It calls upon us to bless the Lord for our established liberty of conscience, and for the amazing methods Providence made use of to procure, continue, and confirm it. Our fathers were glad to meet together in woods, deserts, and desolate places, for the worship of God, as much as they could out of the way of barbarous, cruel, and bloody informers; and yet were often hunted out and found by these servants of the powers of darkness, and put in prisons and dungeons for the sake of the truth--their families deprived of the necessaries of life by merciless and terrible fines and seizures: but, blessed be the Lord for the Revolution! and may the glorious and immortal memory of King William be in great esteem by all the Churches of Christ; and among them let us, let our children, and their children's children bear a part, in high praises to the God of tender providence at the remembrance of deliverances and enlargements past; and through the same tender mercies conveyed to us, and we hope to be continued to the end of time, may we be helped to make the best use and improvement of our liberty in all religious zeal for the faith and worship of our Redeemer; in sincere evangelical love to each other; and on all occasions in cheerful acknowledgments of duty to that illustrious family under whose wings it is preserved to us, by the providence of the Most High. And we are called to own His grace who giveth the everlasting Gospel, and gathereth poor sinners under the sound of it, making our assemblies so numerous as to stand in need of so large a place; and thankful we should be to the same Almighty hand for giving capacity, and a willing mind, to so many of us to contribute cheerfully to the charge. We hope generations to come will bless God for this; and as for us, we must say as David did: "What are we, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee." The generous assistance of our friends in London and elsewhere I hope we shall always thankfully acknowledge, and own the bountiful hand of our God therein; and I can never, without being deeply affected, relate or think of the extraordinary kindness of a religious family, descended from one of the godly elders first fixed in this Church of Christ. What things does our God treasure up in his providence! Nor should we forget to be thankful to the Lord, who, through all the work, though attended with many difficulties and some dangers, mercifully preserved all the persons concerned, so that without bruises or wounds they can view their finished work.