"DUST thou art, and to dust thou shalt return," is the righteous sentence, that in consequence of sin, is denounced upon our whole race. "By one man, sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men for that all have sin­ned."—The high and the low, the rich and the poor, the free and the bond, the wise and the foolish, are alike the subjects of mortality. One event happeneth to them all. As the one dieth, so dieth the other also. No one abideth; but all go the way, whence [Page 6] they shall not return. Of all the generations that have gone before us, only two individu­als have obtained the privilege of a release, from the claim of death and the grave.—The first was Enoch; of whom it is said, that he "walked with God, and was not, for God took him." And again; "By faith Enoch was translated, that he should not see death, and was not found, because God had translated him." The other was Elijah, whose translation is recorded in the verse preceding my text. His soul and body were not separated from each other; but, in their natural union, taken immediately into hea­ven. He was "the second man that leapt the ditch, where all the rest of mankind fell, and went not downward to the sky." By these two instances, God prefigured the glo­rious ascention of the Lord Jesus Christ; and gave to the church, under the Old Tes­tament, a glimpse of that life and immortal­ity, for both soul and body, which are now more clearly revealed in the gospel, as the everlasting inheritance of all his saints.—The children of God, "who shall be alive, and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not sleep," the sleep of death, "but shall be changed in a moment, in the twink­ling of an eye, at the last trump." "The dead in Christ shall rise first," incorruptible [Page 7] and immortal. "Then, we which are alive and remain," being changed, "shall be caught up together with them, in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

IN like manner, these two worthies, E­noch and Elijah, did not see death and cor­ruption, but underwent an instantaneous change, equivalent 'to that which those of the children of God experience, who die, and rise again in the image of Christ, per­fect in holiness, and having their bodies "fashioned like unto his glorious body," spiritual, incorruptible, and immortal, mete for heaven.

WITH regard to the latter of these, it is said in the foregoing verse, "and it came to pass, as they," Elijah and Elisha, "still went on, and talked, that, behold, there ap­peared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven." And Elisha, his pupil, his intimate companion, and his affectionate friend, whom, by divine command, he had anointed to be the prophet of the Lord, in his stead, saw him carried up toward heaven, but soon the vision dis­appeared, and he saw him no more. His [Page 8] yearning soul, intently fixed upon the excel­lency of that beloved personage, now taken from his embrace, to return no more, broke forth in a pathetic and involuntary expres­sion of his worth, and of the incalculable greatness of the loss, which he and his coun­try would sustain, by his removal. He "saw it, and he cried, my father! my father! the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen there­of."

HE himself, had lost the guide of his youth, a most tender, affectionate and faithful instructor, and therefore he felt, and lament­ed his condition, as being like that of a fa­therless child, left in a barren and inhospita­ble world.

AND the public had lost the best of its guard. He was "the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof." Israel made little use of chariots and horsemen in their wars; but Elijah was to them, by his counsels and reproofs and prayers, better than the strong­est force, of chariot and horse. By his god­ly living, and effectual fervent prayers, he kept off from them many destructive judg­ments. His departure from them, was like the routing of an army—an irreparable loss! Yea, better would it have been for them, to [Page 9] have lost all their men of war, than this man of God. And, therefore, in token of the deep sense which he entertained of his own, and the public loss, "he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces."

FROM the whole, we observe, that to la­ment the loss, and speak the just praises of one who is taken away from a life of emi­nent services to ourselves, and country in general, is our reasonable duty. It seems, indeed, to be an evident dictate of our na­ture. Fallen from God, as mankind are, they are not wholly bereft of humanity, of social affections, of a sense of moral excel­lency and worth, or of sentiments of gratitude to those from whom they have received sig­nal favours. Eminent moral excellence, commands respect, even from the wicked; and extraordinary, selfdenied, and disinte­rested public services, not infrequently com­pel involuntary effusions of affection and gratitude, even from the steeled heart of disingenuous selfishness. Hence the cus­tom of paying public honors, to the memo­ry of those who have been eminently distin­guished by their purity of life, their talents and usefulness has been general, among the nations. And, instances have not been want­ing, [Page 10] of a people, after having sacrificed their benefactors to the rage of jealousy and par­ty spirit, struck with remorse, and revolting from the work of their own hands, returning with enthusiastic ardor to pay the tribute of respect and gratitude, due to their memory. So deeply rooted in the human heart, are the sentiments of respect, for intrinsic worth, and of gratitude for distinguishing benefits.

IT is true, indeed, that depraved men, sometimes misplace their respects, and pay honors where they are not due. It is also true, that the blinded multitude, often do, in a great measure, idolize great and good men; regarding them as though they were independent of their Maker, honoring them for their talents, as though they had not re­ceived them, and giving them praise for their success, their deeds of charity and useful­ness, as though they were not instruments in the hands of God. No doubt, men often give so much honor to the creature, that they leave none for their Creator—so much thanks to the immediate instruments of their bless­ings, that they have none for God, the orig­inal author of them, who worketh all in all. But these things do not militate against the reality, the propriety, or the just­ness of the principle, but only prove the [Page 11] misapplication and abuse of it. And can we, with any colour of reason say, that be­cause the principle is misapplied and abused by many, it is therefore in itself bad? Or, that because the duty to which it refers, is often performed in a very wrong manner, therefore no such duty is at all obligatory up­on us? Certainly not. For what principle of the human mind is not perverted? what duty is not abused by wicked men?

BUT, if to lament the loss, and speak the just praises of one who is taken away from a life of eminent services to ourselves, and country in general, be an evident dictate of our nature, then it must be a duty enjoined upon us by the law of our Maker and sove­reign Lord. Accordingly it is authorised and enforced by many examples recorded in sacred scripture. This honor, as we learn from the words of the text, Elijah paid to the memory of his departed master. Though he was then assured, that he should receive a double portion of the same divine spirit that dwelt in him, and should be the prophet of the Lord, in his stead, yet he deeply regretted the loss of him, and proclaimed aloud his su­perior worth. And we are told, that "the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains [...] [...] zekiah, [Page 12] who had so eminently contributed to the reformation, peace, and prosperity of his people, "slept with his fathers, they buried him in the chiefest of the sepul­chres of the sons of David, and all Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, did him honor at his death." And these instances are recorded without any marks of disapproba­tion, and so have the force of a precept to every other people, in similar circumstanc­es. When the Lord takes from us such an eminent public blessing, he calls to la­mentation and mourning, both on account of the loss, in itself considered, and the frowning aspect of divine providence which it wears. Those whom he hath honored by bestowing upon them extraordinary gifts, and making them the instruments of much good to us, he will have us honor. He requires us to give honor to whom [...]nor is due, and to maintain and manifest [...] grate­ful remembrance of the blessings that we have recieved through their instrumentality.

To this duty we are now called, by the death of our excellent and illustrious fellow citizen, GENERAL GEORGE WASHING­TON. And may not the thousands of this land, intent upon the removal of so great and good a man, to whom, under God, we [Page 13] owe so much, with propriety adopt the pa­thetic language of Elisha, and cry, "my fa­ther, my father, the chariot of America and the horsemen thereof." Yes, every Ameri­can will acknowledge, and all nations will testify, that he is the father of his country. He was the chief instrument in the hand of God, of bringing us into existence, as a free and independent people. He nursed our tender years, and under his guardian and fostering care, we have grown up to man­hood.

LIKE a father, he, in the day of danger, directed our defence, and led us to vic­tory; declining any other reward, than that of the approbation and gratitude of a free and enlightened people. Though ever firm and undaunted, even in the most critical and dangerous situations; yet, with parental ten­derness and solicitude, he always maintain­ed a watchful care over the lives of his countrymen, whom he commanded; and ne­ver needlessly exposed them to danger.

LIKE a wise and faithful father, he made himself respected, more by the propriety and rectitude of his conduct, than by the fear of his displeasure; and always temper­ed his authority and the strictness of disci­pline, [Page 14] with the soothing and captivating charms of mildness, condescension, and love. And never was a general more res­pected, or more beloved.

POSSESSING the first ability both for the field and for the cabinet, and sustaining the highest offices in the union, he, as a wise and good father, hath set before his country­men, very admirable examples, for their imitation. As a man, to a life of pure mo­rals, he hath added a high respect for his Maker, and the institutions of his worship.

As a citizen, he hath, by his example, taught his countrymen, to sacrifice all pri­vate and personal considerations, to the pre­servation and prosperity of the public weal. Never, perhaps, did any mere man, in simi­lar circumstances, so clearly shew, in all his public conduct, that he was actuated and governed by a regard to the good of his country. Let the hills and plains of New-Jersey give testimony to his wearisome, pe­rilous and patriotic labors! they speak—they tell his worth, and will continue to do so, when our lips shall be closed and sealed in death. The banks of the Dela­ware, the vale of Trenton, the height of Princeton, and the plains of Monmouth, will [Page 15] declare his patriotism and his praise, to ge­nerations yet unborn.

TRACE his history, and mark the admira­ble uniformity of his conduct!—In every situation, in peace no less than in war, he hath stood the foremost in the rank of pa­triots, with his face stedfastly set toward the public good. View him at the head of a well disciplined and victorious army, sup­pressing the desire of governing, which is so natural to the human heart; discarding all ambitious views; hushing the well ground­ed murmurs of his troops; disbanding them, and retiring with them to private life. View him again, in one of the most perilous seasons this country ever knew, when an ex­periment was to be made of the new con­stitution, and the public mind was much di­vided and agitated, obeying the voice of the people, and taking the dubious helm of go­vernment. What but the desire of serving his country, could have been his induce­ment? He had before clearly shewn, that the peaceful retirement of Mount Vernon, was more agreeable and pleasing to him, than the bustle and parade of public life. And in a scene so difficult, and compli­cated, and untried, little hope could have been entertained by him, of adding any [Page 16] thing to the glory of his character; and he knew, that by undertaking this high charge, he set his political fame again afloat upon the uncertain and treacherous waves of po­pular opinion, and might by some miscon­duct, or want of success, suffer much loss, if not sink the whole of his hard earned honor. But uninfluenced by such personal considerations, his great mind was willing, at the call of his country, to hazard all!

EQUAL to every task, superior to every difficult emergency, and crowned with success and glory, view him again, voluntarily re­turning to private life, and mingling with the multitude of his fellow citizens. Surely, for the love of his country, he stands unri­valled in the page of history! What affec­tionate father could feel willing to do more for the welfare of his children?

As a prosperous general, as a successful president of the union, he has given to all who come after him in public offices, a most amiable example of humility and modesty. He was rather studious to avoid, than to re­ceive the formal expressions of applause, respect and gratitude with which, every part of the continent was ready to meet him. And amidst the universal and repeated ac­clamations [Page 17] of his country, and the admira­tion of the surrounding world, his firm mind, unmoved by vanity, unsullied by pride, retained a just sense of his limited and dependent powers, and modestly and piously ascribed all his successes to the merciful dispositions of divine providence. Surely he hath, as a father, set before us, very amiable and admirable examples for our imitation.

AND what shall I say further? With a father's solicitude, he hath left to his coun­try his affectionate advice, an admirable code of political wisdom, by which we may be guided and profitted, when he is no more. Surely, while a father is respected, while fi­lial affection and gratitude remain and glow in the breasts of Americans, the name of WASHINGTON, will be held most dear. Generations yet to come, contemplating his virtues and services, and in thought follow­ing his departed spirit, will successively and affectionately cry, my father! my father!

AND may we not with equal propriety ap­ply the other part of the character which Elisha gave to his departed master, and call him the chariot of America, and the horse­men [Page 18] thereof. To his wise, and prudent, and magnanimous conduct, as the commander in chief of our forces, more than to the strength of our forces themselves, do we owe our deliverance from British tyranny, and our establishment as a free and inde­pendent people. And by his counsels no less than by his arms, hath he contributed to our preservation and prosperity. By his wisdom, and the respectability of his cha­racter, he hath done more than any other man could do, toward the formation, recep­tion and establishment of our present happy constitution. And to the wise and prudent measures adopted and established under his presidency in the administration of our go­vernment, with respect to the belligerent powers of Europe, do we owe, under God, the tranquility which we have hitherto en­joyed. He has been our guardian angel, our chief fortress in the hand of providence, both from external assaults, and from inter­nal division and anarchy. He has been a guard to us, equal to that of the strongest force of chariots and horsemen. His very name at the head of our military forces has, probably, more discouraged the threatening enemy from the prosecution of their evil de­signs against us, than all the bulwarks and [Page 19] all the battalions that we have raised.^* Such in brief, is the man whose death we deplore. We have not such another man to loose. The brightest star in our hemis­phere has fallen to the ground. Weep O daughter of Columbia, thy glory has depart­ed from thee! thy WASHINGTON is no more!

By this very afflictive dispensation of providence, we are called, first, to deep mourning. Our father, our guide, our guar­dian, is taken from us. With respect to what man can do, our loss must be consi­dered as, in a great measure, irreparable. Had we lost all our navy, and all our for­tresses, and all our troops, we might replace them with others, of equal worth; but neither America nor the known world, can furnish a second WASHING­TON.^† While with humble resignation, [Page 20] we bow before the sovereign will of God, it is surely our duty as rational creatures, as men, and especially, as the citizens of America, to be deeply sensible of the loss which we sustain, and to mourn, not merely in appearance, but in heart.

WE are also hereby called to give-thanks to God, for his past distinguishing goodness to our land. The same hand that hath tak­en away, did first bestow upon us, and long continue with us, this great public blessing. If never before, we should now be sensible of the Lord's mercy to us, in this respect. We should give thanks to God, that he hath honored and blessed our land, with, as far as we can judge, the greatest man of the age;^* that he hath preserved his useful life to us, so long—and that he hath made him to us the instrument of such a series of great and distinguishing blessings.

[Page 21] WE are also called on this occasion to deep humiliation before God, for our sins, which are the procuring cause of all the ca­lamities that we experience. The sudden manner in which this excellent man has been snatched from us, in the midst of his use­fulness, and at this dangerous crisis of our public affairs, when his presence with us seems to be so much needed, denotes the special displeasure of God, against the peo­ple of this land. In his righteous provi­dence, God hath of late brought upon us, one heavy affliction after another, and be­cause we have not repented and turned from our sins, his anger is not turned from us, but his hand is stretched out still. And if we do not now humble ourselves and turn unto the Lord, from whom we have grossly and shamefully departed, we must prepare to meet our God, in other and more awful judgments.

BY this bereaving stroke of divine pro­vidence, we are also called to special ferven­cy and importunity in prayer to God—that he would grant to our land in general, a dis­pensation of his spirit and grace, and teach and enable us to repent of our sins in truth, and to devote ourselves unreservedly [Page 22] to his service, and make him our only stay and confidence, that it may be well with us, and our children after us. Although our loss be irreparable with respect to man, yet it is not so with respect to God. With him, all things are possible. His hand is not shortened that it cannot save, nor his ear heavy that it cannot hear. He can bless us with recovering grace. And if God be for us, who can be against us? the same hand that gave to us, and took from us, GEORGE WASHINGTON, can raise us up another of equal worth; or he can make weaker instruments an equal, yea, a greater blessing to us. Let us, therefore, fervently pray, that God would make us his peculiar people, and graciously condescend to be our God—that he would cause a double portion of that spirit of wisdom and integrity which dwelt in WASHINGTON, to rest on his successors in public offices—that instead of a Moses he would give us a Joshua—that instead of an Elijah, he would raise us up an Elisha.

FINALLY, by this solemn and afflictive dispensation of providence, we are all loud­ly called to prepare for death. We must all shortly die. Neither riches nor wisdom, [Page 23] nor great usefulness, nor the highest ho­nor and authority can shield us from the destructive darts of the king of terrors. WASHINGTON hath fallen before him—WASHINGTON hath died—and you and I must also die. Let us therefore learn to keep our end in view. Let us without de­lay, in this day of our merciful visitation, make our peace with God, by humbling our­selves before him for our sins, and embrac­ing the Lord Jesus Christ, as the only Sa­viour that is provided for us. Let us re­ceive him and trust in him, as the Lord our righteousness and strength. Let us submit ourselves to his authority, and make his word the rule of our lives. Let us study to a­bound in every good word and work, that we may be useful in our respective places, and shew forth the praises of God, our re­deemer. Let us herein imitate the good example which the father of our country hath set before us. "Blessed is that ser­vant whom his Lord, when he cometh shall find so doing."

Amen.