BY this Text we may plainly see, tho' Sin is abhorred in the Sight of God, how loath he is to destroy those that Sin against him, but rather spares them in Mercy, that they may recover their blind­ness, and see the Error of their way before it be too late; that so he may be justified in his doings, and that man may have no ex­cuse [Page 6]he was not timely warned to flee from the wrath to come; he even in the former Ages of the World left himself not without a Witness, but all along by holy Men inspi­red. Let sinfull Israel know, from time to time, that he alone was their Strength and the Rock of their Salvation, promising to protect and deliver them from all their Ene­mies, if they would wholly cast themselves and rely upon him: yet alass! we see how often, notwithstanding the many benefits that they had received, not only in being de­livered from Egyptian Bondage, and preser­ved so many years in a barren Wilderness, fed by the hand of Heaven; and there be­ing Eye and Ear-witness of such Wonders as in the very Relation amaze Mankind, but brought into a Land that flowed with Milk and Honey, an earthly Paradise abounding with all things necessary for the use and be­nefit of the Sons of Men. They forsook the Fountain of living Water, and hewed out to themselves Cisterns that would hold no water; even forsaking that God, who alone was their Rock and their Strength, to fol­low the vain Imaginations of their own Hearts, till by often provoking him to an­ger, they tired his patience and long suffe­ring; till they in a manner constrained him [Page 7]to let loose his fury against them; to give the mercyless Enemy advantage over them, and the Spoiler a Power to spoil and oppress them; to make them wander in strange Lands under severe Captivities, whilst o­thers possest the Fruits of their Labour: yet when they humbled themselves and cry­ed to him he heard them, and became their Deliverer by such unexpected and miracu­lous means, that even themselves stood a­mazed at them. When again, like Jessurun, they no sooner wax'd fat, but they forgot their Deliverer, and kicked against their Maker; and by hardning their Hearts in Sin became not only so rash and unadvised to kill the Servants sent to them by the Lord of the Vineyard, but in the end proceeded to kill the Heir even the Lord of Life, think­ing themselves then secure: but alass, mi­staken and wretched Men! they mainly fail­ed in their expectation, as in the 11th. of Mark and the 1. you may find it, viz. What shall therefore the Lord of the Vineyard do? he will come and destroy the Husband-men, and will give the Vineyard unto others. These Considerations made our Blessed Saviour weep and mourn over Jerusalem, declaring his often willingness to have gathered them together but they would not; meaning by [Page 8]the City the People that were its Inhabi­tants: grieved that those upon whom the Light of his Countenance had so often shi­ned, should fall away or obstinately refuse to hear his voice, or Reverence him the Son of their Lord and undoubted Heir of the Vineyard: and sure it must be no small grief that cou'd draw tears from the Son of God, whose Eyes were dry: under an Agony whose pain was even beyond the expression of Angels: and when the rich Redeeming Blood flowed from his precious Wounds: not all the mocks and scorns, the scourging and the thorny Crown, which made as many Wounds as it had sharpness cou'd do what the Sins of ingratefull Man did.

And ah! how many Christians, or such as profess themselves to be so, are there that exceed the stony-hearted Jews? who by their Sins crucifie the Son of God afresh; and put him to an open shame; refusing in this their day when the Light of the Gospel shines a­mongst them bright as the morning Star, to lay hold of the acceptable time of returning to do their first Works, though they know the dreadfull threatning that ends it if they refuse, viz. Remember from whence thou art fallen and repent, and do the first works or else [Page 9]I will come unto you quickly, and remove thy Candlestick out of its place. Rev. 2.5. Where alass! are now the seven once flourishing Churches of Asia planted by the very A­postles themselves, under the immediate Revelation of the Divine Spirit? Alass! their Beauty is faded like the Grass that withers before a scorching Sun, and now for Beau­ty they have ashes, and what but luke­warmness and neglect of holy Duties, Ani­mosities and Contentions brought them thus low, and shrouded their lustre with a Man­tle of Darkness. O consider this all you that would be accounted wise, and lay it to heart whilst it is yet to day, and think with your selves though God's Patience and Long-suffering, forbear to strike the Blow; yet without Repentance we cannot expect for ever to escape the effects of his Anger, which the longer delayed the heavier it falls in the end. We see that when the cry of Sodom's Sins had reacht up to Heaven, yet God delay'd his Vengeance, and kept back the flaming Cattaracts of Heaven till he came down to see whether it was altogether so or not, as you may find it in Gen. 19. yet this delay turned not away his Anger for ever, dread Event, though his mercy extend­ed to an infinite degree to the saving of those [Page 10]wicked Nations for the sake of ten Righte­ous: but when they were not to be found, nor any sign of Repentance or Remorse ap­peared, the floud gates of Fire were set open till they were consumed with streams of burning Sulphure. Nor is there any thing can disarm his Vengeance but a hearty and unfeigned sorrow for Sin, a serious Repen­tance, and a turning away from our Iniqui­ties even in this the day that he hath given us to make our peace and reconciliation with him. O then let us not put off our Re­pentance day by day, but being forewar­ned by a greater than Jonah: let us at least be wise as the Ninnevites to turn whilst we have space from our Sins, that we may find mercy; for God resisteth the proud and ex­alteth the lowly and meek, and indeed hu­miliation and a godly sorrow for sin turns the very edge of his Anger: for when the Children of Israel had committed that great Sin of forsaking their living strength, and made to themselves a golden Calf in Horeb like to the Gods of Egypt: they mourned and no Man put on his Ornament, for the Lord had said unto Moses, say unto the Chil­dren of Israel, ye are a stiff-necked People; I will come up unto thee in a moment and consume thee, therefore now put off thy Ornaments from [Page 11]thee that I may know what to do unto thee. Ex­od. 33.4.5. And this alone cou'd move compassion in the heavenly mind, when so sensibly provoked by so great an affront so quickly offered the Divine Majesty, who had wrought such Wonders for their sake in Egypt, and brought them out of a Bondage they long had groaned and laboured under with so strong a hand as made the World a­mazed; for which Moses upraids them with the worst of Ingratitude in the 32 of Exod. ver. 18. Of the Rock says he, that begat thee, thou art unmindfull, and hast forgotten God that formed thee: and in verse 13. But Jessurun waxed fat and kicked, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; and then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his Salvation. This indeed was the case of the Jews, for when they had long peace and plenty, they too frequently forgot God, and followed the foolish Imaginations of their own Hearts: and this is too sadly the case of many pro­fessing Christianity who seldom look up to Heaven in their prosperous day, but busie themselves in the affairs of the lower World till the Evil day overtake them at unawares, and then perhaps, the words of the Prophet Hosea, may be verified in them, viz. they [Page 12](saith the Lord) howl and roar upon their Beds and do not call upon me in their heart. Hos. 7.14. or if they did, only in the time when distress and anguish comes upon them, how justly might they expect to hear the words of the Prophet sounding in their ears? viz. What have I to do with thee, O Joram? get thee to the Prophets of thy Father and Mother, 2. Kings. 3. to pleasure and aduantages that in your prosperous days you pursued, and re­quire them if they are able to help you; for true it is as the Prophet expresses, When Gods Judgments are abroad the Nations will learn Righteousness; yet far better and more ac­ceptable it is, to take the Counsel of the Wise Man, viz. Provide thee of a Medicine before the fear come, and examine thy self before Judgment, and so shalt thou find propitiation (or Acceptance) in the sight of God. Eccles. 8.18. taking care that your Hearts be not made heavy with eating and drinking, and the cares of this Life, and that day come sud­denly upon you; the day of trouble and of tryal, a day of tribulation and anguish: least you faint in the way, and find your Confidence but vain. Labour then whilst it is day, least the night come on wherein no Man can work: labour to work out your Salvation with fear and trembling, and to run with chear­fulness [Page 13]the Race that is set before you; be sober and vi­gilant, and ever be pressing forwards towards the mark of your high Calling, least another step in and take your Crown. Remember at all times what Christ hath done and suffe­red for you, and how in return for such transcendent goodness he expects all your Service, and will not value the price of his precious Blood at so low a rate as to have you divide its merits with the intrest of the World: for he that will be his Disciple must deny himself and take up his Cross and follow him, he must crucifie himself to worldly Lusts and Affections, and wholly devote himself to his Service, who is the best Ma­ster, and altogether able to reward those that truly serve him, not with corruptible things a Silver and Gold, but with Eternal Life and endless Joys: and although Bo [...] and Afflictions should await you in every City, be not thou ashamed of the Testi­mony of our Lord, but consider and com­fort your self with the promise he makes to those that shall suffer affliction for his sake, viz. Blessed are they that are persecuted for my names sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Hea­ven. Mat. 5.10.

And in this case, as St. Augustine truly saith, Though we labour in a boisterous Sea, yet thou, Lord, art our Pilot and steer­est our course between Scylla and Caribdis, so that both dangers escaped, we shall at length arrive at our Port secure. And St. Hierome affirms, That miserable is his felicity who was never thought worthy to wrestle with misery, by which contention honour is obtained: for we cannot be true Souldi­ers under his Banner who suffered so much for us when we lay in darkness and the sha­dow of death, naked and helpless in our selves; that he might raise us to a state of happiness, and become the victorious Cap­tain of our Salvation, and make us Co-heirs with himself of the Kingdom; for he (viz. God) hath delivered us from the power of D [...]rkness; and translated into the Kingdom of his Son, &c. Col. 1.13. and again, I appoint you a Kingdom as my Father hath appointed me, Luke, 22.29. is a Kingdom then, and one more valuable than all the Kingdoms upon Earth, or ten thousand Worlds, not worth our utmost regard? when for a small corner of the Earth, or for a little possession, Men use such diligence and industry; and rather than forgoe it, will leave no ways untried, spare no pains nor cost, but sollicite all their [Page 15]friends to aid them in the aquirement, take painfull Journeys, and pass over restless nights; and yet for Heaven how little re­gard most have! where they may, if they truly endeavour for it, be sure to have an endless Kingdom, furnished to their hands with Glories unspeakable; wherein is the holy and heavenly Jerusalem, which shineth with Glory: the glorious Church Triumphant, made up of Saints, Martyrs and Confessors, united in eternal and unseparable Union un­der their Head Christ Jesus, God blessed for evermore, who wipes all tears away from their Eyes, and they banish thence the voice of Mourning, with Songs and Hallelujahs of Praises and Thanks.

O that Men wou'd be wise and consider this, and not like Jerusalem, shut the Ears of their understanding, not to know the things that belong to their peace till a blindness of Ignorance and Error hide them from them; for Sin even in others, to all good men is grie­vous and grieves them at the heart, it was that which destroy'd the happiness of our first Parents in Paradise, and defaced the Image of Heaven stamp'd lively on them. 'Twas Sin that made God repent that he had mad. Man, and to grieve him at the [Page 16]very heart, to a degree of destroying all but Noah and his Family, by bringing a uni­versal Deluge on the Face of the Earth: 'twas Sin that made him drive out the Ca­naanites from the Land: 'twas Sin that made the Prophet Jeremiah cry out, O that my head was water and my eyes a Fountain of tears, that he might weep day and night for the Sins of his People; and it was the Sins of the Jews and their blinded Obstinacy which made our blessed Saviour mourn over Jerusalem in the words of the Text, and for which they were soon after rooted out and scattered to the four Winds of Heaven. Nor have these Nations been insensible of the Divine displeasure in the many Judg­ments that have fallen heavy upon it, even in our days, brought down from Heaven by the cry of those Sins that have pierced the Clouds and enter the Ears of the Almighty; and yet that Monster which has caused so much Mischief in the World, is still court­ed, embraced and continued under guilded and disguised names of momentary Pleasure and Profit.

What then remains, but that if we con­tinue in Sin and go on in the ways of Iniqui­ty, but we may justly expect the wrath of [Page 17]an Angry God to fall heavy on us, before whose Anger all the Sons of Men are but a stubble before the devouring flame.

Take heed then to your selves, that your Hearts be not made heavy with eating and drinking, and the cares of this Life, and that day come upon you unawares; but whilst it is to day hear his voice that calls upon you, wooes and invites you to repent and turn from the evil of your ways, and think it time with the Prodigal Son to return from your wanderings in the paths of wick­edness, and by an unfeigned Repentance move your Heavenly Father to take com­passion on you, who is easie to be intreat­ed; and hath sworn by himself, saying, I will not the death of a Sinner, but I de­sire he be converted and live. Yield then to the good motions of his holy Spirit, and grieve him not by sinning till the day of Grace be over-past, by saying it is not yet easie, not yet convenient to leave your Sins, your darling Lusts, but you will doe it hereafter; when you know not that your Life may be prolonged another day, and then as Death leaves you Judgment will find you; for look, what a Man soweth that shall he reap, he that soweth in the flesh shall of the flesh [Page 18]reap corruption; he that soweth of the Spi­rit shall of the Spirit reap everlasting Life, Gal. 6.8. and as the wise Man says, Though the way of Sinners is paved with stones, at the end thereof is Hell, Darkness and Pains, Eccl. 12.10. and holy David affirmeth that God rewardeth every Man according to hi [...] Works. Psal. 61.12. and if the Righteous scarcely be saved, where then shall the Sinner and ungodly appear!

Oh that Men would then be wise and consider their latter end, and not with the foolish Virgins want Oyl in their Lamps when the Bridegroom is entering into his Chamber, but always be provided least they be everlastingly shut out from Bliss, and from beholding the Face of him in whose presence is fulness of Joy and Pleasures for euermore. Oh take the wise man's Counsel while it is to day, viz. Make no tarrying to turn unto the Lord, and put not off from day to day, for suddenly shall his wrath break forth, and in thy security shalt thou be destroy'd, Eccl. 5.7.

Let us then take hold of the acceptable day, and turn to him before it be too late, that he may turn away the fierceness of his Anger and shine upon us with the light of his Countenance, and be mercifull to us in turning our hearts from the power of Satan, to him the living God, that how­ever we are afflicted in this World, we may be happy in that which is to come, through the Merits of Jesus Christ. Amen.