The Sun.
London, England, 1817-11-28 00:00:00

LITERARY REVIEW.

A SERMON, preached in the Parish church of Harrow on
the Hill, au Sanday, November 9, 1817, on the sodden and
lamented death of Her Royal Highness the Princess CoArt-
' 1-arrs. By J. W. CuNNtsunr.vm, A. M. late r ellow of St.
Jtshti's, Cambridge, Vicar of Harrow, and Domestic Chap-
lain to the Right Hon. Lord NOSTWOICK--HATCHARDI
tadill ; SEELY, Fleet-street ; and Casta.t. and DAvt
Strand.

To the credit. of our Clergy the great majority
of them, indeed there are very few instances to the
cwittary, havecome forward on the recent melan-
choly occasion to pay a due tribute of respect to
the departed ratNcEss, to show the fleeting na-
tore of all eartislyeujoyments, and to inculcate
pious resignation to the Divine Dispensations.—
We learn, from a,brief AddreSs to A. CAMPBELL,
Yel., that this Sermon was published at .the ex-
peace of that Gentleman, and in contortnity to the
tequest of the Author's friends. " Itegnest of
friends" is a traditional excuse for the vanity

of publication, but on the present occasion we
are induced to thank the friends of the author, and
• • the Crew Z.e man at whose: expence the Discourse
eras pqbliSitt4, for. havint induced lam to extend
his Otitis. exhortations beyond (he limits of his
own Congregation. The Sermon is divided under
. five general heads, vie.. the
.vatticy of all buttou
tiiiisgs, the emptiness and warthlessitess of all
homatudistinctions, the inaccuracy of all hutuatt
calculations, the vanity of all human hopes, and,
lastly, the transcendant value of real Religion.
• All these topics the Intkur has treated succinctly
but ensphatically. Its the ptogress of his Discourse
be has illustrated the character, and bestowed due
praise on the virtues, of the departed PRINCESS.
AA, bOwever, notwithstanding all our sorrow, the
business of life must go on, we shall select the
fao wing passage, ask relates to the excellent Mo-
rasrefs who was the great prop of our national
faith, and whose principles, wishes, and inten-
tions, it is tlic more necessary for us to observe,
because he is unhappily no longer capable of en-
forcing them by Isis example. Under the head of
The Vanity of .all human hopes, the Preacher
says—

" Perhaps there are few instances in which the
hopes of a nation have received a strougur
iut-
pulse, and a more decided direction, from the
birth and progress of an individual, than from
those of the illustrious personage to whom our
attention is now so solemnly called. These hopes
have arisen trout a variety of causes. I shall
name out a few.
" They arose, in the first place, out of the
character and ioLluence of the present ltrigu. Of
. our reveted Sovereign it is our ,zuelanchoty privi-
lege to speak,
.even while 'living, in terms of 'the
signing to v.iti his personal regard, or to promote
our individual interests. Under - these circum-
stances, then, I may be permitted to say of our
afflicted Sovereign, that prObably no nation ever
owed more to the personal virtues of a Monarch,
than we owe to those of the Monarch on the
Throne. Very. few Sovereigns have more assidu-
ously thrown the spleudnur of the Throne around
the institutions of Religion—pr made Religion
more a personal concert-I.—or publicly cherished
its interests—or fed the flame of it in, the
breasts of his subjects by daily example. Perhaps
he was one of the few Ala:lambs of his time who
never missed family devotious. And 'the influence
of this example, I may venture to add, has been
such, under the blessing of Divine L'tovidence, as
we had a tight to anticipate. Perhaps no reign,
in the annals of our history, has beeti marked by
a more rapid progress in piety and morals. Be-
- neeolent and religious institutions have multiplied
with incredible rapidity. As many_ Bibles and
Prayer-hooks are now distributed in this kingdom
is a single.year, as were before distributed in ten
times that period.--Nor are our exertions con-
fitted to these realms. The national piety and
benevoleoce Nave, as it were, spurned the na-
tional confines, and, overleaping seas and noun-
. tilt's, have made all nations participators in our
spiritual and temporal blessings. Our own coon-
. trytnen are rapidly planting the Gospel in every
spot.in which there is a sufferer to be comforted,
or a sinner us be saved. Am I, then, inaccurate
in saying, that the present Reign had cherished in
its a hope that every member of this Illustrious
Family would perpetuate and extend our blessings
—had taught us to expect much from our &we-
' reigos—luul led us to consider the highest spot
in ,aar Common wealflt as that from which, utukr
God, s6itie of 'best earthly gifts were to flow down
upon us—had disposed us to consider the splen-
-0,,,ir of the Throne, not as an empty meteor, but
as a steady lutoiaary,_lighted in heaven, and stied-
' thug a salutary beaus over the dark places, di 9ur
country—(tact taught us that the highest indivi-s
dual in the country was not unlikely' to be the
best i"

As such have been the blessings resulting from
, the reign of our genet able Monarch, we confi-
t:eutly trust that the Illustrious Personage who

".'‘ acts io ths name and on the behalf .of MA•
J ZSTY," will Steictly adhere to the religious prin-
ciiles of that pious Monarch, in guarding the
,CIIII.ECA trout all the attempts of Po-
rtay to sap its fouildatiou, and effect its downfall,
a purpose which it would assuredly endeavour to
accosuplisit, if ever it should be admitted to a
virticipation-lo political potver. We are unwilling
t, with the awful subjects of the
present Discourse, but our CONSTITUTION in

( rstrecks ::roc! STA re readers us the A.lsoiratiou aud

r y