bewail his loss but when thou losest the presence of God and the enjoyment of communion with himself thou makest no matter of that which is the cheifest good and surely this is a clear demonstration that thou lovest these creatures more than the Creator blessed for ever 2ly That which thou art so much cast down in the absence and so exceedingly lifted up and rejoycing in the presence of and in the enjoyment must needs be thy chiefest delight and so closest with thy Idol instead of the true God and in this thou art certainly to blame 2ly Oppression when men oppress the poor and needy Psa 12. 5. For the oppression of the Poor for the sighing of the needy now will I arise saith the Lord I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him The rich oppress the poor as Masters oppress their servants and prentices and Magistrates oppress their subjects Then Masters oppress their servants when they do not that which is equal to them they break the Royal Rule do as you wou'd bedon by For Masters to detein their servants wages and not to give that which is necessary and convenient for them this is a great oppression See Job 35. 9. By reason of the multitude of oppressions they make the oppressed to cry they cry out by reason of the arme of the Mighty Eccles 4. 1. So I returned and considered all the oppressions that are done under the Sun and behold the tears of such as are oppressed and they had no comforter and on the side of their oppressors there was power but they had no comforter Is 33. 15. So when Governors of Nations lay any heavy burthens upon the people contrary to the rule of Gods word and contrary to the Law of the Nation this is great oppression as Pharaoh made the people make Brick without straw See Exod. 5. from the 7. to the 19. vers 15. Then the Officers of the Children of Israel cryed unto Pharaoh saying wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants there is no straw given unto thy servants and they say unto us make Brick and behold thy servants are beaten but the fault is in thy own people vers 17. But he said ye are idle ye are idle therefore ye say let us go and do sacrifice unto the Lord. ver 18. Go therefore now and worke for there shall no straw be given you yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks Job 15. 20. With many other places I might alledge So that you may see how oppressors have been formerly so are to this day and how the holy Scriptures condemn that sin and it brings judgments upon the guilty on them and their posterity Therefore repent of this great unlovely uncharitable self-destroying sin for else it will bring the swift judgments of God upon all those that practise this abominable evil both upon them and their posterity See Job 57. from the 13 to the end of the chapt This is the portion of wicked men with God and the heritage which they shall receive of the Almighty if his children be multiplied it is for the sword and his off-spring shall not be satisfied vers the 15. Those that remain of him shall be buried in death and his widdows shall not weep vers the 20. Terrors take hold on him as waters a tempest stealeth him away in the night 21. The East-wind carrieth him away and he departeth and as a storm hurleth him out of his place 22. For God shall cast upon him and not spare he wou'd fain flee out of his hands 23. Men shall clap their hands at him and shall hiss him out of his place And this is the portion of wicked men from the Lord. I beseech you let every one examine himself whether he be not guilty of this sin Prov. 3. 31. and 28. 16. Jer. 21. 12. and 22. 3. And see the danger of and avoid it and turn to the Lord from every evil way that so iniquity may not be your ruin 11. Sin is the sin of Professors that profess Religion and do not practise what you profess Surely when we make a scrutiny into our own hearts and behold the practise of other Professors it is evidently to be demonstrated that there is so little love to God and Jesus Christ that have deserved all our love that we may be ashamed See what little love there is to Saints that bear the Image of Christ Surely we are fallen into the latter days that our Lord Jesus speaks of Math. 24. 12. And because iniquity abounds the love of many shall wax cold The great reason that Christ gives why the love of many waxeth cold is because iniquity abounds Therefore now it must needs wax cold because there was never greater abounding of iniquity in all sorts as at this day There is no man that loves God aright but he must love his Image where ever he see it 1 Joh. 2. from the 9. to the 12. Loving our Brethren is made a certain character of a Christian 1 Joh. 3. 10. and 4. 20. that Epistle is spent in treating of Faith and Love And therefore I desire all Christians seriously to read and weigh those five chapt of 1. of John it doth very much reprehend our defects in this thing especially and exhorts all to believe Oh examine thy heart and be earnest at the throne of grace that God wou'd make thee sincere that thou mayst avoid the evils of the day thou livest in and do the duties of the day which is especially 1 Love to God and Jesus Christ 2 Love to the Saints 3 Watchfulness and keeping thy garments clean lest thou be found naked I shall end with this Scripture which is our Lord Jesus's reprehension of and counsel to the Church of Ephesus Rev. 2. 4 5. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee because thou hast left thy first love Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen and repent and do thy first works or else I will come against thee and remove thy Candlestick out of his place except thou repent Oh let us every one consider what is said and the Lord give a right understanding in all things Oh the lukewarmness and want of love to God and Christ and Saints Oh the carnality of Professors a Laodicean frame is the worst frame in professors Mark what the spirit of God saith in the 3 of the Re. 3. And unto the Angel of the Church of Laodicea write these things saith the Amen the faithful and true witness the Beginning of the Creation of God vers 15. I know thy works that thou art neither hot nor cold so because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will spue thee out of my mouth Are not your expectations very great the accomplishing of all those faithful promises which God hath made in these latter days and therefore Christians should be diligent and be up and doing and be servent in the spirit serving the Lord with much vigilancy and sincerity preparing for the day of the Lord which draweth nigh And blessed are all those servants whom their Lord shall find doing their Masters will he will make them sit down and he will serve them Take heed of spiritual pride for that poysons Angelical perfections Take heed of a carnal formal frame of spirit for that will make thee unfit for doing or suffering Oh awake thou that sleepest and rise from the dead and Christ shall give thee life for thou hast a great work to do and a very little time to do it and therefore up and be doing and the Lord be with thee Labour to exercise faith and patience faith in God and love to God and very much longing and ardent desire after God 2. A patient wayting for God For he that shall come will come and will not tarry but the Just shall live by faith but if any man draw back my soul shall have no pleasure in him Heb. 10. 35 36 37 38. Now with my earnest prayers at the Throne of grace for you desiring the God of all grace and rich mercy to preserve us blameless and to keep us by his mighty power through faith to salvation that we overcome to the death and so enjoy a Crown of life which the righteous Lord will assuredly give to all those that love and long for his appearance FINIS
brought him to the grave For his radical moisture was turned into the drought of the summer Surely sin brings death both a natural spiritual and eternal The wages of sin is death Rom. 7. 23. without true unfeigned repentance and turning from it as David did But how many perplexities of heart had he and how many chastisements were inflicted upon him driven from his kingdom he that came out off his own bowels rose up against him the hearts of the people were alienated from him 2 Sam. 15. from the 13. to the 18. vers 23 30. And so you see his great distress by reason of those sins of Murder and Adultery and in his flight he was so despised that Shimei one of his Subjects cursed him and threw stones at him chapt 16. from the 5 vers to the 9. O the confusion and distress that sin brings upon a people how foolish are the Sons and Daughters of men to delight in that which will utterly destroy them both soul and body and hate those things that would preserve them in peace and prosperity that is they hate Christ and his ways and people Prov. 8. 35 36. For who so findeth me findeth life and shall obtain favour of the Lord. vers 36. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul all they that hate me love death Very well may wicked men be call'd in the Scriptures mad men and fools because they destroy themselves and esteem of things of no value more than those things that are exceeding pretious to be most highly valued in the superlative degree So God complains of the people of Israel in the 5 of Jer. 8 9. They were as fed horses in the morning every one neighed after his neighbours wife shall I not visit for these things saith the Lord shall not my soul be avenged on such a Nation as this Several other Scriptures I might produce which declare the wrath of God against a sinful people that will not be perswaded to break off their sins by repentance O consider how many rules thou breakest by committing this sin of Adultery and Fornication 1 The 7. Command Thou shalt not commit Adultery 2 the 10 Com. Thou shalt not covet thy Neighbour's wife 3. The rule of Equity that Royal rule Do as thou wouldst be don by Would you be contented that another should take your wife and defile her why then will you be so injurious to your neighbour as to covet that which is none of yours contrary to the rule of God's holy word Jer. 5. 9 10 11. For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt treacherously against me saith the Lord they have belied the Lord and said it is not he neither shall evil come upon us neither shall we see sword nor famin vers 13. And the Prophets shall become wind and the word is not in them thus shall it be don unto them vers 14. Wherâ—fore thus saith the Lord of hosts because ye speak this word behold I will make my words in thy mouth fire and this people wood and it shall devour them vers 15. Loe I will bring a Nation upon you from far O house of Israel saith the Lord it is a mighty Nation it is an ancient Nation whose language thou knowest not neither understandest what they say vers 21. Hear now this O foolish people and without understanding which have eyes and see not ears and hear not vers 22. Fear ye not me saith the Lord will ye not tremble at my presence which have placed the sand for the bound of the Sea by a perpetual decree that it cannot pass though the waves thereof toss themselves yet can they not prevail though they roar yet cannot they pass over it and so to the end of the chap. vers 28. They are waxen fat they shine yea they overpass the deeds of the wicked they judge not the cause of the fatherless yet they prosper and the right of the needy do they not judge vers 29. Shall I not visit for these things saith the Lord shall not my soul be avenged of such a Nation as this vers 30. A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land vers 31. The Prophets prophecy falsly and the Priests bear rule by their means and my people love to have it so and what will ye do in the end thereof And thus you see how sin provokes the Lord to destroy Nations Families and Persons Thou that art so injurious to take away thy Neighbours wife God doth many times take away all that such wicked persons have and they are brought to a morsel of bread For a whore is a deep ditch and a strange woman a narrow pit Prov. 23. 27 28 29. She lyeth allso in wait as for a prey and increaseth transgressours among men Who hath wo who hath sorrow who hath contention who hath babling who hath wounds without cause who hath redness of eyes Surely Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judge even in this life without true repentance and assuredly in the life to come It is very sad to see the impudence of the femal sex How many of them have harlots behaviour yea Professours and those that would be thought sober women yet go naked-neck'd from shoulder to shoulder and their brests seen which parts should be covered in modesty and that because it is the fashion and their Relations go so this is their foolish excuse that when they come among them they shall be contemned by them no matter for it is but by the wantons and Hectours of this age Drunkards count such as will be drunk with them honest men and Good-fellows but they are never the honester for their esteem Away then with the nakedness and cover your brests and shoulders for shame or else what ever shew of modesty thou makest it will be esteemed by sober persons vain and foolish And seeing thou givest way to uncover thy nakedness and so allurest wicked men thou mayst be overcome at last by lewd men to commit the sin of uncleanness O avoid all appearance of evil for Christians are to be adorned with modesty to use sobriety in all their actions O poor vile sinner thou that excusest thy self by being a great man or woman in this world and therefore thou must not be controuled what art thou but a lump of clay a heap of sinful dust and ashes That is but a greater aggravation of thy condemnation for the more mercies thou hast received from God the greater is thy Punishment if thou abusest these good mercies of God as riches honour that thou receivest from his bountiful hand more than others and because it is more exemplary and prevalent to draw others therefore it is accompanied with more aggravations in regard thou receivest more kindness from God than others and so takest God's weapons to fight against him How canst thou escape great condemnation that sinnest against so much light and so much love Oh foolish and
unwise do ye thus provoke the Lord to bring judgment and desolation until he hath consumed you from of the earth Job 24. 15. The eye also of the Adulterer watcheth for the twilight saying no eye shall see me and disguiseth his face 16 17 18 vers Jer. 10. 11. For the land is full of Adulterers for because of Swearing the land mourneth the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up their course is evil and their force is not right Mala. 3. 5. And I will come near to you in judgment and will be a swift witness against the Sorcerers and against the Adulterers and against false Swearers and against those that oppress the hireling of his wages the widow and the fatherless and turn aside the stranger from his right and fear not me saith the Lord of hosts And thus you may see how God doth threaten judgments against these sins and against all sin likewise see what the Apostle saith in 1 Corin. 6. 9 10. Be not deceived neither Fornicators nor Idolaters nor Adulterers nor Effeminate nor abusers of themselves with mankind nor Theeves nor Covetous nor Drunkards nor Extortioners shall inherit the Kingdom of God So Heb. 13. 4. Marriage is honourable in all but Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judge Rev. 22. 15. For without are Dogs Sorcerers and Whoremongers Murderers and Idolaters and whosoever loveth and maketh a lye I beseech you consider seriously what God would have you in these Scriptures for they are sharply reprehending your sins You that are guilty of these abominations take heed for it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the great and dreadful God who will be a consuming fire to all rebellious sinners Psa 50. 22. Now consider this ye that forget God lest I tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver Oh let thy heart tremble within thee when thou considerest that although thou art in thy secret chamber with thy minion yet God seeth all thy wickedness and will judge thee at the last and great day of accompt when all the Adulterers and Adultresses shall desire the rocks and mountains to fall upon them to hide them from him that sits upon the throne and shall not have so much favour but shall be severely judged and condemned and cast into the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone in those endless easlâ—ss and remediless torments 7. Land destroying Sin is murder this is a great crying Sin that cryes aloud for vengeance upon the Persons that are guilty and those that pass by willful Murther and upon all those Juries that find many Murders but manslaughter surely this Sin of murder is frequently committed in this great City and Suburbs and in all other parts of the Nation what a horrible shame is it that the City of London and Westminster that should be the best governed being the chief place of the Nation that there should be so many outrages committed where the Gospel is so powerfully preached beyond all the places in the World that which God hath so much prohibited in his holy word Exod. 20. 13. Thou shalt not kill Gen. 1. 9 6. Whoso sheddeth mans blood by man shall his blood be shed for in the Imâ—ge of God made he man which is given as a reason of this prohibition and this is confirmed by the Lord Jesus Matth. 5. 21 22. Chapt. 19. 18. thou shalt do no Murther thou shalt not Steal thou shalt not bear false Witness c. See Num. 35. 16. And if he smite him with an Instrument of Iron so that he dy he is a Murtherer and the Murtherer shall surely be put to death vers the 31. Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the Life of the Murtherer which is guilty of Death but he shall surely be put to Death vers the 30. whoso killeth any person shall be put to Death by the mouth of his Witnesses Oh the corruption of this wicked age that if a man be a great man or have great Friends or a plentiful Purse how is justice apt to be perverted and it may be the Prosecutor a poor man how shall he be brow-beaten and not suffered to speak if the Murtherer be in his drink or be distempered there will be some excuse or other made for him Oh do not think these poor sorry excuses will serve you be not deceived God is not mocked that which you sow you shall reap to your great sorrow and those that are instrumental in saving Murtherers from the highest to the lowest you shall smart for it when a Gentleman hath committed or Murthered a Man he flyes to France and then his Friends procure a Pardon or else the Judge and Jury must be spoken unto and I wish they do not find plain Murther is Manslaughter especially if he be a Cousin or related to a great man what shifts will there be to save this Murtherers Life and it may be instead of repenting this Hector goes and kills another man judge you who kill d that man whosoever it be that saves a Murtherer unjustly I must needs be plain with you and declare unto you that the wrath of God is against all unrighteousness and thou Sinner by sinning against God treasurest up wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous Judgements of God who will reward every man according to his works Rom. 2. 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12. 8 Sin is Drunkenness and excess this is a beastly swinish sin what to take those creatures which God hath graciously given to satisfy and refresh Nature thou by taking excess dost express and destroy Nature Oh how foolish and unwise are poor desperate sinners that by your practice speak forth as if God had made you to drink and swill and take your fill till you disgorge your selves and be an anusance and disturbance to all sober persons near you nay sure God hath made you for more noble ends viz. to glorify him and to know your interest in him and to do good in your Generation what benefit is a Drunkard to Church or Common-wealth nay he is very injurious to himself his Family and all other sober good men that cannot endure to see God dishonoured and his good mercies abused Oh what great shame is this that where the Gospel is so powerfully preached and so much light that such an abominable vice as this should reign and be so frequently practised that is against the very light of Nature I might be long upon this subject to shew you the sad effects of this beastly Sin of drunkenness what a big bellyed Sin is this which is an occasion sometimes of Murther and uncleanness when men are deprived of their reason then they are mad and sit for any mischief to themselves others some men when they are drunk have broken their Necks off their Horses fallen down off some steep place not being able to stand and so destroyed themselves others committing uncleanness Ravishing their Neighbours