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A60353
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A sermon preached on the thanksgiving day the 27 day of October, 1692 at Crosby Square by Samuel Slater.
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Slater, Samuel, d. 1704.
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1693
(1693)
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Wing S3974; ESTC R23646
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19,638
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40
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and People were ready to sink under the weight of their Iniquities but David came in and set his Shoulder to it I bear up the pillars of it I am the Basis that doth uphold those things upon which the Earth should stand and without which Kingdoms must and will fall into Decay and Ruine I make it my business to reduce all into Order to set and keep matters in a due Frame and Posture by a regular and religious Government And upon this account also blessed yea for ever blessed be the Father of Mercies for putting his Everlasting Arms under our King and Queen and for bearing them up who bear up the Pillars of our Country without this we should soon have had among us a terrible Earthquake to an utter Overthrow But once more Sixthly It is most certainly the Peoples Duty to increase their Joy in the Lord upon the Prince's Salvation when it doth not come alone but attended with a great and lovely Train and bringeth other choice and desirable Mercies in its company when it is usher'd in by some and followed by others so that we may say Behold a Troop cometh Had there been no more than the single Deliverance and Preservation of our King who in our Quarrel ventur'd himself in the high places of the Field and upon the mighty Waters we should have been mightily concerned in it and therefore greatly obliged to bless God But as Affliction doth not use to go alone so neither did this Mercy God hath compasted us with Favours and laden us with Benefits of which we may well be glad How precious have his Thoughts been concerning us and how open his Hand of Bounty to us Who can tell the number of the former or measure the largeness of the latter Day unto day hath shewn his Love and night unto night his Faithfulness Take a few Instances and set a mark upon them How gracious hath God been in the Preservation of our Queen let us give him the Glory of that and of his directing and assisting her in a most prudent most just and most gracious Administration of Government His Mercy in the late Earthquake that he did so gently shake his Rod over us and not stir up all his Wrath nor rise up to that height of Severity which he had used a little before upon Jamaica but only shewed us what he could do and we deserved still drawing out upon us a longer Line of Life and Tranquility and giving us space for Repentance Mercy in continuing the Peace of the Nation so that none have been able to disturb or interrupt it Mercy in his gracious Presence with you of this great City in the Choice of your Magistrates under whose Conduct we may promise our selves Encouragement of them that do well and the Suppression of those crying Abominations which have abounded among us And likewise wonderful Mercy in that great and signal Victory given to their Majesties Navy over the French Fleet whereby the Marine Power of that Cruel Nimrod was greatly shaken and shatter'd and his intolerable Pride may well be abated Neither may we forget or in Silence pass by that seasonable Weather which was given to the laborious but then sorrowful Country-man for the gathering in the Fruits of the Earth when the great and continued Rains had threatned us and some begun to hoard up Corn and most did apprehend a Scarcity approaching and at the very Door Shall I bind these up together Our King hath had Salvation abroad our Queen been blest and made a Blessing at home our Forces have been crown'd with Victory our Land enjoyeth Peace when neighbouring Countries have been the Seat of a devouring War we have Plenty as well as Peace yea and the true Religion and Gospel-Truths and ordinances to sweeten all the rest For all this praise the Lord O England praise thy God O London whose Name alone is excellent and his Glory above the Earth In the next place we are to consider what should be the Qualifications what the Properties of this Joy and that I shall do in these three Things I. Our Joy ought to be an hearty Joy not feigned but real not hypocritical but sincere the joyful Sound we make ought not to be an empty Sound It is an impossible thing to deceive God and a dangerous thing to moek him Do not you mock him in your meeting together at this time I wish none might be guilty of it though I fear some will who for Example sake because others do so or out of Fear and to avoid Suspicion will go to Church somewhere or other and sit out the Publick Worship though very uneasily and as upon Thorns and then go to the Tavern and meet their vain Companions and with them drink Confusion to their Majesties sacred Persons and Health to their Enemies Let not such Guilt come upon any one here before the Lord whose eye is upon you that pure and peircing Eye which searcheth the Hearts and looks for Truth What you do this day do it as to the Lord as in the sight of God be affected indeed with this Salvation and with these Mercies and with the great Goodness of God in them and be thankful indeed The Apostle tells you your Love must be such not in word and in tongue viz. only but in deed and in truth Call upon yourselves as that holy Man did 103 Psal. 1 2. Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me Bless his holy name bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits Or let me bespeak you in those words which you have in the 105 Psal. 3. Glory ye in his holy name and let the heart of them rejoyce that seek the Lord. You have been a seeking People you have fought the Lord his Face and Favour and Strength you have been seeking frequently earnestly you have been seeking the Lord on the behalf of your King and Queen we have done it frequently earnestly together and apart many and many a Prayer we have lifted up to Heaven for them and God hath graciously heard us and been found of us Our King hath found God near to him and round about him He hath been followed and guarded with an Army of Prayers and he hath been brought home to us in the Arms of Prayer Now as you have been hearty in your Praying make sure that you be so likewise in your Rejoycing Let the hearts of them rejoyce that have sought the Lord. It is as the Prayer so the Praise of the Upright that is God's Delight It is an Harmony between the Heart and the Lip a Consent and Agreement between the inward Affections and outward Expressions that makes Melody in the Divine Ears Therefore that Request in the 19. Psal. 14. Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in thy sight O Lord my strength and my redeemer II. Our Joy must not be light and frothy but a solid Ioy There is
Heaven but that what goeth up in a Cloud of Prayer may descend again in a Shower of Blessings And that none of thy prudent Counsels may prove abortive but what thou hast been travelling with for the Glory of God the Welfare of the Church and the Good of the Nation thou maist be able to bring forth The Lord grant that thy Prayers may be followed with satisfactory Answers that thy Counsels may be crowned with prosperous Issues and thou maist prove most happily successful in them both Besides these their Prayers for the King whose Example let us follow in Prayer for ours who highly deserves it at our hands as all must acknowledge who are not basely disingenuous and ungrateful they do in the words of the Text promise and ingage for their interesting themselves in his Good and that his Safety Peace and Welfare shall be the matter of their Comfort We will rejoyce in thy salvation In which words we may take notice of these two parts I. A great Mercy or Blessing bestowed upon the Person of the King that is Salvation II. A sutable Affection thereupon working in the Hearts of the People and that is Joy this they promised We will rejoyce in thy salvation If God be thy Defence that shall be our Delight and I question not their Performance good Men will be as good as their word And may their Example be followed by us may all the People of this Land tread in their steps God hath graciously commanded Salvation for our King and now let us rejoyce in his Salvation Sure I am there is very great reason why we should The Doctrine which I shall from hence draw and insist upon will be this DOCT. The Prince's Salvation is just and great Cause for the Peoples Joy When the Prince's Salvation goeth before the Peoples Joy should quickly follow after Praises should even tread upon the heels of Mercy and answer presently as the Eccho doth the Voice And now that our King who hath receiv'd the Mercy doth out of that kindly and deep sence he hath of it call us to the work of Praise we should have our Ears open to the Call and our Hearts rais'd and tun'd for the Work Now that their Majesties say to us all Bless the Lord with us that Man who will not come forth with a Blessing deserves to meet with a Curse at home He that is without his Joy is unworthy of a share in the Benefits of the Salvation In the Prosecution of this Point I shall observe this Method 1st I shall prove it and give you some Reasons for it why the Prince's Salvation should be the Peoples Joy 2dly I shall instance in some particulars which do accent the Salvation and therefore may very well raise and encrease the Peoples Joy A special Salvation ought to be attended with more than a common Joy Here I shall present you with some Considerations that may help to furnish you with the better Sacrifices of Thanksgiving and prove as Fuel to raise a higher and more noble Flame 3dly I shall in a few things shew you what kind of Joy we should have what ought to be the Properties of it if we desire-it may be accepted and approved of God and then 4thly We shall make some Improvement of it in a way of Use and Application and in all have a due Respect to the Time We will begin with the first and shall speak to it as at this day it hath a direct reference to his present Majesty his Salvation doth loudly call upon us to rejoyce in it for these Reasons 1. Because it is such a Salvation as hath come to him upon the Wings of Prayer Sudden and unexpected Mercies Deliverances and Salvations ought to be rejoyced in such as come to us in a way of Surprize when God doth for us things that we thought not of that we looked not for these we should entertain with Joy and be thankful for These speak the watchful Care and rich Mercy of a gracious God But when we can look on a Mercy a Salvation as an Answer of Prayer it puts a further and very delicious Sweetness into it and accordingly calls for the higher Praises When a poor Woman hath been in hard Labour and had many a severe Throw and terrible Pang that hath extorted Groans and Shreiks from her Oh! what Joy is there when she is told that a lovely perfect Child is brought forth into the World If we do not trifle with Duty but understand what Prayer is and manage it aright we do travel in Prayer we have our Pangs and Throws and surely it is with great Wrestlings that we wrestle and when the Mercy sticks in the birth what an Agony is the holy Soul put into And when we do prevail when Free-grace saith Be it to you even as you will and Divine Providence midwives the Mercy into the World we should be very disingenuous ingrateful and unworthy if we should not heartily Welcome it embracing and hugging it with joyful Arms. A bare Salvation is a Mercy a single Mercy but a Salvation fetched in by Prayer is a Mercy doubled upon us A meer Salvation is but a common Mercy extended to the Bad as well as to the Good to Brutes as well as to reasonable Creatures for God preserveth Man and Beast But that Salvation which is commanded and sent in as a Return of Prayer is a special Mercy How greatly upon that account was the Heart of that good Man David affected in the 66 Psal. 19 20. Verily God hath heard me he hath attended to the voice of my prayer Blessed be God which hath not turned away my prayer nor his mercy from me Now while our King hath been studying caring and consulting for us while he hath been travelling labouring and fighting for us we have been praying for him Some of us have been praying for him every day and more than once in a day you know what Prayers have been made and multiplied for him in our publick Congregations and solemn Assemblies what Clouds of Incense have ascended to Heaven what Days of Prayer have been spent and set apart for him what Fastings and Prayers there have been and in them the Pourings out of our Souls and it hath not been in vain God hath heard and answer'd and done therefore let us be joyful in the Lord and his Goodness and take up the aforesaid Expression Blessed be God that hath not turned away our Prayer nor his saving Mercy from our Soveraign Yea and again let us say Blessed be God 2. The King's Salvation is and ought to be the Matter of our Rejoycing because by means thereof there is the continuance of our Peace and Prosperity Indeed when Princes instead of being the Fathers of their Country do become Tyrants and their Government degenerates into Oppression when they bind heavy Yokes and Burdens upon their Subjects and sport themselves in their Sorrow and Ruine when they take destructive Courses and are