This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. Searching, reading, printing, or downloading EEBO-TCP texts is reserved for the authorized users of these project partner institutions. Permission must be granted for subsequent distribution, in print or electronically, of this text, in whole or in part. Please contact project staff at eebotcp-info@umich.edu for further information or permissions.
1. The Lord hath made all things for him∣self, yea even the wicked for the day of evil, Prov. 16.4. The great day of Judgment is call'd 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the day of evil: As for which day the Lord hath reserved the full execution of his severe justice upon all the evils of the world.
In the Creation of all things, the power of God was most especially manifested: in the government of the world doth his wisdom most appear: In the Redemption of man∣kind his mercy is most transparent: And in the day of Judgment shall his justice most eminently shew forth and exercise its strict and severest measures.
2. Sad and dismal is the sentence that up∣on this great day shall pass upon all such, whose Faith hath not according to ability and opportunity been fruitful in the good works of Charity: * 1.1 Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire—For I was an hungred and ye gave me no meat—
And if these shall be eternally damned, who have not given of their own goods for the relief of others: what shall become of the Oppressor, the Extortioner, the Chea∣ter, the Thief, and of every one who either by force or fraud, publickly or secretly, hath either taken, or detained what of right be∣longs unto others? Surely if the one shall go, the other shall be driven, hurried with a vengeance into everlasting fire. * 1.2
3. Great, unconceivably great shall be the perplexity and anguish of the impeni∣tent sinner in this great day: beholding (as Anselm meditates) on the one side his sins ac∣cusing him, and on the other the strict and im∣partial justice of Heaven, ready to pass sen∣tence upon him: seeing below him the mouth of Hell gaping to devour him; and above him an angry Judge condemning him to that place of Horror: feeling within an accusing Conscience tormenting him, and without the
whole world in consuming flames: * 1.3 And if the righteous shall scarcely be sav'd, where shall the ungodly and sinner appear? or where shall he hide himself that he may not ap∣pear? For any wicked one to lie hidden on that day is impossible, and to appear is dreadful and intolerable.
S. Chrysostom saith, that the very sight of an angry Judge shall be then more unsup∣portable than a thousand Hells.
4. This is that dismal day foretold by our Lord himself, wherein they shall say, Bles∣sed are the barren, * 1.4 and the womb that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.
Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, [unspec 30] fall on us, and to the hills, cover us.
And hide us from the face of him that sit∣eth upon the throne, * 1.5 and from the wrath of the Lamb.
For the great day of his wrath is come: [unspec 17] and who shall be able to stand?
Woe is me that I have sinned: woe, woe, is me, that I have offended this great and terrible Judge of all the world: but as is his Majesty, so is his Mercy great and wonder∣ful.
Have mercy upon me, O God, on that great day, have mercy upon me: and deli∣ver me now in this world from the society, from the temptations, from the guilt of the wicked; * 1.6 Let me not be occupied in any ungod∣ly works with the men that work wickedness, that I be not reckoned and ranked amongst them in the world to come.
Mat. 25.41, 42.
Ver. ult.
1 Pet. 4.18.
Luke 23.29,
Rev. 6.16.
Ps. 141.4.