Selected quad for the lemma: world_n
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A29616
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A perswasive to reformation and union as the best security against the designs of our popish enemies
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Brokesby, Francis, 1637-1714.
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1680
(1680)
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Wing B4844; ESTC R11932
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21,237
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35
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Repent and turn from our evil ways iniquity shall not be our ruine Ezek. 18.30 This we are assured of both from the Promises that God hath made to Returning sinners and from the Examples of his Mercy in pardoning penitent persons and Nations As for Promises 't is sufficient to instance in that of Jer. 18.7 8. At what instant I shall speak concerning a Nation and concerning a Kingdom to pluck up and to pull down and to destroy it If that Nation against whom I have pronounced turn from their evil I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them And as for Examples of Gods pity in forgiving such as have repented and his forbearing to inflict the vengeance he had denounced that in Jonah 3. will suffice God had there denounced a sentence of destruction against Nineveh and prefixt the time of its Execution Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown When the Inhabitants of that City upon this message fasted cried mightily unto God and decreed that every one should turn from his evil way and the violence of his hands We are told vers 10. that God saw their works that they turned from their evil way and God repented of the evil that he had said that he would do unto them and he did it not We know that Gods hand is not shortened that it cannot save nor his ear heavy that it cannot hear He is both able and willing to do us good did not our iniquities separate between us and our God and our sins cause him to hide his face from us that he will not hear when we pray for mercies But withal we are assured in such a case that if we humble our selves and pray and seek his face and together with that turn from our wicked ways that God will hear from Heaven and will forgive our sins and will heal our Land 2 Chron. 7.14 What therefore should each of us do in order to the securing of this Nation and the continuance of those blessings we enjoy but search our hearts and try our ways and turn unto the Lord our God If we would have God to preserve the life of our gracious Sovereign to give him a wise and understanding heart to direct and bless publick Councils and hereby secure our lives our liberties our peace our Religion and other blessings which God hath hitherto vouchsafed it is our interest to do what God requires Isaiah 1.16 Wash ye make ye clean put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes cease to do evil learn to 〈…〉 seek judgment relieve the oppressed It follows vers 18. Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow though they be red like crimson they shall be as 〈…〉 ol If ye be willing and obedient ye shall eat the good of â—he land But if ye refuse and rebel ye shall be devoured with the sword for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it As this which I am perswading you to hath an immediate influâ—nce on the Nations welfare so it hath upon each particular persons eternal felicity Let every one therefore forsake his evil ways Let him that stole steal no more let him that hath wallowed in uncleanness learn how to possess the vessel of his body in sanctification and honour and not in the lust of concupiscence as the Gentiles that know not God Let him that hath followed strong drink and hath been mighty to drink wine take heed lest at any time his heart be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness Let such who have vented Oaths and curses for which the Land mourns and by which the name of God is so highly dishonoured beware lest any such corrupt communication proceed out of their mouths Let such who have scoffed at God and his providence who have derided the Holy Scriptures and whatever is Sacred now live as in the presence of his infinite Majesty and manifest for the future as great a Zeal in vindicating the glory of God as ever they expressed their folly and madness in opposing it I am sensible what entertainment such a discourse as this is will probably meet with among these last named that hate any thing that is serious and scorn the most Sacred truths though consonant to the best improved Reason and backed with the highest authority And seeing such men endeavour to baffle their own Reasons and consequently will not be restrained by principles of Conscience it is fit they should be restrained by Laws and those to be new made seeing former Ages never supposed such offences and thence never enacted any punishment to be inflicted on such offenders But I proceed to others who are more likely to attend Let me intreat you as you desire Englands prosperity and therein the welfare of your intimate acquaintance and friends the happiness of your children and posterity both now and when you are dead and gone nay as you desire your own felicity in this world as well as in another take care to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world discharge the Duties you owe to God and man Neglect not the publick worship of Almighty God but be constant in joyning with others in solemn Prayers and Praises and in attendance on the word of God as the means of salvation as also in celebrating the infinite love of Christ and partaking of the benefits of his passion in the Lords Supper Lest God in justice deny to us the priviledges we now enjoy and suffer such to prevail who use an unintelligible way of worship having their prayers in an unknown tongue and a corrupt superstitious way of Worship not to say any worse of it in robbing the people of one part of the Lords Supper and in robbing Christ of his mediatory office by substituting other Mediators in his room Could I hope that my words would have any influence on the people of this Land I would intreat all sorts of men to live worthy of the vocation wherewith they are called and to live answerable to the particular calling and station wherein God hath set them I would beg of the Magistrates that they would discountenance sin that they would incourage Virtue and Holiness Where sin is punished and offenders restrained the community ceases to be involved in guilt Phinehas executed Judgment and the Plague was stayed Where Laws are wanting or not strict enough as in the case of Fornication and Adultery let new ones be enacted I would intreat the Clergy that they would both by their lives and doctrine set forth Gods word and that they would beware lest by their loose lives they bring scorn on Gods worship they are Ministers of cause those great truths to be slighted which they preach when they oppose them by their practice and lastly cause that Church to be evil spoken of of which they are members and Pastors But I must not proceed any further in such requests when my discourse is
A PERSWASIVE TO REFORMATION AND UNION AS THE Best Security Against the Designs OF OUR POPISH ENEMIES LONDON Printed for Walter Kettilby at the Bishop's Head in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1680. A PERSWASIVE TO REFORMATION AND VNION THERE are none at this time except such as are wilfully ignorant but are convinced what danger our established Religion and Government have of late been and still are in from our Popish adversaries It is well known what these men have designed against us and how near some of their designs were brought toward execution viz. to assassinate our Sovereign to subvert our Religion to introduce the Popes monstrous tyranny and usurpation and probably to massacre all such as were likely to resist them or oppose their designs And though hitherto God hath graciously disappointed them yet in all likelihood their Hopes are still great and their designs proportionable It is true God hath hitherto defeated their conspiracies and caught them in the net which they have laid for others This as it should encourage our hope and dependance on the Almighty so should it excite our care to be ever under his protection and by this to endeavour the continuance of the peace and happiness of this Kingdom All that lies in the power of private persons to whom this discourse is addressed to effect this is to present their Prayers to God for his Blessing on this Nation and to be such as God may hear their Prayers Let us therefore earnestly petition him who is the giver of mercies and safeguard of Nations to continue his goodness to us in preserving our Sovereign influencing and directing publick Councils and infatuating the designs of such who seek our subversion But withal when we know that if we regard iniquity in our hearts the Lord will not hear our prayers that it is in vain for us to hope for blessings from God while we provoke this fountain of blessings by our sins and that we cannot with reason imagine that our Prayers should find access to Heaven while our iniquities that cry to Heaven for vengeance make a separation betwixt God and us Hence it clearly appears that 1. Reformation Repentance and turning from our evil ways conjoyned with our Supplications to God is the chief means of this Nations security and that whoever they are that break from their sins and much more those that convert others from the errors of their ways are highly instrumental to promote this Kingdoms happiness Prov. 14.34 Righteousness exalteth a Nation but Sin is a reproach to any people To make this evident consider 1. that Sin on two accounts tends to a Nations Ruine First by way of efficiency as it makes men brutish and foolish and unable to understand what is really for their good as it dispirits them and robs them of true courage and valour and withal as it renders them contemptible and hence first a scorn and then an easie prey to their Enemies Secondly meritoriously as it provokes God to inflict his Judgments to raise up and prosper Enemies and to defeat such counsels as have a tendency to the Nations happiness Thence was it that God so severely threatned the Israelites with calamities if they dared to provoke him by their sins Deut. 28. and so often executed those threats upon their provocations 2. There are some sins which in a special manner God hath threatned to punish a Nation for and that do in their own nature call for vengeance And they are such as immediately strike at the Majesty of God For such bold affronts challenge the Almighty and call for vengeance upon the offenders Hence we find Idolatry rejecting God and worshipping Idols chiefly mentioned as the Reasons of the Israelites desolation and captivity Both by way of threatning when their miseries are foretold by Moses and the Prophets as also the ground of particular calamities and captivities when they have befallen them Thus the Reason of the captivity of the ten Tribes is assigned 2 Kings 17. to be their making molten Images worshipping the Host of Heaven serving Baal making their children to pass through the fire c. And that for which God was chiefly angry with Judah was the sins of Manasseh 2 Kings 23.26 together with that mentioned 2 Chron. 36.16 But they mocked the messengers of God and despised his words and misused his Prophets until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people till there was no remedy When men come to such an height of impudence as immediately to strike at God and his perfections is it a wonder that this jealous God should awake in fury and express his severe displeasure against such offenders If men will disown God or deny his Existence or question either his Power or Truth and dare to scorn and vilifie his Word is there not Reason for the High and mighty One to vindicate his Honour and to manifest himself a God of infinite Power and Truth by sensible demonstrations of his Majesty that have a tendency to awaken secure sinners and for ever to silence those that dare impudently to contend with the Almighty Let us consider whether some of these sins are not committed ay and with an high hand and with monstrous impudence in this Nation Though God is not rejected by mens setting up of false Gods yet he is by their denying the Existence of him that is the true God Though he is not dishonoured by erection of Altars to other Deities yet is he abominably contemned by the profane neglect of his own Ordinances and the vile scorn that is cast upon them Alas what a profligate age do we live in wherein some dare not only say in their hearts but have the confidence to utter it with their mouths that there is no God and others to deny his Providence and Superintendency over the world Nay it presages ill that there are such multitudes whose Actions publickly proclaim that these are their Thoughts For who durst profane Gods name by vain Oaths and Curses and much more by Perjury who believes that there is a God who will not hold these Guiltless Who durst be Indifferent in Religion or think themselves unconcerned to depend on God for his blessing or to own his Goodness in solemn praises who believe that God governs the world and that in him we live move and have our beings And lastly who durst contemn and vilifie such whose office is to be Ministers of Gods worship and Pastors of Souls who believe that there is a God that is to be worshipped or that they have Souls that are immortal and capacitated for the enjoyment of endless felicity Now when it is too evident that Gods Being is questioned his Providence denied his name blasphemed his word scoffed at his worship neglected by so many and by others exposed to scorn as the product of folly and Melancholy and lastly his Ordinances and whatever is Sacred is contemned may not God say to us as he did to the Jews Shall I not visit for