__.__A Funeral Sermon on D~~illiam Bares_._____ 9~ This I muft therefore fay and teftifie in the Lord, That if any will indulge rhemfd vcs in fuch a T emper ot Spirit ; and whofoever goes, even of the moll excel\eot of God's Saints and Minifters, they would (becaufe they love the prefent Wodd m~~~ i~~he~~eirl7a~~e~~~; a~/1i:~in°rh~~~%'::rf ~5f ;~~~ ~~~~f~d[eai~n~ ~~~n~ain~ ranee, of whom dying , or lately dead, yop ~ould fay, Let PJ! die with. him, or die·to be with him. Of whom would you rather fay it, than of the ex•ellent Dr. Bares! But do you cxpel:t I fhould give you a <)iftint,l and full Account of him? Many of you know, or may eafily apprehend, I have not been in Circumftances, by which it could be fo much as poffible to me. The furpriz ing, overwhelming Tydings of his Death, with the Signification of my being expe8:ed to do this Parr, firft reach'd me, by juft ellimate, at about 2oo Miles dillaoce. Nor did any th ing to that purpofe, from fuch as were concern'd, come to my Hands, 'till a Fortnight after his Deceafe. At my Return, towards the end of the Week preceding this fad Solemnity, I had my own Charge, from whifh I had been long abfenr, to provide for againft the Lord's Day: After which, only one day interven'd, wherein Thoughts that accompanied me in my \Vay , were to be retiuc'd into fame Order: But had I had nevGr fa much Time and Leifure, I cannot but refl.ea on what was fa id of that famous Roma11, to give thejufl: Praif~sof Cicero, Cicerone laudatore opus {uerit. Thue fVitJ ncedo{Cicero himfeif to be the ,E•comi"fl. No Man knows how to fpeak bccomiugly of the Excellencies of Dr. Bates, that hath not the Eloquence of Dr. Bates. He did that Office moft laudably for divers others, for rhofe Reverend and truly Gr~~tt ~~~~ L~;~e~~1~~'t1a~l~~~;~k~;'ic0fui?abJ~mt6r3l~!,t;h~.3~~;;:tb~eo~ris8~~~~~d willing. .. . . . . . ... So that this part comes to be deyo!ved, upon the unfirreft among m1ny . Yet thus, white others have declin'd it, qut .of a mode[t Opinion of its being above ~~~~'T~~~of~!~ili~:: ~~d A~~,":~nJe~~~~~i~~~~~~e ~fr~~~~i~~~:~e~i! ;,;~~e~~~l~~c~h; more, that every one reckons him too great for their Com~endation,: 4~d, that con~ fequemly, he is eo pafs out of our World, as one too b1g for our Pra1fes, with no Encomium, or that which is next to none. . . Tho' I fir{\ had the Opportunity, and great Pleafure of his Acquaintance, above Forty Years ago;_ yetl ha;e no prefent way, while. I am writing this, of knowing; or recolle8:ing, w11h Certamty, anytlung of the earher days of hiS L1fe. As therefore the Cafe is, the little I fhall fay oflum, fhall be, not by way of HiJiorJ, but of CharaCier. . Nor in giving fom~what of that, can one well omit, Fir.ft, To takenouce of, what mull with every one,' come jir/1 in view, viz . His felf·rccommending Afpe8:, compos'd of Gravity and Plea[antnefs, with the gracef•l Mien, and Come!mefs of hi& Perjon. Tbat was faid upon no flight Confideration of the N~ture of Man, from unbrib'd common Efiimace, that whatever a Man,s vertuous Endowment be, 1tis the more taking and acceptable, as coming, --E p•lchro corpore. From a handfome well-fram'd Body. God had defign'd him to Circumllances, and a Station, not obfcure in the World, and had accordingly form'd him with Advantage; fo as that his exteriour, and firft.afpe8:able Part, might draw RefpeEl:. And tho' the Trea(ure to be lodg'd there, was to be put into &n E4rthen Ve.fJel, yet even that was wrought, Metiore !uto, of finer, or more accurately figur'd, and better turn'd Clay . He was to fland before l(jngs; you know in what Relation he frood to one, as Prov. 22. 29. long as was convenient for fome purpofes; and how frequent occafion he had of appearing (never unacceptably) before another. His Concern lay not only with """' Ibid. Men, tho' he could tell alfo how to condefcend to the meane!l. His Afpe8: and DefOrtment was not auftere, but both decently grave and amiable, fuch as might command at once, both Reverence and Love; and was herein, not a IJing, but the tru~ Pi8:ure of his Mind. I may (tothis. purpofe) borrow his own Words (and whofe could I more rightfully borrow, or to fa much advantage?) concermng that excellent Perfon, Alderman F f ff ff 2 AfohurJI;
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