A commentary or, exposition upon the divine second epistle general, writtenA commentary or, exposition vpon the diuine second epistle generall, written

First, that there is a Hell, is plain: for they could not be cast into a place that had no being. Yea, it is manifest that it had a being before sin; and God made it before he had present and actual use of it. It was constituted ere the Angels fell, that it might receive them when they fell. Hell was made before sin was hatched, as Heaven was formed and fitted before the Inhabitant was produced. For we must observe that God created Angels and men after his own Image; Ratione sapientes, vita innocents, dominio potentes; wise, innocent, powerful. But withal he gave •hem naturam flexibilem, a mutable condition; which had power of standing, and possibility of falling. Power to stand was of God the creator: possibility to fall was of themselves the creatures. Immutabiliter esse bonum Dei solius est proprium, Aug. To be unchangeably good is only proper to God. Augustine in his con•essions gives the reason. Because God created man ex nihilo, of nothing: he left in him possibility to return in nihilum, unto nothing. Si Deus dedisset illis naturam im•utabilem, deos potius quàm creaturas condidisset, Basil. If God had given them an immutable nature, he had created them gods, not creatures. Now out of the whole •oste of Angels he kept some from falling: and when all mankind was fallen, he redeemed some by his own Son. And as he shows mercy upon some in their salvation, so it is fit he should show justice upon others in their just damnation. Now because there must be distinct places for the exercise of both these, which are in God equally infinite: by an irrevocable decree from the foundation of the world, a glorious habitation was ordained for the one, and a terrible dungeon for the other. These shall go into everlasting punishment, and the righteous into life eternal. So certain are both these places, that they were of old prepared. Matth. 25.34. Inherit •he kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of this world, Ver. 41. Depart •e cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his Angels. Esa. 30.33. To•het is ordained of old: non paranda, nec parari certa, sed parata. Of old, for the Lord that beholds all things, past, present, future, Uno actu, uno ictu, at once; simul & seel: as he foresaw the different estates of men and Angels, so he provided for them different places. That there is a hell.