348 A SERMON Or REPENTANCE. God before a transitory world, and to use his reason in that for which it was principally given him, and not to be willfully mad in a case where madness will undo him unto all eternity ! Judge, as you are men, whether hell itself is like much to exceed such hor- rid wickedness ! And whether it be not an astonishing wonder that ever a reasonable soul should be brought to such a height'of abomination ! That they that profess to believe the holy catholic church, and the communion of saints, should deride the holiness of the church, and the saints, and their communion ! That they that pray for the hallowing of God's name, the coming of his kingdom, and the doing of his will, even as it is done in heaven, should make a mock at all this that they pray for ! How much further, think you, is 'it possible for wicked souls to go on sinning? Is it not the God of heaven himself that they make a scorn of? Is not ho- liness his image? Did not he make the law that doth command it; professing that none shall see his face without it? Heb. xii. 14. O sinful nation ! O people laden with iniquity ! Repent, repent speedily, and with self-loathing; repent of this inhuman crime, lest God should take away your glory, and enter himself into judgment with you, and plead against you the scorn that you have cast upon the Creator, the Savior, the Sanctifier, to whom you were engag- ed in your baptismal vows ! Lest, whenhe plaguethand condemn- eth you, he say, " Why persecuted you me ? " Acts ix. 4. " In- asmuch as ye did it to one of the least of these my brethren, ye did it unto me." Read Prov. i. 20. to the end. When Israel mocked the messengers of the Lord, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, his wrath arose against his people till there was no remedy; (2 Chron. xxvi. 16.) and O that you, who are the physicians of this diseased land, would specially call them to repentance for this, and help,them against it for the time to come! Having called you first to remember your misdoings, and second- ly to loathe yourselves in your own eyes for them, I must add a third, that you stop not here, but proceed to reformation, or else all the rest is but hypocrisy. And here it is that I most earnestly entreat this honorable assembly for their bestassistance. Omake not the forementioned sins your own, lest you hear from God, "Quod minus crimine, quamabsolutione peccatùm est." Though England hath been used to cry loud for liberty, let them not have liberty to abuse their Maker, and to damn their souls, if you can hinder it. "Optimus est reipublicw status, ubi nulls libertas deest, nisi licentia pereundi," as Nero was once told by his unsuc- cessful tutor. Use not men to a liberty ofscorning the laws of God, lest you teach them to scorn yours ; for canyou expect to be better used than God ? And "Cui plus licet quam par est,,plus vult quam licet ; " Gell. 1. 17. c. 14. We have all seen the evils of liberty to be wanton in religion. Is it not worse to have 111
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=