REFORMATION AND DESOLATION: OR, A Sermon tending to the Discovery of the symptoms of a People to whom God will by no means be reconciled.  
Preached to the Honourable House of Commons at their late solemn Fast, Decemb. 22. 1641.  
By Stephen Martial B. D. Minister of Finchingfield in ESSEX.  
Published by order of that House.  Zeph. 2. 1, 2. Gather yourselves together, yea gather together O Nation not desired, before the decree bring forth. 
LONDON, Printed for SAMUEL GELLIBRAND, at the brazen Serpent in Paul's churchyard, 1642.   

To the Honourable House of Commons, now assembled in Parliament.  
IT pleased this Honourable Assembly to require my service in preaching at the late solemn and religious afflicting your souls before the Lord, to which not only my duty but experience of your former acceptance of my endeavours, made me yield a ready obedience. But although I knew your goodness would bear with that weakness which would be discovered in speaking to so grave and judicious an auditory; yet could I not expect to receive so large a testimony, not only of your acceptation, but thanks, as I and my Colleague have done, much less that you should so expressly send to have them published; because now what blame shall be cast upon my insufficiency in handling and prosecuting such a subject, must in some sort reflect upon yourselves. For myself I answer all objections against my sending them abroad, with this, that they are yours, and it is fit for me to yield unto your disposing of them.  
For the main lesson handled, the Lord grant that our seeking him while he may be found, may prevent us from being a further proof of it to other Nations, and succeeding generations.  
And to this end, the same Lord guide and bless unto us, and reward into your own bosoms, and your posterities, all the many, long, and unwearied labours which you have undergone, and still continue in for the glory of his name, the reformation of his Church, the honour of his Majesty, the peace and prosperity of the whole realm. This is so generally desired and sought for at God's hands, that I hope the God who heareth prayers, will not leave the happiness imperfect, which he seems to have prepared by your means, nor deprive us of the good which you are working. To his wisdom, protection, mercy, and grace, he leaves you, who is your daily Remembrancer at the Throne of Grace.  
STEPHEN Martial.   

A SERMON PREACHED at the late Fast, before the COMMONS House of PARLIAMENT.  2 KINGS 23. 26. Read also Vers. 25. 
And like unto him (that is King Josiah) there was no King before him hat turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might according to all the Law of Moses; neither afterwards arose any like unto him.  
Notwithstanding the Lord turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him withal.  

Introduction.  THis King Josiah (Right Honourable and beloved) may most truly be counted, not only one of the Worthies of the world, but also one of the world's wonders: There is hardly any thing recorded of him but what is wonderful, his very birth was wonderful, he being prophesied of by name about three hundred and fifty years before he was borne: And 
1 King. 1●  
Introduction.  therein forepromised to do those great things which he effected against Idolaters, and the relics of Idolatry. And it was as wonderful to think in what a desperate condition, and time of the Church he was borne, in the darkest midnight of apostasy, when the ten Tribes were carried away captive, and Judah and Benjamin only lest, and they (as far as the eye of man could see) wholly and generally fallen from the Lord their God to all manner of Idols and Idolatries; when the very Temple of God was made a den of Idols; nay, 
2 Chr 33.  his Altar the only Altar of Israel destroyed, to make room for Altars erected to Idols: When the true Church had hardly any visible being upon the face of the earth; yea I am persuaded that in the darkest times of Antichristianity; the true Church of Christ was never more invisible, than it was about that time when Josiah was borne. And it was another wonder, that in such a strong faction as Idolatry than had, that any could possibly so prevail in the Court as to give such education to the young Prince: Nor is it less wonderful that by that time he was but sixteen years old, he stood out a perfect godly man, undertaking the cause of God, and the reformation of Religion, and that with such a perfect 
2 Chro. 34. 3.  heart to make the most complete and absolute reformation of the Church that ever was wrought by any mortal man since God had a Church on earth. But the success of his labours seems to me the most wonderful of all the rest, whether you look upon the success it had with the people, or the success it had with God.  
The success with the people was this, that although at Josiah's first appearing as a right Orient, and illustrious star in a dark night there was hardly any visible worship or worshipper to be found; yet he carried all before him like a torrent, and walked like a man of fire, (as his name signifies the fire of the Lord) and brought the whole Nation so about, that there was scarce ever such a Covenant made as he procured, and that not by a prevailing party, but the universality of his kingdom joined with him in it, and continued in it, and held close to it all the time that Josiah lived in the world. 
2 Chr. 2 4 31. 32. 33  This was the success that he found among the people.  
But now the success that all this found with God is yet more wonderful, and this my Text will tell you of, viz. That not withstanding such a rare man was thus wonderfully stirred up, thus miraculously carried on with such a perfect heart, with such an unanimous consent of his people, to set upon the work of reforming Religion; and did it so as never mortal man did the like before, nor any arose afterward like unto him; yet notwithstanding all this the Lord turned not away from the fierceness of his great wrath, &c.  

The scope of the Text and parts of it.  And so now you see my Text is a description of the altogether hopeless and helpless condition of the Church of the Jews, though there was a physician risen up who had found out the most precious balm that ever was, and faithfully applyied it, yet the hurt of God's people could receive no cure, but they must die for it.  
And this may be reduced to these two heads.  
First, you have their miserable and forlorn estate in these words. (Notwithstanding the Lord turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath which was kindlcd, against Judah.)  
Secondly, you have the cause of all this, what it was that made God irreconciliably and inexorably set against them in these words: Because of all the provocations wherewith Manasses had provoked him; though he were dead between thirty and forty years before Josiah ended his days, yet his provocations were the cause that God would never be reconciled to his people, though he was reconciled to Manasses person before he died. I purpose not any exact or large handling of this Text, nor is it possible to be done in one Sermon: I shall only cull out such things as are most intended by the holy Ghost, and most suitable to the occasion of our meeting.  

Observation from the connexion.  And first, let us in a few words consider it in relation to the former Verse, and secondly, as it lies in itself. As it stands in relation to the former description made of Josiah, and the high praises which God there bestows upon him, I thence observe, That when God raises up any excellent instruments to appear in his cause, they are most graciously accepted with him, though their endeavours should come to nothing: There shall be glory and honour, and immortality, and eternal life to themselves, though there be indignation, and wrath, tribulation, anguish and woe, upon the people whom they would willingly do good unto. This you see plainly in this Text, Joshiah sets up a building which was instantly thrown down stick and stone, yet never man received better wages and greater reward than he did. God hath raised up many instruments to do him service who have had admirable success in their way. Moses brought God's people out of the bondage of Egypt, carried them through a desolate, 
Deut. 29. 5. Josh. 23. 4. 5.  wasteful, howling wilderness, and that miraculously for forty years together: Joshua gave them the possession of the promised land, and left them in it in peace. David subdued all their enemies about them, until they were all put under the soles of their feet, leaving 
King. 53. 4  them neither adversary nor evil occurrent. Solomon built God's Temple, and established the Church in the purity of God's Worship and Ordinances, and the commonwealth with admirable peace and prosperity; yet, not any of these more magnified by the Lord than Josiah, whose work came to nothing. This is my first observation; and it hath these two branches; first it implies that the endeavours of rare Instruments may come to 
In two branches.  nothing, that men may be stirred up with admirable spirits to attempt great things for God, and yet their work miscarry.  
Secondly, that though their work come to nothing, yet themselves shall be highly magnified with the Lord.  
I could easily give abundant testimonies and instances 
1. Branch, The endeavours of rare instruments may come to nothing.  of such whom God hath raised up with extraordinary spirits; men that we might think had been fit to carry the world before them who have effected little or nothing: Elias for one, a man (as it were) made of fire, who at one time called a Parliament of the King, and all the Heads of Israel together, convinced them of their halting between God and Baal, and wrought so at 
2. King. 18 19  the present, that all the people cried out the Lord is God, and seemed to have their hearts brought back again to the Lord their God; and likewise that eight hundred Idolatrous Priests and false Prophets were put to the sword; yet the very next day, he was fain to run away to save his life, undertaking a journey of forty days to keep himself from the fury of Jezabel. Jeremy was another rare man, one of the most zealous Instruments that ever God employed; insomuch that he said of himself that he was a man of contention to all the earth, and 
Jer. 15. 10.  God's word was in him like fire in his bones which he could not keep in; yet this man in his almost forty years 
Jer. 20. 9  preaching, could neither prevail with King nor Princes, Prophets. Priests, nor people, all grew worse and worse, and himself in the end was carried away by a rebellion's company into that accursed land of Egypt, and there died.  
And it hath been often observed, that the Lord hath seen it fit for reasons best known to himself, to let abundance 
See to this purpose, Matth. 23. 34. 37. Act. 7. 52. Heb 11. 37. 38.  of the Worthies whom he hath employed even (so far as men could judge) to perish in the work he hath set them about.  

Second Branch. Yet themselves highly magnified and rewarded by God.  But secondly, what ever their success hath been amongst men, they have been never a whit less regarded, or rewarded by the Lord; for this the Scripture is plain, Esay 49. 5. There the Prophet in Christ's name, and in his own name, and in the name of all God's instruments, concludes, That though they spend their strength for nought, and in vain; yet surely their work is with the Lord, and though the people be not gathered yet they shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and their God will be their strength. And Paul saith, 2 Cor. 2. 15. We are a sweet savour to God in them that perish, as well as in them that are saved.  
And there is plain reason for it, because sincere endeavours to do God's service is our whole work, but the success of these endeavours is God's work. Now the Lord hath tied himself in his covenant to reward every man according to his own work, and not according to the work of another: God never required at the hands of any Minister to save souls; or at the hand of any Magistrate to preserve a Nation, of any husbandman to produce a crop out of the ground, &c. this belongs only to himself; he only requires at their hands to be his servants, to obey his will; wherein if they be faithful, they shall not miss of their reward. God compares 
Esay 49. 2. 3. 1. Thes. 2. 7  Kings and Princes, and other of his servants, to nursing fathers, and nursing mothers: Now you that are persons of quality, if you put forth a child to nurse, and can have perfect information that the nurse loves, attends, suckles your child, and performs all the duties belonging to a nursing mother; this nurse, I say, is by you esteemed and rewarded, whether the child live or die: yea it may be the more when the child dies, because you see her afflicted in losing your child which she would gladly have enjoyed.  

Application to the Parliament.  I do but name this, you are wise to apply it to yourselves, you (Right honourable and beloved) are employed in great services, God hath raised you up to attempt glorious things for his name, for the purging of his house, and the establishing of this great people in the peace of the Gospel: how far God will use any of you, I cannot tell; and how far this unworthy Nation will acknowledge your indefatigable pains, I cannot tell; as yet you have the prayers and blessings of all sorts of people, high and low, rich and poor, that wish well to Zion. But however go on, ye Worthies of the Lord, with sincere hearts to do what God requires at your hands; and whether this Nation be gathered or not, you shall be glorious in the eyes of God, and the Lord will be your strength. Josiah you see had the greatest commendation of all others, notwithstanding the Lord turned not from his fierce wrath: and this is all I have to say from the connexion of the words, that God magnified Josiah, though his work came to nothing.  
Now let us consider them in themselves, where I shall not need before so grave and intelligent Assembly, to waste the time in analysing or giving the grammatical interpretation of so plain and easy a Text, I shall only take up three doctrinal observations (which you will see to lie clearly in the words) and handle them as the Lord shall please to enable me, and the time permit; whereof the first is:  

Doct. 1.  That God's wrath is a most fearful and dreadful thing when it is once throughly kindled:  

Doct. 2.  The second and main doctrine is, That the sins of a Church and people may come to that height, and God's wrath may be kindled to that heat, notwithstanding their reformation, God will inexorably go on to a desolation. Notwithstanding all that Josiah did, the Lord turned not from his fierce wrath.  

Doct. 3.  The third is, this being done for Manasseh's provocations, I observe, That the sins of one generation may be the ground and cause of the destruction and ruin of the succeeding generation. The abominations that Manasses committed and commanded in his time, were the cause why God was unappeasably bent to the destruction of the generation that lived after him.  

First Doctrine from the Text, that the wrath of God is exceeding fierce.  I begin with the first, That the wrath of God, when it is greatly kindled, is extreme fierce, or it is a most dreadful thing to be under God's wrath when it is once kindled. Mark how the words here are eged, how wonderfully emphatical, how dreadfully expressed. God turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled. David saith, if his 
Psal. 2.  wrath be kindled but a little, blessed are they that trust in him, implying their misery that be under it; but when there is the fierceness of his great wrath, they are miserable indeed who are under that.  

Explain it.  In clearing of this, I shall first briefly discuss two or three questions, and then endeavour (as the Lord shall help me) to set it home to you in an application.  

Quest. 1. What the wrath of God is.  What the wrath of God is? what is the wrath of God, of which the Scripture speaks so often, and such dreadful things?  

Answ.  In men we use to say, that anger or wrath is perturbatio concitati animi, the perturbation of a troubled spirit; but in God it is tranquilla constitutio justi supplicii, a calm and quiet appointment of just punishment. Plainly, wrath or anger in God is never attributed to him, in regard of any troublesome passion, or affection; but only in respect of the effect. I say, that wrath or anger is attributed to God, not secundùm perturbationis affectum, but secundùm ultionis effectum. In a word then, God's wrath is nothing but his revenging justice; which justice of God, as it simply burns against sin, the Scripture calls his anger: when it doth more fiercely excandescere, or sparkle out, it is called his wrath: the same justice, when it pronounceth sentence, is called his judgement; when it is brought into execution, it is called his vengeance: so that wrath, anger, judgement, and vengeance in God are all one: God's wrath is his revenging justice, and when I say, his wrath (when greatly kindled) is exceeding fierce, I mean it is a dreadful, horrid, and fearful thing to fall under the dint of God's revenging justice.  

The fierceness of God's wrath  How may the fierceness of God's wrath appear?  
I answer briefly, it is impossible for any tongue to set it forth. Moses tells us, no man knows the power of 
Quest. 2. Answ. Psal. 9●. 11 The fierceness of it illustrated from divers comparisons.  God's wrath: God is not easily provoked, he is slow to wrath: his wrath is as a great Bell long raising, but when it is once up, makes such a dreadful sound, as no tongue can express. Many a poor soul feels a great deal of it, whole Nations have lain under it; but never was any creature able to say what the power of God's fierce wrath is. But if you will give your reverent attention one quarter of an hour, I shall (God willing) out of the holy Scriptures open something, which may in some degree make you conceive, how fearful the wrath of God is, when it is once kindled. And do not think that I shall speak of what concerns strangers, and not yourselves; for I greatly fear, that before we part it will be too evident, that this fierce wrath is kindled against some of our own souls who are here present. Indeed your calling and meeting this day for humiliation, fasting, and prayer seems to tell all the world, that you believe that God's wrath is kindled; and therefore being kindled, it is fit you should know what kind of flame it is.  
First, Consider by what dreadful comparisons the holy Ghost useth to set out the fierceness of God's wrath. As the roaring 〈◊〉 a lion: the lion hath roared, 
Amos 3. 4.  who will not tremble? the Lord hath uttered his voice, who will not fear? To a terrible earthquake, that makes 
Psal. 18. 7. 8.  the foundation of the hills to quake and tremble. But most usually it is set out by devouring fire, the most terrible of all the creatures which God's hand hath made▪ and mark what kind of fire it is: Sometimes it is compared to a shower of fire; God rains down upon the wicked fire and brimstone and horrible tempest: raining down of snares, and fire, and brimstone, is a horrible 
Psal. 〈◊〉. 11.  tempest indeed. If any mortal man had stood with Abraham, and seen the Lord raining down flakes of 
Gen. 1●. 24.  fire and brimstone upon Sodom and Gomorrha, he would have thought it an horrible tempest. Yea it is compared to a lake or river of fire, isaiah. 30. ult. The breath of the Lord (speaking of Tophet) like a river of fire and brimstone kindles it. Imagine the anger of the Lord thus set out, as if from God's nostrils, and out of his mouth should come huge lakes or floods of fire and brimstone, streaming out upon the people with whom he is angry: What dreadful things are these? Yet further, God's wrath is set out to be such a fire as is altogether irresistible; so that the poor creatures on whom it falls, cannot possibly stand before it: and therefore usually when God is said to arise in wrath and fury, the people, that be the vessels of this wrath, are said to be wax, and straw, and stubble, dry leaves, and rotten hedges; and what are these to stand before huge storms and floods, lakes of fire and brimstone?  
And as it is irresistible, so it is intolerable; which is usually set out by weeping and wailing, and gnashing of teeth.  
And lastly, Such a fire, when once throughly kindled, can never be quenched. There be two expressions (among many others) in the Scripture, which be very dreadful, to this purpose: The one is Deuter. 32. 26. Where the Lord saith, that a fire is kindled in his anger; and mark what a fire it is, it shall burn to the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. Such a fire as when once kindled burns up mountains, earth, and world, and all, and never rests till it abide in hell, where there is no bottom, and there it burns for ever. The other is in Nahum 〈◊〉. where God's fury and fierce anger is compared to fire which throws down rocks, licks up the sea, burns up the forests, melis and burns the earth and world, and all that dwells therein. Certainly, that must needs be a dreadful and horrid thing which the Spirit of God thus describes.  

2 By the effects of it.  Secondly, Consider some of the effects of God's wrath, and then you will conceive in some measure what it is. The throwing of many millions of Angels out of heaven into the lowest hell, was nothing but the effect of God's wrath. The opening the floodgate of all sin and misery upon all mankind, was nothing but an effect of God's wrath. The deluge that overwhelmed all the world, all the plagues of Egypt, burning of Sodom, the earth's opening and swallowing up Korah and his company, all the famine, pestilence, blood, that ever the world lay under, are but so many effects of God's wrath. Nay, the dreadful appearance at the last day, when the Potentates and Princes of the world will be humble suitors to the hills and mountains to fall on them, will be nothing but an effect of the Lord's coming in wrath, to render vengeance to his enemies. Yea, to be thrown to all eternity into the pit of hell, into utter darkness, into the fire that never is quenched, and among worms that shall never cease gnawing, all these are nothing but to be under the wrath of God. But above all these, and if ten thousand more could be named, that one effect of it, in the Lord's pouring out his vial of his revenging justice upon the body and soul of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, is most able to in form us, how great and fierce the wrath of God is: that when he had but one Son who was his fellow (as the Prophet saith, Awake sword, and smite the man that is my fellow;) 
Zach. 13. 7.  yet this revenging justice being poured out upon him, made him (who in his person was no other than God himself, yet in his human nature) when this Cup was put into his hand, yea the very first taste of it, made him sweat drops of blood trickling down to the ground, in a 
Luk, 22. 41  cold winter's night; and when he had drunk it off, it made him cry out in the anguish of his soul, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? These effects may help us to conceive what a dreadful thing it is to wrestle with the wrath of God.  

3. From the cause of its  But thirdly, Were I able to open the thing itself, and let you see it in the causes, you would instantly conclude, that it is beyond all apprehension. Conceive it thus, The revenging justice of God is God's opposing himself against the creature; When God takes his creature into his hand, and by his almighty power upholds the being of it, that it may feel what the Lord Jehovah can do upon it, and against it. This no living creature can conceive. When God hath only hid himself from his dearest friends, this very hiding of himself hath been so dreadful, that it hath made them go roaring all the day long, dried up their moisture, need their lives uncomfortable, and a burden to themselves, turned all other comforts into gall and wormwood. Now if only an Eclipse of his loving countenance be thus intolerable, what is it for God to fall upon a creature as his enemy? When a poor worm must not only stand under the weight of a huge rock falling upon it, but of an almighty God. You that have large thoughts may now easily conceive what a fearful thing the wrath of God is.  

Quest 3. Who are the objects of this wrath of God.  The third Question is; Against whom is this wrath of God thus kindled?  

Answ.  I Answer; First, God's wrath may be kindled mildly, and gently against his own dear children, when they walk not faithfully in his Covenant, when they lay aside their filial obedience, when they give occasion to his enemies to blaspheme his Name: though he 
Deut. 4. 21. 2 Sam. 11. 27. Psa. 89, 3●.  will not suffer all his indignation to arise, yet his fatherly displeasure may be kindled against them. And even this fatherly wrath, this gentle wrath, (if it be not a contradiction to call it so) these small drops of his displeasure, are more unsupportable to them than all the miseries of the world: Yea, they could more willingly submit to the torments in hell (provided that God's countenance did but shine upon them) than to undergo that which this wrath of God sometimes distils upon them: And yet all this while we may truly say of them, they are children under wrath, but not the children of wrath; not the people of his wrath, not the vessels of his wrath.  
But if you will know, Secondly, What are the people against whom God hath indignation for ever; the Scripture tells it you in this expression ordinarily, they are the children of Belial; so they are usually called in the Old Testament; that is, such as will not bear God's yoke; masterless children, yoke-less children: And in the New Testament, they are called children of 
Col. 3. 6.  disobedience; as the Apostle, For which things sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience.  
Now who these children of Belial, and of disobedience are, I must a little explain to you, and then the Application will be easy. I say therefore that these children that will not carry the yoke, are, First, all unbelievers. I do not mean Negative unbelievers, that is, those that do not believe in Christ, because they never heard of him; but Positive unbelievers, who have had the glorious light of the Gospel shining to them, to whom the Lord Jesus hath been freely offered, as a Saviour to deliver them from wrath to come; and yet they refuse to come in, and to accept of him, as he offers, himself in his Gospel; because they do not like to take him upon such hard terms: you may be sure the wrath of God rests upon these men. Turn but to John 3. ult. he that believes in Christ shall be saved, he that believes not is a damned man: and how? the wrath of God abides on him. Mark that expression, abides on him: The wrath of God takes up, as it were, his habitation in an unbeliever. So that what God's grace sometimes said of Solomon's Temple, Here will I dwell for I have a delight in it: So the wrath of God seems to say of an unbeliever, Here I will dwell, here I will abide for ever.  
Secondly, The children of disobedience and sons of Belial, are such, whose lives and conversations are contrary to the rules of the Gospel; who as they will not take Christ to be their portion by faith, so they will not take Christ's word in the Gospel to be their guide; but they will live indeed without all yoke, doing what is good in their own eyes; these are the sons of Belial. You may see a notable description of them in the prophecy of Zacharie, ch. 7. v. 8. where the wilful disobedience, obstinate stubborness and intractableness is expressed by divers similitudes, all tending to the same purpose. They refuse to harken, stop their ears, as not willing to hear God's counsel, they pulled away the shoulder, as an ox or Bullock that shrinks back from the yoke, or as one that should carry a burden, pulls away his shoulder, when he should take it, and lets it fall: so these deal with the easy yoke, and the light burden of God's commandments. Yea, they make their hearts as an Adamant Stone; there is in them a stiff and wilful resolution to sin, whereby their hearts are as intractable to any goodness, as the hardest sort of stones, Flints, or Diamonds are to be wrought by the tool into any fashion we desire: when you have said all you can against their wantonness, uncleanness, profaneness, pride, covetousness, &c. you prevail no more than when an hammer strikes upon an anvil: Their hearts can easily reject all ye cannot beat a splinter off from them: then immediately it follows in the next verse, Therefore there came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts. These are the sons of Belial, these are the vessels of God's wrath.  

Applic●●. To praise God for deliverance from it.  Now to apply this to ourselves, it might first teach all who are reconciled to God by Christ, what infinite cause they have every day of their life, to bless that grace of God, which hath not appointed them unto wrath, but by the blood of his own son, hath delivered them from wrath to come, and provided for them everlasting glory and happiness.  

2 Not to covey the prosperity of such as are under it.  Secondly, it may likewise teach all that fear God never to envy the prosperous estate of any child of Belial, though waters of a full cup be wrung out for them, though they swim in wealth and honour, and pomp in this world, and have all their hearts can desire, and in the mean time account it their glory that they carry not the Lord's yoke, never envy their lot; If any here knew of half a score good fellows set at a banquet of wine, furnished with all the helps of mirth and jollity, if he knew withal, that the shot to be paid for it, must be every man's heart blood, he would be loath to be one of the pack with them. I confess it is hard not to be troubled at the prosperity of wicked men: even David and Jeremy found it a hard thing not to envy 
Psal. 73. 3. Ier 12. 1.  their prosperity. But stay till the shot be paid, inquire how able they will be to undergo the wrath of God, enter into the Sanctuary, understand their end, and thy envy will be at an end, but these I intended not to insist upon.  

3 To help forward our repentance.  There is one only proper use for the present occasion and that is this; you are met this day together to Fast and Pary and mourn before the Lord; and (as I touched before) hereby you acknowledge that the wrath of God is kindled, and that yourselves are called to take a course to turn away God's wrath: and I verily believe this is the very end you aimed at, in calling us the unworthy Ministers of Christ to your help this day, that we might be assistant to you in whatever might turn away the wrath of God from you. Now two things were at large pressed upon you in the morning, as well befitting the work of this day. The one was to rent, and break, and tear every one of your hearts in the sense of your sins, kindly and throughly to humble you in the sight of God. The other was to provoke you to a strong resolution to leave the ways of sin in time to come.  
In which two things, humiliation and Reformation, stands the very life of unfeigned repentance, and the spiritual part of a Religious Fast; without which all our abstinence and sackcloth, and bodily exercises in watching, hearing, &c. are mere abominations in the sight of God. I rejoice that you had these things set so home in the morning, some of my work being thereby spared. But the bringing this lesson home, if God set 
In humiliation for sin, which hath kindled it.  it on to your hearts, may help to fasten the counsel given you in the morning, as a nail in a sure place. I shall endeavour to further your humiliation and reformation from the meditation of the fearfulness and dreadfulness of the wrath of God.  
I must therefore entreat you all, (Honourable and beloved) since you have vouchsafed to call for the labour of a poor man to help you, let me be as free with you, as if you were so many mean people: my duty this day is to do that which Jeremy did: God calls him in 
Ier. 13 1●  a mourning time, and saith, go to the King and Queen, and say come ye down, sit in the dust, humble yourselves: So I say to you, comedown, forget that any of you are Earls or Lords, Knights, or Gentlemen, lay for a while these thoughts aside; and give me leave to ask you two or three Questions, and be so faithful to your own souls as to think how you can answer them before the Lord. Are ye not children of Belial? (that is the very thing which you must answer in your own bosom) that is, are there not amongst you such as refuse to carry the yoke of Christ? who will not take Christ to be your Saviour as he offers himself to you in his Gospel? you will have him upon other terms than to make him your King, Prophet, and Priest; you would have him to deliver you from hell, but he shall not be your Lord, so, as for you to resign up yourselves to him, as a dutiful wife resigns up herself to her husband. And for your conversations, you will do what is good in your own sight; if you have a mind to swear you will swear, you will lie, be unclean, dissemble, these things please you well and you will do them. Now hear what I say, what thy outward quality or condition is I know not: but this I know, persons of your quality do not use much to be scared; men are afraid to speak any thing that may make you tremble: but you must be scared, or we shall do no good to you. You are now called to have your hearts rent, I have that to say, might rent the very cawl of your heart, even this, oh thou miserable and wretched worm! great is the wrath of God that is kindled against thee. This terrible lion roars against thee, a dreadful fire is kindled, a horrible tempest is ready to fall upon thy head, showers and floods of fire and brimstone are even ready to be poured out upon thee: how art thou able to live with everlasting burnings? how wilt thou dwell with devouring fire? Thou that art crushed before a moth, how can thy heart endure, or thy hands be strong in the day that God shall deal with thee? Thou that dar'st not think of lying one day upon a wrack, that canst not endure for two or three days to be wrung with the colic, that art not able to bear the thoughts of lying under the tearing of a quartan Ague from Michaelmas to Easter; how wilt thou be able to stand under the fall of such a huge rock as the wrath of the Almighty God? which every moment is ready to break down upon thee. How wilt thou do when these rivers of fire and brimstone shall be poured out upon thee? and thou no more able to stand before them, than a few dry leaves are able to resist the huge breaking in of many waters? Oh beloved, would you with due care apply these things to your own hearts, and present them to your souls as things present, how would they bring down the most stubborn spirit! how would they help to break the hardest of your hearts before the Lord!  

How this may be done.  But there are two things which keep most people frombing affected with them. The first is, These things are looked upon as things a far off: Now it is a rule in optics, That things far off, though they be marvellous great, yet seem very little: a star that is bigger than all the earth, seems no bigger than a candle being many miles distant from us. So while men look at the wrath of God, as they did at the prophet's Vision, The Vision that he sees is for many days to come, and he prophesies of 
Ezek. 12. 27.  the times that are far off: And put the evil day from them: All these threatenings are but light matters. Secondly, it fares with most men in this point, as with some men that have shrewish wives; though their business lie within doors, yet they have no heart to be there for fear of chiding: So though it be the most necessary work to think of these things; yet because their unquiet consciences upon the least serious meditation, are ready to gnaw and tear them, and make them sleep uncomfortably, they labour to drive off the thought of this thing as far as they can, and will not think of God's wrath due to sin, from years' end to years' end. Whereas if men would bring it in rempraesentem, and keep their eyes open to behold it, as a thing which unavoidably will come upon them, how admirably would it work upon men's hearts!  
To this end, let me tell you a story which I have often read to this purpose. It is reported of a certain Christian King of Hungary, who being on a time marvellous sad and heavy, his brother that was a resolute Courtier would needs know what he ailed; Oh brother, (saith he,) I have been a great sinner against God, and I know not how I shall appear before him, when he comes to judgement: These are (said his brother) melancholy thoughts, and makes a toy of them, as Gallants use to do: The King replies nothing for the present; but the custom of that country was, that if the Executioner of justice came and sounded a Trumpet before any man's door, the man was presently to be led to execution: the King in the dead time of the night sends his deathsman, and causeth him to sound his Trumpet before his brother's door, who hearing and seeing the messenger of death, springs in pale and trembling into his brother's presence, and beseeches the King to let him know wherein he had offended. O Brother, replies the King, thou hast loved me, and never offended me, and is the sight of my Executioner so dreadful to thee; and shall not I, so great a sinner, fear to be brought to judgement before Jesus Christ? If we would thus suppose with Hierom, that we heard this Trumpet sounding, Arise ye dead, and come to judgement, it would work to the purpose. O set your selves therefore in God's presence, and behold the Lord shaking his lap, (as Nehemiah when he shook his lap, and said, so God shake 
Neh. 5. 1●.  out everyman from his house:) Thus will I shake into eternal destruction all the children of Belial, and then evidence be brought in against thee, (how great soever thou art amongst men) that thou hast a huge pile of sin heaped up against God, and still hast gone on to add drunkenness to thirst, opposing God, his ways, and his cause, refusing grace offered freely not willing to be at peace with God, while thou hast any means to fight against him: when all these things shallbe laid open before thee, and (as thy just reward) God strike theea full blow, and sink thee to the bottom of hell, where thou shalt wish that thou hadst been a toad, or (as one in desperation sometimes wished) that thou mightst live there a thousand years, so thou mightst have any hope in the end, that the wrath of God might cease towards thee. Would not these things than work upon thee? Couldst thou then pass such a day as this, without trembling? Couldst thou be before the Lord, and not have thy heart rent and torn? Be persuaded therefore once more to bring it home to thy own soul, and say, as he said of his green fig, this grew in Carthage yesterday: This wrath, this sea of misery may break in upon me the next moment: I am yet jovial and merry, but God's vengeance with woollen feet follows me close at the back, 
Rarò antecedentem scelestum descruit pede poena claudo, Horace.  and will overtake me; if I cannot mourn at the hearing of wrath, I must burn at the feeling of it. The good Lord melt our hearts with the fear of these things, lest we be swallowed up in them.  
And then for the second part, for your Reformation, would the Lord make this day, a day of Reformation to 
2 For Reformation.  this honourable Assembly, what glorious things would be done by you! Now what more effectual motive, what Furies whip would more restrain from the practice 
Meditation of wrath how it may promote it. Esay 33. 14.  of sin, or more drive to seek a shelter under the wing of Christ, and to get into the safe condition of the servants of God, than the beholding of this devouring fire, these everlasting burnings, which sinful men will never be able to abide? I know such is the depravation of man's nature, that if there were any possibility of avoiding God's wrath without leaving their sins, many men would resolve with that wicked Cardinal not to leave their part in Paris, for their part in Paradise: And with that noble man (which Luther speaks of) who professed, that if this life of going from whore-house to whore-house might last ever, he would not envy any man's going to heaven. But this will not last; There is great wrath prepared for the workers of iniquity. And therefore my humble request is, that if any of you find your hearts unwilling to submit to that godly counsel, given you in the morning, of turning to God, do but think what your sins, which you prize so much, will cost you. They say the Pope hath a book called Taxa camerae Apostolicae, wherein men may know the rate of any sin; upon what terms a man may keep a whore, be a Sodomite, or murder his Father, &c. But here is a rate-book, where any of you may know what a beloved sin will cost you; not a farthing token less, than to lie under the devouring fire of God's wrath to all eternity. Porter's will try their burdens upon their shoulders before they engage themselves to carry it, do thou so. It is reported of Master Bilney when he thought he should be burnt, he would put his finger into the candle to see how he could endure burning, do thou often so; go often alone and say, here is a sin marvellous pleasant, such a sin gains me thus much every year, but there is wrath to come: And therefore as Elihu said to Job, Because there is 
Job 36. 18.  wrath, beware lest he take thee away with his stroke; a great ransom cannot deliver thee, he will not esteem thy riches, no not gold, nor all the forces of strength. 
4. To the Parliament, o make it their great care to pacific it.  Fourthly and lastly, there is one use peculiar to you that be our Noble Senators, the Lords and Commons gathered in Parliament: we know your care is for our good, but this I humbly propound to you, you will never do us good, if God's wrath be not taken away from us: were you so many Gamaliels, so many Hemans, so many Solomons, so many Angels gathered together, and all of one heart to study England's good; you can do England no good, if God's wrath, which is kindled against it, be not pacified. And therefore let your great study be both to find out what hath kindled God's wrath against us, and what may remove it from us: of which I shall be able to give you further knowledge in the next and main lesson to which now I pass, viz.  

Doct. 2: In reformation God may go on to desolation  That the sins of a people may come to that pass, and God's wrath may be kindled to that height, that notwithstanding their reformation, God will go on to a desolation. In handling whereof I shall (the Lord helping me) discuss these three things. First, I shall open the thing in Thesi, clear the conclusion, and see if I can make you understand it. Secondly, inquire in hypothesi, whether it concern us or not; whether our Nation, Church, or State, may be thought to be in any danger of it. And thirdly, I shall endeavour to make some uses which may be fitting for such an Assembly as this is.  
For clearing the conclusion, I shall endeavour these three things. First, I will demonstrate the truth of it. Secondly, I will inquire whether the signs of it may be known, and how far they may be known: Whether the Lord hath left any footsteps or rules for us to prognosticate by, and so to judge when a people is come to that pass: And if so, then, Thirdly, what those tokens are: And I shall endeavour to speak plainly and freely of them all.  

God may go on to desolation.  For the truth of it, were there no other Instance to be found in any other story, but this in my Text, it were sufficient to prove that such a thing may be. That which hath been already, may be so again. Josiah, 
Proved by Scripture. 2 Chro. 34.  we see, wrought such a Reformation, that the whole kingdom did, all his days, follow the Lord; and notwith standing all this, God turned not from his fierce wrath; but went on to destroy them. The Lord threatens elsewhere that he would do it, Zeph. 2. 1, 2. Gather yourselves together before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you: As if he should have said, The decree is not yet come forth; but if once it bring forth, it will be too late for you to seek for mercy. There be other examples (though not so full as this) sufficient to prove this truth: As Nineveh for one: The Lord sent the Prophet Jonah to preach repentance or destruction to them; and you know it is said, The King laid aside his Crown, and called them all to repentance; and repent they did; and God saw their works, and for a while forbore that City; and 
Jonah 3.  yet the judgement of most Interpreters is, that within forty years after, the City was destroyed, even in the same age wherein the Reformation was made.  
That Instance of the Jews is most remarkable, in our Saviour Christ's time: John Baptist came before him, and turned the hearts of the parents to the children, and the children to the parents; made ready a people prepared for the Lord; there went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea, and all the region about Jordan, and were baptised of him, confessing their sins. And Christ had so many followers, that the Scribes and Pharisees said, all the world went after him; that is, the body of their Nation. And the Apostles converted so many, that they said to Paul, that 
Act. 21 2●.  there were many myriads, many ten thousands of Jews 
Notwithstanding Reformation.  that believe, who are all zealous▪ yet notwithstanding, in that very age, wherein the Gospel wrought thus effectually among them, the wrath of God came upon that Nation to the utmost, and scattered them over all the world.  
It is likewise recorded of the Roman Empire, which for a matter of six or seven hundred years had been a dreadful enemy to the kingdom of the Lord; first against the Church of the ●ewes, and afterwards against the Christians (while it was unconverted; in Constantine's time the Empire turned to Christianity, and in the very first age of the empire's Christianity, came the destruction and dissolution of it. So that there is a truth in it, that God's wrath may be so far kindled, that he will accept of no atonement, but will inexorably proceed to desolation.  

That this may be known.  The second Question is, Whether this may be known; whether we may possibly find out any direction, whereby to judge of God's purpose of thus coming against a people. Answ. And for that, I confess, a great many men, especially such as are not willing to have any dangerous truth preached to them, do think that all preaching and study, in such points as these, is of no more certainty, than the judgement of judicial Astrology: Tell them of wrath to come, or desolation of Churches, or destruction of commonwealths; they look on such as shall tell them of these things, as upon a company of ignorant people, who will be of their author's faith; or esteem them as proud men, who would be thought to have more acquaintance with God's secrets than their neighbours, and therefore they must adventure upon such high points; or at best, conceive them to be sullen, discontented, melancholic people, who look on every thing with black spectacles; but in the mean time themselves will never be persuaded, that any can give them rules of directions to judge in this kind: But you are wise: and if you please to take two or three places of Scripture into your serious thoughts, you will conclude quickly▪ that this is a point may be known: The one is Ierem. 8. 7. where the Lord blames the stupidity of the people, that whereas the Stork in the heavens knows her appointed times; and the Turtle, and the Crane, and the Swallow observe the times of their coming; but his people would not know the judgements of the Lord: arguing them to be more silly and simply than the very birds and fowls, who could observe what seasons were fit or unfit for their staying or removing in such or such a country; and God's people remained ignorant of the seasons of God's approaching judgements. Another place you shall find Hos. 7. 9 where the Lord saith of Ephraim, that is, the ten Tribs, grey hairs are scattered here and there upon him, yet he knows it not: The meaning, plainly, is this; That as grey hairs are remembrances, and plain tokens of declining old age coming upon men; so there were symptoms and tokens of Ephraim's ruin coming upon him, and yet he would take no notice of it. Our blessed Saviour also in Mat. 16. v. 1, 2, 3. tells his hearers, that they could make almanacs for weather, and discern the face of the sky, and yet could not discern the signs of the times, (implying that Prognostications might also be made, if men would study the right way) whereby they might know what God intends to do with a people. So then, there is one step gained, that something may be known of God's approaching judgements.  

And how far it may be known.  But that I may not deliver any thing but what you shall have a sull suffrage for, I add in the next place, and confess, that because all seasons are in God's hands, and all people under his absolute prerogative; so that, if he pleaseth, he may destroy a Nation for one sin; and again, if he pleaseth, he can exercise so much mercy, that no sins of a people can set any bounds or limits thereunto; nothing but his own holy will setting limits to his patience, long-suffering and mercy; and because also God doth always bear such a tender regard to his own children, that wherever they live, he doth often for their sakes (as it were) reverse his sentence of desolation. In regard of these things and some others which might be 
Psa. 106 23  suggested, I think I may say, no mortal man can possibly determine when the precise time of this or that Nations utter ruin is certainly come. What Christ said of the day of Judgement, may fitly be applied here, the very day and hour of the last Judgement no man knows, but only the Father, and the son, to whom it is revealed from the Father, and that also since his Resurrection; but yet there be signs whereby we may know the approaching of that 
Mat. 24. 36  day: So we may say of this, though we cannot know the very time of a Nations desolation; yet we may know when the ruin of it comes near at hand. And what learned men say of them, who have studied for the philosopher's stone, though they could never find out the elixir; yet in their search after it they have found out many excellent things, admirably useful for mankind: so in this search if we cannot determine that such a Nation will infallibly be ruined, yet we may certainly find such things as thereby to learn what to fear, what to expect, what to pray against, what to strive after, &c. And so consequently the handling of this question may be exceedingly useful to such an Assembly, as I am now called to speak to in the name of God.  
This then is a second step that we may know such things as may make us fear desolation, and consequently labour to prevent it, or prepare for it.  

And how it may be known.  Thirdly, the main question is to inquire what are the Tokens, the grey hairs, the flourishing of the Almond tree, whereby we may guess at man's going to his long home.  
I answer, Politicians, and some Divines will tell you of the fatal period of Kingdoms, that they have their youth, their strength, and after a time their declination; and show by abundance of experience, that States seldom continue above five or six hundred years without some fatal change: But we must go by a surer rule than this. It is not length of time, which makes God weary of showing mercy; but, what Solomon saith of 
Prov. 28.  Kings, for the transgressions of a land many are the Princes thereof: so for the transgressions of a land, and the transgressions only, many are the ruins thereof. Now there is one rule which God hath always proceeded by in the dissolution of Churches and Kingdoms ever since the beginning of the world, and that is this. That whensoever the sins of any Church, Nation, City, 
fullness of sin the evidence of it.  Family, or Person (you may take it as large or as narrow as you will) are come to a full measure, than God infallibly brings ruin upon them. This is the rule which I shall make plain to you: God hath set several vessels to limit the sins of all Nations, beyond which they shall not go; as once God said to the waves of the Sea, hitherto thou shalt go, but here▪ thy proud waves shall be stayed: so God hath said of the sins of Nations, Families, Persons: thus far I will forbear thee, but farther thy wickedness shall not exceed; then comes thy end. Take four or five clear evidences for it in the Scripture. First that speech of God to Abraham: I will give thy posterity all this land, but not yet, because the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet 
Gen. 15. 16.  full: though they were Amorites, God would bear with them, till their iniquities were come to the full, and then he would spare them no longer. Another is Zachary 5. verse 6. The prophet in a vision saw an Ephah, a thing like a bushel, and moreover the Lord told him, this is the resemblance of the Ephah, throughout all the earth: as if God should have said, this is not only proper to this people, but this rule I go by throughout the whole world: and what was that? the Ephah is brought out, and into the Ephah is cast a Woman; this woman sat and filled the Ephah: then one brings a talon of lead for a cover to it, and that stops the mouth of it, and shuts the woman in; then come two women with the wind in their wings, and they take up the Ephah and carry it between heaven and earth, and place it in the land of Shinar or Babylon, there to build it an house, and to set it upon its own base. Now what is the meaning of all this? there is one word in the vision, which is a key to open this lock, viz. this is wickedness: the meaning whereof is, That the Lord had brought the Jews from the captivity of Babylon, where they had been seventy years: as soon as they came home; though they turned not to idolatry, yet they proved stark nought. God sets them their Ephah, puts their iniquity into a vessel, and doth (as it were) say, go on, till ye have filled the Ephah; but as soon as that is full, I will clap a talon of lead in the mouth of it, I will take a course ye shall sin no longer in this land, but will scatter you into Mesopotamia, into the land of Shinar, and there be as wicked as ye will. So you see when the measure is full, than vengeance comes.  
Take another instance, in the first of James verse 15. When lust hath conceived, it brings forth sin; and sin when it is finished, brings forth death; which is of the same interpretation with the former, and shows us sins progress in the rising, reigning, and ruin. First a man hath lust, a wicked corrupt heart that he brings into the world; every man▪ comes into the world with a heart full of lust, now this lust brings forth iniquity; God leaves people to go on in wickedness, if they be not such as he means to save; and when their sin is perfected, it brings forth death; when it comes to the full forty weeks, and hath gone the full time, than comes destruction. Take yet two instances more, both in the fourteenth of the Revelation verse 14, &c. in the Parables of the vintage, and of the harvest; when they were ripe, than ruin comes. Till than God useth to bear with people: smaller judgements often come before sin is ripe, and are removed again; but when once the measure is full, than God saith, as in Nahum chap. 1. verse 6. He will make an utier end, affliction shall not rise up the second time; he will so do it at once, that they shall not need to fear a second.  

Why God defers till sin be full.  Now if by the way you desire to know why God defers so long, and rather cuts not off wicked men sooner. I answer, it should suffice us, that it is his will to do it; but further he doth it, partly that they may be for exercise to his people to purge and humble them, as Ashur was his rod to whip his people, before the rod was 
Esay 10.  burnt. And partly to declare his long-suffering, and patience, thereby to leave them without excuse if they prove incorrigible. Thirdly, this is for salvation 
Rom. 2. 4, 5.  to some, who in the mean time are to be gathered in: and this I take it, the Apostle means, 2 Pet. 3. 9 when he saith, the Lord defers his coming to judgement, because the Nation of the Jews is first to be gathered in. So that as the Angel stayed till Lot was plucked out of Sodom: so God hath some brands to snatch out of the fire, for whose sakes he defers the execution of vengeance against them, whose sins call for it. For these causes, and it may be others not known to us, but secret to himself, doth God defer the full execution of his wrath till sin be ripe.  

How the fullness of a people's sin may be known.  But how may we judge when the sins of a people grow to the full? I answer (and but briefly, because I would not be burdensome to an attentive auditory; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak in the best;) to find out sins fullness four things must come into consideration. First, what kinds of sins they 
What sins are desolating sins.  are which are land-destroying sins. Secondly, the quantity of these sins. Thirdly, the aggravation of them. Fourthly, which is the upshot of all, the incorrigibleness of them.  

Idolatry.  First, the kinds of them, I mean thus, there was never any Church or Nation without sin, but all sins are not Church-wasting sins, nor Land-destroying sins; but there are sins which are called abominations, such as make a land spew out the inhabitants: 
Levit. 18. 28 Deut. 9 5.  such as make God drive them out: And they are some against the first Table, some against the second Table. Against the first Table, first, the sin of Idolatry. Evermore as Idols come in, God 
Ezek 8. Ezek. 43. 8. Hos. 13.  goes out: When there was an Image of jealousy set up, God goes far from his Sanctuary. God likes no such neighbours. When Ephraim offended in Baal, he dies for it: when the mean man bows himself, and the great man humbles himself to stocks and stones, God will spare them no longer. When the 
Esay 2. 9  glory due to Jehovah, is communicated to dumb Idols, this God will bear at no people's hand. And the reason is plain, this is as the marriage bed to God, this provokes his jealousy, which is his rage, than he will accept of no ransom: This therefore is the abomination that makes all desolation.  

profaneness and contempt of God's Ordinances, day, 〈◊〉.  Secondly, the sins of profaning, contemning, scorning and persecuting of God's holy things, his holy day, his holy servants. I join all these sins together, because they come all from the same root, that is, malignancy against God: God himself is profaned, slighted, contemned in all these. Thou hast despised my holy things, and profaned my Sabbaths, therefore thou hast caused thy day to draw 
Ezek. 22. 4. 8.  near. God therefore would make Moab as Sodom, 
Zeph. 28. 9 10.  and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, because they reviled his people; but there is one proof may serve in stead of an hundred. 2 Chron. 36. The Lord did a long time bear with them, but when once they came to that pass they polluted his House, despised his Word, mooked his messengers, misused his Prophets, his wrath grew hot against them till there was no remedy. God could then bear them no longer, but utterly would destroy them. And it is our countryman, Venerable Bede's observation, that when the old Britains grew to that height of sin, as to cast odium in religionis professores, tanquam in adversaries, God presently sent in the Saxons; who destroyed them all.  

Sins destructive to human society.  There are also some sins against the second Table which greatly help to fill the measure of a people's iniquity: As first, such sins as are destructive to human society, cruelty, blood, oppression, deceit, these were the sins which brought the flood upon the world of the ungodly. These are the sins which the King of Nineveh saw would 
Gen. 6. 11. Jon. 3. 8. Ezek. 22. 3. 4. 6. 9 12. Hos 12 7. Hos. 4. 2. Sensual lusts of drunkenness and uncleanness.  ruin him and his kingdom.  
Secondly, the sensual lusts of drunkenness and whoredom; I join these sins together, because they are usually joined in Scripture, and seldom severed in men's practice: And you shall clearly in the search of the Scripture find them to be among the abominations which help to fill up the measure of a people's sin, and prepares them for judgement. I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel (saith God, speaking of the sins which 
Hos. 6. 10.  made God hew them down) there is the whoredom of Ephraim; whoredom and wine, and new mine take away their heart: This was one of the things that made God have controversy with the 
Hos. 4. 2. 11.  land to make it mourn, and to take them all away. I have not time to prosecute these things, you shall easily find that these are grey hairs in any Nation where ever they are found  
Secondly, the quantity of these sins is very 
Esay 28. 1. 3. ver. 7. 8. The generality of these sins. Gen. 6. 12.  considerable, when they are universal, no Nation ever was without them, but when once they come to spread as a Gangrene over the whole body, than the measure quickly grows full: When all flesh had corrupted their ways, than the flood came rushing in: When from the crown of the head, to the sole of the foot, the whole body was full of 
Esay 1. 5, 6.  wounds, and bruises, and putrified sores, than it was to no purpose for God to strike them any more with any hope of healing.  
You shall find in the 24. of Ezekiel, 〈◊〉 notable description of Jerusalem's condition when Nabuchadnezzar 
Vers. 1, 2, 3, 4.  came to destroy them, the Prophet compares the City to a great pot, whereinto all the choice pieces were put to be boiled, the thigh and the shoulder, and all the choice bones, but they were all rotten flesh whose scum would not boil out, meaning, that the Princes and Rulers, Prophets and Priests and People were all overspread with abominable wickednesses. So in the 22. of Ezekiel, all states are brought in, the prophet's 
Vers. 15. &c.  devouring souls, the Priests violating the Law, profaning holy things, Princes and Rulers oppressing, the people robbing, &c. than God powers out his indignation, and consumes them with the fire of his wrath.  
But this must be understood with this caution, 
Yet to be understood with a caution.  that when I say all, it is not to be understood, as if God would spare a people until the whole multitude grew wicked, and none remaining on his side: God had seven thousand in Israel who were faithful to him in the worst time of Ahab's apostasy; but the meaning is, when the number of such as abstain from these abominations, is so small, that they are not considerable, to God they are always considerable, but not always considerable as to the turning away of judgement, or to the preventing of ruin. Ten righteous men would have been considerable in Sodom for the sparing of it, when five would not. So the sum is, that when these abominations are generally spread, and very few in comparison abstaining from them, a people grows ripe apace for destruction.  

The aggravation of these sins.  3. The third thing considerable, is the aggravation of these sins, and therein I shall only give this one brief rule, that in all places and Countries, houses, families, or persons, the more mercy, light and means these sins are committed against, the sooner is the vessel of their iniquity come to the full. Amos 3. 2. You only have I known of all the Nations of the world, and therefore I will visit you for all your iniquities, Ezek. 9 God begins at his sanctuary, 
Dan. 9 12. This is the very argument of the whole Chapter of the second of Jeremy. See also Mic. 1. 5.  and with the ancient men, who had stood longest before him. And Daniel makes this the reason why God brought a greater evil upon them than upon any other Nation, because no other Nation had enjoyed the like means to keep them from sin, or to bring them to repentance. And in the 22. of Esay. The valley of vision had the greatest burden of wrath of all others; that is, the people of Israel, to whom God had sent all his Prophets from time to time. And there is great reason why sins against light and covenants, mercies and Conscience should be most provoking; It is thus even amongst all ingenuous men, he that eateth my bread, (saith David, hath lift up his heel against me, if it had been a stranger, I could have borne it: Is 
Psal. 41 9 2. Sam. 16. 17.  this thy kindness to thy friend, could unnatural Absalon say to Hushai? This then is a plain case, that the more mercies a people sin against, the greater is their sin, and the sooner comes their judgement.  

incorrigibleness of these sins, when they are too strong for  4. The last thing considerable to find out the fullness of sin, is the incorrigibleness of it, and if the Lord grant that we can quit ourselves of this, we shall yet do well: by this incorrigibleness, I mean, when the sins of a people are grown so great, that they are too strong for the mounds and banks which God hath set to keep them in compass. Now God hath set four Boundaries for sin, and when sin is grown too strong for all these, you may conclude that (reserving or excepting what God may do in his absolute prerogative) if he go by his wonted rules, that Nation is going to her long home.  
First, God hath set Conscience and shame to be 
Conscience and shame.  boundaries among all people, to keep sin in compass: Conscience to make them stand in awe of God: shame to make them stand in fear of men: These two God hath set up (as his Officers and heralds) in all men's hearts; and when once men 
Prov. 2. 14. Es. 3 9  can run into sin, as the horse into the battle, rejoicing to do evil, proclaiming their sins as Sodom, not being ashamed and past all feeling, there is one bank broken down, one Boundary plucked up.  
Secondly, another bank that God hath set, is the example, and conversation, and prayers of his own people, whom he scatters here and there amongst men, and great is the power and force of their presence to keep sin in compass, partly by the 
For prayers examples & counsels of the godly.  majesty of the Image of God, shining in them, partly by their holy examples, partly by their wise and seasonable counsels, admonitions, reprehensions partly by their prayers, whereby they bring down restraining 
Job 22. ult.  and constraining grace: Now when these are either taken away from a place by death or driven 
Esay. 57 1. Gen. 19  away by persecution, as Lot out of Sodom; or living amongst them, God takes off their edge to 
18. Gen. 33. Ier. 14 11.  pray no longer, as Abraham for Sodom, or Jeremy for the Jews: There is a second Boundary pulled up.  

For Magistrates and Ministers, which comes to pass either,  The third is, that of Magistrates and Ministers, whom God hath invested with his own authority, and put upon them some beams of his own majesty and Image, put his sword into their hands, and arms them with power to keep sin in, and beat it down; The Magistrate having the sword of justice, and thereby being made custos utriusque tabulae; and Ministers having the sword of the Spirit, these two are strong Rampires, and Banks, they are the {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}, to hinder sins course, they are physicians to the hurts of God's people, and when once the sins of a Land grow too strong for these, farewell all, you will soon hear the days of their visitation are at hand. And this is done in three Cases.  

When they take part with it.  First, when Magistrates and Ministers take sins part, and in stead of joining with God against sin, they join with sin against God: as if the dogs should join with the wolves against the sheep, and the shepherds.  
Thus it was in Jeremy's time, he found the people harder than a rock to be wrought upon, but he said, Surely these are poor and foolish, who know not the way of the Lord I will get me to the great men, and 
Ier. 4. 5.  I will speak to them, for they have known the way of the Lord, and the judgement of their God; but were they such, or did they so? mark what follows, these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bands, in stead of maintaining God's yoke, and strengthening God's hands, they broke them a pieces: and what follows, therefore a lion 
Hos. 9 7,  out of the forest shall slay them, an evening wolf shall spoil them, a Leopard shall watch over the cities, every one that goes out shall be torn in pieces. Thus it was likewise in Hoseaes' time, when the Prophet was a fool, and the spiritual man was mad when the Princes would be drunk with bottles of wine, &c. Thus it was in Ezekiel's time (as 
Ezek. 22. 15. &c.  was before touched) immediately before their desolation.  

Ordare not oppose it.  Secondly, when Magistrates or Ministers are dastardly, when they are afraid of sin and sinners, and dare not appear for God, when such men have God, Conscience, their office, the laws, all on their side, and yet dare not appear against Idolatry, profaneness, violence, sensuality, as it shows the men to be of a base spirit, so it argues the sins of that place to be of great strength, even fit for judgement. Thus it was in the 22. of Ezekiel, verse. 30. when all such were grown corrupt, I sought for a man among them, that is some Phinehas to stand in the gap, to make up the hedge, some zealous Ministers to stand up and mediate with God for them, and testify in their ministry against them, but I found none, and therefore I poured out my indignation upon them. 
See also Ier. 5. 1. Or doing their duty cannot yet prevail against it.   
Thirdly, in case any Magistrates or Ministers do appear on God's part, as Josiah, Jeremiah, and others did in these forlorn times, yet they prove too weak stakes, they are able to do nothing; the inundation of wickedness bears them down, and runs over their heads: In a word, when some Magistrates take part with sin, others afraid of it, and the remainder, who are faithful can prevail nothing, this Rampire is likewise overthrown.  

And for the judgements of God.  4. There is but one more, which when it is likewise cast down, destruction is at the very door, and that is, God's lesser judgements: God sometimes keeps petty-sessions, to prevent great Assizes, inferior executions, to prevent utter desolations, which when they prevail not, it is a certain token of extreme wrath. Sometimes God afflicts neighbour Nations, destroying their Cities, that the rest might receive Instruction, and their dwelling not be cut off: As Judges will hang up 
Zeph. 3. 6 7.  a thief upon a Gibbet, to keep others from the gallows. I have overthrown some of you (saith God) as Sodom, I have smitten you with blasting and mildew, I have sent among you the pestilence, yet ye have 
Ames 4.  not turned to me, why should ye be smitten any more? You shall see this notably expressed in the 24. of Ezekiel. Where God compares Jerusalem to a pot, and all the Inhabitants to flesh boiling in the pot, but all the boiling would not ferch out their scum, no threatenings, no visitations, no inferior Judgements could prevail with them, but still their scum, their blood, their filthiness and lewdness abode in them; mark then in the 13. v. what doom God gives of them, because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, I have tried all means to do thee good, and thou wilt not be reformed, thou shalt never be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee, I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it. And that example in the sixth of Jeremy, is most remarkable, where God useth such a parable as this, the bellows are 
V. 29, 30.  burnt, the lead is melted in the fire, the founder works in vain, for the wicked are not taken away, reprobate silver shau men call them, for the Lord hath rejected them. God here compares himself to a Silver-smith, who takes a piece of oar, and tries all his art to divide betwixt the dross and the metal, but cannot do it, and at last throws it away with indignation, saith it is base stuff, on which he will never bestow any more labour. So God seems to say, my Ministers have spent their lungs, dried up their throats, all my other judgements have been tried, but the wicked are not taken away, they are all base dross, I will bestow no more pains upon them.  
And now you understand what the grey hairs of a State or people are, and when a people are ripe for destruction, when the time is come that God will pass them no more, you shall not need to inquire by what means he will do it, he hath all in his own hands, he hath famine, and pestilence, and sword, & wild beasts, and fire, and earthquakes, & if none of all these do it, he hath flies, and lice, and grasshoppers, & rats, and mice enough to destroy the strongest kingdom in the world in a moment; if he but whistle, hiss, or call for them.  

What kind of Reformation may meet with desolation.  Objection. It is true may some say, if people go on in their wickedness, and prove Incorrigible, no marvel though God proceed thus against them: but that it should be the case of a people, who set upon Reformation, this is strange: And how will this stand with the doctrine preached in the forenoon, that when a nation repents, God will repent, & c?  
Answer. In such an assembly as this, a short 
Ier. 18. 7. 8.  answer (if true) will satisfy. First, God never promised that the sincere Reformation of a few should prevent the judgement of a multitude: if God's time of Execution be come, Noah, Daniel and Job shall deliver neither son, nor daughter, who are not turned home to God. Secondly, I answer, 
Ezek 4.  that though the Nation joined in the Reformation, it was not in sincerity, if it had been sound, the doctrine in the morning would have carried it away, and I must have had another Interpretation of my Text. It is true, Josiah carried it by his authority, but the people's hearts were not right. And Jeremy saith no less, when I removed 
Ier. 3. 20.  Samaria out of my sight, her treacherous sister Judah turned not to me. Yes might the people say, we did turn to thee under good King Josiah, but it was but feignedly (saith the Prophet) and it appears to be so, for as soon as ever Josiah was dead, they made a universal apostasy from the Lord, and so their Reformation was but like that of the Nation of the Jews in Christ's time, which our Lord 
Matt. 22. 43. 44, 45.  compares to the unclean spirit, going out for a while, and returning again with seven Devils worse than himself. As if England by the help of this noble Parliament, who lay the cause of God to heart, should join in a reformation, though against the hair, it would come to nothing in the end. And so I have in some measure cleared this doctrine in Thesi, how far the approaching ruin of a Nation may be known, and what the signs of it are. The second follows, and that is;  

Whether this may be thought to be our own case.  Whether this concern us. And what answer would you have me give you? I could willingly answer in this, as Daniel did Nabuchadnezzar, when he was to interpret a dream to the King, which in the true exposition foretold Nebuchadnezar's 
Dan. 4 19  fall: It is said Daniel stood still for an hour, and his thoughts troubled him, and in the end speaks out, My Lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation of it to thine enemies. So say I, Oh let the parallel of this be some other people: Oh that it might not fit England, but doth it fit it? Right honourable and beloved, your great wisdoms, your diligent inspection, your ample intelligence, your faithfulness and sincerity makes you better able to judge, than my meanness can attain unto, who am none of the wisest observers of the time; but I must speak, and what I speak, I shall speak freely and humbly, I would I could speak sorrowfully: I know I speak to wise men, who can well judge what I say.  

It is hoped that we are not yet in that condition.  First, I hope verily we are not yet come to that pass that God should say of us, I will pass by England no more; blessed be God, we have a gracious King, many Noble peers, many excellent Commons, who have already done great things for God; I need not repeat them, all the kingdom knows them to their comfort. Yea, and blessed be God, the same gracious sovereign 
And why.  and Honourable Assembly of Parliament do yet inquire what is further to be done, what wrath is kindled, and how it may be quenched, and have called the whole kingdom, to afflict themselves before God, that his great wrath might be turned away from us. And as yet we have a sprinkling of Phinehazzes, worthy Magistrates, who in their several Countries and Counties dare appear in God's cause against sin, and the boldest sinners. And we have also a good sprinkling of faithful Ministers, who stand on the Watch tower, and blow the Trumpet, and give the people warning. And for ever blessed be the Lord (which is not the least pledge of our hopes, for the lengthening out of our tranquillity) we have many ten thousand Saints in England, who not only abstain from the abomination of the times, but mourn for them, and give God no rest night nor day, until he bow the heavens and come down, and set up for himself a glorious Throne amongst us: And unto these God hath made many promises of sparing the land for their sakes, and that their posterities after them shall be blessed.  

Yet feared that we are very near it.  But as I hope this, so the Lord will be a witness with me, that I fear whether all these persons, and their graces do bear a just proportion to the means and mercies, which God hath given to England; or to that huge Inundation of fin, wherewith England is overrun at this day. And here; had I a tongue to speak, and you and I hearts and eyes to pour out tears and sorrow, we might make this place a Bochim a place of weepers. For, what 
because all these sins are found amongst us.  kind of these sins do not overflow us? You will say at first, not Idolatry; but I tell you, neither were the Germans carried away with Idolatry, when their desolations broke in upon them; nor the Jews, before their last destruction. The measure of our Iniquity may possibly be full, though this sin come not in; but God knows, and you know that we have not only abundance of Idolatrous Papists, who are proud, insolent and daring, but abundance of Popish Idolatrous spirits, superstitiously addicted, willing to embrace any thing that goes that way, only they will not have it go under the name of Popery. And for the other sins of contempt of God's holy Ordinances, his day, his servants, and all his ways, oppression, cruelty, defrauding of brethren, the sensual sins of uncleanness, especially that of drunkenness; go but to the places of greatest resorts, market-towns, populous Cities, and fairs, &c. and your hearts would tremble to think, how our Land is overspread with these: Oh Beloved, the 
And that in great measure, which prevails  generality of the people of England, is extremely wicked, and which argues our case to be most miserable, it seems to bear down, and to break over all our banks, multitudes sinning with a whore's forehead, proclaiming their sins as Sodom: And the vox populi is; that many of the Nobles, Magistrates, 
over Magistrates.  Knights and Gentlemen, and persons of great Quality are arrant traitors and rebels against God, taking part with wicked men, and wicked causes against the Truth, Patrons of alehouses and disorders, checking inferior Officers, who discover any zeal for God against an ill cause: That in many of their families (not to mention Religion) there is not so much as a face of Civility: Many others of them, who seem to wish well, dare not draw out the sword which God hath given them, and some few others borne down in their places with the torrent of wickedness. And as for our Ministers, how many sad complaints and petitions hath this Honourable Assembly received 
Ministers.  against many hundreds of them? multitudes of them rotten and unsound in their doctrine, and so vicious and corrupt in their lives, that they fulfil that which Archbishop Abbot said in his Lectures upon Jonah, professing that his heart bled within him, to think of the miserable condition of the precious souls of many people who had such Ministers, as Johannes Aventinuus speaks of, who (if they were not in the ministry) would not be thought fit hog-heards to keep swine. Besides thousands of others, who (God knows) want either will or skill to do the Lord's work faithfully. And the residue who have endeavoured to give the people warnning, and to teach them the good way of the Lord, have been a long time both down and opposed as the troublers of our Israel. Sure I am, what ever our Ministers are, or do, the sins of the land are too strong for them, and our people remain unsubdued to Jesus Christ.  

And the very judgements.  Yea which is yet worse, the very judgements of God have wrought little upon us, all the long and heavy pressures of the Neighbour Churches, his rods upon ourselves, terrible and wasting pestilences and famine, his blasting all our enterprises, his scaring us with rumours of wars and blood prevail nothing; we still grow worse and worse: Indeed if any sin grow out of fashion, (as clothes do) than we leave it, otherwise we go on boldly and impudently, let God threaten or do what he will. And all these evils are aggravated by being committed 
and mercies of God.  against greater means and mercies, than any nation under Heaven enjoys this day besides ourselves.  
And which is yet sadder, (oh that I were mistaken upon condition I were tied to a recantation) our dealing this last year is more injurious against God, than heretofore. The Lord hath gathered such an Assembly of Noble peers and Commons, who have done such great things, that many of us began to hope our Pilgrimage through this wilderness had been almost ended, and that England would now turn to the Lord, and become a people zealous of 
And God begins to appear against us.  good works: But verily so far as I can understand, the body of the Nation makes little other use of all the mercies of this last year, but to abuse all the liberties procured both for Church and Common 
and wherein.  wealth, to greater and bolder sinning against God: and now also, which yet speaks more sadly, the Lord God begins to appear against us, not only in permitting many unexpected blocks and rubs, huge trees cast in the way of our Worthies that they cannot march on in their strength, and so the much expected Reformation sticks long in the birth; but God hath drawn out, and furbished the sword, and made it begin to drink blood in the Neighbour Nation, which when it once begins to drink, seldom is put up again, till it be drunk with blood: this God hath suffered to be drawn out upon our dear brethren in Ireland, upon our own flesh and blood, and that by a Nation, by whom (though they may seem contemptible to some, as being barbarous, unarmed, &c. yet) we may fear that God will plague us, because we have not laboured to bring them to the knowledge of God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Mene tekel. The Lord grant that being put into the balance we be not found too light.  

Application to ourselves.  What shall we do then? First believe it, not that England shall be ruined; I say not so: but believe that great is the wrath of God which is kindled against us, that we stand upon ill terms before 
First, to believe that we are in danger,  him; that though he may save us by his Prerogative, yet if he proceed with us at common Law, according to his usual rule with other Nations, we are in great danger to be utterly lost. I press this the rather, because we are a secure nation, not willing to believe any thing that may disturb our ease. One Zedekiah who will preach pleasing 
1 King 22. Which we are loath to do.  things, shall be believed more than twenty Micaiahs: such as tell us we are the most flourishing Church in the world, the strongest people by Sea and Land, all other Nations court us, and have their own hands full, the Irish be only discontented, weak men, and will soon be quieted: such I say shall be believed more than an hundred Jeremy's, who would put us in fear. It is reported that Honorius the Emperor lying at his pleasure at Ravenna, when news was brought him that Rome was taken and spoiled, he thought they had meant a fighting Cock which he called Rome: so when we are told of danger, we slight all that is spoken, & believe nothing in that kind: But the Lord grant that this security of ours be not a calm before an earthquake: When they say peace, peace, then sudden destruction 
1 Thes. 5. 3. Prov. 22. 3.  comes upon them. But let us believe and tremble: the Wise man never hides himself till he sees the evil coming; and 
Ion. 3. 5.  the first step to Nineveh's peace was their believing that God was coming against them.  

But till we do it our danger increases:  But you will say that is the way to discourage men, & you do not well to discourage them in whose hand & courage our welfare lies. Oh beloved, let me not be so interpreted; were this objection fit in other cases? suppose one should come and truly tell us the enemy were landed, the Sea were broke in, the House or City, were on fire, were it fit to object, oh say not so, you will discourage men? Discourage or not discourage, if this be not told, how shall the enemy be driven back, the 
And we shall never use the rightmeans for sa●●●. 2 Kings 22.  breach of waters stopped, or the fire quenched? But neither need this discourage, but rather furnish us with matter of humiliation & action. Josiah sat down and wept, when he understood God's wrath was kindled, & fell to reformation. Ezra rent his garment and plucked off his hair, and fell to his work, & so let us do: Let us believe that God's displeasure is against us, that we may fear before this Great God, and labour to get his wrath turned quite away; & that is the second Use.  
2 Let us all labour in the right way to turn this wrath of 
use. To prevent it, First by mourning for it. Num. 12 14 Amos 3. v 9 &c.  God from us, & that, First, by mourning under it; God looks we should be ashamed when he spits in our face, and takes it wonderful unkindly, if we tremble not when this Lion roars. Consider seriously of that place, Esay 22. There you shall see an enemy was coming against Jerusalem & God was much displeased, because they took not the right way for their safety, and so ill that he said that iniquity should never be purged from them till they died, & yet see what they did, they scoured up their armour, they gathered the waters, that the enemy might have no benefit by them, they repaired the breaches in the walls, made a deep ditch for greater fortification: what hurt was there in all this? Oh but they begun at the wrong end: the Lord called them to weeping and mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth, to tremble before him because of his wrath, and this they regarded not, and therefore God would never pardon it. Till therefore we mourn because of God's displeasure, all other means of welfare will fail of that comfortable effect which we desire. I know the world makes a scorn of this, you are one of the mourners, but let our souls be numbered among those mourners; God will restore comfort to these mourners: and no man knows the power which these poor mourners have to turn away God's wrath.  

By p 〈…〉 onall 〈…〉 formation.  Secondly, and as we must mourn for this fullness of our sins, so every one must help to empty the vessel, as we have helped to fill it: the fuller our vessel is with sin, the nearer our ruin is, & if we could knock out the bottom of the vessel, or by any means empty it, God's wrath would pass away with our sins: oh help to empty it, your atheism, your profaneness, your opposing of good men, & good causes, your adulteries, lies, &c. get them out by all means; all God's threatenings speak to us, as the waves of the Sea seemed to speak to the Mariners in the first of Jonah. Jonah had told them that the tempest came for him, and till he was cast over the sea would never be quiet, yet they rowed hard to carry Jonah to land, but the waves seemed to tell them, cast Jonah over board, or we will fetch you overboard. Out therefore with your lusts, God hath no other quarrel against us, he doth not afflict us willingly, he saith to us as Joab said to the wise woman of Abel, 
2. Sam, 20. 20.  far be it from me to swallow up or destroy a City in Israel deliver only Sheba the Son of Bichri, or throw his head over the wall, and I am gone. Do thou so, find out all thy beloved sins, say to thy darling lust, as Junius Brutus said to his son, thou villain, shall I nourish thee to destroy the commonwealth? & stabs him: shall I walk in these ways, to be the ruin of the Church and commonwealth? the Lord rather strike me dead with a Thunderbolt. Let us therefore every one, begin to sweep before our own door, and we know not how soon the whole street may be made clean.  

What the Parliament should do for our safety.  Thirdly and lastly (right Honourable & Beloved) you are to be our physicians, and repairers of our breaches; the horns of God's wrath begin to push at us, you are the Carpenters that must cut off these horns: I therefore make this humble fuit to you, that (as you have besought his Matie to call a day of Fasting and Prayer throughout England, and we hope we shall have many more, till the fierce wrath of God be turned away) so in all your thoughts to do England, Scotland & Ireland good, you would set down this, that the turning away of Godswrath is of greatest consequence: if you let God go on to be angry, do what you can we shall lose all at home and abroad. Thus did Josiah, when once he understood out of the 
Following Josiah's example.  Book of God, that the Lord's wrath was kindled, he presently sends to Hulda the prophetess, to inquire what was to be done that they might quench it, esteeming all other business unseasonable and fruitless, while that fire was burning. And here I shall only in a few words commend to you the example and practice of this brave King, whom this Text so magnifies. 1. He mourns, and calls all the people to mourn with 
1. In mourning, because of God's wrath. 2 Kin. 2●. 11, &c. 2 Rooting out idolatry, &c. 3 Inexecution of God's vengeance upon his enemies.  him: and that through God's mercy you have done. 2. He goes out in that way, whereof you heard more in the forenoon, & breaking down all the Images and relics of Idolatry: the Lord set it close to your hearts, that you may leave nothing which is contrary to God's pure worship. 3. He executed the justice and vengeance of God upon the Instruments of the kingdom's ruin, the idolatrous Priests, digging the very bones of some of them out of their graves: the same Lord direct you, that in your great wisdoms you may be as the Angels of God, to discern what is to be done with them who have been the troublers of our peace, & the greatest kindlers of God's wrath against us: spare whom ye may spare with God's good will; but remember, it is foolish pity that destroys a City let not the men escape, whom God appoints out to punishment. 4. He resolves to reform Religion, and the worship God, and to set it up, and maintain it according to the word: and 
1 Kin. 20. 42 4. Insetting up and maintaining God's true Religion and Worship. 2 Kin 23. 1, 2, &c.  to that end he calls together the Priests, and Prophets, the Elders of Judah and Jerusalem, & with them enters into a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments, &c. O that the Lord would put it into the heart of you all to do the same; you know what you have been often petitioned for, the God of all wisdom direct you in due time to proceed in this cause, and if in your wisdoms you shall find it fitting that a grave Synod of Divines should be called, to inform your consciences what is to be done, I beseech you follow the direction of God's word in it. Fifthly, And then fo● the manner. He did all according to God's law, he consulted not with flesh and blood, inquired not into terms o● 
Exactly, according to the Word.  policy, how far the state would bear it, or how far the people would concur without grumbling: but did according to 〈◊〉 which God had appointed in his word. And lastly, he did it with zeal and fervency, he laid not out his strength in his own cause, & then use diversions and diminutions in God's cause but there was his strength laid out, where he knew God's jealousy lay. The Lord make you such Josiah's, such zealous men what Anakim's or giants would you prove; you might (with Briareus the giant with 100 hands, of whom the Poets feign 
And that with all their strength.  take thunderbolts out of the hand of God, and so save yourselves, your families, and the Nation. Go on, ye Worthies of t 〈…〉 Lord, and thus deliver us. If there be any healing, any deliverance, you shall be our Saviours; if there be none, you may 
Encouragement thereunto. Obad. 21. Esay 58. 8.  with Josiah get the judgement respited for your life time: le 〈…〉 the worst come, the glory of the Lord shall not only be you 〈…〉 reward, but your rearward, your safety: you shall deliver yo 〈…〉 souls, and your children after you shall be blessed. Do th' 〈…〉 and the Lord God be with you.  
FINIS.