laceratur humanum genus, so many pestilences, wars, uproars, losses, deluges, fires, inundations, God’s vengeance and all the plagues of Egypt, come upon us, since we are so currish one towards another, so respectless of God, and our neighbours, and by our crying sins pull these miseries upon our own heads.  Nay more, ’tis justly to be feared, which [4626]Josephus once said of his countrymen Jews, “if the Romans had not come when they did to sack their city, surely it had been swallowed up with some earthquake, deluge, or fired from heaven as Sodom and Gomorrah:  their desperate malice, wickedness and peevishness was such.”  ’Tis to be suspected, if we continue these wretched ways, we may look for the like heavy visitations to come upon us.  If we had any sense or feeling of these things, surely we should not go on as we do, in such irregular courses, practise all manner of impieties; our whole carriage would not be so averse from God.  If a man would but consider, when he is in the midst and full career of such prodigious and uncharitable actions, how displeasing they are in God’s sight, how noxious to himself, as Solomon told Joab, 1 Kings, ii.  “The Lord shall bring this blood upon their heads.”  Prov. i. 27, “sudden desolation and destruction shall come like a whirlwind upon them:  affliction, anguish, the reward of his hand shall be given him,” Isa. iii. 11, &c., “they shall fall into the pit they have digged for others,” and when they are scraping, tyrannising, getting, wallowing in their wealth, “this night, O fool, I will take away thy soul,” what a severe account they must make; and how [4627]gracious on the other side a charitable man is in God’s eyes, haurit sibi gratiam.  Matt. v. 7, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy:  he that lendeth to the poor, gives to God,” and how it shall be restored to them again; “how by their patience and long-suffering they shall heap coals on their enemies’ heads,” Rom. xii. “and he that followeth after righteousness and mercy, shall find righteousness and glory;” surely they would check their desires, curb in their unnatural, inordinate affections, agree amongst themselves, abstain from doing evil, amend their lives, and learn to do well.  “Behold how comely and good a thing it is for brethren to live together in [4628]union:  it is like the precious ointment, &c.  How odious to contend one with the other!” [4629] Miseriquid luctatiunculis hisce volumus? ecce mors supra caput est, et supremum illud tribunal, ubi et dicta et facta nostra examinanda sunt:  Sapiamus! “Why do we contend and vex one another? behold death is over our heads, and we must shortly give an account of all our uncharitable words and actions:  think upon it:  and be wise.”

SECT.  II.  MEMB.  I.

SUBSECT.  I.—­Heroical love causeth Melancholy.  His Pedigree, Power, and Extent.