67o. Chap. 14. An Expo(Lion upon the Took, of J O B. Verf.zi: our fons are our own, fo we reckon upon their good or evil, upon all the occauons of their joy or forrow as our own. Our children are our felves muitiplied,and (in a fenfe) immortaliz'd : and love To our children, is but one degree in nature removed from that of our felves. Yet a time is coming when our fons and our daughters about whomwe have had fo many joys and forrows , for whom we have laid out fo many thoughts and cares, evert there (hall not have either our joy or farrow, our thought or care. It was an ar- gument of the wonderful love of Chriil, as force ofthe Ancients obferve upon this place,that when he was nail'd to the croffe rea- dy todie, he (as it were) forgot his own forrows and grievous fufferings, and remembred his relations (3oh.i9. 25-.) he laid to his mother, vìoman, behold thy fon, and to the difcipleie;-behold thy ,nother.Nowwas Simeons prophecy fullflled upon the bleffed vir- gin,ye,aafword(Ball pierce thorow ciao), ownfoul afo,Luk.Z.3 5. And therefore atria applies thefe comfortable words,as a falve to her wounds, even while his own were bleeding unto death : Woman, behold thy fon,dfciple,behold thy mother.He cals her woman,and not 'mother, not as unwilling to own her for his mother, but either as fearing that filch an owning her , might have created her further trouble, or as !Hewing that being ready to die and return to his father in heaven, hewas above earthly relations, and knew none after the flesh , nonot his own mother. And yet though he was trot only above,hut leaving his mother,he leaves her to thecare of his beloved difciple. And that remembrance which Chrift at his death expreffed to his mother, in committing her to a difciple,the fame he had expreffed a little before to all his dircipies, yea, and to all beleevera both in committing them to his father when he was gone, and by telling them that he was but gone (as a har- binger) to take up lodgings, and prepare a place tor them ; affu- ring them alto that in his abfence he would fend the fpirit , who fliould (with_ advantage to them) make up.the want of his bodily prefence. And lathy , that hitnfelf intended to return to -them a- gain, he would 'now fend one to them, but hereafter he would not fend a meflenger for them,but come himfelf,that where he should be there they might be alfo. Was not the love of Chriff to his 'Children flronger then death when he thus remeenhred and -took car-e of them , both in the approaches andin the agonies of 'death? earthly parents may neglect both.the "wo and welfare of their children, but Chrift will not : furely he will not do it now, when
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