DELIVERED OCTOBER 25th. 1759. BEING the Day appointed by Authority to be observed AS A Day of public THANKSGIVING, FOR THE Succefs of His Majesty's Arms, More particularly in the Reduction of QUEBEC, THE Capital of CANADA. WITH AN APPENDIX, Containing a brief Account of two former Expeditions against O NA BY JONATHAN MAYHEW, D.D. Paftor of the Weft Church in BOSTON. BOSTON; NEW-ENGLAND: Printed and Sold by RICHARD DRAPER, in Newbury-Street; in Cornhill. ADVERTISEMENT. SOM OME things omitted in delivering the following difcourfes, on account of their length, are inferted in this publication. Some confiderable alterations, befides, have fince been made in the fecond of them, composed, both in hafte, and while the author was under bodily indifpofition. For which alterations, if they fhould happen to be amend ments, as they were defigned, he concludes, he fhall fall under no blame from any of those that heard them, and have fignified their defire to see them published. DISCOURSE I. Of the great Things which GOD hath done for us. PSALM CXXVI. Verse 3d. THE LORD hath done great Things for us, whereof we are glad. N O comment is neceffary for the explanation of these words, which are very plain of themselves: Neither is there need of any preface, or introduction, in order to accommodate them to the prefent joyful occafion; fince, it is fuppofed, they muft appear, even at first view, fufficiently adapted to it. We may therefore immediately adopt them ourselves, and apply them to the bufinefs of this day. For the Lord hath, indeed, done great things for us, whereof we are doubtless glad; having abundant reafon to be fo. And, in the language of the context, well may our mouth be now filled with laughter, and our tongue with finging. A 3 IT Ir is propofed, by divine affiftance, in the firft place, to reprefent to you thofe great things which God hath lately done for us, for our land and nation; and which are the occafion of our being affe mbled together in his house of praise at this time. In the next place will be fhown, the propriety of being glad and rejoicing on fuch occafions, and what great reason we have for it at present; more especially on account of that important event, which is the more particular and immediate occafion of this folemnity. SOME needful regulations of our joy on this occafion, will then be fubjoined, that it may be taught to flow in a proper channel, and be agreeable to our character as chriftians, instead of degenerating into the mirth of fools. AND the whole will be clofed with fuch reflections and exhortations, as the occafion itself naturally fuggefts; and which may, therefore, be particularly feafonable at this time. To return then, it will be proper, in the first place, I. To represent to you those great things which God hath lately done for us, for our land and nation; and which are the occafion of our being now affembled together in his house of praise. And altho' many of you may, perhaps, have a more accurate knowledge, a jufter conception, and a deeper fenfe, of these favors of heaven, than I have myself; yet it will be good for us to talk of them, to revolve them in our minds, and fpeak of the great goodnels of our God to us, with reference to them. If I do not inform you of any thing, thing, which you knew not before; yet I may poffibly revive the remembrance of certain mercies, which had flipped the memories of fome; and contribute towards fixing both them, and others, in your minds; which, it is conceived, will be anfwering a valuable end. For the more thorough, or deeper fenfe, we have of these mercies, the more permanent it will be; and the more permanent it is, the more lafting will be our gratitude to God for them; and the more lafting our gratitude, the more fuitable returns fhall we make to him; which will be, in effect, best to anfwer the true ends of this folemnity. Ir is propofed, as was intimated before, to enlarge chiefly on that great and happy event, which is the principal, and more immediate occafion, of our public rejoicing and thanksgivings at this time. My dif courfe in the afternoon, will be in a manner confined to this event; which will alfo employ more of our time this morning, than any other particular one. However, it is humbly conceived, there will be no impropriety in taking a little larger compass, and extending our views, on this occafion, even beyond America. Accordingly, if you please, we will introduce this interefting affair, the reduction or furrender of the capital city of Canada, by taking a tranfient view of fome other of our late military fucceffes, which preceeded it; looking back to the principal of thofe, which have come to our knowledge fince the time of our laft general and public thanksgiving; and connecting thefe later with former ones, which were taken notice of on that occafion. As you may remember, we then faw the war in general going on profperously on the fide of GreatBritain and her allies. We then faw the enemy driven, with great lofs and flaughter, out of his Majefty's |