would God I had died for thee, O Abfalom my Son, my Son *. ; BUT YOU, Sir! have not the fame Reafon for your Bitterness and Paffion, which that Good Man had His Son died in Wickedness, and actual Rebellion, against a Father, a King, and the Great God; on the contrary, the End of your Son was Peace. I CANNOT but think it a very Unfeasonable Complement, to tell you how great a Share I bear in your Affliction; or to talk of Condolingyour Loss, when your Grief rather calls for Allays than Encouragements. And I am too much afraid your looking upon the foregoing Leaf * Sam. ii. 18. ult. bas has proved a fresh Stab, to say any thing here that might Widen, or Rake in the Wound. WHEREWITH then shall I feek to Comfort you? Shall I put you in Mind of that Saying of Anaxagoras, when told of the Death of his Son. Scio me genuiffe Mortalem? Or tell you there is no refifting a Fatal Necef fity? SUCH Language might become a Heathen; and might be well receiv'd by one that knew no better but this is a poor Argument to Engage the Submiffion and Refignation of a Chriftian, compared with the Nobler ones that our Religion furnishes us with. WE are taught humbly to bow to the Sov'raignty and Dominion of A 3 the the Great God; as one that does all things according to the direction of Infinite Wisdom, and for the most Gracious Ends *: and in this ReSpect tho' he lay our Relations dead at our Feet; or remove them far away * out of our Sight; tho' he should strip us of all our Worldly Enjoyments, yea; tho' he should Slay us, yet we ought to Truft in him †. 1. THE Confideration of our Covenant Dedication of our felves, and all that we have to God, in and thro' our Lord Jefus Chrift; fhould furely Silence all our Complaints; and overcome all our Uneafineffes, under the greateft Loffes. It becomes us with the Pfalmift to be Dumb, and not open our Mouths; because * Rom. viii. 28. † Job xiii. 15. God God does it *: Or with Him we pretend to be the Followers of, when we have the bittereft Cup put in our Hands to fay, Father not my Will, but thine be done +. If a Friend Should make you an offer of fomething very valuable; and upon your accepting it, should begin to vex and grieve for his Lofs, you would presently conclude he did not Defign what he faid; I hope you will not behave your felves under the prefent Providence, as those that have gone to a Sacramental Table all their days, only to Complement God with the repeated Proffer of that which you never meant to give up to him but now you are called with Abraham; that wonderful Believer! * Pfal. xxxix. 9. † Luke xxii. 42. to to offer up your Son, (yet not your only Son) it is your Duty to be obedient to the Heavenly Call. And a Hearty Submiffion to the Appointment of the Great Lord; a Refigning of that Willingly; which otherwife is gone of Neceffity; is the way to turn a Lofs into an acceptable Sacrifice. Take the Patient Man for an Example in this Cafe; and fay as he did when he had ten Children killed at once by a Whilwind; The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; bleffed be the name of the Lord *. Thus we should bless a Taking as well as a Giving God. MOREOVER we have in the Gospel the cleareft account of a Fu * Job i. 21. ture |