To have done Compare our Condition with that of our English Brethren in woful Ireland especially the more Southern Counties of it Behold their Estates Confiscate the value of Four Millions was long since the Account of the Losses felt by only them who had Fled into England Behold their persons Confind having sharp Skeins ready for their Throats with just Fears day and nighâ— of a new Massacre What would you think if you were driven like Dogs into the Goals of Galloway if you were Enjoyâ—ed to carry your own Fathers Heads upon Poles in the Head of a Regiment or if yoâ— lay at the mercy of a Wild Irish Rabble Behold these things Behold them with Sympathy O New-England and be not â—canty in thy Praises to Him that has known thee above all the Families of the Earth Come and Sing unto the Lord for the Excellent Things which He has done But yet let us not put Him off with a Song 'T is a thing very pleasing to God that we have a Day of Thanksgiving to Praise Him in and if this Day he duely kept I doubt not but Good News will quickly put us upon the keeping of Another He that Inhabits the Praises â—f Israel will keep House among us if by Leaving off our Praises we turn Him not out of Doors It was a Remarkable thing that befel One of our Neighbours a while ago By a Shipwrack he was cast upon a desolate Island where he was left many months Alone After many a Day of Prayer for succour he at last kept a Day of Praise â—or the support which he had so long Enâ—oy'd and within a few Hours upon this â—here came a Vessel by that saved him New-England has been and yet is in so many Troubles that some have questioned whether a Day of Thanksgiving would be Seasonâ—ble O Yes most highly Seasonable Keep it well and it shall yet be said Also in New-England things went well But the principal Thing in our Thanksgivâ—â—g yet remains and that is a Thanks-Doing Let us all Repent and Reform and set up on the Lively Doing of the Good Thing which the Lord our God Requires The Aposâ—stle speaks pathetically I beseech you Brethren by the Mercies of God It is This I conclude withal I beseech you Brethren by the Mercies of God that New England maâ— be as a Noble Person sometimes call'd uâ— The best people in the world and that no scaâ—â—dalous Things may be done here to offenâ— the God that has done Excellent Things for us I beseech you by the Mercies of God that as we profess the Protestant Religion with the most exalted Purity so we may practise it in such an Exemplary manner that Aâ— New-England man may be a Term of Honour in the world I beseech you by the Mercies of God that we may all sincerely intend thâ—â—ame Ends which brought our Predecessorâ— here even to propagate the Spiritual Kingâ—dom of our Lord Jesus Christ. May all due pains be taken that not only the Englisâ— may every where have the Knowledge oâ— God but that the Indians too may sharâ— with us in it for an Engagement whereunto God has given us to see as that a verâ— visible Blast has attended the Estates of theâ— who have grown Rich by Trading of Drinâ— with them so a visible Blessing has accoâ—â—panied them who have Laboured in Preachâ—â—ng of Truth to those poor Pagans and since â—t this day the most powerful Nation of â—hem namely the Mohawks ask for the â—ospel it cannot but be a piece of Policy as â—ell as Religâ—on in us to carry the Gospel unto â—â—em while they cannot be reconciled unto 〈◊〉 Superstitions of our French Neighbours â—â—at have been Tampering with them O â—â—at we might not forget the Errand of our â—ore-fathers hither We shall then Flourish â— spite of all that wish ill unto us Thus â—ill Salvation be nigh unto us and Glory shall well in our Land May our God sanctifie 〈◊〉 His Dispensations to us particularly those 〈◊〉 the Summer past as well the Terrible as 〈◊〉 Merciful 'T is a Metaphorical Earthâ—â—ake which has lately been among us and â—ere was a Literal one in some parts of the â—ountrey preceding of it May these Earthâ—â—akes produce better effects on us than those Lima in this our New-World America 〈◊〉 upon the people there a little while ago â—e are informed That an horrible Earthâ—â—ake after some Warnings of it shook that â—eat and Lewd City till with incredible â—oâ—se and Fury it sunk a large Part of it â—o the Earth and the Sea came hideously â—â—lling in upon it While the miserable â—â—â—niards were under Apprehensions of peâ—â—ing in speedy Ruines they that had been Enemies one to another immediately made Râ—â—conciliations they professed a Deep Repeâ—â—tance of their former Vices their fine Oâ—â—naments and other Vanities they burieâ— under ground and with consternation crâ—â—ed out Our Oppression our Injustice the Extâ—â—vagancies of our Cloathings and our Houses 〈◊〉 brought all this upon us We have newly beâ—â— passing thâ—o ' a Figurative Earth-quake whicâ— is not yet quite over with us God forbiâ— we should be Impaenitent after all and sinâ— I would End where I began God forbiâ— that we should be Unthankful for our preseâ—â—vations New-England is not used unto sucâ— Follies as Bonfires nor do we think Ringiâ—â— of Bells but Sinâ—â—ng of Psalms to be a Thanâ—â—â—giving Exercise Come then Sing unto 〈◊〉 Lord Sing the Praises which He may 〈◊〉 claim unto It was a no less wonderâ—â—â— than undoubted Thing which happened France a few months ago when upon 〈◊〉 Dissolution of the French Congregations aâ— a particular Interdict upon the Singing 〈◊〉 Psalms thro' the Kingdom there were thoâ—â—sands of persons in hundreds of places scores of Times that plainly heard 〈◊〉 Singing of Psalms after the manner of 〈◊〉 French Assemblies with a most Ravishiâ—â— Melody by Invisible Singers in the Air thing so notorious that the very Psalms we often Distinctly as well as Audibly enough â—ung to let the Hearers know what Psalms â—hey were such as the Fifth the Forty Seâ—ond the Hundred and Thirty Eighth particuâ—arly and even the Parliament of Pau made 〈◊〉 Decree that men should not go abroad to â—ear this unaccountable Singing under a forâ—eiture of Two Thousand Crowns upon which â—he Reflection of the incomparable Iurieu is This is a Reproach that the Providence of God â—akes unto us because you have not dared nâ—r â—een willing any more to Sing His Praises and â—ongs of Thanksgiving God has made mouths â—n the midst of the Air But behold an Happy Presage that God will not suffer your â—oices and your Songs to Dy the Angels have â—ezed on them Thus give me Leave to â—â—y That if we â—ill not Sing unto the Lord there are others â—hat will and we that will not never shall Yea our Silence may provoke the very â—ocks and Stones to loud Shouts in praising â—â—e Eternal God O come and Sing unto the Lord and â—ough we do
The Hebrew Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is indeed a Substantive and it intimates that the Works of God are even Excellency in the Abstract and Majesty it self And the Chaldee Paraphrase here fitly puts upon them the term of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Magnalia noting in them something eminent and powerful Such things are done by Him who is Wonderful in Working Secondly The Duties of men are then specified hereupon Since excellent Things are done by God there are two things to be done by us First We are to sing the Praises of God It is â—here said Sing unto the Lord. And such is the expression in the Holy style as to signifie not only an exactness but also an instrument used in the Song We are with a Sacred Musick to magnifie the God who is worthy to be Praised Secondly We are to spread the Praises of God It is here said This is known in all the Earth but the version which is by some chosen for it rather is Let this be known in all the Earth We should not only our selves do it but likewise provoke and excite all the Earth to take notice of what Wonders have been done by Him who is fearful in Praises Wherefore the Truth to be now entertained with us is That it should be our study to SING and SPREAD the Praises due to the Eternal God for the EXCELLENT Things which are done by Him in the World It is by the Propounding of two or three Conclusions that this Doctrine will have its due Advantages PROPOSITION I. There are multitudes of Praises due to the God of Heaven from us To praise God is to Acknowledge the persections that are in Him 't is to Acknowledge the infinite Power Wisdom Goodness Justice and Holiness which are His Attributes and this we are to do In all our ways We have received our Being for this End and our Grand our Chief Errand into the World is That our God may have a Number of Rational Beholders to be sensible of His Excellencies When Mankind came first out of His Glorious Hand He then said as in Isa. 43.21 This people have I formed for my self they shall shew forth my praise In our Lower Little World no Creatures can be found capable of Conceiving and Expressing those Acknowledgments of God which are The Glory due unto his Name besides MAN who is therefore not unfitly called The High-priest of the Creation The devout Psalmist once called upon all Creatures with a Repeated Invitation Praise ye the Lord but they all reply that Man is to do it for them and they all therefore conspire to offer the Notices of the Almighty God unto Mans affectionate Contemplation To praise God is to Acknowledge in Him something Excellent as 't is said in Psal. 148.13 Let them praise the name of the Lord for His Name alone is Excellent thus when we Acknowledge an Excellency in all those Manifestations which God maketh of Himself then 't is that we praise Him Now the Praises owing to the God of Heaven from us are obliged not only by what He Is but also by what He Does indeed by what He Does it is that we come to Learn what He is We ought to Acknowledge an Excellency in the Nature of God which is to Ascribe Glory to Him The Language of our praises is to be that in Psal. 89.6 Who can be compared who can be Likened unto the Lord God should be truly Transcendent with us We should apprehend that as the Name of our God is I AM so all other Beings are as meer Non-Entities in comparison of Him subscribing to that in Isa. 40.17 All are before Him as Nothing We should apprehend the Being of God so Independent so Unchangeable so Mysterious as no other Being is and with Dazzled Souls fall into such praises as to say I cannot find out the Almighty to perfection The perfections that are in the Almighty God should even Astonish our Understandings and fetch the Exclamations of Moses from us in Exod. 15.11 Who is like unto thee O Lord who is like unto thee One while our praises are like Hannahs to say There is none Holy as the Lord Another while our praises are like Ethans to say Who is a Strong God like unto thee Sometimes our Praises like Pauls are to say God is only Wise and sometimes again God is True but every man a Lyar and then with David we are to praise and say O how great is thy Goodness But the Excellency which is in the Works of God is that which renders the Glory of His Essence most apparent unto us and the praises which we are to bring unto Him are in a great measure to spring from thence We are told in Isa. 28.29 The Lord of Hosts is Excellent in Working Our praises of God are in This to find the Reasons of them He has done Excellent Things First We ought with many praises to observe the Excellent Things which God has done for our selves As the Psalmist call'd upon himself in Psal. 103.1 Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all his Benefits thus ought we to Reflect upon the many Benefits and Kindnesses of the most High towards our selves with praises too many to be Numbred too Hearty to be ended We ought to see something of God in all our Circumstances and upon all that happens to us we are to say The Lord be magnify'd But there are some Excellent Things done for us by our God Things which no Friend no Hand none else could have done for our Good and These Things we should with suitable praises be particularly grateful for It is the manner of the Iems to receive the Comforts of their Lives with a Baruk Adonai or Blessed be the Lord. We that are Christians may not suffer our selves to be exceeded by any people in Thankfulness unto God It is related concerning our Loâ—d Jesus Christ in John 6.11 that he would not Eat a Meals Meat without a Thanksgiving over it Much more ought the more Excellent Things that are done for us to be so Acknowledged When God had heard a Prayer there was that praise returned for it in John 11.41 Father I thank thee for it We ought seriously to think What Answers of our Prayers what Reliefs of our Wants and Woes the great God has in an excellent manner favoured us withal and the Result of all should be Lord I thank thee for these Excellent Things A good Hezekiah himself may smart by failing here Those persons are worse than Pharisees in whose mouths God be Thanked is not a frequent but yet solemn interject on Secondly We ought with many praises to observe the Excellent Things which God has done for Others as well as for our selves Our praises must not be confined unto those mercies of God which we our selves have been the Subjects of But all His Dispensations abroad in the world are to be the Occasion of our Hallelujahs to Him A Soul that is Fill'd with
Knees and listed Eyes presenting our selves before him With mentioning what God has done we are to do as he said in Psal 145.2 Every Day will I bless thee my God But there is one Exercise of our Lips which God is more peculiarly to be praised with and that is the Singing of Psalms In those Commands of God which require the praises of God even in our Dayes we have such clauses as those in Psal. 95 1. O come let us sing to the Lord let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our Salvation The New Testament sufficiently inculcates this way of praising the most High and if you will believe Tertullian the Primitive Christians hardly ever had a Feast without it There are savoury Hymns of an Humane Composure which no doubt we may praise God by singing of But Scriptural and inspired Hymns are those which we should principally thus put Regards upon The Psalms of David are those which God is to be Praised by a Reverent and Attentive Singing of These were those no doubt which our Saviour Himself Sang at the Passover more than a score of Times And the very Angels whose Melodies the Shepherds overheard of old seem to sing out of the Eighty fifth Psalm Hence when the Apostle says in Eph. 5.19 Speak to your selves in Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs he alludes to the well-known Division of the Psalter q. d. Go sing all the Psalms of David over Till we can mend them never let us leave them He that shall sing those Blessed Psalms and ordinarily spend at least one Observation and one Ejaculation upon every verse as he goes along will therein praise the great God at no common rate Secondly Our Lives are likewise to be Employ'd in the Praises of God We have Hands as well as Tongues for it and some thing there is that our Hand finds to do The best Thanksgiving is Thanks-living We should sometimes put that Question to our selves in Psal. 116.12 What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits As a return to God for the Excellent things that are done by Him we are to order our lives in such a manner as may be pleasing to him Hence in Psal. 50.23 He that offers praise and he that orders his conversation aright are equivolent There is a general Return of Obedience which we are to praise God by yielding of It is said in Phil. 1 1â— the fâ—uit's of Righteousness are unto the glory and praise of God Where God had carried Israel over Iordan there were Stonâ—s erected for His praise but what was inscribed on them was it any History of what and been done by God No it was a Copy of the Law Our keeping the Law is our praising of him that gave it We praise God when we seen and blush to do any thing that he may be displeased at There is also a special Return of well-doing which we should now and then praise God withal As when David had seen many mighty things done by God he became inquisitive in 2 Sam. 7.2 What shall I now do for the House of God so some signal act of Piety or of Charity should be done by us that God may not be without his praise We praise God when we are labouring to do some singular thing for the advancement of His Truths and Wayes Secondly VVe are to Spread the praises due to God for the excellent things that He has done Yea our outmost is to be done that they may be known in all the Earth A good man desires that he may not be Alone in the praising of God he would have all men to joyn with him in it It is therefore said by such a man Come I will declare what God has done fâ—r my Soul We are to praise God as publickly and as openly as we can and to say like him in Psal. 22.25 My praise shall be of thee in the great Congregation And we are to do what we fairly can that the excellent things done by God may not be concealed things but that all men may be acquainted with them so are we advised in Psal. 105.1 2. Give thanks to the Lord make known His Deeds among the people sing unto Him talk ye of all His wondrous Works We should render them as Notorious as they are Notable and publish them among all our Neighbours as the happy partakers did the healing Miracles of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hence it was the wish of the Psalmist in Psal. 26.7 That I may publish with the voice of Thanksgiving and tell of all thy wondrous works Yea when God has done Excellent things we are not only to speak of them but if we can to write of them too Every good man should leave to his Children a Diary for a Legacy Some written Memorials and Experiâ—ncâ—s of Excellent things which a good man in the time of his Pilgrimage hath seen done by the most High these would be well worth beqâ—eâ—thing to them that should come after him that they may set their hope in God And the more considerable Appearances of God in every Generation ought with a fuller Publication to be transmitted unto Posterity by the Pens of good Historians That we have no more Books of Remarkable Providences is an Omission that has wrong'd and rob'd the Almighty God of more than a Million praises There should be compiled sufficient Narratives of the excellent things occurring in every Age and every place like the Books of Iasher and Nathan and Iddo and other Seers or like the Pillars among many Monuments of Antiquity What shall I say more when God has done a more conspicuously excellent thing He is to be praised after that manner in Psal. 102.18 This shall be written for the Generation to come and the people that shall be Created shall praise the Lord. But it remains that these things be made useful to us APPLICATION And O that we might all stir up our selves this Day to Sing and Spread the praises due to the Eternal God for the excellent things which He has done It is an excellent thing indeed that we may have a Day of Thanksgiving while the World is in so much Confusion and Combustion and every where Mens hearts are failing them for fear and for looking after those things which are doing upon the Earth Let us be at some pains that this Day be not lost or that it may not evaporate in a few sensual satisfactions The Excellent things done by God are now to be the Repast of our Souls Days of Thanksgiving as they are among the most Heavenly so they will be among the most prosperous of all our Devotions There are Pious Men that will now and then in secret places keep their Dayes of Thanksgiving before the Lord laying out whole Dayes in praising of the Great God for what He is and what He does and in pondering on What they shall do for God And I 'll assure you such persons ripen for Heaven a pace yea
they live in Heaven upon Earth But as for Dayes of Thanksgiving observed in the Assemblies of good men all men have seen the wonderful successes of them New Englands Prosperity has more visibly followed upon its Thanksgivings than upon its Humiliations as in times both of War and of Sickness has been more than once perceived We have seen the fulfilment of that Word in 2 Chron. 20.22 When they began to sing and to praise the Lord set ambushments against their Enemies Praises thousands of high praises be to our God that we may have a Day to celebrate His praises But that our praises may be awakened and that no man may make a Iar in our Harmony Consider how Reasonable these praises are for us all O consider with our selves Who is God it is He that Humbles Himself to behold the things that are in Heaven Consider Who is Man a poor Worm yea a cursed Viper Now that this GOD should look upon this man Lord What is man that thou shouldest be mindful of him Yet the Eternal God has been doing of Excellent things which we not only behold but also enjoy There is not one of us all who has not excellent things to be this Day praising the Almighty for They whose case is never so bad yet have cause to carry on this Day of Thanksgiving with us in that it is no worse The most miserable person in all this Congregation may with an eye to his own condition say like him in Psal. 119.156 Many are thy mercies O Lord. If I could find out the most unhappy and the most complaining person among you all even to that person would I say God has done Excellent things for thee and some that never sinned so much yet suffer more than you Consider Likewise how profitable these Praises will be to us all Behold an Expedient for the obtaining of all the Blessings that can be wish'd for It was said in Psal. 67.5 6. Let the people praise thee then our God shall bless us If the Earth send Vapours up to Heaven Heaven will make Showers to descend on the Earth Let our praises be continually ascending from us and they will soon issue in those things that are called The Showers of Blessing When we have a Jealousie of a Leaky Vessel we try it by first putting of Water before we trust Better Liquors in it if we that have little more than Water to comfort us will yet not permit it to Leak without Praises from us then God has more Excellent Things to do for us To be always Begging and Craving as a Dog for his Morsels ad Spem futuri semper hians without multiplyed praises unto God this is a most vile Disingenuity 'T is no less than a Loss of yea no less than a Curse on all our Blessings which we incurr by not praising the giver of them But the praising Soul may fill himself with such a Ioyful Hope as that in Psal. 71.14 I will Hope continually and will yet praise thee more and more Those that are sollicitous least God should Loose any of His Praises are the persons for whom God will be concerned that they don't Loose any of His Blessings these are they that shall experimentally understand the Loving kindness of the Lord. Man wouldest thou have any Excellent Things done for thy self Then bring thy praises for what Excellent Things have been done in the world I suppose by this time we have generally got our Hallelujahs ready but you call for a Catalogue of those Excellent Things which they are to be fixed on 'T is a Feast that you are this Day to be treated at and before you go out of these Doors a Feast you shall have I shall set before you a short Account of some Excellent Things which I intend as a Feast for your praises and believe me though your praises had and O that they may have no less than an Eternity to be Feeding on those matters in they never would be glutted never cloyed First The Excellent Things done by God in the Works of CREATION call for our Praises It was once the out-cry of the Psalmist in a Rapture Praise the Lord from the Heavens praise the Lord from the Earth praise the Lord all ye His Armies Truly 'T is our Business to praise Him for the Heavens and for the Earth and for all those Armies which He has replenished the World withal We have a good pattern for us in Psal 104.24 33. says the Psalmist O Lord how manifold are thy Works in wisdom hast thou made them all Well and what is now incumbent upon us that have the view thereof It follows I will sing praise unto my God while I have any Being Methinks the Children of Men too much imitate the Spider when they Look after nothing but building a little House for themselves and concern themselves with nothing but the petty Affairs thereof We should remember that we are Citizens of the WORLD and as far as we can we should visit every Corner of it with our Praises to Him of whom and for whom is all I make no question but that we do in a blessed manner Antedate Heaven by doing so The Praises of God are Exhibited in every part of the World and we forfeit the priviledge of Reason if we do not put as many of them as we can into our Aâ—knowledgments There are above six Thousand Plants growing on that little Spot of the World which we Tread upon and yet a Learned Man has more than once found One Vegetable enough to make a Subject for a Treatise on it What might then be said upon the Hundred and fifty Quadrupeds the Hundred and fifty Volatils the five and Twenty Reptiles besides the vast multitudes of Aquatils added unto the rich variety of Gems and Minerals in our World Our own Bodies are to use the Phrase of the Psalmist So Fearfully and Wonderfully made that one of the Ancient Heathen at the sight thereof could not forbear breaking forth into an Hymn unto the praise of the great Creator 'T is impossible that any thing should be better shaped Indeed All the Things that we have every Day before our eyes have a most charming prospect in them and the very Deformities which the Flood has brought upon this Terraquecus Globe are made Beauties by the Disposals of the Lord that sat upon the Flood There is not a Fly but what may confute an Atheist And the Little things which our Naked Eyes cannot penetrate into have in them a Greatness not to be seen without Astonishment By the Assistence of Microscopes have I seen Animals of which many Hundreds would not AEqual a Grain of Sand. How Exquisite How stupendous must the Structure of them be The Wholes that are sometimes found more than an Hundred Foot in Length methinks those moving Islands are not such Wonders as these minute Fishes are But alas All this Globe is but as a Pins point if compared with the mighty Universe
Never did any man yet make a tolelerable Guess at its Dimensions but were we among the Stars we should utterly lose the sight of our Earth although it be above twenty six thousand Italian Miles in the compass of it Look upon the Wandring Stars and you shall see so many Worlds that swallow up all our Conjectures at the circumstances of them and of their Satellites Look upon the Fixed Stâ—â—s and what shall we say about the Bigness of them Doubtless they many scores of times exceed the Bulk of this poor Lump of Clay about a few Foot whereof the Inhabitants are so Quarrelsome Or what shall we say about the Number of them For though they are but a few above a Thousand That we ever see without a Telescope yet that will tell us that the Six which we commonly call The Seven Stars have above Sixty among them and the rest are like the Sand of the Sea innumerable But above all the Sun that pâ—â—ncipal Engine which the whole Visible Creation hath such a manifest Dependence on This declares the Glory of God at such a Rate that the Philosopher once thought himself Born on purpose to Behold the Splendors of it This at last hath glar'd out my Eyes that at this Time I can look no further upon the Marvels of the Creation But my Brethren Let us take our Time to Travel over the World I hope we shall one Day have Bodies more able to do it than our Spirits at present are and then let us give many Thousands of Praises to Him whose Omnipotent and Omniscient Hand hath Created all O Sing unto the Lord because He hath done Excellent Things in making and managing the vast Fabrick of the World Secondly The Excellent Things done by God in the works of REDEMPTION call for our Praises It was the Exordium of a Psalm in Psal. 107.1 2. O give Thanks unto the Lord for He is Good Let the Redeemed of the Lord say so Behold a Constellation of Excellent Things here which the very Angels at this Day are with a million Praises adoring of Could we steal a Look this Day into the Third Heaven we should see the multitude of the Heavenly Host there clapping of their Golden Wings and hear them reiterating that Heavenly Shout in Luke 2.14 Glory to God in the Highest because there is on Earth Peace and good will towards men When the blessed Angels beheld the horrible Pit which Man by Sin was fallen down into doubtless they were even at their Wits ends about a way for his Reeovery doubtless with pity and much Despair they cry'd out Alas for miserable man He is helpless and hopeless now for ever But they have now seen a Remedy provided for undone wretched man and therein they see what they Sâ—â—â—p and Bend themselves to pry into they see The manifold Wisdom of God and they have ever since even for more than five Thousand years been Praising of the God that has Remembred us in our Low Estate because his Mercy Endures for ever That there should be a Man who was Born perhaps in September not seventeen Hundred years ago and who yet is the Father of Eternity a Man who lay in a Cradle and who yet cannot be contain'd by the Heaven of Heavens a man who is his own Mothers Father in a word a man in whom dwells the Fulness of the God-head and from whose Fulness all we receive behold an Excellent thing which the very Angels cover their faces at No man Living is able to comprehend the Triumphant Praises that were among the Angels of God when our Saviour was first Born into the world When the Sun of Righteousness first shone in our Horizon doubtless these Morning Stars were presently making their Acclamations at it The Tidings of it were quickly carried through all the quarters of the Heavens and the whole City of God was moved at the Report When it was told The Redeemer of Lâ—st Man is Born it set them all on Praising the most High God and saying Glory Glory to the Highest in the Highest for ever Well they call us Their Brethren and from the Lofty Battlements of the Third Heaven they call unto us that we would not Leave them to Praise Alone A famous Minister Lying at the point of Death after he had been for some Time sensless fell to Singing in a manner very extraordinary and gave this Reason for it I heard the Angels and shall not I joyn with them Surely our Interest in Redempâ—â—â—â— is not inferiour to Theirs but then strike up Ye Redeemed of the Lord where O where are the Praises due to Him that hath Delivered you from all the fiery plagues which you have madly expos'd yourselves unto What could we Children of wrath have imagined but that a just and a terrible God would have said concerning us I will avengâ— me on those Adversaries But instead thereoâ— behold He has ready for us a Iesus whâ— saves His People from their Sins and thâ—â— calls aloud unto us O Look unto me and 〈◊〉 saved This is an Excellent Thing 'T is aâ— Excellent Thing which God has done in 〈◊〉 Loving the World as to give His only begotteâ— Son that whosoever Believes may not perish but have Everlasting Life 'T is an Excellenâ— Thing which God has done in ordering that He who thought it no Robbery to be Equal with God should take on him the Form of a Servant for us thereby to gain the Dignity of Chilâ—dren 'T is an Excellent Thing That He whâ— knew no Sin should be made Sin for us and wâ— be made the Righteousness of God in Him anâ— that we who have lain in the Belly of Hell should be Renewed by the holy Spirit and 〈◊〉 made to sit together in Heavenly Places 〈◊〉 Christ Iesus I am to tell you That the Blackest of all the Devils are Saints in comparison of that Man whom these Excellenâ— Things do not Effectually bespeak all possible praises from But you that by Regeneration are arrived unto a more Plenary Actual sensible Interest in this Redemption are 〈◊〉 be more abundant in your praises O straiâ— the utmost of your Capacities to shew foâ— the praises of Him who has called you out 〈◊〉 Darkness into his Marvellous Light Come SING unto the Lord because He has done Excellent Things in the Recovering of Lost Man to an intimate and Eternal Fellowship with Himself Thirdly The Excellent things done by God in the Goverâ—ment of the World call upon us to praise His blessed Name for ever The continual providence of God is disposing of all things in an Excellent subordination to His own praise the Wâ—eels of providence are not carried on caeco impetu but are full of eyes and if we praise Him not for Things that every day occur unto us t is because we are worse than blind These two things are conjoâ—ned in Psal. 103.19 20. The Lords Kingdom â—uleth over all Bless ye the Lord. We may see our eternal King
with this Proviso 〈◊〉 will not be obliged to be a Persecutor A KING that has twice had a Crown of Light appearing in the Heavens over his Principaâ—ity to signalize him unto the World With him we see A QUEEN whose Virtues â—ad long since Enthron'd her in the Hearts of the whole English Nation We do not now see a Romish Dalilah for the Philistins to Plough withal nor is our Solomon under â—he Temptations which the greatest Monarchs have sometimes fell before What can be hop'd for but that the Chains with which the Tyrannous and Treacherous Grand Segniour of France had Fetter'd Europe will now be broken and that the most monstrous Tygre in the world having the Forces of Three Kingdoms let loose upon him while he is Attack'd with such a General Storm on every side as was never seen before must quickly either perish or proclaim Liâ—erty for that Religion which he has out done all that ever Liv'd for the Perscution of 'T is an unaccountable Coincidence witâ— this That some hundreds of People iâ— France are lately fallen into prodâ—gious Exâ—tasies wherein being Dead asleep they botâ— speak of Things and speak with Tongues which before they had nothing of anâ— they agree to tell us The Late Revolutions England were to begin the Deliverance of thâ— Church of God These are some of the Exâ—cellent Things done by our God! Thus aâ— all the Affairs of Europe overturned But there is a further matter for our Praâ—ses which has followed hereupon and 〈◊〉 that are a Countrey of Nonconformists maâ— not pass it by unmentioned It is The Repeal of those Laws which the Protestant Dissenters werâ— long Harassed with It is well-known That those whose Coâ—â—sciences did not allow them to worship Goâ— in some Ways and Modes then by Law Eâ—stablished were not many years ago Perseâ—cuted with a violence to be abhorred by aâ— sober Men. It is well known that Five anâ— Twenty Hundred Faithful Ministers of thâ— Gospel were Silenced in one Black Day because they could not comply with somâ— things by themselves justly counted Sinful but by the Imposers confess'd Indifferent And it is affirmed That by a modest Calculation this Persecution procured the untimely Death of Three Thousand Nonconformists by Imprisonment in Noisome Goals and the Ruine of Threescore Thousand Famiâ—ies within five and twenty years As the Dissenters are far from charging their Sufferings upon all that the Church of England â—n its National Constitution acknowledges or her Sons for we have seen the most Learned and Worthy Members of that Church make their publick Pleas for the Nonconformists and Boldly beg for Moderatiâ—n to them and advance this Assertion That â—or every man to worship God according to his Conviction is an Essential Right of Humane Nature and we have Learnt That the late â—ersecutors were mostly a Knot of Ill men â—ho professed that they had rather be Paâ—â—sts than Presbyterians and that they would 〈◊〉 soon be Turks as Papists and who surâ—endred themselves as meer Tools to a Poâ—â—sh Party that thought to grow great upon 〈◊〉 Ruines of both the Paâ—ties whom they 〈◊〉 set together by the Ears So I hope the â—issenters will now forgive and forget the most inhumane Injuries that they have ever 〈◊〉 sustained The severity of that Persecution which at last had broke up the Conâ—gregations of them that had perfected the Testimony to the Kingly Office of thâ— Lord Jesus than Celebrating a Thanksgiâ—â—ing for it indeed caused the Dissenters 〈◊〉 Accept of Liberty tho' upon some Terâ— which they approved not You are not iâ—â—norant that we then told you There wouâ—â— quickly come an Earthquake that should caâ—â—ry on that Liberty to more perfection an behold it is now done in a Parliamentaâ— Way Blessed be God that Protestants aâ— come to a better understanding of the true Interest May the Apples of Strife â—â—mong them now be removed May all God men concur in pursuance of that Reformatiâ—â— which God now calls His Church unto and may the Reformers have Peace among themselves and as one speaks War wiâ—â— none but Hell and Rome But for 〈◊〉 Church of God in Scotland as their Calâ—â—mities exceeded what their Neighbours feâ—â— which I suppose the Martyrology they prâ—â—mise us will demonstrate so they have 〈◊〉 come behind them in Deliverances what has God wrought my Brethren looks as if God had begun the Resurrection His Dead People O Lord God Thou hast â—â—â—gun to shew thy Servants thy Greatness and mighty Hand for what God is there in Heavâ—â— or in Earth that can do according to thy works And if so 't is time for us to Lift up our Heads with at least some Examination whether we shall not shortly see the Vintage of the Papal Empire Whether Italy be not near a greater Earthquake than that which made hideous Desolations in above Thirty Cities Towns and Villages there a little while ago Whether the Blast of the Second Wo Trumpet be not just expiring and the Turkish Power be not within two or three years at least of that End which will make him incapable to Disturb Europe any more Yea Whether the Gospel of the Lord Jesus will not quickly have Liberty with an Efficacy not only in Popish Countâ—eys where it is Restrained but also in Pagan Countreys in One of which we hear of near two Hundred Thousand Heathen Converted unto true Christianity within these few years In a word Whether the Day is not at Hand when the Kingdoms of the World shall be the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ Whether we shall not very quickly see those glorious Things which are spoken of thee O thou City of God! II. The late Revolutions among our selves have also been attended with some Excellent Things where of we may say The finger of God is here Indeed nothing in the World could more exactly imitate and resemble the late circumstances of our Mother England than the Revolutions here in all the steps thereof and this though we understood not one another This was from the Excellent operations of that God who turns a Wheel in a wheel And what shall we now say The Judgments of God have been upon us heretofore but this poor Land has cry'd unto the Lord and the Lord has heard and sav'd And the Enemies of New-England have still perished before the Rebukes of that God who is our King our Lord our Lawgiver It has been as dangerous to seek the Hurt of this poor Countrey as ever it was to annoy the Piccardines of old and they that have stretched out their long Arms to make us miserable have brought upon their own Heads the vengeance of the Temple But we were grown a worldly Sensual Factious People and then our God fulfill'd unto us that Word of His I will punish you yet seven times for your Iniquity Our Charters were taken from us and our Land Strangers devoured in our presence You have seen cause to Declare That there were deny'd unto us
these Invaders and they were now returning from Gerar 〈◊〉 place between thirty and forty miles off unâ—to Ierusalem The Holy Spirit of God exciâ—ted and inclined a Prophet whose Name waâ— Azariah to entertain them with a faithful solid Sermon hereupon and in my Teâ— you have the Sum and Substance of it We may observe First The Praeface of it and that iâ— very awful and earnest Hear ye me Asa anâ— all Judah and Benjamin As he was probaâ—bly none of the greatest so t is like he waâ— none of the oldest men for it seems by thâ— eighth verse that his Father was yet alive 〈◊〉 present at this time Yet being to speak 〈◊〉 the Name of the great and eternal God 〈◊〉 expects he demands the attention of 〈◊〉 whole Army to him Secondly the Design of it and that is to â—ecclare both the Rise and Vse of their late Prosperity The Lord is with you while you â—ou are with Him or as the Vulgar Latin has â—t Inasmuch as you have been with him What â—ollows is but an Explication and Ampliâ—ication of this He saw they were taken up with various Businesses and Contrivances they had their Enemies under Hatches and â—heir minds were full of Thoughts and Cares What to do next But he calls them off to acknowledge the Presence of God as the cause of â—heir coming off so well in their late Action and above all things to obtain secure the presence of God that they might come off as well in in their future Enterprises I am therefore to call for your Attention â—nto this Faithful Saying DOCT. That The GOD of Heaven will be with a people while they are with Him 'T is by the ensuing Propositions that the Explication of this Truth shall be endeavoured PROPOSITION I. It is the Interest and should be the Desire of Every people to have the God of Heaven With them But we are to enquire What is implied in that presence of GOD which we are to be solicitous about For Answer to this There is a Threefolâ— Presence of God mentioned in the Scripturâ— of Truth First God is Naturally present with all Creatures He is an Immense Being and no Creature can be without him The Apostle that argued in the Court at Athens in Act 1â— 27. God is not far from every one of us Noâ— He is near us all He is with us all And Paiâ— could have had the Gentiles themselves confessing it for besides what their Seneca diâ— own One of their own Poets had said Iovis omnia plena It is the Speech of our God in Ier. 23.24 Do not I fill Heaven and Earth saith the Lord Yea That He do's The Jews call God by the Name of Makom or of Place because all things are in Him this is His Name in the Book of Esther if I mistake it not Whether we may count it proper and physical to speak of an Imaginary Infinite space beyond the utmost Selvige of the world replenished with our God alone yet we are sure that the Heaven of Heavens gives no limits unto His Being and the Ancients were not mistaken when they said Deus Ipse Sibi et Mundus et Locus et Omnia We cannot so well say That God is in the World as we may say The whole World is in God we may say with the Psalmist in Psal. 139.7 Whither shall I flee from thy presence Secondly God is Gloriously present with the Inhabitants of the Third Heaven The Heaven of Heavens hath in it most intimate and marvellous manifestations of God It is the Place of which we may say as t is said of that State in Rev. 21.23 The glory of God doth lighten it There the blessed ones have God with them so that they Alwayes behold His face and they are satisfied with His likeness for ever When we come to Heaven then as in 1. Thes. 4.17 We shall ever be with the Lord. So the Lord will be with us for ever Heaven is the Throne of the Most High He is there as a Prince in his Throne the Great KING is in a manner very ineffable residing there To be there is called in 2. Cor. 5.4 A being present with the Lord. Hence unto the Heaven and not unto a Bible are we directed to make our Corporal Applications in our Prayers or our Oathes before the Lord. But Thirdly God is Graciously present with His people by being Favourable unto them And this Gracious presence of God is that which a people ought to be concerned for It lies in The Engagement of Divine Providence for the Welfare of such a people God is with us when God is for us To particularize First God is with a people by Directing of them When Israel was to pass thro' the Wilderness they had that encouragement in Exod. 22.15 The presence of God going with them What was that Why They had a cloudy fiery Pillar miraculously Leading oâ— them every step of the way There was â— wonderful Pillar which was a Cloud by day and a Fire by night the Lower part of which rested on the Tabernacle while the Vppoâ— part was to be seen by the whole Congregation the Motions of this being managed by the Ministry of Angels now God was with them and He led them forth by the right way A people are often brought into a Wilderness of Difficulties and Emergencies but if God be with them He guides them to a good Issue of them all The Presence of God appears in His Directing and Inclining of a people to such Actions as may be for His Honour and their Safety and such Methods aâ— may extricate them out of all Distresses When God is with a people He shapes their Counsels for them and he disposes them to the Things that should be done He supplieâ— them with Apprehensions beyond the Reach and Verge of their own Wisdome and He layes before them Invitations and Provocations which as it were push them into the way wherein they should go When the Jews were â—pon a 〈◊〉 Assumption of the desireable thing which the Babylonians had deprived 'em of they took a Right Way to dissappoint all that were desirous to interrupt them in it We find in Neh. 4.13 That while those Exercises continued they waited in a posture agreeable thereunto and when the danger was over then they returned every one to his work How came this to pass 'T was because GOD was with them Secondly God is with a People by Protecting of them 'T was the promise of God unto His people in Isa. 43.2 When thou passest thro' the Waters I will be with thee and thro' the Rivers they shall not overflow thee On which Text blessed Bilney after his Condemnation so sweetly paraphrased that his Friends caused the whole Sentence to be fairly written on their Tables A people may be ready to be swallow'd up by a stormy gaping Ocean of Troubles but if God be with them they shall escape clear of all The Presence of
God is a Defence a Refuge to the people that are partakers of it It was said unto David in 2. Sam. 7.9 I was with thee and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight When God is with a people He distracts and confounds their enemies and He troubles those who trouble them A people who have God with them are too strong for all the Malice and Power of their enemies no Adversary no Desolation shall make such a people miserable they are the Iacob unto whom in Gen. 28.15 Behold I am with thee and I will keep thee saith the Lord. Thirdly God is with a people by His Assisting and Succeeding of them When Ioshua had a vast Undertaking in hand it was said unto him in Cap. 1.9 Be of good Courage for the Lord thy God is with thee whither soever thou goest q. d. God will Assist thee and succeed thee in thy undertakings The Presence of God will carry a people comfortably through all that they take in hand If they have Canaanites to subdue if they have Enjoyments to obtain or preserve the Presence of God will prosper them in doing all It was said unto Solomon in 1. Chron. 22.11 My son the Lord be with thee and prosper thou and build the house of the Lord thy God Thus if the Lord be with a people they shall prosper in all their Affairs in every Expedition they shall come off with Satisfaction and they shall not miscarry in any of their Applications This is the Presence of the Lord. Proposition II. The Presence of God with a people in Hiâ— Outward Providence has a diverse Foundation and Continuance from His Presence with Hâ—â— People in the Covenant of Grace As t is 〈◊〉 observed by the great Owen in a Discourse unto the Parliament These two are to be carefully distinguished We must not reflect on the Stability of the New-Covenant for what Variety and Soveraignty we may see in providential Dispensations toward this and that people in the world This matter seems determined by David in 2. Sam. 23.5 Tho' my house be not so with God yet He has made with me an Everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and sure David had promises for the prosperity of his House He had also the sure mercies of the Covenant made over to him in the promises of God These promises had now a different Establishment The Sure mercies of the Covenant were unto him more Absolute and Immutable but the prosperity of his House we find under another Law and subject unto a dreadful Alteration To bring these things into the case before us God has in the Covenant of Grace promised That He will be with His people This we read in Heb. 13.5 He hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee The Alsufficient God who is HEE that answers our Necessities Let them be what they will the Vnchangeable God who is HE still whatever He was to the Saints of old this God hath said and how much better is this Auâ—os â—ireken than the best Ipse dixit in the world He hath said it and this with multipliâ— Negatives in the Original heaped one upoâ— another I will not I will not leave thee I wiâ—â— not I will not I will not 〈◊〉 sake thee Welâ— but God is not with a people in His outward Proâ—vidence just after the manner there in observed This Two-fold Presence of God First It has a Diverse Foundation Wheâ— we look on the Covenant of Grace there tâ—â— Sins of one are expiated by the Sufferings oâ— another and so God comes to be with Hiâ— people for whom the Aâ—onement is thus Procured Thus t is said in 2. Cor. 5.25 Christ was made sin or a Sin-offering for us thaâ— we might become the Righâ—eousness of God iâ— Him Now come to outward Providence anâ— there you see other measures taken Her God is with a people according to thosâ— Terms in Ezek. 18.20 The Soul that sinnetâ— IT shall dye one shall not bear the Iniquity 〈…〉 Again It hath a Diverse Continuance When we look on the Covenant of Grace then God hath bound Himself to be with His people for ever yea to see that they shall therefore for ever be with Him He there saies 〈◊〉 in Jer. 32.40 I will not turn away from them 〈◊〉 do them good but I will put My fear in thâ— hearts that they shall not depart from Mâ— Now come to outward Providence and theâ— you see t is otherwise God is with a people for a while and upon their misbehaviours and provocations He changes the Tenour of His Dispensations to them T is with them as it was with that family in 1. Sam. 2.30 I said indeed that thy house should walk before me forever But now the Lord saies that be far from me The sense of these things will prepare your Thoughts for one Conclusion more which is Proposition III. A People must be with God or God will not be with them And here also to prevent Mistakes Let that one Text be alwaies carried in our Minds Neh. 9.18 Being merciful thou for sookest them not there is Mercy in the Whole of this matter Let it be noted That tho' this Condition seems to be imposed upon us yet it is Grace pure Grace rich Grace that helps us when we are helped unto the performance of it When a people have so been with God as that He has been with them they are to shout Grace Grace concerning all It is also to be noted that this Benefit dos not depend upon that Condition as an Effect upon the real and proper Cause of it When a people has been with God this does not merit and so procure that God should be with them but that is barely the Antecedent unto which this is the Consequent Having praemsed this I must now affirm God is with you while you are with Him We need only reflect on the People of Israel for an Instance of it That whole History which almost fills the Bible proclames nothing more than this it loudly declares That while a people are with God God will be with them but that He will be very Terrible in His providential Dispensations towards such a people as do for sake Him But What is it for a people to be With God In short Our being With God implies the Whole of our Obedience to Him Our Duty to God must be attended that we may have the Presence of God The Whloe of this Duty is comprised in that Expression of our being with the Lord. Particularly the Hebrew Particle Gnim in our Text admits of three Significations it signifies With and For Like which last Signification I make the more free withal because a little Philology will acquaint us with many Exemples of it for instance When David saith in Psal. 120 5. I dwell in Gnim Hebr. the tents of Kedar a very great Interpreter translates it so I dwell As the tents of Kedar i. e. Like the inhabitants of
removed from us In a word We have been warned from Heaven That If we forsake our God He will cast us off for ever O miserable We if we do it after all These Considerations will not have their due Force unless they expire in a Threefold Request which I must now lay before you and I may justly assert concerning the Things contained therein They are not Vain Things they are Our Life Wherefore Hear ye me Asa and all Judah Benjamin Hear ye these things all ye people of the Massachusetts First Let us Return to the Lord. We must Come to Him if we would Be with Him We have marvellously backslideâ— from our God but He calls after us Return ye backsliding Children and I will heal your Backslidings O that we may all as one man Reply what is in Jer. 3.22 Behold we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God If we ask that Question in Mal. 2.7 Wherein shall we return Methinks t' were an harder Quaestion Wherin should we not But Behold We have had a great voice out of the Temple in answer thereunto We have had the Elders and Messengers of our Churches convend in a SYNOD solemnly informing of us Wherein we shall Return God forbid the Advice of that Synod should only serve to Convict us and Condemn us in the Day when He shall take vengeance on us for our Contemning of it That were dreadful indeed But in Compliance with it Let every man seriously now enquire of himself What have I done Mark what I say That man who does not suspect himself of having a share in the Sins which have driven away from us the Presence of our God That man I may safely affirm it is one of the principal Troublers of this Israel I do without any Scruple say it Thou art the man Let us all then Examine our selves and set upon the Reforming of our own Hearts and Lives and the Renewing of our Covenants with the Lord. Indeed both the Objects in which and the Authors from whom we have endured our Calamities those are enough to indigitate what Sins they are that have exposed us thereunto Let me in two or three instances use a plain dealing with you agreeable to my station here this day What have been the Objects in which we have been afflicted Our Fruits have been blasted were they not abused in the excesses of Sensuality Our Lands have been threat'ned and were not They the Idols for the sake of which we have offended GOD and almost Renounced all that was Holy and Iust and Good The most happy and easy Government in the world was changed with us into what has by the most impartial men been confessed to have become Intolerable Why Did not men despise the Best of Governments and procure other things to be set over them because they endeavoured to make Loggs of what they before enjoyed To pass on Were we not in the late unreasonable Extortions of the Law invited to consider Whether our needless Multiplications of Litigious Contentious Law-Suits formerly amongst us were not a Scandal thus chastised Were we not in the late unsufferable Injuries Abuses and Exactions of them that under the pretence of the Excise carried on very outragious Villanies put upon Considering Whether the Multitude or Quality of Drinking-Houses in the midst of 〈◊〉 had not once been a Stumbling-block of our â—â—iquity Again What have been the Authors from whom we have been afflicted Our Molestations have risen very much from Indian Hands And Alas have we not very much Injured the Indians I do not mean by taking from them Their Land For it was Hardly possible they should be more fairly dealt withal than they have been in that particular but by Teaching of them Our Vice We that should have learn'd them to Pray have learn'd them to Sin Endeavors for their Conversion have by many people been blown upon but there have been wicked English who have taught them to drink yea and to curse and swear things which they knew not the meaning of till they came to School unto such White Pagans as some that wear the Christian Livery among our selves And have not we also Followed the Indians The Indians are Infamous especially for Three Scandalous Qualities They are Lazy Drones and love Idleness Exceedingly They are also most impudent Lyars and will invent Reports and Stories at a strange and monstrous rate and they are out of measure Indulgent unto their Children there is no Family-Government among them But O how much do our people Indianize in every one of those Abominable things We must repent of these our miscarriages or else our God will take up that Resolution concerning us I will even forsake them saith the Lord. Secondly Let not Sin be With us and God will be so T is the purpose of our God in Josh. 7.12 I will not be with you except ye destroy the Accursed Thing from among you Let us then Destroy that Accursed thing Especially Let us take heed of the Sins which at this Time we have a peculiar Disposition to It was complain'd in Hos. 7.1 When I would have healed Israel the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered It has bin thus but God will not be With us if it still be thus among our selves Our good God the Lord our Healer is now Healing of us O let us not now be impatient patients lest that our blessed Physitian deal hardly and roughly with us Impatiens aegrotus crudelem facit Medicum Let us now no more discover Revengefulness against them that have deserved Ill of us Let the Law and not the Sword measure out their due unto them No more discover an Unthankfulness unto them that have deserved Well of us Requite them not with Censure and Haired for their unwearied pains to preserve our Peace No more discover a Contempt of the Ministers who set themselves faithfully to Declare the whole Counsil of God and to Lift up their voice like a Trumpet in shewing us our sins They are all agreed I hope as one man to live and dye studying of your Well-fare but if they are unjustly ill-treated with you the great God whose Messengers they are will take notice of it and say Ye have despised Me And O let us no more Discover such a Spirit of Lying as we have made our selves worthy to be reproved for We find mention of an Evil Spirit that said in 1. King 22.22 I will go forth and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all the prophets Doubt-the-same Devil has been suing for a License to go forth and be a Lying Spirit in the mouth of near all the people here I would to God this Devil were in a Shorter Chain I beseech you Let not this Land have that Character A Countrey full of Lies But of all our Errors There is none of such dangerous and threatning Consequence as the Contention which we are too prone to break forth into We are too much a