964 A Funeral ~ermon on Dr. William l3ms. ----And they may fay fo, with Judg!llent~ upon this Proof, t~!h:;il~;;(i;J:;;(;"0,h rhe fole/J, c!Joiu, and moft impr;rtant Matter of his TraCl:ates, and Sermons; publiil1ed oi' unpubli!hed. ' .And the p.efuliar UMJ and manner of hU Tr4t1ation thereof. For the former: The ehoice of SubjeEls; and of fuch Materials of Difcourfe; as are ~~~;;:[~~~·~;- ~~~ ~~~~~~r:~:~~~et~in~i~~~~~ t~fnT~~~ o~tl~1:.1 t~~~~Bd~rs~:;,i~; fort of thing.f, a Man's Mind hath been exercis'd, and taken up about; [horough {Q long a Courfc and Tract of Time; W~ may fee what Things he counted great, import~nt, neceffary. eo be tolified on, ana moft .conducmg to the Ends, which one, of his Callmg, and StatiOn, ought to defign, and arm at. And are thereupon to appeal to our fe!ves, whether he did not judge and defign aright, and as he ought? As what could be of greatc~ lm~ortance, than to difcover the Harmony ofGodi, Attrtbures, m the Work of favmg Smners? The Ftnal Happinejs of Man: The Four ,.. _Many other. IJjf things, &c.* ;;11~.d~of~~is ~V hat ~ore important than that of Spiritu~l PtrfiE1ion? Which !aft he dropt, as Difcol11 fe . Elr1ah! }us Mam.le, when he was. to afcend mto that Stat~, mofi perfeB-!y perfeCt; ~~~~~~~hteh~0~vJ1~~dh~ttlir.z~ ~~~~~~fiWh~;; ~n~~? termmatcs. Read "• and in: Nor were his Difcourfes of Jefs Confcquence, that, in his lhtd Comfe, he deliver'd to his conftant Hearers. They were always much ally'd to the Lamp, and did not need to fear the brighteft Light. His !aft Sermon in this place, (who of us thought it the !aft 1 Hear ing it clelivercd, with fo much Life and Spirit!) challenges our Re-conlider2tlon over an1 over. 'Twas about Si m againjll(nowledge, from Luke 12. 47· A Warning to the Age, uttered (tho' not faintly) as with his dying Breath. 0 that It could have reached Ears, and Hearts, as far as the Concern of it doth reach. The Sins of our Days, of Profe!fors, _ and of others, are more generally, Sins ag_ainfi Knowledge, than hercto4 fore, and may make us expea and ~read the mo,.e Strtpn, that Text fpcaks of. wbf;{oh;i~~i:e:efr:~ ~fie o{;;~!~:~a~J~a~1i1fh~;d;;,~~k~:~, '::~::;ni~~ ~~. :;~;e~s~ which, no doubt, if there had then been the occalion, he would have judg'd not un: applicable here a!fo: That he eultivated "'"J Subjec1 he handled, and had he liv'd itJ an Age of the Fathert, he would have been one. His Method in all his Difcourfes, might be expofed to the moftcritical Cenfurer. What could be more accurate! tha~~:~;:~~:::~~~~~fi:at~ eh::e i~~~Jt:~ 16'~rfe~1 ~~ie~nti~~~/otbh~~s~0 foi~;a~0 an~~:~'; his was. Nor is it to be thought !lrange, that there fhould be in this, a peculiarity; Stile being, to any Man, as appropriate, upon the Maner, as his Vifage, or Voice; and as immediately depending on the Temper of the Mind, in ConJunaion with Fancy, as that is, more or lefs, .brisk, lively, and vigorous ; as the other do on the Complexion of the Body, or the Difpofition of the Organs of Speech. They that would, in this Cafe, attempt to force Nature, would, I fufpea, be very aukward at it, would bungle fcurvily, and foon find, they had better be content to creep on all Four, than aim to fly andjoar, with borrowed Wings, Ol" ftol'n Feathers. If God, with a Man's Nature, gives a Difpofition of this kind, it may, _in his younger Years, r:e~~: ~f \~~~~tc~n;e ~~~~~~~;a~:s fa~~, t~~~~~ic~o~~ ~r:~:;;":i~~~t~n~l{;tl~"r.~'~~:tk after this, or that manner; by which, }et, manyPcl"fons are known, anddiftmgui!hable from other Men. But I doubt not, that E.xeeUeney in any fuch kind, as bath been ancienlly obferv'd of Poetry, and Oratory, muft have its Foundation in Nature; and they that Will ftrive againft that Smam, will foon perceive, that foch Proverbial Sayings were grounded upon prudent Obftrvation and Jo,;g Experienu, That a Mercur] u not to he made of ever) Log; And that Nothing is to be attempted, invitot Minerva, or againft ones Geni~ts, and natural/nclillation. Therefore that Monition, Lege hifloriam ne fi"' hiflori4, one may vary and fay, "'!~' ~vo11U, Cave, &~. Take heed of" Proverb·, left thou become a Pro•J.~erb. Thai: is eajie, and pleA- """'· (am, whuiJ is naturg/, And now when the Grace of God fupervenes, and doth exalt, and fublimate Na· l!ire, it makes that mean Beginning, and its Progreji, into Vfe and Ctlffom; which is . f.1id
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