vered. The whole world owes its preservation and being to them, whom they make it their business to root out of it: they are as the foolish woman, that pulls down her own house with both her hands. It is not your counsels, you know how they have been divided, entangled, insnared; it is not your armies, as such; what have they been to oppose against the mighty floods that have risen up in this nation? and they also have been as a reed driven to and fro with the. wind (mankind is no better; John the Baptist says it of himself); but it is this presence of Christ in and with his, that hath been the preservation of England, in the midst of all the changes and revolutions that we have been exercised withal; Micah v. 5.

2dly. Not only preservation, but prosperity is from hence also: Micah v. 7. And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people, as a dew from the Lord, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, that waits not for the sons of men.' It is the remnant of Jacob of whom he speaks, that is, this people of Christ, with whom he is so present as hath been manifested; and where are they? They are in the midst of many people, in their inside, in their bowels; they are woven by their relations and employments into the bowels of the nations; and on that account there is neither this nor any nation about us, but shall spin out their mercies or their misery from their own bowels; their providential fates lie in them; as is their deportment towards this remnant, such will their issue be. But what shall this remnant do? Why it shall be as dew from the Lord,' and as showers on the grass.' It shall be that alone which makes them fruitful, flourishing, and prosperous; it may be it will be so, provided there be good assistance, counsel, and strength, to carry on their affairs: yea, blessed be God for counsels and for armies; he hath made them useful to us: but the truth is, the blessing of this dew depends not on them, it tarrieth not for man, it waiteth not for the sons of men: it will be a blessing, let men do what they will; it depends not on their uncertain and unstable counsel, on their weak and feeble strength. This remnant is as the ark in the house of Obed-edom, as Joseph in the house of Potiphar, all is blessed and prospered for their sakes. It is not the glorious battlements, the painted windows, the

crouching antics that support a building, but the stones that lie unseen in or upon the earth. It is often those who are despised and trampled on, that bear up the weight of a whole nation. All the fresh springs of our blessings are in Zion.

It were easy to manifest that in all our late revolutions we have turned on this hinge. According as the presence of Christ with his people, in the power of his Spirit, hath received entertainment in these nations, so hath our state and condition been. For many years before the beginning of these troubles the land had been full of oppression, I mean, in respect to the people of God. Poverty, imprisonment, dangers, banishment, reproaches were their portion. God was long patient; at length the height of their adversaries came to this, that they set not themselves so much against their persons or ways, as against the Spirit of Christ in and with them that was made their reproach, that the by-word wherewith they were despised in the mouths of their adversaries, and the profane multitude: when things were come to this, that the very presence of Christ with his people was made the direct object of the hatred of men, the Lord could bear it no longer; but sware by himself, that time should be given them no more: in this very house he raised up saviours and deliverers on mount Zion to judge the mount of Edom; and how did he carry on this work? Not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord of hosts,' as Zech. iv. 6. even by that very Spirit which had been reviled and despised. Give me leave to say, the work of judging this nation was carried on by the presence of the Spirit of Christ with his in faith and prayer: it was not by prudence of counsels, or strength of armies above that of our enemies, that we prevailed, but by faith and prayer; and if any one be otherwise minded, I leave him for his resolution to the judgment of the great day, when all transactions shall be called over again. The adversaries themselves I am sure acknowledged it, when they openly professed, that there was nothing left for them to overcome, or to overcome them, but the prayers of the fanatic crew.

After some years' contending, when the Lord had begun to give us deliverance by breaking the power of the enemy, at least in this nation, besides those bitter divisions that fell

out among the people of God themselves, and the backsliding of some, to the cause and principles they had opposed, this evil was also found rising again amongst us; slighting, blaspheming, contemning under several pretences, of the Spirit and presence of Christ in and with his saints: you know what ensued; what shakings, what revolutions, with new wars, bloodshed, and desolation, over the three nations. And give me leave to remember you as one that had opportunity to make observations of the passages of providence in those days, in all the three nations, in the times of our greatest hazards; give me leave, I say, to remember you, that the public declarations of those employed in the affairs of this nation, in the face of the enemies, their addresses unto God among themselves, their prayers night and day, their private discourses one with another, were, that the preservation of the interest of Christ in and with his people was the great thing that lay in their eyes; and that if it were not so, they desired that God would stop them in their way, yea, rather cause their carcases to fall in the high places of the field, than to prosper them in that which should be contrary thereunto: and we know what ensued. How we have used our mercies is another matter: this was the principle that prevailed with God and man.

Use 1. If you desire the glory of these nations, labour to promote the interest of Christ in these nations. I am not speaking unto you about disputable things, differences among the people of God themselves, nor am I interposing my advice in your civil affairs, but I speak in general about those with whom Christ is present, by his Spirit, his chosen ones, against whom there is an old enmity in Satan and the world. The glory of these nations is, that there is a people in them, that have Christ in the midst of them; let it be your business to take care for that glory. But how shall we do it?

(1.) Labour personally, every one of you, to get Christ in your own hearts. I am very far from thinking that a man may not be lawfully called to magistracy, if he be not a believer; or that being called, he should be impeded in the execution of his trust and place, because he is not so; I shall not suspend my obedience whilst I inquire after my lawful governor's conversion; but yet this I say, considering

that I cannot much value any good, but what comes in by the way of promise, I confess I can have no great expectation from them whom God loves not, delights not in; if any be otherwise minded, I shall not contend with him; but for this I will contend with all the world, that it is your duty to labour to assure Christ in your own hearts, even that you may be the better fitted for the work of God in the world. It is the promise of God to Zion, that her officers shall be peace, and her exactors righteousness,' Isa. lx. 17. and then shall she call her walls salvation, and her gates praise ;' ver. 18. It will be little advantage to any, to have the work of God raised in the world, and not to have the foundationstone laid in their hearts. If there should be in any of you an enmity unto Christ and the power of godliness, a hatred and contempt of the people of God, an evil heart of unbelief, an evil course of life, worldliness, oppression, vanity of mind, &c. would it advantage you to be intrusted with power in these nations? Would it not hasten your destruction, and increase your account? It is a noble promise that we have, Isa. xxxii. 17. And the work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance for ever.' It is a gospel righteousness that is spoken of; and that not of the cause as such only, but of the persons; the persons being righteous, and that with the righteousness of Christ, the effects mentioned shall follow their righteous undertakings; we have peace now, outward peace; but alas, we have not quietness, and if any thing may be done that may give us quietness, yet perhaps we may not have assurance; we may be quickly shaken again; but when the righteousness of the persons and cause meet, all the rest will follow.

(2.) Set yourselves to oppose that overflowing flood of profaneness, and opposition to the power of godliness, that is spreading itself over this nation. Know you not that the nation begins to be overwhelmed by the pourings out of a profane, wicked, carnal spirit, full of rage and contempt of all the work of reformation that has been attempted amongst us? Do you not know that if the former profane principle should prove predominant in this nation, that it will quickly return to its former station and condition, and that with the price of your dearest blood? A d yet is there not already

such a visible prevalency of it, that in many places, the very profession of religion is become a scorn; and in others, those old forms and ways taken up with greediness, which are a badge of apostacy from all former engagements and actings? And are not these sad evidences of the Lord's departing from us? If I should lay before you a comparison between the degrees of the appearances of the glory of God in this nation, the steps whereby it came forth, and those whereby it seems almost to be departing, it would be a matter of admiration and lamentation; I pray God we lose not our ground faster than we won it. Were our hearts kept up to our good old principles on which we first engaged, it would not be so with us; but innumerable evils have laid hold upon us; and the temptations of these days have made us a woful prey; gray hairs are here and there, and it will be no wonder if our ruin should come with more speed, than did our deliverance. O then set yourselves in the gap; by all ways and means oppose the growth of an evil, profane, common, malignant spirit amongst us. But I haste.

(3.) Value, encourage, and close with them, in and with whom is this presence of Christ. They are the glory of the nation; its peace, safety, and prosperity will be found wrapped up in them. I know there lie divers considerable objections against the practice of this duty; I shall name some few of them, and leave the exhortation unto your considerations.

[1.] Who are those persons in whom is this presence of Christ? Are they such as profess indeed religion, but neglect all rules of righteousness; that would be accounted godly, but care not to be honest? The marks of whose miscarriages are written on their foreheads; are not these so far from being the glory that they are the shame of any nation? I pray give me leave to endeavour the rolling away of this great stone of offence, in these few ensuing considerations.

1st. Then, I shall willingly lay this down for a principle, that he is not religious, who is not also righteous; as also I shall not much value his righteousness, who is not religious. He that is righteous doth righteousness; he doth so, in the bent of his spirit and course of his ways and walkings. a man be froward, heady, high-minded, sensual, unjust, ressive, worldly, self-seeking, a hater of good men, false,