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A66353
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A sermon preached at Salters-Hall to the Societies for Reformation of Manners, May 16, 1698, and now printed at their request / by Daniel Williams.
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Williams, Daniel, 1643?-1716.
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1698
(1698)
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Wing W2655; ESTC R26374
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24,541
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74
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you the Members of the Societies with respect to your Undertaking THINK not lightly as to your selves of such Sins as fall not under the edge of the Magistrate's Sword For tho they are not so hurtful to Humane Societies and therefore not so provided against by the Law of Man yet they are as contrary to Christianity and inconsistent with it as others be Brutal Sins are chiefly those you have the Law on your side to punish But be you alike watchful against Devilish Sins such as Malice Envy Pride Rancour Lying c. Guard also against Infidelity Hypocrisie Carnal-Selfishness and all Impurity of Heart which with the like Sins God reserves for Punishment in endless Flames WATCH strictly that no Scandalous Practices of your own blemish or obstruct your Undertaking for you will be more observed than others and your Faults will induce a Charge of Hypocrisie upon all active Instruments tho never so sincere LET not your Endeavours be blasted by any appearance of Pragmaticalness Ostentation Folly Rage Vanity making a Sport of Sin Revenge or Partiality But contrive things so that the Punished may be forced to confess It 's Zeal for God and Love to them which entirely govern you in this Attempt TAKE care that your Ends and the Principle you act from be approved by the Heart-searching God that so you may not loose your Reward nor forfeit his Defence And know it 's possible for Carnal-Selfishness to be the Spring of Actions advanced to the height of these tho so very excellent Go not out of your own Station neither use any unjustifiable means least you prove Snares to others or your selves instead of Reformers BE tender of your Neighbour's Reputation and therefore publish no Man's Faults unless it be before the Magistrate in order to Civil Punishments or before Persons authorized to inflict Church Censures Reproachful Railing was never ordained by God or Man to be a Reforming Means And he who chargeth you to speak not evil of one another Jam. 4. 11. Yea of no Man Tit. 3. 2. will require at your Hands all that obstructed Service and all afflictive Dammage occasioned by your Reproachful Language ATTEMPT to Convict no Man of Punishable Crimes where your Proof is not full and evident for thereby you 'll discover your own Folly and Uncharitableness baffle your great Design expose your Neighbour to Suspicion and your selves to Danger BEGIN not with Severest Methods where you hope milder will prevail for it 's not Cruelty but Reformation is your Honest Aim and the last is best attained when the least of the first is needful ADMIT nothing to excuse your Vigorous Care to restrain Sin which will not bear your Dying Thought in a view of God's Tribunal LET nothing below or besides Reformation be your Design and yet be not satisfied with the meer Honesty of your Intention but use the best and justest ways which a well informed Mind directs as likeliest to reach that End TRUST not in your own Heart nor reckon Success to be at your own Beck but depend on and Pray much to God for his Conduct Defence and Blessing LIMIT not your Resolution to persist in this Blessed Attempt by the continued Assistance of others for many now Vigorous may cool in time but your Obligation will not cease by their Backslidings REPENT not of beginning this Attempt if you should meet with less Success and more Trouble than you at first expected For it was not well considered if you did not count your Costs and your Undertaking may be well managed on your part tho great Success be wanting But however unexpected Trouble will not lessen Duty nor Disappointment as to expected Success hinder your Reward nor will other Men's Faultiness be charged on you ALLOW not your Spirits to grow Luke-warm and remiss in this Work when you have for some time applied your selves to it and attained some degree of Reformation thereby There is need of this Caution on these several Accounts Your Endeavours will be faint proportionably to the Remissness of your Spirit Time is apt to allay that Fervour which in the beginning of an Enterprize is more common and Natural the need of Reforming Methods will continue tho you should find some Reformation as to open Impieties for many Defilements will abide uncleansed Corrupt Nature will soon discover it self when Restraint diminishes and the more violently because a while kept in SET no bounds to the Reformation you propose short of what the Laws of the Land do countenance WHATEVER Evils they remark do not you connive at tho they appear not so gross as those you at first encounter It 's Wisdom in a very Degenerate Nation to begin with the greatest Crimes But it will be Unfaithfulness when these are somewhat amended to overlook the Lesser for they are Evils and will if indulged dispose Men to return to such as are more Atrccious WISELY prevent all Divisions Quarrels and Sinister Dealings in your own Societies Should you be uneasie to each other your Strength is broken and the least injustice will sully your Reputation which is so absolutely necessary to your Usefulness The Reason why I caution you against Divisions is this It too often happens that forwardness in such Attempts proceeds from a Natural Fervour as well as a pure Heavenly Zeal and as far as this Natural Fire is active Provoking Insolence and Indiscretion are hardly with the greatest Care prevented and what tendency the discovery of these have to Quarrels and Disgusts is too obvious to insist on HAPPILY would this Work be carried on if a Divine Zeal in Sedate Tempers directs it and every one shall bear as much with each other's Weakness as he would in a Profitable Concern of his own As to that part of the Caution which relates to Sinister Dealings I have no ground to suggest it but that the Holiest Society here may have a Judas and whilst our Nature is not wholly healed we should be warned against Satan's Devices Lastly TAKE heed that your Societies Degenerate not nor be made to serve lower or other Purposes than this of the Reformation of Manners Earthly Minds may debase their use and Designing Men endeavour to pervert them They now are duly managed to Ends for which they deserve this Glorious Name Oh let that Name ever govern all your Discourses Designs and Methods He too little knows Mankind and the History of former Times that thinks this very Caution needless THE Lord impress these Warnings which Faithfulness to Christ and a great Esteem of your Undertaking compelled me to deliver I shall conclude the whole by calling you to Lament with me that the City and Nation so hate to be Reformed that they who seriously attempt it must bear the Scoffs of most and to be an Informer against the obstinately Vicious is with them a reproachful Title tho God records it for a Commendation to Men of highest rank v. 9 12. LET 's Bewail That after all God's long use of all Reforming Methods we should still have so much need to be Reformed That Text Ezek. 22. 24. is applicable to us Say unto her Thou art the Land that is not cleansed And when we consider that the Pestilence the Burning this City the Sword loss of Trade growing Poverty and above all the Gospel Means of Grace have been all so notoriously uneffectual to Reclaim us have we not great cause to pray that God pass not that Sentence against us which you find uttered by this same Prophet Cap. 24. 13. In thy Filthiness is Lewdness because I have purged thee and thou wast not purged thou shalt not be purged from thy Filthiness any more till I have caused my Fury to rest upon thee FINIS Books Printed for John Laurence at the Angel in the Poultry A Sermon Preach'd to the Societies for the Reformation of Manners in the Cities of London and Westminster Novemb. 15. 1697. By John Shower Octavo The Saints Convoy to Heaven an Occasional Discourse By Thomas Doolittle M. A. Octavo The Saints Mansions in Heaven A Discourse occasioned by and Preached upon the Death and Funeral of Mrs. Elizabeth Brooks late VVife to Mr. Samuel Brooks Minister in Darking in Surrey who Deceased March 13th 1697. By Mr. Tho. Doolittle Octavo Mr. Woodhouse's Reformation Sermon May 31th 1697 Octavo
A SERMON Preached at SALTERS-HALL TO THE SOCIETIES FOR Reformation of Manners May 16. 1698. And now Printed at their Request By DANIEL WILLIAMS LONDON Printed for John Lawrence at the Angel in the Poultry over-against the Compter M DC X◠VIII TO THE SOCIETIES FOR THE Reformation of Manners In the CITIES of London and Westminster WHEN First desired by You to Preach the Ensuing Sermon my Compliance would have been more difficultly obtained had I taken time to consider That it came within the Number of the Discourses that were to be Printed at your Request yea to be the last of them A Subject exhausted by Eleven Divines of so great Name and Worth can receive little Advantage by the succeeding Attempts of a Head so barren and a Heart so cold as mine HOWEVER My Promise being given I intreated His Assistance whose Cause I plead and the Event I commit to Him IF I have 〈◊〉 on any thing said by Others 〈◊〉 it s scarce possible to avoid it s not borrowed from them for I consulted none of the former Sermons in preparing this THE Medium which runs through this Discourse is very fit I 'm sure to inforce what is said before and notwithstanding the Defects of my Management I can say I believe what I deliver and approve heartily of your Good Design and what 's better urged by others to promote it IT S Matter of deepest Sorrow When Villanies of all Sorts abound When Men declare their Sins with Sodoms Insolency When our Settlement is thereby so exposed and a probable Safety from the awfullest Woes is held by a Thred so tender as the Life of His Majesty King WILLIAM That yet some Persons of Note require other Motives to espouse this Work of Reformation And many Magistrates shift off the execution of the Laws tho the Oath of God be upon them HOW rare is a Zealous Nehemiah Nay Symptoms of our Condition were less dangerous if all who served at God's Altar admitted Phineas for a Pattern of Concernedness in resisting Sin as 〈◊〉 are capable tho he is not to be imitated in the manner of his Execution BUT amidst great Causes of Fears and Lamentation let 's not ungratefully neglect to adore God's undeserved Goodness that our Constitution retains so many good Laws against gross Enormities The Parliament hath made an Address and the King pursuant thereto published a Proclamation so excellently acknowledging the dueness necessity and value of Reformation with Resolves of promoting it to the utmost It were very afflictive as well as uncharitable to think a stop could be made here and the execution of the Laws suspended as formerly for this would turn to the Nations Reproach and be an Aggravation of its Guilt by rendring the forecited Instances a meer Testimony against future Neglects and a cause of severer Judgments NOR is it an inconsiderable Presage of Good as well as a probable Means of England's Amendment that you have formed your selves into Societies for the Reformation of Manners a Title becoming a Christian Name an Enterprize alike owing to flagrant Zeal and amazing Courage an ordinary Spirit under common Assistances had been overwhelmed with the very view of the strength of that Tide of uncontrouled Wickedness which was at first to be stem'd by so very few HOW soon did Divinely inspir'd Minds coalesce in this Undertaking And easily made it evident That there is no such difference between Members of the Established Church and the Dissenters that will not be overlook'd by all Serious Persons when the undoubted Concernments of Christ and Practical Godliness are in danger BY an Union founded on a Bottom and designed to Ends so truly Christian your Numbers were soon increased Very many Magistrates and Persons of Eminent Figure gave up themselves to this Undertaking fit Rules were adjusted and the strange Successes which encourag'd your early Attempts do still grow more and more amazing being as much beyond the hopes of your timerous friends as the expectations of surprized Offendors who as Such only can be ill-willers to this Design nay Men strong in Faith are as in a Dream to see the Work of Reformation advanced thus far in so short a time and induced to hope this to be the dawning of that Season wherein Reforming Attempts shall succeed to those higher degrees of Purity which are prophesied of altho awful Dispensations may shake the frame of things to introduce it BESIDES it is no mean effect of your successful Example That Men of the same Temper in other Places in this Nation are awakened to exert their United Strength in pleading the Cause of Christ against Profaness YEA Ireland as if blushing at engaging so late when their Distress and Deliverance had been so astonishing Do even exceed your Fervour and Protestants of every Communion in Dublin account Reformation their greatest Business MAY not we hope that your influencing President may in time extend to all other Protestant Countries that none called Reformed as to their Faith may wear the Reproach of neglecting a Reformation in their Manners They owe the same Love to their Neighbour as you do their Municipal Laws against Vice are a Talent for which they are as accountable as you be for yours Gross Sins will be as dangerous to every Nation which has equal Light as they be to England and the Heart wherein a Divine Principle reigneth will naturally prompt to the same Zeal against Sin as they shall hear to be now at Work in your Societies BUT let the happy issue of your Undertaking be more or less extensive Bless you the Merciful God for inclining your Hearts to this Work and giving you the present Oportunity to express your good Intentions and not denying you such encouraging Success BE Conscientious in observing the Directions given you in the Sermons of all those Ministers invited to your assistance and neglect not to apply their Encouragements that you may be strong and faithful in what respecteth your own Duty in this glorious Attempt so you will die in Peace in a Review of upright Vigorous Endeavours to serve your Generation THAT this Discourse may among the rest contribute somewhat to your good Designs is the Prayer of Your Servant in the Gospel Daniel Williams ERRATA PAge 10. l. read is not p. 24 l. ult read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 30. in sheet C. Lult read disingenuous p. 18. l. 19. in the 3d sheet read their for the. The 3d Sheet is Folo'd as the 2d MATTH xii 30. He that is not with me is against me and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad TO understand this Text in its aptness to excite your promoting a Reformation of Manners we must consider the occasion of these Words which you 'll find in the foregoing Verses v. 22. Christ healed a Man possessed with a Devil who had deprived him of both Sight and Speech The Hand of that Enemy is sometimes great in Bodily Diseases and when they come by his immediate Agency