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A49693
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A thanksgiving sermon for His Majesty's safe return and for the happy and honourable peace, of which God has made him the glorious instrument, Preached in Highgate Chapel, on Thursday the 2d of December, 1697. BY R. L. V.A.L.
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R. L.
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1697
(1697)
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Wing L56C; ESTC R218601
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7,903
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23
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A Thanksgiving SERMON FOR His Majesty's Safe Return AND FOR The Happy and Honourable PEACE Of which GOD has made Him the Glorious Instrument PREACHED In Highgate Chapel on Thursday the 2d of December 1697. By R. L. V. A. L. LONDON Printed for the Author MDCXCVII Lord Crewe's Charity Durham England The Prayer before Sermon O Blessed Lord God! who art glorious in holiness fearful in praises working wonders Thou sparest when we deserve punishment and in the midst of judgment remembrest mercy To thee alone we ascribe the Glory of our many Deliverances This Church and Nation have been the visible care of thy providence and protection We therefore praise thee O God! We acknowledge thee to be our Saviour and Deliverer Thou only causest Wars to cease in the Earth and in great mercy hast put a stop to the Effusion of Christian Blood thou heardest the voice of our humble petitions and hast preserv'd thy dear Servant from all those Dangers and Deaths he has been exposed to for our sakes Thou broughtest him back O Lord with the Triumphs and Glories of a Peace-maker O fill our Hearts with thankfulness and in thy good time give repentance to all those who sit in darkness and error Grant to us all a spirit of righteousness peace and concord that we may become one Sheepfold under one Shepherd the Lord Jesus Christ O that love and union piety and charity may abound amongst us that we may become the joy of the whole Earth O Lord give thy Servant our most righful and lawful sovereign King William a long Life and happy Reign and let this be the praise and glory thereof that therein the Righteous did flourish and there was abundance of Peace This and whatsoever else thou O God of thine infinite Goodness c. Colossians III. 15. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts to the which also ye are called in one body and be ye thankful LOVE and Gratitude can never fail of a Reward Joy and Peace attend them in this World Happiness and Glory in that which is yet to come They are just like the Cherubims always smiling and looking kindly one upon another A readiness and willingness to do all the good we can a grateful resentment of all the favours and benefits we have receive'd from others which are Qualities of an endearing nature were the only Springs and Engines that mov'd and inclin'd me to undertake the Business of this Day Had I the golden Mouth of St. Chrysostom the Eloquence of Cicero or the admirable Skill of Orpheus I might then penetrate or mollifie or charm those Mens Hearts which seem now to be as inflexible I had almost said as insensible as the very Rocks and Stones Could I now draw as lovely and lively a Description of all the Advantages of Peace and Union amongst our selves as the Subject will bear I might then convince Gainsayers and bring those who seem to be discontented at the present Dispensations of Providence to confess that all our Dangers our Troubles our Miseries and Sorrows did at first spring and arise from the poison'd Fountain of our own unhappy Divisions I beseech you therefore in the Language of the Apostle let the peace of God rule in your hearts What! does the Apostle mention Peace Methinks there 's a pleasing Charm in that sweet Appellation Peace is now become the delightful Theme of our daily Discourse and the daily Object of our Joy and Gratitude Peace is the fairest Flower of a Prince's Crown the choicest Blessing of a Nation t is one of the mod excellent Gifts of the Divine Bounty It brings Relief to the Poor Bread to the Hungry Cloaths to the Naked Business to the Diligent and Industrious it invigorates the Body Politick it sets all the Wheels and Engines of Trade of Traffick and Commerce into a joyful Movement and has folded up within her Arms all those Blessings which we poor Mortals can wish or desire God who governs the World and disposes and orders all things for the Good of his Creatures which should give full Satisfaction to all Mankind has for eternal Reasons which we shall all see and understand hereafter given us a Prince whose first Arrival gave new Life to our dying Hopes and at once both rouz'd and rais'd the Courage of a sinking Nation His great Understanding his indefatigable Toil and Labour his undaunted Courage and admirable Conduct has since that not only lower'd but levelld the growing Pride and Power of a subtile politick Enemy And now after all the thundering Storms the frightful and amazing Tempests of War he has crown'd this and die neighbouring Kingdoms with the brightest Diadem of this World's Felicity a Firm and an Honourable Peace Thus God has made this most illustrious Prince the Avenger of our Evils the Repairer of our Breaches and Restorer of our Blessings For which the Children who are yet unborn will one Day rise up and call him Blessed And what shall the Fathers say who have heard and seen all this May all the Blessings of Heaven and Earth attend King William the Third the best and greatest Monarch of the World A Prince dear to Heaven the Darling of Providence born for the Good of Mankind worthy in all Ages to bear the mod exalted Triumphs of War and the brightest Felicities of an eternal Peace Great Favours are great Obligations and so consequently should bind and engage us for the time to come to be more Obedient to God more Loyal to our King and more Charitable to our Neighbours more resolute in ceasing to do Evil in learning to do well This certainly is the best and only way of returning Thanks this Day to Almighty God God's present Mercies and our own late Miseries are such pressing and invincible Arguments to persuade us to be Peaceable and Thankful as none can be greater such a Power they have of exciting and moving us to take heed that we fall not out amongst our selves that we never forget nor over-look these signal Instances of the Divine Goodness in delivering this Church and Nation from Popery and Slavery as must needs render us infatuated should we not labour to promote Peace and Union amongst our selves Let the peace of God rule in your hearts rule in your Hearts and make them unanimous in your Tongues and make them thankful in your Hands and make them charitable Rule us all into one Mind one Heart and one Faith that we may all with one Mouth glorifie and praise the God of our Salvation This Peace of God we ought every way we can to be rul'd by it and be thankful for it neither is our Vertue nor our Felicity compleat without it He is the best Christian that is most for Peace with his fellow Christian This Peace of God must over-rule our Passions advance and crown our Vertues heal and decide our Controversies Hast thou Faith Have it to thy self trouble neither thy weak nor thy strong Brother about it do