Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A33293
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A sermon preached to a country auditory upon the eleventh of November being the day appointed for a solemn Thanksgiving for a late victory at sea, and His Majesty's safe return out of Flanders / by Samuel Clerke ...
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Clark, Samuel, 1626-1701.
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1693
(1693)
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Wing C4497; ESTC R39372
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17,355
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33
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danger he was in danger so great that we can attribute it to nothing else but God's Care and Protection that he hath outliv'd it How was His Majesty wrapt over and over in the Snares of Death yet hath he broken the Snares and is escaped It is plain to all unbiass'd and considering men that never did a Nation enjoy more by a King than ours have done by this we have Never were People more happy than we might be under him if we please and were not the fault â—ur own Never was it more remarkably true that the Powers that are over us are set over us by God than in our Case His Majesty's coming in and Establishment here beâ—â—g a Miracle in the sight of all the World And I wish it â—ould not be said as truly too that never was a Prince exposâ— to more dangers and troubles than he has been Should we recollect the past Passages of his Life and soberly make remarks upon the same I do not well know whether we should more admire his Fate and wonder to see so many dangers and adversities should encounter to spend their spight against one man or that Providence and Care of Almighty God that hath still brought him through These Providences and Cares have been freshly instanced very lately in a Deliverance from a Conspiracy abroad hatched by a sort of men that nothing can oblige no kindnesses no endearments no not Religion it self the tranquill enjoyment of the true Protestant Religion Oh the barbarous intendments of the worst of Men Abhorrent in any but above any in our Clime Religious Plots Protestant Treasons oh Hellish Contradictions But can they deny what is obvious to all The King's hazards in Battel wherein not one but often he hath expos'd himself to the utmost dangers thereby greatly encouraging his friends and striking a dread and terrour into his enemies who never yet had the courage to withstand him Not to tell you of His Majesty's danger at the Boyne where a Cannon Bullet brusht upon his Shoulder it was no less than a Miracle that it did but brush him importing Heavens Care of him and that he was dear to God in his Preservation But perchance some may think this too foreign at least too antique and old I shall therefore produce a fresher Instance and that within the compass of this Days Thanksgiving being in Flanders from whence our Royal Sovereign not long since return'd an Instance no less miraculous thaâ— the former when another Cannon Bullet seeming to do him Homage kiss'd the place where he just before sat but yet came not there till he himself had quitted it which was not above a Minute An astonishing Deliverance The late Naval Victory can that be oppugn'd deny'd by any and was not the Hand of God in it It is as clear as the Sun in its Noon-Day Lustre that the Wind fought against the Enemy as the Stars once against Sisera The Wind hindred the French approaching us and gave us an opportunity of coming up to them which was no sooner done but God blessed His Majesty's Forces with that Success which usually attends his Royal Person than whom never any more signally delivered It is no new thing to hear of our Royal David and his troubles his reiterated troubles and dangers nor blessed be God for it to hear of his Deliverances also his repeated Deliverances The one runs parallel with the other litterally making that of our Psalmist good Psalm 34.19 Many are the afflictions of the Righteous but the Lord delivereth them out of all The truth is the Life of our King William the Third hath been a continual Scene of Providence and Danger even from the Cradle an Instance hardly to be seconded of God's great and special Care not rarely attending the Persons of those Princes to whom Religion and his Honour is dear 〈◊〉 I am perswaded they be to this our Sovereign A Prince 〈◊〉 Pious as Valiant and as forward to Praise God his Saviour as he is ready to deliver him which brings me to my 2d Proposition That those that are delivered should praise God and be thankful to him 1. Common Morality doth inform every common capacity of this common Principle in Divinity We must be thankful unto them who have been bountiful unto us Whereupon Alexander who exceeded all in Bounty and Caesar who exceeded all in Patience yet it was observed that the â—â—e did never give to and the other never forgive an ungrateful person Yea the very Heathen in their moral Favours feigned Ixion because he had been unthankful to Jupiter who saved his Life to be tortured and tormented on a Wheel crying τὸν á¼Ï…εÏγÎτην ἀγαυαῖς ἀμοιβαῖς á¼Ï€Î¿Î¹Ï‡Î¿Î¼Îνους τίμεσθαι Oh remember to be grateful to your Benefactors Si ingratum dixeris omnia dixeris saith the Learned Seneca but a Pagan Him that thou callest ungrateful thou callest all to nought And Socrates another Learned Heathen did see and say ἀκαÏιστίαν ἀδικίαν εῖ̔ναι that Vnthankfulness is a gross act of Injustice nay Injustice against God saith holy David as depriving him of that quit-rent due to him the great Lord of the Universe so Psalm 50.15 Call upon me in the day of trouble I will hear you and thou shalt praise me 2. Nature doth teach us this Lesson of Grace for naturally every effect must be brought back to his cause Now God is the cause of all things and persons and the preserver of them too therefore whatsoever we have and whatsoever we are must be ascribed to God Hence is that challenge of St. August Confess 4.4 Quis Laudes tuas enumeret unus quas in se uno expertus est What Man alive is able to praise God for his Goodness which he alone hath received in his own Person certainly we should be all Bankrupts if we were called upon for this one Debt Since now the very Heathens press this duty warmly and since there is a generous gratitude in Nature what else means that of Israel's sweet Singer Psalm 19.1 The heavens declare the Glory of God and the Firmament sheweth his handy-work How much more does gratitude become God's Children Honour is due there is none but will grant it to the Creator from the creature and who so tender of this his honour as his Children and Servants Now what course take they for it How do they give it him Who so offereth me Praise and thanksgiving saith God he honoureth me Psalm 50.23 The Property of God is benefacere and the property of Man is benedicere God doth bless Man with his benefits and Man doth bless God for them I need not tell you that the Heathen after they had escaped shipwrack hung up their Votivas Tabulas to Neptune and after Victory besides Supplications they did put Garlands upon the Images of their Gods and left the chief spoils taken in War in the Temple of Mars I need not tell you that the Jews by the Command ment of God reserved a golden pot of that
Mannah in the Ark in memory of that Mannah which fell in the Wilderness and in a thankful acknowledgment to eternise the Memorial of their passages out of Egypt and freedom from Servitude they altered their Calendar and made that Month in which God by Moses delivered them out of the House of Bondage the beginning of their Months Exod. 12.2 Let it suffice to tell you that the Holy David in the reflections he made either upon his danger or deliverances ever looks up to Heaven and acknowledges that the Race is not to the Swift nor the Battle to the Strong but that God alone giveth Victory unto Kings How doth he launch forth in the praises of God his deliverer Psalm 92.1 It is a good thingto give thanks unto the Lord and to Sing praises unto thy name O thou most High Likewise Psalm 34.1.2 I will bless the Lord at all times his praise shall continually be in my mouth My Soul shall make her boast in the Lord the humble shall hear thereof and be glad Also Psalm 146.12 Praise the Lord O my Soul While I live will I praise the Lord I will Sing praises unto God while I have my being Again Psalm 115.1 Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy name give glory for thy mercy and thy truth sake And Psalm 116.12 13. What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me I will take the cup of Salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. Thus in the Text I will Sing a new Song unto thee O God! upon a Psaltery and an Instrument of ten strings will I sing Praises unto thee Holy David as some conceive was therefore stiled a Man after God's own heart because he abounded much in Praise and Thanksgiving Somewhat now briefly by way of improvment and I have done To wave generals what I have further to say I shall reduce to our present Case and so the Vse I shall make of what has been deliverâ—d will have a threefold aspect To the Enemies of our King to the King himself To us his Loyal Subjects 1. Hath God who giveth Salvation unto Kings â—me after time more especially at this time delivered our Royal David from the hurtfull Sword I shall then improve it to the discouragment of all Traitors and Ill-minded Persons against him to let them see how hopeless and improbable all their wicked attempts against him are like to be Oh that they would consider what a Darling of Providence hitherto our King William hath been and how probable all attempts against him will be in vain as they have yet all along been tho' never so closely and cunningly and probably contrived His Enemies may plot design conspire rebel they may stamp and rage and fret and storm but all to no purpose for if God be for him who can be against him 2dly Is God so tender over Princes Safety as hath been told you and ought not they to be as tender of his Honour is he so gracious to them and ought not they to be as grateful to him to come yet nearer home Is our Royal David delivered from the hurtful Sword and shall he not sing a new Song a Song of Praise Beloved he needs no Spur that is free of himself shall he not do it what mean I to render that in the least suspicious which is obvious and plain and past all doubt for he both knows his duty and makes a Conscience of performing it I prae sequar is a thing most abominable to our King William whether in the Field or in the Chappel Does he confront the Enemy a malicious a Death-threatning Enemy Eamus may most justly be his motto Come Let us go He couragiously leads on all the rest Does he return Victorious God shall be sure to hear of him upon the Organ and other loud-sounding Instruments will he sing Praises unto him This needs no further confirmation than our calling to mind this day we now keep by Their Majesties Appointment to preserve from oblivion his wonderful Preservation from imminent destruction attended blessed be God with a noble Victory and as not content himself to do it to make use of our Psalmist's words Psalm 15.14 He enjoins us also to offer unto God praise which 3dly Suggests it our duty as well as his We are all to write after the Copy set us and as we partake of the benefit so are we to make one in the duty of Praise and Thanksgiving Salvation is come unto our Israel out of Sion and therefore must Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad Days of Mercy call for Days of Thankfulness and publick Mercies for publick and extraordinary Thanks Thanks real not verbal only Thanks are not thank-worthy if they float only in the mouth for a time and spring not continually from the heart if only lip-deep and reach not our lives When our Praises are obediential then and only then are they acceptable unto God Saul could not blind Samuel's eyes with his many good Morrows that the People saved the best of the Cattel for Sacrifice Hath the Lord saith he as great delight in Burnt-Offerings and Saerifice as in obeying his voice behold to obey is better than Sacrifice and the fat of Lambs 1 Sam. 15.22 As if he had said What Saul thinkest thou to bribe God with a Sacrifice while thou art disobedient to his Command Dost thou take the Swan and stick the Feather in the room Dost thou deny him thine own heart to obey his word and give him a Beasts heart in Sacrifice for it Is this the Oblation that he hath required or will accept Truly God rises â—angry from our Thanksgiving-Feasts if Obedience be not a Dis◠〈◊〉 the Table without this we and our Sacrifices may burn togeâ—her If we sing a new Song if we sing praises unto God the Son of Syrac â—ill tell us that Praise is not comely in the month of a Sinnor for it was not sent him of the Lord. To conclude when a motion was made in â—he Senate of dedicating a Statue of massie Gold to the Honour of Germanicus Tiberius the Emperor opposed it but upon a very plauâ—ible pretence that Images of Brass and Gold are subject to many â—asualties they may be stolen away they may be defaced and batterâ—d foul indignity and scorn may be put upon 'em These are the Staâ—nes of Virtue and Altars of Fame which are set up in Mens Hearts Such Altars hath our Sovereign erected in the hearts of all his loving and loyal Subjects upon which we offer this day throughout all his Dominions the Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving for His Majesties marvelous Deliverance in his Royal Person and the Success of his Arms. Psalm 19.2 One day shall tell another and one night shall proclaim it to another the great things the Lord did at this time for his Anointed Δόξα μόνῳ τῶ Θεῶ FINIS