1789] REV. WILLIAM SMITH, D. D. 269 



death to the great public and pious purposes, for which such holy- 

 solemnities, as the present, were first appointed by the wisest nations. 



For — 



I St. They were appointed for the express purpose of commemorating 

 the public virtues of the dead, nay even their crimes; for if they liave 

 been injurious to mankind, they may be held up to censure, with the 

 great intent of leading mankind to imitate the former, and to ablior and 

 shun the latter. 



2dly. Such solemnities are intended to bring us into a proper famil- 

 iarity with ourselves and our mortal condition; that we may be prepar- 

 ing for death, and enabled, through the grace offered us, to overcome 

 his terrors ! 



Upon each of these heads, I shall beg leave seriously to address you 

 on the present occasion. 



After having expressed himself fully on the first head, the 

 orator coming to the second, proceeds : 



I come now more particularly to speak of commemorating the virtues 

 of the dead, for the example and benefit of the living. This is an ad- 

 vantage, as I said before, which in tiiese days is seldom improved. 



The ancient Christian:;, besides the solemnity of their funerals, were 

 wont to meet at the graves of their martyrs and saints and holy men, to 

 recite the history of their sufferings and triumphs, and to bless God for 

 their holy lives and happy deaths, offering up also their prayers for 

 grace to follow their good example. And for this they seem to have 

 had St. Paul's express authority, and especially respecting the preachers 

 and teachers of the word of God. For he exhorts the Hebrews to 

 " remember them who had spoken unto them the word of God, whose 

 faith follow, considering the end of their conversation." 



In this important light, we must long remember our worthy and 

 venerable brother, who hath been called suddenly (but, we have every 

 ground to believe, not wholly unprepared) to exchange his pulpit for a 

 coffin, his eloquencL for silence, and his eminent abilities in doing good 

 for darkness and the grave. 



In the service of his country, during our late contest for Liberty and 

 Independence, he was near and dear to our illustrious commander-in- 

 chief — he was also his neighbor, and honored and cherished by him as 

 a pastor and friend.* When, on the conclusion of the war, he returned 

 to his pastoral charge, and our church in these States, in the course of 

 divine Providence, were called to organize themselves, as independent 

 of all foreign authority, civil and ecclesiastical, he was from the begin- 

 ning elected the chief clerical member to represent the numerous 



*At Alexandria in Virginia. 



