but often from their luke-warm Friends Irreligious Relations, and fometimes from Unfaithful Magiftrates, by whom they have been Reviled, Brow-beaten, and Discouraged from performing fuch important Service, fo neceflary to the Welfare of their Country. And herein thefe brave Men have acted with fo great Prudence, as well as Zeal, that forefeeing it might one day be the Policy of the Enemy of all Goodness, and the Bufinefs of wicked Men, who are his Instruments, and who could not generally be brought to Shame and Punishment for their infamous Practices but by their means, to raise Prejudices in the Minds of bad and unthinking People against them, and to difparage their Proceedings, by whispering of Jealoufies of their being influenced in what they did by Worldly Confiderations, That the World may be challenged to make appear, That thefe Societies have been fo much as treated with, by any Perfon whatsoever, to give Informations with any Promife of a Reward, or that they have ever received the leaft Advantage by any Convictions upon thefe Statutes against Prophanenefs and Debauchery, the Money arifing thereby being wholly appropriated to the Poor, except the third part of the Penalty upon the Statute against Prophanation of the Lord's Day, which, in fome Cafes, the MagiStrate hath a bare Power to difpofe of; but was never, that we know of, received by

any

any one of thefe Perfons; which I thought fit to obferve, as a lasting Answer to any Objection of this kind, in Juftice to them who have gone through Frowns and Reproaches for the fake of doing so much Good; and that all Men may fee with how great Reason it is, both from the Character of the Perfons concerned in the Discharging of this Service to Religion and their Country, as well as from the Nature and Neceffity of it, (which I shall hereafter enquire into) that the Name of an Informer is now become much more Glorious among wife and good Men, than it was grown Contemptible, by the ill Practices of fome in our days: And that it does therefore appear truly Honourable for Perfons of the greatest Quality to give Informations in thefe Cafes for the Service of the moft High God, as fome among us, of greater Ranks than the World does perhaps think of, have of late done, and which it hath been obferved, in divers Dif-. courfes lately Published, that even Princes under the Jewish Difpenfation were Ezra 91,2. ashamed to do. Now when these things weré done, the Princes came to me, saying, The people of Ifrael, and the Priests and the Levites have not Separated themselves from the people of the Lands, doing according to their Abominations, &c.

not

There are Eight other regulated and mixt Bodies of Houfe-keepers and Officers, in the feveral Quarters of London, Westminster, and

South

Southwark, who differ in their Conftitution from those before-mentioned, but generally agree in the Methods of infpecting the Behaviour of Conftables and other Officers, and going along with them, and affifting them in their Searching of Disorderly Houfes, in taking up of Offenders, and carrying them before the Magiftrate, and alfo in giving Imformations themfelves, as there is Occafion.

Befides thofe before-mentioned, there are about Nine and Thirty Religious Societies of another kind, in and about London and Westminster, which are propagated into other Parts of the Nation; as Nottingham, Gloucester, &c. and even into Ireland, where they have been for fome Months fince spreading in divers Towns and Cities of that Kingdom; as Kilkenny, Drogheda, Mannouth, &c. efpecially in Dublin, where there are about Ten of these Societies, which are promoted by the Bishops, and inferior Clergy there. Thefe Perfons meet often to Pray, Sing Pfalms, and Read the Holy Scriptures together, and to Reprove, Exhort, and Edifie one another by their Religious Conferences. They moreover carry on at their Meetings, Defigns of Charity, of different kinds; fuch as Relieving the Wants of Poor Houfe-keepers, maintaining their Children at School, fetting of Prisoners at Liberty, fup. porting of Lectures and daily Prayers in our Churches. These are the SOCIETIES which

our

our late Gracious Queen, as the Learned Bishop that hath writ her LIFE tells us, took fo great Satisfaction in, that She inquired often and much about them, and was glad they went on and prevailed; which, thanks be to GOD, they continue to do; as the Reverend Mr. Woodward, who hath obliged the World with a very particular Account of the Rife and Progress of them, hath lately acquainted us. And these likewife are SOCIETIES that have proved fo exeeedingly Serviceable in the Work of REFORMATON, that they may be reckoned a chief Support to it, as our late Great Primate Arch-Bishop Tillotson declar'd, upon feveral Occafions, after he had examined their Orders, and inquired into their Lives, That he thought they were to the Church of England.

I might now give an Account of a Society of Minifters of the Church of England, for carrying on of this Work, and another Agreement of Juftices of the Peace: But I am withheld at present by fome Confiderations from defcending to any further Particulars concerning them; and must content my felf with saying what will be easily allow'd, That the stated Meetings of fuch Perfons are as proper, and may be more useful for the Promoting of this Work, than any other I have defcrib'd. For what might we not expect from the Zealous Endeavours of thefe Orders of Men in this Affair?

which,

which, 'tis obvious, will not be employ'd with fo great Effect, as when they form themfelves into Societies, or, at least, have frequent and ftated Times of Meeting, for the Profecu tion of this Business. 'Tis true, that Ministers and Magistrates have far greater Advantages, as well as more particular Obligations, than others, (as I fhall hereafter endeavour to make appear) to be ferviceable in this Work of Reformation; but yet, when they act alone in this Contention between Virtue and Vice, tho' they will do great good in our prefent Circumstances, and much more than they will eafily believe till they are heartily engaged in it; yet they muft expect to be under Difadvantage on fome Occafions, as well as other fingle Perfons, who exert their Zeal, without a Communication with one another, and parti cularly when they encounter Combinations of wicked Men, which, it is not unlikely, will fometimes happen. Do we not fee by what Methods the Men of the World propagate Wickedness, and counterntine Good Defigns? Is it not by their Clubs and Confederacies? Are we not fenfible with what Advantage our Civil Concerns are carried on by Companies and Corporations? Nay, Does not the Account before us convince us of the great Usefulness, or rather Neceffity, of Good Mens confederating and meeting frequently together to concert Methods, and Encourage one another in this difficult Work of Confronting and Sup

C

preffing