This is the cause of this smiting, and never was there such perverseness in the hearts of men to turn things quite cross,1 to cry out of Truth for Falsehood, to cry out of the Ways of Christ as the Ways of Sedition, and the great troublers of the Kingdom, to cry out of the Saints that are for peace, as the great Stirrers up of the Kingdom, and to justify ⟨p. 280⟩the wicked in many places;2 What favour hath many Malignants? and those that have most appeared in the Cause of God,3 how are they discountenanced? This is the Cause why God would smite them, and why their Carcasses should be torn in the very streets. The Lord hath smitten us this day as he did the people in 1 Kings, 14. 15. 4The Lord shall smite Israel as a reed is shaken in the water, (and then it follows after) he shall root them out of the good Land. So it's here, Ephraim is smitten, and his root dried up. The Lord this day hath smote us as a reed is shaken to and fro, that which men cried up at first, they cry down again presently after, and forward for a little while, and then quite the other way again, and wavering and unconstant in all their ways, and know not indeed what they would have; thus the Lord hath smote us, yea the Lord hath smitten us so as he hath fetched blood, fetched blood, yea, the Lord hath smitten us by those that should protect us, and that's a sore smiting, to smite us by the hand of such as should protect us; that threatening that is denounced in Zach. 11. 6. 5Oh how is it made good upon us this day, saith the text there, I will no more pity the inhabitants of the Land saith the Lord; but lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbours hand, and into the hand of his King, and they shall smite the Land; and out of their hand I will not deliver them. It's a very strange Scripture,6 I know not the like in all the Book of God, God threatens to smite this people, and how? Oh! this is a sore smiting, I will deliver every one into his neighbours hand, and they shall smite one another, and I will deliver every one into the hand of his King. Why is it so great an evil to be delivered into the hand of our neighbour, and into the hand of our King? truly at this time it seems it was: Oh! the Lord smites us this day, he smites us sorely by giving us up to smite one another. We smite one another with the tongue, in Jer. 18. 18. Come, let us smite with the tongue, 7say they.
This is the cause of this smiting, and never was there such perversness in the hearts of men to turn things quite cross,1 to cry out of Truth for Falsehood, to cry out of the Waies of Christ as the Waies of Sedition, and the great troublers of the Kingdom, to cry out of the Saints that are for peace, as the great Stirrers up of the Kingdom, and to justifie ⟨p. 280⟩the wicked in many places;2 What favor hath many Malignants? and those that have most appeared in the Cause of God,3 how are they discountenanced? This is the Cause why God would smite them, and why their Carkasses should be torn in the very streets. The Lord hath smitten us this day as he did the people in 1 Kings, 14. 15. 4The Lord shall smite Israel as a reed is shaken in the water, (and then it follows after) he shall root them out of the good Land. So it's here, Ephraim is smitten, and his root dried up. The Lord this day hath smote us as a reed is shaken to and fro, that which men cried up at first, they cry down again presently after, and forward for a little while, and then quite the other way again, and wavering and unconstant in all their waies, and know not indeed what they would have; thus the Lord hath smote us, yea the Lord hath smitten us so as he hath fetcht blood, fetcht blood, yea, the Lord hath smitten us by those that should protect us, and that's a sore smiting, to smite us by the hand of such as should protect us; that threatning that is denounc'd in Zach. 11. 6. 5Oh how is it made good upon us this day, saith the text there, I will no more pity the inhabitatns of the Land saith the Lord; but lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbors hand, and into the hand of his King, and they shall smite the Land; and out of their hand I will not deliver them. It's a very strange Scripture,6 I know not the like in all the Book of God, God threatens to smite this people, and how? Oh! this is a sore smiting, I will deliver every one into his neighbors hand, and they shall smite one another, and I will deliver every one into the hand of his King. Why is it so great an evil to be delivered into the hand of our neighbor, and into the hand of our King? truly at this time it seems it was: Oh! the Lord smites us this day, he smites us sorely by giving us up to smite one another. We smite one another with the tongue, in
- 1in Engl.
- 2Malignants escape:Malignāts escape:
- 3Faithful men are discountenanced.
- 41 King. 14. 15.
- 5Zach. 11. 6.
- 6Scarce parelle•'d in Scripture in respect of this Nation.
- 7Jer. 18. 18Ier. 18. 18
