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MONTREAL : PRINTED BY NAHUM MOWER, "*T8i&.""* FUNERAL SERMON. MATTHEW xxtv. 44. THEREFORE, BE YE ALSO READY: FOR IN SUCH AN HOUA AS YE THINK NOT THE SON OF MAN COMETH. HE great end for which the Divine mer- cy interposed to arrest the arm of justice and to reprieve the human race from the merited sen- tence of condemnation ; was to restore them to the enjoyment of their forfeited privileges and to re-invest them with those powers and faculties necessary for a second probation. It is the right use or the abuse of these restor- ed powers that renders man just or guilty before God. Although the human race, to their grief, share largely in the dreary effects of original Sin, and feel, in their depraved nature, corrupt affections, unholy desires, and blighted hopes, the entailed consequences of pristine guilt, yet no merit for the righteousness, or responsibility for the disobe- dience of ancestors can, on any principle of equi- ty, rest on their posterity ; for the Scriptures as- sure us that chrildren shall not bear the iniquity of their parents ; and the mouth of the Lora hath said that *' the soul that sinneth, it shall die.** The principles on which the Gospel of Christ is proffered to mankind, and tliose on which the 4 iuture judgment will be conducted, are hlrrhw jonky the exalted wisdom and perfe^tfo. s S fdmlflA ""^ the sacrifice of Christ should be admitted in expiation of our truih • nnri o c^i .on ^o. the Ur of all IJ.af fet b ^^t "es, and ruins man. to the enioynrent o*'all htV sancffies. exalts, and crowns hi^S ll"„ts ITfuT^'"" "' ™^^^y"°t less than Ste-* melT^if •1,!"''* ""^ '" ''^"'^t proportion to nrestnf If 'f^!^°}'^^^0'^ vvickedn'ess in th* present state of trial, is a glorious instance of SnTol & r''"'' '''^ ^-^ '"-"^d\he aeaungs ot trod to his creatures. Of this truth «« bles^d assurances afforded us in Lcrip ure mm forever preserve the Divine dawCe As the sr«at object for which mas was placed in this world was a prqwati™ (or that wSk toco,„e, the benevolent Saviour IVcqTiemvra Jninds him of this fact, by min-dino. t-ith t . iT ncirt'Ant Hr^/^f..;«« /. V """e^'ug, >»itu tiio im- portant doctiines which he uttered, uiccci-t^. which were calculated to arouse him to'^seS S Bess and devotion, and to excite him to dih™ Duri'rfl'"'T '" ""^ ""'* "^'"''^ salvation During the former part of his ministry he la- ties of the ehristian necessary for the attamme^ ^ that preparation, by inc Jcatin^ the ntceS constant obedience to the laws of the GosueL mission and lUe drew nearer to a close he dwpit more particularly and emphatical'yo'i the ma anentous tmnsactions of the Judgment Da and desgnbed us dread appei.dagesf a.7the'^nC t I ire highly ons of the should be id a salva- 2S, brutal- oi: all that lappiness, infinite ; or misery )ortion to ess in th^ stance of nked the ;his truth Scripture, :^er purp yydosav ts placed which is uitly re- I the im- )rccepts, serious^ iihgcnce ition. y he la. tive do- linment ecessity •ict and Gospel, : as his e dwelt he mo- ay, and consQ- t qiieiices of its foial decisions, in die«Kwt ««l(1ime ttnd luminous manner. After descanting on the uncertain tenui'e of tliis mortal life, and on the ignorance of mankiaid respecting the eiid of tinic, and the second advent of the San of Man, he pro^ ceeds, in the most solemn and impressive manner, to uilbrce the necessity of a con.^lant readiness 4.0 meet the bridegroom oi'the xdiurch with joy. In order to impress our minds more deeply with the importance of the subject, I shall I. Briefly describe the readiness which the Cospel requires. II. Point out some motives for its attainment. And ■ III. Contrast the situations of those who are, and those who aie not ;lbund prepared foi* the coming of Christ. I. The readmess wliich the Gospel requires, claims our first regard. The constitution of the human soid is so form- ed, that its happiness can never be attained, but by its association with those beings, and its inti^ macy with those scenes, which perfectly accord with its own nature, passions, and affections. Jt is this principle which causes that distinction in society between the righteous and the wicked. The passions and affections of the christian are sanctified ; those of the antichristian are pollut- ed, sensual, depraved ; .there is no communion hetwcen them, for light hath no concord with darkness 3 their spirits are not kindred, for they are not in unison. Therefore, as the abodes of blessedness are peopled with holy and sanctified beings ; as the employment of glorified spirits is unceasing worship and praise ; and as the happi- ness of all, who are admitted to those regions of joy, is immediately derived from the Divinity, so i\ H must the soul, which would ^artake of that hea, \eniy bliss, be sanctified in its passions and aflec tions ; be devout in its employment, and derive Its supreme enjoyment from the same source.. Ihen, and only then, can it participate of those Pleasures which flow from the throne of God Ihis state of readiness can onlv be attained, by an evangehcal repentance towards God, an en- tire renunciation of all dependence on human sU-ength, and an unlimited confidence in the atonement of the Saviour, which shall produce an unvaried conformity to the Divine rcquiro- ments m faith and practice. ,, -^.f ^"ti"ising watchfulness over the actions of the life, the words of the lips, and the thoughts of the heart, to guard against the practice, and the most distant approach of vice, is an indispen- sible attendant of that readiness, for which the watchful servant received his Master's blessinir and reward. ° To be prepared for an event, which is to close this scene of mortahty, and to introduce the soul to a state of eternal existence, which is to exalt It to the sociey of the blessed, to invest it with renovated powers, to clothe it with immortahty wid to crown it forever with the fruition of God* (or, to debase and degrade it to the society of in- lernal spirits, and to fix its perpetual employment m lamentation and woeJ it is not barely necessa- ry that it should be free from those glaring enor- mities which characterise the obstinately vicious or to be considered comparatively harmless ; for the fruitless, as well as .the corrupt tree, will be cut down as a cumberer of the ground. There- fore ye must have your fruits unto holiness, if. Ml the end, ye would have everlasting hfe. that hea, and aflec- Liid derive e source. e of those of God. ained, by J, an en- n human e in the produce rcquiro- ctions of thoughts ice, and ndispen-. hicli the blessing to close the soul to exalt it with ortahty, of God, y of in- oyinent lecessa- g enor- vicious, ss ; for will be There- ess, i^ As the centinel on the tower is armed and e- quipt at his post, and guards the safety of thfe garrison ; with his vigilant eye from surprise, and by his courage from assault j as the watchful por- ter patiently counts the wakeful moments till his Lord's return ; as the virgin bride, when decked in her nuptial ornaments, anxiously waits the ar- rival of her spouse J "so be ye also ready*'} stand with your loins . girt, your lamps trimmed and burning, and wait the coming of your Lord in the lively exercise of all those graces, and prac- tical virtues of the christian temper, which will prepare you for the Divine acceptance. IL I come now to point out some of those motives which may be urged for the attainment of this preparation. The greatness of the event for which we are to prepare, and the importance of those consequen- ces which depend on its result, furnish us with motives of sufficient magnitude and weight to force a conviction of its necessity on every ra- tional and reflecting mind. — The Personage, for whose coming we are commanded to prepare, is of no less dignity than " King of kings and Lord of lords" ; and it is but a reasonable service that we prepare our hearts for his reception. The solemn event for which we are to make ready, is to meet the King of terrors, who sweeps from ex- istence one generation after another in rapid suc- cession. It is an event which will forever re- move us from scenes of mortaUty, into the boundless space of immortality and unchangea- bly fix us in a perpetual state of bUss or woe. That the Saviour hath commanded us to be ready for this e\ ent, should be a sufficient reason to induce our obedience, and more especially as our happiness was the object of that command. Jt k 3«way» an esce]]mt policy t« he % Drr.. ment ofcreumstanees. to me« it to our aS vie m imporMnce with De«b, both inhi ?«^^ am» eo««que^e,P Shall we nmiuJ^^l^^'Z'' ry necM,ary prepamion that we may meet to tiw* of We and of death eterixi depend on v™« Is it ,K.t my, ,8 It not madness in the estro^ it k i!l ! ff'"^ isfiqudity of the soul ?^,t o taZ in ' ir-?"^-^"^' '''=" '^' human Sj ih«t fh»7 fi" "^''Pewt'^''"' of amendment that the tnne, allctttttl for the .^ultimioti of Tho^ holy ewpe.s, and christian grace. necesLr. t» posea and ineffectual wtentbns to reform at »r,m* future period, till death levels thef^/M * afld sei.es hi, prey unprepa'3 The utccouT^ aWe attachment which fnanfcind feel for 'Ca objec s winch have ever disappointed theh?^hoD?f aftd those pnr,uits which lure to ruin; reaiiires » vigorous exertion of his powers to C7%t SVL n'f nT'\f ^'" "'^"^'^ he is enlav "^^ imi 1,„,T "^, "'"""•""y.depiaved. an understand- wg blmd to his truest mterest, a jud.'ment darfe re'vidStifi' ^^" -^ -srbbt* uirect tendency is to rivet h g chains of error and to bind him taster in tlm bondage of coinm: t.on. Hm state is so dang^o.s and alf^ingS s^tlJ coni0 owr advan* itibjcGt caif 1 its i>atiMfe ' ttjake QVC' y meet its ^s alteroa- id on yaiif le extforrre s i» so pre* > indispen- ttian mifi(| iendittcnt, fi of those cessary to tluJi pur* n at sortitf tal blowj laccount. rof thosd Jir hopesj equires 4 urst thd 5nslaved« lerstand- ent darft tubborn, corrupt ?erly in ', whose f error, coirup. g, while he rcitiains utterly uncouscious of* I.b p.^1 ii> that it reiiuireu the truth of iiis coudi lou to be placed before Ijs eyes in the miijt ^;»aiing colours, ta arouse him from his lethargy, to awake his sensibilityj and to induce hiin to apply to the Saviour as the Ark of safety, lest he tinally sink in the floods of ungodliness and df spain Is it nc»t astonishing, even to ourselves, when we reflect that beings endowed with rational powers, cundi- dates for immortality, should so far forget their 0ri^;in and their destiny, as to attach themselves to the mean and groveling pursuits of avaiica and ambition, and neglect the only object by which their ultimate happiness can be secured ? Yet we ourselves are those identical, unreasonable and ungrateful beings, if we neglect the prize of innnortality for the pursuit of visionary phan- toms; if we tamper with *he eternal concerns of our souls, and are fouicl of the judge at that mo- mentous crisis without the wedding garment. III. The necessity of being always prepared, either for death or for the coming of the son of man t judge the world, nnist appear obvious from the widely different conditions in which those events will find the righteous and the wick- ed, and the still more remote conditions to which tfiey will introduce them. The Christian, who has fled to Christ for safe- ty, for happiness, and for a never failing portion, finds there a security against the temptations of sin, the delusions of the world, tlie clamors of noisy passions, and the stings of a woutuled con- science. He has mourned and lamented his sins ; he has wept his offences over and oVer again ; but tears of blood could never efface the stains of guilt, or wash his sins away.— He brought them to the Saviour's Cross, and at his feet rcc('ivc(i B jl \(\ 10 the rich coiisoiation of pardon and grace, whlcft flow from no oiher source.— His leprous soul with joy receives the gracious benediction, « Be thou, clean. At once the horrors of despair forsake him ; Hope which had long been a stranger, a- gam revisits his breast wi.h her cheerino- attend- ants, Joy and Peace-the angel of pity, descend- ing from heaven, binds up his wounds, wliiie heavenly consolation pours in the balm of par- doning ment^gratitude to God is now becime the first and mam principle ol his soul, and ar- bL",V'''^fl''' rS-^'-^'^'r^"^^^' ^^""^^ expands his heart with a diffusive charity. His heart, whicli before was a nursery of corrupt and noxious pas* sions which sprang up with a most luxuriant growth IS now through divine grace, become the seat of holy and devout affections. Old thino-g are now passed away, and all things are beconTe new.-^His former courses are abandoned; the objects of his desires are changed ; his former predilections and antipathies are reversed, and Jie loves those objects and pursuits which he ha- ted, and hates those which he loved.— His pas sions, which were wild, discordant, and unre' strained, are now become placid, orderly, har. moniQus; and those petty tyrants, which before luledthe kingdom of hi- heart with an uncon- trquled sway, engendering strife, anarchy and confusion, are now subject to the mild yet strict government of Gospel Discipline. His affec- tions, formerly corrupt in tlieir nature, devious and irregular in their pursuit of prohibited ob- jects, brutal and degraded in their attachments are now raised, dignified, and enoblcd, and be! come the sanctified vehicles of the purest enjoy. ment— His will which was ever obstinate, per- verse, and opposed to the divine dispensations, ace, which IS soul with ^'Be thou lir forsakQ :rangcr, a- ng attend- descend- ids, while hii of par- V become j and ar- :pands liig lit, which sioiis pas* luxuriant ?conie the Id things ! become nedj the s former sed, and :^h he ha- His pas* id unre- rly, har* h before !i uncon- 3hy and et strict is affec- devious ited ob- hments, and be. t enjoy- te, pcr- isations. 11 is now submissive and obedient, ard cheerfully acquiesces in the divine appointment. — In short, there is an entire transformation in the moral man, from a state of nature, to a state of grace. His conceptions of a future state, which were be- fore obscure and doubtful, are now clear and ample, and the certainty of tinal rewards and |)unishments is indubitably confirmed. — His de- portment is humble, serious, afiable, and devout ; and his whole lifie exhibits one uniform series of gratitude, love, and obedience to God, and of ibr2:iveness, charity, and good will towards his neighbour. His faith in tne Gospel is fixed; Divine Revelation constitutes the greatest source of his enjoyment, and, as far as human weak- ness and depravity will admit, the actions of his life are conformed to the unerring rule, the iii. spired Scriptures.^He feels that he was not par, doned for any righteousness of his own, and his faithful conscience assures him that he has no merit to secure the continuance of the divine fa- vour ; he therefore pleads no palliatives in miti- gation of his guilt, but relying wholly on the Sa- viour's atonement, he receives his salvation as an act of Sovereign mercy. He is not satisfied with restraining his hands from sin and his lips from guile ; he places a sentinel at every secre< aven- ue of his heart, and guards against the most dis- tant approach of vice, which creeps with more guile than the crafty serpent of seduction, and in* fuses a venom through the better purposes of the heart more deadly than the poison of the asp. The course of christian duties to which he is now called, is not grievous but pleasant ; and al- though he may be conducted thro* scenes of suffer- ing and distress, which are painful to human na- tuie, and require for his support the exercise of 13 christian fortitude -in,! „„,• diiie distress thl *i ''"""'o' woniiv to en- « thus equilJy n'tiafd i;f ^^'','''*'^""S--He J-ing til,, „^et' i. hous^ iiZd f ■'■r*^''' i '""' s"-*- waits the annoinfpd l,f 7 , ; ';"' ''"''mis. all that re, dered Lf t '""^' "'"^ ''''^^"bed of ''Pl"oach alarm t ■; J !"'"r? '^"'We. or his 'lH,r. at mid-uTjl ? 'or 1 h?^ become at noon- 'like the harmfess mp, 1 "'?"""-'■ '"^ '^"■"<-'s «rofi.ispass on fn ?,!?'""' P'^"^''-'- "'^ bear, the SavioSasln ' :^'' '''^'«'^d mansions which T"e happy a,t?°?oU for ^s'^/ir^^'^^^ fon. when death makes IWs stern H P'fP''"''- eternity with all its dreadfu a> 1 m """"''' "'"' sequcncss opens on t ,„ 7* L momentons con. leave for you^ conce n ion'^ '"'""• ^ «''=^1 'y eoncei/edthaS "l";!"' ''/?'"''<' '"'^''^ ''=^'- '^ed than conco ve I I ' ^'"'"'f «'«'• experien. fo..n tin, scJ^,e :?b iss and'7 "■■'","""'>' '"'■" f 30U1 just entering r,; Z jot:/ 'L^r'"'"- the partic nation ofth-if nl '' •^ j ••'""'"'■^'' "" ^vbich is t'o o^du"; tevt^'to'"'* TT'^'y character wliich filk IZ ■' /" . eontemjilate a sensations. I vvillnnf ""'"^ "''"' f«'- ditfi^rent J«/. and wlo cont me :,.''° """'''''«■ "'•'■'^ oJ' '"' life iCdito /•""•"" ?*" tl'e end e^l by unhehet' t! f l'*' ' ^"'« '/""> i^ qt>enoh. "n t'o indnceymt rSance^n i" "t 'P'' J« counteracted by a t'tf „h ••""endnient, -H.r-ofimpe„iS;,;, «' f,.^^--'e.ance i". a or conscience th'if f.n.r.^i '^"S^^" » the voice dro^vned by u'rc Lit n^' T'^^'r^' stifled and > uiL claujoi oua dm of passion and of; 3 deems it t-^iy to en* 3re begun 'ing — He tive J and 2 siibmis. ssoiution. srobed of ^e, or his ' iit noon- je comes tlie bear, ^is which ^ception, prepara- tnj, and ous con- » Z shall ore easi- >^'perien- 'y t.nn iniptiir- Ijse, on orta'ity ])late a liferent >tonoijs id i nary ^'" ?/e^r/- he end Mench- 'y .Spi- Inient, ? in a voice •d and Lild Oif IS pleasure. Ambition has erected his kingdom m his heart, and sits the umpire and director of his actions ; pride and avarice are his prime minis- ters, the agents of his will, and a)l the minor passions and affections of the soul are but the subordinate minions of the despot's power. Ha- tred, revenge, love of pleasure, lust and sensu- ality, are his menial attendants, and anarchy and confusion are multiplied in every department of the soul. Thus he lives without God and without Christ in the world ; religion has never shed its benign inlluence over his soul, for he has stoutly resisted its most distant approach ; he has ever reiiised admittance to the celestial stranger, which would have subdued his will to rectitude, and his heart to vu'tue. He remains ignorant that his feet are on the crumbling brink of a frightful precipice, al- though the light of truth shines around him with meridian splendor ; for he has carefully closed his eyes ai^'ainst it ; and although conscience has frequently arrested him in his umegenerate course, with a preternatural " Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me !" yet confering with flesh and blood, he yields himself more to the gui- dance of sinful passions, and sensual gratifica* tions, than to obedience to the Heavenly vision. In this manner he spends his season of grace, and suffers the time allotted him to work out his sal- vation to pass away, not only unimproved, but grossly misimproved ; for his habit of disobedi- ence by every act is confirmed, and his unbelief, by a long indulgence, grows into a settled prin- ciple of infidelity- If now any unforeseen casu- alty call him to his tinal account, in what state of readiness would liis soul be found ! Immersed in the cares, and inflLitcd with the fantastic plea.. I 1 ij Ml Zlfiit. "^'' ''" '"*'. I'slected all provision lor the life to come, and he now finds himself ejitenng on the wide ocean of eternity destTtute ot the " one thing neeUful," that oL preciom thng, for which h^ would now surrender aU thnigs else, yea, a thousand worlds if it could be purchased. But if the fell monster is slower i,! his approach, he is still sure of his prey. What f .o' tne cords of life instead of being fnaprr are drawn asunder, and the wretched victim is suit H.ed to wnlhe and agonize on the bed of torture tor a lew days or weeks before he sinks to ever- Jtts'iiig woe ? Is this a time for repentance and «me„dme„t of life, just as the taper'irex Iwng ? 1-= this a time to sail up the long catalogue of his cnmes to repent of them, and seek forgivenes, when he needs the si.p].oit of a long standing a >i'e I grounded and thoroughly tried faith, of the api obation of his own heart, the consciousness pi tlie devine favor, and of a well spent lifi; ? It IS more than probable that his short intervals of ease are filled with the flattering the delusiv^ hope of recovery, and with empty purposes of 1 cu.e amendment , and that his moments of anguish and distress are attended with the keen- est desimir. In this dire moment, the ruthless rr «'r?''P'T','^'' ""■^^''^'l '" ''" ''« native ter- <"lt| fi?."-'^ J-' ''f""^ ^"^"^^ ^^"^ '"'* Climes, ana ht him for his passage ! mournful sieht ' ns very eyes weep blood ! and every groan he heaves is big with horror !" " Behold ve des- p seis and wonder, and perish ! " for thi^ is the sure, the mevrtahle end of the wicked. Draw near, if ye can, and behold the woeful spectacle of a man, who has lived without faith, and who dies without hope-read there a lesson, whick it IP-'.",.,), will make von wiw uiK- -Hati- u ^at if neglected, will shortly render your stat* like his. Shall I proceed? Shall I speak the sentence of unutterable woe ? *i would atun youjf ears with horror I O let us turn away our eyes from beholding this dreadful spectacle, lest it blast our sight forever! Nothing more need h« urged to infbrce this weighty precepr, *' Be ye therefore ready : for in such an hour as ye thiuls; not the Son of Man cometh.'* The character of the deceased, whose untimc* ly and regretted death we are this day calleii ta mourn, I shall not attempt minutely to delineate* To disturb the peaceful ashes of the dead, by ex« posing weaknesses which are merely human, or to heap unmeaning eulogies on their memories, is equally criminal and useless. The end of af^ flictive dispensations is to awaken into action many of the finer feehngs of the soul, which, without them, are suffered to lie dormant and in., active in the breast.— Grief is the prevailing pas* sion of the mind, which is excited by afflictions of this nature ; and the great benefit which we derive from it is, that it softens the heart, and ameliorates the harsher passions of the soul, by the exercise of sympathy and the tenderest affec* tion. These feelings are in a greater or less de» gree awakened, in proportion as the ties of kin- dred, of friendship, or ot social affection are se* vercd. In the sight of God, no event is casual ; all have their design ; but as these designs are be- yond our apprehension, there are many which, to us, are apparent casualties ; and when, by the agency of these our mortal life is brought to a close, instead of the more usual course of sick* ness and disease, our conviction of the uncer* tainty of life is greatly iucreased. Here we see I ^(T m 1A n m i ro I "ul! '" ?? P"''"'^ "^ "^«' "■" t!'e full vi<.o,u- of health, cut down in a moment ; in the twi,.k in J • tlT "^"^ ^"*°"t thought, or'time for U 3 the busy scenes of life are changed for tl e rca ! ties of /utnrity. and those prospects, Vhich us iLf f"'' P™^''"''^' -'^ ""tantineouslv : signed for prospects of a more serious "'dim portant nature. " """ Norman Barber, recently knoTO to us in hi, professional character as Dr. Lrber. earh in I ' discovered those dawnings of genius Un id Ih those principles of probity, and anan.iabe 1 position which gave assurance of future usefu' S '."'' "-T"*"^"'''^- «'^ "^t"™l endowment ■ with an intense and persevering application would, ,„ circumstances more propitio to Tm provement, have raised him to a hi« ler statkTn' in society, and extended the sphere" of hk 1 fulness to the world , they wer'e however such as. even m the walks of private life, M "ot "uf fer h,m to pass through the world w tl out notTre and respect—Nature had given him a lea t onen generous, and affectionate , and a t^nnerof mmd. frank and forgiving. His manners^ wef easy and engaging, and aU his depoit. ent o-rTp ful and manly. The large circle rfSd! X iroof of t'P^r °""^ \^1"-"t-'co ifa liW^ proof of h s extensive and increasing influencf and reputation, and the numerous badges of W worn on the melancholy occasion werefxprel tf indications that his untimely fall was dS and universally regretted. Wl/en such a i Kc, the community mourns, and society feds a vo^' I which ,s not easily filled ; and it is^to be ho^ed that the influence of liis strictly moral and evim plary hfe will not descend w.tli hi.n to die tomb" As members of the general comn,unif\° a iS; m iH vigour of he twinkling, for thought, or the reali- which usii- ineously ro 3US and im^ to us in his earJy in iife iJnited with niiable dis- "re useful- idowments, application, ious to im- ler station of his use- ever such, id not suf- out notice leart open, temper of ^ers were ent grace* iends who is a living influence 2s of grief xpressive -epiy and ian dies, 'h a void )c lioped id exem- le tomb. >3 Iriends I. fc society, to good order, to the cause of morali. ty and religion,* and to correct habits of life, dnd as beings possessing a susceptibility to friend- ship and humanity, we are called upon to, drop the tear of affection on the grave of this lament- ed young man ; yet as christians we are also called to the exercise of submission to the divine mandate ; and to learn from the event this useful lesson, the vanity of all worldly trust, and that there is no safety in life, but in a constant pre- J)aration for death.— His hopes, hi;^ expectations, his worldly prospects were built high ; like the Gedar of Lebanon he rose and towered above his fellows ; yet before his roots were firmly fix- ed, or his branches fully spread, he is smitten with a bolt from Heaven, his crumbling honors are blended with the dust, and he is cast, with- out other hope, on the tnercy of the Saviour. God frequently mstructs, warns, and admon- ishes his creatures by his Providences ; and in this, he has spoken a language that cannot be mis- linderstodd j " Be ye also ready ; for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh'* As mortals, responsible to him for our conduct, let us hear, attend, and obey. To the Chief Mourner on this melancholy oc- casion, I now address nrtyself. You are now invested with real and appropri- aite motives of grief j I do not call upon you to rejoice, it would be untimely and inconsistent; iind grief is as needful to your happiness as joy. In obedience to the law^s of nature and the hu- rhiari soul, you mourn, with kindred affection, the premature death of a dear and affectionate Brother— your grief is just and proper; the tears * Tlie deceased was a member of an association formed, for religious improvement.' 18 of afflicted affection are sacred ; O forbid them not to now! t eyare sanctioned and ^ncS by the .Saviour s example, who wept at the tomb of Ins friend; but let the violence of your l "ef be tcynpered with this heavenly emollient •• 7/!„ ^M %e done." Perish the nlrrow-hearted Z stoical principle that will not let us mourn when del, tha will not allow us the I.ixniy of tlie mo t acred o our social aHection.s, tluu^ill not Z^ J. ears to disburden the swellins bursting hlit of Its load--sooner than restrain the generous I vvnl r'\T'u ""-' '"l'^ '""^'""^ of philosophv I would swell he sacred current by m'^iiglin/tfie tear of sympathy will, those of grief; l^.tlct u course be directed to its proper%i,d. When aU the sensibilities of the soul are awake, let the important truths of religion be impressed, let U divine consolations be administered. Jfhe were ready, or unprepared, for an event which deter! .runes h^ future destiny, we leave to the deciJ sion of Him who kiioweth the heart.— It is suffi cient for us to hear and obey the all- mportant adnonition " Be ye also ready " ""PO'tant .>f I'!"^'l"°"'"!,»' '"-^ *''"""1> I^"* the religion of Jesus Christ, that can render us prepared for an event, of which he had no notice,^ a^dwhch .yill introduce us all to our final statcUcoS the benefits of Christianity in this life.-It gives esnedf/r;tn*''""^?"^ weight to any, but more especially to a professional character* ; it yields an undisturbed tranquility in the midst of cir cumstances that harrass. ^ placid equanim ty of an7Sam"itv'" t^^ '"^T' '"''^-- ^"--- ana calamity. It raises and exaM the snul which w-as debased and polluted by sfn ; it rege'. • • The Brother of the deceived k an Attorney at Law. 1 I mk 4" 19 neratci, purifies, and restores the man ; it leads him to the right use of his rational powers, pre- pares his heart for rational enjoyment, and kads his grateful soul to the only source whe|vce he may derive a rational and permanent blili. It forms the only certain basis on which his happi- ness can rest ; it holds forth th >se promises to his hopes, those pleasures and rewards to his faith, which wdl never deceive or disappoint him, but on which he may rely with the greatest se- curity. O where is th(j man who would not wish for the comfort and support of religion in death ? Who would not resign every vanity, bubble, and phantom he has ever possessed, for the solid joy of God*s approbation, for the unspeakable felici- ty of being called, as the Blessed of the Father, to inherit the kingdom of Heaven ? If therefore we would dwell with them in his glory, and par- take of the rapturous joy which his presence cre- ates, let us cheerfully bear his cross, and if ne- cessary, his reproach, that we may share the benefits of his Death and Passion, and be always ready to meet his appearance with joy, I now commend you to God who is able to bestow di- vine consolations on the spirit he hath bruised ; and if you look to Him for your comfort He will assuredly give you ** the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heavi- ness.**