gion; yet what little Regard have they, genérally speaking, to his Worship and Service.

It is very well if they now and then afford their Prefence on Sundays, at the publick Religious Affemblies. I will not examine with what Defigns, and for what Ends they come thither, nor how devoutly and religioufly their Hearts are affected during the Time they are there. I fay, it is very well that they

are there at all.

But even of those that do come thither, and do once a Week feem to have a Sense of publick Religion; I fay, how few are there of them that take any Care of worshipping God, either in their Families, or in their Closets.

Why, if a Man were truly religious, he could not pass a Day without folemn Addreffes to his Maker, and to his Redeemer. He would pray in his Closet conftantly; and if he had a Family, he would pray with them conftantly. And if he had no Family, he would conftantly refort to thofe Places where he might pay his Tribute of Publick Prayer and Praises to God, unless he had urgent Bufinefs to hinder him.

But is there any Thing of this to be seen among us, except in fome few Perfons here and there? Are there not Twenty Families for One that live without fo much as the Shew of any Devotion? Without any fort of Prayer or Worship of God in their Houses? Nay, and I am afraid, I may fay, there are Twenty for One, even of private Perfons, that live without Devotion in their Closets; that never

call

call upon God, never renew their Vows to. their Saviour, never pay him any Homage, except perhaps once a Week in a formal way, when the Cuftom of the Country obliges them to refort to the Church.

The Truth is, fo little Senfe have most of us of Religion and Devotion; fo little Regard of,our Duty to God, and our Dependance upon him, and expreffing that Dependance, either in Private, or in our Families; That were it not for that Happy Inftitution of the Lord's-Day, on the which we are obliged, by the Laws of God and Man, to meet together for the Worfhip of God; we fhould hardly fee any Face of Religion among us, and in a little Time fhould fcarce be diftinguished from Heathens.

But yet this is not the worst of our Cafe. Our grofs Immoralities; that horrid Lewdnes and Debauchery, that is every where to be obferved in our Days, doth ftill increase our Guilt, and cry to Heaven for Judgment upon our Nation.

It would make a Man's Heart ake, that has any Senfe of God or Religion, to think of the Riots, the Drunkenneß, the continued Courfe of fpending our Time, and our Parts, and our Subftance, in Revelling and Gaming, and all manner of fuch Exceffes that is daily practifed among us. And yet at the fame Time the Men that thus live, think themselves very honeft Men all the while.

It would really amaze a Man, and put him apon admiring God's Patience, that he doth not prefently confound the World, if he did feri

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feriously reflect on the many filthy lewd Speeches and Actions, the numerous wicked Intrigues of Lust, the infamous Whoredoms and Adulteries that are, without any Senfe of Shame, daily carried on and acted among us, and that by Perfons too that have the Face to fhew themfelves at our Holy Affemblies.

Efpecially, if to these be added, the infinite Lyes, and Cheats, and Perjuries, which our Land groans under; The blafphemous Oaths and Imprecations, the Damn me's and Sink me's; the horrid Profanations of the Name of God, and all Things Sacred, that are in every Place, in every Street, where we pafs, belched out, in Contempt of the Almighty and his Laws; by all forts of Perfons, of all forts of Qualities; from the Beggar in the Street, to the Man of Honour, and that for no other Reafon in the World, but because it is their Humour or their Cuftom.

And lastly, to fill up the Measure of our Iniquities; to our other reigning Vices, we have added that of Hypocrify too; which one would think should not often be found among fo much Profaneneß.

How many of us make a mighty Noife with Religion, and are zealous even to Bigotry, in the Defence of it, and yet have not one Grain of inward Senfe of what it obligeth them to? Nay, fo far from that, that if Religion be but in their Mouths; if they do but appear Zealous enough for the Proteftant Caufe; If they can but cry loud enough, The Temple of the Lord, The Temple of the Lord, as the Jews did in the Prophet; they matter not how contradictory

dictory their Actions are to the Precepts of that Religion they do profefs. Their Zeal for fo good a Caufe will fanctify all the other Actions, be they never fo wicked and unjuft.

But if this be not Hypocrify, there is no fuch Thing in the World. Sure I am, it was this fort of Carriage, that God fo often reproves the Jews for, by his Prophets; and upon Account of which they are fo often reproached as a Generation of Hypocrites, and for which he threatens them with utter Deftruction.

O my Brethren, what have we to fay to thefe Things? If the Cafe be thus with us, as I am afraid it is; what Plea have we to put in for ourselves? If God fhould let loose our Enemies upon us, the Enemies of our Nation, and of our Religion, and fhould give us over as a Prey unto them, what have we to reply? Truly, nothing that I know of, except that of the Pfalmift, Righteous art thou, O Lord, and Fuft are thy Fudgments.

But we truft God's Lenity, and Forbearance, and Mercy is as great to Publick Societies and Kingdoms, as it is to Private Perfons; and, that we may apply thofe Expreffions to our Nation which David uttered with reference to himself; O Lord, if thou shouldst be extreme to mark what is done amiß, O Lord, who may a bide it? But there is Mercy with thee, that thou mayeft be feared.

When the Iniquities of a People are at the full, God will not fail to punish them. But whether ours be fo or no, He only knows. We hope, though they be very grievous and

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crying a

crying, they have not exceeded the Measure of God's Patience, and that there is yet left a Place for Repentance. This is indeed the only Plank we have to truft to, that can save us from Shipwreck; and therefore we ought to lay hold upon it.

Let us therefore this Day, every one of us, If we have any Kindness for our Native Country; If we have any Refpect to that dear Place, where we and our Ancestors, and all our Relations and Kindred, for many Generations, have lived fo happily;

If we have any Zeal for, or Regard to that Excellent Church, and that Holy Religion, that God did in fo extraordinary a manner plant among us; and for the preferving of which in Our Land, his Care and Providence hath fo often and fo wonderfully appeared;

If we have any Concernment for many Thoufands of innocent Souls, who, without their own Fault, may deeply fuffer for the Nation's Sins;

Laftly, If we have any Bowels of Compaffion to thofe dear Children of ours, that God hath given us, that we may tranfmit to them, and their Children atter them, that BirthRight, and thofe Privileges, and that excellent Religion we received from our Fathers:

I fay, if we have any Senfe of thefe Things, let every one of us this Day, moft fincerely apply ourselves to the Service of God, in all the Ways of a ferious Vertue and Piety. Or if we have been careless of this Matter heretofore; or, which is worfe, have been lewd or