SERMON III.

THE HOUSE OF MOURNING.

ECCLESIASTES vii. 1, 2, 3, 4.

A good Name is better than precious ointment: and the day of Death than the day of one's Birth. It is better to go to the house of Mourning, than to the house of Feasting: for that is the end of all men and the living will lay it to his heart. Sorrow is better than Laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the Wise is in the house of Mourning but the heart of Fools is in the house of Mirth. It is better to hear the rebuke of the Wise than for a man to hear the song of Fools. For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the Fool. This also is vanity.

1. THESE words of Solomon speak of Life and Death of Wise men and Fools of Sorrow and Mirth of the house of Mourning and the house of Feasting. May the Holy Ghost teach

E

us heavenly Wisdom out of these Texts: and make them profitable to our Souls, for Jesus CHRIST's sake. It was the custom among the eastern nations in former days, and still is, to use "precious ointments" at their feasts. When David speaks of the preciousness of God's favor towards him, he likens it to a rich feast, at which is a plentiful supply of oil and ointments. "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest mine head with oil: my cup runneth over." When the Lord JESUS went to dine with the Pharisee, he gave our Saviour no oil for His head. CHRIST said to him; My head with oil thou didst not anoint." And we also read that when the Lord was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, there came unto Him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on His head as He sat at meat." These things where reckoned very precious by men. The ointment yielded a pleasant smell, and the rooms at feasts

66

were filled with the odour of it. The oil gave man a cheerful countenance. But to have the favor and praise of God; to have the oil of His Grace; to hear Him saying to our heart, "Thou hast found grace in My sight, and I know thee by Name:" to have a hope that our

66

Name" is written in "the Book of Life," and that we are indeed called to the marriage feast of the Lamb; to believe that we shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of Heaven; and while here on earth to grow in favor with GoD and Man, this is indeed to have a good Name: this is indeed a blessing; this cheers the heart beyond all bodily feastings and precious ointments. "A good Name is better than precious ointments: and the day of Death than the day of one's Birth.'

2. Yes! for the day of one's Birth is the day of our entrance into a state which the Almighty hath appointed to be a state of trouble unto the sons of Men. "Man is born to trouble." There

are troubles on earth both for the Righteous and the Wicked. We will not now say any thing about the troubles which the Wicked have in this world: nor the plagues which remain for the Ungodly hereafter. But the troubles which the Righteous meet with on earth are many and great. There is, however, this sweet hope and sure promise that they shall have a happy deliverance out of them all. GOD has ordained peace and rest for them in another and better state. And the deliverance which the Lord sometimes gives them even on earth, and the comforts of soul which He grants them even under the sorrows of this present life, are to them good and encouraging tokens that they shall have perfect deliverance and perfect joy by and by. It is written: Great are the troubles of the Righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all." Again David says: "Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me

up again from the depths of the earth." Think too how great and sore on earth were the troubles of "JESUS CHRIST the Think of His rest and

Righteous." glory now in Heaven! But as the day of one's Birth is the entrance into a state of trouble, so the day of one's Death is our departure out of this state, and our entrance into a world of rest. "He

that is dead is freed from Sin,” and from all the troubles which Sin has brought among us. "Blessed are the Dead, which die in the Lord: even so saith the Spirit for they rest from their labours." Therefore the day of our Death, although our earthly friends will weep for us, is better to us than the day of our Birth, when they rejoiced over us.

3. But sweet perfumes and ointments and feastings and birth-days and such like, are naturally more pleasant to us, and more precious to our carnal hearts, than the love and favor of GOD, and a good Name before Him, and the remembrance of that day when His