Wesley Corpus

198 A raxTueR APPEAL Part II. Navy. that now is, more particularly of the ships of war? Is religion there? Either the power or the form ? Is not almost every single man of war a mere floating hell? Where is there to be found more consummate wickedness, a more full, daring contempt of God, and all his laws, except in the bottomless pit ? But here description fails: and the goedness of God endureth yet daily! But “ shall I not visit for these things, faith the Lord? Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? O that the prospect of national judgments may suffice! That we may remember ourlelves, and turn unto the Lord our God, before his long-suffering mercy is at an end, and he pours out the vials of his wrath upon us ! But how small ground have we as yet to hope for this? For who will now suffer the word of exhortation ? How few will endure found doctrine, and the honest, close application of it? Do they not “ say unto the seers, see not; and unto the prophets, prophely {mooth things?” And if a man will do thus, if he will “ sew illows to all arm-holes, and cause the Holy One of 4 srael to cease from before them; if he will prophesy Ml of wine and strong drink, he shall even be the prophet al of this people.” 31. J am sensible how nice a subject this is, and how extremely diflicult it is to speak, as neither to say too little nor too much, neither more nor less than the cause of God requires. I know allo, that it is absolutely impossible so to speak as not to give offence. But who- {ocver is offended I dare not to be silent ; neither may I refrain from plainness of speech : only I will endeavour to use all the tenderness I. can consistently with that plainness. 2 In tender love then, I ask, Are there none among us (1 ipcak to you, my brethren, who are priests and prophets of the Lord, set apart to minister in holy things, and to declare the word of the Lord) are there none among us who commit lewdnels, as did those by whom Tjfrael was defiled ? Hath not the Lord seen a horrible * ”m %