I Confess, that I now Entertain you with a Text very proper, for a Day of Humi­liation: but it is for this very cause that I pitch upon this Text, as a very Agree­able Entertainment for us: inasmuch as we are generally agreed, That we are in most Humbling Circumstances.

'Tis possible, that it was an Anniversary So­lemnity of a Sacred Importance with the Peo­ple of Israel, when the memorable Actions here mentioned were performed. Jewish and An­cient Records have told us, that at the Feast of Tabernacles, they did every Day fetch a silver Flagon of Water, and pour it out at the Altar, with the Wine, for the Drink Offering; to sig­nify [Page 3] the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, after the Coming of the Messiah, who indeed, was af­terwa [...]ds Born at the very Time of that September Festival For this Custome, we find no Insti­tution; but the countenance which our Lord Jesus Christ gave unto it, when He thence formed a Reflection upon the Living Waters of the Holy Spirit which He has to give, would make one think, whether it were not first Insti­tuted by the Inspired Samuel, in that History which is now before us. But we have a further Assurance, that five dayes before the Feast of Ta­bernacles, namely, on the Tenth Day of the Seventh Month, a Fast was kept for a Day of Expiation: Even on the same Day that Moses having Thrice Fasted forty dayes together, came down to his people, with the News of the Lords being Reconciled unto them. I know not whether the Prophet Samuel, might not, a lit­tle divert some Actions of that Great Solem­nity, unto the Designs of Repentance, which the extraordinary Calamities upon his people did now require. But still, our Anniversary So­lemnity of a Civil Importance, this Day recur­ring, will be the better accommodated▪ by our proposing those Actions to ou [...] present Imita­tion.

The People of Israel, were, by their Sins, like us, the poor People of New England, brought into very dismal circumstances. Those Ta [...] ­ny [Page 4] Pagans the Philistines, had made cruel and bloody Depredations, upon several of their Villages: and besides their Loss of men, by the Hand of the Philistines, they lost a great number of their Principal men, by the more Immediate Hand of Heaven upon them. The least comp [...]tation of that mischief, is that of them, who thus read the Story: When they were together met from all Quarters at Beth­shemesh, about Fifty Thousand People, the Lord smote Threescore and ten men: and it may be those Threescore & ten men were equivalent un­to Fifty Thousand People, of the more common sort. Under these awful Judgments of God, they continued Impenitent, for as many years, as have ran out, since the Children of those Philistines were first let Loose upon our selves; even for Twenty years together. But it was well for them, that they had a Samuel among them; a faithful Minister of God, who had no little part of their Civil, as well as of their Sacred Affairs, falling under his Direction. Up­on the Exhortations of that Blessed Samuel, they began to Lament after the Lord, that is, to cry unto the Lord for [...] g [...]ievous Lamen [...]ation; and they [...] private Reformations of their Families, all the Land o­ver, to their Lamentations. But [...] must have something more publickly done in this matter: the whole Body of that People must [Page 5] Assemble at Mizpeh, a Town of some Note in the Confines of Judah and Benjamin, near the center of the Countrey, where we suppose there might be an Altar Erected for the Wor­ship of God; and at Mizpeh they do Three Things, whereto, may the Body of this People, to Day, endeavour some Conformity.

We have Three Things here done, by a Ge­neral Assembly of Israel.

First, The Drew Water, and poured it out [...] the Lord. This passage puts Interpreters, as [...]he Dead Body of Asahel did the Travellers, and Spectators, unto a Stand; they almost con­tent themselves with saying, Mirabilis hic locus, ac Difficilis; 'Tis too hard for us to Interpret it. But, if the Exposition, which we have al­ready guess'd, will not hitt, there are several o­ther Conjectures to be made upon the Literal Sense of this passage, which we will at present wave; that we may in the room thereof sub­stitute that Figurative Sense, which has no less Authority, than that of the Chaldee Paraphrase to support it; Hauserunt Aquas e puteo cordis sui, et abunde Lacrymati sunt coram Domino. And indeed, Expositors do mostly go this way; Expounding it of the plentiful Years which they shed in such abundance, as if, to use the the words of the Weeping Prophet elsewhere, Their Heads had been Waters, and their Eyes a Fountain of Tears. However, Let us take what [Page 6] Sense we will, of all that the Commentators have ordinarily offered us, the words will still have some Sense of Humiliation in them. The other two passages, are more Intelligible.

Secondly, They Fasted on that Day:

Thirdly, They said there, we have Sinned a­gainst the Lord. Behold, the Supplication, and, Behold, the Reformation, which this Humiliation was attended withal. The circumstances of it, here specified, that it was, On that Day, and that it was, There, intimate that they were no [...] willing to Delay, the Work of Repentance any longer: they counted it High Time for them to make thorough work of it, and they would not rise from the place until they had accom­plished the work.

There are Three Things, which the Text thus [...]aid before us, would Awaken us all unto: Three Things which if duely attended, Thrice and Four Times Happy from this Day, will be our Land, which is at this Day. Trembling and Shaking, by the Breaches that God makes upon it. I will not leave my Text, though I do mow call in another Text, for the Application of it, and make, The present State of NEW-ENGLAND, the Text which we shall now insist upon.

I. May the Tears of a profound HUMI­LIATION, be this Day shed among us, upon [Page 7] the Sorrowful Occasions of those Tears.

The Tears of an Humbled, a Melted, a Bro­ken Heart, O let us Draw that Water, and pour it out before the Lord.

When the General Assembly of Israel, poured out Water before the Lord, it is the Opinion of some, that they designed with an Hieroglyphick of much Humiliation, to express their own Ca­lamitous Condition. A State Irretrievably ca­lamitous, is thus described, in 2 Sam. 14.14. We are as water spilt upon the ground, which can­not be gathered up again. Thus the Intention of the General Assembly here, might be, most significantly to say, Lord, see whether we are not a People so utterly Lost▪ and Spoilt, and Gone, that it is as impossible to Retrieve our doleful Cir­cumstances, as to gather up the Water which is pou­red out upon the Ground. Now, thy Condition, O poor New England, is indeed so very like that of Water poured out, that it pathetically ob­ligeth us all, to pour out the Water of our Tears before the Lord. Weeping, is one of those Exercises, whereto the God of Heaven calls His people, to Humble themselves before Him. And in the Bible we have many Instances of a Practice, according to that Precept, in Joel 2.12. Turn ye to God, with all your Heart, with weeping, and with mourning. Indeed the Tears of the Eye, are to be expected of men, more or less, according to their Natural Constitutions. [Page 8] It is desirable, that the Eye, which has been the Grand Broker for Sin, should by its Tears bear its part in discovering the passions of our minds thereupon. But where the Eye, does not Naturally afford so free a Channel to that Brine, which the compression and constriction of the Brain upon Grief produceth, we have still our Sighs, which Austin, well calls, our In­teriour Tears. And now, O our Tears, where are you!

We read concerning a General Assembly, in Judg. 2.1. An Angel of the Lord came unto them, and said, I brought you unto the Land, which I sware unto your Fathers; but ye have not obeyed my voice; wherefore there shall yet be Thorns in your sides: And it came to pass, when the Angel of the Lord spake these words, the people lift up their voice and wept; And they called the Name of the place Bochim; i. e. Weepers. Oh! why should not Boston this Day, be thus called Bochim. So Autocratorically spoke that Angel, that it seems to have been the Messiah himself, appearing in an Humane Shape; even, the same Angel of the Covenant, that had formerly appeared unto Joshua at Gilgal; and therefore 'tis here said, He came up from Gilgal. Permit a poor Servant of that Blessed Messiah, thus to Expostulate with you; The Lord of Heaven from whom I come unto you, brought our Fathers into this Good Land, which He provided for us; But we have [Page 9] not obey'd His voice; and this our Disobedience He has chastised with continual Thorns in our sides. Why should we not Lift up our voice & weep, at such doleful Tidings!

I am sure there are such Things as these to bespeak our Tears.

First, The Horrid Sins committed in the Land, yea, commonly committed, loudly call for our Tears. Alas, it may be said of us, That we have been Drinking in Iniquity like water. How much ought we then to, Drop it away in Tears, as I may say, when we p [...]ur out Water before the Lord! Bloody Crimes, like those, the Imputation whereof, made our Lord Jesus Christ, Sweat out His very Blood, have abound­ed among us; and will they not cause us to weep? Truly, Tears of Blood, were little enough to bewayl our Bloody, Scarlet, Crimson Abomi­nations. There is not one of all the Ten Com­mandments, in the Law, which our God has given us, but people are notoriously violating of it, from one end of the Land unto the o­ther. While our Land is full of Unconverted, Unrenewed, Unsanctifyed Sinners, how should it be any other than full of all Ungodliness! And yet such is the vast multitude of Dead Souls among us, or of Souls which do not Live unto God, by vertue of Union with the Lord Jesus Christ, that we may with Horror say, There is hardly an House, in which there is not one [Page 10] Dead: Nor may we wonder at it, if the Holy God in His Dispensations, treat our Land, as Unclean, when the Dead in all Societies are so very many. Truly, If we had a real kind­ness for the Holy and Just and Good Law of our God, or for our N [...]ighbours, that Ruine them­selves by sinning against that Law, we shall in some sort say with him, in Psal. 119.136. Ri­vers of waters [...] down my Eyes, because they keep not thy Law. Oh! shall we not mourn, when we see, That the VVorld is become the Idol, of almost all our little World, but the Lord Jesus Christ, and His Great Salvation very little con­sidered? That the Institutions of the Lord Je­sus Christ are shamefully neglected, and the Superstitions of a vain Conversation practised? That the Names, Words, Works and Ordinances, and Providences, of the Lord Jesus Christ, are most Irreverently & Unprofitably look'd upon? And, That we have a Profane Indisposition to the Sabbaths of the Lord? Shall we not Mourn when we see the Disorder which confounds all Societies, and the Selfishness which depraves the most in all Societies? Our Hating & Vexing of one another? Our Unchastity in all sorts of Pol­lution? Our Injustice in our Dealings? Our ma­nifold Falshood in our Affayrs? Our Discontent in every Station? We could, in a Synod of our Churches, near Seventeen years ago, charge our selves with Epidemical Breaches of all the Rules [Page 11] of Love, to God, and man. And verily, t'would be a brave Sponge to Dry up our Tears, if we could say, that we are mended since the Admonitions of that faithful Synod, But besides the more common Violations of the Di­vine Law among us, there are more Special out-breakings of Sin, in the midst of us, for which, no Tears are enough. We may say, but Oh! not without our Tears, as in Jer. 5.30. A won­derful & Horrible Thing is committed in the Land. The Land was fearfully Defiled, by the Impi­eties of the Indians, which were the first Inha­bitants. Now, is it not A Wonderful & an Hor­rible Thing, for so many English that have Suc­ceeded them, to Indianize, and by the Indian Vices of Lying, and Idleness, and Sorcery, and a notorious want of all Family-Discipline, to be­come obnoxious unto the old Score, and Store of wrath due unto the Land? Is it not a Won­derful & an Horrible thing, that the Sins of So­dom, should so much prevail in a Land, which was once a Land of Uprightness? For, this was the Iniquity of our Sister Sodom, Pride, Fulness of Bread, and Abundance of Idleness; neither did she strengthen the Hand of the Poor & Needy: The whole Spirit of all their Dealings, was, it seems, a General contrivance to Oppress, one another. Is it not a Wonderful & an Horrible Thing, that in such a Land as this, there should be the Sins that made the Old Land of Canaan, Vomit out [Page 12] her Inhabitants? For so did those Infandous, & Confounded, Mixtures, that have openly shown their Heads among our selves. There was a Time, when one Returning from hence to England, could in a Sermon to a very Honoura­ble Auditory, give this Report concerning us, I have been Seven years in a Country, where I ne­ver beheld one common Beggar, I never saw one man Drunk; I never heard one Profane Oath, for all the Time of my being there. But is it not a Wonderful & an Horrible Thing, that the Vices of Drinking & Swearing, are now every Day, the objects of our Observation; I pray, let it be a Sorrowful Observation? And is it not a Won­derful & an Horrible Thing ▪ that it should be a Complaint made about New England, Righteous­ness once Lodged in it, but now Murderers? I do speak it, with a Great concern of Soul; The Tears of a bitter Detestation, are necessary to cleanse this Land, from the Guilt & Shame, of the Murderous Things, that have been with too much credibility Reported, as done by some New-Englanders! God forbid, That I should Reproach my Country. As the Apostle could say, I do not make my Appeal, as having any thing to Accuse my Nation of: So I would say, I do not Accuse my County, of any Thing, but what any o­ther Nation may as much be charged withal. But, when Caesar saw one that was nearly Related unto himsel [...], among the Wretches that were [Page 13] Stabbing of him, he cryed out, with a Singular Agony, What? You my Son! Have I a Son among you! Thus, there is this Aggravation upon all of our Miscarriages: Our Lord Jesus Christ from Heaven may thus Argue with us; If other Peo­ple do Wound me by their Sins, 'tis not such a Won­derful and horrible Thing: But for you, O my Peo­ple, of New England, a People that for the Liber­ties of my Gospel, I have known above the other Fa­milies of the Earth; a People that are obliged unto me, above the rest of mankind: For these Vile Things to be done among you, my Children! Oh! This is a Lamentation, & it should be for a Lamentation?

Secondly, No Tears are enough to Bewayl the visible Degeneracy, which is to be Instanced, let me plainly, and humbly say so! in all Orders of men throughout the Land. When there was a Second Edition of the Temple, among the People of God, it is noted, in Neh. 3.12. The Ancient men, who had seen the first House, when the Foundation of this House was laid before their Eyes, they wept with a loud voice. Truly, the few Ancient men that are left among us, do weep with a loud voice, when they see how mi­serably Temple-work is now circumstanced, in the Second and Third Generation of the Coun­trey. Tho' we may Shout aloud for joy, when we see so much of Christ, and of Truth, and of Grace, among us; for indeed, so much there is, that if they who talk of [...] this Coun­try, [Page 14] would please to stay, as methinks they should, until they hear of a Country that has proportionably more of CHRIST in it, there would for the present, be little said of a Remo­val! Yet let not this Hinder our joyning with such as weep with a loud voice for our Degene­racy. It is affirmed, That many sorts of Infe­riour Creatures, when Transplanted from Eu­rope into America, do Degenerate by the Trans­plantation; But if this Remark must be made upon the People too, what can we do, but spend our Tears upon such a sad Remark? Our Lord Jesus Christ from Heaven seems to bestow that Rebuke upon us, in Jer. 2.21. I planted thee a Noble Vine▪ How then art thou Turned into the Degenerate Plant of a strange vine unto me! New England once had a famous Governour, name­ly, Hopkins of Connecticut, whose words were, I fear, I fear, the Sins of New-England will e're long be read in its punishments. Blessed hast thou been, O Land, in thy Rulers; but alas, for the ge­nerality, they have not c [...]nsidered, how they were to Honour the Rules of God, in Honouring of those whom God made Rulers over them; and I fear they will come to smart by having them set over them, that it will be an hard work to Honour, and that will hardly be capable to manage their Affairs. Now can we without many Tears, look upon the Tendencies, with the words of that Excel­lent man have towards an Accomplishment! [Page 15] It must be acknowledged unto the praise of God, that New-England is yet Blessed with ve­ry Worthy men in all Orders; but alas, we have not such a Choice of them, as once we had. I suppose, 'twere easy to single out, it may be, less than Twenty men, upon whose Re­moval from us, all our Affairs would be Palsey-struck, with an Irrecoverable Feebleness, and the Countrey would almost fall, for want of Pillars to support it. Indeed, the best symp­tom that New-England has to boast of, is an Hopeful Issue, of Learned and Pious Young men, from a well-governed Colledge; a Colledge, which the Sons of Barbarity among us, perhaps care not, if it might be Rased unto the ground. But those thy Sons, O New-England, will be no sooner Hatch'd and Fledg'd, but it may be, they will fly away from thee, as fast as they can. Among the First Planters of New En­gland, there was a vast variety of Generous▪ Notable, Brave Spirited men; yea, some of those very men, that were afterwards found able to conquer and manage mighty Kingdoms, would have been but New England Farmers, if their silly Persecutors had not hindred them: Choice Grain from three sifted Nations filled this Wilderness. But, the Posterity do for the most part strangely Loose that Brave Spirit, [...]hich Inspired their Ancestors. I Remember, That the Writer of the Israelitish Chronicles, [Page 16] in 1 Chron. 4.22. reports, That among the Children of Judah, there were Degenerate Creatures, who were Potters, and Wretche [...] Dwelling among Plants, and Hedges; there they dwelt with the King, for his work; a slavish Ge­neration they were: But what were their An­cestors? Why, they were Brave Hero's, who had the Dominion in Moab: and it is added, These are Ancient Things▪ New England once abounded with Hero's worthy to have their Lives written, as Copies for future Ages to write after; But, These are Ancient Things! A Publick Spirit in all that sustained any Publick Office, and a fervent Inclination to Do Good, joyn'd with an Incomparable Ability to do it, once ran through New England; But, These are Ancient Things! A new-England [...]man, once was as much as to say, A man that scorns to do an [...]ll Thing, and One whose word is as good as his Bond; But, These are Ancient Things! There seems to be a shameful Shrink, in all sorts of men among us, from that Greatness, and Good­ness, which adorned our Ancestors: We grow Little every way; Little in our Civil Matters, Little in our Military Matters, Little [...] our Ecclesiastical Matters; we dwindle a­way, to Nothing: I do not mean, for our Num­bers, but for our Actions. Those things, which have been our Glory, they are gradually Remo­ving from us. Oh! with Tears, do our Anci­ent [Page 17] men cry out, Where is the Glory of the An­cient Things! And shall I say it? As the Grand-child of Moses, 'tis judged, became an Idolater: So, There are very many Families, of Everlast­ing Renown throughout New-England, where­in some or other of the Grand-children, are become either foolish, or wicked, and it may be notorious Children of the Devil: the first and great Apostate. Those Things, which their Grand fathers would sooner have dy'd, than have Done, these Degenerous Creatures, do them every Day.—At non ille Satum, quo te menti [...]is. Wretch, If thy Grandfather had i­magined, that ever thou wouldest have be­come, such a pittiful Thing, he would have swum in his own Tears, unto his Grave upon it. Yea, our people, have for many years been going on in a course of long Apostasy. I will not Enquire, Whether the Principles of Church-Reformation, upon which we were at first Esta­blished, begin to be Deserted among us? I won't so much as Enquire, Whether we are Loosing that Principle, That no party of men whatsoever, have any just Authority to appoint any parts or means of Divine Worship, which the Lord Jesus Christ has not in the Scriptures Instituted? I won't so much as Enquire, Whether we are Loosing that Principle, That a probable, and a credible, and a try'd Profession of a Saving Faith is to be expected from all that we Admit unto the [Page 18] Table of the Lord? For us to Loose those Prin­ciples, already, would be too quick a Degenera­cy, to be imagined. I know very well, that Apostasy has been sometimes unreasonably char­ged among us: Those things that were Incon­testably, The First Principles of New-England, when asserted and practised, have been called, an Apostasy. The Principles of Morellianism, and Separation, were none of our First Princi­ples: Nevertheless, the Principles of a Scriptural Purity in our Whole Worship, were so much our First Principles, that the Lord Jesus Christ, I am verily perswaded, will abhor us, and for­sake us, upon our Abandoning thereof. But, I will Enquire, Whether our First Love to the Lord Jesus Christ, and his Evangelical Ap­pointments be not almost I oft? And, whether we have not almost Lost the old Power of God­liness, in our Conversations? And, whether, A Christian full of Piety, and Charity, and Self-Denial, and universal Holiness and Fruitfulness, do not grow a rare sight among us? Christi­ans, our Lord Jesus Christ is this Day Holding His Bottel, to take the Tears, which we are to drop for our Apostasies!

Thirdly; The prodigious and astonishing Scandals, given by the extraordinary Miscarri­ages of some that have made a more than or­dinary Profession of Religion; These call for our Tears, and our Bleeding Lamentations. [Page 19] When some Church-members, yea, some Tea­chers and Rulers in Israel, were fallen into Scandal, says that good man, in Ezra 9.3. When I heard this Thing, then I rent my Garment, and my Mantle, and I sat down Astonied; and I said, O my God, I am Asha [...]ed. Alas, It would Astonish any good man, into Tears, to be infor­med of the Detestable Things done by some that have highly Profess'd Better Things. In­deed, Let a man do never so well, yet a great many Ill Things may be spoken of him; yea, a man shall Hear Ill, for Doing Well. One of the most faithful men among the whole People of God, could say, I heard the Defaming of many. But if those Defamed Servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, will be a little patient, He will at last give an Honourable Resurrection un­to the Names, that had so much Dirt cast up­on them, when the Names of their Envious Accusers, will either lie Buried in Oblivion, or be mentioned no otherwise, than as Judas in the Gospel, and Pilate in the Creed. It is a­nother matter, and oh! a very Tearful, and Fearful matter it is! When such as have made an high profession of Godliness, are left of God, unto the Doing of those Ungodly Things, upon which it may be said unto them, The Name of God is through your means Blasphemed. Syrs, It were infinitely better, for one to Dye immediately! There are some, who do with [Page 20] pleasure, Entertain the Stories of Base Things done by the strict Professors of Religion; and with Triumph exclame thereupon, Ay, These are the Members of such an one! who would be a Professor? They are all so! Unto every such person I must without haesitation say, Man, Thou hast an infallible mark of an Unregene­rate Soul upon thee. If thou hadst the Heart of a Christian in thee, thou wouldst never speak at such a rate: such Language would rather proceed from the Heart of a Devil! But the Lord Jesus Christ has an Holy People, who do themselves Hate every false way, and are in ex­quisite Agonies of Soul, when they see any others to step aside into such a Way. The Wise man says, in Prov. 25.26. A Righteous man falling before the Wicked, is as a Troubled Fountain, and a corrupt Spring. Some have made such a profession of Righteousness, that much Notice has been taken of them; others have been ready to think, Well, Christianity, is just such a Thing, as the Lives of these men do Repre­sent it. Now the Falls of these men, before the Wicked, are just as if one should throw p [...]ison into the Well that all the Town is to fetch Wa [...]er at. So were the Heathen of old Poi­soned, when they said, Christiani sancte vixissent, si Christus sancta docuisset! Oh! Lamentable Thing! Satan, who is often the Executioner of the Wrath of God upon a sinful World, [Page 21] hath Desired, leave to single out some hig [...] Professors of Religion, & push them on to some scandalous Iniquities: he would fain do the part of a Devil, it may be, on some one man, that he might poison all the Town, by the Falls of that man. The Dreadful Justice of God, who gives none account of His matters, hath said, Go, Satan, go make an Experiment upon them? And lo, upon the Experiment, some strict, and it may be, some old Professor, that had been formerly Troublesome to all the Sin­ners that were about him, He not only proves a Coveteous Worldling, but he acts as driven by an Unclean Devil, or by a Cheating Devil, or by a Lying Devil: and he plays the Devil hor­ribly. Such Doleful Instances there have been among us, as would poison a whole Neighbour­hood, yea, a whole Colony, with Atheism, [...] the Lord Jesus Christ, had not an Almighty Arm, to secure His own Religion. Wo, way wo, to Hundreds of Souls, in the midst of thee, O New England, for the Offences that are given by some of thy Church-members; Loe Them think of the rest. But, Oh! how should we all come to such Lamentations, My Eyes do fail with Tears, my Bowels are Troubled. The scandalous Fall of David, is by as transcendent a Mystery of Divine Soveraignty Recorded, as i [...] was Ordered. Some of the Pagans in the Pri­mitive Times, would not be Christians, because [Page 22] [...]avid, forsooth, was one of our greatest Saints tho' he did such Damnable Things; and, ma­ny of the Christians would then Sin Damna­bly, pleading, Si David, cur non et ego? Why, mayn't I, as well as David? I believe, There are a million of men in Hell, whose Damnati­on was occasioned by the Fall of David, tho' David himself be gone to Heaven after all. Ay, but this David therefore comes to cry out, I water my couch with my Tears, mine Eye is consu­med! Have any of our Eminent Persons, ever miscarried like David? We should with an Im­partial Fidelity, do what we can, that they may Repent like David: No doubt, the most Holy Lord Jesus Christ, who has Eyes like a Flame of Fire, makes his Jealousy burn like fire, against the Churches, which do not bear due Testimonies against such Offendors: It may be, He'l set them on fire, for their Unfaithfulness. But still, we must even Consume our Eyes with Tears, when we bear our Testimonies. Oh! the Irreparable Wrongs that we have seen done to the dear and sweet Name of our p [...]ecious Je­sus! Methinks, we should broach our Tears, on this Lamentable Provocation; and be like the Church of Corinth, when an Unclean Fellow was found among them; [2 Cor. 7.11.] for Godly Sorrow, for Carefulness, for Clearing of our selves, for Indignation, Fear, Desire, Zeal, and Revenge.

[Page 23]Fourthly; The Evident Blowes from [...] Hand of an Angry God, in a long Train of Dis­asters upon all our Affayres, How much do they Sollicit our Tears before the Lord? A Recapi­tulation of the sad things, which have befallen us, while our Dayes have passed away under the wrath of God, in this Wilderness, and we have seen one Destruction after another, almost without a­ny Intermission, might justly bring us to that La­mentation, in Lam. 3.48, 49. Mine eye runneth down with Rivers of Water, for the Destruction of the Daughter of my People; Mine eye trickleth down, & ceaseth not, without any Intermission. The Vials of the wrath of God, have been long Pouring out upon us, in Continued, & Horrendous De­solations; it becomes us therefore to Draw Wa­ter, and pour our Tears into the Vials of the Lord. God began to smite us, with an Annual Blast upon several sorts of our Grain, just Forty years ago: and although, if our Husbandman were taught Discretion by his God, no doubt, many Natural Remedies for much of that Blast, might be lit upon, a kind of Dead sleep upon men still detains them under Blasting Disadvantages: & behold, by an Alteration come upon the very Course of Nature among us, our Indian Grain it self, the very Native Grain in the Country, is the last year so Blasted, that we hear such an hideous Cry, for, Bread! Bread! this year, as was never heard in this Land before. And how [Page 24] very much have our Estates been Diminished, by Losses that have been Multiplied, upon us? On Shore, once and again such Fires have laid wast the Treasures of our Metropolis, that we have had cause to Cry, Oh! What means the heat of this Anger! And at Sea, besides our Frequent Ship-wracks, I suppose, no part of the English Dominions, have proportionably had near so many Ships, taken by the common Ad­versary, as New-England; poor Boston & Salem, I am sure, has Felt what I Speak: Yea, it is the Discourse among the Vertuous Merchants upon the Exchange at London, That surely, Almighty God is much offended at New-England, for they miscarry from no Quarter so much as they do from thence: But what Havock, ha's been all this while, ever now and then making upon the Lives of our People, by the Angels of Death, in Epidemical Sicknesses? We have ever now and then, been visited with Mortal Contagions; the Arrowes of Death have been flying thick among us; A Thousand Persons, if I have not misreckon'd, have been from one Town, in one year, ca [...]i­ed unto their Eternal Home; And, Oh! The slain of the Lord have been many!

Shall I proceed? We have seen our selves Deprived, not only of Charter [...]Liberties, but also of English-Liberties, with such Things done to us, as the High Court of Parliament, by their Vote numbred among the Grievances of the Na­tion. [Page 25] Any considerate man, that compares the Prodigious Invasions then made upon all our In­terests, with Two Things that have since come to light; the Irish proposals, For the Irish to be settled near New England, to check the growing Independants of that Country; and the Letter to the Pope, engaging to set up the Roman-Catholick Religion in the Plantations of America: cannot but say, That all Things were then under a Dreadful Prospect with us. An Happy RE­VOLUTION hath Saved us, out of those Distresses; But we have immediately been Dis­tressed with New Disasters, wherein a Righte­ous God, ha's been Punishing us yet Seven Times more for our Iniquities. The Salvages fill'd this Land from one end unto the other, with direfu [...] outrages, with which they cut off many Hun­dreds of our Inhabitants, in a Former War; [...] now a Later War, wherein the Revolution foun [...] us Entangled, ha's been consuming us for mor [...] than Seven years together. Herein, God ha' [...] been Pouring out the Blood of our Friends; Yea Horrid Stories might be told, of the Barbarou [...] Cruelties, wherewith some of them have bee [...] butchered, by the Hands of the Barbarians And shall not we, Pour out our Tears upon their Graves?

The most Compendious & Effectual way to [Page 26] come at a lasting Peace, was well contrived, in an Expedition formed, for the cutting down of a Tree, that was the Roost of the Rooks, which Troubled us; but a marvellous Frown from Heaven, so defeated this contrivance, that al­though it was at first next unto a Miracle that so Important a Thing, as the Conquest of Canada, was not accomplished, yet Now our Armies not being All cut off, by the whole Force of Canada now arriv'd into Quebeck, was a Deliverance next unto a Miracle. Our com­passionate Lord, Marvellously answered the Faith, which we then Expressed in our Prayer before Him, That the English Army should not fall by the Hands of the French Enemy: And therefore, about fourteen Hundred Raw men, tired with a long Voyage, were not made a Prey to more than twice as many Expert Souldiers, then Crowing in their own Dunghil. Nevertheless, the heavy Debts, and the many Deaths, which ensued upon the failure of that Great Action, the Greatest that ever we attempted, have so confounded us, that it becomes us to Ly-Low, before that Just God, who Show'd us Great and Sore Troubles, & brought us down to the Depths of the Earth. And, as if all this had not been enough to lay us Low, the Spi­rit of God against whom we had Rebelled, per­mitted the Devils, from the Depths of Hell, to assault us, with as Prodigious Vexations, as ever befel any People under the whole Cope of Hea­ven. [Page 27] The Devils, those Powers of Darkness, had been horribly plaid withal, by Magical Tricks, used among many People in this Land of Light, and these Devils now broke in upon the Coun­try, with such Praeternatural Possessions as may be [...] perpetual Astonishment of the World. In the Storm now Raised, upon a Land, which by the Wrath of the Lord of Hosts was Darkned: a Storm Raised by Wicked Spirits in High Places, that had the Upper-hand of us: a Storm that would have made the best of Pilots, to want the best Advice that could be given: It was, and it will be, past all Humane Skill, Exactly to Under­stand what Inextricable Things we have met with­al. But yet it may need some Disquisition with us, What matter of Humiliation in them? O New [...]England such as these, have been thy Dis­asters: And indeed, there is hardly a Family a­mong us, wherein there ha's not some Terrible Thing or other, fallen out, which will cause particular Persons, to go Drooping, with Sorrow to their Graves. T'will be Endless to Enume­rate the Temptations, that we have all had in this Wilderness: But as it was said of Miriam, that seems to have been a Figure of the Church then with her in the Wilderness; Numb. 12.14. If her Father had Spit in her Face, should she not be asham­ed? Thus, O New England; Thy Father has been Spitting in thy Face; but, Oh! Let thy Tears now run down that shamed Face, let thy Tears [Page 28] wash that shame of thy Face away for ever. If we did thus Pour out Water before the Lord, we might at last, as the Scripture speaks, come to Forget our Misery, and Remember it as Waters that pass away.

II. May the Prayers of a fervent SUP­PLICATION, be from this Day, raised among us, upon the manifold Occa [...]ions for such Pray­ers. I do not ask you to Fast on this Day, as the General Assembly of Israel did, on the day, when they were all together. But those things may be Uttered on this Day, and Resolved on this Day, that many a Day of Prayer, with Fast­ing, may be the effect of this Day: And it may be, a General Assembly, will before they break up, some time or other set apart a Day, for Prayer with Fasting, together, before the Lord; that so a whole Province together at once, may Hear what God the Lord will speak unto them, Some think, that when the General Assembly of Israel, did pour out water before the Lord, they did it, as a symbol, expressive of the Devotion with which they made their Prayers before Him; as the devout person could say, in 1 Sam 1.15. I have poured out my Soul before the Lord. And indeed, they seem to me so intent on pouring out their Prayers, that they would pour nothing, not so much as a little water, in. For such Prayers unto the God and Father of our [Page 29] Lord Jesus Christ, I do this Day make my most zealous Addresses unto you, O Inhabitants of New England: I Address you, That you would Pray always with all Prayer and Supplication; and that with a publick Recommendation of pub­lick Supplication, to be maintained by our Chur­ches, in a successive and a repeated pra­ctice thereof, Houshold Prayer, and Secret Pray­er, may be conscientiously practised by all sorts of men.

It is with a Threefold Advertisment that I would urge this Desire of my Soul.

First; All the Blessings, that we can want, or wish; yea, the very Best of Blessings, are to be obtained by Supplication to the Blessed God for them. Why should I lanch forth into the vast Ocean of Assurances and Experiences, which our God has given unto His People, That they shall not seek his Face in vain? All New [...]England, has been filled with Demonstrations from its first Settlement unto this Day, That Prayer is as it has been sometimes called, A Golden Key to Un­lock all the Treasures of Heaven. Many, and many, and many a time, it might be said, This poor Land cried unto the Lord, and the Lord has heard and saved. And what is the use that we should make of all the Salvations, wherein we have so wonderfully seen, The prevalency of Prayer demonstrated? What but this, That we will with our Prayer, again & always come unto [Page 30] Thee, O Thou Hearer of Prayer! We would have a Supply of Provision from the Bounties of Heaven sent unto us in our Scarcity. Why, Supplications, like those of Elijah, will manage the very Corks on the Bottles of Heaven We would have the Lions that are threatning to Devour us, Restrain'd from doing so. Why, Supplications, like those of Daniel, will muzzle the most Ravenous Lions. All our Undertakings, would they not prosper the more, if by more Prayer over them, like the Servant of Abraham, we acknowledged the Lord in all our ways? Would any of our Churches, have Pastors after the Lords own Heart bestowed upon them? I pray, mark what I say; I wonder exceedingly, How any Church dare proceed so far as to vote, and call a Minister, for their fixed Service, until they have by a Day of Prayer, first made their Sup­plications unto the Lord Jesus Christ, for His Direction: The jealous Lord Jesus Christ, may justly show them, that they make more Haste than good speed, when the chief Shepherd, is thus forgotten with them. Whereas, if you will go to the Lord Jesus Christ, O ye Flocks of the Lord; He will give you those Pastors, that shall be Good men, and Full of the Holy Ghost, & men, by whom there shall be much people added unto the Lord: Men, in whom you shall be, on a thousand accounts unspeakably Happy, as long as they live among you.

[Page 31]Briefly, The Best Thing that New-England can possibly be Blessed withal, would be, the Regeneration of the Rising Generation; the gene­ral Conversion of our Young People, to know▪ and prize, and serve our Lord Jesus Christ. We are Trembling, at the Controversy, which we see the Great God managing against you, O our Young Folks, in Fiery, Deadly Re­bukes. You do not Keep the Covenant of God; and now, the Almighty God seems to say over New-England, I will take no pleasure in your young men. Some of our Young men are given up to the furthest sallies of Extravagant and Exorbitant Impiety: And others of our Young men perish either by the Wars at Home, or by the Seas abroad, until we almost become, as Bede reports once England was, Omni milite, et floridae Juventutis Alacritate Spoliata. Miserable Young men; your Conversion to the Lord Jesus Christ, would certainly prevent all of this mi­sery. Now, to procure such a Conversion, it would be a course of admirable Efficacy, for our Churches to keep now and then, whole Dayes of Prayer unto the Lord, on the behalf of their poor Posterity. Awake then, what mean you, O ye sleeping Churches? Arise, and call upon your Lord! The Holy Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, Oh! could we Pray that Holy Spi­rit into the Hearts of our Children, they would fall to Glorifying of the Lord Jesus Christ im­mediately! [Page 32] How much might our Counsils work upon them, if they saw our most ardent Prayers accompany those Counsils? If Grace were more own'd, and sought, who can say, What the Spirit of Grace, would then do for our Offspring?

Secondly, The Times which we are fallen in­to, do Loudly call for our Supplication to that God, in whose Hand are all our Times. All the whole Tribe of Thinking men, that have any Understanding in the Times, do know this, that of all the Things, which we ought now to do, there is nothing more Seasonable, than Unfained Pray­er unto the Lord. There are those Things now come unto the Birth, which require us to Lift up our Lively Prayer, unto the Living God; There are those Calamities impending, that strongly require us to Cry unto the God that per­formeth all things for us. When Daniel, did un­derstand by Books, that the Number of the years, for the Captivitie of the Church of God, was very near accomplished, Then, sayes he, in Dan. 9.3. I set my Face unto the Lord God, to seek by Prayer and Supplications, with Fasting & Sackclothe and Ashes. Truly, We may Understand by Books, That the Number of years, for the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ to Ly under its Desolations, is very near to its Accomplish­ment: and therefore, Haec sunt Orandi Tem­pora: I may say, Pray, Pray, Pray, never mor [...] Need than Now. When the Seventy years, so [Page 33] the Churches confinement in Babylon, were al­most out, Good men might have Known that they were so: Holy Daniel did Know it. When the Four Hundred & Thirty years for the Chur­ches Expecting the Promised Rescue from E­gypt, were almost out, Good men might have Known that they were so: The Lord made the Doubting Moses to Know it. When the Four Hun­dred & Ninety years for the coming of the Messiah, after the Rebuilding of Jerusalem, were almost Expired, Good men might have Known it; & many Good men did then Know it, Waiting for the Consolation of Israel: Yea, the Pharisees them­selves, the High Church-men of those Dayes, They also did Know it; and our Lord call'd them Hypocrites, for their not conforming themselves accordingly. Well, When the Twelve Hundred & Sixty years assigned unto the Reign of the Anti­christian Apostasy, draw towards their Period, this Period also may be Known, as well as any of the former. The Mistakes that have been in the Guesses of some Learned men, about this Happy Period, are far from Inferring a Necessity of Wrong Reckonings to the Worlds end; No, they rather make it more easy now to Reckon Right. Now I do this Day appear among you, O Peo­ple of God, with such a Message from Heaven unto you, as This; Behold, I bring unto you Good [...]idings of Great Joy, that shall be to all the faith­ [...]l People of God: The Tidings which I bring [Page 34] unto you, are, That there is a REVOLUTION and a REFORMATION at the very Door, which will be vastly more Wonderful, than any of the De­liverances, yet seen by the Church of God, from the Beginning of the World. I do not say, That the Next year will bring on this Happy Period; bu [...] this I do say, That the bigger part of this As­sembly, may in the course of Nature, Live to see it: There stand those within these Walls this Day, That shall see, Glorious Things done for Thee, O thou city of God! The Day is at Hand, when Thunder & Lightning and Earth quake, shall Prodigiously Swallow up that Abominable City, which now indeed her self begins with Processions, to deprecate such an Exterpation. The Day is at Hand, when the Tu [...]kish Empire, instead of being any longer a Wo to Christen­dome, shall it self become a Part of Christendome. The Day is at Hand, when the Vail that ha's been upon the Hearts of the Jewish Nation, shall be taken on, and that Nation shall Fear the Lord, and His Good Thing, the Messiah. Concerning the Day of the Lord, wherein these Things will be done, I do with all Freedome say unto you, That Great Day of the Lord, it is Near, it is Near, and it hasteth greatly! Yea, If I could speak with a Voice as loud, as that of the Seventh Trumpet, which we are certain will Sound Quick­ly, I would Sound this Alarm to all mankind, The Kingdom of God is at Hand! The Kingdom of [Page 35] God is at Hand! This is not meer Conjecture, or Opinion; but there is Demonstration, I assert nothing short of Demonstration for it. For, I pray, when the Kingdom of Satan, managed by his Vicar at Rome, is Expired, whose Kingdom shall next Succeed upon it? Now, Tis very certain, That there will be no more than Twelve Hundred & Sixty years allow'd unto that Papal Kingdom: Tis very certain, That when Ten Soveraign Kings arise, in the broken Ro­man Empire, the Twelve Hundred & Sixty years of the Papal Kingdom, are Commenced: And It is very certain, That by the middle of the Fifth century, Ten several Distinct Kingdomes, took advantage from the Distractions then upon the Roman Empire, to set up for themselves. By this Calculation, we have nothing less than a Demonstration, that the Papal Kingdom, ha's the last Sands, of its last Hour-glass, now run­ning for it. Nor is it Unlikely, no, but all Things conspire, even to Demonstration it self, That the last Half Time, or, Hundred and Four­score years, of the Papal Kingdom, Entred at the Reformation in the Former Century. All the Schaemes, that put off this most Happy Period, unto further and future Ages, are easily con­victed of manifest Inconsistences: And therefore, I question, whether there be so much as one Judicious and Considerate Student, in those Prophecies, which, Blessed are they that Study, but [Page 36] what concurs to this Expectation, That the Kingdom of God is at Hand. Lift up your Heads then, O you that Love the Appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ: For there seems as if there were an Age of Miracles now Dawning upon us. Proper Miracles were continued in the Church of God, for Two or Three Hun­dred years together, even until the Antichristian Apostasy was come on to some Extremity. And when that Apostasy is over, tis possible, there may be a Return of proper Miracles; those, Powers of the World to come. Such Miracles have been lately Wrought, more than two or three of them, in the City of London, that, what if they should be a Few Drops of the Spirit of the Messiah, falling before a Mighty Shower of that Spirit? Persons who have had their Limbs miserably disjointed, Persons that have had In­veterate Palseyes, Incurable Fistula's, Desperate Leprosies; These Persons, as they have been Reading the Ancient Miracles of our Lord Je­sus Christ, the Spirit of Christ hath wonderfully given them, the Faith of His doing the like for them; and Behold, they have, to the Astonish­ment of mankind, been by the like Miracles, perfectly and presently recovered out of all their Maladies. What shall we make of these things? Do not Sinfully Expect Miracles; and yet say I, That the Lords Name is Near, His Wondrous Works declare! However, They may be Symbolical Representations, and Exhibitions, [Page 37] of the Miraculous Things, which the Lord is going to Do for His People: For, I do again assure you, The Trumpet is going to Sound, that shall make the Kingdomes of this World, become the Kingdoms of the Lord, and of His Christ.

But I am sure, we had need be much upon our knees, in Supplications before the Lord, if it be a Day of such Expectations. For you must expect, That these Things will come on with such Horrible Commotions, and Concus­sions, and Confusions, that Mens Hearts every where shall fail them for Fear, and for looking af­ter those Things which are coming on the Earth. The mighty Angels of the Lord Jesus Christ, will make their Descent, and set the World a Trembling at the Approaches of their Almigh­ty Lord: They will Shake Nations, and Sha [...] Churches, and Shake mighty Kingdoms, and Shake once more, not Earth only, but Heaven also ▪ The very next Thing, I freely tell you, tha [...] I look for, is, That there will those Horribl [...] Shakes be given unto certain Kingdoms in E [...] ­rope, that shall bring the pure Worshippers o [...] the Lord Jesus Christ into such Employments [...] Advancements, as they never had before. Bu [...] such Things will be done, that it may be que [...]stioned, Who shall Live, when God doth thes [...] things? and it must be Answered, Your Hearts shall Live, that seek the Lord?

Thirdly; No men are under so much obli­gation [Page 38] to be Men of Prayer, as the Ministers of the Gospel, who should be as much by their Study, as they are by their Office, the Men of God.

My Fathers, and Brethren; You that are the Samuels of this New-English Israel, you are concerned more than any men Living, to be among them that Call upon the Name of God; Call you upon the Lord, & He will Answer you. The First Ministers of the New-Testament, expressed a Resolution, well worthy to be follow'd, by all that shall come after them, in Acts 6.4. We will give our selves continually to Prayer, and the Ministry of the Word.

Our Lord Jesus Christ, gave unto His Disci­ples a Directory, for their Supplications: And in this Directory, methinks, I see the condition of His Ministers most particularly Accommoda­ [...]ed. Our Prayer should be, as it were our Breath; and oh! how should we Live, if we were Breathing of Prayer, on all Occasions eve­ry day continually! The Success of our Mini­ [...]try, in those three Things, The Sanctifying of Gods Name, and, The Coming of His Kingdome, and, The Doing of His Will, these are the first [...]nd main Things, for which we are to be con­cerned in our daily Supplications. But if we will be Faithful in our Ministry, we must run the hazard of loosing all the Comforts of this Life; 'twill be well, if even they that [Page 39] are bound by Compact, as well as otherwise by Justice, to support us, do not Sacrilegiously cheat us of our Daily Bread. We must therefore Go to God as unto our Heavenly Father, for our Bread with our daily Supplications. But in our Ministry we shall commit many Errors, being Flesh and Blood, and having a Fountain of Sin in us, as well as other men. We must there­fore cry for the Forgiveness of our Sins, with our Daily Supplications. And the many Inju­ries, which an Ungodly World will treat us withal, will furnish us with opportunities e­nough, to Insert in our Daily Supplications, that clause, Lord, we forgive them who Trespass a­gainst our selves! But our Ministry, will be at­tended with various Temptations from the Wick­ed One: Oh! how glad will the Devils be, if We, whose Business 'tis to thwart and cross his Designs, may be Trepan'd by him into any thing that shall promote them! For this cause, our Daily Supplications must cry to Heaven, That we may not be Led into Temptation, but Sav'd from the Evil.

Thus are we to Pray without ceasing, and we are to interweave Prayer, into all the Affairs of our Ministry. Our Sermons especially, oh! if we did but Pray much over them, how much would the Spirit of Christ adjoyn Himself un­to them! 'Tis very sure, Bene Orasse, est bene Studuisse. But shall we not Fast, as well as [Page 40] Pray? Our Excellent Hooker would say, That Prayer was a principal part of a Ministers work; 'twas by this, that he was to carry on all the rest: He would also say, That such an Extraordinary Favour as the Life of Religion, and the Power of Godliness, must be preserved by the frequent use of such extraordinary means, as Fasting with Prayer: and accordingly, he did himself still Devote one Day in a Month unto a secret Fast before the Lord. Thus, our Excellent Mitchel, would once in two months, keep such a Fast, where­in he would make a Catalogue of all the Af­flictive Things that he saw, not only in him­self, but in all our Three Colonies, and in the Nations of Europe also, and he would spread them all before the Lord, with the matters of his own Everlasting Welfare. Yea, I suppose, there hath been hardly one very famous man, in the Churches of New-England, but what has familiarized himself to such Exercises; and these were the Exercises that Ripened, & En­ [...]arged their Souls, and rescued them from En­chantments, and fitted them to become so fa­mous: And they that have hereto Exercised themselves, have left this Observation to us, I soon Loose that serious, that gracious, that generous, and that watchful and useful Disposition of mind, that I gain by these Devotions, if I do for many dayes together intermit them. I remember, There are three persons Renowned in the Scripture, [Page 41] for their Fasting; and every one of those per­sons, was Honoured, with the Doing of Mi­raculous Things, in Feeding the People of God. And I Remember a Golden Passage of Chry­sostom, That the very Angels themselves cannot but Honour the man, whom they see familiarly and frequently, admitted unto the Audience, and as [...] were Discourse, with the Divine Majesty.

III. May the Cares of a Thorough RE [...]FORMATION, be from this Day used amon [...] us, upon the multiplied Occasions for suc [...] Cares. When the General Assembly of Isra [...] were all together, They said, we have Sinned a [...]gainst the Lord; but when they so said, it [...] implied, that they did something, in pursuanc [...] of this Confession; that is to say, They fo [...] themselves to Redress the Provoking Evil [...] wherein they had Sinned. Certainly, there [...] not one man, in our General Assembly, but wha [...] will readily confess, We have Sinned against [...] Lord: Yea, the Lord, has by Scourging ma [...] this whole People, many a Time, over, to con [...]fess thus much before Heaven and Earth. Bu [...] now, Just, and Quick, and Warm Cares to Re [...]form what we Confess, are needful to show th [...] Sincerity of our Confession, or, to prove, that [...] had a Spirit without Guile, in our Confession. [...] thought by some, That when the General As [...]sembly of Israel did Pour out Water before the [Page 42] Lord, they did thereby, as it were, Sacramen­tally Profess, that they thoroughly Cleansed themselves from all their filthy Idolatries, and ut­terly cast forth all their Filthiness & Wickedness, [...]ith a full purpose, to Take up nothing of it, [...] more. Truly, The Command of our God, [...]ow unto us, is that, in Isa. 1.16. Wash yee, make [...] clean, put away the Evil of our Doings, from [...]fore mine Eyes. I must say unto you, That [...]hatever man, shall in any Thing Obstruct, the [...]eformation of New-England, he is therein, and [...]far, a Publick Enemy of the Land. There is [...]uch Talk, oftentimes Impertinently Enough [...]ried on, whether such a man, or such a man, [...] True to the Interest of the Country. But you [...]all give Me, that am never present at any of [...]ur Elections, leave to Suggest unto you, who [...]ose men are, that are True to the Interest of the [...]untry. Syrs, Those men, that will do all they [...], for the Reformation of the Country, from [...]norance, from Idleness, from Dishonesty, from [...]cleanness, from all Profaneness, and Paganism, [...]nd from Drunkenness, and all the Execrable In­ [...]ntives thereunto; THAT, That is the man! [...]hose men are True to the Interest of the Country; [...] indeed, our Peace with God, is our True In­ [...]rest. Nor do I, by saying this, go to set by, [...] English Tenderness of our Liberties, from the [...]eputation, of a Commendable, yea, and a Ne­ [...]essary Quality, in all that we call to Serve the [Page 43] Publick. If there should be any Sons of Esau, that will not be Tender, and Tenacious of such precious Liberties, as the Country is, by a Royal Grant, at this Day, priviledg'd withal, those persons also cannot be True to the Interest of the Country. But, still it must be asserted, That ou [...] Best Friends, are those, that most Vigorousl [...] Endeavour to Restrain, and Redress, and R [...]form, that Liberty of Sinning, which men are to ready to give unto themselves. Now, to Inv [...]gorate our Endeavours after this Reformation ▪ Let us give Earnest Heed unto a Five-fold Ad [...]monition.

First, What tho' we shan't Agree about E [...]very Thing? Is there Nothing therefore to b [...] done, for the Reformation of a Land Pining [...]way in its Iniquities? Possibly, We are ye [...] somewhat in the Dark, about that Quaestion▪ What is the Controversy that the Lord Jes [...] Christ hath with New-England? And it might occasion some Controversy our selves with one another, to pull that Quaestion, under too clo [...] and hard, and arbitrary Disquisitions. How [...]ver, There are several Provocations to God, [...] Evident, and so Notorious, among us, that me [...]thinks, we cannot be to seek, for many Cause of the Judgments that are daily breaking o [...] us; and where we see those uncontestable Causes o [...] Wrath, Oh! Why may we not Unite, as one man, for the Removal of them? 'Tis [Page 44] true, We don't Know all Things; But shall we therefore Do Nothing? Let us Examine, How far we can go, hand in hand, for the Reforma­tion of what we do plainly see to be amiss; & what we see not, the Lord will Teach us, that wherein we have done Iniquity, we may do so no more. A Lady of a very suspected Chastity, [...]postatising to Popery, complained unto a [...]rotestant Minister, that the Reason of her [...]postasy was, Because the Scriptures were not [...]ain enough, to have their Sense determined by [...]ivate Christians, and therefore she must Embrace Religion, where an Infallible Judge could be had [...] all: but the Protestant Minister, gave her [...] sharp Reply, Good Madam, say not so; For [...]hat can be more plain, than one Instance, that I [...] give you instead of many; 'Tis that, Thou [...]alt not commit Adultery. Thus, when, Re­ [...]rmation; Reformation! is urgently called for, [...]erhaps, 'twill be objected; It is not plain to us; [...]hat are the Things most Needful to be Reformed, [...] what are the wayes most likely to Reform [...]? Now, suppose a man should make this [...]eply; Syrs, Can any thing be more plain than [...]? That except the Drinking Houses throughout [...] Countrey come under more of Regulation, and [...]cept the Town-Dwellers in many places be allow'd [...] to Ly Tipling at such Houses, all the Evil Con­ [...]equences of slothful Drunkenness, are like to Drown [...] in Confusion. Or, suppose, a man should [Page 45] make this Reply; Syrs, can any thing be more plain than this? That except we leave off Oppres­sing one another, in our Dealings, and leave off our Abusing and Injuring of them that serve the Pub­lick, above the rest of our Neighbours, the Gra [...]e God will still Interpose His Revenges upon us. [...] suppose a man should make this Reply; [...] Can any thing be more plain than this? That [...] men would every where set themselves to the [...] ordering of their own Families, and Revive gen [...]rally, such Family Prayer, and such Family Instr [...]ction, and such Family Government, as our [...] Planters Exemplified unto us, the whole Countr [...] would presently be mended thereupon. All th [...] [...] shall say is; There are plain matters, where [...] we all Know the will of our Heavenly Lord▪ and oh! to what Stripes do we Expose [...] selves, if we cannot Agree plainly and ful [...] to promote those matters! The Last Queen, that adorned the British Throne, even the Late Queen Mary, of Glorious Memory, was in this thing a Pattern most worthy of our Imitation▪ She would say, She feared there might be som [...] secret Sins, that might Lye at the Root, and Blas [...] all the English Affairs; but then she would come off and say, There is so much Sin visible, that there is little Need of Divination concerning what may be secret. And yet I will venture to go on and say,

Secondly, Are we sure that we have no Se­cret [Page 46] Sins to be Repented of? Let us, with all Humility of Soul, Enquire after them, that so, nothing may be wanting to the Reformation of the Land. There was once a People in a Wil­derness, who being harassed by sore Desolati­ [...]s, could thereupon say, in Psal 90.8. Thou hast [...] our Secret Sins, in the Light of thy Countenance. [...]here is at all Times, a Room for that Excla­mation, How Unsearchable are the Judgments of [...]! And at some Times, tis peculiarly difficult [...] us, vain Mortals, to Search out the causes of [...]hose Judgments. There were such Diabolical [...]actices among the Israelites of old, that it is said, [...]herefore the Lord was very Angry with them, and [...]emoved them out of His Sight: and yet it is also [...], of those things, in 2 King. 17.9. They did [...]cretly those things, which were not Right, against [...] Lord their God. Yea, There was a Time, when the Judgments of God, made all the Ar­mies of Israel to fly and fall before them, so that [...]he Hearts of the People melted, and became as [...]: No doubt, the Sins usual in other Armies, [...]nd an abundance of Debaucheries and of other Disorders, and Distempers were among them: Nevertheless, These were not the Accursed Thing, that procured 'em all their Trouble; nor did any one man among all their Leaders under­stand what was that Accursed Thing, until God Wonderfully helped them to discover it. Yea, There was a Time, when the Judgments of God [Page 47] pursued a whole Company of Sea faring peo­ple; a Storm came upon them, that had like to have Sunk them all: No doubt, they were as faulty and as vicious, as any other Sea-faring Folks use to be: Nevertheless, the Storm came for the Sins, of that person, that one would have least suspected among them all; than man was the Jonas, whose Error had Expos'd them all. So Uunsearchable are the Judgments of God! And that which renders them yet more Un­searchable is, The wondrous Distance of Time, which the Lord may take, to punish a people, for Former Iniquities, and even (as that passage of Scripture which I am now quoting, may be Translated) for the Iniquities of those that have gone before them. The Children of Jacob were once brought into astonishing Distresses; and in those Distresses, Then Josephs Bloody Coat is laid before their Eyes; The Hard Things done by them to a Brother of theirs, Things done Twenty years ago, so came unto Remembrance, as to make them cry out with Horror, We are verily Guilty! If none of all these Instances are enough to perplex our Thoughts, about the Unsearchable Judgments of God, I'le give you one more. I take Notice, That when David Numbred the People, there was a Great Sin cleaving to that matter; and it was not Holy David alone, but it was the People, whom the Lord was in that matter chiefly offended at. [Page 48] God had Required, That when the People were Numbred, Every man should give a Ran­some for his Soul unto the Lord, That there be no Plague among them (says he) when thou Num­brest them. Now, because the Lord had a Controversy with that People, for their For­mer Iniquities, he leaves David, the Best man in the Nation, to act in this weighty matter, without the Advice of the Priests of the Lord; Hence, tho' it was not a Sin simply to Number the People, yet the People not being put upon their part, that they might be Ransomed from a Plague among them, it became a Sin and a Snare unto them: Now, as an effect hereof, I take Notice of a strange Threatning, in 2 Sam. 24.13. Shall seven years of Famine come unto thee, in thy Land? Whereas, the Threat­ning runs no more than so, in 1 Chron. 21.12. Three years of Famine. I pray, How shall these two passages be Reconciled? Attend, and you shall see a very Remarkable Thing, in the Reconciliation. There had been Three Years of a Famine upon the People, for an old Sin, of slaying the Gibeonites; God thus chasti­sed the people, for a Sin that had been Com­mitted more than Forty years before: and while the Fourth Year was Running, there was that New Provocation, about the Numbring of the People, added unto the former: and that Fourth year being well nigh Expired, Three years [Page 49] more of a Famine denounced, make up the Seven: The first of which seven years Famine, was the year that next followed after the Re­bellion of Absalom: as That was Forty Years, after the Anointing of David at Bethlehem. Oh! What a world of Intricacies, were there, in these Dispensations of Providence! The only Thing, that I design here to Recom­mend, from the mention of these Intricate & Mysterious Matters is, A most Self-jealous and Self-loathing, Humility of Soul, in our Enqui­ries, after those Things, that are to be ac­knowledged as Provoking Evils, e're peace will be Restored unto our Land▪ This is very sure, that this Land has often had its Dayes of Temptation; and when the People of God come with Second Thoughts to Reflect upon those dayes, they often see cause to cry out, Peccavimus omnes: we have one and all been out of the way. On the whole, The Temper which I would propound is This; Let us not be without some Suspicion, that our God may be Angry with us, for some Evil or other, which is not yet universally Acknowledged: But yet let us manage that Suspicion so Hum­bly, so Modestly, so Seriously, that we may not thereby add a New Evil unto the old score. 'Tis very certain, That when a Secret Cause of a Divine Controversy, is Enquired after, there is nothing more usual, than for [Page 50] men to Enquire not wisely concerning that matter. An Assembly of Lutherans coming together to Enquire, after the Cause of the Judgments which God had brought upon their Churches, most unhappily determined, That their not paying Re­spect enough unto Images, in their Churches, was one cause of the Lords Controversy with them. Unhappy Enquirers; Instead of your Dream that you had not Sinn'd enough against the Second Commandment, you should have thought whether you had not Sinn'd too much against the Fourth. But we hear not a word, concer­ning their universal prophanations of the Lords-Day to this Day. That which I there­fore say, is This; In a just Apprehension of our own Darkness, and Weakness, Let us make that Prayer to our Lord, Lord, show us where­fore thou contendest with us. Let us then have our Debates, with one another hereupon; but let us come to those Debates, alwayes with a Disposition to judge our selves rather than any one else, and a Resolation to take any shame to our selves, that Scripture and Reason, shall cast upon us. Wherefore,

Thirdly▪ In pursuing the Designs of Re­formation, why should not Every man, even E­very one concern himself, according to the Ca­pacities of the Station, wherein God has placed them? That a General Reformation may be effected, Every man should begin with Himself; [Page 51] and if Every man would mend one, the Emenda­tion of Manners among us, would indeed be very general. Men should be as desirous in point of Repentance, as they use to be in point of Charity, to Begin at Home! Self-Reformation every where conscientiously endeavoured, would prevent a double Evil, very common under the Sun. Sometimes, men make a Noise about Reformation, when they do but follow the Di­ctates of their own Malice and Revenge, in all the Noise. There was once, a Shimei, who, seeing the Judgments of God come upon the Land, he presently fell to Railing at the chief Rulers in the Land: he falls upon David, with such out-cries, as those, in 2. Sam. 16.8. Thou Bloody m [...]n, the Lord has now Returned all the Blood of the House of Saul, in whose stead thou hast Reigned. This poor man, was himself of the House of Saul, and because he thought his own House had met with some hard measure from the Government, he falls to Reviling as if the Land had no Sins, but those of the Government then to answer for. But I can tell you, That he was egregiously mistaken! And men had need beware, lest by giving way to their own exasperated Spirits and Passions, they become Shimei's, in exclaming for a Reformation. Some­times again, there is a cry made about Refor­mation, by men that only cover their own vile Hypocrisie, by the Diversion of such a cry. 'Tis [Page 52] very clear, that there are Vanities of Apparel to be Rebuked and Retrenched among us; those little Female, foolish Vanities, are utterly a Fault among us: the Holy Angels of the Lord Jesus Christ, are doubtless grieved, when they see the Flags, and Signs of a vain mind, hung out by the children of men; else the Lord would never have said, as in Isa. 3.16. Because the Daughters of Zion are Haughty, and walk with stretched forth Necks, therefore the Lord will take away the Bravery of their Tinkling Ornaments, & thy men shall fall by the Sword. But now there are persons, who are themselves Drones, or Thieves, or Cheats, or Lyars, of Drunkards, or Fornicators, or some other way horribly Depra­ved Creatures: And these, to quiet their own guilty Consciences, will Declame very bitterly against certain Vanities in other people, and perhaps will with more pride than Scripture, croud in many lawful and needful Things a­mong those Vanities: These are the Things that want Reformation, they say; But thou wouldest say it, with a better Grace, O man, if some of the zeal were spent upon thy own Enormities. However, Thus they'l fall into a fiery rage about those Things, As if nothing else brought the Judgments of God upon the Land. But that which we are first of all to do, is This: It becomes every one of us, first of all to Judge themselves, and throw the First Stone, at [Page 53] our own [...]niquity. It was greatly Resented, i. [...] Jer. 8.6. I hearkened, and heard, but they spake not aright; No man repented him of his Wicked­ness saying, What have I done? Then, Oh! Then, shall we speak aright about the Reforma­tion incumbent on us, when Every man shall say, What have I to do, towards the Reforming of my self, and of my own Family? Let Every one set before himself, a Catalogue of Things For­bidden, and of Things Required, in the Ten Com­mandments; our ordinary Catechisms will advan­tageously set before us, the Glass of the Law, wherein we are to take a view of our selves; Thereat, Let us with a secret Self Examination find out our own Delinquencies, and so Re­quest for, and Rely on, the Aids of Grace, for a Self Reformation. Having done thus much, we are then bravely qualified for the Doing of more: Let us now, as far as ever we are capa­ble, Extend our Influences. Housholders, They are first of all to Rectify all that is amiss, where they reckon themselves a sort of Kings, that is to say, in their own H [...]uses. Oh! Ask your selves, whether you have no Bad Orders to be Recti­fied there? Whether your Devotions there might not be more Edifyingly carried on? Whether your Children and Servants may not have a better Education bestow'd upon them? Upon which, let all the World besides take what course they will, do you Resolve, As for me, [Page 54] and my House, we will serve the Lord. But is this all? No; 'Twould be a very Laudable Thing, for the Worshipful Justices in the several Coun­ties, now and then to hold a Consultation, upon that Question, What may we do, to Reform any Spreading Evils? Gentlemen, I take Leave hum­bly to Represent it unto You, That you have singular Opportunities, to Reform almost all the Growing Evils in the midst of us; and such is your Wisdom, that without any further Advice from us, You need but a little Discourse now and then with one another, to be informed of Your own Opportunities: But, Let me say un­to You, That these Opportunities are precious Talents, for which You are Accountable to the Eternal Son of God. The same that was done by Iehoshaphat for his Land, has in You, been done by the Lord Jesus Christ, for this Land▪ He hath set Judges throughout the Land; & now His words from His Excellent Glory, unto every one of you, are like those, in 2 Chron. 19.6. Take heed what you do; For ye Judge not for man, but for the Lord: Let the Fear of the Lord be upon you; Act in the Fear of the Lord, faithfully, and with a perfect Heart; ye shall warn [...]men, that they Trespass not against the Lord, and so Wrath come upon you, and upon your Bre­thren: The Levites also shall be Officers before you, Deal courageously, and the Lord shall be with the Good. But those Consultations for a Reformation of [Page 55] pernicious Things among us, which have been Recommended unto these Worshipful Persons, may likewise be most profitably practised, by the Grand-Jury-men, the Constables, the Tithing-men, in their several Precincts. Syrs, If you also would have your Stated, or Frequent Mee­tings, to consider, What may be done by us, to Reform any Common Evils? You might be wonderfully Serviceable.

But above all, O ye Watchmen in our Chur­ches; 'Tis from You, that the Lord Jesus Christ expects the most critical watchfulness, in Advi­sing your several Churches and Charges, of the several Evils, that are to be Reformed among them. That which you have lately been do­ing towards Gospellizing those Out-lying parts of the Countrey, has been very worthily done: And, I do humbly pray the Recompencing Bene­diction of Heaven, upon those Worthy Mer­chants and others in this place, who by their pious Expences have assisted the Undertaking. I wish those parts of the Countrey might now be effectually put in mind, of the concernment that lies upon them to make a due Improve­ment of the Price put into their Hand. If any that belong, or travel to those parts, are now in this Assembly, I pray, carry them this Advice, That if they slight the Gospel now sent unto them, there is Danger, the Lord Jesus Christ will never grant them another Offer of it; no, [Page 56] there is Danger that they will never be Healed, but be given to Salt for ever: there is Danger, that a Wrath unto the uttermost will overtake them. And now, there are further Instances of our Watchfulness, over our own Flocks, to be maintained. It may be, 'twould be one very significant piece of our Watchfulness, over the Churches, if some safe methods might be taken, that all those who go forth unto the Work of the Ministry, might carry with them some Testimonial of their Qualifications, from fit Judges of those Qualifications; and that Raw, Rude, Lewd Young Men, and profane Sons of Eli, may not go forth, to make a Living of their Preaching, and Ruine Christianity among us, by not Living according to their Preaching. Yea, I do earnestly Beseech the Congregations of New England, That, if they have any Regard unto the Things of their Peace, they would none of them, Invite, or Accept, any man, to constant Preaching among them, unless that some Holy, and Faithful, and Able Pastors of other Churches, do, upon a thorough Trial, Testify, That such a man is Worthy to La­bour, and be very Highly Esteemed for his Labour, among them. Nor is this All that we have to do. Can we not, in Visiting our Flocks, inform our selves about the Morals of our People, in every Quarter, and thereupon both Publickly and Privately set our selves to cure all that shall [Page 57] be found amiss! May we Lift up our voice like a Trumpet, against every thing that we see of­fensive unto our Lord Jesus Christ; and let us therefore, by the Anticipations of our Faith, have in our Ears continually, the Sound of the Last Trumpet, which will fetch us before the Tribunal of our Lord. Much, very, very much will be done towards a Glorious Reformation, by our Discharging the work of our Ministry, as under the Awe of that most awful Considera­tion, in Heb. 13.17. They watch for Souls, as they that must give an Account. I Remember, Tis Related concerning the Holy Mr. Herbert Pal­mer, That observing of Sundry Evils to have been become common in his Town of Canter­bury, he took such Pains to convince the People of those Evils, that at last, they generally Sign­ed an Instrument, wherein they Declared their Dislike of those Evils, and their Purpose to take heed of them forever; and a wondrous Refor­mation ensued upon it. Syrs, who can tell, how far the concern of Reformation may possess the Hearts of our People, in almost every Town, if we took due pains to convince them, and per­swade them; yea, if our Personal, Prudent, Loving Admonitions, might but operate, upon that one part of Neighbours, the Inn-keepers, who can tell how far the Desired Reformation might be Befriended and Attained! But this leads me into another Article of our Discourse.

[Page 58]Fourthly. To Assist the Designs of Reforma­tion among us, Why should we not Review, & Renew, and Apply, the Obligation, which is by Covenant Lying upon us thereunto? If one would say at once, what it is, that hath procur­ed the Indignation of Heaven against us, to be written in such Dismal and Bloody Characters, methinks, I could find a passage in our Psalter, that should Expressively enough describe it. While the Time was not yet come, that the Israelites in Egypt should be delivered out of their Difficulties, the Active Colony of Ephrai­mites formed a Lively Expedition, against the Philistines to the North-ward, from whom they had Received many Injuries; they reckon'd themselves Numerous and Powerful enough, to attack the Canaanites in their own Country; but they came off unhappy loosers in it; and the Psalmist ha's told us, what was the reason of the loss that befel them: T'was, as in Psal. 78.10 Because, They kept not the Covenant of God. This I venture to say, whatever else may be said; Covenant-Breaking, I say, Covenant-Break­ing, or, the Neglect, and Contempt of that Cove­nant, even, the New-Covenant, wherein the Lord Jesus Christ, ha's been tendring Himself unto us; This, is the most comprehensive Cause of all our Disasters. I will say so, as long as I can Read that horrid Picture of our own condition, in Isa. 24.4. — the Lord makes the Land Empty, [Page 59] and makes it wast, and turns it upside down, and Scatters abroad the Inhabitants thereof; The Land mourns and fades. And why is all this? Because they have broken the everlasting Covenant; there­fore the Inhabitants of the Land are Burned, & few men are left. Wherefore▪ if we would be Re­covered out of our Condition, 'tis the Covenant of our God, that must Recover us, & Reform us. 'Tis imagined by some, That when the General Assembly of Israel here, Poured out Water before, the Lord, they used a Rite of making of a Cove­nant; q. d. If we Return to our Sins, let our Blood be thus Poured out. This we all know; A Renovation of Covenant, ha's been alwayes pressed, as a very special and Important Expe­dient of Reformation. The Covenant of Grace, which is Brought unto us all, is very particularly Seal'd and Own'd, with such as have been Ad­mitted unto any Ecclesiastical Priviledges among us. Let all Persons, by the Help of Grace, give the consent of their Souls unto this Covenant; Consent, O Immortal Souls, That God should be your God, and be unto you, better than all your Idols; that the Lord Jesus Christ should be your Prophet, Priest, and King; that the Holy Spirit should Possess you, and incline you to Glorify Him according to the Gracious Terms of this Covenant for ever. But then, Let them that have Enjoy'd the Seals of this Covenant, a­gain, and again, with all possible Solemnity [Page 60] Repeat the Consent of their Souls thereunto. Syrs, A most wondrous Reformation would fol­low hereupon Immediately! Now, In the doing of this Thing, Why should not our Chur­ches, most Explicitly Apply, the Covenant of Grace, unto all the Designs of Reformation, as well as they Apply it unto the particular Designs, of a Particular Church-state before the Lord? Our Covenant will to the most Edification, and the most Satisfaction, be Renewed, when we most of all Express the Spirit of the New [...]Cov [...]ant in all that we do. Now, 'Tis the Spirit of the New Covenant, for us to Acknowledge, That our Justification only by Faith in the Righteousness of our Saviour and our Surety, does powerfully oblige us to Depart from all Iniquity: And, Then, to Acknowledge, That this and that Evil Thing, whereof we are advised, is an Iniquity, from which we do, with our very Hearts within us, Desire to Depart for ever: But with such Ac­knowledgments, we are to Protest in all Sincerity of Soul, That we ask the Grace of Heaven, to Watch against every such Abominable Thing, both in our selves, and in one another. What one Christian upon Earth would scruple to consent unto such Acknowledgments and Protes­tations? Now, if our Churches, yea, and other Societies too, would thus use the Covenant of Grace, with pertinent Applications thereof, to every New Iniquity, that they Discern arising [Page 61] among them, how gloriously might the Spir [...] of Grace, then Lift up a Standard against every Flood of Iniquity! As fast as we see any [...] gaining of ground upon us, Let us make our Evangelical Acknowledgments and our Evangeli­cal Protestations, against that Sin; These are the Sanctified Wayes in which the Almighty Spirit of Christ, will make us Conquerors, and more than Conquerors, over that Sin for ever. And shall I add this one thing more? There are many sorts of Officers among us, that are under very special Oaths, unto God, for Well-Doing; and these would surely Do well, to have Copies of their Oaths, well Explained unto them, often before their Eyes. Our Ho­nourable Counsellers are under the Oath of God▪ That they will to the best of their Judgment at all Times freely give their Advice. Our Worship­ful Justices are under the Oath of God, That they will Dispense Justice equally and impartially in all cases, and for no cause forbear truly to do their Office. Our Grand Jury-men are Sworn by the Ever living God, That they will diligent­ly Enquire, and true Presentment make, of all things given them in Charge; and present no man for Envy, Hatred, or Malice, nor leave any man unpresented, for Love, Fear, Favour and Affection, or Hope of Reward. Our Constables are Sworn by the Ever-living God, That in all that the Law has made part of their Office, they will deal [Page 62] [...] and faithfully, whilst they are in Office, [...]hout any sinister Respects of Favour or Displea­ [...]e. And are not our Tithing-men, under an Oath of the like Importance: Yea, I suppose, there is hardly a Clerk of a Company, but he is under the Bonds of a Dreadful Oath, to Discharge his Duty faithfully. Now, This one thing would exceedingly contribute unto the Reformation of the Land▪ That men often Read and Think, what they are Sworn to Do: For this would put the Good men, upon more usual Thoughts in themselves, What Good they may do in their several Places for other men? It is mentioned, as a Commendable property, in a Citizen of Zion, Psal. 15.4. He sweareth to his own Hurt, and Changeth not. It may be rendred, He Sweareth to an Ill man, and Changeth not. If he have made a Lawful Promise, though it be to a Wicked man, a Pagan, an Enemy, he will not reckon that the Wicked unworthiness of the man, will Release him from his Promise. But, Syrs, You that are Sworn to a Good God, and Sworn to a Good King, & Sworn to a Good Work, & Sworn, for the Service of a Good People; how much ought you to Study, that you may be the Genuine Citizens of Zion, for your Fidelity! The Land will mourn, because of Swearing, if men ordinarily, Lift up their Hands to the Eternal God, in Oaths to Deal faithfully and honestly, but Swear indeed Hand over Head, without any [Page 63] After-care to observe their Oathes: As on the other Hand, For men to Fear an Oath, is one way to keep clear of many Fearful Sins & Evils. Beho [...] the Reformation, that is to be laboured for.

But then, Lastly, to put an Edge upon these Things; That we may be in Earnest about the Necessary Reformation, Let us consider the loud calls of Heaven, that most earnestly bespeak it of us. The Necessity of Reformation, is a Thing that ha's been long and oft Preach'd unto us, ever since that the Judgments of God, began to make us more generally miserable; but the Judgments of God, are going on still to further and further Degrees of misery upon us, while the Cares of a Necessary Reformation, continue fast asleep in our Souls. We do one year after a­nother feel the formidable Executions, of those Threatnings, in Lev. 26 23. If ye will not be Re­formed by me, through these things, but will walk contrary unto me, Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and I will Punish you yet Seven Times for your Sins. Our most Intolerable Indisposition, to do any Significant Thing, towards our Ne­cessary Reformation, ha's been already Revenged, with Sore Plagues, and of long Continuance; Yea, The Lord ha's made our Plagues Wonderful, for this our Obdurate & Obstinate Impaenitency. Wherefore, As they cryed unto Pharaoh, Let the men go; knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed? [Page 64] Even such a cry must I this Day awaken you withal; Know you not, that New-England, is very near destroy'd, by the Sins that have been Harboured among us? Oh! Let them Go! Let them Go! Lest we perish in them. Christians, Let us take Warning. There have been many Thousands, I say, many Thousands, of Churches in Europe, not much less famous for the Protestant Religion, than that little Handful & Hundred of Churches, whereof this Country is composed; Every one of which, have been made an utter Desolation, within these few years; even since the Time that so Young a Man as I am, came into the World. And, is not the Fate of those Chur­ches, a Solemn Warning to us, in these Ends of the World? I say again, Let us take the Warn­ing, and, Repent, Lest we likewise Perish. Don't you see, the Tokens of the Divine Wrath against us, arise apace towards an horrible Extremity? O Lord, They who dwell in these uttermost parts, are afraid at thy Tokens! I'l say only these Two Things. One thing is this; If there be not an Extraordinary Appearance of God, from Heaven, to give a check unto a Great Leviathan, who is at this Day Troubling all the European Waters, New-England will be soon overwhelmed in De­solation. Another thing is this; If we should have such a Summer this year, as we had the last, for the Unseasonable Weather, which, alas, hitherto does hold, upon the Fruits of the Earth, [Page 65] the Desolation of New-England will be more horrid, than any Tongue, ha's hitherto Expres­sed, or Heart Conceived. On every side of us then, we have that cry Roaring in our Ears, Reformation, or Desolation! Reformation, or Deso­lation! Oh! Tis High Time to Awake out of our Sleep, and to do some Signal Thing for the Re­formation of our Land. Consider, O our Zerub­babels, O our Joshua's, and O all ye People of the Land: Necessity is laid upon us, and W [...] unto us if we Do it not.

And now, if these calls of Heaven, are, by your Tears, and by your Prayers, and by your Cares, duely complied withal, there is a twofold Benediction, from our Lord Jesus Christ, our High-Priest, who went away from hence to Heaven, Blessing of us, that I do from the Word of His, now before us, Conclude withal.

I. You shall have Samuels to be Judges over you. How vast was the Felicity of Israel, when a Samuel, who formerly had been a most faithful Preacher, by whom they were al­wayes advised of their True Interest, now be­came a Ruler, who so acquitted himself in his Government over them, that when he came to put off his Government, he could make that Appeal to all the World, Behold, Here I am; Witness against me before the Lord; whom have I defrauded! whom have I oppressed? or of [Page 66] whose Hand have I Received any Bribe, to blind mine Eyes withal? Many such a Samuel will thy God give unto thee, O New England, if thou thus Turn unto Him. It was a Senti­ment, for which we have the Authority, of the greatest persons, both among the Ancients and among the Moderns, who count that they have also for it, the greatest Authority of the Sacred Scriptures themselves That every Province is under the special care of some Angel, by a singu­lar Deputation of Heaven assigned thereunto. But besides that Invisible Gua [...]dian, our God, upon our Turn to Him, will give us a GOVER­NOUR, that shall be like a Guardian Angel unto us, Employing his whole Strength to Guard us from all Disasters. Although we are Invested with a Royal Charter, which leaves not any Governour capable to Enact one Law, or Levy one Tax, or Constitute one Counsellor, or one Judge, or one Justice, or one Sheriff, without such a Negative of the People upon him, as the People are not in the other Ameri­can Plantations, no, nor in Ireland, no, nor in England it self, priviledged withal; Neverthe­less, we shall have cause to Receive a Governour that like a Nehemiah, shall Seek our Welfare, with all Thankfulness to God, and the King, as a very Rich Blessing from Heaven unto us. We have Already, and Hitherto, Enjoy'd that Blessing, above any people at this Day under [Page 67] the whole Expanse of Heaven; and, if our God be not Angry with us, we shall with such a Blessing still be, A People Saved of the Lord. Our God will▪ send us a Governour, who will cast a Favourable, and a Fatherly As­pect, upon all that is valuable to us; a Gover­nour, who shall have the brave Motto of the Emperour Hadrian Engraved upon his Heart, Not for my self, but for my People. And with such a Governour, He will give us, Our Judges as at the First, and our Counsellers as at the Be­ginning.

II. God will Thunder with a great Thunder upon your Philistian Adversaries, and glorious­ly Discomfit them. The Lord had promis'd unto His People, that if they would Go up du­ly to Worship Him, at His Tabernacle, He would keep off the Invasion of their Adversaries; [...] now when they were together at Mizpeh, He fulfilled that Promise, by a strange Discomfi­ture of the Invading Philistines. New England never was without its Adversaries; but at this Day, we are more Eminently under the Ala­rum, The Philistines are upon thee, O Land much Maligned! Now, by o [...]r Conforming our selves unto the Will of God, we shall get Him on our side; The Almighty would then soon scatter our Enemies with His Hot Thunder-bolts, and Thunder them into Ruine for ever And that Sentence which the Emperour Max­imilian [Page 68] wrote upon his Table, we shall see writ­ten on all our Houses, and all our Vessels, and all our Fields, If God be for us, who can be against us? By comparing of certain passages in the Bible, not commonly observed or understood, it appears, that there was a General Circumcision of the Israelites in Goshen; & at that very Time, God sent the Three Dayes Darkness upon the Egyptians; God sent Three Dayes of Darkness and Horror upon the Egyptian Adversaries, that they might then be Able to Do Nothing against His People, who Rebelled not against His Word. Oh! might there be a General Obedience of New-England unto the Lord Jesus Christ, that Lord of Heaven would soon Darken our Ad­versaries, with His Plagues upon them. Hear, O New-England, Hear thy Lord, saying over thee, O that my people would Hearken to me; I would then soon Turn my Hand upon their Adver­saries; but their own Time should Remain for ever and ever.