A SERMON Preached at the PUBLIC FAST the tenth day of May 1644. at St Maries OXFORD, BEFORE The Members of the Honourable House of COMMONS There Assembled.  
By R. CHALFONT B. D. and Fellow of Lincoln Coll. Printed by their Order.  ZEPH 37. 
I said, surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction, so their dwellings should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them, but they risen early, and corrupted all their do.  
OXFORD, Printed by Henry Hall to 〈…〉 1644.   

Martis 21. Maii 1644.  
By the Committee of COMMONS resident during the Recess.  
ORdered that Mr Constantine give thanks to Mr Chalfont for his Sermon Preached at Saint Maries the last Fast: and that he desire him to cause the same to be printed for the public good.  
Noah Bridges.   
JER. 44.10. 
They are not humbled even unto this day—  
AT the very reading of these words, the parallel is so obvious, me thinks I hear many ask the question with a little change which the Eunuch once did of Philip Act. 8.34. Of whom speaketh the Prophet this? of us, or of some other People? The truth is, in the letter and history it is spoken of the Jews, but so Symbolically of us of this nation, that your own thoughts would apply them, should I hold my peace.  
This whole Chapter may be entitled Novissima Jeremiae, Jeremies farewell Sermon to the Jews. For if we mark the Prophetical story, it is the last extant, and (if the conjecture of some be good) his last too, that for which well nigh after 45 years preaching amongst them, he was stoned to death by the People. In it we have just matter to raise both our attention & wonder, and that whether we respect the Prophet, or the People; indeed there is nothing of this Prophet but 'tis wonderful, his Calling, ordained to be a Prophet before he was borne; his sufferings, 
Jer. 1.5.  he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, as Pelusiot calls him, never man took more pains with, deserved better of, and was worse used by a people; in this a lively type of him whose name was wonderful, Vir dolorum, that suffered great contradiction at the hand of sinners: but above all the invincibleness of his spirit, his Heroic Zeal and constancy in the Cause of God and for the good of the People, greater than to be discouraged by the opposition of men, or the extremity of misery. He had now survived the Funerals of the Temple of God, and his own Country, and lived to make the sad Elegy upon the desolations of both, and after all this was carried away by the violence of a Rebel multitude into a strange accursed land: Calamities that might have allayed, if not quite quenched the spirit of any but jeremiah: but such a spirit as his knows not to be discouraged, an express character whereof he hath given us in this Chapter.  
But yet the wonder is far greater, if we look upon the People, whose ears if any thing might have opened to discipline (as Elihu speaks, job 36.10.) and made them sensible of their sins, they were written in letters of blood, they might have read them in the ruins of jerusalem Here the Prophet having opened his Commission, 
vers. 2.  takes his first rise. Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel; Ye have seen all the evil that I have brought upon jerusalem, and upon all the Cities of judah, and behold this day they are a desolation, and no man dwelleth therein, because of their wickedness— though I sent all my servants the Prophets rising early and sending them, saying, Oh do not this abominable thing that I hate, etc.  
To sin after so Solemn Interdiction, and warning to the contrary by the concurrent voice of so many Ambassadors, All the Prophets sent from God to that purpose, and those dischargeing their duty with so much Zeal and solicitude; had left them without excuse. To sin after the example of so terrible a judgement as that upon judah, the History whereof stands like the carcases of Ships that have suffered wrack at Sea, to forewarn all passengers of the danger of those Sands, at which they were cast away, or like that Inscription upon the Tomb of Senacherib, slain by his own sons in the Temple of his God, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oh all ye that pass by look upon me and be holy. All ye that hear, and read of my calamities, be afraid, & tremble, & do no more presumptuously: I say, to sin after the warning of such an example, adds a higher gradation to sin. There's no man, whose head is not of brass and his heart of Adamant, that can read the Tragedy of jerusalem with dry eyes. Nazianzen tells us of himself, 
Ora●. 12.  that he never took the book of the Lamentations into his hand (and yet this, saith he, I do often) but his heart was even quite overcome with symphathy and his eyes with tears, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, and he again lamented over the Lamentations of jeremy. But to persevere in the same sins after this Vidistis their own sight and feeling of those woeful expressions of God's wrath, when the eye should have affected the heart, and left the lasting impressions of fear upon the soul; to commit the same abominations still, which had provoked divine vengeance, to the utter destruction of their own Country, while themselves bore the visible Characters of God's fury upon them, this indeed sets their impiety, their Rebellion in praecipiti, upon the very Pinnacle and top of sin. Here the Prophet mounts his Battery, if possibly he may make a breach upon their stony hearts and at last force them to repentance. Therefore now saith the Lord the God of Hosts the God of Israel. 
Vers. 7.  Wherefore commit you this great evil against your own souls to cut off from you man and woman, child and suckling out of judah, to let none remain? In that ye provoke me unto wrath with the works of your hands in the land of Egypt, whither ye are gone down to dwell, that ye might cut yourselves off and that ye might be a curse and a reproach among all the Nations of the earth?  
Therefore Now saith the Lord, etc. Now after all the demonstrations of mine indignation against you, in such Judgements as were never the like, Wherefore commit You, this great evil? You that are the poor remnant of those so many thousands of of judah, as it were a Firebrand snatched out of the Funeral Pile of that once flourishing Country, and reprived from the Ruins of your Nation; whom I would have preserved for my name's sake, unwilling to extinguish and quite cancel the people and the name of Israel, had you consulted your own safety under my protection: Wherefore do you by your obstinacy provoke my Justice to your own destruction? Why will you perish whom I would preserve? Have you no remorse towards your own souls? are ye willing your souls should perish eternally? Have you no pity upon your Wives? or if you and they, as much united in guilt as Conjugal Contract, will die together in the same sins, have ye no compassion upon your poor Infants, those innocent sucklings that have not as yet contracted the guilt of your Rebellion? Are ye content there should remain no other remembrance of judah but only of your sins and my wrath? would ye willingly stand as an eternal monument to the whole world of divine Fury, a reproach and a Curse: So that posterity shall make mention of your name only in their solemn Execrations, The Lord make thee a Curse, and an astonishment, as he did jerusalem and judah? Or what do you flatter yourselves with hopes of impunity in Egypt? do you think to find security in that place, whither you have carried down with you my Curse, and your old sins? is Jerusalem destroyed, and shall Egypt go free? Have all my Judgements upon you been like the beating of the air by the wings of a bird in his flight, that leaves no footsteps or remembrance behind him? Have ye forgotten the wickedness of your Fathers and of your Kings? Have your Fathers, nay your Kings, been made to drink deep of the cup of my Fury, and shall you escape, who were kept alive only because ye were the poorest of the people? Cannot all the Calamities you have suffered bring you upon your knees, and melt your hearts into contrition for your sins? I should have thought that the long tract of time and the severe discipline I have used, might long  this day have led you quite home to repentance. But alas! what shall I say of you? you have not even to this day so much as set one foot in the way thither. Nondum humiliati, all the Judgements you have suffered, have not made any, no nor the least impression upon you; God himself seems amazed at this, and to be at a stand, as well as the Prophet, and to want an expression to reach the height of this obstinacy, and therefore breaks off in an admiration at the desperate perverseness of this People by way of Epiphonema in the words of the Text, They are not humbled even unto this day.  
These words are Onus judae in terrâ Aegypti. The Burden of those Jews, who contrary to God's prohibition, and their own protestation, were gone down into Egypt. In them you may please to observe with me these three particulars. 1. A duty implied, the performance whereof the great Judgements of God so long upon them called for all their hands, and the want whereof he here upbraids to them by way of admiration, and that is Humiliation, they should have been humbled. 2ly. The neglect of that duty censured, They are not humbled. 3ly. The Aggravation of that neglect; 1. from the persons guilty They the Jews, God's own people, that could not pretend Ignorance of their duty, nor of the equity thereof. 2ly. From the Circumstance of time, even unto this day. Time they had and teaching enough to have learned their duty: but yet after all instructions and invitations thereunto by the tenders of mercy, all comminations against them for their obstinacy; yea moreover and not only after some scatter of wrath upon themselves in lesser Judgements, but also after as dreadful a Tempest of vengeance as ever fell upon a people; Even unto this day. They are not humbled even unto this day. These are the parts of the Text, the sense whereof may be resolved into these three propositions.  
1. From the duty implied, that which this people ought the jure to have done when God's hand was against them in those terrible Judgements, the Inference is.  
That when God's wrath is revealed from heaven against a 
1 Propos.  people, in the way of his Judgements, it is high time then for them to be humbled.  
2ly. From the neglect of this duty, in that the Jews the facto in their greatest distress, under the sorest Judgements, were not humbled, I conclude,  
That a people in outward Covenant with God, 
2 Prop.  may even under the extremity of the greatest Judgements remain unhumbled.  
3ly. From the aggravation of this neglect, both in respect of the guilt it lays upon such a people in this verse, and the wrath it draws down upon them at the next, The Result is, 
3. Propos.   
That it is the highest aggravation of the sin of a people, & an evident token they are designed to ruin, not to be humbled under the mighty hand, the great and continued judgements of God. They are not humbled even unto this day, neither have they feared nor walked in my Law, nor in my Statutes that I set before you and before your Fathers, therefore thus saith the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, Behold I will set my face against you for evil, and to cut off all judah.  
But should I insist upon all these propositions severally, I fear I should grasp more matter, than I should be able to hold within the compass of the time; should I omit any, I might seem to trespass upon the Text. I shall therefore take a middle way to reconcile both, pitching upon the first as the head stream, the other two as the lesser into which it runs, that, as bearing the inscription of this day's duty, for the doctrinal part of this day's exercise; the other two will fall in, either by way of proof, or Application  
In the handling of which, I shall endeavour to follow St Hieroms counsel to Nepotian, Ita docere, ut non clamor populi, sed gemitus suscitetur; so to speak as to provoke the tears, not the applause of my hearers; such thoughts are unworthy to ascend this mount at any time, much less at this; words conceived only in the brain and born in the lips of the Speaker, for the mos part die upon the ear of the hearer; they which come from the heart are likeliest to descend thither; To feast the ear by an eloquent discourse this day, were to break the Fast while we are at the Church. The ear and the eye, every member of the body, and faculty of the soul, must bear a part in this day's affliction, as well as the belly: The golden eareings were the matter of which the golden Calf was made, 'twere an abomination to bring them into the house of mourning. The children of Israel, in the day of God's displeasure and their sorrow Exod. 35.5. were commanded to pluck off their Ornaments, that God might know what to do unto them, till than they were not so much as in a posture for mercy; sackcloth and ashes are the best Ornaments, sighs and tears the best Orators of this day; could I but mourn out a Sermon, and you sit before the Lord this day weeping, it would be best preached and heard; the word sown in tears would be reaped in joy; then might we hope that this Fast would prove a blessed Eve to some glorious Festival; the dismal cloud of wrath that now darkens the whole land, and almost every day falls down in storms of blood, would blow over, and the sun of God's favour, which is now hidden, shine forth; that we (which the Lord in mercy grant) and this whole Nation might see the salvation of our God. I come now to the point.  
When God's wrath is revealed from heaven against a Nation in the way of his judgements, then 'tis high time for them to be humbled.  
For the carrying on of which point, I shall propound and endeavour to resolve these 3 Questions.  
1. What it is to be humbled, and consequently, what the sin is of which the Jews stand charged in the Text, they are not humbled?  
2ly. Why 'tis said that when God's Judgements are upon a people, then 'tis high time for them to be humbled? These 2 in Thesi.  
And 3ly In Hypothesi, to put our own Case, what cause we of this Nation have to be humbled at this day? Having dispatched these, I shall then, by God's grace, close up all with a seasonable application.  
For the first what it is to be humbled?  
I answer that it is not to be understood passively, in this sense never Nation more humbled, than they in the Text, they were humiliati à Deo; a people formerly exalted in God's favour above all other in the world, indeed they were his only by way of eminency and distinction, His people; but now not only degraded from that dignity, but exposed as the greatest object of contempt and wonder. How hath the Lord covered the Daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger, and cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel, and remembered not his footstool in the day of his anger! Lam. 2.1. All the Chronicles in the world cannot match the sad downfall of this People. Peceatum humiliaverat, sin had taken off their Crown from their heads and deprived them of their excellency they were humiliati, but not humiles, ipsi se non humiliaverunt they did not humble themselves, 'tis an active humiliation the neglect whereof is upbraided here unto them, and of which God and the Prophet complain, They are not humbled even unto this day.  
This active humiliation, or self humbling, implies 3 things, 1. A sense both of sin and the punishment, a tenderness of heart opposed to that the Greeks' call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, in Tertullia's language Duricordia, the hardness and unmalleablenesse of heart, uncapable of any horror of sin or impressions of wrath, that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or indolentia, stupidity, and desperate senselessness of our hand against God, and his against us, when though the fierce wrath of God lies upon us, yet we feel it not, 
Heb. 12. ●.  a despising of Chastisement, a not laying to heart of our own ways and of Gods, our sins and his judgements, a stupidity frequently charged against this people; one place only I shall mention, it comes home to our present case, Esa. 42.24, 25. Who gave jacob to the spoil, and Israel to the Robbers? did not the Lord? he against whom we have sinned? for they would not walk in his ways, neither were they obedient unto his Law. Therefore he hath poured upon him the fury of his anger and the strength of battle: and he hath set him on fire round about, yet he knew not: and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart. Here is a perfect and full Character of an unhumbled people, to lie under the guilt of the greatest sins, and the pressure of the sorest Judgements, and yet to remain insensible of either, not to lay them to heart.  
2ly. Contrition, Tremelius and some others render it nondum attriti, and upon our own Margin, according to the Original, 
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à radice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 contrivit, comminute.  we have contrite for humbled in the Text, They are not contrite even unto this day. The heart is then humbled when it is broken in pieces, hence those two phrases are joined together in Scripture, Psal. 51.17.  
The Sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a contrite and broken heart [cor contritum & humiliatum] O Lord thou wilt not despise. It is called an abhorring of ourselves in dust and ashes, in Iob's phrase; a rending of the heart, in Ioeumll's; a being in bitterness, in Zecharie's; Afflicting of the soul, in Moses; Confusion of face, in Daniel's; a laying of the mouth in the dust, in jeremy's; it is called Compunction, or the pricking of the heart, when sin becomes as a thorn in the spirit, and as a dagger at the heart; it is said of Saint Peter's hearers, Act. 2.37. That they were pricked at the heart; when the heart is smitten within, & the thigh without, Ephraim's posture, whom we find Jer. 31.19. thus bemoaning himself under his chastisement, Surely saith he, after that I was turned I repent, and after that I was instructed I smote upon my thigh; I was ashamed, yea even confounded because I did bear the reproach of my youth. When the inward grief of the heart doth express itself outwardly in sighs and tears, the affliction of the soul in that of the body by those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, as Is. Pelusiot terms them, Fasting and Sackcloth. I clothed me with sackcloth and humbled my soul with fasting: Psal. 35.13. When the soul and the body, which like Simeon and Levi were confederates in sin, shall sympathise in their sufferings, and exercise a mutual revenge upon themselves for the offences they have done; when with David, we shall wash that bed with our tears, which we have defiled with our sins; when those eyes which before darted out rays and sparkles of Lust, shall stream forth waters to wash, and those hairs curled and frizzled up to provoke dalliance, shall hang down to wipe our Saviour's feet, as Mary magdalen's: In brief, when the soul comes to be surprised with the horror of its own guilt, and the fear of God's Judgements, and is more afflicted with bitterness at the review of the dearest and most adored sin, than ever it was affected with delight in the commission of it.  
The 3d thing implied in this active humiliation, is a taking of shame to ourselves, and giving God the glory of his judgements, according to the Counsel of joshuah to Achan, My son give God the glory. 
Jo●. 7 19  This is called the confession of our sin and acceptance of our punishment, as in that signal place, Leu. 26.41. (a place very worthy our notice, as in which we may read, both our duty and hopes in this our present distress,) The Lord having there mustered before the Children of Israel a whole Army of plagues, which he threatens to let in upon them in case of disobedience, and from time to time to recruit against them with the vast accession of new and seven times greater calamities in case of Rebellion, opens a door of hope unto them, even in the very worst condition, If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their Fathers, and their trespasses which they have trespassed against me, and that they have walked contrary to me, and that I also have walked contrary to them, and have brought them into the Land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised heart be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity, Then I will remember my Covenant, and I will remember their Land. An humbled spirit is most severe to itself, translates not the fault upon others, much less chargeth God with severity. 
Job. 7.20.  I have sinned, and what shall I do unto thee oh thou preserver of men? saith Job upon the dunghill. He putteth his mouth in the dust, saith jeremy, if so be there may be hope. It is the Lords mercy that we are not consumed, Lam 3.22. & 29. I was dumb and opened not my mouth, because thou Lord didst it, saith David, Psal. 39.9. Rehoboam his Princes and people humbling themselves, though God threaten to leave them in the hand of the Egyptians (now come up with a great Army against them) yet acknowledge The Lord is righteous, 2 Chron. 12. O. O Lord to us belongs confusion of face, to our Kings, to our Princes, and to our Fathers, because we have sinned against thee, [was the confession of Daniel setting his face to seek God by prayer and supplication with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes,] but to our God belong mercies, and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him, Dan. 9.8.9. I will bear the indignation of the Lord, (saith the Church in Micah,) because I have sinned against him, Mic. 7.9. It is the course of some of our Courts of justice, that the delinquent after sentence can obtain no mitigation of his punishment, nor discharge from his imprisonment, till he acknowledge his offence and the justice of their proceed against him; this may seem hard, 'tis possible in the Courts of men the innocent may suffer, no injustice possible from the Court of heaven, It is the rule of that Court, no relaxation, or mercy to be expected thence till we confess the demerits of our sins, and the righteousness of God's judgements; and therefore the Prophet David held this course in the confession of his sins and supplication for pardon: I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me: against thee only have I sinned and done evil in thy sight, that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and clear when thou judgest. Psal. 51.3, 4. The Lamenting Prophet in that Sea of wrath let in upon judah, gives God the glory of his justice. Lam. 1.18. The Lord is righteous, for I have rebelled against his commandment. And this he doth by way of Proclamation too. Hear I pray you all people and behold my sorrow, my Virgins and my Young men are gone into captivity. It is the Lord saith Eli, let him do what seemeth him good. 1 Sam. 3.18. This acceptance of their punishment was imported in the posture of the penitents standing before the Lord. 
2 Chron. 20.13. N●hem. 9.2.  It is storied of Mauritius the Emperor, that when his children were murdered before his eyes (as once were Zedekiahs before his) and himself after received the sentence of death, he cried out justus es Domine, & rectum judicium tuum. Righteous art thou, O Lord, and just are thy judgements. These the speeches, this the deportment of an humbled spirit: And thus much in answer to the first Question, what it is to be humbled, the neglect whereof stands here charged against the jews. They were not humbled unto this day.  
I proceed to the 2d. Why, when God's judgements are up. on a people, then 'tis high time for them to humble themselves?  
For the satisfaction whereof, I must desire you to take notice that after sins committed there are 3 seasons for a man or Nation to humble themselves.  
The first immediately upon their Commission, this indeed is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the best opportunity, repentance in the Father's language is, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, the great medicine to salvation, and we know that a Sovereign remedy will speed the cure, if applied while the sore is fresh. 'Tis in the wounds of the soul as those of the body, those that are long delayed are healed with more pain and difficulty. That humiliation never miscarries of the blessing, which (as Jacob did Esau) shall take sin by the heel; when they shall come as twins into the world, sin the first borne shall be destroyed like those of the Egyptians, and the elder not only serve the younger but as joseph's brethren, or like Dagon before the Ark, shall fall down before him. Alexander being asked how he made himself master of Greece returned answer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, by making no delay; should we put the same question to David, and demand how he obtained pardon for his sin in numbering the people, he would make us the like answer, by not deferring to humble himself, no sooner was the fact done but his heart smote him. 2 Sam. 24.10. This was Saint Peter's season after the abnegation of his Master and perjury. The Cock crew, jesus looked bacl, and Peter immediately went forth and wept bitterly Matt. 26.75. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, the same night was conscious both to his sin and repentance, his wound and his cure. 
Chryshom. 53.  This indeed is the handle of opportunity, the lock of time to humble ourselves; and blessed are they that lay hold upon it.  
The second season of humiliation is then when the conscience convinced of sin committed, begins to be affrighted with the apprehensions of wrath, when the soul comes to see its guilt and is afraid of God's judgements, and therefore makes haste to agree with God offended while he is in the way, and to stop the Decree of wrath before it come forth, this opportunity deserves its praise, but (as 'tis said of some of David's worthies) in the second place. That person under the judicial Law, that being guilty of man slaughter recovered the City of refuge, before he was overtaken by the avengers of blood, saved his life, so shall that man that nation theirs, who understanding themselves in danger of God's wrath by reason of sin shall fly to the throne of grace and by unfeigned contrition lay hold upon the horns of the Altar, before the messengers of wrath have laid hold upon them. But unto the King of judah which sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall ye say unto him, because thine heart was tender and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heard'st that I spoke against this place and against the Inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rend thy  and wept before me, I have also heard thee, saith the Lord. Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, & thou shalt be gathered unto thy grave in peace, and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place, it was spoken of good King josiah. 2 King. 22.19.  
The third and last opportunity for a people to humble themselves, is when the Decree is broken forth, and the wrath of God is actually upon them, when the smart of the rod makes them sensible of their sin, as it is said of Israel Ps. 78.34. When he slew them, than they sought him, and enquired early after God. This was Mannasseh his season, as vile a wretch as ever breathed upon the earth, a very prodigy of wickedness yet when he was in affliction, when his chains were upon him than he sought the Lord and humbled himself greatly. 2 Chro. 33.11. A prudent man forseeth the evil and hideth himself. Prov. 22.3. Sees the Calamity in its commination and prevents it in the threatening; sees it first, and, as it is said of the man and the Basilisk, kills it by having the first sight of it; while the cloud of wrath is but like that of Eliah, a hands-breadth, foresees a tempest, and makes haste for shelter. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, a fool will be instructed while the rod is upon his back; children when they smart will cry and beg, and promise never to do so again. The rack of a great Plague will extort a confession from obstinate Pharaoh. I have sinned this time, the Lord is Righteous and I and my people are wicked. Exod. 9.27. When the judgement is not only at the door, but entered into the house, 
Quis rogo interfici alterum juxta se videt & ipse non metuit? etc. Salu.  and shall take away one here, another there, and all are in danger, will not every one be afraid? If the Lion roar, will not the beast tremble, much more when he shall come and seize upon his prey? Is it not time for the whole Town to come in when their houses are on fire, with water to quench it? It was high time for Aaron to stand in the gap when the Plague had made a breach upon the People. And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a Censer and put fire therein from off the Altar, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an autonement for them, for there is wrath gone out from the Lord, the plague is begun. Numb. 16.46. Such cases as this admit no delays, as Messadamus' was wont to say of himself, Know not to morrow: a little neglect here may undo a Kingdom, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, serious things to morrow, cost him dear that spoke it, both his life and Thebes. In such times as these, who knows what a day, some few hours may bring forth? Sodom and those sister Cities had a fair morn, the Sun risen gloriously, but never had people in the world a more terrible day. High time therefore it is when God's hand is exalted in the way of his Judgements, for a people, a Nation, to humble themselves, The necessity thereof will evidently appear from the consideration of these particulars.  
1. That the sound of this Trumpet is the last summons God gives a Rebellious people, it is the last Flagg that he hangs out, if they submit not and yield then, nothing to be expected at God's hand but utter ruin. It is storied of the victorious Tamerlaine that great scourge of the Ottoman Empire, that when he advanced against any Town or City, so soon as he was set down before it; the first day his Tents were all spread with white, a colour of Clemency, importing to them that if they would presently surrender they should be received into Mercy; if notwithstanding this tender, they should yet stand out against him the next day his Pavilion was clothed with red, a colour of blood, to give them to understand his severity; If neither of these two prevailed for a surrender, the third day the same Tents were all hung with black, to let them know that now all overtures of mercy were passed, and that now they must expect whatsoever calamity the fury of a conquering enemy could bring upon them. Such a course it is that God holds with a sinful people, according to the rule he himself gave unto the Jews in their wars Deut. 20.10. He first proclaims peace, holds out the white Flagg, summons them to repentance by the tenders of mercy; Go, saith the Lord, and proclaim these words towards the North and say; Return, O backsliding Israel, and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you; for I am merciful (saith the Lord,) and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you. jer. 3.12. If this gentler invitation prevail not upon their love, he next sends forth his Rod-Herald to make such a summons as may work upon their fear; Hear ye the Rod and who hath appointed it; 
Micah. 6.9.  This is God's Red Flagg, and the last he holds out to sinners with conditions of peaces: If the Rod cannot teach a People their duty, nor the severity of judgements upon the Land instruct the Inhabitants in Righteousness, if a Nation remain deaf at the thunder of God's loud voice, this obstinacy obstructes all the doors of hope, all the passages of mercy, God hangs out against them the black Ensign of desolation.  
Secondly, Obstinacy under Judgements raiseth a sin to the very height, it fills up the bag, & completes the measure of a people's iniquity, and leaves sin uncapable of greater aggravation. In the fourth of Amos God sets forth the sin of Israel arrived as it were at the non ultra of sinfulness, further than which it could hardly go; that notwithstanding the variety and extremity of the greatest judgements upon them they relented not, nor returned unto God; it is the burden of every charge by a pathetical scheme which the Rhetoricians call Epistrophe or conversion, there five times repeated, Yet have they not returned unto me, saith the Lord: I have sent among you pestilence after the manner of Egypt, your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses, and I have made the stink of your Camps to come up into your nostrils, yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord. I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out out of the burning, yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord. Oh this Yet hath an Emphasis, an Accent upon it, and makes sin carry an infinite weight in the balance of the Sanctuary: They are not humbled even unto this day, after all the experiences of divine Fury, heightened the jews sins beyond an expression. To relapse into the same offence after punishment doubles the malefactor's guilt, and deprives him of the Favour of the judge; but to sin upon the rack, under the plague, while God's marks are upon them, renders sin almost incapable of forgiveness. O Lord are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them but they have not grieved, thou hast consumed them but they have refused to receive correction, they have made their faces harder than a rock, they have refused to return, Jer. 5.3. It followeth at the seaventh verse. How shall I pardon thee for this? Oh there is a transcendent malignity in that sin which God that is infinite in mercy, as it were knows not how to pardon! The Psalmist mentions it as the greatest aggravation of the Israelites Rebellion against God, that they sinned yet more, by provoking the most High in the wilderness, a place wherein God had given them so many ocular demonstrations of his indignation against their Rebellion, Psal. 78.17. yea 'tis added (if it be capable of any further degree of guilt) The wrath of the Lord came upon them and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel: yet for all this they sinned still, vers. 31, 32. There is only one place more I shall mind you of, I beseech you to lay it to heart, I almost tremble to recite it, because I greatly fear, and I am persuaded, your own hearts will bear me witness this day, that the guilt of that sin lies heavy upon the most of us: the place is Isa. 22.12. and some verses following. In that day (viz. a day of trouble and treading down, and perplexity by the Lord of Hosts, as 'tis called vers. 5.) did the Lord of Hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth, and behold joy and gladness, slaying Oxen and kill Sheep, eating flesh an drinking wine; eating and drinking for tomorrow we shall die, And it was revealed in mine ears by the Lord of Hosts; Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord of Hosts.  
lie. Not to be humbled in times of distress is the Character of a hopeless People, the black mark upon a man or Nation designed to ruin. It is the property of the damned in Hell, to be tormented and sin, to be tormented and to blaspheme God, because of their torments. To be more obstinate under plagues and to drive on then in sin, when God takes off their Chariot wheels, and declares himself manifestly from heaven against them, is the sign of a Pharaoh's heart, and of that people that God will drown in the red Sea of his wrath. For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord of Hosts, Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail branch and rush in one day, Isa. 9.13, 14. This is a Nation that obeyeth not the voice of the Lord their God, nor receiveth correction, Truth is perished and is cut off from their mouth. Cut off thine hair, ôh jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation upon high places, for the Lord hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath. Jer. 7.28, 29. A Father that after all gentle ways frequently tried without success, at last finds his child obstinate under the rod, gives him over as a lost child. A Chirurgeon that after all corrosions and lance and mutilation of joints, finds the Gangrene to spread further into the body, looks upon his patient, as hopeless of Cure. And King Ahaztrespassed yet more in his distress; and the Holy Ghost points him out to the world as an eternal object of reproach and wonder▪ This is that King Ahaz! as if he had said, Oh all ye that pass by, did ye ever hear of such a man as this? did ye ever read of one whom the sense of judgements embittered into the height of impiety? why this is the man. This is that King Ahaz. These severer remedies are the last course God takes, if that fail, Conclamatum est, the case is desperate, you may write upon their Gates, THE LORD HAVE MERCY UPON THEM. The Lord shall smite Egypt, (saith the Prophet Isaiah,) he shall smite and heal is, and the shall return even to the Lord, and he shall be entreated of them, and he shall heal them. Isa. 19.22. God's Rod (as 'tis said of Achilles' spear) hath a virtue to heal those wounds it makes. Now how the Lord smote Egypt to heal it, we read at the 2d verse of that Chapter. I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians, and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour, City against City, and Kingdom against Kingdom. The Example applies itself. This one would think a strange course, to make whole by dashing in pieces, to bring things into order by confusion, to reconcile by dissension, to raise up the happiness of a people upon the foundation of a civil War. Yet this is the course sometimes of the great Physician of Nations, who can bring light out of darkness, and allay the most violent poison into an Antidote: he will smite and heal them. if this way succeed not we may conclude then that their wound is grievous and their bruise incurable, Ier 30.12.  
The Scripture sets forth this Method of Gods dealing with Nations under the type of sundry most expressive Metaphors; Hos. 6.4.5. O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O judah what shall I do unto thee? I have hewn them by my Prophets, and slain them by the words of my mouth, and thy judgements are as the light that goeth forth. A Trope taken from the Mason or Carpenter who doth square and cut the stone or timber to make it sit for the building, or such purposes as they are designed to by the Artificer, unto which if after all their pains they prove useless and unserviceable, than he throws them away as good for nothing, & I have slain them by the words of my mouth. The Prophets I have sent, have denounced against them all the curses in the book of the Law, and declared to them that they are but dead men, if they perservere in their sins, yea moreover, and thy judgements have been like the light that goeth forth. Thou Lord hast made known thy displeasure against them in the sight of the Nations; but they like men have transgressed, they have dealt treacherously against me▪ God having ran his whole course with them, seems not now as it were to know what further to do. O Ephraim what shall I do unto thee? O Judah what shall I do unto thee? The Lord in Ezek. 24.3. sets forth the desperate filthiness of jerusalem by a pot whose scum could not be consumed; the Prophet there is commanded to set on a pot▪ Set it on and also pour water into it, & then to put in the best pieces of flesh, & every choice bone, & after that to make them boil; when this course prevails not to get out the scum, the Prophet from God pronounceth a Woe against it. Wherefore thus saith the Lord God, Woe to the bloody City, to the pot whose scum is therein, and whose scum is not gone out of it. But yet God doth not give it off here, there's one course remains yet to purge out the scum, and that he takes, if any thing can do it 'tis that: He commands the Prophet to empty the pot, to make the pile for fire great, to heap on wood and kindle the fire, and then to set the pot thus empty upon it, that the brass might be hot and burn, that the filthiness might be melted in it and the scum consumed; now because after all this her filthiness remained, and her great scum went not out of her: The Lord concludes her as an incurable City under that dismal sentence, at the 13 vers. In thy filthiness is lewdness; because I have purged thee and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, until I have caused my fury to rest upon thee; The Prophet Jeremy yet further illustrates the desperate estate of that people whom the extremity of distress cannot reclaim from their wickedness by a most apposite similitude taken from the Refiners, who by melting their mettle in the fire make a separation of the good mettle from the dross. Jer. 9.7. I will melt them and try them, for what shall I do for the daughter of my people? as if he had said, If there be any thing sound or of worth in a drossy cankered people, it cannot be preserved, but only by melting them in the furnace, this corrupted Nation cannot otherwise be saved but only by the fire. Now with how great labour and exactness God performs this trial, the Prophet expresseth Jer. 6.28, 29. where he brings in God complaining against judah. They are grievous revolters walking with slanders, they are brass and Iron, they are all corrupters, the bellows are burnt, the lead is consumed of the fire, the founder melteth in vain, for the wicked are not plucked away. Malitiae corum non sunt consumptae, their wickednessees are not consumed and purged by the refining fire of God's Judgements. Their iniquity is so incorporated that though the bellows be burnt, (i.e.) the voice of the rod as well as the Prophet made hoarse and quite spent with crying unto them to humble themselves, the lead used for the separation of the dross from the better mettle was all wasted in the fire, yet they were not purified, their dross did still cleave unto them; no extremity of calamity could part them and their sins, and therefore it follows at the next verse. Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the Lord hath rejected them.  
Fourthly, God doth especially observe the several deportments of the inhabitants of a land when his judgements are upon them; his pure eye runs to and fro to see how men stand affected, and to take notice what men do, and say in the times of distress. It was a fearful visitation which God threatens judah with. jer. 8.3. where the prophet tells them, that so great should their calamity be, that Death should be chosen rather than life. at the 6 verse he represents God as it were going from City to City, from house to house, and from company to company, and there listening to hear what the people would do and say in the day of their fears. I harkened and heard, but they spoke not aright, no man repent him of the evell, saying, what have I done? They spoke happily much, (as God help us too many now) but they spoke not as they should; they spoke not aright, for they repent not of their wickedness, no man said, what have I done? What a paucity is there in the world who in times of distress speak that which God expects and desires to hear? amongst all the talk of the times how rare is that of repentance, the err of tears, and the voice of weeping, those sighs and groans which the penitent soul sends up to heaven as Ambassadors to the throne of grace for mercy? How few such speakers as the Prophet Malachi mentions? Then they that feared the Lord spoke often one to another, and the Lord harkened and heard it, and a book of Remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. Mal. 3.16. Where shall God find a selfe-humbling, selfe-condemning sinner, who sensible of his own guilt, saith, What have I done? Beloved, that great God, before whom all things are naked, that knows the secrets of all hearts, is present amongst us at this time in the midst of the Temple, and sees with what devotion or with what want of it we stand in his Courts, he takes notice how the pulse of every one of our hearts beats, there's never a thought which he marks not, never a sigh fetched in private but he sets down in his book, never a tear shed in our Closets that he saves not in his bottle; he observes too who stands off and comes not in this day to afflict his soul, as if he had no sins to procure the Judgements that are now upon us, or no sense to feel them. There's never a person carousing at the Tavern, nor swearing in the streets, no Zimri and Cosby acting their Lusts, none idle or haply worse employed in the house, when the Assemblies are mourning at the Church, that he observes not. Never a sin this day committed but he seals up in his bag, the sins that at other times might be mitigated by an excuse, committed on this day grow into a presumption beyond an Apology, God writes them in Capital Letters with a pen of a Diamond; he doth at all times abhor a proud and unhumbled soul, such a one this day is an abomination, the soul that is not afflicted at such times as this, shall be cut off from the people; a contrite and broken heart is the only sacrifice that can propitiate him in this day of atonement. If we consult the sacred Records, we shall not find a more perfect Register of any thing then of such, both persons, and People, as humbled themselves under Gods mighty hand stretched our in Judgement against them, and of such as at these times remained obstinate and impenitent; those he remembers to their advantage, and mentions with praise, these he records with indignation, and sets a stigma a brand of infamy upon them, for their lasting reproach so long as those sacred monuments shall remain in the world; I can but point at one or two instances of many. In 2 Chron. 32.25. we read of Hezekiah, whom God had miraculously recovered from a dangerous sickness, and granted 15 years more to his life, when his term was expired, that he rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him, for his heart was lifted up, therefore there was wrath upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem. Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart (both he and the Inhabitants of Jerusalem:) so that the wrath of the Lord came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah. In the next Chapter we have the story of the unparallelled wickedness of Manasseh his Son, and how vanquished, by the King of Assyria, he was carried away captive in fetters to Babylon, and there when he was in affliction how he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly. On the other side it stands as a perpetual blot upon the name of Amon the son of Manasseh, that though he had sinned as his Father had done, yet he humbled not himself, but Amon trespassed more and more. And upon Zedekiah chap. 36.12. that he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and humbled not himself before jeremiah the Prophet speaking from the mouth of the Lord. Examples in this kind would swell beyond the time. I hasten.  
5ly There's nothing in the world can stand in the gap to stop God marching against us in the way of his Judgements, and keep out a Torrent of wrath flowing in upon a Kingdom, but only the humbling of ourselves. Our eyes for the most part in times of distress like Solomon's fools, 
Prov. 17.24.  are at the ends of the earth, we look upon our forces abroad, and our fortifications at home, like those in Isai. 22.8. that in that day did look unto the Armouries, made up their breaches, drew in their waters, broke down their houses to fortify the wall, enlarged their trenches and let in the pool; and these things are not to be neglected, but here was their fault, and I fear ours, they looked not to the maker thereof, they had no respect unto God, no care by the humiliation of themselves in weeping and mourning, (a duty which the Lord of Hosts called for at their hands at that time, as the only means of their safety and preservation) to make him propitious to them, to appease his wrath, and engage him for them, who if he keep not the City, the watchman watcheth but in vain. it is our God that is the Pignus Imperii, the Palladium, and Ancile of our Cities. While we enjoy his protection and presence, we may not only say of them as they did of Sparta, that their men were their walls, but our God, salvation will the Lord appoint for walls and bulwarks. no weapon shall prosper against the City that is defended by God; he'll send Armies from heaven to fight for us, when we have none in the field. They fought from heaven, the stars in their courses fought against Sisera. 
Judg. 5.20.  The river Kishon swept them away, even that ancient River, the River Kishon. Half a Regiment with Gideon, when God goes General with them into the field, shall be more then enough to discomfit the whole host of Midian. he can strike the besiegers with a Panic fear, and make them fly at the only imagined noise of Horses and Chariots. On the other side, if God be against us, it avails not what our provisions, and fortifications be, or how many thousand are for us. All the Castles, and Bulwarks, and Armies in the world cannot protect us, from God as an enemy. Aiguanus tells us of a Prince, who being called in by the Inhabitants of a City to their assistance, and the rather to persuade him, being assured that the place was verytenible, well provided, and fortified; The Prince returned answer desiring to know whether their city were covered above, so that God's anger could not fall from heaven upon them; signifying unto them, that it was a vain thing to hope to secure themselves in the strength of walls, and the help of men, while sin laid them open to the wrath of God. The sins within are more to be feared, than the enemies without. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was a voice heard from heaven by the Tyrant Phocas, who thought after all his villainy to preserve himself by the impregnableness of the place; wickedness is within, the City shall be destroyed. I read of a people that, when Alexander sent unto them to know what it was they most feared; (he supposed they would have said himself.) but they answered, that they were most afraid lest heaven should fall upon them: and indeed this is most to be feared, lest the wrath of the God of heaven fall upon us; after all our fortifications we lie open to heaven, and there's no way to secure ourselves from an enemy thence, but by humbling ourselves. Humiliation hath often made up the breaches, when a whole nation hath been ready to be overwhelmed by an inundation of Judgements. As Abigail once did David, it appeaseth God in the height of his fury; it stands as the Rain. bow that God hath set in the Clouds, which whensoever he looks upon he relents, and will not drown that people in a deluge of wrath. Non potest orbis cadere, quem lacrymae sustentant, saith S. Austin; the tears of contrition they are the Pillars of a Kingdom, the props that sustain and bear up the world that it doth not fall into its primitive confusion, Humiliation is that sure Anchor of hope which hath saved the Church, and State from wrack, in the greatest tempests upon both. God hath obtained his end when he sees us prostrate upon the ground, and yielding ourselves, his indignation doth not fall so low, he cannot exercise vengeance upon them who revenge sin upon themselves, nor destroy them that lie down at his feet, and cry for mercy. 
2 Chron. 12  They have humbled themselves, saith the Lord of Rehoboam, and his Princes, therefore I will grant them some deliverance, and my wrath shall not be poured upon them by the hand of Shishach. Go, saith the Lord to those Commissioners EZek. 9 Set a mark upon them, that they may be spared in the day of my wrath; They are mourners, they cry out for their own and the sins of the Nation. If my people that are called by my name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways; I will hear from heaven and have mercy, I will pardon their sin, and heal their Land. 1 Chron. 7.14. We have an excellent example to this purpose in the 10th of Judges. The children of Israel fell from the service of God to the service of Idols, God sells them that will not serve him to be slaves to their enemies, who vex and oppress them full 18 years, (a long bondage,) this the condition of the people on the the other side of jordan; and 'tis like to be as bad with those on this side the river; The enemy is upon his march with a mighty Army: The People in distress fly to God for assistance, and receive a cold answer from him, such as might have discouraged them from all hopes of deliverance; for first he upbraids them, with those many deliverances he had wrought for them already. Did not I deliver you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and the Amorites, and the Children of Amen, and the Zidonians? etc. as if at this day he should answer us of this place. Did I not deliver you from the Tyranny of the Pope, from the Spanish Armado; and the Gunpowder-treason? from the many plots against the persons of your Kings, and the peace of your State, from the fury of the pestilence, and the terror of death in sundry battles of late? Yet have ye forsaken me; and then concludes he will deliver them no more, but bids them go to the Gods they had chosen, and let them deliver them in the time of their trouble. In this case what ground had faith upon which to stir up importunity to ask, or hope to expect salvation and deliverance, when as God had flatly answered them that he would deliver the mno more? Why, yet this hope they have still. The Lord is merciful, he hath been entreated to forgive when he hath purposed to punish, and to save when he had resolved to destroy. It may be their sighs and tears and prayers may overcome God's resolution, and move him to deliver them, though he hath said he will deliver them no more. How e'er they are resolved to throw themselves at his feet, if they must die they'll die there, if he will not help them in their distress, they cannot find any fault with him, they have deserved no favour at his hands; if he will see them destroyed he may, but their hope is that notwithstanding they have been a disobedient people, yet the Lord will look upon them now as an humbled people, and have compassion upon them. And they said unto the Lord, we have sinned, do thou unto us as seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only we pray thee this day. And to their humiliation they add reformation, for it follows. They put away their strange Gods from them, and now mark the success with God; why his heart is as it were melted into pity towards them, for, saith the Text; His soul was grieved for the misery of Israel; and against his former declaration crownes their submission with a glorious victory.  
In the last place, it will appear evidently as a truth written by a beam of the sun, that there is great cause why a people, when God's hand is stretched out in wrath against them, should humble themselves, if we do but consider how glorious and dreadful that God is whose hand is exalted in Judgement, and how vile creatures we are; and what a terrible thing his wrath is, and how impotent we are to stand against it. His Majesty is so excellent, that the most glorious Seraphinis dare not behold it, but thorough the veil of their wings, and then too dazelled with admiration, cry Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory. Isa. 6.3. Never yet had mortal man, even the most innocent, any glimpse of that glory, but did presently humble and abhor himself. Woe is me (saith the Prophet Isaiah at the 5. vers. of the Chap.) for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a People of unclean lips, for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts. Much more cause than have a sinful people to be abased, to be astonished, and to tremble, to meet him in the way of his judgements, the infinite depth of whose wrath no created understanding is able to fathom. The wrath of a King, saith Solomon, is as the roareing of a Lion, when the Lion roars who will not tremble? 
Prov. 19.12.  Yea but this is the wrath of a God, this speaks an immensity, an infiniteness, we cannot conceive. 
Judg. 8.21.  As the man's is, so is his strength; as God is so is his wrath; it is a wrath that doth virtually, and eminently contain all the terrors of the Creature. We read of strange exquisite torments the Cruelty of Tyrants have invented, these all are but shadows to the effects of his wrath. The scripture gives us some adumbrations of it by such resemblances, as speak it to be a most terrible wrath. It is compared to fire the most active and terrible creature; the Philosopher tells us that nothing can live in that Element; and our fire, in respect of that, is but like the fire that is painted upon the wall, and yet the poor creature must live for ever in it, God upholding it that it may feel the power of his wrath, 
Isay. 30.33.  to a River of fire and brimstone; that carries something more with it: The deluge of water was very dreadful, it drowned a whole world, but such a flood of fire and brimstone, how horrible would that be? and what are the proudest sinners to stand before it, who are but as stubble? why, it carries away gates, and walls, and Castles, and Kingdoms, and Heaven, and Earth, and all with it. The earth shaken and trembled, the foundations of heaven moved, because he was wroth, 2 Sam. 22.8. and shall poor man that is crushed before the moth be able to oppose himself against it? Can thine heart endure, or thine hands he strong in the day, that I shall deal with thee? EZek. 22.14. Hast thou a hand to resist it, or an heart to bear it? one drop of that wrath falling upon them, will turn the sun into darkness, and the moon into blood, and make the stars drop down from heaven; one sparkle thereof shall set on fire the Heavens, and the earth, 
Matt. 24.29.  the whole frame of nature, and burn down to the bottom of Hell. Lord, who knows the power of thy wrath? For according to thy fear, 
Deut. 32 22.  so is thy wrath. saith Moses Psal. 90.11. Melancholy apprehensions will fancy strange fears, but imagination itself falls infinitely short of the power of God's wrath. should God take and set a man upon hell's brink, that he might see the torments, and hear the cries of the damned there, his understanding certainly would be much enlarged to conceive, but yet never able to know what is the power of God's wrath. O consider this and tremble, ye that do not only sin down, but pray down this wrath upon yourselves, by those fearful imprecations God damn me, and The Devil take me. Little do these poor souls think what it is to be damned. 
Isay. 33.14.  Who can dwell with devoureing fire? who can dwell with everlasting burn? And yet this they must, upon whom God shows forth the power of his wrath in their damnation: What ever vain people now conceit of it, the time shall come when Kings, and great men, and rich men, chief Captains, and mighty men, 
Rev. 6. 1●.16.  shall petition the mountains and the rocks, to hid them from this wrath, Thou O Lord, even thou art to be feared, 
Psal. 7●. 7.  and who may stand in thy sight when thou art angry? Now since God's wrath is so terrible, when it begins to grow hot against a people, there is more than cause, it's high time for them to humble themselves. I have done with the 2 first Queres, I descend now to the last, which brings the point nearer home, to show what cause we of this Kingdom, and particularly we of this place have to humble ourselves; I cannot point at all particulars, I shall only touch these three.  
The first is, the great distress, that is this day upon the whole kingdom; this is a Lamentation, and should be for a Lamentation. we read in the 21. of judges, that when by the sword of Civil war, the Tribe of Benjamin was cut off and destroyed, that the other Tribes came to the House of God, and abode there until even before the Lord, and lift up their voices, and wept sore, saying. O Lord God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be this day one Tribe lacking in Israel? and the children of Israel, (saith the Text,) repent them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day? We are met (Beloved) at this time in God's house to humble ourselves, and what cause of mourning have we for this Nation, wherein I will not say one Tribe is cut off already, but many of the heads and chosen men of every Tribe: and the whole remnant of this once populous flourishing Kingdom is ready to be destroyed by the bloody sword of an intestine dissension, 
2 Ch●on. 20.23.  while we like those earthborn Thebans, or cursed Canaanites, help to kill and destroy each other? When Ziglag was burnt with fire, at the very sight of it David and his men wept so much that they could weep no more. 1 Sam. 30.3. what greater reason have we to weep at the sight of the general conflagration of our own Country? Were there nothing to be lamented by us in this day of our Fast, but the public miseries of this poor Kingdom, with how loud and fearful a cry do they call every one of us to mourning. Ye daughters of England weep over me who clothed you with scarlet, 
2 Sam. 1.24.  and said you with the flower of wheat: How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the Battle? how are not only the weapons of war, but all the abundance and delights and glory of your peace perished? What cause have we (I say) not only with good Nehemiah to have our countenances sad, 
Nehem. 1.4.  and to sit down and weep, and mourn, and fast and pray before the God of heaven, but to wish with Jeremy, O that our heads were waters, 
Jer. 9.4.  and our eyes a fountain of tears, that we might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of our people.  
A second cause we have to humble ourselves at this time is the consideration of every one of our own sins, and the sin of the Nation, the guilt and provocation whereof have drawn down upon our heads the great wrath, and indignation of our God. Tears were made only for sin, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, etc. God (saith Saint chrysostom) hath implanted in us the passion sorrow for no other thing in the world but sin; 
Hon. 7. ad pop. Antiochenu●●.  in our Calamities we should look with the eye of contrition more upon our sins then our sufferings, and be more afflicted that we should deserve afflictions, then that we should endure them. A Pharaoh will cry out of the Plague, and pray for the taking away of the death, repenting Israel prays for the removal of their sin. Take away all our iniquity. Hos. 14.2. and indeed all other Calamities to this are in the same Father's words, but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, bare names of Calamity, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 etc. sin is only truly so. 
Ibid.  Whatsoever bitterness is in any affliction, is put into it by the malignity of sin; and therefore the Godly who are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, men of tears, in their weeping have always most lamented their sins. When God's wrath was incensed against Israel to have destroyed them for the golden Calf. Oh, saith Moses, this people have sinned a great sin, and yet now if thou wilt forgive their sin etc. Exod 32 31. O my God, saith Ezra in the great distress of his people, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, O my God, for our iniquities are increased over our heads, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens Ezra 9.6. the same course is held by Nehemiah, and Daniel in their supplication, King David when the destroying Angel is sheathing his sword into Jerusalem, cries out, I have sinned and I have done wickedly 2 Sam 24.17. Mine heart, saith jeremy, within me is broken because of the Prophets, my bones shake, I am like a drunken man, like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the Lord, and because of the words of his holiness; for the Land is full of Adulterers, for because of swearing the Land mourns, the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up; and their course is evil, and their force is not right. jer. 23.9.10. O for some Jeremies to lament this over again for this nation. Tears that are shed for sin are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, commendable tears, 
Orat. 21.  as Nazianzen terms them. The Philosopher tells us that the dew of heaven and the rain from above, is fare more fertile than the waters from the fountains and rivers below, and so are those tears for sin then those that are for affliction. And if ever people had cause to be humbled, to have their hearts broken, and their eyes run down with rivers of waters for their own sins and the sins of their Nation, then have we certainly this day. That we should sin away our peace, and those blessings which made us glorious in the sight of the Nations; that we should sin ourselves into all these miseries that are now upon us; The greatness of our present distress testifies to our faces the greatness of our sins. God that never afflicts willingly, 
Lam. 3.33.  and when he doth, punishes citra condignum, less than the desert of our sins, 
Job. 11.6.  hath declared unto us the enormity of our sin by the extremity of our punishment. jerusalem hath greivously sinned, 
Lam. 1.8.  saith the Prophet; And therefore is she removed. We may say too this day, England hath greivously sinned, therefore is she greivously afflicted, her glory is removed and departed from her.  
But yet this is not all; the sins whereby we first drew down this great wrath upon ourselves are not all the cause we have to be humbled at this time; no, there is something more for which (were it but throughly resented) all our hearts should melt, all our bowels tremble, and all our Livers be poured out on the earth, like water before the Lord this day; and that is that we still sin under Judgements, that we have not humbled ourselves as yet under God's mighty hand, that we have contracted the guilt of many new grievous sins, even since the time that God's hand hath been upon us in so terrible a Judgement. Great cause hath every one of us to sit down and take up a Lamentation over his own hard heart: Alas! What stone is my heart made of? The hardest marble will weep, when the heaven is black with tempests above: though great clouds of God's anger have hung a long time over our heads, and many storms of wrath fallen upon us, yet my heart mourns not. The Adamant, that they say, will only expel vain fears; no real fears no terror of present Judgements can make any impression of fear upon my heart. The Naturalist tells us too that the Adamant is broken with Goat's blood, but neither the blood of Jesus Christ that scape-Goate, nor that of so many thousands of our brethren that have been slain, have melted my heart into tears of Contrition. What? is it a rock? why the rock when strooke but twice by the rod of Moses, sent forth waters abundantly, saith the Text, Num. 20.11. But God hath often smitten us with his rod, and yet no waters of repentance flow from my hard impenitent heart. Oh this sets our condition in the very depth of misery, and almost beyond the hopes of recovery, that we sin still, that we repent not under Judgements. What floods of tears are sufficient to deplore this impenitency; O our God, saith Ezra, what shall we say after all this? for we have forsaken thy Commandments, Ezr. 9.10. This is that which Daniel insisteth upon as the main aggravation of the sin of Judah, Dan. 9.12. that though the like had not been done under heaven, as had been done upon Jerusalem, Though, saith he, all this be come upon us, yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth. Oh Beloved, let this consideration be like Moses rod to strike water out of our stony hearts, that the plague of sin is upon us, while we sigh and groan and die under the plague of Judgements; Let us lament that we have not lamented for our sins, and say, The Lord pardon our Impenitency, the Lord forgive the sins we have committed since the time that his judgements have been upon the Land. Let it be the mark of the beast, and the badge of the Kingdom of Antichrist, when the Angel hath poured out the vial of wrath upon them, to gnaw their tongues for pain and blaspheme the God of heaven because of their sores and torments, and not to repent of their evil deeds, Rev. 16.10. But let us whom God hath yet reprived from the two deaths of war and sickness which have been so long upon the Kingdom, be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, every one mourning for his own iniquity. Ezek. 7.16. I have now dispatched the three questions, and have done with the doctrinal part; Let your patience I beseech you hold out a little longer, while I close up all with a seasonable application.  
In the first place, the Text riseth with full force against the most of us, I fear there are very few that can wash our hands of the guilt of this sin, which stands here charged against the Jews, They are not humbled even unto this day. We find by woeful experience that this day (to make use of our Saviour's words, this Scripture is fulfiled in our ears. Though the wrath of God be in a high measure upon us, and hath long continued upon the Land: Yet where are the jeremy's that mourn, the Daniel's that fast, the Nehemiahs and Ezra'es that pray? the Priests that weep between the Porch and the Altar, and say, Spare thy people O Lord? the Moseses that by the humiliation of themselves labour to stand in the gap? If there be but one house on fire in the Town, there's a general cry and running to help, every one carries water to quench it: Now that the whole Kingdom is all on a Flame, and that cries to every one of us, Water, water; ôh for some such water as the children of Israel poured out before the Lord in Mizpeh, 1 Sam. 7.6. fasting and crying out mightily, we have sinned! ôh for buckets of tears, penitent tears to quench a flaming Kingdom! ôh that every head were full, and every heart a Fountain of those waters, that we might draw thence to extinguish the devouring fire of God's wrath; but alas woe is me! woe is this whole Nation every one brings fuel to increase the flame, few or none labour to quench it. I know all that have any sense of our present miseries, cannot but resent it with grief; do ye not observe a deluge of sin upon the Kingdom, as well as a flood of wrath, which hath broken down all the banks of the fear of God and the reverence of man? Salvian complains, in lib. 6. of the City Triers, Assiduitas calamitatum illic, augmentum criminum fait, iis ipsis quibus coërcebantur scelera plagis erescebant, ut putares poenam ipsorum criminum quasi matrem esse vitiorum. I would our practice did not make it speak English. Can you ever have thought impiety should have risen to so prodigious an height? is there any wickedness dares not show itself in public: The Licentious lewdness of unclean persons which heretofore abhorred the Light, (fear and shame made them put on a veil then) now dares the day: all rapine and spoil and violence legitimated under the name of Plundering, the worst kind of Robbery. Oppression and unjust dealing improved by all the Art deceit can invent, as if all Conscience as well as Laws were asleep, if not quite dead. Heart-burnings and malice in every Town and village, triumphing even over our common miseries, as if nothing could reconcile us but only utter ruin and the grave. It was the observation of Augustus Caesar, Conviviorum & vestium luxus agrotantis & labentis imperii signa esse & praenuncia. That excess and riot in diet and apparel was a sign and forerunner of a languishing and expiring Kingdom. Was ever nation more guilty of these two sins, than ours of late? nay do we abate now that God calls us to fasting and sackcloth? Are not our Tables as full as heretofore? if not, are not our Taverns and Alehouses so, those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, watery places, where (as Evagrius was wont to say) the Devil most of all delighteth to haunt? It is methinks a very sad story which Salvian tells us of Carthage, 
Alii foris jugulabantur, alii intus fornicabantur. l. 6. degub.  at a time when war was even at their City Gates. That while the enemy acted the Butchers upon their brethren without, they played the Beasts in uncleanness within; both Captives at the same time, they to the Barbarians, these to their Lusts; these revelling in the City, while they were groaning out their last in the Field; these wallowing in their filth, while they lay weltering in their own blood: their case was much like ours; I would our course were not so like theirs. Was there ever a greater riot in  among all sorts of people then now? 
Ez. k. 16.51.  England as well as Judah may seem in her pride to justify Sodom: a sin committed with an high hand as it were in contempt and despite of heaven: Cast your eyes about you and see Nunquid hae Tunicae plangentium? Is this the habit and attire, this the garb of mourners? Are not many arrayed as in the day of the Solemn Feast and triumph of the Church and Kingdom, rather than the time of the great perplexity and distress of both? the very names of our women's tackling would fill up the whole third Chapter of Esay: Neither God's Ministers, nor yet his Judgements can preach down this sin, no not so much as their black spots and their paintings; Is it such a blackensse as this think ye, that the Prophet joel speaks of, joel 2.6. All faces shall gather blackness? Consider that, and be afraid, ye know not how near that day is, and remember the fate of painted jezabel. Hath it not been almost the Echo of every Sermon against oaths and blasphemies, and those cursed imprecations? Oh do not this abominable thing that God bats; and indeed should we be silent, the very stones in the streets would speak; and the timber out of the house would answer them; yet the wicked know no shame, those sins are grown to a presumption both against God and the King. The children of Israel, faith God, could not stand, but turned their back before their enemies because they were accursed, Jos. 7.12. Alas! then how shall these stand in the day of battle, that do so often curse and confound themselves? It is said of the Thracians, that when it thunders they shoot up their Arrows as it were in defiance against heaven, these men their oaths and execrations. That excellent Law we have against this sin hath been strengthened by two pious Proclamations of late; Oh that there were a like care and zeal in the execution. Honourable, and Beloved, let me in the name of God and in the behalf of this poor Kingdom beseech you, as the Father in the Gospel sometimes did our Saviour for his child possessed with an unclean spirit, If you can do any thing have compassion on us and help us. I would I could say with our Prophet. 
Mark. 9.12.  Surely those are poor and foolish, they know not the way of the Lord nor the judgements of their God; 
Jer. 5.4, 5.  I will go to the great men and speak unto them for they have known the way of the Lord and the judgement of their God. Oh ye heads of our Tribes, 
2 Chron. 28.10.  and ye the sons of Levi, as the Prophet Oded sometimes spoke, are there not with you, even with you, sins against the Lord your God? Pardon me, I beseech you if I speak freely; The Sacrifice of this day is a sin offering, and 'tis God's express command, Leu. 5.11. that neither oil nor frankincense be put upon it, it is a sin offering. Lay your hand upon your heart, and tell me, what Reformation do you find every one in his own heart? what one sin have you forsaken of which before you were guilty? what one duty do you now make conscience of which you formerly neglected? do you find a Frame of spirit in yourselves answering the sad and trembling condition of the Land? in a word, are ye humbled even unto this day? I would I could hear a good answer from you, that I might yet hope for better times; as your persons are representative, so are your sins too; your sins are the sins of a whole Town, a County, a Diocese, and so should I account your humiliation. I doubt not but here are many which are exiled from their houses, and rifled of their Estates; your condition is sad, but let me put the Question to you; Are your hearts humbled? O Humiliation, Humiliation, what's become of thee? where shall I find thee that thou mayst be a Pella, a City of refuge, to protect us from the Avengers of blood; a Noah's Ark to save a sinful nation from the flood of God's wrath? The City says, she knows thee not, the Court complains thou art a stranger there, and the Country cries thou art gone out of the Land. Though the two great destroyers, the Red & the Pale horses, have marched through the whole Land, multitudes of people every day swept away, the cries of our oppresed, wounded, spoilt, undone friends, Fathers, Brothers, kinsmen, sound every hour in our ears, the sighs, and tears, and groans of our dying nation, are fresh, and loud; the ruin of the Kingdom, and desolation as it were in sight, yet are not most of us like that stupid judge in the Acts, 
Act. 11.17  And Gallio cared for none of these things? The truth is, when these clouds first began to gather together, there was much perplexity amongst us where the tempest then hanging over our heads would fall, we were all in great fear what the event of those distractions would be; but now that our fears are come upon us, we cease to be afraid; like those Frogs in the Fable, when Jupiter threw down the log amongst them, it put them in a great fright for a time, so that they held their croaking, but after a while, when the fear was a little over, they came near to the Log and leapt upon it. The most of us seem to be sick of Ichorams disease, 
2 Chron. 21.15.  our bowels of compassion to others, (nay which is yet more) of pity to ourselves, are fallen out. We relent not at the murder and undoing of so many thousands of our brethren; we can hear the passing-bell toll, and see the pangs of death upon our own Country with dry eyes and unhumbled hearts, and not so much as say, Alas my mother▪ what Jeremy, nay what seas of tears, even tears of blood, are sufficient to lament this obstinacy? 
Jonah. 4.11.  Should I not have compassion on a great City, wherein are six hundred thousand souls that know not the right hand from the left? the greatness of the multitude was a motive that prevailed with God to spare Ninive; and should not this be an Argument as prevalent with us, to withdraw us from sin, and to persuade us this day every one to humble himself? 
Exod. 10.3  O my wretched heart! How long Pharaoh like, wilt thou refuse to humble thyself? If thou hast no pity upon thyself, yet shouldst thou not have compassion upon a perishing Kingdom? Shall I carry to my grave, nay to Hell with me the guilt of the blood of so many thousand Innocents'? Those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, men that walk in their sleep, they will venture upon dangerous precipices, because they know not their danger, but when they are awakened, and come to see what they have done, they are astonished, and even strooke dead with the apprehension of the danger escaped, it is a wonder to see that men awakened by the loud cries of God's judgements (or if we be asleep still, we are in a dead sleep) should dare to go on in such desperate ways, as many of us do: that we should have our eyes open and see our danger, and yet not be afraid, that the wrath of God should be so long upon the Land, and we not humbled even unto this day.  
In a word, to close up all (I have already tired both you and myself) as Jotham sometime spoke to the men of She-●hem; 
Jndg. 9.7.  Harken I beseech you unto me, that the Lord may hearken unto you; I know the desire of your soul is to do good to your poor Country; your hearts cannot but yearn towards your distressed mother, and I hope with many of you, as this is the time of jacob's trouble, so 'tis of jacobs' wrestling too, 
Host 12.4.  by strong cries and tears, that the Lord would turn away from his fierce wrath, compose our bloody distractions, and heal our Land. Do you desire that God should hear you? Why then harken unto him, 
1 Pet. 5.6.  Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, (he will hear the prayer of the humble) and what ever our present condition be, he will exalt us in due time; 
Ps. 10.17.  if your own hearts tell you that you have not been humbled even unto this day, why then writ the name of this day, let your hearts be humbled before the Lord this day: God forbidden that any one of us should carry an unhumbled heart out of this house of mourning: but when we are gone hence, let us enter every one into his own Closet, and there pour out his afflicted soul in sighs, and groans, and tears, and prayers, before the Lord for his own sins and the sins of the Kingdom. Oh let us make this day a day of Atonement for ourselves, and this whole nation. When Benhadad was quite vanquished By Ahab, he sent his servants with sackcloth upon their loins and ropes upon their necks, which came to the King of Israel, and said, Thy servant Benhadad saith, 
1 Kign. 2●. 32.  I pray thee let me live; the encouragement they had to do this, was because they heard, the Kings of Israel were merciful Kings. Let us do so this day, humble ourselves in fasting, and tears, and beg our lives, and the life of this poor Kingdom at God's hands; he is a merciful God; say unto him, This expiring Church and dying Kingdom say, we pray thee let us live. O let us not defer any longer to humble ourselves. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the care (saith job) but now mine eye seethe thee, 
Job 42.5, 6.  wherefore I abhor myself in dust and ashes. we have heard long since by the hearing of the care, what destructions God hath wrought upon the Earth, we have heard of the Desolations of Jerusalem and many other Cities, and Kingdoms, of old, and of Germany and Ireland of late (the report is still bleeding new,) Oh distressed Ireland! and happy had we been had their examples awaked us, that we ourselves might not have been made an History to others; but now that we have seen him by the eye, in the way of his judgements, what will become of us, if we do not humble and abhor ourselves? It is said Rev. 9.20. That though the third part of men were killed, yet the remnant that were not slain by the plagues, repent not of the works of their hands, neither repent they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornications, nor of their thefts. O let it not be said of us of this Nation, us of this place, that though the sword and the sickness have slain, shall I say a 3d part of the Kingdom? we know that many thousands are already fallen in England; the sword is not yet put up into the sheath, nor the commission to destroy taken from the pestilence: O let it not (I say) be said of us, that are as yet spared from destruction, that we have not repent of the works of our hands. much less let that be verified of us, which is spoken of the Nations. Rev. 16.8, 9 That when the fourth Angel had poured out his vial upon the Sun, and power was given him to scorch men with fire, the men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God which hath power over those plagues; and they repent not to give him the glory. The destroying Angel hath poured out the vial of God's wrath upon the Sun of our peace & former prosperity: Through the anger of the Lord of Hosts is the whole land darkened: the fire that is kindled in all our dwellings hath scorched some of our persons, & consumed many of our estates; the Lord forbidden that this great affliction should enrage our spirits to blaspheme the name of that God who hath power over those plagues; or that this great sin should be laid to the charge of the inhabitants of this Kingdom, that notwithstanding all the judgements upon them, yet they repent not to give God the glory. But let us rather make them our patterns, who are propounded to us as examples of repentance in times of distress, and wrestle with God this day by unfeigned contrition, for that blessing, which we cannot obtain at the hands of men. Oh what would many of us give, (had we it to give) for that blessing which lately was as a price in the hand of fools! Now what more doth God require of us for the redemption of this inestimable Pearl, but only this, that we should humble ourselves? Honourable, and Beloved, there have been many hopeful ways taken for the recovery of our lost Peace: your endeavours have expressed your hearty desires, to compose our unnatural divisions by an happy accommodation: the Royal tongue hath prevented me in the acknowledgement of your pains this way; the Lord reward it unto you, and all those that are thus minded, and the blessing of the Peacemakers ever rest upon you. But the many and great sins of this Nation have blasted the success, and as yet hid these good things from us. What remains now, but that Ye and We, and all of us by uncessant prayers and tears importune the throne of grace, and humble ourselves before the God of peace, for the blessing of peace?  
Oh, but methinks I hear some say, Alas my heart, notwithstanding all that hath been said, is yet hard and unhumbled: Can you give me some receipt, that may break it and melt it into tears of Repentance?  
Take this breise prescription, and carry it home along with thee: in the first place, 
Zech. 1●. 10  pray to God that he would pour out upon thee the spirit of grace and supplication. Beg a look from Christ, there is a virtue in Christ his look to pierce the hardest heart, 
Luke 22.61, 62. Respice Domine jesu, ut sciamus nostrum de ●lere delictum Ambrose. Psal. 147.18. Ios. 15.19.  and to soften it into godly sorrow and remorse for its sins. Jesus looked bacl, and Peter went out, and wept bitterly. The fountain of penitent tears is in heaven; our hearts are naturally dry, like the deserts of Arabia, until he that turns the wilderness into a standing pool, and the dry ground into springs of waters, causeth his spirit to blow up on them, and then the waters shall flow. Go to God with that request which Achsa did to her Father, Give me O Lord, the springs of water, the upper and the nether springs, that I may weep for our distress, but more for our sins. In the next place, raise up thy soul upon the wings of heavenly meditation, and fly up to Mount Golgotha, and there look upon him whom thou hast pierced. Consider him in his bitter agony, sweeting drops of blood trickling down to the ground: In those consternations of spirit, trembling under the unsupportable burden of his Father's wrath; hanging upon the Cross, nailed hands and feet; forsaken of men, and in his own sense of God too, breathing out his afflicted soul in a loud cry. And then reflect upon thyself, not only as the Author of all, 
Heb. 6.6.  but also as one that by thy known, wilful, presumptuous sins hast often crucified him afresh, and put him to an open shame. The fountain of blood opened in Christ's side for the expiation of sin, will open a fountain of tears in thy heart for the commission of it. They shall look upon him whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, 
Zech. 22.10.  as one is in bitterness for his first borne.  
Now the Lord in mercy bring home and settle that which hath been spoken at this time, upon every one of our hearts. Amen.  
FINIS.