,,an ,,address ,,to ,,the ,,inhabitants ,,of ,,the ,,colonies1 ,,established ,,in ,,new ,,south ,,wales ,,and ,,norfolk ,,island4 ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,,richard ,,johnson1 ,a4,b4 ,,chaplain ,,to ,,the ,,colonies ,,written ,,in ,,the ,,year #agib ,,printed ,,for ,,the ,,author 99 99 99 99 99 ,,to ,,all ,,inhabitants1 ,,and ,,especially ,,to ,,the ,,unhappy ,,prisoners ,,and ,,convicts ,,established ,,at ,,port ,,jackson ,,and ,,norfolk ,,island1 ,,this ,,affectionate ,,address ,,is ,,dedicated ,,and ,,presented1 ,,by ,,their ,,very ,,sincere ,,and ,,sympathizing ,,friend1 ,,and ,,faithful ,,servant1 ,,in ,,the ,,gospel ,,of ,,christ1 ,,richard ,,johnson4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,to ,,the ,,british ,,and ,,other ,,european ,,inhabitants ,,of ,,new ,,south ,,wales ,,and ,,norfolk ,,island4 ,my ,beloved1 ,i do not think it necessary to make an apology for putting this ,address into your hands2 or to enter into a long detail of the reasons which induced me to write it4 ,one reason may suffice4 ,i find ,i cannot express my regard for you1 so often1 or so fully1 as ,i wish1 in any other way4 ,on our first arrival in this distant part of the world1 and for some time afterwards1 our numbers were comparatively small2 and while they resided nearly upon one spot1 ,i could not only preach to them on the ,lord's day1 but also converse with them1 and admonish them1 more privately4 ,but since that period1 we have gradually increased in number every year 7notwithstanding the great mortality we have sometimes known7 by the multitudes that have been sent hither after us4 ,the colony already begins to spread1 and will probably spread more and more every year1 both by new settlements formed in different places under the crown1 and by a number of individuals continually becoming settlers4 ,thus the extent of what ,i call my parish1 and consequently of my parochial duty1 is enlarging daily4 ,on the other hand1 my health is not so good1 nor my constitution so strong1 as formerly4 ,and therefore ,i feel it impracticable1 and impossible for me1 either to preach1 or to converse with you so freely1 as my inclination and affection would prompt me to do4 ,i have therefore thought it might be proper for me1 and ,i hope it may prove useful to you1 to write such an ,address as ,i now present you with4 ,i transmitted a copy of it to my friends in ,england with a request1 that if they approved of it1 a sufficient number might be printed1 and sent to me4 ,thus ,i am now able to leave with you a testimony of my affection for you1 and of my sincere and heart-felt concern1 for your ,,best1 because your ,,eternal1 welfare4 ,my times are in the hand of ,god4 ,he1 and ,he only1 knows how long ,i may live1 or how long my present connection with you1 may continue4 ,i trust1 however1 that so long as the all-wise ,disposer of all events shall be pleased to spare my life1 and strength2 and government shall deem my services in this remote land1 necessary1 it will still be1 as it has hitherto been1 my most ardent desire1 my uniform endeavour1 and my greatest pleasure1 to promote your happiness4 ,and when recalled to my native country1 or removed by my ,god to my eternal home1 to receive that crown of righteousness1 which ,i humbly trust is laid upon me1 by reading and carefully perusing the following pages1 ,i hope you will be convinced1 and reminded how sincerely you were pitied1 and how dearly beloved by ,richard ,johnson4 ,port ,jackson1 ,oct4 #cj4 #agib4 ,at this date1 exclusive of those who died or were born on the voyage from ,england3 ,baptisms44444#bbf ,marriages4444#bbj ,burials444444#hed 99 99 99 99 99 ,,advertisement4 ,the author hopes that all well-disposed persons will excuse the imperfections they may meet in this ,address4 ,it is the first time of his appearance in print1 and may be the last4 ,nor would he have attempted it now1 were it not for the very peculiar situation he is in1 and the hope he entertains1 that his feeble1 but he trusts1 sincere1 attempt1 may1 by the blessing of ,god1 be made useful to those unhappy persons1 with whom he is so nearly connected1 and for whose salvation and happiness he is so deeply concerned4 ,and he returns his most sincere and hearty thanks to true ,christians of every denomination1 for their kind remembrance of him at the throne of grace4 ,he still hopes1 because he still needs1 a continuance of their fervent prayers to ,god for him1 that he may be indued with those gifts1 and with that wisdom1 zeal1 and faithfulness which are so needful to direct1 support1 and strengthen him--and may be favoured with more manifold and abundant success in that arduous1 trying1 yet honourable1 and at times he can say1 pleasant and delightful work1 in which he is engaged4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,address1 c4 ,,part ,i4 ,i ,beseech you1 brethren1 suffer this word of exhortation4 ,your souls are precious4 ,they are precious in the sight of ,god4 ,they are precious to the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,they are precious in my esteem4 ,oh that you yourselves were equally sensible of their value4 ,we have now been here almost five years4 ,during this time1 ,i trust1 ,i have been faithful in the discharge of my duty1 faithful to my ,god1 my country1 my conscience1 and to your immortal souls4 ,i would1 nay ,i do1 humbly hope1 that my labours have not been wholly in vain4 ,some of you1 ,i trust1 have been convinced of your folly1 sin and danger2 you have earnestly sought1 and happily found mercy with ,god through a ,mediator4 ,you can now approach him as a ,god reconciled1 a merciful ,father and ,friend1 and are evidencing the reality of you conversion1 by an upright life and conversation4 ,but ,i must express my fear1 that those of you1 who are thus convinced of sin1 and converted to ,god1 and reformed from your evil courses1 are comparatively very few4 ,it is too evident1 that the far greater part of you discover no concern for religion4 ,the ,great ,god1 the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 the ,holy ,spirit1 death1 judgment1 eternity1 heaven and hell1--these are subjects which seldom1 if at all1 engage your attention2 and therefore you spend days1 weeks1 months and years1 in a profane and careless manner1 though you are repeatedly informed and reminded in the most plain1 faithful1 and alarming language ,i can use1 that the wages of sin1 without repentance1 is death1,rom4 vi4 #bc4 the curse of ,god1 and the eternal ruin and damnation of your souls6 ,oh1 ,i intreat you1 brethren1 to consider what is contained in these two words1 ,,salvation and ,,damnation6 ,the one implies every thing that an immortal soul can want or desire to make it happy4 ,the other includes an idea1 the most gloomy and dreadful that can be conceived4 ,the former will be the admiration of angels1 and the song and joy of the redeemed2 the latter will be the torment of devils1 and of all impenitent sinners1 for ever and ever #a ,pet4 i4 #ab42 ,rev4 vii4 #i-ag42 ,rev4 xiv4 #aa44 ,remember likewise1 that ere long1 either this endless inconceivable happiness1 or unutterable misery will be your portion1 or your doom1 and mine4 ,our glass of life is running away apace4 ,our time is fast hastening to a period4 ,death is making sure and speedy strides towards us daily1 judgment is at hand1 and the judge himself is at the door4 ,and oh6 consider1 when the breath we now draw shall depart1 the tender thread of life be cut1 our state will be unalterably and for ever fixed2 either to live with ,god1 with angels1 and glorified saints1 in heaven2 or to dwell with devils1 in the darkness and torments of hell4 ,on these accounts your souls are1 as ,i have already observed1 very precious1 not only in the sight of ,god1 but also to me4 ,my brethren1 ,god is my record1 how greatly ,i long after you all1 in the bowels of ,jesus ,christ4,phil4 i4 #h4 ,next to the salvation of own foul1 nothing in this world lies so near my heart1 as the conversion and salvation of my fellow creatures2 and especially of you1 over whom ,i am appointed more immediately to watch1 as one who must give an account ,heb4 xiii4 #ag44 ,and oh1 my friends1 if this affectionate1 though plain address1 should answer my ardent wishes and prayers1 if it should prove the happy means of converting even one soul to ,god1 ,i should indeed rejoice1 as one that findeth great spoil ,ps4 cxix4 #afb44 ,for once1 at least1 endeavour to lift up your hearts with me in prayer to ,almighty ,god1 the bountiful giver of all grace4 ,he only can make this or any other means effectual2 and should it please ,him of his abounding mercy to make a saving impression upon your hearts1 you will reap the happy fruits of it in life1 at death1 and to eternity4 ,oh that the gracious spirit of the ,lord may open the eyes and the ears of all who may read or hear what ,i am writing4 ,may they who are asleep1 awake6 ,may they who are spiritually dead1 be made alive6 ,may backsliders from ,god be reclaimed6 ,may every one be stirred up to consider1 ,what will become of him in another world6 ,for who amongst us can dwell with everlasting burnings8 ,isa4 xxxiii4 #ad4 ,yet such ,,must be our lot1 unless we repent4 ,may the ,lord ,god give1 to each of you1 repentance unto life1 that you may be holy in this world1 and happy in that which is to come6 ,my brethren1 ,i trust ,i can say in truth1 and with a sincere conscience1 ,that ,i am not ashamed of the gospel of ,christ4,rom4 i4 #af4 ,it is a knowledge1 and ,i hope an inward experience of this precious gospel1 that bears up my spirits when ,i am ready to sink as in deep waters1 and when ,i am almost overwhelmed by the many heavy and daily trials1 crosses1 difficulties and disappointments1 that ,i meet with in this1 alas6 most uncomfortable situation4 ,an acquaintance with this gospel1 an experience of its truth and power1 sweetens every bitter1 makes my crosses comforts1 and my losses gains4 ,it is by this knowledge that ,i am enabled to bear the cross of ,christ1 not only with some degree of patience and resignation1 but at some seasons1 with consolation and joy2 while ,i at one time reflect on what our dear ,lord and ,saviour endured for me1 and at another anticipate the unspeakable honour and pleasure1 which1 through grace1 ,i hope ere long to enjoy at his right hand for evermore4 ,and to endeavour to bring you1 my dear friends1 to a saving knowledge of what is contained in this gospel1 is not only my duty and inclination as a minister1 but also my earnest desire and pleasure1 and that which ,i long for more than for any other thing that can be named4,rom4 x4 #a4 ,i have often explained to you1 according to my sentiments1 what is contained in the gospel4 ,but as ,i fear1 and am indeed well aware1 that many of you1 after all you have heard1 still remain ignorant1 ,i will now tell you again briefly and plainly1 what my views of the gospel are2 that by putting this book into your hands1 you may1 if you please1 more carefully and attentively examine and search for yourselves1 whether what ,i lay before you be agreeable to the holy scriptures1 or otherwise2 and consequently1 whether you ought to believe1 or to reject it4 ,the gospel1 ,i conceive1 in its most extensive sense1 comprehends the whole revealed will of ,god1 recorded in the holy scriptures of the ,old and ,new ,testament ,tim4 iii4 #af44 ,this sacred book1 which we call the ,bible1 describes the original state of man1 as a state of perfect purity and innocence4 ,he was made in the image of ,god4 ,he was made upright ,gen4 i4 #bf1 #bg42 ,eccles4 vii4 #bi44 ,his understanding1 will1 his affections and conscience1 his body and soul1 were free from defilement1 guilt1 or guile1 and while he continued so1 he was not liable to pain1 misery1 or death4 ,but man did not continue in this state4 ,our first parents disobeyed their ,maker4 ,by sinning against ,god they lost their original righteousness1 and became earthly1 sensual1 devilish4 ,such are all his posterity3 for who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean8 ,man is now the very reverse of what he was when first created4 ,his understanding #b ,cor4 iv4 #e2 ,ephes4 iv4 #ah42 ,titus i4 #ae42 rom4 viii4#g4 is darkened1 yea darkness itself2 his will1 his carnal mind1 is enmity against ,god2 his conscience is defiled2 his affections1 no longer fixed upon ,god his ,creator and ,benefactor1 are engrossed by the vain and perishing things of this world2 by sin his body is become mortal4 ,subject to pain1 disease1 and death ,rom4 v4 #ab42 and his soul is exposed to the displeasure of ,god1 and to the curse annexed to the transgressions of his holy law4 ,all this misery is implied in that awful threatening1 ,in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die,gen4 ii4 #ag44 ,and is not this threatening1 at least in part1 already put into execution8 ,whence is there so much ignorance and contempt of ,god8 ,why do mankind so eagerly1 so universally pursue the vain pleasures and follies of the world1 while they seldom think of ,god their ,maker8 ,from whence proceed the infidelity1 blasphemy1 lying1 theft1 sabbath-breaking1 slandering and the many horrid evils1 which every where abound8 ,whence is it that so many in this colony1 labour under such sore and complicated disorders1 pains1 and miseries8 ,why are so many1 both young and old1 taken away by death8 ,and why is it that others who see all those things1 do not take warning by them1 to prepare for their own latter end8 ,brethren1 all these are so many undeniable proofs and evidences of what ,i have said2 namely1 that we are fallen and guilty creatures4 ,these are the effects of ,adam's sin and disobedience4 ,the certain consequences of which would have been unavoidable and endless misery1 both of soul and body1 to himself and all his posterity1 had not some means been provided1 some way laid open1 for his and their recovery4 ,but1 blessed be ,god1 a door of hope is opened by the gospel for miserable sinners6 ,a gracious promise was given early1 even to our first parents1 immediately after their fall4 ,the seed of the woman shall break the serpent's head ,gen4 iii4 #ae44 ,this promised seed is the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 who1 in due time1 was to appear in the world1 to be born of a woman1 that by his life1 sufferings1 and obedience unto death1 he might recover fallen man from the misery and ruin in which he was involved4 ,brethren1 this gospel which1 as the ministers and ambassadors of ,god1 we are commissioned and commanded to preach to sinners1 proposes a free and gracious pardon to the guilty1 cleansing to the polluted1 healing to the sick1 happiness to the miserable1 light for those who sit in darkness1 strength for the weak1 food for the hungry1 and even life for the dead ,gal4 iv4 #d1 #e42 ,gal4 iii4 #ac42 ,i ,john i4 #g42 ,matt4 xi4 #bh42 ,matt4 xi4 #e44 ,all these inestimable blessings are the fruits and effects of the death and mediation of ,jesus ,christ4 ,his great design in coming into the world was to seek and to save those who are lost,luke xviii4 #aj42 ,i ,tim4 i4 #ae42 he came from heaven1 that he might raise us to those holy and happy mansions2 he endured the curse1 that we might inherit the blessing2 he bore the cross1 that we might wear the crown2 he died1 that we might live2 he died1 the just for the unjust1 that he might bring us to ,god #a ,pet4 iii4 #ah44 ,these blessings become ours1 only by believing1 or faith4 ,thus it is said1 ,god so loved the world1 that he gave his only begotten ,son ,for what purpose8 ,why1 ,that whosoever ,,believeth in him should not perish1 but have everlasting life ,john iii4 #af1ah41--;he that believeth in him is not condemned2 he that believeth in him who juftifieth the ungodly1 his faith is counted to him for righteousness ,rom4 iv4 #c1 #f44 ,my friends1 search the scriptures1 and you will find that this is the tenor of the whole ,bible2 ,i may add of our church also1 in the ,articles and ,homilies4 ,this believing is sometimes called a coming to ,christ1 a looking unto ,christ1 a trusting in him1 a casting our burden upon him ,john vi4 #cg42 ,isa4 xlv4 #bb42 ,eph4 i4 #ab42 ,ps4 lv4 #bb44 ,and remember1 that until we do thus come to ,christ1 trust in him1 cast our cares and burdens upon him1 we have no part or interest in what the gospel unfolds and offers2 however others1 who have believed1 and daily act faith upon him1 are rejoicing in the participation of those rich benefits and blessings which the gospel freely offers to guilty and perishing sinners4 ,the faith whereby a sinner receives ,christ1 and becomes a partaker of all the blessings of the gospel1 is the sole gift of ,god1 wrought in the heart by his ,holy ,spirit ,eph4 ii4 #h44 ,this ,holy ,spirit produces an inward change in the soul1 called1 in the scripture1 the new birth1 regeneration ,john iii4 #c-g1 or conversion1 and thus enables a sinner1 convinced of his sin and misery1 to look to ,jesus1 and to believe on him4 ,but though repentance and faith are the gifts of ,god1 which none can obtain by any endeavours of their own1 yet we are encouraged and commanded to pray for them ,luke xi4 #ag44 ,all who have thus1 through grace1 believed1 and are daily living a life of faith in the ,son of ,god1 shall be saved3 but such as carelessly neglect1 or wilfully reject this gospel must be damned ,mark xvi4 #ae44 ,think1 ,i beseech you1 of this6 ,remember1 that it is the solemn declaration of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ himself4 ,now is the time to obtain the blessings revealed in the gospel1 and which are set before you when it is preached4 ,many have had these gracious declarations made to them1 before we were born1 and they will be repeated to many after we are dead4 ,but ,,this is our day4 ,,now is the accepted time1 now is the day of salvation #a ,cor vi4 #b44 ,,to-,,day--for you and ,i may not live to see to-morrow4 ,,to-,,day2 if you will hear his voice1 harden not your hearts ,heb4 iii4 #g1 #h44 ,my brethren1 it is your duty1 your wisdom1 and will finally prove to be your greatest happiness1 to seek an interest in this salvation for yourselves4 ,it is your personal1 and must be your heart concern1 to make your calling and election sure #b ,pet4 i4 #aj44 ,for death will soon put a period to all the overtures of grace and mercy1 with which many1 and particularly ,,you1 are now favoured4 ,it is as ,i have said1 both my duty and my pleasure1 to preach and proclaim these glad tidings4 ,but to whom8 ,not to the dead1 but to the living2 even to you ,acts xv4 #bb44 ,to you is the word of the salvation sent4 ,but1 alas6 should you still put it from you1 and should death at last find you in an unprepared state1 it will then be too late for you to begin to cry for mercy ,eccl4 ix4 #aj44 ,a day is likewise coming1 when our mortal bodies1 which must shortly moulder into dust1 will be raised again from the dead4 ,whether believers or unbelievers1 whether saints or sinners1 we must all appear before the judgment-seat of ,christ #b ,cor4 v4 #aj42 ,dan4 #ab4b42 ,matt4 xxv4#ba44 ,for the ,lord ,jesus will shortly appear in the clouds of heaven1 the last trumpet shall sound1 the graves shall open1 the sea give up her dead1 and all who have lived upon earth1 from the creation to the final consummation of time1 will then be judged1 and rewarded or punished according to their works4 ,mark well ,st4 ,john's representation of this solemn transaction1 ,i saw the dead1 small and great1 stand before ,god1 and the books were opened1 and another book was opened1 which is the book of life1 and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books1 according to their works,rev4 xx4 #ab1 #ac44 ,such are the declarations of scripture respecting this awful season6 ,sinners1 whatever you may now think of these things1 or think or say of me1 for declaring them to you1 in this1 plain and solemn manner1 ,i must and will tell you1 that there is not a profane oath which you have uttered1 nor a lie which you have told1 nor a sabbath which you have broken1 nor a single act of adultery1 fornication1 theft1 or any wickedness of which you have been guilty2 in a word1 there is not an evil you have committed1 nor a duty you have omitted to perform1 but what is noted down in the book of ,god's remembrance1 and will be produced against you in the day of judgment1 unless you repent1 and believe the gospel4 ,you must then give an account how you improved the advantages now afforded you1 for attending to the things pertaining to your peace4 ,if you do not improve them1 the ,bible will condemn you1 every faithful sermon you have heard will condemn you1 nay1 every sermon which you might have heard1 but would not1 because you despised and neglected the ordinances of public worship1 will condemn you3 ,and alas6 this address1 by which ,i try to warn you1 because ,i love you1 and wish well to your souls2 which you are now reading1 or perhaps1 about to throw aside with scorn1 will then condemn you4 ,the admonitions1 intreaties1 prayers1 and tears of godly parents1 the advice and reproofs of pious friends1 the warning and expostulations of faithful ministers1 will all witness against you4 ,my brethren1 what shall ,i say8 ,the law of ,god1 the gospel1 saints1 sinners1 angels1 your own consciences1 the ,holy ,spirit1 the ,lord ,jesus1 the great ,judge himself1 will all witness against you1 for your contempt and neglect of that mercy and salvation1 which are set before you in the gospel4 ,then all ungodly and impenitent sinners1 being tried1 cast1 and condemned1 must hear that final terrible sentence pronounced upon them1 ,depart1 ye cursed1 into everlasting fire1 prepared for the devil and his angels6,matt4 xxv4 #da4 ,and remember that those who have been your associates in wickedness here1 will then be your companions in misery4 ,this will1 if possible1 aggravate your torment4 ,you and they will rue the day when you first met2 and mutually charge the ruin of your souls upon each other4 ,oh1 think of this1 and pray for grace to repent1 before it be too late6 ,at that solemn season1 the righteous shall be publicly and fully acquitted before the assembled world4 ,the judge will say to them1 ,come1 ye blessed of my ,father1 inherit the kingdom prepared for you1 from the foundation of the world ,matt4 xxv4#cd44 ,the holy angels will then conduct them to the mansions of eternal bliss4 ,happy souls6 ,they will then have no more cause to weep and mourn1 to fight and wrestle4 ,they will no more be exercised with darkness or temptation2 for sin1 which is the cause of all their conflicts and sorrows1 shall be done away2 and ,god their gracious ,father1 and everlasting ,friend1 shall wipe all tears from their eyes ,rev4 vii4 #ag44 ,the righteous1 however obscured and reproached upon earth1 shall then shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their ,father4 ,they are represented to us1 as standing before the throne1 clothed in white robes1 with palm-branches 7the emblems of victory7 in their hands1 and singing to their harps their ,redeemer's praise ,matt4 xiii4#dc42 ,rev vii4 #i1aj44 ,there they will join in company with ,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob1 with the apostles1 prophets1 and martyrs1 with their dear friends and relatives1 who died in the faith before them1 and with the glorious angels2 and above all1 7without which heaven itself would be no heaven to them7 they will enjoy the unclouded presence of their ,lord and ,saviour1 who once suffered pain1 and shame1 and death for them4 ,they will see him seated upon a throne of glory1 and unite with all the heavenly host1 in ascribing salvation1 glory1 and honour1 and praise to him who loved them1 and washed them from their sins in his own blood2 and has made them kings and priests to ,god1 and to the ,lamb1 for ever and ever ,rev4 v4 #i44 ,for the joys of heaven1 and the pains of hell will be eternal4 ,otherwise1 indeed1 neither the happiness nor the misery of a future state could be complete4 ,it would damp the joys of the blessed1 to apprehend that they must at length terminate4 ,and the horrors of the damned would be in a degree alleviated1 if there was the most distant prospect that they would have a period4 ,but the word of ,god assures us1 that believers1 after death1 enter into life eternal1 and that the punishment of the wicked will be everlasting ,matt4 xxv4 #df42 ,dan4 xii4 #b42 #b ,thes4 i4 #g-aj44 ,i have now given you a summary of the great truths1 which1 as a minister of the gospel1 ,i am commissioned and commanded to preach4 ,and ,i can call ,god and your consciences to witness1 that ,i have not shunned thus to declare to you the whole counsel of ,god ,acts xx4 #bg44 ,i have explained to you the meaning1 and ,i have urged the importance of these things over and over4 ,i have pointed out to you1 the wretched and dangerous condition of sinners1 the necessity of conversion or the new birth1 the nature of this change1 and by what power it is wrought1 and the fruits and effects which such a change will produce in a man's tempers1 words and actions4 ,i have also shewn you the way1 in which you ,,may and must be saved1 if you are saved at all4 ,i have told you again and again1 that ,christ is the ,way1 the truth1 and the life1 and that there is no coming to ,god with comfort1 either in this world1 or in that which is to come1 but by him4 ,he has told you so himself ,john xiv4 #f42 ,acts iv4 #ab44 ,and the apostle assures you1 that there is no other name under heaven1 given unto men1 whereby they can be saved4 ,look unto him1 and you shall be saved2 if not1 you must be damned4 ,this is the plain truth1 the express declaration of the ,bible4 ,life and death are set before you ,deut4 xxx4 #ae44 ,permit me then1 as your minister1 your friend1 and a well-wisher to your souls1 to press these serious and weighty considerations home upon your consciences once more4 ,i hope and believe that ,i have affected nothing1 but what can be proved by the highest authority1 the word of the living ,god4 ,they certainly deserve your closest and most careful attention1 since it is plain beyond a doubt1 that upon your knowledge or ignorance1 your acceptance or rejection of this gospel1 your everlasting happiness or misery must depend4 ,brethren1 ,i do not ask you1 what religious persuasion or denomination you have espoused4 ,i fear1 that1 if ,i may judge of your hearts by your actions1 too many are destitute of any sense of religion at all4 ,but ,i do not address you as ,churchmen or ,dissenters1 ,roman ,catholics or ,protestants1 as ,jews or ,gentiles2 ,i suppose1 yea1 ,i know1 that there are persons of every denomination amongst you4 ,but ,i speak to you as men and women1 as intelligent creatures1 possessed of understanding and reason4 ,i speak to you as mortals1 and yet immortals2 as sinners1 who have broken the laws of ,god1 and are therefore obnoxious to his displeasure4 ,and my sole aim and desire is1 to be instrumental in turning you from darkness to light1 from sin to holiness1 from the power of ,satan to the service and favour of ,god ,acts xxvi4 #ah44 ,seek then1 ,i beseech you1 above all things1 an interest in the blessings of the gospel4 ,be assured it is a matter of much less moment1 whether you are rich or poor1 respected or despised in this world4 ,the rich have their cares1 fears1 crosses1 and vexations1 no less than the poor2 but admitting that they could pass through life with greater ease than others1 we all know that they cannot escape death4 ,the great point is1 how we shall die8 whether as believers or unbelievers1 as saints or sinners4 ,one soul1 according to our ,lord's declaration1 is of more value than the whole world ,mark viii4 #cf44 ,if you lose your soul1 you lose all at once4 ,you lose heaven and happiness for ever4 ,whatever1 therefore1 you do1 or leave undone1 for ,god's sake1 and for your own sakes1 neglect not for one day or hour longer1 the vast concerns of another life4 ,delays are dangerous4 ,the more we have to risk or lose1 the greater folly it would be accounted1 to defer securing our property and goods1 which we know to be in danger4 ,what folly1 therefore1 what madness must it be1 to put off with careless indifference1 the concernments of eternity2 and to prefer the trifles of this transitory life to heaven1 and the favour of ,god6 ,let the parable of the rich man1 who pleased himself with the thought of having much good laid up for many years1 be a warning to you6,luke xii4 #af-bh4 ,that very night his soul was required of him4 ,such persons may now deem themselves wise2 but ere long they will be sensible they were fools4 ,it you consider what a valuable price was paid for our redemptions you must be convinced that the soul of man is very precious in the sight of ,god1 and that sin is not so light and small an evil1 as many of you have supposed4 ,to disobey the commandments of the just and holy ,god1 is1 as far as in us lies1 to renounce our allegiance to him1 and our dependence upon him1 and to set up for ourselves1 and even to join with the devil in open rebellion against our ,maker4 ,it is1 in plain terms1 to fly in his face1 and to bid defiance to his almighty arm4 ,sin is such a horrid evil1 that unless it is forgiven1 and blotted out1 by the blood of ,jesus1 it will sink your souls lower than the center of the earth1 even into the very depths of hell1 never1 never1 never more to rise ,mark ix4 #dd-dh4 ,so heinous was sin1 in the sight of ,god1 that rather than permit it to pass unpunished1 he would punish it in the person of his own1 his only1 his well-beloved ,son1 who was made sin1 that is1 treated as a sinner deserved to be treated1 for us4 ,he was delivered up into the hands of wicked men1 and crucified1 that by his suffering and death1 he might make atonement for our sins1 and procure an honourable and happy reconciliation1 between a righteous ,god1 and offending sinners #b ,cor4 v4 #ah-bj4 ,i beseech you1 therefore1 to prize and to study this gospel1 that you may obtain a growing experience of its benefits4 ,praise ,god for such a ,saviour1 and such a salvation as he has provided4 ,adore him1 for that infinite wisdom1 and boundless mercy which he has displayed in the redemption of fallen man and never rest1 nor be satisfied1 till you have good and scriptural reason to hope1 that this ,saviour is yours1 with all the blessings he is exalted to bestow without money and without price4 ,our food1 my brethren1 then only can nourish us1 when it is eaten and digested4 ,medicines can only profit us1 by being applied and taken4 ,it is exactly thus with the gospel4 ,we may hear1 and talk of these things1 but so long as they remain matters of speculation1 and do not enter into our hearts1 into the very vitals of our souls1 7if ,i may so speak7 we cannot be the better for them4 ,christ is the bread of life4 ,his flesh is meat indeed1 and his blood is drink indeed6 ,but unless we ourselves do ,,spiritually eat the flesh and drink the blood of the ,son of man 7for our ,lord speaks of food for the soul1 not for the body7 we have no life in us ,john vi4 #eb-eh44 ,moses1 by the express command of ,god1 erected a brazen serpent upon a pole1 in the view of the camp of ,israel ,numb4 xxi4 #i44 ,such of the people as were stung by the fiery serpents1 were directed and commanded to look up to the brazen serpent4 ,they who did so were healed4 ,but if any resisted1 they were sure to die4 ,for no other means or physicians could relieve them4 ,in like manner ,christ ,jesus our ,saviour1 once lifted up on the cross1 is exhibited in the preaching of the gospel4 ,sinners1 who are wounded and diseased by sin1 are directed1 exhorted1 encouraged1 and commanded to look up to him ,john iii4 #ad1 #ae44 ,and they who are persuaded so to do1 are infallibly cured of all those spiritual maladies1 under which they have long and sorely laboured4 ,but all1 who despise and reject this sovereign remedy of ,god's gracious appointment1 either by a total indifference to religion1 or by expecting salvation in any other way1 will be left1 and that most deservedly1 to perish in their wilful obstinacy and unbelief ,john iii1 #cf44 ,,part ,,ii ,in the former part of this address1 ,i have already laid before you1 in the plainest manner ,i was able1 my views of the gospel of ,christ4 ,and as an experimental knowledge of this gospel is so very important1 ,i have endeavoured to press that importance upon your consciences4 ,whether you have paid that attention to the subject1 which it deserves and requires1 yourselves best know4 ,i can only say1 that if ,i did not know it to be of great weight1 ,i should not either speak or write of it with so much earnestness4 ,but being persuaded and assured1 by the express testimony of the holy scriptures1 that these things are true2 and truths1 the knowledge of which is essential to your present and future happiness1 ,i must be plain and faithful in declaring them4 ,i ought to be very indifferent what men of depraved morals1 and corrupt principles may say1 or think of me1 if ,i have the witness of a good conscience1 and the approbation of the ,god whom ,i serve4 ,my concern is for ,,your welfare and salvation2 for ,i am certain1 as ,i have told you before1 and now tell you again1 that unless the gospel is made the power of ,god to your souls1 you must be miserable in time1 and to eternity4 ,i propose now to give you some advices1 to assist you in understanding the gospel for yourselves1 which if you observe1 ,i trust1 you will attain to the possession of those principles1 and walk by those rules1 which will both afford you present peace1 and secure your future happiness4 ,for godliness has promises pertaining to the life that now is1 and to that which is to come4 ,let me then exhort you to attend seriously to what you are to believe2 and to what you are to do4 ,these two points include the sum and substance of the gospel1 the whole of the christian life1 and may be comprised in two words1 ,,faith and ,,practice4 ,i4 ,you must learn from the word of ,god1 what you are to believe4 ,true faith is the root and foundation of all real religion4 ,without this inward principle1 nothing that we have done1 or can do1 will be acceptable to ,god ,heb4 xi4 #f44 ,i have briefly informed you what you are to believe--,that you are sinners1 that ,jesus ,christ is an all-sufficient and willing ,saviour--and that the word of ,god both warrants and commands you to look to him for salvation4 ,this looking unto ,jesus1 is what we particularly mean by faith or believing4 ,when we cordially and entirely rely upon him1 upon the invitation of the promises of ,god1 for pardon1 peace1 and eternal life1 then we believe4 ,all who thus believe1 through grace1 are required and commanded to be careful of maintaining good works ,titus4 iii4 #h44 ,as our moral1 and what are often called1 our virtuous actions1 are to be tried by our religious principles2 it is equally true1 that our religious principles or at least the proof that they are indeed ,,our principles1 must be evidenced by our moral conduct4 ,these two are so inseparably connected1 that you may depend upon it1 where one of them is wanting1 what bears the name of the other1 is no better than pretended4 ,if what we profess to believe does not make us humble1 honest1 chaste1 patient1 and thankful1 and regulate our tempers and behaviour1 whatever good opinion we may form of our notions or state1 we are but deceiving ourselves4 ,the tree is known by its fruits ,james4 ii4 #ag1ah42 ,matt4 vii4 #bj44 ,in this way true believers are equally distinguished from profane sinners1 and from specious hypocrites4 ,the change in their hearts always produces a change in their whole deportment4 ,sin1 which was once their delight1 is now the object of their hatred4 ,it was once necessary as their food1 but now they avoid it as poison4 ,they war1 watch1 and pray against it4 ,and their delight is to study the revealed will of ,god4 ,by these tests you may judge of your true state before ,god4 ,surely you cannot suppose that your inward state is ,,good1 while your outward conduct is ,,bad4 ,hence you may be assured that no unclean person1 or profane swearer1 no one who lives in direct opposition to the commands of ,god1 can be1 while he continues in this course1 a true christian4 ,such a supposition would be no less absurd1 than it would be to suppose1 that a man is a good and peaceable subject1 though he lives in open rebellion against the king4 ,you may as well conceive of a holy devil1 as of an unholy christian4 ,i hope you will not mistake me4 ,i do not mean that true christians are without sin4 ,but ,i affirm1 that no true christian can live in an habitual course of sin4 ,no1 sin is their grief1 their burden #a ,john4 iii4 #h1i42 ,rom4 vii4 #bc1bd42 and when through temptation1 or unwatchfulness1 they are drawn aside1 like the dove sent out of the ark1 they can find no rest1 till by hearty repentance1 and true faith1 they obtain a new sense of forgiveness4 ,i now proceed to offer you some directions1 with which if you comply1 ,i trust1 that by the blessing of ,god1 you will enjoy peace in your souls1 and be enabled to regulate your conduct and conversation1 as becometh the gospel of ,christ4 ,read and study the scriptures4 ,this was our ,lord's direction to the ,jews4 ,search the scriptures1 for in them ye think ye have eternal life1 and they testify of me ,john v4 #cg2 ,acts xvii4 #aa44 ,the ,bereans were commended for their attention and diligence in this respect4 ,they received the word with all readiness of mind1 not with a blind and implicit faith in what they heard1 even from an apostle1 but they searched the scriptures daily1 to know whether what he taught them was agreeable to the word of ,god4 ,the ,bible is our only sure and infallible guide4 ,it was given by inspiration of ,god4 ,all other books1 however good and useful1 are but of human composition1 and are therefore not perfect4 #b ,tim4 #h-af42 ,isa4 viii4 #bj4 ,this sacred book1 as ,i have already observed to you1 contains all that is needful to make us wise unto salvation4 ,it informs us of our original1 how pure and innocent2 and our present condition1 how guilty1 polluted and miserable6 and the happiness or misery which awaits us in a future state4 ,from this book we may learn1 the malignity of sin1 the holiness1 spirituality1 extent1 and sanction of the law of ,god2 and consequently1 the just and certain condemnation due to our disobedience4 ,it shews us1 likewise1 the way of our recovery4 ,how perfectly the mediation of ,christ is suited to vindicate the honour of the law1 and to display the justice of ,god1 in harmony with his mercy1 and thereby to give peace to the consciences of convinced sinners4 ,i intreat you1 therefore1 to read the word of ,god carefully4 ,many of you have had ,bibles or ,new ,testaments given to you1 and others might have them1 if they had but an inclination to read4 ,some of you will perhaps object1 and say1 as you have already said to me1 ,we cannot read4 ,others1 ,we have no time given us4 ,if you cannot read yourselves1 you might prevail on some of your comrades to read to you994 ,as to your having no time1 ,i much question it4 ,rather you have no inclination4 ,too many of you can find time to jest1 to talk obscenely or profanely1 to read and sing idle songs2 why might not some1 or rather the whole of this time be employed in reading1 or hearing the ,bible8 ,you might find time1 if you could find a will4 ,but remember1 that such excuses as you now make1 will stand you in no stead when you appear before ,god in judgment4 ,there are few1 if any of you1 but might have opportunity of attending to these things1 if you were but willing4 99,footnote3 ,two or three hours thus spent on the ,lord's day1 in instructing each other to read1 would be a very commendable employment4 ,i have often expressed my longing desire that such a plan was set on foot among you4 ,and if there could be a convenient building created for this purpose1 ,i should think myself happy1 not only to furnish you with books1 as far as ,i am able1 but also personally to attend and assist you1 as much as my immediate calls of duty would permit4 ,,ii4 ,observe and reverence the sabbath1 or ,lord's day4 ,remember the sabbath-day1 to keep it holy ,exod4 xx4 #h41 is a solemn and positive command of ,god4 ,to live in the neglect of this commandment1 is absolutely to despise ,god1 and to defy him1 as it were to his face4 ,consider1 my friends1 you have orders frequently given you here1 by your superiors1 which you know you must obey1 or you know the consequences of disobedience--judge then for yourselves1 what have those persons to expect1 who1 in defiance of the authority of the great ,god1 presume to neglect and profane the day which he has so expressly enjoined to be kept holy8 ,it gives me a deep and continual concern to observe how the ,lord's-day is spent by many of you4 ,what would a stranger think1 who regards the sabbath1 if he visited every part of this colony on the ,lord's day8 ,ah6 my brethren1 ,i have seen and heard enough 7alas6 much more than enough7 to form my own judgment on this subject4 ,if my duty did not require my attendance on the public worship1 and were ,i to visit your different places and huts1 ,i fear ,i should find some of you spending the hours appointed for divine service in cultivating your gardens and grounds1 others indulging themselves in mere sloth and idleness1 others engaged in the most profane and unclean conversation1 and others committing abominations1 which it would defile my pen to describe4 ,now what must be the end of these courses8 ,god says1 ,remember the sabbath day to keep it holy4 ,but the language1 both of your hearts and actions1 is1 ,we will not keep it holy4 ,it is a day given us for ourselves2 and we wish1 and we are resolved to spend it as we please4 ,we do not chuse to be confined1 or compelled to hear so much preaching and praying4 ,is not this the language of your hearts8 ,your conduct too plainly proves it3 but1 my brethren1 let me reason and expostulate a little with you upon this head4 ,consider1 what have been the consequences to many who have thus broken ,god's commands4 ,i have known1 and you likewise have known1 those who have been brought to an untimely and disgraceful end1 and who have dated their ruin from this one evil1 the profanation of the ,lord's day4 ,instead of spending it in the manner which he has enjoined1 they kept bad and profligate company4 ,by this practice1 all serious impressions 7if they formerly had any7 have been driven from their minds4 ,their hearts have become more and more hardened and insensible2 till at length1 lost to all prudent reflection1 they have regarded neither the tender solicitations and tears of parents1 relations1 and friends1 the faithful warnings of ministers1 nor the checks and rebukes of their own consciences4 ,and what has been the event8 ,i need not tell you1 that having given way to their own wicked wills1 the advice and example of their ungodly companions1 and the temptations of the devil 7for1 be assured1 that he is always at the bottom of these mischiefs7 they have1 at length1 committed some act of depredation and villainy1 which has brought them to an untimely grave4 ,such1 brethren1 have been the free and ingenuous confessions of many of those unhappy people who have suffered death4 ,and if you were to speak the sentiments of your hearts1 ,i doubt not1 but many of you1 who by the mercy of ,god are yet living1 would make the like acknowledgment2 that breaking the sabbath was the first step towards bringing you into that pitiable situation1 in which you either have been1 or still are suffering4 ,and will you still persevere in the road of misery8 ,will you still prefer the chains of your own depraved inclinations1 to the service of ,god1 which is perfect freedom8 ,according to the ,jewish law1 a man was stoned to death1 for gathering sticks on the sabbath day ,numb4 xv4 #cb-cf41 whereas you are doing a number of things on the ,lord's day1 which might as well be done before1 or left undone till afterwards4 ,but such is the long-suffering of the ,lord1 that though others have been cut off1 you are spared to this hour4 ,may his goodness lead you to repentance6 ,or otherwise1 light as these things may appear to you now1 and though you may plead a necessity for what you do1 ,i tell you again1 as ,i have often told you before1 that a day is coming when ,god will call you to a strict account4 ,besides1 ,if you would reasonably hope for the blessing of ,god to succeed your labours1 it is certainly your interest1 as well as your duty to obey his commands4 ,and this in particular1 ,keep the sabbath day holy4 ,if1 in direct opposition to this plain1 precept1 you will work and labour1 as on other days1 what ground can you have to expect that ,god will bless and prosper your undertakings8 ,you have much greater cause to fear that his curse will follow you in your affairs1 and blast and disappoint all your wishes and prospects4 ,let then the misconduct and fatal ends of others1 and the calamities and troubles that you have brought upon yourselves--,let the gracious promises of ,god1 on the one hand1 and his awful threatenings on the other1 induce you1 in future1 to remember the sabbath day1 to keep it holy6 ,and let me offer you a few plain directions1 as to the observance and improvement of the sabbath3 ,begin the day with prayer2 and for this purpose seek some place of retirement1 if you find it impracticable to meditate or pray1 from the interruptions you are exposed to in your dwellings991 from those who ridicule and scoff at every appearance of religion4 ,retire from them1 and pray to him who seeth in secret2 and praise him for the many mercies you have received4 ,consider with yourself1 how little you have improved them4 ,humble yourselves before ,god1 under a sense of your sins and imperfections1 and pray for pardon and repentance4 ,intreat him1 to enable you to watch over your hearts1 words1 and actions1 throughout the day1 and that you may not be hindered or hurt by the snares and temptations around you4 ,intreat ,god to assist your minister1 and to accompany what you may hear from him1 with a blessing to your soul1 and to all who shall be present with you4 99,footnote3 ,many complaints have been made to me on this head4 ,if you have families1 you should call them together1 and pray with them1 and for them4 ,there are many promises made to worshiping families1 and to those who1 like ,abraham1 endeavour to teach their children and household to know and serve the ,lord4 ,gen4 xviii4 #ai42 ,prov4 iii4 #cc4 ,and the neglect of this is one reason1 why many families live uncomfortably4 ,they live without prayer1 and therefore without peace4 ,having thus endeavoured to impress your minds with serious thoughts1 in secret or at home2 attend constantly upon the public worship1 and there pay a close attention to every part of the service4 ,remember that the eye of ,god is particularly upon you there4 ,he has promised to be with two or three that meet together to call upon his name ,matt4 xviii4 #bj42 ,john iv4 #bd4 ,he is to be worshipped in spirit and in truth2 and whether they assemble in a church1 or in the open air1 he can give them cause to say with ,jacob1 ,this place is surely the house of ,god1 and the gate of ,heaven ,gen4 xxviii4 #ag44 ,attend the public worship again in the afternoon1 with your hearts lifted up to ,god1 that you may not hear in vain2 and accustom yourself in the evening to recollect what you have heard1 concerning the miseries which sin has brought into the world1 the love of ,god in sending his own ,son to redeem sinners from those miseries2 the sufferings1 life1 death1 and resurrection of the ,saviour2 and that eternal rest1 which remaineth for the people of ,god--,,for ,,you1 and ,,for ,,me1 if we are believers in ,christ4 ,if1 by the blessing of ,god1 ,i can happily persuade you thus to observe and improve the ,lord's day1 ,i am sure it will promote both your pleasure and your profit4 ,can it be a question with you1 whether the ,god who made heaven and earth1 or ,satan1 the god of this world1 is the best master8 ,indeed ,i too well know the indisposition and averseness of the carnal mind to ,god and his ways4 ,hence the thought of many is1 ,what a weariness is it8 ,and1 ,when will the sabbath be ended8 ,hence that open contempt and scorn1 which is cast upon the sabbath1 and upon public worship by many1 both high and low1 rich and poor1 bond and free1 old and young1 men and women4 ,to them the worship of ,god is tedious and disagreeable4 ,they neither find pleasure in it1 nor expect benefit from it4 ,and therefore their attendance is not from choice1 but from constraint4 ,but the thoughts and the conduct of true ,christians are very different4 ,no day is so welcome to them as the ,lord's day2 not merely considered as a day of rest from labour2 but because1 having their heads and hearts freed from the cares and incumbrances of the world1 it affords them opportunities of waiting upon ,god4 ,and1 brethren1 you must allow that these persons are best qualified to judge of the question ,i have proposed1 ,whether is best1 to walk in the ways of ,god1 or in the ways of sin8 ,for they have experienced both sides of the question4 ,they have tried the pleasures of the world1 and they have also tried the pleasures of religion4 ,and they will readily assure you1 that in their deliberate judgment1 one day thus spent in devotion1 and the exercises of religion1 is preferable to a thousand days wasted in the vain and unsatisfying pleasures1 which they sought in their former wicked practices ,ps4 lxxxiv4 #aj44 ,i have written thus largely upon the due observance of the ,lord's day1 because of that shameful1 open1 and general neglect1 that daring profanation of the ,sabbath1 which abounds amongst us4 ,it is well known1 and it is matter of great grief and concern to me1 that numbers of you pay not the least regard to this day4 ,numbers of you will not come to public worship at all1 others but seldom1 and then with much reluctance4 ,and when spoken to1 different persons frame different excuses1 all which1 when examined1 amount to little more than a want of inclination4 ,i have here a more special reference to those of you1 who are called ,settlers and ,free ,people4 ,you think1 perhaps1 and some of you say1 ,that having served out your appointed term1 you are now your own masters1 and have therefore a right to employ your time as you please4 ,but1 indeed1 it is not so4 ,i must tell you1 brethren1 that my commission from ,god1 and my appointment from government1 extend equally and alike to all the inhabitants1 without distinction4 ,it is my duty to preach to all1 to pray for all1 and to admonish every one4 ,and it is no less the duty of all1 to come to public worship1 to hear the gospel1 and to pray for me4 ,these mutual ties and obligations between you and me1 are not lessened by any change in your circumstances4 ,and remember1 that the slight you put upon the public worship1 is not properly a slight of me 7if that was all1 it would be a matter of utter indifference7 but upon the ,lord himself2 for ,i trust it is his message1 and not my own1 that ,i deliver to you ,luke x4 #af44 ,i wish1 therefore1 what ,i have said upon this subject1 to be understood as addressed ,,to ,,all1 whether of higher or lower rank1 who are guilty of breaking the sabbath4 ,whatever our station or calling may be1 our obligations to keep holy the sabbath-day1 are precisely the same4 ,if any are more inexcusable than the rest1 it must be those1 who1 from their station and office1 are peculiarly bound to set a good example to others4 ,i hope this friendly hint will be received in good part4 ,i mean not to offend4 ,but ,i must admonish you1 that whatever be your situation in life1 you will gain nothing in the end1 by doing what ,god forbids1 nor will you be a loser by yielding strict obedience to his commands4 ,,iii4 ,be constant and diligent in prayer to ,god4 ,intreat him to give his blessing to what you read and hear1 and to all your concerns4 ,as we are weak and needy creatures1 always dependent upon ,god1 and always receiving mercies and favours from him1 we ought to be frequent and earnest in prayer4 ,daniel was accustomed to pray three times in the day ,dan4 vi4 #aj42 ,ephes4 ii4 #ab44 ,i hope you will be punctual in prayer1 morning and evening1 at least4 ,so long as any of you live without prayer1 you live without ,christ1 without hope1 and without ,god in the world4 ,they1 who do not pray to ,god while upon earth1 will not be admitted to praise him in heaven4 ,when the rich careless man who had fared sumptuously every day1 for a time1 lifted up his eyes in torments1 he only desired and prayed for a drop of water to cool his tongue1 but it was not granted to him4 ,oh6 if you value your souls1 pray earnestly to ,god4 ,consider your obligations to do so4 ,he is your ,creator1 ,preserver1 ,benefactor4 ,in him you live and move1 and have your being4 ,and therefore not to acknowledge1 by prayer1 your dependence upon him1 would manifest the greatest ingratitude and insensibility4 ,consider1 likewise1 the encouragement you have to pray4 ,though you are by nature sinners1 and by practice enemies and rebels1 he gives you free and sure promises1 that whoever is disposed to return to him1 and seek him by earnest prayer1 shall not seek him in vain4 ,oh6 my brethren1 that there was less cursing and swearing1 and more prayer among you6 ,after these positive directions what you ought ,,to ,,do1 ,i proceed to some necessary cautions1 against what you ought to avoid4 ,i4 ,profane swearing is one thing against which ,i am especially bound to warn you1 because it is an evil which so much abounds amongst you4 ,god has said1 ,thou shalt not take the name of the ,lord thy ,god in vain1 for the ,lord will not hold him guiltless1 that taketh his name in vain4 ,our ,saviour likewise has said1 ,swear not at all ,exod4 xx4 #g42 ,matt4 v4 #cd44 ,but how can you reconcile these prohibitions to your conduct2 or your consciences8 ,when instead of not swearing at all1 many of you seldom open your lips1 but the first and last words which you utter1 are blasphemous oaths1 and horrid imprecations8 ,is this acting like rational or accountable creatures8 ,who gave you the powers of reason and speech8 ,was it not ,god8 ,and can you think that he gave them to you1 that you may blaspheme his holy name1 and to use the most profane1 obscene1 and desperately wicked language your hearts can invent2 a language only fit for incarnate devils1 and shocking to the ears of the ignorant heathens8 ,this is a dreadful evil which you may be assured1 will not pass unpunished4 ,this sin has often brought heavy judgments upon individuals1 families1 and kingdoms4 ,because of swearing the land mourneth ,jer4 xxiii4 #aj4 ,shall not ,i visit for these things1 saith the ,lord8 ,as a proof of the enormity of this sin1 you read1 that ,moses1 by the command of ,god1 ordered a man to be stoned to death1 for cursing and blaspheming ,lev4 xxiv4 #aj-af42 and it would be well1 both on their own account1 and for the good of others1 if magistrates would strictly discharge their duty1 by enforcing the laws of our land1 which are engaged against this horrid practice4 ,and in few places1 perhaps in no place1 such strictness would be more needful1 or more salutary1 than in this colony4 ,our ,lord assures us1 that for every idle word that men shall speak they shall give an account in the day of judgment6 ,matt4 xii4 #cf ,how dreadful then will be the case of those persons1 who during their whole life have employed their tongues in cursing1 swearing1 lying1 and all manner of vile and unclean conversation4 ,oh6 think of this in time1 and tremble and repent1 and learn to use your tongues to better purpose in future6 ,read carefully the third chapter of ,james1 and pray to ,god for his grace1 and use your best endeavours to bridle your tongues which1 if you do not subdue and conquer1 will surely destroy and ruin you4 ,,ii4 ,consider1 also1 what must be the consequence of that unclean and adulterous course of life1 which many of you follow4 ,common as this wickedness is in our colony 7,i believe no where more so7 do not suppose1 that the frequency will take away1 or in the least abate the criminality of it4 ,neither suppose that this sin is less odious in the sight of ,god if committed in ,port ,jackson1 than in ,england4 ,you may frame excuses or plead necessity1 for what you do1 or permit to be done2 but the word of ,god by which you must be at last judged1 admits1 of no plea1 or excuse4 ,the command is positive and absolute4 ,the declaration of ,god1 ,thou shalt not commit adultery ,exod4 xx4 #ad1 is equally binding upon persons of all ranks to whom it is known1 at all times1 and in all places4 ,think not1 that the holy and just ,god will dispense with his law1 or relax the sentence he has denounced against the breach of it1 that you may with impunity indulge your corrupt desires4 ,no2 it is written1 whoremongers and adulterers ,god will judge4 ,the apostle declares that no fornicator1 adulterer1 or unclean person1 can enter into the kingdom of ,god2 he repeats this warning nearly in the same words1 a second and a third time4 ,the heavens and the earth shall pass away2 but not one jot or tittle of his word can fail4 ,all shall be fulfilled ,heb4 xiii4 #d42 ,gal4 v4 #ag-ba42 ,eph4 v4 #c-e44 ,and therefore1 however this sin may be connived at by some1 and committed by others1 ,god will severely punish offenders1 unless they repent of their wickedness and forsake it4 ,but ,i need not enlarge upon this subject1 ,i have told you my thoughts of it again and again with faithfulness4 ,it seems the plainness of my language has hurt the delicate feelings of some1 and the faithfulness ,i have used has excited the censure and ill-will of others4 ,but why am ,i blamed1 if ,i have only affirmed and proved from the scriptures1 that no fornicator1 adulterer1 or unclean person can go to heaven ,,when ,,he ,,dies1 unless he repents of his evil practices1 and turns from them1 ,,while ,,he ,,lives8 ,but whether you will hear1 or whether you will forbear1 ,i must repeat the unwelcome truth4 ,my conscience1 my duty1 and my compassion1 all urge me to deal faithfully with you4 ,i mean and desire to be understood1 and therefore ,i must speak plainly4 ,it is my intention and desire to awaken and alarm your consciences3 but alas6 after all ,i can say or do1 ,i am too little understood or regarded4 ,but ,i must deliver my own soul1 whether you will regard me or not4 ,the day is coming when the ,lord himself will judge between you and me4 ,oh1 repent1 repent1 before it be too late4 ,,iii4 ,the conduct of too many of you induces me to exhort and caution you farther against theft1 and all kinds of dishonesty and villainy4 ,i have often told you1 both publicly and privately1 that honesty is the best policy4 ,none have more reason to be convinced of this1 than you who come hither as convicts4 ,you have known by bitter experience1 the unhappy consequences of dishonesty4 ,have not many of you1 for the sake1 perhaps1 of a few shillings1 unjustly obtained1 plunged yourselves into misery for the remainder of your lives8 ,several have made this acknowledgment to me1 in their dying moments4 ,learn therefore1 strive1 and pray to be honest4 ,honesty has its present advantages4 ,an honest man1 however poor1 can face this world with confidence4 ,but a dishonest behaviour1 with its constant attendant a guilty conscience1 will always fill the mind with fear and dismay4 ,job4 xxiv4 #af1ag4 ,i do not mean1 my friends1 to reflect harshly upon you for what is past1 and cannot be recalled4 ,i pity your past misconduct2 ,i sympathize with you under your present sufferings4 ,and therefore ,i admonish and caution you to abstain from this course for the time to come4 ,let then the troubles and afflictions you have brought upon yourselves be a warning1 to regulate your future behaviour4 ,learn to be thankful for what ,god in his providence gives you1 whether it be more or less4 ,attend to what our ,lord says1 ,whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you1 do ye even so unto them4 ,and to his apostle's direction1 ,let him that hath stolen1 steal no more1 but rather let him labour1 working with his hands the thing which is good1 that he may have to give to him that needeth ,matt4 vii4 #ab42 ,eph4 iv4 #bd44 ,follow this advice1 and you will soon experience the benefit4 ,,iv4 ,beware of idleness4 ,this is the forerunner of many evils4 ,poverty1 disease1 disgrace1 misery1 and too often an untimely death1 are the consequences of sloth and indolence4 ,yield not to idleness2 if you indulge it1 you will find it grow upon you4 ,therefore1 be diligent and industrious in your lawful callings4 ,it is written in the ,bible1 and confirmed by experience and observation1 ,the idle soul shall suffer hunger1 but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat4 ,prov4 xix4 #ae4 xiii4 #ad4 ,v4 ,be careful also to pay due respect1 submission1 and obedience to your superiors4 ,it is the good pleasure of ,god that some should be placed in more exalted1 and others in a more humble station4 ,and it is a proof of his wisdom and goodness4 ,the present state of the world1 and the general good of mankind1 render such distinctions necessary4 ,but whether we are high or low1 whether called to command1 or required to obey1 our duties and obligations are mutual4 ,it is in society as in the human body4 ,there are many members1 and every member has its proper place1 and its proper office4 ,let every soul be subject to the higher powers ,rom4 xiii4 #a44 ,i have thus given you my best advice respecting what you ought to do1 or to avoid4 ,permit me to invite your serious attention to what ,i have written4 ,consider it carefully ,,for ,,your ,,own ,,sakes4 ,it concerns your ,,present comfort4 ,for though no works of ours1 or what are called1 moral virtues1 can possibly procure us the favour of ,god1 7for our best services are imperfect and defiled1 and need forgiveness7 yet that knowledge and experience of the gospel1 which ,i have explained to you in the first part of this ,address1 7and of which ,i earnestly pray you may be made partakers7 must be accompanied by a correspondent conduct1 such as ,i have set before you in the second part4 ,and this knowledge and this conduct will always be attended1 though not always in the same degree1 with an inward settled peace1 whereby the mind is reconciled to support crosses and afflictions1 however great1 or of long continuance1 with a degree of fortitude and resignation4 ,persons under this influence will say1 when they meet with troubles1 ,i will bear the indignation of the ,lord1 because ,i have sinned against him ,micah4 vii4 #i44 ,should it please ,god1 to answer the earnest desire of my soul1 by giving you an experience of the gospel peace1 you will thank and praise him1 even for bringing you hither2 and you will see and confess1 that your heaviest afflictions have1 in the event1 proved to be your greatest mercies4 ,your ,,future comfort and welfare in this world1 depends upon this knowledge4 ,for though no one knows what may befal him in this life1 yet the real christian has the comfort of knowing1 that however it may go with the wicked1 or whatever may happen to himself of a temporal nature1 or whatever may become of his body1 he is sure 7because ,god has promised7 that it shall be well with his soul at death4 ,ah6 my brethren1 then1 more especially then1 believers will find the advantage of having made the word of ,god the foundation of their hope1 and the rule of their life6 ,several of you1 some to my knowledge1 have left affectionate1 tender1 and serious friends1 husbands1 wives1 parents1 brothers1 sisters1 or children1 in your native country1 to lament your misconduct1 the sufferings you have brought upon yourselves1 and the disgrace in which you have involved your families4 ,let me intreat you1 ,,for ,,the ,,sake ,,of ,,these1 to consider your ways4 ,great comfort it will afford to those who are now almost overwhelmed with grief on your account1 to hear of your reformation and conversion4 ,these would be glad tidings1 indeed1 from a far country4 ,the hopes they might then form of seeing you again1 would be truly pleasing2 it would be little less than receiving you again from the dead4 ,or if they never see you in this world1 the prospect of meeting with you in heaven1 would add comfort to their dying hours4 ,oh6 let not their prayers and their tears be lost upon you6 ,attend to these things1 ,,for ,,the ,,sake ,,of ,,others1 who may follow you hither1 in the like unhappy circumstances4 ,when they see your reformation1 and that in consequence of it1 you are more comfortable here than you were at home1 they may be induced and encouraged to follow your examples4 ,thus you will be instrumental in saving souls from death4 ,i would farther plead with you1 for the sake of the poor unenlightened savages1 who daily visit us1 or who reside amongst us4 ,if these ignorant natives1 as they become more and more acquainted with our language and manners1 hear you1 many of you1 curse1 swear1 lie1 abound in every kind of obscene and profane conversation2 and if they observe1 that it is common with you to steal1 to break the sabbath1 to be guilty of uncleanness1 drunkenness1 and other abominations2 how must their minds become prejudiced and their hearts hardened against that pure and holy religion which we profess8 ,oh beware of laying stumbling-blocks in the way of these blind people ,lev4 xix4 #ad41 lest the blood of their souls be one day required at your hands4 ,and yet ,i fear1 yea1 ,i well know1 that they have already heard and seen too much of such language1 and such practices amongst us4 ,already some of them have been taught to speak such language as they continually hear1 and though they do not yet understand the meaning of the words they use1 they can utter oaths and blasphemies almost as readily as their ,,christian instructors4 ,by-standers divert themselves with their attempts in this way1 and think it is fine sport4 ,but1 my friends1 the scripture declares they are fools who make a mock at sin4,prov4 xiv4 #i4 ,but these things cause much sorrow to those who have any reverence for ,god1 or pity for their fellow creatures4 ,i readily profess my own deep concern for these proceedings1 and my utter abhorrence of them4 ,and ,i most earnestly intreat you1 if you cannot instruct them in what is better1 to have no communication at all with them4 ,for if you make them partakers of your sins1 you must answer for it at the great day of judgment2 if they then rise up against you1 for misleading them1 it will be much more tolerable for them than for you4 ,but consider1 on the other hand1 what may be the happy effects1 were the natives to see1 hear1 and observe in you1 and in all the ,europeans here2 in ministers and people1 high and low1 a conduct answerable to the doctrine and precepts of the gospel4 ,this might1 by the blessing of ,god1 be one of the most effectual means1 to bring them to reflection1 and to engage them to seek an interest in the blessings of the gospel for themselves4 ,shall ,i beg and intreat you1 ,,for ,,my ,,sake1 to attend to the things pertaining to your true peace4 ,my dear people1 ,i will again declare 7,i can appeal to the great ,god1 who searcheth the hearts1 that ,i speak the truth7 to see you converted from your evil ways1 and seeking the salvation of ,god1 ,yes1 to see you pay a due regard to these most important concerns1 and to have reason to hope and believe1 that you were brought to a saving acquaintance with the truths which you hear of1 or might hear1 as often as the ,lord's day returns1 would indeed greatly rejoice my soul4 ,but to see so many of you turn a careless and deaf ear1 this1 my dear friends1 is a cause of great1 constant and increasing grief to my soul4 ,it wounds me to think1 that any 7alas6 what numbers7 should thus refuse and reject their own mercies2 and risk the ruin of their immortal souls1 for the prospect of a small gain1 or a short sinful gratification4 ,my brethren1 what shall ,i1 what can ,i say more4 ,i neither know what to add1 nor how to leave off3 once more1 ,i beseech you1 for ,god's sake1 for the sake of ,jesus the ,saviour1 who shed his precious blood to redeem sinners1 and for the sake of your own souls3 by the holy incarnation of the ,redeemer1 by his agonies1 temptations1 death and resurrection1 by all the terrors of his frown1 and by all the blessings of his love1 by the joys of heaven1 by the torments of hell1 and by the solemnities of the approaching day of judgment2 by all these considerations1 ,i most earnestly1 affectionately1 and faithfully admonish and intreat you1 carefully to weigh what ,i have now set before you4 ,and oh6 that the holy angels may carry to heaven the joyful news ,luke xv4 #aj4 of some sinners being awakened and born to ,god1 by reading or hearing this little book4 ,o gracious ,god1 do thou1 by the power of thy ,holy ,spirit1 make it thus effectual to the salvation and happiness of this people6 ,and now to this gracious ,lord1 and to his care and blessing1 ,i commend you4 ,may he enable you to examine your hearts1 principles1 and practice1 by the standard of his holy word4 ,if you are still ignorant and careless1 it is a proof that you are1 as yet1 in the state of nature1 which is a state of darkness1 guilt1 condemnation1 and death4 ,will you not pray to be delivered from it8 ,you must1 at least1 allow1 that perhaps what you have read1 ,,may ,,be the truth4 ,and even1 of a possibility of these things being true1 they deserve your earnest attention4 ,for should they be found so at last1 what will become of you1 if you live and die impenitent8 ,therefore1 read this plain1 affectionate ,address seriously4 ,read it a second1 a third1 and a fourth time1 till your hearts are affected by it4 ,remember1 this is the advice of a friend1 of one who sincerely seeks1 wishes1 and longs for your happiness4 ,it is the advice of your minister1 expressly appointed to watch over your souls1 and who must shortly give an account of his mission to the ,great judge of all4 ,whether ,i shall die amongst you1 or be separated from you while living1 we shall1 at last1 meet before him4 ,then ,i must answer for my preaching1 and you for your hearing4 ,oh that this awful day of judgment may be often1 yea1 always1 present to your thoughts1 and to mine6 that we may live in constant expectation of its approach6 ,so that when the last loud trumpet shall sound1 we may stand with acceptance and boldness in his presence1 and be admitted as believers in the great ,saviour1 into his heavenly kingdom1 with a ',well done1 good and faithful servant1 enter thou into the joy of thy ,lord4',matt4 xxv4 #bc4 ,this will be my daily prayer to ,god for you4 ,i shall pray for your eternal salvation1 for your present welfare1 for the preservation1 peace1 and prosperity of this colony3 and especially for the more abundant and manifest success of the ,redeemer's cause and kingdom1 and for the effusion and out-pouring of his ,holy ,spirit1 not only here1 but in every part of the habitable globe4 ,longing1 hoping1 and waiting for the dawn of that happy day1 when the heathen shall be given to the ,lord ,jesus for his inheritance1 and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession3 and when all the ends of the earth shall see1 believe1 and rejoice in the salvation of ,god4 ,ps4 ii4 #h4 xcviii4 #c4 ,i am your affectionate ,friend and ,servant in the ,gospel of ,christ1 ,,richard ,,johnson4 ,,finis4