former deliverances that they talk think of nothing but approaching Miseries and Confusions and by this means go the likeliest way to bring those Calamities upon us But though I thus speak yet there is great cause to think better things of you here present who are now Assembled to bless God not only for restoring to us our Lawful Prince but also for giving us such a Gracious King to Reign over us Wee have indeed a Country that is admirably fitted for Pleasure Profit and every thing that is desireable and we have a Prince that answers to all the Gentleness Mildness and Temper of our Climate I know very well people are much inclin'd to run backward to famous men and great Princes of Former Ages highly extolling those that have been long since dead and gone when they have a mind to disparage or undervalue those that are our present Governours But if men would make a more just and impartial Comparison let them look now into the World and see how other Nations are govern'd and by whom let them well consider their Condition and Circumstances abroad and ours under our Prince and try with themselves whether they would be willing to remove into another Country for the sake of a more easie and favourable Government besides other great advantages both temporal and spiritual we have so long enjoyed under the benign influences of his happy Reign and will we hope be continued to us and our Children after us unless by greater and new Provocations or impenitent perseverance in old we run our selves into a worse and if it be possible a more deplorable condition than we were this day delivered from Thus behold by the miraculous deliverance of this day we are made whole I beg your Patience while I briefly apply the Exhortation in my Text to this solemn occasion Sin no more lest a worse thing come unto thee where be pleased to observe these few plain things 1. That Sin is generally the cause of temporal evils which holds true especially as to Nations and whole Societies and Bodies Politick God often afflicts particular persons for their tryal for the encrease and exercise of their Vertues to propound their example to the World out of Love and Fatherly affection to them and sometimes notorious wicked men escape punishment in this State because the day of Judgment and recompence is to come hereafter but it is otherwise as to Communities of men or the inflicting of publick National Judgments Here God exerciseth a peculiar Providence over Kingdoms and Nations in this Life He useth other measures than he doth in assigning the good or evil things of this World to private persons In his Providences to single persons he doth not always consider their merit but when a Land is laid waste by a cruel War when a potent State is overthrown when Rebellion is prosperous when a flourishing People is given up to Slavery or Captivity we may then truly say Behold the destruction and desolation that sin hath made The reason of which difference commonly given is this that this Life is the only time of punishing or rewarding such Societies and Combinations of Men. All such civil relations to one another cease in the other World Every one shall then answer and account for himself only and so in this life alone can Nations or Kingdoms as such be either punished or rewarded We ought therefore to give to God the glory of his Justice and acknowledge that they were the sins of the Nation that gave success and victory to our Enemies which notwithstanding the undoubted goodness of the late Kings Cause the undaunted Valour of his Friends his own personal Innocence and exemplary Vertue yet betray'd him at last into their merciless hands which so long kept our present Soveraign from his rightful Possessions and subjected the People to that very Arbitrary Dominion and Power of the Sword the prevention of which was the specious pretence of their first taking up Arms. I shall not sully or eclipse the Glory and Joy of this day by enquiring into the particular Sins that brought the late Confusions upon us but only say thus much That though his Majesty hath graciously Pardoned them as far as concerns his Courts of Justice nay hath commanded us not so much as to mention them to the disgrace or damage of any persons guilty therein yet surely it is lawful nay very expedient sometimes to call them to mind yea often to remember them in order to the avoiding the like occasions or practices for the future which once proved so fatal to us That we should never more give way to such murmurings and discontents such fears and vain surmises such Divisions and Factions as then kindled those Flames which laid both Church and State in Ashes till their happy Resurrection on this day 2. Observe further that though publick National Judgments be always thus inflicted according to the measure and proportion of our sins yet the removal of these doth not always signifie that the Nation is reform'd and made better or that God is reconciled with us and hath received us again into his favour For the true cause may be only this that God would now use other methods would try other remedies he alters his dispensation and prescription finding the inefficacy of Judgments to awaken and amend us that we hardned our selves the more under the strokes of his Vengeance he now designs to melt and dissolve us with an amazing kindness So that the Miseries and Calamities of the late Times and the Deliverance of this day do both teach us the same Lesson preach the same Doctrine That we should sin no more After this manner God hath been pleased in this Age most sigually to deal with this Kingdom by an intermixture of Judgments and Mercies that either by fair and gentle means or by harsher and more severe usage we may be prevail'd upon and engaged to our duty Pardon me if I say that God Almighty seems to have a great inclination to save this Nation and make us happy if so be we would but yield to be such our selves He hath not done so to other People nay what could he have done more to oblige and reclaim us than what hath in the compass of a few Years been done He hath visited us with Rods and with Scorpions a long Civil War a devouring Plague and a Consuming Fire and the like and hath not he shewed us greater mercies that which we this day commemorate the preservation of the Kings Life to this time the late Discovery and prevention of the Popish Plot the maintaining us hitherto in Peace and Tranquillity notwithstanding our present distractions and dangerous Convulsions And therefore 3. If after all these various trials and means used by God we still go on in our Sins this mightily aggravates the guilt heightens the provocation and will certainly encrease our punishment For 1. We now sin after long and sad experience of the evil and
of distinction and opprobrious nick-names Coined and pass currant amongst us Is not Victory and Superiority sought more than Peace and Unity to give Laws and prescribe to others rather than amicably to agree and compose or silence our difference These are things that forebode worse to our State and Nation than Comets or Prodigies For the Civil Government it self can never be quiet or secure as long as there are such endless Divisions and Separations amongst us and the Civil State will find it self wounded through the sides of the Church As we would therefore preserve the Peace of our Country our excellent Religion and rid the Nation of these fears of Popery lest a much worse thing than what we have hitherto felt come upon us let us not only our selves continue true and faithful to this Church we were baptized into and have the happiness to be Members of but also endeavour by all the ways of Prudence and Love by all the Arts of Mildness and Gentleness by all lawful compliances and condescensions to win over others into its Bosom and Communion Fifthly In order to the engaging of God to the protection of our King and Church and Nation and the continuance of all those mercies we now enjoy above any other People let us all join our utmost endeavours to put a stop to that Floud of Atheism Prophaneness and Irreligion that hath so strangely of late Years prevailed amongst us Every Age God knows is wicked and sinful enough and the present doth always appear to be the worst because we are better acquainted with the evil of that than of any other yet surely never in any time since Religion shall I say or Civility first entred into our Country were men so impudent and barefac'd in sinning in pleading for it in defending of it as in these dayes in which our lot is fallen Heretofore men were sensual and debauched but then they did all they could to conceal their Vices they sinn'd with Modesty they would sometimes blush for what they had done and their Consciences often misgave them But now men make a mock and sport of sin they glory and boast of it they have entertained wicked Principles agreeable to their practices they not only neglect Religion but reproach and despise it not only forget God but deny him do all they can to banish him and his Providence out of the World affront and blaspheme him burlesque his sacred Writings exposing to ridicule and scorn all the most serious and holy things or persons This drolling scoffing humour which spares not God himself his Providences Laws and Government seems to be the peculiar reigning sin of this Age insomuch that many are e'en afraid of appearing strict or Religious lest they should expose themselves to the buffoonry and raillery of such men who think every thing wit that is impudent and prophane It cannot be denied but that this open wickedness hath encreased much upon us since the Kings coming in Atheism hath got strange ground and made many Proselytes And that there is an universal degeneracy and corruption both of Principles and Manners amongst us is the observation and complaint of all sober persons The chief cause of which is not as some would perswade us the Restauration of the King and Church but indeed the horrid Hypocrisy and that great abuse of Religion which was so notorious in the late times is one of the greatest causes of the prophaneness and contempt of all Religion in this when so many made shew of the greatest demureness and tenderness of Conscience imaginable and yet were not afraid to do the most shameful and dishonourable things This was apt to make men think that Religion was nothing else but a crafty care to abstain from some sins to give our selves greater liberty in others to commit them with less suspicion This hath given occasion to many of loose Lives to look upon all Religious People as a pack of Hypocritical Pharisees only some to have better luck than others in passing off the Stage undiscovered And yet all this while there is nothing in the World more unjust and unreasonable than this True Religion is not to answer for all that the Army-Saints did who only professed it to serve a turn who took up the outward garb and dress of it by it to deceive the simple and unwary and palliate their leud designs whose chief godliness lay in making of Faces turning up their Eyes in bold extemporary Effusions and canting in Scripture style and Proclaiming a Fast before every Murder they committed What such men did ought not in the least to prejudice us against unfeigned Piety hearty and sober Devotion true Righteousness Peaceableness and quietness of Temper and universal Goodness But whatever is the true cause of this growth of Atheism and Irreligion amongst us this is certain that the publick Peace and Government is in no little danger from men of such Principles and practices For when all is done Conscience is the best tie of Allegiance and they will always prove the best and quietest Subjects who are most afraid of offending God And they who regard not the Soveraign Majesty of Heaven and Earth or his Laws can never give sufficient assurance of Loyalty to their Earthly Prince or of Obedience to his Commands any longer than it is their interest so to do So that we cannot any better way serve the King and the Government than by promoting amongst all his People the fear of God and a due sense of Religion So serviceable to the true interests of Kings and the happiness and peace of Societies is true Religion that the Atheists have looked upon it and exposed it as a subtile invention of some airy Politicians to keep Subjects in awe and order So that whether they be true or false yet by their own Confession the Principles of Religion are very useful to mankind and if they are not true yet it is great pity they are not and Atheism ought to be prosecuted and punished as destructive to publick Peace and order They are absolute Enemies to the Government that would free mens minds from the dread of invisible Powers and ought to be avoided as the pests of human Society who labour to bring Religion into contempt And oh that I could now say something that might be of force to perswade you all to adorn the King's and Churches Cause which you have so happily espoused by innocency of Life sobriety of Conversation by a regular Devotion and unaffected Piety and unbounded Charity that you would all take care to give unto God as well as to Caesar his due Let us but all in our several places live better than our Kings or Churches Enemies and then let me tell you we will neither fear their Swords nor their Pens their Weapons nor their Arguments It is the prophaneness and debauchery the Oaths and intemperance of too many amongst us that would pretend to be the greatest Lovers of the Crown and
Church that do really most endanger both that weaken our side and encourage and harden our Adversaries Let this be but your task to wipe off this stain to answer this Objection to remove this scandal from the Loyal Party and I say it again we need not be concerned at what either Papists or Fanaticks can say or do against us Oh let not our heinous and crying sins a second time ruine and lose so just and glorious a Cause destroy so flourishing a Kingdom and Monarchy overturn the purest and best constituted Church in the World Let not our selves prove our own greatest Enemies and Betrayers It is not believe me wild huffing and hectoring extravagant Swearing and Drinking for the King and the Church it is not our damning to the Pit of Hell either Papists or Fanaticks that doth us any service or them any harm We could e'en wish all such men from amongst us but that we still hope at last they may be brought to a better mind Though they add to our numbers yet we lose and sink in our reputation by reason of them besides that they provoke God against us We cannot wish worse to the Kings Enemies than that all such as hate to be reformed would go over to their side and credit their Party We have already seen by woful experience how far the mask and disguise of Religion only prevailed and succeeded What would the effect be if so good a Cause were maintained and defended only by good men Lastly Let us all add our constant and devout Prayers for the King for the preservation of his Life the prosperity of his Affairs and for a blessing upon his Government In doing of this we only pray most effectually for our selves this is a short compendious way of wishing all good and happiness to our selves and Country earnestly praying for the Kings Life These words Let the King live or God save the King comprize in them all the outward publick blessings we can want we can wish for Then we pray for the maintenance of our Religion the defence of our Church the enjoyment of our just Rights and Liberties We pray for the common welfare and safety when we thus zealously recommend our most gracious King to Gods most especial Protection This is a way by which the meanest subject may oblige his Prince benefit his King who may truly stand indebted for his Peace and Prosperity in some measure to the Prayers of his poorest Vassal Thus though our Station be never so low and mean our interest and influence small and narrow our Authority inconsiderable yet we may prove great Benefactors to the publick and do great good to three Kingdoms by our faithful Intercessions at the Throne of Grace for his most Excellent Majesty That God would preserve his Royal Person from all outward Violence or any inward Diseases that he would continue his Strength and Health would keep and guard him from all Dangers would Cloath all his Enemies with Shame whilst on his Head his Crown doth flourish that he would inspire him more and more with Wisdom and Knowledge to Rule and Govern this great People that he would direct and bless his Counsels and prosper all that he takes in Hand that after a long and happy Reign here he may late very late be translated into the Immortal and Invisible Kingdom And as we pray to God on his behalf so ought we most especially this day to praise God for him and those manifold Blessings which he hath been the happy Instrument under God of transmitting down to us Blessed be the Day wherein he was born and the Night when it was said there is a Manchild conceived Blessed be God that saved him from those Bloody Hands that so cruelly used his Blessed Father that covered his Head in the Day of Battel that conveighed him safe through Crowds of his Enemies when his precious Life was put to sale and after innumerable Dangers by a miraculous Escape landed him safe on a Foreign Shore Blessed be God that preserved him all along during a tedious Exile that provided for him in the Wilderness that kept him constant to that Religion and Church which his Royal Father died in notwithstanding great offers and temptations to change it Blessed be God that upon this day brought him back again to his desolate People and hath hitherto continued him a publick Blessing to this Nation Blessed be God that hath given the King the Hearts and Affections of all his People God be praised for his merciful Disposition for the unparallel'd sweetness and benignity of his Temper for the Mildness and Equity of his Government his Love to the Church his Constancy to the Protestant Interest his Fatherly Care of his People For all which and all other Blessings let there be ascribed by us and all men to God Almighty the Father the Son and Holy Ghost all possible Praise Thanksgiving Adoration and Obedience for evermore Amen FINIS