CLARKE, Mayor. Martis decimo die Novembr ' 1696. Annoque R. Rs. Wilhelmi Tertii, Angliae, etc. Octavo.  
THis Court doth desire Mr. Bradford to Print his Sermon preached before the Right Honourable the Lord-Mayor, Aldermen, and Citizens of this City, at the Parish-Church of St. Mary-le-Bow, on Thursday last, being the Fifth of this Instant November.  
GOODFELLOW.   

A SERMON Preached before the Right Honourable the Lord-Mayor, THE ALDERMEN, AND Citizens of LONDON, At St. MARY LE BOW, On Thursday, November 5. 1696.  
By SAMUEL BRADFORD, RECTOR of the said Church.  
LONDON: Printed for B. Aylmer, at the Three Pigeons against the Royal Exchange in Cornhill. MDCXCVII.   

Mr. BRADFORD's SERMON Preached before the Lord-Mayor, etc. November the Fifth, 1696.   

To the Right Honourable Sir EDWARD CLARKE, Lord-Mayor of the City of London, AND THE Court of Aldermen.  
Right Honourable,  
IN Obedience to Your Commands, I present You with this Plain Discourse, hearty wishing it may be of Use to those Ends for which I preached it.  
I charitably believe, That the greater part of those who yet remain dissatisfied with the Establishment we are under, are not so from Malice, but from Prejudice; and that if they could once get into a just way of Thinking calmly and sedately, they would soon change their present Opinions. This I have endeavoured to lead them to, without giving them any just Cause of Offence, whereby to increase their Prejudices, instead of removing them.  
Can we of this Nation once again be so happy, as to become thoroughly One Body, both as Members of Society, and as Christians; as it would be one of the best Expressions of our Gratitude to Almighty God, for the many Deliverances he hath granted us; so it would be the shrewdest Revenge we could take upon our Romish Adversaries, and effectually dishearten them from attempting any farther upon us.  
I am persuaded, that the Greater Part of the Nation in general, and of this City in particular, stand well-disposed towards such an Union; and 'tis pity that the Weakness of some, and the Design of others, should hinder the Effect.  
Your Lordship is what I would persuade others to be; I mean, An Hearty and Constant Friend to the Church and State; and Your Practice, as well as Your Profession, exemplifies what in this Discourse I aim at.  
That it may please Almighty God to Preserve, Direct, and Bless Your Lordship, and by his good Providence to Increase the Number of such Magistrates, is the Prayer of,  
Right Honourable, Your most Faithful and Humble Servant, SAMUEL BRADFORD.   

A SERMON Preached before the Lord-Mayor, etc.  ROM. III. 8. 
And not rather, as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say, Let us do Evil, that Good may come; whose Damnation is just.  
THE Double Occasion of this Day's Solemnity, moved me to treat on these Words; which will naturally lead me both to condemn that accursed Principle upon which the avowed Enemies of our Church and Nation acted on the former of these Occasions; as also to vindicate ourselves from the Calumny which some have spread about concerning us, as if we had acted upon the same Principle, on the latter of them.  
In the days of our Fathers, the Romanists formed a Plot against us for the subverting our Government, and especially for the changing our Religion; in order to which excellent Ends (as they accounted them) they did not stick at making use of the vilest Means that either Men or Devils could invent. But that Divine Providence which hath from one Age to another taken especial Care of us, discovered their Design, and by that means defeated it; and this in so conspicuous a manner, that it was then, and has been ever since generally owned, with Thankfulness to Almighty God, and with Detestation both of the Contrivance itself, and of the Principle from which it proceeded.  
In our own days, the same sort of men had again formed a very dangerous Design against us, and by other Methods hoped to bring about the same End. But in this Instance also the Providence of God hath given them a very remarkable Disappointment; which although it be likewise by the Body of the Nation thankfully ascribed to Almighty God, as the Great Author of our Deliverance; yet there are not wanting some, even amongst ourselves, that charge us with having used unlawful Means for the attaining a good End; and openly declare against our annexing the Second Occasion of this Day's Thanksgiving to the First; as if in doing so, we were guilty of a manifest Contradiction.  
It seems highly reasonable therefore, when we are assembled in this Solemn Manner to offer up our devout Thanks to God for the Deliverance he hath reiterated to us, to vindicate ourselves from so gross an Absurdity; and to make it evident, that in Both these Instances we have great reason to give Thanks to God, and that we may with a good Conscience ascribe our Deliverance to Him in the Later Case, as well as in the Former.  
The Words of the Text are St. Paul's, and the Occasion of them was this. The Apostle in his preceding Discourse had been intimating, That the Jews by disbelieving the Gospel of our Saviour, 
V 3.  had not made void the faithfulness of God; nay, on the contrary, That their unrighteousness did commend the righteousness of God; 
V 5.  that is, it rendered it more conspicuous and illustrious. Upon which he brings in the Jew objecting, But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous, who taketh vengeance? That is, How can God justly punish those, who by their Iniquity advance his Glory? To this he answers with abhorrence (it being an Objection so plainly unreasonable, that it needed not be confuted by Argument, but only disclaimed), God forbidden; 
V 6.  for then how shall God judge the world? That is, If he were chargeable with Unrighteousness, how could he be a fit Governor or Judge of the World? For shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? But here he goes on with the Jew's Objection; 
V 7, 8.  If the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory, why yet am I also judged as a sinner; and not rather, as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say. Let us do evil, that good may come? That is, If the Truth of God be rendered more illustrious by the Falseness of Men, with what Justice can the man that is thus false, be dealt with as a sinner? Seeing his falseness is a means of bringing Glory to God, surely it can be no Crime. Why may we not rather argue thus Let us do evil, that good may come? This, says he, we Apostles, and particularly I Paul, are slanderously reported to say; some affirm that we do say so, either directly, or at least by consequence▪ It may be they might not have so little honesty, as to charge them with saying it expressly; however, they charged it as a necessary Consequence upon the Doctrine which they taught: To which he again replies, not by Arguing, but by Detestation, Whose Damnation is just. Whose Damnation; that is, Theirs, whosoever they are, that either own, or act upon such a Principle as this, That it is lawful to do evil, that good may come; or Theirs, who thus calumniate us, as if this Principle were ours; that is, as if this were a Christian Principle, either taught or allowed by the Apostles of our Lord: For the word Whose, may refer to either of them. This I take to be the plain meaning of the Words; from which we may make these Three Observations, which are evidently contained or implied in them.  
I. That Almighty God can, and often doth over rule the evil Actions of men to his own Glory, and cause bad Means to conduce to a good End.  
II. That notwithstanding this, 'tis a detestable and damnable Principle, That unlawful Means may be used, in order to the bringing about an End that is good.  
III. That it is moreover a slanderous, and therefore a very unjust and detestable Practice, to charge this Principle upon those who not only disown it, but whose Actions have given no just occasion for such an Imputation.  
Of each of these I design to discourse briefly, and as I go along, apply them to the Occasions of our present meeting.  
I. That Almighty God can, and often doth overrule the evil Actions of men to his own Glory, and cause bad Means to conduce to a good End.  
This is sufficiently intimated in our Apostle's Discourse at the beginning of this Chapter; and his asserting this, was (as I have shown) that which gave occasion to the Reflection made in the Text. The Jews had been favoured by God with especial Advantages for the knowing the Messiah, when he should appear amongst them; yet we know how they disbelieved and rejected him, when he did appear, even to the ruin of their Church and Nation. But yet this their Sin illustrated the Glory of God's Justice, in punishing them so remarkably for their heinous Crime; and by giving occasion also to the Apostles to turn from them to the Gentiles; it proved a means of advancing God's Glory, by propagating the knowledge of him in the world. The Gentiles on the other hand had been grievous Sinners, not only strangers to the living and true God, but living in open violation of those Laws which he had given them in their very Natures; yet upon their hearing the Christian Doctrine preached, many of them embraced it with great readiness; which likewise gave occasion to the magnifying the Grace of God towards them, in pardoning their past Offences, and receiving them into his favour, upon their Repentance and Amendment; which again proved another occasion of the ●●ws blaspheming the Doctrine of St. Paul, and imputing to him falsely the same Principle which they here do in the Text; as he seems to intimate in that Passage, Rom 6.1. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? Answering there, as he does here, by rejecting such a Position with Abhorrence, God forbidden. Indeed as to both these Instances, St. Paul afterwards in this same Epistle resolves the whole of God's Dispensation into Infinite Wisdom, when speaking both of the Sin of the Jews in rejecting, and the Happiness of the Gentiles in embracing the Gospel of our Saviour, he concludes, chap. 11.33, 36. Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God how unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways past finding out! for of him, and through him, and to him are all things; to whom be glory forever. Amen.  
Whoever is acquainted with the History of the Holy Scriptures, needs not be at much pains to find out abundance of Instances of the like kind. And if we would reflect upon one that has a fair Resemblance to those which I shall have occasion presently to mention from among ourselves, it may be that in the Book of Esther; which Book was written on purpose to declare the Wisdom and Goodness of God, in overruling the Pride and Malice of a wicked man, to his own Glory, and the Good of his Church; ordering it so, that the Conspirator should erect a Gallows for himself to be hanged on; and that he should by Lot choose out a Month and a Day for the destruction of the Nation and Church of the Jews, 
Esth. 9.22.  which did in effect prove the day in which the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow into joy, and from mourning into a good day; as we read in the Sequel of that History.  
But to pass by all other Instances that might be given, we Christians have one at hand, which may serve instead of all, namely, When the greatest Sin that ever was committed, the Crucifying the Son of God, was by the Divine Wisdom and Goodness overruled, to become a Means of the greatest Good that was ever conferred upon the Children of Men, viz. putting them into a new Capacity of Eternal Life and Happiness.  
And the reason of all this is evident. That Being, who seethe all things at one view; who not only knoweth what is now doing, but what will be done, nay, what will be attempted or designed hereafter; who farther discerneth the tendency of every Action, and what will be the natural Consequence of it; and who at the same time hath all Power in his Hands, so that he can either permit or prevent the Execution of any Design; can Confirm or Annul every Purpose and Intention: He certainly can easily out-wit and overreach the craftiest and the worst of Men, and consequently can dispose and order what they intent wickedly or foolishly, to quite other purposes than what were in their Hearts. And forasmuch as his Goodness is equal to his Power and Wisdom, we may safely conclude, that as he can, so he will govern Affairs in such wise, as to bring good out of evil. As we may reasonably argue from the Perfection of his Nature, that he never would have permitted Evil to have come into the world, unless he could have overruled it to some wise and good ends: So we may also, That he never will permit any of his Creatures to do that evil thing, which he cannot, and which he will not make to issue in the Glory of his Holy Name, and the Good of his Creation.  
And now if we would apply this to our present purpose, it will not be difficult. That the Conspiracy of this Day in the time of our Fathers was a Notorious Wickedness, I will at present take for granted; and if it were, I am sure it proved an Eminent occasion also of God's Manifesting the Glory of several of his Attributes. His Wisdom, for instance, evidently appeared, in permitting the Conspirators to proceed just to Execution, and then all on a sudden discovering their dark Designs, nay, making one of themselves the occasion of this Discovery. His Justice was manifest, in turning the Mischief upon themselves, and subjecting them to the Punishment which their Crime deserved. His Goodness was very conspicuous in saving the Lives of so many innocent Persons, designed as a Sacrifice to the cruel Zeal of those Ungodly Men, and in preserving, together with them, the Liberty and the Religion of our Nation. Nor was this all; but this Conspiracy farther redounded to the Glory of Almighty God, as it became a means of begetting in the People of this Land an honest Aversion to that Church, which allowed and encouraged such Wicked and Destructive Erterprises as this: And perhaps the keeping this Day for so many Years together, in Memory of so remarkable a Deliverance from so Barbarous a Design, did in an especial manner help towards the keeping the Nation awake, and rendering them constantly jealous of whatsoever plausible Pretences that Church might make for the future. I am sure in the I eaten Reign, when we were in fresh danger from the same Quarter, the Zealous Observation of this Day, and the Discourses that were Preached and Printed upon this Occasion, were of very considerable Use.  
And if we pass from that, to the other Occasion of our present Assembling, we shall find a new Instance among ourselves, of God's over ruling the Evil Actions of Men to his own Glory. Our Enemies indeed, in this later Case, were so fair, as to deal more above-board with us, and plainly to let us know what they were designing; and perhaps they will justify themselves as less wicked, because more open in their Attempt. But whoever well considers the Illegal and Unrighteous Practices that were used, in order to the subverting the Legal Government of this Kingdom, and rooting out God's true Religion from among us, may see cause enough to own the Divine Wisdom and Goodness, in bringing Good out of Evil in this instance also.  
'Twas the Effect of no less than Divine Wisdom, to bring about our Deliverance at a time, when we were so closely beset on all sides, as to have no visible way of Escaping left us. When after the Endeavours of many Years, all things at last seemed to Conspire to the effecting what our Enemies had Designed, when they were confident of Success, and began to Triumph over us, as already in their Power; it pleased God all on a sudden to give such an unexpected Turn to Affairs, that instead of a Lawless Power, and the Romish Religion being settled among us, they were by a Concurrence of divers Causes, rendered more unlikely to prevail for the future, than ever. The Government changed from Popish to Protestant; the Strength of the Kingdom given over into other Hands; many Wholesome and Necessary Laws made to prevent the like Danger hereafter, which we had then incurred; And this Kingdom, which seemed the only One wanting to turn the Balance of Europe, and which was then in a fair way to have done it, made to become the Great Bulwark of the Liberties of all Europe, and the main Support of the Protestant Religion in the World. And so much may suffice for the First Observation I laid down. I proceed to the  
II. Viz. That notwithstanding all this, 'tis a Detestable and Damnable Principle, That Unlawful means may be used, in order to the bringing about an End that is good.  
You see with what Abhorrence the Apostle in the Text disclaims it; adding, That their Damnation is just, who either avow or act upon it. 'Tis in truth such an open Defiance to God and Goodness; such a flat Contradiction to Truth and Reason, as well as to Christianity, that it very well became him thus to express himself concerning it.  
The same Apostle has elsewhere likewise testified his Sense of this Matter; namely, When giving an Account of his own Behaviour, before he became a Christian, he says, That he verily thought that he ought to do what he did contrary to the Name of Jesus, viz. Shutting up many of his Saints in Prison; giving his Voice against them, when they were put to Death; punishing them oft in every Synagogue, and compelling them to Blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, and persecuting them into strange Cities, Acts 26, 9, 10, 11. All these things, he says, he verily thought that he ought to do; and yet for having done this, he arraigns' himself, in another place, as a Blasphemer, a Persecutor, and Injurious, 1 Tim. 1.13. Which Crimes he accuses himself of, not (as it may be objected) merely because the Christian Religion, which he thus madly opposed, proved to be God's true Religion; but moreover because he used irregular and unlawful Methods in opposing it, even though it had been a false Religion, as he then supposed it was. If the Christian Religion had not been from God, he had not then indeed been a Blasphemer, as he here calls himself; but he would nevertheless have been a Persecutor, and an Injurious Person, in dealing so hardly and inhumanly with those, who sincerely and honestly Professed it, and were otherwise perfectly Innocent, and Inoffensive; nay Righteous, and Holy Men.  
Our Blessed Saviour hath in like manner declared his Sense to the same purpose, when speaking to his Disciples, he telleth them, That the Jews, after his departure from them, would put them out of their Synagogues, and not content with that, That the time would come, that whosoever should kill them, should think that he did God service, John 16.2. And this our Lord not only foretells that the Jews would do, but he speaks of it as an heinous Crime in them; for so it follows, Ver. 3. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. They have not known me; else they would not deal thus despitefully and cruelly with my Servants: And they have not known my father; else they would not do such Acts of Violence, such unrighteous and unnatural things, to innocent and honest Men, under a pretence of serving him, and promoting his Glory.  
And as the New, so the Old Testament also hath fully born its Testimony against this detestable Principle, of doing Evil, that Good may come. We have a remarkable Passage in the Book of Job, uttered by Job himself, who was not so much as initiated in the Jewish Religion, but as far as appears, was a pious and good Man, upon the Principles of Natural Religion only; which Passage being Recorded in the Canon of the Old Testament, is a full proof, that God hath both in Nature, and under the Jewish Dispensation, as well as by Christianity, declared his disallowance of the Principle I am speaking of. The words of Job are these, which he spoke in the bitterness of his Soul, when his Friends unkindly charged him with Hypocrisy, intending thereby to Apologise for God, in laying such heavy Afflictions upon him, Job 13.7, 8. Will you, says he, speak wickedly for God, and talk deceitfully for him? Will ye accept his Person? Will ye contend for God? He declares, you see, against going about to justify even God himself, by lying and falsehood. Not that God Almighty can ever be supposed to need such a justification: But Job signifies moreover his Abhorrence of it, and that he would be very far from approving what they did, (though they seem to have been otherwise too good men, to have done this knowingly and wilfully;) He therefore adds in the words following, V 9, 10, 11. Is it good that he should search you out? Or as one man mocketh another, do ye so mock him? To Lie for God, is it seems to mock him; that is, to abuse and affront him. He will surely reprove you, if ye do secretly accept Persons. Shall not his Excellency make you afraid, and his Dread fall upon you?  
But indeed there needs no Authority to vouch for us in this Case. We may certainly conclude, without the Affirmation of an Apostle, or a Prophet, or any other Inspired Winter, That this is a detestable Principle. 'Tis absurd and self-contradictory, and as directly opposite to all good Sense and Reason, as any Principle can possibly be. To design, and to do good, is the proper business of an intelligent and reasonable Being. 'Tis the Glory of God Himself, and 'tis what he requires of all, whom he hath made after his own Image. Now that is good for an intelligent Creature, either to design or do, which is according to the Will of the Creator, (his Will being the Rule and the Measure of Goodness;) So that to do Evil, in order to the doing Good, is to contradict and thwart his Will, in order to the performing it; 'tis to offend him, in order to pleasing him; 'tis to break his Commandments, in order to the keeping them. In a word, 'tis to do that which is directly opposite to the end, which we profess to aim at. For no Evil has in its own Nature a Tendency to Good, but to the just contrary. It may indeed be overruled (as you have heard) to other ends than those to which it has a natural Tendency: But then this is not from the Nature of the Thing, but from the Wisdom of God. The Event only is God's; but that does not alter the nature of the Action, which is to be measured by the Rule which God has given his Creatures to act by. But I think no more need be said in so plain a Case.  
I know that 'tis commonly pretended by those that act upon this Principle, That the Actions they do would not indeed be good, but only as they are directed to such an end; but that the Goodness of the End will Sanctify the Means, and take off the evil that otherwise would naturally be in such Actions. But let us try how this way of arguing will solve the Difficulty in any of the Instances already given.  
Job's Friends intended to justify, and so to Honour God, by accusing their Friend, and laying to his charge what he was not guilty of. Their End was good; but it did not for all that, it seems, altar the nature of the Means. 'Twas still speaking wickedly for God, and talking deceitfully for him; it was mocking (or affronting) God, for which, as he there tells them, they were in danger of being searched out, and reproved by him. The Jews again proposed to themselves the doing God Service: But this did not render Killing of innocent Men, no Murder. St. Paul verily thought that he ought to do what he did, for the Honour of God (no doubt) and the good of his Church: But yet this would not make Persecution and Injurious Dealing, to become Innocent and Righteous Actions. And so again in our Text, he supposes that the Design may be, that Good may come; whilst the Action in order to that end is Evil, and thereupon detests the Principle.  
The Truth of this matter is in short this. There are some Actions so manifestly unlawful in their own nature, that they cannot be made lawful by being designed to bring about the best End that can be thought of. There are some Actions so plainly contrary to the Laws of God, and to the Reason and Nature of Things established by him, that they must not be done upon any account whatsoever.  
And now to Apply this to our present Purpose, particularly to that Conspiracy which first gave occasion for the Observation of this Day. There can be no great doubt made, whether it were begun and carried on upon this detestable Principle, which the Apostle renounces in the Text, and declares to be damnable. 'Tis true, the Actors in it did not avow, That they thought it lawful to do Evil, that Good might come. No; they said, according to the Pretence I just now suggested, That so Excellent an End as theirs was, could not choose but justify the Means they were about to use in order to it. And therefore, though from the Remains of Reason and Good Nature, some of them startled at the Manner of bringing about their End, yet that Scruple was overcome by the Zeal they had for the Interests of their Church and Religion. Wherein, by the way, we see the danger of being engaged in a False Religion; and particularly, how much the Church of Rome has debauched the Consciences of those that have been through paced in their Profession. But need we stand to prove that these were unlawful, nay, wicked and abominable Means, whatever their End might be? Was it no Crime then, at one Blow to destroy the Lives of so many innocent Persons, who had not the least apprehension of their Danger? Was it no Crime to offer Violence to the Person of the King, and those of the Estates of the Kingdom assembled in Parliament? To cut off the Flower of our Nobility and Gentry at once, and upon that to involve the whole Nation in Confusion, Slaughter, and Blood; which must necessarily have ensued, as soon as the deadly Blow had been given? Good God That ever Human Nature should be capable of being thus wrought upon, to throw off all the Principles and Inclinations of Humanity! And that ever any Men, in order to advance Revealed Religion, should thus directly contradict and violate all that is Natural! The mere naming these things, without commenting upon them, is abundantly sufficient to declare the Wickedness of the Means they used.  
And after all, What was the End to be brought about by these Means, which might be able to sanctify them, and to purge out the Evil that was naturally in them? Why, here's the mischief, and thus commonly it falls out, That those who make use of such kind of Means as these, under the Pretence of pursuing some worthy End, are as grossly mistaken about their End, as they are about the Means. 'Tis indeed an observable Instance of the Divine Justice towards men, in thus blinding their eyes, and hardening their hearts, in giving them up to strong delusions, that they may believe a lie, when they do not sincerely and hearty love the Truth. They commonly first propose to themselves very wicked Ends, and then no wonder if they choose Means that are equally wicked. And thus it was in this case. The End was to root out God's true Religion from amongst us, and to re-establish the Errors and evil Practices of the Romish Church, which had been justly discarded by us. Had their Religion been true, and ours false, nothing but a strong Delusion could have led them to the taking this course, for the introducing the one, and the rooting out the other. It cannot be from God, with his approbation, or allowance, that men should violate those Laws of his, which are so plainly written in our very Nature; that they should renounce all Justice and Mercy, and put off Humanity itself, for the Advancement of the truest Religion, or the best Church in the world. And what then shall be said, when the greatest Barbarities are exercised, for the establishing Error, Superstition, and Idolatry; for the ruining an Excellent Church, and the subverting a well-ordered Government? We may very well say, in the Words of our Text, Those who presume to do Evil, that such Good may come, their Damnation is just. But let us pass from this, to the last Observation I laid down from the Words, viz.  
III. That it is a slanderous, and therefore a very unjust and detestable Practice, to charge this Principle upon those who not only disown it, but whose Actions have given no just occasion for such an Imputation.  
This is in truth so lewd a Principle, that those who do act upon it, will probably not be so hardy as to own that they do so. But however, if they do evidently act upon it, then 'tis no Slander, no Injustice to say they do. But if, on the contrary, they not only disavow the Principle, but have given no just ground for such a Charge, than it is without all question a slanderous Report. So St. Paul affirms in the Text, using the same word, which, when applied to God, is rendered Blasphemy, and when to Men, 'tis translated by evil speaking, or (as here) by slanderously reporting, or calumniating. And he adds, Whose damnation is just; by which, as I took notice in the Explication of the Text, some understand his meaning to have been, That those Jews who raised this slanderous Report upon the Apostles, when they did, or at least might easily, if it had not been their own fault, have known that it was a slander, were justly liable to damnation for so doing; so that God would punish them, not only for rejecting the Gospel when preached to them, but also for calumniating the Doctrine of Christianity, and slandering its Preachers.  
I need not stand to prove the Truth of the Observation. Every one will readily allow it, that to lay so soul an Imputation upon any that have not deserved it, is the worst sort of Calumny and Injustice. But the reason of my mentioning it, is, both because it is evidently implied in the Text, and because there are Some who have slanderously reported and affirmed, That We of this Church and Nation have acted upon this Principle, and this particularly in One of those Instances which we have made a new Reason for our assembling at this Time.  
They own indeed, That the Preservation of our Government and our Religion in our Father's days, was a signal Act of Divine Providence, for which we ought still to express our Thankfulness: But they say, That our late Deliverance, however permitted by God for wise and good Ends, was nevertheless brought about by unlawful Means; so that instead of rendering Thanks to God, as we now do, we ought rather to humble ourselves before Him for the great Transgression we have been guilty of. I thus plainly relate what has been too often said upon this occasion; which, if it were not notorious, ought not to have been mentioned. But seeing some have the Confidence thus to charge us, it seems reasonable, nay, necessary on such Occasions as this, to show that the Imputation is false and slanderous, and this partly, to do right to ourselves; partly, for the fortifying such as may be liable to be shockt by the bold Assertions of Confident Men; and partly for the convincing those amongst them, whose Prejudices and Passions have not set them out of the reach of all calm and sober Reasoning.  
To come to the point therefore with the Reporters of this slander. The second Occasion of this Solemnity was the happy Arrival of His Present Majesty on this Day for the Deliverance of our Church and Nation. It was, I am sure, an Arrival which was eagerly desired and expected by a considerable number of those, who have appeared dissatisfied at the Event. By the soberer part of them, I think it is not now made a Matter of Dispute, Whether our Laws, and Liberties, and Religion, were at That time in imminent Danger, or not; nor whether His Majesty's Undertaking were not very desirable, in order to the rescuing us from the Evils we then feared were coming upon us. But according to these men's present Apprehensions, we did not, it seems, make a right use of the Blessing which Providence bestowed upon us; that is, things were ordered and settled in such manner, as proved contrary to their expectations, and to some Schemes which they had formed to themselves. Well, be it so for once: But who was it that made this Settlement for us? Even Those who alone at that time were in a Capacity of doing it. We were first reduced to that State, that we wanted some Deliverer from Abroad; we were generally desirous of his Speedy Arrival among us; soon after his Arrival we were left in a state of Anarchy and Confusion, and put under a new Necessity of taking up some speedy and effectual Resolutions of securing the Public Peace; we were by those who had through their unhappy Management first brought us to these straits, and afterwards deserted us in the midst of them, left to do the best we could for ourselves. Now I would fain know of our disaffected Countrymen, Who in such a Case must determine what was to be done? When the Legal Constitution, whereby any Society or Body of Men is held together, is once broken, let it be by what means it will, there are but two ways, that I can think of, to bring things to an Issue; viz. Either Fight or Voting. The latter certainly is the more Human way of the two, and such as it much better becomes Reasonable Creatures to use, than the former; and if once matters come to a Public Vote, as in this Case of ours they necessarily did, the Law of Reason, which is Eternal and Immutable, dictates, That the Lesser Part should yield to the Greater; and this so, that in all matters of purely Civil Right, every Private Man is in reason bound, either to submit to the Major Vote, or to leave the Society, or to be contented with what they shall please to inflict upon him for his Singularity. This is so plain a Case, that it often seems to me matter of wonder, and what is not to be accounted for from any Reason, but is to be resolved into the mere strength of Prejudice, That men otherwise of good Sense and Meaning, should not be thoroughly convinced by this Consideration. Insomuch that those who stand off from our present Establishment, and will not own themselves Subjects to this Government, are, as far as I can perceive, the only Body of Men that ever yet dissented from an Established Government, upon their Principles. Had they been Conquered, that is, compelled by downright Force of Arms, as far as I understand their Scheme, they might have yielded upon their own Principles. But let them consider this Matter fairly once again.  
The Nation, thanks be to God, was not Conquered; so far from that, that this Revolution was not only made and established by our Representatives freely chosen and assembled, but what they did, I take to be agreeable to the Sense of the far Greater and Better Part of the Kingdom; so that it is Consent, not Conquest, upon which the present Establishment is plainly founded. But after all, the professed Enemies of the Government are, I hope, Conquered. They were first out voted, and they are ever since overpowered and overruled; and if they will not allow themselves after all this to be conquered, it must be only because the Government has been so gentle, as not to let them feel that they are so. But one would think, that Wise Men should rather choose to be conquered in this gentle and easy way, and that Ingenuity should work upon them, where the utmost Force is spared. And this, I think, is all that is necessary to be said, for the Vindication of Those that are mere Subjects, or for the Satisfaction of Those that aught to be so.  
As to the Government itself, and particularly the States of the Nation, who first in Convention, when Necessity required, and afterwards in a Parliament called according to the Forms of Law, have determined things as they are, it would be as presumptuous, as 'tis needless, to pretend to Apologise for them. The Government, thanks be to God, is, and I hope always will be, able to vindicate itself against all that shall presume openly to affront or calumniate it. All therefore that I shall farther add upon this Subject, is to put a few serious Questions to those that speak evil of us; and they are these.  
Whether before the happy Arrival of his Majesty on this Day, our Laws and Liberties, and particularly our Religion established by Law, were not in the utmost danger?  
Whether at the same time, the Liberties of Europe, and the Protestant Religion in general, were not in the same danger?  
Whether we did not then earnestly wish and pray, That Providence would find out some way for our Deliverance? And whether it was not fit and reasonable that we should do so?  
Whether, when Providence stirred up a Neighbouring Prince and State to yield us their Assistance, it were reasonable for us to refuse it? Nay, Whether it had not been high Ingratitude to Almighty God, and to his Instrument in our Deliverance, as well as great Folly with respect to ourselves, and a stupid and senseless Disregard of our own and our Neighbour's Welfare, if we had not thankfully received and embraced it?  
Let me ask them farther, Whether the Fundamental Constitution of a Government may not be so violated, and the Regular and Legal state of things so shaken and disordered, that the Law of Reason, which is ever superior to all Particular Forms and Constitutions of Government, aught to take place?  
And, Whether, when we were reduced to such Circumstances, that both the Representatives and the Body of this Nation took it to be our Case, they might not, nay, they ought not, to settle things for the future in the best manner they could?  
And lastly, Whether this being done, every good man ought not to acquiesce under, nay, be thankful for such a Settlement? These things I leave to be seriously weighed by them, whenever they are in Temper to consider.  
And now what remains, as the Close of all, but that reflecting upon both these Deliverances together, we render our hearty Thanks and Praise to Almighty God, as the principal Author of them? There is indeed very much of the Wisdom and Goodness of God to be contemplated in both Instances; the Consideration of which should inspire us with a hearty Thankfulness to him for what is past, and with a good Hope in him for the future. We may justly upon this Occasion use the words of Moses in his Song, upon the occasion of the Israelites being delivered from the pursuit of Pharaoh's Host, and rescued from the Danger they were in of being either carried back into Egypt, or cut off by the way; The Lord is my strength and song, 
Exod 15.2.  and he is become my salvation; he is my God, and I will glorify him; my father's God, and I will exalt him. We may again say with the Psalmist, upon occasion of another Deliverance of that People; 
Psal. 48.8.  As we have heard, so have we seen, in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God; God shall establish it for ever.  
And if we hearty desire that God may Establish us, we ought to express our Thankfulness some better way, than merely by Words. If our Sense of the Divine Goodness be real, it will produce some real effects upon us; and if our desires of the continuance of the Divine Favour to our Church and Nation are in earnest, they will put us upon using all the means that are proper on our part, in order to that end; particularly,  
1. As we give thanks to God, for the preserving our Legal Government, and therewith our Liberties and Properties to us; so let us manifest our just Value for these Blessings, by a wise and sober use of them. Let us endeavour the Establishing this Government, by discharging the Duties of our several places under it. Let those that are Magistrates put the wholesome Laws in Execution, especially against such Practices as may provoke the Wrath of Almighty God against us. Let each private Man Obey the Laws of his Country, and Honour the Persons of Governors and Magistrates, upon the account of the Characters and Offices they bear. Let every one of us excite in himself an inward Concern for the Public Good, for the Welfare of the whole Body; preferring this, as it becomes us, before all private and particular Interests. Let us lay aside all Factious contending for Parties, and promote Concord and Unanimity as much as is possible; remembering Who hath told us, That every Kingdom divided against itself is brought to Desolation; and every City divided against itself shall not stand, Matth. 12.25.  
Let us again have a care of abusing our Liberty to any kind of Licentiousness; and particularly let us beware of running into the Extreme, which is directly opposite to that we have so lately avoided. Considering how prone Mankind are to run from one Extreme to the other, it may not be amiss for us, who have been within these few Years scared with the Fears of Arbitrary and Lawless Power, to be watchful over ourselves, lest we should throw off that Reverence which is justly due to Government. Obedience and Submission to Authority (I mean always that which is Legally so, according to the particular Constitution of each Country) is an indispensable Duty, both according to Reason and Scripture: And there is no less danger to the Public; nay, in so well-tempered a Constitution as Ours, I doubt the danger is ordinarily greater, from the Undutifulness of Subjects, than from the Arbitrariness of Governors. A Legal Government, such as Ours is, is the just Middle between the two Extremes; and we ought both from Reason, and from the Experience we have had in this Nation, to beware of both alike.  
But this I speak by way of Caution only; hoping and believing better things, not only of those that now hear me, but of the Body of our Nation in General; who have, notwithstanding the late pressing Difficulties we have been under, and those especially upon the more ordinary sort of People among us, maintained a steady Loyalty to our Governors; and, to the great Regret of our Enemies, shown, That we are not so giddy and unconstant, as they would either represent us, or persuade us to be.  
2. As we give Thanks to God for the Preservation of our Religion; Let us likewise express our just Value for so inestimable a Blessing, by suffering it to have its due effect upon our Temper and our Lives.  
The only reason why the Reformed Religion is so much to be preferred before the Romish, is because it tends to make us better Men. And it had been much better for us to have been bred in the Church of Rome, or to have had the Ignorance and Errors of Popery introduced again amongst us; unless we improve the Advantages we have by the Reformation, to the Reforming our Manners. It would then have been some excuse to us, that we had known no better; whereas now being plainly instructed in our Duty, 'twill be a high Aggravation of our Gild, if we refuse to comply with it. The design of all true Religion, is to render us sober and chaste, modest and humble, just and charitable, pious and devout, more like to God, and more like Gods one to another.  
And here again I cannot forbear recommending Concord and Unanimity, which are altogether as useful and necessary, with respect to our Religious, as to our Civil Interests. 'Tis a Melancholy Consideration, That since the first Reformation of our Church, we are crumbled into so many Parties and Divisions. The Established Church is the very same that it was in the Glorious Reign of Queen Elizabeth, which we so frequently and so justly admire and magnify; and the Terms of Communion are the very same now, that they were then.  
If we trace our Divisions to the beginning, and examine how the Tares of Dissension came to be sowed among us; the Answer must be that which our Saviour hath taught us in the Parable, The Enemy did this, 
Matth. 13.24.  whilst we were sleeping. And surely after so long Experience of the Enemy's Designs upon us, we ought to awake, and to learn at least this necessary piece of Wisdom, To render ourselves firm against all future Attempts, by a closer Union amongst ourselves.  
And this will appear the more necessary at this time, if we consider the danger we are in upon the same account from Adversaries of another sort. I mean, some that have no regard for any Religion, or at least not for that which is Revealed; and others, who though they profess themselves Christians, yet presume not only to Dispute and Cavil at, but to ridicule and expose to Contempt all the Mysteries of our Christian Faith.  
When I speak of Union, I do not think it is to be expected, that we should be all presently of one mind in all things. But it were to be hoped, That among other good effects of the late Happy Revolution, we, who were delivered from a Common Enemy, might become better Friends to one another, 'Tis certainly our Duty and our Interest on all sides to do what in us lies towards the becoming One Body in Church as well as in State; and if every one among us would but do just as much as in Conscience he can towards this, our Divisions, I am persuaded, would not continue much longer, at least they would quickly be much sewer than they are.  
To conclude; Let us not willingly differ in any thing but Mind, and Speak, and Do the same things; and where, after our best endeavours, our Judgements still happen to differ, there let our Charity and Mutual Forbearance take place. For though I am very sure 'tis the Duty and the Interest of Christians to be of one Mind, and of one Communion; yet 'tis certainly as great a Duty, and I think a greater Perfection, to maintain Christian Charity in the midst of our Differences.  
I shall shut up my Exhortation with that Apostolical Precept, which carries both Reason and Authority in it; 
Phil. 3.15, 16.  Let us therefore as many as are perfect, be thus minded: And if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, may God reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same Rule; let us mind the same thing.  
Now to the God of Peace and Concord, the Great Author of that Peace which we enjoy, the Founder and Protector of that Holy Religion which we Profess; To God even our Father, and to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Only-begotten of the Father, with the Eternal Spirit, be ascribed as is most due, all Praise and Glory, now and for ever. Amen.  
FINIS.