The Cry of Sodom Inquired Into, Title page – To the reader
The Cry of Sodom ENQVIRED INTO; Upon Occaſion of The Arraignment and Condemnation OF BENJAMIN GOAD, For his Prodigious Villany.
Together with A Solemn Exhortation to Tremble at Gods Judgements, and to Abandon Youthful Luſts.
By S. D.
Iſa. 26. 9. —When thy Judgements are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteouſneſs.
Pſal. 119. 118. Thou haſt troden down all them that erre from thy ſtatutes: for their deceit is falſhood.
ver. 119. Thou putteſt away all the wicked of the earth like droſs: therefore I love thy Teſtimonies.
ver. 120. My fleſh trembleth for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy Judgements.
1 Pet. 2. 11. Dearly beloved, I beſeech you as ſtrangers and pilgrims, abſtain from fleſhly luſts, which war againſt the ſoul.
Cambridge: Printed by Marmaduke Johnſon. 1674.
Chriſtian Reader,
IT is a ſolemn Expreſſion of the Kingly Prophet, the ſweet Singer of Iſrael, Pſal. 36. 6. Thy Judgements (O Lord) are a great deep! too great a deep to be fathomed, without the help of Scripture-direction. Had not the Moſt High condeſcended to give us (poor ſilly worms) the Comment of his Word, upon the more abſtruſe and leſs diſcernable paſſages of his Works, how hard had it been for us to have found out, and underſtood the true ſenſe and meaning of many his darker diſpenſations. Amongſt many other, this might have been looked at as aſtoniſhingly ſtrange, that the worſt of ſins ſhould be perpetrated, in ſome, the beſt of Places and Societies; that Enormities not ſo much as 1 Co… 5. 1.named amongſt Gentiles, ſhould be found among Chriſtians: had not the Oracles of God unfolded, and laid open the Myſtery of ſuch (otherwiſe inſcrutable) S…crets of his profound Providence. It was in the Sanctuary, that the diſtr…ſſed Pſalmiſt ſaw a plain and eaſie way out of the perplexing Intricacies, of thoſe ſad Tentations, in which he had been ſo far bewildered, and well-nigh loſt, Pſal. 73. 16, 17. By Scripture-Light, in the forementioned caſe, we may eaſily diſcern, not onelyonly that it is, but how it comes to paſs; and be informed, That the holy and bleſſed God is never more gloriouſly Juſt, then when moſt dreadfully Severe againſt ſuch as deſpiſe, and will not obey his Goſpel. No Judgements are more direfull, and to be dreaded, then Spiritual; nor are any nearer ſuch, then they who have, and improve not, but ſet light by, and abuſe the Goſpel and Grace of our Lord Jeſus. The ground often rained upon, which yet brings forth nothing but thorns and briers, is rejected, and nigh to curſing, and its end is to be burned, Heb. 6. 7. 8. It was thus of old, Pſal. 81. 10—12. Open thy mouth w…e, and I will fill it. But my people would not hearken to my voice, and Iſrael would none of me: So I gave them up to their own hearts luſts, and they walked in their own counſels. How unqueſtionably righteous the holy God is, in ſuch Severity againſt his own people, will be abundantly evident, to all who ſhall conſider, how trimendous his dealings have been with poor ignorant Heathen. If ſuch, who have had and abuſed but that glimmering Star-light, which (to weak eyes) ſo dimly ſhineth from the Works of Creation and Providence, have been ſo terribly treated; that, as the Apoſtle expreſſeth, Rom. 1. 18, to the end of the Chapter, The wrath of God is revealed from Heaven againſt all ungodlineſs and unrighteouſneſs of men, who impriſon the truth in unrighteouſneſs: So that becauſe when they knew God, they did not glorifie him as God, He gave them up to uncleanneſs, to filthy practices, to vile affections, and at laſt to a reprobate minde: Of how much ſorer puniſhment ſhall they be thought worthy, who have troden under foot the Son of God, continuing to ſin under and againſt a far more glorious Light, then ever the Heathen had? An awfull (and not to be forgotten) Inſtance of this, ſo formidably ſolemn a Truth, was the ſad Occaſion unto our Reverend Brother, the Pious and Judicious Author of the enſuing Diſcourſe, to lift up his voice like a Trumpet. His eminent faithfulneſs in ſo doing, we cannot but approve. It's ſurely no ſeaſon for Watchmen to be ſilent, when Heaven-daring ſins are calling aloud for Vengeance. We willingly Commend it to the Preſs, and ſerious peruſal of all, into whoſe hands it may come; heartily praying, it may (by a bleſſing from above) become ſucceſsfull unto all that good intended, and hoped for in making it thus publick.
John Sherman. Urian Oakes. Thomas Shepard.