A REFORMATION SERMON. 21 ceived in sin, and shapen in iniquity," is our original character ; Ps. li, -5. And infants " go astray from the womb, as soon as they be born, speaking lies ;" Ps. lviii. .3. Sin enlarges itself with the stature, and gets strength with age ; and where there are no methods of check or - restraint, the children of Adam grow up. to giants in wickedness. Our daily observation confirms the divine remark of Solomon ; Ec. viii. 11. " because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sonsof men is fully set in them todo evil :" The late discourse on these words demands my review, and I think it may deserve yours. Besides, while man is unregenerate and under the -full dominion of sin, he takes occasion from the blessings of heaven to increase in wantonness. Peace and plenty are abused to excite luxury and lust ;; and the mercies of God are turned into weapons of rebellion to fight against him. It is the nature of some serpents to turn the sweetest food they eat into venom and where distempered humours reign in the body, the richest provisions nourish the disease, and advance the mischief. Such was the sin of -Sodom ; I mourn that in our nation we have any reason to say our sister Sodom. Let us read Ezek. xvi. 48, 49, 50. with fear and trembling. The Lord swears con- cerning a city that had as many outward characters of .holiness upon it, as London can pretend to, that shehad rivalled and exceeded that lewd and infamous people. As I live, saith the Lord God, Sodom thy sister bath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, "thou and thy daughters. _ Behold this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her, and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor. and needy : And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me; therefore I took them away, as I saw good." O that the provinces of Great Britain may never follow the vile example ! That London had never known her sibs, or may root them out speedily, lest she be partaker of the same fiery vengeance. II. Consider the abounding of iniquity before you 'began this work of reformation, and this will convince you that it will abound again, ifthe work cease. Though perhaps-some particular sins were not so much talked of ..
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