Joy, the duty of survivors, on the death of pious friends and relatives. A funeral discourse on the death of Mrs. Lucy Waldo, the amiable consort of Mr. Samuel Waldo, merchant in Boston; who departed this life August 7th 1741, in the 38th year of her age. / By Charles Chauncy, A.M. Pastor of the First Church of Christ in Boston. ; [Two lines from Ecclesiastes] Chauncy, Charles, 1705-1787. Approx. 43 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 28 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI : 2009-04. N03808 N03808 Evans 4687 APY0473 4687 99027528

This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal. The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.

Early American Imprints, 1639-1800 ; no. 4687. (Evans-TCP ; no. N03808) Transcribed from: (Readex Archive of Americana ; Early American Imprints, series I ; image set 4687) Images scanned from Readex microprint and microform: (Early American imprints. First series ; no. 4687) Joy, the duty of survivors, on the death of pious friends and relatives. A funeral discourse on the death of Mrs. Lucy Waldo, the amiable consort of Mr. Samuel Waldo, merchant in Boston; who departed this life August 7th 1741, in the 38th year of her age. / By Charles Chauncy, A.M. Pastor of the First Church of Christ in Boston. ; [Two lines from Ecclesiastes] Chauncy, Charles, 1705-1787. [2], 26 p. ; 20 cm. (8vo) Printed by S. Kneeland and T. Green, in Queen Street., Boston: : 1741. Half-title wanting?

Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford.

EEBO-TCP is a partnership between the Universities of Michigan and Oxford and the publisher ProQuest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by ProQuest via their Early English Books Online (EEBO) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). The general aim of EEBO-TCP is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic English-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in EEBO.

EEBO-TCP aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the Text Encoding Initiative (http://www.tei-c.org).

The EEBO-TCP project was divided into two phases. The 25,363 texts created during Phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 January 2015. Anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source.

Users should be aware of the process of creating the TCP texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data.

Text selection was based on the New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature (NCBEL). If an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in NCBEL, then their works are eligible for inclusion. Selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. In general, first editions of a works in English were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably Latin and Welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so.

Image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. Quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in Oxford and Michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet QA standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. After proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. Any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. Understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of TCP data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. Users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a TCP editor.

The texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the TEI in Libraries guidelines.

Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements).

Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site.

eng Waldo, Lucy, 1704-1741. Funeral sermons -- 1741. 2007-09 Assigned for keying and markup 2007-10 Keyed and coded from Readex/Newsbank page images 2008-02 Sampled and proofread 2008-02 Text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-09 Batch review (QC) and XML conversion

JOY, the Duty of Survivors, on the Death of PIOUS Friends and Relatives.

A Funeral Diſcourſe On the Death of Mrs. Lucy Waldo, The amiable Conſort of Mr. Samuel Waldo, Merchant in BOSTON; Who departed this Life Auguſt 7th 1741, in the 38th Year of her Age.

By Charles Chauncy, A. M. Paſtor of the firſt Church of CHRIST in BOSTON.

Eccleſ 7.1.

A good Name is better than precious Ointment; and the Day of Death, than the Day of ones Birth.

BOSTON: Printed by S. Kneeland and T. Green, in Queen Street. 1741.

A Funeral Sermon. JOHN xiv. 28.

— If ye loved me, ye would rejoyce, becauſe I ſaid, I go to the FATHER.—

THEY are the Words of our bleſſed SAVIOUR; and he ſpake them to his Diſciples, at a Time, when their Hearts were troubled.

The Caſe was this: The Hour being juſt come, in which he knew, he ſhould depart out of the World, he tho't proper to acquaint his Diſciples with it. Yet a little while, ſays he, I am with you. And again, Whither I go ye cannot come Preceeding Chap. Ver 33.. At this ſad, and unexpected News, they were filled with Grief. They could not bear the Tho't of parting with ſo dear a Friend, ſo good a Maſter and Lord.

Upon which, that they might not be ſwallowed up of overmuch Sorrow, our compaſſionate SAVIOUR proceeds to ſay that, which might have a tendency to eaſe their Minds, and make them calm and quiet. He aſſures them, in his FATHER's Houſe were many Manſions; and that he was only going to prepare a Place, where he and they might be together for ever. I go, ſays he, Context, ver. 2, to prepare a Place for you. And if I go, and prepare a Place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto my ſelf, that where I am, there ye may be alſo As if he had ſaid, "Tho' I am going from you, 'tis only for a Time; and this, in order to your Happineſs, to prepare Manſions of Glory for you: Nor will it be long before I ſhall ſee you again, and admit you into my FATHER's Houſe; when there ſhall never more be a Seperation between us. A moſt refreſhing Conſideration this! enough to compoſe their Spirits, and make them chearful at parting with their deareſt SAVIOUR.

He then, after ſome other Diſſwaſives from too much Grief, fetches Conſolation for them, in the Words of the Text, from that which was the Source of all their Sorrow on his Account, even their Love to him. If ye loved me, ſays he, ye would rejoyce, becauſe I ſaid, I go to the FATHER. 'Tis as if he had ſpoken in ſuch Language as this, "I have already told you, where I am going when I leave you; that I am going to the FATHER, to receive at his Hands, in Reward of my Services and Sufferings for the good of Men, a Name that is above every Name, at which, every Knee ſhall bow, that is in Heaven, and that is on Earth: And ſhall not this be Matter of Joy to you? If you love me, as I ſee you do by the Tears you drop, at the Proſpect of my Departure from you, you cannot but rejoyce. There will, with your Sorrow, be a mixture of Joy. 'Tis fitting you ſhould rejoyce for me, if you mourn for your ſelves. Yea, your Regards to me will make you to rejoyce".

The Subject fairly offering it ſelf to Conſideration, as ſuited to the preſent Occaſion, is this,

Love to our deceaſed, pious Friends, and Relatives, ſhould influence us to rejoyce, in Conſideration they are gone to the FATHER.

Sorrow, perhaps, we may imagine to be the moſt proper Expreſſion of Love, upon the departure of our pious Friends: And it may appear ſtrange, to hear it ſaid, we ought to rejoyce. Joy, we may think unnatural; at leaſt, very unbecoming at ſo mournful a Time. But we are herein greatly miſtaken. There is no Occaſion more proper for the exerciſe of religious Joy, than when our pious Relatives, tho' dear to us as our very Lives, are called out of the World: Nor is there a more generous Expreſſion of our Love towards them. This our bleſſed SAVIOUR has taught us, by ſaying to his Diſciples, if ye loved me, ye would rejoyce, becauſe I ſaid, I go to the FATHER.

In proſecuting this Subject, I ſhall,

I. Say ſome Things tending to limit and explain the Truth of it.

II. Illuſtrate the Force of our SAVIOUR's Argument, by ſhowing what there is in the Conſideration, that our pious, departed Friends, and Relatives are gone to the FATHER, that ſhould influence us to rejoyce.

The whole will then be followed with the APPLICATION that is proper.

I. In order to limit, and explain the Truth in the Text, which is the firſt Thing, let it be ſaid as follows,

1. That it muſt not be underſtood, as if they did not love their Friends and Relatives, who mourn their deceaſe. Oar SAVIOUR does not charge his Diſciples with want of Love to him, becauſe they were in Tears at the foretho't of hiſ Death. He knew they had a tender Affection for him; and indeed, this is ſuppos'd as the Cauſe of all their Sorrow, in the Argument, he here uſes with them. Nor may our lamenting the Deceaſe of our Chriſtian Friends, be look'd upon as an Inſtance of want of Love to them. So far from this, that the very Reaſon why we mourn for them is, becauſe we love them. Love is the Spring from whence all our Tears flow: Nor, if we did not love them, ſhould we be affected with Grief at their departure from us.

2. Nor, yet, is our SAVIOUR to be underſtood, as tho' he meant to prohibit our ſorrowing, at the Death of our dear Relatives. He does not find Fault with his Diſciples for expreſſing their Grief at the News of his approaching Departure. We may rather ſuppoſe, he was pleaſed to think they were ſo much his Friends, and that he was like to die lamented by them. He takes Care indeed to reſtrain their Grief within due Bounds. And immoderate Sorrow is always a Fault, let the Friend or Relative, we are called to part with, be ever ſo dear. But as to the Thing it ſelf, 'tis not to be condemned. We may lawfully mourn, if we don't mourn too much; yea, all the natural Expreſſions of Sorrow, are but a decent Reſpect to the Memory of our departed Friends. 'Tis Stupidity, not true Greatneſs of Mind, to be unmoved at their Death. Our SAVIOUR himſelf wept over the Grave of his dead Friend Lazarus. And that is the Remark made upon it John 11.36. Behold, how he loved him! And if Tears were a proper Expreſſion of Love from our bleſſed SAVIOUR, they cannot be an unſuitable one from us. He who was once toucht with the feeling of our Infirmities, and knows our Frame, and the Weakneſs of it, will indulge us in a few Tears, on the Death of a beloved Friend; yea, he would take it ill, if we ſhould ſuffer them to die unlamented by us. To go on,

3. When we are bid to rejoyce on Occaſion of the Death of pious Friends and Relations, the Meaning is, we ſhould, at leaſt, mix ſome Joy with our Sorrow. Sorrow there will be, and there ought to be Joy alſo: Nor will theſe Paſſions deſtroy each other. They may both ſubſiſt in the ſame Breaſt; and indeed, there is juſt Reaſon, upon the Death of every valuable and pious Friend, for the Excitement of both theſe different Affections. For in all ſuch Diſpenſations, there is "a dark and a bright Side"; there is "our Loſs, and their Gain": And while we mourn the one, we ſhould rejoyce at the other. When we conſider their Death in Reſpect of our ſelves, the Pleaſure and Happineſs we are deprived of, as well as the Inconveniencies, Difficulties and Troubles, we are become expoſed to, we have Reaſon to be grieved, and ought to be ſo: But when we turn our Thoughts, and take a View of their Death, in Reſpect of themſelves, the Miſeries they are freed from, and the Bleſſedneſs they are gone to partake of, there is proper Occaſion for Joy, and we ought, in Love to them, to rejoyce. But there may be a further Meaning in the Words. Wherefore,

4. When Love to our departed Friends is ſpoken of as that which ſhould influence us to rejoyce, the Senſe is, we ſhould rather rejoyce than mourn; our Joy ſhould be greater than our Sorrow. If ye loved me, ye would rejoyce. The Words are comparative; "Ye would be in a Frame of Mind diſpoſing you to the exerciſe rather of Joy than Grief; ye would nor ſo much mourn, as be glad and triumph." Not that an outward Joy, expreſſed in Merriment and Laughter, is here at all encouraged; ſo far from it, that it would be a monſtrous Incongruity, 'Tis an inward, rational Satisfaction, that our SAVIOUR would recommend; a Joy ariſing from the Principles of Religion: And ſuch a Joy does moſt become us, upon Occaſion of the Death of pious, tho' the deareſt Relatives: And we ſhould chiefly be in the Exerciſe of it, as being the moſt noble, and truly Chriſtian Expreſſion of our Love to them. 'Tis a poor, ordinary Frame to mourn for our Dead, as ariſing from meer ſenſitive Nature. One needs no Improvement of Mind in order to this. There needs neither Philoſophy nor Chriſtianity, Vertue nor Religion, to teach us this low Leſſon; but to rejoyce in their happy Change, to be glad that they are laid in a Bed of everlaſting Reſt, while we ſuffer the Loſs of their pleaſant Society; this is generous and truly noble Love! This is ſuch an ingenuous greatneſs of Mind, as is only the product of divine Faith, and chriſtian Hope; which regulates our Love, and raiſes it to ſuch a Pitch, as nothing below the Grace of GOD, and the Light of the Goſpel, can advance it to.

But having ſaid, what may be tho't ſufficient to limit, and explain the Truth in the Text, I now go on,

II. To illuſtrate the Force of our SAVIOUR's Argument, by ſhowing what there is, in the Conſideration that our pious, deceaſed Friends are gone to the FATHER, that ſhould influence us to rejoyce.

Now this includes in it ſeveral Things, all which are ſo many juſt Reaſons for rejoycing.

1. Their being gone to the FATHER obviouſly ſuppoſes, that they are ſtill alive. Tho' they are dead, their Being is not extinct; they are not fallen from their Exiſtence. Their Bodies, 'tis true, are rendred ſenſeleſs and inactive, but not ſo their Souls. Death has had no Effect upon theſe, but to tranſlate them to the other World; where they ſtill live, & act more perfectly than ever. 'Tis with them as with the Sun; at Evening it leaves our Horizon under diſconſolate Darkneſs, and ſome weak Perſons may think it's Glory buried and extinguiſhed; but 'tis only gone to the other Hemiſphere, and there ſhines with as much Beauty and Brightneſs as ever. A moſt reviving Tho't this! And ſhould fill our Souls with Joy and Gladneſs. If, at Death, the Friends whom we loved like our ſelves, went out of Being; if there was now an End put to their Exiſtence, we might well refuſe to be comforted, becauſe they are not. But the Caſe is far otherwiſe. Tho' they are dead, they are yet alive: They are only gone to the FATHER. And ſhall we not rejoyce at this? We may break forth in the Language of good old Jacob, upon the News of his Son Joſeph's Welfare, It is enough, be is alive. Our dead Friends are alive; they are alive with GOD in another and better World, as truly ſo as ever they were in this.

2. Their being gone to the FATHER plainly intends that they are gone to be rewarded by him, Their full Reward they won't indeed receive, till the Day of the appearing of the Son of Man, when he ſhall ſay to them in thoſe Words, Come ye bleſſed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from before the Foundation of the World. But they are no ſooner dead, but they begin to be happy. The Day of their Death is the Day of their Entrance upon the future Bleſſedneſs. So the holy Apoſtle John heard it declared by a Voice from Heaven. I heard, Rev. 14.13. ſays he, a Voice from Heaven, ſaying unto me, write, Bleſſed are the Dead which die in the LORD from HENCEFORTH: yea, ſaith the SPIRIT, that they may reſt from their Labours, and their Works do follow them.

But what is this Reward, our pious Friends and Relatives receive by going to the FATHER? To which I would ſay,

1. They hereby obtain Deliverance from Sorrow and Trouble of every Kind. While here they were ſubjected to Grief and Pain, and often groaned under the uneaſy Burdens that were laid upon them; but being gone to the FATHER, they are forever ſet free from thoſe innumerable Diſtreſſes & Sorrows, which imbitter the preſent Life, and render it ſo uncomfortable, even under the moſt advantageous Circumſtances.

They have now nothing to diſquiet them; no Cares, nor Fears; no Loſſes, Croſſes, nor Diſappointments; no painful Diſeaſes, nor pining Sickneſs; no wearineſs, nor faintneſs; neither Hunger, nor Thirſt. Theſe Occaſions of Grief are all paſt; they are eternally at reſt from them all.

Nor are they now expos'd to thoſe ſpiritual Griefs, which once pained their pious Minds. They have no Doubts of the Love of GOD, for they are in the actual Enjoyment of it; they have no Fears leaſt they are not intereſted in the great SAVIOUR, for they are with him in PARADISE; they have no Suſpicion of their own Uprightneſs, for they have been approv'd of their Judge, and are entred into the Joy of their Lord; they have no Complaints to make of their Frailties and Imperfections, the want of Love, and Zeal, and Activity, in the Service of GOD, for they are now in his Preſence without Spot or Wrinkle, and do his Will, with like Perfection, as do the holy Angels.

Neither are our departed pious Friends liable to Grief, on Account of thoſe Effects of their Death, that are apt to trouble us. We are touch'd with Concern and Pity to ſee them called away from their earthly Poſſeſſions, and worldly Accommodations; we are grieved to behold their Ghaſtlineſs and Deformity, and weep bitterly when they are laid in the Grave to be deſtroyed by Worms; we are moved with Sorrow to think, they are gone from our World, ſo that we ſhall ſee them no more, nor enjoy their Society which was once ſo pleaſant to us. We often ſpeak of ſuch Things as theſe; or, at leaſt, employ our melancholy Thoughts upon them: But ſo do not they. It troubles them not, they have left this Earth, with its greateſt Advantages; it moves them not, their Bodies are laid in the Duſt, to return to Duſt; yea, 'tis no Matter of Uneaſineſs to them, they are parted from their Husbands or Wives, once dear to them as their very Souls: Nor are they in Sorrow, they are gone from their deſirable Children, who, it may be, are become poor, helpleſs, deſtitute Orphans. We are troubled at this, and it once cauſed great Sorrow of Heart to them. They were grieved at the Tho't of leaving their beloved Children; it bore hard upon their tender Minds; they found it difficult to reconcile themſelves to the Will of Heaven in this Matter; it was one of the greateſt Trials to their Faith: But they are now above the reach of Sorrow from theſe, or any Conſiderations whatever. For being gone to the FATHER, they are in that State, where there ſhall be no more Death, neither Sorrow, nor Crying; neither ſhall there be any more Pain. They ſhall hunger no more, neither thirſt any more; neither ſhall the Sun light on them, or any Heat: for the LAMB which is in the midſt of the Throne, ſhall feed them, and ſhall lead them to Fountains of Waters: And GOD ſhall wipe away all Tears from all their Eyes.

And now, ſhall we grieve for our departed Friends, who are thus delivered from the Miſeries of this evil World? Is it not rather Matter of Joy, that they are redeemed from Sin, and the unhappy Fruits of it, and are poſſeſt of eternal Eaſe and Peace? Their Death is their JUBILEE, the Year of their Releaſe from the Trials and Labours, the Vexations, Fears & Hazards, which attended them in the preſent State; yea, from all manner of Evil. And ſhall we not rejoyce? We have juſt Ground for a holy Joy: And we ſhall certainly be in the Exerciſe of it, if we have any religious Love for theſe our dead Friends. If we mourn, let it be for our ſelves; as for them, there is no Cauſe of Sorrow; true Love will rather urge us to rejoyce.

2. By being gone to the FATHER, they are not only delivered from all Manner of Grief and Trouble, but have entred upon the Enjoyment of poſitive Bleſſedneſs.

Being gone to the FATHER, they are gone to a bleſſed Place; called, in Scripture, ſometimes Abraham's Boſom; ſometimes Paradiſe; ſometimes the City, whoſe Builder and Maker is GOD. And to be ſure, 'tis a Place of exceeding great Joy & Delight. For 'tis the Place, where the SUPREAM MAJESTY dwells, and has erected the Throne of his Glory, and makes the brighteſt Manifeſtations of Himſelf to the ineffable Happineſs of his Creatures.

Being gone to the FATHER, they are gone to the beſt and moſt bleſſed Company. They are gone to dwell with Patriarchs, Prophets, and Apoſtles; with their pious departed Friends, and Progenitors; and with all, whom GOD, in all Ages, from the Days of Adam, has been ſelecting from among Men, and preparing to be Heirs to the future, eternal Inheritance; yea, they are gone to an innumerable Company of Angels, to JESUS the Mediator of the New Covenant, and to GOD the Judge of all.

Being gone to the FATHER, they are gone to the moſt noble Employment; to worſhip and ſerve the GOD that made them, without Interruption, without Wearineſs, without Sin, without the leaſt Frailty or Imperfection: Being ever full of Love, Reverence & Obeiſance, they are ever in a Diſpoſition to the Work of Praiſe and Adoration; yea, they ceaſe not Day nor Night, ſaying, with a loud Voice, Bleſſing, and Honour, and Glory, and Power, be to HIM THAT SITTETH ON THE THRONE, and to the LAMB for ever and ever.

In a Word, being gone to the FATHER, they are gone to be made perfected Spirits in Glory; perfect in the Love of GOD; perfect in the Service of GOD; perfect in the Enjoyment of GOD, that GOD, in whoſe Preſence is fulneſs of Joys, and at whoſe right Hand flow Rivers of Pleaſures for ever more.

And ſhall we now mourn for theſe our departed Friends? What is the genuine influence of true Love? Does it not put us upon wiſhing the Happineſs of our dear Relatives? And does it not conſtrain us to rejoyce, when they come to the Poſſeſſion of it? And ſhall we not then be glad, when we take a view of them, as gone to the FATHER, as gone to the Glories of the upper and eternal World? However it may appear to an Eye of Senſe, 'tis, in the Eye of Faith, a bleſſed Truth, that our departed, Chriſtian Friends are gone to a Paradiſe of Delight, where they have perfected Spirits, and glorious Angels to converſe with; yea, and an infinite GOD to enjoy: And are theſe fit Perſons to be lamented? O no! The greater our Love to them, the more ſhould we exult at their Felicity. Can we find in our Hearts to deſire they ſhould leave the Company of Heaven for our's? Would we, were it in our Power, recal them from the Joys of GOD's right Hand? Certainly, our Love to them will nor ſuffer us to be ſo unkind: nor ſhould we ſo much grieve for our ſelves, as rejoyce for them, that they are bleſſed in the Kingdom of their FATHER. To go on,

3. The Truth that we are upon, that our pious, departed Friends are gone to the FATHER, ſuggeſts this further Ground of Joy, that they are gone to the ſame Place, whither we our ſelves, if good Chriſtians, ſhall go our ſelves. Our SAVIOUR, not only tells his Diſciples, in the Context, that he was going from them; but adds for their Conſolation, that where he was, there they ſhould be alſo; in the ſame Place, with the ſame FATHER. This alſo is our Comfort upon the Death of pious Relatives. Where they are gone, we ſhall go our ſelves, if Partakers of the ſame Faith and Holineſs with them. They are not gone where we cannot come, but to the "ſame Harbour we are bound to, and are upon our Voyage for; Nay, where we our ſelves have already caſt Anchor, by a ſtedfaſt Hope, tho' we are not yet landed, as they are". And what a Motive to Joy is this? Whither could we wiſh our Friends, but where they are gone? They are gone to the very Place, we call our Home; to the very Place, whither we are haſtening our ſelves; yea, to the very Place, which is the great Object of our Deſires and Hopes, of our Prayers and Endeavours. O what a joyful Conſideration is this! How ſhould it fill our Hearts with Gladneſs! 'Tis Love to our Friends that makes us grieve, becauſe they are gone from us: and ſhould not the ſame Principle cauſe us to rejoyce alſo? ſince they are gone, where we ſhall ſee them again, and live with them again, and that for ever. If we are our ſelves truly pious, having good Hope towards God, it will be Matter of Joy to us, upon the Death of chriſtian Relatives, to extend our View to GOD's eternal Kingdom, in expectation of Meeting, and dwelling with them in that bleſſed Place.

The APPLICATION yet remains. And,

1. How joyful ſhould be the tho't of dying to Chriſtians themſelves! To be ſure, if they ſhould rejoyce, that their departed pious Friends are gone to the FATHER, they ſhould much more rejoyce at the Tho't of going there themſelves. And yet, how far are they, commonly, from being joyful on this Account? How unwelcome, to the generality of Chriſtians, is the Tho't of dying, the one only way of going to the FATHER? When laid upon a Bed of Sickneſs, and bro't within View of the Grave, how unwilling to go the Way, whence they ſhall not return? How earneſt in their Requeſts for a longer Reprieve? But 'tis certainly a Shame for Chriſtians, who are favoured with ſuch bleſſed Hopes, to be unwilling to die. The Tho't of Death ſhould be pleaſant to them; they ſhould reflect upon going out of the World, with a holy triumph of Soul, as knowing they are going to the FATHER, to have all Tears wiped away from their Eyes, and to be crowned with Glory, Honour, & Immortality, in GOD's everlaſting Kingdom.

If we were clearly ſatisfied of this, we may be ready to ſay, we ſhould be willing rather to be abſent from the Body. Our Deſire would be to depart, and to be with CHRIST, which is far better.

And it muſt be acknowledged, 'tis only a good Hope, that we are in the Number of thoſe, who when they die, will go to be with the FATHER, and with his Son JESUS CHRIST, that can make the Tho't of dying ſet upon our Minds with Eaſe and Comfort. This therefore we ſhould endeavour after; giving all Diligence, as the Apoſtle exhorts, 2 Pet. 1.10. to make our Calling & Election ſure. And the more watchfull we are over our own Hearts and Lives; the more we keep upon our Guard againſt Sin, and all the Temptations to it; the more we give our ſelves to Prayer, and an Attendance on the Inſtitutions of Religion; the more frequently we renew the Acts of our Repentance towards GOD, and Faith in our LORD JESUS CHRIST; and in a Word, the more we take off our Affections from the Earth, and the more we have our Converſation in Heaven, the more likely we ſhall be, to come to a fix'd, ſatisfactory Hope of our good Eſtate GODWARD: And having this good Hope thro' Grace, we ſhall have no Cauſe of Fear upon the Proſpect of Death; but may, at any Time, welcome a Meſſage to leave all Things here below; rejoycing in the Tho't, that we are now going to the FATHER: And we ſhall have the more Reaſon for this, as ſo many of our dear Relatives are gone before us. The Departure of every pious, amiable Friend, is a freſh incentive to our Deſires to follow after, ſince we ſhall go to the FATHER, and to them too: Nor can it be, but that the Tho't of Death ſhould be highly pleaſant to us, while we reflect upon it, as that which will tranſlate us to thoſe Friends above, whom we loved ſo much here below.

2. Such are taught to be in the exerciſe of religious Joy, whom it has pleaſed GOD to bereave of pious Friends and Relatives. This, I confeſs, is no eaſy Attainment. Our Paſſions are apt to be ſoon in a Tumult; and too commonly, our Voice is that of Lamentation and Mourning. But we ought, certainly, at ſuch a Time, to keep our ſelves under the Reſtraints of Reaſon and Religion; and tho' we are allowed to mourn, it ſhould not be as thoſe who have no Hope; yea, having ſo good a Hope of it's being well with them, in the Kingdom of their FATHER, we ſhould rejoyce: Our Love to them ſhould conſtrain us to do ſo. The Tho't, that they are gone to participate of the Pleaſures that flow at GOD's right Hand, ſhould be grateful to us. There is Joy among all their Friends in the upper World, upon their arrival at that bleſſed Place. JESUS their SAVIOUR, and LORD, has welcom'd them to his heavenly FATHER's Houſe; holy Angels, and the Spirits of juſt Men made perfect, have congratulated them on their admiſſion to their Society. And ſhall we alone be dejected with Sorrow? Let us rather join in a Song of Praiſe to him, who has loved them, and waſhed them from their Sins in his own Blood, and hath made them Kings & Prieſts unto GOD, and his FATHER.

But I would be particular here in recommending this Duty of holy Joy to thoſe, who were the near Friends and Relatives of that amiable Perſon, whom we followed to the Grave the laſt Week. Not that I mean to fault you, becauſe your Hearts are troubled at her Departure. Nature leads to this, nor does Chriſtianity forbid it. The bleſſed JESUS did himſelf weep, on Occaſion of the Death of a beloved Friend: And he won't be diſpleas'd, if you alſo are in Tears. You have indeed juſt Cauſe of Grief; and if you grieve much, 'twill be the more excuſable, as the lovely Perſon, whoſe Deceaſe calls you to lament, had united in her all the Attractives to Eſteem and Love while living, as well as the ſtrongeſt Excitements to a pungent Senſe of Sorrow, now the holy GOD has removed her from you.

I am ſenſible, it will open the Springs of Grief in you, if I bring to Remembrance thoſe Things, in your departed Friend, and dear Relative, which render'd her ſo much the Delight of all acquainted with her: Yet, in Juſtice to her Memory, I can't forbear ſaying, The GOD, who made her, was pleas'd to give her a comely Body, ſo that none was more praiſed for Beauty than ſhe; but the Endowments of her Soul were far more worthy of Notice, as they were of ſuperior Excellence. She had a good Underſtanding; a Wit that was ſprightly, yet conjoin'd with ſolidity of Judgment, and a becoming Tho'tfulneſs; the effect whereof was, her being cheerful and pleaſant, yet ſerious and grave; free and open, yet prudently cautious and reſerv'd.

She was ſingularly ſweet in the Temper of her Mind; not ſoon angry, never peviſh, never clamorous: but on the contrary, calm and placid; poſſeſſing a ſerene Breaſt her ſelf, and making all eaſy who were about her.

Her whole Deportment was agreable; and ſhe particularly ſet a good Example in filling up the ſeveral Relations ſhe ſuſtained, with the Virtues proper to them: As a Friend, ſincere in her Profeſſions, true and faithful: As a Wife, engaging in her Carriage, reverent and dutiful: As a Mother, tender and affectionate, yet exerciſing all due Authority over her Children: As Miſtreſs in the Family, prudent in her Oeconomy, yet generous and noble; a promoter of good Order; mindful of all under her Care; compaſſionate to her Servants: In her treatment of Viſitants, hoſpitable, courteous, pleaſant and obliging.

But what is more than all, ſhe was, in the Judgment of thoſe beſt acquainted with her, a real, ſerious Chriſtian. She all along, in her Life, behaved as ſuch; and eminently ſo, under that grievous Trial, it pleaſed the holy and righteous GOD to bring upon her, in the Sickneſs whereof ſhe died. Thoſe, who were then moſt about her, ſpeak highly of her patient and quiet Spirit; wondering, ſhe complained no more, diſcovered no greater Uneaſineſs: when, by Reaſon of that CANCER, which eat up her Fleſh, ſhe might have wearied them out with her groanings.

She often took Occaſion, as is certainly proper for ſuch imperfect, ſinful Creatures, as the beſt of us all are; eſpecially, when upon the Confines of another World: I ſay, ſhe often took Occaſion to look back, not only upon her paſt Life, but Frame of Heart; and wherein ſhe tho't any Thing had been amiſs, ſhe was free to judge and condemn her ſelf, and humbly and penitently repaired to the Mercy of GOD, thro' the Merits of the GREAT SAVIOUR: And tho', for a Time, ſhe had a Fear upon her Spirit, reſpecting her eternal State; yet, her Fear was mixed with Hope: And ſhe was, at length, in a good Meaſure, raiſed above Fear. She appeared, upon the near Approaches of Death, to be intirely reſigned to the Will of Heaven; and ſuch was the compoſure of her Mind, that ſhe was able, with all freedom, to ſpeak of her own Deceaſe, and to give Directions about her Interment: which, when ſhe had done, ſhe ſet her ſelf to the Work of dying. And as, we truſt, ſhe LIVED TO CHRIST, we charitably hope and believe, ſhe DIED IN HIM; and is now gone to the FATHER.

You, her Friends, believe thus concerning her: And while theſe are your Hopes; while, by an Eye of Faith, you look beyond Death and the Grave, and view your dear Relative, as gone into the Heavens, to take Poſſeſſion of the Inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, we may well ſuppoſe, you grieve not for her, but rejoyce; rejoyce that ſhe is got beyond the reach of Sin and Sorrow, and is entred upon the Reward of Righteouſneſs, which is Joy and Peace, Quietneſs and Aſſurance for ever: nor can it be tho't, you ſo much as wiſh for her back again, into ſuch a World of Vanity and Vexation, Diſtreſs and Trouble, as this is that we live in. Upon her Account, ſurely, you don't deſire ſuch a Thing, tho' upon your own you may; as ſuffering, in reſpect of your ſelves, a great and heavy Loſs.

We heartily ſympathize with you all; wiſhing for you, not only the Conſolations of GOD, which are not ſmall; but thoſe Influences of divine Grace, whereby you may be enabled ſo to improve this Affliction, as that GOD may be honoured, your own Holineſs promoted, and eternal Weight of Glory inhanced.

We pray GOD to return in ſafety his Servant moſt nearly allied to the Perſon deceaſed; to prepare him for the ſorrowful News that waits for him, and to ſanctify it to him; teaching him therefrom the Vanity and Uncertainty of all earthly Enjoyments, and exciting him to place his Happineſs, not in this World, nor any of the Comforts or Proſpects of it, but in GOD, thro' JESUS CHRIST.

We wiſh alſo for the bereaved Children a double Portion of that good Spirit, which reſted on their departed MOTHER. Be ye Followers of her, wherein ſhe followed CHRIST. — Devote your ſelves to GOD in your early Days; ſeek and ſerve him with a perfect Heart and a willing Mind: — So will you, her SONS, appear as beautiful Plants grown up in your Youth; and y •• her DAUGHTERS, ſhall ſhine as Corner Stones, poliſhed after the Similitude of a Palace.

And may we all make a ſuitable Improvement of this Diſpenſation of Providence! We are herefrom preſented with a very lively and affecting Inſtance of humane Frailty. It ſhould awaken our Conſideration, and make us ſeriouſly tho'tful of another World. That is the Call of GOD to us all, Be ye alſo ready. But this is the Voice of Providence, in a particular Manner, to us, who are in the height of our Strength and Vigour. O let us take the Warning GOD is giving us! Let us learn herefrom our liableneſs to be taken away, by ſome fatal Stroke, in the midſt of our Days: And let us give our ſelves no Eaſe, till we have got into ſuch a State, as that it might be happy for us, if ſo it ſhould pleaſe the ſovereign Lord of Life.

And let the Daughters of Zion hear the Voice of GOD, yet more particularly directed to them. You are herefrom taught, that, at your beſt Eſtate, you are altogether Vanity; that you are in Death, in the midſt of Life. And O live, as it is proper ſuch frail, dying Creatures ſhould live! — Let your Behaviour be as becometh Godlineſs. — Get your ſelves poſſeſs'd of real and ſubſtantial Religion; that, as the King's Daughter, you may be all glorious within. — Be ſober, diſcreet, chaſts, exemplary for all good Works.— And your adorning, let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the Hair, and of wearing of Gold, or of putting on of Apparrel; but let it be the hidden Man of the Heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the Ornament of a meek and quiet Spirit, which is in the Sight of GOD of great Price. For after this Manner, in old time, the holy Women, who truſted in God, adorned themſelves: whoſe Daughters ye are, as long as ye do well.— But I muſt haſten,

3. Near Relations ſhould be excited, from what has been diſcours'd, ſo to live together, as that when parted by Death, there may be Ground of Joy to thoſe, whoſe Lot it is to ſurvive. Death will certainly ſooner or later diſſolve our Relations; ſeperating between the neareſt and deareſt Friends. And what will be able to afford Comfort to thoſe who ſurvive, but the Conſideration, that their Friends departed, are gone to the FATHER? O how lamentable is the Condition of thoſe, and how much to be pitied, who mourn for wicked, tho' near Relatives, who, they are afraid, are gone to the Place of blackneſs of Darkneſs! where the Worm dieth not, and the Fire is not quenched. No wonder, where this is the Caſe, if pious Minds are bowed down greatly.

Is it the Character of any of us, who are nearly related to each other, that we lead ſinful and unholy Lives? O let it have ſome Influence upon us, to engage us to repent and turn from our evil Ways, to think, if we ſhould be called to depart hence, what Grief of Heart we ſhould occaſion to our ſurviving Chriſtian Friends. If we are ſeized with Sickneſs, they tremble for us, as knowing the hazard of our Souls, as well as Bodies: And if we are ſmitten with Death, they are filled with Diſtreſs and Agony, and can take no Comfort, as fearing we are gone to be made miſerable in the Place of future Torment. O let us have Compaſſion upon our pious Friends, who love us, and wiſh us well as our own Souls! And let us, for their ſakes, behave after ſuch a manner, as that they may have Joy in us both living and dying.

O let us all, both Husbands and Wives, Parents and Children, Brethren and Siſters, be intreated to live together as Heirs of the Grace of Life! — Let us be ſincere and faithful in filling up the Relation we bear to each other, with all that Duty, which, as Chriſtians, is expected from us. — Let us encourage one another in every Thing that is ſerious and godly.— Let us be mutual Helps to each other, by Converſation, by Prayer, by good Example, in the way to GOD's heavenly Kingdom: ſo ſhall we have a good Hope as to the good State of each other; and whoever are called out of the World firſt, they who ſurvive may rejoyce, while by Faith, they behold their departed Friends, as gone to their FATHER, and our FATHER; to their GOD, and our GOD, to be happy, eternally happy in the Enjoyment of him.

And now, as the Concluſion of all,

4. Let me call upon you to be thankful to GOD for JESUS CHRIST. For 'tis owing to Him and his bleſſed Goſpel, that we are able to take Comfort in the Tho't of Death, reſpecting either our ſelves, or our dear Relatives. If it were not for CHRIST, we had not known, that Death, in regard of good Men, was nothing worſe than going to the Father; which Notion of Death carries in it all the Support and Comfort, we can deſire. We may now rejoyce in the Expectation of dying our ſelves, or at the burial of our neareſt and moſt beloved Relatives, if Believers in CHRIST.

And what tho' at Death, the Body is laid in the Duſt, and returns to Duſt, ſo long as JESUS the SAVIOUR has aſſured us, that this is the FATHER's Will, which ſent him, that of all which was given him, he ſhould loſe nothing; but will raiſe it up again at the laſt Day.

Death indeed is a horror of Darkneſs, to thoſe who can look no farther than the Grave: But to us who are favoured with the Goſpel, which has brought Life and Immortality to Light, a glorious and happy Immortality, in reſpect of all the true Followers of CHRIST, there is Comfort in Death, for that there is Hope beyond the Grave; yea, and of that which is laid in the Grave: For the Time is coming, and it haſtens apace, when that which is ſown in Corruption, ſhall be raiſed in Incorruption; when that which is ſown in Diſhonour, ſhall be raiſed in Glory; when that which is ſown in Weakneſs, ſhall be raiſed in Power; when that which is ſown a natural Body, ſhall be raiſed a ſpiritual Body: So when this corruptible ſhall have put on Incorruption, and this mortal ſhall have put on Immortality, then ſhall be brought to paſs the ſaying, that is written, Death is ſwallowed up in Victory.

Upon which Account, let all who are the faithful Servants of GOD, and ſincere Diſciples of CHRIST, unite in that Song of Triumph, O Death! where is thy Sting? O Grave! where is thy Victory? The Sting of Death is Sin, and the Strength of Sin is the Law. But Thanks be to GOD, which giveth us the Victory, thro' our LORD JESUS CHRIST.

Therefore, my beloved Brethren, be ye ſtedfaſt, unmoveable, always abounding in the Work of the LORD, for as much as ye know, that your Labour is not in vain in the LORD.

FINIS.