“ The dearest comforts are but short lived, and the dearer they are when living, the deeper they cut when they are removed. Many of you can judge what the loss of a son, an only son, must be, and when there is no hope of a Seth instead of Abel. But, behold, "he taketh away, and who shall hinder him?" Well: What does the mother do now? One would think all her hope is cut off, and all her comfort dried up: No, it is far otherwise. The same power that gave him could also raise him; in faith of this, she lays him upon the prophet's bed, and makes all the haste to him she could. ”

“ Short words, soon spoken; but to have a suitableness of heart to them is one of the highest attainments of faith. To be sure, "It is well;" we think so, when all things go according to our wish; when there is nothing in Providence that crosses our desires, that thwarts our designs, that sinks our hopes, or awakens our fears; Submission is easy work then; but to have all things seemingly against us, to have God smiting in the tenderest part, unravelling all our schemes, contradicting our desires, and standing aloof from our very prayers ”

“ They are to purge from sin, to wean from the world, to bring you from the foot of God, to shew you that your rest is not here, that it lies beyond the grave. What though they make you smart, they do you the more good: this argues your sensibleness under the rod; that is not a rod which does not cause smart; the sharpest physic does most service, because it reaches the inward, hidden cause, not one of our many trials which we could well spare. ”

“ There are so many remains of depraved nature in the hearts of the saints, that if the warm sun of prosperity did always shine upon the Lord's garden, the weeds would quickly multiply, the choicest flowers wither, and an army of caterpillars devour the pleasant fruits. To prevent these, God will not suffer his people to enjoy uninterrupted prosperity, but wisely appoints seasons of affliction and trouble.
On the other hand, were we to groan under perpetual adversity, our souls perhaps would suffer equal prejudice. Our heavenly father will not always chide ”

“ Sirs, it is one thing to be chastised, and another thing to bear chastisement; to behave aright under it; to be patient, submissive, thankful; to have a frame of heart suited to the dispensation, whatever it is. This is to bear chastisement: and wherever this is the language of the soul will be, "That which I see not teach thou me; I have done inquity, I will do no more." When an affliction is sanctified, it always begets godly fear and jealousy. A man is then most afraid of his own heart, lest that should deceive him ”

“ It was a wonderful act of faith; but the promises if God can never lie long unfulfilled: when he has prepared the heart to pray, his own ear is open to hear. He has not called himself “I am what I am," for nothing. Abraham staggered not at the promise through unbelief, no more does the daughter of Abraham here: it is blessed pleading “Did not I say, do not deceive me?" "May trust? May I venture? He has given me the faithful word of God to rely on; here my faith testeth." And a son came in due season. ”

“ This submission implies in it our cleaving to God in all. To be pleased with God as a friend, when he seems to be coming forth against, us as an enemy; to lean upon a promise, when all the ways leading to the performance are shut up; to rejoice in God when we have nothing left beside to rejoice in, and faith is hard put to it to all God ours. ”

“ One single trial oftentimes will not do, to empty is of self, to wean us from the world, to shew us the vanity of the creature, the sinfulness of sin, &c.: it must be repeated or others joined with it, so fast are our affections glued to the things of time and sense. ”

“ Was a child under the direction of a parent to intimate no desire of his forbearance, should we not rather account him stubborn than submissive? In like manner, not to ask of God release from troubles, is as offensive as to mourn at them. ”

“ Isaiah 26.-19. Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs: and the earth shall cast out the dead. ”

“ It is a happy state of mind when your trials are Accepted ones: when God's chastening hand is even esteemed a kindness.—Lord! may the believer say, I will not puzzle myself with hows, and whys, and yets. ”

“ Submission quiets under an affliction, but it does not take away our sense and feeling of the affliction. The apostle speaks what is every believer's experience, Heb. xii, 11. No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous. Whatever be spoken of the good of it, it presents itself unto us with a very different face; it is matter of present grief and sorrow to them that are chastised; nor are we blamed for our feeling and sense of it. ”

“ This is the true touchstone of our sincerity and submission; "Here," as it is said, Rev. xiii. 10. "is the patience and faith of the saints"; this shews what they are made of, what they are within; but instances there are many in the book of God, wherein we find this sweet frame prevailing, as Abraham, Job, David, and the Shumite in my text, than whose story we meet with few things in Providence more affecting. ”

“ A soul may say in a becoming frame, and in the exercise of suitable affections, "It is well," and yet long, and pray, and wait from the trial. Submission to the will of God, under awful dispensations, is not inconsistent with earnest prayer for a gracious and speedy issue to these very dispensations. “It is well,” says this good-woman in my text; and yet how does she plead for the life of the child, ver. 28. “Did I desire a son of my lord? ”

“ There is nothing amiss in the dispensation; had she been to choose it, it is well; she has nothing to object. Here are submission and faith both discovered in their sweet exercise; submission to what God hath done; faith in what he is able to do, and in what she believed he would do: "By faith women received their dead raised to life again; so that the words, thus explained, afford us this plain and useful observation.
Observ. Faith in God's promise and power will bring a man to submit to the sorest and most trying dispensations of his Providence ”

“ We may puzzle and distress ourselves about instruments and second causes, but no quiet no rest can we have, till we are led to the first. “He performeth the thing appointed for me;" that settles the soul, but nothing else will do it. ”

“ Faith, not as some carry it, in the prophet, but in the persons who had their dead restored to them; or else there would have been no need to make mention of any by name. Now wherein this woman's faith appeared, my text and context make manifest. Here was a dependence upon God's promise, an abiding by that, God had promised her a son; a son, not to lose him but to have comfort in him; and, as if she had said, “As for God, his work is perfect, he does not use to raise his people's expectations for nothing; to give and immediately take away again, My son is dead, but God, all sufficient liveth ”

“ Hereby God takes a proper method for the exercise and improvement of the graces of his children. Without such a mixed condition, there could be no room for many of them, and not room enough for any of them to appear in their glory and beauty. ”

“ As a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee.
Job 36.-8. And if they be bound in fetters, and be holden in cords of affliction. Verse 9. Then he sheweth them their work and their transgressions, that they have exceeded. 10. He openeth also their ear to discipline, and commandeth that they return fron iniquity.
Psalm 94.-12. Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord and teachest him out of thy law. Verse 13. That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked. ”

“ For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day." Verse 17. For our light affliction which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
Hebrews 21.-6. "Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and seourgeth every son whom he receiveth." Verse 7. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? ”

“ Wherefore, says the church, Lam. iii. 39, “wherefore, does a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? So long as we are out of hell, God punishes less than our iniquities deserve.
Whatever be our trial, it comes from God: he is the author, whoever be the instrument, therefore, “it is well,” He cannot do iniquity: David had not one word to say, by way of complaint, when he saw God's hand in the affliction: yea, let him curse, for “the Lord hath bid Shimei curse David," 2 Sam. ”

“ Believers ought to comfort one another with these words. It is heartsome for travellers on the road in a dark night, and going to the same place, to speak to each other in the language of the country to which they are going, and to say, “What of the night! ”