A'RErORMATYON SERMON. mother in Israel, to prevent it : Awake, awake, Barak," arise every son of courage and authority, every man of prudence and zeal, " arise, and lead' this captivity cap- tive ; the Lord make you to havé dominion over those mighty iniquities that would destroy all religion !" HI. From the discouragements that will attend on the ways of God, a great decay of piety will ensue among some of the serious professors of it : Continual molesta- tion will wearyout the spirits of christians in a great de- gree, and because iniquity abounds, the love of many will wax cold ;" Mat. xxiv. 12. Now who ofus is willing to bear this reflection; ". religion is almost driven out of the land, and I have done little to keep it in : Godliness is baffled and -lost, and I' had not courage enough to stand up for God amongst the men of reformation : Amalek has beaten Israel out of the field, and I never drèw sword against that cursed nation ; or- when I had struck a stroke or two I' laid down my arms, and sufferedAmalek to pre- vail." IV. It will be a scandal to our country to suffer sin to grow rampant and sovereign in the midst of us; we shall bring a scandal upon the gospel that we profess, and a dishonour u pon.the holy name of christians that we bear : If the sins of heathenism multiply amongt us, we shall be a reproach to the christian faith: Have we no tenderness for the name of Christ ? Shall we permit him to be ac-. counted a minister of sin by suffering the works of the devil, which he destroyed, to be built up again by bold transgressors ? Bold men indeed, thatsin against the light of nature under the shining revelations of grace ! In vain have we been famed for light and knowledge, in vain for piety- and experimental godliness in the days of our fathers, but now we grow a by-word among the nations, arid an impure proverb : 'He swears like a Briton, he is as drunk as an Englishman, as lewd and profane as a Londoner : Surely it will not be very grateful to our ears, if such odiáus forms ofspeech should arise in neighbour- kingdoms. " Righteousness indeed exalteth a nation, butsin is a reproach to any people." Prov. xiv. 34. V. Not reproaches only will attend us, but real and multiplied mischiefs 'Will afflict our civil interest, public ingand private. Thepublic affairsof a nation must suffer certain detriment where wickedness roves loose and unre- ÍÍ
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