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THE
RELIGTOL`S
IMPROVEMENT
ness
to
God
the
Ruler of
the world
?
And how
happily
are
our
deepest
sorrows for the
death
of our
lato king
alleviated
by
such
a
view
of
blessings in
a glorious
suc-
cession
?
Blessings for
present and future
ages
!
I
am
corne now to
The
last general head
of
my
discourse, and
that
is
a
humble enquiry into
the various duties
that
naturally
arise
from
the
present
event
:
Most of
them
may be
summed up
under
the
following
particulars
:
1.
"
A
proper
and
becoming sense
of
our
loss."
Shall
so
great
a
prince
be
taken
away from
this earth,
and
so
valuable a
blessing from
our
nation, without an
awful and solemn
sense
of
the hand
of God
?
Though
he
had arrived at
the
age
of
sixty-seven years, which
is
al-
most
the term
of
the
life
of
man,
yet the vigour of
his
constitution,
and
his
healthy
frame
of nature,
seemed to
promise
us
several more years
of
protection
and peace
under
his
government
:
But the
all -wise
God
hath
cut
off
the thread
of
his
valuable
life,
and disappointed our
hopes. And
while
we
stand
in
awe,
and adore the sovel
reign
hand
of
providence,
that
he bath deprived
us
of
so
excellent a prince,
it
becomes us to
pay
all
due honours
to
his
memory, even though
his
throne
be
supplied
with
so
excellent
a
successor.
All
"
Israel mourned thirty
days
for
Moses
their leader
in
the plains
of
Moab, though
they
had
Joshua
to succeed
him, who was
full.
of
the
spirit of
wisdom;"
Deut.
xxxiv.
8,
9.
2.
"
Such
a providence
as
this
should shake
us off
from
our
dependence
on
any creatures," and
fix
our
hope
more
entirely
on
God: "
He
only
is
the king
eter-
nal, immortal,
and invisible
;"
1
Tina.
i.
17.
He
is
the
King
of
kings,
who
disposes
o
their
breath; and their
sceptre, and
their
dominions
as he pleases
;
but
he
reigns
for ever and
ever, and
his
kingdom
stands
to all
genera-
tions.
This duty
was
hinted before
:
I
add therefore,
As
christians,
it
becomes
us on such occasions
to
remember Jesus,
the
Son
of God,
whose
title
also
is
the
" Lord of
lords,
and
the
King
of
kings:"
Into
his
hands are
committed
all the reins
of
government
in
the
upper
and
the
lower
worlds."
"
He
hath the
keys
of
death
and
the grave
;"
Rev.
i.
18.
In
his
hand
is
the
life
of princes
:
they
reign
but under
him,
and according
to
his
pleasure.
He
numbers the
days
of their
life,
and
1