narch to the throne, " demands all dutiful affection and obedience to be paid him with our hearts and hands." As 720 for God, and love our brethren, so let us honour the king, for these three commands are joined together in the New Testament; 1 Peter ii. 17. Reason and scripture unite them all. Let us submit ourselves to him with all chearfulness, as one whom God has appointed to be the guardian of our religion, and our liberties, and all that is dear to us. Let us ever speak of him with honour, and not mention his name without a becoming respect. With a just impatience let us frown upon all tale-bearers, and discourage every whisperer, those secret and vile instruments of public mischief. Nor let us give countenance to sly and private insinuations against the dignity and honour of our sovereign. Let us reverence and love him as one that is exalted to be the minister of God for our good; Rom. xiii. 4. It is on him, under God, that our eyes are fixed. It is in him that our hopes of happiness centre. Under Christ Jesus who is the Lord of glory, we must look upon GEORGE the Second of Great Britain, as the chief guardian and support of the protestant religion in the world.

5. "Let us offer our daily and ardent prayers to God for his long life, prosperity and peace." Addresses to heaven for the Divine Presence with him, should be joined with all our vows of allegiance. We read in Joshua chapter i. 17. that when the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh surrendered themselves to the conduct of Joshua in the room of Moses, they joined a hearty petition to the Lord for him; According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee, and all that thou commandest us we will do: Only the Lord thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses.

When Solomon was placed on the throne of his father David before he died, David is supposed to write the lxxii. Psalm, which may be a proper pattern for our present petitions in this manner: As thou gavest our late king "thy judgments, O God, so give thy righteousness to the king's son: Let him judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment. Let him save the children of the needy, and break in pieces the oppressor: Let him come down like rain upon the new mown grass, as showers that water the earth. In his days let the righte ous flourish, and abundance of peace be derived from his posterity so long as the moon endureth; as his dominions are extended from sea to sea, so let him have a spreading influence from the rivers of Great Britain unto the ends of the earth; let those that dwell in distant lands, bow before him, and let his enemies lick the dust; let him live and reign a length of years, and all due tribute be given him; let prayer be made for him continually," and may he be ever engaged in

works of blessing to the world, that he may receive daily and perpetual praises.

And as the Spirit of God eminently designed Solomon in this Psalm, as a type of Christ, so let us pray that our sovereign may imitate our blessed Jesus in all divine virtues, and in the sacred qualifications of a ruler; that his throne may be surrounded with wisdom and established in justice: "In his majesty let him ride prosperously with truth, meekness and righte ousness attending him;" Ps. xlv. 4. May every princely virtue and grace dwell in his heart and shine through all his actions. May his authority and his royal example join together to work wonders of reformation among the higher and the lower ranks of mankind And may probity of manner be always a necessary step of access to the king's favour.

O may he be wise as an angel of God, to discern between good and evil, between his sincere friends and fawning flatterers! Grant, O Lord, that he may daily increase in sagacity and happy penetration to discover the true interest of the land, and be ever steady and resolute in the pursuit of it. Let him see his own interest inseparably connected with the interest of his people, and pursue them together with glorious success. May the protestant powers abroad acknowledge him as their common father, and their superior friend; and inay even the distant posterity of our nation join with the generations to come in foreign lands in paying honour to his memory, as the chief support of religion and liberty in this lower world.

And since God hath blessed us with a queen consort, let her also have a large share in our best wishes and our pious address to heaven. Long may she live a transcendent blessing to the nation and the world; and fulfil with honour all the promising prospects that her sublime character and virtue in a less exalted station have given us. Let the prophecy of Isaiah be eminently fulfilled in our day, that a "king is become our nursing father and a queen our nursing mother;" xlix. 23.

The various branches of the royal family demand a share also in our prayers; that plentiful influence from heaven may descend on them all, and that they may be trained up under such parents, for all the high stations to which providence may design them in future times; that blessings derived from the most serene family of Brunswick may be diffused through the nations of the earth; and especially that the heirs of the crown descended from this illustrious house may sit on the throne of Great Britain in a long and perpetual succession, may gloriously maintain religion and virtue in the land, and promote the blessed Redeemer from age to age, till time shall be no more. Amen.

DEDICATION.

To the Church of Christ assembling in Berry-street, London.

Dear Christian Friends, beloved in our Lord,

HAVING

AVING dedicated to you my first volume of sermons, printed twentysix years ago, I thought it proper to address this to you, being the last I am ever like to publish, that I might testify to the world the continuance of my sincere affeetion for you; and signify to you my ardent desire to do what I can, in my present weak state of health, to promote the welfare of your souls.

The "Essay on the Powers and Contests of Flesh and Spirit," which is added at the end of these discourses, has been written many years ago, and I hope it may be made useful, through the bless ng of God, to lead private christians to form a right judgment in many things relating to their spiritual concerns.

As I trust all these papers contain the truths of God, which I have thus recommended to you, so I am persuaded you will find them exactly conformable to the New Testament, in all your reviews and studies of that blessed book. It is there my hopes of eternal life are fixed; and in this hope, I trust all of you will be found walking stedfastly in the same faith, by the same rule, till you are at length made happy partakers of the same salvation.

The great harmony which has subsisted betwixt me and my dear and worthy brother and colleague, the Rev. Mr. Samuel Price, for more than forty-three years, without an interruption, has been very comfortable to us, and a considerable blessing to you. May the Spirit of God render his continued labours amongst you, in the gospel, very serviceable, for your further establishment and growth in grace! With this design, I commit these discourses to the providence of Christ, and commit him and you also into his hands, to whom I doubt not, you have often surrendered yourselves.

And let me intreat you, as a church of Christ, not only to suffer, but to regard the word of exhortation, which, as your aged pastor, whose voice you may probably hear no more, I would now in a solemn manner leave with you, viz.

Continue to be of one mind, live in peace, be careful to practise all the duties of holiness and righteousness, keep close to God by humble fervent prayer and dependance, seek his face, for direction, and a blessing in all your affairs.

To the God of almighty power, and infinite wisdom and grace, I commend you, who is able to build you up, and give you an inheritance among them that are sanctified.

Finally, my beloved friends, farewell. May the love of God, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be ever with you. Amen.

I am, with much respect, under very declining circumstances of life,
Your affectionate friend,

and faithful servant in the gospel, ISAAC WATTS.

Stoke-Newington,

Jan. 13, 1746-7. §

EVANGELICAL DISCOURSES

ON SEVERAL SUBJECTS, &c.

DISCOURSE I.

The Divine Commission of St. Paul examined and established.

A Sermon preached on Easter-day, 1731, in opposition to all the Deists who have appeared in the world since christianity began: Being a full confirmation of the blessed gospel.

ACTS XXV. 18, 19.—Against whom when the accusers stood up, they brought none accusation of such things as I supposed, but had certain questions against him of their own superstition, and of one Jesus, who was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive.

THE FIRST PART.

THE history which introduces these verses may be represented

in short in this manner:

The Jews were highly enraged against St. Paul for preaching the gospel of Christ with such freedom and boldness in several places; and when they found him at Jerusalem, they took occasion to seize him, and bring him before the magistrates, with heavy accusations; but when he had defended himself so well, the magistrates saw no cause to punish him. The Jews lay in wait to assasinate him, or murder him privately; which being known, he was sent by night to Cesarea, to be judged by Felix the governor; and there he lay in prison two years, till a new governor, Festus, came to the province.

The Jews still pursued their malice against Paul, and what they could not obtain of Felix, they hoped to persuade Festus to grant them: And when Festus had heard what charges the Jews brought against him, and when Paul appealed unto Cæsar, fearing that Festus would comply with the unjust desire of the Jews, Festus had a mind to hear the whole cause, that he might send

Cæsar a more particular account. Now king Agrippa being there upon a visit, Festus tells Agrippa the story in this speech of which my text is a part, ver. 17, &c.

And from these words we may take occasion to make these three observations ;

I. Civil governors among the heathens, before they were taught to persecute the christians, thought it strange to have matters of pure religion brought before them, where the state and the peace of it was not concerned.-II. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the grand question in our debates about christianity, and which we are solicitous to maintain, in vindication of our religion.-III. Paul would not have affirmed Jesus Christ, a dead man, to be alive, without very good proof of it; knowing that the whole religion which he taught the world depended on the truth of it.

First observation. Civil governors among the heathens usually in ancient times, thought it strange to have matters of pure religion brought before them.

Festus imagined some dreadful accusation of sedition or murder was brought against Paul, or some high crime against the state, when he was with such fury brought before him; but there was nothing of this kind appeared. St. Paul expressly says, he had walked uprightly before God and man, and exercised himself to keep a good conscience toward God and men; a conscience void of offence; and after many years, he came to bring alms to his own nation, to do his country a kindness, and the Jews seized him, upon pretence of his opinions being contrary to the religion of their nation.

The great design of civil government, and the institution of magistracy among men, is to keep the peace, to secure the persons and properties of mankind who were innocent, from all manner of injury; and there is nothing more of religion comes within their province, than is absolutely necessary to secure the public peace. Now, upon this account, and that with some appearance of reason, it hath been supposed that atheists, or those who deny God, or his providence, or his government of the world, may be justly punished by magistrates, so far at least as to be banished from their dominions; because they who deny the knowledge and justice of a God, a superior Governor, can give no security by oaths, of their allegiance or loyalty to any government whatsoever; and will break all manner of bonds when they can do it safely. But where some divine power is owned and acknowledged, who knows and will punish perjury and falsehood, the civil governor hath no farther power in affairs of pure religion, where the peace of mankind, the property of man,