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 LIBRAEY 
 
 Theological Seminary, 
 
 PRINCETON, N. J. 
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 A DONATION 
 
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< ; o r r> • 
 
Mr. SMYTH's 
 
 SERMON 
 
 Preach'd to the 
 
 SOCIETIES 
 
 FOR 
 
 Reformation of Manners. 
 1727. 
 
(J) 
 
 SERMON 
 
 To the 
 
 SOCIETIES 
 
 FOR 
 
 Reformation of M a n n e r s, 
 
 Preach'd at 
 
 S A LTER"$-H ALL, 
 
 OnMoNDAY, June z6 y 1727. 
 
 By George Smyth, M. A. 
 
 PubliQi'd at their Requeft. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed for Eman, M a t t h e vr s, at 
 the Bible mPttter-Nofter-Roiv, 17*7* 
 
T O 
 
 Sir Daniel Dolins, KnL 
 
 S I R, 
 
 F you (hall fee jit to favour Urn 
 following Difcourje with a Reading, 
 you will find it endeavours to vindi- 
 cate the Defign of Reforming a 
 vicions Age ; and the Methods 
 made ufe of by -the Societies 
 for that Purpofe. This is done in the best Manner 
 the Author could; and (as He conceives) upon iht 
 furest and most indifputable Grounds. It farther 
 pre fumes to offer fuch Advice to the .' * of 
 
 theje Societies, as (if followed) wo. 
 go a great Way towards obviating all Mifreprc 
 tat ions of their Undertakings various Re- 
 
 fieBions upon their Perfons. 
 
 A DISCOURSE proceeding upon t 
 ViewSy cannot apply any whither mare proper I \ 
 
 Patron 
 
The Dedication. 
 
 Patronage, than to a Civil Magiflrate y authorized 
 by his Majesty^ CommiJJion to put in 
 Execution the Penal Laws against Vice and Im- 
 morality ; duly qualiffd for the Difcharge of] the 
 Trufi reposed in him \ and who makes Qonfcience 
 of doing tt with Diligence and Faithfulnefs. Such 
 an One will readily Countenance any well-meant 
 At tempt on the Side of Virtue, and for the Good 
 of the Community. If upon perufal of the 
 Difcourfe I now take leave to offer , Tou [ball judge 
 it to be of that Kjnd, it may be jure of fiich a 
 favourable Reception, as if it be not , lfhould be 
 ajjjam'd to ask. 
 
 I HAVE often thought withpleafure of the 
 many whole fome Laws we have againfi Vice and 
 Profanenefs \ and of the wife Provifwn made for 
 ; the due Execution of them. But one car?t help 
 being grieved to fee thefe Good Laws jo often • lying 
 dor merit \ andfo many of thofe, who (if I mi flake 
 not) are fworn to fee them executed, auite care- 
 lefs and unconcern d about the Matter. 
 
 A S I have the Happinefs to live in your Neigh- 
 bourhood^ and as you are pleased to allow me the Ho- 
 nour of converfing with you, I can y t want Oppor- 
 tunities of obferving, with how much Prudence and 
 %gal^ with what difvnterefted Views, and with how 
 Pub lick a Spirit, Tou are conflantly emplofd in doing 
 Good y and being Ufeful to Mankind in a great 
 } / ariety of Ways ; and particularly in Difcharging 
 the Office of a Juflice of the Peace. And as you 
 decline no Opportunity of being Serviceable in the 
 World, fo it carft be imputed to any Remiffnefs in 
 
 you 
 
The Dedication, 
 
 ToUj that thofe who are within the Reach of your 
 Authority y are not more throughly reformed in their 
 Manners, and more useful Members of Society. 
 
 IT is upon thefe Accounts you are fo much be- 
 loved and honoured ; and when your Brethren in 
 the Commijfion for this County , jbew'd their parti- 
 cular Regard to you, by appointing you Chairman 
 in fever al of their Sejjions ; as the Choice they 
 made was generally approved; fo the folemn and 
 infiruBive Charges you delivered upon thofe Oc- 
 cafionsj are plain Evidences how ft a P erf on you 
 are, not only to bear his Majesty'/ Com- 
 miffion y but to Prefide among thofe whodofo. 
 
 I A M One , among Many , who fmcerely 
 wifk the Continuance of your Health and Ufeful- 
 nefs. Tou will fuffer me to add (what I am under 
 particular Obligations not to forget) my hearty 
 Prayers for your Pious Lady and hopeful Children. 
 May the kind Providence of GOD conduff 
 you and them through this World) in Honour y 
 Health, and Plenty ; and may you All obtain Ever- 
 lafling Happinefs in the World to come. 
 
 I am, 
 
 Honoured SIR, 
 Your moft Obliged, 
 Humble Servant, 
 
 Clapton, July 8th, i7*7« 
 
 George Smyth. 
 
[5 ] 
 
 Rom. XIV. Ver. \6. 
 
 Let not then your Good be Evil 
 fpoken of. 
 
 A M well aware that this Cau- 
 tion was given by the Apoiile, 
 with a fpecial View to the par- 
 ticular Cafe and Circumftances 
 referred to in the Context. There 
 were Divifions among the Chri* 
 jlians at Rome, as well as in other Churches, 
 occafionM by the different Sentiments of the 
 Jewtjb and Gentile Converts. The Former were 
 over zealous for the Rites and Ceremonies of 
 Mofes his Law, warmly infifted upon the Ne- 
 ceffity of being Circumcifed, and obferving 
 the Ritual as well as the Moral Precepts of 
 it. The Gentile Converts, on the other Hand, 
 exprell too great a Contempt of thele Things, 
 confidering the State of the Church at that 
 Time, and the Weaknefs of the Believing 
 
 B Jews, 
 
Jews, who could not yet be wholly brought 
 off from their Regard to them. St. Paul was 
 well apprized of the Mifchiefs which would 
 follow, whilft every one was obftinate in his 
 own Way, and neither Side would make any 
 Allowances to the other : And the Chapter of 
 which my Text is a Part, feems purpofely 
 calculated to prevent, or to heal them. With 
 this View he gives proper Advice both to the 
 Strong and Weak ; chat is, thofe who thought 
 themfelves free from all Obligation to fuchOb- 
 fervances ; and thofe who imagined they were 
 ffcill Binding. He cautions the Former againft 
 making ufe of their Liberty, to the Offence of 
 the Latter; and the Latter againft Forwardnefs 
 to cenfure and condemn the Former for ufing 
 their Liberty. The Inftances particularly re- 
 ferred to, are, the Eating without fcruple, or 
 abftaining from certain Meats ; and the ob- 
 ferving, or not obferving certain Days. The 
 Sum of what he fays, as to both, is, that 
 where Men are fincere and upright, God re- 
 ceives and owns both thofe who eat, and thofe 
 who abftain ; thofe who do regard Days, 
 and thofe who do not : And that fince 
 both are accepted of God, neither Side fhould 
 be forward in cenfuring and condemning the 
 other. At ver. 14. the Apoftle tells us what 
 were his own private Sentiments as to the 
 Matters in Difference \ 1 know and am perfuaded 
 by the Lord JefuSj that there is nothing unclean in 
 itfelf ' j that all Meats may be us'd indifferent- 
 
[7] 
 
 ly by us Chrijlians : However, if any Man 
 thinks that fome are unclean, they are un- 
 clean to him ; his Confcience, tho' miftaken 
 in this Point, ftill obliges him to aft accord- 
 ing to the Diftates of it ; and thofe who are 
 better informed, fhould out of Charity abftain 
 from that, the Doing which would fhock 
 and ftumble him, and perhaps tempt him to 
 renounce the Cbrijlian Faith. Ver. 15. If 
 thy Brother be grieved with thy Meat^ now rvalkeH 
 thou not charitably : Dejiroy not him with thy 
 Meat for whom Chrift dfd. And then follow 
 the Words of my Text, Let not then your 
 Good be Evil fpoken of That is, Let not the 
 perverfe, or unfeafonable Ufe of your Chriftian 
 Liberty fwhich is in itfelf Good, a great 
 Advantage and Privilege) give occafion to 
 any to take Offence at it, or fpeak Evil of it. 
 
 The Context plainly leads us to this re- 
 ftrain'd Meaning of the Words ; and you may 
 eafily perceive that in that View, they are 
 nothing to the Purpofe upon which we are 
 now met : I muft therefore take leave to con- 
 fider them independently ; and without any 
 Regard, at prefent, to their Connection with 
 the reft of the Apoftles Difcourfe : And fo 
 they will be found to contain this general and 
 very ufeful Caution, to which we Ihould have 
 a conftant Regard in the whole of our Con- 
 duel, and which is die very Thing meant by 
 St. Paul, only apply'd to a particular Cafe ; 
 . Not to give occafion to other People, by 
 
 any 
 
[8] 
 
 any imprudent, or unwarrantable PraQices of 
 our own, to entertain an ill Opinion, or fpeak 
 Evil, or any way to oppofe, that which is 
 
 really Right and Good. I know not how 
 
 I can better perform the Service you exped 
 from me, than by endeavouring to aflift your 
 Meditations upon this Subjeflt. To which 
 Purpofe, the following Things may not un- 
 fitly be confider'd. 
 
 I. The Goodnefs of the Defign in which 
 you are engaged, and of the Methods by 
 which you are purfuing it. 
 
 II. That this, like moft other good 
 Things, is liable to be mifreprefented and 
 Evil fpoken of. 
 
 III. That it is incumbent upon you, 
 to take Care that no juft Occafion be given to 
 any Body to do fo. Which will lead me 
 
 IV. T o fuggeft to you fuch Things by 
 way of Advice, as will (if duly regarded) go 
 a great Way towards preventing others from 
 fpeaking Evil of your Good ; at leaft, will pre- 
 vent you from giving them any juft Occafion 
 to do fo. 
 
 L e t us confider, 
 
 I. T h e Goodnefs of the Defign in which 
 you are engag'd, and of the Methods by 
 which you are purfuing it. 
 
 For unlefs thefe can be fully juftify'd, 
 unlefs it can be plainly fhewn that what you 
 are doing, is really right and fit to be done, 
 it may and ought to be condemned ; and all 
 
 that 
 
[9] 
 
 that you can do, won't prevent its being Evil 
 fpoken of — ■ I am perfuaded this may be 
 done, to the Satisfaction of any confiderate 
 unprejudiced Perfon : And I the rather under- 
 take the doing it upon this Occafion, becaufe 
 if I fucceed herein, it may be of fome Ufe, 
 on the one Hand, towards filencing the loud 
 Clamours that have been raised againft you ; 
 and on the other Hand, to encourage your 
 Diligence and Stead inefs in carrying on your 
 Defign, and to fortify you againft the Oppo- 
 fition and Calumny you may meet with. 
 
 Your known avowM Defign, is, to re- 
 form the Manners of a corrupt Age •, to fup- 
 prefs Vice, Profanenefs, and Immorality. 
 The Methods usM for this End, are, not 
 only your own perfonal Good Example ; fea- 
 fonable Reproof, where you have Opportuni- 
 ty to give it, and it is likely to be of any Ser- 
 vice; InftruCtion and Admonition, by difper- 
 fing fuch Books as are calculated to inform 
 the Ignorant* to convince and reclaim the 
 prefumptuoufly Wicked : But farther, the 
 Dete&ing, Informing againft, and Profecut- 
 ing the Offenders in this Kind, before the 
 Civil Magistrate, in order to their Suffering 
 thofe Penalties, to which by the Laws of the 
 Land they are fubje&ed. 
 
 A s to the Defign itfelf, to reform Mens 
 Manners, and fupprefs Vice and Immorality ; 
 furely one may venture to pronounce, without 
 Hesitation, that it is a very Good One. Tho' if 
 
 it 
 
L 10] 
 
 it be true, (as we find now and then an Au- 
 thor hardy enough to affert it) that Virtue 
 and Vice are mere Arbitrary Things : That the 
 Moral Virtues are the Political Off-tyring which 
 Flattery begets upon Pride : That there is no 
 Reality in the P U LC H RU M & HO N E- 
 STU M : That they defend entirely on Fajhion 
 and Cuftom, and are altogether as precarious and 
 uncertain: If thefe AfTertions, I fay, and 
 fuch as thefe, be true, all Talk of fupprefling 
 Vice, and all Endeavours to reform Manners, 
 are idle and impertinent ; the whole Defign is 
 founded upon a Miftake, and inftead of going 
 about to reform other Folks Manners , you 
 would do well to inform your own Judgments 
 a little better. Nay, if what one of thefe 
 Authors advances be true, that Private Vices 
 are Publick Benefits ; it will follow (and he has 
 almoft drawn the Conclufion ready to our 
 Hands) that by fupprefling thefe Vices, if 
 ever you fhould do it,- you take the moft ef- 
 fectual Method to diffolve Society, to break 
 up Communities, and fend Men fingly, or in 
 very fmall Tribes, into Caves and Deferts, 
 to ftarve by themfelves, and make a much lefs 
 confiderable Figure in G o d's Creation than fo 
 many Brute Beafts. 
 
 I confess it appears to me, that a 
 Man muft have a Head very odly turned, 
 a very wrong Caft of Mind, to be capable 
 either of forming, or admitting fuch a wild 
 Scheme ; and excepting thofe who find it 
 favourable to their Vices, I believe there 
 
 are 
 
[«] 
 
 are very few Perfons that ever gave in to it. 
 All the reft of Mankind have own'd, that 
 there is in the Nature of Things, and antece- 
 dent to all pofitive Determination-, a neceffary 
 and eternal Difference between Moral Good 
 and Evil : And fo long as Mankind continue 
 to have any Senfe of that Difference ; the re- 
 (training of Vice, and making Men morally 
 better, muft be thought a good and laudable 
 Defign. 
 
 And as the Defign itfelf abfolutely con- 
 fider'd, is certainly very Good and Laudable; 
 fo are the Means by which you are purfuing 
 it. No Body, I fuppofe, can have any Thing 
 to objeft againft Reproof, Inftru&ion, Per- 
 fuafion, as proper Means among others to pro- 
 mote it. The only Difficulty (if after all 
 there be any Difficulty in the Cafe) is, with 
 refpeQ: to the other Methods mentioned, as 
 made ufe of by you for fupprefling Vice : I 
 mean, the Detecting, Informing againft, and 
 (where there is need) Profecuting the Guilty 
 before the Civil Magiftrate ; in order to their 
 fuffering thofe Penalties, to which the Laws 
 of the Land fubjeft them : And entering 
 yourfelves voluntarily into Societies for this 
 Purpofe. 
 
 T h a t we may be the more throughly fa- 
 tisfy'd of the Fitnefs and Goodnefs of theft 
 Methods; it will be of ufe to obferve, that 
 thofe vicious Practices which you aim at fup- 
 prefting ; may be conlider\l, either as Offen- 
 
 five 
 
[i* ] 
 
 five and Difhonourable to the Blefled God, 
 Violations of His Law, and Deftru&ive of 
 the Offender's belt Interefts in both Worlds : 
 Or they may be confider'd, as injurious to 
 Society, of which we are Members. 
 For tho' there is no Reafon to doubt but that 
 Vice and Immorality are faulty every way, 
 both as being Offenfive to God, Prejudicial 
 to the Sinner's Perfonal Interefts, and Inju- 
 rious to the Society of which he is a Member; 
 yet it is upon this latter Account principally, 
 if not only, that they are punifhable by the 
 Civil Magiftrate ; and that you are juftifiable 
 in Detecting and Informing againft them, in 
 order to their being punifh'd. 
 
 The Offenfivenefs of Vice and Immora- 
 lity to the BlefTed God, is indeed fufficient 
 to raife our Indignation againft it, and engage 
 our moft zealous Endeavours for reftraining 
 it, by all thofe Methods which Religon pre- 
 fcribes. The great Mifchief the Offender 
 does hirpfelf by it, is enough to awaken our 
 Charitable Pity, and engage us to do all 
 that we fitly may, to prevent fuch Mifchief. 
 And here I fuppofe, that the gentler Methods 
 . of Inftru&ion and Perfuafion, Admonition 
 and Reproof, are the moft Proper, and the 
 only juftifiable Ones. 
 
 But then, if we carry our Thoughts 
 farther, and confider thefe Evil-Pra&ices, as 
 being injurious to Society; Methods of 
 another Kind are not only ufeful and juftifi- 
 able, 
 
[ n ] 
 
 able, but neceflary too : And I don't queftion,- 
 before I have done, I fhall make it very plain, 
 that your Methods are of that Kind. 
 
 I f any Perfon be difpos'd to deny, or 
 doubt of it, his doing fo mud be owing to 
 an Apprehenfion, either that the Vices you 
 would reform, do not properly fall under the 
 Cognizance of the Civil Magiltrate ; that he 
 need not, and therefore that he ought nor, to 
 enaft, or execute Laws againft them : Or 
 that whatever he may, or ought to do ; yet 
 that private Perfons, fuch as moft of you are, 
 ought not to intermeddle, much lefs to com- 
 bine in Societies, as it were purpofely to take 
 the Bufincfs out of his Hands ; at leaft, to do 
 that which he, by Virtue of his Office, is 
 obliged to do, but which no Body expects 
 from you. If either of thefe Pretences can 
 be made good ; it muft, I think, be own'd,- 
 that your Methods are quite wrong ; you had 
 e'en as good disband, and let Vice grow up, 
 'till it becomes, what, if let alone, it will foon 
 be, unmanageable and outrageous. — Let 
 us enquire a little what there is in them, and 
 whether they will not admit of a very fatis- 
 fafrory Anfwer. 
 
 Possibly fome Perfons may be ready 
 to think, that thofe Vices- which you are a (Tilt- 
 ing the Civil Magistrate to reform, don't 
 properly come under his Cognizance ; tint 
 he need not, and therefore, that he Ought 
 not to make, or execute penal La infl 
 
 C them. 
 
. C *4 ] 
 
 them. Suppofe particular Perfons fhould in- 
 dulge themfelves in Vice and Immorality : 
 One Man profanes the great Name of G o d, 
 and wickedly curfes himfelf, or his Neigh- 
 bour : Another furfeits upon the Bounties of 
 Providence, and makes a Practice of drink- 
 ing 'till he loofes his Reafon, and all com- 
 mand of himfelf : A Third defiles himfelf 
 with a common Proftitute, or fquanders away 
 his Subftance at a commonGaming-Houfe : And 
 a Fourth, it may be, is chargeable not with 
 one of thefeExcefTes only, but with all of them, 
 and it may be feveral others as bad. But 
 what is all this to the Civil Magistrate, may 
 it be faid ? If fuch Practices are fas is fup- 
 pos'd) offenfive to the Bleffed God, He 
 knows how to punifh them, without the Ma- 
 giftrate's Help ; if they are injurious to the 
 Offender, the Offender will fooner, or later, 
 find the ill Confequences of them : In the 
 mean Time, as he is his own worft Enemy, 
 and hurts no Body but himfelf, the Civil Ma- 
 giftrate is no way concerned, and therefore 
 need not intermeddle. 
 
 I can eafily guefs what fober Perfons 
 will think of this Kind of Reafoning ; but 
 fince it pafTes for very folid and fubftantial 
 with thefe who are in mod Danger by it : I 
 will take leave to fuggeft the following Con- 
 siderations, which will fully anfwer it. 
 
 1. The Civil Magiftrate not only may, 
 but is, by Virtue of his"" Office, obliged to pre- 
 vent 
 
[15] 
 
 vent as much as in him lies, and to punifh as 
 often as is expedient, every Thing that is 
 injurious to the Community over which he 
 prefides. He is veiled with Authority and 
 Power for this very Purpofe : And without 
 this, Civil Government, inftead of being be- 
 neficial, would be burdenfome. He is the Mi- 
 mfier of G D, to the Society, for good : A Re- 
 venger to execute Wrath trpon him that doth Evil. 
 Rom. 13. 4. Kjngs as fuprewe, and Gover- 
 nors, a&ing by their Authority, are defigned 
 for the Punifhinent of Evil-doers. 1 Pet. 2. i^, 
 14. This I fuppofe will not be much conteftedL 
 I add therefore, 
 
 2. That Vice and Immorality, parti- 
 cularly thofe Kinds of them which you are 
 endeavouring to fupprefs, are manifeftly inju- 
 rious to Civil Society, and therefore neceflari- 
 ly come within the Cognizance of the Civil 
 Magiftrate. Whatever may be pretended to 
 the contrary, the Experience and Obfervation 
 
 of all Ages will juftify this Affertion. 
 
 The Offender is his own word Enemy, it is 
 faid, and all the Mifchief he does by his 
 vicious Practices, is to himfelf : Why fuppofe 
 this were true, it would not prove what is 
 defignM by it. For, every particular Perfon 
 Hands related, and is under Obligations, to 
 the Community of which he is a Member : 
 He is not at Liberty to do himfelf what Mif- 
 chief he pleafes, or to render himfelf burden- 
 fome to Society, and unfit to perform that 
 
 C 2 Duty 
 
C i6 3 
 
 Duty and Service he owes it : If he does fo, 
 he may juftly be reftrain'd, or punifh'd by the 
 Civil Magiftrate. No Man, for Example, is, 
 or ought to be, allow'd to murder himfelf, 
 and care is taken to fet a Mark of Infamy 
 upon thofe who do fo : The Reafon is plain, 
 becaufe in Society no Man has an abfolute 
 Propriety in, or Command over himfelf : 
 Every Man owes his Life and all the Service 
 he can do, to the Society of which he is a 
 Member. And the fame Reafon holds good 
 in Proportion, as to any other Mifchief a 
 Man may do himfelf, by which he becomes 
 uncapable of being fo ferviceable to the Com- 
 munity, as otherwife he might be. For my 
 own Part, it appears very plain to me, that 
 even upon this Foot, the Civil Magiftrate 
 may, and ought to interpofe, to reftrain and 
 punifh Vice; as being thus injurious to the 
 Offenders in their own Perfons, and making 
 them lefs ufeful in Society than they might 
 otherwife be. 
 
 But then I muft add moreover, that it is 
 abfolutely falfe in itfelf, and a Contra- 
 diction to daily Experience, to fay, that Of- 
 fenders in this Kind hurt no Body but them- 
 felves. Does not he who fquanders away his 
 Eftate at a Gaming-Table, impoverifh his 
 Family, and help to ruin his Creditors, as 
 well as himfelf? Does not the profane Cu- 
 ftomary Swearer go a great Way towards 
 forfeiting (that which every Member of So- 
 ciety 
 
[17] 
 
 ciety is obliged carefully to maintain) his Cre- 
 dibility as a Witnefs ? For why ftiould that 
 Man be believed upon his invoking the tre- 
 mendous Name of God on the moft iblemn 
 Occafion, who fcruples not to do the fame 
 Thing upon the moft trivial One ; and very 
 often it may be when he knows the Falfhood 
 of what he would this Way confirm ? Are 
 there no Breaches of the publick Peace, no 
 Broils and Quarrels, no Blood-fhed and Mur- 
 der, confequent upon Drunkennefs and Lewd- 
 nefs ? Or do thefe Confequences fo feldom 
 happen? Or is the Community fo little injurd 
 by them, that it is not worth while to make 
 Laws to prevent and punifh them ? Has the 
 Civil Magiftrate no Bufmefs to reftrain the 
 bad Example of fuch vicious Perfons ; when 
 we daily fee the fatal Effe&s of it upon thofe 
 (efpecially of the younger Sort) who have 
 been foberly educated ; and who, if they had 
 not been mis-led, might have continued Inno- 
 cent and Virtuous ? With the good Leave of 
 thofe whom I am endeavouring to confute 
 and convince ; we will take for granted, what 
 Solomon obferves, and the Hiftory of the 
 World juftihes ; That by the Bleffing of the Up- 
 right the City is exalted, and that it is oyerth 
 by the Mouth of the Wicked. Prov. n. 11. 
 That Righteoufnefs exalteth a Nation^ and that 
 Sin is the Reproach of any People. Pov. 14. 34. 
 That the great G o n, as Governor of the 
 World, ordinarily finds Ways to punifh Com- 
 munities 
 
[ i8] 
 
 munities as fuch, for overgrown Wickednefs, 
 conniv'd at by thofe who might have reftrain'd 
 and punifh'd it. Can all this be true, and 
 yet the Civil Magiftrate have nothing to do 
 in thefe Affairs ? I hope there is no need to 
 ftay any longer on fo plain a Point. I only 
 add in the 
 
 j. And laft Place. That the Civil Ma- 
 giftrate can take no other effe£hial Way for 
 fupprefling and punilhing Pra&ices thus per- 
 nicious to the Community, but by making 
 and executing penal Laws againft them. 
 The gentler Methods of Reproof and Per- 
 fuaGon won't do in many Cafes ; G o d 
 knows they are available in but very few 
 Cafes ! But befides ; they are not ftri&ly 
 fpeaking, the Province of the Civil Magi- 
 ftrate : He may, indeed, as a private Perfon, 
 as a Good-Man, or a Chrijlian, try what Good 
 he can do this Way : But as Civil Magiftrate, 
 he bears the Sword of Juftice, and ought not 
 to bear it in vain : His Bufinefs is to execute 
 Wrath again fl Evil- Doers. True, indeed, he is 
 to fee that the Punifhment be not difpropor- 
 tionate to the Offence, at leaft, that it do not 
 exceed it ; but that I think cannot with Mo- 
 defty be pretended, with refpeft to our Laws ; 
 which to be fure deal tenderly enough with 
 this Kind of Offenders. 
 
 B y this Time, I hope, the Pretence that 
 Vice and Immorality don 7 t come under the 
 Cognizance of the Civil Magiftrate is fuffici- 
 
 ently 
 
C 19] 
 
 ently obviated. But granting this, 
 
 (may it be further argu'd) How does this 
 juftify private Perfons in afTociating themfelves 
 in the Manner, and for the Purpofes, that a 
 few bufy officious Perfons have done of late 
 Years ? Suppofe that Magiftrates may, nay, 
 fuppofe if you will, that by Virtue of their 
 Office they are obligM to do this Work ; yet 
 ftill it belongs only to them to do it ; and it 
 favours a little of Pragmaticalnefs in private 
 Perfons to take the Work out of their Hands, 
 and engage in an Affair which they have no 
 Call to meddle with. The Magistrate is the 
 Minijier of GO D, attending continually upon 
 this very Things and for any Body elfe to en- 
 gage in it, is a prefumptuous Encroachment 
 upon his Office. Add to all this, that a Man 
 muft be very Sour and Ill-natur'd, who won't 
 fuffer his Neighbour to Swear, or Curie, to 
 get Drunk, or commit Uncleannefs, without 
 prefently Informing againfl, and making him 
 pay for it ; efpecially, if he be fo officious as 
 to fpend any of his Time in going up and 
 down, purpofely to detect fuch Offenders. 
 
 I would not give a hard Name to any 
 Thing that does not deferve it ; but furely 
 one may venture to fay, that this Pretence is 
 both Falfe and Invidious ; Falie, becaufe in- 
 ftead of interfering with, you areAffiihnt, 
 and a£l in Subordination to the Civil Magi- 
 strate. Invidious, becaufe, inllead of charging 
 you with Sournels and Ill-nature, what you 
 
 do 
 
[ 20 ] 
 
 do in this Kind, ought to be imputed to your 
 Humanity, a benevolent Regard to Mankind, 
 and the Welfare of Society ; at leaft, 'till 
 there is better Evidence that it proceeds from 
 fome worfe Principles, than has ever yet been 
 produced againft the Body of you. 
 
 Your Societies cannot with any Appear- 
 ance of Truth be charged with invading the 
 Province of the Civil Magiftrate, or taking 
 the Work out of his Hands. Every Body 
 knows where the Power of enacting Laws is 
 lodgM among us ; and when they are enacted, 
 every Body is agreed, what is the Province of 
 thofe who are Commiflion'd to fee to the Ex- 
 ecution of them. They are to receive Infor- 
 mations againft Offenders ; to examine and 
 weigh the Evidence for and againft them ; 
 to judge whether the Proof offered be fuffici- 
 ent to convi£t them ; and in Cafe they be 
 convicted, to take Care that the Penalty 
 which the Law annexes to their Crime, be 
 inflicted upon them. All this is fo properly 
 their Bufinefs, that it would no doubt be Cri- 
 minal Infolence in any Body elfe to meddle in 
 it. And I dare anfwer for you, that as you 
 never did, fo you never will expofe yourfelves 
 
 to fuch a Charge. Again, with re- 
 
 fpe£t to the Crimes we are now fpeaking of, 
 it farther falls within the Magiftrate's Pro- 
 vince, to direct proper Precepts and Warrants 
 to inferior Officers, to detect Offenders, and 
 bring them before him, in order to Convi£ti* 
 
 on 
 
[21 ] 
 
 on and Punifhment : Nay, where the Crimes 
 fall within his own Notice, he need not (I 
 fuppofe; ftay 'till he receives Information 
 from others, but may, and, I think, ought, to 
 proceed as the Law dire£h againft them. 
 Can it be faid that you go about to prevent, 
 or obftruft: them herein ? So far from it, that 
 you would heartily rejoyce to fee them more 
 univerfally inclined to it, and diligent in it. 
 The Cafe is thus. We have ex- 
 cellent Laws made againft Vice and Immora- 
 lity ; but be they never fo good in themfelves, 
 the Community receives no Benefit by them, 
 any further than they are put in Execution. 
 We have Magistrates Commiffion'd; and in- 
 ferior Officers appointed to take Care that 
 they be executed. But all the World knows, 
 that will very feldom be done, if no other 
 Breaches of them be punifhfd, but fuch as 
 fall within the immediate Notice of the Ma- 
 gistrate, or the inferior Officers. Private Per- 
 fons therefore, not only do not invade their 
 Province, but they are Affiftant to them, and 
 do an Action in its Nature and Tendency, 
 Good ; when out of Regard to the Welfare 
 of the Community, they deteft, inform a- 
 gainft, and profecute in a legal Way, fuch a9 
 break the Laws. And, if lingle Perfons may 
 laudably do it, I cannot conceive why they 
 may not join in Societies, in order to do it the 
 
 more pffeQually* All this is (o reafon- 
 
 able in itfelf, fo agreeable to our Laws, and 
 
 D 10 
 
C 22 ] 
 
 fo far from being an Encroachment on the 
 Magistrate's Province, that in every Reign 
 (that has had Opportunity for it) fince the firft 
 Inftitution of your Societies, private Subjects, 
 as well as thofe in Office^ have by Royal Pro- 
 clamation been call'd upon to be very vigilant 
 and ftrift in the Difcovery and effedual Pro- 
 fecution of fuch Offenders. Nay, your So- 
 cieties have not only been approved and ap- 
 plauded by Perfons of the greateft Piety and 
 Judgment Abroad, but have been Counte- 
 nanced by thofe of higheft Rank and Autho- 
 rity at Home, as very ferviceable to thefe 
 Ends. Thefe are plain Declarations what is 
 their Senfe about this Matter. But after all, 
 I fhould not have mentioned either Royal Pro- 
 clamations, or the Countenance of the greateft 
 Men upon Earth, if I had not alfo been fully 
 fatisfy'd of the Fitnefs and Commendablenefs 
 of the Thing in itfelf. Does any Man need 
 a particular Commiflion to authorize, or jufti- 
 fy him to do Service to the Community ? Or 
 rather, is not the Being a Member of it, both 
 a Commiifion and an Obligation to do it all 
 the Good, and be Serviceable to it in all the 
 Ways we poflibly can, in our feveral Stations? 
 And furely it is the mod unrighteous Thing 
 in the World, to reckon any Man Unfriendly, 
 or Ill-natur'd, for doing fo. For, befides that 
 prudent well-manag'd Endeavours to fupprefs 
 Vicc^ and reform Mens Manners, are the 
 molt friendly Oftice that can be done the 
 
 Offenders 
 
[*3 ] 
 
 Offenders themfelves : Befides this, f fay, it 
 is to be confider'd, that our Obligations to the 
 Community of which we are Members, are 
 fuperior to thofe we are under to any particu- 
 lar Perfons ; and where the Intereit of both 
 are inconfiftent (which by the Way, is far 
 from being the Cafe here) we are principally 
 to regard and advance the Former. 
 
 What has been faid, is, I conceive, fully 
 fufficient, not only to vindicate, but to fhew 
 the Goodnefs of the Defign in which you 
 are engag'd, and of the Methods by which 
 you purfue it. I muft take notice however, 
 
 II. That this, like moil other good 
 Things, is liable to be Mif-reprefented and 
 Evil fpoken of. So you have found by long 
 Experience, and folam afraid you will al- 
 ways find. There will be little Occafion to 
 enlarge under this Head : It would indeed be 
 to no Purpofe to mention all the little Cavils 
 and Obje&ions that are made againft your 
 Defign ; the injurious Reflexions, and bafe 
 Reproaches that are caft upon your Perfons : 
 The Latter need not be regarded, and the 
 Former have been often anfwerM. If I be 
 not much miftaken, I have obviated every 
 Thing that has the Appearance of a Difficul- 
 ty in this Affair ; and faid enough to convince 
 any unprejudiced Perfon, that thole who fpeak 
 Evil of your Defign, do it without a Caufe. 
 
 Neither you, nor I, however, 
 
 are to exped that all Mouths will immediate- 
 
 D2 ly 
 
[ 2 4 ] 
 Iy be ftop'd ; far from it : The vicious Part 
 of Mankind will always be ready to Mif-re- 
 prefent, and do what they can to oppofe 
 you : They are too fond of their pernicious 
 Indulgences, to be eafily reclaimed from them, 
 or to be filent when Attempts are made to 
 reftrain, or punifh them. Nay, and befides 
 thefe, there will be found even among thofe 
 who are not themfelves chargeable with any 
 Kind of that Immorality which you would 
 help to reform ; a Number of indolent un- 
 a&ive Perfons , who from fome unhappy 
 Principles, or unreafonable Prejudices, will 
 declare againft what you are about, either as 
 Imprudent, or Impracticable, orUnfeafonable; 
 and fo not only do nothing in it themfelves, 
 but endeavour to difcourage and difcounte- 
 nance others. Thus you are to expeft it will 
 always be : You ought to reckon upon it, that 
 both thefe Sorts of Perfons will watch for your 
 Halting ; they'll examine ftriftly your Per- 
 gonal Character ; pry narrowly into your 
 Meafures ; watch every Step you take, in a 
 Work that fo directly thwarts their Inclina- 
 tions. Every little Slip you make, any Im- 
 prudence, or Rafhnefs, they can charge you 
 with, will be magnify'd and improved to your 
 Difadvantage : Above all, if they can difco- 
 ver any Thing Illegal in your Proceedings, 
 they will in all likelihood make you fuffer for 
 it, and become unalterably prejudiced, both 
 againft your Perfons and your Defign. Give 
 me leave therefore to put you in mind. III. 
 
[*5 ] 
 
 III. That it is incumbent upon you to 
 take Care that no juftOccafion be given to 
 fpeak Evil of your Good. — . — You may, 
 I think, be throughly fatisfy'd of the Good- 
 nefs of the Caufe in which you are engaged, 
 and the Fitnefs of the Methods by which you 
 are carrying it on : It is not, however, impofli- 
 ble, that it mould fuffer upon your Account, or 
 by your Mif-management. Far be it from me, 
 to infinuate, either that it has done fo, or that 
 there is any likelihood it will do fo, by the 
 Bulk, the Majority of you : And yet a Cau- 
 tion of this Kind can't fairly be thought Im- 
 proper : The leaft poflible Danger is enough 
 to juftify the giving it. 
 
 O f how much Importance it is that you 
 do take fuch Care, is to be meafur'd by 
 Confidering and Comparing together, on the 
 one Hand, the great Benefit which would 
 accrue, both to the Community in general, 
 and to particular Per fons, by the Succeefs of 
 your Attempts for reforming a vicious Age : 
 And on the other Hand, the Tendency which 
 any ill Conduct of yours will have, to defeat 
 your good Defign, and prevent the Succcfs of 
 all your Endeavours. Weigh, on the one 
 Hand, the Advantages of having Vice fup- 
 prefs'd, Profanenefs and Immorality diicoun- 
 tenanc'd, good Order and Regularity of ex- 
 ternal Behaviour maintained : And on the 
 other Hand, the unhappy Influence which 
 Mif-management on your Part, will have 
 
 towards 
 
[ 2 <5] 
 
 towards blafting your own avow'd ; Defign, 
 and preventing thofe Advantages which 
 would, refult from a regular Profecution of it : 
 And you will thence be able to make a true 
 Eftimate of how great Moment it is, that you 
 be careful to give no Occafion to have your 
 Good Evil fpoken of. 
 
 And as the taking fuch Care is all that is 
 in your Power, (for, if this notwithftanding, 
 any will Mif-reprefent your Defign , and 
 afperfe your Perfons, you can't help it) fo this 
 is all that can be fuppos'd to be defignM by the 
 Caution in the Text. But then thus much is 
 plainly incumbent on you, and mod reafon- 
 ably expe&ed from you. That I may con- 
 tribute what I can to your Afliftance therein : 
 You will bear with me whilft I proceed to 
 what I proposed. 
 
 IV. T o fugged: to you a few Things by 
 Way of Advice. After fo many Perfons of 
 diftinguifh'd Worth, both of the eftablifh'd 
 Church, and of thofe who Diffent from it ; 
 who have gone before me in this Service, and 
 who have generally thought fit to fay fome- 
 what to you by Way of Dire&ion : It will not 
 be expe&ed I fhould have much that is new 
 to offer in that Kind \ you will excufe me, 
 therefore, if I fhould only be able to bring 
 ufeful and pertinent Hints to your Remem- 
 brance j for I defpair of urging them with 
 greater Advantage than has been often done. 
 
 i, The n, 
 
i. Then, I would recommend it as of 
 great Importance for the cutting off all Occa- 
 fion of fpeaking Evil of your Defign, or of 
 yourfelves as engaged in it : That you be very 
 careful of your own moral Chara&er. I mean, 
 not only that you be yourfelves free from thofe 
 Vices, which you endeavour to reftrain and 
 punifh in others, as pernicious to Civil Soci- 
 ety : But from every Thing elfe that is in its 
 own Nature Immoral, and Unbecoming the 
 Dignity of Human Nature ; even tho' it 
 fhould be of fuch a Kind, as is not, or cannot 
 be provided againft, or punifh'd by Human 
 
 Laws. I know very well that as to the 
 
 Community, the Effe£t is in fome refpeft 
 pretty much the fame ; whether the Profe- 
 cution againft any Vice be carryM on by a 
 Virtuous Perfon, or by one who is himfelf 
 chargeable with the fame, or other Vices : I 
 know too, that when an Information is 
 brought againft an Offender in this Kind, the 
 Accufer's being as bad as the Accufed, won't 
 ftop the Proceedings of Juftice : The Civil 
 Magiftrate won't advert to the Badnefsof the 
 Accufer^s Character, unlefs it be in fuch Cafes 
 where it abates, or deftroys the Credibility of 
 hisTeftimony. It is, therefore, with a dif- 
 ferent View, and upon quite another Account, 
 that I would recommend Pcrlbnal Virtue to 
 thofe who would contribute towards the Re- 
 formation of others. It is in iliort this • That 
 the Penalties which by their Mc^ns, and in 
 
 C( 
 
Confequence of their Informing and Profe- 
 cuting, areinfli&ed on Offenders, may work 
 the more kindly with them, and produce the 
 better Effeft upon them : That their Minds 
 may not be four'd, and irritated, and fet 
 againft all Purpofes of Amendment, by fee- 
 ing themfelves accused; and it may be con- 
 victed too, by thofe who have as great Faults 
 as themfelves, ftand in as much need of being 
 reformed, and deferve every Whit as well to 
 be punifh'd. 
 
 Consciousness of Innocence and 
 Virtue, as it qualifies, fo it emboldens a Man 
 to reprove Vice, and ftand up for the Refor- 
 mation of Manners : And where fuch Vir* 
 tue and Innocence are Confpicuous in any 
 One's Chara&er and Conduft, they naturally 
 beget Veneration, and doalmoft irrefiftably 
 ftrike an Awe upon the Minds, even of the Vi- 
 cious. Bad Men refent much better the being 
 admoniftiM, reprov'd, or even punifh'd by 
 the Hands, or at the Inftigation of fuch a 
 Man, than by One like themfelves : The 
 Stomach loaths the Medicine prefcrb'd, or 
 given by fo improper a Hand. In this View, 
 therefore, you fee, how much the Commu- 
 nity is interefted in the Perfonal Virtue, both 
 of Civil Magiftrates, and of thofe who are 
 Afftftant to them in the Execution of the 
 penal Laws againft Vice. The threatened 
 Penalty may have much the fame Effed to 
 reftrain from offending ; and it may be as cer- 
 tainly 
 
[29] 
 
 tainly infli&ed on the Offender by a vicious, as 
 by a virtuous Magiftrate : But the Offender 
 won't be ib likely to be reclaim^ from his 
 vicious Courfes in one Cafe, as in the other ; 
 which yet is one main Defign, both of threat- 
 ning and infli&ing thefe Penalties. Punifh- 
 ment infli&ed by fuch a Hand will fhew more 
 of Power than Juftice, in him that intfifts 
 it ; and be more likely to harden and terrify, 
 than to foften and win upon him that fuffers 
 it. 
 
 2. I would farther take leave to re- 
 commend upon this Occafion, univerfal Bene- 
 volence to Mankind, and a conftant uniform 
 Regard to the Interefts and Welfare of Soci- 
 ety, and thefe fuperior to all other Temporal 
 Aims, as the Governing Principles of our 
 Behaviour, in Civil Life. This is what 
 one would wifh to find in every Man ; and 
 the more of it is to be found in any Man, 
 the more ufeful and valuable a Member of 
 Society will he be. But it is peculiarly re- 
 quifite, I had almoft faid indifpenfably ne- 
 ceffary in a Magiftrate, and in thofe who 
 take your Methods to reform a vicious Age. 
 It is the very EiTence of Patriotifm ; and 
 this, with a fair Opportunity to difplay it, 
 is that for which Mankind deferve to be 
 reverenced while they live, and to be had 
 in remembrance when they die. Cultivate 
 then this virtuous Difpofition ; it does not 
 lie out of the Reach of the Meaneft of us, 
 
 E tho' 
 
[30] 
 
 tho' Perfons of high Birth, and exalted Sta- 
 tions, have moft Opportunity to difcover 
 and be extenfively Ufeful by it. Remember, 
 a narrow felfiflh Spirit difcover'd in any Part 
 of your ConduQ:, will fully your Chara&er ; 
 prevent much of the Succefs, and fpoil all 
 the Merit of your Labours. 
 
 The. Ground upon which I have been 
 endeavour^ t p prove that Vice and Im* 
 morality come witiiin the Cognizance of the 
 Civil Magiilrate ; and to vindicate the Me- 
 chods you take to get it reftrain'd and pu- 
 nifh'd, is its pernicioufnefs to Society : For 
 this Reafon, and upon t^is FoifttdatiOtt, I 
 think the Com Vi finitj . oHig'd to you for 
 the Pains and Ex pence yofif are at, in de- 
 tecting, informing againii, and profecudng 
 fuch Delinquents. This, therefore, is the 
 Thing you fhould keep conftantly in View ; 
 and a Regard to the Welfare of Society, is the 
 Principle that fhould animate and Influence 
 you in the whole of your Conduft. 
 
 But with how ill a Grace muft that 
 Man pretend to proceed upon this Founda- 
 tion, who after ail knows nothing what a 
 Publick Sprit means ; has none, or but a very 
 inferior Regard to Publick Good ; has no 
 Feeling of the Relation in which he ftands, 
 and the Ties he is under to the Community ? 
 It may by furely foretold, your Enemies will 
 fpeak Evil of you, (indeed, they may with 
 good Reafon do fo) i[ you aft upon any 
 
 Principles 
 
Principles without thefe ; or are influenced by 
 any lower Confiderations. I would farther 
 recommend 
 
 j. Disinterestedness, A Free- 
 dom from all Mercenary Views, and Expecta- 
 tions of Profit and Advantage to yourfelves ; 
 other than what will of Courfe accrue to you 
 in Common with the Reft of the Reform'd 
 Community. This poflibly may feem to be 
 a very needlefs Piece of Advice, and fo I 
 believe it is to the Majority of your Number, 
 who are known to be fo far from being 
 Gainers by the Caufe you are engaged in, 
 that you fpend your own Money and Time, 
 without Recompence, and very often with- 
 out Thanks too. It may appear the more 
 needlefs alfo, upon Account of a Declara- 
 tion which I find the Societies have made 
 for feveral Years fucceflively, upon Occafion 
 of its having been insinuated, that it is not Re* 
 formation of Manners which is intended, 
 but the Getting of Money from Delinquents, 
 "It is declared to the World, that fuch a 
 u Charge upon thefe Societies is abfolutely 
 " Falfe. It is own'd there have been fome 
 u bafe and wicked Perfons (not engaged, 
 "or in the leaft concerned in the Societies tor 
 u Reformation of Manners) who have ex* 
 u torted Money from Offenders, and fome* 
 " times from honeft Men : But all fuch 
 * Pra&ices are utterly detefted by thefe Soci- 
 " eties, (who, as is well known, have Uriel 
 
 E 2 " ly 
 
[ 3*1 
 
 c 'ly enquired after fuch Perfons, and when 
 ic difcover'd have brought them to punifh- 
 u meat) nor do they know, or believe, that 
 ic any engagM with them are chargeable there- 
 " with. And to prevent as much as pofltble 
 f c all Sufpicion of a mercenary Defign, or Prin- 
 ? ciple, in any that aft in the Bufinefs of 
 u Reformation, the Gentlemen con- 
 iQ cern'd have all along recomended it, and, 
 u indeed, infifted upon it with thofe of the 
 " Societies who have given Informations 
 " againft Vice, or Profanefs, that they fhould 
 il never receive that Part of the Penalty 
 16 which the Law allows the Informer ; and 
 u it hath not come to their Knowledge that 
 iC any one Perfon of thofe Societies have a£ted 
 iC otherwife. However, if at any Time here- 
 iC after it fhould happen that any Perfon, or 
 Ci Perfons concerned in any of the Societies 
 u for promoting Reformation of Manners 
 " fhould be chargeable with any of the evil 
 44 Practices before-mentioned, or even with 
 <; taking the Reward which the Law allows 
 " them , it is humbly requefted that notice 
 u may be given them of it. " 
 
 Upon this Declaration T which every 
 Body has Reafon to believe True, becaufe 
 ic might fo eafily be difprovM if it were 
 Falfe , you ought not fo much as to be 
 fufpected of doing any Thing of this Kind. 
 The Meaning of the Advice, therefore, as 
 to this particular is only that you would go 
 on as you have done hitherto, and keep your 
 
 felves 
 
[ 33] 
 
 felves equally free from all mercenary felfifh 
 Views of every Kind. For, the firft Mo- 
 ment any Thing of this Sort is difcover^d, 
 it will bid fair for blading your Endeavours : 
 And tho' it fhould never be difcover'd, yet, 
 if there really be any Thing of this Kind, 
 it will fpoil the Acceptablenefs of your Ser- 
 vice with the Bleffed God; and quite wipe 
 out the Merit of it, with refped to the Com- 
 munity. 
 
 4. Whenever you are employed in 
 this Work, and in every Step you take in 
 it, keep yourfelves free from Malice and 
 Paflion, and angry Refentment. Do nothing 
 in this Kind out of private Pique, or Per- 
 fonal Difguft, or to revenge Peribnal Injuries, 
 or Affronts, received from any Man. With- 
 out due Care to this Purpofe, it will be im- 
 pofTible to avoid giving Occafion to have 
 your Good Evil fpoken of: You'll but expofe 
 yourfelves to the Pity of good Men, and the 
 
 Contempt and Scorn of bad Ones. 
 
 What have any Man's private Refentments, 
 or Perfonal Wrongs to do in an Affair of this 
 Nature, in which the Community is fo nearly 
 interefted, and the Carrying on of which can 
 never be juftify'd, if it be not lubiervient and 
 
 even neceiTary to the Welfare of that. 
 
 Somewhat a-Kin to this is what I would take 
 leave to recommend yet farther. 
 
 5. Impartiality; purfuing and 
 carrying on your Defign, without refped to 
 
 Per- 
 
c 34 : 
 
 Perfons ; without favouring and excufing one 
 Man, and being very ftrift and fevere upon 
 another, whilft yet their Cafes are exactly 
 the fame, and in all Reafon and Juftice, they 
 ought to be proceeded againft in the fame 
 
 Manner. Not that it is neceffary, 
 
 or indeed advifeable, that all Offenders {hould 
 [ be dealt with alike ; far from it; the making 
 "a Difference between them, is not always be- 
 ing Partial. Some are more frequently and 
 more flagrantly Guilty than others ; fome 
 may probably be won by the gentler Methods 
 of Admonition and Reproof, or by a Penalty 
 infli&ed, fo as that few Perfons fhould come 
 to the Knowledge of it ; who it may be would 
 have been hardened and ruin'd, if they had 
 been exposed, and dealt with in a rough Way. 
 Others are already fo impudently Wicked, 
 and hardened in their Sins, that there is little, 
 or no Hope of quite reforming them ; all that 
 can be done is to reftraia, and make publick 
 Examples of them. Again, 
 
 6. I think it may with great Certainty 
 be recommended as a very ufeful Piece of 
 Advice, and a})folutely neceffary to prevent 
 all Occafion ef fpeaking Evil of you ; That 
 you fhould not in any Inltance, or upon any 
 Occafion, provoke, or lead Perfons to the 
 Commiffion of Crimes, with the Defign of 
 Informing againft them, and getting them 
 punifhM tor them afterwards. To fay the 
 beft of this, it is being firft the Occafion of 
 
 Mifchief, 
 
[35] 
 
 Mifchief, that you may afterwards have the 
 Opportunity of repairing it : But to fay that 
 of it which it deferves, it is bafe and barba- 
 rous, and what none but a treacherous falfe- 
 
 hearted Perfon can ever do. If ever 
 
 any fuch Thing has been done by any of 
 thofe who pretended to be of your Number, 
 yet the Body of you ought in all Reafon to 
 ftand clear of the Charge ; for I find it ex- 
 prefsly recommended to thofe who give In- 
 formations againft Profanenefs and Debauch- 
 ery, and particularly to the Members of 
 your Societies ; cc Not to ufe any Artifice to 
 " provoke, or draw in others to the Breach of 
 Ci the Laws, in the Inftances there above- 
 a mention'd, or any of the like Kind, that 
 a they may have anOccafion to inform againlt 
 " them. " It is among other prudential Me- 
 thods in a Book entitled, a Help to a National 
 Reformation, printed and difperfed at your 
 Expence. Once more 
 
 7. And laftly, you fhould be very Care- 
 ful that all your Proceedings be fuch as the 
 Laws of the Land Countenance, and will 
 Juftify. To pretend to do any Thing of this 
 Kind for theWelfare of Society, by any Methods 
 contrary to, or inconfiftent with thcknown 
 and eftablifh'd Laws of that Society, canies 
 Abfurdity in the very Face of it. The doing 
 thus , befides the Trouble and Inconveni- 
 encies it would bring upon yourfelves, would 
 
 open 
 
£&1 
 
 open the Mouths of every Body againft you, 
 and effe&ually defeat your v/hole Under- 
 taking- 
 
 And thus I have endeavoured, with all 
 Faithfulnefs, to perform that Service which 
 you were pleas'd to require of me. If what 
 has been faid may but ferve to exite a clear 
 Perception, and fix a Rational Convi&ion in 
 your Minds of theGoodnefs and Ufefulnefs of 
 your Work ; there will be the lefs Need to 
 add any Thing elfe for your Encouragement 
 to go on without being weary of thus Well- 
 doing, or fainting in your Minds. If the 
 Advice which has been given you be received 
 with Candor, and followed with Care, there 
 will be the lefs Likelihood of your being Mif- 
 reprefented and Abus'd : There will be no 
 Danger of your giving any Occafion to be 
 Evil fpoken of: And you may go on with the 
 fairer ProfpeQ: of that Succefs, which, I think, 
 all Virtuous Perfons, and Lovers of their 
 Country, muft heartily wiflh you. 
 
 Give me leave to fhut up this Difcourfe 
 with a general Refle&ion. 
 
 W e are hence led to adore the Goodnefs 
 of G o d to Mankind in the Institution of 
 Civil Government ; and particularly to blefs 
 Him upon Account of the happy Con- 
 ftitution under which we live ; the good 
 Laws by which we are governed ; the Wife 
 and Prudent, the Mild and Gracious Ad- 
 
 miniftration, 
 
L 37 J 
 
 miniftration, both of our late Sovereign of 
 BlefTed Memory, and of our prefent King, 
 whom God long preferve. Mankind, who 
 have all along liv'd in Society, can't conceive 
 of the Horror and Defolatenefs of living out 
 Of it. And thofe that live under the Influ- 
 ence of fuch a Conftitution and Laws as ours, 
 are not always fenfible enough of the Ad- 
 vantage they enjoy above thofe, who live 
 under an Arbitrary Government; whofe Lives 
 and Properties, whofe Liberties Civil and 
 Religious, are held precarioufly, at the Will 
 of a Tyranical Prince ; or infring'd by the 
 Pride and Infolence of a more Tyranical 
 Church. May I not add too, that fome of 
 thofe among ourfelves, who were affected 
 by, and fuffer'd under the Mif-Condu£t of 
 fome former Reigns, are not enough thank- 
 ful to God and their King, for the Bleflings 
 they enjdy'd in the late Reign, and which 
 we have the comfortable Profpeft: of having 
 continu'd to us, and increafed upon us in 
 
 This. How can one forbear fuch 
 
 Reflections asthefe, fin the Circumftances 
 we are at prefent in) at the Clofe of a Dif- 
 courfe, wherein our Thoughts have been 
 employed about what may contribute to the 
 Welfare of Society, and the Uierulnels 
 of Government and Magistracy, for the 
 fuppreffing Vice, which is fo mauifeftly 
 
 pernicious to it. ■* And I reckon unoa 
 
 F * it,. 
 
[38] 
 
 it, thcfe would not have been unwelcome Re- 
 flexions to an Affembly o£?roteftantDijfenters y 
 even tho' they had arifen lefs naturally from 
 our Difcourfe, and the Occafion of it. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
 -> 
 

Princeton Theological Semmary-Speer Libranr 
 
 1 1012 01011 5089 
 
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