At the end of the Creed, the archbishop of York preached the sermon in
the pulpit placed against the pillar at the north-east corner of the
theatre. The King listened to the same sitting in his chair on the
south side of the altar, over against the pulpit.
The Sermon.
His text was the 23d chapter of the Second Book of Samuel, and the 3d
and 4th verses.
"He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.
And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth,
even a morning without clouds."
Such, observed his Grace, were the words of a pious Prince, whose
opinions had been matured by experience. A steady adherence to the
maxims there laid down could scarcely fail to preserve from error,
and would at once inspire the subject with a reverence for the
sovereign, and impress the sovereign with a sense of those
obligations which bound him to render justice to the people. The
duties of kings were of a particular nature, and the subject was one
of more than common importance upon a day like the present, which
was to be marked by the solemnization of that contract by which the
king bound himself to rule with justice and equity. The highest
station, and the most exalted rank, were not free from the
infirmities of nature; and it therefore behoved the sovereign not to
forget that he was himself but the minister of a higher authority,
and that it was his duty so to exert the power which resided in him,
as to secure the love and attachment of his people. The history of
all nations would show that the people were not ungrateful under the
administration of good kings. It was true, that it was the
disposition of human nature to imagine grievances where in reality
none existed; but still there were many real grievances which a king
had the power and ought to have the disposition to relieve. The
text which he had just read naturally led to the consideration of
what were the principles which constituted a good government. In a
moral point of view, no distinction could be drawn between the
duties due from one individual to another, and those due from a
monarch to his people. It ought not to be forgotten that natural
equity demanded the same degree of observance with regard to the
contract entered into with a whole people, as it did to those
obligations into which individuals entered with regard to each
other. There was no higher duty incumbent upon kings than that of
selecting proper persons to represent them in the different
departments of state. Upon that step how much of the happiness of
the people would depend! It was a proud reflection, that no nation
stood more high in the estimation of surrounding nations, or was
more admired for its morality, its attention to religious duties,
the justice of its measures, or the soundness of its general policy,
than our own. He insisted that it was necessary to preserve and to
encourage that feeling by a reciprocal attention, on the parts both
of the monarch and of the people, to those duties which were due
from each. If such an attention was not given, it would be in vain
to expect national happiness; and however successful we might be in
our dealings with foreign nations, still it ought not to be
forgotten that the apparent prosperity of a nation ought not to be
regarded as an evidence of the happiness of its people. But, above
all, it was necessary that the king should seek to secure respect to
himself and obedience to the laws, by displaying in his own person
an example of good conduct. It was the province of the monarch to
reflect that he was responsible not only for his own actions, but
also for that evil which the direct influence of his own example
might accomplish. Well, therefore, had it been said in the words of
his text, "He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear
of God." A good government would secure to itself a due observance
of its own rights, and would also afford to the people the
protection of its wisdom and power. His Grace, after some general
remarks on the duties of kings, proceeded to observe, that the House
of Hanover had always been distinguished by its devotion to the
interests of true religion. Our late venerable sovereign had
presented a striking example of royal goodness by the attention
which had always marked both his public and private conduct; and we
were bound to hope (upon looking to the past) that the sovereign who
was now about to receive the imperial crown of his ancestors would
be equally remarkable for the exemplary discharge of the duties of
royalty. Nor ought it to be forgotten that the illustrious
individual, to whom he had alluded, had not been unused to the
functions of government; and that he had given proofs of such
capacity and disposition as enabled us to form good hopes of the
future. At the time when he had first been called to the exercise of
the supreme power, he had found the country involved in a war which
threatened its existence--a war which had not been engaged in on our
part for the purposes of aggrandisement, but for the defence and
preservation of our rights. Under his superintendence that war had
been concluded, and its conclusion had been marked by exertions
unparalleled in the history of any nation. Under such auspices,
therefore, it was right to anticipate all those blessings which
could arise on one hand from the protection of a just and wise
monarch, and on the other from the affections of a loyal and happy
people. "Let us then adore that Almighty Providence which has
conferred upon us such a sovereign; let us implore that blessings
may be multiplied on his head, and that his reign may be prosperous
and happy."
His Grace commenced the Sermon at a quarter past twelve, and ended it at
about a quarter to one.
The King was uncovered during the offering and the service that
followed; when the sermon commenced he put on his cap of crimson velvet
turned up with ermine, and remained covered to the end of it.
On his Majesty's right hand stood the bishop of Durham, and beyond him,
on the same side, the lords that carried the swords. On his Majesty's
left hand stood the bishop of Bath and Wells, and the lord great
chamberlain.
On the north side of the altar sat the archbishop in a purple velvet
chair; the bishops were placed on forms along the north side of the
wall, betwixt the King and the pulpit. Near the archbishop stood garter,
king at arms. On the south side, east of the King's chair, nearer to the
altar, stood the dean of Westminster, the rest of the bishops who took
part in the church service, and the prebendaries of Westminster.