WE fhould, moreover, be very far from indulging to any kind of excess, or riotous joy, on this happy occafion. Some there are, who feem to think they cannot be fufficiently glad and joyful on fuch occafions, without behaving more like the ancient Bacchinalians, or madmen, than like Chriftians and reasonable creatures; running into many foolifh exceffes quite. inconfiftent, not only with chriftian fobriety, but with civil order. Let us be admonished to abftain from every kind and degree of extravagant, riotous mirth. "It is better, fays Solomon, to hear the rebuke of the wife, than for a man to hear the fong of fools. "For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, fo is "the laughter of fools: this alfo is vanity." In the next place: We fhould be at least equally far from taking pleafure in reflecting on the miferies which our enemies fuffer. We may, indeed, reasonably rejoice that God has given us fuch fuccefs against them, as may probably put it out of their power to harm us for the future. But their calamities and diitreffes, confidered in themselves, are no proper ground of gladness to us. And if any part of our joy on this Occafion arifes from hence, fo far it is contrary to the fpirit of the gospel. If we have good and benevolent hearts, we cannot but be touched with pity for those unhappy people, however malicious they have been towards us; efpecially for the poor women and children, who can hardly be fuppofed to have been "in this tranfgreffion," with the reft. Yea, if we could relieve them in their diftreffes, without hazard to ourfelves and the public, the great law of charity would oblige us to do it; whereby we fhould fulfil that evangelical command," If thine enemy hunger, feed him ; "if he thirft, give him drink: For in fo doing thou "fhalt heap coals of fire upon his head." D3 AGAIN AGAIN: We should by no means please ourselves with any fuch thought as this on the prefent occafion, that being at rest from our enemies, we may hereafter have it in our power to lead a foft and luxurious, an indolent or effeminate life; confuming the bounties of divine providence on our lufts. To please and delight ourselves with any fuch thought, with any fuch hopes as thefe, were to rejoice, not as Chriftians, but as Epicures; and would be a certain indication of a corrupt, fenfual turn of mind. BUT having dwelt long enough on the negative here, it may be proper to propofe fome more direct and pofitive rules, to guide and affift us in pointing our joy aright on this great occafion. AND here, in the first place, we fhould rejoide "in the Lord;" in him who has done thefe great things for us, whereof we are glad. We are to confider God as the fupreme author of our victories and fucceffes. All that is in the heaven, and in the earth is his; and in his hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all." However brave, prudent and magnanimous the perfons are, or were, to whom we immediately owe thefe fucceffes, they are yet to be confidered only as the inftruments and fervants of God, by whom he has wrought fuch falvation, fuch great things for us. Thine, O Lord! is “ the glory, and the victory, and the majesty." WE fhould also afcribe these fucceffes to God, not merely as the fupreme caufe and author, but as the gracious, merciful, and bountiful beftower of them; whom we had laid under no obligation, in point of juftice, thus to efpoufe our caufe, when men rofe up "against us"; but who might, for our fins, have given 44 US "usa prey to their teeth," however wicked and unrighteous; our enemies themselves may be fuppofed to be, or to have been. And indeed God, in his unsearchable wisdom, fometimes permits the wicked grievously to afflict fuch as are more righteous than themfelves; wherein he is not unjuft, fince the whole ❝ world is become guilty before him. " Ir is moreover neceffary, that our joy fhould be accompanied with unfeigned gratitude, or truly thankful hearts. Gladness on fuch an occafion without fincere thankfulness, which is very fuppofeable, and perhaps very common, would have no degree of piety or virtue; it would be but a natural, human paffion, the offspring of felf-love. It is only a grateful joy that becomes chriftians, at least, that will entitle us to that honourable character. And it is in this, that a religious Thanksgiving most effentially confifts; I mean, in having our hearts truly touched and warm, ed with a fenfe of God's undeferved goodness to us: Tho' it is highly expedient that this fhould be outwardly expreffed, by talking of his loving-kindness, by devoutly finging his praises, and afcribing to him bleffing and honor, glory and power. * OUR rejoicing in the goodnefs of our God to us, fhould alfo be attended with unfeigned good-will and charity towards men. Indeed a proper fense of God's mercies has a natural tendency to foften and expand the heart of man; to fill it with the warmeft wishes for the good, the eternal good of others. And if we feel no fuch benevolence, or cha rity, in our breafts, it is almoft a certain fign that there is in them no religious or virtuous joy; and that however full we may be of gladness or mirth upon this occafion, it is only the mirth or gladness of fen fual men; of men under the influence of natural hu man paffions and affections only, at beft ; but poffibly of fuch as are much worfe, unnatural ones. MOREOVER; Our rejoicing in the goodness of God to us on this occafion, fhould be accompanied with fincere refolutions to make the most proper and worthy returns to him that we poffibly can; i. e. to keep his commandments, and live to his glory. Truly grateful and religious joy is never unattended with fuch-like pious and virtuous refolutions. And indeed, after all that has been faid in the former part of this difcourfe, concerning the greatness and importance of thofe things which God has done for us, the chief, or rather the fum-total of the advantage is, that we may, if we have hearts for it, hereafter lead a quiet and peaceable life, in all godliness "and honefty;" to do which, is the fupreme good of man in this world, and the only way to obtain immortal joys in the next. FINALLY here; We fhould rejoice with trembling". We fhould exercise an humble dependence upon almighty God, in whofe hand all future events are; whether profperous or adverfe to us, we cannot certainly forefee; but we fhall know hereafter. We fhould be far from a vain confidence that God, who has done fuch great things for us, will not in fome other respects frown upon us, and forely chaftize ́us. We may well tremble, or at least fear in fome meafure, left he should do thus: Especially if, instead of making proper returns of love and obedience to him for these mercies, we fhould forget, or mifimprove them. Even the profperity of fools often deftroys them, when their enemies could not do it. And when we confider our own numerous frailties, follies Follies and corruptions, we may well tremble amidst all our joys, left we fhould prove as wicked and ungrateful as many have been before us; who "fung God's praifes, but foon forgot his works; finking under the bleffings they enjoyed, into indolence, diffoluteness and impiety. How guilty fhould we be, if we fhould increase the number of fuch, after God has thus manifefted his great goodness to us, and laid us under fuch obligations! However, what is here faid is by no means defigned to damp, but only to regulate our common joy, and the hopes which thefe late fucceffes may naturally raise in us refpecting our future profperity; efpecially if we fhould conduct ourselves, in confequence of them, as becomes wife men and chriftians. Twere, indeed, an argument both of our infenfibility and our ingratitude, not to rejoice on fo noble an occafion. We, I mean New-England, and all the British American plantations, had never fo much caule for general joy as we have at prefent while we feel ourselves in fo fair a way, under the blef fing of providence, to be wholly delivered from our enemies in thefe parts. Had the French retained their power, and independency of us here in America, we might be certain from more than an hundred years fad experience of them, that they would ftill be, not only our enemies, but falfe, perfidious and barbarous ones; and not only fo, but that the greater part of the favages ftill inftigated, as they are already infatuated by them, would be our enemies alfo. Canada, even tho' the French fhould relinquifh all their encroachments, and retire within their old proper bounds, is yet fo near to us, that it is impoffible for Frenchmen, retaining their power, and their independency on Great |