on the very beft Days of our Youth the very worst Infirmities of Age and Sickness for the Sorrow of the World worketh Death. But in fpiritual Evils, where Sin and Guilt threaten the Life of the Soul, and haften to bring on us Death eternal, Sorrow is the best Indication of Life, and, like the Pulfe in the natural Body, fhews there is fome Heat and Vigour ftill remaining: As it increases, it brings with it the Symptoms of Recovery; Sin and and Guilt fly before it; Life and Immor tality follow after it. And the Mind thus purged by religious Sorrow fends into the Heart fresh Streams of Pleasure, and abounds with all the Joys which the Senfe of the Love of God, the prefent Poffeffion of Peace, and the firm Expectation of future Glory can produce: For Godly Sorrow worketh Repentance unto Salvation not to be repented of. From the Confideration of thefe different Effects of worldly and of religious Sorrow, the Apoftle with no lefs Truth than Art infinuates to the Corinthians, how truly he had acted the Part of a Friend towards them, in bringing them to a due Sense

of

of Sorrow for the Sins they had committed. It is the Part of a Friend to eafe our Minds of Grief, to step in between us and Sorrow, and to make us, as far as it is poffible, forget our Misfortunes: Why then do the Ministers of Christ perpetually fuggeft new Fears to us, and ftill labour to awaken our Souls to a Sense of their Mifery, and to fill us with Sorrow, by continually reprefenting to us the Greatness of our Lofs? To this let the Apoftle answer for himself, and for all: I rejoice not that ye were made forry, but that ye forrowed to Repentance. If from worldly Sorrow there can arife nothing but certain Pain and Mifery, if the Anguish of Mind produces Feebleness of Body, and the lamenting our paft Misfortunes renders us incapable of the Enjoyments which are prefent, happy is the Man who can bear up up against Afflictions, and with an undisturbed Mind fubmit to those Evils which no Sorrow can either ease or prevent. But if in godly Sorrow the Effects are just contrary, if Grief can blot out the Guilt of Sins paft, and preferve us from the Infection for the Time to come;

if it

brings Ease to a wounded Spirit, and makes us to be at Peace with ourselves, and with God; if it renders Life comfortable, and Death not terrible; if it rids us of Fear for the present, and fills us with Hope full of future Glory: how happy then are they who go to the House of Mourning, and by a wife Choice escape the Punishment of Sin, by fubmitting to the Sorrow of it?

How these bleffed Fruits grow out of godly Sorrow, will appear to you from the Apostle's Words in the Text, in which the Effects of godly and worldly Sorrow are fully expreffed in few Words: Godly Sorrow worketh Repentance unto Salvation not to be repented of; but the Sorrow of the World worketh Death. In which Words you may observe, firft, that Sorrow is diftinguished from Repentance; for godly Sorrow is faid to work Repentance, and is therefore fuppofed to have the fame Relation to it that the Cause has to its Effect. Secondly, You may obferve that Sorrow is not faid to work Salvation immediately and of itself, but by the Means of that Repentance which it produceth. Thirdly,

You

You may obferve that worldly Sorrow is faid to produce Death immediately: It brings forth nothing analogous to Repentance, but does indeed confirm and ftrengthen the evil Difpofition from which it grows. Fourthly, The Death which is wrought by worldly Sorrow is oppofed to the Salvation which follows Repentance; and may therefore fignify eternal Death, as well as temporal; the Truth of the Propofition admitting either or both of thefe Explications. As I explain and enlarge these Observations, I fhall take in what I judge neceffary to give you a distinct Conception of the Nature of godly, and of worldly Sorrow, and to fhew the Effects of both.

First, then, you may observe that Sorrow is distinguished from Repentance; for godly Sorrow is faid to work Repentance, and is therefore fuppofed to bear the fame Relation to it as the Caufe does to its Effect. In common Speech we are apt to fpeak of Sorrow for Sin under the Name of Repentance, and to afcribe to it the Effects belonging only to Repentance: But the Apostle in the Verfe before us has plainly another Notion of Repentance, fince the common Notion would make an Ab

furdity in the Text; for if by Repentance you understand Sorrow for Sin, the Apoftle must then be understood to fay that godly Sorrow produces Sorrow for Sin; that is, that godly Sorrow produces itself, fince that only is godly Sorrow which is upon the Account of Sin. Repentance therefore is diftinct from Sorrow, and is wrought by it, and properly denotes a Change of Mind: Which is indeed the natural Effect of godly Sorrow, and the neceffary Condition of Salvation; and must therefore be the true and genuine Expli-cation of that Repentance which stands in the Middle between godly Sorrow and Salyation, as proceeding from one, and producing the other. And fo diftinct is this Change of Mind from Sorrow, that of all its Effects it is the happieft; Eafe and Comfort attend on it, Joy and Hope flow from it. This is a Change not to be repented of; it can never caufe us any Grief or Pain, or give us Reafon to lament any Effect proceeding from it.

Sorrow then is not Repentance, though it be the Caufe of Repentance in most Cafes. The Alliance between them will be best explained by confidering the Na

ture