YE have here in my Text as in much of the world, a woful change, wrought by a power­full author, and upon a just merit: The change of a fruitfull Land in­to barrennesse; the author, GOD, the almighty arbiter of the world, He turneth; the merit, the wickednesse of the inhabitants. These three then must be the measure of my tongue, and your eares, the change, [Page 2]the Author, the Merit. In the change you shall see the Act and the Sub­ject. For the first: All these earthly things have their turnes; the whole World is the proper region of mutability. I know not whe­ther I should exempt heaven it selfe. Even there I finde a change, of Motion, of Face, of Quality; Motion whether by consistence, or retrogradation, Sun stand thou still in Gibeon, and thou Moone in the vally of Aialon, Ios 12.10. There was a change in not moving. And for Retrogradation, The shadow went back ten degrees in the diall of Ahaz, Es. 38.8. A change of Face, the Sun was darkned, Luc. 23.45. when the Sun of righteousnesse was eclip­sed, and shall be so againe ere he breake forth in full glory: Then [Page 3]shall the Sun be darkned, the Moone shall lose her light, the Starres shall fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven shall be shaken, Mat. 24.29. A change of quality; what need I feare to a­scribe that to this glorious frame, when the spirit of God can tell us; They shall waxe old as a garment, as a vesture thou shalt change them, and they shall be changed. In the meane time our eyes can tell us, that the second of these greater lights, the Moone, is the very embleme of mutabili­ty; never looking upon us twise with the same face; there is no moneth passeth over us, wherein shee is not both new and old, to the making up of a just and com­mon riddle, that not exceeding the age of 28. daies, shee is yet no lesse old then the world; ever filling [Page 4]and waning, and like the true i­mage of all mutability, never so blotted as in her greatest bright­nesse.

Yea, what need we doubt to a­scribe some change to these mate­riall heavens; when if we looke to the inside of them, we shall finde that there hath been the greatest change in the very Angells; and for their present condition, that though the essence of the glorious spirits there, be immutable from within, having nothing in them that may worke their dissolution or change, yet that we cannot say they are immutable from with­out, since if that power which gave them being, should with­draw his hand, they could not be. It is the perfection of God only, [Page 5]to be absolutely inalterable, and as to work freely, so to bee neces­sarily: so as our subtile Bradwardine maintaines that ens necessarium is the first attribute of God, that can fall under our notion. And even of this most glorious, infinite, and only perfect and absolute being, we may safely (though in all aw­full reverence) say, with Gregory, Mutat sententiam, non mutat consilium, He changeth his threatned doom, but never his decree. But, how high are weflowne ere we were a­ware; me thinkes I heare the An­gell speake to me as to Esdras; Thy heart hath gone too farre in this world, and thinkest thou to comprehend the waies of the most High?

Cast we our eyes rather downe to the lower orbes of elementary [Page 6]mixture; here is nothing to be seen but in a perpetuall gyre of mutati­on; the elements that are partners in quality, interchange with each other in substance, the mixed bo­dies can no more stand still then the heaven whereby they are go­verned; for as that Sun never holds one minute in one place, never day walkes the same round, no more doe these inferior bodies continue one moment in the same estate, but ever altering; either growing up to their (ἀκμὴ) the verticall point of their being, or declining towards their cor­ruption; insomuch as Physitians observe, that every seaven years this body of ours is quite another from it selfe, and in a continuall renewing of supplies, or degrees of decaies.

And if ye looke upon the grea­ter bodies, the Sea and the Earth, yee shall see that the sea is ever eb­bing and flowing, and will want waves ere it want motion; The earth, which of all visible things hath the style of cōstancy [terre quae nunquam movebitur] yet sometimes feels the motion of Trepidation in her vast body: The earth shook and trembled, and the foundations of the hills moved, and were shaken, Psal. 18.7. And alwaies in the surface of it feeles the motion of sensible mutation; the domestiques where­of, as all vegetative and some sen­sitive creatures, and the Lords thereof, rationall creatures, are e­ver as moving, as the earth is still: ever breeding, borne, growing, declining, dying: And if ye match [Page 8]these two together, ye shall see how the Sea and the Earth win of each other; it is full tide now, where there was a goodly crop: and where the oxe grazed, there the whale swims; How have wee seene steeples to stand in those li­quid cemiteries; in stead of masts, & again the plough to goe, where the ship lately sailed!

And as it is thus in the frame of nature, so of policy too, those great and famous Monarchies of the world what ever precious metall, their head, shoulders, wast, have beene of; yet their feet have been of clay, and are gone into dust; Civility, arts, soverainty have, in an imitation of the Suns course, gone from Fast to West, and will no where be fixed, till [Page 9]they be overtaken with the last re­volution.

In vaine therefore shall wee look for constancy upon earth; look how possible it is for a man that stands, fortune-like, upon a round rolling stone in a smooth floore to be steddy in his posture, so possible it is for us to be setled in an unchangeable condition, whiles we are upon this spheare of variablenesse. Can we think that the world shall move, and wee stand still? Were the Sun the center of motion, and the earth whirled about in this vast circum­ference, could we make account of rest? And if in our own parti­cular, we could either stay our foot, or shift it at pleasure, not­withstanding that insensible rap­ture [Page 10](as the Ant may creepe the contrary way to the violent cir­cumvolution of the wheele) yet we must necessarily bee swayed with that universall swinge of mutability, wherewith all crea­tures are carried forcibly about. The most lasting Kingdomes therefore have had their periods; and of the most setled goverment, Gods hand writing upon the wall goes so farre as to say, Mene, mene, thy dayes are numbred. Oh the fickle­nesse of this earthly glory and pro­sperity! Oh the glassy splendor of all humane greatnesse; crackt with a touch, with a fall broken! who would set his heart upon these unstable felicities? Doe ye not smile at the child, which when he hath raised a large bubble out [Page 11]of his wallnut-shell, joyes in that aery globe, and wonders at the goodly colours he sees in it; which whiles he is showing his owne face and his play-fellowes in that sleight reflection, vanishes away, & leaves nothing but a little froa­thy spittle behind it? so ridiculous are wee, whiles we dote upon these fugitive contentments. The captive Prince in the story, noted well when he lookt back upon the charet of his proud victor, that still one spoake of the wheele went downe as another rose; Think of the world as it is, O yee great ones, it turnes round, and so doe all things in it. Great Saladine caused it to be proclaimed, that he had nothing left him but his winding-sheet. The famous Ge­nerall [Page 12]that thrise rescued Rome, came to Date obolū Belisario, one sin­gle half-penny to Bellisarius. Take your turnes then for these earthly preeminences, but look at them still as perishing; and if you ayme at rest, looke for it above all these whirling orbes of the visible hea­vens; say of that Empyreall hea­ven, as God said of the holy of ho­lies which was the figure of it, Hic requies mea in aeternum, Here shall be my rest for ever: there as Bernard well, is the true day that never sets, yea there is the perpetuall high­noone of that day, which admits no shadow. Oh then over-look all these sublunary vanities; set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth; seek those things which are above, [Page 13]where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God; There only shall you find true rest, and constant glory. This for the act of the turn­ing, the termes or subjest of it fol­lowes; A fruitfull land into barren­nesse.

Philosophy hath wont to teach us that every change is to the con­trary; here it is so, plainly; Fruit­full into barren, yea into the ab­stract Barrennesse it selfe: Small al­terations are not noted; the grow­ing of the grasse, the daily decli­ning into age, though not without a kind of change, are insensible; but for Aarons dry rod to be bud­ded, blossomed, almoned in a night; for the vigorous, and cur­led prisoner to become gray hea­ded by morning; for the flourish­ing [Page 14] Pentapolis, to be turned sud­dainly into sulphurous heapes, and salt-pits, these things fill the eye, not without an astonishment of the heart. The best beauty de­caies by leasure, but for a fleshy Idoll at the Court, to become sud­dainly a leprous Miriam, is a plain judgement; Thus, when the faire face of the earth, shall be turned from a youthly and flourishing greennesse, into a parched, and withered deformity; the leaves which are the hayres, fall off, and give way to a loathsome bald­nesse; the towred Cities, which are the chaplets and dresses of that head, are torne downe, and turned to rubbish; the fountaines and ri­vers, which are the crystalline hu­mours of those eyes, are dryed up; [Page 15]the surface, which is the skin of that great body, is chopped, and chinked with drought, and burnt up with heat; those sweet waters of heaven, and those balmy drops of fatnesse wherewith it was wont to be besprinkled, are re­strained, and have given place to unwholsome serenenesse, and kill­ing vapors: shortly, that pampe­red plenty, wherewith it was glut­ted, is turned into a pinching want, this change is not more sen­sible, then wofull. It is a great judgement this of barrennesse, the curse of the disappointing fig­tree was but this; Never fruit grow more on thee; as contrarily, the crea­ture was blessed in no other tearmes then Crescite & multiplicami­ni, Increase and multiply. A barren [Page 16]womb was Michols plague, for her scoffing at devotion. It was held by Abimelec no small judgement that God inflicted on him in clo­sing up all the wombs of the house of Abimelec, Gen. 20.18. and therefore it is said Abraham prayed, v. 17. and God hea­led Abimelec, and his wife, and his maid­servants. And surely as the Iewes held this the reproch among wo­men (though ours have not the same opinion, nor the same rea­son) Luc. 1.25. (in so much as Canta sterilis had been a strange word, Ep. 54.1. were it not for that which followeth, The desolate shall have more children then the married;) So this is opprobrium terrae, the re­proch of our common mother, an unbearing womb, and dry brests, Ose. 9.14. What followes hence, but [Page 17]miserable famine, leannesse of body, languishing of strength, hollownesse of eyes, drinesse of bones, blacknes of skin, wringing of mawes, gnawing and clinging of guts, and in the end, the pale horse of death followes the black horse of famine, Revel. 6.8. And Those that are slaine by the sword are better then they that are slaine with hunger, Lament. 4.9. Yet let me tell you, by the way, the earthly and exter­nall barrennesse is nothing to the inward and spirituall; where the heart is barren of grace, where the life is barren of good works, the man is not neare to cursing, but is under it; Ye know who said Give me children or else I dye, Gen. 30.1. It was an over passionate word of a good woman; many a one lives, [Page 18]and that with lesse griefe and care, and more ease, without them; she might have lived happy though unfruitfull, but surely a barren soule is both miserable and dead­ly; God sayes of it as the Lord of the soyle said of the fruitlesse fig­tree, Exscinatur, Cut it up, why keepeth it the ground barren? If then wee find our selves in this condition, let us doe as Solomon sayes the fa­shion is of the barren womb, cry Give, Give, and never leave impor­tunate craving till we finde the twins of grace striving in the womb of our soules.

But yet if a dry Arabian desert yeeld not a spire of grasse; or the whitish sands of Egypt (where Nile toucheth not) yeeld nothing but their Suhit and Gazul (fit for [Page 19]the furnace, not the mouth;) or if some ill-natur'd wast, yeeld no­thing but heath and furres, we ne­ver wonder at it; these doe but their kinde; But for a fruitfull land to be turned to barrennesse, is an uncouth thing; the very excellen­cy of it aggravates the shame. And surely God would not doe it if it were not wondrous, he fetches light, not out of glimmering, but out of darknesse; he fetches not indifferent, but good out of evill: Wee weak agents (such all natu­rall, and other voluntary are) de­scend by degrees from an extreme, by the staires of a meane, and (that oft-times) sensible mutation; God, who is most free and infinite, is not tyed to our termes, he can in an instant turne faire into foule, [Page 20]fruitfull into barren, light into darknesse, something, yea all things into nothing, Present fruit­fulnesse therefore is no security a­gainst future barrennesse. It is the folly of nature to think it selfe up­on too sleight grounds sure of what it hath. Non movebor, David confesses, was his note once, but he soone changed it, and so shall wee, Thou art rich in good works, as that churle was in pro­vision, and saist, Soule take thy ease, let day hand be out of ure a little through a lazy security, thou hast forfeited all, by disuse, and maist expect to heare, Stulte, hac nocte: Thou art rich in profession of Grace? Was any man more offici­ous then Demas? yet he soon fell to imbrace the present world, with [Page 21]a neglect of the future. Think not now that I am falling in with our late Excutifidians, to teach that a true, solid, radicated saving faith may be totally, finally lost; no, I hate the motion: it is presumption that I taxe, not well grounded as­surance; presumption of outward profession, and priviledges, not assurance of the inward truth of grace. Presume not, o vaine man, of what thou wert, or what thou hast. Devills were Angells, Hie­rusalem was the holy Citty, Rome was for her faith famous through all the world, Rom. 1.8. Woe to Ariel, to Ariel the City where David dwelt, Es. 29.1. Our owne once good estate may aggravate our misery, can never secure our happinesse. Son of man, what shall [Page 22]become of the vine of all plants? (saith the Prophet) The more noble it is, the worse it speeds, if fruitlesse: Oh let us not be high-minded, but feare. England was once, yea late­ly was, perhaps is still, the most flourishing Church under hea­ven; that I may take up the Pro­phets words, Es. 13.19. the glory of Churches, the beauty of excellency; what it may be, what it will be, if we fall still into distractions, and various Sects, God knowes, and it is not hard for men to fore-see: Surely, if we grow into that Anarchicall fashion of Independent congregations, which I see, and lament to see, af­fected by too many, not without wofull successe; we are gone; we are lost in a most miserable con­fusion; we shall be, as when God [Page 23]overthrew Sodome and Gomorrah; Es. 13.20.21. and it shall be with us, as the Pro­phet speakes of proud, and glori­ous Babylon, The shepheards shall not make their fold here; wild beasts of the desert shall lye here, and our houses shall be full of dolefull creatures, and owles shall dwell, and satyres shall dance there, and the wild beasts of the Islands shall cry in our desolate palaces: I take no pleasure (God knowes) to omi­nate ill to my deare nation, and dearer mother the Church of England, for whose welfare and happinesse I could contemne my owne life: but I speake it in a true sorrow of heart to perceive our danger, and in a zealous pre­caution to prevent it. Oh God, in whose hands the hearts of Princes and all the sons of men are, to turne [Page 24]them, as the rivers of waters, put it in­to the heart of our King and Par­liament, to take speedy orderr for the suppression of this wild va­riety of Sects, and lawlesse inde­pendencies ere it be too late. Thus much for the subject and termes of this change; The agent followes, He turneth.

Never was there any sterility, whereof there may not be a cause given; Either, the season is un­kindly, parching with drought or drenching with wet, or nipping with frost, or blasting with per­nicious aires, or rotting with mil­dewes; or, some mis-accident of the place, inundations of waters, incursions and spoyle of enemies, suddaine mortalities of the inha­bitants, or some naturall fault in [Page 25]the soyle, or misdemeanure of the owners; idlenesse, ill-husbandry, in mis-timing, neglect of meet helps, unculture, ill choyce of seed; but what ever be the second cause, we are sure who is the first, Hee turneth: Is there any evill in the City and he hath not done it? Alas, what are all secondary causes, but as so many livelesse puppets? there is a divine hand unseene, that stirres the wires, and puts upon them all their motion: so as our Saviour said of Pilate, we may say of all the activest instruments both of earth, and hell, Thou couldest have no power over mee, unlesse it were given thee from above.

Is Ioseph sold to the Merchants by the villany of his envious bre­thren? The Lord sent me before you, [Page 26] Gen. 51. Doe the Chaldeans and Sa­beans feloniously drive away the heards of Iob, doth the Devill by a tempestuous gust bluster downe the house, and rob him of his chil­dren? The Lord hath taken, Iob. 1. Is a man slaine by chance-medly, the axe-head slipping from the helve? Dominus tradidit. So whether they be acts of nature, of will, of casualty; whether done, by natu­rall agents, by voluntary, by casu­all, by supernaturall, Digitus Dei­est hic; He turneth. What can all o­ther causes either doe, or be with­out him, who is the originall of all entity, and causality?

There is much wisdome and justice in distinguishing causes & giving each their owne; where­of, whiles some have failed, they [Page 27]have run into injurious, and fran­tick extrems: Whiles, on the one side, wild and ignorant hereticks have ascribed all to Gods agency, without acknowledging seconda­ry causes; on the other, Atheous fooles ascribe all to the second, and immediate causes, not look­ing up to the hand of an over­ruling, and all-contriving provi­dence; We must walk warily be­twixt both, yeelding the necessa­ry operatiō of subordinate means, imployed by the divine wisdome; and adoring that infinite wis­dome, and power, which both produces, and imployes those sub­ordinate means to his own holy purposes. Tell mee then; art thou crossed in thy designes and expe­ctation? Blame not distempers [Page 28]of times, disappointment of un­dertakings, intervention of crosse-accidents; this is, as some shifting Alchymist that casts all the fault of his mis-successe, upon his glasse, or his furnace; but kisse that invi­sible hand of power, which di­sposeth of all these sublunary e­vents, if against thy will, yet ac­cording to his owne. Even na­ture it selfe will teach us to reduce all second causes to the first. Be­hold (saith the Lord) I will heare the heavens, they shall heare the earth, the earth shall heare the corne, wine, oyle, and they shall heare Israel. Lo here is a necessary scale whereof no staffe can be missing: How should Is­rael live without corne, wine, oyle? how should the corne, wine, oyle, be had without the yeeldance [Page 29]of the earth? how should the earth yeeld these without the influence of heaven? how can heaven yeeld these influences without the com­mand of the maker? Ose. 2.21.

When I meet therefore with a querulous husbandman; he tels mee of a churlish soyle, of a wet seed-time, of a greene winter, of an unkindly spring, of a luke­warme summer, of a blustring autumne; but I tell him of a dis­pleased God, who will be sure to contrive and fetch about all sea­sons, and elements to his own most wise drifts and purposes.

Thou art a Merchant, what tellest thou mee of crosse winds, of Michael-mas flawes, of ill wea­thers, of the wasting of the Arch­angels wings when thou passest [Page 30]by the Grecian promontory of te­dious becalmings, of pyratical hazards, of falshood in trades breaking of customers, craft and undermining of interlopers, al [...] these are set on by heaven to impoverish thee.

Thou art a Courtier and has [...] laid a plot to rise; if obsequiou [...] servility to the great; if those gift [...] in the bosome, which our blun [...] Ancestors would have termed Bribes; if plausible suppalpations, if restlesse importunities wil [...] hoyse thee, thou wilt mount: Bu [...] something there is that clogs thy heele, or blocks thy way; either some secret detractor hath for­laid thee by a whispering mis-in­timation; or some mis-constructi­on of thy well-meant offices hath [Page 31]drawne thee into unjust suspition, or the envy of some powerfull corrivall trumps in thy way, and holds thee off from thine already swallowed honor; There is an hand above that manageth all this; What are we but the Keyes of this great instrument of the world, which he touches at plea­sure, depressing some, whiles o­thers rise, and others againe stand still?

Yea, let me make higher in­stances of you men of State, that sway the great affaires of King­domes, and by your wise and aw­full arbitrements decree (under Soveraignty) of either warre or peace, & either take up or slacken the raynes of Commerce, so fra­ming the many wheeles of this [Page 32]vast engine that all may move happily together; you may rack your braines, and enlarge your forraine intelligences, and cast in the symboles of your prudent contributions to the common welfare, but know withall, Fru­stra nisi Dominus, let your projects be never so faire, your treaties ne­ver so wise and cautious, your en­terprises never so hopefull, if he doe but blow upon them, they are vanished. The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor yet bread to the wise, Eccles. 9.11.

What should we doe then, but look up to that Almighty hand that swayeth all these sublunary, yea and celestiall affaires? It is the weake fashion of foolish children to ascribe all their kindnesses, or [Page 33]discontents to the next cause; If good befall them, it is the Taylor to whom they are beholden for their coate, the Confectionary for their sweet-meats, not their pa­rents who pay for all these; A­gaine, if the knife be taken away from them, the Servant is blamed and beaten with their feeble but angry hand, not the mother that commanded it; yea it is the bru­tish fashion of unreasonable crea­tures to run after, and bite the stone, not regarding the hand that threw it. Wee Christians should have more wit; and since we know that nature it selfe is no o­ther then Gods ordinance of se­cond causes, and chance is but an ignorance of the true causes; and our freest wills are over-ruled by [Page 34]the first mover, oh let us improve our reason and Christianity so much, as to acknowledge the se­cret, but most certaine hand of an omnipotent agent, in all the oc­currents of the world; for certain­ly there cannot be a greater injury to the great King of heaven and earth, then to suffer second causes to run away with the honor of the first, whether in good or e­vill.

Secondly, what should we doe but kisse the rod, and him that smites with it, patiently receiving all chastisements from the hand of a powerfull, wise, just God? Had we to doe with an agent lesse then omnipotent, we might per­haps think of him as one said of the Egyptian Magitians, They [Page 35]could hurt, but they could not heale, they could doe evill, but not good; or we might feare some­thing might betide us against, be­side, without his will; finite agents cannot goe beyond their owne spheare, were the power of great Princes as large as their wills, none of their designes should be ineffectuall: Or, had we to doe with a powerfull agent that were not also infinitely wise, we might think he might be over-reacht in his plot: But now that infinite power and wisdome are the very essence of God; let us, what ever we doe, or may befall us, take up that holy resolution of good Ely, It is the Lord, let him doe what seemeth him good, 1. Sam. 3.18.

But in the meane time let not [Page 36]those wicked wretches, by whose unjust hand the just God thinks good to scourge his owne, com­fort themselves with the hope of an impunity, because they are un­wittingly used in his executions: No, they are no whit the more innocent, because God beats his owne with their malice; neither shall they be lesse avenged because they have heedlesly done Gods will, whiles they despitefully doe their owne; Ashur is the rod of Gods wrath, when God: hath suf­ficiently whipt, & drawne blood of his Israel by him, he casts him into the fire; the fire of that wrath which Ashi [...] feeles from God, is a thousand times hotter then the fire of that wrath which Israe [...]redg [...] feeles from Ashur. Shortly, God [Page 37]will have his due honor both in afflicting his owne, and in plague­ing those that afflicted them; his agency is equall in both; He turn­eth a fruitfull land into barrennesse. Hi­therto the agent; now followes the meriting cause of this change, The wickednesse of them that dwell therein.

God is an absolute Lord, Domi­ni est terra; he is not accountable for any reason of his change: whe­ther of barrenesse or plenty, there needs no other ground to be given but, Quia voluit; and even so it is in this stirring peece of earth, which we carry about us; Why this womb, or those loynes are sterile, that fruitfull, yea, why this, or that soule is so, he needs not give any reason but his will, yet so far doth he condescend to us, as to impart [Page 38]to us an account of the ground of his proceedings; Man suffreth for his sin, saith the Prophet; and the earth suffreth here for the wickednesse of the inhabitants: Evermore, God hath some motive for the inflicting of evil; As it is in the main point of a mans eternal estate, Mans Salvati­on is, ex mero beneplacito; The gift of God is eternal life; but his damnation is never without acause in mā; The soule that sinneth shaldy: So it is in this case of lesser good or evill; when God speakes of turning wildernesses into ponds of water, in the following words, ye heare no cause assigned but meer mercy, but whē he speaks of turning fruitful lands into barren­nes, now, it is for the wickednes of indwellers. This is a most sure rule therefore, All judgements are infli­cted [Page 39]for sin; Chastisements are out of love, but punishment out of Justice; Yea, so doth God order his judgements commonly, that in the punishment we may reade the sin, and in the sin we may foresee the punishment; and can confi­dently define, where punishment is, there hath been sin; and where sin is, there will be punishment.

I have heard and seene some ig­norant impatients, when they have found themselves to smart with Gods scourge, cast a sullen frowne back upon him, with Cur me caedis? or with the maleconten­ted mother of the striving twins, Why am I thus? Alas, what mere, what miserable strangers are these men at home? There is nothing in the world that they doe more mis­know [Page 40]then themselves; had they ever but look't in, if but at the door, yea at the window, yea at the Key­hole of their owne hearts or lives, they could not choose but cry out, with holy Iob, I have sinned, what shal I do to thee, O thou preserver of Men? They would accuse, arraign, & con­demne themselves, and would ra­ther bethinke which of those ma­ny thousand sinnes which they have multiplyed against heaven, they are called to reckoning for, and would have no word in their mouth but mea culpa, mea culpa. Now as where punishment is, there was sin: so where sin is, there will be, there must be punishment. If thou dost ill, saith God to Cain, Sin lyes at the doore, Gen. 4.7. Sin, that is, punishment for sin, they are so inse­parable [Page 41]that one word implyes both: for the doing ill, is the sin, that is within doores; but the suf­fring ill is the punishment: and that lies like a fierce mastive at the door, and is ready to fly in our throat when we looke forth: and if it do not then seize upon us, yet it dogs us at the heeles, and will be sure to fasten upon us at our greatest dis­advantage. Tum gravior cum tarda venit, &c. Iosephs brethren had done baynously ill, what becomes of their sin? It makes no noyse, but followes them flily and silently in the wildernes, it followes them home to their fathers house, it fol­lowes them into Egypt: all this while there is no newes of it, but when it found them cooped up three dayes in Pharaohs ward, now [Page 42]it bayes at them, and flies in their faces: We are verily guilty concerning our brother in that we saw the anguish of his soule, &c. Gen. 42.21. What should I instance in that, whereof not Scripture, not bookes, but the whole world is full; the inevitable sequences of sin and punishment? Neither can it be otherwise; Shall not the Iudge of all the earth doe right, saith Abraham, Gen. 18.25? Right is to give every one his due: wages is due to work; now the wages of sin is death: So then it stands upon no lesse ground then the very ne­cessary, and essential justice of God, that where wickednes hath led the way, there punishment must fol­low: There is more need to apply then to prove so cleare a truth; How then I beseech you, honora­ble [Page 43]and beloved, stands the case with us? where is the man that dare flatter us so much, as to say, there is not store of wickednesse sound in our hands: Wo is mee, we are in the eyes of all the world no lesse eminent in Gods favours, then in our owne sinfulnesse: It is past our power to either conceale, or denye, or excuse our abomina­ble iniquities: Certainly, if we change not, we are sure God will not; What can we then expect, from that just hand of the Almigh­ty, but that he should turne our fruitfull land into barrennesse, for the wickednesse of us that dwell in it? I may not be so sawcy, to pre­sage by what course he will doe it; That Almighty arbiter of the world hath a thousand wayes to [Page 44]his own ends; but it is not an im­probable note of the Author of our Fasciculus temporum; that there is trifarius cursus rerum, Abundantiae, indigentiae, temperantiae; a three fold course of things; of Abundance, want, tempreance: From abun­dance or excesse, arises animosity and delicacy: from these arises dis­cord, and quarrells; and from these want; from want we beginne to learne wit, and compose our selves to temperance; that thrifty course raises abundance, In circuitu ambu­lant impii, as he speakes: Now what shall we say? Of the abundance and delicacy we have surfeited al­ready too long; we are now in the quarrelsome part, that arises from our pampered animosity; and what can follow next, but our mi­serable [Page 45]indigence and distresse? we may please our selves in the secure condition of our happy union, in the strength of our wooden walls and our naturall Bulwarkes; But I remember what I have read of a noble and wise Captain, who when he was vehemently mo­ved to take upon him the De­fence of a strong City, which was inforced to him by the safe site, strong fortifications, plentifull am­munition, and inexpugnable walls of it; Yea (saith he) but tell me I pray you, have you any covering betwixt it and heaven? have you any defence a­gainst the vengeance of that God, whom your sins have provoked? If those sins of yours shall draw downe Gods curses upon your heads, to what purpose shall it be to indea­vour [Page 46]to keep your enemy out o [...] your gates? The story applies i [...] ­selfe; In vaine shall we thinke to secure our selves and our state from earth, if we irritate heaven.

There is no sin that is dumb, there is none that whispers; every one is vocall, loud, clamorous to solicit heaven for vengeance, but some are more shrill and impor­tunate then others; God hath been pleased to distinguish their noyse: Oppression is one that hee heare [...] above the rest; That hath two tongues, both lowd ones, both prevalent; The cry of the Oppres­sed, and the cry of the Oppression; The Lord will enter into judgement with the Ancients of his people, and the Princes thereof. Wherefore? The spoile of the poore is in their houses. [Page 47]What meane you that ye beat my people to pieces, and grinde the faces of the poore, saith the Lord God of hoasts? Isay 3.14.

Contempt of Gods Ministers is another, and that's a paying sin wheresoever it is, Ier. 25.4. Even Moses himselfe that was mitissimus super terram, yet when he comes to speake of affronts offered to Levy, can say; Smite through the loynes of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not againe, Deut. 33.11.

What should I particularize? The Lord hath a controversie with the land, saith the Prophet Hosea, By swea­ring, and lying, and killing, and stea­ling, and committing adultery, they breake out, and blood toucheth blood; Therefore shall the Land mourne. [Page 48]Hos. 4.2. Doth hee not speake of our times, think you?

But above all these there is a sin, which wheresoever it is, drownes the noyse of all the rest, and that is Sacriledge, which certainly, in what hand, in what nation soever it is found, hurries downe an in­evitable judgment.

It was a fearfull word that of the Psalmist, Make their Nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, yea, all their Princes like Zeba and Zalmunna, who said, Let us take to our selves the houses of God in possession: O my God, make them like a wheel. Psal. 84.11, 12.

Indeed, how can it be other­wise? Will a man rob God, sayes the Prophet? Yee are cursed with a curse, for ye have robbed mee, Malachy, 3.9.

What should I tell you the [Page 49]stories of Baltasar, of Heliodorus, of Crassus, of Iulian, of the Templars, of Woolsey, and of his Master H. 8. shortly, show me the man, the fa­mily, the nation that ever prospe­red after sacriledge; I am sure I have a great Author to the contrary; no lesse then one of the nine worthies, Charles the great. Novimus (saith he) multa regna, & reges eorum propterea cecidisse, quia ecclesias spoliarunt, rés­que earum alienarunt, & militibus lo­co stipendii dederunt.

We have known, saith he, great Kingdoms, and the Kings of them therefore to have miscarried, be­cause they spoyled Churches, and alienated their possessions, and gave them to their souldiers for their pay. If any man have a mind to feoffe a curse upon himself and [Page 50]his posterity, let him defile his fin­gers with the holy things of God: Oh let this portion be to the ene­mies of my Lord the King and our deare country; But upon him and his friends, and his peeres and peo­ple that abhorre this wickednesse, let there be blessings from God e­ven upon them and their seed for ever and ever.

Finally then, since there isno wickednes which doth not main­ly contribute to the pulling down of Gods vengeance upon us, and our Land; Let us in the feare of God joyn all our forces together a­gainst all the raigning sins of the time: Let us never thinke we can spend our selves better, then in stri­ving against the stream of our pres­sing iniquities: Wherefore hath [Page 51]God put the sword into the hands of you great men, but that you should use it to the effectuall cut­ting down of all wickednesse and vice? Wherefore hath God put the two-edged sword of the Spirit into the mouthes of us his Mini­sters, but that we should lay about us zealously, in season, and out of season; to the hewing downe of the over-growne abominations of this sinfull age? Yea how doth it concerne every one of you, who heare mee this day, if you would be but wise men, and good patri­ots, to put your hand to the work, and to bend your utmost indea­vours to the beating downe of your owne sins, and carefully to [...]ansacke all the blinde corners of your hearts to finde out the cursed [Page 52] Achan in your owne bosomes? Oh that each man would thus un­dertake to reforme one! How sure should we be that the good God of heaven would divert his fearful judgements, and graciously con­tinue the blessings of peace, plenty, prosperity, and together with them of an happy government, and the freedome of the blessed Gospell to us and our posterity after us: which God vouchsafe unto us for his mercies sake, and for the sake of the Son of his love, Iesus Christ the Iust, &c. To whom &c.