them will, in the Third and laft Place, naturally and eafily flow from them. And I fhall entirely confine my Illuftration and Application of these Propofitions to a Religious View of them; not allowing my felf the Liberty of entring into any Political Difquifitions or Remarks, confider'd purely as Such, but leaving these, as they ought to be left, to the Thoughts and Refolutions of those Persons, whose Superiour Faculties Enable them, and whofe peculiar Province Requires them, to Weigh and Determine all fuch Points with Propriety and Advantage.-The I. Propofition to be confider'd, is, That National Wickedness is the Juft Caufe of Expecting and Dreading National Mifery. Indeed fuch a Propofition as This, or however the Principal Reasons of it, might, in the Days of Old, have been grating in the Ears of one Particular, Fanciful Sect of Men, and those rank'd under the Honourable Title of Philofophers too, who employ'd their Roving Heads in finding out a Way, to account for the Formation of a World, without a God, a God, and for the Government of it without A Superintending Providence. And, though they fail'd of Demonftrating what they Defign'd; yet they have Undefignedly and Cafually left Another Demonftration behind them, Aclear Demonstration, that their Want of True Senfe, and Solid Judgment, did Faithfully keep pace with their Want of True Piety. For all Men who have Thought Properly and Regularly, as Men ought to Think; who have affigned, not the Starts of Imagination, but the Dictates of found Reafon, for the Foundations of Serious and Close Argument, have, with one Confent, Determin'd and Established the Truth and the Confequences of Opinions, directly opposed to the Strains of this wild Philofophy. And if we fhould Refolve the Propofition before us, into the Principles, upon which it is Grounded; every Man's own Mind will be found fufficient to draw out a clear Conviction for it felf, from the Reasons and Relations of Things, That there must be a Neceffary, Self-exiftent Being, a God, the Greatour and Gover nour nour of the World, and 'tis utterly Impoffible to be otherwife; That his own Honour is the Ultimate End of Creation and Government; That A Dutiful Regard to his Authority and Honour is the only Juft Title which a Nation can have to his Favour; That his Favour is the fole Tenure, under which Protection and Happinefs are Granted or Continued to a People; That the Contempt of him, or Oppofition to him, is a Direct Forfeiture of that Favour; and Therefore, That a Kingdom, which fixeth it felf in a Pofture of Rebellion against him, becomes Juftly Liable to be Diftrefs'd, or Destroyed by him. And when the Proof of this Propofition, so manifeftly rifing from the Suggeftions and Reasonings of our own Minds, does not Introduce a fuitable Influence and Efficacy upon the Behaviour of Humane Societies, God is wont to give them a Further Cogent Proof of it, The Demonftration of his Severe Judgments falling upon them. And the Firft Inftance, given in Scripture of fuch Direful Proof, would have been the Finishing one, and Intirely are fuch Horrid Monuments of God's Indignation against Popular Impurity, that, furely, the most Intrepid, or the moft Lethargick Man alive, cannot turn his Eyes towards them, without Shivering and Shrinking under the very Firft appearance of them. And, left the Peculiar, Aggravating, Monftrous Circumftance of that Sin, in thofe wretched People, fhould be groundlessly esteemed the Only Caufe of the Dangers and Destruction proceeding from it; the Holy Spirit hath given us Plain and Ample Teftimonies, that when the Sin, though not attended with That Circumftance, prevails Epidemically, 'tis Fatal and Deftructive to the Publick; A remarkable Inftance whereof I shall have occafion of mentions ing Below. Indeed 'tis not to be doubted, but that, after all the Bulwarks, which are, or can be raised in the Defence of Virtue, there may be, under any Government, a great many vicious Perfons, who can find means of creeping through the moft Compacted Bounds and Restraints put upon them, and of managing fome Heinous Heinous Offences, fo Dextrously and Successfully, as to steal on, Uninterrupted and Undiscover'd, to the Accomplishment of their own Perdition; And yet, in the Judgment of God, They may not perhaps be found of Weight enough, to Sink the Community, together with Themfelves. For it feems Evident, from the Holy Scripture, that National Guilt, and the Confequent Obnoxioufness to National Punishment, can only Then be justly affign'd and Imputed to a People, Either, when there are fuch Varieties and Complications of Wickedness in it, that the Omniscient God, who at once Distinctly knows the Qualities and Conditions of every Individual Perfon, does look upon the Kingdom as Immersed in a State of Univerfal Depravity, fuch as the Holy Spirit reprefents in the First Chapter of Isaiah: Where 'tis faid of the Jews, Ah finful Nation, a People laden with iniquity; the whole head is fick, and the whole heart faint: from the fole of the foot even unto the head, there is no foundness in it; but wounds and bruifes and putrifying fores; Or, when Particular Ꮓ Sins, |