Part 9
agreater ſtranger to him than before ! Or is this the wayto thycureandcomfort in affliction, to refrain prayer, andturn
thy back uponGod ?
Or ifthou dareftnotwhollyneglect thy duty, yet thy af flictionſpoils thefucceſs and comfort of it; thy heart iswandring,dead, distracted in prayer and meditation, ſo that thou haftno reliefor comfortfrom it.
Rouze up thyſelf, Chriſtian, andconfiderthis is notright. Surelythe rod works not kindly now. What, did thy love toGod expirewhen thy friend expired? Is thy heartas cold induty, as his body is in the grave ?
Hathnaturaldeath ſeizedhim,and ſpiritualdeadneſs ſeized thee? Sure then thouhaft more reason to lament thydead heart, than thydead friend. Divert the ſtream ofthy troubles
Speedily, andlabourtorecoverthyselfoutofthis temper quickly; left fadexperience ſhortly tellthee, thatwhat thou now mourneſt for, is but atrifle to what thou shaltmourn forhere after. To loſe the heavenly warmth and ſpiritual liveliness ofthyaffections, is undoubtedly a far more confiderable lofs, than to loſethe wife of thyboſom, orthe sweetest child that ever a tenderparent laid inthe grave.
Reader, if this be thy cafe, thou hast reaſon to challenge the firſt place among the mourners. It is better for thee to burytenfons,than to remitonedegree of love ordelight in God. The endofGodin ſmiting, was towinthy heart near-
ertohimby removing thatwhich estranged it; howthendoft thoucroſs the verydeſign ofGod inthisdifpenfation? Mult
240 A Token for Mourners. Godthen loſe his delight in thy fellowship,becauſe thouhaft
loftthine in the creature ? Surely, when thy troubles thus ac companythee to thy cloſet, they are finful and extravagant troubles.
Fourthly, Then you may alſo conclude your forrows tohe exceffive andfinful, When theyso overloadand oppressyourbo-
dies, as to endangeryour lives, or render them useless and unfit forfervice.
Worldly forrow works death, 2 Cor. vii. 10. that is, for rowafter themanner ofworldly men * ; forrow in a merecar-
nal, natural way, which is notrelievedby any ſpiritual reaſon-
ings and confiderations. This falls ſoheavy fometimes upon thebody, that it finks underthe weight, and is caſt into fuch diſeaſes as are never morewrought off, orhealedinthisworld. " Heavineſs in the heartof a manmakes it ſtoop," ſaith So lomon, Prov. xii. 25. The ſtouteſt bodymuſt ſtoop under heart-preſſures.
It is with the mind of man, faith one, as with the ftone tyrhenus ; as long as it is whole it ſwimmeth ; but, oncebro ken, it finks preſently. Grief is a moth, which, getting into themind, will, ina short time, make the body, be itnever for
ftrongandwell-wrought apiece, like anold feary garment.
Philofophers and phyficians generally reckon forrow among the chiefcauſes of ſhortning life. Chriſt was a man offorrows, andacquainted with grief, andthis ſome thinkwas the reaſon
that he appeared as aman of fifty, when he was little more than thirty years old, John viii. 57. But his ſorrows were of anotherkind †.
Many aman's foul is to hisbody, as aſharp knifetoathin ſheath,which easily cuts itthrough ; and whatdo we by poringand ponderingupon our troubles, butwhetthe knife that itmaycutthe deeper and quicker ? Of all the creatures that
ever God made (devils onlyexcepted) man is the moſt able andapttobehisown tormentor. Howunmercifully do we loadourbodies in times of afflictions?Howdowe not only waſtetheir ſtrengthbyforrow,but
*Worldly forrow is after the manner oftheworld, arifingfrom thelove ofit. Eftius on the place. † Theſe things write 1untoyou, whohaveweptſo immoderately, that Iam become an example (which Ialways abhorred) of thoſe whom grief hath overcome. Yet this unreasonable conduct Inow
condemn myſelffor. Senes.
AToken for Mourners. 1 241 denyrelief and neceſſary refreshment ? They must carrythe
load, butbe allowed no refreshment : Ifthey can eatthe bread ofaffliction, and drink tears, theymay feed to the full; but nopleaſant bread, no quiet ſleep is permitted them. Surely you would notburden a beaſt as you do your ownbodies: You wouldpity andrelieve abrutebeast, groaning and finking under an heavyburden, butyou will not pity nor relieve your own bodies.
Somemens fouls havegiven ſuch deepwounds to theirbodies, that they are never liketo enjoymany eafy or comfortabledays morewhilft theydwell in them.
Now,this is very finful anddifpleaſing toGod;for ifhehave fuch atender care for our bodies, that he would not have us
ſwallowed up ofover much grief, no, though it be for fin, 2Cor. ii. 7. but even to that forrow ſets bounds ; how much leſs with outward forrow for temporal loſs ? May not your
ſtock ofnatural ſtrength be employed to betterpurpoſes, think you, thantheſe ? Time maycome, thatyou may earnestlywith youhadthathealthand ſtrength again to ſpend forGod, which
younowſo lavishlywaſte, and prodigallycaftawayupon your troubles, to no purpoſe or advantage.
Itwas therefore anhigh point ofwisdom inDavid, and recordednodoubt for our imitation, who, when the child was dead, ceaſed to mourn, bat aroſe, waſhed himſelf, and eat bread, 2 Sam. xii. 20.
Fifthly, When affliction ſowrs the ſpirit with diſcontent, andmakes it inwardly grudge against the hand ofGod, then our trouble is fullof fin, and we ought to be humbled for it beforethe Lord.
WhateverGoddothwith us, or ours, ſtillwe should maintaingood thoughts ofhim. A gracious heart cleaves nearer
andnearertoGod in affliction, and canjustifyGod in his fevereſt ſtrokes, acknowledging them to be all just and holy, Pfal. cxix. 75. " I know alſo that thy judgments are right, "andthatthouin faithfulneſs haft afflictedme." Andhereby thefoulmay comfortablyevidenceto itſelfits own uprightneſs
and fincere lovetoGod; yea, ithath beenof ſingularuſe to fome fouls, totake right meaſures oftheir love toGod infuch trials: to have lovelyand well-pleaſed thoughts ofGod, even whenhe ſmites us inour nearest anddearestcomforts, argues
plainly that we love him for himſelf,andnot forhis gifts only. And thushis intereſt inthe heart is deeper than any creature-
intereſt is. Andſuch is the comfort that hath reſulted to ſome
VOL. VII. Hh
242 ATokenfor Mourners. from fuchdifcoveries oftheir own heartsbycloſe ſmartingafflictions, that they would notpart with it, tohave their coinforts (whoſe removal occafioned them) givenback in lieu of it.
But to ſwellwith fecret diſcontent, and have hard thoughts ofGod, as ifhe had done us wrong, or dealt more ſeverely with us than any ; O this is a vile temper, curſedfruit ſpring-
ing from an evil root; a very carnal, ignorant, proud heart; orat leastfrom averydiſtempered, ifrenewed,heart. So itwas with JonahwhenGodfmotehis gourd: "Yea, (faith he) Ido
" well to be angry, even unto death," Jonah iv. 9. Poor man, he was highlydiſtempered at this time, and out offrame ; this was not his true temper, or ordinary frame, but a furprize; the effect of a paroxiſm oftemptation, inwhich his paffions hadbeen over-heated.
: Fewdare to vent itin ſuch language: Buthow many have theirhearts imbitteredby diſcontent, and fecret rifings againft theLord? Which, ifever the Lordopen their eyes to fee, will coft them more trouble than ever that affliction did, which
gave the occafionof it.
I denynotbut the bestheartmaybe temptedto think and ſpeak frowardly concerning theſe works ofthe Lord ; that envious adverfary, the devil, will blow the coals, and labour to blow up our ſpirits at fuch time into high diſcontents : The temptation was strong even upon Davidhimself, to take up hardthoughts ofGod, and to conclude,"VerilyIhave cleanf- "edmyheart in vain ;" q. d. How little privilege from the worſt ofevils hath a manby his godliness ? But he foon fup-
preſſed ſuch motions : " IfI should ſay thus, I fhould offend " against thegeneration of thy children :" Meaning, thathe
ſhould condemn the whole race of godly nen through the wholeworld ; forwho isthereamong them all,but is, orhath,
or maybe, afflicted as feverely as myſelf? "Surely,it is meet to be faiduntoGod, Ihave born chaſtiſe- "ment, I will not offend any more," Job xxxiv. 31. Whatever Goddoth with you, ſpeakwell, and thinkwellofhim, andhis works.
* Sixthly, Ourforrows exceeddue boundswhenwe continually excite andprovoke them hy willing irritations.
Grief, like a lion,loves toplay with usbeforeit deftroy'us. And ſtrange itis that we should find ſomekind ofpleaſure in
rouzing our forrows . It is * Seneca's obſervation, and expe-
** Sorrow itſelf hasacertainkindofpleaſure attending it, when the
A.Tokenfor Mourners. 243 rimentally true, that even forrow itſelfhath acertainkind of delightattending it.
TheJews, that werewith Mary inthe houſe to comforther, " When they saw that the went out hastily, followed her, fay " ing, the goeth tothegrave to weep there," John xi. 32. as theydo, faith †Calvin, that feek to provoke their troubles, by going to the grave, or often looking uponthe dead bo dy.
Thus we delight to look upon the relics of our deceased friends, and often to mention their actions, and ſayings, not ſo much for any matter of holy, and weighty inſtruction, or imitation, for that would warrant, andcommend the action ; butrather to rub the wound, andfetchfreſh blood from it, by
piercing ourſelves with fomelittle, trivial, yetwounding cir cumſtances. I have known manythat will fit and talkofthe features, actions and ſayings, oftheir children, for hours together, and weep atthe rehearsal ofthem, and that formany months afterthey are gone ; ſo keeping thewoundcontinuallyopen, and excruciating theirown hearts, without any benefit at all by them : Alock of hair, or ſome ſuch trifles, must ⚫bekept for this purpoſe, to renew their forrowdaily, by look.
ing on it. On this account, Jacob would nothave his fon calledBenoni, left it should renew his ſorrow, but Benjamin. I am far from commending abrutiſh oblivion ofour dear relations, and condemn it as much asIdo this childish, and
unprofitable remembrance. O friends ! we have other things to do under the rod, than theſe: Were it not better to be ſearchingour hearts, and houſes, whenGod's rod is upon us, andſtudyinghow to answerthe endof it, bymortifying thoſe corruptions which provoke it ? Surely the rodworks notkindly till it comes tothis.
Seventhly, Lastly, Our forrows may then bepronounced finful,whentheydeafen ourears to all thewholesome, and ſeafonable words ofcounſel, and comfort, offeredus for our relief, and fupport.
Jer. xxxi. 15. "Avoice was heard in Ramah, lamentation " andbitter weeping ; Rachel weeping forher children,would " notbe comforted for her children, becauſe they were not." Hh2
: the parents call tomindthe pleasant ſayings, the chearful converſation, and the filial affection of their children, then their eyes are refreſhed as it were with a kind of joy.
† Ex eorum more qui luctusfui irritamenta quaerunt. Calvin.
-244 AToken for Mourners. Shewilladmitno comfort, herdiſeaſe is curable byno other means but the restoration of her children; give her them again, and the willbe quiet; elſeyou ſpeak into air, the regards not whatever you ſay.
Thus Ifrael, in the cruel bondage in Egypt, Moſes brings them theglad tidings of deliverance; " But they hearkened " not to him, be cauſe ofthe anguish ofſpirit, andtheir cruel "bondage," Exod. vi. 9.
Thus obſtinately fixed are many, in their trouble, thatno words of advice, or comfort, find anyplace with them ; yea,
Ihaveknown ſome exceeding quick and ingenuous, even above the rate oftheircommon parts and abilities, in invent
ing ſhifts, and framing objections to turn off comfort from themselves, as iftheyhadbeen hired toplead againsttheir own
intereſt ; and iftheybe driven from thoſe pleas, yet theyare fettled in their troubles, too faſt to be moved ; fay what you will, they mindit not, or, at moſt, itabides not uponthem. Letproper, ſeaſonable advice, or comfort, be tendered, they
refuſe it ; yourcounſel is good, butthey have noheart to it now. Thus, Pfal. lxxvii. 10. "Myfoul(faithhe) refuſedtobe " comforted."
To want comfort in time ofaffliction, is an aggravation of our affliction ; but to refuſe itwhen offered us, wants not fin. Time may come whenwe would be glad to receive comfort,
or hear a word ofſupport, and ſhall be denied it.
Oit is a mercy to the afflicted to have Barnabas with them, an interpreter, one among a thouſand; and it will be the great fin, and folly of the afflicted, to ſpill, like water upon theground, thoſe excellent cordials, prepared and offeredto
them, out of a froward, or dead ſpirit, under trouble. Say not with them, Lam. iii. 18, 19. " My hope is periſhed from " the Lord, remembring mine affliction and my miſery, the " wormwood andthe gall." It isa thousand pities the wormwoodandgall ofaffliction should fodiſguſta Chriſtian, as that
he ſhouldnot at any time be able to relish the ſweetneſs that is
in Chriſt, and in thepromises. And thus I have diſpatched the firſtpart ofmy deſign, in ſhewing you wherein the finof mourners doth not lie, and inwhat it doth. : Secondly, Having clearedthis, and ſhewn youwherein the finanddanger lies ; myway is now prepared to the ſecond thing propoſed, namely, to diſſuade mourners from theſe ſin. fulexceſſes offorrows, and keep the golden bridle ofmoderation upontheir paflions intimes ofaffliction. And O that
my words may be as ſucceſsful upon thoſe penſive fouls that
AToken for Mourners. 245 ſhall readthem, as Abigail's were to David, 1 Sam. xxv. 32. who,when he perceived how proper and ſeaſonabletheywere,
ſaid, " Bleffedbe the LordGod of Ifrael, who fent thee this " day tomeet me, and bleſſed bethy advice."
Iam ſenſiblehow hard a taſk it is I here undertake, to charm down, and allaymutinous, raging, and tumultuous paſſions ; togive acheck to the torrent of paffion, is ordinarily but to provoke it, and makeit rage and ſwellthe more.
Thework is the Lord's, it whollydepends upon hispower, and bleffing. He that faith tothe ſea,when the waves thereofroar, be ſtill ; can alſo quiet, andcompoſethe ſtormy, and tumultuous ſea, that rages in the breasts of the afflicted, and caftsup nothing but the froth ofvain and uſeleſs complaintsof our misery, or the dirt of finful andwicked complaints ofthe dealings ofthe Lord with us.
The rod of afflictiongoes round, and vifits all forts ofperfons,withoutdifference: itis uponthe tabernacles ofthejuſt andtheunjust, therighteous andthewicked; both aremourningundertherod.
The godly are not ſo to be minded,as that theother be wholly neglected; they have as strong and tender, though
not as regular affections to their relations, and muſt not be whollyſuffered to fink undertheirunrelievedburdens.
Here, therefore, I must have reſpect to two forts ofperſons, whom I find intearsupon the fame account ; Imean, the lofs
oftheirdearrelations, the regenerate, and the unregenerate. I am adebtor to both, and ſhall endeavour their ſupport and -aſſiſtance, foreven theunregenerate callforourhelp and pity,
andmustnot beneglected, andwholly flighted, in their afflictions. We mustpity them thatcannot pity themselves *, The law ofGod commands usto help abeast, iffallen under its burden ; how much more a man ſinking under a load offor-
rows ?
Iconfeſs, uſes of comfort to the unregenerate are not (ordinarily) in uſe among us, and it may ſeem ſtrange whence
anything of ſupport ſhould bedrawn for them, thathave no ſpecial intereſt in Chriſt, or promiſes.
I confefs, alfo, I find myself under great diſadvantages for this work ; I cannot offer them thoſe reviving cordials that
arecontained in Chriſt and the covenant, for God's afflicted people; but yet, ſuch is the goodness ofGod evento his ene-
*Nil miferiusmiferonon miserantefeipfum, i.e. None is more tobe pitiedthanapoor finner thatdoes notpityhimself.
246 A Token for Mourners. mies, that they are not leftwholly without ſupports, ormeans to allay their forrow.
Ifthis, therefore, bethy cafe, who readeſt theſe lines ; af flicted and unfanctified,mourning bitterlyforthydead friends, and more cauſe to mourn for thydeadfoul, chriſtleſs andgraceleſs, aswellas childleſs, or friendleſs: nocomfortinhand,nor yet inhope; full oftrouble, and no vent by prayer, or faith, toeaſe thy heart.
Poor creature, thy caſe is fad, but yet do notwholly ſink, and ſuffer thyſelfto be ſwallowed up of grief: thou hast laid thydear one in the grave, yetthrow not thyself,headlong in,
to the grave after him; thatwillnotbethe way to remedythy mifery: but fit down a while, and ponder theſe three things..
Firſt, That of all perfons in the world, thou hast most reason to be tender over thy life, and health, and careful to preferveit: for if thy troubles destroy thee, thou art eternally loft, undone for ever. "Worldly forrow (faith the apostle) works death." And if it works thy death, it works thy damnation alſo ; for
hell follows that pale horſe, Rev. vi. 8. If a believer dies, there is no danger of hell to him, the ſeconddeath hath no
power over him ; but woe to thee, if it overtake thee in thy fin: beware, therefore, what thou doſt againstthy health, and life; donot put the candle of forrow too near that threadby which thou hangeſtover the mouth ofhell. O it is far betterto be childleſs, or friendleſs on earth, than hopeleſs, and remedileſs, in hell .
Secondly, Own and admire the bounty and goodneſs of God, manifefted to thee in this affliction ; that when death
came intothy familyto ſmite, andcarry off one, it had not fallen to thy lot to be the perſon ; thy husband, wife, or child
is taken, and thou art left: had thynamebeeninthe commiffion, thouhadſt beennow paſt hope. O the ſparing mercy ofGod! the wonderful long-fuffering ofGod towards thee ! Poſſibly that poor creature that is gone, never provokedGod as thou hastdone; thy poor child never abuſed mercies, neglected calls, treasuredupthetenthousandth part of that guilt that thou haftdone: ſo that thou mightest well imagine it ſhould rather have cut thee down, thathadit ſo provokedGod, than thy poor little one.
But,O the admirable patience ofGod ! Othe riches ofhis long-fuffering ! Thou art only warned, not ſmitten by it: is there nothing in this, worth thankful acknowledgment ? Is it
not better to be in black for another on earth, than in the blackness of darkness for ever ? Is it not eaſier to go to the
ATokenfor Mourners . 247 gravewiththydeadfriend, and weep there, than togo to hell
among the damned, where there is weeping, andwailing, and gnaſhing ofteeth?
Thirdly, This affliction, for which thou mourneſt,may be the greatest mercy to thee, that ever yet befel thee in this world. Godhath now made thy heart ſoftby trouble, thewedthee the vanity of this world, and what a poor trifle it is which thou madeft thy happiness: there is now a dark cloud
ſpread over all thy wordly comforts. Now, O now! if the Lordwould but ſtrike in with this affliction, and by it open thine eyes to fee thy deplorable ſtate, and take offthy heart forever from the vain world, which thou now feest hath no thing in it; and cauſe thee to chuſe Chriſt, the only abiding good, for thyportion. Ifnowthy affliction maybut bring thy finto remembrance, and thy dead friend maybut bring thee toa ſenſe ofthy dead foul, which is as cold to God, and ſpiritual things, as his body is tothee; andmore lothfome in his eyes than that corpſe is, or ſhortly will be to the eyes ofmen : then thisday is certainlya day ofthe greatest mercythat ever yet thou faweſt. Ohappydeath, that ſhallprove lifetothyfoul. Why this is fometimes the way ofthe Lord withmen, Job xxxvi . 8, 9. " Ifthey be bound in fetters, and holden in cords " of affliction, then he ſheweth them their work, and their " tranfgreffion, that they have exceeded: he openeth, alfo, " their ear to difcipline, and commandeth them that they re- "turnfrom iniquity."
Oconfider, poor penfive creature, thatwhich ſtole awaythy heart from God, is now gone ; that which eat up thy time, andthoughts, that there was no room forGod, foul, or eternity, inthem, isgone: allthe vain expectations that thou raif-
edſtupunto thyself, from that poor creature which now lies in thedust, are inonedayquiteperiſhed. O what an advantage haftthounow for heaven,beyondwhatever thou yet hadſt! if Godwillbutbleſs this rod, thou wilthave cauſe to keep ma-
hy a thanksgivingday for this day.
Ipray, let theſe three things beponderedbyyou. I canbeſtowno more comforts uponyou, your condition bars thebest comforts fromyou, theybelongto the people ofGod, and you haveyetnothing todowiththem.
Iſhall thereforeturn from you to them, and preſent fome choicercomfortstothem, towhomtheyproperlybelong, which maybe ofgreat uſe toyou inreading, ifitbe but toconvince you of the bleſſed privilege and ſtate ofthe people ofGod in
thegreatestplunges oftroubles inthisworld,andwhat advan-
248 AToken for Mourners. tages their intereſt in Chriſt gives them for peace and fettlement,beyondthat ſtate you are in. Andhere Ido with much more freedom, andhope of fucceſs, apply myſelf to the work ofcounfelling, and comforting the afflicted. You are the fearers ofthe Lord, andtremble at his word; the leaſt ſin is more formidable to you, than the greatest affliction: doubtless you would rather chuſe to bury all your children, than provoke and grieve your heavenly Father. Your relations are dear, but Chriſt is dearer toyou by far.
Well then, let me perfuadeyou to retire a whileinto your cloſets, redeem a little time from your unprofitable forrows,
eaſe andemptyyour hearts before the Lord, and beg his bleffingupon the relieving, quieting, and heart-compofing confiderations that follow; some of which are more general and common, fome more particular and ſpecial ; but all of them
fuch as, through the bleffing ofGod,may be very useful, at this time, toyour fouls.
Confideration 1. Confider, in this day offorrow, who is the framer, andauthor of this rod, by which you now smart ; is
itnot the Lord ? And if the Lordhath done it, it becomes you meekly to submit. Pfal. xlvi. 10. " Be still, and know that I " am God."
Manandmanſtand upon evenground; ifyour fellow-creaturedoes anything thatdiſpleaſes you, you may not only enquire whodid it, but why hedid it ? You maydemand his grounds and reasons, for what he hath done ; but you may notdo fo here : It is expected, that this one thing, The Lord hathdone it, ſhould, without any farther difputes,or contefts, filence and quiet you, whatever it be that he hath done. Job xxxiii. 13. " Whydoſt thou ſtrive against him ? For he giveth " notan account ofanyofhis matters." The Supreme Being muſt needs be an unaccountable and uncontroulable beirg.
It is a shame for a child to strive with his father ; a shame for a fervant to contendwith his master; but for a creature to quarrel and ſtrive with theGodthat made him, O how shameful is it! Surely it is highly reasonable thatyoube ſubject to thatwillwhenceyou proceeded,and thathewho formedyou, andyours, ſhoulddifpofeofboth as ſeemethhim good. It is faid, 2 Sam. iii. 36. "That whatsoever the king did,pleaſed " allthe people:" And ſhall any thing the Lord doth difpleaſeyou ? He candonowrong: Ifwe plucka roſe in the bud,as wewalkin ourgardens,who ſhallblame us for it ?It
isour own, and we may crop it off when we pleaſe: Is not.
A Token for Mourners. 249 this the cafe ? Thy ſweet bud, which was cropt offbefore it was fully blown, was cropt offbyhim that owned it, yea, by him that formed it. Ifhis dominionbe abſolute, ſure his diſpoſal shouldbe acceptable.
Itwas ſo to good Eli, 1 Sam. iii. 18. " It is the Lord, let " him do what ſeemethhim good:" And itwas ſo toDavid,
Pfal.xxxix. 9. " I was dumb, I opened not mymouth ; be- " cauſe thou didst it." O let it be for ever remembered,
" Thathewhoſe name alone is Jehovah, is the moſt High o- " ver all the earth," Pfalm lxxxiii. 18 .
Theglorious fovereignty ofGod, is illuſtriouſly diſplayed in twothings, his decrees and his providences: With refpect to the firſt, he faith, Rom. ix. 15. " I will have mercy onwhom " I willhave mercy." Here is no ground ofdifputing with him ; for ſo it is faid, ver. 20. "Who art thou,Ởman, that " replieſt againſtGod ? Shall thethingformedſay tohim that " formed it, whyhaft thou made me thus ?" Hath not the potter power over the clay ? Andas tohis providences, wherein his fovereignty is alſo manifeſted; it isſaid, Zech. ii. 14. "Be filent, O all fleſh, " before the Lord, for he is raiſed up out of hishabitation." Itis ſpokenofhisprovidentialworking inthechanges ofkingdoms, and defolations that attendthem.
Now, ſeeingthe caſe ſtands thus, that the Lord hath done it; it ishispleaſure tohave it ſo, and that if ithad notbeen hiswill, it could never have been as it is ; he that gave thee (rather lent thee) thy relation, hath alſo takenhim : O how
quiet ſhould this confideration leave thee ? If your landlord, who has many years fufferedyou todwell in his houſe, does
at laſtwarn you out of it, though he tells you notwhy; you willnot contendwithhim, or ſay he has done you wrong : Much leſs ifhe tells you it willbe more forhis profit,andaccommodation, totake it into his ownhand, thanlet it toyou anylonger.
Doubtleſs, reaſon will tell you, you ought quietly to pack up, and quit it. It is your great landlord, from whom you hold(atpleaſure) your own, and your relations lives, that hath
nowwarnedyou out from one ofthem, it being mose for his glory, it may be, to take it inhis ownhands, by death ;
andmuſt youdiſputethe caſewith him ? Come, Chriftian, this no way becomes thee, but rather, " The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, bleſſedbe " thenameofthe Lord." Look offfrom adead creature, lift VOL. VII.
250 A Token for Mourners.
upthine eyes tothefovereign,wife,andholypleaſure that ot
dered this affliction : Confiderwho he is, and what thou art; yea, purfue this confideration till thou canst ſay, I am now
filled with the will ofGod.
Confideration 2. Ponder well the quality of the comfortyou aredeprivedof, andremember, that when you had it, itflood
but intherank andorder ofcommon and inferior comforts.
Children, andall other relations, arebutcommonbleſſings, whichGod indifferently beftows upon his friends, and ene-
mies: andby the having or lofing ofthem, no man knows
either love or hatred. It is faid ofthe wicked, Pfal. Ixxvii. 14. thatthey are fullofchildren ; yea, and of childrenthat do ſurvive them too ; for, they leave their substance to their
babes. Fullof fin,yet fullofchildren, and theſe children liveto inherit their parents fins andeftates together.
It isthe miſtaking ofthe quality, and nature of our enjoy. ments, that foplunges us intotroublewhenwe loſethem.We think there is ſo neceflarya connectionbetwixt theſe creatures,
and our happiness,that we are utterly undonewhen they fail us.
Butthis isour mistake; there is no fuch neceffaryconnec tion, ordependance; we may be happy withouttheſe things: It is not father, mother, wife, or child, in which our chiet goodand felicity lies ; we have higher, better, and more en
during things than theſe; alltheſe may perish, and yet our foulbe ſecure and ſafe ; yea, and our comfort in the way, as well as end, maybe fafe enough, though theſe are gone: Godhathbetterthingstocomfort his people with, thantheſe,
andworſe rods to afflict you with, than the removal of theft. HadGodlet your children live, and flourish; andgiven you
eaſeand reſt inyourtabernacle, butinthemeantime inflicted
ſpiritualjudgments uponyourſouls; how muchmore fadhad your cafe been?
Butas longas our best mercies are all fafe, the things that have falvation inthem remain, andonlythe things that have vanity inthem are removed ;you are not prejudiced, ormuch hindered as to the attainment ofyour laft end, bythe lofs of
theſethings.
Alas! itwas notChriſt's intent to purchafe for you a fenſualcontent inthe enjoyment of thefe earthly comforts ; but to redeemyou from all iniquity, purge your corruptions, fanctifyyournatures, weanyour hearts from this vainworld, and
ſo todifpofe andorderyour preſent condition, that, finding noreſt andcontent here, youmight, the moreardently pants
A.Token for Mourners. 251 and figh after the reſt which remains for the people ofGod. And areyou notin as probable away to attain this end now, asyou werebefore ? Do you think you are notas likely, by
theſe methods of providence, to be weaned from theworld, asby more pleaſant and profperous ones ? Every wife man reckons that ſtation and condition to be beſt for him, which moſt promotes, and fecures his last end, and great
defign.
Well then, reckon you are as well without theſe things as with them; yea, and better too, ifthey were but clogs and
fnares upon your affections ; you have really loft nothing, if thethingswhereinyour eternalhappineſs conſiſtethbeyet fafe. ManyofGod'sdearest childrenhavebeendenied ſuch com-
forts as theſe, and manyhavebeendeprivedofthem, and yet never the farther from Chriſt, andheaven, for that.
Confideration 3. Always remember, that bowfoon andunexpectedfoeveryour parting withyour relations was, yetyour
lease was expired before you lost them, andyou enjoyed them everymoment of the timethatGod intended themforyou.
Before this relation, whoſe loſs you lament, was born, the timeofyour enjoyment, and ſeparation, was unalterably fixed
and limited inheaven, by the God ofthe ſpirits of all fleſh; Andalthough itwas afecretto you, whilstyour friend was with you; yet nowitis aplain andevident thing, that this
wasthe timeof ſeparationbeforeappointed; andthat the life ofyour friendcouldbynomeans be protracted, orabbreviated, butmust keep you company juſt ſo far, and then part
with you.
This poſitionwants no fulland clear ſcripture authorityfor itsfoundation: Howpregnant andfull is thattext, Job xxiv. 5,6. " Seeing his days are determined, the number ofhis "months are withthee: thouhast appointedhimhis bounds, "which he cannot paſs."
Thetime ofour life, as well as the place ofour habitation, was prefixed, before wewere born.
Itwillgreatlyconduce toyour fettlement, andpeace, to be well eſtabliſhedinthis truth ; that the appointed time was fully come,whenyou and your dearrelation parted; for itwill preventandfave a great deal oftroublewhichcomes from our after-reflections . O it this hadbeen done, orthatomitted ; had it not been for fuchmiscarriages, and overſights, my dearhusband, wife, or child,hadbeenalive, atthis day ! No, no, the Lord's time
Jia
252 ATokenfor Mourners.
was fullycome, and allthings concurred, and fell in together
tobring aboutthe pleaſure of his will; letthat fatisfy you: Had the ableſt phyſicians inthe world beenthere, orhad they thatwere there preſcribed another courſe, as it is now, fo it would have beenwhen theyhaddone all. Only it must be precautioned, that the decree ofGod no way excuſes any voluntary, or finful neglects, or miſcarriages. God over-rules theſe things to ſerve his ownends, but nowayapproves them; but itgreatly relieves, against all our involuntary, and una
voidable overfights and mistakes about the use of means, or thetiming ofthem; for it could notbe otherwiſe than now itis.
Objection. Butmanythings arealledgedagainst this poſiti on, and thatwith muchſeeming countenance from fuch ſcrip tures as theſe; Pfal. liv. 25. "Blood-thirstymen ſhall not live " outhalftheirdays." Ecclef. vii. 18. "Why ſhouldſt thou " diebeforethytime." Pfal.cii. 24. " O, myGod, takeme
not away in the midst ofmydays." Ifa. xxvii. 10. " Iam " deprived ofthe refidue of my years." And,Prov. x. 27. " The fear of the Lordprolongeth days, but the years ofthe " wicked shallbe ſhortened." It is demanded, what tolera ble ſenſewecangive theſe ſcriptures, whilstwe affert an unal
terable fixation oftheterm ofdeath.
Solution. The ſenſe of all theſe ſcriptures will be cleared up to full fatisfaction, bydiftinguiſhing death, and the terms ofit. . First, We muſt diſtinguiſh death into
Natural, and Violent. The wicked, andblood-thirsty man, ſhallnot live out half hisdays ; (i. e. ) halfſo longas he might live, according tothe courſeofnature, or the vigour, and foundness of his natural
conſtitution ; for his wickedneſs either drowns nature in an exceſsofriotand luxury, or expoſes him to the hand of ju
ſtice, which cuts him offfor his wickedneſs beforehe hathac compliihedhalfhisdays.
Again, wemuſt diſtinguiſh ofthe term, or limit for death, which is either
General, or
Special,
The general limits arenow ſeventy, or eightyyears, Plal. xc. 19. " Thedays of ouryears are threeſcore years and ten,
and ifby reaſon offtrength theyare fourſcore years, yet is their ſtrength labour and forrow." To this ſhort limitthe
AToken for Mourners. 253 lifeofmanis generallyreduced, ſince the flood; andthough there are fome few exceptions, yet the general rule is not thereby deftroyed.
Theſpecial limit is that proportion oftime,which God, by hisowncounſel and will, hath allotted to every individualper-
fon ; and it is only knownto us bythe event : This we affirm tobe afixed, and immoveable term; withitallthings ſhall fall
in, andobſerve the will ofGod in our diſſolution atthat time. Butbecauſethe general limit is known, andthis ſpecial limit
is afecrethid inGod's own breast; therefore man reckons by the former account, andmaybe faid, whenhe dies at thirty,
or fortyyears old, to be cut off in the midstofhis days : For it is ſo, reckoning by the general account, though he be not cut off tilltheendofhis days, reckoning bythe ſpecial li
mit.
Thus he that is wicked, diesbefore his time ; (i. e.) the timehe might attain toin an ordinaryway;but not before the timeGodhath appointed: Andſo in all other objected ſcriptures. : It is not proper at all, in a fubject of this nature, to digreſs intoa controversy: Alas ! the poor mourner, overwhelmed withgrief, hath no pleaſure inthat ; it is notproper for him at
this time, and therefore I ſhall, for the preſent, wave the controverfy, and wind upthis conſideration with an humble, and
ſeriousmotion to the afflicted, that they willwiſelyconfiderthe matter. The Lord's time was come, your relations lived with you everymomentthatGod intendedthem for you beforeyou hadthem . Oparents ! mindthis, Ibeſeechyou ; the time ofyourchild's continuanceinthewomb, was fixed to aminutebythe Lord; andwhen theparturient fulness ofthat time was come, were you notwilling it ſhould be delivered thence into the world ?
The tendermother would nothave it abide one minute longer inthewomb, how well foever ſhe loved it; andis istherenot the ſame reaſon we ſhouldbe willing, whenGod's appointed time is come tohave it deliveredby death out of this ftate, which, in reſpect of the life ofheaven, isbutas the life ofa
child inthewomb,to its life inthe openworld.
And letnone ſay thedeath ofchildrenisa prematuredeath. Godhathways toripenthem forheaven,whom he intends to
gatherthitherbetimes,thewhich we know not: in reſpect of
fitneſs, theydie ina fullage, thoughtheybe cutoffin thebud oftheir time.
Hethatappointedtheſeaſons ofthe year, appointedthe fea
254 ATokenfor Mourners. fons ofourcomfortinourrelations: And as thoſeſeaſons cannotbe altered,nomorecan theſe. Allthe course ofprovidence
is guided by anunalterable decree; what falls out cafually to our apprehenfion, yet falls out neceffarily inreſpectofGod's appointment. O therefore be quieted in it,this must needs be as it is. Conſider. 4. HathGodfmittenyourdarling, and taken away the delight of your eyes with thisstroke ? Bear thisstrokewith patienceandquietfubmiffion : For how know you but your trou-
blemight have beengreaterfrom thelife, than it isnowfromthe death ofyour children?
Sad experiencemade aholy manonce to ſay, Itisbetter to weep for tendead children, than for one living child: A liv-
ing child may prove a continual dropping, yea, a continual dying to the parent's heart. What afadword was that ofDavidtoAbiſhai, 2 Sam. xvi. 11. " Behold, (faith he) my fon, "which came out ofmybowels,ſeekoth my life." Iremember Seneca, in his conſolatory epiſtle tohis friend Marullus,
brings inhis friend thus aggravating thedeath ofhis child. O, (faith Marullus) had mychild lived withme, to how great modesty, gravity, and prudence, might my diſcipline ⚫have formedand mouldedhim ? But, faith Seneca, (which ⚫ismore to befeared) he might have been as others mostly 4are; for look,(faithhe) what childrencome evenout ofthe ⚫worthieſt families ; ſuch who exerciſeboth their own,and
others lufts ; inallwhoſe life there is notadaywithoutthe markoffomenotorious wickedneſs upon it.'
I know your tender love toyour children willſcarce admit fuchjealoufies ofthem; theyare, for the preſent, ſweet, lovely, innocent companions, and you doubt not but by your care oftheireducation,and prayer for them, they might have been the joy ofyour hearts. Whydoubtless Efau,whenhe was little,and inhis tender age, promiſed asmuch comfort to his parents as Jacobdid; and Iqueſtionnotbut Ifaac and Rebecca(aglorious pair) ſpent
as many prayers, and bestowed as manyholy counſels upon him, astheydiduponhisbrother: Butwhenthechild grew up
toriper years, then he became a ſharp affliction to hisparents; for it is faid,Gen. xxvi. 34. " That when Efauwas forty years "old,hetooktowife Judith thedaughter ofBerith theHittite, "whichwas agrief ofmind to Ifaac and Rebecca." The word in the original comes from a root that fignifies to im
Seneca's Epilles. p.84.4
AToken for Mourners. 255
bitter : This child imbittered the minds ofhisparentsbyhis
rebellion againstthem,anddeſpiſing theircounſels.
AndI cannotdoubt butAbraham difciplined his familyas ſtrictlyas any ofyou ; never man received ahigher encomium fromGod, upon thataccount. Gen. xviii. 19. " I know him, " that he will command his children, and his houshold, after " him, and they ſhall keep the way ofthe Lord." Nor can I think but he bestowed as many, and as frequent prayers forhis children, and particularlyforhis ſon Ishmael, as any ofyou : We find one, and that a very pathetical one, recorded, Gen.
xvii. 18. " O that Ishmael might live before thee:" Andyet, you know how he proved, a fonthat yieldedhim nomore comfort thanEfau did toJacob andRebeeca. Ohow much morecommon is it for parents to ſee the vices andevils oftheir children,than their virtues andgraces ? And where one parent livestorejoice inbeholding the grace ofGod
ſhining forth in the lifeofhis child,there are twenty, itmaybe anhundred, that live to behold, to their vexation andgrief, theworkingsofcorruption inthem.
It is a note of†Plutarch, in his morals, Nicoles (faith he) lived not to fee the noble victory obtained by Themistocles, his fon ; nor Miltiades, tofee the battlehis ſon Cimonwonin the field; nor Zantippus, to hearhis fon Pericles preach, and make orations. Arifton never heard his fon Plato's lecturés anddiſputations; but men (faith he) commonly live to fee their children falla gaming, revelling, drinking, andwhoring : Multitudes live to fee fuch things to their forrow. Andif
thou be agracious ſoul,O what acut would this betothyvery heart! to feethoſe(as David ſpake ofhis Abfalom)thatcame
outofthybowels,to be ſinning againstGod, that God,whom thou loveſt, andwhoſe honour is dearer to thee than thy very life!
But,admit they ſhould prove civil, and hopeful children, yetmightest thou not live tofeemore miferycome upon them
than thou couldeſt endure to fee ? O think what a fad and doleful fight was that to Zedekiah, Jer. 1. 10. " The king of " Babylonbroughthischildren,andflewthembeforehiseyes." Horrid ſpectacle ! and that leads to
Confider. 5. How know you, but by this strokewhich you Solament,Godhath taken them awayfrom the evil to come ?
Is is God's usual way, when ſome extraordinary calamities arecominguponthe world,to hide ſomeofhisweak andten-
*Erant amaritudo animi. Plutarch'sMorals,p. 222.
236% • A Token for Mourners. derones out of theway by death, Ifa. lvii. 1, 2. heleavés
fome,and removes others, but taketh care for the ſecurity of all. He provided a grave for Methuselah before the flood. 'The grave is anhiding-place tofome, andGod fees itbetter forthem tobe under ground,than above ground,inſuch evil
days..
Juſt asa careful andtender father,whohath a ſon abroad at ſchool, hearing the plague is broken out in, ornear theplace, ſendshishorſe preſently to fetch home hisfon,beforethe dan-
ger and difficultybe greater. Death is our Father's palehorſe, whichhe fendstofetch home his tender children, and carry
them out of harm's way.
Surelywhennationalcalamities aredrawingon,itisfarbetter for our friends tobe inthe grave in peace, than expofed
tothe miſeries and diſtreſſes that are here,which is the meaning ofJer. xxii. 10. "Weep not for thedead, neither bemoan " him; butweep forhim that goeth away, forhe ſhall return " nomore, nor ſeehis native country."
And is there not adreadful found of troubles, now in our ears ? Do not the clouds gather blackness ? Surely all things round about us ſeem to be preparing and diſpoſing themſelves for affliction. Thedays maybe nigh in which you ſhall ſay, " Blefſed is thewomb that neverbare,andthe paps thatnever " gave ſuck."
Itwas inthedaywhereinthefaith andpatience ofthe faints wereexerciſed, that John heard a voice from heaven, ſaying
to him, " Write, bleſſed are the dead whichdiein theLord " from henceforth ."
Thy friendby an act offavour is diſbandedbydeath, whilft thou thyselfart left to endure agreat fight ofaffliction. And
nowiftroubles come,thycares and fears will be ſo much the leſs,andthyown death ſomuch the easier to thee ; when fo much ofthee is inheaven already. In this cafe the Lord, by amerciful diſpenſation,isproviding both for their ſafety, and thy own easier paſlage to them.
Inremovingthyfriends before-hand,he ſeems to ſaytothee, ashe did to Peter, John xiii. 7. " What I do thou know- " eſt not now, but thou shalt know hereafter." The eye of providencehathaproſpect farbeyondthine ; probably itwould be aharder taſk for thee to leave them behind,than to follow them. Atree that isdeeply rooted inthe earth, requires many ſtrokes to fell it ; but when its roots are loofed before-hand, thenaneaſy ſtroke lays itdownupon the earth.
A Token for Mourners. 257 Confider. 6. Aparting time must needs come, andwhy is not this asgoodas another ? Youknew before-handyour child orfriendwas mortal,andthat thethreadthat linkedyou together
must be cut. Ifanyone, faith Bafil, had askedyou,whenyour childwasborn, What is that which is born ? What would youhave anfwered? Wouldyou not have faid, It is aman? And if a man, then a mortal, vanishing thing. And why then are you furprized with wonder to fee adying thing dead?
He, faith * Seneca,whocomplains thatone is dead,complains that he wasa man. Allmen are under the fame condition, towhoſe ſhare itfalls to be born, to him it remains to
die.
We are indeeddiftinguiſhedbythe intervals, butequalized in the iſſue: " It is appointedtoallmenoncetodie," Heb. ix. 27. There is a ſtatute law ofheaven inthecafe. Poffibly you thinkthis is the worsttime for parting that couldbe; hadyou enjoyed itlonger, youcould have parted
eafier ; buthow areyou deceivedin that? The longeryou had enjoyed it, the more loth ſtill you would have been to leave
it ; the deeper it would have rooted itſelf in your affection.
HadGod givenyou ſucha privilege aswas once granted to theEngliſh parliament ; that the union betwixt you and your
friend ſhould notbe diſſolved tillyou yourſelfwerewilling it
should be diffolved; when,think you,wouldyou have been * willing it ſhouldbe diſſolved? Itiswell forus and ours,that ourtimes are inGod's hand, andnot in our own. And how immature ſoever it ſeemed tobewhen itwas cutdown ;yet it "came to thegrave in a " full age, as a shock ofcorn in its ſeaſon," Jobv. 26. hey thatare inChriſt, and inthe covenant, neverdieunſeaſonably, whenſoever they die (faith †one upon the the text), 'They
die ina goodoldage; yea,though theydie inthe ſpring and
flower ofyouth; they die in a good old age ; i. e. they are • ripe fordeath whenevertheydie. Whenever the godly die, it is harvest-time with him ; though in anatural capacity he ' be cutdownwhilehe isgreen, and croptin the budorblof- ' fom; yet inhis ſpiritual capacity,he never dies before he is
Bearthe law of neceflity with an even mind, How many befidesyou must forrow ? Seneca, Epifile 99.
+Caryl. on the place. VOL . VII. Kk
258 A Tokenfor Mourners.
، ripe;God canripen his ſpeedily, he can let out ſuch warm
rays and beams ofhisSpiritupon them, as ſhall foon matu- ⚫⚫rate the feeds of grace into a preparedneſs for glory.' .
It was doubtless the moſt fit and ſeaſonable time for them that ever they could die in, and as it isa fit time for them, fo foryou alfo. Hadit livedlonger, itmighteither have en-
gagedyou more, and fo your partingwould have been harder.; or elſehave puzzled and ſtumbled you more by difcovering its natural corruption : andthen whata ſtinging aggravation of your forrowwouldthathavebeen ?
Surely the Lord of time is the beſtjudge of time; and in nothing do we more diſcover our folly and raſhneſs, than in prefuming to fix the times either of our comforts or troubles ;
as for our comforts,we neverthink they cancome too foon; wewouldhave thempreſently, whether the ſeaſon be fit or
not, as Numb. xii. 13. " Heal her now, Lord." O let it be
done ſpeedily; we are inpoft-hafte for our comforts, andfor our afflictions, we neverthink theycome late enough ; not at
this time, Lord, rather at anyother time than now.
But it isgood to leave the timingboth ofthe one andtheother to him, whoſe works are allbeautiful in their ſeaſons, and
never doth anything in an improper time.
Confider. 7. Callto mind in this day oftrouble, the covenant youhave with God, and what you folemnly promised him in the
day you took bimfor yourGod.
Itwillbevery ſeaſonable anduseful for thee, Chriftian, at this time to reflect upon theſe tranſactions, and the frame of thyheart in those days, when an heavier loadofforrow preftthy heart, now than thou feeleſt.'
In thoſe your ſpiritual diſtreſſes, whenthe burdenof fin lay heavy, the curse ofthe law, the fear ofhell, the dread ofdeath
andeternitybeſet thee onevery fide,andſhuttheeuptoChrift,
the only door ofhope ; ah ! what good news wouldſt thou thenhave accounted it, to eſcape that danger with the lofs of
all earthly comforts !
Was not this thycry inthoſedays ? Lord,give me Chrift, anddenyme whatever elſe thou pleaſeſt. Pardonmy fin, fave myfoul, and, in order to both, unite me with Chrift, and I will never repine or open my mouth. Do what thouwilt •with me; let me be friendless, let me be childless, letme be 6 poor, let me be any thing ratherthan achriftleſs, graceleſs, hopelcfs foul."
Andwhenthe Lord hearkened tothy cry, and ſhewed thee mercy; when he drew thee offfrom theworld into thy clofet,
ATokenfor Mourners.. 259 and theretreated with thee in fecret,when he was working up thy heart to the terms ofhis covenant, and made thee willing
to accept Chriſt uponhis own terms ; O then, how heartily didit thou fubmitto hisyoke, as moſt reasonable and eaſy, as at that time it seemed to thee?
Callto mindtheſe days, the ſecret places where Chriſt and youmade thebargain ; have not theſe words, or words tothis
ſenſe,beenwhifpered by thee intohis earwith a dropping eye, andmeltingheart ?
Lord Jeſus, here amJ,a poorguilty ſinner, deeply laden with fin; fear and trouble uponone hand, andthere is ajuſt God, a ſevere law, and everlasting burnings, on the other
hand: butbleſſedbe God, ObleſſedbeGod forJeſus theMe. ' diator, who interpoſethbetwixtme and it. Thou art the only door ofhope atwhich I can eſcape, thy blood the only ' means ofmypardon and ſalvation. Thou hast ſaid, " Come ' unto me allye that labour, and are heavy laden." Thou hast promised, that he thatcometh to thee, ſhall in no wife be • caft out. Bleſſed Jeſus, thy poor creature cometh to thee upontheſe encouragements : I come,Obut itis with many ſtaggerings, withmanydoubts and fears ofthe iſſue ; yet I am willing to ⚫comeandmake a covenant with thee this day.
I take thee this day to bemy Lord, and ſubmit heartily to all thydiſpoſals ; do what thou wilt with me, or mine, let •me berich orpoor, anythingor nothing inthisworld : I am ⚫willing tobe as thou wouldst have me, and I do likewiſe give • myself to theethisday, to bethine ; all Iam, all Ihave ſhall ' be thine, thine to ſerve thee, and thine tobe diſpoſed of at
thy pleaſure. Thou shalt henceforth bemyhighest Lord, my chiefest good, my laſt end." 6 Now, Chriſtian,makegood to Chriſt whatthouſo ſolemnly promiſed him: He,I ſay,he hathdiſpoſedofthis thy dear relation,as pleaſedhim,and is thereby tryingthy uprightneſs in
the covenant which thou madeſt with him: Now where is the
fatisfaction and content thou promiſedſt to take in all his difpoſals ? Where is that covenanted ſubmiſſion to his will ? Didft thou exceptthis affliction that is come upon thee ?
Didſtthou tellhim, Lord, I willbe content thou ſhalt,when thou pleaſeſt, take any thing I have, ſave only this husband, this wife, or this dear child; I reſerve this outof the bargain ? I shall never endure that thou ſhouldſt killthis comfort. Iffo, thou didst in all this but prove thyself an hypocrite ; if thou Kk2 :
160 AToken for Mourners. waſt fincere inthy covenant, as Chrift hadnoreferves onhis part, fo thouhadſtnone onthine.
Itwas allwithoutanyexception thouthenrefignedſttohim, andnowwilt thougobackfrom thyword, as one thathadoutpromiſedhimſelf, and repents the bargain ? Or, at least, asone
thathath forgottentheſeſolemntranfactions inthedays ofthy diſtreſs ? WhereinhathChrift failedin onetitlethathepromif
edthee? Chargehim, if thoucanst, withthe leaſtunfaithful-
neſs; he hath been faithful toa title on his part, O be thou fouponthine; thisday it isputtotheproof,remeniberwhat thouhast promiſed him.
Confider. 8. But if thy covenant with Godwill not quiet thee, yet methinks God'scovenantwiththeemight beprefumedto doit.
Is thy family, which was lately hopeful, and flourishing, a peaceful tabernacle, now broken up and ſcattered ? Thy pof
terity, from which thou raifeditup to thyselfgreat expectati ons of comfort in old age, cut off? So that thou art now
like neithertohave a name, ormemorial leftthee in the earth.
Doftthoufitalone,and mourntothinkwhitherto thyhopes and comforts arenow come ?
Doſtthoureadover thoſe wordsofJob,chap.xxix. ver. 1,2; 3,4, 5. andcommentuponthemwith manytears ; "O that I "wereasinmonthspaft,asinthedaywhenGodpreſervedme! "whenhis candle ſhined upon myhead, and when by his " light Iwalked through darkness ! as Iwas in thedays ofmy " youth,whenthefecretofGodwas uponmytabernacle,when " theAlmightywas yetwith me, when my children were " aboutme."
Yet let the covenantGodhathmadewith thee, comfortthee inthis thydeſolatecondition.
You knowwhat domeftic troublesholyDavidmet with in a fad fucceffion, not only from the death of children, but, which was much worse, from the wicked lives ofhis children.
Therewas incest, murder, andrebellion in his family ; a far forertrial thandeath intheirinfancy couldhavebeen: And yet feehowſweetly he relieves himself from the covenantof grace, in2Sam. xxiii. 5." Althoughmyhousebenot fowith "God, yet hehath madewith me aneverlasting covenant, "ordered in allthings,and ſure; forthis isall my falvation, "andallmydefire,althoughhemake itnot to grow."
Iknow this place principally refers to Chrift, who was to fpring out ofDavid's family, according to God's covenant madewithhim inthat behalf; andyet Idoubt notbut ithath
ATokenfor Mourners. 261 another, though leſs principal aſpectupon hisownfamily,o verall the afflictions and troubles whereofthe covenant ofGod withhimdid abundantly comforthim.
Andasitcomfortedhim,although hishouſedid notincreaſe, and thoſe that were left were not ſuch as he defired; ſo it mayabundantlycomfortyou alſo,whatever troubles,ordeaths, areuponyour families,whohavean intereſtinthe covenant. For,
First, Ifyou areGod'scovenant people, the he may afflict, yethewillnever forgetyou, Pfalm iii. 5. heis ever mindful ofhis covenant : You are as much upon his heart in your deepest afflictions, as in the greatest flourish of your profperity.
You find it hard toforgetyour child, though itbe now tur. - nedtoaheap ofcorruption,andloathſomerottenneſs : Ohow
dothyour mind run upon it nightand day ! your thoughts tire not uponthat object : Why ſurely it is much more eaſy fot -you to forget your dear child, whilft living,and moſt endear-
ing,(much morewhen dead and undefirable)than it is for yourGodto forget you. Ifa. xlix. 15. " Can awoman forget "her fucking child,that ſhe ſhouldnot have compaffionon "the fon ofherwomb ? Yea,they may forget, yet will not I " forget thee." : Canawoman, the more affectionate ſex,forgetherfucking child,herown child, and not a nursing child? Her ownchild, whilft ithangsonthe breaft, and,together with the milk from
thebreaſt,draws lovefrom its mother's heart; canſuch athing asthisbeinnature? poſſibly itmay,for creature-love isfickle,
and variable : But,Iwillnotforget thee; it is an everlasting covenant.
Secondly, As he will neverforget you in your troubles, ſo hewillorder allyour troubles for your good: Itis a well ordered-covenant, ora covenantorderlydiſpoſed; ſothat every thing ſhall work together for your good.
The covenant foorders all your trials, ranks and diſpoſes your varioustroubles ſo, as that theyſhall, intheir orders and places, ſweetly co-operate, andjoin their united influences to makeyou happy.
Poſſibly you cannot feehowthepreſent afflictionſhould be foryour good; you are readyto fay,with Jacob, Gen. xlii. 36." Joſeph is not,andSimeon is not ;andye willtakeBen- " jaminaway ; alltheſe things are againſt me." But could youoncefeehow fwestly,andorderlyalltheſe afflictions work
262 A Token for Mourner's. under the bleſſing and influence ofthe covenant, to your eter-
nal good, youwouldnot onlybe quiet, but thankful for that whichnowfomuch afflicts andtroubles you.
Thirdly, This covenant isnotonlywellorderedinallthings, butfure; the mercies contained in it are called, " the fure
" mercies ofDavid," Ha. lv. 3. Now howsweet,how feafonablea fupportdoth this confideration give toGod's afflicted under the rod! you lately made yourſelves fure of that creature-
comfortwhich hath forſaken you. Itmaybe, youfaid ofyour child, which is nowgone, as Lamech faid of his fonNoah, Gen. v. 29. " This ſame ſhall comfort us concerning our "work, and toilofour hands." Meaning, thathis ſon ſhould notonlycomfort them, by aſſiſting them inthe work oftheir
hands, but alſo, in enjoying the fruitoftheirtoil and pains forhim.
Probably ſuch thoughts youhave had, and raiſedup to yourfelves great expectations of comfort inyourold age from it; but now you feeyoubuiltuponthe fand,andwhere were you now, ifyou had not a firinerbottom to buildupon ? But blefſed be God, the covenant-mercies are more fure, andfolid! God, Chrift, andheaven, never ſtart, or fade,astheſethingsdo.
The ſweetest creature-enjoyments you ever had orhave in this world, cannot ſay to you, as your God doth, " I willne-
ver leave thee, nor forfake thee." You must part with your dearhusbands,how well foeveryou love them; you mustbid adieu to thewife of yourbosom,how nearly foever your affections be linked, and heart delighted inher. Your children andyou must be ſeparated, though they are to you as your own foul. : But though theſe vaniſhaway, bleſſedbeGodthere isſomethingthatabides. "Though all fleſh be as graſs, and the "goodlineſs ofitas the flower ofthe graſs, though the grafs "withereth, andthe flower thereof fadeth, becauſe the Spirit " ofthe Lord bloweth upon it; yetthe word ofourGodshall " ſtand for ever," Ifa. xl. 6, 7, 8. There is ſo much of fupportcontained inthis one confideration, that could but your
faith fixhere, to realize and apply it, Imight laydownmypen at this period, and ſay, the work isdone, thereneeds no more. : Confideration 9. The hope of the refurrection should powerfully restrain all exceffes offorrow in those that do profess it.
Letthem only mourn without meaſure, who mourn withouthope. The husbandman doth not mournwhen he cafts his feed-corn into the earth, becauſe he ſows inhope ; com mits it to the groundwith an expectation to receive it again
A Tokenfor Mourners. 263
with improvement. Why thus ſtands the cafe here, andjust
ſothe apostle ſtates it, 1 Theff. iv. 13, 14. " But I would not "have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which
" are afleep, that ye forrow not even as others which have no "hope; for ifwebelievethat Jeſus died, androſe again, even " ſothem alſowhich fleep in Jeſus willGod bringwithhim."
2.d. Look not uponthe dead as a loft generation ; think not that death hath annihilated, and utterly deſtroyed them : Ono, they are notdead, but only afleep; and if they fleep,
they ſhall awake again. You donotuse tomake outcries and lamentations for your children, and friends, when you find themafleep upontheirbeds. Why, death is but alonger fleep, out ofwhich they ſhall as furely awake, as evertheydid in the morningin this world.
I have oftenwondered at thatgoldenſentence in Seneca *, "My thoughts ofthe dead(faith he)are not as others are ; I "have fair and pleasant apprehenfions ofthem ; for I enjoy- " edthem as one that reckoned I must partwith them ; and I
"partwiththem as onethat makes account tohave them."
He ſpeaks, no doubt, of that enjoyment ofthem, whichhis pleaſant contemplations of their virtuous actions couldgive him; for he was wholly unacquaintedwith the comfortable, and heart-ſupporting doctrine of the refurrection. Had he
knownthe advantageswhich reſult thence, atwhata ratemay wethinkhewouldhave ſpoken ofthedead, and oftheir ſtate? But this you profeſs to believe, andyet fink at a ſtrange rate. Ofuffer notGentiliſm to outvie Chriftianity ; let not Pagans
challenge the greatest Believers, toout-dothem inaquiet, and chearful behaviour under afflictions . : I beſeech thee, reader, ifthy deceased friendhave left thee anyfolidground ofhope thathe died interested in Chrift, and the covenant; thatthouwilt diftinctlypondertheſe admirable
ſupportswhich the doctrine ofthe refurrection affords.
First, That thefamebodywhich wasſo pleasant a fpectacle
tothee, ſhall be restoredagain; yea, the fame numerically, as wellas the famespecifically ;; fo that it ſhall not onlybewhat
itwas, but the who it was. "Theſe eyes ſmall beholdhim, " andnot another," Job xix. 27. The very famebodyyou
laid, or are now aboutto layin thegrave, ſhallbe restored again: Thou ſhalt findthine own husband, wife, or child, or
friend again; Iſay the ſelf-fame,andnot another.
* Habui enim illos tanquam amiffurus, amisi tanquam habeam.
Seneca, Ep. 63.
264 ATokenfor Mourners. Secondly, And farther, this is ſupporting, that asyou ſhall feethe fame perfon that was ſodear toyou; ſoyou fhallknow them tobethe fame thatwere once endeared toyou on earth inſonear a tie of relation.
Indeedyou ſhallknow them nomore in any carnal relation, deathdiffolyed thatbond: Butyou shallknowthem tobe fuch asonce were yourdear relations in this world,and be able to ſingle them out among that great multitude,and ſay, this was
my father, mother, husband, wife, or child; this was the perfon for whom Iwept, andmade ſupplication,whowas an inſtrument ofgood tome, or to whoſe ſalvationGod thenmade me inſtrumental.
For we may allow, inthat ſtate, all that knowledge which is cumulativeandperfective, whatſoevermayenlargeandheightenour felicity and fatisfaction, as this must needs be allowed todo. Luther'sjudgment, inthis point,* being askedbyhis friends at fupper the evening before he died, replies thus, What(faithhe) befilAdam ? He never faw Eve, but was in a
deep fleepwhen God formedher ; yetwhen he awaked, and
faw her, he asked not what ſhe was, nor whence the came? But faith, ſhe was fleſh of his fleſh, and bone of his bone. Now, how knewhe that ?He being fullofthe holy Ghost, and enduedwiththeknowledge ofGod,ſpakethus: after the ſame manner we alſo ſhallbe in the other life renewed by Chriſt, and ſhall know our parents, our wives, and children. Andthis,amongotherthings,was thatwith which †Auguſtine comfortedthe lady Italica,afterthedeathofherdearhufband, telling her that ſhe ſhould knowhim inthe world to
come, among the glorified ſaints. Yea, and a greater than eitheroftheſe, ImeanPaul, comfortedhimself,that the Thef-
falonians,whom hehad converted to Chriſt, ſhould be " his " joyand crown ofrejoicing, intheprefenceoftheLordJefus " Chrift at his coming," I Theff. ii. 19, 20. which muft needs implyhisdiſtinct knowledgeofthem in thatday, which muſt bemany hundredyears after death hath ſeparated them
from each other. Whether this knowledge ſhall beby the glorified eyes difcerning any lineaments, or propertyofindividuation, remainingupon theglorified bodies ofour relations;
orwhether it ſhallbe by immediate revelation, as Adam knew his wife,or as Peter,James, and John,knew Mofes and Elias inthe mount; as it is difficulttodetermine, ſo it is needlefs to puzzle ourſelves about it.
1 *Melchior Adam, inthe life ofLuther. †Aug. Ep. 6.
AToken for Mourners. 265 Itis the concurrentjudgment offound divines, and it wants notcountenance from fcripture and reaſon, that ſuch a know-
ledge ofthem ſhall be inheaven; andthen theſadneſs ofthis parting will be abundantly recompenſed by the joy of that meeting. Eſpecially confidering, Thirdly, That at our next meeting,they ſhallbeunſpeakably more deſirable, ſweet, and excellent, than ever theywere in this world. Theyhad a defirableneſs in them here, but they were not altogether lovely, and, in every reſpect, defirable ;
they had their infirmities, both natural and moral ; but all theſe are removed in heaven, and for ever done away : No natural infirmities hang about glorified bodies, or finful ones
upon perfected ſpirits of the juſt. O what lovely creatures willthey appear to you then,whenthatwhich is now fown in
dishonour, ſhallbe raiſedinhonour ! 1 Cor. xv. 43. And then, to crown all,
Fourthly, You shall have an everlasting enjoyment ofthem inheaven, never to part again. The children of the refurrectioncandie no more, Luke xx. 36. you ſhall kiſs their pale lips, andcold cheeks, no more; you shall never fear another partingpull,butbe togetherwith the Lord for ever, I Theff. iv. 14. And this the apostle thought an effectual cordial in this cafe whenhe exhorted the Theffalonians to " comfort one " another with these words."
Confid. 10. Thepresentfelicity into which allthatdieinChrift arepresentlyadmitted,should abundantly comfort Christians over
thedeath offuch as either carried a lively hope out oftheworld withthem, or have left goodgrounds offuch an hopebehindthem.
Such thereare,that carrieda livelyhopeto heavenwiththem, who could evidence to themselves and friends, their intereſt
inChriſt, andinthe covenant : Yea, though theyhad died in filence, yet their converſations would ſpeak for them, and the tenor oftheir lives leave no groundofdoubting touching their death: Others dying intheir infancy andyouth,though they carriednot fuch an actual hope with them, yet they have left goodgrounds ofhope behind them.
Parents,nowponder theſe grounds; you have prayed for them, you have many times wrestled with the Lord on their behalf; you have taken hold of God's covenant for them, as well as for yourſelves, and dedicated them to the Lord ; and theyhave not, by anyactions oftheirs, destroyed thoſegrounds ofyour hope, but thatyoumaywith, muchprobability,conclude, they arewithGod.
VOL. VII. LI
266 ATokenfor Mourners. Why, ifthe cafe be ſo, what abundant reaſonhave you tobe quiet, and well fatisfied with whatGod hath done? Can they bebetterthan where they are ? Hadyou better provifions and entertainment for themhere,than their heavenly Fatherhath above?
There is no Chriſtian parent in the world, butwould rejoice tofee his child out-ſtrip andgetbefore him ingrace, thathe maybemoreeminent inparts andſervice,thanever he was : Andwhatreaſon canbe given,why we should not as much re joice to fee our children getbefore us inglory, as in grace? They aregotten to heaven a few years before you, and is that
matter of mourning ? Would not your child (ifhe were not
ignorant ofyou) ſay, as Chriſt didto his friends, a little before his death,when he faw them caſt down at the thoughts of parting, John xiv. 28. " Ifye loved me,yewould rejoice, be- " cauſe I gounto the Father." 2. d. Do you value your own fenſiblecomfort,from mybodily prefencewithyou,before my glory and advancement inheaven ? Is this love to me ? Or is it not rather ſelf-love ?
Sowouldyour departed friend ſay to you : You havepro- • fefſed much love all along to me, myhappineſs ſeemed tobe •very dear to you. How comes it to paſs, then, that you •mourn ſo exceedingly now ? This is rather the effect ofa • fond and fleſhly, than of a rational and ſpiritual love; if •you loved me with a pure ſpiritual love, ye would rejoice that I am gone to my Father. It is infinitely better forme to be here, thanwith you on earth, under fin and forrow. •Weep not for me,but foryourſelves .' Alas ! though youwant your friend's company, he wants not yours ; yourcare was to provide for this child, but Jeſus Chrift hath provided infinitely better for it than you could ; you intendedan estate,but he akingdom for it ; you thought upon ſuch or ſuch a match, but Chrift hath forbid all others,
andmarried your child to himself. Would you imagine higher preferment for the fruit of your bodies ? AKingfromheaven hath,fent for your friend, and do you grudge atthe journey ? O think, and think again, what an honour it is to you, that Chriſt hath taken them out ofyour
bofom, and laid them in his own; ſtript them out of thoſe garments you provided, and cloathed them in white robes, waſhed in theblood ofthe Lamb. Let not your hearts be troubled, rather rejoice exceedingly, that God made you in-
ſtruments to repleniſh heaven, andbring forth anheir for the kingdomofGod.
ATokenfor Mourners. 267
Yourchild is now glorifyingGod, inanhigherwaythan you can, andwhat though you have lost its bodily preſence for a time; yet, I hope, you do not reckon that to be your lofs,
which turus to God's greater glory. WhenJacob heard his Jofeph was lord ofEgypt, he rather wiſhedhimself withJofeph, thanhis Joſeph with him inwants
and ſtraits ; ſo ſhould itbe with you : You are yet rolling, and toſſingupon atempestuous ſea, but your friend isgone
intothe quiet harbour; defire rather to be there, thanthathe were at ſeawith you again.
Confideration 11. Confiderhow vainathing allyour troubles, andfelf-vexation is ; it no way bettersyour cafe, noreafesyour burden.
As a bullock, by wrestling and ſweating inthe furrow, makes his yoke tobemore heavy, and galls his neck,and ſpends his ſtrength the ſooner, and no ways helps himself by that : Why thus ſtands the cafe with thee; ifthou be as a bullock
unaccustomedtothe yoke, what Christ faith ofcaring,wemay fay of grieving, (Matth. vi. 27.) " Which of you, by taking " thought, can add one cubit to his ſtature?"
Caresmaybreak our fleep, yea, break ourhearts, but they cannot add to our ſtature, either in a natural, or in a civil
notion: So our forrowing may ſooner break our hearts, thanthe yokeGod hath laid onyou.
Alas! what is allthis,but as the fluttering ofabird in the net, which, instead of freeing, doth but the more entangle itſelf. Itwas therefore a wife reſolutionofDavid, in this very cafe, when the willof God was fignified in the death ofhis child, 2 Sam. xii. 23. "Butnow heis dead, wherefore ſhould " I faft ? Can I bringhim back again? I ſhall go to him, but " he shall not return to me."
Can I bringhim back again ? No; I can nomore alter the purpoſe, andworkofGod, than I can change the ſeaſons of the year, or alterthe courſe ofthe fun, moon, and ſtars, or disturbtheorderofthe day and night; which are all unalter-
ably eſtabliſhed by a firm conſtitution, and ordinance of heaven.
As theſeſeaſons cannotbe changed by man, ſo neither can this courſe andwayofhis providences be changed. Jobxxiii. 13. "He is ofone mind,andwho can turn him ? And what " his foul defireth, even that he doth." Indeed, while his pleaſureand purpoſe are unknownto us, there is room for faftingandprayer, to prevent the thingwe fear: But when the
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268 ATokenfor Mourners. purpoſe ofGod is manifeſted in the iſſue, and the ſtroke is
given, then it is the vainest thing in the world to fret, andvex ourſelves, as David's ſervants thoughthe woulddo, as foon as he ſhould hear the child was dead : But he was wiſer than fo, his tears and cries toGodbefore,had the nature and uſe of means to prevent the affliction ; but when it was come, and couldnotbe prevented,thentheywereof nouſe, tonopurpoſe
in the world ; " Wherefore ſhould I fast?" 2. d. To what end, uſe, or purpoſe,willitbe now ?
Well, then, caſt not away your ſtrength and ſpirits, to no advantage ; referve them for future exerciſes and trials:Time may come, that you mayneed allthe ftrength youhave, and much more, to ſupport greater burdens than this.
Confideration 12. The Lord is able to restore allyour loft comforts in relations, double toyou, ifyou meeklysubmit tohim,
andpatiently wait upon him underthe rod.
WhenEfauhadlost his bleſfing, he said, " Haft thoubut " one bleſſing, myFather?" Gen. xxvii. 38. But your Father hathmorebleffings foryou thanone ; his name is the" Father " ofmercies," 2 Cor. xiii. 11. He can beget, and create, as manymercies for you as he pleaſeth ; relations, and the com-
forts of them, are athis command.
It isbutafew months, or years paſt, and theſe comforts, whoſe loſs you nowlament, were not in being ; nor did you
know whence they ſhould ariſe to you, yet the Lord gave the word, and commanded them for you; and, ifhe pleaſe, he
canmake thedeathof theſebut like aſcythetothe meadow that ismowndown, or a razor to the head that is ſhaved bare; which,though itlayyou underthe preſent trouble and reproach
ofbarrenneſs, yetdoth butmake way for adouble increaſe, a ſecond ſpring, with advantage.
So that even as it was with the captive church, in reſpect of her ſpecial children, intheday of her captivity and reproach,
the Lord made up all with advantageto her, even to her own astonishment. Ifa. xlii. 20. " The children which thou ſhalt " have, after thou hast loft theother, ſhall fay again in thine " ears, the place is too ſtrait for me : Giveplace to me that I " may dwell." 1 . Thus may hedeal with you, as to your natural children, and relations ; ſo that what the man ofGod faid toAmaziah, 1 Chron. xxv. 9. maybe applied tothe cafeinhand. "Ama- " ziah faid to the man ofGod, but what shallwe do forthe
hundred talents ? Andthe man ofGod anſwered, the Lord " is able to give theemuch more than this."
AToken for Mourners. 269
Ofay not,What ſhall I do for friends andrelations ?Death hath robbed me ofallcomfort in them. Why, the Lord is able to give you much more. But then, as ever you expect tofeeyour futurebleſſings multiplied, look to it, and be carefulthatyou neither dishonour God, nor grieve him, by your unfubmiflive, and impatient carriage, under the preſent rod.
God took away all Job's children, and that at one ſtroke, andthe ſtroke immediate and extraordinary, and that when they were grown up,andplanted (at least fome of them) in diſtinct families ; yea, whilft they were indearing each other by mutual expreffions ofaffection. This must be yielded to bean extraordinary trial, yethe meekly receives, andpatiently bears it fromthe handof the Lord.
You have heard of the patience ofJob, (faith the apostle, James v. 11.) " and ſeen the end of the Lord." Not only the gracious end, or intention ofthe Lord in all his afflictions, butthe happy end and iſſue the Lordgave to all his afflictions,
ofwhichyou have the account, Job xlii. 10. " TheLordgave " Job twice as much as he had before." The number of his childrenwas not double towhat he had, as all his other comforts were: But though the Lord only restoredthe fame num. ber tohim againthat he took away, yet it is likely the comfort he had in theſe latter children wasdouble to what he had in
the former. There is nothing loft by waiting patiently, and ſubmittingwillingly to the Lord'sdiſpoſe.
Itis as eafywith the Lord to revive, as it is to removeyour comfortsinrelations. There is a ſweet expreffionto thispurpoſe, in Pfal. lxxxi. 28. " Forthou, Lord, will lightmycandle, " the LordmyGod will enlightenmydarkneſs."
Every comfortable enjoyment, whether it be inrelations, eſtate, health, or friends, isacandle lightedby providence for our comfort in this world, andthey are but candles, which willnotalways laſt ; andthoſe that last longest will be conſum-
ed and wasted at last; but oftentimes it falls out with them aswith candles, they are blownout before they are halfconſumed; yea, almoſt as soon as lighted up, and thenwe are in darkness for the preſent.
Itis adarkhour with us,when theſe comforts are put out; but David's faith did, and ours may comfort us with this, thathethatblewoutthe candle,can light upanother : "Thou,
" Lord, ſhalt lightmy candle,the Lord myGod ſhall enligh- " ten my darkness." That is, the Lord will renew my com .
forts, alter the preſent ſad eſtate I am in, andchaſe away that trouble anddarkness which atpreſent liesuponme: Only be
270 Tokenfor Mourners. ware of offendinghim, atwhoſebeck yourlights and comforts
come and go. Michal diſpleaſedthe Lord, and thereforehad nochild untothe day ofher death, 2Sam. vi. 23.
Hannah waited humblyupon the Lordforthebleffingof children, and the Lord remembered her ; he enlightened her condition with that comfort,when she was as alamp deſpiſed. ' There is no comfort you have lostbutGodcan reſtore it, yea, double it in kind, ifhe sees itconvenient for you. Andif not, then,
Confideration 13. Confider, though heshould deny you any more comforts ofthat kind, yet he hathfar betterto bestow upon you,fuch as theſedeserve not tobe namedwith.
You have an excellent Scripture to this purpoſe, in Iſa. lvi. 4,5 "For thus faith the Lord untothe eunuchs that keep my " fabbaths; and chuſe the things that pleaſeme, and take hold " ofmy covenant; even tothemwill Igive inmy houſe, and " withinmywalls, a place, and aname betterthan of fons and " daughters; I will give them an everlasting name, that " fhallnot be cut off."
Mens names are to be continued intheir Englifb iffue, in their male iſſue eſpecially, and confe
See Annotationson
quently to fail inſuch aswanted iſſue, Num. theplace. xvii. 4. andanumerous iſſueisdeemed noſmall honour, Pfal. cxxvii. 4, 5. Godtherefore promiſed hereto
ſupply, and make good the want of iſſue, and whatsoever, eitherhonour here, or memorial hereafter, might from it have
accruedto them, by bestowing uponthem matter offar greater honour, and more durable ; a name better, or before the names offons ordaughters.
It is a greater honour tobe the child ofGod,than to have the greatest honour, or comfort, that ever children afforded their parents inthisworld.
Poor heart, thou art now dejected by this affliction that lies upon thee, as if alljoy and comfort were now cut offfrom thee in this world.
2 Aclouddwells uponallothercomforts, this affliction hath ſo imbittered thy foul, thatthou taſteſt no more in any other earthly comforts, than inthe white of an egg. O that thou didftbut confider the confolations that are with God for fuch
as anſwer his ends in affliction, and patientlywait on him for theircomfort ! he hath comforts for you far tranſcending the joyof children.
This ſome have foundwhen their children have been cut off from them, and that inſo eminent adegree, thatthey have
ATokenfor Mourners. 271
little valued theircomfortin children, incomparison with this comfort.
Iwilltherefore ſetdown a pregnant inſtance ofthepoint in hand, as I find it recorded by the grave and worthy author ofthatexcellent book, intituled, The fulfilling of the fcripture.
Fulfilling of thefcripture, p. 491 . Another notable inſtance ofgrace, with a very remarkable paſſage inhis condition, I shall here mention. •One Patrick Mackewrath, who lived inthe weſt parts ' of Scotland, whoſe heart, in a remarkable way, the Lord
touched, and afterhis converfion (as he ſhewed to many • Chriſtian friends) was in ſuch a frame, ſo affectedwith a new ' world, whereinhe was entered, the diſcoveries ofGod, and ' ofa life to come ; that for fome months togetherhe did fel-
dom fleep, butwas ſtilltakenupinwondering. His lifewas ' very remarkable for tenderneſs, and near converſe withGod ' in his walk ; and, which was worthy to be noted, one day,
after a ſharp trial, having his onlyſonſuddenly taken away by death, he retired alone for feveral hours, and when he ' came forth did look fo chearfully, that to those who asked 'himthe reafon thereof, and wondered at thefame infuch a ' time ; he toldthem, Hehad got that inhis retirement with ' the Lord, that to have it afterwards renewed, he would be