A FUNERAL ELEGY Humbly Dedicated to the Renowned Memory of the HONORABLE, Thomas Danforth Esq. Of Cambridge, Sometimes Deputy GOVERNOUR in the Colony of the Massachusetts-Bay, and President of the Province of Main; and One of His Majesty's Honorable COUNCIL, Judge of the Superior Court in the Province of the Massachusetts-Bay in New-England; Who (after He had long Served His Generation by the Will of GOD in several High Stations) Did to our inconceivable loss, but His Unparallel'd Gain, Rest from all His Labors, on the Sacred Day of Rest, the Memorable 5th. of November, Anno Domini. 1699. Aetatis Suae, 77. Ho
•
s,
〈◊〉
: Mors, Pax.
JUDGE of the Quick and
Dead
I am not, Yet
HIM and myself should very much
forget
If that I should decline the
Bench
to take
Nor give my sense and sentence of this Fate.
Pardon me,
Sir;
'Twere better first to Die
Than prove Disloyal to your
〈◊〉
'It is
Conscience
gives Commission not t' be Mute
Justice and Gratitude shall Execute.
The
Isle
which (
Alfred
sings) no Help desires,
Yet all the
World
supply from Her requires
Able to Glut
King Solomon
with Pleasures
And Surfeit Great
Augustus
with Her Treasures:
Whence the First Christian
Emperor
did spring
And
〈◊〉
that, Many an
Heroe,
Many a
King
Rich in all Merchandize: More Rich in
Men:
(
〈◊〉
such an
〈◊〉
in the
〈…〉
)
And whence
New-England
〈◊〉
It did
〈◊〉
Him,
to this Land who was of Glorious Use.
He,
Nature drew from
Him
whom Grace Divine,
Rather than Worldly Grandieur, made to Shine.
Who urged to
Knight
Him, Him, He followed not
Follow'd a Greater
King,
to
Desert
Lot;
Like
〈◊〉
,
when He saw Saints to Go
Would fain be
Knight
of their Wing'd
Order
too.
Such was His
Father:
And poor
Framingham
Lost a Choice
Lecture
when He hither came
By Prophets Preach'd; But He procured the same.
After His Father's Death
This Son
was blessed,
Rudeness and Lewdness much He did Detest;
Fear'd God from's Youth, like good Prince
Obadiah
An Early Convert, tike Renown'd
Josiah.
Glowing His
Love;
most Ve
••
meant His
Desire
Like Coals of Juniper and Flames of Fire,
To
Jacob's Portico:
Angels, Powers, Life, Death
Heights, Depths, could not put either out of breath
〈◊〉
and Rigg'd with th' Christian
〈◊〉
:
Well under gift with found
Sincerity:
In every State, undelug'd, could Sail Right;
His
Anchor
held, on something out of Sight.
Left not his
〈◊〉
, when He Promotion wan
His
〈…〉
Cheer'd the Heart of
God
and
Man.
His Speech well Season'd both for
Time
and
Grace
For in His Soul, most Sav'ry
Salt
had Place.
He had
〈◊〉
, He practice'd to the last,
What
〈…〉
, in Spiritual mould to Cast.
God's
〈…〉
'Mongst those that on Him call
'Mongest
〈…〉
,
an Expert General:
Nobly Seraphic, and most Rapturous,
In
Prayer;
A Secon'd
Theodosius.
What's Parent came Three Thousand Miles, to
〈◊〉
That, to neglect, He dare'd not Count no Sin.
God's
Temple
had Him, a Professor Press'd
God's
〈◊〉
found Him Young, a
Worthy
〈◊〉
'Twas Time, a
Vine
Grew up on His House side.
Washington's
Halls afford the
Saint
a
Bride.
Precious as Gold Their
〈◊〉
,
yet as Behov'd
'Twas by both Fining Pot and Furnace Prov'd;
Them Ten Rare Pledges, only fledg'd, forsook
And the Directest way to Heaven Took:
'Mongst whom count Chief the Famous
Samuel
Whose Excellencies
England
both can Tell.
During that Wondrous Term of Seven times Seven,
Co heirs They Lived, of the Grace of Heaven.
Just in the Fiftieth year of
Jubilee
His Aged Virtuous
Comfort
went out free,
Yet not so Free, as He
•
o Follow was,
And to over take Her, mends His Heavenly Pace.
'Twas His High
〈◊〉
when first He saw that
〈◊〉
Of Earthly
〈…〉
Its Dreadful Fiery
〈…〉
even
Of Difficulty in the way to Heaven;
That Sin bred Fate, cannot curse of Law out-root
A Gospel Course, He found might greatly doeit.
Saw on His Hand that
〈◊〉
Venimous:
To Alms it tempered, Made a
Treacle
thus
Honors
to seek or shun H'was never buisy.
His Head could bear
Great Height
& not be Dizzy.
Bless'd by
Bless'd Wilson
〈◊〉
Bench
when sat
Regal'd with th' Anagram,
Handsom for that.
Edicts, Examples, and Sharp Punishment
States, warping from their Standard ought prevent.
Sagacious He betimes to Meet and Mate
Ill Humours, threatening to subvert the
State.
〈◊〉
fell They who would said
New-England
flat;
Thank GOD & th' MAN
〈◊〉
Little Band, for That.
Him, and His Country, who would Wast, in Hast
He made Repent, Their
〈◊〉
came in so fast.
Iv'e some imes heard Him say that He had ever
As lieve dy by the Ax as by the Feaver;
In a Good cause, and with a Conscience Good:
For
Church
&
State,
so Truths Great
Champion
stood.
Like
Samuel
Rode the
〈◊〉
Judge'd each Tribe,
And like
〈…〉
.
So Good, Great, Wise,
〈◊〉
Steady Trusty, Free;
We'l never want Men when we have Such as Thee.
His Thoughts Pure
Spirits
were, He therefore used
Physician
like, to give them, well infused
In some sweet proper
〈◊〉
of Wit,
Some Proverb, Story, Simile, most fit.
When Men of Sense addres'd Him; 'twas His fashion
Reasons
to show, and leave the
Application
!
And when some nimble Case out ran His
〈◊〉
Still Gave forth Sentence,
〈◊〉
a
〈…〉
.
Dangers, as soon as meant He oft Suspected
Forgers, He oft Sagaciously Detected:
At Helm in Tempests, yet His Courage Stout
'Though Dangers were Extream, would ne'ver give out.
Of Them, like
Nicodemus
He was One,
And stood like Him, stout
Protestant
alone
'Gainst a
Committee,
whose blind Indignation
Condemn'd the
Best Men
of that Generation.
I know not where to stop; His
Course
was thus
To make
New-England's
Journal Glorious:
Hath stood our CHurches
Pillar
ever since,
Not without
Envy,
for His Recompence.
Harvard!
For Honorable, Thou must go;
Who was thy Steward, Treasurer, was foe.
Charg'd and Discharged were the
Quarter Bills,
Drain'd not thy Stock, but with large Hundreds fills
A Bounteous
Patron
unto many a Plant.
In thy
〈…〉
,
whose Means were scant.
Resolves so to continue, 'Spite of Death,
By
Lands
and
Rents,
His last
〈◊〉
witnesseth.
Bring
Tribute
to thy
Benefactors
Dust
To be
Ungrateful
is to be
Unjust.
Church Messengers
Christ's Glory are, so He
(In that Relation,) oft was seen to be;
Nor was 't a Shame for a Profess'd Divine,
To be beholden to His Golden Mine.
So well-read in all Points, Men of best fashion,
Unto His Judgment paid a Veneration
When
Church Disturbances
required His Best
He signally with great
Success
was Bless'd.
In's
Family
as exact Order's Seen,
As if that it a Sovereign State had been:
Reading, Instruction, Prayer, and Repetition
So constant were, You'd envy
their
Condition.
From
Families
would Spring
New England's
Bliss
Might all be taught and Govern'd as was His.
Great is the
Loss
of such a
Men as
This!
Full of
Good Works,
not therefore void of Fears;
No Works so Good but call for Fasts and Tears;
Justification through his Savior's Blood,—
And Righteousness, (His
Aged Souls
last Food,
His Readings, Meditations, here, were spent
So Views His
Title,
and Receives
Content.
Like
Solomon,
All Gainful
Arts
He trys
To Dye in Christ, Best
Gain
He finds; so Dies.
His
Arms,
On Gold, the single opened Eye,
(Man's Noble Part) imports
Sincerity,
And
Wisdom
too: That Gemm, the Di'mond dwells
Invulnerate,
'though it cutts all things else.
He left with's Children Dear a Num'rous Race,
Lord! Give 'em Portions of their Grandsire's Grace
Thousands
up springing so, in His rich Heap
Shall Love Thy Name, & Thy Commandments keep.
Amen.