5 82 Thefull Oklans Funeral. Job16. z4. 30. Aß. 4.9,10. i Cor. r. to. 31. Luke ro. ;4. PCaI. 79. tr. 32. 33 Rota. 2. Si with thee; yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments : rcherefor'e doh the way ofthe wicked prolße):? whereforeare theyhappy thatdeal -verytreacberoufty?The-good man could not conceive Gods proceedings ; and although he kept to the conclufion, Rjghteosuart thou , D Lord, yet hie-heart was hot within him, and hewould fain be ,exchanging an argument with God, that all was not right, according to his humane capacity. fob alto was one of thefe Arguers in the agonyof his patriot]; Oh that one mightpleadfar aman with God,asamanpleadethfor hisneigtboure But let flesh and blood take heed ofentring the lifts by way ofchallenge with God himfclf. if thefynagogue ofthe Libertines, andCyrenians, andAlexandrian, and of them of Silicia, and of e 4fa, difputing With Stephen, were not able to refill the wifdom and thefpirit by which he fbake ; much lefs can frail ffeih hope to make good a bad caule, by way otoppofition againftGod, the belt and wild} anfwerer. Remember the Apofiles queftion, Where is the disputer ? But if we fhould befo bord; in humility s to examine Gods proceedings, let us take heed left whilft we difpute with God, Satan infenfibly prompts us fuch reafons as are feemingly unan- fwerable in our apprehenfions,fo thatinftead of being too hard for God (which is impollìble ) men become too hard for themfelves, railing fuch fpirits which they cannot quell, and flatting fuch doubts which they cannot fatisfte. Wherefore let not out ignorance be counted Godsinjuftice, let not thedimnefs ofour eyes be a -- ¡teemed the durtinefs of his aftions, being all purity and cleannefs in themfelves Let us, if beaten from our out-works,make a fife retreat to this impregnable castle; yeremiah his conclufiun, Righteous art thou, OLord, &c. tomewe now to the good Wes that the godlyought to make ofa rigfiteour mans perifning in bis righteoufnefs. And firn, when he finds fuch a one in a fwoun, he ought with all fpeedto bringhim acordial, and with thegood Samaritan, topour Oil and Wine into his Wounds, endeavouring his recoverytò his utmoft power, whilft there is any hope thereof, I mull confefs it is only Gods prerogative, ac- cording tothegreatnefi ofhispower, topreferve chofe that are appointedto die. How- ever, it is allo the boundant dutyof all pious people, in their leveral diftances and degrees, to improve their utmoftfor the prefervationofdying innocency, from the cruelty offuch as would murder it. But if it be impoflibleto fave it from death,fo that it doth expire,notwithftand- ing all their care to the contrary ; they mutt then turn lamenten at the funerals thereof. And if the iniquity of the times will not fafelyafford them to be open,they mutt be clofe Mourners at fo forrowful an accident. O'let themolt cunning Cbyrur- geont not begruteh their skill to unbowel, the richefl Merchants not think-much of their choiceft fpices to embalm, the moft exguifue Joyner make the coffin, molt reverend Divine, the Funeral Sermon, the molt accurate /Warbler ere& the Monu- ment, andmolt renowned Poet invent theEpitaph,to be infcribed on the tomb of Perifhing íQigbteoufneft. Whilft all others, well-withers to goodnefs in their fc- veral places,contribute to their forrow at the folemn Obfequies thereof ; yea as in the cafe of fofiab his death, let there be an Anneverfary ofMourning kept in re. membrance thereof. However, let themnot mourn like menwithout hope, but let them behave themfelves at the interment ofhis righteoufnefs,as confident ofthe re- /lima-lion thereof,whichGod in his due time (tall raile out ofthe afhes : It is fower in weaknefs, it fhall be railed in power ; it is fown in difgrace, it thailbe railed in glory. Lay, the temporal perifhingofthe righteous man in this world, minds us of the necelfay of the day of judgment, and ought to edge and quicken our prayers, that Godwould!hardyaccomplish the number ofhiscleft, confummate this mile- cable world, put a period to the dark night of hisproceedings, that fo that day, that welcomeday, may begin todawn, which is termed by the Apoffle, Theday of the revelation ofthe righteous judgment ofgod. Five things there are (betidesma- ny others) in the primitive part of Gods juftice, which are very hard for men to conceive. Firft, How the fin ofAdam, to which we did never perfonally content, can juftly be imputed to us hispofterity. Secondly
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