Inhabitants of it And as Hezekiah said in such a case 2 Kings 20.19 Good is the Word of the Lord and is it not good if Peace and Truth be in my days So it 's good and worth all your Labours if you prolong Peace and Truth as long as you live and they may be continued much longer And in the mean time how much good may be done how many may be converted and Eternally saved Some may be prepared for their share of those Tryals and become useful to support and comfort others and preserve a sense of Religion under them all Nay your faithful Diligence may have a further influence to abate the violence and shorten the continuance of those miseries and procure an happy Issue out of them and restore a more prosperous State after they are past Such have been the blessed Effects of the like Attempts and may be so again for the God you serve is as Patient and Long-suffering as Merciful and Gracious as ever 2. Your Zealous Endeavours may be Crowned with much greater Success and prevail so far as to remove all the Causes of our Fears and supply all the defects of this Reformation that it may become effectual at last to avert the Judgments threatned against us altogether For hath not the Work prospered in your hands hitherto beyond all Mens Expectations and who knows whereunto it may grow and who would not take Encouragement to persevere and encrease their Diligence when they find by glad Experience that their Labours are not in vain It 's very observable what fresh Encouragement and great Advantages you have obtained upon every Occasion of this nature 2 Chro. 15.2 For even since the last time you have found that the Lord is with you while you are with him For by your Zealous Diligence and the large Bounty that was liberally contributed to this Work you have been successful in prosecuting those Lottery Games that had the pretence of Authority to support them And what can stand before your vigorous Zeal How much Leudness and Prophaneness hath been supprest in this City And we are told of considerable Progress that is made in other places Our King like the great Josiah hath called the Elders together and effectually recommended it to them in Parliament and they have made good Laws to promote it Some Judges do earnestly recommend it to the Justices of Peace and Magistrates in their Circuits and greatly encourage the Execution of them Some Persons of considerable Interest both in Church and State in England begin warmly to espouse it and as we are told they express their Regret that they have so long neglected it and suffered meaner Persons to get the Honour of it You have the Almighty God on your side whose Work you do and who makes it to prosper Zech. 4.7 8 9 10. So that Mountains become Plains before you and therefore let none despise the day of small things for he that laid the Foundations of this Work may also finish it and bring forth the head Stone thereof with Shoutings crying Grace Grace unto it 3. A Spirit of serious Practical Religion is poured out upon many and that which doth very much encourage our Hopes that God hath some kind thoughts of Love and Peace for the rising Generation is that plentiful measures of it are fallen upon many young Persons who are combined together in several Societies for the Exercises of Godliness and they are all continually praying for you nay you have the Prayers of all the Godly for your Success And is it not from the same Spirit of Peace and Love that there is such a blessed Harmony and Agreement among them of different Persuasions in other matters who conspire joyntly together to carry on this Excellent Work And I hope when some unreasonable Jealousies and Prejudices are worn off that it will procure a greater Union which the envious endeavours of some spiteful Men shall not be able to prevent No small measures of a Spirit of Zeal have also been poured forth upon some Magistrates and Inhabitants of this City and the Work hath prospered in their Hands not by Might nor by Power but by the Spirit of the Lord. And how necessary and effectual such Divine Assistances are to perfect this Work hath been sufficiently proved in a former discourse of this nature Vid. Mr. Weld's Reformation Sermon and our hopes are exceedingly raised by the successful appearances of them 4. The present Revolution of Providence we are fallen under doth also encourage our Hopes for if we understand any thing of the Apocalyptick Writings the Antichristian Kingdom is begun to fall and will gradually decline to its total Dissolution and the Churches of Christ must proportionably advance to their best and most flourishing Condition And tho' the Witnesses may be slain yet its only in one Street of the great City Rev. 11.8 12. and they shall soon rise again to a better State All Affairs in the World must effectually concur to the accomplishment of these Predictions and now the Wheels of his Chariots seem to move very swiftly and make haste by the frequent great changes in the World to perform some glorious Work that he hath designed for the great Happiness of his People And being well assured that we have espoused his Cause and are a part of his true Church we may comfortably expect that he who hath done such wonders for us already to deliver us from the very brink of Ruin and restore us to all the Priviledges we enjoy will perfect his Work and bring to pass the great designs of his Providences and your Endeavours which appears to be the same 5. There is an amazing Providence of late that gives further Encouragement to our great Hopes which I will briefly mention viz. That after all the Confusions and Wars that have been in most Nations of the World we are suddenly surprized with an Universal Peace Ps 46.9 He hath made Wars to cease to the ends of the Earth And usually such a Dispensation is accompanied with some great deliverance or advancement of the Church as there have been many Instances particularly The Reign of Solomon was the time of greatest Peace and highest Advancement of the Church under the Old Testament In the Reign of Darius when the Temple was rebuilt Zech. 1.11 and the Church most reformed all the Earth was still and at rest In the days of Augustus when the Temple of Janus was shut The Temple of Janus was never to be shut but when there was an Universal Peace thro' the World and this was the third time of its shuting Our Lord Jesus Christ came into the World and laid the Foundations of the Gospel Church And Cnstantine the Great restored Peace to the Empire and great Prosperity to the Church of God And what may we now expect will be the Issue of such a sudden change of Affairs in the World How quickly is the Scene altered and
to serve even to serve the Lord. But alas we have cause to lament it that few other Cities do follow your Pious Example and a very small part of the Country is yet reformed Our Plantations abroad are still a Reproach to our Nation and Religion by their insolent Wickedness and uncontrouled Impieties And nothing is yet done to reclaim the Natives of this Kingdom from their Abominations and it may be that for this Sin they have been so often the Rod of God's Anger to correct us and if we still neglect their Souls they may become the Sword of his Vengeance to destroy us 2. We come as far short of their Reformation with respect to the Sins that were supprest for all the Abominations that were spied in the Land of Judah and Jerusalem and that were in all the Countries of the Children of Israel did they put away and restored their Religious Worship to its greatest Purity according to all the Law of Moses So that their Reformation seemed to be perfect in this Respect but ours is very defective for it hath not yet been extended so far And many great Sins which our Penal Laws do not reach are still committed with Impunity and those that are punishable do often escape Some Persons pretend to a Prerogative above the Laws of God and Man to prophane the Sabbath How much precious time is sinfully mispent in Ale-houses and Taverns thro' the Week and some are not ashamed to be found in them on the Lord's Day if they are not catch'd there in the short time of Divine Service Nay what Cursing and Swearing Perjury and Blasphemy Oppression and Injustice Lewdness and Prophaneness c. are still abounding among us And many are impudent to serve the Devil by such Wickedness when few are Zealous for God to give Information and put the Laws in Execution against them And if they did not escape that were so much more reformed Jer 5.29 what shall become of such a sinful Nation as this The 7th and last Cause of our Fear that I will mention is from the many other Sins which abound among us that cannot easily be restrained by Humane Laws nor fall under such a Reformation As many Back-slidings and Declensions in the Ways of God great Formality and Hypocrisie in his Worship Murmuring Complaints 1 Cer. 10.10 and Discontent at the Providence of God Divisions and Contentions among Professors The Sins of Sodom as Pride Ezek. 16.49 fulness of Bread and abundance of Idleness Love of the World and Covetousness which is Idolatry c. For these and such like Sins may the Wrath of God be poured out upon a People and so much of them is found among us that may justly increase our Fears that notwithstanding all our Reformation the Lord may not turn from the fierceness of his Wrath wherewith his Anger is kindled against us c. But some may possibly think Objection that these things are unseasonable upon this Occasion and Object that they expected only Encouragements to this Work and behold I have discouraged them altogether for to what purpose shall they be active in it if notwithstanding all they do we are still in danger and how can they be diligent that are possessed with these Fears Answer 1. Ans 1. If there be such real grounds of Fear it 's neither safe nor prudent to conceal and be iguorant of them for the Judgments we fear will neither come sooner nor be greater because they are foreseen and discerned at a distance Every wise Person will desire to know his Danger Prov. 23.3 For the Prudent Man foreseeth the Evil and hideth himself but the Simple pass on and are punished 2. Ans 2. True Zeal will not be discouraged but rather animated by apprehensions of Danger as true Valour never appears so much as in the most hazardous Attempts It 's a pusillanimous Spirit that shrinks at the appearance of Danger and sinks under its own Fears Nay such Fears will rather excite the most active Endeavours and should make the Slothful diligent and the Coward couragious Persons in a Storm need no other Motive to excite them to the use of all means for their Safety than a Sense of their Perilous Condition their Danger is sufficient to provoke their Diligence and we never labour so hard and successfully as when we work with Fear and Trembling Phillip 2.12 So that these are proper Motives to excite your Zeal and quicken your Diligence in this Work 3. Ans 3. 'T is not a Prospect of the Event but a Sense of Duty that doth chiefly determine Upright Persons in their vertuous Attempts for whatever be the Issue of them 't is their desire to be found Faithful in the way of Duty And as it hath been sufficiently proved to be your great Duty so it may be a tryal of your Sincerity if in the face and over the fears of all Dangers you are constant and vigorous in the Work of Reformation 4. Ans 4. If you are Sincere and Zealous in this Work you shall not lose your Reward which doth not depend upon your Success but your faithful Diligence in it And supposing the worst that your Fears can suggest concerning the Issue of it the Lord will accept your Labours and make you Honourable you may deliver your own Souls have great peace Isa 49.4 5. and hopes of Everlasting Glory Your Work is with your God and you shall be Glorious in his Eyes 5. Ans 5. Tho' there be such causes of Fear to make you serious yet there are also grounds of Hope to encourage and make you cheerful in this Work 'T is a very critical Season in which God keeps us upon our good Behaviour that you may be cautious and careful to approve your selves to him in what you do we have trespassed against the Lord and therefore should be afraid of his Judgments Ezra 10.2 3 4. Yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing Now therefore let us make a Covenant with our God and put away all our Iniquities and let it be done according to the Law Arise for this matter belongeth unto you be of good Courage and do it For Secondly 2 Applicat In the next place I will show you what are the grounds of our Hope concerning the issue of this Reformation and your generous Labours in it And 1. You may lengthen out your Tranquility procure a long Reprieve and delay the Execution of threatned Judgments for a great while You know not how far you may prevail with a patient God who hath often and long spared a sinful Nation but never poured out his Wrath upon a reforming People We may hope to escape whilst such Zealous Reformers survive 2 Chr. 34.28 and as it was promised to Josiah You may be gathered to the Grave in Peace that your Eyes may not see all the Evil that he will bring upon this Place and upon the
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
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