May the Lord of his goodnefs and mercy, pus it into the hearts and minds of all who have the power of rule and punishment, and of all who have the care of families upon their hands*, to ftrive as much as poffibly on them lieth, to reform this great and growing evil of idlenefs, which is a difgrace and injury to the community, a high difhonor to Almighty God, and draws down a heavy plague on those unprofitable fubjects themselves. To let fin go unpunished, is to encourage men in diforderly and unlawful courfes; when people per-· fift in fcandalous offences, not to put the laws in force against fuch impudent proceedings, renders a public officer a pofitive partaker in private crimes. To let the wicked efcape, through any partiality or favour to particular perfons, is the most unjust and injurious thing that can be practifed. It gives boldness to others to become vicious, and throws a burden on the innocent and needy, which the guilty has deferved, and alone should bear. In fhort, it is violating those laws which God's goodness hath appointed for our fafety and happiness. By fuch conduct, and by neglecting to bring up youth in a fober and useful manner, we provoke God to inflict judgments upon ourselves and families after us. It is recorded for our admonition against fuch blameable proceedings, (Num. xxvth,) That as long as the adulterous were fuffered to live licenti

* As much of the bad conduct of fervants in general is certainly to be attributed to the loofe example of their fuperiors in every fituation, fo doubtlefs the cautious conduct of mafters and miftreffes in their own manners and converfation, and a regular and pious order in their families, is the firft and most effential step to be taken to remedy the univerfal complaint of diffolute, infolent, and unconfcientious domeftics of every defcription. And another obvious and effectual check to the progrefs of this complaint, would be a religious refolution never to give an equivocal character to any fervant who has been guilty of grofs mifbehaviour and criminal conduct, for this is the caufe that the evil Spreads inftead of diminishing, and fuch behaviour is befides a most cruel and injurious breach of pure good will towards each other.

oufly,

oufly, without reformation or punishment, fo long did the plague continue in Ifrael, as you may fee if you read that particular chapter. But after due correction of the people, the Lord's anger was immediately pacified, and the plague ceafed. It is happy for us, that God doth not vifit now with fuch frequent and fierce chastisements; but there is a plague in the confequence of all fin, that will fooner or later overtake thofe places, where it is too lightly confidered. And if it reaches not in this life, it will not fail to be the eternal portion of the wicked hereafter. Let all officers and perfons in authority therefore, look ftrictly to their charge; let all masters and miftreffes be careful to reform every misbehaviour in their families; let them ufe the authority that God hath given them; let them not maintain or encourage idle or debauched perfons, but free their houtholds and the country of fuch unworthy characters, that idlenefs, the parent of all mifchief, being clearly rooted out, or at least discountenanced, the Almighty may turn his dreadful anger from us, and blefs us with his covenant of peace and profperity for ever; through the merits of Jefus Chrift our only Lord and Savior, To whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, bę all honor and glory, world without end. Amen.

VOL. II.

X

DIS

DISCOURSE XXIII.

The Homily on Repentance.

ACTS iii. 19.

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your fins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing hall come from the prefence of the Lord.

TH

WHERE is nothing that the holy fpirit of God doth fo ftrongly enforce throughout all the fcripture; there is nothing with which he is more earnest to imprefs the mind of man, than the neceffity of repentance, amendment of life, and a fpeedy returning to the Lord God of Hofts. And the reason is most clear; for by our wilful tranfgreffions, and ftubborn difobedience, we do daily fall off from the fervice of our heavenly Father, in a manner terrible to reflect upon; whereby we purchase to ourfelves (were God to deal with us according to rigid juice) the deserved penalty of eternal mifery. No doctrine therefore, that is held in the church of God, can be more needful, often to be explained, than that of contrition for our paft offences, and the expediency of a fincere reformation of our lives. And in truth, if we strictly

preach

preach the gospel of the kingdom of heaven, and the glad tidings of falvation, we can never separate these two things, repentance and forgiveness of fins.: This our Savior Jefus Chrift declareth himself, in St. Luke xxiv. 46, 47. faying, So it behoved Chrift to fuffer, and to rife again the third day; and that repentance and remiffion of fins should be preached in bis name among all nations. And the fame doth the Apostle affirm in Acts xx. 21. I have witneed (faith he) both to the Jews, and to the Gentiles, repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jefus Christ. We read alfo that John the Baptift, the fon of Zacharias, began his miniftry with exhorting to repentance, faying, Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, (Matt. iii. 2.) The doctrine then, which forms the fubject of this Difcourse, is the fame which our blefied Lord taught in his own perfon, and commanded his Apoftles to preach continually."

Numerous are the paffages that might be quoted from the prophets, to prove the neceffity of this faving doctrine of repentance; and that it is what all ranks and degrees of men should equally attend to. It will be fufficient at prefent to refer to that particular text taken from the iid chap. of Joel, and 12th ver. who exhorteth to repentance in thefe words: Therefore alfo now, faith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your bearts, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God; for he is gracious and merciful, flow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteib him of the evil; he changeth his purpofe of punishment, when men confefs, and bewail, and forfake their fins. We have here a perpetual rule appointed us, which we fhould ever obferve and keep in mind. We here perceive, that there is no other way, as an effect, or proof, of Chrift's merits having wrought for us; in other words, that God's difpleasure