348 Conclufion and Recapitulation . 
it ? Who can bear the thought of being followed to his grave 
with imprecations, or be mentioned after death with infamy ? 
Who can pretend to be a Christian, and hope for heaven ? 
Who can think of thefe things, and not endevor to difcoun- 
tenance immorality and corruption, by all poflible means? 
If we perfift in that which is injurious to pofterity, knowing it 
to be fo, will not after-ages conlider all of us as an aban- 
doned race, who, in purfuit of our vices, plunged our country 
into ruin ? Mod: of us think ourfelves at prefent in favorable cir- 
cumftances, and that no great danger is to be apprehended from 
any quarter. We fondly imagine ourfelves, not only fuperior to 
mod: other nations, but alfo to ourfelves, compared with pad: 
times ; but we mud: not compare the present times with the 
past, without taking in the prefent date and condition of other 
countries. And here I believe it will be found, that the know- 
ledge, improvements, power, and vigilance of other dates, are 
much greater than they were, and much greater than we general- 
ly apprehend ; and confequently that we never had greater occa- 
don for vigilance, (kill, and virtue, than at prefent. If we judge 
from the effeds of war, and the more dreadful devaluations of 
immorality, it is reafonable to exped, if other nations are 
more virtuous than we are, they will be fo much the more our 
maders : in other words, as they rife, we dhall fall. 
We look back with reverence, and admire the glory of 
the antient romans ; but notwithdanding all their policy 
and their valor, the greated objed: of admiration is, that they 
lafted fo long. Their grandeur introduced fuch boundless 
luxury and shameless corruption, heaven could hardly have 
granted 
