paths of life, and who hath taken from death the dreaded fting, is at that time more particularly prefent, to ftrengthen every grace, to fortify the mind against the terrors of the powers of darknefs, and to bring comfort to the bed of languifhment when the body is faft wafting away. Believing and rejoicing in Him who is their falvation and their glory, they depart in peace, willing to be abfent from the body, and prefent with the Lord; having a foretaste of promifed joys. Thus they triumph in the hour of death; for God the Saviour is with them. To fuch, the pasfage through the dark vale lofes in a manner all its terrors; and the tremendous gates of death are the portals which lead to thofe pleafures at God's right hand, where, according to St Paul's emphatic language, they fhall be filled with all the fulness of God! In his fight the death of his faints is precious, becaufe by it he brings them to everlasting life. There is in all mankind, unbiaffed by prejudice, an earnest defire and prefage of immortality; and the belief of a future existence is infeparably connected with our idea of an all-powerful, wife, juft and good God.The darknefs that refted on this profpect, notwithftanding the general prevalence of the doctrine, is now removed by the gofpel of Chrift.-He hath brought life and immortality to light, dispelled those clouds that refted on the grave, and pointed out an endless existence beyond the darknefs of its domain. This is the great perfection of the Chriflian inftitution, that it gives the clear promise and sure hopes of eternal life: It reprefents death as a departure hence, in order to our being with our glorified Immanuel, who lives and reigns for ever; and by whom the faints fhall be presented faultlefs before the prefence of the Divine Glory with exceeding joy. We are to confider that everlafting reft afligned to the faints, as the purchase of his merits and peculiar fufferings, fufferings, as one of the greatest and nobleft effects of his afcenfion into heaven, and of his powerful mediation for us at the right hand of God. The felicity of heaven is indeed the gift of God; but that gift is acquired and fecured for us through Jefus Christ our Lord." I give unto my fheep," faith our Lord," the prize of eternal life; and they fhall never perish; neither fhall any one pluck them out ❝ of my hand." This eternal life imports more than we can exprefs or comprehend; fomething more excellent than what our eye hath feen, or our ear hath heard, and beyond what our heart can conceive, Crowns, fceptres and triumphs, wordly fuccefs and profperity, are but faint refemblances of this eternal, unspeakable, and inconceiveable happiness. No pain, nor forrow, nor death, are there. There is fulness of joy and happiness for ever; in kind and degree, too great to be expreffed, and too glorious to be comprehended, by men who dwell in bodies of clay. Nor fhall the fouls of the faints only be thus bleffed and happy. Their bodies, which now reft in hope, shall alfo be raised with immortal beauty and excellence. They are ftill under the guardianship of that bleffed Saviour, who will not fuffer one atom to perifh; who was himself the "firft fruits of them that fleep ;" who, by the refurrection of his own body, has confecrated theirs to a bleffed immortality. "For, fince "by man came death, by man came alfo the refur"rection of the dead: and therefore, when Chrift "who is our life fhall appear, we fhall alfo appear "with him in glory." By that Almighty power by which he made the worlds, and upholds them in being, by which he nailed our fins to the crofs, triumphed over the King of terrors, and conquered all the legions of the prince of darkness, he will also refcue all our captive bodies from the power of the grave, raise them up in his own moft glorious likenefs, and "fwallow up death in victory." He will command " command the four winds to restore thofe bodies which Upon this folemn occafion, you will furely excufe me for indulging the feelings of my own heart, while I bear this public teftimony to his worth, who was` my much valued father and friend. By this tribute of respect to his memory, I mean to fhow that diftinguishing grace of God by which he walked in all his commandments and ordinances fo blameless. Though he excelled in every virtue, humility was a prominent feature in his character; and, by this honourable mark of diftinction, he proved his relation to his humble and condefcending Saviour. Though abftracted in a great measure from the world, he had a juft difcernment of men and charac ters. The venerable gravity of his countenance awed the wicked into filence, reverence and refpect; while the affable sweetness and gentlenefs of his manners, conciliated the favour and friendship of all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance. His mind was ever ferious, and he was often filent in mixed converfa tion: yet, with a few chofen friends, no one was more cheerful. Poffeffed of that "charity which is "the ( "the bond of perfectnefs," he was flow to believe evil reports, and was ever ready to reprefs those calumnies, which malice invents, and fpite utters. Because he was precious in the fight of the Lord, like all his people he was frequently in the furnace of affliction; and with a truly Chriftian refignation, he bore every forrow. This was very apparent, when he was exercifed by a providence exceedingly afflictive, the death of his eldest fon, an amiable and excellent young man, whofe temper and talents had excited in all his friends and companions many a flattering and fond hope. Under that afflicting ftroke, like Aaron, he "held his peace;" and was calmly refigned to the difpofal of that infinite Wisdom, which best knows when to give, and when to take away. He was endued with a fweet and affectionate natural temper, the ornament of a meek and quiet fpirit, which made his family happy. In him, at once, were feen the virtues of the Father, the Hufband, the Mafter, and the Friend; in all which characters, he eminently adorned his religious profeffion and his public office. As a minifter of the gofpel, you of this congregation in particular well know how he conducted himself;with what devout affections and propriety he poured out his prayers before God, with you, and for you; -with what ferioufnefs and fidelity he preached to you the doctrines and duties of our holy religion,not in the words of man's wifdom, but in that plainnefs and fimplicity of language which conftitute the true fublime, and which beft become the fervants of a crucified Mafter. He preached not himself, but Chrift Jefus the Lord, who was all his falvation and defire, and the only hope for guilty perifhing finners. There was fomething moving in the manner of his addrefs; and the mild benevolence of his afpect, engaged the heart in his favour, before he uttered a word. He always fpoke as one in earneft; 2 L and and all who attended his holy miniftrations, were confirmed in the perfuafion, that he himself felt what he delivered to them. He was indeed a fon of confolation, who could fuccour and comfort the feeble and difconfolate, and teach the mournful eye to look up to heaven. His Mafter's work was conftantly on his heart; and he was often known to preach, when the state of his health required him to defift. Nor did he ferve God with that which had cost him nothing; he applied himself in earnest to the duties of his office and few minifters have spent more time in holy folitude, in fecret prayer, in reading the fcriptures, and in writing out his fermons at large. In a word, he spent, and was spent, in his pastoral labours; and the Lord owned his miniftry to the conviction of many, who will be his joy and crown in the day of the Lord. Ye are witneffes to the fidelity and diligence with which he difcharged the duties of his office; by preaching the word, catechifing and exhorting his flock in private; efpecially the poor, the widows and the fatherless, in their affliction. Ye are witneffes, and God alfo is witness, in what a holy, and juft, and unblameable manner, he behaved himself amongst you to his dying hour, adorning the doctrine which he maintained and inculcated. As the life of this eminent faint was ufeful, laborious, and exemplary: fo, his death was ferene, comfortable, and precious in the fight of the Lord;-fo precious, that he was mercifully exempted from tedious ficknefs and painful fufferings, the ufual forerunners of the King of terrors. On the morning of that day which removed him to a better ftate, he was feized with an apoplexy, which proved fatal. From the moment he was feized with the diforder, he continued totally infenfible, till about o'clock in the evening; when he quietly fell afleep in Jefus, whom he loved and adored; and his happy foul took its triumphant flight to thofe manfions of 7 eternal |