Sivut kuvina
PDF
ePub

" latter end." What pride, lust, and excess lie at your doors! What spoil and waste do you make in the world! You live as if you should never die; caring only what you should eat, what you should drink, and what you should put on; how you should trim, perfume, and beautify your poor mortal selves, and at which plays and sports you should divert and spend away that troublesome and melancholy thing called time, as you esteem it, instead of “redeeming the time, “ because the days are evil,” and preparing for the eternal judgment. Is this the way to glory? Did Jesus give you this example? O! he is crucified by thefe things! This is far from the true nobility, and Chriftian honour, that cometh from above.

Wo to you, judges of the earth, who pervert judge ment for a reward, that oppress the poor, and despise the cause of the needy; who regard the mighty and the rich in judgment, and delay justice for the fear or favour of man. That subject the laws to your wills, and righteous rules to your passions and intereft. Repent, and be just; for God, the just God, the great Judge of heaven and earth, shall judge you all according to your works: and dreadful shall that day of his reckoning and tribunal be, to all the workers of iniquity, but especially to unjust and corrupt judges. · And wo to you, lawyers, that refuse no cause for money; but will plead even against law, truth, and justice, for advantage; teaching your tongues to advocate for a lie, and your mouths for gain, to plead the cause of unrighteousness; raising unreasonable wealth unto yourselves, by the folly, ignorance, and contention of the people. O the equivocation, deceit, falsehood, and 'iniquity, that is in your profession, in which you let your consciences out to hire at every summons, for all sorts of causes : insomuch, that it is the money, and not the cause, that prevaileth. And the worst cause most commonly is most desired, because the client, doubtful of his success, is usually the most liberal to you. This also is for judgment.

And

And wo to you, merchants and traders, that have not the Lord's fear before your eyes, whose god is gold and gain; that neither buy nor fell with regard to his just principle in your consciences; that use vain and deceitful words, and that are not come to the just measure, and the righteous balance, but use frauds for advantage: that neither eye the Lord's providence by sea, nor his care by land; but day and night cast about how to raise to yourselves a great name and estate, to exalt your nests, and rank your families among the rich and the noble of the earth! The Lord will also plead with you: repent, and fear before God.

Wo to you, farmers and countrymen, that reward the Lord evil for good, who giveth you increase of all

ings in their proper seasons, yet you discern not his hand, you regard not his care; you live “ without st God in the world :" yet no life is fuller of the Lord's providence, who preserveth and prospereth your Aocks, who increaseth your wine, your corn, and your grass; instead of remembering his goodness with reverence, and in your harvests praising him with fear, you sacrifice to your lufts, and rejoice only in your fulness; making merry at your harvests, without the fear of God, or looking to him, that giveth you to increase. Repent, and fear before the God of the whole earth.

But, above all others, wo to you scribes, pharisees, and hypocrites, you priests and pastors, who have taken a charge that God never gave you; who run, and he never fent you; who say, “ Thus faith the Lord,” and he never spoke to you, or by you : that steal the words of the prophets and apostles, and with them make merchandize to the people, not knowing the pure word of God in your hearts to be as an hammer, a fire, a sword, to destroy sin, and to purge, redeem, and reconcile you to God; but boast in other mens lines, and speak things made ready to your hands: that “ teach for bire, and divine for money;” who seek honour of men, and love the uppermost places at feasts: VOL. III. U

who

who speak peace to the wicked, and sew pillows under their elbows for reward : pleasers of men, more than pleafers of God.

Wo to you, in the name of the Lord, that counterfeit his commission, and deceive the people, requiring their money for that which is not bread, and their labour for that which doth not profit: at your doors lieth the blood of souls, in which you have traded. O you physicians of no value, whom have you cured? Where is the seal of your ministry? Is it not an abominable cheat, that you take money to cure, yet cannot cure; that have no medicine to cure; and, at last, maintain, that the disease is incurable ? You are they, that will neither enter into the kingdom yourselves, nor suffer others. For whenever we have seen your delusions, and deserted your assemblies, presently a “ packet of letters” must be sent to “ Da“ mascus :” the magistrate must be called upon to be jailer and hangman for the priest. What wars, changes, and persecutions ever befel the world, since you had a being, in which you have not been at head or tail ? O your practices shall more and more come to light: and the day hafteneth, that your very name and calling, (as now held) shall be had in abhorrence by the nations. O you numerous offspring of the great false prophet, that hath been a liar from the beginning; hereby is it known that God hath never sent you, that you have not profited the people;” they are God's words by the prophet Jeremy. Weep and howl, for the day of your grear calamity hafteneth upon you! your father and mother are come into remembrance before the Lord, the hour of their judgment is at the door. God will fill you the cup of his fury; you shall drink it at his hand.

O! I cannot but cry aloud to you all, of all ranks and qualities, from the highest to the lowest, that walk not after the Spirit, but after the flesh, daily ful. filling the lufts thereof; that you would repent, and be saved. O how hath Christ's religion been profaned, and his holy name blafphemed, by the lewd life of

profeffed

1

profeffed Christians! the very heathens are scandalized, and the nations round about have you in scorn and derision. Arise, O God, for thy name's fake !" O what tremendous oaths and lies! what revenge and murders, what drunkenness and gluttony! what pride and luxury! what chamberings and wantonness! what fornications, rapes, and adulteries! what masks and revels! what lustful ornaments, and enchanting attires ! what proud customs, and vain compliments! what sports and pleasures ! what plays and romances ! what intrigues and pastimes ! Again, what falseness and treachery! what avarice and oppression! what flattery and hypocrisy! what malice and Nander! what contention and law-suits! what wars and bloodshed! what plunders, fires, and desolations! And it is not only committed by Christians in general one against another, but by Christians of the same faith, fezt, and church, one against another; praying to the same God to destroy one another; and singing psalms to God, when they have wickedly destroyed one another. O the rapes, fires, murders, and rivers of blood, that lie at the doors of professed Christians! If this be godly, what is devilish? If this be christian, what is paganish? What is anti-christian, but to make God a party to their wickedness? O profanation ! O blasphemy! what need is there of any other demonstration, that Christendom is foully aportatized from the doctrine and example of Christ Jesus, and his true followers, who faith, “ If

ye love me, keep my commandments. By this shall « all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have « love one to another.” And John faith, “Whosoever “ doth not love his brother, is not of God; and who“ foever hateth his brother, is a murderer; and ye « know, that no murderer hath eternal life abiding « in him.” And it is not to be supposed that they kill one another in love; for murder is not the effect of love and brotherly-kindness, but of malice, envy, and revenge. O Christendom! how are thou, and thy children, degenerated from God, and fallen from the

U 2

doctrine

doctrine of Christ, whose holy name thou profesfest! Thou art become a city full of uncleanness, committing whoredom under every green tree; following other lovers than Jesus, whose spouse thou professeft to be. O thou rebellious city, thou cage of unclean birds, thou and thy children have filled the earth with the stink of your abominations !

O how expert have you been in these impieties! how ingenious to work wickedness, and how fruitful in your inventions to gratify the luft of the eye, the luft of the flesh, and the pride of life! O how hath the heathen nature, as an evil leaven, prevailed, and leavened the great body of Christians at this day; as if the end of Christ's coming into the world had been to furnish us with a new profession, but not to give us a new nature; to learn men to talk, and not to live; to cry “ Hosanna,” but in works to crucify him. What did the heathens, that Christians have not done? Yea, the fame lufts, vanities, and impieties, that reigned among them, are to be found improved among Christians. So that it is paganism made free of the Christian profesion, or beatbenism christianed: and not to conform to the heathen in the Christian, is not to be a Christian, but an beathen. O the ignorance, as well as wickedness, of the present Christian world! Verily, the Christian life is oppressed under this mass of darkness and impiety, found in the conversation of apoftate Christians, even as Christ was grieved and burdened with the darkness and obstinacy of the apostate Jews. And as the hard-heartedness of the falfe Fews crucified him outwardly, so hath the hard-heartedness of the false Christians crucified him inwardly: which hath fulfilled what is recorded in the Apocalypse, viz. “ That the Lord was crucified in Sodom " and Egypt, spiritually so called :” for the false Christians are the spiritual Sodom and Egypt, who love and live in Sodom's fins, and Egypt's lusts and pleafures. Yea, they are of the race of them that ftoned the prophets, and crucified the Lord of glory; of the

same

« EdellinenJatka »