that without our heavenly Father, not foSER M. much as a sparrow falls to the ground, or XVI. a bair of our head perishes: And it was a very unworthy Notion of God in fome Philofophers to imagine, that whilst he governed Kingdoms, he could not at the same time attend to the guidance and direction of smaller things. But in respect to Us, the Effects of Providence are more confiderable, and the Footsteps of it are more eafily traced, and the Events which it produces require greater and more publick Acknowledgments, when the Fates of whole Nations are therein concerned. There is one reafon alfo in the Nature of things, why Providence fhould more vifibly concern itself with what whole Nations and People are interested in; and That is, that particular Perfons are to have their exact and particular Retributions in a future State; but great Confpiracies, and overflowing Tyrannies, confidered as fuch and in a Body, must have their defeat in this world; and National Bleffings muft of neceffity be Temporal: Not indeed for any neceffity on account of ftrict Justice; (because That may as well

SER M.well be fatisfied in the Life to come ;) XVI. but for the publick manifeftation of Pro

vidence to the World, and of God's immediate Judgments in the prefent State.

BUT the Time will not permit me to enlarge farther on this head. I fhall therefore only apply briefly what has been faid, to our present Occafion, and fo con-clude.

AND here I need not detain you with a particular Narrative of the dark Confpiracy which was defigned to have been executed as upon This Day: I need not aggravate the incredible Barbarousness of this Attempt, which is not to be parallelled in all the Hiftories of Time, and which a great many even of the Romish Communion, have themselves been afha-: med of and defirous to difown: I need not represent the great Craft and Cunning wherewith this Defign was laid; undifcoverable, as they thought, by any Wif dom or Chance: They took crafty counsel against thy people, and confulted against thy bidden ones; they faid Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Ifrael may be no more in remem

XVI.

brance; Pf. lxxxiii. 4. I need not repeat to SER M. you with what Secrecy this whole matter was carried on; fo that the words of David are most fitly applicable to this Occafion; Pf. Ixiv. 5. They shoot in fecret at the perfect, they encourage themselves in an evil matter, they commune of laying fnares privily, they Say Who fhall fee them? and ver. 6. They fearch out iniquities, they accomplish a diligent fearch; both the inward thought of every one of them, and their heart is deep. It would also be fuperfluous to give a particular account how this Confpiracy was discovered; how God hot at them fuddenly with a swift arrow, and their own tongues made them to fall; how (as the wife man expreffes a like matter, Ecclef. x. 20,) a Bird of the air carried the voice, and that which has wings dif covered the matter. For all thefe tranfactions have been often fully and lively represented to you, and it would be but tedious to repeat them again.

I NEED not likewife enlarge upon the particulars of the Second Deliverance, which we this Day commemorate. The thing itself is ftill fresh in all our Me

mories;

SER M.mories; and every one that has any just
XVI: Senfe of the inhumane Barbarity of the

Popish Religion, and of the extreme wick-
edness of that Great Apoftacy fo largely
prophefied of in the New Teftament,
cannot but be fenfible of the Greatness of
every escape from it, being a Deliverance
from the worst and most dreadful Slavery
both of body and mind; together with
the Strangeness of the means by which it
was brought about, and the Suddenness and
Eafinefs of its Accomplishment.

OMITTING therefore to repeat things already fo well known, I fhall chufe rather to conclude my Difcourfe with fome practical Inferences fuitable to the Occafion. And

ft; IF the Providence of God has certainly a peculiar influence over all the great Events that happen to Mankind ; and if the Bleffings and Deliverances which we this day commemorate, carry upon them as vifible characters of that divine Providence, as any that were ever bestowed upon any People; then ought the expreffions of our Acknowledgments and Thanksgivings to God upon this oc

cafion,

cafion, to be proportionably great and SER M. fervent. That in the general the Provi- XVI. dence of God has a peculiar Influence over all the great Events that happen to Mankind, I have endeavoured to prove in the fore-going Discourse; and that the Deliverances we this Day commemorate in particular, carry upon them as visible characters of that divine Providence, as any thing less than a direct Miracle can poffibly do; is evident from all the circumstances of their accomplishment. For if the Strangeness of Events compared with the ordinary courfe of things; if the disproportionateness of means and causes to their effects; if weakness triumphing over formidable Strength, and Succeffes unufual like thofe recorded in Scripture; if the difappointment of the greatest cunning, and infatuation of the profoundest Politicians; if the difcovery of the fecreteft and most cautious Plots, by improbable means, and unaccountable accidents; if bringing to nought the greatest and best laid enterprizes, at the very point of their being put in execution; if wicked men's infnaring them