and good Men: fo long ought that prudent provifion that was made for the effecting these things, and securing these advantages to Pofterity, fo long ought it to reflect a Luftre and Brightnefs upon that Reign. But to come nearer home. If pure Religion, if the Faith which was once delivered to the Saints is not only defireable, but recommended as an Object to be earnestly contended for, if a Decent, regular, true, primitive and Apoftolical way of Worship may be allow'd to put in any claim for a maintenance and prefervation, wherever it happens to be establish'd; then the Name and Memory of another of our Monarchs, CHARLES the 1. the Royal Grand - Father of Her prefent Majefty, doth loudly call for a most Honourable place in the Everlasting Records of Fame; who in Defence of the excellent, and, in ef fentials divine Conftitution of our Church, tell a Sacrifice to the outrage and malice of the greater, but rebellious, and inhuman part of his Subjects; a Prince he was of true Heroic Worth and Goodness, and deservedly to be esteem'd one of the Chiefs in the Noble Army of Martyrs: So fell this Great and Godlike King, and together with him, in a manner, all Faith and Loyalty, Truth and Justice, Honour and Vertue, Fidelity and Honefty, and were loft from among Men; till by the Happy Return of his Son King CHARLES II. to his Kingdoms, they began to revive and flourish again in the English Soil.

And now I fhould haften to the proper, and peculiar part of my business at this time, which is, with all due Veneration, to approach the Person of living Majefty, at fuch a becoming distance, as to be able to take fome view of that more lovely and graceful Character our QUEEN has from her Vertues, and moral Endowments; for the other,

that

that I mean of High Birth, and most Noble Defcent, tho' it be requifite, as we have heard, to the well governing of the People, is apt to dazzle only; but this to charm the eyes of the Beholders: But I cannot confiftently with the Obligations of common Gratitude, pafs over in filence the Memory of that Renowned Prince King WILLIAM III. Her Majefties immediate Predeceffor, whom Almighty God, by a wonderful Revolution of Providence, was pleas'd to make the happy Inftrument of fecuring to us our Liberties and Properties at a time, when they were deeply threatned by fome Zealots of the Romish Perfwafion; who taking Courage from the proceedures of those times, fully expected to divide the Spoil of us, and with open Mouths ftood ready. to devour us: But bleffed be God, who gave us not over as a prey to their teeth. The feveral projects that have been laid by that Party for the ruine of our Church and State, by the watchful providence of him, that keeps our Ifrael, have come to nought, their designs have prov'd abortive, their attempts unfuccefsful; and, unless by a moft unworthy Carriage, and rebellious Behaviour we forfeit the Divine Care and Protection, and provoke God to deliver us into the hands of our Enemies, we have still fufficient reafon to conclude that under the wife Conduct and Vigilance of our Great QUEEN, they will ever be baffled and defeated in all their Plots and Devices, and that no weapon form'd against our Church by any of Her Enemies either abroad or at home fhall profper.

For the better encouragement of this our Hope let us caft our Eyes for a while upon the Character of Her, whom Almighty God, by a great, and diftinguishing inftance of his Favour to us

D.

ward,

wards was pleas'd to preferve for our good, after that almoft fatal wound, which our Sins had caufed him to inflict on Her, by cutting of the fair and only furviving Branch of Her Stock, and there! by blafting the Hopes, the very promifing, tho' die ftant Hopes the Nation conceiv'd, of enjoying here after a Prince of Her Body, in whom all the Qua! lifications and Accomplishments fequifite to render himself Great, and his people Happy did feem to meet and concenter; to preferve Her, I fay, for our Good, and to advance Her to the Imperial Crown of this Realm; and alfo to fupport and comfort Her under a late fevere and fore Stroke She receiv'd in the Lofs of one, whom all the Sacred Ties of Love and Duty, Affection and Intereft had endear'd to Her, in as high a degree as Hiftory can parallel. To confider Her both in Her Royal, and Perfonal Cae pacity; as a QUEEN, and as a Chriftian; every way we shall find great reason to blefs God: for the many signal Advantages to be receiv'd from fo Great a Princess.

1. And first; if we confider Her in Her Royal Capacity as a QUEEN, there are none of Her Subjects, but from whom a fenfe of Gratitude, as well as a regard to Truth, muft extort this Confeffion, that. the Eafe and Happiness, the Good and Welfare of the People committed to Her Charge are Her daily Study and Delight. They, who by reafon of their principles never were, nor can be great Admirers of a Monarchical Government, fuch, I mean, as under a pretence of greater Edification divide from us; even they, if they would act ingenubufly, fince they are indulg'd the free exercife of their respectivel ways of Worship, ought, not only to forbear fillı manner of complaint, but to make this fair acknow ledgment;

ledgment; that the Liberties they enjoy, are more than they deserve, because more than they them felves would give heretofore, when the orderly course of things was inverted, and they were uppermost. But thefe Conceffions do not more loudly proclaim the tender and compaffionate care and concern our QUEEN has, for the eafe and quiet of all Her Subjects, than that pious Provifion, She was pleas'd to make, by devoting a branch of Her Revenues, for the more liberal fubfiftence of fuch of the Clergy, whofe Benefices were fo fmall, as of themselves fcarce to be a Competency, doth Her Royal Bounty and Munificence, a pious Provifion, I term it, fince it tends to the advancement of God's Honour, and the good of his Church; the one is alway concern'd for the comfortable Condition of his Priefts, who upon feveral accounts ftand more nearly related to him than other Men, and the other is promoted when his Minifters are not only encourag'd, but better enabled for the right discharge of their Sacred Office. Thus thought that good King Hezekiah, when he commanded the People, that dwelt in Je- 2 Chron. rufalem, to give the portion of the Priests and the 31.4. Levites, that they might be encourag'd in the Law of the Lord. But thefe inftancès concern a particular order and fect of Men only give me leave to mention an Act of the prefent Reign of fo public and extensive a Nature, as, in the intention of it, to be contriv'd for the good of two Kingdoms, I mean, the Uniting of England and Scotland.

How far Pofterity hall own it felf indebted to the pious Memory of ourQUEEN for effecting and accomplifhing fo great a Work, or what will be the con: fequence and iffue of it in times to come, none with certainty can predict, or, with modefty, can pretend D 2

to

to do fo. However it must be acknowledg'd, that what was defign'd thereby, is as juft and honourable, as it is manifeft and vifible to all, viz. the ftrengthning of our Intereft against the Common Enemy, defeating the hopes of the Pretender, by engaging Scotland, many years hence may it be, to fubmit with our felves to be govern'd by one and the fame Prince, of the Proteftant line of Succeffion; the preventing much Bloud-fhed, the ufual and horrid effect of Quarrels and Contentions between Princes; which, upon a Suppofition that this our Ifland fhould again, as otherwife in all probability it would, be in the poffeffion of two Independent Kings, would almost unavoidably arife, as well from the mutual jealoufies they would conceive, as from the actual Encroachments that would be made upon each others Territories. These defigns seem calculated for the good of the prefent, and for the advantage of fucceeding Generations, and should the Union in Times to come prove a means of the farther ftrengthning the Walls of our Jerufalem, and of enlarging the Borders of our Sion, its Effects would ftill be more happy and glorious, not only that hereby the Decent and Orderly way of God's Worship, would be permitted to diffuse it felf; but that our Intereft, being then the fame in all refpects, would be found at last, notwithstanding all the fine Harangues that have been made to that purpose, to be much the ftrongest Cement of all, to unite us in Affection toward each other.

Or fhould we confider our QUE EN in Her perfonal and private Capacity, as a Chriftian, we can not but acknowledge that She adorns the Throne She poffeffeth, and, by Her rare Vertues, and those moft graceful of all other, the moral Endowments

of