Fire and brimstone from heaven, from earth, in hell, or, Three discourses I. Concerning…

First, This Judgement was very Strange. It is the nature of Fire to ascend towards Heaven, but here Fire and Brimstone together do descend from Heaven, this is very strange; the Sodomites had an unnatural Fire within them, and they have an unnatural Fire sent upon them; they lust after strange Flesh, Jud. 7. And God punished them with strange Fire, Job 31. 3. Is not destruction to the wicked, and a strange punishment unto the workers of Iniquity? But of all strange punishments, this is one of the most strange, never such a thing was heard of before, or hath been known since; as I may apply what Moses speaketh on another occasion, Deut. 4. 32. Ask now of the days which are past which were before, since God Created Man upon the Earth, and ask from one side of Heaven unto the other, whether there hath been such a thing as this great thing, or hath been like it, that God should Rain Fire and Brimstone from Heaven, to punish wicked Cities. We read of Fire sent down from Heaven by the Lord, upon the request of Elijah, which consumed his Sacrifice; although he had drenched it often, and surrounded it with Water, all which was licked up by the fire, unto the wonder and astonishment of the People, whereby the Lord discovered his power beyond Baal, whose Priests could not by all their prayers and cutting themselves prevail with their God to effect any such thing, 1 Kings 18. 26, 28, 37, 38. And we read of Fire sent down from Heaven, which destroyed two Captains and their fifty's, upon the request of the same Prophet: these things were exceeding strange; but the rain of Fire and Brimstone from ⟨p. 27⟩Heaven, which consumed several Cities, and all their Inhabitants together was far more strange: Fire hath come from Heaven, but never so great Fire; Fire hath come down from Heaven, but never Fire mingled with Brimstone; Fire and Brimstone hath come forth of the bowels of the Earth (of which in the second discourse) but never did Fire and Brimstone come down from Heaven, either before or since.

First, This Judgement was very Strange. It is the nature of Fire to ascend towards Heaven, but here Fire and Brimstone together do descend from Heaven, this is very strange; the Sodomits had an unnatural Fire within them, and they have an unnatural Fire sent upon them; they lust after strange Flesh, Iud. 7. And God punished them with strange Fire,