A Funeral Sermon on Dr. 'vV ilham Bates. 967 -------------------.--------------------· Here were two SoUls knit together, as the Soul of one Man! What tlu:;e is ofpre· fent Separation, fhall be but for a little while. And by how much the Separation is more grievous, the Re-union wdl be with the fhongt:: r Propenfion, and rhe more delightful, everlalling Cohefion. As a!fo, S' paration from this terrene C log will be much the eafier. One great Weight is added above, to pulley up what ought to afcend, thither. How can that but be a bleffed State, Into whrch, he that is Ej[ential Love hath ~au ght up fi1ch a Man ! O?c, in fa great part, transfOrm'd betOre, into the fame hkenefs, and fitted to dwell m Love! And accordingly God took him; even kifs'd 41~ay~ kis Soul, as hath been faid of t.hofe great Favourites' of Heaven; did let him dre wrthout being fick; vouchfaf't lum that great Priviledge, which a good Man would chufe betore many, not to out-live Serviceablenefs. To live till one be weary of the World, not till the World be weary of him ! Thus he pray'd wijt~r, Thrt& God an[wer'd gra&.ioujly . llut be it far from us to fay, La m die with him, as defpairing of our Caufe If our Caufe be not that of any Jilfdiflinguifb'a P.rty; but truly that common ChrifliaiJ Caufe, of which you have heard. Wh1le it is the Di vine Pieafure to continue us here, let us be conte11t, and JUbmit., to live, and own it, to live and ferve it, to our uttermoll. If ever God defign good Days to the Chrillian Church on Eartl1, this is the C~ufe that mull prevai l, and triumph in a glorious Conquell over Death. , fe.~~tt ~~~lldi;ft~J :eilni'e~~'m! t~!~~er~~~fi~:~t~~hic~e!r ~:~fo~fti~oh~t;l~t~~~nt~~~g~ gradually, dying a/read]' And Spiritual Di feafes, which have this tendency, are bath ftn{ttl, and rnat. Laz.artu's Death and RefUrreCl:ion, I think, ro have been meant~ ~;J:i:!.' oi :;;;'t;~ili~of;rh;11~~~~~io~~dn~e{~,:r~~~r" of Chrill, both pt~fonal, and That Sickne~ a,pd Death of his, was not in order to a permanent Death, but for the Glory, of Goa~· :~at when .the Cafe was deplo~ate, . and hopelefs, and he Four Days burred, h~gught, furpnfingly, fprrng up a!>am ahve. I know not, b1u the Sicl:nefl anQ,.Deat !J , of tlus our mco_mpat'abiy worthy friend, f~~ti~0~~~J~( b:2~\;l;a~~::~~~di~~0[o~~r:~~:h~~~:~;%~'~;~c~Ts~t~:a~u~~~ ~~~, f~:~~~~u~r~~.; i:i~~~~t'~~~t~:~~ ~~:;;PII~~'~, by their earnetrst~r9gg.lin'gs, ~~ Think me not fo vain, as tq reckon, excluftvely) the Caufc of Vijfenters, the Caufe I now fpeak of:. No1, n61 Ifpeak of the Cafrrm?n Caure, of aiiCcrious, fober· mmded Chn.fbans, W!dlln. th~ $:on:mon Rtile, .'01' w~thout It.. I neJtller think any one Part] to tnclude all_Sobn~ty oJ Mmd, or to eti~r1_!e..a ll Infobne~Y · . . llut I apprehend"C<Jnvertr ng \Yorl< to be much at a fiand, wzthw tlu P•les, that Men have fet up, :fevenng one Party fro~ another, and rVitbout them. Few are :;le;::;,: ~~:t:~ K~:~J~fl~~::.~~:f~l~;~~er~t"~:r~~/mo~v;d r~~/~;vt~~~~h/ta g lorious Con'l_'erfton. Serious Pu ty, and ChriJ!ianity, languifl1es every where. Many th4t btve a Name ~o live are dead, and pucnfie.d, already fiink! C?mmon Jufl.i ce, and Righteoufnefs, are fled from among us. .Smcerely good a~d p1ous Me~, d1c away in the natMral J!.n}e, apace. You know, 1f Deaths an~ Buruls, fllou.ld, 10 the Weekly Bilts, exceed Births, and other Acceffions, to the Ctty, whitber this tends I When fo tn411J great Lights are withdrawn, both fuch as were within the Nati~ nal Chr~rch Conjlitution, and fuch as were without it. Is there no danger God fhould alfo remove the C.md!eflick ? Our Obduration, and inrenfible Stupidity, portends a deadly Darknefs to be drawing on. And muft focb Leves go, to make ~ IVAJ for God's Anger? And lead on a more genera l, and more dreadful, approaclung Deat!J ! Oh ! that God wou!J rent the Heavens, and come donm! He may yet mel c our Hearts, and m1ke thern j/01~ at his Pre{ence, notwithft~nding their mountainous, ro~ky height, and hardnefs. fhrs may be the means of favmg fome Souls, and of defernng the comm,11 Calamity, A great thing it .would !J;, to have. it deferr'd. What a Priviledge would many Servants of Chnft count lt~ not to hve to the Day, when tl~c Spint of the Living God, fhall be generally retsr:d and gone. And Atheifm,. Sceptifm, l njidtlity, W,r/Jii· nejs, and Formalzl] , have qurte [wallowed up our Rehgran , Gggggg What
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