destroyed the condition is to be understood except they repent Hezekiah shall die The condition is understood unlesse hee sue unto God by prayer for a prorogation of his life Now the condition being performed the sentence was voyde So heere Samaria shall be desolate a condition must be understood unlesse shee repent otherwise to what purpose were this exhortation O Israel returne Secondly hence we learne that God gives warning before he punish Samaria must become desolate but first the Lord must send vnto them and forewarne them by the mouth of a Prophet of that desolation exhorting them to prevent it by repentance that so they might be without all excuse He gave warning to the old world by his servant Noah a preacher of righteousnesse to Sodome by Lot to the Iewes by the Prophets that lived before the captivitie Ierem 35.15 Hee sent unto them all his servants the Prophets rising up earely and saying returne now every man from his evill way amend your works Finally hee gave warning to Ierusalem before her destruction by his owne Sonne protesting of his desire to reclayme them Ierusalem Ierusalem How often would I have gathered thy children as the Henne gathereth her chickins under her wings and yee would not Behold your habitation shal be left desolate So he gives us watning at this time of an evill to come upon us Isa 221 12. Even In this day dath the Lord God of heastes call to weeping and mourning to baldenesse and girding with sackcloth There is a threefold call to give us warning one occasionall our sinnes another reall Gods judgements already begun a third vocall the admonitions of Gods faithfull servants Gods wrath in Scripture is compared to fire and as a fire is knowne eyther by the smoake as a signe alwayes accompanying fire or by the flames breaking forth or by the relation of others So may Gods wrath now be knowne by such three things First by the great sinnes of the land as a signe or rather cause of Gods wrath and a most certaine fore-runner and fore warner of a future destruction For it is a generall rule sufficiently proved both by Scripture and experience that wheresoever sin doth raigne there Gods wrath is imminent but sinne raigneth in this land I dare say in no place more without controlment Wee have exceeded not onely Israel but also Sodome Gomorrah in all their abominations Now Ierem. 5 9. Shall I not visit for these things saith the Lord Or shall not my soule be avenged on such a nation as this Yea sure hee must visit If oppression and sactiledge If Idolatrie and want of the knowledge of God If incest and innocent bloud If briberie and extortion If neglect of the widdow and fatherlesse If oathes and perjurie If drunkenesse and gluttony If pride avarice and ambition If fraud and robbery If prophanation of the Sabboth and contempt of Gods word worship and servants Finally If all these committed commonly in everie place openly in the sight of the Sunne and safely without punishment can draw downe the judgements of God upon a nation then how shall it be possible for us to escape Thus our sinnes give us warning of Gods judgements Secondly the flames of this fire doe already breake out and these beginnings of Gods judgements give us warning of a greater destruction for when God takes a people in hand for to schoole them he will eyther mend them or end them and therefore he begins with milde chastisments but if these doe not prevaile he proceedes to sharper corrections In the 5. Chap. of Hosea vers 12. he threatneth a gentle correction I will be unto Ephraim as a Moath Hos 5.12 unto the house of Iudah as a rettennesse But this did no good they were not affected with the slow gnawing of a small moath therefore hee threatneth a heavier judgement vers 14. Hos 5.14 I will be unto Ephraim as a Lyon and as a young Lyon to the house of Iudah And Levit. 26. hee threatneth severall plagues against the transgressors of his law first sickenesse vers 16. then famine vers 19.20 after that destruction of their Cattle vers 22. and after that the sword vers 25. and lastly the pestilence ibid And after each judgement he addeth And if yee will not yet for all this obey mee but walke stubburnely against mee I will bring seven times more plagues upon you So now the Lord hath begun these yeares past to visit us with famine with death and mortalitie these are but the beginnings of evill and unlesse we repent he hath heavier judgements in store for us he will even take his three stringed whippe in his hand which will pierce our skinne were it never so thicke This is the second warning Thirdly there is yet a third by the voyce of the Prophets calling unto you that unlesse yee repent yee shall die in your sinnes We have not now Prophets immediately inspired by the holy Spirit to foretell things to come these were for the infancie of the Church now the Church being built God will have it governed by ordinary Pastors but we have Prophets for expounding of the Law that can foretell you of Gods judgements by infallible consequence out of Gods word and by application of these threatnings which they finde in the Law against impenitent sinners after this manner Who so persevere in sinnes harden their hearts against all admonitions shal be overtaken with Gods judgements but this people persevere in their sinnes c. Thus ought wee to binde your sinnes upon your consciences and if we doe not your bloud will be required at our hands Yee know what charge God gave vnto Ezechiel Sonne of man I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel Ezech. 3 17. therefore heare the word at my mouth and give them vvarning from me When I shall say unto the wicked thou shalt surely die and thou givest not him warning the same wicked man shall die in his iniquitie but his bloud will I require at thine hand But if thou warne the wicked and he turne not from his wickednesse he shall die in his iniquitie but thou hast delivered thy soule The same charge lyeth upon these whom God now hath made watchmen unto the house of Israel for Chap. 33.2 the same dutie is required from ordinarie Ministers who receive their calling from men Ezech. 33 23. If the people of the land take a man from among them and set him for their watchman if when he seeth the sword come upon the land he blow the Trumpet and vvarne the people then hee that will not be warned his bloud shall be upon his owne head c. But as in the dayes of Ieremie there were lying Prophets that prophecied peace when destruction was at hand saying Jerem. 23.11 that God would breake the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar within the space of two yeares Ierem 8.11 and so heale the burt of the people
first wee must returne from our sinnes This is expressed Isai 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his way in and the unrighteous his owne imaginations and returne unto the Lord. Let the wicked forsake his wayes there is Terminus à quo This turning from sinne is called Mortification and it contaynes five things First a sense and sorrow for sinne Secondly a hatred and detestation of sinne Thirdly a purpose in minde to leave sinne Fourthly an inclination in will to doe the same Fiftly an indeavour in life and conversation to forsake sinne altogether This must hee doe that will returne unto the Lord First hee must bee cast downe with a deepe sight and sense of his sinne Psalm 38.18 saying with David I agnize my sinne Psal 119.128 and am sorry for mine iniquite He must hate and abhorre sinne as the greatest evill in the world saying with the same Prophet Doe I not hate everie evill vvay He must resolve with himselfe never to commit any sinne This must bee also the desire of his heart and the indeavour of his whole life Otherwise hee cannot returne unto the Lord for God will not take a wicked man by the hand nor have fellowship with the throne of iniquitie Againe To whom must wee turne To the Lord according to that Ierem. 4.1 O Israel if thou returne returne unto me saith the Lord not to any other not to my Angels not to my Saints not to my Martyres not to my Mother but to my owne selfe In the 7. Chap vers 16. this people is accused that They did returne but not to the most high They had some beginning of repentance but it fayled by the way and brought them not so farre as home to the Lord. They were like a deceitfull bow for after all their aymes and offers of turning to the Lord they started back and returned not to the Lord but to their Idols they returned to their sinnes as a Dogge to his vomite It is not enough then to cease from sinne but withall wee must turne unto the Lord that is wee must turne our hearts upward to heaven setting our affections on things that are above wee must fixe our eye upon God and make towards him with the foote walking in the way of his Commandements that all men may see that wee are not of this world but that our conversation is in heaven This turning to the Lord is called a rising to newnesse of life and it hath three parts First a resolution in the minde Secondly a lust in the will Thirdly an indeavour in life and conversation to obey God Iosh 24.15 Psal 119.106 Every man ought to resolve as Ioshua I and myne house will serve the Lord. And as David I have sworne and I will performe it Aeh 13 1â— Act 11 2â— that I will keepe thy righteous judgements This must bee his desire also as it was Pauls hee desired to live honestly Hereunto Barnabas exhorted the Antiochians that with their heart they would cleave unto the Lord. And finally hereunto must wee indeavour our selves throughout the whole course of our life So did the blessed Apostle Act. 24.16 Psal 119.6 Herein I indeavour my selfe to have alway a cleare conscience towards God and towards Men. And David I have a respect to all thy commandements Whosoever hath these is turned from sinne unto the Lord. The manner how wee must returne Ioel 2.12 is expressed by the Prophet Ioel. Turne unto me with all your heart and with fasting weeping and mourning Whence yee may observe foure properties of our conversion First wee must turne with the heart therefore our conversion must be voluntarie there is a reformation which is not voluntarie but rather against the will when a man turnes not from sinne but sinne turnes from him because eyther hee cannot practise it for want of strength or dare not for feare of punishment Such a man may seeme to turne from sinne but it is not with his heart Wee must turne with the heart even so willingly that it be our chiefe delight to use all meanes for to set forward this worke for nothing is done well but that which is done with the will Secondly wee must turne not onely with our heart but with all our heart therefore our conversion must be sincere for as in Scripture the Phrases of a double heart 1 Chron. 12.33 a devided heart Hos 10.2 A heart and a heart Psal 12. a are used to signifie hypocrisie So this phrase With all the heart doth signifie sinceritie Then wee must turne unto the Lord with all our heart that is to say sincerly and not for shew onely wee must draw neere unto God not onely with the lips Psalm 51.6 but with the heart also for Hee loveth trueth in the inward affections In this sense it is said of David that hee followed God with all his heart 1. King 14.8 And of Iosiah that Hee turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soule and with all his might 2. King 23.25 And of the people in the time of King Asa that the oath which they made before the Lord was With all their heart 2. Chron. 15.15 But Ierem. 3.10 The Lord accuseth his people for want of this sinceritie Her rebellious sister Iudah hath not returned unto me with her whole heart but faynedly Thirdly wee must turne with all our heart therefore our conversion must be a thorow change of the whole man of the whole life though it be imperfect in degrees yet it must be perfect in regard of parts Wee must not halt betweene God and Baal Wee cannot serve both God and Mammon God will not be content with a part of the heart he will eyther have all or none It is said of Iehu that he did not walke in the Law of the Lord with his whole heart for why Albeit hee obeyed God in some things cutting off the house of Achab Yet hee departed not from the sinne of Ieroboam 2. King 10.31 And so there be many that give but the halfe turne like to Agrippa who was not altogether but almost perswaded to become a Christian. Some turning their wordes not their deeds as our verball professors And others againe turning from many sinnes and yet with Herod remaine unturned from one speciall beloved sinne These be but false turnings our conversion must bee a thorow change wee must turne with all our hearts Finally wee must turne not onely with all our hearts but also with fasting weeping and mourning therefore our conversion must not be inward onely but it must bee expressed outwardly in these things wherein consists the practise of humiliation namely fasting c. And that especially in the time of any great affliction such as this was when the Prophet Ioel had foretold the people of the comming of the Chaldeans Esther when shee heard of the intended destruction of the Iewes appointed a fast Esth. 4 10. Nehem. 1.4 2. Chrâ—n 20 3 2. Sam.
vaine for God doth not regenerate us by sudden enthusiasmes but by ordinary meanes and these exhortations are the meanes without which ordinarily no man is or can bee converted Wee are begotten by the word of trueth Iam. 1.18 Through the Gospell 1. Cor. 4.15 Of the incorruptible seede of the word 1. Pet. 1.23 Now no man will say that it is in vaine to use ordinarie meanes as to take meate for to nourish our bodies Physicke to recover our health to cast seede in the ground for to bring foorth fruite though the event bee not in our power but in Gods hands So neyther can these exhortations to repentance be in vaine though it bee not in our power to returne unto the Lord. Thirdly these exhortations serve to humble us with a sight of our owne inabilitie and also to direct us what things wee are to aske of God by prayer according to that of S. Augustine Deus jubet aliqua De gratia 〈◊〉 arbit cap. 16. quae non possumus ut noverimus quid ab illo petere debeamus God commaunds us some things which are not in our power that wee might know what things wee have to aske of him by prayer For when I heare that I am commaunded to returne unto the Lord and yet looking upon mine owne strength I finde no such power in my selfe this must make mee goe out of my selfe and flie unto the throne of Grace crying with the Spouse of CHRIST Draw mee and I will runne after thee Cant. 1.3 and with Ephraim Convert mee and I shal be converted Ierem. 2â—,18 Psalm 51 13. and with David create in me a cleane heart and with the Disciples Lord increase our faith S. August and with that holy Father Domine da quod jubes jube quod vis Give mee a power to doe that which thou commaunds and then commaund mee to doe what thou wilt Finally this precept is given unto us because there is something in our power to doe we can use the meanes as goe to Church and heare the word Besides after that God in the first moment of our uprising hath revived the heart and given life to the dead will then acti agimus Wee are no longer passive but coworkers with God Ierem. 31.19 After I was converted I repented saith Ephraim Hence as our conversion is ascribed to God as the first and sole Author so it is ascribed to our selves as instruments of God apprehending his grace and working forward with it God is said to give faith and wee are said to beleeve God is said to give repentance and wee are said to repent God is said to turne us and wee are said to turne unto the Lord. From the exhortation I come to the arguments Indeede there is not a word in all the exhortation but it contaynes in it an argument to invite them to repentance First O Israel Thou that art Gods owne people What shame is it for thee to turne thy backe upon God Secondly Returne thou hast gone astray therefore come backe againe into the right way Thirdly unto the Lord hee is IEHOVAH the fountaine of all goodnesse that hath right unto thee by creation by redemption by covenant by many other obligations therefore returne unto him Fourthly he is thy God and therefore if thou wilt returne unto him hee will receive thee Fiftly Thou hast fallen by thine iniquitie therefore continue no longer in that course which hath procured thy fall least thou perish but returne unto the Lord that he may rayse thee up But the two last are the chiefe motives one whereof is taken from Gods mercie hee is thy God another from their owne miscrie Thou hast fallen by thine iniquitie First hee is thy God thine by creation thine by redemption thine by adoption thine by contract and covenant for this is the covenant which hee made with Abraham thy father I will bee a God unto thee Genes 7.7 and to thy seede after thee Therefore thou may assure thy selfe thy sinne is pardonable if thou wilt returne unto him hee will imbrace thee in the armes of his mercie Hence obserue that the exhortations to repentance in Scripture are founded commonly upon the mercie of God as Isai Chap. 55.7 Let the wicked for sake his way and the unrighteous his owne imaginations and returne unto the Lord and he will have mercie upon him and to our God for hee will abundantly pardon In the Latin it is Multus ad ignoscendum Whereupon saith Bernard In hoc multo nihil deest ubi est omnipotens misericordia misericors omnipotentia Hee can pardon for his mercie is omnipotent and hee will pardon for his omnipotencie is mercifull Hos 6.1 Come say the repenting Israelits let us returne unto the Lord for hee hath torne and hee will heale us hee hath smitten and hee will bind us up Ioel 2.13 Turne unto the Lord your God for he is gracious and mercifull slow to anger and of great kindenesse and repenteth him of the evill And Ierem. 3. There bee many the like exhortations all upon this ground vers 12. Thou disobedient Israel returne and I will not let my wrath fall upon you for I am mercifull and will not alway keepe mine anger Againe vers 14. O yee disobedient Children turne againe for I am your Lord. And after vers 22. O yee disobedient children returne and I will heale your rebellions This is the argument used by the preacher of repentance Matâ—h 35 Repent for the kingdome of heaven is at hand in which CHRIST is readie to dispense mercie and forgivenesse to the repenting sinner So here O Israel returne unto the Lord for he is thy God not hee is a great or a just or a wise or a powerfull God but hee is thy God grounding his exhortation upon Gods mercie The reason is because a sinner apprehending nothing but rigour and severitie in God will never come in and submit himselfe Psalm 130.4 No There is mercie with thee O Lord that thou mayst bee feared It is not the consideration of Gods greatnesse nor of his power nor of his justice nor of his wisedome that can make the heart of a sinner relent toward him but it is the consideration of his mercie when looking upon the mercy of God and merits of CHRIST I get some hope and inckling of pardon then will I come in creeping and crouching before God as the Syrians to Achab with ropes about their neckes because they had heard that the Kings of Israel were mercifull The thundering out of the threatnings and judgements of the Law will awake a secure heart but nothing will affect a mans minde and even melt his soule to make him returne unto the Lord but the due knowledge and consideration of the unspeakeable riches of Gods mercie The remembrance of his fathers house made the heart of the prodigall to relent So will the consideration of Gods mercies worke upon our heart if once our hearts
Saul Ierobeam Achaz of whom it is said that in the time of his tribulation hee did yet trespasse more against the Lord. But whensoever afflictions doe drive a man to repentance it is not properly of themselves that they produce so good an effect but by accident as they are so disposed by the infinite wisedome power and goodnesse of God to whom onely it is proper to worke by contraries hee brings light out of darkenesse good out of evill by sinne hee condemned sinne by death hee destroyed death by the foolishnesse of preaching hee makes us wise hee casts us downe that hee may rayse us up hee workes joy out of feare heaven out of hell and by the Crosse which naturally doth banish a man from God hee makes us returne to him hee causeth this birth and fruite of sinne to kill the mother that brought it forth this temporarie punishment to become a fatherly chastisment whereby wee are preserved from the everlasting punishment of hels fire these testimonies of his wrath to become signes of his love and seales of his adoption and these curses of the Law and flashes of hell to become Evangelicall blessings and an ordinarie way whereby wee may travell toward his heavenly kingdome And therefore afflictions are fitly compared to the fire which purifieth the gold and consumeth the straw and to the winde which purgeth the Wheate and bloweth away the Chaffe and finally to the red Sea which was to the Israelites a way to the Egiptians a grave Now since afflictions produce so divers effects wee must labour to have our afflictions so sanctified as that wee may bee bettered by them To this effect First when wee are under anie Crosse wee must labour after tender hearts that wee may bee affected with griefe and paine for there is not a greater enemie to our profitting by afflictions then that senselesse indolencie Ierem. 5 â— whereby men are not affected with Gods judgements like those Israelites of whom the Prophet saith Thou hast stricken them but they have not sorrowed For when afflictions being added to our sinnes as a double waight cannot bruse our hearts and presse out of them sighes and groanes it is not likely that sinne alone will worke in them sorrow and remorse but on the other part if wee bee sensible of our afflictions then this worldly sorrow will make way for godly sorrow as a Needle doth for the threade Secondly let us remember that all the afflictions which doe befall us come from God This is another lett that hindereth many from profitting by afflictions even their blindnesse whereby they ascribe all their calamities wholy to secondarie causes and inferior meanes Amos 3 6 and never looke up to the hand of God striking them which is the chiefe cause for there is no evill in the Citie which the Lord hath not done Thirdly let us looke backe into our former courses and see what wee have done against God for hee would not strike us without a cause by this examination wee will come to a sight and sense of our sinnes wee will finde that wee have gone astray from God and have fallen because of our iniquitie Finally with the sense of our sinnes let us strive to get a sight of Gods mercie revealed in the Gospell remembring that hee is our God so will we desire to returne to him But the Prophet would not onely make them sensible of their fall but also of their sinne therefore he illustrates this argument from the cause Thou hast fallen by thine iniquitie or because of thine iniquity Here observe That iniquitie procures a fall so that if wee have fallen then we have committed iniquitie if we commit iniquitie wee shall assuredly fall I say If wee have fallen we may accuse our iniquities which is the deserving cause of all our afflictions The Apostle tels us Rom 5 12 that by sinne death entred into the world and if it had not beene for sinne death whereby wee are to understand every thing that is penall and huttfull to the creature could never have found an entrie Rom 3 39 So the Church in the Lamentations Wherefore is the living man sorrowfull Psalm 107 17 Man suffereth for his sinne And the Psalmist Fooles by reason of their transgressions and because of their iniquities are afflicted Prouerb 13 21 Salomon maketh affliction to bee as it were the shadow of sinne which doth alway attend it Affliction followeth sinners Proverb 22 8 and as our fals convince us to have committed iniquitie so our iniquities forewarne us of a fall For he that soweth iniquitie shall reape affliction This doctrine is sufficiently proved by Scripture reason and experience God threatened Adam that at what time hee did eate of the forbidden Tree hee should die Everie sinne unto man is the forbidden Tree if wee meddle with it wee shall finde no better fruite upon it then Adam found the bitter fruite of death growes upon the pleasant Tree of sinne It is the sentence of the law Rom 6 23 Cursed is everie man that abideth not in all things that are written in the booke of the Law Iam 1 18. This is confirmed by the Apostle Paul saying The reward of sinne is death And Iames Sinne when it is finished bringeth forth death Hee saith not that every sinne bringeth foorth death but onely sinne when it is finished or perfected that is come to an height for God in his mercie forgiveth sinnes not finished or at least hee tolerateth them till they come to perfection that the sinner may bee without all excuse but in his justice hee judgeth and condemneth sinnes consummate by hardnesse of heart and impenitencie as hee sheweth himselfe Amos 1.3 For three transgressions of Damascus and for foure I will not turne away the punishment thereof c. As if hee had said if Damascus had sinned onely once in persecuting of my Church I would turne away my judgments but they have sinned often To three bee sensible of our afflictions then this worldly sorrow will make way for godly sorrow as a Needle doth for the threade Secondly let us remember that all the afflictions which doe befall us come from God This is another lett that hindereth many from profitting by afflictions even their blindnesse whereby they ascribe all their calamities wholy to secondarie causes and inferior meanes Amos. 3 6 and never looke up to the hand of God striking them which is the chiefe cause for there is no evill in the Citie which the Lord hath not done Thirdly let us looke backe into our former courses and see what wee have done against God for hee would not strike us without a cause by this examination wee will come to a sight and sense of our sinnes wee will finde that wee have gone astray from God and have fallen because of our iniquitie Finally with the sense of our sinnes let us strive to get a fight of Gods mercie revealed in the Gospell
remembring that hee is our God so will we desire to returne to him But the Prophet would not onely make them sensible of their fall but also of their sinne therefore he illustrates this argument from the cause Thou hast fallen by thine iniquitie or because of thine iniquity Here observe That iniquitie procures a fall so that if wee have fallen then we have committed iniquitie if we commit iniquitie wee shall assuredly fall I say If wee have fallen we may accuse our iniquities which is the deserving cause of all our afflictionss The Apostle tels us Rom 5 12 that by sinne death entred into the world and if it had not beene for sinne death whereby wee are to understand every thing that is penall and huttfull to the creature could never have found an entrie Lam 1 39 So the Church in the Lamentations Wherefore is the living man sorrowfull Psalm 107 17 Man suffereth for his sinne And the Psalmist Fooles by reason of their transgressions and because of their iniquities are afflicted Prouerb 13 21 Salomon maketh affliction to bee as it were the shadow of sinne which doth alway attend it Affliction followeth sinners Proverb 22 8 and as our fals convince us to have committed iniquitie so our iniquities forewarne us of a fall For he that soweth iniquitie shall reape affliction This doctrine is sufficiently proved by Scripture reason and experience God threatened Adam that at what time hee did eate of the forbidden Tree hee should die Everie sinne unto man is the forbidden Tree if wee meddle with it wee shall finde no better fruite upon it then Adam found the bitter fruite of death growes upon the pleasant Tree of sinne It is the sentence of the law Rom 6 23. Cursed is everie man that abideth not in all things that are written in the booke of the Law Iam 1 1◠This is confirmed by the Apostle Paul saying The reward of sinne is death And Iames Sinne when it is finished bringeth forth death Hee saith not that every sinne bringeth foorth death but onely sinne when it is finished or perfected that is come to an height for God in his mercie forgiveth sinnes not finished or at least hee tolerateth them till they come to perfection that the sinner may bee without all excuse but in his justice hee judgeth and condemneth sinnes consummate by hardnesse of heart and impenitencie as hee sheweth himselfe Amos 1.3 For three transgressions of Damascus and for foure I will not turne away the punishment thereof c. As if hee had said if Damascus had sinned onely once in persecuting of my Church I would turne away my judgments but they have sinned often To three transgressions they have added foure they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of Iron and for so many transgressions I will not turne away their punishment Againe of sinne finished it is not said that it deserveth death which is common to all sinne but that it bringeth forth death where the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth to bee delivered of that which hath beene conceived So that sinne when once it commeth to perfection is with childe of death and must needes bee delivered When Gods patience is abused it will become futie when the cup of Gods wrath is full it must of necessitie runne over when the measure of our iniquities is fulfilled then must God powre forth the vials of his wrath Psalm 5 5 And great reason there is why it must bee so if wee consider the justice of God the nature of sinne and the trueth of Gods threatning The justice of God is such that hee hateth sinne 2 Thes 2 6 and therefore will hee punish it The foolish shall not stand in thy sight saith David for thou hatest all them that worke iniquitie reasoning from the nature of God Rom 2 32 God hateth iniquitie therefore hee will punish it And the Apostle It is a just thing with God Genes 18 20 to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you This is the justice of God which even the Gentils knew that they who commit such things are worthie of death Againe the nature of sinne is to crie The cry of Sodome is great It crieth citing us before the Tribunall of God as guiltie of lease Majestie it cryeth unto the heavens for vengeance provoking God to revenge and not suffering him to rest in heaven till hee hath inflicted punishment Finally Gods truth is such that none of his threatenings can fall to the ground but hee hath threatened a fall to iniquitie and according to his threatening hath hee executed his wrath upon impenitent sinners When the earth was filled with violence Genes 6 13 then God sent the floud upon the olde world When the crie of Sodome waxed great before God then sent hee Angels to destroy it Genes 19 15. Gen. 15.16 1. King 21 20. When the iniquitie of the Amorites was full then were they cast forth When Achab sold himselfe to worke evill in the sight of the Lord then did the Lord bring evill upon him When Ierusalem filled up the measure of their fathers Math 23 32 then they could not escape the damnation of hell When the sinnes of Babell are come to that height Revel 18 5. that they reach unto the heaven then will the Lord remember her iniquities Goe and enquire what is become of those famous Churches planted by the Apostles of Corinth Ephesus Galatia c. Are they not fallen by their iniquitie What is become of Gods owne people the Iewes They are fallen and that by their iniquitie as the Lord himselfe declareth Isaiah 50.1 Jerem. 49. 12. Behold for your iniquities are yee sold and because of your transgressions is your Mother forsaken Now if God spared not them How will hee spare us I may say unto you as the Lord doth to Idumea Behold they whose judgement was not to drinke of the cup that is they that were mine owne people and had not so much deserved punishment as thou have assuredly drunken and art thou hee that shall goe unpunished thou shalt not goe unpunished but thou shalt surely drinke of it If once our iniquities are come to the height then wee shall fall as they have fallen Now sinnes of a Nation are finished and come to the height when they are generall when they are not punished and when they are persevered in men continuing in their sinnes without repentance First I say when they are generall for so long as there bee onely some wicked men in a kingdome their sinnes are personall and cannot bring the judgements of God upon the whole land for tenne righteous men God would have spared Sodome Genes 6.12 but if sinne become generall That all flesh hath corrupted his way upon the earth Genes 19.4 then will the deluge bee universall likewise If all the men of Sodome from the young to the old even all the people from all quarters