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Show 736 An .Addrefs to PrPteflants. Voi.. 1: 1679 white. bui riot refilling the Torrent of Levvdncfs, that came upon thtm ~ fuJrer•J themfelves to be over·whelm:d with Mifery_and Confufio.n. ' Part I. Nor has this Cab miry been pecuhar to Monarchies; for feveral Repub .. Sect. 8. iicks have fallen by the fame Mifchief. Th3t of Laced'!nton or Spnntt, fo Severe in her Confiitution, and fo R~markabl~ forth~ Vm~e of her People, and that for many Ages, at lafi growmg flac~ 1n the Executton of her Laws, and fuffering Corruption infenfibly to creep tnt~ her Manners, !he became no more Confiderable, but Weak and Contempt1hle. . The fame may be faid of Athens, the Great Schoo~ of Learnm~, and of all rhe Republicks of Gruu, moft Famo~s fo~ her. Vtrtue and Ph1lo~ophy, when that Word w:ts underftood not ofVmn Difputmg, but~ of Pions Ltvmg: She no fooner fell into Luxury, but Confufion and Revolunons made her as Inconfiderable, as fhe bad been Great. Rome as {he was the Greateft Common-Wealth, fo the greare!l Example of Gentiles in Virtue and Vjce, in Happinefs and in Mifery: Her Virtue and Greatnefs are Commemorated by JJ.u]lin the Father, and the latter made thl EffeEt of the former. God (faith he) gave the Romans tbe Government of the World, a1 a Reward for their Virtue. ~heir Manners were fo Good, and their Policy fo Plain and Jult, that nothmg could ltand before them. And truly, they feem'd to have been e~ploy'd by God to punifh the Impious and to inflru8: the Barbarous Nauons: And fo very Jealous was fhe of the' Education of her Youth, that fhe would not fuffer them to converfe with the Luxurious Grulu. But Carelefsnefs, with Length of Time, overcoming the Remarkable sopriety of her Ma~ne!S, who before ft:emed invincible !he fa11s into equal, 1f not greater M1fenes, than thofe that wem before ber, though the had .not only Warning enou&h from t~eir ;Example, but from Hannibars Army, and her great Enemy: For one Wmter's Quarrer of Hannibal and his Army, in rhe Luxurious City of Capua, prov'd a greater Overthrow to them than all the Roman Confuls and Armies had given them. They that had been Vic.tors in fomany Bartles, tutn'd Slaves ~t l:t!t to Danferr, Buffoons, Coo!u and Harlotr; fo as from that Tjme they never did any Thing fuitable to the Reputation gain'd by their former AClions; but fell without much Difficulty into the Roman Hands. Nay, not long bef(lre, Rom( her felf encountred one of the greateft Dangers, that ever had befa11en her, by the Corruption of her own People, in the fame Pl3ce, by the like Means: And though this DefeCtion was recover"d by t~ofc that .remain'd entire in their Manners, yet after the Overthrow of .lbttJOcbus, Afubridaus, Tigraner, that the Riches and Vices of iifta came with a full Srrelm upon them, the very Heart of the City became infeaed; and the Lewd .Ajiatic/ u had this Revenge in their own Fall, that they ruin'd, by their Vices, thofe tjley were no Ways able to refift by their Force; like the S(ory ofrh~ Dying Centa/lr. Thus Pride, Avarice and Luxury having prepared Rome for Deftru8:ion, it foon followed. Virtue now grew intolerable in Rom(, whtre Vice dared r\ot for Ages to !how ir"s Face. The Worthieft Meu were cut off by Profcriptions, Bartels or Murders, as if fhe refolved lpfam "{r,n11um exfcindere: She defiroyed her own Citizens, and fent for Strangers ro proteEt her, which ruin'd her. Which proves, that the Kingdom or State, that, under God, doth not fubfdt by it's own Suength, Prudence and Virrue, cannot ftand: For the Gotbs, Hunnr, and others, defpifcd ro fen·e thofe, whfm they excelled in Power and Virtue, and infiead of Guarding, took their Dominion from them. And truly, it might rather be cal1ed a Journey, than a Military Expedition, to go and pillage Rome; fo weak had her Vices made her. Thus fhe that was feued by all Nations, became the Prey of all Na· tions about her. So ended that once Potent and Vinuous Common-Wealth. The Vandals in JJ.frick foon became Effeminate and Lewd, which broug~t upon themfelvcs fpeedy Ruin. The Goths fer up a Powerful KingJom m Spoin and Parr of France, and hy the Sobriety of their Manners, it rtourifhcd near Four Hundred Years; but it's End was not unlike the reft. Two corrupt Princes, Vuitzn, and Roderic, by their difl'olute Example, debauch'd the People, infomu'h that Men ran an Hazard to be Virtuous: This ma~e thOlf VoL. J, An .Addrefs to Protejlmzts. their Deltrul.lion eafie to thofe whom God fe . 737 the .Moc'rs, occafion'd by the la1t ~f thefe Ki~ ag~~fuft them ; which were. I6Jrf· ano's Daughter. In the Tune of his Calamit gs ~ onourmg Counc ]11/t- ~ ofthofe that had been the Flatterers and th~ 11(:vam did he ex;ea the Aid Parr l. His Secunty (the Effect of his LuxurY) was his R ?mp;mons ft his VItes: Seft. i, he had no Body to fubdue, bur his own People u~n. b ofi whil he thou&ht off his own Arms, and m:~de hlmfelf an e:lfie p y a u mg them, he Cur ~h~~f" :~i~~~~,~r~1~~·~ ~:e;~~e~~~~·o~·t Ji!eb~~~ ;.~~7 ~u~·~~ ~;;~~~~~; the RemJinder of the Goths mixJ . · h ver, 0 It came to pafs, rhat f;;.,~·~~}~~~~~~v;~t ~:~~~~~"~:~:~~~~r~:~j~~·:"; ,f,~·~;;;do~0b;~~ bhle, as ;he Vtces, by which theu Fathers had f~JJe;o~~::a~J~~m~~aCt~m~~~ t e preJent lmpovertl'ht State of Spa1n can t H 'h . that Vacuous Condu8: of their Anccftors. teh Js, t ey h:l\'e n.or c~nunued in\~~c~hed chhei~d~rrengrh, and leffened rhea Peo~f:~~~do{h~~reCoV~~~;c!~- fider the I~vafi~n owe overlook our own Country ) that, whether we conJec: t of Virtue and f ~~~:o[,"'[/• faxons,dorhl\ormnns, a IS certain the Negth [c 1 E 1 Cip me, an t e prefent Inhabuanrs gn 1ng em e vcs up to afe and Ple~fure, was the Caufe (If Gt!dm th(l Brmam and A.ndJ~w liorn f?ay be credned) of theu Overthrow: For as the firit bJt~ tiryhmfcve~hld· agamit the Loofenefs of the Brrlltlf1ts, threatmng them v..uh a t P e r enes that afterwards followed; fo rhe loft tells us rhar the ~nlla!ns ~avwg forgotten God, and hemg overwhelm'd with L'uxury and 1ce, H P eafed God to g1ve the Land to a poor People of rhe Norrhern ~arJs. of Ger"'"'IJ, oal.led Saxons, that were Qf plain and honefi Manners T~ fk uchargeable m the Courfe of his Providence, as to thefe Things: e _1 , e au es produce the like EffeE.ls, as e\'ery Tree doth naturall ro · dbce Its own Fruus. 'Tis true, God IS not carelefs of the \Vorld JJ! j~ef .. t c young Ravens, dotbu the LtDtu, takes Care of Sparrcw$ and 'of 111 fo !f{{:t ad ~a~ of our Head.r /alls to tbe Ground wtthout !m Prov1Jence 'but ~ en e pile his Law, hate to be Reformed, fpend their Time and EftJ ie 1n j-uxuf,y, and perfift r.o work W1ckednefs, he w1Il v16t them 10 Ins Wrath }" coP. umj them In his fore Dtfpleafure. To conclude, Wars, Bloodjlei 1re.r, 'fun ers, Wttjlmgs, Ravijhmenrs, Slav~?· and the fl/(e, are the j}J1: Jeru.~rbnr follow Immoralwt.r, the Common A11j cb1efs of frrd1g1on th( Xe .. aa OJ G_ood Diferp/Jne and Govermllenr. ' g Nothm& weakens Kingdoms like Vice; it does not only difpfeafe Heave. n, ~ut d1fable them. All we have faid, proves it : Rut, ::zbove all the lmqutty and Volupr~oufnefs of·the Jews, Gcd's choftn who from bei the ml?ft Pr!tdent, Pious and ViEl:orious People, made rh;mfeh•es a Pre ~~ all rh.en Neighbours. Their Vice had prepared them to be the Con'\ueft of the Fuft Pretender\ and thus from Freemen they became Sla\•es. s God afle~p; or does he change ? Shall nor. the fame Sins ha\•e the like Punifhment. Ar leait, !hall they not be puntfht? Can we believe there is a God and not believe; thar he is the Rewarder, as of the Deeds of Private Men; fo of t6e Works of Government? Ought we to think him Careful of th~ Lefi'er, and Carelefs of the Greater? This were to fuppofe he minded Spar~ tows .mote than Men, and that he rook more Norice of private Perfons than o~Srares. Bur let not our Superiors deceive rhemfelves, neither put the Enl Day afar otF 1 they are greatly accoumable to God for rhef~ Kingdoms. If every poor Soul mcft account for the Employmem of the fmaH Talent he has received from God, can we think, rhar thofe High Srewards ,of God, the Great Govemors of the World, that fo ofren -.ccoum wi!h alt others, muft never come to a Reckoning themielves? Yes, there is 3 Final Seffions, a General Affizc, and a Great Term once for all where he will Judge among the Judges, who is Righteous in all his Ways.' There Prh·a(e Men will anfwer only for themtelves, but Rulers for the People, as well as for themfelves. The Difparity that is here, will be obferved rhere, .:~nd the Greatnefs offuchPerfons, as {hall be then found Tardy, will be JO br > B from |