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sacred
thing,
and
that
the
empire of
it
belonged only
to
God
;
and as he would
not
assume
a
power
over
it
at
home,
nor
impose yokes
of
boíidage on any
of
his
sub-
jects,
so
neither
was he
patient
to see
this a.ntichristian
spirit
prevail over mankind abroad, wheresoever
it
was
possible
for
him
to
procure a
redress
of
such grievances.
His
own
counsels,
his
wise
orders
to
his
ministers,
and
his royal
letters
to foreign
princes
bear a
glorious
witness
to
this
part of
his
character.
It
must
be
told
also
to
the immortal honour
of
his
name and
memory with
what`
zeal he
sought the
union
of
protestants
among
themselves.
How readily
he
employed
his good
offices
to relax the
bonds
of
imposition
and
severity
in
some
of
the
reformed cantons
of
Switzerland,
that
conscience might
have a
larger liberty
in
the modes
of
professing the same faith and worship. Surely
the
Yuan
who
laboured
so
gloriously to
procure
this
freedom
for
christians abroad,
must'
be
influenced
by
higher
views
than
those
which
are merely political,
to
maintain
and
promote
a
just
liberty of conscience
among
his own
sub-
jects.
To
conclude,
he
was
a
prince
who
sought
to oblige all
that
he
*had
to do with
and
to make them easy
and
happy;
but
for those
who would
not
be
wrought upon
by the condescensions
of
his love, he knew
how
to
keep
them
in
subjection.
The church of
God
in
the
world,
the
protestant
kingdoms,
and
the nation
of Great
Bri-
tain
have sustained
a great' and certain
loss,
when
such
a
governor, such
a benefactor,
such
an extensive bles-
sing
is
taken from
the
earth.
II.
We proceed
now
to the second thing
remarkable
in the
late
event of
providence, and
that
is
to
consider
"
What
mercies are mingled
with
this
awful
dispensa-
tion,
that
we
may raise
our
souls to
a
delightful
and
grateful
sense
of
them."
1.
That
a
prince
of
so
many excellent' qualifications
reigned
so
long over
us,
and
that
we
enjoyed the blessing
of
his wise
and peaceful
government
for such
a
number
of
years.
And here
it
becomes
us
on this occasion to call to mind
the former years
of
our
distress and danger, and the
sur-
prising pleasure
of
our
first deliverance. Blessed
be
the
name
of
our
God
that
he
raised
up
euch
a
successor
is