piety and wickedness is so great, that we may justapprehend a share in their calamities. When the vial is poured out upon the sun, the burning beams will be darted far around, and the remote inhabitants of the earth, will be scorched with the malignant heat. Revolutions in Europe will probably shake our ground, and perhaps produce some new and unexpected changes. Let us not, in our prosperity, imagine that our mountain stands strong, nor flatter ourselves, that its foundation can never be moved.

Is it not apparent, that the words of our text, whatever period they primarily intend, may justly be accommodated to our own times ?-Let us then seriously regard the practical instructions which they afford us.

1. We are here taught, that it deeply concerns us to give glory to God by repentance of sin, and amendment of life.

It is the complaint in the text, that, under God's judgments, men repented not to give him glory. Let us beware, lest this complaint be verified in us.

The eternal, independent God, manifests himself before our eyes in the grandeur and variety of the works which he has made, in the regular course of his providence, and in the judgments which he executes on the earth..

When we contemplate events in the natural, or political world, we are fully convinced, that there sits, at the head of the universe, a Being of infinite power, unsearchable wisdom, unwearied goodness, and perfect righteousness. The Lord reigns; let the saints rejoice; but let the guilty tremble. Injustice and oppression are often seen in the governments administered by men. "But marvel not at the matter. Doth not he who is higher than the highest regard it? And there be higher than they.". If we believe there is such a Being, we must feel

our obligation to glorify him. The man, who acknowledging the existence and government of this all perfect Being, can banish him from his thoughts, live without a sense of his goodness, or a fear of his displeasure; without prayer in the day of distress, or praise in the time of prosperity, can confine his cares to the present short term of existence, and neglect all preparation for futurity; this man discovers a stupidity no less criminal than atheism itself.

By breaking the commandment, we dishonour God: By returning to our duty, we give him glo

ry.

Repentance is an acknowledgment of God, as a Being glorious in holiness; a Being who cannot look on iniquity, and who will by no means clear the guilty. It is a reliance on his great name, "The Lord God merciful and gracious, forgiving iniquities, transgressions and sins." It is a submission to his supreme authority, who has commanded all men, every where, to repent. It is a compliance with the benevolent purpose of his moral government toward our apostate race, which is to recover them from guilt and ruin, and bring them to glory and virtue. It is obeying the Son of God, who came to redeem us from iniquity, and to purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works. It is embracing the kind motions of the divine spirit, who strives with perverse transgressors, to turn them from sin to righteousness, and from disobedience to the wisdom of the just.

2. The complaint in the text," that under God's judgments, men repented not to give him glory," supposes and implies, that judgments are designed and adapted to awaken sinners and bring them to repentance.

They display the majesty and supremacy of God, who has power over all plagues.

They shew us human weakness and dependence, and the precarious continuance of all earthly riches and glories.

They make it manifest to every eye, that he who rules in the heavens, can bring princes to nothing, and make the judges of the earth as vanity.

They demonstrate the awful justice of God, who comes forth out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the world for their iniquity; and they solemnly warn us of that dreadful day, when he will descend with fire, and ride forth in his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebukes with flames of fire.

They teach us the horrible nature and fatal tendency of vice; for from hence come wars and fightings. It is ambition, avarice and revenge, which have so often thrown the nations into confusion, and poured destruction over half the globe.

Wasting calamities are suited to make men thoughtful and serious, to remind them of a future world, and to impress on their hearts a sense of the vanity of this.

Wars, the most common scourges of guilty nations, multiply deaths, especially among the youthful and active part of our species; increase the number of distressed widows, helpless orphans, and mourning parents; render life and its enjoy.nents precarious; change the course of business; transfer property from man to man; dissipate wealth in the hands of one, and accumulate it in the hands of another, to be again scattered and driven away by the next rude blast, or the next sweeping surge.

In such an uncertain and gloomy state of things, when death, captivity and sorrow, stalk aroundwhen worldly interests are all afloat, and the very ground on which we stand, is convulsed, one would think, mankind must become more serious and pray

erful, more indifferent to this world, and more attentive to the vast concerns of futurity.

These happy effects divine_judgments doubtless produce on many; but the effects are far more partial than we should have imagined.

Yea; Our text teaches us,

3. That men, under judgments sent for their reformation, sometimes grow more impious and incorrigible.

When the vial was poured out upon the sun, and men were scorched with fire, "they repented not, but blasphemed the name of God." The same was the effect of the next vial. When this was poured on the seat of the beast, "his kingdom was full of darkness, and men gnawed their tongues for pain, and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains, and repented not of their deeds." So, when the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air, there fell upon men a great hail, and they blasphemed the name of God, because of the plague."

These expressions, doubtless, denote a great prevalence of impiety, profaneness and infidelity.

The wickedness which abounds under these vials, is of a very different kind from that which appeared under the former judgments, designated by the trumpets.

When the sixth angel sounded his trumpet, as related in the ninth chapter, the four angels bound at the river Euphrates, were let loose to slay the third part of men.

This is, by Mr. Lowman, referred to the conquests of the Saracens in Spain and other parts of Europe, in the eighth century. But Dr. Newton and others apply it to the destructive wars of the Turks, or Othmans, in the eastern part of the Roman empire, which began in the thirteenth century, and continued, with some intermissions, until all

the eastern empire was reduced under the Othman dominion.

Now it is remarked, that, "The rest of the men, who were not killed by these plagues, yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, silver, brass, wood and stone; neither repented they of their murders, sorceries, fornications and thefts."

It is observable, that, under the plagues of the vials, nothing is said about the worship of idols and demons, and the practice of sorcery and divination, and pretensions to miracles and revelations. But it is said, once and again, "Men blasphemed the name of God." They discarded all revelation, and threw off all regard to God and his providence.

The difference is, in my mind, remarkable. Have not facts verified the predictions?

In preceding ages, whenever any great calamities fell on the papal dominions, every species of superstition was increased; such as the worship of images, prayers for the dead, the adoration of saints, donations to the church, mortifications of the body, and the observance of festivals and holydays; for these were considered as the only means of removing divine judgments, and propitiating an angry Deity.

These forms of superstition have, for some time, been sinking into discredit. But do we find, that, as they have declined, rational religion has increased? Has not infidelity rather come forward to take their place?

Superstition is not the prevailing characteristic of the day. But if impiety, infidelity and irreligion bound in the christian world, and increase among us; we may conclude, that we have fallen into the times