2. It is a judgment to be deprived of children in the womb,1 in the birth, but when you have endured much pain in bearing and bringing forth your children, much labour and trouble in bringing up your children, when many a thoughtful care in the education of them, much sorrow and grief they have cost you, and now when they come to be hopeful, almost to mens and women's estate, and you think to have comfort in them, now for God to take them away, this is very sad unto parents, it goes exceeding much unto their hearts to be bereaved then; yet such things as these have befallen many heretofore; and Parents though the condition must be acknowledged very sad, yet they must submit to Gods hand in this. Perhaps some of you have in the breeding of your children endured much, and through many difficulties they have been brought till they have grown up to be almost at mens and women's estates, and perhaps they have been towardly and hopeful, you had hoped to have had them to have been the staff of your age, and yet God suddenly hath made them fly away like a bird, perhaps be drowned, perhaps some other way,2 in a most uncomfortable manner the Lord hath bereaved you of them. You will say, The condition is sad more than ordinary. Therefore God calls you to Sanctify his Name more than ordinary, to exercise grace ⟨p. 247⟩more than ordinary, and the exercise of grace in such an extraordinary stroke of God upon you may be as great a good and comfort, as great a blessing unto you as the enjoyment of your child would have been. If a tender mother that through all her care, and pain, and labour, after breeding and bringing up a child, should have him taken away in some untimely death (as you call it) she would think her condition the saddest of any living. Be it known to you, perhaps some may be here, or know others of their friends that have had such a hand of God upon them, be but convinced of this one thing which I know you cannot deny, That the exercise of grace suitable to this work of God that is now upon thee, or against thee, conceive it as thou wilt, I say, the exercise of thy grace suitable to this work of God is a greater good to thee than the life of thy child could have been, it could never have done thee that good as the exercise of grace may do in this condition when it is suitable to this stroke of God upon thee;
2. It is a judgment to be deprived of children in the womb,1 in the birth, but when you have endured much pain in bearing and bringing forth your children, much labor and trouble in bringing up your children, when many a thoughtful care in the education of them, much sorrow and grief they have cost you, and now when they come to be hopeful, almost to mens and womens estate, and you think to have comfort in them, now for God to take them away, this is very sad unto parents, it goes exceeding much unto their hearts to be bereaved then; yet such things as these have befallen many heretofore; and Parents though the condition must be acknowledged very sad, yet they must submit to Gods hand in this. Perhaps some of you have in the breeding of your children endured much, and through many difficulties they have been brought till they have grown up to be almost at mens and womens estates, and perhaps they have been towardly and hopeful, you had hoped to have had them to have been the staff of your age, and yet God suddenly hath made them fly away like a bird, perhaps be drowned, perhaps some other way,2 in a most uncomfortable manner the Lord hath bereaved you of them. You will say, The condition is sad more than ordinary. Therefore God calls you to Sanctifie his Name more than ordinary, to exercise grace ⟨p. 247⟩more than ordinary, and the exercise of grace in such an extraordinary stroke of God upon you may be as great a good and comfort, as great a blessing unto you as the enjoyment of your child would have been. If a tender mother that through all her care, and pain, and labor, after breeding and bringing up a child, should have him taken away in some untimely death (as you call it) she would think her condition the saddest of any living. Be it known to you, perhaps some may be here, or know others of their friends that have had such a hand of God upon them, be but convinced of this one thing which I know you cannot deny, That the exercise of grace sutable to this work of God that is now upon thee, or against thee, conceive it as thou wilt, I say, the exercise of thy grace sutable to this work of God is a greater good to thee than the life of thy child could have been, it could never have done thee that good as the exercise of grace may do in this condition when it is sutable to this stroke of God upon thee;
