Direct. 7. Lastly, Beg of God, and labour to get more Christian courage and magnanimity ; for want of this, conscience is oft over- borne against its own light and conviction ; Christian magnanimity is conscience's security. It is excellent and becoming a Christian to be able to face any thing but the frowns of God and his own conscience. All the famous champions of truth and witnesses for God, that came victorious out of the field with temptation, with safe and unwounded consciences, were men of courage and resolu- tion : See Dan. iii. 16. Heb. xi. 27. Acts xxi, 13. And what is this Christian courage but the fixed resolution of the soul to en- counter all dangers, all sufferings, all reproaches, pains and losses in the strength of assisting grace, that shall assault us in the ways of our duty ; and so it stands opposed in scripture to the spirit of Jear^ Heb. xi. 27. to shame, Mark viii. 38. to apostasy, Heb. x. 39. He must neither be afraid nor ashamed, nor lose one inch of ground for the sake of whatsoever dangers he meets with, and that because he hath embraced Christianity upon those terms, and was told of all this before, John xvi. 1. because there is no retreating, but to our own ruin, Heb. x. 38. because he owes all this, and much more than this, to Christ, Phil. i. 29. because he understands the value of his soul above his body, and of eternals above and beyond all tem}X)rals, Matth. x. 28. and, in a word, because he believes the promises of God's assistance and rewards, Heb. xi. 25, 26, 27.
O my friends, were our fears thus subdued, and our faith thus exalted, how free, and safe, would truth be in our consciences ! he that owns any truth to live upon it, or accommodate a carnal inte- rest by it, will disown that truth when it comes to live upon him,
SOG AN APPENDIX TO ENGLAND^S DUTY.
let conscience plead and say what it will : but he that hath agi'eed with Christ upon these terms, to be content to be miserable for ever if there be not enough in Christ to make him happy, this man will be a steady Christian, and will rather lie in the worst of pri-i sons, than imprison God's known truths in unrighteousness.
I have now done my message. I have set before you the Lord Jesus in the glory of his free grace and condescending love to sin- ners, O that 1 had skill and ability to have done it better ! I have wooed and expostulated with you on Christ's behalf: I have la- boured according to my little measure of strength, to cast up and prepare the way by removing the stumbling blocks and discou- ragements out of it. This hath been a time of conviction to many of you, some have not been able to hold their convictions any longer under restraints, but many, I fear, do so ; and therefore I have in the close of all handled this startling and awakening scripture among you, to shew you what an homd evil it is to detain God's truths in unrighteousness. I have also, in the name and authority of God, demanded all the Lord's prisoners, his suppressed and restrained truths at your hands : if you will unbind your convictions this day, cut asunder the bonds of carnal fear, shame, &c. with which you restrain them ; those truths you shall so make free, will make you free : if not, but you will still go on stifling and suppressing them in your own bosoms, remember that there are so many witnesses prepared to give evidence against you in the great day. And O that whilst you delay this duty, the sound of this text may never be out of your ears, nor suffer you to rest : " For the wrath of God is " revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness *' of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness."
Preached at the Public Thanksgiving, Feh. 14th, 1688-9, for England's Deliverance from Popery &c.
Upon Deut. iii. 24, 25.
THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY.
*¥o the Right Honourable George Earl of Southerland^ Lord Strathnaver^ Heritable Lord of Regality, and Sheriff in the Shire of Southerland,
JIt was a sweet refreshment to me In the days of our late exile, to be providentially cast into your Lordship's company and ac^ quaintance. I savoured in yourself and your most accomplished Lady, those things which are rarely found in persons of your emi- nent station and quality in the world.
I have neither forgotten youf tender sympathy with poor dis- tressed Sion, nor my weak endeavours to prop up your faith, with respect to a more cheerful aspect of providence upon the churches*
And now, my lord, we that mourned for, and 'suffered with Sion^ are this day called to rejoice with her. Yea, you are called to re- joice with a joy above the common joy, inasmuch as your Lordship is not only a partaker of the common mercy with others, but God hath honoured you in accompanying arid assisting the glorious in- strument of our deliverance.
My lord, it is a greater honour to be serviceable to the interest of Christ, than to descend from the blood of nobles. It is the ho- nour of angels that they are ministering Spirits for the church's good. What my apprehensions of, and expectations from this providence are, your lordship will measure from the following dis- course.
Let England rejoice to behold a Protestant king upon her throng; a king that gives more honour to the throne than it is capable to reflect on him that sits thereon. His soundness in Protestant prin*
ciples his prudence and equity in government, his zeal for the interest of Christ at the lowest ebb, speak him such a blessing to this nation as for ages past it hath not enjojed : And now, my lord, we may expect, if ever, to find that glorious description of a just and holy king answered in him, that " he shall be to us as the light of the morning, when the sun ariseth, even a morning without clouds," 2 Sam. xxiii. 4.
My lord, having in my place performed the duty of thanksgiv- ing to God, enjoined by public authority ^vith the same alacrity that Moses' mother obeyed the command of Pharaoh's daughter to nurse her own child; I am bold (notwithstanding the imperfec- tions that attend it) to offer it in all humility to your lordship''s hands ; being confident the design of it will be agreeable to your spirit, though there be nothing of external ornament to commend it to your fancy. So heartily congratulating your lordship's safe and happy return, with your pious and ingenuous lady, in the memorable year of England's deliverance from the Romish yoke, I beg your honour's pardon for this presumption, and remain
Your Honour's most obliged
O Lord God, thou liaH begun to shew thy servant thy gi-eatness^ and thy mighty hand ; for what God is there in heaven, or in earth that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might f I pray thee let me go over and see the good land that is beyond Jor^ dan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon.