sinnes that have provoked God to those judgements trouble him most I will declare mine iniquitie saith David Psal. 38. 18. and be sory for my sinne And Ezek. 7. 16. They shall be on the mountaines like the dâ—ves of the valleyes all of them mourning every man for 〈◊〉 iniquity Yea even wheÌ„ Gods judgements do presse and humble him most yet â—he is more troubled for his sinne then for the affliction that is upon him as wee shall see in that prayer of David Psal. 25. 18. Looke upon my affliction and my paine and forgive all my sinnes And so it is said of Gods people in Ezras time when the Lord by a judgement of immoderate raine had testified his displeasure against them Ezra 10. 9 They trembled because of this matter their sinne in marrying Idolaters and for the great raine Their sinne was the chief thing they trembled for Let us then examine our sorrow by this first note alas many blesse themselves in this that they have beene much given to sorrow and heavinesse 1. If sorrow be good saith many a one I have had enough of that Yea upon this they ground their hope that they shall escape the wrath to come because they have endured so much sorrow in this life I have had my punishment in this life saith he Alas poore wretch of all thy sorrowes that thou hast endured I may say as our Saviour doth in another case Mat. 24. 8. All these are but the beginning of sorrows worldly sorrowes are but the beginning of hellish sorrowes The Devils also beleeve and tremble after this sort as the Apostle speaketh Iam. 2. 19. They are troubled exceedingly more then ever thou couldst be with the apprehension and sense of the punishment which they undoubtedly bâ—leeve is prepared for them 2. Many of you are oft troubled with sadnesse and heavinesse of heart and can say as Iob 23. 16. God maketh my heart soft and the Almighty troubleth me O that thou couldst turne the streame of thy sorrow the right way from sorrowing for thy affliction to sorrowing for thy sinne One houre spent in sorrowing for thy sin will yeeld thee more true comfort then a thousand spent in sorrowing for thy affliction will doe 3. And we all now assembled to professe our humiliation for the manifold tokens of Gods anger upon his Church and this land must examine the truth of our hearts in this whether we can aswell mourne for the sinnes of the land as for the judgements of God that are upon it and are threatned against it See a notable example of this in Nehemiah Chap. 1. when he heard of the great affliction and reproach Gods people were in at Ierusalem verse 3. How the wals of Ierusalem were broken downe and the gates thereof burnt with fire he sat downe and wept and mourned certaine dayes and fasted and prayed before the God of Heaven as he saith verse 4. But what is it that most humbled and troubled his heart in this his fast Surely not so much the judgement whereby God had shewed himselfe to be angry with them as their sinnes whereby they had made him angry as you shall see verse 6. 7. and surely the sinnes of the land ought to trouble us more then any of the judgements either persent or imminent though they bee very great and fearefull For 1. they give us cause to feare far heavier then these be and God hath said of England as hee said once of the Kingdome of Iuda Ezek. 21. 27. I will overturne everturne overturne it and it shall be no more 2. If it were not for the sinnes of the land these judgements would vanish or doe us no hurt at all 1 Cor. 15. 56. The sting of death is sinne And of one sinne the sinne of Idolatry specially being openly committed and alas our land standeth guilty of that and of many more it is said Exod. 32. 25. Moses saw though every blind foole could not see it that the people were naked for Aaron had made them naked to their shame before their enemies Alas the sinnes of the land make us naked to our enemies abroad and to our treacherous and bloudy Papists at home do what we can to defend and arme our selves till our sinnes be repented of till they be removed we shall be found to be a naked people We cannot stand before our enemies till the accursed thing till Achâ—n betaken away Iosh. 7. 13. and alas we have many Achans amongst us So many of you therefore as have hearts that can mourne that can be humbled mourne for the sinnes of the land and by the first note approve unto God and to your owne hearts the truth of your humiliation that you professe this day And so much for the first note Secondly He that is truly humbled mourneth for sinne not so much in respect to himselfe of the hurt and danger that his sinne bringeth upon himselfe as in respect to God because he is offended and dishonoured by his sinne Saving sorrow is therefore called 2 Cor. 7. 10. Godly sorrow 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sorrow that respecteth God and is opposed to worldly sorrow that respecteth onely the crosses and miseries that sinne maketh us subject unto I graunt 1. It is not unlawfull to bee troubled for sinne even out of respect to the punishment and misery that it will bring upon us As a man may have respect to this in his feare that keepeth him from committing sinne so may he also in his sorrow for it after it is committed Iob giveth this for a reason why he durst not sinne For destruction from God saith he Iob 31. 23. was a terrour to me And so doth Paul 2 Cor. 5. 11. Knowing therefore the terrours of the Lord we persuade men 2. Sound and saving humiliation for sinne useth to begin in this legall compunction and terror which hath respect onely to the misery that sinne bringeth us to And not one of an hundred doe ever come to mourne for sinne in respect to God till they have first learned to mourne for sinne in respect to themselves this prepareth maketh way for and draweth in the other as the prick of the needle doth the threed So it is said of those three thousand that were converted by Peter Act. 2. 37. that they were first pricked in their hearts that is with this legall sorrow and feare But though this bee a lawfull and good thing to mourne and be troubled for sinne even in respect of the misery it maketh us obnoxious unto yet is not this sufficient to prove our humiliation and sorrow for sinne to be sound and sincere for many an hypocrite hath gone so farre they have beene greatly humbled and troubled for their sinnes O how Pharaoh complained and cried out of his sinne Exod. 9. 27. He saith to Moses and Aaron I have sinned the Lord is righteous and I and my people are wicked And so did Iudas Mat. 27. 3. 4. He repented himselfe cryed out saying
8. Yea they have been brought to the very point brink of despaire before they could come to comfort So was Asaph when he cryed Psal. 73 26. My flesh and my heart faileth And so was Heman when he complained Psal. 88. 15. While I suffer thy terrours I am distracted And so was David also when he said thus in his prayer unto God Psal. 40. 12. Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me so as I am not able to looke up they are more then the haires of my head therefore my heart faileth me But these were fouler sinners thou wilt say then ever thou wert I will shew thee therefore examples of such as whose sinnes were as small as thine Iob was never tainted with so fowle sinnes as thou hast been and yet his eyes were wont to poure out teares unto God 16. 20. He for that very forwardnesse and impatiency he shewed in so great affliction abhorred himselfe and repented in dust and ashes Iob 42. 6. Davids heart was so soft and tender that it smote him when he had but cut off the skirt of Sauls garment 1 Sam. 24. 5. The poore man whose child Christ dispossessed burst out into teares even for the weakenesse of his faith Mar. 9. 24. Paul was marvellously humbled even for his originall sinne Rom. 7. 24. O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Consider these examples well and thou must needs conclude with thy selfe 1. Surely it must needs be a good thing 2. Surely it must needs be a necessary thing that all Gods people have beene so much given unto Surely I have as much cause as they had to weepe and bee deeply humbled for my sinnes But I will give thee another example farre greater then all these thy blessed Saviour that had no sin was much given to mourning and weeping for the the sinnes that thou and such as thou art have committed Mar. 3. 5. He mourned for the hardnesse of the hearts even of his enemies He wept over Ierusalem Luc. 19. 41. His soule was exceeding sorrowfull unto death Mat. 26. 38. He offred up prayers and supplications with strong crying and teares Heb. 5. 7. Say not I have the lesse cause to grieve for my sinnes because hee grieved so much for them Esay 53. 4. Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrowes For thou must become conformable unto him in his sufferings or thou shalt never have comfort in them Rom. 8. 29. 6. 5. Say therefore to thine owne soule if all Gods people have beene so apt to weep and mourne what am I But before I proceede to the second Motive two questions and doubts must be ansvered that may arise from the first Can I not be in the state of grace unlesse I match these examples and be so tender hearted and apt to mourne as they I answer first thou mayest All Gods children have not beene humbled nor broken in heart in the same measure and degree and two reasons there be of the difference First In the persons themselves Some of them have beene more hainous sinners then others And according to the proportion of mens sins hath and must be the measure of mens humiliation The hainouser the sinne the deeper and of the longer continuance must the sorrow be Of Manafâ—es it is said 2 Chron. 33. 12. He humbled himselfe greatly before God Of David Psal. 51. 8. that his anguish and sorrow for sin was like to the paine a man feeleth that hath his bones broken Of Mary Magdalen that she wept so aboundantly as she could wash Christs feet with her teares Luc. 7. 38. Thinke upon this thou that hast beene guilty of murther persecution whoredome or such like hainous sinnes thy sorrow must be proportionable to the hainousnesse of thy sinnes The second reason of the difference is in the Lord who is the only worker giver of this grace For as in other graces he is pleased to give them in greater measure to some of his elect then to others Mat. 13. 23. In some elect ground the seed of the Word yeelds but thirty in some sixty in some an hundred fold So is it in this Ordinarily the Lord useth by the spirit of bondage and legal terrors to prepare men to their conversion and deeply to humble them to give them the spirit of bondage Rom. 8. 15. But we read of no such thing in the first conversion of Matthew though he had beene a Publican For at his very first conversion he made a great feast to Christ Mat. 9. 9 10. nor in those that Peter converted for though they were pricked in their hearts and deeply humbled before they beleeved Act. 2. 37. Yet did their sorrow and feare continue nothing so long upon them as Davids did they quickly attained to comfort in the assurance of pardon Act. 2. 41. 46 Lydias example I doe of purpose omit for shee though shee beleeved not in Christ till she heard Paul Act. 16. 14. yet was converted and feared God before Verse 13. Secondly Yet know this that all Gods elect 1. Find in themselves this humiliation even with legall terrours at one time or other For Christ was sent to preach the Gospell to none but to the broken-hearted to the captives to the bruised Luk. 4. 18. that is to such as had the spirit of bondage Rom. 8. 15. 2. All Gods faithfull and true hearted people are in some true measure humbled and can mourne and afflict their soules for sinne for they are all oft in scripture stiled by this title They are called the humble Psal. 34. 2. an afflicted and poore people Zeph. 3. 12. the poore of the flâ—ck Zac. 11. 7. 11. poore he meanes in spirit Maâ— 5. 3. Psal. 34 6 3. They hold themselves bound to aime at the best marks and to strive to be like them that have most excelled in this grace of brokennesse of spirit ability to mourne for sin Phil. 3. 17. Brethren be followers together of mee and marke them that walke so as ye have us for an ensample Thou art then in a wofull case if thou neither canst mourne for thy sinne nor strivest to doe it But yet there is a second question to be resolved For we heare may some say that Iob and David Peter and Paul and Hezechia and Iosia and Christ have been much given to weeping in their mourning for sinne they have wept much Can I not bee in the state of grace can I not have truely repented nor beene humbled for my sinne unlesse I can doe as they did unlesse I can weepe for my sinne I answer First That the griefe and mourning for sinne be absolutely necessary unto unfained repentance teares are not alwayes so And I will shew you two reasons of the difference that is to be observed betweene Gods people in this point First The constitution of some mens bodyes makes them much more unapt to weepe then others are Secondly The
a great feast Mar. 14. 5. 8. fals into a meditation and speech of his death and buriall And this was also it seemes the reason why sundry good men were wont to make their sepulchers in their gardens the places of their greatest solace and delight So we read that Mâ—nâ—sses did after his humiliation and repentance 2 King 21. 18. And so did Ioseph of Arimathea also as wee may see Ioh. 19. 41. Secondly nothing would have more force then this to restraine us from sinne and to breed in us a care to please God in all things This reason is given in that prayer Psal. 90. 12. So teach us to number our dayes that we may apply our hearts unto wisdome If we could number our dayes well and consider how few they are like to be this would make us apply our hearts to wisdome and piety more seriously than we do Experience shewes this even in the worst men O what Saints seeme many of them to be in their extreme sicknesse How fearfull are they then to offend God in any thing Nay no man almost is so desperately wicked that durst do any thing his conscience knew to be sinne if he thought he must die instantly so soone as he had done it Durst any man give himselfe liberty to be drunke if he considered he might die while he is drunke as Elah did 2 King 16. 9 10. Or durst any man commit whoredome if he could seriously thinke of this that God might strike him suddenly even while he is in that filthy act as he did Zimri and Cozby Numb 25. 8. Therefore also we shall find this oft noted for a chiefe cause of many grosse sins that men live in even the wilfull forgetting of their change and putting it out of their mind David speaking of the prophane man Psal. 10. 4. who through the pride of his countenance will not seeke after God God is not in all his thoughts giveth this for a reason of all this prophanenesse Verse 6. He hath said in his heart I shall not be moved I shall never be in adversity And the Prophet speaking of unjust and cruell men that did oppresse the poore gives this for the reason of it Amos 6. 3. because they did by all meanes put out of their minds the thought of their death and the judgement that they must come unto Ye put farre away saith he the evill day and cause the seat of violence to come neare Thirdly and lastly nothing would be of more force to worke in us a care to prepare our selves for death that it may not take us at unawares before we be ready for it then this if we would oft and seriously think of it And this would be doubtlesse a great benefit and advantage unto us This is a point of true wisdome and ought to be the chiefe care of every Christian to provide that he may die well Heare counsâ—ll and receive instruction saith Salomon Proverb 19. 20. that thou maist be wise at thy latter end This is one maine end we should aime at in all our hearing and seeking knowledge that we may learne to die well This was the Apostles chiefe care that he might finish his course with joy Act. 20. 24. And on the other side it is the most dangerous and wofull negligence that a man can fall into not to prepare before hand and provide that he may die well O it is a most miserable thing for death to take us at unawares before we be ready Take heed to your selves saith our Saviour Luke 21 36. that that come not upon you unawares Sudden death certainly is a kind of temporall judgement even unto the best men and so farre forth may be prayed against because the best man is not so well prepared for death in the time of his health and prosperity but he hath just cause to desire and endeavour also to prepare himselfe better for it before he die True it is we should be at all times as Gods people were when they did eat the passeover Exod. 12. 11. with their loines girded their shoes on their feet and their staves in their hand ready to passe from this Egypt unto our heavenly Canaan But though every man should be yet no man is so well prepared at all times as he ought to be But sudden death is to a wicked man that is not at all prepared for it more then a temporall judgement Though a man have made his will before-hand and have it in a readinesse lying by him yet may he esteeme it a good temporall blessing when his last sicknesse whereby God visits him is not so violent but he may be able to review it and adde or alter some small things in it before his death And on the other side it may justly be accounted a temporall judgement upon him when God takes him away with a dead Palsie or Apoplexy that would disable him from doing so much And yet if he do die of such a disease the matter is not great because he had made his will before and disposed of his maine estate according to his mind But it is we know a matter of great danger and inconvenience for a rich man that hath not made his will before to be taken with such a sicknesse at his end And even so is it in this case Sudden death is no such judgement to Gods child who is for the maine prepared for it as it is to the wicked man who is not at all prepared for it It is certainly a dangerous and fearfull thing for a man to live out of Gods favour and void of grace at any time but to die in that estate is the very up-shot of all misery And so the Holy Ghost speaketh of it Eliphaz speaking of the extreme unhappinesse of wicked men he concludes it thus Iob 4. 21. They even die without wisdome saith he as if he should say and what can be said more to prove them most wretched men So speaketh the Prophet when he would describe the misery of the man that hath gotten a great deale of wealth by oppression and fraud Ier. 17. 11. at his end he shall be a foole saith he he shal be utterly void of true wisdome and grace even when he dies And this must needs be so because there is no possibility of repenting and turning unto God of recovering his favour or obtaining any grace from him after death He that dies without grace must to judgement presently so soone as he is dead Heb. 9. 27. And hell followes with death saith the Holy Ghost Rev. 6. 8. q. d. they go hand in hand as judgement is immediately passed upon them that die out of Gods favour so hell is ready presently â—o receive them Now this Doctrine which you have heard thus opened and confirmed unto you is of great use First to reprove and condemne us all of great folly and madnesse 1. None of us are so carefull to nourish this thought and meditation in our
and quietnesse of conscience that seemes to be in that man that was never troubled nor disquieted in his mind for his sinnes Because the spirit of bondage and feare useth to go before the spirit of adoption and comfort as is plaine by the Apostles speech Rom. 8. 15. 3. And lastly it is certainly a grievous judgement of God and such as we should all tremble at to see a man that hath beene in his whole life time notoriously wicked to have no sight at all nor trouble of mind for his sinnes before he dies Our Saviour pronounceth them to be happy men Mat. 5. 3 4 6. that are so poore in spirit that they mourne for it and hunger and thirst after righteousnesse And if this be a blessed thing in every child of God how unblameable and civill soever his life hath been at all times even in the time of his best health and prosperity to see and feele in himselfe so just cause of mourning and trouble of mind as breeds in him an unsatiable desire after the righteousnesse of God in Christ then must it needs be a most wofull and cursed thing in a man that hath been notoriously wicked to be void of all sight and sense of his sinnes of all trouble of mind for them even then when he is summoned by sicknesse and death to appeare before the judgement-seat of God to go to hell in a sleep and never to have his conscience awakened till he come there And indeed so the Prophet speaketh of this as of a most dreadfull judgement of God when he gives up wicked men unto this blindnesse and senslesnesse of heart The Lord hath powred out upon you saith he Esa. 29. 10. the spirit of deepe sleepe and hath closed your eyes so as you cannot see nor be sensible of your owne estate But we see also on the other side in daily experience say some that many who have seemed most religious in all their life time and carefull to live well have yet shewed very great unwillingnesse and feare to die more a great deale then other men usually do To this I have two things to answer First that it is indeed possible enough even for a faithfull and godly man to feele in himselfe an unwillingnesse and feare to die Good Hezechia wept sore Esa. 38. 3. when the Prophet brought him word in his sicknesse that he must die and not live and David also prayed oft against death and that he might live still Psal. 6. 4 5. and 30. 8 9. and 88. 9 12. It is with many of Gods people in this case as it was with Lot when he would leave Sodom Though Lot had so small comfort in Sodom while he lived in it 2 Pet. 2. 8. yet see how unwilling he was to part with it Gen. 19. 16. He lingred so that the Angels were faine to pull him out as it were by strong hand they laid hold upon his hand saith the sacred text the Lord being mercifull unto him and brought him forth and set him without the City Some unwillingnesse to die our Saviour tels Peter he should find in himselfe even then when he should suffer martyrdome for his sake When thou shalt be old saith he Ioh. 21. 18. thou shalt stretch forth thy hands and another shall gird thee and carie thee whither thou wouldest not And there is good reason to be given for this For 1. Death being a great enemie to the nature of man and even the dissolution of it there must needs be in all men naturally some feare of it Such as haue beene long and inward and deare friends cannot part for adieu as we say without much unwillingnesse and expression of griefe as we see in the example of Ionathan and David 1 Sam. 20. 41. And where were ever found in the world so long inward dear friends as the soule and body have beene 2. Who can thinke of his personall appearance before the Majesty of God without some feare 3. Lastly the best of Gods servants though they know and believe that when they die they shall not come into condemnation as our Saviour speaketh Iohn 5. 24. but are already passed from death unto life and therefore have no just cause in respect of their future estate to feare death at all but rather to welcome it and to rejoyce in it yet are they regenerated and consequently do believe but in part And though the spirit the regenerate part indeed be willing as our Saviour speaketh Mat. 26. 41. yet the flesh the unregenerate part will be apt to shew it selfe weake and unwilling to die But then I answer secondly that there is no man that hath lead a godly life but 1. He discernes and bewailes his owne corruption in this his unwillingnesse to die he yeelds not to it but strives against it by all meanes and even in this case finds in himselfe that combate betweene the flesh and the spirit that the Apostle speakes of Gal. 5. 17. The flesh lusâ—eth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other 2. He doth in the end overcome this corruption and is by Gods grace made most willing and desirous to die before God cals and takes him away according to that gracious promise made unto all Gods people to all that have been carefull to serve and please him Psal. 29. 11. The Lord will give strength unto his people the Lord will blesse his people with peace But then there is yet another thing objected against this that hath been said touching the assurance they may have to die happily and well that have been carefull to live religiously and well namely that many who have beene most precisely religious have not onely beene void of comfort when they should die but full of terrour in their conscience calling in question the truth of their faith and of whatsoever goodnesse hath seemed to be in them apt to despaire utterly of the mercy of God in Christ. My answer to this objection must consist of three branches 1. It is possible indeed even for a man that hath lived a most innocent and holy life to expresse in his last sicknesse much terrour and to breake forth into speeches that tend unto desperation and even unto blasphemy also against God For 1. There is no disease so violent and extreme but the child of God may be subject unto it and die of it also aswell as any other man All things come alike to all in this respect as Salomon speaketh Eccl. 9. 2. And these things that are objected as causlesse feares and terrours ravings blasphemies fierce speeches and actions both against themselves and others are knowne to be the very naturall effects of some violent and extreme diseases 2. It cannot be denyed but that Satan also is wont to shew the uttermost of his fury and power against Gods servants in their last sicknesse The last combate that they have with him
is wont to be the sharpest of all other The Apostle telleth us Col. 2. 15. that our blessed Saviour spoiled the principalities and powers and made a shew of them openly triumphing over them in his crosse All the principalities and powers of hell did then set upon him and shewed their uttermost strength and rage against him This Christ did fore-see and told his Disciples of also before hand The prince of this world commeth saith he Iohn 14. 30. and hath nothing in me as if he should say I know well that Satan in my passion which is now at hand will come and assault me with all his forces but he hath nothing nothing of his owne no corruption at all in me and therefore shall lose his labour and do me no hurt at all And as he did with Christ our head so hath he been wont to deale also with the best of his members and servants even to set upon them most fiercely in their â—ast sicknesse and that for two causes 1. Because he sees his time and opportunity that he can have with them is now so short having great wrath saith the voice from heaven Rev. 12. 12. because he knoweth that he hath but a short time 2. Because he knoweth we are then through paines and feares and distempers of body and mind like to be most weake and unable to resist him Secondly though godly men may have such conflicts with Satan and experience of his most fiery assaults upon their death-beds yet the Lord the God of peace is wont to tread downe Satan under their feet as the Apostle speakes Rom. 6. 20. before they die He useth to make them even in this life morâ— then conquerours over that distresse and anguish which his assaults hath brought them unto In all these we are more than conquerours saith he Rom. 8. 37. through him that loved us Yea the experience of many of Gods servants hath proved that these bitter conflicts of theirs have ended in more abundance of peace and comfort than ever they found in their lives before and that not inwardly onely in their owne feeling but God hath made them able also to expresse it outwardly to the exceeding comfort and admiration of them that have beene about them Thirdly and lastly although it should so fall out that the Lord for the further hardning of wicked men or for some other causes best knowne to himselfe whose judgements are unsearchable and his wayes past finding out as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 11. 33. should take away any of his servants in these fearfull fits and conflicts and utterly disable them from expressing by word or gesture the victory over them and the comfort that they have ended in yet are we to rest confidently assured of this that every one that hath lead a good and godly life doth certainly die blessedly and comfortably though we cannot perceive it Because we are to walke by faith and not by sight as the Apostle teacheth us 2 Cor. 5. 7. and more credit is to be given to the word of God than to all sense and experience of men and therefore whatsoever we heare them speake or see in the manner of their death we should resolve with Salomon Eccl. 8. 12. Yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that feare God which feare before him For the Lord hath expresly said of every godly man Prov. 14. 32. The righteous hath hope in his death And commanded us Psal. 37. 37. to marke the perfect man and behold the upright assuring us that the end of that man is peace The fourth and last thing that may be objected against that which hath been said is this if the death of all the godly be so blessed and happy why hath there beene such mourning and lamentation for their death among Gods people as we see there was both in the old Testament for the death of Iacob Gen. 50. 10. and of Samuel 1 Sam. 25. 1. and of many more and in the new Testament also for the death of Steven Acts 8. 2. and of Tabitha Acts 9. 36. and sundry others To this I answer 1. That the happinesse of the godly in their death makes nothing against our mourning for them but it is both lawfull and fit for us to mouâ—ne for the death of our Christian friends for all that 1. Out of the respect we owe unto them and out of that love and affection we are bound to shew unto them And the Apostle noteth it Rom. 1. 31. for a signe of one that is given up of God to a reprobate mind to be void of natural affection towards them that God hath linked him unto 2. Out of respect to our selves and therein unto the Lord also for we are to take it for an argument of Gods displeasure against us for our sinne when he deprives us of such friends as were his good instruments of our comfort any way So Naomi when God had taken from her her husband and her two sonnes said Ruth 1. 21. that the Lord had testified against her and the Almighty had afflicted her Secondly though it be lawfull and fit we should mourne for the death of our Christian friends yet may we not mourne for them immoderately but take heed that we exceed not this way They that weepe saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 7. 30. should be as though they wept not They must take heed their hearts be not too much taken up and oppressed with griefe I would not have you to be ignorant brethren saith he 1 Thess. 4. 13. concerning them which are asleepe that ye sorrow not even as others which have no hope And we should moderate our griefe in this case 1. Out of our respect unto the Lord who is the doer of this It is he that gives and it is he also that takes away our friends from us This quieted Iobs mind and moderated his sorrow when he had lost all his sonnes and daughters The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away saith he Iob 1. 21. It becomes us all to stoope and submit our selves to his will in all things and to say with old Ely 1 Sam. 3. 18. It is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good And immoderate sorrow in any of our losses must needs argue a kind of murmuring and impatiency against God 2. Out of our respect unto our Christian friends whom we mourne for for death is to them we know a great advantage to die is their gaine as the Apostle speaketh Phil. 1. 21. Death makes them happy and blessed Write blessed are the dead which die in the Lord saith the voice from heaven Rev. 14. 13. For 1. Death puts an end to all their sorrowes afflictions and tentations that they were vexed with continually in this life now they rest from their labours Rev. 14. 13. 2. Death puts an end to all their infirmities which they so much complained of and perfecteth their sanctification which they so much longed after while