Great are the benefits of a sharp, rousing affliction to the people of God at sometimes, and all might have them at all times, were they more careful to improve them. Holy David thankfully acknow- ledgeth, Psal. cxix. 71. " It is good for me that I have been afflicted. ' And surely there is as much good in them for you, as for him ; if the Lord sanctify them to such ends and uses as his were sanctified unto. Such a smarting rod as this came not before there was need enough of it, and possibly you saw the need of some awakening providence yourselves ; but if not, the Lord did : he took not up the rod to smite you, till his faithfulness and tender love to your souls called upon him to correct you.
You now sit pensive under the rod, sadly lamenting and deploring the loss of some earthly comfort ; your heart is surcharged with sor- row, your eyes run down upon every mention and remembrance of your dear friend : why, if there were no more, this alone may disco- ver the need you had of this rod ; for doth not all this sorrow at parting plainly speak how much your heart was set upon, how fast your heart was glewed to this earthly comfort ?
Now you see that your aifections were sunk many degrees deeper into the creature, than you are aware of: and what should God do in this case by you ? Should he suffer you to cleave to the creature more and more ? Should he permit it to purloin, and exhaust your love and delight, and steal away your heart from himself.? This he could not do, and love you. The more impatient you are under this affliction, the more need you had of it.
And what if by this stroke the Lord will awaken your drowsy soul, and recover you out of that pleasant, but dangerous spiritual slumber you were fallen into, whilst you had pillowed your head upon this pleasant, sensible creature-enjoyment ? Is not this really better for you than if he should say, Sleep on : he is joined to idols, let him alone ; he is departing from me, the fountain, to a broken cistern ; let him go.
Yea, what if by this stroke upon one of the pleasantest things you had in this world, God will discover to you, more sensibly and effect- ually than ever, the vanity both of that and all earthly comforts, so as that you shall from henceforth never let forth your heart, your hope, your love, and delight to any of them, as you did before.'* You could talk before of the creature's vanity, but I question whether ever you had so clear and convincing a sight of its vanity as you have this day : and is not this a considerable mercy in your eyes .?
Now, if ever God is weaning you from all fond opinions, and vain expectations from this world ; by this youv jiulgment of the creature
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is rectified^ and your affections to all other enjoyments on earth moderated : and is this nothing ? O doubtless it is a greater mercy to you, than to have your friend alive again.
And what if by this rod your wandering, gadding heart shall be whipped home to God ? your neglected duties revived ? your de- cayed communion with God restored? a spiritual, heavenly frame of heart recovered ? What will you say then ?
Surely you will bless that merciful hand which removed the ob- structions, and adore the Divine wisdom, and goodness, that by such a device as this recovered you to himself. Now you can pray more constantly, more spiritually, more affectionately than before. O blessed rod, which buds and blossoms with such fruits as these ! Let this be written among your best mercies, for you shall have cause to adore and bless God eternally for this beneficial affliction.
Consider. 17. Suffer not yourselves to he transported by i?npatience, and swalloivcd up of grief ^ because God hath eocercised you tinder a smart rod ; for^ as smarting as it i?, it is comparatively a gentle stroke to what others, as good as yourselves, have felt.
Your dear relation is dead ; be it so, here is but a single death before you, but others have seen many deaths contrived into one upon their relations, to which yours is nothing.
Zedekiah saw his children murdered before his eyes, and then had those eyes (alas two late) put out. The worthy author The fulfil- of that excellent book before-mentioned, tells us of a Img of' the choice and godly gentlewoman in the north of Ireland, Scriptures, who when the rebellion broke out there, fled with three children, one of them upon the breast ; they had not gone far before they were stripped naked by the Irish, who, to their admiration, spared their lives, (it is like, concluding that cold and hunger would kill them) afterwards going on at the foot of a river which runs to Lochneach, others met them, and w'ould have cast them into the river ; but this godly woman, not dismiayed, asked a little liberty to pray, and as she lay naked on the frozen ground, got resolution not to go on her own feet, to so unjust a death, upon which having called her, and she refusing, was dragged by the heels along that rugged way, to be cast in with her little ones, and company.
But she then turned, and on her knees says. You should, I am sure, be Christians, and men I see you are; in taking away our miserable lives, you do us a pleasure; but know, that as we never wronged you nor yours, you must remember to die also yourselves, and one day give an account of this cruelty, to the judge of heaven and earth. Hereupon they resolved not to murder them with their own hands, but turned them all naked upon a small island in the river, without any provision, there to perish.
The next day, the two boys having crept aside, found the hide of a beast which had been killed, at the root of a tree, which the mo- ther cast over them lying upon the snow. The next day a little boat
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goes by, unto whom she calls for God's sake to take them in, but they being Irish, refused ; she desired a little bread, but they said they had none ; then she begs a coal of fire, which she obtained ; and thus, with some fallen chips, made a little fire, and the children taking a piece of the hide laid it on the coals, and began to gnaw the leather ; but without an extraordinary Divine support, what could this do ?
Thus they lived ten (Jays, without any visible means of help, having no bread, but. ice and snow, nor drink except water. The two boys being near starved, she pressed them to go out of her sight, not being able to see their death ; yet God delivered them as mira- culously at last, as he had supported them all that while.
But judge whether a natural death, in an ordinary way be com- parable to such a trial as this ; and yet thus the Lord did by this choice and eminently gracious woman.