4. Again, Let us read [o/] the estate of God's church, what it hath been from the beginning of the world ; what miseries God's children have en- dured in former ages by reason of war and the like, that so we may work grief upon our own hearts. We have always matter of grief while wo aro in this world; if we look abroad, we shall find matter of mourning. And surely we should labour to mourn if we desire to be blessed. For ' blessed are they that mourn : they shall be comforted,' Mat. v. 4.
5. Fifthly, That we may get this weeping and mourning, let us ivork this tender affection upon our own hearts. The soul hath a facutly to work upon
68 THE ART OF MOURNIXG.
itself. Therefore let us shame ourselves for our own deadncss, dryness, and spiritual harrenness this way, that we can yield no sighs, no tears for God, for his church and glory. Let us reason thus with our souls : If I should lose my wife, or child, or my estate, this naughty heart of mine would weep and ho grieved ; hut now there is gi'eater cause of mourning for myself and the church of God, and yet I cannot grieve. Augustine saith he could weep for her that killed herself out of love to him, but he could not weep for his own want of love to God.* We have many that will weep for the loss of friends, wealth, and such like things, but let them lose God's favour, be in such an estate there is but one step between them and hell, they are never grieved nor moved at it. Therefore, seeing they do not weep for themselves, let us weep for them. Can we weep when we see a man hurt in his body, and ought we not much more for the danger of his soul ? Therefore let us work this sorrow upon our hearts. Now, we are to receive the sacrament, which is a feast, and therefore must be eaten cheerfully. The passover was a banquet, and therefore to be eaten with joy, but withal it was used to be eaten with sour herbs. So must it be in this blessed banquet which God hath provided for our souls. There must be sorrow as well as joy. It is a mixed action, and therefore it must be eaten with sour herbs, presenting to the eyes of our mind the object of the old Adam ; thinking upon the vileness of our nature, that have such filthy speeches, disobedient actions, such rebellious thoughts in us. Great need have I of the mercy and favour of God to look upon such a defiled soul as I am. And also, having in the eyes of our soul Christ crucified, look upon Christ, which is crucified in the sacrament, sacramentall_y. What was that which broke the body of Christ ? Was it not sin ? That sin which I so often cherish, this pride, this envy, unbelief, and hypocrisy, this covetous- ness of mind was that which put Christ into such torment. It was not the nails, but my sins. The sacrament must work upon our hearts so as to work grief in us. We must weep as the people did for Josiah, according as God hath promised we should do. It is said, Zech. xii. 10, ' They shall look on him whom they have pierced by their sins, and weep and mourn for him as one that mourneth for his only son.' So then, the sacrament is not only a matter of joy and thanks, but a matter of sorrow. Therefore, if we would joy in the sacrament, let us first be humbled for sin, and then joy in it afterwards.
Obj. But here it might be 'objected, Are we not bid for to rejoice always ? and always to be thankful? 1 Thes. v. 16. Then how can these agree? for weeping and mourning are contrary to thanksgiving and joy.
Ans. To this I answer, that the estate of a Christian in this life is a mixed estate, both inward and outward ; his outward estate and the inward disposition of the soul is mixed. Therefore, having this mixed estate, our carriage must |be] answerable ; as we have always cause of mourning and rejoicing botli from that in us and from without us, therefore a Christian ought to rejoice always, and in some measure to mourn always. As, for example,
A Christian hath cause of mourning within him when he- looks upon his sinful nature and the sins which he doth daily commit, yet notwithstanding, at the same time, there is cause of joj', and great reason to bless God, when he considers that God hath pardoned his sins in Christ. Thus the apostle did, Rom. vii. 24 ; when he looked upon himself and his own vileness, he cries out, ' 0 wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this * Aujrustine on the death of liia mother Monica. — G.
THE ART OF MOURNING. 69
body of death !' yet for all tliis, at the same time he rejoiceth and blesseth God : ' I thank God through Jesus Christ my Lord, who hath freed me from the law of sin and of death.' Thus, you see, we have always in respect of ourselves both cause of joy and mourning, therefore we must do both. So have we in like manner continual causes both of joy and sorrow from w'ithout us, if we look to the church of God : of joy, in regard there is a God in heaven who hath an eye to his church, who pitieth it and ten- dereth* it as the apple of his eye ; that takes to heart the atliictions of it ; that will be glorious in the midst of the troubles of his people, by uphold- ing, comforting, and turning all to the best for them ; — of sorrow also, in respect of the miseries under which the church of God doth groan, of which we are bound to take notice, and so to weep with them that weep, Isa. xxii. 12 ; Amos vi. 6 ; Rom. xii. 15. You see the rare mixture of joy and sorrow in a Christian, whereby he is made capable of this great privilege, as neither to be swallowed up of grief, because that his sorrow proceeds from a heart where there is cause of joy, nor to lose himself in excessive joy, because he alwa3's sees in himself cause of sorrow. Now, as it is to be seen in other mixtures that there is not at all times an equal quantity or portion of each particular thing to be mingled, but now more of the one, and at another time more of the other, according as the cause doth vary, 60 is it in this mixture of joj^ and sorrow for ourselves and for others ; sometimes joy must abound with the causes of it, and sometimes sorrow with its causes doth superabound. It will be worth our inquiry, therefore, to know when to joy most, and when to weep most, which we shall know by God's call in outward occasions, and by the spirit of discretion within us, which will guide us. For God hath given his childre.n a spirit of dis- cretion, that will teach them when to joy and when to weep most. As God calls to mourning now in these times that the church of God is in misery, as he calls for sighs for the afflictions of Joseph, so the spirit of discretion within us doth tell us what to do.