Sidor som bilder
PDF
ePub

his servants hath had, the Lord knows. I do not say that London hath entertained them de. spitefully, and slain them; but has not their message been slighted by London? and is it a wonder then if the king that sent them be wroth, and send a fire to burn down the city? No greater favour could be shewed, no greater privilege could be enjoyed, than to have the Gospel powerfully preached, and ordinances purely administered; but hath it been generally so accounted in London? Hath not merchandize, and thriving in the world, (which yet they have not thrived in) been preferred before this, by many thousands in the city? When God hath been at such an expense to work out a way for man's salvation; when he hath discovered such wonders of astonishing love in sending his only begotten Son out of heaven to clothe himself in our flesh, that therein he might purchase life and salvation for us who were sunk so low from our primitive state by sin, and were exposed to death and wrath, and unavoidable endless misery in hell; and hath sent his ambassadors of peace to bring unto us the glad tidings hereof, and in his name to make known the thing, the author, the terms, the way and to entreat us that we would accept of life and reconciliation to God, who without any injury to himself could ruin us everlastingly, and get himself a name thereby; and yet, when the Gospel is preached, that we should undervalue and slight both messenger and message; surely this hath been an affront unto the Lord, who hath sent his ambassadors on this errand, and doth

"

carry with it such ingratitude as cannot be paralleled.

No doubt but this sin of slighting the Gospel is a prime sin, which hath provoked God against London, to come forth in such fury; and if London do not repent ere long, and labour to recover its relish and esteem of the Gospel, and make more evident demonstrations of it, I fear the Lord will quite remove the Gospel from them; and then nothing is like to follow but desolation and woe. God doth not remove his glory at once, but by steps; first," the glory of the Lord departs from the inner court, to the threshold of the house," Ezek. x. 3, 4;" from the threshold of the house to the door of the east-gate," verses 18, 19," then it goes from the midst of the city, and standeth upon the mountain," chap. xi. 23. The Gospel is the glory of London, and hath the glory of the Lord made none of these removes? Is it not come forth of the inner court?

Hath it

not left the threshold? is not a departing of it quite from the city threatened? Will any thing recover it, if we do not recover our appetite, and prize, and cry after it?

If the Gospel go, God will go; the Gospel being the sign and means of his special presence; and "woe be unto us when God shall depart from us," Hos. ix. 12. And if God depart with the Gospel, farewell peace and prosperity in England; nothing, I dare be confident, but temporal misery and ruin will be the consequence: if the eclipse bring such misery, what will the quite darkening of the sun do?

2. The second sin of London is unfruitfulness

in such a fertile soil. This sin hath been an attendant upon, and a consequent of the former.

London was not only a Goshen, but an Eden; God chose out London to be his garden, he hath hedged it, planted, watered, pruned and manured it; no place in the world hath had more plenty of the means of grace; God hath given the former and the latter rain; and sweet dews of heaven, both morning and evening, did fall upon this place in the morning seed was sown, and in the evening the hand was not withdrawn; plentiful and powerful hath preaching been in London, in season and out of season, on the Sabbath-day, and on the week-day; but hath London answered all God's care and cost? Hath not God come for many years together, seeking fruit, and found nothing but the leaves of profession? Hath he not often threatened to cut down the unfruitful trees, and not suffer them to cumber his ground any longer? and when, through the intercession of the vine-dresser, he hath spared them this year, and another year, hath not the same unfruitfulness still remained? What could the Lord have done more to his vineyard than he hath done? wherefore then, when he looked for grapes, brought it forth only leaves or wild grapes? And is it then to be wondered at, if the Lord pluck down the hedge thereof, that it might be eaten by the wild boar and beast of the field, if he break down the wall thereof, and make it waste and desolate? Is it to be wondered at, if he withhold the clouds that they rain not on it, and suffer briars and thorns to spring up in it, where the plants did grow?

The vine, when it is unfruitful, is the most unuseful of all trees, Luke xiii.; Isa. v. 4, 5, 6, &c.; Ezek. xv.; it is fit for nothing but the fire; and the Lord hath threatened to gather the unfruitful branches, and to cast them into the fire and burn them, John xv. 6; and the earth which drinketh in the rain that often falleth upon it, and instead of herbs, meet for the use of him by whom it is dressed, bringeth forth nothing but briars and thorns, God rejecteth and curseth, and in the end burneth, Heb. vi. 7.

O the unfruitfulness of London! O the briars and thorns which have flourished in this ground, whereby the seed of the word hath been choaked! O the hemlock, the thistle, and the wormwood, that have sprung up in the furrows of the field! O the tares that have abounded and overtopped the wheat, and how little good corn hath there been brought forth! O the wild olive-trees which have grown up in God's garden, and wild figs and wild grapes, which the fig-trees and vines of God have yielded unto him! O the leanness of his sheep in such fat pasture! O the barrenness! the barrenness of London, under such plentiful showers of the word! "Instead of the fruits of righteousness, which are to the praise and glory of God," there have been the "fruits of unrighteousness, and wickedness, which are to God's dishonour: instead of the fruits of the Spirit, which are love, joy, peace, gentleness, meekness, temperance, goodness, faith;" there have been the "works of the flesh, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, hatred, variance, emulations, wraths, strifes, seditions, heresies, envyings, mur

[ocr errors]

ders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like;" of which the Apostle tells us," that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God," Philip. i. 11; Gal. v. 19-24.

And those who have not abounded in the grosser works of the flesh, very few of them have been very fruitful in good works. London hath had the means of grace, and yet most of them without grace, few of them have much grace. London hath had powerful ordinances, but what powerful effect have they produced? what have they to shew of all their prayers, and sermons, and sacraments? Have they attained unto a great measure of mortification? Is grace grown up to a great height? what evidences, what experiences have the best got, which they might have got, had they been more diligent?

Give me leave a little more particularly to instance the unfruitfulness of London in regard of repentance, faith, love, and new obedience, the fruit which God so much looketh for, and so much delighteth in.

r

(1.) Where have been the fruits of repentance in London? Calls there have been to repentance, frequent, fervent: reason for repentance, sins numerous, heinous: need of repentance, that judgments temporal, eternal, might be diverted, that pardon, happiness, might be obtained; and yet, O the impenitency and hard-heartedness of London! few bleeding hearts under the sharp sword of the Word; little tenderness under the most melting discourses; few converts and penitent persons did the most powerful preaching (especially before the Gospel's-eclipse) bring forth

« FöregåendeFortsätt »