A53702:130
An humble testimony unto the goodness and severity of God in his dealing with…
An humble testimony unto the goodness and severity of God in his dealing with sinful churches and nations, or, The only way to deliver a sinful nation from utter ruin by impendent judgments, in a discourse on the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, Luk. 13, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 / by John Owen.An humble testimony unto the goodness and severity of God in his dealing with sinful churches and nations, or, The only way to deliver a sinful nation from utter ruine by impendent judgments, in a discourse on the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, Luk. 13, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 / by John Owen.
London: printed for Nathanael Ponder, 1681
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
And, 2. It is so, for the humbling of our Souls under a sense of Sin, which would better become some of us, than feeding on the Ashes of Reserves for Exemption in the Day of Distress.
Some may suppose that by reason of their Personal Freedom from those public provoking Sins which abound in the Nation, ⟨p. 44⟩that on one account or other, by one means or other, they shall be safe, as in some High Place. whence they may look down and behold others in Distress and Confusion. But it is to be feared their Mistake will serve only to increase their Surprisal and Sorrow.
Some may suppose that by reason of their Personal Freedom from those publick provoking Sins which abound in the Nation, ⟨p. 44⟩that on one account or other, by one means or other, they shall be safe, as in some High Place. whence they may look down and behold others in Distress and Confusion. But it is to be feared their Mistake will serve only to increase their Surprizal and Sorrow.
But yet farther, even the Practice of provoking Sins, abounds among all sorts of Persons. I do not say that all Individuals amongst us, are guilty of them: for were it so, our Case were irreparable, like that of Sodom, when there were not ten righteous persons to be found in it, that is, such as were free from the Guilt of those Sins, whose Cry came up to Heaven; for then there would be no room for Repentance or Reformation. But whereas there are several sorts and degrees of persons, some high and some low, some Rulers, and some Ruled, some Rich, and some Poor, there is no Order, Sort, or Degree, in Court, City, Country, Church, or Commonwealth, that are free from provoking Sins: Individuals of all sorts may be so, but no entire sort is so; and this farther entitles a Nation unto the condition enquired after,