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Mankindare moft guilty of it Themselves; we are forry for it, I mean for their Sakes, not for our own; heartily forry, that Men will fuffer Themselves to be fo unaccountably infatuated by the found of three or four mifapply'd Words. I only defire it may be confider'd, that the very Laws which command the Obfervation of This, and fome other Days, nay, the Prayers which we have this Morning been offering up to AF mighty God (and fure we did not mock Him, when we addrefs'd our felves to Him) are compos'd in full as fevere Fxpreffions, as any I have made ufe of.

In those Prayers we blefs God for having deliver'd us from the unnatural Rebellion, Ufurpation, and Tyranny of ungodly and cruel Men; for overthrowing the wicked Designs of thofe Trayterous, Heady,and High-minded Men,who under pretence of Religion, and his moft holy Name, had contriv'd the utter Deftruction of this Church and Kingdom. We befeech him to fend forth his Light and his Truth, for the Discovery of thofe Depths of Satan, this Mystery of Iniquity. To infatuate and defeat all the fecret Counfels of the Ungodly, to abate their Pride, affwage their Malice, and confound their Devices. To ftrengthen the Hands of our Gracious Sovereign Queen ANNE, and all that are put in Authority under Her, with Fudgment and Fuftice, to cut off all fuch Workers of Infquity, as turn Religion into Rebellion, and Faith into Faction, that they may never again prevail against us, nor triumph in the Ruin of the Monarchy, and his Church among us. However, if this foolish Prejudice grounded upon a notorious Slander, and Falfbood in Fact, muft ftill be in force against us, fo as to ftop People's Ears to the plainest and most important Truths; we must speak, notwithstanding, tho' we have not yet found out any way to do it, without Words to exprefs our Meaning: I fay, we muft fpeak, and if Others will not do Their Duty, we will do Ours. According to that Command of God to his Prophet, in the 2d Chapter of Ezekiel: A Paffage extremely applicable to the Cafe I am now mentioning; and to thofe Perfons who are obftinately guilty of the Principles I have been ex

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pofing. And he faid unto me, Son of Man I fend thee to the Children of Ifrael, to a Rebellious Matton, that hath rebell'd against ms: They and their Fa thers have tranfgrefs'd against me, even unto this very Day. For they are impudent Children and ftiff hearted. I do fend thee unto them; and thou shalt fay unto them, thus faith the Lord God. And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a Rebellious House) yet fhall know, that there hath been a Prophet among them. And thou Son of Man, be not afraid of their Words, tho Briers and Thorns be with thee, and thou doft dwell among Scorpions, be not afraid of their Words, nor be difmay'd at Looks, tho' they be a Rebellious Houfe. And thou shalt Speak my Words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear; for They are moft Rebellious.

But, perhaps, we shall be told, that we have been all this while proceeding upon a wrong Suppofition, upon a mistake in Fact; that there are no fuch Principles in Being, as Those which I have been complaining of. It is, indeed, hardly credible, that any Body fhould affert this; and yet it is common with thofe Men, to defend fuch Principles in one Sentence, and deny that there are any fuch Principles in another. According to this way of Proceeding, I fuppofe they will, in a little time, deny that there ever was any Subversion of the Government as we have been all along imagining; and confequently, that there was ever any Re-establishment of it. They already infift upon it, that there was no Rebellion; the next Step is to affert, that there was no Civil War. No; They have not fo much as heard whether there were any RESTORATION. These things they may almost as well affirm, as many other amazing Falfhoods in Fact, and Paradoxes in Reason. The Truth is, by their huddling and confounding Notions, by their labouring to darken Peoples Understandings, and pervert the Ufe of Words, They feem to have form'd a Confpiracy against Common Sense; The boldest Enterprize that ever was yet undertaken, and we hope the most unfucçefsful.

Tho'

Tho' there are too many, who are, in the highest Senfe, Obftinately guilty of thefe Wicked Tenets and Practices; yet their Numbers are fo inconfiderable, that They would not dare fo much as to fhew Themselves, were they not fupported by others, who meaning well, are misled by Thofe whofe Principles They would abhor, were they but truly fenfible and appriz'd of 'em. Tho' we heartily defire and endeavour to reclaim even the former of Thefe; yet our greateft Hopes are to undeceive, and difabufe the latter. We earneftly befeech them therefore, in the Bowels of our Lord Jefus Chrift, and as they tender both their Temporal, and Eternal Intereft, not to be amus'd with Popular Phrases, but feriously to confider thefe Things. Those who delude them, talk indeed of Peace; but We not only recommend it, but fhew them the way to it. To what purpofe is it for Men to make general Declamations in praife of Love and Unity, while by their Behaviour and Principles, they render fuch a Reconciliation abfolutely impoffible? Foram could ask the Question, Is it Peace, Jebu? But he receiv'd a very proper, tho' fharp Anfwer, What Peace, fo long as the Whoredoms of the Mother Jezebel, and her Witchcrafts are fo many? We, on the other fide, direct and fhew them how, and in what they muft unite: And how fhould that be, and in what, but in the true old Principles of the Chriftian Religion, and of that Church and State, to which We all belong? This, and This only, is the true Way to Peace and Unity. Let the Republican forfake his falfe Schemes of Government, the Deift his Infidelity, the Socinian his Herefy, the Sectary his Schifm, and all of us our Sins; and let us return to the Lord, for He will have mercy upon us, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. It is Thus that we may indeed lay afide all our Animofities, heartily reconcile in one, eafie, uniform Scheme, Take Sweet Counsel together, and walk in the Houfe of God as Friends.

And furely fuch an Union of Principles and. Affections among us, was never more necessary than it is now, in this great Conjuncture of Affairs, which is hardly to be parallel'd in Hiftory. All the World in Arms!

No

Nothing but Wars and Rumours of War!And tho' (bleffed be God) we have reasonable Hopes of a happy, and even a fpeedy Iffue; yet that Iffue is ftill in the . Hands of Providence, and confequently to us ftill uncertain. One thing we may do well to remember, that notwithstanding the Excellency and Purity of the Conftitution we enjoy, and of the Religion we profefs, we cannot be more the peculiar People of God than the Jews were; and after all the miraculous Deliverances he had afforded them, they were at laft, upon their repeated Provocations, finally extirpated without any Hopes of another Restoration. That the like dreadful Judgment may not fall upon us, let us break off all our Sins by Repentance, and in particular, be heartily Thankful to Almighty God for his extraordinary Mercies already vouchfafed to us; efpecially for that which we this Day joyfully commemorate. And for our Encouragement, there now feems to be a very promifing Profpect before us. Many who were not long fince exceedingly deluded, feem now to be in a great Measure undeceiv'd, to open their Eyes to the Truth, and to be more difpos'd to a thorough Reconciliation, than they have ever fince they were firft fo deluded. We enjoy the Happiness of a moft excellent QUEEN, Now, ferv'd and affifted by Wife, Faithful, and Religious Counsellors, and Senators; Which we of the Clergy, furely may be allow'd to say, without the least imputation of Flattery: Since not to mention what they have done to fupport and enrich the State, there has been that perform'd by Them to strengthen the Church, which cannot be equall'd fince its Reformation from Popery. However, if we muft not praise them, we may at leaft be permitted the Liberty of offering our Thanks to Them, and our Prayers for Them. May the God of Heaven and Earth reward their pious Labours, their good Will to Sion, with increase of Honour and Happinefs in this World, and with everlasting Glory in the World to come. In confideration therefore of all there great Things which have been done for us, I cannot, I

think

think, better conclude this Difcourfe, than by reciting a memorable Pallage out of another part of the Prophecy, deliver'd by the Author of my Text: Since it is wonderfully applicable, not only, to the joyful occafion of this Day, it being a Song of Triumph, upon the great Reftoration of the Jewish Conftitution, which the Prophet foretold, and which I have all along parallel'd with our Restoration; but alfo to fome other, and much later happy Events, with which it has pleas'd Almighty God, to blefs thefe finful Nations. It is in the 44th Chapter of this Prophecy; and as I repeat it let particular Notice be taken, of God's confounding the deepest Defigns laid by the wife and crafty Men of this World; and efpecially in the laft Verfe, let it be obferved, that CYRUS is in that Refpect a Parallel with Our moft Gracious and Pious SOVEREIGN, Jerufalem with our excellent Conftitution, and One Temple with FIFTY CHURCHES. The whole Paffage runs thus. Sing O ye Heavens, for the Lord hath done it; fhout ye lower parts of the Earth, break forth into Singing ye Mountains, O Forreft and every Tree therein: For the Lord bath redeemed Jacob, and glorify'd Himself in Ifrael. Thus faith the Lord, the Redeemer and He that form'd thee from the Womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things, that stretcheth forth the Heavens alone, and Spreadeth abroad the Earth by my felf: That fruftrateth the Tokens of the Liars, and maketh Diviners Mad; that turneth wife Men backward, and maketh their Knowledge Foolish: That confirmeth the Word of his Servant, and performeth the Counfel of his Meffengers: That faith to Jerufalem thou shalt be inhabited, and to the Cities of Judah, ye shall be built, and I will taife up the decay'd Places thereof: That faith of CYRUS he is my Shepheard and thall perform all my Plea, fure. Even saying to Jerufalem thou shalt be built, and to the Temple thy Foundations fhall be laid,

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