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being an Infringement upon the Duties of Refpect and Honour to their Perfons, that, on feveral accounts, it ought to be Increased and Improved by the Sense of Them. Far be it from any Chriftian to derogate from the Authority or Dignity of Magiftracy, by Expofing, or Defcribing, or Pointing out, any of thofe Offenders who are vefted with it; But far be it also from Him, to Neglect a Secret Difapprobation, in his own Mind, of fuch Iniquities and Corruptions, as fhall, at any time, Plainly appear in any of Them, or, to Neglect the offering up his Supplications, Prayers and Interceffions, on Their

Account.

Wholesome Laws, which amount to a fufficient encouragement of Virtue, and Restraint or Punishment of Vice, are the Blessing of a Nation; But the Neglect of putting them in Execution is the Curse of it. Let this fink deep into the minds of all Thofe, who are Qualified and Adorned with fufficient Power, and yet Unfaithfully neglect the Application and Exercise. of that Power, to Guard God's Honour against all Open Attacks upon it, and to Supprefs

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Supprefs that Drunkenness, thofe Execrations, thofe Violations of the Sabbath, thofe various other Inftances of Profanenefs, those Blafphemies, and all those other Enormities, which Pollute the Land, and Therefore lay it open to the Fierce Anger of God; Let Them, in Due time, confider, how they would Hereafter bear the Punishment, or the Thoughts of having contributed to the Speedy DeftruЯtion that may come upon us, Through thofe Vices, which it was as much within the Compass of their Power, as of their Duty, to have Difcouraged and Suppreffed.

'Tis Incumbent upon us, to Bewail Their Unhappiness and our Own, if they fhould Violate their Obligations; as well as to pray, that they may Fulfil these Obligations to execute Juftice, and to maintain Truth.

What hath been faid, to Enforce That part of our Duty, which Relates to the Sins of our Brethren, amounts to This: Since the Corruptions of our Brethren are a Manifeft Dishonour to God and Religion, and a Juft Occafion of God's redu

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cing Us, and Them, and our Countrey, to Distress and Deftruction; 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 Themselves, 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 Perfons, whofe Spiritual State is Distinctly seen and Estimated, in One View, by the Omniscient God; Such a Conformity of Particular Persons to God's Will implies their utter Aversion to all Evil, whether in Themselves 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.

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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 Serioufly 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 shall, 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 Vaft Miseries we should labour under, if that Horrid and Relentless Minifter 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 thofe 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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