Pain or Ease Light or Darkness Sweetness or Bitterness c. are as one hours experience of your own will do Men that are born blind have not by all the advantages of reading to them or discoursing with them such clear discerning of light as a little opening of their own Eyes will help them to Beauty and Melody are and must be seen and heard before they can be duly understood but as far as I am able I shall adventure to describe it thus Love is the Pleasure of the Heart or Will in the discerned and valued excellency of its object So as delightfully to make it accommodate it self unto the Nature Pleasure and concerns thereof Or it is the endearment of apprehended excellence so as to sweeten all our contemplations and esteem thereof our motions towards it our reposes in it our sufferings and adventures for it and our reposes and abode therein Here we may briefly note these things 1. When its Object doth evidently transcend our reach and pitch in excellence then the formal Act of Love is a delightful Admiration of Perfection Infinite Wisdom Power and Goodness cast us upon the heighths and depths of wonder and astonishment and entertain us with the highest satisfactions in our severest and most awful Contemplations thereof these ravishing views or thoughts of the incomprehensible source and abyss of Perfection which is Essential Goodness and the very heighth thereof for what is Goodness but the heighth of Excellency affect us with the most reverend sence thereof 2. Where excellency appears as capable of being shadowed forth by imitations and resemblances and challenges our Conformities thereunto the formal act of Love is a pleased attempering of it self unto its much valued and endeared object joyfully loving and endeavouring a correspondency and agreement with all the communicable excellencies and allurements of such a valuable and admired pattern and exemplar thus love is an ambitious imitation of admired worth pleasing it self in all it 's gradual approaches to it's Object in it's attainments of what most resembles him whose mirrours we so much long and please our selves to be Thus our Christian love our Love to God and unto Christ his Image in it's nature it's operations and attainments is but the impress of Divine Perfections upon our selves with all the solaces which arise in and from our thus transformed selves 3. When excellency appears upon the Theater shewing it's lustre in exquisite performances and Productions bearing the Signatures of that Name whose works they are as the Invisible things of God are known by the things that are made even his Eternal Power and Godhead Rom. i. 20. Then the formal Act of Love is Pleasure in our notices and observations of the eminencies of the cause appearing in the effects thereof and in our delightful searches thereinto 4. When excellency appears upon the Throne of Government the formal Act of Love is our delightful acquiescence and satisfaction in and our chearful comporting with all the Laws and Interests of such Government Thus I delight to do thy will O God Psal xl 8. And this is love that we keep his Commandments i Joh. v. 3. And this is my meat to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work Joh. iv 34. Authority owned Laws obeyed disposals rested in and all with chearfulness And then 5. When Goodness appears communicative designing and dispensing kindnesses directed and designed to the benefit and welfare of the Recipients of it's Communications The formal Act of Love in the thus befriended Persons is their thankful acceptances chearful acknowledgements and faithful improvement of what they thus receive in the service according to the Pleasure and Order and to the praise of him that gives them and as these favours are of several sorts and sizes Such as our beings and their receptiveness of Divine kindnesses and the kindness shewed us to make us good to do us good and to capacitate us to do good to others and to receive further good from God according to our different capacities stations relations opportunities and advantages conditions and other circumstances so hath our Love it 's diversified actings expressions and effects according to it 's various objects considered in their own proper Excellencies their several Relations to us their postures towards us and their concerns with us and ours with them which I here cannot mention much less enlarge upon even as they and we are related and concerned with the essential source of all communicative Excellence or Goodness and therefore I leave it to the deeper thoughts and further searches of better Heads and Hearts than mine 6. When Excellence espouses evidently some great Interests and Designs such as the recovery of lost Souls the reparation of declined Holiness the shaming and abandoning of all Sin the utter extirpation of Satans Interest and Kingdom the erecting of his Gospel House and Kingdom the Exaltation of his Son and the Edification of his Children in Christian Knowledge Holiness and Comfort and in all things fit to make them acceptable to himself and approved of men and to make them regular and easie in themselves When God designs and prosecutes the spreading of the Gospel the Sanctification of his Name in and before the eyes of all and the compleating the Divine Life and Nature in his own What then can be the formal Act of Love hereto in us but the endearment and espousal of these things to us as matters of the highest consequence and importance to the World the Church and us and as things more valuable and delightful to us in our contemplations and pursuits thereof than all our personal Interests and Pleasures in this World 7. When Excellence communicates it self discernibly to others then Love rejoyces in this Gift and Grace to them 8. When Excellence appears communicable to others and that through one another as appointed means and instruments for this end then Love is so far thankful and it covets enterprizes designs and prosecutes the thing and so it grieves or joyfully Triumphs as it discerns the matter to succeed or to be defeated or delayed and it forms and cherishes and exerts it Sympathies accordingly 9. When Excellence is rivall'd confronted and opposed then Love turns Jealous and Enraged and puts on fortitude and resolution to stand by it's darling Object and concerns in all the Agonies of Contention for them which they need and notwithstanding all the hazards cost and difficulties which attend them And 10. It accounts and uses all as Friends or Enemies as they appear against or for it's Object 3. The Genuine Practice and Productions of this love Here they are called Good Works a correspondent practice with this Divine and Active and diffusive Principle All Instances and Effects of this delightful conversation with God and man according to the Rules and Principles of Christianity must savour of illustrate and subserve this Principle and Grace Thus Love God and keep his Commandments think and speak of him
to observe and require an account of all their Actions The radical cause of this Hatred is from the Opposition of the sinful polluted Wills of Men to the Holiness of God for that attribute excites his Justice and Power and Wrath to punish Sinners Therefore the Apostle saith They are enemies to God in their minds through wicked works The naked representing of this Impiety that a reasonable Creature should hate the blessed Creator for his most Divine Perfections cannot but strike with Horror O the Sinfulness of Sin 4. Sin is the Contempt and Abuse of his excellent Goodness This Argument is as vast as God's innumerable Mercies whereby he allures and obliges us to Obedience I shall restrain my Discourse of it to three things wherein the Divine Goodness is very Conspicuous and most ungratefully despised by Sinners 1. His Creating Goodness 'T is clear without the lea st shadow of Doubt that nothing can give the first being to it self for this were to be before it was which is a direct Contradiction and 't is evident that God is the sole Author of our Beings Our Parents afforded the gross matter of our compounded Nature but the Variety and Union the Beauty and Usefulness of the several Parts which is so Wonderful that the Body is composed of as many Miracles as Members was the Design of his Wisdom and the Work of his Hands The lively Idea and perfect Exemplar of that regular Fabrick was modell'd in the Divine Mind This affected the Psalmist with Admiration I am fearfully and wonderfully made Psal 139.14 15 16. marvellous are thy works and that my soul knows right well Thine eyes did see my substance yet being imperfect and in thy book all my members were written which in continuance were fashioned when as yet there was none of them And Job observes Thy hands have made me and fashioned me round about Job 10.8 The Soul our principal Part is of a celestial Original inspired from the father of Spirits The faculties of Understanding and Election are the indelible Characters of our Dignity above the Brutes and make us capable to please and glorifie and enjoy him This first and fundamental Benefit upon which all other Favours and Benefits are the Superstructure was the Effect from an eternal Cause his most free Decree that ordained our Birth in the spaces of time The Fountain was his pure Goodness there was no necessity determining his Will he did not want external declarative Glory being infinitely happy in himself and there could be no superior Power to constrain him And that which renders our Maker's Goodness more free and obliging is the consideration he might have created Millions of Men and left us in our Native Nothing and as I may so speak lost and buried in perpetual Darkness Now what was Gods end in Making us Certainly it was becoming his infinite Understanding that is to communicate of his own Divine Fullness and to be actively glorified by intelligent Creatures Accordingly 't is the solemn Acknowledgement of the Representative Church Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honour and power For thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they were created Who is so void of rational Sentiments Rev. 4.11 as not to acknowledge 't is our indispensable Duty Our reasonable service to offer up our selves an intire living Sacrifice to his glory What is more natural according to the Laws of uncorrupt Natures I might say and of corrupt Nature for the Heathens practised it than that Love should correspond with Love as the one descends in Benefits the other should ascend in Thankfulness As a polish'd Looking-glass of Steel strongly reverberates the Beams of the Sun shining upon it without losing a spark of light thus the understanding Soul should reflect the Affection of Love upon our blessed Maker in Reverence and Praise and Thankfulness Now Sin breaks all those Sacred Bands of Grace and Gratitude that engage us to love and obey God He is the just Lord of all our Faculties Intellectual and Sensitive and the Sinner employs them as Weapons of Unrighteousness against him He preserves us by his powerful gracious Providence which is a renewed Creation every Moment and the Goodness he uses to us the Sinner abuses against him This is the most unworthy shameful and monstrous Ingratitude This makes forgetful and unthankful Men more brutish than the dull Ox and the stupid Ass who serve those that feed them nay sinks them below the insensible part of the Creation that invariably observes the Law and order prescribed by the Creator Astonishing Degeneracy Hear O Heavens give ear O earth I have nourished and brought up Childen and they have rebelled against me was the Complaint of God himself The considerate Review of this will melt us into Tears of Confusion 2. 'T was the unvaluable goodness of God to give his Law to Man for his rule both in respect of the matter of the Law and his end in giving it 1. The matter of the Law this as is forecited from the Apostle is holy just and good It contains all things that are honest and just and pure and lovely and of good report whatsoever are vertuous and praise-worthy In obedience to it the innocence and perfection of the reasonable creature consists This I do but glance upon having been consider'd before 2. The end of giving the Law God was pleas'd upon Mans creation by an illustrious revelation to shew him his duty to write his Law in his Heart that he might not take one step out of the circle of its precepts and immediately sin and perish His gracious design was to keep Man in his love that from the obedience of the reasonable creature the divine goodness might take its rise to reward him This unfeined and excellent goodness the sinner outragiously despises for what greater contempt can be exprest against a written Law than the tearing it in pieces and trampling it underfoot And this constructively the sinner does to the Law of God which contempt extends to the gracious giver of it Rom. 7.10 Thus the Commandment that was ordain'd unto Life by sin was found unto Death 3. Sin is an extreme vilifying of Gods goodness in preferring carnal pleasures to his favour and Communion with him wherein the life the felicity the heaven of the reasonable creature consists God is infinite in all possible perfections all-sufficient to make us compleatly and eternally happy he disdains to have any competitour and requires to be supreme in our esteem and affections the reason of this is so evident by Divine and Natural light that 't is needless to spend many words about it 'T is an observation of St. Austin * Omnes Deos colendos esse sapienti Cur ergo a numero caeterorum ille rejectus est nihil restat ut dicant cur hujus Dei sacra recipere noluerint nisi quia solum se coli voluerit Aug. de Consens Evang. c. 17. That
Devotions By all which it is evident that as there have been different Opinions and Practices among all sorts of Religions in the World so the Church of God hath been subject to the same Malady And as it was from the beginning so it is now and so will it be 'till the World have an end until the Church of God be presented to Jesus Christ without spot or wrinkle or any such thing And the Causes hereof are evident 1. Our general Imperfection in this Life As the best men are imperperfect in their Holiness so are they in their Knowledge there will be Defects in our Vnderstanding as well as in our Will Some are Babes in Knowledge others are strong Men some have need of Milk being unskilful in the Word of righteousness others are of fuller Age and have their senses exercis'd to discern both good and evil Heb. 5.12 13 14. Foolish men are ready to burthen the Scriptures in Vulgar Tongues with the Differences that are found in Religion but therein they blaspheme the Holy Ghost for the Word of God is a clear Light the Cause of Mistakes is the weakness and blindness of our Eye-sight whereby we cannot all with equal clearness see into the meaning of it by reason of this our Imperfection So that it is scarce possible to prevent all Diversity of Opinions in Religion unless every pious Man had a Promise of Infallibility annexed to his Piety 2. Mens Education contributes much hereunto It is manifest how strong an Influence this hath upon all Peoples Understandings The Principles which then they imbibe be they right or wrong they generally live and dye with Few will be at the pains to examine them and few have a mind to alter them So that it is much to be doubted that if it had been the fate of many of our professed Christians to have been born and bred under the Turk or Mâ—guâ— they had both quietly and resolutely proceeded in their Religion And proportionably to be bred under Parents Masters or Tutors of a different Opinion or Practice in the true Religion must needs greatly byass such Persons towards the same and every one not having the very same Education there follows a kind of necessity of some difference in Religion 3. Mens Capacities are different Some have a greater sagacity to penetrate into things than others some have a clearer Judgment to weigh and determine of things than others some have more solid Learning by far than others and these doubtless will attain to an higher Form and Class than others can Others have neither such natural Abilities nor Time to read and think of matters so as to improve and advance their minds to the pitch of others And there are not a few who as they are duller in Apprehension so they are commonly hotter in Affection and Resolution And it is scarce possible to reduce these Persons that are so unequal in their Capacity to an Identity of Opinion And then out of the abundance of the Heart the Mouth will be apt to speak and so there will follow some Difference in the matters of Religion 4. Mens natural Tempers are different some more airy and Mercurial some more stiff and Melancholy and those Complexions do strongly and insensibly incline People to those Sentiments that are most suitable and proper to such Temperaments which being diverse yea almost contrary must of necessity when they are applied to matters of Religion breed variety of Apprehensions And the same Holy Spirit which inspired the sacred Pen-men of the Scriptures and yet therein adapts himself as is manifest to their Natural Genius cannot be expected in his Ordinary Illuminations to thwart and stifle the natural temper of all Mankind neither are those Notions which do grow upon mens Natural Constitution easily any other way altered And 5. Mens Interests are different the best of Men have something of the Old Adam in them And though the sincere Christian must and will strive against any such Temptation yet according to the strength of unmortified Corruption Men will be prone to be for this Opinion Practice or Party and against that Opinion Practice or Party that falls in or out with their Worldly Interest Not that any good Man doth wittingly calculate his Profession for his baser ends but yet they may secretly byass him especially in more minute and dubious matters belonging to Religion It is a great Question what Way or Party many Men would chuse if their present Profession were quite stript of all carnal and worldly Advantages and Considerations and that they were left to square out their Religion only with the Bible Now from these and many other Causes it sadly follows for the consequence is a matter to be bewailed there will be Differences among the People of God in Points of Religion especially in minuter matters which are but darkly describ'd and more darkly apprehended by the Sons of Men. In short that there is no more hope of perfect Unity on Earth than there is of perfect Holiness 'T is to be endeavoured but not fully attained 'till we arrive in Heaven Then we shall come in the Vnity of the Faith and of the Knowledge of the Son of God when we are grown perfect men according to the measure of the sâ—â—ture of the fulness of Christ Ephes 4.11 Propos 2. These Differences may and should be managed with Charity Not but that Vnity should by all good men be first endeavoured and to that end they should all impartially seek for Truth on which side soever it lies and this every humble diligent man shall find The Spirit of God which is promised unto his Church and which every true Believer shall have for asking will guide all such into all necessary saving Truth and all other Vnity save in the Truth is but Conspiracy Accursed is that Charity saith Luther which is preserved by the Shipwrack of Faith or Truth to which all things must give place both Charity yea on Apostle yea an Angel from Heaven If the one must be dispensed withal it is Peace and not Truth Better to have Truth without publick Peace than Peace without saving Truth So Dr. Gauden We must not sail for the Commodity of Peace beyond the Line of Truth we must break the Peace in Truths quarrel so another Learned man But this is to be understood of necessary and essential Truths in which Case that Man little consults the Will and Honour of God who will expose the Truth to obtain as saith Nazianzen the repute of an easie mildness Speciosum quidem nomen est pacis pulchra opinio Vnitatis sed quis dubitat eam solam Ecclesiae pacem esse qua Christi est saith Hilary But when as after all such endeavours have been used as are within the reach of a Mans Parts and Calling â—â—ill Differences do remain in smaller matters these ought to be managed with all Charity that is with true Love a Love of Honour and respect to those that
Fulness in God viz. his essential self-fulness which is infinite inexhaustible undiminishable and therefore incommunicable 2. A second thing we must suppose is That there is a fulness of God with which we may and therefore ought to pray and labour that we may be filled We cannot reach the original fulness but we may a borrowed derivative fulness tho' we cannot attain the fulness of the Fountain we may receive a fulness of the Vessel from that Fountain and if we cannot partake any thing of Gods Essence we may partake of his Influence we cannot be filled with the formal holiness of God for that holiness is God yet may we derive holiness from him as an efficient cause who works all things according to the counsel of his Will Eph. 1.11 The Wisdom of God there 's Principium dirigens the Will of God there 's Principium imperans and he works according to these there 's the Principium exequens His Will commands his Wisdom guides his Power executes the Decrees and Purposes of his wise Counsel and holy Will Having thus cleared the way we proceed to the direct Solution of the Question What is that fulness of God which every true Christian ought to pray and strive to be filled with For seeing we have supposed that there is a fulness of God which we cannot be filled with we must lay aside all ambitions and vain aspirings after that fulness and seeing we have supposed that there is a fulness of God wherewith we may be filled and the very Prayer of the Apostle supposes it We therefore are to take up this holy and humble ambition to be filled with it Now this Question can be no sooner proposed but our thoughts will suggest to us these two things First What is the matter of that Fulness and what is the measure of that Fulness with what of God and with how much of God ought we to pray and strive that we may be filled And therefore of necessity we must divide the Question into these two Branches First Branch of the Question What is the matter of that Fulness of God which we are to pray and strive to be filled with When we speak of Filling we conceive immediately that under that Metaphor there must be comprized these three things A Fountain from whence that Fulness is communicated A Recipient a Vessel a Cistern into which that Fulness is derived And then of something Analogous to the matter which from that Fountain is communicated and by that Vessel received Now in the Case before us This Fountain must needs be God the Author of every good and perfect Gift Jam. 1.17 Souls are the Vessel into which the Fulness is received but what we are to conceive and understand by the matter or the quasi materia with which these Vessels from that Fountain are filled is the Subject of our present Enquiry And to this branch of the main Inquiry I shall answer First more generally Secondly more particularly 1. To speak generally That which we are to pray and strive to be filled with is the Spirit of God Eph. 5.18 Be not drunk with Wine wherein is excess but be ye filled with the Spirit where first the Apostle dehorts against Intemperance we may have too much of the best outward things It 's easie to run into excess in these matters The Psalmist assures us Psal 104.15 That Wine makes glad the heart of man And the Prophet Hos 4.11 assures us too that Wine takes away the Heart It 's no more but this the Use is good the Abuse is sinful and the danger is lest from the lawfulness of the Use we slide insensibly into the Abuse Be not therefore filled with wine wherein is excess but then he exhorts too But be ye filled with the Spirit No fear of excess or Intemperance in this case when God fills the Souls of his People with his Spirit he fills them with all the Spiritual good things that their hearts can fill their Prayers with Compare but these two places Matth. 7.11 How much more shall your Father which is in Heaven give good things to them that ask him Luke 11.13 How much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him The comparing of these two Scriptures evidently proves that in praying for the Holy Spirit we pray virtually for all good things and that when God is graciously pleased to communicate his Spirit he communicates all good things when the Father gives his Son he gives all things So the Apostle has taught us to believe and argue Rom. 8 32. He that spared not his Son but delivered him up for us All how shall he not with him freely give us all things And we have equal reason to believe that he that spared his Spirit and gave him to us will in him and with him freely give us all things But these all things are to be taken in suo genere The Gift of Christ comprehends all things that are to be done for us the gift of the Spirit includes all things to be wrought in us Christ is all things for Justification the Spirit is all things for Sanctification and Consolation I shall touch at present upon some few things 1. Do you find an emptiness of Grace and do you long to have your Souls replenisht with it You go to the God of all Grace 1 Pet. 5.10 That he would give you more Faith more Love more Patience more Self-denyal more Heavenly-mindedness c. you do well but the compendious way is to pray that God would fulfil that Promise and so fill your Souls with his Spirit Zech. 12.10 I will pour out upon the House of David and Inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of Grace and Supplication First the Spirit of Grace that we may pray and then the Spirit of Prayer that we may be filled with more Grace Can we be content with a few drops when God has promised to pour out his Spirit John 7.38 He that believes in me out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water this spake he of the Spirit Can we satifie our selves that we have so much Grace as just keeps us alive when if we would pray and strive for the Spirit we might be more lively and vigorous Christians Can we be content with a Taste when God has provided a Feast Some of the Ancients who were anointed with material Oyl were anointed with the Cruise others with the Horn O let us not be satified that we have a few drops from the Cruise when God is ready to pour out his Grace more abundantly John 10.10 2. Would you answer the glorious Title of a Child of God with a more glorious and suitable Spirit that you may pray as Children walk as dear Children come to God not as Slaves but as Children and walk before God not under the resemblance of the Spirit of Bondage but with an ingenuous Liberty and Freedom as becomes the Heirs of Salvation Pray for
him actions are weighed Magistrates and Officers of all sorts have many eyes upon them more see them than they themselves see There are upon them the eyes of good men and bad of Friends and Foes of Subjects and Strangers And they have upon them one eye more than as I fear some of them think of so much as they should and that is the Eye of the great and most Holy God He sees what is done upon the Throne and at the Council-board what in the Parliament houses and what in the Courts of Judicature what Bills are drawn and what do obtain the Royal Assent what Laws are enacted and how they are executed Now that the Punishment of Vice and Suppression of prophaneness is a special part of the work and duty of their place is evident from this Rom. 13.4 He is the Minister of God an avenger to execute wrath upon him that doth evil Let the man be what and who he will let him be cloathed with what circumstances he will let him make what Figure he will if he will do evil he must suffer for the evil that he doth If men will take a lawless Liberty the Ruler must take vengeance if they will do the evil of Sin He must see to it that they suffer the evil of Punishment This is the work of his Office He is the Minister of God for this purpose being ultor irae divinae and having a vial of wrath put into his hand by the Soveraign Lord of Heaven and Earth which he is to open and pour out upon the Children of disobedience who are for their being such meritoriously filii irae the Children of wrath Thirdly Prophaneness is of that cursed Nature and Tendency that it is not to be tolerated being contrary to the Light and Law of Nature and therefore hath been condemned and punished among Heathen Nations specially such of them as have been civilized and made any improvement of those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 common Notions and Principles that had been impressed upon their Souls and took any care to demean and carry themselves according to the ducture and guidance of them How much more contrary is it to the greater and more excellent Light of Scripture and Gospel-revelation which God hath caused to so eminent a degree to shine among us and which doth so expresly and abundantly condemn and denounce the Wrath of God against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men Who can sufficiently tell how odious it is to Persons who are moraliz'd and yet more to all them who have been savingly englightned and had their blindness cured by some of Christs eye-salve And by consequence how greatly ought it to be abhorr'd and totally abandon'd in all those Places Countreys and Nations unto whom God hath sent the magnalia legis the great things of his Law and also the precious things of the Everlasting Gospel what Agreement is there what Concord between Light and Darkness between Righteousness and Unrighteousness or what Communion hath Christ with Belial Without all peradventure this is a Work of Darkness and that is not a fit imployment for them that dwell in a Land of Light In Ephes 4.18 19. The giving of themselves over unto lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness is spoken of by the Apostle as the work of those who have their understandings darkened and are alienated from the Life of God through the Ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their Hearts and altogether indecorous and unbecoming them who have learned Christ and been trained up in the Gospel-School Shall then such things be winked at allowed or countenanced in a Valley of Vision No no say I for as these are the sins so they are the ignominy and shame both of those that do them and of those that suffer them As Gospel Truths and Ordinances and the ordering of a Conversation aright in suitableness to them are as the dying Wife of Phineas said of the Ark the Glory of Israel so Immorality is it's disgrace Both these we are assured of by Solomon in one verse Prov. 14.34 Righteousness exalteth a Nation but Sin is a reproach to any People The common opinion of men is that the Exaltation of a Nation is from the prudence of it's Prince the wisdom of it's Counsellours the valour of it's Commanders and Souldiers the success of it's Armies victory over it's Enemies Forreign Domestick flourishing of Trade abundance of Riches the stateliness of it's Palaces and such like and it will easily be yielded that every one of these doth make it's Contribution but know that Righteousness alone doth more toward it than all them put together This this was it that made the faithful City Princess of the Provinces and the Land of Canaan in Israels Possession so long as Israel walked with God a Land of desire an heritage of Glory Jer. 3.19 Plato a great and excellent Heathen could say Nemo rectè honorat animam suam nisi qui vitiis fugatis justitiam colit None truly Honours his own Soul but he that bidding defiance to vice Loves and embraceth Virtue The same may as truly be said of a Nation Righteousness Religion is it's Glory and Defence But Sin is a reproach to any People Mark that any People Let a People be never so low abject contemptible Sin will make them lower yet And let a people be never so great famous and renowned Sin will be a blot in their Escutcheon It is a reproach to an Heathen People to Turks Pagans Indians but much more so to a Christian People to a people that profess themselves Protestants and reformed that call themselves the People of God O England what cause then hast thou to blush How great is thy shame O London who hast had so many of Christs Embassadors sent unto thee with the Counsels of his Will so many bright Stars of the first magnitude shining in thine Orb such Plenty and abundance of means and spiritual Mercies afforded to thee as no Nation hath had more if any so much Thou hast been exalted indeed and lifted up to Heaven like Capernaum by these precious and inestimable enjoyments and yet I fear it may be said no place hath acted at an higher rate of contrariety and desperate Opposition to the Gospel no place hath exprest a greater Enmity to Reformation and the Power of Godliness no place hath so superabounded with prophaneness in no place hath prophaneness been more impudent and daring than in thee Thy lewdness is in thy Skirts Oh how great is thy reproach Now it is unquestionably the Duty of all among us to endeavour the Honour of the Nation and to roll away this it's reproach And if there be any Magistrates higher or lower that will not heartily set both their hands to that work let them know and think of it again and again that that very thing will be to their reproach Yea fall out as much to their reproach as it was to the Honour of