nefs, to fee her fubjects unite in love and mutual confidence; to fee those heats and animofities buried in oblivion, which threaten the peace of our Ifrael. But why do I fully the glories of this day with mention of our divifions, thofe wounds of our country, at which her beft life flows out, and leaves her fickly in the very feason of her youth, and whilft all her honours bloom fresh around her? How earneftly has the Queen commanded, exhorted, entreated, nay even begged of you to forget your refentments? And could you but offer up to her the quarrels of your country, it would be a more welcome prefent, than fhould you lay the treafures of both Indies at her feet.

Thus happy in the affections of her Queen, Britain muft ever think of her with joy and pleasure : and yet one circumstance there is that often gives her pain, always when the reflects, that her Princefs is mortal; witness her late diftraction, when uncertain fame variously reported her Princess's illness. Not Rome was more difmayed when Hannibal was at her gates; every thing was fear and confufion, and men began to look fufpiciously on each other, as if in every face they had feen a foe; the treafury of the city one would have thought was plundering; and yet no enemy was near, but Britain in her diforder was preying on herself.

Bleffed be the Power, the almighty Power, that has difpelled these fears! Let every heart be lifted up in praife to his holy name, who hath given life and falvation to his fervant, and hath not denied the requeft of her lips.

And yet when the requested life, it was for her

country's fake, and not her own; her mortality is what the oftener and more willingly thinks on than we do; and whenever the does, finds nothing to difturb her mind, but the concern for her people, who will be left behind her: a concern that has more than once been expreffed in the most generous regard to pofterity, by providing for the future peace and happiness of these kingdoms, in the fettlement of the crown on the ILLUSTRIOUS HOUSE OF HANOVER. A bleffing, for which the nation can never be thankful enough. But it raises an indignation unbecoming this day, to hear fome pleading their affection to this happy settlement, as a mark and distinction of their party; a fettlement, which is undeniably our common good, and, I trust also, our common care. But let no profpect of diftant happiness, how entertaining foever, render us infenfible of the prefent good we enjoy ; but let every wish that looks to the fucceffion, centre in this point, that we may never fee it; that our country may never lofe it: whilft we live may this day return (and whilst it does return, it always will) with fresh honour: but when we are forgot; when fhe, who is our glory, is called to a better throne, may late pofterity enjoy the fruits of her care, in deriving the crown upon fo noble a family. As long as our wishes are confined within these limits, there is no reason to make a fecret of our affection to the Proteftant fucceffion; it is an affection which every lover of his country ought frankly to proclaim; which is the proper way of keeping this common concern from becoming a party caufe; and

ftilling those fears and jealoufies, which are deftructive of our peace and happiness.

May He, who ftilleth the raging of the feas, and the noife of their waves, and the tumult of the people, fend us peace and concord, and minds capable of enjoying the bleffings which he has fo plentifully fhowered on us: and to complete our happiness, may he add length of days to our gracious Sovereign, and continue her to be a comfort to her people, till fhe fhall as far furpass the oldest of her predeceffors in number of years, as she has already outdone the bravest in honour and glory.

DISCOURSE V.

ACTS vii. 25.

For he fuppofed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them; but they underflood not.

THE text is part of the dying fpeech of St. Ste

phen, which he delivered to the high priest and the people, just before he was offered up a glorious facrifice for the truth of the Gofpel of Chrift. The defign of it was to fet before the people of Ifrael the hiftory of their redemption from flavery and idolatry, and to ftir them up to attend to the present offers of peace through Chrift Jefus, by fhewing them the fatal mistakes they had often made in despifing or abusing former mercies. Mofes was their great prophet and their lawgiver; Mofes was in the highest veneration among them; for his fake, and to preserve the authority of his laws, they refused to hearken to any other teacher; and therefore rejected the Gospel as tending to fubvert the constitutions of Mofes. Yet how was this man received? How was this deliverer entertained? Was he not evil-intreated? Was he not, before he could work their de

ap

liverance, forced to feek his own by an hafty flight from them into the land of Midian? When he peared in the fpirit of the Lord, to avenge the wrongs of his people, and fmote the Egyptian who oppreffed the Ifraelite, the very next day he was reproached by his brethren for the murder, as they called it for he had given them a provocation which it seems they could not bear; he had fhewed himfelf unto them as they firove, and would have fet them at one again, faying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another? So far did the private paffions and refentments prevail against the confiderations of public fafety, that delivering them from the Egyptians was no merit, because he endeavoured alfo to deliver them from one another.

To draw parallels between the hiftories in Scripture, and those of our own times, is so flippery a fubject, fo liable to be influenced by the paffions of the fpeaker, who can eafily overlook the circumftances which fuit not with his view, choose out and adorn those which do; that in fuch applications of Scripture hiftory, there is very great danger of miffing the Scripture doctrine, and publishing our own partial fentiments, under the cover of the book of God, which was given to correct and amend them. I fhall therefore, without trying to fhew you how like we are in all refpects, or in any, to the people of Ifrael; or how nearly our enemies resemble the Egyptians; confine myself to such observations, and fuch applications of them, as naturally arife from the text and our own circumftances.

First then, we may obferve from the text, that Mofes, though raised by God in a wonderful man