The Election Sermon

Mr. WILLIAMS's

ELECTION SERMON,

A

SERMON,

PREACHED in the AUDIENCE

OF THE

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

OF THE

STATE of CONNECTICUT,

AT

HARTFORD,

ON THE DAY OF THEIR

ANNIVERSARY ELECTION,

BY NATHAN WILLIAMS, M. A.

Pastor of the CHURCH in TOLLAND.

HARTFORD:

PRINTED BY HUDSON AND GOODWIN,

At a General Assembly of the Governor and Company of the State of Connecticut, in America, holden at Hartford, on the second Thursday of May, Anno Domini 1780.

ORDERED, That Col. Samuel Chapman and Mr. Hope Lathrop, return the Thanks of this Assembly to the Rev. Nathan Williams, for his Sermon delivered before the Assembly on the 11th instant, and desire a Copy thereof that it may be printed.

A true Copy of Record,

Examined, by

George Wyllys, Sec'ry.

Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy Book, which thou hast written.

THE great Parent of the Universe by enduing us with reason, that bright ray of divinity, has made us capable of that disinterested benevolence, which is a characteristic of every good man, and an important part of real conformity to GOD. For thus we are directed, to love our enemies, to bless those that curse us, to do good to those that hate us, and to pray for those that despitefully use us and persecute us; that we may be the children of our beavenly Father, who maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. * And without this it is vain for us to pretend to real christianity: For that man is a liar, who saith he loveth GOD and hateth his brother. ‡

HOWEVER the Bible plainly teacheth us, that good men may be expected to have a particularly friendly regard to that community with which they are immediately connected, and to which they are under special obligations.

The apostle Paul, in an extacy of love and concern, was almost ready to wish himself accursed from Christ, for his brethren, his kinsmen according to the flesh. And a greater than he exprest the tenderest feelings of real friendship to his native country, and particularly to Jerusalem, the capital of it, so as even to shed tears at the view of those dreadful calamities that were soon to be brought upon it; saying, if thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things that belong to thy peace! But now they are hid from thine eyes. ‡ The words now read, for the subject of our religious meditations, exhibit another instance of genuine patriotism in Moses, that prime-minister of the Great King of Israel --Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray thee out of thy book which thou hast written. The sin here referred to, was their making and worshipping the golden calf which Aaron made; for which God, in righteous anger, did severely punish that people.

On this memorable occasion Moses acted the part of a mediator, earnestly interceeding with God to forgive their sin. And (as if his heart was wholly bound up in the prosperity of his people) he utters a conditional wish, that God would even blot him out of his Book.

By book here, some have understood the same with the book of life, several times referred to in the Revelation of St. John, supposed to be a register of God's eternal purpose concerning the salvation of some of mankind : Intimating that Moses did even prefer the present prosperity of that people to his own eternal happiness. Others consider it as referring to the register of God's visible people, his church on earth ; and that Moses chose to be separated from the congregation of the saints, rather than that they should be followed with the severe judgments of heaven.

By the book which GOD had written, is sometimes understood, also, the book of the living, as mentioned Psalm lxix. 28. Intimating that his heart was so bound up in the welfare of his people, that he was willing to sacrifice not only his ease and outward interest, but even his life for their sake.

But it is to our present purpose to consider this hypothetic prayer as expressive of true patriotism. From hence we may be led to enquire into the nature and some of the expressions of that love to our country which the Bible recommends---together with some of those obligations which should influence us to get and express a friendly concern for our country's good.

There may, indeed, be some circumstantial difference, between that universal benevolence, which the gospel so much insists upon as essential to the good man's character, and containing the sum of religion, and that public spiritedness or love to our country, now under consideration.

CHRISTIAN benevolence has for its object being in general, without regard to any connection that we, in particular may have with others : Or any good we have received, or may expect still to receive from them. It rather centers merely in the object, and considers him, as capable of happiness.

THIS godlike disinterested affection, therefore, extends as freely to foes as to friends -- to strangers as to acquaintance---to bad men as to good men ; and does not necessarily imply any such associations amongst mankind as constitute society. Adam, in the moment of creation, was capable of this radical virtue, and soon felt the exercise of it, without that base alloy which attends even every good man in this state of imperfection.

BUT that patriotism which Moses here, and often elsewhere expresses, is circumscribed with narrower limits, including none but those with whom we are connected in the bonds of society. This indeed is included in that general principle of benevolence which marks the character of every good man. That love to our country which is acceptable to GOD, being as it were, sanctified by supreme love to him, supposes a proper community or public society formed for the purposes of social life, and to support the just rights of each individual, very different from those combinations formed by lawless and rapacious men, for the purposes of oppression and rapine, and to defend themselves against the hand of justice. Such as have taken place amongst pirates and robbers: These, instead of being friends to mankind, violate every principle of charity and justice, and as free booters practise indiscriminate rapine.