is the luxury and diffoluteness of the age. The old English plainness and integrity are in a manner loft among us; the prodigality and love of pleafure, which reigned in high life, have now defcended into low life, and infected all ranks and degrees of men; and hence fo much idlenefs and drunkennefs in our ftreets, and fuch univerfal corruption of manners, and violation of all order and government. And what can be the neceffary confequences of these things, but ruin and devastation? The Affyrian and Perfian empires; the Carthaginian and Grecian commonwealths; and Rome herfelf, the nurse of heroes, and empress of the world; all fell by the luxury of their own fubjects more than by the arms of foreign nations; they could not have been fo eafily conquer'd and led captive by their enemies, if they had not been firft fubdued and inflav'd

ง

Deut.

xxiii.

flav'd by their vices. And will not the fame caufes naturally produce the fame effects? Such vices are ruinous at all times, but are more particularly deftructive in times of war, when especially the advice of Mofes to the Ifraelites ought to be religiously obferved by every nation, When the hoft goeth forth against 9. thine enemies, then keep thee from every wicked thing.

It is high time too to repent of our factions and divifions, and unite all as one man against the common enemy. Our fituation as an ifland is fuch, and our country withal fo well-peopled, that if we were firmly united among ourselves, we fhould have little to fear from any power, or indeed all the powers in Europe: but of late we have been rent and torn into so many parties and factions, as no doubt have given great encouragement to our enemies, and made

made them imagine that we were more divided than in truth we are, or than the event hath prov'd. For England never teftified greater loyalty and unanimity, and we hope that neither will her fifter Scotland be wanting in gratitude, and obedience, and zeal to chaftife her impious rebel fons. Our common danger ought to unite us, if nothing elfe can: and without doubt feveral who might otherwise be defperate enough to be in the intereft of the Pretender, yet as Britons cannot be for the Pretender brought in by France, who can never intend to give us a king, but to reduce us to a province, and conftitute a viceroy over us; and others who before were wavering in their inclinations, I make no question this rebellion hath fixed in loyalty, when they fee by what horrid means and inftruments a change must be accomplish'd, and

that

that inftead of being govern'd as Et. iv. 11. they have been by a golden Scepter, Pfal. ii. 9. they must be ruled with a rod of Rev. ii. iron, and broken in pieces like a pot

27.

ter's veffel. The members of the church of England and proteftant diffenters now plainly perceive, that they have one common intereft, as they have one common danger; and we truft will unite as brethren not only upon the prefent, but upon all future occafions for the publick good, and watch and guard against popery, which would equally deftroy them both. All will unite and cooperate with us, but the worft of papifts, and foreign papifts, who are like fo many vipers in our bofom, and give fecret intelligence to our enemies, and upon any favorable opportunity would throw off the mask, and declare against us. Our country hath been called the country of factions and parties; but now faction be

dead,

dead, and party revive no more; and (as the voice of authority once faid) "let there be no other diftinction "heard of amongf: us for the fuCC ture, but of those who are for the proteftant religion and the present " establishment, and of thofe who mean a popish prince and a French "government."

Above all we fhould lament and bewail our many heinous offences towards God, which have brought down these heavy judgments upon us, and will bring ftill heavier, except we repent. Serioufnefs and zeal in religion used formerly to be one of the distinguishing characters of the English nation, but now we are as remarkable for an affected levity and indifference. How has perjury of late years multiplied and increased among us! what dreadful oaths and curfes are daily heard in our ftreets! what herefies and blafphemies have

been