WHILE I vent the fulness of my heart in the sincerest congratulations of you and myself, and our common country, on the arrival of the auspicious day, which gives confirmed Sovereignty and Independence to confederate America, and pours into her bosom the bless­ings of a safe, advantageous, honorable PEACE, the charms of which are vastly heightened and endeared to us by the horrid contrast of an eight years' cruel War;— permit me at the same time to remind you, that the pro­fessed design of this solemn assembly should give a religious direction to our common joy, and consecrate it into the liveliest gratitude to that SUPREME POWER, who at once stiles himself a MAN OF WAR, and the GOD OF PEACE. That the rapture of our hearts on so glorious an occasion may be thus guided into a holy channel, and elevated into a pious transport of God-exalt­ing adoration and thanksgiving—let us turn our con­templations to a noble pattern of this kind in the grateful, exulting Jews, on their liberation from the Babylonish captivity, as we have it exhibited in the ‘126 PSALM, 3 first Verses. 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: then said they among the Heathen, the Lord hath done great things for them. The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad.’

AS the deliverance here celebrated by the church of God, was the most illustrious of any in the Old-Testament annals, and a most remarkable type of our spiritual redemption by the Messiah; as many of its [Page 6] leading circumstances bear a striking similarity to those which have distinguished and dignified the salvation of united America; and as their sentiments and acknow­ledgments upon it are such as remarkably suit and become every American heart and tongue on the present occasion; — let us therefore run over the affecting picture, which they themselves give of the matter in the words now read: —in which they relate in the first place the pleasing, over-whelming SURPRISE that seized their minds on first re­ceiving the glorious tidings—"When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream" —As if they had said,—"The deliverance was so great and glorious in itself, so astonishing in its circumstances, so sudden in its accomplishment, so unexpected and im­probable in every human view, so far above our highest ideas and hopes, so opposite to our just deserts and appre­hensions—that we could scarce credit the testimony of our own senses, and were ready to imagine the news of liberty no better than the pleasing dream of a transported, deluded fancy, or the airy, baseless fabrick of a midnight vision." So Peter, when a celestial messenger knocked off his prison-chains, and brought him forth to liberty, was at first so surprised at the sudden, extraordinary deli­verance, that he could not believe it to be a waking reality, but only a visionary picture painted on his imagination.— And doubtless the first ideas and feelings of many an American heart, on the news of the equitable, liberal treaty of peace, ratified between Britain and these Sove­reign States, were nearly coincident with this description: —for, the improbability of the haughty Monarch and Court of Britain's ever submitting, (at least at present,) to such mortifying concessions, especially of their adopting so generous a system of policy, so contradictory to the narrow, deceitful, underhanded, cruel politics, which, before, they had uniformly pursued towards this country; —the disappointment of our sanguine prospects of pacifi­cation, in some former stages of this contest;—the long continuance of our distresses;—the visible growing dege­neracy and wickedness of America, under the judgments of Heaven, sent and so long continued for her correction and reformation▪—these, and many other discouraging [Page 7] ideas, combined their influence to render the glorious tidings of peace a very surprising, unexpected, overwhelm­ing sound in the ears of many sober Americans—a sound too grand, good, joyful, to gain their ready confident belief—"Their rapture seem'd a pleasing dream, the grace appear'd so great."

"Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing"—The surprise of such a deliverance produced an extasy of joy; so that we could scarce restrain our passions or our tongues within the bounds of decency or decorum. "Then said they among the Heathen, the Lord hath done great things for them." Those Heathen neighbours, who had observed and insulted the distressed, abject state of these captive exiles, were now constrained to own the superintending, triumphant power, wisdom and goodness of Jehovah, in their surprising deliverance—in rescuing his feeble Israel out of the hands of their mighty oppressors, when they were without friends, without re­sources, without any enlivening hope or spirit—in raising up for them in this situation, and effecting their instant deliverance by a most unlikely instrument indeed, a Pagan, idolatrous Monarch, a stranger and an enemy both by nation and religion, the King of that very empire, which held them in servitude as its legal, conquered captives, and esteemed and treated them as the lowest dregs of mankind!—that such a Prince, without any human soli­citation, without, yea, contrary to, any of the usual mo­tives of human policy, should proclaim the remains of poor, oppressed Israel, a free and independent nation, and furnish them, out of his own treasures, with every requisite for the re-establishment and secure enjoyment of their ancient privileges in their own land—this was such a spectacle of divine wonders in behalf of that people, as extorted a confession from the most stupid idolaters, that Jehovah, the God of Israel, was far superior to their idol-deities.—Just so, my brethren, the successful struggles of oppressed America, at first a feeble, naked, friendless in­fant, against the gigantic power of Britain, a nation then respectable and terrible to all the world for military prow­ess, strength and glory,—have displayed an august spectacle of divine manifestations in our favour, which commands [Page 8] the admiring attention of the world—All Europe, whe­ther Popish or Protestant, Christian or Infidel, has be­held the advancing stages of this contest with growing astonishment:—and while our wonderful success has given a lustre and dignity to our national character in the eyes of mankind, I doubt not but all sober observers, and, one would think, all that are not abandoned Atheists, are constrained to say, the Lord hath done great things for America. Even the poor Indian savages around us, could make this remark on some great victory or deliverance granted to our pious, praying fathers—"Your God must be a very great and good Spirit, to hear and answer your prayers in so surprising a manner!"—If then Heathens, idolaters and scoffers are compelled to own a Superior Hand in these great events, with what eager, grateful transport should those, in whose behalf they are wrought, reply as in the next verse—"The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad"—He hath done great things FOR US—Our Heathen neighbours are only cool spectators, but we are the feeling, happy subjects of the surprising mercy—"whereof we are glad":—our neigh­bours are struck with amazement, and some of them filled with rage and vexation; but we are filled with grateful joy—a joy proportioned to the greatness of the blessing, and the evidence we have that it flows from a God that is reconciled, and in friendship with his now penitent, puri­fied, reformed Israel.—As I mean to make the pious ascription in this third verse, the principal basis of the ensuing part of my discourse, I shall accordingly attempt to shew,

FIRST, When the interpositions of Jehovah in favour of his people may be stiled great, or what it is that stamps them with this high character: which will naturally bring into view the principal events which have introduced and established the American revolution. And then,

SECONDLY, Point out and enforce the manner, in which the happy subjects of such great divine manifesta­tions, should entertain and improve them.

Respecting the FIRST HEAD, I would premise, that all the works of Jehovah are great, as being the products and displays of infinite perfection, and designed and adapted [Page 9] to some very grand and excellent end:—particularly, all his acts of kindness to any of our fallen species, are the fruits of a benevolence infinitely great, prompting and co-operating with equal knowledge and power. But though all God's benevolent works are in this respect equal, as proceeding from the same efficient and impulsive Cause, yet the effects hereof, as terminating upon, and displaying the divine goodness and other attributes to the view of the creature, are almost infinitely diversified: and in this view, some of the kind dispensations of Heaven are vastly, unspeakably greater than others. For instance, those fruits of divine goodness, which have a very great intrinsic worth—which carry in them a deliverance, or security from very great and terrible evils, and a compli­cation of many positive blessings—which promise very durable advantages, or draw after them a long series of beneficial consequences—which embrace great numbers of persons as joint-sharers in the important benefit—which triumph over mighty obstacles that lie in their way— which are conferred in an uncommon, unexpected, sudden, improbable, or peculiarly seasonable manner;—such ope­rations or effects of divine goodness, may be stiled great in an emphatical and most glorious sense. There was a signal concurrence of many of these heightening circum­stances attending the liberation of the Jewish captives ce­lebrated in the text. But the divine manifestations in favour of these United States, in which we this day re­joice, are eminently marked with all these dignifying characters —For the benefits granted, possess a vast intrinsic [...] no less than INDEPENDENT LIBERTY, both civil and religious; the confirmed power of choosing our own government and worship, of enacting our own laws, of acquiring and enjoying our own property, of regulating and extending our own commerce, and, in a word, of securely and peaceably enjoying the most valuable tempo­ral blessings and spiritual privileges, in the greatest and best country in the world! Will any son or daughter of America, in the view of these precious gifts, now ratified to us by Heaven, venture to speak in a contemptuous or murmuring tone, of the issue of our long struggle with Tyranny, as if we had reaped no other harvest from it, [Page 10] than the loss of a great deal of our choicest blood, and an insupportable weight of debt and of taxes for many years to come?—But what, my friends, are these sacrifices and inconveniences, compared with those terrible evils, from which Heaven, by this conflict, has delivered and secured us?—compared with unconditional submission to a foreign legislature in all cases whatsoever, which was expressly de­manded by the British Parliament, and attempted to be enforced by the whole military power of the nation—a demand, which, at one stroke, annihilated the very foun­dation of liberty in this country, and placed her in the lowest, basest state of vassalage, without leaving to her the least right or property in any instance whatever! And as complete servitude must have been the immediate effect of a passive, non-resisting submission to this despotic claim; so if Heaven had permitted them to seduce or conquer us into this subjection, after resisting them with our arms, the consequences must have been still more insupportably dreadful:—for a conquest would at once have made the Court of Britain both lords and landlords of this whole continent: and while our principal leaders, in the cabinet and field, would have been doomed to the block, or the gallows, the rest of us, with our children, down perhaps to late posterity, must have been humble, cringing tenants and slaves, hewers of wood and drawers of water, to the haughty minions of British power! Let us seriously con­template, my brethren, these tremendous evils, which we had so much reason to fear, together with those we have actually felt from the disappointed ambition and cruelty of our foes:—let our thoughts take a range through their polluted prison-ships, and other murderous places of con­finement, which have slain so many of our deserving sons— let us visit the many populous towns wantonly consumed, with the vast amount of property pillaged or destroyed, by their hands, with the many other traces of a base, vindictive spirit, which has marked their conduct towards us:—let us cast a retrospective eye on the many awful scenes of blood and carnage, of havock and depredation, with the long train of evils, both natural and moral, which compose War's gloomy retinue;—and then say, whether that event which puts a period to all these distresses, pe­rils, [Page 11] and fears, which anchors our political ship in the harbour of security and peace, after having so long en­countered the rage of so tempestuous a sea,—is not a very great and capital mercy of Heaven!—a mercy unspeak­ably enhanced and sweetned by the long and gloomy scenes of trouble which have preceded and introduced it!—A mercy too of a very complicated kind, not only as it saves us from such a complication of evils, but as it carries in its bowels, or naturally draws after it, a long chain of important positive blessings, of extensive and permanent ad­vantages.—For besides the usual sweets and benefits of peace, accompanied with freedom, in the full scope and animating encouragement it gives to industry, to arts, to science, to every noble, advantageous employment, im­provement, and gratification of life—besides these, the peaceful establishment of our liberty and independence opens to us far more extensive and glorious prospects—it presents us with a fair opportunity, with the noblest in­ducements and advantages, for converting this immense northern continent into a seat of knowledge and freedom, of agriculture and commerce, of useful arts and manu­factures, of Christian piety and virtue, and thus making it an inviting and comfortable abode for many millions of the human species, an asylum for the injured and oppressed in all parts of the globe, the delight of God and good men, the joy and praise of the whole earth, soaring on the wings of literature, wealth, population, religion, vir­tue, and every thing that is excellent and happy, to a greater height of perfection and glory than the world has ever yet seen.—It likewise opens a door for an extensive commercial intercourse between us and all nations, and directly leads to a rapid increase of it among the various parts of the world: which is not only an inexhaustible source of wealth and opulence, but tends to expand the human mind, to introduce a reciprocation of good offices and benefits, "a general knowledge of wants, and the means of supplying them, an experimental acquaintance with the necessity and beauty of hospitality, an universal enlargement of the habits of thinking," more rational ideas and a more liberal administration of civil govern­ment, a better knowledge and relish of the sacred rights [Page 12] of humanity; all which directly conduce to humanize, refine, and exalt the human mind and manners, and carry forward mankind to greater perfection and happiness than have yet been attained.—Our late convulsion, with its present happy termination, tends to wake up and encou­rage the dormant flame of liberty in all quarters of the earth; to rouze up an oppressed, enslaved world from that stupor which has so long benumbed it—to rouze it to a due inquiry into the natural rights of men, and its own disgraceful and wretched situation in tamely submit­ting to the deprivation of them; to open the eyes of kings and subjects to the true principles of liberty and justice, and to the absurdity and iniquity of tyranny and perse­cution in all their forms; and thus to lead mankind to a manly assertion, and a happy recovery and re-establish­ment of their civil and religious rights; and hereby open and prepare their minds for the more easy reception of the truth and grace of the gospel.—Accordingly, every wheel of Providence seems to be now in motion to hasten on the downfal of tyranny, of Popish superstition and bi­gotry, and promote the cause of freedom, knowledge and truth:—The destruction of the whole order of the Jesuits, who were the main prop of the Papal power; the aboli­tion of persecution in many European countries, particu­larly in France, where the present truly great and gene­rous Monarch has placed the Protestants on an equal foot­ing with his other subiects; and in Germany, where liberty of conscience is granted to all peaceable subjects, of every denomination; the downfal of the hellish Inquisition in Spain, and the liberal institutions which begin to take place in that country, so remarkable, hitherto, for a blind, narrow, furious, persecuting bigotry; the secret contempt, in which almost all the learned and more knowing, in Po­pish countries, are said to hold the absurdities and fool­eries of that religion; the rapid progress of knowledge, and a spirit of free inquiry, of late years, over the earth; —these and other similar events form a grand chain of Providence, in which the American Revolution is a prin­cipal link—a chain, which is gradually drawing after it the most glorious consequences to mankind; which is hastening on the accomplishment of the scripture-prophe­cies [Page 13] relative to the Millenial State, the golden age of the church and world in the latter days.—How magnificently great do the works of Jehovah towards America appear, when viewed in this light! What complicated, extended, lasting advantages seem to be wrapped up in them, not only to many millions in this Western World, but to countless multitudes, as we trust, in various parts of the globe!

If we go on to apply the other characters of greatness enumerated above, relating to the manner in which di­vine favours are conferred, or deliverances wrought, we find them all emphatically verified in God's gracious ma­nifestations towards America. For was it not a very un­common, unexpected, unlikely spectacle, to see Heaven not only raise up and inspirit as it were an infant from its cradle, to encounter a mighty, armed giant, but to guide, aid, and succeed its untaught, feeble efforts, and infatuate, confound, baffle its boasting, terrible antagonist, in a man­ner almost unparalleled in the annals of the word? Was it not an extraordinary phenomenon in the political world, for so many distinct and distant states, so different in many respects in their education, laws, customs, manners, pre­judices, and interests,—not only to unite in one common cause, but to preserve and even strengthen their union amidst all the serpentine, unwearied artifices of a subtle enemy to divide them; insomuch that the very measures they took to disunite and destroy us, have uniformly ope­rated to defeat their own designs and expectations? Was it not a very unusual spectacle, to see so young a country produce such a number of able, spirited statesmen and commanders, whose abilities and patriotism, whose equally judicious and vigorous measures, have at once saved their own country, and commanded the admiration and applause of the world? The late celebrated Lord Chatham, speak­ing of our first general Congress, gives them this very honorable testimony—"I must declare and avow, that in all my reading and observation, for solidity of reason­ing, force of sagacity, and wisdom of conclusion, no na­tion or body of men can stand in preference to the general Congress at Philadelphia." And if we turn our eyes from the cabinet to the camp, what an assemblage of wonders [Page 14] rises to view in our illustrious military CHIEF!—A Gene­ral destined by Heaven for just such a period, country, and cause as ours!—whose judiciously cautious, defensive, delay­ing mode of conducting this war, has at once saved his own army and country, and weakened and worn down those of the enemy:—a General, whose character combines all the different qualities of coolness and spirit, consummate pru­dence and proportionate vigour, the most generous ten­derness and compassion joined with the most firm, un­daunted heroism, the most patient, unshaken constancy under heavy discouragements and sufferings, joined with a noble spirit of enterprise on all proper occasions! My friends, while we contemplate this great character, placed at the head of our unexperienced forces, at such a criti­cal, seasonable juncture:—when we survey the bright constellation of heroes under him, the subordinate officers and soldiers, whose hardships, toils, dangers, battles, victo­ries—whose triumphant patience, courage, and perseve­rance, have instrumentally procured the blessings in which we now rejoice:—when we travel over the several bright stages of this contest, from the bloody, yet victorious NINETEENTH OF APRIL, 1775, to the ever-memorable preservation of our young troops, and destruction of the veteran foe, at the battle of Bunker-hill; the brilliant, magnificent attacks and victories of Trenton and Princeton; the glorious capture of two whole British armies at Saratoga and Yorktown; the very critical detection and defeat of Ar­nold's black conspiracy, by a train of nice and seemingly fortuitous incidents:—when to all this we add, the asto­nishing magnanimity, generosity, and fidelity of the KING of France, the Cyrus of our Israel, whose paternal, liberal, effectual aid, afforded to us in our low estate, so remark­ably resembles the conduct of that ancient, noble Prince, whom Heaven inspired, though an alien from their reli­gion, to proclaim and effect the great deliverance cele­brated by God's Israel in the text:—when we further be­hold the top-stone of this grand fabrick laid, in the ratifica­tion of a treaty of peace, which establishes our unconditional independence, enlarges our territories, and gratifies our highest expectations and wishes:—and lastly, when we reflect on the ill-deserving, provoking character of the [Page 15] people, in a moral view, for whom Jehovah has wrought all these wonders;—are we not constrained to own with raptures of grateful admiration, that the Lord hath indeed done great things for us—that his perfections have tri­umphed gloriously in our favour,—have triumphed not only over all the hostile attempts of our foes, but over all our own increasing and crying guilt?

What then remains but that we suitably entertain and improve these astonishing and endearing divine manifest­ations in our favour? Which is the SECOND THING to be illustrated and enforced.

It becomes us then, in the first place, to ascribe the whole glory of them to God, in imitation of the pious pattern of the text. This is nothing more than rendering to Jehovah his due:—this is a debt, which every sacred motive, every ingenuous principle, every tie of gratitude, decency, and equity, forcibly urges us to pay. For, sound reason, as well as revelation, teaches us, that all the abi­lities, prowess, conduct and success, which have guided and crowned our long conflict, have been derived from above—from the same Being, who raised up Moses to lead his Israel from their Egyptian bondage, and Cyrus to emancipate them from their Babylonian servitude. It was therefore a very foolish, as well as impious speech of an European commander in a former war, that Providence always favours an hundred thousand men; meaning, that notwithstanding the influence of Providence, the strongest army may be sure of success:—for there are a thousand contingencies, which essentially affect the health, supplies, counsels, courage, operations and success of an army, which no human sagacity can foresee, or human power controul, but which are wholly determined by an omni­scient, omnipotent Providence. To the God of provi­dence then let us cousecrate the gladness of this happy day—let us return back to him, in devout ascriptions of praise, that full tide of joy, which He is pouring into our hearts—let us say, in the language of inspiration,—"I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously" —"O sing unto the Lord a new song; for his right hand, and his holy arm hath gotten the victory"—"The Lord reigneth; let America—let the earth rejoice: let the multitude of the isles be glad thereof."

[Page 16]But while we religiously adore the governing providence of Jehovah, and gratefully ascribe to him all those great events which swell our bosoms with joy; let us beware that we do not impute these signal divine appearances in our favour, to any peculiar excellence in our national character. Alas, Sirs, the moral face of our country ef­fectually confutes such a vain-glorious sentiment. Crimes of the blackest hue—countless multitudes of abominations, mark the visible character of this great, this highly fa­voured community, and still provoke the displeasure of Heaven; while they serve as a foil to heighten and set off the triumphant freeness and riches of that goodness which has done such great things for so unworthy a peo­ple: as on the other hand, the turpitude and guilt of our national provocations are exceedingly enhanced by those glorious manifestations of divine benevolence, against which they are committed. The present occasion then loudly calls us to mingle the most humble penitence and contrition with our joyful gratitude and praise: and, in­deed, there can be no truly grateful and holy joy in the goodness of God, without true humility, repentance, and reformation, for its foundation, companion, and fruit: for humble, godly sorrow, and thankful joy, mutually beget, and strengthen, and keep pace with each other; and no people, however highly favoured in external respects, have any sure ground or warrant, or indeed any present moral capacity or meetness, for the exercise of true rejoicing in the divine goodness, while persisting in an impenitent course of rebellion against Him. These considerations call upon us to rejoice with trembling, with humility, with a sober, cautious, serious air, in opposition to all levity, pride, vain-glory, sensuality, carnal confidence and security. While we rejoice in the divine beneficence, let us remem­ber that for his own sake he hath done these great things; not for any righteousness in us; not merely that we might enjoy the exultation of victory and peace, or the pride of independence and empire; but that his own name may be exalted, that his own great designs, hinted above, of glo­rifying Himself, and extending the kingdom of his Son, may be carried into effect: and though he has been using us in the late revolution as instruments of carrying forward [Page 17] this glorious and benevolent plan, yet if we ourselves mean not so,—if in our hearts and practice we are opposed to his interest and glory—if we as a people continue to fight against Him, after such great displays as he has made of Himself before our eyes—if we abuse the blessings of returning peace and public felicity to greater wanton­ness in sin, to nourish a spirit of pride, ambition, luxury, dissipation, venality, infidelity, and other concomitant vices; in this case our very prosperity will finally destroy us in the most aggravated manner; and God will promote the designs of his glory in our exemplary ruin, as he has now been doing in our surprising salvation.—These ideas may well give a solemnity to our joy, and cause it to flow in the channel, and bring forth the fruits, of true holiness. O let us exhibit our praises, not in word only, but in deed and in truth: let us testify the cordial sincerity of our joys and thanksgivings on this occasion, by a practical, steady conformity and obedience to that great and good Being, whom we profess to extol: and let me add, by ge­nerous testimonies of our esteem and gratitude for those, whose toils, dangers, and sufferings have eminently contri­buted to our present security and happiness—let our grateful love to the infinite Author, flow down and flow out, in suitable proportions, to the honored instruments of these inestimable benefits. Let those men who have stood forth in the foremost rank of danger, and made the greatest private sacrifices to the public cause, whether in the senate or in the field, whether at home or in foreign climes,—let these live in our hearts—let their names and heroic deeds live and shine in our grateful annals, till time shall be swallowed up in eternity. Let us be eager to recompence their important labours of love for us and our children, for the unborn millions of our future descendants. Let us welcome the suffering soldier to the bosom of a free and peaceful country, with tears of gratitude, and smiles of applause—let us gladly divide with him those sweets of independence and wealth, which his gallantry and wounds have secured to us. Let us fly to sooth the griefs, and wipe away the tears of the many widows and orphans, which this cruel war has made; and to relieve the mortifying distresses of poverty, into which it has plunged [Page 18] many of our meritorious citizens. Let us gladly contribute our share towards fulfilling the engagements of the public, to all that have credited or in any way assisted it, whether our own citizens or foreigners: and instead of complaining of the load of debt which lies upon us, let us bless God, that the great object of our long struggle is obtained at so cheap a rate;—that our burden, however pressing, is light, compared either with the value of the acquisition or with the insupportable load which must have fallen upon us, and crushed us into ruin, had we been re-united to Great-Britain:—let us be willing to sacrifice the paltry, yet expensive pleasures and parade of luxury, prodigality, vain magnificence, and other impoverishing, though fashionable vices, and practise frugality, industry, humility, and mo­deration, with the whole train of private and patriotic virtues: then, by the blessing of God, we may hope that our country will ere long be delivered from every embar­rassing difficulty, which retards her progress towards the zenith of perfection, and will become an ample theatre for the last and most glorious displays of the divine benevo­lence to the human species. Who, that loves his country or mankind, can help exulting in so glorious a prospect, and wishing to see it speedily realized? That it may be so,—

O Thou, GREAT ARBITER of the nations, who hast done such great things for us, still guard, maintain, and perfect the magnificent structure, which thy own hand hath reared in this western world! Grant that here may ever dwell the uncorrupted faith, the pure worship, the benevolent, peaceful virtues of primitive Christianity, extending their benign influences to the utmost bounds of this vast continent, and causing the wilderness and waste places of America to blossom like the rose, and flourish as the garden of God! May this infant-empire, this new-born nation live in thy sight! May it grow and flourish under thy almighty patronage, in every thing that is great and good and happy, till all the states and empires of the world shall be absorbed in the everlasting kingdom of thy Son! AMEN and AMEN.