and the victory, and the majesty*: For the kingdom is the Lord's, and he is the governor among ft the nations t. Let it be thy pleasure, O Lord, to help us. Let all those that seek thee, be joyful and glad in thee: and fuch as love thy falvation fay alway, The Lord be praised ‡.

1 Chron. xxix. 11.

+ Pfal. xxii. 28.

† Pfal. xl. 16, 19.

SER

SERMON

CXXIII.

(Preached October 9. 1746, on the Day appointed for a General Thanksgiving for the suppression of the Rebellion.)

ON THANKFULNESS FOR NATIONAL MERCIES AND DELIVERANCES; AND THE GREAT DUTY OF A VIRTUOUS OBEDIENCE ON ACCOUNT of them.

JOHN V. 14.

Afterward Jefus findeth him in the temple, and faid unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: Sin no more, left a worse thing come unto thee.

AFTER feven yearly fafts, we have now, through God's

mercy, before we have deserved it, one day of general thanksgiving and furely our concern is to employ it so that we may hope for more. Now, there can be no wiser or kinder direction for this purpose, than that of our Lord in the text. He had juft healed the perfon to whom he speaks, and therefore certainly did not mean to use him harshly in these words, but indeed to fhew him ftill greater goodness than he had done already, as much greater as spiritual and eternal welfare is than temporal. His cure had been the heaviest of his misfortunes to him, had he behaved improperly upon it. But Jefus found him in the temple, whither probably he went with a devout heart, to give God praise. This promised well concerning him, yet by no means rendered a strong warning to him fuperfluous. Permit me, therefore, finding you, and God be thanked that I find fo many of you, in the temple on a like occafion, to treat you in a like manner. And think it not strange, I beseech you, if at prefent you hear not solely

the

the voice of joy, though never was a jufter occafion for it, but are exhorted, even now, to ferve the Lord in fear, and rejoice unto him with reverence*: I hope many teachers of his word will dwell this day on the fame fubject; for the advice here given by our gracious Mafter, comprehends every thing that our condition requires.

I. A thankful fenfe of the bleffing which we have received. Behold, thou art made whole.

II. A firm resolution of virtuous obedience in return for it. Sin no more.

III. A prüdent confideration of the danger of behaving otherwife. Left a worfe thing come unto thee.

I. A thankful fense of the bleffing which we have received. Behold, thou art made whole.

At this time last year, and for many months after, we had a very afflicting fenfe of the judgments that threatened us; the whole nation had it, and with the utmost cause. Our religion, our liberties, our lives, our public independence, our private properties, were all at flake. Our forces were few, unfuccessful, and disheartened; the rebels were numerous, flushed with victory, and increasing. Then, befides what appeared, we knew not how much more evil we had to apprehend, from abroad or at home, from the fury of our enemies, from the coldness of our friends. The danger too was no lefs imminent than great; and muft foon crush us, if not food averted. We faw, and felt, and trembled at it; we exerted ourselves against it, with a spirit never known amongst us before and God forbid we fhould have forgotten, God forbid we should ever forget, the impreffions that we had fo lately, first of the terrors impending over us, then of the felicity of their fudden difperfion.

It is true, we are not yet perfectly whole. Far from it, Heaven knows. But what would we have given once for fo happy an approach towards it as we now poffefs? Our domestic foes are fallen in battle, or cut off by juftice, or driven into other lands, or abfconding in corners of their own, impoverished and difarmed, and taught by experience neither to rely on themfelves nor their faithlefs allies. Our foldiery

have

*Pfal. ii. II,

have recovered their ancient courage and character. The nation in general hath united in active loyalty; we are known and trufted one by another; known and dreaded by our adverfaries, who had ftrangely mistaken our inteftine divifions, bad as they were, for fomething much worse. Our diftemper is at least expelled from our vitals, and driven to the extreme parts. We have notice, we have time, to provide against a return of it; and poffibly at prefent France may be feeling from us, in her own dominions, a fmall fhare of the fufferings which fhe projected for ours, while we are enjoying in peace all that we feared to lofe. Whatever we may want, therefore, to make our happiness complete, we ought to be moft deeply fenfible, that our portion of it is remarkably large; fo large, that there is not furely a nation upon earth, with which any one of us, in the midst of all that we have to complain of and lament, would be willing on the whole to change conditions.

But then, as often as we confider to how comfortable a degree we are whole, we fhould always recollect by what means we were made whole. Our Saviour was not afraid' the poor man, whom he had cured, fhould forget that he had regained the use of his limbs, but how he had regained it. And if he, who had been miraculoufly healed, yet had need of being reminded to whom he owed his health, much more fhould we, who have been faved by the ordinary methods of providence, be careful to fix it in our hearts whence the ineftimable benefit was derived. And here let us allow their full proportion of praise, even to the human means; to the justice and mildness of his majefty's government, and the profpect of continued fecurity and tranquillity under his defcendants; bleflings which the risk of lofing excited the moft vigorous efforts for preferving; to the valour, the prudence, the vigilance, the activity of his illuftrious fon; to the bravery and indignation thus infpired into his officers and troops; to the unexampled unanimity, zeal, and liberality of his faithful fubjects, the nobility, the gentry, the clergy, the commonalty of the realm. Let us ever acknowledge our obligations to the merits of all thefe. But ftill let us remember, that men are only inftruments in the hand of the Almighty. We have owned this all along by our prayers: let us own it fincerely VOL. III. Zz

in

in our thanksgivings alfo; and not receive, without fuítable gratitude, what we begged with fuch uncommon earnestnefs. It is just as true at this hour as it was then, that except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. From his displeasure came our danger, from his compaffionate goodnefs our deliverance. Therefore defpife not either the chafienings or the mercies of the Almighty. For he maketh fore, and bindeth up; he woundeth, and his bands make whole t. It cannot be lefs criminal towards God than men ;.it is unspeakably more, to ask affiftance, and when we have had it, not acknowledge it. He doth not indeed want our acknowledgments, but he hath ftill an equal right to them; and that he requires them not for his own fake, but for ours, is furely no reafon why we should withhold them:

But you will fay, "We do acknowledge God's mercy in ર delivering us, and will never deny it." But if after a while you never think of it more, you might almost as well deny it. Or if you think of it, and are not moved by it, that is worfe than forgetting it. Or fuppofe you have ever fo warm a feeling of his favours, yet if you refufe to make a proper return for them, this is worst of all. And what return doth he demand? Some hard and unnatural, or expenfive and ruinous fervice? No: the most reasonable thing in itself, and the most beneficial to us and our fellow-creatures, that poffibly can be: what the text expresses,

II. A firm refolution of virtuous obedience. Behold, thes art made whole: fin no more. God hath been gracious to you; be dutiful to him. Sin is at all times equally abfurd and ill-deferving. It is fetting up our own perverfe will against the authority of cur Maker and Sovereign Lord; our own paffions and caprices again the wisdom of our heavenly Father; thinking that we can profper in oppofition to the Almighty; or if not, preferring rebellion and mifery to fidelity and happiness. But to fin on, directly in the face of diftinguishing mercies juft vouchfafed, this is the most fhocking aggravation of the worst thing in the world; a crime fo heinous, that perhaps you may refent being thought bad enough to need a caution against it. But the impotent man, whom.

our

* Pfal. cxxvii. 2.

† Job v. 17, 18.