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<DATE>2013-12-19</DATE>
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<NAME>Enrique Valdivia</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="B09511">
<STC T="W">M1085</STC>
<STC T="C">W30016</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">[ocm]80923121</BIBNO>
<VID>191921</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
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<P><HI>The BOSTONIAN EBENEZER.</HI></P>
<P>SOME Hi&s;torical Remarks, On the State of Bo&s;ton, The <HI>Chief Town</HI> of <HI>New-England,</HI> and of the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> AMERICA.</P>
<P>With Some, <HI>Agreeable Methods,</HI> FOR Pre&s;erving and Promoting, the <HI>Good State</HI> of THAT, as well as any <HI>other Town,</HI> in the like Circum&s;tances.</P>
<P><HI>Humbly Offer'd, By a <HI>Native</HI> of <HI>Bo&s;ton.</HI></HI></P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Ezek. 48.35.</HI></BIBL> The Name of the City from that Day &s;hall be, <HI>THE LORD IS THERE.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>B<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ton,</HI> Printed by <HI>B. Green</HI> &amp; <HI>J. Allen,</HI> for <HI>Samuel Phillips,</HI> at the Brick Shop. 1698.</P>
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<Q>&V;rbs Metropolis, ut &s;it maximae Auctoritatis, con&s;ti|tuatur praecipuum pietatis Exemplum et Sacrarium. <HI>Aphor. Polit<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI></Q>
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<HEAD>The HISTORY of BOSTON, Related and Improved. At <HI>Bo&s;ton</HI> Lecture 7. <HI>d.</HI> 2. <HI>m.</HI> 1698.</HEAD>
<P>REmarkable and Memorable, was the Time, when an <HI>Army</HI> of Terrible <HI>De&s;troyers</HI> was coming again&s;t one of the <HI>Chief Towns,</HI> the Land of <HI>I&s;rael.</HI> God Re&s;cued the <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">wn</HI> from the Irre&s;i&s;tible Fury and Ap|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">oach of tho&s;e <HI>De&s;troyers,</HI> by an Immedi|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">e Hand of Heaven upon them. Upon <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">at Miraculous Re&s;cue of the <HI>Town,</HI> and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> the whole Country who&s;e Fate was <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">uch enwrapped in it, there follow'd, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">at Action of the Prophet SAMUEL, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hich is this Day, to be, with &s;ome Imi|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">tion Repeated, in the mid&s;t of thee, O <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">OSTON, <HI>Thou Helped of the Lord.</HI></P>
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<Q><BIBL><HI>1 SAM. VII.12.</HI></BIBL>
<P>Then SAMUEL took a Stone, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> it up, &mdash; and called the Name of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> <HI>Ebenezer,</HI> &s;aying, Hitherto the Lor<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> hath Helped us.</P></Q>
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<DIV1 TYPE="part">
<P>THE Thankful Servants <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> God, have u&s;ed &s;ometime<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> to Erect Monuments <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> <HI>Stone,</HI> as dureable Token of their <HI>Thankfulne&s;s</HI> t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> God, for <HI>Mercies</HI> Received in the place<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> thus di&s;tingui&s;hed. <HI>Jacob</HI> did &s;o; <HI>Jo&s;hu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> did &s;o; and <HI>Samuel</HI> did &s;o; but they &s;o did it, as to keep clear of the Tran&s;+gre&s;&s;ion forbidden, in Lev. 26 1. <HI>Ye &s;hal<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> not &s;et up an Image of Stone in your Land for to Bow down unto it.</HI></P>
<P>The <HI>Stone</HI> Erected by <HI>Samuel,</HI> with the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Name of <HI>Ebenezer,</HI> which is as much as <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;ay, <HI>A Stone of Help;</HI> I know not whet<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> any Thing might be <HI>Writt</HI> upon it: but B<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">
<PB N="5" REF="5"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;ure, there is one thing to be now <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ad</HI> upon it, by our &s;elves, in the Text <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ere we find it: Namely, thus much, <HI>That a People whom the God of Heaven <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h Remarkably Helped, in their Di&s;tre&s;&s;es, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ht Greatly and Gratefully to acknowledge, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hat <HI>Help</HI> of Heaven they have Received.</HI></P>
<P>Now, '<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">is not my De&s;ign to lay the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ene of my Di&s;cour&s;e, as far off as <HI>Bethcar,</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e place where <HI>Samuel</HI> &s;et up his <HI>Ebenezer.</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">am immediately to Transfer it into the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">eart of <HI>Bo&s;ton,</HI> a place where the <HI>Remar|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ble Help Received from Heaven,</HI> by the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ople, does loudly call for an <HI>Ebenezer.</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nd I do not ask you, to change the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ame of the Town, into that of <HI>Help-<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">tone,</HI> as there is a Town in <HI>England</HI> of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">at Name, which may &s;eem the Engli&s;h, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> <HI>Ebenezer;</HI> But my <HI>Sermon</HI> &s;hall be <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">is Day, your <HI>Ebenezer,</HI> if you will with Favourable, and a Profitable Attention <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ntertain it. May the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ccept me, and A&s;&s;i&s;t me now, to <HI>Glorify <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">im,</HI> in the <HI>Town,</HI> where I drew my Fir&s;t <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nful Breath; A <HI>Town,</HI> whereto I am un|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">r Great Obligations, for the Precious <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">pportunities to <HI>Glorify Him,</HI> which I have
<PB N="6" REF="6"> quietly and publickly enjoy'd therein, for<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Near Eighteen years together. <HI>O my Lord God, Remember me, I pray thee, and Streng|then me this once, to &s;peak from thee, unto thy People!</HI></P>
<P>And now, Sirs, That I may &s;et up an<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> EBENEZER among you, there are the&s;e Things to be Inculcated.</P>
<P N="1"><HI>I.</HI> Let us Thankfully, and <HI>Agreeably,</HI> and <HI>Particularly,</HI> Acknowledge <HI>What <HI>Help</HI></HI> we have Received from the God of Heaven, in the years that have Rolled over us<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> While the Ble&s;&s;ed Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul,</HI> was, as it &s;hould &s;eem, yet &s;hort of being <HI>Three&s;core</HI> years old, how affectionately did he &s;et up an <HI>Ebenezer,</HI> with an Acknowledgment in Act. 26.22. <HI>Having obtained Help o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> God, I continue to This Day!</HI> Our Tow<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> is now <HI>Three&s;core and Eight</HI> years old; an<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> certainly 'tis Time for us, with all po&s;&s;ible affection, to &s;et up our <HI>Ebenezer,</HI> &s;aying <HI>Having obtained Help from God, the Town is continued, until almost the Age of man i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> pa&s;sed over it!</HI> The Town hath indee<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Three Elder Sisters</HI> in this Colony; but i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> hath Wonderfully <HI>Outgrown</HI> them all; an<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">
<PB N="7" REF="6"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">er Mother, old <HI>Boston,</HI> in <HI>England</HI> al&s;o; <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ea, within a Few years, after the fir&s;t-<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ettlement, it <HI>grew</HI> to be, <HI>The Metro|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">olis of the whole Engli&s;h America.</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ittle was <HI>This</HI> Expected, by them that Fir&s;t-Settled the Town, when, for a while, <HI>Bo&s;ton,</HI> was proverbially called, <HI>Lo&s;t Town,</HI> for the mean and &s;ad Circum&s;tan|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">es of it. But, O <HI>Bo&s;ton,</HI> it is becau&s;e thou <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">a&s;t <HI>Obtained Help from God;</HI> even from <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">he Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, who, for the &s;ake of His <HI>Go&s;pel,</HI> Preached and once prized <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ere, undertook thy Patronage. When <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">he World and the Church of God, had <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">een <HI>Twenty &s;ix</HI> Generations, a P&s;alm was Compo&s;ed, wherein that Note occurs with <HI>Twenty &s;ix</HI> Repetitions; <HI>His Mercy endu|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">eth for ever.</HI> Truly, there ha's not one year pa&s;&s;ed over this Town, <HI>Ab Urbe Con|dita,</HI> upon the Story whereof, we might not make that Note, our <HI>Ebenezer; His Mercy endureth for ever.</HI> It ha's been a Town of Great Experiences. There have been &s;everal years, wherein the <HI>Terrible <HI>Famine,</HI></HI> hath Terribly Stared the Town in the Face: We have been brought &s;ome|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">imes unto the <HI>La&s;t Meal</HI> in the Barrel;
<PB N="8" REF="7"> We have cryed out, with the Di&s;ciples, <HI>We have not Loaves enough to feed a Tenth part of us!</HI> B<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t the fear'd <HI>Famine</HI> ha's alwayes been kept off; alwayes, we have had Sea&s;onable and Sufficient Supplyes, after a Surpri&s;ing manner &s;ent in unto us: Let the <HI>Three la&s;t years</HI> in this thing mo&s;t Eminently Proclame the Goodne&s;s of our Heavenly <HI>Shepherd</HI> and <HI>Feeder.</HI> This ha's been the <HI>Help</HI> of our God; <HI>Becau&s;e His Mercy endureth for ever!</HI> The <HI>Angels of <HI>Death,</HI></HI> have often Shot the <HI>Arrows of <HI>Death,</HI></HI> into the mid&s;t of the Town; The <HI>Small Pox,</HI> ha's e&s;pecially <HI>Four Times,</HI> been a <HI>Great Plague</HI> upon us: How often have there been Bills de&s;iring Prayers, for more than an Hundred Sick, on one Day in one of our A&s;&s;emblies? In <HI>One Twelve-Month,</HI> about one <HI>Thou&s;and</HI> of our Neigh|bours, have one way or other been carried unto their long Home: And, yet we are after all, many more than <HI>Seven Thou&s;and</HI> Souls of us, at this Hour, Living on the Spot. Why is not, a, <HI>Lord, have Mercy upon us,</HI> written on the Doors of our Abandon'd Habitations? This hath been the <HI>Help</HI> of our <HI>God;</HI> Becau&s;e <HI>His Mercy endureth for ever.</HI>
<PB N="9" REF="7"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ever was any Town under the Cope of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">eaven, more liable to be laid in <HI>A&s;hes,</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ither through the <HI>Carele&s;ne&s;s,</HI> or through <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e <HI>Wickedne&s;s,</HI> of them that <HI>Sleep</HI> in it. That &s;uch a <HI>Combu&s;tible Heap,</HI> of Contigu|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">us Hou&s;es, yet Stands, it may be called, A <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">tanding Miracle;</HI> It is not, becau&s;e <HI>the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">atch-man keeps the City:</HI> Perhaps there <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ay be too much cau&s;e of <HI>Reflection</HI> in <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hat thing, and of <HI>In&s;pection</HI> too; No, <HI>It from thy Watchful Protection, O Thou keep|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> of</HI> Bo&s;ton, <HI>who neither Slumbers nor Sleeps. <HI>Ten Times</HI></HI> ha's the <HI>Fire</HI> made Notable <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">uines</HI> among us, and our <HI>Good Servant</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">een almo&s;t our <HI>Ma&s;ter:</HI> But the <HI>Ruines</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ave mo&s;tly and quickly been Rebuilt. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;uppo&s;e, That many more than a <HI>Thou|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">nd Hou&s;es</HI> are to be &s;een, on this little <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">iece of Ground, all fill'd with the un|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e&s;erved Favours of God. Whence this <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">re&s;ervation? This hath been the <HI>Help</HI> of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ur <HI>God;</HI> Becau&s;e <HI>His Mercy endureth for <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">er!</HI> But if ever this Town &s;aw a <HI>Year</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> <HI>Salvations,</HI> tran&s;cendently &s;uch was the <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">a&s;t Year</HI> unto us. A Formidable <HI>French <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">quadron,</HI> hath not Shot one Bomb, into <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e mid&s;t of thee, O thou <HI>Munition of Rocks;</HI>
<PB N="10" REF="8"> Our Streets have not Run with Blood, &amp; Gore, and horribly Devouring Flames have not Raged upon our Sub&s;tance Tho&s;e are <HI>Ignorant,</HI> and <HI>Unthinking,</HI> an<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Unthankful</HI> men, who do not own, tha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> we have narrowly E&s;caped as dreadfu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Things, as <HI>Carthagena,</HI> or <HI>Newfoundland</HI> have Suffered. I am &s;ure, our more con+&s;iderate Friends beyond Sea, were very <HI>Su&s;picious,</HI> and well nigh <HI>De&s;pairing,</HI> Tha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Victorious <HI>Enemies</HI> had &s;wallow'd up the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Town. But <HI>thy Soul is E&s;caped, O Bo&s;ton as a Bird out of the Snare of the Fowlers</HI> Or, if you will be In&s;en&s;ible of <HI>This,</HI> Ye <HI>Vain men,</HI> yet be &s;en&s;ible, That an <HI>Engli&s;h Squadron,</HI> hath not brought among us, the Tremendous <HI>Pe&s;tilence,</HI> under which a Neighbouring <HI>Plantation,</HI> hath undergone prodigious De&s;olations. <HI>Bo&s;ton,</HI> 'Tis a marvellous Thing, a <HI>Plague</HI> has not Lai<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> thee De&s;olate! Our Deliverance from ou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Friends,</HI> has been as full of A&s;toni&s;hing <HI>Mercy,</HI> as our Deliverance from our <HI>Foes&punc;</HI> We read of a certain City, in I&s;a. 19.18&punc; called, <HI>The City of De&s;truction.</HI> Why &s;o <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;ome &s;ay, Becau&s;e Delivered from <HI>De&s;tru+ction.</HI> If that be &s;o, Then ha&s;t thou been
<PB N="11" REF="8"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>City of De&s;truction:</HI> Or, I will rather <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">y, <HI>A City of Salvation:</HI> And this, by the <HI>Help</HI> of God; Becau&s;e <HI>His Mercy Endureth <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">or ever.</HI> Shall I go on? I will. We <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ave not had the <HI>Bread of Adver&s;ity</HI> and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">e <HI>Water of Affliction,</HI> Like many other <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">laces. But yet, all this while, <HI>Our Eyes <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ave &s;een our Teachers.</HI> Here are &s;everal <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">olden Candle&s;ticks</HI> in the Town. <HI>Shining <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nd Burning Lights,</HI> have Illuminated them. There are gone to Shine in an <HI>Higher Orb,</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">even Divines that were once the <HI>Stars</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">f this Town, in the Pa&s;toral Charge of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">; be&s;ides many others, that for &s;ome <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ears gave us tran&s;ient Influences. <HI>Church|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"></HI> flouri&s;hing with much Love, and Peace <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nd many <HI>Comforts of the Holy Spirit,</HI> have <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">itherto been our greate&s;t <HI>Glory.</HI> I wi&s;h, That &s;ome &s;ad <HI>Eclip&s;e</HI> do not come e're <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ong upon this <HI>Glory!</HI> The Di&s;pen&s;ations <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">f the <HI>Go&s;pel</HI> were never Enjoy'd by any Town, with more <HI>Liberty</HI> and <HI>Purity,</HI> for <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">o long a while together. Our <HI>Opportuni|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">es</HI> to Draw near unto the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, in His <HI>Ordinances,</HI> cannot be pa|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">allel'd. <HI>Bo&s;ton,</HI> Thou ha&s;t been <HI>Lifted <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">p to Heaven;</HI> There is not a Town up|on
<PB N="12" REF="9"> <HI>Earth,</HI> which on &s;ome Accounts ha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> more to an&s;wer for. Such, O Such, ha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> been our <HI>Help</HI> from our God, Becau&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>His Mercy Endureth for ever.</HI></P>
<P N="2"><HI>II.</HI> Let us Acknowledge, <HI>Who&s;e <HI>Hel<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI></HI> it is, that we have Received, &amp; not <HI>Giv<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> the Glory of our God unto another.</HI> Poorl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Helped</HI> had we been, I may tell you, i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> we had none but <HI>Humane Help,</HI> all thi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> while to depend upon. The Favours o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> our Superiors we Deny not; we Forge<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> not the In&s;truments of our <HI>Help.</HI> Ne+verthele&s;s, this Little <HI>Outca&s;t Zion,</HI> &s;ha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> with my con&s;ent, Engrave the Name o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> no MAN, upon her <HI>Ebenezer!</HI> It was we<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> confe&s;s'd in P&s;al. 108.12. <HI>Vain is the Hel<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> of man!</HI> It was well coun&s;ell'd in P&s;a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> 146.3. <HI>Put not your tru&s;t in Princes, nor i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> the Son of man, in whom there is no Help</HI></P>
<P>Wherefore,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Let <HI>God</HI> in our Lord <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> have the <HI>Glory,</HI> of <HI>Be&s;towing</HI> o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> us, all the <HI>Help,</HI> that we have had. Whe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> the Spirit of God came upon a Servan<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> of His, he cried out unto <HI>David,</HI> in <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Chron. 12.18. <HI>Thy God Helpeth thee.</HI> This
<PB N="13" REF="9"> This is the voice of God, from Heaven <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">o <HI>Bo&s;ton</HI> this Day, <HI>Thy God hath Helped <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hee: Thou ha&s;t by thy Sin de&s;troyed thy &s;elf, but in thy God hath been thy Help.</HI> A Great man, once Building an Edifice, cau&s;ed an <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n&s;cription of this Importance, to be written on the Gates of it, <HI>Such a place <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">lanted me, Such a place watered me, and</HI> Cae&s;ar <HI>gave the Increa&s;e.</HI> One that pa&s;s'd <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">y, with a witty Sarca&s;m, wrote under <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">, <HI>Hi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Deus nihil fecit.</HI> i. e. <HI>God, it &s;eems, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">id nothing for this man.</HI> But the In&s;crip|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ion upon our <HI>Ebenezer,</HI> owning what <HI>Help,</HI> this Town hath had, &s;hall &s;ay, <HI>Our <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">od hath done all that is done!</HI> Say then, O <HI>Helped <HI>Bo&s;ton,</HI></HI> &s;ay as in P&s;al. 121.2. <HI>My Help is from the Lord, which made Heaven and Earth.</HI> Say, as in P&s;al. 94.7. <HI>Unle&s;s the Lord had been my Help, my <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">oul had quickly dwelt in &s;ilence.</HI> And, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">oldly &s;ay, <HI>'Tis only becau&s;e the Lord has <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">en my Helper, that Earth and Hell, have <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ver d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ne all that they would unto me.</HI></P>
<P>Let our Lord JESUS CHRIST, be <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ais'd as our Bl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d <HI>Helper:</HI> That <HI>Stone</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hich the <HI>Fooli&s;h Builders</HI> have <HI>refu&s;ed,</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h! Set up that <HI>Stone;</HI> even, that <HI>H gh
<PB N="14" REF="10"> Rock,</HI> Set Him on High in our prai&s;es, and &s;ay, That, <HI>That is our Ebenezer.</HI> 'Tis our Lord JESUS CHRIST, who in His Infinite Compa&s;&s;ions for the Town, hath &s;aid; as in I&s;a. 63.5. <HI>I Looked, and there was none to Help; Therefore my own Arm hath brought Salvation</HI> unto it. It is fore|told concerning the Idolatrous Roman Catholicks, That together with the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, they &s;hall <HI>Wor&s;hip</HI> other <HI>Ma|uzzim:</HI> that is to &s;ay, other <HI>Protectors.</HI> Ac|cordingly, All their Towns, ordinarily have &s;ingled out their <HI>Protectors,</HI> among the <HI>Saints</HI> of Heaven; &s;uch a <HI>Saint</HI> is En|tituled unto the <HI>Patronage</HI> of &s;uch a Town among them, and &s;uch a <HI>Saint</HI> for ano|ther: Old <HI>Bo&s;ton,</HI> by Name, was but Saint <HI>Botolphs Town.</HI> Whereas, Thou, O <HI>Bo&s;ton,</HI> &s;halt have but one <HI>Pro|tector</HI> in Heaven, and that is, our Lord JESUS CHRIST. Oh! Rejoice in Him alone, &amp; &s;ay, <HI>That Lord is my Fortre&s;s and my Deliverer!</HI> There was a Song once made for a <HI>Town,</HI> which in its Di&s;tre&s;&s;es had been <HI>Helped</HI> wondrou&s;ly; &amp; the Fir&s;t Clau&s;e in that Song, [you have it in I&s;a. 26.1.] may be &s;o rendred, <HI>We have a
<PB N="15" REF="10"> &s;trong Town; Salvation</HI> [or JESUS, the Lord who&s;e Name hath <HI>Salvation in it] Will appoint Walls and Bulwarks.</HI> Truly, What <HI>Helps</HI> we have had, we will Sing, <HI>'Tis our JESUS, that hath appointed them.</HI> The old Pagan Towns, were &s;ometimes mightily &s;olicitous, to conceal the Name of the particular God, that they counted their <HI>Protector, Ne ab ho&s;tibus Evocatus, alio commigraret.</HI> But, I &s;hall be far from do|ing my Town any Damage, by publi&s;h|ing the Name of its <HI>Protecter;</HI> No, Let all Mankind know, That the Name of our <HI>Protector,</HI> is JESUS CHRIST: For, <HI>Among the Gods, there is none like unto thee, O LORD: Nor is any Help like unto thine: And there is no Rock, like to our God.</HI></P>
<P>Yea, When we a&s;cribe the Name of <HI>Helper,</HI> unto our Lord JESUS CHRIST, Let us al&s;o acknowledge, that the Name is not &s;ufficiently Expre&s;&s;ive, Emphatical, and Significant. <HI>Lactantius</HI> of old, bla|med the Heathen, for giving the Highe&s;t of their Gods, no Higher a Title, than that of, <HI>Jupiter,</HI> or, <HI>Juvans Pater,</HI> i. e. An <HI>Helping Father,</HI> and he &s;ays, <HI>Non intelligit Divina Beneficia, qui &s;e a Deo tantummodo
<PB N="16" REF="11"> Juvari putat:</HI> The <HI>Kindne&s;&s;es</HI> of God, are not under&s;tood, by that man, who makes no more than an <HI>Helper</HI> of Him. Such indeed is the penury of our Language, that we cannot coin a more <HI>Expre&s;&s;ive Name.</HI> Neverthele&s;s, when we &s;ay, The Lord JESUS CHRIST hath been our <HI>Helper,</HI> Let us Intend more than we Ex|pre&s;s; <HI>Lord, Thou ha&s;t been All unto us.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly; Let the <HI>Sacrifice</HI> of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, mo&s;t Explici<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ly, have the <HI>Glory</HI> of <HI>Purcha&s;ing</HI> for us all our <HI>Help.</HI> What was it, that procured, an <HI>Ebenezer,</HI> for the People of God? We read, in 2 Sam. 7.9. <HI>Samuel took a Sucking-Lamb, and offered it a Burnt Offering wholly unto the Lord; and Samuel Cryed unto the Lord for I&s;rael, and the Lord Heard him.</HI> Shall I tell you? Our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, is that <HI>Lamb of God;</HI> and he has been a <HI>Lamb Slain as a Sacrifice;</HI> and He is a <HI>Sacrifice</HI> pleadable, not only for <HI>per&s;ons,</HI> but al&s;o for <HI>peoples,</HI> that belong unto Him. To Teach us this Evangelical and Com|fortable <HI>Mystery,</HI> there was, <HI>A Sacrifice for the whole Congregation,</HI> pre&s;cribed in the <HI>Mo&s;aic</HI> Paedagogy. 'Tis notorious, that the <HI>Sins</HI> of this Town, have been many
<PB N="17" REF="11"> Sins, and mighty Sins; The <HI>Cry</HI> thereof hath <HI>gone up to Heaven.</HI> If the Almighty God &s;hould from Heaven Rain down upon the Town, an <HI>horrible Tempest</HI> of Thunderbolts, as He did upon the Cities <HI>which He overthrew in His Anger, and re|pented not,</HI> it would be no more than our Unrepen<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ed Sins de&s;erve. How comes it then to pa&s;s, that we have had &s;o much <HI>Help</HI> from Heaven after all? Truly, The <HI>Sacrifice</HI> of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, has been pleaded for <HI>Bo&s;ton,</HI> and, <HI>Therefore,</HI> &s;ay, <HI>Therefore</HI> it is, that the Town is not made a <HI>Sacrifice</HI> to the Vengeance of God. God &s;ent <HI>Help</HI> to the Town, that was the very <HI>Heart</HI> and <HI>Life</HI> of the Land, that He had a pitty for: But why &s;o? He &s;aid, in I&s;a. 37.35. <HI>I will defend this Town, to Save it, for my Servant Davids &s;ake.</HI> Has this Town been <HI>Defended?</HI> It has been for the &s;ake of the <HI>Beloved</HI> JESUS; Therefore has the Daughter of <HI>Bo&s;ton</HI> &s;ha|ken <HI>her Head</HI> at you, O ye Calamities, that have been Impending over <HI>her Head.</HI> O <HI>Helped,</HI> and Happy Town! Thou ha&s;t had tho&s;e Believers in the mid&s;t of thee, that have pleaded this with the Great
<PB REF="12"> God; <HI>Ah! Lord, Thou ha&s;t been more Ho|noured by the Sufferings of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t than thou coulde&s;t be Honoured by o|verwhelming this Town with all the plagues of thy Just Indignation. If thou wilt Spare, and Feed, and Keep, and Help this poor Town, the Sufferings of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, &s;hall be own'd, as the price of all our Help.</HI> 'Tis <HI>This,</HI> that hath procured us all our <HI>Help:</HI> 'Tis <HI>This</HI> that mu&s;t have all our <HI>prai&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly; Let the Lord be in a &s;pecial manner <HI>Glorified,</HI> for the Mini&s;try of His Good <HI>Angels,</HI> in that <HI>Help</HI> that has been mini&s;tred unto us. A <HI>Jacob</HI> lying <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n a <HI>Stone,</HI> &s;aw the <HI>Angels</HI> of God <HI>Helping</HI> him. We are &s;etting up an <HI>Ebenezer;</HI> but when we Lay our Heads and our Thoughts up|on the <HI>Stone,</HI> Let us then &s;ee, <HI>The Angels of God have Helped us.</HI> When <HI>Macedonia,</HI> was to have &s;ome <HI>Help</HI> from God, an <HI>Angel,</HI> whom the Apo&s;tle, in Acts 16.9. Saw Habited like a <HI>man of Macedonia,</HI> was a mean of its being brought unto them. There is abundant cau&s;e to think, That every Town in which the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t is wor&s;hipped, hath an <HI>Angel</HI> to watch over it. The Primitive Chri&s;tians,
<PB N="19" REF="12"> were per&s;waded from the Scriptures of Truth, to make no Doubt of This, <HI>Quod per Civitates di&s;tributae &s;unt Angelorum prae|fecturoe.</HI> When the Capital Town of <HI>Ju|daea,</HI> was re&s;cued from an Inva&s;ion, we read in 2 King. 19.35. <HI>The Angel of the Lord WENT OUT, and &s;mote the Camp of the A&s;&s;yrians.</HI> It &s;hould &s;eem, There was an <HI>Angel,</HI> which did Re&s;ide in, and Prae|&s;ide over the Town, who <HI>went out</HI> for that amazing Exploit. And is it not Likely, That <HI>the Angel of the Lord WENT OUT, for to &s;mite the Fleet of the A&s;&s;yrians,</HI> with a Sickne&s;s, which the La&s;t Summer hindred their Invading of this Town? <HI>The Angel of</HI> BOSTON, was concerned for it! Why have not the <HI>De&s;troyers</HI> broke in upon us, to prey upon us, with &s;ore <HI>De&s;truction?</HI> 'Tis becau&s;e we have had, <HI>A Wall of Fire</HI> about us; that is to &s;ay, A Guard of <HI>Angels,</HI> tho&s;e <HI>Flames</HI> of <HI>Fire,</HI> have been as a <HI>Wall</HI> unto us. It was an <HI>Angel,</HI> that <HI>Help'd</HI> a <HI>Daniel,</HI> when the <HI>Li|ons</HI> would el&s;e have &s;wallowed him up. It was an <HI>Angel,</HI> that <HI>Help'd</HI> a <HI>Lot,</HI> out of the Fires that were coming to Con&s;ume his Habitation. It was an <HI>Angel,</HI> that
<PB N="20" REF="13"> <HI>Help'd</HI> an <HI>Elias</HI> to <HI>Meat,</HI> when he wanted it. They were <HI>Ang<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters">,</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hat <HI>Help'd</HI> the whole Pe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> of God, in <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">he Wilderne&s;s, to their <HI>Daily Bread:</HI> Their <HI>Manna,</HI> was <HI>Angels Food</HI> And is it nothing, that &s;uch <HI>Angels</HI> have done for this Town, Think you? Oh! Think not &s;o. Indeed, If we &s;hould go to Thank the <HI>Angels</HI> for doing the&s;e things, They would zealou&s;ly &s;ay, <HI>See thou do it not!</HI> But if we Thank Their Lord, and ours, for His Employing Them to Do the&s;e things, it will exceedingly grati|fie them. Wherefore, <HI>Ble&s;s ye the Lord, ye his Angels; And Ble&s;s the Lord,</HI> O my Town, for the&s;e <HI>His Angels!</HI></P>
<P N="3"><HI>III.</HI> Let the <HI>Help</HI> which we have <HI>Hi|therto</HI> had from our God, Encourage us to <HI>Hope</HI> in Him, for <HI>More Help</HI> Hereafter, <HI>as the Matter may Require.</HI> The <HI>Help</HI> that God had given to His People, of old was Commemorated, as with <HI>Monumental Pil|lars,</HI> conveying down the Remembrance of it, unto their Children. And what for? We are told, in P&s;al. 78.7. <HI>That they might &s;et their Hope in God, and not Forget the Works of God.</HI> I am not willing to &s;ay,
<PB N="21" REF="13"> How much this Town may be Threaten|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d, even with an <HI>Utter Extirpation.</HI> But <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">his I will &s;ay, The <HI>Motto</HI> upon all out <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">benezers</HI> is, <HI>Hope in God! Hope in God!</HI> The <HI>U&s;e</HI> of the <HI>Former Help</HI> that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e have had from God, &s;hould be an <HI>Hope</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">or <HI>Future Help,</HI> from Him that is, <HI>A Pre|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nt Help in the Time of Trouble.</HI> As in the Three Fir&s;t Ver&s;es of the <HI>Eighty Fifth</HI> P&s;alm, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ix times over there occurs, <HI>Thou ha&s;t, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hou ha&s;t:</HI> all to u&s;her in this; <HI>Therefore <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hou WILT &s;till do &s;o.</HI> O Let our <HI>Faith</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">roceed in that way of Arguing, in 2 Cor. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.10. <HI>The Lord hath Delivered, and He doth Deliver, and in Him we Tru&s;t, that He will <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ill Deliver.</HI> We are to Day Writing, <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">itherto the Lord hath Helped us;</HI> Let us <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rite under it, <HI>And we hope, the Lord ha's <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ore Help for us, in the Time of Need!</HI> It <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ay be, &s;ome are purpo&s;ing Suddenly and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">a&s;tily to <HI>Leave</HI> the Town, through their <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ars of the Straits that may come upon</P>
<P>But I would not have you be too <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">udden and Ha&s;ty in your purpo&s;es, as <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">o many have been, unto their <HI>After|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">orrow.</HI> There was a Time when People <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ere &s;o Di&s;couraged about a <HI>Sub&s;i&s;tence</HI> in
<PB N="22" REF="14"> the principal Town of the Jews, that the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> talk'd of plucking up Stakes, and flying a+way; but the Mini&s;ter of God came to them, [And &s;o do I to you, this Day! <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Saying, in I&s;a. 30.7. <HI>I Cried concerning This, Their Strength is to Sit Sill! Bo&s;ton</HI> was no &s;ooner come to &s;ome <HI>Con&s;i&s;tenc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> Three&s;core years ago, but the People found them&s;elves plunged into a &s;ad <HI>Non plus</HI> what way to take for a <HI>Sub&s;i&s;tence.</HI> God then immediately put them into a way&punc; and, <HI>Hitherto the Lord ha's Helped us!</HI> The Town is at this Day full of <HI>Widows</HI> and <HI>Orphans,</HI> and a multitude of them, are very <HI>Helple&s;s</HI> Creatures. I am A&s;toni&s;h'd, How they Live! In that Church, whereof <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> am the Servant, I have counted, The <HI>Widows</HI> make about a <HI>Sixth Part</HI> of our Communicants, and, no doubt, in the whole Town, the proportion differs no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> very much. Now, &s;tand &s;till, my Friends and Behold, the <HI>Help</HI> of God! Were any of the&s;e ever <HI>Starved</HI> yet? No, The&s;e <HI>Widows</HI> are every one in &s;ome &s;ort pro|vided for. And let me tell you, Ye Hand-Maids of the Lord, You &s;hall be <HI>Still</HI> pro+vided for! The Lord, who&s;e <HI>Family</HI> you
<PB N="23" REF="14"> belong unto, will conveniently and won|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">erfully provide for you; if you &s;ay, and Oh! Say! of Him, <HI>The Lord is my Helper, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> will not Fear!</HI></P>
<P>What &s;hall I &s;ay? When <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> was <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">eady to faint, in his <HI>Prayers</HI> for his Peo|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">le, we read, in Exod. 17.12. <HI>They took a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">tone and put it under him</HI> Chri&s;tians, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">here are &s;ome of you, who abound in <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rayers,</HI> that the <HI>Help</HI> of God may be <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ranted unto the Town; the Town is <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">uch upheld by tho&s;e <HI>Prayers</HI> of yours. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ow, that you may not faint in your <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rayers,</HI> I bring you a <HI>Stone:</HI> The <HI>Stone,</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s our <HI>Ebenezer;</HI> or, the Relation of the <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">elp</HI> that <HI>hitherto</HI> the Lord hath given us.</P>
<P N="4"><HI>IV.</HI> Let all that bear <HI>Publick Office</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> the Town, Contribute all the <HI>Help</HI> they <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n, that may continue the <HI>Help</HI> of God <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nto us. <HI>Au&s;tin,</HI> in his <HI>Confe&s;&s;ions,</HI> gives <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hanks to God, That when he was an <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">elple&s;s Infant,</HI> he had a <HI>Nur&s;e</HI> to <HI>Help</HI> him, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> one that was both Able &amp; Willing to <HI>Help</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">m. Infant-<HI>Bo&s;ton,</HI> Thou ha&s;t tho&s;e, whom <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e Bible calls, <HI>Nur&s;ing-Fathers.</HI> Oh, Be not <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">oward,</HI> as thou art, in thy Treating of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">y <HI>Nur&s;es;</HI> but give Thanks to God for
<PB N="24" REF="15"> them. I Forget my &s;elf; 'Tis with the <HI>Fathers</HI> them&s;elves, that I am concerned.</P>
<P>When it was demanded of <HI>Demo&s;thenes,</HI> what it was, that &s;o long Pre&s;erved <HI>Athens</HI> in a flouri&s;hing State, he made this an&s;wer, <HI>The Orators are men of Learning &amp; Wi&s;dom; the Magi&s;trates do Justice, the Citizens love Quiet, and the Laws are kept among them all.</HI> May <HI>Bo&s;ton</HI> flouri&s;h in &s;uch happy Order!</P>
<P>And fir&s;t, You may a&s;&s;ure your&s;elves, That the <HI>Mini&s;ters</HI> of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t among you will be <HI>Joyful</HI> to ap|prove them&s;elves, as the Book of God has called them, <HI>The Helpers of your Joy.</HI> O our dear <HI>Flocks;</HI> we owe you our <HI>All;</HI> All our <HI>Love,</HI> all our <HI>Strength,</HI> 'all our <HI>Time;</HI> We, <HI>Watch for you, as tho&s;e that mu&s;t give an Account:</HI> And I am very much mi&s;taken, if we are not willing to <HI>Dy</HI> for you too, if called unto it. If our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t &s;hould &s;ay, to us, <HI>My Servant, if you'l Dy to Night, you &s;hall have this Reward; The People that you Preach to, &s;hall be all Converted unto me.</HI> I think, We &s;hould with Triumphi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">g Souls Reply, <HI>Ah! Lord, Then I'l Dy with all my Heart.</HI> Syrs, we &s;hould go away <HI>Rejoycing with Joy un&s;peakable &amp;
<PB N="25" REF="15"> full of Glory.</HI> I am &s;atisfied, That the mo&s;t Furious and Foul mouth'd Reviler, that God may give any of us, to be <HI>Buf|feted</HI> withal, if he will but come to &s;o|ber Thoughts, he will &s;ay, That there is not any <HI>One man</HI> in the Town, but the <HI>Mini&s;ters</HI> wi&s;h that man as well as they do their own Souls, and would gladly Serve that man by Day or by Night, in any thing that it were po&s;&s;ible to do for him. Wherefore, O our Beloved People, I be&s;eech you, Leave off, Leave off, to Throw <HI>Stones</HI> at your <HI>Ebenezers.</HI> In&s;tead of <HI>That, Pray for us,</HI> and <HI>Strive together with us, in your Prayers to God for us.</HI> Then with the <HI>Help</HI> of Chri&s;t, we'l promi&s;e you; We will &s;et our &s;elves to ob&s;erve what <HI>Special Truths</HI> may be mo&s;t needful to be Inculcated upon you, and we will Inculcate them. We will &s;et our &s;elves to ob&s;erve the <HI>Temptations</HI> that be&s;et you, the <HI>Afflictions</HI> that a&s;&s;ault you, and the <HI>Duties</HI> that are incumbent on you, and we will accommodate our &s;elves unto them. We will &s;et our &s;elves to ob&s;erve, what Souls among you, do call for our m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">re <HI>particular Addre&s;&s;es,</HI> and we will Ad|dre&s;s
<PB N="26" REF="16"> them faithfully, and even <HI>Travail in Birth</HI> for them. Nor will we give over <HI>Praying,</HI> and <HI>Fasting,</HI> and <HI>Crying</HI> to our Great LORD for you, until we Dy. Whatever other <HI>Helpers</HI> the Town En|joyes, they &s;hall have that convenience, in Ezra. 5.2. <HI>With them were the Prophets of God, Helping them.</HI> Well then, Let the re&s;t of our Worthy <HI>Helpers,</HI> Lend an <HI>Hel|ping</HI> Hand, for the promoting of tho&s;e things, wherein the Weal of the Town is wrapped up! When the <HI>Jews</HI> thought that a <HI>Defiling</HI> Thing was breaking in a|mong them, in Acts 21.28. <HI>They cried out, Men of I&s;rael, Help.</HI> Truly, there is cau&s;e to make that Cry, <HI>Men of Bo&s;ton, Help!</HI> for Ignorance, and Prophane&s;s, and Bad Living, and the wor&s;t things in the World, are breaking in upon us.</P>
<P>And now, Will the JUSTICES of the Town, &s;et them&s;elves to con&s;ider, <HI>How they may Help to Suppre&s;s all growing Vices among us?</HI></P>
<P>Will the CONSTABLES of the Town, &s;et them&s;elves to con&s;ider, <HI>How they may Help to prevent all Evil Orders among us?</HI></P>
<P>There are &s;ome who have the Eye of
<PB N="27" REF="16"> the <HI>Town</HI> &s;o much upon them, that the very Name of, TOWNS-MEN, is that by which they are di&s;tingui&s;hed. Syrs, Will <HI>You</HI> al&s;o con&s;ider, <HI>How to Help the Affairs of the Town, &s;o as that all Things may go well among us?</HI></P>
<P>Moreover, may not SCHOOL<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">MAS|TERS, do much to in&s;til Principles of <HI>Religion,</HI> and <HI>Civility,</HI> as well as other points of good Education into the Chil|dren of the <HI>Town?</HI> Only Let the <HI>Town</HI> well Encourage its Well De&s;erving <HI>School-Ma&s;ters.</HI></P>
<P>There are &s;ome other <HI>Officers;</HI> But concerning <HI>All,</HI> there are the&s;e Two Things to be De&s;ired. Fir&s;t, It is to be De&s;ired, That &s;uch <HI>Officers</HI> as are <HI>Cho&s;en</HI> among us, may be Cho&s;en in the <HI>Fear of God.</HI> May none but <HI>Pious,</HI> and <HI>Prudent</HI> men, and &s;uch as <HI>Love</HI> the Town, be Cho&s;en to Serve it. And, Secondly, It is to be De&s;ired, That <HI>Officers</HI> of &s;everal &s;orts, would often come together, for <HI>Con|&s;ultation.</HI> Each of the &s;orts by them&s;elves, may they often come together, to Con|&s;ult, <HI>What &s;hall we do to Serve the Town, in tho&s;e Intere&s;ts which are committed unto
<PB N="8" REF="17"> our Charge.</HI> Oh! What a Deplorable Thing, will it be, for per&s;ons to be En|tru&s;ted with <HI>Talents,</HI> [your Opportunities to Serve the <HI>Town,</HI> are &s;o many <HI>Talents!</HI>] and they never &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;ider, <HI>What Good &s;hall I do, with my Talents, in the place where God hath Station'd me?</HI></P>
<P>And, Will the REPRESENTATIVES of the Town, be con&s;idered among the re&s;t, as Entru&s;ted with &s;ome &s;ingular Ad|vantages for our <HI>Help!</HI> The <HI>Lord give you under&s;tanding in all Things.</HI></P>
<P N="5"><HI>V.</HI> God <HI>Help</HI> the Town, to manife&s;t all that <HI>Piety,</HI> which a Town &s;o <HI>Helped</HI> of Him, is oblig'd unto! When the People of God, had been carried, by His <HI>Help,</HI> through their Difficulties, they &s;et up <HI>Stones,</HI> to keep in mind how He had <HI>Help|ed</HI> them: And &s;omething was written on the <HI>Stones:</HI> But what was written! See; Jo&s;h. 8.32. <HI>Jo&s;hua wrote upon the Stones, a Copy of the Law.</HI> Truly, upon tho&s;e <HI>Ebenezers,</HI> which we &s;et up, we &s;hould write the <HI>Law</HI> of our God, and Recognize the Obligati|ons which the <HI>Help</HI> of our God, ha's laid upon us to keep it.</P>
<PB N="29" REF="17">
<P>We are a very Unpardonable Town, if after all the <HI>Help</HI> which our God ha's given us, we do not ingenuou&s;ly Enquire, <HI>What &s;hall we Render to the Lord, for all His Be|nefits?</HI> Render! Oh! Let us our &s;elves thus an&s;wer the Enquiry; <HI>Lord, we will Render all po&s;&s;ible, and Filia<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> Obedience unto thee, becau&s;e Hitherto thou ha&s;t Helped us: Only do thou al&s;o Help us, to Render that Obe|dience!</HI> Mark what I &s;ay; If there be &s;o much as one <HI>Prayerle&s;s Hou&s;e</HI> in &s;uch a <HI>Town</HI> as this, 'tis Inexcu&s;able! How Inexcu&s;able then, will be all <HI>Flagitious Outrages?</HI> There was a Town, [T'was the Town of <HI>Sodom!</HI>] that had been wonderfully Saved out of the Hands of their Enemies. But after the <HI>Help</HI> that God &s;ent unto them, the Town went on to Sin again&s;t God, in very prodigious In&s;tances. At la&s;t, a provoked God &s;ent a <HI>Fire</HI> upon the Town, that made it an Eternal De&s;olation. Ah, <HI>Bo&s;ton,</HI> Beware, Beware, left the Sins of <HI>Sodom</HI> get Footing in thee! And what were the Sins of <HI>Sodom?</HI> We find in Ezek. 16.49. <HI>Be|hold, This was the Iniquity of Sodom; Pride, Fulne&s;s of Bread, and Abundance of Idlene&s;s was in her; Neither did &s;he Strengthen the
<PB N="30" REF="18"> Hand of the Poor and the Needy;</HI> There was much Oppre&s;&s;ion there. If you know of any <HI>Scandalous Di&s;orders</HI> in the Town, do all you can, to Suppre&s;s them, and Redre&s;s them: And let not tho&s;e that &s;end their Sons hither from other parts of the world, for to be improved in <HI>Virtue,</HI> have cau&s;e to Complain, <HI>That after they came to</HI> Bo&s;ton, <HI>they lost, what little Vertue was before Bud|ding in them: That in</HI> Bo&s;ton <HI>they grew more Debauched &amp; more Malignant than ever they were before!</HI> It was noted concerning the famous Town of <HI>Port Royal</HI> in <HI>Jamaica,</HI> which you know, was t'other Day Swal|low'd up, in a Stupendous <HI>Earthquake,</HI> that ju&s;t before the <HI>Earthquake</HI> the People were Violently and Scandalou&s;ly &s;et upon going to <HI>Fortune-Tellers</HI> upon all Occa&s;ions: much Notice was taken of this <HI>Impiety,</HI> generally prevailing among the People: but none of tho&s;e Wretched <HI>Fortune-Tellers</HI> could Fore&s;ee, or Fore&s;tal the direful <HI>Cata&s;trophe.</HI> I have heard, That there are <HI>Fortune-Tellers</HI> in this Town, &s;ometimes con&s;ulted by &s;ome of the Sinful Inhabitants. I wi&s;h the Town could be made too Hot for the&s;e <HI>Dangerous Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ors.</HI> I am &s;ure, the
<PB N="31" REF="18"> pre&s;ervation of the Town, from horren|dous <HI>Earthquakes,</HI> is one thing that be&s;peaks, our, <HI>Ebenezers;</HI> 'Tis from the Merciful <HI>Help</HI> of our God unto us. But, Beware, I be&s;eech you, of tho&s;e <HI>Provoking Evils</HI> that may Expo&s;e us to a Plague, Exceeding all that are in the Catalogue of the <HI>Twenty Eighth of Deuteronomy.</HI> Let me go on, to &s;ay; What? Shall there be any <HI>Bawdy-Hou&s;es</HI> in &s;uch a Town as This! It may be, the Neighbours, that could Smoke 'em, and Rout'em, if they would, are loth to Stir, for fear of being reputed <HI>Ill Neighbours.</HI> But, I &s;ay unto you, That you are <HI>Ill Neigh|bours,</HI> becau&s;e you do it not: All the Neigh|bours are like to have their Children and Servants poi&s;oned, and their Dwellings laid in A&s;hes, becau&s;e you do it not! And, Oh! that the <HI>Drinking-Hou&s;es</HI> in the Town, might once come under a laudable <HI>Regulation.</HI> The Town ha's an <HI>Enormous Number</HI> of them! Will the <HI>Haunters</HI> of tho&s;e <HI>Hou&s;es,</HI> hear the Coun&s;ils of Heaven? For <HI>You</HI> that are the <HI>Town Dwellers,</HI> to be oft, or long in your <HI>Vi&s;its</HI> of the <HI>Ordi|nary,</HI> 'twill certainly Expo&s;e you to Mi&s;|chie&s;s more than ordinary. I have &s;een
<PB N="32" REF="19"> certain <HI>Taverns,</HI> where the Pictures of horrible <HI>Devourers</HI> were hang'd out for the <HI>Signs;</HI> and thought I, 'twere well, if &s;uch <HI>Signs</HI> were not &s;ometimes too too <HI>Significant!</HI> Alas, men have their E&s;tates <HI>Devoured,</HI> their Names <HI>Devoured,</HI> their Hours <HI>Devoured,</HI> and their very Souls <HI>De|voured,</HI> when they are &s;o be&s;otted, that they are not in their Element, except they be Tipling at &s;uch Hou&s;es. When once a man is Bewitched, with the <HI>Ordinary,</HI> what u&s;ually becomes of him? He is a <HI>gone man;</HI> And when he comes to Dy, he'l cry out, as many have done, <HI>Ale ho<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">|&s;es are Hell-Hou&s;es! Ale-hou&s;es are Hell hou|&s;es!</HI> But Let the <HI>Owners</HI> of tho&s;e <HI>Hou&s;es,</HI> al&s;o now hear our Coun&s;ils. <HI>Oh! Hear|ken to me, that God may Hearken to you a|nother Day!</HI> It is an <HI>Hone&s;t,</HI> and a <HI>Lawful,</HI> tho' it be not a very <HI>De&s;ireable,</HI> Employ|ment, that you have undertaken: You may <HI>Glorifie</HI> the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t in your Employment, if you will, and Benefit the Town con&s;iderably. There was a very Godly man, that was an <HI>Inn-keeper;</HI> and a Great Mini&s;ter of God, could &s;ay to that man, in 3 Joh. 2. <HI>Thy Soul pro&s;pereth.</HI> O
<PB N="33" REF="19"> Let it not be &s;aid of you, &s;ince you are fallen into this Employment, <HI>Thy Soul wi|thereth!</HI> It is thus, with too many: E&s;pe|cially, when they that get a <HI>Licen&s;e</HI> per|haps to Sell Drink out of Doors, do &s;tretch their <HI>Licen&s;e</HI> to Sell within Doors. Tho&s;e <HI>Private Hou&s;es,</HI> when once a Profe&s;&s;or of the Go&s;pel, comes to <HI>Steal</HI> a Living out of them, it commonly praecipitates them, into abundance of wretchedne&s;s and con|fu&s;ion. But, I pray God, a&s;&s;i&s;t you that keep <HI>Ordinaries,</HI> to keep the <HI>Commandments</HI> of God, in them. There was an <HI>Inn</HI> at <HI>Bethlehem;</HI> where the Lord JESUS CHRIST was to be met withal. Can <HI>Bo&s;ton</HI> boa&s;t of many &s;uch? Alas, Too or|dinarily it may be &s;aid, <HI>There is no Room for Him in the Inn!</HI> My Friends, Let me beg it of you; Bani&s;h <HI>the unfruitful works of Darkne&s;s</HI> from your <HI>Hou&s;es,</HI> and then the <HI>Sun of Righteou&s;ne&s;s</HI> will &s;hine upon them. Don't countenance <HI>Drunkenne&s;s, Revelling,</HI> &amp; <HI>Mi&s;pending</HI> of precious Time in your Hou&s;es: Let none have the <HI>Snares of Death</HI> Laid for them in your Hou&s;es. You'l &s;ay, <HI>I &s;hall Starve then!</HI> I &s;ay, <HI>Bet|ter Starve than Sin.</HI> But you, <HI>&s;hall not.</HI>
<PB N="34" REF="20"> It is the Word of the Mo&s;t High, <HI>Tru&s;t in the Lord, and do Good, and verily thou &s;halt be Fed.</HI> And is not <HI>Peace of Con&s;cience,</HI> with a <HI>Little,</HI> better than tho&s;e <HI>Riches,</HI> that will &s;hortly melt away, and then run Like Scalding Metal down the very Bow|els of thy Soul!</P>
<P>What &s;hall I &s;ay more? There is one Article of <HI>Piety</HI> more to be Recommend|ed unto us all; and it is an Article, which all <HI>Piety</HI> does exceedingly Turn upon. That is, <HI>The Sanctification of the Lords Day.</HI> Some very Judicious Per&s;ons, have ob&s;er|ved, That as <HI>they Sanctified the Lords Day, Remi&s;ly or Carefully, ju&s;t &s;o, their Affayrs u&s;ually pro&s;pered all the En&s;uing Week.</HI> Sirs, You cannot more con&s;ult the Pro&s;perity of the Town, in all its Affayrs, than by Endeavouring that the <HI>Lords Day</HI> may be Exemplarily <HI>Sanctifyed.</HI> When People about <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> took too much Liberty on the <HI>Sabbath,</HI> the Ruler of the Town <HI>Con|tended</HI> with them, and &s;aid, <HI>Ye bring wrath upon I&s;rael by prophaning the Sabbath</HI> I fear, I fear, There are many among us, to whom it may be &s;aid, <HI>Ye bring wrath upon</HI> Bo&s;ton, <HI>by prophaning the Sabbath.</HI> And what
<PB N="35" REF="20"> <HI>Wrath? Ah Lord, prevent it!</HI> But there is an awful Sentence in Jer. 17.27. <HI>If ye will not Hearken unto me, to Sanctify the Sabbath-Day, then will I kindle a Fire</HI> on the Town, <HI>and it &s;hall Devour, and &s;hall not be Quenched.</HI></P>
<P>Finally, Let the <HI>Piety</HI> of the Town ma|nife&s;t it &s;elf, in a due Regard unto the <HI>In&s;titutions</HI> of Him, who&s;e <HI>Help</HI> ha's <HI>Hitherto</HI> been a <HI>Shield</HI> unto us. Let the <HI>Ark</HI> be in the Town, and God will <HI>Ble&s;s</HI> the Town! I believe, it may be found, That in the <HI>Mortal Scourges</HI> of Heaven, which this Town ha's felt, there ha's been a <HI>Di&s;cernable Di&s;tinction,</HI> of tho&s;e that have come up to Attend all the <HI>Ordinances</HI> of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, in the Communion of His <HI>Churches.</HI> Though the&s;e have had, as 'tis fit they &s;hould, a Share, in the <HI>Com|mon Deaths,</HI> yet the <HI>De&s;troying Angel,</HI> ha's not had &s;o great a proportion of the&s;e in his Commi&s;&s;ion, as he ha's had of others. Whether <HI>This</HI> be &s;o, or no; To Uphold, and Support, and Attend the <HI>Ordinances</HI> of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t in <HI>Reforming Churches,</HI> This will Entitle the Town to the <HI>Help</HI> of Heaven; for, <HI>Upon the Glory, there &s;hall be a Defence!</HI> There were the Victorious
<PB N="36" REF="21"> Forces of <HI>Alexander,</HI> that in going back|ward and foreward, pa&s;s'd by <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> without Hurting it. Why &s;o? &s;aid the Lord, in Zech 9.8. <HI>I will Encamp about my Hou&s;e, becau&s;e of the Army.</HI> If our God have an <HI>Hou&s;e</HI> here, He'l Encamp about it. <HI>Nazianzen,</HI> a famous Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;|pel, taking his Farewel of <HI>Con&s;tantinople,</HI> an old man, that had &s;at under his Mini&s;try, cryed out, <HI>Oh! my Father, Don't you dare to go away, you'l carry the whole Trinity with you!</HI> How much more, may it be cryed out, <HI>If we Loo&s;e or Sleight, the Ordinances of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, we Foregoe the Help of all the Trinity with them!</HI></P>
<P N="6"><HI>VI.</HI> Extraordinary <HI>Equity</HI> &amp; <HI>Charity,</HI> as well as <HI>Piety</HI> well becomes a Town, that hath been by the <HI>Help</HI> of God &s;o Extra|ordinarily &s;ignalized. A Town marvel|lou&s;ly <HI>Helped</HI> by God, has This Foretold concerning it, in I&s;a. 1 26. <HI>Afterward thou &s;halt be called, The City of Righteou&s;ne&s;s, The Faithful City.</HI> M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ie <HI>E<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">en<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">zer,</HI> of this Town, rende<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> it, <HI>A Town of Equity,</HI> and, <HI>A <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> of Charity!</HI> Oh! There &s;hould be <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> <HI>Fair <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters">lings</HI> in a Town, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">
<PB N="35" REF="21"> with Heaven ha's Dealt &s;o Favourably. Let us <HI>Deal Fairly</HI> in <HI>Bargains; Deal Fairly</HI> in <HI>Taxes; Deal Fairly</HI> in paying Re|&s;pects to &s;uch as have been <HI>Benefactors</HI> unto the Town. 'Tis but <HI>Equity,</HI> that they, who have been <HI>Old Standers</HI> in the Town, and both with <HI>Per&s;on</HI> and <HI>E&s;tate</HI> Served the Town unto the utmo&s;t for many years together, &s;hould on all Proper Occa&s;ions be con&s;idered. For <HI>Charity,</HI> I may indeed &s;peak it without Flattery, this Town has not many Equals on the Face of the Earth. Our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t from Heaven, wrote, unto the good people of a Town, in the Le&s;|&s;er <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> [Rev. 2.19.] <HI>I know thy works, and Charity.</HI> From that Ble&s;&s;ed Lord, I may venture to bring that Me&s;&s;age unto the Good people of this Town; <HI>The Glo|rious Lord of Heaven, knows thy works,</HI> O Bo&s;ton, <HI>and all thy Charity.</HI> This is a <HI>poor</HI> Town; and yet it may be &s;aid of the <HI>Bo&s;tonians,</HI> as it was of the <HI>Macedonians&punc; Their Deep poverty hath abounded unto the Riches of their Liberality.</HI> O ye Bountiful people of God, All your <HI>Daily Bounties</HI> to the Needy, All your <HI>Sub&s;criptions</HI> to
<PB N="36" REF="22"> Send the <HI>Bread of Life</HI> abroad unto places that are peri&s;hing in Wickedne&s;s, All your <HI>Collections</HI> in your A&s;&s;emblies as of|ten as they are called for; <HI>All the&s;e Alms are come up for a Memorial before God!</HI> The Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t in Heaven hath Beheld your <HI>Helpfulne&s;s,</HI> and <HI>Readine&s;s to every good Work;</HI> and He hath Requited it, with His <HI>Helpful Ebenezers.</HI> It was &s;aid, in I&s;a. 32.8. <HI>The Liberal Devi&s;eth Liberal Things, and by Liberal Things he &s;hall &s;tand.</HI> There are &s;ome in this Town, that are always <HI>Devi|&s;ing Liberal Things,</HI> and our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, Lets the Town <HI>Stand</HI> for the &s;ake of tho&s;e! In&s;tead of <HI>Exhorting</HI> you, to <HI>Augment</HI> your <HI>Charity,</HI> I will rather utter an <HI>Exhortation,</HI> or at Lea&s;t, a <HI>Supplication,</HI> that you may not <HI>Abu&s;e</HI> your <HI>Charity,</HI> by mi&s;applying of it. I remember, I have Read, That an Inhabitant of the City <HI>Pi&s;a,</HI> being asked, Why their Town &s;o went, as it then did, unto Decay, he fetch|ed a deep &s;igh, and &s;aid, <HI>Our young men are too prodigal, our old men are too Affecti|onate, and we have no puni&s;hment for tho&s;e that &s;pend their years in Idlene&s;s.</HI> Ah, The la&s;t &s;troak of that complaint, I mu&s;t here
<PB N="37" REF="22"> Sigh it over again. <HI>Idlene&s;s,</HI> alas, <HI>Idlene&s;s,</HI> increa&s;es in the Town exceedingly: <HI>Idle|ne&s;s,</HI> of which there never came any <HI>Goodne&s;s; Idlene&s;s,</HI> which is a <HI>Reproach to any people. We</HI> work hard, all Summer, and the <HI>Drones</HI> count them&s;elves wrong'd, if they have it not in the Winter divided among them. The <HI>Poor</HI> that can't <HI>Work,</HI> are Objects for your <HI>Liberality.</HI> But the <HI>Poor,</HI> that can <HI>Work</HI> and won't, the be&s;t <HI>Liberality</HI> to them, is to <HI>make</HI> them. I be&s;eech you, Syrs, Find out a method quickly, That the <HI>Idle per&s;ons</HI> in the Town, may Earn their <HI>Bread;</HI> It were the be&s;t piece of <HI>Charity,</HI> that could be &s;hown un|to them, and <HI>Equity,</HI> unto us all. Our <HI>Beggars,</HI> do &s;hamefully grow upon us, and &s;uch <HI>Beggars</HI> too, as our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t Him&s;elf hath Expre&s;ly forbidden us to countenance. I have Read a printed Sermon, which was Preached before <HI>Both Hou&s;es of Parliament,</HI> the <HI>Lord Mayor and Aldermen</HI> of <HI>London,</HI> and the <HI>A&s;&s;embly of Divines;</HI> the Greate&s;t Audience then in the World: And in that Sermon, the Preacher had this pa&s;&s;age; <HI>I have Lived in a Countrey, where, in &s;even years, I never
<PB N="38" REF="23"> &s;aw a Beggar, nor heard an Oath, nor look'd upon a Drunkard.</HI> Shall I tell you where that <HI>Utopia</HI> was? 'Twas NEW-ENG|LAND! But they that go from hence, mu&s;t now tell another Story.</P>
<P N="7"><HI>VII.</HI> May the <HI>Changes,</HI> and e&s;pecially the <HI>Iudgments,</HI> that have come upon the Town, direct us, what <HI>Help</HI> to petiti|on from the <HI>God of our Salvations.</HI> The <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> had formerly &s;een <HI>di&s;mal Things,</HI> where they now &s;et up their <HI>Ebenezer:</HI> The <HI>Phili&s;tines</HI> had no le&s;s than Twice beaten them there, and there taken from them the <HI>Ark</HI> of God. Now we are &s;etting up our <HI>Ebenezer,</HI> Let us a little call to mind &s;ome <HI>Di&s;mal Things</HI> that we have &s;een; the <HI>Ebenezer</HI> will go up the better for it.</P>
<P>We read, in 1 Sam. 6.18. concerning, <HI>The Great Stone of Abel.</HI> Some &s;ay, That <HI>Adam</HI> Erected that <HI>Stone,</HI> as a <HI>Grave stone</HI> for his <HI>Abel,</HI> and wrote that Epi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">aph upon it, <HI>Here was poured out the Blood of the Righ|teous ABEL.</HI> I know nothing of <HI>This,</HI> The Names, I know, differ in the Origi|nal; But as we may Erect many a <HI>Stone</HI>
<PB N="39" REF="23"> for an <HI>Ebenezer,</HI> &s;o, we may Erect many a <HI>Great Stone of ABEL,</HI> that is to &s;ay, We may write, MOURNING and SOR|ROW, upon the Condition of the Town in various Examples. Now, from the <HI>Stones</HI> of <HI>Abel,</HI> we will a little gather what we &s;hould wi&s;h to write upon the <HI>Stones</HI> of our <HI>Ebenezer.</HI></P>
<P>What <HI>Changes</HI> have we &s;een, in point of <HI>Religion?</HI> It was Noted by <HI>Luther, He could never &s;ee Good order in the Church, last more than Fifteen years together in the Purity of it.</HI> Ble&s;&s;ed be God, <HI>Religion</HI> hath here flouri&s;hed in the <HI>Purity</HI> of it, for more than <HI>Fifteen years together.</HI> But, certainly, the <HI>Power of Godline&s;s</HI> is now grievou&s;ly decay'd among us. As the Prophet of old Excla|med, in Joel 1.2. <HI>Hear this, ye old men, and give Ear, ye Inhabitants; Ha's this been in your Dayes:</HI> Thus may I &s;ay, <HI>Hear this, ye old men, that are the Inhabitants of the Town:</HI> Can't you Remember, that <HI>in your Dayes,</HI> a Prayerful, a Watchful, a Fruitful Chri&s;ti|an, and a well Governed Family, was a more common Sight, than it is now in <HI>our Dayes?</HI> Can't you Remember, that <HI>in your Dayes,</HI> tho&s;e Abominable Things did not
<PB N="40" REF="24"> <HI>Show their Heads,</HI> that are now <HI>Bare-faced</HI> among us? Here then is a Petition to be made unto our God; <HI>Lord, Help us to Re|member whence we are Fallen, and to Repent, and to Do the First Works.</HI></P>
<P>Again; What <HI>Changes</HI> have we &s;een, in point of <HI>Mortality?</HI> By <HI>Mortality,</HI> al|mo&s;t all the <HI>Old Race</HI> of our <HI>Fir&s;t Planters</HI> here, are carryed off; the <HI>Old Stock,</HI> is in a manner Expired. We &s;ee the Fulfil|ment of that word, in Eccl. 1.4. <HI>One Ge|neration pa&s;&s;eth away, and another Generation cometh.</HI> It would be no unprofitable Thing for you, to pa&s;s over the &s;everal Streets, &amp; call to mind, <HI>Who Lived here &s;o many years ago?</HI> Why? In <HI>that place</HI> lived &s;uch an one; and in <HI>that place</HI> lived &s;uch an one. But, <HI>Where are they Now?</HI> Oh! They are <HI>Gone,</HI> They are <HI>Gone</HI> into that Eternal World, whither <HI>We</HI> mu&s;t quickly follow them. Here is another Petition, to be made unto our God; <HI>Lord, Help us to Number our Dayes, and apply our Hearts unto Wi&s;dom, that when the places that now know us, do know us no more, we may be gone into the City of God.</HI></P>
<P>Furthermore; What <HI>Changes</HI> have we
<PB N="41" REF="24"> &s;een, in point of <HI>Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions?</HI> If &s;ome that are now <HI>Rich,</HI> were once <HI>Low</HI> in the World, 'tis po&s;&s;ible, more that were once <HI>Rich,</HI> are now brought very <HI>Low.</HI> Ah! <HI>Bo&s;ton,</HI> Thou ha&s;t &s;een the <HI>Vanity</HI> of all <HI>Worldly Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions.</HI> One fatal Morning, which laid Four&s;core of thy <HI>Dwelling Hou|&s;es,</HI> and Seventy of thy <HI>Ware hou&s;es,</HI> in a Ruinous Heap, not Nineteen years ago, gave thee to Read it in Fiery Characters. And an huge <HI>Fleet</HI> of thy Ve&s;&s;els, which they would make, if they were all together, that have mi&s;carried in the late War, ha's given thee to Read more of it. Here is one Petition more, to be made unto our God; <HI>Lord, Help us to En&s;ure a Better and a la&s;ting Sub&s;tance in Heaven, and the Good part that cannot be taken away.</HI></P>
<P>In fine; How dreadfully have the <HI>Young People</HI> of <HI>Bo&s;ton,</HI> peri&s;hed under the <HI>Judg|ments</HI> of God! A Renowned Writer, a|mong the <HI>Pagans,</HI> could make this Remark; There was a Town, &s;o Irreligious and A|thei&s;tical, that they did not pay their <HI>Fir&s;t-fruits</HI> unto God: (which the <HI>Light of Na|ture</HI> taught the Pagans to do!) and &s;ayes he, they were, by a Sudden De&s;olation &s;o
<PB N="42" REF="25"> Strangly De&s;troy'd, that there were no Remainders either of the <HI>Per&s;ons,</HI> or of the <HI>Hou&s;es,</HI> to be &s;een any more. Ah, <HI>My Young Folks;</HI> There are few <HI>Fir&s;t-fruits</HI> paid unto the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t among you. From hence it comes to pa&s;s, that the Con&s;uming Wrath of God, is every day upon you. <HI>New England</HI> ha's been like a <HI>Tott'ring Hou&s;e;</HI> the very <HI>Foundations</HI> of it have been Shaking: But the Hou&s;e thus over-&s;etting by the <HI>Whirlwinds</HI> of the Wrath of God, hath been like <HI>Jobs</HI> Hou&s;e; <HI>It falls upon the Young men, and they are Dead!</HI> The Di&s;a&s;ters on our <HI>Young Folks</HI> have been &s;o multiplied, that there are few Parents among us, but what will go with <HI>Wounded Hearts,</HI> down unto their Graves: Their dayly moans are, <HI>Ah, My Son cut off in his Youth! My Son, my Son!</HI> Behold then, the <HI>Help</HI> that we are to ask of our God; and why do we, with no more Dayes of <HI>Pray|er</HI> with <HI>Fa&s;ting,</HI> ask it? <HI>Lord, Help the Young People of Bo&s;ton, to Remember thee in the Dayes of their Youth, and Sanctify unto the Survivers, the Terrible Things that have come upon &s;o many of that Generation.</HI></P>
<PB N="43" REF="25">
<P>And now as <HI>Jo&s;hua,</HI> having Rea&s;oned with his people, a little before he Died, in Jo&s;h. 24.26, 27. <HI>Took a Great STONE. and &s;et it up, and &s;aid unto all the people, Be|hold, this Stone &s;hall be a witne&s;s unto you, Lest ye Deny your God.</HI> Thus, we have been this Day &s;etting up a STONE, even an <HI>E|benezer,</HI> among you; &amp; I conclude, Ear|ne&s;tly te&s;tifying unto you, <HI>Behold this Stone, &s;hall be a witne&s;s unto you, that the Lord</HI> JE|SUS CHRIST, <HI>has been a Good Lord unto you; and if you Seek Him, He will be &s;till found of you, but if you For&s;ake Him, He will ca&s;t you off for ever.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="part">
<PB N="44" REF="26">
<HEAD><HI>Hou&s;hold Religion,</HI> Recommended, for the Pre&s;ervation of our HOUSES. At <HI>Bo&s;ton</HI>-Lecture. 26. <HI>d.</HI> 7. <HI>m.</HI> 1695.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>It is Written in</HI> JOB <HI>XXII.23.</HI></BIBL>
<P>If thou Return to the Almighty, thou &s;halt be Built up; Thou <HI>&s;halt put away Ini|quity, far from thy Tabernacles.</HI></P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>IT is Reported, as the Special and Signal Favour of God, unto His People, in Exod. 1.20, 21. <HI>The People multiplied, and He made Them</HI> [that is, <HI>the People,</HI> for the word is in the Ma&s;culine Gender,] <HI>Hou&s;es:</HI> Which Favour of God in the neare&s;t and &s;tricte&s;t &s;en&s;e wherein that expre&s;&s;ion is commonly u&s;ed, is not only mo&s;t <HI>Merciful|ly</HI> Vouch&s;afed, but almo&s;t <HI>Miraculou&s;ly</HI> con|tinued,
<PB N="45" REF="26"> unto us who now Compo&s;e this A&s;&s;embly. Our Gracious God ha's given us <HI>Hou&s;es,</HI> wherein we Enjoy the Comforts of Life, Covered and Sheltered from for|reign Injuries; Yea, and we have the <HI>Hou&s;es</HI> of our Gracious God al&s;o &s;et open unto us, without the Liberties whereof, I hope, we &s;hould not find our &s;elves able to <HI>Ta&s;t</HI> the Comforts of our own. Let it not be thought <HI>Un&s;ea&s;onable,</HI> I am &s;ure, it &s;hould not be <HI>Unprofitable,</HI> for us to hear in the <HI>Hou&s;e</HI> of God at this Time, &s;ome Singular Things, wherein the Welfare of our own is more than a little concerned.</P>
<P>Concerning the <HI>Hou&s;es,</HI> with which our God ha's favoured us, there are Two Con&s;iderations, which doubtle&s;s, every man in this A&s;&s;embly, of his own Accord, hath Entertained.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, I &s;uppo&s;e, We are all &s;en&s;ible, That for us to Loo&s;e our <HI>Hou&s;es</HI> by any Di&s;a&s;ter what&s;oever, would be a very terrible Calamity; Oh! It would be a <HI>Judgment</HI> of God, wherein the <HI>Anger</HI> of God, would be &s;een written with <HI>Fiery</HI> Characters. If by an Accident, or by an Enemy, our <HI>Hou&s;es</HI> be Laid in De&s;o|lations,
<PB N="46" REF="27"> every Roar of the Raging Flames, every Crack of the Tumbling Timbers, every Downfal of the Undermined Walls, and every Jangle of the <HI>Bells</HI> then tolling the Funeral of tho&s;e Hou&s;es, would loud|ly utter that voice, in Deut. 32.22. <HI>A Fire is Kindled in the Anger of God!</HI> It were a di&s;mal Thing for our <HI>Hou&s;es</HI> be|coming too <HI>Hot</HI> for us, to &s;ay, <HI>Be gone; ye &s;inful Inhabitants, Be gone; you &s;hall never Eat, or Sleep, or Talk, or Pray, in us, any more;</HI> and for our Con&s;orts &amp; Children with us, to be Stript in a few Hours, of all that we have been getting for many years, and be turn'd Shiftle&s;s and Help|le&s;s <HI>out of Doors,</HI> to Lodge <HI>Next Door</HI> unto Beggary. A Town &s;o Afflicted, may have this Lamentable Account given of them, in I&s;a. 42.25. <HI>The Lord hath poured on them the Fury of His Anger, and it hath &s;et them on Fire round about.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, And there is as much cau&s;e for us to be &s;en&s;ible, That it is the meer <HI>Power</HI> and <HI>Patience</HI> of our Good God, which keeps us from &s;uch a Terrible Ca|lamity, as the Lo&s;s of our <HI>Hou&s;es.</HI> How ea&s;y a thing were it, for the Vengeance of
<PB N="47" REF="27"> Heaven, to Lay all our <HI>Hou&s;es</HI> in Ruinous Heaps before to morrow morning! Tru|ly, We may &s;ay, <HI>'Tis becau&s;e we have ob|tained Help from God, that we continue to this Day.</HI> We may &s;it in our Combu&s;ti|ble Hou&s;es, and make that Confe&s;&s;ion, in P&s;al. 127.1. <HI>The Lord keeps the Town; the Watchman waketh but in vain.</HI> When we think, how much De&s;truction may ari&s;e from one <HI>Spark,</HI> or one <HI>Snuff,</HI> and, as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks, <HI>How great a matter a Little Fire kindles!</HI> And when we think, how many <HI>Carele&s;s,</HI> how many <HI>Fooli&s;h,</HI> how many <HI>Drunken,</HI> yea, and how many hor|ribly <HI>Malicious</HI> per&s;ons, per&s;ons wicked enough, <HI>To burn their Neighbours Hou&s;es, only that they may Roa&s;t their own Eggs,</HI> may creep in among us; Or when we think of him whom we may call OG, which is in Eng|li&s;h, <HI>The Burner,</HI> for the Delight that he has taken in <HI>Scorching men with Fire;</HI> We may with Admiration acknowledge, <HI>'Tis our God that is our Keeper.</HI> Oh! we mu&s;t make that Acknowledgment before the Lord, in P&s;al. 121.4. <HI>Behold, He that keepeth I&s;rael, doth neither Slumber nor Sleep;</HI> El&s;e we &s;hould be wak'd out of
<PB N="48" REF="28"> our next <HI>Sleep,</HI> with a Formidable <HI>Outcry.</HI></P>
<P>Sen&s;ible of the&s;e Things, we &s;hall not count it Improper, to be&s;tow a brief Di&s;cour&s;e, upon the <HI>Methods,</HI> which we are, as <HI>Chri&s;tians,</HI> to take for the Comfor|table Pre&s;ervation of our <HI>Hou&s;es;</HI> e&s;peci|ally, now the Sea&s;on of the year advan|ces, wherein there are the mo&s;t pungent Invitations, for &s;uch <HI>Methods</HI> to be con&s;i|dered.</P>
<P>Behold then the Great Method, for the &s;ecure Enjoyment of our <HI>Tabernacles,</HI> which the Oracles of God have directed us un|to: It is, <HI>The putting away Iniquity far from our Tabernacles.</HI></P>
<P>That <HI>Perfect</HI> and <HI>Upright</HI> man, <HI>Job,</HI> had this among the Heavy Trials befal|ling of him, That he Lo&s;t his <HI>Hou&s;e:</HI> Now under this Trial, one of his Friends gives him this Advice: That he would by <HI>Ac|quaintance</HI> with God, and <HI>Repentance</HI> of Sin, Endeavour, to an&s;wer the Expectati|ons of Heaven concerning him. To Encourage him hereunto, here is this Ble&s;&s;ing promi&s;ed, <HI>Thou &s;halt be Built up:</HI> q. d. Thou &s;halt then have thy <HI>Hou&s;e</HI> Re|paired, without the fear of <HI>Loo&s;ing</HI> it any more.</P>
<PB N="49" REF="28">
<P>The Clau&s;e which falls under our more particular Notice is that; <HI>Thou &s;halt put a|way Iniquity, far from thy Tabernacles:</HI> which is here mentioned, as the Effect of <HI>Return|ing to the Almighty.</HI> Now, by <HI>Iniquity,</HI> we may under&s;tand, either the <HI>Practice</HI> of <HI>Iniquity,</HI> or the <HI>Puni&s;hment</HI> of <HI>Iniquity.</HI> Take it for the <HI>Practice</HI> of <HI>Iniquity,</HI> and then the &s;en&s;e runs thus; <HI>Mani|fe&s;t thy Returning to the Almighty, by thy not Suffering of any Iniquity in thy Tabernacles.</HI> Take it for the <HI>puni&s;hment</HI> of <HI>Iniquity,</HI> and then the &s;en&s;e runs thus; <HI>By Returning to the Almighty thou wilt Save thy Tabernacles, from &s;uch Ruines as will come upon them, if thou continue in Iniquity.</HI> Take it which way you will, there is this <HI>Doctrine</HI> in it.</P>
<Q>The Way for us to &s;ecure the Comfortable En|joyment of our Tabernacles, is, by Returning unto the Almighty, to put Iniquity far from our Tabernacles.</Q>
<P>There are Three plain A&s;&s;ertions be|fore us, by which I may come fairly at my De&s;ign, to promote <HI>Hou&s;hold-Reli|gion,</HI> in the management of an Argu|ment fetch'd from the Benefit thence ari|&s;ing, unto the very <HI>Hou&s;es,</HI> wherein we mentain that <HI>Religion.</HI></P>
<P N="1"><PB N="50" REF="29"><HI>I.</HI> In true <HI>Religion,</HI> men do <HI>Return unto the Almighty God.</HI> There was a Ble&s;&s;ed <HI>Communion</HI> with God, which man had at his fir&s;t <HI>Creation</HI> by God. But how Long did this continue? Alas, It was not Long, before Man turned his Back upon the <HI>Service</HI> and the <HI>Glory</HI> of His Maker: It was not Long before Man Embraced the <HI>Vain Things</HI> of this World, in&s;tead of the God that made him. Every Sinner is now Guilty of that Folly, that Frenzy, that <HI>Horrible Thing,</HI> in Jer. 2.13. <HI>He hath for&s;aken the Fountain of Living Waters, and he hath hew d him out Broken Ci&s;terns.</HI> Well, but now in <HI>Religion,</HI> there is a <HI>Conver&s;ion</HI> and a <HI>Returning</HI> of the Sinner; he &s;aies, <HI>I will Return to my first Object, becau&s;e it is be&s;t being with him.</HI> The Term <HI>From which</HI> a man does <HI>Return</HI> in <HI>Religion,</HI> is, <HI>All Sin</HI> what&s;oever; and every <HI>Plea&s;ure,</HI> every <HI>Profit,</HI> every <HI>Honour,</HI> which the Heart is by <HI>Sin</HI> carried forth unto. Thus 'tis &s;aid, in Jer 18.11. <HI>Return ye now eve|ry one from his Evil way.</HI> The Term <HI>To which</HI> a man does <HI>Return</HI> in <HI>Religion,,</HI> is, God in the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t; &s;o that
<PB N="51" REF="29"> God becomes his <HI>Be&s;t Good,</HI> and his <HI>La&s;t End,</HI> and the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t becomes his <HI>Prophet,</HI> his <HI>Prie&s;t,</HI> and his <HI>King</HI> for e|ver. Thus 'tis &s;aid, in Jer. 4.1. <HI>If thou wilt Return, Return unto me, &s;aith the Lord.</HI></P>
<P N="2"><HI>II.</HI> Tho&s;e men that <HI>Return to the Al|mighty God, will put away Iniquity far from their Tabernacles.</HI> The <HI>Hou&s;e</HI> as well as the <HI>Heart</HI> of a man is clean&s;ed by <HI>Religi|on;</HI> it will Reform not only his <HI>Living,</HI> and his <HI>Walking,</HI> but his <HI>Dwelling</HI> al&s;o. The Godly man is one that <HI>puts away</HI> all Iniquity, yea, that <HI>puts it far away:</HI> he does in <HI>Repenting</HI> of Iniquity, as the God of Heaven does in <HI>pardoning</HI> of it. In the <HI>pardoning</HI> of Iniquity, 'tis &s;aid, in P&s;al. 103 12. <HI>As far as the East is from the We&s;t, &s;o far does God Remove our Tran&s;gre&s;|&s;ions from us;</HI> Thus, in the <HI>Repenting</HI> of I|niquity, the man &s;aith, <HI>I would have all my Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions to be as far from me, as the Ea&s;t is from the We&s;t: The Ea&s;t and We&s;t will never meet, nor would I ever &s;hake hands with any Iniquity.</HI> Even, the very <HI>Shadow</HI> of Iniquity is bani&s;hed from a Regenerate man; the very <HI>Appearance of
<PB N="52" REF="30"> Evil,</HI> is the matter of his <HI>Abstinence,</HI> his <HI>Abhorrence:</HI> he puts it <HI>far away</HI> from his <HI>Conver&s;ation, far away</HI> from his <HI>Approbati|on, far away</HI> from his <HI>Inclination:</HI> But this is not all; He puts it <HI>far away</HI> from his <HI>Habitation</HI> too. Every <HI>Good</HI> man is <HI>Com|municative</HI> of his Good<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e&s;s; he would have all about him to be as <HI>Good,</HI> as Holy, as Happy as him&s;elf; and tho&s;e of his own <HI>Hou&s;e</HI> mo&s;t of all: He will not <HI>permit</HI> any <HI>Iniquity,</HI> that he can <HI>prevent.</HI> A Religious <HI>Chri&s;tian</HI> would be a Religious <HI>Hou&s;holder</HI> too; he would be &s;uch an <HI>Hou&s;holder,</HI> as <HI>Jacob,</HI> who, in Gen. 35.2. <HI>Said unto his Hou&s;hold, and unto all that were with him, put away the Strange Gods that are among you;</HI> he would be &s;uch an <HI>Hou&s;holder,</HI> as <HI>David,</HI> who &s;aid, in P&s;al. 101.2, 7. <HI>I will walk in my Hou&s;e, with a perfect Heart; He that works Deceit, &s;hall not dwell within my Hou&s;e; he that telleth Lies, &s;hall not tarry in my &s;ight.</HI> Or, as <HI>Jo&s;hua,</HI> who &s;aid, <HI>As for me and my Houfe, we will Serve the Lord.</HI></P>
<P N="3"><HI>III.</HI> By <HI>Putting away Iniquity far from our Tabernacles,</HI> we do &s;ecure to our &s;elves the <HI>Comfortable Enjoyment</HI> of them. Let
<PB N="53" REF="30"> us drive <HI>our Sins</HI> out of our <HI>Hou&s;es,</HI> that we may not be driven out of them, <HI>our &s;elves.</HI></P>
<P>It is very true; A pious man, may have his <HI>Tabernacle</HI> taken from him; the lo&s;s of <HI>Hou&s;es</HI> is one of tho&s;e Things, wherein the <HI>Soveraignty</HI> of God, will have <HI>All things come alike to all.</HI> A Treble <HI>Conce&s;&s;ion</HI> is to be made concerning this matter.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, A Godly man may Suffer the lo&s;s of his <HI>Hou&s;e,</HI> in a Common Calamity, with wicked men. If a Righteous <HI>Lot</HI> live in a <HI>Sodom,</HI> his <HI>Hou&s;e</HI> mu&s;t be Burned among the Re&s;t in the Vicinity.</P>
<P>Again, A Godly man may Suffer the lo&s;s of his <HI>Hou&s;e,</HI> when man<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> wicked men E&s;cape that Calamity. A <HI>Job,</HI> one who <HI>Fears God and Shuns Evil,</HI> may have his <HI>Hou&s;e</HI> laid even with the Ground, while he could yet complain, <HI>The Tabernacles of Robbers pro&s;per.</HI> Yea,</P>
<P>Thirdly, At the <HI>Hou&s;e</HI> o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> a Godly man may begin that Calamity, that &s;hall In|volve the lo&s;s of many other <HI>Hou&s;es</HI> in it. A <HI>Fire</HI> may be carried, even from the <HI>Altar</HI> it &s;elf, over the <HI>whole City:</HI> and we know, <HI>Trouble may begin at the Hou&s;e of God.</HI> Wherefore, upon the whole; Tho&s;e
<PB N="54" REF="31"> per&s;ons are not alwayes the <HI>Greatest Sin|ners,</HI> who are the <HI>Greate&s;t Sufferers,</HI> in &s;uch a Calamity. Tho&s;e <HI>Tabernacles</HI> may mi&s;|carry in which yet there are no abound|ing mi&s;carriages of <HI>Iniquity.</HI></P>
<P>But all this Conce&s;&s;ion, will not Eva|cuate this Po&s;ition; That we &s;hall very much Con&s;ult the Safety of our <HI>Hou&s;es,</HI> if we keep <HI>Iniquity</HI> out of them. If we would not be <HI>put out</HI> of our <HI>Tabernacles</HI> our &s;elves, it &s;hould be our Study, to <HI>put Iniquity far away from our Tabernacles.</HI> There are many wayes, by which men &s;eek to Secure unto them&s;elves the Com|fortable Enjoyment of their <HI>Hou&s;es.</HI> They look to the <HI>Stuff,</HI> and the <HI>Place,</HI> of their <HI>Building;</HI> they have their <HI>Water Engines,</HI> their <HI>En&s;urances,</HI> and their <HI>Friendly Societies.</HI> 'Tis well: But, Sirs, there is one way more to be laid in, which I now men<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ion, in the approach of the Time of the year, when the Dangers of our being Turned out of our <HI>Hou&s;es,</HI> are the greate&s;t; That is, Let us <HI>Put Iniquity far from our Taber|nacles.</HI> Of this way, I may &s;ay, as <HI>David</HI> about the Sword of <HI>Goliah, There is none like it!</HI> For, There are <HI>Promi&s;es</HI> of our
<PB N="55" REF="31"> God, that the <HI>Tabernacles</HI> of men &s;hall be &s;pared, when the <HI>Iniquities</HI> of men are not &s;pared in their <HI>Tabernacles: Promi&s;es,</HI> to be interpreted, with the Exceptions of the New Covenant. We have the word of a faithful God for it, <HI>Let no Sins dwell with you, and I will not cut off your Dwellings:</HI> It is His Word, in Zeph. 3.7. <HI>I &s;aid, Surely, Thou wilt Fear me, thou wilt Receive In&s;truction, So their Dwelling &s;hould not be cut off.</HI> There is that <HI>Promi&s;e</HI> given to the Reformers of <HI>Iniquity,</HI> in I&s;a. 65.21. <HI>They &s;hall Build Hou&s;es and Inhabit them:</HI> There is that <HI>Promi&s;e</HI> given to the For|&s;akers of <HI>Iniquity,</HI> in Ezek. 28.26. <HI>They &s;hall Build Hou&s;es, and they &s;hall dwell with Con|fidence therein.</HI> It was no mi&s;take, in him t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">at &s;aid, in Job 8 5, 6. <HI>If thou woulde&s;t &s;eek unto God, if thou were't pure and upright, He would make the Habitation of thy Righ|teou&s;ne&s;s Pro&s;perous.</HI> A <HI>Righteous</HI> Habita|tion, is like to be a <HI>Pro&s;perous</HI> Habitation, and therefore a <HI>Pre&s;erved</HI> Habitation.</P>
<P>But on the other &s;ide, There are the <HI>Menaces</HI> of our God, That if the <HI>Iniquities</HI> of men are not put away from their <HI>Ta|bernacles,</HI> their <HI>Tabernacles</HI> then &s;hall be
<PB N="56" REF="32"> taken away from them. It is that which the mo&s;t High God ha's threatned, <HI>Let your Sins go, or I will make your Hou&s;es go.</HI> See Zeph. 1 12, 13. It is Threatned, that God will <HI>Deprive</HI> us of our Hou&s;es, if <HI>Ini|quity</HI> be countenanced in them; and this He can do when He will, by His <HI>Fiery Rebukes.</HI> We have it Threatned, in Ezek. 16.41. <HI>They &s;hall Burn thine Hou&s;es with Fire.</HI> It is al&s;o Threatned, That God will <HI>Empty</HI> our Hou&s;es of us; and this can be done quickly, by <HI>Oppre&s;&s;ion,</HI> by <HI>Poverty,</HI> by <HI>Mortality.</HI> We have it Threatned, in I&s;a. 5.9. <HI>Many Hou&s;es &s;hall be De&s;olate, even Great and Fair ones, without Inhabitant.</HI> Briefly, If we would not have the Great God, i&s;&s;ue out a <HI>Writ of Ejection</HI> upon us, to Turn us out of our Hou&s;es, <HI>Let us put away Iniquity far from our Tabernacles.</HI></P>
<P>In this one Expre&s;&s;ion, all <HI>Hou&s;hold Religion,</HI> is to be under&s;tood, as contain|ed and Intended. Accordingly,</P>
<P>The CASE,</P>
<P>Wherewith you are now to be treated, is, <Q><PB N="57" REF="32">What is that <HI>Hou&s;hold Religion, <HI>or,</HI></HI> what are tho&s;e Cares, and tho&s;e Acts of Religion, in our Hou&s;es, whereby the Comfortable Enjoyment of our Hou&s;es, may be Secured unto us?</Q></P>
<P>In an&s;wer hereunto, Let the&s;e <HI>Faithful Sayings</HI> be counted <HI>Worthy of all Acceptation</HI> with us.</P>
<P N="1"><HI>I.</HI> If we would Comfortably Enjoy our <HI>Tabernacles,</HI> Let us particularly <HI>Put away</HI> tho&s;e <HI>Iniquities,</HI> which have a particular Tendency to provoke, and procure our being <HI>Put out</HI> of our <HI>Tabernacles.</HI> The Jews tho<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ght they con&s;ulted the &s;afety of their <HI>Hou&s;es,</HI> when they Sought, and Ca&s;t, all their <HI>Leven</HI> out of their <HI>Hou&s;es.</HI> Let us in like manner Search our <HI>Hou&s;es,</HI> for every <HI>Iniquity,</HI> which may be like <HI>Leven</HI> in them, and let us, Away with it, <HI>Away with it all!</HI> Indeed, Every Iniquity is per|nicious, not only to the <HI>Heart,</HI> but al&s;o to the <HI>Hou&s;e</HI> that gives a Lodging there|unto; and therefore we &s;hould fall out with all <HI>Iniquity.</HI> If any one &s;hould ma|liciou&s;ly <HI>Burn</HI> us out of <HI>Hou&s;e</HI> and <HI>Home,</HI>
<PB N="58" REF="33"> we &s;hould never Endure the &s;ight of &s;uch a Wretch; but &s;ee the Law of Death Executed on him. Why <HI>Sin,</HI> I &s;ay unto you, <HI>Sin</HI> would be &s;uch an Incendiary: it is &s;aid, in I&s;a. 9.18. <HI>Wickedne&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, burneth as Fire.</HI> But there are &s;ome <HI>Iniquities,</HI> which are more e&s;pecially, and certainly, and frequently, as <HI>Fire balls</HI> upon the <HI>Hou&s;es</HI> wherein they are committed; and the Coun&s;il thereupon unto us is, <HI>Oh! Turn tho&s;e unfruitful works of Darkne&s;s out of D<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ors, Le&s;t we be our &s;elves Turn'd out of Doors for the &s;ake thereof.</HI></P>
<P>It was of old Required, concerning an <HI>Hou&s;e,</HI> which had the <HI>Lepro&s;y</HI> Spreading and Fretting on it, in Lev. 14.45. <HI>The Prie&s;t &s;hall break down the Hou&s;e, the Stones of it, and the Timber thereof, and all the Mortar of the Hou&s;e.</HI> What that <HI>Plague</HI> of <HI>Lepro&s;y</HI> was, we do not in this Part and Age of the World &s;eem to under&s;tand; if it were not a <HI>Plague</HI> peculiar unto <HI>Ca|naan,</HI> perhaps it means an Infection in the <HI>Walls</HI> of an Hou&s;e, from whence the Inhabitants might be in Hazzard of catching the <HI>Lepro&s;y.</HI> But this may be &s;aid in Allu&s;ion hereunto; I<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> you keep a|ny
<PB N="59" REF="33"> <HI>Bad Orders</HI> in your <HI>Hou&s;es,</HI> I mu&s;t come unt<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> you, with &s;uch Language, as was then directed, <HI>It &s;eems to me, there is, as it were a Plague in the Hou&s;e.</HI> Do not now &s;tand asking of me, what I mean by <HI>Bad Orders.</HI> Ask your &s;ober, hone&s;t, indu&s;trious Neighbours; or ask your own Con&s;ciences; They will tell you, What <HI>Bad Orders</HI> are. But Oh! Get thy Hou&s;e cleared of that <HI>Plague</HI> which is to be &s;een in the <HI>Bad Orders</HI> of it; Le&s;t our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t the <HI>High Prie&s;t of the Creation,</HI> do <HI>break down</HI> that <HI>H<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">u&s;e,</HI> and, it may be <HI>burn</HI> thee out of &s;uch an <HI>Hou&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>There are <HI>Hou&s;es,</HI> where God is not Ser|ved, but where the people give them&s;elves up to <HI>all Exce&s;s of Riot; Gaming</HI> Hou&s;es, <HI>Drinking</HI> Hou&s;es, perhaps <HI>Bawdy</HI> Hou&s;es; <HI>Hou&s;es,</HI> where Troops A&s;&s;emble to Har|lots; <HI>Hou&s;es,</HI> where young people De|bauch them&s;elves &amp; one another. Tho&s;e <HI>Hou&s;es,</HI> which make the <HI>Parents</HI> and <HI>Ma&s;ters</HI> in the Town, continually afraid of ha|ving their Folks undone by tho&s;e Hou&s;es. Methinks, I &s;ee written on their Doors, <HI>Lord, have mercy upon us!</HI> There is a <HI>Plague</HI> in them. The <HI>Keepers</HI> of &s;uch Hou&s;es,
<PB N="60" REF="34"> are not in this Congregation to Day. But, tho&s;e that may keep a &s;trict eye upon them are here; and unto them, I would &s;ay, If the Wor&s;hipful <HI>Justices,</HI> and the <HI>Con&s;tables,</HI> and the <HI>Tything men,</HI> would In|vigorate their Zeal, to Rout the villanous Haunts of tho&s;e <HI>Hou&s;es,</HI> the whole Town would be va&s;tly the &s;afer for it. There were Four whole Towns together once, in which there were many Hou&s;es, full of Riotous Iniquities; The Prophet &s;ays, There was nothing but <HI>Pride,</HI> and <HI>Luxury;</HI> and <HI>Idlene&s;s</HI> in their <HI>Hou&s;es;</HI> And the Wrath of God &s;o broke forth again&s;t tho&s;e Towns, that they were all con&s;umed at once, and not one <HI>Hou&s;e</HI> Left Standing in them. The <HI>Nineteenth</HI> Chapter of <HI>Ge|ne&s;is,</HI> will tell you, what I mean.</P>
<P>And be&s;ides the&s;e Hou&s;e con&s;uming <HI>Bad Orders,</HI> there is e&s;pecially one <HI>Iniquity</HI> more which will horribly Endanger the <HI>Tabernacles,</HI> that are Guilty of it; and that is, proper <HI>Iniquity,</HI> I mean, <HI>Di&s;hone&s;ty.</HI> It was a Remarkable pa&s;&s;age, in Zech. 5.2, 4. <HI>A Flying Roll, the Length thereof Twenty Cubits, the Breadth thereof Ten Cubits; This is the Cur&s;e that goeth forth; I will bring it
<PB N="61" REF="34"> forth, &s;aith the Lord of Ho&s;ts, and it &s;hall enter into the Hou&s;e of the Thief, and the Hou&s;e of him that &s;weareth fal&s;ely; and it &s;hall con&s;ume it, with the Timber thereof, and the Stones thereof.</HI> The Porch of the Temple, was, <HI>The Length thereof Twenty Cubits, and the Breadth thereof Ten Cubits:</HI> Now, 'tis Judg'd, there were men Em|ploy'd as <HI>Tru&s;tees</HI> of the <HI>Money</HI> gathered for the Building of the Temple: but &s;ome of them were &s;uch <HI>Thieves</HI> as to convert part of this unto their own u&s;e, and yet they <HI>Swore Fal&s;ely,</HI> in &s;wearing to the Truth of their Accounts. Now, &s;ays the Lord, If the <HI>Temple</HI> it &s;elf were a <HI>Roll,</HI> or a Book, filled with <HI>Cur&s;es,</HI> it could not Expre&s;s more <HI>Cur&s;es,</HI> than I will &s;wiftly bring upon the <HI>Hou&s;es</HI> of &s;uch Di&s;hone&s;t men. Truly, All <HI>Di&s;hone&s;ty</HI> in Dealings, does Endanger the <HI>Hou&s;es</HI> of the Dealers. Men that go to feather their <HI>Ne&s;ts</HI> by any <HI>Di&s;hone&s;ty,</HI> do but carry <HI>Coals</HI> into them. The <HI>Flying Roll</HI> of the Cur&s;es from God, comes as a <HI>Fiery Roll,</HI> to con|&s;ume the <HI>Hou&s;es</HI> of them that by <HI>Stealing,</HI> by <HI>Cheating,</HI> by <HI>Lying,</HI> propo&s;e to Enrich them&s;elves.</P>
<P N="2"><PB N="62" REF="35"><HI>II.</HI> If we would comfortably Enjoy our <HI>Tabernacles,</HI> Let us <HI>Dedicate</HI> them unto God, and Employ them in U&s;es agreea|ble to &s;uch a <HI>Dedication.</HI> We read in P&s;al. 30. Tit. concerning, <HI>The Dedication of the Hou&s;e of David.</HI> With &s;uch a <HI>De|dication</HI> Let us con&s;ecrate our <HI>Hou&s;es</HI> unto God, profe&s;&s;ing unto Him, <HI>Lord, This Hou&s;e which thou ha&s;t here given to me, I do give back to thee again, and I will u&s;e it for thy Glory, as Long as thou wilt Let me Live in it!</HI> And then according to this <HI>Con&s;e|cration,</HI> as we read &s;ometimes concerning, <HI>The Church in the Hou&s;e,</HI> of &s;uch or &s;uch a per&s;on, Let our <HI>Hou&s;es</HI> be a &s;ort of Little <HI>Churches,</HI> for the Sacred U&s;e that we put them unto. It was &s;aid of <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> in Zech. 2 5. <HI>I, &s;aith the Lord, will be unto her a Wall of Fire round about, and I will be the Glory in the mid&s;t of her.</HI> Thus, Let God be <HI>Glorified</HI> in the <HI>mid&s;t</HI> of our Hou|&s;es, and there will be a <HI>Wall of Fire,</HI> that is, a Guard of <HI>Angels,</HI> round about them, and &s;o no other <HI>Fire</HI> &s;hall prey upon them. Let our <HI>Hou&s;es</HI> be u&s;ed, as if built on purpo&s;e for Works of <HI>Piety,</HI> and Works
<PB N="63" REF="35"> of <HI>Charity,</HI> to be therein performed; and Let our Character be that, in Acts 10.2. <HI>A Devout man, one that feared God, with all his Hou&s;e, which gave much Alms to the people, and pray'd unto God alway.</HI> There are two Names, that we &s;hould make our <HI>Hou&s;es</HI> now to become worthy of; the Name of <HI>Bethel,</HI> and the Name of <HI>Bethe&s;da:</HI> both an <HI>Hou&s;e of God,</HI> and an <HI>Hou&s;e of Good.</HI> Let our Hou&s;es be as tho' Devoted unto the <HI>Service</HI> of God; Let Praying, and Reading, and Singing, be the Daily Exerci&s;es therein attended; &s;o that you may look upon this and that Apartment with &s;uch a joyful Reflection in your minds, <HI>If the Walls of this place could &s;peak, they would &s;peak of many a good Hour which I have had with the Lord in this place.</HI> And let our <HI>Hou&s;es</HI> be, as tho' De|voted al&s;o unto the <HI>Succour</HI> of man; As far as you can, make <HI>Alms hou&s;es</HI> of them; Do what the Lord has bid, <HI>Bring the poor, that are ca&s;t out, unto thy H<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">u&s;e.</HI> Let an <HI>Hungry</HI> Je&s;us, a <HI>Naked</HI> Je&s;us, a <HI>Travelling</HI> Je&s;us, in His Members, be often Refre&s;h|ed there. I tell you, The very <HI>Angels</HI> of God, Love to <HI>Watch</HI> about the <HI>Hou|&s;es,</HI>
<PB N="64" REF="36"> that are &s;o Devoted unto the Lord.</P>
<P>When the Jews built their Hou&s;es, they &s;till had their <HI>Gnalijoth,</HI> their <GAP DESC="foreign">, their <HI>Upper Chambers</HI> in them. There was alwayes a <HI>Room,</HI> in the <HI>Upper part</HI> of the Hou&s;e, which they &s;et apart for Sacred Employments; It was their <HI>Oratory,</HI> and they had in it a Window, which they called, <HI>Gods Window,</HI> opening towards the Temple. Here <HI>Daniel</HI> waited upon God; Here <HI>Hezekiah</HI> lay Sick; <HI>Paul</HI> took this Room to Preach in, when <HI>Euti|chus</HI> fell, 'tis probable, from that very <HI>Window.</HI> Even the Wickede&s;t men a|mong them, would not have an Hou&s;e without &s;uch a <HI>Room</HI> and &s;uch a <HI>Window</HI> in the Room; Hence the Lord &s;aid of one, in Jer. 22.14. <HI>Wo to him, that &s;aith, I will build me a wide Hou&s;e, and large Upper Chambers, and cutteth him out Windows</HI> there. But now, that which is to be urged upon us, in the&s;e Dayes, when <HI>Holine&s;s of Places</HI> is aboli&s;hed, is this; Let every <HI>Room</HI> of our <HI>Hou&s;es,</HI> in &s;ome &s;ort or other, be the Lords.</P>
<P N="3"><HI>III.</HI> Our <HI>Tabernac<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">es</HI> mu&s;t not be <HI>Prayer|le&s;s
<PB N="65" REF="36"> Tabernacles,</HI> if we would Comfortably Enjoy the&s;e <HI>Tabernacles.</HI> If we will Deny <HI>God,</HI> in our <HI>Hou&s;es,</HI> 'tis but ju&s;t that He &s;hould then Dany <HI>Hou&s;es</HI> unto us. It is a dreadful Imprecation, in Jer. 10.25. <HI>O Lord, pour out thy Fury on the Families, that call not on thy Name.</HI> And wherein will that <HI>Fury</HI> be di&s;covered? It will be partly di&s;covered, in Turning tho&s;e <HI>Families</HI> out of their <HI>Hou&s;es.</HI></P>
<P>If there be &s;o much as one owner of a <HI>Prayerle&s;s Hou&s;e,</HI> now appearing in this <HI>Hou&s;e of Prayer;</HI> yea, if there be &s;o much as one of you, that <HI>Pray</HI> any &s;eldomer with your <HI>Families,</HI> than ordinarily Twice in a Day, with a <HI>Morning</HI> and an <HI>Evening</HI> Sacrifice, I would addre&s;s that man, with an Earne&s;t Expo&s;tulation.</P>
<P>Friend; The very <HI>Turks,</HI> do at this Day uphold a <HI>Family Wor&s;hip</HI> among them; and art thou worthy to be called a <HI>Chri&s;tian,</HI> that live&s;t without any <HI>Family-Wor&s;hip</HI> at all? No, Thou art in this Thing, wor&s;e than a <HI>Turk.</HI> It is noted concerning <HI>Obed-Edom, The Lord ble&s;&s;ed Obed-Edom, and his Hou&s;hold, while the Ark of the Lord was there.</HI> Even &s;o, The <HI>Lord</HI>
<PB N="66" REF="37"> would <HI>Ble&s;s</HI> thee, and thy <HI>Hou&s;hold,</HI> if <HI>Prayer to the Lord</HI> were there. But thy Sinful, Woful <HI>Family</HI> lies open to the <HI>Cur&s;e</HI> of God, as long as thou do&s;t not carry tho&s;e poor Children and Servants unto the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, for His <HI>Ble&s;&s;ing</HI> to be be&s;tow'd upon them: And how hide|ou&s;ly, will <HI>They</HI> al&s;o <HI>Cur&s;e</HI> thee, through|out Eternal Ages, when they &s;hall with Intolerable Angui&s;h cry out, <HI>Oh! that I had never &s;een that Prayerle&s;s Hou&s;e! 'Tis that Hou&s;e, which ha's brought me to this Hell for ever!</HI> But there is this particu|lar Aggravation of thy Impiety; That if the Town be laid in A&s;hes, 'tis thy <HI>Pray|erle&s;s Hou&s;e</HI> that is among the ju&s;t cau&s;es of it.</P>
<P>Come then; Don't any more plead, That you have <HI>no Time</HI> for <HI>Family-Prayer.</HI> Did God Give thee all thy <HI>Time;</HI> and &s;hall <HI>He</HI> have none of it? Find a little Time for thy <HI>Soul,</HI> as well as for the <HI>World;</HI> Or, go write that Sentence upon thy Mantle tree, <HI>What is a man pro|fited, if he gain the whole World, and loo&s;e his own Soul?</HI></P>
<P>And plead no more, That you want
<PB N="67" REF="37"> <HI>Confidence</HI> or <HI>Utterance,</HI> for <HI>Family Prayer.</HI> But, Meditate on that Warning of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, <HI>Who&s;oever &s;hall be A|&s;hamed of me, of him al&s;o &s;hall the Son of Man be A&s;hamed.</HI> Sit down, and ponder, What are your Sin<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, your Wants, your Woes; There is no need of making Elegant Orations before the Lord: Call thy Folks together; Fall down before the Lord among th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">m all; Cry to the Lord for them as well as He &s;hall en|able thee: Try, to Night, if thou never did&s;t before; Try; God will Help thee, man; and thou wilt come to the Mini|&s;ter who thus advi&s;ed thee, and &s;ay, <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed be the Lord, and Ble&s;&s;ed be thy Advice, and Ble&s;&s;ed be thou for giving it!</HI></P>
<P N="4"><HI>IV.</HI> If we would Comfortably Enjoy our <HI>Tabernacles,</HI> Let us Con&s;cientiou&s;ly <HI>In&s;truct</HI> and <HI>Govern</HI> tho&s;e that are under our charge, in our <HI>Tabernacles.</HI> Let us do what we can, that there may be none but &s;uch as may Know and Serve God in our <HI>Hou&s;es,</HI> and it may be Hoped that God will permit our <HI>Hou&s;es</HI> to &s;tand before Him. There is to be Recommend|ed
<PB N="68" REF="38"> unto us, the Great Exemple of <HI>Abra|ham,</HI> in Gen. 18.19. <HI>I know him, that he will command his Children and Hou&s;hold after him, and they &s;hall keep the way of the Lord.</HI> Oh! Let not the <HI>Hou&s;es</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;tians,</HI> be|come like the <HI>Wigwams</HI> of <HI>Indians,</HI> for the Unnurtured, Unin&s;tructed, Ungo+verned, <HI>Families</HI> in them! Wherefore, Let us Faithfully <HI>Teach</HI> the Little Folks in our <HI>Hou&s;es; Teach</HI> them, as <HI>David</HI> and <HI>Beth&s;heba</HI> did their <HI>Solomon; Teach</HI> them to <HI>Know</HI> tho&s;e things from their <HI>Childhood,</HI> whereby they may be <HI>made Wi&s;e unto Sal|vation:</HI> See that they be none of them unacquainted with the <HI>Covenant</HI> of God, or, with any agreeable <HI>Doctrine of God their Saviour.</HI> Let us al&s;o Fervently <HI>Charge</HI> tho&s;e Little Folks: <HI>Charge</HI> them to <HI>Serve the Lord with a Perfect Heart and a Willing Mind; Charge</HI> them to <HI>Believe</HI> on Chri&s;t, and <HI>Repent</HI> of Sin, and <HI>Return</HI> to God; <HI>Charge</HI> them to <HI>Enter into their Clo&s;ets, and Pray to their Heavenly Father in Secret;</HI> Admoni&s;h them, that they do <HI>Con&s;ider their Wayes;</HI> and that e&s;pecially they Shun all <HI>Bad Company,</HI> and <HI>not Con|&s;ent, if Sinners do Entice them.</HI> If any of
<PB N="69" REF="38"> them do fall into any Sin again&s;t God, be &s;ure to <HI>Reprove</HI> that Sin; <HI>Reprove</HI> it Scripturally, <HI>Reprove</HI> it Effectually. And <HI>Re&s;train</HI> them from every Sin, which they would be Ready to Run into. Let there be no <HI>Children of Belial</HI> with you, none that &s;hall be free from the <HI>Yoke</HI> of a Serious <HI>Di&s;cipline.</HI></P>
<P>There is e&s;pecially one Sin, which the Lord has Required <HI>Hou&s;holders</HI> to keep all within their <HI>Hou&s;es</HI> from.</P>
<P>The Fourth Commandment is, That the <HI>Lords Day</HI> &s;hall not be profaned, by <HI>thy Son, or thy Daughter, thy Man &s;ervant, or thy Maid &s;ervant, nor thy Stranger that is within thy Gates.</HI> And it was once the Menace of Heaven, <HI>If ye will not hearken unto me, to hallow the Sabbath-day, then I will kindle a Fire, and it &s;hall devour, and it &s;hall not be quenched!</HI> Oh! con&s;ider of it!</P>
<P N="5"><HI>V.</HI> Let us carefully <HI>Attend, E&s;teem, Sup|port</HI> the <HI>Tabernacles</HI> of the Lord, and that will be the way for us comfortably to Enjoy our own. When <HI>David</HI> was Ba|ni&s;hed from his own <HI>Hou&s;e,</HI> his value for the <HI>Hou&s;e</HI> of God, was Recompen&s;ed
<PB N="70" REF="39"> with a Return unto his own. Would we never be Bani&s;hed at all, out of our <HI>Hou|&s;es?</HI> Let us value the <HI>Hou&s;e</HI> of God above our own; and let us <HI>Build</HI> up <HI>His Hou&s;e,</HI> Le&s;t He <HI>Burn</HI> down ours. Would we have many <HI>Dayes</HI> in our <HI>Tabernacles?</HI> Let us then heartily &s;ay, as in P&s;al. 84.1.10. <HI>How Amiable are thy Tabernacles, O Lord of Ho&s;ts? A Day there is better than a thou|&s;and el&s;ewhere.</HI> Would we have the <HI>Love</HI> and the <HI>Eye</HI> of God upon our <HI>Habitations?</HI> Let us then heartily &s;ay, as in P&s;al 26.8. <HI>Lord, I have Loved the Habitation of thy Hou&s;e, and the place where thy Honour dwells.</HI> The Jewes give thi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, as the Definition of a <HI>Bad Neighbour: A Bad Neighbour is one who dwells in a Town, where there is a Sy|nagogue, and never comes unto the Synagogue.</HI> Truly, that per&s;on, who comes not unto the <HI>Hou&s;es</HI> of God, in the Town, is a <HI>Bad Neighbour;</HI> and our own <HI>Hou&s;es</HI> may fare the wor&s;e for having &s;uch a <HI>Bad Neighbour</HI> near unto them. They plead perhaps, <HI>That they have not Cloaths good enough.</HI> But you that are their Friends, I pray, ask them, whether they had not better come to the Hou&s;e of God, with
<PB N="71" REF="39"> <HI>mean Cloaths,</HI> than Loo&s;e the <HI>Garments of Salvation,</HI> which are here to be put upon their Souls. Ask them, whether they mu&s;t not &s;hortly be Shrowded in a <HI>Wind|ing Sheet,</HI> and then they will <HI>mourn at the La&s;t,</HI> that ever <HI>mean Cloaths</HI> were their Excu&s;e for not coming to the Hou&s;e of God. If they profanely tell you, They &s;tay at Home to <HI>Read a Chapter in Job,</HI> Turn 'em to a Chapter in <HI>Job,</HI> and that mark of a Godly man, in Job 23 12. <HI>I have E&s;teemed the words of His mouth more than my nece&s;&s;ary Food.</HI> Briefly, It is the <HI>Church</HI> of God, that is the <HI>Hou&s;e</HI> of God. Now, Let the <HI>Church</HI> of God, receive all po&s;&s;ible Regard and Kindne&s;s from you&punc; Upon this Encouragement, you <HI>ca<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">not</HI> Show &s;o much Re&s;pect unto the <HI>Hou&s;e</HI> of God, but God will &s;how more to yours.</P>
<P N="6"><HI>VI.</HI> Let us be Humbly Thankful, for <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">he Mercies of God, which we Enjoy in our <HI>Tabernacles,</HI> if we would &s;till comfor|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ably Enjoy our <HI>Tabernacles.</HI> If we would <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ot be Turned out of our <HI>Hou&s;es,</HI> Let us <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ay the Rent which we owe to our Great <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">and lord</HI> for them: That <HI>Rent</HI> is this,
<PB N="72" REF="40"> <HI>Let us offer the prai&s;e that will Glorifie Him, and Let us order our Conver&s;ations aright.</HI> We are not Abroad obnoxious to the Hard&s;hips of the Weather, <HI>Con&s;umed,</HI> as the Patriarch was, <HI>In the Day by the Drought, and in the Night by the Fro&s;t;</HI> nor are we confined unto the wretched Cottages of the <HI>Salvages.</HI> Now unto what is this to be a&s;cribed?</P>
<P>I'l mention unto you, a very Heart-mel|ting Thought! Our Precious and Glori|ous Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, could &s;ay, in Mat. 8.20. <HI>The Foxes have Holes, and the Birds of the Air, have Ne&s;ts; but the Son of Man has not where to Lay his Head.</HI> Now 'tis to this <HI>Humiliation</HI> of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, that we are to a&s;cribe, the <HI>Mercies</HI> which we have, in our Commodious <HI>Hou&s;es.</HI> Oh! Let us Thankfully &s;ay be|fore the Lord, <HI>My Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, by being Harbourle&s;s in this Evil World, has procured for me this Benefit, that I am in a Good Harbour here. Ble&s;s the Lord, O my Soul, and Forget not &s;uch a Benefit!</HI> Here|upon, When we Look round about our <HI>Hou&s;es,</HI> and &s;ee the manifold Smi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">es of God in every Corner of them, we &s;hould
<PB N="73" REF="40"> then Study with our &s;elves, <HI>What &s;hall I now render to the Lord?</HI> It is noted of <HI>Da|vid,</HI> in 2 Sam 7.1, 2. <HI>He &s;at in his Hou&s;e, and the Lord had given him Re&s;t,</HI> and he then thought, <HI>What &s;hall I do for the Ark of God?</HI> Would we <HI>Sit</HI> long, and <HI>Sit</HI> &s;afe, and <HI>Sit</HI> quiet in our <HI>Hou&s;es?</HI> Let us, when we <HI>Sit</HI> there, contrive what <HI>Returns</HI> we &s;hall make to the God of Heaven for them.</P>
<P N="7"><HI>VII.</HI> Would we comfortably Enjoy our <HI>Tabernacles?</HI> Then Let us Remember that they are no more than <HI>Tabernacles.</HI> When you go into your Comfortable <HI>Hou&s;es,</HI> rec|kon them no more than <HI>Stages,</HI> whereat you can only &s;tay to Bait a while in your Journey, to your Eternal State. Oh! Live like <HI>Strangers</HI> in your own <HI>Hou&s;es;</HI> and be the <HI>Hou&s;e</HI> never &s;o convenient, yet count not your &s;elves at <HI>Home,</HI> in that <HI>Hou&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>I be&s;eech you, to Lay up this Admoni|tion with you. If you would <HI>Keep</HI> any thing, in this World, you mu&s;t not &s;et your <HI>Hearts</HI> upon it: and indeed, it is fit that men &s;hould keep nothing of this World, which they do &s;et their <HI>Hearts</HI>
<PB N="74" REF="41"> upon. The way for us, to have our <HI>Hou|&s;es</HI> taken away from us, is, to have our <HI>Hearts</HI> vainly fond of continuing in them. It was therefore an Annual, and a mo&s;t &s;uitable <HI>Ceremony,</HI> which the Lord Enjoin|ed upon His People of old; When a Good <HI>Harvest</HI> had fill'd their <HI>Hou&s;es,</HI> God ordered them to go out of their <HI>Hou&s;es;</HI> they mu&s;t then go make Little <HI>Tabernacles</HI> abroad, and keep the Fea&s;t of <HI>Tabernacles.</HI> Thus did the Lord mind them of their Condition in this World; when they had never &s;o much of <HI>this World</HI> about them, they mu&s;t not forget that they were no more than <HI>Sojourners</HI> in the World. This I &s;ay; Tho' we have <HI>Hou&s;es</HI> that we can <HI>Fea&s;t</HI> in, yet Let us have the Temper of a <HI>Fea&s;t of Taberna|cles</HI> in us. Let our <HI>Hearts</HI> be gone out of our <HI>Hou&s;es,</HI> &amp; the Lord will give <HI>us,</HI> Leave to &s;tay the Longer in them.</P>
<P>Oh! Let us not be tho&s;e <HI>Fools,</HI> of whom 'tis &s;aid in P&s;al. 49.11. <HI>Their Inward Thought is, that their Hou&s;es &s;hall continue for ever, and their Dwelling-places to all Generations:</HI> Nor let us fooli&s;hly count, the <HI>Goods</HI> in our Hou&s;es, <HI>Goods laid up for
<PB N="75" REF="41"> many years.</HI> As we walk about our <HI>Hou&s;es,</HI> let this Con&s;ideration come into our Hearts; <HI>How ea&s;ily can all the&s;e Riches take them&s;elves Wings and flee away! One or Two Hours, may lay this Hou&s;e Level with the Ground.</HI> But there is a further Con&s;ideration, which is then al&s;o to come into our Hearts; <HI>'Tis but a little while that I &s;hall remain in this Hou&s;e; It won't be long, before I am Lock'd up in a Coffin under Ground, when the place that now knows me, will know me no more.</HI></P>
<P>And what &s;hould be the I&s;&s;ue of &s;uch Con&s;iderations? I would Pray you, let it be <HI>This.</HI> Let us make &s;ure of an <HI>Hou&s;e Eternal in the Heavens,</HI> to be Enjoy'd by us, when our <HI>Earthly Tabernacles</HI> can be no more u&s;eful to us. If you Enquire, <HI>How this is to be done?</HI> I an&s;wer, in one Word; By giving to the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the Lord of Heaven, a <HI>Dwelling</HI> in our Souls. Our <HI>Hou&s;es</HI> here, though made of <HI>Brick</HI> and <HI>Stone</HI> it &s;elf, they are only <HI>Tabernacles.</HI> But the Apo&s;tle tells us, in 2 Cor. 5.1. <HI>We have an Hou&s;e Eternal in the Heavens.</HI> The Bla&s;phemous <HI>Julian,</HI> would in&s;olently call our Lord Je&s;us
<PB N="76" REF="42"> Chri&s;t, <HI>The Carpenters Son.</HI> But, Chri&s;ti|ans; Be a&s;&s;ured, That Ble&s;&s;ed <HI>Son in Law of a Carpenter,</HI> is He that ha's built a Stately Palace, in the Heavenly Regions, for all His Cho&s;en ones; and He hath &s;aid, in Joh. 14.2. <HI>In my Fathers Hou&s;e are many Man&s;ions;</HI> Even, as there were ma|ny <HI>Chambers</HI> to Lodge the Prie&s;ts, an|nexed unto the <HI>Temple</HI> of old. The For|midable Fires, that &s;hall di&s;patch the <HI>Conflagration</HI> of the World, of which <HI>Conflagration,</HI> the <HI>Fires</HI> multiplied in our Dayes, are doubtle&s;s a Shadow, and an <HI>Omen;</HI> Tho&s;e <HI>Fires,</HI> I &s;ay, will not reach this Illu&s;trious <HI>Hou&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>When the Worthy Mini&s;ter of <HI>Nola,</HI> had his <HI>Hou&s;e</HI> burnt, he li<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t up his Eyes to Heaven, &s;aying, <HI>Domine, ubi Omnia Mea Tu Scis;</HI> Lord, Thou knowe&s;t, I have a better <HI>Hou&s;e</HI> than This. Oh! Let us make &s;ure of a <HI>Man&s;ion</HI> in Heaven, by Faith in the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t; and &s;o, when our other Hou&s;es fail us, <HI>We &s;hall be Received into Everla&s;ting Habitations.</HI></P>
<DIV2 TYPE="section">
<HEAD>CORONIS.</HEAD>
<P>But there is a Tribe of <HI>Zebulon,</HI> which makes no little part of our Neigh|bourhood.
<PB N="77" REF="42"> There are &s;o many of our Neighbours, who&s;e Employment lies at Sea, that in my own particular Congrega|tion, I have counted near <HI>Ninety</HI> Per&s;ons, in one Day recommended unto our Pray|ers, by Bills from tho&s;e who were Sollici|tous for their Friends then abroad.</P>
<P>My Neighbours, Your <HI>Ve&s;&s;els</HI> are your <HI>Hou&s;es;</HI> what are your <HI>Ships,</HI> your <HI>Ketches,</HI> your <HI>Brigantines,</HI> and your <HI>Sloops,</HI> but your <HI>Tabernacles?</HI> Oh! may <HI>Iniquity</HI> be <HI>Put far</HI> from them! Since we have been pre&s;&s;ing of that <HI>Religion,</HI> which may have a Ten|dency to pre&s;erve our <HI>Standing Hou&s;es</HI> a <HI>Shore,</HI> let us al&s;o pre&s;s that <HI>Religion,</HI> by which the pre&s;ervation of your <HI>Floating Hou&s;es</HI> at <HI>Sea</HI> may be be-friended.</P>
<P>It is a pa&s;&s;age, in P&s;al. 107.23.24. <HI>They that go down to the Sea in Ships, that do Bu&s;ine&s;s in great Waters, The&s;e &s;ee the works of the Lord, and His Wonders in the Deep.</HI></P>
<P>In the Fir&s;t place, before ever you Em|bark in tho&s;e your <HI>Moving Tabernacles,</HI> be|come United unto the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, by <HI>Faith</HI> in Him, that &s;o you may be pre|pared for all the <HI>Wonders</HI> of tho&s;e <HI>Dangers,</HI> which you may be Expo&s;ed unto. There
<PB N="78" REF="43"> are wonderful <HI>Storms,</HI> which may Encoun|ter and Endanger tho&s;e your <HI>Feeble Ta|bernacles:</HI> But <HI>Calms,</HI> may likewi&s;e In|commode you wor&s;e than <HI>Storms.</HI> By Numberle&s;s <HI>Accidents,</HI> the&s;e <HI>Tabernacles</HI> may be Sunk and Lo&s;t in the <HI>Waters;</HI> but the <HI>Fires</HI> e&s;pecially may more terribly threaten you, than the <HI>Waters. Enemies</HI> do much prey upon the&s;e <HI>Tabernacles</HI> on the Ocean, as the Greater <HI>Fi&s;hes</HI> in it, upon the le&s;&s;er ones; but the wor&s;t Enemies, are the <HI>Pyrates</HI> of our own Nation, who barbarou&s;ly butcher all that may di&s;cover them. In &s;hort, So Sen&s;ibly near to Death are you in the&s;e your <HI>Tabernacles,</HI> that, in Truth, <HI>Tam prope mors urget, quam prope cernis Aquam:</HI> 'tis but the Breadth of a Plank to two. My Friends, That Pitch't Box of Plank, what is it, but a larger &s;ort of a <HI>Coffin?</HI> Our <HI>Seafaring Folks,</HI> may &s;ay with the P&s;almi&s;t, <HI>My Soul is continually in my Hand.</HI> But, before it come to this, O man if thou Love thy <HI>Soul,</HI> effectually put thy <HI>Soul,</HI> into the Hand of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, Repairing to Him, and Relying on Him, for thy Righteou&s;ne&s;s, thy Ble&s;&s;ed|ne&s;s, thy Everla&s;ting Life. The Poet
<PB N="79" REF="43"> counted him a Bold man, <HI>[Audax Japeti Genus]</HI> who Ventured fir&s;t of all <HI>to go to Sea.</HI> Yea, but I earne&s;tly Prote&s;t unto you, He that will venture to <HI>Sea,</HI> before he hath Savingly Clo&s;ed with the Lord Je|&s;us Chri&s;t, by Faith, is a Bold, an Hardy, a Sotti&s;h, and a de&s;perately Venture&s;ome Creature. Sirs, Will you go to <HI>Sea,</HI> before you have made up your <HI>Accounts?</HI> There are &s;ad Accounts between God and you; I be&s;eech you, get 'em all made up, in your Believing on the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, for the <HI>Pardon</HI> of all your Sins, before you &s;tir. The Fir&s;t <HI>Ship,</HI> even the <HI>Ark,</HI> was in this, a <HI>Type</HI> of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, that the Salvation of your Souls does depend on your being <HI>in Him.</HI> Neighbours, Don't Step into any <HI>Ship,</HI> till you are fir&s;t got in|to that <HI>Ark!</HI> And Now,</P>
<P>Be &s;ure, That you Abandon tho&s;e <HI>Vi|ces,</HI> that <HI>Sailors</HI> too too generaly are u&s;ed, or at Lea&s;t, are <HI>Tempted</HI> unto.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t man, that ever &s;et up a <HI>Ship,</HI> once fell into the Sin of <HI>Drunkenne&s;s.</HI> Are none of you, that Sail in a <HI>Ship,</HI> too Liable to that woful Sin? Beware of that <HI>Bea&s;tly Vice. Bea&s;tly</HI> did I call it? Alas, I have
<PB N="80" REF="44"> wronged the <HI>Bea&s;ts</HI> in &s;o calling it: <HI>Beasts</HI> will not &s;eek to be <HI>Drunk;</HI> To be <HI>Drunk,</HI> turns men into wor&s;e than <HI>Bea&s;ts.</HI> A <HI>Drunken</HI> man, is q. d. a <HI>Drowned</HI> man; Let our <HI>Sailors</HI> Take heed of being <HI>Drun|kards,</HI> Le&s;t God Almighty <HI>Drown</HI> them, yea, <HI>Damn</HI> them, for their being &s;o. And is not the Sin of profane <HI>Swearing</HI> and <HI>Cur&s;ing,</HI> become too notorious among our <HI>Marriners?</HI> Reform that Impiety Syrs; Le&s;t you that now Sail in a va&s;t Sea of <HI>Waters,</HI> e're Long have that profane <HI>Tongue</HI> tortured in the Fiery Wrath of God, where you &s;hall in vain cry, <HI>Oh! for a Drop of water to cool my Tongue!</HI> The <HI>Tongue</HI> is fitly compared unto the <HI>Helm, which turns about the Ships, tho' they be &s;o great, and are dri|ven of fierce winds:</HI> That Little <HI>Helm,</HI> in thy mouth, Govern it, O man, and Re|&s;train it by the Rules of the Word of God, el&s;e thy Soul will be horribly <HI>Ship|wrack'd.</HI></P>
<P>Filthy Speaking, Baudy &s;peaking, vile <HI>Ribaldry,</HI> is too frequent a Vice of Marri|ners. Leave it off, I be&s;eech you; and, <HI>Keep thy Tongue from Evil.</HI> It may be, <HI>Mi&s;pence of Time,</HI> is to be reckoned a <HI>prin|cipal</HI>
<PB N="81" REF="44"> Vice among you; certainly, 'tis a pernicious one. The Sails of <HI>Time,</HI> are <HI>furling</HI> apace, and yet how many weary contrivances have you to <HI>pa&s;s this Time</HI> a|way? Yea, but thy Soul is ready to put a &s;hore in Eternity; and then, thou wilt wi&s;h, thy <HI>Time</HI> had been more of it &s;pent in <HI>Reading,</HI> and <HI>Thinking,</HI> and <HI>Praying</HI> over the State of thy Soul.</P>
<P>The <HI>Ships</HI> of <HI>Jeho&s;haphat</HI> were <HI>Broken:</HI> His men were an abominable Crue! Hear|ken, Brothers; you'l hazard the <HI>Breaking</HI> of your <HI>Ships,</HI> if you don't <HI>break off</HI> your Ungodline&s;s. Let the <HI>Sea,</HI> no Longer-&s;ay, <HI>Wi&s;dom is not in me!</HI> on the occa&s;ion of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">he Follies almo&s;t univer&s;ally indulged a|mong the <HI>Sea faring.</HI></P>
<P>Finally; U&s;e <HI>Prayer,</HI> before you <HI>Go to Sea,</HI> that you may be&s;peak the pre&s;ence of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, in your <HI>Fleeting Tabernacles.</HI> You tell us, <HI>You de&s;ire the Prayers of the Congregation.</HI> 'Tis but a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ocking of God, if you make no <HI>Prayers</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">f your own. But Invigorate your <HI>Pray|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rs,</HI> with <HI>Faith,</HI> in &s;uch promi&s;es as that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n I&s;a. 43.3. <HI>When thou pa&s;&s;est thro' the Wa|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ers, I will be with thee.</HI></P>
<PB N="82" REF="45">
<P>And my <HI>Ma&s;ters,</HI> continue your <HI>Pray|ers,</HI> with your <HI>Companies,</HI> even as with your <HI>Families,</HI> during all the Voyage. You are wor&s;e than <HI>Jonahs</HI> Marriners, if you do it not.</P>
<P>It may be, you have Received the Fa|vours of God, on the <HI>Waters.</HI> Don't Write the memory of them, as on the <HI>Waters,</HI> and forget the <HI>Vows</HI> of God that are upon you.</P>
<P>Con&s;ider, <HI>Heaven</HI> as you <HI>Haven.</HI> And be de&s;irous, that your <HI>Soul</HI> may like his, in 3 Joh. 2. make a <HI>Good Voyage</HI> of it. Have an Eye of <HI>Dayly Ob&s;ervation</HI> on the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, as the <HI>Sun of Righte|ou&s;ne&s;s.</HI> Don't neglect the <HI>Pole Star</HI> of the Scripture. Ply the <HI>Pump</HI> of <HI>Repen|tance,</HI> with continual Zeal to get Sin out of the Hold of the Heart. When the <HI>Gales</HI> of the <HI>Spirit</HI> Striving with you, are blowing, Spread the <HI>Sails</HI> of your Souls before them, and Sail tight before that ble&s;&s;ed Wind. Often &s;ee <HI>What Way</HI> you make; and whatever you <HI>ca&s;t over-board,</HI> make <HI>no Shipwrack of Faith and a Good Con&s;cience.</HI> And &s;o, God Smile upon your Voyages.</P>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="45">
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
