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comfort your heart. Glorify God for their sakes. "If one member is honoured," shall not "all the members rejoice with it?" Instead of jealousy or evil surmising concerning them, praise God for the consolation. Rejoice in having a fresh proof of the faithfulness of God in fulfilling all his promises. And stir yourself up the more, to "apprehend that for which you also are apprehended of Christ Jesus."

7. In order to this, redeem the time. Improve the present moment. Buy up every opportunity of growing in grace, or of doing good. Let not the thought of receiving more grace to-morrow, make you negligent of to-day. You have one talent now. If you expect five more, so much then rather improve that you have. And the more you expect to receive hereafter, the more labour for God now. Sufficient for the day is the grace thereof. God is now pouring his benefits upon you. Now approve yourself a faithful steward of the present grace of God. Whatever may be to-morrow, give all diligence to-day, to "add to your faith, courage,-temperance,-patience,-brotherlykindness, and the fear of God," till you attain that pure and perfect love. Let these things be now in you, and abound. Be not now slothful or unfruitful. "So shall an entrance be ministered unto you into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ."

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6. Lastly: If in time past you have abused this blessed hope of being holy, as he is holy, yet do not, therefore, cast it away. Let the abuse cease, the use remain. Use it now to the more abundant glory of God, and profit of your own soul. In steadfast faith, in calm tranquillity of spirit, in full assurance of hope, rejoicing evermore for what God hath done, press on unto perfection. Daily growing in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and going on from strength to strength, in resignation, in patience, in humble thankfulness for what you have attained, and for what you shall attain, run the race set before you, "looking unto Jesus," till, through perfect love, you enter into his glory!

SERMON XLV.

Preached before the Society for REFORMATION of MANNERS, on Sunday, Jan. 30, 1763, at the Chapel in West-Street, Seven-Dials.

PSALM XCIV. 16.

"Who will rise up with me against the wicked?"

1. IN all ages, men, who neither feared God, nor regarded man, have combined together and formed confederacies, to carry on the works of darkness. And herein they have shewn themselves wise in their generation; for by this mean they more effectually promoted the kingdom of their father, the devil, than they otherwise could have done. On the other hand, men, who feared God and desired the happiness of their fellow-creatures, have, in every age, found it needful to join together, in order to oppose the works of darkness, to spread the knowledge of God their Saviour, and to promote his kingdom upon earth. Indeed He himself has instructed them so to do. From the time that men were upon the earth, he hath taught them to join together in his service, and has united them in one body by one spirit. And for this very end He has joined them together, “that He might destroy the works of the devil," first in them that are already united, and by them in all that are round about them.

2. This is the original design of the Church of Christ.

It is a body of men compacted together, in order, first, to save each his own soul, then to assist each other in working out their salvation, and afterwards, as far as in them lies, to save all men from present and future misery, to overturn the kingdom of Satan, and set up the kingdom of Christ. And this ought to be the continued care and endeavour of every member of his church. Otherwise he is not worthy to be called a member thereof, as he is not a living member of Christ.

3. Accordingly this ought to be the constant care and endeavour of all those, who are united together in these kingdoms, and are commonly called The Church of England. They are united together for this very end, to oppose the devil and all his works, and to wage war against the world and the flesh, his constant and faithful allies. But do they, in fact, answer the end of their union? Are all who stile themselves Members of the Church of England, heartily engaged in opposing the works of the devil, and fighting against the world and the flesh? Alas, we cannot say this. So far from it, that a great part, I fear, the greater part of them, are themselves the World, the people that know not God, to any saving purpose: are indulging day by day, instead of "mortifying the flesh, with its affections and desires ;" and doing, themselves, those works of the devil, which they are peculiarly engaged to destroy.

4. There is, therefore, still need, even in this Christian Country, (as we courteously stile Great Britain,) yea, in this Christian Church, (if we may give that title to the bulk of our nation,) of some to rise up against the wicked, and join together against the evil doers. Nay, there was never more need than there is at this day, for them that fear the Lord, to speak often together, on this very head, How they may lift up a standard against the iniquity which overflows the land. There is abundant cause for all the servants of God, to join together against the works of the devil, with united hearts, and counsels, and endeavours, to make a stand for God, and to repress, as much as in them lies, these "floods of ungodliness."

5. For this end a few persons in London, towards the close of the last century, united together, and, after a while, were termed, The Society for Reformation of Manners. And incredible good was done by them, for near forty years. But then most of the original members, being gone to their reward, those who succeeded them grew faint in their minds, and departed from the work. So that, a few years ago, the Society ceased, nor did any of the kind remain in the kingdom.

6. It is a Society of the same nature, which has been lately formed. I purpose to shew, First, The Nature of their Design, and the Steps they have hitherto taken : Secondly, The Excellency of it, with the various Objections which have been raised against it: Thirdly, What manner of men they ought to be, who engage in such a design: and, Fourthly, With what Spirit, and in what Manner they should proceed, in the prosecution of it. I shall conclude with an Application both to them, and to all that fear God.

I. 1. I am, First, to shew the Nature of their Design, and the Steps they have hitherto taken.

It was on a Lord's-Day in August 1757, that in a small company, who were met for prayer and religious conversation, mention was made of the gross, and open profanation of that sacred day, by persons buying and selling, keeping open shop, tippling in alehouses, and standing or sitting in the streets, roads, or fields, vending their wares as on common days: especially in Moor-fields, which was then full of them every Sunday, from one end to the other. It was considered, What Method could be taken, to redress these grievances, and it was agreed, That six of them should, in the morning, wait upon Sir John Fielding for instruction. They did so. He approved of the design, and directed them how to carry it into execution.

2. They, first, delivered Petitions to the right honourable the Lord Mayor and the Court of Aldermen, to the Justices sitting at Hick's-Hall, and those in Westminster. And they received much encouragement to proceed.

3. It was next judged proper, to signify their design to many persons of eminent rank, and to the body of the Clergy, as well as the Ministers of other denominations, belonging to the several churches and meetings, in and about the cities of London and Westminster. And they had the satisfaction to meet with an hearty consent and universal approbation from them.

4. They then printed and dispersed, at their own expense, several thousands of books of instruction, to Constables and other Parish-Officers, explaining and enforcing their several duties. And to prevent, as far as possible, the necessity of proceeding to an actual execution of the laws, they likewise printed and dispersed in all parts of the town, dissuasives from Sabbath-breaking, extracts from Acts of Parliament against it, and Notices to the offenders.

5. The way being paved by these precautions, it was in the beginning of the year 1758, that after notices delivered again and again, which were as often set at nought, actual informations were made to the Magistrates, against persons profaning the Lord's-Day. By this mean they, first, cleared the streets of those notorious offenders, who, without any regard either to God or the king, were selling their wares from morning to night. They proceeded to a more difficult attempt, the preventing Tippling on the Lord's-Day, spendingthe time in Alehouses which ought to be spent in the more immediate worship of God. Herein they were exposed to abundance of reproach, to insult and abuse of every kind; having not only the tipplers and those who entertained them, the alehouse-keepers, to contend with, but rich and honourable men, partly the landlords of those alehouse-keepers, partly those who furnished them with drink, and in general all who gained by their sins. Some of these were not only men of substance, but men in authority; nay, in more instances than one, they were the very persons before whom the Delinquents were brought. And the treatment they gave those who laid the Informations, naturally encouraged the beasts of the people, to follow their example, and to use them as fellows not fit to live upon the earth.

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