Thrēnoikos the house of mourning furnished with directions for the hour of death ... delivered in LIII sermons preached at the funerals of divers faithfull servants of Christ / by Daniel Featly, Martin Day, John Preston, Ri. Houldsworth, Richard Sibbs, Thomas Taylor, doctors in divinity, Thomas Fuller and other reverend divines.

First Question.

This being, (as I may say) the first day of Judgment, when God in the text legally proceeded to the sentencing of Adam (cast by the confession of his own conscience) how cometh it to pass that only Temporal punishment is inflicted upon him. One might justly have expected, that God rather would have said, from Hell came thy sin, and to Hell let thy sin return, and thy soul go a long with is. Or you shall go from the place wherein you stand, to the place of eternal Damnation, where the worm dyeth not, and the fire is not quenched, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Whereas now the mention only of Temporal death, hath given the hint to Prophane persons in this licentious age (greedy to snatch at all shaddows of advantage) no less boldly then falsly to maintain, that sin in its own nature, doth only diserve, and shall only receive Temporal Death.

I answer, first Negatively, It was not because sin in its own nature, deserveth only Temporal Death seeing, (were it the work of the day, and the time as proper as the place for that purpose) Legions of Scriptures, might be produed to prove that et ernal (as well as temporal) death is due to the demerit of sin, yet none can wonder at prophane persons, if willing to kindle comfort to themselves at every Gloworm they meet with, it being for the intrest of thieves and murderers to be∣lieve (if they can so perswade themselves) that there never will be Goales, Judge, Sizes, Sessions, Sheriffs, or Executioners. But for most weighty reasons, Obvius and open to our apprehension, (besides others no doubt concealed in his own bo∣some) Divine wisdome adjudged it not convenient to besentence our first Parents with eternal Damnation, though according to his justice and their deserts, it might have been inflicted upon them.

First ingeneral I answer, Why should any mans eye be evil because Gods is good? What if he were pleased to abate of legal extremity, and mercifully to remit much thereof who shall say unto him, why dost thou so? Indeed Itinerant Judges bound to observe the letter of the Law, may not, but a King by his Prerogative may

commute the Gallows into the Brand, qualify the Brand into the Whip, under∣punish offences without wrong to any, because therein he doth only, uti imperio suo.

Descend we now to more particular answers, and before we go further; the Audi∣ence will grant this unto me (which if denyed me I shall be bold to take, as an undoubted truth) that had the sentence of eternal condemnation, been once pronounced by God, and passed on Adam; It, like the Laws of the Medes and Persians, Dan. 6.8. could not ever after be reversed, or repealed. This being premised I tender to your consideration, how inconsistent it was with Gods good∣ness, to curse Adam and Eve to the Pitt of Hell, beheld either in their Personal Notion, as single souls, or in their collective capacity, as the Representatives of all man-kind.

For the former, God would not curse Adam or Eve, as private persons, be∣cause foreseeing, that both of them would repent, and lay hold on the Promised seed, and so eternally be saved; indeed there were in the primitive time a sort of Heretiques, no less uncharitable then Erronious, who maintained that both Adam and Eve were damned, (base birds thus to defile their own nest) whose Doctrine was exploded by conscientious Christians, and the contrary avowed and asserted by the Church of God.

Secondly, consider Adam and Eve as the representatives of all man-kind, and so all the ELECTS lay hid in the Loyns of the one, and Womb of the other; I have blessed him (said Isaac of Jacob, Gen. 27.33.) yea and he shall be blessed; by the same proportion it followed more firmly, that if God had cursed the elect in Adam and Eve, they should have been cursed, which was diametrically opposite to Gods gracious intent, yea, would have proyed destructive to his design, having fore-ap∣pointed from all eternity, in due time to say unto them, Matt. 25.34. Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdome prepared for you, from the Foundation of the World. Yea which is most material, Christ himself, of whom it was said, Gal. 3.8. In thee shall all Nations be blessed, according to his humanity, and as con∣cealed in his causes, had even then a Seminal existence in our first Parents. What said Balaam, Numb. 23.8. How shall I curse whom God hath not cursed, or how shall I defie, whom the Lord hath not defyed? But it followeth, a fortiori, that God could not, that is would not, issue out an eternal malediction on them, who had him in them, who was the fountain of all blessedness, and that by Gods own fore∣appointment, an Act as much precedanious to my Text, and which by due seniori∣ty took place of Adams punishment, as eternity is before time, 2 Tim. 19. Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus, before the world began.

In further illustration of this our answer, it is very observable, that God in this Chapter, twice discharged the terrible word Cursed, and yet both times designedly no doubt, (he can best, if so pleased miss the mark, who if so pleased, can best hit it) misseth both Adam and Eve.

Once verse 14. Thou art cursed above all Cattel, and this Cursed he bestowed on the Serpent.

The other on the earth, verse 17. Cursed be the ground for thy sake.

When Sons of Princes committed faults, it was usual for the servants of those sons to be beaten. As here the earth, is punished for the fault of man his Master, and the curse is on it inflicted which by him was deserved.