(11.) Eleventhly, Consider, that of all days God hath 'put the highest honour upon his Sabbaths, by appointing his precious or- dinances in a special manner to be used on those days. The Sabbath is a gold ring, and the ordinances are as so many costly sparkling diamonds in that ring. All the works of the new creation are com- monly wrought on this day. This is the joyful day Avherein ordinarily God gives spiritual sight to the blind, and spiritual ears to the deaf, and spiritual tongues to the dumb, and spiritual feet to the lame. That Exod. xii. 42, is here applicable. It is a night to be much observed to the Lord, for bringing them out from the land of Egypt ; this is that night of the Lord to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations. Those that are new born are commonly new born on this day ; and therefore it is a day to be much observed to the Lord. Those that are converted are ordinarily converted on this day ; and therefore it is that day of the Lord that ought to be observed by all the converted Israel of God, Those that are edified are commonly most edified on this day. Oh the sweet communion ! oh the choice converse ! oh the singular discoveries ! oh the blessed manifestations ! oh the excellent enjoyments that Christ vouchsafes to his people on this day ! Oh the discoveries of grace ! oh the exercise of grace ! oh the increase of grace, the progress in grace ! oh the comforts of grace that God vouchsafes to his chosen on this day ! Experience shews that the right sanctifying of the Sabbath is a powerful means under Christ to sanctify us, and to increase our faith, and raise our hope, and inflame our love, and to kindle our zeal, and to enlarge our desires, and to melt our hearts, and to weaken our sins. But,
(12.) Twelfthly and lastly. Consider this, that a right sanctifying of the Sabbath ivill cross Satan's grand design, it loill spoil his plot, his masterpiece. Satan is a deadly enemy to the right sanctifying of the Sabbath. Witness the many temptations that many Chris- tians are more troubled with on this day than they are on any other day in the whole week ; and witness the many vain, wandering, and distracting thoughts that many precious Christians are more afflicted with on this day than they are on all the days of the week beside ; and w^itness that high and hot opposition that he in his instruments makes against the strictest observers of that day, Eev. ii. 10; and witness his constant prompting and spurring such on to the profana- tion of the Sabbath, whose examples are most dangerous and en- couraging to wicked men, as magistrates, ministers, parents, and masters, &c. ; and witness his strong endeavours, constant attempts, crafty devices, and deep policies that he has made use of in all the ages of the world, to keep people off from a religious observation of the Sabbath ; yea, and to make them more wicked on that day than on any other day of the week — may I not say than on all other days of the week ? I have been the longer upon this ninth particular, partly because of the weightiness of it, and partly to encourage the
114 London's lamentations on [Isa. XLII. 24, 25.
reader to a more close and strict observation of the Sabbath, and partly to justify those that are conscientious observers of it, and partly to justify the Lord in turning London into ashes for the horrible profanation of his day.
The Sabbath-day is the queen of days, say the Jews. The Sabbath- day among the other days is as the Virgin Mary among women, saitli Austin. 1 Looh, what the phanix is among the birds, the lion among the beasts, the whale among the fishes, the fire among the elements, the lily among the thorns, the sun among the stars, that is the Sabbath-day to all other days ; and therefore no wonder if God burn such out of their habitations who have been profancrs of his day. Ah London ! London ! were there none within nor without thy walls that made light of this institution of God, and that did offer violence to the queen of days by their looseness and profaneness, by their sitting at their doors, by their walking in Moorfields,^ by their sportings and wrestlings there, and by their haunting of alehouses and whorehouses, their tossing of pots and pipes, when they should have been setting up God and Christ and religion in their families, and mourning in their closets for the sins of the times, and for the afflictions of poor Joseph? How did the wrath and rage of king Aliasuerus smoke against Haman, when he apprehended that he would have put a force upon the queen ! Esther vii. 8-10. And why then should we wonder to see the Avrath of the Lord break forth in smoke and flames against such a generation, that put a force upon his day, that profaned his day, the queen of days ? Ah sirs ! you have greatly profaned and abused the day of the Lord ; and therefore why should any marvel that the Lord has greatly debased you, and laid your glory in dust and ashes ? In these late years how has profaneness, like a flood, broke in upon us on the Lord's-day ! and therefore it highly concerns all the profaners of the day of the Lord to lay their hands upon their hearts, and to say, The Lord is righteous, the Lord is righteous, though he has laid our habitations desolate. Who is so great a sti-anger in our English Israel as not to know that God was more dishonoured on the Sabbath- day, within and with(Uit the walls of London, than he was in all the other six days of the week ? and therefore let us not think it strange that such a fire was kindled on that day as has reduced all to ashes. What antic habits did men and Avomen put on, on this day ! what frothy, empty, airy discourses and intemperance was to be found at many men's tables this day ! how were alehouses, stews, and Moor- fields filled with debauched sinners this day ! No wonder thou if London be laid desolate. Now this abominable sin of open profaning the Sabbaths of the Lord, I cannot with any clear evidence charge upon the people of God that did truly fear him within or without the Avails of London. For, first, Tlicy did lament and mourn over the horrid profanation of that day. Secondly, I Avant eyes at present to see Iioav it will stand, cither with the truth of grace, or state of grace, for such as are real saints to live in the open profanation of God's Sabbaths. Thirdly, Because an ordinary profaning of the Lord's Sabbaths is
^ The Sabbath-day differs as much from the rest of the days, as the wax doth, to which a king's great seal is put, from ordinary wax.
* Now the centre of the city of London : but still so named. — G.
IsA. XLII. 24, 25.] THE LATE FIERY DISPENSATION. 115