with his defire the following dif courfe, was drawn up, in the beft manner I could, amidit the languors of an infirm conftitution, and the interruption of many neceffary avocations. And it had been long age preached among you, had not a wife providence permitted an unhappy accident to befal me, which confines me at home. It is the moft grievous circumstance in this affliction, that I am prevented from visiting you, performing the fervice affigned by my ever-honoured friend and father, and perfonally fuggesting to you such confolations and advices as may, in present circumstances, be peculiarly ufeful. To fupply this lack of fervice, I am constrained to fend you the difcourfe from the prefs: and this, I hope, will be a fufficient apology with thofe, who may think it unworthy of public regard. It is fome fatisfaction to me to reflect, that difcourfes, on fuch folemn occafions, have been attended with great ufeful * ufefulness, especially to the acquaintance and friends of the deceafed, which has often flowed, not fo much from the thoughts and advices contained in them confidered alone, as viewed in connection with the awful events which occafioned them. I hope, therefore, that a recollection of the Doctor's eminent worth, and the lofs his family, his flock, and the public fuftain by his death, will caft a veil over the imperfections of this difcourfe, and fill every reader's heart with so much seriousness and tendernefs, as may make way, for the plain remarks and admonitions contained therein, to impress ít, and through the influences of the Spirit of Jefus, produce fome valuable effect. 1 cannot conclude this addrefs without expreffing my warmeft gratitude to you, for all the respect and affection with which you honoured me, during the agreeable years I spent amongst you. And it is my earnest with and prayer, that you may yet flourish, flourish, and be edified, walking in the fear of the Lord, and the comforts of the holy Ghoft: particularly that you may act upon those noble and truly chriftian maxims of candor and unanimity, which your late Pastor inculcated upon you, and the public, in all your future conduct, and especially in the choice of his fucceffor; that the Head of the Church would give you a paftor after his own heart, under whom you may daily grow in christian knowledge and holiness, and be training up for the perfection and happiness of the heavenly state. These are the daily prayers of, My dear FRIENDS, Your very affectionate Friend, and Servant, for JESUS fake, I COR. XV. 54. latter part. -Death is fwallowed up in Victory. T HE dying bed of an eminent Christian is a most melancholy, and at the fame time a moft delightful fcene: grief for the dominion of fin and death, and the lofs we are fuftaning by his removal, jay in the supports of religion he feels, and the promises of the gofpel he rests upon, take place in our minds by turns, and fometimes mingle together. But in a foul formed to a relish for virtuous friendship, and deeply impreffed with the great truths of Christianity, the joy will preponderate; and the pious heart will overflow with facred delight to fee the terrors of death removed, to obferve how wonderfully God sustains his fervants in their laft conflict, and what an attestation they give to the fulness and sweetnefs of Chriftian confolations. In this inftance in particular, GOD graciously makes his providence a commentary upon his word, and illustrates the promises of his gospel by the the joy and peace he diffuses into the hearts The excellent and reviving chapter of which the text is a part, was intended to confute the opinion of those who faid, there * Whitby was no refurrection of the dead. Their error feems to have been in afferting, that what Christ and his apoftles had faid of a refurrection, did not refer to a refurrection of the dead, but a refurrection or renovation to a life of holiness from a ftate of fin, which is in loc. juftly |