Meanwhile peace and plenty, universal love and harmony reign from town to town, through all the province, through all the kingdom, yea, through all the kingdoms of the earth, where righteousness thus prevails. And heaven looks down propitious, and declares, “ Blessed shalt thou be in thy basket and in thy store, blessed shalt thou be in the house and in the field."

Nor let any think this a description of a fictitious state of things. Rather let every one know, that all this, and more than all this, shall be accomplished, when once that petition, so often put up by the true followers of Jesus, by his special direction, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done earth as it is in heaven," is answered, and his holy religion comes to take place among mankind, when once "the stone cut out without hands becomes a great mountain, and fills the whole earth." Nor will what is written fail of an accomplishment in its season. For there has already 66 come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch has grown out of his roots," and he has taken "the throne of his father David," that he may reign over "every nation, language, and tongue," and the kingdom, and the "greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven" is to be given to him. At present, for wise and holy ends, Satan is suffered "to deceive, the nations;" but the day draws nigh, when he is to be "bound a thousand years." And then "the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf, and the young lion, and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed, their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox: and the suckling child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all God's holy mountain for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." And thus righteousness tends to exalt a nation, and to render all the inhabitants of the earth happy. O, how glorious is the religion of Jesus Christ! When shall the day come, that it shall effectually take place in the hearts of mankind!

But, on the other hand,

III. Sin is a reproach to any people. It is a reproach itself, and in its effects and consequences naturally sink a people into contempt, and brings down the judgments of heaven upon them.

When civil rulers have no fear of God before their eyes, or regard to the public weal, and act an arbitrary and tyrannical part: when subjects despise the deity and contemn all authority, are full of discontentment and murmuring, divided into angry parties, ready to take fire on every occasion when ministers of the gospel are unstudious and ignorant, or preach error and practise wickedness, neither caring for the honour of Christ, nor the salvation of immortal souls, but devoted wholly to their ease, or to their worldly interest, or to support error and encourage wickedness: when people live without God in the world, secure in sin, stupid to their eternal interest, hate the gospel, grudge ministers all they have, envy the rich, despise the poor, and perpetual discord reigns in town and churches: when neighbours live in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another, their conversation tainted with ill-nature, and their traffic full of deceit and fraud; or if they are fair to the face, revile behind the back, and no man's word or promise to be trusted : when people spend their time in idleness, their substance at taverns, in gay dressing, in high living, in law-suits, until poverty comes like an armed man: when peace and harmony are clean gone, and jarring, angry passions reign, no godliness, no humanity, sabbaths profaned, family prayer neglected, hearts and hands unclean, whoredom rampant, no government, civil, ecclesiastical, or domestic, all riot and confusion: how contemptible is such a community! how miserable is such a people! The higher these and such like distempers rise, the greater is their wretchedness. And if they do but begin to creep in among a people, they bring reproach and misery along with them. For, as virtue and happiness, so vice and misery, are naturally connected together. As "wisdom's ways are pleasantness and all her paths peace;" so "to the wicked there is no peace : but they are like the troubled sea, whose waves cast up mire and dirt.”

Besides, it may be expected, although the full vials of divine wrath are reserved for the world to come, that yet God in righteous judgment will sometimes in anger look down on such a nation, and spread a curse over all their blessings, so as to render them" cursed in their basket and in their store, in the house and in the field, and in all they put their hand unto."

And thus we see what is meant by righteousness, and how righteousness exalts a nation, and how sin is a reproach to any people and so we are prepared,

IV. To consider, that the only way for us in this colony to be a happy community, is to be a righteous people. And here let the following particulars be attended to. That we in this colony are under great external advantages to be a happy people. That notwithstanding our external advantages, our own vices may render us very miserable. But, if our external advantages were improved as a virtuous people might improve them, we might be very happy. And it is the duty of all, especially of those in places of public trust, to do all in their power to promote a universal reformation.

1. We in this colony are under great external advantages to be a happy people. We sit under the shadow of our mother country, and are protected by the fleets and armies of one of the best of kings. Canada, which has been a scourge to us for many years, is at present in the hands of his British Majesty, our gracious sovereign, our indulgent father. Louisbourgh is demolished, Crown-Point is our own, Oswego, Niagara, and Pittsburgh, are in our hands. Our sea-coasts are in no fear of an invading fleet, our frontiers are secure from the ravages of popish and pagan cruelty, our alarms are at an end, and we dwell quietly, each one secure under his own vine, and under his own fig-tree. And we dwell in a good land, in a fertile country, where we may eat bread to the full. And no greater degree of industry is necessary in general than is really for the happiness of a community. Might we live in idleness, and yet enjoy of fulness of all things, we should not be happier, but rather a more miserable people: as idleness, in the present state of mankind, is naturally productive of many vices, which bring greater misery along with them into a community, than attends a life of honest labour. In a

word, we live in so good a land, and enjoy such advantages for navigation, that were we virtuous and wise, were we prudent and industrious, we might have enough of all the good things of this world, and be in debt to no other province of people upon the face of the earth.

And as to civil privileges, no community under heaven enjoys greater than we do. Nor is it easy to conceive what greater civil privileges can be enjoyed than we enjoy. Once every year, we may unite as brethren, and choose out our wisest and ablest men, to make our laws, to guide our public affairs, and provide for the decision of all our civil controversies. And all our towns are so many corporations, invested with power to take care of their own public concerns, and suppress idleness and debauchery, and every kind of immorality. And even every little parish has, so far as it needs for its own well being, as part of the whole, full power and authority to manage and order its own affairs Meanwhile each family is a distinct kingdom of its own, and for the defence of its rights and properties stands entitled to the wisdom and strength of the whole community.

And as to our religious privileges, every man has the Bible in his own hands, and is at liberty to read and think, and judge for himself. Every man, as he is at the day of judgment to stand or fall for himself, so is now at liberty to worship God in that way, which he verily thinks will be at last approved of by his Judge; every parish is an ecclesiastical society, invested with full power to choose their own minister and provide for his support. And every particular church is at liberty to come into what connexions they judge most for their own edification. Were any particular parish and church disposed to be independants, they might be so. Or if they choose to form themselves on the presbyterian plan, they have their liberty. Or, if they desire to declare for the church of England, there is none to hinder them. Or if they choose to be in connexion with neighbouring churches, agreeable to the ecclesiastical constitution of this government, the door is open, and they are welcome to all the privileges of such a connexion, only submitting to the orders, and performing the duties, which are necessarily implied in the very nature of the con

nexion itself. And every parish, whether connected or unconnected, is still an ecclesiastical society, and possessed of all the privileges which our laws give to all ecclesiastical laws in common. And had we now but a wise and understanding heart to discern the good and right way, and could we all to a man agree in our religious sentiments, we might, as one family, live together in perfect love and harmony, as brethren in Christ Jesus, and grow up into a meetness to live together for ever, in the world of love and harmony above. Or if we differ in some lesser matters, which all sides agree not to be essential, we still may be happy, if we can only do as we would be done by : let others peaceably and quietly enjoy that liberty which we should be glad to enjoy in like cicumstan ces. And if we differ in important points, with the Bible in our hands, he who is found to be in an error, will, at the last day, stand inexcusable before his Judge, speechless, and self-condemned.

Such are our civil and religious privileges. Meanwhile, we have a seminary of learning in the heart of our colony, designed for the training up a sufficient number of youth for public business; that when our rulers and teachers, now on the stage, are dead and gone, others may be prepared to take their places, and do worthily in their day and generation. And such are our external advantages to be a happy people. But,

2. Notwithstanding all our external advantages to be a happy people, our own vices may reader us very miserable: and, instead of appearing honourable in the eyes of our neighbours, we may sink down into contempt and ruin. For notwithstanding the goodness of our land, and all our advantages for navigation, yet luxury, idleness, debauchery, dishonesty, and multiplied law-suits, may bring us to poverty. And if idleness and extravagant high living should so increase among us, that all we have to export out of the government should yearly fall many thousands in value below the goods imported, our farmers may soon be obliged to resign their lands to pay their debts. And if so many estates shall be found to be insolvent, that our wealthiest merchants could scarce escape breaking; and if our lands must be made over to gentlemen