A Funeral Sermon on Dr. William Baces. 965 fa id to be a {efond NatNre, fubfervi~ery hig~ce11em Purpofe~;;:--- nentl y confpicuous in the Do#or's peculiar way of Preaching and Writing: Efpecially in his frequent, moll apt, Sunilitudes, and Allufions; to be attributed to a brisk and vivid Fancy, regulated by Judgment, and fan£b6ed by Divine Grace, fo as greatly to ferve his pious Purpofe; ro illuftrate the Truth he defigned to recommend, and give it the greatell advantage of entring in to the Mind, with L;ght and i'ieafore; and at once both to infiruff and deligbt his Reader, or Hearer. And fo much more grateful have his lllullrations been, by how much the more they have been rurprifing, and remote from any fore-thought in them that read, ot· heard. And I may here freely put his mofi conftam attentive Hearers, upon recolleB::ing, whether he have not ufi.Jally plea fed them, by fupr iGng them? (for I know there are Surprifals ungrateful enocgh.) And in melt Sermons, whether they did not meet wi .. h what they did not expetl: fro~~~~ lr ~s 1 ~oUJJf~t~~;j:d~~=7r~~hJ~~~/[~~rsnki~~~~oel!~ich they ~n do nothin~ like themfelves; who yet, I hope, may admit of ConviCtion of their own fault, herem, by gentler means, than by being put in mind of the Fable. They might, upon the matter, as well find fault, That God had made him a taller Man than the moll ; perhaps, than themfelves, or of a more comely Complexion, or that aiJ were not of one Stature, Size, or Feature. If any do, 'tis moft probably fuch, to who!lh one may truly fay, they blame what they could not mend, nor he, help; at lcafi, without much pain to him{~lf, and to no purpofe. One may venture to fay, that in that Pne way of expreffing Llimfclf, which was become habjtual to him, he much more plea fed others than bimfelf. For in the Excellent Mr. Hax~e:, he high~y corn mends "!uch another rvaJ, faying of l~im *, He h11.~ a •_In his Fune. marvellous felt cu?, and coptoufm{s in Spe.(kmg. There w.u a Noh!e Neg!tgence in hH Sule. ~~~ ;~mon, For hU ' ~re at 1l1md could not jloop to the ajfec1ed Eloquence of Words. Very excellent Men, excel io different ways: The moft radiant Stonc.;s may differ in Co!ou.,., when they do not in Value. H is J~~dgmeiJt in E:c!efiaffical M.rtter.r, _was to be known by his PraB:ice; and it was fuch, that he nee~ed no~ care who ~mew Jt. He was for enttre Vnron of all viftble Chrifti4nJ, (or Saints, or Believers, which in Scripture are equivalent Terms) meaning by ChriflianiiJ, what is ellential thereto; whether Doflrina!, or Prailical, as by H11manitJ, we mean, what is elfemial to Man, ~~:~·;,~~ ~~~~r~"A~~ nr~~ ~~~gc~~~u;i~~n~r altfu~h~yor~t:~:l~~~~ ~~~~:~~~~~ in extra-etTenttal Matters, if thry pie. fed. And tillS deGgn he vtgoroully purfu'd, as long as therewas any hope; deGiling, when it appear'd hopelefs, and refolving to wait till God fhould give a Spirit futable hereto; from an apprehenGon, thar, when Principles on all hands, were ro eafily accommodable, and yet that there was with roo many, a remaining infuperable reluttancy to the Tbzng it [elf, God mull work the Cure, and not Man. Accounting alfo, in the mean ttme, that notwithftanding Mifi·cprefentations, it was better to caft a Mantle over the Failing-; of Brethren, than be concern'd to dete£1 and expofc them . Knowing, that if we be principally foli· citous for theName ofGod, he will in his own way and time, rake care ofours. And in this Sentiment he was not alone. , , Bu~ now is this great Luminary, this burning and fbining Light, (not extin£!, bur) gone our of our Horizon. We for a Seafon rejoiceJ in this Lig!Jt, and are we not to mourn for its Difappearance? Yet not without hope. 0 ! the unconceivable Lofs of his Domell\cal Relatives! Who, in refpe€1: of his moft private CapJUity, ~nd Converfotion, are deprived of fuch an Head, Father, and Guide! yet in this lies their advantage, that Gnce nothing that is mortal can fill up his room, tl<ey arc under a neceffitY. ro betake themfelves thither, where the foreft and ft•llejl Rejuf is to be had. Having in the mean time, among Morrals, a far grea· ter Number of Fellow-fufferers and Fellow-Mourners, to bear a part with them in their Sorrows, and ready ro afford them all futable Co~folation, than moll in this World .can be capable of cxpeaing in fuch a Cafe. 1 Let thofe of his own peculiar Charge; let rhofe that were wont, tho' not fo often, in a llated Courfe, ro hear him in this Place, with all other his more Occ•Jional Hearers, m:)urn, th,.at they are to hear no more his weighty Sentences, his f\veet Honey.. dropping Words: Let them mourn, that never heard to purpofe, that were never allured, never won, that were always deaf to this Charmer, rho' ~harming fo wife!J. Let
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