3-34 Of the Divine '!Varrant ned or inflieted on a land, require foJemn publick . fafiing and humiliation : do not tfle fame things in the cafe of a particular perfon call for perfonal faHing and humiliation ? Surely, every one ought ·to keep his own vi11eyard, with the fame diligence tQ.e publkk vineyard is to be kept : if one does not fo, i~ will be bitternefs in the end, Cant. i. 6. 3· Extraordinary duti~s to be performed by a whole nation, church, or congregation, c:1nnot be foon o:. ·vertaken ; lSecaufe 'all great bodies are flow in their motions; and fometimes the feafon may be over, ere they can l?JOVe thereto in a publick capacity: yea, and oft· times God is calling aloud, by his providence,. for national and congregational fafiing and humilia· tion, when the call is not heeded by them~ on whom it is incumbent to appoint them. Now, what !hould particular perfons, difcerning the call of providence, do in fuch cafes : Mufl: they fit fiill, and not anfwer the call as. they may, becaufe they cannot anfwer it , as they would ? Should they n'ot rather keep perfonal . and fami)y-faits, for thefe caufes, for which others; either cannot or will. not keep publick fafis ? as in the cafe of God's pleading with the· land of Egypt, He that feareth the wqrd of the Lord, amonzji the fervants of Pharaoh, made hi's jervants and his cat– tle flee into the houfts, Exod. ix. 20. \Vhen the Jews are' difperfed, fome of them in one country, fome in another, how !hall the land mourn ? Mufi they wait \}ntil they be gathered together? ' No; but the land flail mourn; families ap:rt, and particular perfons apart : even as when our neighbour's houfe is on fire, we do not tarry, until the whole town or ncighbour– }wod be gathered; but immediately fall to work, ourfelves, to ~o what lies in our power for quenching_ the :flames. · And thus much !hall fuffice, to have fpoken of the divine warrant for this extraordinary duty. SECT. \
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=