SERMONS. 379 



should bring us to dust, nay, even turn us to ashes 

 too, as our houses. * It is of the Lord's mercies 

 that we ourselves also are not consumed, because 

 his compassions fail not ; that any part of our city 

 is still remaining ; that God hath left us yet a holy 

 place to assemble in, solemnly to acknov^ledge 

 (as we do this day) his most miraculous mercy : 

 that when all our wit was puzzled, and all our in- 

 dustry tired out, when the wind was at the high- 

 est, and the fire at the hottest, and all our hopes 

 were now giving up the ghost, then He, whose 

 season is our greatest extremity; He, who stayeth 

 his rough wind in the day of the east wind,t as it 

 is in the next chapter ; He, who alone sets bounds 

 to the rage of the waters, restrained also on the 

 sudden, the fury of this other merciless and unruly 

 element, by the interposition of his Almighty 

 Hucusque, hitherto shalt thou go and no further. 

 Aye, this deserves, indeed, to be the matter of a 

 song : joy in the Lord upon so great an occasion, 

 upon so noble an experience, sits not unhandsome 

 on the brow of so sad a day as this is. Jit shall be 

 said in that day, (saith our Prophet, and let us all 

 say it ; say it with triumph, and jubilee too,) Lo, 

 this is our God, we have waited for him, and he 

 hath saved us ; this is the Lord, we will be glad, 

 and rejoice in his salvation : — The third and last 

 part (we shall mention) of God's due, the glory of 

 his mercy. 



* Lam. iii. 22. f Ch. xxvii. 8. % Ch. xxv. 9. 



