Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	aaron_n	hear_v	son_n	16	3	4.4026	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45376	A discourse concerning zeal against immorality and prophaness deliver'd in two sermons in St. Michaels Church Dublin, October 29, and November 26. 1699.	Hamilton, William, d. 1729.	1700 (1700)	Wing H488; ESTC R216947	47,580	69

to be Reprov'd by him and who wou'd answer all his Grave Advices with Scorn and Rage But then that Man ought if he has any Zeal for the Honour of GOD to Inform the Magistrates of what he has Seen and Heard and shew his own Zeal by giving them an opportunity of exercising theirs He ought without any by-regards to Interest or Friendship to acquaint those who bear the Sword with the Crimes that have been committed before him that the Guilty may feel how they bear it not in vain This is what many among us have of late done with very great success and therefore what I cannot but recommend to all as the most effectual means of entirely rooting out all gross Immoralities and publick Vices especially those more heinous ones I have so often nam'd And since it has pleased GOD to give us some good Magistrates who want neither Zeal nor Courage to put the Laws in Execution what remains to accomplish a through Reformation of Manners but that we contribute our Endeavours to it by giving constant and Impartial Informations against Offenders It is true an Informer has been generally esteem'd a Name of Imfamy and Reproach and in many cases not without reason It is an Employment has been sometimes taken up by Men of Blasted Reputations upon the basest motives and manag'd in the most disingenuous manner When we saw a Man accuse others of a Crime whereof he was himself more Guilty and that not out of remorse of Conscience or Zeal to have Criminals Punish'd but in hopes of Favour and Money from those in Power When we saw Informing made a Trade and Men getting Bread by Perjury mixing much Falshood with a little Truth When we saw all the Laws of Hospitality and Friendship violated and things spoken with Freedom and without Design told with Aggravations to a jealous Government When I say Informing was such an Employment as this no wonder if it was Scandalous to be concern'd in it But the Informing I am recommending is of another nature it is not to catch at an unwary expression which Malice may wrest to an ill meaning or when spoken under the Seal of Friendship But it is acquainting our Governours and Magistrates with those Blasphemies and Oaths which are often vented in Publick and those other Instances of Lewdness and Immorality which are overt-acts of Treason and Rebellion against GOD. In such cases it is our Duty and we shou'd reckon it our Glory to be Informers since GOD himself at the Last Day will encrease our Honour for being thus Instrumental in Vindicating His. 'T is true the Enemies of Religion have been and still are very loud in their Clamours against this Practice and do with great Industry throw an Odium on those who make Conscience of Informing against them But they have especially rais'd a mighty cry of Injustice against that manner of Informing which is found necessary to restrain Prophane Cursing and Swearing that is when the Guilty Person knows not his Accuser I shall therefore at present endeavour to Vindicate both these and shew that to Inform against Vice is every Mans Duty and that Private Informations are not only Just and Reasonable but of absolute Necessity And this I hope will be judg'd no digression since it tends to confirm us in one of the most useful and necessary Expressions of our Zeal I begin with the First of these which is to shew that we are strictly oblig'd in point of Duty to Inform against Prophaness and Vice This will appear if we consider First The Commands and Examples which in Holy Scripture require it Secondly If we consider the reasonableness and necessity of the thing First Let us consider the Commands and Examples which in Holy Scripture require it And can any Command be more positive express and clear that what we find in the 13 th of Deut. from the 6 th to the 12 th verse If thy Brother the Son of thy Mother or thy Son or thy Daughter or the Wife of thy Bosom or thy Friend which is even as thy own Soul entice thee secretly saying let us go and serve others gods which thou hast not known thou nor thy Father Thou shalt not consent unto him nor hearken unto him neither shall thine Eye pity him neither shalt thou spare him neither shalt thou conceal him But thou shalt surely kill him thine Hand shall be first upon him to put him to Death and afterwards the Hands of all the People And all Israel shall hear and fear and shall do no more any such Wickedness as this is among you From which words it is plain that to Inform against dangerous Infectious Sins such as have a tendency to destroy Religion and the Worship of GOD is so in dispensable a Duty that no consideration of Blood or Friendship can excuse us from it Our Duty to GOD Cancells all Obligations to Men and nothing must be allow'd any compitition in his Love Those who lye nearest our Hearts our Brothers and Wives and Children and our best Friends must be torn thence when GOD and our Duty call when His Service requires it who is our most Indulgent Father our Truest Friend and our most Generous Benefactor But Idolatry was not the only Sin the Israelites thought themselves oblig'd to suppress by Informing against it Cursing and Blasphemy were to undergo the same just severity As appears from the instance of the Israelitish Womans Son Lev. 24.11 12 14. Who Blasphemed GOD and Cursed Those who heard him were not troubl'd with that nice Honour some now a days pretend to and thought it no reflection upon them to acquaint Moses and Aaron with his Crime tho nothing less than his Death was the consequence of their Information The Witnesses were Commanded to lay their Hands upon his Head and all the Congregation to Stone him with Stones till he Dy'd And yet tho the Forfeiture of a small Sum of Money be all the Penalty inflicted among us for the Prophanest Oaths and Curses how few are there who have Zeal and Courage to exact even that who do not let that Sin be often committed in their presence and yet are afraid or asham'd so much as to reprove it Nor was the Sabbath-Breaker treated more gently than the Blasphemer by the People of Israel They who found the Man gathering Sticks upon the Sabbath-Day immediately brought him to Moses and Aaron and all the Congregation and he was Stoned with Stones till he Dy'd Numb 15.32 Had these Men liv'd among us how wou'd they have been Hated and Derided as Officious Informers who meddl'd in things that did not at all belong to them But they were convinc'd that no Man ought to stand Neuter when the Laws of GOD are publickly Violated and that the cause of Religion every own shou'd esteem his own and espouse and promote it with the same Warmth and Resentment But that it is our Duty to Inform against Prophaness and Vice will farther appear if we