SEarch your selves, even search you, O Nation, not worthy to be be­loved, before the decree come forth and you be as chaffe that passeth on a day, Zeph. 2.1, 2.

The pride of thy heart hath deceiveved thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the Rockes, whose inhabitants is high, that saith in his heart Who shall bring mee downe to the ground? though thou exalt thy selfe as an Eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the Starres, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord, Obad. 3.4.

For I will gather all Nations against Jerusa­lem to battell, and the City shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished, and halfe the Citie shall goe forth into captivitie. Zach. 14.2.

And suddenly shall the sowne places appeare unsowne, the full Store-houses shall suddenly be found empty: And the Trumpet shall give a sound, which when every man heareth, they shall suddenly be afraid: At that time shall friends fight one against another like enemies, and the earth shall stand in feare, with those that dwell therein, 2 Esdras 6.22, 23, 24.

For the Sword and their destruction draw­eth nigh, and one people shall stand up to fight against another, and swords in their hands; for there shal be sedition among men, and invading one another; they shall not regard their Kings nor Princes, and the course of their actions shall stand in their power, 2 Esdr. 15.15, 16, &c.

Now is the Ax laid unto the root of the tree, every Tree therefore not bringing forth good Fruit, is hewne downe and cast into the fire, Luke 3.9.

Make no tarrying to turne unto the Lord; Neither put it off from day to day, for sud­denly shall the wrath of the Lord breake forth, and in thy security thou shalt be destroyed, and thou shalt perish in time of vengeance, Eccles. 5.7.

Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith) to day, if ye shal hear his voice, harden not your hearts; yea, this day, if yee heare his voyce harden not your hearts, Heb. 3.7, 8. & 4.7.

Therefore now, oh now remember fruitfull and pleasant England, and ye famous Cities and Townes, which like so many rich and glo­rious Diamonds embrodered, and garnished the garment of your Nation in every Shire and County; You that had a Land that flowed with Milke and Honey; being a Land of brookes of Waters, and Fountains, and depths that spring out of Valleyes and Hills; a Land of Wheat and Barley; & Wines and Fig-trees, &c. Built good­ly houses; thy Heards and Flocks multiply, with thy silver and gold, &c. But beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his Commandements and his Judgements, &c.

Oh wretched sinners that we are that delay­eth the amendment of our wicked lives by our incredulity: For surely if wée did beléeve those things which are written in the sacred Scripture of the judgement to come, of the voyce of the Arch-Angell, and Trumpet of Cod: of the Tri­bunall feare of Christ. before which we must all appeare, of the paines of the reprobate, of the endlesse condition and felicity of the righteous: of the Resurrection to come of Body and Soule, to an assured part either of Glory or shame: did wée believe these things? surely I am perswa­ded wée would stustie to live after another sort, and not defer the amendment of our lives as wée doe from day to day.

Remember that at the last Day our reco­nings must be cast up, we shall be called to an account, we live here in the sight of God and Man; and therefore wée ought with St Paul, herein exercise our selves, that we may have a good Conscience, void of offence towards God and toward man. Act. 24.16.

But we now live in all voluptuousnesse and (I believe that) all the sins that ever raigned upon the face of the Earth doth now abound both in City and Country, but especially in this City: Never was there more Pride, Ambition, base Flattery, Drunkennesse, Blasphemy, Luxurie, Deceit, Avarice, In-justice, Prodigality, Mur­ther, and Perjury: but true Religion (amongst two many) not regarded.

These sinnes, with a number more, fills the Land full of Treasons, the Subjects full of im­piety, and in the end, may ruinate a State, and batter down the walls of swéet Peace, (if pro­vidence in time prevent not so foule a mischief) That Common-wealth is most miserable, that hath her Foes within her selfe: and now mode­sty and civility are changed into all manner of dissolution and vanity.

As for Charity, that is banished the Land, witnesse the lamentable cries of the poore dayly presented to our eyes and eares, who are ready [Page 6]to starve for lack of food: But know, that wee ought not to turne our eye from the poore, but be carefull of them: And he that stoppeth his eares at the cry of the poor, shall cry himself, and not be heard. We ought to give to the poore cheerfully, and not to dispise them, have we not al one Father, hath not one God made us? 1 Cor 9.7. Why doth every one despise his own bro­ther, (saith Malachi 2.) And S. John saith, God is charity, and he that dweleth in charity, dwel­leth in God, and God in him.

Then let not the fire of Zeale drink up the dew and moisture of Charity, as the fire from Heaven dried up the water at Eliahs Sacrifice, 1 King. 18.38. Nor let not Sacrifice turn mercy out of doors, as Sara did Agar, Gen. 21.14. But remember the spéech of our Savior in Matthew, to those on the right hand, wher he saith, Com ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom pre­pared for you, from the fondation of the world For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat. I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stran­ger, and ye took me in; naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in pri­son, and ye came unto me, &c. Mat. 25.34 35, 36. In as much as ye have done it to one of the least of these my Brethren, ye have done it unto me. But I am afraid there are too many on the left hand, that hath done none of these things, to [Page 7]whom Christ said, In as much as yee did it not to one of the least of these, yee did it not to me. And these shall goe away into everlasting pu­nishment; but the Righteous into life eter­nall, vers. 45, 47.

O England, both Shires, Cities and Towns, there be too many false Brethren fostered in your bosome; Wolves clothed in Lambskins, that doe séem, by the precisenesse of their habit, and demurenesse of their behaviour, to be truly mor­tified to the World; They will reprove sin, re­fraine from swearing, celebrate the Sabboth. yea many houre of the wéek-daies in hearing of the Word, labouring (if they like the Minister) to digest it into their memories by penning and conference: In a word, they will pretend a great deale of faire and religious dealing, and séeme to be Gods white Children, but they are little better then black Divels transformed in­to Angels of light, 2 Cor. 11.14.

These are they that make Religion a cloake, wearing Christs Livery for their own conveni­ency, that so they may the more safely and un­suspectedly compasse their secret and unsacred end; For there are none that are more unjust in their dealings, none more covetous, deceit­full, full of pride, hatred malice, and all uncha­ritablenesse then they: For Hypocrites seeme to seek God in trouble, but not from the heart, [Page 8]and séeme Godly, but their deeds bewray them.

And thus doth Hypocrisie flourish, to the great reproach of sincere Professours: For wee may observe that all ungodlinesse hath advanced it selfe and taken heart in our Nation. Iniquity hath put on a brow of Brasse, and impiety like a shamelesse Strumpet, attended by Impudency, hoth taken up her standing in every street and corner of City. Town and Country: It is al­most impossible to relate the sinnes and wicked­nesse that raigne in this Land: Thus ungodli­nesse is become a contagious Leproste, it hath infected and runne over the whole body of this Land, and no part more then this City; inso­much that it may truly be said of us, as the Pro­phet of the Iewes; We are a sinfull people la­den with Iniquity: The whole head is sick, the whole heart is heavie, from the sole of the foot to the crown of the head, there is nothing whole therein, but wounds and swellings, and sores full of corruption. Isa. 1.4.5.6.

Alas poore England, thou hast cause to be­moane thy selfe; For the eyes of the wicked shall faile, and their refuge shall perish, and their hope shall be sorrow of mind; his owne counsell shall cast him down, his rejoycing is but short, and the joy of an Hypocrite is but a moment; For the wickeds light shall be ta­ken away, they are snared in the works of their [Page 9]own hands. Therefore we ought to look about us, the dangers are many wherewith our sin­full Nation is threatned; God hath often fore­warned us, and given us gentle corrections; but we amend not our lives: But let us know that God is just in all his wayes the eye of hea­ven is alwayes open he will bring all our deeds of darknesse to light, though we think to con­ceale them from him and the World: Let A­dam lurke never so much among the Trees of the Garden of Eden, he must come forth and be examined indited, convicted, adjudged: He that getteth up out of the pit, shal fall into the snare; he fleeth from a Lion, and a Beare meeteth him; leaneth his hand on the wall, and a Serpent bi­teth him. Thou mayest escape six dangers, and the seventh shall seize upon thee, as London, and other places yet have done:) But the Lord said; It shall come to passe, that him that esca­peth from the Sword of Hazaell, him shall Jehu slay: & him that ascapeth the Sword of Jehu, shall Elisha slay. Also note what the Prophet Jeremiah doth say: Cast them out of my sight, and let them depart; and if they aske whither shall we depart? say, such as are appointed unto death, unto death; and such as are for the sword to the sword; and such as are for the famine, to the famine; and such as are for the captivity, to the captivity.

Let us but observe how fickle the state of king­domes and Monarchs are as well as small ter­ritories: Can a man be safe in his Cabin, when the whole ship is drown'd under water? All mens estates are ventured in this great vessell called the Earth, which was once swallowed up in a deluge of water, and shall (ere it be long) with a deluge of fire. If our State hath received any wound or the Church any blow, we know where to lay the blame; we may say with mournfull Jerusalem, The Lord is righteous, but we have rebelled against him; God hath been good to us, but we unthankfull to him, Lam. 1.18.

Let not the Devill deceive, in making thee imagine or hope to please God, and yet to let thy corruptions lye unseen, and thy sinnes unsear­ched out, lest thereby thou mar all; For none useth to lay up Wheat in their Garners untill it be purged from the Chaffe: so think not to store up any saving knowledge, or any other grace of God in thy heart, untill the chaffe of vanity be first blown away, that so the holy graces of God may be laid up in the Garners of thy soule. Re­member Christ Parable of Tares and Wheat: Let both grow together untill the Harvest, and in the time of harvest. I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together, first the Tares, and binde them in bundles to burne them; but gather the Wheat into my barne, Mat. 13.30.

Therefore, O wretched England bewaile for thy transgressions and if God punish us, we our selves are the cause that forceth him to doe it; God inflicteth stripes, but we deserve them; God striketh, but we provoke him to it; God powreth out the Vials of his wrath, but it is we that fill them up to the brim, by our over­flowing iniquities: If we were not unjust in transgressing, God would not be just in punish­ing; For he delighteth in mercy, and good­nesse is his Nature, Micah. 7.18.

O then, let every one of us make a diligent search into his owne bosome, and judge himself, lest he be judged of the Lord: Let us rip up that body of sin which is within us, not only that na­turall corruption, which we have all alike suc­cessively received from our first Parents, but also those personall transgressions which every man hath made himselfe guilty of. Then having faithfully laid open our sinfulnesse, let us looke on it with a loathing eye and lamentable heart, For an humble and contrite heart, O Lord thou shalt not despise. And the Lord said Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorifie me.

Therefore let us goe with faith in the blood of Iesus Christ to the Throne of grace imploring mercy at the hands of our heavenly Father who is ready and willing to imbrace with the armes [Page 12]of his mercy, all such petitioning him for grace in the name of his Sonne.

And now (O England, Cities, Townes and private Families) let us for the time following, entertaine this setled resolution in­to our hearts, faithfully to labour in the refor­mation of those sinnes we have committed, by hearty repentance: and that wee may crowne our holy resolutions, and putting them into action, By bringing forth fruit wort by amend­ment of life: Luke, 3.8. for true Repentance is the gift of God.

Let us therefore even now, while it is to day, begin to work our salvation, with feare and trembling, and unfeignedly repent and call up­on God for mercy: for we have spent our time past upon the lusts of our owne hearts, in brin­ging forth the corrupt fruit of the flesh; in drun­kennesse in swearing, in prophanenesse, in pride, in uncleanenesse, and all other abbominable transgressions, which are loathsome to be nomi­nated. Therefore let us now walk in newnesse of life, lest the Lord doe suddenly, before wee doe so much as dream of it, hew us downe and cast us into the fire. Luke, 3.9.

And for that wee are all members of the mi­sticall Body of Christ Iesus, we doe humbly make our requests unto thee, O heavenly Fa­ther, both for our owne miserable selves at [Page 13]this present, and all others, as are afflicted with any kind of crosse or tribulation, as Warre, Plague. Famine, Sicknesse, Poverty, Impri­sonment, Persecution, Banishment, or any o­ther of thy Scourges or Roddes; Whether it be griefe of Body, or unquietnesse of Mind: and that it would please thee to give us and them patience and constancie, till thou send a full deliverance out of all our griefes and troubles, add so at length bring us to eternall blisse.

Then heare what good comfort our blessed Saviour Christ promiseth, if we repent us of our sinnes.

Come unto me all that are weary and heavy Laden, and I will ease you. I came not to call the Righteous, but Sinners to Repentance. The Sonne of Man came not to destroy, but to save. Mar. 2.17.

Come ye blessed of my Father, possesse the Kingdome prepared for you, before the foun­dation of the World was laid. Mat. 25.34.

These are Heavenly comforts for such as have forsaken their wickednesse, and turne unto the Lord, That when the chiefe Shepheard shall appeare, you shall receive a Crowne of Glory that fadeth not away. 1. Pet. 5.4.

Which, O dear Father of mercy, and God of all Consolation grant, for the merit of IE­SUS CHRIST, To whom with the Father, and the Blessed Spirit, be ren­dred all glory, praise, and thanks­giving now and for ever.

AMEN.