A sermon preach'd at the assizes held in Warwick, April the 1st. 1690 by John Willes ...; published at the request of the high sheriff and grand jury, for the county of Warwick.

A SERMON Preach'd at the ASSIZES Held in WARWICK. Amos 3. 6. —Shall there be evil in a City, and the Lord hath not done it?

THESE Words are part of the Propheſie of Amos, whom God called from among the Herdſmen of Tekoah, to be a ſpecial Meſſenger to his People Iſrael. For tho' God uſually pitch'd upon Scholars to be his Prophets, and gave extraordinary Endowments to ſuch Perſons only as had made the beſt Improvement of their Natural ones, choſe Moſes for his Prophet, and St. Paul for his great Apoſtle, Men famous in their Generations for their profound Learning; and for a Succeſſion of Prophets, appointed Schools and Seminaries among the Jews, where the Sons of the Prophets were bred up, and with Piety and Learning fitted for the reception of the Divine Schechinah: Yet as Princes upon great and preſſing occaſions, ſend extraordinary Embaſſadors with ſpecial Credentials; ſo it pleaſed God alſo upon extraordinary occaſions, and eſpecially at ſuch times as his ordinary Meſſengers were unfaithful, when his Prieſts taught for Hire, and his Prophets propheſied Lies, to inſpire a Balaam, or a Saul; ſend down the Holy Ghoſt, as once he did at Pentecoſt, upon illiterate Fiſhermen, or as it is in the inſtance before us, call Amos from among the Herdſmen of Tekoah, to inſtruct Jacob his People, and Iſrael his Inheritance; to teach the Sanhedrim Wiſdom, and correct the Prieſts and Prophets at Jeruſalem. For ſo it pleaſeth God ſometimes, to chooſe the fooliſh things of the World to confound the wiſe, and weak things of the World to confound the mighty, and baſe things, and things that are not, to bring to nought the things that are, that no Fleſh ſhould glory in his Preſence, 1 Cor. 1. 27, 28, 29.

If Amos therefore was ſuch an extraordinary Prophet, called by God for this particular Meſſage, and inſpir'd beyond the uſual Methods of his Gifts and Graces, this may juſtly raiſe our Expectations, and make us very inquiſitive into the buſineſs he was ſent about, and the Prophecy he deliver'd.

Now the principal Scope and Deſign of his whole Prophecy was this: Tho' the Jews had by their Sins provoked God to ſend many heavy Jugments upon them, yet were they ſtill ſo ſtupid and ſenſeleſs, as neither to be prevailed upon by them to amend their Lives, nor ſo much as once conſider whence thoſe Judgments came. If God ſent Fire upon their Cities, they imputed it to a Secret Enemy, or ſome ill Accident. If God ſent Plague or Peſtilence among them, that alſo was aſcribed only to ſome unhappy Contagion, or an infectious Air. If God ſent Scarcity or Famine, they looked no further, but that it was for want of Rain. And after this manner all God's Judgments loſt their Deſigns, were far above, out of their ſight; God was not in all their Thoughts.

Now when God ſaw all the Inſtructions of his Judgments neglected, and the gracious methods of his Providence deſigned for their Amendment, fruſtrated; he ſent his Prophets to them, to work in them a true ſenſe of their condition; but theſe alſo were ſlighted and deſpiſed. So God here tells 'em, chap. 2. verſ. 11, 12. I raiſed up of your Sons for Prophets, and of your young Men for Nazarites; but ye have made the Nazarites drink Wine, and commanded the Prophets, ſaying, Propheſie not. And again, chap. 7. v. 12, 13. O thou Seer, go flee away into the Land of Judah, and propheſie there, but propheſie not any more at Bethel, for its the Kings Chappel, and the Kings Count.

When God ſaw the Diſeaſe grown deſperate, and the Patient not enduring ſo much as the fight of a Phyſitian, his Judgments neglected and his Prophets abuſed, God himſelf awoke like a Giant refreſhed with Wine; and to make his Power known, inſpir'd one of the Herdſmen of Tekoah, with ſuch knowledge as was wonderful for him; and ſent him to aſſure them all, that their Sufferings were from Heaven, that they were God's Viſitation for their Sins, and that nothing but ſpeedy Repentance could prevent their Ruine. This we find delivered here in the 4th Chapter, where God thus ſpeaks to them; I have given you cleanneſs of teeth in all your Cities, and want of bread in all your Palaces; I have with-holden the Rain from you, and caus'd it to rain upon one City and not another; I have ſmitten you with blaſting and mildew, and ſent among you the Peſtilence; I have ſlain your young Men with the Sword, and have taken away your Horſes; I have overthrown ſome of you as Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were as a Firebrand pluck'd out of the burning. And again in my Text the Prophet by way of queſtion moſt emphatically aſſures them, That there is no evil in a City, and the Lord hath not done it. As if he had ſaid, There is no ſuch thing as Chance or Fate in all your Sufferings; Afflictions do not come forth out of the Duſt, nor do troubles ſpring out of the Ground; but they are all the effect of God's over-ruling Providence, without whoſe Knowledge and Appointment not one Hair falls from your Head.

And tho' this be the plain and genuine Senſe of theſe Words, yet becauſe there is a Race of Men in the World that can pervert every thing to a bad meaning, quote God's Word as the Devil did to our Saviour, quite contrary to the Deſign and Intent of it; and in this very place, from the doubtful ſignification of the Hebrew word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 evil, have made God the Author of their ſins. I ſhall firſt clear theſe Words from this blaſphemous abuſe of them, and then conſider them in their proper Senſe and Deſign, as I have already explain'd them.

No ſooner had the firſt Man ſinned, but he found out this excuſe for himſelf, to lay the fault upon God, Gen. 3. 12. The Woman that thou gaveſt me, ſhe gave me of the Tree and I did eat: And ſome of his unhappy Offspring have gone yet further, and thought God altogether ſuch an one as themſelves, Pſalm 50. 21. And whoever hath work'd himſelf up to this pitch of wickedneſs, will never be perſuaded that God will puniſh any one for being like him; but, with ſome of the See Lucian in 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , Terence in Eunucho Auguſt. de Civ. Dei, 1. 2. c. 7. &c. Heathens, will be apt to juſtifie his own Villanies, by pretending to follow ſo great an Example.

To prevent this dangerous and Fundamental Error, God hath taken care throughout all the Scriptures, to work in us true and proper Notions of himſelf, his Juſtice, Holineſs and Mercy, and make us ſuch a diſcovery of his own Perfections, as might work us up to the higheſt degree of Holineſs and Virtue. His Laws, which are his revealed Will, are all holy, juſt and good, Rom. 7. 12. and have this one principal Deſign in them to make us ſo too. All the Sanctions of his Laws are ſo many ſevere Puniſhments of Sin, and Rewards of Virtue; and from one end of the Bible to the other, nothing but Godlineſs hath the promiſe of this life, and that which is to come, 1 Tim. 4. 8. So that to make God the Author of Sin, is to make him act contrary to himſelf and his own Nature, contrary to his Juſtice, Holineſs and Mercy, which are all eſſential to him; contrary to his Laws and revealed Will; and in one word, contrary to the Scope and Tenour of all Religion in the World, whether natural or revealed.

Let not any one perſuade you therefore that God is the Author of Evil in this Senſe, and by his unalterable Decrees compels Mankind to that which himſelf hates and deteſts. Far be theſe things from God, let him be true and juſt and good, and every Man a Liar. I am ſure St. Paul tells the Romans (8. 29.) That whom God foreknew, thoſe he did predeſtinate, and ſo makes all God's Decrees to Puniſhments or Rewards to be founded upon his Preſcience of our doing good or evil. And then as to God's foreknowledge, that doth not at all deſtroy our Freedom; God foreknew the ſins of the Jews, when by his Prophet he foretold them, and yet ſtill lays the Fault upon them that they had ſinned. Chriſt knew from the beginning that Judas would betray him, John 13. 27. and yet Judas acted out of his own free choiſe, and in the bitter Agony of his Soul cried out, That he had ſinned in betraying of innocent Blood, Matth. 27. 4. And indeed to what purpoſe are all God's Threats and Exhortations, if we are all over-ruled by the fatal Impulſe of an irreverſible Decree? To what purpoſe is God's Solemn Adjuration, Deut. 30. 19. I call Heaven and Earth to record this day againſt you, that I have ſet before you Life and Death, Bleſſing and Curſing, therefore chooſe Life, that both thou and thy Seed may live? Why doth God tell Iſrael, That his Deſtruction is from himſelf? Hoſ. 13. 9. and ſtill lay the Fault upon the wicked that he is ſo? O Jeruſalem, Jeruſalem, ſaith Chriſt, how often would I have gathered you as a Hen gathers her Chickens under her Wings, and you would not. And again, Why will you die, O Houſe of Iſrael? Ezek. 18. 31. Why are the wicked puniſhed for thoſe things they cannot help? Why were the Jews cut off for their Unbelief? Or why doth the Apoſtle bid the Chriſtians take care by their Example? Rom. 11. And therefore Solomon amidſt all his Knowledge concludes of this as the moſt certain thing in the whole World, viz. That God made Man upright, but they have ſought out many Inventions, Eccleſ. 7. 29.

Give me leave to add this only, that this cannot poſſibly be the meaning of the Prophet Amos in my Text, unleſs he contradicts himſelf, and the whole deſign of his Propheſie. He is here ſent to reprove the Iſraelites for their ſins, to aſſure them that all the Miſeries they ſuffer'd were God's Viſitation, and that nothing but Repentance could remove them. Now for the Prophet in delivering this Meſſage, to tell them, that not they themſelves, but God by his irreverſible Decrees was the proper Author of their ſins, would be ſo far from working in them ſincere Repentance, that it would be the moſt probable Argument to hinder it, to make them continue in their Sins and in their Sufferings, and ſo he would moſt effectually contradict the whole Deſign of his Prophecy.

And having thus far cleared the Words, I proceed to conſider them in their genuine and natural Senſe, as I have already explained them, viz. That there is no Evil, no Calamity or Miſery in a City or Country, which God is not the Author of; and therefore in all the Judgments that befall us, we ſhould learn to ſee God's Hand, and humble our ſelves under his Viſitation.

And for a more diſtinct and methodical conſideration of the Judgments and Calamities that befall a Kingdom for their ſins, I ſhall ſhew,

I. That when God firſt made the World, he ſo order'd the connection and dependance of Cauſes and Effects in the whole courſe of it, as that very many ſins naturally produce miſchief and ſorrow to the Authors of them.

II. That when this doth not happen, and ſins are great and daring, God ſometimes breaks through all the courſe of Nature, and diſturbs the Order of the World, to make his Power and his Juſtice known, to vindicate the Honour of his Providence, and caſt Vengeance upon the Sinner.

III. That even the effects of ſecond Cauſes, and which are produced by an heap of Circumſtances, which ſeem only caſual and accidental, are directed by God to other ſpecial Ends and Deſigns of his Providence, and made the Executioners of his Wrath againſt Sinners.

I begin with the firſt of theſe, viz. That when God made the World, he ſo order'd the connection and dependance of Cauſes and Effects in the whole courſe of it, as that very many ſins naturally produce miſchief and ſorrow to the Authors of them. And here I would not be underſtood of the ſecret Laſhes of a wounded Conſcience, which uſually purſue Sin at the Heels, and where God by his Vicegerent in us, becomes Witneſs, Judge and Executioner; for theſe things being tranſacted betwixt God and the Sinner, are all in ſecret from the eye of the World, and cannot be properly deſigned by the Prophet Amos in my Text; but in open and viſible Judgments this is true alſo. Luxury and Drunkenneſs naturally tend to impair our Health and our Eſtates, and either hurry us untimely to our Graves, or elſe continue us here in Beggary and Want, unpitied and unrelieved. Sloath and idleneſs cloath a man with rags, Prov. 23. 21. and if you ſee the Field of the ſloathful, behold its grown over with thorns, and nettles cover the face of it, Prov. 24. 30, 31. And all this, tho' the uſual conſequence of the very order of Nature, is properly aſcribed to God the Author of it, who, as David obſerveth, Pſalm 107. 34. makes a fruitful Land barren for the wickedneſs (for the idleneſs) of them that dwell therein. Of Luſts and Debaucheries St. Paul obſerved in his time, that they were ſins againſt the Body, 1 Cor. 6. 18. I am ſure they are much more ſo now; and tho' never any Man hated his own Fleſh, yet too many in this Age ſo far poyſon and deſtroy it, till at laſt they become loathſom to themſelves, and all about them, drop by peace-meals into their Graves, and as far as poſſible, become living Monuments and Examples, that the Wages of Sin is Death. A quarrelſom Temper is continually in Broils and Dangers, and he that is cruel to others troubles his own fleſh, Prov. 11. 17. So that without a Prophetick Spirit, from the natural courſe of things we may ſay with David, Pſalm 55. 23. A blood-thirſty man ſhall not live out half his days. An old Lyar is ſure to get this by it, that no body will believe him; and an old Knave this, that no body will truſt him▪ He that ſoweth Diſcord among others, muſt not expect to live at home in peace, and the Slanderer uſually gets himſelf a Blot. Envy is the rottenneſs of the Bones, Prov. 14. 30. And of theſe and many other Sins the Wiſe Man pronounceth, that they who are guilty of them ſin againſt their own Souls. For in all theſe Caſes the Puniſhment is the natural effect and conſequence of the ſin, he ſows iniquity, and reaps vanity, Prov. 22. 8. And what is more natural than for the Harveſt to follow Seeding? He conceives miſchief, and brings forth vanity, ſaith Job, 15. 35. and Sin when its finiſhed brings forth Death, James 1. 15. And what is more natural than that the Birth ſhould follow Conception? Yea, ſo cloſe is the connection betwixt Sin and Puniſhment, that in moſt Languages they have, as in my Text, ſome one common Name to ſignifie both of them; and even thoſe Names which ſignifie them diſtinctly, are in Zech. 14. 9. 2 Cor. 5. 21. Scripture obſerved to be very often put for one another.

And thus I have ſhewed, how in many Caſes God's Judgments are the natural conſequence of ſin, how the very courſe of things makes the Sinner hated and deſpiſed, as if God, when he made the World, had given Commiſſion to all his Creatures in their proper Sphere and Order, to be the Inſtruments of his Anger, and the Executioners of his Wrath againſt Sinners.

II. When this doth not happen, and ſins are great and daring, God ſometimes breaks through all the courſe of Nature, and diſturbs the order of the World, to make his Power and his Juſtice known, to vindicate the Honour of his Providence, and caſt Vengeance upon the Sinner. Not that God hath any delight to hurry the World into Confuſion, and deſtroy his own Creatures; but when the Cry of our Sins, like the Voice of Abel's Blood, goeth up to Heaven, and the Souls from under the Altar cry loud for Vengeance, it's neceſſary for God to make himſelf known by the Judgments that he executeth, Pſal. 9. 16. and by the out-goings of his Power, vindicate the Honour of his Juſtice. It was this that moved God to open the Windows of Heaven, and bring in a Flood upon the Ungodly. It was this that moved the Lord to rain down Fire and Brimſtone out of Heaven. They were the ſins of Corah, Dathan and Abiram that provoked the Lord to make the Earth open her Mouth, and ſwallow them quick into the Pit. When the Aſſyrian Armies reproached the Power of the God of Iſrael, God ſent his Angel againſt them, and in one Night deſtroyed one hundred eighty five thouſand of them. When Belſhazzar drinking with his Princes, his Wives and his Concubines, in the Veſſels of the Sanctuary, which his Father carried from Jeruſalem, began to magnifie the Gods that himſelf worſhiped, and triumphed over the ſacred Veſſels of a conquered God; God wrote his Doom upon the Wall, ſtruck that haughty Monarch with trembling and confuſion, and depriv'd him of his Throne, and his Life too the very next Night. And when the Worſhipers of Bel at Babylon thought to get a Victory over the Almighty, and had outlawed Daniel and his God; then the Lord broke in with Vengeance upon them, revers'd the Decree, which according to the Laws of the Medes and Perſians, they thought unalterable, and tore in pieces the Preſidents and Princes with thoſe very Lions they had prepared for Daniel. Egypt for a long time lived ſecurely, and her Magicians flouriſhed; but when they began to vie Miracles with Moſes, and ſet themſelves up againſt God, then God aroſe in his Wrath, and to throw contempt upon them, made the Flies, the Lice, and meaneſt of his Creatures, baffle all their Magick and Inchantments, and forced them to confeſs before the Face of Pharaoh, That it was the Finger of God, Exod. 8. 19. And when they continued yet in their ſins, and ſtill refuſed Obedience to that God, whom juſt before they acknowledged; God ſpake to the Sea and it obey'd him, and overwhelmed them all with ſo great, ſo ſignal, ſo unexpected an overthrow, that God ſeems to Triumph in their Deſtruction; and as himſelf ſaith, Got him honour over Pharaoh, Exod. 14. 17, 18. But becauſe in theſe Proceedings the Almighty is forced to break through the Harmony and goodneſs, which himſelf ſaw in his own Creation, diſturb the very courſe of Nature, which was made good, and very good, he never makes uſe of them, but upon great and preſſing occaſions, when Sinners become daring and impudent, dafy God and his Providence, and, as it was in the time of Elijah, there is as it were a Contention betwixt Him and Ball; or in the Language of an Heathen Poet, Non Deus interſit niſi dignus Vindice Nodus.

III. God oftentimes by his Wiſdom ſo directs and manages the natural effects of ſecond Cauſes, and which are produced by an heap of Circumſtances, that ſeem only caſual and accidental to other ſpecial ends, and deſigns of his Providence, and makes them become the Executioners of his Wrath againſt Sinners; and thoſe Arrows of the Almighty, which to the unthinking World ſeem ſhot at Rovers, like thoſe of Jonathan's to David, have a more particular deſign and ſignification in them. And here it muſt be obſerved, that thoſe things which ſeem caſual to us, cannot be ſo to God the Author of them. Wives and Children, Houſes and Lands are a Gift and Heritage that cometh of the Lord, Pſal. 127. 2. And again, 1 Tim. 6. 17. Its God that giveth us all things to enjoy. Yea, not a Sparrow falls to the ground, not an hair from your head, without your Fathers knowledge, ſaith Chriſt; and the very lot that is caſt into the lap hath its whole diſpoſal from the Lord, ſaith Solomon, Prov. 16. 33. If we look upon the Hiſtory of Joſeph, his being ſold by his Brethren, carried into Egypt as a Slave, and there impriſoned by Potiphar, we are apt to pity his misfortune; but yet all theſe black Circumſtances had a natural chain and tendency in God's ſight to procure his Honour and Promotion: They were theſe that brought to paſs his Prophetick Dream, and made the Sun, Moon and Stars bow down before him. And Joſeph expreſly ſaith to his Brethren, Gen. 45. 5. Be not angry with your ſelves that ye ſold me hither, for God ſent me before you to preſerve Life. And again, Gen. 50. 20. Ye thought evil againſt me, but God meant it unto good, to bring to paſs as it is at this day to ſave much people alive. Tho the Patriarch Abraham was baniſhed from Ur, for not worſhiping the Idols of the Chaldeans, as many ancient Judeth. 5. 6, 7, 8. Joſeph. Antiq. l. 1. c. 7▪ Hieronymi quaeſt. in Gen. Maimon. More Nev. p. 3. c. 29. & de Cultu Syd. lib. 1. Authors tell us, yet becauſe God made uſe of that Baniſhment of Abraham's to other purpoſes and deſigns, the Scripture tells us, that God called Abraham thence, Gen. 12. 1. Acts▪ 7. 3. The Jews Crucify'd our Saviour, Judas betray'd him, and Pilate condemn'd him, and yet it was God the Father deliver'd him up for us all, Rom. 8. 32. It was Chriſt offer'd himſelf, and ſhewed Obedience by the things that he ſuffer'd, Heb. 5. 8. it was he laid down his life, and no man taketh it from him, John 10. 18. And the Jews and Romans did no more than God's Counſel had before determined, Acts 4. 28. Origen. Hom. 35. in Mat. Deus non pepercit unico filio, ſed pro nobis tradidit illum, in aliis locis, Judas tradidit illum ſed & Satanas tradidit eum, principes & ſeniores tradiderunt cum, ſed non omnes eodem propoſito Deus propter miſericordiam, &c. He that ſlew Ahab drew a Bow at a venture, 1 Kings 22. 34. but God order'd the Arrow to kill Ahab, as he had foretold by his Prophet. We read in the Hiſtory of the laſt Siege of Jeruſalem, that ſome Women eat their own ſucking Children; and tho this might ſeem the caſual effect of a long War, yet it was far otherwiſe; and this was one of the Woes that Chriſt had before pronounced againſt Jeruſalem, Mat. 24. 19. and is agreeable to Levit. 26. 29, 31, 32. & Deut. 28. 53. In the Hiſtory of Job the Sabeans took away his Oxen, the Chaldeans his Camels, a great Wind blew down one of his Sons Houſes and kill'd his Children, and yet all theſe were ſo peculiarly God's Viſitation, that Job cries out, The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, bleſſed be the Name of the Lord, Job 1. 21. And ſo generally doth God over-rule all that which the World calls Chance or Fortune; that in the Law of Moſes, when any one had killed another unawares, it's ſaid, That God deliver'd him into his hand, Exod. 21. 13. and therefore God order'd Sanctuaries for his Refuge. From all which its evident, That God orders the common Accidents of the World to proper ends and deſigns of his Providence; and many of thoſe Evils which ſeem the effects only of Chance, are really deſigned by God as a Puniſhment for our Sins. Now in theſe Caſes God's Hand more viſibly appears to us.

I. When Judgments are National and Publick, Is there any evil in a City, and the Lord hath not done it?

II. When Puniſhments carry with them a Stamp and Character of the Sin.

I. God's Hand more viſibly appears to us in publick and national Judgments. When ſins are perſonal only, and the Infection ſpreads no farther than their firſt Author, the ſtate of Religion is not endangered, and God may let the Sinner proſper, and yet ſecure the Honour of his Providence; but when the Leproſie is ſpreading, and the Contagion dangerous, when Iniquity is eſtabliſhed by a Law, and ſins alſo become National, then the Lord makes his Juſtice known, vindicates the Honour of his Providence, and makes his Judgments National alſo. Its true, that there are ſome ſins of ſo deep a Die, that they ſingly infect a Kingdom; and God orders the Land to be cleanſed of them, Num. 35. 33. Joſh. 7. 11. And as for that Phraſe ſo often uſed by God in Scripture, Shall I not viſit for theſe things? Its ſcarcely ever uſed but when ſins are national, (as Levit. 18. 25. Jer. 5. 9. &c.) If we look upon good and bad Men in their private capacities, their temporal Intereſts are ſo intermixt, that its hard to pull up the Tares, and not injure the Wheat alſo; but as they grow up, ſo are uſually cut down together; and whilſt they live here, partake mutually of each others happineſs of Miſery. We rarely find a Plague or Fire paſs by the good Man's Door, but he alſo is involv'd in the puniſhment of his ill Neighbours Sap • Di • ſpiter neglectus inceſto addit integrum, Hor. Carm. 2. 30. Lot was driven out of Sodom, from his Houſe and Home, not for his own, but their ſins; and the ſame Houſe that fell upon the Philiſtimes, kill'd Sampſon alſo. One guilty Jonas had well nigh drown'd a Ship full of Paſſengers; and one Religious Paul ſaved all the Paſſengers in another from being drown'd, Acts 27. 24. And in this as to particular Perſons, Solomon is to be underſtood, when he tells us, That there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked, Eccleſ. 9. 2. But the caſe is far otherwiſe in Kingdoms and Societies; and tho' the Neighbourhood of the good may protect ſingle perſons that are evil, yet if a whole Nation is bad, who ſhall intercede for them? Zoar ſeems to have been as wicked as Sodom, yet the Lord was intreated for it by Lot, becauſe it was a little one; but Abraham himſelf could not prevail for Sodom. Now National Judgments are ſo peculiarly the effects of God's Wrath and Anger that in Scripture they are emphatically call'd His, Ezek. 14. 21. When I ſend my four fore Judgments, the Sword, the Famine, the noyſom Beaſt and the Peſtilence. It was God that gave the Sword a charge againſt Askalon and Egypt; it was God that brought Evil upon Jeruſalem, and gave his People into the Hands of their Enemies. Its he that ſtops the Clouds from dropping their fatneſs on us, or ſends an Army of Locuſts to deſtroy the Plenty that he had given; yea, even Fire and Hail, Snow and Vapours, Wind and Storm fulfil his Words, Pſalm 148. 4. 'Tis not Fate nor Fortune that makes a Nation happy or miſerable, but the Piety or Wickedneſs of them that dwell therein. We need not conſult the Planets to diſcover the riſe of National Calamities, nothing but ſins that are as publick can be the cauſe of them; and if a Nation fall into Diſgrace; its Sin that is the reproach of any people, Prov. 14. 34. Its this that makes God remove his Candleſtick from a Country, and give his Kingdom to a Nation that will bring forth Fruit.

II. Calamities appear to be from God, tho' in private Perſons, when they bear a particular relation to, and oftentimes the very ſtamp and character of the ſin: And as its uſual for Malefactors that are puniſhed, to have their Crimes written in a Paper and put upon their Breaſts; and the Croſs heretofore bore the Inſcription of the Faults for which the Perſons ſuffer'd; ſo God alſo many times ſo exactly ſuits the Puniſhment to the Sin, that all Men ſhall ſay this is Gods Work. Thus when we ſee the Family of the Sacrilegious come to want and beggary, as it often happens; and not only other Curſes, but Poverty alſo purſue thoſe that thought to enrich themſelves with holy things; when we ſee Corah's Prieſts, for offering ſtrange Fire, conſumed immediately with Fire from the Lord; and Jehojakim, that denied ſo much as a decent Burial to the Prophet he had murder'd, himſelf buried with the burial of an Aſs, caſt forth out of the Gates of Jeruſalem. When we ſee Adonibezek with his Thumbs and great Toes cut off, as he had uſed to ſerve others; and Haman hang'd upon that very Gallows he had prepared for Mordecah; we muſt needs cry out, That it is the Lords doing, and its marvellous in our Eyes; and confeſs with the Angel in the Revelations, That his Judgments are righteous and true. He that reads the Hiſtory of Pharaoh's being drown'd, muſt needs reflect upon what he had before done to the Iſraelitiſh Infants: And when we find David's Concubines abuſed publickly by his Son, we muſt needs conſider what he had before done to the Wife of Uriah. If the Spies bring a falſe Report of the Land of Canaan, after their forty days Search of it, and the People murmur againſt God, they muſt all wander Forty Years in the Wilderneſs, before they come to enjoy it. When the Jews ſerv'd other Gods, God ſent them Captives to the Nations where thoſe Gods were worſhiped, Jer. 5. 19. 2 Chron. 12. 5. If they walked contrary to God, then God walked contrary to them, Levit. 26. 23, 24, 27, 28. and if they neglected to let the Land have reſt in the Sabbatical Years, as God appointed, the whole Nation is ſent to Babylon for 70 Years together, that the Land may enjoy her Sabbaths, Levit. 26. 34, 35, 43. 2 Chron. 36. 21. So that whereas according to the Hebrew we tranſlate Lam. 1. 7. The Adverſaries mocked at their Sabbaths, the Septuagint tranſlate it, They mocked at their Captivity. If David's Pride make him number the People, God puniſheth his Pride by ſending a Plague upon his Subjects, and ſo making their number leſs; and tho' Plagues ſcatter a ſecret Infection, and the Peſtilence walketh in darkneſs, yet its ſo very obedient to God's Commiſſion, that David of the three Evils offer'd him, therefore choſe that, becauſe he would fall into the hands of God. And laſtly, it was David's own Obſervation upon God's Proceedings, Pſalm 109. 17. They that love curſing, it ſhall come unto them, and they that delight not in Bleſſing, it ſhall be far from them. And thus I have ſhewed, How God is known by the Judgments that he executeth; and when the Footſteps of his Providence are ſo plain and viſible, we may eaſily anſwer the Queſtion in my Text, Are there any ſuch evils, and the Lord hath not done them?

Now as God makes uſe of a Lex talionis in his own Judgments, ſo he gives particular direction to his Judges after the ſame manner, for inſtance, to puniſh Perjury. Deut. 19. 16, 17, 18, 19, 21. If a falſe Witneſs riſe up againſt any Man, to teſtifie againſt him that which is wrong, and the Judges after diligent Inquiſition, ſhall find that he hath teſtified falſly againſt his Brother, then ſhall ye do unto him as he had thought to have done unto his Brother; ſo ſhalt thou put the evil away from among you, thine eye ſhall not pity, but life ſhall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. VVe meet with a famous Inſtance of the execution of this Law in the Hiſtory of Suſanma, where the Elders, who by their Perjury would have taken away her Life, are themſelves put to Death for it, v. 62. According to the Law of Moſes they did unto them in ſuch ſort as they maliciouſly intended to do to their Neighbour, and they put them to death. VVhen Ahab had by the Perjury of two Sons of Belial firſt took away the Life, and then poſſeſſed himſelf of the Field of Naboth, God ſent his Prophet to him with this Meſſage, That in the place where Dogs licked the Blood of Naboth, ſhall dogs lick they blood, even thine, 1 King. 21. 19.

And if Perjury be one of the crying ſins of this Kingdom which hath long called for Vengeance, and for which our Land mourns, Jer. 23. 10. Its much to be lamented that the Puniſhment of this ſin is ſtill ſo ſlight and trivial. Why is it thought a leſſer Crime to rob a Man of his Eſtate by two Knights of the Poſt at an Aſſize, than to do it by two High-way-men upon the Road? Why is it a leſſer Crime to take away a Man's Life by a falſe Oath, than to do it with a Sword or Dagger? There are men, ſaith David, whoſe teeth are ſpears and arrows, and their tongue a ſharp Sword. I can ſee but this only difference betwixt them, that he that doth it by Perjury is the worſe, ſince, beſides the Theft and the Murder, which is the ſame in both caſes, he pawns his Soul, blaſphemes God, and with an impudent Face defies his Vengeance, at that very time he is committing of it. I am ſure if a Lex talionis be ever juſt, it is in this caſe; and whatever any one by his Perjury meaſures to another, it ſhould in the ſame manner be meaſured to him again.

And thus I have finiſhed the ſeveral Heads I propoſed to diſcourſe of, have diſcovered the Riſe and Origen of all our Evils, whether of Sin, or of Puniſhment, and ſhewed that there is no ſin but from our ſelves, no puniſhment, but from the Lord; and that as this is always true, ſo eſpecially in National Judgments, There is no Evil in a City, and the Lord hath not done it. What remains now but that we a little reflect upon our ſelves, and ſee how far we are concern'd in the Subject I have diſcours'd of.

And hath not Deſtruction been long hovering over our Heads, and a whole Cloud of Miſeries been juſt ready to break in upon us? Have we not all the while been rather the worſe than the better for them; and tho God's Judgments have been amongſt us, would not learn righteouſneſs? Oh! that we would at length ſee God's Hand in all our Sufferings, and humble our ſelves to God for them; that we would all lay our Hands upon our Mouths, and ſay with Daniel, (9. 5, 6.) We have ſinned, we have done wickedly, we have rebelled againſt thee. O Lord, to us belongs confuſion of Face as at this day, becauſe we have ſinned againſt thee. Oh! that this Nation would conſider at leaſt in this their day the things that belong to their Peace, before they be hid from us. If this be the time of God's Viſitation, how ſhould we take care that we have nothing left that may offend him? How ſhould we repent of our ſins and forſake them, that God alſo may repent of the evils that he hath brought upon us? Its in vain for us to depend upon God's former kindneſs and protection▪ over us, and conclude from thence that he will always ſave us; God never ſhewed greater kindneſs to any Nation under Heaven, than he did▪ to the Jews; and yet in all the Hiſtories of the World we never find a Nation that ſuffered more. Let us not think that our being Proteſtants, our being of the true Religion, will ſecure us; ſo were the Jews; and if God ſpared not the natural Branches, when their ſins called for Judgments, we muſt not expect that he will ſpare us. The longer we are ſuffer'd to abuſe God's Mercies, the greater will be our ruine when it comes; and the Ax that hath been long lifted up againſt us, will by all theſe delays only fetch the bigger blow. And if we ſtill fruſtrate all God's gracious deſigns of Mercy towards us, in ſtaying thus long for our Repentance, and making all the Nations round us become a warning to us; we may juſtly expect the heavieſt Judgments of all, and become our ſelves a ſad example to others. Behold the Fig-tree which Chriſt himſelf curſed for want of Fruit; look upon the Vineyard that God himſelf planted, expoſed at laſt to the Wild Beaſts of the Foreſt, becauſe its Fruit was bad. Do but go to Shiloh, the Prophet, Jer. 7. 12. 14. and ſee what God hath done to that place for the ſins of it. Go to Jeruſalem, and ſee what Vengeance he hath brought upon his own People; go to the Seven Churches of Aſia, and ſee thoſe once glorious Churches become waſt and barbarous; go to Antioch, where the Diſciples were firſt called Chriſtians, and ſee that place become an Heap of Ruines, without one Chriſtian▪ Church in it Chytraeus de ſtatu Eccleſ. in Aſia, p. 23, 24. yea, go to all the Eaſtern and African Churches, and ſee there what their Sins have done to them, and then take Chriſt's Word for it, That except ye repent, ye ſhall all likewiſe periſh, Luke 13. Behold our Savious at this time of Tryal now ſaying to us, as once he did to Jeruſalem, O England, England, how often would I have gathered you as a Hen gathers her Chickens under her Wings, and you would not! I dread to add the laſt part of the Verſe, Behold your Houſe is left unto you deſolate.

Now one natural effect of Miſeries is to make Men ſerious and conſiderate, and reflect upon the ſins that they have committed. When Joſeph's Brethren were in diſtreſs, tho twenty years after, they cried out, We are verily guilty concerning our Brother, in that we ſaw the anguiſh of his Soul when he beſought us, and we would not hear, therefore is this Evil come upon us, Gen. 42. 21. When Antiochus was upon his Death-bed, he then remembred the Evils he had done to Jeruſalem, 1 Macab. 6. 12. And Joram, tho a wicked King, yet when he was in diſtreſs, cried out, This Evil is from the Lord, 2 Kings 6. 33. Let us therefore conclude likewiſe, that all the Evils we ſuffer are from the Lord, and that our ſins have deſerved them. Let us remember now at leaſt in this day of God's Viſitation, how often we have ſlandered and abuſed the beſt Church in the World, even then crying out of it, Popery, Popery, when it was well known to be the greateſt Bulwark in the World againſt it.

And if the Lord hath at this time drawn a Sword againſt us, let us alſo proclaim War againſt our ſins that cauſed him; always remembring, that as there is no Evil in a City, but from the Lord, ſo there is no deliverance but from him alſo. If therefore the Perjury, Hypocriſie, and other crying ſins of this Kingdom, have almoſt ruined it; and nothing but a Repentance as univerſal as our ſins, can bring deliverance: Let us turn unto the Lord with all our Hearts, and all our Souls, and he will have mercy upon us; ſo that if our ſins have produced a Gurſe, the Holineſs of our Lives may now bring down Bleſſings on us; and if our ſins have made us a reproach, our righteouſneſs may at laſt exalt our Nation. Let us reſolve therefore to be religious in good earneſt, and by the holineſs of our Lives, call louder to Heaven for Mercies, than ever our ſins have done for Judgments. Let God's Righteouſneſs go before us in all our Actions, and then ſhall his Glory be our Reward; then ſhall God again rejoyce over us to do us good, and the Gates of Hell ſhall not prevail againſt us: Happy are the People that are in ſuch a caſe; yea, bleſſed are the People who have the Lord for their God.

FINIS.