A SERMON on fwallowedup ere now, and yet inquire if fame have not cried them dowN '\S they ufe to do Mercenary So!d,ers, as dangerous unto the Church, and that will prove fatal unto the inhabitants. Neither is this all the caufe of our Peoples not feeking God; but ifmen preach yet winnow their Sermons, and fee how much Chafe you lhall find among a few Corns, ( 'tis Jeumies comparifon, Jer. 2 ~· 2 8. ) And when men fow Chafe what Seed can be expeded? Or what Bleffing by dew from Heaven to come up– on it? Or if men preach more folidly,yet !hll paiiing by the great things of the Gofpel; the way and fignes of Faith towards Chri!l, and Repentance towards God, which yet the great Dodor of the Gentiles, Paul makes the fum of all his Sermons expreily, Atls 20. 21. and the reafon is becaufe often indeed in thefe things (even fuch 2s was NtcodemU!, who was a teacher in I(rae!,) are yet as blind hearers as they were. Who fo bti11d as my MefJeitger, ( fays God by !fay, ) who(ntamr uynafar; Chap. 42. ver. •9· fo blind as they judge not of colours, Color om11ibU! unU!, as he faid in the dark, And fay they all the People are boly, Numbers 16. ~· which fends men quick and alive in their own conceits to Hell, and with the flattery of umvrrftt Grace betrays them hood-winckt to de!lrudion; (whereas that Prophet that is God's mouth is toJrperate betwem tbe pretioU! mJdthe vitr. As God fpake to .!eremy, Chap. I). v. •9· ) which opinion where engendred mu!l needs make men regardlefs offeek– ing God feeing they are told they are good Chri!lians already, Or la!lly, If they do preach thofe things yet not living anfwerably; M; Cove. nm1t (fays God, Mat, 2.. 6.) was with Levi whitjl both the Law of truth was in his mouth m1dhe 'l!'alkrdwith me i11 equity, and he then tttr11ed many to Righ– teOU!Ilejs,bur they f;emg departed out ofthe way and caujing malt:)' toj/nm6le by ill and ilanderous lives, therifore I have wade ~oucontemptible and bafe before a!t the People. The Clergy of England complain much -of contempt. See here the caufe of it and all the Riches and Honouryou can cloath and load your {elves with, cannot vindicate men from it; but that which makes ourjleps 6eatttifult, andper[o11s ho11oura6te, is, to preach the Gofpel andto live accordif~,gly. And nowmy Brethren, Toconcludethis{earch, if the Blood and Spirits in which lies the life of this Kingdom lhall be found upon fearch thus corrupted and weak, and not having their due motion throughout the whole, we may either give it for dead; or at lea!l fear that the death and de!lrudion, (which you fee in the like cafe throughout the Chapter he fo peremtorily threatens,v. 7• cut– ting offall difputes to the contrary, hold thy peace, e!ic. fays he againfl Jttdah; though as thenatt hi< meek ones he had in thr Earth, as the Textll1ews, were found therein,) is not far offour Nation. For befides his general rule given ]er. 5· 9· Shalt 110t my Soul be avengedon fnch a Nation? God hath and can have when he will a People that lhall bring forth more fruit than we have done; who are alfo at the befl but Branches of the witd-otive grafted i11, Rom.1 I. 17. In the !lead of this Nation, the example of which I lay afore you who were the natural. And if God]pared 11ot the 11attlral6ra11ches, takr had left be]pare not thee, ver. 20. But yet God's Jttdgmevts are •mfearcbabte, mtd his ways pajl ji;;di11g ottt, ver. H· pafl tracing, for he keeps not always in regard oftime and manner, the fame track of punilhment, to lhew the depth ofhi< Wifdom, as he there fpeaks. I have done with the Nation colledively taken. Let me now turn my fpeech to every particular perfon that hears me this day, !11 thefear of a decreed de(/rt~t1io11, as it follows in the 7th. ver. of tbe firfl Chapter of our Prophet Zeph. God having in alllikelyhood biddm hisgt~rfls, (as he there fpeaks,) who are making themfelves ready, and in hopes have de– voured us all ready. Let us I fay in the fear of this,. every particular man come home to himfelf; Search)'ourfelves, 0, Natio11, that is every man apart. For indeed this duty of fearching is the foundation and corner !lone of true re– pentance. Thus Lammt. )• 40. Let U! Jearch a11d try ottr w~yr aJJd turll tmto the Lord; he that is in the wrong way turns never out of it till by enquiry he finds he is in the wrong, and therefore Travellers enquire often ofthe way and fa lhould we. Only
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