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furely this great Nations is a wife and understanding People. Thus therefore our Cafe resembles that of the Jews, in our having an excellent Conftitution establish'd among us. And fo it did likewise upon the Account of the Miseries we endur'd, after it was fubverted and deftroy'd. How truly might thofe Words of the Prophet, in this Chapter, be then apply'd to these unhappy Nations! Your Country is defolate; your Cities are burnt with Fire: And the Daughter of Zion (which being translated to our Circumstances, as well as into our Language, is to be render'd the Church of England) is left as a Cottage in a Vineyard, as a Lodge in a Garden of Cucumbers, as a befieg'd City.

Tyranny and Oppreffion, Infolence and Arbitrary Power, Diforder and Confufion overspread the whole Face of what was call'd the Commonwealth. For with that beloved Name here was Tyranny in the highest Degree; and the worst of Tyranny too, That of Inferiors over their Betters. The Nation was inflav'd by the most zealous Talkers about Liberty; and Property was destroy'd by those very Perfons who pretended to fecure it. And fo indeed it will ever be found to be: Those who make the loudeft Clamour against Tyranny and Arbitrary Power, when there is no Danger of it, unless it be for Themselves, are, to the utmost of their Ability,the most unreasonable Destroyers of Liberty, the moft Arbitrary and Infolent of Tyrants. Of which we have had much later Inftances, than those from which we were this Day deliver'd. Then, every Thing that was truly Noble, Brave, Generous, and Polite, was perfecuted and opprefs'd by fuch a Spirit of Bafenefs and Barbarity, as was never before heard of, fince the Irruption of the Goths, and Vandals into the Roman Empire. All the Plagues of Egypt almost, feem'd, in a figurative Senfe, to be at once let loofe upon us: Rivers turn'd into Blood, by the Slaughter of fo many Thousands in that unnatural Rebellion: Darknes of Ignorance and Error, even thick Darkness which

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might be, and actually was, moft feverely felt: And when the Estates of the most ancient Gentry and Nobility, were feiz'd and wafted by an hungry Plebeian Rabble, who were born to no Eftates; nay, when they swarm'd about the Court, and in the Royal Pa laces; it was Thus that the Land was devour'd by Locufts and Caterpillars; and Frogs were even in our Kings Chambers.

Then for the Church, how properly might That be call'd a Den of Thieves, when Thofe who poffefs'd its Preferments, poffefs'd them only by Robbery and Sequeftration! And all other Circumftances were exact-' ly agreeable to this; when Confufion pafs'd for Difcipline, False Doctrine for Divinity, Pedrantry for Learning, Jargon for Eloquence, Hypocrify for Holiness, and Blafphemy for Devotion. Then it was (and there could not be a more proper Seafon for it) that fo many New, Anti-religious Sects ftarted up among us, fuch as Quakers, Ranters, Muggletonians, and others of different Shapes, unheard of before in any Age of the Gospel. It was the Iniquity and Corruption of those Times, that hatch'd That numerous Spawn of strange, obfcene Herefies; as noxious Reptiles are always apt to be generated out of Filth, and Putrefaction.

Thus excellent then, as I have reprefented it, was the Jewish Conftitution, and thus excellent is Our's. And Thefe, which I have mention'd, were the Miferies which both We and They felt by having our Conftitution overturn'd. Confequently, it is too plain to require any Proof, That it was a fignal Mercy in God, to refettle our Foundations after they were fubverted. I fay it was a fignal Mercy in God to do all this. For,

II. "To bring about fuch a Reftoration, is, to the "laft degree, Difficult; and requires the immediate "Interpofition of God's Power, and Providence." Which was the fecend Thing I propos'd to Confider. It is to Him, indeed, that we ought, in a large Senfe,

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to afcribe all Events whatsoever: Our Blessed Savi-. our affuring us, that not an Hair falls from our Heads, nor a Sparrow to the Graund, without his Notice. But yet fome are more remarkable Effects of His particular Providence: They are fo great and furprizing, that humanly speaking, it is impoffible to account for them; and therefore they are to be afcrib'd to His immediate Power and Wifdom. In fuch a Cafe, All Men that fee it fhall (ay, This hath God done; for they Shall perceive that it is His Work. And certainly, there can fcarce be a greater Inftance of his extraordinary Interpofition, than turning the Bent of Popular Madnefs, New modelling a whole Nation, and restoring a Constitution after it has been once entirely deftroy'd. To call fuch Order out of fuch Confufion, is like Creating the World out of Chaos; but with God nothing is Difficult, as well as nothing impoffible. According to the Measures of Human Probability, how little Profpect had the Jews of it, when They were in Babylon? Their Chiefs and Princes were in Captivity, and their Government utterly overturn'd. They that hated them were perfectly Lords over them. The Anointed of the Lord, the Breath of their Noftrils, was not only taken in their Pits, but with this Progeny dy'd in Captivity; by which their Hopes were almoft as much extinct, as if He had been really the Breath of their Noftrils. So that a Restoration to them, was a kind of Resurrection from the Dead; for to that, at leaft, we may properly compare it, if not to a Creation, which I before-mention'd. And thus, indeed, it is compar'd by God Himself, in that Vifion of Ezekiel, which he faw, while with his Countrymen he was actually in Captivity, and a Deliverance from it feem'd impoffible. By which Vision, he had at once figur'd to him the Re-cftablishment of the Jews, and the Refurrection of all Mankind from the Dead. It is that elegant Reprefentation in the 37th Chapter of his Prophecy : Where, after having defcrib'd the Valley full of dry

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Bones, the Re-union of them, and the Reviving of those dead Bodies, he proceeds thus; Then he faid unto me, Son of Man, these Bones are the whole House of Ifrael. Behold they fay, our Bones are dryed, and our Hope is loft-Therefore Prophecy unto them, and fay, Thus faith the Lord God, Behold O my People, I will open your Graves, and cause you to come up out of your Graves, and bring you into the Land of Ifrael."

Nor was our Cafe, in all Appearance, lefs defperate, during the time of the Great Ufurpation. Our King, indeed, was not carried away, but he was driven away into Exile, tho' not into Captivity. His Enemies were not Foreigners, but (which is worfe) they were his own Rebellious Subjects; who had all the Power in their Hands, and had wholly overthrown the Constitution of the Government, both in Church and State. And yet this great Restoration was effected, not only without Bloodfhed, but even without Noife: And what was before thought impoffible, was perform'd as if it had never been Difficult. But every Body knows the exceeding Improbability, and strange Providences which visibly attended that wonderful Tranfaction. I fhall not therefore detain this Illuftrious Affembly by unneceffarily defcribing it; but fhall haften to fhew, in the next place, what Ufe we ought to make of it. My Third Obfervable therefore is this:

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III." That a Nation fo fignally deliver'd, is obli"ged both in Intereft and Gratitude, to be, for the future, entirely obedient to God's Commands, and " especially to abstain from thofe Principles, and those "Practices, which before provok'd him fo feverely to "punish them. ·

It is well known to all who are acquainted with the Stile of the Holy Scriptures, that this Expreffion, Thou shalt be called, is equivalent to Thou shalt Be; and that there are feveral other Inftances of the fame kind both in the Old and New Teftament, particularly, Matth. 5.9. Bleffed are the Peace-Makers; for they fhall

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be call'd the Children of God. Whether this latter Claufe of my Text, is to be understood (like the former) as a Prophecy; That they actually would be the City of Righ teousness, the faithful City; or only as an Admonition, that they ought to be fo, may admit of fome doubt. Because it may be a little difficult to affign the Time when that People fulfill'd this Prediction, by the Righteousness and Faithfulness of their Behaviour. However, it is moft probable, that it is to be taken, not only in the latter, but alfo in the former of these Senfes; it appearing, from the Hiftorical Account given by Ezra, and Nehemiah, that upon Rebuilding the Temple and Wall at Jerufalem, thofe that came out of Babylon, were dif pos'd to ferve the Lord with all their Heart, and fincerely to repent of all their former Tranfgreffions. And it is very likely they continu'd to do fo for many Years, tho' they afterwards relaps'd,and became more corrupt than ever. And if it be hard to fay, when they answer'd God's Expectation in this particular, I fear it is much harder to fay, when we did, or when we fhall. Tho' (bleffed be God) we have many worthy Defenders of our Constitution, who deferve all imaginable Praife and Honour; and great Numbers, who in their private Capacity, contribute their Parts to make us answer the Character given in my Text; yet confidering the wicked Principles of Many, and the wicked Practices of Moft, it is too certain, that upon the whole, we cannot, with any Propriety, be call'd, The City of Righteoufnefs, the faithful City.

For as to the firft of thefe Expreffions; can we be call'd The City of Righteousness, when all forts of Debauchery and Profanenefs have, like a Deluge, overfpread thefe Nations? When there are fo many, who even glory in their Shame, make a Science of Lewdness, and are not only Workers, but Profeffors of Iniquity; The City of Righteoufnefs? When there is fo much barefac'd, fhameless Injuftice, only out of Prepoffeffion, and Favour to a Faction? So much bitter Malice, Ly

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