on the 119. Pfalme, 599 taptiueto Babeli : fothat =feeere the Lordpurporeth a generali fweepingAway,hee fee- . technot downerim* finnes,one or two finnes,but lincked and chained fumes, the con-, tempt of hisreligion,the mockingofhis ProphetsandPreachers. "Asthis istrue in the de. ftrudtionof lociecies, fo is it alto true in theouerthrow of privateperlons. And although wemay feeout of the word feucralldenunciations of feueiallplaguesto feuerailperfons, contempt of yet wemay learneit euen inour common prouerbe There is no goodnesin him,hee will thsue rda come tonaught ; he isa common malefadtor,hee will cometo louse fhame ; he isfo corn- four, p monand vfuall afinner,that thereWill formeplague light onhim. The feruants ofNabal toldAbigail their Miftresthat hee railed on ttem,andthey added,thateuill lucke would come vpon tbeirmafler,and vpon all his familíe : for heewas fowicked thata man coùld not fpeake tohim,and indeede hehuednot longafter. So ifweTooke intoPharaoh or into Sault.Chron. t o.wee ihall fee thepride oftheir finnes wentbefore the height oftheir pu- r ifhments. This doarine is feeneearly inother men and corfcffedofall, but in the mean= time, Pfeoftke o- few profit littleby it in themfeluss. Wee hauegreat eyes to feeotherawns finnes, butwceí ine. !Carlewill fee.our owneat all. We hauemany eyes to (pie an hole inanother manscone, but we can hardly hauean eyeto fee them in ourovine. Wee cankettle mote in another mans eyes, butwe leaue beaniesin ourowne : we makemountaines ofother evens faults, but weetltinke our owne fcarfely to be molehils. But Gods children aremoitftudious in fudging themlélues,although all the worldbetides laynothing to their charge : but this thingmuch deceiuethvs,wethinkewearenot theworftkindeofpeople, and think there are worfe than we are,becaufeasyet weare vnfpied and fpared. But (hall wethinke that thewholeworld,that Sodome, Iudah and Ifrad; thatSaid andPharaoh were at the firft at theheight of their finnes,but thatratherthey grew by little and little as by degrees, and after one fin followed many finnes, and after few flumes agreat number offinnes, which being ioynedwith thecoltmoued the Lord to vengeance. This then deceiueth vs,that we compare ourfelues with theworft, and herein appearechour madnes, and wee Phew our felues tobebrainficke,that we doe not perceiveourfinnes at thefirft, but by fallingfrom one finne tomany,from final) togreac,atthe lengthwe become hardened: It maybe thou do=lt not difpraife the word ofGod : but thouefteemeftnot fo reverentlyof it, as thou fhouldeft doe : thou wiltnot fpeake ill of the Sacraments,butthou haft littlecare whether thou vfethem orno : thou wiltnotdefpife the prayers elftheChurch, but thou makeftno conference of them : thou darefthot fpBake againft difcipline, but thou doeft lightly e- fteemeit :thouart notyet atthe height finne, butthoucanft'commit one finne after another,andyet not begrieved. Buc let vs know, that theywere not at the firft in the higheft degreeof finne, but flopped from fewfinnes to make noconfcienceofmany Ins, and frompectic finnes theybraft out into grolle finnes : wherefore Gods children lodge themfelues feuerely,andfecretly; they haue rather particular finnes than vniuerfall,theyr ftriue againft theirfinnes,rhey hohe religion,andmaintaine the fauourers of it;they hope torecouer themfeluesby grace in Chrill.But if by fecuritie the loue of Godsword,theli- kingofprayer,thedelighting in the Sacraménts,the careof difciplinebe ¡toll= out of out hearts;ifwecan nowfiveare,that couldfometinesnot fuller an oth; ifwecannow becon- tent tobeare the word with Ileeping,whichwere wont toreceiue it with t=ares ; if wee can now prophane theSabbath,which could not abide to breake it : if thefe degrees creepe intovs,let vs feare our feines, finne will deceiuevs, and deceiuingvs will Itarden'vs; finne will make fat our hearts that wee (hall not perceiue it,it will blinde ourmindesthat wee cannot fee it. This is then thewifedomeofGods children,notto tarriewhileft their finnes Thetrifedomf be great,but toflriue'againft the loath, to efteeme ofthe wordas of the ordinance ofGod ofGodschit to laluatton,to thinkeof thehoufe of God as oftheirparadife or inheritance,wistch if we ben to pre could feele,vssdoubtedlythe Lord would glue greater bleflings vpon thepreachers, and uentfmn4 greatergraces to thehearers. But if weprayof cuitome, without a feeling of our wants, and forrowof our finnes,ifwehaue no loue ofthe Sacrarnents,no careofdifcipline,if our hearts behardened,all is notwell,eithcrfome judgementof God is at hand,orrifewe are to feare to beraft intoComehercfie or fuch like mill.
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