take heed of sin of all sin which will blot your Evidences and make you of abject cowardly spirits so that instead of fetching comfort from approaching to God this will fill you with horrour and make you run from him as an enemy and then nothing in the whole creation can releive you But yet believingly live upon the Mediator by him to have all breaches heal'd betwixt God and your Souls and by his Spirit to have your souls healed of all their distempers Rest in nothing as an evidence of your interest in him below an earnest desire and sincere endeavour to grow up in him to bee like to him and to fulfil all the gracious precepts of his Gospel And having this evidence let no temptations or doubtings rob you of the comfort it may afford Remember that as your happiness consists in communion with God so this is not perfectly to be enjoy'd till after Death and Judgement Wherefore live alwaies chearfully apprehensive of the certainty and nearness of approaching death let your great business bee to get fitted for it and let all your main designs be so laid that they may not be blasted but accomplish't by it When once you have done this you have little more to fear at one time than another and nothing at any time For to Death you are in a manner alwaies alike liable and this is the worst that any mortal power can bring upon you onely they may make it more gainful and honourable than otherwise it would What matter is it whether we dye amongst our enemies or our friends since wee then take our leave of both Whether upon a bed or on the ground since our body will so soon bee in the earth What matter is' t whether the fire of a Feaver or of a Faggot consume us whether our souls fly out at our mouths or our throats since either way they will be alike soon with God But Scripture is most of all wont to press our looking and earnest waiting for the coming of Christ Perhaps as having less terrour in it to a Believer than death and as being the time when our fullest glory shall be accomplisht the whole Body of Christ being then brought together into the presence of their glorified Head and to a participation of his Glory And I 'le shut up all with an earnest request that you would comfort and encourage your selves with the fore-thoughts of and ardent longings after this day of the appearance of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ When ever it is with you whilst you are sailing over this Ocean as it was with Pauls company Act. 27.20 that neither Sun nor Stars in many daies appear and no small Tempest lies on you then cast forth the Anchor of Hope and wish for this day And fix not your hopes with steadiness on any day short of this or your dying day The experience we have had of the long-talkt of and by some much hop't-for 66. beside other warnings of this kind may tell us that they who build their faith upon fancie do but encrease their own troubles provoke others laughter and dangerously tempt themselves to Infidelitie Expect this coming of Christ not to the same purpose that the Jews did and still do their Messiah to make you rich and high and prosperous in the world to throw down great men that you may enter upon their places and estates a poor preferment to a true Saint but expect him to advance you above sin and Satan the world and flesh and to raise you to the clearest blessed Vision and fruition of your God Upon this promise of his coming build all your hopes lay all your stress and venture all you have If this prove false we are all undone but never till then nor then neither any worse than the rest of the world that believed it not for there 's nothing else to hold by but what we are sure will fail us and if this fail too Mankind was made to no more purpose than Boys blow up a feather But never fear it though the Worldling tells you by his practise he believes its false though the profane Swaggerer say so down-right and prove it by a jeer as the more sullen Atheist by his unreasonable cavils and wranglings yet believe none of them till you have tryed they neither are nor possibly can be sure of the contrarie whilst they are in this life and if there be no other life than this they 'l never be able to upbraid you with your weakness and errour But if there be as nothing more sure let them look to themselves Then let it be seen whether the money of scraping Earth-worms the mirth and musick the childish sports and bruitish delights of sensual Gallants the Drollerie and Sophistrie of self-conceited Infidelâ— will be as good securitie to them as your faith and holiness even that which they were wont to deride as follie proceeding from prejudice melancholly or superstition That will be the trying time when it shall be known who were wise men and who were fools when a righteous and all-knowing Judge shall justly decide the controversie Oh Sirs do you look for such a day as this such an amazing confounding day when the whole world shall be turned upside down the earth become fuel for raging flames and all its Inhabitants brought to account for their actions and receive their doom to endless joy or woe And have you any hopes of standing in such a day as this of beholding our Lord with confidence when he shall appear in all his Majesty with thousands of Angels for his Honourable Attendants when the Heavens above shall ring with the joyful acclamations of these glorious Spirits and the Saints their Companions and the Air below shall be fill'd with the yellings and roarings of Devils and damned Ghosts Do you look I say ere long to see such sights as these and to partake of the glory and joy of that great day And will you now be much concern'd for the burning of an house or City or for the busles and confusions of this dreaming world that will not till then be awakened Oh unreasonable that the Saints who shall shortly meet their Redeemer with comfort and before all the world be acquitted and applauded crown'd and receiv'd into eternal joyes should now pass their time in so much solitariness and live no more upon the hopes of such a day And oh monstrous that sinners who must shortlie be judged and shamed before all and sentenc't to the sad Societie of Devils for ever can yet spend their daies in ease and pleasure in pampering and adorning their dirty flesh overwhelm'd with gluttony and drunkenness and the cares of this life as if they were resolved never to think of their miserie till they feel it and judg'd it better to feel it than to think of it so as to prevent it But let them take their course and see where it will end But all you the unfeigned friends and followers of the blessed Jesus who shall be your Judge let it be your work to fetch comfort from that which is other mens terrour When their hearts fall for fear you must lift up your heads as knowing your Redemption draws nigh Or in S. James his words Be patient stablish your hearts for the coming of the Lord draws nigh And nearer it is drawn by sixteen hundred years since these words were wrote How near then may we now think it Though how near we cannot say yet for certain it 's not far off The eyes of them shall not fail that wait for him he will not frustrate your expectations as Sisera did his Mothers you who look forth from the prison windows of the flesh and with her cry out Why is his Chariot so long in coming Why tarry the wheels of his Chariot Confidently dare I answer you yea you may make answer to your selves Our Lord is coming to gather together and comfort all his dispersed distressed ones from the several corners of the world he is coming to give them final and full release from the heavy yoke of Turkish Popish and all other bondage and cruelty that remains till that day he is coming to trample down and overthrow all oppositions to his Government and Scepter and uterly to destroy the works of the Devil and all his Adherents he is coming to plead the cause of his righteous servants to vindicate them and the honour of Religion from all the disgraceful scandals slanders and calumnies which the wickedness of pretended Friends or the wilful malice of envenomed Enemies hath cast upon them He 's coming to make all faces and actions bare to reveal the secrets of all hearts and discover truth from falshood He is coming to the confusion and sorrow of all careless and ungodly ones rich or poor Princes or People that thought not on nor prepar'd for this time but he comes to the perfect full and everlasting Consolation of all believing souls that are praying and waiting looking and longing for this blessed day of his appearing Even so Come Lord Jesus come quickly and let him that readeth say Amen FINIS
should be stopt no sooner and both are so strange arguing a more than ordâ—â— providence that we may reasonably infer that he who said to the proud flame You shall come no farther did also say to them Hither to shall you come So that we may fuly allude to that of the Prophet Isa 66.15 The Lord is come with Fire and with his Chariots like a whirlewind to render his anger with fary and his rebukes with stâ—mes of Fire And if be granted that it was the Lord who brought this evil upon the City it will not then I hope be questioned but he hath justly done it with none I am sure but with Atheists will it be questioned For he who denies Gods Justice doth in effect deny him to be God that is a Being infinitely perfect Moreover such is Gods gracious and merciful nature that we may be assured he is not delighted in his Creatures sufferings which he never inflicts but for some just and weighty cause yea I may say which they scarce ever undergo but when they foolishly and wilfully pluck them upon their own heads Strange it is that Man to whom Self-love is a natural and inseparable property should contrive his own ruine or if you say it is not ruine that he purposely contrives yet as strange it seems that hee who is endowed with Reason whereby he is capable of knowing the nature and attending to the consequences of things should so greedily embrace the cause and will not be driven from it whil'st he hates the effect and would fain avoid it But as strange as this seems and as great a blemish as it laies upon humane nature yet most true it is and too strongly confirmed by daily sad experience Fain would men separate what the unalterable Law of the Creator hath joyned together Sin and Misery and though they know or may know that they cannot have one without 〈◊〉 other yet will they venture upon what they love the 〈◊〉 certainly attended with that which they cannot end 〈◊〉 and so most justly They eat the fruit of their own 〈◊〉 are fil'd with their own devices Thus it is in the present case with eagerness and delight have we procur'd 〈◊〉 our selves those evils which wee bitterly lament Weâ— that ran so earnestly to quench our burning houses with our own hands set them on fire We that are now in so perplext and destitute a condition have even wilfully plung'd our selves into these difficulties for in the settled course of Gods government of the world there is as great a connexion betwixt sin unrepented of and sore judgements either in this life or the next as betwixt throwing Granado's into an house and its being thereby burn't to the ground Yet mistake me not as if I thought that they who suffer most are the greatest sinners and that the City was so much more wicked than the Country as its sufferings are greater But only this I dare safely say that Sin is the great Incendiary of our Land the Traytor and Destroyer that hath done us so much mischief even the sins of all and therefore hath a Judgement besaln us wherein there are few but are concern'd either for themselves or relations or at leastwise as members of that Commonalty which suffers so greatly and those particular persons upon whom it hath faln heaviest though there may be many that have deserved as ill who perhaps fare better than they yet have they no reason to think that they have far'd worse than they deserv'd God himself directs us in our enquiries after the cause of such calamities Deut. 39.21 23 24 25. When any should ask why the Land was made like Scâ—â—me and Gomorrah Brimstone Salt and Burning the answer was to be returned because they had forsook the Covenant of the Lord God of their Fathers This Apostacy from God is the usual cause of the destruction of Kingdomes So Isa 42.24 Who gave Jacob for a spoil and Israel to the robbers Did not the Lord he against whom we have sinned for they would 〈◊〉 walk in his waies neither were they obedient unto his Law wherefore we may well say This evil is of our selves our own drings have procured all these things to us If now you ask mee What doings what sins those are which have provokt God thus speedily to repeat his â—ashes I answer They are even such as I have before made a rehearsal of and which I shall not now particularly enlarge upon but especially our continuance in and revolting to these sins as it were in despite of those remarkable Judgements which have been employ'd to turn us from them The Pride and Covetousness the Whoredomes and Drunkenness which have abounded amongst us our cruel Animosities and Divisions Uncharitableness and Oppression Contempt of God and Godliness prophanation of Lords-daies and neglect of his Ordinances and Worship such as these are the doings which have brought our miseries upon us But which is the grand aggravation of all After we had been â—â—ricken for these sins were we grieved and reformed Nay rather have we not revolted more and more Did we in our affliction acknowledge our offence and seek the face of God Did we return to him that had torn that he might real us to him that had smitten that he might binde us up Dr rather were we not like Jerusalem of whom God complains Zeph. 3. That being filthy polluted and an oppressing City she obeyed not the voice nor received correction being â—njust they knew no shame and therefore hee made their Streets waste that none post by their Cities were destroyed there was no Inhabitant Were not the fears we before mentioned of a return of all kinde of impiety too prophetical Where alas â—ould there be any thing seen amongst us after the heavy stroak of the Plague was somewhat lightned that deserved to be call'd a Reformation How few were put to a stand thereby and brought to consider and 〈◊〉 their waies Though they saw their neighbour 〈◊〉 friends cut off before them yet did they not still 〈◊〉 on in their former careless and prophane course Wâ—â—â— considerable notice was there taken of the hand of God Did not the most who out-liv'd the Plague shew 〈◊〉 their sins out-liv'd it too did they not fall in agâ—â—â— with the very same violence and unconscionable eagâ—â—ness they were wont to the pursuing of their worldâ—â— designs As if their greatest trouble was that they 〈◊〉 been so long interrupted in their gainful trading and well if the trade of sinning was even that while intemâ—â—ted Or if there were some who by the apprehension approaching death were frighted out of some grosâ— sins and into good purposes yet did they not soon turn to their old bent like streams whose course 〈◊〉 been for a while damm'd up Many it is to be fear'd who in their trouble sought God presently forgate 〈◊〉 when that was removed and forgot the promises the made to him of newness of life and better obedience in
sound knowledge faith humility zeal and every other grace and live together in mutual peace love and righteousness adorning the Gospel and glorifying their heavenly Father by such fruitful beautiful conversations But where-ever these things are less regarded â—et there be never so much empty noise of Order and Settlement upon sure and ancient foundations of a flourishing Clergy and excellent Constitutions because perhaps they all read over the same prayer or wear their Coats all of a colour yet whilst I believe the Gospel which tells us the nature and ends of this holy Society I shall never believe that to be the best ordered Church which falls so vastly short thereof even that where the Life and Power of Religion apparently decayes and ignorance Inkewarmness and prophaneness live thrive and over-run the members I think its far better to see the Physitians in times of great sickness busily running to rescue the diseased from the jaws of death though perhaps not with so much formality and orderliness as might at another time seem requisite than to have theâ— take state upon them and busie themselves in devisâ—â— and prescribing Orders about their Administrations thâ— make more for their own interest or at least for the hâ—mor of some of them than for the good of their Patients especially if they should proceed to make it 〈◊〉 Crime for those that may be as skilful and faithful 〈◊〉 themselves to endeavour the saving of their Neighboâ—â— lives except in every punctilio they comply with their humors But to do thus in matters that concern the everlasting life and death of immortal souls is such a piece of bold selfishness and uncharitableness as will scarce be well taken by him who died for them And whether there have not been such limitations and restraints 〈◊〉 upon many whose business and office it was to overtiâ—â— souls and thereby such injury done to their precious charge let any unbyast Reader who knows how affair stand amongst us determine as also if it be so whether such actions must not needs tend much to the provocation and dishonor of God being publickly owned and justified and the whole Nation involved in the Guilt 〈◊〉 far as it can concur to a single action and whether therefore the redress of this may not reasonably be thought one grand Admonition of the several calamiâ—â—â— which have of late like waves com'n riding one upon 〈◊〉 neck of another And now at length what as to this particular shall 〈◊〉 the fruit of these flames that have burnt up the Gloryâ— our Land Shall they not burn up the dishonour of 〈◊〉 too Shall not our animosities and contentions 〈◊〉 earthly carnal zeal which hath fed upon our spirits 〈◊〉 almost consumed our vitals with all our passionate 〈◊〉 flammations and heart-burnings be thrown into this 〈◊〉 never to revive and live more Oh would to God 〈◊〉 they might I should not then stick to call it a Blessed Fire which should consume and carry away so much of a worse even of Hell it self from amongst us Oh happy were we if our Dross and Tin were but thus burnt off that we might come out of the fire so well refin'd I That all our stubborn Spirits were but melted and softned into such mutual compliances as beseems Christian Brethren But alas what mortal power can produce such blessed effects What earthly instrument can bring about such an heavenly work No this is left for Omnipotence to accomplish Good Lord then let the power of thy Grace set in with thy Providences and let thy Spirit do that which neither Plague Fire nor Sword Mercies nor any Means by themselves can Even to work the Spirits of all those who call themselves thy Servants and Children into a gentle loving temper becoming that Profession and the nearness of their Relation that they may with faithfulness and resolution joyn hands in that work to which they are all engag'd and give each other what assistance and encouragement they are able for the subversion of Satans Kingdome and the carrying on those designs of mercy to Mankinde for which thou didst create and dost uphold this world and sent'st thy Son into it and keep'st thy Gospel and Ministers in it Is there any thing in this request to which all true Christians may not readily give their Amen Why then should not all who own that Name contribute their endeavours to the obtaining of that which they profess to desire How lamentable and strange a thing is this that when wee are all agreed or seem to bee so about the chief end which we ought to pursue and the principal means conducing thereto that yet we should stand at so hot and hurtful a difference about matters wherein one would think it impossible for rational Men to differ Are wee not all agreed that the honour of God and salvation of Souls ought to bee the principal end of our endeavours And that the bringing of men to know believe and obey the Gospel is the only 〈◊〉 for the attaining of this end And that the delivering explaining and inculcating upon them the truths and duties of this Gospel by a Ministry fitted for that work is the ordinary means for the begetting of Faith and Obedience And after all this shall it bee 〈◊〉 controversie whether many of those who are thâ—â— fitted and acknowledged to bee so shall bee kept off from this so needful so important a work rather than to bee dispenst with as to some such Subscriptions and practices which they that refuse dare not comply with for fear of sinning and which they that impose know they may lawfully dispense with being matter of that nature that the most zealous Assertors of them will not affirm they are of absolute necessity nor that they will countervail the loss of Souls which it 's 〈◊〉 too evident the rigid imposition of them does and will occasion Will nothing that hath yet befaln us help to clear our Judgements and settle our affections so far as to end this controversie Are not our suffering yer great enough to meeken and bow our spirits and drive us together Shall they not now at last work the same happy effect upon us in reference to these differences that Persecution and Imprisonment did upon those famous Martyrs Ridley and Hooper in a business 〈◊〉 the like nature The good man who was before so boâ— in pressings Conformity soon put off his harshness as appear'd by his loving Letter when he saw his Brother a Prisoner for the same common truth with himself They who may quarrel in the Palace are made friends in a Prison and embrace each other at a Stake And they who cannot agree so much as about wearing the same clothes are soon reconcil'd when they wear the same chain And should we be reduc't to the like case with them I am very apt to believe we should then be of the same relenting temper They who have been guilty of so much rigour would then I hope be
made our flourishing City to fall on heaps as if it would become a kind of common Tomb to its dead Inâ—abitants to serve as a Monument to Posterity who should find written upon it Here lie the fruits of sin Shall we dote upon a painted poysoned Harlot and that after the Varnish is fallen off and the poyson revealed Shall we still stroke and play with the Serpent after we have heard his hissings and felt some effects of his envenomed sting God forbid that we should be so wilful and foolish to imbrace the dart that hath murdered our friends to court the flames that have burnt our houses and will do worse than all this As then our calamities tell us to the quick that God hath observed and altogether dislik't our wayes so we see there is Mercy manifested in these Judgements whilst they tend to rouze us out of our security to convince us of the mischievous nature of sin before we feel the worst of it and afford us ground of hope that upon our conâ—iction and reformation there is yet mercy to be obtained for us If then we have any regard to our Makers pleasure or our own interest if we have any ingenuity or love to our selves let us he arken to these earnest calls of a compassionate God and speedily accept of motions for peace upon reasonable terms least our continued stubbornness should provoke him to resolve concerning us that since we accepted not nor improv'd the space he allotted us to repent in henceforward all signs and professions of Repentance shall come too late to prevent our ruine And that seems to be another Lesson which these Judgements teach us That is we contemn them and disregard God speaking to nâ—by them there is great hazard that this our incorrigibleness and strange 〈◊〉 pidity will procure our final overthrow If we reject the Scepter of Grace which hath been held forth to us 〈◊〉 can we expect but that it should be withdrawn and frightful Sword set up in its place If we are as resolve to hold fast our sins as Pharaoh was to keep the Israâ—liâ—â— our resolutions may cost us as dear as his did himâ— Though our God be long-suffering yet will he alwayâ— bear Will he never do more than gently lash us 〈◊〉 then wait to see what good his stroaks do upon us 〈◊〉 we shall still make void his expectations of our amendment will he not at length take another course with 〈◊〉 Hath not God been as it were laying siege to the heaâ—â— of this people and summoned us again and again 〈◊〉 make a surrender of our selves to him using those seâ—ral Engines that might serve to batter our hardness and prevail with us And if we still hold out against hiâ— rejecting the gracious messages he sends us slighting the Warning-pieces he hath shot off what have we to look for next but that his Murdering Canons should be planted against us That as by his last act of hoâ—â—thty he burnt one of our chief Forts so he should proceed to level all to the ground If God hath smote some of us with the Sword others with the Pestilence and â—â—verthrown some of us as he overthrew Sodom and Goâ—â—rah and yet we will not return to him may we not fear that our desolation is as near as theirs was who weâ—â— thus guilty and of whom God thus complains Amos 〈◊〉 The continuance and growth of sin under a smarting Rod adds an high degree of hainousness thereto which is usually followed with a vengeance proportionably heavy When a Nation shall solemnly bid defiance 〈◊〉 the most High and engage in a War with the Lord of Hosts fighting against him by renewed Rebellions 〈◊〉 he against them by reinfoc't Judgements we may easily know who 's like to come by the worst He hath Aâ—rows in his Quiver against which the rockiest stupâ—â— heart is but a weak defence which can shatter into pieces those who will not be foftned And he hath frequently exprest his unalterable will to conquer unreâ—enting sinners and that he will even take pleasure in â—ubduing such stout spirits whom nothing before would work upon or bring to take notice of his hand stretchâ—â—ut against them Of those who profanely cried that â—is word was but wind and that they should never see evil he â—hâ—eatens that this Word of his which they scoff'd at shold â—e fire in the mouth of his Prophets and the people should be â—ood Jer. 5.13 14. And Ezek. 5.13 Having before spoâ—en of all the sad things he would bring upon a stubborn people he adds Thus shall mine anger be accomplished and â—â—y fury rest upon them and I will be comforted and they shall â—now that I the Lord have spoken it in my zeal when I have â—ccomplished my fury in them Who can in reason expect â—hat God should alwayes maintain his creatures in beâ—ng and continue their comforts whilst they imploy â—â—eir life and all their mercies against him who gave them â—oth Would not a Prince rather impoverish and deâ—roy any part of his Dominions than let it serve only â—â—r an harbour and supply to his mortal enemies Oh â—â—at England may not hear that doleful word pronounc't â—oncerning her which Israel once did Ezek. 7.6 An end 〈◊〉 come the end is come it watcheth for thee behold it is â—â—me Let us not go on to provoke the God of heaven 〈◊〉 poure out upon us all the plagues that are threatned 〈◊〉 those whom no former means will reclaim to deâ—ee a Consumption by Sword or Famine or any the â—â—e destroyers You that have no regard to your souls â—ethinks should be more concerned for your temporal â—elfare your lives your friends your estates than daâ—ngly to hazard all for the service of some base lust which will but repay you with damnation at last besides â—â—l the hurt it does in the mean time to your selves and those about you Oh be perswaded at length to 〈◊〉 pity on the Land of your Nativity yea to take pity 〈◊〉 your selves your children and the Wives of your 〈◊〉 some How could you bear it to have these ravisht froâ— your sides and murdered before your faces or worâ—â— than murdered by ghastly famine when you should see them and feel your selves as it were kill'd by piece-meal yea when your raging hunger should make yoâ— wish for and hasten one anothers death and cause yoâ— to take away life from them to whom you gave it 〈◊〉 your bellies to become the Tombs of those who caâ—â— from your loins Ah Sirs what reflections would 〈◊〉 Have in such a doleful day as this on your former delicâ—cies and riotous excesses Would not the memory 〈◊〉 your past fulness and the abuse of it help to tear yoâ— hearts as much as present want would do your bowels And know that plenty of Gods creatures which we 〈◊〉 enjoy is not so much an argument that this evil shâ—â— never betide us as our sinful lavishing of them in gluâ—tony and drunkenness is
that it may Sin hath broâ—â—â— these and worse than all these things upon divers Kiâ—â—domes God grant it may not upon ours And therâ—fore do I mention them not to encrease the unprofitâ—â— fears of any but to stir us up all to that repentâ—â—â— which is most likely to prevent them or will be sure 〈◊〉 secure us from any considerable hurt by them But if 〈◊〉 cry only God forbid that ever such things should 〈◊〉 pen and yet take the direct way to procure them 〈◊〉 your selves only must bear the blame as well as feel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fair warning hath been given us by what we 〈◊〉 already felt and we may now conceive God saying to 〈◊〉 Go your wayes sin no more least worse things come unto 〈◊〉 And if such admonitions as these so loudly and so sâ—â—â—ly uttered shall be disregarded what greater sensless can be imagined Or what more presaging and 〈◊〉 â—ing ruine than such a senslesness and affected stupidity â—nd let none be so weak or inconsiderate as to imagine â—od â—ims not at them nor hath any controversie with â—em because they have hitherto felt litte or nothing 〈◊〉 those Judgements that have been abroad in the Land â—or let any profligate Atheists add this to the rest of their â—rational arguings against a Providence that they themâ—elves who contemn it live securely and at ease whilst â—any that believed and reverenc't it suffer under the â—veriey of its Dispensations Nor let them hence conâ—â—m themselves in practises as bruitish as these Opiniâ—â—s which were principally minted for their sakes out â—f a conceit that all danger is far from them or at least â—at they are no more obnoxious than others For to take â—â—f these dangerous mistakes it is to be considered that â—e design of these sad Providences is by no means to be sonfined to those particular persons upon whom they â—ave fallen heaviest but their Errand is to warn all shilst they strike some which is no way difficult to be â—â—prehended A Warning-Piece shot off by an Enemy â—ho hath besieged a Town though it might happily hurt â—â—me single Townsman is nevertheless directed to all 〈◊〉 Beacon when it is fired gives warning as much to the â—hole Country as to him on whose ground it stands 〈◊〉 whose wood may be imployed for that fire And may â—â—e not look upon our burning City as a kind of Beacon â—â—ndled to give notice to the whole Island that an Eâ—emy is coming against us Such an Enemy as may enâ—age us all not to take Arms but suddenly to lay them own and meet him with such humble submissions and â—arnest supplications as are wont to gain the cheapest â—nd most honourable Victory That God in his dealâ—â—gs with a Nation whose wayes are generally corruptâ—d layes his strokes upon some is but Justice even to â—hem that he treats not all thus is meer mercy that he takes these and spares others some better 〈◊〉 worse is purely from his Soveraignty and ough 〈◊〉 referr'd to his own good pleasure and therefore 〈◊〉 we have no other reason for it readily to be acquiâ—â— in Both Charity and frequently great Reason 〈◊〉 bid us to censure their crimes the greatest whose suâ—ings are so For many times we find that God 〈◊〉 singled out his faithfullest servants as marks for his 〈◊〉 est arrows of which sort of Dispensations even 〈◊〉 men sometimes but wicked men alwayes are very competent Judges But if any upon this attâ—â— should grow more indifferent to Godliness when 〈◊〉 sees it will not secure its followers nay that an eâ—nency of it doth oft as much expose its owners as heâ— doth Towers and Cedars to Storms and Lightning he therefore think it rather to be shunn'd than sought â—ter his arguing will be found as unreasonable as 〈◊〉 dangerous Alas poor blinded Sensualists you that 〈◊〉 strangers to the life and livelihood and the great 〈◊〉 cerns of Immortal Souls little know the secret hâ—â—â— transactions betwixt them and their God in that 〈◊〉 time when you may judge them forsaken of him Iâ—â— do you know how this Godliness helps to bear up 〈◊〉 hearts under the weightiest pressures and like a sâ—â— Amulet in time of Infection secures them from 〈◊〉 mischief of those evils with which you may appreâ—â— them overborn Wherefore leave them to God and Judgement and look you rather to your selves 〈◊〉 you are to learn by and how you ought to improveâ—â—â— kind of dealings even the mercy that you are spâ—â—â— when so many others are visited one way or other 〈◊〉 the greater engagement upon you to return to him 〈◊〉 deals so favourably with you and you may be suppâ—â— the fitter for this great and solemn work of Repentâ—â— in that Judgements are brought so near as may serveâ— quicken and affect you but yet stand at such a distance â—at they may not overwhelm you And lastly You may perceive that if good Men â—â—emselves undergo so much it 's time for you to look â—â—out you If Judgement begin at the house of God what â—all the end be of those who obey not the Gospel You may â—ence learn that it is not because you are better or more 〈◊〉 Gods favour than others who suffer that you seem to â—â—re better than they and it may therefore cast you into 〈◊〉 fear least your punishment be reserv'd a while beâ—â—use it shall bee laid on for ever Job 21.30 If the â—hildren be now corrected Bastards shall not alwaies 〈◊〉 unpunisht You cannot then conclude that they â—ho have drank deepest of this Cup were sinners above â—â—l that dwelt in England but this you may conclude that â—â—cept you Repent you shall all likewise perish Even temporal destruction as I have said you have â—â—ason to expect but if you take such comminations as â—ords of course which Preachers are still filling the ears 〈◊〉 their people withall no more to be regarded than â—â—e filly Predictions of Astrologers and do hereupon â—rden your selves in sin as if no danger was near know 〈◊〉 for certain that such miseries are coming upon you 〈◊〉 you shall neither know how to prevent nor ever reâ—ove from off you And that 's the last thing I shall menâ—on which these Calamities suggest to us That they who are â—â—t bettered by them nor any other means that in this life time â—â—e us'd with them shall at length be covered with confusion â—â—d lye down in those sorrows which will admit of no relief â—â—d whence there shall bee no release I cannot certainly â—â—y but you may stretch your selves upon your beds of â—sse and continue your pleasant dreams yet a while â—â—nger Perhaps you may laugh and play away the reâ—â—inder of your daies as you have done all that went â—efore you may yet have a few more merry meetings and pleasing entertainments you may be loaded 〈◊〉 riches crowned with rose-buds glutted with fleshly 〈◊〉 lights and may keep up your wonted height of pride 〈◊〉 bravery inso much that in your own esteem and