'Those that rejoice, as if they rejoiced not.'
with spiritual joy—how much more, then, must sorrow for earthly matters be restrained?
Now, when we are tempted to over-grieve for anything of this world, the best remedy is diversion. Am I sorrowful for these outward things? Yes—but is my soul in the state it ought to be? Let me rather weep for my dead heart, as Christ wept for dead Lazarus. Let me weep for my sluggish, indifferent soul. That is worthy of my tears.
As physicians, when the blood flows too heavily in one direction, provide an outlet in another, so should we redirect our grief. Let us examine ourselves. What is the condition of our souls? Is there spiritual life in me? Are things right between God and my soul? Am I prepared to die? Am I in a state fit for heaven?
Then we shall indeed have something to weep over. It is a pity that such precious pearls as tears should be wasted. God does not store up tears in His bottle that are shed excessively for the fading things of this world. But if they are poured out for sin, for the sins of our times, for the calamities and afflictions of the Church and state, then let us weep with purpose. Let us channel our sorrow in the right direction. And then, if we must grieve, let us grieve deeply—provided that our sorrow flows in that holy and sanctified course.
"Those who rejoice, as though they did not."
We may rejoice—and indeed, we ought to—for God does not envy our joy. He has provided in this life abundant comforts of every kind to bring us delight. For every one of our senses He has appointed
pleasurable objects: flowers for the eye, music for the ear, fragrance for the smell, and so forth. There is nothing in the soul or body that lacks something fitted to delight it. Above all, God has made Himself the supreme joy of the soul, and there is something in every creature to stir up delight in Him. So gracious is God that we both may and ought to rejoice. He gives us spouses and children to delight in:
"Rejoice in the wife of your youth" (Proverbs 5:18). There is no question about the lawfulness of these joys.
But there is also danger, especially in delights that are particularly sweet. There is danger because we are inclined to exceed moderation.
Poison is most subtly hidden in sweetness. We are prone to overindulge in joy. Therefore, a restraint is necessary. We must
"rejoice as though we did not rejoice"; that is, we must enjoy all earthly blessings with the awareness that "the time is short." Shall I fix my joy upon something I cannot keep? "The time is short." I cannot retain it. If a man cannot enjoy something for long, he cannot take lasting joy in it. "The time is short"; you must part with it. The joy must end, and the object of it must pass away.
"And the fashion of this world passes away." The entire structure of things—marriage, business, friends—everything is passing. I implore you, let us learn to rejoice as though we did not. The prophet calls
Nineveh "a rejoicing city" (Jonah 3:3), and we live in a similarly jovial age. People eat and drink as they did in the days before the flood, in Noah's time. They marry and are given in marriage
(Matthew 24:37). Therefore, we need to place a guard upon our joy, especially when God, in the times we live in, calls us to mourning as well as rejoicing. If we look around us soberly, we shall find reason to rejoice with moderation. We are not always to be merry and lighthearted. We must temper our joy and keep it in check.
Now, since the apostle joins together weeping, grieving, and rejoicing, observe that True religion chiefly concerns itself with moderating the affections.
Religion purifies our affections from what is sinful in them, and governs them when they are lawful and good. Therefore, do not think you are sufficiently religious merely because you have acquired much knowledge. Many Christians are eager to know much, but if you examine their lives, their grief and joy are unrestrained. They have not learned to bridle and discipline their affections. You see here that religion shows its power in moderating both sorrow and gladness regarding earthly things. Let us see men demonstrate the power of religion by how they bear affliction—so that "they weep as though they wept not"—and how they handle prosperity—so that "they rejoice as though they did not." The one who has learned this has truly learned religion, for religion deals especially with the affections.
We are spiritually healthy if we grieve rightly and rejoice rightly, but not merely if we know much. The devil knows more than we do.
Therefore, strive above all that God would grant you grace to govern your affections, that you may learn how to grieve and how to rejoice
—for by nature, we do neither rightly.
And from this, observe another point, which now I add:
The affections of God's people are mixed.
They weep with joy mingled in, and they rejoice with weeping. "They weep as though they wept not"; "they rejoice as though they rejoiced not."