that our Hearts be knit together in Love as the Apostle speaks 2 Coll. 2. 'T IS high time My Brethren to lay aside our paltry Quarrels and Contentions with one another and seek the Common Good and mutually to make Allowance for the different Complexions of Mens Minds and their different degrees of Light for the Variety of their Tempers and Educations for different Growths and Measures and Attainments in Christianity in order to mutual Forbearance of one another in Love For it can never be denied that amongst Those of different Perswasions among Christians there may be and is the same desire and diligence in searching after Truth the same Love to GOD and Devotedness to him and desire to please him the same Integrity and Purity of Intention the same Holiness of Heart and Life which is accepted of God And shall any of us be so disingenuous and uncharitable as to think none can get to Heaven but Christians just of our size form and way Or shall I be so peevish and absurd as to be angry with another Man because he is not of my Opinion when he hath every whit as much Reason that is none at all to be angry with me for not being of his The want of considering these things and thereupon holding the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace hath more wounded Religion and hindred the Progress of it and been more prejudicial to its National Interest than all the Opposition of Infidels and Hereticks that have openly attacked the Reformed Doctrine If all Good Men amongst Protestants would resolve to love one another and bear with one another in their lesser Differences you would quickly see that Truth would more prevail and Holiness with it For unfeigned Love to all Men and a special Love to good Men according to their several degrees of Worth and Goodness is so agreeable to Reason to the Social Nature and common Interest of Mankind and to the Rule and Pattern of our Blessed Saviour that it must needs not only be generally approv'd but have a mighty Influence to make the World better and to recover the Beauty and Glory of the Christian Reformed Religion in these Nations IT may therefore humble and shame us to think we have been so little able to bear with one another in our lesser Differences when we take a View of the miserable Condition of the World and of the Christian Churches in other Parts of the Earth Hath not Paganism and Mahometanism over-run a great part which was once a Christian but hath now lost the very Name And is not a great part of Christendom over-run with Popish Tyranny and Superstition and thereby hath little left of Christianity but the Name Is there any part of God's Earth where Christian Religion doth flourish more than in England Scotland and Ireland And shall we not at last be so wise and happy as to know the Things that belong to our common Interest Are we not Members of the same Mystical Body and Servants of the same Lord Professors of the same Faith Partakers of the same Hope and Heirs of the same Promise of Eternal Life by Jesus Christ And besides this united by a National Interest at this Day to hold together against the common Enemies of our Christian Faith on the one hand and the common Enemies of our Country and Civil Liberties on the other To Conclude Let me beseech and intreat you from all that has been said to go on with Courage under the Banner of Christ and with the Prayers of all good Men Continue in the Love of GOD and Zeal for his Glory in Love and Loyalty to the King's Majesty and in Peace and Concord one with another Let us join with united Hearts for the Publick Good and forgetting all that is past resolve to look forward Fear not to displease Men if you may but honour God Be as diligent to check and restrain Vice as others are to spread it as knowing how much better a Master you serve and how much better Work it is to endeavour to save the Church and State the Souls and Bodies of Men than to be employed in hurting and destroying them And be sure begin at home at your own Souls and Lives and then as to your Families and Relations of several sorts in this City And on that account where you have a Vote omit not your Duty in the Choice of good Magistrates as knowing where the Righteous bear Rule the People rejoyce They who are negligent in this and other Instances of Publick Service which their Place and Station in this City call them to they betray their Country are unfaithful to their Trust and shall answer to God for their omissive Treachery YOU have begun well remember the Reward of being faithful Let not your Hearts fail for he that follows after Righteousness and Mercy he shall find Life Righteousness and Honour And tho' you should fail of the desired Success of your Endeavours which you have no Reason to think by the excellent Service that has been done already so as to lose your Labour and your Cost you will not lose your Charity and your Zeal For GOD will Accept you To his gracious Providence Promise and Spirit I commend you for your Assistance Encouragement and Reward To the Father Son and Holy Spirit be Everlasting Glory Amen ERRATA PAge 23. l. 4. for Societies r. Society Pag. 56. l. 6. dele their FINIS Books Printed for John Lawrence at the Angel in the Poultrey MR. Shower's Winter Meditations Or a Sermon concerning Frost and Snow and Winds c. and the Wonders of God therein 4o. His Thanksgiving Sermon April 16. 1696. 4º His Account of the LIFE of Mr. Henry Gearing 12º His Discourse of Tempting CHRIST 12º His Discourse of Family Religion In Three Letters 12º His Sermon on the Death of Mr. Nathanael Oldfeild who departed Dec. 21. 1696. His Sermon to the Societies for the Reformation of Manners 8º Mr. Pool's English Annotations with the Addition of Contents and a Concordance by Mr. Clark In 2 Vol. Fol. The Life of the Reverend Mr. Richard Baxter written by himself Fol. Mr. Lorimer's Apology for the Ministers who subscribed only unto the Stating of the Truth and Errors in Mr. William's Book in Answer to Mr. Trail's Letter to a Minister in the Country 4º Mr. Lorimer's Remarks on Mr. Goodwin's Answer to the Apology and proving that the Gospel-Covenant is a Law of Grace 4º Mr. Slater's Thanksgiving Sermon Octob. 27. 1692. 4º His Sermons at the Funerals of Mr. John Reynolds and Mr. Fincher Ministers of the Gospel 4º Dr. Burton's Discourses of Purity Charity Repentance and seeking first the Kingdom of God Published with a Preface by Dr. John Tillotson late Arch-bishop of Canterbury 8º Bishop Wilkin's Discourse of the Gift of Prayer and Preaching the latter much inlarged by the Bishop of Norwich and Chichester 8º Mr. Samuel Slater's Earnest Call to Family Religion being the Substance of Eighteen Sermons 8º Mr. Addy's Stenograpia Or the Art of Short-writing compleated in a far more Compendious way than any yet extant c. In which Character is also Printed the whole Bible by Mr. Addy Cambridge Phrases being a full and large Phrase-Book for the use of Schools By Will. Robertson 8º Mr. Gibbon's Sermon of Justification 4º Mr. Nat. Vincent's Funeral Sermon Preached by Mr. Nat. Taylor 4º Mr. Woodhouse's Sermon to the Societies for Reformation of Manners 8º A faithful Rebuke to a false Report lately written and dispersed by Stephen Lob in a Letter to a Friend in the Country Concerning several Differences in Doctrinals between some Dissenting Ministers in London By a Learned Divine 8º Mr. Geo. Hammond's and Mr. Math. Barker's Discourses of Family Worship Written at the Request of the United Ministers of London 12º Remarks on a late Discourse of William Lord Bishop of London-Derry concerning the Inventions of Men in the Worship of God Also a Defence of the said Remarks against his Lordship's Admonition By T. Boyse 8º The London Dispensatory reduced to the Practice of the London Physicians By John Peachey of the College of Physicians London 12º The Dying Man's Assistant Or short Instructions for those who are concerned in preparing sick Persons for Death 12º Mr. Samuel Clark's brief Concordance to the whole Bible in a new Method 12º Sir Robert Howard's Free Discourse wherein the Doctrines that make for Tyranny are display'd and the Title of our Lawful and Rightful King William Vindicated c. 8º Hystrostaticks Or Instructions concerning Water-works Collected out of the Papers of Sir Sam. Morland 12º
charged with his Murther for not doing all that he could to hinder it We may many ways partake of other Mens Sins and this doubtless is one If we do not what we may and ought to prevent them In which Case we likewise share in all the ill Consequences of their Iniquity in all the Mischiefs that follow upon the City and Nation by such Impunity Let me express this in the better words of * Serm. 1. ad Magistratum 29 Job 14. Bishop Sanderson You countenance says he the Disorders that by Justice may be suppressed You disarm Innocency that Justice would protect You banish Peace which by Justice is maintained You are Traytors to the King and his Throne which by Justice is established and you pull down on the City and the Nation the publick Plagues and Judgments of God which the Execution of Justice would avert Is it not then your duty as Christians to promote and forward the Execution of Justice when thereby you contribute to suppress Disorders to protect Innocency to maintain Peace to secure the King and State and to turn away publick Judgments from the Land SIRS We are all Christians the Duty is common to us all the Obligation is equal 'T is what we are all concerned in and agree in because by our Baptism we are all engaged to fight under the Banner of Christ in a constant Warfare against the Devil and his Angels And 't is observable that when our Saviour was charged as a Confederate with Satan in working Miracles he tells us and it is repeated by three Evangelists that he was so far from that that he looked upon that Man for his Enemy who would not serve him in opposition to the Devils Kingdom and Interest He that is not with me is against me and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad Matth. 12.30 Christ hath his Kingdom to carry on in the World and Satan hath his You must either be for advancing the Kingdom of Christ against the Devil or you joyn in Confederacy with the Devil against the Son of God and his Kingdom I remember what Jehu said in another case but not very different when he was to Execute Judgment by Gods command on the whole House of Ahab Who is on my side cryed Jehu Who is on my side I may put the like Question this day or rather beg that you would to your selves Which side will you take For you cannot be Newters Which side will you take For Reformation Or for Profaneness For suppressing Vice or for letting it alone That is Will you be for Christ or for the Devil You must be Treacherous to your Lord and unfaithful to your Baptismal Vow if you do not joyn heartily against the Interest of the Devil in so plain and publick a Case as this AND among all sorts of Christians that have written against Persecution and about the Power of the Magistrate as to Matters of Religion we find that the greatest Sticklers for the most unlimited Toleration as to different Sentiments about Matters of Faith and Worship do yet all agree that these Instances of Immorality do properly come under the Cognizance of the Civil Magistrate as having a mighty Influence upon Publick Societies being very prejudicial to the Welfare of it So that no Man can complain of Persecution for his Opinions when he is punished for such gross Immoralities against the Laws of God and the Land No Christians no Protestants who differ in lesser Matters as to Faith and Worship will plead for the Allowance of such Corruption of Manners and Debauchery of Life as you endeavour to suppress IF it should be said that I am mistaken here For all Christians do not agree about the Morality of the Sabbath and therefore it is hard to punish Men for the Profanation of it I answer that granting some good Men may have given Directions about the Observation of the Lord's Day that cannot be warranted from the Word of God as reducing it too much to a wearisome bodily Exercise yet have we enough to confirm our Opinion and Practice as to the Lord's Day by considering the first Original and Institution of the Sabbath and the Matter of the Fourth Commandment And when all the other Nine are granted to be of universal and perpetual Obligation 't is hard to conceive that one of the ten should concern only the Jews And considering the Practice of the Christian Church in all Ages and the Experience of a special Presence and Blessing of God on the Publick Christian Worship on such a Weekly Day of Rest and that serious Religion was never observed to thrive and flourish or be long preserved in any City Family or particular Soul where this was neglected These and the like things are sufficient for our Justification But you my Brethren that are Members of the Church of England are peculiarly obliged to suppress the Profanation of the Weekly Sabbath because every Lord's Day and oft'ner you beg of God to incline your Hearts to keep the Fourth Commandment and that the Fourth as well as the other Nine may be written upon your Hearts and obeyed in your Lives Besides what might be quoted out of the Homilies 3. HAVING mentioned this of the Sabbath I proceed to consider you in your Families and Shops and private Relations and so to manifest it to be your Duty and Interest on that account to have the Laws put in Execution and particularly against the Profanation of the Lord's Day For while your Children and Servants are employed in Civil Business and Secular Affairs on the Week-days they are freed from many Temptations But if they be not employed in Religious Exercises on the Lord's Day if they are left to themselves to do nothing or to do what they please to stay at home or go abroad to attend the publick Worship or not attend it you expose them to such Temptations as many ways may be Injurious to your selves and in the end Destructive to them There are Few that come to a miserable shameful Death in this World but acknowledge this and date their Wickedness and their Ruine from their neglecting to keep holy the Lord's Day DO but Consider how much the Peace and Safety of your Families the Trade the Riches and Prosperity of the City which consists of particular Families is owing to good Laws and to the Terror of the annexed Punishments and you will hereby discern your own Interest so wrapp'd up in the Publick as to infer your Duty to promote the Administration of Justice Murders would be more frequently committed were it not for the Terror of the Law Robberies and Burglaries would be more common were it not for the Severity of the Punishment And that lesser Thefts and Frauds in buying and selling are more common is because the Penalty is small if discovered and the Means of Prosecution chargeable There is very much reason to think that 't is not Conscience so much as the Dread of Temporal
A SERMON PREACH'D to the SOCIETIES FOR Reformation of MANNERS IN THE Cities of London and Westminster Nov. 15. 1697. By JOHN SHOWER Published at the Desire of the said SOCIETIES LONDON Printed for John Lawrence at the Angel in the Poultry over-against the Compter 1698. ISAIAH LiX 4. None calleth for Justice 'T IS certain that the Principles and Duties of Natural Religion are supposed confirmed and enforced by the Christian The Grace of God which bringeth Salvation teacheth and obligeth us to live soberly and righteously as well as Godly But how astonishing is the Kindness and Condescension that God has shown such regard to those parts of Morality which relate to the Good of Mankind as to prefer them before his own Worship That the Duties of the Law of Nature are to take place of those of positive Institution That he had rather we should express our Love to one another and by Charity and Mercy do good in the World than be honoured himself by Sacrifice when that cannot be without Prejudice to our Neigbour It must therefore be a very mistaken Notion of Religion to imagine that any can be a very good Christian that is not a very good Man For Religion is not designed only for the Happiness of particular Souls in another Life but for the Welfare of Mankind as united in Societies in this World And for that purpose God hath appointed Magistrates as his Ordinance and required our Obedience for Conscience sake He hath commanded us to pray for Kings and all in Authority under them and to assist them to our utmost that they may not bear the Sword in vain We are to rise up for them against the Evil-doers and stand up for them against the Workers of Iniquity Psal cxvi 9. We are to forward and promote the Administration of Justice and even to call for it where that is needful and may serve a publick Good THE Neglect of this and the general Indifferency and Remisness of private Persons as to the Execution of Justice is here complained of as one of those things that made the Jews in danger of publick Judgments For when National Calamity is here threatned this is assigned as one of those things that procured it That there was none called for Justice i. e. very Few amongst them did concern themselves as private Persons to have Publick Justice duely administred And 't is further added or pleadeth for Truth or as some render the Words Judgeth truely That is Private Persons are careless and indifferent as to all such Matters and Publick Magistrates are negligent and faulty as to what belongs to them 'T IS the former Expression None calls for Justice that I am now to consider with respect to Private Persons For thanks be to God there are Faithful Magistrates in and about the City who are ready to do their Duty in the Administration of Justice if Private Persons will but do theirs in calling for it MY Design from this Passage is First To manifest that this is the Duty of Private Persons which will at once vindicate your worthy Undertaking and encourage you to proceed and perswade others to joyn with you Secondly To consider some of the Objections that may dishearten others from doing so and weaken your own Hands Thirdly I shall take the Liberty to advise some things that may help to attain your great End the Reformation of Manners and may render your Endeavours herein accepted with God and all good Men. And Lastly From several Considerations I shall endeavour to stir you up to call for Justice I. FOR the Proof That this is a Duty in Private Persons we need but Consider how it is here complained of in the Jews as one of those Iniquities which separated between God and them and caused him to hide his Face that he would not hear their Prayers Ver. 2. It is joyned with Lying and Cheating with Violence and Murther and other Abominations that few or none had the Zeal and Courage the Honesty and Integrity to excite and assist the Magistrate in the Administration of Justice whereby the Honour of God might be asserted and the Authority of his Laws maintained by the Punishment of Transgressors To make you the more sensible that this is part of your Duty I shall bespeak you First As Men and Members of a publick Society and so argue from the Principles of Natural Religion Secondly As Christians who acknowledge the Holy Scriptures and profess to own Revealed Religion And Thirdly Considered as in a private Capacity with reference to your own Families and Relations where I shall manifest it to be not only your Duty but your Interest to be concerned for the Administration of Justice 1. AS MEN. Our general Obligations to Mankind as we are Men are more antient and more indispensible than any particular ones that can be superadded so that by the Law of Nature we are bound to do good to all Men as we have Opportunity and to promote the Good of the Place where we live and of the Community whereof we are Members From a Principle of Love to the Society and to our selves also for I my self and mine shall be involved in the Common Ruine This is so Evident that many an honest Heathen would have condemned him as unworthy the Name of a Man who should prefer his Estate his Reputation or Life before the Common Good Now when the Laws of God and the Land have provided for the Punishment of such Offences as manifestly tend to the Ruine of the Society whereof I am a Member it must needs be my Duty by the Law of Nature to do what I can to prevent it For if such and such Laws are for the Publick Good and the Peace and Happiness of a Nation is promoted by observing them and the Transgressors of such Laws be not punished the Laws themselves are insignificant and the publick Mischiefs they were designed to prevent cannot be kept off for want of Execution EVERY one reckons by the Light of Nature it is his Duty to assist his Neighbour as a Witness or otherwise that Right may take place and Justice be administred in Civil Matters that in case his Person be assaulted or his Goods stolen or what is his just Due be detained c. he may have the Satisfaction of the Law There is the same or greater Reason in Criminal Matters where the Punishment of the Offence is for the Honour of GOD and for the Publick Good and where a Reparation can no otherwise be made but by the Suffering of the Offender which in Matters of Property may be done by the Payment of so much Money AND how can an honest Magistrate for want of Legal Conviction punish the Guilty if he never so much desire it Let him be never so well qualified for his Office and resolv'd to be faithful yet if none will complain of the Breach of the Laws and give him an Account by whom they are broken and bear Witness in
not being so much to retaliate the Evil on the Offender as to do good to Others and to keep them from the like Offences Smite a Scorner says the Wise Man one that is an obstinate and insolent Offender 19 Prov. 25. and the Simple will beware Such as were like to sin by Inadvertency or ill Example will take warning 25 Chap. 11. When the Scorners are Punished the Simple are made Wise If one Sinner destroy much good if one root of Bitterness may defile many the Impunity of Criminals upon this account must needs be a great Mischief as likely to spread the Infection through the whole Neighbourhood Street and City And so 't is every Mans concern to have his Neighbours Child or Servant Punished for such Faults from which he would preserve his own And I need not tell you how much greater Influence bad Examples have than good ones you know that Health is not communicated as Diseases are 3. PUNISHMENT is an Act of Government and hath relation to the Law and so one End of it is to preserve the Authority of the Laws and the Honour of the Magistrate who is concerned for the Publick Good See the Bishop of Worcester's Discourse of the Sufferings of Christ Chap. 1. Grotius de Satisf Cap. 2. The reason here of Punishment is not so much because a Law is broken as because if it be not punished the Authority of the Law and Lawgiver can never be upheld and that is necessary or the Community can never be preserv'd And where the Offence to be punished is against GOD and the Publick Laws the Punishment is due to the Honour of GOD and to the Common Good and 't is not in a Private Mans Power to forgive the Injury to the Publick as he may do a pecuniary Debt that is owing to himself Vengeance says God is mine i. e. the inflicting of Punishment belongs to me In him all manner of Right is primarily and originally lodged as the great Lord and Proprietor of all And every Injury and Injustice to another either private or publick redounds upon Him as the Governour of the World The decision of Right and Wrong the distribution of Rewards and Punishments appertains to him Vengeance as taken for the inflicting of Punishment is his undoubted Prerogative his unalienable Right It belongs to him and to those only whom he appoints to be his Ministers to execute WRATH on such as do evil And we are not only to suppose the reason of this to be the Danger that may accrue to Society by the Impunity of Crimes but because of the Dishonour and Affront that is offer'd to GOD as the Governour of the World He assumes Anger Wrath and Jealousie to show he minds his own Glory and will not bear Contempt but avenge it And to make Transgressors suffer is for the Reparation of God's injur'd Honour as well as for the Happiness of Society It cannot therefore unbecome a good Man to call for Justice it being his Duty on all these accounts to further and promote it THESE things will concern us as we are Men under the Obligation of the Law of Nature 2. LET me bespeak you as you are Christians and profess to own Revealed Religion and the Authority of the Holy Scriptures 'T is not the duty of Magistrates and Ministers only but of all the Followers of Christ to be the Salt of the Earth and the Lights of the World in their several places Every Member is bound to promote the welfare of the whole Body according to his Capacity Every Christian must imitate his Master who went about doing good He is created and redeemed and sanctified for it as the Tree is made for the Fruit. Many devout Persons may think if they were Rich enough to live without bodily Labour and could spend all their time in Meditation and Prayer and hearing Sermons c. That this were the happiest Life in the World The Popish Nuns and Fryars are under this mistake But no Man is made for himself alone we are Members of Society We must do good to Others and in doing so we take Care of our own Salvation Our Lord has taught us to pray that the Name of God may be Sanctified and shall we silently suffer it to be profaned And his Kingdom come and shall we do nothing that it may take place And his Will be done on Earth as in Heaven without endeavouring this we contradict our own Prayers And when we desire the Will of God may be done we mean it by Others as well as our selves And is it not the Will of God that such Offences should be Punished We beg Forgiveness of our own Sins and the Sins of the Nation Can we do it uprightly and not endeavour Reformation We may not suffer Sin upon Others any more than allow it in our selves The Scripture Examples of Zerubbabel Nehemiah Ezra c. may be urged to this purpose as you have heard in some former Sermons and I hope with very good Effect BUT let me here reason with you a little Is it fit for Christians to be concerned that Justice be done between Man and Man as to their Lives Estates and Civil Rights and shall we be more indifferent as to those Laws where the Honour of GOD and of our Blessed Redeemer are more immediately concerned If a notorious Cheat or Thief be discovered and taken what general Rejoycing is there in the City What Crowds will attend him to the Justice of Peace to the Prison to the Sessions-House to the Pillory Is it only because your selves may one time or other be injured by such a Crime or have been so Doubtless in Criminal Cases there is more reason to assist and more reason to rejoyce as these Offenders are the Pests of Humane Society and as their Crimes do carry an open Affront to Heaven Is the cheating of you of a little Money so great a matter the defrauding you in a Bill of Exchange or a Bank Note so very considerable that every one is ready to assist to have such a Fellow punished And is there not more reason in the other Case Is the value of Ten or Twenty Pounds more to be regarded than the Vertue Honour Safety Health Life and Soul of your Relations and Neighbours which may be corrupted and destroyed by unpunished Vice and Examples of Debauchery YOU know you are not to intice and tempt Others to Sin but are you not likewise to prevent others from being tempted You may not lay a stumbling block in anothers way to make him fall but if you see him ready to cast himself down a Precipice will you do nothing to prevent it Nehemiah charges the Rulers for breaking the Sabbath because they did not restrain others from bearing Burthens How dear did it cost Ely and his House that when his Sons made themselves vile he restrained them not Tho' Pilate spake to the Jews on the behalf of Christ as Innocent yet is he
And have I not found as well as others that I never consult my own Reputation so much as when I most heartily endeavour to be faithful to God and Conscience For they that honour God shall be honoured and they that play the Hypocrite shall be found out and Lightly esteemed Thanks be to God you have many Excellent Persons of all Persuasions to unite with But if you had not you should not scruple to be God's Witnesses in the World against Profaness and to do all the Good you can whether Others will or will not join with you If this be to be vile you must resolve to be more vile But you need not fear your Reputation For God hath said it Isa 54.17 Every Tongue that shall rise in Judgment against thee thou shalt condemn and this is the Heritage of the Servants of the Lord. When may you apply it and hope for its Accomplishment if not in your Case DO but Argue with your selves a little Can it be a Dishonour to appear for the Blessed God and your Redeemer when the very Persons you would restrain and punish very few excepted inwardly condemn Themselves and acquit You for they know you are in the Right and themselves in the Wrong Most of them know the Bible and the Christian Religion and the Laws of God and that you do but act according to your Duty And sooner or later they will all Justifie your Proceedings Your Reputation will be cleared if you hold on as the eclipsed Moon by keeping and continuing her Motion recovers her Splendor Your Righteousness will break forth as the Light to the Shame of all that have thought or spoken hardly of your Undertaking IT cannot be dishonourable for Gentlemen of the best Character or Quality to engage in this Design if they consider the Nature and Use of the Grand Juries in England which are chosen out of the best Families Men of the best Sence of the best Estates and of the best Figure in their Country and they come under an Oath to make Enquiry of all Offences committed within their County that shall come to their Knowledge They are bound to inform the Court against Criminals Now if it be reckoned a very Honourable thing to serve as a Grand Juryman at the Call of a Magistrate it can never be faulty and scandalous to do this voluntarily at the Call of GOD for the Service of the publick Interest and with the Countenance of Authority as is your Case And neither Grand Juries nor Petty Juries will signifie much if GOD do not give you Success in your Worthy Design and Vndertaking I would fain have it seriously Considered whether there be any thing that you unite for that is in it self Dishonourable And if there be not your inward Peace by the Testimony of a good Conscience that you endeavour to honour and obey GOD will over-balance the Censures of Men. If you can help to reform and so save a sinful and polluted City and Nation from Ruine and your Example has already begun to influence other Nations as well as other Parts of this you shall not then have need to be ashamed of it Let them be ashamed that transgress without Cause Let them be ashamed that do such things that can have no other Fruit and Consequence without Repentance but Everlasting Shame What little things to a Man of Conscience should be a few hard Words reproachful Epithets ill Names dirty Language to your Face or behind your Back If you cannot bear this for doing well may not Christ be ashamed of you before his Father and his holy Angels The Proud have had me greatly in Derision Psal 119.51 says the Psalmist yet I have not declined from thy Law If Men revile you and speak all manner of Evil against you for Christ's sake for Obedience to him for advancing his Interest and seeking his Honour Happy are ye the Spirit of God and of Glory will rest upon you Was not Elias taken for the Troubler of Israel and the Apostles reviled as those that turned the World upside down and the most unsufferable of Men and S. Paul himself for a pestilent seditious Fellow Did not many of the Holy Martyrs die in the Flames for endeavouring to save Men from the Fire of Hell But I hope I need not say more to this Objection your very Profession of Christianity is enough to Answer it 2. ANOTHER Objection may be started That you would not be served so your selves It is unjust for one Neighbour to accuse another one Gentleman one Tradesman or Acquaintance to accuse another and bear Witness against him If you were the faulty Person you would not be willing to be so dealt with You must do to others as you would be done by for this is the Law and the Prophets How plausible soever this may appear I shall shew First That it does not reach the Case that I am speaking of Secondly I shall turn it upon you to enforce that which I design in this Discourse 1. THIS Passage of our Saviour doth not reach the Case For it is not a compleat and primary Rule of all Humane Actions towards other Men nor an absolute unlimited one But is to be considered as a Relief in other Cases where we are at a loss for want of a particular Rule As if a Man fail in the World and afterwards get an Estate whether he should not pay the whole doing as he would be done by But it must be used only in things first Lawful by some other Rule otherwise I may be obliged by the Authority of GOD in some other Law to do that to Others which it may be I would not be very willing to receive But the Matter is not left to my Liberty as being determined already And there are many Cases where our own Will and Desire of others treating us would be a wrong Guide a very imperfect and defective Rule Especially if the Matter be determined before by any particular Divine and Humane Laws If a Man be indebted to you you would not think much if you Arrest him if he will not pay Whereas it may be you would not be very willing he should serve you so So for a Magistrate if he offends it may be he would not care to be punished But think a little what is Just and Reasonable and fit in this Case And in such Points only this Rule holds He that is to inflict the Punishment is doubtless under less Prejudice and supposed to be a more Impartial Judge than the Offender that is to be punished And if you were in his Case you would think and act as he does and therefore cannot reasonably expect to escape now For it would be Cruelty to the greater and far better part of the Society if such Offences should go unpunished 2. I shall turn it upon you to enforce that which I design in this Discourse from this very Rule of doing to Others as you would be done