ABSTRACT
Hymns Ancient and Modern currently advises that the National Anthem's second verse-'O Lord our God, arise,/ Scatter our enemies...' —may be omitted. In the eighteenth century, the Church of England rarely displayed such reserve or doubts about invoking God's aid. The Church taught that God intervened directly in the world: He not only shaped the lives of individuals but also raised and pulled down nations at His pleasure. During the period, Britain waged a series of costly and protracted wars, and her army crushed three major uprisings-the Jacobite rebellions of 1715 and 1745, and the Irish rising of 1798. In times of conflict, England was often portrayed as a state specially favoured by God, a latter-day Israel. But as war was simultaneously viewed as one of Providence's scourges, special wartime services were held so that clergy and congregations could implore God's mercy and assistance. From their pulpits, parsons delivered Jeremiads, fast sermons, and, following victories or peace treaties, thanksgiving sermons. David Nap thine and W.A. Speck have delineated the themes of such preaching. Jeremiads exhorted the people to renounce vice and embrace virtue, to repent of past sins, and to seek God's forgiveness. In fast sermons, preachers also emphasized the nation's sinfulness and the possibility that continuing disobedience to God's will might forfeit His protection-the fate of Israel. But, additionally, they often stressed God's special care of Britain, instanced His many blessings, and sought to justify the state's engagement in war. Thanksgiving sermons proclaimed victories, or a war's conclusion, as God's work, and the preachers again implored congregations to renounce sin and lead godly lives. 1
I am very grateful to Susan Campbell, Dr. Sylvia Pinches, Dr. Mike Rogers, and Dr. John Walsh for their help with this essay's preparation.
