assigneth not blessednes vnto them but vnto the forgiuenesse of sins Therefore let vs cry after him with sweet Bernard i Bernard in Cantica Ser. 23. O solus vere beatus cui non imputauit Dominus peccatum O the onely O the true blessed man to whom the Lord imputeth not sinne For who is without sinne None no not one ALL haue sinned and come short of the glory of God Neuerthelesse who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect T is sufficient to me in stead of all righteousnesse to haue God alone propitious vnto me because to him alone I haue sinned What 's oeuer he hath decreed not to impute vnto men is as if it had neuer beene non peccare Dei iustitia est Hominis iustitia indulgentia Dei Not to sinne is the righteousness of God The righteousness of man is Gods indulgence Gods mercifull fauour whereby hee forgiueth sinne is my blessedness IV. This was the iudgement of a man who had beene an adulterer and a murtherer Such also was the iudgement of a woman whom the Scripture calleth k Luk. 7.37 A Sinner She came to the Pharisees house where Christ was The Pharisees of all men were most affectionate to the Law l Gal. 3.24 The Law is a pedagogue to Christ m Rom. 10.4 who is the end of the Law for righteousnesse to euery one that beleeueth See the wisedome of the woman when shee is in the Pharisees house shee goeth not to him who taught who beleeued that man is saued by the righteousness of the Law She said in her heart with David n Psal 51.3 I acknowledg my transgression my sinne is euer before mee I haue transgressed the Law I find no good workes in my life which hath bin so lewd that I dare not trust in it Therefore O Pharisee I am come to thy house but not to thee Thou speakest of perfection of righteousnesse thou preachest of rewards thou bragst of merites I cry to my God o Psal 130.3.4 If thou Lord shouldest marke iniquitie O Lord who shall stand But there is forgiuenesse with thee that thou mayest he feared My misery is my sinne my blessedness is his mercy I haue need of forgiuenesse I come to craue mercy I haue hoised the sailes of my faith towards the only haven which God hath ordained for sinners I flie to the port of Salvation where the stormie windes of the law tearing asunder the mountaines and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord blow not where the still and small voice of the Gospel refresheth the conscience which thirsteth after thee O my God like a drie land I am come ô Pharisee to him who p 1 Tim. 1.15 is come into the world to saue sinners of whom I am chiefe He is in thy house He is not of thy house So she thought so hâ—â— hart spake Out of hand she runneth to her Sauiour And to apply to her with the alteratioÌ„ of two words that which S. Chrysostome hath written of the woman of Canaan * Chrysost tom 2. Ex varijs in Matthaum locis homil 16. See the wisedome of the woman Shee intreats not Iames shee prayeth not to Iohn shee goeth not to Peter shee looketh not to the company of the Apostles shee sought not a Mediatour In stead of them all she tooke repentance with her for companion which was to her in stead of an aduocate and so she goeth straight to the Soueraigne Spring for this saith she is he come downe from heauen for this hath hee taken our flesh for this was he made man that I may be bold to goe vnto him In the heauens aboue the Cherubims tremble before him the Seraphims feare him and here below a Whoore goeth vnto him She speaketh not she cryeth not with her mouth as the Woman of Canaan did q Mat. 15 22. Haue mercy on mee O Lord thou sonne of David Her humility spake for her She stood at his feet behind him Her godly sorrow for sinne cryed aloud vnto him She washt his feet with teares and wiped them with the haires of her head Her loue was a most ardent prayer She kissed them she anointed them with oyntment each of those actions was a sensible prayer O Lord O sweet Iesus haue mercy on mee Thou art come into the world to haue mercy on sinners O sonne of God haue mercy on me Thou hast taken our flesh thou art become that which I am to haue mercy on sinners O sonne of Dauid haue mercy vpon mee Thou art still that which thou wast thou art become that which thou wast not Now thou art both in one person O Immanuel O God and man haue mercy on me Woman what ayles thee What cause hast thou to weepe Iudge by Christs answer to her weeping prayers what was the cause of her praying teares r Luk. 7.48.50 Thy sinnes saith he are forgiuen For her sinne she wept because her sinne was her misery Her sin was forgiuen her because forgiuenesse of sinne was her felicitie Simon the Pharisee made vnto him a feast of flâ—sh filled vnto him cups of wine The Lord had no stomacke for Simons meate no thirst for his drinke This woman like vnto Å¿ Gen. 27.9 Rebecca who could make sauourie meat to Isaac such as he loved knowing that t Ioh 4.34 his meat and drinke was to comfort and to saue repenting sinners filleth vnto him a bowle of teares mingled with faith and he pledgeth her in u Psal 116.13 the cup of salvation saying vnto her Thy faith hath saued thee Goe in peace Deare brethren if this day wee weepe as this sinner did our fasting will bee feasting to Christ our teares will be his drinke If we cry to God as David did x Psal 6.1.4.8 O Lord rebuke me not in thine anger Returne O Lord deliver my soule oh saue me for thy mercies sake The Lord will come and speake to our soules and wee shall returne home saying with David Depart from mee all ye workers of iniquity for the Lord hath heard the voyce of my weeping V. I say if ye pray so the Lord will heare you If ye weepe so the Lord will comfort you If yee trust not in the prayers one of another If ye rely not vpon the prayers of the Church but if euery one pray for himselfe Heed what I say I doe not forbid you to pray and to weepe one for another for I haue taught you that the Saints did weepe and pray when their brethren sinned did not God say to Iobs friends y Iob. 42.8 Goe to my servant Iob and offer vp for your selues a burnt offering and my servant Iob shall pray for you for him will I accept He commanded them to goe to Iob whom they had offended and to require his prayers He commanded them also to offer vp for themselues a burnt offering to teach vs three most profitable lessons The first that
a Feast of mourning let everie man NOW drinke to his brother every woman to her sister full cups of tears When the people of Israel were rebuked of Samuel for their sinnes t 1 Sam. 7.6 they gathered together to Mizpeh and drew water and poured it out before the Lord and fasted on that day said there Wee have sinned against the Lord. Lo how busy lo how forward they were to draw water for the clensing of their sacrifices and for the purifying and washing of their bodies or as some Doctors allegorize the words lo how contrite they were making of their harts wels of godly sorrow and going thither with the bucket of faith to draw up to the eyes tears of repentance for bewailing of their sinnes And what had they done They had worshipped strange gods and set up among them ASTAROTH u R. David Kimchi in lib. radicum which was the god of their sheep their fathers had done the like And when the Angell of the Lord rebuked them of that sinne x Iudg. 2 4 5 they lift up their voice and wept and called the name of that place Bokim i. weepers and they sacrificed there unto the Lord. O how many strange gods doe wee worship What are our self-love our ambition our filthy lusts our envie our hatred our pride but strāge gods to whō we offer most abominable sacrifices al the hours of the day Our covetousnes our insatiable desire of cattel of sheep of the Mammon of unrighteousnes is our Astaroth yea an Idoll so much worse than Astaroth in that wee worship it not openly but privately not in the face of the world but in the face of God not in temples of stone but in the temples of our hearts which God hath dedicated to his owne service How many Samuels how many Angels hath GOD sent unto us to reprove us of so many sinnes and wee are heer assembled as Israel in Mizpeh to acknowledge confesse our sinnes O then dear brethren and sisters let us first look up to the infinite Majestie of God whom wee have offended and let us afterwards looke downewards to our selves who are the offenders y Iob 4 19 Wee dwell in houses of clay our foundation is in the dust wee are crushed before the moth Houses of clay earth and dust wormes which are the meat of of wormes sin against God and shall wee not mourne shall wee not draw teares from our hearts shall wee not command our eyes to pour them out NOVV before the Lord shall wee not NOVV wash with them our reasonable sacrifices the calves of our lips which wee are come hither to offer up unto God shall not this House of God bee this day Bokim unto us shall wee not NOVV cry to heaven with weeping mourning Wee have sinned against the Lord David sinned but one night and b Psalm 6.6 hee was weary with his groning every night hee made his bed to swim hee watered his couch with his teares If I say of many of us that we sin every night and every day I thinke that I shall not lie Oh then shall we not weep this one day David when he wept cried to heaven c Psalm 51.1 2 3 Have mercie upon mee O God according to thy loving kindnesse according to thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions wash mee thorowly from mine iniquitie and clense mee from my sin What moved him to cry so loud and in crying to pray for mercie For saith hee I acknowledge my transgression and my sin is ever before me Because he acknowledged his sinne therfore he wept If wee knew how hatefull our sinnes are to God we would weep we knowe them not we feele them not wee cast them still behinde our backs wee never bring them before our eyes therefore we weep not Oh how horrible shall bee that day wherein shall bee fulfilled that which GOD saith d Psalm 50.21 I will reprove thee and set them in order before thy eyes The Lord in his mercy preserve us from the terror and horror of that day Hee will doe it if by the weeping of this day wee prevent the weeping of that day if as Daniel did e Dan. 9 3 c. wee set our face unto the Lord God to seek him by prayer and supplications with fasting and sackcloth and ashes if as he did wee confesse that wee have sinned committed iniquity and done wickedly our Kings our Princes our fathers and all the people of the Land if wee acknowledge as hee did that if GOD should deale with us as hee dealt with his people of those daies righteousnesse should belong unto him unto us confusion of face if as hee did we joyne deprecation to the accusation of our owne sins and confession of our owne deserts crying f Ver. 19 O Lord heare O Lord forgive O Lord hearken and doe Where are the women of joy which through grief for their sin wash Christ's feet with their teares as g Luke 7 37 one woman of that kinde did once How many alas how many Publicanes yea worse than Publicanes doe swarme in the Church Shall ye finde one among a thousand who dare h Luke 18.13 not so much as lift up his eyes unto heaven for shame who smiteth upon his breast which conceived sin in him who with words interrupted with sighes and carried into heaven with a swift flowing stream of teares cryeth to God God be mercifull to mee a sinner as the Publicane in the Gospell did Wee are all prodigall sonnes what do we all but feed swine but feed upon swines provender but cherish in our selves our filthie lusts but delight in sin Nevertheless which of us all commeth to himself returneth to his Father and saith Father I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight and am no more worthy to be called thy sonne i Luke 15 15 as once a prodigall sonne did k Mat. 26 75. Peter denied Christ but once and against his heart and yet he excused not his fault but wept for it bitterly Are wee not of the crue of those of whom the Apostle writes that l Tit. 1.16 they professe they knowe God but by their workes they deny him beeing abominable and disobedient and to every good worke reprobate Would to God we were not But we are and yet our hart is glad our faces shine our cheeks are dry our eyes are hardned like Pumice-stones and we weep not Think yee that Saint Paul could write to the Romanes without vehement sighing how m Rom. 7 19 the good that he would hee did not but the evill which he would not that he did We are of a disposition much disagreeing unto his The evill that we would we do not but the good which wee would not that wee doe Through feare of punishment wee abstaine often from the evill which wee like to doe and through love of praise or of some reward we do sometimes the
lust mocked him Our envy accused him Our pride delivered him Our worldly feare condeÌ„ned him Ouâ—â—nhumanitie scourged him Our ambition crowned him with thornes Our profanenesse and atheism spet upon him smote him and abused him Our causelesse othes nayled him Our intemperancie in drinking gave him vinegar and gall to drink Our blasphemies our horrible execrations our cursings pearced him to the heart and yet wee weep not God was made a worm for us and wee weepe not Blessing it self was made a curse for us and wee â—eep not Life it selfe is dead for us and we weep not VII When the Iewes heard that hee whom they denied whom they delivered whom they crucified and killed by wicked hands was i Acts 3 14.15 the Holy One the Iust the Prince of life k Acts 2 37. they were pricked in their hearts although that l Act. 3.17 through ignorance they did it O how bitterly did Saint Paul weep when he recorded how he had bin m 1 Tim. 1.3 a blasphemer a persecuter and an oppressor of Christ's Church altho hee did it ignorantly in unbeleef wee n Heb. 6.6 crucifie him wee put him to an open shame every day if not vvickedly at least vvittingly and vvillingly neverthelesse vvee are not pricked in our hearts and therefore vve have no tears in our eies to vveep and vvail because of him vvhom vvee have pearced VIII Will vve deferre the accomplishment of St. Iohn's Prophesie till Dooms-day vvhen o Rev. 6.15 16 the Kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men and all the rabble of vvicked men shal cry to the mountains and rockes Fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the Throne and from the wrath of the Lambe vvhen their crying shall availe them nothing vvhen the irrevocable Doome shall bee pronounced and they shall bee cast into utter darknes vvhere p Mat. 22 13 there shall weeping and gnashing of teeth because then shall bee fulfilled the threatning of Christ * Luke 6.25 Wo bee to you that laugh now for ye shall waile and weep That vveeping vvill be unfruitfull because it shall bee a vveeping of despaire such as Iudas vveeping vvas when he hanged himself Let us then my beloved dear brethren begin to weep NOVV and to shead fruitfull teares q Aug de Temp ser 66. Duplicem habere debet fletum in poenitentiâ omnis peccator five per negligentiam bonum non fecit seu per audaciam malum perpetravit Quod enim oportuit non gessit quod non oportuit egit teares for our sinnes of omission teares for our sins of commission for through negligeÌ„ce we have not done the good wee should have done through rashnes vve have done the evill vvhich vvee should not have done Let us join to that vveeping a resolution to sin no more let us after that manner according to the exhortation of S. Iohn r Mat 3.8 bring forth fruits answerable to amendmeÌ„t of life Å¿ Aug. ibid. Fructus dignus est poenitentiae transacta flere peccata eadem iterum non agere To bring forth such fruits is to weep for our sinnes past and not to commit any sin for which we shal have need to weep again CHAP. VI. 1. TEares of repentance are fruitfull but they are not honourable 2. Teares of charity which we powre out for the sinnes of our brethren are both fruitfull and honourable 3. In this charity there is a duty to God 4. And to man 5. Examples of godly men which wept for other mens sinnnes are accusations of the hardnes of our hearts 6. Namely the examples of Iesus Christ I. SUch fruites are fruitfull such teares are profitable but they are not honourable 'T is shame to a man to sinne and therefore it is not honorable unto him to have need of pardon to beg it to weepe for it t Quem liberat notat A remission is a disgracefull brand to him that opposeth it to the hands of justice and amongst the Nobles of the land those are most esteemed in whose family there is no pardon no letters of remission But u it is the glory of a man v Pro. 19.15 and namely of a King to passe over a transgression and to forgive it It is even so between God and us x Pro. 25.2 It is the glory of God to conceale a thing and to give pardons to great sinners But they which receive such pardons must confesse as Daniel did that y Dan. 9.8 to them belongeth confusion of face and say with Ieremiah a Lam. 3.2 It is of the Lords mercies that wee are not consumed because his compassions faile not II. As we must have fruitfull teares of repentance to weepe for our owne sinnes NOW so must we have honorable tears of charity to weep NOW for the sinnes of our brethren whereof we are not guiltie As it is honourable to b Luk. 15.10 the Angells to reioyce over the sinners that repent because they themselves are without sin so it is a glory to us to mourne for those sinnes wherewith wee are not blemished III. In this glory there is a duty if wee honour God if we feare his glorious Majestie if wee bee zealous of his glory can we heare his great and fearfull name blasphemed can we see his word despised his law transgressed his glory turned into shame and not bee commooved If our dearest friends uttered in our eares but one word of discommendation and reproach against our fathers and mothers that begat us what noise would we not make up would all friendship go no exhortation no submission no satisfaction would be able to bridle our impatience and to restraine our passionatenesse furie from vengeance If great men who are above our reach if our Magistrates if our Princes if our Kings speake disdainfully of them at the least wee would weepe at the least wee would shew by all kind of tokens of sorrow that such disgracing checks are grievous unto us The living God the Father of spirits is every where vilipended dishonoured reviled by great and small by our inferiors by our superiours by our equals by our friends by our foes And shall not we which professe to be Gods children be sensible of such contumelies IV. A great many yea many millions yea the greatest part of men give themselves over unto lasciviousnesse and run head-long into the dark gulf of death eternall damnation Are they not created to the image of God as well as wee are Are they not our owne flesh are they not our brethren where then is our charitie where our bowells where our mercy if we seek not to rescue them if we endeavour not to pull them out of the fire if all helps beeing impossible to us wee weepe not for them V. c 2. Pet. 2.7 8. Lot a poor stranger in the middest of a towne swarming with wicked men when hee could
not reioyce in them III. If we had no other share lotted vnto vs but afflictions how could we subsist and what should become of our hope Therefore Iesus Christ said to his Disciples y Iohn 16.20 Verily verily I say vnto you that yee shall weepe and lament but the world shal reioyce yee shall be sorrow full but your sorrow shall be turned into ioy Consider how turned into ioy First the Apostle saith z 1 Cor. 10 13 God is faithfull who wil not suffer you to be tempted aboue that you are able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that yee may be able to beare it And how often hath God made such a way to his afflicted Church How often hath beene fulfilled that which Dauid saith a Psal 34.6 This poore man cryed and the Lord heard him and saued him out of all his troubles How many examples might I produce of Gods most wonderful deliuer āces whereby the sorrow of his children was turned into ioy and the day of their mourning and fasting into a good day of feasting and of gladnesse as in b Ester 9.19 22. the time of Queen Esther Leaving other examples whereof I haue spoken else where let vs consider one which cannot be yet worne out of our memories I speake of the Churches of France The wind with most horrible noice blowed vpon vs whole stormes of bullets and firie raine The sea wrought and of a plaine became high mountaines which we could not ouerswim Her flouds swelled her billowes roared her proud and outragious waues gauesuch blowes against the small skiffe wherin Iesus was asleep and redoubled them with such swiftnesse violence that neither could the shipper direct nor the steeresman stand at the rudder nor the mariners resist Thē our eares and our eyes hauing nothing before them but monstrous cries of roaring voyces but vgly darknesse but terrible images of desolation and death Then seeing our little boat ready to be driuen vpon the Rocke of destruction Then nothing being left vs but feare but dismaidnes but despaire of safetie but expectation of a loath some end we ran to the Lord who was a sleepe and awoke him crying as the Aposties did when vpon the tempestuous Sea they were a type of the Church c Matth. 8.25.26 Lord saue vs we perish Then d Fsal 121.4 the keeper of Israel who neither slumbers nor sleeps arose Then he spake to the windes and they spake no more he rebuked the waues of the Sea and they leuelled their mountaines they sleeked the furrowes of their angry browes they changed their wrinkles into smoothnes their crookednesse into euennesse their roughnesse into a faire plaine He made the storme a calme and when we could not be in a harder plight as being without hope to escape he directed our course to a more safe pleasant hauen then that which is nigh vnto the Citie of Lasea called c Act. 27 8. the Faire hauens So we arriued to the harbour of grace to the port of peace to the vnlooked for but much desired hauen of tranquillitie and quietnesse This was the fruite this was the effect of our humiliation of our fasting of our mourning and prayers in France Vndoubtedly the same cause shall bring foorth the same effect in the Palatinate and other parts of Germanie They haue a longer winterthen we had T is now their sowing time and now they sow in teares Their haruest shall come then shall be accōplished that which is written f Psal 126 5. They that sow in teares shall reape in ioy g Psal 147.9 God heareth the voyce of the young Rauens which cry and will he not heare the voyce h Luke 18.7.8 of his owne elect which cry day and night vnto him I tell you saith Christ that hee will auenge them speedily i Psal 14.7 O that the Saluation of Israel were come out of Sion when the. Lord bringeth backe the captiuitie of his people Iacob shall reioyce and Israel shall be glad IV. Secondly God hath a time ordained for his deliverances which the scripture calleth k Ps 69.13 Isa 49.3 an acceptable time Till that time come the Lord sweetneth the bitter gall of bodily tribulations with the honey of his spirituall comforts As Christ said to his Disciples l Ioh. 16.22 Now yee haue sorrow but your ioy no man taketh from you For euen then the comforter m Rom. 8.16 the Spirit of adoption beareth witnesse with our spirit that wee are the children of God And that comfort is so great that when wee weepe wee weepe for ioy and say with the Apostle n 2 Cor. 1.5 As the sufferings of Christ abound in vn so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ T is a wonder to behold the true Christian in the time of his trouble and distresse Men seeke to bring him downe to the ground but hope lifts him vp aboue the skie As when David said o Psal 94.18.19 My foot slippeth the experience of Gods wonderfull assistance made him to say forth with Thy mercy O Lord held me vp In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soule When men haue done what they can to overcome him with bitter iests with sharpe stripes and cruell tortures he overcometh them with patience And in him is verified that which the Apostle said p 2 Cor. 4.8.9 Wee are troubled on euery side yet not distressed we are perplexed but not in despaire persecuted but not forsaken cast downe but not destroyed As q Plin. histor natural l. 12. cap. 25. the Balme which of all liquors hath the sweetest and most pleasant smell distills not from the Balsame tree till it be pricked So the most precious graces of the Spirit of GOD wherwith the foules of truely religious Christians are beautified their faith their zeale their patience their constancie their contempt of the world their earnest desire of heauēly things flow neuer so aboundantly as when the sword of perse cution makes in them a deepe incision Therefore the Lord hath troden the Virgin the daughter of Iudah as in a Wine-presse and he hath pressed and wrung out of her the most excellent liquor of her faith hope and charitie which before was hid in the grapes and vnder the faire skin of a peaccable profession V. On the other part t is a monstrous spectacle to behold then the ficklenesse and inconstancie of counterfeit professors who fearing the weight of GODS Wine-presse conueigh themselues away from vnder it and doe euen as if one who desires to be esteemed an honest man when he seeth robbers and way-layers comming to the company where he is did troupe and ioine hands with them to take his friends purse or life from him to saue his owne r 2 Pet. 2.21 It had beene better for them not to haue knowne the way of righteonsnesse then after they haue knowne it to turne