LONDON's REMEMBRANCER.

A CALL AND PATERN For TRUE and SPEEDY REPENTANCE.

BEING An ABRIDGMENT of those many severe SERMONS, By Thomas Reeve, B. in Divinity. INTITULED GOD's PLEA for NINEVEH:

The only seasonable Work that can be done in this day.

Jer. 18 7.

At what instant I shall speak concerning a Nation, and concerning a Kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it: If that Nation against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil way, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.

Sam. 3.12

— When I begin, I will also make an end.

LONDON, Printed for Th. Dawks, 1683.

This is Abridg'd. The Author's DEDICATION. To the Religious Citizens of LONDON, who are sen­sible of the Sins, and do suplicate for the Safety of their CITY.

Honored Sirs, and Citizens of a famous City, &c.

I Call you out to a new Merchandize, many of you have been negotiating in most of the known Cities of the World: but did any of you yet Trade at Nineveh? Let this be your Empory, buy up her Commodities, and set up an Exchange of her Wares: others may call upon you to traffick elsewhere; I direct you to this City. Some of Nineveh's Ashes, Sack-cloth, men with new lips, feet and hands, would be more useful now, than all the precious Rarities the richest Marts can afford: Nineveh is the Place, the way is beaten: you shall never repent of the Journey, 'tis a renowned place: in whose Ruins, you may find Treasure enough to redeem you out of the present hazards, and to prevent future Miserys. Indeed, I lay your Sandals before you, yet be not discouraged, ye shall go but like Merchant-Adventurers; if ye be Industrious ye may drive a very advantagious Trade, and come home laiden with the Riches of the same; linger not, set forth speedily, and make a quick return, and Millions shall bless you: quarrel not who shall go first, but walk peaceably, and God Almighty prosper you: Apply your selves to the right work, and fall to right down Christianity; let him be the best Man which can be most Zealous in this Religious Service. 'Tis hard to build a City, and 'twill be as hard to preserve it: When a City is grown crazy with Sin, they must be Master-Workmen that repair its decays, or keep it from a Down-fall: be ne'er so well prepared, your Task requires almost Angelical puri [...]y and perfection to discharge: Consider what ye are to do; to wring a Spear out of the Almighty's Hand, to turn back an Host of Judgments upon their March: appear in [...] 2. compleat Harness, and quit your selves like men. But by what Citizens shall this [...] done? By them that are truly Religious, and are sensi [...]le of the Sins; and do suppli­cate for the safety of the City: I Must have such as have the Sins of the City smarting upon their Hearts, and the safety of the City, ecchoing in their Lips. I take no de­light in hearing Citizens commended for exterior things, such are The conspicuous Persons which are perspicuous in Graces, and the Eys that see them bless them for their Piety, whose chief Mart is in Heaven, and Trade for such Riches as excel all the Treasur [...]s of Aegypt, whose Hearts are knit to the City, and whose Tongues are soli­citing for it, which weep over the Sins of the City, and would even sacrifice them­selves in Expiatory Dutys, to prevent Judgments from it: Pardon me, I judg not the City by Furs and Gold-Chains, &c. These have no place, but only the feeling Con­science [Page]and fervent Soul: the rest I might send to C. M. Coriolanus, who in the greatest necessity never tendred the well-fare of the Inferiors, but lookt only to pro­vide for his own Greatness and his great Ones: and held the poorer Citizens to sad suf­ferings, lest being supplyed with what they wanted, they might be enabled to call him and the rest to account for their Injurys. Having taken upon me a dolorous Service, to whom should I apply my self, but to the true Mourners in Jerusalem? yes, there are sins in the City, and these sins do threaten Judgments; All ye which do face the one and fear the other, let me intreat You to sigh and sacrifice with me, that the City being penitent, neither the Peril nor perishing of the City may be dreaded. To obtain this Blessing, I confess, I have (as I can) sanctify'd my self with some solemn Resolutions: I desire you to enter into the same Vow with me, not to desert the City with your Re­pentance and Devotion, till a discharge be brought out of Heaven, and the City set­tled in a Condition to be spared. I hear a loud speech, what is not this City able to do? I wish it may be able to examine amd to extricate her self: I cannot but love your City for her Breast, that she proved such a kind Nurse to them which had neither Milk nor Maintenance, when upon the Death of their Mother they were as exposed Children. I thought once to have call'd in all the Nobility and Gentry of the Nation to joyn in this Work: I would have Invited the Reverend of the Clergy to have assisted in this Religious service, I would have drawn in all the Civil and Common Lawyers to plead in Heaven for this City. I would have summoned in all the Physicians to have admi­nistred a soveraign Potion to this City: I thought to have sent down to all the Citys in this Kingdom to have repaired hither themselves, or send faithful substitutes, their Conversion, to officiate for the City in her greatest peril: for seeing this is the Metropolis, why should not all the Daughters do their Duty to their Mother, and wait upon her with their Prayers, Tears, Humiliation and Mortification? yes, they here vending all their Commoditys, and buying their principall Wares, 'tis convenient should bless her with their Repentance, which hath blessed them with Revenue. But because the most proper Cure is that which is personal, (people being able to prepare their Antidote) therefore ye knowing both the Malady and the Medicine, what need I trouble others? when ye are able (if ye will) to do the work your selves, and to be your own Physicians. And now I have left you in your own Hands (setting Life and Death before you, Oh that I could speak to the City in general, that as ALL Nineveh, so ALL your City would be unanimous to unite their Repentance to keep oft a Judgment. But I see such a Complicated Disease of bad Opinions, and such [...] Cakexy of evil Life amongst you; some only magnifying the Virtues of the [...] others going on in an Insensibility of any thing, that it is either Sin or Danger, that▪ dispair to find the generality apprehensive either of Disease or Cure. I remember that Calcedon was called, the Town of the Blind, because they would not suffer an experi­enced Work-man to build their Houses: and so, such a blind City shall I leave you, if I set on Work half sighted Architects, who can neither see Errors, nor forsee Hazards. Therefore I do set-by all the Humorous and Vitious amongst you, and apply my self only to those that are truly Religious, which have the most Conscience to discover sin, and the most Remorse to reconcile an offended God. It is a singular Work, and there must be singular Agents in it. It is That great City, and it must be that Great or Good [Page]party which must invert the state, and avert the Judgment of the City: Lord, who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the Children of Israel out of Aegypt? Exod. 3.11. So, who am I, that I should summon a whole City to Repentance, and bring such vast numbers out of the bondage of their Corruption and Destruction; Yet God hath given the Motion, and he may by such a Stammering Tongue make his Message effectual, who knows but this Cake of Barly-Bread may overturn the Medianites Tent? That this Lump of dry Figs may heal the Soar? That this Clay and Spittle may open the Eyes of the Blind? Bring forth your Repentance? and what may not such an Hester appearing do to reverse a Decree? God is not so offended with the City, but Repentance can end the distaste. I set before you Nineveh, not half so glo­rious in being Potent, as being Penitent. Jonah doth denounce a Judgment, God doth pronounce a Pardon; the Prophet must not spare, and yet God doth spare. The Prophet hath Threatned them into Repentance, then God doth not Threaten but Com­fort, not adjudg and accurse, but accept and acquit: Repentance doth renew the People and revoke the Sentence. The Prophet was very opposite to it, but God doth bring in very apposite Reasons to satisfy his Contradicting spirit. God doth plead for the City, and doth plead against his own Prophet. This is the Dilemma how the Pro­phecy may stand and the City may stand: The Prophecy is obey'd, and therefore there could be no overthrow, there was Repentance and therefore there could be no Rejection and Revenge; this is the middle way, which God doth make use of to answer the Di­lemma. God will not approve of his Prophets, if they do not proclaim Judgment. Tho the Prophets must thunder, yet God doth keep the thunder-bolt in his own hand. A sinful people must be warned, a penitent people must not be destroy'd. This is one of the Riddle's of God's Mercy, which Jonah not being able to unfold, God doth expound it: doth God shew Jonah how he could prophesy no less, and yet how he himself could spare no less? Shouldst not thou thus cry? should they not thus reform? should I not thus spare? God had taught Jonah many things, and now he doth reveal to him the Aenigma of his merciful Justice, how Justice and Mercy may meet toge­ther in the same subject without Violation to either: The Prophet was in great blindness concerning this secret, and the City had like to have paid dearly for his want of under­standing, but God satisfy'd the Doubt and saved the City. Oh that we could see such a Riddle in your City, and thus explained. Jonah [now] doth cry, but is God believed? the overthrow is proclaimed, but do Men fly from it? the City is warn'd, [...] is it humbled? 'tis threatned, but shall is be speared? Oh that the Citys willful Im­ [...] [...]ncy, after millions of Crys, should not be a greater Riddle, how it can be speared, [...] Gods inclination to Mercy after serious Repentance, is a Riddle, fully expounded before, and half expounded now, that the City may be spared. As intelligent as this City doth seem to be, I wish it could answer one Question, Is it Nineveh? Is there expression; or almost expectation of such humbling? for this end is this C [...]y sent forth [...] this time] and Oh that the Prophet might only cry, or so cry, that he might cry up a [...] [...]ineveh! Be not deaf but open the Ears of others, that ye may not be my Patrons only, [...] of the City, not of her sins, but of her Repentance. If ye fail in this work, the City [...] past Remedy. Be as penitent as you can, and diffuse Repentance to others, have ye bur­ [...]ed Consciences? draw others to fell the weight of those guilts which may sink them [Page]into Ruine. The City is in Peril, what is the Preservative? Policy may invent much, but I know none but that of Repentance. To prevent a general Overthrow, shall we ever see a general Conversion? What will Men leave their Seats of Honour, and ap­ply themselves to Sick-cloath, Ashes, Fasting, mighty Crys, turning from their evil Ways, and from the Violence of their Hands? Oh that we could see such a beautiful City to honour our Nation, and to bless it self. But I fear this is but a City of Desires, and that it is not harder to build up Jerusalem to her first Glory, than to raise up such a City amongst us; every Stone in this City may sooner be altered, and new-laid, ra­ther than Mens Minds and Consciences. I doubt whether penitent Duties were ever truely intended amongst us, and I am very jealous whether ever or no we shall see them really exprest. Men can rather shoot the Gulf; climb the Alpes, go a pilgrimage over the whole Earth, than repent: All the Difficulties which ye ever met with, are not like this Streight. I confess here doth appear to be much Religion in the City, but what Repentance is there? or if Repentance, is it that of Nineveh? No, here are Sins enough to over­throw a City, but is there Repentance enough to have it spared? The Earth never saw greater Provocations; but when shall it be said, Heaven never saw greater Propitiation? People are much for Paterns, but not for Imitation ( Ʋnless it be of that which is wicked, as Swearing, and Whoring, &c.) wise Men may devise Forms, but where are the vertuous Men that will conform to them? No, as a Beast neighed to Alexander's Horse which was painted, but the Spectators expressed no such Repect to Alexander's Image it self: whereupon Apelles said, That he had painted the Horse better than the Prince. So Bruites will be more affectionate to those things which do resemble their Nature, than we to those things which should direct our Manners. Here is a choise Picture, Nineveh limmed out with Tears and Graces, and a Frame made for it, even this Record in holy Scripture: but when shall we behold the Paralel? Oh Citizens, and Religious, though you have some Skill in Painting, yet can you draw Nineveh to the life, in orient Colours amongst you? No, were it to preserve the City from Fire and Sword, yet will ye readily be thus abased and changed? ye may be, but it will be with a great Difficulty. For the present, what Signs are thereof such Prostration; Consterna­tion, Renovation? No, they which have committed horrible Sins, may rather have Forms of seeking God to confirm themselves in theis Wickedness, than many here which are liable to eminent Dangers, have any evident Expressions to fall to the Earth, or to look up to Heaven to avert Vengeance. Can these Bones live? O Lord, thou knowest, Ezek. 37.3. There is nothing impossible to God, but this is almost incred [...] [...] to the present View. For I see that Men have not learned Nineveh's initiating, [...] less her compleating Graces; they are not yet come to her Trepidations, Percussions, Astonishments, Humi-cubations Macerations, Syncopes of Greif, Paroxisms of Con­flicts, gravitoned Accents of Prayer: No, people nourish the Flesh, catch at the World, follow Modes, temporize with Changes, and leave Perils to the Venture, and Judg [...] ments to the Chance: Happen what will, they have not so much as a wrimpled Brow, or a trembling Breast: A Stork will fly faster from a cold Country, or a Beast from a naked Sword, than these from Plagues and Punishments. When shall we see these two essential parts of Repentance amongst them, The turning from their evil Ways, an [...] from the Violence of their Hands?

[Page] 1. Their Evil ways do seem to have a Mist upon them, they have not Eyes clear enough to see them, or Hearts tender enough to lament them: though they have strayed far enough from the prescript Rule of Obedience, and never a precept warrant­ing their lawless Paths, yet they tread on, and consider it not, the Ignis Erraticus hath lead them aside, and lay not to Heart over what Rocks and Precipices they do pass: Oh that there should be such Declinations under the directing Ordinances; or such Foot­prints amongst instructed Christians! No man saith, what have I done? Many a Man saith, what may I not do? People look upon their Faces, but seldom on their Consciences: This clasped BOOK hath not been opened to view every leaf, nor this deep Well searched to the bottom these many years. Oh! how much Hyprocrisy, Apostacy, Bribery, Flattery, Blood, Blasphemy, Southsaying. Sacriledg have been past over without the least check or fret. If any Sins come under their Discovery, they are the sins of the Age, or the sin which Malignity have doom'd sins, but they have neither Eye, nor Tongues, nor Hearts, to spy out to speak out, or reflect upon their proper sins; though they be as bitter as Gall, as red as Scarlet, as venomous as the poison of Asps, as black as Satan, coming forth with a Steem of the bottomless Pit; yet there is neither Sen­sibleness nor Conscientiousness of them: they are their proper sins, and as they have gi­ven them Conception and Birth, so they bestow Education and Maintenance: they may have a street-cry, or pulpit noise (sometimes) but the sound is gon so soon as received; they deny them, conceal them, extenuate them and justify them; yea some are so im­pudent as to deride them: Fools make a mock of Sin, though it be to dance before a Calf of their own making, to triumph over a captivated Sampson, or to quaff in the Bowls of the Sanctuary, or to present John Baptist's Head in a platter, or to cry Hail to the King of the Jews, when he is leading away to be crucified. These, or the like, are the Expressions which they do make to their Sins, rather than look agast upon them, loath them, bleed under them. How many Sinners have ye yet seen, that though they have done things contrary to the Torch Light of Nature, and Sun-Light of Scripture, the Tenor of their own Oaths, and the Terror of a Catholick Church con­demning them, that have yet blush'd, sob'd, or rung a hand, or bended a knee for them? No, they have done them, and stand up in the defence of them; after pro­ductions they do bestow upon them protection. Now if People will not discern their Sins, how will they ever disclaim them? if they will not look upon their evil ways, how will they ever turn form their evil ways? what little likelihood, what small hopes of Conversion and Reformation?

2. Turning from the violence of their hands; is a thing as improbable: For, are there any gentler or juster times to be expected? Will Men pare their Nails, soften their Palms? No, I don't see so much as sense of Jnjury, or a shame of Oppression. Not so much as an Adonibezek's remose for Cruelty, Threescore and ten Kings have I, &c. Nor an Ahab's fright upon a Bloody Fact, to be confounded so, that, &c. People do not so much as question their Estates, which they have gotten by forged Cavillation, or ask forgiveness for their wrongs, or make restitution for their ill gotten goods: much less will desist from their damnifying Courses. Tyranny doth flow in with a high [...]age. The Earth is covered with violence; as it was in the day [...]s of Noah, Gen. 6.9 A man would think that Aegypt's iron Furnace, or Babylon's iron Yoak were am [...]ngst us. Here is digging of Pits, taking up all with the Angle, swalowing People alive, as the Grave, eating Fruits without Mony, breaking the Arms of the fatherless, affl [...]cting [Page]Gods Heritage, the Rulers being as roaring Lyons (as the Scripture saith) and the Judges as the Wolves of the Evening, devouring with such Fury that they leave not the Bons till the Morrow. Some groping for Bribes with Felix: Some requiring mens right Eyes to condescend to a peace, with Naash: Some pronouncing sentence of death upon a framed Information, with Jezabel's Judges; Some not being ashamed to run greedily after the Error of Balaam for Reward: How many Houses are build with crying Stones, and cemented with bloody Morter? The Times are full of much Fraud and Force, Invention and Circumvention, Domination and Conculcation. Men injoying Preys with as much Satisfaction as Birthrights, and possessing Rifles with as quiet a Conscience as just Earnings. Oh! when will the Whip depart out of this City? when will the wild Beast's teeth fall out of their heads? when will the Hammers leave beating? or the Mill-Stones leave grinding? when will Repentance so reduce this City to Equity, that there need neither Tribunal to rectify Injuries, or Pulpit to touch Conscience for Extortion? People in general will scarce take notice of their Cruelty, much less will they take away the Crime; they will scarce feel their rough hands, much less will they turn from the violence of their hands.

Thus then you see, how the City is in a dangerous deplorablestate, full of stupendious sins, and yet full of stupid Impenitency; a professing City, and yet far from Evange­lical Purity: How then may the City Walls shake, and every Cittizens Heart be daunt­ed, expecting some exemplify'd Judgment, for these enormous Transgressions? Will God ever be dared with challenging Trespasses, or mockd with phannatick Formalities? will the noise of the Sermon-Bells, or the sound of the Gospellizing Tongues be able to pacify an incensed God? No, he may seize you in your Streets, where you are defy­ing him in your full strength; or take you at Church, where you are deluding him (per­haps) with Temple-Cheats. Who ever resisted the Lord and prospered? God may send the Flood, when thou art in the midst of thy Quaffings and Dalliances? Fire may come from Heaven, when the Sun is shining brightly in thy streets: A great Cry may be heard in the midst of the City at Mid Night, when thou art supposing neither the Slaughter of the First nor First born; the Avenger of Blood may persue Thee, and pluck Thee out of the Cities of Refuge: God may slay thee whilst thou art laying hold on the horns of the Altar. Hath not God destroyed as mighty a people as you? yea, the Amorites were potent, yet when their sins were full, they were emptied out of their Nation. Hath not God ruined as religious places as yours? yes; Go ye now to my place which is in Shiloh, where I set my name first, and see what I did to it, for the Wickedness of my people Israel. Jer. 7.22. Yea, go to Jerusalem, how was that For­tress of the Earth demolished, yea that City of Oblations made a Sacrifice to the Ju­stice of a provoked God. Oh therefore be not confident, neither upon your own Prowess nor Profession; for 'tis neither your formidable Chivaldry, nor form [...]l Reli­gion, which will priviledg you or protect you; but 'tis your Repentance must sheild you, and shelter you. See then what must save you, and what is your only Preser­vative. There are a great Company among you, famed for Par [...]s, and magnifyed for Piety; to You I write, You I summon, intreating You by all the Worth that Your Names are embelished with; and adjuring You by all the Orthodox Truth, which ye seem to have reserved out of the defection and declension of the Times, that You would [Page]first go a Circuit through your own Consciences, and then that you would walk the streets, and go from one end of the City to the other, and observe the Face and Fate of the City; that you would take notice of the Maladies and Ulcers of the City, and consider what prognosticating Symptons there are of an Emigration and Ex­animation. Oh feel the weak Pulse of the City, toutch her cold Lips, and behold her grisly Cheeks; look upon the present Dangers and Disasters, apprehend what a Flag of Defiance is hung out upon Ea [...]th, and what a Sword is bathed in Heaven. Can such Sins, and the Citys Safety, such Impenitency and the Citys Impunity long stand together? Fear ye not some Plague? Some general Massacre, some Coal blown with the Breath of the Almighty, that may sparkle and kindle and burn you to such Cinders, that not a Wall or Pillar may be left to testify the remembrance of a City? They whose Judgment was not to drink of the Cup, have assuredly drunk it off, and shalt thou altoge­ther go unpunished? Jer. 49.12. May not the Vial of red Wine be reserved for the Lips of this City? Is there more Sin, and shall there be less Justice? Vengence deferred is not recalled, a forbearing God may double his dismaying and cofounding Stroaks. Oh therefore mark the bad Crasis (i. the Complexion or Mixture of your natural Hu­mours) and the sad Crisis (i. the time of Conflict between Nature and Diseases) of the City. Help at an Exigent, Repent when there is nothing but Repentance left for an Antidote. Repent truly, lest your Repentance prove a Scandal and a Curse: Re­pent throughly, lest one unmortifyed sin frustrate the vertue of a Humiliation; repent timely, lest not knowing the time of your Visitation, the Blessings you wish for be hid from your Eyes.

1 Repent for your-selves. For, as the pure minds had need to be warned, so the pure Consciences had need to be cleansed. The best of you, I fear, have not past through the Puddle without some Filth sticking upon your Skins: therefore search out your Spots and leave not a Stain to be an Eye-sore to Heaven. Weep out all your Contaminations, pray away all your Pollutions, purge away all your Defilemens, have an hour in a day, a day in a year for strict and solemn Repentance.

2. Repent to teach others Repentance. When thou art converted, confirm thy Bre­thren. When ye are quickned yourselves with Repentance unto Life, propagate it (if pos­sible) unto Multitudes, that it may be said, Behold here am I, and my Children. Let your beleiving in God beget faith in others, your standing up from your Seats, excite others to rise; your empty Bowels, provoke others to fast; your stript Backs, cloath others in Sack-Cloth; your moist Eyes, set others on weeping; your confessing Lips, stir those Tongues in other Men which have bee silent these many years; your making Reparation for Errors, cause others to deface the Memory of foul Facts with oppsite Vertues; your mighty Crys fill the City with Eccho's of Devotion; your turning from your evil Ways, change the Steps of others from Exorbitancy; your purging your hand from Violence, procure Oppression to ake in the Joyns of thers Mens Fingers; Do your Closet-work well, and be exact in your Street-work: Repent, and make a whole City propense to Repentance.

To some I might say, Have ye not heard of Repentance? Do ye not know how to repent? Do ye not understand the Effects of Repentance? Have ye not seen Fruits of Repentance? Can ye not repent? Will ye not repent? When did ye ever repent? When will ye at last repent? Oh that ye were as eminent in Repentance as Nineveh! [Page]Oh that ye could be rid of the Libertines and Hypocrites amongst you, and that there were none but Penitents in the City! Oh that ye stood upon equal Numbers, that ye were but the third, the twentieth, the fiftieth, the hundred part of the City: that, there but a common Hall of you, that ye did but equal the number of the Officers or Watches in the City: that ye were but enough to take the Frowns out of God's Fore­head, the Menaces out of his Cheeks, to retard his Feet, to bind his Hands, to put Audience in his Ears, Compassion in his Eyes, Reconciliation in his Breast, Pardon in his Lips; to keep his Trumpeters from the Gates of the City, or his Troopers out of the Streets of the City: Oh! Religious Cittizens, try the Compleatness of your Num­bers, and the Perfection of your Gifts. Be not blind under so many Greivances, deaf under so many Warnings, sleepy under so many Judgments. Beleive not your Po­liticians, if they tell you your City is in no Danger: Beleive not your Pulpits, if they preach you up to be pure enough against God's examining Justice; beleive not your own Consciences, if they perswade you, that you are prepared sufficiently against all Accidents. Consider how many are wit-foundred with Humours, which stare upon themselves as if Heaven must look upon them with an enamored Eye? how hard is it to get People to confess that there is a guilty Nation, or a sinful City? howsoever that They are the peccant People, or that God should visit a Place for their Impieties: Oh! behold, how many things there are to tempt you to Security, to cauterize you in Sin, and to stupify you to Repentance. And as ever you would seem to have risled your own Hearts, dissected your own Consciences, to have sent the Intelligencer into the City, to have heard the Crys of your Abominations at Gods Judgment-Seat, to have seen the Ar­mies which are raised in Heaven to assault you: Oh, think upon the City with dismayed Hearts, look upon the City with weeping Eyes, turn aside to bemoan apparent, Perils, and fall upon your Knees to mitigate deserved Vengeance: Oh bring forth all the Wa­ter in your Heads to extinguish Wrath, kindle all the Fire in your Lips, to put a Heat into congealed Pity: stretch forth all the Manacles in your Hands, to chain such an Ad­versary. Think, that ye have read Scriptures with reckless Eyes, if ye have not found out Curses against such Sins; that ye have frequented Sanctuaries like fruitless Hear­ers, if they have not taught you Repentance for such Sins; that ye have searched your Consciences with partiality, if the Sense of such Trespasses do not drive you into Passi­ons; that ye were terrifyed with your own Exigents, if it doth not perplex you to see a City at such a Dysaster. Make an Experiment of your own Contrition, try how you can humble your-selves, to keep the City from Confusion and Curse; cut of your own Fore-skins, and do your best to circumcise others; rend your own Hearts, and make a Wound in your Brethren's Breasts, till the Blood come: If there be but one Remedy, leave all other Medicinal Applications, and fall to Repentance; or use all other Exer­cises but as Ingredients, to be infused into that Catholicon. Repent heartily, repent eminently, that Angels may rejoyce over your Conversion, and God himself may look out at his Court-Gate, and say, Behold another Nineveh. Oh think not of the World, think upon Judgment, mind not too much Preferment, mind Attonement; look not upon the Splendor of the City, look upon the Horror of the City; eye not your Guardians, eye your Enemy. Carry the Threatnings of God's Laws in your Ears, and the Perils of the City in your Breasts; let your Hearts ake, and your Lips quiver. [Page] The Lyon hath roared, who will not fear? The Lord God hath spoken, who can but pro­phesy. So long as People are setled upon their Lees, think that there is some emptying of the Vessel at hand. When you are laid in your Beds, suppose that a punishing God may awaken you; when you are at your Feasts, that Vengeance may bring in the Voi­der; when you are selling your Wares, that the last Bargains are even making; when you are telling your Thousands, that ye are but pursing up for the new Receiver; when you are looking out at your Doors, that ye are ready to be plucked over your Thresholds; when you are coming from your Sermons, thae the time is at hand when your Temple-Doors shall be lock'd up. Expect every hour when your Bells shall ring awk, when a shreick Trumpet should be blown in the Streets, when nothing should be heard among you but tumult, distraction, wailing and crying, alas, alas! Would you shun this? can you prevent it? then know, that ye must not only remember the City in the Morning, nor mention it at Night, but consider how low ye must stoop, what Abjects ye must turn, what Mediations ye must use, what Castigations ye must endure, what strange B [...]cks and Bowels, Loathings and Lamentings, Debatings and Debasings, Cleansing of Con­sciences, and Cleansing of Estates, Transformings and Translatings there must be be­fore the Breach can be repaired. This is your Work, act like expert Artists, Master-workmen. Religious Citizens, fly from all Pleasures, contemn all Honours, be Strangers for a time to your own Chairs, Cook-rooms, &c. Converse rather with bi­ting Hunger than sumptuous Banquets, bitter Crys than musical Instuments, till ye have dispatch'd that Service which will secure your Goods, your Blood, your City. Oh! they must be prime Penitents which are to be imployed in this peerless Duty, they must have Nineveh's Plaster, to heal this festering Wound; they must have Nineveh's Solicitor to procure Peace in this Court: They must write out their Repentance in Ni­neveh's capital Letters to have it legible in Gods Eyes. Oh ye Citizens then, gather to­gether, and see how many Penitents there are amongst you; or, let the Penitents stand apart, and mark what Qualifications they have. The Penitents are the best Citizens, and the best Penitents are the true Ninevites. If there be a Number amongst you with Nineveh's Art they may have Nineveh's Success, they may bury all Fears in the Ash, heap, and shift oft all Miseries in the Sackcloth; they may fast away all Perils, and pray away all Judgments: God will not turn upon the City with Fury, if they turn from their evil Ways, nor stretch out his avenging Hands, if they turn from the Violence of their Hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and forsake his feirce Wrath, that we perish not not? These Penitents may send Word to Heaven, that God may for­bear smiting, for they have smitten themselves with Repentance: They may convey News to all their Enemies upon Earth, that they may stay at home, for Repentance hath reared up their Walls, higher than the Clouds which n scaling Ladder can reach, and mounted Ordnance for them upon their Towers and Fortresses, which will shoot and Assailants to Death, farther than the Spires of their Steeples can be seen; yea, di­spatch away Messengers to all Plagues and Judgments, that they are not to come nigh to the City, for Repentance hath gotten a Warrant of Remove to carry them beyond the Seas. Do you thus Repent and you are as safe as Nineveh, God will be your Pleader against all your Adversaries (were it Jonah himself) multiply Reasons for your Preservation; he will draw Pity towards you from the most flin [...]y Hearts, however his [Page]own Brest shall flow with Combassion; ye shall be pretious in Eye. he will forget nothing that may be incentive for sparing, not the Greatness of the City, not the Mul­titude of the Persons, nor the Plenty of the Cattle: Should I not spare Nineveh that great City, wherein are more than Six-score Thousand Persons, &c. I have shewn you the right way to Safety, walk in it, and you are gone beyond Danger, ye are the the City to be spared.

Thus leaving my Motion to your Consciences, I rest;

The serious Monitor of your Repentance, and the earnest Petitioner for your Safety. THO REEVE.

ERRATA.

PAge. 7. line. 2. after Heaven, add and can do more. l. 7. r. 'tis. l. 16 r. insensible. p. 11. l. ult. r. they'l. p. 15. l. ult. r. into. p. 17. l. 28. r. Drunkenness for Thirst. p. 36. l. 24. r. draws. p. 42. l. 13. add the. p. 48. note, The Plague. p. 55. l. 28. r. and.

The CONTENTS.

  • GOD a Pleader for his Saints. Pag. I.
  • Au. Caesar pleading for a Souldier. ib.
  • The Qualification of true Repentance, in 18 Particulars. 2, 3. &c.
  • Threatnings should awaken greatness. 3.
  • Greatness no fence against Vengeance. 4.
  • Nineveh's King first puts on Sackcloth. 5.
  • The Power of Prayer. 6.
  • Oppression cease, to prevent Judgments. 7.
  • Repentance continues the City's Charter. 8.
  • Nineveh beleiving the Prophet, is spared. 9.
  • Foolhardiness the way to Ruine. ib.
  • The Pit is filld with persons of high Birth. ib.
  • The English addicted to Gluttony. 10.
  • If Heart changes, every thing changes. 11.
  • A City is an Attrictive of pity. 12.
  • GOD the Cities Friend. 13.
  • A City a place of honor on 8 Accounts. 14.
  • A City should be a place of Example. 15.
  • A City a Pattern of Holiness. 16.
  • Reproof, those delighting to destroy Citys. 17.
  • — to mens blindness and stupidness. ib.
  • God no Enemy to Greatness. 18.
  • Such as God hath made great, ought to be great in thankfulness. 19.
  • Look back to your Beginnings. 20.
  • Great Penitents are to save a City. ib.
  • Several famous Citys in the World, yet all short of Nineveh. 21, 21.
  • Nineveh emulated by Semeramis, her O­riginal, Valour and Death. 24, 25.
  • Ninevehs Excellencies. 26.
  • The Excellency of London above other Ci­ties, 28.
  • Discord of Citizens brings certain Ruine to both Parties, 29.
  • Prodigious Sins another way to ruine Ci­ties. 30.
  • Conquer'd Citizens most miserable. 31.
  • Conscience then a Sufferer too. 32.
  • Judgments marching rank and file, bring ib.
  • Fire. 33.
  • Massacres, 34 35.
  • Popery. 36.
  • Repentance represents to God every thing in us that should draw Compassion. 37.
  • Cleopatra's Pomp to meet M. Anthony. 38.
  • God a diligent Observer of the Penitent. ib.
  • Sin will bring Confusion upon a City, if the Walls were Brass, & Guards Anakims. 39.
  • Happiness Carries Propriety with it. 40.
  • Greatness consists not in bare Titles. 41.
  • Present Bliss the Honored Bliss. ib.
  • God continues as well as conveys Blessings. ib.
  • Phillip K. of Macedon, making his Oration to his Souldiers, standing upon a Sepul­chre, 'twas look'd upon as ominous. 42.
  • Man made by Deliberation. 43.
  • Macrinus's Son born with a Crown. ib.
  • Men the Treasure of a C [...]ty. 44.
  • Sinners worse than the filth of a City. ib.
  • Sacking Cities not so bad as slaughtering Citizens. 45.
  • The Lives of the Vanquished are not at the Mercy of the Conqueror. ib.
  • Dire Exampl. of Cruelty at taking Cities ib.
  • A great Blessing to abound with people. 47.
  • Bless God for preserving you from an other Plague. 48.
  • Plagues can depopulate Kingdoms. ib.
  • The Terror of the Plague. 49.
  • Numbers should be a Motive to Compas­sion. a destroyer of Multitudes cruel. 50.
  • God is exeact in numbring, he knows the Thousands, and the Surpluss. ib.
  • Therefore chide gently with Providence 51.
  • Dare not to sin against so knowing a God. ib.
  • God knows his Elect. 52.
  • Man a wanting Creature. 53.
  • God glorious in Extremities. ib.
  • Poland miraculously delivered from the Heathens invading them. ib:
  • God doth not discern where Man dot not discern. 54.
  • A door of Hope for impotent Persons. 55.
  • Compassion for the impotent. ib.
  • [Page]Physitians Eminent, seve rall [...] contriving to prevent the Plague. 48.
  • Severe Censures have made the World a slaughter-house. 55
  • Christianity (I doubt) hath not sanctified Judgment Seats, Blood under Tribunals doth cry. 56.
  • What justifiable Ignorance is. ib.
  • Reproof for them that sin against their own Discernings. ib.
  • Infants and simple Men are highly cared for by God. 57.
  • The Necessity of Childrens Education. 58.
  • The great returnes Persons have made their Tutors. 59.
  • Infants rightly baptized have certain salvation. ib.
  • We should be tender of wronging In­fants. ib.
  • Lycurgus's uprightness to an unborn Infant. 60.
  • Orphans out-cry against unjust Execut. 61.
  • The highest of Cruelties to kill Infants. 62.
  • Innocency ground of divine Comiseration. ib.
  • God will conceal nothing that may tend to the advantage of his Saints, And also. 63.
  • God a Restless Advocate for his Saints. ib.
  • Reproof for a Politician vaunting himself. 64
  • God is most passionate for Mercy. ib.
  • Envy an incorrigible Sin. ib.
  • God is compassionate to the very Beasts: And much Cattle. ib.
  • A d sobedient people cursed in the in­crease of their Kine. 65.
  • Tame Beasts forsaking Pastures, and Wild Beasts running in the Streets ib.
  • Men draw in Traces for want of Cattle. ib.
  • Man a Right to the Creature. ib.
  • Commiseration to Cattle taught to Men. 67.
  • He is a beast that is barbarous to his beast ib.
  • Plenty of Cattle an eminent Blessing. ib-
  • Gods bounty in small things conspicuous. 68.
  • Where there is much Cattle there God ex­pects much Commiseration. ib.
  • There should be much Circumspection in ordering a great Estate. ib.
  • Men have not a scape Goat to take away the sins of the People, but they have a Kid to send to an Harlot. ib.
  • A Herod will perjure himself at a Strum­pets Motion, and behead a J. Bap. too. ib.
  • Several wayes the Devil prevails with Men to abuse Cattle. 69.
  • Where much Booty is, will be much spight. ib
  • Pompey's Rich Spoils. ib.
  • Rape gives no just possession. ib.
  • Q. Fabius and Alcibiades, &c. not suffer the Souldiers to plunder the Citizens. ib.
  • Pekah King of Israel, conquering Ahaz King of Judah, is severely threatned for purposing to keep under the Children of Judah: &c. ib.
  • The Authors pathetical Perswasions to Repentance backed with all manner of Reasons: He greives that the City should lose it self for want of a proper Duty, Repentance. ib.
  • Nineveh forth-with repented, what not you? ib.
  • Lucius Silla blushed to see Pompey a young man ride in triumph before him ib.
  • Sudden Judgment should affright and af­flict you. ib.
  • Alexander Severus did cut in sunder the sinews of a mans hand because he falsly represented a case to him, and will false Repentance go unpunished? 72.
  • Many wish your destruction, and are sorry they can't make you miserable. ib.
  • Their Hearts boil, Brains works, Mouths foam. ib.
  • Enemies in the City. ib.
  • The sins threaten more Calamities then all the implacable Adversaries. ib.
  • The Dangers apparent, the Misery will be unspeakable. ib.

THE LONDONERS Looking-Glass: Or, PATTERN for REPENTANCE:

Jonah, 4.11.

And should not I spare Nineveh, that great City, wherein are more than sixscore Thousand Persons, that cannot discern between their right Hand and their left, and also much Cartel?

GOD and the Prophet are here in earnest Dispute: Jonah raging and God reasoning; Jonah full of Passion and God full of Compassion; Boni viri Lachrimabiles, good Men should be ready to melt at Judgments: Jonah was first unfaithful, and next impatient: Ah Jonah! what thy God gentle and thou cruel? Nineveh's Repentance in the time limitted, prevented its Destruction: God hath no Sword for the yielding, but the obstinate.

How many Prophets have not been so successful in forty Years, as Jo­nah was in forty Days? God will not remain dumb in the case of his Saints, but he will be a consulting and a conferring God, both give rea­son and have reason for them: he will plead with Cain for Abel's Blood; with Abimelech, for taking away Sarah from Abraham; with Ahab for wresting away Naboth's Vineyard.

As the Faithful have the Arrows of Gods Deliverance. 2. King. 13.17. So they have the Argument of his Justification. When a Soldier desired Aug. Caesar (as his Gratious Emperor) to Plead for him at the Bar, he said no, but I will allow an Orator: I thank thee not for this, said the Soldier, for at the Battail of Actium. I fought for thee with my own Hands, and not by a Deputy, &c. At which August [...]s blushing, rose from his Imperial Seat and [Page 2]opened the Soldiers Case, and freed him. God will not leave his People to Substitutes, but will be heard himself.

For Application.

1. This shews the Saints Case is never desperate, God is their Pleader; what can all the Politicians and Crafts-Masters, of the Word do against them? wicked men perish by their own Inventions, how many men lye buried in the Ashes of their own mischievous Contrivements? Yee Righteous, though yee be even made a Spectacle to the World, Angels and Men, and accounted a People which have lost their Graces and their Wits, matter it not, so long as you have Gods Confutation: How is the Ministry the Scoff the Age being neither fit to stand in the Gap, nor to stand above Ground; not to break Bread, nor to eat Bread; not to be Eyes to the People, nor to enjoy the Eyes in their Heads; let us order them out of their Livings, drive them by Droves out of their Cures, lock up all their Pulpit-Doors against them? Let us be quiet un­der these Clamours, let us not fear to wander when God is our Guide:

2. But doth God plead, so we should plead; happy is he which doth min­gle Tears with Mourners, which doth search out the Perishing in Prison, which is the Shield of the Distressed, nay, the Orator of the Afflicted.

Many Heathens have passionately sought the preservation of Just Per­sons; yet We rather supplant than support, destroy than defend them, plot than plead. Are there not those that instead of building a Tower, they will dig a Pit for their Friend; instead of studying out terms for Pre­servation, they lay in wait as they that set Snares. O where is the Just Mans Guardian? Where is the good Angel that doth attend upon the Distressed? no, Misery hath no Champion, Innocency no Advocate▪ How ill do such deserve a Protecting God, or a Justifying Redeemer? Who shall sweeten your Sorrows, or plead for you at Gods Throne?

This shews that the distemper of Sin is not easily cured, nor the mala­dy of Error remedied easily: Sampson's strength can scarce break these Cords; O therefore beware how thou dost open thy Doors to Sin, they must be pregnant Arguments which must Confute an habituated sinner.

Some possibly will say, how shall we be Penitents? that is, answer Ni­neveh's Penitential Work? would you know this? view the Original, and you shall find them penned down in the Catalogue.

1. Hearing God in his Messengers; for Nineveh is Converted by Jonah's Preaching: People usually find the way out of the World by the light of the Ministry, by the beat of that Drum they repair to Gods Muster: [Page 3] Faith comes by Hearing, Rom. 10.17. as if the Ear were the Clicker-Gate of Salvation. Preaching is the power of God to Salvation. Rom. 1.16. and the savour of Life unto Life. 1. Cor. 2.16. Thou maiest Eternally starve in thy Tent, if thou dost not go forth to gather this Manna.

2. Not to be too curious in our Counsels. Nineveh doth accept of Jonah for a Prophet, though by Nation a Stranger, and a man opposite in Reli­gion.

3. Enduring sharp Doctrines. Jonah come not Flattering, but with a mouth full of Menaces: Yet forty days, &c. He that cannot hear of Threat­nings, will hardly hear of Reformation; it must be much knocking to break a Heart of Adamant: St. Peter must lay Blasphemy and Blood­shed to the charge of the Jews, before they will be pricked to the Heart.

4. They Apprehend Danger▪ So the people of Nineveh believed God: when the Heavens write out our Judgments in Capital Letters, shall we not read our own condition? &c.

5. Not delaying Repentance. Nineveh was a City of three days Journy, and Jonah had but, as it were, just entred the City, and what a new Face is there instantly to be discerned? Jonah's Crys are heard, and the City is Converted.

6. Sin hath its stirring motions. At Jonah's Sermon, there was not only the shaking of Ears, but shaking of Limbs, the Cry will not suffer them to receive the Message upon their seats, but they are forced to stand up to it; 'Tis not enough to see God angry, and not to pacify his displea­sure; No, this is but to take notice of the sadness of the times, or to receive the bruit of impending Misery; we are to do something to avert the Punishment.

7. Greatness is not thought on; This Cry doth not only make the Ears of the vulgar to tingle, but the Consternation is entred the Palace; he that sate on the Throne and did wear the Robe, is made to forget both his Throne and Robe, he not only moves with the rest; but riseth with the first; for, Word came to the King of Nineveh, and he arose from his Throne, and laid aside his Robe. The mightiest should have their Judgment frays and shiver under Gods threatned Plagues; Is there any Antidote against Caesar? Any preservative against Divine Wrath? No, Gods Lightning strikes upon the highest Mountains: What is a Throne to him that hath built his Stories in the Heavens? What is a Throne to him that is clothed with Jealousy as with a Garment? Can a Golden Scepter fright away Judgments, or all the Jewels of the Crown, redeem [Page 4]a man from Vengeance? No, God takes King by the Collar, and hurls them under his Feet.—That great Pharaoh that asked, Who is the Lord that I should hear his Voice? shall hear 'ere long, who is Pharaoh? — Oh, that many were not enclosed in their own Fat, and infatuated with their Chariots of Glory, as if they would out-run and out-ride all Misery; like Charles the 8th. of France, because they have great Riches to trust to, they distrust not to be happy against Accidents; those fat Bulls of Basan which graze in green Pastures, never look that they shall be taken by the Horns and Flayed; those Leviathans which swim in the Ocean of Greatness, never expect that the Harping Iron shall be darted into their sides, that they shall be played with like a Bird, — These never rise, forsake the Throne and cast away the Robe; its a hard thing to see these Chuffs tremble, or to let fall an Eye-lid, or to bruise the Breast before a mortifying Preacher: Pashur, that is a Governor never thinketh he shall be a Slave, and that his Name shall be Mager Missabib, fear round about. There lieth hid a kind of Sorcery in the Throne, the Robe is a kind of Enchanted Vesture; how many might have sat in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus, were it not for this Throne; and might have been arrayed in fine Linnen, which is the Righteousness of the Saints, had it not been for this Robe! Do we not see that great Men contemn all Doctrine, and scorn Devour Messengers; if an Eliab doth reprove such, he is made to fly the Country; if a Jeremiah deliver his Errand freely, 'tis enough to have his Prophecy cut in pieces with a Pen-Knife. If Cyril meddle with the great Juliar, he shall be hewn a­sunder, and his Liver eaten up by the Heathens, p. 79. If Ignatius re­prehend Bardas for his vitious life, he shall be lock'd up in a Sepulcher for many years, afterwards banished, and at last slain. The high-brest Worldlings cannot endure a Check; the Throne and the Robe make men conceive themselves superiour to all Reproof, how do they snuff and snarl, fume and rage, shew their Tusks and put out their Stings, look like Leopards, and sparkle like Basilisks, if they be rebuked or threatned? A Jonah's cry fills all the Country with Tumults, they storm upon their Throne, and Vow by their Honours they will be revenged; one had better anger all the Witches and Conjurers, provoke all the Centaurs and Minotaurs in the World, than menace this haughty spiri­ted Generation; the Devil has his strongest Chains upon the rich mens Heels; he is most Prince where disdainful men sit on the Throne, or wear the Robe. Have Rich men no Souls to save? or will Riches secure [Page 5]them against Divine Vengeance, cannot God cast down thy Throne? and tear in pieces thy Robe? smite thee upon the Throne? and strip thee naked for all thy Robe? is a Golden Night-Cap a Head-piece? or a Velvet Jacket a Breast-Plate against his Judgments? why then doth not Greatness stoop as well as Poverty? &c.

8. An Humble Dress: for the King doth cover himself with Sack-cloth; What shall a King put on Sack-cloth? and shall we put on Silks and Sattins, Cloth of Silver and Gold? What be as Sumptuous as Lords, as Gorgeous as Princes? and yet is this dread of Judgments? dismayed Repentance? oh feat Converts, oh spruce Penitents? where there is humiliation for Sin, there must be a mournful habit: else 'twill be said, Thy spirit is not very sad, thy dress is so trim; loose attire shews a dissolute mind; Penitents are not busy in Haberdashers, Mercers, Feather-makers or Perfumers shops: No, Micah doth appear stript and naked, 1.8. Isaiah doth go bare-foot, 20.2. the Israelites do not put on their Ornaments nor best Garments, Pouder, Wigs, Spangles, Cuts, Jags, Frizles, Crispings, Purple and Crimson are fitter for Swart-rutters and Ruffians, than for true Penitents. If there were no other Provocations in the Land, yet there were fuel enough for consuming Judgment in peoples excessive and unlimited Pride; our patch't faces are enough to make us Monsters in Gods eyes, our long Tails to sweep all Blessings out of the Nations: if one should search the Wardrobes, Cabinets, Complexion-Bottles, a man would wonder that the flying Book of Curses had not already lighted upon this exotick Island, or that this Theater of Vanity were not burnt down with Fire and Brimstone from Heaven; [What would this good man have said if he had lived in this Debauched Generation, this Age of Whoring, Swearing, Cursing, Perjury, an Age wherein God­liness, i.e. God-likeness is perfectly hated; and those most like the Devil only in esteem and repute] See the Postscript.

9. An High Abasement; the King doth not leave his Throne to take up an inferiour Chair, but he sate upon Ashes. O therefore upon the day of thy Repentance, let high Birth, high Crests, high Looks, high Titles, all elate, inflate, lofty, stately, imaginating, ingrandising pre­heminencies and priviledges be forgotten, and count thy self the Bran of the Bolter, the sweeping of the Floor, a scuttle, a span-full of Ashes; you see how the King of Nineveh by this loud cry of Jonah makes Ashes his Penitential Stool.

10. A restraint of Delicacies. A Fast is proclaimed and kept; when [Page 6]men are preventing a Ship-wrack, quenching a Fire, pacifying an in­censed God, and averting Judgments, they have no time to Carouse, &c. Esther and her Maidens fasted three whole days together; when we are Petitioning for Mercy we must not come with Meat sticking in our Teeth, nor belch in Gods face with our full Stomachs, when we are begging for our Lives; No, hollow Cheeks, sunk Eyes, gnawing Bow­els, macerated Sides, fainting Spirits, are better than swollen Faces, swal­lowing Throats, reaking Stomachs, eyes starting out with fatness.

11. The whole strength is ingaged, all go to the work, Kings, Nobles, Citi­zens, and all sorts of Men. Where the Danger is common, there should be an unanimous prevention.

12. A memorable thing done in Repentance, the Ninevites made their Beasts to fast and wear Sack-cloth. Prophaneness can bring forth Prodigi­ous things, and shall Repentance bring forth no eminent thing?

13. An anguish for Sin. Every Street of the City doth Proclaim her Mourner.

14. An acknowledgment of Sin, ch. 3. ver. 8. This must not be a for­mal Repetition of Error in general, but every Trespass which doth come to our Knowledg must be rehearsed upon our Tongues end; oh, therefore unravel your Lives, sweep the hid corners, rake the Canels, lay open the secrets of your Heart and Lives, disburthen your Consci­ences, let the festered Corruption run out at the mouth of the Wound, speak out the Errors, and tell all the Crimes in Gods Ear.

15. Reparation for Sin. The Ninevites had offended God many ways, and now they bring the opposite Vertues, they return back to God what is his own as well as they can, and clear the Arrearages, &c.

16. Devout Supplication; they cryed mightily unto God. The Penitent must not only be sollicitous, but a Solicitor. How many have Filed off the Fetters of their Sins, escaped out of the Keepers hands, shut up the mouth of Hell, and stood spotless among the pure Angels by the benefit of Prayer; Moses by lifting up his hand struck down the Ama­lekites; Hezekiah by crying to him that lived between the Cherubims, fetcht an Angel from Heaven, to destroy a Hundred Four Score and Five Thousand in a Night; Asa, but by saying, Help O Lord, we rest on thee, and are come out against this Multitude, dispersed an Army of Ten Hundred Thousand; [and I am confident as great things may be done in this Age, by Prayer, for the people of God, as hath been done in any since the Creation;] a Christian is never higher than when creep­ing [Page 7]upon his Knees, not stronger than, when he is stretching out his hands towards Heaven, by looking upwards than others can do by Plotting beneath. The People of God count Prayer their chief Engine, the effectual fervent Prayer of the Righteous availeth much, Nineveh cryed mightily.

17. Renovation of Life. Repentance without Reformation is a mock­ing of Almighty God, is like running into the Pest-House where we first got our Plague-sore. Henry the Fifth cast off his old Companions when he began to Reign; Isaeus, when a rare Lady was shewed him, and ask­ed whether she was not fair, and fit for his Dalliance, he answered, I know not, for I have given over to be guided by my Eyes: What dost thou Repent, and keep thy Whore in thy House? What, wilt dy in her Arms, and yet be counted a Penitent, a Godly Person, &c.

18. A Reformation of Oppression. Nineveh had been a Cruel, Bloody Ci­ty, and remembred how many there were that could accuse them of Cru­elty and Tyranny, that is a formal Repentance, where men are sensible of their damnifying injurious Courses: Oppression is of a Scarlet Hue, 'tis put among crying Sins; shall God remove Judgments when men are removing Land-marks? Shall God cast away his Rod, when men are chastising with Scorpions? He must not expect to taste of free Mercy that eats others Fruits without Money; 'Tis in vain for any to Sigh for Compassion, when the poor Cry for Vengeance, which swallow up Peo­ple as the Grave, Prov. 1.12. which Groundsel their Estates with Dama­ges, Roof them with Detriments, Plaster them with the Brains of Wi­dows, and Hang them with the Skins of Orphans, &c. He that is the Pleader for the Poor, will not be the Patron of Oppressors; till they have cured their Blood-shorten Eyes, let them not look up to Heaven for Pardon.

Application. 1. This doth shew that Mercy is the Priviledg of the Penitent.

2. Where there is great Provocation, there may come a Pacification.

3. This doth shew that Pacification is to be resolved on, not ac­cording to Profession, but Repentance.

4. This may shame our Perverseness and Obstinacy, What, Nineveh the Mistress of Witchcraft, which was mad upon her Idols, and built Altars to shameful things, doth she Repent? and not we who pretend to have the Light of the Knowledg of the Glory of God in the Face of [Page 8]Jesus Christ? Was Nineveh spared, and must we be Judged? hath the Idolater more propensity to Repentance than the Christian?

5. This doth shew the Excellency of Repentance; is not that a rare Vertue that hath qualified Nineveh to be spared? yes, all her Pomp, glorious Walls, sumptuous Palaces, Riches, melodious Musick, Con­quests abroad, Triumphs at home, Street-Lustre, Court Splendor fall short of the Magnificence of Repentance: Oh, the beauty of these Ashes, the fineness of this Sack-Cloth, the Nourishment of this Fast­ing, the Musick of these Cries; her Habit, Heart and Spirit changed! When the King is Chief Mourner, the Nobles, Citizens and Beasts fel­low Mourners with him, and nothing but sitting upon Dung-hills, Sigh­ing like Distracted men, Groaning like Dying persons, counting Plagues their Doom, and Hell their just Desert: True Penitents abhor themselves, History tells us, That Solomon, King of Hungary caused himself to be five times dragg'd through the open Streets in detestation of his Sinful Life. N.B.

6. This puts us upon Tryal, whether we that would be a Pardoned people are a Penitent people, Repentance saved their Laws and their Lives, That kept the Crown upon the Kings head, the Nobles in their Courtly E­quipage, the Merchants in their Splendor, it prevents Detriment, it ratifies Liberties, confirms their Immunities, renews their CHARTER, they are still Proprietors in all their Fees, Lords of all their Royalties, and by Repentance thou hast saved a flourishing City, &c. thou didst make them cry mightily that no other Cries might be heard in this Ci­ty, but those of Devotion; 'twas Thou that taughtst them that Secret and Mystery how to prevent eminent Dangers; all this it did for Nine­veh, oh that I could say it would do as much for London; if ye are as Penitent as Nineveh ye shall be as prosperous as Nineveh; 'tis true, ye have lived in the Lords eye, but ye have sinned before the Lord exceed­ingly, ye tread upon Gods Ground, but ye have polluted the Lords Land, turned Bethel into Beth aven, a House of Prayer into a Den of Thieves; ye are rather Jesreel than Israel, Sodom than Nineveh; you would be Reprieved, but where are your Qualifications for a Pardon; you may match Sins with Nineveh, (nay Sodom it self) but can you match its Repentance; No, see how you can clear your selves upon Tryal. Look over the former heads viz.

1. Nineveh heard Gods Messenger.

2. Nineveh was not curious in its Counsellors, a Stranger was received.

[Page 9] 3. Nineveh doth endure sharp Doctrine.

4. Nineveh doth apprehend danger; for they believed God, they verily thought the state of their City was near Destruction, at the brink of Ruine; but we defy such Seditious Preachers, Tumultuous Prophets; Calamity is but their Jealousy, Peril but their Peevishness. We are a Righteous people and not to be punished, a formidable people, and not to be frighted; they are a scandalous and audacious people which ter­rify us with Judgments; we have Spears enough (as the French King said, having 200000 Soldiers at his Heels,) to uphold the Heavens if they should fall; This is the Confidence and Fool-hardiness of this Age, though the Clouds gather yet we think of no Storm; though the Ship leaks we think of no Wreck; though the House be on Fire, yet they stir not, our Ditch is the Sea, none can swim over to us, all our Ports are lock't [ But Treachery can fill us with a foreign Enemy, and lay open our Ports to them, &c.] none can force an entrance; Dangers are but the Me­lancholy Apprehensions of Male-Contents, or Dreams of Lunatick Tea­chers.

5. Nineveh doth not delay Repentance, but how do we weary God with expectation, &c.

6. Nineveh had stirring motions, Jonah but delivers his Message, and there's Honour given to it, for the King of Nineveh rose up: but when will we stir or descend a Degree, our proud heart cannot shrink up? &c. when sad Tidings was brought to Job he rose up, but no news or need will make us stir, We sit in the seat of the scornful, or like Babylon, sit as a Queen, as if we should see no sorrow, we are negligent in things most im­portant.

7. Nineveh doth not think of Greatness, for the King is first in the action; but alas, our Great ones are such good Leaders, they must have the Path beaten: Greatness, which should be exemplary, thinks it self exempted; those which should be in the Front come in the Reer; 'tis a rare thing for an Obadiah to be one of Gods Nobles, or for a Daniel to open a Window towards Jerusalem; The Lions Whelps are a long time before they come to their Feet, they do not stir under a Month, nor walk under seven: The Devils Prison is fill'd with Persons of high Birth and Fortunes, he hath honorable Slaves, they go in Scarlet, wear Gold Chains, ride in Coaches, Whore Swear, Ram and Damn and Drink Health's at norate, &c.

8. They have an Humble Dress, the King puts off his Robe, he and the whole City puts on Sack-Cloth we are so far from Repentance at [Page 10]heart, that we have it not on our Backs, if we are Penitents, We are spruce ones.

9. Nineveh hath the height of abasement, they sate upon the Ash heap; but we upon the Bullion-heap, or Bullet-heap, or Building-heap, we think of great things rather than Confusion; we never dissemble more than when we talk of our weakness; we will not think of the Ash-heap, be­cause we imagine all the Flames of Divine Vengeance cannot turn this Nation into a Bon-fire, or Burn us to nothing, &c.

10. Nineveh had a restraint of Delicacies, for they neither did eat Meat nor drink Water. Cato told Julius Caesar, That he only came Sober to De­story the Common-Wealth, but we cannot come sober to preserve the Common-Wealth; we cannot shut up our mouths to fence out a Judg­ment, nor loose a Meals Meat to obtain a Blessing. 'Twas truly said by Jovius, That the English Nation above all others upon Earth, was most addicted to the Throat; if a true account could be brought in for one years Table Expence in this Nation, what a large Bill of Fare would there be? I doubt whether the Spanish Indies would defray one years Charge: Oh that we could send the Glutton and Wine-bibber out of the Nation, then there might be some hopes of Sacrificing a true Sin-Offer­ing, we are too lusty and vigorous, too full fed and drencht in Liquors to Repent; true Repentance must be lean and meager, &c.

11. They put their whole strength to the work; but we think a small com­pany will suffice to do the Church work, a few are enough to prevent Judgments, and preserve the Land.

12. They had a memorable thing to testify their Repentance, for they made their Beasts to fast. What do we do to the honour of Repentance? we are for the via trita, the beaten road.

13. They had an Anguish for Sin, the whole City is a Mourner; but we are the joyous City, the Tabret and the Harp do not depart from us.

14. Nineveh confesseth her Sins, but alas our Mouths will not open; no man saith, What have I done; we rather hide our Sins than bring them to light; we love not to shew our Raggs, tell our Debts, or open our Sores; no, we will Plead Not Guilty, and be prest to Death, rather than confess the Indictment, Peccavi, I have sinned, is too big a word to get out of a Sinners mouth; we desire powerful Teaching, Thundering, &c. but we would have it against others Sins, and not our own, &c.

15. Nineveh made some Reparation; he that had seen Nineveh in Pomp and Pride, Crisped and Curled, Bathed in Pleasures as a ruling City, but [Page 11]now as a ruful City, dejected, ashamed, blushing, pronouncing her self unmeet to be seen or known, fitter to pine above ground, or to rot un­der ground, than to draw Breath above ground, he would think Nine­veh was about to make amends for all her excess; for every strip of this Sack-Cloth, every handfull of the Ash-heap, the Bowels griping for Food, the Beasts lowing for Fodder, do testify Nineveh to be a most satis­fying Creature; O Londoners, how long will it be before ye be brought to make this Reparation for Sin; Another Life doth require another Diet; when our Hearts change, every thing about us should have a change; I know there is no compensant satisfaction of Justice for Sin, but of hatred against Sin; not as a cause of reconciliation, but as a sign of Detestation; not as a cleansing from the Curse, but as a horror of the Trespass, not as an Instrument of Justification, but as an Adjunct of Mortification not to procure Innocence, but to declare Humility, and shall we renounce Sin without smiting it at parting, or give it a farewell battering; there is nothing more offensive to Sin than to see it self aba­sed, and its opposite in its place; there is no Repentance without a Ho­ly Revenge, which is making a Reparation.

16. They had devout Supplication; they cry mightily; we must not look for mighty Comforts without mighty Cryes. God sits on his Throne, but none make Addresses to him.

17. Nineveh hath a Renovation of Life. Let them turn every one from their evil ways: but alas, He that was filthy is filthy still, not one Tract altered: some amazement, no amendment; a little Humiliation, but no Reforma­tion. We would rather Teach Repentance, than Practise it, what VVhore­monger hath yet unclapsed his hands with his VVhore, &c. were there ever so many Unregenerating Sermons, the Moors are black still: Time-may turn, there may be several variations in humane affairs, but not in humane Actings: Men are resolv'd and settled, they will not turn from their evil ways. Who has believed our Reports, &c. was ever so many Alarums, sounded, and so few mind it? many may watch over Souls, but who wins Souls. Faith and Repentance are the two great Lights of the Church, but now Eclipsed.

18. Nineveh was touched with Oppression, for 'tis not barely said, Let every one turn from his evil way, but likewise from the violence of his Hands. If God should demand (according to Law) hand for hand, Exod. 21.24. what a dismembred Nation would there be! the hand of the Avenger would persue too many: Whether they wash them, yea or no? I know [Page 12]not; sure I am their hands are full of Blood. Thus at large you have seen Nineveh's Repentance. O that Face could answer Face in the Wa­ter! ye have acknowledged Sin, but do you come with Mineveh's Confes­sion: ye have been soliciting Heaven, but did ye ever awaken God with Nineveh's mighty cry. VVe are immured, little hopes of a Goal-Deli­very.

Now we come from the Name of the place, to the Nature of the place, That Great City, wherein, &c.

God himself doth produce Reasons why he should spare Nineveh, and that because it was no Family, or Village, or Borrough, but a City; and no obscure City, but a vast, large, great City; there are three things con­siderable, the subject, City; the attribute, Great; the eminency, That.

That Great City. 159

For the subject City, hence observe, That a City in it self, is an Attractive of Pity. Gods great Providence is seen in the greatest things, what more Beautiful than a City? There is a great weight in the name of a City; all Men are carryed to a City (as to a place of the greatest ho­nour.) Solomon compares the strength of Affection to a strong City. Prov. 1.8.19 And Isaiah saith, That there are houses of Joy in the joyous City, Isai. 32.13. Yea, God doth Animate Jeremiah to deliver his Mes­sage with Confidence, for he had made him like a fenced City. Jer. 1.18. What offerings were there appointed to be at the Building of a City? Ezek. 4.8. and what Solemnities were there used, at the Dedication of the Wall of a City? Nehem. 12.27. God himself, as he would not be without a Law, an Ark, a Tabernacle; So he would hot be without a City, which is called the City of God; yea, how dear a City is to God, may appear by the name of it in Hebrew, which comes from a word, that signifies to stir up; as if God by the name of a City, were stirred up to provide for it: Indeed he keepeth the City, and his Eyes are towards the City. And it is Graven upon the Palms of his Hands.

1. A City is a good resting place.

2. Citys are places of meeting; for the seed of the City is as the Gra­vel. Esai. 48.19. It doth multiply Merchants like the Stars of Hea­ven, Nahum. 3.16.

3. Cities are places of order, they are not VValls, but Laws that keep Cities.

4. Cities are places of Arts and Sciences: In the Country are Herds­men, but in the City is the cunning Artificer.

[Page 13] 5. Citys are Conspicuous: a City set upon a Hill cannot be hid, God doth land his Judgments upon the Shore-side; and doth make them take a long March through the Country before they do pitch down their Tents, dig Trenches, lay streight Sieges, and set up scaling Lad­ders against the City. Indeed if a City doth live out of Fear, live in pleasure, dwell carelesly, if the Harp, Viol, Tabret, Pipe, and, the VVine, be in their Feasts; if they deride and defy Judgments, then God may fray the City in the midst of her Jollity, Case up her Musical Instru­ments, bring in the Voyder to her sumptuous Banquets; turn this Dan­cing City into a sorrowful Lady; yea, make this Melodious City a Ra­mah, wherein there shall be nothing but Mourning and VVeeeping, and great Lamentation; instead of the Mirth of the City, and its Jollity, the cry of City shall go up to Heaven. 1 Sam. 5.12. If a City wax proud, insolent, and daring, it shall know, neither Gates, Bars, VValls, Towers, impregnable Castles, or Millions of Armed Men, can or shall se­cure her; Gods confounding Judgment shall pull down the most potent and haughty City. A City of perversness shall be a City of Perplexity. Ezek. 9.9. Then the City shall be smitten. Ezek. 33.24. Laid deso­late Esa. 27.10. Made a Den of Dragons. Jer. 10.22. A defenced City shall be made an heap, Isaiah 25.2. Yea, God will set his Face a­gainst the City for Evil, and not for Good, Jer, 21.10.

Application, 161

This shews that God is the Citys Friend; yea, the City hath not such a Patron as this Preserver of Men. Except the Lord doth keep the City the Watch-man waketh hut in Vain. Psal. 127.1.

1. Trust not in your Marshals or Magistrates, these are but your Dij Medioxumi, middle Gods; ye have the Lord God Almighty to rely upon; what need the City fear any thing if God be their Friend? tho' Friendship somtimes is dangerous, Men care not how they sell their Friends like Commodities they have no use of, or make spoils of them, as spend-thrifts do of Estates: the perfidiousness of Friends is such, that it is a snare to be familiar: But God will give his own Weapons to the City to fight with, as Hercules gave his Bow and Arrows to Philoctetes his dear Friend. God will go through all extremitys with his City, 'tis no easy matter to perswade a City out of Gods Favour; he will ra­ther shew her the Accusations brought against her to testify the Confi­dence [Page 14]of his Love then make her away upon Suggestions and Informa­tions. It must be a high thing that can dis-unite God and his City; God will search strictly before he will separate. He doth so love a City that he would not ruin Sodom before he had examined it; ten Righteous might have at last preserved it, it was burnt to Cinders for want of Saints, and not for want of a Compassionate God. God so loves a City, that he gives Laws for its safety, Deut. 20.10. When thou comest nigh to a City to fight against it, then proclaim Peace unto it: Wo be to him that doth make a breach, or shake a Stone in the VValls, or shed a drop of Blood, or rifle an innocent Trades-man, till Conditions of Peace be offer­ed. So that if God be your Friend and restless grievances han't provo­ked him to be your Adversary, you may Trade freely, rest quietly, fear no molestation neither at the Custom-House or Council Chamber. Zac. 8.4.5. There shall be old Men and old Women in the Streets, and every man walk with his staff in his hand for very Age, the streets of the City shall be full of Boys and Girls playing in it. God will lead them out of Doors in the day-time, and put them to bed at night, keep the Keys of the City and set Guards over them; serve God and he will not only give you a Charter, but be the City Standard-bearer and Champion. Whosoever will not spare, HE will spare, because it is a City, should I not spare Nineveh a City.

2. This shews that a City in it self is a place of Honor; do men cast contempt on that which God himself doth magnify, will God spare Nineveh because a City, and shall not a City be thought worthy of an excellency; else we correct Gods Heraldry, and strive who shall be the best Judges about Titles of Honour, let none deprive the City of its Cap of Maintenance, or abuse the Furr'd Gown, for a City is the most principal thing of all things which can be constituted by Mans Reason, saith Aquinas: 'tis an ignoble spirit to vilify that which God and Nature has dignify'd. If a Man, would commend a place, 'tis enough to say, 'Tis a City. Kindness may be in the Hind, but the Breath of a Citizens Lips is Courtesy, &c.

II. A City is a place of Honor, because Men there get Estates in a more noble way than other Men, as in Merchandising: Diodorus says, several Kings have been Merchants, and Merchants must be supposed to get their Means in a splendid way, for Princes would never spot their Courts and soil their Robes in medling with sordid Callings.

III. A City is a place of Honour, because there is a dayly Mart, where by Exportation and Importation it doth supply other Countreys, and store it self with all manner of Necessaries.

[Page 15] 4. A City is a place of Honour, because multitudes live there with a unanimous Expression, yea many hundred Thousands linked like per­sons of one Tabernacle, many a Family not so combined as a City, there­fore called a Society, or Corporation.

5. A City is a place of Honour, because of Buildings; Houses and Riches are given of the Lord. Art can present the Eye with no more pleasing object than the sight of a City. Princes thought they could never set out their Royalty better than in building Cities, as Asher in building this Nineveh. Gen. 10.11. and Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon.

6. A City is a place of Honour, because there are Liberties; the A­postle says ye are Citizens, with the Saints, Eph. 2.19. by that he would intimate that Citizens had great Immunities.

7. Because there are degrees of Honour: The Livery, the Benchers, the Gold Chains. St. Paul says, He was a Citizen of no mean City. Acts 21.29. It means, it had no mean Government and Jurisdiction to belong to it.

8. A City is a place of Honour, in respect of large Payments; now in defraying Tributes and Customs, who exceeds the Citizens?

III. This shews, That as a City is chief, so it should be chief in commen­dable Demeanour. A City should be a place of Example, the great Idea from which all round about should be effigiated, the Prototype by which all adjacent places should be stamped: Doth not a Citys Virtues diffuse vertue: when it was asked why Peloponesus was so good? It was presently answered, That Aegina the head City nourished up none but good Children: See how much good one City-Example will do for Virtue, and may not one City-Example do as much Evil for Vice? Yes, the City doth sell her Examples, as well as her Commodities, and her Sins as well as her Wares; yea, the quick Trade doth run in Crimes, and she sends down them by whole-sale into the Country: this Plague in the City infests the whole Nation: a whole Land may curse a City for bad Presidents: If the City be full of perversness, Ezek. 9.9. the Disobedience will spread to all parts. If the City be bloody, Nahum. 3.1. its enough to sell Chopping-Knives to their Customers elsewhere. What pure Worship will be left in the Land, if the chief Citys of the ten Tribes set up Golden Calves, the whole Religion will seem to be nothing but a Bleating Crib to the Honour of these new Deitys; people far and near will Swear by the sin of Samaria. The Lust of Corinth made all Greece a Brothel-House: the Intemperance of Plintine turn'd Egypt in a tipling [Page 16]Booth: Sidon first found out fine Silk, and it corrupted all Nations with gaudy Attires. Guarde, Jesdi and Hispaa, being accustomed to lye with their Sisters and Mothers, it taught all Parthia Incest. Ye, see a Citys bad Examples is like a Gangreen, it will not rest where it begun, but in­fects all the Members, and at last the Vital parts.

This in general, but particularly, As God hath made you a City, so do you principle out Goodness to the Land: what a shame is it for the sowrest Fruit to grow upon the top Branches, the worst Scholars to be in the upper Form? what shall the Men in Russet teach Thee in thy Furs? the Leathern Girdle, the Gold Chain? the Swain, the Citizen? &c. A Citizen should shew his Customers the best Patterns of holy Life, and open the Pack of Religious Presidents: a City should be the Burse of Virtuous Demeanours: Oh therefore hath God given you Honor, main­tain it, let the Wheel of Virtue stir here, and the Morning Star of Grace shine here: let not the miery way be cleaner than your Paved-streets, and the Thatched shuds be neater then your Tiled Houses: Let not the Country-Man when he comes among you be loathed with your Intempe­rance, or recoil at the Sight of your Fraud, or blush at you Neutrality, or deride your Pride, hiss at your Malice, frieze at your Indevotion, [...]or drop down dead with seeing the Blood of Oppression sprinkled on the Stones in the Street: Prepare choice Sights for the Country mans Eyes, that he may go home and say, I have seen the Phenix of Religion, the Paradise of Piety, the Temple of the Holy Ghost, the Suburbs of Hea­ven; I have learned Grace out of every Citizens Mouth, and bought Bargains of Sanctity at every Shop, enough to stock my self and supply my Neighbours; thus ye shall see your selves a flourishing City, when ye are as full of Professors as ye are of Traders, of Saints as Merchants, when you have Traffick'd for Godliness at every Port, and fetch'd home the true Pearl further then the Indies: Remember, To whom much is given, much will be required. You should have a Priority of Duty, because ye have a priority of Dignity. A City should serve God before others, because God would spare a City before others, should I not spare Nineveh.

IV. This shews that if God will spare a City, because a City, that the City should spare it self; nor suffer her immunitys to be infringed, when she can preserve them, nor her Rights to be be injured, when she can vin­dicate them. This were for a Citizen to dig down the Wall of its own City, and to unbody its own Corporation.

[Page 17] V. This Reproves them, that instead of sparing, take delight to destroy Citys. Oh, what Thunder claps come out of many Mens Mouths to shake down such glorious Ornaments? What Furnaces do there burn in many Mens Breasts to consume such Ensigns of Art, and Archite­cture? Can they not walk freely in the World unless they stamp down Citys under their Feet? Do they desire to Shine in the VVorld like Blasing Comets? Or to Scorch all before them, like Brands taken out of the Infernal Pit? How justly might they Crouch for a piece of Silver, which care not in an humour to melt away the Riches of so ma­ny Ages? How ill do they deserve an House to hide their Heads in, which care not in a hellish Fury to expose so many Citizens to the bleak Air? Should I not spare Nineveh a great City.

VI. This further shews, That a City is at the Height of Impiety, when the Time of her fate and fall is come. Such have rejected all warnings, we are a very urging People that have lost the Benefit of a sparing God. Do Judgments Threaten the Nation? Oh, then that I could shake Men in­to an apprehension of their manifest and monstrous Guilts; Do ye dread any charging Plague; Then why do ye not find out your challinging Sins? Do your Ears Glow, and do ye suspect no bad News? Do ye seem to see nothing but Rods, and Rasours, and Yoaks and Fetters; and yet are ye so Blind that ye can see nothing of the violating of Gods Laws? Must God lock up your Doors before you will consider what bad Ten­nants ye have been? Must he pluck away all your Wares before you will consider the Sins of your Trading? Have ye lost your Ears your Eyes, your Tongues, your Wits, your Consciences? Do ye dance upon your Thres-holds, when ye are ready to Stagger with amazement? Do ye walk with stretched out Necks, when your Necks are ready to stoop down with the weight of Judgments? Do ye add Thirst to your Drunken­ness, when the Cup of Astonishment is ready to be put to your Lips? Do you scorn the Menaces of Scripture, when all the Curses that are written in the Bible, and those which are not written are ready to fly in your Faces? do you abuse Sermons, when the Pulpits shake before dropping? You have often said the City must suffer, and that the end of all must be dismal? Do you say it, and not fear it, or fear it, and not flee from it? O if thou hadst known it, in this thy day, &c.

GREAT. 181

This Attribute Great, is next to be discours'd, Observe: That Greatness in it self is pretious in Gods Account: How can the great God, but affect [Page 18]that which is great. Great is the highest Title of Honour that can be given to the most flourishing Princes upon the Face of the Earth; as the great Mogul, the great Cham, the great Turk: to be great then is of high esteem among Men, and is it not as highly prized by God Almigh­ty? No marvel if God doth so plead for the preservation of Nineveh, for it was no vulgar City, but a Great City: Yes, the greatness of it was a great inducement to God to restrain the imminent Danger of it: 1. Because it had been long in coming to that greatness; Men rise by degrees, and so do all other things: As an Elephant (as some say) is two years in bringing forth; an Oak is a hundred years in grouth, the durable Marble lyeth many thousand years before it be hardned, &c. 2. Because of its long standing, it had continued in that flourishing Condition for above a thousand years. God that would not have us remove ancient Bounds, will not be ready to deface that which is an­cient; Age is a Crown of Glory. I might add, and shew you that God would spare this great City, because of the great Misery that should hap­pen upon the fall of such a great City; for what a loud shreik must be heard from the Lips of so many perishing Souls: and likewise from the great Repentance that had been exprest in such a vast City: Oh, the Sea of Tears that had dropt from the Eyes of such numerous Penitents: But I have shown you the speciousness and spaciousness of the City, and this was exprest to prompt God to spare it, even because it was Great, should I not spare Nineveh that Great City?

Application. 184

1. This shews God is no Enemy to Greatness; I accuse not Riches, but him who uses them ill. I know there is a Mammon of Unrighteous­ness, but that is, when they are in the Hands of evil Possessors, I know our Riches may eat our flesh like Fire, but 'tis when Injustice and Usur­pation hath turned them into Fire-brands. Sin Damns every thing to us, Grace makes every thing a Blessing, make good thy Tenure therefore, and fear not thy Free-hold. A Saint may enjoy a great Mansion, a great Castle, a great City. Conversion is a just owner, Repentance hath the lawful Demise of all copious Revenue. Be Penitent and be Potent; be as Nineveh, and fear not thy great City; forget not thy Sack­cloth, and thou needst not fear losing thy Scarlet: Now ly upon thy Ash-heap, and afterwards if thou wilt ly upon thy Bed of Down; fast now, and eat Delicates hereafter; cry mightily now, and sing joyfully at some other times: forbear violence, and let thy Hands be fil'd with [Page 19]abundance. Seek the Pearl, and wear Jewels: the Saint is the true Land­holder upon Earth: Wicked Men have Riches by Permission, the Godly by Commission, the one by Possession, the other by Promise; for is not his Covenant past, and his Patent Sealed to the Righteous. Sir, rise then as fast as thou canst, so long as fraud doth not promote thee: Let thy House be stately, and thy Chamber large; so long as thou dost not build thy House by Unrighteousness and thy Chambers by Wrong, Jer. 22.13. Serve God, and thrive under so good a Master. Let not thy Obedience run at a low Ebb, and then let thy Prosperity rise as a Flood. God will not be offended at thy greatness, for he doth plead for Greatness, should I not spare Nineveh a great City.

2. This shews there will ever be degrees of State and Condition. Every one ought to be content with his Condition, every one doth not carry a Governor about him, nor doth find a Ruler in his Scabbard; he is not Skin'd Prince, nor doth bring a Scepter out of his Cradle; much less can Crown himself with the Principle of Equality: In all Ages there have been, and to the last there will be Orders and De­grees: Yea, to the Worlds end, we shall see the Noble and the Ignoble, the Potent and the Impotent, the needy and the full, &c. Should I not spare Nineveh a great City.

3. This doth exhort every one to be sensible of his greatness: what hath God raised thee, and art thou silent under such a liberal Benefa­ctor? What art thou great only in Ostentation or Haughtiness, and not in Thankfulness: where is thy Praise for such Preferment, thy Sacrifice for such Greatness: the Ox knoweth his owner, and the Ass his Masters Crib: but God has raised up Servants which know not their own Master, and kept Pentioners that understand not the Royal hand of their gra­cious Prince: As noble as many would seem to others, yet they are base to God: we are Mens humble Servants, and thrice bound; but we are Gods very insolent Servants, and scarce once Twisted: Oh, what are the Tyes and Bands of Blessings, Ingratitude is branded upon our Brows, Brests, Eyes, Ears, Lips and Lives, where is there Promotion and Devo­tion, Favour and Zeal joyned together? No, oh ye great Men, ye are the great Dis-esteemers, and Disparagers of Mercies, a Non-Magnify­ing, a Non-Glorifying Generation, you can't see Favours at Noon-Tide, nor speak of Mercies when every Corner of thy House is a Pulpit, where you have Domestical Chaplains to Preach unto you Gods Blessings: why are you thus Blind and Deaf, would you weep for want of Mer­cies: [Page 20]force not God to cry. Hear O Heaven, and harken O Earth, as if YOU were Monsters: be not too great for thy Maker; say to thy self, as Crysostome once said to Gaynas, a Captain, Bethink thy self in what poor attire thou didst once pass through Histria, and how richly thou art now Apparelled; so consider the simple Weed once upon your Back, though now you have change of Apparel, had you always such Shops, such Ward-Robes, such Cupbords of Plate, such Jewels, such Honours, have you forgot your be­ginnings: how many pieces ye were worth when ye were first Sworn Freemen: O staring Eyes, infatuated Brains, look back, search out your selves, to the first year, nay first change of the Moon, when prosperity crept out upon you; and set down every penny you received out of Gods privy Purse: you are ignorant Men to imagine that your original began at your selves, that your Prudence and Deligence hath advanced you: say with David, Who am I, O Lord, and what is my House, that thou hast brought me hitherto. 2 Sam 7.18. 'Tis hard to fetch Praise out of Preferment, Gratitude out of Greatness, &c. Should I not spare Nineveh a great City. 191

4. This shews what great endeavours there ought to be used in pre­serving this great City. God doth look that the Citizens Fervour should be answerable to his [...]itty. (Oh it is a great City, and how ma­ny great Sins are to be expiated, and what great Penitents must there be to preserve it. Oh it is a great City, and what a great Trespass offering must there be made for it? Set the whole City before your Eyes, and see how you had need to set the whole strength to anticipate and repel Vengeance, lifting up her hand to strike: Plead earnestly, or the Cause is lost, administer the best Physick or the Patient dyes: he that doth pray but faintly, teaches God to deny, he that doth mediate remisly doth but prepare God to reject: when I see how earnest. Men are on other (sometimes little) Attempts, and how languishing we are in matters of the greatest Concern, how do I think Men have the least care of their Souls and the Church: Oh, that this great City had but as much Ser­vice and sedulity bestowed upon it, as a great Project or Fancy; we have Brains and Arms enough for other business, but for the Citys pre­servation, we have neither Pregnancy nor Proness, we think to save so great a City without laying both Shoulders to her Support, or calling for the two Master-Workmen Body and Soul, to do their utmost for her Preservation, this great City hath not so much regard shown her, as a great Beast, or a great Picture: Oh, how tender we are of these, how [Page 21]negligent of This: we walk in the City, and discern no Breaches in it, gaze upon it, and behold not its side cracking: All Nations admire our City, but we slight it and neglect it; we have neither affection to her Well-fare, nor compassion over her Ruin, yet forty days and Nineveh shall be distroyed, let it be destroyed, for we wont keep it from sinking, or burn­ing, who is frighted at Gods Threatnings? &c. when I read what great things Heathens have done to pacify the Gods, I am astonished to see with how cheap Sacrifices we would procure an attonement for the Ci­ty: Oh, the City doth look pale, fetch Blood into her Cheeks by your Pity, the City doth crack, prop her up with your Petitions, 'tis sick cure her with your Conversion. I have no Martial Tongue to wish you to Fight and Kill, but I desire you to Plead and Pray, bring forth your right Artillery, the stout Hands I call for are Supplicating Hands, the bright Harness I require, is the compleat Armour of Righteousness, not Field but Temple-Ammunition I press for, no Camp but Closet-Ordnance, oh that the Penitent were discharging with his Eyes, and the Supplicant shooting with his Lips: Oh, that our hearts were edged with Repen­tance, and our Tongues sharp pointed with Devotions, the Soldiers I desire are Intercessors, the Captains I long for are Advocates: Oh, that I could gather the Company together, summon all the Trained Bands, see them all stand in Battle-Array, and say to God Almighty, oh cast a­way our Sins, and rinse us not in Vengeance, for 'tis a great City, for then multitudes must feel thy Displeasure, many must be soaked in ruin, if thou puttest the Cup of Astonishment to our Mouths, vast numbers must be drunk with this fatal Bowl: Oh bring forth your strongest Shore to under-set this Building, and with your whole Estate redeem this Jew­el. Oh Citizens where are your City Bowels, City Groans, City Crys? Oh the great Pride, Riot, Lust, Oppression, Malice, Perfidiousness, Apostacy, Heresy, and Blasphemy of this City, doth require a Ca­tholicon and Composition of all Penitential Ingredients to purge out the several noxious humours out of this diseased Body; great Sins and great Judgments do necessitate a great Repentance: Bro­ken Hearts, trickling Eyes. penitent Petitioners, where shall feel, see or hear you? are ye at ease in Zion, when the Gates of Zion are ready to lament? Are ye asleep with Sampson, when the Philistins [Gods Judg­ments] are upon you? O no, sigh in the Temple, that you do not Sob in the Street, groan in your Closet, that you do not roar in the Fields, wash the City in Tears, that it be not washed in Blood. Remember, that it is a [Page 22]great City, and in great Danger, and therefore express great Humiliation: if you have any Remnant of Grace, any Reverence to Gods Laws, any Sense of Sin, any dread of an Omnipotent God, consider and correct, try and cleanse, weep and reform: God would spare, if ye would but prepare for Mercy: but ye must be fervent Petitioners and Solemn Converts, for 'tis a great City that you wish to be spared. Should I not spare Nineveh that great City. 196

THAT.

For Eminency THAT, That is the Paragon and Gem of Citys: Here I might have run over all the World, and give you an Account of all the Famous Citys that have been therein, and of all the glorious Excellen­cies of each of them. Yet was there ever any greater than, Nineveh? No, former times had not its like, nor latter time its equal.

1. Had not former times Thebes in Egypt, that opened an 100 Gates. Corinth, that with her strong Castle built upon the Acro-Corinth, was cal­led one of the Fetters of Greece. Telesine which contained in it once 16000 Families. Carthage, which was 21 Miles in compass Babylon, which amazed Alexander to see her stately Walls, her pensil Gardens, which seemed to hang in the Air, her artificial Groves, where Trees seem'd to grow without any Earth about them, her lofty Castle and miraculous kind of Bridg built over the Euphrates. Rome, which was built so loftily, that Augustus Caesar was forced to make a Law, that no Man should build above 70 foot high: which was so large, that it contained in it 7 Hills, 37 Gates, and 400 000 Men under the Cense; and so full of rare Specta­cles, that it was accounted an earthly Bliss to see Rome in her flower. As former Ages had none, so neither have latter times had Citys to stand in Competition with Nineveh, I confess one may read of excellent Citys in these days: viz. Odia in Siam, 'tis said to have above 40 000 Familys. Calecut, in Malavar, doth stretch out three Miles by the Sea-shoar. Man­dao is so large, and so full of Provisions, that it maintain'd a siege 12 years against Miramudus the great Mogul. Cambria is reported to have in it 800 000 persons. Nanquin hath in it, besides a large number of peo­ple 10 000 Ships, which are able with the Marriners that go in them to make a goodly City, Quinzay, honored with 12000 Bridges, and a Lake in the midst of the City of thirty Miles compass, with two Islands wherein are gorgeous Houses and magnificent Palaces. Grand Cair, as some write, hath in it 18000 streets, so that Selimus the great Conqueror was three days going through it: and had such a number of people, [Page 23]that they counted it nothing to lose, every seven years in a great Plague, 300000 persons. Hispua called new Casbin, which the proud Persians call half the World, the compass whereof can't be rid about in less time than a whole day. Musco that Wooden City hath sixteen Churches, and the Princes Palace with 17 Turrets, three great Bulwarks, and 25000 Sol­diers for a constant Guard. Cambalu (the Seat of the Crim Tartar, who is called the Shadow of Spirits) is 28 Miles in compass, and hath in it a mighty confluence of Merchants, in so much, that 'tis said, There are 10 000 Carts to have come formerly every year laden with Silks from China; and besides other Inhabitants, 'tis said to have 15000 Astrolo­gers in it. Vienna famous for beautiful Temples, stately Monasteries, and a magnificent Palace for their Emperors, but it hath no great quan­tity of Ground, nor multitude of Inhabitants, but as the Court doth re­plenish it. Paris, 10 Miles in compass, hath lofty and curious Buildings, and 600 000 Citizens, besides Soldiers and Scholars, of which last there are a multitude, by reason of their 55 Colledges. Constantinople, where the spread Eagle was first plumed, and flew out of her Nest, into the Imperial Arms: and not only here began to look towards the East and West, but chiefly because when Constantine had resolved to build a glo­rious City; and had laid the Foundation in Asia, (some say in three se­veral places:) the Eagles would not suffer the Workmen to go for­ward, but took up their Tools in their Bills and Claws and carryed them to Byzantine, where this once Famous City was built, and something sightly still, be it but for the Mosques, State-houses, Alms-houses and the Seraglio. Tlascalan, the goodly City in Guastacan of large extent, so much shining afar off, that Ferdinando Cortez, thought, at first sight of it, that it had been built of pure Silver. Cusco which hath in it one of the goodliest Market places in the World, deck'd with rich and sumptuous Buildings, for every Courtier was commanded there to build a Palace, the whole City seeming to be nothing but one large Chest heaped with Sil­ver and Gold Imperial. And now I have thus done, I must bring you back to Nineveh and say, That none of these Citys in their greatest Glory is able to equal Beams of Majesty with Nineveh. 1. It was called Me­galopolis, the great City, the original says, A City to God, or, a City for God. as if fitter for God than Men to dwell in. 2. 'Tis That great City, from the duration of it; what City upon Earth, had such an uninterrupted Felici­ty as Nineveh? Some say for 1500 years, others for 1400 all agree for above one Thousand. 3. For the vast Wealth it had, for Bilesus (joyn­ing [Page 24]with Arbaces) being present at taking and burning of it, beg'd of Ar­baces, (after sacking and rifling it) to have barely the Ashes of it to be be­stowed upon him, which was freely granted, he got thereby an incredi­ble Estate, being an hundred Millions of Talents of Gold, and a Thou­sand Millions of Talents of Silver, besides the Heaps of such Coin as was gathered up in the several corners of the City. 200

Well then let it be for that great Treasure the great City. 4. For the great Emulation that was born against it, for many did malign the ho­nour and greatness of it: among the rest Semeramis: This Semeramis from being a base Child (as some say) from being an exposed, Child, as most averr, by the Mercy of Shepherds, was taken up and fostered till ripe years, and then appearing to be a Peerless Beauty she was present­ed to the Vice-Roy of Syria, who being rapt at the sight of her, received her both Joyfully and Thankfully, and Married her to his Eldest Son Menon. The Vice Roy being summoned to wait upon Ninus in an expe­dition, He, with his Son and Daughter went together (according to Cu­stom) into the Wars; Ninus, casting his Eyes upon Semiramis thought her too rich a Jewel for a Subject to use, wrested her from Menon, (who stran­gled himself,) and made her his Bride, being fonder of her then all the other Beautys which were his Lust-Baths: Semiramis seeing she had the Victor in Fetters, made use of her opportunity, secretly envying Nineveh's glory, and ambitious to do something that should out-beam Niveveh; she beg'd leave to build a City her self, her Prince not being able to deny her any thing, granted her Suit, and furnished her with Treasure; she in­stantly pitcht upon Babylon, and thought to make it the Mirrour of Ar­chitecture, and the Nymph of Citys, the Walls indeed were esteemed as one of the Wonders of the World. But because she saw she had a re­straint in her boundless desires so long as Ninus lived, she presented ano­ther Petition, viz. That he would give her leave to step out of his Bed-chamber into the Throne, and Reign as an absolute Prince for some short time: some say, but for one day, others for two, and others for five, Ni­nus being infatuated with passionate Affection, granted it. Oh prodigi­ous new Prince! what mischief may be perpetrated in a little space, for Semiramis, before the last Minute of her stinted Government, got her Hus­band to be made away: Well, she being foot-loose, wading through her Husbands blood she dedicated all her Husbands Treasure to the shrine of Babylon. But because vast expences will drain even Princes Coffers, she finding a decay of Riches, goeth forth to dig the Gold Mines abroad; [Page 25]Mustering an Army, she marcheth forth with such a Besom of Sol­diers, that she was able to sweep all the Earth as she went; In this Ex­pedition she Conquers the Ethiopians, and so returning back with Fame and Spoil; she invades the Sagdians, H rcamans, Parthenians, Arachosians, Ara­spians, Parmisedans, and many more Kingdoms; where being Victorious she brought home the Wealth of all these Countrys, as a present to Ba­bylon. And when all this was spent, she carries her Purse abroad again to be filled; Her next Trace was to India, and there she carries such a vast Army, that not Tamarlain, Cignis, Pompey the great, Augusius the migh­ty, the great Cham, the great Turk, the Mogul, the Emperor of China, Me­tuzama, Atabaliba, no not Ziba the Eth [...]pian, or Xerxes himself, nor any I could read of ever, appeared in the Field with such Pomp and Power, for she had in her Camp three Millions of Foot-men, five hundred Thousand Horse-men, and a hundred Thousand Chariots, as many Camels where­upon Men rid with Swords of four Cubits long, and as many Camels and Horses to bear Burdens, and go upon Errands, and as many Elephants, which some say, were natural, others, artificial; and two Thousand Ships carryed upon Camels Backs to convey her Soldiers over Rivers; others say there number were ten Thousand; with this formidable Army she passed the River G [...]ges, and entered Staurobates's Dominions, defeat­ed him and harressed his Country: some say the contrary, but 'tis a groundless assertion, for the current of all ancient Writers avouch, That she conquer'd Staurobates. She dyed at Bactria, where she being warned by the Oracle of Jupiter H [...]man, That the time of her Death drew nigh, she called all her Captains and Commanders about her, causing them to Swear Allegiance to her Son, and so resign'd up the Empire to him; the EPITAPH she caused to be Ingraven upon her Tomb was, Here lyes Se­miramis the Great, whosoever will open this Tomb, shall find Treasure enough; which Darius (some say Cyrus) attempting, he found nothing but a Pa­per with these Words, If thou were not a bad man, a d insatiable after G [...]ld, thou wouldst not have disturb'd the Sepulchre of the Dead. So long as Semira­mis sate on the Throne and Reigned and Fought for Babylon, it had her Eye, her Tongue, Head and Hand; yet once an undutiful Hand-Maid, for she rebelled once against her, the news coming to Semiramis while she was Combing her Hair, she took it so offensively, That sh [...] Vowed n ver [...] to dress her Head, till she had reduced her to Obedience, which she really perform­ed; for half Drest as she was, she marcht away, and laid such a streight Siege to the City, that she brought down her haughty Spirit, and forc'd her on her Knees to beg Pardon: Having thus humbled her and severe­ly [Page 26]chastised her, setting up her Picture in Brass, with her Hair disheveled in Memory of that Rebellion; she renewed her affections to her, making her the Minion of her [...]avour; and yet notwithstanding this Munifi­cence and Magnificence with which she was thus adorned she fell short of great Nineveh: for Nineveh had fifteen hundred Turrets, Babylon but seven hundred, Nineveh four hundred and eighty Furlongs in compass, Babylon not above three hundred and eighty; Nineveh in breadth one hundred and ninety Furlongs, Babylon not above one hundred; Nineveh a City of three days Journey, Babylon (as far as we can read) not a days. Besides the largeness of the Streets and the beauty and numerosity of Buildings in Babylon were nothing comparable to those in Nineveh, so that though Babylon was fair, yet not able to match Faces with Nineveh; No Babylon was a great City, but Nineveh was That great City. Though Babylon exceeded Nineveh in strength of the Walls, and in the Bridge over Euphrates which was five Furlongs long; and in two Palaces; yet it was not half peopled so much as Nineveh: Quintus Curtius saith, That but nine­ty Furlongs of it were Built, the rest was for Vinyards and Tilth to main­tain them in a siege. 203

5. That great City. Strabo saith, It ruled far and nigh, within Euphra­tes and beyond Euphrates: Car Stephanus saith, That under three days a Man could not have the full sight of it through Streets and Lanes, it was the most peopled place in the World, and the most delightful place to behold. Arias Montanus saith, That the Walls were an hundred foot in height, and so broad that three Carts might go a-bredth on it: It com­mand d the whole Earth.

Obs. That Eminency hath an eminent respect with God Almighty, he is loth to pull down a City, which he has suffered to rise up to the heighth of Greatness. Our Saviour wept over Jerusalem, not for its Forts and Towers, but because he was to shed the first Tears, and Je­rusalem was to weep her self Blind, yea Dead: Jerusalem had been the Cut-Throat of the Prophets: The Stones of Persecution will be the Stone-heap that will crush the Head of a whole City with direful Curses. Ephraim had been another famous City, and how is God pained to the Heart to behold Ephraim in Danger. Hos. 6.4. Oh Ephraim, what shall I do unto Thee! Ah, and when God is constrained to be rough with him, as if a Father should tear out the Bowels of his own Heir; Is Ephraim my Dear Son? is he my pleasant Child? since I spake against him, I earnestly re­membred him still, therefore my Bowels are troubled for him. Oh Ephraim how [Page 27]shall we part? what shall I do unto Thee. Micah 6.9. The Lords Voice cryeth unto the City. What is this Cry, to call-in Invaders to assault it, or Con­querors to Fetter it? No, to call up a prudent Person to acknow­ledge the kind Founder: But what need of this Cry? what great need? for the City is ready to be carryed to the Correction House, to be lead to the Whipping Pillar, for there is a Rod prepared, and a hand lifted up to strike, Danger indeed! what shall procure Deliverance? is there any means left to keep the City from the Lash? Yes, saith God, if the City hath but a good Ear, it need not fear its Back, it shall not suffer if it do but harken, nor feel the Rod, if it do but listen to the Rod; there­fore hear the Rod, and who hath a [...]pointed it. Twas said of Titus that noble Emperor, that he had rather per [...]sh himself then destroy. So God will as soon part with his Essence as his Compassion. See how he expostulates with Jonah about Nineveh, he would spare it because it was eminent, it was that great City, should I not spare Nineveh that great City?

1. God will spare Nineveh that great City, to teach the World that things of Eminency are to be prized. What strange Eyes are in your Heads that cannot see Beams in those things which excel all other as far as Light doth excel Darkness? Shall not that be valued which is invalua­ble? Then ye are not to be valued: whatsoever is excellent ought to be look'd upon with an Eye of Reverence. Epithaniu [...] B [...] of Ticinum, when Theodoricus took the City, was so regarded by the barbarous Soldiers (though of a contrary Judgment) that they used him with all Civility, whilst they stayed with him, and wept at their departure from him. Shame to them which abuse that which is pretious, and can honour no­thing but what is contemptible.

2. God will spare Nineveh, to sh [...]w that his Mercy is not to be limited: Jo­nah was for destroying it above all places because it was that great City full of Sin and Provocation; but God would have it spared because it was full of Danger and had most need of Mercy: There are Men liberal in their Judgments, that we may say to them, as Diogene [...] said to one in the like kind: How long is it since thou camest out of Heaven; where these Men have Liberty, many a wicked Man shall be saved, and the Godly condemned.

3. God would spare Nineveh, because he desired to be honored in a great Preservation. God would be abundant in Goodness and Save by a great Deliverance, not spare a particular eminent person, or a distinct eminent Family, but that great City, that upon a [...]l the Glory there might be a defence, this is the Tryumph of Divine Favour, and the Trophe he aims [Page 28]at: when great Countrys, great Nations participate of his Mercy, that it may be said, here is Gods Banner displayed, and his Buckler hung up: That he might be honored with an Eminency, he will spare with an Emi­nency. Should I not spa [...]e Nineveh That great City.

Application.

The Excellency of London a­bove other Citys.1. This doth shew the Happiness of this Place, for are ye only a City? no, a City with Eminency, the greatest of the Land, the greatest of many; what are Amsterdam, Hamborough, Quinborough, nay the Royal Citys of many Countries, Stock­holm, Copinhagen, Vienna, Rome it self to you? Yours is such a City, as 'tis fit only to be shown upon Holy Days. This City for Courts of Justice doth seem to be a grand Tribunal: for Provisions for the Poor, a wide Hospi­tal; for War-like preparations, an admirable Arsnal: for much Trading, a stored Ware-house; for beautiful Building, a gorgeous Palace; for means of Salvation, the Temple of the Earth: 'tis a renowned City: look'd upon as the Stage of Wonders: consider the several Jewels lock'd up in this Cabinet: I fear you darken your own Splendor, and diminish your Portion, you mind not her dayly Commodities landed at your Stairs: oh you know not the price of your City-Sword, nor the worth of the Cap of Maintenance, &c. God might give this City to new Dwellers, that might say, Their Lot is fallen to them in a pleasant Land, or create new Mem­bers of this Corporation, that would sing a Hymn to him for such variety of Blessings: alas, ye possess much, ye prize but little, ye are more suc­cessful than sensible: Oh consider in what an Eden God hath placed you: ye are not only a City, but above many Cities in the World. Ye may be called That great City: Should I not spare Nineveh that great City.

2. This shews, that the City is eminent with God if Ye do not with­draw his Affections from it; he doth prize the City because its That great City: the City cannot be too great for God, if it be not too great for your Selves; he is satisfy'd with your large Circuit, if ye do not cast your selves out of your own Walls: Make him Chief over the City, and hold it in Fee under him as long as you will; do but true Homage to him, and he will deliver back again to you your Sword and Mace, and Keys to keep for many Ages; if ever ye perish your Blood be upon your own Heads: Thy Destruction is of thy self O Israel: Misery will never come from Gods Justice, but from your own Wickedness: his Rod will never be felt till the Scorner doth call for Stripes: yet so lie loveth your Pave­ments, if ye don't break them up; he delights in your Buildings, if ye don't pollute them; he rejoyces in your Treasures, if ye don't forfeit [Page 29]them: Ye are blessed, why are you sick of your own Felicity? Do ye wish well to the City, or desire to continue its Eminency? No, Me­thinks I see you bring [...]ick-axes to dig down your own Walls, and spring Mines to blow up your own Houses, and kindle Sparks that will set the whole City in a Flame from one end to the other, what means the City-Jars, Differences and Distinctions of each other by several Names: these if Wisdom prevent not will bring ruin to a City, for a City doth signify no more, nor less, than the unity of Citizens, and indeed if it want unity, it is but a Tumult, a wresting place, a pitched Field, and not a City; the Towers are then undermining, and the Walls shaking and falling. A Miserable thing it is, when their Tongues are divided, and there is a strife in the City, Psal. 55.9. Scornful Men ( i.e. Turbulent and Factious) bring the City into a s [...]are, then is the City becoming a City of Destruction. Epi­ctetus said well, That discord is the wit-foundring of a City: Diodorus makes a sad relation concerning the Citizens of Argos, falling into Dis­sentions and Distractions about Superiority, which caused such a woful face of Misery and Desolation, that no man lived in safety, for many were Tortured to Death, and others cut their own Throats, that they might not be [...]ortured; yea, certain Orators arising, so stirred up the People against the Rich, that no Man of Wealth was secure, thirty of them were questioned, tortured and slaughtered at once, and after that two Thou­sand and two hundred; afterwards the Orators out of Remorse refusing to accuse any more, the Rage fell upon them, and they were Murthered and Perished among the rest. The Citizens of Constantinople falling into Contention in the seventh year of ustinian giving their popular pledge to raise Partys; what Troubles did there break forth? Citizens were Ba­nisht, Houses Burnt, the Temple Defaced, and the uproar nor ally'd until three Thousand were Slain: when Carthage was divided how soon did it come to be an enslaved City. Discords of Citizens have ever been Ominous and divers times fatal. [ Beware O London.] Oh this Unity doth carry in it an universality of Felicity, it is the Basis and Battle-ax to a City. Hath God Built this City for his own Service and Worship? No, it seems to be a Bear-Garden, or a Nest of Cockatrices: Oh the hideous noises, the filthy smells, the dung-heaps the execrable Sins that are committed in this City! It seems to be nothing but a fenced Vale for Miscreants, and Anak ms to shelter themselves in; to speak modestly I wont shew you the Faces of the Monsters or hol [...] up the Gorgons Head in your sight; but I will say in general, That Gods Name is Dis­honored, [Page 30]his Truth Corrupted, his Deity Blasphemed, his Laws Viola­ted, his Messengers dispised. Prayers but Customary Gales, Praises but Ditties of Humour, Sermons but Notional Speculations, Sacra­ments but badges of affected Community; the Saints Weep, the Poor Cry, and the Oppressed Roar Grace is turned into a Vizard, and Reli­gion into refined Policy; and, if I should reckon up all, heres enough to bury the ancientest Family in Oblivion, to shake the greatest City in the World into scattered Stones, to cast Adam out of Paradise again, and to throw the Angels out of Heaven, if they were in the greatest brightness: Oh then that ye are the Contrivers of the fall of so great a City! Is it no­thing that you be held the Conspirators against the safety of the City? Yes, Cilicon that deluded the City of M [...]l [...]tum with continually saying, All things are well, tell he had delivered it up into the hands of the Priennen­ses: Zenias that carryed all fair to the City of Elis till he had brought it under the Lacedemonians: Doryl [...]us Tacticu [...], which betrayed Eupator in his head City: Baditzes, that when the Saracens were ready to depart from Amorium, sent a sec [...]et Letter to tell them, that if they would re­new their Assault in such a place, they might easily enter; which they did, and put the City to Slaughter: all these are branded with In­famy, for seeking the Destruction of their own Citys: How much more then you, which by your Prodigious Sins are plotting greater Treache­ry against your City than these? For they brought but Armed Men into the City, but your Sins are ready to bring down Hosts from Heaven, yea to fetch Angels from above to be revenged on you for all your execrable Sins: If the City doth fall, we know whose HANDS to charge for the pulling it down: Not the Hands of Justice, but the Hands of Trans­gression that are guilty of this Fact, they are your Provocations and Abominations, that neither Profession nor Pulpits can restrain: no Popish TRATORS nor Treacherous Friends are like your proditorious Sins, those call in Gods Judgments, open the City Gates, put Arms into their Hands to slaughter on the right hand and on the left; yea, so inrage them, that they will not leave wasting till they have left the City level with the ground: the City has been great, is great, and may be great if your selves don't conspire against its Greatness: God would not destroy Nineveh because it was that great City; Should I not spare Nineveh that great City? 216

3. This shews the horror of the Citys desolation, if ever it doth hap­pen to perish: for it is That Great City, and it will be that great Casualty: Oh, [Page 31]the Dream be to our Enemys, and the Interpretation to them that hate us. Lot the Woman called Wickedness, which doth sit in the midst of the Epha rather fly into Shinar, then take her flight to this City, and here rest upon her Base. For if the City come to be Visited, there are not Tongues enough in the City to utter all the Miseries that such Judgments will bring upon us: The M sery of the City when Judg­ments approach. Our Cheeks may look pale, our Eyes drop, and our Hearts tremble at the ap­prehension of such a fatal day: Sure I am Troy will fall from her very Cul­men, it is Ilium the great, and great will be the Infelicity of such a Curse, 'twas Troy novant, 'tis Troy le Grand, and it will be Troy le Extinct. Do Citys fall with a small Crush? No, Let me carry you to the broken Walls, and lead you through the Ruins of other Citys. Heli [...]olis, once a City beautiful in Buildings is now razed, not a foot-step to be seen ei­ther of its City or Temple Thebes destroyed all but one Port Sidena utterly ruined, and a Curse laid on all Men, by Cressus, that should offer to rebuild it. All the Citys in Phocis, in the Holy War, wasted by the Am­phyctions: I might shew you the like of Troy, Carthage, Cyropolis, Myrenae, Alba, and many other glorious Citys laid so desolate that it would be hard to find a stone of the old Foundation: And well were it that the Rage had but extended to bare Walls, but Citys and Citizens often perish together, The Misery of po [...]r Conquered Citizens. the Walls of Stone and the Walls of Flesh had the like Battery, the Pick-ax and Hammer brought: forth for the one, the Sword and the Pole-ax for the other: oh what Murders and Massacres have happened at the destru­ction of Citys. The Citizens of Eretria being inclosed as it were in a Net, were all put to the Sword. The Citizens of Scotussa (in Thessaly) being called forth into the Market to hear the Laws of Conquest; the Elder Men were made away by Bow-men and Dart-men which lay in Secret: the Young Men hewn to pieces, and the Women and Children sold for Slaves under the Crown, as they call it: the City of Sybaris in Greece Which had once twenty five Citys under the Jurisdiction of it, and led out above an hundred Thousand Men against Crotoniates, being at last taken by their Adversarys, were for the most part drowned by the River which they let into the City, and those which escaped that Death perish­ed by the Soldiers Swords and 'twas well they suffered but a common Death, for in many places they were put to Death with Torture and Ex­tremity. M. Fluvius by the Counsel of Pollia, did not only kill the Tuscu­lanes, [Page 32]but whipt them grieviously, and then struck off their Heads with an Ax. The [...]ocrenses first defiled the Bodys of their Captives with Lust, then they thrust Needles into their Fingers-ends, keeping them in pain; then they beat them to Death in a Mortar, and cast them into the Sea. Lucius Cataline was wont to destroy his Enemys first by breaking their Arms and Thighs, then by cutting off their Ears, then by plucking out their Tongues, paring off their Noses, and tearing out their Eyes, and at last by beheading. Henry 6. Conquering the Sicilians, did seith some to Death in hot Cauldrons, others he fryed to Death, others he sewed up in Sacks and threw them into the Sea; he put Brazen Crowns on the Heads of some full of Nails, some he set upon a Brazen Chair made red Hot, some have been so Savage to their Enemys, that they have sown them up in the Bodys of new slain Beasts, and there let them lye tell they have rotted and been devoured by Beasts: some have tyed hun­gry Vultures to the heels of their Captives, which might eat out their Bowels by pieces, and have sprinkled the Faces of their Hospital Gods with the Blood of their slaughtered Enemys, as if they had done a most pious work, and did offer a most pleasant Sacrifice; and they have consecrated their Instruments of Cruelty, calling them Holy Swords and Sacred Spears: Nor will they spare your Goods, no these were the fo­ments of the War, the leading-staff of the March; ye are the Drudges, they are the Heirs: Are not these the common Accidents upon rifling Citys? When Mahomet the Great, did win Constantinople, he was astonish'd at the Wealth he did meet withal, and 'tis a Proverb among Turks, that if any grow suddenly rich, They [...]av [...] been at the Siege of Constantinople. These are the Ruines of Estates, upon the loss of Citys, the Keys wrested out of their Hands, their Treasure scattered, and the rich owners must then wander about for relief to beg and kiss the feet of their Adversarys.

And happy were it the Misery of taking Citys would end here, The w [...]rst of Miserys, is Conscience becomes a sufferer. but after all, CONSCIENCE comes to her punishment, this also must be made a Captive and wear the Slaves Chain: Men are not only locked out of their Houses, but out of their Temples, not only their Goods are gone, but they are depri­ved of the PEARL; their Liberties are not only lost, but their Freedom of the Ordinances. Pure Doctrine, pure Worship, and Faith are in bondage, and the Soul is inthralled A whole City in Phrygia because it would not change its Religion, was compassed about with Armed Men, her City and Citizens both burnt to Ashes.

[Page 33] In the City of Alexandria, Julian coming to take Possession of it, and because the Christians would not turn Heathens, his Soldiers wounded most, stoned some, strangled others, some were slain with the Sword, o­thers crucified; friend spared not friend, nor Brother his Brother, nor Parents their own Children. Hunerick was no sooner Conqueror, but in all the Citys he conquered, he commanded alteration of Religion, and not being obeyed, he instantly Banished five Thousand Bishops, Priests, and Men of all Orders: 'twere infinite to relate the Cruelties and Tortures that Citys have undergone in point of CONSCIENCE, when they come under a Conquerour. It is a thing so evident, Records need not be scarch'd to prove that Conscience has been an old Slave upon such Acci­dents: That Men who will not permute a God, and suffer their Faith to be new stamp'd, must either run or dye for it 220

N. B. Oh, if ever your Sins bring in Gods Judgments into your City marching Rank and File, see the variety of Sorrows, you must weep un­der. As happy as ye seem to be, ye must have another Face of Wret­chedness amongst you; whatsoever your present Comforts are, yet Then nothing but Exigents and Dysasters: The Fire time. your Looking-Glasses will be snatch'd away, your Mirrour crack'd, your Dia­mond shivered in pieces, this goodly City of yours all in shreds; ye may seek for a Threshold or Pillar of your ancient dwellings, but not find one; all your spacious Mansions, and sumptuous Monuments are then gone, not a Porch, Pavement, Seeling, Stair Case, Turret, Lanthorn, Bench, Skreen, Pane of a Window, Post, Nail, Stone or Dust of your former Houses to be seen. No, with wringing Hands you may ask, where are those sweet places where we Traded, Feasted, Slept? where we lived like Masters, and shone like Morning Stars? No, the Houses are fallen, and the Housholders dropt with them: we have nothing but naked-Streets, naked Fields for shelters; not so much as a Chamber to couch down our Children, or Repose our own Members when we are spent or afflicted with Sickness. Wo unto us, our Sins have pulled down our Hou­ses, shak'd down our City, we are the most harborless people in the World, like Foreigners rather than Natives; yea, rather like Beasts than Men: Foxes have Holes and Fowls have Nests, but we have neither Holes nor Nests; our Sins have deprived us both of Couch and Covert: we would be glad if an Hospital would receive us; Dens or Caves shelter us; the bleak Air or cold Ground are our only Shades and Refuges. But alas! this is but the Misery of Stone-work, of Arches, Roofs. What will [Page 34]you say when you come Skin VVork? Arms, Necks, and Bowels?

A Massacre.May not your tender persons be touched? Yes, ye which have walk'd in State may then run the Streets in Distraction: ye which have search'd out others with severity, may be pluck'd out of your Corners With rigor; ye which have been bowed to, may then bow your Knees for Mercy; with one Legg or half an Arm, ye may begg the Preservation of the rest of your Members; VVhat Inventions shall ye then be put to, to secure your Lives? what perhaps would you not give to save your selves? and your Tears it may be will not secure you, nor your Gold redeem you; but your Veins must weep as well as your Eys, and your Sides be watered as well as your Cheeks: when your Sins shall shut up the Conduits of the City, and only your Liver Conduit to run; when they allow you no showers of Rain, but showers of Blood to wash your Feet; when you shall see no Men of your Corporation but the mangled Citizen, nor hear no noise in your Streets, but the crys, the shreiks, the yells and pants of gasping dying Men: when among the throngs of Asso­ciates not a Man will own you, your Friends hide their Head, and your Servants flee from you: when your Kindred are slain in one place, your VVives in another, your Children in a third, and your selves at last, it may be cut in two, to increase the number of dead Carcasses: when, as populous as you are, you shall be but numbred to the Sword, as puis­sant as you are, the Valiant shall be swept away: As fine fed as you are, you shall be fed with your own Flesh and made Drunk with your own Blood: when your Trespasses have been so outragious that Ven­geance doth deny you a being, that you are thought fit for nothing but to be killed in the places where you committed the Crimes, and to suf­fer the pains of Death within those Walls which you have cursed with your Sedoms Faces and Egyptian hard-Heartedness: when your Politicians can no longer help you, but must have their subtle Brains dash'd in pie­ces with yours, nor your Lectures no longer save you, but you must meet at the Congregation near the Shambles: when this great City shall be but a great Chopping-board to quarter out the Limbs of Sinners, or the great Altar whereon a whole City is to be Sacrificed: Oh, doleful day of new painting your Walls, new paving your Streets, new summoning a Common-Hall, when all are called forth to nothing but to the derision of the insulting Adversary, to have your Breasts to try the points of Spears, your Sides the keeness of Swords, your Heads the weight of Pole-Axes, and Bodys to be made Foot-stools, and your Dead Careasses steppings for [Page 35]truculent Foes to trample upon: when there will be no pity upon the Aged, nor compassion for the Young, but heaps upon heaps, tumbling of Garments in Blood, and Swords made fat with slaughter: Oh, see what a crimson City crimson Sins will make: Or, if you escape the dint of the Sword, and your Lives be given you for a prey, shall not your Goods be a prey? Yes, some may be reserved out of the greatest MASSA­CRE, when Men are weary of Killing, a Retreat may be sounded, and Men called off from the Slaughter, yet can ye challenge your old Hou­ses? or bring your Keys to your old Chests? No, your Titles gone, your Interest lost, you have Sinn'd your Selves off your Propriety, the Enemy is now House-keeper and Land-holder, all's forfeited to the Sword: farewel Inheritances, Purchases, Leases Jewels, as ye have got­ten these perhaps unjustly; so they shall be taken away unjustly; vio­lently gotten, and violently they shall be taken away: Vengeance from Heaven will have satisfaction for all your fraudulent Bargains, cruel Pawns, extorting Mortgages, blooding of Widdows, skinning of Or­phans: or, as you have used your Goods for Pride and Bravery, so you shall see all your Gallantry and new Fashions pluck't from you: others shall spruce up themselves in your Dresses, and your selves glad of the worst filthy Garment ye left behind; or perhaps of a cast Garment of your Enemys: and though God took you out of the Mire, you never pluck't out others which stuck in the same Extremitys: you have for­gotten your own beginnings: a great Company of these the City hath, that the Poor and the suffering Gospel can thank them for little succour and Sympathy. They which would grasp all, shall loose all: they shall be driven to live upon Alms, and to go among the tattered crew. They shall wish they had but one spare Bag, which all the crys of the Distressed could not make them open; or, that they had but a few of those Mites which all the Tea [...]s of Necessity could not make them to scatter abroad; no, they would trust nothing in Gods hand, and God will shut up all Hands and Hearts against them: They had no Compassion, and no Eye shall pity them: if they be not slain in the heap, yet they do but Live to see their own Misery: Their Sins have made them Bankrupts and ruin­ed them: Oh that the loss of Money were the greatest mischief, but there is a Treasure of greater value in Danger, CONSCIENCE is ready to be rifled; there is not an absolute Conquest made till the inward Man be in Fetters: Thou must be a Slave in Principles: oh, tis a hard thing to be a Jew inwardly.

[Page 36] P [...]p [...]ry s [...]p.Thou must then bear the Fruit of the degenerate Plant, or strange Vine, pour out the Drink-Offerings of other Sacrifi­cers, follow the Sorcery of the Mistress of Witchcraft, or learn Magick with them that are brought up in the Doctrine of Devils: you must limp with this halting Age, fit thy Mouth to shout, That great is Diana of the E­phesia [...]s; thou must taunt thy Father, spit in the Face of thy own Mother, hiss away all thy true Brethren: like the Jews, thou must soon learn the Language of Canaan and Ashdod; if they come under another Lord, the Citizen is a double Slave both in Soul and Body. Though there are many which perhaps care not what become of Conscience, so that they can but keep Walls, Skins and Purses, they would pawn their Souls to any Broker, they have a Religion fitted for any Age or Accidents: yet they to whom Religion is dearer than their Eys, and the purity of the Gospel then the Life-Blood, is not this an heavy Judgment? (and what shall a Man give in Exchange for his SOUL.) 'Tis a Mortal Wound to have the Soul stab'd. Oh Miserable Age! if this hour of Temptation should come upon you, that Me [...] should be led away with the Errors of the Wicked, and make Ship-wrack of Faith and a good Conscience: yet this it will be, there will be no safety for incontaminate Faith; thou wilt be a Nicode­mus; or, if with Daniel, thou dost pray publickly towards Jerusalem, thou wilt be cast into the Lyons Den: thou wilt be a complicated and compleat Slave, a Slave in thy House, Person, Estate and Conscience: Oh, therefore if it be possible, shut the Gates before Judgment doth en­ter, or meet thy Enemy afar off, before he draw nigh to the City: for if Tears, Prayers and Reformation doth not stop his Passage, here WILL be variety of Misery, you see, at his subduing the City: There must be an eminency of Repentance, or there WILL be an eminency of Wrath; it will be That Great Visitation, for it is that great City, should I not spare Nine­veh that Great City?

4. This shews, that as Eminency is dear unto God, so it ought to be unto us: Oh, that God should spare a City that is Eminent, and that we will spare nothing that is Eminent: that Eminency should beget in Us the greater Envy: Oh tell it not in Gath, nor publish it in the streets of Askelon, lest the Daughters of the Uncircumcised Tryumph, lest Rome say, That her Inquisition or Stakes could not make a quicker Dispatch of eminent Protestants than our Differences or Passions.

5. This doth shew, that we ought to aim at Eminency, we should look to be of the new Corporation, to be Citizens with the Saints and of the [Page 37]Houshold of God. Oh, what Magnificence to such a Professor? What Citizen like such a Saint? what are all these glorious Structures, to the lively Stones of Gods Building? what is the Magnificence of a City to the Prerogative of Adoption? No, the Robe of Righteousness doth excel all the Mercers Ware, an Ingot of Grace, the Wealth of your City: what Conspicuousness like that of Religion? what Eminency like to that Regeneration? No, if you want your Christian Interest, ye have on­ly Parchment Priviledges your Happiness goes not beyond your City-Walls: The Savour of Life to Life is not to be bought among all your Perfumers, nor the true Pearl from your Jewellers. Oh that I could pre­vail with you to take the City Oath, and make you true Free-men in Heaven, otherwise your Tenure is but a painted Portal, and that your Heaven is in an Exchange: ye are never Enfranchised till ye have Liber­ties of Redemption, nor right Traders, till ye are making Bargains at the free Mart of the Spirit: nor wealthy Citizens till ye have the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Oh then that you would [...]emove your Traffick, have your [...] your City Commerce, or Conversation in Heaven, Bags that Wax not old, a stock of Grace, these are greater Riches then the Treasures of Egypt; think your Security consists not in Bulwarks or Citadels, but in Towers of Religious Constancy, that ye might say, our VValls, Spirits, Consciences and Conversations are remaining firm: that your Conversation might be so Celestial, that the people might be drawn to bless you while Living, and to bewail you when Dead: Think not of the first Builder of your City, but think of that City whose Builder and Maker is God. Oh, remember that this City, hath Keys too, for without are Dogs: oh happy thou that dost go in this City Livery, that art a prime Citizen in this Corporation: Should I not spare Nineveh that great City? 229

6. This sheweth that Repentance doth present to Gods Eye, every thing in us that might draw Compassion: Nineveh being Penitent, God hath before him all the Motives that might incline him to spare it: It was a City a Great City, That Great City: That as the VVoman from the VVall had variety of Arguments why Abel should be spared; and the VVoman of Tekoah why Absalom should be called from Banishment; and Bathsheba why Solomon should Reign, so Repentance doth exhibit to God all instances, impulsions, instigations, extimulations that should make God propence to Favour; Repentance is copious in setting out a Peni­tent with all his Adjuncts and Appurtenances, Inserences and References [Page 38]to make him acceptable. Polycrates (presenting the Mother of a Soldier that dyed in the VVars, to a Citizen) used these Terms, I give this Mother to thee to maintain; and then all the Services of the Soldier were repeat­ed. Pompey at his Tryumph (which was the greatest I ever read of) had every thing brought in that might express the glory of it: viz. his Vi­ctory over several Kingdoms, that he had Conquered a Thousand Ca­stles, nine hundred Citys, eight hundred Pyratical Ships and that in Asia, Africa and Europe; yea, that he had done such wonders, that he seem'd to Trymph over all the VVorld. And Cleopatra when she prepared to meet Mark Anthony▪ had all her princely Pomp described, viz. That she Sailed down the River in a Bark overlaid with Gold, the Oars being pure Silver, the Cables of Silk, the Sails of Purple, the Odors so costly, that they perfumed the Bank sides with sweet smells; her Maids of Ho­nour attired like Nymphs, and her self sitting under a Tent of Gold, seeming to be the very Deity of Beauty.

But nothing doth so delineate and decipher a thing as Repentance doth all thy Motions, Affections, Preparations, Passages and Perfections. God observes a Penitent, and doth exarate, and can enumerate all his Manifestations; he hath Bottles for thy Tears, Files for thy Petitions. VVitnesses for thy Vows, Bags for thy Alms, and Books for thy Actions. Oh Penitent, then see how God doth look upon thee, look through thee, search and mark thee: Oh, if thou wouldst be seen with comfort and com­pleatly, turn Penitent, for Repentance is never out of Gods clear distinct and district view: here his Eye is piercing and fixt: the Publican no sooner approaches to God, but his distance, his dejection, his blushing, his knock­ing, and his humble Tone is taken notice of; the like of Josiah and He­zekiah, all their many humble Passages are taken notice of: though Ahab did but act his part. God is privy to the least Address and the smallest Expression that ever thou didst make. when thou didst desire a Union with him: God can repat to thee thy checks, thy conflicts, thy groans, thy protestations, thy supplications, thy fruitfulness, thy fervency, thy watchfulness: Repentance can't be rejected, God hath all things under his Eye: Should I not spare Nineveh that great City.

7. This doth shew, That no Earthly Eminency is certain: for God once spared Nineveh that great City, but now that great City is wasted. Pappas saith, That Repetance at Jonah's Preaching saved Nineveh an hundred years, but afterwards being puffed up with happy success, it felt an avenging God. Cartwright lately travelling those parts, saith, he [Page 39]saw some pieces and broken VValls of it. The most Judicious VVri­ters hold, that after Arbaces had taken it from Sardanapalus, it continued under the Medes in some flourishing condition till the time of Gyaxares, son of Phraartes, who began to destroy it; and Astyages his Son levelled it with the ground. Oh then, what stability is there in any earthly greatness? That great City, hath had both her Obiit and her Funeral. Oh, that our Hearts could trample upon the Earth as our Feet do; that our Consci­ences could renounce the World, as well as our Profession doth; how many great Familys have we seen decay? how many great Citys have we found laid in the Dust? Baldness is come upon Gazah, Jer 47.5. Yea, Nineveh that was the Crown Imperial of the whole World, hath now lost her Diadem, that great City hath not one of her Thousand five hun­dred Towers, or one of her splendid Palaces to be seen. Oh, then why are ye enamoured upon your beautiful Empress? Do you dwell in the inchanted City? Or, are you out of the dint of Vengeance? Do you not fear Judgments? what should make you so confident? Nineveh's Circuit was more large, her Walls more strong, her Streets more popu­lous, her Treasures more abundant, her Dominions more ample than yours, then why may not you drop as well as Nineveh is fallen? Are your Sins less? No, you have four Sins within your Walls (and yet I will except, Fraud, Pride, Partiality and Bribery) that shall justify Nine­veh from being the more Guilty Sinner: Four Sins? what are they? I know you are good at asking questions, and apter to sciscitate than to eliminate; therefore, because I have often heard you told of these things, and yet could never see you blush, but rather rage; not softned with ministerial Zeal, but rather hardned; therefore I shall not speak where the Lord hath commanded to keep silence, Amos. 5.13. nor throw abroad his Pearls, but where he hath directed me to cast them, nor impart his Holy things, but where he hath injoyned me to give them, Mat. 7.6. If you command the Prophets saying, Prophecy no [...], Amos 2.12. and the time be come about, that no Man must strive nor reprove one another, for the People are as they with strive with their Priest, Hos. 4.4. then why should we reiterate that which we have had Preached upon the House top? and made plain upon Tables? and for fear I should be charg'd to bring in a railing Accusation: I shall say only as Michael did, the Lord rebuke thee. But these Sins are such, That if you had Walls of Brass, and Guards of Anakims, they will make every beam of the House, and stone in the Building cry out Confusion to you; and nothing but Conversion will [Page 40]save you; and I doubt whether I shall see Nineveh's Repentance among you! Oh, that The Jonah were born that would cry effectually in the Streets! Oh, That the Auditors were yet so prepared, that they could listen to a Message from Heaven with Nineveh's Ears! Oh, be ye smit­ten to the Earth, wallow in the Ash-heap, weep till ye cannot shed a Tear more; reform, till there's not a Sin left for Conscience to turn new spy unto; and so may Repentance be your Preservative, a kind of Guar­dian Angel to the City and with Nineveh be spared; and if spared, I wish ye not to be secure; for if you Fast, and fall to your old Riot; or put on Sack-cloth, and change this for new Fashions, &c. the renewing your former Sins will but renew former dangers, therefore your Repen­tance must not only be fervent, but firm; not only unfeigned but un­changeable: Remember Nineveh, she humbled her self, and was Pardoned, she repented, and was spared; but she repented but for a time, and was spa­red but for a time: she turned to be Nineveh the Wicked, and she hap­pened to be Nineveh the Miserable.

Third general.
Wherein are more than sixscore Thousand Persons, which cannot discern be­tween their right hand and their left, and also much Cattle.

We are come to the Description, wherein are more, &c. observe here­in these two particulars.

  • 1. The principal Commoditys, wherein are sixscore thousand persons, which cannot discern between their right hand and their left.
  • 2. The less principal Commoditys, and also much Cattle.

1. For the Principal Commoditys, in which these parts are considera­ble.

  • 1. The Receptacle, wherein.
  • 2. The Season, are.
  • 3. The Treasure, Persons.
  • 4. The Quantity, sixscore Thousand.
  • 5. The Surplus, more.
  • 6. Qualification, which cannot discern, &c.

1. For the Receptacle, wherein.

Elsewhere had been no Credit to Nineveh, but that Nineveh had these choice things, this is the Honor, wherein. Obs. That Happiness must carry with it an Appropriation; the Ap­propriation is the Approbation of it: what matter though Thousands be recorded for fortunate Persons, if thou bee'st not in the Catalogue? nei­ther Well-fare nor Honour, Law nor Gospel, peace of Conscience, nor Joys of Heaven are useful to us, if we have not a proper Title to them: [Page 41]Therefore be not mistaken, you see 'twas Nineveh's Happiness to have this Felicity with a restriction, or in the proper ubi, wherein.

Application,

1. This reproves such who know Blessings only by hear-say; is not this a wandring kind of Comfort, to see fullness abroad and want at home? Psammenitus told Cambyses, Domestical Miseries are greater than can be exprest by Tears. Oh, Let us not be given too much to visit the state of others, but let us observe our own Condition, whether the right Blessing be in the right place.

2. This shews that some enjoy distinct felicity: for though this were not to be seen elsewhere, yet in Nineveh it was to be found, wherein. It was L. Minutius only, that got the Golden Bullock: and Zelislaus that had by Bodislaus the third, the Golden Hand given him for his Valour: Particular preheminencies happen as God doth command the Blessing. Oh then, be privy to your own Priviledges, use not things conferred as if they were inbred.

3. This shews Greatness doth not consist in bare Title, but in effectual Demonstration, for Nineveh is not only that great City, but that great Receptacle, wherein. Wo to them that are only voiced up to be Great, but setting aside their own Tumour, and the peoples Rumour, there is no greatness to be seen in them: shall these go for great Professors? No, great Impostors: great Expressions must justify great Titles.

Are.

2. The Season, Are, wherein are; not there were, but are. Obs. Hence, that present bliss is the honored Bliss: what Beauty's in a consumed thing? That is true Happiness which is come to no Diminution, or abate­ment, where the Spring doth not fail: where the Might and Magnificence, Honor and Splendor of a People is as apparent as ever; when not former but present times do shine with bright Felicity, wherein are.

Application.

1. See here the Stableness of Gods Providence, 'tis as easy with him to continue as to convey a Blessing. Nineveh had been and still is happy wherein are. Would we not fly from God, he would never be weary of spreading his Wing over us; would we not cast off his Protection, we might continually take Sanctuary in him. I AM THAT I AM, immuta­ble [Page 42]invariable: Ever to stand and never to fall, is a Divine and Miraculous thing: yet this might be our fixed State, if we would perpetuate our Obedience.

Be perswaded to preserve your Felicity, we are not quite deprived of Blessings; No, wherein are. VVhat? are and are not? are we weary of VVelfare? loath Manna? Yes, we are satiated with Comforts, we do what we can to grieve Providence and exasperate a Blessing God, we make Gaps in our Hedg drive away Angels from Watching over us, and force God to turn his Back upon us, &c. Oh, the horrid Sins which are committed amongst us, as if we would invite in Devils, and make this land a Cage of unclean Spirits! We are sick of our happiness and doubtless desire a change. 'Tis said of Alexius Comnenus, that when, upon day of his Inauguration, he subscribed the Creed in a slow trembling manner, it was an ominous sign to all, what a wicked Man he would prove, and how the ruin of the Empire was at hand. Philip the last King of Macedonia, before the great Battle with Flaminius, stept up upon a Sepulchre to make an Oration to his Soldiers, it foretold the bad Event of the Fight; so we who have trod upon so many dead Heads of famous Martys, which at first conveyed to us our Faith and Worship: 'tis a kind of Prediction, that this at last will befal our Church. Is this the way to preserve Blessings? No, oh why shall we compel happiness to swim over Sea, and carry so many Blessings a-long with it, as we would be glad with wringing hands to recal: Oh, I speak in a timely hour, your Sins I hope have not made God to abhor the excellency of Jacob.

3. This may teach us Constancy, is Providence Constant, and not Obedience? Is God unchangeable in Mercies, and not we in Sincerity? Is there any thing more injurious to God, or scandalous to Profession than Inconstancy: the firm Christian is the memorable Christian: oh there­fore preserve your Religion, as you would your Fathers Inheritance, as you would your Eyes; why should you not be as firm in Faith, as God is in Providence: he gives Blessings and doth continue them. Nineveh is as rich in them as ever, wherein are.

Persons.

3. We come now to the Treasures, Persons. Obs. That These Persons are the Worlds perfections. Man was made little lower than the Angels, Psal. 8.5. If they were Intellectual, he was Wise; if they were indefici­ent, [Page 43]he was immortal; If they were bright, he was shining; Crowned with Glory and Honor; if they had Heaven, he Paradise; if they had Revelations, be Mysterys: if they had Joys, he Ravishments, &c. Take Man according to his proper Nature, and lie is a rare Creature, and so as a Quintessence extracted out of the Virtue of the whole Creation: He was made by Consultation, the rest of the Creatures God made by his Authority, there was but a Fiat, let there be made, and every thing received a Being: but Man was made by Deliberation, Faciamus Hominem, let us make Man, as if there were so many Secrets and things of Consequence to be considered in Man, that the Wisdom of the whole Deity was summoned to conclude upon them: he was made a Lord. The Son of Macrinus is said to be born with a Crown on his Head: Sure I am Man at first was constituted a Prince. Scanderbeg ('tis said) came out of his Mothers Womb with the shape of a Sword in his Hand; but Man carried the commanding Sword for all Creatures were made subject to him. Man was made to be the draught of Gods own Face, or the Creature wherein the Creator might seem (if it were possible) to be effigiated or represen­ted: Let us make Man according to our Image and Similitude: Aug. Caesar seemed to carry spots like Stars upon his Breast. Pythagoras had a Thigh like Gold, and was every where so Beautiful that his Scholars thought him to be Apollo. Magnes of Smyrna was so comely that he was carryed from City to City to be seen; the Magnesians were so taken with him, that the very sight of him bereft them of their Judgment. Anti­nous a Bithinian, was so admired by Adrian the Emperor for his rare Fea­tures, that at his Death he built a Temple for him at Mantinea a City in Egypt, and stamp'd his Image upon his Coin. Demetrius Poliercetes was so surpassingly fair, that his Physiognomy could not be taken by any Painter. But what are all these to amiable Adam? when God had viewed every thing he had made, he only said, It was good; but so soon as Man was Created, 'tis said, God saw every thing he had made, and behold 'twas very Good, Gen. 1.31.

Application.

1. This serves to exhort Man to know his Excellency. Man, if thou dost oppose God and despise thy Superiour, I know not how to make thee mean enough: But if thou dost submit to God and honor thy Superiour, I know not how to make thee great enough.

2. This doth serve present to the City Treasures, these living [Page 43]Souls are your lasting Excellencies; it g ieveth me to see with what wonder ye look upon other things, and with what contempt upon your Citizens, with what care ye preserve other things, with what disdain ye over-look these in their Extremities; with what violence ye do push at these with Thigh and Shoulder, and beat them to pieces. Is there a more dying groan than for the neglect of these living Souls? Is there a shriller yell among you than the passionate Cry of the Oppressed? Let there be less Pride and Cruelty, and more Charity and Equity. The Blessings of a City, are the Persons of a City, wherein are Persons.

3. This doth exhort these Persons, that seeing they are Treasures they do not diminish their own Worth. Oh, that ye should live to the Ho­nour of the City, and that ye live to the Ignominy of it: the Mire in the Streets is not worse than the filth of your Behaviours, that the great Blemishes within the Walls are the Skars of your Conversations, your LUSTS, Riots, Pride and Prophaness do more shame the City, than all your Sinks and Dung-hills in it: do you look to preserve the City? No, you go about to drown it, for there is a Ditch of Sins: oh, 'tis a dangerous thing to a City, when Sin doth walk up and down the Streets with a Sodoms Face, Guilt appearing in open Sight with an impudent Brow. 'Tis better to be defiled with Dirt than Sins. Oh, why do you scatter abroad your horrid Crimes? and fill every Corner with your Abominati­ons, are ye the Credit of the Corporation? No, when the City doth present you, it doth but shew her own Infamy and Disgrace; your vitious be­haviours, are worse than if there were breaches in your Walls, your Buildings half Levelled, &c. if ye were Vertuous, the Innocency of your Lives would more adorn the City than the beautifying the Gates, for the City doth shine only in the presence of Saints. Oh, therefore, leave no Stinks behind you, but perfume every place you set your Feet: your mortifyed Demeanours, and gracious Fruits do bring Fame and Renown to your City: what is your City-Sword, Seal, Hall, Bench? No, these are but dumb and dead Ensigns, the Honour of a City is in the Citizens, the Persons, wherein are Persons.

4. Let this serve to fright Men from Blood-shed; Sacking a City is nothing like Slaughtering of the Persons. If Men be of such value, they should not be hewen down like Brambles, nor butchered like Oxen: let shedding of Blood be in the most sparing manner: Oh, those cursed Cains, Doegs, Abimeleches, Hazaels and Herods, how detestable are they both to God and Man? These, suppose stain of Blood is gone so soon as they [Page 45]have Sheathed their Swords; and the noise of Murder is stilled, so soon as they have struck down their Enemys speechless. No, God will make a strict Inquisition for Blood, that God which requireth Blood at the hand of every Beast, Gen. 9.5. doubtless he will not spare Man for it. He that saith, Thou shalt not Kill, and that his Image is in every living Person, Gen. 9 6. will teach Thee what it is to Kill men in a Fury, and to deface his Images, as if thou wert but battering down Pictures; just Wars are lawful, but barbarous Executions are devilish. Even in the heat of Battle Men should Kill with a desire to preserve Life. It is one of the Aenig­ma's of Profession, so to constitute War that there be no culpable scruple in the close. Sure I am, there must be a full Authority, a just Cause, and a right Intention, so that it must not be ex odio out of hatred: and how is that but out of hatred, if a Man should shed one drop more than what is necessary, out of Insolency and Blood-thirstiness? the lives of the Van­quished are not wholy at the Mercy of the Conqueror, he had need di­stinguish well between a Conqueror and a Cut-Throat A vindicative War is lawfulest; so that a Man must take heed he be not a too severe Righ­ter of his own Injurys, he ought to be satisfyed with the Victory, and, as much as may be leave Revenge to God. The Authors, and principal Ex­ecutors in an Injury ought to be Slain, but not the generality which are drawn in to be Parties: Killing is only allowed against obstinate and de­sperate Adversaries, for the Community cannot be touched without the hazard of many Innocents, saith St. Ambrose: Conquest then must end with the least dammage of Enemys and Inhabitants. Molina holdeth, a Christian taking a Christian Captive cannot sell him to make him a Bond-Slave: Now if Liberty be so much tendred, how much more Life? Oh there is not a more Crimson Sin than when Blood toucheth Blood, Hos. 4.2. that is, that there is no end in Blood-shed; when Blood is poured out as Dust, and Flesh as Dung, Zeph. 2.17. When Widdows are encreased like Sands of the Sea, Jer. 15.8. When a Land is soaked with Blood, Isaiah 34.7. What dreadful Examples of Cruelty do we meet with in Ages: Plutarch tells us, That Pericles extirpated the Calcidences and Estiences. The French, after the defeat at Thermopyl [...] (as Pausanias saith) destroyed the Callienses to a Man, plucking the Children from their Mothers Breasts, and Killing them, tearing in pieces the Marriageable Virgins; so that, happy were they that could get a French Sword to dye upon, to avoid further Torture. Totila (as. Gregorius Turon reporteth) flaying quick Herculanus, Bishop of Perusium, and cutting off the Heads of all the Citi­zens. [Page 46] Syll [...]. slaying 12000 in one City of Preneste. A [...]ila 30000 at the Sacking of Rome. Abderamen 100000 at one Battle in Gall cia [...] Mari [...] was so busy in Killing his Country-Men, that he wished himself to be the only Roman to be left alone. Hannibal was so eager in destroying Flaminius and his Soldiers, that he felt not an Earth-quake that happen­ed in the time of the Battle. Don Pedron the cruel▪ making Spain in his time a Charnel-house, full of nothing but dead Mens Bones. Mahomet the Great, causing the Streets and Temples of Constantinople to swim in Blood. Selim the Turk Killing the Persians so without Mercy, that he built a Tow­er barely of their Heads. Oh, these Men, if 'twere in their Power, how wo'd they exanimate Nature? Dis people the Earth, and leave the world as a Wilderness Wounds are their Feats of Activity, Blood their Cordial, crying Groans their Musick, gastly Faces their Looking-Glasses, shivered Bones the Reliques of their Puissance, and Carcasses the Emblems of their Glorious Tryumphs: I do account such Praises? which have Blood for the ground of the Ditty but sad Honors, these things may be famous a­mongst Pagans, but doleful accidents amongst Christians: But we that have such Commands for Love, should either Sheath up the Sword in Af­fection, or go to VVar in Tears: Whence comes Wars, but from Lusts? and are Lusts justifiable Pleaders at tho Throne of God? Is there a Judge? Is the Reckoning hastning? and will Blood be one of the most Criminal Guilts at that Tribunal? Then how ought we to Skreen our Souls con­cerning the stain of Blood? he which hath slain his Brother, how shall he shew his Face before that Father? How will the Lives of Men go at an high Rate at that day? when God prizes the chief Treasure of a City to be these Persons. Wherein are Persons.

Sixscore Thousand.

4. The quantity of the Treasure, 120000. So many there were in the Minority of years, how many then were there of Riper Age? Obs. That a great Blessing to a City, is, to abound in People. for a true City is a numerous Multitude. 'Tis a glorious thing when a City doth pass Arithmetick. This is to be a City with an Excellency. Nineveh's fame and felicity is here described to be great, that she can reckon by her Thousands, even six score Thousand.

Application.

1. This doth serve to present to you your Life-Blessing: are ye nor peo­pled? [Page 47]Yes, the City of Numbers, every Street, every Lane stored with Inhabitants, that it seems to contain a World within her Walls. Ar [...]rica in France was so thinned after Maximians War that it was afraid that the Country should be drained of the old Inhabitants. After the Battle of Cann [...], Rome was so desolate that it was inforced to raise up an Army of Slaves; but these Fears are not come upon you: but the Lord your God hath blessed you, and ye are as the Stars of Heaven for Multitude, yea, that ye are a great People that cannot be numbred. Ye know your Bounds, but do ye know the vastness of your Inhabitants? Ye have the double Blessing amongst you, the Blessing of the Basket, and the Store, Deut 28.5. and the Blessing of the Brest and the Womb, Gen. 49.25. What a large Ordinary is this City? what a spacious Bed-Chamber? what a Spring of People is there here? The Breath of Life never stirred quicker in such a quantity of Ground: Nature here doth shew her Organizing Art, and this is one of her gendring Receptacles. The Myrmidons were so many, that they were said to be begotten of Pismires, this City doth so abound with People, that it may be called one of the Ant-heaps of the Earth. Living Persons do here so abound, that they seem rather to be struck out then brought forth; their increase is so plentiful that they come up like Spring-flowers to garnish the City, or that they were rained down from Heaven. Oh, Look about you, and see, if these persons be your Treasures, how fast your Mint doth go▪ and what incredible heaps ye have in banks, ye are the Skin'd and Flesh'd City, the true Corpora­tion indeed, for here are enow to make up not only a body Politick, but a Republick of Bodys: if all your Bodys should appear at once, you'd scarce have street-room enough; they would adorn the City more than Hangings of Arras, at your Publick shews: your Suburbs do vy Multi­tudes with the City: But are the People Treasures? are you affected with these Treasures? Have ye done honor to the Lord of the Mine, that the City is sprinkled, scattered, heaped and wedged with these Trea­sures? Did all the Bells in the City ever Ring, the Trumpets Blow, and the Wind Instruments play, I mean your thankful Lips make Melody to the Lord for the People? No, I doubt, ye have forgot your People, that though they dayly Face you, and their Clappers strike in your Ears, yet that ye are both Blind and Dumb in extolling God for this favour. What Hecatombs have ye ever offered for this numerous Blessing? Have ye e­ver sung Hosannah in the highest for this high Mercy? I question whe­ther ye have an Altar in the City for this Service: for that Persons in great [Page 48]Multitudes are a great Blessing, ye may see it here by Nineveh, who had it mentioned as her great Felicity to reckon Persons by Thousands, wherein are six score thousand Persons.

2. This shews your present Blessing, that you are preserved in your Thousands. Ye are yet a populous City, and the Lord God (if it be his Blessed Will) make you a Thousand times more as you are; Deut. 1.11. But if the Arrow that flyeth at Noon-day should glide among you; A 2d. Plague. how many wounded Breasts would there be? If Hippocrates were among you with his pretious O­dours and sweet Oyntments to perfume places. If Mindererus were shoot­ing off Guns in every Street to dissipate the Air. If Quercitan and Avicen were prescribing the strictest Rules of Dyet; if Galen, and the whole Tribe of the most expert Physicians that ever lived, were teaching you to make Pills. Electuaries, Pomanders, Cordials, &c. to make new Fires and Fumigations of Storax, Calamint, Labdanum, and an hundred other Materials to expel ill scents; yet they may be all ineffectual to prevent that irresistible stroke. For I am not yet resolved, with Vido Vidio, That Kindred take the Infection sooner from one another than from Stran­gers, because of the assimilation of Blood; nor with Minderer us, that Vir­gins are more subject to it than married Women, because the Spirits are fluid and retained, and so apt to putrify: nor that a Man being well Dieted may escape Infection; because Socrates (if it be true) lived in ma­ny Plagues, being a Man of high Temperance. But I hold, that a Plague is the Hand of God, as David called it, and the Sword of the Lord, as Chron. 21.12 So that, when, where, or by what means God will strike is un­certain; but 'tis certain wheresoever God doth lift up his Hand, he will strike home. Is there any thing more terrible than the Pestilence? No, 'tis the noisom Pestilence, Psal. 91.3. and if this stench come up into your Nostrils, ye are gone: 'tis a Weapon so sharp, that 'tis able to leave a Nation without an Heir, for I will smite them with the Pestilence, and d [...]s-inh [...]rit them, Numb. 14.12. If this pale Horse come to Neigh in our Streets, he'le dash many Thousands into their Graves. Numb. 16.49. 14700 dyed in one Plague; and Numb. 25.9. 24000 dyed in another. And 70000 dyed in a third, 2 Sam. 25.15. The Ectenae a people of Boeetia, with their King were all destroyed with a Plague, so the Hyantes and Aeones came in their stead to people the Land At Rome in the Reign of Commo­dus there dyed for a great while 2000 Men a day. In Africa there dyed in one Plague 1100000. Under Gallus's there dyed so many in the East, West, and South, that many Countrys seemed so destitute of Inhabitants, [Page 49]and for a long time remained uninhabited: which occasioned St. Cy­prian to write his Book de Mortalitate. In this City how often have there dyed ten and twenty thousand in one Plague. In Edward the thirds time, in the space of one year, there were buried in one Church, com­monly called Cistertians, above 50000 persons (how many then were buried elsewhere?) And may not the like happen again? God's hand is not shortned: there are now more people among you, and more sins. If the Pestilence doth once discharge, how many will be slain at one Shot? it will chase men out of their Dwellings, as if there were some fierce E­nemy pursuing them; and shut up shop-doors, as if Execution after Judgment were served upon Merchants: There will then be no other Musick than doleful knels, nor no other Wares carried up and down but dead Corps, it will change Mansion houses into Pest-houses, and rather gather Congregations into Church-yards than Churches: the Markets will be so empty, that scarce Necessaries will be brought in: a new kind of Brewers will set-up, oven Apothecaries to prepare Diet-drinks: People are afraid to eat Meat, lest they should eat it out of in­fected Shambles; or to wear Rayment, lest it should be stitch'd up with the Plague: they shall lye down without the least Spot seen upon them, and rise up with GOD's Tokens upon them, yea, with the Carbuncle scalding in the Flesh like a Fire-coal: They shall walk well out from their Houses, and drop down before they get home again. In the time of a Pestilence, Fly quickly, go far, and return slowly; every Disease turns into the Plague: Come not nigh thy soundest Friend within the distance of two Cubits, nor within the distance of infected Persons, the space of six Cubits: beware lest the Wind blow upon thee from him, or lest there be any Sun, Fire, or Odors betwixt him and thee. If thou beest well, eschew thy dearest acquaintance; if thou beest sick thy dear­est Acquaintance will flee thee: A Lord shall scarce have a Page, a Lady a Chambermaid, to wait on them: a Brother will scarce look on his Sister, a Husband on his Wife, or a tender Mother on her darling In­fant: a Beggar won't wear thy Marriage Suit, if given him; nor a Por­ter be hired to go on thy Errand▪ though thou wouldst give him a Lease for life, for his Journy: Thy Gold is left to the Justice of a Servant, and thy Breath is left to the mercy of a Nurse: thou art dead whilst thou art unburied; and thou art buried without any but Bearers to go along with thy Herse. Of all Miseries the Pestilence is the fray, of all dreadful things which can happen upon Earth, this is the hor­ror [Page 50]Oh that ye would cleanse the Streets with Repentance, that This Infection might not breed in your Sins: Purge the Air with Obedience, that your Purity might preserve you from This Contagion: above all, feel the Plague of your Hearts, that you may not feel this Plague in your sides: A Pestilence would scatrer you, thin you, and carry you by heaps under ground. Yet, every House-keeper hath a Family about him the streets swarm with Inhabitants. Oh know 'tis a Bless to be able to number by Thousands. Wherein are more than six score thousand.

3. This doth shew, That Numbers should be a Motive to Compassi­on: Unkind is He that would grieve the Generallity, Cruel is He that would destroy a Multitude, which can scramble over heaps of slain Bo­dies! It was the Voice of a Monster, that wish'd Rome had but one Neck: Onademus of Chios having supprest his Enemies, his Friends wish'd him to expel every one that were opposite to him, out of the City: No, said he, They are too many to be too harshly used; I am afraid, said he, That if I should be thus rid of all my Enemies, my Friends would fall out among themselves. When Lucullus took Amasi [...], it grie­ved him that the Souldiers had fired the City; but he preserved the Citizens, that so many might not be exposed to the Fury of Souldiers.

See here how general Misery hath drawn Commiseration from gene­rous Spirits: and indeed, there can be no greater Act of Nobleness, than to detest to be Author of a publick Calamity: [Oh that this considera­tion might powerfully stick upon all such who have an envious Eye on miserably dejected LONDON] It was the solemn Petition of Moses, to God, That he would not kill all the People as one man, Numb. 14.15. Merciless then are Their Eyes, and savage Their Bowels, who can ruine Multitudes: It was forbidden by the Law, to destroy the whole Nest, Deut. 22.6. Oh, therefore, let the Faces of a Generallity aw you; Be amated at horrid Attempts wherein Multitudes are concern'd, Tremble at MASSACRES. Should not I spare Nineveh, &c.

More.

3. As to the Surplus, More than six score Thousand; Observe, That God is exact in accounting. He knew all the righteous persons that were fit to enter into the Ark: he knew all that did not bow to Beal; he knew all the Thousands, and the surplus of them that were in Nineveh. That there were six score thousand and more Should not I spare Nineveh, &c. Application. This serves to exhort you to a Confidence in God, in all [Page 51]Extremities: for, he which knows every particular Creature in so great a City, he knows also every particular Accident which happens to us: Be not like Porus King of India, who took his Conquest by Alexander so heavily, that though he had his life given him, yet he would not for a great space eat any meat, suffer his Wounds to be drest, or be perswa­ded to live: So if we be but crost in our Expectations or designs and cannot injoy that Liberty and Fulness we had, we would starve upon Accidents, or suffer our Wounds to rankle: Oh, sigh gently, speak soft­ly, chide not with Providence, roar not under Casualties, fret not your selves into your Graves, &c. Remember ye have suffered nothing but what the Wisdom of God held convenient, and the Providence of God is able to return double. Moses fled for his Life, and kept sheep, yet afterwards became a mighty Ruler. What? do you suffer any thing out of Gods sight? No, his Ey is upon all your Tryals, all your Miseries are scored up in Heaven: He keeps a Catalogue of all your sufferings: Oh, therefore take Courage, witness Patience, express Confidence: why should you be a fainting people under a knowing God? when you are ready to complain, murmur and vex, restrain these distempered Passi­ons by remembring you have a seeing and a searching God, that hath taken notice of all your Sorrows, reckoned up all your Losses, Injuries Indignities and Extremities; you know not better how many eyes you have in your head, nor how many fingers you have upon your hands, than he can bring-in a full Account of your Distresses: That he is an observing God, See here in Nineveh, he can number out to her all her Thousands, and the Surplus. Wherein are more.

2. This may serve to repress Sin; Oh, that you dare trespass against so knowing a God: You know there are a Company of men who are all for Secrecy, saying, Who shall see? Psal. 64.5. yea, setting their Mouths against Heaven, saying, How doth God know? is there Knowledg in the most High? But these shall suddenly hear God thunder and tell them, These things hast thou done, and I kept silence, then thou thoughtest wi­ckedly, that I was such a one as thy self, but I will reprove thee, and set thy sins in order before thy eys, &c. God could tell Adam of eating the forbidden fruit, Cain of murdering his Brother, Saul of sparing Agag, David of slipping into his Neighbours Bed, and covering the foulness of that guilt with the skin of a dead Husband; Asap [...] of trusting in his Physicians, Hezekiah of shewing his Treasure, The Scribes and Pharisees of their se­cret Lusts, which deserv'd stoning, &c. What dost think of drawing a [Page 54] [...] [Page 55] [...] [Page 50] [...] [Page 51] [...] [Page 54] [...] [Page 55] [...] [Page 48] [...] [Page 49] [...] [Page 50] [...] [Page 50] [...] [Page 52]Curtain before Heaven? and to steal lew'd Attempts by casting Mists before the Eyes of the Al seeing God. As he knows his own Decrees, Honour, Laws, so he doth know all thy Trespasses, Will ye force the Queen before me? so, will ye violate Laws in the Law-makers Presence? What despise God's sight, contemn his very Eyes? Oh, con­sider this ye that forget God, which invent and attempt horrid and pro­digious things, as if you would exclude God out of the Room: No, no, you can't, he s in the midst of your PLOTS, and the great Note­taker of all your Passages. If the man that hid himself in a Cave, that Hercules might not see him, one day seeing him pass by the Caves mouth, at the sight of him fell down dead (then ye which tremble so much (as ye must do, if ye be not Atheists) at the thoughts discerning God) then when you see him with guilty Eyes, and he look upon you with Eyes like a flaming fire, how shall you see him with amazement? ye that now dread not Gods Eye, shall then call to the Rocks to cover you, and the hills to fall upon you. Is God ignorant of your Crimes? No, he can reckon up Errorus and Additions, for he numbers Nineveh, and the Surplus, wherein are more than six score thousand persons.

3. This doth shew, That if God be skilful in numbring a City, he is as skilful in numbring his Elect. If Anthony the famous Egypitan could say all the Bible by heart, and yet never learned Letters; If Cytus said it was a shame for a General not to know the Names of all his Comman­ders, as well as a Surgeon of all his Instruments. If Franciscus Carda­lus Narniensis could rehearse two whole Pages backwards and forwards, after once reading to him, then doubtless the omnipotent God knows all them that are dear to him his Elect; no man doth forget (the never so old) where he layd his Gold, much less does God where his rich Treasure is: all the Miseries upon Earth, nor all the Devils in Hell can't wrest one of these out of God's hand.

6. For the Qualifications. Which cannot discern between the right hand and the left.

In which words are three things considerable

  • 1. A Defect, which cannot.
  • 2. The Determination, Discern.
  • 3. The Degree, Between the right hand and the left hand.
1. For the Defect,

Which cannot. Observe, That some things carry an Impotency in them. Man is such a Creature that he can but act [Page 53] pro virili, according to his Power, Lucifer is quite flagg [...] by endeavour­ing to ascend higher than an Angelical wing could carry him. Adam brake his neck upon the Banks of Baradis [...] by attempting to attain that VVisdom which was inhibited to his natures there are many things which are beyond Mans list and boundary. Which cannot.

Application,

1. This shews, That man is a wanting Creat [...]re; he drops out of his Mo­thers Womb like a Lump of Indigencies.

2. That Negatives for a Time, do deprive us of all Power: But

3. It shews the strength of a Saints Confidence; Our Arm is weak, happy are they that lean upon the Arm of the Lord. Oh how glorious is God in Extremities, how wonderful in Exigents. Rabsha [...]h threat­ned the Jews, that if they would not yield, he would make them eat their own Dung, and drink their own Water; Hezekiah cryed out, This it the day of Trouble, Rebuke and Blasphemy! How did God in one night free the City of all Dread: and lead back this insulting Enemy with a look in the in Nostrils. When Asah had nothing but Heavenly Aid to depend upon, saying, Help, O Lord our God, for the trust in theo. God dis­perse an Army of Ten hundred thousand. When Jehosaphat feared and even fainted saying O Lord God, pi [...] thou not judg them, for we have no might against the great Comp [...]ny [...] our against us, neither knowne what to do, ba [...] our Eyes [...] unto thee. How did God clear the Coasts of that formidable Army, without giving a stroak, for ye shall not need to fight at all, go down only to see the slain and take the prey; for God made Divisions between the Moab [...]es, Amonies and Ed [...]mites, that they destroy­ed one another: in so much that Jehosaphat came but forth to see their slaughtered Bodies, and to take their rich Spoil and were three days in gathering i [...] and could not carry it all away. 2 Chron. 20.25. When the Barbarians b [...]ak in with great Power against Theodosius, whose chief strength was Prayer; how did God on a sudden strike dead Ruges their Captain, and consumed the rest of their Army with Pestilence, and sire from Heaven. When the [...]anians and the Jazi [...]es (then Heathens) brake into Vi [...], with such Fury that they wasted a great part of the Country, and taking a multitude of Captives insomuch that [...]us Niger e'end of paired to oppose them, how did God by the Apparition of Micha­el the Arch Angel, so animate him and his Souldiers, that a very small Army fought against the successfully, yea, he stirred up the Captives to [Page 54]break off their Chains, and fight magnanimously; and the Women which they had taken prisoners, frighted them with shouts, and their own Dogs which they brought with them, welcom'd the Polonians, and flew on their Masters, and by multitudes, worried them to pieces: [VVhat sudden, amasing and confounding Disappointments have the im­placable Enemies of GOD's People found, when they have just brought their infernal Contrivances to perfection; and destroy'd them in a Mo­ment: nor hath God, either in Scripture or History, used one Method twice: What his next means or Method will be, the one to their ever­lasting Comfort will find, while the other to their eternal Confusion feel.] Oh then when our hearts tremble under Miseries, and our Eys are dimned with continual weeping, what an excellent thing is it to wrap up our selves in Gods Providence: He is powerful when we are impotent. He can, when we cannot. Which cannot.

Discern. 269

2. Which cannot Discern. Observe, That God doth not discern where man doth not discern: i. e. God will not inflict Judgment where men want Judgment: he counts it no Reason to judg them that are desti­tute of Reason: he is so far from punishing such, that he is pleading for such. All by the Necessity of the Precept (if they be of ripe years and have evident Manifestation) are bound to know those things which are revealed in Scripture to be true; but by the Necessity of the Means they are chiefly bound to know but such things as Principally and Es­sentially belong to the Redeemer and Redemption, Justification and Sanctification, and such as are the necessary, constitutive, Parts of Salvation: The Catholick Faith they must not be ignorant of, but the Scholastical, Problematical, Polemical Faith they are not absolutely in­joyned; for if a man should oblige illiterate and undisciplin'd men to the Mysterys of the Trinity, the secrets of the Hypostatical Union, the Modalities of the Mediatorship, the speculations of Christ's Passion, the Intricacies and Scruples of the Resurrection, with varieties of Notions in this kind, this Obligation would be sued out against so many Non­solvents, that not only a Capias might be serv'd upon the third Part of the Laity, but a great Company of the Clergy might be carried to Prison with them. All the Difficulty I know doth lye in this, To know what an Intire Faith is Justice hath no place where man hath no Power, unless by his own default he hath lost it. How doth God plead here for an ig­norant people? God cannot but spare where men cannot discern. Should I not spare, &c.

Application.

This opens a door of Hope in the Valley of Achor, for impotent persons to enter by, or to shew God on his Mercy-Seat shining with a Face of Grace upon all truely disabled persons: he hath no Wrath against them that know not how to provoke him. There is an Abridgment of Christianity which every one must learn, viz. To know God and our selves▪ which short Lesson we must be exact in, for by the knowledg of thy self there is distilled into thee the Fear of God, and by the Fear of God there is distilled into thee a Love of the Promises: if thou knowest not thy self, there's nothing but Pride; if thou knowest not God, there's nothing but Despair: and having got this Compendi­ous Divinity, and all things necessary for this prime Art, where high, sublime things may be dispensed with, if we have not Means, Opportu­nities, Qualifications and Endowments to attain them: The Substance we are ty'd to, but not the Apurtenances: especially where God de­nyes Faculties; Therefore, if thou understandest Necessary Faith and Duty, trouble not thy self if thou canst not understand Mysteries: for God doth not judge the Ignorant but plead for them: Which cannot discern.

2. This might serve to spring Compassion in mens Breasts toward the Ignorant: Tully never got more Credit than by defending the young Noble men of Rome, for not performing all things according to Martial Discipline. Oh, Severe Sentences has made the world a Slaughter-house: Damasippus kill'd the Citizens of Rome like Sacrifices, because Marius jun. did but tarry alittle among them. Usuncassan kill'd his Son Masubius, tho young and not capable of Treason because he suspect­ed, in time, he would take part with his Mother Thodosius jun. sending an Apple (which cost him an hundred pieces of Silver) to his Empress; and she sending it to Paulinus, and he presenting it again the Emperour; he thinking there was too much Familiarity between Paulinus and the Empress, took off Paulinus's head. Domitian executed Hermoge [...]es Tar­sensis because he put strange Pictures in a History; and crucified the Artists that drew them. He also destroy'd Metius Pompusianus because he kept but a Globe of the World in his House, and had certain Orati­ons taken out of Livy of Kings and Captains. By an antient Law in Rome, Virgins were note to be put to Dea h while Virgins: Therefore this Emperour caused th Executioner to deflour them, and then exe­cute them: guiltlessness was no Protection. Oh that Christianity had taught us more Justice: Are there none in our Land, though Christi­an, that dye upon Suspicion, and suffer for such things as they know [Page 56]not of; are not many made Transgressors for a Word: or, if some do transgress, is not a Community oftentimes endangered, which never heard or knew any thing of the Design: Christendom is large, and it seemeth to teach all the World Truth, but I doubt all her Pulpets have not sanctified the Judgment seats: the Souls under the Altar do cry, and the Blood under the Tribunals [...]o cry: If so? What is this but to turn Judgment into Gall? Am [...]s 5.7. O let the Judge pity, let the Jury tender all them that are not conscious of the Fact: Let the Fo­xes and the Tygers be destroy'd, but slaughter not the innocent Lambs.

3. This shews what is justifiable Ignorance, viz. That which cannot discern; not that which may and will not, but that which would, but cannot discern: There is a difference between them that understand not God's wayes, and those that desire not the Knowledge of his wayes, Job 21 14. between those which are deprived of their sight, and those which close their eyes. Take heed how thou dost drink thy damnation draught out of this inchanted Cup.

4. This doth reprove them which sin against their own Discernings, which can discern, and do discern, and yet their words are stout against God, Oh, If wilful Ignorance be a sin, what is wilful Presumption? What as bright as a Scraphim in Knowledg? and as black as Belzebub in Behaviour? if I know any thing, This is the Sea of the Scornful: the Conscience feared with a [...] hot Iron, with such 'tis enough to deserve Fetters, to urge Scripture. Oh, Adulterers and Adulteresses, Blasphemers, Epi­cures, Oppressors, Persecutors, Tyrants, hear afar off the last Trump blowing; behold at a distance, the sign of the Son of man appearing in the Clouds; set up Christ Jesus is Tribunal in your Consciences, before you make your Impartial Account before that white Throne Oh that you would not pluck your Eyes our of your heads whilst you are living, that you would not draw up the Sentence in Self damning Letters, that you would not begin Dooms day in Covictions, If our hearts condemn us, God is greates than our hearts, and knoweth all things. If the man be spech less, the next words are, Take him, bind him hand and foot, and throw him into utter Darkness. Oh that I could warn you from these gilts, and separate you from presumptuous sin: What will you say, when 'twill be urg'd, That you knew both the Crime, and the Curse? Ye did discern. Thoughs accusing are unanswerable Witnesses. If ye were blind, ye should have no Sin; bu [...] now ye say, We se [...]: therefore your sin remaineth. They cannot de­sire better Light; no, they say, We see; nor wish for a better Interpre­ter, [Page 57]for Christ hath spoken to them: The knowing Sinner is a pro­digious Sinner; a fighting Conscience is more terrible than a Goliah to encounter with: God hath no Mercy for obstinate Sinners, which do com­mit Sin though they do discern it: no, he will only spare them which cannot discern. Should not I spare, &c.

Between their right hand, and their left.

3. We come now to the Degree, between their right hand and their left. By such are understood Infants. Besides men of ripe Age, and intelligent, there are six score thousand, and more of other men, — So that Infants and simple men are highly cared for by God, saith Chelmannus. Simple men we had before, and now God doth proceed to Children, which cannot discern between the right hand and the left. This Observation natu­rally arises from the Text, That Knowledg is incompatible with Infancy, for they cannot discern between the right hand and the left. As the man is so is his strength, Judg. 8.21. so, as the Child is, so is his Judgment. We to thee, O Land, when thy King is a Child, Eccl. 10.16. i.e. when he doth want not years, but wisdom: which intimates that a Child is not come to years of Discretion. I confess, I have read, That the Son of Craesus, spake at six Months, and saved his fathers life: and, That Sige­bert, the Son of Dugobert, the fortieth day after his Birth, being baptized by Amandus, plainly answered, Amen. And that Anno 1117. there was an Infant lying in the Cradle, made a long continued Speech to his Mo­ther busied in her Family Cares, wishing her not to be too intent upon worldly things, for God was ready to be reveng'd on the world instantly, if, &c. But these things were done by miracle, and not by ordinary course of nature. Petrarch gives solid Comfort to a Parent bewailing the death of his Infant, wishing him not only not to be dismayed, seeing his Child had escaped these afflictions, but chiefly to rejoyce, because the state of a dying Infant is without any Danger: for, saith he, An Infant can­not perish shamefully, which doth depart without sin. VVhat Sin can they have that have not Knowledg? They are so far from that, that they know not the place of their Birth, their Fathers door, the parts of their Bo­dy, nor the right hand from the left. Should not I spare Nineveh, &c.

Application.

1. This shews That Wisdom hath a diminutive beginning.

2. This shews how necessary the strict Education of Children is: [Page 58]for is it not fit to provide much for them which by Nature do injoy so little? If thou wouldst have them either Sages or Saints, prepare them a Brain stock, and a Conscience-Livelihood, else thou maist leave them too much thy own, and let them shift in the world like unprovided Children with their simple Naturals: the breast is not more necessary than Instruction. Indeed the Parent should be the grand Tutor to his Child: The Aegyptians would suffer their Children to learn no­thing but of their own Parents. Agasicles being demanded why he would not resort to Philopanes to learn Philosophy? No, said he, my Fa­ther is able to instruct me in this, and 'tis most convenient for him to give Wisdom, who gave Nature. Where Parents have been diligent herein, what eminent Children have they left behind them: Cambyses teaching his Son Cyrus, how did he become afterwards the wonder of the World? Nicon, a Mechanick, but withall a very learned man, tea­ching Galen Arithmetick, Geometry, Astronomy, and other liberal Arts, how did he afterwards excel, and was esteemed the Prince of Physici­ans. Aristippus was so well instructed by a prudent She-parent, that he was Sir-named the Mother-taught: and he made such a rare Disciple of his Daughter Arete, that when he was dead, she was able to keep up his School, and read Lectures. Pythagoras was such a School-master to his Daughter Dama, that she excelled in all Learning. Such Ornaments may Children prove if Parents themselves can bestow good Education upon them. But if Parents cannot do this themselves, let them not neglect at the dearest rate to buy this abroad, 'tis the best purchase you can make for your Children: a Will cannot give such Legacys. Oh bring thy pretious stones to these Lapidaries to be filed, and thy costly new-woven Cloths to these Dy-fats, to receive their Tincture. Remember Solomon hdesired VVisdom more than Riches and Honour, its price is above the choicest Rubies: therefore, fill thy Son's Brains rather than his Purse: provide thy Son VVisdom rather than a Mannor house, or multitude of Tenants: yea, go one step further, Furnish him with Grace, thou givest him none of this by Nature; no, The natural man perceiveth not the things of God, Therefore, if thou hast Grace thy self, communicate it to thy Child: be ever imprinting in their minds Di­vine Precepts, and ingraving their Souls with celestial Characters. But if thou hast not so much Judgment thy self, think not only of the Fen­cing-Master, Dancing-School or Artillery-Ground, but settle thy Son under some Religious Divine, to purchase the Pearl, to have his Wits exercised in Scripture, to have the Eyes of his Understanding opened: [Page 59]that thy Child may be able to take the Latitude of Christianity, yea, to comprehend the length, breadth; hight and depth of Christ Jesus. What are all the Maxims of the Earth to the Mysteries of the Kingdom? no, Redemption, Justification, Adoption, Regeneration Faith, and to know a Right in the Tree of Life, excell all the Speculations that the double refin'd Wits of the times can teach otherwise. Oh then, that many men think their Children should get these things only by sitting under a Pulpit, or learning a publick Catechism, but not by making an abso­lute Schooling of the study of Virtue: No, people think that these things are to be taught at any rate, and in any time; they let them learn other things without these, or these with other things; they al­low not their Children time nor means to make Grace a Trade: Seven years, is for a Calling, but I hear of no such Apprentiship meerly to learn Religion: They have a strange saving way in pious things: their own Consciences costs them little at the Pulpit, and they are as thrifty Hus­bands for the Souls of their Children in matters of Grace: the conscio­nable Divine hath few Disciples of this nature; the Fencing, Dancing, and Musick-Masters, shall be preferred before him in Fees. Therefore, if you would have them serve God, train them up at the greatest Ex­pence under them which may institute and precept them in the Princi­ples of true Godliness. History abounds with examples of the good effects hereof. And, for hamane Learning I fine many liberal; Q. Ful­vius gave his Master Ennius a whole City: and Achilles gave his Master Phaenix, half his Kingdom and half his Honors: So among Christians, I find for the learning Religion and Grace; Gracian gave unto Ausonius many presents, and amongst the rest, a picture with his Fathers Image, set with pretious stones; telling him, He had paid but what he ought, and that he ought more than he had paid: and Matthias Corvi­nus (that renouned Prince) bestowed the whole Country of Veredarium upon his Master Joannes Vitesius: and infinite other Examples are to be produc'd on the same Account. Therefore if thou lovest thy Childs Soul as well as his Body, provide some Master work-man to lay the Foundati­ons of Grace and Holiness.

3. This shews, that Infants rightly baptized have undoubted Salva­tion: for if Baptism doth take away Original Sin, what other Sin can be laid to their Charge.

4. This doth serve to exhort all to tender the Estate of Infants; for, who should not do justly with them, that understand not their own [Page 60]right? If thou oughtest to open thy mouth in the case of the dumb, then much more for them whose Tongue-strings are not unloosed to plead their own Cause; if thou oughest to be Eyes to the Blind, and [...]eet to the Lame, much more to them: Is there a more honourable thing than the Patronage of Infants, and the Protection of Fatherless Chil­dren Thus David tenderly regarded his friend Jonathan's Children; and Mordical took the care of his Kinswoman Ester upon him: And Ly­curgus having, by his Brother, the Government of Spata left to him, till his Heir unborn, came of Age: tho the wife of the Deceased offered to destroy the fruit of her VVomb, if he would marry her, and take the sole Government upon himself: yet he accepted not of it but in shew, wish­ing her not to endanger the fruit of her VVomb; but suffer her self to be delivered, and send the Child to him, and he would soon make it away: the Birth-day being come, and the Child sent to him, in stead of murde­ring it, it being a Son, he presented him to the Spartans, saying, Behold your King! naming him Charilaus; and stoutly defended his Right against his Mother, and Leonidas; Thus did he, and thus ought all just men to do, for Infants, as the Civil Law terms them, are Miserabiles personae, i. e. Creatures which deserve the greatest Pity: they are called Orphans, per­sons depriv'd of all Help: and who should not support the weak, or help the helpless? But where are these kind Friends or Foster-Fathers to be found? All relations of Amity will not bind men to express these faith­ful respects: The Parent upon his Death-bed is not troubled more with his Pangs of Death, than with vexatious Cares to whom to commit his Children; he's afraid of his most intimate Associate, he doth dread his nearest Kinsman, as well he may: for what fidelity is to be found amongst [...]amiliars or Allies? if the Father doth intrust these, they may keep the Children, but they will make themselves the Heirs: the Father doth put the Moth into the Garment, the Wolf into the Fold. Oh the poor Remainders that will be left after such sharp Teeth! they will eat out his Estate, his Posterity, his Name. VVhat incredible Disbursments, what large Bills are brought in at the end of the Term? VVhat restless Molestations, what Chargeable Suits must the Heir meet with before he recover his Right? A Captain will as soon deliver up a Castle, as these an Executorship; these Devils when they have a long time pos­sessed such a Body, they will not be cast out without rending and tearing: Doth the Father chuse these for Executors? he had as good send his Children to the Morter, to the Milstone, to the Shambles to be [Page 61]chopt to-pieces, to the Furnace to be burnt: Oh the sad Cryes and Groans of oppressed Infants and injur'd Orphans. Oh that ever we were born, for, to what were we born? We can but look upon our Fathers Means, for so much is gon to bind out the Executor's Son, so much to marry his Daughter, so much to purchase such a Mannour, and so much to buy such an Office, &c. he trusted, oh that he had distrusted; he put Confidence, oh that he had had timely Diffidence: his Funeral is past, oh that we had been buried with him; we waited on him to his Grave, oh that we had been nailed down in his Coffin with him: Alas! We are not our Fathers-Heirs, but still his Mourners; our Funeral-tears must never be dry'd up, we must always go in black; our Father had a House, but left the Key with others, and his Children can't get Entrance; the Executors sit on the Bench, we may lye in the Clink; he lives in a Lordship, we in an Almshouse; we might have been a Wonder, are now a Warning; we might have been a Splendor, are now a Terror; Oh, let all Parents quake at the choise of such Trustees, and all Orphans trem­ble at the Thoughts of such Executors; we can but seal up our sense of such Perfidiousness with Crys and Curses: Is this only a Passionate com­plaint? Are there not bleeding Instances to be produc'd? yes, most won­derful precedents. Demosthenes had a large Patrmony left him by his Fa­ther, his Tutors so perverted the benefit, that what through Covetous­ness and Carelessness, at last there was not enough to pay his School­master. But there's no need of Examples, when every Country and Court crys out of false Executors. The Father may bequeath what he will, at last there's nothing found of the Goods, but in the Inventory; or of his Estate, but what's in Bills of laying out: the Orphans comes out of their hands, so full of stripes, as if they had lived in some Correction-house, they must redeem themselves as if they were some Slaves of Algi­er. No year of Jubilee can set them in their just Possessions, nothing but the day of Resurrection to repair their Dammages. We are the Land sprinkled with Orphans Blood: Oh that such men should call them­selves Christans! is the like Injustice among Turks? Oh that these should ever hope for, or speak of Heaven: for if no unclean thing can enter into the new Jerusalem, not these surely so besmereed with Blood! How will these look their dead Friends in the face at the last day, whose harmless Infants they have worried? how will they meet these Orphans at Gods Judg­ment-seat, whom they have shouldred at many a Tribunal? Oh the criminations of the Parents, and the execrations of the Children will [Page 62]draw a confounding Sentence from such a Judg! Is it not shame to crush Spawns? to crop Buds? tear up roots of new sown Corn? to damnify or destroy them who have neither Wit nor Reason to apprehend an Injury. And is't not so with Infants? Yes, they have so little Judgment, that they know not the right hand from their left. Which cannot discern, &c.

5. This shews, That seeing God would spare the lives of Children, be­cause they were undiscerning Creatures, that 'tis the height of Cruelty to spill the Blood of Infants: for though tis a heavy thing to kill Cham­pions, yet tis a sadder thing, when Children are dashed in pieces at the head of every Corner of the streets, Nah. 3.10. When Children are brought forth to the Murderer, Hos. 9.13. Pharaoh was not a worse Butcher than to kill Chil­dren: Herod's shambles were not fill'd with worse meat than the Limbs and Quarters of slaughtered Infants. Oh! the Murderer fights with Infants as if he were fighting with Gyants; or furiously knocks down Children that can't stand on theirs legs; that he must have Childrens soft flesh to set his rough feet upon: that the City, he thinketh, doth not eccho rightly, till it be fill'd with the shreiks of Infants; that the stones don't shine bright enough for his barbarous Eyes, till they glitter with the Blood of Infants: Is this Chivalry? is this Prowess and Puis­sance? what to blow the Trumpet over slain Children? Is't not immor­tal Honour to strike them that can't hold up a hand against you? or to shed the Blood of them whose harmless breast never thought of Enmity? Take heed of any crying sin, especially of the blood of innocent Infants. Alas, how can these offend you? what, kill persons in a Gallantry? De­vils may, Christians should not: these can't be guilty of grievance, nor offer a distast: rather destroy them that can discern, but not these that cannot discern between the right hand and the left.

6. This shews, That the ground of Divine Commiseration is Innocen­cy: He that would be spared, must be as guiltless as the Infant, to dis­cern no more of evil motions, than the child doth of the Motions of the Body: We are commanded, concerning Malice, to be as Children: oh glorious thing to come to Self-denyal: to feel as little Man about us, and as much Infant in us as may be: if we would be Penitents, we must carry only the Law of Sin, and not the Love of Sin in our Members; we must have another sap running in our Branches, we must be like the winnow'd Wheat, and refined Gold. Should not I spare, &c.

And also much Cattle.

These are the less principal Commodities: Three things are consi­derable in them: [Page 63]

  • 1. A gracious Inlargement, And also.
  • 2. A strange Subject, Cattle.
  • 3. A considerable Plenty, Much.

1. For the great Inlargement,

And also. God had said much before, but he had not said all: the Expression had been large, and yet God is not at his last. If Jonah's hard heart did not yet relent, God will try another softning, he will not keep back an Inference, not loose a Motive, no he had another Clause yet behind, And also. Observe, God will con­ceal nothing which may tend to the Advantage of his Saints, behold how he values these! he favours them, and there is no end of his Affection; as he had ne'er look'd enough upon them, so he had never spoke enough for them; God will not only appear in the Case of his Saints, but he will maintain their Cause: 1 King 8.45. never shut up his lips, till he hath convinced, evinced, and brought off his Saints clear; God will so argue for his Saints, that he will wrest them out of the hands of their Enemys: God will find new Proofs, search Records, examine Evidences, insist upon Circumstances to acquit the Faithful, Who shall lay any thing to the Charge of Gods elect?

Application.

1. This doth serve to shew the benefit of a Divine Ingratiating. Since thou wert precious in my eyes thou wert honorable: Isai. 43.4. So honorable that God will be a restless Advocate for his Saints, not only look upon them, but stand by them; not only at first, or for once, but never take off his hand till perfected his work: He will contend with the whole Earth for them: God will weary the quarrelling World, and make them desist from oppo­sing and molesting before he will give over answering and confuting: as in Prosperity there shall be a succession of Blessings; so in Protection there shall be a continuation, concomitation & connexion of Arguments; Reason upon Reason, God will be at first entring of the Suit, and last hearing in Court, God will never leave his Clients, till he hath brought all things to a happy close: the Wicked may be violent at first, but God will hold them so long in debate, that at last their edg shall be dull d: why then are we dismayed that God's first Arguments do not take? if God hath not yet disputed us out of Danger, hath he no more Disputa­tions behind? Yes, he will use his demonstrative Reasons, and search all his Topical heads that he may be Victor for his Saints: when God hath alledged many things, he hath an Inlargement still in store. And also.

2. Let this daunt the Polititian, who carries it high, and soars in the [Page 64]Admiration of his contriving Brain: as if Nestor were not his Match, nor Ulysses his equal: oh how he is enamor'd upon his Projects and Idolizing his Designs: here I am prevalent, there I am successful, what can't I do by my ingenious head: I carry a Senate-house about me: People don't know what a Spawn of choice Maxims are conceived in this Belly, what a Covey of rare Disquisitions can fly out of this Brain: how many Jewels are in this Cabinet? how many stars do shine in this Firmament? I can speak like a Prophet, interpret like an Angel, every point of Wind may be found out, but not the gales of my Resolutions: the hight of the stars may be taken, but no Jacob's-staff nor Astrolabe can take the Altitude of my sublime Conceptions: I leave no Foot-prints of my Intentions for men to discern; no, the Age is at a loss to think to find out me in my Form, or to follow me in my leaps, and various jumps, races and traces: I but take heed; see that this be for just ends, happiness of the Church, and the Glory of God. Procure things honest in the sight of all men, Rom. 12.17. Deliver a City by thy Wisdom, Eccl. 9 15.

3. This doth shew, That God is most passionate for Mercy; ye never find God doth argue for Justice as here he doth for Mercy: no, he will reason and inlarge for Mercy: Mercy pleaseth him, 'tis his delight. God hath ma­ny Attributes, but Mercy holdeth the Scepter. How is God desirous to shew Mercy? how is he angry when he cannot shew Mercy? he cometh leaping over the Mountains, Cant. 2.8. Currit dum succurrit, but he doth not make such haste when he should execute Judgment; no, what a going down, examining, parlying and expostulating is there, before he will pour Ven­geance upon Sodom it self.

4. This doth serve to shew, That Envy is one of the most incorrigible sins, for Jonah is spiteful, and with what a difficulty doth God reclaim him? he is forced to use Argument upon Argument, and at last to put in an In­largement; And also

Cattle.

2. Now let us come to the strange Subject, Cattle: Numquid de bo­bus cura est Deo? Hath God care of Oxen? so, are Cattle a Subject for the only wise God to discourse of? yes, he gave them life, and the lives of them are tender to him. Hence observe, That God is compassionate to the very Beasts. They had their distinct Creation, for, God said, Let the Earth bring forth the Living Creature, Cattle, creeping things, and the beast [Page 65]after its kind, Gen. 1.24. as if the Earth were not compleat without this Furniture: sure I am, they were snatch'd out of the general Deluge, and put into the Ark as a special Treasure, Gen, 7.2. The Murrain of Beasts was one of the Plagues of Aegypt: and doth not Amos join the death of Beasts with the destruction of Men? Yes, the young men have I slain with the Sword, and taken away your horses, 4.11. God doth threaten this as one way whereby he will be avenged upon a Disobedient People, that they shall be cursed in the Increase of their Kine, and the Focks of their Sheep, Deut. 28.18. This made Habaccucks belly to tremble, his lips to quiver, and rottenness to enter into his Bones, That the fl [...]cks should be cut off from the Fold, and that there should be no Herds in the stalls, 3.17. Without Cat­tle the whole earth doth languish, the Prejudices are many if Beasts be wanting. A Horse is prepared for Battle, Prov. 21.31. There would be but a thin Table: without these he cannot eat of the Fat, nor scarce cloth himself, our Shops would be ill furnished without them: Have not the noblest Presents been usually tendred in Beasts? Yes, Cornelus Cossus gave to P. Decius the Tribune, an hundred Bullocks, one white one having its horns tipt with Gold, as a gratification for defending the Roman Ar­my from the Sabines: and Canutus sent to Lotharius the Emperour, as a Testimony of his royal Respect, a goodly Horse shod with Gold. Seeing by the light of Scripture and of Nature, Beasts are so commodious, No Marvel God puts an additional Motive, to preserve this City for Beasts. Should I not spare Nineveh wherein are — and also much Cattle.

Application. 318

1. This doth shew, That we should honour God in his Blessing of Cattle: for should we not spy where God doth spare, prize that which he preserves? Yes, If our tame Beasts forsook our Pastures, and ran into the Woods; and the wild Beasts forsook our Forests, and came running into our strets, as they did in Germany in the year 1086. Or, That men were forced to draw in Trace, to plow the Lands, or to be yoked in Carts to carry up and down our Commodities; as it happened in those dismal Civil Wars under Uladislaus the III. King of Hungary, we should then think Cattle a rich Possession. Alexander was so touch'd with the loss of a few Hor­ses, which the Mardi took away from him in the Reer of his Army, as he march'd into India, that he threatned to burn down their Woods, destroy their Country, and kill them to a man, if they were nto restored. Ulys­ses, when he had lost a few Mares, sought all Greece to regain them, and [Page 66]when he had found them, buile a Temple to Diana for them. The ser­viceable Beast was so pretious to antient times, that they knew not how to give honour enough to them: Solon commanded all the People to sacrifice to the Gods, for the use of the Ox, and made it as capital a Crime for any man to kill a Bullock, as to slay a Man: Oh, let us not visit our Stalls without a Meditation, nor walk in our Pastures without a Contemplation.

2. This shews, That man is a Stipendary: he is not perfect, he doth live much by supply, he is the best of the Creatures, but he is not a Compleat Creature. Man was born naked, that out of a sense of his Necessity he might have daily recourse unto his God: he carrys his Beggars-wallet at his Back: Man would be a Proprietary, he is but a Stipendary. Hath God need of any Cattle? No, thou art the Cattle-Eater, and Cattle-user, he spared them for thee. Yea, 'Twas not enough that he spared the per­sons, unless he spared the Cattle. And also cattle.

3. This shews, That man hath a right in the Creature: why may not a man participate of that which God doth set apart for him? Every Crea­ture of God is good, if be received with Thanksgiving, 1 Tim. 4.4. A Church Constitution may out of Ecclesiastical prudence, but not absolute Neces­sity, forbid the use of such things, but otherwise the Creature is thy own. And also Cattle.

4. This shews the dignity of the Creature, for Cattle must have some Excellency in them when God would spare them, not only Persons, but Also Cattle.

5. This may serve to strengthen your Christian Dependance upon God Al­mighty, for he careth for you; for he careth for Cattle: He that feedeth the Ravens, and clotheth the Grass, will he not feed and cloth you? What a turbulent and impatient People are we in Adversity? like Domitian, af­ter eight months thunder at Rome, he was so distracted with it, that he ca­red not though the Thunder-bolt were in his sides. Come out of this Swoon ye fainting Creatures? If Mordical be of the Seed of the Jews thou shalt not prevail: if it not of God, it shall not stand. God can send a ter­ror amongst the Midianites, he can put an hook into the nostrils of Se­nach [...]rib. God will pity his Saints, for he pitys Beasts, he will spare his Church, for he doth spare Cattle. And also Cattle.

6. This doth serve to exhort Man to maintain his Priority: for God doth first name the Person before he names the Cattle. Oh then, that that which is but put in the Additional, should exceed that which is pla­ced [Page 67]in the Principal! thus the Servant should be better than the Master; that the greatest Brightness should not be seen in him which is the Image of God: 'tis a shame and scandal to man when he must be sent to learn his Duty of the Creature, as, Go to the Pismire, o thou Sluggard, &c.

7. This doth serve, To elevate man, to aspire after his high Preferment: here thou art but spared, and the Beasts spared for thee: but is there no greater happiness to be attained to? Yes, thou art not only set forth to be an Heir of the Creatures, but to be a Co-heir with Jesus Christ.

8. This shews, That we should express Commiseration to Cattle; seeing God will spare, why should not we? Yes, Spare them, 1. By respective usage; The just man is merciful to his Beast, he is a Beast which is barba­rous to his Beast: feed it neither under its necessary Allowance, nor work it beyond its strength? Where shall the dumb Creature be righted? God hath a Bar for this oppressed Creature, and the right Beast (even the savage Master) shall one day meet with a Pound and a Scourge. 2. Spare the Cattle by moderate use▪ tho man hath a right to the Crea­ture, yet he hath no Empe [...]y over it: he may participate of it, but not riot upon it: enjoy it for necessity and delight, but not for his Excess and Surfeit. 3. Spare the Cattle by avoiding Merciless Destruction: It is the hight of Out-rage to make sport and pastime with the spoil of Cattle: yet how many of these horrid Practises do we meet withall in Histories. Phero, because a woman's urine could not cure his blind-eyes, he fired the Town Gleba rubra, and destroyed all the Cattle. Alexander, in revenge of a Wound he had received before Cyropolis, leveled the Ci­ty to the Ground, and made a miserable Spoil of the Cattle. VVell these things may satisfy Fury, but will they be acceptable to the just God? Men should spare Cattle, because God would spare Cattle. And also Cattle.

Much.

3. VVe come now to the considerable Plenty, Much. Observe, That Plenty of Cattle is an eminent Blessing. Job was herein blessed, viz. with 7000 sheep, 3000 Camels, 500 yoke of Oxen, and 500 she-Asses, Job 1.7.

Application.

This doth shew the Sweetness of Abundance, to have much in any thing there is much favour; Every man doth live, but he that injoyeth this hath the more of life in him: For, though the life of Man doth not consist in the abundance which a man doth possess, yet the life of man is much sweetned [Page 68]by such abundance; seeing without Estate no necessary thing can almost be performed: Oh then how infinitely are we bounden to God, that he hath given us not only Competency, but Sufficiency; not Subsistence but Plenty. Much Cattle.

2. This shews, That Gods Bounty in small things is conspicuous, for God is here affectionate and compassionate to much Cattle.

3. This shews, that where there are much Cattle, there should be much Commiseration. Have you no Calf to kill for a Traveller, as Abraham did? no beast to set a wounded man on, as the Samaritan did? what use them only for your Pomp and Voluptuosness? then 'tis Pity God should spare you any thing, that can spare nothing for others: where there is much Cattle, the distressed should get a Taste out of your Abundance.

4. This serves to exhort you, To be very circumspect in ordering a great Estate; where there are much Cattle, there is much danger. Here are much Cattle in the City, are all right ordered: No, whereas thou shouldst have a scape Goat to take away the Sins of the People; or, a Colt to lend to thy Saviour: thou hast a Kid to send to thy Harlot, as Judah had: or thou maist ride Post upon some Creature with Letters to the high Priest to persecute the Church, as Saul did: where there are much Cattle; there may be many Abuses: How doth the Devil imploy his Souldiers? A Pharaoh, he can employ to make the people whom he spights, to sigh under heavy Burdens: and he can make Ahab sick for Naboth's Vinyard: he can lure an Absalom to pluck the Crown from his Fathers head: and to commit the most detestible sin that ever the Sun beheld, to lye with his Fathers concubines in the sight of all Israel: an Ahaz he can make restless till he hath corrupted Religion, even set up an idolatrous Altar by the Altar of the Lord: an Herod he can prevail with to perjure himself at a Strumpets motion, and behead J. Baptist, whom not long before he had heard with reverence Oh, what will not wealth make men do? who have gored the world more than these fat Bulls of Basan? Oh, mighty men fear no Laws, dread no Pulpits! the most un­natural things do not daunt them, the most odious things do not shame them! to secure themselves, and to satisfy their Lust, to pollute the Earth, and blaspheme Heaven: they have much Cattle, and they will use them as they please. VVealth makes this City insolent: he that hath but one Kid, or Lamb, would be careful how he imploys them: but the much Cattle being the Surfet, begets all manner of Diseases in people: Some of your Cattle have been bestow'd in Gifts, think of your first Pre­sents, [Page 69]Some have been spent in Entertainment: and have ye had noble Guests? No, consider what Spots are in your Feasts: Some Cattle have travelled for it: and have none but good Riders back'd them? No, I doubt Zidkijah hath rod one, to Ahab heartning hm to fight against Ramoth Gilead: and a Balaam hath rode another, to curse the People of God: an Achan hath rode a third, to catch the Babylonish Garment, and the wedg of Gold: a Jehu hath got on the fourth, to knock down Baal's Altars, to keep up Jeroboam's golden calves: a Haman hath leap'd the fifth, to get a cruel Decree signed to put all the Jews to death. But, per­haps, he that sitteth in Heaven, will not suffer their design to take place: but there hath been some fruitless Journeys, tho there hath been old ri­ding for it.

5. This may serve to perswade all persons to forbear from Injury, where Cruelty may cause great Detriment: there is much Spight born against those places where there is much Booty; the humor of the Age is to be thru­sting their hands into heaps, and to carry away rich Plunder, To leave a Land which is as Eden before them, like a wilderness, Joel 2.3. and to find out as a Nest the riches of a people, &c. that as Lucullus when he took Tigrano­certa, he carried away 8000 Talents of stamped Coin: and, as Belisarius overcoming Gilimer the Vandal, he carried away from Tricaranum in A­frick, such infinite sums of Money, that such heaps were never seen be­fore at one time: and Pompey from his Conquest in Asia brought home Tables of pure Pearl, Moons of Gold, and Cups of Myrrh, and a Closet of exact Gem, and a four-square Mountain set with Harts, Lyons, huge Apples, and a large Vine of Gold, and the rare statues of Mars, Minerva and Apollo of the same Metal: so our Bullys wo'd be fingring such preys, and be at the like Riflings: But is Rape a just Possession? No, the Quarrel had need be very just, else the Depredation is utterly unlawful: the power of the Sword is not alwayes a justifiable Judg, it may bring-in Conquest, but not always Right to sacking; therefore Q. Fabius would not suffer the Souldiers to touch any thing of the Citizens; saying. 'Tis enough, we have subdued them, let us leave the Gods offended to these Tarentines. Aristides overcoming the Persians at Marothon, tho there was plenty of Gold and Silver, would not himself, nor suffer his Souldiers to touch any thing. Probus Augustus, in all his many Conquests took nothing but Dart and Arms. Charles the V. at the Battle of Pavy, would suffer his Souldiers to take no Spoil. But for men of the same Religion, in Opi­nion, is a sad thing, that if Battles be fought, Victory should not satisfy, [Page 70]But that they should carry the Vanquished to Dungeons, and make a general stripping amongst them, I finde the contrary in Scripture, for when Pekah King of Israel had conquerd Ahaz King of Judah, and had taken of all sorts, 200 000 Captives, and much Spoil, and carried them to Samaria: But the Prophet reprehends him sharply: saying, Because the Lord your God was wrath with Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand, and ye have slain them in a Rage which reacheth up to Heaven; and now ye purpose to keep under the Children of Judah, and Jerusalem as servants and handmaids unto you; But are there not with You such SINS, against the Lord your God? Now therefore, hear me, and deliver the Captives again, which ye have taken prisoners of your Brethren, for the fierce wrath of the Lord is toward you; wherefore certain of the Children of Ephraim stood up against them which came from the War; and said, Bring not in the Captives hither, for this shall be a Sin upon us against the Lord; ye intend to add more to our Sins, and to our tre­spass, though our trespass is great, and the fierce wrath of God is against Israel: So the army left the Captives, and the spoil before the Princes, and all the Congregation; and the men which were named by name, rose up and took the Pri­soners, and with the spoil clothed all that were naked amongst them, and arayed and shod them, and gave them meat, and gave them drink, and anointed them, and carried all that were feeble of them upon asses, and brought them to Jericho, the City of Palmtrees, to their Brethren, so they returned to Samaria, 2 Chron. 28.9. ....15. According to this famous Precedent, use Favour and Tender­ness to all of your Family (as 'twere) and Faith, of your own Region and Religion: and though they may fall under your subduing hand, let them not fall under your spoiling hand: Though Brothers may fall out with each other, and there may be trying of Masteries, yet not binding of hands, and carrying him away Slave, or picking his Pockts, and leaving him a Beggar: I see it in Practice, but I find it not a Scripture; for this were not to defend a Right, but to destroy an Interest: and not to fight for conscience or conquest, but covetousness and cousenage: oh it is a dreadful thing to vanquish, and undo, to subdue and subvert: to make an absolute waste in a day, nay, an utter ruine in an hour: No, thou shouldst shew more equity, because thy Brother had once Ability: and express more compassion because there was one much Cattle. And also much Cattle.

Thus you have seen many things concerning a City, Infants and Cattle (possibly such as you never heard of before,) sure I am there's neither [Page 71]of these but have something memorable in them. If the stone called Cap­potes whereupon Orestes sate when he was recovered of his Madness, was laid up, and preserved to Posterity? then how much ought this place to have an everlasting Record? where so many things have been free from impending Ruine. Nineveh was famous; what should I do, in conclu­sion, but look about for the City? I cannot find the same City, but shall I not the like? Nineveh is fallen, but can it not rise out of the Ashes? Oh that I should lose the City for want of due search, or that this City of yours should LOSE it self for want of a proper Duty: Can ye not change the name of your City? yes, Strasburgh was once called Silberthal, but being made the Exchequer of the Roman Tribute, 'twas called Ar­gentina; so, cannot ye for that remarkable Accident in the Text (RE­PENTANCE) part with your own Name, to be called Nineveh? Is it Impossible to make you such a City? what doth hinder? give me but your Affections, set but your hearts to the Work, and the City is raised in an Instant, change but your Consciences, and ye shall presently change your Name: Oh Argentina, oh Nineveh, When shall I see thee? why should I not forthwith see thee? If ye love a Sermon, if ye love your selves, if ye love Safety, ye ought to do THIS: for, 'tis not this great City of yours, not the multitude of your Persons, nor the plenty of your Cattle which will make you HAPPY: unless Nineveh doth inclose all these, I mean unless Repentance doth give you Title and Testimony, Safegard and Security. Have Nineveh's Target, and fear no Darts; have Nineveh's Propitiatory, and fear no avenging God. Will you alter your Name? change your Lives? Prepare such a Mercy-Seat to appear up­on within your walls? Oh that ye can think of Nineveh, and not be asham'd of your selves: Nineveh was Heathenish, you are Christian: Nineveh had but one Prophet, ye have had many; Nineveh had the Cry but of one day, or a few days, ye have had the Crys of many years; yet when will ye match Nineveh in Attention, Submission, Ashes, Sack­cloth, Fasting, Prayer and Reformation: Lucius Sylla an old Dictator blu­shed to see C. Pompey, a young man to tryumph before him: so, may not you count it a high [...]d sparagement to you to see Nineveh, but newly en­tred into Religion (a very Tyro) to ride in the Tryumphant Chariot be­fore you which are grown grey-headed under profession: ye would be spare, but when will ye seek God with Nineveh's penitent Heart? Oh, let sudden JUDGMENT as much afflict you and affright you: remorse as much humble you and change you, as they did Nineveh: as Plato was [Page 72]called Socrates jun. because he so much resembled his Master; so ye, for resembling this City, may be called Nineveh the younger, If your Peril be as great, let your prevention be equal, else in coming short in Pacificati­on, ye fall short in the Preservation; for can God and ye, tread the same ground, if ye walk by his side as Enemys? No, if ye rend away from God by Disobedience, he will pluck you off, though you were as a signet upon his right hand: VVhere is Capernaum, lifted up to Heaven in Privi­ledges? Where are the 7 Golden Candlesticks? VVe have had perso­nating men long enough, when shall we have true penitents? Alexan­der Severus did cut-asunder the Sinews of a mans hand, which did present him with a false Brief of a case, and do we not fear punishing for offe­ring to God a counterfeit Repentance; will ye dissemble to the last, and jeopard the ruine of a whole CITY? How far (can you imagine) that ye are off from the collusions of Justice? every Corner of your City doth seem to tremble under the voice of a threatning GOD: Oh, your Sins do cry and Vengeance is awaked with the Voice of them, the Heavens are offended with you, and the Earth doth seem to rise up in tumults amongst you: There are MANY which do WISH your Destru­ction, and are sorry they cannot make you the Miserable of the Earth: they consult sad things concerning you: yea, conspire against you night and day, their Hearts do boil, their Brains do work, their Mouths do foam, and they would willingly be stretching out their hands to shake you and shiver you: Ye have Enemys within your City, ye have Ene­mys in your own Consciences, your sins do threaten MORE Calamities to you than all your inveterate and implacable Adversaries which you have upon Earth: how can you oppose such irresistible forces? No, no, though you had Guards of Gyants, and every common Souldier were an Ashibench, (the head of whose Spear weighed 300 shekels of Brass) yet your Sins will beat you down before your Enemies: Oh, stand up in your own Defence, open the right Arsenal, Have the Armour of righ­teousness on the right and on the left; use Nineveh; Weapons to fight This Battle, Vanquish all your sins by crying lowder for Mercy, than they do for your Ruin: escape Vengeance by flying from your Provocations, be­fore Indignation hath attach'd you: your City is Threatned, take heed you do not sleep out the hour of your Security. Presumption may subvert, let Contrition deliver you: the time may be short, the VVork is great, the Danger is Apparent the Misery will be unspeakable: pluck down your haughtiness, surcease from Obstinacy: your City walls do shake, [Page 73]let your Hearts shake, your Buildings are loose upon their Foundation, groundsel them better by Mortification: ALL your Goods are ready to be SACRIFISED to Vengeance; bring forth your Sin-offering before the sparks have taken fire: If there be any listning to a Warning, credence of Threatning, obedience to Counsel, foresight of Danger, sting of Guilt, or obligation to Duty, PITY the City, and PETITION for the City, shed Lakes of Tears of the City; wear Sackcloth, lest you go NA­KED, Fast, lest you STARVE, sit upon the Ash-heap, lest ye be brought to an Ash-heap; creep upon your Knees, lest ye do creep into Corners; shut up your selves in your Closets, lest ye be shut up in Dungeons; fly to Heaven, lest ye fly OUT of the Land; Confess your Sins, lest Ju­stice do read the Bill to your Faces; Condemn your selves, lest ye be sen­tenced without Reprieve; Look upon your Errors with Passions; be hum­bled with Conflicts; repent with Agonies; appease with Fire; reconcile with Ropes; weep with Torrents; pray with shrieks; cleanse with Nitre; attend at the Court of Audience; lay it out at Gods Judgment-Seat; wash in Jordan, till the Leprosy be departed; wrastle with the Angel till ye have got the Blessing: Leave not one greivance in Heaven to pro­secute you; not one Injury upon Earth to accurse you; be perfect­ly renewed, that you may be perfectly secuted. Thus, if I can now leave you with bleeding Hearts, sobbing Breasts, suppliant Tongues, aba­sed Bodies, frayed Souls, purified Consciences, and rinsed Conversations, ye are Nineveh, and your City may yet prosper. For you see how God pleaded out his Case for Nineveh, and freed his Clyent; the City was humbled, and preserv'd; REPENTANCE prevented her overthrow; not a man was smitten though there were multitudes of Persons; not a Beast was destroy'd, though there were much Cattle. Go, and do thou likewise; Do likewise, and enjoy likewise. Oh, that I could be such a Jonah to you! that I could cry out, Such a City! That I could make you thus to believe GOD, and serve GOD; your Humiliation should free you from all Horrors; your Dejection from all Dangers; your Devo­tion and Reformation from all Exigents: Your VValls should not be battered, your Bulwarks not demolished; your Palaces not laid waste; your Temples not shut up, your shops not risted, your Persons not MAS­SACRED; nor your Cattle slaughtred. But your Liberties Lives, Goods, Royalties; your Ordinances, your Oracles, holy Altars, holy Priests, ho­ly Vessels, holy Shew bread, holy Incense, and Holy of Holies; even all [Page 74]your Spiritual Prerogatives and Church privileges should be ratified to you upon Earth: you should continue a safe People and florishing City; yea, after you have served God in his Church, ye should serve him in his Temple; he should translate you from this City, to the Ci­ty of the New Jerusalem, that after you have injoyed all the Prefer­ments of the material, or mystical City, ye might have the joyes and pleasures of the glorious City, even the Prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. VVhich that ye may have, the Lord grant for his Mercys sake. Amen.

FINIS.

The POSTSCRIPT By the Author of this ABRIDGMENT.

'TWas the earnest Desire of my Soul after the Prosperity of this famous and renouned City of LONDON, which ingag'd me to abridg and publish these prophetick Sermons: In the doing whereof, I am perswaded, that none will (it having been my Care, all-along the Work that none should) blame me for injuring the worthy Author: For, if any should take the Pains to trace me through the whole, they will finde that I have omitted nothing essentially ne­cessary, whereby the Work may be maimed; and (the Design considered viz. Brevity) that the substance of the Work may be had for a small Price: Nor is there, in any one leaf of the Original, things of less Moment inserted here, and those of more weighty Concern omitted: This were a Fault I could not forgive my self; nor could the Chiding of wise and so­ber persons more discompose me, than my own Breast would be disturb'd of it self, &c.

These Sermons were preached in this City, about the Year 1655 or 1656; Their whole design was then to beget in the Hearers a hatred of SIN; and to press them to a speedy REPENTANCE, by representing the Wrath and Vengeance, Plagues and Judgments, which God pours down upon Mortals for their Offences: Therefore their Publication, now, cannot but be supposed seasonably time'd: For, alas, alas! with­in these few years, there hath sprung up (out of the Bottomless Pit, I had almost said) a Generation of (what? shall I call them Devils? in the [Page]shape of) Men and Women, who, designing to Debauch this Age, have (by amazing Examples) succeeded too well in their Undertakings; for, by their Lying, Swearing, Cursing, Whoring, Cheating, Drinking, Perjury, Hypocrisy, Blasphemy, &c. they out-brazen Heaven it self, and bid Defiance to the God thereof, thereby ripening themselves for De­struction, except Repentance prevents. Well then, If Judgments were (as our Author saith) upon their March, Rank and File, so many years past; what man of Understanding is there that do's not see them drawn up, and presenting, wanting only the Word from the God of H [...]sts?

Read Pages 48, 49.

Now then, Suppose, He begins with another Plague among Us; come. Oh ye Paterns (I had almost call'd ye Patrons too, of Wickedness,) you, with the rest of them, both male and female, that have been poisoned by your Examples, fall all to this work of Repentance: I say, where will YOU secure Your selves from the VVrath that is coming? VVill those By-places of Secresy, where You and your Misses, (to speak modishly,) have Caress'd together, secure you? No, no. You may Remember what shift you made to shun the last; Do ye think ye will not be met with now? VVhat, because God in his Infinite VVis­dom was pleased not to make a Visible; plain Distinction of his Love and Hatred to persons, but the honest man dy'd of it as well as the dishonest; those that were faithful to the Marriage Bed are seiz'd by it, equal wth those that have been false to that sacred Tye: He that fears an Oath hath had God's Tokens, when he that flouds out Oaths hath been free, &c. There's no Reason for all this▪ but that 'tis the pleasure of the Almighty: for, Should GOD in the Plague-time, or by any other distinguishing Judgment pick out, sweep or hurry away the most profli­gate Debauchees, He's and She's, 'twere enough to Scare SINS of all sorts out of the World: This were, in effect, to answer Dives's presump­tuous Petition, Luke 16.27. For who would play Zimri's and Cosbi's parts if they expected (before the end of the Act) to feel a Phinea [...]'s spear, and so I might bring in Examples of all Sins, &c. But God deals, not thus with poor Mortals: No, no, If the Threatnings of his VVord won't de­ter us from Sin; If his Promises wo'nt invite and allure us to a holy Life; his infinite Wisdom directs to no other Means, but according as our Obe­dience is to his Word, so will it go with us to all Eternity: And yet (some times) God doth hang up sad Examples of his Justice too. Oh! when Judgments stand ready, sho'd not Mortals stand prepar'd for an Eternty? the Godly are by a holy Life, willing & always ready, to submit to the [Page]good Pleasure of the Almighty; and to such Judgment is no Judgment; and if it periods their natural Lives, it does, at the same Moment initiate an eternal one of Happiness: But for the others; I mean those that None can, with the largest degree of Charity imaginable, admit to belong to God, as such, till true Repentance hath capacitated them: How should these, together with the civiler sort of Sinners, the Hypo­crites, Lyers, unjust, the Rebellious, Disobedient, the sly Adulterers, &c. fall upon their Knees, and with Tears in their Eyes implore divine Mer­cy in time, before it be too late: For, should Judgment seize these, be it of what kind it will, Wo's upon wo's will be their Portion; what Tongue can express, what Heart can conceive (as the Joyes of the first, so) the Pain, Anguish and Torments of the other, which will be endless, easeless and remediless: If those bodily Miseries, (mentioned page 34,) will be so exquisite as they may be managed by an Enemy, how dreadful and astonishing will it be, when these frightful and scaring ones shall be but as fiery Chariots to convey them to unquenchable Flames? as doubtless they will be to all wicked wretches, and such who are contriving Plagues and Torments, and inventing Instruments of Cruelty for others, shall un­doubtedly feel their keeness themselves, together with all those that approve of, consent to, or connive at the same, without true and speedy Reforming. Trifle not away time, tho' tis true, Late Repentance may save, yet 'tis so great a hazard, that 'tis next to, tho not an Impossibili­ty: and, if of the right stamp, yet there's these Uncomfortable Circum­stances in a dying or a last gasp Repentance. 1. In this life, God can have no Glory by it; which, if Heaven could admit of any Sorrow, 'twould be this, that they repented no sooner; that they brought God Glory no so­ner, that there should be so much inward Joy and Peace in a holy Life; and that they should by Impenitency deprive themselves thereof. 2. Nei­ther themselves nor their Relations can have any Comfort in it; because words on a Death-bed can express no more than what others have said; and those, when recovered, their Sins have receiv'd life too: Now an evangelical holy Life is the infallible Testimony of a sound sincere Peni­tent: And my Soul for thine, if thou livest this Evangelical Life, and dost not joyn it with, nor place it in the room of Christ, expecting Salvati­on for it, thou wilt certainly be eternally saved.

Flatter not your selves with foolish Hopes or Perswasions, That those which do'nt Swear, Curse, Blaspheme, Whore, Health, &c. are a parcel of [Page]damn'd Hypocrites; and as bad as the worst, only they don't shew it, and appear so to the world, but &c. Well then, by thy own Confession, so far as one do's keep stom these Extuberances of Wickedness, they are better than them that run to the excess thereof, only thy Conceit is that they are Dissemblers, &c. Now, to please thee, we'll grant it, tho', 'tis the worst thou canst judg, and the worst certainly will be their own: But, I prethee, what do's he lose by abstaining from these Excesses of SIN, tho', as I said, he be a Hypocrite, and therefore miserable, yet his Torments, if compared with thine, will be the less; and all thy gains by thy aboundings therein, plagues in this life, and the hottest flames in the next. Again, Will their Hypocrisy excuse thy abominable Debauch­edness, such as a very Heathen would abhor thee for? No, Know, that Hypocrisy will as certainly convey them to Hell as thy open Prophaness will hurry thee thither, without Repentance in both; the one Inns there at a Snails pace; the other Posts thither: The one enters as at the Back-door, the other bounces open the great Gates. And, as for these two ugly Sins of Swearing and Cursing; 'Tis too probable, nor can it be con­ceiv'd beyond bounds of Charity, but that Cursing Persons are Cursed Persons, statu quo; and, Swearing Persons are. Too oft, forsworn Persons; for, if the Wise man saith, Prov. 10.19. In the multitude of words there wanteth not Sin; certainly in the multitude of Oaths, there wanteth not Sin, and that to a very high degree, &c.

Indeed the Great Out-Cry against: Hypocrites is, their good Preten­ces, and yet their contrary Practices when 'tis in their Power to per­form the Good pretended; they declaim against Swearing & Cursing, and yet are hellish Lyers; rail against Whoremongers and Adulterers, and yet are devillish brisk slyly with their Neighbours Wife or Daugh­ter, &c. This is very sad indeed, and deserves to be lamented in Tears of Blood, if possible: This is a Wound that goes to the Heart of a true Child of God, that the holy Name of God should be thus reproa­ched and blasphem'd; as if the Gospel had lost its Regenerating and Sanctifying Virtue! and did nothing, now, upon the Souls of Men and Women, but make a parcel of Hypocrites, Factious persons, Rebels and Traytors, &c. Well, Grant thy Accusations to be truth, and there can be no pleading for them. Yet, this I'le say in Vindication of the Pow­er of the Gospel; That, now, there are true Converts; them that are born again, for, the Blind see, the Deaf hear, the Dumb speak, the Lame walk, [Page]and the Poor receive the Gospel, &c. But as for these Evil doers, and only Pretenders to Good, We disown them, for they are but the better sort of your selves, crept or sneak'd among the truly Godly, because they are more inlightned then the greatest DON's of ye all that wallow like swine in your carnal beastly Pleasures: Besides, the Hypocrite's going into Secret to commit his Sin, thereby condemns himself, and thee too, by being so impudent to make it so notoriously visible: therefore ye wic­ked Wretches! Oh that I might (now) prevail with you, either to make known your Priviledge and Authority, whereby ye have thus in­dangered a Kingdom by provoking the Almighty to showr down Judg­ments; or, if ye be ashamed to vindicate it by Arguing for it: Can ye do your Souls a greater Kindness, nay, can ye bring greater glory to God than by (setting up in the Kingdom a Patern of) Repentance?

And, as for your speaking of good Pretences and no performances. This is an Evil which can have no Advocate: Therefore 'tis necessary to consider the Good pretended to, whether it be an essential, necessary and universal Good; and if God's time be come, he will find out fit Instruments, that shall not only Pretend, but intend and actually do it. Indeed, I wonder that men seeming to have pregnancy of Wit at a more than ordinary rate; in other things, should yet herein be short; That they do openly blame Good Designs, because those Designs have met with bad Managers; when as, at the same time, they secretly commend the pretended Design: Now, I conceive, that if the Design be good and honorable it ought to be followed, till it meet with real Intenders which at first must be Pretenders: Or, why do'nt you, that are the Fault-finders, undertake it your selves? But as for Hypocrites in general, this may be said of them, That they are the white Devils, and they have more wit than to associate with the Impudent shameless Sinner of any sort; tho' the worst of them too may act the Hypocrite, in some particu­lar thing, yet not so as wholy to deserve the name of Hypocrite: You must look for the Hypocrite among the best, and not among the worst of men.

Now, for Hypocrites, or any other, I may with very much certainty affirm, 'tis not difficult to know from whence any get their Riches or Honours; or any thing else that looks like a Blessing; whether from God or else where, whether with a Blessing or a Curse? &c. For, if Riches flow in, or thou art advanced to honours; &c. and thou art proud, envious; oppressive; turn'st a Drunkard, Swearer, Curser, Whoremonger; an Evill [Page]Example among thy Neighbours, a Sabbath breaker, a Hater of God, and his People, &c. certainly, as long as thou continuest such, thou hast no­thing from God in kindness; but in the midst of thy Injoyments, 'tis with thee as with them in Psalm 78.31. while their Meat was in their Mouths, the Wrath of God came upon them; curst in all thy Concerns, tho seemingly thou prosperest. 'Tis the like for Adversity, you may know whether God re­duceth thee to a meaner Condition, in Mercy, or in his Displeasure, viz. by thy Behaviour to God in that Condition; when God bringeth low one of his own, for Tryal sake, or for other Ends best known to himself; oh with what Submissiveness, Humility, Love to God▪ Patience, Chearful­ness, &c. doth he behave himself towards God! But another man, how impatient is he? he frets and fumes, rages and storms, swears and curses, omits all Duty to God; blaming this and t'other Instrument; and is like a wild Bull in the net, &c. and, without all Doubt, thou wilt own Debase­ment as well as Advancement to be in Kindness to thy Soul, if thou once becomest a right Ninevite, i.e. a true Penitent.

But methinks I hear the Debauchees of this Age deride this innocen­cing Grace of Repentance, and with their black. Mouths ridiculing it, say­ing, What need of it now more than formerly? and wickedly conclude by fulfilling that Prophecy in 2 Pet. 3.4. all things continue as they were from the Beginning of the Creation; tho' they will be miserably mistaken, as they may, even in this Generation, to their eternal confusion find. There­fore I heartily wish, that I could perswade men from living at a ven­ture; as though it were a piece of Policy and Discretion to live at uncertainties, in Doubts and Fears, either, as if there were no Salvati­on; or, as tho' there were no right Directions how to obtain it, therefore no such great need of this Duty of Repentance, as is pretended, to make them capable of it.

The Truth is; Most men live (the more's the pity 'tis so where Chri­stianity is profest) as if 'twere hazardous, or, at least, comfortless to be too zealous for the very Truths of the Gospel themselves; and therefore they enervate the Power of every Commandment both Legal and Evan­gelical; and, to quiet their Consciences, patch up Rules to themselves far short of the Power of Godliness; thinking it impossible that any can live, in truth, to a higher degree of Holiness than themselves: and by those home-spun Rules guide their Lives, and so miscarry to all eter­nity. That Threatning of our Saviour's in Matth. 5.20. That except your Righteousness shall exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye [Page]shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; may be, by the Blessing of God, a Sin-confounding, and a Soul-preserving Word, if 'twere every day sounded in the ears of the Debauches of this Age: Nor can I con­ceive what kind of Construction, Interpretation or Exposition their Tea­chers make thereof, or they understand thereby: What are they so foolish as to imagine, that Debauchery and Hypocrisy divide the whole world? &c. surely they do, else holier Lives would be the Consequent of better Thoughts: They think thus, or more wickedly, That at the last day, all being alike, God Almighty will, not respecting how men have lived in this World, pick out some to eternal Salvation, and possib­ly (because they are in a sinful sense Self-lovers) they hope they may be the Persons, &c. Looking upon Faith and Repentance which the Go­spel directs to, as improbable, yea impossible; tho' indeed, in the true Believer, they produce a holy Life, which justifies them to be neither dead nor spurious: and yet in point of Justification, he renounces his Righteousness, and counts it as a menstruous cloth, as to any stead it can stand him in, to the satisfying Divine Justice, and wholy relies up­on the Merits of JESUS CHRIST; which for any other but a Child of God to do is impossible. No, others will look a-squint at their own Righteousness, &c. tho' in words they may own Christ; but 'tis impos­sible for them to go out of themselves, and rely upon and another for eter­nal life. Wherefore the whole life of a Christian in this Word is a My­stery to others, and understood by none but such as are instructed by the Spirit of God: And, as there's a Mystery in Godliness, so there's a Mystery of Iniquity; a Child of God admires how Strangers and Ene­mies can have any rest and quiet in their own Bosoms how they can eat, drink, sleep, or indeed do any thing till they have made their peace with God; and got the pardon of their Sins in the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ; lest in the interim, because they carry their breath in their no­strils as well as others, they should lye down in everlasting Flames, where the Worm dyes not, and the sire goes not out: which undoubt­edly must be to such, who live and dye strangers to the Power of Faith and REPENTANCE.

Entred according to Order.

FINIS.

LICENS'D,

October 10. 1691.

J. Fraser.

ERRATA

Page 11. Line 16. for Nation read Notion. p. 30. l. 1. read so tha [...] p. 30. l. 14. for trying r. saying. p. 31 l. 23. for Majesties, r Matters.

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