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"world, abounding in riches, temporal power, and external pomp. They have all a dogmatizing fpirit, and perfecute fuch as do not receive their own mark, and worship the image which they have fet up. They all neglect Chrift's command of preaching the "gospel to all nations, and even that of going to the loft sheep of the houfe of Ifrael;' there being innumerable multitudes in all Chriftian countries who have never been taught to read, and "who are in other refpects alfo deftitute of the means of faving "knowledge. It is very true that the church of Rome is Babylon the Great, and the mother of harlots, and of the abominations of the earth. But all the reft have copied her example, more "or lefs. They have all received money, like Gehazi; and there"fore the leprofy of Naaman will cleave to them, and to their "feed for ever. And this impurity may be confidered not only as juftifying the application of the prophecies to all the Chrif tian churches, but as a natural caufe for their downfal. "corrupt governors of the feveral churches will ever oppofe "the true golpel, and in fo doing will bring ruin upon them*felves."

The

P. 375. « As the downfal of the Jewish state under Titus was "the occafion of the publication of the gofpel to us Gentiles, "fo our downfal may contribute to the restoration of the Jews, and "both together bring on the final publication and prevalence of the true religion. Thus the type and the thing typified will coincide. The firft fruits and the lump are made holy together."

P. 377. 377. The downfal of the civil and ecclefiaftical powers mult both be attended with fuch public calamities as will make "men ferious, and alfo drive them from the countries of Chrift

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endom into the remote parts of the world, particularly into the Eaft and Weft Indies, whither confequently they will carry "their religion, now purified from errors and fuperftitions."

P. 450. "That worldly-mindedness, and neglect of duty in the clergy, muft haften our ruin, cannot be doubted. There are the falt of the earth,' and the light of the world. If they

lofe their favor, the whole nation, where this happens, will be

"converted into one putrid mass. If their light become dark"nefs, the whole body politic must be dark alfo. The degeneracy "of the court of Rome, and fecular bishops abroad, are too notorious to be mentioned. They almost ceafe to give offence, as they fcarce pretend to any function or authority befides what is temporal. Yet ftill there is great mockery of God in their ex"ternal pomp, and profanation of facred titles, which, fooner or "later, will bring down vengeance upon them. And as the court "of Rome has been at the head of the great apoftacy and corrup

tion of the Christian church, and seems evidently marked out in "various places of the fcriptures, the fevereft judgments are pro"bably referved for her. But I rather choofe to speak to what falls under the obfervation of all ferious attentive perfons in "this kingdom. The fuperior clergy are, in general, ambitious, and cager in the purfuit of riches; flatterers of the great, and "fubfervient to party intereft; negligent of their own immediate charges, and alfo of the inferior clergy, and their immediate charges. The inferior clergy imitate their fuperiors, and in ge"neral take little more care of their parishes than barely what is & neceffary to avoid the cenfure of the law. And the clergy of all

ranks are, in general, either ignorant, or, if they do apply, it is "rather to profane learning, to philofophical or political matters, than to the study of the fcriptures, of the Oriental languages, "of the fathers and ecclefiaftical authors, and of the writings of devout men in different ages of the church. I fay this is in ge"neral the cafe; i. e. far the greater part of the clergy of all "ranks in this kingdom are of this kind. But there are fome of "a quite different character; men eminent for piety, facred learn"ing, and the faithful difcharge of their duty, and who, it is not "to be doubted, mourn in fecret for the crying fins of this and "other nations. The clergy, in general, are also far more free "from open and grofs vices, than any other denomination of men, amongst us, phyficians, lawyers, merchants, foldiers, &c. How "ever, this may be otherwife, hereafter. For it is faid, that in "fome foreign countries the fuperior clergy, in others the inferior, are as corrupt and abandoned, or more fo, than any other order " of men. The clergy in this kingdom feem to be what we might expect from the mixture of good and bad influences that affect them. But, then, if we make this candid allowance for them,

40 WC muft alfo make it for perfons in the high ranks of life, for "their infidelity, lewdness, and fordid self-intereft. And though "it becomes an humble, charitable, and impartial man, to make all

thefe allowances, yet he cannot but fee that the judgments of "God are ready to fall upon us all for these things, and that they may fall first, and with the greatest weight, upon those who,' having the higheft office committed to them in the spiritual kingdom of Chrift, neglect it, and are become mere merchants "of the earth,' and fhepherds that feed themselves, and not their flocks."

P. 453. "Let me intreat all parties, as a fincere friend and lover "of all, not to be offended with the great, perhaps unjustifia"ble freedom, which I have used, but to lay to heart the charges' "here brought, to examine how far they are true, and reform wherever they are found to be fo.”

P. 455. "These are my real and earnest sentiments upon thefe points. It would be great rafhness to fix a time for the breaking of the ftorm that hangs over our heads, as it is blindness and infatuation not to fee it, nor to be aware that it may break. "And yet this infatuation has always attended all falling states. "The kingdoms of Judah and Ifrael, which are the types of all. the rest, were thus infatuated. It may be that the prophecies "concerning Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, Egypt, &c. will become applicable to particular kingdoms before their fall, and "warn the good to flee out of them. And Christendom in ge"neral feems ready to affume to itself the place and lot of the "Jews, after they had rejected their Mefliah, the Saviour of the

world. Let no one deceive himself or others. The prefent"circumstances of the world are extraordinary and critical, be-"yond what has ever yet happened. If we refuse to let Christ "reign over us, as our Redeemer and Saviour, we must be flain be"fore his face, as enemies, at his fecond coming."+

† Whilft I would befeech the enemies of reformation to beware that they do not by their violence and obftinacy bring defolation and ruin on their country, I would also beg leave to recommend what the Doctor fays at p. 369, as deferying the attention of all thofe lovers of liberty, and thofe advocates for reform,

who

I am well aware that there are many who will torn, not only . my fentiments, but these kindred ones of this great and good-man, into ridicule, and that more still will make light of them: for it is in all our hearts to fay, "All things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation; the evil will not come in our days."Ah! ye deluded men! though "the Lord is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perifsh, but that a fhould come to repentance," yet the day of his vengeance will come as a thief in the night:"-" For when they shall fay, Peace, and fafety, then fudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child, and they fhall not escape." It will be fudden and irrefiftable. It will be as a torrent that nopower or wisdom of man will be able to ftay or divert from its course."Awake, then, ye fleepers, and call upon God, Rend your hearts, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord. It may be that ye shall be hid in the day of his fierce anger."-Read attentively the twenty-fourth, and three following chapters, of Ifaiah.

Does the angel fwear by Him that liveth for ever and ever that dilay fhall be no longer? Prepare to meet your God.". Ye corrupters of the holy and benevolent religion of Jefus, and ye oppreffots of mankind; ye men of blood; ye proud blasphemers, and ye perfecutors of the fervants of God, prepare for the dayof reckoning; for behold, "The whirlwind of the Lord goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind; it fhall fall with pain.

who, left, by aiming at too much, the remedy fhould be worfe than the disease, would with, with zeal for the fecurity of our liberties, to unite prudence, Ail "bodies politic feem, like the body natural, to tend to deftru&tion and diffolution, as is here affirmed, through vices public and private, and to be refpited," for certain intervals, by partial, imperfect reformations. There is no complete or continued series of public happiness on one hand, no utter mifery 66 on the other; for the diffolution of the body pohtic is to be confidered as its "death. If feems as romantic, therefore, for any one to project the scheme, * of a perfect government in this imperfect state, as to be in pursuit of uni verfal remedy, a remedy which fhould cure all diftempers, and prolong hu

* man life beyond limit. And yet, as temperance, labor, and medicines, in fome cafes, are of great ufe in preferving and reftoring health, and prolong, ing life, fo, industry, justice, and all other virtues, public and private, haye an analogous effect in refpect of the body politic."

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upon the head of the wicked. The fierce anger of the Lord fhall not return until he have done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart. In the latter day ye fhall confider it." (Jer. xxx. 23, 24.) Ye who worship the mammon of unrighteoufness, and facrifice nations for gain; who have carried defolation to the utmost bounds of the earth, and, having enflaved mankind

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filthy lucre, are ingenious to invent apologies for your enor mous crimes; Prepare to meet your God. Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries which shall come upon you. Behold, the hire of your laborers, which is of you kept back, cricth against you." O Tyrus, the mart of nations! thou. haft faid, I am of perfect beauty; I am God; I fit in the feat of God, in the midft of the seas. Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters. In the time (if thou repenteft, not) when thou fhalt be broken by the feas in the depth of the waters, thy merchandize, and all thy company, in the midst of thee, fhall fall."

Ye dozing watchmen of our Ifrael, who talk to the people of the follies of enthusiasm, till their faith in the Divine predictions which was intended to have been a guard to their hearts against the furfeiting cares of the world, and to keep them vigilant, has loft all its power, and they are lulled into a fecurity from which, nothing can rouse them short of the voice of that trumpet which will rend the heavens and the earth.- -Sleep on, and take you, reft.But at midnight ye fhall hear a great cry made-" Behold, the Bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him." Ye hireling fhepherds, efpecially, who have converted the religion of Christ. into a system of worldly traffic; who live in pleasure, and, having fed yourselves with the fat, and clothed you with the wool, abufe, inftead of feeding, the flock; Prepare to meet your God; for the time of his judgments fhall be no longer delayed, but they who have beaten their fellow-fervants, and ate and drank with the drunken, he will cut them asunder, and appoint them their portion with the hypocrites,

Let men of all defcriptions and characters (revolving in their minds the figns of the times) hear the awful declaration of the angel, and take warning. The fins of the great whore who fitteth

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