COuld our Grief be always hid, and mo­destly conceal'd, we Christians need no stronger Antidote, than that of our Religion, as it teaches us Submission to all Gods Providences, when they look unfavoura­bly to our Temporal Interests. Thus we have often in silence put our hands upon our mouths, and with Reluctancy stop'd th' erup­tion and clamour of many of our Sorrows, and would have done so now, and stoop'd parti­cularly under our Fate, which is our pressure very sensible, but that our Loss is so confessed­ly great; and our Passions, in their resent­ments, [Page 6]more than usually high, lavish, and in­deed ungovernable. All Afflictions, we find by woful experience, are not equal, and of the same size, and magnitude. 'Tis alas! more than once, we have lost a Dear Friend, who li­ving stood very nigh our tender heart, and when Dead, we could not but Lament; but seldom so loud as now, when we are forced to exchange our Patience for our Pious Sorrow; we Weep, and mean it so, as we think it is our Religious Duty to bewail.—I need not name th'Occasion, when I see here all Faces gather Blackness, and strive with concern zealously to augment the serious Pomp of our Funeral La­mentation. We have lost; but could our Loss be utter'd! I am not able equally to ex­press your Grief, who want Words, so many, to express my own.

But here, this Day, when all the English Nation Mourns, as we do, and the vast Deluge of our Tears swells so universally wide, that they waft a far of our Sorrow, as they roal from shore to shore and drown our Neigh­bours too, as well as we; how can we refrain! Let this day pass ever then for a Day of Sor­row. Yet tho' I cannot possibly excuse your [Page 7] Mourning; give me leave to inquire a little in­to the Nature of our Common Distress, there­by to justifie our Grief; as approveable to all Mankind; and to shew how 'tis not only a violent, hasty Tempest of our sensual Passion, but a calm, deliberate, sound resentment (if our Sorrow be capable of so much Modera­tion) which has invited us hither to Condole together the Death of our Good Queen.

To this end I have pitch'd upon one of the Greatest Instances in the History of the Anti­ent Jewish Church, Josiah by name, famous for Goodness and Virtue, with a real Zeal for the Worship and Honour of the true God; which is all indeed, besides what is less (Lustre and Magnificence) which raises, and supports the Throne of Majesty. We find here his Good Subjects of all sorts, assembled, 'tis like, as well as we, all over the Land (Town and Countrey) to Mourn and Lament his Funeral. He Dyed, and was Buried (says the Text) in one of the Sepul­chres of his Fathers (i. e. in the Sepulchres of the Kings) and all Judah and Jerusalem mourn'd for Josiah.

The Royal Person here spoke of, and La­mented was a King of Judah, inclusive of the [Page 8] Tribe of Benjamin: which were the only two, which remained whole of the Twelve; all the rest (excepting some few persons) having gone off, generally long before from the true Church of God, as then 'twas into Idolatry at the frau­dulent Instigation of a wicked King Jerobo­am; who made Israel to sin: and not long after, into remediless Captivity, under the Ty­ranny of the Heathen their Neighbours. There had been some Good and many Bad Kings, 'till the succession of Josiah, whose Government commenc'd about 385 years, after the Death of King David the second in order, but yet the first of their Religious Kings. Josiah was a Good Son, of a very Bad Father, Amon, who was the Son of Manasseh. Manasseh went off, and apostatiz'd from his Religion, and turn'd a profess'd Idolater. He did evil after the A­bominations of the Heathens, Built High places and Altars to Baal, &c. made his Son to pass through the Fire, a cruel bloody Sacrifice, or rather here a kind of Lustration, to the Idol Molech; so prevalent is Superstition and Bigot­try, even to the loosing the strongest Bond of Natural affection. You'll see his History more at large here (Cap. 33. & 2 Kings 21.) where [Page 9]'tis said v. 20. He (Amon) did evil in the sight of the Lord, as did Manasseh his Father. They were both (Father and Son) immediately des­cended of that Good King Hezekiah, who did much for the Worship of the true God, and confiding in his Religious Integrity, and the favour, and protection of th' Almighty, he manfully withstood the Blasphemy of Senna­cherib, (here Cap. 32. & 2 Kings 18) There passed 56 years betwixt the Reign of Hezekiah, and Josiah; all which time the Government was wretchedly Debauch'd with Idolatry, and other grievous Abominations, for which Mannasseh is drove out of his Kingdom, into a Forreign Land: From all which you will easily guess, there was more than a little for our Religious Prince to do, when he came to the Throne, and intended a Thro-Reformation; and the the truth is, He did not Delay; but set pre­sently about it, with all his power; which will better appear, if we consider, how He came very young to the Crown (2 Kings 22. and here Cap. 34.) but what he wanted in Age, He made up in Virtue. He was (says Josephus) [...], of an excel­lent Disposition, and naturally inclin'd to Vir­tue, [Page 10]and good Life, which is a mighty Chara­cter of a Young Prince, agreeable to what the Antient Scripture says of him, from whence the Antiquary took it.

When this Godly man was but 20 years old, He began to purge Judah and Jerusalem (Town, and Countrey, as I said) from the High Places of Idolatrous Worship; he brake down the Altars of Baalam (in the plural) signifying the many False Gods they Worshipp'd; and in the 26 year of his Life, and the 18 of his Reign, He and Hilkiah the High Priest with o­ther of his Friends and Servants, whom he trust­ed; purges and repairs the Temple. It appears they had Built an Heathen Altar there; as al­so many other in the Royal City, and Regions adjoyning (as you will read here in their story) which he visited personally for the greatest part, and utterly Destroy'd; not omitting the search even of their private Houses, so to root out ef­fectually all Heathen Abominations out of the Land, the accursed object of God's otherwise implacable Hatred and Displeasure.

Hilkiah, hy a special order from the King, searching into the Ruines of the Temple, (not totally Destroy'd till afterward, in Zedekiah's [Page 11]time, but too sadly Decay'd by the many Sa­crilegious abuses of the Idol-Priests) he chances to light upon an old Authentick Copy of the Law, which he found Buried in the Rubbish, in some close part of the Building which was neg­lected; 'tis like, that was the only true Copy they had left: probably all the rest being for­ced out of their hands, and Burnt, (or other­wise effectually Destroy'd) by a cruel Inquisiti­on; it being usual with the Heathen so to do, as since with a Religion, as Heathenish for so much as they, tho' call'd Christian and Catholick. 'Twas so before, and in the Empire of Julian th' Apostate, when the Holy Books were gather­ed with all imaginable Industry of the Heathen, and Destroy'd, to make room for the Lying O­racles of Apollo, and their Idol Gods. But not so totally Destroy'd then; nor here in Josiah's time, nowithstanding the Dotage of Haman and Manasseh.

Hilkiah having thus found the Book, and shew'd it to the good King, He entertains it with great Reverence; and causes it to be read in the ears of the People, to teach 'em (what they had forgot, be sure in too great a measure) the true Worship of God. By this, and other such [Page 12]his Religious pious Arts, he brought back again the Holy Worship, and the People, the Wor­shippers to the Temple; which they, with their Forefathers, had so long forsaken: having al­ready notoriously disgrac'd their Profane Altars, by Burning the Bones of their Idolatrous Priests upon 'em; (some of 'em, that were Dead; all the rest, but those he slew, having fled, and and made their escape ('tis like) upon this sig­nal Revolution: and left thus ingloriously their Temples, and their Gods, all a Sacrifice to the Zeal of good Josiah; who put a fatal period to their sensless, tho' cruel Devotion. Manasseh and Amon now dead; their great Patrons (it having been till then the Kings Religion) be­hold! The Idol stoops, and tamely resign'd it's feign'd Omnipotency, and owns a Conqueror.

Nor was this any suddain start, and heat of Passion in Josiah, (as Zeal is too apt to extra­vagance in unwary hands) for we find here, af­ter He had purg'd, and restor'd the Temple, He deliberately, with the joynt advise, and consent of his People, who were by this time return'd to their right Ʋnderstandings, in the 18 year of his Happy Reign, (already named) Josiah sends, and proclaims a Passover to the Lord; [Page 13]which he celebrates, on such a splendid man­ner, with so much magnificence, in honour of the true God, that the Tale and number of the Sacrifice is almost incredible, which made such an extraordinary solemn figure, in the Worship of the Jews, that never was the like Festivity in such Glorious Preparation, seen among them. 'Tis describ'd at large here (Cap. 35.) there was never held such a Passover from the Days of the Judges, which judged Israel, &c. i. e. never such an one before, since the Beginning of their Go­vernment, which was a joyful sight (we may well think) at Jerusalem; where 'till that time, the Worship of the Temple had lain so long neglected▪ 'twas so magnificent that (I observe) Josephus their Antiquary, seems somewhat con­cerned at it; as tho' it reflected upon the Pover­ty of the Devotion of the Antient Church; and excuses it thus (Lib. 10. c. 5. Ant.) the reason (says he) why there was no such Festivity from the days of Samuel (mention'd here, 2 Chron. 35.18.) was because in those early Times, all things were perform'd in exact complyance to Moses Ritual, and the Customs then on foot; tho' the Levitical Law left place for Free-will-Offerings; and such (according to Josephus) [Page 14]was a great part of this Celebrated Passover of Josiah. Which therefore is a singular argu­ment of this Good Kings more than ordinary Devotion: and his Zeal in promoting the Wor­ship and the Honour of God. And hence 'tis we read, (2 Kings 23.25.) And like unto him there was no King, before him, that turn'd to the Lord with all his heart, &c. neither after him a­rose there any like him.

The truth is, Josiah was one, purposely rai­sed up of God for this Noble Design. It was Prophetically foretold 360 years, and more (says the Jew) in the Reign of Jeroboam, that thus it should be: (1 Kings 13.2.) Behold a Child shall be born to the House of David, Josiah by name, and upon Thee (i. e. the Altar at Bethel, which the Son of Nehat had then newly set up) shall he offer the Priests of the High-Places, &c. and it fell out exactly (2 Kings 23.15, 16.)

You see then, how for this very end, in a long course of Providence, Josiah was raised of God to Root out by his means, and to Destroy Idolatry from out of Judah, and Israel, as much as was left of the foregoing Captivity. Such, and so remarkable was this Pious Kings singu­lar Devotion! and to the great joy and satis­faction [Page 15]of all his Subjects, (but some, who had little or no Religion; and others, that hanker'd after that He had Destroy'd by the will of God) He Reigned 31 years; and Liv'd in the whole 40 bating one, prosperous in Wealth and Glo­ry: and then very unfortunately, by the incessant Provocation of the Crying sins of Judah, (as Huldah the Prophetess at that time foretold) God was finally resolv'd to punish very grie­vously; as He did in the ensuing Captivity, which lasted no less while than 70 long years, under the King of Babylon (as Jeremy Prophe­sy'd▪ 22▪ years after Josiah's Death) unfortu­nately, I say. He makes War against Necho the Aegyptian King; who was upon his March a­gainst th' Assyrian, denies him passage thro [...] his Country, imagining ('tis like) he was a going up against Judah, when (it seems, as he signi­fy'd by his Embassaders) He intended no such thing. But Josiah listned not; and rashly op­poses Himself upon the Borders, in the Valley of Megiddon; where He is mortally wounded by an Aegyptian Archer, as He rode in his Chariot; thereupon carry'd back to Jerusalem, where He Dyes. This Good King, so necessary to the Hap­piness of his People, which Dyes together with [Page 16] Him. Their Dreadful Calamity was only De­ferr'd till his Death; inasmuch as his Heart was tender, and He humbled Himself before God (here Cap. 34 27, 28.) He Dyes at his Royal City, and was Buried in the Sepulchres of the Kings, his Fathers, and all Judah and Jerusa­lem (the whole Kingdom) mourned for Josiah.

And, no doubt, a sad Mourning 'twas: The Loss of so Good a King, and at such a time, when (we must think) the Eyes, and Hearts of all his People were upon Him!

Jeremiah, upon this sad occasion, Weep'd, and penn'd a Mournful Elogy; emphatically a Black Book of Lamentation; in such a deep, natural, racy strein, that it weeps yet afresh to every eye that reads it; see there (Cap. 4.20.) The Breath of our Nostrils, the Anointed of the Lord was taken in their Pits, of whom we said, under His shadow, we shall live among the Heathen.

And so famous was this Solemn Mourning of the Jews, that about an 100 years after, where the Prophet Zechary foretells of the Coming of the Kingdom of the Messiah, and the fearful Desolation, which should, at that time, befal the Jews, in the Total Devastation of their Second Temple, and their City, with their whole Go­vernment, [Page 17]by the Romans. He could not express their Sorrow to greater advantage; than by this Deplorable instance of the Death of Good Josiah. (Cap. 12.11.) In that day (says he) There shall be a great Mourning in Jerusalem, as the Mourning of Haddadrimmon, in the valley of Megiddon: which is the Mourning of the Text here.

And such was the Jews estimation of their Great Loss, and Misfortune; that 'twas not only a little time, which once they set apart to this their Mourning; but they made it an Anniversary Fast, in their Generations, by an Ordinance for ever, (in the v. next after the Text.) From whence it would seem, The Book of Lamentations was the Form of their publick yearly Humiliation, upon this account. So great the Loss, and so great the Sor­row of this unhappy people!

And yet not so great, but in good sence of Re­semblance, it may become a Pattern of ours now. 'Tis confessed (Blessed be our Good God, who in Judgment remembers Mercy) our Circumstances are not, in Prospect, so Deplorable, as theirs were. The proud King of Babylon, has not yet set his foot upon our Land, nor Burnt our Church, and made us his Captives; nor, we hope, ever will so long as we have God, and a Good King our Pro­tectors; [Page 18]who is (as Josiah was) an implacable Ad­versary to his, our Church, and Nations Enemies. The Glorious Champion of our Holy War; The Greatest Patron of all the Protestant Churches, Born indeed the Son of War; whose Sword, (invinci­ble as 'tis) glisters astonishment in the Hearts of those, who are only great in this, that they have the honour to fall under the resistless stroke of his Victorious Arms.

His Royal Great Soul, untaught to yield to any other Adversity (to shew He had an Heart of Flesh, and Affections tender as his Religion is) Wept over the Royal Ashes of his Dearest Consort, our Good Queen Mary. Nor was this any light, faint, transi­ent stricture of his inward Sorrow. His indelible Piety, so deeply rooted in his Breast, sunk him down low in this his Affliction; as low, as 'tis pos­sible Love and Virtue could. Behold here a Brave Glorious Constellation of the greatest Fortitude, and the greatest Love! such an one seldom, never shone before in our Hemisphere.

How then shall we Subjects Dispense with this Free Subsidy, yet naturally a Debt of our Funeral Lamentation? unless we have in this Distance to Her much Lamented Death, spent all our Stock al­ready, and in so doing exhausted the Fountain of [Page 19]our Tears! Alas! our cheap vulgar Weeping here, is not big enough at lowdest to ballance one sin­gle Sigh of our Josiah's Royal Grief.

We, who had so great a part and interest in her Princely Care, and Indulgence, and might have had so still; but that our Ingratitude (that unpar­donable sin, for which we, and this poor English Nation have so often smarted) our hateful Ingrati­tude rendred us by so many degrees unworthy of her longer Life. A Blessing so infinitely desirea­ble, as I believe you think; that I Despair of add­ing any thing to your present Information.

I'll not therefore now touch upon any Preli­minaries; as her Royal Birth, and Descent; her Natural, and her Acquired Perfections, exceeding great; with her truly Christian Education here, under the sacred influence of our Dear Mother the Church of England. Which, in her, by plain­est experiment, has taught us, the most incompa­rable Temper of her wise Guardiancy, and Tuition, and would make us all lovely, and belov'd as She, for th' inestimable Beauty of Virtuous Christian Life; and would Teach our Docility not to shift so improvidently from under her Heavenly Do­ctrine, and pious Discipline; when her Spiritual Gifts are so many, and so highly advantageous, [Page 20]and would easily Blush, and shame all that unrea­sonable Prejudice, which drives some of us foolishly away, and bewilders us in a dark Superstitious Maze of a stubborn forgetfulness of our Duties, and ourselves. See here, and wonder! an Angelical Mind fram'd by God, and perfected into Bliss by true Religion!

This Noble Affectionate Theme wings the high­est flights of our most grateful Thoughts; I am too weak to support thus the Greatness of her Character; only wish sincerely, that the radiant Honours of the English Crown may ever Descend a portion to so Good Examples as 'twas in Royal Her, is now; and we pray, will ever be.

Beloved, you know, how we were left before their Majesties happy Arrival joyntly in the Throne. Left so, that we were at a Loss on both sides, how to state probably the reasons of our publick welfare. Behold! a Dreadful Enemy to our English Nati­on, Popery on one hand, and Anarchy and Confu­sion on the other: We could not be prevail'd up­on to change our Good Religion for a worse; and if not, we must part with our Property, and Esta­blishments. 'Tis true, these things were not wrest­ed yet quite out of our hands, but we were throughly taught what we were to expect, by a [Page 21]costly sad Tryal of another Neighbouring King­dom before; as well as since, by one of our own; all this, over and above to what was miserably indur'd in a former Reign, upon the same Name and Principles; and however we are misrepre­sented, we stook close enough to our Passive O­bedience, to the visible Joy and Triumph of our Enemies, that hated us: this so long, 'till He, that should have Govern'd us, left us, without our fault; and what reason we should indure longer? must our Antient Government rot, and sink into Ruine upon its own Foundations? It must certainly have done so, had not God sent us, and He came, the Defender of his own Rights, and together with them, our Protestant Faith; William by the good Providence, and Grace of God, with his Roy­al Consort, whose Death we now Lament.

This Latter is my Subject more especially now: Who when she Landed from abroad upon the Bri­tish shoar, with inestimable Blessings in Her hands, to bestow upon all but the unthankful, & the evil, (tho' upon them too) She found the Nation tir'd out with Sorrow, a Leaning her weary, drooping Head on the Bosome of her Dearest Prince, who surely then (if ever any one before) bad the fai­rest for our most sincere Love and Fidelity. And [Page 22]she (kind, virtuous Soul) as she ever lov'd to do Good, was glad to be by at hand; an Assistant, a Counsellor, and a Witness of our Wonderful Re­stauration.

She found the Nation, & that She lov'd the most in it (the Church of England) a' entring, in me­lancholy plight, the Plague of an Aegyptian Dark­ness, the Land, from one corner to another, a swarming with Popish Emissaries; and (like the Locusts there) darkn'd the Skye; I mean the Na­tion full, and crowded with 'em. But, tho' so full, emptied much faster than they fill'd in well nigh six years before, in a very short time; as our day broke up again, when our Guardian Angels in conjunction, at God's immediate Direction, ap­pear'd above our Horizon, with Healing in their Wings.

I think, 'tis own'd on all hands, that Popery (es­pecially as 'tis of late years refin'd by new Jesui­tical Morals) is a Terror to all Protestant Kingdoms. As for us, we are not half so much afraid of St. Peter's Keys▪ as St. Pauls Sword; which of late (for some Centuries past) the New Church of Rome takes indifferently into her hand, with the other. We need not go far to have the footsteps of her Cru­elty, which bleed so fresh in our own Annals; and [Page 23]tho' our English Courage has been far ever from being thought contemptible, yet we have always been very backward to Defend our Religion by such Material Weapons, 'till the time, we believ'd our Lives, as well as our Consciences were assault­ed; which, if any thing, will prove the Justice of our Arms; when imploy'd at the Command of our Lawful Governors.

As for the Truth of our Religion, we modest­ly conceive we have made it good, with no small advantage; and have shew'd abundantly, that our Church is very far from fearing any reasonable En­gagement of that kind; having never been once outpowr'd since our Reformation, onely rudely op­press'd, and Discountenanc'd sometimes, by Bru­tish Cruelty, and Force of Arms.

When a Popish King (our late Dread Sove­reign) was ready with a Numerous, well appoint­ed Army in the Field; and our Charters, and our Properties, for a great part, Seiz'd and constru'd in­to Forfeiture, and Prerogative; and a new, fine Aequivalent offer'd us, in exchange for our most Antient Franchise. Our Penal Laws to be voted down, with our Protestant Test, by a choice prepa­red Assembly: when a Conversion to Popery was a currant Excuse to other Crimes and Illegalities, it [Page 24]self the greatest. Execution of Good wholsome Laws generally suspended; and a wide door set open (upon a Religious Design) to entertain all the Debauchery, Licentiousness, and Atheism of a Wicked Age; and an unlimited Liberty tacitly al­low'd to Mens Lusts and Passions (with a very small share of Wit, and no Religion) to push on for Tumult and Confusion, as fast as they could. Besides (what we don't love to remember, but cannot so soon forget) as it suppos'd us much more Dull and Wretched than indeed we were) injoyn us to Subscribe (publish I mean) a large Form of Declaration, virtually to the overthrow of our Establish'd Religion, and all whatever else is ours. We blush'd at this time, to think, being Innocent, how we had so ill-deserv'd of our Go­vernours, as to find so little Credit with 'em: We were (as many as observ'd it) extreamly sorry at this; and that we could now Obey no longer, tho' threatn'd aloud with Penalty enough to our Tempo­ral Ʋndoing. We trusted in the Mercy and Com­passion of our Good God, who Deliver'd us then, with the Rescue of those famous Confessors of our Sacred Hierarchy, Men of Renown.

The honest, good, peaceable, Loyal Subject, all this while, nothing in his hand for his sustenance, [Page 25]but a Dry unsavory Morsel of Passive Duty; which he had already chew'd, and Liv'd so long upon, that he became every day more and more naked of all other Refreshments, and thought he was a'shipping ready for the stake of Martyrdom. When our Popish Governours were so impatient, tho' of prudent Delays; and were all for making long steps hastily to our Overthrow. And, alas! our Unfortunate Monarch so Bigotted, and plain­ly infatuated by Jesuited Counsels, that nor the most humble modest Complaints, nor Tears of his Faithful Subjects could prevail any thing. When Altars, and Popish Habits appear'd openly in the Imperial City, and Countrey; and began to Nest together in Societies; and in the name of a Catho­lick King outbrav'd all, even the most modest Pre­tences and Priviledges of a Different Religion; and would have stifled, and suffocated all our Learn­ing, and smother'd our Profession, with an heavy indigested Mass of their Exploded Forgeries, and Nonsense; which turn'd, upon our judicious De­sence, so much to their Shame and Decay, which indeed was the greatest kindness they could do us, to give us opportunity thus to shew our strength, on this manner.

I would not be misunderstood all this while, as [Page 26]tho', in what I have said, I should seem the least inviduous, I am forc'd to mention a little; for that our Publick Blessings receiv'd, cannot be duly pri­zed, without some competent sence of our former Ʋnhappiness; and undoubtedly we should deserve to be constru'd more than Passive, could we so soon forget our own History, which is so plain, and dates so close upon our Memories.

Briefly then, when our Reform'd Religion, which we place ever before all other our worldly Com­forts, was in such unquestionable, apparent Dan­ger, that upon our most accurate Projections, all Humane means fail'd for our Deliverance; and our Misfortunes too inspir'd, and back'd by so po­tent an Enemy, a Tyrant Neighbour; who upon his own single stake, for many years together has held almost all Christendom in Play. In this Criti­cal juncture, (by a strange Miracle of the Divine Providence, say others what they will) came the Blessed Pair, William and Mary to our seasonable rescue; which by the same indulgent Providence they effected without one Drop of Blood; by a natural chearful Surrender of their own Rights into their hands; after the Royal Zealot was gone; when He had so unkindly Refused a just Restituti­on of our Laws and Liberties; then by a general [Page 27]Consent of the Desolate People (for how can any Kingdom stand without an Head to Govern it)? They the next together, in Succession, are both plac'd in the Throne.

And then, and just before the Pride of the New Catholick Religion, and it's Empire utterly vanish'd; The Zealous Priests make haste away; and leave their Devotion (as their Saints too of both Sexes) a'starving at their Shrines: The Crafty Jesuite packs up with the first, and leaves the new Con­verts behind; astonish'd at their Religion, suddain­ly grown so unfashionable; and some came back to us again, asham'd now to think their Civility carry'd them so far, beyond the reasons of their Faith. But tho' these Holy Men left their Con­verts here, (too few by many to raise a Monument to their pretended Learning, and Art of Perswa­sion) they forgot not to take their Riches with 'em, the vast Treasure by their pious Frauds they had cheated the Nation of.

Thus we of this National Church are happily re­stor'd to our Religion, it's free Profession; to our Properties; to our Laws; to our Liberties; to our Lives. Rid of our urgent Fears and Jealousies, all but what the Sons of Trouble studiously strive to nurse in their restless Bosoms. Our True Religi­on [Page 28]has gain'd much honour, by the invincible Cou­rage and Constancy of its true Professors; which is God's Cause, as well as our own. Our Government is re-establish'd upon its old, best Foundations; and all the slubber of our Grief wip'd off (till now) as we lay a long time a'weeping, under the Cross. Popery in it's insulting Greatness for ever banish'd our Isles. Briefly, we have lost nothing, but what we could not keep; and hope to live as conten­tedly as we can without; and tho' at present in­gaged in an expensive Forreign War, we fight Ho­nourably in Defence of ourselves, and Confede­rates, thereby to lay (which must be done with time) a sure stable foundation of our Security, and common Prosperity, for the future.

And now, upon the foot of the Account, tell me seriously, ye Sons of Wisdom, are not these I have named, Lovely great Advantages? which we owe, and confess (as many as are impartial) next to the good Providence of God, to the Care and Vigilance of our Governors: and to Her (tho not to Her alone) whose Obsequies we this day Ce­lebrate. She, who planted Religion both by Pre­cept and Example in the Court, the Head, and Foun­tain of our Government; and would have made it all of one piece, i. e. Religious; took great [Page 29]pains in her Publick and Private Devotion; and by her ex­cellent advice, and Illustrious Pattern taught others so to do, if any other, certainly a Nursing Mother of this Church of England, which we have reason to think is more indebt­ed to two of our late Queens, than well-nigh all the Kings we have had till now, since our Happy Reformation. Good Edward liv'd but a while; and though He did as much, as 'twas possible for the time, being young, yet 'twas the Rudimental Beginnings only of so great and noble a Design; but what we wanted in his, was in some good measure com­pensated by the shortness of the next Reign; and especial­ly by the happy Length of that which follow'd close upon it. She who did most, Queen Elizabeth of ever Blessed Memory; the next a Peaceable Learned Prince, but came late to our Government; succeeded by a Son Religious and Wise; who had our Civil Distractions suffer'd him to Live, as 'twas probable otherwise He might, had raised, and beau­tify'd, to it's best advantages, our Religious Communion, as establish'd; but since He could no longer stand, He chose to fall a Glorious Martyr with it; and when upon our famous Restauration, our Regular Worship began again to smile up­on us (as we did cordially upon it) it flourish'd, more than a little whise, under a Good natur'd King; 'till it was again too pitifully beclouded, in the last Reign, which left it ha­rass'd, to the more happy Success and better Government of our King and Queen; who had She longer liv'd, (as She did more than a little, in such a narrow stint of time) so would have done wonderfully much more for it's Beauty and Prosperity. But She is, alas! untimely Dead; not as to Herself, but us; who promis'd (as we had great reason) every Day more and more felicity to ourselves, under the shadow of Her Government. Who, as She came with [Page 30]much unwillingness to the Throne; so She as willingly re­sign'd at Gods Command, the Burden of it, tho' by Her so easily born; and taught all Christian Princes, by her Il­lustrious Example, how 'tis really practicable, and their best Interest to be Good and Great at the same time.

I have excus'd my self already; give me leave but this once. Alas! Christians, The Lovely Ornament of our Peace, The Beauty of our Regular Devotion, A Rare Example of Virtuous Life, The Glory of Christian Princes, the Greatest of Her Sex, the Darling of all Her Good People, The Dea­rest Pledge of God's good Providence, our Glorious Princes is Dead, and gone. Let all our Judah, and Jerusalem weep, and Mourn for our Good Queen; as they did righteously for Josiah. 'Tis indifferent, whether we Lament Her, or our Religion; they were inseperable in Her; and how then shall we distinguish 'em? I cannot blame the profuseness of our Grief upon this extraordinary Subject, if there be a­ny Venial Sin we Christians can commit, surely this is it, the great extremity of our present Sorrow; and tho' we reaso­nably conclude, this our great Concern will touch the har­dest heart, in the whole Nation; yet, if there be any, who cannot weep for it, and us; I hope, without injury, we may take leave to weep for ourselves and them. 'Twere well the reasons of our Sorrow were not real, as we believe they are, upon impartial view. Tho' yet we are not in the least unthankful; but know how to prize all the Blessings we have left behind; our Good King, and Royal Family. But these all Mourn as well as we; and we humbly think we have as great a cause as any; tho' all this we know is fruit­less and in vain. But how can tender hearts express them­selves, and their passionate resentments, in a milder way? not that we should seem fondly envy Her her Happiness [Page 31]above, who stood ever the fairest Candidate for an Immor­tal Crown: But we beg leave here thus to acknowledge, and confess our many obligations; and to embalm, and pre­serve her Sacred Memory to perpetual Generations, with the Dearest expressions of our most unfeigned Love.

I fear I have held you too long in this Melancholly Scene; I have done then; only mind you very briefly of two things, to which our present Affliction seems nighest ally'd. The reasons, I mean, that lye uppermost to our knowledge, and are most Legible, in such an harsh Providence as this is.

1. Either by this sort of Discipline, God in his infinite wisdom, has a mind to mean us, from an over fondness, we are too apt to create to ourselves of any Humane Help, we think stands nighest our Temporal Happiness; and then 'twill teach us Patience. Thus, we know, He exercised the People of the Jews, when under th' immediate Jurisdiction of his Theocracy in Egypt, in the Wilderness, in Canaan, and after when they were embodied, and had Kings, as th'other Nations; depriving 'em of Success oftimes by many secret methods of his good Providence; thereby to hold 'em the closer to himself in their Dependence, and the Counsel of his own Divine Will; who has many more ways for our Succour, in the unerring Conduct of his Eternal Wisdom, than we can imagine. Or,

2. God punishes us thus severely for our manifold abo­minable sins, as He did the Jews oftimes; particularly here in the matter of Josiah; and then Mourning is the least part of what we have to do, which concerns us most in a spee­dy Reformation of our Wicked Lives; lest otherwise, upon our continued provocations, our Judgment, as it proceeds from the Divine Justice should thus conclude our Good King too, whom God long preserve, with th'other Royal Bran­ches; [Page 32]this needs every good, sober Christians considera­tion.

Finally: If our Grief be real upon the sence of our great Loss, it supposes we understand the worth of Good Princes; and consequently, (as we now Mourn for Her, whose Fune­ral Day we celebrate, so) we, from henceforth, apply our­selves with all dutiful, and Loyal Love, and Fidelity to Him who is now in the Throne; and to this good end, shun and disencourage, the most we can, in ourselves and others, all causeless Jealousies, and turbulent Counsels; which, in the effect, should any way cool, and diminish from our cheer­ful Obedience; and learn to submit ourselves Dutifully to our Governors, as well as to Pray for 'em; That God would grant our King a long, and an happy Reign over us: and that we, and all his Subjects (duly considering whose Autho­rity he hath) may faithfully serve, honour, and humbly obey Him, according to God's Holy Word, and Ordinance; and that He may ever study to Preserve thy People, com­mitted to his Charge, in Wealth, Peace, and Goodliness. Grant this, O Merciful Father, for thy Dear Sons sake Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.