541 / 652
A
REFORMATION
SERMON.
531
days
of popery are mentioned with everlasting honour
and
why
should
a refermer
of
lives
and manners
bé
reckoned
a
scandalous title? But let
us
examine these
scandals
a little
more
particularly,
that
by discovering
the injustice, the impudence and falsehood
that
is mingled.
with them, you may
learn
to
despise them
all.
1.
They
say,
"
Ye
are busy
bodies,
it
is
the
magis-
trate's
place,
to
punish
vice
;
it
is
his work
to
put
the
laws in
execution, and not
yours."
Answer them,
that
ye are
but
assistants
to
the
magistrate
in
that
work
;
and
all her
majesty's
subjects are
required
to assist persons
in
authority
in
the discharge of
their
office.
How could
a
magistrate punish
sin,
or
execute
the
penalties
of
the
law,
if
no criminals
were
found
out,
and
seized
and
brought
before
him
?
It
becomes
therefore
every good
subject
of
the
queen,
every
lover
of
his
country, and every
servant
of
the
living
God, to
lend
his
hand
to this work
:
You are not
called
to
the
uncharitable
and
anti
-
Christian
task of
afflicting
tender
consciences for
different senti-
ments
in
religion.
Prince and
people are
well
agreed
that
violence
is
not
the
true
method
of
promoting the
gospel
of
peace.
Conscience
is
not
so
rhuch as'
pre-
tended by the
sinners which you
prosecute,
they
are
common nuisances, and the reformation
of
them
is
a
public
benefit to mankind.
2.
They
cry
out upon
you as
severe
and
cruel,
and
uncompassionate; that
you
deal hardly
with
your
neigh-
bours,
by
bringing them
to
public
justice.
Here
I
'am
bold to answer for
you,
that
it
is
uneasy
and self
-
denying
work, and
that
you
had
rather
be
employed
in
propagat-
ing
virtue
by
milder
methods,
if
they
might
but obtain
success.
Here
I
must
also
ask
liberty
to say
för
myself,
that
it
is
an
unpleasing
task to me
to
excite
you
to
accuse
even
your
vicious neighbours,
and awaken
the
rod
of
the
magistrate
to
punish
them
:
But I
am convinced
of
the
necessity
of
carrying
on
this
sort
of
war
against sinners,
lest the
whole
nation
become a field
of
wickedness.
I
had
rather,
much
rather
preach the
gospel
of
the
grace
of
God, and
that
large
forgiveness
of
his which
hides
a
mhl=
titude
of
sins
:
I
had
rather
be
relating
to you
divine
histories,
how
the
-
accuser
of
the
brethren
has been over-
come
by
the
blood
of
the Lamb.
But
when
the
drag,
and
his
ange's
raise
a
4rar in
a
Christian kingdom,
«ßt2._.