forgive and do c. 1 King 8.37 38 39. And the Lord gave approbation to this prayer of his as you have heard Thus you see in what way the Lord hath usually been found for the diverting of his judgments and in which he hath ingaged himself to hear and to be entreated Shall we consider a little then what is the general spirit of the Nation at this time now that the hand of God lies so heavy upon it Is there any preparation now of meeting God in this way of humble and faithful supplication O England where are thy tears where are thy strong crys unto unto the Lord Will not the King of Nineveh rise up in judgment against thee and condemn thee He commanded that Man and Beast should be covered with sackcloth and cry mightily unto God and turn every one from his evil way and from the violence that was in their hand and God was entreated and turned away from his fierce anger that they perished not What thinkest thou O England of thy sins Have they not been crying sins May not the Lord speak unto thee and say as unto Cain Who slew his Brother what hast thou done The voice of thy Brothers blood cryeth unto me from the ground Gen. 4.10 Or as James in his time to the rich ungodly men of that generation Behold the hire of the Labourers which have reaped down your fields which is of you kept back by fraud cryeth and the cries of them which have reaped are entred into the ears of the Lord of Sabboth Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth and been wanton ye have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter Ye have condemned and killed the just and be doth not resist you James 5.4 5 6. May it not be said of thy sins as is said of the sins of Babylon That her sins have reached unto heaven and God hath remembred her iniquities Rev. 18.5 Surely thy sins have been crying sins they have entred into the ears of the Lord they have reached unto heaven God hath heard thy hideous Oaths thy new hellish invented Oaths thy horrid execrations and cursings thy revilings and blaspemings But whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice and lifted up thine eyes on high may it not be said of thee as of railing Rabshekah Even against the holy one of Israel And if thy sins have cryed so loud mayst thou not think that thy tears and crys for pardon should found as loud in the ears of God But where are thy repentings and mournings where are thy weepings and supplications Surely I tremble to think what still mine ears do hear and mine eyes see how few of those sins are left which cause the Land to mourn and the Lord to have a controversie with the inhabitants thereof May it not be laid to thy charge even now when thousands are swept away by this destroying judgement that when God calls to weeping and mourning to fasting and praying behold joy and gladness slaying oxen and killing sheep eating flesh and drinking wine playing and gaming ranting and roaring cursing and swearing pride and voluptuous living And what said the Lord Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye dye Isa 22.12 13 14. Nay is it not most sad and lamentable to consider as it is very credibly reported that some under the hand of Gods visitation do dye swearing and cursing in a most dreadful and desperate manner Well then consider this ye that forget God lest he tear you in peices and there be none to deliver before the whole land be devoured by the fire of his jealousie and that he make a speedy riddance of all such as dwell in the land But for you who have received an anointing from the holy one and are acquainted with the divine art of prayer and holy conference and familiarity with God be much in the exercise of this heavenly skill be now improving to the utmost your interest in God lift up your voice with strength stir up your selves and take hold of him And if your consciences tell you you have fallen by your iniquities even in the late Apostacy Take with you words and turn unto the Lord say unto him Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously Say unto him Ashur shall not save us we will not ride upon horses neither will we say any more to the work of our hands ye are our gods Hosea 14.1 2 3. Say unto him O Lord though our iniquities testifie against us do thou it for thy names sake for our back-slidings are many we have sinned against thee O the hope of Israel the Saviour thereof in time of trouble why shouldst thou be as a stranger in the land and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night Why shouldst thou be as a man astonished as a mighty man that cannot save yet thou O Lord art in the midst of us and we are called by thy name leave us not Jer. 14.7 8 9. Say We are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousness are as filthy raggs and we all do fade as a leaf and our iniquities like the wind have taken us away But yet O Lord thou art our Father we are the clay and thou our potter and we all are the work of thy hand Be not wroth very sore O Lord neither remember iniquity for ever behold see we beseech thee we are thy people Isa 64.6 8 9. Thine enemies roar in the midst of the Congregation they set up their ensigns for signs They have east fire into thy Sanctuary they have defiled by casting down the dwelling place of thy name to the ground They said in their hearts let us destroy them together O God how long shall the Adversary reproach shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever Why withdrawest thou thy hand even thy right hand pluck it out of thy bosome Wilt thou refrain thy self for these things O Lord wilt thou hold thy peace and afflict us very sore Psal 74. And let the Preists the Ministers of the Lord weep between the Porch and the Altar and let them say Spare thy people O Lord and give not thy heritage to reproach that the heathen should rule over them wherefore should they say among the people Where is their God Then will the Lord be jealous for his land and pity his people Joel 2.17 18. Yea let the Lords Watchmen whom God hath set upon the Walls of Jerusalem never hold their peace day nor night even those who make mention of the Lord and are the Lords remembrancers let them not keep silence And give him no rest till he establish and make his Jerusalem a praise in the earth Isa 62.6 7. Till the heavens drop down from above and the skies pour down righteousness and the earth open and bring forth salvation and righteousness spring up together Isa 45.8 Till the Lord of Hosts be exalted in judgement and God
the earth render a reward to the proud So highly provoking is it unto the Lord for any to have a hand in the destroying of Gods heritage As the Psalmist saith When the Lord shall make inquisition for blood he will remember them and not forget the cry of the humble or of the afflicted 4. The fourth pestilential and highly provoking sin is the sin of Idolatry which is the worshipping of false Gods or the true God in a false manner This is that sin that hath greatly incensed the Lord to send this sore Judgement of the Plague or Pestilence and the Sword among a people Judg. 5.8 It is said they chose new gods then was war in the gates When Israel forsook the Lord and his true worship and fell to the worshipping of the Idol-Gods of the Heathen then the Lord ever and anon punished them with war And as the Sword so the Pestilence brake in among them for this very sin Psal 106.28 29. They joyned themselves also to Baal-Peor and eat the sacrifices of the dead Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions and the Plague brake in upon them See Num. 25.2 to which this in the Psalmes doth referre It is said they called the people to the Sacrifice of their Gods and the people did eat and bowed down to their gods And Israel joyned himself to Baal-peor and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel so that there died in the Plague no less then four and twenty thousand and many more had been destroyed had not Phinehas stood up and executed judgement and turned away the wrath of the Lord and so the Plague was stayed as in the 30. verse of that 106. Psalm comp with Num. 25.11 Baal-peor was the Idol-god of the Moabites and the Daughters of the Moabites they called or invited the people to the sacrifices or offerings of their gods they allured the people by fleshly baites to defile their bodies and souls with whoredom and idolatry and the people they participated or communicated with them in their idolatry which sin God in a special manner had forewarned them of Exod. 34.12 13 14 15 16. Take heed to thy self lest thou make a Covenant with the Inhabitants of the Land whither thou goest lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee But ye shall destroy their Altars break their Images and cut down their Groves For thou shalt worship no other God for the Lord whose name is Jealous is a jealous God Lest thou make a Covenant with the Inhabitants of the Land and they go a whoring after their gods and do sacrifice to their gods and one call thee and thou eat of his sacrifice and thou take of their Daughters unto thy Sons and their Daughters go a whoring after their gods and make thy Sons go a whoring after their gods And hence it was that the Apostle Paul dehorted the Corinthians lest they should be guilty of the like sin and so incurre the like punishment 1 Cor. 10.8 Neither let us commit fornication as some of them committed meaning spiritual as well as corporal uncleanness and fell in one day three and twenty thousand though there was four and twenty thousand fell in all but three and twenty thousand of them fell or perished in one day So when Moses was in the Mount with God and the People had made them a Molden Calf and gave it Divine Adoration saying These be thy gods O Israel which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt How did the wrath of the Lord begin to wax hot against them for to consume them had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach to turn away his wrath lest he should destroy them yet saith the Lord Nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them And the Lord plagued the people because they made the Calf which Aaron made See Psal 1◠23 comp with Exod. 32.4 and 35. verses 〈◊〉 whence was that dehortation of the Apostle likewise in that 1 Cor. 10.7 Neither saith he be ye Idolaters as were some of them as it is written the people sate down to eat and drink and rose up to play The word is used for laughing or rejoycing Gen. 21.6 here it is meant of their singing and dancing about the Golden Calf they had made as in the 18. and 19. verses of Exod. 32. as aforesaid So Jer. 19.3 4 5. Thus saith the Lord of Hosts the God of Israel Behold I will bring evil upon this place the which whosoever heareth his ears shall tingle And wherefore will the Lord be so severe Because they have forsaken me saith the Lord and have estranged this place and have burnt incense in it unto other gods whom neither they nor their fathers have known nor the Kings of Judah and have filled this place with the blood of Innocents they have built also the high places of Baal to burn their Sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal which I commanded not nor spake it neither came it into my mind Therefore behold the days come saith the Lord that I will cause them to fall by the Sword before their enemies c. and their Carkases will I give to be meat for the fowles of the heaven and for the beasts of the earth and I will make this City desolate and an hissing every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished and hiss because of all the Plagues thereof So Ezek. 33.25 26 27. Wherefore thus saith the Lord ye eat with the blood and lift up your eyes towards your Idols and shed blood and shall ye possess the land c. Thus saith the Lord God As I live surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the Sword c. and they that be in the Forts and in the Caves shall dye of the Pestilence For I will lay the Land most desolate and the pomp of her strength shall cease Hence it is said that in Horeh they provoked the Lord to wrath so that the Lord was angry with them to have destroyed them Deut. 9.8 And Deut. 32.16 to 21. They provoked him to jealousie with strange gods with abominations provoked they him to anger They sacrificed to Devils not to God to gods whom they knew not to new gods that came newly up whom their Fathers feared not Of the Rock that begat them they were unmindful and had forgotten God that formed them What then And when the Lord saw it he abhorred them because of the provoking of his Sons and of his Daughters And he said I will hide my face from them I will see what their end shall be For this sin of Idolatry it was that the Lord brought evil upon the house of Jeroboam smiting all his house in so much that he left not to him any that breathed but took them away as a man taketh away dung till it be all gone for saith the Text He made him other gods and molten Images to provoke the
will commune with thee from above the Mercy-seat between the two cherubims which are upon the Ark of the Testimony verse 22. Now this Mercy-seat on which God did thus sit between the wings of the Cherubims was a figure of Christ by whom our transgressions of the law are forgiven and covered who is the propitiation for our sins 1 Joh. 2.2 And therefore called the Propitiatory Rom. 3.15 To this glorious seat where Gods presence with his Church was manifested the Throne of God is answerable in the Christian Church in the presence of which Throne his people are and serve him day and night in his Temple Rev. 7.15 17.8.3.21.3 5. Now this Ark being thus a type or figure of Christ and of his Church and of his glorious presence with the same it s no wonder if the Lord shall so severely punish the prophanation of it when men shall set it in the Temple of Dagon Surely if the Ark stand there Dagon must fall yea and it shall fall before the Ark of the Lord which is called the Ark of his strength Psal 132.8 And when the Ark set forward then Moses said Rise up Lord and let thine enemies be scattered and let them that hate thee flee before thee God cannot endure to have his holy things prophaned that the abomination of desolation shall stand in his holy place that men shall set their thresholds by Gods thresholds and their posts by Gods posts by defiling his holy name with their abominations Wherefore saith the Lord I have consumed them in mine anger No surely the place of the soles of his feet where he will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever and his holy name he will not suffer to be defiled but he will beautifie the place of his sanctuary and make the place of his feet glorious Isa 60.13 comp with Ezek. 43.7 8. Let men take heed then of offering strange fire before the Lord which he commandeth them not lest there comes out fire from the Lord and devoureth them as in the case of Nadab and Abihu the sons of Aaron who for this cause died before the Lord. And what said Moses to Aaron thereupon This is that that the Lord spake saying I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me and before all the people I will be glorified Lev. 10.1 2 3. So likewise when men will be presumptuously and unwarrantably prying into the secrets of God see how severely the Lord hath punished this evil as in the case of the men of Beth-shemesh said whom the Lord sorely smote because they looked into the Ark of the Lord even he smote of the people Fifty thousand and threescore and ten men and the people lamented because the Lord had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter And the men of Beth-shemeth said Who is able to stand before the holy Lord God 1 Sam. 6.19 20. So dangerous a thing it is to be over-curiously presumptuous in looking into the Areana Dei the secret and hidden things of God which he hath not revealed Therefore it was that the Lord had commanded that Aaron and his sons even they and not others should take down the covering vail and cover the Ark of the Testimony with it And thus do unto them saith the Lord that they may live and not die when they approach unto the most holy things Aaron and his sons shall go in and appoint them every one to his service and to his burden But they shall not go in to see when the holy things are covered lest they dye Numb 4.19 20. See also Levit. 8.35 So exact was the Lord for the keeping of his charge It is sad to consider how wise some men have seemed to be above that which is written calculating persons and things and times for the meridian of their own brain like those lying Prophets which the Lord sent not nor spake unto wherefore he complained that they prophesied unto the people a false vision and divination even a thing of nought and the deceit of their heart Jer. 14.14 So in Ezek. 13.6 7 8 9. They have seen vanity and lying divination and they made others to hope that they would confirm the word See now the severe punishment of the Lord against such Behold I am against you saith the Lord God and mine hand shall be upon the Prophets that see vanity and that divine lies they shall not be in the Assembly of my people neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel neither shall they enter into the land of Israel But setting aside such gross lying Prophets it is sad to think how many professing the fear and knowledge of God have been over-curiously prying into Gods secret counsels and the hidden purposes of his minde limiting and prescribing the holy one of Israel advancing and extolling the idle phantasies and enthusiasmes of their own brains more then the declarative mind and will of God contained in the Scriptures of truth But whatever may be mens pretensions to high inward unscriptural revelations of God let us not be believing every such spirit but trying the spirits whether they are of God or no and for this reason Because many false Prophets are gone out into the world 1 Joh. 4.1 And what saith Peter We have also a more sure word of prophesie more sure then the voice which they heard to come from Heaven when they were in the Holy Mount whereunto ye do well saith he that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place until the Day dawn and the Day-star arise in your hearts 2 Pet. 1.19 Ever remembring that in Deut. 29.29 That secret things belong unto the Lord our God but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever 15. The fifteenth and last thing that I shall briefly speak of as a Pestilential destroying sin is that of Adding or Diminishing from the Word of God for which the Lord Jesus hath threatned such dreadful plagues and punishments For I testifie saith he unto every man that heareth the words of the Prophesie of this Book If any man shall add unto these things God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this Prophesie What solloweth then God shall take away his part out of the book of life and out of the holy City and from the things which are written in this book That man may be said to add that shall mix other things besides what the Lord Jesus hath revealed by his Angel He addeth that adjoyneth a lye For whatsoever is patched to the Scriptures of mens inventions that it might be accounted as divinely revealed or the pure Oracles of God is a lye Such are the Papal unwritten traditions or other writings of men whatsoever which are made with them of like Authority with the written word of God and which added
was there a more prophanation of Gods holy things a greater pollution of his Sanctuary more violence done to his law a greater contempt of Godliness under the form and outward appearance of it when was their more scoffing at Holiness and deriding the Spirit of God and a more open opposition of the pure way and Worship of God then now in our days And was there ever a greater Apostacy and falling away from the Faith even by such who once did shine as stars in the firmament of the Churches Heaven making shipwrack of faith and a good conscience to preserve a little airy honour and a temporary perishing estate And how hath the treacherous dealers dealt treacherously and the Brother betrayed and delivered up the brother to death the Fathers the Children and the children risen up against their Parents and causing them to be put to death according as was foretold by our dear Lord Matth. 10.21 And surely we may take up the same doleful lamentation and complaint with the Prophet Isaiah namely That truth is fallen in our streets and equity cannot enter yea truth faileth and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey Isa 59.14 15. Yea hath not wickedness been established by a law and will not that woe be the portion of some who have decreed unrighteous decrees and write grievousness which they have prescribed To turn aside the needy from judgement and to take away the right from the poor of Gods people that widows may be their prey and that they may rob the fatherless Isa 10.1 2. And what shall I say to the generality of the late professing people of this generation when Religion was in fashion and the ready way and step to preferment was it not made even a stalking Horse by many to obtain their base sinister most vile and unworthy ends How furiously did many drive on Jehu-like under the most specious and plausible pretences of piety and doing great exploits for God Come see my zeal for the Lord breaking down the Images and destroying the Worshippers of Baal 2 King 9.20 and 10.16 19 26. And all this but to accomplish and bring about their own ambitious and vainglorious designes the better to get up into the saddle and that the Crown of all earthly glory might be set the faster and firmer upon their own heads And when they had obtained that which their covetous and ambitious hearts so eagerly hunted after inriching themselves by the spoiling and impoverishing of others what a requiem did they then sing unto their souls what a lullaby to their earthly satisfactions and contentments How did they hug themselves in their great and large territories and new obtained possessions And now farewel Profession Religion and Conscience but as it may be made serviceable to promote and maintain a carnal selfish interest and end And it is lamentable to consider what a vain secure proud formal fashionable temporizing self-seeking self-admiring self-exalting spirit did most Professors then grow into O the hatred variance emulations seditions the debates envyings wraths strifes backbitings whisperings swellings tumults grudgings evil speakings rash and uncharitable censurings and most unchristian condemnings of one another that was then found among them O the breakings and rendings the separatings and dividings that sprang up from these roots of bitterness whereby many sincere souls were troubled and others thereby became greatly defiled Surely upon a serious and sad reflection hereon it may be said as concerning the Divisions of Reuben Judg. 5.15 that for these things there were great thoughts of heart great impressions upon the spirits of many that did truly and sincerely fear the Lord. Nay what shall we say to those furious blind zealous pharisaical spirits of those times who did breath out threatnings persecutions and slaughters even against the Disciples and servants of the Lord because they could not conscienciously and not factiously as they termed it conform to a publick Directory for worship or submit to some unwarrantable and unscriptural impositions and injunctions whereby many were cast into Prisons their goods violently taken away and themselves and families exposed to great misery necessity and want So little did appear and much to be lamented it is so little does still appear of that wisdom that is from above that is pure and peaceable and gentle and easie to be entreated Jam. 3.17 So little of that spirit whose fruit is demonstrable by its meekness gentleness and goodness Gal. 5.22 So little of that charity that suffereth long and is kind that envieth not that vaunteth not it self or is not rash and puffed up 1 Cor. 13.4 And O that I could say there was not the same spirit still under several forms of profession that is lusting to pride envy censoriousness separation domination and persecution How violently do most men seek to advance and set up their own opinion still What a Babel and confusion of languages are there still among us Some crying Lo here others Lo there What force and compulsion is there still exercised upon Conscience to beat men as it were into Religion the certain Mark and Character of Antichrist that Man of sin who Satan-like works with all powers signs and lying wonders 2 Thess 2.9 Whereas Religio docenda non coercenda Religion is to be taught and not to be forcedly thrust and imposed upon the Conscience When the Scripture tells us that fervent Charity should cover a multitude of sins 1 Pet. 4.8 But alass it is not large and long enough to cover one sin or slip or perhaps but an infirmity or weakness in a Brother When the Scripture tells us We ought to bear one anothers burthens and so fulfil the law of Christ Gal. 6.2 And that nothing should be done through strife or vain-glory but that in lowliness of mind each should esteem others better then themselves Philip. 2.3 When the Scripture tells us That as the Elect of God c. we should put on bowels of mercies kindness humbleness of mind meekness long-suffering forbearing one another and forgiving one another Col. 3.12 13. And that with all lowliness and meekness c. we should endeavour to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace Eph. 4.2 3. When the Scripture tells us That it is a Diotrephes spirit to love to have the preheminence in the Church 3 Epist Joh. of 9. vers that is who out of ambition shall exalt himself above his fellow brethren seeking to Lord it over them and to draw all the respect to himself alone Contrary to that of Peter who forbids the Elders to be Lords over Gods heritage but to be Example to the flock 2 Pet. 5.3 And most disagreeable to the pattern and example of that blessed Apostle Paul himself and other the faithful Ministers of Christ who in his Epistle to the Church of Corinths declareth That thee had not a dominion over their faith but were helpers of their joy 2 Cor. 1.24 And that the weapons of their warfare