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Whether this cruelty be to be ascribed to his tyranny in civil affairs, and so the blood shed is called innocent, because not of malefactors; or to his persecution, in subordination to his false worship instituted as before (as the pope and his adherents have devoured whole nations in ordine ad spiritualia'), is not apparent: but this is from hence, and other places, most evident; that superstition and persecution, willworship and tyranny, are inseparable concomitants.'

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Nebuchadnezzar sets up this great image and the next news you hear, the saints are in the furnace; Dan. iii. 20. You seldom see a fabric of human-invented worship, but either the foundation or top-stone is laid in the blood of God's people. The wisdom (religion, or way of worship) that is from above, is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy, and good fruits, without partiality, without hypocrisy ;' James iii. 17. when the other is earthly, sensual, devilish, bringing along envying, strife, contention, and every evil work;' ver. 16. Persecution and blood is the genuine product of all invented worship. I might from hence name, and pursue other observations, but I shall only name one, and proceed.

Observation. When false worship with injustice by cruelty have possessed the governors of a nation, and wrapped in the consent of the greatest part of the people, who have been acquainted with the mind of God; that people and nation, without unprecedented mercy, is obnoxious to remediless ruin.

Those two are the bell and dragon, that, what by their actings, what by their deservings, have swallowed that ocean of blood, which have flowed from the veins of millions slain upon the face of the earth. Give me the number of the witnesses of Jesus, whose souls under the altar cry for revenge against their false worshipping murderers; and the tale of them, whose lives have been sacrificed to the insatiable ambition and tyranny of blood-thirsty potentates, with the issues of God's just vengeance on the sons of men, for compliance in these two things; and you will have gathered in the whole harvest of blood, leaving but a few straggling gleanings upon other occasions. And if these things have been found in England, and the present administration See the Appendix at the end of this sermon.

* Rev. vi. 9, 10.

with sincere humiliation do not run across to unravel this close woven web of destruction, all thoughts of recovery will quickly be too late. And thus far, sin and providence drive on a parallel.

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Thirdly, The inevitableness of the desolation threatened, and the inexorableness of God in the execution of it, ver. 1. is the third thing considerable; Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people.'

Should I insist upon this, it would draw me out unto Scripture evidences, of a nation's travelling in sin, beyond the line of God's patience, and so not to be exempted from ruin; but instead thereof I shall make it a part of my daily supplications, that they may be to our enemies, if God's enemies, and the interpretation of them to those that hate us.

In brief, the words contain an impossible supposition, and yet a negation of the thing for whose sake it is supposed. Moses and Samuel were men, who in the days of their flesh offered up strong supplications, and averted many imminent judgments from a sinful people. As if the Lord should say: All that I can do in such a case as this, I would grant at the intercession of Moses and Samuel, or others interceding in their spirit and zeal; but now the state of things is come to that pass, the time of treaty being expired, the black flag hung out, and the decree having brought forth,' Zeph. ii. 2. that upon their utmost entreaty it cannot, it shall not, be reversed.

Observation. There is a time when sin grows ripe for ruin : 'For three transgressions, and for four, the Lord will not turn away the iniquity of a people;' Amos i. 9.

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When the sin of the Amorites hath filled the cup of vengeance, they must drink it; Gen. xv. 15. England, under several administrations of civil government, hath fallen twice, yea thrice, into nation-destroying sins. Providence hath once more given it another bottom; if you should stumble (which the Lord avert) at the same block of impiety and cruelty, there is not another sifting to be made, to reserve any grains from the ground. I doubt not but our three transgressions and four will end in total desolation; the Lord be your guide, poor England lieth at stake.

Observation. The greatest difficulty that lieth in bringing of total destruction upon a sinful people, is in the interposition of Moses and Samuel.

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If Moses would but have stood out of the gap, and let the Almighty go, he had broken in upon the whole host of Israel; Exod. xxxii. 9, 10. And let it by the way be observed of the spirit of Samuel, that when the people of God were most exorbitant, he crieth, As for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you;' 1 Sam. xii. 23. Scarce answered by those, who, if their interest be not served, or at best their reason satisfied, will scarce yield a prayer for, yea, pour out curses against their choicest deliverers; the Lord lay it not to their charge. For us, seeing that praying deliverers are more prevalent than fighting deliverers (it is though Moses and Samuel, not Gideon and Samson, stood before me), as some decay, let us gather strength in the Lord, that he may have never the more rest for their giving over, until he establish mount Zion a praise in the earth.

Fourthly, Come we now to the fourth thing in this chapter, the prophet's state and condition, with the frame and deportment of (his heart and spirit under these dispensations; and here we find him expressing two things of himself.

1. What he found from others; ver 10.

2. What he wrestled withal in his own spirit; ver. 15-18.

1. What he found from others. He telleth you, it was cursing and reproach, &c. I have neither lent on usury, nor have men lent to me on usury, yet every one of them doth curse me;' ver. 10.

Now this return may be considered two ways.

(1.) In itself; 'Every one (saith he) of this people

curse me.'

(2.) In reference to his deportment; 'I have neither borrowed nor lent on usury, yet they curse me.'

(1.) From the first, observe:

Observation. Instruments of God's greatest works and glory are oftentimes the chiefest objects of a professing people's cursings and revenges.

The return which God's labourers meet withal in this

generation, is in the number of those things, whereof there is none new under the sun. Men that under God deliver a kingdom, may have the kingdom's curses for their pains.

When Moses had brought the people of Israel out of bondage, by that wonderful and unparalleled deliverance, being forced to appear with the Lord for the destruction of Korah and his associates, who would have seduced the congregation to its utter ruin, he receives at length this reward of all his travel, labour, and pains; all the congregations gathered themselves against him and Aaron,' laying murder and sedition to their charge, telling them they had killed the people of the Lord;' Numb. xvi. 41, 42. a goodly reward for all their travels. If God's works do not suit with the lusts, prejudices, and interests of men, they will labour to give his instruments the devil's ways. Let not upright hearts sink, because they meet with thankless men. Bona agere, et mala pati, Christianorum est.' A man may have the blessing of God, and the curse of a professing people at the same time. Behold I and the children whom God hath given me, are for signs and for wonders in Israel;' Isa. viii. 15. Cum ab hominibus damnamur, a Deo absolvimur." Man's condemnation, and God's absolution, do not seldom meet upon the same persons, for the same things. If you labour to do the work of the Lord, pray think it not strange, if among men curses be your reward, and detestation your wages.

(2.) In reference to the prophet's deportment: 'He had neither lent, nor had any lent to him upon usury.' He was free from blame among them, had no dealings with them, in those things which are usually attended with reproaches; as he shews by an instance in usury, a thing that a long time hath heard very ill.

Observation. Men every way blameless, and to be embraced in their own ways, are oftentimes abhorred and laden with curses, for following the Lord in his ways.

'Bonus vir Caius Sejus, sed malus quia Christianus.' What precious men should many be, would they let go the work of God in this generation? No advantage against them but in the matter of their God, and that is enough i Tertul. Apol.

to have them to the lions; Dan. vi. 5. He that might be honoured for compassing the ends suiting his own worldly interest, and will cheerfully undergo dishonour for going. beyond, to suit the design of God, hath surely some impression upon his spirit that is from above.

2. You have the prophet's deportment, and the frame of his spirit during those transactions between the Lord and that sinful people. And this he holds out in many pathetical complaints, to be fainting, decaying, perplexed, weary of his burden, not knowing how to ease himself, as you may see at large; ver. 15—18.

Observation. In dark and difficult dispensations of providence, God's choicest servants are oftentimes ready to faint under the burden of them.

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How weary was David when he cried out in such a condition, O that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away and be at rest;' Psal. lv. 6. Long had he waited. for a desired issue of his perplexed state, and had perhaps oftentimes been frustrated of his hope of drawing to a period of his miseries, and now finding one disappointment to follow on the neck of another, he is weary and cries: What nothing but this trouble and confusion still? O that I had wings like a dove!' a ship to sail to a foreign nation (or the like) there to be at peace. In the like strait another time, see what a miserable conclusion he draws of all his being exercised under the hand of God, Psal. lxxiii. 13. Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.' And again, Psal. cxvi. 11. he saith, in the perturbation of his mind, All men are liars:' that all the promises, all the encouragements, which in his way he had received from God, should fail of their accomplishment.

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It is not with them, as it was with that wicked king of Israel, who being disappointed of peace and deliverance in his own time, cries out, This evil is of the Lord, why should I wait upon him any longer?' 2 Kings xvi. 33. The season of deliverance suited not his expectation; therefore he quite throweth off the Lord, and his protection. Not unlike many among ourselves, whose desires and expectations being not satisfied in the closing of our distractions, according to the way which themselves had framed for the Lord to walk in, are ready to cast off his cause, his protection, to comply

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