The Lay-Man's Sermon upon the Late Storm: Held forth at an Honest Coffee-House-ConventicleDefoe, Daniel
Religion
The Lay-Man's Sermon upon the Late Storm: Held forth at an Honest Coffee-House-Conventicle
Defoe, Daniel
Bible. Nahum I, 3 -- Sermons -- Early works to 1800; Sermons; Storms -- Great Britain -- Early works to 1800
'Tis too unhappy for _England_, that Men of immoderate Principles are
so powerfull as they are. Let the Party be which it will, tis
Destruction even to themselves, to run up all their Niceties and all
their Scruples to the Extremes. Every Dispute becomes a Feud, every
Spark a Flame, every word a Blow, every Blow, a Civil-War, and by this
Intestine Confusion of Principles, Backt with the Passion and Fury of
Men, this unhappy Nation is Subdivided into an Infinite Number of
Parties, Factions, Intrests and seperate Opinions.
Every Man being thus bent upon the propagation of his own Notion, for
want of this healing Spirit of Moderation, falls foul upon his
Neighbour because he has not the same Heat, and if he finds him
better Temper'd than himself, if he finds him less Violent, less
Furious, than himself, he is Imediately Branded with the Scandal of
Moderation.
Since then the Change of times has made this Practice, which in its
very Nature is a Foundation of Vertue, become a Crime, Let us examine
who are, and who are not Guilty of it.
For the Negatives of this Vice of Moderation they are something Easier
to be discover'd than ordinary, both in Principles and in Practice;
and, without the Scandal of a Censorious Writer, I may be allowed to
say all the following Instances may stand clear of this Crime.
1. If Mr. _Sachaverell_, with his Bloody Flag, and Banner of Defiance,
were Indicted for Moderation, I verily believe no Jury would bring him
in Guilty.
2. If Dr. _J----ne_, Author of the Character of a Low-Churchman, Mr.
---- Author of the New Association, if a famous Bishop who told us,
'twould never be well with _England_ till all the Dissenters were
serv'd like the _Hugonots_ in _France_, if any of these were Indicted
for Moderation, they might safely plead not Guilty.
3. If Sir _John Friend_ and Sir _William Parkins_, had been only
accus'd for Moderation, they had never been Hanged, nor _Collyer_ and
_Cook_ had never absolv'd them at the Gallows without Repentance.
4. If he were Hang'd for Moderation, who ask'd the Question, _whether
if the Play-house in Dorset-Garden, were let for a Meeting-house,
'twould not do more harm than tis like to do as a Theatre_, he would
certainly Dye Innocently.
5. If _Fuller_ had been Voted an Incorrigible Rogue only for the Vice
of Moderation, I should have thought the House of Commons had done him
wrong.
6. If the Councellors of the late King, such as Father _P----_, my
Lord _S----_ and all those that betray'd their Master, by hurrying on
his ruin and their own. If those Gentlemen were Charged with
Moderation, I doubt we should wrong them.
7. If some of the Members of our Late Convocation shou'd be accused
for Moderation, I believe it might be no Difficult task to Vindicate
them.
8. If this Crime should be Charged higher than we dare to mention, I
am perswaded some Persons of Note would think themselves abused.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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