`Iighteous.Mane Gain. to I ro good, to the heft good, the good of Immortality, and Eternity, the good of the en. Joy ingofGod, of that that eye bath notPeen, nor ear bath heard. I: is true,that whenwe fee any impenitent man die,and man diein his fins, there is jail caufe of mourning, That was the courfe that Davidobferved :He loft twoSons, dbfalam a wicked Son, he mourned for him ; he loft the child that was begotten in 1 Adultery,for the life of which he prayed ; hemourned not for the child'sdeparture : I And Saint Ambrofegiveth the reafon well,hehada good hopeand afiurance that the child was tranflated to a better eftate,he doubted of Abfolom,hedied in his fins,there- fore he mourned forhie, for his death, not for the Childs. So when we fee any die in his Gns,there is caufe then of tears, and of exceflive tears: thenDavid crieth, Abfo- lom, ohmy Son, mySon. But if there be good evidences of aSaint tranflated to glory, (hall we mourn mmen without hope ? As Saint Jerome (peaks to Paula mourning for her daughter ; Art thanangry Paola,becaufe I have made thy child mine? (He bringeth in God fpeak- ing thus) deft thou envy me my ownpoffefon ? my omenCreatnré ? It is true, for the flare of an impenitent man, he hach his good things here, and his Evil to come after, there is caufe of mourning, for that he is tranflated from good to ill ; his Heaven is in this world, his Heaven is in his treafure, inhis riches, in his chills, andupon his table ; and as he enjoyed a Heaven here, fo he muff not look for it after, there isa place of another condition,his Heaven is here, his Hell after. But the penitentand contrite, his ill is here, and his good after, his Hell is in this world in fuffering, and in mortifying the fle(h, in wreßling with fin,in inconntring with Tentations, here is his Hell, and his Tormens, but after cometh his Heaven, andhis blifs, fo he is tranflated from bad to good, he is took away from the evil to come. So here is the meaningof all. I have (hewed firft the meaning of the three Phrafes. The fecond thing I propound is this: What the Prophet bemoaneth, and makes lamentation for, and thefe merciful men, for if theybe took away, from evil prefent and evil to come, evil corporal and fpiritual, fufferings extraordinary, Plague and .Vofl. Famine; fufferingsordinary,ficknefs and tentations; if it be fothat no fin (hail fall upon them to de(iruAion, no tentation fall on them to de(iroy them here, much lets afterward ; if they be took from all there evils, how cometh the Prophet to make lamentation ,that merciful menare taken awayfrom the evilto-come? For he fpeaks it mourningly. leis one fufhcient reafon, he mournech over them becaufe others did not. . But there are two reafons that are more [pedal. There is the lofsof the godly man Anfsv for the prefent when be is taken away,that isa thing tobe lamented ; And the danger of the world in relpeh of thelots of a godly man. Fief+, the lofs of a godly man, that is a great punifhment that God fendeth on a The lofs ofa place, there is a great lofs to thofethat furvive. godly mall, a Thelosof theirexample; they thine as lights, there is a Taper, a Candle taken great paailh. away e re o ced to realkin his light, faith Chrift to the Jewr concerning John placeto a y> 1 T lL, g e e e place. there wasa light not only of Johns Do&rine, butof his example, whereby thofe that heard him walked. There is the light of grace fee up in the life of the Saints of Cod ; they are as a Taper to Bide us in the paths of mercy and piety that they tread in. jobwas fet up a light ofpatience : Abrahamof Faith ; Cornelia(of Charity: and fo everygrace that the Saints are eminent in, they are let up as fo manylights. When the light is gone, is there not a great lofs to have a Candle put out ? Though they enjoy cheirlight,we lofe it,the benefit of theirexample and foci ay ; their advice and counfel. Oh the experienceof the Saints, bringa great deal ofgood to their ac- quaintance: I am in this aflision, I remember that you were in the fame cafe, how did youcarry your felf? It is a great matter to build upon the Experiences of the' Saintsof God. We lofe many Benefits by lofingof a Saint. He is not only beneficial in his Example, but in his Prayers. He is one ofthe eAdvocatet ofthe world, that pleads with
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