The righteous mans death lamented. A sermon preached at St. Austins, London, Aug.23. 1662…

Secondly, Learn here what reason we have to be comforted in the death of a righteous man or woman, because their death is not a perishing, but a gathering to God and Christ, and the society of Saints and Angels. The death of a righteous man is no more then if a Merchant that hath abundance of Jewels in a far country, should send for them home. Why death to a righteous man is nothing but Gods sending for his Jewels home. Such a phrase there is in Mal. 3.17. In the day that I make up my Jewels, they shall be mine. In this life they are imperfect Jewels; they are like gold in the oar, mingled with a great deal of dross; and death is nothing but a perfecting of these Jewels; death is nothing more; and God doth nothing by death, but as a gold-finder gather up all his ends of gold and silver: It is nothing but just as if a Father should send for his Son home that had been a long while absent from him to his own House; it is a carrying us to our Father's house: And therefore let us be comforted when ⟨p. 11⟩our righteous Friends dye; though their death be matter of sorrow to us, in regard of the loss that we sustain by their death; and because their death is a Warning piece of evil to come; yet in regard of them we have no cause to mourn. I speak this to those that are related to the righteous when they dye: Did you ever hear of a Husbandman that mourned for the carrying of his Corn into the Barn? or a Jeweller mourn for making up of his Jewels? Let us mourn rather that we are left scattered among the wicked of the earth, and from the glorious presence of God and Christ; and let us mourn for those that are scattered from Christ, and from grace; and for those that whilst they live, are scattered, and when they dye, are gathered to the Devil and his Angels: Let us not mourn for those that dye in Christ, but let us mourn for those that live out of Christ; let us not mourn over the body that the soul hath left, but let us mourn over the soul that God hath left.

Secondly, Learn here what reason we have to be comforted in the death of a righteous man or woman, because their death is not a perishing, but a gathering to God and Christ, and the society of Saints and Angels. The death of a righteous man is no more then if a Merchant that hath abundance of Jewels in a far country, should send for them home. Why death to a righteous man is nothing but Gods sending for his Jewels home. Such a phrase there is in