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A66354
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A sermon preach'd before the Societies for Reformation of Manners, in Dublin July the 18th, 1700 / by Daniel Williams ; published at the desire of the said Societies.
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Williams, Daniel, 1643?-1716.; Societies for the Reformation of Manners.
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1700
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Wing W2656; ESTC R38620
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18,449
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30
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punishments are Enacted against those Crimes which your reproof is unavailable to Reform In such a Sodom as allows the forementioned enormities you must be satisfied with Lot to intreat Gen. 19. 7. I pray you Brethren do not so wickedly the despised reprover must not Usurp the Sword of the Magistrate but grieve at the abominations he wants Authority to punish the Case is the same as to all such Offences the Law of the Land takes no Cognizance of when other Crimes be punishable by its Institutions 2. Answ. But verbal reproof will not be sufficient where unreformed Crimes are punishable by the Law If words will reclaim it s well but where these reclaim not you are obliged to endeavour to reform transgressors by legal Severities and inforce despised reproof by such punishments as they will more regard Prov. 17. 11. An evil man seeketh only Rebellion therefore a cruel Messenger shall be sent against him and this private persons should do by complaints to such as are Authorized to Judge and inflict the penalties Enacted Informing in such Cases is the necessary work of some for if there be none to convict Offenders the punishment is Enacted in vain against the Crimes they are Guilty of seeing it cannot be executed Deut. 17. 5. therefore as the declaring of mens Faults to the Magistrates is supposed to judicial censures so the very Parent was obliged to inform against that debauched Son Deut. 21. 20. whom his own Correction would not restrain nay several think that very Text Prov. 9. 8. Reprove not a Scorner excuseth from verbal reproof only by exposing him to punishments more severe which private persons cannot otherwise do than by Information neither should any esteem this a reproach for it was not accounted a work to mean for Princes to be employed in Ezr. 9. 1. Having made it plain that such as keep the Law is a Periphrasis of the Servants and Subjects of the living God and that the Wicked here are such as are found committing gross Crimes also that contending includeth severe penalties as well as reproof by words I am sure the Text is a sufficient ground for this Observation Doct. Such as would approve themselves the Subjects and Servants of the living God ought nay will by just severities as well as reproof endeavour the Reformation of notorious Offenders This Doctrine enlarged and altered into other words is the same as to say He whose heart is right with God will in this Nation where good Laws are Enacted against wickedness not only Reprove but duly Convict and bring to Legal punishment such as he finds to be Cursers Swearers Profaners of the Lords-day Whore-mongers Drunkards c. he will not forbear this for fear of shame let who will reproach him he 'l do it tho' his Trade be in danger and his Person threatned and exposed The Text as before explained is a sufficient proof of the Doctrine but sad experience acquainting us how much harder it is to prevail with people to do what is their Duty than to prove it to be so I shall not only add some further Evidence for this Duty from the Argument included in the Doctrine but endeavour to plead that Argument with your Consciences that if possible I may bring such to attempt the Reformation of others who have hitherto neglected it and invigorate the hearts of those who have therein so laudably engaged Can any Argument be likelier than this to perswade all Men to use due ways to reform Offenders you cannot appear the real Servants of Christ if you omit it Will any thing so compel such to this Work who think they are his Servants as a demonstration that you have not the temper nor Spirit of his Servants but are meer Hypocritical Pretenders if you neglect it And how can such who are his faithful Servants be so excited to Zeal for this Work as by convincing Evidence that if you be remiss you so far offer violence to the Instincts of your renewed Nature you disregard the Honour and Interests of your Blessed Lord you frustrate the design of that Relation to which you are admitted you counter-act the Genuine Dispositions of all who are sincerely devoted to God's Service you desert the Party to which you are united you favour Satan and his Cause whom you have renounced and neglect that real Felicity which you are determined to persue Now if such considerations remove not your Indifferency and secure you not against Fear and Idleness in this great Design what will All these Motives will occur but the great Argument I shall more directly insist on is that which the Doctrine presents to us viz. That none approve themselves the Faithful Servants of God who do not endeavour the Reformation of notorious Offenders As for the other Point viz. that this Endeavour must be by Severities as well as by Reproof or milder ways I think already proved and therefore shall less enlarge on that Now my well-beloved Friends would not you be found among the Loyal Subjects and Faithful Servants of your Creator and Redeemer Yea do not all of you profess to be so Now God's Challenge as to this forementioned Case as well as others is strict If I be a Master where is my Fear if I be a Father mhere is my Honour Mal. 1. 6. If I be your Master shew it by pleading my Cause against Transgressors by that Service shew I am indeed your Lord and you my Servants the time is hastening when all disguises will be taken off and God shall make an apparent Difference between such as serve him in Reality Mal. 3. 18. and such as put him off with meer pretence therefore be now willing to endure such Convictions from his Word as he will fasten by his Sentence when he comes to Judge your State by this as the Rule of Judgment Let no Soul guilty as to this very matter of reforming others vainly support his pretence to God's Service for if you live in a stated neglect of resisting Sin and endeavours to reform the Wicked you are not a Servant of God's If you omit this whatever you call your selves you do want the great Essentials which constitute the Temper Disposition and Behaviour of those who are God's Servants in reality This will appear if you consider 1. You have not a true Zeal for God's Honour Can any of you doubt whether a Man can be God's Servant who hath no Zeal for his Glory whereas if you know any thing of Religion you must acknowledge that the Glory of God is the Chief End of every good Man and to that it 's impossible to be indifferent I must have a Zeal for my Chief End and when that 's exposed I cannot but resent it and endeavour its Vindication and Security with great concernedness of mind Now wherein is God more dishonoured than By open flagitious Crimes His Sacred Name is despised by common Oaths his Vengeance plaid with by
himself bewails his Fault hates his Sin and sincerely resolves amendment by greater Watchfulness and more fervent Applications to Christ for the assistance of his Spirit He that answers this Account keeps the Law in a Gospel Sence his Obedience is Evangelical though in many things it be short of that which is Legal or Perfect II. We have one Instance whereby the Sincerity of this Character is made good They contend with the Wicked q. d. The behaviour of Men towards the Wicked shews whether themselves keep or forsake the Law It 's a plain Characteristick if they praise the Wicked they are Men who forsake the Law but if they contend with such they are Keepers of the Law Whatever effectually inclines Men to keep the Law will compell them to contend with the Wicked as that which prevails with Men to forsake it will disincline them to contend with such It 's indeed not to be expected that such as live in Stated Rebellion against the Will of God should oppose the Profflgate but it is so decent congruous and necessary for the Keepers of the Law to oppose the Wicked and therefore to be expected that God sets it down as a fixed distinguishing property of such They contend with the Wicked You 'l find them thus employed against violent Transgressors and thereby discriminated from them I shall in some few Positions explain the Words and thereby come to state that Observation which will more directly support you in the work of Reformation and justifie your engaging therein 1. Keeping the Law is a fit Description of the Faithful Subjects and Servants of the Living God and such are intended thereby The Servants of God are variously denominated as Men fearing God Lovers of God Believers Saints Godly Righteous c. But all these Titles center in and refer to this in the Text. They keep the Law For this Law is the measure of all Goodness all true Excellency of Spirit and all Regularity of Practice do lye in a Conformity to this Rule This perfect Law appoints all that 's truly good and all that is accepted with God is done with a respect of Obedience to this Will of his Whatever justly bears the name of any Grace or Virtue must be answerable to what this defineth to be such a Grace or Virtue or it is no better than an Hypocritical Image Moreover the Truth of the highest Graces must be adjudged by their Operative Efficacy to the Obedience of this Law Faith without this is dead James 2. 20. and our Saviour determines the Integrity of Love in this manner If you love me keep my Commandments Jab 14. 15. Yea his Apostle faith This is Love that we walk after his Commandments 2. Joh. 6. Not that this is the formal notion of Love but it is such a necessary Effect of it that it is no true Christian Love which is too weak to produce Obedience Now who is a Keeper of the Law none but he who hath renounced his own Will and Humour and is resigned to the Divine Will the Language of whose Heart is Lord what wilt thou have me to do And is this any other than a Servant and Subject of the Living God Act. 9. 6. even one who hath freely accepted God in Christ for his Supream Lord and Law-Giver upon which his Relation of Servant and Subject is founded But doth this Devotedness confine it self to a meer Profession of Obedience however Solemn it be no there must be real Performance to make that good His we are whom we Obey But this may suffice to Evidence that to keep the Law Rom 6. 16. and to be God's faithful Servants and Subjects are equipollent Terms 2. Offenders committing gross and notorious Crimes are design'd by the Wicked in the Text. Not bad Men whose Crimes are concealed for notice cannot be taken of such neither can one be called Wicked for meer Infirmities for though Job could not acquit himself of such yet he appeals to God Thou knowest I am not wicked The persons therefore chiefly to be contended with Job 10. 7. are such as commit flagitious Crimes Crimes which infect others defile the Land and stigmatize the Offender of which sort are Idolatry Blasphemy Prophane Swearing Cursing Sabbath Profanation Murther Whoredom Thefts Drunkenness c. 3. Contending with the wicked imports all just and due methods to repel the wickedness of Transgressors The difference between good and bad men is fixed each Pleads his respective Cause Persues his proper Design Acteth his own Inclination Propagates his own Likeness and Abets his Party and Leader Christ and his Interest command the strength of his Subjects in opposition to Satan and his Followers Satan as the Head of the Apostacy employs his Followers in opposition to Christ and his Reforming purposes Mat. 12. 38. Great is the contradiction and the contest Vehement and Extensive The Wicked are intent to restrain the Godly from adhereing to the Laws of Christ their Soveraign and hence Violence and Persecution have their rise On the other hand the Subjects of Christ endeavour to stop the Deluge of Impiety they Reason Exhort Pray and live down Immoralities these do what they can to Reform the World as the others struggle to Pervert it They would rejoyce that their Instructions and Intreaties were successful to reclaim the Profligate but when these avail not they instance their Zeal by a sharper Testimony against crying Provocations and to their power subserve mens Amendments by what embitters notorious Crimes Magistrates become a Terror to evil doers by the Sword of Justice Ministers rebuke and inflict Church Censures Parents and Masters apply the Correcting Rod least Sin grow by the Impunity of Children and Servants Object Some will say These are obliged by Relation and Office to contend with offending Correlates but what obligation and power hath one Neighbour or Equal to embitter Sin in another Answ. Neighbours and Equals are obliged to reprove the Faults of one another its God's express Charge Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy Neighbour and not suffer Sin upon him 〈◊〉 19. 17. This is by no means to be omitted nor should any pretence excuse from it Thou shalt rebuke him in any wise they must be the profane Imitators of Cain who say Am I my Brothers keeper Gâ—â— 4. â—0 What is it to me if he Swear or be Drunk Let him look to himself he is none of my Charge but such Language is an affront to God's Authority who Enacts that thou shalt reprove him and requires the Sinner to accept of thy reproof You must tell him the Evil and Danger of his wicked course his amendment you must thus attempt however displeasing it may be to him to bear it or to your selves to intermeddle in it Object But suppose it be a Duty to reprove by Words sure we may rest at that whether the Offender Reform or no. 1. Answ. You must stop at this if you lived where no