■* Ps. cxxxix. 4; Isa. lix. 3; Jer. xxxiii. 24, and xliv. 25 ; Mai. iii. 16,17; Job xlii 7 Mat. xii. 37.
304 London's lamentations on [Isa. XLII. 24, 25.
actions and words, because God was everywhere, and bclicid all that was done and said. And Zeno, a wise heathen, athrmeth that God seeth and taketh notice of our very thoughts ; how much more then of our words ! 0 sirs, how many men and women are there that are choice of what they eat, that are not choice of what they speak — that are curious about the food which goes into their mouths, lest it sliould hurt or poison them, who are nowise curious about the words that go out of their mouths, lest they should hurt or poison others !
Of all the members in the body, there is none so sendceable to Satan as the tongue. And therefore Satan spares Job's tongue ; his grand design being not to make Job a beggar, but a blasphemer. Job was blistered all over by Satan, only his tongue was not blistered, Satan thought by that member to work Job to tight against God, and the peace of his own soul. It is queried in the schools what was the first sin of the first angel that fell ; for they assert that one fell first, then the rest. Now there are very many opinions about it. Some say it was envy, others discontent ; and some say it was their refusing to undertake the charge that was given to them to minister unto man. Others think it was a s})iritual luxury ; others ingratitude. The most and best say pride, but wherein that pride consisted is not easily determined, nor by them unanimously resolved ; and by some it is as confidently observed that it was a sin of the tongue. Now if these last have hit the mark, how highly doth it concern us all to set a watch before the door of our lips at all times, but especially on the Lord's day ! Now considering how wonderful apt and prone Christians are to be speaking their own words, yea, foolish, vain, worldly, and unprofitable words on the Lord's day, give me leave to offer to your serious consideration these four things : —
[1.] First, Where the Lord hath commanded the ichole man to rest from servile ivorks, there he commands the hand to rest from ivork- ing, the foot from undking, and the tongue from tcdking. But in the fourth commandment, ' Thou shalt do no manner of work,' Exod. iv. 10, the Lord hath commanded the whole man to rest from servile works. And therefore the tongue from talking of this or that worldly business. But,
[2.] Secondly, TJiose things ivhich as lets hinder the duties of the Lord's day are forbidden : but worldly words as lets hinder the duties of the Lord's day ; therefore worldly words are forbidden. But,
[3.] Thirdly, Where bodily works are forbidden , there those things are forbidden ivhich hinder the sanctifying of the Sabbath, as much or more than bodily ivorks do : but bodily works are forbidden in the fourth commandment; therefore worldly words, which hinder more the sanctifying of the Sabbath than bodily works do, are forbidden in the same commandment. That worldly words do hinder the sanctifying of the Sabbath, as much or more than bodily works, is evident by this, among other arguments that might be produced, that a man may work alone, but he cannot talk alone. But,
[4.] Fourthly, lliat commandment which ties the outicard man from the deed done, that commandment ties the tongue from talking of
ISA. XLII. 24, 25.] THE LATE FIERY DISPENSATION. 305
the same : but the fourth commandment ties the outward man from worldly works; and therefore that command ties the tongue from worldly words. Certainly all those persons that make the Lord's day a reckoning-day with workmen, as some do, or a directing-day, what shall be done the next week, as others do ; or a day of idle talk about this worldly business or that, or about this person or that, or about this fashion or that, or about this man's matters or that, or about this pleasure or that, or about this profit or that, or about this man's calling or that, or about this gossip's tale or that, &c., all such per- sons are profaners and no sanctifiers of the Lord's day.
I have been the longer upon this particular, to confute and recover those Christians who give their tongues too great a liberty on the Lord's day.
Now in these fourteen particulars I have shewed you how the Sab- bath is to be sanctifiid. 0 sirs, as you desire to see London rebuilt ; as you desire to see London in as great, or greater, prosperity and glory as she hath been in ; as you desire to see her once more the bulwark of the nation ; as you desire to see her a shield and shelter to her faithful friends at home, and a terror and dread to her proudest enemies abroad ; as you desire that she may be an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations ; as you desire the Lord to be for ever a wall of fire about her, and a glory in the midst of her, make conscience of sanctifying the Sabbath in a right manner ; make it your business and work to sanctify the Sabbath according to those fourteen rules which I have now laid down, Ps. xlviii. 12, 13 ; Cant. vi. 4 ; Isa. Ix. 15 ; Zech. ii. 5.
I know there is a desperate opposition and contrariety in the hearts of carnal men to the strict observation of the Sabbath. When Moses had first received a commandment concerning the observation of the Sabbath, his authority could not so prevail with the Jews, but that some of them would be gadding abroad to seek manna on the Sabbath- day, contrary to an express prohibition, Exod. xvi. 25, 31 ; yea, when it was death to gather sticks on that day, chap. xxxi. 13-16, yet in contempt of heaven itself one ventures upon the breach of the law. How sadly and frequently the prophets have lamented and complained of the breach of the Sabbath, I have in this treatise already discovered, and therefore need say no more of it in this place. The horrid pro- fanation of this day in France, Holland, Germany, Sweden, and in these three nations, England, Scotland, and Ireland, and among all protestants everywhere else, is and must be for a sore lamentation. The Sabbath in all ages hath been more or less crucified between pro- faneness and superstition, as Christ, the Lord of the Sabbath, was crucified between two thieves. When the observation of the Sabbath came to be more sacred and solemn in public performances, which was about Nehemiah's time, as is conceived, presently after Satan stirred up some hypocrites, who run into such an extreme of superstition, that they held that they might not stir out of their places, nor kill a flea, and a thousand such like fooleries. Yea, some dangerous fooleries they laboured to distil into the people ; as that they might not draw a sword to defend themselves in a common invasion, &c.
For a close, remember this, that there are no Christians in all the
306 London's LAMENTATIONS ON [Isa. XLII. 24, 25.