Vol. II. can we have good Ground to hope that they will be prevalent and effectual; but if we Act thus, if we heartily forfake our Sins, and zealously endeavour to extirpate Wickedness in others, or at least, give a check to the growth of it, we may affure our felves that God will be reconcil'd to us, and confequently whatever becomes of our Temporal Intereft and Tranquillity, we fhall fecure our Eternal one.

It is true indeed we cannot always upon Prayer and Repentance, promife our felves that God will either remove or abate Temporal Evils, the Words of my Text are, if fo be God will think upon us, that we perish not. And this is as good Divinity from the Mouth of a Christian as a Pagan: St. Peter himfelf would go no further for thus he exActs viii. horts Simon Magus, Repent therefore of this thy Wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine Heart may be forgiven thee. It is but a perhaps, if Repentance and Prayer could free him from those Temporal Punishments which St. Peter yer. 20. denounced against him before, Thy Money perijh with thee.

22.

But this ought not to difcourage us, for befides that our Repentance will fecure our Eternal Welfare as I mention'd

before,

before, National Repentance and Prayer Ser. X. will certainly in the first place prévent our Ruin, tho' not our Affliction; God may chastise but he will never destroy a Penitent Nation. For this we have God's

own word. At what inftant I shall speak Jer. xviii. concerning a Nation and concerning a King-7,8. dom to pluck up, and to pull down, and to deftroy it: If that Nation against whom I have pronounced, turn from their Evil, Ì will repent of the Evil I thought to do unto them. And we have a notable Instance in the Prophet Jonah of God's making good this his Word. God had commiffion'd him to go to Nineveh, that great populous, and wealthy, but finful, City, and proclaim in the Streets thereof, yet Forty Days and Nineveh shall be overthrown; nevertheless God fpar'd it upon their Humiliation and Repentance, upon their Prayer and Reformation, tho' the Denunciation feem'd very particular and peremptory, and the Prophet thought his Honour concern'd in the Execution of it.

2dly, It is probable that upon a National Humiliation and Repentance, God will not only alleviate, but take off our Sufferings; nay that he will crown our Counfels and our Forces with Success and Victory, and blefs us with a lasting Peace and flourishing Profperity. I fay

Vol. II. it is probable, because when we hear the ~ Rod and who has appointed it, we have anMic.vi 9' fwer'd the end of God, and there is no

longer need of Chaftisement, and fo gracious is God, that he delights more in fhewing Mercy than in punifhing, in doing Good than in inflicting Evil: But this when we have done all, we must leave to the Wisdom and Goodness of God, who alone is able to judge whether greater or longer Sufferings be neceffary to compleat our Cure; whether we be fit for a great and fudden Change; and whether it be Honourable for him and Safe for us.

If any one object, you feem to infinuate that a National Reformation is neceffary for our Safety, and if fo our Condition is defperate, for this is fcarcely to be hop'd for: I answer, a National Guilt and National Calamity call for a National Repentance; this is the fureft way to our Deliverance, but God is infinitely Good and Gracious, he is often prevail'd upon by the Prayer and appeas'd by the Repentance of a few; it is very rare that his Sentence upon a Nation is fo fix'd, that the Interceffion of Noah, Daniel, and Job cannot reverse it. However this be, let us do our Duty, and then whatever Influence this may have upon the Pub

lick, we fhall certainly deliver our own Ser. X. Souls.

I have done with the things propounded, and will conclude with a very brief Exhortation. My Brethren, this is the acceptable time, this is the Day of Salvation, Mercy and Deliverance are yet tender'd us, God yet waits to be gracious to us. Ah! let us not harden our Hearts, nor perfift in our Sins; but let us fearch and try our Ways, and turn again unto the Lord, Let us humble our felves and cry earnestly unto God, and he will have Mercy upon us. There was a time when the Prophet call'd Ferufalem to Repentance in fuch Words as thefe. The Ax is laid unto the Root of the Tree; therefore every Tree Matt iii.. which bringeth not forth good Fruit is hewn down, and caft into the Fire: But they hearden'd their Hearts, and ftop'd their Ears and wou'd not hear, and therefore a very few Years had not paffed, before the Meffage of God was alter'd, and our Saviour wept over Jerufalem, and bewail'd in paffionate Words that Ruin which both Mercies and Judgments had ftrove in vain to prevent. If thou hadft kuown, even thou, at least in this thy Day, Luke xix, the things which belong unto thy Peace! But 42. now they are hid from thine Eyes. And may this never be our Cafe! But I must say if

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this

Vol. II. this Nation of ours be loft, we must not charge its Destruction upon God, but upon our felves. God may make Heaven and Earth Judges, Hear, O Heavens, Ifa. i. 2. and give ear, O Earth; he may appeal to all the World concerning us, as he doth in the Prophet concerning Jerufalem; What could have been done more to my VineIla. v. 4. yard, that I have not done in it? What fhall God do unto a People whom no Mercies, no Judgments can allure or awaken? But I hope better things; I hope we fhall befeige Heaven this Day with fo many Prayers and Tears, with that Contrition and Charity, that God will hear us, and guide our Counfels, and march before our Armies. I hope the Ministers of God this Day will meet with the Success which Jonah did, when he publish'd the Threats of God against Nineveh, then will God foon disperse all our Fears, and turn our Storms into a Calm, and his Chastisements into Bleffings.

The End of the Tenth Sermon.

SER