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If it is the Lord's pleasure to lessen this task, so that instead of employing thee in his vineyard, he intends to take thee up into his kingdom, to drink there of his new wine; if at the time that thou thinkest of sowing with tears, thou art transported to the place where thou mayest reap with songs of triumph; if in lieu of the opposition which thou must suffer from sinners, God will grant unto thee his eternal consolations, and receive thee into the harmonious societies of the church triumphant; adore his goodness and his infinite mercy, cast thyself into his hands, and resolve cheerfully to will what is pleasing to him. If during thine abode in the valley of tears, God hath given thee a livelihood; and if thou hast found in him thy joy, thy satisfaction, and thy greatest comfort; death will be thy advantage; thou shalt find in thy Saviour thy rest, thy glory, and eternal delights, Phil. i. Meditate often upon the words of the holy apostle St. Peter, "The elders that are amongst you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is amongst you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being examples of the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away," 1 Pet. v.

You also, who are afraid to leave behind you a desolate, afflicted, and comfortless widow; come and learn this lesson, to rely upon the goodness and tender compassions of the Father of mercies, who never fails to comfort the distressed in all their afflictions, and who is always near to them, who call upon him in their troubles, 2 Cor. ii. Ps. cxlv. He favours the widow to that degree, that he calls himself, "The Judge of the widows," Ps. lxviii. that is, the protector of their integrity and right, and severe revenger of the wrongs that they

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may suffer. Therefore God tells us in express words, "That he maintains the widow, and establisheth her borders," Prov. Since Job was so merciful as to cause the widow's heart to sing, Job xxviii. how much more may she expect from God's goodness? He will doubtless fill her with his heavenly joys, and the ravishing comforts of his holy Spirit. I mean not the foolish widows, that seek for nothing but pleasure, worldly diversion, and carnal pastime; who live in the delights of the age, "who are dead whilst they live;" but I mean those wise widows, who being left alone by their husband's death, have their confidence and trust in God, continuing in prayer day and night.

Our great God, and merciful Lord, hath not only said in general, that he is the judge, the protector, and comforter of the widow; but he hath vouchsafed to some his most signal favours and extraordinary blessings. In the reign of Ahab, while a cruel famine overspread the land, God sent the prophet Elijah to a poor widow of Sarepta, who was preparing herself and her son to die, as soon as they had eaten a little remnant of meal and oil that was left. But the holy prophet comforted her in this manner; " Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth," 1 Kings xvii. Many poor widows have met with the like miraculous supplies; for by a secret benediction God hath caused their provisions not to fail them. Though perhaps they have not enjoyed any extraordinary plenty, this all-wise purveyor hath furnished them with things necessary for them so that not only both they and their children have subsisted in the greatest calamities, but they have had the honour of assisting God's prophets. And as the poor widow in the Gospel gave alms out of her poverty; such mites have been more pleasing to God than the treasures of the wealthy. Moreover, when the Son of God was in the world, he was

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pleased to express how much care and compassion he had of widows: for when he met at the gate of the city of Nain a poor widow that wept bitterly for her only son, who was carried out to be buried, he was moved with a tender feeling of her affliction; therefore he raised the young man to life again, and restored him to his mother. It was also at the solicitation of some devout widows, that St. Peter raised Dorcas from death to life. I must needs take notice here of an admirable story, proper to comfort every faithful servant of God. The widow of a deceased prophet made this bitter complaint to Elisha: "Thy servant my husband is dead, and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord; and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen," 2 Kings iv. God, who hears the cry of the afflicted, had compassion on that poor distressed widow, so that he gave unto her, by Elisha's means, in a wonderful manner, sufficient for the payment of her debts, and to nourish her family. By this glorious example, God declares the care that he will have of this prophets' widows, whilst they walk in his fear, and continue in his holy covenant.

To conclude: Modern and ancient histories are full of notable examples of wise and virtuous widows, who have discreetly governed their families, and upon whom God's blessings have visibly appeared.

Almighty God, who is wonderful in all his works, causeth not only fathers to make provision for their children, but he gives to some such children, in his mercy, as provide for their fathers, and are an extraordinary blessing to their family, as Joseph was to Jacob and his household. Such wise and virtuous children, who are so necessary to their parents, whom they love and honour, might, out of their great affection for them, speak to Death in the language of the young man in the Gospel," Suffer me to go first and bury my father.

Let me alone a while in the world; suffer me to live, O Death, until I have accompanied my parents to their grave, until I have closed their eyelids, and performed the last duties that nature requires. But hearken, officious son! what the Lord saith to thee, " Let the dead bury their dead, but follow thou me." Leave to them that remain after thee the care of worldly affairs, but do thou obey God's call. Thy charity for others must not cause thee to be cruel to thyself, and disobedient to the command of thy God. Fear not to leave thy father and mother, when thou art going to cast thyself into the ravishing embraces of thy spiritual Bridegroom, and of thy heavenly Father. The great God, who hath given thee, or rather lent thee to them, who caused them to subsist before thou hadst a being, can feed and bless them without thee. His mercy is not tied to thy person, nor confined to thine industry. When our Lord and Saviour was upon the cross, at the sight of the blessed Virgin, and the disciple whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold thy son ;" and to St. John, "Son, behold thy mother," John xix. "And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own house." In like manner, when God calls unto his eternal rest him who was the supporter of his family, as Joseph was, he provides for them by some other means. So that if Elkanah could justly say to his wife, when she wept because she had no child," Am I not better to thee than ten sons?" 1 Sam. i. we may say, with more reason, that God's grace, his assistance, and the comforts of his holy Spirit, are more worth than ten thousand children.

The strongest passion, and that which I judge to be the most apt to hinder a good Christian, is that which fathers and mothers have for their little ones; especially if they be in an age unable to help themselves. But that this natural passion may not transport us beyond the limits prescribed by reason and piety, consider well the promise that God made

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to Abraham, "I am thy God, and the God of thy seed after thee," Gen. xvii. and what St. Peter told the Jews, "To you, and to your children, was the promise made, and to all such as are afar off, as many as the Lord our God shall call," Acts ii. Chiefly meditate well on, and imprint in your minds, that which God spake to you from heaven by the prophet Jeremiah, "Leave me thy fatherless children, and I will give them to eat, and let thy widows trust in me," Jer. xlix. God is the Father of us all, but more especially of the fatherless; he hath compassion on them, and provides for all their necessities. Thy children are more tender to him than to thee; for thou hast been but a feeble instrument in his hand to put them into the world: but he is the Creator of their souls, the Maker of their bodies, and the Redeemer of them both. He loves them with a stronger and more constant love than the best fathers, and the most tender-hearted mothers. Therefore he assures us by his holy prophet, that though the mother should forget the child to whom she gives suck, and though she should have no pity on the fruit of her womb, yet he will never forget us. So that all the children that fear God, may say as David, "When my father and my mother have forsaken me, the Lord will receive me," Ps. xxvii.

If Job had a tender care of the orphans, Job xxxi. and Pharaoh's daughter had compassion on the tears of a little strange child, how much more shall God, who is the Father of all mercies, and the God of all comfort, have pity on children, that he hath redeemed with the precious blood of his only Son? Exod. ii. 2 Cor. i. Since he hears the cries of the young ravens, he will soon hear the prayers, sighs, and tears of his servants' children, Psalm cxlvii. ver. 9. He clothes the grass of the field, which to-day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, Matt. vi. how much rather will he clothe your children, O ye of little faith? venly Father nourish the birds of the air?

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