428 SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. [SeR. XI.
that dwell therein.' Our actual sinninf:^ spoils the earth, and makes it barren and disorders the elements, and makes the i-ain from heaven unseasonable. Yea, we are guilty every day of doing that which Adam did once — laying a greater burden upon the creatures by abusing them to pomp, pride, excess, and carnal trust ; so you need not complain of Adam, but of your ownselves. The creatures do not say. Lord, avenge our quarrel upon Adam, but upon these who have abused us : Hab. ii, 11, ' The stone out of the wall shall cry out, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.' The stone and timber shall cry. Lord, avenge us against this oppressor ; the house that is builded by extortion is crying to God against the unjust possessor. So James v. 3. 4, ' The rust of the gold and silver shall be a witness against them. Behold^ the hire of the labourers, which have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth.' The rusty coin out of the cofifer crieth, and requireth vengeance at God's hands ; the creatures that have been abused to disorder and excess do cry out of the glutton's belly and drunkard's throat, 0 Lord, avenge us ! The clothes upon our backs do as it were cry, Lord, we are abused to pride and vanity ; take notice of our quarrel and plea against man !
4. If we do not bemoan this disorder of nature, the very creatures will shame us. They groan under this burden of vanity that is brought upon them ; but we are senseless, slight and careless. It is even true what Christ said in another case, Luke xix. 40, ' If these .should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.' So, if we hold our peace, the creatures will speak to our shame. Whither is man fallen ? Tlie senseless and inanimate creatures are more moved with the evil of the present state than we are. That is the reason the prophet doth turn so often to the creatures, and address himself and speak to them : Jer. xii. 4, * How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither for the wickedness of them that dwell there- in?' And Lam. ii. 18, ' 0 wall of the daughter of Sion, let tears run down like a river day and night.' The prophet calls ui^on the wall because the people were senseless. We go dancing like madmen to our misery and execution ; and the creatures mourn and groan under the burden of our sins : Hosea iv. 3, ' The land mourneth,' viz. for oaths, but where is the swearer that mourns ? The prophets often turn from men, and speak to the creatures: Deut. xxxii. 1, 'Give ear, 0 ye heavens, and I will speak ; and hear, 0 earth, the words of my mouth.' And Micah vi. 2, ' Hear, 0 mountains, the Lord's controversy.' And, Jer. xxii. 29, ' 0 earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord ;' because men will take no notice. The prophets may fret out their hearts, and spend their lungs in vain, before men will be sensible ; therefore he speaks to them. You hear the ox lowing, and the creatures groaning under the jDresent vanity, and you do not lay it to heart. When you see unseasonable weather and barrenness, consider all these are the fruits of the original curse.
5. We of all the other parts of the creation have most cause to lay it to heart, because there is none so disordered and shattered by the fall as man is. There was none so excellent as man, being at first framed by the counsel and contrivance of God. When the world was made, it was said, ' Let it lie ; ' but man was made by counsel, ' Let
YeR, 3.] SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. 429
US make maa after our own image,' Gen. i. 26. Man was made at first after the image of God, now he is scarce the image of himself ; like a defaced picture, that hath some obscure lineaments of a fair draft. Man was a comely, beautiful, orderly creature at first ; but now there are but some obscure relics of this left. The soul was to be a good guide to the body, and the body a dexterous instrument of the soul ; but now both are out of frame ; we have spoiled the temper of our bodies, and the order of our souls. The rabbis say, when Adam tasted the forbidden fruit, his head ached ; certainly it is true in a spiritual sense, then began aches and pains ; how is all shattered and discomposed ! We read in ecclesiastical story of a famous captain who triumphed in many battles, but afterward he fell into disgrace with the emperor, and first his lady was deflowered before his face, then his eves bored out. and he was turned out like a blind beffcrar begging, Date oholum Belizario, give one halfpenny for poor Belizarius. Before the fall, man was the favourite of heaven, but after the fall he was presently made a slave of hell, his will was deflowered, then his eyes were pulled out, so that now having little knowledge and little wisdom even to guide ourselves in a moral course, the passions rebel against reason, and many times man is not only tempted, but drawn aside by his own lusts, and enticed, James i. 14. Nay, many times the body riseth up in arms against the soul. Paul groans because of a law in his members, Eom. vii. 23. Oh what a poor disordered routed creature man is ! body and soul all discomposed and out of order.