ii An Epistle Prefatory. As to the Character of the Deceased, so far as I went into it, 'tis a Satisfaction to me, that I have your Concurrence: for the World must think your printing the Sermon a loud Attestation to the Justice of my Obfervations on that bead. I spake indeed with the greater Freedom, because in your hearing, who could witness I spoke in the Words of Truth and Soberness. It was the known Principle and Practice of the deceased Servant of God to use a remarkable Caution and Modesty of Speech on fuch Occasions; nor could be relish the flow'ry Pomp of Funeral Oratory, fo common, and so often abus'd, in praising the Dead, to flatter the Living: Yet where any appear'd to bim Persons of distinguish'd Merits, and fuch as by general Suffrage wou'd be allow'd to have something due to their Memory, be wou'd set an Afterism on their bonourable Names, recommend their bright Example to Imitation, and speak of their excellent Gifts, Graces, and Services, to the Honour of that God, who bless'd them, and made them Blessings to their Generation. Witness in particular bis Funeral Sermon for the late Rev. Mr. Thomas Bridge, his worthy Colleague in the Pastoral Relation, and my immediate Predeceffor: The Text and the Discourse moft fitly applicable for the Author's own Funeral Sermon. And accordingly I recommend it to your ferious Review on this Occafion. I take Leave now to remind You, with what a numerous Succession of eminent Lights this golden Candlestick has been distinguishd. You have had your Wilfon, Cotton, Norton, Davenport, Oxenbridge, Allen, Bridge, and Wadsworth; precious Gifts to you from our afcended Saviour, Pastors and Teachers, who have fed You with Knowledge and Understanding: Besides whom, You have enjoy'd the occafional Labours of several worthy Assistants (Moodey and Bailey in particular) for many Months, or Years together. Your evangelical Advantages furely have been 1 been great: and if your spiritual Improvements. be not in Some Proportion, your Account will be awful. And for my own part, when I confider, I am afraid. It bath often been a folemn Thought with me, In whose Room I stood up; what aged, learned, laborious, wife, and venerable Men of God have fuccessively gone before me in this boly Ministry: and the Reflection has been very humbling to me, by a Sense of my own comparative Insufficiency, Inexperience, Unworthiness, Nothingness. Sure I am, I've the greatest Reason to stand astonish'd at the Divine Patience towards me: and to admire your Candour to me, your kind Acceptance of my Labours, and the generous Tokens of your Love in Reward of them, while I have been with many Imperfections ministring among You, now full 20 Years. And the according to the general Run of human Life, I may have still many Days to ferve You, yet the furprizing Blow of God's chastning Hand upon me, not many Months fince (when all about my Bed concluded me under a Sentence of Death) and my habitual Infirmities in Consequence thereof, did awfully warn me, and do daily admonish me, not to expect a long Continuance in this present evil World. O join your Prayers with mine, that a Life so wonderfully reprieved from Destruction, may be employed more than ever for the Glory of God and the Service of your Souls, to which I hope it is fincerely devoted; and that when called from You (God only knows how foon or fuddenly) I may be found with my Work done, and my Accounts ready, and may finish my Course with Joy. I wish you a durable, as well as great Bleffing, in my dear Colleague, your other Pastor! And this I pray, that your Love may abound yet more and more in Knowledge and in all Judgment; that ye may approve Things that are excellent, and continue in the Things which ye have learned, and be watchful to strengthen the Things which remain that are ready to die. 1 Let : i iv An Epiftle Prefatory. Let us all concur in heartily lamenting the great and growing Degeneracies of the present Day: and let us unite our fervent Prayers, our folicitous Cares, and ftrenuous Endeavours for the happy Resurrection and Flourishing of Religion and Virtue among us, which is our Life, our trueft prosperity, and brightest Crown. Surely it is Time to feek the Lord, till He come and rain Righteousness upon us. And have we not Reason to lay to Heart the many forrowful Instances of Mortality, we've seen in the Course of a very few Years, among our Pious and Useful, and our Aged and Honorable? For behold, the Lord, the Lord of Hofts, doth take away from us the Stay and the Staff, the Judge, and the Prophet, and the Prudent, and the Ancient, the honourable Man, and the Counsellor, the cunning Artificer, and the eloquent Orator. Verily by repeated Loffes of Men of Note in the Congregation, a boly fovereign God has been not only lessening our Number, but thinning our Glory, impoverishing our Treasury, and weakning our Strength. Their boary Heads were a vifible Ornament in our Affembly; their shining Characters reflected a fuperior Lustre upon it; and their several Interests, Powers, and active Virtues abundantly strengthen'd our Hands, and encourag'd our Hearts. But now a melancholy Emptiness is feen, where they us'd to appear and act. Alas, bow sadly do we miss them! What lamentable Vacancies do we behold in one Seat and another; and few of the like excellent Spirit and Talents fucceeding to fill up their Places! Have we not Reason to cry out, with the Prophet! O Lord God, ceafe, I beseech Thee; by whom shall Jacob arife? for he is small. and let us return to the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind us up. Come We are bleeding particularly by a fresh and deep Wound in the Decease of that good and merciful Man, one of our worthy } worthy and faithful Deacons, the late Mr. Jonathan Williams; over whose Grave I cannot refrain dropping a Tear of Condolence with You, and paying a small Tribute to bis Memory. May the God of all Grace fanctify the Death of his Servant to the bereaved Children and Relatives, to his mournful Brethren in Office, and to us all! We have lost in him the amiable Example of a devout, just, peaceable, charitable, and humble Chriftian, and the valuable Help of a very active, prudent, and useful Servant of the Church. The main Qualifications of a Deacon, as they are laid down by the inspir'd Apostle in bis Epistle to Timothy, were visible in this our Brother; Gravity, Integrity, Temperance, Generofity, found Faith, and a pure Confcience. We must bear him this Testimony, that he bath used his Office well; and having served his Generation according to the Will of God, he is (with Stephen) fallen asleep. But if we believe that Jefus died, and rose again, even so them also which fleep in Jesus, will God bring with him : and for our further Confolation, in. the mean time, we fee Jesus who was made a little lower than the Angels, for the fuffering of Death, crown'd with Glory and Honour; Head over all things to his Church, and the Saviour of the Body. Having afcended up on high, he has received Gifts for Men: and of bis Fulness may we still look to receive, even Grace for Grace, Blessing upon Blessing. Ye that make Mention of the LORD, keep not Silence: and give Him no Rest, till He establish, and till He make our Jerufalem a Praise in the Earth, as in former Years, and as in the Days of old; even until the Righteousness thereof go forth as Brightness; and the Salvation thereof as a Lamp that burneth. Let it be your Prayer day and night, that a gracious God wou'd pardon our Sins, and heal our Backflidings, whereby we have expos'd our selves to his fearful Judgments; That he wou'd return and visit bis People, made weak by the Fall of so many of his righteous Ones; and that He wou'd clofe the Breaches in our Walls, ! vi An Epistle Prefatory. by raising up a Succession of Persons of a like excellent These are the fincere Sentiments, Advices and Wishes of Thomas Foxcroft. Boston, April 2. 1737. |