A SERMON,

PREACHED NOVEMBER 5, 1673, AT THE ABBEY-CHURCH IN WESTMINSTER, BY JOHN PEARSON, LORD BISHOP OF CHESTER.

PSALM CXi. 4.

**

He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered.

THIS Psalm begins with an hallelujah, and wholly consisteth of praise and thanksgiving; in which the people of God express a just resentment, and grateful acknowledgment of the chiefest mercies received by their fathers, referring them all to the goodness of God, and jointly and publicly magnifying his name, as if it were previous to the " great voice of much people in heaven" heard by St. John. The words are so indited by the Spirit, so penned by the Prophet, that they may be a perpetual rule and direction in all ages to the Church, guided by the same Providence, protected by the same power, to have the like sense, and render the same praise to him whose "hand is not shortened at all."

This duty is here taught us in such a manner as may render it most proper for us to offer, most acceptable to him to whom it is to be offered. The expressions of the Psalmist sufficiently inform us, that it must be unfeigned and real, sincere and integral, without any intervening doubts of his benign and immediate influence, without mingling thoughts or imaginations of any other assistance, ascribing to him the whole deliverance, rendering to him the whole "glory due unto his name," that he "alone may be exalted:" there is nothing less than this intimated in the first address, "I will praise the Lord with my whole heart." The same must also be public and united, universal and illimited, with a general consent and holy kind of conspiration; that the praise to be rendered may bear some show of proportion to the mercy received, and, as the blessing, so the return, may be, without exception, publicly performed "in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation."

The duty thus taught and described is next urged and enforced by expressing a reason, which hath a natural tendency to excite our performance, or rather to constrain us. For "the works of the Lord are great," ver. 2. "His work is honourable and glorious; and his righteousness endureth for ever," ver. 3. Whereby he showeth, that in the extraordinary works of God, wrought for the benefit of his people, the attributes of the divine nature manifestly appear; as his wisdom in contriving them, his power in effecting them, his goodness in vouchsafing them, his justice in denying them to others, his mercy in conferring or confining them to us; and at the same time informeth us, that our praise consisteth in the sole acknowledgment of these attributes. For he whose "glorious name is exalted above all blessing and praise," cannot receive glory from us : our goodness extendeth not to him:" he is only glorified by the manifestation of himself, with our acknowledgment and declaration of the glorious excellencies which are in him, and the emanations proceeding from them.

*In lieu of an original sermon, we have given one by Bishop Pearson, which has now become extremely scarce. We have already presented our readers with one of that eminent Prelate's scattered rarities, and may possibly have other opportunities of giving similar reprints.

This general reason is followed by a more immediate, more concerning and convincing provocation to the same duty; in that he which hath done so great things for our fathers, and promised the like to us, hath also revealed the counsel of his will, and his design in the doing of them, both for our benefit and his own honour: that there might be not only a sufficient reason to move and persuade us, but also an express signification of his will, to determine and oblige us unto a perpetual and never-failing commemoration of his goodness. And the revelation of this design of God is clearly delivered in the words of my text: "He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered."

I shall not trouble you with any division of my text, but only raise this observation from it which is naturally contained in it: Where God hath wrought any signal work for any people or nation, he justly expecteth and requireth a public and perpetual acknowledgment of it. The truth of this indubitable observation, as it is useful for many purposes, so it is evident by innumerable instances; three of which are glanced at in this short Psalm. First, "He sent redemption unto his people," ver. 9; that is, he sent Moses and Aaron unto the Israelites, by whose hand he brought them out of the land of Egypt; and certainly he made that wonderful work to be remembered. For they obtained their dismission by the intervention of a destroying angel, while the Egyptians perished and they were preserved upon which the feast of the Passover was instituted, and with this remark, "This day shall be to you for a memorial: and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations: ye shall keep feast by an ordinance for ever." Upon their coming forth from thence, the law of the Sabbath was fixed to a certain day, in reference to the same deliverance, with the like intimation. "Remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm therefore the Lord thy God hath commanded thee to keep the Sabbath-day."

Secondly, "He hath given meat unto them that fear him," ver. 5. that is, probably, he fed them miraculously when they cried unto him in the wilderness; he gave them manna, even bread from heaven, but with this command: "Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations, that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness." And this wonderful work was made to be remembered, not only in itself but in its signification. For he which said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven," when he was by his death to deliver us from the wrath of God, and to make a way open for us to eternal life, instituted the blessed Sacrament to this end, that “ as often as we eat that bread, and drink that cup, we should shew the Lord's death till he come."

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Thirdly, "He gave them the heritage of the heathen," ver. 6; that is, when the sins of the Amorites were full, he drove out them and their neighbouring nations, that he might place his peculiar people in the promised land of Canaan. He magnified Joshua, as he had done Moses, in the sight of all Israel; he cut off the waters of Jordan, that the ark of the covenant might pass before them, and the

people follow that, to take possession of the land. And lest the memory of such a wonderful work should perish, he caused twelve stones taken "out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm," to be laid in Gilgal, for a memorial to the children of Israel for ever.

Upon these, and the like instances, founded in the express will and revelation of God, delivered in the writings of Moses and the Prophets, preserved in the public monuments and sacred archives of the sanctuary, the Church of God, in after ages, followed the same rule, and without any scruple put upon themselves the same obligation. For having a due apprehension of the great equity and justice of the thing itself required, whensoever the like goodness of God was manifested to them, though his will was not expressly revealed, when his promises were fulfilled, though the prophecies ceased, they thought it necessary to oblige themselves and their posterity to the duty; as knowing that thankfulness is a necessary virtue by the eternal law of nature, and that the design of God, who changeth not, could not but be the same for his glory, whensoever he made the same demonstration of his mercy. Thus the Jews in their dispersion, being saved from a national destruction, of themselves instituted the feast of Purim they ordained and took upon them and upon their seed, so that it should not fail, that they would keep these two days every year; and that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed."

It is easy to derive and justify a doctrine from so many holy examples, all beyond exception, all the safest patterns for our imitation: it is easy to improve it, if we will attend not only to the truth, but also to the reasons and the use of it. And great reasons there are, whether we consider the benefit received or the duty required. First, in reference to any signal benefit, any extraordinary mercy received, it is necessary we should have a true sense and firm persuasion of the work of God in it, that we may learn to depend upon his Providence, which we find so vigilant over us, so beneficial to us; that we may attribute nothing to ourselves, or sacrifice to our own nets; that we may discern his hand in his own work, and say with the Prophet, "I will praise thy name for ever, because thou hast done it ;" that we may speak as unfeignedly, as emphatically, "To thee, O Lord, do we give thanks, to thee do we give thanks."

Secondly, this design of God teacheth man to make a true estimate, and set a value upon the benefit received as coming from his hand. How great soever any temporal deliverance may be, which beareth proportion with the evil or danger escaped; it can never be so great in itself as in the consideration of the Deliverer. No enjoyment on earth can equal this assurance, that the Preserver of men careth for us, that the Lord taketh pleasure in his people. We ought not to value so much any preservation, as his favour who preserveth us; because "his loving-kindness is better than life."

Again, in relation to the duty of a grateful remembrance, and suitable return of praise and thanksgiving, this design of God ought to

be embraced with all comfort and cheerfulness. For what greater honour can man receive, than that God should desire to be honoured by him? What greater advantage can we have, than that he should therefore bless us, that he may receive praise from us, and purchase his glory by the expense of his goodness? If God, who enjoyed himself alone from eternity, hath made all things for the praise of his glory; if he hath designed to bless us, that we may glorify him, and makes so advantageous an interpretation of the return of our thanks; if he hath thus "made his wonderful works to be remembered," nothing but a wretched ingratitude can deprive us of them.

Lastly, the equity and excellency of the duty enforce the obligation. Here is not any thing required, but what may be justly challenged, what cannot be with any pretence denied. There is a moral obligation between men, to "render to every man his due, honour to whom honour" and this divine acknowledgment is required upon no other terms, "Give unto the Lord the praise due unto his name." It is required in a due proportion, "Praise him according to his excellent greatness," according to the manifestation of it. This is the exercise of the blessed saints and angels in the nearest view of his perfections: the language of heaven is, Alleluja; and there is nothing more heavenly upon earth. For "it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant, and praise is comely. O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men."

I am willing to suppose we may be in some measure by this brief discourse persuaded, that if this nation hath received any signal mercy, as upon this day, we are some way obliged to remember, to acknowledge, to give thanks for it. If we be sensible of any extraordinary manifestation of the goodness of God towards us, I hope we shall not be so singular as to desert all the examples of the people of God in former ages.

And as to the certainty of the mercy, I think we may safely say with the Prophet, "O God, thou hast taught us from our youth, and hitherto have we declared thy wondrous works." We have been

all brought up in this persuasion: hitherto we have thought the mercy great, and the duty necessary. Certainly we may without vanity say, "We have heard with our ears, and our fathers have told us of the great works which God wrought for us in their days:" hitherto we have believed them, and praised him. But if there be any which speak so much of our forefathers, that we may give no credit to our fathers; if they teach us that our eyes and our hands daily deceive us, and therefore we must take heed lest we believe what we have heard with our ears; if in that which we take to be so grand a conspiracy, there was nothing of substance, but only the species of a treason; though the doctrine you have heard be good to other purposes, yet as to this day's assembly it will signify little.

Being therefore the new apologists for those popish conspirators have invented those shifts and excuses for them, which they themselves, though great masters in that Roman art, could never pretend to, it will be necessary now to show how this doctrine is applicable

to this nation, how the text agreeth with the day. "God hath made his wonderful works to be remembered," saith the Prophet: this is the rule. The work of this day was "his wonderful work." The work of this day is never to be forgotten; this I take to be our case. We must acknowledge the first, or we are most stupid and insensible; we must perform the second, or we shall be most unworthy and ungrateful.

First, the work of this day was "his wonderful work." The providence of God is concerned in all events, but is most conspicuous in his greatest mercies; the mercy manifesting his goodness, the greatness his power. "One sparrow shall not fall to the ground without our Father," saith our blessed Saviour; and can we believe that thousands of men should in that manner be preserved from destruction without his gracious and fatherly concurrence? How low soever their opinion of heretics be, as they are pleased to call them, can we think so many persons designed to slaughter were not "of more value than many sparrows?" "Touch not mine anointed," is the voice of God: shall the King and the royal family, shall the nobles and judges of the land, shall the Church and people of God, shall all whose lives are precious in his sight, be saved at once from utter destruction by any other hand than his ?

Certainly, either the design or the deliverance was from God; except we place him, as Epicurus did, without the world, and wholly unconcerned in it. But that was too black, too horrid, too impious, to be ascribed to any but to the grand enemy of God and man, "the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience." The deliverance therefore was from him from whom he fell, and by whom, though he continue" the prince of the power of the air," he is still "reserved in everlasting chains." As the machinations of so much mischief to mankind bewrays the inveterate enmity of him who incessantly "seeketh whom he may devour;" so the prevention of so much cruelty is a sufficient demonstration of God's philanthropy.

Though many other arguments might be used to demonstrate that this was the work, "the wonderful work" of God, yet I shall make use only of one more, drawn from the words of God, and those very remarkable: "Behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work amongst this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be lost. Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord; and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth it? who knoweth it? Surely their turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as potter's clay." Isaiah xxix. 14-16.

Now if this be God's proceeding to his marvellous works, as he himself assureth us, it was never more evident than in the detection and defeat of this conspiracy. For never any sought so deep to hide their counsel; never any work was so in the dark. I speak not of the secret contrivance of the mischief in a cellar, but of their horrid secrecy and combination under the seal of sacramental confession; which they profess to be so sacred with them, that not for the saving of a whole nation from the greatest mischief imaginable, it may be