lj~ ®ct'litatton. Chap. '6.SecT.6. ------ menrs; thofe unqucnchable flames fhould'ft thou have layn in; that never-dyino wormc fhould have fed upon the~; fay, didCt thou not flight thy Redeemer a long,~ very long time? didfl: t1wu not for many dayes, and months,and years forge.t thy God, and fclf ,. as well as yonder damned fulfcring fouls? and oh who made thee to differ? was thy he:trt noturally any readier for Chrifl: than theirs? would'fl: thou ever have begun to lovc,)f God and Chrifl: had not begun to love thee ? "!:Ould'fl: thou eve_r have been willing,ifhc had not made thee willing?nay hadfl: thou not now been in thofe flames, if thou ha ct'fl had thine owri way and wrll? did'fl: thou not rcfifl: as powerful means, and lofe as faire advantages thofe that are now in hell ? and would'fl: thou not have lingrcd ih Sodom till the flames had fciz.ed on thee, if God had not in mercy carryed thee out? Oh how free was all this love! and oh what panges of love fhould this beget in thee! 2. Complaint. But alas! where is my relifh of thefe things? Oh where i~ my fpiritual fcnfe and tafl:? if I put gall into my mouth, I fpit it out againe ; it is fo very bitter that I cannot endure to take a tafl:; but is not fin and hell a thoufand times more bitter? Oh then where·is my hatred, grief and fhamc? where is my zeal, anger and holy jealoufie? where is my repentance not to be repented of? where is my pity 1 where is my love? where rs my fcare? when Beljhaufir Jaw bJtt the hand-writmg upon the wall, his joynts trembled, and his k!;1ersJmote one upon the other. When holy lJavid confidered of Gods Pfa! r 19. 120. judgmcn.ts, he faid, My jlejh trembleth for feare ofthee, I am afraid of thy judgments: It is Chriits own precept, fear not them which kjll the bpdy,but are not able to kj/1 the foul, Matth. '0 • ,a. but rather fear him which io able to deftroy both foul and body in hell. When little children fee their (athers angry, and go like a Lyon about the houfe in Puniflhing their Servants, or bondflavcs, the children tremble and arc exceedingly afraid; 0 my foul , if thou ~it a chiltl of God, and knowefl: thefe things, though for thine owne part thou art freed from hell, for there is no comdemnation to thuit which are in Chrift 'Jcfus, who wdk_not af. ter the flejh, bm after thefpirit, yet in this cafe, how is it that thou dofl: not tremble ?how is it that the judgments of Gpd upon the damned do not make thee feare?but efpeeially }tom. B. r. Chry. ham. 27. in Matrh. A,f<J.aefimilir ,. J90, mmarg. how is it that thou art not afraid of fin, which if truly underfl:ood, is a thoufand times worfe than very hell? lt is a more woful thing (faith Cprifofl:om) to d1jhononr Jejiu Chrift, than to be vexed with the torments ofthe damned. And if fin were on t[Je one hand (faith Anfelme) and hell on the other, I h~drathtr go into hell than mn into fin; yea, I woufd rather leap into thefiery laks (faith Edm~tndhis fucceffour) than k_nowingly to commit anyfin agai11jl the Lord. 0 the fiery zealous fentences that could come from thefe ancient holy men! but alas! fuch a dulneffe, drowzincfs, fenfelefnefs, benummednefs of Spirit bath feized on my fpirit, that I feele not fuch fire, my affec'l:ions arc not in fuch a flame, either of hatred of fin, or fear of God, or love of Chrifl, or trembling at God! judgment·s. And yet 0 that I could reliflh favingly the bitterne'rs of this eternity of hell! it is a favory fpeech of Bernard, let u.<go down to hell whiles we are alive, that we may notgo down to hcll1vhen we arc dead. 0 that in this meditation I may fo go down to hell, as thatin1ay feel my bowels ll:ir within me, both to eompaflionate the wicked, and to be careful and fearful of my own poore foul! 0 that l may for ever take heed that I run not the hanards of eternal torments! I cannot but expect while I am upon earth thaE Sathan will tempt, and fet before me this and that fnare of fin, but 0 that a thought of hell may even then check JTIY heart,and that I may tell Sathan,/ intend not to' buy pleajitrt at fo dear a rate; I intend not to fuffer eternallyfor a momcntany fin; 0 that I may put off temptations, with refolutions! 0 that whiles I am on this fide death, I may make con· fcicncc of every <luty , and of every opportunity to gainc heavens eternity; and to efc~pe this eternal wrath to come ! 0 that I may throughly confider the evil; and abominable nature of fin! furely if it were not an abominable evil; it would never ha.ve I,avc fuch an intolerable·eternal punifhment ? 0 that I may never look upon fin w1th flight thoughts! 0 that ·I may really and feelingly underfl:and that fin is worfe than !\eH, becaufc it made hell to be hell f.!) that/may fee fin rather in a multiplying, thana diminifhing glaffe: that I may fee it attended with that variety 1 univcrfality,extrcmtty, ~d perpetuity of torments; that I may fee it with detell:ation, grief, and flhamc; \ that
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