to enrich themselves, and not to relieve the oppreffed. I must needs fay, and can with great truth, that misgovernment is the occafion, though the devil be the caufe, of that mischief and ruin that attend nations.

What kingdoms hath God destroyed, and cities turned into rubbish, because of national evils; too much occafioned by the remiffness of magiftrates? The flack hand that the rulers of Ifrael held over the manners of that unhappy people, made way for their unsubjected paffions and corrupt affections to break out into the vileft impieties: but if men fhall be left to their own licentioufnefs, to commit fin with greediness, and with impunity defpife the laws of God and men, all I can fay is this: God, who is jealous of his glory, the great avenger of his law upon rebellious nations, will with-hold his mercies, and haften his judgments upon ours.

"Hear the word of the Lord," faith the prophet Hofea, "ye children of Ifrael; for the Lord hath a controverfy with the inhabitants of the land: by fwearing, and lying, and killing, and ftealing, and "committing adultery, they break out, and blood "touches blood; therefore fhall the land mourn." And by the prophet Malachi God threatens that people thus: "I will come near to you, and I will be a "fwift witness against forcerers, and against the adul"terers, and against falfe fwearers, and fuch as fear not

me, faith the Lord of hofts." Yea, to that degree was that magiftracy degenerated, that they thought it a vain thing to ferve God, and keep his commandments. They called the proud happy; yea, they that worked wickednefs were fet up, they were advanced to places of honour and trust, and they that ⚫ tempted God, were delivered: but the word of the Lord was unto them a reproach; they had no delight in it: they made a mock at fin, laid fnares for ⚫ the innocent, and (like us) made men offenders for a word,' for a good word, a word of reproof, or an harmless opinion. Well, but what followed?" Shall

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"I not vifit for these things, faith the Lord, fhall not << my. foul be avenged on fuch a nation as this?" O that magistrates would hear this! God as truly speaks to us by the fcripture now, as he did by them that writ it then to the Jews. Truly, it is our very cafe; the fame impieties are daily found amongst us: certainly God is offended, his fpirit grieved, and heaven is fet against us. For the Lord's fake do your duty in this present conjuncture, and mistake not your meafures: let every thing have its due weight and place with you; that is the way to fucceed. Ye are now warmly concerned in the discovery and profecution of a Jefuitical plot; a defign, it feems, to deftroy the king, blow up your religion, and wreft the government out of your hands: in this, doubtlefs ye do well; and all just care to preserve the peace of the kingdom from fuch mischievous confpiracies, is most commendable in you, and deserves and draws all due acknowledgments from honeft and English minds: but, I beseech you, let God have a fhare in your concern; remember him, as well as yourselves. You confess this great discovery is only owing to his goodness; fhall we be then more zealous for our own fafety, than for his glory; who, when all is done, muft fave us, or we are loft? Let us make him our friend, who is stronger than the combinations of all our enemies; and guard ourselves against that which can only bring their evil devices to pafs, (alas!) our fin. That is their ftrength, and the poison of their arrows; let us confefs and forfake it; let us humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, that it may not "grind us to powder." And truly, if our hearts were not harder than adamants, this teftimony he has given us of his care over us, notwithstanding all our repeated provocations given to him, should break us into deep contrition. O let his long fuffering prevail upon us to unfeigned repentance! then fhall we stand clear men before God; and if fo, he will quickly make our enemies to flee before us.

If there be any truth in facred hiftory, any credit to be given to Chriftian religion, or the experience of

ages

lx. 12.

ages, this that I fay of God and Government is true: and it is our duty, yea, our intereft, the trueft and easiest way to safety. God has decreed, "that nation " and kingdom that will not ferve him, fhall perish, yea, those nations fhall be utterly wafted." Ifaiah "But great is their peace, that love thy law: "it fhall go well with the righteous; but it shall go "ill with the wicked:" Upon them God hath threatened to rain fnares, difficulties, perplexities; they fhall not know which way to turn themselves. I am not against the ufe of means: men have not wifdom and power for nothing: but then let them use them in the fear and name of God: "Curfed is he that "putteth his ftrength in man, and his confidence in "the arm of flesh.' And in another place, "Wo "to them that go down to Egypt for help, and stay on horfes, and truft in chariots, because they are "many; and in horfemen, because they are very "ftrong but they look not to the Holy One of If"rael, neither feek the Lord." It was his reproof to the nation that profeffed him, that they should seek to the ftratagems, and rely upon the strength, of heathen nations, rather than upon faith in him, the living God: and the reason he gives in the third verfe is great, viz. "The Egyptians are men, and not God; and their "horfes flesh, and not spirit: when the Lord shall "ftretch out his band, both he that helpeth shall fall, " and he that is holpen fhall fall down, and they all "fhall fall together." If, then, the hand of God be fo much ftronger than man, for the Lord's fake let us lay hold of it; let that fight our battles, and decide the controverfy: "He that trufteth in the Lord, fhall never be confounded." It was the faying of a great king, and a great conqueror," By thee I have leap"ed over a wall, by thee I have run through a troop,' &c. Pfal. xviii. 19. Who preferved the Ifraelites from Pharaoh's fury, threw down the walls of Jericho, when the priests blew the rams-horns, and gave Gideon

* Ifa. xxxi. I, 2.

his mighty victories; with more of the like kind. And we must not think that God is altered, or faith is in itself weakened, that no wonders are referved for the latter and Chriftian ages. The truth is, faith (generally speaking) is loft, and that holy confidence now-a-days is efteemed prefumption: it is become a principle, that "fuch things are not to be expected;" fo that we fhut up, or bar from ourselves, the true and moft powerful way of deliverance. Let us not betake ourselves to the common arts and ftratagems of nations, incredulous of the strength of the God of Ifrael, who is the God of true Christians too. O! that our faith may be greater than our arms! no matter for the ftrength of our enemies, if God be our ftrength : and truly, it is vain to acknowledge a Providence in human things, and not to confide in him, and rely upon him, that provides for us. "I was young" faid David, " and now I am old; but I never faw the righteous

forfaken, nor his feed begging bread:" It fhall go well with the righteous. Therefore fear God, put away the evil that provokes him, and truft not in man, but in the living God, and it fhall yet go well with England.

What noble feats did the ancients do by faith! and fhall Chriftians have less than Jews had? Is not God the fame? Yes; he is unchangeable: but, alas! we are not the fame; that is our mischief. Chrift did not many mighty works in fome places, because they believed him not: if our confidence be not in God, our hopes will prove vain, and our fuccefs will fail us. We shall but have men of our fide, not God; flesh, and not spirit : and if we should be fo unhappy as to make this our ftrength, both the helpers and helped will fall together. But let Nineveh teach us better things, and may her zealous king be the example of ours; and let all the people fay amen! the suitableness of which story to our prefent occafion makes me chufe to end this first part of my address with it.

<< For

"For word came unto the king of Nineveh; yet "forty days, and Nineveh fhall be overthrown. And "he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with fack-cloth, and fate in afhes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and publifhed through Nineveh, (by the decree of the king " and his nobles) faying, let neither man nor beast, "herd nor flock, tafte any thing; let them not feed,

nor drink water. But let man and beaft be covered "with fack-cloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, "let them turn every one from his evil way, and from "the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell, "if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his "fierce anger, that we perifh not. And God faw "their works, that they turned from their evil way; "and God repented from the evil that he said that " he would do unto them, and he did it not." Jonah ii. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

GOD! thou that workest wonders in the earth, whose power cannot be controuled, in whofe hands are the fouls of men, and the fpirits of all flesh, who canft turn them in a moment: turn thou the hearts of king and people unto thee, and one unto another. Do thou proclaim a fast from fin throughout these finful kingdoms: let wickedness and oppreffion find no place among us: turn away thy fierce wrath, wipe away our reproach, and love us freely, O God! for thy dear Son's fake.

THE