Forty-Six Sermons in Vol II of the Works - Edwards - XLIV - Sermon XVII of 'Seventeen Occasional Sermons'

Required reading
Forty-Six Sermons in Volume II of the Works by Jonathan Edwards (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read Sermon XVII from the section entitled 'Seventeen Occasional Sermons'.

My summary
Today we read the last of Edwards' sermons in this volume.

It is a funeral sermon for the death of a minister.  The text is Matthew xiv. 12. 'And his disciples came and took up the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus.' 

Edwards says: 'The observation from the words that I would make the subject of my discourse at this time, is this: When any one is taken away by death, that has been eminent in the work of the gospel ministry, such as are thereby bereaved, should go and spread their calamity before Jesus.'

Then Edwards gives reasons why those in such a situation people should spread their sorrows before Jesus:
1. Christ is one that is ready to pity the afflicted;
2. Christ has purchased all that persons need under such a bereavement;
3. Christ is able to afford all that help that is needed in such a case;
4. The consideration of the special office of Christ, and the work that he has undertaken for his people, should engage them to go and spread such a calamity, as the bereavement of a faithful and eminent minister, before him.

Then Edwards makes various applications to the different people present.

What grabbed me
I was moved by the counsel given to the children of the dead minister: 'Therefore go to him in your mourning: go and tell Jesus; tell a compassionate Saviour what has befallen you. Heretofore you have had an earthly father to go to, whose heart was full of tenderness to you; but the heart of his Redeemer is much more tender; his wisdom and his love is infinitely beyond that of any earthly parent. Go to him, and then you will surely find comfort. Go to him, and you will find that, though you are bereaved, yet you are not left in any want; you will find that all your wants are supplied, and all your loss made up, and much more than so.'

Although we may lose our earthly fathers, there is one who we can go to - and he loves us more than any earthly parent could.

Next week's reading
Commence '21 Sermons on Hebrews 10:20-24' in Volume III of the Works of Robert Traill (Available from Reformation Heritage Books or free here) by reading Sermon I.

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.