Englands looking-glass presented in a sermon preached before the Honourable House of Commons at…Englands looking-glasse presented in a sermon preached before the Honorable House of Commons at…

For this sin the land mourneth, and let us mourn. Weep for the adultery and fornication, which as an Epidemical disease hath overspread the Nation.¹ Whoremongers, and Adulterers God will judge. If man will not, God will. He that divorceth himself from his wife, and joins himself to a harlot, God will divorce himself from such a man, and divorce his mercies and blessings from him. Weep for the covetousness of the Nation. This sin is the root of all evil: ⟨p. 31⟩and for this sin God will root out a Nation. He that is swallowed up with earth, (as Corah, and his company) his ears stopped with earth, his heart stuffed with earth, God will give him earth enough when he dyes; and they that love earth so immoderately, are likely to have little enough of Heaven. Weep for the oppression, Extortion, Bribery, Lying, Griping, Usury, Cozenage and Deceit in trading. These sins will cause a fourth Ocean to encompass this Island, and that is an Ocean of misery. Let us shed tears for the innocent blood that is shed in the Land; for the devilish pride that is amongst us: Pride of heart, pride of apparel, in following the fashions of every Nation almost. How justly may we expect, that God should make us slaves to that Nation, whose fashions we so eagerly follow? Mourn for the great profanation of our Christian Sabbath-day: how can we expect that God should give us rest in this Land, if we will not give him a Sabbath, a day of rest? Oh, let our eyes gush down with rivers of tears! Oh that our heads were fountains of tears for the Idolatry (that Land-devouring sin of Idolatry) for the superstition, the Apostasy, the contempt of the Gospel, and of the Ministers, and Ministry of it that reigns amongst us! It is time for God to deprive us of Manna, when we begin to be weary of it; the time may come we may have Sermons few enough, that neglect them so much as some do. The Confessors ⟨p. 32⟩that fled for their Religion in Queen Mary's days,² acknowledged (as Ursinus relates) that that great inundation of misery came justly upon them, for the neglect of, and unprofitableness under the Gospel, which they had enjoyed in King Edwards days. And if they were so severely punished for a few years contempt of the Gospel;