tiality, or without bypocrify! We have therefore reafon to blefs God for the fucceffes he hath given us, not merely on temporal and worldly, but on religious and fpiritual accounts alfo.

WE have often heard with our ears, and our fathers have told us, what great things God did for them in their days; how he preferved, and provided for them in the wildernefs, when this was fuch, which now rejoiceth and bloffometh as the rofe; and how he, in part, drove out the heathen from before them,who were their enemies without a caufe. But we now fee, in our own days, greater things than thofe! Our fathers, as they had abundant reason to do, earnestly defired to fee this day, but did not fee it: if they had, how glad? how joyful would they have been? And if those who are fallen afleep in the faith of Jefus Chrift, instead of being perished, have, perhaps, fome knowledge of the affairs of this lower world, I doubt not but that our pious forefathers, who fuffered fo much from their enemies here, would receive fome acceffion of joy even in heaven, by looking down from thence, and beholding what God hath done for us their beloved pofterity; how he hath avenged us of our, and their enemies; and by feeing the profpect which we now have, by the bleffing of God, of living peaceably and happily in this good land; fo that tho' themselves never could, yet we their defcendents, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, and them that hated us," may ferve God without fear, in holiness and righteousness," the remainder of our lives.

THINK it not ftrange that you hear fuch a fuppofition made, as that above. For altho' both tongues and prophecies fhall ceafe, yet "charity never faileth";

James III. 17.

in

in heaven it is perfected in thofe fouls, which were endowed with a measure of it on earth. And charity, you know, "rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; it delighteth in obferving the felicity of others, and God's righteous acts, whereby his people and church are fecured against their adverfaries, and put in a profperous condition. Nor will it be amifs juft to obferve here, that in the Revelation of St. John, the bleffed above are introduced as praifing God, I had almoft faid, keeping a Thanksgiving, for his righteous judgments on earth, in delivering his fervants from oppreffion and perfecution; particularly, from the perfecutions and oppreffions of the "mother "of harlots, and abominations; " that idolatrous and apoftate church, which hath fo long "made herfelf

drunk with the blood of the martyrs of Jefus ""I heard, fays he, a great voice of much people in "heaven, faying, Alleluia! Salvation, and glory, "and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God. "For true and righteous are his judgments; for he

hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication " [or idolatrous practices; and hath avenged the blood of his fervants at her hand. And again, they faid, Alleluia || !"

GOD hath revealed his purpose, his unalterable purpose, in due time, tho' gradually, to confume and deftroy the beaft and the falfe prophet, with their adherents; till in the end they fhall drink of the "wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out with"out mixture,into the cup of his indignation"; when there is to be a moft fignal revolution in the civil and religious state of things in this world; and all the kingdoms thereof are to become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Chrift. " And one might, perhaps, without any great degree of fuperftition or enthusiasm, Ꭰ

Chap. XIX. 1. 2. 3.

from

from fome late occurrences in Europe and elsewhere, not to fay any thing of the order of thefe predictions themfelves, be inclined to think that this time of ruin to fome, and reformation and joy to others, from the prefence of the Lord, when the "gofpel of the kingdom fhall be preached for a witnefs among all nations," is at no very great distance from the prefent.

BUT however that matter may be, from fpeaking pofitively of which, one would think, every uninfpired man, endow'd with wisdom and modefty, would be very far; yet I cannot but juft obferve here, as a proper ground for gladnefs and rejoicing to all of us, who have any ferious concern for the interests of religion, and the falvation of mens fouls, that, by the great things which God has lately done, and is still doing for us, he feems, in his providence, to be preparing the way for a much more general and extenfive propagation of the gofpel among the favage nations of America; for enlarging the kingdom of Chrift; and reclaiming from the error of their way to the wifdom of the juft, not only those who are altogether heathen, but thofe alfo who have hitherto been deluded and infatuated by the Romish missionaries, who compafs fea and land to make profelytes." A field is opened to make fome further attempts to this end. And altho I would be be very far, efpecially at this time of general and common rejoicing among us, from faying what might justly be offenfive to any; yet I cannot but add here, that if the honorable and reverend " Society for propagating the gofpel in foreign parts", fhould fee caufe to employ fome confiderable proportion of the charities entrusted to their prudent and pious care, in fo noble an enter prize, fo good a work, as that of gofpelizing the favages in the extenfive wilderneffes of America, I believe

all

all the world would applaud them. With all the deference that is due to fo refpectable a body, doubtlefs the great end of thofe charities would, in this way, be at leaft as much regarded and profecuted, and, perhaps, better answered, than by fupporting many miffionaries at a great annual expence, in all the oldeft, the principal, and richest cities and towns in thefe Northern colonies, where christianity has been the general, common and established religion for more than a century of years paft. But not to digrefs: Having thus attempted to fhow, what great reason we have to rejoice and be glad at this time, by reprefenting the importance that acquifition which hath been fo often mentioned, confidering the great and happy confequences that may, very probably at least, flow from it; I proceed now as was propofed,

III. To fubjoin fome useful and neceffary regulations of our joy on this great and happy occafion, that it may be reftrained within due bounds, and flow in a proper channel.

And in the first place, we should take heed that our joy is not leavened with pride and vain-glory, as tho our fucceffes were wholly from ourselves. This is what is very common with people on fimilar occafions. They are glad with a kind of felf-important, and felf-fufficient joy, which fwells them up, and is quite the reverse of that rejoicing which becometh chriftians. For man has nothing which he did not receive, whe ther strength, wisdom, courage or magnanimity: Why then fhould he glory in it, or in the effects and confequences of it," as tho' he had not received it?",

THERE is another thing nearly allied to this, against which we ought alfo to guard. Many people who, D 2

tho

tho' they believe in the over-ruling providence of God, and are far from wholly attributing to themselves, the glory of their victories and fucceffes, yet rejoice on fuch occafions under the notion of their having as it were merited them, by their fuperior goodness and righteousness. This is alfo a vain, proud joy, not becoming finful creatures. It is indeed poffible, that we may not be altogether fo guilty in the fight of God, as our enemies whom he hath thus far fubdued under us; but we are yet far from being fo righteous ourselves, as to have merited thereby the fucceffes which he has given us against them. And there is a remarkable paffage in the book of Numbers, † fo much to the prefent purpose, that I cannot forbear quoting it. The children of Ifrael were now about to pafs over the river Jordan, where God had promifed to drive out the idolatrous nations from before them. But left they fhould afcribe this to their own great piety and goodnefs, he gives them the following caution and admonition: "Understand therefore this day, that the Lord "thy God is he that goeth over before thee as a con"fuming fire: he fhall deftroy them, and fhall bring "them down before thy face: fo fhalt thou drive them "out, and destroy them quickly, as the Lord hath "faid unto thee. Speak not thou in thine heart, af"ter that the Lord thy God hath caft them out from "before thee, faying, for my righteoufnefs the Lord "hath brought me in to poffefs this land: but for. "the wickedness of thefe nations the Lord doth drive "them out from before thee. Not for thy righteous

ness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, doft thou "go to poffefs their Land: but for the wickedness of "these nations, the Lord thy God doth drive them "out from before thee."

+ Chap. IX.

Wr