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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	christian_n	zeal_n	zealous_a	58	3	8.8607	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96538	A word in season, for a warning to England: or a prophecy of perillous times open'd and apply'd. Wherein the signes of bad times, and the means of making the times good, are represented as the great concernment of all good Christians in this present age. First exhibited in a sermon preached in the Abby at Westminster, July 5. 1659. and since enlarged and published. / By Thomas VVilles, M.A. minister of the Gospel, in the city of London.	Willis, Thomas, 1619 or 20-1692.	1659 (1659)	Wing W2308; Thomason E1734_1; ESTC R7862	218,037	465

extreamly evil and perillous Yea when a wicked Generation of men shall be suffer'd with Impunity to cast Contempt upon all the Ordinances of Gods Worship to vilifie and reproach the Assemblies of the Saints calling them the Synagogues of Satan with many more vile reproaches which I think not meet to mention what shall we think are not the Dayes evil the Times perillous When those shall be countenanc't honour'd advanc't in the State being set in Places of Power and Trust who do what they can to cast an Odium upon the Ordinances of the Gospel are not the dayes evil the Times perillous These sacred Ordinances are the paths of Christ wherein he walks amongst his People and hereby do men * Ps 79.51 reproach the footsteps of Gods anointed Hereby do vile persons cast dirt at the Chariots of the King of glory Hereby is the Lord continually provoked to depart from such a people and therefore the dayes which are defil'd with these Abominations must needs be perillous Times The fift Case Sinners Sedulity and Sloth in Saints VVHen the spirit of Errour and Profanesse prevailes more and more in the World and the Spirit of Prayer and Zeale for truth and holinesse decayes more and more in the Church the Dayes are evil the Times perillous When false Fires appear and the Fire of the Altar goes out sure God is departing from his Temple When the Locusts and Caterpillars swarme in the Fields and the Frogs croak in every corner of the House the Judgement of God is already upon the Land When † 2 Tim. 3.6 7 silly women are led captive in Troops by subtile Deceivers and soul-deluding Seducers * 2 Pet. 2.2 draw many Disciples after them the last Dayes which we are told shall be perillous Times are come upon us Activity of bad men in carrying on their wicked Designes and Lukewarmnesse in good men in promoting the Cause and Interest of Christ is a sad Symptome of some sore evil at hand When few are zealous for Truth and Righteousness multitudes are zealous for Errour and Impunity in the contempt of Gods holy worship we may justly feare God will shortly bring some fearful judgement on the Land When † Mat. 24.12 Iniquity abounds and the love of many waxes cold the Winter is come and stormes must be expected When the Spirit of Prayer departs the Spirit of Judgement comes in the roome of it When the Winde ceases presently the Rain falls When the hands of Moses fall down in Prayer and Amalek prevailes in battel we must needs expect it should go ill with Israel When Christians are fallen from their * Rev. 2.4 first Love and Professors are grow'n † Rev. 3.16 Lukewarm in Religion yea and many are become Key-cold in the Cause of Christ whilest others are very forward and zealous to promote the Honour and Adoration of the Deified IMAGES of their own Fancies they must needs be perillous Times ZEALE is the Pulse of the Church as JUSTICE is of the Common-wealth Now a wise Physician by feeling the Pulse may judge of the state of the Patient If it be violent and irregular the body is inflam'd and in a great distemper if it be very weak slow remiss and much interrupted it is a sad Symptome of approaching Death Apostacy in Religion is a fore-runner of Ruine and Destruction to such a particular Church and People * Jer. 8.5 15 Lukewarmnesse in Religion is a loathed temper I know thy Works sayes the Lord of the Church of Laodicea † Rev. 3.15 16. too true a Patterne of the Church of England that thou art neither cold nor hot I would thou wert cold or hot So then because thou art Lukewarme and neither cold nor hot I will spew thee out of my mouth In these cases all good Christians have cause to bewaile the sad condition of the Church of Christ The ninth Symptome Divisions in the Church and Union of her Adversaries THe children of the Church have experience of perillous Times When the Professors of the true Religion are divided and the profest enemies thereof are united When the Canaanites are combin'd against the Israelites and the Israelites are divided amongst themselves needs must they be distressed by their Enemies When Idolatrous Nations joyne in Confederacy against the People that professe the true Religion their State must needs be dangerous Of this does the Psalmist complain as speaking the sad state of the People of God and therefore he makes his earnest suit to God for redresse saying * Psal 83 1-8 Keep not thou silence O God hold not thy Peace and be not still O God For loe thine Enemies make a tumult and they that hate thee have lift up the head They have taken crafty COUNSEL against thy People and consulted against thy hidden ones They have said Come and let us cut them off from being a Nation that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance For they have consulted together with one CONSENT they are CONFEDERATE against thee The Tabernacles of Edom and the Ishmaelites of Moab and the Hagarens Gebal and Ammon and Amalek the Philistines with the Inhabitants of Tyre Ashur also is joyned with them they have holpen the children of Lot Needs must those be perillous Times with the People of Israel when as a small Flock of sheep they were surrounded with so many troops of Wolves Lions and Bears thirsting after their blood and ready to teare them in pieces and devoure them When in the Dayes of Jehoshaphat † 2 Chr. 20 Moab and Ammon and mount Seir conspired against Israel and came up against Jehoshaphat to battel both he and all the people of the Land were struck with feare in the apprehensions of their great danger And well might they fear when three Nations had arm'd themselves against that People that had provoked the Lord by their sinnes to give them up into their Enemies hands But behold a strange turne of Providence which affords a further illustration to the matter in hand These three great Armies by a wonderful stratagem of the Divine Providence were divided one against another and so now their great strength became the cause of their weaknesse and destruction for even without any stroke struck by Israel they themselves destroy'd one another insomuch that when Israel came against them they had none to encounter with but the * v. 24. dead Bodies of the slaine which were fallen to the earth and none escaped Thus as their Conjunction was their strength their Division became their overthrow Sad Divisions and bitter Contentions amongst Christians do not onely make them a scorn and Derision to their enemies but also expose them to the danger of an utter Destruction Such Christians as like Cranes fight amongst themselves do easily become a prey to others Their enemies like Eagles and Vultures will hasten to their Overthrow Thus did the Romane EAGLES prey upon the miserable Jews conflicting together in

despised and whose COVENANT he brake even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty Army and great Company make for him in the War by casting up Mounts and building Forts to cut off many Persons Seeing he despised the OATH by breaking the COVENANT when lo he had given his HAND and hath done all these things he shall not escape Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD As I live surely mine OATH that he hath despised and my COVENANT that he hath broken even it will I recompence upon his own head And I will spread my Net upon him and he shall be taken in my snare and I will bring him to Babylon and will plead with him there for his Trespasse that he hath trespassed against me And all his Fugitives with all his Bands shall fall by the Sword and they that remaine shall be scattered towards all windes and ye shall know that I the LORD have spoken it Thus will no Force no Confederacy availe for the securing of that person from a deserved Punishment who by this sin of Perjury and Covenant-breaking is become obnoxious to Divine Justice An OATH is a sacred thing it bindes in the Name of God if it be violated it provokes God to arme his Justice with vengeance against the Violator The LORD will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his NAME in vain † Exo. 20.7 Perjury * A pejerando fit Vox pejor quod perjurio nihil pejus is a desperate and damnable sin It proceeds from Atheism the mother of Abominations and produces Rebellion with a thousand impieties It s a sin which the Heathens have not onely justly condemn'd but also severely punished The Egyptians and Scythians punish't Perjury with Death The Romanes censure of it in the Law of the twelve Tables was this Perjurii Poena divina Exitium humana Dedecus † Cic. l. 2. de Legibus Though Perjury have no punishment amongst men but Disgrace it 's punish't by God with Destruction That which was thus detestable amongst Heathens should be much more abominable amongst Christians However God hath declar'd his Wrath against it from Heaven as some remarkable Passages of the Divine Providence do fully declare whereof we shall mention two out of the Turkish History The Emperour Albert had made a Truce with the great Turk and solemnly ratifi'd the same with an Oath But Pope Eugenius the fourth sent him a Dispensation from his Oath and excited him to renew the Warre against the Turk Thus does the man of sin make void the Law of God But in the first battel wherein the Emperour engaged he was discomfited and slaine Thus he that with his Sword cut in two the sacred Band of his Oath had his Perjury written by his enemies Sword with his own Blood whereas had he kept his Oath he might have sav'd his Life But the Infidels hereupon took occasion to cast reproach upon Christianity as a Religion that gave Patronage to Perjury and Covenant-breaking when the most solemne Obligation had been sealed with the Name of Christ Thus Covenant-breaking brings the most blessed Religion in the World into contempt and makes Christianity the scorne and reproach of Heathens Uladislaus King of Hungary having for a time manag'd his War with Amurath the great Turk with good successe at length brought him to conditions of Peace which were to himself sufficiently advantagious For upon this Agreement certaine Provinces were to be restored to the Hungarians which otherwise could not have been recover'd by the sword without the losse of many Lives But a Peace being concluded betwixt them a solemne League and Covenant for the confirmation thereof was interchangably sealed with an Oath taken by both Parties But the Pope whose Holinesse was thought sufficient to sanctifie the sinfulnesse of the vilest Perjury sent a Letter of Dispensation to his son Uladislaus as a Key of his Cabinet to unlock those Bonds and Fetters wherewith he was bound hand and foot from the further prosecution of the Warre with the Turks And to promote the Popes designe the Cardinal of Flor●nce See the Hungarian History Admiral of the Navy on the one hand and Cardinal Julian the Popes Legate in Hungary on the other hand help to lift him up out of his Honourable Restraint the Liberty of Warre being barr'd up to him by a League of Peace into an infamous Freedome by strong sollicitations to the renewal of the War with Amurath Hereupon staining the glory of his Crown with the breach of his Covenant he assaulted the Turk unawares with a great Army who yet rallying his Forces with all the speed and vigour he could Dubiis victoria pennis Inter utrumque volat gave him Battel The Victory for a good while together hanging in an equal Ballance enclin'd to neither side But at length the Scales began to turne and Victory forsaking the Army of Amurath seem'd now ready to alight upon the Standard of Uladislaus Amurath perceiving this and withal seeing a Crucifix in a displayed Ensigne of the Christians Army advanc't against him pluckt the Writing wherein the late League was contain'd out of his bosome and with eyes and hands cast up to Heaven said O thou crucifi'd Christ Behold this is the LEAGVE which thy Christians made with me and seal'd with a solemne OATH swearing by thy Name and this have they without cause this day violated If thou be a GOD as they say thou art Revenge the wrong done unto thy Name and the injury offer'd unto me upon thy perjur'd People who though they honour thee in their Words do in their Deeds deny thee Immediately hereupon the battel turn'd and th● Turks prevail'd mightily against the Christians The King himself was slaine by the Janissaries and fell in the midst of his Enemies though not so much by their hands as by a stroke of Justice from heaven The Christians fled before the Mahumetans and perish't by a miserable slaughter eleven thousand being slaine in the place very few escaping with their Lives Thus hath the Blood and Lives of many slaughter'd Christians given testimony to the Justice of God triumphing in the punishment of Perjury and the violation of Covenants This is that which according to the intent of the wicked counsel of Balaam * Rev. 2.14 engages God himselfe against his own People Xenoph. Agesilaus general of the Grecian Army returned this answer to Tissaphernes Lieutenant to the King of Persi●'s Army when contrary to his Oath he had levy'd an Army and denounc'd War against him That he gave him no small thanks for that by his Perjury he had made the Gods angry with the Persians who he hoped for his Fidelity would be favourable to the Grecians And the Event answer'd the Omen for joyning Battel he gave the Persians a great overthrow Pausanius notes this to be one chief cause why Philip King of Macedon with all his Posterity were so quickly destroy'd because

what can be expected to follow but showers of Blood For when the Sun shall be turn'd into Darknesse we well know the Moon shall be turn'd into Blood * Joel 2.31 When a storme is rais'd by the Prince of the power of the Air what can we expect but that the Ship wherein Christ is imbarked with his Disciples should be tost on the Waters and almost overwhelm'd with the Waves † Mar. 8.24 When Images of Gold are set up and ador'd by the men of the World what can the children of God expect but to be cast into a fiery Furnace * Dan. 3.1 21 When Gain is accounted Godlinesse and Oppression of the innocent is stiled Justice then whosoever will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution † 2 Tim. 3.12 When the Wolves come in flocks to the Fold and Lions are the Lords of the Soile what can be expected but that the Sheep and Lambs should be worried When there is much Cockle amongst the Corne much Chaff amongst the Wheat we may conclude it shall not be long at least if the winde rises or turnes before it be winnow'd When we see every Shepherd in Israel is an abomination to the Egyptians * Gen. 46.34 we may expect the Egyptians should pursue the Israelites even into the heart of the Red Sea When the subtile Foxes are come into the Vineyard we may conclude their cruel Teeth will be soon dy'd red in the Blood of the Grapes If the Scarlet Whore be once brought into the House of God we shall soone see her drunken with the Blood of the Saints † Rev. 17.4 5 6. We still finde the Names of the Saints written in Red Letters in the Romish Calendar If the SWORD depose the SCEPTER and rule in its stead we may be sure it will eat flesh and drink Blood yea the blood of Kings and Princes and Prophets who leaving the Sword stain'd with the Guilt of Murder shall be themselves crown'd with the Glory of MARTYRDOM SIN is a cruel Monster if it once get the Supreme Power it will soon turne a Land of Beauty into a Sea of Blood III. Destruction of mens souls If the great red Dragon with his Taile draw down many of the Stars of Heaven and cast them to the Earth * Rev. 12.4 we may expect a dark night to follow If the Springs be impoyson'd it must needs be Death to men to drink of the waters If the Philistines carry away the Ark from Israel we must expect many thousands to be slaine and perish † 1 Sam. 4 10 11. If God take away his abused Gospel call home his despised Ministers and so men loose the true Religion how many thousand souls must necessarily perish everlastingly The soul is exceeding precious it s a Jewel inestimable of more worth then the whole World * Mat. 16.26 its losse is irreparable a World of Gold cannot redeem one soul † See Psal 49.7 8. with 1 Pet. 1.18 19. Now when such a storme is risen that the souls of men are in danger of being ship-wrackt the state of that people is sad the Times are perillous Thus we have seen the Characters of the Persons that make the Times perillous and the several Symptomes of perillous Times with the Causes and Consequences thereof and so fully finisht our first Enquiry The second Enquiry How pious persons must demean themselves in perillous Times IT much concernes the people of God to consider with themselves what the Lord calls them unto and calls for from them in all conditions into which he is pleased to cast them that their Lives and Carriages may expresse a Responsiblenesse to the Divine Providence These are they whom the Lord hath selected from thousands to lift up his Name and Glory in the World They are therefore in a special manner to glorifie God by such Actings and Demeanours as may be suitable to all his Dispensations When God is most dishonour'd by the wicked the godly should most honour him Saints are Souldiers call'd forth to fight the Battels of the Lord of Hosts when the Enemies of the Lord do most abound and are most active the Souldiers of his army should be most valiant for his Cause most vigilant against their force and Politick Encroachments upon the interests of his Glory The Trees of righteousnesse of Gods own Planting should bring forth Fruit in all Seasons Times of Perill to the Church are Times of Tryal of the Piety of the Saints When sin appears in its highest Pride then should Grace shine forth in its greatest Glory As for you therefore my beloved brethren that truly fear the name of the Lord and desire to know what your Duty is in such Cases attend these Directions which I shall give you out of the Word of God When it is your Lot to live in perillous Times take notice of these Duties The first Duty Sorrow for the Sinnes of the Times DO you live in evil Times Then Bewaile before the Lord the Sinnes and Abominations of the Times Prevailing Impieties make the Times perillous The sins of the wicked call for the sorrows of the Saints because hereby the Name of God is dishonour'd and the souls of men are defiled Thus was Davids heart grieved and his eyes shed Tears for the sins of his Times I beheld the Transgressors sayes he and was grieved because they kept not thy Word * Psal 119 158 And again Rivers of waters runne down mine eyes because they keep not thy Law † Psal 119 136 When a Land is defiled by sin these Rivers of Teares are the best means to prevent a Deluge of Blood When the wrath of God is kindled against an ungodly Nation there is nothing more powerful to quench it then the Tears of the truly godly By this means shall you preserve your selves from Defilement by the sinnes of the wicked and happily prevent the Judgements which are ready to be executed on a sinfull Nation Now Christians is not this a duty you are very Defective in And yet is there not much cause for it When did you shed a Tear for all the Sins of the Times When did you ever look upon London as Christ upon Jerusalem a sinful City and weep over it * Luk. 19.41 What shall the streets of it run down with Rivers of Blood before you can shed a few drops of Teares for its preservation When did you meet together to weep over a sinful Nation When did you that can easily weep upon other occasions go apart and poure out Teares into the bosome of God for the Sinnes and Abominations of England and say Ah Lord In thy † Isa 63.9 Pity and in thy Mercy spare a sinful Nation Do you not see upon England many Symptomes of her Destruction except fervent Prayers steep'd in penitent Teares do prevent it O how many and how great are the Abominations of the Land the Provocations of the most high God!

you can in a little time For when the Dayes are Evil you know not how little time you may have how few Opportunities of well-doing you may enjoy * Eph. 5.15 16. See then that ye walk circumspectly not as Fooles but as Wise Redeeming the Time because the Daies are evil The fourth Branch LIve in the exercise of your most excellent graces Let the Lustre of them appear in the eyes of the World that so you may diminish the Darknesse of an evil Generation When the Nights are darkest every one should be careful to hang out their Lights When the Sun the Chariot of Light hath carried the Day to another World the Night comes forth deckt with all her Jewels Search your Cabinets put on your Jewels exercise your Graces your Faith Love Patience Humility Zeale Hope Confidence and so labour to preserve a Day of Light and Holinesse in spight of all the encroachments of the darknesse of Sin and Vice Labour to be every whit as Good as others are Evil. Stir up your selves especially to the exercise of those Graces which stand in opposition to the reigning Vices of the Times Study to shew your selves as Active for God as others are for the World as truly Content with your condition as others are Covetous Oppressive Ambitious as Faithful as others are False as Pious as others are Profane as much to excel in Charity Moderation Humility as others exceed in Cruelty Censoriousnesse and Pride It well becomes Saints to be best when the Times are worst So Fire burnes hottest in the coldest weather and Stars shine brightest in the darkest Nights So shall you lift up the Name and Glory of God in the World and your lives shall be illustrious Testimonies for the cause of God against a wicked world Beg Grace of God therefore that in evil and perillous Times you may live to his Glory * Phil. 2.15 That ye may be blamelesse and Harmless the Sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse Nation among whom ye shine as Lights in the World The fifth Branch DAre to appear in your places for the Cause of God against the Evils of the Times Why should not every pious Christian dare to do more for God and the interests of his Glory then any profane Politician dares to do against him Why should you be afraid to appear on the stronger side It is indeed desperate Folly and Madnesse in impotent man to presume upon any action or undertaking which carries in it an apparent or consequential Opposition to an Omnipotent God upon whose Providence he hath a continual dependance insomuch as without some concurrence thereof he cannot move a Hand nor stirre a step Alas This Almighty God can with the least Finger of that glorious Hand by which he governes this All in one moment crush the greatest Armies of the mightiest men upon earth as a † Job 4.19 Moth and crumble them into dust But for the Saints that are guarded with an Omnipotent Arme they may with a holy confidence appear in the Cause of God against the most potent adversaries in the world For greater and stronger is he that is with us then they that are with them For as the good King Hezekiah said to the Captaines of his Army at the approach of the King of Assyria * 2 Chron. 32.7 8. with them is an Arme of Flesh but with us is the LORD our God to help us And † Rom. 8.31 if God be for us who can be against us Fear not then ye sonnes of the mighty ye children of the most high to appear for God and his cause against the impieties and iniquities of evil and perillous times Remember * Rev. 21.8 the fearful are set in the Front of that Troop of Rebels that shall be sent to Hell Know you not that in this case when Gods Cause and Glory suffers He that is not for God is against him Take heed then lest while you fear a lesser danger you fall into a greater 'T is then your greatest wisdome and safety to take the strongest side and that is to appear for God So may you say with David † Ps 118.6 The LORD is on my side I will not fear what man can do unto me And again * Ps 56.11 In God have I put my trust I will not be afraid what man can do unto me † Psal 118 8 9. It is better to trust in the LORD then to put confidence in man It is better to trust in the LORD then to put confidence in Princes Dare to appear for God therefore in your places and to plead his Cause against wicked and unreasonable men with more Courage Resolution and Boldnesse then they have to oppose it Stand up therefore in Dayes of Danger and appear for the Truth and Glory of God that made you for the Honour and Interests of the Lord Jesus Christ that redeem'd you with his own precious blood appear for his Word and Worship his Ordinances and Ministers his Sabbaths and Sacraments his Church and Saints and all the just Rights Dues and Priviledges thereof against a wicked Generation of men that dare openly deny the Truth and profane the Name of God that are not afraid to cast Contempt and Reproach upon his Word and Worship to scoff at his Sabbaths and Sacraments and slight his holy Ordinances to abuse revile and vilifie his Ministers his Ambassadours seeking to pluck their meat from their mouths desiring to imbrue their hands in their blood endeavouring their utter extirpation out of the Church of God that dare to lay sacrilegious hands upon the Rights and Revenues of the Church which she holds by a firmer Title then the greatest Lord in the Land does or can do his inheritance and thereby seek to turne her children out of their Possession that they may enrich themselves as too many have done by the Churches Ruines Now Christians will you be afraid or asham'd to appear in so just a cause against such wretched men such wicked Adversaries as these Shall these come under the Name of Religion and rob you of the thing while you sit still and do nothing Shall the Interests of Christ and Glory of God fall to the ground rather then you will rise up and appear for the maintenance of the one and defence of the other How will you answer it to God at the great day of account O therefore be not afraid to appear for the Cause of God against the Evil of the Times in the Places and Stations wherein God hath set you This will be your Crown of Glory and Cause of Rejoycing at the great Day of the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ And oh that those that are Highest in Place and Power would seriously lay these things to heart and quitting all self-interests inconsistent with the Cause and Interests of the Kingdome of Christ sincerely study and endeavour the advancement of Gods Glory in

the establishment of Truth and true Religion amongst us And is it not most reasonable which I plead for when those I speak to are profest Christians and that I plead for is the Cause of Christ Why may nor the Ministers of the Gospel be as well heard to plead for the Worship and Ordinances of Christ as the profest Enemies of the Gospel-ministry to plead against them by whom these Ordinances of Worship according to the order of the Gospel are to be administred Give me leave then to reason with you and plead the Cause of God Why stick you at the Establishment of the Worship of God in the Land and the punishment of such rebellious Atheists as obstinately refuse to worship him What think you is there a God or not If there be a God and but one God is he to be worshipt or no If he be to be worshipt whether are you still to seek how he is to be worshipt and still in doubt what are the Ordinances of his Worship What are not the holy Scriptures the Word of God Is not his Will therein plainly and clearly reveal'd touching the Ordinances of his Worship Well then are not the Word Sacraments and Prayer undeniably the Ordinances of his worship Have they not been so receiv'd and reverenc't by the Churches of Christ in all Ages Ought not this Worship then by the Civil Sanction of the Christian Magistrate to be establisht in the Land Ought not they that are in Gods stead for Government to see that God be worshipped Ought not then Ministers of the Gospel rightly call'd to that sacred Office according to express Gospel-Rule to be placed maintained and protected in every City Town and Parish where there is a competent number of people to attend the service of God for the administration of the Ordinances of his Worship Ought not all the People of these places to be Authoritatively enjoyn'd to give dilgent constant reverent Attendance upon the Publick Worship of God in these holy Ordinances and that under some Penalty for every Wilful Neglect which might be conveniently imploy'd for the Relief of the Poor in such places And ought not those that obstinately refuse to worship God in these his holy Ordinances and much more those that cast Reproach upon them and them that do attend them to be chastiz'd as the worst sort of * Rom. 13.3 4. Evil doers being open Rebels against the God of Heaven with some severer punishment Shall not they that neglect their Duty in this kinde be guilty of all the dishonours that are done to God by all those that neglect contemne and reproach the Ordinances of his Worship Was the Scripture silent does not the Light of Nature clearly discover an Obligation as to the substance of this duty to lie upon those who are called forth by Divine Providence to Governe for God to whom alone pertaines by original Right the Government of the World I shall leave these things to your Consideration onely minding you that you shall be call'd to account at the Judgement Day for whatsoever Power you are intrusted with how you have obtain'd imploy'd and improv'd it for God and setting before you the excellent Example of an Heathen Prince even Artaxerxes King of Persia who releast the children of Israel from their Captivity in Babylon and gave order for their return to Jerusalem and the setting up and establishment of the right Worship of the true God by the special Direction and Conduct of the Spirit of God A special passage of his Commission or Letter of Trust to Ezra the Scribe as is recorded in the holy Scripture † Ezra 7.25 26 27. we have in these words And thou Ezra after the wisdome of thy God that is in thy hand set Magistrates and Judges which may judge all the People that are beyond the River all such as know the Laws of thy God and teach ye them that know them not And whosoever will not do the Law of thy God and the Law of the King let judgement be executed speedily upon him whether it be unto death or to Banishment or to Confiscation of Goods or to Imprisonment And that this Counsel was of God it appears from the Words of Ezra hereupon Blessed be the LORD God of our Fathers which hath put such a thing as this in the Kings Heart c. Now what 's this but a branch of the Moral Law requiring the right worship of the true God explain'd in the Edict of a Heathen Prince whose hand was herein guided by the Spirit of God and his Example recorded to be approved of God and so consequently of perpetual obligation to all people and at all times as well under the New Testament as the Old But the Robbery of the wicked shall destroy them because they refuse to do judgement * Pro. 21.7 It much concernes also inferiour Magistrates and Officers who are intrusted with Power for the Punishment of Offendours to be faithful in the discharge of their Duty By this means a good stop might be put to many of the spreading Abominations of the Times Drunkennesse and R●velling Swearing and Sabbath-breaking and such like vile enormities and God-provoking sins might in a great measure be restrain'd if those persons in every Town and Parish to whom it pertaines by vertue of their Office to take cognizance of these and such like Crimes were but as Vigilant and Active as they might and ought to be to bring those that are found guilty of them to condigne punishment But through the sloth and regardlesnesse of Officers such Offendours grow bold and such Crimes become common such Abominations are exceedingly multiply'd But oh that such would consider that all the sins of those Places and Persons which they have received Power to restraine or punish and exercise it not are justly chargeable upon their heads and they stand guilty of them in the sight of God For 't is a sure Rule Malum qui cum potest non prohibet facit He that may hinder an Evil and doth not is guilty of it And if according to this Rule all the Oathes Curses Drunkennesses and Profanations of the Lords day which might have been prevented or punished by Persons invested with Authority and Power for that purpose be justly chargeable upon them for their neglect of their Duty in this Case we may surely say without any slander Many of our Magistrates and Officers however they may seeme sober and religious persons are the greatest Swearers Cursers Drunkards and Sabbath-breakers in the Land And doubtlesse many shall be indicted and condemned for these sinnes at Gods Tribunal in the Day of Judgement because they have not exercised the power wherewith they were intrusted in their Places for the punishment of them in others Oh therefore stir up your selves with Zeal and Faithfulnesse to the Execution of your Office the discharge of your Duty in this kinde that you may restraine Sin in others and keep off Guilt