been called off to other encounters, there can be no donbt but that they would have attempted to invade us ; and, if they had succeeded in landing only two thirds of the forces which they might have brought against us, there can be no doubt but that they would have seized and plundered the metropolis, and spread desolation and misery over the whole country. We all know what destruction they threatened us with*; and, could they have once overrun our country, they would have reduced us to such a state of subjection as Israel experienced, when the Pliilis- tines suffered them not even to retain a workman in their land, who should be able to fabricate arms for their defence. Not a dock, or a naval architect, would have been left in our land.
4. The overthrow of the Russian empire —
[Already had the whole of Europe been combined against us, and we were constrained to array ourselves against their united force. But the insatiable ambition of our great enemy raised up opposition at last from amongst his own allies, and gave us an opportunity of engaging him in a foreign land, in- stead of having to contend with him on our own soil. Still however we must have fallen before him, had not his insupportable des- potism goaded to resistance the Russian monarch. But at one time, even that event also appeared to have prepared for us a more complete destruction. But God suffered the proud Op- pressor madly to protract his stay amongst the ruins of Mos- cow, till a retreat became extremely difficult. Hence arose defeat : the severity of the climate, and the extraordinary energy of the Russian armies, soon dissipated the forces of our enemy ; and enabled many who had been compelled to fight under his banners, to turn their arms against him, and to seek the recovery of their former independence. Yet, after all, if the last great battle had not been decided in favour of the allied armies, our enemy might still have retrieved his former losses, and forged chains for the whole civilized world. But the time was come for God to have mercy on us ; and he has had mercy beyond all that could possibly have been expected : he has trodden down the Op- pressor, as the mire in the streets j and has restored peace amongst all the contending nations, even such a peace as the world never saw before ; a peace cemented by universal harmony and love.]
Let us then, instead of contemplating our mercies only, proceed to consider,
II. The duty of acknowledging God in them —
In the psalm before us, all the success is ascribed to God alone : God's gracious agency is acknowledged to have been the sole cause of Israel's preservation'';
for
* " Delenda est Carthago !" was their universal cry. ^ ver, 1,2.