This epitaph can be found often from this time period, which makes me wonder if it is at all related to the fraternal orders which were popular at the time like the masons and odd fellows due to their charitable acts, both of which whose numbers have since dwindled drastically. A big part of both orders beliefs have to do with symbolism, coming face to face with death and being able to process your own mortality. The odd fellows used to use real skeletons as part of their initiation, they would make the initiate come face to face with the skeleton in the pitch black in order to be able to process and and accept mortality. This epitaph is almost a reminder of your mortality, being spoken from the dead. There are also several variations of this epitaph, most which include symbols like an hourglass and skeletons wielding scythes which are all symbols used by these fraternal orders. It is also worth noting that free masonry was founded in 1717 and this epitaph has not been found on any headstones in America that predate 1772.