Election Sermon

W ROBBINS: * Do We of. FT .. | as of us IS ComMonWRALTH. OF... MASSACHUSETTS. In SENATE, Mar On RD E RE D; Ale PELEG Coryin; | Tromas DAwESs and Josnua Tromas, Esquires, be a Committee to wait on the | Reverend CHANDLER Rozins, and thank him in the name of the Senate for the Sermon delivered by him this day, before His Excellency the Governcur, , the Honourable © the Council, and the two Branches of the . General Court, and so roomy a Copy 0 Ver the Press. | Attest, | SAMUEL 9 Clerk. Eo apt 1h 8 ER ON. PREACHED BEFORE | 1 Hrs ExenLLency- JONH HANCOCK, Exe. ; GOVERNOUR; Hrs Howok, SAMUEL ADAMS Es. LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOUR ; Taz Hoxoun ABLE THE COUNCIL, AND THE | HONOURABLE THE SENATE AND HOUSE REPRESENTATIVES, or THE COMMONWEALTH or MASSACHUSETTS May 25, 1791. BEING THE DAY OF GENERAL ELECTION. | my CHANDLER ROBBINS, DE NI. b PASTUR OF THE FIRST CHURCH 1N PLYMOUTH. BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: PRINTED Br THOMAS ADAMS, 5 PRINTER ro Inf HONOURABLE 1 ur GENERAL. cobRr. M,DC CyXCl. — F — Several passages abbreviated in the de- 7 livery of the following discourse, are in- 5 serted at large, in the publication. bet CHRONICLES, Chan; XII. VERSE XII. LAST CLAUSE, © — ALSO IN JUDAH | THINGS WENT WELL, ot SHORT, hots very ariking description of the prosperous: state of a community.—May it ever characterize the growing Empire of this Western World—and, till time shall be no more, may things go well” with United AMERICA! | Taz passage now read, alludes to the then peaceful and happy state of the kingdom of Judah. JUDAH, though once united with ljracl, was now | become a separate'and independent people. Under the reign of some former Kings, they had enjoyed great prosperity they were highly distinamen by the — nga of Heaven, and had long ett EEE OO OOO Sat, | lived ether in os: > friendship. But, by an unhappy stroke of policy, and by certain arbitrary claims in the reigning Prince, instigated by evit counsellors, such a convulsion was produced 1 in the nation, as, in the end, dismembered the empire; and J/7ael and Fudah became distinct | governments, and were neyer afterwards united 57 Gun Ir scemed a nipflerious event in Pen ace, at first ; but we do not find, in the succeeding histo. 1 of that people, that Judah had any particular cause to regret the separation, on account of any special calamities that befell them 1 in consequence of it. On the contrary, it appears, that GOD vas pleased, for his servant David's sake, whom he loved, to make the kingdom of Judah the object of his peculiar care. They had, at different 5 periods, Kings of eminent character, at the head of their government renowned for picty and wil. dom ; under whose administration, the people of - 7 udah enjoyed orcat quietness. When they were of a different character, and “ did evil in the Gght ; | of the Lord,“ he often testified his displeasure a- 2 85 gainst them, by © terrible things in rightcousness” ; | —not unfrequently, by letting loose a barbarous, | keathen enemy upon them, and they were e 5 into great distress. Tine seems to have horn” the case with Judah, just before the happy Era, mentioned i in the text.— But when, in their trouble, they sought the Lord, and appeared to repent and humble themselves before him, GOD, rich in mercy; and who © never afflicts willingly,” * turned from the fierceness of his 5 | anger, scattered the threatning storm, and again * restored tranquility to their land. And now it is said of them, in JUDAH things went well.” Their government was peaceful and happy the smiles of Heaven attended their affairs, and there Was no special cause for sorrow or complaint. A CONCURRENCE of imilar circumstances, must 5 render any people happy. More happy still, if, in the enjoyment of these favors, they make suitable returns, to the auther of all good, and are thankful, Tux 8 it 1s s presumes, are 2 proper groun os . ; so some observations, suited to the present occasiThe method proposed, is, I. 10 contides more generally, the import of che phrase ; in the text, as applied to a civil comA munity—or to enquire, when ay things be said to E well in a State | 155 U. Sew, m more particularly, . are necess- = ry, a8 means, to constitute this prosperous state of | community. Which will naturally lead us, by way of application, to consider the obligations | such a people are under to a grateful sense, and a vVise improvement of the divine favors. | I. To bn ** 58. I. To + cold generally, the! import of ke expression in the text or when do Td 8 well with a civil community: OI Fiou & known analogy between 9 5 political and the human body, we may find a natural Hustration of the phrase i in the text, —This expression, when applied to the political, seems to import the | fame as health in the natural body. he most hap75 py and perfect state of the human body, results from the due order of its various members and parts, each performing regularly, the several ossi. ces assigned them by the great Creator: When this is the case, we say of a person, he ir well—or, in other words, he enjoys health. …