The Saints' Everlasting Rest

4. You are guilty also of all those Judgments which those mens sins do bring upon the town or country where they live. I know you are not such Atheists, but you believe it is God that sendeth sickness, and famine, and war; and also that it is only sin that moveth him to this indignation. What doubt then is there but you are the cause of Judgments, who do not strive against those sins which do cause them? God hath stayed long in patience, to see if any would deal plainly with the sinners of the times, and so free their own souls from the guilt: But when he seeth that there is almost none, but all become guilty, no wonder then if he lay the Judgment upon all. We have all seen the drunkards, and heard the swearers in our streets, and we would not speak, to them, we have all lived in the midst of an Ignorant, worldly, unholy people; and we have not spoke to them with earnestness, plainness, and love: No wonder then if God speak in his wrath both to them and us. Eli did not commit the sin himself, and yet he speaketh so coldly against it, that he also must bear the punishment. Guns and Canons speak ⟨p. 496⟩against sin in England, because the inhabitants would not speak. God pleadeth with us with fire and sword, because we would not plead with sinners with our tongues. God locketh up the clouds, because we have shut up our mouths. The earth is grown hard as Iron to us, because we have hardened our hearts against our miserable neighbours. The cries of the poor for bread are loud, because our cries against sin have been so low. Sicknesses run apace from house to house, and sweep away the poor unprepared inhabitants, because we swept not out the sin that breedeth them. When you look over the woeful desolations in England, how ready are you to cry out on them that were the causers of it? But did you consider how deeply your selves are guilty? And as Christ said in another case, Luk. 19 40. If these should hold their peace, the stones would speak: So because we held our peace at the Ignorance, ungodliness, and wickedness of our places, therefore do these plagues and Judgments speak.

4. You are guilty also of all those Judgments which those mens sins do bring upon the town or countrey where they live. I know you are not such Atheists, but you believe it is God that sendeth sickness, and famine, and war; and also that it is only sin that moveth him to this indignation. What doubt then is there but you are the cause of Judgments, who do not strive against those sins which do cause them? God hath stayed long in patience, to see if any would deal plainly with the sinners of the times, and so free their own souls from the guilt: But when he seeth that there is almost none, but all become guilty, no wonder then if he lay the Judgment upon all. We have all seen the drunkards, and heard the swearers in our streets, and we would not speak, to them, we have al lived in the midst of an Ignorant, worldly, unholy people; and we have not spoke to them with earnestness, plainness, and love: No wonder then if God speak in his wrath both to them and us. Eli did not commit the sin himself, and yet he speaketh so coldly against it, that he also must bear the punishment. Guns and Canons speak