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A67238 A sermon preach'd in the Collegiate-Church of Ripon, on Sunday the 22d of September, 1695 being the day appointed for a publick thanksgiving for the reduction of the town and castle of Namur ... / by Christopher Wyvill ... Wyvill, Christopher, 1651?-1711. 1695 (1695) Wing W3788; ESTC R34105 13,390 27

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THE Dean of Ripon's Thanksgiving-Sermon UPON THE Taking of NAMUR A SERMON Preach'd in the Collegiate-Church of Ripon ON Sunday the 22 d of September 1695. Being the Day appointed for A Publick Thanksgiving FOR THE Reduction of the Town and Castle of Namur And the Preservation of his Majesties Person By Christopher Wyvill D. D. And Dean of Ripon Publish'd at the Request of some Friends LONDON Printed by Tho. Warren for Walter Kettilby at the Bishops-Head in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1695. TO THE Right Worshipful THE Mayor Recorder and Aldermen And other The Inhabitants of the Town of RIPON Gentlemen THE reason of this Sermon 's appearing in Print so long after the day on which you heard it Preach'd was my unwillingness to publish it till I was prevail'd with to do it by some who thought it might be serviceable to the Present Government and if it can obtain that end I think it comes not out too late And I Dedicate it to you as an Acknowledgment of the many great Civilities and Respects which I have had from you who am Gentlemen Your most Obliged and Faithful Servant Christ. Wyvill A SERMON Preach'd in the Collegiate-Church of Ripon 2 Sam. iii. I. Now there was long War between the House of Saul and the House of David but David waxed stronger and stronger and the House of Saul waxed weaker and weaker THese words do give us a short account of a long War betwixt two great Families and the different event it had in reference to each of them tending to the exaltation of the one and the depression of the other David a Man after God's own Heart was by God's express Declaration sufficiently made known to all the People appointed to be King after the Death of Saul over all the Tribes of Israel and accordingly upon Saul's Death he was forthwith Anointed into the Regal Office at Hebron and acknowledged as King by the Tribe of Judah but the other Tribes who did sometimes bear the name of Israel in distinction from that of Judah even before the division of the Kingdom in the days of Jereboam I say the other Tribes followed Ishbosheth the Son of Saul whom Abner the Son of Ner had set up in opposition to David notwithstanding that he could not but know he derived his Title to the Crown from the immediate nomination of God himself upon which there began a civil War betwixt the House of David and the House of Saul But God was pleased so far to assert the cause of David as to grant him Success over his Enemies for David as the Text tells us waxed stronger and stronger but the House of Saul waxed weaker and weaker How far we may judge of the righteousness of a Cause by the Success it hath I shall take upon me to determine Certain it is that good Success is not always an Argument of a good Cause How often have we known wicked Attempts and the most horrid Villainies to thrive and prosper whilst Just and righteous Undertakings have met with great Miscarriages and have had improsperous Events but when the Cause is apparently Just and Right and then good Success attends it we cannot but acknowledge that the hand of God is concern'd in it we cannot but discern his Favour to it and his Approbation of it and yet from hence we must not conclude either that God disallows of a good Cause when he permits it to suffer or that he approves of a wrong Cause when he grants it good Success For as to the first Case be the Cause of a People never so just and right on which they are engaged in War yet he may permit them to suffer for their manifold Sins and Offences and as to the other Case he sometimes grants Prosperity to men engaged in a wrong cause on purpose to make them the Instruments of his just Wrath in executing his Judgments on a sinful People But now the Cause of David was undeniably just and right for he sate on the Throne by God's own express Appointment and God so far prosper'd his Arms as that he waxed stronger and stronger whilst his Enemies waxed weaker and weaker I shall not make a parallel betwixt the War in my Text and the War in which we of this Nation are engaged for the Parallel will not hold good in every particular for the War in which we are engaged is not God be praised a Civil War not a War betwixt two Families or two Houses within the same Land or Dominion but betwixt two distinct and independent Kingdoms betwixt Us and France betwixt the Defender of the Faith join'd in Confederacy with other Christian Princes and States of Europe on one side and the Most Christian King join'd with the Great Turk on the other The Parallel therefore not exactly holding true I shall wave it nor shall I any farther take notice of the story in my Text than as it affords occasion to speak upon these four heads of Discourse I. Concerning the lawfulness of War in general II. Concerning the War in which we of this Nation are now engaged III. Concerning the Success we have had which gives occasion to this days Thanksgiving IV. And lastly Concerning the effect which that Success should in reason have upon us Of these I shall speak in their order through God's Blessing with as much plainness and brevity as I can I. I shall speak concerning the lawfulness of War in general Now it must be confess'd that it is a great unhappiness for any People to be engaged in War for the Miseries attending it are great and the event of it uncertain and whether side soever gets the better yet much blood may be spilt many a brave Man may lose his Life in the quarrel much of the Nations Treasure may be exhausted many unforeseen Losses and Calamities may be the issue of the Victory But yet it is as certain that War is sometimes unavoidably necessary in many cases and upon certain occasions it may be very lawful and not repugnant to the profession of Christianity We cannot indeed with truth admit of that Principle which some of late Years have so greedily imbibed and spread abroad viz. That the state of Nature is a state of War as if Men were naturally Enemies unto Men or as if one Man were become by nature a kind of a Wolf or a Tyger to another Man For Man by original Creation was made a sociable Creature and all Mankind by nature are inclin'd to Peace Unity and Concord and mutual Love and Kindness one with another Some Men indeed may have by evil custom so far debauched and corrupted their nature as that they may have contracted an habit of doing wrong and injury to others and perhaps take some delight in quarrellings and fightings but to say or believe that a disposition to such evil practices is originally implanted in humane nature is not only to disparage and vilifie the noblest piece of God's Creation but to do despite