Vide Mr. Baiter's Epistle to the life of Mr. John Janeway.
()56 A TOKEK FOR MOURXERiS.
drawn up by a single hand, but when it hath spread and fixed its root many years in the earth, it will require many a strong blow, and hard tug to root it up. Affections hke those under-ground roots, are fixed and strengthened by nothing more than consuetude and long-possession ; it is much easier parting now, than it would be hereafter, whatever you think. However, this should satisfy you, that God's time is the best time.
Plea 4. O but I have lost all in one, it is my only one, I have none left in its room to repair the breach, and make up the loss : If God had given me other children to take comfort in, the loss had not been so great ; but to lose all at one stroke is insupportable.
Answer 1. Religion allows not unto Christians a liberty of expres- sing the death of their dear relations by so hard a word as the loss of them is ; they are not lost but sent before you * : And it is a shame- ful thing for a Christian to be reproved for such an uncomely ex- pression by a heathen ; it is enough to make us blush to read what an heathen said in this case-|-, ' Never say thou hast lost any thing
* (saith Epictetus) but that it is returned. Is thy son dead.? He is
* only restored. Is thy inheritance taken from thee.^^ It is also re- ' turned."' And a while after he adds, E/ nsro hot? piXov mro ysvigdu, i. e. ' Let every thing be as the gods would have it.'
Answer % It is no fit expression to say you have lost all in one, except that one be Christ ; and he being once yours, can never be lost. Doubtless, your meaning is, you have lost all your comfort of that kind ; and what though you have ? Are there not multitudes of comforts yet remaining, of a higher kind, and more precious and durable nature '^. If you have no more of that sort, yet so long as you have better, what cause have you to rejoice !
Answer 3. You too much imitate the way of the world in this complaint ; they know not how to repair the loss of one comfort but by another of the same nature, which must be put in its room to fill up the vacancy : But have you no other way to supply your loss '^ Have you not a God to fill the place of any creature that leaves you "^ Surely this would better become a man whose portion is in this life, than one that professes God is his all in all.
Plea 5. O but my only one is not only taken away, but there re- mains no expectation or probability of any more : I must now look upon myself as a dry tree, never to take comfort in children any more, which is a cutting thought.
Answer 1. Suppose what you say, that you have no hope nor ex- pectation of another child remaining to you ; yet if you have a hope of better things than children, you have no reason to be cast down : Bless God for higher and better hopes than these. In Isa. Ivi. 4, 5. the Lord comforts them that have no expectations of sons or daugh- ters with this ; " That he will give unto them in his house, and witli-
Non amittuntur sed preemittuntur, f Epict. Enchirid. cut^. 15.
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** in his walls, a place and a name better than of sons and daughters ; " even an everlasting name tliat shall not be cut off." There are better mercies, and higher hopes than these ; though your hopes of children, or from children, should be cut off, yet if your eternal hopes are secure, and such as shall not make you ashamed, you should not be so cast down.
Answer 2. If God will not have your comforts to lie any more in children, then resolve to place them in himself, and you shall never find cause to complain of loss by such an exchange : You will find that in God which is not to be had in the creature ; one hour's com- munion with him, shall give you that which the happiest parent never yet had from his children ; you will exchange brass for gold, perishing vanity for solid and abiding excellency.
Plea 6. But the suddenness of the stroke is amazing, God gave little or no warning to prepare for this trial : Death executed its commission as soon as it opened it. My dear husband, wife, or child, was snatched unexpectedly out of my arms, by a surprizing stroke ; and this makes my stroke heavier than my complaint.
Answer 1. That the death of your relation was so sudden and surprizing, was much your own fault, who ought to have lived in the daily sense of its vanity, and expectation of your separation ft'om it ; you knew it to be a dying comfort in its best estate, and it is no such wonderful thing to see that dead, v/hich you knew before to be dying : Besides, you heard the changes ringing about you in other families ; you frequently saw other parents, husbands, and wives, carrying forth their dead : and what were all these but warnings given to you to prepare for the like trials ^
Surely, then, it was your own security and regardlessness that made this affliction so surprizing to you ; and who is to be blamed for that, you know.
Answer S. There is much difference betwixt the sudden death of infants, and that of grown persons ; the latter may have much work to do ; many sins actually to repent of, and many evidences of their interest in Christ to examine and clear, in order to their more com- fortable death ; and so sudden death may be deprecated by them.
But the case of infants, who exercise not their reason, is far dif- ferent ; they have no such work to do, but are purely passive : All that is done in order to their salvation, is done by God immediately upon them ; so it comes all to one, whether their death be more quick, or more slow.
Answer 3. You complain of the suddenness of the stroke : but another will be ready to say, had my friend died in that manner, my affliction had been nothing to what now it is ; I have seen many deaths contrived into one ; I saw the gradual approaches of it upon my dear relation, who felt every thread of death as it came on to- ward him, who often cried with Job, chap. iii. ver. 21, 22. " Where- ^' fore is light given to him that is in misery, and life to the bitter in
658 A TOKEN FOR MOURNERS.
" soul ? Which long for death, but it cometh not, and dig for it " more than for hid treasiu'es: Which rejoice exceedingly, and are '' glad when they can find the grave."
That which you reckon the sting of your affliction, others would have reckoned a favour and privilege. How many tender parents, and other relations, who loved their friends as dearly as yourselves, have been forced to their knees, upon no other errand but this, to heg the Lord to hasten the separation, and put an end to that sorrow, which to them was much greater than the sorrow for the dead.