2. Such as is peevish: when men indulge themselves in their disquiets, and will not hearken to what might make for the settlement of their souls ; when the heart yieldeth to passion, and huggeth grief, and will not let it go. There is a great deal of pride and stomach in men against God's dispensations, and therefore the ])rophet exprcsscth that intolerable misery that should light upon her children
' Qu. ' what is good for you butter than ' ? — Ed.
1 Cor. VII. 30.] a funeral sermon. 431
by the stomachfulness that was in Rachel: Jer. xxxi. 15, 'Weeping for her children, she would not be comforted.' Men have no ear to hearken to what may be said for God, and therefore are resolved to hold the bitterness of their own thouji;hts. This stubborn pettishness and wilful grief may be sometimes in God's own chosen. It was in Jacob, Gen. xxxvii. 35 ; he ' refused to be comforted ; for he said, I will go down into the grave imto my son mourning.' / will ; it was a stomached, wilful grief. Christians, by a perverse, peevish justifying of their passions, they say of their sorrows as Jonah did of his anger : Jonah iv. 9, ' I do well to be angry.' When men take it for granted they do well in it, they resolve then to shut their ears against whatever might appease and quiet their thoughts.
3. Such as are impatient and discontented, as if God had not dealt wisely or worthily with them. When a full vessel is shaken the water will plash over ; and when there is such a tumult in the heart, un- seemly expressions will drop from us, as if God should not have dealt thus with us as to take away these comforts in which were all our solace, the staff and the stay of the family. We, that are neighbours, are apt very often, in discontent, to say. What a serviceable and useful person hath God taken away, and so many bad ones left ! as if God had not made a right choice. Foolish man would be accounted wiser than God ; but if a man were well skilled in God's attributes he would never murmur, especially if he did but consider this cometh from a wise God. The cause of all the disorder in the heart is the want of fearing God's name ; we are not skilled in his attributes. Alphonsus blasphemously said, Si in principio mundi ipse Deo adfuisset, midta melius ornatiusque condenda essent — things should have been ordered better if he had been of God's council. Many of you do not utter such expressions, but yet too often conceive such thoughts in your hearts. You will not think so ; ay, but what mean the bleating of the sheep and the lowing of the oxen ? — such expressions as these, Oh, would to God I had died first ! as David, 2 Sam. xviii. 33, ' 0 Absalom, my son, my son ! would to God that I had died for thee ! ' And again, Would to God I had been dead a long time ago rather than to survive my happiness ; all my estate gone in an instant, as (brethren) in these empty, trying times it is many a man's case. But remember, foolish man, the all- wise God thought it fittest for thee. Yet thus doth the prophet Elijah, when he was driven into the wilderness by Jezebel, 1 Kings xix. 4, in a discontent, request for himself that he might die, ' It is enough now, 0 Lord ; take away my life. '
4. Such as unfit for duty. Affections are no further lawful than they fit for duty. When grief taketh off our hearts from the duties of our general or particular calling, it is an evil grief. See Gen. xxxv. 19-21, Rachel died and was buried, and Israel journeyed and spread his tent. Having lost so dear a wife, he doth not stand puling by the tomb, but Israel journeyed, he went on about his business. We ought so far to be sensible of Providence as may serve to quicken us to duty, not to hinder us. There is a great question now, whether Ave ought to fear or hope in our misery : some of one side cry down fear ; some on the other side cry down hope. Why, brethren, there is not much matter in the exercise of either of these affections, but according as they do
432 A FUNERAL SERMON. [1 COR. VII. 30.
more or less quicken you to duty. If you Le the more earnest in })rayei', because you liope success is near, truly that is a good disposi- tion of heait ; if because fear, that is the most unchristian. I confess, fear is good when it ends in duty. Jehoshaphat ' feared, and set him- self to .seek the Lord,' 2 Ohron. xx. 3 ; and Noah, ' moved with fear, prepared an ark,' Heb. xi. 7. Brethren, the bare exercise of affections is but a natural and an indifferent thing ; the great trial of them is when they fit you the moie for the service that God requires of you. Therefore, when persons grieve so for the loss of a husband, wife, children, or estate, that they liave no mind to pray, no mind to go about their callings with any comfort, that is an evil grief It is true that God winketh at some omissions of duties for a small while in such cnses, till we are able to manage our thoughts and digest our sorrow ; and the letter of the law giveth j)lace to such great necessities. As Aaron's excuse is but reasonable, Lev. x. 19, ' Such things have be- fallen me this day ; and if I had eaten the sin-offering, should it be accepted with the Lord ? ' — the death of his two sons : though he held his peace, he could not tell how for the present to frame his heart to a joyful duty. As if a minister cannot tell how to bring his heart to j)reach, if God hath entered upon his family, taken away a wife or children thence. I confess this cometh from corruption, but in such cases God winketh at it for a short time. The reasons are : —