CHAPTER V.

Times of Holiness are the best Times.

AND now I have been giving you all this evidence, I dare leave it to the judgment of any man that is fit to judge, whether it be the godly or ungodly that are the better magistrates, or better pastors of the churches, or better members of the commonwealth, or of any society. Judge now whether the places and times are not better that are most godly. And whether it be the godly or the ungodly that are the troublers of the world.

And yet it hath ever been the practice of ungodly men, to charge it upon them that fear the Lord, that all the troubles of the world are long of them. 'We were all quiet, (say they) before this religion and preciseness troubled us; and this is it, that since it came among us, hath set us all together by the ears.' But if these men be yet unreasonable, I desire them to consider,

1. That this hath always been the old complaint of the most wicked men, which God himself hath testified against. When Lot did but gently admonish the abominable Sodomites to forbear a villany not to be named; "I pray you brethren do not so wickedly" (Gen. xix. 7-9.), what said they to him, and how did they take it? Why, "they said, Stand back : and they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge; Now will we deal worse with thee than with them." Is not this the case between us now? How are we unpeaceable? Because we are against sin? If we would hinder men from wronging God, and from condemning their own souls, and others, then forsooth, we are their troublers, and we judge them, and we disturb their peace? Just like the Sodomites, These precise fellows (say they) will needs be our judges, and we must be ruled by them; before they came among us we had none of this ado.' But did not God, think you, decide the controversy aright? He first took Lot and his family away that the Sodomites might be troubled with that precise and busy fellow no more; and then he sent fire from heaven on Sodom, and consumed them all," making them an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire ;" Jude 7. Or as it is fully set forth by the

Holy Ghost, "Turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, he condemned them with an overthrow, making them an example to those that after should live ungodly. (Mark this.) And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked. (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds.) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust to the day of judgment to be punished;" 2 Pet. ii. 6-9.

And now who is it that was troublesome, and the cause of evil? Was it Lot, or was it Sodom? Take heed lest God take the Lots that trouble you from among you, and when you are rejoicing that you are rid of them, he serve you worse than he served Sodom.

In the days of Noah, no question but that preacher of righteousness seemed to the world a singular and a selfconceited fellow. But did not God decide the controversy whether it were Noah, or they, that were the troublers of the world? Saith Peter, 2 Pet. ii. 5. "God spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly."

When Israel fell before the men of Ai, it was a doubt who it was that was the cause of that calamity; but God proved it to be Achan, who is stoned upon this sentence of Joshua; "Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble thee this day;" Josh. vii. 25.

2. And consider, I pray you, what a quietness it is that you have, before you are troubled by the godly? It is a quietness in the highway to hell. You had the privilege of damning your souls without disturbance from these precise controllers. Hath not Christ told us, that the devil is thus like" a strong man armed, that while he keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: but when a stronger than he shall come upon him and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth the spoils ;" Luke xi. 21, 22. The hearts and the nations that are not conquered by Christ, are the devil's garrisons and possessions. Do you think that it is best that he possess them still in peace? Or that the preachers of Christ, that plant his ordnance against them, and batter them, till they are

forced to yield, are therefore busy, troublesome fellows? What is it for, but for your deliverance, that are satan's captives at his will? 2 Tim. ii. 25, 26.

3. And might you not on this ground also account Christ himself the troubler of the world, as much, and a thousand times more than us? For he doth more to disturb men in their sins than any of us: and he doth more for holiness than all the world besides. And in this sense he confesseth and foretels us, that he came not to send peace but division into the world, into towns, and countries, and families; Luke xii. 51-53. If we can have no peace with you, unless we will disobey our Lord, and serve the devil and the flesh, and damn our own souls, and suffer you to do the like, then keep your peace among yourselves; we will none of that peace; we have no mind to buy your friendship and good words at such a rate! If your peace will stand with our peace with God, and peace of conscience, we will gladly accept of it: if it will not, we can be without it. Your souls are like sores that may not be searched, or a broken bone that must not be set, for fear of hurting you. You are like men that must have that which would kill them; or like children, that will cry if they be but taken out of their dung, or kept from fire, or from knives. If we do but cross you in the way to hell, we trouble you, and we break the peace. Yea, and if we will not cast away our souls everlastingly for company! And is this the case? Is this the breaking of your peace? The Lord will shortly be a righteous Judge between and us, you and tell you who it was that was the troubler of the towns and countries, and of the world.

You find Ahab and Elijah at this contest. Ahab takes him for the troubler of Israel when a heavy famine was among them. Elijah saith, No; but it was Ahab and his father's house that had troubled Israel by their wickedness, 1 Kings xviii. 17, 18. And which think you was in the right, the prophet or the king?

Why sirs, what is it that godliness doth, that it should be taken for the troubler of the world, when ungodliness is taken for your peace? Is it our persuading or hindering you from sin that troubleth you? And will not the everlasting fruit of it trouble you more? Then even say, that washing you, or sweeping your houses, or curing your sores, or sickness, or persuading you not to kill yourselves, is a

troubling of you! Or is it (as the Lord hath told us it will be, Matt. v. 10, 11. John xv. 18, 19. 1 Pet. iv. 4, 5.) because we are not such as you, and will not do as you do, and be of your opinion, and forsake our Lord to keep you company? Is it not with good reason? When we know you cannot save us harmless, and will not answer for us before the Lord? We know that every man must answer for himself, and therefore we durst not trust to you, if you would promise us to bring us off: it is best for you to study better how to answer for yourselves. But if you are resolved on it, that ungodly you will be, and that you will venture on hell to escape a holy life, why should you not give us leave to pity you, and to forbear your folly, and to save ourselves? Will it do you any harm that others should be saved, or that others should be godly? Your own sanctification indeed cannot stand with your lusts and fleshly pleasures; but another man's may. It will take none of your vainglory, or wealth, or sensual delights from you, that another man is sanctified or devoted unto God. And therefore be not angry with us, if we obey the Holy Ghost, that calleth to us, "Save yourselves from this untoward generation;" Acts ii. 40.

·Object. O but (saith the ungodly crew) it was never a good world since there was so much religion, and preaching, and preciseness, and so much ado about serving God! It was a better world, when we had but a short service read on Sundays, and played, and merrily talked together the rest of the day! There was more love and good neighbourhood then amongst men than there is now. There was not then so much deceit, and cozening, and oppressing, and covetousness in the world, there was more peace, and plenty, and a better world it was than now."

Matters of peace and plenty change often in the same age. And certainly you have as little hindrance now, from being as good as you have a mind to be, as ever your forefathers had. Two things I have to say to your objection.

1. If this be true that the world is so bad, which part is it of the world that you mean? Is it all, or some? Not all sure; that were too horrible censoriousness to say. Then God would presently destroy the world. Sodom had one Lot, and his family in it. Well! it is but some then that are so bad.

And which part is it? Is it the godly, or the un

godly? If godliness be naught, then heaven is naught, where there is nothing else; and then take it not ill to be shut out. If it be the ungodly that are naught, that is it that I am saying. It is time then to leave it, and to turn to God. Is it not you yourselves that make the complaint that are the men that make the world so bad? Is it not you that are so covetous and worldly that you have nothing for the poor, and no time to spare for the work that you were made for; nor scarce any room, to think or speak of the life to come? Is it not you that have so little charity that you even hate men for loving and serving God, and seeking diligently to save their souls? It is true that there was never greater wickedness in the world than since there hath been so much preaching. But what is that wickedness and in whom? It is the despising and disobeying the calls of God, and the hating and neglecting of a holy life. Those that are saved by the Gospel, may say that it was a happy message unto them; but those that slight it, and wilfully sin in the openest light, may well say that it is a bad world with them; and worse it is, and will be for ever, if they be not converted, than if they had never heard the Gospel. It is you, and such as you, that despise the mercies of the Lord, that make it a bad world; and then you impudently complain of it, and charge it on them that will not be as bad as yourselves; and take away the candle and shut the windows, that the light may not trouble you.

2. Well! but say you the world was better when there was less preaching, and less ado about the serving of God, and our salvation. I do not believe you, and I will tell you why, yea, why I am certain that your words are false.

1. Because you contradict the Lord. God saith those times are best when there is most of the light of the Gospel, and most helps for our salvation, and when the people are most holy. The increase of light and holiness is a principal part of the glory of the kingdom of Christ, and of the promises to the Gospel church, as you may see, Isa. ix. 2. xxxvi. 26. xlii. 6. lx. 3. Matt. iv. 16. Luke ii. 32. John iii. 19, 20. The word of God is the greatest blessing under heaven, together with a heart to obey and practise it. "Blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it;" Luke xi. 28. Psal. i. 1, 2. cvi. 3. cxix. 1. God himself pronounceth them blessed that meditate day and night in his