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Show 7P t67'· '-f .... ./ '-.1 PJrt I. , sea. 7· An AddrejJ to Proteffanls: VoL. 1: a Man infipid, of no Senfe or S:ll r, who cannot Jeer Devotion : And, \yhich is ftrange they make the Bible a Sort of Comma» !lace; but us for Mocker , 'not for Piety. The Phrafes they ufe, are ptck'ti to ab~fe that H 1 B y k . d he Profanenefs is placed ro the Account of W lt. Buc tr~/ fF Me:" m~tt rally Religion at the Peril of P.affi~g. elfe for Fools, and ~·bufe Scripture 10 pur_ge rherpfelve.s fro!ll the S~fpt~IOII of Reveren-cin it there is here an Unbapplnefs m bemg C?nfctent1ous, and on the Sid~ of' this World the Temptation to ~e ~rofane ts ftron9er than the En .. cour3gemenr 10 be Virtuous. ~or this ts m_y Soul gneved, rh:.tr Men auld ufe their 'Vir ro abufe htm that gave It them :. And .rhat. though ~ · to be faid for Religion than there can be fatd agamfi tr, both ~i~~~ R!~e'Et ro irs ReafonableAefs and Ufefulnefs, and that the Hazu~ of bein trrcligious, is incomparably greater on the P~rt of thefe Jltlm}ll· cal Sco}en, than of Men profeffing to ~ear G?d and. beheve another Worl1; The lhall yet be fo conitant and Obftmate m ~~tr loofe and l~wd Con~ verJrion? But if the profaning of the leaft Thmg that ';Vas dedt~ated to the Worfhip of God. in the '!imes of th~ La\vt was fo hemous a Sm~ what fhould we fay', when Men fttck not to profane the Name _of God htmfell, and fcofF at his Revealed Will, fo much Greater, th~n euh~r Te':Jlple or Altar, or thofe Rites bdongin~ ~nto them ! God Almtghty gtve hiS ihong Rebuke to this ExtravJganr Sptnt. . . . And to you 311, that live in the ~raEhce of thefe op_en and Crytng Sms ~ have at this time infifted upon, thiS ~ fay unto you tn the Fear of God • Re enr of the Evil of your Doings ! Bnng nor d.ow.n the f.mher Judg!"ents ofpGod upon this Land. they may be the Affhfhon of many,_ but m th_e End the will be your Punijhment: Ye ~all pay the Rec.komng of the~r Sufferit/ s in tt.e other World, and God Will . c,harge you wnh the Cala.mt-that ~hey fhall endure! Remember, before n s too late. Dre~tdfu( Tbm~t ~;e denounced againft the Wicked ; Therefore go n_ot on to granfy your Hearts Lufis and to forget the Liying G.od ; for thts fhall be ~he End of .Ecclef. u. 9• ii ch \:Vorks that God will certamly bnng you to Judgment. And who ~a Abide r'be Day of his Coming? and rvho jha/J ftand wbe'! be app.eart? No Fie~ can ftand in his Prefence. Confider that Awa~entng Saytng of the Mal. 3• 2. A file That rbe Righreo111 frarcely are Javed; aud tf fo, Where jhall tbe 1 Pet. 4. 18. £fn° odt' where fhaiJ. the Wreuhed Sinn~r appear?. How fhall fuch. be able g ld'Y• p their Hcadt in the Day of h1s Wrath, m the Hour of his Judg~ ~en~, a~ th:n Great Time of Inquifition, when a Final Reckoning fhJll be aft and all muft render an .Acco11nt of the Deeds _they ~ave done, andre~ eiv~ the Reward due unto them~ Therefore, wbde 11 u to DaJ, bardbn Hearrt a Jinft God and ))is Law: Flatter not your felves; ro e Ci~r1fti;~s, ye mu~ be like Chrift; and if ye ~ill ~e faved from Wtarh, ye • n.om.s. 11 , muft be redeemed from Sin; for the Wage~ ofStn u DeatfJ: \Yhat we fow: we muft reap. Encreafe not ther~fore _Gutlt upon your Confctences h~ ~e belling againft the Light, that fhtnes m them, tic. but lay y~ur Impfieu~ to Heart, mourn with true Contrition of Soul! ~nd ye~ love R1ghreou ne ' and hate Iniquity; and ye will prevent the C!VII . .Mag_iflratr, and proba~y avert the J11dignation of God that hangs o\•er th~ Nauon .. Yo!} cannot a~ you don't know your Dury, but you do not do It : The !--1ghr IS co!!le, an e {hines il) yon and the Grace appears daily to you, and In you, agamfrdt~ ver Ima ina~ions and Motions to Evil; and you are fclf condemne !B .•. Gal.6.7. o!r Exc~tres of all Sorts ; and if your Hearts condemn. you, .God ~~11 John 1. 9• y ot jullify you: Therefore bring your Deeds to the true Ltg~t WHh wbJC4 c.3.2.1. Chnft has enlighrned you and examine if they are wroug~un go~~ no; and begin a Cotdi:ll Refo;mation, which fiands in the Sen·tt o! t;orma~ tjon. * SeE\; VoL. I. An Addrefs to Protejlanti,' 7H Se8:. 8. An .Addrefs to the Civil Magiftrate for Redrefs. ~1679· HAving thus ended my Re}leflions upon rbe Five Great Crying Sin1 of Sea. 8, the Kingdom, and my Reproof of the AOor.r ond Promoter.r of them . glve me Leave to make my Humble and Chriflian .Addrefs to you that ar~ in ~utboriry. And in the Firfl Place, I befeech you ro remember that tho' ye are as Gods on Earth, yet ye fhall dye like Men: That ye a;e en~ compafs'd with like Paffions, and are fubje8: to Sin. Such therefore of · you, as may be concerned in any of thefe .t.lzormitie.r (to what ever Degree of Guilt it be) I beg you in the Name of God tofearch your felvu and to be juft to your own Souls. 0! let the Mercies and Providences' of God confirain you to Unfeigned Repentance! Turn to the Lord, Love Righte~ oufnefs, Hate Oppreffion, and he will turn to you, and love you and blefs you. In the next Place, be pleafed to confider your Com million, and examine the Extent of your Authority, you will find that God and the Govern~ ment have impower'd you to punifh thefe Impieties: And it is fo faf'frorn being a Crime, that it is your Duty. This is not troubling Men for Faith nor perplexing People for Tendernefs of Confcience; for there can be n~ Pretence of Confcience to be Drunk, to Whore, to be VobtplltOin, ro Game~ Srv~ar). Curfe, Blofph~me and Profane; no fuch Matter. Thefe are Sins againlt Nature; and againft Government, as well as againft the tVritun Laws of God. They Jay the Ax to the Root cf Human Society, and are the Common Enemies of Mankind. "Twas to prevent thefe Enormirie.r, that Governmrnt was infiiruted ; and lhall Government indulge that which it is inltimred to Correa? ~his were ro render .Magijlracy Ufelefs, and the Bearing of the Sword Yam : There would be then no fuch Thing in Govef1z .. ment as .A Terror ro Evil~ Doers ; but every one would do that which he thought Right in his own Eyes. God Almighty defend us from this Sort of ilnarcby . There are three great Rcafom, which enforce my Supplication . . The Firff is, The Prefervarion of the Government, which by fuch Improvidence ond Debauchery, is like to be greatly weakned, if not deftroyed. The Indujlry? JVtallb, Health and Authority of the Nation, are deeply concern'd in the Speedy and exemplary Punifhmem of thefe Extravagancies. This is the Voice of Intercfl, for the Common Good of the whole Society ; Rulers and Ruled. · But there is an higher Voice, unto which Chrijlian JJtlen ought to have Re..ga_ rd, and that is the Voice of God, who requires us to fear him and obey his .ttighteous Commandments, at the Peril of making him our Enemy, whom we fhould make our common Friend and Proteilor: For upon his Goodnefs11 depends our very Natural and Civil Comforts: So that it is our Inrereft to be good; and it is none of the leaft Arg11ments for Religion, that the Piety :and PraElicc of it is the the Peace and Profperity of Government; and con~ fequently, that Vice the Enemy of Religion, is, at the fame Time, theE~ nemy of Humane Society. What then fhould be more concern'd for the Pre~ fervation of Virruc, than Government; that in it's abftra8: and true Senfe ii not only founded upon Virtue, but without the Prefervation of Virtue, it is impoffibkto maintain the befl Conjlirution th:.tt can be made} And how· ever fame particular Men may prof per, that are Wicked, and feveral private good Men mifcarry in the Things of rhis World, in which Senfe Things may be f:.tid to happen alike to aU, to the Righteous as to rhe Wicked, yet l dare boldly affirm, and challenge any Man to rhc Trurh thereof, thar in t'he many Volumes of the Hiftory of all the JJges and Kingdol{lt oft he World, there is not one Infiance to be found, where the Hand of God was againft a Righteous Nation, or where the Hand of God was not ag:linft an Unrigh• teous Nation firft or lafi > Nor where a juft Governmenr perifh't, or an un· j11ft Government lon~.profpt:red? Kingdoms arc rarely as lJJort live9. as Men, yet they alfo ha\•e a ime to die : But as Temperanrrgiverh Heahh to Mef |