Two assize sermons preached at Winchester the first Feb. 26, 1694, James Hunt of Popham, Esq. being sheriff of the county of Southampton : the second July 14, 1686, Charles Wither of Hall, Esq. being sheriff, &c. / by E. Young ... Young, Edward, 1641 or 2-1705. 1695 Approx. 79 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 32 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2003-01 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A67833 Wing Y70 ESTC R3087 12244759 ocm 12244759 56898 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A67833) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 56898) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 620:14) Two assize sermons preached at Winchester the first Feb. 26, 1694, James Hunt of Popham, Esq. being sheriff of the county of Southampton : the second July 14, 1686, Charles Wither of Hall, Esq. being sheriff, &c. / by E. Young ... Young, Edward, 1641 or 2-1705. [4], 7-64 p. Printed for Walter Kettilby ..., London : 1695. Errata: prelim. p. [4]. Reproduction of original in the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign Campus). Library. Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford. Re-processed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. Gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. 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Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements). Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site . eng Bible. -- N.T. -- Hebrews IV, 13 -- Sermons. Bible. -- O.T. -- Chronicles, 2nd, XIX, 6 -- Sermons. Sermons, English -- 17th century. 2000-00 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2001-09 Apex CoVantage Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2001-11 TCP Staff (Michigan) Sampled and proofread 2001-11 TCP Staff (Michigan) Text and markup reviewed and edited 2001-12 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion TWO Assize SERMONS Preached at WINCHESTER . THE FIRST Feb. 26. 1694. JAMES HUNT of Popham , Esq Being Sheriff of the County of Southampton . THE SECOND July 14. 1686. CHARLES WITHER of Hall , Esq Being Sheriff , &c. BY E. YOUNG , Fellow of Winchester-College , and Chaplain in Ordinary to His Majesty . LONDON : Printed for Walter Kettilby , at the Bishop's Head in St. Paul's Church-Yard . M DC XCV . TO JAMES HUNT , Esq Dear Nephew , THE Obligation was so natural for me to be Your Preacher , that my declining the Office would have look'd like want of Affection ; and this was the Reason why I did not decline it , as otherwise I should have done , in regard of that great Indisposition of Body which has of late afflicted me . It is the Wisdom of those that are Well , but the Necessity of the Sick , to think upon Awful things ; And at the time when You came to bespeak me for Your Service , a Thought of that sort was lying upon my mind , which I found apposite to determine my Subject : That Thought I pursued into the Sermon which I now Publish ; and the more willingly , because part of its Matter seems to me to come too little into publick Consideration ; although there are not many Things we can consider , that are of greater moment to Christian Living . Let me deal familiarly with You , and desire You to make Your self Judge in the case ; Peruse this Sermon sometimes at a retired hour , and contemplate the naked Argument , which is purely Scriptural ( for I would not be interpreted to recommend any thing in it that is Mine , ) and tell me whether You do not find it well conducing to the great End You aim at ; which is ( I know ) to be a Good Man , and to finish those Commendable Respects which You bear to Your King , Church , and Country , with a just and proper Sense of God : To whose Blessing I heartily recommend You , and rest Your Affectionate and Humble Servant E. Young. ERRATA . PAge 17. line 13. for unto read us to . Pag. 28. l. II. for avoid r. void . P. 39. l. ult . for Importance r. Impertinence . P. 40. l. I. r. Inconsiderate . SERMON I. HEB. iv . 13. — But all things are naked and opened to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do . AFter that the Law has provided against Ungodliness and Wrong never so wisely , and the Magistrate attended on its Execution never so Diligently ; yet still Human Justice will find great Obstruction from the bare want of Evidence : Facts will be Obscure ; and Circumstances Doubtful , and Allegations Presumptive , and Testimonies Inconsistent ; so that the probably Guilty must often go unpunish'd , lest the possibly Innocent should suffer ; which would be the greater Evil of the Two. But my Text points at a Tribunal set above the reach of this Obstruction : a Tribunal where all the Matters of Cognisance are throughly Known , and the Proofs all ready for Conviction , and the Evidence as unexceptionable as the Justice . And this is the very Scope of the Words : Wherein we have ( 1. ) God set forth as the Judge , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , with whom we have to do , so runs our Translation ; but it is somewhat short of expressing the Original ; which signifies more fully , To whom we are to give an Account : For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when it is applyed to Matters in Charge , signifies an Account : As when it is said to the Unjust Steward ( Luke xvi . 2. ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; we render it Give an Account of thy Stewardship . So then We are to give an Account unto God : This is the First Intimation of the Text. And then ( 2. ) to intimate that This Account shall be Clearly taken , and the Judgment upon it lyable to no Exceptions for want of Evidence ; It tells us , that To the Eyes of our Judge all things are Naked and Opened , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies that which has no Outward Covering , and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies that whose Inside may be look'd into : For it signifies primarily a Beast opened down the Chine ; as it was the Manner of the Priests to Chine the Sacrifice , and open it so that the state and foundness of every Entrail might appear . And thus All things we do are so Manifest unto God , that they are not capable of any Covering ; either from without by Secrecy or Collusion , or from within by Palliation or Denial . The Words therefore are an Argument for a Circumspect and Upright Conversation , drawn both from the Omniscience , and the Justice of God ; Because God Knows all things , and because He will Judge all things . But I shall not now meddle with the Second Part of the Argument , Gods Justice ; I shall confine my self to the Consideration of his Omniscience : And in Treating of this , I shall not take in the whole Extent or the Attribute , ( as whereby God knows the Nature , State , Qualities , Defects , Powers , and Possibilities of All Things , that either Are , or Can be ) but I shall speak only to Those Things for which we stand Accountable ; As the Scope of my Text prescribes me . Now the things for which we stand Accountable are of three Kinds , ( viz. ) Actions , Words and Thoughts ; For Each of These are capable of Moral Good and Evil , and as so they make up the matter of our Account . My Business therefore shall be , I. To shew that God does Know Each of these Things : and then II. To make some Reflections upon the Doctrine , that may farther conduce to Practice . That God knows all our Actions , Words and Thoughts , the Scripture is every where Express . And , I. As to our Actions . Thou art about my path , and about my bed , and spiest out all my ways , says the Psalmist , Psal. cxxxix . 3. And lest we should interpret that this Inspection of God was Peculiar upon the Actions of that particular Man ; Solomon tells us that the same Inspection is of Universal extent ; Prov. xv . 3. For the eyes of the Lord are in every place , beholding the evil and the good : whence it is Evident that God not only can Know , if he will , but likewise that he actually wills to Know all that we do . It is Profane to imagine that the Divine Nature is Incurious or Regardless : And accordingly it is observable that as Holy David calls it Brutishness to think in any Case that God does not Know what we do ; Understand , O ye brutish among the people , he that formed the eye , shall not he see ? So he calls it Blasphemy to think that God does not Regard what we do ; How long shall the wicked blaspheme God , saying , thou God carest not for it ? II. As to our Words . — There is not a word , in my tongue , but that thou knowest it altogether ; says the Psalmist , Psal. cxxxix . 4. And to bring this Home to every ones case , The Author of the Book of Wisdom , Ch. i. 10. tell us , that Gods ear is the ear of jealousie ; that is , an Ear not only Quick of hearing , but likewise always Intent to hear ; so that when we sometimes speak that which either Shame or Fear will not suffer us to speak aloud , yet the Caution of Whispering will not conceal it from God : For ( as that Author goes on ) The ear of jealousie heareth all things ; and the noise of whisperings is not hid ; and there is no word so secret , that it shall pass for nought . III. As to our Thoughts , that is Inclusively , our Deliberations , Judgments , Choices , Wishes and Desires , the Searcher of hearts is acquainted with them All. So says Holy Job , Ch. xlii . 2. I know that no thought can be witholden from thee . But the Psalmist speaks yet Higher to the Point , and cries Psal. cxxxix . 1. Thou knowest my thoughts long before : Thou Knowest my Thoughts long Before ; even Before they are Conceived . Nor does this Expression give any ground to Argue , that because God foreknows our Thoughts ( as likewise he does our Actions ) that therefore he does Predetermine and Ordain them ; This would be clearly to acquit our selves , and to charge God with the Fault of our Miscarriages : And I doubt not but many would fain have the Charge run so , and therefore are Fond of this Opinion : But on the contrary , as God tempts no man ( in the Words of S. James ) so much less does he force or predetermine any one to Sin : No , He leaves us to our Liberty to Think either Better or Worse , and yet this notwithstanding he foreknows our Thoughts ; Because , Having an Intimate Knowledge of the State of our Souls , of all the Affections , Passions , Springs , and Weights wherewith they are moved , he knows Infallibly how every possible Object , that presents it self will determine our Judgments and Choices , tho He himself does not Determine them at all . As the Man that sees the Setting of the Chimes , can tell several hours before what Tune they will Play , without any Positive Influence either upon their Setting , or their Playing . Thus the Scriptures represent the Omniscience of God. And farther , they offer us Two Especial Considerations , whereby this Notion may be better cleared , and the Conviction of it made to set Firmer upon our Minds . The First Consideration is that of Gods Presence : the Second is that of his Power . I. Gods Presence is that which we call an Omnipresence , that is an Universal Presence , In all places , and with all persons : And this the Author of the Book of Wisdom makes his Argument for Gods Omniscience , Ch. i. 7. God ( says he ) is witness of the reins , and a true beholder of the heart , and a hearer of the tongue ; For ( this is the Proof of it , because ) the spirit of the Lord filleth the world : that is , God Knows Every Thing , because he Is Every Where . And the Psalmist asserting the Omniscience of God at large , Psal. cxxxix . confirms his Argument , and inculcates the Belief of the Doctrine with This Reflection , ver . 6. Whither shall I go from thy spirit ? Or whither shall I flee from thy Presence ? If I climb up to heaven , thou art there ; and if I go down to hell , thou art there also , &c. Now this Consideration of the Omnipresence of God is useful and proper to prevent those Mistakes in our Opinion of Him , which we are wont to take up by Thinking of him Weakly , i. e. with Resemblance to our selves . For so , In Our First Thoughts , we are apt to Confine God to a Place , and to Limit him to a Distance in the Perception of Things ; Because we our selves are so Limited and Confined . And so we are apt to imagine that a Constant Inspection and Observation of all Men , and all their Actions would beget either Trouble or Weariness , or Distraction in God ; because any Great Application does so in us . Most of the Great Men among the Heathens were overtaken with these Prejudices . Whereas , on the Contrary , the Notion of Gods Being Every where Leads our Understanding to apprehend that it is as Easie for Him to observe Every Man , as One Man ; and Every Action , as One Single Action of our Lives . Remember therefore that God is as near to our Mouth , when we Speak , as that Man is , that Leans his Ear to our Whispers : He is as near to our Actions , when we act in Secret , as they are whom we admit into our Confederacy : He is as near to our Thoughts , when we Purpose , Wish , or Design any thing , as is Our own Soul that conceives them ; and in Consequence he is as Familiarly acquainted with them . The Second Consideration which the Scripture offers to inculcate the belief of God's Omniscience , is that of his Power , viz. that Plastick Operative Power , whereby he is the Fountain and Author of all our Beings : From which Topick the Psalmist thus argues : Psal. xciv . 9 , 10. He that planted the ear , shall not he hear ? He that formed the eye , shall not he see ? He that teacheth man knowledge , shall not he know ? The Argument ( You see ) reaches each Particular of my Matter , Words , Deeds and Thoughts ; and to shew the Strength of it , I shall consider it somewhat more exactly . If we resolve it into a general Form of Reasoning , it may run thus ; All our Faculties of Knowing , all our Organs and Instruments of Information we have from God , and can we think then that God wants any for his Own Use ? All of us are his Creatures , and can we think he has made any Creature of such a Capacity as to act any thing beside his Privity , or beyond his Comprehension ? This would be a Weak , and ( as the Psalmist calls it ) a Brutish Imagination . But to come to the particular Instances . God hath planted the Ear , and Formed the Eye : And yet when all is done , 'T is neither our Ear that hears , nor our Eye that sees ; but 't is our Spirit that hears and sees through these , as its proper Instruments . 'T is our Spirit therefore only that has the Power of Hearing and Seeing : And tho Our Spirits are limited to the Use and Assistance of such Instruments , we must not therefore imagine but that Spirits of a Superior Order can perform all Their Perceptions without Them. To think otherwise would be as Absurd , as if a Man of Weak Eyes should argue that it is Impossible for Any Eye to see without a Glass . When therefore God or Angels are said to have Ears or Eyes , 't is only in Accommodation to our Mode of Thinking ; For when we come to Reason upon the Subject we must acknowledge that it is Part of their Perfection to need no such Helps . Whereas therefore , First , We account that the Sense of Hearing is Limited to a Respective Distance ; And this Thought makes us Bold to whisper that , which we dare not Speak aloud ; However we account of our Own Hearing , we ought not to esteem That of Others to be so Limited . Nay when we find by Experience that the Softest Whisper , when conveyed by a Smooth or Hollow Surface , will reach our Ear distinctly , though at a great distance from the Speaker ; We have so little reason to doubt whether God hears our Whispers , that we may be sure ( on the other hand ) he can command a small Ring of Air to carry our Whispers to the End of the Earth , and make them heard by whoever else he pleases . And by This very Means the Prophet Elisha might hear what was spoken in the King of Assyria's Bed-Chamber , 2 Kings vi . 12. as well as by the Intercourse or Ministry of an Angel. II. Though Our act of Seeing be confin'd to the Assistance of Outward Light ; we must not conclude That of Others is so : If I say , per adventure darkness shall cover me , then shall my night be turned into day : the darkness is no darkness with thee ; the light and darkness to thee are both alike : says the Psalmist . Nay , we may learn from the most Contemptible Creatures , that Outward Light is not Necessary to Seeing ; For the Batt and the Owl can See without it : And perhaps Providence designed these Contemptible Creatures to teach us the Lesson , that Darkness is no Covering ; and to provoke unto Jealousie and Apprehension that Thousands may see our Retired Actions , whom we see not , and therefore foolishly are not Aware of them : Good Spirits can see us and lament , and Evil Spirits can see us and rejoyce at the Issues of our sin and folly . III. It is God that teacheth man knowledge , shall not he know ? We allow that God gives us the whole Faculty and Power of Knowing ; And , if so , to think that we can know any thing in our selves , which God does not Know , is a Contradiction ; for it implies that we have power to Know something without God. The most awful Faculty that God has given us , and that which lies most under our present Consideration is that of Knowing or Remembring what we have done , together with the Consciousness of that Good or Evil that is in it : Now let us consider how this Faculty performs its Office : How come we to Know at any time what we have Spoken , Done , or Thought , after once those Acts of Speaking , Doing , or Thinking are past ? Is it not by seeing the Images or Impressions which those several Acts do produce within us ? Do we not by seeking find such Images of things , which we have Spoken , Done , or Thought of several years before ? Nay do not those Images frequently present themselves without our seeking , and make us see them whether we will or no ? Which is a Proof that they have a Real Being and Lasting Subsistence within us , and are wholly Independent on our Will ; for we cannot extinguish or erase any of them at our Pleasure ; we cannot do it , would we never so fain . We may conclude therefore , that whatsoever we either Speak or Do , Purpose , Wish , or Design , so far as these Acts are of a Moral Concern , and bear Relation to Virtue or Vice , they leave the Notices of themselves upon our Consciences , imprinted there in Characters Fair and Intelligible , nay I may add , Indelible too : For though it must be allowed that we Forget many things which we have been Conscious of ; yet in that Case , the Notices of such things are not Erased or Extinguished , they are only Covered over . There is no Forgetfulness in a Spirit ; Its Forgetfulness is only Accidental , and occasioned by the Impediments of the Flesh : As we may observe that sometimes a Man of a Faithful Memory , will by the Disorder of a Sickness grow Delirous , and forget all that ever he Knew ; and yet upon the Removal of his Disease , all his former Notices will appear Fresh again . And how Reasonable is it to believe that our Souls , whether in the State of Separation from the Body , or of Re-union to the Body when Defecated and made free from Obstructions ( so far as All Bodies even of the Unjust shall be at the Resurrection ) I say , how Reasonable is it to believe , that our Souls shall Then have a Clear View and perfect Remembrance of all that we have done ; Though Now most of those Notices lie in us like the Inscriptions of a Marble covered over with Dust and Rubbish . Now if Conscience be thus like a Written Book , and Faithful Register of our Behaviour , there is no room to doubt but God can read that Book , as well as we : Nay , He can Read through all those Impediments that Shade it , which we cannot : Nay he can , when he pleases , make this Book Legible to all Others , as much as it is to our selves . For He can so far Elevate the Understandings of all Men , or Open their Eyes ( in that Sense that he is said to have opened the eyes of Elisha's servant , that he might see the host of Angels : 2 Kings vi . 14. ) I say , God can open the Eyes of all Men to such a Spiritual Intuition , as that All shall be able , at a short glance , to Read each others History ( imprinted on their Consciences in Intelligible Signatures ) as familiarly as if it were graven on their foreheads , or printed in a Book . And thus we may probably Conceive that those Books mentioned by the Prophet Daniel , Ch. vii . 10. and by S. John in his Revelation , Ch. xx . 12. Books that are to be opened in order to the Universal Judgment , are no other than that Volume of things Recorded in every Mans Conscience ; which being opened and exposed to View , shall make ( as it were ) a Tally or Counterpart to that Memorial which God himself Keeps of all we do . Having said thus much for the Stating or Explication of Gods Omniscience , I shall now proceed to make some Reflections upon the Doctrine , that may farther conduce to Practice . God Almighty has planted Two Passions in our Souls ; whose most proper Use is to deter us from sin ; and they are Shame and Fear : The Object of Fear is Punishment , and the Object of Shame is Discovery : and his Omniscience does import both these Consequences to sin ( viz. ) that it shall be discovered , and that it shall be punish'd : For Gods Omniscience does not terminate in bare Knowing ; he Sees and Knows in order to farther Acts of Justice ; so he tells , Jer. xvii . 19. I the Lord search the heart , I try the reins , even to give every man according to his ways , and according to the fruit of his doing . I shall not now extend my Reflections so far as the Punishment of sin ( though that be of the most moving Importance ) I shall insist only upon the Discovery of it ; and shew what Shame is threatned to it from Gods Omniscience . In order hereto , my first Inference from the Doctrine shall be This ( viz. ) That no sin can be Secret ; ( absolutely speaking , no sin can be so . ) Now did this Notion sit so close upon our minds as it ought to do , it would necessarily be of great advantage to the Cause of Virtue ; because nothing gives more occasion to sin in the world , than the contrary Expectation , and hopes of Secrecy . For even after a Man has devested his Soul of Probity , he cannot so easily devest it of Shame ; and therefore when he has never so strong an Inclination to sin , yet still he will start at the apprehension of being discovered ; and be still willing to retain that Reputation , which is the Shadow of Virtue , though he has been so hardy as to shake hands with the substance . How many Calumnies , Dissimulations , Frauds and Falshoods ; how many of all Kinds of sinful acts ( wherein there is any acknowledged Baseness and Turpitude ) would be absolutely prevented ; if so be the Actors , when they began to meditate the doing of these things , were throughly persuaded that they would come to light , and be made known , and so expose them to publick Reproach ? Now , is not that sin sufficiently known , of which we acknowledge that God does know it ? And is not the knowledge of God sufficiently Awful , since He is most of all affronted by our Guilt ? And how comes it to pass then that our Shame is so Jealous and Quick in regard of Men , but so remiss and languishing in regard of God ? How come we to be able to blush at the apprehension of a Man seeing us ; When yet the Consideration that God sees us , that the most Just sees our Iniquities , that the most Holy sees our Filthiness , that the most Loving sees our Unthankfulness , when this Consideration is not able to move the Passion or provoke a blush ? For we must acknowledge that this is the common State of that Passion in us ; so partial and unreasonable is our Shame ; It acts as if Men alone had the Custody of our Credit , and Gods Estimation were of no Importance to it . The best Reason that can be given for such an Unreasonable behaviour , can be no other than a Bad one ; but I take the Best to be this , ( viz. ) We presume all Men to be subject in some measure to such Passions , as would tempt them ( should they be acquainted with our sins ) to be severe upon us , to insult over us , and to publish our Reproach ; and therefore we dare not trust our Secret , and consequently our Reputation with Men : But , on the other hand , we look upon God as purely Merciful ; and at the same time we look upon it as an Office of Mercy to Cover sins : So that although God knows our sins , yet we imagine he alone shall know them ; For , by some method of Repentance which we propose to our selves , we hope to attone Gods displeasure ; and so to have our sins both forgiven and covered , and our selves secured both from punishment and scandal too . But for Correction of this Mistake ( for so it is ) I shall draw my Inference one Step farther , and argue from the Omniscience of God : II. That All sin shall be brought to an Universal and publick Discovery : so that it is but desperate hope for any Man to think he shall escape the Shame that is due unto his Guilt . That Gods Omniscience carries in it the Power of such a Discovery is no Dispute ; the Question is , Whether he actually will make such a Discovery ? And let us fairly consult Scripture and Reason , what we ought to believe concerning this . The Apostle tells us ( Rom. ii . 16. ) that , In that day God shall judge the secrets of all men : and to signifie that the Judging of Secrets implies the Revealing of Secrets , he tells us again ( 1 Cor. iv . 5. ) that in order to Judgment , He will bring to light the hidden things of darkness , and will make manifest the Counsels of the heart . Again he tells us ( 1 Tim. iii. ult . ) that of the actions of Men ( both Good and Evil ) Some are manifest in this life ; and what are Otherwise cannot be hid . And what can be more Express than that of our Saviour ( S. Luke viii . 17. ) Nothing is secret , that shall not be made manifest ; neither any thing hid , that shall not be known , and come abroad : Which words ( as they are not capable of any adequate Completion till the day of Judgment , so ) the Antients interpret them purely to respect the Process of That Day . Now the Importance of all these Texts is clearly this ; That God will make a Discovery of all human Actions in order to his Judicial Sentence , whether of Absolution , or Condemnation . All that Reason can have to alledge against This , must ( as I have intimated already ) be founded on this supposition , That it is an Office of Mercy to Cover sins : as indeed the Scripture frequently expresses it to be . And so undoubtedly it is , During this Life ; Where , if all sins were Discovered , many Men would be impeded in their Repentance , and many cut off from the opportunity of Repenting : And , besides , the World would only be so much the worse for the Example ; For sin would only grow more Insolent and Shameless , by reason of the more apparent number of its Party . But hereafter the Case will be quite otherwise : There Repentance will have no Opportunity to lose ; nor Ill Example be able to do harm any longer : And when God passes Sentence upon the Lives of Men , his Mercy will be as much exalted by the Discovery of those sins he shall pardon ; as his Justice will be Cleared by the Discovery of those he shall punish . I know the main strength of the mentioned Objection must be borrowed from those places of Scripture , where the Terms of Blotting out ; and Covering sins , are applied to God as a proper act of his Mercy . It is holy David's Prayer ; Lord , Blot out all mine Iniquities : and so he pronounces them Blest , whose sins are Covered : And God himself says in the Prophet ( Is. xliii . 25. ) I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake , and will not remember thy sins . But now , to know the proper Meaning of these Expressions , let us begin with the Last of them , wherein God says , I will not Remember thy sins : Now it is certain that this Phrase of Gods not Remembring cannot be taken literally ; because it is impossible for God to Forget ; But the Meaning is , that He will not Remember so , as to punish : And so , in like manner , by Blotting out and Covering is not meant literally the Concealing of sins , but only the Abolishing of their Condemning power . And this we may evidently confirm from the Instance of David himself , in that very place where he uses these Expressions : 'T is Psalm li. 9. where he cries , Hide thy face from my sins , O Lord , and Blot out all my misdeeds : But here his Petition is so far from meaning the Concealment of his sins from the Knowledge of the World , that he was then actually proclaiming them , and registring them in a Form of Confession , which he intended not only for the Exercise of his Own Repentance , but likewise for the Conduct of all Others : so that we cannot interpret him to have deprecated the Notoriety of his sins , but merely the Wrath of God , whereby he might justly have been Condemned for them . We may therefore look upon it as one Certain Consequence from the Omniscience of God , that all human Actions shall be exposed to publick View and Censure ; That a Light shall be struck into all the Works of Darkness , through all the Recesses of Subtlety , through all the Disguises of Hypocrisie : That then the Masque shall be pull'd off from all dissembled Virtues , and every Vice shall appear in its proper Colour , and every Secret Injury shall proclaim its Author : That there shall be no summary Absolutions , no Pardons in Gross without Enquiry into the Retail , as the slight Repentances of Men do seem to require ; but that Repentances shall be weighed as well as Sins ; and Mercy dispensed upon Rational Terms , and the Pardon of Sinners justified by the Measures of their Contrition . If this Reflection can work in us any more abundant Shame for what we have done amiss , it has its proper and wholesome Effect upon us . It is the hope of being Undiscovered that makes the Sinner walk haughtily ; and ( on the contrary ) the Belief of a Certain Discovery ought in all Reason to render us more Abject and Vile in our own Eyes ; which is the first step to True Repentance . Shame thus Taken upon our selves is the only Expedient the Sinner has to prevent the Future : Penitential shame will avoid the Judicial , and break that Blow that will otherwise strike us with Unknown Confusion . For be assured That Shame for Sin is a Natural Debt ; and it must be paid at one time or other ; and we can escape it no more than we can escape Death . Indeed there are some Men who seem to be Proof against the Influence of this Reflection ; I mean such as are arriv'd to sin boldly and openly ; who as they seek no Covering , so they seem to fear no Discovery , but bid Defiance to Shame . In respect of such I shall add One Reflection more , ( viz. ) That Although the Knowledge of Men may not have the power of working Shame in a hardy Sinner ; yet the Omniscience of God , when it comes to manifest it self , shall bring even the Shameless to Shame ; and make it appear that , As Shame for sin can be escaped no more than Death , so it can be defy'd no more than Hell. To open the Truth of this Assertion ; Let us but consider , How it comes to pass that since sin is naturally Shameful ( as being a Baffle to Man's Reason , as well as a Blow to his Conscience ) I say , since sin is naturally Shameful , how comes it to pass that Men can sin and yet not be ashamed . Now this Effect may follow from Three Causes , ( 1. ) From Corrupt Notions . ( 2. ) From Common Guilt : and ( 3. ) From Impudence of Temper . I. Shamelesness in sin may proceed from Corrupt Notions . For so it is , The World has past its Verdict , and Christians to their Scandal are led by the Anticipation , That there are some sins that have nothing shameful in them . 'T is allowed perhaps that Fraud and Lying , and Ingratitude , and Perfidiousness ( and the like ) are of a Nature marked with Infamy ; But then to be a Witty Scoffer , to be a brisk Revenger , to be stout in Intemperance , and the like , are no other then fashionable Commendations ; and why then should any be ashamed for these ? Now this is a Dream that may hold till the World be better awakened ; but when all Actions shall be brought to their true Standard , as it will then appear , that to serve God is Mans greatest Honour ; so it will appear , that there is Shame in every thing whereby we do offend him : And that those sins which Men boast of in the doing , are as Unworthy and Inglorious , as those which they acknowledge are not fit to bear the Light. II. Common Guilt may make Men sin without Shame . For even in those sins , which the World owns for Shameful , Partnership will be able to carry off the Shame : Thus a Thief will not be ashamed to be surpriz'd by a Thief , nor an Adulterer by an Adulterer ; though a Man of an Awful Character would produce a Blush from such a one at the surprize : And therefore we may Observe , that they who give themselves up to any Vice , do generally withal give themselves up to Calumniating , i. e. they take pleasure to represent , or to suppose all others as bad as themselves : And all is for this very purpose , That they may beat down the Reverence that is due to any Good Example , and so contemn the Censures of all Men alike . But this is a Method that cannot take place when God comes to make the Discovery ; For as his Holiness is beyond the Reach of Calumny ; as none shall be able to say of God , that He is either Unrighteous , or Friend to those that are so ; so his Awful Censure will not fail to reduce every Guilty mind to its proper Acknowledgments . But , III. That which consummates the Evil is Impudence of Temper : such as the Prophet Jeremy laments in the people of Israel , after that Affluence and Luxury had brought them to a great height of wickedness ( Ch. vi . 15. ) Were they Ashamed , when they had committed Abomination ? Nay they were not ashamed at all , neither could they blush . Now this Impudence is a Temper contracted by Industrious Iniquity , and raised upon the Ruins of Reason : It can be no otherwise ; because Shame for sin is so Connatural to Reason , that it cannot be extinguish'd but with Reason it self . Which we may contemplate in the Instance of Fools and Madmen ; the only Causewhy they are not ashamed , being this , that they want Reason to reflect upon the Turpitude of what they do . And 't is certain that whosoever grows Impudent , he so far keeps Reason a Prisoner , suffers it not to act , holds it in servitude to his Lusts , and so sets his Soul in the nearest approach unto Brutality . But this is a State that will not always last : For when God comes to do Right to his Creatures , Reason shall be asserted to its Liberty of acting ; and then Shame shall be let loose to demand all its Arrears : It shall be let loose like an Armed Man ; and undoubtedly it shall act then with the same Force upon all Bold Transgressours , that it does now sometimes upon those Unhappy Souls that makes themselves away to avoid its Lashes : For as these flee from Life ( though the greatest Blessing they have ) so they then shall flee from God with the same Confusion ; And being not able to bear the Terrour of his Majesty , shall voluntarily betake themselves to any place that is abandoned by Him , and that is simply Hell. So that the Impudent Sinner seems not to need any Compulsion to settle him in the place of Torment , but that of his Own Shame : That will be his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his proper , his natural place ; To Which ( we know ) all things move of their own accord . And no less is intimated concerning Judas , according to our Common Version of that passage ( Acts i. 25. ) where 't is said that Judas by transgression fell from his part in the Apostleship , that he might go to his Own place ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his Own , his Proper place : Implying that Judas's shame sunk him down to Hell , as naturally as weight sinks a Stone down towards the Center . These Reflections upon Gods Omniscience are such as seem proper to make the Consideration of it Useful to us . And as for the Conduct of our particular Practice , the best of all Rules may be borrowed from Holy David's Example , Psal. xvi . 9. where he says I have set God always before me : So let us : God is always By us , let us set him always before us ; His Eyes are always upon Us , let Ours be likewise proportionably upon Him : Let us keep our minds in a Lively Sense of the Venerableness of his Presence , and the Awfulness of his Inspection ; And this is the best Method to guard us from treating that Inspection irreverently , and to keep us tender of doing any thing unsuitable to such a Presence . Come see the man that told me all that ever I did , cries the Woman of Samaria , after her Conversation with our Saviour at Jacob's Well : Think a little upon that Conversation , or upon such a possible one with thy self : Think what Commotions , what Strugling of several Passions started up in that Womans Breast , so soon as she found One , whom she look'd upon as a pure Stranger to her , to break in upon all her Secrets : The same shall one day be every ones Case ; The same Jesus ( though in more awful Circumstances ) shall tell every one of us all that ever we did : And say then where lies our Wisdom but in a Constant Endeavour to do that that will bear the Telling ? Happy are they that pursue this Endeavour ! Almighty God assist us all to do so by his Merciful Grace ! To whom be Glory and Thanksgiving for ever and ever . Amen . AN Assize SERMON Preached at WINCHESTER , July 14. 1686. CHARLES WITHER of Hall , Esq Being Sheriff , &c. TO CHARLES WITHER , Esq SIR , MY publishing the foregoing Sermon puts me in mind of a Debt of the same Kind to Your self , which I shall discharge by publishing that which follows . Why it was not publish'd when first desired , the Sermon it self will speak my Apology . I there represent Good King Jehosaphat giving such Counsel to His Judges , as was not given to the Judges of this Realm in the Year 1686. &c. And although , preaching upon such an Occasion , I thought it no less than my Duty to Speak what I did ; yet to Print it ( which was beyond my Duty ) would have been no other than an Officious Imprudence . The Printing it Now gives me a Fresh Admonition to be Thankful to God for the wonderful Providence whereby we were delivered from those fearful apprehensions which possest us at that Time ; and whereby we are settled in such a state of Happiness and Freedom , that any One may say what is Consonant to Law and Justice , without fear of Thwarting the Measures of the Government ; or hazard of being brought under Censure for it . And Your self may now Safely ( which then you could not ) espouse the Dedication , as a Testimony of my Respect , who am Sir , Your Affectionate and humble Servant , E. Young. SERMON II. 2 CHRON. xix . 6. Take heed what ye do , for ye judge not for men , but for the Lord. THE Heathens themselves did never set about any Solemn Business , but they began with Religious Offices : And Hierocles ( one of them ) gives us account of the Notion on which this their Piety was grounded ; He says , They pray'd to the Gods , before they set about their Business , for Two Reasons ( 1. ) That they might procure the Divine Assistance in what they went about , and ( 2. ) That in Contemplation of that Assistance , they might act Soberly and in such a manner as to do nothing Unworthy of it . The Reasons are as Enforcing , as the Example is Commendable ; and I hope there is no Soul in this Assembly so Loose as not to be suitably affected with Both : I hope none here is so Profane as to account Going to Church the Great Importance of a Circuit ; or so Inconsiderable as to think that the Administration of Justice is a Business of such a Nature as may be done well enough without particular Regard to Gods Assistance : Let a Man but weigh the Words now read unto you , he shall find Reason in them sufficient to confute any such Apprehension . They are the Words of King Jehosaphat , of whom the former Verse tells us , That He set Judges in the land throughout all the Cities of Judah : and in this Verse , He is brought in as giving Instruction and Caution to those Judges in this Form , Take heed what ye do , for ye judge not for men , but for the Lord. For the Explication of which Words I shall use no other Method than the making of this Paraphrase upon them in the Person of the King : Ye Men ( and Now , ye Principal Men ) of Judah ! I have advanc'd You to the Magistracy , and made You the Guardians of Peace and Justice ; It is become Your Province to give Life to the Laws , to redress the Injur'd , to check the Insolent , and to bound the Unruly : Power and Honour always attend Your Persons , and Submission waits on Your Decrees : But this notwithstanding , let me advise You , Be not over-much Pleased with Your Station , but rather Take heed , Consider and be afraid : For Magistracy does not only advance , it likewises Indicates and Tries ; Your Honour is ballanc'd with Duty , and Your Power is clog'd with Temptation ; Please not Your selves therefore in thinking that I have confer'd on You the Power to do Great things , but rather Take heed what ye do : For You cannot but be tempted to do Amiss ; You will find Your Integrity assaulted through Every Passion . Among those Persons over whose Causes You will Preside , some are Great , and they may possibly byass You by Your Fear ; some are Bountiful , and they will not fail to bait Your Desire ; some are Insinuating , and they may chance to warp You by Affection ; But Take heed , and remember that Ye Judge not for Men. I my self , Your King , what a Temptation must I needs be to You ? You cannot but reflect in all Your Transactions , that You are Mine by Original Duty , Mine by present Obligation , Mine by all Future Expectances ; and what Prudence then can hinder You from concluding that My Pleasure ought to be Your Supreme Rule ? But remember that You Judge not even for Me : For though I can communicate that Power to You , which I have received from God ; yet I cannot prescribe any other Ends and Uses of that Power , than what God himself has prescribed both to You and Me ; I can give You Authority to Judge , but God has fix'd the Mark and Scope of Your Judgment in the Indispensable Measures of Right and Truth : Remember therefore that You Judge for the Lord ; It is Gods Business that Your Character engages You in ; 'T is His Cause You have now undertaken . To this Effect that Good and Wise King cautioned his Judges : and it well became Him ; but I am aware that to the Manners of Other Men there must be Other Measures ; and for such a One as I am , to pursue the same Advice to Persons of that Conspicuous Order were too great an Indecency . I shall therefore choose to extend the Concern of the Advice to All that either do , or may any way Relate to Publick Justice . And the Words will very well bear that Extension ; When we consider that in the Transactions of Judicature , many may be said to Judge in Effect , besides him who pronounces the Last Sentence : For as in a Clock , though the Hand only indicates the Point of Time ; yet the Weight and Spring , and every subordinate Wheel influences the Motion to that Point which the Hand does Indicate : so in the Administration of Justice , they that Inform and Testifie ; They that Inquire and Report , they that Colour and Represent what is alledged , do all judge in Effect , i. e. They have all a necessary Influence upon the Issue ; and the Sentence of the Judge is no more than the Index of a Judgment , which Remoter Agents do move and direct to . To All therefore that either do , or may Relate to Judgment ; The Words offer these two Propositions : I. That the Judgment is for the Lord : and II. That This Consideration is of great Importance to make Men act as they ought to do in that Affair . Take heed , &c. I. The Judgment is for the Lord : By Judgment I mean ( suitably to the Notion of the Text ) that Business which this Honourable Assembly is by and by proceeding upon ; ( viz. ) The Administration of Justice in all its Acts and Offices , whether Punitive , Coercive , or Decisive : Concerning which Judgment the Vulgar Opinion is , that it is indeed the Great Civil Affair , the Prime and most important Business of the Government ; And this Opinion is True , but it is Short ; For my Text alledges that this Judgment is moreover a Religious Affair , and the very Business of God : Ye Judge for the Lord : And the Truth of this Assertion I shall clear to you in these Four Positions ; Each of them bringing in a several Instance for the Proof of it ; ( viz. ) I. That the Power of Judgment is Gods Right . II. That the Matter of Judgment is Gods Cause . III. That the Issue of Judgment is Gods End : and IV. That the Formal Judgment , that is , The Sentence of Judgment is Gods Sentence . The first Position is this , that the Power of Judgment is Gods Right . None may doubt but that every Supreme Magistrate is vested with a proper Judicial Power ; which Power He may either Exercise Himself , or else Delegate it to any Others whom he shall think Fit for the Exercise of it : But this I assert ; That no Supreme Magistrate can pretend to the Right of this Judicial Power from any Human Title , or manner of Acquisition : It is a Prerogative above any Station or Character that One Man can advance Another unto ; And Every one that has it , has it derived to him from God , in as real a Sense , as he can be said to derive it to any Inferiour and Deputed Minister or Judge . Our Saviour has told us what we are to believe in this Matter , from his Own Case : Who upon the Insinuation of Pilat , the Roman Judge , that He was One who had Power either to Condemn , or to Release him , makes this Reply ; I know thou couldst have no power over me , unless it were given thee from above : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ( not from Rome , but ) from Heaven ; from Cesar indeed Immediately , but Fontally and Originally from God. And so Sacred a thing is the Exercise of this Power , that not only Princes themselves , but even their Deputed Ministers of Justice are therefore honoured in the Scripture with the Style of Gods ; as sustaining Gods Person in Judgment , and acting in His Right . The Evidence that the Holy Scripture brings in to this Assertion is Abundant : And He whose Curiosity seeks for Conviction of another kind , let him Consider this Instance : ( viz. ) The Magistrate Bears the Sword ( as S. Paul expresses it ) which is the Ensign of the Judicial Power , and imports a Jurisdiction extending over Life ; and he Bears it not in vain ( says the same Apostle ) that is , He has Right to use it : But now , let any one Consider by what possible Human Right the Magistrate can acquire a Jurisdiction that extends Over Life : For no Man has this Right in Himself ; no Man has Power over his Own Life ; and How then can any confer it on Another ? I know any Man may forfeit his Life by his Crimes ; but when he has so done , no Other Man can take that Forfeiture , without Gods Claim : And therefore after a Man has deserved to Die never so Justly , it is not Lawful for him to Execute that Judgment upon himself ; Nor yet can he , by his Own Act , render it Lawful for any Other to execute It upon him ; And therefore the Magistrate , which bears the Sword for that purpose , and has the Only Right of Executing this Judgment , is for that very Reason call'd by S. Paul , in the same place , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the Minister of God , as Invested with Gods Authority , and acting in His Right ; who as he is the only Author , so ( therefore ) He is the only Lord of Life . II. The Matter of Judgment is Gods Cause ; I call the Matter of Judgment such Matters and Cases as properly fall under Judicial Cognisance : And they ( for the greatest part ) are such as are Intrinsically Moral , involving Good or Evil in their Own Nature : such as are all the Concerns of Truth , Right , Equity , Mercy ; and all the Contrary Violations that proceed from Maiice , Falshood or Unfaithfulness . Now All these are properly Gods Cause ; For they were the Matters of His Law before they were of Man's ; and Human Laws in Respect of those are only the Transcripts of that which is Divine and Eternal : And that is the Reason why the Just Determination of all such Cases ( which is the Executing of True and Righteous Judgment ) is said in the Holy Scripture to be the Direct and Proper Service of God , and is required of Magistrates under that Notion . And this is the Reason why the Heathens , though they knew not the True God , were yet interpreted to honour and serve the True God by the Offices of Justice and Judgment : For so the Fathers doubt not to assert that God prospered even Idolatrous Nations for this Reason ; and particularly that the Romans extended their Empire to that height of glory by Gods blessing upon their Eminent Justice . For as the Author of the Book of Wisdom argues ( on the other hand ) concerning Perjury in those Idolaters ; that when they swore falsly , though it were by False Gods , yet they were punished by the True , because the sin was against Him : ( Meaning that every Deviation from the Natural Law , or the Dictates of our Consciences , is a sin against that God that planted these Dictates in us , in order to this that they should be our Law : ) So likewise ( on the contrary ) so long as those Idolaters did observe these Natural Dictates , and assert and maintain them in their Publick Judgments , they pleased and served the True God ( though to them Unknown ) and were accordingly prospered and blessed by him for it . It is no Doubt but that in Cases where the Matter under Determination appertains to Natural Right , the Cause is Gods , and an Equitable Determination of them is His Proper Service : But we must allow that there are many Cases of Judicial Cognisance , whose Matters are not of Natural , but only of Positive Right ; which happens as often as Laws are enacted about things that are in their Own Nature Indifferent . Now it is certain , these Matters do not Directly belong to Gods Cause ; and yet they do Consequentially ; Because Indifferent things do generally carry in them the Advantages and Encouragements of Necessary Things ; And , whether they do or no , God will have our Obedience approved in Indifferent Things as well as Necessary . We conclude therefore that Moral Things ( which are most commonly the Matter of Human Laws ) are Gods Cause by Antecedent Relation ; and that Indifferent things when they once are made Matter of Human Laws , do then become Gods Cause by Espousal : And therefore it is that Both are charged upon the Consciences of Men by the Apostle ; and Both are to be observed for the sake of God ; Or in Case they are not observed , the Animadversion upon those that do not observe them , is no less than a Judgment executed in Gods Behalf . III. The Issue of Judgment is Gods End. The Political End of Judgment is the Maintenance of the Laws , the securing of Rights , the encouragement of Industry , and the establishing of Peace ; in which consists that Political Happiness that Every Government aims at : But God has a Greater End in it than All this , and that is the making of Men Internally Good and Virtuous , and laying in them the Foundation of a Future Happiness , a Happiness that will last when all the Polities of the World are past off the Stage and expired . So that we ought to look upon Judgment as a Part of Gods Providence , whereby he governs the World to his most holy Purposes . For as we all acknowledge that God has a Providence whereby he does govern the World ; so if we enquire into the Nature and End of that Providence , we shall find it to be no other than a series of several Methods to make Men Good ; to which End this of Human Judgment is conducing in the most Eminent manner . For no doubt but Judgment is the greatest possible External Bond of Human Virtue ; and the most effectual Check of disorderly Passions : It guards Men from doing Ill by a Wholsome Fear ; and those that have done Ill , it brings to Repentance by Suffering : Insomuch that in the Scripture it is recommended as the great Disposition to Christianity , and the great Preparatory to the salvation of God : For the Prophet Isaiah speaking of the Coming of our Saviour , and explaining as it were that future Message of John the Baptist ; Prepare ye the way of the Lord , he does it in these Words , Isaiah lvi . 1. thus saith the Lord , keep ye judgment and do justice , for my salvation is near to come , and my righteousness to be revealed . And to the same sense is that Passage Psalm xcvii . where after it has been said ( verse 1. ) The Lord reigneth , the earth may be glad thereof ; it follows ( verse 2. ) justice and judgment are the establishment of his throne ; As if , according to the Ordinary nature of Things , God could not Reign , where the Government did not assert him : He may in Compassion hover over a People ; but he can never pitch his Tent and Dwell amongst them , unless the Magistrate fix him a Throne , by looking to that Point , which S. Paul therefore calls the very End of Magistracy , viz. To be a terrour to evil doers and a Praise to them that do well . Thus God has put into the hands of the Magistrate not only a Godlike Power , but likewise the Power of a Godlike Retaliation ; For as He makes them Govern ; so they may ( and who questions but that they ought to ) make Him Govern Reciprocally . I know indeed that God has had a Church in the World ( and that the most glorious Church that ever was in the World ) without the Assistance of Magistrates : But that was in an Age of Visible Miracles , and at a time when the World and the Church stood notoriously distinguish'd ; and while those that were of the Church were kept so Humble by Persecution , and Mortify'd by Poverty , and Sober by the Daily Expectation of Death , that they needed no Other Laws to restrain their Appetites : But now that the World it self is come into the Church , and Men can maintain their Temporal Hopes and Passions , and their Christian Profession together , it is impossible but that the Tares of Common Corruption should choak and wast the Good seed , unless the Magistrate step in to weed and to pluck up , and assist in the Cultivation of the Field . IV. The Formal Judgment , i. e. the Sentence of Judgment , is Gods Sentence . For says the Psalmist , God is judge himself , Psal. 1. 6. And though Delegated Powers act for him at present , and pass the Sentence ; yet he Recognizes and Imputes that Sentence , and takes it into his Own Account . We are aware that God has appointed a Day in the which he will Judge the World in Righteousness ; And the Rule of Proceeding in that Day ( as the Holy Scripture avouches ) shall be this , viz. Men shall Reap as they Sow ; and He that hath done Wrong , shall receive for the Wrong that he hath done : Now the very same being the Rule of all Human Judicature , we ought to look upon every Judicial Sessions here to be no other than a Particular Dispatch of Business , subordinate and preparatory to the Universal Judgment . Thus when wrong is Recompensed by Human Judgment , the Judgment of God is so far Prevented . If indeed the Sentence it self happen to be Wrong and Injurious , then ( in the Psalmist's Style ) The poor committeth himself to God , that he may take the matter into his own hands : Thus , I say , it happens should the Sentence of Judgment be in it self Wrong and Injurious ; But both the Law , and Good Manners look upon this as the Supposition of an Impossible thing ( Turpe est Impossibile , says the Rule of Law ) and therefore without farther supposing it , I shall form This Conclusion , viz. That Every Sentence of Human Judgment is Ingredient to the Retribution of the Great Day ; and that All that Men suffer here for their Crimes ( if they suffer it with a just sense of their Crimes ) shall then be imputed to such a Measure of their Purgation ; and All the Impunity that Guilt meets with here , shall be reckon'd for in the Sentence that shall then be passed . I say not , that a Man may work out his Future Absolution by any satisfactions that he can make here to Publick Justice ; or that he cannot be Absolved in the Future without such satisfactions here paid : Blessed be the Love of Christ , whose Satisfactions are All-sufficient ! But this I say , that since God has made True Repentance a necessary Condition , without which none can lay hold on that Satisfaction which Christ has made ; and no Repentance is True that does not engage a Man to make what Satisfaction he is able himself , both to Men by Compensation for Injuries , and to God by Sorrow for Guilt ; And since Men left to their Own Discretion , are usually so Indulgent to themselves as not to reach the Measures of such a Repentance , but to take up with that which is slight and deceiving ; upon this Consideration I say , Kind and Friendly is the Force of Publick Justice that does oftentimes terrifie and compel Men to Repent : Happy is the Necessity that procureth Vertue ; But especially , Adorable is the Mercy that will accept of that Vertue which Necessity doth procure ! Thus I apprehend my self to have sufficiently cleared my first Proposition : And now the Remainder of my Business is to shew , that this Consideration is of Great Importance to make Men act as they ought to do in every Relation they bear to Publick Justice . And this I shall do Distinctly according to the Method of my former Positions , shewing what Arguments for Integrity do Naturally arise from the Consideration of Each of them . I. The Doctrine of the First Position was this ; That the Magistrate in Judgment Sustains the Person of God , and acts for Him. Now this Consideration is of a Reasonable Force to keep the Magistrate Just and Upright in his Determinations ; and no other but this . For let the Magistrate suppose himself to sustain any other Person , or to act by or for any other whatsoever , but only God , he shall find himself immediately faln under the power of such Reasons as will pervert him from being Just ; because there is no Person in the World , but God alone , whose Ends may not sometimes be better served by Injustice : Gods Ends are always served by Justice , and no bodies always so , but His. And hence Springs the Great Difficulty of being Just , and the necessity of that Caution , which we find so frequently inculcated to Magistrates in the Holy Scripture , viz. That they should be Strong , Couragious , very Couragious : Because it is but Needful that He whose Duty will not permit him to Oblige in what is Unjust , should arm himself against the possible Malevolence of Many , who will account themselves Disoblig'd by the Direct Issues of Justice . He therefore that will be Just , must harden himself against all the Impressions of Interest ; tho in that he may seem Imprudent ; against all the Impressions of Affection , though in that he may seem Ill-natured ; against all the Impressions of Benefits , though in that he may seem Ingrateful ; nay , against all the Impressions of Vulgar Pity , though in that he seem Hardhearted : He must render himself disengaged from all the World , and from Himself above all ; Because Self is undoubtedly the greatest Byass to Human Prevarication . But these ( in the mean time ) are Difficulties , which I think no other Consideration can enable a Man to surmount , but only the Respect of God , and the Conscience of doing that service which God himself doth both Require and Reward . I know indeed that to be Just is in it self a very glorious thing , without any farther Religious Prospect : And therefore there are some Spirits ( naturally Generous ) which though it shall happen that they have not much of Religion , will yet despise all the Temptations of Interest , and be Just for the very Glory of being so : But then we must observe that Glory it self is another Byass , and can draw Men from their Integrity , as well as any other Passion ; And so it sometimes happens that a Man , that could not have been bribed with Gold , will yet be bribed with Air , that is , the Affectation of a Popular Fame . An Instance of this kind is intended in that Precept , Ex. xxiii . 3. where 't is said , Thou shalt not countenance a poor man in his cause : Intimating , that when a Poor Man has a Bad Cause , though there can be no Other Temptation , yet there may be that of Vain-glory , to be Unjust : Because a Sentence given in behalf of a Poor Man is so Popular and Specious , that though it should be Unjust , yet it may gain a Man the Reputation of a more Impartial Justice . And indeed when a Man comes to affect Glory from any thing , though from Vertue it self , he is faln into the Temptation of preferring the Glory above the Vertue ; and so of Leaving the Vertue for the Glory's sake , if at any time they shall happen to be Divided . So Important a Reason there is for that Precept of the Apostle , Let him that glorieth , glory in the Lord : To which let me subjoin ; Let him that will be just , be just for the Lord ; Because it is impossible for any one to be accurately Just for any other Prospect . II. The second Position was this , That the Matter of Judgment is Gods Cause : And this Consideration is very forcible to engage all Others to bring in their Respective due Assistances to Publick Justice . 'T is a Notion to be met with more than once among the Heathen Moralists , that A Good Man is a Perpetual Magistrate ; and that , though he be not made so by the Governing Power , he is made so by Nature ; that is , A Good Man cannot but be a Friend and Patron to the Laws ; His Love to Vertue and the Publick Good will not suffer him to be Unconcern'd , when he sees them broken and contemned . And if it be so with a Good Man ; I am sure it cannot be otherwise with a Good Christian : It is impossible that such a one should see and bear with Indifference , that the Concerns of Truth , the Offices of Morality and Religion ( which I say are the general Matters of the Law ) those Duties wherein Gods Honour , and the Common Welfare , nay the Common Salvation are so nearly concerned , should be broken and neglected without a proper Animadversion . We all conclude that He wants Compassion , and sins against the Law of Humanity , who will suffer the Poor to perish for want of Relieving ; But if the Perishing of Souls be of greater Moment than the Perishing of Bodies , I am sure he has less Compassion , and sins more against the Law of Humanity , who will suffer Good Manners to be run down for want of Asserting , I do not say that every Good Christian should rise up like Phineas , and execute the Judgment of Zeal ( as the Rabbins call it ; ) but this I say , that every Good Christian ought to have a constant Regard to the Ends of Publick Justice , which are the Restraint of Vice , and the Maintenance of Good Manners ; and to these Ends he ought never to be wanting in any sort of Prudential Assistance . And in this Point I humbly wish that the Gentlemen would be pleased to hear me as their Particular Remembrancer . Whether they are Magistrates or no , let them always bear in mind , that an Awful Example carries Magistracy in it self ; and he that lives Christianly is the Best Justiciary ; he gives the Best Assistance to Publick Justice , and cures most Crimes among the People . God has given this Precept among other Judicial Laws , Lev. xix . as that which has a most direct Influence upon the Affairs of Publick Justice , viz. Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour , and not suffer sin upon him . The Charge is given to All , but it obliges the Gentleman most , whose Fortunes give him the Advantage of Executing it with the happiest success : For in Matters of Duty , Our Power is always the Measure of our Obligation . It is an Ill Crisis , when Mens Religion comes to be so Modest , that they will not Rebuke sin , or keep Vertue in Countenance , for fear of Invading the Preachers Office ; as if it were pure Officiousness in Others , and exceeding the Measures of their Obligation . But tell me , ye Men of Quality and Power , superior to those that are about you ! Tell me how God who is the Equal Father of All , came to distinguish You from the Crowd of Indigents , and to prefer You to such an Unequal Distribution . Can you say it is for Services already done ? I must say it is for Services to be Done ; It is not for Nought : God has put your Fortunes as a Tryal and Opportunity into your hands : Your Fortunes are the Means of your Influence upon Men ; and your Influence upon Men is your Power of doing Good ; and your Power of doing Good is your Debt to do it ; And if you do it not , you run into Debt even for that which is your Own. It would trouble me to doubt of any of your Zeal for that Religion , which You and the Laws profess : Look where you will , you will never find any Constituted of a more saving Wisdom than that is : But be pleased to bear in mind , That to appear for Religion , and not to appear against Vice , is in effect a Contradiction ; and he that will not assert his Religion better than so , is in the nearest hazard of losing it . III. The third Position was this , That the Issue of Judgment is Gods End. And this Consideration does most Effectually discover the Great Iniquity of Perverting Judgment . We know that Christianity permits no Evil to be done , tho softned with the Issue of never so Good a Consequence : But much more Inexcusable is the Evil , whose Product is likewise evil ; this is a Double Sin : And so is every Iniquity interposed in the Administration of Justice ; It is a solemn Evil in the Act , and yet a Worse in the Effect it produces . Ex. Gt. All Corruption or Falshood in Evidence is a Solemn Evil ; It is a great Affront to the God of Truth ; especially considering that God himself is called in to be Witness to the Affront : All Partiality of Verdicts is a Solemn Evil ; It is a breach both of Truth and Trust , and an Implicit Defiance of the Christian Faith , which is there plight and pawn'd as a Pledge of Integrity : All Prevarication in Pleadings is a Solemn Evil ; wherein Parts and Learning are imployed to elude Right , and Colour Frauds ; which is no other than a Profane prostituting the Talents of God to the service of Mammon : Torturing the Laws to make them speak Contrary to the Intention of the Makers is a Solemn Evil ; It is the Extremest Violation and Contempt of the Governing and Legislative Power , which if not held Sacred in one Point , it has no security of being so in Any : All these are Solemn Deliberate Iniquity in the Act ; And yet the Effect of them is Worse , for it tends to no other Issue ( to the Publick ) than this , viz. to Harden Men in their sins by the Means of Impunity . For the only End of Publick Justice is to Correct ill Men , and make them do Right whether they will or no ; to bring Criminals to Repentance , and meliorate the World by the Example of their Punishment : Whereas All those Artifices through which Men aim at Impunity , directly frustrate this Good End , and render Men secure in the pursuit of their Ill Inclinations : which they must stand Accountable for , who might have hindered it . IV. The Last Position was this , That the Sentence of Judgment is Gods Sentence : i. e. It is espoused by God , and taken into his Own Account , and shall be so Imputed at the Judgment which shall be Universal . And this Consideration may serve as Effectually to discover the Folly of perverting Judgment . The Traveller when overtaken by a Storm gets himself to a Tree , and when he is there , he pleases himself with the Commodiousness of his Shelter ; but if the Shower happen to be so strong as once to break through the Boughs , then he finds to his disappointment that the Standing , wherein he lately pleased himself , is Now become more Insufferable than any part of the Open Road : And just so it happens when any Man meets with Protection or Covert from any Unjust or Misguided Sentence of Judgment ; when either his False Titles are Confirmed , or his Injuries Concealed by any Favour or Misrepresentation of the Court : The Foolish Litigant hugs himself , that now he is safe , because he has a Verdict on his side ; because his Penny is saved , or his Credit unexposed , by reason of those Practices which have past on his behalf ; But he thinks not in the mean time , that by and by the Storm will certainly beat through the Covert , and then his Station will be able to afford him no safety ; Then he will complain of that Success , which now he calls his Good Fortune ; and wish that either Force had brought him to Right , or Shame to Repentance ; that so he might have taken Refuge under some more Durable Shelter . You therefore , whosoever pretend to have Favour for Any , whose Faults have made them Obnoxious to the Laws , shew your Friendship in this , Help to clear them against the Great Assize ; Help to bring them to Repentance and Satisfaction ; and Remember that it is absolute Cruelty to assist a Man from being Just and Good. And You ( My Lords ) give me Leave to offer You One Advice , which is this , That You would look upon Your selves and Your Assistants as the most Lively Resemblance that the World affords , of our Saviour Christ coming in the Clouds with his Holy Angels : Be pleased therefore but to think this of Yourselves , and to act in Contemplation of this Resemblance ; And then we doubt not but All You do will tend to the Publick Welfare , and to the Glory of Him for whom You are to Judge . To whom be Glory and Thanksgiving for ever and ever . Amen . FINIS .