very Formality which attends the Dispensing of them, oftentimes, Cofts fo much, and caufes fuch Delays; as is utterly inconfiftent with many of thofe Wants, wherein we might otherwife promise our selves the most confiderable Advantage from their Favour and Affection towards us.

And from all which we must therefore conclude, That it is a very vain thing to place any confidence in Man upon this firft Account, viz. That the Power, even of the greatest Perfons, to Help us is exceeding Small; expofed to fo many Casualties, and attended with fuch Inconveniencies, as renders it of very little Ufe, and of no Dependance at all

to us.

But (2dly) Were the Cafe quite otherwise; were there any Order of Men fo perfect, in all other Refpects, that they Could fupply us with All that we should ever be likely to Want, and Would give us whatsoever we should Defire: And were their Inclinations towards us fo Fixt and Immutable, that we might depend upon them that they would never for fake us, but be at all times ready to Grant us whatsoever we should ask of them: Yet ftill their Life is fo Uncertain, and, at the best, so Short; that it would be a very vain thing for after all, to fet up our Trust and Confidence upon them. For alas! Where is the Man fo Great and Selffufficient, that can secure himself the next Hours Breath?

·

us,

Breath? And in the heighth of all his Fortune presume to say, that to Morrow fhall not lay him Equal with the Duft, and return him to the Earth from whence he was taken ?

ye

are

It is an extraordinary Character which the Holy Spirit gives to fome Perfons, Pfal. lxxxii. 6. I have faid that ye are Gods, and that all the Children of the most High. And yet what follows immediately upon it? A Sad, but Certain Truth: Nevertheless ye fhall Die like Men. This is the Conclufion of all; The Common End of the Greateft, as well as of the Meaneft, Perfons. Here they may feem to be a Sort of Gods upon Earth: May difpenfe the Fortunes of Men as they please; Set up, whom they will fet up; and Pull down, whom they will pull down. They may be Honour'd too as Such, by Those who know no Religion above their Interefts; nor think any Divinity more worthy of their Regard, than Those who have it in their power to promote them to Riches, and Honour, and Authority.

But Death obferves none of these Formalities. When that ftrikes, the Crowned Head falls as furely before it, as He who had not where to lay his Head, till the Grave afforded him a place for it. All the difference is, that as fuch Perfons are exposed to more Dangers, and fubject to Greater Hazards, than leffer Men; fo are their Lives more

B

Un

Uncertain; and, generally Speaking, more Shorttoo. A Cottage may, and oftentimes do's afford us an Example of a Vigorous Old Age: But this is a Sight which the Palaces of Princes are seldom bleed with; nor can it reasonably be expected they should often Enjoy it.

And when this is the Cafe, what a folly must it be to build our Hope upon fuch Protectors? Who are fo far from being able to Help us, that alas! they are not able to Help themselves, in those Inftances, in which both They and We, the most, stand in need of Affiftance. Whofe Breath is not their Own: Who live by the meer Favour of Another:Who to day appear in Glory and Honour;and to morrow go down into the Grave, and yield to the Fate of other Ordinary Men.

So foolish a thing is it, in point of Reafon, to put our Truft in Man; be the Place, the Power, or Authority which he Enjoys, what it will. And for a yet more fenfible confirmation of this Great Truth; give me leave, but briefly, to illuftrate it to you,in that Fatal Evidence it has pleafed God at this time to give us, in the Perfon of our late Royal Soveraign; How little dependance is to be placed upon any Human Support; upon the Beft, or Greatest of the Children of Men.

If, Firft, We confider Her with respect to her Power and Dignity; She was Queen of a Mighty and Re

Renowned People: Endued with the Highest Authority that a Crown could give her; and in that with the largest Capacity that any Creature could pretend to, of Doing Good. Her Opportunities were Many, and her Advantages very Great for fuch a Purpose. Much was expected from Her; and we muft, with Gratitude, Acknowledge, that much she did Do.

For indeed, 2/y; Her Will was not at all Lefs,nay I máy venture to say, it was much Greater than her) Power. Nor did fhe value any thing fo much in the Eminence of that Station to which it had pleased God to raise her amongst us; as that it put her in a Condition of extending the Exercise of her Vertues a great deal farther, than it had been poffible for her to have done in a Leffer Fortune.

Never was there Any in fo High a Place, more free and cafie of Accefs, even to the most Ordinary Perfons: More Defirous to Oblige all,or that better knew how to Do it. Infomuch that I believe it has feldom been known that Any ever Applied to Her, but what have gone away Eafie and Contented from Her: And either obtained what they wanted, or not known how to Complain, if they have not.

The truth is, She was a Perfon in whom Nature and Grace seem to have concurr'd, to make up One great Mafter-piece of Excellency and Perfe

Єtion.

B 2

Her

Her Natural Difpofition was Free and Generous; Open and Sincere. She had a Sweetness of Temper, finifh'd and heightned with a large mixture of Chriftian Charity and Compaffion: Such as never loved to fee any in Mifery, Otherwise than as it gave her an Opportunity thereby of Doing fomewhat for them to make them Eafie.

Thus was the fitted to Do Good: And a fingular Dexterity She had in the Doing of it. She knew What was fit to be done for Every One; and After what Manner; and At what Time. And feldom did She Vouchfafe a Favour to Any, but the very Way that the bestow'd it in, doubled the Obligation; and made a deeper Impreffion upon the Mind of Him who receiv'd it, than the Benefit it felf did.

In fhort; So Great was her Comprehenfion So Correct her Judgment; So Eafie her Dispatch, of whatever came before her; That God feemed to have fitted herSoul to her Place and Character: And to have given her a Capacity as far beyond that of Other Common Perfons, as fhe was in Rank and Dignity above Them.

Such good reafon had we, upon All thofe accounts, to expect fome more than Ordinary Bleffings under her Government; and to put a greater Trust and Confidence in her, than was almost fit to be placed in any Creature. And the more to

en