Again ; a just man is said to perish and be gathered in, because of the help and assistance he should have been unto the church, and city, and place where he lived. He is perished and gone. The just man perishes, and the merciful man is taken away. They are gathered. There is an emphasis upon the season. There is a time when the just man so perishes and the merciful man is so taken away ; and we can all give instances of it in near relations, in friends and acquaintances, that it hath been so.
To go a little further ; What is the end hereof? what is the issue of this dispensation of God in the perishing of righteous and merci ful men ?
Why, saith he,— 1. " No man layeth it to heart." And, 2. "None considering that they are taken away from the evil to come/' The meaning of it is this, that in those strange and wonderful dispensa tions of God, there are very few that either consider the cause or end of it: none lays it to heart in considering the cause; none consi ders it in respect of the end, — their being " taken away from the evil to come/' And that is the doleful truth which these words teach us, namely, that when God takes away, gathers in, righteous and merci ful men, to make way for the bringing in of great evils, distresses, and destruction, few or none shall either lay it to heart or consider it. It is part of God's displeasure, part of his judgment, that we are not more awakened by it. God be merciful to this poor church, or we are lost! If we don't see the cause and end of God's dispensa tion towards us, — unless the Lord be pleased to give us a further sense than yet we have attained,— I shall be afraid of " the evil to come," that is approaching unto a more sad event than we are ready to think of. " No man layeth it to heart ;" very few shall do so. Yea, surely, how many sad words have we heard from all sorts of persons concerning those who have been lately taken from us: "Ah, my brother! Ah, my sister! Ah, their usefulness while they were among us ! " and we can hang down our heads for a day, for a night; — but this is not laying it to heart. I speak unto the remnant of this congregation what God doth certainly require of us, that this com plaint may not be found true concerning us, that none considers the cause and end, what they are; which is the saddest prognostic of most distressing evils.
Evil is a comprehensive word for every thing that is so. It is re quired of us that we do really take notice of the displeasure of God in it,— that God is displeased, not with them whom he hath taken
£60 THE DEATH OF THE KIGHTEOUS.
away. Was God displeased with some of the best sprouts among our brethren? was God displeased with them? No. But we are to take notice of God's displeasure towards us. When God's hand is lifted up, if men will not see, he saith, "they shall see." Truly, I am almost ashamed, and ready to blush to look men in the face, to consider what rebukes God hath given us. Our Father hath spit in our face; he hath showed his displeasure, not in this instance only, but in nine or ten I could name, eminent in grace, whom he hath taken from us ; so that I know not how we should not be ashamed that our Father is displeased with us. The Lord help us to lay it to heart! If we laid it to heart, we should blush.
What are the causes of God's displeasure with us? If God be dis pleased with us, what are the causes of it? I do not know that he hath given me a greater rebuke, in the whole course of my ministry, than that I have been labouring in the fire to discover the causes of God's withdrawing from us without any success. I will say nothing of them now, though it is good for us to think of them. Our duty is to let go all our vain pretences and security, and consider what is the cause that God is displeased with us as a congregation, and take shame unto ourselves.
And then, let us be jointly humbled for those causes, and be turn ing with all our heart from every thing that hath been a provoca tion unto the eyes of his glory. Without this, my own love unto this congregation will make me to apply that word unto it: 'You have I known of all the congregations in London in a peculiar manner, and therefore will I punish you for all your sins/ We have been lifted up unto heaven by privileges, and how God will bring us down I know not. But it is time for us to consider the causes of this displeasure of God, testified so openly against us, to be humbled for them, and return unto the Lord. It is high time so to do. Oh, blessed is he that contributes any thing hereunto in this particular ! The Lord raise up some, and pour his Spirit upon them, to be useful unto this end; that we may help to save ourselves, the city, and the nation wherein we live, and the residue of the churches in this land! The Lord can pour out such a spirit on some, that may raise such a spirit of repentance for sin and humiliation before God as may be useful to this end and purpose. The first charge is, that " No man layeth it to heart/' And I do believe, and therefore I speak, that if these things be not laid to heart in the way that I have declared, or to that purpose, it is an evidence that evil will come and overtake us in the latter end; for so it is said, "The righteous perisheth, and merciful men are taken away from the evil to come."