A39690:118
A token for mourners, or, The advice of Christ to a distressed mother bewailing…
A token for mourners, or, The advice of Christ to a distressed mother bewailing the death of her dear and only son wherein the boundaries of sorrow are duly fixed, excesses restrained, the common pleas answered, and divers rules for the support of Gods afflicted ones prescribed / by J.F.
London: printed for Robert Boulter, 1674
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Whatever God doth with us or ours, still we should maintain good thoughts of him. A gracious heart cleaves nearer and nearer to God in affliction, and can justify God in his severest strokes, acknowledging them to be all just and holy. Psal. 119. 75, I know also that thy Judgements are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me. And hereby the soul may comfortably evidence to it self its own uprightness, and sincere love to God. Yea, it hath been of singular use to some souls, to take right measures of their love to God in such trials; to have lovely and well pleased thoughts of God even when he smites us in our nearest and dearest comforts; argues plainly that we love him for himself, and not for his gifts only: And that his interest in the heart is deeper, than any creature interest is. And such is the comfort that hath resulted to some from such discoveries of their own hearts by close smarting afflictions; that they would not part with it, to have their comforts, whose removal occasioned them, given back in lieu of it.
Whatever God doth with us or ours, still we should maintain good thoughts of him. A gracious heart cleaves nearer and nearer to God in affliction, and can justifie God in his severest strokes, acknowledging them to be all just and holy. Psal. 119. 75, I know also that thy Judgements are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me. And hereby the soul may comfortably evidence to it self its own uprightness, and sincere love to God. Yea, it hath been of singular use to some souls, to take right measures of their love to God in such tryals; to have lovely and well pleased thoughts of God even when he smites us in our nearest and dearest comforts; argues plainly that we love him for himself, and not for his gifts only: And that his interest in the heart is deeper, than any creature interest is. And such is the comfort that hath resulted to some from such discoveries of their own hearts by close smarting afflictions; that they would not part with it, to have their comforts, whose removal occasioned them, given back in lieu of it.