? Where isCainl Where is long red Methufelahl Where is Noah ? Where Sem ? Where is Eber ? Where is moft •edieat Abraham ? Where is Jacob ? H - Where 1 46 The fixth Confederation ^rhere is Jofeph! They are dead and gone their time is pad: We may fay of them Vixerunt, fuerunt Trees ; Once they were now they are not. Thus our life paffcth a- way ; thus the glory of the World paffetl away. O morning flew ! O mere vanity What is it that we do fo defire here What fo long as to be hoped or wifhed fo here? Short it is, a Modicum it is, it i vile and nothing worth, it is but a fmal point whatsoever thine eye beholdeti here. It is a true faying of Gregory th Great: The longeft meafure of our life, i but a point; or it is a fhort line that begin continues, and ends in a point. In a mt ment y in the twinkling of an eye, 1 Cor. I 52. all things (hall have an end. / ha* feen an end of all perfection, but thy commam tnent is exceeding broad , Pfal. 119. 6 Why then do we account any time lonj For that which is paft, now is not; th which is to come, vet is not ; and what the prefent? The Glafs is always runnin. and the Clock never ftands ftill ; the ho paffeth away by flying minutes. WhaJ flown by, is paft and gone ; what is* behind, is ftill to come : But where is tl time which we ufe to call long ? Bern* makes often mention of that moft tr and excellent faying of St. Jerome, (an Reader, it is worth obferving) No lalo cttg upon Eternity. 147 ought to feem long unto us y no time long y in which *We are feeking after eternal glory. And yet though the Life of Man be but very (liort in comparifon of Eternity, there is none of the damned that can juftly ac- :ufe God for not granting him a longer life. They muft condemn themfelves for not living better. There is no inquijttion ht the Grave (faith Syracides) whether thou baft lived ten or an hundred^ or a thou/and years, Eccluf. 41.4. In Hell it is no time to complain of Tiortnefs of life. Every Man hath lived long enough, if he hath lived godly e- aough. Here, Chriftian Brother, I will deal more boldly and plainly with thee, and I*y :he matter fo open, that thou fhalt fee it :learly prefented before thine eyes. Thou ayeft, That thou doft often think upon Heaven, and that thou haft an earneft and ^onging defire after Eternity. Sayeft thou •o? I hear thee, but I do not believe thee ; leither would I have thee believe me, if I "hould fay fo of my felf. For how can it be, O good Chriflian Brother, how can it »e, that thou or I fhould think fo often, ind fo ferioufly upon Heaven, and have *uch a longing defire (as we fay we have) ifter Eternity, and yet be fo lukewarm, /ca, (tone-cold, in Matters of Religion ? H 3 fo, i 148 The fixth Confederation fo flow and backward to that which . i good, fo prone and forward to that whicl is evil, fo ready and willing to all manne •of wantonnefs, fo querulous and com- plaining, fo flothfuland negligent: Wher we fhould be angry, there are we to« patient; and where we fhould be patien and couragious, there are we too faint 1 hearted and pnlillanimous. In the fire o every lis;bt affli&ion, our patience melt and confumes away; nay, we are oftei oft down with a word, we are blow ; down with the breath of Man's Mouth out never are we more impatient an< defperate, than when our wills are crofleci I might fpeak here of the hot Afofiems o luft, wherewith our hearts are oftei inflamed and fwoln, and likewife of th devouring Cancer of Envy, which oftei eats into our Breafts, and makes ou Flefh confume away ; but I pafs then by. ; Notwithflanding what has been faid Ave good and godly Men, as we profel our felves, and would have others thin! ms to be, are too timorous where we fboul< be bold, and too bold where we lhoul' be timorous. Glory in nothing more thai in this, That we have often in our mind the hearty defires, the joys of Eternity Believe it, it is not credible, that th thought upon Eternity. 149 thoughts of Heaven and Eternity fhould be fo often in our minds as we fpeak of, and yet mean while that we fhould live no bet- ter than we do. Did I fay, it is not cre- dible? Nay I fay, it is impofiible. And thus I fhall declare it. The Patriarch Jacob ferved his uncle Laban for his Daughter Rachel feven years, \And they feemed to him but a few days for \the love that he hare to her, Gen. 29. 20. Heareft thou this whofoever thou art that fo complained? Thou ferved no impodor |or deceiver as Laban was, but God thy 'maker, and him that will furely keep his jcovenant and promife. Thou ferved not [for a Wife, but for the Kingdom of hea- [veri : not for the beauty and fight of a [wife, but for the beatifical vifion and Eter- inal fight of God: not for the delight and Ipleafure of a wife, but for cceledial and Eternal delights and pleafures And yet doth the trouble of one winters day often- times fo caft thee down, that fuddenly all thy love towards God and thy defire after heaven begins to wax cold in thee As foon as the dorm of adverfity begins, thou breaker!: forth into mod bitter complaints ° 3 thou called Heaven and Earth to witnefs, thou breather! nothing but revenge ; yea ^oftentimes, I believe, thou fpared not God himfelf, but called his juftice into H 4 queftion. i^O The fextb Confederation qneftion. At other times when pleafur< with her fawning allurements hath onc< enticed thee, {he doth fa bewitch thee anc take away thy memory, that thou quit* forgetteft to terve God, and fo runnef headlong into the Labyrinth of fin, whicr hath a fair entrance, at leaft feemingly but leadeth thee the next way to deftru&i on. Is this the vigilancy which thou ft much talkeft of? Is this thy heroical forn titude and love of God? How wilt thoij ferve God feven years, as Jacob did La, ban, when ( alas ! ) thou canft not endun the labour and forrow of one fhort day Mark 14. 57. Simon , Simon , Jleepefi thou\ couldft thou not watch one hour with thj Lord and Mafter? but hear further con- cerning the Patriarch Jacob: He bein| beguiled by his Uncle Laban y who gav< him blear eyed Leah inftead of beautifu Rachel, ferved him yet feven years mor» for his Daughter Rachel, whom he dearl) loved : and no doubt but thofe feven year alfo feemed unto him but as a few days fo; the exceeding great love that he had unt< her. And it h very likely that oftentime when he was weary at his work he had at eye unto Rachel* % beauty, and faid tho with himfelf, ( Surely for her beauty She is worthy for whom I fhouid fuffe' feven years hard fervice ; and if nee< were upon Eternity. ifi* ere, I would not flick to ferve yet feven ars more. Such was the affection that bore unto Rachel ', that it made him iree fenfible of any labour. Heareft thou this, thou who goeft for a ldier of Chrift? Conceiveft thou this, iderftandeft thou this? How then canft: »u ftill murmur againft God ? Thou : bid to ferve God for God's fake, that thou mayeft at length enter into God's ernal reft ? Thou art exhorted to tole- ice and patience here, that fo thou lyeft be made partaker of immortality th the MefTed hereafter : And yetileep- thou, O fluggard ? Haft thou not an : to hear? Art thou ftill complaining ? • but reckon up the years 'which thou haft wf in the fervice of God y and fee whether ou haft ferved God faithfully and pain- lly twenty years, as Jacob did Laban, im afraid thou wilt come fhort in thy :koning: Haft thou ferved God fo ma- ' Months? I tell thee, I make queftion it. Number the nights that thou haft ent in watching and praying, recount e days which thou haft fpent in holy ercifes, and fee if thou canft truly fay tto God as Jacob did to Laban y In the y the drought con fumed rue, and the froft by %ht y and myjleep departed from mine eyes. ms have I been twenty years in thy houfe : I H 5 ferved f jx The frith Confederation ferved thee fourteen years for thy two daugi ters, and fix years for thy cattel ; Gen. 3 40, 41. Tell me, Chriftian Man, ha thou feryed God thus twenty years? The knoweft thy wages if thou lerveft Go( NotLaban's daughters, nor flocks of fheej God himfelf fhall be the reward of tl fervice : Thou (halt be blefled both info and body; It fhall be well with thee.< every fide ; Thou fhalt enjoy all mann of delights; great delights without eitE lacking or loathing, and without ei Thou (halt fwim in the bottomlfs Oct of pleafures: And yet (behold) thy hac are flack to every good work ; Thy ft are flow to go to Church ; thy heart co fumes away with envy, flames with ang and revenge, aboundeth with the vermi of filthy thoughts, and is quite dead throu flothfulnefs and impatience. Is this t ferving of God? Is this the way, think thou, to Heaven, to immortal life, to St *al bleiTednefs \ Surely it is not. W doft thou not rather as Jacob did, wh thou art weary with any labour whi thou undergoeft in the fervice of Gc when the World goes ill with thee, wb ^dverfity preifeth thee, profperity feduce thee, and labours burthen thee, lift thine eyes to Heaven, behold Rachel, w is promifed unto thee, and thus cornf* upon Eternity. r^ I thy felf. Be not troubled, O my foul : hold thy Rachel, thy Rachel, which is heaven, fair Rachel, comely Rachel ; \chel that is all beautiful, not having f one blemifh about her ! Behold hea- i, and the houfe of thy Sternal reft and lafure! Be content to fufFer for a while, ittle forrow, and fome pains : For thou lit fhortly be where thy Rachel is ; and ;re thou fhalt be the more joyful and rffed, by how much the more thou art re forrowful and affii&ed: There fh all r reft be the more pleafant and joyful, how much the more thy life here is ivy and painful. Well then, be of good irage, fhew Chriftian fortitude and pa- ace. Eternity, bleffed "Eternity is more tth, infinitely more worth, than all it we can do or fufFer : If thus, O riftian brother, thou wouldeft animate I encourage thy felf, if with fuch eyes >u wouldft oftner look up to Heaven, evith fuch affeftion thou wouldeft daily nk upon Eternity ; believe it all the fS of fcrvice here on earth would feem t few, for the great love, which thou >uldc(t have unto Eternity j Thou •uldeft count all labour eafie, all trou- $ welcome, all lofles gain. This I U fay, and therewith I will conclude, The f£4 Tb* Jixth Coflfideratfan The more a Man thinks upon the Eternk of the World to come, the more care r will take here to lead a godly life in th prefent World, TH Thus faith, %> hio'li and lofiie one / that inkabiHIi d £TERNtriE. tdamhit JdamMt RTBRHrrie.ckrijt readied \it.bthsilw,injels vmteiisfiatnfiis the devils withdraw us Iwve a care whether thotijo\hweft. upon Eternity. iff THE SEVENTH CONSI DERATION UPON ETERN/Tr, . — - Hoiu Chriftians ufe to Vaint Eternity. HE that is to go through an Houfe in the dark muft go wearily and leifurely, ftep after ftep, and he muft grope for the Wall. If Man's un- derftanding will be prying into Eternity, if he thinks here in this life to enter into it, he is much deceived: The way is dark and full of difficulties. He may hurt him- felf by the way, but he fhall never here attain unto it. The way thither is but fhort indeed : but when a Man is once in, there is no coming out again. And yet though no mortal Man can fo conceive of Eternity, that he can certainly fay what it is, notwithstanding the infinitenefs- there- of is fhadowed out by certain Piftures and Refemblances, iit fuch manner that every Man may have * glimpfe of it. Whatfo- ever » j 8 The fcventh Con/ideration ever we fpeak or write concerning £*£»■« iMfy, howfoever we fet it out in colours all is but a (hadow, yea a fhadow of (ha- dows: No Orator in the World can witl all his Rhetorick, fufficientlv exprefs it No Limner with, all his curious Art and Skill can fet it forth to the life. If al times that ever were and ever fliall hi fhould be put together, they would infi. nitely come fhort of Eternity : The lati- tude thereof is not to be meafured, neithd by hours, nor days, nor weeksj nor months nor years, nor Luftra's,* nor Olympiads nor fndi&ions, nor Jubilees, nor Ages 9 no Hato's years, nor by the raoft flow mo< tions of the Eighth Sphere, though theft were multiplied by a thoufand, or a mi& lion, or the greateft multiplier or Numbe; numbering that can be imagined. Neithe can it be meafured by any Number num\ bered, as by the Stars of Heaverr, the Sand of the Sea, the Grafs of the Field, th< Drops of the River, and fuch like. Th< number of Eternity is part finding out* The Sailers ufe to found the depth o 1 the Sea by a Plummet and a Line : Let u alfo let down the Plummet and Line o 1 our humble and reverent cogitations, t< found the depth of Eternity, which yet i paft finding out. But if we will go hi this Map, if we will iail by this Card, i upon Eternity. I J9* e will view well this ViHure, we (hall ►me much nearer finding it, than other- ife we fhould. Chrift as a Child, taken as it were from e Manger and the Cradle, almoft quite ked, and without clothes, ftands in the uds : on his fooulders he bears a Crofs : the clouds there is this infcription £- $ RNITY : beneath Chrifts feet, down >on the Earth there is the Skeleton of a an or nothing but the Bones of a Man itnout Hair or Skin, only he hath a Beard be known by : in hisjeft hand he holdeth piece of Parchment, in which efe words are written, Momen- Gregor. neum quod deleft at : Thatwhich light eth is momentary: in his right hand r holdeth up an Apple. Near unto him lere itandeth a Raven pecking a {hell- h, with this fubfcription, Cras, Cras, ) Morrow, "To Morrow. The earth opens r mouth, and flames of fre break forth id tend aloft, in which thefc ords are written, JEternum Gregor. tod cruciaty Thnt which tormen- tb is Eternal. Chrift coming down from le Clouds Two adore with bended knees of vers Sex,in the place of all Mankind. Be- nd them there is a running Hour Glafs, : a Dial meafuring hours by the running water, called' a Clepfydra ; and a Book lying 1 6b The [event b Confederation lying wide open. On one Page there written, Theyfpend their days in mhm c in a moment go down to the grave, Job 13. On the other VzgeJVho fioall deli me from the body of this death ? Jlom. 7, Before them Hand Two heavenly Angi which embrace them with their Am and pointing at Chrift bid them lift their Eyes unto him. This is the Pi&ir, The meaning followeth, CHAP. I. Chrijl Inviting. CHrift the Eternal Son of the Eteri God came into this World, d with no other Garment than we, that" ftark naked. The Garment of immorJ lity and innocency we loft by Adam's d obedience. And now (alas !) how mil rably arrayed do we come into this Worl Chrift together with us, yea for us, ft Fereth punifnment and yet was not guil of any fin. But what meaneth this Cr upon the Shoulders of the Son of God ? is a Bed on which he flept in death, Goli tha was his Charmber The Thorns his Pi low, and the Crofs his Bed. Which m ny religious Men of former times well co fiderii upon Eternity. t$? ering with themfelves, have voluntarily d freely chofen to lie hard and take li- ; reft, that at the day of Refurre&ion ey might rife joyfully to reft Eternal. ime, as we_ may read, have made the irth their Mattrefs, Sackcloth their icet, and a Stone their Boulfter, And my there are which do fo ftill to this y. But I leave them, and return to tuift. He fullered death, even that moft tter and (hameful death of the Crofs. To hat end? That he might fa ve us from :ath Eternal Dye we muft all of us ; it our death is but fhort. In a moment,, the twinkling of an eye the Soul is atehed from the Body, and this is all At which we call Death. But it is not with them in Hell : Their torments far :ceed all the forrows and pangs of death, >t only becaufe they are more grievous r- their quality, but alfo becaufe they e of longer continuance beyond allcom- irifon; for they are Eternal. So then leir torments are, always to be tormen- d ; and their death, to dye always. And »m this death hath Chrift the Son of God diver ed us ; the Child that we fee defer i- :d walking amidft the Clouds. Under his set is a bare Sceleton, or the bare Bones "a Man, which by all figns we may ga- *cr to be our fore father Adam's. Hearken i6z The [event h Confident ion ye Children, and ye Childrens Childn hearken unto the words or your Fore-i ther Adam thus fpeaking unto you. o CHAP. II. Adam lamenting. My Children, happy then inde< if your Fore-father had known ] own happinefs, but now miferable, I that even in this, becaufe mine. By y were you deftroyed before you were b gotten ; by me were you damned befc; you were brought forth. I fain wot be as God, and bv that means I am h icarce a Man. Before you could perif you all periled in me. I my felf dot\ know, whether you may better call mt Father, or a Tyrant, and a Murderer; cannot wonder or complain iuftly that y, are Co vicious and fo finful ; for you lea ned it of me. I am forry that you are , difobedient ; but this vou learned alfb , me. I was firft difobedient unto God tfc made me. The Angels in Heaven blu and are afliamed to fee your Gluttony ai Intemperance ; but this is your Farhe fault. Your pride hath made you odio aoddetefhble before God ; but this Mo a upon Eternity. 163^ r firft conquered and triumphed over , and fo Pride became more proud tn fhe was before. This is the inheri- ice you receive from me, nothing elfe t an heap, of miferics. God indeed of s free good will gave unto me by a fure amife Heaven for an Inheritance, and ailed it upon you : But I have undone a all, cut off the Intail, and prodigally de away all for one bit. I valued my ife and an Apple more than you all, nre than Heaven, more than God. A rfed and unhappy Dinner, for which I ferved to Sup in Hell many thoufand ars after. I lived in Paradife, a Gar- n full of all delight and pleafure be- nd imagination : God gave me the ie ufe of all things therein, only the lit of one Tree was forbidden me. I is Lord of all the Creatures, I was wife d beautiful, ftrong and lufty. I a- mnded with all manner of delights. The ir was then as temperate as could be de- ed ; the Clouds were clad in bright .ne : the Heaven fmiled upon us ; the in did ftiine fo pure, that nothing could i more. All things feemed to gratifie » at our new Marriage. Our eyes could :hold nothing hut that wnich was Mirifhing and pleafing to them. Our irs were continually filled with mufick, the *i 64 The feventh Confideration the Birds thofe nimble Chorifters of tl Air ever warbling out their pleafant Di ties. The Earth ot it felf brought for octeriferous Cinnamon and Saffron, was compared about with pleafures < every fide. I lived free and remote fro all care, forrow, fear, labour, ficknefs, ai death. I feemed to be a God upon Eart The Angels in Heaven rejoiced to fee n happinefs ; there was none that did en' me, but my felf; but becaufe I obey, not the voice of God, all thefe evils fc upon me. I was driven out of Faradife, banifhi from the fight of God, and for fhatrie hid my Face. Labour, forrow, mournin fears, tears, calamities, a thoufand mil ries feifed upon me, and quite weari< me out: You feel it, as many as arc • my Family; and that which feemeth'* be the end of all temporal mifery and lb row is oftentimes the beginning of Ete nal. O my Children, learn by your ow woful experience, learn by your own l, the gate is fuddenly fhut a^ainft n m V Therefore the ^on of Sirach often Ileth upon us to this purpofe, Make no Trying to turn unto the Lord, and put not ffrom day to day: For fuddenly JJ M ll the rath of God come forth ; and in thy fecu- (y thou Jhalt be dejlrcyed, andferifi in the ly of vengeance, Eccluf. 5. 7. It was truly id of Seneca, that Roman Ph-ilofopher, great part of our life we fpend in doing t • the greateft part in doing nothing; it all in doing another thing, rather lan that we fhould. Not unlike to Ar- imedes, who when Syracufe was taken, as fitting fecure at home, and drawing tfples with his Compafs in the Duft.'For > we not fee'rrioft Men, when the Eter- X Salvation of their Souls is in aueftion, ihdling their Duft, and ftretching them- Ives to their furtheft compafs, fet upon e Tenter-Hook, as it were, and di- rafted with Law-fuitt, Money- matters, o'rldly bufinefles, and labors that ft all >thing profit them at the laft? Eternity a thing they never once think of, or elfq try feldom, and then but flightly for a atch and away, as Dogs are faid to lap Nilus, Martha, Martha, thou art car e- 7 and troubled about many things j but one I thing 1 6 8 The [event h ConfiderAtion thing is needful, Luk. 10. 41. and that i Beatitude or Blejedne/s : Not that o\ ^Eartfr, which fuch as it is, is yet bv fhort; but that in Heaven, which is Ettr Before we take any bufinefs in hand we commonly examine it at this wel known rule, faying, Is it worth my faim Shall I get my Bread by itl Should not Chri^ian Man rather in the beginning t ^very work, fit down and fay with himfeli Shall I gain Heaven by itl Will it an thing further me in the way to Blejfed Eter mty ? We do not love to trouble our head with fuch Jguaries asthefe ; we put offth hearing of them till another time ; w do adjourn it from one time to anothei and another, and ftill another; and at th laft day of the Term, we will grant a hea ring Foolifh men ; When at laft w are not able to labor, then we firft begi to think of labor. When we muft need depart out of this World, then we begi: to think upon another World. When w can live no longer here, then we begin t think of the life to come hereafter. Whej the hour-glafs of our fhort time is run out then we be^in to think of Eternity. Who there is no time left for repentance, the) prefently we will repent. When th Gate is mot, then we knock, But this i th upn Eternity 169 he fault of all finners in general, ftill to lefer their repentance from day to day. ivery {inner is ready to fay, (faith S. Au- rufiine) I cannot now, I will another time, Mas ! Alafs \ If another time, why not now ? Dionyfius, King of Sicily, difrobing ipollo of his Cloth of Gold, faid thus, $ec tftati nee hyemi ve/is h&c convenit. It s a wear neither ft for Winter nor Summer. nfummer it is too heavy, and in Winter t is too cold. So do many ( faith 51 Am- rofe) play with God, and deceive their >wn Souls. They fay, Let a young Man ive according to the fafhion of the World ; et him drink and dance ; let him go to he Horfe-race, and to the Wreftlers; et him go a courfing in the fields with lis companions. It is for old men to ftay at lome, and not to ftir abroad, unlefs it be o Church. This is too melancholy a life or a young Man. But when they grow ►Id, what do they then ? Then are they •Id and fickly, weak and feeble: You nuft not look for thefe things of them t that age ; their ft rength will not per- mit : It is not with them as formerly it lath been ; you muft give them leave to ake their eafe ; let them have a care of heir health : This is all they have to io. I z ThajL i^o The feventh Confederation Thus we let the Summer and Winter of our age pafs away, and never once think of the Eternal Spring. Eut let us remem- ber our felves, and as we have opportunity let us do good, Gal 6. 10. But let not our fong be any more, with the Black Raven, &as, Cras, To morrow, To morrow, and fo let the, To day, and To Morrow , and the next, and fo our whole life pafs away, and Eternity overtake us before we are aware. To morrow is not, To day only is ours. So faith S. James, Go to now, ye that fay, To day, or to morrow, we will go into fuch a City, and continue there a year, and buy and fill, and get gain; whereas ye know not what pall be on the morrow. For what is our life ? it is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanifheth away, Jam. 4 13- It was a very good anfwer that Meffodamus gave one, inviting him tc a feau the next day, (as it is reported by Buido Bituricenfis) My friend, faith he. why doftthou invite me againft to morrow- I durft not for thefe many years fecure my felf, that I (hould live one day? for J have expected death every hour. No mar is fufficiently armed againft death, unlef he be always prepared to entertain it What is it cli'e but rafhnefs and folly, foljy and madnefs,and indeed meer contempt o Eternity, for a Man to lie down in eaf< \:por upon Eternity. \y\ upon a Feather-bed, to fleep fecure, fnort- ing and fnorting, and to lodge an enemy, a deadly Enemy, all the while, fin, in his very bofom ? Sudden deaths are very common and ordinary amongft us. How many have we heard of, that went to Bed well over night, for ought any Man could tell, and were found dead in the morning! I will not fay carried away out of their Beds, and calt into Hell fire ; whether it be fo or no, God knoweth. Have we not feen and known fome thac have been fud- denly {truck, fain fick, and died in the fpace of an hour 1 Within an Hour, yea lefs than an hour, found and fick, quick and dead? And yet do we (rafh and fool- i(h men) procraftinate it from day to day (that is nothing") from year to year do we defer our repentance, and the amendment of our lives ; and death mean time unexpected feifeth upon us, and deli- vereth us up unto Eternity. S. Augu- fine, correcting in himfelf fuch lingering and dangerous delay, fuch lenitude and backwardnefs of mind and will to repent, faith thus, I felt and found how I was h Id intangled, and I uttered fuch lamentaiU complaints asthefe, Quamdiu, quamdiu;Cras & Cras ? Quare non hose hora finis tur- pitudinis meae ? How long jhall I defer and fill cry t To morrow, To morrow ? I 3 Why %7z The f event h Cwfiderdthn Why do I not vow begin, even this very pte- fent hour 1 Why do I pot break off my ftnfu'i courfe, and begin U live better? Thus J [pake and jell a weeping for very contrition of heart. Anthony the Great (as S. Jerome witnefc feth) when he ufed exhortations to the people to ftir them up to godlinels and vertue, was wont to wifli them always to keep in mind, and often meditate upoc that faying of the Apoftle, Sol non occidai fuper iracundiam veftram. Let not the Sun go down upon your wrath. And this pro- hibition he did not reftrain to wrath only, but made it general : Let not the Sun go down upon your wrath, hatred, malice, envy, luft, or any other fin, left it depart from you as a witnefs againft you. John Patriarch of Alexandria, had a certain controverfie with one Nicetas, a chief Man of that City. The matter wai to be tried at Law, John was for the poor, Jsftcetas for his money. But for peace fake there was a private meeting and hearing appointed, to fee if they could come to fome compofition and agreement. They met, they fell to words, they were hot at it, a great deal of choler and ftomach was fhown on both parts, neither would yield a jot, neither would depart an inch from his right. A great conflict there was be- upon Eternity- 17 | jetween them, many hours fpent to little jurpofe: They were further off from A~ rreement at length, than before; for leitheir would yield to Conditions pro- pounded by either. Well, it grew late, •hey departed more offended and difplea- *ed one with another, than before, and fa eft the fuit pendent. Nicetas thought it i-hard cafe to part with his money, and :he Patriarch feemed to be in the righty ind to ftand out in the Caufe of God, and the Poor. But yet when Nicetas was gone, :he Good Bifhop weighed the matter bet- ter with himfelf, and condemned himfelf For his nertinacy ; and though he was in a rrood Caufe, and knew it alfo, yet faid, San I think that God will be well pleafed with this impacable wrath, and wilful (hibbornnefs ? The night draweth on : And fhall I faffer the Sun to go down up- on my wrath ? That is impious, and not according to the counfel of the Apoltlc. So the good Prelate could not be at reft till he had fent unto Nicetas: For he out of hand fent Meffengers of good efteem, and pave them this charge, that they fliould fay no more to him but only this Domine, Sol ad occafum eft, that is, Sir, the Sun is going down. Upon the hearing of which mcffage, there was fuch a fudden alteration wrought in Nicetas, that his T 4 hl g h C74 The. [event h Confideration high ftomach came down prefently, ri began to melt, his eyes did ffand full f wo I with tears, and he had much ado to kee them in. Out of doors he ran prefentl after the MefTengers (for he made hafte t ,fpeak with the Patriarch) and comin to him in humble manner, faluted Kir thus, Holy Father, I will he ruled by you i this, or in any other matter. Whereupg r the Patriarch made him very welcome io they embraced each other very lovingfj and became good friends. Great furel was the vertue, and fpeedy was the ope ration of thefe few words, The Sun is go ing down : For prefently upon the hearin thereof, a peace was concluded betwis them, which was fought for before witi multitude of words, but could not be ei fe&ed. So do thou, whofbever thou ai that knoweft thy felf guilty of any grie yous fin, if not before, towards the even ing, at leafr, call to mind thofe operatic words, The Sun is going down. For wha knoweft thou,whetherthoufhalt rifeagair with the Sun, or no? And if thou dieflj the night without Repentance, it is i queftion in which Eternity thou fhalt hav< thy part, whether of the bleffed, or o: the curfed. Wherefore do what thou hafl to do quickly, The Sun is going down. Bu have a care it go not down upon thy lufl 0" upon Eternity. 17 c or luxury, envy or blafphemy, detract* theft, or upon any other grievous fin un- repented of. Good God ! What a thing is this? If there be but a ftain in a gar- ment, a fpot in the face, a blot in a cap, we prefently ufe fome means to take it out, or wafh it off. Are thefe fuch eye- fores to us? And yet are we fo blind within, that we cannot fee our manifold corruptions and pollutions? or do we fee and fufFer them ? Can we luffer them, and not be troubled at them ? Are we troubled, and yet feekno means to expiate and purge them out? When we are pol- luted at any time with the ftain of (in, we Chould labour prefently to take it out; the (boner it is done, the better and the eafier it is. Therefore, faith S. Ambrofe, we ought to be careful to re-pent But that is not all, our repentance muft be alfo fpee- dy, for fear left the Heavenly Husband- man in the Gofpel, that planted a Fig- tree in his Vineyard, come and feck for fruit, and finding none, fay unto theDref- fer of his Vineyard, Cut it down. If the fentence be once paft, there is no avoi- ding the fatal blow ; down it muft. If theretore we find our felves once woun- ded with fin, let us look for help in time The brute, bcafts which have no Bnderftanding, will teach us fo much I 5 pro- i\6 The feventh Confiieratton providence. The harts of Candy or Crete i as foon as they are (truck, run prefently to their DiBamnum or Dittany: The Swallows, to cure the blindnefs of theii young ones eyes, flie to fetch their ChelU donium or Celandine: The Dog, when he is fick, rnaketh haft to his Graft, to give him a vomit : The Toad fighting with the Spider, as foon as fhe feeleth herfelf be- gin to fwell, crawleth to her Plant ane, and fo is recovered. Thcfe by a natural inftin&, know theii own proper Medicines, and upon all oc- cafions, prefently make recourfe unto them. But we poor miferable Men, more unteafonable, and without understanding, than the Beafts, are wounded every day, and that many times deadly ; and yet not- withstanding we feek fot jio Medicine to cure our fpiiitual Difeaies. We ufe the fame cliet we were wont to do ; we talk as freely and merrily as ever we did ; we go to Bed at our accuftomed hour, and ileep according to our old compafs. Bm Repentance is the Phyfick that goeth againft our ftomachs, Contrition cutteth us to the heart, ConfeJJion ieemeth bittef in our mouths: We chufe rather to con- tinue fick, than to be cured. This is our mlferaDle -condition; fo fooKfh are we, and -voi4 ©* tUHkrifonding, either not knowing, upon Eternity 177 Knowing, or at leaft, not imbracing that svhich would make for our Eternal good* If we would give ear unto the counfei }f the Heavenly Angels, which feem in :he Pifture according to their description^ :o give direction unto us, and are indeed tppointed by God, as Miniftring Spirits :or our Good ; If we would, I ft v. £*ve jar unto their counfei, then certainly ve hould neither fuffer our eyes to deep, nor >ur eye-lids to (lumber, neirher the jtein- >Ies of our Heads to take any *e#, antil »ur peace and reconciliation were made vith God. They put us /till in mind that »ur day is almoft fpent, that the night Iraws on, that our glafs is near running •ut, that death is at hand, and after leath cometh judgement: But we fecurely *alk on in our old way. Let the day pend, let the night draw on, let the glafs unout; come death, fol-ow judgment; Ve are not troubled ar it, we care not, we egard not, no warning of the Angels will :rvc our turn . We fweetly Jleep, and never dream of this. Unhappy Man whofoever thou art I £-» Potes hoc fub cafu ducere fomnos ? And. ctnft thou Jleef infucha cafe as this? Caa£ »7'8 The feventl Confederation Canft thou go to Bed, with a Confer- ence thus laden with fin ? Canft thou take any reft when thou lieft in danger of Eter- nal Death? Canft thou lodge in the fame Bed with the Brother of Death, and en- ter deep into thy bofom ? I can, I tell thee, that I can, and find no harm at all by it. B« not too confident ; that may happen in the fpace of one hour, which hath not happened in a thoufand. Thoi art not paft danger ; foT confider with thy felf how long thou haft to live. There i: no great diftance betwixt thy Soul anc Death, Hell and Eternity. It is gone in : breath. Thou may eft moft truly fay e- veiyhour,- > I am within one degree o Death, within one foot, yea, within on inch. Death need not fpend all his Qui vers upon thee: One Arrow, the head o one Arrow fhall wound thee to the heart and make fuch a large orifice, that bloo< and fpvrits, and life and all, fhall fud denly run out together. Either thou live) in a malignant and corrupt Air, o elfe thou art troubled with diftillation: falling' down from thy Head upon th Lungs, or elfe there islome obftru&ion i the Veins, or in the Liver, or elfe th Vital Spirits are fufFocated, or elfe th Pulfation of the Arteries is inter cepud, or £lfe the Animal Spirits rn bac upon Eternity. jyj >ack to their Head, and there are either ■rozen to death, or elfe drowned. One vay or other thou pofteft to the end of •hy fhort race: and prefently thou art >ut a dead Man, carried away to Eternity •ti the turning of a hand, before thou :ouldft imagine or think upon it. There ire a thoufand ways to bring a Man to his ;nd: I do not fpeak of lingring Deaths, before which there goes fome warning, but of fudden Deaths that fummon us, irreft us, and carry us away all in a mo- ment. He dies fudden ly that dies unpre- paredly. Death is not fudden, if it be forefeen and always expedited. That is fudden death which was unpremeditated ; and unpremeditated death is the worft of all deaths: And from fuch fudden death, Good Lord deliver us. It is good counfel for every one, let him be of what age he will, for no age is priviledged more than another : Death hath a general commiflion which extends to all places, perfons, ages, there is none exempt. It is good counfel then, I fay, for every one at all times, and in all places,- and in all companies, to expect death, and to think every day, yea, every 'hour to be- his la'ft : Then let him die, when pleafe God, he fhall not ile fuddenlv. How i8o The feventh Confidtmlon How many Men have we heard of, whole light hath fuddenly heen put out and life taken away, either by a fall, 01 the Halter, or Poyfon, or Sword, or Fire, or Water, or Lions paws, or Boars tusks, or Horfe heels, and a thoufand more way* than thefe ! As many Senfes as we have, (that number is nothing.) As many part* and members as we have, (and yet that is nothing ) As many pores as there be in all the parts of our Body put together, fo ma- ny windows are there for death to creep in at, to fteai upon us, and fuddenly cut our throats, 'thou waft bom (faith Saint Auguftine ) that is fare : For thou jliatt furely die. And in this that thy death is cer- tain y the day alfo of thy death is uncertain. None of us knows how near he draws un- to his end : / know not (faith Joh t chap. 32. 12. ) how long I pall lh>e 9 and how foon my Maker may take me away ; or (as our Tranflation hath it) / know not to give pattering titles ; in fo doings my Maker would foon take me away. In the midft of our life, we are near unto death: For we always carry it in our bofom; and who can tell, whether he fha41 live till the evening or no? This murderer and raan-ftealer (for fo I cill Death) bath a thoufand ways to hurt us, as by thunder and lightnings ftorms and tempeft, iire and water, &c. upon Eternity. x2t % iftruments of mifchief he hath of all »rts, as Guns, Bows, Arrows, Slings, pears, Darts, Swords, and what not ? /e need not be beholden to former ages >r examples *>f fudden death. Alack ! r e have too many in our own days. Have ot we our felves known many, that laying lemfelves down to deep, have fallen in ich a dead fleep, that they are not to be waked again, till they {hall hear the >nnd of the Trumpet at the laft day ? ►eath doth not always fend his Heralds id Summoners before, to tell us of his >mrag, but often freals upon us unex- efted ; and as he finds us, fo he takes us, 'hether prepared or unprepared. Watch forefore: for ye know wither the day nor he hour, Math. 25. 13. There is a kind of Repentance indeed in Hell: But neither it true, neither will it profit any thing t all. For it is joyned with everlafting, ad tormenting horror and defpair. Now,, ow is the acceptable time of Repen- mce, now wbileft it is called to day, Heb, . 15 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for rfentance, Matth. 3. $. The night cometh fhen no man can work, Joh. 9. 4. Work terefore while it is day. The day, faith >r#£t»», is the time of this life ; which tay fcem long unto us, but indeed is very lot*, if it be compared with Eternity. And 1 82 The feventh Confideratlon And after this fhort day of this prefen life, there follows the day of Efarmts which is infinite long, and hath no nigh to come after it. . O Man, whofoever thou art, think up on thefe things ; but thou efpecially, who fbever findeft thy felf guilty of any grie vous fin. Repent and amend, remembe Eternity, and think upon the day of Death It is uncertain in what place Death wil expeft thee ; do thou therefore expe{ Death in every place. As the Lord fnal find thee when he calls for thee, fo fhal he alfo pafs fentence upon thee. T HI ^hatk ever thou iaketf in nan remember the end and thou iha never do auttue eccIus:? .j£ chvsb To think upon btekhttiz, erivk to atneinons maimm, is to Hi hat eitfarewell erto ioynhcmis wM. upon Eternity. 185" > THE EIGHTH IONSIDER A TION UPON ETpRN/rr. 'ow Chrlfiians ought not only to look upon the Emblems and Pi&ures of Eternity, but come home and look within t hem/elves, and ferioufiy meditate upon the thing it fiif. DRder requires now, that leaving the Pfalmijt, and the reft, who have defcribed unto us Eternity, e fliould defcend into our felves, keep at >me, and (lay within. He is a great ay from home, from himfelf, and From s own falvation, whofoever hath an eys that only which is tranfitory, and for-* itteth that which is Eternal. The Lawyers know well enough that a Ian will not let go his right and title, lough it be but in a matter of three- tlf-pence, if it be a perpetuity, and to : yearly paid forever. Yea, it is thought 1 1 86 The eighth Confederation a great Rent, if a Man be bound to p though but three farthings yearly, to \ Land-lor'd, as long as the\Vorld endui In fuch e:leem are perpetuities, tho«' in things little worth, though but th Pepper-corns. If thou art fo folicitc and eager in purfuing thy right of thr half-pence, how comes it to pafs, Man, that thou art fo negligent and ca lefs infeeking after the Inheritance of 1 Eternal Kingdom, which may be had a few years purchafc? Thou fa lie ft out w thy Brother for three half-pence, tb goeft to Law with him, thou makeft i longfuit: In the mean time, thou fuffi eft others to carry away the Inherit^ of the Kingdom of Heaven. What is i reafon? Is it fo little worth? Is it i worth looking after ? It feems thou thi* eft fo, or elfe thou wouldft labor for more than thou doft. Thou art mu cumbred about other things; thou think all pains little enough ; thou art never w ry of feeking alter them : But as for Eti nity, that thou thinkeft to be a great w off, and therefore thou art fcarce ever leifure fo much as once to think upon i or, if thou art at any time at leifure, tb thou haft no mind to it. O ! It is grievous thing, and very wearifome to always looking after that which yet is r h upon Eternity. 187 ] •e ever throughly to be looked into. Who mid trouble his head, and weary his nd about it ? We are all for the prefent. ye us prefent poiTeffion ; that is the ng we defire, that is the thing we de- ;ht in : There is fome content in it. See our folly and want of difcretion. hat blindnefs is this, or rather is it not idnefs, to look for certainty where none and where it is, never to look for it? a bufinefs concerning our temporal and certain riches, we love to be certain, r will have good fecurity, which yet, at e beft, is very uncertain. But concern- * Eternal and certain riches, we make I felves fo certain, that we look for no urance ; we are fo fecure, that we look c no fecurity, which yet, if we would, e might have as good as could be defired. oes any Man lend money without a Bill, a Bond, or a Pledge 1 Every Man hath isprefently in his mouth, I love to be rtain; I defire good fecurity j I will > fafely to work ; I will not put the mat- r to hazard. Things prefent and cer- in, when we hold the balance, always eigh down things future and uncertain. etter y fay we, (as the Proverb goes) is te Bird in the hand, than two in the bujh. ut, / bad rather fee a Wren in a Cage, than • 1 88 The eighth Confiderathn than an 6/tgle in the Clouds. We are Plautus his mind, we carry our eyes in < hand, and believe no more than we I What fond and foolifh Men are we, tl feek for certainty of fuch things as I moft uncertain, which deceive us m! when we make our felves moft fure them, which make themfelves wings a flie away, whileft we think we have th< faft enough in our hands .' But, be known unto all Chriftian people, wl afTurance and fecurity Chrift, the King Heaven will give: What afTurance, fay, of Eternal Life, Chrift will give i to all thofe that will enter Bond for p< formance of Covenants. If thou wilt e ter into life y keep the Commandmen Matth, 19. 17. Si vis advitam ingredi y fi va mandata. The Condition of this ligation is fuch, That if thou keepeft t Commandments, thou fhalt enter ir life, Life Eternal: But if thou break the Commandments, in as much as th breakeft them, then this Obligation flu be void, and of none erTeS. For whof ever breaketh one of thefe Comman ments, and deferreth his repentance, ai doth not the fame hour wherein he ha finned, feek reconciliation and pea with God, whom he hath offended ; ne in danger to lofe himielf, and all th upon Eternity. 189* • hath, and manifeftty hasardeth the tcrnal Salvation both of Soul and Body, here is but three fingers breadth, or ra- icr but an inch between him and death, ar he hath within himfelf the matter of thoufand difeafes, and caufes of death : nd yet rafii and foolifh Man, he perfift- h and continueth ftill without rear or it in the ftate of damnation; in which ite, if it {hould pleafe God to take him yay fuddenly, he is in danger to perifh erlaftingly. Is it not a bold and foolifh irt, for a Man to adventure all that : hath at a caft, and hazard the lois of ternal Riches, when he may eafily keep lem? If a Man {hould fuffer in Hell but fo any torments, as he hath lived hours, • but fo many torments as he hath com* itted fins all his life ; this might feem mewhat the more tolerable. If it were , that in Hell there were any end of •rments, after the expiration of any cer- in number of years, Men would make ) end of finning, all the days of their fe. The enemies of God would increafe r ery day more and more. For albeit ley know that the torments in Hell, are i many in number, that they cannot be ambred ; fo long for continuance, that icy cannot be meafured; fo grievous for •190 The eighth Confederation for quality, that they cannot be endure* but with fuch infinite pain, that ever minute of an hour fhall feem a who! year. Notwithftanding all this, Men ar nothing deterred from fin, but walk c boldly, or rather run headlong to the own deftru&ion. If all the torments that can be inflid ed or imagined, fhould be heaped tog< ther upon the head of a Man for an hui dred years together, they would not cort near the punifhments of Hell for one yea no, not for a day, nor yet an hour. A the punifhment that Thieves, Robbei Murderers, and fuch Malefaaors fuffe though grievous for the time, yet they a quickly ended; in three or four days tfy are over, or in the compafs of a week ; molt ; but the torments of the damrii are not for a year, or an age, but for \ ver. God fhall ever punifh them, becau he can never punifh them enough, thoUg he punifh them to all Eternity. CHA : nponEurmtf. 191 CHAP. I, Eternity doth not only cut off all comfort and eaje, iut even all hope alfo. IN this life we have Hop for our com-i forter in all calamities and diftreffes, which hath a fovereign virtue to miti- gate and aflwage all painsandforrows. And God of h,s great mercy, for themoft parr, m al adverfities, ftill leaverh a Manfome H**to help and fuccour. The fick man as ong as he lives, he ftill Ii ves in Hope : As tongas there ,s life there is Hope. But Jter this life ended, there remaineth to f da 7f 2° m ° r | an y a * of comfort, Hope the Iaft comforter of all taketh ■ -flight, and Eternal Defperation feifeth pon them The Prophet Daniel fpeak- In a c n P X COmin 8 down *>«» Hea- jen an d f a y in g Hem the Tree down and Mm the flump of the R mt thereof in the ikh'sf^ t r 2 *'r yPMwhiA words ZA * ke "i\ but '*>< root is preferiedi to is, Del,ghts here are taken from us, ret ^^'""r 6 infliaed u P° n *■ b« « Hope is not taken away from us. He- ft hold! 192, The eighth Confidention hold ! the Root is preferved, Hope is lei behind. In Hell it hath no rooting. Bi hold the day cometh, ( cryeth the Proph< Malachi ) that fhall burn them up, faith tl Lord of Hop, that is, jhall leave them ne ther root nor branch. And 'job lamentin cryeth our, I am gone 9 and my hope hit he removed like a tree, Job 19- 10. p hope, or, The expectation of the wish Jhall perifh, fo faith Solomon, Prov. 10. 2! Therefore whilejl there is time and pla» for Hope, let us have Hope ; but leti Hope for fuch things as we ought. * humane things are vain and uncerttt The Heathen Poet tells us fo much thefe Veifes, Omnia funt hominum tenui pendentiafk, Etfubito cafu qu* valuer e ruunt. All humane things hang by ajlender threai t What ftands woft ft* ong, is quickly ruined. We muft not therefore place our Hi truft and confidence in fuch things/ Bernard flieweth us a better way in th words, Faith faith, God hath prepared the faithful, gnat and unconc liveable \ things. And Hope faith, He hath refer them, and laid them up for thee. And C rity kith, in the third place, / make h upon Eternity* 193 / think it long till 1 come to them. True pe f as St. Gregory affirmeth, raifeth up i mind to the thought of Eternity t and :eth away the fenfe of all outward >lTes and troubles True Hope makes us underftand, that all worldly things are in, but a Modicum, but for a moment. t, O that moment, on which all Bter- f doth depend .' The day of death, and I hour of the extream and laft agony, is »perly that moment, and that precious fel ; for buying whereof, the wife Mer- uit felleth all that he hath. But fsw ow the worth of this jewel. About E- nal falvation, faith St. Jerome, every an is negligent. But what is the reafon it Men are fo negligent in a thing of :h great moment ? Poor men .' We are mbled with weak and ill eyes. Wq Tqq HI enough near at hand, but we can rce perceive any thing afar off. I do t fpeak of fuch as are come to mans ate, or fuch as are grown old. Boys d Girls when they are newly {aken from sir Cradle, before they have all their eth come forth, learn the firft elements vices, they fmutch their fingers pre- itly with the foil of covetoufnefs 5 d after a while, they have an unfa- !ble defire after getting riches ; they ^n to make good Markets for them- K 2 felves ; i 194 The eighth Confident ion felves ! if they meet with a good pennj worth, they prefently lay hold upon i their hand is prefently in the purfe, eitht laying out for gain, or receiving in gain they know how to make the beft ufe an advantage of their money; they get a in fight into the myfteries of divers trades they will be talking of merchandife, the will learn good judgment of Wines, the- will tell you whatfafliion and cut is in uf beyond fea, Juvenal the Poet in his Sj tyrs, gave thefe a lafh long ago. This cU Wives fetch Bys in their Infamy, And Girls d» learn before their AB C. Hence is rid e-f every vice. Hence cometh our groft ignorance, an> forgetfulnefs of things Eternal. Youn and old, all do overvalue their Monej but as for Heaven and Eternity, the know not, neither will they underftan the true woithof them. But let us prt ceed. CHAP nport Eternity. 195 CHAP. II. tttrnity is a Sea, and a thru-headed Hydra: I but it ts aljo a Fountain of all Joy. [Would fain ask thee, O Chiiftian Man, whofoever thou art that heareft iermons often, but feldom, it may be, kith attention and devotion j thee efpe- ially fain would I ask one queftion Sup- ofe thou fliouldft take in hand to lade out II the Water in the Sea, into a fmall aver near adjoyning, which runneth back gain into the Sea continually, as faft as it • caft out. Suppofe thou fliouldft ufe no ther Ladle but a very fmal] fpoon to caft : out withall. Now tell me, How long beft thou think thou fhouldeft be in drain- fig of the Sea : Or again, fuppofe thou houldft draw it out with a Bucket as big \> an Hogffeead ; and as faft as thou draw- It, pour it out into another Channel. tafwer me, In how many years doft thou nnk thou mould ft be able to draw the ea dry ; To fit fcorching and frying in le flames of Hell fire fo many years, I now thou wilt fay, were a grievous and iretched torment ; and yet the damned ould think it well with them, if it were ) : They would like the condition well and K3 not 1 96 The eighth Confederation nor think the time long, fo that they h, any aflurance, that at length their tormen fhouid have an end, and not extend to j Eternity. We read in Heathenifh Authors of time, a thing more ftrange than true, 1 a certain Hydra of Snake, (which as th< feigned ) had three head?, and as foon one was cut off, had two flioot up intl place thereof. But if this Hydra be ai where to be found, it is in Hell ; whe there is a threefold Eternity; which lii the Hydra ftretcheth out her long nee with three heads, that is, The pain of h the pain of fence, and the worm ofConfcw that never dieth. What miferable ar improvident Men are we, that having b\ a fhort journey to, go, but full of dange all the way,go on notwithstanding forne rily and fportingly, as if We were walfcic all the while through Paradife, or a rac p'eafant Garden , free from all fear of I nemies ; and in the end of our walk pr< i'ently to be received and admitted as C tizens into our Heavenly Countrey, a plat of all fecurity ! For can we be ignorant if we be, it is our own fault. But we car not be ignorant, that at length we flla corns to the two Gates of Eternity, th one of the blefled, the other of the dam ned : And enter we muft at one of then th; upon Eternity, 197 hat is certain ; at which, God knows, it s accordingly as we (hall behave and carry jur felves by the way. Laurent ius Juftinianus, wondering at Ee merry madnefs of fuch Travellers, Jieaks forth into this exclamation, O the 'intent able condition of mortal Men, which \9 on exalting all the way, whilefi they are 'nit exiles or banijhed men from their own *9mtrey\ Let us not fettle oar minds up- m any vain joys and fond toys by the way* ffhileft Wi are traveliing towards our Country ; but let us fo run our race, that it the end thereof, we may obtain admit- tance in at the Gare, which is the entrance Eternal BleiTednels God hath indeed :reated us rather unto joys and pleafures, han unto labors and forrows ; but w # 198 The eighth Confederation we muft, but it muft be the good fight like Chriftian Champions ; Run we mnft but fo, that we may obtain ; ftrive w< muft, but to enter in at the (height Gate. Labor we muft, and offer violence to the Kingdom of Heaven ; but it muft be in due time and place. Now whileft we" have time here, whileft we are on the way whileft we have life and ftrength, that when we come to the point of death, and €0 pafs the Horizon of this World, and de« part into another, never to return back again ; when we ftnll be tranflited from Time to Eternity, then at the laft we may have joy for our life paft,and hope for that which is to come. Let us labor therefore, let us labor, I fay, and offer violence to our felves, fighting againft our own fro- ward wills and affections : fo fhall we ob- tain by the mercy of God, everlafting reft for ftiort labor, and eternal glory for a few- days travel. True and folid joy is not here to be found in vain delights and pleafures, but in Heaven, where there is joy and pleafure for evermore. God prepared a gourd and made it come over Jonah, that it might be * foadoro over his head, to deliver him from his grief \ Jonah 4. 6. So Jonah was exceed- ing glad of the gourd. And what is all the nleafure, or rather vanity of this prefent World ? t< upon Eternity. iy$ 1 World ? Is it not like Jonah's gourd fltfu riming for a time, and yielding a comfort- able fhadow ? Rich Men have their gour4 ItJlo, that is* their riches, under the fh whereof they re Joyce with exceed joy. Drunkards and Gluttons f gourds alfo, that is, great T < licious fare; under the uVd rv tthey are merry and joyfu Men have alfo their gourd too, row U their unlawful pleafures, under- ft e fhv dow whereof they lie down an themfelves, But ( alafs ! ) forrow follows after fuch jo£, and fuddenly overtake Their mirth is'foon turned into mourning, and their delights and pleafures end in gall and bitternefs. For whit became Jonah's gourd, God prepared a Worm when the morning rofe the next day, and it [mote the gourd that it withered. Now te]} me , fonah, where is thy gburd ? What is be- come of it ? Where is now thy exceeding great joy ; They are borh gone together, thy gourd is withered, and thy joy is end- ed. Such are our vain delights and plea- fures, fuch is our joy, rather fhadows of things than any thing indeed, thty pits 3 - way fuddenly, and become like Jonah's gourd that foon withered. The joy of rhis World is but for a moment, but the joy of the life to come for all Eternity. & 5 CHAP. «ioo The eighth Confederation CHAP. III. Here is declared h a moft memorable exam- pie, How {wet and precious the tafle oj Eternity is. THis knew Theodoras very Well, one born of Chriftian Parents; and, as it feems, he learned it betimes, when for years he wis but a youth, but an old Mac for judgment and difctetion. For on % great feftival day, kept throughout all Egypt, there being a great feaft at his Fa- thers houfe, and many invited thereunto when fome were eating and drinking, o thers laughing and playing, t and other: fporting and dancing; he amidft all theft jollities, retired himfelf to his in ware Clofet, finding himfelf wounded to th< heart, but with a chafte arrow. For thu he began to expoftulate with himfelf. Ufl happy Theodore} What would it profit thee, if thou fhouldft gain the whol< World ? Many things thou haft indeed, bu canft thou tell how long thou ftialt enjo) them? Thou lived in abundance now thou maift feaft it, and make merry ; thot maift laugh and be fat, thou maift rejoyo and skip for joy. But art thou fure ho* long this lhall iaft, I fliould like it well I upon Eternity. 20F 3 it would laft always. But what fhall I do ? ihall I, for the enjoying of theft Ihort and tranfitory pleasures & delights,deprive my felf of thofe joys which are Eternal ? Tell me, Theodore, is this according to ChrifH- an Religion, to frame unto our felves an Heaven hereon Earth, and think to pafs from delights to delights from Temporal to Eternal : Either lam much deceived, or elfe Chrift fluwe lived in fear of Ever lading Torments; ihatfoy by the Mercy of God m Jefiu Chrifl, we may forever efcape tbemi TH E Good-ifofteivwliat p'oocl itewg sM I doe -that I may hatfe etbrhall It is e alter for a ccrnielioao ihrowih ike eye of a needle .Ihen for a rteh man h eder mio ihekvychme ofjod he love of riches ^r /eternitie, arejmrce refidcnt m 011c heart. upon Eternity. z i s THE NINTH CONSIDERATION UPON ET E R N I T T. N The firfi Conchjim. OMan living is able i„ word to V* exprefs, or in thought to con- «ve the infinite f pace \ ( %£« Jtween a true Man, ,„d , ^£&. Cm, true fire and painted fire, the" "a reatdeal of difference, and yetth e fe e in fome k,„d one like un»M«*er H^beXnTT fire and ' h « «" rue l, between the forrows of this life •d the parrrsof Hell, tnwe £ £™ infon, no proportionate. For this life j f! ? ce , of T,me i but the life to come •d the forrows thereof cannot be Zt redby,„y thingbuton , bem«- lb is without meafure. This doth our vtoutmoft elegantly exprefs ; n th°G U f : lofSt.?.^, by the Parable of the L Vine- • xi 6 the ninth Confident ion Vine branch, if a Man abide not in me he is cafl forth as a branchy and is withered and Men gather them, and caft them into tht fre 9 and they are burned, John 15.6. Ir. thefe words is Eternity briefly and plainlj defcribed : For mark the words well, thej run not in the future, Be frail be caft forth and frail wither , and M-n frail gather them and frail caft them into the fire, and the frail be burned ; I fay they run not in th< future, but all in the freftnt tenfe, He i caft forth and withered, and Men gather then and caft them into the fire, and they are burn ed. They are burned. This is the ftate am condition of the damned, They are bun ed, that is, always burning. When a thoufan< years are paft and gone, as it was inth beginning, fo it is ftilJ, 'They are burned And when a thoufand and a thoufan more yet are gone, as it was, £0 it is, Tht are burned. And if after certain milliofi of years the queftion be asked, Whati now the ftate and condition of thedamr ed? What do they ? What fuffer they How fares it with them ? There can be n other anfwer made but this, They are bun ed, ftill burning, continually, inutterab[ Eternally, from one age to another, eve for ever and ever. Upon this place e\ce lently faith St- Auguftine, One of thef two muft needs be the condition of tfc Vine upon Eternity. 217 Vinebranch, either he muft abide in the Vine, or elfe be caft into the fire 5 if noc in the Vine, then certainly in the tire. But that it may not be caft into the fire, lee it (till abide in the Vine. Thefecond Condufion. IF thofe Men which do ftill continue in their fins, did butknow how near they ire unto Eternity, and everlafting tor* ments ; how that God in a moment, in a breath, in the twinkling of an eye ( as we [peak ) may fuddenly take them away i n their fins, and deliver them up unto death- men fureiy, if they had it, they would' give all Spaw, all the treafures of Ma ill the Gold of India, yea all the world, to' obtain but one hour to confefs their fins to repent them of the fame, and to ask God pardon and forgivenefs : They Would nor, certainly they would not, ftill hu* and embrace rheir fins, they would not every day multiply them as they do, they would not lodge them every night in ffreir bolom, an d Jy fnorting in them, Mattk iC 27. For what is a Man profited, tf he fall Urn the whole world, and lofe his own tvul ? Though thou lofeft every thing eK e |i t & World, yet, O Man, have a care to keep L z thy ri 8 The ninth Confidcntlon % thy foul. It were needlefs here to reckc up a Catalogue of the Martyrs of Chnft: all ages. There art whole books of the in great volumes : they are recorded i .all pofterity, and their names ftiall be hi in everlafting remembrance. But tl greateft honour that we can do them is t follow their good example, to learn < them Chriftian fortitude and magnanim tv to fear God more than Man, Man io 28. God which is able to deftroy box body and foul tn Hell, rather than Man whit can only kill the body, but is not able to ki the fcul', to love God more than all ri World ; to be willing to pau wi'haU ft Chrift to lofe all to fave our fou.o, an gam Eternity. I will conclude here wir that excellent exhortation of St. Jvguftim What then mall we do, brethren? What What elfe but whileft we have time amen our lives, where we have done amift,do { no more ; become new Men ; That wha is threatned and fhall certainly come upo wicked and ungodly Men, may not fa upon us ; not becaufe we fhall not be, b» becaufe we fhall not be like unto them Whatfoever is written in the (cripture, i written for our learning, it is the voice c God. Obferve and make good ufe what you read : Whatfoeve? we fuffer i: t his life is but the gentle rod of our mor met upon Eternity. 219 erciful Father, who correð us here his dear children, that we be not tor- cnted with the damned hereafter, Why- en do the light afflictions of this life ;m fo grievous unto us? Why do we even smble and quake for fear, when we do it hsar of them ? The moft grievous fuf- rings of this life, if we judge .'right of em in companion of everlafHng fire, s very foiall. The third Co?:c!ujiin> * Mongft Chrittian.% Goi knoweth, X fh^re are a great many, that either lieve there is neither Heaven nor Hell, life if they did truly believe it, they 3uM certainly live orherwife than they ■■■ Av concerning fuch Men, i he queftion ly be very fitly asked, Luke 18. 8. When ' Son of man cmeth,jhzll h», fmd faith upon i earth ? Somi there are that would n be thought to be true-B*lieversj They nfefs it indeed with their mouth, but remb?e with their double hearts ? If sir words may be believed,they may go ' true Believers, but if their lives beex- •ined, they may be thought to be no :ter than Infidels. They never think up- Eiernity, or very feldom ; and when ydo,they do but think upon it and there L 3 is 2i o The ninth Conjiderdtion is all; it is gone in a thought, they ne vet weigh well with themfelves what it is,thej never ferioufly meditate upon it, they ne ver roufe their underftanding to be inten upon it, they never bend their wills am affeftions to feek after it, they never im print it on their deep cogitations that f< they may remember it. They fcarce be gin to think upon ir, but their minds at- preiently fomewhere elfe, their thought go a vvandring, their imagination is work ing upon fcmewhat elfe. And if at an; time tome ffp rks of devotion and god! deures arife in their hearts, they are pr« fently quenched and choaked with caif of this worM, with multitude of bufinef with profits or pleasures, and fuch lik« And thus miferable Men they flop thei ears, and clofe their eyes, and withot fear or underftanding they run hoodwini in the way that leadeth to Eternal deatl It is obferved by the holy Fathers ofth Glutton in the Gofpel, that he never lift ed up his eyes till he was in torments All his life long they werelhutagainft rt poor and againS all godlinefs : He opene them not till he was in Hell, when itw; too late. And it is no marvel chat i many Men run blindfold to the houfe « daughter, and Eternal forrow : for rf way is very broad and pleafant, fmooi an upon Eternity. 221 » and plain, a Man can hardly go out of it, there is no fear of lofing himfelf till he comes to the end thereof. Then he (hall perceive that all the while he was travel- og, he was quite out of the right way : then I fay, when there is no returning back again. Many would like this way well, if there were no end thereof: For, though it rids merrily, it ends miferably : and therefore they do wifely, that leave the great road, and travel on in the rough way ; that chufe rather to go through briers and thorns unto an Eternal Para- dife, than through a pleafant Paradife to in Eternal Prifon ; that refolve with rhemfelves to break through all difficul- ties ; counting it better to go on weeping *nd mourning* in the narrow way of falva- tion, rather than laughing and rejoycing in the broad Way of deftniaion. Moft true it is which Job fpeaketh, As the cloud is conjmned and vdnijbed away ? fo he that gosth down to the grave, jhall come up no more : He Jbiall return no more to his houfe, wither jball his place know him any more , fob 7, 9. w The fourth Conclujion. Hofoever ufeth to defcend into a deep and ferious confideration of ^ 4 Eter- # xii The ninth Conjideration Eternity, he will be fo far from living Vi* centioufly and wantonly, that yon fhall hardly ever fee him laughing heartiJy.lt hath been obferved of as many as hav« been raifed from the dead, and turned a- gain unto life, thatthey were fcarce evei feen to laugh at all. In particular it hath bQQn obferved of Lazarus of Bethany, whom Chrift loved. He and they, as ma- ny as have been raifed from the dead, might truly fay with vhft Preacher, l/aid of laughter.. It is mad ; and of mirth, What hath it ? Eclef. z. 2. Not without caufe in this doth C;ril of Alexandria confeft himfelf to be fearful ; fror he faith thuf, I am afraid of H e ll and the punifomentt thereof, becaufe they have noe>d ; I am afraid of the devouring worm, becaufe it -never dieth. O that they were wife, that they uvdcrjlood this, thai they would ccnfider their latter end I Dtut. 3?. 19 Whofoever is not bet.er by the conlideratton of £- ternity, ( I dare boldly fay, and think I may fay it truly ; either he hath no faith at all; or if he hath any faith, he hath no heart at all ; or at the bsft it is but an heart that is dead and without all fence. It was the witty fay ins: of a learned Man, That marriage was a fh.irtand a fweet fong, bet that it had a doleful clofe : So we may Cioft truly fay of all the pleafures that we take upon Eternity. 22,3 take in fin, that it is a fhort and a merry long, but it ends in mourning and lamen- tation ; or rather it is a fongyJW* for time, and fweet for tune as long as it lafteth ? for it runs much upon quavers md/emia**- vers of mirth and jubilation. Butthe//»w fuddenly changeth, and the tune is altered; for there follows without any reft the tar- get and tongs of ftrrov and lamentation ; which cannot be meafured by any time. Bor the torments of Hell are Eternal. Oh Mtgmity, Eternity, Eternity I The fifth Conclujion. ¥T 7Henfoev«r we fpeak of Eternity we ,W fpeak always with the leaft, but we can never fpeik too much of it. What- foever is (aid comes ihort of ir. No words qan utter it, no figures can number it, no time can meafure it. For Eternity is of this nature j take from it what you will, it is ftiil the fame. It is neither encreafed by iddi ion, nor diminifhed by fubftra&ion. Suppofc there were fubftra&ed from it fo many years as there a^e ftars in the firma- ment, drops in the lea, lands on tbe fhore 3 leaves on die trees,grafs in the fielu,aiotes in the Sun, duft on the earth: What re- mains ? As much there was before the Sptyfaiff far. Suppofe there were fo many C 5 years. 2.24 ^e ntm ^ ^ofifidcrrtfo* years added to it : What then is the Refuh} The fame that it was before the Addition. The total Jam is neither more nor lefs, than what it was, thar is, Eternity. As long as God is, fo long fhall the dam- ned be tormented.. This we have fhadow- ed out before by fome fimiiitudes and re- femblances, unto which we will add one more out of Bonaventure, If one of the 4amnedi faith he, fhould weep after this manner, that he Ihould let fall but one' tear in an hundred years, and thofe tears ihould be kept together fo many hundred years till they would equal the drops of the fea : Alafsl Alafs ! ( Not to fpeak of the fea) How many millions of years muft reeds pafs before they can make one little river 1 or if they fhould at length make a whole fea of water : yet even then it might truly be faid, Now Eternity begin- neth. And if he fhould weep again after the fame manner till he made another fea; yet then alfo it might be faid again as tru- ly «s before, Now. Eternity beginneth : and fo on forwards for ever. Let no Man once doubt of the truth thereof; for between that which is finite and that which is infi- nite there is no proportion. But this feems '■Wonderful and ftrange unto us, becaufe «mr imagination cannot conceive it : It •cannot breach unto that which is fo far re- mote* upon Eternity. 215 mote ; It cannot penetrate into that which is infinite, for that is impenetrable. And that is the reafon that our underftanding is "hardly drawn to the consideration ot'E- ternity ; becaufe it blufheth in a fort, and is aftiamed, or elfe for indignation cannot endure to tire it felf in the fearch of thac which cannot be found out. But let us put away this foolifh and fhameful modefty, and let us force our underiiarding to the due and ferious contemplation of Eternity, and let it be our daily exercife to be ftill medicating upon fuch fimilitudes, as may in fome (hort fhadow it out, and reprefent it unto us : And fo fhall we never do a- mifs. Say what we can, think what we will, imagine fo many million of millions of years as it is poflible for the mind of Man to conceive, we fhall ftill come fhort of the meafure and length of Eternity : The years of Eternity are more, far more, yea infinitely more. This is certain, and without all controverlie. The Prophet Daniel fignifieth the in- comprehenfible dimenfion and length of Eternity in thefe words, They that be wife jhalljhine as the brightnejs of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteoufyeft ai the (tars for ever and ever, Den. n. 5. Marl: thtfe words, For ever and ever. As if he fhould ha-v-c faid, No words are fufficient jli6 The ninth Co n/i deration to cxprefs the nature of Eternity. It W for ever and ever : Here is all that I can fay of it : Though more might be faid in refpeft of its own nature, yet I am nor able to fay more. Obfervc his Auxejis, ot his augmentation of it by multiplication, for ever y that is, for Eternity: Bat he thinketh that not fufficient, and therefore he doubles it, and ever. And yet in the Latin it is expretfed more fully, in thefe words, In perpetuus Mternitates* To per- petual Eternities Mark here, he faith nof r In JEternitatem, To Eternity barely in the Singular Number ; but In Aternitates, To Eternities in the Plural, as if one were not enough : Neither doth he reft here indefi- nitely, faying To Etgrnities t nor yet doth he add iny finite term, becaufe none cans expreft it, but an infinite, Perpetual, Per- petual ; In perpetuaf jEternitates, To per* petual or Infinite Eternities. Now if one Eternity is without end, what are two ? what are ten? what ate an hundred.* what are infinite 1 If we fliould multiply the great year or yeafS.a thoufand times,, k would not amount to the leaft fra&ion Of the numberlefs number of Eternity* They fay that the Eighth Goeleftial Orb or Sphere is moved wonderful leifurely be- yond all comparifon : For though it be daily wheeled about by the rapid motion of upon Eternity. xij the Pr'tmum mobile, yet it finifheth not its own proper circuit but once in thirty fix thoufand years, and this fpace of time they call, 1"he great year, or Piatt's year. But compare this with Eternity, and it will appear to be but a moment, but an inftant, but a minute) indeed nothing at all. It is a true faying of Boetius, that an inftant, or point of time,andten thoufand years, compared together, keep better proportion, than ten thoufand years and Mtemity. But hear what St. John faith, little children, it it the laji time, or the laft hour, i tfchn z. 18. And this he faid one thoufand fix hundred years ago. It is ©oft true therefore what St. Avguftint faith, whatfoever hath an end, that thing tsbutfliort. Eternity is a Word confifting tut of fout fyllables, but it is a thing without end. Therefore fet thy love upon Eternity, Let Chrift be thy end, and thou. fhalt reign with Chrift without end. Thefixth Conelufion. IT is not to be believed that any Man that hath but the leaft finack of true Religion can be fofar carried away by his impotent and unruly paffions (if he be not w bad as a beaft ) ruled meerly by fenfe, and ferving only his fenfual appetite ; For the iz 8 The ninth Confiderathn the wicked and ungodly man, even then when he is almoft fwallowed up in the deep pit, whereinto his fins have plunged him headlong, even then I fay, doth but laugh at it, regard it not, is not, a jot troubled at it ; It is not to be believed, I fay, that any Man that hath any Religion at all in him, can be fo far carried away by his headftrong and unbridled paflions, but if he will fpend a part of an hour every day in meditating upon Eternity^ yea if he will but once in a week ferioufly think up- on it, he will mend his manners, he will change the courfe of his life to better, hi will certainly become a new Man : Of a proud Man, he will become humble anc lowly ; of an angry Man, he will become mild and gentle; Of an unclean Man, h« rvill become chafte and continent ; of * drunken Man* he will become fober and temperate. He will put on, not the out ward, but the inward habit of a true tell gious and godly Man, be will become fuchaone, not in clothes and outward ei pre(fion,but in heart, and inward afFe&ion. Neither will he rafhly and unadvifedJyj flightly and negligently, upon a fpurt al at once on the fudden pafs from one ex- tream to another : ( fuch alterations arc -not good^either will they continue lor.g, But he will again and again weigh the mar HI npn Eternity 219 ter well with himfelf,he will confider well upon ir, he will fatten his ferious thoughts upon it, he will often revolve in mind E- ternify, Eternity, Eternity, that fhall never have end, end never, never end ; which (hall laft throughout innumerable, incom- prehenfible.infinite ages. This will he do with consideration and attention,and often ruminate upon it, as beafts chew the cud. Meat though never fo good and wholfome, if it be not chewed in the teeth, prepared in the mouth, digefted in the ftomach, turned into blood, and diftributed by the jjeins into all the parts of the body, turns ft> poyfon rather than to nourifhment, be- gets all manner of difeafes, is retained perhaps fometimes in the body, but doth more harm than good, were a great deal better out than in. Even fb the thoughts of Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell are good and wholefome, godly and holy, but none more than the thought of Eternity } which may worthily be called the Quintef- fence. But asitis with meat, not the taking of it meerly into the mouth, but the good digefting of it in the ftomach, the turning of it into good blood in the Liver, and the difhibuting of it into all the parts by the veins, nouriiheth the body: So it is with thofe precious thoughts of Death Judg- Wi Htavetfi Hell, and Eternity : not the bare 130 Ths ninth Conjt deration bare thinking upon them, but ferious thinking upon them with our felves, fet- ting apart all cares and worldly diftra&i- ons, the ponderings of them well in ouc hearts, and the often ruminating upati them, this it is that feedeth and nourifli- eth the foul. If this be not done, the reft is to little purpofe: without this even the reading of the holy Scriptures is fruitleft, the hearing of the word preached is un- profitable. Many hear Sermons often, read the Scripture over and over again, and yet are Jittle betrered by it, becaufi^ they do not meditate upon what thej have both read and heard. When they hear, what comes in at one ear goesout at the other; when they read, the eye is no fooner off from the book, but what was read is foon flipt out of memory. Before they can practice what they have heard or read, they have quite forgotten what they fhauld do. Therefore if we will read or hear with profit, we muft fpend feme time in meditating and pondering with our felves what we have read and heard; ThislefTon we may Jearn of the blefled Virgin the^norher of our Lord, Luk. 2« 1 9. But Mary kept all thefe things t and pQndt- jred thtm in her heart. Tfr ttpou Eternity. 2,31 * Ihe feventh Concluflon. FEW or none believe, or e]fe do not well underftand and weigh with themfelves thefe words of Ch rift, Matth. 7' 1 3. Enter ye in at the firaight gate ? for wide is the gate and broad is the way that kadcth to deftrutlion, and many there be which go in thereat : 14. Becaufe fir ait is the %ate and narrow is the way which hadeth un* tt life, and few there be that find it. This igain our Saviour repeats by the mouth of J»t Luke, Luk . 13. 11. Strive to enter in at the (irait gate j For many, I fay unto you. will eek to enter in, and fhall not be able. Auguft. Whofoever laughs at this faith, and there- fore will not believe becaufe he doth not *ee; when that fhall come to psfs which he did not believe, he fhall blufh and be :onfounded, he fhall be confounded md feparated from the bfeffed ; he fhall be feparated from the blefTeel, and have his portion with the damned. Hieronytrus Plautus reports of a certain IVomari, that hearing Bertoldus a powerful ManinthePulpir inveigh very vehemently ind bitterly again ft a fin that fne knew her elf guilty of,fell down dead in theChurch; ind after a while by the blefling of Gcd upon the Prayers of the Congregation coming 13* The ninth Co nji deration coming again unto herfelf, related unto them what fhe had feen in this trance, fay- ing thus, Methought I flood before God's Tribunal, and threefcore thoufand fouls more with* me, called together from all the parts of the World to receive their fi- nal fentence : And they were all condem- ned and adjudged to Eternal torments,but only thee Oh ! what a fearful thing was this .' I fhoud hardly believe this womatw relation, but that I believe Chrifts adeve- ration in the Gofpel, Matth. 7. 13. V/iit is the gate and broad is the way that leadeih it deftrublion^ and many there be that go in thereat ; And again v. 14 Straight is the ?ate 9 and narrow is the way that Ieadeth unto Ufa and few there be that find it. It may feeni ftrange to fUfli and blood, that God tha Father of mercies fiioujd \:iCs the fentence tjf condemnation upon fo many, I do nof fay threefcore thoufand , but threefcore thoufand thoufand ? And what Man would believe it, were he not perfwaded of the truth thereof, upon the consideration of the fovereign and infinite Majefty of God which is offended; the inutterable malice of fin which is committed, and many evi- never goes our, from whence there is no redemption, no redemption, I fay, and again I fay, no re- demption ; No, nor any comfort at all, not fo much as a little drop of cold Water. If the goily themfelves, who are in the flare of grace and in the favour of God, whole minds and wills be good,if they ,1 fay, could fufficiently conceive from what grievous torments they Anil be delivered at the day of judgment, and into u hat inurterable and unconceiveable joys they (hall enter, without doubt they would ufe no delay, they would not let an hour pafs, but out of hand they would take their leave of all Vanities, forfike the World, and leave the dead to look after their dead : But as for them* # 234 The ninth Con/j deration themfel ves, they would be d n'Jy and hour- ly well im ployed about their Matters bufi- nels, always ftu dying to pleafe God, ever lauding and prai/ing him for his goodnefs and Ki2rcy towards them, in blefllngtherrt in part here in this World, and giving them an affured promife of everlafting blefTed- nefy in the World to come, for delivering them from the torments of Hell, and gi- ving them entrance into the joy? of Hea- ven. It is the faying of St Gregory, The evils of this prefent life feem the more hard unto us. ths lefs we think upon the good which (hall follow hereafter. And becaufe- we comlder not the exceeding great re- wards which are laid up for us, therefore we count the affii&ions. of chit World grievous to be born: whereas if we did lift up our minds, and raife cur thou^frs to rhe contemplation of thofe things which are Eternal and not fub;eS to any cnangej if we would have an eye unto them, and fe? our hearts upon them, we would certainly count the fundings of this life, and whatfoever hath an end, to le as nothing ; and again, joy in tribulation is z iong in the night : For although we are outwardly affiled with the fen ft of for,, vvs Temporal, yec we are inwardly comforted with the hope of joys Eternal. Much after the fame manner reafoner'h Se upon Eternity. 23?* St. Augufline : If thou wouldeft but at- tend, faith he, unto what thou fhalt here- after receive,, thou wouldeft count a)f the fufFering of this prefent life to be but light, & altogether unworthy of the glory which fhill be revealed. For brethren, (to fpeak of the worth of things ) for Eternal refl 3 Man fhould be content to undergo Eternal labor, and for Eternal joy willingly fufifer Eternal forrov : But if the labor and for- row were Eternal, when fhould aMan come to reft and joy Eternal ? Therefore upon neceflity thy tribulation muft be but Tem- poral, that fo at length thou maift receive a reward which (hall be Eternal For hang . Up the fcales, and put Eternity in one, and a thoufand years in the other : what do I fay, a choufand years, yea t&n thoufand, yea an hundred thoufand, and yet more, a thoufand thoufand, they are all too light to weigh with Eternity ; there is no compa- f ifon betwixt them . And yet further, to make them more light ; As they are but Temporal, fo likewife they are but fhort, and of no continuance, they laft but for a few winter-days, when they are at the (horteft, or rather but for one day and thar 2 fhort one ; the day of this life which is foon pad, and they are gone. Though a Man therefore mould fufier all his life long even to the laft breath, though he fhould luffer, 136 The ninth Confederation fufTer, I fay, labors, griefs, forrows, im- prifonment,fcourge, hunger, thirft, all his life long, even to the laft breath, yet his fufFerings are but fhort, becaufe his life is but fhort. For the days of our pilgrimage art but few, though evil, as Jacob told Pha- raoh, Gen 47. 9 And Job 14. I- Man that is born of a Woman is of few days ; though is Job complaineth, full of trouble. And Ffal.iy. 5. Behold, faith David, thou haft made my days as an hand breadth, (and that is but a fhort meafure, and yet he goeth further ) and mine age is as nothing before thee. And as our Life is fhort, fo is oui Affliction light, but it worketh for us a fit more exceeding and Eiertial weight of glory, 2 Cor. 4; When this fhort life and ligb\ labour is ended, we (hall inherit everlafling life, an Eternal Kingdom, and felicity with* out end : we fhall be made equal to th« Angels, heirs of God, and joint-heirs mtk Chrift, Rom. 8. 17. Oh ! For how litd< labour, how great a Reward ! and again St. Auguftine in another place, The thought. of God are very deep. Where is the though: of God ; and what is his purpofe ; He let teth the reins loofe for the prefent, bat afterwards he will draw them in. Do noi re Joyce and fport thy felf, like the fifh if the water, which having got the bait ii her mouth,playeth up and down,but beinj ftrud upon Eternity, 237 ftruck with the hook in the jaws, may be palled up at the fifhers pleafure. The time which ieems long unto thee is indeed but fliort, very fhort. For what is the life of Man compared with Eternity ? Wouldeft thou be patient and long fuffering ? Con- ner Gods Eternity : Doft thou only conf. dec thine own days, which are but few and fhort, and doft thou think that in them all things fhall be fulfilled ? That the wicked lhould be condemned, and the godly c , r ? wned L Wouldeft thou have all thefe things fulfilled in thy few and fhort days, bod mall fulfil them in his own time. God is Eternal God is patient and long fuf- fering : And thou fayeft, But I cannot be patient and long fuffering, becaufe I am not Eternal. But thou mayeft be if thou wilt : For do but joyn thy Heart to Gods ffjrmty and thou fhalt be Eternal with «. « ~ 0U beeft a 2° od C h"ftian, and wellmftruaed in the fear of the Lord,thou wilt certainly conclude, God hath refer- ved all unto his own judgment. The good ind godly men are troubled and affiled: bor God chaftifeth them as his own Chil- dren. But the wicked and ungodly Men come into no fuch trouble and affliction : For God caiteth them off,and condemneth them as aliens. A certain Man hath two Ions ; He chaftifeth the one, and letteth the 238 The ninth Confi deration the other go without any chaftifement. The one t if he goes never fo little awry is prefently buffeted,whipped and fcourged ; the other, let him do never fo ill, he never hears of if, he is not fo much as once re- buked fot it. What is the reafon : He that is punifhed, is the fathers heir ; and he that goes unpuniflied is difinherited. For what fhould the Father do ? He fees the*rc is no hope of him,and that he is paft grace, and therefore he lets him alone to do what he lifteth. But yet notwithftanding, the fon which is ever and anon punilhed for the leaft offence, will be ready to bemoan and deplore his own cafe, and count his brother happy which goeth unpunifhed. He will, I fay, unlefs God hath given him a wife and underftanding heart, to know whatmaketh for his own good. He will be apt to fay in his heart, My brother fol- loweth all ill courfes, taketh his pleafure, wafteth his means,doth what feemeth good in his own eyes, is ever breaking my fathers commandment, and hath never an ill word for it. But the cafe is otherwife with me : If I be but out of fight never fo little while, if I go but to the next door, if I do but ftep afide, itir but a foot, but an inch beyond my bounds, prefently I am called in queftion, Sirrah, where have you been ? there is no hope of pardon, I am fure trpon Eternitf 23 s? fure to fmart for it. This is my cafe. And Ifay, Thou art in a far better cafe than thy brother ; and if thou heeft not a fool, thou wilt think fo too: For in that thou art corre£ted, it is a fign that thou art beft beloved. If thou thinkeft only upon thy prefent Hate, it cannot but feem grievous unto thee ; But if thou haft an eye to the Inheritance which is referved for thee, a- gain it cannot but feem joyous unto thee. For the aflurance of thy future reward will quite take away the fenfe of the pre- fent fmart. Hitherto may be added out of the fame holy Father that which followeth, as the fumm of all that hitherto hath been faid How great and wonderful is the mercy of God! He faith not, Labour thou for ten hundred thoufand years together; nor yet one thoufand years, nor yet, five hundred years. But what ? Labour whileft thou liveft; it is but for a few years; after that thou (halt have reft, fuch reft as (halL have no end, Confider this well with thy felf, Thou art injoyned to labour but for a few years, and amidft thy labour art not without fome joy, not a day pnfleth. in which thou mayeft not receive comfort; and confolation. But rejoyce not thou after the manner of the World, but as $he A pottle exhorteth, Vhil. 4 4. Rejoyce M in 240 The ninth Confideration in the Lord always: and again I fay, Re r foice: Rejoice in Chrift, Rejoyce in hi* Word, Reioyce in his Law. For it is true which the ApoiUe faith, z Cor. 4. 17- Our light affliftion, which is but for a moment , ivorketh for us a far more exceeding and E- ternal weight of Glory. Confider what a fmall price thou art to give, but the liusfc of an Acorn, for everlafting treafures : The husk of thy ftiort labour, for reft E- ternal. Haft thou joy for a time 1 Do not truft too much to it. Art thou fad and forrowful for a time? Do not delpair ot ioy and comfort. Neither let profperity. puff thee up, nor adverfity caft thee down. God hath promifed unto thee Eternal Life | Therefore contemn Temporal felicity. He hath threatned Sternal Fire ; Therefore contemn all Temporal forrows. To conclude then with the fame Divine Author, Let us therefore be in love with Eternal Life ; and thereby we fhall come to know how much we ought to labor tor the obtaining of it ; for we fee that thofe Men which are lovers of this prefent lite, which is but temporal, and fhall fhortjy have an end, labour with might and maitt to preferve and prolong it as long as they can. And yet they cannot efcape death ; for that at one time or other will feize up- on them. All that they can hope for, « upon Eternity- 241 but to put it off for a little time. When death approacheth, then every one is la- bouring and feeking to hide himfelf, ready- to give and part with any thing that he hath to redeem his life. He fends for the Phyfician, he will be ruled by him in any thing, he will take any thing at his hands, he will fuffer any thing, Purging, Bleed- ing, Cupping, Scarifying, and what not? You fee what charge a Man will be at, and what pains he will voluntarily endure, to live here though but for a (hort time ; and yet he will fcarce be at any chafge, or take any pains, after this life ended, to live for ever. Brethren, it fhould not be fo. If there be fuch labouring, and watch* ing, fuch lending and going, fuch running and riding, fuch fpending and paying, fuch doing and fuffering, to live here a while longer ; What fhould we not wil- lingly do and fuffer to live for ever? And if they be accounted wife, which labour by all means they can to put off death a while longer, being loth to lofe a few days ; What fools are they which live £a^ that finally they lofe the day of Eternity / Think upon thofe things well with your felves, O mortal Men, and forefec the day of Eternity y whether of joy or of tor- ment, before it cometh. For although ill other things pafs away, yet EterSi- M 2 ty 241 The ninth Confederation ty (till remaineth, and fhall never pafs a- way. G H A P. I. <£he TuTJtJhmenfof Eternal Death. THe Mejfenians had a certain Prifon or Dungeon under earth void of air and light, and full of Hellvfli horror ; which as it was a moft difmal place, fo had it a4fo a glorious title ; for it was called the Freafure-houfe. This Prifon or Dun- geon had no Doors at all to it, only one mouth, at which the Prifoners were let down by a Rope ; and fo it was flopped up again with a great ftone. Into this Trea- fure-houfe was Philoptmon that great Em- perour of Greece caft, andthere by Poyfon L ended his life ; God hath aifo his .Trea- fure-hottfe under earth, if I may fo fpeak: But, I pray you, what a one is it? It is ol moft wicked and ungodly, defperate and damned Men. *''"■». r *„ AHiolinus a Tyrant of Padua, (as fo- vius reporteth) had many Pvifons fo in- famous for all kind of miferies and tor- ments, that whofoever were caft theremtc counted their life mifery, and their deatl happinefs. Death might come in then upon Eternity. 243 without knocking, he was fo welcome un- to them, and fo long looked for. For this was their hard ufage, they were laden with Irons, ftarved 1y, diligently, and carefully to be regard- ed of us. It is the moft foolifli thing in the World for a Man having but little time allotted him, to fpend it prodigally in vain delights, whereas he fhould like a thrifty Merchant imploy it rather for his beft advantage, to purchase a portion in blefled Eternity, If we think to gain Hea- ven by fporting, playing, and idleing, we are much deceived,. To t>e telling of tales, or giving ear unto them when they are told ; to be given to our eafe, and fpend our time in idlenefs ; to be calling for our Cups, and fit fo long at them till we can- not (land. This is not to redeem the time. But this is truly to redeem the time, to give our felves to labour and fludy^prayer and meditation ; not for a fpurt and away, but to hold on in this courfe conftantly unto the end ; This, I fay, is truly to re- deem the time. It is the counfel of Sr~ Auguftine, to fteal fome time from out worldly bufinefs. Will any man fue thee at the Common Law ? Be content, faith he, to lofe fomething, that thou mayefr be at leifure to fervc God, and not follow Suits: for that which thou lofcft, is the gaining of time. For as thou giveit thy money and buyeft Bread ; fo be con- tent to lofe thy money, that thou mayeft buy reft, and opportunity to fervc God ^ fox ±$% The ninth Confide rat ion for this is indeed truly to redeem the time. So ought we to fpare for no coft, but willingly part with any thing to gain an opportunity of doing good, feeing that the days are evil. The days of this life are full of forrows, griefs, dangers, and ten- tations; whichever and anon take from us the opportunity of doing good ; fo faith Anfelme. But if we let (lip the op- portunity of doing good when it. is offered, and let our days confume away in meer purpofes of amendment of life, without hringing them to good effect: from hence- forth it is in vain to look for any opportu- nity of doing good ; we fhall not obtain, one minute of time ; our lofs is altogether irrecoverable. Our life, faith Nazian- zen y is like a Mart or a Fair r When the day appointed is once over, there is no more buying any commodities. If then we will buy • any thing, we muft do it quickly, whtleft the Fair lafts : We muft. live godlily, whileft we have time to live. We muft ferve God, whileft we are ftrong: and able. The Preacher often beats upon this, Whatfoever thy hand findeth to do y do it ut they fhall be like members of the na- tural body compared together in a friend- ly and peaceable manner, where the fin- der defireth not to be the eye, nor the foot •12,56 Th ninth Confident ton foot the head, but every member is con- tent with his own place. And a little af- ter faith the fame Father, there fhall wc keep an Eternal Sabbath of reft, and there fhall we tafte and fee how fweet Augnft. the Lord is, we fhall be filled de Civi- with his goodnefs, when he fhall tat.Dei. be all in all. O God my God! Thou art Love and Charity, Truth and Verity, true Eternity and Ex- ternal Felicity. Another fpeaketh unto this life, by way of Afoflrophe, after this man- Autor. rver, in thee there is no corni- er de ption, nor defeat, nor old Age, Spir t> nor anger ; but perpetual peac?, atiima. and folemn glory, and everlafl> ing joy, and continual folemni* ty. There is joy and exultation, there i| . an Eternal fpring.There is alwavs the flow- er and grace of youth and perfect health. Non eft in te Heri, nee Refkemum : Sed eft idem Uodiernum, Tibi fa/us, tibi vita, c Tibi pax eft infinita : Tibi Be us omnia. That is, Xeflerday zvas with thee never ; But to day is prefent ever : TIiou haji peace that ever Iajteth y Jiealth and life that never ivajteth God is all in all. upon Eternity. z$/ s Glorious things are fpoken of thee, City of God, Pfal. 87.3. In thee have their habitation all thofc that rejoyce; in thee there is no fear ; in thee no for row All defires are turned to joys. Whatfoever a Man can wifh for is prefent with thee : Whatfoever can be deftred, is in thee in abundance. 'They Jball be abundantly fatis- fied with the fatnefs of thy Houfe ; and thou jloall make them drink of the River of thy •pleafures, Pfal 36. 8. For with thee is ■the Fountain of Life ; in thy light jball we fee light, 9. When we fhall fee thee in thy felf, and thee in us, and our felves in thee, living in everlafting felicity, and enjoying the beatifical vifion of thee for ever.. And though this felicity beeverlafKng : yet a Man may obtain it in a fhort time, and with little labour. / have companion on the multitude, faith our Saviour, becaufe they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat, Mark 8. 2. Sweet Saviour, doft thou count it fuch a matter for us to abide with thee three days, and eat nothing? and why, fweet Jcfus, doft thou not rather tell us of the days of Eter- nity, and the everlafting joys wherewith we fhall be abundantly fatisfied in the Kingdom of Heaven ? God taketh notice of the leaft fervice that we perform, and it *i 5 8 The ninth Confederation it is precious in his fight : He telleth the very hairs of our heads ; and much more then will he tell the drops of blood that ate fpilt for his fake, and put them up in the Bottle of his remembrance. We may therefore very well cry out with St. Bierom y Oh! How great a blef- fednefs is this, to receive great things for fmall, and Eternal things for Temporal ; and further to have the Lord our Debtor.: But thou wilt be ready to fay, it goes hard to be in fufFerings every day ; and though all other things might eafrly be endured, yet death is terrible. Chriftian Brother, I am afhamed to hear thee fay fo, it is foolifhly fpoken, and like a Child. Know- eft thou not thus-much .• I know that I af- cend to defcend, flourifh to wither, am young to grow old, live to die, and die to live bleffed Eternally. Irujl therefore in the Lord for ever ; For in the Lord Jehovah is everlafiing Jlrength y If a. 16. 4. Again, St, Augujline comes into my mind, who upon the Words of our Lore! faith thus, Our Lord and Saviour con- cluded with thefe words, faying, Thefe foall go away into everlafiing -puni foment ^ but the righteous into life Eternal \Matth.i 5. 46". It is life Eternal that is here promi- fed. Becaufe Men love to live here upon earth, therefore life is promifed unto them : upon Eternity. 1J9* them : And bccaufe they are much afraid to die, therefore death Eternal is threat- red unto them. What wouldeft thou have ? Life ; Well, thou fbalt have it. What art thou afraid of ? Is it Death I Well, thou fhalt not fuffer it. But they which fhall be tormented in Hell Fire, fhall have a defire to die; and death fhall fly from them. To live long therefore is no great matter ; yea more, To live al~ ways, is no great matter ; but To live blef- fed y that is a thing to be defired, that is a great matter indeed. Therefore thou fhalt live in Heaven, and fhalt never die ; there fhalt thou live bleffed for evermore ; for neither fhalt thou fuffer any evil ; neither fhalt thou be in fear of furrering it ; for there it is im- poflible to fuffer any evil. There fhalt thou poffefs whatfoever thou canft defire ; and what thou pofleffefr, thou fhalt de- fire ftill to poffefs : Thou canft not be caft out of pofieflion, and this fhall fatisfie thee. It was there, that David did ex- pert to have his thirft quenched, and his nunger fatisficd. In thy prefence is fttlnefs of joy, at thy right hand there are Fleafures for evermore y Pfal 15. II. And again, My foul thifjleth after thee y Pfal. 141. 6. And yet again, As for me, I will behold thy face in rigbteoufnefs : I pall be fatisfiedy when z6o The ninth Confederation when I awake, with thy Ukenefs t Pfal.i 7. 1 5; This is a new and a ftrange voice for a King: He hath his Table well furnifhed with all kinds of Difhes ; and yet as if he were hunger-ftarved he hopes to be filled at anothers Table ; his own Bread and his own Wine would not ferve his turn, to appeafe his hunger, or to quench his t hi r ft. There was other Bread that he had a mind to, and other Liquor that he fo thirfted after, the Bread of Heaven, and the Wa- ter of Life. For what is the plenty and abundance of all the Kings of the Earth 1 It is nothing elfe but meer want. And what is the dainty Fare at their great Ta- bles ? It is but like the Beggars Pitcher, if it be compared with the Fatnefs of Gods Houfe, and his Heavenly Table. Come Eat and Drink, and be filled, my beloved, fhall the King of Heaven fay ; this Feaft of mine fhall never be ended ; there fhall come no forrow after it ; as it is To day y fo it fhall be For ever and ever. Neither^ can St. Augufiine here contain himfelf, but he breaks forth again into this Excla- mation, Oh life of lives furpafling all life \ Oh everlafting life ! Oh life bfeffed fo* ever ! Where there is joy without forrow, reft without labour, riches without lofs-, health without ficknefs (there is no fuch matter in this life) abundance without defeft, upon Eternity. z6\ defe&, life without death, perpetuity without cofruptibility, beatitude without calamity ; where all good Men are in per- fect charity, where all knowledge is in alt things, and through all things ; where the Majefty of God is feen in prefence, whefe the mind of the beholders is filled with the bread of life : They always behold Gods prefence, and ftiil they defire to be- hold it ; they defire to behold it, and yet without anxiety ; they are fatisfied with it, and yet without fatiety. And that thou mayeft underftand and know, good Chriftian Brother, that this fuperexcellent Glory , thefe cceleftial Riches, this Heavenly Kingdom is to be bought, hear what the fame St. Auguftine faith, I have to fell, faith God, I have to fell ; come and buy Ecclus. it. Lord, what is it that thou 5. 7. haft to fell? I have Reft ; Come and buy it. What is the price of it? The price is Labor. And how much labor is Eternal reft worth? If thou wilt fpeak the truth and judge aright, Eternal reft is worth Eternal labor. It is true indeed ; but do not fear : For God is merciful. For fhould thy labor be Eternal, thou fhouldeft never attain to reft Eternal; but that thou mayeft attain at length to reft Eternal, therefore thy labor ffiall not be Eternal ; *%6z The ninth Confederation Eternal ; not but that it is worth fd mucb, but that thou mayeft at length get the poffeflion of it. Indeed it is worth the price, though it be labour Eternal; but that it may be purchafed and pollened, it is neceffary that the price thereof be but labour Temporal. Therefore Chriftian Brethren, let us roufe up our felves, and ftir up one another with this exhortation of St. Augufiine y which here followeth. Let us fet before our eyes the life which is Eternal, and let us well coniider the nature of it, which we fhall come the bet. ter to underftand, by removing from it, whatfoever we account troublefome in this life. For it is eafier to find what it is not, rather than what it is. And yet it is fet to fale. Thou mayeft buy it if thou wilt. Thou fhalt not need to be much troubled or turmoilcd about it, for the greatnefs of the price. The price is whatfoever thou haft, and no more. Never examine what thou haft, but confider what thou art. It is worth thy buying, though thou giveft thy felf for it. Give thy felf, and thou fhalt have it. What? Art thou to fell thy felf? Art thou to buy thy felf? Behold, fuch as thou art, if thou canft be content to give thy felf, thou fhalt have it. But thou wilt be ready to fay it may be, Alack / I am a wicked Man ; and fuch. upon Eternity. 263 fuch a Man perhaps will not be received for good payment: If thou beeft not al- ready good, do but give thy {ch\ and by io doing thou (halt become good, and go for current. Do but make a faithful pro- mife to give thy felf ; and this fhall make thee good: And being made good thou art a price of thy felf good enough : And thou (halt have, as I faid, not only health fafety, life, and fuch like as fhall have an end ; but alfo thou fnalt be freed from many miferies: Thou (halt neither be wearied, nor ftand in need of reft, thou lhalt neither hunger, nor thirft, neither increafe nor decreafe, neither grow youno= nor wax old, becaufe there is no being born there; for there is full growth and ftature, and the entire and perfeft number ot years. There is no number like unto it: For as it hath no need of beine- aug- mented, fo is there no need of being dinfi- nifhed. Behold what excellent things are ipoken of it! And yet I cannot come near telling thee what it is, or what good things are treafured up in it: For, it is written, tye hath not feen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entred into the heart of Man, 2 Cor 2. 9. And how fhould my mouth be" able to utter what the heart of Man is not able to conceive ? And becaufe we have gone aW N through . 264 ^ *^ Confideration through St. Augufkines Books, as it were tlirough fo many pleafant Gardens, and arc now brought at length to theCceleftial Faradife, let us feal and confirm what hi- therto hath been fpoken by the teftimony of the fame Father. If we were every day, faith he, to fuffer all torments, yea the torments of Hell it felf, and that for a long time together, to the end that wc might behold Chrift in his Glory, and have communion and fellowfhip with the Saints ; were it not worth our pains and fufferings ! who would not fuffer any for- row to be made partaker of fo much good, and fo great Glory ? Let the Devils then lie in wait for me, let them affault with temptations ; let my body be brought down with fading, let my flefh be kept under with preflure ; let me be wearied with labours, let my moifture be dried up with watching ; let one Man clamour a- fainft me, let another difquiet me, let me e bowed together with eold,let roe be fet on fire with heat; let my confcience mur- mur,let my head ake,let my breaft be infia- med,let my ftomach be troubled with ven- tofities, let my countenance wax pale and bleak, let me be full of infirmities ; let my life confume away with grief, and my years with mourning ; let rottennefs en* ter into my boneSjand let it fpring up like upon Eternity* z6$ a Fountain under my feet ; let all thefe miferies come upon me, fo that I may- have reft and confolation in the day of tri- bulation, and afcend up unto the people of the Lord. For, Whatfhall be the Glo- ry of the juft, and how great (hall the joy of the Saints be, when every face fhall fhine as the Sun ! When the Lord fhall begin to reckon up his people in their di* ftin& orders, in his Fathers Kingdom ; and when he {hall render unto every Man according to his works, the rewards which he hath promifed, that is, Heavenly for Earthly , and Eternal for Temporal. Think therefore upon the days of old, and call «to mind the years which are yet for to come. Think upon Eternity, O Man, think upon Eternity ; think upon the Eternity of Torment, and the Eternity of Joy, which is to follow after thisfhort life ended, and I dare warrant thee, thou wilt never complain of any Adverfity ; thou wilt never let flip out of thy mouth fuch a word as this, This is too grievous, or, This is intolerable, or, This is too hard : Thou wilt, I dare fay, count all things eafie and tolerable whatfoever can happen in this life, and thou wilt never be better pleafed, than when thou art mod afflict- ed. It is reported by John Mofchns of one N z Olympic, z66 The ninth C en federation Olynrpius* an old Man of Angular patience (who lived cloyftered up in a Monaftery near unto J-ordan) that he had his mind fo bent and hxt continually upon Eternity, that he had fearce any fenfe or feeling at all of any temporal forrow or mifery. For, (as he goes on with his (lory) upon a time, ■as it happened, a certain Religious Man turned out of his way to vifit him, and rinding him in a dark Cell, a place, as he thought, uninhabitable by reafon of heat and {warms of Gnats and other Flies ; not without much admiration fpake thus unto him, And canft thou, Qlympius, endure to live in fnch a clofe Room, lb exceeding hot, and fo much preffed with Gnats, and fwarrrs of flies? But what did Olympics anfwer? And doft thou wonder at this? I tell thee, my Son^ all thefe are but light matters; I count them tolerable, that fo I may efcape Eternal torments, which are 'intolerable. I can endure to be ftung by Gnats, that fo I may not feel the fring or Confcience," and the gnawing of the worm that never dieth. This heat which thou fo complained of I can fuffer eafily, when I think upon the Eternal fire of Hell, which is unfufferable. Thefe troubles, if I may fo call them, are but fhort, and fhall have an end ; but the torments in Hell are ^vithout end. Whereupon, faid the other, Cer- ufon Eternity. %6j Certainly, Olympm, thou art led by the fpirit of wifdom and truth; fo wifely and truly haft thou anfwered. I would there were more of thy mind, that would think thus ferioufly upon thefc things ; then cer- tainly there would be more than there are now adays, that would after thy example patiently fuffer and endure all tnings. G H A P. III. The conclusion of all. ZEuxis> the molt Famous for his skill amongft all the Antient Painters that we have heird of, was obferved to be very flow at his work, and to let no piece of his go abroad into the World to be feen of Men, till he had turned it over, and over, this fide and that fide, again and again, to fee if he could fpy any fault in it: And be- ing upon a time asked the reafon why he was fo curious, why fo long in drawing his lines, and fo flow in the ufe of his Pencil, he made this anfwer, I am long a doing whatfoever I take in hand, becaufe what I Paint, I Paint for Eternity. And thus ftands the cafe wfch all, we Paint alfo for Eternity. Whatfoever we do, it fo belongs unto Eternity , that a Man may truly lay of N 3 it *68 The ninth Confide rat Ion It thus, I write, I read, I fing, I pray, I labour, whatfoever I do, whatfoever I fjy, whatfoever I think, all is for Eterni- ty. Now if this be the nature of our thoughts, words and deeds, if they {hall remain for all Eternity, we had need have a care what we think, fpeak or do ; it concerns us to look about us. to mind our bufinefs, not to go negligently and (leepi- ly about our work, not to let any thing go out of our hands rude and imperfect, but to polifh and perfect, it with all the care, skill, and induftry that we can ufe. We Paint with Zeuxis for Eternity. When we have done our works, they are prefent- ly tranfmitted to Eternity ,to be viewed by a moft judicious and all-feeing eye, that no fault can efcape ; and being viewed and cenfured, they are to be committed either to be Eternally puniflhed, or Eter- nally rewarded. What I have faid before, I here fay again, becaufe it cannot be faid too often, though I Chould fay it a thoufand times ; whatfoever we think, fpeak, or do, once thought, fpake, or done, .t is Eternal, it abideth for ever. Will you hear what St. Gregory faith ; In all our actions we muft ufe great care and circumfpe&ion, we muft well weigh and confider with our felves, what it is that we take in hand", and to what end w« do ufon Eternity. 26$ do it, that our minds be not fet upon any- thing that is Temporal ', but upon thofc things which are Eternal. Therefore in all thy a£Hons labour to be perfeft. Pray for Eternity, ftudy for Eternity, fuffer tor Eternity, contend for Eternity^ labor for Eternity. So live to God, that thou mayeft live with God ; fo live on Earth, that thou mayeft live in Heaven ; fo live for Eternity, that thou mayeft live to Stemity Hear alfo what St. Bernard faith. Our works do not pafs away as foon as they are done (as they may feem to do) but as Seeds fown in time they rife up to all Eter- nity. The foolifh Man whkh hath no un- derftanding, will wonder to fee fuch a plentiful increafe rife up of fuch little Seeds, be it good or be it evil, according to the nature of the Seed .which is fown. But he that is wife will ponder thefe things, and count no fin little : For he hath an eye ftill not to that which is prefent, but to that which is to come ; not to that which is fown, but to that whieh is reaped ; not to that which is done in time, but to that which remains to all Eternity. Oh the dangerous and miferable mad- nefs of the Sons of Adam\ God created us unto the poffeflion of infinite and Ex- ternal goods : And why are we carried N 4 then *?o The ninth Confi deration then with the whole bent of our affe&ions, to thofe things which are flitting- and va- nifhing? God made us heirs of Heaven and Eternal pofTeuions : And why do we fo miferably intangle our felves in our va- nities, and run headlong to deftru&ion ? Let us be wife in time, let us look well to our fteps, let us make fpeed on the way of Eternity : Let us fo live that we may- live to Eternity , The way thither is fhort and narrow, but the term thereof is very large. But O miferable and foolifh Men that we are / We fain would obtain Eternal life, but we are loth to tread in the way that leads to it .• We fain would be there; but we will not take pains to go thither. Every Man defires to be bleffed. There is no Man, faith St. Auguftine, of what condition or degree foever he be, but hath a defire after that life which is bleffed for ever. Therefore that life is the com- mon Haven at which all Men defire to ar- rive ; but all Men know not how to fteer their courfe aright. It is a thing which ail Men without controverfie would fain pof- fefs ; but how to compafs it, what courfe to take, which way to go, that is the point they cannot agree upon. We may fcek it long enough upon Earth ; and it is a Qucftion, wkether we (hall ever find it or upon Eternity, ijl or no. Not that I condemn the feekin* of it, but the not feeking of it in the ri?ht place One is of opinion that the Soldiers life is moft blelTed. But another denies that, and fays, the life of the Huf- band Man is moft bleiTcd. And again, this another denies, and fays, that the Lawyers life is moft blelfed; and he gives his reafon for it : For the Lawyer U dly, but they will not live the li r e of t e G^dly : For to die well is the way to felicity ; but N 5 to *7* The ninth Ccnjiderdthn to live well is matter of labour ; and yet that is not to be obtained without this. Eternity depends upon death, and there is no dying well without living well. Chufe which thou wilt, life or death. If thou Iweft well,, thou canft not but die well j and it {hall be well with thee forever ; If thou lived: not well, thou canft not hope to die well, but it will be ill with thee for ever. Not many years ago a Man of a good Houfe, having more wit in his head, than Religion in his heart,being asked what he thought of the ftrift lives of the Religious, and the loofe lives of the licentious,which he efteemed beft, anfwered thus, I .could wifh to live like the licentious, but to die like the Religious. Some wit there might *be in his anfwer, but I am fure there was little Religion in it. He had fpoke like a Chriftian Man, if he had faid thus, I defire to live the life of the Religious, that my end may be like his. Balaam could fay, Let me die the death of the righteous, and Jet my I aft end he like his, Numb. 23. io. But he had faid a great deal better, if he had faid thus, Let me live the life of the righte- eus, that I may die the death of the righteous y and that my laft end may he like his. For whofoever liveth the life of the Godly, ihall be fure to die the death of the Godjy : And upon liter nity, 273 And whofoever liveth the life of the un- godly, {hall befnre to diethe death of the ungodly .• Once he fhall die, but that once fhali be always, and that always for ever and ever. A certain Soldier being called in quefti- on by Laniachus a Centurion, for fome mifdemeanor or other committed in the Camp, earneftly defired pardon for that once, and promifed,never to offend in the like kind again : But the Centurion made him this anfwer, In hello, bone vir y non licebit bis peccare : Oh Sir, know you thus much, there is no offending in War twice. But in death (alas.') there is no offend- ing once ; there is no hope of pardon, once dead and always dead. He that dies once ill, is damned for ever. There is no returning again to life, to amend what is done arnifs. There is no appealing from the fentence of condemnation, if it be once paflfed. As death leaves a Man, fo judgment findeth him ; and as judgment leaves him, fo Eternity findeth him. It is the feying of lphicrates, that it is a {hame for an Emperor at any time to fay with the fool, Non putaram\ I did not think it : But it is a greater fhame for a Chriftian Man to fay, Nov pat. tram, laid not think there had been fnch a difference between a chafte life, and a voluptuous life, 2,74 flk n%M k Confi deration lne, I did not think that Eternity was to follow after this life, I did not think that I fbould have died fo fuddenly. Alas / alas / How fleepily do we go about the bufmefs of Eternity ! Whereas the nature of this mortal life of ours is fuch, that we cannot be certain at any time that we (hall live for any time, no not fo much as for one minute, when as we know for certain that we muff depart from hence, and yet are molt uncertain at what hour we (hall depart ; and when that hour fhall come, then alfo we fhall feem not fo much to have lived, as to have pofted unto death in a moment Here we are but as fojourners in a ftrange Land, and not as Citizens in our own Country ; we are but Tenants at will, and not Free-holders : Will we, nill we, we muft depart, For here we'^have no continuing City t but we feek one to come, Heb. I j. 14. The holy Prophet Baruch asked this ^ueftion, Where are the Princes of the Hea- then become, and fuch as ruled the Beafls upon the Earth, that hoarded up Silver and Gold, and made no end of their, getting ? Baruch 3. id, 17. Do they retain and keep their Kingdoms and their glory ftill 1 Not fo ; For thus faith the Prophet, an- fwering his own queftion, 'They are vanifi- *d and gone down to the Grave , and others are upon Eternity. %yc Are come up in their Jleads. 'They are vamjd-, edy faith the Prophet ; For they were but fojourners and no Citizens ; they are gone and others are come up in their jleads ; their Houfes are let out to others, and they are caft outthemielves, and gone down to the Grave. But if the queftion be asked again, Where are the Vrinces of Heaven, whofe dwelling is above the feventh Sphere, where are they 1 It may beanfwerea like- wife, that They are alfo vanijJied, and others are come up in their jleads ; but they are tranflated to the Kingdom of Heaven, there to abide for ever,, without all fear of being difpoflTefled. Let us Crown our felves with Rofe-huds % JVtjd 2. 8 Sing thofe Men of mod loofe and deplorable lives. Why with Role- buds? Becaufe the beauty and fmell of them is gone in one day, and they are wi- thered : And fuch fading Crowns do beft become thofe which fhall fhortly perifh. But as for the Bleflfed, it is not' jo with them, but they are Crowned with Jewels and precious Stones, whofe beauty never fadeth. The Woman mentioned in the Revelation had upon her head a Crown, not of Rofe-buds of the Garden, not of Jew- els of the Sea, but of the Stars of Heaven. As then the Heavenly orbs are incorrupti- ble, fo likewife they that inhabit them are lncor- XI 6 The ninti Conji deration incorruptible, they are not fubjeft to anjf change, they are immortal. "The righteous live for evermore, Wifd, 5. 15. All world- ly things are tranfitory, but heavenly things are everlafting. Here are we wea- ried with labour, but there fhall we be refrefhed with Eternal reft. Why do we feek for reft before our labour is ended ? We are yet upon the Stage : Therefore we muft a& our parts : We have to deal with potent Enemies ; therefore we muft be always prepared to Fight : we are ftill in our race ; therefore we muft fiold out to the laft. Let us then fo a8: our parts, that the Angels may rejoyce to be fpe&ators : Let us fo Fight that we may win the Crown ; let us fo run, that we may obtain. Well, faith St. Gregory, if we well consi- der with our felves what and how great things are promifed unto us in Heaven, all t lings on earth will feem vile unto us : For what tongue can fufficientJy exprefs, or what heart conceive, how great the joys be in that City which is above ?Where we fhall bear a part in the heavenly J@?uire with Angels evermore lauding and praifing God ; where we fhall be in God's prefence, and fee him face to face ; where we fhall behold light incomprehenfrble; where we ihall haye the priviledge of heavenly Saints and upon Eternity. 17 y and Citizens, to be for ever incorruptible. Methinks I find my mind inflamed and fet on Fire, whileft I am fpeaking of thefe joys, and methinks it fhould ieton fire all that hear it. Methinks it fhonld fo work upon us all, that even now we fhould moft earneftly and ardently defire to be there, where we hope to be for ever hereafter. But thus much we muft know, that there is no coming there without much labour. It is not I, but Paul the Preacher that faith it, A Man is not Crowned, except he firive lawfully, 2 Timi 2. 5. Let then the greatnefs of the reward encourage us and prick us forward ; and let not the labour and pains, the fhort labour, and the little pains, hinder us or keep us back. We muft: go on, and we muft go on with per- feveranee ; we muft not 10 much confider the roughnefs of the way, as the blefled Eternity which is the end thereof. And this the fame holy Father declares moft excellently, faying, This is a fpeeial badg and cognizance of the elect, that they know how to carry themfelves in the way of this prefent life in firch manner, that by the certainty of hope they are affured, that they have attained unto a great pitch, inafmuch as they fee all tranfitory things far beneath them, and for the love of Eternity trample all fublunary things un- der ,xy% The ninth Confederation Ser their feet. And this is it which the Lord fpeaketh by the mouth of his holy- Prophet, faying unto every foul that fol- loweth him, / will lift thee up above the high places of the Earth. For as for lofles, -reproaches, poverty, difgrace, and fuch like, thefe are, as I may fo call them, the lower places of the earth, which the lovers of this World,as they walk through the plain of the broad way> do not love to come near, but keep off as far as is poffi- ble. But as for gain and profit, the fawn- ing and flattering of inferiors, abundance of riches, honors, and places of dignity, thefe are the high plaees of the earth, which whofoever is worldly-minded, and hath fetled his affections on things here be- low, he, I fay, efteemeth highly ; becaufe to him they feem great : But whofoever is heavenly minded, and hath fetled his af- fections on things above, he, I fay, e» fteemeth them not ; becaufe to him they feem what they are, that is, vile and bafe. For as it is with a Man going up an high Mountain, {till the higher he goes, the lower he fees the earth beneath him : So it is with him whofe converfation is in Heaven ; the higher he mounts from the earth with the wings of pious cogitations, the farther he flies from the earth with the wings of his afFeftions. He knows that all the upon Eternity* zyyf the glory of this World is nothing, and therefore his thoughts and afFefrions are altogether upon another World. This is the Man that is lifted up above the high p faces of the Earth. You have heard what St. Gregory faith , It. will not be ami Is in the next place to hear likewife what St. Augufline faith, What is that ? It is a Leflfon worth our learning. That which we muft lofe, faith he, one time or other upon neceflity, it is wifdom to diflribute abroad in time, that we may purchafe thereby the reward of Eternity. Mofes lived long in- deed, he lived in health ; but Deut. at length he died. Methufelah 34 5. lived longer than he ; but it fol- Gen. 5. lows, And he died. This is, or 27. fhall be every nun's Epitaph Et mortuHS efi y And he died. For we muft needs die, and are as water fpilt upon the ground, 2, Sam. 14 14. But the foul is immortal, it is Eternal, it fhall live for ever, either in Sternal glory, or elfe in Eternal torments. Here our lot is caft in which Eternity we {"ball have part, and there is no. revoking it Oh bleffed Eter~ nity, oh Eternal bleflednefs ! How comes it to pafs that feldom or never we think upon thee ; or if we do at any time, wc do it but upon the by 1 How comes it to pafs ^•zSo The ninth Con ft deration pafs, that we do not labor more for thee, that we do not feek for thee, that we art not folicitous for thee. O Lord God, o- pen thou our eyes, that we may fee and know what Eternity is, both that of glory, and that other of torment, and how infi- nite both ; how blefled the one, and how miferable the other. Thou hat created us unto thee, thou halt created us uuto Eternity: For thou art Eternity. Thou wouldeft have us be partakers of thy Eter- nity ; Lord, let it be according to thy will. Thou hail fa id it ; Lord, let it be accord- ing to thy word. Thou haft promifed ; Lord, make £ood thy promife ; Make us partakers of thy Eternity, Grant that we may fpend the fhort moment of time f ranted to us here in this life ; Grant, we efeech thee, that we may fpend it in fnch a Religious and Godly manner, as Men that labour for Eternity, contend for Eternity, fuffer for Eternity. To this end caufe thy Minifters often to call upon us to think ftill upon Eternity ; make us call one upon another in every place to think upon Eternity, that fo.by thy mercy we. may Reign with thee, O Eternity, and as, many as it is poffible may be kept from perifhing-everlaftingly. Hear this ye Chri- stians all, hear it ye Fagans, hear it ye Kings and Fritxes, hear it ye Germans, hear upn Eternity 281^ hear it yc French, hear it ye EngliJI), yea» , let all the World hear it. There can be no fufficient Security, ^here there is danger of lofwg Eternity. Oh long, Oh profound, Oh bottomlels, Oh Eternal Eternity ! BUJfed are they, O Lord, that dwell in thy Houfe j they Jhall be fill praifing thee, Pfal. 84. 4. They ihall praife thee throughout infinite myriads ot Mofes being near unto his death, com- mending unto God in his Prayers his peo- ple Ifrael : and blefling them, thus took his leave of the Tribe of AJber, and laid, Let Ajher be blefed with Children ; let him be acceptable to his Brethren, and let him dip his foot in Oyl Thy fioos pall be Iron and brafs ; and as thy days, fo Jhall thy firengthbe. There is none like unto the God of Jefurun, who rideth upon the Heaven in thy help, and in bis excellency on the Sky. The Eternal God is the refuge, and under- neath are the everlafiing arms, Deut 33, 14, 25, 26, 17- Thus God ftretcheth fort a the arms of his power throughout Heaven infinitely: And by his arms all the World, all time, and all things in the World are dire^ed, guided and governed. So Ood from the beginning, yea, from the Eter- nity of his predeftination, hath carried in his breatt ail the Godly, and doth protect them *• 2.82, The ninth Confederation them daily and hourly, and as it were cm* fcraceth them with hrs arms. Afcend therefore, O my foul, and have no more to do with earth and clay. Stretch forth thy felf, and afcend up unto him that ri- deth upon the Heavens ; afcend up unto thy God, whofe dwelling is in the hipheft Mountains, thofe Mountains of Sternity : There fhalt thou fit m fafety, and behold the earth beneath: and fo {halt thou plain- ly perceive how little and of none eiteem all things are here below, which now either folicite thee with love, or terrifie thee with fear ; thou fhalt plainly per- ceive what afmall thing it is, whatfoever is contained within the Centre of the World that little Globe or pint of earth ; thou fhalt plainly perceive how that all things created are vain, iveak y Jbort, vile, yea vanity it felf, yea, rather meer nothing in refpeft of God and of Eternity. There- fore feek thou after the only true and fo- veraign good, and regard no other things. Truft in God, rely on him, open thy heart wide to entertain him ; tread under the feet ef thy afteclions whatfoever is under the Sun and Moon, whatfoever allureth thee with fmiles, or terrifieth thee with frowns, think upon Eternity y and always keep in mind that excellent faying of St. Hierome, no labor muft feem hard, no upon Eternity. 183 " no time muft Teem long, all the while we are feeking after Eternal glory. It is reported by St Hierome, that there was upon a time a certain Camel haunted by an evil Spirit, which being brought be- fore Hilarion, a devout and godly Man, began to rage in fuch a ftrange and terrible manner, as if it would prefently have de- voured him: But the Holy Man nothing afraid, fpake thus unto the evil Spirit, Do not think to fright me,thou evil Spirit, although that thou haft got a Camel on thy back; it is all one to me whether thou comeft in a Camels skin, or in a Foxes skin: And prefently the fierce Camel fell down before him, and became very tame and gentle, to the great laughter of all thofe that ftood by. Such are all flatte- ries, fawnings, allurements, and tcnta- tions of this World j fuch are all fears, frowns, frights, and terrors. What doft thou hope for 1 What doft thou fear ?' What doft thou love? He that rideth up- on the Heavens is thy helper ; he fhall embrace thee with his everlasting arms. With thofe arms of his he is able to fetter all thine Enemies, whether they tawn or frown upon thee ; he is able at a beck to fqueexe them in pieces like fo many flies, and break them in pieces like a Potters Veflel. Doth the pleafure then of luft, or 284 The ninth Confident 'ton or gluttony,or intemperance follicite thee ? That is nothing : Be not moved at it, pafi it by, regard it not , think rather upon the pleafures which are Eternal. Art thou terrified with threats, opprefied with for- rows, paf&d by with contempt, afflicted with ficknefs, tired out with poverty; All thefe are a matter of nothing. The more Violent thefe are, the fhorter while they Will laft : Defpife them, lift up thine eyes unto the Hills, from whence cometh thy help, look up to Heaven, think upon Eter- nity, There [ball no evil happen unto the jufi y Frov. 2. 21. - — Horat, Si fraBus illabatur orbis, Carm. Impavidum ferient ruin*, lib. 3. Od. 3. The jufi Man pall not be afraid ', Though Heaven fall upon his head. Therefore the juft Man is never forrow- . ful : no tribulation doth ever aflault him. But are not the tribulations of the juft ma- ny \ Yea, but yet they make nothing of them. That only they count evil, which is Eternal, which feparateth a Man from God, as fin doth, and eternal death which is the wages of fin. The Preacher of the Gentiles bids us Look not at things which are fan, but at the things which are not feep. upon Eternity. %%$ feen. Why fo ? For, faith he, The things which are feen are temporal, but the things which are not feen are Eternal. The things which arc not feen, the things which are Eternal, thofe are the things which are great indeed, whether they he good, or whether they be evil. But whileft we look only at the things which are feen, and feldom or never at the things which are not feen, what do we make of ourfelves but great and foolifh Boys? Great, but yet foolifh ; at the bed but Boys. If the Ice fill out of our hands, we prefently fall a crying, and yet that is fuch a thing that we cannot hold long .*We are frighted at fhadows, and dream of great matters *, we fpend our felves on, fuch things as not only fhall fhortly pafs away for certain, but are already pamng away : For it is not laid, The figure^ or the faJJjion of this World fhall pafs away y in the Future : I Cor. 7. 31. But, The Fafrion of this World $affeth away, in the Prefent. It is paffing away already. As all the goods which we enjoy here are but tranfitory, fo all the evils which we fuffer here are but tranfitory ; that cannot con- tinue long. T^ofe things which are not leen, and thofe only, have a permanent ttate, they know no end, they have no term, they are not fubjett to any change, they are 286 The ninth Co nfi 'deration are firm, they are immoveable, they are Eternal. I repeat it again, what I faid a little before, for it deferves to be re* peated a thoufand and a thoufand times ; no labor muft feem hard, no time muft feem long, all the while we are feeking after Eternal Glory. Symphorianus, a Chriftian young Man after that he was almoft fcourged to death, as he was dragged to Execution at Augu- fiodunum, met his Mother upon the way ; But how 1 Not tearing the hair from her head, or rending her Cloaths, or laying open her Ereafts, or making grievous la- mentations, as the manner of foolifh wo- men is to do: But carrying her felf like an Heroical and Chriftian Lady. For (he cryed out, and called unto her Son, and faid, Son, my Son, I fay, remember life Eternal, Icok up to Heaven, lift up thine eyes to him that reigneth there. Life is not taken from thee, but is exchanged for a better. At which words of his Mother, the young Man wasfo exceedingly animated,that he went willingly to Execution, and cbear- fully like a flout Champion laid down his head upon the block, and expofed his throat to the fatal Ax Hear this, O Chriftians all, and re- member your felves. This is the cafe of every Man living ; we are on our way to death ; upon Eternity. 287 death ; we go not fo faft, it may be, as Symfhorianus did ; but yet we are all go- ing, and we have not far to go. The No- ble Armies of Martyrs which arc gone be- fore us r they call unto us from Heaven, and fay as the Chriftian and couragiou* Mother faid unto her Son, as he was going to Execution, Remember life Eternal, look up to Heaven, and lift up your eyes to him that reigneth there. Carry thy felf there- fore like a Symphorian, whoioever profef- feft thy felf to be a Chriftian. Do not hang back, be not loth to go, withdraw not thy neck from the Yoke, nor thy fhoul- ^lers from the Crofs; be not afraid to fu£- fer for Chrift, be not afraid to die for Chrift, be not afraid to eat Fire, or to devour the Sword for the name of Chrift, Here fhcw thy felf a Man, take good cou- rage, pull up a good heart. And when thou art at any time tempted, when thou art grieved, when thou art made forrow- ful, when thou art vexed, when thou art defpifed, when thou art made a laughing- ftock, when thou art difgraced, when thou art fpoiled of thy Goods, when it is with thee as it was with Job upon the Dunghil, or, if it can be worfe, then call to mind fymphorian, and a thoufand more ftout Christians fuch as he was, and learn of th#m Chriftian courage and magnanimity, '^283 The ninth Confidention 8tc. v and boldly and freely break forth into thefe words, and repeat them often : Whatfoever I fuffer here, is but z Modi- cum, it is but fhort. Farewel then all the World, and all the things that are therein: And welcome to me, thou art welcome* ETEpiTY. Of Eternity there is no F I IT- IS. BOOKS lately Printed for J. Walthoe, J. Nkholfon, B. Tooks, D. Midwinter, and B. Cowfe. BIfhop Burnet s Hi (lory of the Refor- mation of the Church of England, in 2 Vol. Fol. The Fourth Edition. Dr .Caves Lives of the Primitive Fa« thers, in I Vol. Folio. The Fourth Edi- tion. Primitive Chriftianity, or trie Religion of the Ancient Chriftians in the Firft Ages of the Gofpel. The 7th Edi- tion. 8vo. The Caufes of the Prefent Corruption of Chriftians, and the Remedies thereof! The Third Edition. Sermons and Difcourfes on feveral Oc- cafions. By Dr. William Wake, now Lord Archbifhop of Canterbury. The Second Edition. Svo. 1 Preparations for Death, in a Let- ter to a Lady. Bifhop Burnets Difcourfe of the Pafto- ral Care, with a new Preface. The Fourth .Edition. 8vo. 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