Selected quad for the lemma: city_n
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A58347
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A call and patern for true and speedy repentance being an abridgment of those many severe sermons by Thomas Reeve ... intituled God's plea for Nineveh.
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Reeve, Thomas, 1594-1672.
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1683
(1683)
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Wing R692; ESTC R33984
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87,424
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108
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in coming to that greatness Men rise by degrees and so do all other things As an Elephant as some say is two years in bringing forth an Oak is a hundred years in grouth the durable Marble lyeth many thousand years before it be hardned c. 2. Because of its long standing it had continued in that flourishing Condition for above a thousand years God that would not have us remove ancient Bounds will not be ready to deface that which is ancient Age is a Crown of Glory I might add and shew you that God would spare this great City because of the great Misery that should happen upon the fall of such a great City for what a loud shreik must be heard from the Lips of so many perishing Souls and likewise from the great Repentance that had been exprest in such a vast City Oh the Sea of Tears that had dropt from the Eyes of such numerous Penitents But I have shown you the speciousness and spaciousness of the City and this was exprest to prompt God to spare it even because it was Great should I not spare Nineveh that Great City Application 184 1. This shews God is no Enemy to Greatness I accuse not Riches but him who uses them ill I know there is a Mammon of Unrighteousness but that is when they are in the Hands of evil Possessors I know our Riches may eat our flesh like Fire but 't is when Injustice and Usurpation hath turned them into Fire-brands Sin Damns every thing to us Grace makes every thing a Blessing make good thy Tenure therefore and fear not thy Free-hold A Saint may enjoy a great Mansion a great Castle a great City Conversion is a just owner Repentance hath the lawful Demise of all copious Revenue Be Penitent and be Potent be as Nineveh and fear not thy great City forget not thy Sackcloth and thou needst not fear losing thy Scarlet Now ly upon thy Ash-heap and afterwards if thou wilt ly upon thy Bed of Down fast now and eat Delicates hereafter cry mightily now and sing joyfully at some other times forbear violence and let thy Hands be fil'd with abundance Seek the Pearl and wear Jewels the Saint is the true Land-holder upon Earth Wicked Men have Riches by Permission the Godly by Commission the one by Possession the other by Promise for is not his Covenant past and his Patent Sealed to the Righteous Sir rise then as fast as thou canst so long as fraud doth not promote thee Let thy House be stately and thy Chamber large so long as thou dost not build thy House by Unrighteousness and thy Chambers by Wrong Jer. 22.13 Serve God and thrive under so good a Master Let not thy Obedience run at a low Ebb and then let thy Prosperity rise as a Flood God will not be offended at thy greatness for he doth plead for Greatness should I not spare Nineveh a great City 2. This shews there will ever be degrees of State and Condition Every one ought to be content with his Condition every one doth not carry a Governor about him nor doth find a Ruler in his Scabbard he is not Skin'd Prince nor doth bring a Scepter out of his Cradle much less can Crown himself with the Principle of Equality In all Ages there have been and to the last there will be Orders and Degrees Yea to the Worlds end we shall see the Noble and the Ignoble the Potent and the Impotent the needy and the full c. Should I not spare Nineveh a great City 3. This doth exhort every one to be sensible of his greatness what hath God raised thee and art thou silent under such a liberal Benefactor What art thou great only in Ostentation or Haughtiness and not in Thankfulness where is thy Praise for such Preferment thy Sacrifice for such Greatness the Ox knoweth his owner and the Ass his Masters Crib but God has raised up Servants which know not their own Master and kept Pentioners that understand not the Royal hand of their gracious Prince As noble as many would seem to others yet they are base to God we are Mens humble Servants and thrice bound but we are Gods very insolent Servants and scarce once Twisted Oh what are the Tyes and Bands of Blessings Ingratitude is branded upon our Brows Brests Eyes Ears Lips and Lives where is there Promotion and Devotion Favour and Zeal joyned together No oh ye great Men ye are the great Dis-esteemers and Disparagers of Mercies a Non-Magnifying a Non-Glorifying Generation you can't see Favours at Noon-Tide nor speak of Mercies when every Corner of thy House is a Pulpit where you have Domestical Chaplains to Preach unto you Gods Blessings why are you thus Blind and Deaf would you weep for want of Mercies force not God to cry Hear O Heaven and harken O Earth as if YOU were Monsters be not too great for thy Maker say to thy self as Crysostome once said to Gaynas a Captain Bethink thy self in what poor attire thou didst once pass through Histria and how richly thou art now Apparelled so consider the simple Weed once upon your Back though now you have change of Apparel had you always such Shops such Ward-Robes such Cupbords of Plate such Jewels such Honours have you forgot your beginnings how many pieces ye were worth when ye were first Sworn Freemen O staring Eyes infatuated Brains look back search out your selves to the first year nay first change of the Moon when prosperity crept out upon you and set down every penny you received out of Gods privy Purse you are ignorant Men to imagine that your original began at your selves that your Prudence and Deligence hath advanced you say with David Who am I O Lord and what is my House that thou hast brought me hitherto 2 Sam 7.18 'T is hard to fetch Praise out of Preferment Gratitude out of Greatness c. Should I not spare Nineveh a great City 191 4. This shews what great endeavours there ought to be used in preserving this great City God doth look that the Citizens Fervour should be answerable to his â—itty Oh it is a great City and how many great Sins are to be expiated and what great Penitents must there be to preserve it Oh it is a great City and what a great Trespass offering must there be made for it Set the whole City before your Eyes and see how you had need to set the whole strength to anticipate and repel Vengeance lifting up her hand to strike Plead earnestly or the Cause is lost administer the best Physick or the Patient dyes he that doth pray but faintly teaches God to deny he that doth mediate remisly doth but prepare God to reject when I see how earnest Men are on other sometimes little Attempts and how languishing we are in matters of the greatest Concern how do I think Men have the least care of their Souls and the Church Oh that this great City had but as much Service
and sedulity bestowed upon it as a great Project or Fancy we have Brains and Arms enough for other business but for the Citys preservation we have neither Pregnancy nor Proness we think to save so great a City without laying both Shoulders to her Support or calling for the two Master-Workmen Body and Soul to do their utmost for her Preservation this great City hath not so much regard shown her as a great Beast or a great Picture Oh how tender we are of these how negligent of This we walk in the City and discern no Breaches in it gaze upon it and behold not its side cracking All Nations admire our City but we slight it and neglect it we have neither affection to her Well-fare nor compassion over her Ruin yet forty days and Nineveh shall be distroyed let it be destroyed for we wont keep it from sinking or burning who is frighted at Gods Threatnings c. when I read what great things Heathens have done to pacify the Gods I am astonished to see with how cheap Sacrifices we would procure an attonement for the City Oh the City doth look pale fetch Blood into her Cheeks by your Pity the City doth crack prop her up with your Petitions 't is sick cure her with your Conversion I have no Martial Tongue to wish you to Fight and Kill but I desire you to Plead and Pray bring forth your right Artillery the stout Hands I call for are Supplicating Hands the bright Harness I require is the compleat Armour of Righteousness not Field but Temple-Ammunition I press for no Camp but Closet-Ordnance oh that the Penitent were discharging with his Eyes and the Supplicant shooting with his Lips Oh that our hearts were edged with Repentance and our Tongues sharp pointed with Devotions the Soldiers I desire are Intercessors the Captains I long for are Advocates Oh that I could gather the Company together summon all the Trained Bands see them all stand in Battle-Array and say to God Almighty oh cast away our Sins and rinse us not in Vengeance for 't is a great City for then multitudes must feel thy Displeasure many must be soaked in ruin if thou puttest the Cup of Astonishment to our Mouths vast numbers must be drunk with this fatal Bowl Oh bring forth your strongest Shore to under-set this Building and with your whole Estate redeem this Jewel Oh Citizens where are your City Bowels City Groans City Crys Oh the great Pride Riot Lust Oppression Malice Perfidiousness Apostacy Heresy and Blasphemy of this City doth require a Catholicon and Composition of all Penitential Ingredients to purge out the several noxious humours out of this diseased Body great Sins and great Judgments do necessitate a great Repentance Broken Hearts trickling Eyes penitent Petitioners where shall feel see or hear you are ye at ease in Zion when the Gates of Zion are ready to lament Are ye asleep with Sampson when the Philistins God 's Judgments are upon you O no sigh in the Temple that you do not Sob in the Street groan in your Closet that you do not roar in the Fields wash the City in Tears that it be not washed in Blood Remember that it is a great City and in great Danger and therefore express great Humiliation if you have any Remnant of Grace any Reverence to Gods Laws any Sense of Sin any dread of an Omnipotent God consider and correct try and cleanse weep and reform God would spare if ye would but prepare for Mercy but ye must be fervent Petitioners and Solemn Converts for 't is a great City that you wish to be spared Should I not spare Nineveh that great City 196 THAT For Eminency THAT That is the Paragon and Gem of Citys Here I might have run over all the World and give you an Account of all the Famous Citys that have been therein and of all the glorious Excellencies of each of them Yet was there ever any greater than Nineveh No former times had not its like nor latter time its equal 1. Had not former times Thebes in Egypt that opened an 100 Gates Corinth that with her strong Castle built upon the Acro-Corinth was called one of the Fetters of Greece Telesine which contained in it once 16000 Families Carthage which was 21 Miles in compass Babylon which amazed Alexander to see her stately Walls her pensil Gardens which seemed to hang in the Air her artificial Groves where Trees seem'd to grow without any Earth about them her lofty Castle and miraculous kind of Bridg built over the Euphrates Rome which was built so loftily that Augustus Caesar was forced to make a Law that no Man should build above 70 foot high which was so large that it contained in it 7 Hills 37 Gates and 400 000 Men under the Cense and so full of rare Spectacles that it was accounted an earthly Bliss to see Rome in her flower As former Ages had none so neither have latter times had Citys to stand in Competition with Nineveh I confess one may read of excellent Citys in these days viz. Odia in Siam 't is said to have above 40 000 Familys Calecut in Malavar doth stretch out three Miles by the Sea-shoar Mandao is so large and so full of Provisions that it maintain'd a siege 12 years against Miramudus the great Mogul Cambria is reported to have in it 800 000 persons Nanquin hath in it besides a large number of people 10 000 Ships which are able with the Marriners that go in them to make a goodly City Quinzay honored with 12000 Bridges and a Lake in the midst of the City of thirty Miles compass with two Islands wherein are gorgeous Houses and magnificent Palaces Grand Cair as some write hath in it 18000 streets so that Selimus the great Conqueror was three days going through it and had such a number of people that they counted it nothing to lose every seven years in a great Plague 300000 persons Hispua called new Casbin which the proud Persians call half the World the compass whereof can't be rid about in less time than a whole day Musco that Wooden City hath sixteen Churches and the Princes Palace with 17 Turrets three great Bulwarks and 25000 Soldiers for a constant Guard Cambalu the Seat of the Crim Tartar who is called the Shadow of Spirits is 28 Miles in compass and hath in it a mighty confluence of Merchants in so much that 't is said There are 10 000 Carts to have come formerly every year laden with Silks from China and besides other Inhabitants 't is said to have 15000 Astrologers in it Vienna famous for beautiful Temples stately Monasteries and a magnificent Palace for their Emperors but it hath no great quantity of Ground nor multitude of Inhabitants but as the Court doth replenish it Paris 10 Miles in compass hath lofty and curious Buildings and 600 000 Citizens besides Soldiers and Scholars of which last there are a multitude by reason of their 55 Colledges Constantinople