dost against thy health and life. Do not put the candle of sorrow too near that thread, by which thou hangest over the mouth of hell. O! it is far better to be childless or friendless on earth, than hopeless and remediless in hell. 2. Own and admire the bounty and goodness of God manifested to thee in this affliction; that when death came into thy family to smite and carry off one, it had not fallen to thy lot to be the person: thy husband, wife, or child is taken, and thou art left; had thy name been in the commission, thou hadst been now past hope. O the sparing mercy of God! the wonderful longsuffering of God towards thee! Possibly that poor creature that is gone, never provoked God as thou hast done: thy poor child never abused mercies, neglected calls, treasured up the thousandth part of that guilt thou hast done; so that thou mightest well imagine it might rather have cut thee down, thou hast so provoked God, than thy poor little one. But O, the admirable patience of God! O the riches of his long-suffering! Thou art only warned, not smitten by it: is there nothing in this, worth thankful acknowledgment? Is it not better to be in black for another on earth, than in the blackness of darkness for ever? Is it not easier to go to the grave with thy dead friend and weep there, than to go to hell among the damned, where there is weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth? 3. This affliction, for which thou mournest, may be the greatest mercy to thee that ever yet befel thee in this world. God hath now made thy heart soft by trouble, showed thee the vanity of this world; and what a poor trifle it is which thou madest thy happiness: there is now a dark cloud spread over all thy worldly comforts. Now, O now! if the Lord would but strike in with this affliction, and by it open thine eyes to see thy deplorable state, and take off thy heart for ever from the vain world which thou now seest hath nothing in it; and cause thee to choose Christ the only abiding good for thy portion. If now thy affliction may but bring thy sin to remembrance, and thy dead friend may but bring thee to a sense of thy dead soul, which is as cold to God and spiritual things, as his body is to thee, and more loathsome in his eyes than that corpse is, or shortly will be to the eyes of men then this day is certainly a day of the greatest mercy that ever yet thou sawest. O happy death, that shall prove life to thy soul! Why! this is sometimes the way of the Lord with men: "If they be bound in fetters, and be holden in cords of affliction, then he showeth them their work, and their transgressions that they have exceeded. He openeth also their ear to discipline, and commandeth them that they return from iniquity." O consider, poor pensive creature, that which stole away thy heart from God is now gone: that which eat up thy time and thoughts, that there was no room for God, soul, or eternity in them, is gone: all the vain expectations that thou raisest up to thyself, from that poor creature which now lies in the dust, are in one day perished. O what an advantage hast thou now for heaven, beyond whatever thou yet hadst! if God would not bless this rod, thou wilt have cause to keep many a thanksgiving day for this day. I pray let these three things be pondered by you: I can bestow no more comforts upon you-your condition bars the best comforts from you-they belong to the people of God, and you have yet nothing to do with them. I shall, therefore, turn from you to them, and present some choicer comforts to them to whom they properly belong, which may be of great use to you in reading; if it be but to convince you of the blessed privilege and state of the people of God in the greatest plunges of troubles in this world, and what advantages their interest in Christ gives them for peace and settlement, beyond that state you are in. And here I do with much more freedom and hope of success, apply myself to the work of counselling and comforting the afflicted. You are the fearers of the Lord, and tremble at his word, the least sin is more formidable to you than the greatest affliction. Doubtless you would rather choose to bury all your children, than provoke and grieve your heavenly Father. Your relations are dear, but Christ is dearer to you by far. Well then, let me persuade you to retire a while into your closets, redeem a little time from your unprofitable sorrows, ease and empty your hearts before the Lord, and beg his blessing upon the relieving, quieting, and heart-composing considerations that follow; some of which are more general and common, some more particular and special; but all of them such as through the blessing of God, may be very useful at this time to your souls. CONSIDERATION 1. Consider in this day of sorrow, who is the framer and author of this rod by which you now smart. Is it not the Lord? And if the Lord hath done it, it becomes you meekly to submit: "Be still, and know that I am God." Man and man stand upon even ground: if your fellow-creature do any thing that displeases you, you may not only inquire, who did it? but, why he did it? You may demand his ground and reasons for what he hath done; but you may not do so here: it is expected that this one thing, "The Lord hath done it," should without any further disputes, or contests, silence and quiet you, whatever it be that he hath done. "Why dost thou strive against him? For he giveth not an account of any of his matters." The Supreme Being must needs be an unaccountable and uncontrollable Being. It is a shame for a child to strive with his father; a shame for a servant to contend with his master: but for a creature to quarrel and strive with the God that made him, O how shameful is it! Surely it is highly reasonable that you be subject to that will whence you proceeded, and that he who formed you and yours, should dispose of both as seemeth him good. It is said, "That whatsoever the king did pleased all the people." And shall any thing the Lord doth displease you? He can do no wrong. If we pluck a rose in the bud, as we walk in our gardens, who shall blame us for it? It is our own, and we may crop it off when we please. Is not this the case? Thy sweet bud, which was cropt off before it was fully blown, was cropt off by him that owned it, yea, him that formed it. If his dominion be absolute, surely his disposal should be acceptable. It was so to good Eli-" It is the Lord; let him do what seemeth him good." And it was so to David-" I was dumb, I opened not my mouth, because thou didst it." O let it be for ever remembered, that he "whose name alone is Jehovah, is the most High over all the earth." The glorious sovereignty of God is illustriously displayed in two things: his decrees, and his providence. With respect to the first, he saith, “ I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy." Here is no ground of disputing with him; for so it is said, " Who art thou, O man, that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay?" : And as to his providence, wherein his sovereignty is also manifested, it is said, "Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord: for he is raised up out of his habitation." It is spoken of his providential working in the changes of kingdoms, and desolations that attend them. Now, seeing the case stands thus, that the Lord hath done it: it is his pleasure to have it so; and if it had not been his will, it could never have been as it is: he that gave thee (rather lent thee) thy relation, hath taken him. O how quiet should this |