a New Verification of the Prophets Old Complaint I will get me to the Great Men and will speak unto them for they have known the Way of the Lord and the Judgment of their God But these have altogether Broken the Yoke and Burst the Bonds Sir As I cannot be eager to live in the Fire so 't is far from my Design to be a Man of Contention Yet you know there is a Warfare wherein I am full as much concerned as you which engages us upon some Occasions to Contend and that Earnestly too Who ever call such Zeal and Fidelity to our Lord nothing but Pragmaticalness and Enmity to our Neighbours These are the same kind of Judges among whom that passes for the only Charity which the sacred Oracles call Hating our Brother in our Heart who think every one hates them that does not rightly humour them And cry out of the Reprover for a Turbulent Wrangler though he breaks no Peace unless that which the Prince of Peace himself tells us He did not come to send The Peace which nuzzles Men up in those Sins that Ripen them for Hell crying All 's well till all be Undone But whenever I must be so unhappy to lose Friends or procure Foes I shall count it none of the most opprobrious as I am sure it 's none of the worst ways to do it in the Conscientious Discharge of that Justice and Charity which I owe to my Neighbours Soul And I cannot think there 's much occasion to droop under the Indignation of those that shew no such Antipathy either against the Ghostly Enemies which they have Vowed to GOD or against the Worldly which they are paid by Their Majesties strenuously to Oppose as against the Honest Reprover whom they stomack as the bigest Offender and take none for such a bitter deadly Foe as him that would bereave them of that Darling which our Saviour calls The Right Hand and the Right Eye And who would much regard the Slander or Clamour of their Mouths that can so far forget and debase themselves as to act not only the Clown but the Fiend to fly in the very Face of Him that made them IF you thought Sir that I said too much to the Gentleman the Magistrate or the Souldier I must beseech you to excuse me that herein I am so far from being of your Mind that I do not think I have said enough And therefore this comes as a supplement further to urge those things which many may judge fit for you to hear though I am far from Judging my self the fittest to speak yet having my hand in I will do as I can where I cannot as I would AND to begin again with the Gentleman who may expect to be first served though if Guilty he might better like some other Service It may be thought a Solaecism in Manners for an ordinary Man to make so bold as mention Decency to such as have had Opportunities better to know the Laws of Polite Breeding Though it was one of the Apostles that seconded his Lord in giving that Charge Above all things my Brethren Swear not Who knows but some Huffing Gentlemen should we direct this towards them might Quarrel both his Office and his strictness in the Point What no more but my Brethren Hold Friend We are your Masters And Swear not Above all things Why is that the Worst Thing you can name What do you think of the Dissimulation and Hypocrysie of Godly Cheats Truly Sir I think as bad as ever you can of them wherever they are found But I hope this Apostle was not one of 'em for giving such a Check to the Swearers Practice I profess I am under a mighty Mistake if a Man may not rebuke odious Impiety without being a Hypocrite Yea when upon occasion he does not testifie his Detestation of it I see not how he can be the Faithful Servant of his LORD with a Heart Right in the Sight of God When one of the best Churches that ever was in the World Rev. 2. 2. tho' among other Parts of her high Elogium was commended for her Patience yet could not bear them that were Evil. And the meek Moses himself you know was Hot in GOD's Cause Yea even the Pacifick Lamb of God who for his sweet obliging Temper heard Friend of Publicans and Sinners yet could not forbear to Lash out of the Temple its Profaners And had he met with another sort of Prophane that make so Bold with a far Greater than the Temple I cannot believe he would have thought them deserving of any Fairer Quarter But though 't is no New Shift of Prophane Men to put off their Admonishers with the Retort of Hypocrisie And you may take it for Paradox That Hypocrisie and Prophanness should ever Cohabit in the same Breast Yet the Solution is obvious to a duller Apprehension than yours that will but observe it For in Conscience Sir what better Name than Hypocrite belongs to him that takes on him to be what he is not yea what really he hates to be Now does not the rudest Swearer and most scandalous Liver among us own himself a Christian And would be much aggrieved not to be so reputed and called A Christian That is A Professor of the Holiest Religion in the World And yet if he openly act as it were in spight of that most Holy Profession and makes but a meer Scorn of its Excellent Rules and Precepts particularly those against Swearing To what purpose does he profess it but to play the Hypocrite and Disgrace it Pretending to Christianity and yet when warn'd to Forbear those very Works of the Devil which as a Christian he has solemnly Vowed to Renounce And which indeed common Morality as well as Christianity cries shame of He is only exasperated and moved much more to Choller than to Amendment As you know some Sir that can so ill bear to be dealt with upon this account They do not very Genteelly use such as even in the fairest manner offer them the kindest Friendship And such you know that look so big as if all of Inferiour Rank were quite below their Notice Or at least very Sawcy and Pragmatical if they Offer at more Service to GOD than Themselves That can Rip and Tear like those that would Banter Heaven it self and Run down the ever Blessed Majesty that there inhabits As if the poor angry Worm which can but just crawl along the Ground should think to sully or put out the Glorious Sun with squirting a little Dirt. Thus do they go to force themselves a Reputation by carrying it with a High Hand towards their Lord and Judge as nothing afraid of Him nor caring at all what his Word says to ' em This Sir is Pure forcing things indeed even as if they should strive to make the Stream of a River run upwards For the World however it Lies in Wickedness is not yet grown so Degenerate as to count this Carriage Lovely and of
But out-brav'd with big Looks and Bug-Words draws on himself scorn and contempt O divide not Honorem ab Onere Do not decline those Burdens which cleave to the Honours you sustein Harden your face against all the Temptations that would Warp you another way Contemn the Frowns the Favours and the Letters of Great Ones in Comparison of that Trust which Greater Ones than they the KING and State and yet a Greater than they the Great GOD of Heaven and Earth hath reposed in you Gird your Sword upon your Thigh and keeping ever within the Compass of your Commission as the Sun in the Zodiack Go on as a Gyant that rejoyces to run his Race So shall the Wicked fear you the Good bless you Posterity praise you your own Hearts cheer you and the Great God above Reward you TO speak to you once more Sir in your Military Capacity if I may Adventure so far upon the Sharps to approach the Armed Champion with nothing but this little Sling in my hand as the apprehension of your Danger and the necessity of your Case is my Call So the Goodness of the Cause with my Affiance in him whom I plead it for is all my defence Your Post I confess Sir is Honorable appearing in the Head of a Company to Fight for your King and Country Laws and Religion And we that stay at home as we ought to Assist you all that Lies in us with our Prayers So to neglect no opportunity of expressing our Thankful Resentment of the Noble Service when you are pleas'd to engage in Hazzards and Hardships for us He very ill deserves to share in any the Advantages of your worthy Enterprize who does not Honour and Heartily Wish you well But how he should truely Honour you who is nothing concerned for that which is your greatest Dishonour or in earnest desire your Welfare who nener Cares though you lye and dye in the most dangerous Damning Wickedness as he would not let your Beast lye in a Ditch if he could help it I do not understand And for my part Sir I cannot but take this Plain-dealing with you for the best expression of my real inclination to serve and do you all the Good I am capable of Should I be so unhappy as be misunderstood I must bear that Cross But now a Door is open to me I shall not spare both for my own sake and yours also that take up Arms for us to Cry aloud of that which so fearfully Endangers all IF Souldiers and Seamen who carry their Lives in their hands and Border so much nearer than the rest upon another World will verifie the common observation made upon 'em That Swearing Damning and all God-despising so rife among them passes for the Fashionable Badge of their Profession and a Characteristick Note to distinguish them from other men They only tell us what Anomalous Creatures there are in Humane Nature as well as of Bruital Kind and that Africk is not the only Part of the World which breeds Monsters when we can find so near Home such Profligate Offenders as give too manifest Specimens what a Mighty Empire has the Devil to Sweep down even Stars with his Tayl To Metamorphose Men and make them like himself Rage the more Because they have but a short time yea and be then worst when they have all the reason in the world to be Best of all when they are going into the Field or upon the Waters to fly out upon their Judge Eternal at whose Bar they are ready to hold up their Hands and mistake the best of Friends for their chiefest Foe like a sort of Frantick Theomachi that had no design upon Small or Great but only that King of Israel who is the Lord of Hosts to send up Volleys against Heaven and dare the Divine Vengeance Of whom we are Tempted to say quite contrary to what the men of Lystra did of Paul and Barnabas The Devils are come up to us in the likeness of Men when with with this Hellish Oratory they shew themselves so Learned in the Depths of Satan and discharge such Eruptions as if they carryed an Aetna or worse Fire within Gent. Call we need not be at the pains to draw their Picture who Limn themselves in such hideous Blasphemies as speak their Parentage too plain and point out who is their Father that Teaches them no better To whom agrees Sir Edwin Sandy's Observation of some that think it a Glorious Grace to Adore the King of a Country but to Name or think Reverently of the Creator of the World to proceed from a Timerous very Base-mindedness and Abjectness The Souldiers Profession and Exercise saies that Worthy Knight was of Old reputed the only School of Virtue So that the Wisest Philosopher thought the Lacedaemonians therefore more Vertuous generally than other Nations because they followed the Wars more At this day 't is a Cause in all Places of clean contrary Effects and now Infam'd with all Vice and Villany Blasphemings have so prevailed now in our Christian Camps that if any Refrain them he shall be upbraided as no Souldier or Gallant minded Man That the very Turks have the Christians Blaspheming of Christ in Execration and will punish their Prisoners for it yea the Jews in their Speculations of the Causes of the strange Successes of the Affairs of the World Assign the Reason of the Turks so prevailing against the Christians to be their Blasphemies and Blasphemous Oaths which Wound the Ears of the very Heavens and Cry to the High Throne of Justice for speedy Vengeance WELL may the Enemies Laugh among themselves to see such goe to Fight for the Reformed Religion who themselves so hate to be Reformed and while they carry the Bible in their Colours nothing but bid Defiance to its Blessed Author with their Tongues How low then must be our hopes of a Blessing upon the Service of such Miscreants Or though the Almighty who it 's true can make the Worst Instruments serve the Best Purposes as Judas himself who meant nothing less was made subservient to the Worlds Redemption Though he should give Prosperity to the Arms of ill Men for the sake of a Good Cause as sometimes he Flushes the Espousers of a Bad to Fat them up for Slaughter Though he throw the Bryars in the Gap to stop the Enemies Incursions yet after that service what are those Bryars good for but the Fire But how much Sir might such as you do to stop the spreading Contagion of this Epidemick Plague so hot in our Armies would you but Phineas-like stand up and Execute Judgment and imploy the Influence you have upon those under you to make them feel the smart of it on their Backs or in their Purses if not in the very Part Offending For I need not acquaint you Sir what are the Rules and Articles of War you know this is one That if any Officer or Souldier shall presume to Blaspheme God he shall have his
in doing still so much the more Mischief by how much the larger is your Influence For this makes the Wicked Swagger and tumultuously walk on every side when the vilest Men are exalted When such possess the Places of Honour Trust and Power as not only stand for Cyphers to let the most obnoxious escape with Impunity and dare not shame that which Dishonours God least it should recoil in their Faces and put themselves to extream Confusion but also serve for a Back and Skreen to the Blasphemous Rout to make them scorn the Parson and set every Reprover at defiance when as they have such big Names to quote for their Justification and Warrant O! Sir How do you think the Eternal Judge of Quick and Dead will in the final Audit look upon this sort of Magistrates that gave such singular aid and furtherance to his Ministers Again as a Souldier Can you think it your Valour Sir to hector God Almighty And that you are a stout Man because you dare make so bold as no one in his right Wits would do with the Supream Majesty Whom to contemn the very Heathens have counted it no better than Fool hardiness and Madness Or is there any thing like a wise Conduct in the Case when as you are engaged against other Enemies to go strive with your Maker and so make him your Enemy too O! Sir if you would approve your self truly Great and Couragious here 's a Combat worthy the faithful Souldier and Servant of Christ Jesus even to encounter with all your might this reigning Sin of Swearing that like another Mighty Goliah sends out Challenges against Heaven defying not only the Hosts of the Living God but even the God of Hosts himself yea that Marches through the World Great and Terrifying Insolent and Domineering to dishearten even the Zealous for their Lord's Interest from venturing to resist it When this Party of Rebels is grown so big that the Injustice of the Cause even ceaseth to be questioned and their Numbers pass for Arguments on their side and therefore do so many take the boldness to list themselves into the Hellish Regiment taking it for a piece of Cowardice to fear an Oath when he that will not Swear at all is ready to be pointed at with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yonder 's he star'd at as a Prodigy and scoffed for a Pedant When you hear your Company Sir grow Malapert and Sawcy with God himself to toss in their unhallowed Mouths as a thing of nought his Tremendous Name and at every turn cite the Glorious Majesty and Dreadful Judg of all the World to vouch all their impertinent Prate as if their Tongues were touch'd with a Cole from Hell and their Consciences sear'd with an hot Iron out of the same Fire that even as fast as they fetch'd Words out of the abundance of their Hearts so fast this putrid Scum boils up into their Mouths from the same corrupt Fountain yea when they can Swear and Rant not only out of inadvertence but avowedly for the Gallantry of the business as if they were the braver Men because they dare be such Sinners with a Witness and take Hell by violence scorning to be stopt or restrained trampling under foot the Blood of Christ if but to make themselves sport piercing his Side afresh with Oaths sharper than the Soldiers Spear and playing away the Virtue of that Name which alone is able to save them from the Damnation they imprecate Here here 's a Field Sir wherein to acquit you as a Man and approve your Conduct and Prowess in making a worthy Opposition and daring to appear for God when such multitudes have the Foreheads to let fly at him and discover themselves against him Here 's a Warfare where you have the best Cause and the best Call and if you shrink back you fall under a Curse too even that of Meroz for not coming to the help of the Lord against such mighty Adversaries of his Glory Do but think with your self Sir what an unpardonable Affront would such a one as you account it to be call'd a Bastard And the most indelible Brand of Cowardice not to stand up in your own Vindication under such a vile Imputation But truly Sir if a Son honours his Father and cannot endure to see him exposed or hear him ridicul'd I must be bold to tell you that you give shrew'd suspition you are but of a Spurious Brood and no true Child of the Heavenly Father when you can find in your heart so unnaturally and even of set purpose to load his Name with Scorn yea when you can but be a tame and silent Witness of his Dishonour and your Blood not rise and your Spirit not be stir'd in you to put you upon the Vindicating and Asserting of his Right and Glory Should one offer to give you the Lye I know Sir you would think your Honour so touched there were not only Apology enough for a Quarrel but even necessity of a Duel And yet if you are a Swearer pray what considering Man will you ever induce to believe that you are no Lyar For what should make him strain so much at a Lye who has so glib a Swallow for Oath upon Oath When the very same Lord that said Thou shalt not forswear thy self said also Swear not at all He that sticks not to thwart him in the latter it is hard trusting him in the former And to tye Truth to such Mens Oaths how fond and senseless is it It is true say you for I heard such a one swear it Pitiful Logick When the right Inference from the Premises is just on the other side It 's false or nothing like to be true because a Swearer affirmed it For what 's said by the Swearers be sure comes from none of Christ's Scholars who is Truth it self they are better Taught and Swear not at all It must then come from them who are of his training up that is the Father of Lyes and is to be credited thereafter And such must never hope to recover their Credit among the Wise till they cease to be found among the Swearers their Word then will indeed go a great deal further than now their Oath Do but see then here Sir how mischievous to the World and what an irreparable wrong to humane Society is the weakning these Sacred Bonds of Conscience by the frequent use of Oaths in ordinary Chat so to render them cheap and contemptible when the Awe and Reverence of an Oath is quite lost and gone by debasing it to every toyish purpose And when Men can play with Oaths even every where alas who can expect they should be punctual and serious therein any where And after this rate what the more satisfaction can you have when you give Men their Oaths that they do not make a Lye as well as make Oath And how can the King and Queen be sure of such Mens Allegiance or any one else of their true
Testimony or Fidelity to their Promise And so Kingdoms are shaken and all Faith and Trust among Men destroyed by the idle trivial use of Swearing And for all such Damages accurring to the Publick from this horrid Abuse of Speech every Common Swearer is responsible and much more those of Eminent Station who by their Examples should teach others better How like a Ruler then that Rules for God as well as Reigns by him does the King's most Excellent Majesty now urge the hampering those unruly Beasts of the People with Penal Inflictions that will not be wrought upon to forgo such a Barbarous Practice by any more fair perswasive Methods And as they are the deadly Enemies of their Country who will not abridge themselves of this Ungodly Pleasure tho' it were to save a Church to save a Kingdom and to please God and the King both together So I dare refer it to your self Sir when you do but entertain any serious Thoughts what true Friends they can be to the Publick who in such a Case as this will Heal and Connive at the Offenders and not dare what in them lies as far as they are bound to bring such notorious Criminals to Shame and Suffering But this alas we are not like to have the pleasure of seeing till the Lesser Wheels move yet more regularly under the Greater For the Vulgar will not think it good Manners to lead their Betters the way till yea yea and nay nay become the Mode of their Landlords and Masters as well as of their King and Queen and not only Sovereignty on the Throne but Magistracy also on the Bench fears an Oath But O! how happy then would it be with us if every one concern'd would act as Good Subjects under the Best of Rulers who are not for bearing the Sword in Vain but would be as the Rejoycing of them that do well so a Terror to Evil-doers Now this Sir I cannot but think most pertinent for your Consideration who profess so much Love to your Country and Loyalty to King William and Queen Mary They are both indeed excellent Pretensions and 't is great pity you should be therein guilty of any Self contradictions For how can you sincerely Love your Country when you Patronize the cursedthing that bodes nothing but its Ruine As His Sacred MAJESTY most truly and piously like himself has laid down the Position That our Religion Peace and Happiness are all endangered by reason of that overflowing of Vice which is too notorious in this Nation And what Loyalty to Their Majesties when still you are so much for the thing which they have declared themselves so much against 'T is methinks a strange sort of Loyalty only to Cross and Provoke them Though the Ranting Loyalty of Debauched Ruffians it 's true was sometime since in Fashion yet pray good Sir remember that now it 's another Reign and such Princes blessed be God we are under as do not make a Jest of all Serious Religion And the pretence of honouring them with God's Dishonour is growing so fulsome that nothing more uncovers the Nakedness of the Authors when the King 's published Letter again acquaints us That He most earnestly desires and will endeavour a General Reformation of the Lives and Manners of all His Subjects as being that which must establish His Throne What Supporters then are they of the Throne who think still to testify their Loyalty by the most prophane Extravagancy And what Honour and Deference do they pay to the Royal Pleasure who instead of striving to promote it only give broad Significations how much they Scorn and Contemn it I have heard you declare Sir That you are no Papist Phanatick nor Disaffected to the Present Government Yea I perceive too much you are very forward uncall'd to Swear when some will not Swear now though called to it But in good truth Sir I think it is to little purpose what you do call your self as long as you abide under this Heinous Guilt for at the bottom they can be of no Religion at all but are the foulest Scandal to the Christian Name and a heavy Plague to the World who Name God in their Oaths oftner than in their Prayers and have little to do with Him but only thus to provoke him See that you do not here symbolize too right with Rome before you are aware in postponing the weightiest Matters of the Law to the Mint Annise and Cummin while you inveigh most bitterly against all that to a hairs breadth conform not to the Humane Institutions and in that mean time your self can swallow the Camels of such Monstrous Oaths as make the greatest Violation and the rudest Attack upon God's own express Command One would think you owed the Church of England no real Kindness Sir when you so eagerly lay claim to its Membership only to Reproach it as if it gave you a Protection for that open Ungodliness which the very Light of Nature utterly Shames and Condemns And you would prove your self a Son of the Church by acting like a Child of the Devil Sir you too much Credit those whom you so divert your self to Bespatter yea you change Names with them while you Rant at them For who in earnest is the bigger Fanatick and Madcap he that boggles at an indifferent Ceremony or he that makes no Conscience at all of the most notorious Damnable Iniquity Do you think to Convert Dissenters with your hairbrain'd Swearing and Damning Or to invite them into our Holy Communion with such leud Communication Indeed no wonder this should make the Offering of the Lord abhorred and bring a Scandal and Prejudice on the best Cause it self for the sake of such kind of Patrons and Abettors appearing in it only to turn the Adversaries Stomacks more and open their Mouths wider against it Be it known to you Sir The Church of England is no Mother of such Abominations 'T is the silliest mistake in any that think to find Swearing in her Litany And he as obstinately shuts his Eyes against the Light who sees not all irreverent Abuse of God's Name cryed down in her Homily But when you can so defile your own Nest and Blemish the most Excellent Profession as well a desperately fling at the Glory of Him that made you Here if ever The Righteous Judge of all the Earth is concern'd to shew himself and take such Audacious Criminals in hand to make them feel it in Judgments worthy of God who will not leave off so to dare him to it but carry on the Affront still though their Sin hath not so much as the face of any Worldly Interest or Fleshly Pleasure in it and there 's no Natural Inclination or Impetuous Appetite to it not so much as to make the Plea of Humane Infirmity for it But the mad Swearer swears even for pure Swearing sake Sins Gratis in Contempt of Heaven and sells his Soul for no Consideration at all but out of a Fantastick Humour to