Gods free mercy to England presented as a precious and powerful motive to humiliationGods free mercy to England presented as a pretious and powerfull motive to humiliation

Let us study the duty of this Text, let us be ashamed and ashamed for our sins. There be many men, saith Chrysostom, that are ashamed of what they should not be ashamed, and not ashamed of what they should be ashamed: are ashamed to confess their sins, but not to act their sins, not ashamed to be seen at a Play-house, but ashamed to be seen at Gods House upon a week day, ashamed of Christ and his cause, ashamed to be accounted precise, but not ashamed to be wicked and ungodly. And as the same Author saith, many men are not ashamed to sin, but ashamed to be known to sin, not ashamed to commit adultery, but to be known to commit it, not ashamed to be sinners, but to be called sinners, not ashamed to be covetous, but ashamed to be called covetous. This shame comes from the Devil, and will bring us to the Devil. Let us pitch the act upon the right object. Let us be ashamed of our evil (and not of our good) doings. Shame is the daughter of sin. If there had not been sin, there never had been any shame. But God hath appointed the daughter to devour the mother. As the Worm eats up the tree that bred it, so let shame devour sin. There is no creature capable of shame but man. Brute beasts are capable of fear and sorrow, but not of shame: God forbid any here present should be so brutish as to be past shame. To sin and not to be ashamed of it, is Limen inferni, the next door to damnation. The Heathen hath a saying, Erubuit, salva res est. As long as there is shame, there is hope. O let us be confound•d and ashamed, and let Mercy be the Midwife to bring forth this shame and sorrow. The Apostle commands us, That if our enemies hunger, we should feed them, if they thirst, we ¹should give them drink, and in so doing we shall heap coals of fire upon their heads. The meaning is, That this mercy will be like a heap of hot coals, either to melt their hearts and make them our friends, or if they persist in their enmity, to add fuel ⟨p. 38⟩to thei• torments in hell. God hath heaped many hot coals of fire upon our heads, O let this fire burn up our dross, and melt our hard hearts lest if we continue obstinate, these Coals of fire serve to add to our burning in bel. I read in the ninth of Daniel:

Let us study the duty of this Text, let us be ashamed and ashamed for our sins. There be many men, saith Chrysostome, that are ashamed of what they should not be ashamed, and not ashamed of what they should be ashamed: are ashamed to confesse their sins, but not to act their sins, not ashamed to be seene at a Play-house, but ashamed to be seene at Gods House upon a weeke day, ashamed of Christ and his cause, ashamed to be accounted precise, but not ashamed to be wicked and ungodly. And as the same Author saith, many men are not ashamed to sin, but ashamed to be known to sin, not ashamed to commit adultery, but to be knowne to commit it, not ashamed to be sinners, but to be called sinners, not ashamed to be covetous, but ashamed to be called covetous. This shame comes from the Devill, and will bring us to the Devill. Let us pitch the act upon the right object. Let us be ashamed of our evill (and not of our good) doings. Shame is the daughter of sin. If there had not beene sin, there never had beene any shame. But God hath appointed the daughter to devoure the mother. As the Worme eates up the tree that bred it, so let shame devoure sinne. There is no creature capable of shme but man. Bruit beasts are capable of feare and sorrow, but not of shame: God forbid any here present should be so bruitish as to be past shame. To sinne and not to be ashamed of it, is Limen inferni, the next doore to damnation. The Heathen hath a saying, Erubuit, salva res est. As long as there is shame, there is hope. O let us be confoundd and ashamed, and let Mercy be the Midwife to bring forth this shame and sorrow. The Apostle commands us, That if our enemies hunger, we should feed them, if they thirst, we