Published with Allowance.   

The Dissenters JUBILEE: As it was Sounded in the Audience of A SOLEMN ASSEMBLY AT The Public Meetingplace in Spittle-Fields near London, on Tuesday May 17. 1687.  
BEING A Day of  to praise the Lord for his  Appearance and overruling Providence, in the Present Dispensation of Liberty of Conscience,  
By Charles Nicholets, Preacher of the Gospel, and Pastor of a Congregation there.  Judg. 10.16.— 
And his Soul was Grieved for the Misery of sIrael.  Psalm 12.5.— 
For the Oppression of the Poor, for the Sighing of the Needy, now will I arise saith the Lord; I will set him in safety from him that Puffeth at him.  
LONDON, Printed by G. Larkin, without Bishopsgate; and are to be Sold by most Booksellers. 1687.   

To the most August And Justly-Renowned-Monarch, James the Second, By the Grace of God King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, etc.  
Dread Sovereign!  
AMongst the Numerous Returns of Gratitude, that flow from great Bodies of Your People in all Parts of Your Dominions; for Your Majesty's Gracious and most Healing Declaration for Liberty of Conscience; Vouchsafe to admit this mean Discourse to be humbly Dedicated to Your Immortal Name.  
For which, if any censure me as highly presumptuous, I must (with Submission) allege that it was Your Gracious Clemency that not only Encouraged, but in a manner Enforced me thereunto: For since Your Majesty has been the Glorious Instrument in the Hand of God, of Delivering us from those Shackles upon Conscience, and the many Insupportable Rigours whereunto the Penal Laws, and their severe Prosecution, had long exposed us; I could not think we should fully discharge our Duty to the Almighty in that respect, without some particular Expression of Thankfulness to Your Majesty his Vicegerent: And withal, to Evidence the Sincerity of our Hearts, I was not unwilling to declare publicly what Doctrine and Sentiments we Endeavour to Impress upon our Hearers on this happy Occasion.  
For however Dissenters may have been Misrepresented, It has always been my Principle unfeignedly to Obey that Precept of our Blessed Saviour, To give unto God, and unto Caesar each their due. Thus as I Preached the following Sermon to demonstrate that I fear God, and desire to improve all his Providences to the great Ends of Christianity; so I offer these poor Papers as a standing Testimony that I sincerely Honour the King.  
In which Application, I forget not your Majesty's Grandeur, nor my own Grovelling Condition: Yet I cannot induce myself to apprehend a Frown from that Face which has spread such Irradiating Smiles throughout more than three Kingdoms; or that Your Majesty can be Angry, though the meanest of your Subjects thank you for those Favours they can never be enough sensible of. He that would not a Beggar should bow to him, must withhold his Hands from giving Alms. Had Your Majesty restrained your Goodness, Your Throne had been too Dreadful for the Approach of such a Shrub as I. But now that You have dilated Your Clemency in so extraordinary a manner to every Corner of Your Territories, whilst the Lofty Hills are Echoing Your Just Praises, You cannot (for the Harmony's sake) be offended that the Humble Valleys bear a part in the joyful Chore.  
'Tis (Great Sir!) on these Considerations that I humbly beg leave by this Dedication to Express my own Thankful Acknowledgements, together with those of that Little Flock whereunto I am more peculiarly ●elated, for the Invaluable Happiness we enjoy through Your Majesty's Benignity.  
Now that that Great GOD (who inclined Your Royal Heart to this Blessed Work) may be a Glorious Canopy of Protection over You, and bless You with the Dew of Heaven, and Fatness of the Earth And that as He has given You (to the Joy of Great Britain) a Crown here, He may fit You (by His Grace) for a Better, an Immarcessible Crown hereafter; Is and shall always be the daily and most Fervent Prayer of  
Your Majesty's most Dutiful, most, Obedient, and most Thankful Subject, CHARLES NICHOLETS.   

THE Dissenters jubilee,  PSAL. CXXVI. 3. 
The LORD hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad.  
WHat our blessed Lord said to his Hearers concerning another Text relating to Himself, I may say to you, with respect to the first Verse of this Psalm— When the Lord turned again the Captivity of Zion, we were like them that dreamt— This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears: God has strangely, wonderfully, unexpectedly, turned back our Captivity, and we verily are even as those that dream: Our hearts (like the Babe in Elizabeth's Womb) leaping for joy, and skipping like the young unicorns on Lebanon, or dancing like David before the Ark, in the sense of this amazing and stupendious Providence. Now is the time that our Mouths are filled with Laughter, and our Tongues with Singing; for those that wish not well to us, are forced to say among themselves— The Lord hath done great things for them; And if they say so, much more reason have we to answer with the Church here by way of Concession— The Lord indeed hath done great things for us, whereof we are Galled.  
The words are very plain, and without much help of Logic or Grammar, we may easily see through them, as containing an Historical account of GOD's Acting in way of Mercy, and his People's Rejoicing in way of Gratitude and exultation of Spirit. My work is (with respect to the occasion of our Meeting here this day) to show you how obvious the one is, and how congruous the other would be: There can be no such stranger in our Israel, as to be unacquainted with what great things the Lord hath done for us: Oh! that there were never a Son or Daughter in our Zion, backward in their Humble thankful and joyful acknowledgement of it, crying out from the very bottom of their Hearts— Whereof we are glad.  Gaudia, quae multo parta dolore, placent. 
Method obliges me to speak in order unto Four Things, which lie before us in the Text.  

1. The Agent, or Person acting, and that is the Eternal God,— The Lord hath done.  
2. The Object for whom he acts,— for us.  
3. The Predicate, with its Amplification concerning his acting,— He hath done great things.  
4. The Influential Operation that this has upon all that fear the Lord,— Whereof we are Glad.   
I begin with the first of these:  
1. The Lord, Jehovah the Great and Powerful God, the Creator of the ends of the Earth, who can, and does all things in Heaven above, and on earth below, according to the good pleasure of his own will; That God, who by his all-commanding Power, brought Light out of Darkness, extracted Order out of Confusion, and dashed back the Waters from the naked Land. That God who made Almonds flourish upon Aaron's sapless Rod; That God, who supplied his People with Water, out of the hard Rock: In a word; that God who is glorious in Holiness, Fearful in Praises, and one that worketh Wonders, in and among the Children of Men; he it is, that hath done great things for us, that in the Ages to come, he might show the exceeding riches of his Power, in his kindness towards us, in rescuing us from the jaws of Death, and keeping us, from going down into the Pit; and by his glorious Omnipotence, turning our Captivity as the streams of the South. And this Almighty Power of his, has been of old exerted for the deliverance of his poor distressed People, as we may see in the Churches appeal to it, upon her Invocation, in time of trouble. Isa. 51.9, 10, 11. Awake, Awake! put on strength, O Arm of the Lord; as in the Ancient days, in the Generations of Old: Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the Dragon; art thou not it which hath dried the Sea, the Waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the Sea a way for the Ransomed to pass over; therefore the Redeemed of the Lord shall return and come with Singing unto Zion, and everlasting Joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain Gladness and Joy, and Sorrow and Mourning shall flee away. As if she had said, Thou hast formerly shined forth in the Glory of thy Power, in cutting Rahab, that is, in plaguing Egypt; in wounding the Dragon, that is, in destroying Pharaoh, and in drying up the Waters of the Red-Sea: Oh put forth that power now, in Freeing and redeeming us from our present troubles, that we with them may sing those hosannah's of Joy on Earth, which will be perfected in Hallelujahs when we come to Heaven. Tantum gaudebimus quam tum amabimus, tantum amabimus quantum cognoscemus, says the devout Austin, We shall Rejoice as much as we shall Love, and we shall Love, as much as we shall know. Our knowledge of the glorious Attribute of God's Power, will then be perfect, and our rejoicing at it will be in perfection also; we find the Prophet in a dark and gloomy day, when things looked black upon the People of God, had recourse to this great Power of God, for his support and bearing up under the pressures of those sad and heavy things he saw a coming upon Jerusalem; as you may see in that solemn and serious Prayer of his, Jerimiah 32. verse 17, etc. Ah! Lord God, behold thou hast made the Heaven and the Earth by thy great Power, and stretched-out Arm; and there is nothing too hard for thee; Thou showest Loving kindness unto Thousands, and recompensest the Iniquity of the Fathers, into the bosom of their Children after them: the Great the Mighty God, the Lord of Hosts is his Name, great in Council, and mighty in Work, (for thine Eyes are open upon all the ways of the Sons of Men, to give every one according to his ways, and every one according to the fruit of his do) which hast set Signs and Wonders, in the Land of Egypt, even unto this day, and in Israel, and amongst other men, and hast made thee a name, as at this day, and hast brought forth thy People Israel out of the Land of Egypt, with Signs, and with Wonders and with a strong hand, and with a stretched-out Arm, and with great terror. This prayer is very argumentative and conclusive concerning the Power of God, that it is able to effect all things, since by it the vast globe of the World was made out of nothing, the Lords Might anb his Mercy are the good Soul's Jachin & Boaz, the names of the two main Pillars in Solomon's Temple, the one signifying Stabllity, the other Strength, to note the Saints are safe and established in the the Power and Mercy of God. Thus the great Lord hath done great things for us.  
Secondly, The Lord, the good and gracious God, the Tender and Merciful God, who hath proclaimed himself before Heaven and Earth, before Angels and Men.— The Lord, The Lord God, Merciful and Gracious, Long-suffering, abundant in goodness, and Truth; the Lord who is good, yea exceeding good, whose Mercy endures for ever. The Lord, whose thoughts concercing Mercy, are not as our thoughts; nor his ways (with respect to doing good) as our ways, but as the Heavens are higher than the Earth, so are his Thoughts higher than our Thoughts, & his Ways than our Ways: The Lord, that is as ready to Grant, as his People can be to Ask; who is nigh to all that call upon him in sincerity, when Troubles and Calamities do Surround them, as you may see in his most tender affectionate answer, to bemoaning Ephraim, as soon as he came upon his knees before him; Jeremiah, 31.20. Is Ephraim my dear Son? Is he a pleasant Child? For since I spoke against him, I do earnestly remember him still; therefore my Bowels are Troubled for him, and I will surely have Mercy upon him, saith the Lord. God may seem a great while as one unconcerned at the troubles of his People, but when they are so high, as to overwhelm their Spirits, and their Hearts are bowing and bending, yea breaking under them; he than hath Pity and Compassion upon them in their Distresses: As Croesus' dumb Son, who never spoke in his Life before, when he saw one attempting to Assassinate his Father, violently cried out— 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉.— O Man! Do not kill Croesus: So the blessed God cannot hold coming in with supplies of Mercy, when his People are ready to be swallowed up in the gulf of Misery. Mercy is his Name, and Mercy is his Nature, there is nothing he delights in so much, for Mercy pleases him, as much as it pleasures us; and as he is great in Mercy, so he is rich in it, and free in it, without any previous condition or qualification in the Creature: He is a most free Agent in the distribution of Mercy, Romans 9.15. for he saith to Moses, I will have Mercy on whom I will have Mercy, and I will have Compassion on on whom I will have Compassion. No other reason can be assigned, no other motive (by the Wisdom of Men and Angels) could be produced, why God should show any Mercy to any of the Sons of Adam, but his own freewill to it, and his gracious Complacency in it. When he is angry with his People, and visiting them with some Judgements, as Tokens of his Displeasure, he is said to come out of his place; importing that when he is doing good and showing mercy, he is then in his own proper place, the place he would for ever be in, did not our Sins too often occasion his removal: We likewise read of his delighting in mercy, Mic. 7.18. Who is a God like unto thee! That pardonest iniquity, and passest by the transgressions of the Remnant of his Heritage; he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy: O Admiration! Admiration! That a dishonoured, provoked, and highly-incensed God should keep in the Vials of his wrath, and show so much Love, and so much Mercy to his distressed one's; yea in his Love, and in his Mercy, to do such great things for them: Indeed when God strikes, he strikes to purpose, and that wound cannot be small, which is of his making:  A Jove percussus non leve vulnus habet. 
He may (and many time does) lay his Hand on his People, and that hand must needs be heavy, and the blows very terrible, such as will make the stoutest heart to quake, and the most courageous Spirit to faint away. When thou (saith David) with rebukes dost correct man for Iniquity thou makest his beauty to consume away like a Moth. God in his Anger doth great and dreadful things to a sinning, a provoking People: Oh! but when he ariseth to have Mercy upon Zion, he will do greater things for them, than ever he did against them; and such are the great things the Church speaks of here in the Text. The Lord, the Merciful Lord hath done great things for us, whereof (as we have great reason for it) we are glad.  
Thirdly, the Lord, The true and faithful God, keeping Covenant with his People, and will do according to every Promise of his; and this is the thing he hath promised in his Covenant, Joel 2.21. Fear not, O Land! rejoice and be glad, for the Lord will do great things. And this Promise he hath, doth, and will make good to his People even unto the End of the World. Our Miseries are our Advocate to Plead the Truth and Faithfulness of his Covenant with him. So we find it, Exodus 2.24. And God heard their Groaning, and God remembered his Covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. Which was to bring them out of that place. They had been there a great while under cruel Bondage and Oppression. God was engaged in his Covenant to their Fathers, to deliver them. And their Sighs, their Sobs, their Groans, through their hard Usage (to speak by an Anthropopathy) did put him in remembrance of his Covenant. Oh! 'tis a great advantage then to belong to the Covenant. Externa foederis gratiae Communio est, qua Vocati pro foederatis, & Dei populo censentur, saith a Judicious Author; and upon how much higher ground do such stand, than all others in the World? for they can plead Covenant-promises, and Covenant-priviledges, Covenant-Engagements, and Covevenant-Encouragements from that god, who would not have his People strangers to him, nor think that he is a stranger to them. He owns himself his People's God, and hence it is that he doth and will help them, 20 Exodus 2. I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the Land of Egypt, out of the House of Bondage. The Lord is pleased to own himself his People's God, and gives therefore encouragement to all his to cry out with the Church— Thou art our Father, though Abraham be Ignorant of us. What God doth for his People, he doth as their God, as God in Covenant with them. And as this makes delivering Mercy the greater, so it raises the Obligation to praises and thankfulness much the higher. Covenant-Interest is the sweetest part in any mercy we can enjoy, whether privitive or positive. Moses that Blessed Servant of God, was very sensible of this, demonstrated in that Song of his upon Israel's deliverance from the hand of Pharaoh, which you will find Recorded, Exodus 15.2. The Lord is my strength and Song; he is become my Salvation; he is my God, and I will Exalt him. Q. d. This deliverance shows God to be our God, our Father's God, and mindful of the Covenant he made with them. We have great reason therefore to exalt him in our Hearts and Lives, and to sing aloud of his Righteousness, that hath given such a Glorious Instance this day of his being a God keeping Covenant with his Chosen Ones. Not a strange God, but the Lord Our God, our own God, keeping Covenant inviolably with all that Fear him and put their Trust in him. It is HE, even HE, that hath done great things for us.  
Fourthly, The Lord; the Lord that is a present help in time of Trouble; the Lord that stayed the Knife just at Isaac's Throat, which gave occasion to Abraham to call him Jehovah-Jereh Deus providebit, God will provide; or as our Translators render it, In the Mount of the Lord it shall be seen. The Saint's Extremity is his Opportunity. He is the Lord that of old has come in with succour most seasonable, when Miseries have been looked upon by his People as inevitable. The Light of his help has been always rising, when the Star of his Saints hope hath been setting. He is then nearest to his People, when all other expectation is farthest from them; The Scripture is not barren of instances of this great Truth, to buoy up the Anchor of Christians Faith, in most imminent times of danger; God will appear in one way or other for them, according to His old wont: He steps in, in the nick of time, Psalm 124.1. If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, now may Israel say: If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men risen up against us: Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us. Then the Waters had overwhelmed us, the Stream had gone over our Soul: Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us as a Prey to their teeth. Our Soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fouler; the snare is broken, and we are escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made Heaven and Earth. This If hath spoiled many a cunning project of the Devil, and his Instruments, to ruin the Church of God: They would certainly many times prevail in their cursed designs of crushing the poor Saints, if God did not arise; Ay, but He doth arise, and that spoils all: He doth come to deliver at seasonable times, which blasts all the Enemy's purposes, and fills their faces with Confusion.  
We have a notable Emblematical confirmation of this thing, in the story of the Disciples being in a Ship with our Lord, and ready to Perish (even in the judgement of the Mariners themselves) through the fury of the Storm, Matthew 8.25, 26. And his Disciples came to Him, and awoke Him, saying, Lord, save us, we Perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little Faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the sea, and there was a great Calm.— 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. This word is more significant than the English word Calm, some derive it from a word that signifies Milk, to note that the Air was as white and clear, as that in a Winter Night, which is called Via lactea, the milky way; but I rather conclude (with Piscator, Scapula, and some others) that it comes from a Theme in the Greek signifying to laugh, or to look marvellous cheerful: The word than imports, that there was upon Christ's rebuking the Winds and the Seas, not only a great Calmness, Stillness and Quietness, but also a wonderful Serenity, the Heavens and the Sea, did (as it were) Smile and Laugh upon them, which before did so Frown and Threaten to devour them: So when men's Spirits and Speeches, are so full of venom against the Saints, and their Passions so heightened, that they are ready to fall down right on them; then God arises, and rebukes their Passions, And— Behold there is a great Calm. Now as the Mariners cried out— What manner of Man is this, that even the Winds and the Seas obey Him! Oh! that all the Churches of Christ in England, would be Adoring, and Admiring, and breaking forth in this Ecstasy— What manner of God is this, that even the enraged Passions of men are subjected to Him! Thus the Lord, who is a present help in time of Trouble, hath done great things for us.  
Fifthly, The Lord, the God that is affected with, and concerned at his People's troubles; we read, his Soul was grieved for the misery of Israel: He is pleased to call his People the Apple of his Eye; and who cannot but be deeply sensible when that part is touched? So near, so greatly near, is the Relation between God and his People, as all that is done to them, is in his account as done to Himself.— Saul, Saul, why Persecutest thou me? was his word to him, that then, as a malicious Informer, went up and down (like his Master the Devil) seeking where and whom of the Saints, he might devour. And upon his enquiry— Who art thou Lord? he was sharply answered, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou Persecutest; and at the last Judgement he will tell the hardhearted World,— I was Hungry, and ye gave me no Meat; I was Thirsty, and ye gave me no Drink. The Saints wants are His wants, the Saints troubles are His troubles. Isa. 63.9. In all their Afflictions He was Afflicted, and the Angel of his Presence saved them: in his Love and in his Pity he redeemed them, and he bore them and carried them all the days of old. The former verse tells us,— He said, Surely they are my People; and being his People, he could not but be concerned at their troubles; yea so greatly, that he did (as it were) take part with them in their Afflictions— And in their Afflictions he was Afflicted. The expression is very strange and hardly to be paralleled.  
What the Poet said of Augustus, we may more truly say of God:  
Est placidus, facilisquae parens, veniaeque paratus  
Et qui fulminio sepe sine igne tonat  
Qui cum triste aliquid statuit sit tristis et ipse  
Cuique ferre poenam sumere, poena sua est.  
And herein he glorifies, and magnifies the riches of his Love, in being so concerned at, and affected with, the troubles of his People: Oh! He is moved, He is touched with the sense of our Infirmities: And hence he cannot hold from coming to his People's Assistance, when their pressures and Calamities are great, and their Sorrows many; when the floods of Persecutions are over whelming them; the enraged passions of wicked men, engages the Compassion of a gracious God to appear for their help, and that right early; hear himself speaking fully as to this, Psalm. 12.5. For the oppression of the Poor, for the sighing of the Needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord, I will set him in safety, from him that puffeth at him. When the World are doing great things against the People of God, he will arise and do great things for them, as God said of Sodom— Because the Cry of Sodom and Gomorra is great, and because their Sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the Cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. So he saith of Zion— Because the cry of Zion is great, and their Calamity is very grievous— I will go down now, and see whether it be altogether according to the cry of it, from their Sighs, and Groans, which is come unto me, and if not I will know: Thus the Sympathising Lord hath done for us great things.  
Sixthly, The Lord, the only God, He has done, and indeed none but he could have done Great Things: For there is none besides Him; all the Gods of the Heathens are Idols, Mouths have they, but they speak not; Feet have they, but they walk not; Hands have they, but they act not: But the Lord our God, is the Living God, the only True God, whose Glory is above the Heavens, and whose Power is extended to the utmost confines of the Earth, Isa. 45.22. Look unto me and be Saved, all the ends of the Earth, for I am God, and there is none else.  
There may be many false Gods, many pretended Gods, but there is no God the Saviour, but me; none whose Arm hath wrought out Salvation, but mine. Judas Machabaeus had these words written on his Ensign, as his Motto— There Camoca Belohim jehovah; Who is like unto thee among the Gods, O Lord? Who can act as he acts? For he doth great things, and unsearchable, marvellous things without number: And as he (so only he) doth great things. There is none can do like him; expectation from any other Agent will be miserably frustrated: Jer. 3.23. Truly in vain is Salvation hoped for, from the Hills, and from he multitude of Mountains; truly in the Lord our God is the Salvation of Israel. By the Hills and multitude of Mountains here, we are Tropologically to understand great powers, great capacities, great abilities, and how great soever they may be in the Creature, vain is the help expected from them: God will have no Partner, no Rival, in this great work of saving his poor distressed People; he will have the sole Honour and Glory of it himself; that Praises may be resounded and reechoed in all the Churches militant— O sing to the Lord, a new Song, for he hath done marvellous things, His Right Hand, and His holy Arm, hath gotten him the Victory: The Lord hath made known his Salvation, his Righteousness hath he openly shown in the sight of the Heathen: He hath remembered his Mercy and his Truth toward the House of Israel, and the ends of the Earth have seen the Salvation of our God: Thus the great Lord, the Gracious Lord, the Faithful Lord, the present helping Lord, the Compassionate Lord, the only Lord, has done great things. And so I pass from the Agent, to the Object; For Us:  
First, For Us; poor, low, mean, insignificant Greatures; whose Original was Dust and Clay, and whose dissolution will be in the same matter; for dust we are, and to dust we shall return: The highest Honour we can pretend to, is (with Job) to claim Kindred with the inhabitants below, saying to Corruption Thou art our Father, and to the Worm, Thou art our Mother, and our Sister; Our Bodies are called Houses of Clay,— Behold he put no trust in his Servant; and his Angels he chargeth with Folly: How much less on them that dwell in Houses of Clay, whose foundation is in the Dust, which are crushed before the Moth.  
We are fit Creatures indeed for the Almighty to do such great things for, who are not able to stand against the weakest Creature, but waste insensibly, and by degrees, as a Garment that is Motheaten.— Man in his best state, in his best dress, under his best circumstances, is all together Vanity, and this makes him truly nothing to be accounted of: The Prophet David, could not but break forth with a Quid est Homo? (after contemplating the rest of God's Creatures) Psalm 8.4. What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the Son of Man, that thou dost visit him? Q. d. Man is verily nothing at all; O what a wonder of wonders is it then, that the Blessed and Glorious God, should take such notice of him, and be so concerned for him! In like manner we may be thus reflecting, What are we? O what are all the Dissenters in England, abstractly considered, but a company of very low mean Creatures, unable to duty, uncapable of Mercy! And yet that God should appear for us, and do such great things for us at this day, this is verily the Lords do, and Oh that it could be marvellous in our Eyes! That we might break forth into admiration at it; Jacob on this account, thus reflected upon himself, Gen. 32.10. I am not worthy of the least of all thy Mercies, and of all the truth which thou hast showed unto thy Servant, for with my Staff, I passed over this Jordan, and now I am become two Bands. Even so let us be bowing down our Heads, and worshipping the Lord our God this day, crying out— We are not worthy of the least of thy Favours and of thy Truth, for we are the wretched offspring of fallen man, and yet thou hast showered floods of Mercy upon us; Thou hast lifted us up out of the Horrible Pit of Tribulation and Persecution, which we were so miserably sunk into, and hast set our feet upon a Rock, filling our Mouths with Praises and Gladness; therefore, Oh! Glory, Glory, Glory, be to thy Name for Ever.  
Secondly, For Us, poor distressed Creatures, who are in a miserable condition, yea as miserable, as miserable could be; not only Persecuted (almost to the utmost extremity) by our open Enemies; but forsaken (and looked a squint at) by our quodam Friends; who (through pusilanimity) were ready (with Peter) to swear they never knew us. 'Tis rare for man to keep close to (much less to choose) a Friend in Misery; as the Poet well observed.  Nulla fides unquam miseros elegit Amicos. 
Ay but God does; he fixed on Us, for the objects of his signal Favour, when we were burning in the hottest Fire of Persecution; when we were so like our dear Redeemer, who said of himself— The Foxes have holes, and the Birds of the Air have Nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his Head. Oh how great was our Misery in this respect!— The Drunkards and Debauchees of this Age, were in their Cieled Houses, and the Contemners of Religion dwelled secure in their Habitations; but the Saints of the most High, knew not where to fly for refuge: But then, O then, God looked upon us in Mercy, 136 Psalms, 23, 24. Who remembreth us in our low estate, for his Mercy endureth for Ever; and hath redeemed us from our Enemies, for his Mercy endureth for Ever. I shall not make any recapitulation of the particulars of our Sufferings, lest the design of this day be changed from the seasonable duty of Rejoicing, into the unseasonable work of Sighing and Sobbing. It would be— Infandum renovare dolorem; and the reflecting on never so few instances would make the yet-scarce-healed wounds to bleed afresh, and extort tears of Lamentation from the greatest part of this Assembly:— Quis talia fando temperet alachrimis: I confess I could not keep in myself, as being able to say with AEneas— Quaeque ipse misserima vidi et Quorum pars magna fui. But this calamity was not personal but epidemical: The cry of all the dissenting People of God, seemed to be that of the Church, Psalm 79.8, 9 O remember not against us former iniquities, let thy tender mercy speedily prevent us, for we are brought very low: Help us, O God of our Salvation! for the Glory of thy Name, and deliver us, and purge away our Sins, for thy Name sake. And this bitter cry hath at length pierced the Heavens, and come up before the Holy One, who hath heard us, and helped us, and delivered us in the day of our great Trouble, and in the day of the vexation of our Souls, when we were so low, that never any People surely were lower than we were; Having from without this only thing to comfort us, that whilst it pleased God to defer the altering our condition for the better, we might bid defiance to the Devil to make it worse— Qui jacet in terris non habet unde cadet.  
But now, Oh now! in the midst of this low and deplorable state, God hath done great things for us.  
Thirdly, For us, Sinful Unworthy Creatures; whose deportment hath been such in all our sufferings, that we may truly (and without compliment) cry out with the Church— Thou hast punished us, O Lord, less than our iniquities have deserved: we have Tempted him as at Missah, and Provoaked him as at the waters of Meribah, we have Sinned in our Hearts, and in our Lives, in our words, and in all our Actions. There have been found among us, (even among us) Spots, that have hardly been the Spots of God's Children. We have Sinned away our Mercies, and thereby justly provoked the Lord to forsake his Tabernacle that was in our Shiloh, and the Tent which he had placed among us men: And as our Sins have justly brought down Judgements upon us, so have they continued them to us; We have Sinned in, as well as before our Sufferings: We have been as that AHAZ, Who trespassed yet more and more in his Afflictions. What was said of them of Old, may well be applied to us in this Generation, Jer. 17.1. The Sin of Judah is written with a Pen of Iron, and the point of a Diamond, it is graven upon the table of their hearts, and upon the horns of their Altars. Their Sins lay there where the Law should have lain, even in their hearts; and so it hath been with us: Ay, and on the Horns of their Altars too; where they should have Offered up their pure and unblemished Sacrifices: And have not we done the very same? Yea verily; we have sinned, even in our Worshipping, our Hearing, our Praying: Oh! what corruptions, what horrid Iniquities have accompanied our most solemn Duties, and thereby rendered us the most impious and impudent of Sinners? Oh! that God should then do such great things for such as we! Oh! that ever we should come into His Heart for delivering Mercy, who with our own hands, have brought down upon our own heads, the flood of all Misery! In looking back on our former ways, we cannot but join with the Church in condemning ourselves, as justly forfeiting all those precious and pleasant things, the loss of which we so much deplore: Lam. 5.16. The Crown is fallen from our head, woe unto us that we have Sinned! for this our heart is faint, for these things our eyes are dim, because of the Mountain of Zion, which is desolate, the Foxes walk upon it.  — Ponit symbolum verae contritionis. 
And Oh! that we were as hearty, and as violent, in bemoaning of Sin, the true cause; as ever we were in complaining of Sorrow, the genuine effect: But we have sinned, and behold we are delivered: Oh! what a miracle of Mercy, that the Almighty should appear in any way for us Sinners! Were there any real manifestations of Repentance among us, or any beginnings of turning from the evil of our ways; the admiration of this day would not be so great: But as we have Sinned, we do yet Sin, and are going on farther and farther in the paths of Sin, without any remorse or reluctancy, without any Humiliation, or Contrition; and yet that God, the Holy God, the Sin-hating▪ God, should do such great things, for us great Sinners; Oh! wonder! wonder!  
Fourthly, For Us, despised and contemptible creatures, who were low and vile in the sight of the whole World; and so far following the steps of our; dear Lord in his Sufferings, that we were verily rejected of men, a People of Sorrow, and acquainted with Grief; We were the Drunkard's Song, the Atheist Scorn, and a scoff to all the Profane Ones: So that the complaint of the Church was exactly true of us, Psalm 79.4. We are become a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and derision to them that are round about us.— What flouts what jeers were the sons of Belial making at us, because (and merely because) we defended the Kingly Office of Christ in his Church; and in the defence of that, (with Moses) esteemed the reproaches of Christ, greater riches than the treasures of the World? How odious hath the name of a Dissenter been in this Land? How miserably have we been misrepresented in all our ways, in all our actions, in all our circumstances? What artificial tricks have been used to make us despicable even among them that never knew us? What contempt hath been poured upon us, by the men of this Generation? What villainous base things have been told of us, from one end of the Land to the other? How have the Pulpits, and the Benches been full (yea running over) with these vile and most untrue suggestions,— As if our Ministers were men without Learning, our People without Sense, and all of us a company of mad distracted creatures, scarce fit to live.— How have we been Be-rebelled, and Be-traytored? How many times have we been confidently accused, to be no friends to Caesar; implacable Enemies to all Government, hatching of Plots, contriving of mischiefs continually? These with a thousand other shams have been industriously managed to render us Odious and Loathsome in the Eyes of our Sovereign. Like the deal the Prophet speaks of, Jer. 20.10, 11. For I heard the defaming of man, fear on very side; Report, say they, and we well Report it: All my Familiars watched for my Halting, saying, Peradventure he will be Enticed, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall take our Revenge on him. But the Lord is with me as a mighty terrible One; therefore my Persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail; they shall be greatly ashamed, for they shall not prosper, their everlasting Confusion shall never be forgotten. The Practice of our Adversaries these late Years past, hath been much like this, they have Reported the worst they could invent: Calumniari audacter & fortiter— aliquid Hoerebit, hath been their avouched Principle; and indeed by their art of Lying, they have keep us a long time under their hatches. But now for us, thus Abused and Slandered Creatures, the Lord hath roused up himself to do great things; for our Persecutors are now stumbling, they can no longer prevail, they are now greatly ashamed, and confusion of Face is inevitably come upon them.  
Fifthly, For us, distrustful unbelieving Creatures; we were so worn out with Persecutions and bitter Sufferings, that as we had almost forgot what a quiet comfortable State was, so we had left it out of our Creed, to believe that such a State should ever be our Portion again. Oh! How much down and flagged was our Faith! We were ready to conclude with Zion— The Lord had forsaken us, and our God had forgotten us; and that he had quite shut up the tender Bowels of his Mercy, and would be gracious no more to us. Nay, our distrustfulness of the possibility of deliverance, and the All-sufficiency of God to bring it about, came up parallel with that high Provocation of Israel, we find mentioned, Psal. 78.19. Yea they spoke against God, they said, Can God Furnish a Table in the Wilderness? — Therefore the Lord heard this, and was wrath; so a Fire was kindle against Jacob, and Anger also came up against Israel. Oh! Have we not tempted God in the very same kind? Have not we made reflections on his Power? Have we not thought it impossible Deliverance should be wrought cut for us, and thereby highly dishonoured the Lord our God in the wilderness of our Troubles, by disponding in his Goodness, and by distrusting of his Power? Our Hearts grew faint, and our Spirits failed within us; so that we gave up all for lost. And (through the extreme sinking of our Faith) we looked upon ourselves as a People wholly marked out for destruction. In so much as we were ready to say with the Prophet, Oh that we had in the Wilderness a Lodging place of Wayfaring men! That we might go and live solitarily alone; or that we might hid ourselves in the Deserts of the Earth, till the bitter Calamity were over past. Indeed we knew not where to go, or what to do, so great was our Fear, and so little was our Faith. Oh! what an unexpected change of Providence is now come upon us, even upon us, who were putting this great and glorious day of Mercy so far from us in our thoughts and apprehensions! It was with us as with that Lord we read of, on whom the King leaned, 2 Kings 7.12. Then Elisha said, Hear the Word of the Lord, Thus saith the Lord, To morrow about this time shall a Measure of fine Flower be sold for a Sheckle in the Gates of Samaria. Then a Lord on whose hand the King leaned, answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the Lord would make Windows in Heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine Eyes, but shalt not Eat thereof. There requires more Faith than I doubt most of us were ever possessors of, to see the Plenty of Deliverance, in the midst of the pinching Scarcity of Persecution.  Tarda solet magnis rebus in esse fides. 
Well, but though our Faith could not behold it, God hath graciously vouchsafed it.— He hath done great things for us, who were great Unbelievers.  
Sixthly, For us, quarrelling and disagreeing Creatures, who have delighted to warm our Exuberant Fancies in the long kindled Flame of Contention; and instead of Water to quench, have poured in Oil to enrage the burning. Who have been lifting up every one his hand against his Brother, to smite him openly; or (which is worse) his unruly Tongue to slander him privily. And by our thus Butchering one another's good Names with our Lies and detracting Stories (as Simeon and Levi did the Shechemites with their drawn Swords) we have made Religion stink in the Nostrils of all without. 'Tis said— For the divisions of Reuben that were great thoughts of Heart. And really, when I have seriously thought of the many and sad divisions amongst us, it hath made my Heart ache to think what would become of the Professors, and Professions of this Age. Such things fore-bode no good, if we may believe Christ, 12 Math. 25. And Jesus knew their Thoughts, and said to them, Every Kingdom divided against itself, is brought to Disolation, and every City or House divided against itself shall not stand. A Kingdom cut and hewn into divers Factions, so is the Emphasis of the Original word,  Scinditur incertum Studia incontraria vulgus. 
And when these various Opinions engender Alienation in Affection, setting up of Parties to oppose one another, Oh! this is very sad and tremendous. And yet so, Oh! so it hath been with us, the Professors of Religion in this Land: Oh! what Divisions, Dissensions, Animosities, Emulations, and Heart-burnings have there been found amongst us, to the grief of the Godly, the derision of the Wicked, and to the astonishment of all. I have somewhere Read, there were some Christian Slaves in Turkey, who upon some difference in Points of Faith, fell to so great feuds, that they built up a Mudwall in the Dungeon, to prevent intercourse one with the other. We have verily been doing somewhat not unlike this, even under our Persecutions. And I fear our jarrings are not to this day ceased; there is the same leven of Malice and Prejudice still boiling in the Spirits of too many turbulent Ones.  
Well, This Spirit (though it be abhorred of God, and abundantly born witness against in the Holy Scripture) is kept up and indulged by a Generation that are pure in their own Eyes, but yet I fear are not washed from their Filthiness. Hear what Paul saith of this Spirit of division, 1 Cor. 1.12, 13. Now this I say, That every one of you saith, I am of Paul, and I am of Apollo, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ; is Christ divided? Was Paul Crucified for you? Or were you Baptised in the Name of Paul? Ah thou meek and peaceable Apostle! didst thou blame the divisions of the Church of Corinth? what wouldst thou say, were't thou alive at this day, to see what is too plain to be seen amongst us? Oh! that then God should do such great things for us, who have not a good word, or a good thought to bestow upon our fellow Members! That we should be raising up, and not rather quite pulled down, is astonishing mercy!— I have now done with reflecting on the Object here, For Us; He hath done great things for Us, poor, low, mean Creatures; For Us, poor distressed Creatures; For Us, poor sinful Creatures; For Us, poor despised Creatures; For Us, poor distrustful poor despised Creatures; For Us, poor distrustful Creatures; For Us, poor quarrelling Creatures.  
I now come to the third thing, Namely the Predicate, with the amplification of it: He hath done Great Things; or (as it is in the Original) he hath magnified to do. He is a great God, and he hath done (like himself) greatly. He hath done marvellous things, as in the Land of Ham, and terrible things, as by the red Sea. So great things hath he done, that the Mouths and Hearts of all his People are full of them; yea so full, that they may better adore then express them: Now may all cry out this day with Balaam, as he was convincing Balak of his folly (through the mighty influence of the divine Spirit then upon him) in endeavouring to bring the People of God under the Power of a Curse, Num. 23.23. Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is their any divination against Israel. Men may set themselves to curse and rave against the Saints, yet still they shall be preserved. That even Atheists may be forced, adoringly to break forth, Oh! what hath God done? What Preservations hath he vouchsafed? What Deliverancs hath he wrought out for his chosen Ones? And in spite of the malice of Men and Devils to the contrary: The Church is very much enlarged, in speaking of these great things. Psalm 46.7, 8, 9 The Lord of Hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our Refuge, Selah! Come behold the works of the Lord, What Desolations he hath made on the Earth. He maketh Wars to cease to the end of the Earth: He breaketh the Bow, and cutteth the Spear in sunder, He burneth the Chariot in the Fire. By Bow, we may understand the Strength and Power of the Church's Enemies, and this he hath broken: by Spear, the war of Persecution that was raised against them; and this he hath cut. By Chariots, the eagerness of men's Spirits in prosecuting the work, and these he hath burnt in the Fire. These are Great, yea very Great Things. Where is the adversaries Power to suppress us? Alas that's broken. Where is the Adversaries Authority to threaten us with Bonds and Prisons, and Constables-Staves? Alas that's cut in pieces. Where's the Adversaries Rage and Malice against us? Alas that's burnt in the Fire. There is now Peace to him that goes out, and Peace to him that comes in; and among the swarm of our Adversaries, there is none to make us afraid. These are great things, good things, things of an inestimable value!  — Magis illa Juvant quae pluris emuntur. 
Oh Beloved! It would astonish Angels, and daunt the hearts of Devils; it would make the Morning-Stars sing together, and all the Sons of God shout for joy, to tell you what great things God hath done for us: Oh! that my Tongue were touched with a Coal from the holy Altar, that in a Seraphic strain, I might be repeating some of those great things that God hath done: Help me with your Prayers, Raise me with your Devotion; that I may raise your Spirits to Joy and Thankfulness in the hearing of them.  
First, He hath stopped the Mouths of our malicious Adversaries, who in their reviling language took an unaccountable liberty to upbraid and abuse us at their will and pleasures: But God hath put a Hook in the Nostrils of the Senacharibs, and stopped the mouths of our railing Rabshekaes'. He hath tamed the roaring Bulls of Bashan, and quelled the wild Boars of the Forest. Those that were foaming at the mouth for madness, at the very appearance of a Religious Assembly, where God was worshipped in the Gospel of his Son; Those that were once raging and taring at a Meeting, as though the Town were on Fire, that were making such a horrible hubbub, with Clamours and Outcries, as though some Treason of the first Magnitude were a committing: Those who were a Profaning the Sabbath, Blaspheming God and his Ways, that were indeed perfectly Drunk with Fury and Madness: Where are they now?  Fortis ubi est Ajax? ubi sunt ingentia magni verba Viri— 
Alas! altum silentium, they are ashamed of their craft: Their Huffing and Hectoring, their Raving and Swearing; their Threatening, and Exclaiming; is now forcibly quelled, and they are become as mute, as the Idiot, who keeps silent because he knows not how to speak: Now verily is fulfilled that great word Psalm 3.7. Arise O Lord, save me, O my God for thou hast smitten all mine Enemies upon the Cheekbone; Thou hast broken the Teeth of the . That is, Thou hast brought them to great Disgrace and Reproach; and who can expect a better end, then that of Shame and Contempt, who run in ways of so great abomination? The Enmity, and Inveteracy in some men's Spirits, has been beyond former precedents or examples. What a Spirit of Madness was there against the poor Dissenters? I remember what Laocoon said to the Trojans.  Quis furor O Cives quae tanta insania mentem occupat?— 
One would wonder (in a Christian Land especially) the very Idea of modesty and sobriety should be so wholly razed out of men's Mouths and Hearts, in speaking and acting in so plain a way of Inhumanity, as scarce any Heathen, but would have blushed at it; But now God hath checked this Hellish Spirit, and hath sent it to the Bottomless Pitt from whence it came, and I hope it will never have a resurrection more in England. We may say of it, as Jacob did of Simeon and Levi.— Cursed be their Anger, for it was fierce; and their Wrath, for it was cruel; for in their wrath, they killed a Man; and in their Self-will they digged down a Wall. Oh! how true is that great word, 76 Plalm 10. Surely the Wrath of Man shall praise Thee, and the remainder of wrath shalt Thou restrain. We had Sinned, and God in Judgement let lose these Savages to worry us for a Season: But now His Pleasure is performed concerning us, He hath muzzled and chained them in their places again. God made use of as much of their wrath, as served his own will, and now he hath restrained the rest; though they may have the same will and inclinations, yet they have not the same Power and Opportunity, and the God of Heaven grant they never may. Oh Sirs! what a great thing is this, that God hath done for us? He hath stayed the rough Wind, in the day of the East-Wind. He hath ceased the chilling full-mouthed blasts of Boreas, and hath made the gentle Zephyrus speak peace in our Horizon: So that in grateful remembering the Lord our Maker that hath stretched forth the Heavens, and laid the foundations of the Earth; we may triumphantly say. _____ And where is the Fury of the Oppressor?  
Secondly He hath opened a way for the Ambassadors of Christ to walk abroad without danger, and Appear in the Streets without fear of Apprehending: what a terrible time hath it been with poor Ministers? How have they been driven from their Families, as not able to live at peace (or with any safety) in their Habitations? And when they went abroad, in what strange habits were they compelled to go, lest they should have fallen, into the hands of unreasonable Men, men of no Faith, no Conscience, no Christianity, no Humanity? But now they may show themselves, and appear (as they are) The faithful Servants of God, and the King's dutiful Subjects: There is now no need of uncouth Garments to obscure them, no need of flaunting Periwigs to disguise them, no need of changing their names, to keep them from the Cognizance of the Sons of Belial: Methinks I cannot reflect on the time past, without observing how the Messengers of the Lord, were much in the like condition with Elijah, 1 Kings 1910. And he came thither unto a Cave, and Lodged there, and behold the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What dost thou here Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of Hosts: for the Children of Israel have forsaken thy Covenant, thrown down thine Altars, and slain thy Prophets with the Sword: and I, even I only am left, and thy seek my Life to take it away. Oh! London, London, how will it remain as an Indelible mark of reproach upon thee, that those Men, who were once thy Beauty, more than any of thy stately Structures; who were once thy Glory, more than any of thy Indian Spices, or far-fetched Treasures, should yet be thought unworthy to live within thy Walls; but were Hunted into Holes and Corners, and searched for, from House to House, as though they were Felons, or some horrid Flagitious Persons: But God hath at length looked in Mercy on the Sons of Levi, and lifted up their Heads, in our Israel, yea to so great an height, that they may not only walk the Streets in safety, but appear in their Pulpits publicly, before the face of the World; discharging the Duty of their Places, which they were solemnly set apart for. Now the People may behold their dear Pastors that were rend and torn from them, which enforced so much Heart-breaking Sorrow and Lamentation; now the Blessed God is making good that Promise Isa. 30.19, 20. For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem; thou shalt Weep no more: He will be very gracious unto thee, at the voice of thy Cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee: And though the Lord give you the bread of Adversity, and the Water of Affliction, yet shall not thy Teachers be removed into a corner any more: But thine Eyes shall see thy Teachers. Ay they do see them, and they are Rejoicing in the sight of them. As there can be no greater Sorrow, then when Minister and People parts, so there is no greater Joy, then when Ministers and People Meets: and we have good ground to hope, they will be removed into corners no more. Non alis se induent, they shall not fly away, they shall not be forced from their Congregations and Families any more: Our Dread Sovereign (whose word is Inviolable) hath graciously Promised there shall no such havoc be made in this Nation (during His happy Reign) as there hath been on this account. Oh Sirs! Is not this a great thing that God hath done for us, even far beyond our expectation?  
Thirdly, He hath made way for People to live quietly in their Habitations. Those peaceable Inhabitants who were so inoffensive in their Conversations, that Malice itself could have nothing to say against them, but (as it was with Daniel) in the matter of their God. These I say (by this great Revolution of Providence) may now live securely and quietly, without being pulled and halled out of their Dwellings, without having their Houses Plundered and Pillaged, without having their Goods wasted and destroyed, without being ruined and undone in their Trades and Callings; and that for no other cause than their Conscientious fearing to offend God, in complying with those terms of worship, which according to the discerning God had given them (after use of Prayer and other means) were really sinful. Without being a Prey to wicked and ungodly Ones, who rejoiced in nothing more than in Ravage & Devastation; 'Twas an awful Judgement the Lords own People lay under, that he should give them up to these Savage men's Lusts, whose tender mercies they so woefully experienced to be Cruel. And indeed he was the Efficient cause in it.— Who gave Jacob to the Spoil, and Israel to the Robber? Did not I, saith the Lord? Yes he did: But though he did so, for the glorifying his Justice; he hath at length, for the greater glorifying of his Mercy, rescued them again from these Spoilers, and taken the Power out of their hands; as he promised of old, Ezek. 34.38. And they shall no more be a Prey to the Heathen, neither shall the Beasts of the Land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid. Whatever men may think of themselves, the Spirit of God calls them no better than Beasts, for devouring his Heritage. But now lift up your Heads and rejoice, ye Sons and Daughters of the most High, ye shall be devoured no more. Ye shall now live in quiet, and enjoy the Mercy the Pagan accounted so great.  
— Optat  
Fumum de patriis posse videre focis.  
Return ye scattered Ones into your Habitations again, for now the King of Kings will be a Wall of Fire round about you, and the Glory in the midst of you. Oh! Beloved, this is a great thing, this is a pleasant thing, that God hath done for you. Now the Shops may be opened again that have been so long shut up; now the Houses may be furnished again that have been so long desolate; and now you may all visit one another again with comfort and delight, who have been so long dispersed by a Storm so full of Terror and Amazement. Now you may sit down every one under his own Figtree, and eat the Labour of your own hands, without danger of the hungry Cannibal to snatch it out of your Mouths. As God said his own People should do, Jerem. 23.8. But the Lord liveth, which brought up, and which led the Seed of the House of Israel out of the North Country, and from all Countries whether I had driven them, and they shall dwell in their own Land. God hath now made our Land Peaceable, and hath restored our Cities to dwell in.— Verily this is a great thing.— This is that whereby God hath made himself known in our Judah, and whereby his Name is become great in our Israel. Whereby also he hath manifested his Tabernacle to be in our Salem, and his Dwelling-Place, in the midst of our Zion. Oh! what shall we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?  
Fourthly, He hath given us just Liberty of Conscience, to Serve Him, and Worship in that way which we are absolutely convinced to be the truest and nearest the Rule; So that every one hath now the Liberty and glorious Freedom of his own Conscience, in matters of Religion; which hath been so much opposed and Tyrannised over by the Men of this Generation. Oh! unparallelled Tyranny! Had We and our little Ones been sold for Bond Slaves, our oppressions had not been so great. We might have had recourse to God in Prayer and hearing his Word, which would have alleviated our Sorrows (though never so great) and eased our burdens (though never so heavy) But to be denied this Liberty, is so great a piece of inhumanity, that nothing can be greater: No Slavery like that of having the Conscience manacled, and fettered by the impious will of Man; which (as our most Excellent Sovereign hath declared) is not to be Constrained or any way Forced: Man hath nothing so near to him or so dear to him, as his Conscience; hence Compulsion and Coercion as to that, is both against the Law of God, and the very Light of Nature; Heathens have abhorred it. 'Twas the glory of Ahashuerus his Feast, that there was no compelling any man to do beyond what he had a mind to, or saw in himself cause for; every man was left to his own freedom; Esther 1.8. And the drinking was according to the Law, none did compel, for so the King had appointed to all the Officers of the house, that they should do according to every man's Pleasure. And shall there be more imposing in a Christian Church, than there was in the Persian Court? Shall a Heathen King be more tender than Protestant Magistrates? Truly this is little for the honour of Christianity. Well, how ever Conscience hath been bound, 'tis now free; this Glorious and Golden Liberty is once more restored again.  Aurea Libertas auro pretiosior omni. 
Oh! what a great thing is this, that God hath wrought out for us! Rejoice O Land, and break forth into Shouting, Oh England; for thy Inhabitants are now indeed made a free People. The Iron Yoke of the worst sort of Bondage and Captivity (which hath so long and so greatly galled them) is taken off their necks, and every man is at ease; Nothing so welcome to all Christians, as this thing. As Aristotle saith of the Hand, it is Organon Organoon, the Instrument of Instruments; so we may say of Liberty of Conscience, it is the Mercy of Mercies. Indeed it is a a Mercy that makes all other enjoyments to be Mercy; without this, our Bread is mingled with Gaul, how fine soever; and our drink with Wormwood, how rich soever: without this, our health would do us little good, yea Life 〈…〉 self is but a protracted Misery: And as this Liberty is so pleasing to every Creature, so it is no less consonant to the mind and will of the Great Creator; and hence those that have the Spirit of God, cannot, dare not, be against it. 2 Cor. 3.17. Now the Lord is that Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty. Wherever the Spirit of the Lord dwells in Power and Life, that Soul is for Liberty; that Soul having tasted the sweetness of Liberty, is as willing to allow it to his fellow Creatures, as to take it himself. Whilst men are tying the Consciences of others up to the hard mead of their humours, they are doing the Devil's work and not Gods. Oh Sirs! God hath done this great thing for us, he hath given us Liberty of Conscience: Oh! that we might be so glad of it, as to use it to his Glory, and not as an occasion of farther provoking him, for this would be sad and dreadful indeed.  
Fifthly, He hath enlarged the Preaching of the Gospel, of that Gospel which brings the Glad-tidings of Salvation to poor lost Man; of that Gospel that proclaims Liberty to the Captive, and the opening the Prison-doors to them that are in Bondage, and lets the Prisoners go free; of that Gospel that shows poor Creatures the way to Life, and how to be made happy for ever; which hath so unreasonably and spitefully been hindered by all the hellish Craft and Subtilty that could be used. Oh! how have men Stretched their Wits, and Tenterhookt their Power, to stop the shining light of the Glorious Gospel? Though God hath commanded it to be Preached, and spread to the utmost confines of the Earth; though he hath Promised, it shall be so spread in the last days, when the Earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Glory of the Lord, as the Waters cover the Seas, and though he hath demonstrated, it shall be so in the Vision which John saw, Rev. 2.14.6. And I saw another Angel in the midst of Heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to Preach unto them that dwell in the Earth, and to every Nation, and Kindred, and Tongue, and People. Had this Angel stood upon Earth (as he was to fly in Heaven) in our Climate; we lately had a sort of People would have been ready to have clapped a Warrant on his Back, and apprehended him as a disturber of the Peace (though he was to Preach no other than the Gospel of Peace,) So eager were they to cross the Almighty (Oh! Impudent Presumption) in his purposes and decrees. But now, Blessed be God, there is a large door set open, that all that are gifted and spirited for the work, may apply themselves thereunto without any fear of Opposition. Ill-men may threaten and repine at it, but they cannot hinder it. Happy! Blessed! Glorious day! This Door hath a long time been shut to the great Grief and Trouble of many poor Souls. How many poor Creatures have been hungry for the Bread of Life, but there was none to break it to them? How many were thirsty for the Water of the Sanctuary, but there was none to draw it for them? There hath been a great Famine of Bread (of Heavenly Bread I mean) in our Land. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who hath visited his People and given them this Bread, and that in abundance. Who hath brought forth his Ministers from their Prisons, from their hiding places, and hath given them liberty and opportunity to open their Mouths in the great Congregations, and to act according to the Tenor of the Prophet's Commission, Esaiah 58.1. Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy Voice like a Trumpet, show my People their Transgressions, and the Sons of Jacob their Sin. Don't speak in a low flattering way; don't read in a dull sleepy cold manner, as though you were rehearsing a story out of a Book, but cry, and cry aloud; speak, and speak out with a lifted up voice, Plenis faucibus, voce sonora & quasi Tubali; and what a mercy 'tis that we have such Golden Trumpets sounding in the Gates of our Zion. such glorious Lights shining in our Horizon: Oh! this is a great thing. Our Meetings which of late were confined, to the most private and retired rooms (and that not withot a great deal of danger) are now brought forth in open view, in the sight of all Israel, and before the Sun, Who can think of this, and not break forth into Admiration?  
Sixthly, He hath given opportunity to the worst, to sit under the best means, to their Souls good. The Ignorant and Profane Persons who had most need to hear, were (for cogent reasons) in most places shut out from the word. People were afraid to admit them into their Private Meetings, lest they should be betrayed by them: and every one that knows the worth of a Soul, will own this a great Mercy indeed, that such may now come freely into the Public Assemblies, and none have any suspicion of them. The Net is now largely and extensively spread over all; and blessed be God, there is a Spirit in such to come in the Nets way: I have always observed that the worst men have a hankering after the best means: This our Saviour hinted at in his answer to John, Mat. 11.4, 5. Jesus answared and said unto them, Go, and show John again those things which you do hear and see: The Blind receive their Sight, and the Lame Walk, the Lepers are Cleansed, and the Deaf Hear, the Dead are raised up, and the Poor have the Gospel Preached to them.— The word in the Original is Emphatical, and the Poor are Gospellized; not only poor in respect to the World, but poor in respect of Grace. That are in a Natural unregenerated Estate. what a vast injury to the Souls of thousands of such, has this late Persecution been: Oh! that all concerned in it may seriously lay it to heart, and I am confident it will be small ease to them to reflect upon it; that so many, by the heat of their Spirits, have been kept from that word, that might have been the Savour of Life to them; but now they may come and be partakers of it: Take notice, you Drunkards, you Swearers, you Worldlings, you Atheists, henceforth you can have no excuse, for you may now come and hear from the Messengers of the Lord of Hosts, the misery of your Condition; of the dreadfulness of Living and Dying in the state you are; of the manner of True Conversion, of the freeness of Grace, of the Fullness of Love, and of the infinite Virtue, and Value of the Blood of Christ; the closing with which by faith must be your happiness if ever you are made happy: These glorious Divine Truths are not now spoken of in a private Chamber, but publicly Proclaimed as on the House top, Prov. 20.21, 22. Wisdom cryeth without, She uttereth her Voice in the Streets: She cryeth in the chief place of concourse, in the opening of the Gates, in the City, She uttereth her words saying, How long ye simple Ones will ye love Simplicity? and the Scorners delight in their Scorning, and Fools hate Knowledge? Oh! what a great thing is this!  
Seventhly, (And which is none of the least of these great things) He hath turned the Heart of our Royal and Dread Sovereign to us, as the Heart of a Father to his Children. We are told, Pouv. 21.11. The King's Heart is in the Hand of the Lord, as the Rivers of Water he turneth it wheresoever he will. Oh! Blessed be God for this Turn, how welcome, how refreshing is it, even as the breaking forth of the Sun after a tedious Night. We may now go home to our Tents, Rejoice and Triumphing, that we, even we, have a Portion in our David; and that we, even we, have an Inheritance in the Son of Jesse. Through the Interposition of some shadowing Clouds, we have not had for some years the Smiles of Caesar's Face, being continually portrayed before him, as some Monstrous Creatures unworthy his Protection. There have not been wanting haman's in the Court, suggesting to the Prince, that his Crown could not set fast upon his Head while such Disloyal Ones as we were at Peace in the Land. But we now stand right in our Sovereign's Favour, he has been pleased to spread the Wings of his Clemency over us, and this we humbly Acknowledge to be a great thing God hath done for us. Now then, If stopping the Mouths of our Adversaries which were so open; if lifting up the Head of our Ministers which were so low; if securing our Inhabitants which were so uneasy; if giving Liberty of Conscience which was so tyrrannyzed over; if enlarging the Gospel which was so opposed; if making way for the worst to hear the Word, who were so miserably kept from it; if turning the Heart of our Sovereign To Us, who suffered so much by that Fatal Eclipse. If these are great things, than God hath done great things for us.  
I come now to the last part of the words, Namely, The Influence that this has upon all that fear God— Whereof we are glad.  
The word saith— Light is Sown for the Righteous, and Gladness for the Upright in Heart. And this seems to be the Harvest time, for our God is returning (after so long withdrawing) and repenting concerning us his Servants. He is satisfying us also with his Mercy, and making our Hearts glad in this day. Yea he is making us Joyful according to the days wherein he hath afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil; his Work is appearing unto us, and his Glory upon our Children. Oh! That we could therefore make a Joyful Noise unto the Lord, that we could serve the Lord with Gladness, and come before his Presence this day with Singing. Oh! That we could enter his Gates with , and into his Courts with Praise, and be thankful unto him and bless his Name. The Preacher saith, There is a time to Weep, and a time to Laugh; a time to Mourn, and a time to Dance. We have had our days of Weeping and of Mourning; we have been in the Wilderness of Sin, and as in the Vale of Siddim; with Jeremy we have even had Furrows on our Faces, and Isickles from our Eye lids with continual Weeping; with Origen we have almost been dead with Grief; with Chrysystome we have been consuming our days in Sorrow; with Basil we have been even old before our time; and with Rebeckah we have been weary of our Lives; but now (Gaudia post luctus veniunt) the Laughing time, the Dancing time is come; our Lord is now saying to us as to his Church— 2 of the Cant. 10.11, 12, 13. My Beloved speak; and said unto me, Rise up my Love, my Fair One, and come away, for lo the Winter is past, the Rain is over and gone; the Flowers appear on the Earth, the time of the Singing of Birds is come, and the voice of the Turtle is heard in our Land; the Figtree putteth forth her green Figs, and the Vine with tender Grapes gives a good smell. Arise my Love, my Fair One, and come away. From whence should she come? Why, from setting in her Mourning-Chamber, & giving up herself to Sorrow and Lamentation; for though it had been a blustering and stormy Winter with her, yet it is now past; though it had been a time of great and dismal Rain, yet it is now over and gone, and the Pleasant Spring time is come; for the Flowers appear on the Earth, and the Birds begin to Sing; So it hath been with us— The ways of our Zion have Mourned, because none did come to the Solemn-Feast; all her Gates were desolate, her Priests sighed, her Virgins were afflicted, and she was in Bitterness. But now our Condition is changed, and we are called to Rejoicing, and we shall Sin greatly if we do not Rejoice, Deut. 28.47. Because thou servest not the Lord thy God with Joyfulness and with gladness of Heart, for the abundance of all things. This was a great and a provoking Sin, pray let it not be our Sin. But let us Rejoice in the Lord, our righteousness, and glory in the Rock of our Salvation; who hath done this great thing for us. Give me leave very briefly to show you how we should be glad.  
First, As it is an Answer of Prayer, God hath manifested himself a God, hearing Prayer, in doing these great things, for they are the very things we have been long Praying for; as Hannah said to Eli. 1 Sam. 1.27. For this Child I Prayed, and the Lord hath given me my Petition which I asked of him. So for this day, for this Change, for this time of Liberty the People of God have been Weeping and Praying, and Crying aloud; Oh! what floods of Tears have been poured out; Oh! what volleys of Sighs and Sobs have been sent up in the Exhalations of the Spirits of the Saints unto the great God, that he would do what he hath now done for them; as it is of God that we are not destroyed, so it is of God that we are delivered; and shall we not be glad that he hath at length heard our Prayers and answered our Request?  
Secondly, We should be glad in respect to the Time of it: He hath done great things for us at this time, when we least expected it. This Enhanced the value of deliverance of the Jews, 7 Ezra 12. Artaxerxes King of Kings, unto Ezra a Priest, a Scribe of the Law of the God of Heaven, perfect Peace, and at such a time. Our King hath sent the blessed Message of Peace to the poor Ministers of the Gospel, and to all the Churches of Christ in this Land, and at such a time, when we looked for nothing but Sorrow and Trouble; and surely for this we should be glad.  
Thirdly, We should be glad demonstrated in our Union. Bondage and Oppression hath not driven us together. Oh! That Deliverance might, since it hath pleased God to open a Door of Liberty for us all, of what persuasion soever. Oh! That we might heedfully attend to the Apostles pressing Exhortation, Ephe. 4.3.4. Endeavouring to keep the Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace. There is one Body and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling. I could hearty wish that all the unhappy Names of distinction (which have kept up the feud so long among us) might be now laid aside; and that we might live together in Love, and be sincerely loving one another as the fellow Citizens of the New Jerusalem. Oh! This would be a great thing, a glorious manifestation of our Gladness.  
Fourthly, We should be glad demonstrated in our Reformation. There is a voice in Mercies as well as in Afflictions; in Deliverance as well as in Persecution; God hath been a long time speaking to us from the Fulminations of Mount Sinai, and now is speaking to us from the sweet Irradiations of Mount Zion, and his voice is that you will find mentioned, Jere. 7.2.3. Stand in the Gate of the Lords House, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the Word of the Lord, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these Gates to Worship the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your do, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Ah! Sirs, if we desire the continuance of this great Mercy of entering the Gates to worship the Lord, for God's sake let us be reforming our Lives, and turning every one from the Evil of his ways; that we may provoke the Lord no more to hate the Palaces of our Jacob, or forsake the Assemblies in our Israel; for hereby indeed can we only show that we are glad of these great things that God hath done for us.  
Fifthly, We should be glad demonstrated in our satisfaction and contentedness of Spirit, with what God hath done; laying aside all needless fears and jealousies, which tend only to disquiet the mind, and render us uncapable of worshipping God as we should do. Oh hear and tremble at the Apostles solemn Admonition, 1 Exo. 10.10. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the Destroyer. God hath influenced our Sovereign to do such great things for us, which none of his Predecessors ever did, largely expressed in his unparallelled Declaration. A Declaration so full of Princely Love and Affection, so full of Amazing Candour and Condescension, that it deserves to be writ in Letters of Gold. Behold! Majesty on the Thone, veiling the Sceptre, and darting the Rays of his Royal Favour into the poorest Cottage. Behold a Crowned King Compassionating and Commiserating the Calamities of his meanest Subjects. What shall I say? Behold an Index pointing to the rich graces and virtues in the large Folio of the Royal Breast. And shall we be yet murmuring, and indulge discontents and fears? Oh! this would be a very ungrateful Requital, both to God and the King. Oh Beloved! I earnestly beg you, that we may Eat our Bread with Joyfulness, and dwell in our Habitations with Gladness, with what God and the King hath done for us.  
Sixthly, We should be glad demonstrated in our Dutiful Deportment towards our Sovereign: God is the Efficient, he is the Instrument of these great things; let us therefore be like those of old, who blessed the King, and went unto their Tents joyful and glad of Heart, for all the goodness he had done for David his Servant, and for Israel his People. We are now under the indispensible Duty of Gratitude (as well as of Law and Gospel) to be a quiet and peaceable People. Oh! that the King may never see any thing in our Carriages to make him Repent of the kindness he hath shown to us. I will leave that word with you, and I cannot but earnestly press it upon you, which Solomon the wisest of men left in charge to his Son, 24 Prov. 21.22. My Son, fear thou the Lord and the King, and meddle not with them that are given to change, for their Calamity shall rise suddenly, and who knoweth the Ruin of them both? Oh! let us make good our Sovereign's good Opinion, that good Christians will be good Subjects; and herein shall we show ourselves glad in a right gladness.  
I shall now in a few words show you what a kind of gladness this should be, and I have done.  
First, It should be a forgetful gladness: I do not mean forgetful of the Mercies we receive, but of the Miseries we have felt. Oh! let them be Buried in the Grave of Oblivion; let them be as though they never were; and to that end I would commend the Spiritual Improvement of those words, Prov. 31.6, 7. Give strong Drink unto those that are ready to Perish, and Wine unto those that be of heavy Hearts; let him drink and forget his Poverty, and remember his Misery no more. Who ever hath been pinched by the late Persecution, Oh! let him come and drink of the waters that are running in our Sanctuaries, so will he forget his Poverty and remember his Miseries no more. God did not depress us so low, but he hath now raised us again.  
Dejicit ut relevei, premit ut solatie praestet,  
Denecat ut possit vivificare Deus.  
He covered the head of our Zion with a Cloud in the day of his Anger, that the Light of his Countenance and the Glory of his Presence might be now more sweet and precious. He over-whalmed us with Sorrow, that the Table he hath now spread for us, and the Oil wherewith he is Anointing our Heads, might be the more fragrant and odiriferous. He brought us down into the Valley of Death, that after two days he might revive us; and that in the third day he might raise us up that we may live in his sight, that we may know if we follow on to know the Lord; his going forth is prepared as the Morning, and that his coming to us is as the Rain, as the latter and former Rain unto the Earth. Oh then!  hardships we have undergone, let them all be forgotten.  
Secondly, It should be a Charitable gladness: We should so be glad for these great things, as to put away all Anger and Malice, and thoughts of Revenge against those that have done us wrong; for so is the Gospel command, 5 Math. 44. But I say unto you, Love your Enemies, Bless them that Curse you, do good to them that Hate you, and Pray for them which Despitefully use you, and Persecute you. Oh! Remember that a Forgiving Spirit is a Gospel Spirit.  
Thirdly, It should be a Profitable gladness: We should labour to be so glad for these great things, as to get good by them, improving the means of Grace we now enjoy for our Souls good; saying with David, 112 Psa. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go unto the House of the Lord. Our Feet shall stand within thy Gates, O Jerusalem; Jerusalem is builded as a City that is compact together; whether the Tribes go up, the Tribes of the Lord, unto the Testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the Name of the Lord; for there are set Thrones of Judgement; the Thrones of the House of David. Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem, they shall prosper that love thee. Oh Sirs! This gladness will turn to a good account at the last day.  
Fourthly, It should be a Spiritual gladness: Not in a Carnal way of Rejoicing as the World do, nor upon the account of any Carnal or Worldly Interest, but purely on a Spiritual account. As our Saviour admonished his Disciples, Luke 10.20. Notwithstanding, In this rejoice not, that the Spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice, that your Names are written in Heaven. I have not now time to apply it, but so should our gladness be.  
Fifthly, It should be an Eucharistical gladness: Oh! how should we be Blessing, Praising, Adoring, and Magnifying the Lord our God in the Sense of these great things he hath done for us? How should we be stirring up ourselves to the Praise of him, as David did? 108 Psa. 1.2, 3, 4. O God, my Heart is fixed; I will Sing and give Praise even with my Glory. Awake Psaltery and Harp, I myself will awake early; and I will sing Praises to thee among the Nations; for thy Mercy is great above the Heavens, and thy Truth reacheth unto the Clouds. This will be a gladness truly becoming the Professors of the Gospel.  
Sixthly, It should be an Influential gladness: Oh! what an Influence should these great things have upon our whole Man to serve our God more purely, to live to him more holily, and to walk before him more humbly than ever we have done; as the Apostle urgeth the Romans, Chap. 12.1. I beseech you therefore Brethren, by the Mercy of God, that you present your Body a living Sacrifice holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable Service. If this Exhortation were well practised by all that profess the Name of God in England; Oh! How would Peace Triumph over Dissension in the Nation? How would Plenty Triumph over Poverty in the City? And (that which is best of all) how would Religion Triumph over Profaneness in every Corner of the Land? And thereby how would God have the Glory, and we the solid lasting Comfort of these great things he hath done for us? Amen. Amen. Hallelujah, Hallelujah.  
FINIS.   

Advertisement.  
THere will very shortly be Published (for the gratifying the Desires of many) another Sermon of this Reverend Authors; the very first he Preached at the opening of the Meetinghouse in Spittle-fields, being a most Seasonable Discourse of Gods hearing Prayer.