At theFuneralofMr. Alb. but as bundles of tarns to be burned f s ever in cverlafling fire.. Now, if the righteous perifh as well as others, and if their preaching be nothing but a gathering to God and Chola; then, Firfi, learn hence the preciednefs ofevery righteous man ; the great God will not gather thingsof n value ; great ft-1,th do not ufe to gather chaff and craw; and therefore, when Chrift faith of jofiah, I will 'ga- ther thee to thy fathers, it was a fign he was a precious pearl worth the gathering, and of a high value and account ill the fight of God;and fo is every true child of God; right dear and precious are they in the fight of God; both living and dying; they are bought with a great prices not with gold and (-liver, and other corruptible things; but they are bought with the precious blood of the Son of God : They are as precious to God as the apple of his eye, fo precious that he bath given Chria for them and to them; Co precious that hecalled them his Jewels, his pe- culiar treafute, his jedidiabs, and therefore God will not fisffer them to perifh, but gather them to himfelf before the evil day come, as the hut:, bandman gathers in the coin before the beafis go out into the field. 23X Secondly, Learn here what =Con we have to be comforted in the death of a righteous man or woman becaufe their death is not a peon-. ill°, but a gathering to God and Chrifi, and the fociety of Saints arid Angels. T he death of a righteous man is no more then if a Merchant that bath abundance of Jewels in a. far Country, he fhould fend far them home. Why? death to a righteous man is nothing but Gods fending for his jewelshome. Such a phrafe there is in Mal. 3. t7. In the day that I make up my Jewels they !hall be mine. In this life they are impelled Jewels; they are like gold in the oar mingled with great deal ofdroffc; and death is nothing but a perfcaingof thee Jewels; death is nothing more ; and God doth nothing by death, but as a gold-finder gathers up all his ends ofgold and filver; it is nothing but juft as if a Father fhould lend for his Son home that had been a long while ablaut from him to his own bode, it is a carrying us to our Fa- thers houie. And therefore let us be comforted when our righteous Friends die, though their death be matter of forrow to us, in regard of the lofe that we fuftain by their death, and becanfe their death is a Warning peice of evil to come: yet in regard ofthem we have caufe to mourn. 1 fpeak this of thofe that are related to the righte- ous when they die ; did you ever hear of a husbandman that mourned' for the carrying of his corn into the Barn? for a jeweller G g 3 mourn
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