O eternal and most gracious God, who hast been pleased to speak to us,
not only in the voice of nature, who speaks in our hearts, and of thy
word, which speaks to our ears, but in the speech of speechless
creatures, in Balaam's ass, in the speech of unbelieving men, in the
confession of Pilate, in the speech of the devil himself, in the
recognition and attestation of thy Son, I humbly accept thy voice in the
sound of this sad and funeral bell. And first, I bless thy glorious
name, that in this sound and voice I can hear thy instructions, in
another man's to consider mine own condition; and to know, that this
bell which tolls for another, before it come to ring out, may take me in
too. As death is the wages of sin it is due to me; as death is the end
of sickness it belongs to me; and though so disobedient a servant as I
may be afraid to die, yet to so merciful a master as thou I cannot be
afraid to come; and therefore into thy hands, O my God, I commend my
spirit, a surrender which I know thou wilt accept, whether I live or
die; for thy servant David made it,[246] when he put himself into thy
protection for his life; and thy blessed Son made it, when he delivered
up his soul at his death: declare thou thy will upon me, O Lord, for
life or death in thy time; receive my surrender of myself now; into thy
hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit. And being thus, O my God, prepared
by thy correction, mellowed by thy chastisement, and conformed to thy
will by thy Spirit, having received thy pardon for my soul, and asking
no reprieve for my body, I am bold, O Lord, to bend my prayers to thee
for his assistance, the voice of whose bell hath called me to this
devotion. Lay hold upon his soul, O God, till that soul have thoroughly
considered his account; and how few minutes soever it have to remain in
that body, let the power of thy Spirit recompense the shortness of time,
and perfect his account before he pass away; present his sins so to him,
as that he may know what thou forgivest, and not doubt of thy
forgiveness, let him stop upon the infiniteness of those sins, but dwell
upon the infiniteness of thy mercy; let him discern his own demerits,
but wrap himself up in the merits of thy Son Christ Jesus; breathe
inward comforts to his heart, and afford him the power of giving such
outward testimonies thereof, as all that are about him may derive
comforts from thence, and have this edification, even in this
dissolution, that though the body be going the way of all flesh, yet
that soul is going the way of all saints. When thy Son cried out upon
the cross, _My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?_ he spake not so
much in his own person, as in the person of the church, and of his
afflicted members, who in deep distresses might fear thy forsaking. This
patient, O most blessed God, is one of them; in his behalf, and in his
name, hear thy Son crying to thee, _My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me?_ and forsake him not; but with thy left hand lay his body
in the grave (if that be thy determination upon him), and with thy right
hand receive his soul into thy kingdom, and unite him and us in one
communion of saints. Amen.