though it will always prevent eternal ones in which God hath said to his prophets, Pray not for this people for their good. When they faft, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will confume them by the fword, and by the famine, and by the peftilence. Even to this extremity we may reduce ourselves: but that we are already in it, no way appears. The general rule of his providence is, At what inftant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to deftroy it: if that nation, against whom I bave pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And it ought to be our perfuafion, that we are within the rule. Our cause is unquestionably good; and though we have been, most of us, lamentably wicked, yet through his grace many have preferved their integrity and either for their fake, or his mercies fake, we ftill enjoy great bleffings. He hath been far from forfaking us, to the degree that we have forfaken him: elfe our ftate were wretched indeed and would we but now humble ourfelves thoroughly under his mighty band, there is no room to doubt, but he would exalt us in due time. Whenever he calls upon us to use the inftrument, he furely defigns us to attain the end for which it was formed. Now penitent reformation is the natural as well as the appointed inftrument for exalting both particular perfons and communities. Religion works indeed by terror at firft, and lowers the high spirits of the guilty; but only to raise them again on folid grounds, inftead of the treacherous props which kept them up before. Without it, there is no dignity in the condition of man and how fhould there be any expected in his deportment? If perfons either believe not in one, who fees and rewards, or cannot hope that he will reward good to them; if all that they promise themselves be here, and they apprehend, that neither annihilation or mifery awaits them hereafter; they will of course be many of them dangerous and mifchievous, the generality of them, bafe and vile, attend folely to the indulgence of their fancies and their fenfes, eat and drink, for to-morrow they diet. Or if any fparks of worth VOL. III. do Rr * Jer. xiv. 11, 13. ↑ Jer. xviii. 7, 8. + 1 Cor. xv. 32. do remain, unextinguished by fuch a mean way of thinking, they will have only an occafional and partial influence. Or could it, in fome few, be a conftant and uniform one, yet they will be very few: and the body of a people, if they are without confcience towards God, will be without honour and probity towards men; without prudence and magnanimity in the conduct of themselves; profligate and despicable in all respects. But on the contrary, true religion, for I speak not of superftitious perfuafions and observances, true religion places men above fordid interefts, low pleasures, and worldly anxieties; teaches them to dread nothing but offending their Maker; to fet their hearts on nothing but pleafing him; and to have no conception of pleafing Kim by any other means than rational piety and genuine virtue; it excites them, by the nobleft of motives, to whatever is ufeful and estimable, and reftrains them, by the ftrongest terrors, from whatever is bad and hurtful; obliges them to right behaviour in the highest profperity, and fupports them in it under the heavieft adver fities; infpires men with the most earnest concern for doing their duty; and frees them from all concern about the confequences of it in this world, by prefenting to their view the endless recompences of a better. Such, in fome degree, is the influence even of natural religion; but unfpeakably more powerful will that be found, whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these we might be partakers of the divine nature *. . Then farther, the fentiments which thus dignify every one's behaviour fingly, muft have the fame influence upon all, confidered as forming a community. Public welfare will never be confulted as it ought, while men act merely on feparate selfish bottoms; nor ever fail to be confulted, when a well-founded faith in God animates their zeal for general good. Slights and provocations, difficulties and rifks, private advantages, and party or personal attachments, may very eafily fway and bias all that act from temporal motives; but are nothing to fuch as act from this, the only one that cannot poffibly be at any time overbalanced. So long as the state of affairs is calm indeed, government may go on very smooth ly, 2 Pet. i. 4. ly, without much principle in those who are employed by it, or live under it; perhaps the more smoothly for a while, in some cases, the lefs principle there is. But when storms rise, as after fuch calms they will rife, then is the time to see in what the real strength of society confifts; who will struggle, who will hazard, who will be faithful to the laft. They that fear God certainly will: and we can have no certainty (how fhould we?) of any other. Amongst the truly religious, because they are fuch, there will be fecure and mutual trust, faithful economy, and unwearied application; their counfels will be fteady, their undertakings juft, their execution bold, their confidence in Heaven strong, and their adherence to a righteous cause unmoveable! Seldom, if ever, will a ftate, which proceeds in this manner, fail of fuccefs. And were they to fail ever fo greatly, nay, to be overwhelmed ever fo entirely, they would fall with more reputation and more happiness than others flourish. But there is always reafon for better hopes. A nation, reverencing the Sovereign of the Universe, will be reverenced by all around them, as a wife and underfanding people, which hath the Lord nigh unto them*. Their friends will know they can depend on them; their enemies will know they have the utmost efforts to fear from them; both will know, and they themselves too, that even in their laft extremity Providence may be expected to fight for them. Great are the troubles of the righteous; but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. The Lord delivereth the fouls of his fervants: and they, that put their trust in him, shall not be deftitute +. But then it must be obferved, that fuch as have long been finners, and are at last become penitent (the former is certainly our cafe, would to God the latter were !) if relief doth not appear immediately, ought to wait for it with much patience, and be well fatisfied if they are exalted in due time: in God's time, not their own. Wickedness ruins nations by degrees, reformation may reftore them by degrees. An imperfect reformation will be likely to bring forth but imperfect fruits. And the completeft reformation of a few may prove infufficient to fave the whole. Still thefe are reasons only Rr 2 * Deut. iv. 6, 7. + Pfal. xxiv. 20, 22r only why all should repent; not why none fhould, unless all will; which it is impoffible to forefee. For, be the genera lity ever fo incorrigible, and their deftruction ever fo abfolutely decreed on that account, there is encouragement enough notwithstanding, for those who do humble themselves, and return to a better mind. Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought bis judgment. It may be ye pall be bid in the day of the Lord's anger*. At least, whatever fuch may fuffer in common with others, far from being a mark of his anger towards them, will contribute largely to improve their virtues, and increase their future reward. So that in every event they may caft all their care on God, for be careth for them t. Undoubtedly they will feel the uneafinefs which human nature muft from whatever is painful to it; and, in particular, a tender concern for multitudes who have none for themselves. But ftill they will submit, with compofedness and reverent approbation, to the fevereft fentences of Heaven; and reflect with joy, that their chief intereft is fafe, though inferior comforts be loft. Let us therefore acquaint ourselves with God, and be at peace: For he will keep those in perfect peace, whofe mind is Stayed on bim §. Whoever they are, that, fenfible of their offences and their weakness, apply for the pardon obtained by Jefus Chrift, and the grace communicated by the Holy Spirit; who, in their private capacity, honour God, study to be harmless and useful amongst men, and govern themselves by the rules of virtue; who alfo, in their public capacity, earneftly pray for and impartially feek the peace of JerufaZem, the welfare of their country, civil and religious; not led by intereft, refentment, or vanity, but having at heart real common good: and who, in their whole conduct, encourage and restrain themselves, as the cafe requires, by the faith of a future recompence: whatever may befall the fociety of which they are part, it fhall be well with them. Whatever else they may undergo, others will have nothing to reproach them with; they will have nothing to reproach their own fouls with; and in the darkness light shall arife un • Zeph. ii. 3. + 1 Pet. v. 7. Job xxii. 21. Pfal. cxxii. 6. to them*. All such persons, therefore, after doing conscien tiously what is incumbent on them, not only may, but ought to be without folicitude; and fhould let the foundation of their peace be known, that all around them may perceive how vaftly preferable the confolations of religion are to every. other method of making themselves eafy. The pious man doth not labour to quiet his thoughts, by obftinately fhutting his eyes, or plunging into exceffes, or taking off his attention by amusements; but can with tranquillity look towards the evil day, and fee it coming; wait for it, and bear his share of it, lefs or greater; being affured, that all things work together for his goodt. A very different ftate from theirs, who know they have deserved the judgments of God; who know they have contributed to bring them down on their own and others heads; who have nothing to cheer them, when the clouds gather on every fide of them; nothing to direct them, when the blackeft tempeft pours upon them, but the momen tary glimmerings of human hope, ftruck out by their own imaginations; and if they should escape, if they fhould outwardly profper again for the prefent, will only be tempted by it to treasure up to themselves hotter wrath against the day of wrath and final judgment. But hear, I entreat you, how the word of God expreffes the cafe of each and may its enlivening exhortation to the former, and its terrifying admonition to the latter, fink deep into your breasts. Who is among you, fearing the Lord, that walketh in darkness, and bath no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God. Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, and compass yourselves about with sparks; walk in the light of your fire, and in the Sparks which you have kindled: this shall ye have of mine band, ye shall lie down in forrow §. |