A discourse relating to the much-lamented death and solemn funeral of our incomparable and…

They as much neglect and slight the Blessed God, or decline to be concerned with him, as if they denied all the things of him which his Idea contains; or as if they affirmed all the things of him which it most directly excludes. They shun, they fly from him, as if they thought him the Worst of Beings, while they acknowledge him the Best and most Excellent Good: Disobey and affront him, as if they thought he had no Right to rule them; while they confess him the Sovereign Lord of all the World. And steer their course both towards him and one another, in as direct repugnancy to his Rules, as if they thought them all ranvers'd, and that the most opposite System of Laws and Precepts were given them by some undoubted Authority, to regulate all their Practice.

They as much neglect and slight the Blessed God, or decline to be concern'd with him, as if they denied all the things of him which his Idea contains; or as if they affirmed all the things of him which it most directly excludes. They shun, they fly from him, as if they thought him the Worst of Beings, while they acknowledge him the Best and most Excellent Good: Disobey and affront him, as if they thought he had no Right to rule them; while they confess him the Sovereign Lord of all the World. And steer their course both towards him and one another, in as direct repugnancy to his Rules, as if they thought them all ranvers'd, and that the most opposite System of Laws and Precepts were given them by some undoubted Authority, to regulate all their Practice.

It would amaze a Thinking Man that all this should be so! That Intelligent Creatures, that the Reasonable, Living, Immortal Spirits of men, should be sunk to so low a Pitch of Degeneracy and Vileness! But much more, that it being so apparently thus, it should be so seldom reflected on! that men are not afraid of themselves! that they appear not as so many frightful Monsters, each in their own eyes! That they consider not, What are these Faculties for? Why have I such Notions of Truth in my ⟨p. 27⟩mind? Why have I a Will whereby to choose, resolve, act, and be accordingly? What a distorted, misshapen Creature is this Soul of mine? Every thing in me running counter to right and fit! Whatever hath thus fatally perverted all their Powers, hath stupefied them too; so as not only not to find fault, but to applaud and be well pleased with themselves for all this.