Xxxvi EXTRACTS FROM him and his family) was diverted wholly from them, he would say often, " Dear children, it may be, God will bring us to want bread; some say it is base to live from hand to mouth, but I am of another mind; I finde it the best way of living, and (which was an high expression) who can be afraid of God's providence ? welcome what the Lord sends, if it go well with the Church, it is no matter." (20). His soul was paved with humble submission to God in hardest dispensations. Whenafter thewars he returned into the country and carne to seewith what face Brampton look't, he rode toward his castle gate, and seeing the ruines, put off his hat, and said, " God hath brought great desolation upon this place since I saw,it ; I desire to say ' the Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken, and blessed be the name of the Lord ;' in His good time He will raise it up again ; when His house is built, God (I trust) will build mine ;" and observe, that he took care to build this house a place of worship, and let his own lie buried still in its woefull ruines. You have had the fair and sumptuous prospect of his life, which stood aloft like a beauteous city upon an hill. Let us now follow him to his sicknesse, which (you know) confined him some years to his chamber; and here I see the seaven stars, or seaven celes- tiall signs, appear in the night of his sicknesse. First. The greatest trouble of his sicknesse to him was, that it disabled him from enjoying the publick ordinances; he dearly loved the solemn assemblies ; one day in Gods court was better to him than a thousand. The want of the publick ordinances was the sicknesse of his sicknesse. Secondly. His divine employment. Most of his time (both day and night), whilst he was detained in his chamber, was spent in hearing some good book, or the Scriptures, read to him ; he used very often to hear the 17 chapter of St. John and the 8 to the Romans read to him ; and those two golden texts in the 8 to the Romans, " all things work together for good to them that love God," and " He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things ?" he would repeat often, saying, " he knew no such cordialls." Thirdly. His victory over Sathan. It pleased God, about two years since, to permit Satan to buffet him severall times. Once he lay all night and slept not, and he was heard to say often, " Lord, rebuke the tempter !
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