Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
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A60152
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A sermon preach'd to the societies for reformation of manners, in the cities of London and Westminster, Nov. 15, 1697 by John Shower.
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Shower, John, 1657-1715.
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1698
(1698)
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Wing S3689; ESTC R17773
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25,046
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74
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charged with his Murther for not doing all that he could to hinder it We may many ways partake of other Mens Sins and this doubtless is one If we do not what we may and ought to prevent them In which Case we likewise share in all the ill Consequences of their Iniquity in all the Mischiefs that follow upon the City and Nation by such Impunity Let me express this in the better words of * Serm. 1. ad Magistratum 29 Job 14. Bishop Sanderson You countenance says he the Disorders that by Justice may be suppressed You disarm Innocency that Justice would protect You banish Peace which by Justice is maintained You are Traytors to the King and his Throne which by Justice is established and you pull down on the City and the Nation the publick Plagues and Judgments of God which the Execution of Justice would avert Is it not then your duty as Christians to promote and forward the Execution of Justice when thereby you contribute to suppress Disorders to protect Innocency to maintain Peace to secure the King and State and to turn away publick Judgments from the Land SIRS We are all Christians the Duty is common to us all the Obligation is equal 'T is what we are all concerned in and agree in because by our Baptism we are all engaged to fight under the Banner of Christ in a constant Warfare against the Devil and his Angels And 't is observable that when our Saviour was charged as a Confederate with Satan in working Miracles he tells us and it is repeated by three Evangelists that he was so far from that that he looked upon that Man for his Enemy who would not serve him in opposition to the Devils Kingdom and Interest He that is not with me is against me and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad Matth. 12.30 Christ hath his Kingdom to carry on in the World and Satan hath his You must either be for advancing the Kingdom of Christ against the Devil or you joyn in Confederacy with the Devil against the Son of God and his Kingdom I remember what Jehu said in another case but not very different when he was to Execute Judgment by Gods command on the whole House of Ahab Who is on my side cryed Jehu Who is on my side I may put the like Question this day or rather beg that you would to your selves Which side will you take For you cannot be Newters Which side will you take For Reformation Or for Profaneness For suppressing Vice or for letting it alone That is Will you be for Christ or for the Devil You must be Treacherous to your Lord and unfaithful to your Baptismal Vow if you do not joyn heartily against the Interest of the Devil in so plain and publick a Case as this AND among all sorts of Christians that have written against Persecution and about the Power of the Magistrate as to Matters of Religion we find that the greatest Sticklers for the most unlimited Toleration as to different Sentiments about Matters of Faith and Worship do yet all agree that these Instances of Immorality do properly come under the Cognizance of the Civil Magistrate as having a mighty Influence upon Publick Societies being very prejudicial to the Welfare of it So that no Man can complain of Persecution for his Opinions when he is punished for such gross Immoralities against the Laws of God and the Land No Christians no Protestants who differ in lesser Matters as to Faith and Worship will plead for the Allowance of such Corruption of Manners and Debauchery of Life as you endeavour to suppress IF it should be said that I am mistaken here For all Christians do not agree about the Morality of the Sabbath and therefore it is hard to punish Men for the Profanation of it I answer that granting some good Men may have given Directions about the Observation of the Lord's Day that cannot be warranted from the Word of God as reducing it too much to a wearisome bodily Exercise yet have we enough to confirm our Opinion and Practice as to the Lord's Day by considering the first Original and Institution of the Sabbath and the Matter of the Fourth Commandment And when all the other Nine are granted to be of universal and perpetual Obligation 't is hard to conceive that one of the ten should concern only the Jews And considering the Practice of the Christian Church in all Ages and the Experience of a special Presence and Blessing of God on the Publick Christian Worship on such a Weekly Day of Rest and that serious Religion was never observed to thrive and flourish or be long preserved in any City Family or particular Soul where this was neglected These and the like things are sufficient for our Justification But you my Brethren that are Members of the Church of England are peculiarly obliged to suppress the Profanation of the Weekly Sabbath because every Lord's Day and oft'ner you beg of God to incline your Hearts to keep the Fourth Commandment and that the Fourth as well as the other Nine may be written upon your Hearts and obeyed in your Lives Besides what might be quoted out of the Homilies 3. HAVING mentioned this of the Sabbath I proceed to consider you in your Families and Shops and private Relations and so to manifest it to be your Duty and Interest on that account to have the Laws put in Execution and particularly against the Profanation of the Lord's Day For while your Children and Servants are employed in Civil Business and Secular Affairs on the Week-days they are freed from many Temptations But if they be not employed in Religious Exercises on the Lord's Day if they are left to themselves to do nothing or to do what they please to stay at home or go abroad to attend the publick Worship or not attend it you expose them to such Temptations as many ways may be Injurious to your selves and in the end Destructive to them There are Few that come to a miserable shameful Death in this World but acknowledge this and date their Wickedness and their Ruine from their neglecting to keep holy the Lord's Day DO but Consider how much the Peace and Safety of your Families the Trade the Riches and Prosperity of the City which consists of particular Families is owing to good Laws and to the Terror of the annexed Punishments and you will hereby discern your own Interest so wrapp'd up in the Publick as to infer your Duty to promote the Administration of Justice Murders would be more frequently committed were it not for the Terror of the Law Robberies and Burglaries would be more common were it not for the Severity of the Punishment And that lesser Thefts and Frauds in buying and selling are more common is because the Penalty is small if discovered and the Means of Prosecution chargeable There is very much reason to think that 't is not Conscience so much as the Dread of Temporal