The mourner directory, guiding him to the middle way betwixt the two extremes, defect,…The mourner directory, guiding him to the middle way betwixt the two extreams, defect,…

USE III. A Caution to the Mourners for their Dead is necessary, because sorrow as sorrow, or sorrow as great sorrow is not all in this case to be minded, but how it ought to be regulated, not only as we are Men, but also as we are Christians. If we sorrow not at all we are unworthy of the name of men, because without the workings of those natural Affections in the Principle common to all men. If we sorrow with turbulent Passion, vexatious, fretting Grief, we sorrow as sinful men; we may sin in our sorrow as well as in the want of it: Which is worst let the offending judge. If we sorrow as the mere fruit of Natural Affection, with a kindly sorrow, ⟨p. 67⟩and not turbulent, we sorrow but as men, because we do no more than the Human Nature prompts and puts us on to do. But a greater Task lieth upon us as Christians, and to an higher step it becomes us to ascend in our sorrow, as we have a Principle of Grace higher than all Principles of Nature; and the Scripture a more perfect Rule to govern our sorrow by, to purify and refine it, than the Light of Nature is. In the first Use we spake to such as for want of sorrow under the Loss of near Relations, and of sense of God's Afflicting Hand that took them from us, seem not to be men, while we see them to be men; but below the Rank of men, in the shape of men. In the second Use we pointed at them that sorrowed as men, with a kindly sorrow, distinguishing them from those that sorrow as sinful men, with a turbulent sorrow, vitiated with the Actings of corrupt Nature. In this third Use we shall speak of sorrow in our present case, not merely as Humane, but as Christian, and distinguish the one from the other.

ƲSE III. A Caution to the Mourners for their Dead is necessary, because sorrow as sorrow, or sorrow as great sorrow is not all in this case to be minded, but how it ought to be regulated, not only as we are Men, but also as we are Christians. If we sorrow not at all we are unworthy of the name of men, because without the workings of those natural Affections in the Principle common to all men. If we sorrow with turbulent Passion, vexatious, fretting Grief, we sorrow as sinful men; we may sin in our sorrow as well as in the want of it: Which is worst let the offending judge. If we sorrow as the meer fruit of Natural Affection, with a kindly sorrow, ⟨p. 67⟩and not turbulent, we sorrow but as men, because we do no more than the Human Nature prompts and puts us on to do. But a greater Task lyeth upon us as Christians, and to an higher step it becomes us to ascend in our sorrow, as we have a Principle of Grace higher than all Principles of Nature; and the Scripture a more perfect Rule to govern our sorrow by, to purifie and refine it, than the Light of Nature is. In the first Ʋse we spake to such as for want of sorrow under the Loss of near Relations, and of sense of God's Afflicting Hand that took them from us, seem not to be men, while we see them to be men; but below the Rank of men, in the shape of men. In the second Ʋse we pointed at them that sorrowed as men, with a kindly sorrow, distinguishing them from those that sorrow as sinful men, with a turbulent sorrow, vitiated with the Actings of corrupt Nature. In this third Ʋse we shall speak of sorrow in our present case, not meerly as Humane, but as Christian, and distinguish the one from the other.