or even of one pious child? Only think,-how your own family may ramify in the next generation, and how it may blend, age after age, with other families; carrying into them all a sweet savour of Christ, along with your revered memory, until there be actually a little nation of your descendants, rejoicing in the God of their fathers? But neglect your son, or leave your daughter's principles to chance, and you may set in motion a course of ruin which shall never stop, and be a fountain which shall originate a stream of evil and woe, that may run, widening and wasting, through time and eternity!

In those lights, how infinite are the consequences of Sunday schools! They are now giving a tone and a character to the rising generation of the poor, which will tell for ever upon the present and future character of the nation, and also upon the bliss of heaven. That teaching, when well conducted, is a work, the fruits of which will follow holy teachers, wherever they follow the Lamb in heaven. It will never stop, until all shall know the Lord; and even then, that grand consummation will be in no small measure the fruit of it; and thus the reward of all who sow, and of all who reap.

In like manner, you may "work a work" for your neighbourhood, which shall impress an imperishable character upon its habits and spirit. You may make and leave it a nursery for holiness, from which you may be regaled every year, until the end of time, even in Paradise, by roses from the wilderness, and myrtles from the desert. Only sow, plant, and water to the Spirit, and in due season, and through enduring cycles, you shall reap, not only life everlasting, but also the full joy of that life, by entering fully into the joy of your Lord.

This is the right improvement of the death of Whitefield. It would be as easy to write fine things upon the subject, as to read them; but I envy not the taste nor the conscience, that could be satisfied with unpractical truths, at the death-bed of the most practical man who has appeared since the days of Paul. I feel that my readers and myself may be Whitefields in something; and, therefore, I have written, not for fame, but in order to be useful. Accordingly, although you cannot admire, you will remember. This is all I want.

CHAPTER XXXI.

WHITEFIELD'S FUNERAL.

RICHARD SMITH's account of the funeral, like that of the deathbed of Whitefield, needs no commendation; but only some additions.

"The Reverend Mr. Parsons, at whose house my dear master died, sent for Captain Fetcomb and Mr. Boadman, and others of his elders and deacons, and they took the whole care of the burial upon themselves, prepared the vault, and sent for the bearers." Smith.

Dr. Gillies says, "Early next morning, Mr. Sherburn of Portsmouth sent Squire Clarkson and Dr. Haven with a message to Mr. Parsons, desiring that Mr. Whitefield's remains might be buried in his own new tomb, at his own expense and in the evening several gentlemen from Boston came to Mr. Parsons, desiring the body might be carried there. But as Mr. Whitefield had repeatedly desired to be buried before Mr. Parsons' pulpit, if he died at Newbury Port, Mr. Parsons thought himself obliged to deny both of these requests."

Parsons, in a note to his funeral sermon, says, " At one o'clock all the bells in the town were tolled for half an hour, and all the vessels in the harbour gave their proper signals of mourning. At two o'clock the bells tolled a second time. At three the bells called to attend the funeral. The Reverend Dr. Haven of Portsmouth, and the Reverend Messrs. Rogers of Exeter, Jewet and Chandler of Rowley, Moses Parsons of Newbury, and Bass of Newbury Port, were pall-bearers. Mr. Parsons and his family, with many other respectable persons, followed the corpse in mourning.

hen the corpse was placed on the bier in .: a very suitable prayer, persons within the walls - were on the outside."* the corpse was put into : the congregation had had are it was sealed, Mr. Jewet

or even of one pious child? Only t may ramify in the next generation after age, with other families: savour of Christ, along with yo be actually a little nation of God of their fathers? daughter's principles to course of ruin which sha shall originate a strea... and wasting, throug.. In those lights. schools! They rising generation present and

THORS.

sins came to the house of the verai of them gave a very parAwakenings under his ministry, any in their congregations, God, owed their conversion -tem. often repeating the blessed preaching: and all said, that a more power than any other; cre him. Then one and another dear Tabernacle and chapel fecting to hear them bemoan Thus they continued for two sebess, and praying that > ni ing is mantle among them. the ice of the pulpit, close to is made a very affecting prayer, mur Gall be ewed his conversion to 242 whose precious remains Ti M. O my father, my faA mugi is heart would break, areas the pice-Then he recovar, um sc uwn and wept.-Then

..Jewet preached a funeral discourse, and made an address to his brethren, to lay to heart the death of 1 man of God; begging that he and they might be ir watch-tower, and endeavour to follow his blessed exThe corpse was then put into the vault, and all cond with a short prayer, and dismission of the people, who it weeping through the streets to their respective places of ode." Smith.

"The 'melancholy news of Mr. Whitefield's decease arrived in London, on Monday, November 5, 1770, by the Boston Gazette, and also by several letters from different correspondents at Boston, to his worthy friend, Mr. R. Keene; who received likewise, by the same post, two letters written with his own hand, when in good health, one seven and the other five days before his death. Mr. Keene caused the mournful tidings to be published the same night at the Tabernacle, and the following evening at Tottenham Court chapel. His next step was to consider of a proper person to deliver a funeral discourse, when it occurred to his mind, that he had many times said to Mr. Whitefield, 'If you should die abroad, who shall we get to preach your funeral sermon? Must it be your old friend, the Rev. John Wesley?' And his answer constantly was,' He is the man.' Mr. Keene therefore waited on Mr. Wesley, on the Saturday following, and he promised to preach it on the Lord's day, November 18, which he did, to an extraordinary crowded and mournful auditory; many hundreds being obliged to go away, who could not possibly get within the doors.

"In both the chapel and Tabernacle, the pulpits, &c. were hung with black cloth, and the galleries with fine black baize. Escutcheons were affixed to the fronts of the pulpits; and on each of the adjoining houses, hatchments were put up: the motto on which was- Mea vita salus et gloria Christus.' At the expiration of six months, the mourning in each place of worship, and the escutcheons in the vestries, were taken down. The hatchments remained twelve months, when one was taken down, and placed in the Tabernacle, and the other over a neat marble monument, erected by Mr. Whitefield for his wife, in Tottenham

"The procession was only one mile, and then the corpse was carried into the presbyterian church, and placed on the bier in the broad alley; when Mr. Rogers made a very suitable prayer, in the presence of about six thousand persons within the walls of the church, while many thousands were on the outside."* After singing one of Watts's hymns, " the corpse was put into a new tomb, which the gentlemen of the congregation had had prepared for that purpose; and before it was sealed, Mr. Jewet gave a suitable exhortation." Parsons.

"Many ministers of all persuasions came to the house of the Reverend Mr. Parsons, where several of them gave a very particular account of their first awakenings under his ministry, several years ago, and also of many in their congregations, that, to their knowledge, under God, owed their conversion wholly to his coming among them, often repeating the blessed seasons they enjoyed under his preaching: and all said, that this last visit was attended with more power than any other; and that all opposition fell before him. Then one and another of them would pity and pray for his dear Tabernacle and chapel congregations, and it was truly affecting to hear them bemoan America and England's loss. Thus they continued for two hours conversing about his great usefulness, and praying that God would scatter his gifts and drop his mantle among them. When the corpse was placed at the foot of the pulpit, close to the vault, the Rev. Daniel Rogers made a very affecting prayer, and openly confessed, that under God, he owed his conversion to the labours of that dear man of God, whose precious remains now lay before them. Then he cried out, O my father, my father!-then stopped and wept, as though his heart would break, and the people weeping all through the place.—Then he recovered, and finished his prayer, and sat down and wept.-Then one of the deacons gave out that hymn,

'Why do we mourn departed friends?' &c.

some of the people weeping, some singing, and so on alternately.

* This church was then (I hope is now) one of the largest in America. Allen's Dict.