The Hebrew Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is indeed a Substantive and it intimates that the Works of God are even Excellency in the Abstract and Majesty it self And the Chaldee Paraphrase here fitly puts upon them the term of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Magnalia noting in them something eminent and powerful Such things are done by Him who is Wonderful in Working Secondly The Duties of men are then specified hereupon Since excellent Things are done by God there are two things to be done by us First We are to sing the Praises of God It is â—here said Sing unto the Lord. And such is the expression in the Holy style as to signifie not only an exactness but also an instrument used in the Song We are with a Sacred Musick to magnifie the God who is worthy to be Praised Secondly We are to spread the Praises of God It is here said This is known in all the Earth but the version which is by some chosen for it rather is Let this be known in all the Earth We should not only our selves do it but likewise provoke and excite all the Earth to take notice of what Wonders have been done by Him who is fearful in Praises Wherefore the Truth to be now entertained with us is That it should be our study to SING and SPREAD the Praises due to the Eternal God for the EXCELLENT Things which are done by Him in the World It is by the Propounding of two or three Conclusions that this Doctrine will have its due Advantages PROPOSITION I. There are multitudes of Praises due to the God of Heaven from us To praise God is to Acknowledge the persections that are in Him 't is to Acknowledge the infinite Power Wisdom Goodness Justice and Holiness which are His Attributes and this we are to do In all our ways We have received our Being for this End and our Grand our Chief Errand into the World is That our God may have a Number of Rational Beholders to be sensible of His Excellencies When Mankind came first out of His Glorious Hand He then said as in Isa. 43.21 This people have I formed for my self they shall shew forth my praise In our Lower Little World no Creatures can be found capable of Conceiving and Expressing those Acknowledgments of God which are The Glory due unto his Name besides MAN who is therefore not unfitly called The High-priest of the Creation The devout Psalmist once called upon all Creatures with a Repeated Invitation Praise ye the Lord but they all reply that Man is to do it for them and they all therefore conspire to offer the Notices of the Almighty God unto Mans affectionate Contemplation To praise God is to Acknowledge in Him something Excellent as 't is said in Psal. 148.13 Let them praise the name of the Lord for His Name alone is Excellent thus when we Acknowledge an Excellency in all those Manifestations which God maketh of Himself then 't is that we praise Him Now the Praises owing to the God of Heaven from us are obliged not only by what He Is but also by what He Does indeed by what He Does it is that we come to Learn what He is We ought to Acknowledge an Excellency in the Nature of God which is to Ascribe Glory to Him The Language of our praises is to be that in Psal. 89.6 Who can be compared who can be Likened unto the Lord God should be truly Transcendent with us We should apprehend that as the Name of our God is I AM so all other Beings are as meer Non-Entities in comparison of Him subscribing to that in Isa. 40.17 All are before Him as Nothing We should apprehend the Being of God so Independent so Unchangeable so Mysterious as no other Being is and with Dazzled Souls fall into such praises as to say I cannot find out the Almighty to perfection The perfections that are in the Almighty God should even Astonish our Understandings and fetch the Exclamations of Moses from us in Exod. 15.11 Who is like unto thee O Lord who is like unto thee One while our praises are like Hannahs to say There is none Holy as the Lord Another while our praises are like Ethans to say Who is a Strong God like unto thee Sometimes our Praises like Pauls are to say God is only Wise and sometimes again God is True but every man a Lyar and then with David we are to praise and say O how great is thy Goodness But the Excellency which is in the Works of God is that which renders the Glory of His Essence most apparent unto us and the praises which we are to bring unto Him are in a great measure to spring from thence We are told in Isa. 28.29 The Lord of Hosts is Excellent in Working Our praises of God are in This to find the Reasons of them He has done Excellent Things First We ought with many praises to observe the Excellent Things which God has done for our selves As the Psalmist call'd upon himself in Psal. 103.1 Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all his Benefits thus ought we to Reflect upon the many Benefits and Kindnesses of the most High towards our selves with praises too many to be Numbred too Hearty to be ended We ought to see something of God in all our Circumstances and upon all that happens to us we are to say The Lord be magnify'd But there are some Excellent Things done for us by our God Things which no Friend no Hand none else could have done for our Good and These Things we should with suitable praises be particularly grateful for It is the manner of the Iems to receive the Comforts of their Lives with a Baruk Adonai or Blessed be the Lord. We that are Christians may not suffer our selves to be exceeded by any people in Thankfulness unto God It is related concerning our Loâ—d Jesus Christ in John 6.11 that he would not Eat a Meals Meat without a Thanksgiving over it Much more ought the more Excellent Things that are done for us to be so Acknowledged When God had heard a Prayer there was that praise returned for it in John 11.41 Father I thank thee for it We ought seriously to think What Answers of our Prayers what Reliefs of our Wants and Woes the great God has in an excellent manner favoured us withal and the Result of all should be Lord I thank thee for these Excellent Things A good Hezekiah himself may smart by failing here Those persons are worse than Pharisees in whose mouths God be Thanked is not a frequent but yet solemn interject on Secondly We ought with many praises to observe the Excellent Things which God has done for Others as well as for our selves Our praises must not be confined unto those mercies of God which we our selves have been the Subjects of But all His Dispensations abroad in the world are to be the Occasion of our Hallelujahs to Him A Soul that is Fill'd with
it has procured more than Ten of the Complaints that have been made against us And therefore we not only challenge an Interest among the Reformed Churches in whose Comforts we cannot but Rejoice as we have most inquisitively and affectionately mourned in their Sorrows but we also expect the Friendship of all those particular persons who are well affected unto the stones of Zion and take pity on the Dust thereof As 't is a thing too observable to be denyed or concealed That tho' we are a very unworthy people yet the Haters of New-England stil find themselves pushing hard against the Great Stone so I believe none of those Noble Persons who have been sincerely concerned for our Wellfare will ever see cause to Repent of it but Goodness and Mercy shall follow them all their Days Blessed be the God of our Fathers that albeit we are as an Outcast yet it may not be said No man has cared for us There were Three Knights among our first Patentees it calls for our Extreamest Gratitude if there have been more of That or Another Quality willing to be our Patrons And Sir whereas you have been pleased your self to let the World know how much you are desirous to see New-England flourish you will pardon it if One born and bred in that Countrey and a Son of the Colledge there take the Liberty to acquaint you That we are not insensible That you are my Fathers Friend is a thing that Lays me under Obligations but your being New-Englands Friend is a thing which we would All Resent and though the Dedication of these two Little Sermons to your Name does not Take of the best Fruits of the Land as a Present for you yet I humbly ask your Acceptance of them as a part of our Acknowledgments Among the other Curiosities of New-England One is that of a mighty Rock on a perpendicular side whereof by a River which at High Tide covers part of it there are very deeply Engraved no man alive knows How or When about half a score Lines near Ten Foot Long and a foot and half broad filled with strange Characters which would suggest as odd Thoughts about them that were here before us as there are odd Shapes in that Elaborate Monument whereof you shall see the first Line Transcribed here Sir I take leave to add That the English people here will study to have the Kindnesses of their Benefactors not less Durably hut more Intelligibly Recorded with them than what the Indian People have Engraved upon Rocks And therefore it is That you shall now publickly find your Person and Family mentioned in our prayers to the God of Heaven for your Enjoyment of all the Prosperity engaged unto them that Love Ierusalem The Voices that ascend from the Thrones of the Lord Jesus here are asking for you Grace and Glory and every good thing and among them there are my own Wishes That the Son and the Church of God may find you their KNIGHT which is to say in English an hearty Servant and that in the day when such a Word will be esteem'd above ten thousand Worlds you may hear a Well Done from the mouth of our Glorious Judge 'T is with these that I subscribe my self SIR Your most Humble and most Obedient Servant Cotton Mather PRAISES Bespoke for the GOD of Heaven In a Thanksgiving SERMON It is Written in Isai. XII 5 Sing unto the Lord for He hath done Excellent Things This is Known in all the Earth OUr Blessed Saviour being to Preach upon a Text fetcht out of that very Book from whence we have now taken ours began His Holy Sermon with sayings This Day is this Scripture fulfilled in your Ears 〈◊〉 is by an unhappy Encounter of Gods Mercies and your Desires that upon the Reading of the Text now before us I may in like manner close the Book and say This day is this Text fulfilled amongst us Truly t is known abroad that our God has done excellent things and for this cause we are with no less Grounded than Solemn THNKSGIVINGS endeavouring to Sing unto the Lord. Behold a Word of the day in its day here provided for you May our further considering and understanding of the Text but promote our fuller Conformiâ—y thereunto and more exactly imprint the shapes of this Heavenly Mould upon us As the Noble Prophet Isaiah is in the Books of the New-Testament quoted perhaps no less than threescore times thus the Dayes of the New-Testament are those which his Prophecies have their frequent and special References to Among other Employments of this Angelical and Evangelical Pen one was the preparing of Sacred Songs for the use of the Church in the circumstances which there had been predictions of and so besides the Psalms which common conjectures have ascribed unto this Prophet the composing of the forty-sixth particularly which in imitatâ—on of the great Luther we may at this day make the Anodyne of our cares we have two inspired Songs in this Chapter laid before us in the first of the Songs the Confessors of God endeavour themselves to celebrate the praises of that Eternal one in the next they endeavour to excite and engage others unto a consort with them in this glorious Exercise And here we have the Text which we are now to descant upon In that Day ye shall say But What day is That day we must be beholden unto the foregoing Chapter for an Answer thereunto We there find that there will a Day come when the Lord will set His Hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his People which will be when the Tribes of lost Israel are converted unto the Faith of the Lord Jesus when according to the Language of the New-Testament All Israel shall be saved There will a Day come when the Root of Iesse shall stand for an Ensign for the People which will be at the second coming of our Lord when according to the phrase taken by our Saviour from this very place the sign of the Son of man shall appear There will a Day come when the Lord shall with the Breath of His Lips slay the wicked which will be when Antichrist shall perish by the fiery approach of the Lord Jesus to take vengeance on His wickedest Enemy when according to the phrase taken by the Apostle also from this very place The Lord shall consume that wicked one with the breath of his mouth and shall destroy him with the brightnesr of his coming T is that day which the Song now before us is peculiarly calculated for But certainly we that are only getting into the Dawnings of that day are not excluded from all medling with it no it is written for our Admonition In the Words to be now Handled we have two Things First The Doings of God are here mentioned It is said He hath done Excellent Things or as the Original imports Great Things and High Things or as it may likewise be rendred Magnificent and Illustrâ—ous Things
all the Fullness of God will be Filled with praises to Him for all his Workmanship We should be like him that said in Psal 139.14 I will praise thee for marvellous are thy Works Whatever our God is Doing we should upon the sight thereof be praising and we should Acknowledge Him in all those Excellent Things which we see done in any part of the Universe It was said in Psal. 40.5 Many O Lord my God are the Wonderful Works which thou hast done God has done many Wonderful Works and many Excellent Things in which we our selves have not an Immediate or at least not a peculiar share but we should all render praises unto Him on the account thereof It is mentioned as the priviledge of a Righteous man in Psal. 112.9 His Horn shall be exalted What if one thing intended in it should be This That as the praises of God were sounded by His People in Cornets of old so there were Exalted Horns or Exalted Notes which He would have their praises to be Raised with Thus we read in 1 Chron. 25.5 of Words to Lift up the Horn To accommodate the Allusion The Praises of God are to Sound High in our Devotions When we praise God for being Excellently Good unto our selves we do well but we are to Raise our praises unto an Higher pitch than so they are to Expatiate upon all those things wherein our God has exhibited Himself as Excellently Great throughout the world Such Abstracted Praises are agreeable to the Inclinations of every Godly man he argues at that Rate Great is the Lord and therefore Greatly to be praised PROPOSITION II. We ought both to Sing and to Spread the praises which we owe unto the God of Heaven Behold a double Office incumbent on us with respect unto those Acknowledgments which we are to pay unto our God beside and beyond the first Motions of them in our own Souls Indeed the Spring of all the Acknowledgments which we make unto God must be in our Hearts and the gracious Opinions and Resentmenâ—s which are first formed there We must first look to this that God be praised by the Thoughts in our minds and as the Psalmist speaks by All that is within us Blessing his Holy Name They never will praise God sufficiently or acceptably who cannot say as in Luke 1.46 My Soul does Magnify the Lord. As all worship of God so particularly all praising of God must be performed in Spirit otherwise it will not be in Truth But the praises of God being shaped in the Honourable Thoughts of our Souls what are we then to do First We are to Sing the praises due to God for the Excellent Things that He hath done And if we keep close to the Text we shall see two things here demanded of us First There should be an Exactness used in our praising of God There should be in our Praises as on one side an Amputation of all that is improper so on the other side no Omission of any Article that calls for our meditations The charge given to us is That in Psal. 103.2 Forget not all His Benefits We should not Forget so much as One of the Excellent Things which we can Remember to be done by God The skipping of One stroke in a Lesson often spoils the grace of the Musick So does the missing of One Thing in a Commemoration of what God has done We should be careful with an often yea with a daily Examination to inform our selves about the Things for which God is to be praised It is hardly convenient for a man to sleep at Night until he have pondered What New Excellent Thing has been done by God this Day that I should particularly praise Him for And we should be careful that our Sorrows do not swallow up our praises 'T is often so that as that worthy woman of old could not eat of the Peace Offerings which was a Thank-Offering because She Wept thus we can't praise God because He Smites us We cannot see Excellent Things done by God because we feel Terrible Thins done to our selves But this is our Folly Where we have One Trouble we have a Thousand mercies of our own to be praising for And if we were a million times more afflicted than we are yet the Lord might challenge our Praises It was a great Speech of the Renowned Gerson Quiequid deme ordinaverit Deus said He However God may dispose of me for ever whether to Eternal Weal or Wo yet This I know that He is worthy of my praises and He shall have them all Indeed Praises are a Debt owing to Him even from those woful Spirits that are broken in the place of Dragons and covered with the shadow of Death Secondly There should also be an Instrument used in our Praising of God But of what kind Far be it from us to plead for that which is properly instrumental Music in the Church of the Lord Jesus Indeed before the coming of our Lord there was in the Church a Divine appointment for such a thing and between the Neginoth and the Nehiloth I find if I miscount not sixteen or more kinds of Instruments for the maintaining of it But upon the Abolition of the Mosaic Pedagogy we have no order for the continuance of this Temple Worship by introducing of it into our Synagogues The Primitive Church had it not as even a Bellarmine tells you the Ancients often loudly declaim against it and Aquinas himself about four hundred years ago notwithstanding all his Popery and Bigottry yet bestows none of the kindest Remarks upon it The Schoolmen themselves own that Aliquid Figâ—rabat it was a Typical thing and we having in the Tydings of the Gospel that grace and joy which this was a figure of ought not to Iudaize by upholding the shadow in the presence of the Substance nor ought we to bring into the House of God a Troop of Officers which the Lord Jesus never instituted What Instruments are we then to praise God withal we are all furnished with two at least First Our Lips are to be employed in the praises of God The Psalmist called his Tongue my glory Our Tongues are then our glory when we glorifie God therewith all 'T is a proper service for them Hence the Apostle sayes Therewith we bless God It is Desired for the Saints in Psal. 149 6. let the High Praises of God be in their mouthes And it is Resolved by one of them in Psal. 145.21 My mouth shall speak the praises of the Lord. Hence the Apostle urges it in Heb. 13.15 let us offer the Sacrifice of praises to God continually that is the fruit of our lips There were Offerings of many sorts which God was praised withal of old but our Lips are to be instead of the Calves and Lambs and other Euchrristical Offerings that then were customary With our Lips we are to rehearse and recite the Excellent Things that have been done by God especially when we are with bended
after an excellent manner keeping all the World in a real Order notwithstanding all the seeming Distractions of it We may see him fulfilling of His promises and His Threaâ—nings and giving Recompences among the children of men We may see him frustrating and confounding of His Enemies and preserving his Church As a burning Bush not consumed We should pursue a distinct sight of these things and Bless the Lord. When we see that His is the Kingdome we should adde And thine is the Glory too My arrival to this part of our Discoursâ— puts me into a capacity to give you somâ— Recapitulations of the Excellent things which this Day of THANKSGIVING is more paâ—â—ticularly designed for My Brethren there are Excellent thing which our God has of late been doing iâ— the English World He that moves the foâ—â— Wheels of Providence through all the foâ—â— parts of the Earth has given the English Nation lately to see those Revolutions which the Histories of all Ages can hardly parallel And now let us this Day sing unto the Lord for He hath done excellent things I. The Late Revolutions in the Land oâ— our Fore-Fathers Graves afford unto us 〈◊〉 sight of Excellent Things which ought to bâ— had in Everlasting Remembrance And here The first and great and most comprehensive matter of our Praises is The Happy accession of their Maiesties King William and Queen Mary To the Throne of the Three Kingdoms This was a Thing in all the parts of so Circumstanced aâ— to make all men 〈◊〉 This is the Lords Doing and it is Marvellous in our Eyes It made a Second EIGHTY EIGHT out-shining that in the former Century For Consider the Season of it It was when the Protestant Religion was Lying at the Stake and forreign Popish Writers did not stick to tell the World in Print That there was a private League made between two of the most Potent Monarchs in Christendome which one of their own Ambassadors also did in a manner own for the Extirpation of Haeresy and that not only the subduing of Holland but also the Enslaving of England were steps to be taken in order thereunto It was when the Indefatigable Drudges of the Papacy who had more than Ten years before declared We have here a Mighty Work upon our Hands no less than the Conversion of three Kingdoms and by that perhaps the utter subduing a pestilent Heresy which has domiâ—â—eredâ—a long time over a great part of this Northern World whereof never such Hopes as now had now got all the Advantageous Posts of the Nation into their Hands and had so model'd all their Business that they counted themselves out of the Reach of chance for ever and were even ready like Haman to cast Lots for a Lucky Day to throw all their Vizards off It was when the Fundamental Laws of the Kingdom were overturned and the Frogs of the Romistr Egypt were swarming in a mâ—in to take possession of the Glorious Holy Mountain between the Seas When things were thought hastening to that pass that every vacancy in the publick Employments would have made several Proselytes unto Popery when a great Creation would suddenly have given the Papists a majority in the House of Lords and New Charters with Bold Returns might quickly have given them a Majority in the House of Commons too a Condition of Affairs that was formidable to all that penetrate into the Tendencies of Popery THEN it was that the then Prince of ORANGE entred upon his Glorious Enterprize of Rescuing the Church of God from the Bloody Altar which it was now bound upon and the Protestant Princes Combining with him offered up their Vows to God for the prosperity of this Important Undertaking as counting that in the miscarriage of it All was Lost. There had been one or two Attempts made before but a wrong step taken in them onely brought a Ruine upon the unhappy people Engaged therein The Popish Party were then slash'd with their Successes and forgot of slâ—ghted the Dying Words of one whom they Burnt t is said for only Relieving Distrested Sufferer Though you are seemingly â—xed and using your Violence against those whom â—ou have got under you yet unless you can secure â—he Lord Iesus Christ and all His Holy Angels â—ou shall never do your Business but Vengeance â—ill be upon you before you are aware Consider also the Manner of it It was â—he Expectaâ—ion which the Late Earl of Arâ—le Expired withal That God would acâ—omplish His work Not by Might nor by â—ower but by His own most Holy Spirit And it has been done The Spirit of God incliâ—ed the Dutch to give their Great PRINCE 〈◊〉 the Assistence that could be given Whenâ—e Navy with such Wonderful Turns of 〈◊〉 Wind as argued a particular Care of God â—out it was come into its Harbour the Spiâ—â—â— of God strangely inclined persons of all â—egrees to an Agreement with the Princes â—â—claration it was a Touch of God upon â—â—eir Souls Whence though the Nation â—re Debauched on purpose to make Popery acâ—â—ptable to them yet many thousands that â—re of no Religion at all could not sâ—ow 〈◊〉 for that Religion The same Spirit â—t a Terror into the Great Oppressors of 〈◊〉 Nation so that though there was a vast my to oppose the Prince the very sound his Approach put them to Rout equal to one given by the clearest Victory and 〈◊〉 they had endeavoured by Shams to establishâ— themselves One piece of Paper which ' tiâ— said was a Sham had no little Hand in thâ— Defeat of those Daring Criminals nor waâ— any blood shed in all these Transactions buâ— of a Little and a desperate Party that seemâ—ed weary of their Lives or they might havâ— kept them Hence ensued by the unexemâ—pled and scarce accountable Desertion of thâ— Late King such a Dissolution of the Governâ—ment as never had been known and thâ— Throne becoming Vacant the Crown is unâ—avoidably placed upon those Illustriouâ— Heads which God grant Long to Reign And then Consider the Prospect of it Foâ— what may be now hoped for but a Protestâ—ant KING Iust and Ruling in the Fear 〈◊〉 God as a morning without Clouds unto thâ— Protestant World We now see upon thâ— British Throne A KING whose unparaâ—lel'd zeal for the Church of the Lord Jesâ—â— at the Lowest Ebb hath made Him the Phâ—â—nix of this Age A KING in whom Coâ—â—rage and Prudence make a Temper which 〈◊〉 to be no where seen but in the Greatest Hâ—â—roes A KING that scornfully rejected 〈◊〉 Soveraignty over his own Countrey whâ— he might have have had it by betraying 〈◊〉 A KING that uses to say That be can â—annot have so unworthy a Conception of God 〈◊〉 so base Thoughts of Mankind as to believe â—hat any one person should be designed by the Almighty King to trample and oppress a Society â—laced under him A KING that so abhors â—ll Persecution that when he accepted the Crown of Scotland he Explained a clause â—n the Coronation Oath
the Stony Sun-burnt Arabia whom indeed I don't Remember David ever was among Accordingly a people have Three Things incumbent on them if they would enjoy the Presence of God First A People should be with God by Communion With Him This t is to be With Him There are Certain meanes of Communion between God and us and these we must be continually approaching to Him in We are With God while we are at Prayer before Him hence in our Context here it immediately follows If you seek the Lord He will be found of you While we do seek Him we are with Him The Psalmist was a man much in prayer and therefore he could say as in Psal. 73.23 I am continually with thee A people much in Prayer may say the same We are continually with the Lord. A people that will pray upon all occasions a people that will pray over all Businesses a peo that will retire into the Mount for Prayer and Fasting too at every turn that people is with the Lord. And the whole Worship of God must be diligently graciously faithfully frequented by a people that would be with Him We are with God when we are at His House A people should support esteem and use all the Ordinances of God among them The Church of God hath His very special Presence in it the Name of the Church is that in Ezek. 48.35 Iehovah Shammah the Lord is there We should all be there too and there give those Encouragements which are due to the Institutions of God So shall we be with the Lord. Secondly A people should be with God by Activity For Him To be For God is to be with God It was once the Summons given in Exod. 32.26 Who is on the Lords side And all the Sons of Levi gathered themselves they were with God in doing so T is a Summons given to the world in every Generation Who is on the Lords side They that obey the Summons are with the Lord. A people full of Contrivances for the Interest of God are with Him A people should set themselves to advance the Glory of God they should own His Truths and His Wayes and endeavour to draw all about them into the Acknowledgement of the same A people should propound the Glory of God as their cheef End and the main Scope of all that they do and they should think much of no Cost no Pains nor tho as a Martyr once expressed himself tho' every hair on their heads were a life should a Thousand Lives be dear unto them in the promoting of it Then are they with the Lord they are so when God can say of them as in Isa. 43.10 Ye are my Witnesses saith the Lord and my servant Thirdly A people should be With God by Behaviour Like Him To be Like God is to be with God They that are with Him do not walk contrary to Him God and we should be One. A people should have the same Designs the same Desires which the Written Edicts of Heaven declare to be in the blessed God and not only so but the same Vertues too Is God Hâ—ly Thus a people should not bear with them that are evil Is God Righteous Thus a people should abhor all Injustice and Oppression Is God Merciful Thus a people should be disposed unto all fair acts of Pitty and Kindness Then they will be with the Lord and O that this people were so with Him This is the USE to be now made of what has been delivered Let us all now Be with God that God may Be with us I suppose whatever else we differ in we generally concur in that wish 1. King 8.27 The Lord our God be with us as He was with our Fathers let Him not leave us nor forsake us O that we might all as much concur in an endeavourous Resolution to be with God as our Fathers were with Him not to leave Him nor forsake him There is as much of New-England in this great Congregation as can well be reach'd by the voice of one Address t is indeed the best part of New-England that is at least Represented in this Assembly As the great Council at Ierusalem satt near the Temple thus the whole Convention of the Massachusets is here come into the House of God this day Wherefore I take the boldness to say Hear ye me Asa and all Judah and Benjamin The Châ—ef Sinner and least Preacher among all your Sons now takes a Liberty to mind you That God will be with you while you are with Him Now that we may be all of us inspired with a Zeal for this great thing this Day Let us Consider First How Desirable How Necessary a Thing it is that we should have God with us Truly This is the Vnum Necessarium of New-England Nothing is more Desireable for us than the Presence of our God The Jews have a Fable of their Manna That whatever any man had a mind to tast he presently found in the Manna a Savour a Relish of it It is very true of this Blessed Presence all manner of Blessings are enwrapped in it There is a multitude of Blessings which we are desireous of but they are all contained in this comprehensive thing It will give every honest man all that he wants This will extricate us out of all our Labyrinths This will set all things to rights among us This will wonderfully carry on all the Salvations which have been begun for us by the God of our Salvations If Christ if God be aboard our little Vessel will not sink in the gaping roaring formidable Waves now tossing of it Well did the Apostle say in Rom. 8.31 If God be for us who can be against us Thus If God be with us we have All for us One GOD will weigh down more than ten Worlds If we have the Presence of that God Who made and moves the Universe by a Word if we have the Presence of that God Who can Command and Create our Deliverances O most Happy We We may then join in such Triumphant Acclamations as that in Psal. 118.6 The Lord is on my side I will not fear what can man do unto me We may then defie even the Gates of Hell it self for Cur metuat hominem homo in sinu Dei positus and tho' abroad at this day The earth is removing and the Waters roar and are troubled and the mountains are shaking splitting tumbling with the swelling thereof Tho' the great and the terrible God be at this Day coming out of His place to make all Europe a stage of blood and fire and make the Nations everywhere drink deep of the Cup that shall make them giddy with all manner of Confusion Astonishment Yet WE shall be helped right early for God is in the midst of us Add to this Nothing is more Necessary for us than the Presence of God We are undone thrice and four times Vndone if we have it not Methinks I hear the Almighty GOD with a