sion, or deceit, &c., God many times makes good that word, Job xviii. 15, ' Brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation ; ' and that word, Micah iii. 11, 12, ' The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money. Therefore shall Zion for youj' sake be ploughed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.' Bribery and covetousness had overrun all sorts of such as were in power and authority, whether civil or ecclesiastical, and for this Zion must be ploughed as a field, and Jerusalem become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest. By these exquisite terms the total and dismal desolation and destruction of Zion, Jerusalem, and the temple, that famous house that was once worthily reckoned one of the seven won- ders of the world, is set forth unto us, Jer. vii. 4, 5. That Jerusalem, that God's house and temple wherein they so much trusted and gloried, should become as a mountainous forest and wilderness, was incretlible to them as the jumbling of heaven and earth together, or the dethron- ing of God by taking the crown from his head and thrusting of him from his chair of state ; and yet all this was made good according to that dreadful prophecy of Christ, ' There shall not be left one stone upon another/ Luke xix. 43, 44. These are the sad effects of bribery, covetousness, &c. So Prov. xxix. 4, ' The king by judg- ment establisheth the land ; but he that receiveth gifts, or bribes, overthrows it.'
Ah London ! London ! were there none within nor without thy walls that did take a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment ? Prov. xvii. 23 ; were there none whose right hands were full of bribes ? Ps. xxvi. 10 ; were there none like Samuel's sons, who turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment in the midst of thee? 1 Sam. viii. 3; were there no .rulers nor others within nor without thy walls that did love to say with shame. Give ye ? Hosea iv. 18 ; or that asked for a reward ? Micah vii. 3 ; or that with Gehazi run after rewards ? or that were not ready to transgress for a piece of bread ? Prov. xxviii. 21 ; or that were not like the horse-leech's daughter, still crying out. Give, give ? Prov. xxx. 15. Themistocles caused a brand of infamy to be set upon Athmius his children, and all his posterity after him, because he brought gold from the king of Persia to corrupt, bribe, and win the Grecians, i If all that were within and without the walls of London that received bribes, and run after rewards, had a brand of infamy set upon them, I am apt to think many of them would be ashamed to walk the streets, who have once carried it with a very high hand.
Ah London ! London ! were there none within nor without thy walls that had the balance of deceit in their hands, and that loved to oppress, falsifying the balances by deceit, and that had in their bags divers weights, that did sell by one measure and buy by another, that had wicked balances, and the bag of deceitful weights in their hands, their houses, their shops, their warehouses ? Hosea xii. 7 ; Amos viii. 5; Deut. xxv. 13; Micah vi. 11. Well, suppose there were many
" Rather Arthmius, 'Ap^^'os.— Plutarch, 'Themistocles/ c. vi. — G.
74 London's lamentations on [Isa. XLII. 24, 25.
such within and without the walls of London, what of that ? why- then, I would say,
[1.] Yimt, Such run coil nfcT-c7'oss to divine commands: Lev. xix. 35, 36, ' Yc shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure. Jiv^t balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have.' Ezek. xlv. 10, ' Ye shall have just balances, and a just ephah, and a just bath.' Dcut. xxv. 13-15, ' Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small. But thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have: that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee ;' Lev. xix. 13; Mark x. 19; 1 Cor. vii. 5. We "have a common saying, AVeight and measure is heaven's treasure. But,
[2.] Si^condly, Such persons and such practices are an abomina- tion to the Lord: Dent. xxv. 16, 'For all that do such things, and all that do unrighteousness, are an abomination unto the Lord thy God.' Prov. xi. 1, 'A false balance is abominalion to the Lord ;' chaj). xx. 10, ' Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the Lord, and a false balance is not good.' Now mark, the very weights and measures are an abomination to the Lord ; how much more the men that make use of them! But,
[3.] Thirdly, Such act counter-cross to God's delight: Prov. xi. 1, 'A just weight is his delight;' chap. xvi. 11, 'A just weight and balance are the Lord's.' They are commanded by -the Lord, and commended by the Lord, and they are the delight of the Lord. But,
[4.] Fourthly, Such act counter-cross to his nature, which is holy, just, and righteous, and to all his administrations, which are full of righteousness, justice, and equity, Ezek. xviii., and xxxiii. 17, 20, 29. But,
[5.] Fifthly, Sucli act counter-cross to the very light and laiv of nature, by not dealing by others as they would have others deal by them, Mat. vii. 12. They are the very botches of the land, and enemies to all civil society. But,
[6.] Sixthly, Such stir up the anger and indignation of God agaimi themselves: Ezek. xxii. 13, ' Behold, therefore I have smitten mine hand at thy dishonest gain which thou hast made,' or ' at thy covetous- ness,' as some render the Hebrew word, or ' at thy money gotten by fraud and force, and overreaching and cheating of others,' as others render it. God is here said to smite his hands at their dishonest gain, to note the greatness of his anger, wrath, and indignation against them ; and his readiness and resolvedness to take vengeance on them, by animating, instigating, encouraging, and stirring up the Chaldeans to destroy their persons by the sword, and to consume their riches and houses by fire, chap. xxi. 17. God has no hand to smite ; but this is spoken after the manner of men, who oftentimes express the greatness of their wrath and rage by smiting their hands one against another. God, to shew the greatness of his spleen and rage, in a holy sense, against them for their dishonest gain, expresses it by the smiting of his hands : 1 Thes. iv. 6, ' That no man go beyond or defraud his brother in any matter : because that the Lord is the avenger of all
ISA. XLII. 24, 25.] THE LATE FIERY DISPENSATION. 75
such.' First or last vengeance will reach them who make it their business, their trade, to overreach others. But,