ever reformed themselves. And if they ever reformed, it must be owing to some foreign superior power. This is as true in respect to religion as in respect to civil government. Hence God says, "O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved: how long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?" That is, how long wilt thou say, I am innocent, and have no need, and will use no means of washing?

But in the second place, the ignorance of a degenerate people not only prevents their using any means to reform themselves, but disposes them to resist all means that are used to reform them. This we find was always the case when external means were used to reform degenerate Israel. Zechariah says, "They refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear. Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law and the words of the Lord of hosts by the former prophets." God seemed to be discouraged to use any more means to reform them. He puts the solemn question to them, "Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more." And again he says, "Wo unto thee, O Jerusalem! wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?" Will you ever be willing to be made clean? Will you ever cease to oppose and resist all means used to make you clean? When shall it once be? It never will be, for you will always resist. Now if a degenerate people are blind to their degeneracy, and will use no means to reform themselves, but will always resist all means that are used to reform them, are they not in a dangerous state? Have they not reason to fear that God will say, let them alone, and use no more means with them; or let them have precept upon precept, and line upon line, that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and destroyed?

IMPROVEMENT.

1. It appears from what has been said, that a people may degenerate in religion, while they are making great progress in other respects. Success in their secular concerns naturally tends to make them worldly-minded. And worldly-mindedness naturally tends to make them more diligent, active, and enterprising, in forming and pursuing a multitude of schemes to amass property, and become great, magnificent, and prodigal. They ardently desire temporal prosperity, and prefer it to religious attainments and growth in grace. Of course, the more they lay up treasures on earth, the less they lay up treasures in heaven. The more their hearts are set upon the world,

the less they are set upon God and divine things. The more their worldly enjoyments increase, the more their religious exercises and enjoyments decrease. Worldly prosperity is often the primary source of degeneracy in piety and virtue. For men cannot serve God and mammon. Supreme love to the world always excludes supreme love to God. If we consult scripture, observation, or experience, we shall find that mankind may degenerate in religion, while they are making great and rapid progress in their secular pursuits. The people of Israel were never in a more prosperous and flourishing state, than they were under the reigns of David and Solomon; and yet they never declined faster in religion, than while that national prosperity continued. For, upon the death of Solomon, they had become so alienated from the character, the perfections, the laws, the worship, the house, and government of God, that they were generally prepared to renounce the purest religion for the grossest idolatry. It was a flood of wealth poured into the church of Rome, that corrupted her principles and practices, and brought on her total apostacy. The growing wealth of Britain has produced a growing degeneracy in religion. And the rapid increase of wealth in America has produced as rapid increase of atheism, deism, heresy, and every species of irreligion, vice, and immorality. As we have increased, so we have sinned. We have lost our once fair, religious character, and become extremely degenerate, while we have become rich and increased with goods. That this is true, we know by observation. We have seen the ways and means of religious declension, and perhaps many of us have felt the effects of it.

2. It appears from what has been said, that it is a favor to a degenerate people, to have the marks of their degeneracy plainly pointed out. For though they are so visible, yet they are willingly blind to them. They do not choose to discover them, and will avoid it, if possible. God says they shut their eyes, lest they should see the disagreeable marks of their degeneracy. He says they shut their ears against the voice that would inform them of the gray hairs that are upon them. He says too, that they harden their hearts, to prevent a conviction of their criminal declension. But the more unwilling they are to see the disagreeable marks of their degeneracy, the more necessary it is that they should be made, if possible, to see them; for without the sight of them God himself cannot reform them. He therefore commanded his prophet of old, to "cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgressions, and the house of Jacob their sins." Whenever God was about to reform his degener

ate people, he raised up priests and prophets, and sent them for the purpose of pointing out the sad marks of their degeneracy, their guilt, and their danger. It was by means of their warnings, admonitions, and instructions, that he alarmed their fears, awakened their consciences, and brought them to humiliation, repentance, and reformation. It was a great favor to them, that, when they neglected to use any means to reform themselves, God should use the most effectual means to prevent their ruin. And it is as great a favor to a degenerate people, that God now sends his ministers to show them the marks of their declension, the guilt they have contracted, the dangers to which they are exposed, and the means by which they may escape the evils that hang over them. It is the kind intention of this discourse, to produce these salutary effects. I must, therefore, proceed to infer,

3. That this people have gray hairs here and there upon them, which are visible marks of a sad declension in piety and virtue. This subject asks you as a people, not as individuals, whether you have not degenerated in respect to the religious duties which you once practiced. Did you not once very generally and constantly attend the public worship of God in his house? Was there one family, less than fifty years ago, that totally neglected, or generally neglected, public worship? But is there not now more than one; are there not many families, that do not commonly attend public worship? Did you not once very generally, if not universally, maintain family worship in your houses? But is this a general practice here now? Is there not a large proportion of the families in this place, that now constantly neglect this plain and indispensable duty? Yea, are there not some professors of religion who neglect it? Did you not once more generally walk within your houses with a perfect heart, and instruct, and warn, and admonish, and restrain your children and domestics, that they might keep the way of the Lord, remember their Creator in the days of their youth, and avoid all the paths of the destroyer? Did you not once view the great duty of making a public profession of religion of more importance than you do now? And are not many

living in the criminal neglect of this duty? Do you believe the peculiar and precious doctrines of the gospel, which you once believed and tenaciously maintained? Is there not here a great degeneracy in religious sentiments? Have not some avowedly renounced the fundamental doctrines of Christianity, and fallen into the most absurd and fatal errors, and become zealots in propagating them. Are there not many more relaxing and declining in their religious opinions, and listening with avidity to more loose, liberal, and equally delusive and danger

ous doctrines, and waiting for a more convenient season to disclose their inward sentiments? How many are halting between two opinions, in respect to the doctrine of total depravity; the doctrine of divine agency; the doctrine of divine decrees; the doctrine of divine sovereignty; and the necessity of regeneration, or a radical change of heart? Is not moderate Calvinism, or, which is the same thing, moderate Arminianism, creeping in and spreading? In a word, are you not renouncing, or calling in question, the great truths of the gospel, which is an awful declension in religious sentiments? Have you not degenerated as much in practice as in principle? Is the Sabbath as strictly observed as it used to be? Is there not more laboring, more travelling, more visiting, more vain and worldly conversation on the Sabbath than formerly? Has not the practice of reading corrupt books, and following corrupt teachers, become more common and reputable, than it once was? Have not tavern-haunting, gaming, intemperance, prodigality, vain amusements, and every species of dissipation and extravagance, become more common and fashionable? And are not the proper means of preventing, or restraining all the evils which have been mentioned, generally if not universally neglected by those to whom it belongs to use them? Are not, then, gray hairs as thick upon the people here, as they were upon Ephraim, and has not blindness happened to them as well as to him? Hence

4. It appears from what has been said in this discourse, that the people here are in a very dangerous state. Degeneracy in piety and virtue, in principles and practice, is extremely criminal, because it implies a once better state, and consequently a great abuse of moral and religious privileges, opportunities and obligations. The pagan world that lie in wickedness never have enjoyed the means of light, instruction and restraint, that civilized and gospelized people have enjoyed. They never have had line upon line, and precept upon precept, nor heard the instructions, warnings and admonitions, which God has given to those, to whom he has given his word. They have never degenerated under the means of grace and the light of the gospel. Their sins are like the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, but not like the sins of Chorazin and Bethsaida, where God's mighty works were done. The sins in this land and in this place are like the sins of Chorazin and Bethsaida, for here God's mighty works have been done. Here he has appeared in his glory in building up Zion. Here he has once and again poured out his spirit, and awakened, convinced, and converted sinners, and edified and comforted saints, and enabled many to shine as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse gener

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ation. Degeneracy here is peculiarly criminal in the sight of God. But though degeneracy be more criminal than stupidity; yet stupidity is more dangerous than degeneracy. It was stupidity in Ephraim that rendered his state so deplorable. Though he had gray hairs, the sad marks of degeneracy upon him, yet his case would not have been so hopeless and dangerous, if he had not been stupidly blind to them. He perceived them not, and was in no measure alarmed at the approaching death which they threatened. It is the awful stupor of this people in their degeneracy, which is the most alarming circumstance of their sinful and deplorable state. If they were awakened to see their guilt and danger, there would be great ground of hope. God reformed Ephraim from time to time, though sunk in deep degeneracy. The hearts of the most degenerate people are in the hands of God, who can turn them effectually from their evil ways. But when he practically said of Ephraim, let him alone, let him pine away in his iniquities, his case was hopeless. And while God suffers a degenerate people to continue stupid and insensible of their guilt and danger, the mark of reprobation is upon them. And this mark is now visible upon this people. While God has been hearkening and hearing, who has repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? Who has not turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle, fearless of the arrows of death? Hence,

5. Is there not peculiar need of the special divine influence, to revive the languishing state of religion here, in this day of deep declension? The people have been long and rapidly degenerating, notwithstanding all the outward means that have been used, to prevent and restrain degeneracy in principle and practice. Is it not time for God to work, when men make void his law? Is it not time for him to set up a standard, when the enemy is coming in like a flood? It is a proper time for God to take the work of reformation into his own hands, when all means and second causes lose their reforming influence. It is then that God can display his amiable and powerful sovereignty, in pouring out his awakening, convincing, converting, and quickening influences upon a degenerate people, the most visibly and gloriously. Where sin abounds, grace can much more abound. God often revived his own work and promoted his own cause, when the enemies of religion were triumphing, and the friends of it were desponding. God means that his people should realize their dependence on him, and not lean to their own understanding, when they have marks of declension upon them. They can grow rich, and great, and prosperous, and in their own view, happy, without as well as with his gracious