A73023:118
M. Perkins, his Exhortation to repentance, out of Zephaniah preached in 2. sermons in…
M. Perkins, his Exhortation to repentance, out of Zephaniah preached in 2. sermons in Stourbridge Fair. Together with two treatises of the duties and dignity of the ministry: delivered publicly in the University of Cambridge. With a preface prefixed touching the publishing of all such works of his as are to be expected: with a catalogue of all the particulars [sic] of them, diligently perused and published, by a preacher of the word.M. Perkins, his Exhortation to repentance, out of Zephaniah preached in 2. sermons in Sturbridge Faire. Together with two treatises of the duties and dignitie of the ministrie: deliuered publiquely in the Vniuersitie of Cambridge. With a preface præfixed touching the publishing of all such workes of his as are to be expected: with a catalogue of all the perticulers [sic] of them, diligently perused and published, by a preacher of the word.
London: printed by T. Creede for William Welby, 1605
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Now Gods winnowing times are two: the one is at the last day, after this life, and that is Gods great winnowing day of all his Corn (that of al• men) when the bad shall be severed from the good for ever, never to be mingled again with them, but by the strong and powerful fan of his last and final judgement to be blown into Hell: the wind of whose wrath, at that day, shall be stronger to blow them all away, then all the wind in the world to blow away one handful of light Chaff.
Now Gods winnowing times are two: the one is at the last day, after this life, and that is Gods great winnowing day of all his Corne (that of al• men) when the bad shall bee seuered from the good for euer, neuer to be mingled againe with thē, but by the strong and powerfull fanne of his last and finall iudgement to be blowne into Hel: the winde of whose wrath, at that day, shall bee stronger to blow them all away, then al the winde in the world to blow away one handfull of light Chaffe.
2 Gods other fanning time, is in this world: and that is also double. The one is, when the word is preached: the preaching of the word is one of Gods fans. For when the Gospel is preached to a Nation or Congregation, it fans them, and tries them, & purgeth them, and so severs them, that a man may see ⟨p. 85⟩a manifest difference of the chaff and the wheat, that is, of the godly man, and the wicked man: this preaching of the Gospel, doth John the Baptist, 1expressly call a Fan: where the holy Ghost pursueth this whole Metaphor, most plainly speaking of Christ, he saith; Whose Fan is in his hand, and he will roughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into his garner, but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. The wind of this fan of the word preached is so strong, as that it severs the Chaff from the Wheat, that is, good professors from hypocrites in the visible Church, and blows so strongly upon the wicked, that it brings them to the beginning of Hell even in this world, for it so worketh upon the conscience, as if it cannot convert them, it strikes them with fear, terror & torment, either in life or at death, which torment of conscience is the very flashes of hell-fire.