GREAT and incomprehensible is Jehovah the sovereign of heaven and earth; his greatness is unsearchable, nor can the brightest Seraph in his presence declare the full extent of his wisdom, power and goodness. Yet part of his ways are made known to us both in his word and in his works: He hath been dis­playing the moral perfections of his nature from the moment he first spake into being moral creatures, whether angels or men, down to the present day. The divine dispensations towards the angelic hier­archy, those sublimer spirits who ministered before the throne of God, declare the glorious excellence and infinite perfection of their supreme Lord: Some indeed are the awful monuments of divine justice and omnipotence, being, for their disobedi­ence, "reserved in chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day;" others in loud acclamations of praise ascribe righeousness un­to [Page 6] the Lord, "and cry one to another, saying, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty."

But we are more acquainted with the divine dispensations towards the sons of Adam, and much more interested in the discoveries which God has made of his being and perfections in relation to the human, than the angelic nature. When we reflect on the divine memoirs as they respect our sinful race, what abundant reason have we to break forth into joy, and sing anthems of praise to him who hath visited us with his mercy, after we had shamefully violated the most sacred engage­ments, broke his covenant, and justly might have been cast off forever! All praise to him who laid the great plan of our redemption, and gave early intimations of his grace, and promised the deliverer in the very sentence he pronounced on our arch foe: All praise to him who has made all things subserve this most gracious design, in which every moral perfection of the deity is illustrated; and none can say whether his justice or his mercy, his holiness or his love shine with more distinguished lustre. All praise to him who has planned and executed this gracious method in a manner every way uniform and consistent, that all the parts which have been disclosed in the respective periods of the church, coincide to the grand purpose, and form one beautiful whole.

Known unto the Lord are all his works from the beginning, he hath directed the whole to promote the honour of his great name and the welfare of his church, in a manner which speaks his universal government, and declares that he is the most high over all the earth.

[Page 7]Thus, his dispensations to the Israelites, were de­signed to illustrate the honors of his name, being abundant proof of his supreme authority, of the holiness of his law, and the gracious purposes of his love: As the jewish polity was designed to ex­hibit lively representations of the divine purposes to­wards his people; so the most material and leading dispensations in their government were typical of events which have their fullest accomplishment in the gospel church. While the prophets, therefore, addressed the Israelites in the name of the Lord, whether in the way of admonition or consolation, their language was abundantly significant, and well adapted to throw some light on the grand plan of divine grace which respects not the jews only, but the gentiles also, even the true church of Christ in all ages.

Thus emblematical was the moral and political state of the Jews. Their being carried captive into Babylon and God's dealings with them there, their resettlement in their own land again, and the whole series of divine providence towards them, down to the incarnation of the Messiah were all full of instruction; so that while the prophets spake on these topicks, they were often transported into far distant times, and discribed the important characters and offices of Christ, and the state of the gospel Church.

Accordingly while Isaiah, the great evangelical prophet of the jewish dispensation, was speaking of the signal deliverance of Israel from the land of their captivity, and their resettling in the land of Judea, he is moved by the Holy Ghost, to speak of the great Messiah's kingdom, and of that joy and [Page 8] gladness which his gospel shall inspire, when it shall be spread thro' the world, and the ends of the earth see his salvation. This divine Saviour is the comforter and redeemer of his people. He has, in an emphatic sense, peculiar to himself, assumed this amiable character; and his works evince that he has a just right to it. For this purpose he hath made bare his holy arm from age to age, while he has maintained the cause of his church, and made the ends of the earth see his salvation.

Were we to trace the history of his church from Adam to the present time, we should find the visible footsteps of this divine Saviour, thro' the whole, and a most happy coincidence with the promises and prophesies relating to him on sacred record.

Accordingly the passage before us leads us to consider the words as they had reference,

I. To the great salvation wrought for the Jews when they were redeemed from their babylonish captivity, and put into the full enjoyment of their invaluable liberties under Jehovah their king.

II. As particularly pointing out the great sal­vation wrought by Christ, and the joy of the gospel church.

We shall view them,

III. As accommodated to the remarkable interpositions of God's holy providence in favour of the Protestant church, in it's rise and progress down to the present day. Particularly in the late war.

We are to consider the words,

I. As they describe the great salvation wrought for the Jews when they were redeemed from the babylonish captivity, and put into the full enjoyment [Page 9] of their invaluable liberties under Jehovah their King.

The prophet Isaiah foretold the captivity of Judah for their idolatry and rebellion against God; he likewise predicted their restoration, after they should be humbled in the land of their distress. As the threatning took place upon them, and their land was laid waste 70 years; so the promise like­wise, received a punctual accomplishment. For at the end of 70 years the decree went forth under the hand of the great Persian monarch, to release the jewish captives and rebuild Jerusalem. "Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, the Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem which is in Judah: Who is there among you, of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel (he is the God) which is in Jerusalem: And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth let the men of his place help him with silver and with gold and with goods." To this important event the words of my text primarily refered. Then Zion's waste places rejoyced, because they were surprizingly replenished and greatly com­forted. Those parts of Jerusalem which had been forsaken and appeared most desolate, "broke forth into joy and sang together." For God "turned again the captivity of Judah as the streams in the south. They repented of their idolatry and God forgave them their transgressions: he remem­bred them in the land where they were led captive and delivered them from their oppressors. He [Page 10] made those who had led them captives, help them with their substance in their journey to Jerusalem, in rebuilding the walls of the city, and the house of the Lord. "They had sold themselves by their transgressions, and the Lord redeemed them with­out money." He inriched them with the treasures of the Persian court, owned them his people▪ and rebuked princes for their sake. He planted them in Jerusalem, and made them once more a flourishing state, a respectable nation. He comfort­ed them with his presence and promises: He re-instated them in the free enjoyment of their religious as well as civil priviledges which were granted them as the seed of Abraham, the children of the covenant, and in a peculiar sense subjects under Jehovah their king. The history of these things we have particularly related in the books of Ezra, Nehemiah and the lesser prophets, who were sent to incourage the Jews in rebuilding the temple, &c. and to declare unto them the word of God unto the coming of Christ. And thus God was both the saviour and comforter of his people.

In accomplishing this great salvation for the jewish church, the holy arm of the Lord was made bare in the eyes of all nations. For, beyond all dispute it was his arm, his uncontroled influence over princes, and his universal providence in the government of the world which effected all for Judah, and wrought this great salvation for his inheritance; could they ascribe any thing to their own power or policy with regard to this re­markable event? Alas! they were broken and scatter'd thro' the whole Persian monarchy, and were a people hated of all nations. They were on [Page 11] the brink of total ruin, in the days of Ahasuerus. But God prevented the fatal blow. (This ac­count you have, at large in the book of Esther.) As they were weak and contemptible in them­selves, they were likewise without all hope from other nations. They had no powerful Ally to rise up, espouse their cause, and compel their conquerors to resign their conquests and captives. Nay, so very far from that, the nations around them laughed at their calamity, and shook their head's in scorn, deriding the seed of Abraham under the awful rebuke of the Most High, saying, ha, ha, so would we have it. When the Princes of Judah were rebuilding Jerusalem and the temple, the neighbouring nations united their power and policy to hinder the work, and prevent Judah from being any more a distinct body. But, behold the arm of the Lord is revealed, blasting all the designs of Sanballat and Tobiah, and carrying for­ward this great work by a series of remarkable providences, which abundantly demonstrated his supreme government and peculiar care of his church: He turned the heart of Cyrus and Ahasu­erus as the rivers of water are turned, and made them nursing fathers unto his Jewish church; he removed obsticles insuperable to all human power, and spake to his people in this comfortable lan­guage. "Not by might nor by power; but by my spirit saith the Lord of hosts: Who art thou O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain, and he shall bring forth the head stone with shouting, crying, grace, grace unto it:" Israel and all the nations around were taught thus to ascribe the restoration of Judah, the rebulding of [Page 12] Jerusalem and the temple, to the power and grace of the most high: Thus he redeemed Jerusalem, comforted his people, revealed the arm of his power and grace in the eyes of all nations, and the ends of the earth then saw his salvation.

But all this was emblematical of a far more important event, in which divine power and grace have illumined the world, and shone with the benign beams of salvation unto the ends of the earth: We accordingly proposed to consider the words,

II. As pointing to the great salvation wrought by our Lord Jesus Christ, and the joy of the gospel-church. That this is no forced construc­tion of the passage before us, but agreeable to the design of the Holy Ghost, is evident from the man­ner in which the whole passage is refered to, in the New-Testament: The introduction to the text in hand, is quoted by St. Paul and applied to gospel times: And truly it is admirably adapted to express the glad tidings of salvation by Jesus Christ. "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion thy God reigneth"! How joyful is the voice of him, that declareth this message to a lost world, that the deliverer is come out of Zion,..... that he is come a "light unto the Gentiles and the glory of his people Israel"— that he is come not to condemn the world; but that the world thro' him might be saved?" In what loud acclamations of praise should a sinful world, exposed to unutterable and everlasting punishment, welcome this divine Saviour, and the tidings of [Page 13] peace which his gospel proclaims? Surely, they should brake forth into joy, they should sing toge­ther in consort with the angelic choir, "Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, good will to­wards men." To this most joyful event the whole jewish oeconomy had a very material and principal reference. Indeed so great is this gospel salvation, that the deliverance of the Jews from their captive state, was but an imperfect emblem of the deliver­ance accomplished by Jesus Christ for all that be­lieve. The messengers sent express by Cyrus to publish the gracious edict, and proclaim his royal favor, were not so welcome to Jews inslaved in a strange land, as the messengers of the gospel, and the gracious designs of the Lord Jehovah to such as have any proper sense of their moral state.

For,

The case of the Israelites in Babylon did but imperfectly represent the deplorable state of man­kind led captive by their own lusts and the prince of darkness: Jerusalem all in ruins was a faint emblem of the ruin which sin had introduced into the world; and the bad state of the jewish polity, while the whole head was sick, and the whole heart faint, was but a weak representation of the moral state of the world. For, all had rebel­led against their rightful sovereign, broke covenant with God, and incurred the penalty of his holy law: all had sinned, and were cut off from all reasonable hopes of justification by the deeds of the law. All were concluded under sin, both the natural and judicial consequence whereof were darkness, dispair, and death: Thus all man­kind had destroyed themselves; but in Christ Jesus [Page 14] was their help: When there was no eye to pity, no human or angelic arm that could save, the Lord pitied, and his omnipotent arm wrought salva­tion: Our help was laid on one mighty to save, who was revealed first, in promises and prophesies, in types and figures under the jewish ritual. But when the fulness of time was come, he appeared in our nature—fulfiled all righteousness—confirm­ed his divine mission by a series of miracles— taught the way of God in truth; and made his soul an offering for sin: For "he was wounded for our transgression, and bruised for iniquities, the chais­tisment of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed." "He once suffered for sins the just for the unjust that he might bring us unto God." And as he was delivered unto death for our offences, so he rose again for our justifica­tion; and ascended into the highest heavens as our advocate and intercessor. God has accepted this satisfaction, and peace is preached in his name: All that believe "obtain redemption thro' his blood even the forgiveness of their sins, and an inheritance among them that are sanctified." Thus the glo­rious Lord Jesus hath redeemed his people. He hath paid the full price of their redemption— wrought out perfect righteousness, and prepared the way for their restoration to the divine favour. He has likewise purchased for them the renewing and sanctifying influence of the holy spirit. He is the glorious head of divine influence, and of his fulness they receive, and grace for grace. In a word, "he is made of God unto them that believe, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemp­tion." Thus he has made bare his holy arm, and [Page 15] saves his true Israel from their sins, and from wrath to come.

He not only redeems, but comforts his people; and this is one of those amiable characters under which he is represented in the text. Nor is it among the least of the glories of his gospel that it is calculated to minister the most rational consolation, where consolation was most wanted;—that it throws the full blaze of day on a subject which be­fore was either totally hid, or at best, seen only in the faint gleam of imperfect light: For "life and immortality are brought to light by the gospel:" "and God in Christ is evidently reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing unto men their trespasses." So that with the strictest propriety, our gracious Saviour may be stiled the comforter of his people.

Accordingly the great Immanuel open'd his public commission, by applying to himself those very memorable words in the 61st of Isaiah: Jehovah anointed him to preach good tidings unto the meek,—he was sent to bind up the broken hearted......to proclaim liberty to the captives.....and the opening of the prison to them that are bound— to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord—to comfort all that mourn ...... to give unto them the oyl of joy for mourning. What matter of infinite joy and consolation is it to a soul under a deep sense of sin, to hear that there is pardon purchased for sins of the deepest dye!.....that the everlasting Father is well pleased with the mediatorial character of his Son our Saviour...... that he has accepted his righ­teousness and sufferings; that Christ is the pro­pitiation for our sins, and "the end of the law for [Page 16] righteousness unto every one that believes!" O how welcome to a self-judging, self-condemned sinner, must be the pure gospel of Jesus, removing at once all distinctions among sinners in point of justification, and assuring that the blood of Jesus cleanses from all iniquity,.......that God justifies the ungodly merely on account of the perfect righteous­ness of Christ imputed to all such as believe—that Jesus Christ is passed into the heavens, a great high priest, and is indeed "able to save unto the utter­most all them that come unto God by him!" Truly these "are glad tidings of great joy," with which our gracious Lord is comforting his people.

But with these must necessarily be connected, the promise of the holy spirit to impress on the mind the truth and infinite importance of these doctrines,...... to renew and transform the soul and to "unite us to Christ in our effectual calling." How comfortable, how joyful then, must be the gospel of Christ to such as are properly convinced of their impotence, as well as their guilt! To hear that he is the Lord our strength, as well as our righteousness,.......that "he is exalted to God's right hand to give repentance and the remission of sins"— that whosoever cometh unto him is drawn of the Father, ^* and shall in no wise be cast out. ^‡....... That if men being evil, know how to give good gifts to their children, much more will our Father in heaven give the holy ghost to such as ask;...... "ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall find, &c." "Behold I will pour out my spirit upon you, and I will be your God and ye shall be my people." Surely, here is all the incouragement, we can [Page 17] reasonable desire; and such passages rightly ap­prehended, must preserve the soul from sinking into dispair under a sense of it's moral impotence. They are powerful motives to human endeavors, while at the same time, they teach us that, "all our sufficiency is of God."

Thus the gospel of Christ is indeed matter of great joy to a guilty helpless world, as it points us to one, whose perfect righteousness justifies, whose powerful spirit sanctifies..... Who has fully atoned for our sins, and "Works in us both to will and to do of his own good pleasure."

Moreover, he comforts his people with his gracious presence and the consolations of his holy spirit. He is with them not only as his image is portray'd on their souls, and his word committed unto them; but also by the special comforting in­fluence of his spirit. When we are regene­rated by his spirit, and have entered upon the di­vine life, we are received into the family of Christ, are children of the Most-High, and co-heirs with Christ Jesus unto an eternal inheritance: We re­ceive the earnest of this inheritance in the sanctify­ing, and comforting influence of the spirit: "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying Abba Father:" By this divine spirit believers are sealed unto the day of more perfect redemption. By this, they are not only formed to a divine temper, but assisted in the trial of their state by the word, and enabled to apply the exceeding great and precious promises of the gospel to their own souls; and so are comfort­ed, strengthened and established thro' the word. By the presence and spirit of Christ they are ani­mated [Page 18] in all their conflicts with their spiritual enemies, and "endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ;" for he hath said, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee": through Christ strength­ening them they can do all things.

In fine, he comforts all true believers, with the sure hopes of eternal glory. For he is risen from the dead in our nature and ascended into the heaven­ly world as our fore-runner. And it is his will that where he is there his faithful servants shall be also. He is at the right hand of God to discover unto us the heavenly glory, to convince us of the reality of the invisible state, and to attach us to that spiritual world. He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, that he might support our hopes, and console us while we are walking thro' the valley of the shadow of death; and inspire us with the joyful hope of a glorious immortality: For we are to consider his resurrection as a pledge of our resurrection, and the glory which he has received as a bright example of that glory, with which he will crown all his faithful subjects in his Kingdom above. For his gracious language is, "be thou faithful unto the death, and I will give thee a crown of life;" and "to him that overcometh will I grant to set with me in my throne, even as I over­came, and am set down with my Father in his throne."

Thus the words may be considered as pointing to the great salvation wrought by Christ Jesus, and the gracious manner in which he redeems and comforts his people.

They may likewise be considered,

III. As accommodated to the remarkable in­terpositions of divine providence in favour of the [Page 19] protestant church, in its rise and prgress down to the present day, and particularly in the late War.

Among all the remarkable events since the commencement of the christian Aera, such as have had respect to the protestant church are very con­siderable. The great governor of the world, and saviour of his church, has marvellously displayed his holy arm in the eyes of all nations, in spreading protestant principles and carrying forward a great work of reformation, in so many states and nations at once, with such surprising rapidity, contrary to all human probabilities; and then, in defending the protestant church, when it has been threatned from every quarter, with immediate and total destruction.

To give a particular detail of all the remarkable displays of divine power and grace on this subject, would far exceed the limits of a sermon, and soon swell into volumes of church history. ^§ I must only hint a few, which ought never to be forgot, and should, on every remembrance of them, excite our gratitude to him, who has called his church from mystical Babylon....delivered his chosen, from the chains of Rome ..... inlightned and comforted his people with the uncorrupted word of life, and defended them, from age to age, with the protect­ing arm of his universal providence.

If we consider the state of the christian world under the great papal apostasy,....the general cor­ruption both in doctrine and manners, which spread thro' all orders, and ranks of men, [Page 20] in all nations and kingdoms which bore the name of christian.....the dark abyss of ignorance and su­perstition in which all were immerged.....the un­limited influence of the great roman pontiff,....the pernicious blending of the civil and ecclesiastical polity,...the immense treasures of the papal clergy... if we add to all these, the genius of their religion, adorned with all external pomp and magnificence, suitable to strike the senses with peculiar energy, and flatter all the false hopes of a corrupt heart, surely we shall observe no human probability could presage a reformation: But "all things are possible with God." He poured out his spirit on those whom he had ordained instruments in his hand of effecting a glorious reformation: He raised up, qualified and spirited Luther, Calvin and others, to cast off the papal yoke under which all Europe was at that time, subjugated,....to declare the pure gospel of Jesus, and to assert the liberty which be­lievers enjoy in Christ their only Lord.

The first reformers were, both defended from the rage of their enemies, and succeeded in a manner truly wonderful. So that the period from 1560, to 1650, is filled with accounts little short of miraculous, in which a worthy author observes, ^* it is more than probable that the "fifth angel poured out his viol on the seat of the beast, and his Kingdom was full of darkness, and they gnawed their tongues for anguish." During this period several nations renounced subjection to the Pope, and have continued free unto this day; and in other nations his power has been greatly abridged and restrained. This appears more remarkable by considering, how numerous and formidable were the enemies of protestants in the infancy of the reformation.

[Page 21]For,

The Pope claimed authority over all christian princes▪ and this authority had long been ceeded to him by universal consent. By this means, he had the most powerful nations under his dictatorial influence, and wholly at his command. Nor did he fail to make use of this usurped authority over all catholic princes, to extirpate this new heresy, (as he was pleased to term the pure religion of the gospel.) When the british monarchs dared to assert the independant rights of their crown, and throw off their subjection to his pretended holiness, that great deceiver arrogated to himself the right of de­throning princes, and of releasing subjects from all allegiance to their rightful sovereigns. Accordingly after thundering out his anathema's against those powers who refused obedience to his bulls, he ex­horted and commanded those deluded princes, whom he still retained under his influence, to unite all their endeavors to carry his anathemas into effect. (But, the curse causeless shall not come,) "he that sets in the heavens laughed, the Lord had them in derision." He made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all these nations; he appointed his salvation around his church, and protestants were daily in­creasing. Again,

Do we consider the many persecutions which have been carried on, with infernal rage by catholic princes in France and Spain, in Portugal and Germany, surely, in a view of the sword, the gibbet, the halter, the stake, and all the dreadful apparatus of tortures and deaths in a thousand other forms, the highest probability suggests that these will put a final stop to the progress of the reformation, and the very name of protestants cease from the earth. [Page 22] But behold and adore the wisdom and strength of his holy arm, who can frustrate all human proba­bilities and bring to nought the deepest designs of the wicked! He supported those holy martyrs. ... He gave them a mouth which none of their adver­saries could gainsay...He inspired them with true christian Heroism, while they made one intire sacri­fice of all things on this side of eternity to the honour of Christ and the great cause of truth: The eye of their faith too keenly penertrated the thin veil which seperates time from eternity, to suffer them to tremble at the impotent wrath of mortals; and their hopes were too precious to be resigned in exchange for a momentary life: They indured all the agonies of death as "seeing him who is in­visible," not accepting deliverance on so dishonorable terms as might in the least be construed into a re­cantation of their protestant principles. Thus the scaffold and stake were consecrated to the service of the true church, and the martyr's, (Sampson-like,) were honored with more success against the enemies of Christ and his true church, at their death than in their life; while the very means which were designed by antichrist, to suppress the protestant faith were over-ruled for the greater increase and spread­ing of it. Hence it became a proverbal saying that the "blood of the martyrs was the feed of the church." The church like the sacred bush of old, has been long burning, yet not consumed. The protestant cause has been supported under every disadvantage; and many at this day, in those per­secuting nations embrace the protestant faith, risqu­ing all that this world calls good and great. The power of the beast has been visibly declining for more than two centrys, while the stone which is [Page 23] cut out of the mount without hands, has been prevailing, and there have been many remarkable overtures in these foreign nations in favour of the Messiah's kingdom.

Or, shall we consider the dispensations of provi­dence towards our own nation, which as it has long been the grand Bulwork, and principal support, under Christ, of the protestant church, has been the principal object on which the enemies of Christ and his church have endeavored to take a final revenge? ^§ Witness the catholic league, as it was called, in the reign of Elizabeth: many roman catholic princes had formed the execrable design of exterpating the protestant church, and of re­covering Britain to the obedience of Rome. To this purpose they leagued together,....and many attempts were made to dethrone queen Elizabeth, and to place on the British throne the queen of the Scotts who was a bigoted papist. "Accordingly towards the close of the sixteenth centry, the king of Spain prepared the greatest fleet the world had ever seen, which was impiously called the invincible armada." This fleet put to sea, and actually moored in the british channel. Then british liberties and the protestant church were (to human apprehen­sion) on the very confines of total destruction: This fleet came equipped with all the dire im­plements of torture and death; and England was to have no other alternative, than death or the papal yoke: But God made bare his holy arm, and in a most remarkable manner disapointed their designs; ^‡ The truly invincible Jehovah fought against them, destroyed them with the breath of [Page 24] his mouth, and the arm of his strength: he inspired Drake with wisdom, and first stamped his mind with the plan of the well contrived fire ships,.... he succeeded the attempt, so that of this formidable Armada, many were consumed by the flames, some were taken, and others were dashed in pieces on the rocks. While England sung an anthem in language like that in the 46th Psalm, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble: therefore will we not fear, tho' the earth be re­moved, and tho' the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, tho' the waters thereof rore and be troubled, tho' the mountains shake with the swelling thereof....Come behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth... The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge."

But we have not been in danger only from foreign enemies and combined princes abroad; .... Alas! my brethren, we have sometimes been a kingdom divided against it's self, and Britain's monarch's have not always been Britain's friends. Time would fail me to recount the steps which have been taken by such as have been in power, to sap the foundation of our religious liberties, and crush the protestant faith. The british throne has sometimes been filled, either with professed catholicks, or with such as have been shamefully under the influence of catholic courts. Can we say, that the british throne has never been stained with the blood of protestant martyrs? what then mean the annals of persecuting Mary,...? why did Smith­field burn with such raging flame? or what occasion was there for the happy revolution? The papal party at home has improved every opportunity to [Page 25] increase their strength, and regain their supremacy. And when they have been favored with the coun­tenance of the prince, they have not failed to acquaint protestants, with the persecuting genius of their religion, and make them feel the force of the fire and the ax, those inhuman arguments by which they indeavor'd to prosylite England to the catholic faith. But God has mercifully cut short ^* the reign of such princes, blasted the triumphs of papish, and saved his church when it has been on the brink of ruin. By a series of kind interpositions, he has saved his church both from the secret plots, and open outrage of british catholicks, by raising the Brunswick family to the throne, and settling the crown in that illustrious house so propitious to liberty and protestants, and the happy instrument in the divine hand of putting a period to our fears from popish recusants. The same glorious hand of divine providence has been the defence of pro­testants in crushing the repeated attempts which have been made in favour of a popish pretender; and cloathing the enemies of Brunswick with shame; in protracting to an unusual length the late happy reign of George II; and placing upon the throne of his father's our present illustrious monarch, George III. so distinguished for his royal accomplishments, so inspired with the divine prin­ciples of british liberty and the protestant religion: ................................................ long may he live. Joy to the realms where slav'ry was design'd, A Brunswick reigns, the guardian of mankind.^‡ In [Page 26] all these important instances God has made bare his holy arm, redeemed his Israel, and comforted his protestant church.

But in this review we cannot fail to observe the dispensations of divine providence towards this country. "We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us what works thou didst, in their days, in the times of old, how thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantest them, how thou didst afflict the people and cast them out. For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them; but thy right hand and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them." When a cloud was gathering over England and began to discharge itself upon our father's, hither the divine hand of providence led them...here they sought an asilum, and took their abode among savage beasts and more savage men.

They left their dear native country, their pleas­ant habitations, and indured a train of hardships, scarce credible to their posterity, that they might worship God according to their consciences, and maintain the protestant religion free from those corruptions which the high-church party had introduced at home.

When we reflect on their design, it appears truly noble, becoming the disciples of Christ, who has taught his followers, "to call no man master on earth," nor to receive for "doctrines the traditi­ons of men;" but when we consider the difficulties which were opposed to this design, meer reason surely represents it altogether impracticable. For a handful of men, poorly accommodated to come into an howling wilderness....on a dangerous coast [Page 27] in a difficult season...into a wilderness, not desolute indeed....but far worse....full of cruel men, void of humanity, subtil, inured to want, expert in cruelty, &c. what surprizing attempt is this! yet the most High succeded it; he prepared room for this his British vine, swept away thousands of Indians by an epidemical sickness the proceeding year, and overuled those that survived; so that many of their tribes assisted the new settlement of our fathers, when (humanly speaking) it was in their power to have frustated the whole design, and cut all off at one blow.

Then the pure gospel of Jesus the saviour visited this new world and the glorious sun of righteous­ness arose on these benighted ends of the earth: then the waste places of America broke forth into joy, "the wilderness began to blosom as a rose" and "the trees of the forest sang together."

But these tranquil scenes soon closed, and nu­merous tribes combined together, (many of them in open violation of their plighted faith) to make an utter end of the English in America. So few and defenceless were our settlements at that time; and so remote from their mother-country, that human probability devoted them an easy prey to their adversaries: and surely our fathers "had faint­ed had they not believed to see the salvation of the Lord," But the puisiant Jehovah was on their side. ‘He taught their hands to war, and their fingers to fight;’ so that in them the promise made to Israel, was almost literally verified, viz. that "five shall chase an hundred, and an hundred put ten thous­and to flight." Then the holy arm of the Lord was made bare in the eyes of all these Indian na­tions; [Page 28] and the infant church of Christ in America saw the salvation of God.

The righteous sovereign, in whose hand the wicked are often the rod of his anger," has indeed suffered the savages to shed much English blood, and sorely scourge the British colonies, even as the Canaanites afflicted Israel of old; yet HE has greatly restrained their rage, deminished their numbers, and enlarged the borders of his church. nor can we reflect without astonishment on the happy change this land has undergone in the course of one centry: the aboriginals have been most remarkably declining: they have melted a­way, as snow before the southern breaze and scorching sun; while the churches of Christ have been greatly increasing, and are now become nu­merous in these teritories of the Prince of dark­ness. The Lion of the tribe of Judah has dis­played his strength, and the holy arm of Jesus has bound "the strong man armed" and spoiled him of much of his armory wherein he trusted; so that our colonies have long since had little to fear, from the unassisted natives.

But while the Indian tribes were diminishing, a more dangerous enemy has been increasing, and incroaching upon us. Canada has been the Car­thage of New England; and the French have long endeavoured both by artifice and arms to drive us from this good land which the Lord God gave un­to our fathers.

How have they fomented strife, and sent forth their Indians on our frontiers! while they have been fostering new claims, and drawing a chain of forts around us. Together with these, they were [Page 29] incircling us with the chains of France and the superstition of Rome.

What just apprehensions of danger spread thro' our land, when (besides land forces) a formidable fleet of French ships under the command of Duke D' Anville actually arrived on our coast, and according to human probability, were within a few days of executing their bloody design, and spread­ing desolation and death all along our sea coasts.

But God blew with his wind and discomfited them: the stars in their courses fought against them. Our God broke their ships, and sent his destroying angel, who slew thousands of them; then, the arm of the Lord was made bear before the enemy, while the language of divine provi­dence to us was, in a strain like that to Israel under the hand of Moses (that eminent tipe of Christ) "stand still and see the salvation of God:" this is an event never to be forgot: so remarkable was our deliverance, that even our popish enemies were obliged to confess the finger of God in it. Then the Lord redeemed his Israel and comforted his people, while his salvation was appointed instead of walls and bulworks around our coast.^*

These are all remarkable interpositions in favour of the protestant church, and glorious displays of the holy arm of the Almighty in our defence....

But later than these demand our attention, and should excite our gratitude▪

For

At the commencement of the late war, the dan­gerous union of the two houses of Burbon and Aus­tria; Who likewise called to their assistance Russia [Page 30] and Sweden, might well alarm England and Prussia against whom this powerful alliance was formed. The grounds of our alarm must have risen much higher, on a view of the internal state of our na­tion at that time▪ our reigning principles and man­ners being such as in a great measure destroyed the natural strength of the nation. To behold Brit­tons sinking all their natural prowess, and loosing the true British spirit, in effeminacy....wisdom and integrity forsaking the great,....love of money and party interest reigning where true patriosm should have glowed in the most fervent manner,....our of­ficers unskilful....our troops irresolute, and the main body of the nation by almost every kind of abomination, calling aloud for the righteous ven­geance of heaven, to behold, I say, all this was dread­ful indeed! I surely such a view of our public cha­racter might well presage the event of war. Ac­cordingly, what a melancholly prospect did more than two years of the war^* present before us, while our fleets were inactive,....our armies flying ....our men slaughtered....our forts surrendering.... America and Hanover in danger of being totally conquered....and England threatned with an in­vasion? [Page 31] How black was the cloud which then hung over the protestant church! how solemn, how tremendous the view! how did the many, who wantoned in their liberties and luxuries, turn pale thro' fear; and the few who love our Lord Jesus Christ, and are praying for the prosperity of his Zion, (with good old Eli) tremble for the Ark of the Lord?

But God surprized us with his mercy, and sud­denly shifted the important scene.

He presides in all human Affairs, and will be acknowledged as supreme Ruler in the kingdom of providence. He turned to us the brigh side of the cloud, which, like the pillar of fire and cloud of old, afforded light to us, but was portending blackness and dispair to our enemies: He, inspired our ministry with wisdom, our officers with mili­tary skill and braveness, and our armies and navy with true valour. He divided the councils of our enemies, spread darkness before them, and "turn­ed back the weapons of war in their hands." He has, in a manner which will surprize posterity, and is indeed, little short of miraculous, supported the cause of our ally of Prussia: that little princi­pality had to meet three of the most powerful states in Europe in the field, who, trusting to their great superiority in numbers, forstalled the plea­sures of intire conquest, and cantonned his domi­nions among them. But he who was with Prussia is the God of armies, who always preponderates the doubtful scale of victory, & claims all the praise. The famous battles of Rosback and Lissa, of Cre­velt and Zorndorff ^* greatly display the holy arm [Page 32] of God in favour of our Allies, and the protestant church. By a series of remarkable interpositions and signal victories Prussia has been delivered from the very brink of ruin, and is at this time in very respectable circumstances.

The same divine hand is visibly displayed, in saving our nation from the ambitious designs of our enemies: "the Lord hath been our shield and buckler, our high tower and rock of defence." Nay! he has much more than saved us: he has made us every where victorious; so that we, who were destined by Burbon and Austria to be the tail, are, by the holy arm of our God, become the head of the nations; and our English monarch shines with distinguished lustre among all the crowned heads in Europe.

To recount the particular instances of our success in the late war, and point out the remarkable cir­cumstances and wonderful interpositions of divine providence in our favour, is too copious a subject to fall within the compass of our present design: it is hoped, some able hand will do justice to this agreeable subject; that our children's children may be taught the loving kindness of the Lord to­wards his British Israel, in these memorable years, and "talk of all his wonderful works."

Our success in both the Indies, and on the Af­frican coast, the destruction of the Fench shipping at Cherburge and of their fleet at Villain, the de­molishing of Luisburg, and total reduction of all [Page 33] Canada, are such instances of divine goodness to us, and such displays of his holy arm, as must have made the most lasting impressions on such as have any proper regard for liberty, religion, and their country.

Nor may we omit, in our review, the merciful hand of God towards us in regard to the court of Spain, who, unprovoked opened a war with us; leagued with our enemies; and afforded them all the assistance in their power. But, the most high has brought their councils to nought; and given into our hands the vast riches and strength of the Havannah, and the Spanish navy there: so that Spain, after augmenting our fleet with a consider­able part of their navy, and inriching us with mi­lions in the compass of one year, is glad to accept such terms of peace as Briton generously proposes. May we not, without arrogating any merit to our­selves, speak on this occasion, in the language of in­spiration and say, "the Lord is known by the Judge­ments which he executeth": the kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers took council together, against the Lord, and his English Israel; but the Lord had them in dirision: "the Lord of host hath been with us, the everlasting Jehovah has been our refuge:" all praise to him who hath thus main­tained our right....frustrated the designs of these powerful popish states, comforted his people, and defended the cause of his protestant church.

As God is to be acknowledged in these remark­able successes, which have raised the british glory to an unusual hight, and will mark the Annals of England with the most resplendent lines; so we are likewise to adore his governing providence in the present happy and glorious PEACE.

[Page 34]Whatever conquests we have made, you well know, all might have been lost by treaty; and a dash of a miss-guided pen might have blotted all the glory of Britain, and resigned the price of so much blood and treasure. But, as the Most-High presides over all states, makes war, and creates peace; as it is by him that "Kings rule and princes decree justice;" so it is by his governing providence that we have so wise a King, and so faithful a Ministry, through whose wisdom and fidelity, we have presented before us a hopeful prospect of reaping very essential advantages from the late bloody and expensive war.

He that beholdeth every one that is proud, and abases him," has very greatly humbled the pride of France and Spain. These AMBITIOUS powers have gained nothing....They have lost very MUCH. Besides advantages ceeded to Britain in other parts of the world, how much have France and Spain lost,....how much have WE gained in this?...Truly a territory more than sufficient for three kingdoms. We have ceeded to us all that we can reasonably wish on the continent: a large field indeed, for argiculture; our trade much inlarged; our fishery on a better footing than before the war; the savages necessarily allied unto us; and a vast ex­tended country before us: so that God, in his holy providence, semes to be saying to us, as once to Abraham his friend, (O that we were indeed the children of Abraham, and imitated his faith and holiness) "Lift up now thine eyes and look from the place where thou art, north-ward, and south-ward, and east-ward, and west-ward. For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever."

[Page 35]Considering the very material advantages, which will accrue to our mother-country, from this great inlargement of her colonies, and will become more and more sensible, as our land is filling with inha­bitants; considering the uncertain event of pro­tracting the war; the danger Portugal (our ally and correspondent in trade,) was in of being over-run by the Spainards; And the human prin­ciples which ought to govern the conduct, and bound the ambition of all christian princes,....in this view, notwithstanding our British Sovereign has restored some of these places which were his by conquest, his crown shines with an additional lustre; while He so apparently unites in his con­duct, the principles of true policy, and the benevo­lent spirit of the gospel.

Truly, "the Lord hath done great things for us whereof we are glad." He has wonderfully shifted the scene, which opened upon us in the first years of the war: Is not the change in our circumstances so surprizing, that we may, with great propriety, adapt the language of the 126 psalm to our case? "when the Lord turned a­gain the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream: then was our mouth filled with laugh­ter, and our tongue with singing, &c." or speak in the strain of our text, "break forth into joy, sing together ye waste places of Jerusalem, for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Je­rusalem; the Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all nations."

We shall now conclude with a few Inferences and serious reflections suggested by our subject.

1. What comfortable evidence may be deduced from the dispensations of divine providence, in favour [Page 36] of the truth, and importance of the protestant re­ligion!

This is far from being the only proof that pro­testanism is the true religion of the gospel, and the cause of God. It's purity, its spirituality, its simplicity, its divine force on the hearts of thousands, their dying testimony in favour of it, and above all, its being agreeable to the uncorrupted word of God, are the main basis on which it is supported, and by which it must carry conviction to all impar­tial judges. But methinks, when we reflect on the wonderful providences of God, in support of the protestant faith; and observe, that God hath all along interposed to prevent the total extirpation of it, even when earth and hell have been combin'd against it; when we consider how papal powers have been weakened; and the protestant nations from time to time, preserved and increasing in their numbers, and respectibility; and especially, when we review the hand of God in the late war; such reflections must afford a devout mind some singular satisfaction. Verily, God hath been in the midst of protestants, "a very present help": he has con­fessed the cause his own, and been as a "wall of fire around us, the glory in the midst of us, and on all our glory he hath created a defence."

2. What infinite gratitude should inspire our hearts? all honour and glory be to Him, who hath not left us without a witness of his infinite mercy and loving-kindness toward our nation and land. "Not unto us, not unto us, but to the Lord most High be all praise and glory:" God is the sovereign judge: he putteth down one and sitteth up another: "he pour­eth contempt on princes, and gives the kingdoms of the earth to whom he pleases."

[Page 37]Allowing all due honour to our British Sove­reign, and ministry, to our officers and soldiery, (and much honour is surely their due, yet) laying all circumstances together, it was never more evi­dent than in the late war, that, "the race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but victory is from the Lord." Let our hearts bound, then, to Him, who has made us to tri­umph with a very great disparity of numbers, and brought our enemies to submit themselves. Let our hearts bound in gratitude to him, who direct­ed the councils of our nation, and afforded his di­vine influence in forming and succeeding the plan of the present peace; which, considering the high precedency of the British Sovereign above other princes; his regard to the interest of his subjects; his tender concern for the common good of man­kind; and the truly benevolent and generous prin­ciples on which he proceeds, renders him as re­spectable in PEACE as he is revered in war.

3. How humble should we be under a sense of our great unworthiness of such signal interpositions?

When we consider our moral state, surely we cannot arrogate any merit to ourselves. What a reverse of providence have we deserved? how just­ly might God have delivered us to have been de­voured by the sword, or sold us into the hands of our enemies, as he did, backsliding Israel? let pride and vain glory then, be forever hid from our eyes, and banished from our hearts. What shame and blushing must cover our faces before the holy one of Israel, while we reflect on the number and ag­gravations of our iniquities? not for our righteousness has the Lord wrought this great salvation for us, for we are a people laden with iniquity, but for his [Page 38] name sake. Surely he is speaking to us in the lan­guage he once spake to Israel ^* "ye shall remem­ber your own evil ways and your doings which were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own fight for your iniquities, and for your abominati­ons: not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord God, be it known unto you, be ashamed and con­founded for your own ways O house of Israel."

4. How greatly does it concern us as a people to make a right improvement of these mercies?

All our advantages are tallents intrusted us by the supreme ruler of all. It behoves us to be faithful in our stewardship, to improve public mer­cies to the honour of Jehovah, and the advance­ment of the Redeemer's kingdom; least our pros­perity should prove to be the "prosperity of fools which destroys them." Let us not (Jesurun like) "wax fat and kick,"....Let us not wanton under divine smiles, and riot on the undeserved favour of the most high. For "the righteous Lord loveth righteousness and hateth iniquity," all nations shall He summons to his dread tribunal, and every man shall receive according to his works.

5. Of what vast importance is it to each one of us: to obtain a part in that great gospel-salvation, which extends its influence beyond the limits of the pre­sent life; and to be interested in his favour who go­verns all human affairs with a special reference to the highest interest of his chosen?

However important the fate of kingdoms may be in the present state, as they are made up of in­dividuals, and have a greater or less influence on the general state of the church; yet, in the most interesting case, we are to consider ourselves de­tached from all political bodies, and remember, [Page 39] that to our own master we must stand or fall. Let us realize this solemn truth that we are, each one for himself, a Probati­oner on the great Theatre of the world, and acting a part for eternity. Nothing will stand us in any stead, when we are called off the stage, but faith in Christ and obedience to his gospel. We must all appear before his judgment seat, and render an account, every man singly for himself, of the talents intrusted him, and the gospel priviledges he has enjoyed. Then there will be no reference had to our being of this, or the other nation, our living in this or that age, any farther than we have thereby, had greater or less advantages to serve the Lord. Oh! important, solemn Day! when we must lay aside all our present worldly connections; when it will no more avail us to plead, that we have been visible members in the protestant church, or lived under the happy reign of GEORGE the third; than for Jews to plead, that Abraham was their father, and Moses their lawgiver. All must then be determined by this single Qestion, "art thou a sincere disciple of Jesus Christ, and in­terested in the great salvation which he has wrought for his people? O my brethren; let nothing hide this solemn day from our view; let nothing divert our chief attention from this, of all others the highest concern of mortals: let us lay hold on the gospel-hope set before us,—build our hopes for eternity on our interest in the adorable saviour,—live up to the dignity of our calling and the sublimity of our hopes,—and so "lay up in store a good foundation against the time to come, that we may lay hold on eternal life."

To conclude,

How ardently should we pray for the inlargement of the re­deemer's kingdom? how much should we desire and endeavor the spreading of his glorious gospel thro' the world, and par­ticularly among the Aboriginals of this land; that these ends of the earth may, in a yet more perfect manner, see the salvation of our God? in how distinguishing a manner are we favored by the great Lord of nature and of grace? Surely it should be our hearts desire and prayer to God that the ignorant nations may be acquainted with the glorious light of the gospel which has long been shining around us with such divine brighteness. We are waiting, and we should be praying, in the most fervent manner, for the Day of the church's greater inlargement, and divine glory—when nations shall beat their swords into plow-shares, and their spears into pruning hooks—when men shall learn war no more—when the wolf and the lamb shall lie down together, —And PEACE and universal righteousness shall reign trium­phant through all the Earth. Even so, Lord Jesus come quickly. Amen.