Think not, ye men of Ifrael, or fay within yourselves, that we are unprofitable fervants; we have no good works to spare, or that if we had,we cannot make this ufe of them ;that we have no power to circulate our indulgences,-and huckfter them out, as we do, through all the parts of Christendom.-Know ye by these prefents, that it is our own power which does this ;-the plenitude of our apoftolick power operating with our own holiness that enables us to bind and loose, as feems meet to us on earth;-to fave your fouls or deliver them up to Satan, and as they please or displease, to indulge whole kingdoms at once, or excommunicate.

them all;-binding kings in chains, and your nobles in links of iron.

That we may never again feel the

effects of fuch language and prin ciples, may God of his mercy grant us. Amen.

SERMON XVII.

Thirtieth of January.

EZRA IX. 6, 7.

And I faid, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God:-for our iniquities are increafed over our head, and our tref-' pass is grown up unto the heavens.Since the days of our fathers have. we been in a great trefpafs unto this day.

TH

HERE is not, I believe, throughout all history, an inftance of fo ftrange and obftinately corrupt a people, as the Jews, of whom Ezra complains; for though, on one

hand, there never was a people that received fo many teftimonies of God's favour to encourage them to be good,-fo, on the other hand, there never was a people which fo often felt the scourge of their iniquities to difhearten them from doing evil.

And yet neither the one or the other feem'd ever able to make them either the wifer or better;-neither God's bleffings, nor his corrections could ever soften them ;-they ftill continued a thanklefs, unthinking people,who profited by no lessons, neither were to be won with mercies, nor terrified with punishments,-but on every fucceeding trials and occa fions, extremely disposed against God, to go aftray and act wickedly.