World, and that very fuddenly. A Cup he has mingled for all the Nations to drink of. Which to fome undoubtedly will prove a bitter Potion, a Cup of God's Wrath and Fury; to others probably a Cup of Salvation. But how it will prove to us, is yet entirely in the Will of God. However this is certain, that we of this Nation fhall have as much our Share in it, be it good or bad, as any other in Christendom.

And now after the mention of this, Can there be any need to call upon any one to Weeping, and Fafting, and Mourning, and Crying mightily to the Lord, that he would have Mercy upon us, and spare us, and our Nation, and not give his Heritage over to Confufion? Why methinks the Circumftances we are in, fhould put us upon fo doing, without any other Monitors. Indeed we have no Humanity, no Compaffion for ourselves or our Country, if we do not.

We should all be of this Mind, if we did feriously confider how Things ftand with us.

We are not that Innocent, Vertuous, Pious People, that may certainly reckon upon God's Favour, and think ourselves in all Cafes fure of his Protection. For if the Doctrine I have now been infifting on to you, be true Do arine, then we of this Nation can but entertain very small Hopes of being Happy and Profperous. Nay, we cannot but apprehend Mifery and Ruin, and Defolation to ourselves; unless God be abundantly more merciful to us than we deferve. And there can be no way

way to prevail with him to be fo, but an uni verfal Humiliation and Repentance. And this is the Application I defire to make of the Point I have been now treating of.

If the Measure of God's dealing with Na tions be always according to the Moral State of them: If their good Fortunes be dealt out to them according to their Vertues; and Judg ments be inflicted upon them according to their provoking God by their Sins; as we have faid; Good Lord! What a lamentable Profpe&t have we of this Kingdom of what may come upon us? And what infinite Reafon have we thereupon, immediately to try all the ways that are poffible of making our Peace with God, that fo Iniquity may not be our Ruin.

I beg leave to dwell a little on this Point be cause it is the proper Argument of the Day.

I do not fay, nor do I think, that we of this Nation are worse than our Neighbours. But this I fay, confidering how long God hath fpared us, and how long we have enjoyed the Bleffings of Peace and Plenty, and all forts of Profperity (though perhaps with many Fears and juft Apprehenfions of Danger :) whilft most of our Neighbours have been haraffed with Wars, and expofed to all the Cru elties and Miseries of Perfecutions and Devaftations And confidering the great Privileges and Advantages we have for many Years enjoyed, of all the outward Means of Grace, that could be defired for the Eternal Salvation of our Souls, and That above any other Nation under Heaven; and withal, how un profitable

profitable we have been under thefe Means, how unthankful to God for them, and what little Effect they have had upon us for the bettering our Manners; And lastly, Confidering how very wicked we generally are, what a World of open grofs Sins and Impieties do reign among us, and what a Lewd, Prophane, Hypocritical, Atheistical Spirit seems to have gone out into the Nation, and to prevail upon it; I fay, thefe Things confidered, we cannot make any very comfortable Reflexions on our own Condition. So far from that, that if (as I faid). the Measure of God's Dealings with Nations be taken from their Behaviours and Moral Qualities, and be suited to their Merits and Deserts, we have as little to hope for, as moft Nations under Heaven.

I take no Delight in faying thefe Things; on the contrary, it is very grievous: But if every one may be allowed to run out into a Declamation against the Vices of the Times, it is upon fuch an Occafion as this, and before fuch an Audience as this, that the Liberty may be challenged.

For God's fake let us not deceive ourselves, nor think that we are Favourites of Heaven, merely because we profefs the Best Religion, and are made Members of the Best Church in the World.

For as Good as our Church and Religion is, and as zealous as we feem to be for them; yet never did Vice and Iniquity of all Sorts, and indeed every Thing that is contrary to our

holy

holy Religion, more abound in this Nation; than at this Day.

Give me leave to speak out upon this Occafion, and to tell you of fome of the Crying Sins that reign among us, and that deferve Your Care to put a Stop to; and which, if they be continued in, will certainly bring down the Vengeance of God upon us.

Where was there ever more Atheism and Infidelity to be feed in a Country that profeffed the Religion of Jefus Chrift, than is among us at this Day?

We do not perhaps meet with very many that do openly affirm, there is no God: For as bad as we are, God be thanked, we are not yet arrived to fuch Impudence. That is fuch an Affront to the Laws and good Manners; that it is not to be born with. But we may meet with feveral every Day, that do affirm the fame Thing by Confequence; afferting fuch Principles from whence it may be neceffarily concluded.

For my part, I account it much the fame thing, as to the ill Effects of the Opinion, to deny the Being of God; as to deny the Being of Angels, and Spirits, and Immaterial Souls to deny the Being of particular Providence; to deny the natural Difference between Good and Evil; to deny another Life after this, wherein good Men fhall be rewarded, and wicked Men punished; to deny the Liberty of Human Actions; and to fay, that all Things which we do, we do by a fatal Neceffity, and we cannot do otherwife: And yet we may

Every Day meet with Men of thefe Principles, nay, and that laugh at all thofe that maintain the contrary.

But then, as for the Business of Jefus Christ, and that which we call the Chriftian Religion, what a very little do a great many among us make of that? To talk of Chrift's being fent for the Saviour of the World, and that he dy. ed to procure the Pardon of our Sins, and that we must believe all the Scripture-Doctrines concerning him, and worship him as a God; why what Stuff is this to a great many of the refined Spirits of our Age? It is very well if they can fo far prevail with themselves, as to own the Being of God, and to acknowledge their Obligation to the Duties of Moral Honefty and Juftice, which natural Religion teacheth: But as for Jefus Chrift and the Triaity, and the Sacraments, and all Revealed Religion; they beg your Pardon for thefe Things, they are too nice and fubtil for them to meddle with. Not but that they are good Chriftians all the while: For they can come to our Churches, and to our Sacraments too, if there be occafion. Because indeed they will always be of the Religion of the Country where they live. But at the fame time they do this, they do no more really believe, or expect any Spiritual Benefit in our Religion, nor look for any more Salvation from Chrift Jefus, than they would expect from Mahomet, if they fhould live in Turkey.

But this is not all. Even among those that de believe in Jefus Chrift, and own his Reli VOL. I

S

gion