J ohn;. Mr. David Clarkfon's Funeral Sermon. , ofthe Pear l of Price, and fo immers'd in Vanities as to difrelifh Heavenl y Jovs t hat he is pl ea led to inlighteh the E~es of.our Mind, that we may kn?w rr:hat is ih; Hope of hrs Callmg, mrd what the R,cheJ·bfthe Glory ofhrs lnbcntance '"the Saints. The number of Fools that underfhnd not the Price that is put into the ir Hands, in com, parilon offhe truly Wife, is greater than of common Stones that lie in the Mire of theStreets, to precib~s Stones of .fhe hi~l1eft value, Diamonds and Rubies : How of fltlronately jbould we~gwe thanks to the l-ather who hM made 111 meet for the lnheritn.uce of the Sainlt i11 Light. But we have fuch Allays by-the Relicks 'of Carnality, that ~i~~~~~~~;, :g~ ~~~re~~ ~~~iife~JiB~~~?aao~~~d ~!~~,'n~:i2'~\~[~~t~~: la~~e~~ ~~~ upon his Soul with repeated fervency, and excite every Faculty within· him, to blefs the Lard, who httd forgiven hit lniquitie.r, mrd redeenld hii Lift front deftrutJion, and cro:nw'd him with loving Kindnefs, and tender Mercies. 2. From hence we may infer the great Guilt of Unbelievers in the Chriftian Church ; and fuch are all thofe who implicitly defpife andrejel.t Heaven for the prefent World. This will aggravate the Sin and Sentence of the Carnal and Worldly, that they defpife fuch glorious Realities for empty Vanities. Defperate Gamefters, ~~~~e~~tst'::l;:ea~~~~1~.mth~t"~~~ !::tu; !vi:,~h~i~~:~'fr;!n~~hM;~~·d~Gr:~:h~hn~: cling and falfe World, and flight Heaven an inellimable and everlafting Treafure. Certainly when Death !hall open their Eyes, tbey · will have chang'd thoughts of Things. Tis related by a wife Hillori~n, That a Citizen pleaded his own Caufe of great moment before Philip King 0f Macedon1 who Oept during the Plea; and a little after pafs'd an unrighteous Judgment againft him; tl1e injur'd Perfon reply'd, I appeal from your Sentence. A word that feem'd fo prefumptuous to an Independent f,overaign, that with indi1(nation the King asked him, To whom he appeal'd? He MI(wered, From the King Oeeping, to the King waking. Thus Men who are led by' Scn(e, arc aOeep, wl)ilft the Caufe of infinite Concerrimenr, eternal Salvation, is faithfully pleaded by the Advocates of their Souls ; and they determine for the Inte- ~f~~~[~~?n~/{~f~~~1~~tr~~lsJ~~~~~~:. th;~rth:~~!t Ir~~~~~~ ~~::1~~~~v:i:~er~n: le(s Anguifh remember their foolifh Bargain, to exchange an everlafting Treafure for ;~~~~~f~:i'~yi~ e; ~t!e: ~:~l~~f;/,~~:Jeg~~~J~~~~~~~n~! t~~Pe:~h~~~ ~[y t~~t:e~ that we had been wife, fo to ufe the World that we might enjoy God! 0 that we had been fo careful to have obtain'd an Intereft in Heaven, as we have been to gain the Earth ! Then the ftinging Remorfe begins that fhall never end. 3· Let usmake it our fixed Aim, our zealous conftant Endeavour to fecureour Title to this heavenly Inheritance. Let Eternity be our Counfeller, and guide our Choice. Let us not build our Felicity on the Sand, but on the Rock that cannot be fhak en. Such is the excellentGoodnefs ofGod reveal'd in the the Gofpel, that eve". ry Perfon that fincerely and regularly feeks Heaven, fhall obtain it, and no Perll:rn fl1all be depriv'd of it, but for his wilful neglel.t. Now our Ble!fed Saviour, who open'd the Eternal Kingdom~ has declar'd to us upon what terms lt may l:ieobtain'd, in his conference with Nicodem111; Verily, verilj I f4J 1mto thee, Except a M011' be bom agai11, he ca11110t fee the Kingdom ofGod. Natural Birth, and Accomplifhments, tho never fo high and noble, are of no advantage there. The degeneracy of Man from his Primitive Holinefs, makes him both unworthy and uncapable of having a ~f,~~~~;e~~~~~1~~[e~~~~~ls ';;~t~~~tt~~~v~~fn~~~~~e~f"oS:Jr:lt~~!t ~~~~~e~!~~~~: ing a Principle of Life, and Al.tions fuitable to the Life ofGod, in univerfal Holinefs and Righteoufnefs. Tis not a ground of Title to Heaven, that we have a n_atural alliance to God, as the Father ofSpirits in the firft Creation, but we muft be lllsOiffpring by a new a~d more excellent Creation, according to our Saviour's Words, T~~ft~=~~~J~:o~~;r;;~gf~~:: ~eft:~i~en;~;~~;:i~e=~w:~t;;e~ei~P~f: t;;;, ~~~~; was forfeited by our Rebellion, and confequemly in his Kingdom. Adoption into God's Eamil y, and the Line of Heaven, is always in conjunl.tion with the renov~ti.on of the-Divine Nature and Image in us. .The Hol_y Spirit witnelfes with o.ur SJllr!ts, that we arc the Children ofGod: but hrs wunefling Is always confequent to l11Sworkmg iA us thofe Graces that conftitute us to be the Children of God: an humble Fear to ~7,~~c~;H~~ia~o~art~t'hfs'W:~Ih~~d ~fd~~'r t~~ftG~~rlis ~~~;~~;I~n~~~~~~~~nd'~A~~ . m
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