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A78191
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A sermon preach'd to the Society for Reformation of Manners in Nottingham Novemb. 24. 1698. By John Barret Minister of the Gospel. Published at the desire of the said Society.
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Barret, John, 1631-1713.
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1699
(1699)
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Wing B910C; ESTC R229513
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26,880
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64
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good such do in the World Such are indeed Benefactors to the World tho' lightly esteem'd But 't is the Duty not only of a Bishop as 't is one Qualification set down Tit. 1.8 but of every Christian as well to be a Lover of good Men. True we ought to love all Men for so much good as is in them and with a Love of Benevolence Bear no Malice to any Man Christ has taught us to love our Enemies And we must love the Persons of the Wicked tho' we are to hate their wicked Practices But we are not to love all Men alike There is a special Love of Complacence owing to good Men. Our delight must be in those that excel in Vertue I question whether Satan was ever at any time more busie than in this Age of ours to divide the Hearts of such But blessed be God his Name be praised that we can see the Enemy's Design cross'd any where That in some places the Primitive Spirit of True Christian Love seems to be reviving Use II. A word of Exhortation O Love-the Good O how ought we to love God who is Goodness it self Love him above all Love him for himself Love other Things and Persons only in God and for him And thus all our love should center and terminate in him Remember the first and great Commandment Mat. 22.37 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart and with all thy Soul and with all thy Mind And all is too little God being infinitely Good and Amiable surely he deserves more Love than our Hearts can hold than all the Powers and Faculties of our Souls ever can express And how ought we to love a good and gracious Redeemer the Lord Jesus Christ He is altogether lovely Full of Grace and Truth How can we think of his own Loveliness as being the Brightness of his Fathers Glory and the express Image of his Person Heb. 1.3 and how can we think of his wonderful unparallel'd Love to us and not have our Hearts enamour'd of him enflam'd with Love to him again Oh! what wicked Hearts have they that are in love with their vain and sinful Pleasures or are doting on the Worlds Riches or Honours but have not the Love of God in them nor do they love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity in comparison of whom nothing in the World is to be lov'd But is it not good to love God and Jesus Christ And should we not love to love the highest the most perfect Objects of Love to whom our most ardent love were it raised to the highest degree possible were still far from being adaequate And then should we not love the good word of God What servent love doth the Holy Psalmist express to the Word Psa 119. Yea says he v. 140. Thy word is very pure therefore thy Servant loveth it We should be at a sad loss to know what is good were it not for the Word But there the Lord sheweth us what is good Mic. 6.8 Wo unto them that call evil good and good evil Isa 5.20 And such woful Mistakes are Men like to fall into that either have not God's Word or regard it not take not good heed to the word But if God's Testimonies are our Meditation our Delight and the Men of our Counsel if we be not unskilful in the word of Righteousness but have our Senses exercised therein we may thereby discern both good and evil And observe it according to our Love to God's word such will be our hatred of evil and our love to that which is good Psa 119.113 163. Again the Lord's Day that 's a good Day A day which God hath set apart for his special Service and which he is wont to bless above other days unto those that have a care to keep it Holy Oh! love and prize the Christian Sabbath count it a delight Love God's Publick Worship How amiable are thy Tabernacles O Lord of Hosts Think how we are priviledg'd above our Brethren in France c. How happy would they think themselves might they enjoy the like Liberty of attending on God's Ordinances and if there were none to interrupt them or to make them afraid And love Family-Worship Keep that up daily Morning and Night Let your Houses be little Churches And if you count God's Service perfect Freedom sure you will also delight in secret Duties where you may have greater Liberty in Prayer Love Holiness and the power of Godliness Alas how many take up with a meer Form of Godliness but do you take heed of resting there Love a Religious Strictness and Exactness in your ordinary Conversation Walk by Rule A Course that Men generally yea too many Professors I fear are very tardy in Love Righteousness Hate all unrighteous Dealing Such as love Violence or Injustice the Lord hateth Psa 11.5 Love the Truth and Peace as Zach. 8.19 Diligite veritatem pacisicam pacem veram quae ad normam verbi divini quod est veritas congruit Tarnovius Indeed Peace without Truth should not be taking with us But so far as will stand with the Interest of Truth we should all be followers of Peace Love Mercy Mic. 6.8 Delight in doing what good you can Be beneficial to as many as you can as you have opportunity Ubicunq homo est ibi beneficio locus est I say no more here but as the Apostle Phil. 4.8 Whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are lovely whatsoever things are of good Report if there be any Vertue if there be any Praise think on these things Apply your Minds to them set your Hearts on them Which if you do then know for your Encouragement 1. In loving the good you shall be Followers of God which as it is your Duty so it will be your Honour Is it not an honour to be Followers of God 2. 'T is very pleasing to God This is the good and acceptable Will of God And if you love God certainly it is your unfeigned desire to please him whether others be pleased or displeased You will think your selves happy if you can but please him 3. This will prove you truly good Here 's a comfortable evidence of your being in a good Estate if indeed you love the Good 4. And thus you may be assured that the Lord will be good to you He is good and does good to such That your Souls shall lodge in Goodness And how great is his Goodness that he hath laid up for such This is with Mary to chuse the good part 5. And if you love and embrace Goodness who but such as are of a Diabolical Spirit would seek to harm you But suppose any should seek you hurt for loving and following that which is good yet you may be of good Courage The Lord will turn it to good Bonis omnia in bonum 6. And if you are Lovers of that which is good you are in
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