Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy
The epitaph on Anne Nisbet’s stone is from the Biblical Book of Matthew (5:7). Before I even looked up this verse, my first thought upon seeing it was the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would want others to do unto you. And looking at interpretations of this passage, it seems to work similarly on a different scale: God will grant you mercy if you give it to others.
A Grave Concern 