529 / 652
A
REFORMATION
SERMON.
'519
Ministers and counsellors are
the
supports
on
each side
to exhort
to
the
work,
and advise the best
methods
of
performance.
All
persons and societies
that are
con-
triving means
of reformation,
fall
under
the
character
of Hur
;
such
are
those gentlemen
who
have formed
a
scheme
for carrying
on war with
sin
and sinners,
and
brought their
methods to
a regularity
and consistence
;
they have made
the
execution
of
them
practicable,
and
much easier
than
at
first.
Our
praises are
due
to the
God of
wisdom
that
such
men are found
in
the nation
:
that
the
prudent
man
is
not cut
off,
nor
the
counsellor
perished
from
amongst
us
:
O may
their
pious
consul-
tations
be
continued
in
their stated
seasons
!
May they
be
executed
with daily
vigour, and
attended
with grow-
ing success
!
Joshua
is
the chief person concerned
in
the execution
of
these
orders of battle against
Amalek
;
he
ventures
into
the
field,
and
fights
the enemy.
The
inferior
magi-
strates
of
every kind
and
degree bear
a
resemblance
to
his
office,.and should wear the image
of
his
Spirit; courage
and resolution
becomes
each of
you
that act
according to
the
several
ranks
of
your
authority
;
fear not the
rage
nor
the threats of
Amalek,
of
the most profligate and
haughty
sinners
;
remember
you have the
warrant of
Moses for
what
you
do
:
The supreme magistrate
ceases
not
to
lift
up
the rod.
The
chosen men
of
Israel
are the last characters
I
take
notice
of
here
;
they assist
Joshua
in
the
performance
of
his
divine orders
;
such
are
those brave and generous
spi-
rits,
whether of larger or meaner outward circumstances,
who
pursue
sin
and sinners with the peril
of
their
lives,
and
lead
them captive to
courts
of
justice that
they may
be
punished.
In
vain
had
Joshua
received
his
com-
mands for battle,
if
no
man
of Israel
had
ventured into
the
field
to assist
him
;
had he went alone,
perhaps he
might have slain
a few
enemies,
and then perished him-
self
;
in vain would a
magistrate
attempt
to
suppress
a
nation
of
sinners
if
he
had none to aid
him
but
few,
very
few
can come
under
the notice
of
his own eyes,
and
by
the fear
of
numbers
he
might
well
be
discouraged
from punishing those
few.
If
there
were none to
discover
the
enemies,
or
to
guard
himself, he
could scarce
fulfil
the
sentence of
the law
against
them;
but
when
Moses,
L4