The character of a Christian hero. A sermon preached before the Ancient and Honourable Artillery Company, on their anniversary meeting, June 2d. 1746. / By the Reverend Nathaniel Walter, A.M. and Pastor of the Second Church of Christ in Roxbury.

THE CHARACTER OF A Christian Hero.

2 TIM. IV. 7, 8.

I have fought a good Fight, I have finished my Course, I have kept the Faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righte|ousness which the LORD the righteous Judge shall give me at that Day.—

'TIS a remarkable Circumstance in sacred History, as a French Divine justly ob|serves* 1.1, that Moses and Joshua being as yet the one on this Side Jordan, and the other scarcely upon the Frontiers of Canaan, disposed of that Land as tho' they had already conquered it: They gave Laws con|cerning the King, concerning the People, concerning

the Priests, concerning the Levites. They divided the Country into Villages, Cities, Provinces, and marked the Bounds of every Tribe. At the Sight of these Things a By-stander would have been ready to say, that all their Battles were finished, and now they had nothing to do but to enjoy the Fruit of their Victories.—Nevertheless, Arms are precarious, Battles are doubtful, and Success gain'd to Day is not always a sure Proof of future Success: Hence arose that wise Proverb of the Ancients, Let not him that g••••deth on the Harness, boast himself as he that putteth it off.—Without Scruple, it had been Rashness, Folly, Madness in these Leaders of GOD's People, thus to have acted, had they relied upon their own Strength and Courage, their own Spear and Bow; but they fought in the Name of the LORD OF HOSTS, the GOD of the Armies of Israel. It was He that said unto them, Go up, for I have given you the Land. Relying upon this Promise, and animated with that Faith which is the substance of Things hoped for, and the Demonstration of Things not seen, the Thousands of Israel in Tho't and Desire, placed themselves in the Land of Promise, tasted its Milk and Honey, and refreshed themselves with its Delights and Privileges.—There's a greater Distance, my Hearers, between Heaven and Earth, than there was between the Desart and Canaan: There are more Difficulties to surmount now, in order to obtain eternal Salvation, than there were formerly to enter the promised Land. A corrupt Heart, a subtle Devil, and a deceitful World, are more dangerous Enemies than Sihon King of the Amorites, and Og King of Bashan. Nevertheless, in our Text we have a Christian Soldier on this Side the Heavenly Canaan, still surrounded with spiritual Foes, and still combating with Flesh and Blood, arrived to a firm Assurance of compleat Victory, and singing a Song of Triumph, e'er the Fight with his ghostly Adversaries was finished: No wonder! for the Angel of the LORD fought for him, and had said unto him, Go up, for I have given you the Land. Now he was certain that he should

triumph over all Temptations; and so superior was his Virtue, that he was infallibly sure of eternal Glory, in the Presence of his Divine Master. The Time of his De|parture was at hand, and he was just going to be offered up. When the cruel, the bloody, the diabolical Nero should exercise his hellish Fury upon him, and offer him a Sacrifice to his heroic Profession of Christianity, he knew his Courage and Constancy should not fail amidst all the shocking Trials he was to undergo; and that after his Martyrdom, he should possess an incorruptible Crown of Glory on High.

—I have fought, &c. &c. 'Tis not long since that Moses was the Hero, whose just Praises we feebly re|hearsed in this Desk† 1.2: Now the Apostle Paul is to be applauded. Moses conversed with the SON OF GOD forty Days on Mount Sinai, till his Countenance became all radiant and shining: But the Apostle Paul was caught up into the Third Heavens, and there conversed with the SON OF GOD, and heard unspeakable Words, which it is not possible for a Man to utter. No wonder then, if our Apostle under the New Testament, exceed Moses under the more ancient Dispensation of GOD towards his Church. His Character in the Text lies in four Articles, A brave Soldier, a fine Racer, a firm Believer, and a glorious Triumpher.

Wherefore,

1. The Apostle Paul was a brave Soldier.—I have fought a good Fight.—All the World knows a Christian's Life is a Warfare. From the Moment we name the Name of CHRIST, become His Disciples, we engage with the Flesh, the World, and the Devil, in a Combat, which is to endure, without Intermission, as long as Life

endures.—Well, Consider our Apostle in every Station, in every Period of Life; and who ever fought more valiantly than he, when once enlisted under the great Captain of our Salvation?

In Adversity he behaved well, brave as an Hero. What the trying Temptations of Poverty are, Agur was well sensible of, when he address'd the great JEHOVAH, saying, Give me not Poverty, lest I steal, and take the Name of my GOD in vain. Prov. 30. 8, 9. But to such Poverty was our Apostle once reduced, notwithstanding his Power of working Miracles for the Relief of others, that he was obliged to follow the Tent-maker's Trade; and thereupon says to the Elders of Ephesus, Acts 20. 34. These Hands have ministred unto my Necessities, and to them that were with me.—But of all Conditions turn to his own Catalogue, 2 Cor. 11. 23,—27.—In Labours more abundant: in Stripes above Measure; in Prisons more frequent; in Deaths oft. Of the Jews five Times received I forty Stripes, save one: Thrice was I beaten with Rods: Once was I stoned: Thrice I suffered Shipwreck: A Night and a Day I have been in the Deep. In Journeyings often, in Perils of Waters, in Perils of Robbers, in Perils by mine own Country-men, in Perils by the Heathen, in Perils in the City, in Perils in the Wil|derness, in Perils in the Sea, in Perils among false Bre|thren: In Weariness and Painfulness, in Watchings often, in Hunger and Thirst, in Fastings often, in Cold and Nakedness. Amazing! What a Life! And yet do you find the least whisper of Murmuring? No, but like a good Soldier of JESUS CHRIST, he endured Hardness, and possess'd his Soul in Patience. Once, when his Friends, full of Concern, would with Tears have dissuaded him going up to Jerusalem, where Bonds and Imprisonments awaited him, he breaks forth in that Divine Language, What mean ye to weep, and to break mine Heart? For I am ready, not to be bound only, but to die at Jerusalem, for the Name of the Lord Jesus,. Acts 21. 13.

Again,

In Prosperity he behaved well, brave as an Hero. 'Tis hard, hard vanquishing the Temptations of a pros|perous State. Let a Man carefully examine the Religion of CHRIST JESUS, he will soon find, that worldly Pros|perity and true Piety are almost inconsistent, almost in|compatible: Every outward Blessing carries a mortal Poison with it, which usually infects the Possessor. Ex|perience has taught us, that Pleasures ruin Christian Moderation, that Riches inspire Men with Covetousness, and that Pride is begotten by Grandure and Authority. The Temptations which Prosperity plunges a Man into, are infinitely harder to vanquish than those to which Ad|versity exposes us. Many a one that has triumphed over Tyrants and Persecutors, has sunk beneath Pride, Am|bition and Intemperance, when Objects proper to inflame those Passions have been set before his Eyes. When a kind GOD fills up our Days with Delights, ah me! how little Pains do we take about securing a better Life here|after! 'Tis natural to love the Habitation where we find Satisfaction and Charms. When the Dove flies forth from the Ark, and finds the Winds boisterous, the Waves foaming, and the whole Earth buried beneath the Waters, gladly she returns to the Ark, the Place of her Refuge: But when she finds the Heavens serene, the Waters asswag|ed, and the Campaigns flourishing, there she alights, there she rests.—Oh my Soul, here's thy Picture, here's the Image of what thou thyself art! When the World pro|mises thee Wealth, Prosperity, Grandure, thou harknest to the Voice of the Enchantress, and sufferest thyself to be surprized by her Charms: But, when thou findest in the World, Poverty, Distress and Misery, thou turnest thine Eyes towards Heaven, there to seek for Happiness in its Center.—Our Apostle had the Trials of a prospe|rous Condition, and how divinely well he past through it, let his own Words testify, Phil. 4. 11, 12, 13. I have learned in whatsoever State I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased and 〈…〉〈…〉

to ABOUND. In all Things I am instructed; both to be FULL and to be hungry; both to ABOUND and to suffer need: I can do all Things through CHRIST that strengtheneth me. Supernatural Strength in an extraor|dinary Degree, is requisite to keep us entire and upright, in the dangerous Conflict with the pleasing Temptations of the World; and that Strength the Apostle derived from CHRIST, and obtain'd it by humble, fiducial Prayer.

Once more,

In Death he behaved well, brave as an Hero. To know what it is to die, and not be afraid to die, is cer|tainly the most exalted Degree of Perfection, which the human Soul is capable of attaining to in this Life: 'Tis the highest Pitch of Felicity that can be enjoyed in this Vale of Tears.—To defy Death, to scorn it, to brave it out in a dying Hour, without knowing what it is to die, is the very Height of Madness, 'tis the highest Pitch of Misery.—The Pagan World afforded Philosophers, who were under no Dread of Death; but then they did not know what it was to die: They viewed Death in a false Light: They imagin'd that at Death Men were either reduced to nothing, or appeared before a chimeri|cal Tribunal, or enter'd upon an imaginary Happiness.—Commanders of Armies in the Days of Heathenism, have been seen to brave Death, and defy all its Terrors: But they knew not what it was to die: They look'd upon Death crowned with Laurels, illustrious in Trophies, and renowned in future History.—Even Libertines and De|bauchees have been seen to make light of Death: But they knew not what it was to die: Their Tranquility in the last Moments of Life arose from Ignorance; and their Stoutness was the Effect of Stupidity.—But the Man who views Death in its true Form, and is under no Dread of Death, but meets it with a calm Soul, that Man has most surely arrived to the utmost Blessing that Mortals are capable of enjoying upon this Earth: And this Blessing our Apostle had arriv'd to. If the Words of

our Text are not a sufficient Proof of this, only turn to the Eighth Chapter of his Epistle to the Romans, and 34, &c. where he makes use of that inimitable Language, Who shall seperate us from the Love of CHRIST? Shall Tribulation, or Distress, or Persecution, or Famine, or Nakedness, or Sword? Nay, in all these Things we are more than Conquerors, through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither Death, nor Life, nor Angels, nor Principalities, nor Powers, nor Things present, nor Things to come, nor Height, nor Depth, nor any other Creature shall be able to seperate us from the Love of GOD, which is in CHRIST JESUS our Lord. Ah! how difficult a Thing is it to stand out against violent Pains! Amidst grinding Tortures the Soul loses Sight of itself: Entirely filled with the Violence of its Agonies, it cannot ordinarily bear Reflection: And in the near Approaches of Death, how often do thick Clouds intercept the Beams of the Sun of Righteousness! But, all these does the Apostle brave: United to the SON OF GOD in indispensable Bands of Love, he defies them. Thus the Christian Religion, all manly and sublime, forms its Votaries to true Heroism. The wise Man, and the brave Hero, whom Socrates, Plato, and Seneca saw only in Idea, the Christian Religion sees in Practice and Reality: That brings to pass what neither Philosophers, by their false Maxims, nor the Bravadoes of the Age, by their affected Courage, nor the Libertine, by his Ignorance and Obstinacy, could ever bring to pass: That brings to pass what the whole Universe could not; and while it instructs the Christian what it is to die, it raises him above the Fears of Death, and causes him to sing amidst the Horrors of Dissolution, O Death, where is thy Sting? O Grave, where is thy Victory? Thanks be unto GOD, who gives us the Victory through our Lord JESUS CHRIST.—Who then would not study this Divine Religion? Who would not de|lightfully meditate therein Day and Night? Who would not assent to its heavenly Truths? And, who would not practice its noble Precepts, when the Issue of all is, an

undaunted Encounter with the King of Terrors, and a final Conquest of the last Enemy of Mankind? May each one of us be found in the happy Number.

We go on and say,

II. The Apostle Paul was a fine Racer.—I have finished my Course.—Often do we meet with Allusions to ancient Heathen Customs, in the Writings of our Apostle, who was certainly an excellent Scholar, as well as a great Divine. We are taught even from early Youth, in our Schools, that Running was one of those Exercises which were much in Vogue at the Olympic Games among the Grecians: These Games passed from Grece over into Italy, and the Roman People were so fond of them, that one of their Historians says, Two Things will satisfy the Romans, namely, Bread and Public Shows.—Among these various Plays, that of Running was very remarkable: The Place where they used to run was laid out with the utmost Accuracy: There were Lines stretched along, and if a Racer stept over them he was judged to have run uncer|tainly, and in vain: Nay, it was even dangerous to step aside; for at Rome the Tiber was the Line upon one Side, and a deep Ditch with pointed Swords upon the other, so that if a Person stept aside, he was in Danger, either to be drowned, or pierced to Death.—This is the Emblem the Apostle refers to in the Text. Christianity is a Race, a lengthy Race. Oh the vast Distance there is between Virtue, such as it is in its first Beginnings, and that same Virtue considered in all the Perfection, to which it might be raised upon Earth! Had we arrived at as high a Degree of Holiness, as any meer Man on Earth ever did, yet how far should we have still to run, e'er we had arri|ved at the highest Perfection possible!—In this lengthy Road it was that our Apostle ran, that so he might obtain an incorruptible Crown. The Time once was when the Apostle looked upon himself as having a great Way to run in the Christian Race; says he, in Phil. 3. 12. &c.

Not as though I had already attained, reached the Mark, the Goal; either were already Perfect: The Greek Word here used was peculiarly consecrated to those Racers, who came off Victorious at the Olympic Games. The Apostle then would let us know, that he looked upon himself at a great Distance as yet from that happy State, when like a consummate Racer in the Art of Running, he should see himself crowned with the Prize destin'd to the Con|queror; but adds he, I follow after, I pursue with Ardour and Earnestness, if so be I may apprehend, I may seize upon the Crown e'er long; for which Reason also I have been apprehended, suddenly seized upon, by Jesus Christ, in a quick miraculous Conversion to him.—He goes on, Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, I am persuaded I have not as yet reached the Mark: So an humble Soul, ever pondering upon its own Faults, Im|perfections and Failures, does not discover those Virtues in itself, which shine with a superiour Lustre in the View of others!—But, says the Apostle, This one Thing I do, forgetting those Things which are behind me, and reaching forth to those Things which are before me, I press towards the Mark, for the Prize of the high Calling, the heavenly Calling, of GOD in CHRIST JESUS. No Difficulties in the Road, neither the Length of the Race he had to run, could discourage him: On the contrary he hastned away the faster, and would not lose a Moment's Time: Like a true Racer, he left Places and Things far behind him, and got forward so swiftly that he insensibly lost Sight of them. He made such Progress towards Heaven, that he every Day left behind him the Follies and Vanities of the World, and more and more lost the View of them: He fixed his Eye upon the Reward before him, and was en|couraged in the Way of Virtue from the Prospect of that Happiness which GOD, through CHRIST, will bestow upon all his persevering Saints. The Reward of being crowned as a Conqueror, not with an Olive-Leaf, which at Olympia was valued above Gold or Rubies, as it pro|cured the Possessor the utmost Respect all his Days; but

crowned with the Love and Applause of his Creator, and the immortal Honours of the Heavenly Kingdom, thro'|out Eternity.—And now in the last Moments of Life, he breaks forth with Exstasy of Soul and says, I have finished my Course, my Race is run, I have reached the Goal. The Maxim I ever went upon was, to account nothing done, while there remained any thing to be done; nothing accomplished, 'till all was accomplished.—Happy, Happy we, my Brethren, if animated by his Example, and like him, relying upon JESUS our Fore|runner for Strength, we so run as to obtain; make such Progress in the Ways of Religion, as that like him we may be able to say at Death, I have finished my Course.—We have begun well: Let us not be affrighted in this Matter of Progress in Virtue. The Degree of Holiness we have arrived to has cost us much Struggle, Difficulty and Pain; but be not discouraged, the more tedious Part is over; 'tis the easier remains: The Way to Heaven is narrow, but it becomes large and spacious to him that continues running therein; especially when we eye the Possession of CHRIST, as our supreme Recompence at the End of our Race: This Thought, that every Step we take, brings us nearer to the Enjoyment of CHRIST, the infinite and the eternal Good, may well animate us to make swift Progress in our Christian Course.

We hasten and say,

III. The Apostle Paul was a firm Believer.—I have kept the Faith.—Stedfast, unshaken he persevered in his Profession of Christianity. A flighty Temptation oversets us; but nothing ever shook him: From the Moment he bowed the Knee to the SON OF GOD, whom with his bodily Eyes he beheld seated at the right Hand of the Majesty in the Heavens, clothed with Glory insuf|ferable to mortal View, from that Moment he abode stedfast in his Christian Profession; nor could all the Wiles of Earth or Hell turn him aside: No wonder, for GOD loved him, and he himself was careful to depart from all

Iniquity, 2 Tim. 2. 19. True Believers are the Founda|tion of GOD: As such they stand sure, for GOD knows them, GOD loves them as his Children; and it is their diligent Endeavour to avoid all Sin, which is the only Thing displeasing to GOD, and fatal to Men.—By an Election from Eternity GOD loves them that are His: He has chosen them and set them apart for Himself in a peculiar Manner. No Reason can be given for this Love, because it is not founded upon any Quality of those whom GOD chooses: No other Cause can be found but his own good Will;* 1.3—and, to them the Love of GOD is invariable. GOD never ceases to love them whom He has placed his electing Affection upon: It is not with GOD as it is with Men. Nothing more fickle than the Friendship of Mortals; it is like a Fire of Chaff, easily kindled, but which goes out usually of itself: 'Tis like a Flood, which at first runs with vast Impetuosity and Noise, but which anon dries away, so that the Places which it most overflowed show no Marks of it: 'Tis like the Lightning shut up in the Bosom of a Cloud, but soon lost in the open Air. The Love of GOD is of a quite contrary Nature; never does that alter, never does that diminish, never does that grow cold: Nothing can cause a Change of his Love:—Not his Interests, for he does not love us for his own Advantage, but for our's: Our Goodness ascends not to Him, but his Goodness des|cends abundantly upon us.—Not for any Defect in our Persons, or any Change of good Qualities, for He loves us with a Love of Fore-knowledge, which preceeded all Foresight of Good in us. As the Foresight of our Imperfections and our Vices did not hinder his Love in Eternity, so the Sight of our Failures in Time does not interrupt it. It is a Love which is founded upon GOD alone. He loves us because He has willed to love us: The Reason hereof is only in Himself, and the Motive in his own Will: And, since GOD is ever the same, and

his Will absolutely unchangeable, it follows necessarily, that his Love must be unchangeable. Well then may true Believers be compared to the Mountains, which remain firm upon their ancient Foundation, while the most stately Buildings, and the most magnificent Palaces of Emperors fall to ruin.—But further,—

A second Seal upon the true Believer, is, He departs from Iniquity: No marvel then that he is stedfast in his Faith and Profession; for, certainly the Reason why the Deserters of the Gospel do not persevere in the Communion of CHRIST, but abandon his Doctrine, is really this, that they are Workers of Iniquity, vicious Persons, whose Heart is good for nothing. Read Volumes of Ecclesiasti|cal History, consult all the Annals of Christianity, and you will ever see, that Apostates unto Infidelity, were Persons who led a vicious Life. As the first Desertion from Christianity began with a Judas, who was a notable Thief, possessed with the Devil of Covetousness, so the follow|ing Ages saw Christianity forsaken by Men of the same Stamp; such as breathed after Vanity and Licentiousness. Will that Man, think you, be careful to obtain Salvation in the Way of a true Faith, that does not fear Damnation in the Way of Sin? 'Tis an easy Passage from a de|bauched Heart to a debauched Mind; and Corruption of Manners is the high Road to Corruption of Faith.—But how stood the Case with our Apostle? His Appeal to Felix, before a large Clan of most virulent Persecutors, testifies for himself, Herein, says he to that Governor of his Nation, Herein do I exercise myself, to have always a Conscience void of Offence towards GOD and Men. And as he lived at a Distance from Sin, whether secret or open, nothing astonished him, nothing overturned him, nothing could root Religion out of his Heart, or stifle it in his Mouth:—Neither Threats nor Dangers could terrify him, because he feared GOD more than Men, and dread|ed the Torments of Eternity more than the Sufferings of Time:—Neither Promises nor Advantages could dazzle him, because he esteemed the Reproach of CHRIST,

greater Riches than all the Treasures of the Earth, and the Glory of Heaven rejoyced him more than all worldly Prosperity. In a Word, neither Passions nor Vices could corrupt him, because he kept under his Body, and bro't it into Subjection, and was daily crucifyng the Flesh, with its Affections and Lusts.—Verily, my Hearers, would you be firm and solid Stones in the Building of the Church; would you never fall away from your Faith and Profession, after having tasted the good Word of GOD; would you persevere invariably in the Communion of JESUS CHRIST, here's the infallible Secret, here's the sure Way to succeed, Depart from all Iniquity; Here's all the Preservations of the World in one, here's all the Counsels, here's all the Instructions; yea, here's all the Books that can be desired on so important a Point: Here they are all in one Word, Depart from Iniquity. For, If once you are really reformed in your Manners, if once you banish the Sentiments and Habits of Sin, surely you shall abide firm in the Communion of your Saviour, the Love of CHRIST shall render you absolutely inseparable from it: The ineffable Treasure of Piety in your Heart, shall cause you to despise every Thing in Comparison of your Dear Redeemer; the sure Hope of Heaven shall make you intrepid; the Peace you shall feel in your Conscience, you shall prefer above all the Pleasures of the Universe, and upon the immoveable Basis of a good Life, nothing shall overturn you; but in the near Prospect of Death you shall be able to say, with our Apostle, I have kept the Faith.

We pass briefly to say,

IV. The Apostle Paul was a glorious Triumpher.—Henceforth there remaineth for me a Crown of Righteous|ness, which the Lord the righteous Judge will give me at that Day.—Here it is that he most apparently shines in his exalted Character: Here it is that he most flamingly appears to be an incarnate Seraph.—'Tis the happy

Privilege of some of GOD's Saints to arrive at such high Degrees of Piety and Virtue, as to be entirely assured of the future eternal Blessings. They carry in their Souls the Witness of the Spirit of GOD, which assures them of their eternal Salvation: This Testimony is a kind of Demonstration superior to any in human Sciences: 'Tis a Proof unknown to Philosophers, and whose Author is the infinite wise GOD. This internal Testimony is, A lively Sense of our good Estate, excited by the glorious JEHOVAH Himself.* 1.4 'Tis an Effect of that almighty Power, which right Reason attributes to GOD, upon the Sensations of our Souls, and according to which He may raise in them Joy or Sorrow, as seems good in his Sight: 'Tis the Right of a Christian, founded upon that Promise of the sacred Scripture, Rom. 8. 16. The Spirit himself beareth Witness with our Spirit, that we are the Children of GOD: The glorious Effects of which Promise we see in those Believers, who while they live in Poverty and Want, taste those Pleasures which all the Grandeurs and Riches of this World cannot afford: We see them also in those dying Persons, who in the View of their immediate Dissolution, experience such Joys, as turn their Bed of Sick|ness into a Field of Triumph: In a Word, we see them in those Martyrs, who on Racks and Gibbets have found themselves more happy than Princes surrounded with all their Courtiers.—Oh my Hearers! There is doubtless no Condition so happy as that of a Man, who with Con|stancy and Firmness, is waiting for that future Glory, to which he has a just Title: Such a Man may satisfy him|self that there is no Blessing, except that of glorified Saints, superior to his; and that he has arrived at the highest Pitch of Felicity which can be attained in this Vale of Tears: What more happy, than, in the midst of the empty Pleasures and the numerous Afflictions of Life, to be able to look into Heaven, as the assured Place of our eternal Abode! Especially, what more proper than

this to support us against the Fears of Death, mortal, dying as we are; in a Condition, wherein the least Alteration in our Body, presents us with the horrid Image of Death: What can we wish for more agreeable to our Wants, than to find in the firm Expectation of future Glory, a Buckler to repel the Enemy, and a Sword to pierce him! In this desireable Situation the LORD grant we may all be found.

But, 'tis Time we hasten to a Conclusion,

In the first Place then,—Your EXCELLENCY will permit me on this joyful Day, the Monument of ancient, British Liberty, to congratulate your EXCELLENCY upon the Smiles of Heaven on your mild, your just, and your wise Government: Where's a Ruler happier in his People, Where's a People happier in their Ruler, than SHIRLEY and his Province? When their Captain-General gives forth the Command, chearfully they obey, and thus the feeble Fortress of Annapolis-Royal is saved from the Hands of her Enemies, and the now-impregnable Fortress of Louisbourg is put into our Possession: SHIRLEY'S Troops know how to Pray, and SHIRLEY'S Troops know how to Fight, so as perpetually to engage the GOD of Armies on their Side, who crowns their noble Attempts with Success and Victory: Thus Moses lifts up his Hands to Heaven, and Joshua pursues the flying Amalekites.—Let one then, whose Eyes beheld the charming Virtue and the undaunted Courage of a New-England Army, raised by your EXCELLENCY'S Command and Vigilance, congratulate You on the Reduction of Cape-Breton: Happy Conquest! How must it strike the haughty Gallic Prince with Astonishment, and fill his proud Soul with Regret and Indignation! The Greatness of his Loss none but himself can be fully sensible of: He himself, whose Coffers have been often and deeply drained to commode, to adorn, and to fortify that important Place. And, that the Place should be reduced

by your EXCELLENCY'S Troops!—Future Ages shall bless your Memory, and your gallant Army shall be applauded while Time and Days endure.—But, In the midst of all these Congratulations, permit me to mingle a Tear with your EXCELLENCY, over the Graves of our heroic Officers, over the Graves of our valiant Soldiers, and over the Tomb of our late excellent Speaker of the House of Representatives, Men greatly beloved, Men that feared GOD, and honoured the KING; nor were they given to Change: Friends to Virtue, Friends to Liberty: They are gone, but happy in their Depar|ture: Inexorable Death has snatched them from us, but JESUS their Redeemer has welcomed them to Realms of Light and Love. Ah me! What are all the Treasures, the Pomps, the Possessions of human Life! Death makes all Things equal. The Man who pil'd Riches upon Riches, and laid Heap upon Heap, Death confines him to a narrow Coffin and three Paces of Earth.—The Man whose Projects were mighty, whose Designs were vast, and whose Desires were boundless, Death dashes them to Pieces on the fatal Shelve of human Things.—The Man whose Titles were magnificent, whose Inscriptions were pompous, and whose Genealogies were lengthy, Death confounds them all in the same Pit of Corruption.—The Man whose Eyes sparkled with Courage, Death covers with a dark Night;—and whose valiant Arm decided the Fate of Nations, Death lays beneath the Clods motionless, lifeless. Such is Death, such are its Triumphs. Oh Gallant Army, how art Thou fallen by the Stroke of Death! Oh how are the Mighty fallen!—E'er long your EXCELLENCY must fall like them, and like them, con|spicuous in Virtue, your EXCELLENCY shall ascend on High, to participate with them, in the immortal Glories of an heavenly Kingdom:—They have finished their Race, Your EXCELLENCY has your Race yet to finish: Go on, SIR, finish it with Pleasure, and in Wisdom's Ways, end your Race with Peace and Triumph, singing, as did the good old Patriarch, O LORD, I have waited for my salvation.

To You, Gentlemen, of the ancient and honourable Artillery-Company, let me next address myself.—As you, Gentlemen, have seen good to pitch upon me, the least of all my Brethren in the Ministry, to stand this Day in the Desk, that so you might do Honour to that Gallant Army of your Countrymen, who reduced Louis|bourg under the British Government; and to whom there can scarcely be too much Honour done: I assure you, it was no small Motive to me to appear here this Day, that I might mention to you their manly Piety and their English Bravery, of which I myself was an Eye-witness: Piety and Bravery which you, Gentlemen, will copy after, whenever GOD shall call you to play the Men in the Cause of Liberty and Virtue.—From You there went forth the Great and the Good in the late Campaign at Louisbourg: And from whom, Gentlemen, can we more justly expect Heroes than from You, the Flower of our Land, the Glory of our Country? In You is de|posited, as it were in a direct Line, that Divine Ardour, and that Godlike Zeal for the Maintenance of the Rights of Truth and Justice, which our Fore-fathers were ani|mated with: Men whose Character shines with endless Glory, especially in their martial Exploits against an in|numerable savage Foe. And shall we their Sons ever prove a degenerate Race? Shall we tremble when Cannons roar, when Bullets fly, and when all the glit|tering Instruments of Destruction stand apparent before us? No, never shall it be said, that the Troops of NEW-ENGLAND were backward to rush upon the Sword, or afraid to face the Mouths of Cannon; at the Call of the LORD OF HOSTS.—You will remember, Gentlemen, that from You, as from a Nursery, our Land is ever to be supplied with Officers perfectly skill'd in the Art of War, and who shall train up our Forces to an Expert|ness in military Exercise equal to any of his Britanic Majesty's: This, under GOD, will be the best Defence of our Land. Wherefore now, Gentlemen, to your Posts, and carry this Truth along with you, He that would fight couragiously, and die happily, must live virtuously.

In fine, Let us all, both Laity and Clergy, study the Art of War, and strive to be expert in it. And now that the Providence of Heaven invites and commands us to enter the Field of Battle in the spacious Country of CANADA: Let us go forth with a resolute Mind and chearful Soul. What tho' the Field of Battle prove our Grave, has not JESUS our Redeemer gone down into the Grave, and dispell'd all the Horrors of it? In the Grave of Nature we view a dismal Dungeon, and a dark|some Night; but in the Grave of JESUS we view Con|quest over our last Enemy, and an open Passage to the immortal Honours of the heavenly Kingdom. Where|fore, my Christian Brethren, and gallant Countrymen, dismiss every anxious Thought: If you fall by the Sword, the Clouds which Satan form'd shall vanish; the Vail which covers Eternity shall be drawn; your Mind shall be settled, your Heaven shall be revived, your Desires shall be enflamed, and the Field of Blood shall become a Field of Triumph: And, in the last Day, when the Foundations of this Earth, shall sink beneath your Feet, you shall rise above the Ruins of this World, and become Inhabitants of the Regions of Immortality and Glory, with JESUS, who has redeemed us by his Blood, and has made us Kings and Priests unto GOD and his Father, with whom we shall Reign forever and ever: To whom be ascribed all Honour and Dominion, World without End.

AMEN.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Saurin.
• † 1.2

  In a Sermon, entitled, The Character of a True Patriot. Sold by D. Henchman.
• * 1.3

  Dr. Bosc.
• * 1.4

  Saurin.