chance to be present at a Robbery you are not stain'd by the Fact because you abhor it inwardly They are only the Uncleannesses of publick Sights which make the Actors and Spectators culpable alike For whilst those who see them do approve and see them willingly they do All by such Sight and Approbation act them So that that of the Apostle do's truly in a peculiar manner fall Rom. 1. v. 32. upon them that they are worthy of death not only they who do such things but also they who consent and have pleasure in them that do them And therefore in the Representations of Fornication all the whole Body of the People are mental Fornicators and they who it may be came clean to the Play return Adulterers from the Theatre But it is not only then when they return that they are Fornicators but even when they come For for that very Reason that any one desires an obscene Thing whilst he hastens to such Unncleanness he is unclean IV. Things being thus loe what are the Actions of all the Romans or at least of almost all And since they are such we who do these fine things complain that we are neglected by Heaven and say that we are deserted by our God when 't is we our selves that leave him For let us suppose that our Lord had a mind to regard us tho' we do not deserve it let us see whether he could do it There are many thousands of Christians every day at the beastly publick Shews Can God think we look upon such People as they are Can he regard those who revel in the Cirque and fornicate in the Theatres Or have we a mind and think it very fitting that when God beholds us in the Cirques and Theatres he should be a Spectator of the Sights together with us and should look upon all the Uncleannesses of the place as well as our selves One of the two must necessarily be done For if he vouchsafes to behold us it follows that he must likewise behold the things where we are or if which is most certain he turns away his eyes from them he turns them likewise from us who are present at them And tho' matters are thus yet we do all this that I have mention'd and that without ceasing What do we think we have such a God as the old Pagan Theatres and Cirques had For they did all these things heretofore because they thought they were very pleasing to their Idols But on what account can we pretend to do these things who certainly know that they are odious to our God Or at least if we are sure that these Filthinesses are pleasing to God I am not against the continual acting of them But then if we find in our own Consciences that this is what God abhors that he abominates them that as there is in them the repast of the Devil so they are an Abuse to God how do we pretend we worship God in His Church when we are continually serving the Devil in these obscene Plays and that wittingly and knowingly advisedly and on set purpose And what hope and confidence then can we have in God who offend him not by Accident or Imprudence but like those antient Gyants who we read madly attempted Heaven and endeavoured to step into the Clouds So we by the Affronts which all over the World we offer to God do as by universal Consent offer Violence to Heaven To Christ then O prodigious Madness to Christ we offer the Games of the Cirque and Mimickries and then chiefly when we have receiv'd some Favour from him some Blessing is bestowed upon us or when he has given us Victory over our Enemies And what is this but to offer Injuries to ones greatest Benefactor or scurrilously to abuse one who treats us civilly or to wound the very face of one who would salute us For I desire to know of the Rich and Great Men of this World of what fault they take that Servant to be guilty who devises Mischief against a kind and loving Master who offers Abuses to him who deserves well of him and for the Liberty which he has gain'd returns only Injuries and Affronts He will doubtless be thought guilty of the greatest Crime who returns Evil for Good who ought not to have return'd so much as Evil for evil But this is what all we who are call'd Christians do By our Impurities we provoke a most merciful God against us by our Uncleanness we offend him who has tenderness for us and by our Injuries wound him who obliges and courts us V. To Christ then O prodigious Madness to Christ we offer Cirque plays and Mimickries we render to Christ for all the Benefits we have receiv'd from him the Filthiness of the Theatres to Christ we offer the Sacrifices of these most abominable Pastimes Undoubtedly our Saviour became incarnate for us that he might teach us this Certainly he preach'd this either by himself or his Apostles For this he underwent the Shame of his Humane Nativity and took upon him the debasing Principles of an earthly Birth For this he lay in the Manger and had Angels ministring unto Him whilst he lay there For this he would be wrapp'd in Swadling-Clouts who rul'd Heaven in Robes of Glory For this he hung upon the Cross whom all the World even hanging dreaded Who says the Apostle though 2 Cor. 8. v. 9. he was rich yet for our sakes he became poor that we through his Poverty might be rich And when says he he was in the Form of God he Phil. 2. v. 6 8. humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the Cross To be sure Christ instructed us in these Matters when he underwent all these things for our sakes We make most admirable Returns to His Passion who having receiv'd Redemption by His Death requite him with a most Scandalous Life For the Grace of God says the blessed St. Paul Titus 2. v. 11 12 13 14. hath appear'd to all Men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly Lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present World looking for that blessed Hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ who gave Himself for us that he might redeem us from all Iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar People zealous of good works Where are they who do these things for the which the Apostle says Christ came into the World Where are they that deny worldly Lusts where are they who live soberly righteously and godly where are they who by their good Deeds shew that they look for that blessed Hope and by the Innocence of their Lives demonstrate that they for that Reason expect the Kingdom of God because they are fit and qualified to deserve to receive it Our Lord JESUS CHRIST came he says to purifie unto himself a peculiar People zealous of good works Where is that pure People where is that acceptable
to be before him for we have not suffer'd Shipwrack only thrice but almost every Act of our Life is a kind of Shipwrack for so much as we all live so wickedly that there is scarce a Christian who do's not seem always to be shipwrack'd V. But some one may urge here that the Times are quite alter'd it is not expected now that we should undergo for Christ's sake what the Apostles then suffer'd That 's very true For the Governours are not now Pagan nor persecuting Tyrants the Blood of the Saints is not now powr'd forth nor is our Faith try'd by Torture Our God is content that our Ease and Quiet should tend to his Service that we should make our selves acceptable now by the Purity and Innocence of our Actions and by the unspotted holiness of our Lives Our Faith and Devotion are so much the more indebted to him by how much he has given us greater Blessings and requires less Service And therefore since Princes are now become Christian and there is no such thing as Persecution and that Religion is not disturb'd we who are not compell'd by more severe Tryals ought at least to please God by all manner of lesser Duties And 't is odds but that he who readily discharges these lesser Duties would chearfully perform the greater when call'd upon VI. We will therefore at present pass over the Sufferings of St. Paul and all the other Severities which we find in Ecclesiastical Story almost all the Christians of those Times endur'd who ascended to Heavens Gates by the Staircase of their own Torments and made Scaling Ladders of their Racks and Scaffolds Let us see if in those Services of Religion which being less and more common all we Christians may at all times in the greatest Security perform we do endeavour to answer our Lord's Commands Christ commands us Of Law Suits to be avoided and how God is to be obeyed in all things that we should not be litigious but who obeys him Nay he does not only command it but he presses it so far that he orders us to quit our Pretensions to whatsoever is the Subject of the Contest that so we may be freed from the Suit If any man says he will sue thee at the Law and take away thy Coat let him have Matth. 5. v. 40. thy Cloak also I desire to know were there are any such to be found who will comply thus with an oppressing Adversary or rather who they are who would not were it in their Power oppress their Adversary themselves So far are we from quitting our other Garments with our Coats that if by any means we could tell how we would take away our Adversary's Coat and Cloak also For we obey the Commands of our Lord so very religiously that it is not enough for us not to part with the least part of our Garments to our Adversaries unless to the utmost of our Power if we have opportunity we tear All from him To this our Lord has joyn'd another like and parallel Command Whosoever shall smite thee v. 39. on the right Cheek turn to him the Other also How few or none Obey as they ought to do How many do we think that do with Decency afford an Ear to this Command or if they seem to do it that do in heart believe it Or how many rather if they receive one Stroke but will return an Hundred So far are we from turning our Cheek to him that smites us that then we think we get the better not when we have master'd our adversary by his beating us but by our mawling him Whatsoever Matth. 7. v. 12. ye would says our Saviour that men should do unto you do ye even so to them We are so well acquainted with one part of this Sentence that we never pass it over but the other we take as little Notice of as if we knew nothing of it For we know very well how we would have other Men deal by us but are as ignorant as may be of our Duty to other Men. And I would to God we were really ignorant for then our Guilt would be much the less according to that Scripture He that knew not his Master's will shall be beaten with few Stripes but he that Luk. 1â— v. 47. v. 48. knew and did it not shall be beaten with many stripes However this is a great Aggravation of the Offence that we should pick and chuse one part of a Sentence of Scripture that makes for our Advantage and neglect the other part in contempt of the Almighty St. Paul does likewise by his Preaching enforce this Command of God Let no man seek his 1 Cor. 10. v. 24. own but every man another's Wealth And again Look not every man on his own Things Philip. 2. v. 4. but every man also on the Things of others You see here how sincerely he executed this Command of Christ for whereas our Saviour commands us to be as solicitous for other Men's Welfare as our own he advises us to take more Care of other's Conveniences than our own like the good Servant of a good Lord and the excellent follower of so admirable a Master who treading in the very footsteps of his Lord has in some sort made those Footsteps of his Master more plain and open Which of the Two now do we Christians perform what Christ commands or what his Apostle Truly I think neither For so far are we from doing any thing to forward the Convenience of other Men with some Loss to our selves that all of us bend all our Thoughts how to advantage our selves as much as may be at the Expence of other Men. VII But it may be it will be said in this place that I have pick'd out some of the most difficult of God's Commands which no body fulfils and as they think which 't is not possible that any body should and that I have omitted others which they could observe and which are easie to be observ'd by every body Pray let this be consider'd in the first place that it is not fitting for any Servant whatever of his own Head to pick and chuse out of his Master's Orders what he likes and what he dislikes and then insolently to take what pleases him and to refuse what he do's not like Especially when the Masters of this World don't think it a thing fit to be born with that any Servants of theirs should obey part of their Commands and slight the rest and according to their Humours shall do forsooth what they think fitting to be done and shall spurn the rest For if Servants obey their Masters only so far as pleases themselves there is no Duty paid to the Master by such Obedience For when a Servant only performs that part of his Master's Commands which he has a mind to he do's not fulfil his Master's Pleasure but his own If therefore we who are poor silly weak contemptible Mortals cannot bear
of this present time we know thy ears are shut up and baritaded to such Prayers so as thou canst not hear them all that we desire is that thou wouldest be favourable to us after death in the World to come Suppose now such a Prayer as this were pertinent and useful yet how would it consist with Reason and good Sense For if God has sequestred himself from all manner of regard of the Affairs of this World and shut his ears against all Petitioners whatever certainly he who does not hear us when we pray for present good things does not hear us when we crave those that are future unless we imagine that according to the difference of the Petition Christ does either afford or refuse his ears that is that when we desire the good Things of this Life he shuts them and opens them when we beg the future But no more on this head because all these Pretences are so very srivolous and foolish that we had need take care that we do not affront the Divinity whilst we are endeavouring to rescue and preserve his Honour The Reverence and Regard we owe the Divine Majesty is so awful and tremendous that we ought not only to detest whatever is spoken against his Religion but also to take all the Care that may be that what we our selves offer in it's defence be done with the greatest Caution and Circumspection imaginable Well then if it be folly and wickedness to think that the Divine Goodness despises all Care of Humane Affairs for that reason 't is plain that he does not disregard them if he does not disregard them then he directs them If he directs and orders them for that very Reason 't is manifest that he judges them for 't is not possible to suppose a Government where the Governour is not invested with a Power of Judging VI. But after all these Proofs from Reason The Rebellions of Pharaoli and the works of Moses may seem to some to be of little moment unless we likewise confirm it by Examples Let us take a view then of God's Government of the World from the beginning and thence we will shew that he has ever so govern'd all things that we may inform you that he has at the same time likewise pass'd Judgment on them For what says the Scripture And Gen V. 7. the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breath'd into his nostrils the breath of life And after He placed him in the garden V. 16. of Eden Then He gave him a Law Precepts to instruct him and Discipline to direct him And what was the consequence of all this Man transgress'd God's Commandment has Sentence Gen. 3. pass'd upon him loses Paradise and is punish'd for his Transgression Who is so blind as not to see God acting both as Governour and Judge in this whole Affair For when he plac'd Adam in Paradice he was innocent when he expell'd him guilty In the placing of him he exercis'd Government in his expulsion Judgment when he put him in the place of Pleasure he dispos'd of him by his Power but when for his Guilt he expell'd him he judg'd him This was the Case of the first Man that is the Father let us see how it far'd with the Second that is the Son In process of time it came to pass says the holy Gen. 4. Scripture That Cain brought of the fruit of the â— 3 4 5. ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel he also brought of the firstlings of his slock and of the fat thereof and the Lord had respect unto Abel and his offering but unto Cain and his offering he had no respect Before I speak of the more manifest Judgment of God in this Matter I must take notice that in what I have now repeated there seems to me a sort of passing of Sentence For in this particular that God accepted the Sacrifice of the one and rejected that of the other he did most evidently declare the Righteousness of the one and the Iniquity of the other But this is the least of the Case When therefore Cain in order to accomplish his design'd Villany had drawn his Brother abroad he committed the Fact in the most lonely place in this equally impious and foolish that could imagine he might perform the detestable cursed Deed if he avoided humane Eyes and yet durst murder his Brother in the face of the Almighty which makes me believe that he was of the opinion that many are now a days that God does not at all regard things here below and so does not see the Naughtiness of cruel and ungodly Men and one can't doubt it by his Management when after the horrid Deed being call'd upon by God he deny'd that he knew any thing at all of his Brother's Murder he thought God Almighty knew so little of the Matter that he might conceal the unnatural Fact with a Lye But he found the contrary to his cost For he who when he committed the Murder thought God did not see was made sensible that he did see when he was condemn'd for it I desire therefore to be satisfied in this place by those who deny that Humane Affairs are either regarded govern'd or adjudg'd by God whether what I have at present urged proves the contrary or no It seems to me that he who is present at a Sacrifice is not absent from it and that he shews the Exercise of Government who after such Sacrifice inflicts a Punishment upon Cain that he shews Care and Regard who demands an account of the Slain at the hands of the Murderer and that he exercises Judgment who passes a righteous Sentence on the wretched Aggressor From all which it is very natural to make this Observation that we should not by any maans think it strange that good Men now a days suffer Hardships since at that time Heaven permitted the first Saint on Earth to be Barbarously murdered But for what reason it was permitted the shortness of a humane understanding will never be able to reach neither is it my Business at present to enquire It is sufficient to my purpose that I prove that such Occurrences as these come not to pass without the knowledge or notice of God Almighty but that they are permitted so to be in his Providence and Wisdom Neither can we by any means esteem that thing to be unjust in which we cannot deny the Sentence of Heaven to have passed because whatsoever is the will of God must of necessity be the perfection of Justice It is not for us to Censure God's doings as unjust Man's Understanding was never design'd to comprehend the Compass of Divine Justice But to return whence we digress'd VII We see then by what has been said The World 's drowned that in the Instances I have given that nothing of them came to pass thro' the Disregard of the Almighty but that the Divine Providence order'd and appointed some of them
sent to Gen. 19. Sodom they go they enter the Place are kindly receiv'd by the good People are abus'd and injured by the Bad. The Wicked are struck with Blindness and the Righteous saved Lot with his righteous Inclinations is taken out of the City the City with its unrighteous Inhabitants is burnt to Ashes I desire to be inform'd in this place whether God according to his righteous Judgment destroy'd the Place or whether he did it without Judgment Whoever says God punish'd the Sodomites without passing Sentence makes him to be unjust But if he did pass Sentence in the Destruction of the Wicked then he judg'd them and truly he judg'd them at present as tho' it were at the future Judgment For it is most certain that Hell-fire burns for the Punishment of the Wicked hereafter and Sodom with it's neighbourning Cities were destroy'd by fire from Heaven So that by this present one God seems to declare the Dreadful future Judgment when upon a most unrighteous People he sent a sort of Hell from Heaven Even as 2 Pet. 2. v. 6. the Apostle also says And turning the Cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemn'd them with an overthrow making them an Example unto those that after should live ungodly And yet even what was done there had more of God's Mercy in it than of his Severity For 't was a piece of very great Mercy that he deferr'd the Punishment of them so long as it was of Justice that he did some time punish them And therefore by his sending Angels to Sodom he would shew us with what unwillingness it is that he punishes Sinners So as that when we read what the Angels suffer'd from the Sodomites and consider the excessive Greatness of their Villanies the Deformity of their Crimes and the Nastiness of their Lusts God does by that shew his unwillingness to destroy them if they themselves had not extorted their own Destruction from him The Rebellions of Pharaoh and the Works of Moses IX I could produce innumerable other Examples but that I fear I shall seem to write an History whilst I am endeavouring fully to prove the Thing I have undertaken Moses in the Desart feeds a Flock sees the Bush burning hears God out of the Bush receives Commands Exod. 3. from him is exalted with Power is sent to Pharaoh goes to him speaks with him is rejected and yet gains his Point Aegypt is sinitten Pharaoh is scourg'd for his Disobedience and that by more ways than one that the greater Criminal might be wrack'd with variety of Punishment And what then Why after all he rebels ten times and is as often scourg'd What say you to that Why I think you may perceive in this whole Affair that God does both take care of and judge Affairs here below As for Instance in Aegypt where there appears not only one single One but variety of God's Judgments For as often as he smote those who rebell'd against him in Aegypt so often he judged them But what follow'd after Israel is sent out celebrates the Passover spoils the Aegyptians departs with Riches Pharaoh repents draws together his Army overtakes the departed Encamps is parted by the Cloud the Sea is dry'd up Israel passes through is deliver'd by the kind sufferance of the friendly Waves Pharaoh pursues the Sea rowls upon him and he is overwhelm'd in the Waters I think in this whole Affair there does appear the manifest Judgment of God and not only his Judgment but also his Long-suffering and Forbearance For 't is an Argument of great forbearance that the wicked Aegyptians were often smitten as 't is of Judgment that the Perverse and Impenitent were at length destroy'd Well after this Series of Things and Actions Israel being Conquerour without a Battle enters the Wilderness travels without a Journey sojourns without a Road God his Leader the Host of Heaven his Fellow-Soldiers and heavenly Bodies his Guides following the moving Pillar cloudy by Day and fiery by Night changing its Colour and Complexion as fitted best the change of either Season that it might set off the brightness of the Day by it's shady Obscurity and enlighten the darkness of the Night by it's shining Splendour To these add Fountains made on a sudden add Medicated Waters either newly given or else transmuted remaining the same in Kind tho' chang'd in qualities the tops of Mountains open'd with Rivers bursting from them and Sandy Desarts watred with new unusual Streams thousands of Fowls brought to the Travellers Camps Heaven by the tenderest Love indulging not only their Necessities but even their Wantonness the Stars afford them daily Food for forty Years the Heavens still dewing down the luscious Meat did pour it forth not only for Subsistence but for Pleasure too Besides the Men felt not in any Limb the alterations or decays natural to Humane Bodies Their Nails ne're grew they lost no Teeth their Hair still of one length their Feet nere fretted their Garments always whole their Shoes nere torn their Honour was so great in all respects that even their poorest Cloathing shared in the advancement To this add God himself descending purely to instruct them and the Son of God appearing visible to the eyes of Mortals the mighty Numbers of the common Sort admitted to be familiar with their God and honour'd with his Friendship To these add Thunders Lightnings the dreadful Sounds of heavenly Trumpets the fearful Crackling of the troubl'd Air Heavens Axes growning with the sacred Sounds Fires Darkness Clouds all full of God the Lord conversing face to face the Law resounding from the mouth of God Letters cut by God's finger pages hewn from the Quarry arccky Volumn a People learning and Great God their Teacher and even one School for Heaven and Earth made up of Men and Angels For thus says the Scripture that when Moses had related the Words of the People unto the Lord the Lord said unto him Lo I come unto Exod. 19. v. 9. thee in a thick Cloud that the people may hear when I speak with thee And a little after v. 16. There were Thundrings and Lightnings and a thick Cloud upon the Mount And again And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai on the top of the Mount And afterward He did talk Exod. 33. with Moses the whole Congregation beholding that the Pillar of the Cloud stood at the door of v. 9 10. the Tabernacle and they themselves stood and worshipped at the door of their Tabernacles God v. 11. talked with Moses face to face as a Man speaketh to his friend Things being thus in fact pray does God seem to take care of Man or no when he heaps so many Benefits upon him and does such mighty Things for him when he admits so contemptible a Creature to converse with him and to be even in some sense a sort of Companion to him when he opens those hands for him that are crowded with immortal Treasures
Sinners was scarce committed before the Penalty reveng'd the Sin but that is not the only remarkable Thing in this Affair since there are many others For in these Men it was not so much a wicked Heart as a too rash and unadvised Easiness that was punish'd which is a Declaration from God himself of what punishment those are worthy who dare Sin in open Contempt of the Divine Majesty when these Men are thus smitten who offended meerly for want of Consideration And how heinous a Guilt they would contract who should act expressly against God's Commands when these were so severely scourg'd who wanted nothing but a Command for their Actions Further by this God provides for our Amendment setting before us so wholesome an Example by which all of the Laiety may undestand how greatly they ought to dread the Wrath of God since neither the Merits of the Father could deliver nor the Privilege of the sacred Ministry free even the Sons of the High-Priest from immediate Punishment But why do I speak of the Inconsiderateness of these Men which in a manner affected God himself and tended to the lessening his Honour Miriam Numb 12. v. â— speaks against Moses and is punish'd and not only barely so but in a Judicial way For in the first place she is summon'd to appear in Judgment Then she is convicted and in the last place punish'd In the Reproof given her there was the force of a Sentence in her Leprosie she was put in the State of a real Offender and this Censure did not only humble Miriam but Aaron also For tho' it was not meet that the High Priest should be deform'd by Leprosie yet nevertheless the Chastisement of the Lord was upon him and not only so for Aaron as Partaker in the Crime is chastis'd in that very Punishment which Miriam suffer'd for the punishment is laid upon Miriam that Aaron may be confounded with the Guilt But that we may further understand how inexorable God is in his Judgment in some cases we shall see that he will not hearken to the Intercession even of the offended Party Thus we read that the Lord said unto Aaron and Miriam Wherefore Numb 12. v. were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses And the anger of the Lord was v. 9. kindled against them and he departed And behold Miriam became Leprous white as Snow v. 10. And Moses cry'd unto the Lord saying Heal v. 13. her now O God I beseech thee And the Lord said unto Moses if her Father had but spit in v. 14. her face should she not be ashamed seven days Let her be shut out from the Camp seven days and after that let her be receiv'd in again What I have said on this head and part of my Discourse is sufficient for it would be endless to enlarge upon all when the very naming them would be sufficiently tedious without staying to make Discourses upon them However I shall add somewhat more XII The Israelites repent that they left Aegypt they are smitten for it they murmur at the great Fatigue of their Journey they are afflicted for it They long for Flesh and are scourg'd for it Being weary of feeding every day on Manna they desire to glut themselves with Dainties their craving Appetites are gratify'd to the full but whilst their Bellies are cramm'd they are tormented For while says the Scripture the meat was yet in their mouths the heavy Wrath of God came upon Psal 78. v. 30 31. them and slew the fattest of them and smote down the chosen Men of Israel Og rebels against Deut. 3. v. 3. Numb 26. v. 9 10. Moses and is destroy'd Core reproaches him and is overwhelm'd Dathan and Abiram murmur and are swallow'd up For the Earth open'd and swallow'd up Dathan and cover'd the Congregation Psal 106 v. 17. of Abiram Two hundred and fifty Principal Men likewise as the Scripture testifies who were by name call'd to Council Numb 16. v. 2. made an Insurrection against Moses And at the time of their withstanding Moses and Aaron they said it is sufficient for us that alâ— the Congregation are holy every one of them Wherefore then lift you up your selves above the Congregation of the Lord And what followed v. 3. Why fire came out from the Lord and v. 35. consum'd the two hundred and fifty Men that offer'd Incense But after all these mighty Things they receiv'd no Advantage from Heavens care they were often under the Rod but still without Amendment For as we at this time are every day scourg'd yet are nere the better so they under all their Chastisements continued still the same For what says the Scripture The day following the whole Congregation murmured v. 41. against Moses and Aaron saying Ye have killed the People of the Lord. And what then Fourteen thousand and seven hundred Men were destroy'd in a trice by Fire from Heaven But how comes it since all the People had transgress'd that they di not all likewise share in the Punishment especially considering that in the Rebellion of Corâ—h beforementioned not a Soul escaped How comes it to pass that in that case God would destroy the whole Body of the Offenders but in this only some part of them Because God is plentiful both in Mercy and Justice and of his Essential goodness forgives many times as well as exercises Severity in Vindication of his Justice And therefore in that Case his Justice took place that by punishing all the Offenders it might tend to the Reformation of all that saw or heard it But in this he exercises Mercy lest a whole People should be destroy'd And yet when he had used them with so much Compassion and saw the often repeated Scourging of a part only of the offending Multitude had so little Success at the last he utterly destroy'd them all The Consideration of which should both make us tremble and spur us on to Amendment lest we who neglect to reform our selves from their Example come to the same miserable End that they did For what became of them is plain beyond all doubt for seeing that the Chief Design of bringing the Children of Israel out of the Land of Aegypt was purely that they might possess the Land of Promise only two holy and good Men of all that vast Body entred into it For thus says the Scripture The Lord spake unto Moses Numb 14. v. 26 27. and Aaron saying how long shall I bear with this evil Congregation which murmur against me As truly as I live saith the Lord as you have V. 28. spoken in mine ears so will I do unto you your Carcasses shall fall in this wilderness And afterward But your little ones which you v. 31. said should be a Prey them will I bring in and they shall know the Land which ye have despised But as for you your Carcasses they shall fall in this wilderness And what
follow'd They v. 32. all died and were cut off before the Lord. What is there now in all these Instances where God is not Would you see him a Governour Behold he rectifies Things present and ordereth what shall be for the time to come Would you see him a severe Judge Loe he punishes the guilty Would you behold him just and merciful Loe he spares the Innocent Would you see him Universal Judge Behold he is Judgment it self For as a Judge he reproves us and as a Judge he rules us As a Judge he passes Sentence as a Judge he destroys the guilty and as a Judge he rewards the Innocent SALVIAN of GOD's Government c. BOOK II. Of God's Governing the World How God's Ears are always open to the Righteous How Great things David suffered An Example of Repentance and the Advantages obtained thereby THE Examples I have before produced Of God's governing the World are sufficient to prove that our God is ever a most solicitous Regarder a most merciful Governour and a most just Judge Notwithstanding which some of the weaker Sort may yet think if things are now order'd by God as they were heretofore in those days How comes it about that bad Men prevail and that the Good are in distress in those days the Wicked felt the weight of God's Wrath and the Righteous his loving Kindness but now the Righteous in some sort seem to experience his Wrath and the Wicked his Favour I shall give an Answer to all this presently But now since in the foregoing Book I engag'd to prove these three Things to wit The Presence of God His Government and Judgment by these three Topicks of Reason Examples and Testomony and having already gone thro' the two first it remains that I manifest the same by Testimony although in strictness the Examples I have produced already ought to pass for Testimony for that is rightly call'd Testimony whereby the Truth of things is prov'd But which of the abovementioned Three shall I begin to prove first by this Testimony whether God's Presence His Governing or His Judging His Presence I think whether he govern or judge for without doubt he ought to be present before he can exercise either the one or the other The holy Scripture in it's sacred Pages speaks thus The eyes of the Lord are in Prov. 15. v. 3. every place beholding the evil and the good Here you have him present here you have him beholding and watching in every place by his Care and Providence For therefore is it said that he considers both the Good and the Bad to shew that nothing can be neglected by him who so narrowly views every thing But for a further Understanding of the Matter hear what the same holy Spirit testifies in another part of Scripture The eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him To deliver Psal 33. V. 17. 18. their Soul from death and to feed them in the time of Dearth Here is a reason given why God is said to behold good Men namely that he may preserve and protect them For 't is from the Propitious eye of Heaven that Mankind ought to date their preservation So the same holy Spirit in another place The Psal 34. V. 15. eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his ears are open unto their Prayers See here with how much goodness the holy Scripture represents God dealing with his People For in that it says The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous it shews the Affection of the gracious Beholder in that his ears are open unto their Prayers is demonstrated the Liberality and Bounty of the Hearer In the Expression that God's ears are always How God's ears are always open to the Righteous ready to receive the Prayers of the Righteous is meant not only bare Hearing but a kind of Condescension likewise But how are God's ears always open to the Prayers of the Righteous How but because God always hears and always grants their Petitions as soon as ask'd Our Lord's ears are always ready to hear the Prayers of his Saints always attentive And Oh how trebly blessed and happy should we be were we as ready to obey and do the Will of God as we read here that God is ready and willing to hear us But you 'll say it may be that what we read of God's beholding the Just does not help my Cause at all Because that cannot be call'd a general Beholding which is restrain'd by a particular Favour to the Just only It is but a little before where the Text is produc'd which says The eyes of the Lord behold the evil and the good However if a further Proof be desir'd mind what follows for thus it subjoyns The countenance of the Lord is against Psal 34. v. 16. them that do evil to root out the remembrance of them from the earth Here certainly is no room left for Complaint that God do's not also behold the Unjust but notwithstanding this general View he takes of both yet he beholds them with a vast difference as to their Merits he beholds the Good that he may preserve them but the Bad that he may destroy them among whom you who have the Courage to deny that God beholds Mankind must expect your share For know that you are not only seen by the Almighty but acknowledge that your destruction is inevitable For since the Countenance of the Lord is upon them that do evil to root out the remembrance of them from the Earth it is of necessity that you who wickedly deny the Countenance of God to behold any thing should perceive the Wrath of the Beholder in your Destruction And this shall suffice for the first thing which is of God's Presence in and his beholding of Humane Affairs II. Let us see now whether he who beholds them governs them certainly so for the main Reason of His Beholding is in order to His Governing for he do's not regard and mind them only in order to neglect them when we understand that he do's not neglect by the very Act of his minding them especially since holy Writ witnesses as above that God beholds the Wicked in order to their Destruction and the Good for their Preservation And in this very Thing the Dispensation of God's Government is manifested for the Justice of Government do's entirely consist in this to deal with every Man according to the measure of his Deserts But let us view a plainer Testimony in this Matter The holy Ghost says to God the Father in the Psalm Hear O thou shâ—pherd of or thou who governest Psal 80. v. 1. Israel The word Israel signifies seeing God whom yet all faithful Christians may behold in their Heart and by Faith and altho' God be the Ruler of all Men yet those are said more peculiarly to be govern'd by him who do more peculiarly deserve the Benefit of the Divine ear So that you whoever you are if so be
you are a Christian must of necessity believe your self to be govern'd by God But if you do not believe with other Christians that you are govern'd by God you must of necessity know that you are separated from all other Christians But if you desire to be inform'd as we have hinted above what is the State of all Mankind in general and not of the Christians in particular the Holy Scripture will solve your Doubt which affirms that all things are continually and without intermission order'd and govern'd by God For he loveth Council and Discipline Nor is there any other God whose Care is Wisd 12. v. 15 18. Universal For so much then as thou art righteous thy self thou orderest all things righteously and orderest us with great favour Here you see God always disposing Affairs and always governing and besides there is not only in this place a Declaration of his Governning but also an Exaltation of Humane Nature For in the words Thou orderest us is the Force of God's Power but in those with great favour is the height of Humane Honour So in the Prophet Do not I fill Heaven and earth saith the Lord And He himself declares Jer. 23. V. 24. why he fills all things Because I am with you says he and will save you God Jer. 42. v. 11. do's not only barely declare his Power and his filling all things but shews the Efficacy and Benefit of such his filling For the Divine filling brings this Advantage with it that it saves every thing which it fills And therefore the holy Apostle St. Paul in the Acts of Acts 17. v. 28. the Apostles says In him we live and move and have our Being Certainly he is more than a bare Disposer of Life in whom is the Principal of Motion of the Creature that lives For he do's not say that we are mov'd by him but in him thereby informing us that the Substance of us All is engraffed in the Divine Perfections Because we plainly live in him from whom we receive even our very Existence So our Saviour himself in the Gospel Loe I am with you alway Matth. 28. v. 20. even unto the end of the world He did not only say that he was with us but that he was with us always And do you ungrateful Man venture to say that he who is always with us do's neither regard nor care for us What do's he stay with us for no other end but to despise and neglect us How are these Things consistent that he should afford us his Presence out of Love and yet hate us by his Neglect For he says Loe I am with you always even unto the end of the world We put a very pretty Meaning on the loving-kindness of God by slandering him for neglecting us when at the same time he openly declares that he do's never leave us He would by this shew us that he would never depart from us in Affection and Protection because his Presence should be always with us And we convert this Divine Charity into Contempt of us and change these Marks of Love into Arguments of Hatred For this His saying that he would be always with us we make a Testimony of Hatred rather than of Love For if the Lord had said he should be absent there would be less Reason to accuse him of disregard in Absence It shews a much greater Slight and Contempt if he should always neglect us who always remain'd with us 't is great aggravation of Hatred to us if he should stay with us only for this End always to let us have his Presence and yet never to love us Far be it from us to have such Thoughts of the most Loving and merciful God that he should be always near us only that by such nearness he might slight and neglect us the more and far be it from us to speak it I am perswaded there is scarce such a Varlet to be found among all Mankind that desires to be near another Man purely because he do's not love him and that would covet to enjoy his Company meerly that he might have the better opportunity to hate and despise him Let therefore Humane Nature either inform or convince us For if we do not desire to be with any Man unless such as we have Respect for and because we have such respect we endeavour that our Company may be as grateful and advantageous to him we do so love How come we then to take away that from God which you must allow to a wicked Man and to depress him beneath even the very worst of Men that he should tell us that he would be always with us that he might use us with the greater Scorn and Contempt But enough of this III. It remains that since I have prov'd by How great things David suffered Testimonies of holy Writ that all things are order'd and govern'd by God I should shew in like manner that many things in this world have been adjudged by him When holy David was abus'd and affronted by Nabal the Carmelite he forbore to resent the Injury and had his Cause immediately avenged by God When therefore his Adversary was dead and smitten by the hand of Heaven he spoke after this manner Blessed be the Lord 1 Sam. 25. v. 39. that hath pleaded the Cause of my Reproach from the hand of Nabal When his Son became his Persecutor and turn'd him out of his Kingdom the Lord as Judge in a short time avenged his Cause and not only barely avenged it but in a much higher degree than he in whose Vindication it was would have had it that God might shew that the Injustice done to the Injur'd and Oppressed is more grievous to Himself than to those that bear it For he who punishes beyond the Desire of the Injur'd Party shews plainly that such overplus of Correction is in his own Quarrel His undutiful Son therefore being snapp'd up by the growing Gallows holy Writ relates the Account then given of this Punishment that fell upon him from above Thus Tidings my Lord the King for the 2 Sam. 18. v. 31. Lord hath avenged or judged for thee this day of all them that rose up against thee IV. Here you see not only from the nature of Things and Examples as I shewed before but also from the very Name and Term of Judgment how the Scriptures prove by holy Witnesses that God do's Judge even in this present World But you think it may be this was a singular Instance a particular Favour granted to so Great and Good a Man that God by his Judgments should deliver him from his Adversaries The whole day would not be sufficient for me to â—â—eak of the Sentences and Judgments pass'd by God in this present World However that you may plainly discern that he do's not pass his Censures and Judgment so much for the sake of Persons as the Justice of their Causes pray mark how the same God as
It is better for thee that one of thy Members should perish than that thy whole Body should be cast into Hell If then according to God's Word Offences will draw us into Hell we had better part with our Eyes and Hands than carry both thither not that any one ought to deprive himself of his Limbs but there are some Domestick Offices and Services which have so near a Relation to us and are become so necessary that we use them sometimes as our Eyes sometimes as our Hands and therefore we should do well to deny our selves the Satisfaction of such present Assistants lest hereafter we be tormenteÌ„d with Eternal Fire For when the Dispute is between a Man's Convenience and his Life I think a Christian had much better spare a present Convenience than hazard Life everlasting IX Seeing then our Lord has requir'd Obedience in all these Particulars which I have nam'd Where are they to be found who have perform'd them all or even the smallest Part Where are they who either love their Enemies or do good to their Persecutors or that overcome Evil with Good who turn their Cheek to him that smites them or that yield up their Goods without Dispute to them that take them Who is there that avoids all base Detraction who injures no one by base Words who rather hold their Tongues than break forth into bitter Railings Who is there minds these lesser Duties not to mention now the Greater spoken of before Since then Matters are thus and that we obey none of our Lord's Commands what Reason have we to complain of God when he ought rather to complain of us Why should we repine that God do's not hear us when we our selves refuse to hear Him and whisper abroad that God do's not at all look upon the World when we refuse to look up to Heaven Why should it trouble us that our Lord despises our Prayers when we take care to despise his Precepts Suppose we were upon the Level with our Lord What room could there be for Complaint if he deals by us as we use Him Which yet I could prove to be quite otherwise and that God deals more tenderly by us than we do dutifully by Him But to go on with the Parallel I began And as our Lord says I have called to you and you have not heard me Prov. 1. Mich. 3. Psal â—7 and you shall cry to me and I will not hear you What can be more just and equitable We don't hear and therefore are not heard We do not regard him and therefore are not regarded by Him I desire to know where that mortal Master is who would be content to manage Matters at this rate with his Servants that in Return for Contempt receiv'd from his own Vassals he should only have the Pleasure of slighting them again But we do not only affront and contemn our God as Servants do their worldly Masters whose greatest Slight is not to do what they are order'd For we not only do not what we are order'd but with all our Might and Main the clean contrary Thus God commands us to love one another but we tear and hawl each other to pieces God commands all to distribute their own Goods to those that want them and All invade the Properties of other Men. God commands that every Christian should have chaste Eyes but how few are there who do not wallow in the Filth of Fornication But to what purpose should I produce more What I am now going to say is sad and lamentable The Church of God it self which at all times should be the Appeaser and Peace-Maker is now become the Grand Provoker and Exasperator of God For bating a very few who have escaped the Contagion what is every Congregation of Christians but a Common-shore of Vices For who will you find in the Church that is not either a Drunkard or a Glutton Adulterer or Fornicator Extortioner or Rioter a Thief or Murderer And what is worse than all this there is no end of them For I appeal to the Conscience of every Christian of all the Villainies and Wickednesses I have nam'd where is the Man that is not guilty of some or rather of all of them 'T is easier to find one thro'-pac'd in all than one who has nothing of them But some perhaps may think the Censure here too hard because I say who has nothing And therefore I had much rather say you may sooner find them guilty of all these Crimes than not of all easier of the greater Sins than of the less That is you 'll easier find such who would commit the greater Crimes together with the less than such as would act the lesser ones without the greater Our Congregations are fallen into such a Degeneracy and Baseness of Manners that among Christian People now 't is a piece of Religion and Sanctity to be less wicked than their Neighbours So that some have less Respect for the Churches or rather Temples and Altars of the most High God than they have for the House of some Petty Corporation-Magistrate For tho' all Persons don't presume to crowd promiscuously into the Gates of Princes nor even of the Chief Governours or Officers unless invited or cited by them as Judges or to solicite Business or else whose Station and Post do's permit it so that if any enter insolently he 's either beaten or driven back is laugh'd at and expos'd or has some other Mark of Disrespect put upon him yet into the Temples or rather the Altars and Sacred Places of our God the most Sordid and Flagitious rush on Heaps without Respect or Reverence not that they ought not to haste thither to pray to God but he that enters with the Design to endeavour to Appease Almighty God ought to be careful not to exasperate him at going out For they are quite two Things to ask Forgiveness and to provoke to Wrath. But is it not monstrous and prodigious that Men should every hour commit the Things the doing of which they every hour lament They who enter the Church to Bemoan their former Sins depart what do I say depart nay even in the midst of all their Prayers and Supplications contrive to act the same The Mouth says one thing and the Heart another and whilst in Word they Moan their past Transgressions their Thoughts are ruminating upon new so that their Prayer do's rather encrease their Guilt than prevail for Pardon so that the Scripture Curse is verified in them that their Psal 109. v. 6. own Words condemn them and that their Prayers are turned into Sin Lastly if any one would know what these Men think of in the Church let him observe what follows As soon as e're the Publick Service ends every one hastens to follow his old Trade some to Steal some to be Drunk some to Whoreing and some to the High-pad so that 't is plain they thought on These the time they spent in Church in order to their
do those things which God forbids we tread his Commandments under our Feet and therefore it is very wickedly done of us to accuse God of dealing Severely by us in our Calamities we should only blame our selves For when we commit those Faults which are the occasion of our Distresses 't is we our selves that are the Authors of our Misfortunes Why then do we cry out of the Sharpness of our Punishment Every one of us is his own Tormentor so that that of the Prophet is said to all of us Isai 50. v. 11. Behold all ye that kindle a fire that compass your selves about with Sparks walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks that ye have kindled For all Mankind run headlong into eternal Torment in the way here describ'd by the Scripture first of all they kindle a fire then they add more fuel and force to it and afterward enter into the flame theâ— have provided When therefore do's a Man first of all kindle Everlasting Fire for himself Why when he do's first of all begin to sin But when do's he add Force to the Fire When he heaps one Sin upon the head of another And when do's he enter into Everlasting Fire When by an overplus and superfluity of daily Sinning he hath fulfill'd the remediless Summ Total of his Iniquities as our blessed Saviour said to the Great Men of the Jews Fill ye up Matt. 23 v. 32 33. then the measure of your Fathers ye Serpents ye Generation of Vipers They were not far from the Complement of their Sins to whom our Lord thus spoke that they should fulfil their Iniquities and doubtless for that Reason because they were not worthy of Salvation they might compleat their wickedness in order to their Destruction So in the old Law when it makes mention that the Iniquities of the Amorites were fulfill'd it tells us that the Angels spoke thus to Lot Whosoever thou hast in this City bring them out of Cer. 19. v. 12. 13. this place for we will destroy this place because the Cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it That most profligate People had for a long time lighted the Fire by which they perish'd and therefore when they had fulfill'd their Iniquities they roasted in the Flames of their own Crimes for they had so very highly offended God that they endur'd that Hell in this world which is to be felt in the other IX But some one may say there are none who deserve to be destroy'd as they were because there are none guilty of the Impurities they were Perhaps that may be true But what shall we make of that which our Saviour says that all they who despise his Gospel are much worse than them For thus he says to the People of Capernaum If the mighty works Luk. 10. v. 12 13. had been done in Sodom which have been done in thee it might have remain'd unto this day But I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable in the day of Judgment for Sodom than for thee He says here that the Sodomites are less Culpable than those who neglect the Gospel and therefore this is a most plain Reason why we who do neglect it in many Instances ought to dread something worse especially considering that we will not now be satisfied with the usual and familiar Vices The customary ways of Sinning are not sufficient for many now They are not contented with Brawlings Calumnies Rapine Drunkenness Rioting Cheating Perjury Adulteries Murders no nor all of them together altho' most barbarously Inhumane yet in Fact most injuriously inflicted on many unless in the height of their Fury they lay their Blasphemous hands even on God himself For as the Scripture says of the ungodly Psal 73. v. 9. v. 11. They set their mouth against the Heavens and their tongue walketh thro' the Earth And they say how doth God know and is there knowledge in the most High And in another place Psal 94. v. 7. The Lord shall not see neither shall the God of Jacob regard it And to such as these we may very aptly apply that of the Royal Prophet Psal 53. v. 1. The Fool hath said in his heart there is no God For they who affirm that God sees nothing had as good at the same time take away his Subsistence and when they say he has no Sight they had as good say he has no Being For altho' no very wicked Action can be consonant to right Reason because Reason and Sinning are inconsistent yet in my Opinion there is no wickedness so very wild and unreasonable as this For what can savour more of Frenzy than that a Man should acknowledge God to be the Creator of all Things and yet to deny that he governs them that he is the Former and Maker of all Things and yet that he neglects his own Handywork As tho' the Chief End and Design of making them was purely â— How God is the giver of all things and his love towards us who merit nothing but death to disregard them Now on the contrary I assert that he had so Great Care of all his Creatures that I will prove that he exercis'd it even before the Creation The very Thing it self shews it plainly For he had never made any thing unless he had some Thoughts of it beforehand for we do not see any part of Mankind so very dull to undertake or go through with any thing that he may never mind it when he has done it For he who cultivates his Field do's it for that End that he may preserve it in that order He who plants a Vineyard do's it with Design to keep up the Plantation He who begins to raise a Flock do's it with Design to take care of their Increase So he who builds a House or lays the Foundation of one altho' at that time he has not a Dwelling ready for him yet he undergo's the Charge and Pains of Building in hopes and prospect of his future Habitation But why do I mention this in Man since even the smallest Insects direct their Actions with the Instinct of what is to come Thus the Ants in their subterranean Cells lay up what various Fruits they can and gather all their Stock in order to preserve their Lives So Bees when they lay the Foundation for their Honey-Combs or gather that which comes from the Flowers to what end do they desire the Thyme but with desire and hope of Honey or fly from Flower to flower but out of love to their future young Ones Hath God then who hath implanted in the least of Creatures such Affections for their own works depriv'd only himself of the love of his Creatures especially since all the Passion we have for good things descends to us from his good Love alone For he is the Fountain and Original of All things 't is in him as the Scripture
by the Name of Christ they take themselves bound most religiously to commit the Sin I will tell you what lately happen'd to my self Not long since being mightily press'd by a certain poor Man to speak to a rich Neighbour of his to desire him not to take away the poor Creature 's Estate and Goods that he would not carry off the Salary and Income that Maintain'd him in that low Station To which he whose Ravenous Desires gap'd after the Man's Estate and who had already in his Mind devour'd the Man and Goods looking Sternly upon me as one that thought I was taking from him what he had not yet taken from the other Answer'd that he could not by any Means grant my Request as positively as if it had been some of the greatest Duties he was performing and which could not by any means be dispens'd with When I desir'd to know the Reason why the Thing could not be done he gave me the most Convincing and Vrgent one and which was not by any means to be gain-said I have says he sworn by Christ to take all from him and pray do you consider whether it be in my Power now to leave undone what I have sworn by that holy Name to do At which I for what more could I say when he had so just and holy a Pretence walk'd off when I had heard the Reason of so Religious a piece of Villany XVI I would now desire to know of all Of how great a Sin it is In causing others to Blaspheme by our loose living and by despising things we know must be done those who are as yet in their Wits whether ever any one could possibly think that the Impudence of Men's covetous Desires could go so high in affronting their Maker as to assert that they do those things out of Reverence to Christ's Name which yet are the greatest Disrespects that could be done him This is unaccountable and prodigious Wickedness To what Baseness will not Men's wicked Inclinations draw them They arm themselves for Pillaging and Plunder by the Name of Christ and make even God the Author of their Crimes and when Christ is the Prohibitor and Punisher of all Wickedness whatever they tell you they commit it purely for Christ's sake And do we complain of the Iniquities of our Enemies and accuse Heathens and Barbarians of Perjury With how much less Fault do they forswear by their Doemons than we by our Lord How much less a Crime is it to play and trifle with the name of Jupiter than that of Christ In that case there is only a dead Man who is sworn by But in the other 't is the living God who is forsworn by In that there 's not so much as a meer Man but here the Almighty God In our case there 's a Renunciation of the greatest Oath and therefore of necessity the greatest Guilt and Perjury In their's since there 's as good as no Oath there can be no Perjury For since it is not a God by whom they swear it cannot be Perjury when they chance to break it But whoever has a mind to know the Truth of this let him hear the holy Apostle St. Paul delivering the same Doctrine that I do now For thus Rom. 2. he says We know that whatsoever the Law says it speaks to those who are under the Law And Rom. 4. v. 15. again Where no Law is there is no Transgression In these two Sentences he has plainly rank'd the two Parts of Mankind those without the Law and those who live under it Who are they therefore who are now under the Law Who should they be but the Christians such as the Apostle was who says of himself I am not without the Law of God but am under Rom. 7. the Law of Christ Who are therefore without the Law of Christ Who but Pagans who know not the Law of Christ And therefore it is of these he says Where no Law is there is no Transgression By which one single Passage he shews that only the Christians when they sin are the Transgressors of the Law but the Heathen who know nothing of the Law do sin without Transgression Because no one can be a Transgressor of that Thing which he do's not know We therefore are the onely Transgressors of the Divine Law we who as the Scripture says read the Law but do it not and so by that means our Knowledge is nothing else but our Fault since we have known the Law to no other End but to break it with greater Aggravation Because what we have known by Reading we have contemn'd and despis'd by our Pride and Lusts And therefore that of the Apostle is most truly said to every Christian Thou that Rom. 2. v. 23. makest thy boast of the Law through breaking the Law dishonourest thou God For the Name p. 24. of God is Blasphem'd among the Gentiles thro' you Hence may be seen what Crime it is the Christian are guilty of since they give occasion to the Blaspheming the Name of God And when we find in the Scriptures that we should do all things to the Glory of God we on the contrary 1 Cor. 10. v. 31. do every thing we can to disgrace him And when our Saviour every day calls to us That our light should so shine before Men that they Matt. 5. v. 16. may see our good works and glorifie our Father which is in Heaven We on the contrary live so as that Men may see our evil Works and so by that means blaspheme our Father which is in Heaven XVII Since Matters are thus we have great Reason on my word to sooth our selves with the great Advantage we have of being call'd Christians since we act and live at such a rate as that we are a Scandal to Christ by the bearing of his holy Name But on the other side what like this can be said of any of the Heathen Can it be said of the Huns See what sort of People these are who are called Christians Can it be said of the Saxons or Franks Behold the Actions of those who stile themselves the Worshippers of Christ Is our most holy Law blam'd for the bruitish Carriage of the Moors Do the barbarous Rites of the Scythians and Gepids cause the Name of our Lord and Saviour to be evil spoken of and blasphem'd Can it be said of any of these where is the Catholick Law which they believe Where are the Precepts of Piety and Chastity which they learn They read the Gospels and yet are lewd they hear the Apostles and yet are Drunkards they follow Christ and yet love Rapine they lead a wicked Life and yet Brag of the Goodness of their Law Can such Things as these be said of any of those Nations no not by any means 'T is of Us and only us of whom they are truely said 'T is in us that Christ is ubraided 't is through us that the Christian Law is
Crimes And as old Stories tell of that Monster of a Hydra Serpent who encreased by being wounded so in this most Famous City of Gaul their Wickednesses encreased by that very Punishment which kept them back from sinning So that you would think the chastising of their Crimes were the original of their Vices And what should I say more By the daily encrease of hourly growing Ills they are come to that pass that you may eafily find that City without an Inhabitant than almost any Inhabitant in it without a Crime This is the condition of that City What is there done in a Agrippina or Colen another not far off but almost as Magnificent as the other Is not there likewise the same Ruine of Estates and Morals For beside all the rest when all things were fallen to pieces by those two especial and general Evils Covetousness and Drunkenness at last by their greedy Desire of Wine they came to that pass that the Chief of the City had not then risen from their Banqueting even when the Enemy had entred the Town So that I verily believe God had a mind to shew them plainly the Reason of their Destruction when they were doing that very Thing at the Minute of their Ruine which had been the Occasion of their utter Perdition I saw there many lamentable Sights no manner of difference between Boys and old Men The same idle Jesting the same Levity All things jumbled together Luxury Tippling and Destruction All did every thing alike they play'd got drunk and so were knock'd on the Head Old men and of Reputation play'd the Wantons in their Feasts they had scarce strength to live and yet were stout and lusty at the Bottle infirm in their Walking but robust in their Drinking Tottering in their common gate yet very nimble at Dancing In short By what I have said 't is plain they are come to this that the Saying of the Son of Syrak Holy writ is fulfilled in them Eccles 19. v. 2. Wine and Women make men fall away from God For while they drink play whore and run mad they begin to deny Christ And we admire after all this that such People lose their Estates who have so long before lost their Senses Let no one then think that 't is only the City which is brought to ruine For where such things as I have mention'd are acted there the Inhabitants have perish'd even long before they are destroy'd XIV I have even now spoke of the Grand Cities How far'd it with the other Cities in other Parts of Gaul Have not they perish'd by the like Crimes of their Inhabitants For their Iniquities press'd them so hard that they never fear'd the Danger They were sensible before-hand of their Captivity and yet never dreaded it The apprehension of danger was taken from them lest they should fence against it So that when the Barbarians were even in Sight the People had not fear upon them nor ever guarded the Cities So great was the Blindness of their Minds or rather of their Sins that when 't is certain not one of them was willing to die yet not one of them did any thing to prevent his own Destruction They were altogether Carelesness and Laziness it self Negligence and Gluttony Drunkenness and Drowziness had possess'd them All according to what the Scripture says of such Men that a deep sleep from the Lord was fallen upon 1 Sam. 26. v. 12. them The deep sleep was laid upon them that their Destruction might follow For when as it is written a Sinner having compleated Gen. 15. v. 16. his Iniquities deserves to perish all fore-sight is taken from him lest by the help of that he should escape But enough on this head For I suppose I have sufficiently prov'd what I undertook viz. that even in the utmost Danger the Debaucheries of the Citizens never ceas'd to the very Minute of the Destruction of the Cities XV. It may be such things as these have been but now they are not or will cease ever to be And if any either City or Province is at this day either visited with Plagues from Heaven or laid waste by an Enemy it is Humbled Converted and Amended and it is not the Temper of all the Romans in general sooner to Perish than be reform'd and rather to leave off Being than not be in their Sins That may easily be seen in the three Successive Destructions of the greatest e Triers City of Gaul when all the City was but as one Grave their Evils increasing even after their Ruin For those whom the Enemy had not destroy'd in its overthrow Misery destroyed afterwards And that which had escap'd Death in the taking of it cou'd not afterwards survive the distress For some died lingring Deaths of deep Wounds Others after the fireing the Town were tortur'd and burn'd by the Enemy Some died of Famine others of Nakedness some wasted away and others were Starv'd So they all came to the same Stage of Death by different ways of dying And in short Other Cities were Annoyed by the Ruine of this One. For the Naked dead Bodies of both Sexes lay scatter'd abroad every where I my self have seen and endur'd it defiling the Eyes of the City torn piece-meal and devour'd by Birds and Dogs The infectious stanch of the Dead caus'd a Pestilence among the Living Death was exhaled from Death So that they who were not present at the Ruine of the foresaid City bore the Misfortunes of its Destruction And what I pray you followed after all this Why such a Madness as is not easily to be thought of Those few Great Ones who surviv'd the Ruines desir'd of the * Honoâ—ius Constantius Emperors as the only Remedy of their ras'd City that they might have Cirque-Games there O that I had in this Place Rhetorick equal to the Subject to pursue the Baseness of it sufficiently that the Complaint might have as great a sting in it as the Cause has Sorrow For who can say what is most to be blamed in the Premises whether Irreligion Folly Luxury or Madness Since they are all in them For what can be more Irreligious than to desire any thing to affront our Maker Or more Foolish than not to consider what it is you desire Or what abandon'd Luxury is it to desire Rioting and Revelling in a time of Mourning Or what greater Madness can there be than to be in Misery and not to be the least sensible of it Altho' in this whole Matter nothing is less to be blam'd than the Madness of it for where the Sin is committed in Frenzy there the Will is in no Fault Would you Men of Treveris then fain have Cirque-Games and this after you have been Plunder'd and Ruin'd after Blood and Slaughter after Torments and Captivity and so many Overthrows of your Conquer'd City What can be more sad than this Folly and more lamentable than this Madness I confess I thought you were
sufficiently miserable when your City was destroy'd but now I see you are much more miserable since you desire these wicked Shews I thought before truly that you had only lost your Goods and Estates when you lost your Town I could not imagine that you had lost your Senses and Understanding likewise You desire Theatres then and Petition for a Cirque from the Princes For what State I beseech you for what People for what City For one that is burnt and destroy'd for a People that are captivated and murder'd who are either lost or in Mourning of whom if any thing remains 't is nothing but Misery who are either dejected with Sorrow exhausted with Tears or fainting for the Loss of Friends among whom you can scarce tell who had the harder Fortune those who were kill'd or those who survive For the Miseries of those who remain are so Great that they exceed the Infelicity of the Dead You City of Treveris then petition for publick Pastimes Pray where will you play ' em What upon the Graves and Ashes upon the Blood and Bones of the Slain For what part of the City is there that has not some of them Where is not Blood shed where are not Bodies scatter'd where are not the mangl'd Limbs of the Slain There are every where signs of a Vanquish'd City the Horror of Captivity and the Image of Death The miserable Reliques of the People are lying on the Graves of their Dead and yet you ask for the Pastimes of the Cirques The City is all Sooty with its late Burning and you would put on the Face of Mirth Every thing in it is sorrowful but you are joyful But beside all this you provoke God by these most Scandalous Fopperies and stir up His Displeasure by these worst of Superstitions I do not truely wonder I do not any longer admire that so many Evils have fallen upon you for since you have not been amended by three Ruines I think you very well deserv'd to feel the See p. 27. Fourth XVI I have drawn out this Matter the How God sometimes chastises us with Hardships and sometimes he indulges us with Tranquility and Ease longer that I might shew that all the Evils we endure do not come upon us by the Carelesness or Neglect of God but that we bear them by His Justice by His Judgment by His most righteous Dispensation and most justly Retribution and that there is not any one Part of the Roman Empire or of any thing that bears that Name how severely soever they have been punish'd from above that have ever been Reform'd by it So that we do not by any means merit the Enjoyment of Prosperity because we are not made better by Adversity And yet as unworthy as we are we sometimes receive Good Things For our Good God like a most tender Father altho' he suffers us sometimes to be humbled for our Iniquities yet he does not leave us long under the Affliction and therefore to shew His Government he does sometimes Chastise us with Hardships and other times again to shew His Tenderness he Indulges us with Tranquility and Ease For as the best and most Skilful Physicians suit different Remedies to different Distempers and Cure some by Sweet Medicines and others by Bitter recover some by Causticks and Burning and others by gentle emollient Applications to some they use Cutting and Scarifying and on others pour the smoothest softest Oyl and yet it is but the same Health that is procur'd by all these Various Methods Even so our God when ever he uses Severity towards us Cures us as it were by Causticks and Scarifying and when he refreshes us again with Ease and Prosperity he Comforts us as it were with Oyl and emollient Medicines For His Design is to bring us to the same Health and Welfare by the help of different Remedies Good Words are us'd sometimes to mend the worst of Servants whom Correction will do no good upon and Kindnesses have made them submit to their Masters when Stripes wou'd never do it So Sugar-Plums and fair Words will bring those little testy peevish Brats under Government who would never submit to Threats and the Rod. By which we may understand that we are worse than the worst of Servants and more foolish than the filliest Children since Punishment does not amend us as it does bad Servants nor fair Words change us as they do young Children XVII And now I think I have sufficiently prov'd that no Part of the Roman Empire were ever amended by the Punishments inflicted on them It remains that I shew likewise that they have not been reform'd by God's Bounty and Loving-kindness But what are the Bounty and loveing-kindness of God What should they be but our Peace and our Quiet and a Prosperous Tranquility the Foundations of all our other Joys and Satisfactions But since the Matter requires it I shall mention somewhat in particular As oft then as we are in Fear in Straits or Dangers when either our Cities are besieg'd by the Enemies or our Provinces wasted by Plunder or any Parts of the Common-wealth are in Trouble and Distress and we Pray to Heaven for Assistance if by the Divine Help and Pity the Cities are sav'd or the plundring ended or the Enemies routed and all Fear by the Favour of Heaven remov'd what is it that we do after all this I presume we endeavour to recompense to our Lord God the Benefits we have receiv'd from him by Worship Honour and Reverence For that follows of Course 't is but what is Common among all Mankind that we should return Thanks to those who have lent us Favours and give again to those who have formerly presented us So then it may be we do and dealing with our God at least after the returns used among Men when we receive Good Things from Him we return Good Things to Him We haste immediately to the House of God prostrate our selves on the Ground Pray to Him with Joy and Tears together we Adorn the Sacred Building with our Presents and load the Altars with our Offerings and because purely by His Favour we our selves keep Holy-day we put the Church it self in the same chearful Dress or at least which is as pleasing to Him we renounce our former Sins we slay the Offerings of Good Works and for our new Joy Offer the Sacrifices of our new Conversation we proclaim a Holy War against all manner of Uncleanness we shun the Madness of the Cirques we Abominate the filthiness of the Theatres we Vow a New Life to our Lord and for the obtaining of His perpetual Protection we Sacrifice our selves to God XVIII Seeing then that what I have said ought to be done for fresh Favours receiv'd from God let us see what is done They hast forth with to the Plays they fly to their Follies and Madnesses all the people are dispersed in the Theatres and behave themselves like Madmen in the Cirques He bestows good things on
Captivity and having the Fear of Death upon us burst into Laughter You would think all the Romans were satiated with the Herbs of * A proverbial saying for a foolish laughing with sorrow in the end Sardinia They die Laughing And therefore almost in all Parts of the World Tears follow our Laughter and even at present that Saying of our Lord is come upon us Woe unto you that laugh for you shall Luk. 9. weep II. But it may be since I have spoken so Of Gods Goodness in desiring nothing that is either heavy or burthensome for his peculiar favour 's conferred upon us long of the publick Sports and Uncleannesses some one may be apt to think that we are worse than the Barbarians only in this because they do no such things and 't is only we that do them but as to the wickedness of Carnal Lusts and the filth of Abominable Fornication that we are not by any means so Bad. Let us if you please compare the Romans in this Particular with the other People And really I cannot tell whether they can be more rightly compar'd to any than to those whom God having plac'd in the very heart of the Commonwealth has made Lords and Masters of the Roman Soil But altho' nothing can be argu'd of the Judgment of God yet seeing he has taken away from us a great Part of our Possessions and given them to the Barbarians let us consider whether what he has taken from us and given to them he can be thought to have done by a just Judgment Every one knows that the Aquitanes and the * The inhabitants of what is now call'd Gascoine and Guienne in France Novem-Populi had the very Marrow of almost all Gaul and the Breasts of all its Plenty and not only of Plenty but of what is sometimes preferr'd before it of Delight Pleasure and * People of Languedock and Gascoine Beauty The whole Country there was so intermixt with Vineyards and curious flowry Meads chequer'd with various Tillage planted with Orchards or the pleasantest Groves water'd with Fountains or flow'd between by Rivers or cover'd all over with Harvests plenty so that the Possessors and Owners of that Country seem'd not so much to enjoy that Portion of the Soil as the very Resemblance of Paradise And what after all this Undoubtedly they ought to be more dutiful toward God whom he had thus in a peculiar manner enrich'd with such an Abundance of His Favours For what is more rational and fitting than that they whom God by His Blessings seem'd particularly willing to oblige should likewise in an especial manner endeavour to please him by Honour and religious Service especially considering that God requires nothing that is heavy or burdensome from us God do's not call us to the Plow or the Spade not to Till the Earth nor to Dig and Delve in the Vineyard nor do's he require so much of us as we do from our Servants For what says he Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give Matt. 11. v. 28 c. you rest Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your Souls For my yoke is Of what God requires of us easie and my burden is light Our Lord therefore do's not invite us to Labour but to Refreshment For what does he require of us what does he command us to perform but only Faith Chastity Humility Sobriety Mercy Holiness all which do not burden but beautifie us And not only so but they do therefore adorn this present Life that they may much more adorn that which is to come O the Goodness Loving-kindess and inestimable Mercy of God who gives us in this present Life the Blessing of Religion for that very End that he may hereafter reward the very Things that he gave us Such certainly without all question the Aquitanes ought to have been And truly as I said in a more especial manner because they receiv'd more especial Favours from the hand of God But what after all these What follow'd What but every thing the quite contrary For as they were the richest in all Gaul so they were the most Vicious For there was no where greater Voluptuousness no where lewder Lives nor no where more corrupt Discipline This Return they made the Lord for His heavenly Favours that as much as He by His loving kindnesses endeavour'd to draw them to him that he might have mercy upon them so much on the other hand by their detestable Actions they labour'd to exasperate Him III. But it may be this is false and is rather Of the vices of the Aquitanes spoken invidiously than truly I shall not make use of any far-fetch'd Proof as Orators and others in their Causes are us'd to do by producing to justify it only some few and those strangers and not legal Witnesses I will only ask the Parties who have done the Fact I have told an untruth if they deny it For they confess it and which is worse they own it so as not to shew the least Sorrow in the Confession For they have the same Mind now in the Confessing it as they had before in the Acting it As then they were not ashamed to commit the Wickedness so neither now do they in the least repent that they had done those Wicked things Excepting however some very few Holy and Eminent Men who as one of their Number says Redeem'd their Crimes by scattering their Coin Excepting I say those I speak of whom in that Universal Stanch and Filth of Vices I believe only to have been guilty of the lesser Crimes since they deserv'd to be reform'd by Heaven For he does not in every Respect offend his Lord for whóm Mercy is reserved And in short I am of Opinion that he had always his Eye upon God in the midst of his Mistake who could obtain the Blessing from Him that he might continue no longer in it But the rest and Most and Richest were almost all the same their Guts were almost one bottomless Pit And all their Lives one continued Brothel-house But what do I mention the Brothel-houses I take the Bawdy-house to be much less faulty For the Harlots who are there never knew the Bond of Marriage and so they do not pollute what they never knew They do indeed deserve to be punish'd for the Sin of Unchastity but yet they are not guilty of the sin of Adultery Beside there are not many Brothels and there are very few Queans who have damn'd themselves to that cursed way of Living But among the Aquitanes what City was there in the Richest and Noblest part of it which was not like a perfect Stews Where was there a Rich Man of Power who did not live in the filth of Lusts Who did not plunge himself in the nasty stinking Jaques Who was true to his Bed Nay as far as lying with