{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_4052/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_4052","id":"gutenberg_4052","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4052","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches","Category: History - Other","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Prisoners -- Australia","Sermons -- Australia -- 18th century","Speeches, addresses, etc."],"text":"Produced by Col Choat.  HTML version by Al Haines.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n  AN ADDRESS\n  TO THE\n  INHABITANTS\n  OF THE COLONIES,\n  ESTABLISHED IN\n  NEW SOUTH WALES\n  AND\n  NORFOLK ISLAND.\n\n\n  BY\n\n  THE REV. RICHARD JOHNSON, A.B.\n  CHAPLAIN TO THE COLONIES\n\n\nWRITTEN IN THE YEAR 1792\n\n\nPRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR\n\n\n* * * * *\n\n\n  TO ALL INHABITANTS,\n  AND ESPECIALLY TO THE\n  UNHAPPY PRISONERS AND CONVICTS\n  ESTABLISHED AT PORT JACKSON\n  AND\n  NORFOLK ISLAND,\n  THIS AFFECTIONATE ADDRESS\n  IS DEDICATED AND PRESENTED,\n  BY THEIR VERY SINCERE\n  AND SYMPATHIZING FRIEND,\n  AND FAITHFUL SERVANT,\n  IN THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST,\n  RICHARD JOHNSON.\n\n\n* * * * *\n\n\n  TO THE BRITISH AND OTHER EUROPEAN INHABITANTS\n  OF NEW SOUTH WALES AND NORFOLK ISLAND.\n\nMy Beloved,\n\nI do not think it necessary to make an apology for putting this Address\ninto your hands; or to enter into a long detail of the reasons which\ninduced me to write it.\n\nOne reason may suffice. I find I cannot express my regard for you, so\noften, or so fully, as I wish, in any other way.\n\nOn our first arrival in this distant part of the world, and for some time\nafterwards, our numbers were comparatively small; and while they resided\nnearly upon one spot, I could not only preach to them on the Lord's day,\nbut also converse with them, and admonish them, more privately.\n\nBut since that period, we have gradually increased in number every year\n(notwithstanding the great mortality we have sometimes known) by the\nmultitudes that have been sent hither after us. The colony already begins\nto spread, and will probably spread more and more every year, both by new\nsettlements formed in different places under the crown, and by a number of\nindividuals continually becoming settlers. Thus the extent of what I call\nmy parish, and consequently of my parochial duty, is enlarging daily. On\nthe other hand, my health is not so good, nor my constitution so strong,\nas formerly. And therefore I feel it impracticable, and impossible for me,\neither to preach, or to converse with you so freely, as my inclination and\naffection would prompt me to do.\n\nI have therefore thought it might be proper for me, and I hope it may\nprove useful to you, to write such an Address as I now present you with. I\ntransmitted a copy of it to my friends in England with a request, that if\nthey approved of it, a sufficient number might be printed, and sent to me.\nThus I am now able to leave with you a testimony of my affection for you,\nand of my sincere and heart-felt concern, for your BEST, because your\nETERNAL, welfare. My times are in the hand of God. He, and He only, knows\nhow long I may live, or how long my present connection with you, may\ncontinue. I trust, however, that so long as the all-wise Disposer of all\nevents shall be pleased to spare my life, and strength; and government\nshall deem my services in this remote land, necessary, it will still be,\nas it has hitherto been, my most ardent desire, my uniform endeavour, and\nmy greatest pleasure, to promote your happiness. And when recalled to my\nnative country, or removed by my God to my eternal home, to receive that\ncrown of righteousness, which I humbly trust is laid upon me, by reading\nand carefully perusing the following pages, I hope you will be convinced,\nand reminded how sincerely you were pitied, and how dearly beloved by\n\nRichard Johnson.\nPort Jackson, Oct. 30. 1792.\n\n\nAt this date, exclusive of those who died or were born on the voyage\nfrom England:\n\n    Baptisms.....226\n    Marriages....220\n    Burials......854\n\n\n                            * * * * *\n\n\nADVERTISEMENT.\n\n\nThe author hopes that all well-disposed persons will excuse the\nimperfections they may meet in this Address. It is the first time of his\nappearance in print, and may be the last. Nor would he have attempted it\nnow, were it not for the very peculiar situation he is in, and the hope he\nentertains, that his feeble, but he trusts, sincere, attempt, may, by the\nblessing of God, be made useful to those unhappy persons, with whom he is\nso nearly connected, and for whose salvation and happiness he is so deeply\nconcerned.\n\nAnd he returns his most sincere and hearty thanks to true Christians of\nevery denomination, for their kind remembrance of him at the throne of\ngrace. He still hopes, because he still needs, a continuance of their\nfervent prayers to God for him, that he may be indued with those gifts,\nand with that wisdom, zeal, and faithfulness which are so needful to\ndirect, support, and strengthen him--and may be favoured with more\nmanifold and abundant success in that arduous, trying, yet honourable, and\nat times he can say, pleasant and delightful work, in which he is engaged.\n\n\n* * * * *\n\n\n\n\n\nADDRESS, &c.\n\n\n\n\nPART I.\n\n\nI Beseech you, brethren, suffer this word of exhortation. Your souls\nare precious. They are precious in the sight of God. They are precious\nto the Lord Jesus Christ. They are precious in my esteem. Oh that you\nyourselves were equally sensible of their value.\n\nWe have now been here almost five years. During this time, I trust, I\nhave been faithful in the discharge of my duty, faithful to my God, my\ncountry, my conscience, and to your immortal souls.\n\nI would, nay I do, humbly hope, that my labours have not been\nwholly in vain. Some of you, I trust, have been convinced of your\nfolly, sin and danger; you have earnestly sought, and happily found\nmercy with God through a Mediator. You can now approach him as a God\nreconciled, a merciful Father and Friend, and are evidencing the\nreality of you conversion, by an upright life and conversation.\n\nBut I must express my fear, that those of you, who are thus convinced\nof sin, and converted to God, and reformed from your evil courses, are\ncomparatively very few. It is too evident, that the far greater part of\nyou discover no concern for religion. The Great God, the Lord Jesus\nChrist, the Holy Spirit, death, judgment, eternity, heaven and\nhell,--these are subjects which seldom, if at all, engage your attention;\nand therefore you spend days, weeks, months and years, in a profane and\ncareless manner, though you are repeatedly informed and reminded\nin the most plain, faithful, and alarming language I can use,\nthat the wages of sin, without repentance, is death,[Rom. vi. 23.] the\ncurse of God, and the eternal ruin and damnation of your souls!\n\nOh, I intreat you, brethren, to consider what is contained in these two\nwords, SALVATION and DAMNATION! The one implies every thing that\nan immortal soul can want or desire to make it happy. The other\nincludes an idea, the most gloomy and dreadful that can be conceived.\nThe former will be the admiration of angels, and the song and joy of\nthe redeemed; the latter will be the torment of devils, and of all\nimpenitent sinners, for ever and ever [1 Pet. i. 12.; Rev. vii. 9-17.;\nRev. xiv. 11.].\n\nRemember likewise, that ere long, either this endless inconceivable\nhappiness, or unutterable misery will be your portion, or your\ndoom, and mine. Our glass of life is running away apace. Our time is\nfast hastening to a period. Death is making sure and speedy strides\ntowards us daily, judgment is at hand, and the judge himself is at the\ndoor. And oh! consider, when the breath we now draw shall depart, the\ntender thread of life be cut, our state will be unalterably and for\never fixed; either to live with God, with angels, and glorified saints,\nin heaven; or to dwell with devils, in the darkness and torments of\nhell.\n\nOn these accounts your souls are, as I have already observed, very\nprecious, not only in the sight of God, but also to me. My brethren,\nGod is my record, how greatly I long after you all, in the bowels of\nJesus Christ.[Phil. i. 8.] Next to the salvation of own foul, nothing in\nthis world lies so near my heart, as the conversion and salvation of my\nfellow creatures; and especially of you, over whom I am appointed more\nimmediately to watch, as one who must give an account [Heb. xiii. 17.].\n\nAnd oh, my friends, if this affectionate, though plain address, should\nanswer my ardent wishes and prayers, if it should prove the happy\nmeans of converting even one soul to God, I should indeed rejoice, as\none that findeth great spoil [Ps. cxix. 162.]. For once, at least,\nendeavour to lift up your hearts with me in prayer to Almighty God, the\nbountiful giver of all grace. He only can make this or any other means\neffectual; and should it please Him of his abounding mercy to make a\nsaving impression upon your hearts, you will reap the happy fruits of it\nin life, at death, and to eternity. Oh that the gracious spirit of the\nLord may open the eyes and the ears of all who may read or hear what I am\nwriting. May they who are asleep, awake! May they who are spiritually\ndead, be made alive!\n\nMay backsliders from God be reclaimed! May every one be stirred\nup to consider, What will become of him in another world! For who\namongst us can dwell with everlasting burnings? [Isa. xxxiii. 14.] Yet\nsuch MUST be our lot, unless we repent. May the Lord God give, to each of\nyou, repentance unto life, that you may be holy in this world, and happy\nin that which is to come!\n\nMy brethren, I trust I can say in truth, and with a sincere conscience,\nThat I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.[Rom. i. 16.] It is a\nknowledge, and I hope an inward experience of this precious gospel, that\nbears up my spirits when I am ready to sink as in deep waters, and when I\nam almost overwhelmed by the many heavy and daily trials, crosses,\ndifficulties and disappointments, that I meet with in this, alas! most\nuncomfortable situation. An acquaintance with this gospel, an experience\nof its truth and power, sweetens every bitter, makes my crosses comforts,\nand my losses gains. It is by this knowledge that I am enabled to bear the\ncross of Christ, not only with some degree of patience and resignation,\nbut at some seasons, with consolation and joy; while I at one time reflect\non what our dear Lord and Saviour endured for me, and at another\nanticipate the unspeakable honour and pleasure, which, through grace,\nI hope ere long to enjoy at his right hand for evermore. And to\nendeavour to bring you, my dear friends, to a saving knowledge of what\nis contained in this gospel, is not only my duty and inclination as a\nminister, but also my earnest desire and pleasure, and that which I\nlong for more than for any other thing that can be named.[Rom. x. 1.]\n\nI have often explained to you, according to my sentiments, what is\ncontained in the gospel. But as I fear, and am indeed well aware, that\nmany of you, after all you have heard, still remain ignorant, I\nwill now tell you again briefly and plainly, what my views of the\ngospel are; that by putting this book into your hands, you may, if you\nplease, more carefully and attentively examine and search for\nyourselves, whether what I lay before you be agreeable to the holy\nscriptures, or otherwise; and consequently, whether you ought to\nbelieve, or to reject it.\n\nThe gospel, I conceive, in its most extensive sense, comprehends the\nwhole revealed will of God, recorded in the holy scriptures of the Old\nand New Testament [Tim. iii. 16.].\n\nThis sacred book, which we call the Bible, describes the original state\nof man, as a state of perfect purity and innocence. He was made in the\nimage of God. He was made upright [Gen. i. 26, 27.; Eccles. vii. 29.].\nHis understanding, will, his affections and conscience, his\nbody and soul, were free from defilement, guilt, or guile, and\nwhile he continued so, he was not liable to pain, misery, or death.\n\nBut man did not continue in this state. Our first parents disobeyed\ntheir Maker. By sinning against God they lost their original\nrighteousness, and became earthly, sensual, devilish. Such are all his\nposterity: for who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Man is\nnow the very reverse of what he was when first created. His\nunderstanding [2 Cor. iv. 5; Ephes. iv. 18.; Titus i. 15.; rom. viii.7.]\nis darkened, yea darkness itself; his will, his carnal mind,\nis enmity against God; his conscience is defiled; his affections, no\nlonger fixed upon God his Creator and Benefactor, are engrossed by the\nvain and perishing things of this world; by sin his body is become\nmortal. Subject to pain, disease, and death [Rom. v. 12.]; and his soul is\nexposed to the displeasure of God, and to the curse annexed to the\ntransgressions of his holy law. All this misery is implied in that awful\nthreatening, In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely\ndie[Gen. ii. 17.].\n\nAnd is not this threatening, at least in part, already put into\nexecution? Whence is there so much ignorance and contempt of God? Why\ndo mankind so eagerly, so universally pursue the vain pleasures and\nfollies of the world, while they seldom think of God their Maker? From\nwhence proceed the infidelity, blasphemy, lying, theft,\nsabbath-breaking, slandering and the many horrid evils, which every\nwhere abound? Whence is it that so many in this colony, labour under\nsuch sore and complicated disorders, pains, and miseries? Why are so\nmany, both young and old, taken away by death? And why is it that\nothers who see all those things, do not take warning by them, to\nprepare for their own latter end? Brethren, all these are so many\nundeniable proofs and evidences of what I have said; namely, that we\nare fallen and guilty creatures. These are the effects of Adam's\nsin and disobedience. The certain consequences of which would have\nbeen unavoidable and endless misery, both of soul and body, to\nhimself and all his posterity, had not some means been provided, some\nway laid open, for his and their recovery.\n\nBut, blessed be God, a door of hope is opened by the gospel for\nmiserable sinners! A gracious promise was given early, even to our\nfirst parents, immediately after their fall. The seed of the woman\nshall break the serpent's head [Gen. iii. 15.]. This promised seed is the\nLord Jesus Christ, who, in due time, was to appear in the world, to be\nborn of a woman, that by his life, sufferings, and obedience unto death,\nhe might recover fallen man from the misery and ruin in which he was\ninvolved. Brethren, this gospel which, as the ministers and ambassadors of\nGod, we are commissioned and commanded to preach to sinners, proposes a\nfree and gracious pardon to the guilty, cleansing to the polluted, healing\nto the sick, happiness to the miserable, light for those who sit in\ndarkness, strength for the weak, food for the hungry, and even life for\nthe dead [Gal. iv. 4, 5.; Gal. iii. 13.; I John i. 7.; Matt. xi. 28.;\nMatt. xi. 5.].\n\nAll these inestimable blessings are the fruits and effects of the death\nand mediation of Jesus Christ. His great design in coming into the\nworld was to seek and to save those who are lost[Luke xviii. 10.;\nI Tim. i. 15.]; he came from heaven, that he might raise us to those holy\nand happy mansions; he endured the curse, that we might inherit the\nblessing; he bore the cross, that we might wear the crown; he died, that\nwe might live; he died, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to\nGod [1 Pet. iii. 18.].\n\nThese blessings become ours, only by believing, or faith. Thus it is\nsaid, God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son\nFor what purpose? Why, That whosoever BELIEVETH in him should not\nperish, but have everlasting life [John iii. 16,18.],--he that believeth\nin him is not condemned; he that believeth in him who juftifieth the\nungodly, his faith is counted to him for righteousness [Rom. iv. 3, 6.].\nMy friends, search the scriptures, and you will find that this is the\ntenor of the whole Bible; I may add of our church also, in\nthe Articles and Homilies. This believing is sometimes called a coming\nto Christ, a looking unto Christ, a trusting in him, a casting our\nburden upon him [John vi. 37.; Isa. xlv. 22.; Eph. i. 12.; Ps. lv. 22.].\nAnd remember, that until we do thus come to Christ, trust in him,\ncast our cares and burdens upon him, we have no part or interest in\nwhat the gospel unfolds and offers; however others, who have\nbelieved, and daily act faith upon him, are rejoicing in the participation\nof those rich benefits and blessings which the gospel freely offers to\nguilty and perishing sinners.\n\nThe faith whereby a sinner receives Christ, and becomes a partaker of\nall the blessings of the gospel, is the sole gift of God, wrought in\nthe heart by his Holy Spirit [Eph. ii. 8.]. This Holy Spirit produces an\ninward change in the soul, called, in the scripture, the new birth,\nregeneration [John iii. 3-7], or conversion, and thus enables a sinner,\nconvinced of his sin and misery, to look to Jesus, and to believe on him.\n\nBut though repentance and faith are the gifts of God, which none can\nobtain by any endeavours of their own, yet we are encouraged and\ncommanded to pray for them [Luke xi. 17.].\n\nAll who have thus, through grace, believed, and are daily living a\nlife of faith in the Son of God, shall be saved: but such as\ncarelessly neglect, or wilfully reject this gospel must be damned\n[ Mark xvi. 15.]. Think, I beseech you, of this! Remember, that it is the\nsolemn declaration of the Lord Jesus Christ himself.\n\nNow is the time to obtain the blessings revealed in the gospel, and\nwhich are set before you when it is preached. Many have had these\ngracious declarations made to them, before we were born, and they\nwill be repeated to many after we are dead. But THIS is our day. NOW is\nthe accepted time, now is the day of salvation [1 Cor vi. 2.]. TO-DAY--for\nyou and I may not live to see to-morrow. TO-DAY; if you will hear his\nvoice, harden not your hearts [Heb. iii. 7, 8.]. My brethren, it is your\nduty, your wisdom, and will finally prove to be your greatest happiness,\nto seek an interest in this salvation for yourselves. It is your personal,\nand must be your heart concern, to make your calling and election\nsure [2 Pet. i. 10.].\n\nFor death will soon put a period to all the overtures of grace\nand mercy, with which many, and particularly YOU, are now favoured.\nIt is as I have said, both my duty and my pleasure, to preach and\nproclaim these glad tidings. But to whom? Not to the dead, but to the\nliving; even to you [Acts xv. 22.]. To you is the word of the salvation\nsent. But, alas! should you still put it from you, and should death at\nlast find you in an unprepared state, it will then be too late for you to\nbegin to cry for mercy [Eccl. ix. 10.].\n\nA day is likewise coming, when our mortal bodies, which must shortly\nmoulder into dust, will be raised again from the dead. Whether\nbelievers or unbelievers, whether saints or sinners, we must all appear\nbefore the judgment-seat of Christ [2 Cor. v. 10.; Dan. 12.2.;\nMatt. xxv.21.]. For the Lord Jesus will shortly appear in the clouds of\nheaven, the last trumpet shall sound, the graves shall open, the sea\ngive up her dead, and all who have lived upon earth, from the creation\nto the final consummation of time, will then be judged, and rewarded or\npunished according to their works. Mark well St. John's representation\nof this solemn transaction, \"I saw the dead, small and great,\nstand before God, and the books were opened, and another book\nwas opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged out of\nthose things which were written in the books, according to their\nworks\"[Rev. xx. 12, 13.]. Such are the declarations of scripture\nrespecting this awful season! Sinners, whatever you may now think of these\nthings, or think or say of me, for declaring them to you, in this, plain\nand solemn manner, I must and will tell you, that there is not a profane\noath which you have uttered, nor a lie which you have told, nor a sabbath\nwhich you have broken, nor a single act of adultery, fornication,\ntheft, or any wickedness of which you have been guilty; in a\nword, there is not an evil you have committed, nor a duty you have\nomitted to perform, but what is noted down in the book of God's\nremembrance, and will be produced against you in the day of judgment,\nunless you repent, and believe the gospel. You must then give an\naccount how you improved the advantages now afforded you, for attending\nto the things pertaining to your peace. If you do not improve them, the\nBible will condemn you, every faithful sermon you have heard will\ncondemn you, nay, every sermon which you might have heard, but would\nnot, because you despised and neglected the ordinances of public\nworship, will condemn you: And alas! this address, by which I try to\nwarn you, because I love you, and wish well to your souls; which you\nare now reading, or perhaps, about to throw aside with scorn, will then\ncondemn you. The admonitions, intreaties, prayers, and tears of godly\nparents, the advice and reproofs of pious friends, the warning and\nexpostulations of faithful ministers, will all witness against\nyou. My brethren, what shall I say? The law of God, the gospel,\nsaints, sinners, angels, your own consciences, the Holy Spirit, the\nLord Jesus, the great Judge himself, will all witness against you, for\nyour contempt and neglect of that mercy and salvation, which are set\nbefore you in the gospel.\n\nThen all ungodly and impenitent sinners, being tried, cast, and\ncondemned, must hear that final terrible sentence pronounced upon them,\nDepart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and\nhis angels![Matt. xxv. 41.] And remember that those who have been your\nassociates in wickedness here, will then be your companions in misery.\nThis will, if possible, aggravate your torment. You and they will rue the\nday when you first met; and mutually charge the ruin of your souls upon\neach other. Oh, think of this, and pray for grace to repent, before it be\ntoo late!\n\nAt that solemn season, the righteous shall be publicly and fully\nacquitted before the assembled world. The judge will say to them,\nCome, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you,\nfrom the foundation of the world [Matt. xxv.34.]. The holy angels will\nthen conduct them to the mansions of eternal bliss. Happy souls! They will\nthen have no more cause to weep and mourn, to fight and wrestle. They will\nno more be exercised with darkness or temptation; for sin, which is the\ncause of all their conflicts and sorrows, shall be done away; and God\ntheir gracious Father, and everlasting Friend, shall wipe all tears from\ntheir eyes [Rev. vii. 17.].\n\nThe righteous, however obscured and reproached upon earth, shall then\nshine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. They\nare represented to us, as standing before the throne, clothed in white\nrobes, with palm-branches (the emblems of victory) in their hands, and\nsinging to their harps their Redeemer's praise [Matt. xiii.43.;\nRev vii. 9,10.]. There they will join in company with Abraham, Isaac, and\nJacob, with the apostles, prophets, and martyrs, with their dear friends\nand relatives, who died in the faith before them, and with the glorious\nangels; and above all, (without which heaven itself would be no heaven\nto them) they will enjoy the unclouded presence of their Lord and\nSaviour, who once suffered pain, and shame, and death for them. They\nwill see him seated upon a throne of glory, and unite with all the\nheavenly host, in ascribing salvation, glory, and honour, and praise\nto him who loved them, and washed them from their sins in his own\nblood; and has made them kings and priests to God, and to the Lamb, for\never and ever [Rev. v. 9.].\n\nFor the joys of heaven, and the pains of hell will be eternal.\nOtherwise, indeed, neither the happiness nor the misery of a future\nstate could be complete. It would damp the joys of the blessed, to\napprehend that they must at length terminate. And the horrors of the\ndamned would be in a degree alleviated, if there was the most distant\nprospect that they would have a period. But the word of God assures us,\nthat believers, after death, enter into life eternal, and that the\npunishment of the wicked will be everlasting [Matt. xxv. 46.;\nDan. xii. 2.; 2 Thes. i. 7-10.].\n\nI have now given you a summary of the great truths, which, as a\nminister of the gospel, I am commissioned and commanded to preach.\nAnd I can call God and your consciences to witness, that I have not\nshunned thus to declare to you the whole counsel of God [Acts xx. 27.].\nI have explained to you the meaning, and I have urged the importance\nof these things over and over. I have pointed out to you, the\nwretched and dangerous condition of sinners, the necessity of\nconversion or the new birth, the nature of this change, and by what\npower it is wrought, and the fruits and effects which such a change\nwill produce in a man's tempers, words and actions. I have also shewn\nyou the way, in which you MAY and must be saved, if you are saved at\nall. I have told you again and again, that Christ is the Way, the\ntruth, and the life, and that there is no coming to God with comfort,\neither in this world, or in that which is to come, but by him. He has\ntold you so himself [John xiv. 6.; Acts iv. 12.]. And the apostle assures\nyou, that there is no other name under heaven, given unto men, whereby\nthey can be saved. Look unto him, and you shall be saved; if not, you must\nbe damned. This is the plain truth, the express declaration of the Bible.\nLife and death are set before you [Deut. xxx. 15.].\n\nPermit me then, as your minister, your friend, and a well-wisher\nto your souls, to press these serious and weighty considerations home\nupon your consciences once more. I hope and believe that I have\naffected nothing, but what can be proved by the highest authority,\nthe word of the living God. They certainly deserve your closest and\nmost careful attention, since it is plain beyond a doubt, that upon\nyour knowledge or ignorance, your acceptance or rejection of this\ngospel, your everlasting happiness or misery must depend.\n\nBrethren, I do not ask you, what religious persuasion or denomination\nyou have espoused. I fear, that, if I may judge of your hearts by\nyour actions, too many are destitute of any sense of religion at all.\nBut I do not address you as Churchmen or Dissenters, Roman Catholics or\nProtestants, as Jews or Gentiles; I suppose, yea, I know, that there\nare persons of every denomination amongst you. But I speak to you as\nmen and women, as intelligent creatures, possessed of understanding\nand reason. I speak to you as mortals, and yet immortals; as\nsinners, who have broken the laws of God, and are therefore obnoxious\nto his displeasure. And my sole aim and desire is, to be instrumental\nin turning you from darkness to light, from sin to holiness, from the\npower of Satan to the service and favour of God [Acts xxvi. 18.].\n\nSeek then, I beseech you, above all things, an interest in the\nblessings of the gospel. Be assured it is a matter of much less moment,\nwhether you are rich or poor, respected or despised in this world. The\nrich have their cares, fears, crosses, and vexations, no less than the\npoor; but admitting that they could pass through life with greater ease\nthan others, we all know that they cannot escape death. The great point\nis, how we shall die? whether as believers or unbelievers, as saints\nor sinners. One soul, according to our Lord's declaration, is of\nmore value than the whole world [Mark viii. 36.]. If you lose your soul,\nyou lose all at once. You lose heaven and happiness for ever.\nWhatever, therefore, you do, or leave undone, for God's sake,\nand for your own sakes, neglect not for one day or hour longer,\nthe vast concerns of another life. Delays are dangerous. The\nmore we have to risk or lose, the greater folly it would be accounted,\nto defer securing our property and goods, which we know to be in\ndanger. What folly, therefore, what madness must it be, to put off with\ncareless indifference, the concernments of eternity; and to prefer\nthe trifles of this transitory life to heaven, and the favour of God!\nLet the parable of the rich man, who pleased himself with the thought\nof having much good laid up for many years, be a warning to\nyou![Luke xii. 16-28.] That very night his soul was required of him.\nSuch persons may now deem themselves wise; but ere long they will be\nsensible they were fools.\n\nIt you consider what a valuable price was paid for our redemptions you\nmust be convinced that the soul of man is very precious in the sight\nof God, and that sin is not so light and small an evil, as many of you\nhave supposed. To disobey the commandments of the just and holy God,\nis, as far as in us lies, to renounce our allegiance to him, and our\ndependence upon him, and to set up for ourselves, and even to join\nwith the devil in open rebellion against our Maker. It is, in plain\nterms, to fly in his face, and to bid defiance to his almighty arm. Sin\nis such a horrid evil, that unless it is forgiven, and blotted out, by\nthe blood of Jesus, it will sink your souls lower than the center of\nthe earth, even into the very depths of hell, never, never, never more\nto rise [Mark ix. 44-48].\n\nSo heinous was sin, in the sight of God, that rather than permit\nit to pass unpunished, he would punish it in the person of his own, his\nonly, his well-beloved Son, who was made sin, that is, treated as a\nsinner deserved to be treated, for us. He was delivered up into the\nhands of wicked men, and crucified, that by his suffering and death, he\nmight make atonement for our sins, and procure an honourable and happy\nreconciliation, between a righteous God, and offending\nsinners [2 Cor. v. 18-20]. I beseech you, therefore, to prize and to study\nthis gospel, that you may obtain a growing experience of its benefits.\nPraise God for such a Saviour, and such a salvation as he has provided.\nAdore him, for that infinite wisdom, and boundless mercy which he has\ndisplayed in the redemption of fallen man and never rest, nor be\nsatisfied, till you have good and scriptural reason to hope, that this\nSaviour is yours, with all the blessings he is exalted to bestow\nwithout money and without price.\n\nOur food, my brethren, then only can nourish us, when it is\neaten and digested. Medicines can only profit us, by being applied and\ntaken. It is exactly thus with the gospel. We may hear, and talk of\nthese things, but so long as they remain matters of speculation, and do\nnot enter into our hearts, into the very vitals of our souls, (if I may\nso speak) we cannot be the better for them. Christ is the bread of\nlife. His flesh is meat indeed, and his blood is drink indeed! But\nunless we ourselves do SPIRITUALLY eat the flesh and drink the blood of\nthe Son of man (for our Lord speaks of food for the soul, not for the\nbody) we have no life in us [John vi. 52-58.].\n\nMoses, by the express command of God, erected a brazen serpent upon a\npole, in the view of the camp of Israel [Numb. xxi. 9.]. Such of the\npeople as were stung by the fiery serpents, were directed and commanded to\nlook up to the brazen serpent. They who did so were healed. But if any\nresisted, they were sure to die. For no other means or physicians could\nrelieve them. In like manner Christ Jesus our Saviour, once lifted up on\nthe cross, is exhibited in the preaching of the gospel. Sinners, who are\nwounded and diseased by sin, are directed, exhorted, encouraged, and\ncommanded to look up to him [John iii. 14, 15.]. And they who are\npersuaded so to do, are infallibly cured of all those spiritual maladies,\nunder which they have long and sorely laboured. But all, who despise and\nreject this sovereign remedy of God's gracious appointment, either by a\ntotal indifference to religion, or by expecting salvation in any other\nway, will be left, and that most deservedly, to perish in their wilful\nobstinacy and unbelief [John iii, 36.].\n\n\n\n\nPART II\n\n\nIn the former part of this address, I have already laid before you, in\nthe plainest manner I was able, my views of the gospel of Christ. And\nas an experimental knowledge of this gospel is so very important, I\nhave endeavoured to press that importance upon your consciences.\nWhether you have paid that attention to the subject, which it deserves\nand requires, yourselves best know. I can only say, that if I did not\nknow it to be of great weight, I should not either speak or write of it\nwith so much earnestness. But being persuaded and assured, by the\nexpress testimony of the holy scriptures, that these things are true;\nand truths, the knowledge of which is essential to your present\nand future happiness, I must be plain and faithful in declaring them.\nI ought to be very indifferent what men of depraved morals, and corrupt\nprinciples may say, or think of me, if I have the witness of a good\nconscience, and the approbation of the God whom I serve. My concern\nis for YOUR welfare and salvation; for I am certain, as I have told you\nbefore, and now tell you again, that unless the gospel is made the\npower of God to your souls, you must be miserable in time, and to\neternity.\n\nI propose now to give you some advices, to assist you in understanding\nthe gospel for yourselves, which if you observe, I trust, you will\nattain to the possession of those principles, and walk by those rules,\nwhich will both afford you present peace, and secure your future\nhappiness. For godliness has promises pertaining to the life that now\nis, and to that which is to come.\n\nLet me then exhort you to attend seriously to what you are to\nbelieve; and to what you are to do. These two points include the sum\nand substance of the gospel, the whole of the christian life, and may\nbe comprised in two words, FAITH and PRACTICE.\n\n\nI.  You must learn from the word of God, what you are to believe. True\nfaith is the root and foundation of all real religion. Without this\ninward principle, nothing that we have done, or can do, will be\nacceptable to God [Heb. xi. 6.]. I have briefly informed you what you are\nto believe--That you are sinners, that Jesus Christ is an all-sufficient\nand willing Saviour--and that the word of God both warrants and commands\nyou to look to him for salvation. This looking unto Jesus, is what we\nparticularly mean by faith or believing. When we cordially and entirely\nrely upon him, upon the invitation of the promises of God, for\npardon, peace, and eternal life, then we believe.\n\nAll who thus believe, through grace, are required and commanded to be\ncareful of maintaining good works [Titus. iii. 8.]. As our moral, and what\nare often called, our virtuous actions, are to be tried by our religious\nprinciples; it is equally true, that our religious principles or at\nleast the proof that they are indeed OUR principles, must be evidenced\nby our moral conduct. These two are so inseparably connected, that you\nmay depend upon it, where one of them is wanting, what bears the name\nof the other, is no better than pretended. If what we profess to\nbelieve does not make us humble, honest, chaste, patient, and thankful,\nand regulate our tempers and behaviour, whatever good opinion we\nmay form of our notions or state, we are but deceiving ourselves. The\ntree is known by its fruits [James. ii. 17,18.; Matt. vii. 20.]. In this\nway true believers are equally distinguished from profane sinners, and\nfrom specious hypocrites. The change in their hearts always produces a\nchange in their whole deportment. Sin, which was once their delight, is\nnow the object of their hatred. It was once necessary as their food, but\nnow they avoid it as poison. They war, watch, and pray against it. And\ntheir delight is to study the revealed will of God.\n\nBy these tests you may judge of your true state before God. Surely you\ncannot suppose that your inward state is GOOD, while your outward\nconduct is BAD. Hence you may be assured that no unclean person, or\nprofane swearer, no one who lives in direct opposition to the commands\nof God, can be, while he continues in this course, a true christian.\nSuch a supposition would be no less absurd, than it would be to\nsuppose, that a man is a good and peaceable subject, though he lives in\nopen rebellion against the king. You may as well conceive of a\nholy devil, as of an unholy christian.\n\nI hope you will not mistake me. I do not mean that true christians are\nwithout sin. But I affirm, that no true christian can live in an\nhabitual course of sin. No, sin is their grief, their burden\n[1 John. iii. 8,9.; Rom. vii. 23,24.]; and when through temptation, or\nunwatchfulness, they are drawn aside, like the dove sent out of the ark,\nthey can find no rest, till by hearty repentance, and true faith, they\nobtain a new sense of forgiveness.\n\nI now proceed to offer you some directions, with which if you comply, I\ntrust, that by the blessing of God, you will enjoy peace in your souls,\nand be enabled to regulate your conduct and conversation, as becometh\nthe gospel of Christ.\n\nRead and study the scriptures. This was our Lord's direction to the\nJews. Search the scriptures, for in them ye think ye have\neternal life, and they testify of me [John v. 37; Acts xvii. 11.]. The\nBereans were commended for their attention and diligence in this respect.\nThey received the word with all readiness of mind, not with a blind and\nimplicit faith in what they heard, even from an apostle, but they searched\nthe scriptures daily, to know whether what he taught them was agreeable to\nthe word of God.\n\nThe Bible is our only sure and infallible guide. It was given by\ninspiration of God. All other books, however good and useful, are but\nof human composition, and are therefore not perfect.\n[2 Tim. 8-16.; Isa. viii. 20.]\n\nThis sacred book, as I have already observed to you, contains all that\nis needful to make us wise unto salvation. It informs us of our\noriginal, how pure and innocent; and our present condition, how\nguilty, polluted and miserable! and the happiness or misery which\nawaits us in a future state. From this book we may learn, the malignity\nof sin, the holiness, spirituality, extent, and sanction of the law of\nGod; and consequently, the just and certain condemnation due to our\ndisobedience. It shews us, likewise, the way of our recovery. How\nperfectly the mediation of Christ is suited to vindicate the honour of\nthe law, and to display the justice of God, in harmony with his mercy,\nand thereby to give peace to the consciences of convinced sinners.\n\nI intreat you, therefore, to read the word of God carefully. Many of\nyou have had Bibles or New Testaments given to you, and others might\nhave them, if they had but an inclination to read.\n\nSome of you will perhaps object, and say, as you have already said to\nme, We cannot read. Others, We have no time given us. If you\ncannot read yourselves, you might prevail on some of your comrades to\nread to you*. As to your having no time, I much question it. Rather you\nhave no inclination. Too many of you can find time to jest, to talk\nobscenely or profanely, to read and sing idle songs; why might not\nsome, or rather the whole of this time be employed in reading, or\nhearing the Bible? You might find time, if you could find a will. But\nremember, that such excuses as you now make, will stand you in no stead\nwhen you appear before God in judgment. There are few, if any of you,\nbut might have opportunity of attending to these things, if you\nwere but willing.\n\n[*Footnote: Two or three hours thus spent on the Lord's day, in\ninstructing each other to read, would be a very commendable employment.\nI have often expressed my longing desire that such a plan was set on\nfoot among you. And if there could be a convenient building created for\nthis purpose, I should think myself happy, not only to furnish you with\nbooks, as far as I am able, but also personally to attend and assist\nyou, as much as my immediate calls of duty would permit.]\n\n\nII.  Observe and reverence the sabbath, or Lord's day. Remember the\nsabbath-day, to keep it holy [Exod. xx. 8.], is a solemn and positive\ncommand of God. To live in the neglect of this commandment, is absolutely\nto despise God, and to defy him, as it were to his face. Consider, my\nfriends, you have orders frequently given you here, by your superiors,\nwhich you know you must obey, or you know the consequences of\ndisobedience--judge then for yourselves, what have those persons to\nexpect, who, in defiance of the authority of the great God, presume to\nneglect and profane the day which he has so expressly enjoined to be kept\nholy?\n\nIt gives me a deep and continual concern to observe how the Lord's-day\nis spent by many of you. What would a stranger think, who\nregards the sabbath, if he visited every part of this colony on the\nLord's day? Ah! my brethren, I have seen and heard enough (alas! much\nmore than enough) to form my own judgment on this subject. If my duty\ndid not require my attendance on the public worship, and were I to\nvisit your different places and huts, I fear I should find some of you\nspending the hours appointed for divine service in cultivating your\ngardens and grounds, others indulging themselves in mere sloth and\nidleness, others engaged in the most profane and unclean conversation,\nand others committing abominations, which it would defile my pen to\ndescribe. Now what must be the end of these courses? God says,\nRemember the sabbath day to keep it holy. But the language, both of your\nhearts and actions, is, \"We will not keep it holy. It is a day given us\nfor ourselves; and we wish, and we are resolved to spend it as we\nplease. We do not chuse to be confined, or compelled to hear so much\npreaching and praying.\" Is not this the language of your hearts?\nYour conduct too plainly proves it: but, my brethren, let me reason\nand expostulate a little with you upon this head.\n\nConsider, what have been the consequences to many who have thus broken\nGod's commands. I have known, and you likewise have known, those who\nhave been brought to an untimely and disgraceful end, and who have\ndated their ruin from this one evil, the profanation of the Lord's day.\nInstead of spending it in the manner which he has enjoined, they kept\nbad and profligate company. By this practice, all serious impressions\n(if they formerly had any) have been driven from their minds. Their\nhearts have become more and more hardened and insensible; till at\nlength, lost to all prudent reflection, they have regarded neither the\ntender solicitations and tears of parents, relations, and friends,\nthe faithful warnings of ministers, nor the checks and rebukes of their\nown consciences. And what has been the event? I need not tell\nyou, that having given way to their own wicked wills, the advice and\nexample of their ungodly companions, and the temptations of the devil\n(for, be assured, that he is always at the bottom of these mischiefs)\nthey have, at length, committed some act of depredation and villainy,\nwhich has brought them to an untimely grave.\n\nSuch, brethren, have been the free and ingenuous confessions of many of\nthose unhappy people who have suffered death. And if you were to\nspeak the sentiments of your hearts, I doubt not, but many of you, who\nby the mercy of God are yet living, would make the like acknowledgment;\nthat breaking the sabbath was the first step towards bringing you\ninto that pitiable situation, in which you either have been, or still\nare suffering. And will you still persevere in the road of misery?\nWill you still prefer the chains of your own depraved inclinations, to\nthe service of God, which is perfect freedom? According to the\nJewish law, a man was stoned to death, for gathering sticks on the\nsabbath day [Numb. xv. 32-36.], whereas you are doing a number of things\non the Lord's day, which might as well be done before, or left undone till\nafterwards. But such is the long-suffering of the Lord, that though\nothers have been cut off, you are spared to this hour. May his goodness\nlead you to repentance! Or otherwise, light as these things may appear\nto you now, and though you may plead a necessity for what you do, I\ntell you again, as I have often told you before, that a day is coming\nwhen God will call you to a strict account.\n\nBesides, If you would reasonably hope for the blessing of God to\nsucceed your labours, it is certainly your interest, as well as your\nduty to obey his commands. And this in particular, Keep the sabbath day\nholy. If, in direct opposition to this plain, precept, you will\nwork and labour, as on other days, what ground can you have to expect\nthat God will bless and prosper your undertakings? You have much\ngreater cause to fear that his curse will follow you in your affairs,\nand blast and disappoint all your wishes and prospects.\n\nLet then the misconduct and fatal ends of others, and the calamities\nand troubles that you have brought upon yourselves--Let the gracious\npromises of God, on the one hand, and his awful threatenings on the\nother, induce you, in future, to remember the sabbath day, to keep it\nholy!\n\nAnd let me offer you a few plain directions, as to the observance and\nimprovement of the sabbath:\n\nBegin the day with prayer; and for this purpose seek some place of\nretirement, if you find it impracticable to meditate or pray, from the\ninterruptions you are exposed to in your dwellings*, from those\nwho ridicule and scoff at every appearance of religion. Retire from\nthem, and pray to him who seeth in secret; and praise him for the many\nmercies you have received. Consider with yourself, how little you have\nimproved them. Humble yourselves before God, under a sense of your sins\nand imperfections, and pray for pardon and repentance. Intreat him, to\nenable you to watch over your hearts, words, and actions, throughout\nthe day, and that you may not be hindered or hurt by the snares and\ntemptations around you. Intreat God to assist your minister, and to\naccompany what you may hear from him, with a blessing to your soul, and\nto all who shall be present with you.\n\n[*Footnote: Many complaints have been made to me on this head.]\n\nIf you have families, you should call them together, and pray with\nthem, and for them. There are many promises made to worshiping\nfamilies, and to those who, like Abraham, endeavour to teach\ntheir children and household to know and serve the Lord.\n[Gen. xviii. 19.; Prov. iii. 33.] And the neglect of this is one reason,\nwhy many families live uncomfortably. They live without prayer, and\ntherefore without peace.\n\nHaving thus endeavoured to impress your minds with serious thoughts, in\nsecret or at home; attend constantly upon the public worship, and there\npay a close attention to every part of the service. Remember that the\neye of God is particularly upon you there. He has promised to be with\ntwo or three that meet together to call upon his name [Matt. xviii. 20.;\nJohn iv. 24]. He is to be worshipped in spirit and in truth; and whether\nthey assemble in a church, or in the open air, he can give them cause to\nsay with Jacob, This place is surely the house of God, and the gate of\nHeaven [Gen. xxviii. 17.]. Attend the public worship again in the\nafternoon, with your hearts lifted up to God, that you may not hear in\nvain; and accustom yourself in the evening to recollect what you have\nheard, concerning the miseries which sin has brought into the world, the\nlove of God in sending his own Son to redeem sinners from those miseries;\nthe sufferings, life, death, and resurrection of the Saviour; and that\neternal rest, which remaineth for the people of God--FOR YOU, and FOR ME,\nif we are believers in Christ.\n\nIf, by the blessing of God, I can happily persuade you thus to observe\nand improve the Lord's day, I am sure it will promote both your\npleasure and your profit. Can it be a question with you, whether the\nGod who made heaven and earth, or Satan, the god of this world, is the\nbest master? Indeed I too well know the indisposition and averseness of\nthe carnal mind to God and his ways. Hence the thought of many is, What\na weariness is it? And, When will the sabbath be ended? Hence that open\ncontempt and scorn, which is cast upon the sabbath, and upon\npublic worship by many, both high and low, rich and poor, bond and\nfree, old and young, men and women. To them the worship of God is\ntedious and disagreeable. They neither find pleasure in it, nor\nexpect benefit from it. And therefore their attendance is not from\nchoice, but from constraint.\n\nBut the thoughts and the conduct of true Christians are very different.\nNo day is so welcome to them as the Lord's day; not merely considered\nas a day of rest from labour; but because, having their heads and\nhearts freed from the cares and incumbrances of the world, it affords\nthem opportunities of waiting upon God. And, brethren, you must allow\nthat these persons are best qualified to judge of the question I have\nproposed, Whether is best, to walk in the ways of God, or in the ways\nof sin? For they have experienced both sides of the question. They have\ntried the pleasures of the world, and they have also tried the\npleasures of religion. And they will readily assure you, that in their\ndeliberate judgment, one day thus spent in devotion, and the exercises\nof religion, is preferable to a thousand days wasted in the vain and\nunsatisfying pleasures, which they sought in their former wicked\npractices [Ps. lxxxiv. 10.].\n\nI have written thus largely upon the due observance of the Lord's day,\nbecause of that shameful, open, and general neglect, that daring\nprofanation of the Sabbath, which abounds amongst us. It is well known,\nand it is matter of great grief and concern to me, that numbers of you\npay not the least regard to this day. Numbers of you will not come to\npublic worship at all, others but seldom, and then with much\nreluctance. And when spoken to, different persons frame different\nexcuses, all which, when examined, amount to little more than a want of\ninclination.\n\nI have here a more special reference to those of you, who are\ncalled Settlers and Free People. You think, perhaps, and some of you\nsay, That having served out your appointed term, you are now your own\nmasters, and have therefore a right to employ your time as you\nplease. But, indeed, it is not so. I must tell you, brethren, that my\ncommission from God, and my appointment from government, extend\nequally and alike to all the inhabitants, without distinction. It is my\nduty to preach to all, to pray for all, and to admonish every one. And\nit is no less the duty of all, to come to public worship, to hear the\ngospel, and to pray for me. These mutual ties and obligations between\nyou and me, are not lessened by any change in your circumstances. And\nremember, that the slight you put upon the public worship, is not\nproperly a slight of me (if that was all, it would be a matter of utter\nindifference) but upon the Lord himself; for I trust it is his message,\nand not my own, that I deliver to you [Luke x. 16.]. I wish, therefore,\nwhat I have said upon this subject, to be understood as addressed TO ALL,\nwhether of higher or lower rank, who are guilty of breaking the\nsabbath. Whatever our station or calling may be, our obligations to keep\nholy the sabbath-day, are precisely the same. If any are more\ninexcusable than the rest, it must be those, who, from their station\nand office, are peculiarly bound to set a good example to others. I\nhope this friendly hint will be received in good part. I mean not to\noffend. But I must admonish you, that whatever be your situation in\nlife, you will gain nothing in the end, by doing what God forbids, nor\nwill you be a loser by yielding strict obedience to his commands.\n\n\nIII.  Be constant and diligent in prayer to God. Intreat him to give his\nblessing to what you read and hear, and to all your concerns. As we are\nweak and needy creatures, always dependent upon God, and\nalways receiving mercies and favours from him, we ought to be frequent\nand earnest in prayer. Daniel was accustomed to pray three times in the\nday [Dan. vi. 10.; Ephes. ii. 12.]. I hope you will be punctual in prayer,\nmorning and evening, at least. So long as any of you live without prayer,\nyou live without Christ, without hope, and without God in the world.\nThey, who do not pray to God while upon earth, will not be admitted to\npraise him in heaven. When the rich careless man who had fared sumptuously\nevery day, for a time, lifted up his eyes in torments, he only desired\nand prayed for a drop of water to cool his tongue, but it was not\ngranted to him. Oh! if you value your souls, pray earnestly to God.\nConsider your obligations to do so. He is your Creator, Preserver,\nBenefactor. In him you live and move, and have your being. And\ntherefore not to acknowledge, by prayer, your dependence upon him,\nwould manifest the greatest ingratitude and insensibility.\nConsider, likewise, the encouragement you have to pray. Though you\nare by nature sinners, and by practice enemies and rebels, he gives you\nfree and sure promises, that whoever is disposed to return to him, and\nseek him by earnest prayer, shall not seek him in vain. Oh! my\nbrethren, that there was less cursing and swearing, and more prayer\namong you!\n\nAfter these positive directions what you ought TO DO, I proceed to some\nnecessary cautions, against what you ought to avoid.\n\n\nI.  Profane swearing is one thing against which I am especially bound to\nwarn you, because it is an evil which so much abounds amongst you.\n\nGod has said, Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain,\nfor the Lord will not hold him guiltless, that taketh his name in vain.\nOur Saviour likewise has said, Swear not at all [Exod. xx. 7.;\nMatt. v. 34.]. But how can you reconcile these prohibitions to\nyour conduct; or your consciences? When instead of not swearing\nat all, many of you seldom open your lips, but the first and last\nwords which you utter, are blasphemous oaths, and horrid imprecations?\nIs this acting like rational or accountable creatures? Who gave you the\npowers of reason and speech? Was it not God? And can you think that\nhe gave them to you, that you may blaspheme his holy name, and to use\nthe most profane, obscene, and desperately wicked language your hearts\ncan invent; a language only fit for incarnate devils, and shocking\nto the ears of the ignorant heathens? This is a dreadful evil which\nyou may be assured, will not pass unpunished. This sin has often\nbrought heavy judgments upon individuals, families, and kingdoms.\nBecause of swearing the land mourneth [Jer. xxiii. 10]. Shall not I visit\nfor these things, saith the Lord?\n\nAs a proof of the enormity of this sin, you read, that Moses, by\nthe command of God, ordered a man to be stoned to death, for cursing\nand blaspheming [Lev. xxiv. 10-16.]; and it would be well, both on their\nown account, and for the good of others, if magistrates would strictly\ndischarge their duty, by enforcing the laws of our land, which are\nengaged against this horrid practice. And in few places, perhaps in no\nplace, such strictness would be more needful, or more salutary,\nthan in this colony.\n\nOur Lord assures us, that for every idle word that men shall speak they\nshall give an account in the day of judgment! [Matt. xii. 36] How dreadful\nthen will be the case of those persons, who during their whole life\nhave employed their tongues in cursing, swearing, lying, and all\nmanner of vile and unclean conversation. Oh! think of this in time,\nand tremble and repent, and learn to use your tongues to better purpose in\nfuture! Read carefully the third chapter of James, and pray to God for\nhis grace, and use your best endeavours to bridle your tongues which,\nif you do not subdue and conquer, will surely destroy and ruin you.\n\n\nII.  Consider, also, what must be the consequence of that unclean and\nadulterous course of life, which many of you follow. Common as this\nwickedness is in our colony (I believe no where more so) do not\nsuppose, that the frequency will take away, or in the least abate the\ncriminality of it. Neither suppose that this sin is less odious in the\nsight of God if committed in Port Jackson, than in England. You may\nframe excuses or plead necessity, for what you do, or permit to be\ndone; but the word of God by which you must be at last judged, admits,\nof no plea, or excuse. The command is positive and absolute. The\ndeclaration of God, Thou shalt not commit adultery [Exod. xx. 14], is\nequally binding upon persons of all ranks to whom it is known, at all\ntimes, and in all places. Think not, that the holy and just God will\ndispense with his law, or relax the sentence he has denounced against the\nbreach of it, that you may with impunity indulge your corrupt desires. No;\nit is written, whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. The apostle\ndeclares that no fornicator, adulterer, or unclean person, can enter\ninto the kingdom of God; he repeats this warning nearly in the same\nwords, a second and a third time. The heavens and the earth shall pass\naway; but not one jot or tittle of his word can fail. All shall be\nfulfilled [Heb. xiii. 4.; Gal. v. 17-21.; Eph. v. 3-5.]. And therefore,\nhowever this sin may be connived at by some, and committed by others, God\nwill severely punish offenders, unless they repent of their wickedness\nand forsake it.\n\nBut I need not enlarge upon this subject, I have told you my\nthoughts of it again and again with faithfulness. It seems the\nplainness of my language has hurt the delicate feelings of some, and the\nfaithfulness I have used has excited the censure and ill-will of\nothers. But why am I blamed, if I have only affirmed and proved from\nthe scriptures, that no fornicator, adulterer, or unclean person can\ngo to heaven WHEN HE DIES, unless he repents of his evil practices, and\nturns from them, WHILE HE LIVES?\n\nBut whether you will hear, or whether you will forbear, I must repeat\nthe unwelcome truth. My conscience, my duty, and my compassion, all\nurge me to deal faithfully with you. I mean and desire to be understood,\nand therefore I must speak plainly. It is my intention and\ndesire to awaken and alarm your consciences: but alas! after all I can\nsay or do, I am too little understood or regarded. But I must deliver\nmy own soul, whether you will regard me or not. The day is\ncoming when the Lord himself will judge between you and me. Oh, repent,\nrepent, before it be too late.\n\n\nIII.  The conduct of too many of you induces me to exhort and caution\nyou farther against theft, and all kinds of dishonesty and villainy.\n\nI have often told you, both publicly and privately, that honesty is the\nbest policy. None have more reason to be convinced of this, than you\nwho come hither as convicts. You have known by bitter experience, the\nunhappy consequences of dishonesty. Have not many of you, for the sake,\nperhaps, of a few shillings, unjustly obtained, plunged yourselves\ninto misery for the remainder of your lives? Several have made this\nacknowledgment to me, in their dying moments. Learn therefore,\nstrive, and pray to be honest. Honesty has its present advantages. An\nhonest man, however poor, can face this world with confidence.\nBut a dishonest behaviour, with its constant attendant a guilty\nconscience, will always fill the mind with fear and dismay.\n[Job. xxiv. 16,17.]\n\nI do not mean, my friends, to reflect harshly upon you for what is\npast, and cannot be recalled. I pity your past misconduct; I\nsympathize with you under your present sufferings. And therefore I\nadmonish and caution you to abstain from this course for the time to\ncome. Let then the troubles and afflictions you have brought upon\nyourselves be a warning, to regulate your future behaviour. Learn to be\nthankful for what God in his providence gives you, whether it be more\nor less. Attend to what our Lord says, Whatsoever ye would that men\nshould do unto you, do ye even so unto them. And to his apostle's\ndirection, Let him that hath stolen, steal no more, but rather let him\nlabour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he\nmay have to give to him that needeth [Matt. vii. 12.; Eph. iv. 24.].\nFollow this advice, and you will soon experience the benefit.\n\n\nIV.  Beware of idleness. This is the forerunner of many evils.\nPoverty, disease, disgrace, misery, and too often an untimely death,\nare the consequences of sloth and indolence. Yield not to idleness; if\nyou indulge it, you will find it grow upon you. Therefore, be diligent\nand industrious in your lawful callings. It is written in the Bible,\nand confirmed by experience and observation, The idle soul shall\nsuffer hunger, but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.\n[Prov. xix. 15. & xiii. 14.]\n\n\nV.  Be careful also to pay due respect, submission, and obedience to\nyour superiors. It is the good pleasure of God that some should be\nplaced in more exalted, and others in a more humble station. And\nit is a proof of his wisdom and goodness. The present state of the\nworld, and the general good of mankind, render such distinctions\nnecessary. But whether we are high or low, whether called to command,\nor required to obey, our duties and obligations are mutual. It is in\nsociety as in the human body. There are many members, and every member\nhas its proper place, and its proper office. Let every soul be subject\nto the higher powers [Rom. xiii. 1.].\n\nI have thus given you my best advice respecting what you ought to do,\nor to avoid. Permit me to invite your serious attention to what I have\nwritten. Consider it carefully FOR YOUR OWN SAKES. It concerns your\nPRESENT comfort. For though no works of ours, or what are called, moral\nvirtues, can possibly procure us the favour of God, (for our best\nservices are imperfect and defiled, and need forgiveness) yet that\nknowledge and experience of the gospel, which I have explained\nto you in the first part of this Address, (and of which I earnestly\npray you may be made partakers) must be accompanied by a correspondent\nconduct, such as I have set before you in the second part. And\nthis knowledge and this conduct will always be attended, though not\nalways in the same degree, with an inward settled peace, whereby the\nmind is reconciled to support crosses and afflictions, however great,\nor of long continuance, with a degree of fortitude and resignation.\nPersons under this influence will say, when they meet with troubles,\nI will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned\nagainst him [Micah. vii. 9.]. Should it please God, to answer the earnest\ndesire of my soul, by giving you an experience of the gospel peace, you\nwill thank and praise him, even for bringing you hither; and you will see\nand confess, that your heaviest afflictions have, in the event, proved to\nbe your greatest mercies.\n\nYour FUTURE comfort and welfare in this world, depends upon this\nknowledge. For though no one knows what may befal him in this life, yet\nthe real christian has the comfort of knowing, that however it may go\nwith the wicked, or whatever may happen to himself of a temporal\nnature, or whatever may become of his body, he is sure (because God\nhas promised) that it shall be well with his soul at death. Ah! my\nbrethren, then, more especially then, believers will find the advantage\nof having made the word of God the foundation of their hope, and the\nrule of their life!\n\nSeveral of you, some to my knowledge, have left affectionate, tender,\nand serious friends, husbands, wives, parents, brothers, sisters, or\nchildren, in your native country, to lament your misconduct, the\nsufferings you have brought upon yourselves, and the disgrace in\nwhich you have involved your families. Let me intreat you, FOR THE\nSAKE OF THESE, to consider your ways. Great comfort it will\nafford to those who are now almost overwhelmed with grief on your\naccount, to hear of your reformation and conversion. These would be\nglad tidings, indeed, from a far country. The hopes they might then\nform of seeing you again, would be truly pleasing; it would be little\nless than receiving you again from the dead. Or if they never see you\nin this world, the prospect of meeting with you in heaven, would add\ncomfort to their dying hours. Oh! let not their prayers and their tears\nbe lost upon you!\n\nAttend to these things, FOR THE SAKE OF OTHERS, who may follow you\nhither, in the like unhappy circumstances. When they see your\nreformation, and that in consequence of it, you are more comfortable\nhere than you were at home, they may be induced and encouraged to\nfollow your examples. Thus you will be instrumental in saving souls\nfrom death.\n\nI would farther plead with you, for the sake of the poor\nunenlightened savages, who daily visit us, or who reside amongst us. If\nthese ignorant natives, as they become more and more acquainted with\nour language and manners, hear you, many of you, curse, swear, lie,\nabound in every kind of obscene and profane conversation; and if they\nobserve, that it is common with you to steal, to break the sabbath, to\nbe guilty of uncleanness, drunkenness, and other abominations; how must\ntheir minds become prejudiced and their hearts hardened against that\npure and holy religion which we profess? Oh beware of laying\nstumbling-blocks in the way of these blind people [Lev. xix. 14.], lest\nthe blood of their souls be one day required at your hands.\n\nAnd yet I fear, yea, I well know, that they have already heard and seen\ntoo much of such language, and such practices amongst us. Already some\nof them have been taught to speak such language as they\ncontinually hear, and though they do not yet understand the meaning of\nthe words they use, they can utter oaths and blasphemies almost as\nreadily as their CHRISTIAN instructors. By-standers divert themselves\nwith their attempts in this way, and think it is fine sport. But, my\nfriends, the scripture declares they are fools who make a mock at\nsin.[Prov. xiv. 9.] But these things cause much sorrow to those who have\nany reverence for God, or pity for their fellow creatures. I readily\nprofess my own deep concern for these proceedings, and my utter abhorrence\nof them. And I most earnestly intreat you, if you cannot instruct them in\nwhat is better, to have no communication at all with them. For if you make\nthem partakers of your sins, you must answer for it at the great day of\njudgment; if they then rise up against you, for misleading them, it\nwill be much more tolerable for them than for you.\n\nBut consider, on the other hand, what may be the happy effects,\nwere the natives to see, hear, and observe in you, and in all the\nEuropeans here; in ministers and people, high and low, a conduct\nanswerable to the doctrine and precepts of the gospel. This might, by\nthe blessing of God, be one of the most effectual means, to bring them\nto reflection, and to engage them to seek an interest in the\nblessings of the gospel for themselves.\n\nShall I beg and intreat you, FOR MY SAKE, to attend to the things\npertaining to your true peace. My dear people, I will again declare (I\ncan appeal to the great God, who searcheth the hearts, that I speak the\ntruth) to see you converted from your evil ways, and seeking the\nsalvation of God, Yes, to see you pay a due regard to these most\nimportant concerns, and to have reason to hope and believe, that you\nwere brought to a saving acquaintance with the truths which you hear\nof, or might hear, as often as the Lord's day returns, would\nindeed greatly rejoice my soul. But to see so many of you turn a\ncareless and deaf ear, this, my dear friends, is a cause of great,\nconstant and increasing grief to my soul. It wounds me to think, that\nany (alas! what numbers) should thus refuse and reject their own\nmercies; and risk the ruin of their immortal souls, for the prospect of\na small gain, or a short sinful gratification.\n\nMy brethren, what shall I, what can I say more. I neither know what to\nadd, nor how to leave off: once more, I beseech you, for God's sake,\nfor the sake of Jesus the Saviour, who shed his precious blood to\nredeem sinners, and for the sake of your own souls: by the holy\nincarnation of the Redeemer, by his agonies, temptations, death and\nresurrection, by all the terrors of his frown, and by all the\nblessings of his love, by the joys of heaven, by the torments of hell,\nand by the solemnities of the approaching day of judgment; by\nall these considerations, I most earnestly, affectionately, and\nfaithfully admonish and intreat you, carefully to weigh what I have now\nset before you. And oh! that the holy angels may carry to heaven the\njoyful news [Luke xv. 10.] of some sinners being awakened and born to God,\nby reading or hearing this little book. O gracious God, do thou, by the\npower of thy Holy Spirit, make it thus effectual to the salvation and\nhappiness of this people!\n\nAnd now to this gracious Lord, and to his care and blessing, I commend\nyou. May he enable you to examine your hearts, principles, and\npractice, by the standard of his holy word. If you are still ignorant\nand careless, it is a proof that you are, as yet, in the state of\nnature, which is a state of darkness, guilt, condemnation, and death.\nWill you not pray to be delivered from it? You must, at least, allow,\nthat perhaps what you have read, MAY BE the truth. And even, of\na possibility of these things being true, they deserve your earnest\nattention. For should they be found so at last, what will become of\nyou, if you live and die impenitent? Therefore, read this plain,\naffectionate Address seriously. Read it a second, a third, and a\nfourth time, till your hearts are affected by it. Remember, this is the\nadvice of a friend, of one who sincerely seeks, wishes, and longs for\nyour happiness. It is the advice of your minister, expressly appointed\nto watch over your souls, and who must shortly give an account of his\nmission to the Great judge of all. Whether I shall die amongst you, or\nbe separated from you while living, we shall, at last, meet before him.\nThen I must answer for my preaching, and you for your hearing. Oh that\nthis awful day of judgment may be often, yea, always, present to your\nthoughts, and to mine! that we may live in constant expectation of its\napproach! So that when the last loud trumpet shall sound, we may\nstand with acceptance and boldness in his presence, and be admitted as\nbelievers in the great Saviour, into his heavenly kingdom, with a\n'Well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy\nLord.'[Matt. xxv. 23.]\n\nThis will be my daily prayer to God for you. I shall pray for your\neternal salvation, for your present welfare, for the preservation,\npeace, and prosperity of this colony: and especially for the more\nabundant and manifest success of the Redeemer's cause and kingdom,\nand for the effusion and out-pouring of his Holy Spirit, not only\nhere, but in every part of the habitable globe. Longing, hoping, and\nwaiting for the dawn of that happy day, when the heathen shall be given\nto the Lord Jesus for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the\nearth for his possession: and when all the ends of the earth\nshall see, believe, and rejoice in the salvation of God.\n[Ps. ii. 8. & xcviii. 3.]\n\nI am your affectionate Friend and\nServant in the Gospel of Christ,\n\nRICHARD JOHNSON.\n\nFINIS.","title":"Address to the Inhabitants of the Colonies, established in New South Wales And Norfolk Island","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":12755}