An exposition with practical observations continued upon the eighth, ninth and tenth chapters of…An exposition with practicall observations continued upon the eighth, ninth and tenth chapters of…

Sorrow is not easily shaken off.

Sorrow sticks close. It is very hard for a man to play ⟨p. 348⟩the hypocrite with his sorrow, or dissemble the sadness of his heart, but it is far harder to be really delivered of it. Sorrow is a companion that will not be cast off with a word. A man may more easily cover his sin, then his sorrow. Many can put a visor of holiness upon their faces, when nothing but wickedness is in their hearts; but it is not easy to make a show of comfort, when nothing but sorrow is in the heart. Grief will out. Heaviness in the heart, is like the ointment in the right hand, of which Solomon speaks (Prov. 27.16.) that it betrayeth it self. One said of a merry Atheist, He laugheth to thee and to me; that is, he seems to laugh, but he mourns to himself, the mans heart is heavy. If it be not so, yet it may be so with all wicked men, when they are merriest in the face, they have reason to have sorrow even unto death in their hearts: it is a hard thing (I say) to put sorrow out of the face, much more to get it out of the heart; when it is lodged there once, it will not soon be dispossessed. The Apostle (Heb. 12.1.) exhorts, To lay aside every weight, and to cast off the sin that doth so easily beset us; he means it of the sin of nature, which we bear about us; this sin (saith he) doth easily beset us, but let us cast it off, that is, let us study and strive to lay aside this heaviness of sin, which is the truest cause of the heaviness of sorrow. One would think that a man needs not much persuasion, when he hath an heavy burden upon his shoulders, to lay it aside; yet (so it is) man can hardly be persuaded to lay aside this burden, and it is the business we have with your souls every day, to persuade you to lay it aside. It is a weight that easily besets us. Now as we need much exhortation to cast off the weight of this sin, which is so pleasing, so also of sorrow, though it be unpleasant. When sorrow besets us, it leaves us without ease, but sorrow easily besets us. Job found it a hard task to lay aside his burden. Because his friends thought he fed too much upon his afflictions, therefore he tried what he could do, but it would not do. If I say, I will leave off my heaviness, I well comfort my self, &c. See the issue by and by.