Fourthly, Be not secure: do not say, the bitterness of death §4is past; as Agag did when he came before Samuel stately and 1haughtily with the garb and gate of a King. Many times when wicked men are in the greatest security, they are then nearest the highest pitch of misery. Is there not guilt enough upon all your hearts, and upon all your habitations, to expose them to as great a desolation as London lies under. Ans. Yes, yes. Why then do not you get off this guilt by frequent exercises of faith in the blood of Christ, or else prepare to drink of the same cup that London hath drunk off, or of a worse. Ponder seriously and frequently upon these Scriptures, Isa. 51. 17. Awake, awake, stand up O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his fury, thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out. Verse 22. Thus saith thy Lord, the Lord, and thy God, that pleadeth the cause of his people: behold, I have taken out of thy hand the cup of trembling; even the dregs of the cup of my fury, thou shalt no more drink it again. Verse 23. But I will put it into the hands of them that afflict thee: which have said to thy soul, bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street to them that went over. Jer. 25. 15. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel unto me, take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the Nations, to ⟨p. 266⟩whom I send thee; to drink it. Verse 17. Then took I the cup at the Lords hands, and made all the Nations to drink, unto whom the Lord had sent me. Verse 18. To wit, Jerusalem, and the Cities of Judah, and the Kings thereof, and the Princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse (as it is this day) Verse 28. And it shall be, if they refuse, to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto 2them, thus saith the Lord of Hosts, ye shall certainly drink. ver. 29. For lo, I begin to bring evil, on the City which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? ye shall not be unpunished: I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the Lord of Hosts. When Jerusalem hath drunk of the cup, if God be God, the Nations round shall certainly drink of it. God hath begun with London: poor London hath drunk deeply of the cup of Gods fury:
Fourthly, Be not secure: do not say, the bitterness of death §4is past; as Agag did when he came before Samuel stately and 1haughtily with the garb and gate of a King. Many times when wicked men are in the greatest security, they are then nearest the highest pitch of misery. Is there not guilt enough upon all your hearts, and upon all your habitations, to expose them to as great a desolation as London lyes under. Ans. Yes, yes. Why then do not you get off this guilt by frequent exercises of faith in the blood of Christ, or else prepare to drink of the same cup that London hath drunk off, or of a worse. Ponder seriously and frequently upon these Scriptures, Isa. 51. 17. Awake, awake, stand up O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his fury, thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out. Verse 22. Thus saith thy Lord, the Lord, and thy God, that pleadeth the cause of his people: behold, I have taken out of thy hand the cup of trembling; even the dregs of the cup of my fury, thou shalt no more drink it again. Verse 23. But I will put it into the hands of them that afflict thee: which have said to thy soul, bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street to them that went over. Jer. 25. 15. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel unto me, take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the Nations, to ⟨p. 266⟩whom I send thee; to drink it. Verse 17. Then took I the cup at the Lords hands, and made all the Nations to drink, unto whom the Lord had sent me. Verse 18. To wit, Jerusalem, and the Cities of Judah, and the Kings thereof, and the Princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse (as it is this day) Verse 28. And it shall be, if they refuse, to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto 2them, thus saith the Lord of Hosts, ye shall certainly drink. ver. 29. For lo, I begin to bring evil, on the City which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? ye shall not be unpunished: I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the Lord of Hosts. When Jerusalem hath drunk of the cup, if God be God, the Nations round shall certainly drink of it. God hath begun with London: poor London hath drunk deeply of the cup of Gods fury:
- 11 Sam. 15. 32.
- 2The particular Kings and Kingdoms that must drink of this cup are set down from verse 19. to verse 28. See Lam. 4. 21. Ezek. 23. 31, 32, 33, 34.
