for himself He hath set an hedge about it Remember to keep holy the Sabbath Day But how is this enclosure made common This blessed day which is made purposely for communion with God is become a day of perambulation People frequent the Fields or Taverns more than the holy assemblies O that our head were waters and our eyes a fountain of tears That we might weep To see men pollute what God himself hath consecrated If they are to take Physick it must be on the Lords Day if they are to make Feasts or Visits it must be on this day And so in a prophane sense they call the Sabbath a delight Sabbath-breaking is Sacriledge 't is a robbing God of his due People take that time which should be dedicated wholly to the Lord and spend it in the service of the Devil and their lusts and hath not this sin brought us low God threatens Jer. 17.27 If ye will not hearken to me to hallow the Sabbath Day then will I kindle a fire I observe the devouring Fire which brake out in London began on the Sabbath Day as if God would tell us from Heaven he was now punishing us for our prophaning his day 3. The third sin which hath brought us low is neglect of Family-worship Religion in mens families is brought low No reading of Scripture they look oftner upon a pair of Cards than a Bible No praying 't is made the note of a reprobate He calls not upon God Psalm 14.4 The Atheist will be sure his prayer shall not be turned into sin for he never prayes at all The Graecians asked counsel of their feigned Gods by their Oracles the Persians by their Magi the Galls by their Druides the Romans by their Augures Shall Ethnicks pray and not Christians Creatures by the instinct of nature cry to God Psal. 147.9 The young Ravens which cry Prayer hath no enemies unless infernal spirits and such as are near of Kin to them Keyes that are often used are bright but if they be laid aside and never used they grow rusty so it is with mens hearts if they are not used to family-prayer they will be rusted over with sin For this God hath brought us low Why did he pull down many houses in this City but because they were unhallowed houses there was no prayer in them How do we think to have a blessing from God if we never ask it Then God should do more for us than he did for his own Son Heb. 5.7 In the dayes of his flesh he offered up prayers with strong cryes and tears 4. Another sin which hath brought us low is Covenant-violation Psal. 78.10 They kept not the Covenant of God Ver. 50. He made a way to his anger he spared not their souls from death The Carthaginians were noted for Covenant-breaking O that this sin had dyed with them Doth not this poisonful Weed grow in our soil Did not we make a vow in Baptism to fight under Christs banner against world flesh and Devil Did not we solemnly covenant to be the Lords people to shine in sanctity going each one before another in an exemplary Reformation Deut. 5.28 29. They have well said in all that they have spoken O that there were such an heart in them that they would fear me and keep my commandments We have much conforming but where is reforming Is not Jesus Christ opposed in his Kingly Office This is the great Controversie who shall reign Sin or Christ for this God hath been as a Moth to us and we may fear lest he make good that commination Levit. 26.25 I will bring a Sword that shall avenge the quarrel of my Covenant 5. Another sin which hath brought us low is the abuse of the Gospel We are sick of Israels disease they despised Manna Num. 21.5 Our soul loatheth this light bread We did nauseate the bread of life The Gospel is the visible token of Gods presence it is the sacred Conduit-pipe that empties the golden Oyle of mercy into us it is the Glass in which we see the face of Christ it is the Celestial banquet wherewith God doth chear and refocillate the souls of his people But was there not a Gospel surfeit in England People had itching ears and knew not who to hear and hath not our curiosity brought us to scarcity God had no better way to raise the price of the Gospel than by abating the plenty God surely did bring us low when darkness did overspread our Horison and the Lord suffered so many hundred Lights to be at one time put under a bushel The Aegyptian Priests of old told the people when any Eclipse happened that the Gods were angry and great miseries would follow What sad catastrophies have ensued this spiritual Eclipse is not unknown 6. Another sin which hath brought us low is Covetousness When mens Spirits are low and with the Serpent they lick the dust then God layes them in the dust Isa. 57.17 For the iniquity of his Covetousness I was wroth and smote him Covetousness is the Dropsie of the soul men are set upon the world when God is plucking it from them Covetousness is a Key that opens the door to further wickedness opes irritamenta malorum 1 Tim. 6.10 The love of money is the root of all evil A covetous man wil stick at no sin This made Absolom attempt to dethrone his Father this made Ahab stone Naboth And what is one the better for all his wealth at death 1 Tim. 6.10 We brought nothing into the world and it is certain we can carry nothing out When the rich Miser dies what scrambling is there his friends are scrambling for his goods the worms are scrambling for his body and the Devils are scrambling for his soul. This sin is most uncomely in those that profess better They pretend to live by faith and yet are as worldly and griping as others These are spots in the face of Religion Jer. 45.5 Seekest thou great things for thy self For this sin God hath brought us low he hath made our Fig-tree to wither and suffered the Palmer-worm to eat our Vine 7. Another sin which hath brought us low is Barrenness under the Means of Grace Hos. 10.1 Israel is an empty Vine his juice runs out only into leaves We have had much pruning and dressing the silver drops of Heaven have fallen upon us but we have not brought forth the fruits of humility and repentance we can discourse of Religion but this is only to bring forth leaves not fruit non-proficiency hath laid us low and we may fear will lay us waste God may pull up the hedge and let in a forraign Wild-Boar Ursin tells us that those who fled out of England in Queen Maries dayes acknowledged that that calamity befell them for their great unprofitableness under the Means of Grace in King Edwards dayes What man will sow seed in barren ground
Nebuchadnezzar had the heart of a beast given him Dan. 4.16 If all who have the hearts of beasts should have the faces of beasts men would grow very scarce And if sin be so high well may it bring us low While the body is in an Hectick Feavor it cannot thrive The Body Politick being in this Paroxysme or burning Feavor of sin must needs waste Hath not sin brought us low What Wars Pestilences Fires have broken forth among us The Splendour and Magnificence of the City was brought low and laid in the ashes Sin hath brought us low in our Repute Prov. 14.34 Sin is a reproach to any people Time was when God made the sheaves of other Nations do obeysance to our sheaf But our pristine fame and renown is eclipsed Mal. 2.2 I have made you base and contemptible Trading is brought low many mens estates are boiled to nothing their gourd is withered their cruse of Oyle fails Ruth 1.21 I went out full but the Lord hath brought me home empty Sin hath brought other Nations low and do we think to scape better than they Salvian observes that in Affrica when the Church of God had degenerated from its purity the Land abounded in Vice and was sick of a Pleurisie of sin then the Vandals entered Affrica and the enemies Sword let them blood Num. 32.23 Be sure your sin will find you out as a Blood-hound it will pursue you It may be enquired what are those sins that have brought this City and Nation so low 1. The first sin that hath brought us low is Pride Prov. 29.23 A mans pride shall bring him low Pride is ex Traduce it runs in a blood Our first Parents aspired after a Deity they did not content themselves to know God but they would be knowing as God St. Austin calls pride the mother of all sin The Persian Kings would have their Image worshipped of all that came into Babylon Sapor writes himself Brother to the Sun and Moon and Partner with the Stars Caligula the Emperour commanded himself to be adored as a God he caused a Temple to be erected for him he used to have the most costly Fowls sacrificed to him Sometimes he would sit with a golden Beard and a Thunderbolt in his hand like Iupiter and sometimes with a Trident like Neptune Some persons would be more deserving if as Solon saith we could pluck the Worm of Pride out of their head Pride discolours our Vertues envenomes our mercies The higher we lift up our selves in pride the lower God casts us down Prov. 15.25 The Lord will destroy the house of the proud There is 1. A Spiritual Pride which is threefold 1. Some take a pride in their parts The Lord enricheth them with Wit and Parts suitable to the places he calls them too and Pride fumes from their heart into their head and makes them giddy Herod was proud of the Oration he made and assumed that glory to himself which he should have given to God and his pride brought him low he was eaten of worms Acts 12.23 2. Some take a pride in their duties This Worm breeds in sweet fruit They have said so many prayers heard so many Sermons Luke 18.12 I fast twice a week and now they think they have made God amends he is beholding to them and they shall be accepted for their Religious performances What is this but pride Is not this to make a Christ of our duties The Devil destroys some by making them neglect duty and others by making them idolize duty Better is that infirmity which humbles me than that duty which makes me proud 3. Some take a pride in their Graces This seems strange that seeing Grace is given to humble any should be proud of his Grace But Pride is not from the Grace in us but the corruption not from the strength of holiness but the weakness Christians may be said to be proud of their Grace 1. When they lay too much stress upon their Grace Thus Peter Mat. 26.33 Though all men shall be offended because of thee yet will not I. Here was a double pride First That he thought he had more Grace than the rest of the Apostles Secondly In that he did lay such weight upon his Grace making it like the Tower of David on which did hang the shield of his hope He leaned more upon his Grace than upon Christ. 2. Men are proud of their Grace when they slight others which they think are inferiour to them in Grace Instead of the strong bearing the infirmities of the weak Rom. 15.1 They are ready to despise the weak Our Saviour saw this pride breeding in his own Disciples therefore cautions them against it Mat. 18.10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones 2. There is a carnal pride I call it carnal because it is conversant about carnal objects As 1. Some are proud of their bodies Pride is seen in long and tedious dressings people spend that time between the Comb and the Glass which should be spent in prayer and holy meditation Pride is seen in painting of their faces overlaying Gods work with the Devils colours Gratior est pulchro veniens è corpore virtus Pride is seen in spotting themselves Pimples in the face shew that the blood is corrupt spots in the face shew that the heart is corrupt Cyprian saith they who paint and spot their faces may justly fear that at the resurrection their Creator will not know them And how terrible is that word I know you not Pride is seen in the strange antick fashions wherewith some people do dress or rather disguise themselves They cloath their flesh like the Rain-bow with divers colours Adam was ashamed of his nakedness these may be ashamed of their cloathing They are so plumed and gawdily attired that they tempt the Devil to fall in love with them 2. Some are proud of their estates Riches are fuel for pride Ezek. 28.5 Thy heart is lifted up because of thy riches Mens hearts rise with their estates as the Boats on the Thames rise higher with the Tyde Now all this pride will bring a person low For this sin God strikes many with Phrensie and so levels the Mountain of pride God hath stained the pride of Englands glory Isa. 23.9 He hath stript us of our Jewels Prov. 16.8 Pride goes before destruction Where pride leads the Van destruction brings up the Rear Tolluntur in altum ut lapsu graviore ruant 2. Another sin which hath brought us low is Sabbath-prophanation The Sabbath is given as a distinctive Sign between the people of God and the prophane Exod. 31.17 And among the Primitive Saints when the question was asked Hast thou kept the Lords Day the answer was I am a Christian and dare not omit the celebration of this day The Lord hath commanded the observation of the Sabbath under a sub poenâ He hath enclosed this day
be done to the dry If the godly lye among the pots Psal. 68.13 the wicked shall lye among the Devils If judgement begin at the house of God what shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospel 1 Pet. 4.17 If God mingles his peoples cup with wormwood he will mingle the sinners cup with fire and brimstone Psalm 11.6 If God thresh the Wheat he will burn the Chaff If the Lord afflicts them whom he loves how severe will he be against them whom he hates They shall feel the second death Rev. 21.8 Use 2. Exhortation 1. Branch 1. If sin brings a person low then let us fear to come near sin it will bring us either into affliction or worse It s foul face may offend but its breath kills Sin is the Apollyon the Man-devourer O that we were as wise for our souls as we are for our bodies How afraid are we of that meat which we know will bring the Gowt or Stone or will make our Ague return Sin is aguish meat which will put conscience into a shaking fit and shall we not be afraid to touch this forbidden fruit Gen. 39.9 How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God When the Empress Eudoxia threatned to banish Chrysostom Tell her saith he I fear nothing but sin It was a saying of Anselm if Hell were on one side and sin were on the other I would rather leap into Hell than willingly commit sin Love will be apt to grow wanton if it be not poised with holy fear No better Curb or Antidote against sin than fear Deut. 17.13 They shall fear and do no more presumptuously If we could see Hell fire in every sin it would make us fear to commit it The fiercest creatures dread fire When Moses his rod was turned into a Serpent he was afraid and fled from it Sin will prove a stinging Serpent O fly from it Most people are like the Leviathan made without fear Job 41.33 They play upon the hole of the Asp. Sinners never fear till they feel Nothing will convince them but fire and brimstone 2. If sin brings a person low then when we are brought low under Gods afflicting hand let us behave our selves wisely and as becomes Christians I shall shew 1. What we must not do when we are brought low When our condition is low let not our passions be high impatience is not the way to get out of trouble but rather to go lower into trouble What gets the Child by strugling but more blows Oh do not lispe out a murmuring word against God Murmuring is the skum which boils off from a discontented heart Psalm 39.9 I was dumb and opened not my mouth because thou Lord didst it Davids ear was open to hear the voice of the Rod but his mouth was not open in complaining Christian who shouldst thou complain of but thy self thy own sin hath brought thee low 2. What we must do when we are brought low 1. Let us search the sin which is the cause of our trouble Job 10.2 Shew me wherefore thou contendest with me Lord What is that sin which hath provoked thee to bring me low Lam. 3.40 Let us search and try our wayes As the people of Israel when they were worsted in battel searched the cause and at last found out the Achan that troubled them and stoned him to death Josh. 7.18 So let us search out that Achan which hath troubled us Perhaps our sin was censoriousness we have been ready to judge and slander others and now we our selves lye under an evil tongue and have false reports raised on us perhaps our sin was pride and God hath sent poverty as a thorn to humble us Perhaps our sin was remisness in holy duties we had forgot our first love and were ready to fall into slumbering fits and God hath sent a sharp cross to awaken us out of our security We may oftentimes read our sin in our punishment O let us search the Achan and say as Iob Chap. 34.32 If I have done iniquity I will do so no more 2. When we are brought low let us justifie God God is just not only when he punisheth the guilty but when he afflicts the righteous Let us take heed of entertaining hard thoughts of God as if he had dealt too severely with us and had put too much Wormwood in our Cup No let us vindicate God and say as the Emperour Mauritius when he saw five of his Sons slain before his eyes by Phocas Righteous art thou O Lord in all thy wayes Let us speak well of God If we have never so much affliction yet not one drop of injustice Psalm 97.2 Clouds and darkness are round about him righteousness and judgement are the habitation of his Throne 3. When we are brought low in affliction let us bring our selves low in humiliation 1 Pet. 5.6 Humble your selves under the mighty hand of God When we are in the Vally of Tears we must be in the Vally of Humility Lam. 3.19 Remembring the Wormwood and the Gall my soul hath them continually in remembrance and is humbled in me If our condition be low then is a time to have our hearts lye low 4. When we are brought low in affliction let us be low upon our knees in prayer Psalm 130.1 Ex Profundis Clamavi Out of the depths have I cryed unto thee O Lord. Psalm 79.8 Let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us for we are brought very low Iacob never prayed so fervently as when he was in fear of his life he oyled the Key of prayer with tears Hos. 12.4 He wept and made supplication One reason why God lets us be brought low is to highten a Spirit of prayer But what should we pray for in affliction Let us pray that all our Hell may be here As Pilate said concerning Christ Luke 23.22 I will chastise him and let him go So pray that God when he doth chastise us will let us go that he will free us from Hell and Damnation Let us pray rather for the sanctification of affliction than the removal pray that the Rod may be a Divine Pencil to draw Gods Image more lively upon our souls Heb. 12.10 That affliction may be a Fornace to refine not consume us Pray that if God do correct us it may not be in anger Psal. 6.1 That we may taste the honey of his love at the end of the rod. Let it be our prayer that God will lay no more upon us than he will enable us to bear That if the burden be heavier our shoulders may be stronger 5. When we are brought low let our faith be high Let us believe that God intends us no hurt That though he casts us into the deep he will not drown us Believe that still he is a Father he afflicts us in as much mercy as he gives Christ to us He doth by his rod of Discipline fit us for
If the Lord layes out his cost and sees no good return the next word will be Cut down the tree why cumbreth it the ground 8. Another sin that hath brought us low is the sin of swearing Christ saith Swear not at all Mat. 5.34 And a godly man is said to fear an Oath Eccles. 9.2 Truly it is a matter of tears we can hardly go in the Streets but our ears are crucified with hearing of Oaths and Cursings Chrysostom spent most of his Sermons at Antioch against swearers we need many Chrysostoms now adayes to preach against this sin This may well be called the unfruitful work of darkness for it is a sin hath neither pleasure nor profit in it How do men shoot their Oaths as chain-bullets against Heaven I knew a great swearer saith Reverend Mr. Bolton whose heart Satan so filled that on his death-bed he swore as fast as he could and desired the standers by to help him with Oaths and to swear for him Will the Lord reckon with men for idle Words what will he do for sinful Oaths for every Oath a man swears God puts a drop of wrath in his Viall Nay usually Gods judgements overtake the swearer in this life I have read of a German Boy who was given to swearing and did use to invent new Oaths the Lord sent a Canker into his mouth which did eat out his tongue But saith one it is my custom to swear and I cannot leave it Is this a good plea As if a Thief should plead to a Judge not to condemn him because it is his custome to rob and steal therefore will the Judge say thou shalt the rather dye This sin hath brought us low Jer. 23.10 For because of swearing the Land mourneth 9. Another sin which hath brought us low and is like to bring us yet lower is uncleanness The adulterers heart is a Mount Aetna burning with lust Adultery is the shipwrack of chastity the murder of conscience It was said of Rome of old it was become a Stews Urbs est jam tota Lupanar I wish it might not be verified of many parts of this Land Adultery is a brutish sin Jer. 5.8 They neighed every one after his neighbours Wife It is a branded sin it doth not only stigmatize mens names Prov. 6.33 But God makes them carry the marks of this sin in their Bodies it is a costly sin it proves a Purgatory to the Purse Prov. 6.26 By means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread There is no coming to an Harlot but as Iupiter did to Danae in a golden shower It is a confounding sin laeta venire Venus tristis abire solet The adulterer hastens his own death The Romans were wont to have their Funerals at the Gate of Venus Temple to signifie that lust ends in death The adulterer takes a short cut to Hell Prov. 26.23.27 Till a dart strike through his Liver Creatures void of reason will rise up in judgement against such The Turtle-Dove is an Hieroglyphick of chastity The Stork comes into no Nest but his own and if any Stork leaves his Mate and joyns with another all the rest fall upon him and pluck his feathers from him God will chiefly punish such as walk in the lust of uncleanness 2 Pet. 2.10 This sin hath brought us low The fire of lust hath kindled the fire of Gods anger 10. Another sin which hath brought us low is our unbrotherly animosities Mat. 12.25 A Kingdom divided against it self cannot stand The Turks pray that the Christians may be kept at variance we have in a great measure fulfilled the Turks prayer rara est concordia fratrum What seeds of dissention are sown among us how are we crumbled into Parties one is for Paul and another for Apollo but I fear few for Christ. Our divisions have given much advantage to the Popish adversary When there is a breach made in the wall of a Castle there the enemy enters If the Popish enemy enter it will be at our breaches These divisions have cut the lock where our strength lay Cut off the top of the Beech-tree and the whole body of the tree withers Divisions have taken away unity and amity here is the top of the Beech-tree cut off and this hath made us to wither apace These are the sins which have brought us low and if the Lord prevent not are like to bring Englands gray hairs with sorrow to the grave 5. Hence I infer if sin brings a person low then what madness is it for any one to be in love with sin 2 Thess. 2.12 Who take pleasure in iniquity The Devil can so cook and dress sin that it pleaseth the sinners pallat But hear what Iob saith Job 20.12.14 Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth it is the gall of Asps within him Herodotus writeth of the River Hypanis that near to the fountain the water is sweet but a few leagues off it is exceeding bitter Sin will bring one low who would love such an enemy The forbidden fruit is sawced with bitter hearbs Sin is a Serpent by the way that biteth Gen. 49.17 When you are about to commit sin say to your soul as Boaz said to his Kinsman Ruth 4.4 What day thou buyest the Field thou must have Ruth with it So if thou wilt have the sweet of sin thou must have the curse with it it will bring thee low To love sin is to love a disease A sinner is perfectly distracted Solomon speaks of a generation of men Madness is in their heart while they live Eccles. 9.3 'T is true of those who love sin sin puts a worm into conscience a thorn into death yet that men should love sin Madness is in their heart There is no creature doth willingly destroy it self but man Sin is a Silken Halter yet he loves it O remember that saying of St. Austin the pleasure of sin is soon gone but the sting remains 6. See what little cause we have to envy sinners Prov. 3.31 Envy thou not the Oppressor Men are high in worldly Grandeur God hath given them large estates and they sin with their estates but though they build among the Stars God will bring them down Ezek. 28.18 I will bring thee to ashes Who would envy men their greatness their sins will bring them low Deut. 32.35 Their foot shall slide in due time There is a Story of a Roman who was by a Court-Marshal condemned to dye for breaking his rank to steal a bunch of Grapes and as he was going to execution some of the Souldiers envied him that he had Grapes and they had none saith he Do ye envy me my Grapes I must pay dear for them So the wicked must pay dear for what they have The prosperity of the wicked is a great temptation to the godly David stumbled at it and had like to have fallen Psal.