VIewing with a serious, (but a sad) eye; into what a sabarinth of woes, the Kingdome in gene­rall, and the City in particular, is like unavoidably to plunge, unlesse those two grand Compurgators of a sin-desiled Nation; Repentance and Reformation do make a speedy and forcible step into the gap, made wide for judge­ment. I am constrained, by the great engagements of na­ture, and Religion, thus in publike, to unmaske my ne [...]rest thoughts, and with the strong (echoes of a troubled spirit, to unbosome my sad complaynts:

What is become of those quondam dayes, those harmlesse times, which well may be accompted happy; for though they were ignorantly zealous, yet they were not learnedly, knowingly, vitious! O Sodom and Gomorah, and ye Ci­ties of Pentaepolis, now the ruinous monuments of celestiall vengeance, had those things been heard of you, done in you, that have been done, and heard of in thee, O Englands Ieru­salem! ye had remained untill this day.

O City of harlots, though now thou sittest like a Queen, among the virgin Daughters of Sion, and by thy sorceries art become mighty; thou, that hast subdued that terrible [Page 2] enemy conquered Princes; at last, hast lost thy selfe, by thy selfe; shall the blood of Goates and Calves propitiate? no, not the obl [...]ion of many thousand soules, where is the prin [...] of all thy faults? where is the returnes of all thy teares? thou fasted, but not to the Lord; thou wept, but not for sin: they were but the lowings of beasts for want of Fod­der; howling for supplyes of nature, not mournings for defects of grace.

Abating of sin, is the allaying of Judgement, unfined hu­miliation: the onely Antidote against distruction; ballance thy sorrowes with thy sins, thy repentance with the true effects, then tell me, are not thy transgressions sealed, thy dayes numbred.

O City of Stirrs! is not thy hand drunke with the blood of innocents? hath not thy arme layd wast the dwel­ling places of thy sisters, and art thou better then they, no, 'tis thou hast sinned, is for those sheepe, those lambes, what have they committed? Heaven made thee the word of his fury; when the Children bleedes, shall not the world be burnt? Though Babel was that fatall Engine to level Israel with the earth; yet as she hath done, so shall it be done un­to her, the hammer shall be broken, Babel shall become de­solate among the Nations. Jer:50.15.23. And why? be­cause she hath been a golden cup in the Lords hand (by whom he powred out his vengeance) that made all the earth drunken; the Nations have dranke of her wine; therefore do the people rage (because of the great afflictions they sustained by her) therefore will the Lord render unto Babel, all the evill she hath done to Zion, A Post shall run to meete the Post, and a Messenger to meete the Messenger, to shew the King of Babel, the passages are stopped, the City is ta­ken, come therefore, and let us go every one to his owne Countrey; for her Judgement is come up to heaven, and is lifted up unto the Cloudes. Ier. 51.7.9 31.

O City of blood! how hast thou slaine the Priests of the [Page 3] Lord; and cast them out, (like Dung) from the Inheritance of the God of Iacob, how hast thou exalted in their roomes, Prophets that prophesie falsly; because the people love to have it so: thy adulterate Pallate loathed Manna, choo­sing rather Egiption morsells, stinking garlick before the bread of Heaven. Thou hast pull downe Ceremony, and set up heresie, cast out innovation, and brought in confusion, the basest of thy people wing'd with thy shelter, have ex­changed stalles for Pulpits; as if no Rabby so seraphicall as an ambitious Mechannick (under the false glosse of illumi­nation) to make the Proselite. Rotten sticks do yeeld a light, but not profitable, if starres appeare by day, 'tis no lesse then ominous; and what influence these Glo-wormes have on thy diviner part, to act thy soule for heaven, to the judicious eye is held miraculus; shall not these things be re­quired of thee.

O City of pride, hath England trembled, and art thou exalted, what a miseable solecisme is this humilem deum, & superbum hominem, to have a humble God in heaven, and a proude man on Earth! Oh blush for shame, if yet be left one drop of grace within thy veines, should one of our fore­fathers arise from his bed of earth, behold our garbes, and take a strict survey of all our vaine attire; would he not stand amazed, and disacknowledge us his generation, being so divercified in moode and figure from our quondam dayes? what a monstrous birth flowes from thy fruitfull wombe? what prodigious meteors, apparitions of men and women, se we dayly in our streetes? what? the glorious Queene become so base a whore, to prostitute under every hedge, to open her quiver to every arrow, to act every new invented sin, to embrace lovers of all sorts, of all fashions, knowest thou not that Pride goes before distruction, Prov.16.18. Therefore because the Daughters of Zion, yea and persons too, are haughty, walking with stretcht out necks, and with wandring eyes, walking and minsing as they go, &c. the Lord shall make their heads bald, and discover their secret [Page 4] parts, Esa.3.16.17. and because thy wantonnesse is so exceeding great, as to act thy shame in publike, with such brazen impudency; instead of sweet savour, there shall be a stinck, and instead of a girdle, a rent; in­stead of dressing (frizlig podering) the hare baldnes instead of a stomack, sackcloth, & burning instead of beauty; yea thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy strength in the battel; then shall thy gates mourne, and thou being desolate shall sit upon the ground. Esa.3.24,25,26.

O City of sin! how do thy streetes ring with oaths? & thy houses with such hydeous blasphemies, enough to blast the universe, and make it crack into a dissoluti­on: The very Pagan Gods (whereof the Divell was one) durst never (without death) be so blasphemed, as is (by thee) that glorious Diety whose Character thou bearest, by whose name thou art called Christi­an; do not thy horrid oathes, thy hellish execrations Peale lower then the thunder, though those elemen­tall jarrs makes the earth to quake, and the very roof of heaven to tremble. To slay a man is death; but to murder the Sonne of God, a twelve-penny fine is a sufficient expiation; nay it were well if that were done; our iniquity intollerable! good lawes; bad executioners.

In a word, what cryes, what cruelties, what yel­lings of the poor, what clamours of distressed soules, what roaring of the bruised bones, what crashing of broken limbs, proclames thy ruine? what drun­kennesse and open vomitings, what whoredoms and unheard of filthinesse? (the nomination whereof would sparkles blushes in a heathen cheek) what [Page 5] prophanations of the Lords day, what tragicall ty­rannies and bloody expressions, what unmercifull ex­tortions infects the very aire, and like so many shrill Alarmes, trumpets forth thy desolation. Niniveth had bnt forty dayes to breath repentance in, thou hast had many thousands; but she repented, go to sinners schoole O City of abomination; coppy out, practice Niniveth. Art thou sure of her priviledges hast thou forty dayes to turne thee in? Generall sorrow may beget a generall safety; but without a speedy humili­ation, expect a speedy desolation; what is thy Belo­ved more then other Beloveds? this City more then other Cities? The Lord is just, and his spirit will not alwayes strive: when the Lyon roares, all the Beasts of the Forrest tremble, when the Lord shall ut­ter his voice, and the Almighty Thunderer blow upon a people, is then the time, to sit downe to eat and drinke, for to morrow they must dye? the great Belteshazars joynts uncymented, his whole frame fell into an Earthquke, when the finger of heaven was penning out his doome, Dan. 5. Oh that thou hadst an eye to see, an eare to heare, a heart to consider, thy grievous sin, thy great reproach, thy approahing ruin, shall the Lord whistle for an executioner from farre; behold the Sonne eut of thy bowels, longs for thy dayes of mourning, and the Lord will reinforse that Arme, thon hast strengthned, exalted, to destroy thee.

Therefore if any roome for sighs, if any way for teares be left unto the throne of grace, step into the gap, quench the wrath gone forth, make an attone­ment [Page 6] for the people; if but tenn faithfull ones, be found within thy specious walles, cry aloud, spare not; the Lord will do great things for the tenns sake, And the everlasting God gracious and mercifull, who forgiveth iniquity, transgression and sin, pardon thy rebellions, and grant thee favour in his sight, that thou mayst live to laugh thine enemies in the face; to be the joy and comfort of this dejected Nation, and the glory of the world; for his sake, that bought thee with his own hearts blood, Jesus Christ true, God blessed for ever. Amen.