SERMON L7. 179 nity, that she maybecome a more powerful and extensivepattern of every virtue and every grace, and may help to correct the mannersof the natiòn, and the degenerate customs of the times by her illustrious eatample: 7. Among the blessings Of this day we must not forget the Muíierous race of young princeswhich, we trust, areborn to se- cure and perpetuate Our happiness. Children in a more general sense are the blessing of the Lord ; but a numerous progeny in a royal house, who shall be all trained up in the protestant faith, are a peculiar favour of heaven to Great Britain. What a hap- py prospect is it; that our late sovereign left such a large poste- rity behindhim ? Had his life been single, or like that of king William, not blessed with royal issue, how dreadful would our, present case have been ? In what dangers and contests had he left the succession to his throne ? And our nation might have felt the fatal effects of it, groaning under popish darkness, and wallowing inblood. Who can review' such a multitude of mercies as these are, but must have his heart filled with joy and thankfulness to God the Ruler of the world ? And how happily are our deepest sor- rows for the death of our late king alleviated by such a view of blessings in a glorious succession ? Blessings for present and fu- ture ages ! I am now come to The last general head of my discourse, and that is a hum- ble enquiry into the various duties that naturally arise from the present event Most of themmaybe summed up under the fol- lowing particulars : 1. " A proper and ,becoming senseof 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 ? Thoughhe had arrived at the age of sixty- seven years, which is almost 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'andpeace 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 sovereign hand of provi- dence, that he hath deprived us of so excellent a prince, it be- comes us to pay all due honours to his memory, even though his throne be supplied with so excellent a successor. All Israel mourned thirty_dais for Moses their leader in theplains of Moab, though they had Joshua to succeed him, who was full of thespirit of wisdom; Dent. 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: Ile only is the king eternal, immortal, and 51
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