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A61592
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Reformation of manners, the true way of honouring God with the necessity of putting the laws in execution against vice and profaneness : in a sermon preach'd at White-hall / by ... Edward Stillingfleet ...
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Stillingfleet, Edward, 1635-1699.
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1700
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Wing S5628; ESTC R14333
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14,491
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from a rude and disorderly kind of Life to the Practice of Civility and Good Manners and it is as great a Foundation of Honour still when Men are so much Apostatized from them to bring them back again to the due Order and Decency of Living The Case is much harder of those who are Degenerate under Laws than of those who were so without them For they have learnt to dispise their Remedy and by Arts and Subtilties to avoid the Force of that which was intended for their Good But however none ought to be discouraged from so Excellent a Design which Recommends it self to all Wise and Good Men and will never want the Assistance and Prayers of all that are so and God himself will in an especial Manner give Honour to Those who thus Honour him in his own Way by using the most Effectual Means for the Reforming the Manners of Men. But what are those ways which may be called Effectual It's true that depends upon the Favour and Blessing of God but it is no hard Matter for us to judge what are the most likely Means to be Effectual Such as 1. An Universal Discountenancing of all sorts of Vice and Profaneness be the Persons of what Rank or Quality soever For if those of the House of Eli be suffer'd to transgress the People will follow their Examples although the Good Old Man did not like their Doings but he did not take Care enough to Restrain them 2. An Even Steady Vigorous and Impartial Execution of the Laws against Looseness and Debauchery so that it may not look like a sudden Heat or Design of Popularity but proceeding from a due and well-temper'd Zeal for God and Religion 3. A Wise Choice of fit Instruments to pursue so Good an End I mean such as Jethro recommended to Moses Men of Courage and Integrity Fearing God and hating Covetousness Exod. 18.21 And such I hope are to be found in the several Parts of the Nation 4. Lastly A diligent Inspection into the Behaviour of those who are the proper and immediate Instruments for carrying on so good a Design For if there be no Inspection afterwards it will be look'd on as a meer matter of Form or an Order given out to satisfie the Importunities of some and the Clamours of others It were to be wished that all who are Imploy'd in such a Work had an Equal Mixture of Wisdom and Zeal but it is not possible to hinder some from having unequal shares of these And it is great Pity so Good a Cause should Miscarry through the Indiscretion of any who are Zealous for it On the other side It is possible that some who pretend to an equal Zeal for it in general may Use such Artifices and Fair Pretences as may effectually baffle and undermine it while they seem to be concerned to promote it So that what through the Intemperate Heats of some the Coldness and Indifferency of others and the certain Averseness all bad Men have to any real Design of Reformation there is a necessity for such an Affair to be often look'd into and an Account taken of the management of it if any great Advantage be expected by it And surely no greater Advantage can be expected as to this World than from such a Design managed as it ought to be For what can we propose to our Selves that can tend more to promote the Honour of Almighty God which we ought above all other things to beconcerned for For the Righteous God loveth Righteousness and he abhors all kind of Wickedness What then can be more Pleasing to him than to have all sorts of Impiety and Profaneness discountenanced punished and if it be possible rooted out What can tend more to the Honour of his Vicegerents than to shew so much of a Resemblance to Him as to love what God Loves and to hate what he hates and to imploy their Power for the same End which God himself doth his viz. to Advance his Glory and to do Good to mankind What can tend more to the Honour of our Church and Nation than to let the World see by such Good Works as these what the Reformation is which we aim at Not meerly of some disputable Points as to Doctrine and Practise which we have earnestly contended for and with great Reason but a true and serious Reformation of the Hearts and Lives of Men without which all our other Pretences will fall infinitely short of what God expects from us and the very Name of Reformation will be a Reproach to us II. I now proceed to the second Particular viz. the Rules and Measures which God observes in distributing Honour among Men Them that honour me I will honour but they that dispise me shall be lightly esteemed Which may be understood two ways I. As to the Societies of Men which have one Common Interest II. As to the Interests and Honour of Particular Persons I. As to such Societies of Men which have one Common Interest And so it implies that the Welfare and Reputation and flourishing Condition of such depends upon their Zeal and Concernment for God and Religion But here we meet very great Difficulties for Reason and Experience seem to contradict each other about it On the one side it seems most agreeable to the Justice of Divine Providence to Reward and punish those in this World who will not be capable of being rewarded or punished in another so there will be no communities in another World But on the other side we cannot deny matter of common Experience for how long have the Turkish and Papal Monarchies to name no other flourished when the seven Churches of Asia and the Churches of Africa have been long since destroyed How strangely hath Mahometism spread in the Eastern Parts of the World And what a Check hath there been upon the Reformation in these Western Parts With what a mighty Torrent did it prevail at first Then it stood at a stand and hath of late Years gone so much backward and suffer'd so very much in many Parts of it And yet we think and that very justly that the Honour of God is concerned in all this What shall we say to the Insolent Oppressors of mankind who make no Conscionce of ruining Cities and Countries and offâ—ring Violence to the Bodies and Consciences of men to Advance and Support their own Grandeur and yet have been suffer'd to prevail so far as to be made an Argument against Providence by Atheistical men It is to be hoped that God in his own time will vindicate his Honour and clear this point to the Satisfaction of all reasonable Men but yet we cannot penetrate into the Wisdom and Secrets of Providence God will no doubt take Care of his own honour but he is not bound to give such men an Account of the Ways and methods and Seasons of his doing it He often raises up a Nation sit for his purpose and makes them as a Scourge to Neighbour Nations and when they
Reformation of Manners the true way of Honouring God With the necessity of putting the Laws in Execution against Vice and Profaneness IN A SERMON Preach'd at WHITE-HALL 1 Samuel 2.30 For them that honour me I will honour and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed By the late Right Reverend Father in GOD EDWARD STILLINGFLEET Lord Bishop of Worcester And Published by their MAJESTIES Special Command LONDON Printed and Sold by H. Hills in Black-fryars near the Water-side For the Benefit of the Poor 1 Samuel 2.30 For them that honour me I will honour and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed THese Words were spoken by a Prophet of the Lord to Eli at that time the High-Priest and Judge over Israel upon Occasion of the Wickedness of his Sons and the dishonour brought upon Religion thereby which was so great that it is said they made the People abhor the Offering of the Lord. v. 17. But that we may the better comprehend their Scope and Design there are some remarkable particulars to be considered with respect to the Circumstances that attend them 1 That their Sins were of a high and scandalous Nature being an open Affront both to the Ceremonial and moral Law The Offering of the Lord was that which himself had appointed in the Law of Moses wherein it was expresly required that the Fat of the Sacrifices of Peace-Offerings must be burnt upon the Alter Lev. 7.31 and after that the Joints were to be divided and the Priest was to have his share and the People that offer'd them the rest v. 33 34. But these Sons of Eli thought themselves to great to be tied up to such a strict observance of the Niceties of the Law and therefore they sent their Servants to demand what they pleased without any Regard to that Order which the Laws appointed v. 13 14 15 16. It is possible they might think although such lewd and profane Persons are not much given to thinking that the matter was not great how or in what manner they took the share which belong'd to them but God who best knew what was pleasing to himself saith The Sin of the young Men was very great before the Lord. v. 17. For God will and ought to be served in this own Way and they who thought to be Wiser than his Laws smarted for their Folly Thus Nadab and Abihu Lev. 10.1 two brisk young men had a mind to try the Experiment of offering strange Fire before the Lord Lev. 1.7 ch 6. v. 12. ch 16. v. 12. not taking it from the Alter as God had appointed And what came of this Presumptuous violation of God's Law They were immediately consumed by a strange Fire themselves for it is said A Fire went out from the Lord and devoured them and they died before the Lord i. e. ch 10. v. 2. they were struck dead with Lightning upon the Place and their dead Bodies were carried forth from before the Sanctuary out of the Camp v. 4. that all the People might observe the Truth of what Moses said to Aaron on this Occasion This is that the Lord spake saying I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me and before all the People I will be glorified v. 3. It is true God did not punish Hophni and Phineas in the same manner who added great Lewdness and Immorality to their other faults v. 22. but he severely threatens the whole House of Eli for their Sins and as a sign of the rest he declares that these profligate Wretches should both be taken of the same Day v. 34. Which was accordingly accomplished with dreadful Circumstances For the Ark of God was taken ch 4. v. 11. at the same time 2. That the House of Eli was advanced to that Dignity which it then enjoy'd by an extraordinary Method of Providence For when Nadab and Abihu the Sons of Aaron were destroy'd their remained Eleazer and Ithamar Lev. 10.6 1 Chr. 24.2 Num. 3.4 for the other died Childless from them descended two Branches of Aaron's Family Eleazer was of the Elder House but Eli who descended from Ithamar was in possession of the High Priesthood by God's Approbation And when Abiathar in Solomon's time was put by the High Priesthood it is said that he descended from Ithamar 1 Chr. 14.25 and was of the House of Eli and he was therefore thrust out that God might fulfil his Word which he spake concerning the House of Eli in Shiloh 1 Kings 24.27 By which we find that God had raised up the House of Eli after an extraordinary manner and no doubt according to the Wise Methods of Divine Providence for an Extraordinary End and we find no ill Character fixed upon Eli himself although he had judged Israel forty years 1 Sam. 4.18 but there were those about him and very near him who were loose prosane and dissolute Persons and although those who are most concerned do commonly hear the last of the Miscarriages of those related to them yet the Cry was so great that it came to his Ears and he took notice of it and reproved them for it And he said to them why do ye such things c. ch 2. v. 22.23 24 25. The good old Man seems to be heartily concerned and troubled for his Sons Follies but this did not answer God's End for the Reason He gives of the Heavy Judgments denounced against his Family was because his Sons made themselves vile and he restrained them not ch 3. v. 13. God expects something more than meer Words or bare Reproofs where his Honour and that of Religion are so much concerned But when Profaneness Looseness and Irreligion crept in among them and grew too hard for the Government God threatens to do such a thing in Israel at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle ch 3. v. 11. I need go no farther 3. That although God was justly provoked by the Sins of the House of Eli yet there was a concurrence of the People Sins in bringing down such severe and astonishing Judgments There was no great loss in Hophni and Phinehas unless they had been better but it was a terrible Judgment to have the Ark of God taken and carried Captive and thereby their whole Religion exposed to scorn and contempt among their Nieghbours who hated them for the sake of their Religion For when the Idolatrous Nations about them had corrupted themselves and the Worship of God He was pleased by the Ministry of Moses to set up a Form of Worship among the People of Israel according to his own Will This gave great dissatisfaction to all their Neighbours and encreased their Spight and Malice against them which they were ready to shew on all Occasions but never more than when the Ark of God was taken Captive and carried about in Triumph among them for this was the Symbol of God's particular Presence among the People of Israel The Tabarnacle with all its Rich and admirable Furniture was as his