contribute to the support of the places or materials appropriated to fuch worship.

VI. On the other hand, they most conscientiously paid an active obedience to the laws, which enjoin the payment of cuftoms, duties, and excife, to the King and government; and were zealous, both by example and precept, to induce all to be careful and punctual therein, and not on any account to deal in goods suspected to be clandeftinely imported, nor even to buy any of them, for their own private confumption. So fhould we fill keep ourselves entirely clear from this, and every other fort of unrighteous gains or favings.

VII. The law of the land fets apart one day in feven for religious retirement, and the worship of God. This our forefathers approved of, and religiously obferved; though at the fame time, they testified that the Jewish sabbath is ended, by the coming of Chrift; and that there is no inherent holiness in any one day more than another. I have long had an earnest desire, that all our friends would duly obferve, and apply that day, to it's proper purpose, to begin each week aright, and fo to hold on to the end of it; to avoid as much as poffible, travelling about worldly affairs on that day, and be conftant, while in health, in

attending meetings for worship. Deny yourselves the liberty of walking abroad, at fuch time, or in fuch manner, as will not be of good example to the idle multitudes, who give the loose rein to licentious inclinations, on that day: but rather choose to have your families collected, for reading the holy fcriptures, or what may make good impreffions on their minds, that when it fhall be faid, "Give an account of thy stewardship, for thou mayeft be no longer fteward." We then may be ready to give our accounts with joy, and receive the answer of "Well done, good and faithful "fervant. Enter thou in to the joy of thy Lord."

VIII. For want of this care, what harms abound! I am loth to mention them, but hope ye will bear with me when ye duly confider, that nothing but well-wishing love, induces me to lay them before you, in order that all might join in contributing a timely remedy thereto, with the means of doing it, which the Lord furnishes us with.

It is apparent, that from hence the love of God in many waxeth cold. How they make light of religious duties! What a flender attendance of week-day meetings for the worship of God, as

well as of those which are held for an united care

of the good of the body! So that it may be now faid of many, as in forrowful days formerly, "The ways of Zion mourn, because none come

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to her folemn feafts.*" Again, what restlessnefs in meetings, what outward indications of fpiritual indolence, of abfent or wandering minds, of neglect of the awful duty of worship, due from us to our great creator, what gazing about, or falling asleep! Oh it is grievous, and tends to give ftrangers a difhonourable idea concerning us, while we profefs the pure fpiritual worship of God according to his own institution; and while our dear faviour hath affured us, that where two or three are gathered together in his name, he is in the midft of them. Again, from hence what violations of our christian testimony in it's fundry branches, what weakness, and inconsistency in conduct with that divine principle, which we profefs! How do many trample upon the precious labours and fufferings of men, whose memories are and ever will be bleffed, as they were valiant for the truth, revealed to them by Chrift their dearest Lord! And fhall we not be brought to account for these things? And will not our account be heavier, in the reckoning day, than that

* Lam. i. 4.

of others, who have not been favoured in fo high a degree, nor fo much striven with, by the spirit of the Lord, who declared to the old world, before it's final ruin," My fpirit fhall not always strive with man."

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IX. Again, how many in these perilous days run back, and draw others with them, into the vanities of the times, into a conformity with the world, both in dress and addrefs, into the compa of fuch as indulge the fame difpofitions, till the plain honeft manners of fincere and affec tionate friends, are falling into difui'e, being fuch as fome are ashamed of. Thus were rany afhamed of Chrift, and offended in him, for his plain and humble appearance, when in the body: but he declared that, he alfo would be ashamed of them, or would deny them, before his father and his holy angels.

From these pernicious liberties, have proceeded mixt marriages, running out to the priests, con fufion in families, affliction and anguish of pa rents, in the bad returns made to them by difobedient children, painful wounds to our chriftian fociety. Many by thefe traps and fnares of the common enemy, have been carried away into the wide world; and quite loft as to the dedication of

their hearts and lives, to the love and fear of God: and but few have ftood in the gap, to prevent their thus running out few have joined in repairing the breaches, made by backfliders, in that wall of defence, which the Lord by his power and fpirit, had erected about us.

In this general decline of the fociety, there feems to be great caufe, to fear the yet farther fpreading of thefe harms, unlefs the Lord in mercy, turn the hearts of many, timely to himfelf, which we ardently pray for, knowing that, except the Lord build the house, men labour but in vain : yet we must do our duty; otherwise we fhall not be clear in his fight: and he ordereth (now as he did formerly) line upon line, and precept upon precept, in order that all may be timely warned, whether they will hear or forbear!

I believe there are none joined in profeffion with us, who deviate from our principle of felf-denial, and plainness in habit and speech, who have not been fecretly fhewed that it is wrong, that it is a compliance with the fpirit of the world, a refufal of the crofs of Chrift, a denial of him before men: but they liften to that voice which beguiled Eve, which tells them that there is no harm in fuch deviations, or that they are fmall matters ; tho' it is