2 The Hand of the Lord upon the Cattle, confidered and improved, Na SERMON Preached at Northampton, December lity amongst the Cattle. By SAMUEL KING. How do the Beafts groan? the Herds of Cattle are perplexed. Joel i. 18. Printed for J. BUCKLAND, in Paternofter-Row. Where may also be bad, I. A DISCOURSE on the Favour of God to the Wicked, the Evil and Danger of abusing his Goodnefs, and not being reformed by his Judgments and Threatnings. On Occafion of the late Earthquakes. By JOHN GREENE. Be fure your Sin will find you out. Numb. xxxii. 23. [Price 4 d. or 3 s. 6 d. per Dozen.} II. A DIALOGUE on the Sin of Lying, between a Mafter and his Servants. Lying Lips are Abomination to the Lord. Prov. xii. 22. He that speaketh Lies fhall perish. Prov. xix. 9. A proper Book in every Family, and a fit Prefent from Masters and Mistresses to their Servants, from Parents to their Children, and from the Rich to the Poor; and to Children in Charity Schools. The Second Edition, Corrected, and a little Enlarged. [Price 6 d. or 5 s. per Dozen.] LETTER II. TO THE INHABITANTS of LONDON and WESTMINSTER, and all other Parts of GREAT-BRITAIN, &c. HAVE in my former Letter confidered fome of the Declarations of the Holy God, concerning feven Sorts of Perfons; Declarations, which fignify that he has appointed them for fuffering the fearful Effects of his Wrath in the Day of his Vifitation for Sin; and happy for them will it be, if they fhall read, and feriously confider what has been related; and if they fhall without Delay repent of their Sins, and by a Faith unfeigned accept of Chrift Jefus, as their only Saviour, and join themselves to the Lord in a perpetual Covenant, never to be forgotten: Then will their State be fafe for Eternity, then, in what Manner foever, and whenever Death fhall happen to them, their Entrance into the invifible World, the World of Spirits, and their Appearance before the more immediate, and glorious Presence of God will be most joyful: Then they will be admitted to an inexpreffibly more full Enjoyment of our God and Saviour, than any Saints ever had 1 on Earth; then they will be in the Company, and in Communion with the Patriarchs, and Prophets, and Apoftles, and the Spirits of juft Men made perfect; thofe happy Souls, who would not be again in this Vale of Tears, in this Wilderness of Snares, expos'd to Temptations, Dangers, and Troubles, for ten thousand Worlds: And even as to this World, as foon as ever a Sinner is convinced of his guilty and miferable Condition by Nature, and Practice, and thereupon repents and believes in the Lord Jefus, and is converted from his evil Ways, our merciful God is reconciled to him, forgives all his Iniquities, adopts him into the Number of his dear Children, and makes him an Heir of Heaven : The Almighty becomes his God in a Covenant Relation, and his Portion; and therefore, he may then have Peace, and Joy, whatever Vials of divine Wrath fhall be poured out upon the Earth, for the Wickednefs of thofe who dwell in it, Such pious Persons may be comforted, and fay with the Pfalmift, Pfal. xlvi. 1, &c. God is our Refuge and Strength, a very prefent Help in Trouble. Therefore will we not fear (tho' dreadful Earthquakes happen, nay) though the Earth be removed, and tho' the Mountains be carried into the midst of the Sea, though the Waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the Mountains shake with the Swelling thereof: There is a River, the Streams whereof shall make glad the City of God (there are fuch Communications of Grace, Bleffing, and Comfort, as fhall make glad the Hearts of the Inhabitants of the City of God, the true Members of his Church) God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved, God fhall help ber and that right early. The LORD of Hofts is with us, the God of Jacob is our Refuge. The Safety, the Comfort, and the Happiness of thofe, who through the divine Grace have an Interest in Chrift, and which any others (who hitherto re main impenitent, unbelieving, and disobedient) may yet obtain, fhould excite all Sorts of Sinners to attend to whatever may be propofed from the Word of God, in order to promote their Converfion to him, and excite them to fly from that fearful Wrath, which is coming apace on the Children of Difobedience. Indeed, they who have hitherto been regardless of God, and of a Saviour, and negligent of the Concerns of their never-dying Souls, and have lived in the allowed Practice of Sin, may well reafon thus with themselves, viz. "Since there is a God, an "Holy, and a Mighty God; fince these Scriptures "called the BIBLE, contain the Declarations of his "Will, and fince in thofe facred Scriptures are re"corded not only Promises of Bleffings to those who "know, and love, and ferve the Lord; but like"wife Threatnings of heavy Judgments against va"rious SORTS of Perfons, who live in wilful Dif"obedience to his Laws, who provoke his Anger, "and continue to do fo; I will no longer be ftupid, "and thoughtless, but will read the Declarations of "the Righteous God, and obferve whether I am in "one or other of thofe Sorts of Perfons, whom he "has marked out for suffering Punishment in a time "of general Calamity, in the time when Multitudes "will be deftroyed by divine Judgments: And "now, O most merciful God, I humbly befeech "thee to help me to read thy Threatnings with "Attention, and do thou fo imprefs my Mind by "thy holy Word, that I may not only know the "Evils threatned against stubborn Tranfgreffors of thy Laws, but be inclined, and enabled to follow "the Directions of thy Word, for gaining thy "Favour, and the Salvation I want.' 66 I wish that fuch a Difpofition of Mind, as is fignified by the foregoing Expreffions, was in every irreligious B 2 religious Perfon, that fhall take this Letter into his Hands. There are feveral Sorts of Perfons, who live in wilful Difobedience to one or other of the fix laft of the Ten Commandments, and who are Objects of tremendous Declarations upon Record in the Sacred Scriptures, and it greatly concerneth fuch to confider what the Lord hath spoken of them. And therefore I proceed to take thefe into Confideration, viz. VIII. REBELLIOUS Perfons. Thefe are another Sort under the Threatnings of the Holy God. REBELLION is a wilful Oppofition to the Authority, and lawful Commands of natural, or spiritual, or civil Parents. It is God's Ordinance that natural Parents fhall have Authority, and a Right of ruling, and commanding their Children; and that thofe whom God has fet among his People as fpiritual Guides, and Teachers of his Word, of his Doctrines and Precepts, fhall have Authority to inftruct the People in them, and to require them to believe his Doctrines, and to obey his Precepts; and likewife, it is the Will of God that Kings, and fubordinate Magiftrates, shall have Authority over their Subjects to Command Obedience to thofe Laws which are confiftent with the divine Precepts, and for the Good of the Community. As to natural Parents, The Moral Law of God, a Law in all Nations, and in all Ages of equal Force: This Law fays, Honour thy Father and thy Mother, that thy Days may be long upon the Land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, Exod. xx. 12. in Ephef. vi. 1, 2, 3. it is written, Children obey your Parents in the Lord: For this is right. Honour tby Father and thy Mother (which is the firft Commandment |