the holy Scriptures. Our souls will be in a state of activity, while our bodies will be sleeping in the dust of the earth. The soul of Lazarus, was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. And our Saviour said, to the thief on the cross, this day thou shalt be with me in Paradise. The Apostle desired to depart, that he might be with Christ. And he says, for we

know, that if our earthly house of this tabernacle, were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. And this truth is revealed in the Old Testament as well as in the New. Solomon observes, that whenever the silver cord is loosed-then shall the dust, return to the earth as it was, and the spirit, to God who gave it. The souls of true believers, will be presented faultless, before the presence of God's glory. with exceeding joy. The glory of God's attributes; of his decrees; of his word; of his works; of creation, providence, and grace, will be unvailed. And they will see as they are seen, and know as they are known; when they shall stand in his presence, where is fullness of joy, and pleasures forevermore. They will be with Christ. They will behold the King in his beauty. And the lamb which is in the midst of the throne, shall feed them, and lead them to living fountains of water; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. They will be joined to the general assembly, and Church of the first born, which are written in heaven, and be employed in the most delightful employment; serving God, day and night, in his temple, and they will go no more out. And to crown their felicity, they will be advanced to an high degree, of personal perfection. They will be holy as God is holy; and pure as Christ is pure. And their knowledge, will be equal to their moral endowments. When that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part, shall be done away. Now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face. Now we know in part, but then we shall know, even as we are known. But I come now to make some improvement of the subject. And,

1. We may learn, from what has been delivered, that the more diligently, and faithfully, men serve their generation, by the will of God; the more distinguishing their reward will be. As there are different degrees of grace; so there will be different degrees of glory. Every vessel will be full; but some vessels will be more capacious than others. Our Saviour in the parable of the talents, lets us know, that he, who improves his talents well, shall receive a proportionable reward, and he says, he that receiveth a prophet, in the name of a prophet, shall receive a prophet's reward. And he that receiveth a righteous man, in the name of a righteous man, shall receive a righteous man's reward. So, we read, that they that be wise, shall shine, as the brightness of the firmament: and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars for ever and ever. And one star (we are told), differs from another star in glory. But,

2. We may learn how much it concerns us to improve our time, and talents, in the service of God and our generation; before we fall on sleep. We have a great work to do, and but little time to do it in. Our souls must be renewed by divine grace. Except a man be born again; he can never see the kingdom of God. And when we are at first savingly converted to God; our work is so far from being done, that it is but just begun. We are but new born babes, and must receive the sincere milk of the word, that we may grow thereby. We are entered into a militant state, and we must fight, not as one that beateth the air; but to keep under our bodies; and bring them into subjection. Our lusts must be mortified, and we must live in newness of life. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood only, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. And, therefore, we should take the whole armor of God; that we may be able to stand, in the evil day, and having done all, may stand.

And we have many duties to perform, publick, and private. Every condition of life; every relation that we sustain; every

employment that we are engaged in; and every person that we converse with, calls for a new succession of duty. And forgetting the things, that are behind, and reaching forth unto those things that are before; we should press toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. That we may grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

We must be soon called to give an account of our stewardships, when we must be here no longer stewards. We must all be judged, according to our works. Who then is a favhful and wise servant, whom his Lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them their meat in due season. Blessed is that servant whom his Lord when he cometh, shall find so doing. But, and if that evil servant, shall say in his heart, my Lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite his fellow servants; and to eat, and drink with the drunken. The Lord of that servant, shall come in a day when he looketh not for him; and in an hour, that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder (that is, he shall divide his body, and soul asunder); and appoint him his portion among hypocrites; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. But,

3. We may learn that the removal of pious, and useful men by death, is a great frown of Providence. Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth, for the faithful fail, from among the children of men. Tho' godly men may have lived to a good old age, and may have been gathered in, as a shock of corn in its season; yet the death of the ancient, and honorable, is spoke of in Scripture, as a judgment upon the people of the Jews. Tho' as to themselves, they are removed in mercy. The righteous perisheth and no man layeth it to heart, and merciful men are taken away; none considering that the right eous is taken away, from the evil to come. They shall enter into peace, they shall rest in their beds; each one walking in his uprightness. Little do wicked men consider, what advantages they receive from the godly. They stand in the gap,

and keep off judgments. The world stands, for the sake of the elect. If there had been but ten righteous persons in Sodom, God would have spared the city for their sakes. It is a certain argument, that a people are near to destruction, when God will not hear the prayers of his servants on their behalf.

This was the case of the Jews. God said to the prophet Jeremiah: pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry, nor prayer, for them, neither make intercession to me, for I will not hear thee. But,

4. We may learn that the example of those who have served their generation by the will of God; ought to be imitated by those who survive. That we may be followers of them, who through faith and patience, do inherit the promises. We have the example, of a great cloud of witnesses, whose faith we should follow; considering the end of their conversation. But, especially, we should imitate the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand, of the throne of God. But blessed be God, we have had examples, in these times of degeneracy, of men, who have been eminently serviceable in their generation; whose virtues we should follow.

And amongst others, the honorable Person, whose remains are now to be laid under the clods of the valley, has left an example, of one who did worthily in his day and generation.

He descended from a reputable family; and the Father of Spirits; endowed him with uncommon natural abilities. And as he had the advantage of a liberal education, he became truly a great man. But this was not the best part of his character. A person may be a great man; may have a strong natural genius; and may make a great figure in the learned world; and yet the one thing needful, to perfect his character, may be wanting. He may be after all, a child of

wrath and an heir of hell. But Governor FITCH was a religious man. He made the holy Scriptures, the rule of his conduct, both in his private and public life. He was found in the faith, which was once delivered to the saints. It is true, in his younger years he had somewhat of a fondness for some Armenian tenets, which he received, as it were by tradition. For while he was connected with the college, that great revolution happened; when the rector, and one of the tutors, and two of the neighboring ministers, embraced the Episcopal persuasion; and went home to England for orders. It is not so much to be wondered at therefore, if he had a favorable opinion, of some of the doctrines, that are propagated, by some divines of that persuasion. But he was effectually detached from those doctrines. For he was experimentally convinced of his own impotency (as he himself informed me); and learned to rely, upon the mere mercy and grace of God, in Jesus Christ, for justification and eternal life. But although he depended, upon the merits of Christ's active, and passive obedience, for his justification before God, and to give him a title to all the blessings of the covenant of grace; yet he was convinced, of the necessity of being holy, in all manner of conversation; that he might be made meet for the inheritance of the saints in light. And accordingly, he became an ornament, to the religion that he professed. He was a strict observer of the Lord's-day, and kept up family religion, that he and his house, might serve the Lord. He steadily attended upon God's public worship, and upon all the ordinances of religion, as they are administered in God's house of prayer. And when he was so far out of health, that others would have thought, that he might have been excused, from attending in public; yet he would not excuse himself. And he observed to me, that he found himself better, and more relieved, when in such a case, by attending upon public worship, than if he had tarried at home. The study and practice of the law, was his principal busi