98 Ofthe ex- tent: from the evil to come. t.From the evil foffet- ing. That he (hall not fee it. TheWorlds Loft, and the Secondly, it theweth it :s deliberate, th;c cnetr death is net fudden. For there is a difference between thefe two,tobe fnacched away, andto be taken away. Im- penitent men when they are taken away in Judgment, they are fnatched away in difpleafttre. The godly man,God cakes him away,removcs him, it is as gentleaword as could be ufed, there cannot be abetter word to exprefs it in our tranflation, than for God to tai e him away. job and Mofesexpreffeditfo, and f Ifiahhere, to thew that death is never fudden to themercifuland righteous man, Why ? beçaufc he is always prepared. Icmay be fudden in refpe& of others, bu: not to himfelf. The flrokeof death may be the fame to a righteous man, as to an impenitent man, they may both fall by the prevalency ofthe famedifeafe, the famedurationof ficknefs, the fame warning given them, the fame fympathy ; but there is a difference in regard of the fuddennefs. Ifit be a fudden (iroke that overtakes an impenitent man,then it is two ways Cud. den ; ev,en a premeditated death is fudden to him,becaufe he is not prepared : fudden deathcomethnot to a prepared man,becaufe he looks for it I: may (as l laid) be fed- den toochers,but it isnot to himfelf,Why ? becaufe he expe&s dcath,he dieth daily, he dieth in his thoughts, before he dies in a &, he dies in meditation, bef;rehedies in paflion:I die daily, faith theApofile,death when it came to the Apoftle, it found him dying, it couldnot come fuddenly to him ; death finds 'him letting open the doors Therefore though it feem fudden death, it cannot be fudden, becaufe he is taken away The (troke of death may be fudden, but the iffue of death is not fudden ; the (+roke may be[widen to his body, but not to his mind ; becaufe he fitteth himfelf (}ill for it There is the deliberation implied, in the word, his death isnot fudden, in that he is prepared: God awakethhis heart to make him look forit,therefore when deathcometh though fooner or later, it doth but take him, it fnatchéth him not away ; that is the meaning of the fecond. Thethird word is,theextent of this a&, from the evil to come : that is a word that is not (pact fled in the former part ; it makes both this and that the more full: it makes a greater demont?ration of Gods goednefs ; he is not only merciful in takingayear, but he takes awayfrom that that is evil, he takes froma bad effate to a better. An evil that is prefènr,that is fimply fo ; an Evil for the time tocome,God takes righteous and merciful men from both. That t may lay a fit path formy proceeding in ir,Saint Aufin divideth thenature of evil well to chafe twoheads ; there is the evil ofdoinp, and the evil offuffering ; that is,the evil of fin,and of punilhmenc. Tee fink of chefe, the evil offin,isopp(ite (faitl(Ayuinat) to the increased goodvfhe fecond,the evilOf puniEhnient,ís oppofite to thecreated good. God takes away mercifulmen from both theft.. Fírfi,from the evil of fuffering. Twoways he is took from that. He is took away from the evil of Miring, that he (hall not fee it, and that he(hall not undergo ir, and endure it. Fidf, that he fhall not lee it, that he. (hall not bes Spe&ator ; that is one partof rakingaway. Forrighteoue and merciful men haeetender affe&ione, and yearning oowels,whaas they fee Gods judgments extended over any place or perfons they fyrc_ pathrzed with them, they weep with Ihofe that weep, and mourn with thefethat; mourn. God takes them fromthis forrovv and mourning. It bath always beenaccounted one part of the happinefsofa godly man,tobe taken from the evil of the place he liveth in. God takes fofiah from the evil to come. Saint Jerom fheweth is well in Nepotian, he makes this as an Argument amongfl others, that his departure wasaconfort and happinefsto him, becau',e ( faith he) Nepotian is happy that hefees not chafe Evils,and Calamitiet,and Miferiesthat are now come on the Church thatwe fee. Na);, not only inthe efteem ofgodly, and righteous, and Chriflian men, bu: in the efteem of-the Heathens it was accounted a happinefs todie before a man feethe miferies on the place he withal') well to. Virgil in the eleventhof hie Æ,iads, bringeth in Vandal, making a lamentation over his Son Pallasthat was fait ; after many tears that were (bed over him, and doleful words that were puff : The Poet bringeth inhis Wife,and faith,it was her happinefs to die before him, that the fan: not
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