A Sermon Preach'd upon the much Lamented Death of our Late Gracious Sovereign Queen M A R Y. PSALM Io~. Verfes ~6, ~7. ThryJhall peri/h, but thou !halt endure, yea, all ofthem !hall wax old .fike agarment, tM a veflure !halt thou change them and thry fhall be changed. But thou ftrt the fame, and thy years !hall have no end. THIS Pfalm was according to the judgement of the befl Interpreters Compofed during the Captivity in Baby/on: And in the former Vetfes the Prophet reAell:s fadly upon the Churches Affiill:ed State, and his own Mifery and Mortality: Verfes 14, 23, 24. He extends his view to the Ruinous Profpect of the Fabrick of Heaven and Earth: They !hall decay, and be deflroyed, either in 747 }~f~~f~~~~nc~~o~ i!:~lig~~Gd!a~f~~ K:r:~~[~~~r;j~~:~ts0:ob:h~~~~~~t~61: t'::~~ fiancy and Eternity of God, B11t tho1t art the fame ; thy Compaffionate Favour and Power never decline; and thy years jba/1 have no end. Upon this ground he raifes his Hope, that God will revive and reflore his Church ; the children of thy firvants fhaU co11timte, a11d their feed jball be eftablifbed before thee. · The Propofition that I fi1all Difcourfe of is this. That the Vnchangable Everlafting Perfo/Jions of God m·e the fore Foundation of 1he Chnrches Hope in its Defolate State. . · In the managing of it, I lbaU, Firfl, Confider the unchangeable Perfe&ions ofGod, •· How they are the Foundation of the Churches Hope. . H:a~~i~~';;~nfu~~ ~fc~~Zr~~dc~~;;;h~~~~~:'i~l~~t~h:n~~~r[:~~~~I:P~i~d~ ~rre~~e?0to,~t~fee~h;; ~;~i~~~;!;r; :O~':~cee;;;•; ~~ethZ~~~~~tgs~~~r~~b~i~ on with the Fle!h, we cannot contemplate things purely Spiritual without fame material refemblances. Humane Knowledge and Language begin by the Senfes, and in the afcent of the Mind ~o the Supreme Region, we are con{hained to make ufe of the mofl refined fenfible Reprefentations of Divine Things , as riling Steps, Iefl our Thoughts, by their own weight, fall into grofs matter. · · The Holy Spirit in great Condefcenfion reveals God to us, in Expreffions fuitable to our Capacity and Conception ; but the Underfl:anding mufl be attentive to correct ~~~:":g~n~;~r~it~1~f~e!~r re~1~!1~dJ%s,~~!~;'u t.:~ ~~~~/isA~~?~ is Inn~: The antient of dayer : Which fignifie the unequal fpaces of tranfient Time, and are proper only to created things that have a fucceffive duration, and are Metaphorically fi~[!~~~1 ,~ 0h~f:pre~:~;~~~tt~e~}.iif[~&:r:~m\~~;~} ~~~[;~i~~~~dr~~~~~~~~~ are comprehended and Iofl in th~ ·vaflne!S of Eternity, as a few drops of Rain that fall into the immenfe Oc~~n. Tis fa id of God, He ir, and wa<, and k to ~ome. There Rev.r. t< is no pafl or future in God, but with refpell: to his Works. Our Saviour declares, I ~'ir:~f/~;,.;~/. .'';e /aft; wherein he at~ributes to himfelf a Perfell:ion truly and!;'~; ~he abfolute Immutability of the Divine Nature is by a comparifon declared' in Scnpture: Go!l is fliled, The Father of Lights, in whom there ir lro -variablenefl;'norlfq+6. Jbado'P. of change. The great Luminary of Heaven has various Afpell:s, and Appeara:~~~~ ii~o~fi~t:~~e ~~~~~~~, s~~~;~~i~~; c~flc~a~!~~~e J~tl:~~ ~m~~!11~.:~~ lnvanable tenour of Glory, he is without motion and mutation. God i• abfolutely exempt
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