534 / 652
A
REFORMATION
SERMON.
will become
a jest, and
all
his
invisible
terrors a matter
of
derision. Now
who
is
there of
us willing to
have our
.ears filled with
such
language
of
hell,
with public and loud
curses against
our
heavenly
Father,
our Redeemer, and
our
Sanctifier? Can
we
bear
to have
all
that
is
sacred
and
divinely
dear
to
us,
exposed
to
mockery
?
All
that
we
infinitely value, named
with
contempt
?
All
that
we
fear and worship
treated
with
insult
and ridicule
;
When
God's
holy
name
and attributes are made
the
song
of
the
drunkards,
our,
heart
may
grieve within
us,
and
our
con-
;
sciences will smite us inwardly, with
a.sharp
reproach,
that
we
never assisted the
reformation
:
While
rivers
of
tears
shall
flow
down
your
eyes,
your
lips
will
take
up
.thisdoleful
reflection,
"
Alas
!
,How much
share
have
I
in
the
guilt
of
these
wild
and
open blasphemies
of
my
God,
because
I
-never
did
any thing
to
prevent
them."
II.
Universal
difficulties
and discouragements
will
attend
the
practice and
profession
of
piety
;
for the
more
men improve in wickedness themselves, the more
will
,they
hate
all
appearance
of
religion
in
others
;
and
they
that
will live
godly
in
Christ Jesus
shall
be
sure
to
suffer
persecution
"
2
Tim.
iii.
P.?.
When
"
the
fools
have
said in
their hearts
there
is
no
God,
they
will
eat
up
his people
as
they
eat
bread
;"
Ps.
xiv. 4.
All
religious
discourse
shall
be
banished from conversation, and
be
put
out
of countenance
with
bitter
raillery
:
This indeed
is
already too
frequent, and pious conference
is
almost
forbidden amongst
us
:
but if
sin
further
prevails, godli-
ness
will
be
afraid to
appear
in
any of its forms
;
virtue
must
hide
its head,
and
religion
will be
driven into corners.
Profaneness
has grown
so
bold
these forty years and
more,
that
a
saint
has
been .a word
of
scoff
and reproach
;
in
due
time
every
thing
that
looks
serious
will
become
a
scandal, and
if
there
be
any
righteous Lots
amongst
us,
their.
"
souls
will
be vexed with
the impure conversation
of
sinners
:"
2
Pet.
ii:
7,
8.
A
man shall
hardly
be
able
to
attend
upon the public
worship
of
God, but he must
receive abuses
in his
way
thither
;
the high-way
of
holi-
ness
will
be unoccupied,,
the travellers
to,
Zion
will
be
forced
to walk
in
by-
paths,
and.
the
frequenters
of
the
house of God
will
cease
in
our Israel
;'
Judges
v.
6,
7,
l2,
13.
but I hope our
"
Deborah
is
risen, she
is
risen
a