3

hath made with a sense of duty to Him. No cries, though lamentable beyond all expression, can persuade Him to this; and therefore it is foolish and presumptuous to expect it; especially since He hath declared the contrary, and told us as plainly as words can express it, that "the wrath of God is revealed against all unrighteousness and ungodliness of men," and that "except we be converted and become like little children" (pliable to the will of our heavenly Father) we cannot enter into His kingdom." Which our Saviour pronounces with such an earnest asseveration, as is apt to awaken our attention to what He says there, and in many other places: which is utterly inconsistent with the imagination, that it is sufficient to dispose us for His favour, if we acknowledge our errors, and be sorry for them, and bewail them, without any further alteration.

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CHAPTER IX.

WHAT USE THE BETTER SORT OUGHT TO MAKE OF THIS.

AND as our tears ought not to stop, till they

have wrought a thorough alteration in our hearts, and in the course of our life: so, after that is wrought, there will still be occasion for them, and they must not be quite dried up. My meaning is, that they who by the grace of God have reformed their lives, and done away their former sins by an unfeigned sorrowful Repentance; (or they who perhaps never highly offended God, but have been only guilty of smaller faults) ought not to think themselves wholly unconcerned in this doctrine, and to have no cause for being afflicted, with such mourning, weeping, and humiliations, as I have mentioned. They have great reason indeed to rejoice in the Lord always,

and to praise Him for His wonderful goodness towards them but this is so far from shutting out all sorrow, that it is a part of that holy life, unto which they are renewed by Repentance, to be full of tender compassion towards others, and to bewail their miserable condition.

And therefore, beside some degree of sadness and sorrow, which is due for lesser offences, or for greater formerly committed, though now amended; there are two things which are really very lamentable, and ought to be sadly laid to heart by the best of us. First, the public judgments which God at any time sends upon the place or kingdom where we live. Secondly, the obstinate wickedness of most offenders; who notwithstanding these judgments, will not "turn unto Him that smiteth them, nor seek the Lord," as the Prophet's words

are.

1. When people will not judge themselves (as I have said before in the 6th chapter) and the offenders are so many, that the Church, perhaps, cannot judge, that is, punish them;

5 Isa. ix. 13.

In

God takes the matter into His own hand, and some way or other inflicts such punishments on them, as he did upon the Corinthians. which case, the few good that are among them, ought to lament them and weep over them; as they should have done if the censures of the Church had been denounced and executed upon them. For which there is the greater reason, because as they are members of the same body, so they are in danger to suffer with them in the same common calamity; especially, if they do not humble themselves, to deprecate God's heavy displeasure.

If we make a particular application of this to ourselves, in this nation; we are very blind if we do not see that the hand of God, as the Prophet speaks, hath been divers ways, stretched out against us; in a destroying pestilence, even then when the sword of war was also drawn, between us and our neighbours; and afterwards in a devouring fire, whereby many fair buildings, and holy places were laid in ashes which are things that ought not to be forgotten, though, alas! they little now.

affect men's minds. And therefore we have been again terrified by the great hazard the Church and kingdom was lately in; when their old enemies struggled once more to get the upperhand, and had brought us even to the brink of the precipice, where we stood for some time trembling to think what would become of us. And though we were then mercifully delivered; yet when we consider how restless the spirit of sedition and rebellion hath been since among us, and brought us again so near the very same dreadful danger, that we were just upon the point of beholding all order and government over-turned: all serious Christians cannot but think that this is a lamentation, as the Prophet's words are, and ought to be for a lamentation.

The prevention indeed of that utter confusion, by a wonderful providence, ought to fill our hearts with joy: but the thoughts of such frequent calamities which have threatened us, ought to put us in fear, lest in conclusion they should fall upon us; if neither God's mercies, nor His judgments can amend us. The only