allowed to have their own method of religion, and are not compelled to any thing against their consciences, they have no reason to find fault with the established religion. But when they are compelled to support it by their means, and forced to comply with its rituals, or suffer loss, they have certainly reason to com plain of want of Christian liberty.

The leaders of religion do certainly account Dissenters'infidels, or intend to make them so, when they endeavour to make them conform to modes of worship they can see no authority for in the word of God. This shews something like a stated purpose to ruin both their souls and bodies. The Apostle tells us, that he that doubteth is damned if he eat; and non-conformists have this alternative to eat and be damned, or forbear and be punished.

If the alliance between church and state make it lawful for the church to impose her principles and worship upon Dissenters, upon the same principle it will be lawful for any church whatsoever to oblige all Dissenters to comply, or punish them less or more. If this be a good principle, the Protestants in France have no reason to complain of Roman Catholic imposition,when a church of their own persuasion does the same thing.

There are many simple slavish asses among Dissenters, who can, without any hesitation, conform to the church, and take on their burdens for some small worldly advantage,-or, to please their friends, profanely tamper with their consciences. Some of them, who have got near the top of the fashion, are coming every day nearer to embrace their old mother, notwithstanding that they have so often said that she hath played the harlot; and many of them seem to have little other objection against her, but that she is not yet far enough departed from the truth. From some aversion they have conceived at the articles and creeds of the church, for their supposed likeness to Scripture, they rave against them, but from no other principle but their enmity at the New Testament, which through some mistake they conceive them to be like. They have still a strong inclination to go to heaven within the trammels of a liturgy; and some of them have of late been making zealous attempts to bring in organs into their meetings, that they may have as wanton a way of worshipping their Maker, as their neighbours of the establishment. These wellrefined Dissenters seem to agree with the establishment in thinking that the Almighty should be worshipped after the Jewish manner; and seem disposed to make the New Testament conform to the Old, as decently as they can. Perhaps, after some Hittle consideration, they may agree to introduce circumcision, as well as they have done white robes, altars, and organs. They would find some asses that would submit.

If the civil powers would be so condescending as to make a law for circumcision, and annex emoluments to it, the prophets of the church would do their best endeavours to train asses to

submit to the slavery. But as the pain would be most likely more than a counterpart to the profit, and the priesthood themselves could not decently neglect to observe a religious ordinance established by law, it is highly probable this piece of church reformation will remain unattempted, among the rest of the things the people are not yet ripe for.

I shall conclude with observing, that there is scarce a man that assumes the character of a prophet, but will find plenty of asses among the people to answer his purpose. Though Balaam and his ass are dead many years ago, yet their offspring are very numerous. But who would think that any of this character could be found in Britain, the very toast of the nations for pretensions to freedom and liberty? Yet true it is, that there are many false prophets, and many asses, in this free nation.

Even here we shall find slaves in abundance: here we shall find men called freeholders bearing civil burdens, like Issachar, through their own slothfulness and want of spirit: here we may find men who are called Free-Thinkers giving up their liberty, and conforming to other men's creeds, at the expence of their own consciences: here you may find offices appointed by spiritual authority to break the stubborn and perverse temper of untractable asses, under the management of the sons of Balaam, who have in custody all the trapping that is fit to keep them in order. In Britain you may find some burdened with taxes, some with articles of religion, some with creeds, and others with oaths and covenants; and upon the top of these burdens, on purpose to rule their asses, always some of Balak's or Balaam's children sitting; and these poor humble creatures, at every threatening of their tyrannical masters, after they have started a little, returning and saying, Are not we thine asses, upon which thou hast ridden ever since we were thine?

THE END OF SERMONS TO ASSES.

ADDITIONAL SERMON

NOT INCLUDED IN THE FIRST EDITION OF

SERMONS TO ASSES.

SERMON V.

GENESIS, Xviii. 28.

And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.

THIS was a number perhaps too large to be expected so near

a king's court-for they are righteous persons that are understood here, as we learn from verse 24-but far too few for such a large city as Sodom. If this city was any thing near as large as London or Paris, there could not be fewer than five hundred thousand souls in it; and to have no more righteous persons in it than forty and five, was a melancholy circumstance. One would willingly wish there had been more, for their own sakes. Perhaps it is the court that is meant, and not the whole community. In this sense forty and five would be a great number of righteous persons in such a situation. There have been fewer in more splendid courts since the days of Sodom. There were but two in the court of king Ahasuerus-the queen and her uncle, and both foreigners too.

When one reads this passage of holy writ, they would willingly wish to find this number, and have the city preserved. But, alas! the fourth part of the sum cannot be found. There were not ten. My heart fails me, to think a fine city, a populous city, and a city that had lately been preserved out of the hands of its formidable enemies, should be lost for the want of number forty-five.

From the history of this city and her sisters, there is some reason to believe there were forty-five hundred fornicators, fortyfive score adulterers, and forty-five oppressors, and likely some place-men. But these were not the persons the Almighty was inquiring after they were righteous persons that he wanted. This is the point, the main point, the sticking point, forty-five righteous persons!

Had drunkenness, gluttony, and gallantry, been any constituent branches of righteousness, thou, O Sodom! had been standing to this day! What a flourishing city hadst thou been, had uncleanness been righteousness, and fornication been the fear of the Lord. No doubt, there were, in thee many noblemen that had ravished virgins, and defiled the bed of his neighbour.

In thee no lord had any occasion to fear the law for committing a rape, when all thy judges were whoremongers. But, alas for thee! none but the devil and his disciples call this righteousness; the Almighty calls it wickedness;-and for this thou wert destroyed.

Ten righteous persons for Sodom might, for aught we know, be as great a number as forty and five for London; and if the one be as far to seek as the other was, there is reason to say, Miserere, Domine!

How unwilling is the Almighty to destroy a fine city! He comes down and down in his account to ten. Forty and five could not be found, nor ten either. One cannot but commend Abraham for his good-will to Sodom; he ventured far to intercede so much for a wicked people;-but who would have thought but forty and five might have been found in such a large city. Though one could not well have expected such a number about the king's court, nor among the grandees of the city and country, who generally serve their ambition, their private interest, and their lusts;-yet among the merchants and members of the corporation, in the lower crafts, forty and five might have been hoped for. But, alas! these are all carried away down the stream of wicked imitation. The inferiors aspire after the imitation of their superiors; all are carried away in the torrent of iniquity. "This," says Ezekiel," was the iniquity of Sodom; pride, and fulness of bread, und abundance of idleness, were in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hands of the poor and needy."* Every ordinary shopkeeper attempted to rival the mayor and the aldermen of the city in diet, dress, luxury, and extravagance of every kind. Scarcely a clerk who could stand at a counter but must have his kept mistress like a first L-d of the Ty, and shine in gorgeous raiment like a justice of the quorum. Every mechanic, who could but once or twice pay his bills, and get credit, must have his country-house, where his wife and children riot in all kind of extravagance and wantonness. How could righteousness be expected in such a city?

Perhaps there might be ten parishes in Sodom, and to be sure every one would have a clergyman to do service in them. These, no doubt, might all be expected to be righteous persons. Or likely there might be only one cathedral church, and a college of twelve D-s: these we might well suppose to be righteous persons. But, ah! this is not always the case! The scripture tells us there was idleness in Sodom too. The D-s did not mind their duty, but perhaps preached but once a month, and the Bp once a year, and the people were lost for lack of knowledge.

It will be hard to find this number forty and five righteous persons in any large populous city or trading town, in most

Ezekiel, xvi. 49.

countries,

countries, or in any court on this side the New Jerusalem, the city and court of the Great King. I shall now give my reasons for this opinion.-And,

I. A righteous man is one that speaketh the truth from the heart, and will not tell a lie. Where shall we find such an one? In the court there is nought but flattery, and fulsome commendation, with a design to serve private ends. There scarcely any man speaks as he thinks, or acts as he speaks; their words go for nothing, and promises are empty sounds. Seldom do any courtiers account themselves obliged to fulfil their promises, but when it is for their own interest. What a large number of ensigns, lieutenants, and inferior officers, who have served many bloody campaigns, might be brought to prove this point? How many bundles of empty promises have many of them lying by them, that never were intended to be fulfilled? Truth in the inward part seldom agrees with human policy; and he would be but a bad politician in these days who should always adhere to truth. He would not long keep his place.

Should any person in high life, who expects preferment, become a slave to truth, and be thoroughly honest, he might wait long enough for the exercise of his patience before his desires were fulfilled. Political lying is one of the chief and principal virtues of a court in the kingdoms of this world, and any man who has not given up his claim to the kingdom of heaven will take special care of having any concern in them. Who can expect a righteous person, or righteous deeds, where righteousness is the only thing to render a man unfit to discharge any office in society? A person who is so far gone in honest principles as to hold strictly to truth, and refuse to speak lies, will soon be made to read his political sin upon his punishment, and starve within the purlieus of the court. He will soon get the character of a conscientious fool, and be accounted a man unfit for business. That weak and silly maxim," Honesty is the best policy, or that of our Saviour, "As ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them," are inverted among the politicians of modern times; and a man would be accounted exceeding weak, and destitute of capacity, who should regulate his conduct by such maxims.

Ahitophel may perhaps make the best of truth, when it is the only thing to serve his purpose, and to advance him to a pension or a peerage; but he would not be Ahitophel, nor a counsellor worthy of his place, if he could not change his measures with the times, and make falsehood serve his purpose as well as truth. This shews him to be a man of capacity, which is a far more noble qualification, in the courts of the kingdoms of this world, than honesty and integrity. When the king's son was sent to the war against the Philistines, Ahitophel maintained that it was a wasting of the treasury to spend money upon that war, and insisted that the whole wealth and strength of the nation should

be