Page images
PDF
EPUB

soldiers and commanders, that the salvation of the righteous cometh of the Lord, who also is their strength in the time of trouble*. Every pre-eminence is more estimable for being his gift; every great action, for being done by his guidance: and the highest of those, who have wrought this deliverance for us, are surely the most deeply sensible, that the noblest of their distinctions is, being employed by their Maker, and fellow-workers with him, for the support of genuine religion, virtuous liberty, and public happiness. This way of thinking will inspire the most composed moderation, along with the most undaunted bravery and whoever makes it the basis of his conduct, will be entitled to all demonstrations of respect from men and yet abundantly contented with the honour, that cometh from God only †.

Every thing that befalls us therefore, adverse or prosperous, let us look on it as proceeding from the just and good pleasure of our heavenly Father: humble ourselves before him in all our afflictions; and, which is our present concern, be thankful to him in all our rejoicings. If the Lord himself had not been on our side, let Israel now say, if the Lord himself had not been on our side, when men rose up against us: they had swallowed us up quick, when they were so wrathfully displeased at us: yea, the waters had drowned us, deep waters of the proud had gone over our soul. But praised be the Lord, who hath not given us over for a prey unto their teeth. This is the language, that expresses the truth of our case: and it is of infinite importance, that we own it unanimously. For the sovereign Disposer of the universe will neither be denied nor forgot, without vindicating the glory of his name: and he hath long ago pronounced the sen

-the

* Psalm xxxvii. 40. † John v. 44. Psalm cxxiv. 1-5.

tence: They regard not in their mind the works of the Lord, nor the operation of his hands; therefore shall he break them down and not build them up *. But the duty and the necessity of such regard will more distinctly appear by considering,

III. The reasons, for which the Apostle was first brought into danger, then brought out of it: that he might learn by the former not to trust in himself; and by the latter, to trust in God, which raiseth the dead.

Now if there was need of improving St. Paul in this lesson, much more is there of teaching it others. And never perhaps was any nation, at least which made profession of faith in Christ, so deplorably inattentive to it as ours. Our wealth, our fleets, our valour, have been for many years past, till very lately, our continual boast. And in vain had the Scripture forewarned us: Cursed is he that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lordt. How then should God convince us of so pernicious an error; and shew us, that we were not sufficient of ourselves? By the very method, which he hath taken. He hid his face, and we were troubled storms rose around us; and the most dangerous, where we thought there was nothing to produce any: our navy proved no protection; our valour sunk into panic terrors; our riches were on the point of making themselves wings and flying away § ; a general bankruptcy threatened us; and what the kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world, would not have believed, the adversary and the enemy were near entering into the gates of Jerusalem ||. Who could possibly have apprehended that the landing of six or seven men should have put this great nation

* Psalm xxviii. 6.
§ Prov. xxiii. 5.

+ Jer. xvii. 5.

Psalm civ. 29.

|| Lam. iv. 21.

into such confusion? Who could ever have conceived, that the disturbers of our peace should have multiplied and conquered as they did; should have advanced and retreated, and ranged at will through our land, with so perfect security, for so long a time? And what is all this, but a call from God to know ourselves, and abase our pride before him: a practical declaration, that no flesh shall glory in his presence*.

But necessary as this instruction is, yet singly it is not enough. When irreligious persons have found by experience, that they cannot rely on their own strength, they have no other left to rely on: and so are tempted to despair in their minds, to fail in their duty, to seek refuge in cowardly and treacherous artifices for their own preservation. But very different are the sentiments of the pious man's heart. Let ever so unexpected calamities happen, let ever so alarming dangers approach, with ever so little appearance of surmounting them: still he knows, that nothing can be so dangerous, as to desert the post, in which God hath placed him; and that he, who is faithful unto death, shall receive a crown of life. At the same instant therefore, that he saith, There be many that fight against me, O thou most highest, he is enabled to say also, nevertheless, though I am sometime afraid, yet put I my trust in thee. And this is the spirit, which God intends to excite, by sending after extreme perils, remarkable and sudden deliverances. From these it is natural to learn faith in him, that raises the dead, that restores from the most helpless condition; and since he hath delivered, to form reviving hopes, that he will yet deliver; which we ↑ Psalm lvi. 2, 3.

* 1 Cor. i. 29.

+ Rev. ii. 10.

may and ought to do now. He hath given us a victory speedier, cheaper, completer, than we could even have flattered ourselves with. He hath given it by the means of a young prince, whose confessed abilities, vigilant attention, unwearied diligence, and intrepid firmness, on all occasions, as well as his wonderful success on the present, afford us the justest ground of persuasion, that he is chosen by Providence for the service and support of his father, his family, his country. And the same God, who hath begun to shew his mighty hand*, can, with the same ease, accomplish his good work, and bring it to perfection.

But then, alas! what avails it that he can, unless we have cause to trust that he will? And whence shall we have this? Thankfulness for past mercies undoubtedly is the way to secure future. And just now we seem in earnest thankful. But if your gratitude prove to be superficial and short-lived, like that of the Jews, they sang praise unto him: but within a while they forgat his works, they would not abide his counsel; what can we expect else, than judgments like theirs? Then he lift up his hand against them, to overthrow them. Our state, though vastly altered for the better, is still a very undesirable, indeed a very melancholy one. Our burdens are unavoidably augmenting, and our strength wasting. Foreign force may soon renew our intestine commotions: or even, without their intervention, subject us all directly to it itself. The failures of our friends give us, year after year, new reason to say with the Psalmist, Obe thou our help in trouble: for vain is the help of man‡. Put not your trust in princes, nor in any child of man : for there is no help in them. Blessed is he that hath

Deut. iii. 24. † Psalm cvi. 12, 13. 26. + Psalm lx. 11.

66

the God of Jacob for his help, and whose hope is in the Lord his God*. But we cannot hope for the continuation of his protection, unless we answer the intention of it: which the nature of the thing, as well as holy writ, assures us is, that, being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, we may serve him without fear †. It is not then, that we may sin against him without fear that we may return securely to the follies and vices, the impiety and profaneness, from which we abstained, while his hand lay heavy upon us. Then we professed to observe days of fasting and prayer. And what was the language of them? "Spare us, good Lord, that we may safely go on to be as bad "as we have been, and worse?" Surely not. Some indeed expressed, even in the midst of danger, an open scorn of them: others were evidently kept from it by mere outward decency. Many however were awakened, spoke and thought seriously, resolved well, prayed heartily. But are they not most of them already, or shall we not find them soon, relapsed again into their old neglect? For such hath always been the course of human nature, unless carefully restrained by conscientious vigilance. When he slew them they sought him, and turned them early, and enquired after God: and they remembered that God was their strength, and the high God their Redeemer. Nevertheless they did but flatter him with their mouth, and dissembled with him in their tongue. For their heart was not whole with him: neither continued they stedfast in his covenant. After this feint of reformation, they grew, as men always do, wickeder than before. And I beg you to attend to the final consequence. When God saw this, he was wroth, and took sore displeasure * Psalm cxlvi. 2. 4. + Luke i. 74. ↑ Psalm lxxviii. 34—37.

« PreviousContinue »