for me; but weep for yourselves, and for your children."

This I am fure, is an inftruction, which the day itself feems naturally to afford us, and which I thall, therefore, purfue in both its branches; fhewing you,

I. First, That we mifplace our grief, if we employ it in bewailing and lamenting our martyred fovereign; And,

II. Secondly, That the true end of these annual bumiliations is," to weep for ourfelves, and for our children;" to deplore the guilt which our fore-fathers contracted by this inhuman deed, and which, we have reafon to fear, is not even yet fully expiated,

I. First, In the early ages of the church, the custom was annually to obferve those days, on which the martyrs were crowned (fuch was the language of that time), not with dejected looks, or any outward expreffions of forrow; but with the folemnities ufual on birth-days (and fuch also they were ftyled), even with all poffible inftances of devout exultation and joy. Upon these occafions, pious Chriftians flocked to the places, where thofe faithful fervants of Chrift flept, or had fealed the truth of their teftimony with their blood : There they held their facred affemblies (as they afterwards built their churches). There they made their euchariftic oblations, and celebrated their feafts of love; gave thanks to God for the exemplary virtues and graces, which adorned the

lives

lives and deaths of those holy persons, and excited themselves into like degrees of Chriftian zeal and fervor.

Their behaviour in these cafes fhould be the rule of ours, and teach us to observe this anniversary in fuch a manner, as may render it most honourable to the dead, and moft ufeful to the living. To that end, it will become us, not vainly to indulge our grief, or our refentments, in behalf of our much-injured prince; not fruitlefly to spend our time in lamenting his misfortunes; but rather to employ it in magnifying the grace of God, which enabled him fo conftantly to endure them, and fo heartily to forgive the authors of them; which armed him with fuch a wondrous degree of meeknefs and patience; infpired him with fuch Christian magnanimity and courage, as made him fhine with a greater luftre in the depth of his fufferings, than he did in his moft flourishing circumstances; and put off his crown after a more glorious manner, than he first wore it on the day of his coronation.

Indeed, the mind of man, filled with vain ideas of worldly pomp and greatness, is apt to admire thofe princes moft, who are most fortunate, and have filled the world with the fame of their fuccefsful atchievements. But to thofe, who weigh things in the balance of right reason, and true religion, it will, I am perfuaded, appear that the character of this excellent king, even while he was in his lowest and most afflicted ftate, had fomething it, more truly great and noble, than all the triumphs of conquerors; fomething, that raised him as far above the moit profperous princes, as

they

they themselves feem raifed above the reft of mankind.

Many kings there have been,as happy as all worldly felicity could make them; and fome of thefe have diftinguifhed themselves as much by their virtues, as their happiness. But the poffeffors of thofe virtues, being feated on a throne, difplayed them from thence with all manner of advantage; their good actions appeared in the best light, by reason of the high orb, in which they moved, while performing them; whereas, the royal virtues, which we this day celebrate, fhone brighteft in affliction, and when all external marks of royal state and dignity were wanting to recommend them. Vthers, perhaps, may have been as juft, as beneficent, as merciful in the exercife of their royal power, as this good king was; but none furely did ever maintain fuch a majestic evenness and ferenity of mind, when defpoiled of that power, when ftripped of every thing but a good cause, and a good confcience; when deftitute of all hopes of fuccour from his friends, or of mercy from his enemies: Then, even then, did he poffefs his foul in peace, and patiently expect the event, without the leaft outward fign of dejection or discompofure. He remembred himself to be a king, when all the world befide feemed to have forgotten it; when his inferiors treated him with infolence, and his equals with indifference; when he was brought before that infamous tribunal, where his own fubjects fat as his judges; and even when he came to die. by their fentence.-In all these fad circumstances, on all these trying occafions, he fpake, he did nothing, which miibecame the high character he

bore,

bore, and will always bear, of a great king, and one of the best of Chriftians. And this mixture of unaffected greatness and goodness, in the extremity of mifery, was, I fay, his peculiar and di ftinguishing excellence. Other royal qualities, that adorn prosperity, he shared in common with others of his rank; but in the decent and kingly exercise of these paffive graces, he had, among the lift of princes, no fuperior, no equal, no rival.

Indeed, the laft fcene of his fufferings was very dismal; and fuch, from which mere human nature, unfupported by extraordinary degrees of grace, muft needs have fhrunk back a little af frighted, and feemed defirous of declining. But thofe fuccours were not wanting to him; for he went even through this last trial, unfhaken; and submitted his royal head to the stroke of the executioner, with as much tranquility and meek. nefs, as he had borne leffer barbarities. The paff age through this red fea was bloody, but fhort; a divine hand ftrengthened him in it, and conducted him through it; and he foon reached the fhore of blifs and immortality.

He is now at reft in thofe manfions, where "tears are wiped from all eyes, where there is neither death, nor pain nor crying," and from whence "forrow and tighs do flee away." Where fore, "let us not mourn, refufing to be comforted; but let us rather (as thofe carly Chriftians did on the like occafions)" rejoice with exceed ing joy" Rendering to God our thanks, that he hath been pleased, in thefe laft and moit degene rete times, to afford us fuch an illustrious pat

tern

tern of virtue and goodness, as even the pureft ages of Christianity would have looked up to with reverence; that, by this means, he hath given to loofe and prophane men an inftance of the great power of thofe religious principles, which did, and which only could, fupport the mind of this pious prince under all the indignities and miferies that befel him.

What an honour is it to that church, at whofe breaft he first fucked these principles, to have been inftrumental in fowing the firft feeds, from whence fuch excellent fruits afterwards iprang! How ought the to boast and triumph in this thought, that a prince, who excelled as much in the knowledge as in the practice of religion, fhould be fo fim and unmoveable an affertor of her doctrine, and discipline, and worship! which he therefore valued highly, becaufe he underftood them thoroughly: That he should go on to maintain her caufe, even long after he defpaired of maintaining his own, or of being able to retrieve his loft crown and dignity! and that, after he had thus defended her faith, during his life, he fhould recommend it ftill more at his death by dying in it and for it!

But the more excellent the character of this prince was, the more barbarous and brutal was the rage by which he fell. Every confideration, which heightens his matchlefs virtues, and en dears his memory to us, ferves also to enhance the wickedness of those fons of Belial, who were the inftruments of his ruin, and embrued their hands in his blood. And therefore, though we have 66 for him," yet have we

no occafion to weep

great