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sons decent and circumspect in their deportment, attentive to all persons, and respectful to those of superior age or rank. But it is either the design, or at least the conséquence, of what is now called good-breeding, to make them pert, bold, and forward; to be able to put others out of countenance, without being so themselves. Need I say, that all our public places bear a melancholy testimony to this truth? Do not the young, giddy flutterers of both sexes who fill them, disgust every person of decency and common sense, by their forward and assuming behaviour, by their noisy and flippant conversation, by their loud and unmeaning laughs, by their derision of every thing manly and serious, and by a total want of respect to age, one of the surest marks of a foolish head, or a wicked heart. And this, I think, may be generally observed, both as to young and old, that though vice has been practised in all ages, yet it never was practised with that confidence which has been seen of late.

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Again we are not only guilty of many great and enormous sins, and that too with an unblushing assurance; but many also are so ambitious of being enrolled in the number of sinners, that they will even boast of more wickedness than ever they acted, will tell of seductions

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or intrigues, which existed no where but in their own diabolical inventions, to throw a slur upon unsuspecting innocence and unsullied virtue, and, at the same time, to shew the world, that they want not the inclination to commit such things, and esteem it an honour to be thought perfect and thorough-paced in all the ways of iniquity.

Once more: this traffic in vice extends to persons of all states and degrees, of all denominations and persuasions. I except not even our own order; though we are bound, by every tie of conscience, religion, and law, to set au example of regular and religious deportment to those committed to our care. I neither wish to speak evil of dignities, nor to become an accuser of the brethren: but really, when I contrast the learning, sanctity, decency, gravity, and piety of the antient ecclesiastics of this land, with the levity, ignorance, idleness, and irreligiousness of those reverend harlequins in motley habits, who miscall themselves divines; when I weigh the solid, learned, and edifying discourses of the former, with the frothy, puerile, aud illiterate rant of those modern declaimers, who catch at the applause of the admiring multitude, I cannot but conclude, that either the primitive teachers of the word of God bestowed much unnecessary labour on their ministry, or, that

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that we fall much short of our duty, of what ought justly to be expected from us, and of what wé solemnly promised at the time of our ordination. And should this be the case, as I too much fear it is, will it not much become the priests, the ministers of the Lord, to weep between the porch and the altar, and to say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thy

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heritage to reproach, that the heathen should "rule over them?"

And if we turn our eyes from hence to our nobles, legislators, lawyers, physicians, and others, who stand first in the ranks of life and learning, I need only appeal to the knowledge and testimony of every one, who knows their modes of living, whether there is not a total neglect and disregard even of the outward face of religion, amongst the greater part of them, and that to so glaring and shameful a degree, that it would be difficult to find even a few examples among them of those, who either frequent any place of divine worship themselves, or keep up even the smallest sense or appearance of religion in their families at home. Should any say, that many of them are men of good moral characters; I answer, so were many of the idolaters of learned Athens, warlike Rome, and rigid Sparta. But, if Christianity be not a fable,

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much more than mere heathen morality is required; and if it be a fable, why should they, in their legislative capacity, by laws and penalties, enforce upon others the observation of Christian duties; what they neither believe nor practise themselves?

Still farther audaciousness in sinning is not confined to particular scenes and places, but all places are infected; which was not the case in antient times. Formerly, whilst cities and great towns were noted for their disorders, and nuinbers bade defiance to legal control, the more retired and less populous parts were generally innocent and harmless. But it is just wonder and amazement to see, how even these are changed of late, and over-run with atrocious sin and daring villany. Intemperance and lasciviousness have expelled their native sobriety and chastity: their antient humility too is turned into pride and arrogance, as if they imagined they were, like the antient peasants of Italy, qualified to be called from the spade and the plough to the dictatorship. And indeed this is less to be wondered at in the vicinity of the metropolis, where political phrenzy has seized all orders, and men, whom birth, nature, and education have fitted for shop-boards and counters, start forth self-created legislators, dictate rules

of government to enthroned majesty, explain laws to ermined judges, teach the gospel to learned prelates, and allow no constitution to be valid in church or state, but what originates from nocturnal assemblies, and midnight excess.

Again; our village inhabitants once valued. themselves upon their integrity, fair-dealing, and harmlessness: but truly it is now hard to say, whether even the capital itself exceeds the neighbouring villages in artful frauds, in frequent robberies, or in the most daring invasion of property. There was a time too, when the brutal carman or savage porter of the metropolis stood. unrivalled in all the terms of profane cursing and swearing, rudeness and obscenity; but they are now even equalled by the village swain, who, if no other object comes in his way, will vent his profane curses upon his beasts and cattle, as if they were as capable of damnation as himself.

I say not all this with a view of disparaging any particular persons among us. I intend not a libel against either the city or the country; in both of which, I am not ignorant that there are many persons of singular honour and integrity, and who are shining examples of virtue and religion. But upon this occasion, when I am called upon to deal freely with you, I think it

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