2 Reason. Secondly^ The death of the saints deserves a bitter lamen- tation, because thereby a breach is made, a gap opened, to let in the judgments of God upon the remnant that is left. It is said of Moses, Psal. cvi. 23. " Therefore he said, that he would destroy them, had '' not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, lest he should *' destroy them.*" A metaphor from a besieged city, when a breach is made in the walls, and an enemy ready to enter; but some cham- pion stands in the breach to defend the city. Such a champion was Moses, who by his constant and fervent prayers, put a stop to the in- undation of God's judgments against Israel. And such another was Lot, Gen. xix. 22. whose prayers for that wicked place he lived in bound up the hand of judgment, insomuch as the Lord told him, / can do nothing till thou art gone. But when the Lord by death re- moves such men, he thereby maizes a way to his anger ^ as the expres- sion is, Psal. Ixxviii. 50. Hence the death of eminent saints, especi- ally when many are taken away at or near the same time, hath been ever looked upon as a direful omen, and dreadful presage of ensuing judgments, and that not without good scripture-authority, Isa. Ivii. 1. " The righteous perish, and no man layeth it to heart ; and mer- " ciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is " taken away from the evil to come."
Thus Methuselah, whose very name signified a /oo<:/co7«^M, died the year before the flood : Augustine, a little before the sacking of Hyppo : Paraeus, a little before the taking of Hydelberg : And Lu- ther, before the wars broke out in Germany. Death, as a pioneer, clears the way to a troop of miseries following after. This, there- fore, is a just and weighty ground of our lamentations for the death of useful and godly men.
3 Reason. Thii-dly, The beauty and ornaments of the places they lived in, are defaced and removed by their death ; they look not lika themselves, when the gcdly are removed out of them : for as wick- ed men are the spots and blemishes, so good men are the beauty and ornaments of their country. A good man was wont to say of Mr. Barrington, of Barriiigton-ha]), in Essex — Methinks the town is not at home when Mr. Barrington is out of town. How desolate and dis- mal doth a family look (whatever other ornaments be about it) when the religious governor of it is gone ! Take away good men from theii*
Funeral of john urxox, esq. 1^5
ffimilies and country ; and what are they but like a vineyard when the vintage is past ? as the prophet speaks, Mic. vii. 1.
4 Reason. Fourthly, The death of good men deserves a bitter la- mentation, because thereby the passage of the gospel, and propaga- tion of religion, is obstructed in the places from whence they are removed. Of how great use in a country may one zealous, public- spirited man be ? Hundreds may have cause to bless God for such a man. It was the apostle's desire to the Thcssalonians, " to pray that ^' the word of the Lord may have its free course, that it might run " and be glorified, '" 2 Thess. iii. 1. The removal of such a person as naturally took care for the souls of those that were about him, to provide food for them, is no small loss, nor lightly to be passed over.
5 Reason, Fiftlihj, The consideration of the time in which good men die aggravates the loss, and justly incenses the sorrow of them that remain, and that upon a 4:hreefold account (1.) That it fallsout in the declining state of religion, when the spirit and pov, er of godli- ness is so much weakened and impoverished. This is like the loss of good blood in a consumptive body, which must bring it very low. (.^.) That it falls out also in a time when the numbers of the godly are so much thinned and lessened, not when the church's children say in her ears, the place is too strait, give place that we may dwell : but when they are every where lamenting the paucity of good men, as the psalmist did, FsaL xii. 1. '^ Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth, " for the righteous fail from among the children of men."" At a time when they are bewailing themselves in the language of the prophet, Micah vii. 1. " Woe is me, for I am as when they have gathered the " summer fruits, as the grape gleanings of the vintage : there is no " cluster to eat : my soul desireth the first ripe fruit."" Alluding to a hungry man that goes into a vineyard to refresh his spirits with the fruit thereof; but, alas ! there is not one pleasant bunch to be found, none but sour grapes to increase his hunger, and set his teeth on edge (3.) And that which more aggravates the loss is this ; when it falls in a time wherein the spring and succession of good men is obstructed. In this case death, like a storm of wind, overturns the fairest, plea- santcst, and most fruitful trees in the orchard, when there is no nur^ scry from whence others may be taken to plant in their rooms.
6 Reason. Lastly, There is just cause to lament the removal of public and pious men, when we consider what influence our sins and provocations have had upon those judgments and calamities: our unworthiness of them, unthankfulness for them, and non-improve- ments of such mercies have bereaved us of them. I look upon every good man, as a good book, lent by its owner for another to read, and transcribe the excellent notions and golden passages that are in it for his own benefit, that they may return with him when the owner shall call for the book again : But in case this excellent book shall be thrown into a corner, and no use made of it, it justly provokes the owner to take it away in displeasure.
iS6 A SERMON PrvEAClIED AT THE
Thus you see upon what account our sorrows for the death of good men are restrained, and upon what accounts and reasons they are a due debt to the death of eminent and useful instruments for God. AVhat remains, is the application of this point. And,
1. Use. Firsts The point before us justly reproves three sorts of men.
1. Tlie worst of men, such as secretly rejoice, and are inwardly glad at the removal of such men ; they took no dehght in them while they lived, and are glad they are rid of them when they are dead. Those that persecuted and hated them when alive, may be presumed to be pleased and gratified with their death. But, alas ! poor crea- tures, they know not what they do ! The innocent preserve the island. " Except the Lord of hosts (saith the prophet) had left us a small " remnant, we had been as Sodom, we had been like unto Gomor- " rah," Isa. i. 9. It is a proverb among the very Jews, Sine suppli- cationibus non staret mundus : The world stands by the prayers of the godly. Let the world think what they will of them. I tell you these men are a screen, a partition wall, betwixt them and destruction.