OF ESSEX COUNTY, AND COMMITTEE. lOo
of hosts is witli us ; tlie God of Jacob is our refuge. Selali. Come, behold the works of the Lord, Avhat desolations he hath made in the earth," Ps. xlvi. 6—8. The enemies' undertaking, verse 6, — God's pro- tection to his people, verse 7, — a view of the adversaries' desolation, verse 8, — are all orderly held out.
The Lord tells Moses that he will harden the heart of Pharaoli, that he might show his power ; to this very end, that it might be con- sidered, and told to one another, Exod. x. 2, 3. How many psalms have we, that are taken up in setting forth God's breaking, yoking, befooling, tenifying his adversaries at such a season ! The remem- brance of the slaughter of the first-born of Egypt was an ingTedient in the chiefest ordinance the ancient church enjoyed, Exod. xii. The reasons of this are, —
1. Much of the greatness and intenseness of God's love to his own is seen in his enemies' ruin, Isa. xliii. 3, 4, " I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee ; therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life." When God gives such mighty kingdoms for a small handful, it appears they are precious to him: "Whosoever shall gather together against thee, shall fall for thy sake," Isa. liv. 15. When God will maintain a quarrel with all the world, — swear that he will never have peace with Amalek until he be consumed, — break nations, kings, and kingdoms, — stretch out his hand in judgment round about, — and all to save, preserve, prosper, protect a small handfid ; — surely he hath endeared affections for them. Li the days wherein we live, can we look and see wise men befooled, mighty warriors vanquished, men of might become as children, their persons slain and trodden down in the field, — can we but cry, " Lord, what are we, and what is our house, that thou shouldst do such things for us?" A serious view of what God hath done in this nation of late, — what armies he hath destro3^ed, what strongholds demolished, what proud, haughty spirits defeated, what consultations made vain, — is enough to make us admire the riches of his love all our days. . We may know what esteem a man sets upon a jewel, by the price he gives for it. Surely God values them for whom he hath given the honours, the parts, the polities, the lives of so many tall cedars, as of late he hath done. The loving-kindness of God to his church is seen, as in a glass, in the blood of their persecutors.
2. The manifestation of God's sovereignty, power, and justice, is as dear to him as the manifestation of his mercy. The properties he lays out in destruction are equally glorious with those he lays out in preservation. In the proclamation of his glorious name he omits them not, Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7. In these he triumph eth gloriously when he hath overthrown the horse and liis rider in the sea, Exod. xv. L
104 A MEMORIAL OF THE DELIVERANCE
Use. Let not our eyes in the late deliverance be always on the light side of the work, our own mercies; — the dark side of terror and judgment is not without its glory. The folly that was in their coun- sels, the amazement that was in their armies, the tremLlins: that accompanied all their undertakings, the tympanous products of all their endeavours, do all cry out, "Digitus Dei est hie." Had not God showed infinite wisdom, they had not been so abundantly foolish: had not he been infinite in power, the many thousands of enemies had not been so weak.
In the late engagement in this country, when God stirred us up, with some others in these parts, to make some opposition to the enemy gathering at Chelmsford, what were, think you, the workings of God's providences against them ? How came it to pass that we were not swallowed up by them ? For, —
1. They were desirous to ruin us, if we may judge then desires to answer their interest; or their expressions, with the language of their friends round about us, to answer their desires.
2. Thei/ were able to do it. They had from the beginning, and so all along, near as many thousands as we had hundreds; — of them very many old, experienced soldiers ; with us not three men that had ever seen any fighting.
8. They were resolved to do it. Witness their o-\vn confessions, and frequent declarations of theii- purposes, whilst the business was in agitation.
4. They were provoked to it. For the first and only considerable opposition was made to them in this place ; — first, By hindering their assistance from Colchester; which how much they valued, witness the senseless letter they would have forced the committee to subscribe, to persuade us not to disturb their levies there; — secondly, Suppress- ing and discouraging all those affected to them and their designs in these parts of the country ; restraining some, disarming others, a-sving all; — thirdly, Hastening the coming of the anny, lest their friends should suffer; — fourthly. Encouraging their coming, by declarmg that tliey had friends here : by which, and the like, they wei'e abundantly provoked.