Secondly freedome from all other persons and it is the freedom of both parties frō any other for if any man take a woman who is either espoused or wedded to another man is it not plaine that he takes his neighbours wife and therefore in shew liues in marriage but indeed liues in adulterie The Lord would haue men and women enter into matrimonie as it were leasurely and with deliberation and for this cause it is his ordinance that the couenant should bee perfected betwixt them in two degrees the one is Espousall or betrothment which they call Making sure and is nothing else but a giuing the right of each others bodies by a solemne and serious promise of marriage hereafter to be consummated the other is Wedding called also by the name of Marriage and is nothing but a giuing of the possession of each others bodies by a solemne and serious promise to liue together during life Now the Scripture in the two and twentieth Chapter of Deuteronomie Deut. 22.22 23 24. doth as well call the betrothed woman a wife of him that betrothed her as the wedded woman of him that wedded her and doth appoint a betrothed maide to die for violating her espousals by lying with another man afterwards as well as the wedded wife for violating wedlocke so it is manifest that if any man or woman haue betrothed him or her selfe to any one person it is become now vtterly vnlawful for them to marrie with any other person vnlesse the contract be lawfully dissolued by the falling out or reuealing of some thing after the contract which may disanull it as Ioseph supposing Marie to haue been with child by some other before his espousing her now that he found her to be big-bellyed resolued to put her away And it is much more manifest that he or she which haue been married to another person are bound by the Law so long as such person liueth so that if they marrie any other they shal commit adulterie as the Apostle tels vs in expresse termes But thirdly Rom. 17.2.3 Identitie of Religion no man or woman of the true Religion may lawfully marrie together with those of a false 1. Cor. 7. last as Christians with Turkes or Pagans as Paul also telleth the woman whose husband is dead that she is at libertie to marrie whom shee will but onely in the Lord and she marries not in the Lord if she marrie one that is not of the true Religion of our Lord. 2. Cor. 6.14 Yea Saint Paul doth absolutely forbid the being vnequally yoked with Infidels asking What communion the Temple of God can haue with Idols Which prohibition if it bee not to be vnderstood onely of being yoked with them in matrimonie yet at least as a generall must include that particular and principally that as being the principall yoking together that is It is not good plowing with an Oxe and an Asse as also the Law did typically forewarne And these things are required in regard of the persons contracting matrimonie It is further necessarie Secondly that if they haue Pa rems they haue Parents consent that such single persons as haue Parents and are vnder their tution be matched together by their consent A sonne or daughter honour not their Parents if they presume to match themselues without the priuitie or good liking of their Parents vnlesse their Parents forfeie this part of their authoritie by abusing it in not suffering them to marrie in the Lord but offering to force them marrie against the will of God or else to abide vnmarried No gift of any thing is good vnlesse all those persons that are interessed into the thing giuen doe giue their consent as reason doth euince for no man can passe away anothers right without his liking Now the father hath interest into his child as into his goods for God allowed that the children also should bee sold to pay his debts which had been a most vniust thing if the Parents had not had as much interest into them as to any other part of their substance Therefore marriage being a contract of giuing and receiuing the childs giuing of himselfe mee thinks should be of small force without the Parents good will who haue so chiefe a right into him Surely those whom God hath not ioyned are not lawfully ioyned Now God ioyneth men alone two wayes either mediately or immediately Immediately hee ioyneth not any in our times therefore if they be not by him ioyned mediately they bee either vnioyned or ill ioyned Now vnlesse their Parents giue consent they cannot bee said to bee ioyned by God mediately for why when God hath put any person as it were in his roome as his assignes to doelany thing it is not done by him vnlesse that person doe it whom he hath so authorized And the Scripture doth manifestly giue this power to Parents when it saith to them Giue your daughters to sonnes and take daughters for your sonnes And againe You shall not giue your sonnes to their daughters nor take their daughters to your sonnes Therefore me thinkes it followes vndeniably that whom the Parents ioyne not God doth not ioyne and so their marriage is sinfull and their liuing together very filthinesse and vncleannesse vntill by submission they haue procured an after-consent to ratifie that which ought not to haue been done before the consent And these bee the things which vnmarried men and women must principally looke vnto all which we summe vp in this briefe manner A man or woman with the consent of Parents if there be any aliue marrying a free person of the same true Religion not touching him or her in too neere degrees of kindred or assinitie marrieth lawfully and may say as Paul I haue married and not sinned Thus the vnmarried haue heard their instructions CHAP. VII Containing a third vse to them that are married Vse 3 WE must say something also to those that are alreadie married To the married whom it behoueth sowel to informe themselues by this and other Scriptures of the lawfulnesse of their society that they may both holily and with good conscience enioy this ordinance and also fence themselues so much the more strongly against all wandring and inordinate desires All creatures must bee sanctified to the vsers by the Word of God and by Prayer and how sinlesse soeuer any thing is in it selfe yet doth hee sinfully abuse it that careth not in this sort to sanctifie it Now that is sanctified to a man by the word whereof his conscience is truly informed by the testimony of the Scriptures that it is warrantable welpleasing vnto God so that he can doe it with an heart resting it selfe in this assurance that God is not offended the rewith And by prayer that is sanctified for the vsing of which a man doth humbly beg the fauourable and gracious leaue of the Lord that he may not by his sinnes be excluded the comfort of Gods benefits but through the grace of
helping hand to the dispatching of one that hath so many wayes deserued death Sinne is a thiefe for it robs God of his honour and glorie It is a traytor for it striues to thrust God from his regall authoritie and dominion A murtherer for it slew Christ Iesus our elder brother and seekes to slay our owne soules for these be the lusts that fight against our soules as Peter tels vs. What can bee more equall then that wee striue to destroy vtterly and to roote out and make a cleane riddance of so vile a thing as this 3. And for our selues doth not equitie require that a man should faithfully keepe all good and lawfull promises and couenants Now we haue couenanted with God in our Baptisme We haue vowed to forsake sinne to fight against the deuill and all sinfull lusts In that Sacrament we did bind our selues as by a solemne military oath to bee the souldiers of Iesus Christ and to fight vnder his Banner against the Deuill the World and the Flesh Shall we become foresworne periured persons as it were souldiers forsaking their Colors casting down their weapons and running away from their Captaine God forbid Doe we not often renew in the Lords Supper the Couenant wee made in Baptisme It is certainely one part of the dutie whereto we tie ourselues in that holy Sacrament to seeke the death of sinne in vs that procured the death of Christ for vs. Seeing we haue often reiterated our Couenant of God of fighting against these lusts let vs be ashamed to be found breakers of so many and so iust promises Seeing we haue taken Christs liuerie vpon vs and haue giuen our names to him to be souldiers in his Campe it is most fit and equall that we should be true and valiant souldiers manfully resisting his and our enemies the greatest and principallest of which wee know to bee these members vpon earth Let vs therefore arme our selues to this battell and make no peace with the things with which God will neuer bee at peace and abhorre to shew our selues either perfidious and false or timorous and faint-hearted souldiers 4. Last of all let vs consider what sinne is Sinne is an vnreasonable thing and we shall find it most righteous to subdue and destroy it Sinne is a most vile and absurd thing contrarie to all right and to all true reason alluring vs to it selfe with none but false vaine and counterfeit enticements nothing therefore can bee more equall then that a thing so most vnequall be resisted and striuen against with vtter dislike Sinne doth a man no good at all but much harme and mischiese it is like a disease good for nothing but to vexe and torment him in whom it breedeth It allureth vs with shews of profit pleasure credit ease and the like but it is a meere coozener and deceiuer and euermore beguileth vs in the end and we shall vtterly misse of our hopes if we trust to its offers and follow its allurements It will bring vs losse in stead of profit euen the losse of an heauenly Kingdome It will reward vs with torment in stead of pleasure euen with the torment of eternall fire It will requite vs with shame in stead of credit euen with euerlasting reproach and confusion in stead of ease it will procure anguish for tribulation and anguish shall for euer lye vpon the soule of euerie one that worketh wickednesse vpon the Iew first and also vpon the Gentile Can any thing bee thought more equall then that so egregious a coozener so errand a lyer so false a companion that is made all of lyes guile fraud and imposture should bee euen apprehended and hanged vp out of the way as we vse to speake that it may beguile vs no longer CHAP. V. Shewing the certaintie of good successe in fighting against our lusts BVt let vs hasten to an end Fourthly from the certaintie of good successe and consider in the last place what successe we shall bee sure to meete with in this fight if wee arme our selues with a constant resolution to continue fighting and neuer for any feare or any cause to giue ouer We shall lose nothing by mortifying the flesh First we shall lose nothing at all that is worth hauing A man may enioy all lawfull conents profits and pleasures and whatsoeuer is truly needfull to the comfort and welfare of his body mind and state though he follow Gods direction and mortifie these members that are vpon the earth and nothing shall we get by following feeding and nourishing them but that which for the present is idle vaine needlesse superfluous and might better be spared then had and for the time to come also will prooue mischieuous and banefull A man may see well enough without that eye that Christ bids him pull out and cast from him he may well enough walke and liue and performe all actions of life for his benefit without that foote and hand which our Lord doth bid vs to cut off and fling from vs. If it seeme to bring blindnesse lamenesse and maimednesse it is but a conceited and imaginarie lamenesse blindnes and maimednesse that appeareth so to vs and is not as he that is borne a monster with sixe fingers might very well cut off one and yet still haue a perfect hand and better for vse then that that had such superfluitie of members Adam and Euah might haue filled their bellies in Paradise though they had neuer come neere to the tree of Knowledge of Good and Euill God had prouided them store of fruit to please their eye and taste and feed their bodies though they had vtterly forborne that forbidden fruit So doth the Lord allow to the sonnes of Adam sufficient store and varietie of lawfull and warrantable things to enioy so that wee may haue as much good as our soules can wish though we cast from vs all sinfull lusts and refuse to follow the inclinations of them The inordinate affections of our soule are like the vnnaturall desires of the stomake when it longeth for things that are sowre and naught and vnwholesome as it were for raw flesh vnripe fruite or things farre worse then these There is wholesome and necessary food enough in he world though a man should neuer eate dirt and coles as some haue longed after So wee can bee no losers by healing our selues of these diseases of the mind which carry vs after nothing that is worth the hauing if wee did measure things by a well-ordered iudgement 2. But moreouer God will accept our labor to mortifie sinne we shal be sure to find acceptance with God in this our endeauour of mortification though we come farre short of perfection so long as wee doe heartily and sincerely striue to perfection Hee that fights resolutely against sinne with spirituall weapons shall bee accounted a good souldier though he be wounded in the battell and knocked downe and taken prisoner and the Lord will redeeme and ransome him
againe and not suffer him to perish or be made a bond-slaue in that captiuitie If we cannot make our corruptions grow so weake as we would yet if wee be still drawing forth the weapons of our Christian warfare and vsing them so well as we can to fight against our lusts wee shall inioy the esteeme and reputation of faithfull subiects and God and our consciences will giue vs this comfortable and honourable title of good souldiers of Christ Iesus And what an encouragement ought this to be that we are certaine our Lord and King will take well our paines in fighting these battels of his so well as wee can though in many things we come too short The will and endeauour in this spirituall combate is taken for the deed he that earnestly desireth and heartily labours to conquer his beloued corruptions is accounted a conquerour euen though as yet hee bee none Hee that resolues he will neuer giue ouer the fight but will vp againe after all foyles and buckle his harnesse to him againe though the law of his members doe sometimes draw him captiue after the law of sinne that is in his members he I say that so resolueth and so reneweth his resolutions and endeauours is reputed by the mercy of God in Christ to haue done that he would haue done and to haue accomplished that that he desired to accomplish Assurance of good acceptance of the weakest endeauours so long as they bee true may make the weake as the Prophet speaketh to say he is strong and forgetting his weakenesse to set vpon the worke as if hee were strong because euen his weakenesse shall be accounted strength if his desires purposes wishes and resolutions bee strong There is nothing that can animate a man more to march after Christ then this consideration 1. Sa. 30.21 25. Dauid had two hundred souldiers that were faint and could not follow the Amalekites that had burnt Ziglag but were faine to stay behind and doe a meaner seruice of attending on the stuffe and carriages Some of those that fought and vanquished the Amalekites would haue had these faint ones to haue been turned off without any part of the bootie But Dauids answere was Who will hearken to you in this And he made it a law in Israel that he which tarried by the stuffe should share of the spoyle of the enemy with him that fought in the battell Our King our Dauid keeps this law If a mans heart be good to follow and kill these Amalekites though his body faint and he be driuen to stay by the stuffe he shal enioy the prey and diuide the spoyle O who would not serue such a Generall with all his might where an vnvoluntary fainting an vnpurposed weakenesse shal not depriue him of the honour or comfort of the victorie 3. Further God will reward our paines taken in mortifying sinne wee shall be rewarded as well as accepted if we fight these battailes with an vpright heart Sinne is like a traytor whose head is set to sale hee that can bring it shall haue a large recompence The Lord hath set a great price vpon the head of our lusts kill them and we shall be greatly comforted here and haue so much more glorie and happinesse in heauen by how much we haue taken more labour and paines here Pay will make any souldiers fight If Christs souldiers will but sticke to it couragiously they shall want no pay of comfort glorie immortalitie and if they fight they shall bee crowned When Caleb fought against Debir he made this Proclamation among his souldiers Iudg. 1.22 To him that smiteth and taketh the Citie will I giue Achsah my daughter to wife and quickly Othniel was incouraged and tooke it Now how much more excellēt are the promises which the Lord hath made to encourage vs in this spirituall battaile saying If you mortifie the deeds of the flesh by the Spirit yee shall liue What wife or what portion with a wife is comparable to this blessed and glorious life which God hath promised and will giue to those that take their lusts and smite them Why then should we not animate our selues and doe valiantly to take and kill these spirituall Canaanites and to destroy all the Cities of them If any say This promise is made alone to those that ouercome and how shall we be certaine of victorie The answere is that it is true indeed those alone that ouercome shall obtaine this reward but euery one that will fight resolutely in this battaile shall ouercome And that is the last incouragement in respect of our successe as wee shall lose nothing and be accepted and be rewarded so wee shall preuaile also and get the better of our foes 4. Sinne shall surely be slaine We shall surely ouercome sin if we fight against it and fall downe dead before vs It cannot possibly defend or saue it selfe against the blowes which by the weapons of God are giuen vnto it It hath already receiued its deaths wound from the death of Christ we fight against an enemy that is more then half discomfited and slaine vnto our hands Through God wee shall doe valiantly and hee will tread downe our enemies vnder our feete When Israel fought against the inhabitants of Canaan the Lord fought for them and though their enemies were strong in body and many in number and had Cities fenced and walled vp to heauen yet they prospered whithersoeuer they went and none was able to stand against them This was a figure of our good successe in fighting against the lusts of our flesh They cannot escape our hands if we giue them not leaue to recouer themselues So mightie is the Word of God so strong the Spirit of God so certaine the diuine assistance that wee are sure of an happy victorie if wee cloathe our selues with courage and confidence and persist in the battaile to the end of our liues The Lord that fought for Israel will fight for vs and worke great saluation The land of Canaan was inhabited with Giants and men of huge stature but all these fell before the Host of God our Giant-like sinnes shall bee but meate for our swords and we shall preuaile against them though they be neuer so many and strong Wherefore let vs conclude with the words of Ioshua to the mē of Ephraim Iosh 17.18 Thou shalt driue out the Canaanites though they haue iron Chariots and though they be strong And with the words that the Priests were appointed to vse vnto the people in the day of battaile Heare O Israel Deut. 20.3 you approach this day vnto battaile against your enemies let not your hearts faint feare not and doe not tremble neither be yee terrified because of them for the Lord your God is he that goeth with you to fight for you against your enemies and to saue you And thus haue we cleared the poynt and laid before your eyes abundance of good reasons to induce you to this battell Now
If man forsake him the Lord will stand for him and though parents cast him off yet God will gather him vp the Lord will couer his head in the day of battell the Lord will feed him in the time of famine the Lord will turne his bed in the time of his sicknesse hee shall see the face of God in righteousnesse and when hee awaketh shall bee satisfied with his Image O how excellent is the louing kindnesse of God to them that waite vpon him they shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatnesse of his house and he will make them to drinke of the Riuers of his pleasure he shall delight himselfe in the Lord and God will giue him the desires of his heart Let vs often renew these meditations in our selues and say with Dauid O how great is thy goodnesse which thou hast laid vp for them that feare thee which thou hast wrought for them that feare thee before the sonnes of men Surely the sight of this goodnesse of God will make the labour of mortification seeme easie If those that trie masteries be continent in all things for a mortal Crowne what should wee bee for an immortall If the hope of bootie will make a souldler hazard his heart-blood what should we doe in this battell where the fauour of God and the Kingdome of Heauen are ascertained to him that fights and conquers If the man that is in some degree mortified did often contemplate the felicitie that God hath prouided for him both present and to come hee would not he could not faint These meditations would so disgrace the pleasures of sinne and so commend vnto him the reward of pietie that hee would euen scorne to serue so base a thing as sinne which giues no wages but chaffe and dirt when hee might be intertained in the scruice of Christ who besides his being so infinitely excellent giues the ioy of his saluation to his souldiers for their stipend Put your selues in mind often O ye seruants of God of the consolations of the Word and Spirit of the Ioy vnspeakeable and glorious of the Peace that passeth all vnderstanding and of the hidden treasures which neither eye hath seene nor eare hath heard nor mans heart conceiued but God hath prouided for you by his Grace and reuealed to you by his Spirit and will reach vnto you with his hand If you will reiect the pleasures of sinne which are but for a season and endure the paines of fighting the good fight of fiath you cannot faint in this battell if you lend your thoughts to these encouragements you cannot but account all your labour easie if you consider the reward and end of your labour 4. Last of all we must much and often ponder vpon the death of Christ who he was Of Christs sufferings what he suffered why and for whom with the matter cause effect and end of his sufferings that so we may worke in our selues a loue and feare of God a base esteeme of our selues with an holy sorrow and indignation against sinne The death of Christ must be the death of our sinne and vpon his Crosse must we crucifie these lusts of our flesh that they may waxe faint and feeble and bee quite and cleane abolished in vs. Here wee shal see the exceeding hatefulnesse and mischieuousnesse of sinne here we shall see how odious it is to God and how harmefull to our selues Here we shall fee the infinite loue of God vnto vs and his most gracious readinesse to forgiue and helpe vs. This thought will be most auaileable to ouerthrow the power of all vngodlines in vs. The Sonne of God the King of Heauen and earth was abased and humbled and smitten and wounded for our transgressions They lay heauy vpon his soule they pressed him downe to the dust of death he died for vs that hee might redeeme vs to himselfe and make vs a peculiar people zealous of good workes O shall wee not abhorre and detest that which was so vnspeakeably grieuous to our Sauiour Shall we not shew our loue to him in casting from vs those things that caused him to be a man of forrowes and to haue experience of infirmities How bitter and tedious was sinne vnto him and shall it be delightfull vnto vs How did it make him sigh and crie and groane and bleed and shall we take pleasure in it Shall we not shew our selues thankefull to him that was so pitifull to vs that hee had rather himselfe indure the curse then that wee should bee ouer-whelmed with it Let vs often looke to him whom wee haue pierced often consider of his torment and agony and often renew in our selues the remembrance of his cursed and reprochful death and weane our hearts from the loue of vnrighteousnesse and make vs conformable vnto his death We cannot bee hold to doe euill if wee consider well how much euill he suffered for our euill doings Now these thoughts if wee accustome our selues vnto them and doe many times sequester our selues from all worldly cogitations to enlarge our hearts in them will be as a sword in the throat of our lusts and preuaile mightily to wound them to the death and as it were to let out the heart-blood of them CHAP. IX Shewing two more spirituall meanes of Mortificetion Feare and Watchfulnesse NOw to these holy meditations and prayers let vs adde also an holy feare misdoubting of our selues Feare of our selues a meanes to mortisie sin suspecting our owne weakenesse and euen trembling to thinke that we may bee grossely ouertaken Blessed is hee that feareth alwayes for this feare will bee the cause of safety to him Whiles a soulier feareth his enemie he keepes his harnesse vpon him and wil not disarme himselfe so long as he mistrusteth the approch of an enemie But security makes a man lay his weapons aside and giue himselfe to pleasure ease and sleepe and then if an enemie assault him he is soone slaine or put to flight he that is afraid of falling into some deadly sicknesse will easily bee perswaded to looke to his diet and to take some necessary physicke Say therefore in thy selfe O if I grow carelesse sinne will quickly grow strong in my weakenesse and quickly raise vp it selfe against me and doe my soule more mischiefe then tongue can expresse how haue many of Gods Saints beene foyled that were farre and farre better then my selfe shall not their misery bee my warning If such Worthies were ouerthrowne and wounded what will become of me If I grow foolishly bold and make too faire promises to my selfe feare lest one shall fall will keepe him vpright euen in a very slippery way but soone are his feet caught from him that looketh about and neuer suspecteth a fall A moderate doubting of our own strength will quicken vs to prayer and meditation This vertuous ielousie and suspition of our weaknes will make vs shunne the occasions of sinne and so preserue vs in safety when others that are more
teares and to wrest and extort them out of your heads by force To weepe a little at a Sermon is nothing to speak of there is a further matter required of you In secret I say in secret when you bee all alone and may more freely doe it then doe it more abundantly or else to doe it here a little by compulsion of earnest words perswasions is little worth and will doe little good I confesse that in meditating these things with my self I found mine eyes great with teares and mine heart within me swolne with sighes and I hope that the vttering of them may haue also power to fill some of your hearts and of your eyes also But ah there is yet a greater and secreter mourning which I call you to He weepes in truth that weepes without witnesse Trepare to the worke Take thou some time this day or some other day to get alone by thy selfe and presse these things vpō thy self that haue bin so earnestly beaten vpō thee in the preaching of the Word and there bowing the knees of thy soule before God begin with an acknowledgment vnto him that now thou confessest this mourning for the publike sins is a duty which he doth iustly require at thine hands which thou hast sinfully neglected heretofore but now art sorrowfull for that neglect and desirous to performe hereafter and then humbly beseech him to thaw by the sweete and warme beames of his Grace this frozen heart of thine and so to smite this rockie soule that it may yeeld forth as once the naturall Rocke did euen Riuers of water Pray him according to his most free and gracious promise to powre vpon thee the Spirit of Grace and supplication and remouing the heart of stone to put within thee in stead of it an hart of flesh that thou mayst now doe what Dauid did and what thy selfe by his example art called vpon by the Ministrie and art accordingly desirous to doe Hauing thus prepared thy selfe Begin to weepe for thine owne sinnes first then set about the worke it selfe and first begin to weepe for thine owne sinnes for assure thy soule it shall be all in vaine for any man to labour to bewaile the faults of others that doth not in the first place bewaile his owne faults Thinke and say thus then to thy selfe in thy meditations Ah what a vile and wretched sinner am I What a Childhood haue I spent What an Youth What a Middle-age And if thou beest come so farre what an Old-age What thoughts haue I harboured in mine heart What words haue I vttered with my tongue What deeds haue I done with mine hand This tongue of mine hath sworne many a vaine passionate and outragious oath This tongue hath cursed and rayled and spoken profanely It hath spoken wantonly and filthily and told many a lye and false tale This hand hath vsed cruelty reuenge and dalliance This heart hath swolne against Gouernours and boyled away in enuy and malice This heart hath been fearelesse and carelesse of God and hath forgotten him and his Word and euen doubted of his Beeing O wretched tongue wretched hand wretched hart O would that I could mourne for all these abominations of my life O that all the teares which euer I wept in all my life for crosses losses wrongs iniuries vnkindnesses and the like were now all vnwept and gathered together at once in mine eyes that I might powre them forth in godly sorrow before the Lord for my sinnes Be thou humbled and cast downe O my soule and be thou troubled within me wallow thy selfe in the dust and tumble thy self in ashes Thou hast offended against thy Maker and sinned against thy Redeemer the holy Sonne of God! Thou hast wronged thy neighbours and hurt thy selfe and deserued damnation and Ah wretch thou hast shewed thy selfe vngracious and vngratefull against that heauenly carefull and tender-hearted Father that gaue his onely Sonne to death to ransome thee What Father euer so louing What child euer so rebellious Why are you drie O mine eyes And why art thou stony O mine heart Why doth sorrow flie from mee And why are teares departed hence O that I could weepe O that I could weepe O that I could euen be melted and dissolued into kindly teares and with blessed Peter weepe bitterly and with godly Marie wash the feete of my Sauiour with my teares Thus striue and take paines with thy self to make thy soule sad for thine owne sinnes first and hauing softned thy selfe somewhat by such endeuours then begin for thy Countrie also and thinke in this sort Ah Lord if I had sinned alone I alone would weepe mine owne teares But I am a man of polluted lips and life and I dwell amongst a people of polluted lips and life Wee haue all gone astray wee all haue done an abominable deed there is none that doth good no not one This Nation this Christian and baptized Nation wherein thy Gospell of truth hath so long shined brightly is yet still for all that a wicked and a sinfull Nation O that thou wouldst please to helpe me mourne for these common sinnes Is not thy Spirit as able to soften a mans heart now as in former times Proy to God to soften the heart Is not an heart of the posteritie of Abraham naturally as hard as one of another off-spring O thou that gauest Dauid store of teares stirre vp in me also the spirit of griefe for the publike sinnes Consider the grieuous sianes of our Land And now begin to represent vnto thy soule the many monstrous crying sinnes that are daily and with impunitie many committed in our Countrie Loose thy thoughts a while in this great Thicket and wildernes of abominations that hath ouer-growne vs and say What could God doe more for a people then he hath done for vs and he looked for Grapes and behold wilde Grapes and for Figs and behold rotten Figs for iudgement and righteousnes and behold sin wickednes What monstrous ignorance and profanenes and hellish Atheisme doth couer the multitude What monstrous pride and idlenesse and fulnes of bread and abominable vncleannesse doe couer the Gentry How full of oathes and blasphemies are the Court the Citie the Townes the Countrie with vs Great men sweare and meane men sweare Ministers sweare and people sweare men sweare and women sweare boyes sweare and girles sweare almost babes and sucklings sweare and if euery oath were but a drop of water it were enough to make a flood to drowne the whole Land withall The Lords Day is euery where violated and profaned The Word and Sacraments are made a very iest and all Gods seruices are turned into a meere customary piece of worke The children are euery where stubburne and rebellious against their parents Much murder and bloodshed is committed and for enuie and malice the Land aboundeth with them whoredome and filthinesse stinkes in euery corner theft oppression vsurie simony sacriledge where shal a