Mourning preferredbefore Mirth. .Sometimes again, it is a judgment of upon others. Thus God takes away divers of his fervants, becaufe the world is not worthy of them, And as this`is an at of judgment upon the vaorld , fo it is an a&of mercyto them ; God in mercy taking them away from the evil to come, and from the evil prevent. A jit lginent ofGod to others that are unworthy of them : A mercy to themfelves that they are took away from their own evil; from fin, from temp- tations , from all thecffe&s and fruits of fin ; and taken away from the evil that is to come upon others Ari atSt ( I fay ) of mercy to thetti; So it was to the child of 7ero6oa,sà , he lhoul i die, and (hould not fee the judgment that was to come upon his fathers houle, bec gee there were fosndfeme good thing in him toward the Lord. So it was r K nós tq i; to 3ofiah , He f oúld be gäehered to hisfathers inpeace , and his eyes fhorsldnotfee 'et'. 4.4. a that evilsihiibthe Lordworàld bring capon jersafalenm, and sopan the inhabitants thereof. An a&of judgment to others. Pighteous fondmerciful seenare taken away, and' no man làyeth it to heart: they confider not the caufes "wherefore God takes away ica. f7 t thofe good men. A Land,a Kingdom, a States People, a place is much weakned when thofe that are righteous , and merciful men ; when thofe that !land in thej gap , and ufe their endeavours to prevent judgments, are taken away. The houle will certainly fall, when the Pillars are removed. Theyare the peopleofGod only, thatbold up a Rate; that hold up the world. Alfon as Noah is put into theArk, prefently cometh the deluge upon the world. Afloon as ever Lot was got up to . Zoar, prefently the Lordrained dow n fire and brimftoneupon Sòdomanti gorier- EZek9.4 ï rah. Affoón as ever the mourners are marked, prefentlycometh the deftroying Angel upon the reft; Beloved, when we fee thole that are mourners for the evils of the times ; and places where they live lookaway, w fliould lay it to heart , and confider it as a fign ofGods difpleafure, as a fign that he is a going, and departing, when he takes away his jewels, as a ago thathe is a coning to judge theworld, when he beginneth to feparate, to taketo himfelfhis own. Certainly, as loon as ever that number of theeleâ(hallbeaccompliflied,whenthecompany ofthofethat Godhath determi- ned toeternal life fhall be fulfilled; When the (beep of Chrifl,that are,yet to be broughtinto his fold, are gathered together, when the fulnefs of the Gentiles is come in,and the nationof the Pipes added, then tkeworld (hall be burnt with fire, and theday ofJudgment(hall come, nothing (hall hinder that general deftru&ion, that !hall be the end of all things here below. As iris with the general Judgment of the world, fo with particular Judgments uponNations, whenGod takesaway hfs people, when the Saints go out of Jertofalem to Pila, then cometh the (word of theenemie upon jersofalem : when God drawes out his ownpeople ; prefently cometh judgment upon the reft. It is good to obferve Gods method and or- der, that he takes in governing of the world at this day, that in the death óf. the fervants of God , we may confider our own time; that we,. may prepare for thole evils thatare a coming , and for thole greater judgments that are haftening. Thus you feewhat ufe may he made allaying toheart the death ofothers; God ismuch glorified thereby. For all his attributes are feen in all hisworks, and the glorifyingof God, is a Declaring of God to bees glorious, as he bath revealed himfelfto be inhis attributes; which is , by (hewing of them forth in his works,' When men can fee the wifdom, the lattice, the power, the mercy, thetruth, the foveraignty ofGod, and all in the death ofothers, then they glorifie God in taking to heart the death ofothers. Youfee likewi(e what good comethtoa mans felf by layingto heart the deathOf others. He fees thereby the certaintyof his own death. He fees the nature of death, and what the proper work of it is, viz. to feparate between him andall thofe outward comforts, all ihofe props and (taies whereupon his heart relied too muchon earth, inthedayes of his vanity. ..And laftly, hefees the end, and chufe á why God fendeth Death into the world: fometime in judgment, that men amid take heedof fin : fometimes in mercy s inmercy to the men themfelves, and In mercy
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