Some most excellent thoughts from the Rev. Daniel Williams (Puritan Sermons, Vol. 4, p. 606–608):
Are believers and serious Christians (whom I confine not to any sect or party) free from contributing to fill up the measure of our iniquity? O that they were! then should my soul rejoice in hope; but it is otherwise. Alas! how much have they made the vilest abominations their own, by not mourning for them, and by their carnal liberty contributing to them! “Our gold is become dross.” (Isai. 1:22.) How unedifying are their discourses! How unexemplary is their walking! Each one seeks himself, and none the things of Christ: circumspectness is laid by as unfashionable: the virgins all slumber and sleep. (Matt. 25:5.) How few dare plead the cause of God, or do express his image! What heartless duties, forward passions, notorious pride, and neglect of education of children! Fast-days are kept without humiliation; sacraments and sermons are become lifeless; God is sensibly withdrawn, and none bemoan it; religion is dying, and none uphold it.
What a chilness on the love of saints to each other! What sordid divisions and distances! A new standard of godliness is erected, namely, a zeal for parties and selfish interests, under pretence of Christ’s interests; while what is essentially and undoubtedly his recommends men little. How little do good men relish that life, light, and love which is purely divine?
Can I excuse dissenters, as such? No: to say nothing of some of them immersed in destructive errors; alas! the more orthodox have a share in polluting and exposing the nation. A vain itch hath seized much of our ministry; we study to please, rather than [to] profit. We envy one another, run into extremes, because others come not up to divine institutions. We overlook the mercy of our ease and liberty, because we abound not as others do.
Tremble, O my soul! to think, how many, even of them, persecute, by railing, lying reports, non-communion, and censuring the state of souls for non-compliance with doubtful notions.
Too many set up uninstituted terms of communion, destroy the pastoral office, promote little designs with base tricks and grossest lying, under the covert of equivocation and surmises!
Were it not that some breathe another spirit, and more suitable to the Divine nature and the gospel of Christ, I should sit down with horror, and give up the land for lost. The shadow hath sensibly eaten up the substance; we have fancied, talked, and disputed a gospel-frame, and practical holiness, almost out of the land. A dead form is that which most are content with, and carnally plead for; while they profess more purity and power than others.
Are these evils in the land, or no? Are they sins? Are they not general? Arise, O God! and convince us; embitter them to us. O, was there ever more need to crave the pourings out of thy Spirit, now its recesses are so manifest? How discernible will be its pourings out, if thou bless us therewith!
2. I do, in the name of God, call you to this true repentance for these national sins.—We have nothing else left to relieve us: our begun deliverance will be abortive, yea, more destructive, without repentance. What nation ever needed repentance more? Whom hath God oftener called and more expressly warned?
He hath long waited to be gracious: and must he destroy us at last, when weary of repenting? The ruins of all our neighbours cry to us, “Repent; or you will be more miserable than we are: God seems to be on his way to you with the dregs of the cup.” Our sins are of the grossest nature, the longest continuance, and sorest aggravations.
How oft has God punished this land for them! and yet we hold them fast. (Jer. 8:5.) What variety of judgments hath he essayed our reformation by, but in vain! Thou London’s plague and flames, shall not they reform thee? Will not former streams of blood extinguish our lusts and divisions? shall we force God to repeat them? We were lately on the brink of ruin; and yet the same malignant, formal, and irreligious temper revives.
God hath by a train of miracles respited our woe, and begun our deliverance; but what are any sort of men amended? Methinks we should have passed our own doom, with Ezra: “Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping?” (Ezra 9:14.)
These abominations are yet more odious by our profession and advantages. To be acted by such a nation, wearing a Christian name! These villanies were tolerable among Pagans, in comparison of us; but in a place of light we have thus transgressed, in a land of uprightness we have been thus vile. (Isai. 26:10.)
O the convictions, struggles, and helps we must have trampled on! the many vows we have broken in all these transgressions! Yet in the midst of our rebellion God renews his call: “Repent, O sinful nation!” Let the cry of mourners be heard in our streets! O let shame cover our face! If you have any pity for yourselves or posterity, truly repent at last.
View the national mercies you may enjoy by repenting, and that you are sure to lose by hardening your hearts against it. Read them over again where I named them: are they not valuable enough to excite your reformation? O that all would concur in their places to reform! When will magistrates restrain sin, disannul all bad laws, and state the terms of our ministry and communion; so that all may be useful, and not spoil their efficacy by guilt contracted at their admission; nor perpetuate our divisions, the consequences whereof have been so dismal, and are likely to be more so? When will ministers engage in the reformation of the land, by faithful warnings, sharp reproofs, good examples, plain and importunate pleadings? Will the grossly scandalous gentry and people abhor their enormities, and put away their great provocations, whose cry is gone up to the heavens? Shall England’s mercy be secured by a revival of strictness of life, more love and power, among professors? Will you be your country’s and church’s plagues? That great good, which primitive saints rejoiced in the hope of; or overwhelming judgments, which posterity will be astonished at; do depend upon the return we shall make to God’s present call. Mercies of the most glorious nature are in the birth; and shall your, even your, impenitence stifle them? O return! and “if you will return, let it be to the Lord your God.” (Jer. 4:1.) All changes that amount not to this, will avail us nothing. Your prayers, your fast-days, are as water spilt on the ground, without reformation.
Are believers and serious Christians (whom I confine not to any sect or party) free from contributing to fill up the measure of our iniquity? O that they were! then should my soul rejoice in hope; but it is otherwise. Alas! how much have they made the vilest abominations their own, by not mourning for them, and by their carnal liberty contributing to them! “Our gold is become dross.” (Isai. 1:22.) How unedifying are their discourses! How unexemplary is their walking! Each one seeks himself, and none the things of Christ: circumspectness is laid by as unfashionable: the virgins all slumber and sleep. (Matt. 25:5.) How few dare plead the cause of God, or do express his image! What heartless duties, forward passions, notorious pride, and neglect of education of children! Fast-days are kept without humiliation; sacraments and sermons are become lifeless; God is sensibly withdrawn, and none bemoan it; religion is dying, and none uphold it.
What a chilness on the love of saints to each other! What sordid divisions and distances! A new standard of godliness is erected, namely, a zeal for parties and selfish interests, under pretence of Christ’s interests; while what is essentially and undoubtedly his recommends men little. How little do good men relish that life, light, and love which is purely divine?
Can I excuse dissenters, as such? No: to say nothing of some of them immersed in destructive errors; alas! the more orthodox have a share in polluting and exposing the nation. A vain itch hath seized much of our ministry; we study to please, rather than [to] profit. We envy one another, run into extremes, because others come not up to divine institutions. We overlook the mercy of our ease and liberty, because we abound not as others do.
Tremble, O my soul! to think, how many, even of them, persecute, by railing, lying reports, non-communion, and censuring the state of souls for non-compliance with doubtful notions.
Too many set up uninstituted terms of communion, destroy the pastoral office, promote little designs with base tricks and grossest lying, under the covert of equivocation and surmises!
Were it not that some breathe another spirit, and more suitable to the Divine nature and the gospel of Christ, I should sit down with horror, and give up the land for lost. The shadow hath sensibly eaten up the substance; we have fancied, talked, and disputed a gospel-frame, and practical holiness, almost out of the land. A dead form is that which most are content with, and carnally plead for; while they profess more purity and power than others.
Are these evils in the land, or no? Are they sins? Are they not general? Arise, O God! and convince us; embitter them to us. O, was there ever more need to crave the pourings out of thy Spirit, now its recesses are so manifest? How discernible will be its pourings out, if thou bless us therewith!
2. I do, in the name of God, call you to this true repentance for these national sins.—We have nothing else left to relieve us: our begun deliverance will be abortive, yea, more destructive, without repentance. What nation ever needed repentance more? Whom hath God oftener called and more expressly warned?
He hath long waited to be gracious: and must he destroy us at last, when weary of repenting? The ruins of all our neighbours cry to us, “Repent; or you will be more miserable than we are: God seems to be on his way to you with the dregs of the cup.” Our sins are of the grossest nature, the longest continuance, and sorest aggravations.
How oft has God punished this land for them! and yet we hold them fast. (Jer. 8:5.) What variety of judgments hath he essayed our reformation by, but in vain! Thou London’s plague and flames, shall not they reform thee? Will not former streams of blood extinguish our lusts and divisions? shall we force God to repeat them? We were lately on the brink of ruin; and yet the same malignant, formal, and irreligious temper revives.
God hath by a train of miracles respited our woe, and begun our deliverance; but what are any sort of men amended? Methinks we should have passed our own doom, with Ezra: “Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping?” (Ezra 9:14.)
These abominations are yet more odious by our profession and advantages. To be acted by such a nation, wearing a Christian name! These villanies were tolerable among Pagans, in comparison of us; but in a place of light we have thus transgressed, in a land of uprightness we have been thus vile. (Isai. 26:10.)
O the convictions, struggles, and helps we must have trampled on! the many vows we have broken in all these transgressions! Yet in the midst of our rebellion God renews his call: “Repent, O sinful nation!” Let the cry of mourners be heard in our streets! O let shame cover our face! If you have any pity for yourselves or posterity, truly repent at last.
View the national mercies you may enjoy by repenting, and that you are sure to lose by hardening your hearts against it. Read them over again where I named them: are they not valuable enough to excite your reformation? O that all would concur in their places to reform! When will magistrates restrain sin, disannul all bad laws, and state the terms of our ministry and communion; so that all may be useful, and not spoil their efficacy by guilt contracted at their admission; nor perpetuate our divisions, the consequences whereof have been so dismal, and are likely to be more so? When will ministers engage in the reformation of the land, by faithful warnings, sharp reproofs, good examples, plain and importunate pleadings? Will the grossly scandalous gentry and people abhor their enormities, and put away their great provocations, whose cry is gone up to the heavens? Shall England’s mercy be secured by a revival of strictness of life, more love and power, among professors? Will you be your country’s and church’s plagues? That great good, which primitive saints rejoiced in the hope of; or overwhelming judgments, which posterity will be astonished at; do depend upon the return we shall make to God’s present call. Mercies of the most glorious nature are in the birth; and shall your, even your, impenitence stifle them? O return! and “if you will return, let it be to the Lord your God.” (Jer. 4:1.) All changes that amount not to this, will avail us nothing. Your prayers, your fast-days, are as water spilt on the ground, without reformation.
