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call upon God, never renew their Vows to their Saviour, never pay him any Homage, except perhaps once a Week in a formal way, when the Custom of the Country obliges them to refort to the Church.

The Truth is, fo little Senfe have most of us of Religion and Devotion; fo little Regard of our Duty to God, and our Dependence upon him, and expreffing that Dependence, either in Private, or in our Families; that were it not for that Happy Inftitution of the Lord's-Day. on the which we are obliged, by the Laws of God and Man, to meet together for the Worship of God; we should hardly fee any Face of Religion among us, and in a little time should fcarce be diftinguished from Heathens.

But yet this is not the worst of our Cafe. Our grofs Immoralities; that horrid Lewdness and Debauchery, that is every where to be obferved in our Days, doth ftill increase our Guilt, and cry to Heaven for Judgment upon our Nation.

It would make a Man's Heart ake, that has any Senfe of God or Religion, to think of the Riots, the Drunkenness, the continued Course of fpending our Time, and our Parts, and our Subftance, in Revelling and Gaming, and all manner of fuch Exceffes that are daily practised among us. And yet at the fame time the Men that thus live, think themfelves very honeft Men all the while.

It would really amaze a Man, and put him upon admiring God's Patience, that he doth not prefently confound the World, if he did feriously

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seriously reflect on the many filthy, lewd Speeches and Actions, the numerous wicked Intrigues of Luft, the infamous Whoredoms and Adulteries that are, without any Sense of Shame, daily carried on and acted among us, and that by Perfons too that have the Face to fhew themselves at our Holy Affemblies.

Efpecially, if to these be added the infinite Lyes, and Cheats, and Perjuries, which our Land groans under; the blafphemous Oaths and Imprecations, the Damn me's and Sink me's; the horrid Profanations of the Name of God, and all Things Sacred, that are in every Place, in every Street where we pafs, belched out, in Contempt of the Almighty and his Laws; by all forts of Perfons, of all forts of Qualities, from the Beggar in the Street to the Man of Honour; and that for no other Reason in the World, but because it is their Humour or their Cuftom,

And laftly, to fill up the Measure of our Iniquities; to our other reigning Vices, we have added that of Hypocrify too; which one would think fhould not often be found among fo much Prophaneness.

How many of us make a mighty Noise with Religion, and are zealous even to Bigottry, in the Defence of it, and yet have not one Grain of inward Senfe of what it obligeth them to? Nay, fo far from that, that if Religion be but in their Mouths; If they do but appear zealous enough for the Proteftant Caufe; If they can but cry loud enough, The Temple of the Lord, The Temple of the Lord, as the Jews did in the Prophet; they matter not how contradictory

dictory their Actions are to the Precepts of that Religion they do profefs. Their Zeal for fo good a Cause will fanctify all their other Actions, be they never fo wicked and unjust.

But if this be not Hypocrify, there is no fuch Thing in the World. Sure I am, it was this fort of Carriage, that God so often reproves the Jews for, by his Prophets; and upon Account of which they are so often reproached as a Generation of Hypocrites, and for which he threatens them with utter Destruction.

O my Brethren, what have we to say to thefe Things? if the Cafe be thus with us, as I am afraid it is; what Plea have we to put in for ourselves? If God fhould let loofe our Enemies upon us, the Enemies of our Nation, and of our Religion, and fhould give us over as a Prey unto them, what have we to reply? Truly nothing that I know of, except that of the Pfalmift, Righteous art thou, O Lord, and juft are thy Judgments..

But we truft God's Lenity and Forbearance, and Mercy is as great to Publick Societies and Kingdoms, as it is to Private Perfons; and, that we may apply thofe Expreffions to our Nation, which David uttered with reference to himself; O Lord, if thou shouldft be extreme to mark what is done amifs, O Lord, who may abide it? But there is Mercy with thee, that thou mayeft be feared.

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When the Iniquities of a People are at the full, God will not fail to punish them. But whether ours be fo or no, he only knows. We hope, though they be very grievous and crying, they have not exceeded the Meafure

of God's Patience, and that there is yet left a Place for Repentance. This is indeed the only Plank we have to truft to, that can fave us from Shipwreck; and therefore we ought to lay hold upon it.

Let us therefore this Day, every one of us, if we have any Kindness for our Native Country; If we have any Refpect to that dear Place, where we and our Ancestors, and all our Relations and Kindred for many Generations have lived fo happily;

If we have any Zeal for, or Regard to that excellent Church, and that Holy Religion, that God did in fo extraordinary a manner plant among us; and for the preferving of which in our Land, his Care and Providence hath fo often and fo wonderfully appeared;

If we have any Concernment for many Thoufands of innocent Souls, who without their own Fault may deeply fuffer for the Nation's Sins ;

Laftly, If we have any Bowels of Compaffion to thofe dear Children of ours, that God hath given us, that we may transmit to them, and their Children after them, that BirthRight, and thofe Privileges, and that excellent Religion we received from our Fathers:

I fay, If we have any Sense of these Things, let every one of us this Day, most fincerely apply ourselves to the Service of God, in all the Ways of a ferious Virtue and Piety. Or if we have been careless of this Matter heretofore; or, which is worfe, have been lewd or wicked in our Lives; yet let us now at last heartily repent of it. And with Prayers and

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Tears, and the most folemn Refolutions of Amendment, proftrate ourselves before the Throne of Grace; imploring and befeeching God's Pardon and Forgivenefs, and, if it be poffible, a lengthning of our Tranquility.

O let us not refufe this Opportunity of doing the greatest Kindness, and the best Service to our Country that we poffibly can. And therefore let us not only heartily bewail our own Sins, but the reigning Impieties and Wickedness that our Nation ftands accountable for.

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Now is the Time, if ever, that we are all concerned to be importunate with God for our felves and our Country.

And a fitter Prayer for this Furpose cannot be compofed for us, than that which Daniel put up to God for his Nation, and that at fuch a folemn Time as this, when, as he tells us, he had fet himself to feek God for his People, by Prayer, and Supplication, with Fafting, and Sackcloth and Afbes.

The Prayer is in the Ninth Chapter of his Prophecy; and I fhall conclude with it, and I earneftly beg of you all to join with me in it.

O Lord, the great and dreadful God, that keepeft the Covenant, and fheweft Mercy to them that love thee, and to them that keep thy Command

ments;

We have finned and done wickedly, and have committed Iniquity, and have rebelled; even by departing from thy Precepts, and from thy Judg

ments.

O Lord, Righteoufness belongeth unto thee; but unto us Confufion of Face, as at this Day; to the

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