Selected quad for the lemma: judgement_n
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A25217
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A sermon preach'd to the Societies for Reformation of Manners in the cities of London and Westminster at Salters-Hall, Aug 15, 1698 preached and published at the desire of the said Societies / by Vincent Alsop.
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Alsop, Vincent, 1629 or 30-1703.
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1698
(1698)
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Wing A2920; ESTC R27105
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22,053
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66
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41.11 By this I know that thou favour'st me because my enemy doth not triumph over me Either your Enemies shall not fight against you or if they will fight not conquer or if they conquer not triumph or if they seem to triumph their triumph shall be short He that would overcome the Devil must first prevail with God which was Holy Iacob's method Gen. 32.28 who first prevail'd with the Angel and then easily persuaded Esau 2. Pray again and pray earnestly that God would put a Spirit of Zeal into the hearts of all those into whose hands he has put Power and Authority David's complaint will suit your case 2 Sam. 3. 39. I am this day weak and these Men the Sons of Zerviah are too hard for me You have the Law of God the Laws of Man for you and yet the Enemies of both these Cursing Swearing Sabbath-breaking Wretches are in many instances too hard for you But when it shall once please the Lord to stir up the Magistrates more generally and heartily to assist and abet you your work will be more easy It is a serious Question and not rashly to be determin'd Whether the Corruptions and Profanenesses which abound at this day may be justly call'd National Sins Of which I would give my Opinion without any positive or peremptory Determination 1. It is too evident to be denied or excused that there is a general declining of the Power of practical Religion and an increase of Sin in one kind or other amongst all sorts of Men. 2. That it is thankfully owned that our Legislators by their good Laws against the most prevailing Abominations have acquitted themselves of the guilt of these Corruptions All that the Lawgivers can do as they are such and further they cannot go than to appoint proportionable Penalties for these Crimes and to enjoyn the Magistrates respectively to put those Laws in due execution So that we must acknowledge they have approved themselves clear in this matter 3. His Majesty by many and strict Proclamations has charg'd the Magistrates to execute the Laws with effect and to proceed vigorously therein so that the Guilt will not lie there 4. God has raised up a considerable number of faithful Magistrates who have appeared freely in this Service Upon whom God will we hope put some distinguishing mark of Honour as the Reward of their Zeal For such as Honour God will be honour but they that despise him shall be lightly esteemed 5. You that have engaged in these hopeful Societies for Reformation have contributed to prevent these Immoralities which are too much National by their extent from becoming National by Guilt and Condemnation not only by willingly offering your selves as Assistants to the Magistrate not only by crying to God mighty to stir up Men fearing God Men of Courage to help you but by bearing your open Testimonies against those Enormities which you are not able to Suppress or Redress 3. Pray without ceasing that God would pour out of his Spirit upon all Ministers of his Word and Sacraments that by their unwearied Labours the consciences of the Profane may be strongly touched and they brought to a sound and saving Repentence And I must say that in Praying for them you Pray for your selves This would supersede much of your great trouble and give you a Writ of Ease from the fatigues of your difficult Province I question not but you would rejoyce to see convinced Sinners converted rather than to have the stubborn punished There is joy in Heaven over one Sinner that repenteth and the rejoycing of Holy Ones on Earth would eccho to theirs above when the natures of such are changed more than their hands are restrained and chained up by Poenal Laws III. I shall not need to advise you to look outwards to that Treatment you are to expect from those Flagitious Ones whose Crimes call for your most severe Animadversion I hope you have fate down and reckon'd it up with your selves what it might cost your before you enter'd upon and engaged in this Work yet I will present you with a Bill of Fate of the Entertainment which I believe you have found and may further expect § 1. You will meet with a generation of Men who tho' they have been emptied from Vessel to Vessel are yet settled upon their Lees. A sort of Sinners represented to the Prophet in a Vision Ez. 24.6 By a Pot which had long been on the Fire yet the scum remained in it Of whom another Prophet speaks as a generation of intractable and incorrigible Sinners Ier. 6.28 They are all grievous Revolters walking with Slaunders they are Brass and Iron they are all Corrupters Now of these he tells us how little could be hoped v. 29 The Founder melteth in vain Let him make never so strong a blast the Bellows shall sooner be burnt than their flinty hearts be made fusile Nay that they will sooner be consumed themselves than their scorious parts separated from them The Lead is consumed of the Fire The Prophet Isaiah ch 48. v. 4. acquaints you in what part the inflexible Iron and the incorrigible Brass doth lie I know that thou art obstinate thy Neck is an Iron Sinew and thy Brow Brass Now what success can you hope for when you must practice upon such as these Would you put the Yoke of Divine and Humane Laws upon them Their Neck is an Iron Sinew The Sons of Belial will never bend or stoop to any Yoak Or do you fancy you may shame them out of their scandalous Habits No their Brow is Brass Upon these your Arguments and Reasonings are all lost and your more Rigid Methods thrown away § 2. Though your Work is your Honour yet expect to be Reproached for it You shall be censured that it 's a pragmatical Humour that engages you popular applause that fills your Sails you would make a Figure be some great thing in the World 'T is your comfort that they who usurp a Judgment over you in their Day shall not be your Judges in the great Day 1 Cor. 4 5. It 's a very small thing that I should be judged of you or of Mans Iudgment He that judgeth me is the Lo And in this hard case I know not w t you can obtend but the Shield of your own Integrity 2 Cor. 1.12 Our Rejoicing is this The Testimony of our Conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our Conversation in the World 3. Expect to be ridicul'd by those who would pass for the Witts of the present Age Jesus Christ has not a more pernicious Enemy than unsactified Wit Now this sort of Men will dart many a sharp pointed Scoff at your Proceedings and the Success of them Which may pierce as deep in some ingenious Breasts as the ruder Blows of opprobrious Language This went as near the Spirit of Holy Iob and provoked his patience equally with mo e rustical Entertainment Iob 17.2 Are there not mockers with me and doth
these accounts 1. God is angry with his Servants when they refuse to go when he calls and sends them and yet sometimes he seems angry too though they do go at his call and sending If at least we may judge him angry by Interpretation and Construction when he succeds them not in the thing he sends them about Exod. 4. God calls and sends Moses to bring Israel out of Aegypt Moses whether from a sense of his own unmeetness for the Work or apprehension of the Danger of the Service makes many excuses one while he pleads his own Insufficiency another time that there was some other Person better qualified for the Work And though God refutes all his Objections yet still he is loath to engage till v. 14. the anger of the Lord was kindled against him Well! At last he Addresses himself couragiously to the Service and yet v. 24. It came to pass by the way in the Inn the Lord met him and sought to kill him Mysterious Providence The Lord is angry when his Servant would not go and God is more angry when he goes But let us know that God will have his own work done in his own way Moses is sent upon an Errand of Reforming others but Moses must first Reform his own Family Could he be a meet Person to bring Israel into Covenant when his own Children were out of Covenant Let it give a serious Caution to all of us The Lord will be sanctified in all that draw nigh unto him Levit. 10.3 And if he be not sanctified in our hearts he will be glorified upon the Heads 2. It 's a mysterious Providence that God should reward his Servants for their work when he denys them success in it Isa. 49.4 Then I said I have laboured in vain and spent my strength for nought and in vain yet surely my judgment is with the Lord and my Work with my God Here are two things that may bear up the Spirtis of God's Servants in undertaking and prosecuting his Work whatever the success be 1. Their Iudgment is with the Lord. Man shall not be their Judge and their God will judge them not by the success of their Labours but the integrity of their hearts in undertaking and prosecuting it 2. Their Work is with their God That Labour of Love That Work of Faith wherein they have laid out themselves is with God it lies before him is laid up with him it shall not be lost it s gone before them to the Throne it shall follow after them to Judgment it shall meet them in the day of recompence And this is their great encouragement to be stedfast unmoveable always abounding in the Work of the Lord knowing that their labour shall not be in vain in the Lord 1 Cor. 15.58 III. I am now come to the Third and and Last Inquiry What may be further done if any thing may yet be done when inveterate Corruptions universal Degeneracy seems to have made the Evils incurable And this has brought me to The APPLICATION Brethren I address my self to you whom our gracious God in Mercy to a Sinful Nation has raised up and distinguisht by a Spirit of Holy Zeal to appear against and give some check to the daring Spirit of Profaneness which has over-spread the Land Iniquity is come in like a flood and God has lifted up a Standard against it Isa. 59.19 We see you labouring against great oppositions and under great discouragements from those Oppositions and you may justly complain with the Prophet Ier. 6.28 29. They are grievous Revolters walking with Slaunders they are Brass and Iron they are all corrupters the Bellows are burnt the Lead is consumed of the Fire the Founder melteth in vain for the Wicked are not plucked a way Now as I pray that God would strengthen your hearts so I will endeavour to strengthen your hands and for this great end do exhort you 1. To look inwards to your own Hearts 2. To look up towards your Faithful God 3. To look outwards to your Discouragements 4. To look upwards again to the Divine Encouragements I. Let me intreat you to look into your own hearts and when you have narrowly made a Scrutiny there and found all right within or set that right which was wrong you may more comfortably look upwards to your God and more couragiously outwards upon all the Oppositions and Discouragements you shall meet with in your Blessed Work from this wretched World §. 1 Look inwards narrowly search your Hearts severely whether they be right with God and for God that is whether the Honour of God be the great commanding end which governs you in this great Undertaking VVhether this be the main Spring the first wheel that gives motion to all your Actions Tho' a good end will not justify an evil Actions yet an evil End will pollute and spoil a good one The best Heart like the best VVatch has need to be often set right and besure you set 'em both right by the Sun and not by the example of other Mens Dials And tho' I hope you did once set them true when you entered upon this good Work yet examine them whether they have not gone wrong in the prosecution of it The heart of Man is an intricate Labyrinth and without the Clew of Divine Directions we may easily lose ourselves lose our way lose our God and the works that we have wrought in the many windings and turnings the secret recesses that are in it When therefore you have searched your selves while you are searching and before you search lift up David's Prayer Ps. 139.23 24. Search me O God and know my heart try me know my thoughts and see if there be any evil way in me and lead me in the Way that is everlasting § 2. Look again inwards and examine your selves strictly whether in subordination to the glory of God you desire design and pursue in this good Work the Prosperity and flourishing Estate of your Native Country It was the glory of Nehemiah though it was to the Regret of his malignant Enemies That there was a man come a man to seek the Welfare of the Children of Israel Nehem. 2.10 Do you proceed upon this generous Principle Knowing that Righteoosness exalteth a Nation but Sin is a shame to any People Prov. 14.34 Righteousness infuses Courage and Gallantry into a People but Debauchery makes 'em Cowards Effeminates Enervales Dispirits them A good Conscience is the best shield for a great Confidence Prov. 24.1 The Wicked flee when none pursueth but the Righteous are bold as a lion And though the Spirit of Wine may inspire some Men with a huffing hectoring a blaspheming Valour yet these Debauchers that dare God to his face will turn their backs upon an armed Man Holiness renders a People truly Honourable but Profaneness stains and tarnishes all their Glory renders them despicable in the eyes of judicious Persons Deut. 4.7 What People is there so great who hath God so nigh