The MORNING SERMON. AMOS iii. 1—6. Hear this Word that the Lord hath ſpoken againſt you, O Children of Iſrael, againſt the whole Family which I brought up from the Land of Egypt, ſaying, You only have I known of all the Families of the Earth; therefore I will puniſh you for all your Iniquities. Can two walk together, except they be agreed? Will a Lion roar in the Foreſt, when he hath no Prey? Will a young Lion cry out of his Den, if he have taken nothing? Can a Bird fall in a Snare upon the Earth, where no Gin is for him? Shall one take up a Snare from the Earth, and have taken nothing at all? Shall a Trumpet be blown in the City, and the People not be afraid? Shall there be Evil in a City, and the Lord hath not done it?

IF my late Journey deprived me of Leiſure to make proper Preparations for your Entertainment To-day; I muſt own, it has helped me not a little, in furniſhing me with Materials adapted to this melancholy Seaſon. I have ſeen the Staff of Life juſt broken in moſt Places; in a Tour of about an hundred Miles Thro' the Counties of Hanover, Goochland, Albemarle, &c. The Fields which were wont to look green and flouriſhing with our Staple Commodity Tobacco., on which our Trade ſo entirely depends, I have ſeen prepared with Labour and Pain, but unplanted, or the Plants parched and fading, I have ſeen the Fields, that in former Seaſons promiſed abundant Support for Man and Beaſt, and were rich in ſtately, blooming Corn, now withering, and hardly promiſing a few ſapleſs Leaves for our Cattle, and a few huſky Ears for ourſelves. I have ſeen the Planter, that was once ſurrounded with Affluence, pointing to his empty withering Fields, and ready to ſmite upon his Breaſt, and ſay, "Alaſs! what ſhall I do for Corn to ſupport my Family next Year? I would juſt now ſell ſome of my Slaves, or any Thing in my Poſſeſſion, and that at an Under-Rate, to purchaſe a ſure Supply, if I knew where to get it." This Scarcity is the more threatning, as Pennſylvania, the Granary of America, has alſo ſuffered ſeverely by the Drought. And as the numerous Britiſh Iſlands in the Weſt-Indies depend upon that Province for a Supply of Wheat, and upon us for Corn; they will alſo have a deep Share with the Colonies on the Continent in the Effects of this unfruitful Seaſon. Indeed there are but few Parts of his Majeſty's Dominions, but will be ſenſibly affected by it, more or leſs. It ſeems to be a wide-extended circulating Diſtreſs; and we ſhould feel it as ſuch.

There is alſo a general Complaint of the Stagnation of Trade, the Scarcity of Money, the Weight of the various Taxes, the high Price of Goods, and the low Price of your Staple Commodities: And ſome poor Families are already in the very Jaws of Famine, and the Children crying for Bread, and there is juſt none for them. What oppreſſive, complicated Calamities are theſe? Your own Circumſtances will teach you Sympathy in this Caſe; or if any of you are ſo happy as to be free from ſome of them, you have your Share in others of them; and this muſt affect you with Concern for yourſelves, and Compaſſion for others, on whom the whole Burden may fall with greater Oppreſſion.

Were theſe Calamities ſingle and alone, we could not but feel and lament each of them. But when they are complicated and united, they are heavy indeed; and this is the melancholy Caſe of moſt Parts of this Colony.—But Oh VIRGINIA! Oh my Country! even this Complication of Afflictions is not all thy Burden. Beſides all this, we hear the Sound of the Trumpet, and ſee Garments rolled in Blood. We have received the melancholy Confirmation of the News we were ſo unwilling to believe, concerning the Fate of a great Part of our Army. Our brave General is no more; near fifty of our beſt Officers, and near ſix hundred of our Men, are killed or wounded; an Army of one thouſand three hundred Men routed; and all this, (Oh indignant Mortification!) all this by four or five hundred undiſciplined, cowardly, inſidious Savages. Who can ſo much as in Thought, take a Survey of the bloody Field, without all the tender and mournful Paſſions working within him? How are the mighty fallen, and the Weapons of War periſhed! Ye Banks of Monongahala, upon you let there be no Dew, neither let there be Rain upon you, nor Fields of Offerings: For there the the Shield of the Mighty is vilely caſt away 2 Sam. i. 21, 27.. See there the mighty Dead rolling in their own Blood! ſome of them ſcalped by mercileſs Indians, left without the Honors of Burial in a howling Wilderneſs, to be devoured by the Fowls of Heaven, and Beaſts of Prey! See the wounded writhing with Pain, ſurrounded with all the Terrors of Death, and groaning out their Life, in Amazement and Conſternation; many dying of Wounds not mortal, if proper Care could have been taken of them! while the Remnant that eſcape, ſhift for themſelves, and fly in the wildeſt Horror, thro' a barren Wilderneſs, without the Supports of Life! Who can realize ſuch a Scene, without ſharing in the Sufferings of theſe unhappy Men; eſpecially if we conſider, they ſuffer for our Sake, i. e. for our own Defence; and whether we may not alſo add, they ſuffer for our Sins, we ſhall enquire preſently. To complete our Loſs, our fine Artillery, Baggage, Horſes, Wheel-Carriages, are deſtroyed, or fallen into the Hands of our Enemies, to ſtrengthen and enrich them, and to weaken and impoveriſh us, The New-England Men indeed are puſhing their Conqueſts wherever they turn, under the Smiles of Heaven, to which they look, and in which they truſt; and this we ſhould acknowledge with Gratitude, as a ſingular Bluffing, and greatly tending to the Advantage of the Britiſh Colonies in general; but in another View, methinks it makes us more ſenſible of our peculiar Misfortunes and Mortification in this Colony; as tho' we were ſingled out to Deſtruction, and nothing could proſper in which we are concerned And perhaps the Routing of the French in their Northern Settlements may cauſe them to over-run this Colony, in Order to make Repriſals, and ſet them on fighting from a ſtronger Principle than Ambition, viz. a Care to provide a Place for themſelves to go to.

But even this is not all. I have the melancholy News to communicate to you, that ſundry Families in our frontier Counties have been murdered by the barbarous Indians. They were aſleep in their Beds of Reſt, without dreaming of Danger; and the firſt Thing that awakened them was the deadly Blow of the bloody Ax, or the dying Shrieks of a murdered Father, a Wife, or a Child. Some of them were carried Captive, and afterwards found in the Woods, mangled and half-rotten, with all the Marks of Barbarity and leiſurely Torture upon them; ſcalped or beheaded; their Women ripp'd up, and left in a Poſture too monſtrous to be expreſſed, and even their Blood drank Theſe are the Words of a Letter from a Gentleman in Au •••• 〈◊〉 , who was a Witneſs of theſe Scenes of unnatural Barbarity.. I alſo converſed with an Expreſs from Auguſta, two or three Days ago, who told me, that a great Number of poor Families, that were juſt beginning the World in the Wilderneſs, and had made flouriſhing Plantations there, were driven from their Houſes by the Terror of theſe Barbarians, and had fled for Safety, in the wildeſt Conſternation, over a long and tedious Tract of Rocks and Mountains, near two hundred Miles, into the more thickly inhabited Parts of the Country. There they now are, Men, Women and Children, without any Covering but the inclement Sky, expoſed to the Dews of the Night, and the ſcorching Heat of the Day, without Bread, except what the Charity of others affords them. For they were obliged to leave their plentiful Harveſts behind them unreaped; and they could carry with them but little of their Houſhold Furniture, their Stock, or any of their Poſſeſſions: They were glad they could 'get their own Lives for a Prey. As for thoſe Families that live in the populous Parts of that County, they are obliged to gather together into Forts, where the Women and Children continue in Crowds Night and Day; and the Men by Day venture out, tho' in conſtant Fear of their Lives, to look after their Farms, and make a little Proviſion for their subſiſtence; and as the Drought there is very ſevere, it muſt be a ſcanty Proviſion indeed. In theſe Forts, which are very numerous in various Parts, they now meet to worſhip God: And they dare not go up to the Sanctuary, without carrying their Arms along with them; and they are always in trembling Expectation to be ſurprized by the Enemy.

Our happy Situation, about the Center of the Colony, has kept us hitherto in Peace and Safety. But it may not be always ſo with us: The Inroads of the Enemy may reach even to us. Or if we ſhould be diſturbed only by diſtant Alarms; yet theſe unhappy Creatures are proper Objects of our Compaſſion, and of our Interceſſion before God. They are our Brethren, Fellow-Chriſtians, and Members of the ſame Body politic with us: And it is in the Body politic, as in the natural Body; when one Member ſuffers, all the Members ſuffer with it. To all this I may add, the poor State of our Militia, which has hitherto been a mere Farce. —The Scarcity of Arms and Ammunition in the Country.—The ſtupid Careleſſneſs, or ſneaking Cowardice, of not a few of our Inhabitants,—and the Danger of Inſurrection and Maſſacre from ſome of our own gloomy Domeſtics. And theſe are very alarming Circumſtances, that may juſtly excite our Fears; though they are not deſperate; nor ſhould they cauſe us to deſpond, and give up ourſelves for loſt.

I know I ſhould mingle a great deal of chearful Light with theſe gloomy Shades, to form an exact Picture of the preſent State of our Country. Notwithſtanding all theſe Calamities, we ſtill enjoy a rich Variety of Bleſſings. Though God is riſen up to puniſh us, yet he does not puniſh us as our Iniquities deſerve; nor ſtrip us of every Comfort. As yet, we enjoy Food and Raiment; and the Scarcity of one Part of the Country, is rendered more tolerable by the Proſpect of Plenty in other Parts, which have been refreſhed with Rain from Heaven: And even this threatning and melancholy Year, may yet compare with the moſt fruitful and happy Years of ſome populous Countries on our Globe. Our Northern Forces have more than made Repriſals for our Loſs; and the Succeſs of our Fleet, under Admiral Boſcawen, has given a conſiderable Blow to the Power of France by Sea. Our Inhabitants are numerous, and ſome of them reſolute, and capable of making a good Defence; and a conſiderable Part of our Forces have ſurvived the fatal Ninth of July, in which ſo many of them were ſlaughtered. Theſe and ſundry other Things have an encouraging Appearance; and we cannot overlook them without Ingratitude, and exceſſive Deſpondence. But notwithſtanding theſe favorable Circumſtances, and notwithſtanding ſuch future Turns of Providence as may make for us, it is beyond all Doubt, this will be the moſt melancholy and calamitous Year that Virginia has ever ſeen; and he is a ſtupid Creature indeed, that can flatter himſelf with better Hopes. To ſuch, if there be ſuch among you, I may addreſs the Words of Jeremiah 〈◊〉 v. 12., They have belied the Lord, and ſaid, It is not He, neither ſhall Evil come upon us, neither ſhall we ſee Sword or Famine. And over ſuch I may take up the Complaint of the Prophet Iſaiah Iſaiah xxvi. 11. 'Lord when thy Hand is lifted up, they will not ſee,' nor labour to eſcape the falling Blow: 'But they ſhall ſee,' to their Coſt, 'and be aſhamed' of their fooliſh Preſumption. But I hope you are generally alarmed, and would willingly improve ſuch afflictive Diſpenſations to the beſt Purpoſes; to which I hope to lead you in the Expoſition of the Words I have read to you.

It would certainly be an Inſtance of the greateſt Stupidity, to groan under theſe Calamities, without carrying our Enquiries ſo far as.—Who is the proper original Author of them?—What is the Reaſon that God hath withheld ſo many of his uſual Bleſ ••••• from us, and afflicted us with ſo many Diſtreſſes; and that notwithſtanding our paſt Deliverances, and the many Privileges with which he has been pleaſed to diſtinguiſh us?—How long ſhall theſe Judgments be continued? and what is the readieſt Way to eſcape them? Theſe are very proper Enquiries in the preſent Situation of our Country; and to each of theſe my Text will furniſh us with an Anſwer; as I ſhall ſhew you, when I have hinted a Word or two concerning the original Occaſion of this Prophecy.

The Prophet Amos was ſent to the Iſraelites, towards the latter End of their Kingdom, to warn them of the ſore Judgments of Famine, War, and Captivity, which were juſt coming upon them, for their long Courſe of ſinning from Generation to Generation. It was to theſe Iſraelites that the Words of my Text were primarily directed; and they are equally ſuitable to us in our preſent Circumſtances, which are ſo like to theirs.

Let us now enquire.

I. Who is the proper original Author or Inflictor of the Calamities under which our Country groans? Is our Country under no Influence or Power, but what is viſible? Are all our Affairs under the Management of Chance or Fortune? Or is this World the abſolute, independent Kingdom of Men, without any Subordination to a ſuperior Power? Or do natural Cauſes operate, and accompliſh Events of themſelves, without any Dependence upon the great Creator? Alaſs! do we lie at the Mercy of blind Cauſes, or of the ſtrongeſt Arm, or the moſt politic Head? Are we to look no higher than the Clouds, for the Cauſe of Drought? And are we to trace the Origin of the Defeat of our Army, no farther than the Power or Stratagems of the French or Indians? If this be Caſe, what a miſerable World is this? what a State of Anarchy and Confuſion? Then we have nothing to truſt to, but the Arm of Fleſh; we are cut off from the Relief of Prayer to an allruling God; we are caſt off from the Rock of Confidence in his all-governing Providence: For why ſhould we pray to, or truſt in, one, that does not concern himſelf in our Affairs? But is this really the Caſe? Is the World left thus without a ſupreme univerſal Head? Every pious Heart muſt anſwer, "I hope not; or I am undone." And I can aſſure you, your Hope is well grounded. The Lord reigneth; let the Earth be glad Pſ. xcvii. 1.. He hath prepared his Throne in the Heavens; and his Kingdom ruleth over all & ciii. 19.. He doth according to his Will in the Armies of Heaven, and among the Inhabitants of the Earth, None can ſtay his Hand, or ſay unto him, what doſt thou Iſa. xiv. 7.? Our Country in particular is a little Territory of his Dominion; and the Calamities we now feel, are the Chaſtiſements, or the Judgments, of his fatherly, or vindictive, Hand. Is there Evil in a City, or in a Country, and the Lord hath not done it? No; he himſelf hath told us, I form the Light, and create Darkneſs; I make Peace, and create Evil: I the Lord do all theſe Things Dan. iv. 30.. See now that I am He, even I am He; and there is no God with me. I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal; neither is there any that can deliver out of my Hand Deut. xxxii. 29..

It is indeed but ſeldom, that he works with his own immediate Hand, without the Inſtrumentality of ſecondary Cauſes. He has a whole Univerſe of Servants; as many Creatures, ſo many Servants; and he has Work for them all; and keeps them all buſy, to accompliſh ſome grand Deſign of his, whether they know and deſign it, or not. Men and Angels, Beaſts, Birds and Infects, the Sun and Stars, Fire and Water, Winds and Storms; in ſhort, every Creature, rational and irrational, animate and inanimate, the moſt furious and ungovernable, as well as the moſt gentle and manageable, Tyrants, and Hurricanes, as well as Gabriel or the Sun; all have their Stations aſſigned them; all are doing his Work, either of Goodneſs or Juſtice, in the grand Scheme of the Univerſe. Some of them know his Will, and delight to do it: Some of them do not know it, or do not regard it; but follow their own ſelfiſh and perverſe Will; and ſome of them are naturally incapable of all Knowledge and Deſign; but they are all equally his Servants, and by them all, he accompliſhes his Work with equal Exactneſs. Storms and Tempeſts as punctually obey his Orders, as the Angels in Heaven. It is the Character of thoſe illuſtrious Beings that, they hearken unto the Voice of his Word Pſalm ciii. 20.—21.; yet 〈◊〉 the ſame Character of the ſtormy Wind, 〈◊〉 Lord.—Fire and Hail, Snow and Vapour 〈…〉 my Wind fulfilling his Word Pſalm 〈…〉 .

There are various Cauſes of Rain and 〈◊〉 but they are all employed by him, and 〈◊〉 him. The treacherous French and 〈…〉 have routed our Army; but it was all ordered by the Providence of God, and all the Cauſes and Occaſions of it were diſpoſed by him. There is no Evil, i. e. no Calamity, in our Land, but the Lord bath done it. Secondary Cauſes indeed produce their proper Effects, and bring Events to paſs as naturally, as if they acted entirely from themſelves. But this is ſo far from diſproving the divine Agency, that it does diſplay its aſtoniſhing Wiſdom, and its Agreeableneſs to the Nature of the various Miniſters of Providence. To rule the World as really, as if he managed it with his own immediate Hand; and yet to rule it ſo agreeably to the Nature of his Creatures, as if he left them to themſelves, and did not intermeddle with it: To rule it effectually and incontroulably; and yet ſo gently and ſecretly, that his Agency is very often not perceived▪ to do his own Will, and yet let his Creatures do their own; What amazing Wiſdom is this! what a myſterious, perfect Adminiſtration! Such is the Government of the univerſal Ruler, under which we live; and we ought not to make the Excellency of it an Objection againſt its Reality.

There is not ſo much Need, I preſume, to convince your Reaſon of this Truth, as to inculcate it upon you, to make your Hearts ſenſible of it. Certainly it is no Extravagance of Faith, it is no ſuperſtitious Imagination, to believe, that God ſtill rules the World he has made, and that he has not caſt it off as a diſregarded Orphan. A Man need not be an immoderate or an over-credulous Believer, to admit this. This is one of the firſt Principles of natural Religion, as well as a fundamental Doctrine of Chriſtianity. This is the avowed Belief of our Country; and ſure, there is not one among you, that dare ſo much as ſecretly deny it.

But alaſs! what little Influence has this common Faith upon the Temper and Conduct of the Generality? How many with this Profeſſion in their Mouths, and this Perſuaſion in their Heads, are Atheiſts in Heart and Practice? Do they practically believe that God diſpoſes all Events, who do not take Notice of his Agency in them; but direct all their Attention to viſible Cauſes. Do you really believe this, who can lie down at Night, and riſe in the Morning, without commending yourſelves to his Protection, and imploring his Bleſſing? Do you believe it, who can review the numberleſs Bleſſings and Deliverances of your Life, without falling upon your Knees in affectionate Gratitude before your gracious Benefactor? Is this your Faith, you who are hardly ever ſenſible of the Providence of God in the Succeſs or Diſappointments of your Purſuits? You who can 'eat, and forget God;' you who enjoy the Bleſſing of the Sun and Rain, and the Fruits of the Earth; and yet go on thoughtleſs of your divine Benefactor, as the Cattle of your Stall, or who look upon theſe as Things of Courſe, or the Fruits of your own Induſtry; you that can behold withering Fields, and ſcanty Harveſts, without bowing the Knee to God; imploring his Mercy, and without mourning for the Sins of our guilty Land, and ſmiting your own Breaſts, ſaying, 'What have I done?' you that groan by Reaſon of Affliction, and yet do not enquire▪ Where is God my Maker, that giveth Songs in the Night Job xxxv. 10.? your that can hear of Preparations for War, and truſt in the Number or Accompliſhments of our Army for Succeſs, without humbly looking up to the Lord of Armies; you that murmur and fret at Diſappointments and Afflictions, as tho' you would form an Inſurrection againſt the King of Heaven as a Tyrant, inſtead of humbling yourſelves under his righteous Hand as mourning Penitents; you that utterly deſpond at the Proſpect of Famine, and the Rumour of War, Invaſion and Blood, as tho' Jehovah had abdicated his Throne, and renounced the Government of the World, and you had no God to fly to; you that can ſee his threatning Hand, and yet laugh at the falling Blow, as tho' he were not in Earneſt, or you could eaſily eſcape it; you that live in the World, as tho' it were not a Territory of his Government; you that make natural Cauſes your God, by aſcribing all Events to them.—Do you practically and really believe that God is the Ruler of the World, and of your Country and your Affairs in Particular? Do you believe this, while your Conduct and Temper are ſo contrary to it? No; you are practical Atheiſts, greater Monſters than ſpeculative Atheiſts. Whatever you profeſs in Words, you do in Heart and Life renounce and abjure Jehovah from being the Governor of the World; you virtually ſay he is not the Ruler of your Country: Your Country is invaded, or protected, by an Arm of Fleſh; and God has nothing to do with it; your Plenty of Famine depends upon Clouds and Earth, without a God to manage them. Oh! how many Hearts in our Land mutter their Treaſon againſt the King of Heaven? On how many Practices this Blaſphemy inſcribed in legible Characters? How is our Country over-run with this Kind of Atheiſm? How many Fools are there that ſay in their Hearts, there is no God Job xxii. 13, 14.? Their Language is, How doth God know? Can he judge thro' the thick Cloud? He walketh at Eaſe in the Circuit of Heaven Pſal. xiv. 1.. And is it not Time for God to ariſe, and aſſert his Government? Since gentler Meaſures will not do, is it not Time for him to make us ſenſible of it, by terrible Things in Righteouſneſs? May he not conſtrain us to look to him for Help, by leaving us nothing elſe to look to? O my Country! it will never be well with thee, 'til thou know that the moſt high ruleth in the Kingdoms of Men, and giveth them to whomſoever he will Dan. iv. 17.. Acknowledge him thy Lord and King: Receive Bleſſings as from his Hand: Submit to Calamities as from his Rod: Do this, and it ſhall be well with thee, and with thy Children. To teach thee this, O Virginia, thy Land is now languiſhing with Drought, and alarmed with the Terrors of War. Therefore learn this Leſſon, left other Nations learn it from thy Deſtruction. Can Jehovah always bear to be diſowned in his own Dominions; or ſuffer Diſloyalty and Rebellion to paſs unpuniſhed, under an empty complimental Profeſſion of Allegiance? No, he will extort from his Enemies that Confeſſion, 'Verily there is a God that judgeth in the Earth Pſal. lviii. 11..' Therefore be ye afraid of the Sword; for Wrath bringeth the Puniſhment of the Sword, That ye may know there is a Judgment Job xix. 29..

Let us now proceed to the IId Enquiry:

What is the Reaſon that God has withheld ſo many of his uſual Bleſſings from us? why has he not bleſs'd us, as formerly, with Peace and Plenty? why is he not with us, and why does he not give us the comfortable Tokens of his gracious Preſence? Alaſs! my Brethren, the melancholy Reaſon is too plain, we are not agreed with him, nor he with us: A great Difference ſubſiſts between us and our God; and if it continue, we muſt part; we muſt part forever; for can two walk together except they be agreed? Can a holy, juſt and jealous God maintain a friendly Intercourſe with a ſinful, impenitent People? No, Sirs; they muſt part; and Wo unto them if the depart from them Hoſ. ix. 12.. There is a Controverſy that ſubſiſts between God and Virginia, a Controverſy not about Trifles, but about the Prerogatives of his Crown, and the Rights of his Government; a Controverſy which ſhall be obeyed, whether his holy and righteous Will, or the perverſe Will and wicked Luſts and Paſſions of Men; whether he or his Creatures ſhould be moſt loved and regarded; whether Holineſs be the only Way to Happineſs, and whether his Son Jeſus, whom he has ſent into the World, and made known in our Country, ſhall be owned and loved as a Saviour and Lord. He inſiſts upon it, that the Concerns of Eternity are of infinitely greater Importance than thoſe of Time; but many of the Inhabitants of our Land are of another Mind: They purſue the Riches, the Honor, the Pleaſures of this World, as their great Concern, and take but very little Thought or Pains about their everlaſting State. Let God be diſobeyed, let Chriſt be neglected, let Heaven be loſt, let their Souls be damned, They care not; they will have their Pleaſures; they will drink, and game, and ſwear, and whore: they will purſue the World with Eagerneſs and Avarice. God inſiſts upon it, that if a People profeſſing his Name, would enjoy his favourable Preſence with them, they muſt abandon their national Vices, and turn to him: Our Countrymen differ from him in this; they expect the Bleſſings of his Providence, and yet go on impenitently in their Sins. He aſſures them that Sin will deſtroy them at laſt: They will not believe him, but hope for Happineſs, tho' they indulge themſelves in it. He recommends Holineſs of Heart and Life, as abſolutely neceſſary to everlaſting Happineſs; and as the moſt pleaſant and delightful Courſe: They count it a needleſs or a moping, dull, melancholy Thing, and hope to be ſaved without it. He has pronounced Jeſus the only Saviour; but they are not ſolicitous about an Intereſt in him, nor thoro'ly ſenſible of their Need of him; but flatter themſelves their own Works will go a great Way towards their Salvation. They alſo differ widely in Diſpoſition and Temper. He loves Holineſs; they loath it. He hates all Sin, in its moſt alluring Forms; they delight in it, and will indulge it. Thus it has been for a long Time: We 'have walked contrary to God.' He has waited a long Time to ſee if we would make up the Difference; but Men inſiſt they are right, or at beſt put him off with a Purpoſe to repent in ſome uncertain Hereafter, which he foreſees they will never arrive at, or never improve. He would have them view the preſent Poſture of their Affairs in a religious Light, and humble themſelves before him: He has commiſſioned the Drought and the Sword as his Miniſters to preach Repentance to them; but few of them repent of their Wickedneſs, ſaying, What have I done? every one turneth to his Courſe, as the Horſe ruſheth into the Battle Jer. viii. 6.. The Lord of Hoſts calls them to weeping and mourning, and girding with Sackcloth; but inſtead of this, behold Joy, and Gladneſs, ſlaying Oxen, and killing Sheep, eating Fleſh and drinking Wine. as tho' they acted upon that Epicurean Maxim, Let us eat and drink, for To-morrow we ſhall die Iſai. xxii. 12, •• What a wide Difference is here? And can a righteous God walk in Friendſhip with thee, O Virginia, while this Diſagreement continues? No, he muſt walk contrary to thee; his Soul muſt depart from thee, and he will leave thee to thyſelf, or give thee up to thine Enemies, that thou mayſt feel and lament his Abſence, and ſue for Peace. Therefore 'agree with thine Adverſury quickly,' leſt he bid thee adieu forever. Down upon thy Knees before him; conſent to his Propoſals; labour to be holy as he is holy; labour to imbibe his Spirit, and contract the ſame Temper: Be inſtructed, O Virginia, leſt his Soul depart from thee Jer. vi. 8., and with him Peace and Plenty take their Flight. Be reconciled to him; give up the Cauſe, and ſtand out againſt him no longer; ſo will he yet return, and walk in thee, and dwell among thy Inhabitants, as his Sons and Daughters.

But why has he inflicted upon our Country ſuch Calamities? We have ſeen he is the Author of them, and that there is no Evil in our Land, but the Lord hath done it. And why hath he done it? Has he made the Heavens as Braſs over the Heads, and the Earth as Iron under the Feet, of an innocent People? Has he defeated an Army that was to defend a righteous Country? Has he done all this without Cauſe? No; Will a Lion roar in the Foreſt when he hath no Prey? Will he collect his Rage, and ſpring out of his Thicket with a hideous Roar, when he ſees nothing that is a fit Prey for him? No; he will not fly at a Rock or a Tree, but at ſome Animal which Inſtinct teaches him to devour. Will a young Lion cry out of his Den, if he have taken nothing? No; but when he has got his Prey in his deadly Paw, he roars over it, and tears it to Pieces. And would the righteous Judge of all the Earth roar againſt us, in his Judgments, if we were not a fit Prey for his Vengeance? would he blaſt the Fruits of the Earth, and roar againſt us in the horrid Sound of War, if our Sins had not made us fit to be devoured by his righteous Judgments? No; Innocence may always be ſure of Protection under his Government; and penitent Sinners may hope for his Mercy; but impenitent Sinners he will puniſh in the World to come for their perſonal Sins; and impenitent Nations he will viſit with his righteous Judgments, for their national Sins, in this World: I ſay, in this World; for it is only in this World that they ſubſiſt in a national Capacity; and conſequently, this is the only Place in which they can be puniſhed in that Capacity. The Lord's Voice therefore cries to our Country; and what does it cry? It proclaims us a guilty, impenitent People; a fit Prey for divine Juſtice: And it is high Time for God to come out againſt us as a roaring Lion. This dreadful Style is often uſed by the Prophets, when they deſcribe the Judgments of an angry God, againſt a guilty People; and we may tremble, leſt it be verified in our Country. I will be unto Ephraim as a Lion, and as a young Lion, to the Houſe of Judah: I, even I will tear, and go away: I will take away, and none ſhall reſcue him Hoſea v 14.. To a People that had abuſed his Mercies, and ungratefully forgotten him, as we have done, this is the terrible Language of a provoked God, I will be unto them, as a Lion, as a Leopard by the Way will I obſerve them, I will meet them as a Bear that is bereaved of her Whelps, and will rent the Caul of their Hearts, and I will devour them like a Lion Hoſea xiii. 7, 8..

There is another Metaphor uſed in my Text, to expreſs the ſame alarming Truth. Can a Bird fall in a Snare upon the Earth, where no Gin is for him? Can it be enſnared and taken, where no Snare is laid for it? No, and can a People fall under Calamities, when God has not ſpread the Net of his Judgments to take them? Or would a righteous God ſeize them with his Judgments, if they had not deſerved it by their Sins? No; it is Sin that laid the Snare in which we are fallen: It is Sin that has ſhut the Heavens, and reſtrained the Clouds from dropping down Fatneſs on the parched Earth: It is Sin that way-laid our Army, and cut them off: It is the Sin of the Country for which they fought, rather than their own: For we are to conſider Soldiers, not as acting for themſelves, but for their Country; and they ſtand or fall, according to the Deſigns of God towards that Country, without any Regard to their perſonal Character. If God has a gracious Deſign towards a People, he will make their Arms victorious, and defend them againſt their Enemies, however wicked the Men may be whom they employ as Soldiers. But if the Iniquities of a People are full, and he intends to ſcourge them, then he will defeat even an Army of Saints, and determine the Event of War againſt them. And was it the Sins of our Land that cut off our brave General, and ſo many of our choice Men? Alaſs! what a ſhocking Addition is this to our Grief for their Loſs? This ſeems to indite us as guilty of their Blood. O VIRGINIA! what a Miſchief have thy Sins done? God would not thus afflict a righteous or a penitent People: The Juſtice of his Government is as obvious a Truth, as any Principle of natural or revealed Religion: And the Judgments of God upon a Land are infallible Evidences of general Guilt and Impenitence.

'Your Sins,' O my Countrymen, have withholden good Things from you Jeremiah v. 25.. Have you not procured theſe Judgments to yourſelves, in that you have forſaken the Lord your God? It is your own Wickedneſs that now corrects you, and your own Backſlidings reprove you. Know therefore and ſee, that it is an evil Thing and bitter, that you have forſaken the Lord your God, and that his Fear is not in you Jeremiah ii. 17, 19.. O that my People had hearkened to the Voice of God, and walked in his Ways! Then he would ſoon have ſubdued their Enemies, and fed them alſowith the fineſt of the Wheat Pſalm. lxxxi. 13, 16. But alas! they have rebelled and vexed his holy Spirit; they have deſpiſed his Chaſtiſements, and abuſed his Mercies, therefore he has turned to be their Enemy, and fought againſt them. Iſaiah lxiii. 10.

But where do thoſe Enemies of our Country lurk? Where ſhall we find thoſe Sins that have brought theſe Judgments upon our Land? Alaſs! we can eaſily find them, without a critical Search. Some of them brave the Skies with an undaunted Brow, and do not ſeek to lie concealed. We meet gigantic Forms of Vice, wherever we turn. How is our Land polluted with Drunkenneſs, Swearing, Lying, Defrauding, Whoredom, Sabbath-breaking, and all the horrid Kinds of Profaneneſs and daring Impiety? What Irreverence of God? what Contempt or Neglect of Religion and public Worſhip? what Profanation of divine Ordinances? What Swarms of prayerleſs Families all over our Land? What a general Neglect of the Souls of the poor Negroes, and in ſome Inſtances, what Barbarities towards them? What a Spirit of Trifling and Levity? What Extravagance in Gaming, and other fooliſh or criminal Diverſions, eſpecially among People of high Life, and affluent Fortunes? What an idle Waſte, what a wanton Abuſe, of the Bleſſings of Providence? What a ſtupid Diſregard of divine Threatnings and Chaſtiſements? And what a ſullen Incorrigibleneſs, or unbelieving Deſpondency, under them? God may complain of our Country, as of the Jews, In vain have I ſmitten your Children; they received no Correction Jeremiah ii. 30.. Why ſhould ye be ſtricken any more? ye will revolt more and more Iſaiah i. 5.. In ſhort, if you form an Idea of a Chriſtian from your Bible, and then take a View of the Inhabitants of our Land; if you obſerve their Conduct in their Retirements, in their Families, in public Company, or in the Worſhip of God, alaſs! how few, how very of them can you call ſincere practical Chriſtians? How are all Evidences of the Fear and Love of God loſt among the Generality? They live as if they had no Concern with him, nor he with them. Their own Intereſt, their own Luſts and Paſſions, are the Rule of their Conduct. Alaſs! what a melancholly Survey of our Country is this? My Heart pains me, while I review it, and forebodes ſome dreadful Thing coming upon us. Shall I not viſit for theſe Things, faith the Lord? ſhall not my Soul be avenged on ſuch a Nation, as this? Ah! ſinful Nation, a People loaded with Iniquity, a Seed of evil Doers, Children that are Corrupters, they have forſaken the Lord, they have provoked the holy one of Iſrael unto Anger, they are gone away backwards Iſaiah i. 4.. Therefore the Tokens of his Diſpleaſure are now upon them. And who muſt not weep for thee, O VIRGINIA! a Country happy in 〈…〉 improved by Art, and hitherto bleſſed of Heaven but now undermined and tottering by thy own Sins. Thy Sins proclaim thee obnoxious to the Judgments of God. And the Judgments of God now hanging over Thee, proclaim thy Sins and Impenitence.

But alaſs! theſe viſible and open Vices, are not the only Cauſe of God's preſent Controverſy with our Land: The original Cauſe lies deep, even in the Hearts of the Inhabitants: The moſt dangerous Enemies lurk in their Breaſts: Look there, and 'you will ſee yet greater Abominations.' What filthy Luſts, what miſchievous Paſſions harbour there? How many Hearts among us are cold or lukewarm towards God, and his Son Jeſus Chriſt, and never felt his Love ſhed abroad in them? How many are ſecretly diſaffected to Holineſs, and diſlike the Purity of his ſacred Law? How many ſecretry indulge themſelves in theſe Works of Darkneſs, which would bluſh to ſee the Sun? How many thoughtleſs, trifling, worldly Minds, that confine all their Attention to the Things of this Life, and have little or no Thought about the important Concerns of Eternity? How many impenitent, flinty Hearts, that never felt the kindly, ingenuous Relentings of Repentance for all their Sins? How many old, unregenerate Hearts, that have never been changed by the Almighty Power of God? How many that are wholly unacquainted with the various Exerciſes, the Joys and Sorrows, the Hopes and Fears that are familiar to every true Chriſtian? How many that never embraced the Lord Jeſus as a Saviour, and ſubmitted to him as their mediatorial King? On the other Hand, how few are the Hearts, in which the Graces of the Spirit are implanted and cheriſhed? how few feel the Workings of Love, Faith, Repentance towards God and Jeſus Chriſt? Alaſs! how few Hearts delight in the Service of God, and hate every falſe Way,? How few are in Earneſt in ſeeking the Kingdom of God, and his Righteouſneſs? Alaſs! my Brethren, muſt not your Hearts bleed when you think of theſe Things? Can a Country over-run with ſuch Rebels, that have ſuch diſaffected Hearts, hope always to eſcape? Shall I not viſit for theſe Things, ſaith the Lord? Shall not my Soul be avenged upon ſuch a Nation as this? Is it any Wonder that the Lion ſhould roar, when he hath found ſo fit a Prey? or that we ſhould be taken, when our Sins have laid ſuch a Gin, for us? He will execute Juſtice upon Sinners as Individuals, in the eternal World: But now is the Time for him to deal with them as a Society. And will not the thoughtleſs Creatures tremble before him, and return to him? Sinners, your Country is now bleeding and languiſhing by the Wounds you have given it; and are your Hearts proof againſt the Energy of ſuch a Thought? REPENT! O my Countrymen, REPENT! REPENT! Down upon your Knees before your injured Sovereign; bewail your Rebellion; confeſs your Guilt, and implore Forgiveneſs. If Sin is the Cauſe of your preſent Sufferings, Repentance muſt be the Cure; and you have Reaſon to hope, it will be an effectual Remedy. Yet, you muſt remember, that Faith in the Blood of Jeſus muſt be joined along with it. Your Repentance can make no Attonement for your Sin; that you can expect only in the Sacrifice of the Lamb of God, that was offered once for all. Therefore away to Jeſus, ye periſhing Creatures; accept of his Righteouſneſs, ye guilty Sinners. Look unto him, and be ſaved, O VIRGINIA, ſituated 'in the Ends of the Earth Iſaiah xlv. 22.' Let the Name of Jeſus come in Reputation in our guilty Land. But as my Voice can reach only to you, my Hearers, let me inſiſt, that whatever others do, you will not be acceſſory to the Ruin of your Country, but will repent, reform, and fly to Jeſus. And with this Advice, I ſhall diſmiſs you for a few Minutes.

An HYMN. I. WHILE o'er our guilty Land, O Lord, We view the Terrors of thy Sword; While Heav'n her fruitful Showers denies, And Nature round us fades and dies. II. While Clouds of Vengeance o'er our Head, Seem thickning, and pronounce us dead; Oh! whither ſhall the Helpleſs fly? To whom but Thee direct their Cry? III. The helpleſs Sinner's Cries and Tears, Are grown familiar to thine Ears: Oft has thy Mercy ſent Relief, When all was Fear and hopeleſs Grief. IV. On Thee, our guardian God, we call; Before thy Throne of Grace we fall: Oh! is there no Deliv'rance there? Or muſt we periſh in Deſpair? V. See we repent, we weep, we mourn; To our forſaken God we turn; O ſpare our guilty Country; ſpare Thy Church which thou haſt 〈…〉 VI. Revive our withering Fields with Rain: Let Peace compoſe our Land again: Silence the horrid Noiſe of War: O ſpare a guilty People; ſpare! VII. We plead thy Grace, indulgent God: We plead thy Son's attoning Blood; We plead thy gracious Promiſes; Nor are theſe unavailing Pleas. VIII. Theſe Pleas by Faith urg'd at thy Throne, Have brought Ten Thouſand Bleſſings down On guilty Lands in helpleſs Woe; Let them prevail to ſave us too.

The AFTERNOON SERMON. AMOS iii. 1—6. Hear this Word that the Lord hath ſpoken againſt you, O Children of Iſrael, againſt the whole Family which I brought up from the Land of Egypt, ſaying, you only have I known of all the Families of the Earth; therefore I will puniſh you for all your Iniquities.—Shall one take up a Snare from the Earth, and have taken nothing at all? Shall a Trumpet be blown in the City; and the People not be afraid?—

IN the foregoing Sermon, I left unfiniſhed an Inquiry of great Importance to us in the preſent Situation of our COUNTRY, viz. "What is the Reaſon that God hath withheld ſo many of his uſual Bleſſings from us?'—This Part of the Enquiry I have already anſwered; and I hope your Hearts are ſtill under the Impreſſions of it. If he does not walk amicably with us, it is becauſe we are not agreed: And if he afflicts us, it is becauſe we have ſinned againſt him. The Lion hath roared againſt us, becauſe he hath found us a proper Prey. But it remains for us to enquire, "Why he hath done this, notwithſtanding our paſt Bleſſings and Deliverances, and the many Privileges with which he hath been pleaſed to diſtinguiſh us?" We may gather an Anſwer to this from his Conduct towards the Iſraelites, related in the firſt and ſecond Verſes of my Text.

The Iſraelites were the Poſterity of Abraham, Iſaac, and Jacob, thoſe favourite Patriarchs, with whom God condeſcended to enter into Covenant, both for them and their Seed. They were a Family miraculouſly delivered from Aegyptian Slavery, conducted thro' an hideous Wilderneſs into a Land of Liberty and Plenty, and protected there by an immediate Providence. But their higheſt Privilege was, that God had taken them for his Church and peculiar People, favoured them with a Revelation of his Will, and a Religion from Heaven, and ſent his Prophets to them to inſtruct and admoniſh them.—But that ungrateful People forgot their Obligations to their divine Benefactor, grew weary of his Service, rebelled againſt him, and became debauched in Principles and Morals. And will it ſecure them, when thus degenerate, that they were once diſtinguiſhed with ſo many Bleſſings, and ſtill profeſſed themſelves the Church of God? Could this ſecure them againſt his Judgments? No; ſo far from it, that theſe very Circumſtances encreaſed their Guilt, and rendered their Puniſhments more certain and ſevere. You only, ſaith the Lord have I known of all the Families of the Earth: I have choſen you to be my Church and People, while I ſuffered other Nations to walk in Darkneſs, and at a Diſtance from me: And what follows from hence? Not, therefore I will grant you greater Indulgence in Sin; or, I will over-look it in you, though I might puniſh it in other Nations: but, therefore I will puniſh you for all your Iniquities: whoever eſcape, you ſhall not: tho' I ſhould bear with the Sins of others, I will not bear with yours, whom I have known and diſtinguiſhed from them.

There are many good Reaſons for this peculiar Severity towards the profeſſing People of God— He has a particular Property in ſuch; and therefore he expects particular Obedience from them.—He has a ſpecial Kindneſs for them, and laid them under peculiar Obligations of Gratitude; and conſequently their Undutifulneſs and Ingratitude muſt touch him very near. A Man is more affected with the unkind Treatment of a Friend or a Child, than a Stranger or an Enemy.—God is peculiarly related to ſuch a People; and therefore their Wickedneſs reflects more Diſhonour upon him, than that of thoſe who do not profeſs his Name.—God may alſo have Deſigns of ſpecial Grace towards ſome of them, and he may chaſtiſe them for their Amendment, and in order to deliver them from the more dreadful Puniſhments of the eternal World. A Father may correct his Child for a Fault that he would over-look in a Stranger.—Such a People have peculiar Helps and Advantages, and are under ſpecial Obllgations; and conſequently their Sin is much more aggravated, than that of Heathens, who are not in ſuch favourable Circumſtances for Religion. On all theſe Accounts it is juſt, reaſonable, and indeed neceſſary, that God ſhould puniſh with peculiar Severity the Sins of his People, on whom his Name is called; and that they ſhould not fly to his Altar for Protection, in their Rebellion againſt him.

Let us now apply theſe Things to ourſelves and our Country. God has diſtinguiſhed us with a rich Variety of Bleſſings, above moſt People in the World, and made our Country a favourite Spot of the Globe. The firſt Planters of this Colony, paſſed thro' ſurpriſing Viciſſitudes; and were more than once in Danger of being entirely cut off by their Indian Predeceſſors. But thro' the tender Guardianſhip of Providence, they ſurvived all theſe Dangers: And now, this Wilderneſs is improved into a fruitful Field; and we have enjoyed as long an uninterrupted Peace and Plenty, as perhaps any Country upon Earth. Our Colony has prodigiouſly increaſed of late Years in the Number of its Inhabitants; and in Extent of Ground, it is perhaps equal to our mother Country. It has been an happy Refuge to the Poor; who ſwarm the Streets, and crowd the Work-Houſes and Hoſpitals, in other Countries: Here they generally enjoy a very comfortable Subſiſtence by moderate Induſtry; and hardly any of them are incapable of providing for themſelves.

Theſe are great Bleſſings; but they are not the greateſt with which Heaven has diſtinguiſhed our Land. He has brought his Goſpel, as a Vine from afar, and planted it in this Wilderneſs, that was once the Reſidence of Heathen Savages and wild Beaſts. The BIBLE is, or may be, the common Bleſſing of our whole Land; and none who enjoy that Directory to everlaſting Life, have Reaſon to complain, that they are left wholly deſtitute of the Means of Salvation, We are a Chriſtian, a Proteſtant Country; and how few Parts of the World can ſay ſo? I might add what will not appear incredible to ſome of you, who have been the happy Subjects or Witneſſes of it, that God has ſent his Goſpel into ſundry Parts of our Land, and among us in particular, in its Purity, and attended with his own Almighty Power, to make it effectual to renew many depraved Hearts, and reform many vicious Lives: And wherever ſuch a Work is going on, I ſhall rejoice in it as a WORK OF GOD, whatever Name it bears: Yes, my Brethren, I ſhall rejoice to ſee Chriſtianity, pure, practical Chriſtianity, Chriſtianity free from the Encumbrance of Party-Names, flouriſh and encreaſe; and without this, it is but little Matter what Party is uppermoſt, or has the ſorry Sanction of a civil Eſtabliſhment.

With theſe important Privileges has God favored our Land, and us in particular. Thus graciouſly has he known and diſtinguiſhed us, above moſt of the Families of the Earth. But will theſe Favors indemnify an ungrateful Land, in the Abuſe of them, or warrant them to offend againſt their peculiar Benefactor? Will this neglected Bible, will this abuſed Goſpel, will theſe profaned Ordinances, ſhelter you from the Judgments of God, when your Sins cry aloud for them? Will a ſlighted Saviour deliver you? Will his profaned Name ſanctify your Crimes, and be a Mark of Protection to you? Does the Abuſe of Mercy, promiſe you farther Mercy? Does the ungrateful Forgetfulneſs of paſt Deliverances, encourage you to hope for future? Do not theſe Things, on the other Hand, give you Reaſon to fear the contrary, that becauſe he hath known you above moſt of the Nations of the Earth, therefore he will puniſh you for all your Iniquities? Our Enemies are perfidious French Papals, and ſavage Indian Heathens; they may be as bad, or worſe, than we, in all Reſpects, but this, that we ſin againſt more Light and Love, and break thro' more endearing Obligations. Yet he may juſtly uſe them as his Rod to ſcourge us, becauſe he is more nearly related to us, and more warmly reſents our Provocations, than theirs. The Babylonians were an Empire of wicked heathen Idolaters; and yet he employed them to puniſh the Jews, his peculiar People. Indeed it is very common for him to employ wicked Men in this Drudgery; hence they are called his Hand, his Sword Pſalm xvii, 13, 14., the Rod of his Anger, his Ax, his Saw Iſaiah x. 5, 15., &c. that is, the Inſtruments and Executioners of his Vengeance.

Therefore 'truſt not,' O VIRGINIA, truſt not in lying Words, ſaying, The Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord are theſe Jer. vii. 4. 1 • . Go to the Place in Shilob, where God ſet his Name at the firſt, and ſee what he has done there for the Wickedneſs of his People Iſrael ‖. Go to Jeruſalem, to Antioch, to Greece, to Rome, and ſee what powerful Empires he has demoliſhed, what flouriſhing Countries he has laid deſolate, what ſtately Cities he has buried in Ruins, and what numerous and eſtabliſhed Churches he has rooted out; and all this for their Sins; and particular for their ungrateful Abuſe of Mercies and Privileges, and above all for the Abuſe of the Goſpel. Be warned by theſe dreadful Examples, O my Country; leſt thou alſo ſhare in their Doom.

The IIId Enquiry now remains, How long, we may expect, theſe Calamities will continue on our Land? And what is the moſt promiſing Method to remove or eſcape them?

God has always ſome wiſe Deſign in all his Diſpenſations, and particularly in the inflicting of Calamities: And his Deſign in it, as far as we may venture to determine, is either to reform, or to puniſh a People. I know of no national Calamity, but what is intended for one or the other of theſe Ends; and generally, both are intended with regard to different Perſons. God may deſign to chaſten and amend ſome as a Father; and by the ſame Stroke to harden and puniſh others, who are ripe for his Judgments.

Theſe are his Deſigns towards thee, O my Country, in the preſent critical Juncture; to amend thee, or to deſtroy thee; to bring ſome of thy Inhabitants to Repentance, and to harden the incorrigible, and viſit them with his deſpiſed Vengeance. And can we hope he will remove his angry Hand from us, till he has accompliſhed his Deſign one Way or other. Shall one take up a Snare from the Earth, and have taken Nothing at all? ſays my Text. No, he will let it lie there, 'til he has caught his Prey, if poſſible. And will a wiſe God ſcatter his Judgments for no End at all? or will he remove them, before they have anſwered his End? No; they ſhall accompliſh the Thing for which he ſent them.

Here then my Country, thou art caſt into a Dilemma between Reformation and Puniſhment. Thou haſt no other Alternative, but, REPENT, and LIVE, or, CONTINUE IMPENITENT, and PERISH. I will not determine in what particular Manner and Degree God will accompliſh either of theſe Deſigns; this is only known to himſelf. And alaſs! I can give you no great Encouragement, that his gracious Deſign of Reformation is likely to be accompliſhed on the Generality. Multitudes rather ſeem hardned in Impenitence, or ſunk in Infidel Diſtreſs. They do not regard the divine Hand in the preſent Miſeries of their Country, not penitently reflect upon their Sins, as the Cauſe of them. The Proſpect of Scarcity, and the Alarm of War, only throws them into a Panic, and perhaps extorts a tranſient Prayer from them. Lord, in Trouble have they viſited thee; they poured out a Prayer when thy Chaſtening was upon them Iſaiah XXVI. 16. But alaſs! I ſee but few Evidences of their being awakened to be religious in Earneſt, and to turn to the Lord with all their Hearts. And indeed, all the Puniſhments they are capable of, will never bring them to this, without the kindly aluring Influence of divine Grace. Therefore cry earneſtly to God for this Bleſſing; which can make the Miſeries of our Land the happieſt Events that ever you ſaw. The Converſion and Salvation of Sinners, is a greater Bleſſing than Peace, or the Abundance of Corn and Wine. 〈◊〉 Oh! we cannot but hope, notwithſtanding ſome diſcouraging Appearances, that this may be a Seaſon fruitful of Converts. We humbly hope, that by this ſhall the Iniquity of Virginia be purged; and that this will be the Fruit, to take away our Sins Lam. iii. 40.. Bleſſed Fruit indeed! if withering Fields and a ravaged Country can produce this, it will more than make up our Loſs. This is a critical Time with our Country; the Minds of Men are more awake than uſual; and if God's pleaſed now to ſet in with his Grace, we may ſee 〈◊〉 extenſive Reformation in our ſinful Land. O Pray that ſuch a Seaſon may not paſs by in vain: Pray that God would now work while Men begin to grow a little thoughtful. If this Seaſon paſs by, and leave Sinners as they are, they will indeed have Reaſon to fear, that the Harveſt is paſſed, and the Summer ended, and they are not ſaved. If the Inhabitants of the World will not learn Righteouſneſs, when the Judgments of God are in the Earth, there is little Reaſon to hope they ever will Iſai, xxvii. 9..

O Sinners! now make one vigorous, united Effort to enter in at the ſtrait Gate. Now fall in earneſt to Prayer, Reading, Hearing, Meditation, Selfexamination. Search and try your Ways, and turn again unto the Lord Lam. iii. 40.. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near. Let the Wicked forſake his Way, and the Unrighteous Man his Thoughts; and let him turn to the Lord and he will have Mercy upon him; and to our God, and he will abundantly pardon Iſai. •• . 6. 7., Cleanſe your Hands, ye Sinners; purify your Hearts, ye double-minded: Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep; let your Laughter be turned into Mourning, and your Joy into Heavineſs Jam. iv, 8, 9. O VIRGINIA, waſh thy Heart from Wickedneſs, that thou mayeſt be ſaved: How long ſhall thy vain Thoughts lodge within thee Jeremiah iv. 14.? Therefore ſaith the Lord, turn ye to me with all your Heart, and with Faſting, and with Weeping, and with Mourning. Rent your Heart, and not your Garment, and turn unto the Lord your God: For oh! he is GRACIOUS and MERCIFUL; I proclaim it again with a joyful Repetition, he is GRACIOUS and MERCIFUL, ſlow to Anger, and of great Kindneſs, and repenteth him of the Evil. Thus repent and turn to the Lord; and then will the Lord be jealous for our Land, and pity his People. Yea, the Lord will anſwer and ſay, Behold, I will give you Corn, and Wine, and Cil, and ye ſhall be ſatisfied therewith; and I will drive far from you the Northern Army, that are ravaging your Country. Fear not, O Land, be glad, and rejoice: For the Lord will do great Things. Be not afraid, ye Beaſts of the Field; God takes Care even of you; and the Paſtures of the Wilderneſs will yet ſpring. He will yet give Rain moderately, the former and the latter Rain; and the Floors ſhall yet be full of Wheat. And ye ſhall eat in Plenty, and be ſatisfied, and praiſe the Name of the Lord that hath dealt wonderouſly with you Joel i • .—xviii. 26. This, my Brethern is the Way of Safety; this is the Way to prevent or remove the Judgments of God from your Country. Or, if the Reformation ſhould not be ſo general, as to deliver the Colony from them; yet ſuch of you as repent, will not loſe your Labor: you ſhall eſcape the everlaſting Puniſhment of the World to come, and be received into immortal Happineſs and Glory; and this is of more, Importance than any or all temporal Deliverances.

What Stupidity muſt it be, to refuſe to make this Improvement of the preſent Calamities under which our Country groans? Shall a Trumpet be blown in the City, and the People not be afraid? Says my Text. Shall a public Alarm be given of the Approach of the Enemy, and ſhall none be alarmed and prepare to fly, or to defend themſelves? And ſhall the Lord ſound the Trumpet of his Judgments in VIRGINIA, and the People not be afraid? Will they ſtill ſleep on in Security, and never exert themſelves to eſcape his Vengeance, or defend themſelves againſt their Enemies? What but Deſtruction, either in this World or the next, or both, can be the Conſequence of ſuch ſtupid Security, and hardened Impenitence?

Therefore Sinners, if you will not hear the Call to Repentance, you may prepare for Deſtruction. I do not mean, that an angry God will certainly cut you off by ſome temporal Judgment, tho' it is very likely to be the Doom of ſome of you, but I mean, that his Judgments that are now 〈◊〉 in the Earth, will have ſome dreadful Effect upon you. You may groan under the Burden of them; you will be hardened by them, and revolt more and more; you will be made ripe for everlaſting Deſtruction; and that ſhall ſoon ſeize and cruſh you, tho' you may eſcape the Sword of your Enemies. O Sinners, the Account againſt you is ſwelling faſt, at ſuch a Time as this; and if you are not converted now, it will highly aggravate your Sin and Ruin. The Snare ſhall not be taken up from the Earth, 'till it has taken ſomething;' and the Judgments of God ſhall not be removed, till they have anſwered his Deſign, the Deſign either of Vengeance or of Grace.

I ſhall ſhut up this Diſcourſe with an Advice or two, ſuited to the preſent Situation of our Country.

1. Put yourſelves in a Poſture of Defence. We do not certainly know the Deſigns of our Enemies, whether they intend immediately to improve the Advantages they have gained, and over-run the Country; or whether they will content themſelves for the preſent to ſecure the Acquiſitions they have made, and to ravage and plunder our Families. But we ought to provide againſt Contingencies, and prepare for the worſt. Therefore furniſh yourſelves with Arms and Ammunition, as well as their preſent Scarcity will allow. You may yet need them for your own Defence; or if the Enemy ſhould not make Inroads ſo far into the Center of the Colony, your Aſſiſtance may be neceſſary for the Protection of our poor expoſed Brethren in the remote Weſtern Counties, that are liable to their Barbarities: For it is unreaſonable that the whole Burden of defending our Frontiers ſhould lie upon them. If you have a Drop of Britiſh Blood in your Veins, if your have any Thing of the Spirit of Men, or of Chriſtians, exert yourſelves on this Occaſion. It now becomes you to be all Patriots, all Soldiers. Your Liberty, your Property, your Religion, your Lifes, your All, are at Stake: Your Families, your Poſterity call upon you to exert yourſelves, and not deliver them up to Slavery, to Cruelty, to Superſtition. Had you ever had the unhappy Experience of a French Government,—a French Government over Proteſtants,—a French Government over conquered Proteſtants,—over conquered Britons, their natural Enemies; you would be deeply ſenſible that all theſe Bleſſings are in Danger; and you would rather generouſly riſque your Lives, or fly to the remoteſt Parts of the Earth, than ſuffer ſuch an Iron Yoke to be rivetted about your Necks. Therefore 'quit yourſelves like Men, be ſtrong.' The Imprecation of the Prophet, will fall upon the mean, ſneaking Coward. Curſed be the Man that keepeth back his Sword from Blood. Shall we tamely reſign ſuch a flouriſhing, wide-extended Country into the mercileſs Hands of Barbarity, arbitrary Power, and popiſh Superſtition? Have we enjoyed the Bleſſings and Privileges of our Country, while in Peace; and ſhall we abandon it, and leave it to ſhift for itſelf, when in Danger? Certainly ſuch ſordid, effeminate Souls are unworthy of a Place in any Country. Can you bear the Thought, that Slavery ſhould clank her Chain in this Land of Liberty? That the Houſe of God ſhould be made the Temple of Idols? That you ſhould entail Slavery, and Idolatry upon your miſerable Poſterity? Can you bear the Thought, that Indian Savages, and French Papiſts, infamous all the World over for Treachery and Tyranny, ſhould rule Proteſtants and Britons, with a Rod of Iron; and riot in thoſe Poſſeſſions, for which you have ſweat and labored? If you have any manly Reſentment within you, let it kindle at the Thought: Paſſion was made for ſuch an Object; and you may lawfully indulge it. The Caſe of our Country is not yet deſperate: In the Name of the Lord, we will yet lift up our Banners; and hope for Succeſs and Victory. But if a Spirit of Preſumption, or Cowardice, continue to lull aſleep, or unman, the Inhabitants, I muſt give thee up, O my Country! Such a Set of daſtardly Creatures are unworthy of ſo happy a Spot on the Globe; and no Wonder if their Dwellings ſhould caſt them out.

If any of you are frightned and intimidated from venturing your Lives for your Country, becauſe you are full of Fears about your everlaſting State, and you would deſire to live longer, to make it ſure: To ſuch of you I would ſay, Now you find the bad Effects of your former Negligence. Had you given all Diligence to make your Calling and Election ſure, in Times of Peace and Safety, you would not probably be left in ſuch Perplexity, in the Hour of Difficulty. You have no other Way now, but diligently improve the Time you have: And if, after thorough Self-examination you can entertain even trembling Hopes of your Preparation for Eternity, you may couragiouſly venture, and leave the Event to God. Your cowardly Deſertion of the Cauſe of your Country, and ſeeking to prolong your Life by that unlawful Means, will not be a likely Way to remove Doubts and Fears. You would be always haunted with a Conſciouſneſs of Guilt; and that would damp your Spirits, caſt a Gloom over your Minds, and obſcure the Evidences of your Hopes. FOLLOW THE PATH OF DUTY, wherever it leads; for that will always prove the ſafeſt in the Iſſue.

As for ſuch of you as are really unprepared for your latter End, and juſtly conſcious of it; I have ſundry Things to ſay to you; and oh! that they may ſink deep into your Hearts. (1.) How may it ſhock you to think, that you who have lived ſo long in the World, ſhould want more Time to turn to God, and prepare for Eternity? Alaſs! what have you done with the ten, twenty, thirty, or forty Years that God has given you for this Purpoſe? Ah! are they all gone, without doing any of the great Work you were ſent into the World for? Have they all been waſted upon Sin, the Fleſh, and the World, and ſacrificed to the Devil? Have you been deſtroying yourſelves all this Time? Oh! Sirs, have I not told you of this, but in vain? Have I not often warned you of the Danger of Delays in turning to God? Will you now at length believe me? Oh! will you now conclude it high Time for you to return to God? (2.) If the Reaſon why you deſire to preſerve your Lives longer, be, that you may have Time to turn to God, and prepare for Eternity, then you are carefully improving the Time you now have. It is a vain Pretence that you want more Time for this, if you do not uſe the Time you have. And are you doing ſo? Are you ſeeking the Lord in earneſt, and endeavouring to repent and turn to him? If not, you only want Time to ſin longer, to purſue the World and your Pleaſures longer. And can you expect, God will indulge you in ſuch a wicked Deſire? (3.) It is not the Want of Time but the Want of a Heart, that keeps you unconverted. St. Paul was converted in three Days, the Jaylor in a few Hours, and St. Peter's Hearers under one ſhort Sermon; and why may not you hope for the like Bleſſing, if you exert yourſelves in earneſt? (4.) To excite you to this, let me try an Argument or two from a new Topic.—It is you and ſuch Sinners as you, that have brought all theſe Calamities upon the Country: Impenitent Sinners are the Bane of Society; and bring down the Wrath of God upon it. Therefore if you would ſave your Country, repent and be converted. What a cutting Thought may it now be to you, I am one of the guilty Creatures for whom my Country is now ſuffering?—Conſider alſo, if the Things you fear ſhould come upon you, how miſerable would you be! An angry God above you! a withering, ravaged Country, an Aceldama, a Field of Blood, around you! a guilty Conſcience within you! and a burning Hell, juſt before you! Then you will borrow the deſpairing Complaint of Saul, The Philiſtians are upon me, and God is departed from me. Then you will ſee the Uſe of Religion, and bitterly lament your Neglect of it. Therefore now make it your Concern.

2. Let this be a Seaſon of Prayer and Supplication among us. If God be the ſupreme King of our Country, let us implore, and depend upon, his Protection. Should not a People ſeek unto their God Iſaiah viii. 19.? Prayer is the Language of Nature in Diſtreſs; and Men that had no other Principle to direct them, have fled to this Refuge, upon the Appearance of Danger. Some put their Truſt in Chariots, and ſome in Horſes; and our Country has no doubt offended in putting their Confidence in a brave General, in veteran Soldiers, and a fine Train of Artillery; and what is become of them all? Let us learn for the future to put our Truſt in the Lord of Hoſts; and if he be on our Side, we need not fear what Man can do. His Aſſiſtance is to be obtained only in the Way of Prayer: Therefore lift up your Cries to him; keep your Souls always in a praying Poſture. And for your Encouragement, let me aſſure you, that 'the fervent Prayer of a righteous Man,' is not uſeleſs Breath pour'd out in the Air, but 'availeth much.' In this Way the feeble and timerous, and even the tender Sex, may contribute to the Defence of their Country, in ſome retired and peaceful Corner. They may engage the God of Heaven to become our Ally; and thro' him we will be able to puſh down our Enemies; thro' his Name will we tread them under, that riſe up againſt us 〈…〉

Finally; Do not indulge exceſſive Deſpondency in the preſent diſcouraging Poſture of Affairs. What is your Religion good for, if it do not ſupport you in ſuch a Time as this? Do not diſgrace it, by unmanly daſtardly Fears. Shew the World that you have a God to go to in your Difficulties, and that you can chearfully live or die under his Shelter. I am ſolicitous for the Behaviour of my Countrymen in general, at this Juncture: But I muſt tell you, I am particularly ſolicitous, that you my Brethren of the Diſſenters, ſhould behave with Honor and Spirit; and ſhew yourſelves worthy of theſe Privileges you enjoy, and of thoſe you claim. Many of us have taken the Oaths to His Majeſty's Perſon and Government; and we cannot deſert the Cauſe of our Country, at this Time, without groſs Perjury—But I ſhall deſiſt. Your own Hearts, I hope, ſupply my Defects, and ſuggeſt to you a thouſand Conſiderations adapted to the preſent Caſe and may God make them prevalent with you. Amen.

An HYMN. I. WHILE various Rumours ſpread abroad, And hold our Souls in dread Suſpence, We fly to Thee, our Country's God; Our Refuge is thy Providence. II. This Wilderneſs ſo long untill'd, An hideous Waſte of barren Ground, Thy Care has made a fruitful Field, With Peace and Plenty richly crown'd. III. Thy Goſpel ſpreads an heavenly Day, Throughout this once benighted Land, A Land once wild with Beaſts of Prey, By impious Heathen Rites profan'd. IV. Thy Goſpel, like a heavenly Vine, Its Branches did begin to ſpread; Refreſh'd our Souls with ſacred Wine, And ſcreen'd the Fainting with its Shade. V. And ſhall theſe Bleſſings now remove? Shall Peace and Plenty ſly away? The Land thy Care did thus improve, Wilt thou give up, a helpleſs Prey? VI. O! muſt we bid our God adieu? And muſt thy Goſpel take its Flight? Oh! ſhall our Children never view, The Beamings of that heavenly Light? VII. Forbid it Lord! with Arms of Faith, We'll hold Thee faſt, and thou ſhalt ſtay! We'll cry while we have Life or Breath, "Our God, do not depart away!" VIII. If broken Hearts and weeping Eyes, Can find Acceptance at thy Throne; Lo, here they are; this Sacrifice, Thou wilt accept thro' Chriſt thy Son. FINIS.