The Lord Shall Rejoice in His Works, Appendix
APPENDIX. FROM THE New-England Weekly-Journal. BOSTON, Auguſt 17.
THIS Morning the aſſociated Paſters of the Churches in this Town waited on His Excellency the Governour, and the Rev. Dr. COLMAN preſented to Him the following Addreſs.
To His EXCELLENCY William Shirley, Eſq Captain-General and Governour in Chief in and over His Majeſty's Province of the Maſſachuſetts-Bay in New-England.
SIR,
WE the aſſociated Paſtors in the Town of Boſton, wait on your Excellency to congratulate You upon your Advancement to the Chair over us, to acknowledge the ſovereign governing Providence of GOD herein, and to aſſure your Excellency of our humble and earneſt Prayers to GOD that the SPIRIT of Wiſdom and Grace may reſt upon You, for your diſcharging the Duties of ſo great a Truſt, and the Improvement of your excellent Talents to the Glory of GOD, the Honour of the KING, the Weal of your People, and your own good Account in the Day of CHRIST.
Your Excellency well knows the Loyalty and zealous Affection of our Churches to the Proteſtant Succeſſion in the Royal Houſe of King GEORGE the Second, our rightful Sovereign; and you have alſo ſeen the dutiful Regards of our Miniſters thro' the Province to His Majeſty's Governour: Which give us an humble Confidence in recommending our Churches, and the College in Cambridge, with all their Rights and Priviledges, to your Excellency's Favour and Protection.
And, whereas theſe Churches have been happily diſtinguiſhed from the Beginning, for their ſtrict Obſervation of the Lord's-Day, on which the Religion and good Order of a People ſo greatly depend; We humbly beſeech your Excellency's tender Regard to us in this important Matter.
And we truſt, Sir, by the Help of GOD, that neither we nor any of the Brethren of our Denomination, will ever be wanting in that Reverence and Duty to your Excellency which a righteous Adminiſtration muſt always command from us.
To which Addreſs His Excellency was pleas'd to give the following Anſwer,
GENTLEMEN,
I AM well perſwaded of your Loyalty and zealous Affection to the Proteſtant Succeſſion in His Majeſty's Royal Houſe, and am oblig'd to you for this Mark of your Reſpect and Eſteem for Me; and you may depend upon my beſt Endeavours for the Maintenance of all the Rights and Priviledges of the Churches of New-England within this Province, and of the Miniſters of them, and to promote the Intereſt of the College in Cambridge, during my Adminiſtration of His Majeſty's Government among you; and you may depend upon my peculiar Care for the Preſervation and Advancement of Religion among the People in every Inſtance, and eſpecially by encouraging and enjoining a ſtrict Obſervation of the Lord's-Day.
The Miniſters then waited on Governour BELCHER, to thank Him for all his Goodneſs and Favour to the Churches thro' the Province, and to the Paſtors of them, during the Courſe of his Adminiſtration, and to expreſs their good Wiſhes of the gracious Preſence of GOD with Him in his Receſs.
End of the text · Benjamin Colman, The Lord Shall Rejoice in His Works (1741)