A Sermon on Occafaon of a public Pa). 339 involved themfelves in the crying abomina- SERM tions for which calamities came upon the XIII. land. Thus, God, intending to vindicate the" honour of his juftice and goodnefs in punifh- ing the yews, in the 8th chapter of this book, leads Ezekiel in vifion to the temple, where the feveral fpecies of idolatry, profanenefs, and other abominable wickednefs, are reprefented to him as committed by all forts of perfons, by old and young, by men and women, by priefts and elders. And in the inftance be- fore referred to, that of Sodom, the corruption was fo univerfal, that there were not ten righteous perfons; if there had, the city would have been faved for their fakes. And, lajily, the grievous trefpaffes committed by the lead- ing and governing part of a nation may be, properly called the fins of a land, and often bring calamities upon it. In the remarkable examples we have in the Old Teflament of public humiliations, and deprecating the wrath of God, the religious among the .Jews with deep regret confefs the fins of their rulers, as in a peculiar manner affecting the vitals of the nation, and expofing it to mifery. This was their form of confeffion, We, our Kings, our princes, and our nobles, have finned 7- As wickednefs recommended from the throne, Z a and
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