Obedient Patience, Chapter 2 · Case 4
CASE IV.
Ʋnder the sufferings and death of friends. 1. Of Children. 2. Of ungodly Kindred. 3. Some dear friend, who dyed in pain or misery. 4. Some Pillars in Church or State.
IV. ANother Case which requireth Obedient Patience is the sufferings and death of Friends, whether near us, as Wife, Husband, Children, or more remote, as those that have been most kind to us, most faithful to God, or most useful to the Church.
It is not only lawful but a duty, to be duly sensible of such a loss: To be void of natural affection, and to bear all Mens sufferings too easily, saving their own, is the odious quality of the basely selfish.
And alas many good Christians are yet with greater reason grieved, for the death of wicked Children or Relatives, lest they be in helpless misery: And some Parents mourn for their dead Infants as doubting of their Salvation.
Somewhat should be said against impatience in every one of these several cases.
As to the last,
1. Faithful Parents have no just cause to be impatient at the Death of Infants.
For, 1. For my part I think that God hath promised their Salvation: I speak not of the Infants of Heathens or Infidels, or of Hypocrites, but of sincere Christians, (one at least) or such proparents as take them for their own. I believe that it is not another but the same Covenant, which Baptism sealeth to the Child and Parent, and that as true saith is the condition to the Adult, so to be the Child of a true Christian is all, the condition to an Infant, to be dedicated to God and accepted by him; And I beleive that it is the Parents duty to dedicate him, and enter him into Covenant with Christ: And that all that so come to Christ are received by him, and none cast out. And that this Covenant on Gods part pardoneth their Original sin, and puts them into an Infant right to Salvation: and that all such so dying are saved by promise▪ And if any thing hinder actual Baptizing, as long as a Believer is justly supposed to devot… himself, and his Child to God, as far as in him lyeth, it is not the bare want of water or the outw…rd Ceremony, that depriveth su… of …art in Gods Covenant.
All this I have elsewhe… and confirmed. But if this …rove an er…r, yet all …rant t… i… mo…e pr…bability of Gods s…ial … to …he Children of … th… too …he … t…n …o ot…e…s: But I think t….
2. And th… of … dangerous and trou… What abundance of s… they h…ve undergone, and w… of te… tations, and what abundance of suffe… of many kinds, if they had lived till old age? Had it been but the fear of dy…g, to escape it is no contemptible mercy. To be at the harbour so easily and qui… ly while others must …e tost many scor… years on so tempe…tuous and dangerous a Sea, is matter of rejoycing. And tho confirmed Grace be never lost, …ch as I, who incline to think that the Grace given to the Infants of Believers as such, is as losable as Adams or the Angels that fell was, must with Augustine take it for a mercy, that their possible apostasie is by Death prevented. For my own part when I see how many Children of duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page excellent Men, prove wicked, and scourges to the Church, and what a miserable world it is that we are in, even sunk into darkness, wickedness, and self-destruction, like the Suburbs of Hell, I have many times rejoyced, but never grieved, that I never had a Child. And why then should I mourn, if I had one, and God had quickly taken him away.
II. I confess the death of ungodly Kindred, is a humbling case: To think where they are, as Gods Word tells us of all the unconverted and unholy, and to think that they are past all help and hope, remediless for ever. But yet we have all this to command our patient submission to God.
1. God, who is absolute Lord of his Creatures, is wiser and more merciful than we, and doth all well, and to his Glory: And his Will is still fulfilled, which is the end of all: And if we knew what he knoweth, we should rest satisfied in his works, as better than our Will and way would have been.
2. When we come to Heaven we shall be fully reconciled to all the severest Providences of God: For our mind and Will shall be conformed to Gods.
3. We should rejoyce with the blessed, as well as be sorry for the miserable: And O what worlds of Glorious Angels and Spirits are there for us to rejoyce with, which in proportion should quite over ballance our sorrow for the damned.
4. The destruction of the wicked should call us to think how unspeakably we are beholden to God for our selves, and so m…ny of our friends, and all the faithful, that he did not forsake us, and cut us off in our impenitent state?
5. What are your kindred, that they should be more lamented than all the rest of the ungodly World? How incongruous had it been for you to cry and mourn inordinately for the death of some one person, when the Plague lately took away in this City an hundred thousand? And when the world lyeth in Heathenism, Infidelity, Mahometanism, Popery, Ignorance and Ungodliness, is it congruous for you to be over troubled for one, because he is kin to you?
III. But suppose the Case be the death of some dear friend of ours? When we think of the great pain in which they dyed, or of the Grave where now they lie co…rupting, or of our former familiarity, our present losses, we are apt to over-grieve. But
1. We alwaies knew that they must die? Do nor as many die as are born.
2. We had a long time to prepare each other for our parting: And doth it now come as an unexpected thing? What else did we live together for, but to help each other to prepare for death?
3. Should we not be thankful to God for the use and comfort of them so long.
4. Is it not matter of greater joy, than our loss should cloud, that they have ended all their work and suffering, and have safely escaped all their Enemies and dangers, and are past all fears and sorrows, and are everlastingly delivered from all the guilt and power of sin, and have the end of all their faith and patience, their work and hope, and are triumphing with Christ and all the blessed in Heavenly endless joy and Glory? Do we believe this, and yet do we not rejoyce with them, but mourn as those that have no such faith or hope?
5. And as to their late pains, it is none when it is past: I would not now wish my self that I had never felt the pain t…ats past: Much less do they wish it that are with Christ? And yet we are apter to keep imprinted on our minds, the groans and dying sorrows of our friends, than all the former comforts of their lives, or all the joy that they have now with Christ, and shall have for ever.
6. Though natural affection be laudable, usually much faultiness sheweth it self in our overmuch sorrow: 1. It sheweth that we prepared not for it as we ought to do. 2. It sheweth that we have too great a love still for this world and present life. 3. And that our belief of Heaven and the blessedness of the Spirits of the just with Christ, is very weak, and too little effectual. 4. And it sheweth that we expect a longer life on earth our selves, than we have just cause to do. If we kn…w we should die the next day or week, it would be folly to mourn for our parting from a friend that dyed but the day before. Would we not have their Company. And where can we have it but where we are to be our selves? And are we so sottish as to forget how quickly we must follow them and be gone? If we love their Company, we should rejoyce that we shall quickly meet them, and live with Christ and them for ever. I have oft thought (and mentioned it) how like it was to this our folly, when I have seen a Man fetch his beasts home out of Pasture, and when one hath gone through the Gate, another hath lookt and mourned after him, not knowing that he was presently to follow. Alas, it is want of conversing by faith with the Saints above, which maketh us over grieve for the miss of them, here below.
And as to the loathsomeness of the Grave and rottenness, it is the fruit of sin, and we alwaies knew that flesh was corruptible. It is made of that which lately stood on our Tables, the flesh of Sheep, and Beasts, and Swine, and Birds, &c. Turned into the flesh of Man: And before that, it was grass growing for the food of Cattle in the Fields: But the Soul corrupteth not: And if it change the rags of flesh, for a building in the Heavens, why should we repine at this? The Soul is the Man: And God will change these vile bodies, and make them incorruptible, and Spiritual, and immortal, like to the glorious body of Christ, Phil. 3, 19, 20.
IV. But our sorrows seems to be more justifiable, when we mourn for the loss of the Pillars, or useful Servants of the Church. Their death is the loss of Souls, yea of many, and a sign of Gods displeasure to a Land. But as to this also;
1. Magistrates, and Ministers, and all are mortal: They have their works and time, and then they must go home. They came not to abide on earth, but to do their Message and be gone: When they have faithfully finished their course, they must go to their Masters joy, that he that soweth, and he that reapeth may rejoyce together.
2. Thank God for the Good he hath done by them, and pray for a Succession of more. God will not serve himself here by one Generation only: As the same Rose or other Flowers, which you get this year, will not serve you for the next; nor the same fruit or Crop of Corn, but every year must bring forth its own fruit; so must it be with serviceable men: Elisha must have his time and part as Elias had; and a David, Solomon, Hezekiah, or Josiah live not here alwayes. Every Generation must have its proper Servants, work, and honour. If some have till evening born the burden and heat of the day, allow them their rest, and let others work the following day.
3. And God hath the fulness of the Spirit in Christ, to send forth on Successors: And he is the Lord of the Church, and knoweth whats best, and what the People are fit to receive: Christ lived on Earth to no great age, and he tells his Apostle, That it was expedient for them, that he go away, that the Comforter might come: God will choose his own Servants, and their times, and we must submit to his disposal.
4. Paul was permitted at Rome to dwell two whole years in his own hired house, and receive all that came to him; preaching the Kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him. But I have been permitted above forty years to preach the same Gospel, though long a Law, and Bishops, and Justices did forbid me, (save that for nine or ten years, they confin'd my vocal preaching to my house). James was cut off near the beginning of his Apostleship. Steven was sooner cut off than he. Some excellent Ministers hath God taken away young.
5. Christ is more worthy of their company than we are: Heaven is more worthy of them than earth, than those that hate them and abuse them, Heb. 11. 28. Of whom the World was not worthy. The world knoweth not the worth of a Saint, nor how to use him, or what use to make of him.
6. We know not from what approaching evil God in mercy taketh them away. We have lately lamented the death of many excellent persons, Magistrates and Ministers: But the Storms that are now assaulting us, tell us, that it was a seasonable and merciful change to them. Christ saith, Joh. 14. 28. If ye loved me, ye would rejoyce, because I say I go to the father. They mourn not for their own removal: Would you wish them here again from heaven? You do not mourn, that Christ, and Abraham, and David, and the Apostles are gone to heaven, nor that Lazarus hath changed his beggery for Abrahams bosom; nor that the Martyrs are gone thither: The ancient Churches were wont w… thankfulness to recite the names of their departed Pastors in their Liturgies, and to keep dayes of thanksgiving (which we call Holy-dayes) in memorial of their Martyrs. They may say, as Christ, Weep not for me, but for your selves and your Children: for those that must indure the storms that are coming upon us, and must be sifted by Satan and his Ministers, to try whether their Faith and Constancy will fail. Christ purchased them for heaven, and he will have them there. It is his Will and prayer, Joh. 17. 24. Father I will that those whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may see the Glory, which thou hast given me: (a better sight than we see here, when we are laid among Malefactors in Gaols, or scorned for preaching). If our hope were in this life only, we were of all men most miserable: And do we love them so little as to wish them with us in so miserable a life? Is vanity and vexation, and the portion of the wicked, better than the Jerusalem above? Our Cows, and Sheep, and Hens, &c. when they have bred up their young ones at great pains and love, must part with them for us to kill and eat, yea, and with their own lives also: And shall we grudge that our Friends and we must die to go where God will have us? If God should not take our Friends or us, till our Wills consented, I doubt we should stay here too long, unless pain constrained us to consent: But God is fittest to choose the time. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of all his Saints, Psal. 116. Even the hairs of their Head are numbered: It is not then for want of Love to them that they are taken away by death. They rest from their labour and their works follow them? Were we not fools and slow of heart to believe what the Gospel saith of blessed Souls, we should know that they ought to suffer with Christ, and then to reign with him, as he suffered, and then entered into his Glory.
And, as David said of his Child, we shall come to them, but they shall not return to us.