A SERMON Preached to the SOCIETY FOR Reformation of Manners AT NOTTINGHAM On the 25th of August 1698. By JOHN WHITLOCK Minister of the Gospel there LONDON Printed for John Richards Bookseller in Nottingham 1699. TO THE WORTHY MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY FOR THE Reformation of Manners IN The Town and County of the Town of Nottingham Gentlemen SEeing it is upon your Desire that I first preached and now publish this Sermon I shall not make any Apology for appearing in Print on this Occasion tho' there are so many excellent Sermons by my Reverend Brethren both Conformists and Nonconformists already published for the incouraging and exciting both Societies and Persons to and directing them in that great and good Work you and many others are ingaged in for the Reformation of Manners I am sensible I can add little if any thing to what hath already been preached and published upon this Subject yet was not unwilling to gratifie you in your Desire seeing hereby I have an Opportunity to give my Testimony to this Work of the Lord and express my hearty rejoycing in it and desire of the Advance and Prosperity of it I shall pray that God would eminently bless what hath been preached and published concerning this Matter to all and especially to you to incourage your Hearts and strengthen your Hands You have great Incouragement to go on from the Nature of the Work which is much for God's Glory and therefore very pleasing to him if done sincerely from right Principles to right Ends and in a right Manner And it may be a means to do good to Souls in preventing further Sin and Guilt yea it may through God's Blessing bring Persons not only to outward Reformation but to sound Conversion and you may hereby be blessed not only to prevent a Multitude of Sins but also to save Souls from Death And if it should be but one single Soul that you should thus win it would be well worth all the Pains you take and the Difficulties you are called to encounter with And this would be a means to prevent or remove publick Judgments and further the continuing of present and obtaining of more publick Mercies And you and others ingaged have also great Incouragement and great Matter for thankful Acknowledgments to God on account of his inclining the Hearts of many Magistrates with a Pious Christian Zeal to promote this good Work and also on account of the Success you as well as others have been blessed with by God very discernably in the considerable Restraint of many Sins And further to excite you to a well-tempered Zeal and vigorous going on in the Work you have ingaged in Consider you know not how little a while you have to work in for God and your own and others Souls and for the publick good God's late Providence should be laid to Heart and greatly improved by you that very awful and cutting Stroke I mean the Death of that eminent Christian and eminent Member of your Society who was so very active for God in his whole Course and in this Work in particular Mr. Joseph Barrett Grocer Son of Mr. John Barrett my dear Fellow-Labourer and one of your aged Ministers a great Loss to the Church and a more particular Loss to your Society I do not know of any private Christian that laid out himself more in promoting this Work both by his Pen and Purse How many Letters hath he written to Ministers and others in York Hull Lincoln Leicester Coventry Chesterfield and several other Places to excite them to the setting on foot this highly necessary Work and God hath succeeded his Endeavours already in several of those Places But God hath taken him away in the prime of his Time and Vsefulness in his Entrance upon the 34th Year of his Age. I mention this to excite you to the greater Zeal and Activity that you may stand in the wide Gap and make up the great Breach his Death hath made and also That whenever your Lord cometh he may find you so doing intent upon the Work he has set you to as he did this precious Servant of his I shall add no more but earnest Prayers for you and all others ingaged in this Work of Reformation of Manners that God would still more and more spirit conduct strengthen and succeed you which would much rejoice the Heart of Your Obliged Affectionate Faithful Friend and Servant J. W. Nott. Oct. 17 98. HOSEA 2.15 And I will give her her Vineyards from thence and the Valley of Achor for a Door of Hope THESE Words have a necessary Dependence upon the Verse foregoing as appears from those Words in the Text from thence that is from the Wilderness which God had said he would bring her into and there speak to her heart that is speak to her effectually in order to her Conversion to God and thorow Reformation after her horrible Apostasie from God and in the issue speak comfortably to her upon her return to God by Repentance and Reformation In the first Chapter of this Prophecy and in the former part of this God had been severely threatning the People of the Jews denouncing Judgments against them for their Idolatry and other crying Abominations yet intermixes Exhortations to Repentance and prophesies and promises of giving them Grace to return to him and of his returning to them in Grace and Mercy and bestowing upon them many both Temporal and Spiritual Mercies upon their return to him their only rightful Owner their first Husband In the second Verse he calls upon the Members of this Church of the Jews to plead with their Mother Particular Members of a Church and private Persons may and ought to the utmost of their Power and in their places having begun at home and first reformed themselves and Families set upon and further publick Reformation And as God calls on the Members of the Church to plead with their Mother so he himself calls on her to put away her Whoredoms and Adulteries threatning her if she did not ver 3.6 9 to the 13th and adds Promises too of reclaiming her by Afflictions For tho' the Expressions here used look like a Threatning and are in part so yet they are more a Promise than a Threatning in regard of the gracious Issue and Effect of it he says he will hedge up her way with Thorns yet promiseth this shall be the Fruit of it That she shall say I will go and return to my first Husband c. and in the 14th Verse he says he will bring her into the Wilderness but it was to speak to her Heart effectually both in way of quickening and Comfort When in the Wilderness she had brought her self into by her Sins and God had brought her into by his righteous Judgments God promises That he would then bring her to Repentance and Reformation and thereupon would restore to her the Mercies she had forfeited by her Sins and give her the Valley of Achor for a Door of
on is That when a People have sinned themselves into a Valley of Achor in regard of Trouble yet if it prove to them as the Valley of Achor did to Israel a means to bring them to Repentance and Reformation of Manners yea both of Heart and Life and that Work be throughly and effectually carried on it is and will be to them a Door of Hope of the restoring of God's gracious Presence and his bestowing temporal and spiritual yea and Eternal Blessings upon them Now in handling this Proposition I shall speak somewhat God assisting to these particulars I. Briefly shew what kind of Reformation of Manners that is which will render a Valley of Achor a Door of Hope and which all must endeavour to set on foot and carry on to the uttermost as they would have well-grounded Hopes that it will be so II. Prove from Scripture That the right endeavouring and much more the effecting such a Reformation will open a Door of Hope III. Give the Reasons of it IV. Shew what it will be a Door of Hope of and V. Apply it I. What kind of Reformation it is and what Attempts and Endeavours towards it are those that will prove a Door of Hope of God's gracious Presence with and Blessing upon a People 1. The Attempts and Endeavours after Reformation of Manners that will be a Door of Hope to those that ingage in such a Work whether Magistrates Ministers or private Christians and whether in Societies or single Persons they must be vigorous unwearied and persevering not giving over upon any Discouragements they meet with All that ingage in such a Work as the Reformation of the loose profane Manners of a degenerate debauched Age had need be furnished with holy Courage and Resolution to go on against all Discouragements Weak and faint Endeavours will never prevail against strong and rampant Sins and raging Corruptions Satan will rage and raise Opposition when he sees his Kingdom struck at and shaken and wicked Men will struggle hard e'er they will part with their beloved reigning pleasing profitable Sins that they have been long accustomed to and see them dethroned and restrained 2 Sam. 23.6 7. The Men of Belial are such as cannot be taken with Hands or gentle dealing but he that toucheth them must be fenced with Iron and the Staff of a Spear See therefore all you that ingage in this Work that you and your Endeavours for Reformation of Manners be and pray that they may be vigorous and unwearied 2. The Reformation that will be a Door of Hope and which you must endeavour to promote must be thorow both in Heart and Life not a Reformation by halves not only reforming the gross outward Acts of more than ordinary heinous scandalous Sins such as Swearing Drunkenness Uncleanness open Sabbath-Profanation and the like but even those that are lesser Sins in the Esteem of Men such as unruly Passions Covetousness Pride of Heart and Life c. These we must pray and endeavour to our utmost the Reformation of first of all in our selves and then in others as ever we would open a Door of Hope for thorow Mercies especially spiritual and eternal ones There must be Endeavours to promote a Reformation in our selves and others of Sins of Omission as well as of Commission To bring our selves and press others to the conscientious Performance of Family-Worship of constant daily reading the Word and Prayer Morning and Evening frequent instructing and catechising Children and Servants strict Sabbath-Sanctification as well as reforming gross Sabbath-Profanation and the Performance of secret Duties It is true we cannot reform others secret and Heart-Sins the Laws of Men do not reach these but we must earnestly pray for and press this Reformation Nor can we compel Men by the Laws of Men to Family and secret Duties but we must exhort to these Duties Those Governours of Families that are known to live in the Neglect of these Duties may as justly be kept from Sacraments as Persons guilty of outward Acts of Sin till they give Evidence of their Repentance and Reformation I grant that even upon the Reformation of Manners as to outward Acts of gross and scandalous Sins God may suspend the Execution of temporal Judgments for a time and may vouchsafe some temporal Mercies as we see exemplified in Ahab's Humiliation and Nineveh's Repentance and present Reformation but these were but Reprieves both in the Case of Ahab who afterwards was cut off by an untimely and violent Death 1 King 22.34 35 and so it proved with Nineveh as the Prophecy of Nahum doth emphatically shew It is only thorow Reformation that can open a Door of Hope to obtain thorow Mercies especially spiritual ones this therefore you should be sure to labour after your selves and pray for press and endeavour to promote in others yea carry on outward Reformation in order to promoting this 3. That Reformation of Manners which will be an effectual Door of Hope of obtaining thorow Mercies especially spiritual ones must be a sincere unfeigned Reformation such an one as hath the Heart ingaged in it so as that Sin is not only left but loathed Duties not only performed but loved and delighted in Sin forsaken and Duty performed from Principles of Faith and Love When Judah returned not with her whole Heart but feignedly Jer. 3.10 out of Complyance with or Fear of the Laws of Men Judgment was suspended for a time during the Life of a good Josiah but was executed upon Judah after his Death Therefore if any of you be reformed from gross Sins see it be not only from Fear of Men or their Laws or to procure their Favour but that your Reformation be sincere and unfeigned as ever you would have it to be a Door of Hope of obtaining spiritual Mercies or lasting temporal Mercies 4. That Reformation that will be a Door of Hope of obtaining God's gracious Presence and spiritual Mercies yea temporal Mercies in Mercy must proceed from and be accompanied with Faith in Christ Men must not only come off from the allowed Practice of Sin to the Performance of formerly neglected Duties but they must come thorowly home to Christ so as not to trust in their Reformation as their justifying Righteousness but trust in Christ and his Righteousness alone for their Justification trust in him and him alone as the Lord their only Righteousness and their only Strength Isai 45 24. so as by Faith to fetch Strength from Christ to forsake Sin do Duty and exercise Grace and be able to say as 2 Cor. 6.13 I have believed and therefore have I spoken I have forsaken such Sins done such Duties not only for Fear of Punishment by the Laws of Men or to please Friends gain Credit among Christians or stop the Mouth of Conscience but because I believed the Precepts Threatnings and Promises in the Word yea do believe in and rest upon Christ for my Justification Sanctification and Salvation and rely upon him for Strength
Hope A Valley of sore trouble as this Valley of Achor was to Israel at their first Entrance into Canaan yet if they did reform if they did restrain and punish Sin and Sinners as Israel then did and in that Course found even this Valley to be a Door of Hope to them so it should be with the People of the Jews now if they returned to God In these Words there is a plain Reference to that History which we have in the 7th of Joshua where you have the Relation of Israel's being worsted by the Men of Ai upon Achan's Sin there recorded for which he and his whole Family were in this Valley put to Death which had this Name The Valley of Achor given to it partly from Israel's Trouble on the forementioned Account and partly from Achan's Punishment there inflicted on him It was a very fruitful Valley between Jericho and Ai their entring into which and partaking of the Fruits of it was a Door of Hope to them a Pledge and Earnest that God would give them full Possession of the Land of Canaan But that Door of Hope was shut against them for Achan's Sin till Judgment was executed upon him for it but upon that being done this Door of Hope was opened to them again they succeeded against Ai and had that given them as a renewed Earnest of their enjoying Canaan So God promised here in the Text in the time of Hosea's prophecying That tho' the People of Israel and Judah had by their Apostasie Idolatry and many other Sins brought themselves into a Wilderness a Valley of Achor a very troublous State and dashed their Hopes of Mercy yet if they would as Israel did in the Days of Joshua reform and return to God restrain and punish Sin that should be to them a Door of Hope that God would return to them in Mercy and afford them an abundant Affluence of all Mercies temporal and spiritual So that this Text and what may be gathered from it affords great Incouragement to all Societies and Persons as do ingage to promote Reformation of Manners by bringing to due legal Punishment Sin and Profaneness Swearing Drunkenness Uncleanness Sabbath-Profanation and those things and Practices that are the Causes and Occasions of and Provocations to these and the like Enormities The Doctrine I shall raise from these Words and by God's Assistance speak to as the time will permit is this Doctrine When a People have by their Sins brought themselves into a Wilderness-Condition and into a Valley of Achor into great Troubles and Distresses yet if they be brought to Repentance and Reformation and that Work be effectually set about and carried on it will be a Door of Hope of God's continuing or restoring his gracious Presence among them and bestowing upon them both spiritual and temporal Blessings This Doctrine both what is implied and what is expressed in it doth clearly arise from the Text compared with the Context I. One Proposition implied in the Text and Doctrine is That the Sins of a People yea of a professing People may and often do bring them into a Wilderness-State a Valley of Achor into great Troubles and Distresses the Sins of a People provoke God to bring heavy Judgments upon them which tho' to the true People of God they are intended in Mercy and Issue so God using their Troubles and Distresses as sanctified means to bring them to Humiliation and Reformation yet they are sharp Chastenings and are for the present and to Sense a Valley of Achor not joyous but grievous Heb. 12.11 This is clear both from the History to which this Expression of the Valley of Achor relates Josh 7. and from the present State of the Church of the Jews in the time when Hosea prophesied In the History Josh 7. we read That upon Achan's taking the accursed thing a Babylonish Garment and two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight this brought Judgments upon Israel so that they could not stand before the Men of Ai Yea God expressy threatens That he would not be with them any more unless the accursed were destroyed and Judgment executed upon Achan for his Sin so to prevent the like Sin in others for the time to come And the thing is likewise clear from the Case of the Children of Israel in the time of this Prophecy In this Chapter ver 2-14 and cap. 4. v. 1 2 3. when there is no Truth nor Mercy nor Knowledge of God but swearing lying committing Adultery Sabbath-Profanation and the like break forth God hath a Controversy with such a Land and it shall be a Valley of Achor it shall mourn II. Another Proposition which may be gathered both from the History Josh 7. and the State of Israel at the time of the delivering this Prophecy is That when God hath begun to shew Mercy to a People hath brought them out of great Distresses out of an Egypt and a Wilderness into a Canaan a pleasant Land and fruitful Valleys such as this Valley of Achor was Yet if a People then fall into provoking Sins and do not humble themselves and reform their evil ways yea if every one in their several Places do not endeavour to bring Sin and Sinners to Punishment and restrain Sin and Profaneness in others what they can it provokes God to turn a fruitful Land into a barren Wilderness a pleasant Valley into a Valley of Achor Thus it was with Israel in the time of Joshua God had delivered them out of Egypt carried them through the Red-Sea and Wilderness and out of it through Jordan as on dry Land delivered Jericho into their Hands given them Possession Livery and Seism of a fruitful Valley as a pledge of the full Possession of the whole These were wonderful Appearances of God for them yet for the Sin of Achan till by their punishing him for it they had cleared themselves from the Guilt of it God turned this pleasant Land and this fruitful Valley into a Valley of Achor a Valley of great Trouble and threatens to make it still more and longer so if they did not take away from the midst of them the accursed thing And this Proposition is also proved from the Case of Israel in the time of this Prophet Hosea who prophesied in the Days of Jeroboam the Son of Joash King of Israel cap. 1. v. 1. There was a Door of Hope opened to them in a Valley of Achor in a time of great Trouble to the ten Tribes as you may see 2 King 14.25 to the end the Affliction of Israel was very bitter there was not any shut up or left nor any Helper for Israel then God saved them by the hand of this Jeroboam the second he restored the Coast of Israel as God had foretold by the Prophet Jonah yet by the Sins of Israel this Door was soon shut and they brought into a Valley of Achor again III. Another Proposition which is that I shall most insist