he found the nation indeed professing Christianity, but devoid of the unction of the Holy Spirit-it was swept of outward abominations, but not washed in the laver of regeneration; garnished with a show of formal religion, but not adorned with the graces, or sanctified with the gifts of the Holy Spirit: thus he obtained an easy entrance, and introduced evil spirits, such as Socinianism, Arianism, Pelagianism, sectarianism of various kinds, infidelity, and added to all, the abominations of Popery: so that unless it please God, in his good providence, shortly to purge his church of these, "the last state of this church and nation will be worse than the first;" and if so, what are we to expect? "Shall not the Lord visit for these things, and shall not his soul be avenged on such a nation as this ?" As a nation, we were, strictly and essentially, Protestant; and, as a nation, the three realms of the state, King, Lords, and Commons, protested against Popery and its corruptions. This solemn protest is now abolished; a measure which, I confess, I never could contemplate, without the most serious apprehensions; but, in making this declaration, I must request to be understood, as speaking, not as a politician, for politics have nothing to do with this place, but as a minister of the Gospel of Christ; as one whose bounden duty it is, as a spiritual watchman, to observe the signs of the times, to stand on the watch tower,

and give warning to the people committed to my charge; this I have frequently done, and this, with the blessing of God, I will endeavour faithfully to do, as long as I am permitted to lift up my voice within the walls of the Church of England.

My brethren, I would remark, and would warn you while I do so, that we are probably on the eve of some great political revolution; an essential change has been made in our hitherto happy and glorious constitution; what the effects of this change may be, I shall not presume to say. I am satisfied to commit all into the hands of that God, without whose permission, this change could not have been accomplished; who will make all things subservient to his own will, who can make the wrath of man to praise him, and cause every event to work together, if not for the good of the Established Church, certainly for the welfare of the Church of Christ, and the final establishment of his kingdom in the earth; for the time must be drawing near, "when the kingdoms of this world, shall become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever."

But my principal object in my discourse this day, is to improve the parable we have been considering, to your instruction: I said, it might be taken nationally, as our Lord applied it to the Jews, and individually also, as applying to

66

ourselves. We have considered it nationally, and shall now endeavour to do so individually; in truth no instruction can be really profitable to us, but inasmuch as it is brought home to the conscience of each individual, with self-application; may the Spirit of God awaken the conscience of each individual among us, and direct and assist us, in making the application to ourselves. In our fallen state, our unregenerate hearts are naturally the habitation of the evil spirit—yes, all by nature, walk according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." Under the means of grace, and the influence of a religious education, the evil spirit may go out for a time, the person from whom he departs, may be delivered from the pollutions of the world; he may walk humbly, like Ahab, under the assumed garb of penitence, and with Herod, "do many things gladly;" he may receive the word with joy, associate with serious persons, and make a very plausible profession of religion; he may subscribe to the support of religious societies and public schools, and take an active part in their proceedings, yet, if he has not been born from above, by the regenerating power of the Holy Ghost, if he has not received Christ into his heart, to live and to rule there; if he does not bring forth such fruits of the Spirit, as

prove that he abides in Christ and Christ in him, his religion is but a vain show, his profession but an empty name; he is not safe from the power of the unclean spirit, for he is not under the protection of Christ; and though all may appear calm, and undisturbed, yet in a moment, when he is not aware, Satan may be permitted to return, and take possession of him again; and finding his heart empty of every spiritual principle, which could resist his entrance; swept and garnished, but only in such. a way, as to delude the unhappy soul with the appearance of grace, when there was no unction of the Holy Spirit, he will enter in and take possession, and fix his abode there, introducing many other spirits, more wicked than himself, so that the last state of the unhappy individual, will be worse than the first; he will be more

hardened, more entirely hopeless. What an awful warning does this convey to every professor of Christianity, not to be satisfied with an external profession, or the good opinion of others respecting his state; and how loudly does it call upon all, "to examine themselves, whether they be in the faith," and "to prove their own selves," knowing what an inspired Apostle has left on record; that if Christ does not dwell in our hearts, we are reprobates, rejected, those in whom Satan dwells—yes, this Scripture, indeed calls on us, to give all dili

gence, to make our calling and election sure. The midnight cry may come, when it will be too late to make this examination; the door of mercy may be shut, when it will be in vain for the empty professor, now for the first time alarmed for his situation, to cry, "Lord, Lord, open unto me." No, as he never knew Christ but in profession, Christ will not now, acknowledge him, and he will be justly left to perish without remedy. My dear brethren, I have often endeavoured to persuade you, that there is no state more dangerous, than that of persons, who sit continually under the hearing of the Gospel, without being affected by it; who, with the exception of approving of what they hear, continue exactly what they always were; unhumbled and unrenewed; serving divers lusts and pleasures, neither separate from the world, in spirit or in practice; satisfied with a name to live, while they are dead-in whom there is, and can be, no growth, for they have not yet begun to live. Such it is to be feared, are more hardened, than when they first heard the Gospel of the grace of God; and this is truly, a fearful state; for it will probably end, in their becoming past feeling, which is a sure step to their being given over to a reprobate mind. I would therefore earnestly call on such, to awake from carnal security, and arouse from this sleep of death; for I much fear there are such in every congre