Direll. I• Pfal. T4S• Mmh.s-. Lam.3. TIJe greatnifs of Oppreffors Sin. whofe body is tired with wearifome labours, and "his rr,ind dillraded with continual cares· how to p.1yhis rcnr, and how to have food and rayrnent for his family? How unfit is fi.1ch a tr~ubled dikontented perfon, to live in thankfulnefs J:O God, and in his joyful praifes ? AbundH;ce of the Voluptuous great ones of the world, · do ufe their Tenants and fcrvants, but as their Bcafls, as if they had been made only to labour and toil for th<m, and it were their chief felicity to fulfil their will, and live upon their favour. , §. 9· Direct. 1. The principal means to overcome this fin, is to mtdcrfland the Grcatm[r of it. ·For the fltOl pcrfwadcth carnal mtn, to judge of it according to their fcHi01 interefl, and r:ot according to the intereH ofothers, nor accor.~ing to'thC.true principles of Charity and Equity; and fa they jufl:ifie themfelves in their oppreJl1on. §. zo. 1. Confider, That Opprdlion is a fin not only c~ntrary to Chrillian Charity and Sdf-denyal, but even to Humanily it felf: We are all made ofone earrh, and have fouls of thr. fame liind : There is as near a kindred betwixt all m'ankind, as a fpcciticll identity : As between one Shtep, one Dove, one Ang,cl and another. As between fevc~al dr~ps of the fame: watu, and feveral fparks of rhe fime fire: which have a natural tendency w Umon wath each other. And as it is an inhumane rhing for one brother to opprcfs another, or one member of the fame body to fct up a proper interefi of its own, and make all the rdl, how p.1infully focver, to ferve that private intcrdt: So is it for rhofe mm who are children of the fame: Creator. Much more for them who account thcmfelves members of the fame Redeemer, and Brethren in Chritl: by grace and regeneration, with thofe whom they op~ prcfs. Mal. 2. 10· Have n-t not aU one Father? Hatb not one God created Uf? lf'hy d!J rre deal trt 3 che– rollf/Y every mail againft bit brother? By profaning the Covenant of our Pathert ? If we mull ltot lye to one another, becau{t we are memberr one of another. Ephef. 4· 25• And if all the members mr~t have tbe fame care of one a11other, I Cor. u. 25· Sur,ly then they mull not opprrfs one another. 9· J I• 2. An Opprtjfor is an Anti-chri/f and an Anti·g:Jd; He is contrary to God, who dtlighteth to do good, and whofc bounty rnaintaineth.all the world: ~ho is kind to his enemies, and caufeth his Sun to {hine, and his rain to fall on the JUfl and on the llnJult: and even when· he affiiCl:cth dotb it as unwillingly, delighting not to grieve the Sons of men. He is contraty to Jefus Chrift, who gave hirnfelf a ranfome for his enemies, and made himfelf a curfe to redeem them from the curfe; and co1.1dcfcendcd in his·incarnation to the nature of man, and in his paffion to the Crofs and fl;.ffering which they deferved; and being rich and Lord of all, yet made himfclf poor, that we by his povcrry might be mad·e rich. He endured the Crofs and defpifed the fbame, and made himfelf ofas no repu– ~ation, accounting it his honour and joy to be the Saviour of mens fouls; even of the poor and de~ (pifed ofthe world : And thefe Oppreffors live as if they were made to afflict the jufl, and to rob them of Gods mercies} and to make croffes for other men to bear, and to tread on their brr:!hren as fiep– ping flones of their own advancement. The Holy Ghofl is the Comforter of the jufl and faithful. And thefe men live as if it wc1e their Calling to deprive men of their comfort. ~· t 2. 3· Yea, an Opprdfor is not only the Agent of the Devil, but his Image: lt is the Devil that is the dellroyer, and the devourer, who rnakcth it his bufinefs, to undo men, and bring them into mife~ ry and difirefs. He isthe grand Oppreffor of the world: Yet in this he is far iliorr of the ma!igni– ry of men-devils, I· That he doth it not by force and violence, but by deceit, and hurteth no man till he hath procured his own confent to fin ; whereas our Opprdfors do it by their bruti!h force and power. z, And the Devil ddhoycth men, who are not his brethren, nor of the fame kind! Buc thefe opprdfors neVer flick at the violating of fuch relonions. 9· 13. 4· Opprcffion is a fin that great!~ ferveth the Dtvil, to the d;;.mning of mens fouls, as well as to the :rffiiCl:ing of their bodies. And tt is not a few, but millions that are undone by it. For as I !hewed before, it taketh up mens Minds and Time [o wholly, to get them a poor Jiving in" the world, that they have neither mind nor tim~ for better things. They arc fo troubled about many things, that the one thing n~edful is laid :~:fidr. All the labours of many a worthy able Pafior, are frutha– ied by oppreffors: To fay nothing of the far greatell part of the world, where t~< tyranny and oppn(fion, of Heathfn, Infidel and Mahomctane Princes, keepcthout the Gofpcl, and the means of life; nor yet of any other Perfecutors: If we fXhort a Servant to read the Scriptures, and call up– on God, and think of his cvcrlafiing thte, he tclleth us that he hath no time to do it, but when his weary body mufi have rdl: If we ddire the Mafiers of families, to infhuct and catechifc their children and fervants, and pray with them, and read the Scriprures and other good Books to them. they tell us the fame, thlil.t they h~ve no time, but when they fhould t1ecp, and that on the Lords DJy their tired bodies, and careful minds, are unfit to attend and ply fuch work: So that necef!iry qui– .ettcth their confciences in their ignorance and neglect of heavenly thing!, and makerh them think it the work only of Gentlemen and rich men, who have leifure (bur arc further alienated from it by pro~ fperity, than thefc are by their fOVerty ) : And thus oppretlion defiroyerh Religion, and the peoples fouls, as weB as their efl:ates. • . ~· '4· 5· Oppreilion further endangercth both the fouls of men, and the pub!ick peace, and the fafety of Princes, by tempting the poor multitude into difcontcnts,{editio~t and infmredions: Every man is naturally a lover of himfelf, above others: And the poor as well as the rich and Rulers, have an interdl of their own which rulcth them; And they will hardly honour, or love, or think well of them by whom they [uffcr! It is as natural almofi for a man under oppreffion, eo be diiContented and complain, as for a man in at~eavor to complain of ficknefs, heat and thirfi. No Kingdom on earth is fo holy and happy as to have all or mofl of the fubjeCl:s fuch confirmed eminent S•ir.", as will be contented
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