live unblamable for the time to come, that would be no atonement for what is past. Nay, if you could live like an angel for a thousand years, that would not atone for one sin. But neither can you do this; you cannot leave off sin; it has the dominion over you. If all your past sins were now to be forgiven, you would immediately sin again; that is, unless your heart were cleansed; unless it were created anew. And who can do this? Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Surely none but God. So you are utterly sinful, guilty, helpless! What can you do to be saved?

5. One thing is needful: "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved!" Believe (not as the devils only, but) with that faith which is the gift of God, which is wrought in a poor, guilty, helpless sinner by the power of the Holy Ghost. See all thy sins on Jesus laid. God laid on him the iniquities of us all. He suffered once the just for the unjust. He bore our sins in his own body on the tree. He was wounded for thy sins; he was bruised for thy iniquities. "Behold the Lamb of God taking away the sin of the world!" taking away thy sins, even thine, and reconciling thee unto God the Father! "Look unto him and be thou saved!" If thou look unto him by faith, if thou cleave to him with thy whole heart, if thou receive him both to atone, to teach, and to govern thee in all things, thou shalt be saved, thou art saved, both from the guilt, the punishment, and all the power of sin. Thou shalt have peace with God, and a peace in thy own soul, that passeth all understanding. Thy soul shall magnify the Lord, and thy spirit rejoice in God thy Saviour. The love of God shall be shed abroad in thy heart, enabling thee to trample sin under thy feet. And thou wilt then have a hope full of immortality. Thou wilt no longer be afraid to die, but rather long for the hour, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ.

6. This is the faith that worketh by love, the way that leadeth to the kingdom. Do you earnestly desire to walk therein? Then put away all hinderances. Beware of company: At the peril of your soul, keep from those who neither know nor seek God. Your old acquaintance are no acquaintance for you, unless they too acquaint themselves with God. Let them laugh at you, or say you are running mad. It is enough, if you have praise of God. Beware of strong drink. Touch it not, lest you should not know when to stop. You have no need of this to cheer your spirits; but of the peace and the love of God; beware of men that pretend to show you the way to heaven, and know it not themselves. There is no other name whereby you can be saved, but the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And there is no other way whereby you can find the virtue of his name but by faith. Beware of Satan transformed into an angel of light, and telling you it is presumption to believe in Christ, as your Lord and your God, your wisdom and righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Believe in him with your whole heart. Cast your whole soul upon his love. Trust him alone; love him alone; fear him alone; and cleave to him alone; till he shall say to you, (as to the dying malefactor of old,) "This day shalt thou be with me in paradise."

A WORD IN SEASON: OR, ADVICE TO AN

ENGLISHMAN.

(This was published at the beginning of the late rebellion.)

1. Do you ever think? Do you ever consider? If not, it is high time you should. Think a little, before it is too late. Consider what a state you are in; and not you alone, but our whole nation. We would have war; and we have it. And what is the fruit? Our armies broken in pieces; and thousands of our men either killed on the spot, or made prisoners in one day. Nor is this all. We have now war at our own doors; our own countrymen turning their swords against their brethren. And have any hitherto been able to stand before them? Have they not already seized upon one whole kingdom? Friend, either think now, or sleep on and take your rest, till you drop into the pit where you will sleep no more!

2. Think what is likely to follow, if an army of French also should blow the trumpet in our land! What desolation may we not then expect? what a wide-spread field of blood? And what can the end of these things be? If they prevail, what but Popery and slavery? Do you know what the spirit of Popery is? Did you never hear of that in Queen Mary's reign; and of the holy men who were then burned alive by the Papists, because they did not dare to do as they did; to worship angels and saints, to pray to the Virgin Mary, to bow down to images, and the like? If we had a king of this spirit, whose life would be safe? at least, what honest man's? A knave indeed might turn with the times. But what a dreadful thing would this be to a man of conscience: "Either turn or burn: Either go into that fire, or into the fire that never shall be quenched!'

3. And can you dream that your property would be any safer than your conscience? Nay, how should that be? Nothing is plainer than that the Pretender cannot be king of England, unless it be by conquest. But every conqueror may do what he will; the laws of the land are no laws to him. And who can doubt, but one who should conquer England by the assistance of France, would copy after the French rules of government?

4. How dreadful then is the condition wherein we stand! on the very brink of utter destruction! But why are we thus? I am afraid the answer is too plain to every considerate man: Because of our sins; because we have well nigh "filled up the measure of our iniquities.” For, what wickedness is there under heaven which is not found among us at this day? Not to insist on the Sabbath breaking in every corner of our land; the thefts, cheating, fraud, extortion; the injustice, violence, oppression; the lying and dissimulating; the robberies, sodomies, and murders; which, with a thousand unnamed villanies, are common to us and our neighbour Christians of Holland, France, and Germany; consider, over and above, what a plentiful harvest we have of wickedness almost peculiar to ourselves. For who can vie with us in the direction of courts of justice; in the management of public charities; or in the

accomplished, barefaced wickedness which so abounds in our prisons, and fleets, and armies? Who in Europe can compare with the sloth, laziness, luxury, and effeminacy of the English gentry; or with the drunkenness, and stupid, senseless cursing and swearing which are daily seen and heard in our streets? one great inlet, no doubt, to that flood of perjury, which so increases among us day by day; the like whereunto is not to be found in any other part of the habitable earth.

5. Add to all these, (what is indeed the source as well as completion of all,) that open and professed Deism and rejection of the Gospel, that public, avowed apostasy from the Christian faith, which reigns among the rich and great, and hath spread from them to all ranks and orders of men, the vulgar themselves not excepted, and made us a people fitted for the "destroyer of the Gentiles."

6. Because of these sins is this evil come upon us. For, whether you are aware of it or no, there is a God; a God who, though he sits upon the circle of the heavens, sees and knows all that is done upon earth. And this God is holy; he does not love sin; he is just, rendering to all their due; and he is strong, there is none able to withstand him; he hath all power in heaven and in earth. He is patient indeed, and suffers long; but he will at last repay the wicked to his face. He often does so in this world; especially when a whole nation is openly and insolently wicked. Then doth God "arise and maintain his own cause;" then doth he terribly show both his justice and power; that if these will not repent, yet others may fear, and flee from the wrath to

come.

7. There hath been, among them that feared God, a general expectation, for many years, that the time was coming when God would thus arise to be avenged on this sinful nation. At length the time is come. The patience of God, long provoked, gives place to justice. windows of heaven begin to be opened, to rain down judgments on the earth. And yet, with what tenderness does he proceed! in the midst of wrath remembering mercy. By how slow degrees does his vengeance move! Nor does his whole displeasure yet arise.

8. Brethren, countrymen, Englishmen, what shall we do; to-day while it is called to-day, before the season of mercy is quite expired, and our "destruction cometh as a whirlwind?". Which way can we remove the evils we feel? which way prevent those we fear? Is there any better way than the making God our friend? the securing his help against our enemies? Other helps are little worth. We see armies may be destroyed, or even flee away from old men and children. Fleets may be dashed to pieces in an hour, and sunk in the depth of the sea. Allies may be treacherous, or slow, or foolish, or weak, or cowardly. But God is a friend who cannot betray, and whom none can either bribe or terrify. And who is wise, or swift, or strong like him? Therefore, whatever we do, let us make God our friend; let us with all speed remove the cause of his anger; let us cast away our sins. Then shall his love have free course, and he will send us help, sufficient help against all our enemies.

9. Come; will you begin? Will you, by the grace of God, amend one, and that without delay? First, then, own those sins which have long cried for vengeance in the ears of God. Confess, that we, and all, and

you in particular, deserve for our inward and outward abominations, not only to be swept from the face of the earth, but to suffer the vengeance of eternal fire. Never aim at excusing either yourself or others; let your mouth be stopped. Plead guilty before God. Above all, own that impudence of wickedness, that utter carelessness, that pert stupidity, which is hardly to be found in any part of the earth, (at least, not in such a degree,) except in England. Do you not know what I mean? You was not long since praying to God for damnation upon your soul. One who has heard you, said, "Is that right? Does not God hear? What if he takes you at your word?" You replied, with equal impudence and ignorance, "What, are you a Methodist ?" What, if he is a Turk? Must you therefore be a Heathen? God humble thy brutish, devilish spirit!

10. Lay thee in the dust, for this and for all thy sins. Let thy laughter be turned into heaviness; thy joy into mourning; thy senseless jollity and mirth into sorrow and brokenness of heart. This is no time to eat, and drink, and rise up to play, but to afflict thy soul before the Lord. Desire of God a deep, piercing sense of the enormous sins of the nation, and of thy own. Remember that great example; how when the king of Nineveh was warned of the near approaching vengeance of God, he "caused it to be proclaimed, Let none taste any thing; let them not feed nor drink water: but let them be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yea, let them turn every one from his evil way. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?" Jonah iii.

Cut up, by the grace of

11. Let them turn every one from his evil way. Cease to do evil. Learn to do well. And see that this reformation be universal; for there is no serving God by halves. Avoid all evil, and do all good unto all men; else you only deceive your own soul. See also that it be from the heart; lay the axe to the root of the tree. God, evil desire, pride, anger, unbelief. Let this be your continual prayer to God, the prayer of your heart as well as lips: "Lord, I would believe; help thou mine unbelief; give me the faith that worketh by love. The life which I now live,' let me live by faith in the Son of God.' Let me so believe, that I may love thee with all my heart, and mind, and soul, and strength;' and that I may love every child of man, even as thou hast loved us! Let me daily add to my faith courage, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, charity; that so an entrance may be ministered to me abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.'"

6

A HYMN.

REGARD, thou righteous God, and true,
Regard thy weeping people's prayer,
Before the sword our land go through,

Before thy latest plague we bear,
Let all to thee, their Smiter, turn,
Let all beneath thine anger mourn.
The sword, which first bereaved abroad,
We now within our borders see;
We

e see, but slight, thy nearer rod:
So oft, so kindly, warn'd by thee,
We still thy warning love despise,
And dare thine utmost wrath to rise.

FOR HIS MAJESTY KING GEORGE.

IMMORTAL King of kings,
Whose favour or whose frown

Monarchs and states to honour brings,
Or turns them upside down!

To thee, in danger's hour,
We for our sovereign cry:
Protect him by thy gracious power,
And set him up on high
Not by a mighty host
Can he deliver'd be;

Let others in their numbers trust,
We look, O Lord, to thee.
Help to thy servant send,
And strengthen from above;
And still thy minister defend
By thine Almighty love.

The Spirit of thy grace,

Thy heavenly unction, shed,
And hosts of guardian angels place
Around his sacred head.
Confound whoe'er oppose,
Or force them to retire;

Be thou a tower against his foes,
Be thou a wall of fire.

O bring him out of all
His sanctified distress,

And by his name thy servant call,
And fill him with thy peace.

Show him, Almighty Lord,
That thou his Saviour art;

And speak the soul-converting word,
"My son, give me thy heart!"

A WORD TO A PROTESTANT.

1. Do not you call yourself a Protestant? Why so? Do you know what the word means? What is a Protestant? I suppose you mean one that is not a Papist. But what is a Papist? If you do not know, say so; acknowledge you cannot tell. Is not this the case? You call yourself a Protestant; but you do not know what a Protestant is. You talk against Papists; and yet neither do you know what a Papist is. Why do you pretend, then, to the knowledge which you have not? Why do you use words which you do not understand?

2. Are you desirous to know what these words, Papist and Protestant, mean? A Papist is one who holds the Pope or Bishop of Rome (the name papa, that is, father, was formerly given to all bishops) to be head of the whole Christian Church; and the Church of Rome, or that which owns the Pope as their head, to be the only Christian Church.

3. In a course of years, many errors crept into this Church, of which good men complained from time to time. At last, about two hundred years ago, the Pope appointed many bishops and others to meet at a town in Germany, called Trent. But these, instead of amending those errors, established them all by a law, and so delivered them down to all succeeding generations.

4. Among these errors may be numbered, their doctrine of seven sacraments; of transubstantiation; of communion in one kind only; or purgatory, and praying for the dead therein; of veneration of relics; and of indulgences, or pardons granted by the Pope, and to be bought for money.

It is thought by some, that these errors, great as they are, do only defile the purity of Christianity; but it is sure, the following strike at its very root, and tend to banish true religion out of the world:

5. First. The doctrine of merit. The very foundation of Christianity is, that a man can merit nothing of God; that we are "justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ;" not for any of our works or of our deservings, but by faith in the blood of the covenant.