room for God, soul, or eternity in them, is gone; all the vain expectations that thou raisedst up unto thyself, from that poor creature which now lies in the dust, are in one day quite perished. O! what an advantage hast thou now for heaven, beyond whatever thou yet hadst ! If God will but bless this rod, thou wilt have cause to keep many a thanksgiving day for this day.

I pray, let these three things be pondered by you. I can bestow no more comforts upon you. Your condition bars the best comforts from you. They belong to the people of God, and you have yet nothing to do with them. I shall therefore turn from you to them, and present some choicer comforts to them to whom they properly belong, which may be of great use to you in reading, if it be but to convince you of the blessed privilege and state of the people of God in the greatest plunges of troubles in this world, and what advantages their interest in Christ gives them for peace and settlement, beyond that state you are in.

And here I do with much more freedom and hope of success, apply myself to the work of counselling and comforting the afflicted. You are the fearers of

the Lord, and tremble at his word. The least sin is more formidable to you than the greatest affliction. Doubtless, you would rather choose to bury all your children, than provoke and grieve your heavenly Father. Your relations are dear; but Christ is dearer to you by far. Well, then, let me persuade you to retire awhile into your closets; redeem a little time from your unprofitable sorrows; ease and empty your hearts before the Lord; and beg his blessing upon the relieving, quieting, and heart-composing considerations that follow; some of which are more general and common, some more particular and special; but all of them such as, through the blessing of God, may be very useful at this time to your souls.

1. Consider in this day of sorrow, who is the framer and author of this rod, by which you now smart. Is it not the Lord ? And if the Lord has done it, it becomes you meekly to submit. "Be still, and know that I am God."

Man and man stand upon even ground. If your fellow-creature does any thing that displeases you, you may not only inquire who did it, but why he did it; you may demand his grounds and reasons for

what he has done; but you may not do so here. It is expected that this one thing," The Lord hath done it," should, without any further disputes or contests, silence and quiet you, whatever it be that he has done. "Why dost thou strive against him? for he giveth not an account of any of his matters." The Supreme Being must needs be an unaccountable and uncontrollable being. It is a shame for a child to strive with his father; a shame for a servant to contend with his master; but for a creature to quarrel and strive with the God that made him, O how shameful is this! Surely it is highly reasonable, that you be subject to that will whence you proceeded, and that he who formed you and yours, should dispose of both as seemeth him good. It is said in 2 Sam. iii. 36, "that whatsoever the king did pleased all the people ;" and shall any thing the Lord does displease you? He can do no wrong. If we pluck a rose in the bud as we walk in our gardens, who shall blame us for it? It is our own, and we can crop it off when we please. Is not this the case? Thy sweet bud, which was cropped off before it was fully blown, was cropt off by him that owned it, yea, by him that formed it.

If his dominion be absolute, surely his disposal should be acceptable. It was so of good Eli, "It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good ;" and it was so to David, "I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it." O! let it be for ever remembered, that he whose name alone is Jehovah, is the Most High over all the earth.

The glorious sovereignty of God is illustriously displayed in two things-his decrees and providences. With respect to the first, he says, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy." Here is no ground of disputing with him: for "who art thou, O man, that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay?"

And as to his providences, wherein his sovereignty is also manifested, it is said in Zech. ii. 14, "Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord; for he is raised up out of his habitation." It is spoken of his providential working in the changes of kingdoms, and the desolations that attend them.

Now, seeing the case stands thus, that the Lord has done it; that it is his plea

sure to have it so; and that if it had not been his will, it could never have been as it is; that he who gave thee, or rather lent thee thy relation, has also taken him ; O, how quiet should this consideration leave thee! If your landlord, who has many years suffered you to dwell in his house, does at last warn you out of it, though he tells you not why, you will not contend with him, or say he has done you wrong. Much less, if he tells you it will be more for his profit and accommodation, to take it into his own hand, than let it to you any longer. Doubtless, reason will tell you, you ought quickly to pack up and quit it. It is your great Landlord, from whom you hold at pleasure your own and your relations' lives, who has now warned you out from one of them, it being more for his glory, it may be, to take it in his own hands, by death; and must you dispute the case with him? Come, Christian, this no way becomes thee; but rather this, to say, "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." Look off from a dead creature; lift up thine eyes to the sovereign, wise, and holy pleasure that ordered this affliction. Consider who he is, and what thou art; yea,