the glory of our salvation, and to ascribe all to the operation of his sovereign grace, since, whatever may be said of God's decrees, it is an infallible truth, that " without holiness no man shall see the Lord."]
Let us learn from hence,
1. In what light we should view our present state of existence—
[We should learn from nature, and from every thing we see around us. Let all, and the young especially, look, not at the grass merely, but at the flower of the grass, and learn from that,
how transient their life ism And let none, like the fool
in the Gospel, promise themselves years, when, for ought they know, this very night their souls may be required of them.]
2. In what way we should improve it —
[What have we to do, but to attain the character of God's people, and to secure the mercy which he will exercise towards
them ? In comparison of this, all earthly pursuits are
vanity; since, transient as our life is, we may yet find the ob- jects of our fondest regard still more transient11."]
m Isai. xl. 6—8. This would be proper to insist on, if it were the funeral of a young person.
n If this were a Funeral Sermon for an eminently pious person, his views and conduct might with propriety be stated here.
Ps. civ. 33, 34. I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live : I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of him shall be sweet : I will be glad in the Lord.
IT is well that we have in the Holy Scriptures a record of the experience of former saints : for, on the one hand, we should be inclined to rest in low attain- ments, if we did not know to what heights others had attained ; and, on the other hand, we should be con- demned for aiming at such exalted frames as were possessed by them, if we had not the sanction of their high authority. However, whether the world be pleased or displeased, this, God helping me, shall be my resolution ; and I recommend it to every one of you as your own ; " I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live ; I will praise my God while I have my being ! "