dream, why does it not equally decline with the Animal Spirits, which are but refin'd Matter? Since Experience teftifies the contrary, we may conclude from Fact, that when the Soul is perfectly feparated from this clogging Body, it enjoys the trueft Liberty. This made Heraclitus fay, that the Soul goes out of the Body as Lightning from a Cloud, becaufe 'tis never more clear in its Conceptions than when freed from Matter. 'Twas a Thought of this nature, that help'd to perfect the late Earl of Rochester's Perfuafion of the Soul's Immortality, viz. "When Sickness had brought "him fo near Death, and his Spirits were fo "low and spent, that he could not move "nor ftir, and he did not think to live an "hour; he faid his Reafon and Judgment were "fo clear and ftrong, that from thence he "was fully perfuaded, that Death was not "the fpending or diffolution of the Soul, "but only the Separation of it from Mat"ter."

But farther, as the Notion of the Soul's paffing into an unactive State at Death is repugnant to Reafon, fo 'tis contrary to Divine Revelation. We read of the Spirits of juft Men Heb. 12. 23. made perfect. Now tho the Perfection of departed Souls is not abfolute, yet it is a Perfection that cannot confift with a dead Unativity. How abfurd is it to imagine that the Spirits of juft Men are in a dead Sleep, from their Entrance into Heaven to the time of the first Refurrection, when they are again to unite

* See his Life written by Dr. Burnet, now Lord Bishop of Sarum, P. 20, 21.

with

Ver. 8.

with their Bodies? The Apostle Paul had certainly other Sentiments about human Spirits; Cor. 5. 6. for he afferts, That whilst we are at home in the Body, we are abfent from the Lord. Again, We are confident, I fay, and willing rather ta be abfent from the Body, and to be prefent with the Lord. From thefe places 'tis evident, that the Apostle believ'd that human Spirits did exift in a separate State, and that fuch as were united to Chrift, did pass into his blifsful Prefence, immediately upon diflodging from their Bodies. And furely they cannot be unactive under the Influence of his Glory; the Views they have of his exalted Human Nature, make them like him: and this Likeness must needs produce Delight, and this Delight Wonder, and this Wonder the most Seraphick Ardours, and profound Adorations. Thus much may fuffice to rescue this place from a Misconftruction, into which a curfory or unwary reading of the Phrase might probably lead less thinking People.

I fhall therefore now give you the juft Import of these words, In that very day their Thoughts perish; i. e. All the Defigns they had form'd for this World, either refpecting themfelves or their People; they can no longer purfue the Plans they have laid, for the other State will furnish them with a very different Set of Thoughts. So that the force of the Argument lies here, That fince Princes are as frail as other Men, and their Designs die with them, their Thoughts vanish with their Breath; 'tis unreasonable to put an abfolute Truft in fuch dying Creatures.

How many of the most excellent of the Earth has God remov'd by Death in the midst

of

of their Work, before they could finish the Designs they had form'd?

Mofes the Captain of Ifrael dy'd in the Wilderness, before he had conducted the Ifraelites into the promised Land.

Good King Jofiah died before he was forty Years of Age, and in the midst of his excellent Purposes to reform and exalt his Kingdom.

And Edward the Sixth of England, whom fome have call'd our English Jofiah, was taken off very early, while carrying on the most glorious Designs to make England a happy People.

Julius Cafar was taken off by Death, while he was forming a defign to epitomize the voluminous Works of the Learned Grecians and Romans; together with other Noble and Great things for publick Good.

Guftavus Adolphus, that mighty General and true Friend to the Proteftant Intereft, was remov'd early by Death, before he was 38 Years of Age, and at a time when the Proteftants had vaft Expectations from him.

And thus it was with our late Sovereign of glorious Memory; he was taken away by Death, when the Eyes of all Europe were upon him, waiting for the happy Effects of his Prudent Counfels, and the Succefs of his Victorious Arms. Yet (bleffed be God) we have fome good hope, that his Thoughts will not fo vanish with his Breath, but that his excellent Model, made from Axioms calculated to the Honour and Intereft of Europe, will be pursu'd by his Illustrious Succeffor in the Throne; who has already given the utmost Assurance to make good all the Alliances into which his late Majefty

Majefty enter'd with Foreign Princes, and to defend our Religion and Liberties.

Indeed this is a mighty Relief under our unfpeakable Lofs; a Lofs we must needs deplore! O what a Prince, what a mighty Man is fallen in our English Ifrael! Can we forbear to mourn Our Lofs? No furely, it would argue a wretched Stupidity not to be affected with fo fad a Providence. Surely nothing but a Stoick, or a fworn Enemy to the Proteftant Religion, can refrain from adding a Voice to the Confort of Mourners, when the Death of fo excellent a Prince has delug'd with Sorrow fo many Kingdoms and States. It has been the Cuftom of all Nations, in all Ages, to ufe fome folemn Significations of Mourning upon the Death of good Princes: When Mofes the Servant of the Lord died (who was a King in Jeshurun) the Deut. 34.8. Children of Ifrael are faid to weep for him in the Plains of Moab thirty days.

2 Chron. 32.33.

When King Hezekiah flept with his Fathers, all Judah and the Inhabitants of Jerufalem did him Honour at his Death. And we read that upon the Exit of good fofiah, all Judah and Jerufalem mourn'd; and this Mourning was fo deep, fo folemn, and fo lafting, that in a Book writ about an hundred Years after, it is faid they continued their Mourning for him to that day: and when any extraordinary Mourning happen'd, it was faid to be like the Mourning of Hadadrimmon in the Valley of Megiddon, which was the Mourning occafioned by the Death of good fofiah.

Again, the Hiftorian tells us, that when Conftantine the Great died, the Tribunes, the Centurions, and the whole Order of Judges and Magiftrates greatly lamented his Death.

And

And certainly we of thefe Kingdoms have great occafion of Sorrow, if we confider but a few things with respect to that Excellent Prince whom Death has ravish'd from us. I confefs I fhall labour under great Difadvantages, in fpeaking concerning our late Sovereign, becaufe 'tis impoffible I should relate those Matters which they can, who had the Honour to attend his Perfon.

Yet fuffer me to fay a little, tho 'tis very little that I can fay; for 'tis a Work would become the best Orator to pronounce the Character of William the Third: Whofe Name will be renowned from Generation to Generation, for He deferves to be had in everlasting Remembrance.

Pliny esteem'd them happy who wrote things worthy to be read, but prefer'd those in the degree of Felicity who acted things worthy to be written: And furely no Prince's Actions did more deferve to be written on durable Mcnuments than the Actions of William the Third; a Name that fhall fhine in the Records of Fame, and be read in the British and Dutch Annals as long as Honour, Courage, Justice, Clemency, and Religion fhall be thought to have any Luftre, or find any Countenance in the World. He was the Active and Sprightly Genius of Europe (for fo he was call'd abroad) the Glory of Crown'd Heads in this Age, and fhall be a lafting Wonder in Ages to come; He was the Darling of Providence, the very Man that God delighted to honour.

2

I cannot now speak of the Royal Stem from whence our late Sovereign fprung, and of the Glory and Renown of the Illuftrious Family of Naffau, of which Stock were the principal De

fenders