PSALM XXXVii. 37. Mark the Perfect man, and behold the Upright; for the End of that man is Peace. N ONE need to be informed why these tokens of mourning are stretched around us; this is an houfe of mourning, because God hath made a folemn breach upon it: He hath taken another of his dear and valuable Servants to himself, One who hath been long, and greatly known, (and that particularly by you of this Church of Chrift) as a faithful Minifter, and an affectionate Pastor, for your Souls. Yesterday his remains were committed with a decent folemnity to the Tomb; on which folemn occafion, the Church's and the World's Lofs in the extinction of fo confiderable a Light, was briefly but affectionately represented by a Reverend and Worthy Brother *. This Day we are met together to pay the last public Debt of Chriftian Respect to his Memory and Worth; or rather to attempt, with the divine Bleffing, fome religious improvement of a providence, which fo highly deferves our most devout, and affectionate Regards. B *The Reverend Mr. Samuel Brewer. Death, MICH. LIBRAR Death, at whatever feafon, and in whatever form, affords a very affecting and an inftructive scene. A parting time between the 'dearest friends! a diffolution of the most important connexions and moft engaging tyes! the tyes whether of Nature, or Friendship, or Grace, how affecting, how folemn, to every thinking mind! and a scene it is as inftructive as it is folemn. That Wisdom which is from above will powerfully engage our attention to the filent Language of the Coffin and the Tomb. In itself, indeed, the leffon which they teach is altogether gloomy and affrighting; it draws a dreadful dark veil over human Nature and all its Glories; puts a final period to all our prefent poffeffions and purfuits, and pronounces in Language which cannot be misunderstood, "That Man in his best Estate is altogether Vanity." But when we turn to the lively Oracles of truth, to the Word of faith which is preached among you, what a different and blissful profpect opens to the Chriftian's Eye! another, a brighter World above, an everlasting Reft, a fulness of Joy, which lie beyond the grave. This is the animating truth the Pfalmift is inculcating throughout this facred Ode. The perfect the upright Man; whatever, of clouds and darkness, of storms and tumults, of dangers and fears, now ruffle aud disturb his Breast, while on his paffage here below; yet ere long he will attain to the fweet land of Reft; his latter End fhall be affuredly crowned with everlasting peace, tranquillity, and joy. For the prefent, indeed,. the wicked may feem to profper and spread forth his branches, as if they were to be ever green, ver. 35. but it is appearance all, and nothing more. For the Tranfgreffors shall be destroyed, the End of the wicked fhall be cut off, ver. 38. In 2 direct direct and beautiful contraft with which awful truth, ftands the ftriking and chearing paffage, we have fingled out, to employ our ferious meditations, in the prefent fervice. Mark the Perfect Man and behold the Upright, for the End of that man is Peace. Words, which afford us feveral moft weighty notes of Inftruction. They inform us-"That among Adam's guilty and dege"nerate Race, there are fome to be found, who "by by the grace of God, answer to the Character of perfect, upright perfons- That thefe, however excellent and eminent in their Day, must come to their End here, as well as others."However, that the End of all fuch, whenever "it fhall come, will be peaceful and happy. "And therefore it is the Duty and Intereft of us "all, fuitably to mark and obferve all fuch perfons, both in their Lives, and in their End." The pertinency of these Remarks, will, I hope, fully appear by a diftinct, tho' brief Enquiry, into the following particulars. 66 I. Whom are we to understand by the perfec and upright Man? II. How, and in what refpects, the End of fuch will be Peace? III. In what way, and to what Ends, 'tis our Duty and Intereft to notice all fuch, both in their Lives and Deaths? I. Let us attend a little to the character of the perfons, who are here intended; whom are we to understand by the terms here used? The Perfect, the Upright! True, it is eafy to conceive that fuch fhall be ever bleffed with the favour, and the fmiles of a righteous and holy God; but where can fuch an one be found among all the fons of imperfection and woe?- Righteousness, Uprightness, Perfection, are terms which bespeak the rational Creature's due and becoming conformity to the Law or Will of his Creator. Our text fays, mark Perfection, behold Uprightness, &c. but who, where, is the man to whom perfection may be ascribed? If (fays the Apostle *) we say we have no fin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. There is not a just man upon earth who doeth good, and finneth not +. To obviate an objection which entirely veils the comfort and glory of the text, it is neceffary to observe, there are two kinds of perfection of which the Scriptures fpeak. 1. There is a legal Perfection. The Law of our Creation was a tranfcript of the divine Holinefs, founded on the Nature as well as on the Will of God; its requirements therefore are exact, and its fentence uniform; it pronounceth none Perfect but those who yield an abfolute and finlefs obedience to its commands. The End was God's glory and the felicity of his Creature. Accordingly man was endowed with a perfection of nature fuited to his Relation and End; his capacities and powers tallied exactly with the purity and perfection of the Law he was under, God made man upright; he was formed after the bright and perfect image of his Creator, came spotless and pure out of his Maker's hand, and an obedience moft flawless and entire was, in a state of Innocency, both man's attainment and Delight. But alas! how foon, how fuddenly, is the Gold become dim, and the fine gold tarnished and changed! All flesh hath corrupted its way Moft certain it is, that all have finned, and are come fhort of the Glory of God ||. But 2. There John i. 8, Ecc. vii. 20. Sam. iv. 1. Rom. iii. 23, ! 2. There is alfo an evangelical perfection. By the breach of the Law, or firft Covenant, there is an End of all perfection, by that tenure. Law, be it moral or ceremonial, maketh nothing per-fect, relative to the finners confcience and ftate. It requires perfection, but it gives none; unless it be that of mifery to those who die in their fins : But, bleffed be God, the bringing in of a better hope does *. The new Covenant, which is ratified and fealed by the blood of the Mediator, opens a new, and effectual door of hope to the Church of God; purity and perfection flow from a new and everlasting fource; a perfect righteoufnefs for the Juftification of a Believer's Person, and the Spirit of Holiness for the renovation of his heart and nature, are the two grand Articles of new-covenant provifion. Tho' the perfection of innocency is not to be found amongst finful men, yet are those to be found among them, who according to the tenor of the Covenant of Grace, are not only called to be perfect, but are declared to be fo: Of holy Job 'tis faid, the Man was perfett and upright, one that feared God and avoided Evilt. Of Noab alfo 'tis witneffed, that he was a juft man and perfect in his Generation ‡. Abrabam alfo chearfully received the divine injunction, Walk before me and be thou perfect ||, &c. Yet it is well known these ancient worthies were not without their finful imperfections, and infirmities many It is evidently in this new-covenant, evangelical fenfe and ufage of the terms, that we are to understand the text before us. Men, who are yet in this imperfect world, and state; men who are fenfibly furrounded with infirmities and fins, to * Heb. vii. 19. xvii. 1. ↑ Job. i. 1. their Gen. vi. 9. Gen. |