THis Sable Sceane bespeakes our sorrow and has drawn us hither, as you see, to tread the mournfull stage this day in a drooping stateliness, whether we are come to pay the last kisses of an honourable farewell, in a tribute of tears, justly due to the Herse of the Lady ANN HARCOVRT.

For this end, I have chosen this apposite Text, which when I have repeated, I may close my book, sit down in sorrow, and in tears take up our Saviours words and say, this day is this Scripture fullfilled in your eies.

It sounds like thunder in all our eares, and like a thunder bolt thrown from the hand of the Almighty, seemes to shiver that soul of her nearest relation, who erst while was giving it up to her, that She might live.

But that must not be, Heaven's decree must be as well obey'd as fear'd, which speaks this [Page 2] day, as it did to this holy man of God here in my text; Son of man behold I take away the de­sire of thine eyes with a stroak.

The Text is a sorrowfull and unexpected, but peremptory message from God to the Prophet.

In it we may observe, the Agent, and the Patients. The Agent, God. The Patients are, 1 the Prophet the looser, and the Person lost his Wife. But we shall take the words as they fall, where­in there are these Five things observable. 1. The Title given to the Prophet Son of man. 2. His duty injoyned him, imply'd in the word behold. 3. The Authour of this, l. 4. The sad message exprest take away the desire of thine eyes. 5. The manner how, with a stroak. Of these I shall breifly touch in their order.

1. Of the Title given to this eminent ser­vant of God, Son of man, in the Hebrew tis ben Adam. Adam, was the name of the first man, the father of mankind, and he had his name from red earth, out of which he was formed. This Name, though it be com­mon to his posterity, yet since the fall, the Scripture useth thereby to denote the weakness or the wickedness of man, as Iob 25.6. Bildad styles ben Adam, a worme, i. e. a weak in­considerable creature, non solum quia sicut vermis ex corruptione nascitur; sed quia abibit tandem in vermes. Pineda ex Philip. A creature of no [Page 3] continuance, or stability, wormes meate. In 1 Sam. 26.19. there, ben Adam, signifies a wick­ed man: If they be Children of men that have stir'd thee up against me, Cursed be they: there bene Adam signifies wicked men, the incendia­ries of a King against his loyal subjects are wicked men, and deserve to be accursed. Like­wise in Ps. 57.4. my soul is amongst Lyons, even the sons of men, i. e. wicked men.

The Hebrew language wants not words to set forth a man of worth; they style him ish, from esh, Fyre, importing Life, Spirit, and Vigor inhi Ps. 49.2. We find both here mean men, and men of worth set down under a various expres­sion: gam bene Adam gam bene ish; which our English for want of fit words have in our lan­guage rendred both high and low, but learned Tremelius more aptly in the Latine, tum nati plebeo homine, tum nati praestanti viro. After the same manner the Grecians distinguish of men; they call the vulgar men by the name [...] which comes [...] a suspiciendo sursum. i. e. he looks upward for help, being helplesse in himself, but men of worth and qua­lity, they called [...] because [...] vitru­ous. We find both these in Herodotus speak­ing thus, [...]. There are (saith he) many men, but few virtu­ous magnanimous men in the world.

[Page 4]But can there no better title be found for Ezekiel, then ben Adam, which is a diminitive title at the best? His Name, Birth, worth, and Parts be speak him great; his Name, saies Origen and Hierom, signifies Dei imperium, seu fortitudi­nem Dei, and such as his name was, such was he, strengthned by God, and mighty with him; his Birth was Honourable, and his Parts, and Piety answerable to his birth; St. Hierom on Ezek. c. 47. calls him for his profound parts, Scriptu­rarum Oceanum & mysteriorum Labyrinthum, & in another place, sui seculi portentum. Epipha­nius and Adricomius say he was an eminent Martyr: Certainly with men, he was great; but now God comes to speak to him, he'l make him know that he is but ben Adam, a poor, weak, helpless, inconsiderable creature, full of sin, and imperfection.

Obs. 1. When God comes to deal with men of high degree, and eminent parts, He'l make them know they are but low, worthless, meane and helpless creatures.

Great men in Learning, are apt to idolize their guifts and indowments; they, for the most part, sit without the gunshot of controll; few dare say to them, what dost thou? they have more flatterers then friends, who, as sutors for their favour, by their flattering applauses, stand like magnifying glasses before them, and make [Page 5] them seem bigger then they are. Thus He­rods eloquence must be extold to the skies, and he deified. A Scholer that by his parts has got the popular applause, how strangely, oft times, may we observe him to be puffed up, how he states it, and struts it in his fancy, thinking the heads of his betters, scarce ground good e­nough for him to put the sole of his foot upon. Tis not only so, with men of great guifts, but graces also; which made our learned and re­ligious Fox say, he got hurt by his graces, and good by his sins, His graces puffed him up.

Thus also tis with men of great Wealth, as Solomon observes, the rich mans wealth is his strong city, which he opposeth to any right or reason; it exalts them in their thoughts and words; might, and power, and honour, and ma­jesty, is the common dialect they discourse in. Dan. 4.30. Is not this great Babylon that I have built by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty. Hence it comes to pass, that they quite forget themselves; and now God comes as their remembrancer.

Iob was a man eminent in guifts and graces, and so highly confident he was of them, that in the end of his last defence Iob 31. he challeng­eth God to come forth against him: and in c. 38. God comes forth to coole the courage and pull down the confidence of Iob; now you find Iob [Page 6] chap. 24.6. alter'd of a sudden. He that shone in his integrity before, like the Sun; when de­vine brightness appeares, now goes out, he shri­vels himself now to nothing, and creeps into the dust again from whence he came. ^* I abhorr my self in dust and ashes.

Thus doth God, when he comes to deal with men of great power and wealth, he hum­bles them, he makes them know themselves. So he dealt with that lofty King Nebuchadnezar, he made him know that all his honour and wealth and power, was not in his own keeping, and he makes him confess it.

St Hierom observes in his He­brew questions on 2 Chron. 24.17. that King Ioash being exalted to the Throne, Adoraverunt eum ut Deum, & acquievit eorum obsequi­is delinitus, ut se ut Deum coli permitte­ret. Hierom. became so proud, that he permitted himself to be wor­shiped as God. And Cassian ob­serves, that God punish'd him with such loathsome diseases that all his freinds forsook him, and God did it, saith he, Instit. lib. 16. cap. 21. Ut carnis ignominiosa con­tagio patefaceret immunditiam cordis ejus occul­tam, quam superbiae mal [...] contraxerat, ac mani­festa pollutione corporis probaretur impurus, qu [...] elatione spiritus factum se non sentiebat immun­dum; [Page 7] that the ignominious contagion of his flesh, might open the secret uncleaness of his heart, which by the evil of pride he had gotten, and by the manifest polution of his body, he mihgt be prov'd impure, who by the pride of his heart did not perceive himself to be capable of polution. When great men wil make themselves Gods, God will make them know they are but a lye, they are bene Adam, gods of red earth, and unto that their godships must return: And when God comes to sit amongst these gods, he'l make them know so much. Psal. 82. I have said ye are Gods, but ye shall dye like men.

This should teach men of great guifts and graces, and those of high place and eminency, to carry themselves humbly, remembring al­ways that ther's one higher than They, that al­ways eyes them. He is no respector of per­sons, he hates pride in great men as much as in men of low degree, and when he comes to deale with the Mighty Monarches of the earth, he'l make them confess as Nebu­chadnezar did, that those that walke proudly, he is able to debase them; He'l not spare any be they never so neare or deare to him. The blessed Virgin herselfe the Mother of our Lord, if She meddle with things to high for her, though Christ as man be her Obedient Son, yet as God he will sharply rebuke her, 2 Ioh. [Page 8] 4. Woman what have I to doe with thee? these words (what ever the Papists and some other say) are acknowledged by the Fathers to be a sharp rebuke. 'Tis v [...]x indignatio­nis says Athanasius and Chrysost. 'tis vox reprehensionis, Athan. Serm. 4. adv. Arian. Chrysost. Hom. 4. in l [...]c. Aug. l. 2 de Symb. c. 6. Irenae. l. 3. cap. 18▪ says Au­gustine: 'tis vox repulsae, says Ire­naeus. I conclude this then with the words of the Psalmist, blessed is he that feareth always; 'Tis the safest way for great men in gifts and eminency to walk in a reverential feare, and holy awe of him who is higher than they.

I pass from the title given to the Prophet to the duty injoyned him.

2. Behold, [...] hinne God was now about to bring the dreadfullest National judgment that ever befell Judah. The Temple of Solomon, the Arke of the Covenant, together with the City and its glory, are now to be taken away from them, which was the delight of their eyes, and the crown of their glory. And as a certain and infallible signe of this, God will by a sudden and heart cutting stroake up­on the Prophets family make that the type of it; and therefore the Lord injoynes the Pro­phet here to behold it.

Behold. It implyes attention joyned with trembling & wonder. And then, behold, so as certainly [Page 9] to be assured of what I am about to doe: so much the word in Scripture carryes in it.

2, Obs. God's severe judgments upon a family or nation call for our most serious atten­tion. This is that God looks for from his people when he afflicts them, Isay. 22.12, 13: at such a time the Lord by his afflictions calls for weeping and mourning and guirding with sackcloath. This the Saints have practised, Ps. 119.120, my flesh trembleth for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy judgments. If the Lyon roare the beasts of the forrest tremble, and shall not the creature tremble when the Creator thunders out with his judgments upon them?

'Tis sensless stupidity, madness, and folly to be smitten by God in our Persons, relations, or families and not to feel it, not to grieve for it, nor bewaile it.

He that thinks to gain the name of valiant by a sturdy outfacing his greif under the affli­cting hand of God, is quite mistaken, for he shall but gain amongst the wise the name of frantick and fool hardy mad-man; so says St. Augustine, Gloriatur de viribus propria volun­tatis tanquam de stupore morbi, non de robore sa­nitatis, insania oft ista gloriatio, non est patien­tiae sed dementiae, August. de patient. cap. 23. Hear how the Prophet Ieremiah complain [...] of such, cap. 5. vers. 3. Thou hast smitten them [Page 10] but they have not sorrowed, they have made their faces harder than a stone, there is no stone so hard but the hammer will break it, but God's hammer of affliction did not break them▪ Mo­ses smote the rock and it gushed out water; but God smits the hard harted sinners in their relations, estates, and no penitential waters flow from them; these are such desperate sin­ners, that they seem to be past hope of recove­ry; there is as much hope of a clod of earth to be made rational as these to be reclaimed, and the same Prophet insinuates as much, 22. Ier. 30: when he leves sensless sinners and cries out, o earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord, whats the word? why write this man childless, a man that shall not prosper; he is rather an in­animate clod, than a man hat takes not to heart such judgments; yet such stocks there are that are twice dead, the [...]r consciences being feared with hot irons of hell; mark the doome of such desperate contemners of God's judgments; since God intended them as instruments of their convertion, and they abuse them, 22 Isay 13; insteed of mourning and weeping there was joy and gladness, slaying of Oxen, and killing of sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine, let us eate and drink for to morrow wee shall dye. Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till yee dye; after contempt of God's judgments upon us comes death.

[Page 11]Oh beloved take heed how you carry your selves under the hand of God afflicting you. Behold it with such serious meditation of the goodness and severity of God, as that it may raise up sutable affections in you, Rom. 11.22. Eye his severity with submission, fear and trembling; eye his goodness with ado­ration and thankfulness. Behold them so as to bewaile them, chiefly the cause of them. Though fooles may make light of such dole­ful dispensations, yet the prudent will lay them to heart, Amos 3.6.

But what is it, the Prophet is injoyned to behold?

This leads me to the Third thing ob­servable in the Text; which is the object mat­ter of the injunction, which is:

The Judgment exprest, with the Author and the Manner of it: we cannot seperate them.

The Agent, is the Lord, I, the Soveraign of the vniverse: The Judgment express'd, is, take away the desire of thine eyes: The manner how, with a stroak.

The desire of thine eyes. I'le omit the various readings of the phrase, since they all agree in the sense▪ The desire of thine eyes, is thy Wife, a wife being to every virtuous man the delight of his eyes, the only amiable and delightfull object God in the world hath given him; nihil [Page 12] enim (saies Hierom on the place) vire, vxore bo­nâ amabilius, quae a Deo homini providetur.

She might be the desire of his eyes, as a beau­tiful person; and without sinne, since by instinct of nature all men owe a kind of homage to it; beauty being the guift of God, as heathens and Christians grant; ^* hac tua sunt, domine, bona sunt, quia tu bonus ista creasti. 'Tis the boun­tiful advantage of divine creation says Tertul­lian, and the comely ornament of the Soul; 'tis to the gracious Soul as a rich enamel to a choise jewel.

As she was (which in charity we may judg, being a Prophets wife) a gracious Woman, she might be the desire of his eye, and joy of his heart. Or merely as she was his Wife, she might justly be the desire of his eyes, 1 Cor. 11.7. St. Paul says, the Woman is the glory of the man. How his glory? That he should be the head of a creature equal to him, in under­standing, will, liberty, and in all other divine privileges, as wisdome, grace and glory, of which she is capable. To be the head of so ex­cellent divine a creature, is the top of his glo­ry. She is (says Salmeron) in [...]gne viri ornae­mentum. So that she might well be, as his Wife, the desire of his eyes.

[Page 13]Well, be she so to him, however, God is now about to take her away, but how? by a stroake, morte repentina, suddenly, some think by the plague, but thats uncertaine, the word being of general use for all the Plagues in E­gypt. However twas suddainly, for vers. 18; he preacht in the morning to the people, and she dyed in the afer-noone.

Now lay all this together, and what a sad face of sorrow will here appeare? That she who was his Wife, and the bosome Friend, the Cabinet of his heart, where he safely layd up all his secrets, his Comforter in sorrow, his Physician in sickness, his loving and pleasant Friend in prosperity, and his sure and trusty Friend in adversity: That she should sudden­ly, unexpectedly, be taken from him; That she who last night layd her lovely face in his bosome, and with her loving armes embraced him, should this night lay them in the grave; What can we gather hence? Will fruit be found upon such thorns as these? Yes, from these thorns we may gather these grapes.

3. Obs. That the choisest comforts and the dearest imployments of this life are uncertaine and mutable.

And then for the circumstantial ag­gravation of this affliction, 'tis on a sud­den, and the Prophet is cal'd upon to attend. Who would not have gladly shut his eyes, and [Page 14] stopt his eares at this? but 'tis otherwise, the Prophet is call'd as 'twere to stand at the block while the fatal blow is struck, he must behold it; the good man nearest concern'd, must be the chief spectator.

4. Obs. That God oft times exerciseth his choise and eminent Servants with most sharp and sore temporal losses and afflictions.

Lastly, As this affliction was a type of fu­ture judgments to come upon the nation ob­serve.

5. Obs. That many times sharp afflictions on the godly are certain presages of the wickeds judgment at hand. we return to the 3d Obs.

3. Obs. That the choisest Saints of God can call none of these earthly enjoyments cer­tain good things: God can take them away by a stroak, they are mutable. Riches are God's blessings, but they make them selves wings and fly away as wel from Saints as Sinners, as well from Iob as Nebuchadnezar. He that to day had his table spread with dainties, that could wash his footsteps in butter, to morrow may have none to put in his belly. This word, take away, spoiles all. If God the great hous­keeper of the world say, take away, before we have halfe satisfied our selves, the full table is presently voided, and then (as Hugo Victor, in Psal. 24.) dum gustu appetitum provocant, [Page 15] transitu desiderium fraudant. Whiles they pro­voke the appetite to tast of them, they deceive the desire in their sudden departure.

A good wife is a great blessing and guift of God, but they we see are uncertain to.

Faithful Abraham's Sara the wife of his bo­some dyes away from him. And holy Iacob's Rachel, beautiful, and best beloved Rachel, fruit­ful Rachel, this fruitful tree is cut down in the time of fruit bearing.

A good name is the greatest of temporall blessings; Christ had it most deservingly, yet he could not keep it; they counted him a wine-bibber, a friend to Publicans and Sinners. They layd to his charge two of the higest crimes a­gainst first and second table; blasphemy, and u­surpation. They accounted of him but as a Magician, on that wrought by the Divels help.

Our time of living here, 'tis the choisest tallent that we have, upon it depends our eter­nal woe or welfare. Life, it is that which gives the main injoyment to all the comforts we possess. Who can define it? he best defin'd it that did not define it, that sayd, 'twas nescio quid, a certain sweet thing I know not what, 'tis beyond all paralel; yet see what the Scri­pture says of its uncertainty; 'tis compared to grass, to the flower of the field, that is subject to be eaten up by Cattel, or trodden down, or [Page 16] gathered by the Passenger. If it outstand these, ere long it blossoms, withers, and dyes; such is our life, in our best estate we are altoge­ther vanity, because uncertain and mutable, Psal. 39.5: therefore Solomon in Prov. 31.8. calls the Sons of men, bene haloph children of chang.

Iob compares our life to a Post, a Ship, and an Eagle hasting to her prey. Observe the climax: a Post makes hast, stays not, rides night and day; but he will at last tyre, and then he must ly down: therefore he takes up a stronger comparison, and compares our life to a Ship sayling, that tyres not: but wind and tyde may faile and then she stands still; therefore he compares our life to an Eagle, sharp set in pursuing her prey. An Eagle is the swiftest and strongest of long wing'd Hawkes, what flyes stronger and swifter than she? Such is our time here, it flyes away upon a swift wing, and death when it makes a stoop at us maks no canceleire.

Well then, since all our earthly injoyments are of no certain continuance, lets learn hence these three lessons.

Be not vainly confident in the possessing of them; 'tis a vanity in a great Person to build strong presumptions upon worldly props that are tottering and weak; the Psalmist excellently turnes their hearts outward, Ps. 49.11 that the [Page 17] posterities to come may decline that vanity; he speaks of worldly rich men, and tels you their purposes, thoughts and designes; God has blest them with estates and prosperity; and now their inward thought is that their houses shall continue for ever; doe they think to live for e­ver? no, but they intend their posterity shall live for ever, and keep up the state and gran­dure of the family, therefore they call their houses after their name, says he; they think, now God has blest them with a numerous off-spring, that nodosa quadam aeternitate, their name shall be kept up for ever: but what says the Psalmist, this their way i. e. their contrivance, is their folly, vers. 13: to build such high presumptions on such rotten props is their folly: and they find it so, for in the next words, says he, they goe down to hell like sheep, and death feeds on them: How like sheep? why, like as silly sheep in a fat pa­sture, feed and play, and fear nothing, though the Butcher come and fetch away, now one, then an other; which startles them for the pre­sent, but that being over, they fall to feed and play again, until the Butcher by little and little fetch them all away at last. So doe these world­ly Confident men, who are fed to the full, and have enough to keep up greatness to posterity, who securely, wantonly and haughtily, vant it in their thoughts that they shall continue for e­ver; find death like a Slaughterman ever and a­anon [Page 18] come amongst them, now taking a daugh­ter, then a son, anon a wife, 'till at last all the props they trusted in be taken quite away. How oft doe we see it come thus to pass, that many great families are quite taken away from their great estates (like sheep out of a fat pasture) and the estate passes into an other name and fa­mily. I will conclude this with that wise King's counsel, Pr. 27.1. Boast not thy selfe of to morrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. The word halal signifying to boast, signifies al­so to be madd. q. d. 'tis madness and folly in men of wealth and greatness, to think to build their nests among the Stars, when they are not sure of injoying any thing they have a whole day. The family of Eli, which was the greatest in Israel in the morning, its props were cut down ere night, and the rest destin'd to perpetual beggery; And Iob liv'd to see himselfe in one day stript of all that he could call good in this world. The Chaldee there­fore reads the text thus, for thou knowest not what this day may bring forth. That day that Belshazar was priding himselfe in his great­ness, he fell. Let me speak then to you rich and great men in the Apostles word, Charge the rich in this world that they be not high mind­ed▪ nor trust in uncertain riches. The more confident you are, the less secure, especially if you belong to God, qualibet elatio tanto citius [Page 19] rumpitur, quanto amplius inflatur. Greg. Ep.

2. Moderate your affections to the world, and the things of the world. You are certain of nothing but this, that you have not long time in them. We are no free-holders here, at most but tenents at will. You that are great Lords of Lands you may set for three lives: but you your selves have but one in your estates, and that a short uncertaine one. Observe the inference, Paul draws from this, the time is short, 1 Cor. 7.29. What then? not, Let us eate and drink, for to mor­row we shall dye; but, Let them that have Wives be as if they had none, and they that weep, as if they wept not, and they that re­joyce, as if they rejoyced not, and they that buy, as if they possessed not, and they that use this world as not abusing it, for the fashion of this world passeth away.

The time is short, for so much as remaines of it to be folded up; so learned Beza and Pareus read it, making no comma in the words, [...]. Beza so reads it from the authority of many ancient co­pies. Paraeus saith, the Apostle useth here a metaphor taken from sayles ( quae cum navis prope portam est, contrahi solent. When the Ship comes neare her port, the Saylors take in the main sayles, leave only one small one a­broad then.) So that the meaning seems to [Page 20] be this, that time which hath for 5000 yeares been furling up, is now drawn into a narrow compass, the end is at hand, we are entring the haven of eternity: if time be short, then all the things that depend upon it are short: if time it selfe shall be no more, after a few dayes, then all these things we injoy must be no more: Then 'tis high time to moderate your affections towards houses, lands, children, wives, and e­very thing you possess, for they are not to be yours after a few dayes; use the world as a Pilgrim his Inn, saith Augustin tract. 40. In Iohan. Utere mundo quemadmodum viator in stabulo; utitur mensa, calice, urceo dimissurus non permansurus: and the Argument in the close of the Apostles words is cogent; For the fashion of this world passeth away, [...] ▪ the pageantry, the shew, the things of this world are but mere outside things; like a pa­geant, gold without and pastboard within; and then, they pass by as a shew that goes along the streets: its soon gone▪ The heathen could say of worldly things, hoc unum scio omnia mor­talium opera mortalitate damnata: inter peritura, vivimus: Sen. Ep. 91. Oh beloved, think oft with your selvs what it is you so dote on, you so love, so insatiably thirst after; why tis that that is va­nity, & of no continuance. Who would venture his life, for the gathering a flower that he [Page 21] knowes will soon wither in his hand? Tertullian wonders at the Romans, that they should in­dure such hardship, and run such hazards, to gain a Consulship, which was but for a year; 'twas but, saith he, unius anni volaticum gaudium; may not we much more wonder at Christians, who spend all their time, wits, strength and spirits, to enjoy that which for ought they know, is but unius horae volaticum gaudium; for ought they know, God may say, this night shall all be taken from thee.

2. Since the choisest of our earthly enjoy­ments are perishing, mutable and uncertain: Let this teach us to put a true estimate on those things that are eternal, that are perminent. Had the Young Man in the Gospel, but con­sider'd, what was promised him, if he would sell all, he would, no doubt have cheerful­ly performed what Christ required. Twas Treasure in Heaven was promised him. The least treasure of heaven is worth all the worlds possession, because eternall: had the young man put eternal into the Scale with his great possessions, they would have seemed no more great in his eye; But this curse of the young mans, is that which falls upon us; men are like bruit beasts, wholely taken up with sensuality, and devoted to temporall things; but the things which are not seen, which are eternall, are con­temned [Page 22] and slighted and laught at; their car­nall minds are enimies to such things, they are foolishness to them: the reason is, because they see no farther then what they sensually apprehend, they cannot see (as St. Peter says) a farre off; and therefore men affect, what they sensually apprehend, which can goe no higher then sensuall things, things which are seen, which are temporall.

Pray therefore, again and again, that God would inlighten your minds, by Faith, to see the excellency of things that are eternall; no­thing but this, will lessen the world to you; what are great possessions, honours, crowns, to eternity? to be made a King for a day, and ever after a begger; what comfort can this be? but he that hath an interest in Christ, is made a King for ever; what is it to have an hour, or two's pleasure, and ever after live in a dungeon? these profits, pleasures, honours, riches, are but for a moment, and leave a sting behind them, but the pleasures, profits, honours, of heaven are eternall; life eternall, Ioyes and plea­sures at his righ hand for ever more, Crowns in­corruptible, and many such Scripturall expressi­ons. This made Moses throw away his honours, titles, court favours. Heb. 11.24. Aegypts trea­sures: and what did he exchange these things for? he exchanged these things for suf­fering, [Page 23] v. 25. for reproaches, for the wrath of the King. Reason would think the man madd. Indeed had this been all he had exchanged for, he had been of all men most foolish and misera­ble; no, Moses could see that Aegypts greatness, power, dignity, was uncertain; had he been in­vested in it all, it could not long have continu­ed: that would have gone from [...]im, or he from that. But he, v. 27. saw him that is invisible, by faith he looked to an eternall reward, to the favour of an eternall King. How little doe Wives, Houses, Honours, seem to that soul, that by faith, sees an eternall Bridgroom, a House eternall in the heavens, and an eternall Crown fitted for his head; they seem no more then Mole hills to mighty Mountaines.

From the circumstantial aggravations of the affliction to this holy Prophet, as the nearness, and dearness of the person taken from him, the suddenness of it, with a stroak, and the cer­tainty of it, God himself saith it, and who can reverse? and the Prophet that was nearest con­cern'd, must be the first informed of it, and the chief spectator of this dreadfull blow.

Obs. 4. That God oftimes exerciseth his choi­sest servants with sharpest afflictions, with heart cutting lashes of providence, and that suddenly, unexpectedly,, and very heavily.

In handling this (which I cheifly intended) [Page 24] Ile doe these Three things: 1. Shew that 'tis so, 2. Why 'tis so, 3. Apply it.

1. That it is so, Scripture examples prove it. Examples of this, are as old as the world. So soon as God set up a School, a Church, in the world, we find a severe rod in it; 'twas signed with the Crosse in its infancy. We may be­gin with Adam and Eve (the true servants of God we beleive:) When God had blest them with an off-spring, the greatest of temporall blessings, therein sweetning their sorrows with the pleasure of society; no sooner are the two Sons (the Crown of their Parents glory, and the ground of their future hope) grown to be usefull to their Parents, but they are both in a moment taken from them; the one by murder, the other, by banishment: Thus their Sun sets at noone: Abel the delight of their eyes, is become the mornfull object of their tears; pro­bably this their dear son, was one of the first gastly sights of death that they had seen, which must needs be irksome: the Son of their joy, is become the subject of their sorrow, their Cro [...]n of glory, is quickly turned into a Crown of thorns.

Abraham a faithfull servant of God, a choice one, yet we find him loaded also with the Cross, has he rich kindred, and great and fair possessi­ons, richly seated? he must leave them all, and [Page 25] turn Pilgrim: has he a beautifull and beloved Sarah, the wife of his bosome, the desire of his eyes, the one half of himself? we find Gen. 12.1 to 10. his fear to be such (amongst Barbarians not groundless) that he sacrifices this half of himself to their lusts, to keep his other half secure: this must need be a heart cutting act: how hard was his condition that whiles, think you, that was inforced upon such inconvenien­cies to seek his bread.

Trace him on in the passage of his life, and every step he treads, almost, is upon a thorne. Pregnant Hagar, from whom he hoped to have issue, must be turned out of doors; no fruitfull tree must stand in his Orchard long: Lot his kinsman and companion, growes to great to stay with him, they must part to prevent further mischeif. Hagar's receiv'd again, she brings forth an Ishmael, Abrahams joy; but of a sudden root and branch muh be pluckt up, and thown away, they must goe into perpetual banishment. But now the heart peircing affliction of all coms upon him; Isaac the son of the promise, the prop of his future hopes, the delight of Abra­ham; and Sarah's eye, the joy of their lives, and the very marrow of their souls, must now by the command of God be sacrificed, and who must cut his throat, but the Father that begat him.

[Page 26] Iob the Servant of God, none like him for piety, nor any like him for sufferings. He that was so rich in outward good things, was in a day be­reftof all, and made poor even to a Proverb. But the soul peircing affliction was, the taking away his seven Sons & three Daughters with a sudden stroak; the staff and comfort of his old age was broken in a moment. Reflect a little, you that are Parents, upon this affliction. Would it not be think you, a sad sight to see one of your godly neighbours following ten of his childrens herses to the grave at once? Iobs case is yet worse, for he must first pull his childerns torn limbs out of the jawes of this cruell Lyon, he must repleive them out of deaths hold, before he could lay them in natures bed, the grave: he must go forth now to stare on grisly death drest in its most gastly shapes: Here he must pluck out one dear child in his gore blood, there another with his limbs broken and mangled, here a Daughter ded in her Brothers armes, there another, but which he knows not, her wounds have so dis­figur'd her; perhaps another, or two anon he finds gasping out their last, and then expiring for want of timely succour▪ are not these things probable: but throw away these black surmises, and at the best, judge how sad would it be for a man to have Ten children all alive and lusty in thee morning, and all of these to be laid dead [Page 27] at his feet before night! this was holy Iobs case This to our purpose is observable as an aggravation of all his afflictions, they are brought in with a kind of behold, to the good man; one still is let escape, to bring the unwellcome news to him. read Iob 1.

David a man after Gods own heart, design'd for greatnesse from his youth: he had as fair a stock to begin with, as ever man had, he was both honoured and beloved at once of all the people, the city and the country, the army and the court, all they cry up David for the only Worthy, and high deserving man, they all put the garland upon his victorious brow, the King gives him his Daughter to Wife. Who in his condition would have dreamed of crosses? But alas! his rise is intended for his ruine. Saul intended to make a halter of his garland; the Court had like to have been Davids charnall house; Davids fingers did not play there so quick upon his Harp-strings, as Sauls envy plaid upon Davids Heart-strings. On a sudden the desire of his eyes, his new betrothed wife is ta­ken from him, he banished the Court, and in­forced to fly for his life; he that was yesterday the Kings son in law, is to day proclaimed Traytour. Thus tis evident, that God hath ex­ercised his choisest servants, with sore and un­expected crosses and afflictions.

[Page 28] Reas. The second thing to be inquired into, is, Why God thus exerciseth them?

To give a reason of the various dispensations of his providences to men here below, is so grand a mystery that reason cannot find it out. This Iob excellently cleares. C. 28. v. 12. he pro­pounds the question, and in the following verses answers it, that tis not by humane invention to be found out, the depth saith tis not in me, and the sea saith tis not in me, neither can gold or precious stones purchase this knowledge. That it should goe well with the wicked, and ill with the Godly, hath not only stagger'd the Heathens, but hath made sometimes the Saints in a pett to quarrell at it. Psal. 73. v. 2. to 13. it made David repiningly say, I have cleansed my heart in vain, for all the day long have I been plagued; and when he seeks to know the reason of this, v. 16. he confesseth 'twas to hard for him. What does he doe in this case? v. 17. he went into the sanctuary of God. So let us, to find a reason of these things, and there we shall find that the alwise and gracious Fa­ther, sees affliction necessary for his choisest servants, in order to their good. Nulla causa (saith August.) probabiliter occurrit, cur justi homines in hac vita laborant, nisi quia hoc iis ex­pedit. Tis needfull for them to be afflicted.

Ther's a twofold good, Privative, and Po­sitive [Page 29] that God aimes at in afflicting his ser­vants.

1 In order to their privative good, a necessity of afflicting them ariseth from two evils that the best of Saints are infested with in this life: Sin within, and Temptations without.

1. Sin with in them: Originall sin is still an in­mate in the regenerate; though it be pardoned & mortified that it shall not reign in them. They attain (saith Aug.) to a ne regnet, yet they doe not (as he saith) attaine to a ne sit of s [...]n: The re­liques of the old man still remaine in us, it came with us from the womb, and 'twill bear us company to the grave, till death part us. Though the tree be cut down, the root remains, and will without diligent watching sprout, and bring forth bitter fruit to our sorrow: as it did in David and Pe [...]er, and other Saints.

God whose spirituall eye lookes through and through us, sees in the best of us many secret enormous lusts, as pride, covetousnesse, luxu­ry, spirituall sloth, hypocricy, security and the like, which we in our prosperity discerne not; that lye in our breasts secretly and hidden­ly, like Toads and noisom vermin in dark sinks and sells, which we walk over unconcerned, be­cause we see them not. Now God calls to Saints in their prosperity by his providences, (for they have a voice) and by the ministry, to clense [Page 30] these hearts and cast out these vermin, that are a provocation to the pure eyes of his holynesse. How oft has God by his word called to us, Love not the world, nor the things of the world; Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouthes, No vnclean person shall enter into the kingdome of heaven, Remember thou & all thy family to keep holy the Sabbath, Pray more constantly, Be more fervent in prayer: God calls but we turn the deaf ear, and slight these calls of God, and God observes it. Ier. 22.21. I spake to thee in thy prosperity, and thou saidest, I will not hear: Now God in mer­cy for prevention is inforced to take his rod in­to his hand.

2. God is necessitated to afflict his people for the prevention of evil that would arise from temptations without us; for Saints are not free from temptation neminem prorsus Dei gratia fa­cit intentabilem, saith Gratian.

There are two Tempters, the Divil and the World, without us.

1. The Devil, 1. Pet. 5.8. He goes about like a roaring Lyon seeking whom he may devour, like a Lyon he's greedy, subtill, active, and power­full, he lies alwaies at the catch for us; but be­cause he has not immediate power over us, he useth, as his bait,

2. The World, the other temptation, which [Page 31] holds out, as a rich Marchant its guilded ware, the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life; this holds out the baite, that layes the snare: the Divel baites his hook with that he thinks our constitutions will soonest bite at, and so catches us: So he caught David with the lust of the eye, so he caught Solomon with the pride of life, and lust of the flesh.

These pleasures, and profits, and honours of the world, are usually the Saints greatest temp­ters; for the concomitants of ease and plenty, are luxury, carnall confidence, security, which draw off the heart from God, dull their appetite to spirituall things, take off their hunger after a Sacrament, and make them neglect coming to it, coole their affections, and allay that ar­dency which should be in prayer. As the best ground brings forth the rankest weeds in the heat of sommer, when the Plow is still & comes not over it; so many times, doth the warmth of prosperity, cause many lusts to break forth in the lives of the Saints. Raw fruit breeds worms in healthy persons: so doe worldly pleasures ex­cite lusts in the best Saints many times, as loos­nesse, wantonnesse, and pride; let David have but a little ease, and his mole-hill presently growes, in his proud fancy, to be a mountaine. I said in my prosperity I shall never be moved; what ranck blood, did a little prosperity breed [Page 32] in this holy man? his successe in warre, and strength of allyes raised in him presumption, that nourish'd lust, lust stole his ardency of af­fection from God, and that intercepted his confidence; and now his mountaine has stole his heart from God, was it not time for God to set his mountaine on fire about his eares, in raising Absolom against him, that he might fly back to the rock of his salvation. You see God is necessitated f [...]om the evils that are with­in the Saints, and from the tempters without them, to afflict them for their good privatively.

Now from Gods afflicting the Saints, there ariseth a threefold privative good.

1. God by afflicting them, redresses sin in them, it makes them feel what an evil and a bit­ter thing it is to sin against the Lord, it makes the Saint to search his waies and turn unto the Lord; so it wrought upon David, before I was afflicted I went a stray, but now I have learned thy word; afflictions like hard weather kill those sinnes, that the warmth of prosperity nourish'd.

The Devill by pleasures and profits invites us, as Absolom did the Kings sonnes to his ban­quet, purposely to murder Ammon: So he invites us to our ruine in the gluttonns language, eat, drink, and be merry, thou hast enough, wealth enough, time enough, opportunity enough, rejoyce o young man and let thy heart cheare thee: Now God in mercy to us, when he finds we are [Page 33] sate down to banquet, riot, and frolick it in the world, he by a rousing affliction unexpectedly comes amongst us, as Absoloms murderers came in, when their hearts were merry, and made all the Kings sons fly to the King their Father to Jerusalem; so God sends afflictions to drive us from our Lusts and deceitfull pleasures, unto him, oculos quos peccatum claudit, poena aperit,

2. Another privative good that comes by Gods afflicting of the Saints, is, hereby sin is prevented, he like a mercyfull Father and most wise Physitian knowes our tempers, and what our spirituall diseases are, better then our selves, and therefore to prevent them he bloods them in the right vein; when a Saint immoderately loves any earthly injoyment, so that God seeth it drawes his affections from heaven and glory; and from himself (which he takes grievously) then God in wisdome and mercy takes away that earthly comfort that his affections may turn into the right channell again; hereby God shewes us the mutability, inconstancy & vanity of these things, and that there is no safe footing for our affections upon them. God many times dashes our designs all in peices, to prevent that security and carnall confidence, which he wisely foresees would follow, if they should take. God in mercy provides a thorne for Paul to prick the tympany of Pride, if it should rise in him. 'Twas an excellent pious speech of [Page 34] our King Henry the Sixth, I thank God, saith he, that hath given me a weake, and infirme body, that it might not be a lustfull body. A Saint has as much cause to blesse God for his afflictions, as for his ordinances, we shall never be able to un­derstand the one half of our privative mercyes which afflictions have been the cause of, till we come to heaven to account them there, to the praise of his grace and wisdome that mercifully did inflict them: Lord whether would our lusts haue carried us, hadst not thou by thy correcti­ons called us back.

3 By afflictions God prevents our damnation 1 Cor 11 32 We are chastned of the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world: God hates the men of the world, and therefore chastens them not here so often as his children; he throwes the reignes in their necks, and bids them fil up the measure of their iniquity: which is the greatest curse that can befall them; in this sense that saying is true, tum Deus irascitur cum non irascitur. The Heathen could say, nothing is more unhappy to a man, then to be free from affliction, nihil mihi videtur infoelicius eo, cui ni­hil unquam evenit adversi, Senec. de Provid. Here it is true, there can no greater evill be­fall a man, then to have his heaven here. Son remember that thou receivedst thy good things in this life (saith Abraham to Dives in hell) and [Page 35] Lazārus evill: now thou art tormented and he is comforted. God gives his Saints their hell here, but their heaven hereafter; purposely casts them into the furnace of affliction here, that he may keep them out of the firy furnace of hell hereafter. A Saint may take this for his Motto, Periissem nisi Periissem, had I not been undone in this world, I had been undone to eternity: The Prodigals poverty brought him back to his Fathers family.

Thus you see a necessity for the best Saints afflictions in order to their good priva­tively.

2. God exerciseth his Saints with smart af­flictions, in order to their Positive good, and that, these three waies.

1. As they are instrumentall to the turning them to God. 2. As they are exercises of their graces. 3. As they are the meanes of increas­ing grace.

1. God useth them as a meanes to call home and convert the Elect to him. I doe not say they Physically operate, for many men are the worse for affliction: but they by the gacious or­dination of a divine hand, have a morrall influ­ence upon men to their conversion. Acts 16.26, 27, 30. by an earthquake on a sudden that shooke the foundations of the prison, and threw open the prison doores, and knockt off all the [Page 36] prisoners fetters; the keeper at first apprehen­sion of this astonishing providence would have killed himself, his conscience was so overborn with fear, but when his Judgement had got the throne, he considers this could be no other but the mighty hand of God, and in the full convi­ction of this his will is resolved to fall down to the command of God, & now with trembling he askes what he shall he doe to be saved. Oh blessed earthquake, might the goaler say, that wrought such a heart-quake in him as to make him turn to God.

Thus Saul Acts 9.3, 4. by a sudden stroak from heaven, which struck him to the ground, v. 6. and filled him full of trembling & astonish­ment, it was the instrument of his conviction: hereby conscience being fill'd with fear, made the mind serious, and being under full convicti­on, it in an instant raised his will to a resoluti­on, and that resolved, now commands all the affections to attend its motion, & now he cryes Lord what wilt thou have me to doe? Thus af­flictions, they are like a gun discharged amongst wild fowles, it startles all but it makes some fall into the fowlers hands, into Christs, that by these afflictions brings them to his hand. God by sudden and unexpected afflictions comes upon a soul, as Samuel came upon the Bethlehemites, 1 Sam. 16.4. he makes them [Page 37] tremble at his comming, but he makes a King in the family ere he depart.

2. God hereby tryes and exercises his Saints graces. Although God doth never afflict any, but where sin is, yet he hath other ends besides afflicting them for sin; therefore Gen. 22.1. God tempted or tryed Abraham, tis not said he corrected Abraham, when he said offer up thy Son Isaac. So God permitted all those afflicti­ons to come upon Iob, for the tryall of his gra­ces and the exercise of them: you have heard of the patience of Iob, saith the Apostle, had not God exercised him with such great afflictions, we had never heard of such an eminent Saint, he would have stole to his grave without being ta­ken notice of. Therefore Peter saith (1 Ep. c. 1.7.) to the afflicted Saints, ye are now in heaviness for a time throw manyfold temptations, for what pur­pose? that the tryall of your faith might be found to praise, and honour, and glory; the Saints that shall hear and see your heavenly, meek, self-de­nying frame of heart under all your afflictions shall praise you, & praise God for you, you shall honour the gospell, the cause you suffer for, and God shall be glorified by you, and in you. As Mutius Scaevola got more renown & glory to the Romans by his Sufferings then by his Actions. So doth a Saint to the cause of the gospell. A Saint by sufferings seemes to say to all the world, as he, tam vile est corpus gloriam spectan­tibus. [Page 38] So contemptible are all those terrene things to us, who seek after eternal glory. If God should not thus try a Christians graces, we should never come to know half their worth, nor they their own. Senecae counts him an un­happy man that never was in affliction; because neither he nor any other could know his worth. Miserum te judico quod nunquā fuisti miser, tran­siisti sine adversario vitam; nemo scit quid potue­ris, ne tu quidem ipse. As sharp incounters prove who are valiant, who cowards; so do afflictions, who are sound, who rotten, who are built upon the sands, who on the rock. A Saint has cause, as to praise God for bestowing grace, so for sending him afflictions to try the truth of his grace, for this brings him in unspeakable com­fort that he is sincere. If the heathen could say, egi gratias fortunae quod experiri voluisset quanti aestimarem fidem, I thank fortune that she would try me, how much I esteemed honesty; this I ought (saith Seneca) to prize at a high rate, non debet mihi parvo res tanta constare; if he a heathen could say thus, how much more ought we to praise God, that hath been pleased by his tryals of us to manifest to our own con­sciences and the world, that our faith and pa­tience and selfe denyal is sincere; a tryed Chri­stian is a happy Christian, and God by affli­ctions tryes them.

[Page 39]3. God exerciseth his choice Servants with great afflictions for the increase of their graces. As strong and great winds and stormes make trees fruitfull, so doe sharp afflictions make Christians. Every branch in Christ must bring forth fruit, and God by afflictions will prune them that they may bring forth more fruit.

Christians that have grace in the habit, St. Bazil compares to the earth, which though in its nature it be fruitful, yet unlesse the Plow and harrow break and teare it, it will not only not be fruitful, but it will bring forth bryers and thorns: so will Christians, unlesse God ex­ercise them with afflictions grow secure, lazie and sensual. This made Chrysostome say, that affliction is the mother of Christian virtues, because it exerts the habit into act.

Christians that have grace in the habit, are like an Organ that is well in tune; but for want of bellows to blow, and an hand to play, they make no musick. Therefore God raiseth his east wind of affliction to blow, and layes his hand upon them, and then they are melodious. As Birds sing sweetest in wet weather, so doe the Saints sing most melodiously amidst the storms and showres of afflictions.

Sharp sauces doe best quicken the appetite, Heb. 12.11: noe chastisements seem for the [Page 40] present to be joyous, but grievous, neverthe­less afterwards it yeildeth the peaceable fruits of righteousnesse unto them that are exerci­sed therewith; like soile thats unpleasant in the carrying forth, yet returnes a fruitful crop.

By affliction a Saint gets this farther advan­tage of increase, that not only the habit of grace is excited into act; but by those frequent acts the habit also is inlarged. What St. Hierom sayes of the Cedar (may be said of the Saint) that for every branch it sutes out above, it sends forth a root beneath, and this advantage it hath from the strong winds which by sha­king the body, loosens the earth and makes way for the root to spread.

So that by one storme it gathers strength to stand against the next. Thus tis with the Saint in the valley of Bacor, he grows from strength to strength; afflictions make him increase both in the habit and acts of grace; he grows down­ward in the habit as well as upward in the acts of grace by affliction.

Thus God sees afflictions good for his Saints both privatively and possitively; give me leave briefly to add this one more.

3. God sees afflictions necessary for his Saints in order to their eternal good, and that upon a twofold account.

1. By afflictions he fits and prepares them [Page 41] for glory, and that by drawing up their hearts and affections where their treasure is; should not God imbitter Egypt to us by heavy bur­dens, we should never long for, nor pre­pare to goe into the promis'd land, God makes our good things here mutable and fading, that we may set our affections on things above, which are permanent and unchangable.

2. Afflictions sweeten and the more indear glory to come: the sharper our sorrows here, the sweeter our glory hereafter, 2 Cor. 4.17. Our light afflictions work for us a farr more ex­ceeding and eternal weight of glory.

Since we find this doctrine to be an evident truth, and this vast congregation are sealing it with their teares; God hath taken away an eminent Servant of his by a stroak, a stroak to the rich, and a stroak to the poore, a stroak and a heavy one to Stanton Harcourt; but espe­cially to the family of the Harcourts, what should this teach us? let not me, but the Apo­stles exhort you, Heb. 12.5; My Son despise not thou the chastning of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him. This exhortation bran­che it selfe into two heads. 1: despise not, 2: faint not: the first you may think needlesse, and at this time I may think so to; but such is the deceitfulnesse of our hearts, and the hard­nesse of them, that though they now drop tears [Page 42] like rocks in a sudden storm, yet when the storm is over, they are soon dry again, and as hard as e­ver; therefore the first branch is not unseasona­ble: despise not, [...], ne parvi facito. [...], is as if you should say, [...], parvam curam habere, to slight and never mind a thing, to make light of it, as Ser­vants doe of their Masters chiding: they stand demurely and look sadly for the present; but when the Masters back is turn'd, they laugh and make light of it. Of all things beware of this; God hath a farther end in such dreadful stroakes as these, than to make us hang down our heads for a week or two, and then forget all; this is indeed to make light of God's cor­recting hand upon us. There are a sort of E­picureans in this age, that professedly against all sense and reason, indeavour to deface what of man they have in them, natural affection; like the brutish Stoick that made no more of the death of his Son, than of the breaking of a Jugg; heri vidi fragilem frangi, hodie vidi mor­talem mori; they contemne God and his pro­vidence, they say all things come alike to all, and sooner or later we must all dye, and what should we sorrow for that we cannot remedy. Upon such mens foreheads you may write fool (if the rule hold true) without injuring them; for consideration, and fooles are alwaies contra­ries. [Page 43] Well let us in the fear of God learne this wisdome, not to despise or disregard God's judgements and chastisements upon us.

Then a Christian may be said not to despise God's Corrections, when he learnes those les­sons God points him to by the chastisement; as 1: seriously to search after the cause why God afflicts us, 3 Lam. 39.40: this the Holy Ghost points us to, why doth living man complain, i. e. repiningly, man for the punishment of his sinne? while 'tis for his sinne that he is punish'd; 'tis but just that he should be punished: lets there­fore search our ways and turne unto the Lord our God; thats the lesson punishment should teach us: so in the 7th Iosh. 6. Up says God to Ioshua, search for the sinne that hath caused me to smite you; thus a Christian should search when God's hand is on him; what personal sins, what relation, what family sins, as a hus­band, master or father he is guilty of, and stone those Achans, that so God may gracious­ly return in his favours again to us.

2. In a humble submission to vindicate God's justice in all that befals us, and with the Church to say, thou hast smitten us lesse than our deservings, and o Lord thou art righteous in all that is come upon us, Isay 9.13.

3. Patiently to submit to the hand of God upon us. I was dumbe (says David) and o­pened [Page 44] not my mouth, because it was thy doing, 10 Levit. 3. When God took away two of A­ron's near relations, his Sons, with a dreadful stroak the text saith, Aron held his peace; pro­probably Aron was faulty in not restraining his Sons presumption, and therefore think it but meet & just, that he that had been sinfully si­lent under Gods dishonour, should now be sub­missively silent under his displeasure.

4. To buckle on our Armour, and to stand al­ways prepared to incounter afflictions; Through many tribulations we must enter into the Kingdome of Heaven, not through two or three but ma­ny, God knows what our next tryal will be; lets therefore by this affliction, be so Armed with faith and love, and patience, and selfe-denyal, that we may be able with more facility to stand against the next: Iob now finding the world to ring none but changes, and sad ones too, in his eares, hath learned to wait all the days of his appointed time, 'til his chang come.

5. Often and seriously to reflect upon our soules, what privative or positive good they have got by afflictions; for they make us bet­ter, or leave us worse.

These are some of the lessons God sets us to learne by our afflictions; which who so learns may truly be said, not to despise the chastise­ments of God.

2. The last clause of the exhortation speak­eth [Page 45] to us thus [ nor faint when thou art corre­cted of him] this is the other extreame we must avoid. Extreams are dangerous, fly not one so as to fall into the other, this nature con­demns as folly, Stulti dum vitant vitia in con­traria currunt, saith Horace. Aristotle defines virtue to be [...], the middle of two evils; nature teacheth us to grieve, let not the sensual facultes swallow up the ra­tional; Let not the Servant overtop his Ma­ster. 'Tis a wise mans character, that as he seeth farther into evils than other men, so he can better command his passions than others: hence Aristostle l. 4. c. 3; [...], he saith that [...] cannot be [...]; a magnani­mous man cannot be overcome with sorrow and passion, because the rational faculties keep the sensitive within their bounds. Should I goe a­bout to stop your eyes for so great a loss; I should but indeavour contra torrentem brachia: but let me perswade you to mourne as Chri­stians: though the chastning be greivous, yet 'tis no worse than what God's Saints and Pro­phets of old have undergon. Are we better than they? or have wee deserved better than they? lets comfort our selves in the text, that God owns us for Sons under all our afflictions, and intends our good by them; let us then take courage that God is our Father still, and [Page 46] though death like a Lyon hath come amongst us and devoured our glory; yet out of this eater there will come forth meat, and out of the strong sweet; if we by faith and patience can wait upon the Lord, in this his way and method of dealing with us.