A SERMON Preach'd before the SOCIETIES FOR Reformation of Manners IN DUBLIN April the 11th 1699. By ALEX. SINCLARE Published at the Desire of the said Societies DUBLIN Printed by John Brocas in School-House-Lane near High-Street for John Bentley at the Corner of Nicholas-Street over against the Tholsel 1699. TO THE SOCIETIES FOR Reformation of Manners Gentlemen THAT Glorious Work which you have the Honour to be imployed in hath afforded abundant Matter for your Great and Noble Attempts and also a very large and pleasing Subject for the many Excellent Discourses that have been Preach'd and Publish'd to instruct and quicken you therein But this Field how fruitful soever it was hath been reapt down by so many more Skilful Labourers that I have been left with the Moabitish Damsel only to glean among their Sheaves but hope for the Charity of Boaz that if I gather some handfuls they have let fall I shall not be reproach'd But I will not make any further Apologies how needful soever they may be for my defects in this Performance for it is enough that what I have done was in compliance with your Desires whom I esteem very highly for your Works sake and in Obedience to their united Requests to whose Spirits mine ought to be subject and that by overcoming the Reluctancy I had to expose my Weakness in this manner I give the greater Testimony of my fervent if not prudent Zeal for the Work you are engaged in A Work that was the Desire of former Ages is the Glory of this and may leave a Blessing for those to come which the Covenant of God the God of your Fathers doth oblige you to be active in which hath derived many Signal Blessings upon us already And that it is the great Duty and Honour of the Zealous Inhabitants of our Jerusalem and how far it may determine our future Condition and that our Hopes and Fears depend upon the Success of it I have endeavoured to show in the following Discourse You are encouraged by the Presence and Promises of God whose Cause it is and who hath blest you with wonderful Success And also by the excellent Zeal of his Vicegerent our great Josiah who hath given Life and Vigour to it May he be also as David as he resembles him in many other things to prepare abundant Materials to build a most Glorious and lasting Temple for Generations to come Nay may he be another Zerubbabel not only to lay the Foundation but also to hold the Plummet in his hand till he hath finished it and brought forth the head Stone thereof And may he be as Successful to vanquish the Devil's Kingdom at home by a more Glorious Conquest as he hath been to reduce his Enemies abroad to an Honourable Peace You and such as you are his Worthies and Armies upon whom he must rely in this Warfare against the Powers of Darkness Our Elders also have strengthened your Hands by their ready Compliance to Enact many good and necessary Laws that you are to assist in the Execution of Our Governours and Judges our Magistrates and many considerable Persons both in Church and State do give their help and countenance to it So that many great Names of Majesty and Honour Excellency and Justice Grace and Authority are all on your side and many more of all ranks and sorts of Persons do now approve your generous Designs and are daily coming over to you And shall not all this excite your Zeal quicken your Diligence and encourage your Perseverance and reproach them that are yet backward to joyn with you and assist in such an Honourable and Successful Vndertaking And it 's no small Encouragement that so many of different Perswasions in other matters do so heartily conspire together to carry on this happy Work wherein we are all agreed who do also provoke one another to a generous Emulation of promoting the great Designs of our common Profession not to a spiteful Envy that hath been the Curse and Character of the unhappy times that are past and may they be for ever past And may the Blessed God continue to protect and honour your Persons direct all your Counsels and prosper your Zealous Endeavours in this and every good Work and may he cause the Dawnings of this Blessed Day to shine more and more till all the promiser Mercies to his Church and People in this World have their Accomplishment and bring us to that perfect State where there shall be no need of a Reformation These are and shall be the earnest Prayers of Your Affectionate Friend and Faithful Servant in the Gospel Alex. Sinclare A SERMON Preach'd before the Societies for Reformation c. 2 Chron. Ch. 34. latter part of vers 32. And the Inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the Covenant of God the God of their Fathers THE Text I have chosen seems Calculated for this Meridian and evidently appears to be suitable to the present Occasion For it 's an everlasting Record to the great Honour of the illustrious Inhabitants of Jerusalem for their active Zeal in the most Glorious Reformation that was ever known in the Kingdom of Judah This Blessed Work had its first Rise and Spring in the tender Heart of that great Reformer 2 Chr. 34.19.27 the incomparable Josiah who carried it on to such a perfection That after a large description of its successful Progress it 's said 2 King 23.1.24 2 Kin. 23.25 That Like unto him there was no King before him that turned to the Lord with all his Heart and with all his Soul and with all his Might according to all the Law of Moses neither after him Arose there any like him He called the Elders together and caused all the People to enter into a Covenant to turn unto the Lord But these Renown'd inhabitants of Jerusalem Signalized themselves beyond all others by their ready Compliance and needful Assistance for they Did according to the Covenant of God the God of their Fathers And that this High Commendation of them may be well understood and fitly applied I shall briefly explain these three Things in it I. Who these Inhabitants of Jerusalem were II. What is the Covenant of God the God of their Fathers c. III. How they did according to it The first of these will be easily known if you consider That Jerusalem was the Metropolis or chief City of the Kingdom of Judah and that these Inhabitants of it are distinguished not only from them that were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin and them that pertained to the Children of Israel mentioned in the Context before and after But also from the Elders spoken of Ab eo decreta judicia exibant in omnem Israelem Dr. Light Vol. 1. p. 609. vers 29. who were the Magistrates or Members of the great Sanhedrim the Supreme Council and Court of Judicature not unlike to our Parliaments These the King gathered together to advise about the necessary and arduous Matters of the
that Manasseh had provoked him withal And the event was answerable to this terrible Denunciation when their Land was laid utterly desolate their City and Temple wholly Destroyed the greatest part of their people cruelly Slain and the rest carried into a miserable Captivity and kept there for a long and tedious 70 Years So that hence you may Observe 2d Doct. That an external Reformation begun in the chief City and carried on with great success thro' the Kingdom is the necessary means to prevent and may sometimes effectually delay But it is not always sufficient wholly to avert the Execution of impending Judgments from a sinful Nation In this Doctrine are only these two Parts that I will take Notice of 1. That such a Reformation is the necessary means to divert impending Judgments and may effectually delay the Execution of them for sometime This the tender hearted Josiah and Zealous Inhabitants of Jerusalem were very sensible of and also successful by their Blessed Endeavours to deliver themselves and the Nation from the destructive Miseries they had deserv'd during his good Reign and four bad Kings that succeeded him In which time the Lord waited to be gracious to them rewarded their present Attempts and made a further Tryal of their sincerity and constancy in this Reformation Rom. 2.4 5 6. But because they despised the Riches of his goodness and forbearance and long sufiering that should have led them to Repentance After their Hardness and impenitent Hearts they Treasured up unto themselves Wrath against the Day of Wrath and Revelation of the Righteous Judgment of God who rendered to them at last according to their Deeds Therefore 2. Such an external Reformation is not always sufficient to deliver a sinful Nation from the Calamities which they have long provoked a Jealous God to threaten against them For there may be such Defects in a Reformation of this Nature that will render it altogether ineffectual to procure their Pardon and freedom from his righteous Judgments So that I will next enquire what were the fatal Defects of this great Reformation and the Causes of their consequent Miseries notwithstanding all that was done to escape them and will only mention these two 1. They turned not to the Lord with their whole Heart Jer. 3.6 10. but feignedly as they are reproved by Jeremiah when he Prophesied in the days of Josiah the King And there appears too much Evidence for such a Charge in the History of his Reformation 2 Kings 23.25 For tho' the upright Josiah turned to the Lord with all his Heart and with all his Soul and with all his Might Yet the generality of the People had no Heart to the Work but were forced to it and went no farther than the Beast 2 Chron. 34.32 33. for it 's said that he caused them to stand to the Covenant and made them to serve even to serve the Lord 2 Kings 23.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which they had no mind to do if they had not been compelled to it For what is said 2 Kings 23.3 That they did it with all their Heart and all their Soul seems to be a defect in our Translation for there is no such Relative Particle in the Original 2 Chr. 34.31 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Grammatical Construction necessarily refers it to the King alone for he is the only Person spoken of in the beginning of the Sentence And so it is applied to him only in v. 31 of this Chapter where the Affix is used in the Singular Number and thus Translated that the King stood in his Place and made a Covenant before the Lord to walk after the Lord to keep his Commandments Testimonies and Statutes with all his Heart and with all his Soul But the People were not sincere and no such Commendation is given of them for they still loved their former Sins tho' they left them for a while and therefore quickly turned to them again when the restraint was taken off in the succeeding Reigns And a Jealous God who judges according to the Affections of Mens Hearts would not be imposed upon by their outward temporary Profession but doth charge their Sins upon them still continues his Threatnings against them and at last executes upon them all the Judgments they deserved 2. They made no Publick Confession of their gross and multiplied Sins nor gave any Signs of a National Repentance for them which the Prophet doth plainly insinuate to be their dangerous Neglect when he exhorts them Jer. 3.13 Only acknowledge thine Iniquity that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God and hast scattered thy Ways and ye have not obey'd my Voice saith the Lord. They complied with the Command of the King to Reform but neglected the Calls of God by his Prophets to Repent And this is also observable in the Account we have of their Reformation that tho' the tender-hearted Josiah rent his Cloaths and humbled himself with Tears before the Lord yet we do not read of any one more that did so And tho' the Inhabitants of Jerusalem acquitted themselves like Men 2 Chr. 34.27 and were active to reform themselves and others yet most of them came short of being Penitent Saints and Pardoned Sinners They were prevailed with to forsake their Sins but not to expose them by an open Acknowledgement of their Iniquities Being over tender it may be of their own and the Reputation of the former wicked Reigns they were willing to be reformed without any publick Humiliation or expressions of their Grief and Shame for their many aggravated Transgressions We find afterward in more successful Reformations by Ezra and Nehemiah Ezra 10.1 3. Neh. 9.1 3. that all the People joyned with them in their Publick Confessions and Penitential Sorrows for their Sins And this the Prophet Jeremiah suggests to them as most necessary to justifie God in his Treatnings So David thought Ps 51.4 and the only effectual means to turn away his Wrath from them and procure his Favour The Guilt of Sin or its actual Obligation to Punishment doth always remain till it 's removed by a Repentance suitable to the Nature of it So that private Repentance may be sufficient for the Pardon of secret Sins but National Provocations require some publick Acts of Repentance to vindicate the Glory of God and prevent the Execution of National Judgments And therefore because they did not glorifie God by a Publick Confession of their Iniquities he glorified himself upon them by their General Destruction These were the two fatal Defects in Josiah's Reformation That tho' it was successful to delay yet these made it ineffectual to deliver them wholly from the just Executions of Divine Vengeance And now what remains but to make some Application Application 1. By suggesting to you some causes of our Fears 2. By shewing you the Grounds of our Hopes concerning the Issue of our present Reformation 3. By giving some Directions how you
and strict Account Math. 25.19 Luc. 12.48 how they have improved them for the Glory of God and in the service of their Generation according to the Opportunities put into their Hands But there are two Arguments expressly contained in the Doctrine that are sufficient to confirm and enforce this which I will briefly mention and is all that I shall say upon it I. That their Zealous Endeavours will exceedingly advance the Work thro' the Nation And II. They will greatly inhance their own Glory 1. It 's a singular advantage to the Publick Work of Reformation to make it spread thro' the whole Kingdom when the Inhabitants of the chief City are vigorously engaged in it for the Glorious Lustre of their excellent Example will provoke many to imitate them and the powerful influences of their successful Attempts be quickly dispersed thro' all the Country For as the Blood circulating thro' the Heart receives a fresh Vigour and Tincture which it conveys to all parts to repair the Health and Strength of the whole so the Trade and Treasure of a Nation doth usually circulate thro' the chief City and brings there a continual concourse of the most active people from all Parts who receiving the impressions of your Zealous Diligence to Reform them will carry them back and communicate them to others as the most profitable part of their Traffick And as plentiful Streams derive their noxious or wholsome Vertues from their Springs and carry them to all places where they flow so the Fountains of Virtue and Vice are usually found in the chief Cities of a Kingdom and thence disperse themselves thro' the whole Land Jer. 23.15 Is 2.3 for both Profaness and the Word of the Lord went forth from Jerusalem We have observed by sad experience how the Contagion of that Wickedness which began and reigned in our chief Cities did quickly spread thro' the whole Nation and why may not the influence of your Virtue when this Metropolis is Reformed prevail as much and spread as far Let us cleanse the Fountains and the Streams will run clear Surely the good and wise King Josiah took this Course when he first caused them that were present in Jerusalem to stand to the Covenant and took away all the abominations that were Spied there and then put away the like abominations out of all the Countries that pertained to the Children of Israel and made them to serve the Lord. And now if ever we expect a general Reformation of this Kingdom it must begin and receive its successful Vigour by your Zealous endeavours in this City Be strong therefore all ye People and be Active ye Inhabitants of our Jerusalem that ye may have the Honour of being the happy Reformers not only of one City but also of a whole Nation This brings me to the second Argument to Encourage and Quicken your Diligence which is 2. That it will redound to your own immortal Glory The Work it self is Honourable to Vindicate the Glory of the Blasphemed Name of God and the Honour of his broken Laws and despised Government to Conquer the Devils Kingdom and vanquish all the ruleing Powers of Darkness to restrain Lewd and Prophane Sinners from their destructive Courses and rescue them as far as you can from their everlasting Perdition to repair the almost sunk Credit of our Holy Profession and restore Religion to its Primitive Power and Purity to prevent if possible the direful Executions of impending Judgments and derive many lasting Blessings upon the Nation This is the Work you are engaged in these and such like are the Glorious Effects and Tendencies of it which are greater than all the Victories of Alexander who having Conquered the World could not Reform one Person No not himself And all the swelling Titles of the most Renown'd Hero's on Earth are flat and not to be compared with the Honourable Name of Zealous Reformers 'T is God himself the Fountain of all Glory who confers this Honour upon you and doth Record your Names in his Book as he did the Noble Inhabitants of Jerusalem where they shall be more durable than if they were ingraven on Brass or Marble You are Honourable in his Account and he will make others to Esteem you so for he hath set you upon High Places to be seen and admired by all Math. 5.14.16 You Act in a City set upon a Hill that your Light may so shine before Men that they seeing your good works may Glorify your Father which is in Heaven You move in one of our highest Orbs that you may disperse your influences farther and if you turn many to Righteousness shall be Translated much higher Dan. 12.3 to shine as the Stars for ever and ever But This Argument hath been so excellently Discoursed and well improved already to excite your Zealous Diligence that I will not further insist upon it Vid. Mr. Emlins Reform Sermon And verily I find it so hard to say any thing upon this Subject that hath not been much better expressed by others that I will leave this Doctrine as it is with what I have said upon it and before I come to the Application will seek for and raise another from two principal Circumstances of the Text which are the antecedent Occasion and consequent issue of this Reformation that the Inhabitants of Jerusalem were so Active in 1. The antecedent Occasion of it was their danger of the Wrath of God which was so expressly threatned against them that it 's spoken of v. 21. as already poured out upon them This broke the tender Heart of good Josiah that he Rent his Cloaths and humbled himself before God with penitential Tears v. 27 28. and was therefore assured by a Message from the Lord That his eyes should not see all the Evil that he would bring upon that Place and the Inhabitants of it But knowing that he must use the means and that none was more necessary than a thoro ' Reformation he applied himself effectually to it He gathers the Elders and calls the People together caused them to enter into a solemn Covenant and made them to put away their Abominations and serve the Lord that the Judgments threatned against them might be averted and upon this Occasion the Zealous Inhabitants of Jerusalem were more active than others to do according to the Covenant and would have been happily delivered if they had been as sincere and constant in it as their King was But Secondly Behold the consequent issue of all this that it was not sufficient to appease the incensed Wrath of a provoked God and to free them wholly from the dreadful effects of it For after a large Description of the great success of this Glorious Reformation in 2 Kings ch 23. from the beginning to v. 25. it immediately follows in v. 26. That notwithstanding the Lord turned not from the fierceness of his great Wrath wherewith his Anger was kindled against Judah because of all the provocations