Let not any of us go away from hence, to return to our former evil ways; if we do, Bitterness, and not Peace; Damnation, and not Happiness, will be our End. And your Mifery, and Hell will be made more dreadful, and aggravated by this very Sermon, and this very Providence. The Perfon that is now Dead, fpeaketh to you in fuch a manner, as will encrease your future Torment, if you refufe to hear; yea, He will rife up in Judgment against you. COULD I now tell the prophane Wretch, that if he perfifteth in his Debaucheries, and Impenitency, this Perfon will certainly appear to him in this World, and fhall come out of his Grave to reprove and terrify him: this would startle the moft harden'd Sinner, and in all probability be a reftraint to him. Well, I can affure you of fomething that's unfpeakably more dreadful; namely, that when the Dead fhall be rais'd at the Day of Judg ment, He will then ftand at the Bar of God to witnefs against you. BUT if the Death of his Body now may prove the Life of your Souls; it will add add to his Happiness and Glory at last; and will be look❜d upon by him, as what was worth Dying for. Let us then be perfuaded by his Example, and Advice, to feek for an Intereft in the Blood, and Favour of Chrift; to get our great Work done before it be too late; to live Godly, Righteous, and Sober Lives; fo fhall our End, with his, be Everlasting Peace. HERE I should have concluded, if the Confideration of the AGE of our departed Acquaintance had not made it more than pertinent to addrefs my self particularly to those that are YOUNG. And fure fuch should double their Regard, and Attention to the Language of this Remark-. able Day, wherein one Funeral Sermon is but the Preface to another *; and both occafion'd by the Death of young Perfons. To fuch therefore I would recommend the following Admonitions. 1. DON'T put far from you the Day of Death, and of Judgment. None are Mrs. Gravener's Funeral Sermon, Preach'd in the Af ternoon. too too young to Die; therefore let none of us think our felves too young to prepare for Death. It is but a little while fince the Perfon, whose Decease this Season calls upon us to improve, was Worshipping God in this place, as we now are; and for any thing we know,in as little time, and as few Day's hence, we may be laid where he now is. O that we were wife, that we understood this, that we would confider our latter End *. Think not that in the time of Youth you may indulge to your Lufts; take your fill of Pleasures; and put the evil Day far from you: but confider what the End of these things will be; and how fuddenly, and unexpectedly this End may come. Remember, and let it reftrain, and moderate thy Defires after, and Delight in fenfual Pleasures, and Enjoyments, That for all these things God will bring thee to Judgment †. 2. DON'T reft till your Peace be made with God. If you are reached by any Convictions at prefent; and are now under the working of any ferious Impref fions; let it be your Endeavour to attend to 'em, and immediately comply with them. You are not fure of the like Advantage again; or that ever God will speak to your Confciences in fuch a manner any more*. Especially if you fhould now go away, and feek to get rid of your prefent Thoughts, instead of Cherishing and Indulging them, I am fure you have abundant Reason to be afraid of the worst. IT is a common thing for such as are under the Influence of ftrong Convictions, to promise they will fome time, or other bereafter hearken to 'em, and fet about their Duty; but they know not how to do it yet. Do you confider, that you muft promife for God, as well as your felves, that otherwife your Refolves are all nothing? And that if you are not sure of the Grace, and Spirit of God, to render your purposes Effectual, they will all vanish and be forgot? If you feriously Non femper idem Floribus eft bonos Confiliis animum fatigas. Hor. Lib. 2. Ode 11. Thought Thought of this, you would not dare to run the Hazzard, and venture of a Mo ment's delay, when once you found the Spirit of God moving, and enclining you to Repent and be Converted. BUT, fays the Brisk and Jovial young Man, I am now in the Age of Liber ty; and for a while fure I may take my Swing; may indulge my Natural Inclinations and Affections; I hope to Repent of my Sins before I die, and to become a good Chriftian. I'll grant for the present, that you may come to Repentance hereafter; but do you know what that is? And what you mean, when you say you hope to Repent? In plain English your hope is this, that God will fome time or other, make every Vein of your Hearts ake,and bleed in looking back to what you are now a doing. If you may but run into this and that Sin at prefent, you hope that in the bittereft Agonies and Horrors, you shall one day wish you had never Committed it. You hope you are doing that which shall make you tremble, and ready to tear your felves in pieces, when you come to Reflect upon it. Now how unreafonable, and mad this talk is, I leave to your own determination: And, O that I |