to Others, those Happy Others, whose Noble Characters and Noble Qualities do confpire to render them Aimiable and Dear to the Societies of Men, is Voluntary and Generous, the effect of Hearts flowing with Love and Zeal towards them.

When the Highest Titles are thus Joyn'd by the Brighteft Virtues, they cannot Fail of raifing the Highest Approbation and Efteem in all the Wifest and Best of Men. And Such Honour may well be accounted a Bleffing, which hath excited the Greateft Perfons to the Greatest Actions and Enterprizes, in all Ages of the World. So long as the Defire of it does not proceed from Pride, nor Degenerate into Vainglory; fo long as it is not mens Chief, but Subordinate Aim; fo long as it is Subfervient to the Love of God, and Bounded by the Laws of Religion; all which Circumstances are Suppofed in the Character of a Good man; That Defire of it is a Natural and Juft Affection, as the Attainment of it is a Proper Refreshment and Reward of Pure and Virtuous Minds.

And the Stability of this Bleffing is

Equal to the Purity and the Excellency of it. Riches, or Life, may be taken away by Force, or, however, Each of them is the Certain Prey of Devouring Time; But Honour is a Bleffing too Great to be Destroyed by the most Potent and Bitter Enemies: It rifeth the Higher, by the Oppofition it meets with, and is so far from yielding to the Cankering Efforts of Time, that it gathers Strength by it's Continuance, and is ever gaining new Degrees of Beauty and Perfection.

Having gone through the Particulars propofed from the Words, I should now briefly Apply them to the Occafion of this Difcourfe; And yet, fuch an Application is fo Obvious, that it seems almost needless to Offer it.

What hath been obferved concerning Length of Days, muft Already have affected us with full Joy, under the Thoughts of that Honourable Perfon, whom we here fee attended with the Blessings of Long Life, without the Burthen of it; Whom God is ftill pleased to Guard against This Great Caufe of Complaint, which is Ufually Incident to Others, in a much Ear

lier Period, That their strength is Then but Labour and Sorrow; And, Who is now as Happy, in being Free from the Infirinities of the Mind, as He hath all along been in that Courfe of Virtue, which is the Neceffary Provifion of fo Valuable a Freedom. I only Mention that Course of Virtue, without Venturing to Offend, by a Particular Account of it; for Good men do Agree with Others of a Quite Different Character, in This Respect, that Neither of them can Eafily bear an Account of their Own Lives and Actions.

However; Neither the Fear of Offending the Chastest ears, even by a Detail of plain Truths, on the One hand; nor yet an Utter Abhorrence of the Abominable fin of Flattery, on the Other, fhould reftrain me from fuggefting the Neceffity of our Offering up Praises to God, for the Beneficial Ufe, which this Noble Hand hath made of Riches, the Second Advantage propofed in the Text. His Generous and Lafting Provifions for the Education of Youth, the Advancement of Learning, and the Defence and Propagation of Religion, Cannot be Concealed, and fhall never

be Forgot. Bleffed the Man, who thus Cultivates and Inricheth his Countrey, by his Paffage through it!

Honour is the Laft Talent mention'd in the Text; And this alfo the fame Faithful Hand hath Preferv'd without Violation, and Improved to the Utmoft Advantage; For where a Title of Honour, and an Honourable Life, do reflect a Mutual and Constant Luftre upon one another, There is Honour Indeed. And yet, the Honour thus Defcended, and thus Adorned, does not stand Alone, but in a Happy Union with the Honour of Epifcopacy, and That Episcopal Honour This day rifen, in it's Duration, to the Meridian of a Century, and shining forth in it's Full Strength. Abundant Reafon have we to Rejoyce under the Benign Afpect of the Mitre and the Coronet in Conjunction, a Conjunction which hath Seldom appeared in the World. A Few Perfons indeed of Noble Descent are recorded amongst the Bishops of the First Ages: But of Some we know Little more than their Names; and the Account of Others is, that Their Enjoyment of this Double Honour was but

Short.

Short, It Refted upon the Great St. Bafil, but a little more than Eight Years, before he followed his Noble and Pious Anceftours to the Manfions of Glory Above. May the Sun bring many Returns of This Joyful and Memorable Day, before the Like Event arifeth in This Place!

So Many and fo Great Bleffings hath Heaven bestowed upon this Honourable, and Venerable Perfon.

Indeed in That Church, which hath added Covetousness to it's Other Idolatries, and fo Aggrandized it's Spiritual Stations, that Many Mighty and Many Noble are Tempted to Prefs into Them, Epifcopacy, Secular Honours, and Vaft Treasures do often meet together. But in the Catholick Church of Chrift, Before They of the Roman Communion, by Unwarrantable Tenets and Practices, Separated from it, and Since We have, by Relinquishing Them, been Re-united to it, All These Blessings have scarce even been Found Centring in One man, and in the fame Degrees of Perfection and Duration, as in This Illuftrious Perfon, whom the King of Heaven hath thus Bleffed, and the Kings

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