Preface

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DQCTOR MORSE's
National Fajt Difcourfe^
SERMON,
EXHIBITING
THE PRESENT DANGERS, AND CONSEQUENT
DUTIES OF THE CITIZENS OF THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
DELIVERED AT CHARLESTOWN, APRIL 25, 1799.
THE BAY OF THE
NATIONAL FAST,
By JEDIDIAH MORSE, D. D.
Paftor of the Church in Charleftown,
PUBLISHED AT THE REQUEST OF THE HEARERS.
and Sold by SAMUEL ETHER1DGE, next door to Warren-Tavern.
1799.
PREFACE.
1 H E apprehenfion that fome parts of the following Difcourfe may have drawn upon its Author the cenfirre of fome for whom he feels affeftion, has operated with him as one inducement, among others, to permit it to be made more public* He cannot but hope that a cool, deliberate perufal of it, and a confederation, at the fame time, of the interefting nature of the facls therein related, and the deep impreffion they muft have made on the fpeaker's piind, who had contemplated them in all their diftreffing confequences to his religion and country, will effectually efface all unfavourable impreffions, and produce con- yi&ion that his zeal was honeft, feafonableand well founded.
IT muft appear ftrange to a man who has impartially marked the career of abominations which the French government have purfued for feveral years part, that they fhould itill find advocates among fome Americans, who in the eye of charity are conf;dered as fincere in their profeffion of Chrifttanity. Mod willingly would the Author invent, for any fuch among his Chriflian Brethren, apologies which may in fome degree excufe, though they can never juftify, their encouraging the enemies of GOP and religion. It is not difficult to conceive that fome perfons of this defcription may yet pofiefs honed and good hearts. It ihould neverthelefs be remembered, that the mod virtuous propeniities of our nature, when mifguided by prejudice, paffion, and mifreprefen- tation of fafts, fometimes degenerate into the moft dangerous vices. Of this nature is the attachment which fome among us continue to cherifh for the French Revolutiqnifis. This originated in gratitude for benefits conferred by the French Monarchy ; and gratitude cannot thrive in a cold, ungenerous foil. Good wifhes to the French had be- come habitual in the bofoms of Americans. And no one felt them more ftrongly than the Author of the following Difcourfe, till he be- came acquainted with the hiflory of their perfidies ; till their crimes roufed his indignation, and confcience forbad that he fhould look with partiality on theprofefTed enemies of GOD, and the infidious deftrojers of men. Thofe who Were in fituations moft favourable for early dif- covering the atrocity of the French rulers, perhaps once looked on him with the fame mixture of wonder and compaffion, with which he now regards thofe of his Chriflian friends, whofe prejudices and want of in- formation, even now inflame them with honeft, mifguided zeal in the
M180774
IV PREFACE.
caufe of the French Revolutionifls. He flatters himfelf, however, that he did not obftinately refufe information, and fhut his eyes againft the light ; that he did not fuffer his refentment againft the Britlfli nation for injuries fuftained during oar Revolutionary war, to lead him to fupport the revilers of GOD, becaufe they were alfo the foes of Britain, It is to be feared that there are fome among us, and even Chriftians too, who cannot fay thus. But it ought to befol^nly remembered that we are accountable to GOD for the ufe and improvement we make of our underftanding ; that errors are excufable, only when the means of information cannot be enjoyed j and that a chriflian who refufes to hear and read with candour, and to examine with care and diligence, and in confequence of ftich refufal, ignorantly adheres to the caufe of injuftice and irreligion, and thereby aids in deflroying chriflian piety and human happinefs, commits aggravated fin againft GOD, and does terrible injury to men.
WITH thefe impreflions the Author thought it his duty to paint ftpongly the atrocities of the French Revolutionifls -, to labour if poffi- bleto arrefl the attention of the people to whom he minifters, whofe welfare he has deeply at heart, and to lead them to ferious, candid, and folemn inquiry. He confefies that his own fears, in view of the wonder- ful prevalence of licentious principles, and the open and fecret attacks too fuccefsfully made on our holy religion, are thoroughly alarmed} and he conceived the only profpefl of effecting our falvation, fo far as depends on ourfelves, was to alarm the fears of others, and thus roufe them to an induflrious ufe of the means of felf prefervation. Under thefe 5mpreffions,and with this intention, hecompofed and delivered his difcourfe ; and he believes that events will in a very fhort time evince, that he has not founded either an undue or nnfeafonable alarm. If in the honeft and faithful difcharge of his duty, he fhail have loft fome of liis worldly friends, (which however, he does not believe) or fhall have even made to himfelf fome unreafonable enemies, he feels confcious that lie has incurred thefe temporary evils in the line of his duty, and he will endeavour to bear them with a becoming fortitude.
To thofe who are offended at the plain declaration of the truth, he will fay with PETER and JOHN, when commanded not to (peak, « WHETHER IT BE RIGHT IN THE SIGHT OF COD, TO HEARKEN UNTQ
YOU MORE THAN UNTO C&D, JUDGE YE."
A SERMON,^.
PSALM XL 3.
THE FOUNDATIONS BE DESTROTED, WHAT CAN THE RIGHTEOUS DO ?
HE hiftory of David, of his fins, of his con- fequent afflictions, and of his behaviour under them, was written and tranfmitted down to us in the volume of Sacred Scripture, for our warning, inftruction, and confolation. The perfonal trials and fufferings of David, in many inftances refemble, and were intended to prefigure, thofe of the Church ; and fhe accordingly often ufes his lan- guage to exprefs her condition, her complaints, and her refolutions. The enemies of David, of Chr'ift his Antitype, and of the Church, have ever poffefled fimilar difpofitions, have had in view fim- ilar defignS) and in like circumftances, have adopted and purfued the fame means of gratifying the former ', and of accomplishing the latter. It is no lefs our wifdom than our duty to learn from the experience of others.
THE pfalm from which we have feledted the text, feems peculiarly adapted to warn, inftruct.
and comfort us in the prcfent times of ferious alarm and of real danger. It was compofed by David, while he ivas in great peril and diftrefs from the perfecuting hand of Saul. It contains a recital of the advice which he appears to have re- ceived from fome of his friends, or thofe about him, to flee and hide himfelf from the deftrudive fnares of his enemies ; and alfo of the reafons on which they founded their advice ; and a declara- tion of his own determination, and of the ftrong grounds of his hope, confolation, and encourage- ment. In consideration of the number, the malig- nity, the fecret artifices, the perfeverance, and fucccfs of his enemies, he is urged by thofe about him, to give up all further oppofition to them as unavailing, and to retreat to fome cave in the lonely mountain. How fay ye to my foul, faith David to his advifers, .flee as a bird to the mountain? For loy the wicked bend their bow ; they make ready their arrow upon tbejh'ong, that they may .privily Jhoot at the upright in heart* The enemies of David are here reprefented truly, no doubt, as wicked and infidious ; as fecretly machinating plots to deilroy both his character and his life ; and as ejetfting their poifoned arrows in the dark, fo as to prevent his guarding againft their effects. Who- ever will be at the pains to read the hiftory of Saul's perfccution of David, will be convinced of the accuracy of the foregoing reprefentation, THE words of the text, which immediately fpl-?
* Pfalmxi, 1,2.
low the laft recited verfe, may be confidered as a further defcription of the real ftate of things, de- figned effedually to difcourage and difluade David from making any further efforts to fave his finking country. If the foundations be dejtroyed* the righteous do? — If RELIGION and GOVERN- MENT, the foundations here meant, be fubverted and overthrown, what could the beft of men, how- ever righteous their caufe, hope to do to any good effed: in fuch a ftate of things ? There appears to be a plaufibility in this reaibning. Few men, fit- uated like David, could have withftood its force, He beheld his country torn with inteftine divifions ; he faw hatred and violence prevailing ; confidence between man and man destroyed ; treacheries com- mon ; government and laws defpifed and trampled upon ; religion negleded, and its holy precepts contemned; its moft worthy and faithful minif- ters, not only flighted, but four fcore and five of them at one time, cruelly maffacred by the ex- prefs order of the king ;* in a word, he beheld the foundations of religion and government in a ftate of rapid decay, and could not but have prefaged their fpeedy and utter fubverfion, if not prevented by a timely reverfe of circumftances. Not only was the ftate of his country, as to its government and religion, gloomy and diftrefTmg, his perfonal condition alfo, was extremely painful and hazard- ous. He knew that Saulfe cretly praflifed mif chief tigainft him ; that he hunted his foul to take it ;
* i Sam. xxii. 17, 18.
8
that his fecret emiffaries watched all his move- ments, and that Saul was kept conftantly informed of them. He knew alfo that his friends were afraid to proted: him. , Trying indeed muft have been the fituation of David ; and Chriftians, at the prefent time, whofe views and feelings in refpedl lo their religion and country bear Jrefemblance to thofe of the pious and afflided Pfalmift, muft be anxious to know how he conducted, tie did " not, at the inftigation of thofe about him, like *' a poor, timorous bird, either fly for refuge to " the devices of worldly wifdom ; nor did he de- *' fert his poft, and retire into folitude," fo long as he could be of fervice to the caufe of GOD or of his country. No, at the period of his deepeft dif- trefs, when affairs feemed to be in a defperate fitu- ation, he encouraged himfelf in the Lord his God* In the Lord, faid he, put I my truft. The Lord is in his holy temple ; the Lord's throne is in the 'heaven. His eyes behold* and his eyelids try the children of men. The Lord trieth the righteous ; but the wicked and him that lovetb violence, his foul hateth. Upon the wicked fhall he rain fnares y or burning coals, fire andbrimjlone and an horrible tern- pejl ; thisjhallbe the portion of their cup. For the righteous LORD loveth righteoufnefs ; his counte- nance doth behold the upright.^
THESE fublimeand juft fentiments, concerning GOD and the righteoufnefs of his government,
* i Sam. xxx. 6i \ Pfalm»xi. i. 4, 5> 6, 7.
confoled and fupported the mind of David, under the preflure of his woes, and animated him to a holy zeal, diligence, and perfeverance in defending and promoting the precious interefts of his religion and his country. My brethren, may the fame truths have a like effect on our hearts and conduct at the prefent time. To this purpofe let me in- vite you to confidcr,