out his wrath upon irreligious families, and yet would not you fet up religion in yours? Had you any business to do in your houses of that confequence, as worshipping of God in your houfes? if you had not ability to pray at first with others, might not you have attained it, had you used to pray by yourfelves? Would not God have helped you, had you been wil. ling to have been helped? Had you been fenfible of fin, would you have wanted words in confeffion? Had you been fenfible of your wants, would you have lacked expreffions to make them known? Was it curiofity and elegance of words, that God fo much looked for? Would not fighs and groans have been understood?— Would not the fcriptures have furnished you with expreffions had you used to read them? Would not fermons have furnished you with matter and expreffions had you used to repeat them? Had you need of fuch and fuch things for your families, and had you need of God's bleffing? And could you hope for his bleffing, if you did not worship him? Might not you have profpered more in the world, if you had ufed to pray more in your houses? Might not you have had more comfort in your relations, if you had daily engaged with them in the du ties of God's worship? Might not family-prayer have prevented much fin and forrow which you brought upon you? Did not you fall into many fnares daily, for want of the armour of

prayer? Had your children and fervants no need of religious education? Were they like to be obedient and faithful to you, if you did not teach them to be obedient and faithful unto God? Had not you the charge of their fouls put into your hands, and what account can you give? Have not you brought their blood upon your heads? Have not you contracted to yourselves the guilt of their fins: Can you endure to hear their curfes, and banning of you, for neglecting to give them fuch religious edu cation, as might have been the means of their falvation? And you that were under government of families, which had no religion, could you fo willingly imitate the governors, and the reft, in the neglect of God's worship? Could you contentedly go to hell for company? Is it an alleviation of your grief and horror, that all your family is together? Can your mafters or fathers anfwer for themselves, or you? Had not you a greater Master in heaven, whom you should rather have obeyed? Did not you understand your duty? and if you could not worship God more publicly, fhould not you have prayed alone by yourselves? What if you had no example for it in your house, had you no precept for it in the word? What if you were under command, and much bufinefs was required of you, and you were difcouraged in fuch duties, could not you have found fome

time when bufinefs was over or before buf nefs began? Could not you have redeemed time from fleep and recreations, rather than have neglected God's worship daily? Would not God have encouraged, rewarded you ?What if you had been fcoffed at, and reproached for this, would not the favor and fmiles of God, have compenfated the flouts and fcorns of men? Would not heaven have been worth all the reproaches you could have undergone?— Could you eat and drink, and fleep, and not pray to God, which was more neceffary, than any thing which is moft neceffary for your bodies? And if there was no worship of God at home, could not you have looked abroad? Were there none that lived near you, who would have been glad of your company in the worship of God, and way to heaven? Could you find out no religious young men or young women fuitable to your degree, who would have quickened you, and heartened you against difcouragement? Did not you devote yourselves rather to the fervice of fome lufts, and were glad of any excufe when confcience would have minded you of your duty towards God? Take them, devils, "bind them hand and foot."

4. Come forth all ye fabbath-breakers, you that have spent the day in fleeping, in eating and drinking to excefs; who inftead of holy meditations, have been thinking and contriv

your wordly bufinefs; instead of religious

conference, have difcourfed only of earthly matters; instead of going to church to worship God have walked into the fields, and spent the time in recreations or if you have feemed to give God a half-day service by your presence at church one part of the day, yet have worshipped him only with your bodies, when your hearts were removed far from him: had not you an exprefs command for the fabbath's obfervation? And if the day of the first inftitution was changed, was the day and worship thereof laid afide and ceased to be a duty? It the Jews were obliged to keep a day holy, were not the Chriftians much more? Was not the fabbath made for man? Was it not for his privilege to take that time for holy rest and worship? And did the gospel ftraiten men's privileges? Did not the moral law, of which fabbath observation was one precept, bind throughout all generations? Could you call other days holy which the fcripture gives no warrant for, and not observe that holy day which you were enjoined? Did not God allow you fix days for labour in your call. ing, and was it unequal for him to take one day for his own worship? Had he eafed you of the burthenfome ceremonies under the law? Was the fabbath fo burthenfome to you? Could you reasonably hope to enter into eternal reft, and keep a fabbath in heaven, if you would not celebrate the appointed fabbaths on earth? Were not the works of creation and redemp

tion worthy your memorial? Was not com munion with God in ordinances defirable? Had you no need of thefe fpiritual provifions which God did ufe to deal forth on the fabbath days to them that waited upon him for them? What, not worship God either in your houses, nor in his houfe, neither on work day, nor on fabbath day? Could your fometimes cold and formal fervices be counted worship? Did you think that lip prayers could ever be heard by God, that fearcheth and requireth the heart? Did you think that fermon unminded, unremembered, which you did neither be lieve, nor were affected with, would be effectual to fave you?" Take them, devils, bind them hand and foot."

5. Come forth all ye fwearers and profaners of the name of God; did you never read, nor hear the third commandment, which forbade this fin? Did you never hear my ftrict injunc tion that you should not fwear at all in your discourses, but that your communication fhould be yea and nay ? Were you never told that fwearers would fall into condemnation? Was the great and dreadful name of God of fo little regard, that you could not only ufe it irrever. ently fo frequently; but also even rent in pieces by your oaths? What profit did you get by your fwearing? And are you like to fuftain no lofs? What pleasure did you find in your swearing? And are you like to reap bitterness? Was