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<DATE>2013-05-09</DATE>
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<NAME>Olivia Bottum</NAME>
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<P>A SERMON Preach'd at WHITE-HALL ON <HI>Sunday, September</HI> 8. 1695. BEING The Day of Thank&s;giving for the taking of <HI>Namur,</HI> and the Safety of His MAJESTY'S Per&s;on.</P>
<P>BY <HI>J. Adams,</HI> A. M. Rector of St. <HI>Alban Wood&s;treet.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Publi&s;hed by Order of the Lords Iu&s;tices.</HI></P>
<P><HI>London:</HI> Printed for <HI>Thomas Bennet,</HI> at the <HI>Half Moon</HI> in St. <HI>Paul</HI>'s Church-Yard. 1695.</P>
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<DIV1 TYPE="sermon">
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<HEAD>A SERMON Preach'd at <HI>WHITE-HALL,</HI> &amp;c. ON PSALM xxxiii 1. <HI>Rejoyce in the Lord O ye Righteous! for Prai&s;e is Comely for the &V;pright.</HI></HEAD>
<P>PRai&s;e is &s;o ea&s;y, &s;o plea&s;ant, and &s;o pro|fitable a Duty; &s;o readily acknowledg'd by Rea&s;on, and-&s;o ju&s;tly claim'd by Re|velation, that there has never been much pains requir'd to per&s;uade men to the performance of it.</P>
<P>But as all the Pa&s;&s;ions are difficultly govern'd, when they ri&s;e to Exce&s;s: &s;o Joy, which is the ground of this Duty, is not only unruly in its
<PB N="2" REF="4">own Nature but men are apt to Encourage it &s;o much, and give it &s;uch a loo&s;e upon any Publick Occa&s;ion, that they &s;eldom &s;tay to con|&s;ider the great Object of their Prai&s;e, or what are the proper Qualifications to make it Acceptable:</P>
<P>But the P&s;almi&s;t leads us to both the&s;e in this Ex|cellent P&s;alm; and whoever peru&s;es it with atten|tion will find that <HI>He</HI> had Con&s;ider'd well the adorable perfections of God, before He pre&s;um'd to Rejoyce in Him; and that He could never have been &s;o Great a Ma&s;ter of Thank&s;giving, had not His Piety qualify'd Him for being a Prophet, and the uprightne&s;s of His Heart made it worthy of In&s;piration: and from hence it is that He breaks out into this Holy Rapture; <HI>Rejoyce in the Lord O ye Righteous! for Prai&s;e is Comely for the Upright.</HI></P>
<P>The Per&s;ons which the P&s;almi&s;t calls upon here in particular are the Righteous, and accordingly I &s;hall endeavour to &s;how.</P>
<P N="1">1. That Good and Righteous Men are mo&s;t Oblig'd to the Duty of Prai&s;e, and mo&s;t fit to per|form it.</P>
<P N="2">2. What is the True and Proper Object of Prai&s;e and the Rea&s;onablene&s;s of it. Applying Each par|ticular to the pre&s;ent Occa&s;ion.</P>
<P N="1">1. That Good and Righteous Men are mo&s;t Oblig'd to the Duty of Prai&s;e, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<PB N="3" REF="4">
<P> There are many of God's Ble&s;&s;ings that are Uni|ver&s;al, in Regard to the&s;e the Duty of Thank&s;|giving &s;hould be of as large Extent. But &s;ince &s;ome Men partake more particularly of His Favour, &s;ince 'tis with regard to the Righteous, and &s;ometimes for their &s;akes only, that Whole Kingdoms and Nations Enjoy Publick Benefits; They are in a more particular manner oblig'd to Gratitude and Thank&s;giving: They ought to be the mo&s;t Early and mo&s;t Active in their Prai&s;e; and that too in Order to the &s;preading and promoting of God's Glory.</P>
<P>The Example of Good Men will always have an Influence upon the Wor&s;t part of Mankind: for tho&s;e Who deride Piety and Virtue in Private, are Glad to imitate them in Publick. There is &s;uch a Natural Beauty in Goodne&s;s, as Commands, E&s;teem and Veneration, therefore People Readily joyn with tho&s;e who are Righteous, and out of an O|pinion of their under&s;tanding and integrity, take their Actions upon tru&s;t without farther Examination.</P>
<P>Whatever then can any ways Contribute to God's Glory, What outward re&s;pect &s;oever ought to be paid to Him in any part of Devotion; This &s;hould be undertaken Chiefly by the Righteous, not only in Con&s;ideration of What they owe to Their God; but al&s;o of what they owe to their Neigh|bour. E&s;pecially in matters of Prai&s;e and Thank&s;|giving;
<PB N="4" REF="5">Which are &s;o plea&s;ing and delightful in them&s;elves, that Every Body will readily joyn in the Offering of them.</P>
<P>But the Righteous are not only more Oblig'd to this Excellent Duty upon the&s;e Accounts, but they are al&s;o mo&s;t fit to Perform it, and that for the&s;e Rea&s;ons.</P>
<P N="1">1. Becau&s;e &s;uch Men are always Humble, and Ready to Acknowledge their Unworthine&s;s of God's Gooodne&s;s.</P>
<P N="2">2. Becau&s;e They have a Quick and Lively Sen&s;e <HI>of it,</HI> and are apt to be tenderly and pa&s;&s;ionately af|fected <HI>with it.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. Becau&s;e They have always a Solid Founda|tion of True Joy in a Good Con&s;cience.</P>
<P N="4">4. Becau&s;e of that fitne&s;s and Congruity which there is between Prai&s;e and other Vertues.</P>
<P N="1">I. The Righteous are mo&s;t fit to perform the Duty of Prai&s;e; becau&s;e they are always Humble and ready to acknowledge their unworthine&s;s of God's Goodne&s;s.</P>
<P>Humility is the chief ground of Gratitude and Prai&s;e; and Nothing makes men wanting in the&s;e Virtues &s;o much as Pride: But where is Humility to be found to that Degree as in the Righteous? The Sum of All Religion is the Knowledge of God and the Knowledge of our &s;elves. The more
<PB N="5" REF="5">We know of God, the more perfect and Excellent we find Him, the more we Know of our &s;elves, we di&s;cover the more Weakne&s;s and Mi&s;ery; But no one can be &s;o &s;en&s;ible How Wide the&s;e Extreams are, as the Righteous man: and Therefore no one can be &s;o Humble, &s;o ready to acknowledge His Unworthine&s;s of God's Goodne&s;s, whenever it is manife&s;ted towards Him.</P>
<P>There are too many men, that look upon Gods Benefits as their Due: there are others that think the de&s;igns they have Compa&s;s'd, the E&s;tates they have Rais'd, their Succe&s;s in Peace or War, is all thro their Own Prudence and Indu&s;try, and therefore are more ready to <HI>Sacrifice to their Net,</HI> as the Prophet &s;peaks to them&s;elves, than to their God. This kind of Pride <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> fore&s;aw in the <HI>I&s;raelites,</HI> and therefore he warns them <HI>Deut.</HI> viii. 14.17. That after God had &s;hown &s;uch Great Wonders for them, they &s;hould beware, lea&s;t they <HI>&s;hould forget the Lord, and &s;ay in their Hearts, my Power, and the might of my Hands hath done this.</HI> How much more Rea&s;onable is that of Holy <HI>Jacob,</HI> when he reflected from how many Dangers God had delivered him: <HI>I am not worthy of the lea&s;t of all thy mercies, nor of all the truth which thou ha&s;t &s;hewed unto me.</HI></P>
<P>Alas! If we Con&s;ider what God has done for us, and yet the Stubborne&s;s and Ingratitude of a
<PB N="6" REF="6">great part of this &s;inful Nation. That neither the long Experience of God's Goodne&s;s, nor the ter|rours of his Ju&s;tice, have been able to move us to Repentance; but that old Here&s;ies in <HI>our Faith</HI> are again reviv'd with the greate&s;t Confidence, that in|&s;tead of mending <HI>in our Practice</HI> we have plainly grown wor&s;e, and added the Vices of War to tho&s;e of Peace. If we Con&s;ider this, how much more ju&s;tly ought <HI>we</HI> to acknowledge, that we are not worthy of the lea&s;t of God's temporal mercies, nor of that truth, that &s;aving Truth of the Go&s;pel, which He has &s;how'd unto Us, in a more Excel|lent manner than to any other Nation: and Hum|ble our &s;elves into Prai&s;e and thank&s;giving accor|dingly.</P>
<P N="2">II. The Righteous have a quick and lively &s;en&s;e of God's Goodne&s;s, and are apt to be Tenderly and Pa&s;&s;ionately affected with it, and therefore are mo&s;t fit to prai&s;e Him. Good men are Acquainted with the Ways of God, their thoughts are always taken up and Po&s;&s;e&s;t By Him; nor are their Under&s;tand|ings, Corrupted by prejudice, or Weakned By in|temperance: &s;o that they perceive Him immediately in His Works of mercy; and gladly acknowledge and adore His Goodne&s;s.</P>
<P>Whereas Wicked men very &s;lowly di&s;cover it, or very &s;lowly Confe&s;s it; They are taken up &s;o En|tirely, with the World and them&s;elves, <HI>that they re|gard
<PB N="7" REF="6">not the works of the Lord, nor Con&s;ider the Opera|tion of His Hands.</HI> But attribute Every Extraordi|nary Event, to Chance, or to Nece&s;&s;ity; or el&s;e look upon it as the Natural Effect of Human Force or Prudence, and Con&s;equently undervalue it and de|&s;pi&s;e it.</P>
<P>And tho an Ill man may po&s;&s;ibly di&s;cern God's Goodne&s;s in &s;ome Publick and remarkable Ble&s;|&s;ing; Yet this Will not move Him much. He is too wi&s;e to admire any thing long, and therefore takes no notice of it, or forgets it immediately. And indeed Prai&s;e is &s;o Spiritual and &s;o Heavenly a Du|ty, that it is no wonder if it can take no Hold up|on Such a mind, as is weigh'd down by Sen&s;ual De&s;ires, and be&s;otted in its Vices.</P>
<P>But on the other &s;ide; as the Righteous di&s;cover God's benefits <HI>quickly,</HI> &s;o they are touch'd with them <HI>&s;en&s;ibly.</HI> They are Entirely, ab&s;olutely, taken up, with the Contemplation of His Love; and the Gracious Evidences of it, Break out &s;o delightfully upon them, that they are Continually falling into Raptures of prai&s;e and thank&s;giving. Such a Con|dition as this Holy <HI>David</HI> &s;eems to be in frequently. The Sen&s;e of God's Benefits make &s;uch a Lively impre&s;&s;ion upon Him, that He cannot mention them without Exta&s;ie, and He &s;eems to labour With Holy Joy, and to be in Pain How to Expre&s;s it. <HI>O God thou art my God, early will I &s;eek Thee, my Soul
<PB N="8" REF="7">thir&s;teth for Thee, my fle&s;h longeth for Thee, Becau&s;e thy Loving Kindne&s;s is better than life my lips &s;hall prai&s;e Thee. My Soul &s;hall be &s;atisfy'd as with mar|row and fatne&s;s, and my mouth &s;hall Prai&s;e Thee with joyful Lips. Thou art my God and I will prai&s;e Thee, Thou art my God and I will exalt Thee. O Give Thanks unto the Lord for He is good and His Mercy Endureth for Ever.</HI></P>
<P>There are many other Pa&s;&s;ages in the P&s;alms of this Kind, But The&s;e may &s;how &s;ufficiently How fit the Righteous are to offer Prai&s;e: and that parti|cularly, Becau&s;e They &s;oone&s;t di&s;cern the Effects of God's Goodne&s;s, and When they do &s;o are touch'd with a more tender &s;en&s;e of it.</P>
<P N="3">III. Another Rea&s;on why the Righteous are mo&s;t proper to perform this Duty, is, becau&s;e they have always a &s;olid foundation of True Joy in a Good Con&s;cience. Joy is E&s;&s;ential to Thank&s;giving, 'tis impo&s;&s;ible to be grateful without we are pleas'd fir&s;t. But the &s;en&s;e of Guilt will never &s;uffer this. Inno|cence is the Only Ground of la&s;ting Joy: this is that Happy Spring of good Humour and Vivacity, which gives a plea&s;ing Air to all our Words and Actions. This is that which brings down Heaven to Us or at lea&s;t begins it here; While God Him|&s;elf vouch&s;afes to dwell in the pure and Spotle&s;s Heart. O the un&s;peakable Happine&s;s of a Good Con&s;cience! This makes us at the &s;ame Time,
<PB N="9" REF="7">Ea&s;ie to our &s;elves; delightful to our Friends; and Dear to our God.</P>
<P>'Tis True Wicked men will often make &s;ome &s;how of Satisfaction and Joy, But in this They are the greate&s;t Hypocrites in the World. Alas to be pleas'd with a Well told &s;tory, to be delighted with witty and malicious Cen&s;ure, to be Exalted with the &s;pirits of &s;trong liquors, is not to be joyful,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Sen. Ep. 23.</NOTE> <HI>mihi Crede Res &s;evera e&s;t verum gaudium.</HI> True joy does not Con&s;i&s;t in Wild and thoughtle&s;s Gayety, but is a Sober and Severe thing; Becau&s;e 'tis the <HI>Effect</HI> of our <HI>Having</HI> Moderated our Pa&s;&s;ions and Appetites, of our <HI>Having</HI> ab&s;olutely Conquer'd our Vices, and not the <HI>Act of Indulging them.</HI></P>
<P>Be&s;ides tho God's Ble&s;&s;ings are never &s;o Great or &s;o Publick, the Wicked cannot have the Confidence to think that they were be&s;towed for their &s;akes, or belong to them in the lea&s;t, but the thoughts of their Guilt mu&s;t &s;trike them with &s;hame and &s;or|row when they behold the joy of the Righteous, and Con&s;ider that they Have nothing to do with the Cau&s;e of it.</P>
<P>But the Righteous may apply Gods mercies with|out pre&s;umption to them&s;elves. They may re|flect with plea&s;ure upon their former Prayers and Humiliations, and look upon them&s;elves without Vanity as Benefactors to their Country; for the Goodne&s;s of one Private man brings down ble&s;|&s;ings
<PB N="10" REF="8">upon the Publick; and prevails more at Home than the Strength and Policy of many in the Field.</P>
<P>And as the&s;e Arguments of God's Goodne&s;s mu&s;t cau&s;e Joy and Satisfaction in a Righteous Man; &s;o His Heart, by Being Kept &s;till in order, by a Con&s;tant Cour&s;e of Virtue, is always Ready, and as it were in Tune, to Sound forth the Prai&s;e of God.</P>
<P N="4">IV. The Righteous are mo&s;t Proper to Prai&s;e Him; Becau&s;e of the fitne&s;s and Congruity which there is between Prai&s;e and other Virtues. This is that Rea&s;on which the P&s;almi&s;t gives Here in Par|ticular, included in tho&s;e Words <HI>Prai&s;e is Comely for the Upright.</HI></P>
<P>As the Beauty of the Body Con&s;i&s;ts in the Ex|act Dimen&s;ions of Every part, and the Symmetry and Proportion of the whole: So does the Beauty of the Soul Con&s;i&s;t in the Exerci&s;e of All Chri&s;ti|an Virtues, and in the mutual Relation which they have to each other: and if any one be Want|ing 'tis a plain Deformity, and will be perceiv'd immediately.</P>
<P>Thus &s;hould tho&s;e who are Righteous in other Re&s;pects be Negligent in their Prai&s;e, they them|&s;elves Hold the light by which they are di&s;cover'd, and tho&s;e Virtues which they have will &s;how the Deformity of their Ingratitude, and make it the more inexcu&s;able.</P>
<PB N="11" REF="8">
<P> But when the Upright joyn Thank&s;giving to their other Works of Righteou&s;ne&s;s, all is com|pleat and uniform; this is Agreeable to their other Actions, it bears proportion <HI>with</HI> them, and receives a peculiar Grace <HI>from</HI> them, and in this Con&s;i&s;ts that Comline&s;s of Prai&s;e, and that Beauty of Thank&s;giving which makes it plea&s;ing and Ac|ceptable in the Sight of God and Man.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, What &s;hould Prai&s;e do alone without any other Virtue! What Ab&s;urdity and Hypocri&s;ie is it for ill men to Pretend to it! As a Well Shap'd Garment would not become a Crook|ed Body; &s;o the Prai&s;e of God can never become a Wicked Heart: therefore (as St. <HI>Ba&s;il</HI> &s;ays upon this place) it is probable that our Saviour Re|buk'd the Devils, and would not Suffer them to Confe&s;s Him; Becau&s;e Such Mouths were not fit to Pronounce &s;uch a Name.</P>
<P>To this purpo&s;e is that of the P&s;almi&s;t, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> l. 16. upon the Wicked God &s;aith, <HI>What ha&s;t thou to do to declare my Statutes, or that thou &s;hould&s;t take my Co|venant in thy mouth, Seeing thou Hate&s;t In&s;truction, and Caste&s;t my words behind thee.</HI></P>
<P>What indeed has He to do to Pronounce the Name of God, under pretence of &s;hewing forth His Glory, Who has been us'd to pollute it Every moment by His Oaths and Bla&s;phemies. Or how can He pre|tend to prai&s;e the bounteous giver of all things,
<PB N="12" REF="9">Who has been a Di&s;grace to His Goodne&s;s, and Turn'd His own Benefits Again&s;t Him, by making them the means of Committing greater Wicked|ne&s;s.</P>
<P>The Ignorant God may Pardon and accept, not|with&s;tanding the Errours and imperfections of their Prai&s;e, but not the wicked; becau&s;e 'tis mere Con|fidence and Pre&s;umption in them, and &s;o far are &s;uch people from &s;etting forth God's Glory, that they rather le&s;&s;en it; for the Prai&s;e of Ill Men is Scandal: and as it would call a Good Man's Name in Que&s;tion, to have a Wicked Man Commend Him; &s;o the Thank&s;giving of the Unrighteous, (making God as it were on their &s;ide,) would be &s;ome Kind of Detraction, Even from Infinite Goodne&s;s and Holyne&s;s it &s;elf.</P>
<P>But the Prai&s;e of the Righteous is Comely in the Sight of all men, and greatly advances God's Glo|ry: For Prai&s;e is an Act of Ju&s;tice, and every act of Ju&s;tice is beautiful in it &s;elf, much more when &s;et off by the Lu&s;tre of other Virtues.</P>
<P>The Natural Notions which all men have of what is fit and ju&s;t, makes them pleas'd when they &s;ee good men Act accordingly, When they &s;ee tho&s;e Who have receiv'd mo&s;t from God, mo&s;t careful to Prai&s;e Him for it, and that particularly becau&s;e they think that this is no light humour no &s;udden fancy, which &s;eizes them for a moment: but
<PB N="13" REF="9">built upon a Solid Foundation, and therefore likely to Continue and to have an Influence upon the Remaining part of their Lives.</P>
<P>If then the Righteous are mo&s;t Humble, mo&s;t ready to acknowledge their Unworthine&s;s of God's Goodne&s;s; If they have a more quickly and lively Sence of it, and are more tenderly affected with it. If they have always a Solid Foundation of True Joy in a Good Con&s;cience; and if there is a pecu|liar Fitne&s;s and Congruity between Prai&s;e and o|ther Chri&s;tian Virtues, then it follows that the Righteous are mo&s;t proper to perform the Duty of Thank&s;giving: And this was the fir&s;t Thing which I propo&s;ed. I proceed now to the &s;econd.</P>
<P N="2">II. To Enforce this Duty by the Con&s;ideration of its great Object: and the Benefits which we receive from Him. The Proper Object of our Prai&s;e, the P&s;almi&s;t leads us to, in the fir&s;t words of the Text. <HI>Rejoyce in the Lord&mdash;. in Him,</HI> that is in the Knowledge that we have of His Divine Excellen|cies, and in the Experience that we have, that tho&s;e Excellencies are beneficial to Us. Some take the Word <HI>in</HI> to Limit our Prai&s;e to God's E&s;&s;ential Goodne&s;s, but this undoubtedly Re&s;trains it too much. For th&ocirc; God is &s;o perfect in Him&s;elf that the Contemplation of Him Heightned by a lively Faith, may afford great Joy and Delight to &s;ome
<PB N="14" REF="10">good Men, yet His E&s;&s;ential Goodne&s;s is &s;eldom apprehended &s;ufficiently by all People to produce Publick Prai&s;e. But it is nece&s;&s;ary that mankind &s;hould feel the Beneficial Effects of it for this pur|po&s;e. Thus th&ocirc; the beauty of the Sun Con&s;ider'd <HI>in it &s;elf</HI> may ju&s;tly cau&s;e admiration, yet it wou'd never be magnify'd &s;o univer&s;ally but that Men Enjoy the Light and the Warmth of it.</P>
<P>But above all, this is Confirmed by the P&s;almi&s;t in the following part of this P&s;alm, for He does not tye Him&s;elf up &s;trictly to the Contemplation of the Divine Nature, as to its E&s;&s;ential Excellen|cies only, but Con&s;iders 'em as they relate to His Works, and are Beneficial to His Creatures, and that particularly as to <HI>His Godne&s;s, His Wi&s;dom and Power.</HI> I &s;hall follow Him exactly in the &s;ame Method.</P>
<P N="1">1. Rejoyce in the Lord in regard of His Good|ne&s;s: For great, nay infinite is His Goodne&s;s. And becau&s;e nothing can be more lovely than &s;upreme Goodne&s;s the Prophet crys out, <HI>How great is His Goodne&s;s and How great is His Beauty.</HI> Whatever is plea&s;ing to Us below, is &s;o, becau&s;e we take it to be good; that is, &s;uppo&s;e it to partake of this Fountain of Everflowing Goodne&s;s. How then &s;hould we be &s;urprized and tran&s;ported with Joy! if we lifted up our thought to Him Who is Goodne&s;s it &s;elf, and thro His va&s;t abundance
<PB N="15" REF="10">pours it upon Every Creature! But yet this would not be &s;ufficient for His <HI>Univer&s;al</HI> Prai&s;e, unle&s;s we con&s;ider His Goodne&s;s in His Works. Thus our P&s;almi&s;t, <HI>v.</HI> 5. of this P&s;alm, <HI>The Earth is full of the Goodne&s;s of the Lord;</HI> full indeed on Every &s;ide, for which way &s;oever we turn, with what Sweet Variety do New Wonders and New Ble&s;&s;ings meet Us. How do the Sea&s;ons &s;ucceed in beauteous Order, and Carry Health and Plenty round the World. <HI>Thou crowne&s;t the Year with thy Goodne&s;s, and thy Paths drop Fatne&s;s: They drop upon the Pa&s;tures in the Wilderne&s;s, and the little Hills re|joyce on every &s;ide, the Pa&s;tures are Cloathed with Flocks, the Valleys al&s;o are cover'd over with Corn,</HI> (one would think the Prophet de&s;cribed our own Country) <HI>they Shout for Joy, they al&s;o Sing.</HI></P>
<P>And whence proceeds this Joy, what is it they Sing but Their Creator's Prai&s;e. Shall inanimate Creatures be &s;o Ju&s;t? Shall not only the Heavens but inferiour Parts of the Creation declare their Maker's Glory, by ob&s;erving that Order in which He fir&s;t put them. And &s;hall <HI>man only</HI> be unthank|ful? And that, Becau&s;e He is at Liberty, and God expects a more noble Offering from His Free-Will, Prai&s;e and Gratitude of <HI>Choice,</HI> and not of <HI>Ne|ce&s;&s;ity.</HI></P>
<PB N="16" REF="11">
<P> This would be unpardonable in any Wretch in the whole World; but much more in any one of this Nation: for what in&s;tance of God's Goodne&s;s to|wards Us &s;hall I name Fir&s;t. The many Delive|rances which we have Had from Open Violence, but more from Secret Treachery, or the Incredible Wealth that has floated into Us from &s;o many di|&s;tant Nations, and the Plenty, Healthfulne&s;s and Se|curity of this Happy I&s;land; Happy indeed in all the&s;e Re&s;pects, but much more Happy in being in&s;tructed &s;o &s;oon in the Saving Knowledge of Je&s;us Chri&s;t; and when this began to be ob&s;cur'd by Ignorance and Super&s;tition, in being ble&s;s'd &s;o &s;oon with &s;o Judicious and Impartial a Reformation.</P>
<P>If we look abroad into the Re&s;t of the World, How many Countries are at Pre&s;ent the Seats of War, and Expos'd to the Bloody Incur&s;ions of their Enemies, as well as the Nece&s;&s;ities of their Friends. And yet <HI>even War it &s;elf</HI> cannot be Wor&s;e than the <HI>mi&s;erable Peace</HI> of tho&s;e other Countries which groan under Idolatrous Super&s;ti|tion, and are impoveri&s;h'd by its Avarice or di&s;|peopled by its Cruelty: While all the While we Enjoy our Liberties and our Laws, <HI>under a Wi&s;e and Gracious Admini&s;tration,</HI> and need fear no Di&s;turbance under our Vines and Fig Trees, unle&s;s we force it upon our &s;elves by our own Di&s;&s;en|tions:</P>
<P N="2"><PB N="17" REF="11"> 2. Rejoyce in Him becau&s;e of His Wi&s;dom; 'tis by this He governs and di&s;po&s;es of all things as <HI>in Wi&s;dom He made 'em all.</HI> Some have thought it did not con&s;i&s;t with the Honour of &s;o Great a Being to trouble Him&s;elf with the Government of the World: as if He were Endow'd with Infinite Knowledge and Almighty Power, only to Sleep away Eternity; as if there were no Grandeur but in Sloath, no Maje&s;ty but in Stupidity. It can|not be doubted but the &s;ame God who gave all things their <HI>being,</HI> does give 'em al&s;o their <HI>manner of being;</HI> nor can it be thought any Hindrance to His Happine&s;s, or Detraction from His Glory to Support and Govern what He fir&s;t Created, and therefore the P&s;almi&s;t &s;ays Excellently 13, 15. <HI>ver.</HI> of this P&s;alm. <HI>The Lord looketh from Heaven and beholdeth all the Sons of Men. He fa&s;hioneth their Hearts alike and Con&s;idereth all their Works.</HI> Alas! How vain without him are all the Undertakings of Wretched Man? We poor Creatures hurry'd about by our Lu&s;ts and Pa&s;&s;ions are Striving and Con|tending together perpetually, and yet are not able to do the lea&s;t good to our &s;elves, or hurt to others, without His Permi&s;&s;ion: Let us fancy to our &s;elves in one place a Company of People met together Enrag'd with Malice and Revenge, Binding them|&s;elves with dreadful Oaths and Solemnities to Ex|ecute &s;ome Con&s;piracy. Let us imagine another
<PB N="18" REF="12">Number debating anxiou&s;ly concerning Peace or War; Let us &s;uppo&s;e again two Fleets or Armies hotly Engag'd: What is all this! but the incer|tain Motion of &s;o much Du&s;t and A&s;hes, incer|tain; till Determin'd by Divine Wi&s;dom: Whatever cautious Age advi&s;es or Eager Youth undertakes. How bu&s;ie or vain-glorious &s;oever we are, we only Execute the Orders of our Great Ma&s;ter, and are the In&s;truments of His Providence.</P>
<P>How greatly then &s;hould we Rejoyce when we di&s;cover plainly this Wi&s;dom to be working in our Behalf: With what plea&s;ure ought we to look Back and Con&s;ider the &s;everal Steps by which His Providence has proceeded, and acknowledge with Humility and Shame the Folly of our former Doubts and Fears: How Ra&s;h is Man in his Wi&s;hes? and how ingrateful in his Impatience? We can &s;carce be per&s;waded to wait even for our Safety from the Slow Motion of &s;econd Cau&s;es, but like the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> heretofore, are always for a Mira|cle; any little want in our Nece&s;&s;ities, any &s;mall di&s;appointment in our Undertakings, makes us im|mediately at a Stand, mi&s;tru&s;t Heaven, and repine again&s;t God; while all the while His Wi&s;dom is acting in &s;uch a manner, as may make the Effects of His Goodne&s;s more &s;ure and la&s;ting to Us, and the Effects of His Power towards others more Re|markable.</P>
<PB N="19" REF="12">
<P> Great and Publick Evils are &s;eldom cur'd in a mo|ment, yet that Health which Returns &s;lowly, when once &s;ettled, is mo&s;t la&s;ting. Thro how many Difficulties were the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> led to their <HI>Canaan,</HI> and how many defeats and delays did their own murmurs Co&s;t them; and yet at length, how many Victories did they Gain in a Short Time; when the Iniquity of the <HI>Amorites</HI> was full.</P>
<P>God often makes u&s;e of the Ambition and Pride of ill men (as Malefactors are frequently cho&s;en for Executioners) to puni&s;h tho&s;e that are better, in order to their fuller Repentance; and when they have done &s;o, and their own Iniquities are grown Ripe for Puni&s;hment, they become the more Remarkable Examples of His Ju&s;tice.</P>
<P>Calamities may happen to Private Men or to Small Governments, without being much Regard|ed; But when a Nation has long In&s;ulted over the Re&s;t of Her Neighbours, when a Prince has Us'd His own Subjects with the Utmo&s;t Cruelty, and is lifted up far above the ordinary Condition of Humane Greatne&s;s. When after all Such a one is ca&s;t Down, the Noi&s;e of <HI>His</HI> ruin draws all Mens Eyes upon it, and forces the <HI>Inhabitants of the Earth to Learn Righteou&s;ne&s;s.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Rejoyce in the Lord in Regard of his Power.</HI> Tho this Attribute mu&s;t be very terrible to tho&s;e who&s;e Guilt may make 'em fear it &s;hould be
<PB N="20" REF="13">turn'd again&s;t them, notwith&s;tanding this, <HI>the Righteous &s;hall be glad and tru&s;t in the Lord and all the Upright in Heart &s;hall Glory.</HI> That very Power which is &s;o dreadful to His Enemies, at which the Whole Creation Trembles at which <HI>the Everla&s;ting Mountains are &s;catter'd the perpetual Hills do Bow; when He marches Thro a Land in Indignation and thre&s;hes the Heathen in his Anger,</HI> as the Prophet: That very Power can do as much for the Righteous. So that this Attribute cannot be dreadful to good men, but on the contrary, mu&s;t be mo&s;t plea&s;ant and delightful to them. For tho He is <HI>the Lord of Ho&s;ts the God to Whom Vengeance belongeth;</HI> He is al&s;o <HI>the Lord Mighty to Save,</HI> Mighty to Save His Faithful Servants, and tho&s;e Who put their Tru&s;t in Him.</P>
<P>How much then ought we to Rejoyce in Him at all Times upon this Con&s;ideration! What a Comfort in Affliction, what a Support to our Faith mu&s;t it be, when we Remember that what|ever His Goodne&s;s moves Him to do, His Power is ready to Put in Execution; whatever He promi&s;es as an Indulgent Father He is able to perform as an Almighty God.</P>
<P>But more E&s;pecially How &s;hould We Rejoyce in Him, when We find this Power acting in our Behalf in &s;o glorious a manner. Men are apt in|deed to attribute their Succe&s;s in War to Them&s;elves,
<PB N="21" REF="13">and impute much to Their Own Strength and Wi&s;|dom; But &s;ince there are &s;o many in&s;tances of the Weaker &s;ides prevailing, &s;ince &s;o many Victories have depended upon Strange and Unexpected Ac|cidents, this mu&s;t proceed from a Superiour Power: And Indeed if God's Providence is allow'd to be Engag'd at any time about things on Earth, it mu&s;t be &s;o certainly When the Lives of &s;o many Thou&s;ands of His Noble&s;t Creatures, of tho&s;e for Whom the World it &s;elf Was made, are Concern'd. Therefore the P&s;almi&s;t again in this &s;ame <HI>P&s;alm</HI> 16.18. <HI>There is no King &s;av'd by the multitude of an Ho&s;t, a mighty Man is not deliver'd by much &s;trength; Behold the Eye of the Lord is upon them that fear Him, upon them that Hope in His mercy, to deliver their Soul from Death.</HI> If this then is &s;o, we ought to Prai&s;e God for the Watchfulne&s;s of His Providence, and the A&s;&s;i&s;tance of His Almighty Power; and that Par|ticularly, becau&s;e the Evils That are Avoided by Succe&s;s in War are really greater and more Univer|&s;al than we E&s;cape by being freed from any other Calamity: For Plagues, or Famine, &s;pare at lea&s;t the Liberties, the Laws, the Religion of Coun|tries: but Conque&s;t! Conque&s;t tramples in&s;olent|ly upon all, E&s;pecially when Whetted by Super&s;ti|tion and Revenge.</P>
<P>And Thus have I Endeavoured to &s;how what per&s;ons are properly Qualify'd for Prai&s;e, the Object
<PB N="22" REF="14">of it, and upon what Con&s;iderations chiefly it ought to be Paid, namely the Goodne&s;s, Wi&s;dom, and Power of God: And how Con&s;picuous have all the&s;e Appear'd together in the Ble&s;&s;ings that We Celebrate this day! And therefore what Sacrifices of Prai&s;e and Thank&s;giving ought Every grateful Heart to Offer! At length We find that Torrent which has over-run <HI>Europe</HI> for &s;o many Years with &s;o much Noi&s;e and Deva&s;tation, Shrinking back again into its own Channel. At length we have A&s;&s;erted our Ancient Dominion over the Seas, and Every Element has Contributed to our Glory; while both our Fleets and Armies (e&s;pecially the latter) have been Succe&s;sful in Spight of the greate&s;t Advantages of Nature, Art, or Humane Power.</P>
<P>And to add to all The&s;e Mercies; That Great Prince, Who&s;e Life is Sought for, not only by all open Attempts, but treacherous Practi&s;es: And yet, Who Expo&s;es it Continually by &s;o many Journies and Voyages; nay, in &s;o many Battles. Is &s;till pre&s;erv'd by Divine Providence, Remains &s;till <HI>untouch'd by the Arrow that flyeth by day, and &s;ecure from the Malice that walketh in Darkne&s;s.</HI></P>
<P>Let <HI>others</HI> boa&s;t of Victories which <HI>they</HI> never <HI>&s;aw,</HI> make Luxurious <HI>Per&s;ian</HI> Campaigns, be skill|ful in Corrupting others Faith, and always Ready to break their own; and after &s;uch glorious At|chievements Rai&s;e Triumphal Arches, dawb
<PB N="23" REF="14">their City Gates with Trophies and In&s;criptions, Pick and Bribe their own Hi&s;torians.</P>
<P>No Place can be ignorant of our Conquerours Great Actions; and <HI>He</HI> may tru&s;t His Greate&s;t E|nemies to Record His Virtues. How Un&s;haken in Re&s;olution! How unwearied in Labour! and How Undaunted in Danger! &mdash; But I forbear &mdash;</P>
<P>Next to the Performing great Actions 'tis the Harde&s;t Thing to Commend them Worthily, and tho There may not perhaps be &s;o much danger of Flattery upon this Subject as any other, yet <HI>this Holy Place</HI> ought to be free from the lea&s;t Su&s;pici|on of it.</P>
<P>To Conclude then, let us Endeavour to Con|tinue the&s;e Ble&s;&s;ings to Us by the Sincerity of our Prai&s;e and Thank&s;giving, and let the Con&s;iderati|on of God's Goodne&s;s prevail upon Us by the Sweet Motives of Gratitude and Love to a Union and Con&s;tancy in our Obedience. <HI>That we may with one Mind, and with one Mouth Glorifie God, Even the Father of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, To Whom with the Holy Gho&s;t be a&s;crib'd all Honour and Glory, Prai&s;e, Power, Dominion, and Thank&s;giving, This Day and for Evermore.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
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