bleffing children ought to utter songs of gratitude to God, and to blefs him for fuch parents.

The fwallow too, acts as an excubitor for feveral other small birds, and when it fpies the hawk approaching, founds the alarm; then presently all the others that are near collect in a body, and give battle to their common enemy, by rifing up high in the air, and coming down with force on their foe: this they do again and again, till he is beat far from their place of refidence. Just so should minifters of the gospel, those watchmen which are set on the walls of Jerusalem, Isa. lxii. 6. do, when they obferve the people in danger of being destroyed with respect to their spiritual intereft, whether by innovations in religion, the spread of error, the infringement of their facred privileges, or any other way whatever; then it is they ought to put the trumpet to their mouth, and found an alarm, Hof. viii. 1. Joel ii. 1. even warn the people, fo that their blood may not be required at their hands, Ezek. xxxiii. 3---6. and alfo do what in them lies to arm and strengthen them against such spiritual enemies, collect

ing, as it were, all their force together, rifing up to heaven in prayer, and using the weapons of their warfare, which are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of ftrong holds; cafting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Chrift: and having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when their obedience is fulfilled, 2 Cor. x. 4---6. and thus beat and banish fuch errors, innovations, and corruptions, whether in doctrine, worship, or difcipline, away from the church of God.

This bird is faid to be most alert in time of thunder, when fulphurous clouds are impending. In like manner fhould every true believer be moft active in fleeing to God by prayer, in humbling themselves, and in performing the other duties of a Christian life, when the Lord's judgments are abroad in the earth, and heavy clouds, of his displeasure hang over a guilty land.

When the Lord's voice of judgments crieth to a city, country-fide, or nation at

large, those alone are the men of wisdom that fee his name, hearkening to the rod, and who hath appointed it, Mic. vi. 9. well knowing that fin is the procuring cause of all evil; and it is not for nought when God. lifteth up his hand to punish a nation, or people; for he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men, Lam. iii. 33.

Whether therefore his judgments are on nations, families, or individuals, they ought to have this effect, to make all who are con cerned learn righteousness.

It is an awful thing and fign of great depravity, when they ftill remain careless: at fuch ftupidity the prophet feemeth to have been deeply affected, when he crieth out, Lord, when thy hand is lifted up they will not fee: but they fhall fee, Ifa. xxvi. 11. So they that will not fee the Lord's hand in a way of mercy, shall in a way of judgment.

It was when Jonah thundered in the ears of the Ninevites, "Yet forty days, and "Nineveh fhall be overthrown," that the inhabitants thereof "believed God, and

proclaimed a fast, and put on fackcloth "from the greatest of them even to the "least of them: for word came unto the "king of Nineveh: and he arose from his "throne, and he laid his robe from him, and "covered him with fackcloth, and fat in "ashes. And he caused it to be proclaim❝ed and published through Nineveh (by the "decree of the king and his nobles) fay"ing, Let neither man nor beaft, herd nor "flock tafte any thing: let them not feed 66 nor drink water: but let man and beaft "be covered with fackcloth, and cry migh

66

tily unto God; yea, let them turn every "one from his evil way, and from the "violence that is in their hands. Who can "tell if God will turn, and repent, and turn

away from his fierce anger, that we pe"rish not? And God faw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and "God repented of the evil that he said he "would do unto them; and he did it Jonah iii. 4. to the end.

not,"

We fee what a bleffed effect fuch humiliation had; and shall heathens put Chriftians to shame? fhall we in this land, in the year 1801, when the Lord is thunder

ing over our guilty heads in his awful judg ments, by war abroad, tumults and famine at home, with diforders in ftate, and divifions in the church, fuch as never were known in the annals of Britain, not humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, and cry mightily unto him, that he would avert the judgments, which like difmal clouds, not only gather thicker and thicker, but are begun to pour down vengeance upon our land?

Thefe judgments (or fimilar) we may well expect, according to the experience of other nations, recorded both in facred and profane history, fhall continue on our if land, till they either make us turn unto him that fmiteth us, or destroy us from being a nation altogether.

Let none think they are innocent in bringing down these heavy judgments with which this kingdom is at present afflicted; for every one of us as individuals, of all ranks, have had a high hand in procuring thofe evils in which we are involved by our fins and iniquities.