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A41963
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A thanksgiving-sermon for the peace preach'd at the parish-church of St. Dunstan's in the West, Dec. IId, 1697 / by William Gallaway ... ; printed at the particular request of some of the hearers.
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Gallaway, William, fl. 1692-1697.
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1697
(1697)
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Wing G180; ESTC R37390
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11,676
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27
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so that we must all confess and declare with the Prophet David Happy and Safe are the People and they only so who have the Lord for their God The Works of Providence are fram'd in the depth of God's Wisdome and like as the silent and unseen Waters wandring in secret and distant Channels beneath the Surface of the Earth at last meet together and gush into a Fountain So the diversity of Opinions the Humours of Men the Intrests of Princes the Intreagues of States the Differences in Families with a Thousand little accidents conspire together to perfect and bring to light the design'd Work What Alterations and Revolutions the Heathens of old and our more Modern Politicians attribute to blind Fate or inconstant Fortune by a more curious inspection and enquiry will appear design'd and wrought by an All-seeing Eye and steady Hand For the concurrence of unforeseen and unobserv'd causes perfected and manifested in their visible and wonderful Effects strikes and affects the Senses and understandings of Men with Surprize and Amazement but when they give themselves leave to reflect and deliberate on the whole Transaction it forces them to admire as well as own the Powerful Finger of God Babylon the Praise of the whole Earth confident in her formidable Army instead of a Garrison her Inexhaustible Stores as if provided for an Age not a Seige Her Walls like Pyramids and so numerous as if in one you had attack'd many Cities How soon were her mighty Men slain and all her boasted Strengths and Glories level'd and laid in the dust God's special Providence foretold by the Prophet Jeremiah in the 50 Chap. and 45th verse Therefore hear ye the Counsel of the Lord that he hath taken against Babylon and his Purposes that he hath Purposed against the Land of the Caldeans In the 25th verse 't is call'd The Work of the Lord God of Hosts and in the 27th verse Wo unto them for their day is come the time of their Visitation and in the 51st Chap. 11th verse The Lord hath raised up the Spirit of the Kings of the Medes for his Device is against Babylon to destray it From which instance this observation occurs That the greatest Warlike Preparations cannot secure an Empire or City from Ruine when the Counsel of the Lord hath otherwise determin'd it From the Ashes of the Babylonish or Assirian Empire that of the Medes or Persians took its rise or birth nor is the short time of its duration to be wonder'd at if we consider 't was wholly plung'd and immers'd in the abounding Delicacies and Luxuries of the East a certain Symtom of a Short-liv'd Empire nay her Men were arriv'd to that degree of Softness and Effeminacy that their very Natures seem'd to be chang'd and as the Prophet Jeremiah expresses it of the Babylonish Men they were become as Women When Destruction was coming upon them like a Whirlewind then they seem'd most secure and fancy'd themselves Victorious and that Army to quench whose Thirsts whole Rivers scarcely suffic'd How soon was it defeated by a despis'd handful of Rugged Grecians suppos'd only the forerunners or Forlorn-Hope but led on by a dareing and Conquering Alexander which plainly exemplifies that the most unequal Numbers cannot command Victory and that Conduct and Courage being put in the Ballance with the few will make them Superiour Nor was Providence altogether unconcern'd in this great and extraordinary Overthrow for the Prophet Daniel was foretold the determin'd event in a Vision as appears from the 10th Chap. 20th verse Then said he Knowest thou wherefore I am come unto thee And now will I return to fight with the Prince of Persia and when I am gone forth so the Prince of Grecia shall come God raised the Spirit of this great Prince to attempt and execute what in Humane Probability seem'd unlikely and little less then impossible to be effected for who can imagine that 30 or 40000 Men should be able to give a total defeat to a Million the truth of which is confirm'd by all Historys and this fatal blow put an end to the Persian Empire The Grecian which succeeded expir'd in its Infancy whose extensive Conquests were shar'd amongst the Favourites and Officers of their Generous Master confirming what we read in the 11th of Daniel the 3d. and 4th verses And a mighty King shall stand up that shall rule with great Dominion and do according to his Will and when he shall stand up his Kingdom shall be broken and shall be divided towards the four Winds of Heaven and not to his Posterity nor according to his Dominion which he ruled For his Kingdom shall be pluck'd up even for others besides those The All-wise Providence of God pulls down one Empire and raises another the Causes and Reasons only known to himself and for what end and purposes the short line of our finite reason and weak understandings is altogether incapable to reach and cannot fathom But amongst all History nothing seems more Incredible then the Rise and Growth of the Roman Empire which from a little Root spread its Flourishing Branches almost over every Quarter of the Earth The Prophet Daniel speaks of it at Large in the Two last Chapters of his Book in which he plainly Foretells the Dissolution of the Jewish Government together with their Laws Temple and their Beloved City of Jerusalem Nor is it unknown from divers Proofs that those things came to pass and that the Prophecies relating to it were Fullfill'd even to a Lettrr 'T were endless to Recount those many Providential Occurrences which Related to and Attended our Blessed Saviour's Appearance and which caused such Variety of Events in the World and we may Observe amongst those many other Refin'd Doctrines in His First Sermon on the Mount He Acquaints his Disciples with and Asserts the Nature of Providence and that 't is concern'd in the most Minute Things How much more in Greater in the more Important Affairs of Publick Communities and Kingdoms Nay our Blessed Saviour Reproves and Corrects their Faithless and Mistrustful Thoughts relating to it But to Return What Alterations was not the Roman Government subject to before it arriv'd to its Fear'd and Admir'd Greatness And what Convulsions did it not Labour under afterwards But the Learned Dr. Howell in the Second Part of his General History Judiciously Reflects on the Wisdom and Policy of their Laws and observes them more especially tending to Secure the Rights and Liberties of the People Yet notwithstanding the great Care Conduct Courage and Experience in all those things that were Necessary for its Support we find this Tottering Empire to have had the same Dissolution with those that went before and which those shall have at their Appointed time which succeed it I cannot pass by in Silence an Important and Pertinent Observation from Father Paul's History of the Council of Trent That notwithstanding the Cunning Intreagues manag'd by that Pack'd Caball of Bishops many of them Titular and who
A Thanksgiving-Sermon FOR THE PEACE PREACH'D At the Parish-Church of St. Dunstan's in the West Dec. II d. 1697. By William Gallaway A. M. Chaplain to the Officers and others of His Majesty's TRAIN of ARTILLERY Printed at the particular Request of some of the Hearers LONDON Printed for Hugh Newman at the Grashopper in the Poultrey 1697. Mr. GALLAWAY's Thanksgiving-Sermon FOR THE PEACE A Thanks-Giving SERMON Isaiah XIVth 16 17 18 Verses They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee and consider thee saying Is this the Man that made the Earth to Tremble that did shake Kingdoms that made the World as a Wilderness and destroyed the Cities thereof that opened not the House of his Prisoners All the Kings of the Nations even all of them lie in Glory every one in his own House IN the Beginning of this Chapter Isaiah by his Prophetick Spirit foretells the Merciful Deliverance that God would bring to pass for the House of Israel that the Time was near at hand That the Arrogancy of the Proud was to cease and that the Haughtiness of the Terrible was to be laid low as it is in the 13th Chapter 11th Verse that there would be an Unexpected Change in the Face of Affairs and that the Lord would not only give them Rest from their Sorrows and from their Fears and from their Hard Bondage wherein they were made to serve Verse the 3d but also as a Visible Mark of his Great Favour and more Abundant Kindness He declares They shall take them Captives whose Captives they were and they shall Rule over their Oppressours And as a full confirmation of this Joyful Tidings the Prophet further assures them in the 24 25 26 27 Verses The Lord of Hosts hath Sworn saying Surely as I have thought so shall it come to pass and as I have purposed so shall it stand That I will break the Assyrian in my Land and upon my Mountains tread him underfoot then shall his Yoke depart from off them and his Burden depart from off their Shoulders This is the purpose that is purposed on the whole Earth and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the Nations For the Lord of Hosts hath purposed and who shall disanul it and his hand is stretched out and who shall turn it back On the Infallible Assurance of this Extraordinary Event it was that the Prophet represents the Israelites with their Neighbouring Kings who labour'd under the same Tyrannical Oppressions thus Insulting over the King of Babylon How hath the Oppressour ceased The Lord hath broken the Staff of the Wicked and the Scepter of the Rulers The whole Earth is at rest and is quiet they break forth into Singing All they the Kings of the Nations shall speak and say unto thee Art thou also become weak as we Art thou become like unto us Thy Pomp is brought down to the Grave How art thou fallen from Heaven O Lucifer Son of the Morning How art thou cut down to the ground which didst weaken the Nations For thou hast said in thine heart I will ascend into Heaven I will exalt my Throne above the Stars of God I will ascend above the heights of the Clouds I will be like the Most High yet thou shalt be brought down to Hell to the sides of the Pit Thus the Context which leads me to the words of my Text They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee and consider thee They who were formerly amaz'd with thy Glittering Outside with thy Vain and Ostentatious Boastings shall View and Reflect with Surprize on thy Unforeseen and Unexpected Change They shall be Curious and Inquisitive as if Amaz'd at the Unapprehended Causes of this thy Sudden Alteration and the more especially at their Wits end considering their Eares were every day fill'd with the Blasphemous but empty Noises of those who had only flatter'd Thee Invincible and Immortal They shall consider That the Lord of Hosts can and will punish the fruit of the stout Heart of the King of Assyria and the Glory of his High Looks whom he before Rais'd up as the Rod of his Anger to Scourge the Hypocritical and Idolatrous Israelites notwithstanding he hath said Chapter the 10th 13th Verse By the strength of my hand I have done it and by my Wisdom for I am Prudent I have remov'd the Bounds of the People and have robbed their Treasures I have put down the Inhabitants like a Valiant Man Tho' thou didst foolishly ascribe all thy Success and Victories to the Strength of thine Own Arm and Martial Conduct yet now the Deliver'd Insultingly despise thee and say Is this the Man that made the Earth to Tremble that did shake Kingdoms That made the World as a Wilderness and destroyed the Cities thereof that open'd not the House of his Prisoners Is the Grand Monarch of Assyria Dwindled into this Contemptible State Is the Scourge of Mankind grown Feeble and Weak unable to carry on his Terrible Sieges and All-destroying Devastations Are all his Subtle and Powerful Efforts and Contrivances to Enslave the World at an end And are thy Prisons open to all but those who will not fall down and Worship the Images of New Babylon And do all the Kings of the Nations even all of them lye in Glory every one in his own House Are thy Conquests ceas'd and art thou now forc'd to Dismantle and Restore with Shame and Regret the Dear but Short-liv'd Possession of what was Purchast with so much Labour so much Treasure and so much Blood How art thou Mortify'd to behold thine Enemies whom thou not long since didst trample on and despise Reinstated in their own Envy'd Cities and Territories to be thus Gratingly Lowr'd from thy High Slippery Station and to have thy Mistaken Greatness and False Glory go out like a Dazling Meteor or Blazing Comet What Admiration What Wonder shall not these Reflections fill them with who narrowly look on thee and consider thee Thus the Prophet Elegantly and Insultingly describes the Mean Appearance and little Figure of the not long before Mighty Monarch of Assyria which indeed if duly observ'd is a proper Instance for Mankind in General to shew the Instability of Humane Greatness and to Princes more particularly Instructive to lay aside their Ambitious Projects of Swelling their Power beyond its proper Limits by Unjust and Unnatural Means at the Ruine and Misery of their Fellow-Creatures Considering withall that the true end of all Power is only to capacitate us to do the more Good in the World to Relieve and Support the Oppress'd and not to Crush and Oppress Thus having taken a Transient View as to the Occasion and Design of the Words of my Text I proceed to Deduce and clear this General Proposition or Observation from them First The Visibility of Providence in the Great and Unexpected Revolutions of Kingdoms and Empires Secondly Reflect on and Apply them with Reference to the Solemnity of this Day That there is a Supreame and