THE CHARACTER OF SIR ROBERT HARLEY, TAKEN FROM A SERMON PREACHED AT HIS FUNERAL, ENTITLED, " THE BELOVED DIS- CIPLE," BY THOMAS FROYSELL, MINISTER OF CLUN, IN SHROP- SHIRE. LOND. 1658. We have marched all this day in sable posture : I pray we may all walk in white one day with Jesus Christ. This present scene of sorrow becomes us. As the aire receives severall impressions from the superiour bodies, she looks lightsome when the heavens shine, and sad again, when they look black again upon her ; so, when the celestiall providence shall change her countenance upon us, 'tis our duty to change our aspects. Our losse is very great. We have lost a chiefe man, one that was a common and publick good. The sun of this country is set. Sir Robert Harley gave a great light to these parts. We are wont to say of fair weather, "'tis pitty it should doe any hurt," because we are loth it should ever leave us. I am sure, I may say, 'tis pitty that good men should dye and leave us-that brave Sir Robert Harley should ever be missed among us ; he was as choyce a piece as our age hath known ; a man that was the rariety of men ; a man whom his descent had elevated above the rate of ordinary men ; and a man whose veins free grace had filled with nobler blood; a man of whom I may say, in the words of my text, " Thou art greatly beloved." (Page 1 -3.) (Page 97 to the end.) And this leads me now into the discourse of this great man and great saint, whose funeralls we at this time celebrate. He was a great man by birth ; he was a great saint by grace ; and therefore greatly beloved. I shall not speak the greatnesse and antiquity of his honourable family, although these shining adjuncts set him out in bright- nesse and splendour to the eye of the world ; yet, because they make not a man greatly beloved in the eye of God, I shall rather speak of those titles of honour that are not written in dust-those things that did greaten his greatnesse. I know he had his humanities, for we are all but men till we are glorified
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