Send forth thy convoy of angels for my departing soul, and let them bring it among the perfect spirits of the just, and let me follow my dear friends that have died in Christ before; and when my friends are crying over my grave, let my spirit be reposed with thee in rest, and when my corpse shall lie there rotting in the dark, let my soul be in the inheritance of the saints in light. And O thou that numberest the hairs of my head, number all the days that my body lies in the dust; thou that writest all my members in thy book, keep an account of all my scattered bones; and hasten, O my Saviour, the time of thy return; send forth thine angels, and let that dreadful; joyful trumpet sound; delay not, left the living give up their hopes; delay not, left earth should grow like hell, and left thy church by divisions be crumbled to dust; delay not, lest thine enemies get advantage of thy flock, and lest pride and hypocrisy, and sensuality, and unbelief, should prevail against thy little remnant, and share among them thy whole inheritance, and when thou comest thou find not faith on the earth; delay not, lest the grave should boast of victory, and refuse to deliver up thy due. O hasten that great resurrection day! when thy command shall go forth, ⟨p. 394⟩and none shall disobey; when the sea and earth shall yield up their hostages, and all that sleep in the grave shall awake, and the dead in Christ shall first arise: when the seed that thou sowedst corruptible, shall come forth incorruptible; and graves that received but rottenness, and retained but dust, shall return the• glorious stars and suns: therefore dare I lay down my carcass in the dust, entrusting it, not to a grave, but to thee, and therefore my flesh shall rest in hope, till thou raise it to the everlasting rest. Return, O LORD, how long! O let thy kingdom come! thy desolate bride saith come; for thy Spirit within her saith come. who teacheth her thus to pray with groanings which cannot be expressed: the whole creation saith come, waiting to be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of GOD: thyself hath said, Surely I come, amen, even, so come, Lord Jesus.
Send forth thy convoy of angels for my departing soul, and let them bring it among the perfect spirits of the just, and let me follow my dear friends that have died in Christ before; and when my friends are crying over my grave, let my spirit be reposed with thee in rest, and when my corpse shall lie there rotting in the dark, let my soul be in the inheritance of the saints in light. And O thou that numberest the hairs of my head, number all the days that my body lies in the dust; thou that writest all my members in thy book, keep an account of all my scattered bones; and hasten, O my Saviour, the time of thy return; send forth thine angels, and let that dreadful; joyful trumpet sound; delay not, left the living give up their hopes; delay not, left earth should grow like hell, and left thy church by divisions be crumbled to dust; delay not, lest thine enemies get advantage of thy flock, and lest pride and hypocrify, and sensuality, and unbelief, should prevail against thy little remnant, and share among them thy whole inheritance, and when thou comest thou find not faith on the earth; delay not, lest the grave should boast of victory, and refuse to deliver up thy due. O hasten that great resurrection day! when thy command shall go forth, ⟨p. 394⟩and none shall disobey; when the sea and earth shall yield up their hostages, and all that sleep in the grave shall awake, and the dead in Christ shall first arise: when the seed that thou sowedst corruptible, shall come forth incorruptible; and graves that received but rottenness, and retained but dust, shall return the• glorious stars and suns: therefore dare I lay down my carcase in the dust, entrusting it, not to a grave, but to thee, and therefore my flesh shall rest in hope, till thou raise it to the everlasting rest. Return, O LORD, how long! O let thy kingdom come! thy desolate bride saith come; for thy Spirit within her saith come. who teacheth her thus to pray with groanings which cannot be expressed: the whole creation saith come, waiting to be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of GOD: thyself hath said, Surely I come, amen, even, so come, Lord Jesus.
