A SERMON AT THE FUNERAL OF Sir JOHN NORTON, Bar. Lately deceased.  
Preached in the Parish-Church of East-Tysted in HANTSHIRE:  
By Thomas Mannyngham, Rector of that Parish, and Preacher at the Rolls.  
LONDON, Printed for William Crook at the Green Dragon without Temple-Bar. 1687.   

Imprimatur.  
Hen. Maurice R. P. D. Wilhelmo, Archiepisc. Cant. a Sacris.  
Feb. 7. 1687.   

To the much Honoured Lady, THE Lady DOROTHY NORTON, Relict of Sir JOHN NORTON Lately deceased.  
Honoured Madam,  
IT was my Proposal, that if there were any thing acceptable in this Sermon, Your Ladyship might have it first transcribed for your own use, and in that manner communicate it to what Friends You pleased. But since Your Ladyship is of another Judgement, as that the Character of one, who was every way so worthy, and so universally known and beloved, deserves to be made more public, I humbly submit. Only I have one thing to request, that if at any time I should be accused of Flattery in the management of this Subject (and if I should, it can be by such Persons only, as envy all Commendations that are given to others, or were very ignorant of the Worth of Sir John Norton) Your Ladyship would be ready to vindicate me from that Aspersion; and to witness, that as my Pastoral Behaviour towards my Honoured Patron, both in the time of his Health, and of his Illness, had never that Gild upon it; so now likewise, though it be less dangerous, I have not bestowed upon Him any undeserved Praise: But though some parts of His Character may seem warmly, and very affectionately represented, yet there are none of them above the Truth.  
Madam, I shall not here attempt any Consolatory Discourse; neither shall I undertake, either to describe, or to renew Your Grief; but I shall rather choose to draw a Veil over it at present, or leave You to declare it Yourself; not by fruitless Lamentations, and dark Retirements, as if You were discontented at Providence and the World, but (what is a clearer Argument of Your Wisdom, and Your Love,) by doing all things in Honour of the deceased, the whole remainder of Your days. And as You have hitherto been, not only a Companion with Him in all his commendable Actions, but an Encourager too; so I doubt not, but Your Ladyship will continue the same Acts of Charity, keep up the same decent Hospitality, improve the same Friendships, respect the Clergy which He so truly loved, maintain the same Constancy in attending on the public Worship of God, and persevere in the same Faith: Then the Almighty will bless Your Ladyship with the Prosperity of this Life, and afterwards admit You to the same Place of Joy and Rest, whither Your Dearest Husband is gone before. Which that he may do, is the hearty Prayer of,  
Madam, Your most Faithful, and most Obedient Servant, Tho. Mannyngham.   
PSALM XV. v. 1, 2. 
Lord, who shall abide in thy Tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy Hill?  
He that walketh uprightly, and worketh Righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his Heart.  
THIS Psalm may be called a Description of a Citizen of Zion, of one that God will admit unto all the Privileges of his Sanctuary here, and reward with eternal Happiness hereafter. For whosoever so order his Conversation in this World, as to live and die a true Member of the Church of God, shall never fall, shall never be moved, but shall stand in the Congregation of the righteous for ever: Or, though in some sense, he fall by Death, yet shall he rise again by a glorious Resurrection; tho' he be moved, yet it is but from one Church to another, from the Church Militant to the Church Triumphant.  
In the Words we have a most important Question proposed by the Prophet David to God himself; Lord, who shall abide in thy Tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy Hill? and God presently returns an Answer, as it were, by a voice out of the Clouds; He that walketh uprightly, and worketh Righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his Heart: These being the chief distinguishing Marks of a true Israelite; for whatever Particulars are contained in the following part of this Psalm, may be reduced to these general Heads, of Integrity, Justice, and Truth.  
Here therefore we see what are the principal and substantial things that God requires to fit us for his Communion, and so make us capable of the peculiar Blessings of his Covenant and Promise, viz. such Moral Duties, as evidence the Truth and Simplicity of our Hearts, and declare the Uprightness of our Conversation with Men; for by these he measures the sincerity of all those who come to worship him.  
Nothing was more liable to the abuses of Hypocrisy, than the Ceremonial or Tabernacle Service of the Jews, (which is proportionably true of all other outward Worship whatever) and therefore God tries the Truth of their most solemn Acts of Worship, by their Conformity to the plainest Duties of Human Society: For what does the Lord require of thee, says the Prophet Micha, 
Mich. 6.8.  but to do justly, and to love Mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? And St. Paul in his Epistle to the Romans, tells them, 
Chap. 14.17, 18.  that the Kingdom of God consists in Righteousness, Peace, and Joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ, is acceptable to God, and approved of men.  
'Tis not my Business at present to enlarge upon any Point of Divinity, but only to declare what are the Qualifications which the Prophet David here gives of his true Citizen of Zion, and then to consider how near a Resemblance, the Life of the Honourable Person, whose Funeral Rites we are now performing, had to the Description laid down in this Psalm: So that when we shall find Him to have maintained a great Integrity, Righteousness, and Truth, through the whole Course of his days, and also to have been a constant and devout Worshipper of God in his holy Tabernacle, we may have good Christian Hope, and Comfort, and Confidence to conclude, that he is now praising and glorifying the Almighty in a more excellent manner in the New Jerusalem.  

I. Therefore I shall endeavour to make it evident, that in the main Actions of his Life, He duly practised the great Moral and Political Duties laid down in this Psalm, both as a private Person, and as a public Magistrate.  
II. That, as in Conformity to the Rules of this Psalm, He was rightly qualified to abide in the holy Tabernacle, so accordingly he lived and died a devout Worshipper of God. And therefore,  
III. We have reason to conclude, that his Soul is now at rest upon the spiritual Zion, the holy Mount of God.   
I. I shall endeavour to make it evident, That in the main Actions of his Life, He duly practised the great Moral and Political Duties laid down in this Psalm, both as a private Person, and as a public Magistrate.  
But before I proceed to his Character, it may be worth our Observation to consider what a proper Place and Esteem the Prophet David has given these Virtues of Honesty, Justice, and Truth, by making them the chief Ingredients whenever he describes a truly pious Man: So that let the Disturbers of Peace and Truth, contend never so earnestly about Opinions, Speculations, and outward ways of Worship, Men are no further religious, than they are honest and just: Our practising the Duties of the second Table, being the best Evidence that we can give of our right Observation of the Duties of the first; as may be undeniably manifested through the whole Current of the Old and New Testament; particularly, through all the account of the Lives of the Patriarches, through the ancient Book of Job, the Psalms of David, the Proverbs of Solomon, the Sermons of the Prophets, the Expositions, Parables, and Discourses of our Saviour, and the Rules and Precepts of the Apostles: And they who forsake these plain, and numerous, and divine Testimonies of what was always esteemed pure and sincere Religion, and undertake to dress it up in new Notions of their own, as they best suit with their private Passions, Fancies, and worldly Interests, may make Mankind either ignorant Worshippers of they know not what, or fantastically zealous they know not why; but will never persuade People to be truly humble, charitable, and substantially Good; or imprint upon their Minds an awful and just Reverence of the Eternal and Incomprehensible Godhead. Now the Honourable Person, whose bodily Remains are here before us, was one who showed the Truth of his Religion, by the Honesty and Justice of his Life; and declared his Faith in God, by his Fidelity to Man. He never took up a Reproach against his Neighbour, or a Reward against the Innocent, or admitted of any unlawful Gain; but was true to all his Covenants and Contracts, faithfully kept his Oath of Allegiance, and would still have done so, tho' it had been to his temporal Hindrance.  
All you who are now present, can fully testify his exceeding Worth in all the Variety of his Capacities and Employments, both private and public.  
You who are of the Nobility, Gentry, and his worthy Relations, can witness the high Generosity of his Soul, the Greatness and Constancy of his Friendships, the Love, the Honour, and the Sincerity of all his Correspondencies.  
You can witness, (for many of You were Partners with Him in all his eminent Stations, and deserve your Commendations too) You can witness how assiduous and punctual He was in all the Important Trusts that were committed to Him, whether in the August Assembly of the Parliament, his honourable Commands in the Militia, or his Justiciary Affairs upon the Bench. How highly Loyal He was ever to His King, and yet a studious Preserver of the ancient Privileges of his Country; but yet no such turbulent Lover of his Country, as any ways to undermine the just Prerogatives of the Crown. How firm and resolute He always was for upholding the established Church of England, and yet not Factious against the right Succession. How vast an Empire he had obtained in the Affections of the People by his Affability, his Hospitality, and his repeated Acts of Kindness; and yet how innocently, how justly, and how loyally He managed so dangerous a Power. That largely extended Popularity in which he always lived, and which would have made perhaps another man vainly giddy, or seditious, made him more thoughtful, and more steady to the Crown. For he could not but consider what peculiar Obligations He had to be faithful to the Government, since so great a Multitude of all sorts had committed themselves to his charge, and owned Him for their Oracle in Civil Wisdom. Therefore He guided them in all humble Submission to their Sovereign, and inspired them with that Allegiance, which He constantly practised himself; which he practised with the same Sincerity, with the same Conscience of his Oath to God, as well as to Man, under all Accidents and Circumstances, through all Variations and Changes; for no Sufferings could terrify Him, no Prosperity could soften him out of his Duty; no public Discontents could sour Him, no private Friendships could bias Him: But lo! He has now concluded the Male-Line of his Loyal Ancestors with untainted Honour; and may all his collateral Posterity both imitate and inherit the Glory of this his Character! And may all You, who were his Noble Friends and Acquaintance, maintain the same illustrious, as well as truly Christian Virtue, to the end of your days; whatever difficulties arise, whatever temporal Losses You undergo; for otherwise You will blast the Reputation of the Church of England, You will forfeit the Protection of the Divine Providence, and lose the fairest Opportunity that this Nation ever had of glorifying God, by a meek perseverance in Obedience and Truth. And as You are Christians, you must acknowledge, that the Gospel is not upheld by Wilfulness, but by Humility, and by Patience.  
They who are of the Clergy, can testify what Regard he always paid to that Order, how gladly he received their Visits, many times returned them, and never seemed more satisfied than when his Table was filled with their Society. He was not afraid of their Learning, their Prudence, and their Observations, but could throughly relish their wisest Discourses, and match their accutest Sayings.  
A Reverend and a Virtuous Divine was no tedious Burden to him, no Censure on his Manners, no Comedy to his Servants, and no Jest among his Family: No, I am sure, whoever of them brought any Esteem along with them to his House, never went away with it any ways diminished, but rather increased with the Additions of a due Respect.  
He well knew the sad Degeneracy of this Age, with what Contempt and Scorn the Men of that Function are many times treated by those, who envy their Subsistence, and hate their Virtues; who having renounced their Allegiance to God, are continually offering Violence to his Ambassadors, and being conscious to themselves, that they have justly deserved an Excommunication for the notorious lewdness of their Lives, cannot but expect an Anathema from every Churchman that they meet, and therefore treat them as their greatest Enemies.  
These horrible Impieties he knew were too much in fashion among the Great, in whom Civility and common Manners are usually accounted the lowest of their Qualifications, and therefore he endeavoured to set them a better Example, for he had never any thing to do with the Throne of Wickedness, or with the Chair of the Scorners: He never put those Faces to Confusion, that were made tender by Modesty and Retirement; he never cast a Cloud of Infamy and Reproach upon the Beauty of Holiness; but he always rejoiced to express his Reverence of God, and his Affection to Religion, by his proportionable Respects to the Clergy; he loved to be a Partaker of the Tranquillity, the Wisdom, the innocent and meek Conversation, the Joy and Gladness of the Righteous, and to be held a Companion of all those, who with an unparalleled, 
John 15.14, 15.  but yet unenvied Title, are called the Friends of Christ.  
Thus he fully answered that part of the Character of a Citizen of Zion, laid down in this Psalm, where it is said of him, That in his Eyes a vile Person is contemned, 
v. 4.  but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. Indeed his Civility embraced all men, though his Judgement knew well how to distinguish: To contemn any one, was not in his Nature, though it sometimes happened to be his Duty, especially as a Magistrate. But the vile Persons that he contemned, were not the poor and destitute, those he relieved: They were not those of a mean or common Parentage, for such he many times ennobled with his Invitations and courteous Notice; neither were they those, whose Vices were private, or known only by common rumour, or long since committed; for as to such things he was not hasty to judge any, but left them to God, and their own Consciences, despising none as Publicans, because he could not tell what Saints Repentance might one day make them. But the vile Persons that he contemned, were more especially the busy Disturbers of Church and State, either by open Rebellion, secret Conspiracy, or libellous Pamphlets: And likewise among the vile Persons, he could not but reckon all such (though otherwise never so high in Quality) who scoffed at Religion, and despised the Clergy; because so profligate a Demeanour towards sacred things and persons, was an Argument to him of the worst of Tempers that was incident to human Nature, as denoting both the highest pitch of Profaneness, and the lowest Dregs of Sensuality.  
But our good Citizen of Zion made much of them that feared the Lord, defended them from the Insolence of those that would oppress them, rendered them Awful to their Flocks and Charges, teaching them new measures of Reverence by his own Demeanour, making them ready and cheerful to render their whole Dues, when they saw him, who was so strict an Observer of Judgement, Mercy and Truth, to be so exact and punctual in the payment of all his Tithes.  
He had no Fortunes to make, no prodigally wasted Patrimony to repair by Fraud and Sacrilege, but what was wanting to the ancient Demesns of his worthy Family, was nobly lost by their faithful adherence to the Church and Crown, and therefore never to be rebuilt upon their Ruins: Yet notwithstanding all the loss it underwent in the civil Wars, it still remained an ample, and a thriving Estate under the Discretion and Liberality of its Owner; it had no Canker in it, no unjust Titles to moulder it away, no Curse of the Needy upon it, but was always blessed with the good Providence of God, the Prayers of the Clergy, and of the Poor. And thus shall every Man be blessed that maketh much of them that fear the Lord. They that love God's Ministers, shall be beloved of God; they shall dwell in plenty all their days, descend with Honour unto their Graves, and their Memories shall be dear and sacred, as long as Learning, and Wisdom, and Piety shall remain.  
They who are of the Commonalty can sufficiently witness the Condescensions of his Kindness, the easy Familiarity of his Converse, the readiness of his Favours, and the uprightness of his Magistracy; how he used his Authority chief to reconcile the minds of those that were offended with each other, to cool their Passions, to lessen their Differences, to recommend the Benefits of Peace and Amity, to declare the ill Consequences of Enmity and Revenge, and by threatening the Rigour of the Laws, to keep them from the punishments of them.  
How often have fierce and contending Adversaries forgot their Malice in his presence, and been ashamed to prosecute their Neighbours before him, who always was so kind to his? He was every way so completely fitted for his Justiciary Jmployment, by his Wisdom, his Equity, and his Reputation, that there were few but were ready to stand to whatever he proposed: They were fully possessed with an admiration of his person, and his worth; they knew how inflexible he was in Honesty and Truth, and repaired to him, rather as an Arbitrator, than as a Magistrate; and accordingly he managed their Controversies, as a true Lover of his Country, and an equal Guardian of Peace and Concord; he often served the true ends of Government more by advising as a Friend, than by giving out Orders as a Justice, and composed more Differences by the good humour of a Gentleman, than by the severity of a Magistrate.  
You can witness how he spent his time and his Estate continually in the Country, and scarce ever went to London, but to attend in the Parliaments, and there to promote your Interest; how he preferred his Habitation here, before all the Splendour and Diversions of the City; and how he valued the plain and downright Affection of honest and industrious Farmers, before the finest Professions of Flattery and Courtship; you cannot but remember with what cheerfulness of Looks, and heartinesses of Language, he received you to his Table, which you always found loaded with such substantial Provisions, as having served the Parlour, afterwards feasted the Hall, and plentifully relieved the Poor at his Gates.  
When his House was filled (as it often was) with promiscuous Guests, how obligingly would he accommodate himself to Persons of all degrees and ranks; salute the Gentry with complete Address; give such respect unto the Clergy, as should invite others to pay the same; talk friendly and facetiously with the middle sort of People, kindly and affably with the Lowest: Nay, he would oftentimes give Life and Countenance to the meanest Guests, by particular Applications, and the repeated Testimonies of their Welcome.  
Those who were his Tenants, can witness how far he was from being a hard Landlord, or requiring more than his Ground would yield; how favourably he considered all Casualties, how desirous he was of their honest Profit, what Pleasure he took in seeing them prosper and thrive! so that we may be assured, 
Job 31.38.  that his Land will never cry against him, nor the Furrows thereof complain.  
His Servants know what a gracious Master they have lost, in whose Service they found no harshness of Commands, and no Indulgence unto Vice: To retain unto him, was not Licentiousness, but Discipline and good Manners; neither was it Slavery, but Preferment; and accordingly they performed their Duty more from Love, than from Fear.  
Some he educated and provided for, with the tenderness of a Father, some he apprentised out to profitable and honest Callings; he rewarded all that any ways deserved, and there were few but did deserve; for he took care to instill both Civility and Religion into them, and to let them know, that he was most offended, when they neglected their Duty to God: He never affected much Appearance or Splendour in his Retinue; but the only Pomp in which he seemed to be most delighted, was in walking constantly to the House of God, before a numerous and well-ordered Family.  
And now, Beloved, you may think perhaps that I have finished his Character by these several Appeals, which I have made to those who fully understood his multiplied Worth; but yet there are greater things behind for myself to witness, which will show him to have been a devout Worshipper of God; and that these sundry Instances of his Integrity, Righteousness, and Truth, which I have already given, were but either so many preparatory Qualifications to, or demonstrative Evidences of, the Reality of his Devotions: For without some Degree of these, Men are not fit for the solemn Worship of God; and without an Improvement in these, their Worship is but Mockery and Profaneness: To be Honest, Just, and Faithful, or, what is all one, to be without Guile, is perhaps the safest Description of a good Christian, that the New Testament affords us; our Saviour gave it of Nathaniel, when he called him an Israelite indeed, John 1.47. Nay, it is given of our blessed Saviour himself, 1 Pet. 2.22. Who did no Sin, neither was Guile found in his Mouth. And Rev. 14.5. it is there affirmed of those who are represented as the highest Order of Saints in the Resurrection, that in their Mouth was found no Guile. Without this sure and standing Evidence of the Simplicity of the Heart, we may be at strange Uncertainties about our judging and defining what is true Religion and Virtue; for Experience has assured us, that Men may have such odd Apprehensions of the Divinity they worship, as may root out all their Remains of Moral Honesty; and things may arrive to that desperate Pass, that some men's Piety shall be nothing but an Ecstasy about God, and the Rankness of Self-love under the sacred name of Zeal.  
Having, therefore, attested the Integrity, Righteousness, and Truth of this Great Exemplar before us, and finding him so well qualified, according to the Method of the Psalmist, to be a Worshipper of God, I shall in the  
Second place consider how he behaved himself in that spiritual Privilege and Station.  
He was admirably composed by the sincerity of his Temper, and the seriousness of his Affections, for the solemn Worship of God; he seemed to me to have an extraordinary sense of the Majesty of God upon his Mind, a deep and unaffected Humility in all his Thoughts, and religious Actions; and such a grateful Experience of the Mercies of God, as was always ready to overflow into Praises and Thanksgivings. And this Reverential Habit of his Soul, being a due mixture of Fear, and Love, and holy Admiration, was owing, next to the Grace of God, to that strict, and truly Christian Education, which he received from the Care of his wise and virtuous Parents; for it was then, that he imbibed those early and lasting Impressions of the Awefulness of Religion, which he kept inviolate in the University, and in the Country, which he carried with him from his Youth to his Grave, through all the Hypocrisy of the Usurpation, and through all the Profaneness since. Nothing was more odious to him, than sporting with sacred Things; not, that he wanted a Talon to have furnished out the Wit, but he had a devout Nature that abhorred the Crime. No Man was more facetious than he, when it was seasonable and innocent, but then God and and the holy Scriptures were never any of his Subjects: He was never known to use any manner of Jesting to the Prejudice or Reproach of his Neighbour, and we may be sure he was much more tender of the Honour of his God.  
He was so far from entertaining any peevish Exceptions against the excellent Liturgy of our Church, that he could never sufficiently admire the Purity, the Spirit, the Holiness, the Divine Plainness, and the comprehensive Wisdom of our public Prayers: He frequented them, and loved them, because he truly relished them; he truly relished them, because he came prepared unto them, by the private Devotions of his Closet, which he likewise sustained and cherished by his duly reading, and meditating on the appointed Psalms and Chapters for every Morning and Evening throughout the Year.  
His grave and exemplary Behaviour in this place, always showed what an entire Affection he bore to the whole Service of the Church; for by his humble Gestures, his devout and audible Responses, and his exact Conformity to all the outward Decency prescribed, he was, in a manner, a living Rubric to the whole Congregation; and by his continual and hearty Amens to every Prayer, he animated the Devotions of all that were present  
He was not one who expected Curiosities from the Pulpit, or that the common Christians, or those of an ordinary understanding should be neglected, to supply Dainties for his Ear: For though he was a Judge of the Purity of Eloquence, the choiceness of Expression, the clearness of Method, the strength of an Argument, the depth of sound Divinity, and the height of an affectionate Piety; yet he was a Favourer of the plainest, and most inartificial Instructions: Nay, he did not disdain (as many Great Persons do) to be a constant Auditor of the repeated Rudiments of Christianity, and the most familiar Catechising of the Children; for he well knew, that those Fundamental Articles were the important Truths on which our Salvation does depend; and that however a sufficient Knowledge of them, may be soon acquired, even by the meanest, humble, and willing Disciple of Christ, yet they contained such boundless Treasures of Divine Sense and Meaning, as might exercise the vastest parts, and continually enrich the most improved Mind.  
He was a strict Observer of the Lent for three days in a Week: He constantly received the Holy Sacrament at the three great Festivals of the Year, and sometimes oftener; and before every receiving, he usually enjoined himself three or four days of strict Preparation, and sometimes more.  
The last Sacrament I gave him, which was on Christmas-day in his Chamber, it was some scruple upon him, that he had not prepared himself more solemnly, according to his wont Method: But when I told him, that I did not doubt, but his extreme Pains, and his commendable Patience under them, had supplied the Design of his former Self-denials, and had wrought him into an humble and heavenly Temper; He resigned himself to my Intimations, and received his Viaticum, his spiritual Strength, upon His weak and trembling Knees. During all His Illness, till he kept his Bed, he would not hearken to those that proposed to him any other Posture in his Prayers; and in the latter part of his Weakness, he was prayed for in many of the neighbouring Churches, in the Cathedral of Winchester, and in the Chapel of his Diocesan.  
Thus he was a true Son of the Church of England, followed all Her Rites and Usages, paid a strict Obedience to all Her Directions; mourned when she suffered, rejoiced when she flourished, prayed fervently, and acted vigorously for Her Prosperity, cherished, respected, reverenced all Orders of Men within Her; was intimate with a long Succession of Her most eminent Prelates and Pastors; was greatly honoured, and entirely loved by most of the Reverend Fathers that now adorn her, and protect her, by their Learning, their Prudence, their Fortitude, and their Piety. He was so well grounded a Member of the Church of England, that I am fully persuaded, no Art or Cunning, no Allurements, no Terrors, no Losses, could ever have moved him from the two main Pillars of his constant Profession and Practice, viz. his Duty to the Church, and his Loyalty to the King; but upon all Occasions, as formerly, so still, he would have bravely served his Prince to the utmost Extent of what is lawful; and had there been more than this required, he would have humbly and mildly suffered for the Testimony of a good Conscience.  
After a continued Enjoyment of his Health for threescore and four years, God was pleased to exercise him with a severe Sickness, above two years since; from which in some time he recovered, though perhaps never to the Strength and Consistency of his former State, yet to a greater Watchfulness over all his Actions, and I am persuaded, to a much further Advancement in his spiritual and everlasting Affairs.  
About four Months since, he was surprised with an unusual Swelling in the Neck, which at first was not apprehended to be of much Consequence; but the extraordinary Concern of his most Affectionate Lady, would not permit her to entertain the like Thoughts; she was restless between Love and Care, and her Breast was filled with melancholy and aloding Fears; the longer it continued, the more confirmed she was, that there was still some lurking Malignity in it, not yet discovered; and the Event showed, that she was not mistaken; for after most acute and lingering Pains, through the pungency of the Humour enclosed, and the Caustics that were applied, (all which he underwent with wonderful Patience and Resignation, never murmuring or repining, but often lifting up his Hands and Eyes in silent Prayer) it came at last to a cancerous Ulcer, through which the whole substance of his Body was drained, notwithstanding all the Assistance of able Physicians, all the Skill and Accuracy of Expert Surgeons. But though he gradually decayed, and was by many given over, yet still no possible means were left unattempted (through the unwearied Industry and Solicitude, the wise, the tender, and the honourable Care of his afflicted and sorrowful Lady) either for his present Ease and Support, or for his future Recovery; nothing was left unattempted, till the Evening before he died; and then, having a clear Prospect of his approaching End, he told those about him, that he would take nothing more, took his last Farewell of his Dear Wife, prayed God to bless her, and composed himself for another Life; and the next day, being Sunday, between four and five in the Afternoon, without any Convulsions, or any Pangs of Death, he calmly resigned his Breath, and fell asleep in the Lord. And this he did in the midst of the Commendatory Prayers and Ejaculations of those who were about him, joining with his own Minister then present, who, notwithstanding his unsought-for Avocation, had the Opportunity of attending his noble and beloved Patron, the last six Weeks of his Illness; passionately interceding for the acceptance of his Faith and Repentance, through the alone Merits of Christ our Saviour; and at the Point of his Departure, humbly presenting his Spirit unto God.  
III. And now lastly, what remains, but to comfort one another, that through the Mercies and Forgivenesses of our most Gracious God (who delights to magnify himself in the Salvation of Mankind) our Noble Friend, and Dearest Brother, is now in the Possession of that State of Happiness, which the Souls of humble Penitents receive after this Life; that He is now joining in the Hallilujahs of that Church, which is seated above all the Storms and Confusions of this World; where Truth and Holiness have no Disguises, and where Religion raises no Contentions, but those of Praise and Love. There let us leave his Soul at rest, and commit his Body to the Earth, till the Resurrection of the Just; and in the mean time, whilst we have Health and Opportunity, let Us also endeavour to be eminent in Integrity, Righteousness, and Fidelity, in speaking of the Truth, and in doing good; let us maintain the same Loyalty that he practised, pay our constant Attendance on the same public Worship that he frequented, and die in the same Faith, in which he died: Then we also shall one day rest with him upon the same Spiritual Zion, the holy Mount of God.  
Which God of his infinite Mercy grant, through the alone Merits of Christ Jesus. Amen.  
FINIS.   

THere are Five Sermons and Two Discourses by the same Author, printed for William Crook.