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Thefe are the words of the facred hiftorian; so beautiful, fo pointed, and so just, as not to ftand in any need either of my comment or my praife. Yet, from the general hiftory of the flate of Ifrael here laid down, fome few obfervations will arife that may not be an unufeful conclufion.

And, first, we may learn from it the influence of a prince towards the forming of a national religion."

In the reign of thofe good kings, Jofiah and Hezekiah, purity of worship, and its attendant, fanctity of manners, were reftored to Ifrael and to Judah: under Jeroboam, the fon of Nebat, "who made Ifrael to fin," and Ahab, a trait of whofe hiftory hath been particularly mentioned here, idolatry, vice, and profligacy over-ran the deluded people.. Our own country can bear fome teftimony to this truth; though in a limited government the example of the prince is not fodiffulive as in more arbitrary forms of civil polity. The manners of England, however, received a remarkable alteration for the worfe by the acceffion and reign of Charles the fecond which, though the religious hypocrify of a

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former age might have contributed to corrupt, (for of all the vile things in this world religious hypocrify is the vileft;) yet the most candid hiftorians allow, that the vices of the continent, which were then imported, had a quick and general influence in this ifland; and thefe, undulating from the centre, were foon felt in the extremes, where they ftill maintain the poffeffion they then unfortunately acquired. From hence then I would infer the propriety of the apoftle's direction, "that fupplications and prayers be made for kings, and all who are in authority," and the wifdom of our church in her daily repetitions to the fame effect: nor is it less the duty of every private chriflian, when he approaches the throne of grace, to offer up a petition for the ruler of his country; that the King of kings would direct every movement of his heart to the glory of God, and the good of the people committed to his charge.

In the fecond place, I would obferve, though it must be much too briefly, (and it is a pofition which I with you would examine to the bottom, and trace through all

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its confequences) that religion and human nature are coeval and congenial; were born, must live, and end together. Even Jereboam and Ahab, abandoned as they were, and inclined to "make Ifrael to fin," did not think of destroying and annihilating divine worship, but only of defacing and corrupting it. They knew that the people of Ifrael could not bear to think that they were deftitute of an invifible protector; therefore, when they deprived them of the temple at Jerufalem, they fet up the golden

calves in Bethel and in Dan. Hence I draw the most conclufive argument in favour of the neceffity of religion; for no nation that ever exifted in the world could continue without it: if their vices have made them to reject true religion, their nature has compelled them to embrace a falfe one; any rather than none; to worfhip a calf at Dan, or a crocodile in Egypt.

And, therefore, in the laft place, from this hiftory of the jews, we fhould learn "not to be high-minded, but fear;" to fear left our profligacy of manners fhould cor

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rupt the purity of our faith, and, make, us chuse a lie;" even popery, that horrid *** difguife of christianity, or fomething equally foolish and corrupt.

This is doubtless thought a very needless exhortation. We are too enlightened, too refined, too well acquainted with the principles of science, to fall into fuch grofs corruptions, notwithstanding the grofs degeneracy of our manners. On this I fhall only obferve, that if one of the priests of Ifrael, amidst the better days of Solomon, and all the glory of the temple-service, had warned his people not to worship "the gods of the Zidonians," it would also have been thought a very needlefs exhortation ; the king of Ifrael was too enlightened, the national temper was too refined, the law was never fo well understood-when, lo! vice arofe: the wisdom of this enlightened. prince was darkened; the fenfuality of the people brutalised and deformed the notions of their better days; and all ran headlong to the house of Baal, and " worshipped the gods of the Zidonians."

We

We are, furely, a moft profligate people: our nobles and our commonalty are fcandaloufly unprincipled and corrupt; the Lord's day, especially in the capital and its neighbourhood, is diligently and openly profaned; the laws that fhould guard our manners are defied, or defpifed. I do not care to finish the picture I have begunWhether our lamentable debauchery will end in the fame fottifh folly with that of Ifrael, God only knows. It cannot end well it must end terribly, if not averted by repentance. For fome time, the prayers of "the ten righteous" may preferve the devoted city, but vice muft exterminate it at the laft; either by utter extinction, or a judicial blindnefs, equally fatal to our happiness and profperity.

DISCOURSE

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