immediately writ

(h) Alii Imperatores in commemoratione victoriæ ejus triamphales parari ju

bent

Clementia

Eccl.l.9.0.9. 2.Theodofius also having conquered Eugenius did not only praise God himself, but to S. Ambrofe to give publick thanks for his Victory, who also did it with great Devotion (b), and commended his religious care therein. Which may be paralleled by two other Inftances out of our own Chronicles. First of that most valiant and pious K.Henry V.who after the Victory at Agincourt,prefently caused the whole Army in their array, as they were, to give God thanks, caufing the Clergy (i) This was the there prefent to fing the cxiv.Pfalm, great Hallelujah &c. (i). And made Proclamation, reaching to Pfal. 118. fo much ufed a that at the Verfe, not unto us Omong the Jews. Lord,&c. [Pfal. cxv.1.] every one

tua hoftiam Deo parat, oblationem & gratiarum actionem, per Sacerdotes celes brari domino defiderat. Ambrof. ep.58. Theodof.

fhould kneel down,and the Horfemen bow their bodies and then finging Te Deum,and other boly Hymns,they marched to the Enemies Camp.Bak.Chron. Hen.5. So alfo when God had delivered the most religious and happy Princefs Q.Eliz.from the Armada of Spain an. 1588,the caufed a general Thanksgiving to be made, through her whole Realm; and dedicating the enemies Enfigns to God in St.Paul's London, the her felfrode thither in great Pomp,to give publick Thanks to God. Bak.Chron..El. So that if the Reason and Example of all mankind,yea of Christians, and our own pious Ancestors can move us,we muft not omit this duty.I have not indeed met with any Form for this Office in the Roman Church, only I perceive it is their Cuftom to fing the Te Deum, which seems to be very improper for fuch an occafion; and therefore we are obliged to the care of our own Church, which hath provided us with most pertinent and pious Forms, as will appear by their fuller explication.

The

he is

again the face of

their Enemies, We yield thee praise and Thanksgiving for our Deliverance from those great and apparent danges, wherewith we were encompassed, We acknowledg it the goodness, that we were not delibered ober as a pay unto them, Befeeching ther fill to continue fuch the mercies towards us, That all the world

2: The end why it is de- may know,

that

§.2. This Thanksgiving consisteth of two Parts.

ry,

fired.

where
in there

is

thou art our Sabi our and mighty Dr

liberer,

Through Jefus

3. The name, wherein Christ our Lo

'tis asked.

Amen.

A Practical Difcourfe upon this Thanksgiving.

S.III. #lmighty God, who art a strong Tower of Defence unto the Servants against the face

of their Enemies.]

(k) Sixtus Senef. bibl.l.2.p.47.

(1) Populis iftis Deus Mars eft, profimulacro enfes colunt. Solin. de Scythis & Clem. Alex.protrep.

The first Part of our care in this Duty must be, that we choose a right Object; and fince Victory is the gift of God,Pfal.cxliv.10.Prov.xxi. 31. to him we must ascribe the Glory; we must not terminate our thoughts upon fecond Caufes; we may not with the proud Affyrian arrogate the praise to our felves, nor with the vain Egyptians, when we return Conquerors, worship the devices painted on our shields(k),nor with the ruder Scythians facrifice unto our fwords (1): Thefe were faults of the blind Heathens'; but I doubt we come too near them, when after any Victory (as St. Salvian complains) we afcribe the glory of the Action to the policy of the Leaders, or the valour of the Souldiers, to the advantage of the time and place, or to any thing rather then to God (m). Which bafe Ingratitude makes him deny us the Victory often times, fince he knows,if he fhould give it to us, we would rob him of the honour thereof: It being obferved of Timotheus an Athenian Captain, who having conquered his Enemies boafted faying, I did this, not Fortune, that he never profpered afterwards. Wherefore we have the

Ii 3

(m) Si quando enim nobis aliquid proSperi præter fpem & meritum noftrum Deus

tribuit, alus afcribit ventui, alius Ordinahoe fortune, alius etioni ducûm,alius con

filio, alius magiftro, alius patrocinio, nullus Deo Salv.de gub.

lib.7.

right

1

right Author of our Victory fet before us, even almighty God, and we are taught by an elegant Metaphor taken out of holy Scripture, that our fafety is from him; The Name of the Lord is a strong Tower (faith Solomon) the righteous runneth into it and is fafe, Prov.xviii.10.and David, The Lord is my Rock and my Fortress, &c. 2 Sam. xxii.2. Thou hast been my hope, and a strong Tower for me against the Enemy, Pfal.lxi.3. & cxliv.2. And while we make the fame acknowledgments, we declare that our fafety came not from our own valour or policy,from the number of our forces or the ftrength of our forts; but from the divine Protection, for they who live in his fear and fly to him for aid, are fecured by him againft all the affaults of their Foes, and kept as fafe as if they were in the most impregnable Fortrefs:They can wound their Enemies(n)from thence, who are deftitute of the divine protection; but their Foes can never reach thofe who truft in, and are preferved by, the Lord of Hofts, who is to all his Servants a Fort that can never be forced by form and battery,betrayed by Treachery or ftratagem, nor forced to yield for want of neceffary Suppl'es. In vain have our Enemies made their attempts again us, becaufe our God hath undertaken our defence; whom we are therefore bound to magnific with all our Powers.

(n) Hic eft mihi Burris fortitudinis, quo cum fugero, non folum vitabo tela inimici; fed & in illum quando voluero, fecu rus ipfe jaculabor. Aug in Pfal.61.

S.IV.

S.IV. THE yield thee Pzaife and Thanksgiving for our Deliverance from those great and ap

( ο ) Ατυχίαν novadila Néμeσiv aidéμOD" præceptum Pittaci. Diog. Laert.

parent dangers, wherewith we were encompaleo.] As the Church did not teach us to pray for the deftru&tion of our Enemies, but only for our own Prefervation from them; fo neither doth the here diret us to praise God for their flaughter, but only for our own de liverance: Rejoyce not (faith Solomon) when thine Enemy falleth left the Lord fee it, and it difpleafe him, Prov.xxiv: 17, 18. And be that is glad at calamities fhall not be unpunished, chap.xvii.5. (o). It is not agreeable to the Spirit of Christianity to glory in blood and mangled Carcafes,or to rejoyce that our Swords have made fo many poor Creatures Orphans and Widows; the Heathen Emperor Titus may teach us more humanity, who, when he faw fo much blood,and fo many dead bodies of the miserable Jews at the fiege of Jerufalem, fighed, and lifting up his hands to Heaven protested, It was not bis defire fo many of them fhould perish. Jofeph.bell.Jud.l.6.c.14. We fhould rather lament after a great flaughter, that our Enemies Wickedness and Malice (hould bring fo many of them to fo fad an end; and we can only give thanks to God for our own Deliverance. And truly this Thanksgiving doth fuppofe that our War was a very juft, if not a defenfive War, that we were not the firft beginners thereof, or not without abfolute neceffity, and intolerable Provocations. 2.Curtius faith the Scythians make no War until they be provoked,lib 12. And Varró affirmeth that the Old Romans were flow to begin any War,as believing none ought to be made, but what was pious. And L.Craffus was forbid by the Tribunes to invade the Ii 4

Parthians,