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cing Us, and Them, and our Countrey, to Distress and Destruction; Therefore our Obligation to Deteft, and Bewail, and Disclaim Their Sins, arifeth from the Neceffary Love of God and True Zeal for his Honour, from our Love of our Brethren Themfelves, and of our Countrey, and from the Natural Principle of Selfprefervation. And, as the Obligation of this Duty is built upon these strong Foundations, fo the Reafons of its Acceptance with God, have been, Above, Deduced from the fame Fundamental Principles; To which I fhall only add God's Declared High Approbation of it, in the ixth Ch. of Ezek. where, representing the Corruptions of Jerufalem, and His purposes of Destroying it, upon account of Them, He fixeth a Special Mark of Favour upon the men that Sigh, and that Cry for all the Abominations that be done in the midft thereof.

The Sum of what hath been faid, concerning our Whole Duty is This: The Safety of the Kingdom depends upon God's Favours to it; God's Favours to the Kingdom depend upon its Conformity to U 2

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His Will; The National Conformity to God's Will depends upon fuch a Conformity of the Particular Perfons, which the Community confifts of; and the Perfection of that National Conformity Rifeth in Proportion to the Numbers of fuch Conformable Persons, whofe Spiritual State is Distinctly seen and Estimated, in One View, by the Omnifcient God; Such a Conformity of Particular Persons to God's Will implies their utter Averfion to all Evil, whether in Themfelves or in Other perfons, and Their Intire Love of all Goodness; Such Their Averfion and Love do Imply Their Sincere Repentance for their Own Sins, and their Deteftation of the Sins of their Brethren, and all the Proper Confequences of Both; Therefore the Safety of the Kingdom depends upon fuch our Repentance and Deteftation, and the Proper Fruits and Effects of Them.

II. The Second and Laft thing to be taken notice of, is, the Punishment which we may expect, if our Duty be not Fulfilled.

We should Seriously and Attentively Poffefs our Minds with the Thoughts of the Judgments, which hang over us, that

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we may be the more Earnest in our Devout Addreffes to the Wife Governour of the World, upon whom Alone it depends, whether They fhall, in Fury, break in upon us, or, in Mercy, be With-held from us. Let the Quick Sense, of our Danger add Quickness to the Sense, and Fidelity to the Discharge of our Duty. Let our Imaginations give us a View, and may we never have any Other View than what Imagination can give, of the Vast Miseries we should labour under, if that Horrid and Relentless Minister of Death, which is now wafting our Neighbouring Nations, fhould make an Inroad into our Own. 'Tis not Eafy to be conceived, how we shall be Oppreffed, and Sunk under Confternation and Confufion, if this mighty Conqueror fhall find us in a State of Impenitence, if we fhall be Surprized with those Gloomy and Dismal Days, when thousands shall fall befide us, and ten thousands at our right hand, and we our Selves fhall be under Conftant and Piercing Apprehenfions, of having our Own Tortured Bodies added to the Heaps of the Fallen. Life will lofe its Value, when

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when all the the Comforts and Beauties of it are Vanished, and when it appears in no Colours but the Sable and Mournful ones of Perplexity and Aftonishment; When we shall be continually Haunted with a Dread, not Unlike to that of Cain, that every one that meeteh us, will Slay us; When we fhall, at once, wish for the Comfort of Converfing with our Friends, and yet Shrink under that Wish, left They should indeed prove our Enemies, and Undefignedly give us the Mortal Wound; When at once, Natural Appetite fhall push us forward to a neceffary Supply of Nourishment, and more Cautious Thought Forbid our Approaches to it, left it should be Impregnated with the Fatal Poyfon; When we fhall be Inceffantly racked with Fear of Admitting the very Air, we Live by, left we should draw in Death with it; When Time shall be Intirely swallowed up in One Uninterrupted Funeral; When we shall be ever Uncertain, whether the Terrors of the Prefent Moment are Rifen as High, as Terrors can Rife, or, whether the Next Moments, proving as Deceitful as the Pre

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fent, shall bring on a Scene of till Ghaftlier Thoughts, or Ghaftlier Sights, than Those that usher'd in the moments, which Now fit fo very Heavy, that they seem to have loft their Fleeting Nature, and to Dwell upon us; When Clouds of Horror Drive fo thick over our Minds, that there is no Room for one Gladfom Ray of Light, or Comfort to break in between them; and, When we shall be scarce able to Determine, whether fuch a Death, or fuch a Dread, be the Greater Evil.

We are at present to confider, what our Opinions of things will then be; how Willing and Ready we shall then be, to purchase Relief under our Infuperable Difficulties, Freedom from our Infupportable Reflexions, and an Intire Sense of Safety, at any Rate, or by any means; either, by an Utter Deteftation of the Sins of Other Men, without refpect of Perfons, or without any Other Respect and Difference, than That of turning the Greatest Weight of our Abhorrence, upon the Iniquities and Abominations of Thofe, who feem to have been the Greateft Occafions of our Mifery; or, by Boldly Exhort

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