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tute; whether it can take place, and last; whether it will be, on the whole, for the better or the worse. Thus were too many of our Predecessors in this Nation disposed: extremely miferable under a Constitution of Government, which they found too late inseparable from their Happiness: and so earnest to reform every Part of it, that they ruined the Whole. The Projects for establishing perfect Liberty in the State, ended, as too much Liberty always will, in absolute Tyranny: successive Tyrannies, of various Shapes, and Names unheard of, dispossessing each other; haraffing the Nation with continual Uncertainties and Alarms; exhausting it with daily Executions and Impositions. The Schemes for restoring an imaginary Purity in the Church, unexpectedly ran to fuch Lengths, as destroyed the whole Frame of it, and involved the Crown in its Fall. No other Form of Religion could be set up, instead of that which was abolished. Mens Minds were held in continual Agitation, by the wild Zeal of contending Sects: teaching Doctrines; some, blafphemous against God; fome, fubversive of all Order amongst Men; fome, contrary to all Care of Virtue and good Life: and every Thing was tolerated, but what had a Right to be established. How these Things would have ended: whether in a total Contempt of Religion, and moral Obligations too; or whether, after that was found insupportable, as it foon must, the Romish Superftition, ever vigilant and and active, would have overspread the Nation, wearied out with Divisions, and glad to embrace any Thing, that promised Unity : this God hath mercifully hid from our Knowledge, by blessing us, in the Extremity of fuch Misery, with its only Cure, the Restoration of our ancient Constitution. Let us esteem it then as we ought, and be zealous to preserve it: improve it, if we can really and safely: but not be forward to practise upon it without Neceffity, or some very valuable End. Hoping for Perfection in any thing human, is visionary; murmuring for want of it is resolving never to be happy; and taking irregular Methods to obtain it, is the fure way to be wretched. Some Alterations indeed, from Time to Time, the Reason of Things and the Changes of Circumstances may require. But that no wanton or doubtful, much lefs dangerous Trials, ought to be made, the fatal Experience of this Day fully shews.

And a fourth Direction, which it gives as plainly, is, to beware of the Spirit of Party. Nothing, but that, could have blinded and embittered People so, as to make them destroy themselves and the Publick, without feeing or feeling it. Few, if any, at first, had the least Intention of what they afterwards did : very probably, had it been foretold them, they would have abhorred the Thought. But Persons cannot even guess, when they give themselves up to this Kind of Zeal, how strong

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it may grow within them; or how they may be entangled, and carried on, against their Wills. The Beginning of Strife is as when one letteth out Water: nobody can say, how far it may overflow, or how hard it may be to get it back into its Channel, and repair the Breach. Therefore leave off Contention, before it be meddled with *, and by mutual Provocation worked up into a Rage. When Party Resentments and Contests run high, the general Good is no longer in View: both Sides attend wholly to the Advancement of their own Power; depreffing their Adversaries; forcing them into Measures, hurtful to the Publick; the worfe, the better; and no way is left untried to ruin one another, till the Ruin of the whole is too probable a Consequence. But above all, in Countries blest with Freedom, amidst numberless Advantages, there is one peculiar Danger; that the high Spirit which it gives Men, and the full Opportunities which they have to exert that Spirit, may produce Dissensions utterly destructive, not only of Peace and Comfort, but, in the End, of Freedom itself. Let us therefore always remember St. Paul's Caution, If ye bite and devour one another, take Heed that ye be not confumed one of another ; and behave fuitably to St. Peter's Rule, as free, yet not using our Liberty for a Cloak of Maliciousness, but as the Servants of God ‡.

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These then are the Instructions, which the dreadful Judgment, this Day commemorated, affords us: to fear God, honour the King, and not meddle with them that are given to change*; but lead quiet and peaceable Lives, in all Godliness and Honesty. The Tranfgreffion of these Duties, was, by the natural Consequences of Things, and the just Permission of Heaven, the Cause, on the Peoples Part, of those terrible Calamities, under which our Ancestors groaned so long; and were made to learn Righteousness, not as we, by the Experience of others, but by heavy Sufferings of their own. To these, however, God in his good Time graciously put an End: and re-establishing our ancient Form of Government, hath, by a wonderful Succeffion of kind Providences, preserved it, through innumerable Dangers, from abroad and at home, to this Day. Nor perhaps, with all the Faults of the present Age, which God knows are neither few nor small ones, would it be easy for us to fix on almost any other Time or Country, in which we could, with Reason, rather have made it our Choice to live. Let us therefore join Gratitude for his Mercies with Fear of his Judgments; and be moved by both, to Piety and Virtue, publick and private. He hath given us great and frequent Proofs of his Readiness to save and protect us; together with some few, most deserved Instances, of Difpleasure and Punishment: thus

* Prov. xxiv. 21.

† 1 Tim. ii. 2.

placing

placing before our Eyes, and leaving to our Choice, the Happiness of a religious, loyal and moral People, or the Miseries of a profane, rebellious, and wicked one. Now therefore, to conclude in the Words of the Prophet Samuel, If ye will fear the Lord, and Serve him, and obey his Voice; then shall both ye, and the King that reigneth over you, continue, following the Lord your God. But if ye will not obey the Voice of the Lord, but rebel against his Commandment; then fkall the Hand of the Lord be against you, as it was against your Fathers*.

* 1 Sam. xii. 13, 14, 15.

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