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Liberty to relieve itself by all the Methods SER M. that Wickedness can fuggeft? What are the Terrors of Death (an Expedient too that every wife Nation would, if poffible, prevent) to those who have no farther Apprehenfions of it, but that it puts an End to all their Miferies? And is it not true in Fact, that Rapine, Theft, and Murder have, in fome Parts of the Land, been fo fupported by their feveral Bands, that the Arm of the civil Magiftrate has been thought too weak to curb and reftrain them; and that our military Force (no very defirable Support of an English Conftitution) has been called in to repress their Infolence and Audacioufnefs? In Proportion, as the Hands of the Government grow weak, will the Hearts of it's Enemies be ftrengthened, and greater Force muft ftill be provided for it's Support; and the Maintenance of that muft again fall on the Publick: And general Burthens of that Kind, fhould they ever be felt, would be followed by a general Discontent. The Spirit of

Difcord, at any Time the greatest Plague of a Community, will rage higher; more bold Steps muft be taken to fupport a finking Government, which will, on the other Hand, be more boldly controverted and controlled. And this will give a great Temptation to our foreign Enemies to take the Advantage of fuch fatal Opportunities,

Z 3

and

SER M. and try to make us no more a Nation, XIV. And what fairer Opportunity can they ex

pect or defire, than to find the Nation, whose Conqueft they are meditating, divided in it's Counfels, depreffed in it's Courage by Idleness and Debauchery, and diftreffed by Poverty?

Nor will the Ecclefiaftical Part of our Conftitution be lefs in Danger from unfettled Principles, and from a general Dissolution of Manners: For Scepticism and Infallibility approach close to one another, like the extreme Points of Eaft and Weft: And however the thoughtful Part of the Nation may abhor Popery for it's numerous Absurdities, the humane and goodnatured for it's numerous Cruelties and Maffacres; yet the profligate and debauched will be inclined to think more favourably of it for it's large Indulgences to, and Encouragements of, Immorality,

In the ordinary Course of Things then we fee, that Vice, when it becomes epidemical, is not only the Reproach, but bids fair for the Ruin of any People.

But this is not all when God's ordinary Methods of Reforming are loft upon us, he will have Recourse to fome extraordinary Means; to fome more awakening Notices of his Displeasure. National Wickednefs never failed, fooner or later, to proyoke the Almighty to a national Vengeance;

and

and this is deferred, fometimes, for no other S ER M. Reafon but that terrible one, of making XIV. the Execution more fevere. Indeed we may have Reason to fear God's Judgments are already gone out. One half of this united Kingdom is, at this Juncture, by the bold Invaders of our Liberties, made a Scene of Devastation, Rapine, and Slaughter; and fo likewife is a confiderable Part of the other: The Land before them being, in the Words of the Prophet, like the Garden of Eden, and behind them a defolate Wilderness. But fhould it please the Almighty to defeat the Designs of a desperate Set of Men, engaged in a desperate, as well as unrighteous Caufe; fhould he fend this Punishment in his, Mercy, yet perhaps it may be the laft Trial of his Mercy; and if we are not taught by it to learn Righteoufnefs, our Iniquity will draw down Ruin upon us in fome other Shape, or from fome other Quarter. For national Impiety is an Affront that strikes more directly at Heaven, and which Heaven therefore is more nearly concerned to punish in a national Way: Such an Impiety, especially, as this Nation is guilty of, the only one of all Nations upon Earth, where Religion is established in the greatest Purity, and yet treated with the greatest Contempt. While Religion maintains but fo much Ground as to command an outward Reverence and Refpect, fome Hopes 24 would

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SER M. would be left, that it might in Time recover it's Authority, and recommend itself to our inward Efteem: But when it has loft all Hold upon us, when we do not only neglect it in Practice, but deride it in Principle, nothing is left but that God fhould awaken us to a Sense of his Being and Providence, by fome fuch extraordinary Judgment as will make his Power to be known. Which brings me to confider,

IIIdly, The proper Means whereby we may hope to avert God's Displeasure.

And wherewithal fhall a People laden with Iniquity appear before the Lord to turn away his Wrath, and to arreft the Hand of Vengeance lifted up for their Deftruction? Hear the Almighty's own gracious Declaration-At what Inftant I Speak concerning a Nation and concerning a Kingdom. to pluck up and to pull down, and deftroy it; if that Nation against whom I have. pronounced turn from their Evil, I will repent of the Evil that I thought to do unto them. God's Mercy is over all his Works; but Nations and Kingdoms are the more peculiar Objects of his providential Care, This is not lefs agreeable to the Researches of Reason, than it is to the more fure Reports of the Spirit of Truth speaking in our

y Religion: If not a Sparrow falls to:

the

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the Ground without the Will of our heavenly SER M. Father, how much more does his Providence watch over Man, who is of more Value than many Sparrows? How much more ftill over those larger Communities, in whofe Calamities the most faithful and beft of his Servants must be involved? But how much farther can we expect his Mercy fhould extend than this, that even when their Reformation is fo far despaired of, that he has denounced Judgment against them; yet he is willing to reverse the Sentence, on the eafy Condition of their turning from the Evil? Now National Evil is the common Stock of Evil to which every Individual contributes his Share. As we then make a Part of the Nation, our Sins muft make a Part of the National Guilt; and confequently none of us can think ourselves unconcerned in the important Work of a National Reformation. In vain would we endeavour to remove the Burthen from ourselves by pretending, our Betters are as bad or worse than we are; fince we do not know how far the Confequences of any one Vice may increase the Measure of that Iniquity from which, when it is filled up, we can expect nothing less than a final Deftruction.

We have, I truft, not more out of a proper Regard to publick Authority, than