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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62960	An exhortation unto reformation amplified, by a discourse concerning the parts and progress of that work, according to the word of God, delivered in a sermon preached in the audience of the General Assembly of the Massachusets colony, at Boston in New-England, May 27, 1674, being the day of election there / by Samvel Torrey ...	Torrey, Samuel, 1632-1707.; Mather, Increase, 1639-1723.	1674 (1674)	Wing T1916; ESTC R13732	47,259	54

Rule and Government of Christ powerfully Administred would soon Reform all O that Discipline might be restored unto the full and effectual exercise of it in the Spirit and Power of it unto all the saving Ends of it in these Churches it would work a great Reformation And O that this poor Generation which is committed Chiefly to the Charge of this Ministry may be generally cared for in all the Churches They are the Generation which you are called to labour with and for amongst whom you hope to have the fruit of your Labours in the Work of the Ministry and whom you are to stand in Judgement with and to give an account of in the day of Account O what Account will be given of them if many or the generality of them should perish under the neglect of the due exercise of the Ministerial Power of Christ towards them in any of the Churches Most of all the Work of Reformation dependeth upon the faithful and successful Labours of this Ministry in the work of Conversion the travail of your Souls in that work your travailing with Souls in that work of Conversion Here lyes the stress and the life and spirit of the Work of Reformation without which all Essayes Endeavours and Labour therein and thereunto will be utterly vain and void If God make this Ministry a Converting Ministry the Work of Reformation will be again revived but if God suffer it to be a Judicial Ministry a Ministry sent in Judgement to make the heart of this people fat then there will be no hope the Generation will grow sick at heart under Spiritual Plagues and Judgements under a savour of death by this Ministry and so die in their sins A Judicial Ministry hath alwayes been the fatall Cause of the finall Ruine of such a people as Isa 6.10 Mat. 13.13 14. Joh. 12.40 Rom. 9.32 And therefore how are all such who have the Charge of Souls in such a dangerous time amongst a declining people concerned to Labour to Pray to Preach to be instant in season out of season in private in publick to spend their Souls to bend the strength of their Ministerial Labours unto the Conversion of Souls How did the Prophets of old labour in like ease with a declining people and dolefully lament the loss of their labour so Isaiah Isa 49.4 Jeremiah Jer. 6.10 yea our Lord Jesus Christ himself Mat. 23.37 O Jerusalem how often would I have gathered thy Children Truly it is a most doleful discouragement to the present Ministry in many Congregations to see so many Souls fatting hearts hardning immortal Souls dying and perishing under their hand Care and Charge but yet they must labour and Agonize in Prayer unto God for a dispensation of Converting grace by their Ministry that the Work of Conversion and so the Work of Reformation may be revived for if not it is much to be feared that the Sun will quickly go down over the Prophets I allude unto Mic. 3.6 I mean that our day of grace will expire and the Sun set upon these Churches by the departure of the Ministrv and so our house be left unto us desolate as Mat. 23.38 39. The Prosperity of these Churches dependeth much upon the success of the Labours of this present Ministry and therefore the hopes desires and prayers of all the faithful people of God in these Churches are That you may alwayes remain as Stars in the right hand of Jesus Christ fixed in your Orb full of Light Regular in all your Motions Powerfull in all your Influences shining in all your Appearances with the Splendor and Lustre of his Spirit and Grace in whose hand you are And that there may be no such Wandering Stars spoken of Jude v. 13. whose Erratick Motions should disturb the Coelestial Order and Harmony of our Ecclesiastical Heaven III. I propose this Exhortation also unto All the People of the Land who are present and O that whole New-England might be moved with this word of Exhortation Repent and do the first works O that the heart of this people might be moved as the heart of one man unto the Work of Reformation● It is a general work our defection it is general and therefore our Reformation it must be also general Of old the Work of Reformation it was alwayes wrought by all the people as you may reade 2 Kings 23.3 2 Chron. 29.36 34.30 the Text saith there All small and great So Ezra 109. Neh. 8.1 All the the people as one man every one that is able to do any thing must bear his part in the Work of Reformation Every one hath a particular work of Reformation in and for himself to Reform himself his own heart and his own life if every one could Reform one it would be a great and general Reformation Every one that hath a Soul to save or hath any care of his Salvation is concerned in this Work of Reformation of what degree rank or order whatsoever every one must labour in his own person in his proper place by the utmost improvement of his power interest and influence to help forward the work every one must set his hand and heart unto the Work of Reformation in Families Towns Churches throughout the Country The Work of Reformation it must run through all our hearts and wayes in every Station and Relation in every Calling and Imployment through all matters both Civil and Religious in all our converse with God and man There is not one here present in the Congregation but is concerned in this Work of Reformation 1. Let every one be admonished and warned to take heed of hindering the Work of Reformation They are the most dangerous and desperate Enemies unto New-England and unto these Churches who do hinder Reformation so do all Profane persons by their sins of Profaneness whose work it is more and more to corrupt the Generation and to fill and pollute the Land with their Abominations So also do all Worldly and Self-seeking persons by sinking the Interest of Religion and raising a Worldly Interest and so building up their own Self-interests upon the ruines of the Publick So also do all Factious Seditious and Contentious persons who make it their design and work to foment Divisions and to uphold dividing Parties and Interests unto the shaking of very Foundations So also do all corrupt Worshippers and corrupters of the Worship of God In a word so do all Carnal Formal Hypocritical Professors And so do all the Capital leading sinners of the Times and of the Generation These are all publick Enemies unto these Churches more dangerous and destructive Enemies unto this great Work of the Lord then Sanballat and Tobiah and the rest of old were unto the Building of the City or the Temple Wo to those by whom Offences come who are Leaders in our great and general Defection and hinderers of the Work of Reformation As for such who turn aside unto their crooked wayes the Lord shall lead them forth

said to their Souls Bow down that we may go over and vvhose present great Interest vvas to carry on Temple work vvhen arrived at the full enjoyment of Peace and Liberty and in many other respects circumstanced as vve are this day soon forgat their main and true Interest being under the powerful and prevailing influence of a Worldly degenerating Spirit and yet they said Wherein shall we return How many vvith us are with the same Spirit making the same enquiry The Reverend Author of this Sermon law it less needful to insist on the Answer to that or to speak much by vvay of Conviction because that vvould have been Actum agere since God did help that Worthy Servant of his vvho Preached the Election-Sermon but the year immediately preceding faithfully fully and convincingly to inlarge on that Argument Moreover though some deny it it is a generall Concession amongst us that vve are in a declining Apostatizing state and therefore that Reformation is necessary Our sins testifie against us and as for our iniquities vve know them And yet vvhen it cometh to particulars vve shall finde those calling that Apostacy and Defection vvhich the Lord Jesus I doubt not will own for Truth and laudable Constancy another day and consequently vvould have that put in practise for Reformation which Christ vvill never own Brownism Libertinism or undue straitning and confining the grace of that Covenant vvhich God hath made vvith our Fathers is far from being the Interest of N. E and most of all from being the Interest of Massachusets Colony Were our now glorified Fathers Winthrope Dudley Cotton Hooker vvith the rest of those blessed Worthies vvho vvere the Instruments under God of laying the Foundation both of our Civil and Ecclesiastical State here amongst us they would say so Let their Manuscripts and printed Books which they have left behind them to succeeding generations come in for Witnesses and witness the Platform of Discipline agreed on by the Elders and Messengers of all the Churches in this Colony yea of all these United Colonies Well did our blessed Mitchell also give in his Testimony when speaking in the Name of the Lord upon the like solemn Occasion as this Sermon was Preached on Do not said he wrong and marre an excellent work and Profession by mixing and weaving in spurious Principles and Practices as those of Separation Anabaptism Morellian Anarchical Confusion and licentious Toleration If any would secretly twist in and espouse such things as these and make these part of our Interest we must needs renounce it as none of our Cause no part of the End and Design of the Lords faithful Servants when they followed him into this land which was not sown Separation and Anabaptism are monted Intruders and seeming Friends but secret fatal Enemies to Reformation as Paul in a case not much unlike 1 Cor. 3.10 15. In this work here on foot there was a good Foundation laid viz. Christ as the onely Law-giver in his Church and Reformation designed according to his Will and Apostolical Pattern If you should build the Hay and Stubble of such things as those then verily though sincere persons will be saved and the main of the work may be saved and revived at last yet sooner or later there will come a fire that will burn up this Stubble and then your poor Leaders that would have led you the right way may be remembred when it is too late Do not under pretence of avoiding Corruption run into sinfull Separation from any of the true Churches of God and what is good therein or from the Children of the Covenant Prize and hold fast the Covenant to you and yours Thus that blessed man It doth then concern us to take heed that we do not mistake as to that Apostacy which is and the Anastacy which ought to be amongst us And surely it is a safe and undoubted Principle which runs through that practical and profitable Discourse to the which these lines are prefixed viz. That the great Apostacy of New-England is in respect of the Spirits of men and general decay as to the power of godliness Were there a thorough Reformation in this matter we need not fear any evil but without this no other Reformation will continue the Lords Presence with us The first Design of New-England was purely Religious but now we begin to espouse and are eagerly pursuing another even a Worldly Interest Is not this the grand Procuring Cause of former and present Blastings on the fruits of the earth And is it not for this sin that the Lord is at this day seeming to speak as if the Trade of this poor Country should be ruined These are folemn humbling Providences which God would have us take notice of Verily the Lord smiteth us in that which hath been our Idol i.e. the World that so he may put us in minde of our first and true Interest yea that we may remember whence we are fallen and repent and do the first works Reader The ensuing Sermon needs no Letters Commendatory especially not from so mean a pen as writeth this The Vote passed in that Honoured Assembly to whom it was preached desiring the Author to print what he had preached is Recommendation sufficient The acceptance also which this Sermon when delivered found with all good men though of different perswasions is an evidence that the Preacher was under a special guidance and influence from the Spirit of Christ the wisdome of God It was the Advice of one of the Ancients that in Reading Books we should regard non scientiam sed saporem if we respect either of these the following Discourse commends it self to the Reader for that a judicious and savoury Spirit doth breathe in it and through it no understanding Christian can deny Now the good Lord who was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the first wayes of David his father grant that we may be kept faithful to the first Principles of New-England and that not onely as to our Church state in respect whereof we are engaged to profess and practise the Congregational-way of Church-Government as instituted by Christ and held forth in the Scriptures of Truth but also as to our Civil-state which hath been built upon principles of Righteousness and Sanctity the Laws and people of Christ being especially regarded therein that so Holiness unto the Lord may be upon us in all respects Then may we expect the continuance both of our Civil and Sacred liberties That it may be so is the earnest prayer of him who hath great reason to esteem himself Boston N. E. 26. 5. 1674. Less then the least of all Saints Increase Mather AN Exhortation unto Reformation REV. 2.5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen and repent and do the first works GOD who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past to the fathers by the Prophets hath in these last dayes spoken unto us by his Son This Book wherein we finde our Text it