A

SERMON

On the Occafion of the Late

KING'S DEATH,

And Her Present Majesty's

Acceffion to the Crown.

PSAL. XLII. 11.

Why art thou caft down, O my Soul? And why art thou difquieted within me? Hope thou in God, for Ifball yet Praife him, who is the Health of my Countenance, and my God.

Tis the ufual Method of Divine Providence to Chequer our Lives with Black and White, to allot us frequent Viciffitudes of Grief and Joy, which fucceed each other like Night and Day, and by thus varying our Profpect, effectually to take Care,

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that we neither grow too fond of this World, nor yet be too much difgufted at it. Were it not for this Wise Diverfity of Difpenfations, which are gene. rally diftributed by Weight and Meafure, and visibly defign'd to Ballance one another, we should be apt to fink heavily in a Stormof Adverfity,or drive too lightly before a Gale of Profperity; we should find it very difficult to Steer rightly in the dangerous Extreams of either Condition, or to manage the Helm with that steddiness and gravity, which becomes us as we are Men and as we are Chriftians. God therefore, as the Preacher Exprefly tells us, has fet the one of them over against the other; that our Afflictions being fweetned by fome Comfortable Confiderations, we may not be fwallow'd up of over-much Sorrow; and our Bleffings being temper'd with fome Melancholly reflections, we may not run the Hazard of being exalted above Measure. Thefe are the ftanding Maxims of God's unerring Wifdom, by which he acts in the general Government of the World, and agreeably to thefe Measures has he now proceeded in that particular Scene of Providence

which lies before our Eyes: That fürprizing calamity under which we labour, by the unexpected Death of the beft of Kings, is mitigated, and made tolerable, by the Happiness we look for under the Aufpicious Influence of so Excellent a Queen; and those trans ports of Joy on the other fide, which fo precious an Advantage should infpire us withal, cannot but be moderated in fome degree, by a fenfe of the great Lofs we have fo freshly fuftain'd. I have therefore endeavour'd to fuit my Text to the differing Circumstances of the present Occafion, Which Invites us at once to Condole and to Congratulate; firft to attend the going down of our Setting Sun, with that decent Heaviness which becomes fuch a Night; and then to refresh our felves in the Rays of our Rifing Sun, with that Solemn Joy which belongs to fuch a Morning. The former of these Reflections will inform us of the occafion, why our Souls are caft down, and difquieted within us; the latter will acquaint us with the Juft Reafon which we have, to hope yet in God, and refolve to Praise him, who is the Health of our Countenance, and our God.

Ifhall therefore divide my Difcourfe upon this Subject, into these two fol. lowing Propofitions.

1ft. I fhall enquire into the Juft Cause we have to mourn and be dejected for the Afflictions laid upon us, in the Lofs of a King to whom we owe fo much. And

2dly, I fhall examine the Obligation we lie under to rejoice and be thankful for the Bleffing afforded us, in the Poffeffion of a Queen from whom we Juft. ly expect so much.

ift. Then, I shall enquire into the Juft Caufe we have to mourn and be dejected for the Affliction laid upon us, in the Lofs of a King to whom we owe fo much. Why art thou caft down, O my Soul? And why art thou difquieted with in me?

It is natural, upon a Juft occafion of Sorrow, to Proportion our Grief, if we are duly affected, either to the true value of its Object, or to the Greatness of those Advantages which we reaped from its Enjoyment; upon the former account, it commands a Rational Con

cern,

cern, as the neceffary refult of its own Intrinfick Worth, upon the latter, en, gages us in a more fenfible tenderness, in regard of the relation which it bears to our felves. If then we will be guided by these equitable Measures, and refolve to apply them to the present In ftance; we shall find our felves oblig'd, in a two-fold refpect, to mourn deeply for the Lofs of fo Excellent a Prince: If we confider

ift. How Valuable he was in himfelf, And

2dly. What vaft Benefits he has imparted to us.

ift. Then, In order to Juftifie our Sorrow for his Lofs, let us confider how valuable our Late King was in himself.

I cannot be accus'd of Flattery, or Partiality, when I affirm, that he was the Hero of the Age he liv'd in; poffsess'd of all the Qualities, and Extraordinary Endowments, which are required to compleat a Man in Greatness and in Goodnefs. He was born and bred up in the midft of difficulties, under the fufpicions and difcouragements of a contrary