I am fenfible, my brethren, that the time and eccafion of this pain, may feem to be in one refpect ill fuited to the interesting circumstances of this country at prefent. It was compofed after the victory was obtained; whereas we are now but putting on the harness, and entering upon an important conteft, the length of which it is impoffible to forefee, and the iffue of which it will perhaps be thought prefumption to foretel. But as the truth, with respect to God's moral government, is the fame and unchangeable; as the iffue, in the cafe of Senacherib's invafion, did but lead the prophet to acknowledge it; our duty and interest conspire in calling upon us to improve it. And I have chofen to insist upon it on this day of folemn humiliation, as it will probably help us to a clear and explicit view of what fhould be the chief fubject of our prayers and endeavours, as well as the great object of our hope and truft, in our prefent fituation.

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The truth, then, afferted in this text, which I propofe to illuftrate and improve, is, That all the disorderly paffions of men whether expofing the innocent to private injury, or whether they are the arrows of divine judgment in public calamity, fhall in the end, be to the "praife of God; Or, to apply it more particu larly to the prefent ftate of the American Colonies, and the plague of war, The ambition of miftaken princes, the cunning and cruelty of oppreffive and corrupt minifters, and even

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the inhumanity of brutal foldiers, however dreadful, fhall finally promote the glory of God; and in the mean-time, while the form continues, his mercy and kindness fhall appear ' in prescribing bounds to their rage and fury? In difcourfing of this fubject, it is my inten tion, through the affiftance of divine grace,

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I. To point out to you in fome particulars, how the wrath of man praifes, God...

II. To apply thefe principles to our present fituation, by inferences of truth for your instruction and comfort, and by fuitable exhortations to duty in the important crisis.

I. In the first place, I am to point out to you, in fome particulars, how the wrath of man praises God. I fay, in fome inftances, because it is far from being in my power, either to mention or explain the whole. There is an unfearchable depth in the divine counfels, which it is impoffible for us to penetrate. It is the duty of every good man to place, the moft, unlimited confidence in divine wisdom, and to believe that thofe measures of providence that are most uninte!ligible to him, are yet planned with the fame fkill, and directed to the fame great purpofes as others, the reafon and tendency of which he can explain in the clearest manner. But where revelation and experience enables us to difcover

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the wisdom, equity, or mercy of divine providence, nothing can be more delightful or profitable to a serious mind, and therefore I beg your attention to the following remarks.

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In the first place, the wrath of man praises God, as it is an example and illuftration of divine truth, and clearly points out the corruption of our nature, which is the foundation-ftone of the doctrine of redemption. Nothing can be more abfolutely neceffary to true religion, than a clear and full conviction of the finfulness of our nature and ftate. Without this there can be neither repentance in the finner, nor humility in the believer Without this all that is faid in Scripture of the wisdom and mercy of God, in providing a Saviour, is without force and without meaning. Juftly does our Saviour fay, the

whole have no need of a physician, but those 'that are fick. I came not to call the righteous 'but finners to repentance.' Those who are not fenfible that they are finners, will treat every exhortation to repentance, and every offer of mercy, with difdain or defiance.

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But where can we have a more affecting view of the corruption of our nature, than in the wrath of man, when exerting itself in oppreffion, cruelty, and blood? It must be owned, indeed, that this truth is abundantly manifeft in times of the greatest tranquillity. Others may, if they please, treat the corruption of our nature as a chimera; for my part, I fee it every where, and

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I feel it every day. All the diforders in human fociety, and the greatest part even of the unhappinefs we are expofed to, arifes from the envy, malice, covetoufnefs, and other lufts of man. If we and all about us were juft what we ought to be in all respects, we should not need to go any further for heaven, for it would be upon earth. But war and violence prefent a fpectacle ftill more awful. How affecting is it to think, that the luft of domination should be fo violent and univerfal! That men fhould fo rarely be fatisfied with their own poffeffions and acquifitions, or even with the benefit that would arife from mutual service, but fhould look upon the happiness and tranquillity of others, as an obftruction to their own. That, as if the great law of nature were not enough, dust thou art, and

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to duft thou shalt return,' they fhould be fo furiously fet for the deftruction of each other. It is fhocking to think, fince the firft murder of Abel by his brother Cain, what havock has been made of man by man in every age. What is it that fills the pages of history, but the wars and contentions of princes and empires? What vaft numbers has lawless ambition brought into the field, and delivered as a prey to the destructive fword!

If we dwell a little upon the circumstances, they become deeply affecting. The mother bears a child with pain, rears him by the laborious attendance of many years; yet in the

prime of life, in the vigour of health, and bloom

of beauty, in a moment he is cut dreadful inftruments of death.

down by the

Every battle of the warrior is with confufed noife, and ' garments rolled in blood;' but the horror of the scene is not confined to the field of slaughter. Few go there unrelated, or fall unlamented; in every hoftile encounter, what muft be the impreffion upon the relations of the deceafed? The bodies of the dead can only be feen, or the cries of the dying heard for a fingle day; but many day's fhall not put an end to the mourning of a parent for a beloved fon, the joy and fupport of his age, or of the widow and helpless offspring for a father, taken away in the fulness of health and vigour. Ate

But if this may be juftly faid of all wars between man and man, what fhall we be able to fay that is fuitable to the abhorred fcene of civil war between citizen and citizen? How deeply affecting is it, that those who are the fame in com-plexion, the fame in blood, in language, and in religion, should, notwithstanding, butcher one another with unrelenting rage, and glory in the deed? That men fhould lay wafte the fields of their fellow fubjects, with whofe provifion they themfelves had been often fed, and confume with devouring fire thofe houfes, in which they had often found a hofpitable fhelter?

These things are apt to overcome a weak mind with fear, or overwhelm it with forrow, and in

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