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SERMON

Preached on Occafion of the

REBELLION in SCOTLAND,

At the

Parish-Church of St. James, Westminster,

And

The CHAPELS belonging to it,

Odober 6, 13, 1745.

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2 SAM. X. 12.

Be of good Courage, and let us play the Men for our People, and for the Cities of our God: And the Lord do that which feemeth him good.

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ANY of you, I hope, remember, that I difcourfed to you upon these Words, a Year and feven Months ago *: when God, for our Sins, threatened us firft, with what, for the Continuance of them, he hath at length permitted to fall on Part of this Land. The Renewal, and nearer Approach, of the fame Danger, requires a more earnest inculcating of the fame Exhortations. For perhaps we may now lay to Heart the Things we did not then. It is very true, the Pulpit ought never to be prophaned, and I trust never hath or fhall by me, to ferve the Purposes of Party-Intereft; or intermeddle with Points of a Political Nature, about which

any

*February 26, 1743-4.

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the

the Friends of their Country, that think at all, can poffibly be of different Opinions. But the present is a common Cause, affecting every one of us, without Diftinction, in what is most important to us: and God forbid, that the Minifters of the Gospel should be either unwilling or afraid to speak, when his Providence calls on them fo loudly, to lift up their Voice. Should the Storm, which is now beating on many of our Fellow-Subjects, be dispersed by infinite Goodness ever fo foon and fo intirely, without reaching Us; it may yet be of unspeakable Ufe, to have made the proper Reflexions and Refolutions, whilst it was approaching towards us. And should the Almighty suffer us to feel it, as we have well deserved; nothing, but thinking and behaving rightly under his Judgments, can give us Hope of his Mercy to moderate and shorten them.

Now whatever is requifite for these Ends, is clearly comprehended in the Words of the Text: which bring naturally to our Thoughts the three following Particulars.

I. The Interefts we have at ftake. Our People, and the Cities of our God.

II. The

II. The Spirit, which we ought to fhew in defending them. Be of good Courage, and let us play the Men.

III. The humble Dependance on Heaven, which we ought to exercise at the fame time. And the Lord do that which feemeth him good.

I. The Interefts we have at ftake. Our People and the Cities of our God: in other Words, our Civil Rights and our Religion.

The Defence of their Perfons and Poffeffions against lawless Power, and the secure Enjoyment of the Means of Happiness heret and hereafter, were the great Motives, that induced Men to submit originally to Government. And every particular Government is good or bad, as it answers or fails of anfwering these Purposes. Now in our own, as it stands at prefent, our Liberties are greater than those of any other Nation upon Earth: we enjoy them fo fully, that we abuse them beyond Example: and, I believe, no one Perfon amongst us, of Knowledge and Confideration, doth or can fufpect our King of having the least Design to infringe any Branch of them. The private Property of the very Meanest

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