And my Brethren, we have cause to think of this point 1very seriously, in another notion, in respect of the Kingdom and Nation; certainly if ever this Kingdom be destroyed, it must needs be written for the Generations to come, Here's a Kingdom, a Nation that hath destroyed its self. Certainly we cannot say 'tis from God, if we perish, what God will do with us we know not, but truly, this we may plainly see, That if God leaves us but a little 2more to our selves, we are in a very fair way to destroy our selves, and that after God hath wrought so for us, God hath wrought like a God for us, but we, how do we deal for our selves! like men shall we say? Oh no, like brute-beasts, if men, mad men, men that are appointed to destruction. If we be destroyed, it will be the saddest story ⟨p. 517⟩that ever was in the world against a people, if so be that at length we should perish after God hath done so much for us, truly now God hath wrought like a God to deliver us from our common Enemies, God had need to 3work as much for us like a God to deliver us from our selves: great hath the works of God been in delivering of us from the rage of those that we thought intended to destroy us, and surely did: Well, now God hath done such works, if God should say, Well, I have done my work, I have delivered you from those you were afraid of, and now I will leave you to your selves, Oh! we had cause to fall upon our faces, and say, O Lord, do not so, for it had been better that they had destroyed us: For if 4thou shouldest leave us to our selves, our destruction would be a more bitter destruction. Do not we see how fast we run towards destruction, being but a little left to our selves, what a perverse spirit is there now among our selves? We say sometimes of the Prelates, Oh the hand of God is against them; how they brought themselves into a snare? Now they may stand and look upon us, and even laugh almost at us, and say, Well, let them alone, as we speak of some, Give them line enough and they will quickly hang themselves, Let them alone and they will fall out one with another, and destroy one another, they will quickly 5ruin themselves if they be let alone. Oh we have as much experience of the vanity of mens hearts, and the folly, and pride, and hypocrisy, and stoutness, and frowardness of mens hearts, as ever there was experience since the world began.
And my Brethren, we have cause to think of this point 1very seriously, in another notion, in respect of the Kingdom and Nation; certainly if ever this Kingdom be destroyed, it must needs be written for the Generations to come, Here's a Kingdom, a Nation that hath destroyed its self. Certainly we cannot say 'tis from God, if we perish, what God will do with us we know not, but truly, this we may plainlie see, That if God leaves us but a little 2more to our selves, we are in a very fair way to destroy our selves, and that after God hath wrought so for us, God hath wrought like a God for us, but we, how do we deal for our selves! like men shall we say? Oh no, like brute-beasts, if men, mad men, men that are appointed to destruction. If we be destroyed, it will be the saddest storie ⟨p. 517⟩that ever was in the world against a people, if so be that at length we should perish after God hath done so much for us, truly now God hath wrought like a God to deliver us from our common Enemies, God had need to 3work as much for us like a God to deliver us from our selves: great hath the works of God been in delīvering of us from the rage of those that we thought intended to destroy us, and surely did: Well, now God hath done such works, if God should say, Well, I have done my work, I have delivered you from those you were afraid of, and now I will leave you to your selves, Oh! we had cause to fall upon our faces, and say, O Lord, do not so, for it had been better that they had destroyed us: For if 4thou shouldest leave us to our selves, our destruction would be a more bitter destruction. Do not we see how fast we run towards destruction, being but a little left to our selves, what a perverse spirit is there now among our selves? We say sometimes of the Prelates, Oh the hand of God is against them; how they brought themselves into a snare? Now they may stand and look upon us, and even laugh almost at us, and say, Well, let them alone, as we speak of some, Give them line enough and they will quickly hang themselves, Let them alone and they will fall out one with another, and destroy one another, they will quickly 5ruin themselves if they be let alone. Oh we have as much experience of the vanitie of mens hearts, and the follie, and pride, and hypocrisie, and stoutness, and frowardness of mens hearts, as ever there was experience since the world began.
- 12. Applied to England.
- 2Note.
- 3Note.
- 4Note.
- 5Note