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A45376
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A discourse concerning zeal against immorality and prophaness deliver'd in two sermons in St. Michaels Church Dublin, October 29, and November 26. 1699.
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Hamilton, William, d. 1729.
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1700
(1700)
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Wing H488; ESTC R216947
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47,580
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69
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in great Variety of Passions it appear'd in his Hatred his Joy and in his Grief In his Hatred Psal. 26.5 I have Hated the Congregation of the Wicked and will not sit among the Ungodly In his Joy Psal. 122.1 I was glad says he when they said unto me we will go into the House of the LORD He was glad to see Piety prevailing among others and that the Motion of going to the House of the LORD shou'd come from any besides himself But the greatness of his Zeal chiefly shew'd it self in his Grief a truly Zealous Man meeting with many more occasions of Sorrow than Joy from others And therefore the Psalmists Language is sometimes very Mournful Psal. 119.136 Rivers of Waters run down mine Eyes because they keep not thy Law And again vers 158. I beheld the Transgressors and was grieved because they kept not thy Word 1 King 18. How Zealous was Elijah against Idolatry He boldly Reprov'd the King of Israel and destroy'd the Priests of Baal tho he was no Stranger to Jezabels Revengeful Spirit Nay he appeal'd to GOD himself that he had been very Zealous for the LORD GOD of Hosts Neh. 13.15.21 Nehemiah is a Noble Example of Zeal and Courage fit for all Christians but chiefly Magistrates to follow He Contended with the Great Men of Judah for Prophaning the Sabbath He did not modestly pass by their Faults out of respect to their Quality nor gently touch as if afraid to hurt them but oppos'd all abuses of the Sabbath with great Zeal and Resolution and at last effectually suppress'd them tho very general and prevailing The Time wou'd fail me to mention all the Prophets Apostles the Primitive Saints Confessors and Martyrs who have been Eminent Examples of a fervent Zeal who valu'd not Ease nor Fame nor Life so they might propagate the True Religion and effectually discourage Impiety and Vice A Zeal which Conquer'd the World and all the Powers of Darkness to which nothing was too difficult to be done nor too grievous to be suffer'd in so Glorious a Cause If we observe but the single instance of St. Paul we cannot without amazement Reflect upon the many Persecutions Calamities and Afflictions the many Perils by Land and Sea from his own Country-Men and Strangers from open Enemies pretended Friends and false Brethren which his Zeal embold'd him to meet and enabl'd him to bear But behold we have a greater Example of Holy Zeal than he and that is the Son of GOD and Saviour of the World It was Zeal for the Reformation and Happiness of the World brought him down from Heaven and expos'd him to Poverty and Misery and Disgrace here below The same Holy Zeal made him boldly Reprove the Greatest among Men whilst he famiâ—iarly Convers'd with the Meanest made him Toil and Labour and go about doing Good even to those who made him the returns of Hatred for his Good-Will Out of Zeal for the True Religion he Unmask'd the Pharisees and laid open their Hypocrisie and brought upon himself the Hatred and Revenge of that Malicious Dissembling Sect. Nay his Zeal made him once lay aside the Lamb and with the Resentment as well as Authority of an Offended Judge Vindicate the Honour of GOD by Scourging the Buyers and Sellers out of the Temple So that with great Justice does the Evangelist apply that Expression of the Psalmist to our LORD the Zeal of thy House Jo. 2.15.17 hath Eaten me up But the most Stupendous Instance of Divine Zeal is the Blessed Jesus Dying to promote the Glory of GOD and happiness of Mankind We Honour the Zeal of those who are willing to undergo Trouble and run a few Hazards for Religion What then shall we say of the Zeal of our Blessed Saviour Zeal which Nail'd him to the Cross and Shed his Blood and made him yield up the Ghost Zeal which made his Soul all Gloominess and Horror depriv'd him of the usual Manifestations of his Fathers Love forc'd him to cry out that his GOD had forsaken him and in the bitterest Agonies of Soul and Body to expire This was wonderful Zeal indeed nay Zeal that wants a Name being beyond our Expressions and even too narrow Thoughts Yet such as shou'd strongly engage us to the exactest Imitation we are capable of and turn our whole Soul into Flames of Zeal and Love for him to whom we owe whatever we enjoy or hope for who even lay'd down his Life for us to Rescue us from Misery and Intitle us to Eternal Glory Such Examples of Zeal does the Word of GOD set before us the best greatest we can have even Patriarchs Kings Prophets and Apostles and above all the Great Captain of our Salvation the Holy Jesus And while we have these in view can any of us be cold and indifferent in that Service which is most acceptable to GOD the Promotion of Religion and Reformation of Manners In otheâ— Cases Examples raise a Generous Emulation they give us Courage to attempt the most difficult Undertakings and Constancy to endure the greatest Tryals And shall this be the single Instance in which we are not asham'd to be out-done by all Let us then blush and hang down our Heads when we compare our own Slothfulness with the unweary'd Labours of others and find our selves backward to meet with Difficulties and Dangers in a Service wherein so many have chearfully Sacrific'd their Lives But to these Primitive Examples give me leave to add one of this present Age of a Person Eminent for the Greatness of her Station much more for Piety and Goodness whose Memory we all Honour and whose Untimely Death we yet bewail I mean our late Excellent QUEEN whose Zeal for Piety and Religion seem'd to our-shine Her other Excellent Qualities She was not Diverted by the Solicitudes of a Crown from neglecting any Religious Duty Her self Her Example Recommended Piety to the World with all its Native Charms And in Her appear'd all the Majesty of a Queen with the Unaffected Humility of the Devoutest Christian. Nothing went nearer Her Heart than that Immorality and Prophaness She perceiv'd every where prevailing and nothing with so much Joy did She Encourage as what had a tendency towards Reformation of Manners Of which I need give but one Instance the Countenance She gave the Societies for Reformation in England For as we learn from a very Pious and Useful Book Intitled Pag. 8.9 An Account of the Societies for Reformation of Manners c. having this Affair laid before her in the absence of the King by a Prelate of Great Learning and Fame the late Lord Bishop of Worcester she had just Sentiments of it and therefore thought it became her to give it Countenance She Graciously condescended to Thank those who were concern'd in it and readily promised them her Assistance and afterwards upon Application made to her Majesty she was pleased to send her Letter to the Justices of Middlesex
and then no wonder if Blasphemies be their Language and Fleshly Lusts prevail against them And very often Religion is neglected on the Lords-Day for the sake of Drinking or Gaming and wasted away in those mean unprofitable Entertainments But since our Laws more directly take Cognizance of those other Sins I wou'd to GOD that our Zeal were successful in entirely suppressing them For they are the most pernicious Scandals to Religion and shou'd therefore be the more immediate Objects of our Zeal And were no Swearing heard among us were the Lords-Day employ'd in Exercises of Religion and Devotion and were all known Traders in in Lewdness driven away what a Holy what a Happy People wou'd we soon become How Glorious wou'd Piety appear with all its Beauteous Charms How wou'd Religion Prosper and Flourish How wou'd Wickedness Blush and Tremble and Fly away And this might soon be effected did all heartily join in it who are under particular Obligations so to do which brings me in the Second place to consider who are principally oblig'd and concern'd to be Zealously Affected against those dangerous Sins 'T is certainly reason sufficient why we shou'd be zealously affected against publick Vices that we are Christians Professors of that Religion which exacts the highest degrees of Holiness from our selves and requires us to be Zealous and Industrious in reclaiming others from their evil ways and in promoting Religion and Reformation of Manners in the World But sometimes particular Obligations arising from our Stations and Circumstances here are superadded to those which Christianity lays upon us which must be various as our Capacities and Conditions are I shall therefore mention several ranks of Men who are principally concern'd in this Great Work and are bound with more than ordinary Diligence and Zeal to apply themselves to it The First I shall name are the Ministers of Religion those who are Dedicated to the immediate Service of GOD to Preach his Word Administer his Sacraments and attend at his Altar And certainly we who are Embassadors from Christ for this very end and purpose to beseech Sinners to be reconcil'd to GOD to whose Service we are solemnly set apart by the imposition of Hands and Prayer we who are Messengers Watch-Men and Stewards of the LORD Titles of great Dignity and Honour and expressive of constant Diligence and Labour we I say shou'd oppose Vice with a very active Zeal and with unweari'd application shou'd encourage all proposals for Reformation of Manners and lead the way to others in putting them in Execution Shou'd like GOD's Ministers in Heaven be a Flame of Fire burning with Zeal so refin'd and pure that like theirs it may never fail so strong and vigorous as may spare indeed the Sinners but entirely destroy their Vices The Reformation of Mens Manners in order to the Salvation of their Souls is the end of our Preaching and all our Labours and shou'd we not animate those good Men who have avow'dly enter'd the Lists against Wickedness since we have reason to hope that thereby our Work will become more easie and delightful and that more encouraging successes will attend our Ministry the most difficult obstructions such publick Vices are being happily remov'd Nay shou'd we not bless GOD for exciting a Spirit of Piety and Religious Zeal amongst us that there are any in this degenerate World who have a true concern for Religion and Virtue And don 't all such deserve our Countenance and Encouragement our greatest esteem and tenderest affection And shou'd we not chearfully pertake in all their Difficulties and Dangers as we hope to share in their Rewards and Glory 'T is usual to complain of the Corruptions of the Age but complaints hardly ever work a Cure Our discourses may be passionate against prevailing Sins and yet those Sins continue to prevail the most Guilty being seldom our Hearers and when they are not regarding what we say It is fit then it is necessary that we use Arguments of another Nature and punish those who are proof against all Perswasions that with Stripes and Blows we make those Deaf Adders move who stop their Ears against the Voice of the wisest Charmer make those feel the coercive power of Humane Laws who impiously violate the Laws of GOD. We call our selves Successors of the Apostles and Prophets and such undoubtedly all Lawful Ministers are And shou'd not that one consideration inspire us with their Diligence their Courage and their Zeal That so we may oppose Prophaneness as Elijah did Idolatry and with the resolution of St. Paul Reason of Righteousness Temperance and Judgment to come But shou'd there be any so Complaisant for Wickedness so Cowardly and Mean as to be afraid or asham'd to disturb it in its antient Possessions must they not Blush when Surrounded with a Cloud of Witnesses of their own Order of Apostles and Bishops and Pastors who were not only Preachers of Righteousness but Reformers of Manners Who did not think they had discharg'd their Duty by saying some handsome things against Vice buâ— being acted by a Holy Zeal were particular and warm in Advices vehement in their Expostulations and bold in their Reproofs While Men were wicked they pity'd them they pray'd for them but never made them their Intimates and Companions They treated them as their Patients whose recovery they heartily endeavoured but never by Flattery and Compliance encreas'd their Distemper I hope in GOD there are few or none among us guilty of these Faults so disagreeable to their Character and prejudicial to Religion the contrary I think is apparent that those who are most remarkable for their Piety and eminent for their Stations in the Church do further and encourage all prudent designs for suppressing Vice and restoring Piety to its just Glory But if there shou'd be any who have so far degenerated from the Zeal of their Primitive Predecessors as to be negligent and remiss in this important Concern and if some shou'd be so among so many 't is not at all to be wondred at nor any reasonable Objection against our Church for such this Address is intended and that sufficiently justifies the plainess of it since sure I am they need it Secondly Next to the Ministers of Religion the greatest Obligations of being Zealously Affected against publick reigning Vices lye upon Magistrates upon those who are invested with Authority and Power And that it is the Duty of Magistrates with great Courage and Impartiality to suppress and punish all Wicked Practices is plain from several Intimations of it in Holy Scripture As that Rulers are not a Terror to Good Works but to the Evil. And if we do that which is Good we need not be afraid of the Power but shall have praise of the same That he is the Minister of GOD for good and beareth not the Sword in vain and is a Revenger to execute Wrath upon him that doth Evil. Rom. 13.3 4. Again we are commanded to be subject to Governours who are