kons Joy among the Fruits of the Holy Spirit, Gal. 5. 22.

Now all this is true, and I not only confefs, but also recommend the Thing hitherto pleaded for. But then 'tis alfo to be confidered what the Wife Man fays, that to every thing there is a season; and that there is a Time to weep and mourn, as well as a Time to laugh and dance, Ecclef. 3. And this not only from Natural, but alfo from Moral Neceffity: For the Circumftances of Human Life are fuch, as make it our Duty, as well as Fate, to mourn, and be forrowful. Religion has its gloomy, as well as bright Side; and there are to be Days of Darkness, as well as Days of Light, in the Chriftian Kalendar.

THIS is intimated to us by feveral Expreffions, and by feveral Examples, in Holy Scripture. Thus the Church in general is, in the Divine Song of Solomon, compared to a Dove; which, tho' confiderable for fome other Qualities, is yet for nothing fo remarkable as for her continual Mourning. So far was that Wife Man from the Opinion of thofe who make Temporal. Profperity, a Mark of the True Church. Again, fays the fame wife Preacher, It is better to go to the houfe of mourning, than to the house of feafting. And again, Sorrow is better than laughter. Where you fee he not only inculcates the Practice of Mourning, but alfo exprefly prefers it before its Contrary. And he gives this Reafon for it, becaufe by the Sadness

fadness of the countenance is the heart made better,Eccl. 7. 3. And therefore he makes this the Measure of Wisdom and Folly, by telling us in the next Verfe, That the heart of the wife is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools in the house of mirth. This Practice of Mourning is every where inculcated in the Writings of the Prophets, but especially of the Prophet Jeremy, who has writ a whole Book of Lamentations. But, above all, 'tis remarkable what our Lord himfelf fays of Mourning, in the 16th of St. John, where he seems to make it the great Mark of Difference between his Difciples and the Men of this World, Verily, verily, fays he, I say un-. that ye shall weep and lament, but the world

to you,

ball rejoice.

NOR do there want Examples of this Holy Mourning in Scripture. Thus the Devotion of Hannah is expreffed by her being a Woman of a forrowful Spirit, 1 Sam. 1. 15. The Royal Prophet spent his whole Time almoft in Mourn ing and Sorrow, which he alfo indulged and fomented with Mufic and Divine Hymns: And yet he was a Man wife and learned, and a Man after God's own Heart; and withal, a Man of great Bufinefs, and publick Occupati

on.

Thus again, the Prophet Jeremy was a great Mourner; a Man as infatiable in his Sørrow, as fome are in their Luxury. He was fo full of Grief, as not to be fatisfied with the natural and ordinary Ways of expreffing it: And therefore fays he, Oh, that my head were waters,

and

and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night, Jer. 9. 1. More I might inftance in, but I clofe all with the great Example of our Lord and Mafter Jefus Chrift, who, as the Text fays, was a Man of Sorrows, and acquainted with Grief; and that not only in his last Paffion and Agony, when his Soul was exceeding forrowful, even unto Death; and when, as the Author to the Hebrews fays, Heb. 5. 7. He offered up prayers and fupplications, with ftrong crying and tears; but also throughout the whole Courfe of his Life. We oftentimes read of his Weeping and Sorrowing, as upon his Prospect of the City Jerufalem, at the Grave of Lazarus, and a little after his laft Supper, when, as the Text fays, Mat. 26. he began to be forrowful, and very heavy; and in the Garden, where he wept Tears of Blood. But we never read that he ever laughed. Once, indeed, 'tis faid, Luk. 18. that he rejoiced; but then it was not with an outward, fenfitive and tumultuous Joy; but with an inward, fpiritual and filent Exultation: He rejoiced in Spirit. And what was it for? Not upon any Animal or Secular Account, but upon an Occafion altogether Spiritual and Divine 'Twas for the abundant Grace of his Father, bestowed upon his Difciples; and for their good Ufe of it, and Improvement under it.

I do not intend in all this, fuch rigid Meafures as are practifed and exacted by fome of the Religious Orders of the Roman Church;

where

where a Man is not allowed fo much as to laugh, or fay any thing but Frater memento mori, for feveral Years together. This would be to turn Society into a dumb Shew, to make Life a Burthen. and withal, to bring an ill Report upon the good Land of Promife, and to difcourage Men from the Chriftian Religion. But that which I ftand for is this, That we ought not fo to give our felves over to Secular Mirth and Jollity, but that we are still to remember that wę are in the Vail of Tears; that there is a Time for Mourning, as well as for Rejoicing; and that this is that Time, now we are in our Exile, and in the midst of Dangers and Fears; and that therefore Sorrow muft fometimes have its Turn, as well as Joy; and that there is fuch a Thing as Chriftian Mourning.

NOR need we be troubled that we have discover'd fuch an ungrateful Duty, fince there is a Beatitude annexed to it. But becaufe, as was before remarked, all manner of Mourning. will not come within its Compafs, it will concern us, in the fecond Place, to confider who thefe Chriftian Mourners are. This, I think, cannot be refolved by any better Measure, than by confidering what are the true and proper Causes why a Chriftian ought to mourn. Now to this I fhall anfwer,

I. IN General.

11. IN Particular.

IN General, I fay, that then a Chriftian mourns for a due and proper Caufe, when the Princi

Principle of his Sorrow is either Zeal for the Honour and Glory of God, or a Concern for the Good of Mankind: Nothing less than this can either deserve his Sorrow, or derive any Virtue or Excellency upon it. So that, in short, Piety and Charity will be the two Principles into which all true Chriftian Mourning must be at laft refolved.

But because this may be exemplified in variety of Inftances, it will not be amifs to confider fome of the more remarkable of them. I anfwer therefore more particularly, That one very proper and reasonable Cause why a Chriftian fhould mourn, is, the Confideration of Sin. For a Man to confider ferioufly what a great and ftrange kind of Evil Sin is; how contrary to God, to his Nature, to his Will, to his Commands, to his Goodness, to his Juftice, to the wife Order of his Grace and Providence, and especially to the great Myftery of Godliness: Then to confider how contrary it is to Man, to his Nature, to his Reafon, to his Rational Instincts and Inclinations, to his inward Peace and Satisfaction; and lastly, to his Interest, both Temporal and Spiritual, Private and Publick, Present and Future: Then again, to confider, how prone we are to commit it, and that we our felves are the Authors of this Prone nefs: And lastly, how much of this great, ftrange Evil there is in the World; how Iniquity abounds, and the Love of many waxes cold; that the whole World, as St. John says,

Joh.