the children of Ammon and Moab to destroy one another he smote in the camp of the Assyrians 185,000 men: under his direction one chases a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight: a stripling, with nothing more than a sling and a pebble, destroys a mighty giant, armed from head to foot: the cunning schemes of worldly and treacherous politicians, such as Abimelech, Ahithophel, and many others, are suddenly baffled and blasted, and the mischief intended falls upon the heads of those who intended it; plots with all possible caution and secrecy, contrived in darkness, are, by improbable means and unaccountable accidents, disclosed and brought to light; "a bird " of the air," as the wise man speaks, " telling the "matter;" or, "the stones in the wall," as it is in the prophet," crying out," Treason! In the book of Esther we read, that the king cannot sleep; to divert him, the chronicle is called for; Mordecai's service is pitched upon, and inquiry made concerning his recompense; honour is decreed him; so the cruel device of Haman to destroy the Jews comes out; and he himself is hanged on the gallows which he had erected for Mordecai.

Thus, in the desperate wickedness of this day, the plot was laid deep and dark; the implements of destruction prepared and all ready, when the heart of one of the conspirators relents towards a friend, who must have been involved in the common ruin a letter is sent to warn him; in that letter the nature of the destruction is alluded to; the letter is carried to the king, who conjectures the meaning; a search is made, and the villain seized

upon the spot; who declared, that if he had been advanced a few steps farther, he would have set fire to the train, and sacrificed himself, rather than the design should have failed.

Occurrences like these, containing in them somewhat, though not strictly miraculous, yet truly admirable; turning out of the ordinary stream of human affairs, as miracles surmount the course of nature, most reasonably may, most justly should, be ascribed to the special operation of Him, "who only doeth wondrous things; who breaketh "the arm of the wicked, and weakeneth the strength of the mighty; who disappointeth the "devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise; who is known by the judgment that he executeth, when the wicked is "snared by the work of his own hand."

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This may be farther evinced from the importance of the deliverance.

To entitle every little trifling thing that happens to a special providence would be levity; to father upon the Almighty the mischiefs issuing from our own sin and folly, would be something worse; but to ascribe every grand and beneficial event to his good hand, has ever been reputed wisdom and justice. It was a prevailing opinion even among the heathen, that whatever did bring great benefit to mankind, was not effected without divine goodness toward men *. We know, indeed, that God doth not disregard any thing, but watches over all by his general and ordinary providence. He thereby

Balbus, in Cic. de Naturâ Deorum, lib. ii.

"clothes the grass of the field; he provideth for "the raven his food, and the young lions seek "their meat from him;" without his care "a

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sparrow does not fall to the ground;" and by it "the hairs of our head are all numbered." But the hand of his more special providence is chiefly employed in managing affairs of moment and consequence to us; such as great counsels and undertakings; revolutions and changes of state; war and peace; victory and good success; the protec→ tion of princes and preservation of his people. When, therefore, any remarkable event, highly conducing to the public good of Church and State, doth manifest itself, the accomplishment of it should be attributed to God's own hand. any pernicious enterprise, levelled against the safety of prince and people, is disappointed and brought to nought, surely it is fit we should profess and say," The righteous Lord hath hewn the "snares of the ungodly in pieces."

When

And if the preservation of the king and royal family, with the three estates in parliament assembled*; if the freeing of our country from civil disorder and confusion of the worst kind, from the yoke of usurpation and slavery, from the most grievous extortion and rapine, from bloody perse

* Such is the language in the rubric in the form of service for this day; whence it must occur to the reader, that the doctrine which makes the king one of the three estates in Parliament, is an innovation, introduced by republican writers, who diminish the crown to raise the people, and in the end to overturn the government.

cutions and trials; if the upholding from utter ruin our church, which was so happily settled, and had so long flourished; if the securing our profession of God's holy truth and faith, with a pure worship, an edifying administration of his word and sacraments, with a comely, wholesome, and moderate discipline; if being rescued from impious errors, scandalous practices, and superstitious rites, with merciless violence forced upon us; if a continuance of the most desirable comforts and conveniences of our lives; if all these are benefits, then was the deliverance of this day one of the most beneficial and important that ever was granted by Heaven to any nation. And notwithstanding the obscurity or intricacy that may sometimes appear in the course of Providence; notwithstanding any general exceptions that may, by perverse incredulity, be alleged against the conduct of things here below; there are marks very observable, and this event is full of them, whereby, if we consider wisely, with due attention, diligence, and impartiality, we may discern and understand that it was the "Lord's doing, and it was marvellous in our eyes."

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For these and all other benefits which have been in old time conferred, and often since preserved and handed down to us of the present generation, let us rejoice and be glad, and give honour to him who hath so conferred and so preserved them. And let our affections and our lives harmonize with our voices, when we say,

"Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us

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"over for a prey unto their teeth. Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowler ; “the snare is broken, and we are delivered.

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Allelujah! Salvation, and glory, and power "unto the Lord our God; for true and righteous "are his judgments.

"Great and marvellous are thy works, O Lord "God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.

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"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who only "doeth wondrous things; and blessed be his glo"rious name for ever; and let the whole earth be

"filled with his glory.

Amen and Amen."