1. When our Sorrows are vented in impatient Murmurs and indecent Reflections upon the Conduct of Divine Providence; as if when our Friends are taken from our Society, God had done an unjust, an unmerciful, or an unwife A&t. This is very criminal; for hereby we affront him in his moral Perfections, and feem to difpute with him about the Rights of his Godhead; forgetting that he is our abfolute Sovereign, and has an original and unalienable Right in us and ours. For as it was merely an Act of his Choice to give us a Being, all his fubfequent Bounties can have no other Original than his own good Pleasure. And fince he bestows his Favours upon us without our Merit, he may juftly, when he pleases, recal 'em without our leave; for his fundamental Right in us and our Friends, skreens him from the least shadow of Injuftice, when by Death he removes them from us. So that if while we are mourning for our deceas'd Friends, we permit our Paffions to mutiny, fo as to utter any unbecoming Reflections on the Skilfulness of the Divine Hand; 'tis a strong evidence that our Sorrows are too excessive.

And this kind of Excefs and Impatience feems to have overcome David, when in the most mournful Accents, and in an uncommon Strain, he laments the tragical End of his rebellious Son Abfalom, as the Text informs us: The King was much moved, and went up 2 sam. 18. to the Chamber over the Gate, and wept; and 33. as he went, thus he faid, O my Son Abfalom, my Son, my Son Abfalom! would God I had died for thee, O Abfalom, my Son, my Son! But,

2. We

For as

2. We forrow like thofe without hope, when our Grief does fo ruffle our Minds and enfeeble cur Bodies, as to render us uncapable to discharge the special Duties of our Relation and Place, and to exercise those Graces which are eminently useful, and very neceffary to be called forth into act, in a time of folemn Mourning and deep Sadness. If the Mind be greatly penfive, and thrown into a convulfive Agony, and do long continue fo, Sadness and Disorder will appear in the Countenance; for the Laws of Union betwixt Body and Soul are fo ftrict, that 'tis impoffible for the Faculties of the Mind to be indifpos'd, but the Organs of the Body will be fenfible of it, and fuffer by it. any Injury done to the Body occafions painful Senfations in the Mind, fo a violent hurry of the Powers and Paffions of the Soul will foon abate the ftrength of the Body; which while it declines and languishes, increases the disorder of the Spirit: fo that by an unaccountable Sympathy they become Partners in each other's Sorrows, and mutually hinder the performance of Holy Duties, and the exercife of Faith, Hope and Patience. For the mutiny of our Paffions fends up fuch Vapours as thicken into a Cloud; which fitting on the Underftanding, do fo confound the Apprehenfion, both with regard to the Actings of these Graces, and the Objects upon which they are to terminate, that they are like a mufical Inftrument that is unftrung, and fo unfit for use. Indeed there is no time more proper for the acting our fuffering Graces, than a Day of Gloom and thick Darknefs. But alas! this cannot be perform'd while the Mind is under

Confufion

Confufion and Horror, and the animal Spirits exhausted by continual fighing. Therefore when we give fo large a vent to our Sorrows, as to impair the Health of our Bodies, and impede the Exercife of our Graces, we forrow like thofe that have no hope.

3. When our Grief for our deceased Friends is greater than for thofe Sins which might be the occafion of God's removing them fo fuddenly from us. There is hardly any afflictive Providence, but is properly a Reproof and Correction for Sin. Now if the fmart of our Afflictions gives a deeper accent to our Sorrow than the guilt of our Sins; if we are more griev'd for the lofs of our Friend than for the visible tokens of the Divine Anger, then our mourning is criminal. Indeed that Perfon must be very Stoical who can bear the lofs of an agreeable Friend, without dropping a few Tears, and fending fome Sighs after him; but he is no lefs to blame, that can conceive a greater Sorrow in his Soul for the lofs of an outward Comfort, than for Sin the fad cause of God's fnatching it from him. Moreover, 'tis a certain fign that God was not valu'd by fuch a one as the fupreme, allcomprehending Good if any temporal Lofs does more afflict his Soul than the Sins that occafion'd it.

4. We forrow as those without hope for our departed Friends, when our Grief is more pungent and afflictive for the loss of them, than for God's withdrawing his gracious and quickning Prefence, and hiding his Face from us in an angry Cloud. The Smiles of God are better, and more to be valued than the best Life of any Creature: therefore to be

E

lefs

Gen. 37. 34, 35.

lefs concern'd when he frowns upon our Souls, than when he removes from us the Comforts of Life, does not only difcover the diforderly excess of our Grief, but the defect of our Judgment, in fetting a higher value on a dying Creature than an everliving God. But I haften to the fecond Head.

Secondly, They may be faid to forrow as thofe without hope, that exceed in the continuance of their Sorrows, rejecting all folid grounds of Comfort, as did several whose Names are inroll'd in facred Story. I'll inftance in a few: Good old Jacob, upon the apprehenfion of Jofeph's death, rends his Clothes, puts Sackcloth upon his Loins, and mourn'd for his Son many days: his Paffion fo got the start of his Reafon, that he refus'd to be comforted, and refolv'd to mourn till he died, abandoning himself to the most defJer. 31. 15. perate Sorrow. And thus Rachel is defcrib'd by the Prophet, as weeping for her Children, and refufing to be comforted, because they were 2 Sam. 21. not. And Rizpah continued by the dead Bodies of her Sons, and would not willingly be remov'd from them. And there are not a few Chriftians who are too apt to flide into thefe Exceffes upon the death of their near Relations, as if all their Happiness was vanish'd and gone, when the delight of their Eyes is funk into a Grave out of their fight: which immoderate Sorrow is a continued Reflection on the Divine Attributes, as if a God of infinite Wisdom and immenfe Goodnefs were uncapable of making up the lofs of a mutable mortal Creature.

10.

Moreover, let me remark that the invincible Patience, and profound Submission of fome Heathens under the most afflicting Providences, condemn the Practice of those Christians who inceffantly mourn for their departed Friends, and refuse to be comforted. I'll mention but one in the room of several, and 'tis that of Stilpon the Philofopher, who when the City where he liv'd was reduc'd to Ashes, and his Wife and Children buried in the common Ruins, himself escaping alone from the Fire, being ask'd whether he had loft any thing? replied, * All my Treasure's with me, fuftice, Virtue, Temperance, Prudence, and this inviolable Principle, not to esteem any thing as my proper Good that can be ravish'd from me. An Inftance that very much upbraids thofe Chriftians who are intemperate either in the degree or duration of their Grief. Some time is neceffary and decent for our funeral Sorrows: but to walk foftly all our days in deep mourning and anguish of Spirit, because our Friends are taken from us, and made more happy than ever they were with us, is to grieve like ftupid Jews, or hopeless Heathens; who both disbelieve the Refurrection of Chrift, which is the Foundation, Model, and Pledg of ours.

Therefore that this Diffuafive of the Apoftle may make a futable Impreffion upon our Minds, let us now confider the Arguments he uses to inforce it, which is the

Senec. Epift. 9. Omnia bona mea mecum funt, Juftitia, Virtus, Temperantia, Prudentia, hoc ipfum nihil boni putare quod etipi poffit.