in God, because he only, in his governing goodness, can promote and preserve their prosperity. As God displays his wisdom, power, and goodness, in raising a nation to prosperity, so he must continue to exercise the same glorious perfections in raising their prosperity higher and higher. A young nation especially need to grow in wisdom, power, wealth, and piety. But their growth, in all those respects, depends upon the same almighty and benevolent Being, who gave them their prosperity at first. Unless they rejoice in him, they have no ground to expect that he will foster and promote their future prosperity. When God raised his ancient, chosen people to a state of superior prosperity, he plainly told them that he would continue to smile upon them, so long as they continued to rejoice in him, and to obey the commands he had given them for their good, but threatened to frown upon them, if they became ungrateful and disobedient. The more a prosperous people rejoice in God, the more thankful they are for his favors; and the more obedient they are to all the intimations of his will, the more reason they have to hope that he will continue their prosperity. Besides, the more prosperous any nation is, the more they are exposed to national enemies, who will wish and endeavor to destroy their prosperity. This was the case of the Jews in their prosperity; this was the case of the Greeks in their prosperity; and this was the case of the Romans in their prosperity. In the course of providence, God has actually destroyed the great prosperity which each of these nations once enjoyed, and he has done this in all cases by the instrumentality of their national enemies. God has always employed one wicked nation to destroy another. Every prosperous nation is in danger of losing its prosperity. Whenever God sees fit to destroy the prosperity of an ungrateful, disobedient nation, he can raise up their enemies, who will rejoice to do the work. It is, therefore, the duty and interest of a nation in prosperity, to rejoice in God, and engage him to protect and defend them against all their national enemies.

It now remains to apply this subject pertinently and plainly. 1. We have seen what it is for a people, in prosperity, to rejoice in themselves, and to rejoice in God, and that these two kinds of rejoicing are entirely opposite to each other. The one is right and the other is wrong; the one is pleasing, and the other displeasing to God. God is pleased when a nation ascribe their prosperity to him, and rejoice in the wisdom, power, justice, and goodness, which he displayed in raising them to temporal and spiritual eminence among the nations of the earth. But he is greatly displeased if they rejoice in themselves, and ascribe all their prosperity to their own wisdom,

power, wealth, and piety. If this be true, are not we as a prosperous nation, verily guilty of a great national sin, in rejoicing in ourselves, and ascribing our peculiar prosperity to our own exertions? Have we not ascribed our national independence to the wisdom of our wise men? Have we not ascribed our federal constitution to the wisdom of our politicians? Have we not ascribed the administration of our national government to our wise rulers? Have we not ascribed our national transactions with foreign nations to the political skill of our statesmen and ambassadors at foreign courts? Have we not ascribed to our mighty men of valor the battles we have fought, and the victories we have gained, by sea and land? Have we not gloried in our wealth and independent resources, for carrying on war with foreign nations? Have we not gloried in our numbers, and presumed to calculate to how many millions we shall increase in a century, or half a century more? Have we not boasted of our mechanical knowledge and invention, in building ships and steam-boats, and preparing the munitions of war, and self-defence? have we not sometimes gloried in our national goodness, virtue, and piety? Who can read the numerous eulogiums which have been made and published upon our national wisdom, wealth, power, influence, goodness, and independent prosperity and security, without seeing and lamenting our national selfishness and vanity? Hence,

And

2. Have we not reason to fear, that our national prosperity will be followed with national calamities, and desolating judg ments? God has certainly seen how much we have rejoiced in ourselves, and boasted of that prosperity which he has displayed his power, and wisdom, and goodness to grant us. These things have been highly displeasing to him; and will he not say, in respect to us, as he did to ungrateful, disobedient, and boasting Israel: "Shall I not visit for these things? shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" We have long acknowledged, that God almost wrought miracles in giving us our independence and subsequent prosperity. But it will require no such signal interpositions of providence, to diminish our wealth, our numbers, our strength, our civil and religious liberties, our peace and harmony; and to throw us into national discords, and involve us in all the miseries of domestic and foreign wars. There are great and powerful nations now, who look upon our prosperity with an evil eye; and they may soon think it is policy to interrupt and destroy, if possible, our growing power, which we have so often boasted of exercising over the civil and religious world. We are evidently in danger from Britain, France, and Spain, as well as

from the hostile natives of our own country. France and Britain have both employed these savages to annoy us, and may do it again.

But allowing that we have wisdom and power enough to awe our enemies, or to defend ourselves against them; God can find ways enough to punish us for our national ingratitude and abuse of his favors. There is danger to be feared, I imagine, from the union which has lately been established among four or five denominations of christians, for the good purpose of checking the growth of infidelity, and many gross and dangerous errors in the United States. It would not be strange if these different denominations should fall out by the way, and one should gain an ascendency over all the rest, and bring about the establishment of a national religion.

There is, however, more danger to be feared at present, from the neglect of family government, family religion, public worship, and the profanation of the Sabbath, than from any other and all other vices and immoralities that abound. These strike at the root of all order, government, and religion. And the criminality of these is highly aggravated by our national prosperity.

This subject now calls upon all good, men to perform the duty of thanksgiving and praise. There are no others prepared to keep this thanksgiving day properly and acceptably. They have never been thankful for any private or public, civil or religious favor. They have always rejoiced in themselves, and gloried in their own self-sufficiency to gain all the good they have enjoyed. They are strangers to the least spark of gratitude to God, for any favor they have received from his kind and beneficent hand. The wise man has gloried in his wisdom, the mighty man has gloried in his might, the rich man has gloried in his riches, the young man has gloried in his vanity, and the vicious man has gloried in his shame. But good men have understood and known that God is the Lord, and governor of the world, who exercises loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth; and that he delights in filling it with his goodness, notwithstanding the general unbelief, ingratitude, and disobedience of mankind. They rejoice in God that he is good to themselves, and gives them all things richly to enjoy, and withholds no good thing from them. They rejoice in God, that he does good to the evil and unthankful. They rejoice in God, that he grants personal, family, and national prosperity. They rejoice in the Lord always, both in prosperity and adversity. They know that God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. They know that he is constantly sowing light for the righteous, and

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joy for the upright in heart. They know the good that he has promised to the children of light, and that his faithfulness shall never fail. Although the fig-tree should not blossom, nor fruit be in the vine, and the labor of the olive should fail, and the fields should yield no meat, yet they will have solid ground to rejoice in the Lord, and to joy in the God of their salvation. Now, why will not you who have always rejoiced in yourselves, be entreated to rejoice with them who rejoice in the Lord? You must rejoice in the Lord in this world, or you never will rejoice in him in the next. And if you do not rejoice in him this Thanksgiving day, some of you may never

see another.

SERMON XXXIV..

THE GUILT OF PROFANENESS.

DECEMBER 10, 1826.

THOU shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. - EXODUS, XX. 7.

THIS is one of the ten commandments which God gave to his people at mount Sinai, by his own voice; and it is as easy to be understood as any of the rest. It does not mean that men may not make use of any of the divine names, titles, or attributes, on proper occasions. The Jews had a notion that the name Jehovah might never be used by the common people. Nor does it mean that men may not make use of God's name to confirm their testimony before a court of justice. For this was expressly required in certain cases. "If a man deliver unto his neighbor an ass, or an ox, or a sheep, or any beast to keep, and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man seeing it: then shall an oath of the Lord be between them both, that he hath not put his hand unto his neighbor's goods; and the owner of it shall accept thereof, and he shall not make it good." But the command, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain," does forbid men to call God to witness perjury or false swearing; or to call upon God to curse, or punish, or destroy, any of their fellow creatures; or to use his name in a vain, trifling, contemptuous manner. Or, in fewer words, this precept forbids all profane cursing and swearing, which so much abound in the world, and which ought to be universally suppressed. Not to waste time, therefore, in describing a vice which is but too common and too well known, I shall directly proceed to offer a number of considerations to dissuade men from committing this 59

VOL. II.