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of the Lord of Hofts, the God of the armies of Ifrael whom thou haft defied*.

I was well pleased with a remark of this kind thirty years ago, in a pamphlet †, in which it was observed, that there was a great deal of profane oftentation in the names given to the fhips of war, as the Victory, the Valiant, the Thunderer, the Dread-nought, the Terrible, the Fire-brand, the Furnace, the Lightening, the Infernal, and many more of the same kind ‡. This the author confidered as a symptom of their national character and manners, very unfavourable, and not likely to obtain the bleffing of the God of Heaven.

3. From what has been said, you may learn what encouragement you have to put your trust

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1 Sam. xvii. 42-45. Britain's Remembrancer.

I am fenfible that two or three of these were ships taken from the French, which brought their names with them; but the greatest number had their names impofed in England. And I cannot help obferving, that The Victory, often celebrated as the finest ship ever built in Britain, was loft in the night, without a ftorm, by fome unknown accident, and about 1200 perfons, many of them of the first families in the nation, were buried in the deep. I do not mean to infer any thing from this, but that we ought to live under the practical perfuafion of what no man will doctrinally deny, that there is no warring with the elements, or him who directs their force; that he is able to write difappointment on the wifeft human fchemes, and, by the word of his power, to fruftrate the efforts of the greatest monarch upon earth.

in God, and hope for his affiftance in the prefent important conflict.

He is the Lord of Hofts, great in might, and frong in battle. Whofoever hath his countenance and approbation, fhall have the beft at laft. I do not mean to fpeak prophetically, but agreeably to the analogy of faith, and the principles of God's moral government. Some have obferved, that true religion, and in her train, dominion, riches, literature, and arts, have taken their course in a flow and gradual manner, from Eaft to Weft, fince the earth was fettled after the flood: and from thence forebode the future glory of America, I leave this as a matter rather of conjecture than certainty; but obferve-that if your caufe is juft-if your principles are pure-and if your conduct is prudent, you need not fear the multitude of oppofing hofts.

If your cause is juft, you may look with

confidence to the Lord, and entreat th

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him to

plead it as his own. You are all You are all my witneffes, that this is the first time of my introducing any political fubject into the pulpit. At this feafon, however, it is not only lawful, but necef fary; and I will embrace the opportunity of declaring my opinion, without any hesitation, that the cause in which America is now in arms, is the cause of juftice, of liberty, and of human So far as we have hitherto proceeded, I am fatisfied that the confederacy of the colo

nature.

nies

19

"

nies has not been the effect of pride, refent-
ment, or fedition, but of a deep and general
conviction, that our civil and religious liberties,
and confequently, in a great measure, the tem-
poral and eternal happiness of us and our poste-
rity, depended on the iffue. The knowledge of
God and his truths have, from the beginning
of the world, been chiefly, if not entirely, con-
fined to thofe parts of the earth where fome de-
gree of liberty and political juftice were to be
feen, and great were the difficulties with which
they had to ftruggle, from the imperfection of
human fociety, and the unjust decifions of
ufurped authority. There is not a fingle in-
stance in history, in which civil liberty was lost,
and religious liberty preferved entire. If,
therefore, we yield up our temporal property,
we, at the fame time, deliver the confcience into
bondage.

1

You fhall not, my brethren, hear from me in the pulpit, what you never have heard from me in converfation; I mean, railing at the king perfonally, or even at his minifters, and the parliament, and the people of Britain, as fo many barbarous favages. Many of their actions have probably been worse than their intentions. That they should defire unlimited dominion, if they can obtain or preferve it, is neither new nor wonderful. I do not refufe fubmiffion to their unjuft claims because they are corrupt and profligate, although probably many of them are

fo,

fo, but because they are men, and therefore liable to all the selfish biaffes infeparable from I call these claims unjust, of

human nature.

making laws to bind us in all cafes whatever, because they are feparated from us, independent of us, and have an intereft in oppofing us. Would any man, who could prevent it, give up his estate, person, and family, to the difpofal of his neighbour, although he had liberty to chuse the wifeft and best mafter? Surely not. This is the true and proper hinge of the con troversy between Great Britain and America. It is, however, to be added, that fuch is their diftance from us, that a wife and prudent administration of our affairs is as impoffible, as the claim of authority is unjuft. Such is and must be their ignorance of the ftate of things here, fo much time must elapfe before any errors can be seen and remedied, and fo much injustice and partiality must be expected from the arts and misrepresentations of interested perfons, that for thefe colonies to depend wholly upon the legislature of Great Britain, would be, like many other oppreffive connexions, injury to the master, and ruin to the flave.

The management of the war itself, on their part, would furnish new proof of this, if any were needful. Is it not manifeft with what abfurdity and impropriety they have conducted their own defigns? We had nothing fo much to fear as diffention, and they have, by wanton and

ror.

and unneceffary cruelty, forced us into union. At the fame time, to let us fee what we have to expect, and what would be the fatal confequences of unlimited fubmiffion, they have uniformly called thofe, acts lenity, which filled this whole continent with refentment and horThe ineffable difdain expreffed by our fellow fubject," That he would not hearken to "America till fhe was at his feet," has armed more men, and infpired more deadly rage, than could have been done by laying wafte a whole province with fire and fword. Again, we wanted not numbers, but time, and they sent over handful after handful, till we were ready to oppose a multitude greater than they have to fend. In fine, if there was one place stronger than the reft, and more able and willing to refift, there they made the attack, and left the others till they were duly informed, completely incenfed, and fully furnished with inftruments of war.

I mention these things, my brethren, not only as grounds of confidence in God, who can easily overthrow the wisdom of the wife, but as decifive proofs of the impoffibility of these great and growing states being safe and happy, when every part of their internal polity is dependent on Great Britain. If, on account of their diftance and ignorance of our fituation, they could not conduct their own quarrel with

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