522 A REFORMATION SERMON. before, yet sinners of various kinds were much more nu- merous, more public and more shameless. The streets rung with oaths and blasphemy ; the taverns were nightly witnesses of lust and drunkenness; open houses of abo- mination were maintained with many inhabitants, and the fields were polluted with lewdness in the very face of heaven, in the sight of the sun or stars. But those who have been engaged in cleansing this sink of sin, and driving impudent crimes into dark corners, those who have fought against the powers of darkness with so great success, can enlarge on this reflection plentifully. You may most effectually convince yourselves, that crimes will grow numerous and shameless again, if you forbear the prosecution. III. Consider that sinners are provoked and irritated by war proclaimed against them ; their rage is double, and they will use their utmost efforts to revenge by aug- menting their forces and their crimes ; poor revenge, that rebounds against themselves with fiercer violence, and shoots the sting deeper into their own hearts ; that treasures up more wrath for their own souls, and bigger measures of damnation ! Praised be the Lord, that this their rage is impotent, while the men of reformation maintain the war ; " Though the wicked join hand in hand, yet they are not unpunished ;" Prov. xi. 21. But you have awakened their malice, so that you may expect abounding villanies, ifyou cease to resist them. Some foolish men indeed have unjustly made this 'your reproach, and cry out, " It is you have provoked them to break out into unknown and uncommon wickedness, by shutting up all the avenues of common sins." But this is a charge very hard to be proved ;` for it is possible that the same wickedness was practised before, though discovered but of, late by your industry and courage. The rising sun must not be charged with the scenes of blood and murder, which it only reveals. Besides, were such sins seldom committed before, yet it does by no means follow that reformation is the cause of them now : I believe there were no reformers'in Sodom; or if there .were, surely Lot must be one : Now Lot through the prevalence of fear was once tempted to expose hisdaugh- ters and permit a common sin, but this did not restrain the people from their mad pursuit of unnatural violence.
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