To the Reverend Dr. BEVERIDGE, AN EUCHARISTICON, Occasioned by his seasonable and excellent Sermon about Restitution, on * And Zacheus stood, and said unto th● Lord, Behold, Lord, the half of my Goods I give to the Poor, and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. St. Luke 19 8. preached at St. Laurence's London, Tuesday, March 17. 1690. COming by Chance into St. Laurence-Kirk, Where Preachers did of Old Resistance Jerk, The prating Reader having made an End, I saw your reverence on the Mount ascend, Like Publican-Zacheus, who, to see Jesus pass by, climbed up into the Tree. My Thanks, good Sir, I must confess is due To penitent Zacheus, and to You. He by Example, You by Preaching, taught (And therein seas'nably revealed the Thought Of many Hearts) the Nature and Extent Of that great Duty of the Penitent, Called Restitution, which embalms his Tears, Sets him to Rights, and pays off all Arrears: Procures his Pardon from th'offended God, Atones his Vengeance, and does charm his Rod. Pardon (a) No Pardon without Repentance, and no Repentance without Restitution. Dr. Beveridge's Sermon on St. Luke 19 8. beforementioned. th' Impenitent in vain implore, Impenitent are they that don't (b) And as ye have hurt the Name of your Neighbour, or otherwise hindered him, so now intent to Restore it to him again. For without Restitution, God accepteth not your Confession, nor yet your Repentance. Book of Homilies, Fol. pag. 286. 120 pag. 465. Restore To th'wronged Man what was his (c) And so it is still, for Possession does not take away Right, and therefore Zacheus emphatically says, My Goods. Behold, Lord, the half of my Goods I give to the Poor — My Goods, i. e. what remains to me after I have restored what I have unjustly taken from another, who has the Right, and not I, though I have the Possession. And what remains when I have made suoh Restitution, I may truly call my own.— Dr. Bev. ut supra. Own before. If this be true, Sir, than Your Flock is damned, And every swearing Priest that can be named; Who, to detain unjustly, do not dread, The Crown they stole from off their Monarch's Head: Whom by false Accusation they dethroned, And, as an Abdicating King, disowned. Tho' * To abdicate an Office, supposes a voluntary Act, and the consent of him who quits it: according to Tully, Sallust, Livy, etc. t' Abdicate by Force, seems, by the By, A Monstrous Riddle, and Unlearned Lie: Which to (d) For this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a Lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the Truth, but had pleasure in Unrighteousness, 2 Thess. 2. 11, 12. believe, a Judgement is on those, Who think't not Sin their sovereign to Depose, Reno●nce, Abjure, Transfer Allegiance too: And what cannot a debauched Conscience do? If RESTITUTION, Sir, must needs be made; Why not to Sceptres, as well as to the Spade? If to our Fellow-Subjects we own that Care, Much more to Kings who God's Vicegerents are. Or is it Lawful to defraud the King, Whilst we are just to every other Thing? Is it our Duty to do Right to All Except to Him, whom we our Father call? Must God's Laws be obeyed by'rour partial Will, Th' Apostle's sad (e) In the last days perilous times shall come, for Men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous— disobedient to Parents, unthankful, unholy, without Natural Affection, Truce-breakers, False Accusers— Fierce, Despisers of those that are Good, Traitors— 2 Tim. 3. 1, 2, 3, 4. A Text, which 'tis to be wished a certain Reverend Divine, [Dr. Sh—ock] who lately preached at Whitehall, had gone thorough with. Prediction to fulfil? Render to all their Deuce, the Gospel says, Directs to straight, condemns all crooked Ways. Restore to th' Wronged, and to all Justice do, The Voice of * Leu. 6. 2, 3, 4, 5. Moses is, and (f) Remember the Golden Rule which our Saviour recommends, Whatsoever ye would that Men, etc. Dr. Bev. ut supra. Jesus too. Go, preach this Gospel-Doctrine through the Town, Bid 'em Restore who do Usurp the Crown. The Man's (g) If the Man is alive whom ye have wronged, make Restitution to him; or if he is dead, to his Son, or Executor, etc. alive, and too his injured Son, To whom Restore before the (h) And I advise you to make no delay, make Restitution before the Sun is set. Id. ibid. Setting-Sun, Or else (sad Fate!) Three Kingdoms are undone. Fill City and Court-Pulpits with the Sound, Cry, (i) Without Restitution to the wronged, never expect God's Blessing upon you or yours, etc. Id. ibid. RESTITUTION, all the Kingdom round. Fear not, preach, pray (You Leader of the Blind!) Bewitched Subjects to a better Mind. By th' Exorcising Art conjure the Devil From Rebel-Hearts, stop the impending Evil. Bid 'em transcribe Zacheus' (k) Be just, and act like honest Men, etc. follow the Example in the Text, etc. Id. ib. Honesty, Lest they ascend, not his, but Haman's Tree; (Tho, as Zacheus, so amply to Restore, Will make the Thiefs, and frolic Lender's, poor.) Or else descend into the lowest Hell, Where Parricides, Robbers and Rebels dwell: For if the Publican we do contemn, The Publican the Christian will condemn. Bid 'em Repent, do Justice, and Restore, Call home the King, and then Rebel no more. FINIS. A Copy of a Letter sent to the Reverend Dr. Beveridge, upon Occasion of the Second Edition of the Paper of Remarks upon his Sermon about Restitution. SIR! I Have here sent You the Second Edition, with Additions, of the Paper with Remarks upon your late Sermon about Restitution, wherein, as in a Glass, you may see your abominable Hypocrisy, in preaching up Restitution to the wronged, and that upon pain of Damnation, and yet you yourself can receive and enter upon the Right and Possession of another, an Innocent, Conscientious * Dr. Tho. Ken, Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells. Bishop of our Church, (yet in Being, and Vncanonically turned out to beg his Bread) whose Bishopric was settled on him for his Life, according to the Laws of the Realm, (which settled St. Peter's in Cornhill upon you) which you have sworn to preserve and maintain to your power. You are not ignorant that a Bishop, according to the Rules and Practice of the Church in all Ages, cannot warrantably be deprived, or deposed, but by a Synod of Bishops, either General, or Provincial. But was there any such Method of Proceeding in the Case of our deprived Bishops? It being never heard of old, that Bishops were deposed, or deprived by mere Laymen (who might indeed as legally depose Bishops, as the People might an Hereditary King) no, not in the Arian Persecution. Reflect, I beseech You, on the dismal Fate (as a just Punishment of the Sin, much like that of Corah) of those Ecclesiastical, Schismatical * Two Arian Priests, who died miserably and unpitied. Usurpers, Gregory and George of Cappadocia, who unjustly invaded the See of Alexandria (which was wisely and honestly refused by Eusebius Emisenus, when proffered to him) upon the deposing of Athanasius, the Orthodox Bishop there, for no other Crime, than that of his Conscience, (your deprived Bishop's Fault) refusing to comply with the Wickedness of the Time, and vigorously opposing the prevailing Arian Faction. But the Good, Conscientious Bishop was by the Providence of God, with Honour restored to his See, to the Joy of his Friends, (who faithfully stuck to him in Banishment) and the Shame and Confusion of his Enemies. To enter upon the Right and Possession of another, Is it, I pray, agreeable to the Golden Rule, which, you observed, our Saviour recommended — Whatsoever ye would that Men should do to you, even so do ye to them.— Read and apply the Apostle's earnest Expostulation, Rom. 2. 21, 22, etc. Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? Thou that preachest a Man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that abhorrest Idols, dost thou commit Sacrilege? Thou that makest thy boast of the Law, through breaking the Law dishonourest thou God? For the Name of God is blasphemed, through you.— O Sir! Consider what Occasion you give to the Enemies of our Religion, to blaspheme that worthy Name by which we are called.— Is this worthy of the Pious Dr. Beveridge, the Humble, Mortified, Selfdenying, Heavenly minded Dr. Beveridge? Whom we esteemed a Second Chrysostom in our Antioch, the Ornament of our Protestant City, a Main Pillar in our Church, the Beauty of our Israel, a burning and a shining Light, a bright Star in our English Firmament, and the great Reviver and Example of Primitive Piety, celebrating the blessed Sacrament (the lively Memory of the Passion of our Lord, that heavenly Feast of Love, which thinks and does no Ill to its Neighbour) every Sunday. And is it not strange that so worthy a Divine, and so good a Christian, should be guilty of so scandalous, so shameful a Prevarication? But, O, how are the Mighty fallen!— How unaccountably prevalent and mischievous are the Charms of that Sin, which the Spirit of God compares to the * 1 Sam. 15. 23. Sin of Witchcraft? God Almighty open your Eyes, and your Brethren's, that you may see your Errors, and repent, and break off your Sins by Righteousness, and so avert his Wrath and Judgements, both from yourselves, and these trembling Nations.— Which is the earnest Prayer of, REVEREND SIR! London, May 2. 1691. Your Sincere and Faithful Monitor, And Hearty Wellwisher, etc. SIR! You'll pardon this plain Dealing, for which I have a Warrant from God himself, Leu. 19 17. Thou shalt not haté thy Brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy Neighbour, and not suffer Sin upon him.