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

There is no element in the extremest fury more afflictive to the sense, […] fire. Water doth only drown, and soon choke the breath by stopping the ••• sages of respiration: so Pharaohs destruction was in this respect far short of Sodom's. The air doth only stifle the spirits, and by infecting the blood, do•• […] more than a pleurisy or plague, dispatching if not with like speed, yet with less •• ture: thus the Israelites in the plains of Midian, sped not so ill as the Sodomites i• the plain of Jordan. The swallowing earth that opens her jaws with a quaking m• tion, devours men alive, but it soon with a falling closure makes them dead: […] Corah and his confederates suffered easier than Sodom and her inhabitants. But […] killeth not only with the rest, but tormenteth above them all: scorching the limbs puckering the skin, inflaming the blood, enraging the sense, torturing the whol• man. The sword is a sharp executioner, armed with hostility, it hath unprison•• millions of souls. The teeth of wild beasts roaring for their prey, are merciless, as the enemies of Daniel felt. The nearest of all plagues that comes to the torme•• of fire, is famine: and the very anguish of famine ends in a kind of fire: when for want of vivid moisture the radical heat is inflamed, and burns up the vital spirits. Gunpowder,¹ the most damnable mineral that ever hell begat, or Rome made use o• (for those worshippers of the Successor of Saint Peter found much employment fo• salt-peter) yet can do nothing without fire: it is but a speeding messenger that f••• sendeth.

There is no element in the extremest fury more afflictive to the sense, 〈…〉 fire. Water doth only drowne, and soone choake the breath by stopping the ••• sages of respiration: so Pharaohs destruction was in this respect farre short of Sodomes. The aire doth only stiffle the spirits, and by infecting the bloud, do more than a pleurisie or plague, dispatching if not with like speed, yet with lesse ture: thus the Israelites in the plaines of Midian, sped not so ill as the Sodomites i the plaine of Iordan. The swallowing earth that opens her jawes with a quaking m tion, devoures men alive, but it soone with a falling closure makes them dead: Corah and his confederates suffered easier than Sodome and her inhabitants. But killeth not only with the rest, but tormenteth above them all: scorching the limbes puckering the skinne, enflaming the bloud, enraging the sense, torturing the whol man. The sword is a sharpe executioner, armed with hostilitie, it hath unprison millions of soules. The teeth of wild beasts roaring for their prey, are mercilesse, as the enemies of Daniel felt. The neerest of all plagues that comes to the torme of fire, is famine: and the very anguish of famine ends in a kind of fire: when for want of vivid moisture the radicall heate is inflamed, and burnes up the vitall spirits. Gunpowder,