I need not tell you that Infidelity, and Profanenefs, that a Contempt, and Derifion of the divine Providence, and the holy Scriptures, are crying Sins among us; nor that keeping holy the SabbathDay, and a due Attendance on the publick Worship of God are generally neglected; nor that our Cities and Country have long been polluted with all Sorts of Immoralities; neither need I fay to you that the holy God has fhewn himself angry with us, by a Series of awful Judgments, tho' fome of them thro' his abundant Mercy have been taken

away.

And surely I need not fay to you that Iniquities ftill abound among us, that Provocations of almighty Wrath are ftill committed, and that there appears very little of Reformation; neither need I add that the Tokens of God's Anger do ftill fubfift.

The great God has given us Warning after Warning, and Stroke after Stroke, and then ceased awhile, and waited to fee whether we will confider our evil ways, and repent of our Sins, and return unto him; he has waited, and flill waits that he may be gracious to us; that he may, confiftent with the Honour of his Government, with the Glory of his Name, forgive our Sins, and be reconciled unto us, and blefs us. But the Reconciliation is not yet brought about; No, for we stubbornly perfift in our Rebellion againft him: And it is too evident to be denied that his Hand is ftill ftretched out against us.

Was it not that holy God who is of purer Eyes than to behold Iniquity without Abhorrence, and without being incenfed against the wilful Tranfgreffors of his Laws? Was it not he who permitted our Enemies to draw the Sword, and from a Number, fmall, at first, to increase into a Multitude, and to march thro' the Heart of our Country, and to ap

proach

proach fo near this our Metropolis, as to fill the Minds of all true Proteftants, and faithful Subjects of our gracious Sovereign with a Dread of the Confequences, if he had not by his Influence turned them back by the Way that they came, and afterwards intirely fubdued them? Was it not he, who fent the mortal Sickness among our Cattle? and who has been thro' a Course of feveral Years deftroying them! and fhewing that he can as eafily deftroy our Perfons! and does he not awfully proceed, in the Way of his Anger, by fmiting the Beafts of the Field ftill with Sickness, and Death, in divers Parts of the Country?

Pray confider, That Deftruction of Cattle is one of God's threatned Judgments; and that this till fubfifts in the Land; and that Earthquakes are another Sort of them, very terrible: And let us keep in Remembrance how the Almighty has once and again very lately made the Earth to tremble under thefe great Cities; and has violently fhaken the Houfes of the Inhabitants over them; and that the divine Power might either have caufed the Earth to open and swallow up the Buildings, and all the living Creatures that are upon it, or elfe without the Opening of the Earth might have fhattered, and thrown down even the ftrongeft Edifices, and have crufhed to Death thofe who dwell in them; and who can tell what, or how many of his other Threatnings will be executed among us, or how foon!

I entreat you to read again, and again, and revolve in your Minds what has been offered to your Thoughts in the foregoing Papers.

Let every one faithfully examine himself, and confider whether he is not of one or other of the SORTS of Perfons whom God has threatened, not only with everlafting Torments in the future State, but with Miferies, with Diftrefs, and Destruction even in this World, when he vifits Cities, and Nations for their Sins.

If you compare your Lives with the holy Laws of God, your Confciences will tell you, whether you are among the miferable Objects of the divine Threatnings.

And is this your Cafe! I muft then tell you, that you are under a dreadful Sentence of Condemnation. For hitherto you have not repented of your Sins, nor believed on the Lord Jefus Christ.

In John iii. 18, 19. it is thus declared, viz. He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed on the Name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the Condemnation, that Light is come into the World, and Men loved Darknefs rather than Light, because their Deeds were evil.

O how deplorable is your Condition! in being Enemies to God by your wicked Works, in being the Servants of Sin, and Satan? How deplorable, I fay, is your Condition, whatever be your worldly Honours, Riches, and Poffeffions, or Eminency for Learning! Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourfelves Servants to obey, his Servants ye are, to whom ye obey, whether of Sin unto Death, or of Obedience unto Righteoufnefs! Rom. vi. 16.

How lamentable is your Cafe in your being Objects of the divine Anger! For God is angry with the Wicked every Day, (Pfal. vii. 11.) He is fo continually; and how wretched are you, in your being obnoxious to all the Miferies threatned to be inflicted in this Life! and in being liable to a speedy Death, and to the Pains of Hell for ever!

And what Comfort, what Peace can you have in your present State? There is no Peace, faith my God, to the Wicked, Ifai. lvii. 21.

What have you to yield unto your Souls a rational, a fincere Confolation! Have you ftately Houses, rich Furniture, large Eftates, and great Honours? yet these do not fatisfy you.

You

You seek after Pleasure, and Joy in fenfual Entertainments; your Ears are delighted with exquifite Mufick; your Eyes are pleased with a vait Variety of the agreeable Objects of Sight! Numberlefs are the Recreations, and Amusements, which human Invention has contrived to take up your Time.

But these Things do not fatisfy you! you are at great Expences, and often take great Pains; you fatigue your Bodies, and prejudice your Health in Purfuits of Objects, to gratify one or other of your bodily Senfes.

And in the midft fof your highest Enjoyments, you ftill find something wanting to give your Minds fatisfying Joy! you have not yet found Reft for your Souls!

And all the while that you have an Affluence of worldly Things, you are wretched Creatures. The Curfe of God is upon you! you are liable to a Variety of Diftempers, to the Gout, to the Stone, and to a thousand other bodily Diseases, to Melancholy, to Defpair; and you are obnoxious to Enemies, to Shame, and to a Diversity of Afflictions, which you cannot comprehend, and liable to everlafting Torment in the next World.

But I may add, that altho' your present Condition is bad beyond Conception, yet you may be delivered from it! There is a fure Way to Safety, Comfort, and Happiness, both in this World, and in that to which you are going. Read again, and ponder in your Thoughts what has been propofed to your Confideration in my former Letter, Pag. 28, 29, &c. for the Encouragement of your Hope and Joy in following the Directions of the Gofpel.

Repent of your Sins, and believe in the Lord Jefus Chrift and all your Iniquities will be forgiven you. Our good God, tho' you have provoked him Times and Ways without Number, will then be reconciled to you; and your eternal Salvation, and

Happiness

Happiness through the crucified, the rifen, the exalted and bleffed JESUS will be fure.

O become fincere Difciples of the crucified, and rifen Jefus! take him for your Saviour, and Prince! for your Mafter, and Lord! and truft in him, and in him alone, for a compleat Salvation from all your Sins, as well as from the everlasting Punishment due unto you for them! Truft in him alone for Holinefs, and Happinefs; for Grace to encline, and enable you to lead holy Lives according to the Will of God.

Then will you find those rational Pleasures, thofe fincere Comforts, and that solid Peace and Rest for your Souls, which you never knew before! then will you know the Difference between the Pleasures of Sin, and the Confolations which the Gospel adminifters to penitent, and believing Sinners! then you will defpife, and abhor your former carnal, and fenfual Delights, and find that Satisfaction in the Service, and Enjoyment of God, which you would not part with for ten thousand Worlds. This has been the Experience of those who formerly practifed the like Sins, and pursued and enjoyed the fame fenfual Pleasures as yourselves, but fince have been truly converted, and have accepted of Christ, and joined themselves to the Lord in his gracious Covenant, and walk closely with him in the Way of Holiness, and known by Experience that the Pleafures of a religious holy Life, are inexpreffibly greater than those of Sin.

And O that it may please the God of all Grace, by the mighty working of his holy Spirit, to put it into your Hearts fincerely thus to exprefs yourselves unto him, viz.

"O holy, and moft merciful God! I am now "convinced that I have long been a vile, finful, guilty, and a rebellious Creature against Thee! "convinced that there is a finful, and dreadful De

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