102 The Worlds Loft, and the wtthGod,that ftandr in the gap. Abraham was a HongAdvocate forSodom, and fo was Mores for lfracl, and Co was Aaron, and fo other Saints in their time. The Saints while they live in the world, there is a great deal of power in their praytrs to with=hold Judgments: And is there thch no lofs when they arc taken away ? N,Vhen a Saint is removed, a Pillar is removed, a Pillar of the houfe, and of the Earth, and mull there not be danger when the Pillar is gone ? They are theCorner .áionet : When a corner ftone falieth,there is a great deal of tralh'and rubbithfalleth With it. There is a great deal of discomfortupon the fallof a Saint. When God removeth godly and merciful men, there is a lofs every way ; to the Church, to the State. The Church lofeth a Member, the State a pillar ; godly men lofean Exampl',wicked men lofe ass Advocate,poor men lofe a Patron, all men lofe a Comfort. That is the firfl thing the Prophet bemoaneth in the loss of righteousmen. Fien it went to his heart that the world should be left empty of piety, and all thofe vertuous examples,that God should cut o.`£ thofe precious plants,thofe that are Lookingglaflès for us to fee our£elves in,and that pitch of perfeolion we (houid breath after, and aim at. T hat is the firee thing But that is not all : For their was impendant dangerwhen they were gone. I; is a Prognoflicating of Come evil to befal a place, when God takes them away. If Noahenter into the Ark, the world may expelt a deluge. If Lot be our ofSodom, let it look fora (hover of fire and Brimflone : God himfelf expreffethhimfelf by the Angel,that hecould do nothing as longas Lot was in Sodom ; he had acoimm- ennot to rain fire and brimflonewhile Lot was there,while Lets perfonand prayers were there : Affoon as Lot wasgone, there cometh a cloud of Judgments; and in that a fhowre. So the Saints when they are tranflated into the Ark ; when-they are took from the earth as Noah was, ( Noah was to afcend from the earth to the Ark) when Lot is gone to the City God provided for him, the City of Refuge, then we mayexpeA one Judgment or other, for they are means to hinder, and keep them from being poured out. That is the fecond thing in the lofs of righteous men. They are took away for theirgood, "but for oar ill ; we have loft the benefit of their example, the comfort of their fociety, and nowwe may fear that Judgment will come plentifully: For merci- ful men are takenaway from the evil to come. So I have done with the firs} part of the Complaint. I will be very briefin the fecond; that is, over the living, no maxconfidereth it : this is truly tobe bemoaned. There is a double extenr,firfl of the Act they confider not; And then an extent of the perfon, t o man con/fdereth. This A& bath a great Latitude. It is either an aggravation of the former : They lay it not to heart-inay,they dilute take it into con;ïderarion : Or ellfe it is a rendring a reafon of theformer ; They lay it' not to heart, becaufe they bethink not them- felves. Confideration is an all of the judicial part of the underflanding, as incogitancy is a rocking of reafon asleep; a (hutting of the door of reafon. Negleél, that is a negligenceof due care to be taken : On the otherfide,inconfiderationor incogitancy, that is a nthell of the duecentre ofreafon,due pondering of athing. A man is Paid not to confider, that fcanneth not, that examineth riot the cattle, that laymen the et§eat and confequences together,that compareth not one thing withanother. So that it is thus much now, They considered not ; that its they pondered not in their hearts, they examined not accordingto the ruleof reafon; they looked notto it whae (hould be Gods meaning in taking away merciful menfrom the evil tocome; they looked i not forward to the time to come,nor backward to the time pa(l,they were altogether inconfiderate. Iaeonfideeatì: It is agreat fin, and a fruit of fin, and a caufc ofall fir. It is a fin in it fell, for on,avat fin. God hathgiven man Reafon to use upon all occafions, to confider Gods Works, and his own works, and thole things that befall others and himself. The cave itr- próvctmen: The fecond panof the Text.
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