59$ MeerÇreenhams `Readings ftroyed,ie is time for the Lord towake. This eueryman may confclià: but blelfedare they thatcan fay ina good confcience, Ihaue lined iuflly, I hauevfed no ill againftmine ene- mies, I haue prayedforthem, Ihaue deuouredmany injuries at their hands,I neuer re- uenged. Secondly,weearc hereto learne, that when the law ofGod is oncebrought into con- Whenmen tempt, whether it bein a nation, in a countrie,in a citie, or particularperfon,let thatna- poeeedtotbe tion,countrie,citie,or particularperfonknow,that thewrath ofGodis notfarreoffeither ottercontempt to their amendment,or to theirfurther & morefpeedie deftruElion. If INCgo through the Godwill rife doEtrine acheProphets,we (hall feethis tobe true. As firft wemay fee in thefirlt,fecond, ojainfdrbem. third,fixgfeuenth,and eight ofEfay,theProphet ofGod threatneth theIfraclites,thatbe- caufe they came toworfhipofa cultome,butlay (lilt in their finnes,becaufetheywerere- bellious,giuento pleafure,andcontemnersof theword, they should be led captive of the Aflyrians,anddenouncer] manyplagues againfttlem,which allcame to gaffe in the dalcs offlbaz, they werecarried away capture, and were no more a people of feuentic yeeres after,asmay appeare Efay.6. And although Gods children haue their infirmities, and cuen theywhich areGods children by calling, may fall intogroffe finnes : yet becaufe there is in themno general)falling fromhonelte,but theybanein them a fpecial careand feareofGods word, fo that they loue nothing more, they feareand tremble at nothing more than at it,thonghit may be inthe meant time they fallinto finne, yet theywill not fallfrom finne to firne;furely the Lordwill in time draw them out oftheir fins, and fparc them fromthe commondellruetion, ashee did hereDaxid, who though not this generali contempt of the word,yet foam finne heehad. This is then in thechildren ofGod truly called,that although fomnetime more carnali thanIpirituall, and Ilide intomany wants and infirmities, yet they fall notfromone finneto another finne; but they tremble being rebukedby the word, theyefteerne reuercntly ofthe prayers of the faithful), they thinke highlyof the Sacraments viedin thecongregation, and areobedientto al difciplineofthe Church : in there there is great hopethat they (hall be reclaimed from finne,and exemp- ted from thepunifhment ofthe fame.Butwhenwe ioyne finnewith finne,and draw firma tovs asit werewith cart-ropes, when weecontcmne true religion, when wee pray incu- ftome,andcarenot for theSacraments,whenwe makeno account of thedifcipline ofche Church,then theLordwill fúrelyppunifh vs. Genre Letvs now looke intopartictlar examples: we (hall fee inmanyplaces oftheScrip. 'taper fir the tures,that the Lord rendreth this reafon ofhis comming to vengeance, awn becaufe his ecbeterd of wordwas forlorne. As Genef.6.wherewemay fee thatafter they had begun tocorrupt er- ligion,as in thelaif verfeof tisefourth chapterofGenefis appearerh,and thereby they be- gun tomixethemfelues incorrupt marriage, and after (innehad Browneto furls perfec- tion,when not a few,butahnoft allmen ; not in a few things,but in allthings ; not atone time,but at all times, mien then in thisgenerals flood ofiniquitie, the Lord tbreatned to fend a general( floodof deltrucson. And as this is apparant in the whole world, nowlet vs fee it in more particular places and perlons. TheLord complaineth,Genefis r 8.that the finnes ofSodomeand Gomorrahcared to heauen for judgement, where finnewas fo bigh,that there was no differencebetweene Magiftratc and fubieft,likepeople,likeprieft, all weredefiled, thencamefireand brimstone from heauen. Tocome yetto moreparticularjudgements,if weTooke into the Common-wraiths of Iudah andIfrael, whether when they lined vnder their Iudges, or vnder theirKings, wee Ihahl finde that before they werepuntfhed, mention is made either oftheir idolatrie and corruptingofreligion, or of their vnthankfulnes and like corrupt manners. When the land wasdiuided into Iudah and Ifrael, wee (hall reade, a.King.t 7.that notwithltanding the Lord teftifiedto Iudahand to Ilrael,byall theProphets, and byall the Seers,that the fhould turnefrom their idolatrie, &keep Isis Matutes, they,for thecontempt of theword, were taken prifoners of the Affÿrians. Likewife s.Chron.36. t 7. wee may reade, that though Ifrael fell, yet Iudahwas not amended, and though the Lord(hewed compaflion vpon it in lendinghis Prophets, yet Iudahcontemned theiradmonitions, andwhenthere couldbeno remedre,thewrath of the Lordwaxedhot again('them, and they werecaned captive
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