and in the High Ways of the Countrey Or doth either the Urgency of our Affairs or the duty we owe to our friends settle us in any Society seldom or never do we dismiss or part from one another without some Notice or Memorial of Death given from the Fate of our Friends or Neighbours Or take we History in our hand whether Sacred or Prophane and scarce have we Celebrated the Birth and but a little Traced the Life when we are surprised with the Death of the greatest Hero's in the World How Familiar is Death made to us Day by Day in the common Occurrents of our Life and yet how little are we acquainted with the Shibboleth and Language of it or with the Work of the Grave For 1. So little Impression doth it make upon the Minds of Men to Day they are in the House of Mourning and either are or or ought to be deeply Affected with the Stupendous Changes that Death maketh upon the Persons and Families of their Friends and to Morrow their Discourses are as much Larded as ever with Foolish and Prophane Nauseating and truly defileing Jests and Entertainments Others are proud of having a Roman Spirit ascribed to them and therefore talk of Death with as much Superciliousness and Indifferency as these Sadducees against whom the Holy Apostle reasons in the forcited 1 Cor. 15.32 And of whom the Holy Prophet Esay taketh notice in his days Isai 22.13 the common Jargon of whose Communications was Let us eat drink and be merry for to morrow we must die Plutar. Let Epaminondas his Fortitude have all the Praise that the Grecian Ethicks did then deserve who being wounded at the Battle of Mantinea with a Dart or Spear the feathered end of which being broke off stuck in his Body and being told that so soon as it were plucked out he behoved to die took no other notice of the direful Advertisement than to ask first if his Shield were Safe and next if his Army was Victorious and being answered to both in the affirmative thought then fit to tell his Friends that he had lived long enough since he died unvanquished and then bid pluck out the Dart and with it breathed out his last But forgive me to prefer the digested Seriousness of the wise Solomon Eccles 12. who understood the Consequents and weighed the Work of Death in a deeper Recollection of Mind and therefore thought fit to pen a whole serious Chapter upon the different steps of its Approach though in a Natural way And the more ponderous account that Job's Friend makes of it Job 18.14 when he calls it the King of Terrors How great a Stranger and yet how familiar soever a Comerad it be found to the most of Men how little soever they seem to understand the Language of Death and the Work of the Grave so little impression doth it take upon the Minds of Men. II. So little Change doth it work upon their Lives they are alse False and Treacherous they are alse Proud and Vain they are alse Unjust and Unrighteous they are alse Intemperat and Unclean they are alse much sunk in Dotage upon the World they are alse much Strangers to the things of another Life as ever This is too too obvious in the Practice of many Profligats who in the time of their witnessing the Severity of Justice upon the Persons if not of their Accomplices yet of their Neighbours and Acquainrances can have the Hardiness or rather Stupidity to perpetrat the very Crimes for which they die So Picking and Stealing are commonly enough to be found at the Executions of Theeves and Robbers Or at the out-breaking of accidental Fires when the Lives and Goods of some are consumed in Merciless Flames the Hellish Hands of others are busied in carrying away what remains And when these Wicked and Ungodly Men Men Cruel and Unjust come themselves within View of Death seldom do we find them inclined to restore what they have unjustly taken How great Strangers must these needs be to the right Improvement of the Approaches of Death or to the Work of the Grave made Plainly evident in our two former Condescendences however familiar Death be made to them in the common Occurrents of their Lives O Tempora O Mores And thence it is that III. When they come to die they are either shaken with Fears or sunk in Confusion of Mind and no wonder for Death to them is die Executioner of a double Sentence at once strikeing off their Present Beeings and their future Hopes Their Life hath been bad and their Conscience is no better GOD is at Enmity with them and the Pit must needs stand open for them Thence come Horrors and deep Concussions of Mind the exact Reverse of Saint Paul his Prospect of Death Philipp 1.21 To me to live is Christ and to die is Gain But their Life being but a total Alienation from the Life of Christ their Death must necessarly lead them to these Fears and Confusions we speak of For a Wounded Spirit who can bear And it was an excellent Observation of Tacitus upon the Horrors that Tiberius the Emperor professed he dayly endured for his Bloody Cruelty Tandem said he Facinora Flagitia in Supplicium vertuntur At length Mens Sins become their Punishments Witnessing how little these Men have been acquainted with Death or busied about the Work of the Grave May we ask What can make Men Serious It seems nothing from without them can Should Almighty God order a Dreadful Spectre in all the Formidable Shapes in which we can fancy or represent Death to hang about a Mans Body from his Cradle to his Grave at least from his Riper Years when he becometh capable of Rational and Solid Fear We may presume after a short times Familiarity it should become but like the common Scar-Crow which is set up to fright Birds from the early or tender Seed which in a little sit down upon it without Fear This hath been the common Disease of Mankind from the beginning of the World to this day Hence was it that by all the terrible Appearances that GOD made in his Theocracy and immediat Government he took over die Jews they were not frighted unto their Duty or at least kept in it for any considerable time So was it with all the Miracles that the Blessed Jesus did in his Theophania or Divine Appearance amongst Men Notwithstanding of all which His very Disciples and Apostles were not inviolably knit to him or the Work which he came to do in the World You know that one betrayed another denyed and all forsook him upon the first Approach of a Tryal but the Truth is these were Men not yet arrived at these Measures of Grace and Divine Illumination they attained to at the Descent of the Holy Ghost upon them after the Resurrection of our Lord so that nothing from without is like to work upon the Spirits of Men. How just is that Answer which Abraham gave to Dives
the Virtues of Dorcas much talked of and the Product of her Handy-labour exhibited to her Praise in the sight of the Apostle who was allowed to raise her from the Dead The first two I shall make mention of are coupled together by our Blessed Lord and Saviour in the Eleventh Chap. of St. Matt. Gospel Verse 24. In a grand Lesson he offers unto and enjoyns upon his Disciples It is in these Words Learn of me for I am meek and lowly in Heart And sufficiently to understand the Value of these Graces it will be fit to mention another Scripture Isa 57.15 Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth Eternity whose Name is Holy I dwell in the High and Holy Place with him also that is of a Contrit and Humble Spirit to revive the Spirit of the Humble and to revive the Heart of the Contrit Ones Where it is obviously observable That these Virtue so qualify the Soul as to make it a Habitation for God and do make up a considerable part of the Image of Christ Nor do I say that these alone can qualify Us for an Union with God but that they are two of the most considerable Virtues in the exercise of which we may hope to attain to the Blessedness of an other World For the Meekness of our Great and Noble Friend it was such as that seldom he was found to be Angry For my self I have heard his Ears provok'd but never saw his Countenance changed And if we take in the Holy St. Augustin his Description of the Meek which is in these Words Commenting upon our Saviours Sermon upon the Mount mites qui cedunt Improbitatibus non resistunt in malo He knew to bear evil Offices done him in the World with as equal a Mind as any amongst Men Nor did he take pleasure to render Evil for Evil but rather in the Meekness of his Spirit to overcome Evil with Good And without either Fondness or Hyperbole I may adventure to say that if he came not up to the Meekness of Moses in the exercise of this Virtue he was one of the Meekest Men of all the Societies where he happened to be found For his Humility it was as Signal as it was Singular He ever shunned all pompous Appearances and proud Competitions He was assable and easy in his Conversation even with these of inferior Quality and yet with his Equals setting forth a Greatness suitable to his Birth attended with all the possibly attainable Effects that his Noble and Generous Education at Foreign Courts could have been expected to produce For his Table it was ever opulent and honest and upon all solemn and singular Occasions second to none amongst his Peers but nothing Vain or savouring of Ostentation In his Apparel though he never wanted by him the richest and finest yet he looked upon himself as Great in the Virtue of his Country as in the Product of the Indies and truely he was so Whatsoever he had to boast beyond his Neighbours in considerable acquired Parts he had no itch to shew them but industriously kept them up except when the common Benefit of others did require it Nor were his Attainments only in that which we call the Gentile-Learning especially the Classick Authors whereof a Copy is extant in his Library than which there can be none found finer in the Nation but in other Sciences that are of greater Use and require closser and more serious Application And I have been witness to his modest and bashful Concealing of them when he had good opportvnity to set them forth to his Praise making good that Description St. Bernard gives of Humility Gloriari non solet contendere non consuevit it doth not Boast it useth not to Wrangle The next Virtue that shined in him was his remarkable Justice in observance of that great Gospel Precept Matth. 7.12 All things whatsoever ye would that Men should do to you do you even so to them For this is the Law and the Prophets This Virtue did he practise to a great Pitch in all the Transactions of his greater Affairs and in lesser Concerns in his State and Family still Allowing Approving and Commending upon all Occasions all Actions of that Nature And was frequently heard to say that however unjust any were to him he would be Just to all the World And in some time his Singular Justice in most Signal Acts of it may be made appear To these add his Eminent Charity and Bounty to all that were in want so necessary a Virtue in these pinching times and that likwise in obedience to a very great Gospel Precept Heb. 13.16 To do Good and Communicat forget not for with such Sacrifices God is well pleased This is a Virtue that admits not of such publick Evidences because we are forbid to sound a Trumpet before it And that is indeed the great difference betwixt true Charity and vain Ostentation Only this I can say as upon certain Knowledge that sometimes I have been called to find out fit objects for his Charitable Distributions Now here is a short Catalogue of some of the most Excellent Christian Virtues which very eminently dwelt in him And might we stay longer upon this to highten the Morality of his Life we might call in as Auxiliaries the Cardinal Moral Virtues admired practised and recommended by the Ancients as founded upon the Light of Nature One of these is already touched to wit Justice the other three are Prudence Temperance and Fortitude of Mind Of the first of these he was Blessed with very large Measures And if we speak the Language of the Moralists nullum Numen abest si fit prudentia For his Temperance in eating he could shew himself Sober in the midst of great Abundance For the other part of it in Liquors many times have I heard him remonstrat against the use of them betwixt Meals And if at any time the corrupt Customs of the Age did impose upon his Gentle and condescending Spirit he bore both the trouble and Resentment of it to a Christian Measure For that of Fortitude of Mind which is indeed the Stay and Anchor of all the rest he was a Phaenix for it which cannot miss to be attested by all that had the Honour to Converse with him Never a more equal and immovable temper of Spirit found ordinarly amongst Men upon the Earth You ever found him where you left him and what he was he was unto the End So that Relative to all these both Christian Moral Virtues he seemed to inhaunce that Precept of the Blessed Apostle 1 Cor. xv 58. Be Stedfast and Immoveable Signal Evidences of this Fortitude of Mind did appear to a Wonder in the sight of many Witnesses at his Death his Noble and Honourable Friends whom he had called to the Christian Office of attending him at that Season There did he seem so far to Triumph over Death that the ordinar Temper of his Mind suffered no imaginable Change speakihg with
all the Deliberation and Digestedness a very little time before his Death as he used to do in the time of his Health with all Demonstration of Kindness taking by the Hand all that were about him committing them to God Pardoning and praying for all his Enemies and heartily Blessing his Hopeful Son One Passage did very much instruct the Christian Magnaminity al 's wel as Moral Fortitude of his Mind when the Surprize of a very excuseable Passion made his Dearest and truely Noble Consort break out in some kind deep Resentments at her Thoughts of his parting from the World He thus expressed himself as with a Challenge Why should not I resign my Soul unto God at His pleasure All the Greatness and Wealth and numerous Circumstances of Temporal Felicity were not so much as in his View The seriousness of his Devotions al 's well as the Fortitude of his Mind left no place for such low and mean Thoughts To this add a singular Instance of that orderly and digested Regard which he payed to God all that Night over before it pleased God to call him out of this Mortal Life As oft as Prayers were offered for him the returns of which were very frequent and that most Just and Righteous Conclusion of our Requests in the Words of our Blessed Lord and Saviours form of Prayer which rectifies all our undigested Thoughts sounded in his Ears he pulled off the thin Covering of his Head with which he was abundantly discovered when it was upon him and with the profundest Devotion joyned in the Petitions thereof Here is a Chain of Virtues made mention of before you hanging about this Great and Noble Personage Virtues have always their proper Lustre where ever they are to be found but set forth a greater deal of Beauty and Glory when made Conspicuous by so high a Station like Pallas or Minerva sitting upon a Triumphal Arch and commanding the profoundest Regard from all their Votaries passing by them upon the common Level of the Earth O! What Obligations ly upon Great Men to be Virtuous provocking to Imitation the Multitudes of such as stand upon a lower Ground considerably reforming the World putting common Debauchry Dissolutness of Life to the Blush And by so doing greatly advancing the Kingdom of God But to live this Digression I say here is a Chain of Virtues Meekness and Humility Twins of Paradise fit for the Fellowship of Jesus and meet to enter into the Societies of the Blessed without which they cannot abide in these Regions of true Felicity more than Lucifer in Heaven or Adam in the Garden of Eden Justice Charity the two profitable Hand-maids of Human Society Ministering to the present Exigences of his lower World without which neither could the Poor Subsist nor the Rich be Happy Again here are Prudence Fortitude and Temperance The Philosophers have left us little to say of these only they Treat them likeways with respect to this Life and the constituting and carrying on of a Temporal Happiness and summum bonum under the Sun But in the other World our Prudence shall be swallowed up of a perfected Wisdom whereof it is but a Spice or Syre Fortitude shall lose it self in a fearless and inconcussible State And Temperance shall surrender its Dominion to a total Exemption from the use of the Creature To all these add Pure and Holy Devotion and this is a lasting Tribut payable to our Great Lord and Maker as in this World so in that which is to come And now with this Climax or Chain of Virtues in their different Positions and Gradations in their proper Exercises and Operations did our Great and Noble Friend and Fellow Christian shew himself forth in the World Having them so closs hanging about him and knit unto him that so long as he was capable of Communion with Us and the common Union of Soul and Body was allowed to subsist they shined forth with a Meridian Brightness Only the last of these as most becoming his Business of appearing before God seemed in the last place totally to possess his Soul and to shew forth a great work of God upon his Heart making him to breath forth a total Abnegation and cheerful Dereliction of all the enjoyments of this Life And in this manner did he spend his Time in the approaches of Death as he had done for a considerable time before having also received the Holy Eucharist from the Hand of one who was Worthy and had right to Celebrat and Administer it Thus did he in the strength of a firm Mind and in the returns of continual Devotions wait for the coming of his Lord uttering these Words and never any after them Into thy Hands O Lord I ecommend my Spirit Thus this Noble and Excellent Personage with this upright Job whose Patience in a most lively manner he transcribed as in the course of his Life where he wanted not singular enough tryals so most Eminently in his last Fatal Sickness was brought unto Death and to the House Appointed for all Living What was Great and Noble about Him either in the Extract or Alliances of his Family where there wants no Ground enough to Celebrat his Greatness we cannot so much consider the Subject of a Funeral as the work of a Pencil And therefore recommends you to his Escutcheon where you will find the Ensigns Armorial of the Noblest and Greatest Families of this Nation Or if there were any Faults or Failings in his Life As what Man liveth and finneth not that is as little my Business What I have already said of Him seems to speak Him more than a Penitent even a Favorite of Heaven and yet boasting of no Attainments but in the wonted Humility of his Soul throwing himself intirely upon the Merits of the Blessed Jesus the only true and solid Plea of the best of Christians And here we shall leave Him where we hope to be found in the day of our Appearrance And what now remains but the last Duty of his Noble and Honourable Blood Friends To commit his Body to the Dust since his Spirit is returned to God who gave it And Blessed are the Dead which Die in the Lord from henceforth for they rest from their Labours and their Works do follow them FINIS