. THAT verily there is a God who judgeth in the earth. Vain, impious mortals frequently afk, Who is Fehovah that we should obey him? In the infatuation and madness of their hearts, they often challenge, How doth God know, and is there knowledge in the most high? In the enthusiasm of their impiety, they are refolving, Let us break his bands afunder and caft his cords from us. But notwithstanding all their prefumption and self-confidence, their judgment lingereth not, and their damnation flumbereth not. He that fitteth in the heavens fhall laugh at them; the Lord fhall hold them in derifion: Then fhall he fpeak to them in his wrath and vex them in his fore difpleafure. Though hand join in hand his foul will be avenged fooner or la ter on the wanton, incorrigible perfon or people.What is the hiftory of the world, but a hiftory of Jehovah's judgments in the overthrow of haughty, licenfcious nations? Where are now the once mighty, magnificent empires of Egypt, of Affyria, of Greece, of Rome? Where are now their fplendid cities, their adamantine walls towering towards heaven; their difciplined armies; their gates of brass, their chariots of iron which promifed an invincible defence against every affault from without? We behold them in their turn receding from the earth, and their memorial has nearly perished with them: there remains nothing but their name feebly written on the hiftorian's page.How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished? What crashing of thrones and kingdoms have we witneffed with our own eyes? Where is now the

antient, auguft monarchy of France; that which ftood for ages, and apparently defied even the hand of time? Have we not seen it and many others totter to their foundations, and hundreds and thousands of the inhabitants loft in the general wreck? Is it argued that these kingdoms, having grown old, decay, ed and mouldered away of courfe, as every thing cre ated naturally tends to diffolution;" or is it argued, "that internal caufes may be affigned for all these effects; that violent infurrections convulfed the empire of Rome, and that Babylon was taken during the licenfcious rioting of her princes and nobles ?" Thefe objections do not in the leaft militate against the argument. The fovereign ruler of nations accomplishes his purposes by fecondary causes; by means he protects the righteous, and by means he executes vengeance on the deluded, infolent oppofers of his government.As a proof, for inftance, that the conqueft of Babylon and the deftruction of the empire was of God, this event was foretold ages before its accomplishment; the inftrument of its overthrow was mentioned by name; the very manner in which he fhould execute his purpose was minutely expreffed; and yet all was reprefented as the effect of divine vengeance against the Affyrians. Come down, faith Jehovah by his prophet to that impious city, come down and fit in the duft, O virgin daughter of Babylon; fit on the ground; For thou haft trufted in thy wickedness; thou haft faid, none feeth me: Therefore shall evil come upon thee thou shalt not know from whence it rifeth;

anger

and mifchief fhall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off; and deftruction fhall come upon thee fuddenly which thou knoweft not. Through the of almighty God thefe fearful defolations are spread a- · mong the nations of the earth: A flood of impiety, of licensciousness on their part is fucceeded by a flood of wrath on his part.

2. WE learn from this doctrine who are the enemies of a country; who difturb her peace, who interrupt her profperity and endanger her very exiftence; they are those who live in the contempt of God, and the violation of his righteous law. These are the Achans in the camp who bring wrath upon the nation of Ifrael. The immoral, impious man; the fwearer, the fabbath-breaker, the infolent fcoffer of religion and its inftitutions; the parent who is undutiful in his station, who is not diligent in educating his offspring for God and his fervice; the magiftrate who does not rule in the fear of Jehovah, but pollutės the land by a loofe, licenscious deportment and converfation Thefe are the perfons, by whatever political name they are known, or under whatever mask they appear among their fellow-citizens, who bring down the judgments of heaven on fettlements, and cities and nations: Thefe are the perfons who occafionally fhut up the windows of heaven, fufpending the early and later rain in their feason; who dry up the ftreams of commerce; who give commiffion to the peftilence wafting its thoufands in our streets; who unfheath the fword of war, and drench a land in the

blood of its inhabitants. Hear the word of the Lord ye children of Ifrael: hear his word, ye citizens of America, for the Lord hath a controverfy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God. By fwearing and lying, and killing, and committing adultery they break out, and blood toucheth blood. Therefore fhall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languifh with the beafts of the field and the fowls of heaven. They, on the other hand, are the true patriots who fear God; who work righteousness ; who render to all their due, giving unto Ceafar the things that are Ceafar's and unto God the things that are God's; who keep holy the Sabbath by "fpending it in the public and private exercifes of divine worship;" who vifit the fatherless and widow in their affliction, and preferve themfelves unspotted from the world: parents who are devout in their habitations; who early infufe into the hearts of their children the principles of religion and virtue; magiftrates who feel the folemnity and responsibility of their ftation, being minifter's of God for the good of fociety; who affume the important office, not from motives of intereft, or honor, but that they may rule for the glory of him by whofe authority they act, and to whofe bar they are accountable; who by the blameleffness of their converfation, and by the impartial difcharge of every official duty become a terror to evil doers and a praife to them that do well; minifters who abound in the work of the Lord; who are not lured from their facred function by con

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fiderations of worldly eafe, or emolument, but a&uated by the same spirit with their divine mafter, go about doing good: fuch perfons, fuch magiftrates, fuch ministers are the genuine patriots and friends of their country. Contemplating fuch I may freely exclaim in the language of a Jewish king to the prophet of Jehovah, my Father, my Father, the chariots of Ifrael, and the horfemen thereof. They are the maffy pillars which give ftability to a nation within ; they are the broad fhield which renders her invincible and impenetrable by any oppofition without. Their prayers, their interceffions, their alms are of more importance towards her defence than all the fpeculations of the vain philofopher; than all the fchemes of the felf-confident ftatesman; than all the martial prowess of either the foldiery or navy. For the fake of these, judgments are often averted and days of calamity are shortened. The waters never gushed upon the old world until Noah was fecured in the ark ; the arm of the deftroying angel was ftayed from the deftruction of Sodom until Lot had efcaped to the mountains, and when Phineas arofe, and, as a faithful magiftrate, executed righteoufnefs the plague was inftantly arrefted in the camp of Ifrael. hovah to the prophet his meffenger,

Run, faith Jerun ye to and fro

through the streets of Jerufalem, and feek ye in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man ; if there be any that executeth judgment; that feeketh truth, and I will pardon it.

3. WE learn from this doctrine the fuitable ex