are prepared to receive any superstition, whenever the decay of health, or the cross accidents of life, revive the fears of futurity; which may be ftifled, but cannot be extinguished: fuch perfons, not able to digeft the wholesome food of repentance, by which their spiritual condition might be gradually mended, greedily fwallow the high cordial of abfolution, which, like other cordials, give some present ease, but works no cure. And with respect to people of a ferious and religious turn of mind, the manifeft and almoft general contempt, or at least neglect, of the duties of religion, gives a great advantage to the emiffaries of Rome to impofe on their weakness, and to perfuade them that they can have no hopes in the religion of a church, where religion itself is hardly to be found.

Lay these things together; and what more your own obfervation and reflection may furnish, and more they may furnish; and then ask your heart, whether you have not reafon to fear, that God will vifit for these things? If your heart misgives you, and forebodes the time of taking vengeance for these iniquities to be drawing near, confider further, how graciously you have been dealt with, by having had warning of your danger; and remember, that the long-fufferance of God is a call to repentance.

It is purely for the fake of this reflection, that I now address myself to you: I have no pleasure in laying open the shame of my country, or expofing its nakedness either to friends or to foes; and when I confider my own fituation, it is a profpect void of all comfort to me, to fee the condition of the people over whom I have a charge; and, God knows my

heart, these confiderations are a pain and grief to my mind.

But let us not defpair: there is still one remedy left; and whatever reason we have to condemn ourfelves, yet of this we may be fure, that God has not forgotten to be gracious. To him then let us turn, with hearty repentance for our fins; and with a refolution to do, each of us in his proper ftation, what lies in our power to ftem the torrent of iniquity which threatens our ruin.

As to you, my brethren of the clergy, who share with me the care of the fouls in these populous cities, let me exhort you (though I truft you want not to be exhorted) to awaken the people, to call them from the lethargy in which they have too long lived, and make them fee their own danger. Speak to them, perfuade them, as knowing the terrors of the Lord. Speak to their hearts and confciences with fuch plainnefs as becomes the minifters of the Gofpel; tell them in feafon and out of feason, that unless they repent they must perish. If the warnings we have had are a call on the people to repentance, remember they are still stronger calls on us to preach repentance, and to discharge the duty we owe to God and his church, and to the flock of Chrift, over whom we are placed. May this work of God profper in our hands!

I should be wanting to the duty I owe to the higheft, as well as the loweft, fhould I omit on this occafion to remind those who are entrusted by their country with the government of these populous cities, how much the welfare of the people depends

upon the faithful execution of the law. I pretend not to accuse them particularly of neglect: a general neglect of this kind is one of the worst symptoms of the time; every man is left to do what is right in his own eyes; one would think there was no king in Ifrael. Could the vile abominable pictures of lewdnefs have been offered to fale in the most frequented parts of the city; could books for the inftruction of the unexperienced in all the myfteries of iniquity have been publicly cried in our streets, had not the laws, and the guardians of the laws, been asleep? But furely it is high time to awake; and to let people once more know, (what feems to be almoft forgotten,) that laws are made for the punishment of wickedness and vice, and for the maintenance of true religion.

Government is a great truft; and the powers of it are not intended merely to do honour to those who have them, but must be used for the good of the community. This is a truth fufficiently known; it has been founded in the ears of the nation without ceafing: but the misfortune is, that this doctrine has been applied so constantly to the fupreme magistrate only, that those who have fubordinate powers derived from his authority, forget, or are not accustomed, to make the application to themselves. And yet furely, there is not a conftable but has, in proportion to the power the law gives him, a truft repofed in him in behalf of his king and his country: those who are in higher offices have still greater reason, as more depends upon the due exercise of their authority, to be watchful for the community. The good of fociety

muft be influenced by their conduct and example, one way or other. Great officers of juftice cannot be useless, without being pernicious.

If a regard for the public is not a motive ftrong enough in this cafe, let every magiftrate confider that there is another of infinite importance to himfelf; for if all power be the ordinance of God, he will undoubtedly demand an account of the exercise of it and who is he that has fo little to answer for on his own account, as willingly to fubject himself to be answerable for the fins of others, which either by his encouragement, or his connivance, he makes his own? Pardon the freedom of this addrefs; I honour and reverence your office, and I hope I give you no occafion to despise mine.

Next to those in public offices of power and truft, the happiness of the public depends upon those who have the government in private families. Here it is that the youth of the nation must be formed; and if they are fuffered to be corrupted in their religion or morals before they come into the world, there is little hope that the world will reform them. All wise men, legiflators, and princes, have acknowledged, not only the use, but the neceffity of an early education to form the mind, whilft tender, to the principles of honour and virtue; and what is more, the wifeft of all, the writers infpired by the holy Spirit, have required it as a duty from parents, and as part of the obedience they owe to God. Even our unbelievers have seen how far religion depended on this care; and, under a pretence of maintaining the liberty of the human mind, and guarding it against

early prejudices, they have endeavoured to perfuade the world, that children fhould be taught nothing of religion, but be left to form notions for themselves. They have had but too great fuccefs, and we begin to fee the fruits of it. The children of this age grow foon to be men and women, and are admitted to be partners and witneffes to the follies and vices of their parents. Thus trained and educated, when they come to be mafters and miftreffes of families, they answer fully what was to be expected from them; they are often a torment to each other, and to themselves, and have reason to bemoan themselves for the indulgence fhewn them in their early days.

Would you fee the effects of this education in all orders among us, look into the many public affemblies fometimes you may fee old age affecting the follies of youth, and counterfeiting the airs of gaiety; fometimes men lying in wait to feduce women, and women to feduce men; and even children seriously employed at the gaming-table, as if their parents were concerned to form them early to the taste of the age, and were afraid that they fhould not foon enough, of themselves, find the way to their ruin.

Look near home: fee the temptations of this fort which furround thefe cities, and are indeed fo many fnares to catch your fons and daughters and apprentices. Can you look on, and be unconcerned? For God's fake, and for the fake of your children and your country, take the courage to act like parents and mafters of families: reformation must begin in private families; the law and the magistrate can puyour children when they become wicked; but

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