"of your Eyes, and Support of your Family: To have fuch a one torn from your Bofom, and thrown into Darkness, doubtlefs, it must be like a Dagger in your Hearts. -But O! how much more cutting to you, and confounding to the Child, to have the Soul separated from GOD; and for fhameful Ignorance, or early Impiety, configned over to Places of eternal Torment ! How would it aggravate your Diftress, and add a distracting Emphasis to all your Sighs if you fhould follow the pale Corpfe with fuch bitter Reflections? "This dear "Creature, though long ago capable of "knowing Good from Evil, is gone out " of the World, before it had learned the great Design of coming into it. A fhort"lived momentary Existence it received "from me; but no holy Inftructions, no

thing to further its Well-being in that "everlasting State, upon which it is now "entered. The poor Body is nailed up " in a Coffin, and carried out to putrefy " in the Earth. And what Reafon have I "to suppose, that the precious Soul is in a

better Condition? May I not justly fear, "that, fentenced by the righteous Judge,

D 2

"it

杯

"it is going, or gone away, into the Pains "of endless Punifhment? Perhaps, while "I am bewailing its untimely Departure, it

may be curfing, in outer Darkness, that " ever to be deplored, that most calamitous Day, when it was born of fuch a careless ungodly Parent as I have been." NOTHING, I think, but the Gnawings of that Worm which never dies, can equal the Anguiff of thefe felf-condemning Thoughts. The Tortures of a Rack must be an eafy Suffering, compared with the Stings and Horror of fuch a Remorfe.

How carneftly do. I wifh, that as many as are intrufted with the Management of Children, would take timely Care to prevent thefe intolerable Scourges of Confcience, by endeavouring to conduct their Minds into an early Knowlege of Chrift, and a cordial Love of his Truth! 13

CHON this Hand is lodged one, whofe Sepul, chral Stone tells a most pitiable Tale indeed! Well may the little Images, reclin❜d over the fleeping Ashes, hang down their Heads with that penfive Air! None can confider fo mournful a Story without feeling fome Touches

- His

Touches of sympathizing Concern. Age Twenty-eight; his Death fudden; himfelf cut down in the Prime of Life, amidst all the Vivacity and Vigour of Manhood; while his Breafts were full of Milk, and "his Bones moistened with Marrow." Probably, he entertained no Apprehenfions of the evil Hour: And indeed, who could have fufpected, that fo bright a Sun should go down at Noon? To human Appearance his Hill stood strong: Length of Days feem'd written in his fanguine Countenance: He folaced himself with the Profpect of a long, long Series of earthly Satisfactions.

When, lo! an unexpected Stroke descends! defcends from that mighty Arm, which "overturneth the Mountains by the Roots, "and crushes the imaginary Hero✶ before the "Moth;" as quickly, and more cafily, than our Fingers fqueeze fuch a feeble fluttering Infect to Death.

PER

*Job iv. 19. wy. Ad inftar, ad modum Tinea. I retain this Interpretation, both as it is moft fuitable to my Purpose, and as it is patronized by fome eminent Commentators; especially the celebrated Schultens. Though I cannot but give the Preference to the Opinion of a judicious Friend, who would render the Paffage

PERHAPS, the nuptial Foys were all he

thought on.

Were not fuch the Breathings of his enamoured Soul?" Yet a very "little while, and I fhall poffefs the utmost of my Wishes I fhall call my Charmer L mine; and, in her, enjoy whatever my

O! dreadful Vicif

*

Heart can crave." fitude! to have the bridal Feftivity turned into the funeral Solemnity. O! deplorable Misfortune! to be fhipwrecked even in the Haven! and perifh in Sight of Happinefs! What a memorable Proof is here

Paffage more literally, Before the Face of a Moth. Which, befides its clofer Correfpondence with the exact Import of the Hebrew, prefents us with a much finer Image of the most extreme Imbecillity! For it certainly implies a far greater Degree of Weakness, to be crufhed by the feeble Flutter of the feebleft Creature, than only to be crushed as easily as that Creature, by the Hand of Man. The French Verfion is very expreffive and beautiful; à la Rencontre d'un Vermiffeau.

* A Diftrefs of this Kind is finely painted by Pliny, in an Epiftle to Marcellinus: O trifte planè acerbumque Funus! O Morte ipfâ Mortis Tempus indignius! Fam deftinata erat egregio Juveni; jam electus Nuptiarum Dies; jam nos advocati. Quod Gaudium quo Merore mutatum eft? Non poffum exprimere Verbis, quantum Animo Vulnus acceperim, quum audivi Fundanum ipfum (ut multa luctuofa Dolor invenit) præcipientem, quod in Feftes, Margaritas, Gemmas fuerat erogaturus, hoc in Thura & Unguenta, & Odores impenderetur.

Plin. Lib. v. Epift. 16.

of

of the Frailty of Man, in his best Eftate! Look, O, look on this Monument, ye Gay and Careless! Attend to this Date; and boast no more of Tomorrow!

WHO can tell, but the Bride-maids, girded with Gladness, had prepared the MarriageBed? Had decked it with the richest Covers, and dreffed it in Pillows of Down When -Oh! truft nor in Youth, or Strength, or in any Thing mortal; for there is nothing certain, nothing to be depended on, beneath the unchangeable GOD. Death, relent

lefs Death, is making him another Kind of Bed in the Duft of the Earth. Unto this he muft be conveyed, not with a fplendid Proceffion of joyous Attendants, but stretched in the gloomy Hearfe, and followed by a Train of Mourners. On this he must take up a lonely Lodging, nor ever be released, "till the Heavens are no more." In vain does the confenting Fair-one put on her Ornaments, and expect her Spouse. Did fhe not, like Sifera's Mother, look out of the Lattice; chide the Delays of her Beloved; and wonder" why his Chariot was fo long "in coming?" Little thinking, that the in. tended Bridegroom had for ever done with

transitory