flighter corrections wherein he dallied with them, might find a judgment worthy of God, Wifd. 12. 26. And fure fuch was this, which both for its greatneß and irrefiftibleness does well own its Author, and fhews his wrath was accended to a very exceffive heat, that thus poured out its felf not only like, but in Fire, Lam. 2, 4.

I shall not here affume the Polititians part, and weigh the detriment we have fuftained by it in our civil intereft, of which perhaps nothing but time and experience can give us a full eftimate; it rather fuits my defign to obJerve what relates to our fpiritual concerns, whileft Gods dwelling places were involved in the fame ruine with ours; his own peculiar portion not exempted, but as the Prophet complains, Ef. 64. 11. Our holy and beauti, ful houfes where our fathers praifed him are burnt with fire: this though perhaps leaft confidered, is fure not the leaft fad circumftance, had only the Scenes of our luxury, or our fraud been deftroyed, it might have fent us with more fervency to the places of our devotion, and we might have frequented Gods houfes the better, for being deftituted of our own; but when thefe alfo are made parts of the common heap, 'tis a fad teftimonial that our very religion was provoking; That that pageant-like piety which we depofited in our CHURCHES, only to make a fhew with on holy-days, ferved only to defile thofe holy places, and rendred them fo polluted as required no flighter purgation than that of FIRE. 'Tis we know not long, fince thofe manfions facred to the Prince of Peace, were even in the vulgar obvious fenfe, made magazines for War; but yet more fo in reference to that Pulpit. wild-fire, which fet the Nation in combuftion; whether that ftrange Fire which fome of our Nadabs and Abihu's introduced

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introduced there, may not (even at this distance) have done its part to the drawing down this FIRE from Heaven, I leave to their ferious reflection. But neither the Hypocrite nor the Seditious must ingroß the guilt of this ruine: The Atheist vyes with both; for alaß what should God do with Temples among thofe, who pay him no worShip? or why should he let thofe facred monuments remain among them, to whom all memorials of him ferve but as occafions, and incentives to blafpheme him? They have long faid with thofe in Job, Depart from us, for we defire not the knowledge of thy ways; and now 'tis but equitable (I had almoft faid Civil) to take them at their word, and no longer refide among those who fo avowedly difclaim him.

AND this, 'tis much to be feared, may be the portent of this difinal vaftation: we know men ufe not to deface thofe houses, where they intend to inhabit: and fure this abhorring his Sanctuary, and cafting off his Altar, Lam. 2. is a dreadful fign, that he means no longer to continue his refidence among us; indeed we find in Scrip-. ture that his promife of cohabiting is always limited to thofe who own themselves his people; and therefore when So many of us have openly renounced that relation, we can with no juftice expect the bleffing appendant to it.

BUT perhaps this will feem to fuch no formidable thing; Gods fo withdrawing of himself is but agreeable to their wishes, a kind of quitting the field to them, and So rather matter of complacency than regret: but 'tis to be confidered that there is another prefence of God that will infallibly fucceed this; when he removes that of his grace, 'tis to make way for that of his anger; bike the Philistines we shall know the God of Ifrael is among us

by his Plagues, 1 Sam. 5. or to make a yet more dreadful comparison, we shall like the damned in hell, difcern his prefence only in the punitive effects of it, and read his nearneß in our fufferings. And fure this will be but an ill exchange, even to the profaneft of us, thofe that have moft defpifed or loathed the foft breathings of his Word and Spirit; will find it yet harder to endure the whirlewinds of his wrath, which will fnatch from us thofe fecular advantages for whofe pursuit we have neglected the better part, Luke 10. 42. and leave us as little of worldly enjoyments, as we defired to have of spiritual.

OF this our late Calamities have given us a fad Preludium, and God knows how foon we may see the last Scene of the fatal Tragedy, it being too probable that this is Gods laft Experiment upon us, like the Caufticks and Scarifyings to a Lethargick patient; if this bring us not to fenfe we are like to fleep on to deftruction: And alas what uncomfortable fymtomes appear even in this point alfo. Who is there that (unless awakened by his perfonal concernments) Seems at all to startle at the noise of publiek ruine? When God in difpleasure threatned the Israelites that he would remit their conduct to his Angel,and not go himself with them. The text fays, they mourned and no man put on his ornaments on him, Exod. 33.4. or as the LXX, natezivnoev iv werdixoïs, and the

they ܐ ܫܩܠܘ ܓܒܪ ܙܝܢܗ ܥܠܘܗܝ ,Syriack

ftript themselves of their Armour, their ruffling garb of War, and appeared in the penitential drefs of fackcloth and afhes: but now that we are given up not to a conducting but deftroying Angel, what figns of remorfe do we fhew? What vanity (I fear I may ask what vice) have we fubftracted, upon the fenfe of Gods anger? What

What nicety in cloaths or diet have we cut off in fympathy with the nakedneß and hunger of our afflicted brethren? Nay, do not the unreasonable Follities of too many among us, look as if we triumpht in their miferies, found Mufick in the difcordant founds of their groans, and our own laughter; and emulated that infamous barbarity of Nero, who played while Rome burned? 'Tis mentioned by the Prophet as a most prepofterous thing, a kind of impious Solecifm to revel under the menace of judgements. Thus faith the Lord, Afword, a fword, it is fharpned to make a fore flaughter, it is furbished that it may glitter, should we then make mirth? Ezek. 21.9, 10. and certainly it leẞ befits us against whom God has nat only prepared, but ufed his fword; who are not only under the threats, but actual Execution of his vengeance, and what is it but interpretatively to prompt him, to yet fharper inflictions, by fhewing him that thefe have not edge enough to penetrate us? With how much indignation God refents this perverfe, this contumelious behaviour, we may read, Efay 22. 12, 13, 14. In that day did the Lord call to weeping, and mourning, and to baldnefs, and to girding with fackcloth, and behold joy and gladness, flaying Oxen and killing Sheep, cating Flesh and drinking Wine; eating and drinking for to morrow we fhall dye: Upon which follows, that fevere denunciation: Surely this iniquity fhall not be purged from you till you dye. Of fo deep a tincture is this guilt, that'tis as lafting as our lives, and like the fretting leprofie in the house, Levit. 14. 45. can be removed by nothing but its digolution.

O then let us not adde this to the heap of our other provocations, miftake impudence or defperation for courage;

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and frantickly defie that omnipotence which we are fure we can not refift: but fince it has pleafed God even in wrath to remember mercy, let us tranfcribe his let us tranfcribe his copy, be as kind to our felves as he has been to us, and stop in our career as he has done in his; not fo madly affect a full parallel with Sodom and Gomorrah, as to force him to deftroy that remnant, Ef. 1.9. which alone diftinguishes our case: but rather take pattern from Nineveh; cry, and cry mightily to God,joyn humiliation to our prayers,and reformation to both. And could we be perfwaded to do this with the fame fincerity, and univerfality, we might hope it may be with the fame fucceß alfo: would every one who has contributed to the accending, as industriously contribute to the appeafing of Gods wrath: would all who have brought their fire-brands bring also their tears to quench them, as there would be no dry Eyes in the Nation at the prefent, fo might it prevent as great a Generality of weeping ones for the future; fecure us fuch a tranquility here, as may calmly convoy us to that impaffible state, where all tears fhall be wiped from our eyes, where there fhall be no more death, nor forrow, nor crying, nor pain, Rev. 21. 4.

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