IF these Words had not been spoken by God himself, or, which is the same thing, by the Psalmist in his Name and by his immediate Inspiration, 'tis certain that any who should now have ask­ed the same Question, must at least have expected the Censure of two much heat and forwardness, or the yet more severe one, of designing a Factious Combinati­on instead of a Religious Union. The [Page 2] Occasion of them, as well as of the whole Psalm, is judg'd to have been the Affli­ction of Gods People in Babylon, where they had no Friend or Helper; in which Condition they address themselves in the pathetic words of this Psalm, to him who never fails those who trust in him: expres­sing their firm Faith and dependance on the Almighty, and, that notwithstanding all they had endur'd,— The Lord would not cut off his People, nor forsake his Inheritance, but that at the last Iudgment should return unto Righteousness. The time should come under the Reign of the Messiah principal­ly and ultimately, tho immediately and imperfectly under Zerubbabel's and Ioshua's Administration of Affairs, when there should be a more equal distribution of things, and all good Men should with one mind and one mouth glorifie God, and adore his wonderful Providence and Goodness.

And then it follows in the words of the Text, Who will rise up for (or with) me against the Evil-doers; who will stand up for me (or take my part) against the workers of Iniquity? Who is there that has Courage or Zeal sufficient for such an [Page 3] Undertaking, and to assist the Civil and Ecclesiastical Governours to accomplish these happy Alterations; to reform Abu­ses, punish the Wicked, depress the Proud and raise the Humble? Which great Work the Psalmist [ v. 17.] ascribes primarily and immediately to God, tho not exclu­ding Man's free Agency and Co-operati­on, yet not depending upon them nor expecting much from them— Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had well nigh dwelt in silence.

But I shall not, in my Discourse from these words, insist any further on the oc­casion of them, or their connexion with the preceeding or subsequent Verses, but consider them as independant on the rest of the Psalm, and desire you to take no­tice, that the— Rising up for or with the Psalmist, here mentioned against Bad men, implies Zeal and Courage, which he was then so solicitously enquiring after,—as the standing up for him, or as 'tis in the Syriac, fitting and preparing a Man's self for such an Enterprise, may denote that caution and prudence which was necessary on so emergent an Occasion; as both of these Expressions imply an Union of good [Page 4] Men with the firmest Resolves and stea­diest Endeavours, against the workers of Iniquity.

From the Words we may deduce these Two Propositions.

I. That it is very difficult to persuade Men to engage in the Cause of God, a­gainst Wicked Persons and Evil-doers. Thisis fairly imply'd in the Words of the Question— Who will rise up with me? Who will stand up for me? What need of such a careful and exact Enquiry, if the Answer had been obvious and easie?

II. That 'tis the indispensible Duty of Good Men, with united Councils, and with the utmost Zeal and Prudence, to oppose Vice and Wickedness.

The former of which Propositions I shall insist on more briefly; the second more at large in the Body of my Dis­course, and then apply the whole.

First then, We may learn from these Words, that it is very difficult to per­suade Men to engage in the Cause of God, against wicked Persons and Evil-doers. The matter of fact is too plain and obvious, since neither Mens Obliga­tions to God, nor those to their Coun­try, [Page 5] nor the Dictates of their own Con­sciences, nor the Persuasions and Exam­ples of better Men, nay, nor even their own solemn Oaths, can oftentimes pre­vail upon them to the Performance of this hazardous Duty. Nor are the Rea­sons less evident than the matter of Fact is. The Singularity of such an Attempt, the Disuse of the Laws, the Opposition of the Guilty, the Coldness of those who might and ought to encourage such as act in this manner; the Disobliging Mens Friends or Neighbours, the Fear of in­juring their own Temporal Interest, but above all, the backwardness of those who are in Publick Offices, and that ge­neral Dis-regard which most Men seem to have of their own and others Souls; together with the want of a true Love to God and concern for his Glory, are but too plainly at the bottom of such an unexcusable Negligence.

I shall not therefore need to insist any further on this Proposition, but proceed to the

II. That 'tis the indispensible Duty of Good Men, with united Councils, and with the utmost Zeal and Prudence to op­pose Vice and Wickedness.

[Page 6]Which Point may be divided into three Parts.

1. That Good Men ought to oppose Vice and Wickedness?

2. That they should do this with u­nited Councils and Endeavours. And

That 3. With the utmost Zeal and Prudence that a Matter of so high an Im­portance needs and deserves.

In speaking to the first of these Heads, I shall first enquire into the strong Obli­gations Men are under to the performance of this Duty; and then prove, that 'tis their true Interest to answer those Obli­gations.

And one would think there should be but little need to insist on the former of these Heads, to any who remember their Baptism; for by their Renouncing the World, the Flesh and the Devil, they have actually entred into a War against them; they have listed themselves under the Banner of the Cross, and have taken a virtual Oath to be Christs faithful Ser­vants and Soldiers to their Lives end. Now we cannot make this War Defen­sive only without great Disadvantage, nor will it be policy to expect it at home, [Page 7] but rather to carry it into the Enemy's Country, where we may expect, if not wholly to put an end to it, yet, at least, more successfully engage against it. Da­ring and open Wickedness is a plain Con­tradiction to the Almighty, and High-Treason against the Majesty of Heaven; against him who is a great God, and a great King above all Gods: and are not all his Liege Subjects under the deepest Obligations to oppose it for that reason; to hate that which his Soul hates, and which hates him, and would if possible De­throne him? Lest otherwise they be dealt with as Saul was for sparing the Amele­kites, when he ought to have obey'd the Commandment of the Lord, and to have utterly destroy'd them.

But we have yet a further Relation to the Almighty, which obliges us to be va­liant in his Cause and to fight his Battels. We are his Servants as well as his Chil­dren and his Subjects; he sav'd us from our Enemies, he sav'd us when Rebels, he rescu'd us from the Devil, he ransom'd us by the Blood of his Son; he has there­fore by all imaginable Titles the Right of Dominion over us; we are not our [Page 8] own, but are bought with a Price, and are therefore to glorifie God with our Bo­dies and Souls, which are his, and can by no means be accounted either grate­ful or faithful Servants, if we desert the Interest of our Master; if we refuse to engage in his Cause, or are patient while he is Dishonoured.

Now if these Obligations (and to which many others might be added) did really cross our true Interest, there might be some Pretence for our not pursuing them; but if, instead of that, it shall appear, that the Publick opposing of Vice does highly conduce to our Private, our Civil, our Temporal and Spiritual, and Eternal Happiness, what excuse can we make for our Negligence in this matter?

As for our Civil Happiness, we are all born Members of a Community, and con­sequently must desire the Good of the Whole, unless we can hate our selves, who are Parts of it. Now 'tis hard to say whether has done greater Mischief to the Publick, either Ill Principles, which have taken Men off from that Passionate Re­gard to their Country, which was so re­markable and so glorious among the an­tient [Page 9] Heathens, or else a Bad Life and a Dissolution of Manners, which from a complication of many unhappy Circum­stances, has of late so visibly broken in upon us, both of which have so plain an Influence upon each other. Thus much is however certain, that whoever truely loves his Country, will heartily endea­vour to make it better, which cannot be expected, considering the Disingenuity of the Bulk of Mankind, without the due ex­ercise of Discipline, and the Punishment of those that do Evil.

But this is an Article which has been so often toucht and so much exhausted, that I shall insist no longer on it, only leaving it to the Consideration of every prudent Person, whether there would be so much Baseness, so much Falshood, Treason, Bribery and Injustice; so much Unrighteousness and Strife every where, were Persons generally influenc'd with the Principles of Probity and Virtue; nay, had they not, on the contrary, a­bandoned themselves to the Stream of Vice and Lewdness, which therefore 'tis the concern of every Good Man to oppose with all his Might; to prevent, if possi­ble, [Page 10] that threatning Deluge which is like­ly to break in upon us, and cover the Face of our Land.

Nor is the Opposition of Vice, in or­der to the suppressing, or at least the re­straining of it, less conducive to domestick Happiness than 'tis to that of the Publick; it being evident, that the want of Disci­pline is the Ruine of Families, and that the restoration thereof would make better Ser­vants, better Children, better Masters, and render all Relations much more use­ful, and comfortable, and happy.

But Vice is further injurious to every Mans personal Happiness; to his Profit as well as Reputation, to his Body as well as his Mind, by innumerable Inconveniences it brings upon him. Of how base a Spi­rit therefore he must be, who yields to that Sin which as it first brought Death into the World, so it continues daily to slay its Thousands; brings the Judgments of God upon us, emaculates Mankind, taints and poisons the very first Threads of Life, projects its Mischief beyond the present Age, and loads Posterity with a feeble and a miserable Offspring?

[Page 11]Let us next reflect on what passes in our own Minds, and the necessity there is, if we consult their Happiness, to oppose Vice in others as well as in our selves, be­cause its Contagion is so very spreading and dangerous. Mistaken Men may call the Proud happy, and so of other Sinners, but 'tis impossible they should be so, and they know the contrary themselves: for what more severe Tormentor can a Man have in his own Breast, than any uncon­troul'd Vice or sinful Habit. There are few Men who are altogether lost to the sense of Virtue, and to that natural Tast of Goodness at first imprinted on the Mind, and consequently Vice must needs be a Torment to the Mind as well as to the Body, since 'tis so contrary to our true Nature, and a Man must be as uneasie un­der it, as a wounded Person with an Ar­row sticking fast in his Body. Its true, an Ill Man makes as good a Show as he can, and thinks he bears it well out, but 'tis all Paint and Vernish; he has some­thing within that denies him Ease; all his Triumphs are but like the miserable Ravings of one in a Fever, who perhaps looks as fresh as ever, and tells you he [Page 12] feels no pain, when 'tis but an unnatural flushing, he's still sick at Heart, all with­in is disorder'd, and he's not far from his End.

Nor is the eternal Interest of every Man less concern'd in these matters than the present quiet of his Mind: For unless we oppose Wickedness, 'twill as certainly gain ground upon us, and hurry us away in the stream, as the Sea will break in upon a Level, if there be no Beach or Banks to resist it. We know that the Wages of Sin is Death, both temporal and eternal we know 'tis an acceptable Service to God to oppose and resist it, that he himself has told us— ‘Those who Honour him he will Honour;’ and that our blessed Sa­viour has assured us, ‘That those who confess him before Men, he will also confess them before his Father which is in Heaven.’

II. I proceed to the second thing—That as good Men are oblig'd to oppose Vice and Wickedness, so they are to do this with united Councils and Endeavours. What is a single Persons Duty in this matter cannot alter its nature when it falls into the Hands of Communities or Bodies of [Page 13] Men, but may be much more hopefully and successfully attempted by them; for the Offenders may sometimes be such Sons of Zerviah, that they'll prove too hard for any single Person: Their Numbers may be so great, that there will need one somewhat proportionable to oppose them, since Miracles are generally ceas'd, and tho Sampson and others of old could slay their Heaps upon Heaps, yet 'tis not now for single Persons to attack whole Armies; nor will a greater Number of undisciplin­ed Men, who fight loose and stragling, gain equal Advantages on the Enemy, with a much smaller Body who engage with Discipline and Order. Its true, that the Kingdom of Darkness is likewise the Kingdom of Confusion; but still Satan will not fight against Satan, and all his Sub­jects unite themselves against the Lord and against his Christ, to break their bonds in sunder, and cast away their cords from them. Now in opposition to those infer­nal Legions, did our blessed Lord institute his Church; being a regulated Society of Men, by their very Nature and Constitu­tion most firmly united together, and ob­liged to love one another; by virtue of [Page 14] which mystical and indissolvable Union, a [...] well with Christ their Head, as with al [...] their Fellow-Members, sealed and confirm­ed in the Holy Sacraments, they obtain that Strength and Stability that the Gates of Hell shall never prevail against them.

And indeed were all the outward Mem­bers of the visible Church, but real Mem­bers likewise of that which is internal spiritual and invisible; in short, did all who bear the name of Christ walk wor­thy of their Holy Profession, there would be no need of Discipline, nor of any such subordinate Union as I am now recom­mending, in any Christian Common­wealth; any more than there would be need of Laws and Sanctions annexed unto them in the Civil Government, did all Men regulate themselves by the true Law of Nature and Principles of right Reason: but since none can be so sanguine, as to expect such a happy state of things, it lies upon Good Men to do what they can, and to use all those prudent Me­thods which are in their power, to make the World a little better; to unite their Hands and their Hearts, in some mea­sure, at least to repress notorious Vice and punish Gods Dishonour.

[Page 15]It's almost incredible, to say, what happy Effects we shoud soon see from such a close and firm Conjunction of all good Men in the prosecution of these desirable Ends. Very considerable things have by Gods Blessing been already done by some few who have devoted themselves to the Service of God and their Country on this occasion; who have born the Burden and Heat of the day, and entred themselves into Societies for the Reformation of Manners, both in this and our neighbour­ing Nation of Ireland. And may God in­crease their Number as he will certainly re­ward their Labour. There's a great Door o­pend, and no other can be expected but that they shou'd still meet with many Adver­saries: There's yet but too much Employ­ment for more Hands, and 'twou'd be the Honour as well as the Interest of all good Men, to joyn with them in this Under­taking (nay of the greatest Prince on Earth to own his Cause from whom he re­ceives his Crown) that by mature and united Councils, mutual assistance, more earnest application and greater numbers, they might successfully prosecute what is [Page 16] so well began, and what can scarcely be accomplished by any other methods.

III. I come now in the third place to the manner how we are to set about this great Duty. It ought certainly to be managed with the greatest Zeal and the greatest Prudence.

1. With Zeal. For since 'tis good to be Zealously affected in every Good mat­ter, much more is it so in this, which has so immediate an Influence on so many great and momentous Ends. Zeal in mo­ral Affairs seems to have much the same surprising Effects which Motion has in Phy­sical and Mechanical; it produces what seem'd at first impossible, it gives a new Mould and Turn to every Action; it sets on work all the secret Springs and Powers of the Mind, and makes them act with such a Force and Vigour as is almost ir­resistible. God and Man hate a lukewarm Temper, which has often created greater Obstructions to good Designs, than the most open Opposition against them;— Who will rise up with me, who will stand up for me against the workers of Iniquity? Who has Courage, and Constancy, and Bravery equal to so glorious, an Underatking? As [Page 17] that Zeal is Madness which pushes a Man on to illegal and indefensible Actions, what­ever be the motive of his engaging in them; so that Wisdom is Folly, which hinders a Man from doing his Duty, and vindicating Gods Honour.

But still we must take care that our Zeal be temper'd with Prudence; and if ever we are to be wise as Serpents, we are certainly to be so in these Matters, wherein we are sure to have the old Ser­pent himself our sworn and inveterate E­nemy: He may bruise the Heel of the Seed of the Woman, of the Members, as well as of Christ their Head, by Back­biting and Reproaches, and by all the Calumnies that Hell can invent, or its Emissaries utter. What need then have all those good Men who engage in this honourable and weighty Affair of stemming the Tide of Vice amongst us, what need have they to be always upon their Guard, and to take care of their Steps, since there are so many who watch for their Halting. To act by the most prudent and advisa­ble Methods, to be zealous without being passionate, which perhaps is one of the most difficult things in the World. To [Page 18] give no just Offence to any, to prepare themselves against the doubtful Combat; to expect to be hated and slander'd by bad Men, as was their Master before them, and for the same Reason too, because they testifie against them that their deeds are evil: to be sober and vigilant, to avoid what is scandalous as well as what is sinful, and so on the contrary. By no means to forget themselves, their own Persons, or their own Families, while they are so busie in reforming others; and to suffer no Beam, or so much as a Mote in their own Eye, while they are endeavouring to clear their Brothers Eye, which could not fail of having an happy influence on their own Minds, as their instructive Ex­amples would on those of others; and be one of those natural and inseparable Re­wards which even in this Life attend Vir­tue and Goodness, and which in some sort may seem to antedate an happy Eternity.

I proceed to draw some practical Infe­rences from what has been said.

( Use 1.) And the first may be to Re­prove those who are so far from opposing Vice and Wickedness, that they rather encourage it and support, as it well as dis­courage [Page 19] others who are engag'd against it: so far from rising up against Evil-doers, that they rise up together with them; and 'tis to be fear'd, that too many will come under this Reproof who think themselves wholly innocent; such are those who any ways countenance wicked Men in their lewd Practices and infamous Behaviours: who chuse the Company of ill Men, and therefore seem to stand in the way of Sin­ners, and are in great danger of sitting in the seat of the scorner—tho they cannot be ignorant who has said, That he who walks with wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroy'd: not that all Cor­respondence with Ill Men is forbidden, as to the necessary Offices of Civil or Private Life; for then as the Apostle says, must we go out of the World; but I speak of a voluntary Intimacy, a peculiar unnecessary Endearment with bad Men, which if it does not make them better, will certain­ly make others worse, whose Conversati­on is so pestilentially infectious, than which the Enemy has scarcely a more dangerous Snare for the Souls of Men:

Unless, perhaps, some certain Socie­ties in the Nation, of a quite different [Page 20] sort from those already mention'd, and who, one would think, had for some years last past enter'd into a sworn Conspi­racy against Religion and Virtue.

There scarce seems any need to explain my self, that hereby I mean our Infa­mous Theatres, which seem to have done more Mischief, than Hobes himself or our new Atheistical Clubs, to the Faith and Morals of the Nation. Moral Repre­sentations are own'd to be in their own Nature, not only Innocent, but even useful as well as pleasant; but what is this to those which have no Morals or Morality at all in them, and which are the most Immoral things in the World; which the more any good Man is acquainted with them, the less he must still like them, and at which any mo­dest Heathen would blush to be present. If we ever hope for an entire Reformation of Manners, even our Iails and our Thea­tres must have their shares. With as much reason may we exclaim against our modern Plays and Interludes, as did the old zealous Fathers against the Pagan Spe­ctales, and as justly rank these as they did the others, among those Pomps and Vanities of this wicked World which our [Page 21] Baptism obliges us to renounce and to ab­hor. What Communion hath the Temple of God with Idols, with those abominable mysteries of Iniquity which outdo the old Fescennina of the Heathens, the lewd Or­gies of Bacchus, and the impious Feasts of Isis and Priapus? I know not how any Persons can profitably, or indeed decently, present themselves here before Gods Holy Oracle, who are frequently present at those Schools of Vice, and Nurseries of Profane­ness and Lewdness, to unlearn there what they are here taught, out of Gods Holy Word. It recals to my mind a Passage not unlike it, in the Book of the Kings, (2 Kings xvii. 30, 33.) concerning those Samaritans who inhabited the Land of Is­rael after the Captivity of the Ten Tribes; 'tis said of them, That every Nation made Gods of their own; the Men of Ba­bylon made Succoth-Benoth, that is, as Learned Men are of Opinion, the Taberna­cles or Temples, or if you please, Scenes or Theatres of Venus; and others of them burnt their Children in the Fire to their Idols:—so they feared the Lord and served their own Gods. The Application is but too obvious and easie; would you suffer [Page 22] your Friend or your Child to resort every day to a Pest-house, or a Place infected with any contagious and deadly Disease, whence you had seen many Persons carri­ed out dead before you? If none would do this who pretended to be in his right senses, what excuse can be made for those who do worse, and are themselves fre­quently present, as well as suffer others to be so, at that place which is so nearly ally'd to hers which Solomon describes; whose House is the way to Hell, and her Gates lead down to the Chambers of Death. And are they not too like those Iews E­zekiel mentions, who when they had slain their Children in the Fire to their Idols, came into Gods Sanctuary to profane it.

How can such Persons pray every day Lead us not into Temptation, when they themselves wilfully rush into the very mouth of it? 'Tis true the Stage pretends to Reform Manners, but let them tell us how many Converts they can name, by their means, to Virtue and Religion du­ring these last thirty or forty years, and we can give numerous and sad Instances to the contrary, even of a brave and vir­tuous Nation too generally depraved and [Page 23] corrupted, to which there cannot perhaps be any one thing assigned, which has more highly contributed than these unsuffera­ble and abominable Representations; the Authors of which, tho the Publick should continue to take notice of them, would either be forc'd so far to alter them that they would hardly be known, or else they would fall of themselves, if Men would but withdraw their Company from them, as their pretence there does actually en­courage and support them. To close the Head, whereon I'm sorry there's so much cause of insisting, since there are too ma­ny, of whom we may without Breach of Charity believe, that they'd rather for­sake the Church than the Theatre, by their being so much more frequently and de­lightfully present at the latter than they are at the former.

If Oaths, if Blasphemy, if perpetual Pro­fanation of the glorious Name of God and of our Blessed Redeemer, if making a scoff and a laughter at his Holy Word and Institutions, and I know not why I should not add his Ministers too, which is the very Salt, and almost the Imprimatur to most of the Comedies of the present [Page 24] Age. If Filthiness and foolish Talking and profane or immodest Iesting, and insulting over the miseries, and excusing, and repre­senting, and recommending the Vices of Mankind, either by not punishing them at all, or slighty punishing them, or even making them prosperous and happy; and teaching others first how to be wicked, and then to defend or hide their Wickedness, or at least to think Virtue ridiculous and unfashionable, and Religion and Piety fit for none but old People, Fools and Luna­ticks; if Contempt of Superiours, if false Notions of Honour. if heighth of Lewd­ness and Pride, and Revenge, and even Murder be those Lessons which are daily taught at these Publick Play-houses, to the disgrace of our Age, corruption of our Mo­rals, and scandal and odium of our Nation; for the truth of which we may appeal to all the unprejudiced and virtuous part of Mankind: Then we may further ask, whether these are fit Places for the Edu­cation of our Youth, the Diversion of those of riper Age, or indeed so much as tolera­ble as they now are, and without a great and unexpected Reformation under any Christian Government. If they are so, [Page 25] they may then continue in their present state, and we may still frequent them; but in the mean time how can we pre­sume to come hither unto Gods House and his Holy Table, unless we could answer that pathetick Expostulation of God to his own People, who liv'd not answera­ble to their Profession, ‘What hast thou to do to tread my Courts, or take my Name into thy Lips, seeing thou hatest to be Reformed and hast cast my Words behind thy back, and wert Partaker with the Adulterer.’

But to go on with the other Inferences; and the

II. Shall be to recommend that Zeal and that Prudence to your Practice, which is so highly necessary in those who set a­bout the Reforming others.

And First for Prudence. Let every Man act in the station wherein God has plac'd him, and by those Laws which are the Strength of our happy Constitution, and with that meekness, patience and ex­cellent temper of Mind, which our Savi­our recommends to his Disciples, and then they cannot err in this matter. Humility is certainly a great part of Pru­dence [Page 26] and a noble Christian Virtue, tho hardly ever known or mentioned in the Ethics of the Heathens, and is highly ne­cessary to those who are engaged in this Work. For 'tis not easie to be singular without a too great Opinion of our selves and being embittered and soured by the Censures of others, as well as by their re­fusal to assist us in what we know to be a necessary and an honourable Undertaking &c. those must have a great Command in­deed, of their own Minds, who never felt any risings in them on such Provoca­tions. However thus much is sure, that Modesty and Meekness did never yet hurt a good Cause, and are so far from that meanness and demission of Mind which be­tray whatever they undertake; that after all, they are Arguments of the clearest Courage and Magnanimity. To close this Head, let us always remember, that we are not to rise up tumultuously even against Evil-Doers, but in an orderly and legal way. Those that strive must strive law­fully, in this, as well as in all other parts of our Christian Warfare, and prudently too, and therefore with united Councils and Endeavours.

[Page 27]Which will be no prejudice, but rather an advantage to their Zeal, when it has so stable and so rational a Foundation.

And what further Encouragement can we desire, to set us about this necessary tho invidious Employment with the ut­most Zeal and Courage, than those we al­ready have? What stronger Arguments to persuade us to fix our selves as Iron Pil­lars and Brazen Walls against the Workers of Iniquity? To set our united Breasts a­gainst the Stream of Profaneness and Wick­edness, which if we did, it must of neces­sity give way, since Vice cannot act up­on any settled Principles, but is at the bot­tom cowardly and unstable. Is it num­ber that we want to encourage us? Why we have a thousand on our side even in the Breast of every Ill man whom we bring to just Punishment. We have now, blessed be God, the glorious Encourage­ment of Superiours, that the Sword of Iu­stice shall no longer lye rusting and idle, but be drawn and furbished up for the Bat­tle, and glitter against the Faces of Gods and our Countrey's Enemies. We may hope for the concurrence of most good Men upon Earth, when they are satisfied [Page 28] of the sincerity of our Intentions and t [...] Prudence of our Behaviour. Nay of a [...] the Heavenly Host above, all the Ho [...] Angels of God; who if they rejoice [...] the Conversion of one Sinner, cannot b [...] unconcern'd in any thing that looks t [...] ­wards a more publick and general Refo [...] ­mation.

But alas! after all this, what reaso [...] has every one who has any real Concer [...] for God and his Country, to cry out wit [...] the Father of old, To what dregs of ti [...] are we reserved! when Men may almo [...] print or speak what Blasphemies they pleas [...] with Impunity and even with Triumph when too many of the inordinate Magi­strates will not act, nor the People gene­rally assist them in the Punishment of E­vil-Doers; when it shall be reckoned patt of good Breeding, or at least an Ar­gument of Wit and Spirit, to ridicule al [...] that's scared, and to profane the glorious and fearful Name,—The Lord our God, and yet the rudest, the busiest, and the most clownish thing in the World, to reprove, to detect and punish such notorious Offen­ders, tho by the most legal, prudent and advisable Methods. But there's still one [Page 29] Comfort to those who do so, and that is, that God sees not as man sees; that he is the God of Iudgment, and by him Actions are weighed, not in the unequal Scales of Pre­judice and Partiality, but by the unerring Standard of his own Immutable Iustice.

And shall then a wretched Mortal, a Worm of the same Dust and Clay with our selves, and which must soon be reduc'd unto the same Dust again: shall such a one presume to affront my Father, my Patron, my Friend, my Benefactor, my Saviour, and I want Courage or Honesty to oppose him, to detect him, and to bring him to that Shame and Punishment he so highly merits? Is this our kindness to our Friend, or should we ever believe any Person to be ours who so basely de­serted us? Whom are we afraid of, that we forget the Lord our Maker? Let all the Potsherds of the Earth fall down to­gether, and humble themselves before the King, the Lord of Hosts, and let him alone be exalted, whose Glory is above the Hea­vens, and who shakes the Earth at his Displeasure: The Mountains and the Hills shall flee away before him, and the Thunder of his Power who can bear?

[Page 30]If we find our selves not yet warm'd or concern'd for any of these things, or at least unstable, double-minded and waver­ing in our Duty; there's one Method still remaining, which will scarce fail to give a true and lasting bent to our Minds, and throughly engage us in this matter; and that is, the entire Dedication of our selves to God, without exception and without reserve; especially and more solemnly at the Blessed Sacrament, as often as the happy occasion is offer'd, and then let us see whether we shall fear the World, or whether that can ever hurt us! Let us make Gods Glory the principal motive and end of all our Actions, actually advest un­to it, and habitually regard it; let us love God with all our Hearts, and then we shall never endure to hear his Holy Name profan'd without a just and a tender Re­sentment.

Let us read often the Lives of the Mar­tyrs, and see what they suffer'd, for his sake who loved them, and washed them from their Sins in his own Blood. (Heb. 11.) ‘They were stoned, were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the Sword, they endured Tryals of cruel mockings and [Page 31] Scourgings, and Bonds and Imprisonments’ and the most infamous and painful Deaths, not accepting Deliverance that they might obtain a better Resurrection, a new and happier State of things in a better World. They endured all this, in opposition to all the World, for his sake whom they lov'd, and who, they knew, did then see them, and would unspeakably reward them. Here was the Faith and Patience of the Saints! Here were Christians indeed, and not in empty Name and outward Professi­on only! These trampled the World, sub­dued the Flesh and conquered the Devil, following the great Captain of their Sal­vation, as he himself led the way, with Crimson Banners and Garments roll'd in Blood; and shall we pretend to follow them as they did him, and pray for Grace to do so, and yet be afraid of a few hard words or Frowns from Fellow-Creatures: be un­willing at the expence of a little Reputati­on amongst mistaken or ill men, to rescue the Honour of God and of Religion, and vindicate the Laws and Glory of our Nati­on and of common Christianity.

Which is, in truth, the proper and im­mediate Office of the Magistrate, and all o­thers [Page 32] must rise up against Evil-Doers, a [...] Assistants with him and in Subordination to him. If he therefore, like Gallio, cares for none of these things; if he does not rise up against the workers of Iniquity, how can he answer his criminal Neglect before the Almighty Iudge of all Men, with whom there is no respect of Persons? If the Subordinate Magistrate refuses to dis­charge his own Duty, much more if he discourages those who attempt the Pu­nishment of Offenders, he's at once guil­ty of Perjury and Injustice; he's neither loyal to God nor to his Prince, nor true to his Engagements, nor faithful to his Country. Blessed be God that there is now such great Encouragement from our Governours, for every honest Man to act with his utmost force in this Affair, and to make one attack more upon Vice, one further effort to recover the Honour, the Virtue, the Happiness of our Nation; I mean the late Address of our Honoura­ble Representatives in Parliament, which [and his Majesty's truly Royal Procla­mation for the suppression of Vice, in pursuance thereof; concerning both of which, we may say thus much with de­cency [Page 33] in relation to what's past, that they are beyond the Example of former Reigns, and without vanity in reference of what's to come, that they] will shine in the Annals of our Country to all Genera­tions. Now when Judgment thus emi­nently returns unto Righteousness, who is there that is upright in Heart but will gladly follow it? None will be refused who sincerely offer themselves even at the Eleventh Hour. Shall we then stand all the day idle, when the Lord of the Vineyard calls us out to this painful but glorious Work? Is not the punishment of Evil-do­ers a thing highly acceptable to Almighty God, and were not Magistrates institu­ted by him, as for other great Ends, so to execute Wrath on those that do Evil; or have not those whose proper business 'tis to do so and yet neglect it, just rea­son to fear lest God should execute his Wrath against them, and that their Lives should go for the Life of the Offender? Or is there not still something very bad at the bottom of such a general Negligence, and if Men were really virtuous them­selves, would they not heartily encourage Virtue, and discourage and punish Vice in [Page 34] others, and even root out all Evil-doers from the City of our God?

And who those Evil-doers are, is easily resolved, and they are but too frequent­ly met with; such as Blasphemers, Swear­ers, Profane and Atheistical Persons, the Unclean, and the Adulterer, with whom our Streets do in some parts of the City still too much abound, and any other o­pen and Scandalous Sinner. These the Laws of God, the Law of Nations, and the Laws of our Country have justly branded, as infamous Persons and Evil-doers. They were certainly esteem'd such in for­mer Ages, and the Nature of Vice and Virtue is as unalterable and eternal as that of Good and Evil; and one would think they should not change with the mode, and that nothing should make the latter a Disgrace, the former a matter of Glory, or at least a subject of Diversion and Laughter only in any civilized Nation. But so it is, and is likely to be still worse if the Magistrate does not exert himself, and put the Laws in Execution against all such Offenders: and indeed if all People do not more heartily and unanimously join to assist the Magistrate in so doing; for [Page 35] which there is no other effectual way but by giving Information against Ill-men and scandalous Livers.

Good Manners are the Bond and Cement of all Societies, and good Laws the life of good Manners; and unless these Laws are well executed, 'tis the same thing as if we were without them, if not yet worse, be­cause the contempt of the Laws enhances the Guilt of the Offender, and Impunity renders him still more obdurate, and they can never be executed, unless Informati­on be given against those who transgress them.

Magistrates, tho they are called Gods, because their Power is communicated unto them from the Almighty, yet are they not like him every where present. They see with the Eyes of other Men, and there­fore if private Persons shut their own Eyes against publick Enormities, how is it pos­sible for the Magistrate either to detect or to punish them? 'Tis the Glory of Kings to search out a matter, 'tis the Glory of all Loyal Subjects to assist them in it; to In­form against profane and lewd Persons, as freely as to give their Testimony concern­ing any other Breaches of the Peace, and [Page 36] to bring those who glory in their Shame to just Punishment, that others may hear and Fear, and do no more so wickedly▪ Is not misprision of Treason against the King of Heaven, as notorious a misdemean­our as if it were against any Earthly King? What would the Law say to one who should stifle or conceal a Felony or a Mur­der, and would it not look upon him as an Accomplice in the Fact? What should we think our selves of a Neighbour who should know the Person that had rob'd us, and yet would not discover him? Do we think it any ways infamous to detect an High-way-man, or to seize him and bring him to Iustice? and shall we be on­ly unconcerned for the Glory of God, and our own and our Neighbours spiritual Welfare?

To say the Truth, Compassion and Cha­rity, as well as Iustice, oblige us to act in this Affair, and will teach us to behave our selves both with Concern and with Temper in it. O pity, pity poor Sinners, and pray to God to pity them, who want the Sence and Grace to pity themselves; but show your pity to them, not by a cruel Fondness, but by a kind and whole­some [Page 37] Severity. Would you suffer your dearest Friend to dye for want of Cupping or Bleeding him when you saw him la­bouring under the extremest Agonies? A­las these are all our Friends, for a Chri­stian has no enemies: we are all Brethren in the Profession of Christianity; we have all one common Lord, should have one Faith, as we have one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, tho too many are igno­rant of him, or rebellious against him. Why should we suffer such as these to tumble over a fatal Precipice for fear of disturb­ing or disobliging them, by pulling them back with some hast and violence? Why should our poor Brother perish for whom Christ dyed? I'm mistaken if here be not oftentimes the main point and stress of this Affair. As one great end of punish­ing an Offender is for the Example of o­thers, so another end is to make him bet­ter, where he is not notoriously incorrigi­ble: now if you can but once convince him that you love him, and that even your punishing of him is an effect of it, you are in a fair way to work upon him; and you have ground to hope that you shall save a Soul and cover a multitude of Sins.

[Page 38]As for that part of the Application which relates to that Union which ought to be among good Men against the Work­ers of Iniquity, I shall turn it chiefly to those who are already concern'd in any Societies for the Reformation of Manners, or in the Religious Societies. You ex­pect not, my Brethren, any Flattering Titles, nor dare I give any, lest my Ma­ker should take me away. But Truth must be spoken, and all due Encouragement ought to be given to such glorious Undertakings. You are engag'd in the best of Works, the preventing Gods Dishonour; the pro­moting his Glory and your Countrey's Happiness: you have not rested satisfied with a monastick Piety or Virtue, with be­ing Good your selves and then letting the World run which way it pleas'd; but have endeavour'd to better others as well as your selves. Go on in the Name of God to fight the good Fight and finish your Course, for you know what is laid up for you; let not go your Hope and Con­fidence in your great Lord and Master! Believe, be assur'd, that if you act sin­cerely and regularly in this Affair, he will accept and reward you. Never look back [Page 39] now you have once put your Hand to the Plough. Since you are so well assur'd the Work is of God, and it does and will pros­per, tho how much and how long, must be left to him who is the wise disposer of all things. Who can tell what Mercies, what undeserved Mercies God may yet have in store for a most Sinful, Ungrate­ful Nation, For he has mercy on whom he will have mercy. This we are sure, that none shall miss of his Favour, who per­form those Conditions on which it is offer'd.

In the mean time, suffer a little, my Brethren! the Word of Exhortation; re­member the Eyes of God, Men and Angels are upon you; be sober, be vigilant, and forget not who is your Adversary fre­quently; remember what spirit you ought to be of, that of the Gospel of Christ, of the meek and lowly Followers of Jesus. Avoid, as a pest, the saying to your Bro­ther, like the proud Hypocrites of old, Depart from me I am Holier than thou: Forbid none from casting out Devils be­cause he follows not with you. Have a care of calling for Fire from Heaven up­on those who do not receive you; a weak­ness whereof two of Christs best Disci­ples [Page 40] were guilty. Be careful and watchful and humble, and all Earth and Hell can never hurt you. Praise the Lord of Life and Glory, if he has toucht your Minds with a true sense of your Sins, and given you rational grounds to believe they are pardoned, for the sake of his dear Son our Lord, on your hearty and habitual Repentance. Endeavour more and more to pull others out of the Fire. Think not a private Admonition is sufficient in the case of open and Scandalous Offences, a­ny more than it would excuse you in the concealment of a Traytor, or any other no­torious Offender. Be willing, be thank­ful to be accounted the Filth and Off-scou­ring of the World; the Disturbers of the publick Peace (by those who themselves notoriously break it) and such as turn the World upside down, as you know who were called before ye. Think much of Heaven. Forget not Death. Be constant at Sacraments, in Prayer Publick, Dome­stick and Private, never neglecting the latter, never when you can with any con­venience be present at it, the former. Neglect not to Sing the High Praises of God. Remember the Poor, especially Gods [Page 41] Poor. Pity the Afflicted, especially our dear Brethren who now suffer for the Word of God and the Testimony of Iesus. Bless God servently, tho you can never do it sufficiently, for that Peace and Liberty which our Nation now enjoys, and for the pub­lick Discouragement of open and publick Wickedness, and be ready to make more vigorous Attacks than ever against it, now there's so great Encouragement for it, and so fair an opportunity is offered. Follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes, who came into the World for this very purpose, that he might destroy the Works of the Devil, conquer the Kingdom of Satan, and esta­blish the Kingdom of God in the Hearts of Men; which consists not in Meats and Drinks, in little distinctions and particula­rities, but in Righteousness, and Peace, and Ioy in the Holy Ghost. Follow him in meekness, patience and humility; bearing the Cross as he himself did before us, who when ‘he was revil'd, revil'd not again▪ when he suffer'd threatned not, but com­mitted himself to him that judgeth Right­eously, and for the Ioy that was set before him endured the Cross, despis'd the Shame, and is now sat down at the Right Hand of the Majesty on High.’

[Page 43]To conclude all. Let every serious Christian, who has that Integrity and Up­rightness of Heart which the Psalmist here mentions, now consider more earnestly than ever, how eminently such Designs as these would tend to the exercising, and consequently the improving and increasing of many Graces or Holy Habits, of his Prudence, and Patience, and Couroge, and Zeal, and Meekness, and contempt of the World, and Integrity, and Humility; and yet further, what great Rewards will he receive for his Faithfulness to God, even in this World: supposing the worst, that he should suffer in his Estate or Good Name by the Discharge of his Duty; O the Peace, the Ioy, the Triumph, the exul­tation of mind which a good Man possesses, when he reflects on any Sufferings he un­dergoes for the sake of God, and for the Cause of despised Religion and Vertue. How light are these Afflictions unto him, which others would be ready to sink un­der, and how little does he think they deserve that Name, when they work out for him such an exceeding and etenral weight of Glory! He believes, he knows this from certain and infallible Causes; he knows in [Page 42] whom he has believed: he bids the World do its worst, he has a Reserve beyond it; his Treasure is not in it; he aspires to that better World, where he knows who will meet him when this painful Life is ended, receive him into everlasting Habitations, and say unto him, Well done good and faithful Servant, enter thou into the Ioy of thy Lord.