A Funeral Sermon on Dr. Wi!Jiam Bates. 953 ~---- And he h?d noiV enough. in v~ew, to difc_ompo~ his pure Mind, intent upon high and great thtngs; that when fus bufinefs mto tlus World was to prepare Men tOr another; and, when they were fit, to tranllate them thir :~ er: Even they that profe ll to believe on him, fhould no more underiland him; that his kind~ and great Dd;gn Jhould be no more grateful to them, and fo l1owiy enter into their Minds and Hearts; that when they faw one fuch cranflation, it flJO~Id fa much difpleafe them, and they fo little relilb it, as to be aH in Tears and Lamentations thereupon; and thereby difcover fuch an Allixcdnc[, of Hearr and Spirit to this prefenr World, an d lhtc of things, as to prefer the Enjoyment of a Friend on Earth, before all the Glories of the Heavenly Stare; fo might tlmr immoderate weeping fome way cau!C his Tears. Uuc when he exprefl: his trouble by Groans, and Tears, h!! fupprefi: the Caufes of it) and goes on to his prefent intended Work. • . !n or.der hereto, ver. l9 he ~omman.ds the Grave-franc to be remov'd; ncgleaiort the ObJcaion, v. 59· [bJ this ttme be jlmks.] o He o!>ferved, with a compaffionate Indulgence, the Diffidence, which he meant fpeedi!y to re fu te. Nor, bccauft: we alfo an.: too prone to prcfcribe limits to the DiA vine Power, ought we, for his Indulgence, to be the JefS £eve1·e tO our fclves. Forgetting the Tranfcendcncy of that .Power, we think thi; or tbM firange, and fcarce poffible to be done, becaufe we toQ lightly, conlider the equal, or greater, fhangenefS. of what we fee is done. We count things ea fie, that arc by ufc become familiar to our Senfes, and·a-pprehend we have the Notion of them clear, an d how they can come to be as they a~·e-; not having cxamin'rl~ or enquir'd, whether our Appreheniior.s were ri;;ht, and congruous, or not. Thmgs chat have not firuck our Senfe, making our felves , and even our fenfe, the Mcafure, we count impcffible, and untonceivablc. Dy the Courfc of Nature, our Scnfe hath told us, a Body fa loog in the Grave, muft b(! putrid, and !link. But who fettled that courft: of Nature? it we ttfcend ~ot to the original Cauft:, the Fixation of that Courfc:::: is as admirable aud unaccountable ; if we do, a dcpartul'e from ~t is as ea fie. . . What can the wifefi Phtlofophcrs concelVe of the daffercnce between an offenfive fmcl! , and a grateful ; but the different di~pofition, or texture oft he Particles of Matter,. in relation to the fenforium, orthe receptt·ve Organ? When, what that different difpofition is, remains al together unapprehenfible, and what no Man can tell. · We go away well (2tisfy 'd concerning what we fee happens every day, becaufc we never inquire how things came to be as they are; when what we have not known to come to pals, thv' not more difficult, we fay, can never b~. . Otherwifc \Ve lhould think it no more admirable, or difficult, to reduce in a moA ment, the parts of Matter to fuch a Jitus, as that they fhould give no offence to the Senfe of fmclling, tho, b~fore they did, tha_n it was1 to the 0me power~ fo to difpofc, that, in one fort of locatson; they ibould gwe that offence, m another, they fhould not, and perhaps, in a third , highly gratity and pleafe! Thoufands -of lik e In/lances might be given, but this comes now in our way. - The WorldisfullofMiracles; wearecompallabout. withfoch, andarejuch. There is 'tis true, a peculiar notion of them, as n~ceffary as they are themWlves ; fignifying; not what is done by a greater Po!Jier, but lefs ufoal. As fuch, the u!e, and need of them only argues the infirmity of our minds, funk into earth and fenfc, and grown fomnolent ; whence1they need to be rowzed, by furprizing, and uncommon things; and brought to ceQ(ider, that he only, wh o could fix and fettle the fa lleady Courfe of Nature, could .alter it, and make it forfake its wonted Trail , Which he mull always be fuppos'd to do, for fome very weighty, important cod, and reafon. So abfolute Power, being ever in ftri8: ConneCtion with the moll perfell Wifdom, and therefore claiming to be 'the moll earncftl y attended to, and conGdered the more deeply. To that Power that could create a Man, 'rwas equally eafy to perfume a Grave; or to make a ne!V Man fpring up out of it, in frefh Strength, Comelinefs, and Vigout·. To re·compofe the diforder'd parts of a Body turning to Dull, and refit it, for the Union, and Ufe of the returning Soul. This he will not do often, but he faw a jull: and valuable n;~afon far his dOing it at this time. . He was now to give, and leave behind him, a full Conclufive Demonfiration,.once for all, of his being :he Son oj"God, by whom the Worlds were madt. And rhe CkriJt,, or Mefliah (the great controverted point of that time) which v. 5· is call'd, Glorifiing the Son; who for aifercing this, was calumniated as an lmpoftor and DeCeiver ·of the People, E,eeeee 2
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