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A61276 The sea-man's obligations to gratitude and a good life a sermon preach'd in the parish-church of Deptford, in Kent, June 5, 1699, before the corporation of the Trinity-house at their annual meeting on Trinity-Monday / by George Stanhope ... Stanhope, George, 1660-1728. 1699 (1699) Wing S5227; ESTC R34593 14,022 32

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for this very purpose Psal 15.14 that they might keep his Statutes and observe his Laws And in another Place this is mention'd as the dreadfullest aggravation of that Peoples wickedness that they forgot and rebelled against God Psal 78. who had done so great things for them But what need I urge Christian-Instances and Arguments when nothing can be plainer from the very Nature of Gratitude than that each Person ought to make his diligence in pleasing God hold proportion with the marks of his having been the peculiar Care of his Providence and be as signally religious as he hath been signally blessed If then as was before observed the Affairs of so many here present have been so full of hazard and their Deliverances so full of wonder it will lye upon their Consciences very seriously to examine what sort of requital they have made for these Mercies Most certain it is God does not save Men from the Sea and the Sword that when they come ashore they may give themselves up to the Devil's Service and walk before him without fear in Unholiness and Unrighteousness all the days of their life He expects to have his Name called upon after another manner than in Oaths and Curses and blasphemous Terms of Defiance and Contempt He will account severely with those Wretches who dare his Vengeance and cry aloud to him to rot those Bodies and to damn those Souls which he with so Fatherly a Tenderness hath rescued from Destruction My Design herein is not to upbraid or accuse but seasonably to warn the Men of this Profession that they wo●ld consider in time how large an Article in their last great Account the Good Providence of God over them in their Dangers and Necessities will one day make and that it were better infinitely better for them to have fallen by the Enemies hand or to have been drown'd in the depth of the Sea than to have survived both to no other Effect than that most sad one of enflaming their Reckoning and heating their Furnace seven times hotter by their horrible Ingratitude and Abuse of such marvelous Loving Kindness 4. But I said before Fourthly that a true Principle of Thankfulness will not allow Men to be contented with their own private Virtue but will render them zealous Promoters of God's Glory by winning over others to his Service The Methods and Opportunities for effecting this differ greatly according to Mens different Stations and Capacities in the World But I esteem my self happy in addressing this day to several worthy Persons whose Authority and Posts of Command may be exceeding useful in this Particular Persons whose good Example may inspire and whose Discipline may enforce the Exercise of Religion At least these could not fail to discountenance Vice and give a check to the Insolence of open Immorality and Profaneness You are my Brethren Men of Honour and that Character will not endure that your Prince or your Friend should be ill treated in your Presence Can it then consist with this Character patiently to see and hear the King of kings and your best Friend above affronted and reviled Your Honourable Society derives its Name from the holy and ever-blessed Trinity and will not that Title reproach every Member of this Body who without punishment or due rebuke shall suffer the Majesty of the Father to be despised the Blood and Wounds of the Son to be invoked in sport and derision and contemptuous despite to be done to the Spirit of Grace The most glorious Improvement of Navigation would be to spread Christianity wider and enlighten the still dark Corners of the Earth with saving Knowledge and the readiest way of compassing this noble end would be by making the Light of those who already profess the Gospel so to shine in barbarous Countries that our good Works might recommend and demonstrate the Excellence of our Faith Live then my Brethren as becomes them whom the Lord hath redeem'd and deliver'd from Perils various and Deaths oft Live so that Strangers who are not yet acquainted with the Doctrine of Jesus may read it plainly in your Conversations Live so that having first reform'd your selves you may with boldness and a good grace reprove and set about reforming others And let those under your Conduct see that you are in very good earnest and that you think the Honour of your Post concerned for no sort of Order and Discipline more than for that which hath respect to Virtue and Religion It hath been said formerly Qui nescit orare ascendat mare that he who would learn to be devout should go to Sea And I dare say You would be loath to have such an Infamy fall upon Your days as that of reversing the Observation and having the Sea thought the ready Course for transforming Men into Infidels and Brutes As therefore you have done in the Cause of your King and Country so behave your selves valiantly in the Cause of your God Vice it is true hath gathered strength and with an unusual confidence seems to bid all good Men Battle But Vice is never so triumphant that Resolution may not bring it under Let but that Gallantry appear in this Point so peculiar to the Fleets of England in others that of bearing down upon the Enemy again and again and the day is certainly your own Sin carries Shame and Cowardice in its very Nature and cannot rally often And be assur'd this is a Conquest which when once throughly obtain'd would bring more Comfort to your selves and more true Honour to your Memories than those which at the Expence of so much Blood and Toil transmit the Names of this Fraternity down to succeeding Generations Nor are you ever more properly in your Post than when encount'ring this Adversary for the Sins of a People and especially of that part whose Duty it is to fight for the rest are always the most destructive Enemy that can make War upon any Nation 5. When your Zeal for God and the Publick hath thus exerted it self then are you rightly prepared for the Fifth Branch of Thankfulness that of Trust in God amidst any Dangers which shall hereafter threaten or attack you And however dismal these may appear yet your former Experience of that Power and Goodness which hath so signalized it self on your behalf will be of mighty use towards drawing down upon them with Bravery For God is never weary of doing good but his past Blessings are so many Pledges of more and better provided we be careful not to stop the Current nor by our Unworthiness and Abuse of those already received put a Bar to his Intentions of future Favour toward us If then your own lawful Occasions or your Country's Defence shall call you out again to the like hazardous Attempts remember under the shadow of whose VVings you were safe heretofore and that he is the the same yesterday and to day Heb 13 8. Isai 63.1 Psal 37. and forever even the Lord rich