Title Page—Sec. 1—Sec. 2—Sec. 3—Sec. 4—Sec. 5—Sec. 6
V.
A call to the world, to repentance, and the sursed condition that men lie in, professing much but practicing just nothing but pride, wantoness, covetousness, and yet cover themselves with large professions, and call themselves Saints, wo, wo to all them who profess the truth, and live in unrighteousness and that turne the grace of God ino {Page 23} wantoness
All people, repent and turn to the Lord from the evill of your doing, for the Lord is at hand who will judge the world and give everyone according to their doings whether they be good or evill, yea, he is coming with ten thousands of his Angels, to be avenged on the heathen and them that know not God. Now all that live in sin and filthinesse, it plainly appears you know not God; for if you did, you durst not heap iniquity, and live in your lusts, heaping up wrath against the day of wrath, wherein the Lord will appear as a consuming fire against all ungodlinesse of wicked men1.
God is against you, you dissembling professors, who adorn the outside to be seen of men but the inside is full of deceit serving God in outside forms and notions, but your hearts are not upright with him2; you are in the earth and earthly mindednesse, in your covetousnesse, which is Idolatry, and God abhors the outside worship when the heart is not upright with him: and Christ calls such, whited walls, painted Sepulchers, Hypocrites, Serpents, a Generation of Vipers, Children of the Devil3; and the woe is to such: how can you escape the damnation of Hell?
God is against you, you proud and lustful wanton ones, who make it your greatest care to deck your selves in your proud attire, inventing new wayes and fashions to make yourselves glorious in the sight of men, that they may bow down and worship you, and set you above the Commands of God4; but know that you are but dust, and God will lay such honor in the dust, for he is risen to whom all worship is due, and now woe to all the idols of the world, your lofty looks shall be humbled and your haughtinesse bowed down5; for now the Lord will exalt the humble and meek ones, that you have trodden upon, he will seek that which is lost, but will destroy the fat and feed the strong with judgment. Repent, you lofty ones, and turn to the Lord, and humble yourselves before him {Page 24} that you may be hid in the day of his fierce wrath, lest he take you away and there be none to deliver6.
God is against you, you Drunkards, who make it your trade to pour in strong drink, abusing the Creature to satisfy your lusts, which God has given to be used moderately, and not in riotousnesse7, you should be reasonable Creatures, but your Horse may teach you, who will not drink when he hath enough; and herein you shew your selves worse than brutes, and they shall rise up in Judgment against you and condemn you. Woe to you that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink. Woe to you that rise up early that you may follow strong drink, and continue untill night, till wine inflame them:8 The woe is upon you that put the Cup to his Neighbor’s mouth to make him drink that his nakednesse may appear and shameful spewing cover him, and this is your glory, which is your shame, and you tell your companions; you shew yourselves to be the children of Ham, the father of Canaan, who was accursed for such practice9, and the curse is upon you, while you live in this, therefore repent and live no longer in your filthinesse, your healths is abomination to the Lord, and you are ignorant of his saving health; the wants of the poor cryes in the ears of God, against your wastfull practice, and you must account for your stewardship.
God is against you, you swearers, who make it your practice to take the name of God in vain, and live in open breach of his Commands; You who are not ashamed to profane the holy name of God in open streets and houses where you come, the curse is upon the land for your sakes; and because of Oaths the land mourns, and God will not hold you guiltlesse: Repent, repent, the curse is towards you, you profane ones who regards not the Commands of Christ, who saith, Swear not at all, but let your yea be yea, and your nay nay; for whatsoever is more cometh of evill10. How is he your Redeemer, and how will you stand before him at the day of Judgment, whom you now so openly contemn in disobeying his Commands? O repent, the day is at hand when it will be too late.
{Page 25} God is against you, you scorners, who take delight in scorning your brethren, you show your folly to all, and whose Children you are, you that sit in the seat of the scornfull11, God doth scorn you, he who sits in Heaven laughs you to scorn, you are proud and puffed up and have scornful eyes, you that raise false reports against the simple, and tell them to make your selves and others laugh, that are scorners like you12: The Lord will laugh at your calamity, and mock when your fear cometh, your laughter shall be turned into mourning, woe to them that now laugh, for they shall mourn13. You forget your selves what you are, take heed, be not mockers, lest your bands be made strong, and when you cry there be none to deliver14, take heed, repent betime: How long will you scorners delight in scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Cease your sports and pastimes, you wanton ones, making yourselves merry in your sins, your idle profane talking and foolish jesting, your unclean filthy words are abomination to the Lord; and every idle word must be accounted for, your reveling and rioting, carding and dicing, and all your invented sports, sitting down to eat and drink and rising up to play, which is Idolatry, and the wrath of God is against such practice; for man was not made to fulfill his own lusts but to serve the living God who made all things for himself, and the wicked for the day of judgment, and they are reserved against the day of wrath and destruction, and though hand joyn in hand, the wicked shall not go unpunished;15 repent, take heed, search the Scriptures if ever the people of God used such practice or spent his time after that manner, but labored to redeem the time and had their flesh crucified with the affections and lusts, for they who live to the flesh cannot please God.
God is against you, you covetous cruell Oppressors, who grind the faces of the poor and needy16, taking your advantage of the necessities of the poor, falsifying the measures, and using deceitful weights, speaking that by your Commodities which is not true[94], and so deceiving the simple, and hereby getting great estates in the world, laying house to house and land to land till there be no place for the poor17, and when they are {Page 26} become poor through your deceits, then you despise them and exalt your selves above them, and forgets that you are all made of one mould, and one blood, and must all appear before one judge, who is no respecter of persons18, nor doth he despise the poor; and what shall your riches avail you at that day when you must account how you have gotten them and whom you have oppressed? Yea, woe to him that coveteth an evill covetousnesse to his own house, that buildeth a house with Oppression, the stone in the wall and the beam in the timber shall cry out against him19.
The fathers commit cruelty and oppression in heaping together, and the children commit filthinesse in spending it upon their lusts; and thus the Children eat up the sins of their fathers, and fill up the measure of their fathers iniquity20:; and thus you make an open gap for the wrath of God to break in upon you. O repent and turn unto the Lord, that there may be one found to stand in the gap and make up the breach, lest the wrath of God break in upon you, and burn like fire, and there be none to quench it; for the day of the Lord is at hand, that you must all be weighed in the pure balance of the Sanctuary, and nothing will be weight, but what is pure and holy, truth from the heart,21 no deceit nor hypocrisie will be weight, no peace by a drunkard or whoremongers will be weight, no Idolatrous, proud or covetous ones, no swearer, liar, drunkard, or whoremonger will be weight, no scorner, railer, or false accusers, no murderer, nor envious persecutor, nor fornicator, nor unclean ones, nor any that live to the flesh can be weight, but will be found wanting22, and then woe unto you, for your kingdome must be taken from you and given to them who will bring forth fruits that God may have glory. Now, all professors and people, consider your conditions; you have been long hearers and professors, but what have your fruits been? Herein is my Father glorified, that you bring forth much fruit; but now, you fruitlesse Trees, you must be cut down and cast into the fire23, for all men’s works must be tried by fire24; and then woe unto you who have taken pleasure in sin; repent and return to the Lord betime, that you may find mercy, for your destruction is of yourselves.
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Esay. 3.10,11, Esay. 16.21. 2 Thess. 1.7,8,9. I John 3.6.↩
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Mat. 25.25,26,27,28. ↩
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Mat. 23.33.↩
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Esay. 28.12,34. ↩
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Esay. 2.10,11, 17. Esay. 16 to the end. ↩
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Ezek. 34.16. Like 6.24.↩
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Isa. 28.1,3. Joel 1.5. Esay. 5.22. ↩
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Esay. 5.11. Heb. 2.15,16. ↩
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Gen. 9.22,25.↩
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Pro. 19.99. Prov. 3.34. Jer. 23.10. Zech. 5.3. Mat. 5.34,35. James 5.12. Psalm 9.17. Jeremy 5.7.↩
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Esay. 18. 14,15.16. ↩
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Luke 6.25. ↩
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Esay. 14.11,12. Esay. 28.22. ↩
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Prov. 1.22. Esay. 57.3,4,5. ↩
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1 Cor. 10.7. Esay. 22.11,13,14. Pro. 16.4,5. Job 21.30. Pro. 11.21.↩
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Prov. 11.1. ↩
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Esay. 5.8,9. ↩
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Acts 17.26. Gal. 2.6. ↩
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Hab. 2.11,12.↩
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Mat. 23.32. ↩
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Dan. 5.25. ↩
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Rev. 22.13. ↩
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Mat. 3.10. ↩
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2 Cor. 3.13.↩
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