without that Private Griefs are nothing in comparison of the Miseries of Sion 1 Sam. 4. 21. The Glory is departed the Glory is departed Though she lost a Father lost an Husband that was sad but she reflects upon the principal Cause of Grief the Misery of the Church of God So see Ier. 22. 10. Weep ye not for the Dead neither bemoan him but weep sore for him that goeth away for he shall return no more to his native Country Not for good Iosiah but the Misery of wicked Shallum Thus it must be Godly in respect to the End to draw you to God these ways Use 1. It condemneth that Slightness of Spirit that is in most Persons God entereth into their Families and taketh thence a principal Pillar a Husband or Wife but they are not affected with it they carelesly slight it as if nothing had been done or some chance had befallen them A Roman bragged Se nunquam cum matre c. They may say they were never comforted they never needed it they lay nothing to Heart Brethren the Use of Divinity indeed is to compose and still the Spirit not to make it stupid I am sorry that I am forced to speak any thing to trouble you I had rather comfort but there is no true Rest where there hath not been a due Trouble therefore I must a little speak against this Stoical Patience and Insensibleness And because Discovery of Sin doth more wound the Heart than all the Forcibleness of Expression we can use I shall not cudgel it with barren Invectives but labour to discover this sinful careless Insensibleness to the Heart and distinguish it from an holy Patience I have been often upon such like Subjects therefore shall say the less now I shall difference it chiefly in their Grounds 1. This Slightness proceeds 1st From want of Consideration There can be no Patience where there is no Sense of Evils They will not give their Thoughts leave to work upon such Objects I do not say we must make it the Cause or Object of our Mourning yet I say we must make it the Occasion this must awaken sad Thoughts in us about our own Sins or others Sufferings but they will not think of it These are such as are described by the Prophet to put far away the evil Day Amos 6. 3. that is all Consideration of God's Dealings with them or others 2dly From indulging Pleasure A voluptuous Spirit is an insensible Spirit Eph. 4. 19. Who being past feeling give themselves over to work Uncleanness with Greediness So it is said Hos. 4. 11. Whoredom and Wine do take away the Heart that is all Smartness and Quickness of Affection When the Soul is sleeping in Pleasure there is a Brawniness brought over it Pleasure is the Drunkenness of the Soul and a drunken Man feeleth nothing Prov. 23. 35. They have stricken me shalt thou say and I was not sick they have beaten me and I felt it not 3dly Vain Thoughts Ier. 4. 14. How long shall vain Thoughts dwell within thee Evil Workings of Spirit either seeking a way how they may get out or contriving how it maketh for their worldly Advantage The Devil darts evil Thoughts in us how a Cross by some sinful course may work for our temporal Good our State augmented thereby or capable of farther Contentment and Advancement in the World 2. Christian Patience cometh from this Ground it doth not exclude a Sense of Evil but a quieting of the Heart against Evil. These are the Grounds and Workings of the Thoughts 1st It seeth God in it 1 Sam. 3. 18. It is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good Psal. 39. 9. I was dumb and opened not my Mouth because thou didst it 2dly It seeth God acting with Soveraignty Dan. 4. 35. None can stay his Hand or say to him What dost thou Job 9. 12. Behold he taketh away who can hinder him Who will say to him What dost thou Job 33. 13. What dost thou strive with him he giveth no Account of his Matters 3dly This Soveraignty mollified with Attributes As 1. With infinite Justice Dan. 9. 14. The Lord our God is Righteous in all the Works which he doth Just and righteous in all his ways It is just because God doth it His Will is the measure of his Actings Deut. 27. 15. All the People to say Amen it is just Lord. 2. With infinite Wisdom Isa. 28. 29. He is wonderful in Counsel and excellent in working He knoweth what is better for you than you your selves for God hath the Bowels of a Mother so the Wisdom of a Father 3. With infinite Love It looketh upon God as a Father Iohn 18. 11. The Cup that my Father hath given me shall I not drink of it Though a bitter Cup it is from my Father 4. With infinite Faithfulness Psal. 119. 75. I know thy Iudgments are right and that in Faithfulness thou hast afflicted me It looketh upon Afflictions as a Means in God's Hands I proceed to the second Point Doct. II. That Christians ought so to sorrow under the Sense of their Afflictions as if they did not sorrow Their Affections must be moderately exercised Having in the former Point shewed what Sorrow may be allowed or is required of a Christian I shall shew you here what Sorrow is disallowed or unlawful 1. Such as overwhelmeth and dejecteth the Spirit so as you are not your own Man This is called a Fainting or a sinking of the Soul under Affliction Heb. 12. 5. Faint not when thou art rebuked of the Lord. As we must not slight it so we must not faint under it Fainting is quando anima dejicitur de statu when the Soul is put out of the Condition of a free Soul and delivered over to the Possession of another God hath given every Man this Fee-simple to possess himself Now we are not our selves when we are overcome with Grief and Sorrow and therefore it is said Luke 21. 19. In Patience possess your Souls implying that a Man hath not the use and command of his Soul when he is overcome with Grief it doth as it were dispossess a Man of himself You know of a drunken Man we say he is not himself because he hath not the free Use of his Reason Now this being overwhelmed with Sorrow is expressed in Scripture by this very Term being drunk as Isa. 63. 6. I will tread them down in mine Anger I will make them drunk in my Fury that is bring such Affliction as they shall not be able to injoy themselves under it to have the free Use and Exercise of their Reason 2. Such as is peevish When Men indulge themselves in their Disquiets and will not hearken to what might make for the Settlement of their Souls When the Heart yieldeth to Passion and huggeth Grief and will not let it go There is a great deal of Pride and Stomach in Men against God's Dispensations and therefore the Prophet expresseth that intolerable Misery
while Stop Floods in their full Career and they rage and swell When the Death of a near Friend hath opened the Sluces let the Waters play a little in the Channel till it be calmer Passions spend and tire themselves in their Exercise Grief is sometimes eased by the Expression of it There is Reason too for it if that of Cardan be true that an heavy Heart is eased by nothing so much as by Sighs and Tears because Tears empty the Head of some Vapours with which it is surcharged and Sighs lighten the Heart of some fuliginous Damps that oppress it These are Nature's Offers for Ease You see the Reasons 2. What Grief and Sorrow this is that God alloweth and approveth What is sinful Grief I shall shew you in the next Point here what is lawful and required I answer Not every Sorrow For there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as well as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a godly Sorrow and a worldly Sorrow 2 Cor. 7. 10. Godly Sorrow worketh Repentance to Salvation not to be repented of but the Sorrow of the World worketh Death In the general it must be a godly Sorrow In these Respects 1. You must see somewhat of God in the Affliction It is a Motive this on both Hands both to Sensibleness and Patience that it is from God Heb. 12. 5. My Son despise not thou the Chastening of the Lord because it is from God A Man slights every ordinary Chance but when it is from God then it worketh more effectual upon the Spirit As we see in the case of the Philistines 1 Sam. 6. 9. If that Stroke that happened upon them were a Chance they would trouble themselves no further about it but if it were from the God of Israel they would advise about sending home the Ark. 2. It must be serviceable Sorrow to set you the nearer to God Sorrow is of the Nature of those things that are required not for themselves but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for some farther thing You must not rest in your Sorrow but make use of it that it may work kindly employ it about the Work of the Sanctuary Do not cherish your Affections for their own sakes but so as they may be helpful to the Soul Do not go about to still the Affection to think that 's all that is required let it do the Soul Service and be glad you have your Hearts under such an Advantage You know how Ioshua served the Gibeonites he did not slay them but condemned them to be Hewers of Wood and Drawers of Water for the Sanctuary Grief and Sorrow well managed will make a good Drawer of Water for the Sanctuary Make your Sorrow your Servant now to draw Water for you to make you smart and bleed for a good Use and Purpose There is a gracious Promise to them that sow in Tears Psal. 126. 5. They that sow in Tears shall reap in Ioy. Now we are in Tears but we do not sow Tears Tears are not Seed we have not the Crop But what shall we do to make them Seed spiritualize them make them spiritual Tears let the Water run in a holy Channel and then like the Waters of the Sanctuary they will be healing Waters The Death of a Friend though never so dear to us will never cause any but carnal Tears they minister a good occasion of Mourning but they do not minister a Cause and Ground of Mourning It is good to distinguish between the Cause and the Occasion At such a time God calleth for more than ordinary Sensibleness and Sorrow but not because he hath declared his Pleasure concerning our Friends that is Murmuring not Mourning We should take this occasion indeed but our Sorrow should work upon a spiritual Ground and Object 1st We should take this Occasion to mourn for our own Sins Miseries are but the Effects of Sin You should labour to make Sin bitter by your present Feeling There should be I say a special renewing of our Repentance by such Providences Experience teacheth best Now you see what Sorrow Sin bringeth If Men would but improve their Occasions of Sorrow thus their Hearts would be more keen against Sin It is a great Argument to make Men continue in a Course when it never proveth Evil to them Therefore God challengeth them Ier. 2. 5. What Iniquity have you found in me that you depart from me Just as a Martyr said I have served Jesus Christ thus many Years and should I deny him now But if Men would thus observe these Experiences Sin cannot make this Challenge We can say of Sin Thou hast killed my Husband or Wife at such a time my Daughter my Brother at such a time c. Consider and say Have not I provoked God to remove the Comfort of a Parent or near Relation from me It is said of Gideon Iudg. 8. 16. that with Briars and Thorns he taught the Men of Succoth So God many times teaches us 2dly We should take this Occasion to weep for the publick Abominations When Polus the Tragedian was to act a mournful Part he brought in the Urn or the Pot of Ashes of his own dead Son that drew real Tears from him We are all to act a mournful Part now even to mourn for our Abominations before the Lord. It may be your Grief is flat and low awaken it by these private Instances But take heed let it not stay there this is but to give the Occasion some other thing must be the Cause and the Object of it O pour out a little Water upon the publick Sins they are Sparks that we have kindled as the Prophet speaks Isa. 50. 11. Behold all ye that kindle a Fire and compass your selves about with Sparks It is meant of Sins not as it is wrongly expounded of walking in our own Duties Well pour out this Water upon these Sparks When a Town is on Fire every one will bring his Bucket Why when the whole Kingdom is compassed about with these Sparks God giveth you these private Occasions that you may bring your Bucket to quench the common Flame So Luke 23. 28. Weep not for me but weep for your selves and for your Children Alas who could choose but shed Tears to part with such a blessed Companion as our Saviour Yet not for me saith he but for the Survivors Weep for your Sins and Calamities that are coming upon you Let such an Occasion open the Flood-gates but then cut out a Passage for them that they may run this way 3dly For the publick Miseries Private Sorrows should be swallowed up in the publick Look as private Mercies are no Mercies unless it be well with Sion and therefore it is annexed as a special Blessing Psal. 128. 6. that they should see their Childrens Children and Peace upon Israel Descensive Love is strong always but in these times more strong because every one expected the Messiah to come of his Race but that is nothing without Peace upon Israel it is not a consummate Mercy
Cains look with fallen Countenances Gen. 4. 6. Let the Pharisees please themselves in their sowr Looks Mat. 6. 16. A Christian's Countenance should shew him to be above his Misery sprightly and chearful though you take away their Coat as Ioseph's Mistress did you cannot take away their Comfort they are glad they can escape with their Conscience though they should leave their Coat behind them I remember Scaliger playeth the Critick with Homer because Champion Achilles is brought in weeping his beloved Briseis was taken from him So it is a Disgrace to our high Profession when a Christan is brought in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 weeping it is beneath you It is said in Acts 5. 41. They departed from the Presence of the Council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer for Christ. Philpot's Stocks in the Bishop of London's Coal-house was but a pair of Organs as he saith Nor is it true only in these honourable Sufferings for the Glory of our Religion but in the Strokes of Providence in this very Business of deceased Friends The Apostle makes it the Property of Pagans to mourn excessively 1 Thess. 4. 13. Sorrow not as those that have no Hope i. e. as Pagans they did abound in it as see Gen. 50. 3. compared with v. 10. Ioseph mourned for Iacob but seven Days the Egyptians seventy even ten times as much Nay Pagans err so much this way that if they could not find Grief they would force Grief and therefore at their Funerals if they had no Sympathy they would slash their Faces and cut their Flesh that they might be sorrowful And therefore God saith Deut. 14. 1. Ye shall not cut your selves and make Baldness in your Eyes for the Dead ye are the Children of the Lord your God that is you have higher Principles you know such Sorrow needless And hence was it that the Primitive Christians were wont to sing triumphant Psalms at Funerals as it appeareth out of many Places of Chrysostom to shew they had higher Hopes of their departed Friends 3. It is very prejudicial You have no Benefit but a great deal of Hurt by it 2 Cor. 7. 10. there it is summed up in one word Worldly Sorrow worketh Death that is chiefly Sorrow for worldly things that works Death temporal and eternal in its Desert temporal Death as it exhausteth the Spirits wasteth the Marrow Worldly Sorrow leaveth a very strong Impression upon the Body as Solomon saith Prov. 17. 22. A broken Spirit drieth the Bones it dulleth and deadens the Heart If a Man would not save his Tears yet he should reserve them keep them up for holy Uses God may give you many spiritual Occasions to empty your Bottle do not be over-free of them Affections over-exercised are usually restrained against the next Occasion And as they procure Death in respect of the Vigour of the Body and Soul so an eternal Death too it deserveth it And so the Apostle is to be understood for he opposeth it to Godly Sorrow which hereafter you shall see you have no cause to repent of as you have of Worldly Grief is a most serious Passion and though a Man may forget himself in his Joy he should not forget to think of the Danger Worldly Sorrow worketh Death 4. It is very unreasonable If Men would cite their Affections before the Tribunal of Reason and ask them what 's the matter why they are so violently stirr'd they might discern much of their Folly Psal. 42. 5. David calleth himself to an account Why art thou so disquieted O my Soul why art thou cast down within me Ask why it is and you will see either no reason or a corrupt one Iniqua lex est quae se examinari non patitur saith Tertullian And so it is an evil Heart that will not be called to an account Suspect those Passions that are loth to be examined Do but ask your selves why do I grieve now you shall see the Answer will be foolish unreasonable unthankful or savouring of Discontent Why it may be you will say Many dear Comforts are taken from me O Brethren that is an ill Expression no outward Comfort can be taken from a Christian We should live in such a continual waiting for God's Pleasure and in such a quiet Submission thereunto as not to look upon our Comforts as taken from us Iob indeed useth the word Iob 1. 23. The Lord hath given the Lord hath taken but he useth it so as if he would be understood as if the Lord had accepted of the Resignation for he blesses God for it Even our highest Comfort our Lives the Lives of the Saints are not taken from them God doth but as it were accept of the Resignation As Stephen Acts 7. 59. Lord Iesus receive my Spirit So Rev. 22. 20. Even so come Lord Iesus come quickly It is said of the Wicked indeed that their Lives are snatched or taken away as Iob 27. 8. What Hope hath the Hypocrite when God taketh away his Soul or snatcheth it away So Luke 12. 20. Thou Fool this Night shall thy Soul be required of thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they shall challenge and get away thy Soul from thee Therefore we should resign up our holy Friends to God as well as they do themselves But let us see how unreasonable this very Particular is of Mourning for the Dead Is it to do them good They are not the better for our Tears they are past Recovery by our Weeping Is it not to envy their Blessedness to wish them alive again 2 Sam. 12. 23. Wherefore should I fast can I bring him back again I shall go to him he shall not come to me Is it because they were so good that we mourn The better for God they are gone to their own home Is it because so bad 2 Sam. 13. 39. David was comforted concerning Anmon because dead though he died in Sin Or is it because they died so soon which heightens your Loss Consider who decreed it are you wiser than God Is it for your own Good you weep that is an holy Weeping Weep as if you wept not Thus if Men would expostulate with themselves they would see the Unreasonableness of their Sorrow it is to no purpose We express things to no purpose by Water spilt on the Ground certainly Tears in such Cases are but spilt Water Use 1. To instruct you to take home this Lesson so to sorrow under the Sense of your Afflictions as if you did not sorrow be it the Loss what it will though I shall chiefly speak to the present Occasion Do not let the Grief oppress your Heart Ay but how shall we do so I shall give you some Motives As 1st Be sure to get an Interest in spiritual Mercies The Doctrine saith Christians ought so to sorrow as if they sorrowed not We cannot speak to others in this Language unless we should perswade Men to slight the Hand of God We throw Bones to Dogs but Bread to Children