he
special Notice of the Divine Being, and interwoven as it were with our
very Nature, should be rooted out by such weak Means! How amazing is it,
that a Physician should pretend to cure a complicated Malady, without once
touching at the Source of the Disorder, by slightly tickling the outwards
Parts, and leaving the Vitals to perish under a mortal Gangrene.

Every Man's Knowledge, yea, verily, every old Woman's Knowledge, in this
Kingdom, might have picked out a Multitude of Instances, and those much
more flagrant than any thou hast mentioned, of the general Wickedness and
Depravity of the Age we live in. That was no Secret; and we needed neither
Bishop, Prophet, nor Earthquake, to remind us, that the Cup of our
Iniquity is near full, and that nothing but the superabundant Mercy and
long-suffering Patience of the Almighty, could hinder us from falling a
sacrifice to his offended Justice. For it is one of the Sins peculiar to
this Age, that we have been industrious in finding out new Species of
Wickedness, and that we never commit an old Fault, but for want of
Invention to diversify the Crime, and heighten the Relish of Iniquity by
the horrid Novelty of it; and that we are so far from pretending to act
thro' Ignorance or want of Knowledge of our Duty, that the greatest
Pleasure of our Iniquities consists in our Knowledge of their being
prohibited by God, and destructive of our future and eternal Happiness. An
universal Depravation of Manners reigns thro' all Sorts of People in this
sinful Land; and an utter Abhorrence and Detestation of every Thing, that
bears but the smallest Resemblance of Virtue and Piety, have possessed
the Hearts and Minds of this profligate Generation. The Kingdom of God is
not among the wicked Inhabitants of this Island. The Kingdom of Satan
prevails and reigns triumphant in our debauched Streets. Our Nobles
frequent anti-christian Diversions, and forget the Lord their God, and
walk every Man according to the Devices of his own Heart: While a venal
Contagion has seized the whole Body of the People, who worship Money as
their God, and have said unto Silver and Gold, ye are our Deliverers, and
our sure Help in Time of Need. There is nothing so sacred, but what they
willingly barter for filthy Lucre. Justice, Honesty, Right and Wrong, are
no longer understood in this sinful Land; but every thing is weighed in
the Scales of Gain. Their very Souls they bring to the Account of Profit
and Loss, making li