IT is no small Part of the Duty of Zion's Watch­men to observe, and lead their People with them into a religious Improvement of Particu­lar Providences. And since these Days are very remarkable,—wherein the Heads of our Country are gone forth in solemn Form to re­ceive and entertain the Messengers of the Nation in a Treaty with them on the very important Articles of Peace, and of their receiving the glorious Gospel of Salvation; I have turned my Thoughts on this Subject as a proper Means of leading up our moved Affections to the pious Exercises that are proper on this great Occasion: Here every one, who considering the already distressed State of the Land, and the many Evils that would attend a bloody War with the deceitful Heathen on our Borders shall eagerly ask the important Question, What shall one then answer the Messengers of the Nation? Is furnished with an answer of Divine certainty, That the Lord hath founded Zion: and the Poor of his People shall trust in it. The [Page 2] Prophet Isaiah was sent and continued by God to the backsliding Jews a very great while, Isa. 1. 1. and the Subject of his large and excellent Prophesy, besides that of it which relates to the Coming of Christ and Spreading of his Gospel, is chiefly a Representing to the Jews the great and dreadful Calamities which God would bring upon them for their Sins, and that by the Assyrians, Chal­deans, &c. And also his Restoring them to Favour after a longtime; And punishing their Enemys in a most fearful manner. God had nourished up and increased the Tribes of Israel and Judah to be his own peculiar People, but they at length basely forsook the God of their Fathers, therefore he stired up against them the Heathen that were round about them, and made them the Rod of his Anger, to punish that hypocritical Nation; But they, as is common in such Cases, went beyond their Commission as Executio­ners and lavish'd their own Rage and barbarous Cruelties upon the miserable People that were put into their Hands to be chastised, (which temper it is likely made David avoid falling into the Hands of Men, 2 Sam. 24 14.) Therefore God would not leave them unpunished, but by this Prophet fore­told their destruction too. And among these Heathen E­nemys of the Lord's People, they who made no small Fi­gure were the Chaldeans on the North, whose borders were vastly extended, and their Metropolis was Babylon; And the Philistians on the South-west, and the Desolation of these two is foretold in the 13 & 14 Chapters: And from the 28 verse of this chapter to that which I have named for my Text, is particularly exhibited the utter Downfall of the Philistians, who were such near and bad Neighbours and often such very cruel Enemies to the Jews. And it is very likely that they with the other neighbouring Na­tions might at that time look upon the Poverty of the Jews with Disdain and enquire of them occasionally and tauntingly too, how they would escape being an easy Prey to their Enemies if there should be a War with them? And at the Conclusion of these Predictions, comes in my Text, which is an heroic Strain of the Prophet's Acknow­legement and Praise to the Sovereign Author of Juda's Salvations, and a very pious Direction, shewing how the Lord's defended People should improve such Favours. [Page 3] What shall one then answer the Messengers of the Nation. Or, And what shall, or, What shall therefore be answer'd by any one, to the Messengers of the Nation? The Am­bassadors of any People or Nation that should be sent to the Jews on any Occasion whatsoever: And of such Mes­sengers there is great and frequent Occasion in the Affairs of every Nation or People, to treat with one another on the important Business of Peace and War; to settle the limits of Trade and Commerce: Or to congratulate or condole with one another in particular Circumstances, and the like. And some would have it understood of any Strangers that should occasionally repair to the Jews. And the Answer is, That God hath founded or established and secured Zion: and the poor of his People shall trust in it. Zion was the City of David, the Metropolis of the Jews: And that Name is often used to signify the Church or People of God; such as are called by his Name, are care­ful of his Worship and Ordinances, and do depend upon his Protection. And in this latter sense, at least in Con­junction with the former, I suppose the Word to be used here: And so I shall further discourse of my Text under these two general Heads,

Doct. 1. That God hath so established his Church in the World, as that his People in their greatest Poverty and Distress, may safely trust therein for Protection from their Enemies.

Doct. 2. That it is the Duty of the Lord's People care­fully to let others, and especially the Heathen round a­bout them know what their Dependence is.

Doct. 1. That God hath so established his Church in the World, as that his People in their greatest Poverty and Distress, may safely trust therein for Protection from their E­nemies. And here I shall shew,

1. What is intended by Men's trusting in Zion, or the Church of God for Safety and Protection from their Ene­mies. 2. The Truth of the Doctrine—And 3. The Reason of the Doctrine as it relates to Men's Practice: Or the na­tural Connection that there is between Religion and temporal Safety To shew,

1. What is intended by Men's trusting in Zion or the Church of God for Safety and Protection from their Enemies.

[Page 4] It supposes their constant and industrious care in the ordi­nary Methods of Defence, hoping in and waiting for the ful­filment of Gospel Promises in a way of careful and sincere O­bedience to the Rules of it. Such as expect the special Ap­pearances of Providence to the obtaining for or securing to them any Favour, must carefully imploy all their own Powers in a regular way of obtaining that end for them­selves, or else they expect that Favour in an unreasonable way; for how can Men look that God should do any thing for them while they are either too lazy or too wil­ful to do what they can for themselves? And this Argu­ment will appear in the most convincing Light, if we con­sider such Indolence, Wilfulness and Negligence, to be as they really are, a very great degree of disobedience to and contempt of God, who has given them their Powers to be always used in a rational Way. The impotent Man must strive to stretch forth his hand at Christ's bidding, or else he could have had no hope of a Cure, Mat. 12. 13. And Gideon with his little Army must go forth in Warlike Form against Midian, altho' God had determined to de­stroy those Enemies miraculously, Judg. 7. 15, &c.

And having applied their own Care and Labour, they must humbly look to God for the fulfilment of his Promises to them: And this naturally supposes their pious Care to evidence, That they are indeed his People, for why else do they come to him? It must be allowed by all, That they who expect the Favours of God's Church, must be within its Walls, and this cannot be without obeying its Rules and Ordinances. And that Church or People who as a Body do yield a careful and sincere Obedience to the Rules of the Gospel, do thereby dis­cover themselves to be the Subjects and Servants of God, and may lay just claim to his Patronage and Pro­tection, Isa. 33 20, 22. And where this Obedience is wanting, they are the Enemies of God and may expect to be treated accordingly, what ever distinguishing names of Virtue or Religion they may take to themselves. While the Jews continued a pure Church, they al­ways had large experience of the Divine Honours and Protections so bestowed on them, as that they knew it to be because they were the Lord's People, and this [Page 5] mightily confirmed their Confidence & Joy in God, Psal. 62. 8. But at length they vainly run over to a carnal Con­fidence in the external part of their Church Privileges, while they sadly neglected the Spirit and Power of God­liness. And God reproaches them for it, and professes his design to cast them off, altho' they were called by his Name, Jer. 7. begin to ver. 15. The Sum of all this is plain­ly shewn in the Terms of that Covenant stipulation, Jer. 7. 23. Obey my Voice and I will be your God, and ye shall be my People, and walk ye in all the Ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you Thus O­bedience is the only Evidence of our Subjection to God; and this Subjection is our only Title to Safety. Jotham's Parable in Judg. 9. 15. instructs us here.

And then I come to shew,

2. The Truth of the Doctrine. And to render it plain and easy, I Premise,

1. Respecting the Circumstances of the People to be de­fended: That their greatest Distress and Poverty, is no bar or difficulty in the way of their Protection, unless they have forfeited this by their disobedience. So the Lord's People in the greatest Distress and Poverty, are to trust in him, with whom it is equal to save by many or by few, by strong or weak means. It was a time of sore Affliction and Poverty in Israel, which well might, and it is likely did make be­holders wonder, and enquire how they should be secured from becoming an easy prey to their neighbouring Enemies, unto which the Answer in my Text refers, That the Lord hath founded Zion and the poor of his people shall trust in it. And

2. Respecting the extent of the temporal Protection of the Lord's People, exhibited in my Text and Doctrine: That altho' this is confirmed to them in the way of a Cove­nant, As 2 Chron. 33. 7, 8. Jer. 7. 23, & elsewhere; O­bedience and Trust being the terms on their part, and Pro­tection and Safety the terms on God's part; and there­fore this is justly to be looked upon as the determined and ordi­nary way in which God will deal with his People, and they may safely depend upon it always: yet why may he not in his absolute Sovereignty sometimes go out of this ordinary way, if he pleases? But then it shall always be for their extraordi­nary good: As in the case of Job. Thus it is a Scripture [Page 6] Rule, that all Men shall dye: yet God sometimes goes out of this ordinary way, by virtue of his own Royal Sovereign­ty: But then it is always better for them that are so treated, then if they were dealt with in the ordinary way: As in the Instances of Enoch and Elijah. And with constant re­spect to these things premised. I now proceed to shew,

The Truth of the Doctrine: That God hath so established his Church in the World, as that his people in their greatest Poverty and Distress, may safely trust therein for Protection from their Enemies. And this appears,

1. From the Promises that God has made to his people, that it shall be so. As Psal. 132. 13, 14, & 18. And God repeats His Promises of this kind to them in the Form of a Cove­nant, as Jer. 7. 23. And it is justly reckoned among the grievous Aggravations of Manasseh's sins, that he so base­ly forfeited and despised those temporal Favours that were so plainly made over to him in case of his Obedience, 2 Chron. 33. 7, 8 And here I observe; That tho' these Pro­mises were made directly to the Jews, yet being made to them as the Lord's People, they are to be applyed to all those, to the end of the World, who can lay a just claim to the Character of the Lord's People. Thus when the great charge & business of conducting Israel into the land of Canaan was laid upon Joshua, the Almighty to support and encourage him under that burden, made this Promise to him, Deut. 31. 8. And the Lord he it is that goeth before, he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: Fear not—Which is applyed to all Christians as an argument against Covete­ousness, and to promote our trust and dependance on Provi­dence, in the way of our Duty, Heb. 13. 5. 6.— For he hath said, (he said it to Joshua,) I will never leave thee nor for­sake thee, so that we, we Christians, unto the end of the World may boldly say; The Lord is my helper: And I will not fear what Man shall do unto me. And the Truth of the Doctrine appears.

2. From Scripture History, wherein we see promised delive­rance from their Enemies, constantly fulfilled for the Lord's Peo­ple, while they exercised their dependance on him for it, evi­denced by their obedience. I might here mention a vast series of great Salvations bestowed on Israel on this score, because they were the Lord's People; and consider with what aw­ful [Page 7] Terror and divine Majesty God himself was wont to come down to fight their Battles for them. This is fre­quently described in a stile and language most august and divinely Magnificent, as in Psal 18. also in the Song of Moses, Deut. 32. and of Deborah and Barak, Judg. 5. And the Prayer of Habakkuk, Chap. 3. which I might read to you, with many other such like Historical Passages in sacred Scripture: But I must leave them to your Perusal.

¶ And I further remark to you, how carefully God Almighty informs us in his Word, of the reason why the Lord's People were from time to time delivered over to their Enemies, viz. Be­cause they forsook their God first: And then He forsook them. Read the whole 78 Psal and many other places. And it is very wonderful to see God himself condescending to ex­postulate this case with us after the manner of Men, as if he was grieved at our folly in forsaking his temporal Pro­tection Psal. 81. 13 to the end. O that my people had heark­ned unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways: I should soon have subdued their Enemies and turned my hand against their adversaries. The haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto him: But their Time should have endured for ever. He should have fed them also with the finest of the Wheat; and with Honey out of the Rock should I have sa­tisfied thee. And I add,

3. The Experience that we have had of God's Protecting his own People in this Land while they were obedient to him. And here I shall offer many things which are very remarkable, and a pious Remembrance and Consideration of them will strongly urge our Reformation, by a most careful Obedience to and strong Dependance on God, who was peculiarly our Father's God, and who will be with us while we are with him. And in recollecting them I will view the Land in its Prosperous, and in its Calamitous State, respecting its Enemies.

¶ And First, In the series of New England's Prosperity.

And here it is always to be considered, That the principal Business & Aim of these very pious & worthy Men who first settled New-England Anno 1620. was, that they might freely enjoy the pure Dispensation of Gospel Ordinances themselves; And promote them also a­mong the Heathen. This! This was their noble Design [Page 8] when they first planted this Wilderness and brought the Gospel hither, when the Land was full of miserable and cruel Wretches, whose God was the Devil, and their Re­ligion, Morals and Happiness too, were agreable with what might be expected in the Servants of such a Prince.

¶ And God remarkably directed their Course; for who can name any thing but even the miraculous Favours of Hea­ven that protected their Settlements when they came, full indeed of Faith and Good Works, but with their very small Numbers and very feeble Strength, into this vast and cold Wilderness, full of the fierce Subjects of Satan, who gnashed their Teeth and gaped upon them like voracious Dragons, and would have swallowed them up alive as the Grave, and whole as those that go down into the Pit: But the Lord blowed upon their frequent Attempts, and confounded their Counsels when he remembred his Cove­nant for his Obedient People, who followed him into this desert Land: And he was not a Wilderness to them, or Land of Darkness, but gave them great Occasion to say as Hab. 3. 12. Thou didst march through the Land in Indig­nation, thou didst thresh the Heathen in Anger. And so vi­sible was the hand of God in this Matter as to put that in­to their Mouth, Psal. 18. 29. For by thee I have run through a Troop. And Deut. 32. 30 How should one chase a thou­sand, and two put ten thousand to flight.—Here we may en­numerate the frequent and fierce Sallies which the Hea­then with their cruel Multitudes made on them, but to their own shame and damage, in the very early settling of the Country: And particularly the first War which they formally made upon them, The Pequot War Anno 1637. which though it was by the most powerful, warlike, fierce and cruel of all the Tribes in the Land, who had of long time been a Terror to their neighbouring heathen Nations, and were then resolved to blot out the New English Name in the Earth: Then the Sword of the Lord did so visibly pursue them, as to finish that War in a very few Months, and that with little Damage to the English, without the loss (I think) of one Life: But such fatal Destruction of the aggressing Enemy, as hath scarce left the Name and Memory of them in the whole Earth. Hab. 3. 13. Thou wentest forth for the Salvation of thy Peo­ple, [Page 9] even for Salvation with thine Anointed. Thou woundest the Head out of the House of the Wicked, by discovering the Foundation unto the Neck. Selah.

¶ And further, But bare Justice to those our Ancestors obliges me to remark when I mention them in this Case: And I would now do it also to stir up our Reformation and devout Care to keep very close to the Worship and Ordi­nances of God: That there never was one considerable Breach made upon this Land by its Enemies ^* until the first Gene­ration were gone off, and the standing Inhabitants of the Coun­try had very openly forsaken that Interest which was the pro­fessed design of their Fathers in coming hither: Which I will next consider.

And alass! as it is natural to the Children of Men to despise that which they easily possess; so here, the pure Ordinances of the Gospel, most, freely enjoyed, appeared, in the next Generation, to grow cheap in their Eyes, which they plainly discovered by a parcimonious Treatment of it, as to its Support ^‖; and this strangely gained upon the Land from a levelling Spirit [a destroying Spirit;] which then unhappily prevailed ^† (a natural Effect of a Peo­ple's passing from a state of Oppression to desirable Free­dom (for unless there be the utmost Guard against it, they in that Case imitate a Pendulum which drawn from the Center and let loose, swings violently as far into the con­trary Extream, as it was forced from the true Center before) 'till at length the whole Land was perverted, for Rulers and People became guilty together, when the Government allowed their People even to Settle many Towns without the [Page 10] Ordinances of the Gospel among them, and that on the beau­tiful Sea-shore in the eastern parts of the Province for a­bout an hundred Miles together, which were eminently among the Heathen: And in many other Places the Gospel was almost starved out: And then a sad Crisis indeed was formed and dreadfully perfected in the distempered Coun­try; for any one might most plainly see that the People had forsaken the Design and Covenant Obligation of their Fathers that first came hither: Alas! how had they left their first Love? For their Practice did then proclaim a­loud that it was not a thing of necessary Importance with them whether the Gospel was carefully promoted or not. And I suppose that the saving of so considerable a Charge was the guilded Bait that allured the blinded People into that fatal Snare that Satan had so craftily, and alass how success­fully lay'd for them! And no doubt but the Dragons of the Infernal Pit prided themselves in this Advantage they had gotten against New-England, knowing how God would deal with a favourite People in such a Case; As Isa 57 17. For the Iniquity of his Covetousness was I wroth and smote him.

And secondly, Here begins the very calamitous state of New England, with respect to her Enemies, which I pro­pose next to consider.

¶ And I believe that no serious thinker, who considers that whole case, can do other than judge that that plain & great Apostacy must needs be very grievously provoking to God, that had marvellously nourished up and defended his People here, to advance the known ends of their Settling the Country, which that Generation had then so far deserted: And He alarmed them with two notable Earthquakes ^‖ which should have stired up the Inhabitants to consideration and amendment, but if that were the design of them, they failed of their end, and left the ungrateful Land sadly open to God's Judgments, which covered & impoverished it in a few Years: Deut. 32. 20, 21.— And He said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: For they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no [Page 11] faith They have moved me to jealousy—they have provoked me to anger—And I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a People, I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. For the Heathen Nations round about them being made the Rod of God's Anger, did gather themselves to Battle, and broke in upon the People with barbarous Mur­ders and open War ^† which reached in the space of twenty days about 240 Miles, i. e. ^* from the most southerly bor­ders of this Province, to the most northerly and easterly Limits of all the English Settlements. And that was a most heavy War: It continued with, often but short, and always very precarious Cessations for a great many Years And in it the rage of the Heathen proceeded with great success: They gloried in their Victories when they had burnt up all the Towns in a fair and beautiful Country on the Sea-shore about an hundred Miles, dismantled and destroyed all their strong Forts and Garrisons, left their pleasant Fields to be­come a Wilderness, and were the proud Owners of the Mul­titude of their Inhabitants, and of their Wealth: Yea, they infested the very Bowels of our Country, and drew nigh and threatned the Metropolis itself; and with what amaze­ment & horror was the Land then filled? Labourers were cut off in the Meadows and Fields, strong Men fell down wounded in the Streets; and Men of War ambushed, and slain in their going forth, as by the Leopards of the desart that lurk privily for their Prey; so that our Highways were untroden, and the Dwellings in the borders of the Towns forsaken, as in Israel in the days of Shamgar & Jael, Jud. 5. And every one justly feared the Alder in the path, and the noise of the Archers in the places of drawing water. And how loud & bitter were the incessant Cries, with which bereived Multitudes lamented their Friends, either Slain, or carried away Captive, and many of them, especially Female Chil­dren retained to be either Paganized by their barbarous Owners, or Sold to be cloystered up in Nurserys of Impiety, where some of them yet remain; a heavy burden to their distressed Parents and Friends? How many Children be­rieved of their Parents, and gray headed mourning for the [Page 12] Sons of their Old Age; Widows crying out for the Husband and Guide of their Youth; and Rachels weeping for their Children? And among the residue of the People, how many halted with their Wounds? And there are some now alive, that were cast down wounded by them, and left among the Slain in a most forlorn state, who yet escaped with the skin of their Teeth, while their mossy Heads do always mind them of their Hairy Scalp pluck'd off, and carryed away in tri­umph, to witness for the Numbers they had slain. Well might the Inhabitants then shake and tremble, thro' Fear and dreadful Expectation, when they were thus beset with a fierce People that were armed against them on every side, and flushed with Victories: And a People dark and cruel like the Infernal Regions; of a stammering speech also, that they could not understand, and their Numbers covered the Mountains And where they prevailed on Towns or Fami­lies, their Behaviour was often most inhuman: They regard­ed not the face of old Men; and tender & delicate Women they carryed into a most difficult, long and perilous Cap­tivity, and the flower of our Youth, they trod as in a Wine Press; nor had they any pity on the fruit of the Womb, they dashed the little Children in pieces; and Tears of Blood are an Emblem low enough to lament the unheard of Cruelties often devised for the Tormenting of them that fell into the hands of those worse than Lybian Tygers, when they had leasure for it, the rehearsing of whose Actions, would make us believe, that among the very Devils or open Persecutors of Christ and his Members, who are their near kindred, one of a large Capacity must be picked to vie with them. Lam. 3. 42, to 47. and Chap. 4. 18, 19 We have Transgressed and have rebelled, thou hast not pardoned, thou hast covered with Anger and persecuted us: Thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied. All our Enemies have opened their mouths against us. Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction They hunt our steps that we cannot go in our streets.—Our Persecutors are swifter than the Eagles of the Heaven: They pursued us upon the Mountains, they laid wait for us in the Wilderness.

And upon such great Calamities it is natural and pious too to ask with Modesty, what the provoking Cause of them is; for God doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the [Page 13] Children of Men, Lam. 3. 33, 34. And although as to his Judgments, Clouds and Darkness are often round about him, and his Paths are in the great Waters; Yet he doth com­monly some way discover to Men a sufficient Reason of the very calamitous things that befal them. So the pro­voking Cause of drowning the old World, is carefully pre­served, Gen. 6. 11, 12. and of the destruction of Sodom and her Sisters, Gen. 19. 13. and the like in other Places. And it is wonderful to see that even prophane and common as well as sacred Historians, do usually if not always, make the same Remarks; which must arise from some notable Ap­pearances to all thoughtful and inquiring Observers in such Cases. This is confirmed by the great Mr. Ray, who says ‘We shall find it noted by Historians, that before any great public Calamity, or utter Excission of a Nation, the Peo­ple were become universally vicious, &c.’ See his Physico-Theol. P. 271.

And it is very certain, that tho' every Town in the Land shared very deeply in those Calamities, yet the Manner in which they were then dispensed to this Province, was very peculiar and very strange.

First, The most if not all of those Towns in it, were singled out, which were Settled without the Gospel, and (unless I mistake the History of the Country which I have diligently searched) every one of them was broken up and utterly destroyed ^‡, although some of them were strength­ned with many Inhabitants and Souldiers, and with very [Page 14] strong Forts and Garrisons, such as were found in but very few other Places in all New-England. We may say of some of them for their great Strength, as the Prophet in Lam. 4 12. The Kings of the Earth and all the Inhabitants of the World would not have believed that the Adversary and the Enemy should have entered into the Gates.—

And again, It is constantly affirmed by all the Accounts that ever I could meet with, which speak distinctly of these particular Settlements, That not one of all the many small and feeble Towns where the Ordinances of the Gospel were settled, was destroyed by them; ^* though great Numbers of these were as much exposed as any one of the other, and some of these though very weak in Fortification and In­habitants too, withstood more numerous, resolute, and vio­lent Assaults of the Enemy than what any one of the o­ther Towns ever met with: And yet these were preserved and the other given up by the wonderful Providence of God; both far beyond what might be expected. This was very surprizing to beholders then and should still be marvellous in our Eyes.

AND NOW; What more legible Tokens to discover the Designs of Providence in those fierce and dreadful Judgments could we have devised unless we waited for the Fingers of a Man's Hand that wrote upon the Plaister of Belshazzar's Wall; or proposed to see them written in the plainest Lines of our own Language, and with Sun-Beams in the Air?

These things I have observed with great Admiration and Awe, in reading the Histories of our Country; and I think [Page 15] it a pious Care to collect and set them in order for the Ob­servation of others; I am sure it will stir up the Admira­tion of every considerate and the Care of every pious Mind. Psal. 78. begin. And I am now to shew,

3. The Reason of the Doctrine as it relates to Men's Prac­tice: Or, The natural connection there is between Religion and Safety. And here I observe, that all human Actions in this Life run into these two Channels; the service of God, or of the Devil, for into these two sorts all mankind are devided; the Children and Servants of God, and of the Devil; and there is no middle State, Rom. 6 16.

And as it is easy for every one to see how the Service of the Devil, naturally tends to make Men like him, deceit­ful, unjust, cruel, contentious, and very miserable; for he would fain make all his followers like himself, both in Sin and Torment if he could; Hence some of them we see grow very near like him in many of his bad Qualities. From such as are then in his Service also, come all the Lies, Injustice, Treachery and Quarrels which are often nourish­ed up to fierce and cruel Words, Bloodshed and War. Jan. 4 begin.

So on the other hand, The Service of God marvelously tends to destroy this Image and work of the Devil, and to beautify Men with the likeness of the most glorious and excellent Being: It makes them knowing, wise, just, kind, holy and happy; for Holiness and Happiness will certainly go together. It is a sure Truth & plain to human Reason if contemplated, that Virtue & Vice have their natural ef­fect in Happiness and Misery by the eternal and unchange­able reason of things, & it is impossible it should be other­wise. And it would be a pleasant task, were there time now, to shew in particulars, how and wherein the Rules of the Gospel do all of them naturally tend by promoting every virtue to advance the temporal Peace and Happiness of every one that observes them, and that in a plain and easy method: For besides the more spiritual Duties of Vir­tue and Godliness, which the World can't so well see into, they learn Men to live soberly and righteously, Tit. 2. 12. which if complied with, would take away all occasion of injury, contention & figthing. Let any one view the most difficult cases that are ever mentioned as the cause of War, [Page 16] and see if a compliance in both parties with that Justice, neighbourly Kindness and Charity, which the Gospel re­quires, would not speedily cure all, & confirm their Peace and Friendship.

And if an unrighteous People should seek occasion of War against their Neighbours when they had none justly, yet if the injured party would be so politic, as well as happy, as to treat them in every Article according to the temper of the Gospel, they would thereby bring such a visible and acknowledged guilt upon their aggressing Adversaries as would certainly render them self condemned, tho' they were the darkest Heathen, Rom. 2. 15. And condemned in the Eyes of the rest of the World; and how natural and great an effect this would have in disheartning them and incouraging and securing the other party, let any one judge.

And add to this, The regular claim that Innocence, Vir­tue and Religion enable Men to lay to the special Protec­tion of that Providence which over-rules all things.

And finally, The Covenant which God hath made with his People, exhibited in the plain and explicit Promises of the Gospel, that their Obedience to, and trust in him, shall intitle them to his Favour and Protection, do sufficiently evidence the reason of my first Doctrine, while they not only determine these to be the People of the Lord; But also, if they behave as herein before described, that their Enemies are the Enemies of the Lord too; and then it is easy to see their End. And so I pass to consider,

Doct. 2. That it is the Duty of the Lord's People, very carefully to let others, and especially the Heathen round about them know what their Dependance is.

1. This discovers their Humility and Desire of giving to God the Glory and Praise of his Goodness unto them in their Preservation. Both these are very necessary Christian Du­ties, and of near Relation to each other, for it is only the humble Man that can find in his Heart to give unto the Lord the Glory due unto his Name. And the contrary to this is a Sin very provoking to God and very pleasing to proud Man; He would fain think much of himself; & even good Men are sadly apt to be guilty this Way. This was doubt­less the sin of that great & good King Hezekiah, Isa. 39 beg. He should have told those Messengers of the King of Baby­lon, [Page 17] how God had brought his People Israel into a strange Land, and driven out the Heathen to make Room for them, that they might be his peculiar People; and that if they did continue close in their obedience to him, he would al­ways defend them from their Enemies; and that this was their Strength, Refuge and Defence in Dangers. Such a shew might have stirred up those Embassadors to enquire after Israel's God, and come by degrees into Terms of O­bedience to him, for the sake of his Protection; at least it would have created great Thoughts of Jehovah in the Mind of the King of Babylon and of his Servants: But instead of this, the King shewed them that which might make himself and his People appear Honourable, Magnificent and Terri­ble in their own Strength and Grandeur; such as his Build­ings, Wealth, Armour, & c. And God was angry at it and sent the Prophet to reprove him for it, & to assure him that all those things which he had gloried in should be so far from defending him, as that they should be carried away into Babylon, verse 5, & c.

2. This would have a natural tendency to bring others es­pecially the Heathen, unto the same methods of Piety, and glo­rifying God. To see a flourishing People very careful and diligent in the observance of all Religious Duties, and o­penly professing that they did this in Obedience to that God who had exceedingly favoured them even in the eye of the World, and would certainly appear for their safety and defence at all times, unless they forsook him; would put others upon observing them; and if they found such grave and serious Profession and steady Practice of pious Obedience constantly persisted in, accompanied also with signal outward Favours beyond others, it must needs pro­voke them to seek terms of Communion with this God too. And this would especially prevail on the Heathen who are wont to serve Gods that are deceitful, false and cruel to them, leading them into perplexities and straits, and often destroying their own most obedient Servants.

3. This method would powerfully tend to make good Neigh­bours of the most dark & barbarous Heathen. If they could once be learned to obey the Gospel, it would be safe living by them. And they who will spend their time, strength and labour, to effect this great Work, will gloriously in [...] ­tate [Page 18] the Redeemer, who at his own expence & labour bro't that Salvation to a dark and wretched World, which the Lord's People have all their dependence upon.

And now to apply these things. Let us be put upon the utmost care and diligence to maintain the Character of the Lord's People, as the only, and a very sure way of safety here and hereafter.

Bear in mind always, that the very Foundation of the Country, stands upon our carefully observing and promo­ting the pure Ordinances of the Gospel. For this being so great a part of the avowed design of the first Settlers, and by them pleaded with God as a reason of his Protecting them. And so wonderfully answered in the Divine Fa­vours more eminently bestowed on them, than on any other People did virtually establish it into a Covenant, as Jer. 7. 23. We are therefore more obliged to observe, in­courage and promote the Gospel, than any People living; which I beseech you always to remember, For it is not a vain thing for you: because it is your Life; and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land—Deut. 32. 47. And can we think that the jealous God will bear long with us, if we forsake this trust? Would Men bear to be so created? Mal. 1 8 Offer it now unto thy Governour, will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the Lord of Hosts.

And it is often a profitable Duty in the Lord's People, to look back and see how God treated their Fathers when they broke Covenant with him. The Song of Moses, Deut. [...]2. seems to be pen'd partly to direct such a service. Let us do so now. And remembring the Gall and the Worm­wood that New England has drank, probably for such a reason; Let us be admonished by it. Mal. 1 9 And now I pray you, beseech God, that he will be gracious unto us.

Consider the dreadful effects that will follow our despi­ [...]ing & neglecting the Gospel. Dr. Prideaux speaking of Preaching the Gospel; and with respect to Old England, says, ‘—And it is not to be doubted, but that if this method were once droped among us, the generality of the People, whatever else might be done to obviate it, would in seven years time, relapse into as bad a state of barbarity as was ever in Practice among the worst of our Saxon and Danish [Page 19] Ancestors ^*’ And besides the common Observations of the advanced & growing Licentiousness of our Towns that for­sook the Gospel, a grave Writer saith ‘It hath been obser­ved of many of those scattering Plantations in our borders, that many were contented to live without, yea, to shake off all yoke of Government both sacred and civil, and so transforming themselves as much as well they could, into the manners of the Indians they liv'd among, & are some of them therefore most deservedly (as to Divine Justice) left to be put under the yoke and power of the Indians them­selves: And hence it is, that in many parts, the People void of Counsel & common Prudence as well as Courage, have so frightfully deserted or cowardly delivered up several Places of strength (terrible enough of themselves) into the hands of contemptible Enemys, and so like ripe Figs upon the first shaking of the Tree have been ready to fall into the Mouth of the Eater, as the Prophet speaks, as hath been too sadly verified in some of the southern, & all the Eastern Parts. ^‖’ And what may we think would have been the Religion, Morals, & ordinary Customs of the Country if God had continued the growth of it in their own way until this time? But he prevented it then by those Wars: a se­vere remedy indeed: and such is needed in stubborn dis­eases Amos 3. 2.

And let us chearfully do what belongs to each one in his own sphere to promote the Gospel among the Indians on the Eastward of our Settlements. And in that our Rulers in their present Treaty are making this offer to them; let us follow it with our Prayers for success. And to conclude all

Let us ever keep our Eye fixed on both the Duties and Priviledges of our Covenant with GOD. Psal. 80. 14, &c. Return we beseech thee, O God of Hosts: Look down from Hea­ven, and behold, and visit this vine, and the vineyard which thy Right Hand hath planted, & the branch that thou mades [...] strong for thyself—so will not we go back from thee; quicken us and we will call upon thy Name. Turn us again, O Lord God of Hosts, cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.