over thegreatefl Trialr. fmall grounds.vve poffefs them ; upon moveable and changeable titles. Faith looks upon all there things, as upon thingsthat.he.muff part from; vve have here no abi- ding City,our place and being here is but for a fhort time, and remember this, God never beftovved any comfort upon thee and me, vvith an affurance,of an immortal poffeilion, all the affurance that he hath given thee is nothing, :all the creature is. but vanity, it is of a (hitting nature, and therefore it is Paidof riches, that they do rake to rhemfelves wings, they skip avvay, honour is foongone, riches are loongone,thelife of man is loongone,the lifeof man is but abreath, a vapour vvhich is prefently cón- fumed, but agla fs of a brittle fubftance, all our comfortsareof a changeable nature ; that whereon vve fet our affé&ion,is taken from us in amoment. Thus I have opened thefetvvo points, novv give me leave to makeft ne tile; :I vvill (pare to (peak to youof the occafionof our meeting together, for Funeral Ser- mons are not for the advantage of the dead, but for the inftru&ion of the living : there are tvvoUfes that Ivvill makeof thefe tvvopropofitions ; I knovvmanymore may be produced, but I confider the time. , . Thefidt Ufe is this Since greattriaismaybefal greatChriftians,then let us pre -. pare for great trials, for as much as Euchkind and degrees ofafRi &ion and croffes maybcfal us. There are two things that a man fhould alwayesprovide for, one is whilewe live to providefor Death; the other is while we are in profperity,to pro- vide for af-ll&ion, for a change t and for this confider two things. Firft, our outward condition isbut afhadow, it hatha naturalapenefs to change, there is not a perfon that hears methis day, but thismayconcern his outward con- dition ; Man ie born unto trouble, faith Yob as the!parks fly upward ; as if trouble were his natural fphear wherein he is tomove. Thou canft not alike thy felf of life, nonot a moment ; nor ofany of there out- ward comforts, neither canft thou promife thy felf fecurity in anyrate or conditon, though thoumail getaffurance that God wilifave thee,yet thoucanft never getaffu- rance, that Godwill nevertry thee : we feethatDeath .entersintomany houfcs of thisCity at this time ; inonehoufe, one hath loft Father,anotherhath loft a wife, another hathloftaHusband, another bath loftaChild, anotheris nforrówfor the -fofs Ofa dear friend ; and thereforewe fhould provide for a change, becaufe thenext commifilonofDeathmayenter into ourhoufes ; it isour fins that puts our lives up-. on therepondttions I our fins do always leave fomething;;cdiltrary to our comforts, to álter andefratigéour prefent condition ; Death takes awayour life, and plucks a- way our comfort, and dif- inherits ùa ofall thefe outward things; how loon Both Death lay honour in the duff ? how foon is beauty eclipfed by defortnity ?, our ftiength Paid down by wéâknefs ? ourhearth overcome by ftcknefs, our, life over- taken by Death ? all thefe may eclipfe our comforts, there clouds may loon darken Out fun ; one thing'or other every moment is ready to put out out candle,to darken óur day; toçeafe our life ; alaswhat is life buta shad'ow ? What is honour but a Waft ? what arc the things We do fo much pride our (elves in ? they are but as fonabsGourd, which peritheth in a moment, and many times the caufe.ofour for- tow and aflli&ion ; the lofsof thema.greater grief than the want of them, this fluff ónwhich we fenwill loon bebrokers; a Ship may,laftfor a while,but Ilsewill fink at the laic. What is the'W ifé truing verdie ofall thingsunder theSui? he concludes they are all vanity ; that is not enough, they are nothingbut vanity; that,is not e- nough neither, they areOttbin, but vanity andvexation of.brit,, things' lefs than nothing: thenhow little is it thatwe aretoexile&from them? wefhouldprovide, for achange ; not only our outward condition-is thus changeable, but our inward condición too ; our fpiritualcomfort is changeable, though there is liability in the main, yet` a ,Chriftian meets with:many intermiflions. ffeloyed, ifour condition were not changeable, I w'ohfdholdmy tongue from exhortingyou toprovide for change. Secondly, as`our outward'londition is caftttponmany changes,, fq when thefe changes dobefal us, when they cometo flrip ùs of our comfort,verily.they will put' us to it Thou art miftaken, thou thinkefl thoucoat bear a lofs,or.acrofs,.isis not eafieamatter to bear the lofs ofa Child, oraHusband, or a' Wite,ora Father, or 373
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