preffing of bare-fac'd and infolent Wickedness? And that the Reason why good Men have not fooner or more generally done it, may be, Mat.16.8, because the Children of this World are in their Generation wiser than the Children of Light. Since therefore Union and Method feem evidently to give good Men much the fame Advantage (abstracting from the Confideration of the Goodness of their Cause, and the Divine Aid that they may expect) in their juft and brave Oppofition to Prophaneness and Immoralities, against the greater Number, 'tis to be feared of the Wicked,as Discipline and good Ground in War gives a fmall Body of Men against a very unequal Number of those that are undif ciplin'd, and with difadvantageous Ground; 'tis highly to be wifhed, That not only Societies of Minifters and Magiftrates, but of all other degrees of Men, were fet up in Profecution of this Defign, in all Parts of the Kingdom, more especially in all Towns, Cities, and Corporations. And it may charitably be hoped, that there are but few, if any, fuch Places, where there are not to be found Three or Four Perfons at least, of one or other Denomination of Chriftians, that have a Zeal for GOD and Religion, who may eafily form themselves into a Society, which may enlarge by degrees, and which will, probably speaking, go a great way towards the Suppreffing Publick Disorders where they are, but may have a marvellous Effect, with God's Bleffing,

for

for this End, where there is a Magistrate that makes a Confcience of his Duty, or a Minifter that incourages Reformation; as would be manifeft to any that had obferved in how fhort a time, and to what a degree, open Wickednefs hath been checkt, where a zealous Minifter hath given himself the Trouble, I might rather have faid the Pleasure, of meeting fome times a Society of his Parishioners, to encourage their Zeal and Conftancy in this Work of Reformation, even where the Magiftrates have been either open or fecret Enemies to it. The Advantages moreover are too many to be infifted on in this place, for the Exercifing of our own Graces, and the Confirming our Virtuous Difpofitions, by our Affociating with our Fellow Chriftians for the Carrying on Religious Defigns, in an Age when Chriftian Converfation, which hath an inestimable Value with Men of Religion, is with fuch Difficulty met with. The forming therefore of Good Men into fuch pious Combinations, for the overbalancing those of Vice, the countermining the contrary Attempts of all wicked Men, and recovering the Power, as well as Form of Religion, is moft earnestly recommended to all the Friends of Piety and Virtue. And methinks it may be expected from all, that have any fincere regard to God's Honour, their own and their Country's Happiness, that they should exert themiclves in their feveral Capacities, with a noble Zeal and Emulation for the Per

fecting of this great Undertaking. And now efpecially the Times of Peace are returned, which we have been told, are the Times of Reformation, furely none that carry the Face of Chriftians can with Confidence offer new Excufes any longer to poftpone it; we may now hope for the Affiftance of fome, at leaft, of the Cautious and prudent Men amongst us, who have hitherto, who have hitherto, with great Gravity, flood Neuters in this Affair, and that they will at laft anfwer the Expectation of Good Men from them, and fuffer the Generations to come to call them Bleffed. 'Tis at leaft to be hoped, that if they are too Great and Wife to ingage in the Work themselves, they will not, however, obstruct it more than the open Enemies of it can do, by their calling it an Impracticable Undertaking, whispering groundless Jealoufies of the Design, or uncharitable and difadvantageous Characters of the Perfons concerned in the Promoting it; but rather, that they will let the World fee that their Zeal is ingaged in the Carrying on of wifer Methods, for the Effecting of a National Reformation. And one would think that the Employing our Labour or Authority in this Noble Defign, of being Instrumental in doing Good to Multitudes of Souls, by Suppreffing of National Sins, and, by confequence, the Reviving the Power and Reputation of Religion, and thereby Preventing National Judgments, fhould be more worth

the

the Concern and Application of Chriftians, and fhould afford a more true and folid Satisfaction than the pursuit of our Worldly Intereft or Pleasures. All indeed are not Capable of being Serviceable in the fame way; but whether it be by Executing the Laws, or by Preaching, Difcourfing, Writing, Informing, Set ting up of Societies, or otherwife contributing towards it, which way foever it be that we can further this Glorious Work, it will, I think, be hard to find a good Excufe for any that fhall decline their Concurrence, according to their Advantages and Opportunities, in an Undertaking which it would become the greatest Man upon Earth to promote, which is now fo far facilitated by the Schemes that are laid, and the Methods it is put in

to.

We have seen some few Perfons ingaging in this Enterprize, before they had any Methods to direct them, or many Examples to incourage them, encountring Oppofition in the first form ing their Design, from open Enemies, and perhaps falfe Friends, fuffering cruel Mockings, unkind Cenfures, and unjust Reproaches, and yet not gi ving way. We have feen them furmounting their greatest Difficulties, fo that the main brunt leems now near over, and going on with that Refolution and Success, that the Deluge of publick Wickedness is vifibly abated. We are told, that many Thousands have been brought to Punishment for Swearing and Curfing, by their

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their means; Seventy or Eighty Warrants a Week having been executed on thefe Offenders, in and about this City only, fince the late Act of Parliament against Swearing and Curling was made, which hath given fo great and remarkable a Check to those Scandalous Sins, that our Conftables fometimes of late have found it difficult to take up a Swearer in divers of our Streets and Markets, where, within a few years paft, horrid Oaths, Curfes, and Imprecations, were heard Day and Night; that a multitude of Drunkards, and Prophaners of the Lord's Day, fome of whom kept, as it were, open Markets within a few Years paft, have been made Examples by their means; that Hundreds of Disorderly Houfes, which were little better than Stews, and Nefts for Thieves, Clippers and Coiners, &c. have been rooted out and fuppreffed; and that fome Thousands of Lewd Perfons have been Imprifoned, Fined, and Whipt; fo that the Tower End of the Town, and many of our Streets, have been much purg'd of that peftilent Generation of Right-Walkers, that ufed to infeft them, which were a Reproach to this Noble City, and a Scandal to Chriftianity; Forty or Fifty of them having been fent in a Week to Bridewell, where they have of late received fuch Difcipline, that a confiderable Number of them hath chofe rather to be Tranfported to our Plantations, to work there for an honeft Subfiftence, than to ex

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