gif€. Cornell University Library The original of tliis book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31 9241 04036094 3 1924 104 036 094 THE Biibop of Glocester's Thankfgiving Sermon BEFORE THI5 KING at St Pauls, Jan. 20. 1 714. Publilh'd By his Majeftfs Special Ommmd. «' . ; The Way te Stable and §t^iet Times : ■ ^■ m l l lll M il II II, „ I, I, I l^i— WIIW ■I1 H I- — MI W M '■ SERMON Preach'd before the KING A T T H E Cathedral Church of St Faul, LONDON, O N The 2othof January , 17 14. BEING Tlie Day of Thankfgi ving to Almighty God for Bringing His M A J E S T Y to a Peaceable and Quiet Poffeffion of the Th r o n e, and thereby Difappointing tlie Defigns of the Pretender, and all his Adherents. By Ki\ ,H A R D Lord Bifliop of Glocefter. LONDON^ Printed for Matthew Wot ton at the Three Daggers In FUetftreet. M. DCC. XV. ( n ^ Li- LJL Isaiah xxxiiil 6. W^ifdom and Knowhdg JhaU be the Stability of thy Tijnes . E have now been offering up our Thanks and Praife to God for bringing his Majefiy to a peaceable and quiet Tojfeffion of the Throne ^ and thereby -dif appointing the Vefigns of the pretender and all-his Adherents. And certainly, if any Nation ever had reafon to be thankful to God, we have upon this Occafion. We fee our (elves in Peace and Quiet 5 our Laws, our Liberty arid Property pre- ferv'd ; our Excellent Church and Holy Religion fecur'd : and which of thefe could we expe<5i: to have feen, had we been de- prived of the Proteftant Succeflion ? And what makes the Bleffmg the more valuable, is, that tho we thought it worth venturing all for, and had reafon enough to apprehend it might have come to that; yet God was pleas'd to fend it us without A Blood 6 A lyian^igcvmg Shmon before Blood and Slaughter, even without a Strug- gle, and in pfoTound Peace. This, I fay, makes the Blefling the more valuable, tho perhaps i;he lels valued-: for Mankind arc too apt to value things, not according to the Good it does them, but aCc6rdirig to the ^rke it cofts them. What ftill farther enhances the Blefling, is, that we have all the Human Views that it may be durable and lafting 3 that by a. numerous Royal Progeny it may be tranf- mitted fafe to all Pofterity. Wc have nov^/ not only a fProteJlant IQng, but Chii- drerij and Ch'ildrens Children that are Plro- teftants ; which we never had at Home be- fore, and never but once Abroad^ and that in this very Fcvnily by the Princefs El't:^abeth, Daughter to King James the Firft, and Grandmother to our prefent King: but with this difference, that it was a Family then in Dillrels and Perfccution for the Protcftant Caule, it is a Family now at the Head of the Proteftant Intercftin Europe. So that we have now a comfortable Profped: before us, of the Blefling mention'd in my Text, or Jhible and fettled Times, if we are not w antinc to our felves. Perhaps D the K I N at St. Pauls. 7 Perhaps there is no Nation in the World has more reafon to be thankful to (jod, or has receiv'd more Advantages feom Him than we have : our Religion efta- blifli'd by Law is happtily reform'd from the Idolatry and Superftitions, and Tyranny of Popery 3 and we have fome Advantages in our Conftirution above all other Re* formed Churches ; our Civil Government is mild and gentle 5 the Crown has many Pi;ejrogatives to prote(5l us and do us good,: but none to invade our Liberty. , and Pro- perty : Our Country is rich and fruitful, and abounding with great Plenty .yH and^ whatever we want at Home, is by our Trade . brought to us from Abroad:: all; forts of Learning and Arts flourifli among us 5 we are by our Situation, being an> Ifland, freed from the Incurfions of Enemies, and cannot eafiiy be invaded 5 which give^ a great Security to all our other Bleflings. Thefe things, one would think, were e- nough to make a happy People 5 but after all, the matter has hitherto been otherwife, at leaft for a great while. That I may not go too far back, we can many of us re- rpember when we had a Popiffi Prince ,^ii>^ A I upor^ 8 A ThdriksgiVmg Sirmdn lefore upon the Throne, and" hbw full of Frights and fears we then juftly were, and how all true Sons of ''the Church groaned for a Deliverance : God was pleaf- ed to fend us one, to'thealraoft univerfal Joy of the Nation ^ but that was foarce* fettled before we fell into Difcontcnts, that lafted through the Fleign of our Great De- Ih^erer : which made him and us uneafy at Home, encourag'd the Common Enemy, and loft almoft all the good Effedts of vaft Sums of Alony, and the Lives of many brave Men, fpent in a War for the Defence of the. Liberty of Europe. The next Reign began with a War for the fame glorious purpofe, and was carry 'd on with fuch an amazing Torrent of Suc- cefs/r* as fcarcc any Age can parallel. We thought that then was the time to put an end to all our Fears 5 that Europe was then to be deliver'd, and Our Selves to be efta- blilli'd in Security and Honour 5 when of a fucden, for our Sins, God was pkafe'd to blaft our great Expe<5tations, and We 'fell into horrible Feuds and Fad:ions : Some were afraid of a Foreign Power and aPopifh Pretender, others v/cre afraid cf God knows what 3 tk K I N G at St. Pauls? 9 •what J and like wild Horfes, ftarting at a fhadow on one fide, were leaping down a Precipice on the other. Thus were our Tjmes unjiahle a.nd un- quiet,' full of Fears and Perplexities, when icpkas'd God to inake a Change fo rriuch of a fudden, fo unexpectedly at that time, and* in fuch a pecuHar Conjun(5lure of Af- fairs abroad, as not to give Time or Op- portunity to th€ Enemies of our Conftitu- tion to make any Difturbance 5 the Laws took place, our King was <]|uietly pro- claimcl ^nd fettled, and we truft in God- that our Times will now be eftahlijhd in Peace and Security. The. Words of my Text are fuppos'd by fome to relate to the Times of the Meflias 5 by others, more probably, to relate to He- :^kiah King of Judah, at leaft immediately 5 the with a further Reference, to the Mef- fias, as is the Cafe of many Paflages in this fublime Prophet. That they relate immediately to He:?;^' kiah, is pretty plain from the words of the firft Verfe, which cannot welt be under- ftood of any but o^ Senacherib King oi Ajfy- riay who was an Enemy to He:^kiahj and by 1 o A Thanksgiving Sermon jbefore by his great Force and Fraud was the com* inon Enemy of all the Countries abopt him at that time : Wo to thee that fpoikfi, atid thou waft Hot Jpoil*dj and dealeft treache- roujly, and they dealt not tnacheroitjly with thee i when thou fhalt ceafe to fpoil, thou ftoalt he fpoild 5 and when thou Jhalt make an end to_ deal, treacheroufly, they (hall deal treffcherotijly with thee. It is not my meaning to make any Pa- rallel betwixt thofe Times and our own ; but I (hall confider the Words in general, and from them (peak to thefe two Things, I. I (ball fliew you what is meant by Stability of Times, and how great a Blefling it is to any Nation. II. What are the beft Means^ to procure it 5 Wijdom and J^iowledg p?all he the Stability of thy Times. I. Stability of Times comprehends thefe two Particulars. 1. A Freedom from Danger of any fo*. reign Invafion to overturn the Govern- ment : whep a Nation is fo ftrong and well prepared in it felf, or fo well fortify 'd by the KiVfG at St. Pauls. ii by Alliances with others, as not to be a- fraidof any of its Neighbours, it has then Stahlity of Timef in this refpedt. 2. This alfo comprehends a Freedom from Fa^<5tions and Divifions at Home, ac leaft from fuch as may endanger the Peace and Quiet of the State. "When both thefe concur, they make the Times Jiahle 5 but if either of them are wanting, if a Nation has jilft reafon to fear either a foreign Power, or Difturbances at Home, the Times are t\\cn wtjiahkj and dangerous. I (hall have fome regard to both thefe in my following Difcourfe, but fhall chief- ly confine my felf to the latter, becaufe the Care of the firft, the Freedom from the Fear of foreign Invafions, is the Bufinefs of our Superiours, to whom it is not fit for me to give political Inftrui9:ions. The o- ther, that of Freedom from Divifions and Fa<^ions at home, does more depend upon our felves; and if we take care of that, our Governors will be able more eafily to pro- ted us from Dangers from Abroad. There needs not many words to fh^.W how gre^t a Blefling it muft be to any '^ountry to have fiahk TuneSy and to be free 1% A ^in^fVM^ ^immhfsft fee from all Faiftions and Divisions that tend to make them oclierwifcj as all ck> more or lefs. Small ones may; indeecJ fometimes be thought to do the fame Ser- vice in the State, that the Winds do irf the Air, by Motion to keep it frdrtt^ Stagnating and Putrefad:ion : But when once thefe Winds are rais'd, no body can tclhtvhen they will be laid, or how ftrong ihtf Will grow 5 and what was rais'd waritoHly, or to ferve a prefcnt Turn, m^y in time come to overturn Houfes and Churches too. How- ever, if they {hould not be carry 'd to this extremity of overturning all, yet they have many dangerous, and very ill Confecjuen- ces 3 they tend to corrupt the Manners of Men, to relax all Difcipline, to make great Partialities in the diftribution of Rewards and Punifhments 5 to fill Men full of Pique and Malice, Anger and Refentrnent againft one another 5 to raife Lyes, and Calumny, and Slander, and by degrees to take away all Senfe of Charity and Juftice too, \6 far as Parties are concernd. And when things are come fo far as this, they are in great danger of proceeding farther j, Men are apt to lofe all Senfe of publick Good, and ( 1 ike King at St. Pauls. 1 5 and fte, hut be gentle towards all Men, in Meeknefs injlruii'mg thofe thai oppofe themfehes, if God . peradVen- ture will give them (^pentance to the JckrioW" ledjrment of the Truth. '•■ - Not that it is fit for Men to come to an Indifference in Matters of Opinion, either with refped: to themfelves or others. The Divine Life is indeed the great Point to be minded, but that muft be founded up- on the Principles of the Chri/lian'Faith 3 and therefore St. Taul puts Faith and a good Coufcience together, as both neceffary, and the one to be built upon the other : and fomecimes wh^c is not diredly neceffary to the Divine Life, may be nefc^ffary to make ti^ |Ci N G at St. Payls. 19 make a cdnfiftehc Sckeme of the Chriftian Religion. Some Errors that have not a di- ted: Influence upon Practice J may yet be very diftipnouiable- to God 3 befides, that many things, not quite neceflary, maybe very ufeful : We fhould therefore ftudy to ■find out the Truth, and have a Zeal for it, and .^c^deavourby a.11 ways, confiftent with Humanity and Charity, to promote it : But the contrary Methods, of fiery Zeal, and a perfecuting Spirit, generally fuppofe want of Truth at bottom, are di- red;ly coritrary to the true Spirit of ChrifJ. tianity, and highly tend to the Difturbanc? of the World. St. James fays. That jfjie haye bitter ErtvyingSy or, as it ought rather to be tranflated, hitter Zed and Strife, in your Hearts, glory .mty and lye not-'dgainji the Truth 'j this Wifdom comes not from aboye, but is earthly, fenfual, deVtlijh j for it>here Zeal and' Strife is, there is Confujton, and eyery. eyil *Work_: . Give: me leave to make Tome few Re- marks upon thefe words : . . > I. How apt People have been in all Ages of, the Church to deceive both them- -Telves and others with this falfe Zeal, to glory lo J Thdrtks^in^ Sermon hefore glory in ic themfelves, and to be admir'd ror ic by others. 2. That whatever fair Appearance this bitter Zeal may carry with ic of a Con- cern for God's Truth and Religion, it is indeed nothing but a Pretence to cover o- ther Defigns ; it is lyin^ againfi .the Truth, pretending a Zeal for that, when other Confiderations have the fecret and grcic Influence. 3. That however this may be thought a wife Method to promote any Party, it is fuch Wifdom as comes not from Aho^e, does not proceed from the Holy Spirit of God. The Apoftle^ in the nextVerfes, tells u«, That th Wifdom that is from dboWj is firft pure, then peaceable^ gentle, and (afy to he in- treated, full of ^fercy and good fntits, mthoHt Partiality, and without Hypocrify : Thofe are the Charad:eriftick Marks of that Wifdom that is infpir'd into Men by God's Holy Spirit 5 and nothing that is peevifti and pafTionate, fierce and fiirious, cTuel and re- vengeful, can come from him. Thelc Things are every where in Scripture de- fcrib'd as the Worh of the Fkfhj whatever the f^^'KiNG at Sf.'Paiits.' 21 the Pretence may be wherewith they are coloured over. 4. And therefore the Apoftle tells us, in che fourth place, 'that this Wirdom is earth' bi fenjualy dfoitijh'y chat is, that it generally proceeds either from".f Or, .' daftly, that it proceeds :. from Hhe Jriftigation »> of the Devil. From oneof thefe, or from all * together, this Wifdom proceeds, which Men are (b f -apt to' glojcy > in, l i and .to be ad- mir'd for. 5. The laft Argum£nt he makes ufe of, is, from fee mifchievous Eflfe^s of this ^bitter Zeal 5 that the Produce of it' is X'on- fujiofij and'0e^fy eVil WQvk. The truth is, that where this Spirit much reigns, tho it may bring in a great deal of Talk about' Religion, yet it com- C monly 22 A Thank^gmr^ Sermon ihef ore monly blaftsall the true and genuine Fruits of it. It is a great Enemy to Devo- tion and the heavenly Life, becaufe that requires Recollection and Retirement with- in our felves, and a fedate, eafy, quiet Spirit: befides, that when Peoples Heat vents fo outward, very little is apt to re- main within, to warm the Heart with true Devotion. But it is ftill a much greater Enemy to all the fociable Virtues, that tend to preferve the Peace, and Quiet, and Happinefs of the World : inftead of Love and Charity, and Good-Will, and a Defire to do good-Offices to one another, which are the great Chriftian Virtues, it com- monly produces Hatred and Variance, Jea- loufies and evil Surmifes, rude Word? and rude Behaviour, Lyes and Slanders: and thefe provoke the Heat farther, till it may be, whole Countries are rang'd into Pay- ties mortally hating one another 3 and not only allfcnfe of Charity, but efenof com- mon Juftice is loft among them. And thqn Confufan and eyery eVi/ Work, is ^nkkly ^^h . ^* follem. Th«re the King at St. Pauls. ' 15 Thefe things 'are not mere Speculations, but fuch as have commonly happen d in the World; and the Hiftories of moft Countries give us many difmal Examples of them. This Spirit indeed, if foUow'd to the utmoft, may make Peace, as it is where the Inquifition reigns ; but then it is Peace with- out Light, it is Quiet like the Horror of >ilight ; and the beft that can be faid of it is, that it is Peace made by the Breach of the moft Fundamental Rules of Humanity, and by dethroning Jefus Chrift from go- verning the Confciences of Men, and making their Faith depend upon the Didates of their Fellow-Creatures. But where a Church is already divided, even this can't be pro- cur'd without the greateft Convulfions. To conclude this Head : The Scripture makes Charity to be the greateft Duty of Re- ligion, and even prefers it before Faith it felf ; and indeed if Religion be divefted of Charity, it is fo far from making Men more like God, the great Fountain of Good- nels, that it makes them more like the Devil than otherwife they would have been, more favage and cruel than human Nature is C 2 well 14 A Tlwikgiying SerffKHiiefrre well capable of "without it," becaufe it Joes, in' a manner, licdnfe artd fatidltify the v^o*ftj Paffions that belong to us. ■' Armies havt fometirhes done barbarous thitigs, ill fack- ing of Towns J but it has generally bten when they have been provokd ^by Hird- fhips-'dnd Dangers Uiffet'd beforehand: but vety few Armies can be ptevail'd' upon to rtiaffacre theil- Fellow-Subjeds, in cold Blood, and' without provocation, alld^to do ih vi ith. all: the Circumftantes of Rage, attd an infulting Joy : and yet this has often been done by this falfe Zeal for Religion.- "f Perhaps h6 Prince had ever Co much na* f«r^/' Barbarity', -■ al' to foi-ce two ^'hundred thoufand of his iStibjeds, who had deferv'd well of him, ''and were guilty of no Crime, to defert their Country 5 aiid yet this we hm feen dt>iA for Religioh in our Timd >To namd no''nibre3 What Prince > Wis ever Co cruel' to his' Subje(5l3, as to^efta- blifli common Courts of Juftiee with fueh barbarous Rdes as thofe of the IncjuilTdJon ? And yet this falfe Zeal has made thac be reputed J h'oIyV^e^ and' neceflary for. the Prefervation <5f ?the Faith. I the King ar Sf. Pauls. tx i^ ■ 'J. I have infifted Bpanthis fo long, to give US' a jiift Abhorrence of Popery,' and to- make us feMble of she' great Bleffings of ©or prefeiy 'hkppy Settkment, that has-pre- vented J' our falling under ih^^ Rage and Criiidty of that ReligiomoiMi .-l' . ' q The Inference we flioulH make from the whole, is, that a' iPme^^Mt Country can nev^ haVe Jiable Times under a ^opip) Prince,^ any more than a Flock of Sheep 'can have «^uiet whin a Wolf is their Shepherd: The bufinefs of a ^olf is not to feed and pro- tect, but, to tear and to devour : *^ And is not dUs the bufinefs of Popery, 'whenever it has Power over Proteftants ? ■' The Princes of- that Religion, no doubt, ^ have as much natural Humanity as -other People 5 hat that is never to be trufted to^ when -it fhali be told 'emj that it is not only their Duty, ^ but highly meritorious to bcinhii- man. Whit fad Expe<^atiofiis muft a Pecr- pk have from a Prince,' wh^ looks upon chek Religion to be, a GrimelWorfe than High'Treafvn Qr Wtt-dxraft ? and which by the Laws t)f his Church, ought to have at kdlis fevere i* Pumffiment, " t hat -of being burn'd alive, v-* It may be indeed, that a I \ ' Prince 26^ A Ikimksgi^in^ Sermon before Prince may, not begin with that, if "the Numbers are very great ; either fome Re- mains of Humanity, or Fear of a general Revolt, or Policy, not of a fudden to dif- people a Country, may, for fome time, lufpend the utmoft Extremity 5 but there are other ways of Oppreflion that will be fenfibly felt : Way will be made, either to terrify, or to corrupt the Great Men with Places and Penfions j the Churcti-men that ftand moft in their way, will be turn'd out, and others more complying put in their Places. A Standing-Army will awe the reft, which fuch a Prince, for the fu- ture, will take care not to make of ^ro- tefiants. Our Liberties will be invaded, our Laws difpens'd with, t our Schools and "tlnivetfities corrupted; and if any en- deavour to ftand up for, their Religion or Liberties, it will oe called Sedition or Rebellion, efpecially fince what ho/s hapneel. And in the mean tinae. Mens Hearts will fail 'em for fear, and for looking at what is coming upon us. We (hall be forecafting to what Country we (hall fly to fave uis from the impending Storm j the Rich, that can tranfmit theii; Mony abroad, will fly tk King at St. Pauls. 27 fly firft. This will put almoft a total flop to Trade and Commerce; by degrees, many will be gain d over j especially, fince there will be no hope of Succour or Refoutce 5 becaufe, whatever becomes of the imme- diate Pxetender, there are a long Train of Popifli Succeflbrs, and fome of 'era the greateft Princes in Europe. When thefe fteps have made way, then;, if not before, more open Violence would be us'd, Imprifonments, Dragooning, Burn- ing, and God knows what. This is the Prolped which a Proteftant Country muft have from a Popifli Prince 5 and no Pro- mifes, no Oaths before-hand, can be any Security. According to the Principles of Pppery^ fuch Oaths muft be unlawful in themfelves, and therefore cannot bind; or however, will be eafily difpcns'd with, as we our felves, by fad Experience, have found under two Popifli Reigns : the firft of which, that of Queen Mary, after cor- rupting a Parliament with Spaiiiifh Mony, quickly went on to burning ; the other was making large Steps : and had not God fent us a Deliverance, we had been, at this time, *time, t1ie««^ mife^able Coimtry in tjic World. - Let Hs 'd*erefofie aU join h^artilly ifi iWeflSng and praJfing God, that none oif ^fe things are conne upon i^, and that we have great reafon to hope they never •will 5 -th^ we have the Proteft^rt Succef- 'fion quietly fettled at Monae, and own*d by all the Princes Abroad. It 'bars 'been a great Matter" of Conteft aniong us, whether it were in danger or HOC 3 I 'wifti that the-undutifol -Carriage of ^many, «ven at prefent, had riot p.ut if dut of Cornell : bat however that be, if it were in danger, we 'have great reafon to *thank God'for our Deliverance .; if it was not in danger, -W€ 'have the more teafg/n to thank God that it had fo many Friends. ; I might 'add, as a farther Motive to 13iankTgrving, the perfohal Qualifi(;ati6tis of our Excfllent KingV and Prince atwl Princefs, and th€ ve*y promifing Hopes ot the Royd.Hrue:'.^ Bat I know •in,\^hk Prefence I am, arid our Bpfme(s here. is not to praife ^ew, but to praifc God : ; I fhall therefore beg lea^'^e to pafs that Mat- tw wholly over, trufting that it will be fufficiently the K, J. -so at St. Pauls. 29 fyfiici^iitly d\(Qoyetd in a long Courf? 9^ good Governmehr, and that they will All be belpt'^ and admir'd fieTej ^^ it is cer- tain they were in the Country ?hey have kft to come and make us happy, Whut then remains, but tl^^t >ve all of us, in Guy feveral Stations, ^ndeayour to make this BlefSng perpetual ? In the firft place, by a hearty Zeal for, arid dutiful Submiflion to the Government which God has in great Mercy fecur'd to us * le-t ijs h^yt & care not to make Fadions of Di- viiSons, or entertain falfe and groundlefs Fears, which are rais'd by wic^ked Men to #arry on Defign3 which tbey daye a^t p- penly avow: we may d?pcn4 upon ir, that it is an Emmy that fows thefe Tarei'm ihe Field. But abovaali, let us endeavour to ri^^ke God our Friend 5 let us humbl? Qur fclvgs before him for the great mi crying Sins of the Nation J and let us all do what we can to put a ftop to that Spirit qf Prg- fanenefs and Irreligioti, that Contempt of God, and his Word, and that great Cor- ruption of MiUiners which flili tqo much D iremains^ ^"o A Thanksgiving Sermon before remains, notwithftanding all God's Mer- cies to us. This is the true way to make fiable Tttncsj and without this we can never be fecure. A wicked People have always rea- fon to be afraid of the Judgments of Cod, and if they remain impenitent, the greatrt •reafon to fear, by how much greater the Favours are which they have received from him. If we remain barren and unfruitful, notwithftanding all the care that God has taken of us, what have we to expcdt but the fad Sentence, of Cut it down, why cum" hers it the Ground ? If we abufe, or make no good ufe of our ^Bibles, which are the Religion of Proteftants,, why fhould we not expe(5l that God will in time take them from us, notwithftanding all the pro- mifing Hopes we have ? But befides this, Wickednels in its own nature tends to make unjiable Times. The Scripture fays. That the Wicked are like the troubled Sea, fub- je