(2.) When it growetli impudent and outrageous, as if they would obliterate and extinguish the law of God, or take away all force and authority from it by their perverse actions and pernicious examples. They do not obliquely, and under the show of divers pretences, break God's laws, but openly set themselves against him, and break a com- mandment without any shame : Isa. iii. 9, ' They declare their sin as Sodom, and hide it not;' yea, 'they glory in their shame,' Phil. iii. 19 ; as if they would out-face heaven and religion at once, and all honesty and ingenuity by their debaucheries. Bold-faced sin doth not go long unpunished.
(3.) Desperate incorrigibleness. All remedies are unprofitable, and hope of amendment taken away, Jer. vi. 3 ; Ezek. xxiv. 13, ' When God would have purged them, they would not be purged.' He trieth them with several conditions, he hath a love for them as they are his creatures ; judgments and mercies they had, yet they are no change- lings, but go on as wicked as ever. God trieth key after key, one providence after another, yet not a whit the better or wiser ; but are like men that have slejDt : still abuse his patience, and defeat all the methods of his grace, show the same corruption they did before.
(4.) When they run into unnatural sins, and the corruption of human society is endangered : Lev. xviii. 27, 28, ' For all these abominations have the men of the land done,' &c. ; when men are so Avicked and filthy that a man needs to be a criminal to be acceptable to them ; they think it strange that others run not into the same excess of riot, 1 Peter iv. 4 ; certainly then God needeth to strike in, tliat virtue may be upheld in some kind of reputation.
[2.] Their violence and vexation of the saints. It was Bede's obser-
304 SERMONS UPON TSALM cxix. [Skr. CXXXVIII.
vatioii, Odium in religionis prof essores, &c. — tliat hatred of the pro- fessors of religion was that undid his country. God is angry when his people are wronged ; the world is kept up for their sakes. Were it not for the elect to be gathered, time would be no more ; for their sakes kingdoms and churches are preserved ; they are the staff and stay, the chariots and horsemen of Israel. God is tender of them as the apple of his eye ; therefore, when they are wrouged, and men are not only evil themselves, but haters of those that are good, and do not only break God's laws themselves, but would force others to do so, God will hold no longer. As their violence increaseth, so doth their ruin hasten, Rev. xii, 12. When they abuse their ])0wer to such an end, though God may bear with them for a time till they have done their work, yet he will reckon with them: Zech. i, 15, ' I am sore dis- pleased with the heathen that are at ease; for I was a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction.' God will not forget his rela- tion to his sinning people, and will not suffer them to be abused out of measure. When they would destroy and root out whom God would only correct and purge, it is a sign of their approaching ruin. Now these things should be considered by us to a good end ; not to feed an evil humour, or to increase our hatred and exasperation against a party, whom, it may be, we hate too much already with a carnal Jiatred ; but to a good purpose. Partly that we may not be too con- fident of carnal ease too soon. God will, it may be, have the enemies' cup yet fuller, and that they shall appear more in their own colours. And so our trials may be greater. We know not the bounds of the Lord's patience. We, that are apt to extenuate our own sins, are apt to aggravate the sins of others, look upon them in the glass of fashion, and cry too soon, It is time. But of this by and by. And partly that Ave may see the greatness of our transgressions, by which we have pro- voked the Lord to give us up into the hands of such men as blaspheme his name every day, Isa. lii. 5. Our sins were full in our kind, in the abuse of God's truth and worship ; and though not such moral wickedness, yet a great deal of spiritual wickedness. And God is more quick and severe upon us, and will not bear that in a professing j)eople that he bearetli in others : ' Judgment begins at the house of God,' 1 Peter iv. 17. The cup of trembling goes round, and his own jieople drink first, and our staggering is not yet over ; in time they shall pledge us. God beareth with Balaam, though he tempted him again and again, when he would not bear with the young prophet whom the lion slew. He bore with the Philistines a long time ere they were plagued. We feel the smart of the rod sooner, Zech. xii. Yet it is apparent our kind of sins were grown to a ripeness, our self-seeking, factions, tm'bulency, unquietness under government, abuse of Christian liberty, uncharitable divisions among ourselves, vexing one another, vain opinions, slighting God's ministers and ordinances. And partly that we may be humbled foi- their sins. It should be a grief to us to see men break God's law's, to see men out-dare heaven. David fasted for his enemies, Ps. xxxv. 14-16 ; and Ps. cxix. 13G, ' Rivers of tears run down mine eyes, because men keep not thy law ;' because God is so much dishonoured, human nature so much corrupted. If more of this spirit were stirring, it were the better for us. And partly that we