fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out. The Lord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all thou settest thine hand unto for to do." It is true, God is not obliged to inflict such curses upon any wicked person, or wicked family, in the present probationary state. He may suffer" the tabernacles of robbers to prosper." But he may inflict the curses he has threatened, upon any wicked person or family. And universal observation proves that he does, in ten thousand instances, manifest his awful displeasure towards those who disregard and disobey his voice in his word. How often do those families, who disregard, disbelieve and despise the Bible, run into all manner of vicious practices, which eventually pierce their souls with many sorrows! They put themselves out of the divine protection, and expose themselves to all the evils and dangers of this present evil world, which may drown them in temporal and eternal perdition.

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3. If those families only are religious who pay proper respect to the word of God, then there is ground to conclude that there are many families in this place who are not religious. Are there not many who do not pay proper respect to the Bible? Though there may be but few who do not keep the Bible in their houses, may there not be many, theless, who do not read the Bible every day as a family duty? Is it not true, that in many families the Bible is not read except upon the Sabbath? Is it not true, that in many more families the Bible is not read even on that holy day? Can it be supposed that, in those families in which the Bible is not read, family worship is statedly performed, or any forms of religion daily maintained? And where neither God nor his word is acknowledged, is there any religion? Is there any impropriety, then, in calling all those families irreligious who neglect all religious duties, be there more or fewer of such families? I appeal to any family, whether they have a right to call themselves, or to be called, a religious family, when they neither read the word of God nor address his throne of grace statedly, as a family? It is improper to call any person irreligious, who appears in his conduct to be religious; and it is no less improper to call any family irreligious, who appear in their conduct to be religious. But any persons or families, who do not treat God nor his word with proper religious respect, may properly be called irreligious. If this be a proper and just description of irreligious families, is there not ground to think that they are numerous, and have greatly increased within a few years? If this be true, we may easily account for the present visible declension of religion, for the present visible neglect of family

government, for the present visible neglect of public worship, for the present visible prevalence of profaneness, Sabbathbreaking, card-playing, and of almost every other vice. All these evils naturally flow from irreligious families, and not so much from any irreligious individuals. These are to be found at all times and in all places; but they could do comparatively very little hurt, were it not for irreligious families, who countenance, assist, and protect them. Irreligious families are the nurseries of all manner of vice and moral corruption. They train up those under their care in the way in which they should not go. The heads of irreligious families set examples before their households which have the most corrupting tendency, and seldom fail of producing every species of error, vice, and immorality. Do not profane swearers, Sabbath-breakers, purloiners, idlers, knaves, drunkards, and all sorts of corrupters, generally spring from irreligious families? Can it be expected, then, that vicious individuals should be reformed or restrained, unless irreligious families are reformed or restrained?

4. We learn from this subject, how important it is that heads of families should be truly religious. It is highly important to themselves, in order to obtain the blessing of God upon their persons, and all that they have in the world which they deem dear and valuable. God blessed Obed-edom because he paid peculiar and sacred regard to his holy word. He took the proper method to draw down divine blessings upon himself and all that he had. And every head of a family, if wise for himself, will receive the word of God into his house and into his heart, that God may make him a blessing to himself. But it is of much higher importance that God should make him a blessing to his family, to his friends, and to all among whom he lives, and with whom he is connected. Though it be much to be desired, that those who have long shut God and his word out of their houses should yet become reconciled to God, and to the terms of mercy which he has proposed in his word; yet there is great reason to fear that God has given them up to walk in their own chosen ways, which lead to everlasting death. But there is more ground to hope that the irreligious heads of young families may yet turn to God, and draw down his blessings upon themselves and upon their households. And it is of far more importance that such heads of rising families should become religious, and walk in their houses wisely and with a perfect heart, and train up those precious souls committed to their care, instruction, and government, in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Let them do this, and shut their doors against all corrupters; and religion would revive, and every species of vice creep into corners. The young families in this place fill very solemn and important stations. They

must necessarily form the moral habits and moral characters of this people, and prepare them for the peculiar smiles or frowns of God. It is not so strange, that those young persons who have never enjoyed the peculiar privilege of family religion and family government, should enter their own houses without paying any proper respect to God and his word, and resolve to live like heathen. But it does seem strange, that those who have enjoyed the privilege of family religion and family government, and been statedly and practically taught to read and revere and love the word of God, and to call upon his name; should either desire or dare to shut God and his word out of their houses, and open their doors to the vicious and licentious. And are there not such families to be found? How must this grieve the hearts of their pious parents, if still living, to find their prayers, instructions, restraints, and examples, lost upon them! Can they hope to follow their deceased or their aged parents into the blessed mansions of heaven? They are entreated, if they have a Bible in their house, to sit down and read it; and hear, and understand, and feel, and love, what God has said to them by precept and example. He has commanded parents to bring up their children in the "nurture and admonition of the Lord." And he has recorded for their instruction and admonition the example of Abraham, who commanded his children and household to walk in the way of the Lord; the example of Job and David, who daily blessed their families; and the example of the mother and grandmother of young Timothy, who taught him from a child to read, to understand, to love, and to obey, the holy scriptures. Read the Bible, and see if you can find any excuse for neglecting to read it, and to call upon God, as a family duty; or for being conformed to the spirit, the customs and manners of a world that lies in wickedness. Though you may feel yourselves at liberty to regard or disregard the messengers of God, you have no right to feel yourselves at liberty to disregard the word of God, which is clothed with infinite authority. If you would read the word of God, he would preach to you every Sabbath, whether you are in his house or your own. This subject urges you to hear God preach to you every Sabbath and every day; which is a duty that the world cannot excuse you, and which you cannot excuse yourselves, from performing.

5. We learn from what has been said, the great criminality of irreligious children, who have been religiously educated. They have had religious instruction poured into their minds while their hearts and consciences were tender, and the most easily impressible by divine truth. But though they have had line upon line, and precept upon precept, they have hardened their hearts and seared their consciences, and resisted the coun

sel of God and man against themselves. Their guilt is in exact proportion to the light they have abused, and the obligations they have violated. They are vastly more criminal than those stupid and ignorant children, who have never heard the Bible read in the family, nor seen any forms of family religion performed. And there may be in this, as well as in many other places, children brought up in this irreligious manner. But there are but few of this description here. The great majority of irreligious children and youth have been better taught; and yet are as loose, unprincipled, and unrestrainable, as if they had never been taught to remember their Creator. If you look over the irreligious families in this place, how many unpromising branches will you see growing out of them, that threaten to corrupt and destroy all within the circle of their influence! How can irreligious parents bear to see the fruit of their negligence in their irreligious and corrupting offspring, when they reflect what a load of guilt they have brought upon them? And how can the irreligious children of pious parents, bear to reflect upon that final and eternal separation that must soon, at longest, take place between them, when they must feel that they have destroyed themselves?

6. It appears from what has been said, that God frowns upon any people, when he removes from among them pious families, or pious heads of families. Such persons and families are a great blessing to all around them, and especially to all their near relatives and connections. Their removal is an alarming providence. It indicates that they are taken away from the evil to come, and from preparing the means of temporal and spiritual calamities. God has, within a few years, been removing pious families, and the pious heads of families. Those houses which were bethels, and resembled the house and family of Obed-edom, are greatly diminished, and are now filled with those that know not, and serve not, the God of their fathers. The last week, two apparently pious heads of families have been removed by death. Though they lived to old age, still their near relatives and friends must feel and lament their loss. And so may others, especially the members of this church, whose numbers are diminishing, and few are coming forward, to stand in the gap, and fill up the hedge.

Finally, this subject calls upon all pious families not to relax, but increase their efforts to preserve the Bible, to restrain vice, and transmit religion to their latest posterity in this place. Treat God and his word properly, in private and in public, and you may deliver your own souls, and do much to prevent others from destroying theirs. Let your eyes affect your hearts. Can you see religion die in your own hands?

SERMON XXV.

THE SIN OF FOLLOWING THE MULTITUDE TO DO EVIL.

ANNUAL FAST, 1821.

THOU shalt not follow a multitude to do evil. - EXODUS, XX111. 2

GOD requires men to do some things, and forbids them to do others; but his prohibitions are as binding as his precepts, because they are clothed with the same divine authority. The prohibition in the text primarily respects the giving of a false testimony before a civil tribunal, through fear or favor of a multitude who are disposed to do evil, and to lead others to follow their pernicious example. But this prohibition may be properly considered as a general caution to every one, not to follow a multitude to do evil in any of their wicked conduct or sinful courses. My present design is to consider what is implied in this solemn and extensive prohibition. And,

I. It implies that the majority or great mass of mankind are uniformly and constantly engaged in doing evil.

All men by nature are morally depraved; and a great majority of them are in a state of nature, and constantly act under the influence of their native depravity, which disposes them to do nothing but evil. Though God might have renewed and sanctified every person from the first apostacy to the present day, yet he has not seen fit hitherto to do it, but has left the great majority of the human race, from age to age, to walk in the ways of their heart, and in the sight of their eyes, and in a constant course of disobedience to his commands. God considers all men as either holy or unholy, either godly or ungodly, either righteous or unrighteous, either saints or sinners, either his friends or his enemies. His friends have always been a small