matter of courfe that a measure propofed by one clafs of the community will be oppofed and reprobated by the other? Although we are citizens of the fame commonwealth, and united by the dearest focial connections; although we have all that is interefting to us in time, our property, our liberty, our religion, our lives embarked on the fame bottom, yet we mark the movements of each other with all the fufpicion of the avowed, irreconcileable enemy. This alienation of heart; those bitter revilings I formerly mentioned as our fin; I would now mention them as a most deplorable calamity, and as an evident, very awful proof of the Lord's controverfy with us. It is an old proverb, uttered by an infallible teacher, that a houfe divided against itself cannot ftand. When we fee a particular family fplit up into factions; each member torturing the feelings, crucifying the character, and oppofing the interefts of the other, we conclude without hesitancy that the Lord has departed from that house, and that its defolation is near. It is not lefs true of nations than of particular families, unite and you establish; divide and. you destroy.When Jehovah denounced the overthrow of Egypt for their contempt of his name, and the cruelties which they had perpetrated upon his people, he declares, I will fet the Egyptians against the Egyptians, and they fhall fight every man against his brother, and every man against his neighbor; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom. May we not therefore confider our internal diffenfions and diftractions as coming forth

from the Lord of hosts, and as his righteous judgment upon our guilty land? Are we not conftrained to deplore in the plaintive language of the prophet, The anger of Jehovah hath divided us; Manaffeh against Ephraim, and Ephraim against Manaffeh, and they together shall be against Judah.

FOR all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is ftretched out ftill. We are now preffed down under a general and heavy calamity; our commerce, the chief fource of wealth to the individual, and of revenue to the government, is in a great meafure deftroyed, and even our peace is endangered by the hoftile appearance of foreign nations. More than a year have we fuffered under thefe complicated evils, and their effects have produced embarraffment among all claffes of fociety. No longer is employment offered as formerly to the laborer; no longer is the toil of the hufbandman rewarded by an equal compenfation for his produce; no longer is the merchant animated to enterprise by fuccefs in his trade; no longer are our harbors enlivened by a race of hardy, generous feamen; no longer does our canvafs whiten the ocean; no longer do our fhips return wafting upon our fhores the wealth, and the luxuries of every clime Different caufes are affigned for this fudden, calamitous reverfe of our fituation: by fome it is attributed to the want of wisdom and energy in our adminiftration; by others to the intollerant, oppreffive measures of Britain; by others to the ambition, intrigues, and corrupting influence of France, but this

also must be confidered as coming forth from the Lord of hofts, and by this he is avenging his quarrel with our country. It is his bleffing which maketh rich; that crowns with profperity the individual, or the community, and it is his difpleafure which blafts their enterprize; his difpleasure caufes citizen to become alienated from citizen; wifdom to depart from our rulers; commerce to quit our fhores, and that is threatening to mufter the hosts to the battle. Behold the Lord maketh the earth empty, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof, because they have tranfgressed the laws; changed the ordinance and broken the everlafting covenant: The new wine mourneth; the vine languifheth; all the merry hearted do figh: Heftretched out his hands against the fea; the Lord hath given a commandment against the merchant city, to destroy the ftrong holds thereof.

I MUST trefpafs on your patience by noticing ano. ther evidence of the divine difpleafure with our country; it is one which muft peculiarly intereft and alarm the hearts of all who realize our dependance on the God of nations, that our attention has never been directed to the real fource either of our miferies, or relief. A fpirit of lethargy, of flumber when the great God is fhaking his rod over a nation is not merely their fin, but a fearful prefage of a more dreadful vifitation. Because they confider not the works of the Lord, nor regard the operations of his hand; therefore the Lord will deftroy them and not build them up. There is probably not a more awful evidence that an

Make the heart of

individual, or a nation is abandoned of God, and marked as victims for his wrath than to be given up to them felves; to be permitted to remain unawakened and unconcerned amidst the alarming difpenfations of his providence. When the cup of the iniquity of Ifrael was nearly full, and the decree for their deftruction had irreversibly paffed, how awful is the commiffion given to the prophet, this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes left they fee with their eyes, fee my judgments which are already gathered and lowering over their heads; and hear with their ears, bear my voice of warning in my word, by my meffengers, in the movements of my providence; and understand with their heart, be really affected with their own abominations as the meritorious caufe of their miferies, and be healed. The prophet melted at hearing the doom of his deluded country affectionately replies, Lord, how long? He is anfwered by the oracle, Until the cities be wafte without inhabitant, and the houfes without man, and the land be utterly defolate.

BRETHREN, does not our fituation as a nation ob. vioufly and awfully correfpond with that of deluded Ifrael? Can we imagine that they were more ftupid, more infatuated amidst the terrors of the Almighty than are we in America? Much time has been occupied in devifing the means of fafety; much treasure has been expended in fortifying our harbors: meffage after meffage has been tranfmitted to foreign courts reprefenting our grievances and demanding redress;

but during all our alarms, all thefe exertions for maintaining our rights has the Lord of hosts been acknowledged by us as a nation; have we been called by our civil Rulers to afk the interpofition of him by. whom kings reign, and princes decree justice; by whom princes rule, and nobles even all the judges of the earth? Nay, I mention it with the most profound emotions of regret, and of trembling; of humiliation for the paft and apprehenfions for the future, that during eight years we have not been recommended in a national capacity to acknowledge the Ruler of nations no tribute of thanksgiving has afcended to his throne in the season of profperity; neither have we in adverfity been directed to the confeffion of guilt, nor to afk the interference of that arm which works. falvation. Was fuch the example exhibited by our illuftrious patriots of 1776; by thofe who then directed our counfels, marfhalled our armies in the field, and were, under God, the inftruments of our national glory? On the 17th of May in that year, a day that must remain memorable while the love ofliberty is cherished in our country, the oppressed millions of America at the call of their rulers approached the mercy-feat, laid a hiftory of their grievances before the avenger of wrongs; implored his interpofition in their behalf, and his ear was graciously open to their cry.

FROM this doctrine, thus explained, it is obviouf ly fuggefted,