The signs of the times : a sermon preached before the Right Honourable the Lord-Mayor, and court of aldermen, at the Cathedral of St. Paul, on Friday the 8th of December, 1721 being the day appointed for a general fast for the prevention of the plague / by Edmund Massey.

  • Edmund Massey
Date:
1722
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The signs of the times : a sermon preached before the Right Honourable the Lord-Mayor, and court of aldermen, at the Cathedral of St. Paul, on Friday the 8th of December, 1721 being the day appointed for a general fast for the prevention of the plague / by Edmund Massey. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    w-s Lord-Mayor, ‘Dec. 8. 1721. 31 felf to be no Kefpettcr of Perfons, either His Truth 2 Sam. 14* mu it fmly which He will not fuffer ; or to vindi-^^ C4te and prove it, He mu ft arife and vifit. Again, “ Hal. 89. When a Church eftabliihed by Law, is taken 33. frosh under the Care of the Magiftrate, who is the Guardian of the Law ; and the Indolence of an Heathen Ruler, laid down as a Practical Guide to a Chriftian Governor. This is to reduce Re¬ ligion to its Primitive State indeed in one Senfe, when it was upheld by Miracles. And in a like Cafe the Interpofttion and Prote&ion of Heaven is no doubt unqueftipnable 3 but whether we lliould deferve Miracles of Mercy, or Miracles of Judgment upon fuch an Occafion, let our felves be Judges. I rauft confefs, according to late received No¬ tions, they who throw down the Fences of the Church may feem to be juftified : For, If ChriJFs John 18. Kingdom he not of this World, that is to fay, if He 3^ has left no vifible humane Authority to govern His People as fuch, but every Man may do what is Deut. 12. right in his own Eyes, provided he be fincere, and be 8. allowed to form his own Notions of Sincerity allb, and be thereby entitled to the Favour of God - if this, I fay, be found Do&rine, then there lies no Obligation upon any Man to fubmit, either to Magiftrate or Minifter, for Confcience Sake, whofe Inclination ftiall lead him to behave con- temptuoufly. And thus likewife Virtue and Vice, Religion and Irreligion, Praife and Difpraife, Evil Report and Good Report, are put upon the fame Level, and our Obligations to pra&ife the one, provided we be fincere, that is, either confci- entious or humourfome, are as great and ftrong as to the Performance of the other. If tfcys be
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