The works of the Rev. William Thom, late minister ... - waughfamily.ca

IiaSERMONS.place : The general improves the difclpllne and coi'—re£^s the morals of his foldiers ; the religious commander,like Jofhua, exhibits to the army a properpattern of ferious devotion, calls upon the foldiers topurifythemfelves, and flrives to infti] into them afpirit of religion, of fubordination and order. Hadthe Ifraelites fucceeded in their firft attempt againftAi, Achan might have thought there was no matterwhether one regarded a divine com.mand or not; theirdefeat tended to convince all the ?.rmy that there arefome bad and impious pra.otives to virtue j and, in thetime of profperity, we are off our guard* Happy hadit been for many a perfon, had he by adverfity beenearly roufed to Iblemn thought, checked in the careerof his folly, and reftrained from going to an excefsin riot. So evident is it, that to meet with checks,in the midll: of fuccefs, may be ufeful to individualsand to focieties. I now remark, in the laft place,9. That when a people, accuftomed to be victorious,are difappointed of fuccefs againft a weak enemy,they ought to be fenfible of their ov/n weaknefs,and humble them.feives before God. Succefs in v/aris from God; but the proper means are to be ufed.And it need be the lefs v;ondered at, that in one wara nation hath been fuccefsful, and in another, thoughlefsformidable, and itsftrength nearly as before, it ismiferably baffled and affronted : In the firil, the plansmay have been laid, and the fprings of a