Facing Grief COUNSEL FOR MOURNERS

In 1674, two years after his second wife’s death, John Flavel published A Token for Mourners. In it he meditates on the words of Luke 7:13: ‘And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, ‘Weep not.’ From this verse the author helps the reader to think about grief, distinguishing ‘moderate’ sorrow from ‘immoderate’. He spells out what is appropriate for a Christian mourner and what is not. This book is full of Scripture, counsel, warning, and wisdom gained from prayerful reflection on the personal experience of affliction in loss and grief.

A best-seller for more than 150 years in both Britain and America, this little book gave much comfort to generations of Christian parents who suffered the heart-breaking experience of the loss of children.

Now republished as Facing Grief: Counsel for Mourners, this attractive new edition makes Flavel’s Token accessible once again in the form in which it knew such popularity – a small book, just the right size for carrying, and reading slowly, with meditation, reflection and prayer.

Publisher: Banner of Truth
Type: paperback
ISBN: 9781800402157

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Flavel's life and work carried on in the county of Devon, first in the parish of Diptford and from 1656 in the sea-port of Dartmouth. Through the last years of the Protectorate and until 1662 when about 120 ministers in Devon and approaching 1,800 in England as a whole were turned out of their livings for failing to comply with the terms of the Act of Uniformity, Flavel preached every week at Townstall, the church which stood on a hill outside the town, and fortnightly at the Wednesday Lecture in Dartmouth.

Enduring waves of persecution as a non-conformist, Flavel nevertheless preached whenever possible, continuing to spread the Gospel in unexpected places.

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This is a great resource on dealing with sorrow and grief in the Christian life: Facing Grief by John Flavel (d. 1691). Flavel starts by discussing Luke 7.13: When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry” (NIV). He then moves to aspects of sorrow, explaining the biblical way for a Christian to grieve (he mostly speaks about grief over the loss of a loved one).

One of the first points he makes is that Christians may grieve, of course, but grief should never overcome us: “Christians ought to moderate their sorrows for their dead relations (friends/family), no matter how many afflicting circumstances and aggravations meet together in their death” (p. 10). It is a deep and cutting sorrow to lose a loved one, but since Jesus defeated death in his resurrection, death’s sorrow should not overwhelm us. Shane Lems