A SERMON Preach'd at SALTERS-HALL TO THE SOCIETIES FOR Reformation of Manners MAY 31. 1697. By JOHN WOODHOVSE LONDON Printed for John Lawrence at the Angel in the Poultry over-against the Compter 1697. TO THE Worthy MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETIES FOR THE Reformation of Manners In the CITIES of London and Westminster GENTLEMEN SHould I tell you with what Difficulty I was prevail'd upon to Preach the ensuing Sermon before you and with what greater to Print it tho' at your Desire I should take up the trite Apology commonly used in this Case and cannot reasonably hope to make it pass for better The Aversions I overcame in coming to this Town to Settle here cross to all the pleasing Designs I had formed of a more agreeable Serviceableness in a lower Sphere were not much greater than those I haâ— justly conceived against appearing before you on so Particular and so Publick aâ— Occasion This Sermon was One of the Threâ— I Preached in less than Thirty Hours Onâ— of the Seven hard Services put upon me iâ— Eight Days in a Time when the Publick and mine own Private Affairs allow'd me not One whole uninterrupted Day for all of them And by this time you wiâ— cease to wonder why your Desires and others to Print it were so grievous to me did so break my Sleep and disorder the inâ— firm State of my Body and Mind I thank fully own the great Humanity of some oâ— you who when you heard the true Statâ— of my Case that I neither write nor usâ— any Notes in Preaching nor have done foâ— many Years and having my Thoughts so many Days after taken up with fresh and various Discourses on Subjects I had never to my knowledge Preached on before and had not been Master of any time considerable to write or reflect upon and refresh my Memory not the most faithful were pleased to interpose for my Excuse But when I was told several Copies were transcribed by Persons that wrote after me and that if I would not others would Print whose Copies I could not procure so much as a Sight of nor had Hopes of otherwise than Sheet by Sheet as Printed off and past Alteration my most Intelligent Friends told me I must submit to do it as one imperfect Copy would enable me notwithstanding my long indulged Aversion to be seen in Print Had those of you that know me known me as well as I know my self you would have had less Reason to sollicite this Trouble to me your selves and others but since you say you differ from me I have at last submitted to you And noâ— to mention the Deference I have to those of you that are of my own Perswasion â— must add that the Veneration I have for such valuable and useful Members of the Church of England as others of you are known to be is so agreeable to the Temper and Affection I have long had towards the Reverend and Pious Clergy oâ— that Communion with whom I have alâ— along held some Communion and Brotherly Conversation that it would have beeâ— some force upon my self to deny you any thing I could do toward the Encouragement of others to aid you in so good â— Work as that wherein you are so happily united In a word it is not without great Satisfaction that I find since I was before you that the many Officers who joyneâ— together to inspect the Markets to find out Drunkards Swearers and Cursers thaâ— formerly swarm'd there returned without the Discovery of any Criminal of thosâ— kinds And I am well pleased with the Hopes I have of seeing in Publick a short Scheme of those excellent Models of the Laws you execute of the Rules that direct and govern your selves and Officers in this successful Vndertaking which may be of greatest Vse to direct and animate those in Places distant from you to attempt there what you have more than begun here May our Love and Vnion grow up the better by that of GOD and true Good-ness we see in one another And may your Converse together though under different Perswasions in lesser Matters tell you you are none of you the Men which some of both sides have represented you May the Exemplary Piety of your Families tell the World that Divine Service is not confined to Consecrated Places That GOD would further unite you keep your Hand to the Plough and enable you to perfect what you have begun is and shall be the Hearty Prayer of GENTLEMEN Your true Honourer and Faithful Servant J. WOODHOUSE HAGGAI ii 4. Yet now be strong O Zerubbabel saith the Lord and be strong O Joshua Son of Josedech the High-Priest and be strong all ye People of the Land saith the Lord and work For I am with you saith the Lord of Hosts THE Business of this Day is not only to afflict our Souls for our Sins and the crying Sins of our Land and to stand in the Gap to appease an angry GOD that seems upon his Way to ruine us but if it may be to stir up a Spirit for Reformation of thâ— Lives and Manners of the Generatioâ— wherein we live without which we caâ— have small Expectation either of the removal of the Judgments we feel or thâ— preventing those which we foresee anâ— fear may be coming upon us In ordeâ— to the more effectual furtherance of so excellent so useful so beneficial a Work let your Thoughts be attentive to thâ— Counsels in the Text Yet now be strong O Zerubbabel c. That you may see the tendency thâ— Words have to promote the Work oâ— the Day look a little back upon the former part of this Prophecy and the History of the Times immediately foregoing You will find in short when Goâ— had delivered his People out of their long and doleful Captivity and stirred up thâ— King under whom they were Captiveâ— to give them leave to build their Temple and to set up his Worship there to purge out Corruptions and make a General Reformation this Blessed Work so needful and excellent in itself and so mucâ— to be desired by all yet met with many Checks and Stops It was encouraged at first by the famed Cyrus but afterwards obstructed by Cambyses whilst Vice-Roy to his Father and whilst King himself and neglected near two Years in the time of Darius Hystaspes As may be learn'd from the Sacred Chronology of Ezra and Nehemiah and others which I cannot now turn you to But at the time of this Prophet's appearing it was again revived and a fresh encouraged Leave was granted to set about it and excellent Men Authorized to Conduct it And yet it met with great Opposition from the Cowardize of many and the Coldness and Covetousness of others who were more bent upon their own private Affairs their Pomp and Luxury than what concern'd the Publick Weal who would do their own Business first and God's afterwards As appears from Chapter the First Verse the Second This People say The time is not come the time
Heart and nothing but my Weakness can betray me to be suspected of a Design to insinuate any such thing so both the Text and the Evidence that other Scriptures have given to the Truth of the Doctrine will take away that suspicion For if such a Man as Joshua as Zerubbabel as the High Priest needed it so often it will be no diminution to those that have undertaken this Great Work to treat them as others such great and such excellent Men have been treated in Cases not unlike The two first Doctrines shall be the two first Reasons for the Proof and Confirmation of this Doctrine Why or whence it is that when Persons concerned in Reformation do meet with Difficulties and Oppositions enough to discourage and daunt their Spirits in their Undertakings they should then stir up themselves and be stirred up by others to prosecute the Work with all vigour wax stronger and stronger 'till they prevail over all that is in the Way 1. Because there usually why might I not say always ariseth such Dangers and Difficulties as cannot be otherwise overcome To this the Context speaks fully as I have shewed you when I raised this as a Doctrine from it But let Experience speak Did you ever read of a Reformation which was not thus embarrassed and incumbered What Work did Noah find in his Endeavours to reform the Old World Was it easier with Lot in Sodom If Josias will reform his People what Opposition doth he meet with What a Force must he exert to cause them to do it 2 Chron. 34. If Nehemiah will put forward the Temple reform the Sabbath Tobias and Sanballat will turn every Stone to dismay him in it Did our Saviour attempt the Redemption and Reformation of Men With what Fury did the Devil attack him What Affronts do his Emissaries put upon him What Snares do his Relations and Peter himself lay for him Master save thy self No doubt but our Reformers have had large Experience of this kind from fair Friends and quiet Neighbours as well as boisterous Criminals In this Case what can be done without Courage Nay what can ordinary Courage do It is not for timerous and faint-hearted Men to engage in such Enterprizes the Spirit must be stirred up surmount the Difficulties or the Work will not be done 2. You must be stirr'd up and invigorated because the Nature of Man needs it The Imbecility of the Soul of Man renders him liable to sink under Discouragements Our Fear is mightily advanced in our fallen State and our Courage â—s much diminished What a brave knowing fearless Man was Adam before his Fall He could upon Sight of the Creatures give them Names answering â—heir Natures and was as fearless as knowing But let him break off his Dependance from God and you shall presently find him playing the Fool so as none but a Man almost bereft of Thoughts could do You will find him struck with Fear which Sin had let in upon him hiding himself in the Thickets a likely Shelter from the Presence of God And as he lost his Knowledge he lost his Courage and we feel with what feeble Attacks we can resist the Difficulties we meet withal we are apt to be afraid and dismayed and therefore our Courage must be excited the Imbecility of our fallen Nature makes â—t necessary 3. The Third Reason may be argued from the Capacity of the Soul our Soul â—s capable of being excited We have Faculties and Powers that may be excited and influenced by such Objects and Mo tives as may be laid before us we fâ— others may hearten us we can cheâ— our selves under and against Discouragâ— ments that are not insuperable else thâ— Method of God by his Prophet to sâ—â— up Zerubbabel c. had been a fruitleâ— Attempt Take Heart my Friends Shaâ— the crowing fighting Cock clap hâ— Wings to stir up his Spirits and Vigouâ— and will not you So that you see with out more Enlargement you have need tâ— stir up your selves and suffer others tâ— stir you up in these Matters if you consâ— der 1. The Difficulties that attend them 2. The Imbecility of your Nature undâ— them 3. The Capacity of your Soulâ— to be by these Methods fortified againâ— them What Use may this Doctrine be of tâ— us in such a Case as this Is it so thâ— Men concerned in Reformation do meâ— with Difficulties and Opposition enougâ— to discourage and sink their Spirits thâ— they should be stirred up by others anâ— they should stir up themselves that theâ— may be able to prosecute this Work witâ— good effect I. Then First it is of Reprehension â—o several sorts of Persons amongst us 1. To those to all those that I may â—tile Neuters in these Matters on neither â—ide neither Criminals nor yet Reformers Men of Gallio's Temper That care for none of these things Acts 18. 17. Let â—he Name of God be blasphemed by Curâ—ing and Swearing let the Sabbath be â—rofaned by Trading by Fudling let Adultery and Whoredom have their Course What is that to them they have other Business to mind they will not be Busie-bodies in other Mens Matters Why should they involve themselves Are they their Brothers Keepers Hear what God says and tremble under thy daring Folly thy base Neutrality Thou shalt not â—ate thy Brother in thine Heart thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy Neighbour and not suffer Sin upon him Lev. 19. 17. Is it a light Matter with thee to neglect to reâ—uke thy Brother thy Neighbour when in God's Account it is hating him in thy Heart which God hath let thee know is Murder 1 John 3. 15. Whosoever hateth his Brother is a Murderer Say not I put thee upon more than rebuking even correcting and punishing of him For the Word which we translate in this placâ— Rebuke signifies to rebuke by Deeds as well as Words set as Judge chastize and correct as Psal 38. 1. Nay the Word is doubled in rebuking thou shalt rebuke in correcting thou shalt correct to add the greater Emphasis to enforce the Duty Moreover the Words which we translate Thou shalt not suffer Sin upon him may be read That thou bear noâ— Sin for him or Take his Sin upon thee It seems the neglect of our Duty to him in rebuking correcting him and reclaiming him from his Sins makes us Partakers with him both in his Sin and Punishment And hast not thou Sin enough of thine own to answer for that thoâ— darest involve thy self in other Menâ— Guilt Awake awake shake off thy loathsome Neutrality considering 1st It puts thee under the Dislike of God 2dly The Dislike of good Menâ— And 3dly The Contempt even of baâ— Men. 1. It puts thee under the Dislike of God who cannot but take it ill at thy Hand He hath not play'd the Neuter with thee Hath he not given thee a Being and put thee into good Circumstances and made thee capable of his Service Doth he not shew thee that all thou art and hast
that the Lord's House should be built We must wait for a more favourable Juncture the Minds of Men are not disposed to it Whereupon the Prophet reasons the Case with them Verse the Fourth Is it timâ— for you to dwell in your Cieled Houses say he and this House lie waste quâ—d By the Lord you have been preserved in anâ— brought out of Babylon You think it a good time to Build nay to Câ—el i. e. to Arch with costly Wainscot curiously carved richly adorned and fairly beautified your own Houses perhaps more than one a piece a City-House and a Country-House for your Pleasure and Diversion for the Word is plural you lavish out your Treasure in Pomp and Sensuality for no doubt their Ways oâ— Living were answerable to their costly Cielings and yet can spare nothing towards my House that lies waste You can live without a Temple an Altar a Sacrifice so you may but enjoy your Worldly Ease and Grandeur your Animal Sensual Satisfactions What do you owe so much to your selves and so little to your God who hath but now delivered you What lavish out so much upon your Bodies and spare nothing foâ— your own and others Souls Must my Worship be neglected and Men left un reformed whilst Wickedness is connived at and every-where perpetrated What shall be done in such a Juncture The wise God under this discouraging State of Things raises up and sends out two Prophets in the same Year upon much the same Errand to stir up and invigorate the Hearts of these Men in this Affair that they and their Brethren had so little Heart to They were Haggai and Zechariah And what does Haggai do but address to all Sorts in a very particular and pungent Manner to stir them up to this needful but neglected Work And how vigorously he address'd himself to this Undertaking let the Text tell Yet now be strong O Zerubbabel c. The Words are a vehement Excitation with particular Application to the Governours Civil and Ecclesiastical and all the People of the Land How forcible and pungent are such Personal Addresses The good Prophet speaks like one in Earnest that he might as he did engage them to be so too May I be able to do likewise Not to trouble you with any Logicaâ— Analysis of the Words which would in this Case only furnish you with Terms harder than the Text I shall endeavour plainly to Paraphrase them to you propose their Sence to a clear View observe some Things from them and make some Improvement thereof in favour of the Work of the Day and do what I can towards the furtherance of so desirable a Work as is the Reformation of the Lives and Manners of the dissolute Age we live in Let us take the Words as they lie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And now nevertheless now yet now i. e. under and against all these discouraging Difficulties 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be strong be stout As Mal. 2. 13. So as to prevail Non tantum fortis sed prevaluit The Septuagint renders it by Words of like Importance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Both Hebrew and Greek import the putting out the Vigour we have and the Corroboration of that Strength yea to wax strong and prevail in our Under taking It denotes that true Fortitude by which we pursue without dastardly Fear what is most difficult to obtain maugre all the Opposition to the contrary according to that Be strong and of good Courage fear not nor be afraid Deut. 31. 6 7. If you ask Who he address'd thus to the Text tells you to Zerubbabel first he was their Governour not Supream but Subordinate For what he did was under the Authority and License of the King which renders our Text less Forreign to the Occasion I need not tell you my Errand is to Magistrates not Supream but Subordinate so was our Prophets also It was Secondly to Joshua the LORD ' s High-Priest A good Man no doubt for Satan was got to his Right-hand his Working-hand to resist him Zech. 3. 1. The Governours in Civil Matters the Governours in Sacred Matters they must both be strong get and stir up such a Spirit as will encounter and bear down all Difficulties Thirdly His Errand was to the People What to some of the People Yea to all of them Reformation-Work is a Work that needs many Hands therefore says he All ye People of the Land be strong He does not so much as distinguish between the Sexes or Sects among them all yoâ— People of the Land whatever else they differed in whether in Opinions or Practices or Religious Rites they must all unite in this all joyn in this His Excitation you see was to Courage and Fortitude and the Application was to Civil and Ecclesiastical Administrators and to all the People of the Land What was all this for The Words in the Text are And work I confess it startled me at first and made me think of changing my Text because it seems at first view to refer to Bodily Labour such as is mentioned ch 1. 8. Go up to the Mountains and bring Wood i. e. hew and build the House But turning to the Hebrew I found the Word us'd of such a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies primarily Fecit effecit perfecit absolvit ad certum usum aptavit disposuit As Philologers say Nature as that it no way limits it to Bodily Labour the Work of the Hand and much less when by a familiar Hypozeugma it is to be applied to Zerubbabel the Governour and to Joshua the Lord's High-Priest Who cannot be thought to be excited to any Action in this Case but what became â—hem as Governours Civil and Sacred and then the import of the Word is plainly this Let every one in his Place and Station set to the Business in hand Governours as Governours and all the People of the Land in what Capacity soever they be to further the Work let Heads Hearts and Hands be all employed let every one readily embrace and throughly improve such Opportunities as offer themselves nay seek out Seasons for this Service The Text indeed seems to lead primarily to the Work of the Temple which was their first Work For it was to no purpose to talk of Religion and Worship in the Temple 'till there was a Temple to worship in and to talk of the Reformation of the Lives and Manners of the People 'till there was an Establishment of Religion to regulate them by Therefore I turned my Thoughts to the other Prophet Zachary who was raised up in the same Year and within two Months of Haggai View but the first Verse oâ— each Prophecy and you 'll soon see wheâ— ther there was not more intended in theiâ— Commission than their Care of Buildinâ— the Temple For I soon found that thâ— they were both engaged in the Buildinâ— of the Temple yet they had more iâ— their Commission
if we may judge oâ— their Commission by the unrebuked Exeâ—cution thereof for in Zech. 1. 3. hâ— calls them to turn Turn ye unto me saitâ— the Lord of Hosts And in the Fourtâ— Verse Turn ye now from your evil Ways and from your evil Doings There waâ— Reformation of Life and Manners Yeâ— because nothing is said of that in the Text look Zech. 5. 3 4. where the Immorality of Mens Lives in the Instanceâ— of Stealing and Swearing are struck aâ— by this Prophet who doubtless acteâ— not beyond his Commission And wâ— must have great Charity if we can believe that these were all the Immoralities amongst these People tho' no more are mentioned in express Terms in that place because you read of many more that needed Reforming Chap. 7. 9 10 11 Verses After all this what does the Prophet do but add Inforcement to this Encouragement he had given and that by telling them The Lord was with them and giving them God's Word for it I am with you saith the Lord and I am with you as the Lord of Hosts as a God All-sufficient to direct you to support you in your Work under all the Difficulties you have to encounter and to reward you for your Work whatever the Success be Duty is yours Success is mine but your Reward shall be sure whatsoever the Issue may be Do your part trust my part to me and expect your Recompence from me Your Labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. The Words thus Explained will without any violence furnish us with these Observables that are not unsuitable to the Business we are Convened about I. First Doctrine from the Hebrew Particle the first Word in the Text which we translate Yet now or Nevertheless is plainly this That Works of Reformation tho' but of God's House of the Lives and Manners of Men Thieves Swearers c. do and may meet with very great Opposition What need was there else of such a stirring up to be strong vigorous and valiant if there were not Difficulties to encounter II. Second Doctrine That when Reformers of the Lives and Manners of Men do meet with great Opposition are beset with great Difficulties and Danger their Souls are apt to be dismayed they are apt to sink down under their Burden and to give out and say To what purpose should we labour harrass and hazard our selves any further Wickedness is got above our controul III. Third Doctrine When Men concerned in Reformation do meet with Difficulties and Opposition enough to discourage and sink their Spirits they should be stirred up by others and they should stir up themselves that they might be able to prosecute their Work with good effect Be strong O Zerubbabel c. It notes both his stirring up himself and his being willing to be stirred up by others IV. Fourth Doctrine 'T is plain that the Work of Reformation that is accompanied with so many Difficulties as it is apt to be hath need of all Hands to help it on it is not a Work of Magistrates or Officers only tho' they are obliged to be stricter than other Men But 't is a Work in which all the People of the Land should engage as one Man Don't shut your self out from the Work when God gives you an Opportunity to engage in it V. Fifth Doctrine That 't is a Matter of great Encouragement to encounter couragiously all the Difficulties we meet with in so good a Work that God will be with us and one God is enough for us since he is All-sufficient I may not pretend to handle all or many of these Doctrines in the Minutes your Patience doth allow me Yet the Occasion cannot well spare any one of them Let me fix your Thoughts upon the Third which takes in the main Design of the Text and I will endeavour to throw the other Four into some part or other of the Prosecution of that Doct. That when Men concerned in Reformation Work do meet with Difficulties and Opposition enough to discourage and sink their Spirits they should stir up themselves and should be stirred up spirited and invigorated by others that they may be able to encounter all the Difficulties they may meet with in the Prosecution of their excellent Designs In the handling of this Point I will Briefly hint at some Topicks from whence I might evidence 1. The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That it is so 2. Argue the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Why or whence it is so Because my main Design is at the Application in which I would not prevent my self nor weary you For the First take a Text or two Josh 1. 6 7 9. Moses being dead and there being need of a Man to conduct God's Israel to uphold and to reform their Religion Lives and Manners the Lord spake unto Joshua Josh 1. 6. and says Be strong and of a good Courage Here is another Word viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 added to that which is in our Text and is well enough translated Be of good Courage In another Verse Only be thou strong and couragious Only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if he had nothing else to do And here another Word is added to both the former Words and hath a vehement Emphasis attending it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Multum abundanter copiose valde majorem in modum It signifies Might Vehemency and Diligence all one can do one 's utmost Efforts Verse the Ninth Be strong and of good Courage as before but adds 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be not afraid nor dismay'd have a Coâ—rage that despiseth Fear that gives not back be the Difficulties what they will Being nothing terrified by your Adversaries As Paul words it Phil. 1. 28. agreeably to both the Hebrew Words God was pleased to use in this Excitation of Joshua He was a Man of an excellent Spirit yet see how he was treated May be it may tempt some Men to think meanly of him because of the Treatment he had but if the best of Men had not need of help to support and invigorate their Spirits under such Designs as this the Spirit of God would never have bestowed so much Chafing and Excitation on such a Man as Joshua Again Haggai 1. 14 15. 't is said The Lord stirred up the Spirit of Zerubbabel and of Joshua and of the People As if that was not enough God sends again in the Seventh Month Chap. 2. 1. on the same Errand as the Text hath told you For the Word of the Lord came to Haggai speak now to Zerubbabel be strong c. Here let me obviate an Objection that I thought more solemnly to have considered May be some that are ill Interpreters of well-meaning Minds may think that that such a Call as this to Courage and Fortitude and an Heroick Magnanimity doth insinuate as if the Gentlemen engaged in our Reformation were Men of mean Spirits and wanted Courage Why else make I so much ado about it But as I have no such Thought in my
is his by more Titles than one And doth not Providence notifie to thee The Lord hath now need of thee to help to stem this Tide of Wickedness that bears so hard upon us in this Adulterous Generation Hath he not enabled thee by good Laws and excellent Magistrates to do something for him And wilt thou still excuse thy self Oh! thou art loth to meddle notwithstanding thy Capacity Ability Opportunity to help the Lord against his daring Adversaries Well if I must leave thee be thou one in the Magistracy or Ministry or one of the People if I must leave thee as like the crafty Gallio as I found thee let me leave this with thee That if thou wilt not come out to the help of the LORD tho' it be against the Mighty that support Debauchery the LORD is like to overtake thee Judges 5. 23. Art thou afraid of the Ill-will and fiery Fury of thy lustful and angry Neighbour and art thou not afraid of an angry God What a Wretch art thou Dost thou know darest thou think what this means and yet hold on in thy Neutral Temper Read Zech. 1. 4 5 6. and do it at thy peril 2. Thou art under the Dislike of good Men that are active for God in Reformation-Work they are troubled at it and grieved for it to see God dishonour'd Debauchery perpetrated and such a Person as thou who hast so many Advantages in thy Hand stand by unconcern'd Have God and good Men been every way sâ— kind to thee done so much for thee and do they expect this from thee And will thou do nothing What not this little thing for them Oh! where is thy Gratitude 〈◊〉 What a vile Wretch art thou that hasâ— none 3. Whatever Favour and Value thoâ— hopest to conciliate to thy self with baâ— Men that are impatient of the Reformation of their Lives and Manners they will but contemn and despise thee for thy base Neutrality they cannot love thee because thou art not one of them and they will despise thee because thou darest not appear against that in them which they and thou know is bad in them They have some confessed aweful Reverence to Men of Piety and Vertue that dare to be good and stand to it and face all Oppositions and Reproaches that appear against it They dare not to be wicked under a Cato's Eye in view of such a Man as he But how mean a thing art thou in the Eyes of these vile Persons who darest do nothing against the Immoralities thou darest not act Well Sirs what will you now do upon the whole Matter Have you had no Concern for the rebuking correcting and reforming of Drunkenness Swearing Cursing Whoring Sabbath-breaking Stealing and such like Wickednesses which the Laws of the Land enable you to and the good and excellent Magistrates of this Renowned City encourage you in And will you have none after all God and Man have said to you and expect from you Quit for shame your sluggish Post out up and be doing and be at some more Cost and Pains it may put you to both because of the little you have yet done 2. It reproves those that are Loyterers in this painful Work 'T is a Work which you hear requires Strength and Vigour a stirring up of Strength such as will prevail Yet now be strong â— Sinner I must deal plainly with thee 〈◊〉 thou lay not out thy self to some purpose to good purpose to make somewhat of it thy idling Temper will entitlâ— thee to an Oh thou slothful and wickeâ— Servant Wicked because slothful Maâ—â— 25. 26. And thy Reward shall be according to thy Work Read Verse 3â— For the Curse of the Lord cannot bâ— take hold of thee if thou do his Work dâ—ceitfully i. e. negligently Jer. 48. 1â—â— God and thy Redeemer have not broughâ— about the Work of thy Redemption 〈◊〉 such a negligent loytering Way of Worâ—ing Is this the best thou canst thou wâ— do for him and at such a needful Juâ—cture as this We account an Eye-Seâ—vant amongst bad Servants and well we may they will not work longer than their Master looks on I wish I knew how to perswade thee to be an Eye-Servant to work diligently tho' but whilst thy Master looks on and expects it from thee For his Eye is always on thee he sees when thou shuttest thine Eyes upon the Wickedness thou shouldest punish and takest thine Ease when Matters call thee to be up and doing Remember thy Judge maintains a Spy in thy own Bosome that will tell of all thy Sloth Coldness and Loytering in his Work and Service 3. It reproves those that will not stir up themselves with all their Might and Vigour when the Difficulties they labour under are ready to dispirit them What not use and improve the Capacities you have What sit down before you have turned every Stone Bear your Reproof and chide your dastardly Spirits stir up your selves at such a rate as you may not need the help of others who will be backward enough to do it 4. It reproves those that will not endeavour to stir up and invigorate others to the Work when they need it wheâ— their Courage fails for want of it Thâ— is one of the Works of our Sacred Function Isa 58. 1. But it is not confineâ— to us Our excellent Judges Justices oâ— the Peace Stewards of Courts-Leet c they bear a Testimony they promote this Matter as well as we V. And Lastly It reproves those that take it ill that will not bear to be excited It 's a thing which Men do worse bear when they most need it But ' tiâ— not reasonable to presume I am speaking to many such What should they do here on this Occasion And therefore let us endeavour to improve it by way of Excitation to such a Work at such a Season as this You see by the Warrant of my Text I have a justifying Occasion to apply my self 1. To those who are Civil if Subordinate Rulers and Governours 2. To those that are Sacred and Ecclesiastical Governours under the King 〈◊〉 well as 3. To all the People of the Land of the City and of the Country into whose Hands God by his Providence puts any Opportunity to execute good Laws for the restraining Debaucheries of every kind To thee O Zerubbabel to thee O Joshua to you O People of the Land the Errand of my Text and Doctrine comes And O that I knew how to give it its Force O that the good Spirit of God would give it its Authority and Power over all your Consciences that it might have an Effect upon all of us as it had in Israel's Day on all of them 1. To those of you that are in any Offices appointed to execute these good Laws Much I could say to excite you to a zealous prudent impartial diligent Application to your Work There are Topicks for Arguments peculiar to your Cases your Commissions your Oaths the Trust you have taken upon you