Thirdly; It is the Hand of God, which takes away our Desirable Relatives: Well then, watch very much against all the Temptations of Satan, which may be likely to assault us under this Hand of God. Is the Desire of our Eyes taken away? It may now be said unto us; Luk. 22 31. Behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may Sift you as Wheat. All New Conditions have some New Temptations. When any Irksome Thing befalls us, and especially when we are deprived of the Desire of our Eyes, than which, what can be more I• is some? We may be sure, Satan will take advantage from it. For to have the Desire of our Eyes taken away, brings a Dark Time upon us. The Powers of Darkness may ere we are aware, hurry us on to unaccountable Inconveniences. Now more than ever is ⟨p. 220⟩that Counsel seasonable; Mat. 26. 41. Watch and pray, that ye enter not into Temptation. If God by taking away the Desire of our Eyes, being us particularly into a State of Widowhood, Oh! how solicitous ought we to be, of an Holy Widowhood! But that, it may be so, it should be a very Prayerful one. The very First Thing we are to do, as soon as we can Look about us, methinks it should be to Pray, and Fast, and Weep in secret places before the Lord, and beg of God, that He would pardon all our miscarriages in our Former Condition, and preserve us from all further miscarriages in the New, and Sad Condition that is now come upon us. Alas, what wrong steps, what foolish ones, and what fatal ones, are commonly taken in that State; by them who being Desolate, Continue not in Supplications & Prayers night and day! And they are never more unhappily taken, man in precipitated proceedings, unto Second Marriages. For tho' it were an indefensible Severity in many of the Ancients, absolutely to forbid them, nevertheless, tis a Dishonourable Levity to make too much Haste unto them, and especially for those Aged men, to whom a Jerome would say, Cogitate quotidie moriturum, ⟨p. 221⟩et de Secundie Nuptiis nunquam Cogitabis: It were fitter for thee to think of Dying than of Wedding. The Duchess of Milan, being made a Widow, Stamped that Motto on her Coin, Sola facta, Solum Deum Sequor; Being Left alone, I Converse with God alone. It becomes both Sexes, when the State of Widowhood is come upon them, to Converse with God, more than ever they did in their Lives before.
Thirdly; It is the Hand of God, which takes away our Desirable Relatives: Well then, watch very much against all the Temptations of Satan, which may be likely to assault us under this Hand of God. Is the Desire of our Eyes taken away? It may now be said unto us; Luk. 22 31. Behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may Sift you as Wheat. All New Conditions have some New Temptations. When any Irksome Thing befals us, and especially when we are deprived of the Desire of our Eyes, than which, what can be more I• is some? We may be sure, Satan will take advantage from it. For to have the Desire of our Eyes taken away, brings a Dark Time upon us. The Powers of Darkness may e're we are aware, hurry us on to unaccountable Inconveniencies. Now more than ever is ⟨p. 220⟩that Counsel seasonable; Mat. 26. 41. Watch and pray, that ye enter not into Temptation. If God by taking away the Desire of our Eyes, being us particularly into a State of Widowhood, Oh! how sollicitous ought we to be, of an Holy Widowhood! But that, it may be so, it should be a very Prayerful one. The very First Thing we are to do, as soon as we can Look about us, methinks it should be to Pray, and Fast, and Weep in secret places before the Lord, and beg of God, that He would pardon all our miscarriages in our Former Condition, and preserve us from all further miscarriages in the New, and Sad Condition that is now come upon us. Alas, what wrong steps, what foolish ones, and what satal ones, are commonly taken in that State; by them who being Desolate, Continue not in Supplications & Prayers night and day! And they are never more unhappily taken, man in precipitated proceedings, unto Second Marriages. For tho' it were an indefensible Severity in many of the Ancients, absolutely to forbid them, nevertheless, tis a Dishonourable Levity to make too much Haste unto them, and especially for those Aged men, to whom a Jerom would say, Cogita te quotidie moriturum, ⟨p. 221⟩et de Secundie Nuptiis nunquam Cogitabis: It were fitter for thee to think of Dying than of Wedding. The Dutchess of Millain, being made a Widow, Stamp'd that Motto on her Coin, Sola facta, Solum Deum Sequor; Being Left alone, I Converse with God alone. It becomes both Sexes, when the State of Widowhood is come upon them, to Converse with God, more than ever they did in their Lives before.
