of uncleanness that has fallen out among us within these few years. If
of common honesty in many, to the disgrace of the society they live in, and the reproach of those that entertain them; the brutish ignorance of many, even of those who pretend to be high-flown professors; the contentious spirit of those who live like fire-brands in the place. Let none such presume to approach the Lord's table in that their wickedness.
5. Weep over the woful divisions among us, that have prevailed to the breaking of us so far, that we are among the most broken and shattered congregations in the country. Weep over that rent that was so early made amongst us, in which Satan hotly pursued me, ere I knew well where I was. Ye are but too little affected with it. It has been an engine of Satan against the kingdom of Christ in people's hearts, under a pretence of zeal for his kingdom in the land; and a notable hinderance of the success of the gospel among us. For, 1. Some are thereby turned aside from the ordinary means of grace and knowledge, that know not the right hand by the left in religion, being specially ignorant of God in Christ. 2. Many that remain are thereby made to hear with prejudices; and are so fickle and loosed at the root, that they cannot take on growth by the preached word. And I know not what influence it may have on the slighting of the ordinance before us; I am apprehensive that it has had some influence. If it have, I desire to lament the case of such; and for the confirmation of you that are to join, I promise you, in my Maker's name, that if you honestly consent to the marriage-covenant, and come with longing desires after him, he will not refuse to keep communion with you, Rev. 3:20. Your own defections lie nearer you than the defections of the land do; but if ye be mourning over them, they shall not mar your communion with him. I think they may look with bashful faces before the Lord, that are so scared at their mother's deformities, that they will not come into her house, when yet her Husband is there feeding his children whom she has brought forth to him.
6. Lastly, Forget not when ye are going, to weep over the frequent sin of uncleanness that has fallen out among us within these few years. If
ever the devil raged in a parish at the coming of the gospel among them, he has done it here one way and another. What with fornications, what with adulteries, the place of repentance has been seldom empty since the planting of this parish. I may say to you as the apostle said to the church at Corinth, "I speak not this to shame you." But well may I say with him, I have reason to bewail those who have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness, and fornication, and lasciviousness which they have committed, 2 Cor. 12:21, seeing we so much resemble that church in her three grand evils, self-conceit, a divisive temper, and sins of uncleanness."
The author had also, in a sermon from 2 Cor. 6:1, preached at Etterick, on the national fast day, March 29, in the same year, 1710, censured with some freedom the people's itch for public things, their contempt of the gospel, their unsettled and giddy humour, &c. This sermon is printed in the "Body of Divinity," and deserves a serious perusal.
Notwithstanding these repeated warnings, many of the people were so giddy and inconstant, that, Sept. 3, the very Lord's day that the author began his ordinary on Mark 10:21, 22, they deserted his ministry, and went off to hear Mr. Macmillan preaching, in the neighbourhood; which gave occasion to the following reflection and awful rebuke, publicly given from the pupit on the 10th.
"An unstable mind and judgment is very prejudicial. No wonder the tree withers that is never fast at the root, Eph. 4:14. This was the one thing that ruined the Galatians; for though they had received the Spirit by the hearing of faith, yet when Satan broke in on them with that, they quickly lost all the savoury impressions they had of the hearing of faith. The wavering temper among us, I am confident, is no small hinderance in the way of the success of the gospel. And as I bless God for what stability any of you have attained to, so as for you that deserted the message I had from the Lord to you this day eight days, whether there were many of you or few, and joined yourselves to those whose work it is to break down what we build up, and that
after that solemn reproof of and lamentation over that practice, and of other heart-breaking pieces of your contempt of the gospel, which was given on the fast day, and after what ye heard and saw on the sacrament day, I do, as the messenger of the Lord, in his name, rebuke you here as obstinate contemners of the message sent by God unto you, and protest, as the messenger of God to you, that this rebuke stand before the Lord that sent me, till it be wiped out by repentance, and fleeing to the blood of Christ for pardon; and so I leave it before him, who von-firms the word of his servants."
No. II.
THIS doctrine reproves those who at this time are secure, careless, and unconcerned spectators of the present confusions, which is the prevailing plague among us at this day. Ah! Sirs, "Shall a trumpet be blown in the day, and the people not be afraid?" Amos 3:6. Yes, we see there are such people. "The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy?" ver. 8. Why, some will sleep full sound amidst all the roarings of the Lord in his anger this day. Ah! Sirs, our sleeping so sound in the ship of his church and nation, while the storm is blowing, and the waves are like to sink it, if there were no more, is enough to prove the deep hand we have, like another Jonah, in raising the storm.
I know some still say, to cloak their loathsome indifferency, that it is not religion, but crowns and kingdoms they are fighting for. If it were so, is there not a right and a wrong even in that? and why do not ye take part with the right, according to the fifth commandment? Is not even that enough to make the land a field of blood? and may not yours go among the rest? But pray you, Sirs, is religion nowise concerned, whether a Protestant king or a Papist be on the throne? whether an army of malignants, avowed enemies to the Church of Scotland, carry the day, or an army employed to break them? Do the rebels so much as pretend any favour to this church? Are congregations laid desolate, mass said, and the English service set up, where they come, and yet religion not concerned in the matter? It were telling religion that such people pretended not to it, for the way of God is ill spoken of through their unreasonableness. If ye believe what ye say, I think ye lie pretty fair for embracing Popery if it were come, seeing ye can already believe things over the belly of sense and reason.
I tell you, that your security and unconcernedness at this time is more dangerous than ye are aware of; Psalm 28:5, "Because they