A SERMON, Occasioned by the DEATH of His Late MAJESTY. PREACHED on the Ninth of NOVEMBER. In the MORNING at QUEEN-STREET CHAPEL, And in the AFTERNOON at ST. PAUL's, COVENT-GARDEN.
By the Revd . THOMAS FRANCKLIN.
Published at the Request of Those, who heard it.
LONDON: Printed for R. FRANCKLIN, in Russel-Street, Covent-Garden. MDCCLX. [PRICE SIX-PENCE.]
To the READER.
THE following Sermon, not originally design'd for the Press, is publish'd in Compliance with the earnest Request of a few partial Hearers, with whom the interesting Nature of the Subject supplied every Deficiency in the Performance: The Author meant it, not as a Proof of his Abilities, but as a Testimony of his Affection; and as such, submits it with all Deference to the Indulgence of the Public.
II. CHRON. c. xxxii. v. 33.
And
Hezekiah
slept with his Fathers; and all
Judah,
and the Inhabitants of
Jerusalem
did him Honour at his Death.
HEZEKIAH,
King of
Jerusalem,
was one of those few illustrious Sovereigns recorded in Holy Writ to have
done Right in the Sight of the Lord;
one, who by his Example influenced, and by his Authority reformed a corrupt and sinful Nation:
he wrought that,
says the sacred History,
which was good and right, and Truth before the Lord his God, and in every Work that he began in the Service of the House of God, and in the Laws and in the Commandments to seek his God, he did it with all his Heart, and prospered.
THE Consequence of such Conduct and such Success was what might naturally be expected from it: his Piety and Goodness, his Justice and Benevolence so gain'd upon the Hearts and Affections of a grateful People as to render him the Object of universal Esteem, Love, and Admiration, insomuch that when he died, every Heart was depressed with Sorrow, and every Eye was wet with Tears; the whole Nation lamented their Loss with unfeigned Sincerity, they wept for him as a Father, they mourned for him as a Friend,
and all
Judah,
and the Inhabitants of
Jerusalem
did him Honour at his Death.
A Testimony, so full and ample, of exalted Merit on the one Hand, and extraordinary Gratitude on the other, reflects Honour on the Prince, who deserved, and on the People, who bestowed it: Blessings, no doubt, which a Nation receives, a Nation should pay; and Grief, which is universally felt, should be as universally expressed: the Circumstance before us is such, as would, at any Time, affect us, but at this, must demand our immediate Application.
THE late sudden and dreadful Calamity, which hath fallen on these Kingdoms, by the Death of our ever-honoured and beloved Sovereign, hath spread universal Sorrow over his afflicted People.
WHEN private Individuals pay the Debt of Nature, it affects, and deeply perhaps, a few unhappy Dependants; the Grief, that arises, spreads only through the small Circle of Kindred and Relations; and the Tears, which are shed, flow within the narrow Channel of domestic Friendship; but when Death selects a royal Victim, when he adorns his Triumph with Thrones and Scepters, when the Kings and great Ones of the Earth sink into the Grave, when
the mighty fall,
and are no more, the Blow is felt, as it were, on every Side, and Thousands fall beneath it: the Influence of such Planets is so wide and diffusive, that the Eclipse is felt by whole Nations; a People puts on Sackcloth, and a Kingdom mourneth.
CIRCUMSTANCES indeed will sometimes happen, by the Intervention of Providence, that may render the Weight less heavy, and the Calamity less dreadful; such is the happy and envied State of
Britain
under her present Affliction; but God forbid that those Things, which should heighten our Gratitude, and enhance our Affection to the best of Kings, should lessen and diminish them. To the Care and Conduct, to the paternal Love and Tenderness of our departed Sovereign are we indebted, in a great Measure, for our Success and Prosperity; the greater Reason therefore we have to be easy and happy, with the greater Regret should we lament him who made us so. The grief, which we feel at his Loss, is the only Grief, which he ever gave us; and the Tears, which flow at his Decease, are the first, which he hath caused us to shed; surely then, all the little Testimony, which we can give of our unfeigned Grief, and all the Honours, which
the Inhabitants of our
Jerusalem
can do him at his Death,
are but a poor Tribute to his Memory, in Return for so many Years of his gracious Favour and Protection.
HE is now removed, by the divine Will, far above all the Cares, and all the Pleasures of Mortality; above Censure, and above Praise; removed to a Place, where only his Virtues can be truly known, and thoroughly rewarded; to a Place, where all the little Honours, which we can pay to his Memory, are but as Dust in the ballance compared with that divine Favour, which shall recompense him; and that Applause, which he shall receive from the King of Kings; and yet, if the Souls of good Men departed have Knowledge of what passeth here below, his, no doubt, will look down with tender Complacency on the unfeigned Sorrows, and grateful Remembrances of his beloved People.
THINGS, which we have been long attached to, even though of an indifferent Nature, and from which neither Pleasure nor Advantage, in any great Degree, can be expected, we yet cannot part from without Regret; but when a Sovereign and his People have been long and closely united, by the strongest Ties of mutual Love and Affection, when every Fear is banished, and every Jealousy removed, when many Years Experience have convinced them that they are happy in, that they were made for each other, such a Separation is generally a fatal, always a melancholy Circumstance.
THERE are in human Nature various Qualities and Perfections, adapted to the various Ranks, Circumstances, Stations and Conditions of this Life; and that, which would be useful and beneficial in one, would only be destructive and pernicious in another; that Wit and Vivacity, which would recommend a private Companion, would only demean and disgrace a public Character; and that Ambition, which would immortalize a General or Statesman, would only make a Sovereign miserable, and involve a Nation in Ruin. Piety, Justice, Temperance and Benevolence, are the brightest Jewels that adorn a Crown, and all these shone lately with distingaished Lustre in the British Diadem.
FEW Kings, we know, deserve the Love of their People; and still fewer perhaps fully experience or enjoy it. The most loyal Subjects may not have Opportunities to shew their Loyalty, and the most affectionate may not meet with any to shew their Affection; but WE may all remember the Time when the Loyalty and Affection of
England
were put to the Test: At that Time with what Zeal and Unanimity did the People rise up as one Man, to vindicate, with their own, the Rights of their injured Sovereign! That filial Love, which glowed in the Breast of
Culloden
's Hero, seemed to spread itself through the whole Nation. He had acted as a Father to us, and we, as Sons, united to defend him. From that Hour, to the last fatal one, which tore him from us, never did Diffidence, Disgust, or Discord sully his auspicious Reign; mutual Confidence established itself between Prince and People, Obedience ripened into Love, and Duty softened into Affection: Every Year added strength to the Chains of Harmony, which nothing but Death could ever have disunited. Shall we not then set apart a few Minutes for the Remembrance of him, to whom we owe so many Years of uninterrupted Felicity?
THOSE, who are confined within the humbler Sphere of Action, and walk as it were in the lowly Vale of Life, entertain very false and inadequate Ideas of what passes above them; we see the Pomp and Pageantry attendant on the Great, but are Strangers to their Cares and Anxieties: superior Rank and Title bring with them superior Toils and Labours; and Kings, though the greatest, are by no means therefore the happiest of Mankind, as he, who lately filled the Throne of these Kingdoms did himself, no doubt, often and fully experience: Convinced that Industry was necessary in the Performance of every Office, and above all in the highest, he was himself the noblest Example of it: He never thought that the Eminency of his Station exempted him from the Duties of a Man, or that the Splendor of a Crown could diminish the Weight of it: He applied himself to the Business of his exalted Rank with unwearied Diligence, even in the Decline of Life pursued it with a Vigour and Activity, which would have done Honour to Youth, and gave as little Time to Amusement and Relaxation as the meanest of his Subjects.
The Welfare and Happiness of
England
were indeed his chief and perpetual Concern; if his Industry and Assiduity were by any thing exceeded, it was by his Benevolence: Ever anxious for the Good and Happiness of his Subjects, he suffered no private Cares and Anxieties to interrupt the public Business, or to retard the public Good. That Length of Days, which was so beneficial to us, brought heavy Calamities on himself, and oppressed him with domestic Sorrows, which bore hard upon his declining Age. Many of those, whom he loved and esteemed, were snatched away from him, and many of his beloved Children dropped into the Grave before him: But amidst all his Cares and Sorrows he was still attentive to the Duties of a King; the Misfortunes of his Country always affected and distressed him equally with his own: his last Wishes were for the Happiness of his Kingdoms, and his last Prayers for the Peace of his
Jerusalem.
NEVER, perhaps, were Justice and Judgment more duly and conscientiously administered than in the late auspicious Reign. The Power of Life and Death, entrusted to the King as supreme Magistrate, could not have been lodged in a more equal Hand: Unbiassed by private Favour, and uninfluenced by partial Attachments, he held the Scales with unshaken Firmness, and dispensed Rewards and Punishments with the strictest Regard to Truth and Equity: Whenever the Laws of Humanity, as well as of his Country, were trampled on by the Assassin and the Murtherer, by Crimes that deeply affected the Community, he permitted no Intercession, how powerful soever, to avert the Sword of Justice; and, above all, if at any Time his injured People demanded a Victim for the Violation of Public Trust, then would he not suffer any ill-exerted Solicitation to screen the guilty Delinquent. Mercy, notwithstanding, (for the Just are always the most humane) was the constant Inmate of his royal Breast: Whenever Crimes admitted of Alleviation, whenever Circumstances softened the Offence, or Merit pleaded for the Offender, he readily and chearfully extended his Pardon. So great, and so remarkable were his Tenderness and Humanity to the Unfortunate, that he always pitied, even when he could not forgive, and lamented the Man, whilst he punished the Criminal.
IT would be highly injurious to his Character, not to observe on this Occasion, that the same love of Justice, which actuated his Breast as a Magistrate, directed his Conduct also as a King: Never, during the Course of his Reign, did he draw the Sword but in her cause; never did he think himself at liberty, as too many of his Predecessors have, to exhaust the Treasures, and spill the Blood of his Subjects in fruitless and unnecessary Wars, to satisfy the Cravings of Avarice, or to sooth the Madness of Ambition; nobler were the Purposes, which he had to serve, and higher the Ambition, which he desired to gratify; to defend his own Kingdoms, to assert his own Rights, to repress the Pride of the Insolent, and support the Cause of the Injured and Oppressed: In this Cause he fought, and in this he conquered:
The Almighty was on his Side,
and who could withstand him?
God went forth with his Fleets and Armies, the most High did mightily defend him.
A CONDUCT thus noble and disinterested, a Behaviour thus candid and upright, sufficiently pointed out the Spring, which actuated every Motion; his Manners spoke his Religion, his Practice bore Testimony to his Faith, and his Actions proved themselves the genuine Offspring of Christianity: Such a Tree alone could produce such Fruit; Waters so pure and untainted could flow from no other Fountain.
AMONGST all the Titles of an
English
Monarch, that of Defender of the Faith is doubtless one of the most illustrious; a Title, which whilst it gives him the Power to promote the Honour and Glory of God, is at the same Time the best Support of his own Authority, and the best Guardian of his own Prerogative: the Interest of Church and State, in our excellent Constitution, are so intimately blended and united, as to convince every wise and good King, that they are truly and essentially the same; and yet, how often hath the Want of this Conviction been fatal both to Prince and People? Our late Sovereign was too sincere a Friend to the Faith, which he profess'd, too worthy a follower of it's Doctrines, to neglect the sacred Charge committed to his Care; to neglect a Charge, on the due Performance of which, he well knew the Stability of his Throne, and the Happiness of his Kingdoms so immediately depended. Never did the Church of
England,
and the Protestant Establishment, boast a warmer Advocate, or a more zealous Defender; Vice dreaded his Power, Virtue experienced his Protection, Religion felt his Influence: if, during his long and illustrious Reign,
England
was sometimes unfortunate, and oftener guilty; if evil Counsels did at any Time (and where is it that they do not sometimes?) prevail; the sober and dispassionate Part of his Subjects knew too well who were to blame, to attribute it to their noble Master; who submitted but to Evils, which he could not prevent; and suffer'd by Measures, which he could not approve.
IN a Word; to sum up his Character without Flattery and without Exaggeration, he was, what one of the noblest of our Poets calls,
the noblest Work of God, an honest Man;
in him, Justice hath lost an able Defender, Truth an Advocate, Religion a Friend; his Servants lament a generous Master, his Children the tenderest Father, his Country the best of Kings.
GOD, in Reward of his Merit on Earth, blessed him with Length of Days; bestowed on him the Dignity, the Authority, and Privileges of Age, without the Weaknesses and Infirmities of it. The Business of his Life was to make
England
happy and successful; and Providence, which is ever gracious to this unworthy Nation, would not interrupt him in so glorious a Work; the Almighty knew the Wish of his Soul, and blessed him with it.
HE lived to see Corruption, which unknown to and unlicenced by him had well nigh establish'd itself, debased and degraded; to see those destructive Principles, which had long been undermining the Constitution, detected and destroyed; he lived to see a Spirit of Freedom, Courage, Honesty and Activity, breathe throughout the whole Nation; to see
Britain
emerge from a State of Lethargy, Sloth and Contempt, to Strength and manly Vigour; to see her shine once more in her native Lustre, reassume her antient Dominion, and give Law to the Nations around her; he lived to see Faction subdued, to see all the hydra Heads of Party cut off, and it's very Name obliterated from amongst us; to see that worst of Monsters chain'd down by national Union, and buried, we hope, at last, in eternal Oblivion.
THE Lord hath indeed done great Things for us, how shall we recompense him for them? We have payed our last melancholy Duty,
and all
Judah
and
Jerusalem
have done him Honour at his Death.
Let us then turn our Eyes from the solemn, mournful Scene, towards a fairer, and a brighter Prospect.
THE same gracious Providence, which continued a Life so precious, beyond it's common Limits for our Sakes, hath extended itself still farther, by preserving another no less dear, or less necessary to our Happiness, that of his illustrious Successor: there is not perhaps a Nation on Earth, except our own, whose Sovereign's Death would not be attended with most fatal Consequences to the public Weal; whose Measures new Parties would not disconcert; whose Plans new Ministers would not change; whose Unanimity, Discord and Division, would not loosen and dissolve: but this, we trust and believe, will not be our Misfortune; the same Sun, which so lately set in Glory, seemeth to rise upon us with Rays of added Lustre: the best and noblest Part of him, whom we lament, still surviveth; that patriot Soul, which animated our Councils, inspired our Armies, and led us on to Victory and Prosperity, is transmitted to the Heir of his Virtues and his Throne, who hath already promised, and sacred is his Word, to pursue the same Measures, to follow the same glorious Designs, to guide himself by the same Wisdom, and to tread in all the Steps of his honoured Predecessor.
IF
Britons
were to form a Wish with Regard to their future Sovereign, whose Completion would satisfy all their Desires, what would it be? Doubtless it would be to have a King descended from him, whom they so long loved, and so sincerely lamented; to have a King born in the Land, which he is to reign over; acquainted with those Laws, by which he is to govern, and that Constitution, which he is sworn to protect; to have a King, who to the active Vigour of Youth should join the sober Serenity of temperate Manhood; who had imbibed, from his earliest Years, the heartiest Affection for his People, and the warmest Love for his native Country; with a Mind attentive to the Instructions of Wisdom, and flexible to the Dictates of Experience; Liberality diffusive as his Power, and Benevolence extensive as his Dominion; an Eye intently fixed on the Interests of
Britain,
and an Ear open to the Cries of the Injured, the Wants of Merit, the Complaints of Justice, and never shut but against the Voice of Flattery and Dissimulation. If to this could be added also a refined Taste, and Knowledge of those Arts and Sciences, which sue for his Influence, and demand his Protection, what might we not hope for in the World of Literature, when a Monarch should unite such Abilities to distinguish Merit, and such Power to reward it? What might we not expect in the Seats of Wisdom, and in the great Councils of the Nation, when such a Prince should preside over them?
SUCH a King would begin his Reign with doing Honours to the excellent Sovereign, who reigned before him, and whilst he lamented
See his Majesty's Declaration.
his own Loss, and that of the Nation, would graciously declare his own sincere Attachment to his native Country, whose Honour, Interest, and Happiness are most dear to him. He would begin his Reign by the Encouragement of Piety and Virtue,
"seriously and religiously considering that it is his indispensible Duty to be careful, above all other things, to preserve and advance the Honour and Service of Almighty God."
See the Beginning of the Proclamation.
How aweful is Virtue, when she dictates from a Throne! How amiable is Goodness, when cloathed in the Robes of Royalty! Such a King would by his first Appearance and Behaviour to all Ranks and Degrees of Men, conciliate the Affections of his Subjects, raise their drooping Spirits, wipe the Tear from every Eye, and dispel the Anguish from every Heart.
IF we know such a King, we know the greatest Happiness that a Nation can enjoy; let us put up our earnest Prayers to Heaven for the continuance of it.
LET thy Wisdom, O God, be his Guide, and thine Arm strengthen him; let Justice, Truth and Holiness flourish in his Days; direct, O Lord, his Councils, and prosper his Endeavours for the Glory and Welfare of this Nation; and, that we may always rejoice in thy Bounties, may these Blessings be continued to after Ages! Let there never be one wanting in his House to succeed him in the Government of these Kingdoms,
that our Posterity may see his Children's Children, and Peace upon
Israel.
Now to God the Father,
&c.
FINIS.