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A53335
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England's call to thankfulness for her great deliverance from popery and arbitrary power by the glorious conduct of the Prince of Orange (now King of England) in the year 1688 in a sermon preach'd in the parish-church of Almer in Dorsetshire on February the 14th, 1688/9 / by John Olliffe ...
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Ollyffe, John, 1647-1717.
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1689
(1689)
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Wing O288; ESTC R17619
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23,014
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38
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at hand But God put forth his Voice and called back the proud Waters that they have not prevailed over us He hath brought us out and hath set our Feet in a large place Our Government is vindicated from Tyranny and Usurpation our Liberties and Rights rescued out of the Hands of Invaders our Religion preserved which we were afraid would have been lost and we hope all will be but the more furbish'd up and rendred brighter by those Rubs and Oppositions that it hath met with And must not we say that these are great things when the deepest Policies have been defeated Arms and Power have been turned against the Users a Deliverance wrought and yet so little Effusion of Blood in the procuring of it The Minds Counsels and Policies of Men turned about upon a sudden A mighty Revolution and yet almost without any noise A new Face of things appears which looks beautiful though it be not yet fully filled up II. Now let us consider then the Praise that is due to God for all this for all these great Things that he hath done for us For this Gladness which is in our Hearts should flow out in Praises to God for that is the best Expression both of Gladness and Gratitude which in such a case should always go together Oh clap your hands all ye People shout unto God with the Voice of Triumph For the Lord most high is terrible he is a great King over all the Earth Sing Praises to God sing Praises Sing Praises unto our King sing Praises God reigneth over the Heathen God sitteth upon the Throne of his Holiness He is our Refuge and Strength a very present Help in Trouble The Lord of Hosts is with us the God of Jacob is our Refuge Selah And now there are these four things to be considered in that Praise which is due from us to God at this time 1. It is to be acknowledged and confessed by us that it is his Work that it is he that hath done these great Things for us though it hath been by the Intervention of Means which he works as he commonly doth yet these Means are of his providing choosing exciting and become prosperous by his Assisting and Blessing and therefore though Means are to be valued and honoured in their places yet it is to God that the principal Tribute of Praise belongs And in all such cases we find that this hath been the Method of the Church to give God the Honour When Moses and Aaron brought the Children of Israel out of Egypt Moses was an eminent Instrument he was their Counsellour and Captain yet the Glory of the Deliverance is ascribed to God and these were but the Means Thou leddest thy People like a Flock say they by the Hand of Moses and Aaron Psal 77.20 So in the Victories of Deborah and Barak over Jabin and Sisera Praise ye the Lord say they for the avenging of Israel Judg 5.2 And so always when ever any Deliverer was raised up or any Deliverance wrought it is observed as the Lords doing still For this God is our God for ever and ever Psal 48.14 And therefore Happy art thou O Israel who is like unto thee O People saved of the Lord the Shield of thy Help and the Sword of thy Excellency And therefore thine Enemies shall be found Liers unto thee and thou shalt tread upon their high places as Moses speaks in his Blessing of the People Deut. 33. ult And this is the Churches constant Opinion and Sense of things as appears in that Psal 124. which is calculated for any times of Deliverance If it had not been the Lord who was on our side now may Israel say If it had not been the Lord who was on our side when Men rose up against us then they had swallowed us up quick when their Wrath was kindled against us our Help is in the Name of the Lord who made Heaven and Earth The like may we now say and it is unto God therefore that we must give the Glory of all that Mercy that we have received as the principal Author Exciter Promoter Worker of our Deliverance And there are several Things that do manifestly speak the Divine Counsel and Power and Providence to have been eminently in all this Affair in that there hath been such a strange Concurrence of all things to bring it about to the pass that 't is now in As besides the more remote Providences of former Years the present Ability and Wealth of that Neighbour State by whose Counsel and Assistance our great Deliverer under God was enabled to undertake this Enterprize they being together embark'd in the same common Protestant Interest with our selves And then the Concurrence of the States about in the same Design all the Protestants expecting to undergo the same Fate with us And moreover a general Union of the Popish Governours themselves against the French Nimrod upon whose Assistance the Popish Farty at home did build their Hopes as from him they had derived their Counsels and the very Winds and Elements made to conspire for the convenient Passage of the Troops that were engaged to help us And such an Union of all Parties that duly considered of things among our selves either to join in with the forreign Helps or at least not to oppose them as hath not been known in this Nation for a great while past For there was an Universal either Suspicion or Discontent in all Parties against the Power that is now fallen for fear either of its Frauds or Violences And it pleased God to enlighten at perswade those that were able to do most hurt by the Arms that they were impowered with not to concur with Usurpation and Tyranny to the Ruin of their Country but rather to give an helping hand by an amicable Conjunction with those that sought its Preservation And such a wise Counsel and Conduct hath been pursued in the Affair all along and such Shame and Guilt such Distrust and Trembling seized upon our Adversaries that there hath been nothing considerably to stop the coming of this Matter to such a blessed Issue as we could not foresee So that that is come to pass which neither they did fear at first nor we could hope That proud and fierce Jesuit that stood so near the Throne hath been heard to make a mock of Providence when in Discourse one said to him that God in his Providence would take care to maintain that Party that had Justice on its side He replied scoffingly What do you talk of Providence now a-days But he hath found there hath been a great and wise Providence that hath over-ruled all and hath outdone all his Counsels and Policies And it is our parts then to ascribe the Glory of all to this Holy and wise Providence as being in such an eminent manner concerned in bringing all about which we now hear and see in putting such a Spirit of Counsel and Courage in our great Deliverer providing sufficient Means
and Assistance and uniting all both at home and abroad to comply with the Undertaking or not to make any considerable Opposition Surely this is the Lord 's Doing and it ought to be marvellous in our Eyes Oh sing unto the Lord a new Song sing unto the Lord all the Earth Sing unto the Lord bless his Name â—and shew forth his Salvation from day to day For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised He is to be feared above all Gods Honour and Majesty are before him Strength and Beauty are in his Sanctuary Give unto the Lord O ye Kindreds of the People give unto the Lord Glory and Strength Give unto the Lord the Glory due unto his Name bring an Offering and come into his Courts Say among the Heathen that the Lord reigneth the World also shall be established that it shall not be moved he shall judg the People righteously 2. The next thing then to be considered in this Duty of Praise is that as we acknowledg it to be God's Act so that we acknowledg it also to be an Act of free Grace and mere undeserved Mercy to us so that we must every way say Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy Name be given the Glory As our Help cometh of God for vain else would be the Help of Man so we must acknowledg that it is of God's mere Mercy that we are thus delivered and that we are not consumed It is only because his Compassions fail not This must always be remembred as Moses also tells the Jews upon their getting the Land of Canaan Deut. 9.4 Speak not thou in thy Heart after that the Lord thy God hath cast out these Nations from before thee saying For my Righteousness the Lord hath brought me in to possess this Land But for the Wickedness of these Nations the Lord doth drive them out from before thee Not for thy Righteousness or for the Vprightness of thine Heart dost thou go to possess the Land but for the Wickedness of these Nations the Lord doth drive them out from before thee c. Whether it be for their Sins or no that there hath been such a strange change and Revolution among us I will not determine but I am sure it is not for our Merits For I doubt we have cause enough to lament and confess with Shame and Confusion as Ezra did the Sins of the People of the Jews Ezr. 9.6 O my God I am ashamed and blush to lift up my Face to thee my God For our Iniquities are increased over our Heads and our Trespass is grown up unto the Heavens Since the Days of our Fathers have we been in a great Trespass unto this Day And therefore we must say as he ver 8. that it is all of Mercy that we have been delivered from any Evil that Grace hath been shewn us from the Lord our God to leave us a Remnant to escape and to give us a Nail in his Holy Place that our God may lighten our Eyes and give us a little reviving in our Bondage And God hath not forsaken us but hath extended Mercy unto us It is all Grace and Mercy and not Worthiness and Merit on our parts There have been blessed be God many pious praying Persons amongst us that have been earnest with God for Mercy and Settlement to the Land. But how many more are there that have been Cursers Swearers Atheists and prophane Wretches that have not had the Fear of God before their Eyes And we may well admire that the Oaths and Blasphemies of the many have not outcryed the Prayers of the few Swearing is a mere Defiance of Heaven without any considerable Temptation having nothing it it either of Prosit or Pleasure But yet is a Sin that hath got into all parts into Courts and Cities into Towns and Villages to the Country Man at his Plow and Cart and the Shop-keeper in his Shop to bind every little Bargain to bloat up a vain Discourse and to back every giddy Passion We have lived in an Age wherein Hell hath been as it were let loose and Rioting and Drunkenness Chambering and Wantonness Luxury and Intemperance have been very fashionable Accomplishments and Sin hath been grown downright impudent and hath outfac'd the Sun at Noon-day Whereas formerly as the Apostle tells us that they that were drunk were drunk in the Night as being the proper time to conceal such Works of Darkness Now we have had not only Night-Revellings but Day-excesses with a witness And whereas the Proverb used to be as drunk as a Beggar I am sorry to say that those of higher Quality have seemed to envy the Beggar 's good Name Sin hath taken Heart and hath dared to show it self and come abroad in Pomp having had the Examples and Encouragements of Persons of all Places and Qualities to countenance and back it so that there hath obtained almost an universal Corruption of Manners And then Uncleanness follows as the natural Consequent of all this and is always the Companion of a loose and wicked Age. As for Divine Worship and Adoration due to the great Creator of our Beings and our continual Preserver and Benefactor how little hath it been regarded by most Persons and Families and by many even on the Christian Sabbath it self That Day which hath been set apart for Divine Service and Worship for devout Meditations and pious Works hath been made with many a meer Market-day of Debauchery the best Day that the Devil hath and the worst day of all the Week or else a time of meer Visit and Idleness except what is just spent in some parts perhaps of the publick Service and which Men have been quite weary of too Yea how hath all that is Divine been exposed by Men of corrupt Minds the Holy Scripture it self burlesqued and droled at and how hath it been the Pride and Glory of wanton Wits to dare to speak against Heaven and to make a Scoff of Immortality Religion hath been decried in the Streets true Seriousness and Strictness have been esteemed a Crime Formality and a siery Zeal for particular Forms and Parties for Ceremonies and outward Garbs hath been with too too many thought a sufficient Commutation for substantial Piety and good Works to bow at the Name of Jesus and to be zealous for Church and Liturgy must atone with many for all manner of Debaucheries and Immoralities And what Bitterness and Envy have been among Neighbours How few have been clothed with Humility or have put on Charity which is the Bond of Perfectness But hard Censures and unjust Surmises Slanders and Backbitings Hatred and Strife have prevailed among those that should have lived together in mutual Love and Kindness Families and Neighbourhoods have been the Theater of unchristian Feuds and how have those that are joined in the same Societies rejoic'd in one anothers Falls and Miseries Yea Religion it self which should have meekned and united our Hearts hath been the very thing