force, fo by force he muft fupport himself in it, and confequently ftrengthen himself with foreign aids, maintain large ftanding armies, and establish a military government. This would infallibly be the cafe; and our chains would fit heavier, and we should be more deeply afflicted with our flavery, for the full and perfect enjoyment that we have had of liberty. For it is certain that England never enjoyed fo many years together of eafe and liberty as fince the happy Revolution. I do not except even the glorious days of queen Elizabeth, of which perhaps it may truly be faid, that it is better to read of them than to have lived in them. We have enjoy'd our liberties to fuch a degree, that we have abused them even to licentiousness. And the worst enemy of the prefent government cannot charge his Majefty with attempting to infringe

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fringe them in any fingle inftance. The law hath been the conftant and invariable rule of his Majefty's government, and if it had been as much the measure of his people's obedience, we should ftill have continued the happieft nation upon earth. No government indeed can ever be adminifter'd intirely to every body's fatisfaction. Some perfons are never to be fatisfied; and there will always be defects and failings in the best of governments, as well as in the best of men: but as he is the best man who hath the feweft vices, fo that is the happieft government, which is attended with the feweft evils and inconveniences. But what good have we to hope, or rather what evil have we not to fear in a change of government ? A man must be deftitute of common understanding, who is capable of believing that a protestant church can florifh

florish in the reign of a bigotted papist, or if you will of a profefs'd infidel; or that civil liberty can be fecure under the government of one trained up in the maxims and politics of the most arbitrary courts in Europe. All the benefits and advantages obtained by the Revolution will be forfeited and loft by another revolution. And then, when true religion and liberty are extinct in Britain, where fhall we find them or feek them upon earth? and who would not therefore perish rather in their defence, than furvive their fall? who would not rather die a protestant and a free-man, than live an idolater and a flave?

II. These are the evils with which we are threaten'd, and we are to confider in the next place the most effectual method to prevent them. We have as high an opinion as any man can entertain, of his Majefty's F 2 heroic

heroic fpirit and refolution, of the wisdom and integrity of his councils, and particularly of the great council before whom I ftand, of the courage and conduct of his generals, and of the strength and bravery of his troops infpir'd with the activity and ardor of their young and darling royal leader: but yet human means alone will not be fufficient, we muft likewife implore the divine bleffing upon them, and perfue the method recommended by the Apostle, namely, to remember from whence we are fallen, and repent and do the first works.

When any calamity befalls a nation, we fhould look farther than the immediate caufes, and confider it as proceeding originally from the

hand of God. Shall there be evil in Amos iii. a city, and the Lord hath not done it? And it is the gracious intent and purpose of Almighty God, not

willingly

willingly to grieve and afflict the children of men, but by his judgments to awaken them to a sense of their guilt and of their duty, and fo bring them to repentance before the measure of their iniquities be full. And when national calamities pro-. duce national repentance, and a people turn away from the evil of their doings, the Lord will turn away. from his fierce anger, and will abundantly pardon, and inftead of deftroying refettle them in peace and tranquillity. There are frequent declarations to this purpose in fcripture, and we see them moft remarkably exemplified in the cafe of the Ninevites. The prophet Jonah was fent. unto them with this meffage from God, Yet forty days and Nineveh Jon. iii. fhall be overthrown, and it had the them. So the peo-. proper effect upon ple of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a faft, and put on fack

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cloth;

4. &c.