Reason why it shou'd be so for the more Men know of Vice when once throughly awaken'd from its Charms they more they will abhor and detest it Besides 't is what they are strictly oblig'd to in Conscience For having heretofore dishonour'd GOD obstructed Religion and made Men Enemies to Virtue They are bound if I may so speak to make what Restitution they can to all those for the Injuries they have done them Have they heretofore Prophan'd GOD's Name or his Word or his Day Then surely if their Repentance be sincere they will not only in the highest manner honour these themselves but be very assiduous to procure them all possible Reverence from others Have they entic'd others to Sin and been but too unhappily successful in it Shou'd not then their Zeal be constant and active as the Sun and Light and bring Men to a sense of their Duty that so they may be Instruments of saving more than they have been the Fatal Means of destroying Have they injur'd Religion by their Evil Examples Then surely their Lives for the future shou'd be bright and unspotted their Actions Eminently Holy and a most engaging Pattern of Piety they shou'd set to the World Had they almost miscarry'd and been ruin'd for ever by their Wickedness had not the Goodness of GOD miraculously interpos'd for their Deliverance Then 't is certainly their Duty to caution others of those Rocks whereon they had well nigh been Ship-rack'd Such was the Practice of those great Examples of sincere Repentance Holy David and St. Paul After the former had in very passionate terms bewail'd his Sins and implor'd the Pardon of GOD for them as the natural consequence of his Repentance he declares his Pious Resolution I will teach thy ways to the Wicked and Sinners shall be converted unto thee Psal. 51.13 And thus it was with St. Paul after his Conversion Did he once make Havock of the Church He afterwards labour'd more abundantly than all the Apostles to enlarge and strengthen it Was he once a bitter Enemy to Christianity a Blasphemer and Reviler of the Son of GOD He afterwards prov'd a most Zealous Advocate for the one a most Successful Preacher of the other Did he hale the Saints to Prison was he consenting to their Death To the same Religion they profess'd he adher'd faithfully unto Death and for it was Crown'd with Martyrdom himself And thus shou'd all true Penitents behave themselves whatever tends to the Advancement of Religon with all the powers of their Souls they shou'd pursue themselves and recommend to others with a most Industrious Zeal Then wou'd their Repentance be not only sincere but compleat available to their Pardon and cause Joy in the presence of the Angels Fourthly and Lastly They who have enter'd into Societies for Reformation of Manners and thereby avow'dly engag'd in the service of Piety and Religion are particularly oblig'd to be Zealously Affected against those foremention'd Dangerous Sins My Argument does not require that I shou'd undertake a just Vindication of such Societies and prove the usefulness of them this has been fully done by others and the great service they daily do Religion sufficiently proclaims it Yet we may in general observe that Vice is too potent an Enemy to be defeated by any single endeavours Vice which too often baffles the united Labours of the best Men in the World and is supported by a confederacy of all the Powers of Darkness Besides we cannot but be sensible that good Men have need of Companions to animate them to a work of Difficulty and Danger We are afraid to appear Champions for Religion are afflicted with an evil shame and easily discourag'd when alone But a competent number when join'd in a Society advise support and excite one another The Prudent Calmness of some restrains the Irregular Warmth of others whose Vigorous Zeal on the other hand like Fire communicates Heat and Life and Spirit to the Negligent and Indifferent gives flame to their Affections and enlivens their Souls Again 't is reasonable to believe that what the United Councils of many resolve upon and what is Prosecuted by their joint Endeavours will be more wisely undertaken and more successfully accomplish'd than if there were no such Union either in Council or in Action So that a great many good Men who wou'd otherwise be of little use to Religion do very much advance and promote it by thus joining together their Hearts and Hands for that purpose as those many little Stars which make up what we call the Milky way in the Heavens wou'd if separated wholly disappear but by their Conjunction afford a very useful Light to the World We are all sufficiently convinc'd of the necessity of Societies in many other cases for carrying on any design of Importance If a Prince is become too Potent for one Neighbour whom he is likely to Devour then many become Confederates to humble him Is any great Trade to be undertaken which is too difficult and expensive for any Private Fortune and Contrivance Then is it usually accomplish'd by a Society or Company Our Common Safety shews us the necessity of Parliaments which are but great Societies for Reforming the Common Wealth by redressing Grievances and making Useful Laws And is Religion the only that either does not need or does not deserve a Society to promote and secure it Is not suppressing Publick Impiety Lewdness and Prophaness bringing those who are openly Wicked and Proud of being so esteem'd to Punishment and removing from others the Pestilence of Evil Examples are not all these Matters of great Weight and Moment and which deserve the most serious Thoughts of the Prudent as well as the Religious And if these things can be better effected by Societies than any other way does not that fully evince the Usefulness or rather great Necessity of them If Reformation of Manners can be accomplish'd more successfully by other Methods than these of Societies it wou'd do great service to Religion to discover them to the World but since that has not yet been done 't is very reasonable that Persons of Piety and Zeal shou'd go on in the way they know till they be made acquainted with a better I own did every Man among us Conscientiously discharge his Duty in his Station and according to his Capacity were there no Negligent Ministers nor any Unfaithful Magistrates and did every other Person in his Private Capacity do what in strictness he ought to do then the whole Church wou'd be one great Religious Society and that wou'd supersede the necessity of any other But seeing that never was in any Age of the Church not in the most Primitive and Purest times Seeing that Ecclesiastical Discipline is fallen so very low that Church Censures are lost upon the greater part of Mankind And seeing we have no prospect of any publick alteration for the better but have cause to fear that every thing will become worse unless the impending Mischief be in time
prevented seeing the case is so I think it plainly follows that those Men of Eminent Integrity and Virtue how low soever some of their Fortunes may be who without any prospect of Worldly Advantage nay to their manifest loss have resolv'd to encounter Difficulties and Dangers and undergo Calumnies and Slanders rather than Wickedness shall continue bare-fac'd and Vice spread every where without opposition any more Those Men I say deserve all Encouragement to themselves and their design The countenance and protection of our Governours and all who wish well to Religion 'T is true they have had no small share in Censures and Objections But what Person so innocent what Design to laudable as to escape them If Christianity the best Religion If the Blessed Jesus the Holiest Person that ever was have been and daily are Blasphem'd Revil'd and Slander'd What are you my Brethren that you shou'd hope to be Exempted from the Common Fate of the best Men in the World Has Satan entirely chang'd his Nature and laid aside his Malice Is he not only transform'd into the likeness of an Angel of Light but become really one Will he no more oppose Religion no more obstruct Reformation of Manners Or has the Old Serpent lost at once his Cunning and his Poyson Has he so often mis-represented Religion with great success and expos'd it to publick Hatred by Painting it as some frightful Monster And won't he still prosecute the same Methods which have hardly ever fail'd him and endeavour to defeat the good Designs of some Men by raising unaccountable Jealousies and Fears in others and labour to undermine by secret Calumnies and Slanders what he wants Power directly to oppose But yet if Two or Three sorts of Persons were silent very few Mouths wou'd be open'd against Societies for Reformation Those who take things upon Trust and Condemn without knowing the Merits of the Cause who have been impos'd upon for want of due enquiry by false Representations both of the Design and Persons concern'd in it Or those who being not truly Zealous themselves are angry that any shou'd go beyond them and thereby tacitly reproach their want of Zeal or they lastly who are enrag'd that their unlawful Liberties shou'd be check'd and restrain'd that any shou'd presume to Curb their Lewdness and Prophaness But the Clamours of these kinds of Men are ill grounded and unjust such as can be no surprize to any who are acquainted with the Corruptions of Humane Nature and consider the active indefatigable Malice of the Devil and therefore can never shake a prudent well establish'd Zeal And such I trust in GOD your Zeal will always be and that you will still find that Encouragement and Protection to which you are justly intitl'd by the Excellency of your Undertaking and Prudence of your Behaviour I am perswaded you did not enter into these Societies rashly and unadvisedly but weigh'd all the hardships and inconveniences you might reasonably expect on the one hand and consider'd the motives which excited your Zeal on the other and after mature deliberation chose the good part and resolv'd with great Constancy to adhere to it chearfully to bear Opposition Contempt and Reproach provided you might be able to put a stop to any one prevailing Sin But the same Christian Zeal which first mov'd you to Asscociate against Vice will oblige you to continue and persevere to become more Active and Zealous in suppressing it To this your Obligations are great as Members of the Christian Church into which when you were admitted you vow'd to continue Christs Faithful Servants and Soldiers to your Lives end But your belonging to a Society whose sole end is Reformation of Manners has much encreas'd them A Design the best and noblest in the World but which ought to be Prosecuted with a very constant prudent Zeal that the Enemies of Piety may not be able to insult may have no occasion to upbraid any of you either with Negligence or Imprudence And then will you more successfully promote your Great and Excellent End and in due time stop the Mouths of Gain-sayers These are the several orders of Men who are particularly oblig'd to be Zealously Affected in suppressing Prophaness and Vice not that any are exempted from it it is the Business and Duty and ought to be the Study and Practice of every Christian. Here all are Commanded and may without a Crime put forth their Hands to support the Ark. 'T is true they cannot they must not all attempt to do it the same way what is the Indispensible Duty of one may be a Great Sin in another to pretend to And tho all ought to shew their Zeal for Religion and Reformation yet they must take different ways of shewing it which leads me to the Third Particular I propos'd to speak to which was to point out those ways wherein we may best employ and shew our Zeal so as to attain the Excellent Ends it aims at Something of this I have hinted at already for by mentioning those several sorts of Men who are oblig'd to higher degrees of Zeal against Vice than others I did in effect shew how their Zeal is to express it self Thus for Example Are we Zealous Ministers of Religion Then must our Zeal appear both to GOD and Man in our Publick Preaching and Exemplary Life and in our Private Labours and Endeavours to infuse Piety and Zeal into others We must shew our Zeal by leading the way to others in the best manner Prudence directs and so far as our Duty requires And lastly our Zeal must express it self in Constant and Fervent Prayers to GOD for his Blessing and Assistance Again are we Zealously Magistrates Then are we to employ our Zeal in Vigorously Executing the Laws against Immorality and Prophaness We are to Countenance and Encourage all who are engag'd in the Service of Religion and Reformation and secure them from the rude insults of those who have made themselves their Enemies And to influence others to Honour Religion by the Brightness of our own Examples As for those of Inferiour Degree whose Station is Private and whose Condition is Obscure even they may many ways testifie the sincerity of their Zeal and make it very serviceable to Piety and Virtue The meanest Man among us has a Family to take care of and that he may preserve from the Infection of Reigning Sins He can Admonish can Reprove and Correct his Child or his Servant with Authority and good Effect He may also Exhort and Advise his Neighbour of his own Rank nay he may Reprove him too upon a Just Occasion and in a Prudent Manner and thereby contribute much to reclaim him Such a Man may especially be very useful to Religion by bringing the open Enemies of it to deserved Punishment He will unavoidably be often a Witness of Publick Sins He will frequently see the Lords-Day Prophan'd and hear GOD's Holy Name Dishonour'd and Blasphemed and that by those who are too Great
in great Variety of Passions it appear'd in his Hatred his Joy and in his Grief In his Hatred Psal. 26.5 I have Hated the Congregation of the Wicked and will not sit among the Ungodly In his Joy Psal. 122.1 I was glad says he when they said unto me we will go into the House of the LORD He was glad to see Piety prevailing among others and that the Motion of going to the House of the LORD shou'd come from any besides himself But the greatness of his Zeal chiefly shew'd it self in his Grief a truly Zealous Man meeting with many more occasions of Sorrow than Joy from others And therefore the Psalmists Language is sometimes very Mournful Psal. 119.136 Rivers of Waters run down mine Eyes because they keep not thy Law And again vers 158. I beheld the Transgressors and was grieved because they kept not thy Word 1 King 18. How Zealous was Elijah against Idolatry He boldly Reprov'd the King of Israel and destroy'd the Priests of Baal tho he was no Stranger to Jezabels Revengeful Spirit Nay he appeal'd to GOD himself that he had been very Zealous for the LORD GOD of Hosts Neh. 13.15.21 Nehemiah is a Noble Example of Zeal and Courage fit for all Christians but chiefly Magistrates to follow He Contended with the Great Men of Judah for Prophaning the Sabbath He did not modestly pass by their Faults out of respect to their Quality nor gently touch as if afraid to hurt them but oppos'd all abuses of the Sabbath with great Zeal and Resolution and at last effectually suppress'd them tho very general and prevailing The Time wou'd fail me to mention all the Prophets Apostles the Primitive Saints Confessors and Martyrs who have been Eminent Examples of a fervent Zeal who valu'd not Ease nor Fame nor Life so they might propagate the True Religion and effectually discourage Impiety and Vice A Zeal which Conquer'd the World and all the Powers of Darkness to which nothing was too difficult to be done nor too grievous to be suffer'd in so Glorious a Cause If we observe but the single instance of St. Paul we cannot without amazement Reflect upon the many Persecutions Calamities and Afflictions the many Perils by Land and Sea from his own Country-Men and Strangers from open Enemies pretended Friends and false Brethren which his Zeal embold'd him to meet and enabl'd him to bear But behold we have a greater Example of Holy Zeal than he and that is the Son of GOD and Saviour of the World It was Zeal for the Reformation and Happiness of the World brought him down from Heaven and expos'd him to Poverty and Misery and Disgrace here below The same Holy Zeal made him boldly Reprove the Greatest among Men whilst he famiâ—iarly Convers'd with the Meanest made him Toil and Labour and go about doing Good even to those who made him the returns of Hatred for his Good-Will Out of Zeal for the True Religion he Unmask'd the Pharisees and laid open their Hypocrisie and brought upon himself the Hatred and Revenge of that Malicious Dissembling Sect. Nay his Zeal made him once lay aside the Lamb and with the Resentment as well as Authority of an Offended Judge Vindicate the Honour of GOD by Scourging the Buyers and Sellers out of the Temple So that with great Justice does the Evangelist apply that Expression of the Psalmist to our LORD the Zeal of thy House Jo. 2.15.17 hath Eaten me up But the most Stupendous Instance of Divine Zeal is the Blessed Jesus Dying to promote the Glory of GOD and happiness of Mankind We Honour the Zeal of those who are willing to undergo Trouble and run a few Hazards for Religion What then shall we say of the Zeal of our Blessed Saviour Zeal which Nail'd him to the Cross and Shed his Blood and made him yield up the Ghost Zeal which made his Soul all Gloominess and Horror depriv'd him of the usual Manifestations of his Fathers Love forc'd him to cry out that his GOD had forsaken him and in the bitterest Agonies of Soul and Body to expire This was wonderful Zeal indeed nay Zeal that wants a Name being beyond our Expressions and even too narrow Thoughts Yet such as shou'd strongly engage us to the exactest Imitation we are capable of and turn our whole Soul into Flames of Zeal and Love for him to whom we owe whatever we enjoy or hope for who even lay'd down his Life for us to Rescue us from Misery and Intitle us to Eternal Glory Such Examples of Zeal does the Word of GOD set before us the best greatest we can have even Patriarchs Kings Prophets and Apostles and above all the Great Captain of our Salvation the Holy Jesus And while we have these in view can any of us be cold and indifferent in that Service which is most acceptable to GOD the Promotion of Religion and Reformation of Manners In otheâ— Cases Examples raise a Generous Emulation they give us Courage to attempt the most difficult Undertakings and Constancy to endure the greatest Tryals And shall this be the single Instance in which we are not asham'd to be out-done by all Let us then blush and hang down our Heads when we compare our own Slothfulness with the unweary'd Labours of others and find our selves backward to meet with Difficulties and Dangers in a Service wherein so many have chearfully Sacrific'd their Lives But to these Primitive Examples give me leave to add one of this present Age of a Person Eminent for the Greatness of her Station much more for Piety and Goodness whose Memory we all Honour and whose Untimely Death we yet bewail I mean our late Excellent QUEEN whose Zeal for Piety and Religion seem'd to our-shine Her other Excellent Qualities She was not Diverted by the Solicitudes of a Crown from neglecting any Religious Duty Her self Her Example Recommended Piety to the World with all its Native Charms And in Her appear'd all the Majesty of a Queen with the Unaffected Humility of the Devoutest Christian. Nothing went nearer Her Heart than that Immorality and Prophaness She perceiv'd every where prevailing and nothing with so much Joy did She Encourage as what had a tendency towards Reformation of Manners Of which I need give but one Instance the Countenance She gave the Societies for Reformation in England For as we learn from a very Pious and Useful Book Intitled Pag. 8.9 An Account of the Societies for Reformation of Manners c. having this Affair laid before her in the absence of the King by a Prelate of Great Learning and Fame the late Lord Bishop of Worcester she had just Sentiments of it and therefore thought it became her to give it Countenance She Graciously condescended to Thank those who were concern'd in it and readily promised them her Assistance and afterwards upon Application made to her Majesty she was pleased to send her Letter to the Justices of Middlesex
a rational Nature and a Soul that is Immortal that yet does neither A Wicked Man he pities most and with great reason esteems him the most Unhappy of Mankind not an unfortunate Wretch broken upon the Wheel is so miserable since the most exquisite Temporal Torments bear no proportion to Everlasting Burnings Christianity is a Generous Institution and inspires us with a Charitable Concern for the Happiness of others as the great end of it is to qualifie us for the Society of Angels hereafter so where it is allow'd to exert its Power it gives us somewhat of their Divine Temper here makes us endeavour after the Conversion of Sinners and raises strong and lasting Joy in our Souls whenever it is effected And can that Man be esteem'd a sincere Christian who has no regard for his Brothers Eternal Happiness Who will not labour to stop the progress of a Contagious Vice and thereby prevent the Ruin of many Souls Let him pretend what he will to prove that he Loves GOD it is all Hypocrisie and Disguise for it is a Truth Written in Heaven as well as Recorded in Scripture That he who Loâ—es not his Brother whom he has seen can never Love GOD whom he has not seen And what a Melancholly Surprize will it be to many when at the Last Day the Great Judge of the World shall bid them depart from him notwithstanding all their Pompous Devotions and Gawdy appearances of Religion And that because they were not Zealously Affected against Vice and did not Industriously promote Reformation of Manners Because they labour'd not to retrieve the decay'd Spirit of Christianity and were Negligent and Indifferent when the Cause of Religion was at Stake And what various Passions of Indignation of Grief and Shame must distract such unhappy Souls when the Son of GOD shall thus Expostulate with them Can ye hope to dwell with me for whom you never had any true Honour whose Cause you did not Plead whose Interest you did not Espouse Can you say you sincerely Lov'd me when you declin'd my most Necessary Service the Punishment of Vice and Advancement of Piety What tho you did not Prophane my Name your selves yet others you cou'd hear do it with a Smile And did rather Encourage than Suppress that Sin And since through your want of Zeal many escape that Punishment which their Lewdness deserv'd is it not reasonable that you shou'd share in their Torments as you contributed towards their Guilt Therefore you must have no Honour from me whom you did never Honour And seeing you in effect Deny'd me upon Earth by neglecting my Service Justice requires that you shou'd be disown'd by me for ever And what Reply shall such unhappy Sinners be able to make to Infinite Justice when thus Arraign'd before Angels and Men Must they not be struck with silent Horrours at the Charge and Agonies of Soul too big to be utter'd But if they presume to speak at all their Language must be made up of Guilty Acknowledgements They must own the Justice even when they begin to feel the severity of their Sentence Secondly Another Motive to excite and confirm our Zeal in the good things about which it ought to be engag'd suppressing Publick Vice and promoting Reformation of Manners is the consideration of its being the most Honourable Service wherein we can be employ'd A Service of the greatest Dignity and Glory In other Cases the Worth and Greatness of the Person to whom the Service is pay'd renders it Honourable Thus to be intrusted with the most Weighty Affairs of our Prince and Country to Execute the Laws and Encounter the Enemies of both is what Ambitious Men are still aspiring after and wherein they place their Glory and their Happiness But now in this respect no Service so Honourable as Opposing and Suppressing Immorality and Prophaness It is the immediate Service of GOD himself of the Supreme King and Governour of the World before whom all Earthly Princes are as nothing Whose Transcendent Nature nothing can comprehend and who dazles all the Angels with the Brightness of his Glory Again does the Excellency of those who are employ'd in any Service render it Honourable Then none so Honourable as this It is at once the work and delight of Angels and the Heavenly Host esteem it their Priviledge and Glory For wherein consists the employment of the Ministring Spirits of Heaven But in their being the Instruments of GOD's Justice in Punishing his Enemies the Instruments of his Mercy in Rewarding his Servants In their restraining us from Sin by their powerful Influence and awakening us to Repentance by unseen ways Those happy Beings that are above whither Angels or the Spirits of Just Men made perfect are all Zealous of our Reformation They Pray for our Repentance they Rejoice at our Conversion and long for our Society And every Pious Soul that arrives safely among them encreases their Raptures and adds new strength and fervour to their Praises And is not that a Glorious Service whereby we Cooperate with the Holy Angels And must not our being thus employ'd in the Work of Angels be an excellent Preparative for their Conversation Lastly The more useful any Service is the more Honourable it shou'd be esteem'd Thus they who have been Authors of any great Good to the World have been highly Honour'd while Alive and when dead have been Ador'd But what Service so useful as this What way can we do so much good to Mankind as by bringing Obstinate Offenders to Punishment and removing Infectious Examples As by extirpating Vice and promoting Piety and Virtue As by averting the Wrath of GOD and smoothing the way to Heaven Let us not then be asham'd of our Great Masters Service but Praise him for the Honour it confers upon us and while others Glory in their Wisdom their Riches or their Might which are all Imperfect Transient and Vain if we Glory at all let it be in this that we are allow'd the priviledge and inspir'd with Grace to be employ'd in our Heavenly Fathers Business Thirdly Another Motive to excite and confirm our Zeal against Prophaness and Vice is the consideration of those many and Excellent Examples which recommend it And indeed we find none in the Holy Scriptures Eminent for their Piety and Virtue who were not equally remarkable for their Zealous Endeavours against Impiety and all sorts of Wickedness Noah was not only a Worker but Preacher of Righteousness 2 Pet. 2.5 verse 7.8 and of Lot it is said that his Righteous Soul was vexed with the Sodomites filthy Conversation How was Moses Transported at the Israelites Idolatry Exod. 32.19 His usual Meekness seem'd to have forsaken him his Anger waxed hot and he cast the Tables out of his Hands and brake them beneath the Mount Numb 25.11 12 13. Phineas's Zeal is Recorded to his Honour it stop'd the Raging Pestilence and Calm'd the Anger of an Incensed GOD. Psal. 106.30 Holy David expressed his Zeal
This is to extract the greatest Good out of the greatest Evil an Antidote from Poyson Again 't is Charity even to those who are Punish'd For Admonitions and Advices are commonly lost upon a hardned Swearer they inflame his Passions and make him renew his Sin But when he finds that his Oaths begin to be Expensive to him without any Compensation of Pleasure or Profit by that he will probably be awakn'd to see the folly of them and totally at last forbear them When a Man has suffer'd pretty often for Prophaning the Lords-Day he will at last leave it off and contract an Habitual Reverence for It. Now 't is Charity to break a Man of those Practices which if persever'd in will ruin him for ever let the Methods of doing it be never so disobliging 'T is Charity to Cure a Mad-Man of his Frenzy even by Chains and Scourges tho in the mean time he hates nothing so much as his Physician Lastly 'T is great Charity to the Youth of this present Age and to the succeeding Generations also To the Youth of this present Age whose Minds are yet tender and uncorrupted 't is great Charity to remove from them the Contagious Poyson of Vice and Prophaness For it is the Wickedness of the Aged that corrupts our Youth and the Example of the one has a Fatal Influence upon the other But we wou'd need little pains to make those who are Young Honour GOD's Name if we cou'd so effectually suppress Swearing that those who are Old durst not be their Patterns in that Sin And our Youth wou'd of themselves Reverence the Lords-Day were the Laws so well Executed that others durst not Prophane it But this never can be done unless we all think it our Duty to Inform against the Prophane and Vicious and unless Magistrates Encourage such Informations Then for the Succeeding Generations it is Charity to them to put a stop to Wickedness and hinder it from descending upon them for wou'd it not be better for them never to be Born than to come into a World to Corrupted that it wou'd be miraculous to escape Infection than to be Born to Sin here and Misery hereafter But if we have any Charity for those who are to succeed us we will be very Zealous in suppressing all sorts of Wickedness now and give continual Informations against those who dare be publickly Guilty of it and so we shall entail upon our Posperity with our Fortunes a more valuable Inheritance Piety and Virtue and all the Blessings of Heaven Upon the whole To Inform against Prophaness and Vice is what GOD's Law does positively enjoyn and require And it is recommended to us by some Excellent Examples recorded in Scripture It is highly reasonable and necessary all Men esteem it so in other Parallel Cases Our Duty to our Country Charity to the Poor and to the Offenders themselves to the Youth of this present Age and to the Generations which are yet for to come do all oblige us to it And surely these considerations are sufficient to Vindicate this Practice and recommend it too to Christians those especially who are Zealously Aflected in good things let those who want Zeal or Courage to undertake it or who have been corrected by it revile and censure it as they please I therefore hope that you will go on in the way wherein you have hitherto walked and persevere in a Duty so pleasing to GOD so reasonable and necessary and which Justice and Charity both require And will not be Frightn'd by the loudest Clamours the unjustest Reflections or most Malicious Accusations of your Enemies For if your Informations be disinteressed and impartial without respect of Persons or regard to temporal Advantage If they gratifie no Passion but Religious Zeal and such I believe yours have been and such I hope they will always be then sure I am good Men will Love and Praise GOD will Reward you for them I now proceed in the Second place To justifie Private Informations which are found absolutely necessary to restrain Common Swearing so that they who are Punish'd shall not know who Inform'd against them Were we to pass Judgment upon this Practice only by the violent Out-cries of many against it we cou'd not but condemn it as the greatest Injustice and Cruelty in the World The Multitude of the Jews did not cry more loudly against our Saviour Crucifie him Crucifie him And it is to be fear'd that some among us like Pilate are born down by Tumult and popular Noise to pass Sentence contrary to the Dictates of their own Minds To Condemn the Innocent and Release the Guilty But Innocence is what all pretend to and the most Prophane will seldom plead Guilty It is these Private Informers say they who have a load of Guilt to answer for their Informations being justly charg'd with Malice and Falshood and the Magistrates who countenance them with Avarice and Oppression And must we not allow it to be wondrous hard that any restraints shou'd be lay'd upon a Blaspheming Tongue That Men cannot use at pleasure the privilege of Speech which Nature has given them Cannot publickly Affront GOD and imprecate Damnation to all about them so many Sawcy Informers lurking every where Is it not harder still that they shou'd not know who these Invaders of their Unchrististian Liberty are who by being thus conceal'd from their knowledge are secur'd from their Revenge and so they cannot make them feel the Effects of their Indignation and Resentment But our Magistrates it seems are of another Mind and see no unreasonable Severity in this method of proceeding And indeed the Sin of Common Swearing must be so hateful to all good Men that to suppress it they cannot judge any thing severe if but agreeable even to Rigorous Justice But Private Informations against Swearers are very just and highly expedient and necessary they very much promote the end of the Law yet are Injurious to none nay even they who are most frequently punish'd by them have no good reason to desire that the practice shou'd be otherwise All which I shall now endeavour to prove First I am to shew that Private Informations against Common Swearers are just Now that Practice is just whereby the end of an Excellent Law is very much promoted yet none at all injur'd nor wrong'd And such is the Practice of Private Informations For is the Person against whom the Information is given Guilty of the Crime with which he is charg'd Then where is the wrong if he be Discover'd and Punish'd for it Justice requires that he shou'd not escape and whither the Information be Publick or Private provided it be true he has no hardship to complain of He has Committed a very Heinous Sin and is he wrong'd because he suffers the Penalty of the Law And indeed it is notorious that they who are loudest in their Complaints against Private Informations are the most Criminal they who are oftenest and always justly punish'd The true
cause of their Anger is the Penalty they suffer the manner of the Information only a pretence Let them Swear on and take no notice of their Oaths and they will be very modest in their Censures of Private Informations I suppose then it will be granted that Private Informations are just if they are true That which makes an Information unjust is the falshood of it And whither Informations shou'd be Publick or Private is rather a Consideration of Expediency than Justice There are some Cases in which Private Informations ought not to be allow'd there are others in which they are highly necessary The reason why in most Cases Informations ought to be Publick is to prevent and discourage Perjury and Revenge For if all Informations were to be Private and the Informers never known nor punish'd when they deserv'd it then no Man cou'd be secure either of his Fortune or his Life But if none of these ill Consequences can attend Private Informations against Swearing if they are no Encouragement to Wilful Perjury and at the same time are highly necessary to suppress that Sin which is the Original Cause of most Perjuries taking off all Reverence for GOD and an Oath if the Case be so then I think such Private Informations are very free from Injustice Now to be Convinc'd of this I wou'd have you consider that whoever knowingly Perjures himself to Injure another must be suppos'd to do it either to procure some Temporal Advantage or to prevent some great Evil or to gratifie his Passion of Revenge It argues the most Uncharitable Savage Temper to believe that any Man will go deliberately about the Sin of Perjury without any Motive Inducement or Temptation That he will at the same time dishonour GOD wrong his Neighbour and contract the Guilt of a very Heinous Sin himself and yet gratifie no Passion by it neither excite any hope of Reward nor remove any fear of Punishment nor calm any Violent Resentment And yet this is really the case with respect to Private Informations against Swearing The Informers are to have no share in what the Swearers are forc'd to pay Nor are the Magistrates further concern'd than to Execute the Law The Money is wholly for the use of the Poor Nor can the Poor be wrong'd of what they are thus Intitl'd to unless there be a Confederacy of the Informers and Magistrates of the Ministers Church-Wardens and Over-seers of the Poor to do it And as none are tempted by Rewards to Perjure themselves neither are they mov'd by Fear They suffer no Penalty if they do not Inform none will be angry if they forbear but they will be sure of Hatred if they do 'T is true there is one sort of Fear has some influence upon them And that is the Fear of the Great GOD of Heaven They are under too great an Awe of that Infinite Beeing not to bring those to Punishment who dare Prophane his Name Then as to Revenge that can never be a motive with our Informers to be Guilty of Perjury having no Personal acquaintance with most of those against whom they do Inform and having never receiv'd the least Injury from them Some I know will be apt to say that many even True Informations proceed from Malice and Resentment from Quarrels and a Revengeful Spirit And certainly of all Men Common Swearers have most reason to believe that they will meet with the Effects of other Mens Displeasure since they must be Conscious to themselves that by their Rage and Passion they have often not only affronted GOD but provok'd their Neighbour And no Man will pity them if this be sometimes their own case nor can that be Condemn'd as Revenge which goes no farther than the Execution of a just and reasonable Law But there is no great ground among us for this Uncharitable Observation the most Diligent Informers being freest from Revenge and who wish the Guilty Persons no greater harm than Repentance and Reformation Yet suppose it shou'd be so that Malice or Revenge were at the Bottom of some Informations of such every good Man will say with St. Paul in another case so Swearing be suppress'd whither it be done out of Strife or good Will I do rejoice yea and will rejoice Phi. 1.15 'T is true when a Mans Life or Estate is at Stake it is reasonable he shou'd be Publickly Try'd and Confronted with his Accusers and it is a great Excellency in our Law that it râ—quires such Publick Tryals so that no Man shall be Condemn'd without being allow'd to make his Defence But when a Pecuniary Mulct is all the Punishment to be inflicted on a Swearer for a Sin hateful to GOD and Man he is intitled to no such Favour The Laws against Swearing are just which in other Cases wou'd seem severe That Sin has no Temptation to Extenuate its Guilt and therefore the utmost Rigour of the Law is but too gentle a Punishment for it And indeed it is very plain that our Law-Makers design was that Swearers shou'd be treated after another manner than most other Criminals because by the Statute against Swearing the Oath of one Person is sufficient to make them lyable to the Penalty of it And that it was their intention that the Informers shou'd in many cases be kept secret at least that a discretionary power shou'd be lodg'd in the Magistrate to conceal them when he saw a reasonable cause of so doing we have reason to believe from hence because they cou'd not but foresee that the constant discovery of the Informers must needs discourage many from Informing and prove a great Obstruction to the due Execution of the Law if not render it entirely useless Besides Private Informations are much more allowable against Swearing than in any other Case that can happen For he who Informs against a Swearer proceeds upon very different motives from those who Inform against Felons or Traytors or are Witnesses in Disputes betwixt particular Men. In cases of Felony those who are injur'd Prosecute the Felon and spare neither Expence nor Trouble to find out the Truth They will invite Men to a Discovery by Proposals of Reward and can compel those who may be otherwise unwilling to declare upon Oath what they know And the same Methods are taken in all Disputes at Law In Cases of Treason Honours Preferments and Estates are promis'd and liberally bestow'd to Encourage Informations And 't is necessary it shou'd be so the publick safety being so nearly concern'd But they who Inform against Swearers have no Rewards to Tempt them nor are they compell'd by any Fears From Men they suffer nothing if they do not Inform they gain nothing if they do And are acted only by a Generous Zeal for the Honour and Serviâ—e of GOD. 'T is hard I confess if not impossible for Laws to be so contriv'd but some way or other they may be perverted and abus'd but in the Case now before us I think the Question is not whither