than any Foreign Enemy could be For our manifold Sins and Provocations without a more General Reformation than is yet to be seen amongst us the Lord the Lord God of Hosts may be provok'd to become our Enemy And where are we then What will become of us if we have him our Enemy As it follows Amos 9.5 The Lord God of Hosts is he that toucheth the Land and it shall melt and all that dwell therein shall mourn c. See Nehem. 1.5 6. I must tell you if you do not hate Sin if you are not Enemies to Sin you can be no true Friends to England But I may dwell no longer on this and must hast over the second Proposition which follows II. We are as expresly charg'd and commanded to love that which is good As 't is not enough to leave off and shun evil practices but we must hate the Evil So 't is not enough to do good actions but we must love the Good Quest 1. What are we to understand by Good here Answ Not any false or Phantastick Good Not what is only good in shew and appearance or in a Sinners deluded fancy Not the Covetous Worldlings good Not the Sensualists good No need of a Command to love Earthly Riches or Carnal Pleasures which Carnal Hearts are too much in love with But need enough of a Caution or Prohibition against setting our Hearts on these Which indeed we meet with again and again in Gods Holy Word But the Good we are required to love stands in opposition to the Evil we must hate Therefore look as whatsoever the Law forbids we are to hate as Evil So whatsoever He requires we are to love as Good Whatsoever is right and good in Gods Eyes should be so in ours He that is Wisdom it self and Goodness it self cannot deceive or misinform us concerning what is Good Indeed he is the prime good to be first and principally loved For that he is Summe Bonus summum Bonum superlatively most transcendently good the chiefest good He is Essentially Originally Infinitely Immutably Good He is Goodness it self And here is the Root of the Matter To lay a right Foundation we must see that we begin at the love of God begin at the love of God in Christ in whom he hath discover'd and made himself known as infinitely amiable And then we must love other things according as they are conform to his perfect Holy Nature and so far as is agreeable to his Good and Righteous will Quest 2. What is it to love the Good Answ In short loving the Good is the complacency of the Soul in that which is good whereby the Soul embraceth and cleaves to that which is good is knit to it as one with it and would by no means be parted from it but still follows that which is good and has a care to hold it fast Here you have a brief Account of the Affection together with its proper Effects Now what could be more reasonable and equitable than this Precept Love the good 1. Great reason for it from the very Nature of the thing Indeed these Precepts in the Text are such common Principles as all who would not out-face the very light of Nature must necessarily yield their Assent unto All that would shew themselves Men must grant that there is no place at all for Hatred if it should not be turn'd against that which is evil so no place to be found for love if not to be set on that which is good As indeed contrariorum contraria est ratio There is as good reason for our loving the one as for our hating the other Nothing more congruous to Reason than to love that which is good Omnis Appetitus fertur in Bonum And tho' the Sensitive Appetite looks at a lower kind of good yet surely the Will the Rational Appetite should look higher Does not every Man's reason tell him that of two sorts of good the better should be prefer'd the greater good should be chosen And certainly where the sensitive Appetite that should be under the Conduct and Regimen of Reason beareth sway will not be rul'd it shews such Men so far brutified and without the right use of Reason And if that which is truly really good should attract our Wills and Affections before a meer seeming good then should not naked Vertue be preferr'd and chosen before Vice in its richest Robes Tho' Vertue had no dowry here yet were she not to be embraced rather than any vicious course notwithstanding it promised one Kingdoms upon Earth with the glory of them Surely Goodness is the proper Object of Love the formal Reason of it the Loadstone of it And they that love not Goodness shew themselves monstrously deprav'd 2. Without loving that which is good 't is certain we cannot be good We may do things good in themselves but if not from a love to Goodness but only for some by ends out of Sinister Respects our Hearts may be stark nought They that are truly good have a sincere love to Goodness They love it propter se for its goodness sake That which is good is very grateful pleasing and suitable to a good Heart 3. There is no good we do that 's pleasing unto God if it be not from a love to that which is good Without this we act not from a right Principle nor to a right end Which things the Lord looks chiefly at more than at the bare outward Action 4. Without a love to that which is good we cannot follow that which is good as we ought to do 3 Epistle of the Apostle John v. 11. neither are we like to cleave to that which is good a Duty requir'd Rom. 12.9 nor shall we hold fast that which is good 1 Thes 5.21 without cleaving to it in Affection we are not like to keep close to it in our Practice Satan that grand Adversary with wicked Men his Agents will do all they can to discourage and draw us off from that which is good and to allure and draw us on to that which is evil 'T is the property of wicked Men that they would have all as had as themselves and the property of Satan that he would have all as miserable as himself and being void of all Goodness but as full of Wickedness as he can hold hence he envies us having not any spark of goodness or any inclination towards it 5. It is unquestionably our Duty to hate evil as we heard before And it is by the Love of Goodness that we come to hate evil When we hate evil we hate it as being opposite and contrary to the good which the Lord hath requir'd taught us to love hath inclin'd our Hearts to Love Now what Use are we to make of this Tho' I must be very brief Use I. Hence we may infer That there is a special Love due to those that are good A special love due to them even for the good that is in them and the
May you not here see the inexcusable Folly and great Ingratitude of Rebellious Sinners of a Wicked World that will not be govern'd by God's Laws Laws so good in themselves so good for Men so beneficial to Humane Societies were they generally observ'd Surely this would be the Wisdom of a Nation to observe God's Righteous Judgments Deut. 4.6 Keep therefore and do them for this is your wisdom So it should be well with them But what Miseries and Calamities doth the World groan under as partly produc'd and partly procur'd by the Contempt and Violation of the same Use Now what remains is for Exhortation And that specially directed unto you The Society for Reformation of Manners in this Town and Corporation tho' I would not that others should think themselves unconcern'd here Hate the evil and love the good and do what in you lieth to establish Judgment in our Gates Gentlemen Friends Brethren I can truly say that as my Heart is towards you who have offer'd your selves willingly to this highly necessary Service and my poor yet hearty Prayers have been for you from your first undertaking it so it would rejoyce my Heart if now the Lord would so favour assist and succeed me that I might help a little to strengthen your Hands yea that I might strengthen your Hands in God as we have the expression 1 Sam. 23.16 Well Sirs take God along with you look to him and his holy Word for Counsel and aim principally at his Glory and act from a principle of Love to God and True Goodness with an hatred of evil As tho' you may not hate any Man's Person how wicked soever yet the wicked Practices and Enormities of such you must hate and oppose And where milder and more gentle means are not likely to take effect shew your hatred thereof in exposing the guilty to shame and such other Penalties as may be legally inflicted on them And go on Sirs with your worthy Design so agreeable to the Law of God and to the Laws of the Land Deal couragiously and the Lord will be with the good 2 Chro. 19.11 Thus you will be doing your part to establish Judgment in the Gate And as your worthy example hath influenced some already it may excite and provoke more to their Duty to help forward this good work of Reformation Let me lay a few things before you to engage and encourage you to hold on 1. Think of the hainousness and odiousness of those sins which you have a prospect you may give some considerable check unto having your Magistrates concurrence As profane Swearing and Cursing call'd those detestable sins in the late Act of Parl. They are a most manifest Breach of the 3d Commandment in an Heaven-daring manner A taking God's Name in vain with a most heavy Accent Tho' the Lord hath threatned That he will not hold those guiltless but without Repentance will surely punish them that take his Name in vain And the sins of Drunkenness and Uncleanness how odious and abominable are they Each of them a Reproach to Human Nature They that serve such filthy brutish Lusts may seem to have put off Humanity to have degenerated into Beasts tho' in humane Shape which is the more monstrous Such Practices are vile in Heathenish Countries how much more abominable and intollerable in a Christian Kingdom And what is the open Prophanation of the Lord's Day less I say what is it less than Mens publishing their Impiety an open proclaiming of their Irreligion I suppose none of you could have been satisfied to inform against those Religious Meetings where nothing was taught contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of England and where other parts of Worship were the same for substance with the Worship us'd in the Church of England only differing as to some accidental Modes Whereas in the late Times Informations were frequently given in against such Religious Meetings while prophane Persons might even on the Lord's Day have frequented Taverns Ale-houses c. Without any fear of being disturb'd But I question not you can readily distinguish betwixt that case and the present case that lieth before you And you find Nehemiah contended with the Nobles for prophaning the Sabbath-day when they suffer'd others to prophane it chap. 13.17 What evil thing is this that ye do and prophane the Sabbath-day He declares against it as very ill done of them that they would connive at or suffer such prophanation of the Sabbath And then as to disorderly Houses how mischievous what infectious Places are they Seminaries of Sin and Wickedness Nets of unclean Birds Is it not a good work to help to pull down those Nests I mean to put down such Houses Places of Infection Yea were it not less dangerous to go into a common Pest-house than to haunt such Houses 'T is a worse plague that many catch in such Houses to their Souls everlasting ruine Indeed you must hate all evil but then should you not manifest an abhorrence of so great Evils and that when you are in a good Capacity to check and curb them 2. Think of the necessity of your Assisting your Magistrates if you would have the Laws against Prophaneness vigorously executed and would have Justice take place against such notorious Offences and Offenders Certainly good Laws if not put in Execution would signifie nothing would be as a Bell without a Clapper And Magistrates of themselves tho' never so desirous to be faithful in their Office and true to their Oath in punishing Offenders yet can do little or nothing without others giving proof of Offences and Crimes committed Without making use of others Eyes and Ears their Hands could seldom or never strike Therefore as there 's Honour due to them in regard of their Place and Office so likewise that help and assistance must needs be due without which they should but bear the Sword in vain And so I make no doubt but fully conclude that others are as well bound as you are to inform Magistrates of notorious Offenders known to them even as all ought in their Places to promote the due Execution of Justice but you have a great advantage of other single Persons as being associated and having got into so good a method That any single Person may say here What am I able to do in comparison of you tho' others are not hereby excused who will do nothing Now you doing your part offering or giving evidence against such Offenders if a Magistrate shall neglect or refuse to punish them the sin will lie at his door not at yours But blessed be God you have Magistrates who have countenanc'd and encourag'd you in this necessary work from your very first undertaking it 3. Consider are you not under the Obligation of Divine Precept to discover such Sin and Wickedness and expose it to due Punishment As an eminently Learned Man observes The charge of punishing great Offenders is given to the Community Thou every individual Exod. 22.18 Thou shalt
not suffer a Witch to live And hath not God made that which you have undertaken a Duty where the contrary is forbidden or condemn'd and where other plain unquestionable Duty cannot otherwise be perform'd The Israelites were expresly charg'd not to conceal an Enticer to Idolatry Deut. 13.8 Neither shalt thou conceal him And the reason against concealing notorious Offenders is the same here as there viz. if such be conniv'd at and suffered to go on in their Wickedness their wicked Practices and Impunity together will certainly tend to corrupt others and encourage others in the like Wickedness Again where the People are reprov'd that none called for Justice Isa 59.4 this is very obvious that if it were not a Duty to call for Justice on Delinquents if not a Duty to bring Offenders to Justice there had been no just cause to lay this to their charge as their sin as a culpable neglect that none called for Justice Again what Man is there that believes his Bible that can deny but those sins which you endeavour to get suppress'd if they commonly go unpunish'd make way for God's dreadful Judgments to break in upon a Land Then ought you not to do what in you lieth to make up the Hedg And are you not this way standing in the Gap for the Land Now can you at all question whether that be not your Duty Are you in any doubt or suspence whether that be more than the Lord requires more than needs then consult Ezek. 22.30 Again is it not God's express charge that we partake not of others sins that we have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of Darkness but rather reprove them Eph. 5.7 11. And 't is not enough that you joyn not in Fellowship with the wicked but you must shew your dislike of their wicked Courses and that in the most likely way to stop them Now meer verbal Reproof is not likely to do good on Beastly Stupid Hardned Obstinate Sinners but like enough to do hurt to work contrary to Intention where Sinners are full of Malignity In which cases that general Rule takes place Matth. 7. v. 6. Give not that which is Holy to the Dogs neither cast ye your Pearls before Swine And see Prov. 9.7 8. He that reproveth a Scorner getteth to himself shame And he that rebuketh a wicked Man getteth himself a blot Reprove not a Scorner lest he hate thee Here more good a better effect may be expected by putting such under the Rebukes of Justice and the Civil Magistrate at least more benefit to others Pro. 19.25 Smite a Scorner and the simple will beware chap. 21.11 When the Scorner is punished the simple is made Wise Certainly where Sinners are hardned and obstinate a verbal Reproof is not enough nor will excuse those from partaking of their sins who might do more to restrain them and do it not See 1 Sam. 2.23 24. compar'd with ch 3.13 When all you can do is little enough to restrain that Wickedness which has so long abounded Mourning in secret is not enough nor a private Reproof where you may meet with a Sinner that seems not uncapable of receiving it Alas how many desperate impudent Sinners may you meet with that would laugh at your Reproofs as Leviathan is said to laugh at the shaking of the spear But as Qui non prohibet cùm potest jubet He that does not prohibit a thing when he might in effect wills and commands So not opposing Sin and Wickedness so far as one might is interpretatively a maintaining or promoting it 4. Are you not oblig'd to set against sin in your Places by your Baptismal Vow and Covenant You are Christs listed Soldiers And I hope in the work you have undertaken you are sighting under his Banner owning his Cause acting his Interest and opposing the contrary Interests of the Flesh the World and the Devil And how shall we prove our Loyalty and Fidelity to Christ if we are not Enemies to sin 5. And should you not follow your Prayers with suitable endeavours To pray for Reformation but to do nothing to promote it what is that but in effect to un-say ones Prayers Shall I say that is to contradict ones Prayers or to undo them To pray Hallowed be thy Name and yet to take it patiently tho' one hears God's Sacred and Reverend Name dishonour'd and blasphem'd To pray Thy Kingdom come and yet not to appear against the Kingdom of Satan the Kingdom of Darkness as one might and ought To pray Thy Will be done on Earth c. and yet to suffer bold Heaven-daring Sinners to go on in their open Rebellion against God and manifest Contempt of his holy Laws without controul when one might bring them under some Restraint or Legal Rebukes how do these things agree To pray that the Wickedness of the Wicked may come to an end and yet suffer Men to go on in their Wickedness when one might put some stop to them sure this is not right but rather like saying ones Prayers backwards 6. Consider you have such an opportunity now offer'd wherein to be active for God and against the abounding Wickedness of the Age which if you should not lay hold on you may never have the like again How great encouragement you have to appear for a Reformation of Manners having such Laws and Rulers Magistrates to countenance and back you And what excuse could you have if you sat still at such a time as this Well think of it you may never have the like opportunity and advantage again as now you have of serving God and your Generation 7. And know this if you act sincerely in this Business the Lord will take it well he will look on you as serving him in your Generation And how good is it to be at work for God Psal 106.30 31. Then stood up Phineas and executed Judgment And that was counted unto him for Righteousness The Lord accepted it declared his Approbation of it as a piece of Service that should not go unrewarded Tho' it is not in your Hands to execute Judgment yet 't is something that you have Hearts to promote the execution of Justice And while you are standing up for God against the evil Doers fear not but he will be with you and stand by you And shall not your work be rewarded God would reward Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians as having wrought for him serving his Providence in being Instruments of inslicting Judgment upon proud Tyre whenas Nebuchadnezzar and his Soldiers had no intention of serving God in the War Ezek. 29.18 19 20. May not you hope the Lord is better pleased with the Service you have undertaken And he is the most bountiful Rewarder And if greater Judgments should be coming on a sinful Kingdom such as seek Righteousness may have hope to be hid in the day of the Lord's Anger In times of Publick Calamities they are safest or may bear up best who have the greatest care not to