2Cor. s Mr. David Clark[on'.r Funeral Sermon. · ':mfl go out ; and how much more tormenting will it be to be !hipt of all their En- )Oymcnts ; how much more forrowful wrll they be to go from their great Poffetlions tl1an for one that leaves the World, and never had them? Their Hopes are like th~ , giving up_ ofthe Ghofr, an_d expire with their Brea th for ever. I went into the Sa"- l!~tary, Jiuth the troubled Sar.nt, then 1mderjlood I their End: The End of their Felicity, and theMiferies of the Righteous. Befides the Evils fuffer'd for Rightcoufnefs- (,ke, there are innumerable Sorrows that befal the Saints here. How many afHifrina Drfeafcs, fad Occurrences, vexing Patlions harras them? Some AfHifrions are fo wounding to their Spirits, that no Balm that grows on Earth can heal. But the live- ~h~n\:n0[o~~~~~nt~~ ~~~r~~~~~~nz:"~f f~~d;1 t:;~~; ~ci':sb~~· E~~tt;,h~n~ob';~~~~ his Love in fending, and his End in all their AfHifrions. Such is the Divine Power that God could immediately free us from all Troubles, as eaGly, as turn the Wind from a blafting Quarter of the Heavens, to the moft Benign and Refrefhina. Are we pain'd with Difeafes? he can more ealily change the Tone of Nature in°a fickly Body, and make it healthy ; than one can change the ftop in an Organ that prefently alters the found: but his Love difpenfes bitter Things to us, that are neceffary for our Spiritual and Everlafting Good. His End is to prepare us for Heaven, that is ~rd:,;~~ ~~~tl:~: n!~~ ~f£tftf~r~~~a~~~v~l;hgl!;~ "'T0h~~i~t~ cit!tf{{;,[;!;{;:; here to the Saints, has a certain Order to their Eternal State. He purgeth out our ~~y0~~ ~~~7p~!e~~~n~i~~r~~~.~~;~ ~~u~:OJ'b~1ff~~~; ~~~~~~t~~~dsi~{e~~~~ Gres, that we may feel the fenCe of the Pfalmifl's Expretlion, 0 when fh•U we come '"d <ppcar before God ! , In 01ort, Art thou in the Vale of Tears, languilbing in Sorrow, and dying every Day? by Faith afcend to the Momttains ofSpices, the Bleffed Place Above, and thou wi~t. fi£~t ~%~s~~~~~i~~ 0b~~~~ ~~ ~s~iv;.h~'\>~r~fi';rW~ss~e~; to brin us to our Fathers Houfe. The Apoftle expreffes the true Chriftian Temper: 'J;, thi< we groan emweflly, dejiring to be cloathcrl with o11r Houfe that i.r fiwJt Heavm : A11d we are wiUing rdlhcr to be abfent from the Body, and prefent with the Lord. Every Saint in the prefent World is both a Prifoner and a Captive: his Soul is detain' cl from the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God, by confinement to his Body. Therefore methinks he 010uld not merely be content to die out of the Necetlity ofNature, when he can live no longer, but defire the happy removal, and fay with the Pfalmift, I rejoic'd when they faid 1111to me, Let"' go i"to the Ho11{e of the Lord. Tis true, Nature will recoile, and the extinguifhing the prefent Life, with all its fenfible pleafant Operations, is uneafy to us : but as when the Candles are put out, the Sun rifes in its Brightnefs, fo when the Natural Life ceafes, the Spiritual Life fprings forth in its Oriency and GloQ': Whm the Earthly T.bernacle;. dijfolv'd, the nakedfeparate Souljba!l be received i"to ;. B11ildi"g not made with Ha"ds, Etemal in the Heavms. Our joyful Affefrions, in leaving the World, and afcending to Heaven, fhould be in [ome manner fuitable to our reception there. What a joyful Welcome will entertain us from God himfelf? Our Saviour comforted his Difciples with a Heavenly Valedifrion, I go to my Father, 11nd yo1tr Father; to my God, t1.11d your God. Tl1e gracious Relation fweetcns the Glorious. He that joyfully receives the rebellious, but penitent Son to Grace, will joyfully receive his obedient Sons to Glory. He that now receives their Prayers with the Affefrion of a Father, will receive their Perfons with the deareft Expretlions of Love. His Fatherly Providence watch'd over them in theWay, and will triumphantly bring them Home. Here many Ble!fed Teftimonies ofGod's Love are given to the Saints, that produce fuch a fpiritual fweetnefs in their Hearts, that they efteem his loving Kindnefs as better than Life, more worth than all the World ; but the full revcaJina of his Love is only in Heaven. And as a Child knows by Experience the Love gf his Father, but the Degrees and Strcngh of his Affefr_ion he does not underftand till arrived at mature Age, and fees the Inhentance Ius Father cn!htes upon him. Thus in Heaven only the Saints fhall know the excellent and perfect Love of God to them, when they are poffefs'd of that Glorious Kingdom, his moft free and rich Gift, which tranfcends all their prefent Thoughts. And our blcffed Redeemer, that by fo many Titles has an Intereft in us, that is not contented in his own Perfonal Glory, 'Vithout our partaking of it, that by his Refurretl:ion open'd the Grave, and by his Afcnlion opcn~d Heaven for us; how dearly will he r?cciv~us? Hedl:eems Believers to be hi< Joy ,,cL Crot>'", and wtth an extafy of Affcdwn wrll prefcnt them to
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