fp~ak as if he would prevent Chrill:, cond,en1ned himfelf to hell for ever and ever: o (fa1d he) that I tmght bJtme alo11g tunc tn tmu fire, Jo 1 11nght11ot burnc in hr/1.----1 ftaw had ( faid he) 111ittlt plraJure, r.11d now I lm<jl go to the torments of hellfor ever. Then pr")'ing to God (as he was prelfed by others) to forgive him his fim, mtd to have mercy "P"" hun, he wouB adde, bm 1know God will not do it, I m11jl go to hr/1f or evermore. \Vhatfocver came between whiles, this was the clofe, I muft be burmd m hell, 1mujl to the furnace ofhrll, mtllsoru, andn:•lhonsofages. TheAuthour of this !lory (who was Minill:er uf the place where he hved) went to him, offer~d him the comforts of the Gofpcl, opened to him the promifes of the largelt fize, !hewed him that God was de– lighted to fave fouls, and not to de!lroy them, and that his fweet promifes were with– out exception of time, place, perfon, or fin, except that againll: the-Holy Gho!l, which he alfured hun too, was not committed by him: And what was the ilfue? all this could not fall:en on him, but frill he would anfwer, Alas, it is too Late, I muft be burn– ed in helL._ Tha~ man of ~od (the Shepherd ofhis foul) feeing his foul in this danger, came to lum agam and agam, and at !all: fecluding the company, he prelfes him with tears in his eyes, not to ca!t away that foul for which Chri11: died; he told hilll that Chrill: rejeCled none that did not rejeCl him: but for all this he could i.ave no'other anfwcr, but that he had caft offChrift, and therefore muft go to heLL. The Minifier re– plies,_ Yet pray with. me, (faith he) that Chri11: would come again; there is yet an hour m the day, 'and if Chrill: come, he can and will affil1: you, to do agreat deal of work on a fudden : no, he would not hear of that : Former co~tnJch and prayers might have done megood, faid he, b11t now it is too Late. 0 horro.ur, that ever any foul ihould fuffer thefc conflicts for fin ! But whl!t finnes were they? He was (faith the Authour) no Swearer, no Whoremonger, no Thief, no feoffer at Religion, no prcjured wretch, no 1viljJtl /in,rat alL, 'onlj DrunkenneJTe, tmd neg– lect ofmens bodies, (for he was an Apothecary) neg/c[/ of Pra)'er, Gods Word, and Ins Sacraments, fo awak't his trembling Confcicnce, that he was forced to palfc this fe,r– fu! doom upon his foul, I m~tfl be b.<rned in thefurnace ofheli,millims ofmt/Lions ofam: And at !aft (the Lord !mows) in id!enelfe of thoughts, and talk, he ended his mifer~blemiferable life. Artl•tion of The other I mean to fpeak of was an Italian, under the Jurifdiction ofVenice, called the fc•rf•l eFrancis Spira, who being exceffively covetous of money, and for fear of the world jlauofl'raocis having renounced the truth, which before he profeifed, he thought at !aft he hearda Sp1ra. •S4S· direful voyce fpeaking to him, Tho~t wickfd wretch, tho~t haft denied me, tholt haft brok!n thy vow: hmce Apoft~tte, and bear with thee thefentcnce of t-hy eternal damnation: at this voyce he trembling and quaking, fell down in a fwoon; and after'recoveringhim– felf, he profelfed that he was captivated under the revenging hand of the great God.of heaven, and that.he heard continually that fearful fcntence of Chrill:, now pall: on his own foul: his friends to comfort him propounded many of Gods promifes recorded in Scripture; Oh but m)' fin ({aid he) isgreater than the ;~~ercy ofGod: nay, anfwered they, the mercy of God is above all fin; God would hove all men to bcfaved; it is true (faid he) he wo~tld have all men that he hath e/e[/ed to befaved; but he WMid mt have repi'obates to faved, and I am one of that number : After this roaring out in the bitter– nelfe of his fpirit, he faid, It is 11 fearful thing tofa!! into the hands of the living God; thefe troubles of minde brought him to a dill:eh;pcr of body, which the P!)yfitians perceiving, they wiiht him to feek -l<mle fpiritu"l comfort: thofe comforters come, and obferving the dil1:emper to arife from the fenfe and horrour of hell pains; they ask him, whether he thought there were any worfe pains then what he endured ? he faid, Hekzlew there were farreworfe pains; )'et do I defire nothing more, fa id he, then that I may come to that pltice, where I m"J beJure to feel the worft, and to be freed from fe"r of worft to come. . • . . . As on this manner he was fpeakmg, he obferved (faith my Authour) d1vers lhesthat came about him, and fome lighted on him, where at, prefcntly remembring how Beiz..eebub fignifies the God of Flies; Bth•Ld, faid he, now alfo Bch.eeb~tb cqmeJ to hiS ]ianquet, yoHjhall jhortlyfoe. my end, tind m me (l1JtX11mple to many ofthe jlljhce and Judg– ment ofGod. Then he began to reckon up what fearful dreams and vifions he was continually troubled withall. Tha.t heJaw the Devrls come flock.Jng mto hss chllmbtr, and aboJSt his bed terrifying him with j1ranue mj(es; and that thefc were not fancia, but that he J~tw them as rM//y liS the ftanders ~Y: 1111d that befide theJe omwArd terroun, he felt continually a rackjng torture of his minde, and a contin!<ltl bntcher)' ofhiScwfctcncc, beulg tbe very proptr pnngs ofthe dnmnedwights in h~/1. But
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