Informers do encrease the Iess hope of Impunity can such Offenders entertain and the happier prospect we shall have of that desired success which will both answer the End of these Laws and therein the Wishes and Hopes of all Good Men. Let none of us then think our selves excus'd from any Service we are capable of in so just and so glorious a Cause Let it be rather our laudable Ambition to have some hand according to the advantages our several Stations give us in carrying on so Great and so Good a Work IV. We may from this passage farther Observe Tho' those that are engag'd in this excellent Design of Publick Reformation may be but few and may have great Opposition to encounter yet this shou'd not deter 'em from the vigorous prosecution of it We may evidently infer this from the Circumstances that Nehemiah was here involv'd in and from his own Resolute Practice under ' em If he had only consider'd the Obstacles he was like to meet with he had never begun an attempt that promis't so little success The instance of Profaneness which he set himself against was universally spread he had all those Forreigners upon his hands whose Trade and Gain he entrench't upon He had the profane Humour of the People fortify'd by their wordly Interest to bear down Nay which was more formidable he had the Nobles themselves to contend with and was necessitated to carry this Point over their warm Opposition And yet you see all these Difficulties did rather whet and inflame than abate and cool his Pious Zeal He expostulates with the Nobles he opposes his Authority to popular Discontent and threatens the Forreigners that occasion'd this Profaneness by their avarice with just Severity He applies himself with undaunted Resolution and unwearied Diligence to remove every Rub out of the way and to encounter and master every Difficulty that he met with He thought the Glory of God the Honour of his Law and the Publick Good too deeply concern'd to be so easily affrighted or disheartned from his Duty Let me then propose this admirable Example of his to your Imitation who are engag'd in the like Religious Vndertaking I need not tell you That tho' we have so excellent Laws enacted for the suppression of Profaneness and Vice how few there are that appear zealous and active for the Execution of ' em The Numbers of those that are engag'd in the prosecution of this Glorious Design do as yet bear but little proportion to the Number of Offenders and to the due extent of the Work it self Nor need I tell you what Discouragements you lye under and what a Train of terrifying Difficulties you have yet to encounter Difficulties so Great especially in reference to other parts of the Kingdom that some who have been urg'd to make such attempts in the Country have insisted on this as their chief Objection That they had no prospect of succeeding in ' em The Number of Offenders being so great and so few others having either any Inclination or Courage to convict ' em And even in this City when we consider how few of those that are most capable do encourage the Design How great the Malignity and Rage of convicted Offenders is and what hazard all that are active in this Cause run of exposing themselves to their ill-will and revenge we must confess the Work is attended with extraordinary and formidable Hardships But yet after all None of these Difficulties shou'd Discourage us from our Duty Nay they shou'd rather reinforce than extinguish our Holy Zeal in the Discharge of it We shou'd be so far from being tempted thereby to desert so Glorious a Cause that we shou'd be rather excited to greater activity for the advancement of it As will appear if we consider the following particulars 1. Great Difficulties must be expected in prosecution of so Pious a Design We must look for it That those that carry on so Dangerous an Attempt to subvert the Devil's Interest will meet with warm and fierce Opposition All the Militia and Posse of that Infernal Kingdom will be Rais'd against ' em Satan will inspire all his Instruments and Agents those Sons of Belial to unite their Policy and Power that they may withstand and frustrate so bold an Attempt that so directly threatens Ruin to his Usurped Empire and Throne As no sooner did Lot offer a gentle Reproof to the impure Inhabitants of Sodom but they presently fly in his Face with Reviling Scorn and furious Threatnings 19 Gen. 9. vers We shou'd therefore be fore-arm'd with the consideration hereof and enter on this great Work as expecting the utmost resistance in it 2. The Prospect of Difficulties will not exempt us from our Obligation to so plain a Duty I say To so plain a Duty For I take it to be as certainly our Duty to endeavour the suppression of heinous Profaneness and Immorality according to the advantages and opportunities that our several Stations give us as it is to advance the Kingdom of God and to promote the Honour and Observance of his Laws I do not see how any can be excus'd from this necessary Work that are capable of being regularly serviceable in it For here is now in this our Age and Day a manifest Conflict between the Kingdom of God and that of Satan between the interest of Piety and Vertue and that of Profaneness and Vice And can we think it consistent with our Duty even with our Baptismal Obligations themselves to stand Neuter in so important a Cause or to suffer the Interest of God and Holiness to Sink and that of Irreligion and Immorality to Prevail thro' our wretched Lukewarmness and Indifferency Is this reconcileable with that ardent Affection to that blessed Majesty and that entire devotedness to his Honour and Service that we pretend unto Is this consistent with the sincerity of those publick Prayers for Reformation which we have so often offer'd up to use no Endeavours to promote it when so fair an advantage is put into our Hands May we not justly apply those remarkable Words of our blessed Saviour to this particular Case which he speaks in reference to the general opposition of the Devil's Interest to his He that is not for me is against me 12 Matth. 30. vers Even as in case of a Forreign Invasion That Subject that is not for his Rightful Sovereign is by just interpretation against him So in this Case he that does not cordially and openly espouse the Cause of God shall be regarded and treated as a secret Enemy to it Now If this be so evident and important a Duty no Difficulties will warrant our willful neglect of it For when we oblige our selves to the Duties of Christianity we are allow'd no Reserves of only performing 'em so far as is consistent with our Safety and Ease Our Profession in such cases requires the Exercise of Fortitude and Courage of Patience and Self-denial It obliges us to Sacrifice our Temporal
Interest and Reputation to the Superior Interest of the Glory of God and allows us not to baulk any eminent Service to him because we cannot perform it without considerable Toyl and Hazard No we shou'd look on such Obstacles and Difficulties in our way as rather design'd to try the sincerity and fervour of our Zeal the strength and constancy of our Resolutions And therefore the prospect of 'em shou'd rather inspire us with new force and vigour For as the pretence of a Lyon in the Street is but the Sluggard's Excuse so to be affrighted by every appearance of Danger from our undoubted Duty is but a suspicious Character For among those that are said to have their Portion in the Infernal Lake the Fearful and Vnbelieving the timorous Cowards in the Cause of God are plac't in the very Front of ' em 21. Rev. 8. vers 3. Shou'd we fail of success in this great Design yet we have deliver'd our own Souls The Guilt of publick Profaneness and Wickedness will not lye at our door when we have done our utmost for the restraint of it Nor shall our Fidelity tho it may want success with Men want acceptance with God and a liberal Reward from him 4. We have no reason to be discourag'd by the great difficulties in our way from all hope of success For our success depends on his concurrence and blessing to whose Power no Obstacles we can meet with are insuperable But this leads me to the next Observation V. We may from the happy issue of Nehemiah's undertaking Observe That the Great God is often pleas'd to Crown the seemingly weak attempts of his Faithful Servants for his Cause and Interest with unexpected and wonderful Success Of this My Text gives us a lively Instance For tho' Nehemiah's single Zeal seems to have been the only Spring of this Attempt to recover the Religious Observation of the Sabbath and tho' he had so general and strong Opposition to contend against yet you see by his Vigour and Resolution he carried the point and brought about the Reformation he intended That blessed God who had inspired his Heart with so excellent a Design strengthning his Hands in the Execution of it and bending the hearts of others to a complyance with his just Authority and Religious Undertaking And no doubt it did much facilitate the success of his Endeavours that the Law of God did so evidently condemn the practice he Oppos'd So that those who had Inclination enough to so ill a Cause as that of Profaneness yet were almost asham'd to appear for it And those who might have had an ill Eye upon his good Design yet had scarce the Confidence to oppose it their own Consciences being convinc't of the Reasonableness and Equity of it Let us then draw abundant Encouragement to these our Religious Endeavours from the consideration of our being engag'd in the Cause of God and from the prospect of his powerful Assistance and Blessing Let us fortify our own Resolutions with the Argument that pious Nehemiah elsewhere uses The God of Heaven he will Prosper us therefore we his Servants will Arise and Build 2 Neh. 10. His mighty Power can make the weakest Instruments successful to pull down these Strong-holds of Sin and can make use of Babes to quell his most formidable Enemies And truly we have already had that Experience of the favourable Providence of God shining upon our Religious Undertakings of this kind that wou'd render us inexcusable shou'd we distrust his future Aids And to convince you hereof I need only set before you the following brief account of the Societies for Reformation both in London and in this City And because the account of 'em is intermixt with that of the Religious Societies of young Persons I must touch a little on both For the Religious Societies of young Persons in London belonging to the Establish't Church that Pious conformable Divine Mr. Woodward tells us The first Rise of 'em was about twenty Years ago About that time several young Persons being touch't with a tender sense of their Souls applied themselves to Religious Thoughts And as they often accidentally met at the Houses of their Ministers they were by some of them advised to meet once a week and to apply themselves to good Discourse And for the better Regulation of their Meetings several Orders and Rules were given ' em In pursuance whereof they continued their Religious Meetings till K. James's Reign And tho' the Aspect of publick Affairs did then discourage some yet others of them continued their pious Resolutions and Practices tho' they took the most prudent course for concealing their Meetings In the beginning of this Reign they were accus'd to the Bishop of London as tending to Schism Upon which they presented their Apology which being confirmed by the Testimony of their Ministers gave full Satisfaction And having then greater encouragement they quickly encreas't to 25 Societies within the compass of the Bills of Mortality besides those since form'd at Shadwell and Greenwich And what Sense our late excellent Queen had of these Societies the Bishop of Salisbury acquaints us in his Memoirs of her She hearkned saith he carefully after every thing that seem'd to give us some hope that the next Generation wou'd be better then the present with a particular Attention She heard of a Spirit of Devotion and Piety that was spreading it self among the Youth of this great City with a true Satisfaction She enquir'd often and much about it and was glad to hear it went on and prevailed which was her hearty Wish and daily Prayer Now out of these Religious Societies at London there have been two associated Bodies form'd who have made it their Endeavour to inform against Profaneness and Vice meeting weekly to carry it on according to the legal and prudential Rules which some Lawyers drew up for ' em In which work besides time labour and reproach some of 'em have run considerable hazard of their Lives He tells us also There is another eminent Society in London consisting of many considerable Gentlemen and chief Citizens who frequently meet to super-intend direct and pursue this glorious work of Reformation consulting the best methods to carry it on and promoting it by large and honourable Contributions By which means several thousands of Drunkards Swearers and Profaners of the Lords-day have been brought to just Punishment Besides this Society many Justices of the Peace meet weekly on this Design There is also saith he an active Society for Reformation consisting of about Sixty Persons most House-keepers in and about the Tower-Hamlets to whom several Persons of the City are joyn'd with several Church-Wardens Constables and other Officers All these tho' of different Persuasions joyn against Profaneness and Debauchery And these have put down several Markets kept on the Lords-Day and supprest some hundreds of Houses of ill Fame And by the industry of this Society alone about two Thousand lewd Persons have suffer'd the
is He puts an honour upon us by giving us the opportunity and advantage of being employed in it 'T is He crowns our weak Endeavours with so unexpected success But especially we shou'd consider that we neither perform this nor any other part of the Work assign'd us without great weakness and imperfection without manifold frailties and failings and in so faulty a manner as needs infinite Mercy and Goodness to forgive our defects and much more to accept and reward our sincerity So that we must after our purest Services wash our Robes and make 'em white in the blood of the Lamb 7 Rev. 14. After all we have done we must say as our Lord has taught us That we are but unproficable Servants that have only done that which was our duty to do 17 Luke 10 v. And now I shall conclude this Discourse with one general Remark concerning this eminent Reformer Nehemiah viz. That in the whole History of his Transactions we may see very conspicuous characters not only of his signal Piety but of his universal Probity and Goodness His whole life seems to have been of a piece most upright and unblameable He was every way a bright Example to the Age in all pious and vertuous Conversation And such a man was most proper for so glorious and so difficult an Undertaking And herein above all I would recommend him as a Pattern to those of you that appear so active in this necessary Work of publick Reformation For this alone can put honour upon your worthy Enterprize and give general success to it For shou'd you be guilty of any of those Vices your selves which you convict others of this wou'd render all your pretences to Zeal for Reformation of manners the object of publick Contempt and Indignation Who wou'd not in this case upbraid you in the Language of the Apostle Thou that sayest another shou'd not commit Adultery Dost thou commit Adultery Thou that makest thy boast of the Law through breaking the Law dishonourest thou God 2 Rom. 22 23. Nay this is not enough your Conversation must not only be free from these Vices but from all other Instances of such known and equally heinous Immorality and Wickedness even such as human Laws may not take cognizance of to Restrain and Punish For if you that will not Whore or Swear or Prophane the Lord's-Day yet will Lye or Defraud Grind and Oppress c. Who will not be ready to Reproach your forwardness to Punish those other Sins in the Language of our Saviour Thou Hypocrite first cast the beam out of thine own Eye and then shalt thou see more clearly to cast the more out of thy Brothers Eye 7 Matth. 5. v. Who can forbear to say Physician heal thy self First strictly reform thy own life before thou settest up for a Reformer of the Age. The Snuffers of the Sanctuary were to be of pure Gold And their Light shou'd shine brightly in all good Works who go about to reclaim others from their Works of Darkness In a word Your abounding in all the fruits of Piety and Holiness Justice and Charity Humility and Meekness Sobriety and Heavenliness will be the highest Credit and the best support to the excellent Cause you are engag'd in and most effectually silence all Reproaches against it And indeed the Cause you have espous'd is so truly honourable in it self so eminently conducive to the Glory of God so highly acceptable to him and approv'd by all good Men that I doubt not you may apply to your selves for your Encouragement in prosecuting it what God himself speaks to the Jews when they began to Rebuild his Temple From this day I will bless you 2 Hag. 19. v. And I am truly persuaded that his gracious Providence will give us occasion from these our sincere and vigorous attempts against Irreligion and Vice to Date not only the sensible Revival of the Internal Interest of true Religion but also the Rising Prosperity and Glory of these Kingdoms So that by becoming a Reformed we shall become a Flourishing and Happy People FINIS