EP 1ST. ).X. A fo ordinary in cvcnc, fo gainfull in rhc itfue , that I wonder he can for this eithcr feare or grieve. both God oncly lc?d us one another, and doewc grudgewher.hc calls for his ownc ~ So I havc f«nc 111 debtors that borrow wuh praycrs, keep wuh thanks, repaywirhcnmirie. Wc millakeo~rrenurc :_werakc that forgifr, which God intends for loanc; Wc arc tenants at wdl, and rhmke our fdves owners. Your wife and child are dead: Wdl, they have done that for which they came. If rhcy could not have dicd,ir hadbecne worthy ofwonder; not at all, that they are dead. Ifthis conditionwere proper ondyto our familie~, and friends, or yet to our climate alone ; how unhappy lhould we fecme toour neighbours, to our fdves ! Now it is common, let us mourne that we are men. Loe, all Princes ond Mondtchs dawnce with us inthe fame ring : yea, what fpeake I of earth~ The God ofNature, the Saviourofmen,harh trod the fame llepsof death; and doe wcrhinke much to B follow him~ How many fervants have we known, that have thrull: rhemfdves betwixttheirMallcr and death; which havc dicd, that their Mall.r might nor die : and lhall we repine toclic with ours ~ How truly may wc fay ofrbi• our D•vid, Thou •rtJfiDrlhte•th••(lllltioflll; yca1 won~ a w~rld o~ Angels: yet hedied, and?ied for us. Who would live, that knowcs h1s Sav1our d1cd ~ who can be a Chnll1an, and would not be likc him~ Who can be likc him, that would dot dic afcer him~ Thinke ofrhis, and judge whcthor all thc world can hirc us not ro die. I need nor aske you whether you loved thofe whom you have loll : Could you love them,and norwi01 they might be happy~ could they be happy, and nor die~ In truth, nature knowes what lhe would havc; We can neirhcr abidc our friends miferable in their llay, nor C happy in their departum We loveour felYes fo wcll,that we cannot be coorcnr they lhould gaine by ourlotfe. The excufe ofyour forrow is, that you mourne for your felfc. True:but compare thcfc two,and fee whether your lo!fe or their gainc be grca- , ter, Forifthdradvantagecxccedyourloffc; take hccd,lellwhilcyou bewrayyour love in mourning for them, it appeare that you lG>ve but your fclfc in them. They arc ~one to their preferment, ancfyou lament: yourlovcis injurious. If they were vamlhcd t9 nothing, I could not blame you, rho you tooke up RA<bt/J lamentation :" Butnow,you know they arc in furcr hacds than yourownc: you know, that he bath taken them, whichharh undertaken to kccpe them,to bring themagainc: You know it is but a ficcpc, which is mifcalled Dt.,h; and that they !hall, they mull awake, as Jure as they lie downe;andwake more frclh,more glorious,than when you Omr their D eyes. Whatdoewe with Chrillianity;_ifwe bclccvenotrhis ~ and ifwe doe bde~ve it, whydot we mourne as the hopeleue ~ But the marrcr, perhaps, is not fo !>cavy as the circumllance: Your cro!fes came fuddcn,and thickc;You could not breathe from Y?".' firlllo!fc, ere you f~lt a worf~. As ifhe knew not this, that_fent bmh: As if he a1d1t noton purpofc. Hts proceedings fceme harfh; are moll wtfc, moll: jult It is our faulr, that they fccmc otherwifc than they arc. D~c we rhinke, we could carve better for our fclvcs ~ 0 themad infolence ofNature, thar dares conmill, where lhe fhould wonder! Prcfumptuous clay ! that will be checking the Potter. Is his wlfdome, himfelfe ~ Is he, in himfclfe, infinite~ Is his Decreeour of his w1fdomc . and dot we murmur~ Doe we, foolifh wormes, rurnc againewhen he treads upo; us~ W~ar ~doe you repine attbatwbich was good for fOU, yea bell~ That is beftfor us E w~teh 9od f~eth bell: : and t~at he fwh bell, which he dmh. This is Gods doing. Ktlfc ~IS rod mfilcuce, and g1vc ~lorl:' to th~ hand that rules it. His will is the rule of htsaC!ions;and hts goodne!fc:,ofhts wdl.Thmgs arc good to us,becaufe he wits them: Hewds them, bccaufe they are good to himfelfc. It is your glory that he intends in your ro great atlliflion. Ir,is no praife to wade over a !hallow Ford, but to cue r\1c fwclhng waves ofthe Deepe, commends both our llrcngth aud skill. Iris no vidory, to conquer an eaficand wcakccrotfc. Thefc maine evils have crownes anfwerable to their difficulty: Wrellle once and goeaway with a blcffing. Be pa1ient in this loffe, and you 01all once triumph in your gainc. Let God have them with cheereful - neffe,aod you !hallenjoyGod with them in glory. B b 3 To
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