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A65470 A sermon preached at the anniversary meeting of the Sons of Clergy-men, in St. Paul's Cathedral, December 3, 1700 by Richard West ... West, Richard, 1671 or 2-1716. 1700 (1700) Wing W1381; ESTC R14312 11,130 29

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A SERMON Preached at the Anniversary Meeting Of the SONS of CLERGY-MEN IN St. PAUL's Cathedral DECEMBER 3. 1700. By Richard West M. A. Fellow of St. Mary Magd. Coll. Oxon And Chaplain to the Right Reverend Father in God Gilbert L. Bishop of Sarum LONDON Printed for S. Smith and B. Walford at the Prince's Arms in St. Paul's Church-Yard MDCC To the Much Honoured Robert Constable Esq Dr. Tho. West Mr. Humphry Dene Mr. Iohn Bernard Mr. Richard Beaumont Mr. Tho. Hussey Mr. Henry Smith Mr. Matthew Shore Mr. Tho. Burnand Mr. Matthi Hickeringill Mr. Ioseph Grace Mr. George Guy Stewards of the Late Feast of the Sons of the Clergy Gentlemen THIS Sermon was Preached upon a very Good Design and at Your Request and the same Reasons have prevailed with me to make it Publick Which is all the Apology I think my self obliged to make for it Whether or no the many Excellent Discourses that have already come abroad upon This and the like Occasions have awakened mens Zeal 't is certain there is a very Publick Spirit of Charity now among us The Generous Examples of the Members of your Charitable Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy have not 't is probable been a little instrumental to that purpose The breeding up of Poor Children to Industry to a true sense of Religion and particularly in the Doctrines and Worship of the Church of England is one of your great Designs and God be thanked You have had in this Noble and Ancient City and in other Places very many Followers By this means you may hope to raise the Honour and promote the Interest of our Church and to secure to your selves those Blessings which will always attend the Encouragers of such Honourable and Pious Undertakings I am GENTLEMEN Your most Faithful Humble Servant Richard West A SERMON Preached before the Sons of the Clergy PSALM CXXII v. 8 9. For my Brethren and Companions sakes I will now say peace be within Thee Because of the House of the Lord our God I will seek thy Good THis Psalm gives us a full and lively account of the pious zeal and concern which King David exprest for the Good of the Church and by what Steps and Methods he thought it most advisable to proceed for the advancing the Interest of it Namely by promoting Peace and Unity among its Members and by seeking and praying for one anothers Good I shall have no occasion to press the necessity of following this Great Example nor shall I enter upon a description of the Vertues here recommended The Charitable design of our meeting this day to establish a lasting Friendship among Brethren and to consult one anothers Good Our forward Intention to assist those amongst us that call for our Help that they may not be destitute of a Lot and Inheritance with the rest of their Tribe has already made any further discourse upon either of those Topicks Superfluous and Unnecessary And therefore I think it to be more my proper business to entertain you with the prospect of those Happy Effects which will necessarily follow such Noble and Christian Designs The Duties which the Text recommends to us are Peace and Charity And in the sincere study and observance of both these our present Undertaking has firmly engaged us so that to consider the success which will necessarily attend it may be of some use to create in us that true Pleasure and Satisfaction which ought always to accompany the doing of Good The Method therefore I shall take in the following Discourse shall be only this I. In the First place I shall endeavour to represent the Blessed Effects that will certainly follow our practise of these Vertues II. And then in the Second Place I shall consider the Advantages we enjoy for the promoting such good Works and the returns we are obliged to make to God for them I. First then I shall endeavour to represent the Blessed Effects that will follow the practise of these Vertues I need not observe how much the Happiness of Society depends upon it that Men of Peaceable and Charitable Tempers are the greatest Benefactors to Mankind and that we more especially answer the Ends and Designs of our Being when we are most useful and serviceable to others Nor shall I mention how these good Offices raise a Man a Name and Reputation in the World command an universal Reverence and Esteem and are the most certain marks of a Noble and Heavenly Disposition I shall also omit those many Prayers and Blessings they will obtain for us and that certain Interest they will secure us in Heaven These are the natural consequences that flow from the exercise of these Duties and they equally belong to all those that consult the Benefit of Mankind either of these ways But there are other Advantages which we have more particular reasons to expect from our present Endeavours and which we are more obliged than others to have an especial regard to I. And first We may Hope by this means to advance the Interest of Religion II. Secondly To raise the Honour of our Church III. And Lastly To Vindicate the Clergy from Contempt And First That our design of promoting Peace and Charity will be of great advantage to Religion And that I am perswaded is a Satisfaction that we of this Assembly should be ambitious of purchasing at any rate For it must be a very pleasing Thought to every one of us that we can be able to strengthen the Interest or support the Authority of that Religion to which we owe so great a share of our Well-being and Happiness in this Life and all our Hopes of a Better And that we shall do a very considerable service to it by this means is evident from the great stress the Divine Author of it has laid upon these Duties and the Blessings he has pronounced to the observers of them He has made Love and Unity the Distinguishing Marks of his Disciples in this World and the Conditions upon which he will pronounce that joyful Sentence Come ye blessed in another To the Peace-makers he has given the Glorious Character of being the Children of God as tho they alone were of a Divine Original and had the true Image of God stamp'd upon them If then there is so high a value set upon these Vertues and they have so much the preference given to them above others by God himself If they are the brightest Ornaments in a Christian's Life and transform him into a resemblance of the Divine Nature we may be assured the more we excel in them the higher do we raise the Honour and Reputation of Religion By this Method Christianity first flourish'd and prevail'd in the World that love and unity which was so apparent among all its Disciples and those lively Instances which they perpetually gave of Kindness and Charity gained it every day fresh Admirers and Proselites This Practice won upon Mens Tempers and as mild and gentle as it was overcame