with more reafon have bewailed her. But why fhould you continue to mourn for one, who is entered upon a ftate of unfpeakable joy? why Thould you be dejected at her advancement ?

She is gone to the place where all tears are wiped from her eyes; where there is no more death, nor forrow, nor crying: She is gone, and her works have followed, and will follow her, to her great and endless advantage. God grant that, when we alfo follow her, we may do it with as little furprize, and as much chearfulness!

To him, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, be ascribed as is mft due, all Honour, Adoration, and Thanks, now, and for ever! Amen.

A

St. Margaret's Westminster.

May the 29th, 1701.

Being the Anniversary for the Reftoration of king CHARLES the Second.

The Wisdom of Providence manifefted in the Revolutions of Government.

EZEK. xxxvii. 3.

And he faid unto me, Son of Man, can these Bones lives? And lanfwered, O Lord God, thou knoweft.

T

HESE Words are part of that vifion of the valley of bones, wherein the prophet Ezekiel doth, in a very lofty and lively manner, fet out the loft and hopeless ftate of Ifrael, then

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under

"behalf of lost states and kingdoms, and delights "to manifeft his power and providence, in re"trieving them from ruin, when they as incapa"ble of reftitution, by all human means, as dead "and dry bones are of recovering their vital juice, "and being compacted again into a living body." A fubject, fit every way to employ our thoughts, at a time, in which we are called upon to commemorate a Revolution, as furprifing in its manner, as happy in its confequences, as full every way of wonder, and of all the marks of a divine contrivance, as any age or country (even this country itself, which hath experienced fo many and great viciffitudes) can fhew; and which, tho' placed in our annals at fome distance from us, cannot yet be forgotten by us;, as long as we feel the influence, and reap the benefits of it; that is, as long as regal government, and the free ufe of parliaments, the profeffion of God's pure religion, and the enjoyment of our ancient laws and liberties, fhall continue among us: And, if it can be forgotten, with the lofs of thefe only, there is no good Englishman but will fay, May the memory of it always flourish!

Give me leave, therefore, to lay before you fome thoughts concerning the wifdom of divine providence, in interpofing fo particularly to bring about thefe mighty unexpected turns of ftate; which it doth, doubtlefs, for many wife reafons, known only to that Infinite Mind which fteers the courfe of fuch great actions: However, fome there are, that lie open even to our narrow apprehenfions. And,

1. The providence of God concerns itfelf in producing fuch furprising events, in order to have its influence on things below obferved and acknowledged; which would go near to be forgot ten, did he not, by fome remarkable inftances of his interpofition in human affairs, raise men up at fit times, into a lively and vigorous fenfe of it. Though we know, that we live, move, and have our being in God, that we are fupported every moment by his power, and conducted in all our actions by his unerring wifdom and goodness; yet the impreffion which this knowledge' makes upon our minds, is but faint, and is quickly ef faced. His concurring influences in this cafe are fo fecret and fo difficult to be diftinguished from the working of natural and moral caufes, that we are too apt to reft in the contemplation of thefe, without any recourfe to thofe; and to refolve all that happens to us, in our own concerns, into the power of fuch principles as lie neareft to us. And, even in the greater and more public tranfactions of the world, when they go on in such a manner as to look like the effects of human forefight and contrivance, we are apt to ftop fhort in our reflexions upon them, without carrying our thoughts up to that invifible hand, which wields the vaft machine, and directs all its fprings and motions. Since the fathers fell afleep, faid the fcoffers in St. Peter, all things continue as they were; and they were ready to infer, therefore, that all things went on' of themfelves, without à fuperior power, or influence, to controul them. But, when the great scene of government is fhifted all at once, and the caufes, that visibly contribute to the pro

duction

duction of this effect, bear no proportion to it; then we look out for others of a more extended force; we perceive a divine providence interefting itfelf in our affairs, and adore the footsteps of it. When these national judgments or mercies of God are abroad in the earth, the inhabitants of at will learn righteoufefs. And that leffon of divine wifdom then learnt, will be applied by them to other circumstances, and on far different occafions. For when once a true principle of piety, and of a religious dependence on God is duly excited in us, it will operate beyond the particular caufe from whence it fprang, and give a general turn and tendency to all thoughts and reflexions; as one wife rule of behaviour, deeply imbibed, will be useful to us in hundreds of instances, and fpread its influence throughout the whole course and conduct of our lives and actions.

Since, therefore, we are fo apt to forget God's administration of the great affairs below, when they go on evenly and regularly, he is pleased, I fay, by awakening notices, now and then to put us in mind of it; to prefent to our view fome aftonishing revolution of state, like a glaring comet, hung up in the air, whofe extraordinary appearance and irregular motion fhall fooner lead our thoughts up to the author of nature, and imprint a deeper awe of him upon our minds, than the fight of the whole hoft of heaven, in orderly array continually moving round us.

Indeed, fince the age of miracles ceased, as it did, when the teftimony of the gofpel was fully fealed, the 'chief way, in which God hath been pleased to give extraordinary indications of his

power