From what has been faid, it appears, not from our reafoning, but from the infallible word of God, that the welfare and happiness of nations depend upon their obedience to the laws of God and nature, and upon the reftraint that is put upon vice and impiety, by fuch as are commiffioned by God in his place. And indeed, wherever God has placed any share of power and authority, it is for this very end-to keep the world in order, that he may not be provoked by their wickednefs to fend his judgments upon them.

From hence alfo it follows, that the fins of private people become the fins of a whole nation, and are the cause of national judgments, when the guilty continue unpunished by those who should call them to an account.

It is for this reason that the government of England, at this very time,' has ordered, that certain abominable fins fhall be profecuted at the expence of the crown; concluding very truly, that when justice and judgment are duly executed upon wicked men, by fuch as have authority, God will not plague that nation, however he may punish particular offenders.

It behoves therefore every body, to whom God has imparted any fhare of his power and authority, from the king that fitteth upon the throne to the loweft; it behoves them, as they value the honour of God, the welfare of fociety, or their own falvation, to make use of In the year 1728.

that

that power to discountenance and to punish vice and impiety.

Now the authority which men have from God to restrain or punish fin, is either natural, ecclefiaftical, or civil.

God has given parents a power over their own children and families; and a great deal they may do, if they have any grace themfelves, towards reforming the world, by a fober and good example; by bringing up their children in the fear of God; by ftifling the feeds of corrupt nature when they first begin to fpring up; and, by falutary chastisements, making every degree of fin uneafy to them, until they shall be able to understand the danger of fin, with refpect to another world.

And a fad account parents will have to make, if, instead of doing so, they fuffer their children, as they grow in years, to grow in fin; and either by an evil example, or by furnishing them with means of nourishing their natural corruptions, they leave a generation behind them more wicked than themselves.

But when parents (as it happens too often) do prove thus unnatural to their own children, God in mercy has provided other means to inftruct, and to reclaim them, if men are not extremely wanting to their duty.

And these are, first, his Minifters, who are commiffioned to teach, and to adminifter the means of grace and falvation to all fuch as are willing to receive them:

And

And fecondly, his Magiftrates, who have their power from him to restrain and to punish fuch as will not be taught and governed by milder means, by the miniftry of the word, and the difcipline of the church.

It is certain, that the well-being of the world, if not its fubfifting, depends upon the due and faithful exercise of thefe two powers. It will therefore be very proper to confider the duties both of those that are appointed by God to exercise these powers, and of those that are bound to obey them.

We will first confider the powers which God, by his Son Jefus Chrift, has given to his Minifters, in order to regulate the manners of Christians, and to keep men from bringing ruin upon themselves by their wickedness.

Their commiffion is recorded by St. Matthew [ch. xxviii.] in these words: Go ye, faith our Lord to his apoftles, and make difciples to me in all nations, baptifing them, and teaching them to obferve all things whatfoever I have commanded you; and lo! I am with you alway even unto the end of the world; that is, with them and their fucceffors.

Jefus Chrift knew very well to what a perverfe world he fent them; and therefore to guard them and his own authority and commiffion from contempt, he declares, that he will always look upon himself as injured, in the contempt any one fhews to his minifters:

Lake x. 16.

He

He that defpifeth you, defpifeth me, and him that fent me.

But does their power confist in this only, to teach men their duty, and to fet before them the terrors of the world to come; and fo to leave them to themselves?-Very far from it. God has been more merciful to his poor creatures; and knowing how fubject men are to fin, to forfeit his favour, and to make themfelves liable to his anger, both in this world and the next: he has therefore invested his ministers with the power of discipline; that is, with a power not only to exhort and to rebuke with all authority, but to put away from among Chriftians fuch as are an offence and a fcandal to their profeflion, and to hinder them from ruining others.' And he must be a person of a very profane fpirit, who would fet light by an ordinance which has God for its author, as Church Discipline most certainly has.

St. Paul's epiftles are an unquestionable proof of this; and the practice of the pure primitive church fhewed how useful it was for the keeping the Chriftian world in fome tolerable order.

The church of England (in her office of commination) paffionately wishes, That this godly difcipline may be restored; that notorious finners may be put to open penance, and punished in this world, that their fouls may be faved in the day of the Lord; and that others, admonished by their example, may be more afraid to offend.

I Tim. v. 13.

This

This church," God be praised for it, is in poffeffion of this discipline, in fome good meafure; and if, through the malice of the devil, and the perverfenefs of men, it has not always thofe faving effects which we could with, and do pray for, this is no more an objection against the difcipline of the church, than it is against christianity itself, or any of its ordinances, which are but too often abused by wicked men.

Muft we therefore renounce christianity, and neglect its ordinances? God forbid. Rather let us take more pains to make our people truly fenfible of the bleffing of christianity, and of the reafon of that discipline, which is defigned, under God, to preferve it. For example:

That the church is Chrift's family; that all who are admitted into this family do folemnly promise to live as becomes fo holy a fociety; that fuch as after this do become diforderly livers, and will not be reformed, ought to be turned out of the church, till they become fenfible of their error; that while they obftinately continue in that condition, they are deprived of all the means of grace, and hopes of falvation."

That as fure as baptism is the gate of salvation, and a real bleffing, fo fure is excommunication a real punishment, and to be dreaded more than any temporal punishment on earth:

In the Isle of Man.

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John vi. 53.

and