We also bewail and testify against the profanation of the Lord's day which fadly abounds, as being a nursery of, and an inlet to, all manner of fin and corruption: by many speaking their own words on this day, and difcourfing of worldly affairs and bufinefs; By many doing their own works, fuch as unneceffary pieces of fervile labour, or travelling about worldly bufinefs; By many finding their own pleafures, by idle walking, needlefs vifits, and other worldly diverfions and recreations: While in the mean time few make confcience of fetting apart and spending this day as a day of facred reft, according to its inftitution, for entertaining ferious thoughts of the works of God and redeeming love, for attending religious worship without distraction, for promoting fpirituality and heavenly mindedness, for holding communion with God through Jefus Chrift, and for loofing their hearts from the world, and preparing for death and heaven. Alas! many, inftead of fuch exercises, do dedicate this holy day to profanity; and, in place of ferving God the Author of it, they ferve the devil and their lufts upon it, by gaming, drinking, fwearing, uncleanness, filthy fpeeches, jefting upon facred things, and reproaching the devout worshippers of God! And fo they go fafter to hell upon the Lord's day, than upon any other day of the week. We likewife bewail and teftify against the stational and relational fins which abound in the land, among parents and children, masters and fervants, husbands and wives, magistrates and subjects, minifters and people; fuperiors, inferiors, and equals. Alas! many fuperiors are guilty of contempt of their inferiors, of proud and imperious carriage towards them, of oppreffing them, or ruling them with rigour, of difcouraging them from what is good, and encouraging them to what is evil. Many inferiors are guilty of defpifing their fuperiors, envying their fituation, difobedience to their juft commands and counfels, and not imitating their good examples; and particularly many children are thus dreadfully guilty with refpect to their godly parents. And, among equals, there is little brotherly love, mutual efteem and good offices to be feen; but, inftead thereof, VOL. IV. 3 P very very much appears of hatred, anger, malice, envy, evilfpeaking, reproaching and backbiting, and alfo of tempting and encouraging one another to fin. Ah! many parents forget their engagements at baptifm, and neglect to inftruct and pray for their children, to admonith and reprove them when needful, and either do not correct them at all, or do it unduly, provoking them to wrath. Oh! many heads of families neglect familyreligion, prayer, praifes, and catechifing of children and fervants, and requiring an account of the fermons they hear; or at beft they perform family-prayer and other duties in a cold and formal manner. Oh how many have no more care of the fouls of their families than if they had none! They feek only their own things, purfuing the bufinefs of a present animal life, and not the things of Jefus Chrift, or what concerns their fpiritual or eternal life! And many who have formerly come good length, and kept good order in their families, have fadly declined, loft their wonted livelinefs and fpirituality in God's fervice, and let their duties dwindle away into a dead formality, contenting themfelves with external performances, ordinances and communions, without any communion with God in them. We must alfo regret the untenderness and looseness of the walk and conduct of fome in the miniftry, whereby not a few are tempted to abhor the offerings of the Lord; and a Gallio like indifferency in others about the public intereft of Chrift, if it go well with their own private affairs. And few, alas! are lamenting after a departing God, and fearching into, or mourning for, the caufes as they ought, or wrestling for a returning God, and a returning glory. Many preachers are running unfent, and ufing means to thrust themselves into the vineyard, not waiting for God's call, nor regarding the prayers or inclinations of his people; and who in their fermons generally confine themselves to fubjects of natural religion and moral virtue, and neglect the doctrines of Chrift and the Spirit, the peculiar glories of Christianity; and do not preach the abfolute freenefs of grace through Chrift, as the spring of a finner's justification and falvation. Likewife, not a few mimifters t minifters and Chriftians want love and a due forbearance to others who differ from them in fome leffer matters; entertain harsh thoughts, and break out into uncharitable cenfures and severe reflections one against another, to the hindrance of that fweet fellowship and focial prayer which they should have together, and to the taking them off in a great meafure from the vitals and effentials of religion, and from pure ordinances, which God continues ftill to own. We lament the malicious and revengeful thoughts of many, and the frequent fallies of their ungoverned paffions, which fometimes break out into provoking language and acts of violence, and even into bloodshed and murders; and often the law is not duly execute against murderers. We testify against the prevailing fins of tippling, drunkennefs, gluttony, chambering, wantonnef, fornication, adultery, unnatural lufts, and all forts of uncleanness, wanton geftures, obfcene talk, immodeft apparel, lafcivious fongs and dancings, lottery games, balls, affemblies, and ftage-plays, which, however fashionable they may be, we look upon as unbecoming the gravity, feriousness, faith and hope of true Chriftians, who profess to place all their happiness in the enjoyment of God, and to be careful to abstain from all appearance of evil, and wait for the coming of their Lord and Saviour from heaven. Likewife, we bear witness against the prevailing evils of ftealing, robbing, extortion, defrauding, prodigality, fimony, bribery, running of goods, mens ufing unlawful occupations, living above their incomes, undertaking vexatious law fuits, pleading for caufes manifeftly unjuft, Lying, flandering, fpreading evil reports, aggravating fmaller faults, rafh cenfuring, fupporting falfe witneffes, backbiting, fcolding, fcoffing, mifconftructing the actions, words or intentions of others: Mens difcontent with their lot and condition in the world: envying or grieving at the profperity or credit of their neighbours; being glad at their adverfity, mifcarriage, or difgrace; coveting or entertaining inordinate motions 3 P 2 and and affections to those things which belong to their neighbours. htt་"," Moreover, we bewail and teftify against all the forefaid fins, evils and defections of the land, as being highly aggravated in the fight of God, being committed as gainft clear light, the Spirit's ftrivings, manifold warnings, alluring mercies, folemn covenants, and wonderful deliverances; against great pains taken by God upon the land to reclaim and reform them, fuch as reproofs, challenges, exhortations, expoftulations, invitations, promifes, threatnings and leffer judgments. And these our fins and defections have been long continued in, until very many are become fecure, fenfelefs and har dened in them, nay, even bold and impudent, fo far as to avow and justify them, to defpife admonitions, and mock at reproofs. Likewife they are turned very univerfal: all ranks and degrees of perfons are involved in the guilt of them, rich and poor, great and small, nobility, gentry, magiftrates, minifters, commons, &c. Alas! our nobility and perfons of distinction, who once appeared with zeal for God's truths, and for advancing reformation, are fadly degenerated, and generally corrupted, either with erroneous principles, or vicious practices. Our commons, many of them are destroyed with ignorance, profanity, or earthly-mindedness. Our profeffors of religion, alas! carnality and formality prevail among them, and lively piety is like to dwindle away. Oh how defperate doth our cafe appear when under fuch terrible aggravations of guilt! How ripe do we feem to be for defolating ftrokes, and fweeping judgments! What caufe have we to look out for them every day, and to fear and tremble before a holy, just, and provoked God! acording to thefe awful texts of Scripture, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 15. 16. Ifa. xxii, 12. &c. Jer. vi. 15. viii. 12. xi. 10. 11. xxii. 7, 8, 9. Amos viii. 2, 3. &c. Micah i. 11, 12. Hof. xiii. 5, 6, 7. which is very applicable to our cafe. But is there no hope in Ifrael concering this thing? "Is there not balm in Gilead ?" "Is there nota Physician there?" Is there not virtue in Chrifl's blood for the most desperate cafes that churches can be in? Oh if minifters minifters and people were applying to him by faith, there would be hope. Should we not then plead with our mother to confider her defections from God, and to be deeply humbled and mourn for them, and to turn from them to the Lord by true repentance and reformation, and to pray and plead his promifes of mercy through Jefus Chrift, fuch as that in Jer. iii. 22. "Return, ye backfliding children, and I will heal your backflidings?" We have very lately had a surprising evidence of the Lord's willingness to return and heal us; what a wonderful step has he made towards it, by pouring out his Spirit upon feveral congregations of the land! O what encouragement doth this give the whole land to apply to him for mercy, and to fet abour refor mation! particularly to our General Affemblies and all inferior judicatories, to go out and meet a merciful returning God, who has no delight in our ruin, and that in the way of faith, humiliation and prayer; effaying fincerely to do all in their power to remove the grounds of the Lord's controverfy, redrefs grievances, amend what is wrong, and take every ftumbling block out of the way of ferious well-meaning people, which is improven as an occasion of our lamentable divifions. For thefe ends, let us humbly plead with our Mother. I. In as much as the church is and ought to be the pillar and ground of the truth, aud her judicatories are bound to affert, maintain and defend every one of God's truths when attacked by adversaries, to transmit them in their purity to pofterity, and to give their teftimony and approbation to them, for upholding them against thofe teachers who would overturn them; and feeing all the members of the judicatories in this church have fubfcribed our Confeffion of Faith, and profefs to adhere to the truths therein, we humbly plead that they may fhew more concern for the fupport of these truths than has been done of late years. It is to be regretted, that not only the Epifcopal clergy, but several ministers of this church, have taught and vented errors, and recommended erroneous books; and some of them have been arraigned before the General Assembly, as Profeffor Simfon, Profeflor Campbell and Dr Withart; and though |