hand in removing this mercy, by your forfeiture. The death of very useful ministers, especially when much needed, is generally a punishment for some sins of those who were most concerned in them. Wherein conscience points to any guilt neglect not repentance; and apply to the blood of Christ by faith, lest even a worse thing come unto you. Again, see you act as becomes Christians under this providence.

Let the afflicted widow trust in God, as able to fill up the place of the deceased, and the children walk worthy of his name, and not depart from such a father's ways, as too many have done in this degenerate age. How solemnly would he have laid this charge if he had seen them about him in his dying agonies! Oh may they find the return of his many recorded prayers!

You who here attended on his ministry, see you live the truths he dispensed, for you are accountable for great advantages: Christ will not account them good servants who gained but two talents when they received five. Nor is it proper for you to overlook it; that since the death of the eminent Dr. Bates, you have lost two such worthy men, as Mr. Billio and Mr. Henry, in the midst of their days, and the greatest capacity for service.

Many observe you, and your influence on our public interest, as Dissenters, is very considerable. Therefore it is your concern, unanimously, to get a well-qualified pastor; but regard sincerely the real benefit of your souls in the choice you make; for if lower matters govern your inclinations it discovers carnality of mind, and will grow more so if indulged in this instance.

We ministers are hereby called to double our care in serving the designs of our Lord; we have fewer hands, and may soon meet with harder work. The aspect of things warns us to apply ourselves to get more wisdom, faith, and fortitude; that we may neither mistake our duty, nor treacherously desert it, in the greatest trials.

Finally, It is incumbent on all to lay to heart the suddenness of your pastor's death. When he left you he was

likelier to live than many of us, and no symptom of any danger till within a very few hours before his dissolution. We must be stupid unless it excite us to pray, "Lord, teach us to know how frail we are!" And to endeavour so to know the frailty of your state as to be always ready. Oh get oil in your lamps, and those lamps trimmed: he that may die without warning has reason to see that he delay not repentance, nor trifle in what eternity depends on. He "who applies his heart to wisdom," must so number his days as to finish the proper business of every day in its day; for the morrow is not ours, and if it come, its own work is assigned with it.

It will be vain to wish we could recall past time, when conscience represents the many abuses and neglects of a past life now ending. The summons may be so hasty that you have not many moments to set heart or house in order.

Therefore take care that your pursuits of this world be not excessive, lest you be arrested by that voice, "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee." When you are tempted, remember, you may be cut off in the very act of sin, as Zimri was. Entertain every call to duty, and opportunity for service and spiritual benefit, with this thought, there is no working in the grave, where I must soon be; "the night cometh, wherein no man can work.”

You must all confess that you cannot die safely unless you have served your generation, are real converts, and in temper of spirit meet for heaven: nor can you die comfortably, unless your graces flourish, your fruit abound, and have at least a grounded hope of your interest in Christ, with a vital sense of his favour.

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These are too great, too necessary, and too difficult, to be postponed, or negligently applied to, by men who are crushed before the moth." The greatest haste, and the utmost diligence, are scarce enough to quiet us, when we realize how much depends upon a life subject to be cut off in a moment, by a thousand accidents. Happiest he who soonest enters into wisdom's paths, passeth the whole time

of his sojourning here with the most solicitous care in discharging all present duty, and improving all present helps. This is the way to finish well.

This finishing well was a sentence oft made use of by my deceased brother, and therefore I conclude with an importunate desire that we may have a solemn regard thereto in all our sacred and civil transactions.

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FROM SERMON BY THE REV. W. TONG.

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LET us live in the well-grounded hope of following our godly friends to heaven, and meeting them there, and being together for ever with the Lord; lay the ground-work of such hope sure and strong, for the superstructure is to reach as high as heaven; and when you have done this, then rejoice in hope. I know nothing that can better support your spirits under the loss of such excellent ones, than a lively hope of a speedy meeting again in a better world; the time of separation is but short, yet a little while and you shall see them again; you parted in sorrow, you shall meet in joy. Perhaps you had not the opportunity of seeing some of them die, of closing their eyes, and bidding them farewell: but that shall not hinder your joyful meeting; and how will you then welcome each other in a world of bliss, and wonder to see how much you are all changed for the better, since your last parting! How will you congratulate each other in the favour of your blessed Lord, who has washed your souls so clean, and made them so glad! But I must stop my thoughts here, that are ready to run out beyond bounds. Comfort yourselves and

one another with these things.

I know I speak to many this day who need such comforts. Here is a great congregation, bereaved of a most faithful,

wise, laborious minister; here is a disconsolate family, bereaved of one of the most exemplary and useful relations that I ever knew any family blessed with. How is a great blow given to us all! The death of Mr. Henry is an universal loss! It is and will be universally lamented.

Expect not, sirs, that I should enter upon the particulars of his excellent character; very much has been said of him already in a little compass, by that worthy aged minister who first preached to you on this mournful occasion.

I hope this will be more fully done in an account of his exemplary life: that constant diary he kept will furnish out proper and excellent materials, besides what may be added from the observation of others.

But that which chiefly restrains me now is, that it is needless to do it in this place; for though you have not enjoyed him much above two years, yet in that time you "have known his doctrine, his manner of life, his purpose, faith, long-suffering, charity, and patience," 2 Tim. iii. 10.

And who has not known him? His works praise him in the gates, and will do so; his great and good works from the pulpit, from the press, his immense labours, his incredible diligence in preaching, in expounding, in writing, his care of all the churches: he, like "Demetrius, had a good report of all men, and of the truth itself; and we also bear witness, and ye know that our witness is true," 3 John 12.

He had in him that happy mixture of excellent gifts and graces that seldom meet in the same person, and they made him very amiable to all who knew him.

In him you had the happy mixture of great strength of judgment and fervour of spirit. Some are very zealous, but not so judicious; others judicious but not so zealous: he was both a burning and a shining light.

In him you had a true greatness of soul, mixed with exemplary modesty and humility; nothing in him appeared sordid and abject, nothing vain and supercilious.

In him you had a most agreeable cheerfulness, with a due temperament of solidity and seriousness.

In him you might observe a strict regard to the dictates of his own conscience, joined with a most candid tenderness to those who differed from him.

In his preaching you had a very just and close way of thinking, with the most plain, proper, natural, and easy expression, and a great regard to the honour of Christ and free grace, joined with a constant endeavour to beat down sin, and revive the power and practice of godliness.

It was this happy conjunction of excellent gifts and graces, that made him live so much desired, and die so much lamented.

I am a witness of that tender and conscientious concern with which he left his old and dear friends at Chester, and of that comfort and satisfaction he had in his acceptance and usefulness in this part of the vineyard. I am persuaded, these last two years of his life and labours have been a great blessing to many souls in and about the city of London.

My own interest in his acquaintance and friendship for the space of above twenty-eight years, is a thing of too private a nature to mention upon so solemn an occasion; but it must never be forgotten by me. I own it as a precious talent put into my hand, and to be accounted for. He was a most cordial, prudent, faithful, unalterable friend; and if a passionate affection does not deceive me, I think verily I shall less value this life and world, since he is gone from it.

The death of this faithful servant of Christ at this time is a very dark and threatening providence: God calls us to more than common sorrow by it; he expects we should lay it to heart; and all the circumstances of it considered, both those of a private and public nature, we should lay it nearer to our hearts than ordinary. We should not suffer it to pass over us lightly; we should feel our loss, and fear the displeasure of our God, and tremble because of the ark of God.

But yet we must not abandon ourselves to inconsolable grief, or quarrel with God, nor despair of his mercy to us.