The works of the Rev. William Thom, late minister ... - waughfamily.ca
The works of the Rev. William Thom, late minister ... - waughfamily.ca The works of the Rev. William Thom, late minister ... - waughfamily.ca
1.^3-^SERMONS*ilitluftry to every fort of rnanufaiSiures, and to purfuocommerce at large with the Afiatic and European nations•, who {hall teach them the arts of peace, to promotepopulation, and, by eilabliflung equal laws, anda generous fyfbem of liberty, to render their countryan afylum to the many thoufands who are, alas ! at^this day, borne down and impolitically opprefTed inEurope •, and who {Iiall, at tlie fame time, call homethe Britifh armies and fleets, to protedl this fair, thisexhaufted, and ill-defended ifland againft the unprovokedattempts of France, and even to ftrike, in felfdefence,a merited blow againft that menacing andfaithlefs power. Who doth not pray, that Heavenmay, as formerly, raife up fuch a patriot ? Who dothnot wifh to fee fo happy a turn of our affairs ?6. I proceed to the lait thing, namely, to mention,and mollly from the text, fome reafons why a people,even though they h^ve-for^iQ religion,, or at leaft appearto be ferious, may continue long involved in diftrefs,and even in the calamities of war itfelf. " Yeiuft, and have not: ye kill, and deiire to have, and.cannot obtain : ye iight and war, yet ye have not,becaufe ye afk not. Ye afk, and receive not, becaufeye afK amifs, that ye may confume it upon your lufts."It appears, from many inftances in fcripture,thatindividuals who feek God may for a long time be heldin worldly diftrefs, whilft they wait that God willyefcue them. This \t3u know was the cafe with Job,and with the Pfaimift alfp. The prayer, the expofiidationof the rightecus at fuch a time is, "Save me,God, for the waters are corae in unto my foul. Ifink in deep mire, where there is no ftanding : 1 amcome into deep waters, where the flcod*s overflow me.1 am weary of my crying, my throat is dried : mineeyes fail v/hile I w^ait for my God."—-" Will the Lordcait off for ever ? and will he be favourable no more ?Is bis mercy clean gone for ever ? Doth his promifefail for ever more ^ Hath God forgotten to be gra=?
cfous ?'*The church and people of God may be longin diftrefs alfo. Thws the Ifraeiites were for a longtime borne down and oppreffed in Egypt. " They{ighed by reafon of the bondage, and they cried ; andtheir cry came up unto God, by reafon of the bondage."So alio the fame people, in their long captivity,« By the riversof Babylon, (fay they) there wefat down, yea, we wept w2ien we remembered Zion.We hanged our harps upon the willows, in the midfcthereof." Why a fober and feemingly virtuous individualis fometimes long in paia or in adverfity, orwhy in war, for inltance, thofe who contend for theintereft of liberty, of virtue, of the public good, ofthe human fpecies, are often i*iifuccefsful, is amongthefe fecret things which belong unto God. WhyCaefar was.vi(£toriou3 at Pharfalia; why Oclavlus andAntony prevailed againft Caffius and the amiabljBrutus, on the plains of Philippi •, why God, in hisprovidence, hath fuiYered the Mahometans to enthralfofair aud-fo great a part of the ancient world j whythe popilh powers have lo long and 10 much fucceededin trampling down the proteilants, and checkin.^the progrefs of the reformation ; thefe, and manythings of the like kind, are the myflerious ways otHeaven ; " the ways of that God, who '^^iveth netaccount of any of his mattetsJ^ In private life, ^* the.tabernacles of robbers profper ;" and in public, thofjfocieties or nations v/hich to us feem to be the nioii:fober, and innocent, and deferving, are. diLippoiiitedof fuccefs, and are made to groan under a heavy burden,of diftrefi.But, my brethi-en, we are perhaps very often andvery widely miftaken in the eftimate we make of the 'comparative merit of individuals or of focietie-s; .'.Blo/t^certainly the ways of God are right, and religion; if*It reftrain its votaries from daring crimes Vvhich might:^levate them at once to worldly greatnefs, is the way.to. pafi. through the wo,rId with fecurity and eafe ^
- Page 105 and 106: SERMONS. 97being pure in heart, bec
- Page 107 and 108: SERMONS. 99*and thus have I done. W
- Page 109 and 110: SERMONS.lOIgvave-ftone ; this would
- Page 111 and 112: SERMONS. 103
- Page 113 and 114: SERMO^fS. 105celTarily, ?t leaft pr
- Page 115 and 116: SERMONS. 107eyes" even " of the wif
- Page 117 and 118: SERMONS.-^C^ftatefman who gave the
- Page 119 and 120: -# '* SERMONS. II :laws ; I defende
- Page 121 and 122: SERMOKS. 113rnies ; for the Canaani
- Page 123 and 124: SERMON-S-. 115was or could well be
- Page 125 and 126: 'SERMON'5. 117ful combined kingdoms
- Page 127 and 128: seHjMOms. 119sre firfl: over-awed b
- Page 129 and 130: liERMON'S. 121derftaftding to dilco
- Page 131 and 132: SERMOKS.12^fpirit, is better than h
- Page 133 and 134: A \L -WjSERMONS.IZ5who would have b
- Page 135 and 136: Sl-RMONSi 127pride *, at times each
- Page 137 and 138: SERMONSj 129and alfo more commonly
- Page 139 and 140: SERM0N5. 131great part of a neighbo
- Page 141 and 142: SERMONS.I_53^}y the illicit gratifi
- Page 143 and 144: what he hath done.SERMONS.if the "C
- Page 145 and 146: SERMONS.13 Vtiements in the defart
- Page 147 and 148: SERMONS.. 139>copard would lie down
- Page 149 and 150: SERMONS,."1-41of many tedious campa
- Page 151 and 152: SERMONS. 143punillied for it, and,
- Page 153 and 154: SERMONS'.r43hoftages—nof foldiers
- Page 155: SERMONS. 14/py conteft between Grea
- Page 159 and 160: of fuccefs.sfeRM0N5.l^ludeed, provi
- Page 161 and 162: SttRMONs.r:_5:3ro cities, been want
- Page 163 and 164: SERMONS. 15.5*oF popery too) to eil
- Page 165 and 166: SERM6NS.'IJ7tiity, fo miicK rage, f
- Page 167 and 168: SERMON VI.THE TASK-MASTERS..Preache
- Page 169 and 170: miiiiiter's chief bufinefs to ftriv
- Page 171 and 172: ffERMONS.X'6^his taik-mafler, to th
- Page 173 and 174: •SERMONS.16^manner, and upon the
- Page 175 and 176: SERMONS.1^7"be content to do : They
- Page 177 and 178: SERMONS.l6^).it^peatedly attending
- Page 179 and 180: SERMONS.I"!port himfcif and family
- Page 181 and 182: SERMONS. 173fome ufe of terror, man
- Page 183 and 184: with3-ERM0NS-. I7>very good crops,
- Page 185 and 186: SERMONS. 177noble lords and comnion
- Page 187 and 188: SERMONS. 179\vho had weapons In the
- Page 189 and 190: SERMONS.ff/pt, and knew that God v/
- Page 191 and 192: perience.SERMONS...Ib^'The lea-port
- Page 193 and 194: This,'SERMONS-l8>and ill founded :
- Page 195 and 196: SERMONS.I&7fare are we counted to y
- Page 197 and 198: SERMONS. 189to pay ? Think on juili
- Page 199 and 200: SERMONS.Iplyou.*' There are'many of
- Page 201 and 202: £Eii:.ioNS. 193lon of my people wl
- Page 203 and 204: SERMON^irpjcf his provldeatbl admim
- Page 205 and 206: SERMONS. 197have yourfelves. Throug
1.^3-^SERMONS*ilitluftry to every fort <strong>of</strong> rnanufaiSiures, and to purfuocommerce at large with <strong>the</strong> Afiatic and European nations•, who {hall teach <strong>the</strong>m <strong>the</strong> arts <strong>of</strong> peace, to promotepopulation, and, by eilabliflung equal laws, anda generous fyfbem <strong>of</strong> liberty, to render <strong>the</strong>ir countryan afylum to <strong>the</strong> many thoufands who are, alas ! at^this day, borne down and impoliti<strong>ca</strong>lly opprefTed inEurope •, and who {Iiall, at tlie fame time, <strong>ca</strong>ll home<strong>the</strong> Britifh armies and fleets, to protedl this fair, thisexhaufted, and ill-defended ifland againft <strong>the</strong> unprovokedattempts <strong>of</strong> France, and even to ftrike, in felfdefence,a merited blow againft that menacing andfaithlefs power. Who doth not pray, that Heavenmay, as formerly, raife up fuch a patriot ? Who dothnot wifh to fee fo happy a turn <strong>of</strong> our affairs ?6. I proceed to <strong>the</strong> lait thing, namely, to mention,and mollly from <strong>the</strong> text, fome reafons why a people,even though <strong>the</strong>y h^ve-for^iQ religion,, or at leaft appearto be ferious, may continue long involved in diftrefs,and even in <strong>the</strong> <strong>ca</strong>lamities <strong>of</strong> war itfelf. " Yeiuft, and have not: ye kill, and deiire to have, and.<strong>ca</strong>nnot obtain : ye iight and war, yet ye have not,be<strong>ca</strong>ufe ye afk not. Ye afk, and receive not, be<strong>ca</strong>ufeye afK amifs, that ye may confume it upon your lufts."It appears, from many inftances in fcripture,thatindividuals who feek God may for a long time be heldin worldly diftrefs, whilft <strong>the</strong>y wait that God willyefcue <strong>the</strong>m. This \t3u know was <strong>the</strong> <strong>ca</strong>fe with Job,and with <strong>the</strong> Pfaimift alfp. <strong>The</strong> prayer, <strong>the</strong> exp<strong>of</strong>iidation<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> rightecus at fuch a time is, "Save me,God, for <strong>the</strong> waters are corae in unto my foul. Ifink in deep mire, where <strong>the</strong>re is no ftanding : 1 amcome into deep waters, where <strong>the</strong> flcod*s overflow me.1 am weary <strong>of</strong> my crying, my throat is dried : mineeyes fail v/hile I w^ait for my God."—-" Will <strong>the</strong> Lord<strong>ca</strong>it <strong>of</strong>f for ever ? and will he be favourable no more ?Is bis mercy clean gone for ever ? Doth his promifefail for ever more ^ Hath God forgotten to be gra=?
Change language