The Great Assizes OR General Day of Judgement, BEING The laying forth the state of Man in Righteousness, and the Cursed Condition of the Wicked. And the accounts that every Man must give at the General Resurrection. I am the Resurrection and the Life, he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live, John 11.25. Blessed and Holy is he that hath part in the first Resurrection, on such the second Death hath no power, but they shall be Priests of God and Christ, and reign with him a thousand years, Revelation 20.6. By William Knowles the Unworthiest of God's people, yet servant to Christ, and B. of P. London, Printed for Fr. Coles at the Sign of the Half-Bowle in the Old-baily, 1662. portrait To the READER. Christian Reader, I Here present to your view a most excellent work, of the general day of Judgement. I desire you to read it over, and lay to heart what is here inserted, it will show you the joys of Heaven, and the pains of Hell; and also the state of the Righteous, and of the wicked, showing the carefulness you ought to have of your souls while you live in this transitory life, and seek so to God as you may know him, and reign with him for evermore, Amen. And so hoping the same may work spiritually in you, I for the same shall pray and rest, Your friend in Christ, W. K. B. of P. Give ear unto this, call for doom, And light your Lamps of Oil; It is not long e'er God will come Unawares and take the spoil. Then watch and pray good Christians all, For know you God is just; The Righteous unto Heaven he'll call, To Hell the Wicked thrust. Revel. 20.7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. 7. And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of prison. 8. And shall go out to deceive the Nations which are in the four quarters of the Earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle; the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9 And they went upon the breadth of the Earth and compassed the Camps of the saints about, and the beloved City, and fire came down from Heaven and devoured them. 10. And the Devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beasts and false Priests are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 11. And I saw a great white Throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the Earth and Heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them. 12. And I saw the dead great and small stand before God, and the Books were opened, and another Book was opened, which is the Book of Life, and the dead were judged out of those things which were wriiten in the books according to their works 13. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hell delivered up the dead which were in them and they were judged every man according to his works. 14. And death and hell was cast into this lake of fire. 15. And whosoever was not found in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of Fire. CHristian Friends, of what degree soever, I beg at all of you for Christ's sake, and the good of your own souls, to spend one half hour in reading over this small Book, or tend to hear the reading of it: let me entreat you not to neglect so great salvation, and lay by all your busied affairs to hear of the coming of Christ, of the great day of judgement, which is now even at the door; throw by all to prepare your lamps of Oil against his coming; for his appearance is a glory to them that fear him; but it will be a terrible day to the wicked, according to my Text of Scripture before laid down. Satan is now lose in the world, he deceives four parts of the Earth: yea, Gog and Magog he gathers together, whose number is as the sands of the Sea; yea, he compasses the camps of the Saints, and the beloved City: so he, like a flying Locust, doth corrupt God's people against the great Assizes to condemn them, when fire shall fall from Heaven and devour the wicked, and the Devil that deceived the false Prophets of the world, shall be cast into the lake of this fire and brimstone with them; then shall Christ sit in judgement and power, and his Saints with him, judging the twelve Tribes of Israel, and the dead small and great shall rise and receive according to their works, and whosoever be not found in the Book of Life shall be cast in the lake of fire and brimstone for ever, where shall be weeping and gnashing of tooth; but the righteous shall never see this, he shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance, he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked, so that a man shall say, There is a reward to the Righteous, verily he is God that judgeth the Earth, Psal. 58.10, 11. Oh kearken I beseech you and repent you of your former sins, in what condition will that man be in whose works are not good, a fearful thing it is to lose Heaven to obtain Hell, to lose the favour of God, to be cursed with the Devil to lie in torments for ever. Rend your hearts and not your garments turn to the Lord all you that are heavy loaden of your sins; are as red as scarlet he will make them as white as snow saith the Lord of Hosts, I do not desire the death of a sinner, but rather would have you repent and live. Dear beloved Friends, the Lord doth not desire you to go astray, but to obey his Call while its open unto you; for after death comes judgement; 'tis no referring your sin of repentance: to day if you will hear his voice harden not your hearts; to morrow is another day, and who knows what a day brings forth: Lie not wallowing in your corruptednesse like to beasts; for the day of slaughter is nigh, a just reward is prepared for the wicked; the punishment of Hell might affright you but only you are a people of very hard mettle, misbelieving of the Scriptures, like to the Scribes and pharisees; but if like to them you do evil, you might partake of their punishments: also I say, how gloomy a sight is the coming of Christ to the Righteous: for at the Resurrection God will wipe away all tears from your eyes, and there shall be no more death, whether sorrow nor crying; neither shall there be any pain to thee, for the former things are passed away; but the fearful, and unbeliever, and the abominable, and unbelievers and whoremongers, and sorcerers, ans Idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death and terriblest, Rev. 21.4, 8. it makes a reasonable Christian go out of his wits to think of the terrible punishment of Hell; strive therefore I beseech you to enter in at the straight gate; For many I say unto you will strive to enter in and cannot be able, Matth. 7.13. For when once the Master is risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand at the door knocking, without saying, Lord, Lord, open to us; but the Lord will answer, I know you not whence you are, depart from me all you workers of iniquity, Luke 13.25, 27. Oh what a dismal Sentence is this to be deprived of the joys of Heaven, and the presence of Christ, wherein is all fullness of joy, lacking nothing, and rest and peace for evermore. Consider the Lilies how they grow; the toil not, the spin not, and yet I say unto you Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like to one of these: if God so then cloth the grass which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into an Oven, and how much more will he you, O you of little faith, Luke 12.17, 18. O consider my dear Friends, and he better grounded towards God in true faith, through jesus Christ. You see and know that God is able to let you want for nothing so you will but serve him. Mark what God saith in Ezekiel 33.4, 5. Whosoever heareth the sound of a Trumpet and takes not warning, if the sword come and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head: but he that taketh warning delivereth his own soul. I beseech you Friends, now you hear this day the sound of God in your ears, take warning hereby, prepare for the coming of Christ in the courts of Heaven to judgement; for assuredly that man that is found unprepared at that day will be in a most damnable condition, they shall burn as an oven; yea, and all the proud and all that do wickedly shall be stubble, and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord; that is, shall not leave neither root nor branch; but unto them that fear my name saith God▪ shall the Son of righteousness rise with healing in his wings, and you shall tread down the wicked, for they shall be as ashes under the soles of your feet, Malac. 4.1, 2, 3. We have great cause to work out our salvation with fear and trembling: what man would run himself in danger when he may escape it. Be not idle dear Friends, but spare of your ordinary sleep to muse of the word of GOD, for great is the reward of the righteous in Heaven; yea, love you your Enemies, and do good, and lend unto the needy, hoping for none again, and your reward shall be great, and you shall be Children of the highest, Luke 5.35. see also the manner of Christ's coming to judgement: the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the noise of the Archangel, with Trump of God, and those which died in Christ shall rise first: then we that are alive and remain, shall be caught up with them together in the Clouds, to meet the Lord in the Air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord, Thes. 4.16, 17, 18. but the day and hour knoweth no Man, therefore watch and pray for the coming of Christ, for it will overtake you as a thief in the night: therefore sleep not as do others, but watch and be sober, for they that sleep, sleep in the night, they that be drunken, be drunk in the night; but let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breast plate of Faith and Love, and for a Helmet put on the hope of salvation, And I beseech you brethren to know them that labour among you, and are over you in the Lord; abstain from all appearance of evil, do good and not hurt, for he that diligently seeketh good procureth favour, but he that seeketh hurt provoketh shame, Pro. 11.27. so it must needs be with the wicked a perpetual shameful thing for a Christian to be so simple as to lose the presence of God, and his glorious kingdom, to gain the intolerable flashing of Hell Fire; and to be accompanied with devilish companions, to foreshow the glorious light of Heaven, where is light for evermore, to obtain Hells obscured darkness, to be bereft of everlasting joys, to suffer perpetual Torments; this is true, that these torments are prepared for the Damned, which shall be known to all those which is reserved for those torments, by the most wretchfull and indignation of God, a just reward for the wicked: for saith Job, Chap. 21.30. The wicked is reserved to the day of Destruction, they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath. How oft is the Candle of the wicked put out, and how oft cometh her Destruction upon them, they are stubble before the wind, and as chaff that the storm carrieth away, his eyes shall see his Destruction, and she shall drink the wrath of the Almighty, Job 17.18, 20. strive to escape this wrath of God, else will your own eyes see your sudden destruction come upon you; is it not better to serve God and be in safety, then to serve the Devil and be in utter destruction: 'tis time Christian Friends to prepare yourselves for the day of doom, for it is even at the door, the signs of Christ's coming doth signify the same; for in the latter days there shall be Wars and Rumours of Wars with great slaughters, blood touches blood, the Father against the Son, and the Son against the Father, one Neighbour against the one, not knowing his Friend from his Foe, and the day is not yet, great signs will be in Heaven and in Earth, before the notable day of the Lord cometh, the Moon shall be turned into blood, and the Sun shall be darkened and forbear her shineing: Young men shall see Visions, Old men shall dream dreams, and divers notable signs will be before the day of the Lord cometh, Acts 2.19, 20. these are the signs of the coming of Christ, and the general Resurrection: when the Lord shall appear in the Clouds with magnificent glory coming in the Air, with his Saints judging the Twelve Tribes of Israel, but when this is accomplished there will be peace and safety, but then cometh sudden destruction as a Thief in the night; therefore Christian Friends, watch and pray, for you know not at what hour the Son of Man cometh: you see and have heard, and do know that most of these things are accomplished, and we are now in peace and safety, and you know not how suddenly destruction may come upon you: pray, pray for the Lords coming, it is even at the door, it cannot be far off: for our ancient Fathers have wrought that the world should last Six Ages: that's to say not six thousand years, for the longest liver was Methusaleh, who lived nine hundred sixty and nine years, and then died, Genesis 5.27. his age six times doubled makes it appear that the last day is not far of us, but will be accomplished in the year from the Creation, to the year of the Lords resurrection 5886. but then the Apostles testify, writ in the book of the Acts, if the days be not shortened, there shall be no flesh saved, this beloved is to put you off from knowing the day of the Lords coming: be careful good people to prepare yourselves, do not think with the scoffers of the world that God will not come; or like to Seduces and false Prophets, bringing in damnable doctrine of Heresy, but behold many shall follow their pernicious ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of, Pet. 2.2. if God therefore spared not the Angels that sinned, but cast them down to Hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgement, much more will he reserve the fire of hell for the extortionall sinners of this world: he spared not the whole world, but drowned it, saving eight persons: bringing the floods upon the world of the ungodly, so also shall fire and brimstone burn up the wicked, and leave them neither root nor branch, the Lord also turned the city of Sodom and Gomorrah unto ashes, condemned them with an overthrow, making an example to all those that ever after should live ungodly, and delivered just Lot, who was vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: so will GOD do at the judgement day, he will sever the wicked from the righteous, and shower upon them everlasting Torments; we in England do as justly deserve sudden destruction, as did these Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, for there was not any one sin reigned there, but it is as frequently here, the sin of pride never reigned more, than it doth at this hour, both in City and Country, and that's cloaked over with a badge of Gallantry: to what profit is it to be as Dives was in the Gospel, to dwell in a sumptuous Building, to wear rare apparel, to fair delicately every day, to have all the delights that the world could afford him, to be in damnable torments for ever: be content and strive not dear Friends to gain this to lose heaven, for the glory of the world is as nothing to the glory of God: besides sin so aboundeth in number, it is more than the sands of Sea, Sodom had not the sins as we have, why therefore O God are we not destroyed! O thou God art infinite in mercy and truth, sparing thy people, willing them to amendment of life; but I will present to your view what sins are now in growth at this present time first reigns pride, covetousness, malice, envy, hatred, in all abundance, besides the most damnable sins of cursing and swearing, lying, drunkenness, whoredom, and divers other sins which are weights to weigh a sinner down to Hell. Oh dear Friends, put from you sin, which is the main thing that kéeps you from Heaven; yea, you take delight in sinning to fulfil the lusts thereof: you think when you roar it in Taverns you do a good work when you hurt both soul and body; you vapour and exalt yourselves when you should be meek and lowly, you drink Béer and Wine to excess when you should be sober; besides, running to carnal lusts when you should be chaste, using most damnable Oaths and profane actions, letting your mouths speak guile, acting all evil abominably to the face of God, and thus in the practice of sin you run continually, never thinking of the terrible day of judgement; yea, mighty terrible will it be to the wicked: and who will be able to stand before the righteous Judge, who judges in truth and righteousness, according to the work of every man's do? In what a sad condition my friends are you in to he judged according to your do: doth it not behoove you all to have a care of your actions, if your works be bad, you must receive its just reward of punishment; if your works be just, your case will be happy at this general seat of judgement; after life there is no pleading your case; for your case is before known: you are either recorded in the Book of Life or Death, there is no Lawyers to plead for fees, there is none of your earthly friends can pay the ransom of your souls, in what a veil of misery are you plunged in at this hour, the Devil is on one side of you, against the word of Sentence is past to bring you to eternal damnation, your own conscience on the other side witnessing against you of all the hidden secret sins, which you in your life time have committed, the wrath of God's fury hangs over you, his scourging Rod which will torment you, Hell lies under you ready to swallow ye up, where the most damnable torments of Hell fire is prepared for the wicked, than all calamities, sorrows and hellish torments presses you at once and compasses you about on every side: the loss of Heaven and the presence of God is a hellish torment, without any other torment, with the loss of the profitable love of God, and the glory thereof, besides to be punished in the flames of Hell for evermore, where there is weeping and gnashing of tooth, Matth. 24.30. When the Son of Man shall come in his Glory, and all the holy Angels with him, and before shall be gathered all Nations together, and he shall separate them one from another as a shepherd divideth his Sheep from his Goats; and he shall set the Sheep on the right hand, and the Goats on the left; and to the righteous shall say, Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom of God, prepared for you from the beginning: but to the wicked he saith, Go you cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels, Matth. 24.31, 32, 34, 41. Lo. these shall go away into everlasting punishment, and the Righteous into life Eternal. Dear Brethren the way to escape these punishments dependeth only on things, that is to fear God, and keep the Commands of GOD; these are also lost in yourself, redeemed by Christ. What Christians in the world would endanger themselves of death, for the gaining of a trifled matter run into Hell, and forsake Heaven, falling into eternal misery▪ and might obtain eternal Glory. A word to you worldly men that makes a God of your Riches, pinching and grinding the poor for gain, It will be easier for a Camel to go thorough the eye of a needle, then for such a rich man to enter into life eternal. But trust not unto uncertain riches; now lay upno earthly riches in store for the morrow, but lay up riches in Heaven, where moth nor rust cannot corrupt. And a place where is all fidelity, bliss and joy, and eternal happiness, relieve the poor and needy, and turn not from them: for know you what is given to the poor with charitable friends is lent to the Lord, and your reward will be great in the Kingdom of Heaven. But such covetous worldly men that will not relieve the oppressed, but lay up their gold in store for many years, are counted like the fool in the Gospel that was suddenly tain from his riches and endangered himself of everlasting damnation. Lay up no treasures on earth, take care neither for any thing; for to morrow thou mayst go to thy grave. Then happy is he that hath laid up treasures in Heaven to all eternity, where moth nor rust cannot corrupt, nor Thiefs break thorough nor steal; For Heaven and Earth must pass away, and fly from the presence of God, and not one tittle of the Gospel of Christ shall pass away. O England, beware of God's heavy wrath and severe judgements against thee for thy rebellious sinning against him: the Lords wrath will consume thee except speedy repentance, he hath stretched out his hand of affliction on the Land, as a toll to the day of Doom, And it shall come pass saith the Lord, at that day I will search with Candles, and punish the men that are settled in their lees, that saith in their heart the Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil; therefore their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation, they shall also build houses, but not inhabit them, they shall plant Vineyards, but not drink the Wine thereof; the great day of the Lord is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty men shall cry then bitterly, that day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of CLOUDS and thick darkness, a day of tumpeting and alarm against the fenced Cities, and against the high Towers: and distress I will bring upon wicked men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord, and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung: neither their Silver nor their Gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lords wrath; give good regard to this you rich men, who like the great fishes of the sea eateth up the poor & small fishes, but those the Lord speaks in Micah 6.12, 15. the rich men are full of violence, shall I account them pure that uses false balance with bags of deceitful weights, no, I rather account him a deceiver of the poor; and at this general day he cannot be able to stand before the judgement seat of Christ, but will be by his own Conscience pressed from the presence of God, wishing the Hills to cover him and hid him from the presence of the Almighty; but when that the word of sentence is past, he must departed to that lake of Fire that burneth for ever, where there is weeping and gnashing of tooth, from which place O mighty God deliver us; but if a man will be willing to lose his life to save it, he shall arrive to his desired Haven, which is a Heavenly jerusalem and glorious throne of Christ, as mystically it was put for those prophecies to John in the Rev. 21.9, 10, 27. and there came unto me one of the seven Angels, and talked with me, saying, come hither, and he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high Mountain, and shown me that great City descending out of Heaven from God, having the Glory of God, and his light was like unto stone most precious, even like a Jasper stone clear as Crystal, and had a Wall great and high, and had twelve Gates, and at the Gates twelve Angels, which are the manner of the twelve Tribes of the Children of Israel; there was three Gates on the North, three on the South, three on the West, three on the East, and the Walls of the City hath twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve Apostles, of the Lamb, and the City lieth four square, the length, and the breadth, and the height of it are equal, the building of the walls of it was of Jasper, and the City was pure Gold, like unto clear Glass, the Foundation thereof was grounded with precious stones, and the twelve Gates were twelve Pearls, and the Gates of this City were pure Gold, as it were transparent Glass; and no temple is therein, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it. This City of Heaven hath no need of the light of the Sun or of the Moon, for the glory of God and the Lamb is the light thereof, and also there proceedeth out of the Throne of God, and the Lamb a pure river of water of Life, as clear as Crystal, and in the midst of the street was the Tree of life▪ which bears twelve manner of fruits, and yieldeth her fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree was for the healing of Nations, there is no night there, and they need no Candle, neither light of the Sun; for the Lord God giveth them light, and they shall reign for ever and ever; these sayings my Friends are faithful and true: for the Lord God hath showed unto his Servants the thing which must shortly be done. Oh beloved consider the Glory of this Heavenly Jerusalem, no man is able to imagine or conceive the wisdom of God, and the Honour and Glory of the Lamb, and his amorous Throne which is the Portion of the Righteous and their greatest reward: For behold saith God I come quickly and my reward is with me, to give to every man according to his works, what are our works by which we must be judged? Oh Base and Filthy, more worse than the Beast of the Field, we work nothing that's good, we act mischief continually to the Face of God, by our most Debauched Swearing, and Cursing, Whoredom, and Drunkenness, Pride, and Covetousness, Extortionall Idolatry, and Deceitful Living and Murmuring at the handy works of God; but lo, the portion of those wicked men is to be burned in a lake of Fire, which burneth for ever and ever: they will be Tormented with the memory of things past, present, and to come: the Rich man will think of his Fidelity that is past his punishment at present, and his intolerable Torments to come. You Rich Men be convinced and make not a god of your Riches, but make such uses of your Talents that GOD hath lent you; beest thou a King, Rule in Peace, Execute judgement upon Mercies, spread forth the Gospel of Christ throughout the whole Dominions: and you judges and Magistrates in chiefest, judge equity and right, give justice to the Poor as well as to the Rich: let not the Balance of Wickedness outweigh the Book of Life; nor hid nothing from God, for his all-séeing eye doth bring secret things to a clear light, for what is done in your secret Courts, will be proclaimed on the house Top, to you Lawyers recall yourselves to remembrance what Law is, let not handfuls of Gold and Silver carry you from a rightful Case, be you a pleader for the poor, and redéem them from an earthly bondage, and your Saviour will plead for you, and judge you according at the great Assizes, and redéem you; Next you Ministers of God, measure out the Fruits of Righteousness to the People, sound forth the Gospel with boldness, rehearse nothing but sound Doctrine, which prodéeds from the spirit of truth, and he as a shining light by your zeal and conversation; and lay aside all Superstition, Popery, Schism, or Heresy, which hath bred Destruction in the Land: And lastly to you People in General, of what degree soever, or opinion, Take these few Rules and Administrations before I end, or quite conclude my Book: to you Learned, search you the Scriptures, and you'll find me not to diminish the word of God, the Law of the Lord, than practice and follow what you find Writ in the Old and New Testament; and to the Ignorant People, I advise you to hearken to the Learned, and to those that Preaches the Gospel, and what they commend unto you, and lay it to heart, and search out your Salvation with Fear and Trembling, First seek to find God in your hearts, then learn to know him, & he acquainted with him: for if you never seek to know him, how should you ever think to live with him; you think in your hearts how should we know him, that we ne'er beheld with our mortal Eyes: no my Friends, you must see him spiritually and not mortally; for no mortal eyes is able to behold his exceeding magnificent Glory: he sent Christ in the Flesh because we should believe, but for all this, yea for all the means he can use, we will not believe him: yet you say you believe there is a God, but wherein do you believe? for if you believe aright, how dare you to offend so great a God? no my Friends, if you believe aright, you'll seek to please him, and not offend him, but fear his judgements, and trust in his Mercy; for he is slow to anger and of great kindness. Therefore beloved Conclude with me, with these say, fear God and keep his Commandments, and then you may hope to believe aright: prepare yourselves against this great day of the Lord, for unto you that fear my name, it will be a day of joy and rejoicing, a day of fidelity, mirth and gladness with eternal Bliss, when the Wicked man shall lie and be Cursed with Curses, the Plagues of Hell Tormanting him, the Memory of things past oppressing him, the howl of fearful Devils affrighting him, the heavy wrath and curse of God hang over him, and worst of all, the Everlasting Torments to come, which doth strike him in everlasting despair: our worldly pains are wonderful to be endured, were we but to sit still a month and ne'er to move, to lie in Prison seven years, to hold our hands in Fire for an hour, to be stormed to Death, is nothing to this unknownable Torment, of our earthly torment: the Tormented or the Tormentor dieth and hath an end, but the Pains of Hell hath never end. For the Grace of our magnificent God the Father, and the Glory of his Son our Saviour, accompanied with the holy Ghost, defend us from Hell, and bring us to Heaven to reign with him from everlasting to everlasting, Amen. All Christian men where ere you dwell, Prepare both great and small, Seek to avoid the pains of Hell, And find this heavenly Hall. FINIS.