А

SERMON

PREACHED

At the Funeral of Sif John Chapman Lord Mayor of London, at St. Lawrence's Church, March 27. 1689.

And the day of Death, than

the day of ones Birth.

I

N the former part of this Book, the Preacher treats of the many falfe ways Men take to their own Happiness, and now he comes to describe the true Way and Method of attaining it; in general, he all along supposes that the best state of Happinefs in this World is exceeding imperfect, and that therefore, in order to our being in any measure happy, it is neceffary we fhould not expect more from things, than their Nature and Circumstances will afford; but content our felves to take Men and Things as we find them: the former, with all their Uncertainty and Inconftancy; the latter, with all their Faults and Mifcarriages, Tince it is not in our power to alter their Nature, and render them as we would have them. And as for the particular Directions he gives, they are reducible to this general, That in order to our being, in any Degree

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happy

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happy in this World, it is necessary we should change our Mind, and Though s, and Opinions of things, and embrace fome fuch Propofitions, for the trueft and most indubitable Maxims, which we have hitherto lookt upon as the wildeft Paradoxes, namely, That Mourning is, in many Cafes, to be preferred before Feafting, V. 2, 3, 4. Rebuke's before Commendations, v. 5, 6. The End, or final iffue of things before the Beginning, 7: 8. A patient and conftant indurance of Injuries and Affronts before a peevish and haughty Mind, v. 9. Wifdom before Riches, v. 11, 12. and to name no more, That a good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of Death, than the day of ones Birth, as you have it in the Text.

I fhall not trouble you with any account of the Connexion between thefe two Comparisons, A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of Death is better than the day of ones Birth: The latter of which I have chofen for the Subject of my enfuing Difcourfe, The day of Death is better than the day of ones Birth, which, though it may feem a very odd Paradox, at firft view (to Men

who

who place all their hopes in this Life, and act as if all the confequents of their Death, were as indifferent to them as all the antecedents of their Birth) is yet a very apparent and Momentous Truth: A Truth, that hath not only Evidence enough in it to challenge our Belief, but allo Moment enough to be one of the Principles of our Practice, nor is it the peculiar fentiment of our Preacher," for as Valerius Maximus tells us, The Val. Max. whole Nation of the Thracians, which juftly challenged the Praife of Wifdom, was wont to celebrate the Birth of Men with Mourning, and their Death with Joy; and this they did without being inftructed by Teachers, purely upon their own Obfervation of theState and Circumftances of Humane Life. And accordingly Euripides proposes this Custom to the World aṣ juft and reasonable,

Τὸν φύντα θρηνεῖν εἰς ὅσ ̓ ἐρχεται κακά, Τὸν δ ̓ ὧν θανόντα και πόνων πεπαυμινίου Χαίροντας εὐφημέντας ἐκπέμπειν δόμων. i, e. to lament thofe that are born, upon the account of the many Evils, among which they enter at their Birth; but when they die,and reft from Bb 4 their

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