A word in season to this present generation, or, A sober and serious discourse…

Among other prodigies, which were about the time that Julian came to the Empire, there were wild Grapes appeared upon their vines, with which many wise men in that day were much affected, looking upon it as ominous. Ah England! England! I look upon nothing to be so ominous to thee, as the barrenness of the Professors of the day! no wonder if God leave his house, when the Trees that are planted in it, and about it are all barren. The Nutmeg-tree makes barren all the ground about it; so doth the spice of worldly love make the hearts of Christians barren under the means of grace. But I must hasten.

Seventhly, Take heed of pride and haughtiness of Spirit: Hosea 5. 5. And the pride of Israel doth testify to ¹his face: therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity: Judah also shall fall with them. Ver. 6. They shall go with their flocks, and with their herds to seek the Lord, but they shall not find him, he hath withdrawn himself from them. Pride is the great master-pock of the soul, it will bud, and ²blossom, it cannot be hid; it is the Leprosy of the soul, that breaks forth in the very forehead, and so testifieth to his face. Some have called Rome, Epitomen universi, An Epitome, or Abridgement of the whole world: So it ⟨p. 187⟩may be said of pride, that it is the sum of all naughtiness, a Sea of sin, a complicated sin, a mother sin, sin, a breeding sin, a sin that has all sorts of sin in the womb of it; consult the Scriptures in the margin. Aristotle ³speaking of Justice, saith, that in Justice all virtues are couched, [Greek or Hebrew], summarily; so it may be truly said of pride, that in it all vices are as it were in a bundle lapped up together; and therefore no wonder if God withdraw his presence from proud persons, [He hath withdrawn himself from them.] Heb. Hath snatched