Vol. II. 4. The Strength and Defense, the Honour and Safety, which we reap from our Country; and this too feems to be infiv. 3. nuated, Jerufalem is builded as a City that is compact together. And,

5. Whatever other Advantages do peculiarly belong to our Jerufalem, to our Country; fuch are the Fruitfulness of our Soil, the Abundance and Valuableness of our native Commodities, the Convenience of our Situation for Trade and Safety, the mild and healthy Temperature of our Air, the agreeable and ufeful Mixture of Hills, Vales, Woods and Rivers.

Shall I infift upon thefe Things? Sure I need not. Have we any where dearer Friends or nearer Relations? Can there be better Laws, or a more excellent Religion, a more fruitful Land, or more defirable Conftitution? Can we propound any where to our felves better or more Conveniencies for this World, or better Means for the Attainment of another? Certainly we cannot. But I need not enlarge upon these Topicks, the Love of Your Country is fo natural, fo avow'd a Duty, that I believe there is no Man but will look upon it-as the fouleft Reproach and higheft Injury to charge him with want of it. The Good of our Country, which is nothing else in another Expreffi

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on but the Publick Good or Common- Serm. wealth, is the fupream Reafon of all IV. Laws, the great End of Magiftracy, the Thing which all Parties and Factions pretend a Zeal for, and all who are to act any Part upon the publick Stage make use of it to screen or varnish their private Intereft and Paffions. In a word, 'tis the only Thing which ever has been thought worthy to be defended by our Fortunes and by our Blood: nor was ever any Motive thought of greater Force to prevail with Men refolutely to encounter Danger and Death than that which Joab made use of to Abishai when they were to fight the Syrians and Ammonites, Be of 2 Sam. x. good Courage, and let us play the Men for 12. our People, and for the Cities of our God: and the Lord do that which feemeth him good.

But to conclude this Head, no Man doubts whether he ought to love his Country; but the Difficulty is, amongst so many Pretenders, to determine who really do fo: And yet methinks this fhould not be fo hard a Matter to refolve. Can they love their Country, who are by their Vices daily increafing the Guilt of it, i. e, kindling the Wrath of God against it, and pulling down Judgments upon it? Can they love their Country, who by fowing and cherishing groundN 3

lefs

Vol. II. lefs Fears and unreasonable Paffions, labour to divide us one against another, and to make and keep up Parties and Factions? This certainly tends to the Destruction of our Country; for Divifion does always diminish our Strength at Home and our Reputation Abroad. Can they love their Country, who endeavour by Falfhoods and Mifreprefentations to alienate and difaffect the Subject towards the Queen and her Miniftry? This certainly tends to breed Changes and Alterations, and to disturb the Counfels and clog the Undertakings of our Governors by Perplexities and Difficulties. Can they love their Country, who eagerly espouse Principles which tend to fubvert our Conftitution, our Religion and Laws, and defire fuch a Revolution as would unavoidably end in this? Finally, Can they love their Country, who are pleas'd (if there be any fuch) at the Success of our Enemies, and troubled at our own; who are perpetually aggravating every Misfortune that befals us, and diminishing the Wisdom and Honour of our Counfels and Actions, and the Advantages that flow from them? Such as thefe may pretend what they will, and they may think what they will, they are influenced by Intereft and Paffion, not

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the Love of their Country. A true Lover Serm, of his Country muft love God, and IX. love our Conftitution; he must be zealous for our Religion and our Laws; he muft promote our Concord and Unity, he must be tender of the Honour of the Queen, and thofe employ'd by her; he muft feek the Good of the whole, not of a Party; he must rejoice in our good Succefs, and patiently bear our bad: And to close this Head, I may boldly affirm, that whatever Principles tempt Men to defire, defign, or act contrary to this, are contrary to the Duty which we owe our Country; and confequently must be falfe, foolish, and pernicious.

Having thus afferted our Obligation to the Duty in my Text, i. e. We the Love

of our Country, I proceed now to that which naturally follows from hence namely, cu le

II. That every Man ought, as much as in him lies, to promote the Peace of his Country Pray for the Peace of ferufalem. Prayer is indeed the Way here prefcrib'd for the obtaining the Peace of our Country, but I have laid down my Propofition in general Terms, becaufe Prayer does imply all other lawful Means and Endeavours. Prayer does import onr Dependance upon God in the Ufe of N 4

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Vol. II. fit and neceflary Means; fo that the Text far from excluding War here, that it does rather fuppofe it, if juft and necef fary. God makes no Promises to lazy and prefumptuous Prayers; the Cananites had never been rooted out if fofbua had not employ'd his Arms, as well as Mofes his Prayers, againft 'em; and the Truth is, in our Cafe praying for the Peace of Jerufalem is the fame thing with praying for the Succefs of our Arms. And the Reafon is plain,

First, Because we aim at nothing by our Arms but an honourable and lafting Peace. fur

Secondly, Because fuch a Peace is in Human Judgment no other way to be attain'd than by God's Bleffing upon our Arms,

First, Ifay, becaufe we aim at nothing but Peace. God has bleffed us with that Plenty, and fuch a Government, that we have nothing to defire, nothing to cover further: There's nothing in the Conditi on of any of our Neighbours that can deferve our Envy, nor in our own that can be juft Matter of Complaint or Diffatisfaction; all therefore that we aim at is to continue what we are, to be able to call what we have our own, and quietly to enjoy the Bleffings God has conferr'd

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