Great Britain, to inhabit that country without being pernicious enemies to us, in peace as well as war. Of this we have had experience, much more than fuffici, ent: We have fadly felt the effects of their perfidy, and of long wars with the favages, wholly owing to them.

WE have all along been more or lefs difquieted, often greatly diftreffed, by these our American enemies : And there was a time, not long fince, when we had considerable reason to apprehend what the consequence might be; how far fatal to ourselves, and the British intereft in America. We had some reason for this, whether we reflect how the enemy conducted, or we ourfelves conducted, at that time: When they had a ftrong chain of forts quite round us, and boafted that they had us in a pound: When, not only all the perfidy, which is nothing new or range, but almost all the policy, the prudence, the military fpirit, and I may add, the fuccefs alfo, feemed to have fallen to their fhare! These things then look'd with a dark and threatning afpect on the British affairs in America, and, confequently, in Europe alfo But bleffed be God, that the scene is fo much changed!" The fnane is broken, and we are escaped. " The power of the French is now broken, at least here in America, and not likely to be recovered. Our heathen enemies have no longer caufe to "fhoot out the lip," to deride and infult us, faying, Where is their boasted strength? "Where is their God?" Even they must now con fefs that the Lord hath done great things for us, whereof they alfo may in time probably be glad, how forrowful foever they may be at prefent. And having offered up our praises to heaven for thefe favours, we can now make no prayer more seasonable, than that God would be pleafed fo deeply to imprefs our hearts

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hearts with a fenfe of his goodness, that it may never be effaced; but that we may always remain humbly and obediently thankful for it.

Ir we have but hearts to live answerably to these mercies, we may expect to fee far greater things than thefe." We have given many outward demonftrations of our joy. To pafsi over fome others, we have chim❜d bells, and cannon have roar'd; bonfires have blaz'd on every hill; colors have been difplay'd; our houses have been gaily illuminated; and many a fplendid rocket has been thrown to illuminate and adorn the fkies themselves. Such have been the civil demonftrations of our joy on this great occafion And we have now as foon, indeed, as could well be, manifefted our joy in a religious manner, by obferving this day of public and general thanksgiving. The former I do not cenfure; the latter is doubtlefs to be commended. What remains then, but that we now give the higheft and beft evidence of all, that we have a juft fense of these favours, and are truly thankful for them; I mean, by denying "ungodliness, and worldly lufts, and living foberly, righteously and godly in the world? That we may That we may lead quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honefty, is indeed the most, if not the only, rational and worthy end we can have in view, in any of our military undertakings, And when once providence has, or fhall have, put it in our power to live thus, the great end of war being answered, we are wholly inexcufable if we live otherwife; particularly if we fhould "turn afide to vain jangling" amongst ourselves, "doting about questions and ftrifes of words, whereof cometh envy, ftrife, railings, evil-furmifings, and perverfe difputings inftead of studying the things that make for peace, and the things whereby we may edify one another. "

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: Ir we fhould henceforth live as becomes fellowfubjects, and fellow-chriftians, in the fear of God, and brotherly-love, ftill "abhorring that which is evil, and cleaving to that which is good," we might then reafonable hope to fee ourselves eftablished without any rivals, much lefs perfidious and cruel enemies, in this good land, of fuch a vaft extent; and that our pofterity after us will alfo be glad of thofe great things which God has done, and is ftill doing for us. Even they will abundantly utter the memory of his "great goodness, and talk of his righteoufnefs," if we and they become, and continue, a willing and obedient people. Yea, we may reasonably expect that this country, which has in a fhort time, and under many disadvantages, become fo populous and flourishing, will, by the continued bleffing of heaven, in another century or two become a mighty empire ( I do not mean an independent one) in numbers little inferior perhaps to the greateft in Europe, and in felicity

to none.

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WE ourselves fhall, indeed, be all gone off the ftage long before that time, and "gathered to our fathers:" But our pofterity will remain. And I must own, if I may fo exprefs it, that I feel a ftrong affection working in me towards thofe that are yet unborn, even to many generations. As I think with great fatisfaction and delight on the happy eftate of good men long fince dead; efpecially of our pious forefathers who firft peopled this country, and underwent fo many difficulties and hardships in this undertaking for the teftimony of a good confcience, and during their abode here; fo I delight in looking into furture ages, and feeing, at least in imagination, the profperous and happy condition of thole that are to fucceed us.

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I CANNOT help, neither do I defire to help, fuch. imaginations; because they afford me at leaft an innocent pleasure; perhaps one that might claim even the name of virtuous. For all thofe pleasures that have their foundation in benevolence, and are the refult thereof, are truly fuch. I cannot forbear fancying that I fee a great and flourishing kingdom in thefe parts of America, peopled by our pofterity. Methinks I fee mighty cities rifing on every hill, and by the fide of every commodious port; mighty fleets alternately failing out and returning, laden with the produce of this, and every other country under heaven; happy fields and villages wherever I turn my eyes, thro' a vaftly extended territory; there the pastures cloathed with flocks, and here the vallies cover'd with corn, while the little hills rejoice on every fide! And do I not there behold the favage nations, no longer our enemies, bowing the knee to Jefus Chrift, and with joy confeffing him to be "Lord, to the glory of God, the Father!" Methinks I fee religion profeffed and practifed throughout this fpacious kingdom, in far. greater purity and perfection, than fince the times of the apoftles; the Lord being ftill as a wall of fire round about, and the glory in the midst of her! O happy country! happy kingdom!

I can scarce forbear fancying, that I hear a venerable fire talking after this manner to his child, of things that came to pafs in old times, the days of his forefathers: "My fon, thefe friends and brethren of our's, "whom you fee of a darker complexion than our"felves, were once our heathen enemies, and vexed "our fathers in the wilderness; (for this was once "fuch!) At the fame time there was a certain restless, "ambitious people in our neighbourhood, from a "far diftant country, called France in those days, who

with

with them, and without provocation, endeavoured "to deftroy our fathers out of the land. But feveral

hundred years ago, when GEORGE the II.`an "excellent King, fat upon the British throne, and a "certain wife and good man, named PITT, was “his minister, a great General was fent with a "little army, to take the enemy's chief city. The name of this brave general was WOLFE; but the

name of the enemy's general is forgotten. All we "know of the latter is, that fome time before, the army "under bis command perfidioufly murder'd a great "number of our people, after they had furrender'd "a certain fortrefs to him, and he had plighted them * his faith!—But the strong city of the enemy I just "now fpoke of, was taken after a bloody battle, and "their whole country was foon fubdued. From that "time God, who loved our fathers, gave them rest " on every fide. They then grew and flourished

mightily, and filled the whole land. Such great "things, my dear child! did God perform for our "fathers in the days of old; for which we have *cause to be glad and rejoice to this time, and "praife his glorious name "-But whither will imagination transport me! into what times and regions, if I do not check it!-

EVEN these days, my brethren, wherein we live, I mean, fince God hath done fo great a thing for us, are far more joyful than any which our fathers faw; tho' far lefs happy than thofe times which buły fancy, the love of my dear country, and charity to unborn pofterity, would paint out to me, and almost compel me to believe are actually to follow.

We can never be thankful enough to God for that interefting event, which has been the main fubject of

my