Britain's Sole Preservative

Let our political managers project what schemes they will, for the reformation and salvation of our nation, they will but issue in vanity and vexation of spirit. The Lord hath rejected their confidences, and they shall not prosper in them. Nothing but a remarkable outpouring of the Spirit of God can prevent our superlative miseries, answerable to our heaven-daring national iniquities. As no civil societies have any existence in the future state, national sins must of necessity be punished with national judgments in this world; Jer. v. 9, 29; Hos. iv. 1 — 3; Isa. xxiv. 5, 6. (1.) The Jewish nation, to whose mercies and crimes those of Britain are peculiarly similar in different ages, were shut up to fearful judgments, for want of an effusion of the Holy Ghost. Not all the faithfulness of Moses, their other governors, nor all the piety of Aaron and his sons, and of the faithful Levites in their church, nor all the laws they received from God himself, and the innumerable miracles which they saw and felt, could preserve that sensual generation, destitute of the Spirit, from tremendous ruin in the wilderness. Not all the fervent prayers and faithful sermons of Isaiah and his fellow prophets, nor all the remarkable reformation carried on by pious king Hezekiah, could prevent the miserable calamities of the Jews in their time, as the Spirit was not poured out. Nay, not all the labours and miracles of Christ himself and of his apostles, and the pious lives and fervent prayers of many thousand Christian Jews, could, without the pouring of the Spirit on them, prevent the tremendous ruin of their nation in that period. Why then should we hope for deliverance by any other method? Dare we pretend that we are dearer to God than his peculiar people, the seed of Abraham, his friend? (2.) The sins of Britain at present are so great, many, universal, heaven-daring, heart-hardening, and conscience-stupifying, and in every respect so aggravated, that the nation can neither be duly convinced of them, nor the blood of Christ answerably applied for the remission of them, without a remarkable effusion of the Holy Ghost; John xvi. 7 — 14; Ezek. xxxvi. 25 — 29, 31, 32; Mic. vii. 18, 19. (3.) The wicked manners of Britain have been so long continued, and are become so universal and fashionable, and are so much encouraged by such as should be reprovers and reformers, and men’s consciences thereby so much blinded, biassed, or hardened, that there can be no national reformation of them, without a remarkable outpouring of the Spirit of God; Hos. iv. 1, 2, 6; Isa. i. 2, 3, 4, 5; lix. 1 — 15; lvii. 17; Jer. v. 1 — 9. (4.) So many thousands of unsent, careless, indolent, unholy, and erroneous preachers in Britain, by their legal, Arminian, or blasphemous doctrine, and by their impious and unedifying example, lay a fearful bar in the way of all the ordinary work of the Holy Ghost; Hos. v. 1; Gal. iii. 2; Ezek. xiii. 22.

But, notwithstanding all these things, an abundant effusion of the Holy Ghost would prevent our superlative ruin. (1.) It would excite and enable all the fearers of God in the nation, to strive together in prayer for our preservation and proper relief; Zech. xii. 10; Isa. lxii. 1, 6, 7; Psal. cii. 17. (2.) In consequence of this, it would furnish our land with a a proper number of well-qualified ministers, who, having received their mission from Christ, would clearly, faithfully, assiduously, and earnestly preach the gospel of his free grace, and by fervent prayer, holy example, and every other method, travail in birth to win souls to him; Jer. iii. 15; Isa. lxii. 6, 7; Psal. cxxxii. 9, 16; John xx. 21 — 23; Eph. iv. 10 — 13. (3.) It would furnish these faithful ministers with proper messages from God, suited to his own

gracious purposes, and to the spiritual state of the hearers, and would enable them to deliver them in a lively, serious, and affecting manner; Ezek. iii. 3, 4, 10, 11, 17 — 21; xxxiii. 7 — 9; Mic. iii. 8; Acts xviii. 25, 28; Col. i. 28, 29; 1 Thess. ii. 4, 5;

1 Cor. ii. 2 — 5, 13; iv. 2; 2 Cor. iv. 2; v. 11, 22;

2 Tim.iv.2; Acts xx. 19 — 21, 26, 27. (4.) It would procure large and attentive audiences to hear these faithful ministers; Acts ii., xiii., xviii., xix.; 1 Cor. xvi. 9; Acts xvi. 14; Isa. xlix. 1; lii. 15. (5.) It would, in carrying home the word of God into men’s consciences and hearts, convey to them the spiritual benefits of the new covenant, — conviction of sin, union to Christ, regeneration, justification, adoption, sanctification, and comfort; Luke v. 17; John vi. 63; Heb. iv. 12; 1 Thess. i. 5; ii. 13; Acts ii. 36 — 47. (6.) It would incline, direct, and enable those ministers and people to such an holy conversation towards God and men, as would adorn and enforce the preached gospel of Christ, and make others to consider and fall in love with it; 1 Thess. ii. 1 — 10; v. 12 — 25; Rom. i. 8; Acts ii. 41 — 47; iv. 13; Phil. ii. 15, 16; Matt. v. 16; Tit. ii. 9 — 14; iii. 8, 14; Psal. ci. 2 — 8. (7.) It would render all ranks, in their respective stations, active and skilful in spreading the knowledge of Christ and his truths, and in repressing the now fashionable abominations; Gen. xviii. 19; Josh. xxiv. 15; Deut. vi. 6, 7;

Mai. iii. 16; Psal. ci. 2; Chron. xvii., xix., xxix

xxxii., xxxiv., xxxv.; Song ii. 15; Tit. iii. 10, 11;

Rev. ii.; 1 Thess. v. 14; 2 Tim. iv. 2; 1 Tim. v. 20. (8.) By enabling multitudes to discern truth from error, and sin from duty, it would render unsound and indolent ministers despised and shunned as fearful plagues, and vile, impious persons abhorred, and so ashamed to exert themselves in their wonted evil ways; Zech. xiii. 2 — 6; Psal. exv. 4; cvii. 42; 1 Sam. ii. 30. (9.) By means of these things, together with the fervent prayers of such as believed in Christ, or fell under spiritual concern, many others would be daily added to the Lord and to his church; Isa. lxii. 1; 2 Thess. iii. 1; Isa. ii. 3 — 5; xlix., liv., lx., xliv. 3 — 5; Zech. viii. 20 — 23. (10.) In cipasequence of all this, the Lord would graciously defer, mitigate, or sanctify those fearful calamities which our nation in general, and each of us in particular, have richly deserved; Isa. xlviii. 9 — 11; vi. 13; Zeph. iii. 12; Dan. ix. 25; Zech. xiii. 9.

Let therefore every Briton that wishes well to his country, cease from trusting in men, and their carnal and selfish politics, and cry mightily to God, that he may think on us, that we perish not; that he may plentifully pour out his Spirit from on high upon all ranks. Let us plead the gracious promises which he hath given us on this head, and patiently wait for their fulfilment; Prov. i. 23; Isa. xxxii. 15; xliv. 3 — 5; Ezek. xxxvh 27; Joel ii. 28; John vii. 37° — 39; xiv. 26; xv. 26; xvi. 7 — 14; Zech. xii. 10; Luke xi. 13.