Heaven's alarm to the world. Or A sermon, wherein is showed, that fearful sights…Heaven's alarm to the world. Or A sermon, wherein is shewed, that fearful sights…

Answ. 1. It now concerns us to be awakened out of all Security. That's one of God's ends (his declared end) in causing such Fearful Sights to be taken notice of, that so he might awaken a secure sleeping World. And indeed the Lord manifests his Goodness and Compassion towards sinful Creatures therein. It was a pious Speech of that ^wEmperor, who being somewhat terrified at the sight of a Blazing-star, said to those about him, Let us admire the Clemency of that God, who before He smites us, causeth such Signs in heaven, that so He might awaken us out of our Security. O let us beware of crying Peace, Peace, when the Day of Destruction is at hand. O take heed of sleeping, and dreaming of nothing but worldly Prosperity at such a Time as this. When the Lord Jesus Christ had told his Disciples, that calamitous Times were a coming, and mentioned ⟨p. 26⟩the Signs and Presages thereof, He bids them Watch therefore, Luk. 21.36. Let us not then please our selves, with imagining that such Fearful Sights are Signs of Mercy only, and not of Judgement. The contrary unto which Opinion, hath been confirmed by more than two hundred Instances^x. Men are exceeding apt to interpret such things in a way of favour to themselves, when nothing less is intended thereby. So when these Fearful Sights and Signs in heaven; which my Text speaketh of, were seen at Jerusalem, the Jews did interpret them as good Omens to themselves; and as ominous of Destruction to their Enemies. The Prodigies in Germany ^*were looked upon by the Protestants as Signs of Deliverance unto them, and of Destruction to their Enemies. But alas! ⟨p. 27⟩the Event was quite otherwise. And let us not make our selves secure, by saying or thinking, that the Lord by such fearful Sights speaks to others only, and not unto us. As Vespasian the Emperor, when ^zthere was a long hairy Comet seen, he did but deride at it, and make a Joke of it, saying, That it concerned the Parthians that wore long hair, and not him, who was bald: but within a Year, Vespasian himself (and not the Parthian) dyed. Such fearful Sights are usually Signs, that those Judgements, which are (as Tertullian speaks) Tonsurae humani generis, God's sharp Razors on Mankind, whereby He doth poll, his Sith, whereby He doth shear down multitudes of sinful Creatures, do draw near: