(2.) Secondly, This is another happy effect of godly mourning, that spiritual and godly mourning alway doth a man good and never any hurt. Worldly sorrow, saith the apostle, causeth death. It hurts the soul, it hurts the Hfc, it hurts the body of a man ; but spiritual sorrow, on the other side, causeth life. The more a man dies this way, the more he lives ; the more he weeps, the more he laughs ; and the more he can weep over Jesus Christ, the more lightsome and gladsome his heart is, and the more comfortably he spends his time. This brings him joy, this brings him peace, this brings him evidence of God's love, this brings assurance of pardon, and so this makes way for life, and doth a man no hurt at all.
(3.) Thirdly, This spiritual and godly sorrow and mourning is a sorroio never to be repented of, as the apostle there implies. All other sorrow a man must unsorrow again. When a man hath wept and blubbered, and spent a great deal of time in passionate tears, in cursed tears, in froward tears, in revengeful stomachful tears, he must blot out these tears with new tears ; he must unweep this weeping, and undo his mourning because he hath thus mourned ; he hath reason to repent for his sorrow. But when a man sets himself apart to weep over Christ, and sees his sins for the dishonour that is offered to God's name, and that his mourning is holy and spiritual mourning, he shall never have cause to repent of this time that is so spent, although he have spent many days and hours in that action,
(4,y Last of all, spiritual mourning ivorks repentance, saith the apostle : that is to say, it works reformation and amendment ; it sets a man further from his sin, and brings him nearer to God, and nearer to goodness ; it works in himself partly, and in regard of others partly, those fruits that the apostle there mentions in the Corinthians. Saith he, what striving, what diligence and speed did you make, namely, to find out and to censure the incestuous person ; and then this sorrow will make a man nimble to find out sin, to reform and redress abuses in himself, in his house, and his place in what he can. In the second place, it gives a man defence and apology to speak for himself, and to say, Though I live amongst a polluted people of uncircumcised hearts, yet I join not with them in their sins, I mourn for them, I censure them, I blame them, as the Corinthians did the incestuous person. And for himself, he is able to hold up his head with
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comfort, and to say, It is true I have corruptions, but here is my apologj', I bewail them. It is true I have thus and thus sinned, but here is my defence, I am sorry. I found place for sin, I find place for sorrow also, I confess it, I bewail it, I repent of my sin. Thus he clears himself.
(5.) Further, Spiritual soitow, it tmrks indignation ar/aiitst sin in himself and in others ; a zeal against all impediments in himself and in others, the desire to God's ministers and word ; that revenge that the apostle speaks of there, and that fear of hazarding one's self into the like occasions of sin for the time to come. In short, the fruits and efiects of godly sorrow are exceeding blessed, exceeding many, and therefore in this sense, in this respect, he that mourns spiritually is an happy man.
3. Thirdly, He is happy in rer/ard of the event and issxie of his mournin;], because all shall end well ivith him, and all his tears shall one dai/ he wiped away, and joy and gladness shall come in place ; yea, he is happy in this, that spiritual mourning it is always accompanied with joy : that is an happy estate that tends to happiness. Things are termed from the term in their motion. That is an happy estate that is attended with comfort, that ends in comfort, and shall be swallowed up of it at the last. Now this is the state of the spiritual mourner ; while he doth mourn he hath comfort, and comfort because he can mourn. This doth a Christian heart more good than all the good of this world, when he can get himself apart and shed tears for his sins, and bewail the miseries and the sins of the time, and take to heart the dishonour of God's name. This, I say, doth more refresh and glad his soul than any outward comfort in the .world. Thei'e is a laughter which Solomon speaks of, that makes a man sad, a carnal laughter ; the heart is sad whilst the face laughs. So I may say the contrary, as there is joined sadness in some laughter, so there is laughter in some sad- ness. Carnal laughter makes a man sad while he laughs ; but spiritual mourning, it makes a man merry when he mourns ; the more he mourns, the more merry he is. Again, as for the present his mourning is attended with comfort, so in the end it shall end in comfort. There is a sorrow that shall end in darkness, that wastes a man as fire and heat wastes a candle, and so goes out of itself and vanisheth into smoke, into nothing. There is a sorrow and grief that ends in a greater sorrow, and that empties itself into eternal miser}', but this spiritual sorrow shall have an end. For there shall be an end of our sorrow. If it be holy sorrow, we shall not ever mourn, but the tears shall one day be wiped from all our eyes, it shall have an end, and an happy end too. For all our sorrow shall end in joy. For our garments of ashes we shall have garments of light and gladness, and * everlasting joy shall be upon our heads,' Isa. sxxv. 10. So then, whether we respect the cause of our mourning, or the fruits and eff'ects of it, whether we respect the close and event of it, it is clear that every man that can mourn spiritually is in that respect in a very happy and blessed estate and condition. We have given you now the point. You hear what our Saviour speaks is but reason, though he seem to speak a paradox to flesh and blood when he saith, every spiritual mourner is an happy man. Now then, my brethren, let us apply the point a little.