ing the Circumstances of this Prince's Death, before they Actually Arose, as Diftinctly, as when they did Actually arife, fpoke of his fuffering Death, as of a Matter of Favour, must be understood to fpeak of it, as attended with Those Circumftances; and that Seeming Deftruction, but Real Favour to his Perfon was occafion'd, by the National Sins, and the Dreadful Punishments which were to enfue.

When a Prince is Deeply affected with a Senfe of God's Honour, and Tenderly Sollicitous for the Good of his People; Then must their Superfluity of Naughtinefs Vex his righteous Soul from day to day, and his Tranflation into the Celestial Regions of Purity is the most Effectual, if not his Only Effectual Relief from that Continual Vexation; And that Relief is the more Acceptable, because it secures him from the Sight of their approaching Miferies, which would Greatly Aggravate the Anguifh he feels under the Sight of their Sins. And when They are become obdurate in Wickedness, and That Wickedness hurries them on, to Harrass,

and

and Opprefs, and Perfecute their Prince, infomuch that nothing less than Irrefiftible Grace, which is never granted, would prevail with Them to defift from their Barbarous Treatment of Him, and the Torments of his Life muft, without a Miracle, be as Lafting as Life itself; Then the Divine favour towards him, Demonftrated in his Death, under whatfoever Circumftances, adjusted by Divine Wisdom, is not only occafion'd by the Violence, and Tyranny, and other Iniquities of his People, but may be, according to the ordinary Course of Things, the Only certain Means of his Deliverance from them.

And this Reason of the Divine Difpenfation, God's Favour to the Prince, under the outward Appearance of fuffering, is attended with Another Reason of it, relating to the People themselves, and That is, Their being Depriv'd of a Bleffing, which their Iniquities have provok'd God to withdraw from Them. And, under this Confideration, it seems highly Reasonable to grant, that by how much Greater the Wickedness of a Peo

ple,

ple, and the Excellencies of their Prince are, by fo much the Greater is their Danger of Lofing him: And the Removal of fo Great Happiness from Them, is a Chief End of Divine Juftice and Wisdom in fuch an Event. For 'tis obfervable in Relation to the Person of the Prince, that the Equitable and the Gracious Difpofal of Him will, after the Favour of his Present Deliverance, be abundantly provided for another Way, and in Another and more glorious Kingdom. The fundamental Reason of fuch Incidents depends upon the Notions and Nature of Human Society, as fuch, and the Different Relations of Man, to This and a Future State.

The Circumstances of any Man's Life upon Earth, and the Circumstances of his Death, are a Trifle and Unworthy of Regard or Notice, when Compared with the great End and Purpose of his Creation, his Final, and Immutable, and Eternal State. And therefore many Private Perfons, excelling in Virtue do, in a Subferviency to the wife Methods of Providence, frequently pafs through the

World,

17

1

World, under a Weight of Afflictions, next to Infupportable. And all Serious and Judicious Men, taking the Confideration of a Future State into the Account of Thefe Cafes, do Unanimoufly Approve and allow the Juft and Clear Reasons of them, though they do not much affect the State of Mankind, confider'd as a Community; which, in the Examples of Suffering Princes, Implies Additional Reasons, and those of great Weight under the Argument before us. For fince the Punishments of Mankind, under the Capacity and Notion of a Society, are Peculiar to This State, and muft Finally Terminate with it; And fince the Circumftances of a Prince are of fuch vaft Moment to the Publick Society, that God's Dispensations to the One do Directly, and Principally affect the Other; Therefore the Sufferings of a Good Prince, especially, when they prove the effectual Means and Inftruments of reducing a Difobedient, Profligate People to Deftruction, or great Distress, are most Reasonable Adminiftrations in the Governour of the World, and the Juft Confequences of National Sins..

But

But the Length, to which this Difcourse is now run, Forbids my delaying any longer, to draw up a Short Application of it to the Rueful Occafion of the Prefent Solemnity.

And it seems Natural to obferve, That the Proof, which hath been offer'd, that the Sins of the People are a Just Cause of the Sufferings of a Prince, is the Proper Rule of Accounting for the Martyrdom commemorated this Day. For after all the Cruel Labours, which have been used, to Deface and Violate the True Images and Representations of the Martyr; To Demolish his Virtues, and improve his Infirmities, Infirmities scarce Separable from Man, into Vices of the firft Magnitude; Utterly to Stifle, or bury in Oblivion, the Redress of Grievances, and the Satisfaction made for them, and to Inflame the Remembrance of the Grievances Themfelves, as if they had never been Redreffed at all; To tranfform Surmifes of Mischiefs expected, or Pretended to be expected from him, into clear Demonftrations, that they were Intended by him; and to rivet those Defor