ten Virgins Opened qnd Applied. IOI SECT. III. BUT ought not a man _to d~Gre co live herein tr.is world as David and Heu- Ob jell. k,iahdid. May nor one !ln m thts de!lre ?. . · A4w. I. 'Tis true, precioUI in the fight ofthe Lord ts the death ofhis Saints, not on! yin re£ard char they are as precious to himwhen they come to die, as while rhey live, as"Gold when 'tis melting is as precious CO the Go!dfmith; as when whole, and 'it may be more wo, b~;:caufe'tis then made better; but alfo becaufe he 1vill not lightly cafl: away their live>. He that bottles rheir rears, and will n'Jt let them be loft, will not caGiy le!j go their liyes, and if God will nor,. they ought nor upon \ every·ilight occafion to defire rheJ.t death, and loffeofrhetr li\'C:s to be With rh~ Lord. . No.v there are two cafes Gods own people may not defire to remove hence, where though there )le fome firelconfeffe, yet there is more fmOJk than fire,more fin than Grace. I, In cafe they meet with much unkindneffe from, and many forrows in the world, and behold the !ins of it. Thus it w.ts with Eli.u, I Kings 1 9·4· Who when Jez:.abel threarned his life, fled, and would needs fer fail prefently and be gone; fo 'tis wirh Gods people, when they fee enemies without, the univerfal rot of Profcllion, that they think they are almolt left alone; when God hath be- . gun to do good by rhem, as by Elijah, but they think their belt daies are paH:, there is all they lhall do, a11d God himfelf it may be meeting them with fome croffes in rhis,world; now prcrenrly they grow weary of their lives,' anddefire to die, which is nothing elfe but a p'ang of difconrenr, truly God will not fuffer it, nor you ought not todeli.reit, m die away in fucha fnuffe: No, the Lord barb work for rhem to do, and a journey to go. This deftre is naught, and 'tis bu~ aweed, and ro be puUed up, that growes out of fuch a root as a difconrenred heart for croffes. Iconfeffe God ufeth forrows as means to fmoakus out of our h ive, and we may ufe them for that end, but no~ only or chiefly them, no·r fr J:U apang or moody fir of difconrenr. . . · 2. Incafethcydelire death, an.d not life, before they be ripe for death. Hus· bandmen delire their Corn in, bur 'tis folly to de!ire it before it be ripe, a1~d then rhey may. I cnnfeffe 'ris the c0mmend~tion of fome trees, if nor only ~ood, but ifripeberi tn,es,and 'tis the honour of aChrinian, robe ripe for death beumes; yet (till before he is ripe he is not ro defire it. Now when is this? Q.te.ft; I. While the Lord hides his face and denies full affurance of his love, in this Anfw; cafe as aChriHian cannot, fo he ought not ( if it were tbe Lords win ) deftre to be gone as yet, and this i> one reafon why David and He:ukjah defired life, not aeath as yet, God had broken their bone>, and his arrowes were yet in their hems; now xman is to de!ire he may Hay a little while longer, that he. may jing the Song ofthe Lamb, and tell the world what the Lord hath done fur him, and thathemaynot fer in acloud and die in horrour. Mariners long to be on ihore, but before they come there , they would not venrure in a mi!t , but !ee Land fir it , f0 ihould we delire' to fee the Lord in the Land of the'living. Nay though the Lord gives his Feople a promife,which {hies their hearts and is a twig to keep them from linking, nay when he gives them fome joy, yet Hill God h ath promifed to rev<!al more of himfelf andhis ChriH: in the promife, feeing him but darkly now : Now they ought not to defire but wait, as in Simtons . cafe, ~let thy Servant depart in peace, having long waitedfor the confolation of Ifrttel. Children thatyvill be up before 'tis day muH: bewhipr, uodis moH: fitforthem,lhy till'tisday. , z. Wh'i!e their work remains unfiniihed, and the Lord bath got ·little or no . 0 3 Glory
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