1 Thessalonians 4:13
Godly Sorrow—Thomas Doolittle
Leave not the reins loose upon your affections, lest they carry you to sin in your sorrow. Lavish not those tears in washing your dead, which should be kept for lamenting your sins. Let there be a difference between your sorrow and the sorrow of others, as there should be between those that have hope and those that have no hope of a joyful resurrection to eternal, glorious life…. “I would not have you to be ignorant.” Others are, and therefore mourn to excess; but I would not have you to be, that you may not sorrow as they do.
Did you know, think, and believe, that their death is but sleep, out of which they shall certainly awake; their grave… out of which, when the morning of the resurrection shall come, they shall arise, and that their souls in the mean time are with God, and Christ, and the Eternal Spirit, admitted into that glorious society of angels and saints above, perfectly loving, constantly delighting, perpetually praising and triumphing in that God that did choose them, in that Jesus that did redeem them with His blood, in that Holy Spirit that made them meet to be partakers of that inheritance of yonder saints in light, and life, and love. Would you groan while they rejoice? Would you mourn while they sing songs of praise? Are you grieved because they are exalted?
Could you hear them speak to you, they would say, “you are in daily trouble, we in everlasting rest, and peace, and triumph; you are in the field, we have got the victory; you are in danger of sin and Satan, we are freed from them forever; your love unto our Lord and yours, is imperfect love, while ours wants no degree; you know not what we do know of God, and Christ, and Glory; you see not what we do see, nor enjoy so much as we enjoy, therefore spend your tears upon yourselves, and not for us; weep for yourselves, and not for us…. You pray, and wait, and hope to be where we are, but we have no desire to be where you are. We have a better house than you live in, better company, and better work, and sweeter employment; therefore, sorrow for your selves, and not for us.”
Readings taken from Day by Day with the English Puritans
Godly Sorrow—Thomas Doolittle
Leave not the reins loose upon your affections, lest they carry you to sin in your sorrow. Lavish not those tears in washing your dead, which should be kept for lamenting your sins. Let there be a difference between your sorrow and the sorrow of others, as there should be between those that have hope and those that have no hope of a joyful resurrection to eternal, glorious life…. “I would not have you to be ignorant.” Others are, and therefore mourn to excess; but I would not have you to be, that you may not sorrow as they do.
Did you know, think, and believe, that their death is but sleep, out of which they shall certainly awake; their grave… out of which, when the morning of the resurrection shall come, they shall arise, and that their souls in the mean time are with God, and Christ, and the Eternal Spirit, admitted into that glorious society of angels and saints above, perfectly loving, constantly delighting, perpetually praising and triumphing in that God that did choose them, in that Jesus that did redeem them with His blood, in that Holy Spirit that made them meet to be partakers of that inheritance of yonder saints in light, and life, and love. Would you groan while they rejoice? Would you mourn while they sing songs of praise? Are you grieved because they are exalted?
Could you hear them speak to you, they would say, “you are in daily trouble, we in everlasting rest, and peace, and triumph; you are in the field, we have got the victory; you are in danger of sin and Satan, we are freed from them forever; your love unto our Lord and yours, is imperfect love, while ours wants no degree; you know not what we do know of God, and Christ, and Glory; you see not what we do see, nor enjoy so much as we enjoy, therefore spend your tears upon yourselves, and not for us; weep for yourselves, and not for us…. You pray, and wait, and hope to be where we are, but we have no desire to be where you are. We have a better house than you live in, better company, and better work, and sweeter employment; therefore, sorrow for your selves, and not for us.”
Readings taken from Day by Day with the English Puritans
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