Famine should come which is the very Engine of destruction and brings terrour to mortalls death to all things Are not we likely to he taken away with any of these and to have not our bodies onely but our soules in danger also and that of Gods wrath and everlasting displeasure Let us therefore seek to have our hearts mollified by this excellent meanes and for this end the better to move us let us consider of the blessings which God hath been pleased plentifully to poure downe upon this people as they did in the day of their humiliation Nehem. 9. of whom Nehemiah makes mention Let us likewise seriously recount how many mercies we have enjoyed and how much they have been abused how many afflictions we have felt and how little we have been betterd how many deliverances we have had and yet how carelesse nay how rebellious we have been notwithstanding them all Let us weigh with our selves what hurt our sins have done unto us how many good things they have turned from us and how many evills they have pull'd upon us and above all let us remember what a huge weight and multitude of miseries they have brought upon our Saviour namely debasement and humiliation exchange of the greatest glory for the greatest infamy sorrows and sufferings assaults and temptations the heavy burthen of our guiltinesse and the grievous punishment due for our deserts the rage and violence of most malicious men and the wrath and displeasure of the most righteous God torments of Body and terrours of soule and death it selfe a painefull death a shamefull death and a cursed death And because commonly sad spectacles call sorrow before it come let us look back againe upon that severe whip of Gods Justice the late Scourge of these three Lands and imagine you see your Children flame before your Eyes ones Head off anothers Arme a third crying unto you and the little one hanging upon you and then tell me if it be not hgh time to weep and mourne with them of Ziglag whose foules were grieved and they wept till they could weep no more every man for his Sons and for his Daughters 1 Sam. 30.4.6 But especially to lament for our sins of all things else most hurtfull to man undermining our soules and drawing destruction after them unsheathing Gods Sword and violently forcing him to his Armory to put on the Garments of vengeance as Isaiah speaketh And as thus the Caâ—tropes of our sins have hurried downe Gods Judgements upon us and have cryed to God for vengeance so now let our miseries cry unto him for mercy and let us implore Gods gracious power and that with an howling lamentation to stay his further threatned and justly merited punishments from any more displaying horrour throughout our Nation And for this purpose let us weep and sob and sigh and cry mightily unto the Lord our God And the more sorrow the better for us for such moysture will dissolve the clouds of our iniquities and the more showers of griefe fall from our Eyes and Hearts the cleerer and fairer will the wayes of our Hearts be for the feet of the Lord to walke in Let us then sollow the Apostles councell James 4.9 Suffer affliction sorrow and weep And if any thing keep us from this mourning away with it Let our laughter be turned into mourning and our joy into heavinesse for we cannot cast downe our selves so low but God will raise us up againe Seeing then sorrow is the onely Antidote and Soveraigne Remedy for all our poysonous Diseases let there be weeping and crying in every Towne in every Street in every House in every Chamber Cry unto the Lord. Obj. But perhaps some will say Is Godly griefe a Salve for all Soâ—es a Remedy for all Diseases Suppose Warre as lately it did should againe thunder in this Land Surely to weep and lament in the time of Warre is no signe of Manhood it rather argues that Men are faint-hearted want courage and fortitude so that this wringing and wayling is altogether unbeseeming the person of a Man of Valour let us therefore trust in God and be stout and of a good courage and never mourne for the matter Ans Doâ—h it argue want of Courage to lament for sinne It râ—ther argues want of Faith not to lament for sinne What doe you thinke of Jacob was he a Coward you cannot say so of him for the holy Ghost gives him this commendation That he had strength and courage not onely to prevayle against men but with the Angel of the Covenant Gen 32.28 And his conflict was he Wept and Prayed So that that which we thinke weaknesse the Scripture calls strength For by his strength he had power with God Hosea 12.2.4 What doe you thinke of David was he a Coward there is none I thinke will so disgrace that worthy and renowned Captaine of the Lord of Hosts And yet he himselfe in his Psalmes often makes mention of his Teares and sayes Psal 6.6 That he watered his couch with his teares And that his Eyes did gush out with Rivers of teares What will ye say to all Gods People of whom it is said Zach. 12.11 That they should mourne as they did for Josiah in the Valley of Hadadrimmon and as one mourneth for his First-borne the onely Heyre and hope of the Family Will you condemne all Gods people for a generation of Cowards nay this is so farre from bewraying any want of Courage that we may boldly say That when men are fullest of such Teares then are they fullest of Fortitude What shall we thinke of the Lord Jesus Christ had he no Heart was he destitute of Courage that could not possibly be And yet when he was to exercise the fulnesse of his Power to undertake such a worke as no creature durst attempt when he was to offer up himselfe to his Father as a Sacrifice for the fins of the World when he was to encounter the Lords wrath and his justice the Devill Death Hell and Damnation and all the Powers of Darkenesse that same time Heb. 5.7 he Wept and that abundantly And I hope none will say that then our Saviours strength fayled him notwithstanding his bitter Tears and Cryes Surely those that doe not weep when there is cause they are without Heart and utterly voyd of true Valour and subject to marvellous fears and violent distempers which arise from a base mind For what is the reason they are so afraid of Death but because they have not mourned for their sinnes and so removed the sting of Death which if they had done they would then triumph over Death and say with Saint Paul O Death where is thy sting 1 Cor. 15.55 their heartâ— would then stand fast as the strong mountains and not bâ— afraid of any evill tidings No not of the Pestilence thâ—â— walketh in the darke nor of the Plague that destroyeth 〈◊〉 noon-day Psal 91.6 Againe Since sorrow is our onely safety This makes
War our Land unnaturally embroyled in her own blood and not long agoe could have presented you even in the middest of her own bowels with whole heaps of slain This Land of England that for many Ages continued the happiest Nation on the habitable Earth under the gracious our Government of many famous Princes and we of our times cannot deny but we have enjoyed the highest blessings that either Heaven could give or the Earth receive the fruition of the Gospel which then setled a firme Peace and which Peace occasioned a full plenty to us a then thriving and I think a well-contented people insomuch that this Land then became the Earths Paradise and the Worlds Wonder or rather Envy Now alas the Nurcery of all Sects and of late years the Stage of Blood the Theatre of Warre having had her Peace violated her Plenty wasted and her People discontented and though now thanks be to God we heare not the ratling of Drums the clashing of Armour the neighing of Horses the sounding of Trumpets the thundring of Guns or the roaring of Cannons yet it is to be feared the Lord is still up in Armes against us his hand is stretched out still else what means these reports of Wars vast slaughters and murders on the Seas our Merchants and Traders spoyled their Goods Plundered their Ships burnt sunk or taken and themselves in their own defence either flain or carried away Captives So that all this little while or few years we seemed to enjoy a Peâ—ce every man again satiating himself under his own vine and firtree was so far from a true Peace with God as that rather it forms it was but a Truce for a time God expecting our amendment which being expired and we still continuing in our sins the Lord is again up in Arms for further revenge against us And what is the reason that the Lord is still thus incensed against this Land and people of England Surely it is against the nature of God to be continually chiding and scourging and whipping and wounding for the Lord our God hath no other Bowels then the Bowels of compassion no other Riches then the riches of his mercy nay the unlimited extent of Gods gracious mercy and goodnesse is beyond all imaginable proportions How coms then his favours to be turned into frownes his mercies into displeasures Why Surely if you will but trace the Seriptures you shall never find God angry but for fin nor grievously angry but for grievous fin so that the fins of this Nation must needs be mounting towring fins sins of the highest elevation and it s the height of our sins that hath alwayes brought down the weight of his judgements upon us and the eart ropes of our sins have hurried down his vengeance So that if we will but reflect upon our selves we shall find within our selves the cause of all our sufferings Plagues punishments and Woes our sins being the occasion of all our evils and the cause of all our miseries undermining our souls and drawing destruction after them and of all things else most hurtfull unto us St. Paul confirms this saying 1 Cor. 11.30 For this cause many are weak and sick amongst you and many sleep And this was the reason why the Disciples questioned their Master saying Iohn 9.2 Quis peccavit Who did sin this man or his Parents Celidonius was born blind and our Saviour Christ going out of the Temple seeking to shun those stones which they intended to throw at him he cast his eye upon this poor blind man for the eye of divine pitty is ever fixed upon poverty and it is the priviledge of humane misery to have the eye of divine pitty to look down upon it and to favour the same so that he healed him at once both in body and soule The History is no lesse large then pleasing you may reade it at your leisures Now the Disciples having whispered amongst themselves touching this mans misfortune well knowing that sin what the occasion of all evill they askt our Saviour Quis peccavit what sin and wherein they went wisely to work in attributing punishment in the generall to sin One treating of those tears which our Saviour shed at Lazarus his death saith That he did not bewayle his Buriall for he know how happy he was in being out of the World but the occasion sinne He thought upon Adams Apple that had been the cause of so much hurt and this was it that made him to weep and this his weeping was as if he should have said What a deale of sorrow hath this one act of disobedience in him brought upon all Mankind and consequently upon me who must bear the burthen of his and their offence O sin how dear wilt thou cost both men and me Trace but the Scripture and you shall not find any one thing so often repeated there as That sin is the cause of our miseries How often doth the word of God paint out the foulnesse and grievousnesse of sin and the hurt that coms thereby making fin the very center of all possible infelicity and misfortune that can befall a man Sin was it that made our Saviour a Man full of sorrow when he took upon him the Person of an Offender turning the most favourable countenance of the most pittifull Father into frowns and florce displeasure against his onely begotten and dearly beloved Sonne discharging upon him the tempest of his wrath and made him of all other men the most miserable So that we may conclude Sin to be the cause of all our harm and that all possible ill that can be imagined is to be reduced unto it as to its Center Make a muster of all the enemies of man as Death the Devill the World and the Flesh and not any one of them nay not all of them together have the least power to hurt us without sin And therefore in our Lords Prayer silencing all other our enemies onely we beg of God that he would free us from sin But deliver us from evill which although some doe understand it to be spoken of the Devill yet as St. Aug. saith He can but barke he cannot bite onely Sin is able to doe both And Anselme saith That he had rather fry without sin in the flames of Hell then with sin enjoy Heaven He might well say so in regard of Hell for although that one drop of the water of Paradise might be sufficient to quench the slames of Hell yet shall it not be able to wash away the foulnesse of sin The Prophet desired of God 1 Kings 19.4 that he might dye under the Juniper tree and yet he would not be rid of his life by Jezabel in regard of the sinne that tyraunicall Queen should have committed 〈◊〉 that even in his mortall enemy so great an ill seemeth intollerable to him And though sin be so great an evill yet to this so great an hurt may be added another that is far greater and that is
Obstinacy in sin never to be cured Job painting out this evill saith That the sinner taketh pleasure therein and that it seemeth sweet unto him it is as pellets of sugar under his tongue he first delights in the company of sin then he marries himselfe unto sin and leaves her not till death them depart Thus sin creepeth into the heart by steps and degrees till at last it sinks him down to the bottom of Hell But woe is pronovnced to that sinfull Nation to that people that are laden with iniquity Isay 5.18 Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cord of vanity and sin as with cart ropes For God is a severe punisheâ— of sin and his wrath fails not to come and seize on those that soâ—â— pillows underneath their sins Ephes 5.6 So St. Paul Let no man deceive yâ—â— with vain words for for such things commeth the wrath of God upoâ— the children of disobedience Was it not sin that brought the cursâ— upon Adam and all his Posterity his Apple proves his poysonâ— 1 Sam. 23 28. Saul for his disobedience was turned out of his Kingdom What 〈◊〉 the ruine and destruction of Countres and Cities but the sins 〈◊〉 the People 2 Sam 24 15. Davids sins and his Pride was the death of seventy thousand in an instant there the people perisheth for the sin of the Prince I could tell you of a Prince that perished for the sins of the people whose like was no King before him neither after him arose there any like him You may find him your selves 2 King 23 25 26. Like unto him was there no King before him that turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soule and with all his might according to all the Law of Moses neither after him arose there any like him Notwithstanding the Lord turned not from the fiercenesse of his wrath wherewith he was angry against Judah c. 2 Kings 22 2. Josiah a good King one whose like was not before him Josiah who did that which was right in the sight of the Lord yet Josiah must be slain Thus you see when iniquity hath playd her part vengeance will leape upon the stage What was the reason why Gods hand was stretched over this Land why the Sword devoured and the people perished but the sins of the Nation And was there ever more sinning or ever lesse remorse for sin What is this world but the region of sin a Sea of filthinesie and whilst men are bewitched with the delight thereof how like Swine doe they wallow in the filthy mire and puddle of their sins It may be their bodies are curiously deckt and shining but alas they have nasty and abominable soules Is not our Land still full of Achans looking upon the Wedge of Gold Ios 7 21. or Babylonish Garment How is the beauty of Bathsheba able to entice the greatest number Gehazi will still post after Naaman for rich presents 2 Sam. 11 12. but the leprosie follows him close at his heels vengeance attends him neer Was there ever more Drinking Swearing Stealing Lying Envying c. and since our sins thus cry for vengeance what wonder is it that the Lord is stil up in arms against us O then put away your swinish drunkennesse your prophane swearing your brutish fleshlinesse your devilish lying and deceiving your hellish covetousnesse your savage eruelty and all your other notorieties and frame the whole course of your lives according to the rules of Temperance Chastity Truth Righteousnesse and holinesse and so though our souls be yet all staind with sinue they may in time become cleerer and whiter then snow Let as all with a spirituall eye behold the things of the world separate from their seeming beauty and so we shall not be bewitcht therewith Let us consider Gold and Silver not as glistring and shining but as drosse and dung yea as poysonous through a curse incorporated herewith-all if our hearts be insected with the love thereof or by any unlawfull means we doe seek after it Let us consider the beauty of the fairest woman as vanity or as a piece of painted clay or as a stale set for the taking of silly fooles And lastly Let us consider all other pleasing things as Drinking Banqueting Gaming Playing c. as the very stinging of a Scorpion which giveth incredible delight for the present but is by and by turned into tormenting and deadly pangs till the man thus stung perisheth And therefore since sinne is thus hurtfull let it be as hatefull unto us and let us hereafter strive as resolutely against sin as we have formerly served cheerfully under it Let us hate all sins of all suits and keep our selves from all spot of sin 1 Thes 5 22. And with St. Paul Abstaine from all appearance of evill Iude ver 23. And with Iude Hate the very garment spotted with the flesh In a word Let us avoyd all sins and have nothing to doe with these filthy inmates that are dayly plotting and contriving to set the whole tenement on fire and are good for nothing but to bring rottennesse into our bones and bowels And let us not defer to turn from sin nor delay till the Morning but take warning by the foolish Virgins for to morrow for ought we know may be the midnight of Christs call when if we be found wallowing in the mire of our sins and stinking puddles of our iniquities how can we hope or expect to be taken as associates to so glorious a Bridegroom And thus having found the cause of our sufferings to be in our selves let us lament for our sins that have brought upon us a burthen so heavy the onely way to re-infavour us again with our justly offended God And for that purpose I shall endeavour my selfe to the utmost of my skill to clothe every one of you with a livery of sorrow which is the next in the Text the assembly called must be solemne Call an assembly First part of the method or order Ierusalem the largest map of misery that ever eye beheld having been often threatned often battered and her visitation growing neerer and greater then before Salem being to become a tributary City Lam. 1.4 Jerusalem a solitary widow the wayes of Sion to mourne her streets to be empty her gates desolate her feasts unfrequented her Priests to sigh and her Virgins to be afflicted she her selfe the object of this sight and subject of this sorrow Lam. 1.2 to weep day and night and the tears to run down her cheeks continually her plagues growing mighty because her sins were waxen many many committing them few mourning for them Ezek. 9.2.5.6 The Lord now sendeth six to destroy this City commanding them to spare none nor take no pitty but to destroy young and old Maids Children and Women yet to touch none that had the Marke and what this marke is you may see in the fourth verse Sighing sobbing
But perhaps some will say What needs all this adoe what needs this sad behaviour or solemne Assembly Doth not God sea the heart and if our bearts can but bleed in sorrow for sin What need our eyes weep our tongues lament our countenances be sad or our whole behaviour solemne Ans The reason is though I might give you severall yet being in hast take this one for all as the maine Because the Lord our God is Lord as well of Body as of Soule and as well of Soule as of Body And therefore in performing any service unto him he expects-both in his Service and Worship as in Prayer our Knees must be bended to him in signe of our humility our Eyes our Hands our Hearts and all must be listed up unto him in signe of our confidence So in lamenting our sins Let our Eyes weep our Breasts sigh our Tongues complain our whole Body faint and our Soule languish see Mary weeping Peter weeping and Jeremy never making an end of weeping for the sins of his people Besides these outward circumstanees doe most lively expresse our inward sorrows Down down then with all the signes and sales of Vanity and in true sorrow and humility humble your selves before God and cry unto the Lord saying praying Enter not O Lord into judgement with thy servants for in thy sight no flesh shall be justified Keep us O God from the cursed custome of sinning and from the direfull executioners of vengeance especially from the Sword Good Lord deliver us Call a solemne Assembly It was an ordinary custome in any common calamity to rent their garments put on sackcloth and mourne in ashes When the Israelites found want of the favour of God they put off their wonted Garments as in Genesis in Amos in Iob in Ionah may be found But not to stay at all upon the renting of garments and cloathing with sackeloth nor to dwell any longer upon sad behaviours heavy countenances or solemne Assemblies I le onely wish you observe how that the sorrow and sadnesse of spirit draws the Body and all the abiliments of the Body into the participation and manifestation of griefe and indeed how is it possible that our countenance should testifie gladnesse when our hearts are heavy And though I grant that it is not needfull now to use such shadows in the light of the Gospel which hath brought us greater liberty So that whensoever you reade or heare of Isay 22.12 Weeping Mourning Baldnesse or girding with Sackcloth repentance by these signes are but thereby noted out unto us for Repentance neither consists in sackcloth nor ashes nor in any externall thing but onely in the heart Those who doe in good earnest Repent and are displeased with themselves they hate their sins and are touched to the quick with such a sense and feeling of sorrow that they abhor and detest themselves and their life past and by these outward signes they give testimony of their inward sorrow so that humbling themselves before God they therewithall shew testimony of that displeasure they had conceived in themselves before men so that indeed the signes alone are nothing and the Ceremonies are indifferent neither have we any Commandement to put on sackcloth or to pluck off our haire but the occasion of this Discourse and naming of these Signes and Ceremonies is That I might the better prevaile with you all willingly and in good earnest to put the truth of these signes in practice namely to have an unsaigned displeasure with your selves that you have so displeased your God confesse your sins your rebellions your offences and that with a broken heart and sorrowfull soule with an intent to leade a new life and hereafter as resolutely to strive against sin as we have formerly served cheerfully under it for if we judge not our selves worthy of punishment we cannot come into favour with God And therefore as the poor Malefactor bows down his face and cloaths himselfe in vile and base rayment to move the heart of the Judge so ought we to run in all humility to Gods mercy in our Lord Jesus Christ with unfaigned testimonies of our inward Repentance for conversion begins at the heart So the Prophet Joel Rent your hearts and not your garments And therefore to leave the signes to passe by the ceremonies and close up all in our mourning weeds our heavy countenances sad behaviours and solemne assemblies let us be sure to cloath mourning minds and truely sorrowfull soules Augustine is said to weep a shower of teares Ambrose a flood of tears And I am sure Jeremy wisht for a Fountain of tears Certain it is that none of us can condole so much as we ought for our sins are many and Gods plagues are mighty and therefore a deluge of tears were little enough to bear the Ark of our sorrow for our sins I have thus far brought you sorrowing towards this deluge this sea this fountaine of sorrow let us still follow on with paces of lamentation and sorrowfull remembrances of our sins which have forced the Lord to his Armoury and to put on the garments of Vengeance against us And for that purpose I shall endeavour to robe your selves with mourning garments and cloath them with the inward sackcloth of sorrow that your hearts thus rent and torne to pieces with godly griefe you may cry more earnestly to the God of mercy to spare this Land and not adde to our afflictions least those that have evill will at our English Sion rejoyce and triumph at our present miseries Souls sorrow outward griefe The word Solemne shews that our outward sorrow should testifie our inward griefe so that that which went before was but the Signe we now come to the Truth For our part we pronounce not renting of cloaths onely without the putting on of other robes not so much wishing you to put on sackcloth as to put on Christ Indâ—iâ—e is the voyce of Scripture not Scindite Put on not Rent off the Originall being from that of St. Paul Put on the Lord Iesus Christ which will be the better performed if you please to acquaint your selves with this inward mourning not Scindite Vestimenta but Scindite Corda Rent not your cloathes but rent your hearts And it was not without much reason that Solomon gives councell To goe to the house of mourning Est enim illie benedictio there is performed that blessing which Christ promiseth Mat. 5.4 A blessing is promised no where to mirth but to Mourning our Saviour hath annexed this reward And surely the keeping under of the soule is much available to all religious and devout offices and I am sure there ought to be sorrow in every soul The whole course of our Saviours life was spent in solitary sorrow and doubtlesse the cause of his sufferings being in us our Sins we had need all the dayes of our Pilgrimage lament for our sins that brought upon our Iesus a burthen so heavy insomuch that not
Ieremy onely but all Man-kind may Write lamentations So that Non finire sed semper reservare lachrymas debemus We had need never make an end of mourning never end our sorrows for Sin intermit them we may but stilâ— let us keep our acquaintance with them That of Hierome 〈◊〉 confesse is true Detestandae sunt illae lachrymae quae non habeâ—â— modum Mourning without measure is a Hell upon Earth Yet again Detestandi sunt qui carent lachrymis they are to be detested that have no measure of this heavenly Manna but happy were we if we could for ever continue our mourning for Sinne and for the abominations of the Land God hath already given us the cup of his wrath to drink off and we have tasted deeply of the cup of his displeasure we have seen affliction in the rod of indignation this Land hath presented us with sad spactacles whole heaps of slain O how should the remembrance of our late sufferings set open again the Fountains and Floodgates of sorrow that rivers of tears might flow from our pensive hearts And if the Lord shall again be incensed by reason of our sins which are as many and great as ever what can we expect but having already begun to taste of the bitter cup of his wrath and displeasure he will force us the next time to drink it down to the dregs But since that groans and sorrow for Sin is the onely way to appease Gods wrath being far better to deale with him by tears then by words and seeing there is no sorrow to that of the soule though the eyes of the body should wax blind with weeping Let us shower down rivers of tears let us plentifully water our cheeks with tears and sigh and sob and weep and howle and cry unto the Lord to spare us from the Sword and let this our lamentation and mourning be coram not clam not onely privately but openly especially upon our Fast dayes or dayes of Humiliation for as solemnity expects it so antiquity prescribes it the Assembly called must be solemne Call a solemne Assembly Obj. But perhaps some will say God expects not this inward and outward sorrow in his service this heart-breaking and body-fainting our eyes weeping and our souls languishing for God wills that we shew our selves glad and cheerfull when we serve him Aaron was sad for the death of his Sonnes and Moses reprehending him because he had not eaten that day of the Sacriifice he told him Levit. 10.19.20 Quomodo potui comedere aut placere Deo in ceremoniis mente lugubri How could I eat or please God in the ceremonies with a mourufull mind and the text saith that Moses rested satisfied The Starrs being called by their Creator to give their light they are said to doe it Cum judicate with delight or cheerfully When we serve the Lord we are bidden to serve him with alacrity Mat. 6.17 When we fast the Word bids us Anoynt our heads that we seem not to men to fast Unge Caput tunm But the fast here enjoyned and the Assembly called must be solemne How stands this together the Scripture bids us both be merry and mourn in the Service of God Ans The answer may well be this That all our felicity consisting in sorrow for sinne we may very well be merry to see our selves sad Green Wood being put upon the Fire both weeps and burns a deep Valley is cleare on the one side and cloudy on the other and mans breast is sad in one part and joyfull in another 〈…〉 7. 〈…〉 St. Paul specifies two sorts of sorrow one which grows from God the other from the World that gives life this death And furely that soule that sorrows for his Sins gives glory unto God It was commanded in Leviticus that they should celebrate with great solemnity a day of expiation 〈◊〉 23.27 c. Et affligetis animas vestras and ye shall afflict your soules It seems not to sound well that men should make a great Feast with afflicting their soules but for Gods Friend no Feast ought to be accounted so great as to offer unto him a sorrowfull and a contrite heart for as there is nothing more sad then Sin so is there nothing so cheerfull as to bewayle it All our dishonest actions are but carnests layd down for griefe for Vice is ever an infallible forerunner of wretchednesse and all our unwarrantable aberrations end at last either in anguish or confusion for Sin on the best condition brings but sorrow with it and for Sinne without sorrow is provided Hell Then down to your Knees and desire of God that he would give you a tast of the sweetnesse of tears and your soules once tasting the sweetnesse of tears will not leave them for a world for tears are the delight of a penitent and there is no true joy but in sorrow for Sin So that all our felicity consisting in sorrow for our sins we may very well be merry to see our selves sad and if our sorrow cannot move men to godlinesse yet it is forcible to move God to mercy The broken heart for griefe of sinne and love of righteousnesse however the world despise it the Lord will not despise it yea it is the sacrifice of God acceptable to him in Christ Jesus Therefore saith one August Lachrymae sunt cordis sanguis Tears are the hearts blood And Lachrymarum preces utiliores sunt quam sermonum The prayers of teares are far more profitable then those of words Saint Chrysostome sayes That our sins are set downe in the table-book of Gods memory but teares are the spunge which blot them out againe In a word those teares that slow from a broken heart are that salt brine that will eure your wounds cheere your souls ease your consciences and please your God they take away all raw humors and make us savoury meat for the Lord nay more they subdue the Invincible and binds the Omnipotent so St. Hierome Oratio Deum leuit lachryma cogit who would not then mourn for sin and grieve because they cannot grieve enough and be earnest with God in St. Augustins expression Domine da mihi gratiam lachrymarum Lord give me the grace of tears Then weep for your selves and weep for others weep for the sins of the times for the abominations of the Land and cry unto the Lord. The text I took up for your use of purpose in these sad times and God grant it may be as profitable unto you as I 'me sure its fit for these sorrowfull seasons and though I wish no end to your mourning yet having led you thus far sorrowing for your sins and the sins of the times let us look back a little upon the Fast enjoyned which having done I shall again take you by the hand and leade you into the house of mourning the place appointed the House of the Lord your God and so goe along by the banks of Babylon to
God for mercy may not yet enter into his Eates For this reason Let us cry unto the Lord. And as we must thus imitate their behaviour in misery so the next is their Remedy which likewise muâ—â— be ours They cast their burthen upon the Lord knowing full well that he was able to help them being the Lord and as willing as able because their God In treating of which the utmost of my intent shall be to divide such shares of sorrow among you as that your very soules may be even cut asunder wâ—thin you being indeed your onely remedy in trouble and the onely way to appease your angry God for the broken and contrite heart he will not dispise And therefore let us sigh and weep and cry unto the Lord. As the cause of this Peoples misery was Famine so their case in regard of any Earthly succour that could be expected was helplesse and remedilesse For the Heavens were become as Brasse and the Earth as Iron unto them the Lord their God who comprehends all in his Fist had withheld from them the bottles of Heaven and stopped the spouts of Raine now being ready to dye with hunger they mingle their Bread with weeping seeking to relieve themselves by tears and groans And cry unto the Lord. Hence the Point is this Obs That godly sorrow and holy affliction is the best remedy in any sorrow and affliction whether it be from Men from Sathan or from God himselfe whether it be in Body Estate Name Mind or soule of a Man whether it be on particular Persons or on our Selves or on our Friends or those that are about us or on the whole Land as on Church or Common wealth This is the most soveraigne Remedy in all distresse and extremity whatsoever this inward godly griefe is a salve for every sore and a playster for every wound To Weep and Cry and poure out our Hearts before God is the course that this people here took and that which we must take in the like or any other ealamity and according to the measure of the affliction and as it is more publick or private so must be the measure of our lamentation To this there is a promise made in Isaiah Isa 61.1.2.3 That when our Hands cannot help our selves nor our Tongues prevaile with others yet then we may relieve our selves by our Prayers unto God for in that place the Lord undertaketh that Mourners shall be comforted And there is great cause why God should so deale with such kind of Persons For first He is full of pitty and compassion and therefore the Prophet Joel bids us Joel 2.13 Rent our Hearts and not our Garments that is bring inward sorrow that may crush and breake the Heart and then turne unto the Lord which if we doe we shall be sure of reliefe because the Lord is mercifull saith he and our God is ready to forgive When we see our Children weeping mourning and consessing their faults we cannot but have our bowels of compassion carning towards them what shall we then thinke of God He is our Father we are his Children and be is farre more mercifull then we can be for he hath no other bowels then the bowels of compassion and therefore when we Mourne in an holy manner certainly he will arise and have mercy upon us he cannot slay when he sees our Eyes full of Teares and our Hearts full of sorrow for the sighs and groanes of his people will not let him have rest in Heaven Secondly This godly mourning must needs be a speciall remedy in all manner of afflictions because it makes our Prayers very forcible it sets an edge upon our Petitions and makes us pray heartily servently and strongly When Jacob wept in his Prayer Hos 12 4. it was so effectuall that he prevayled When Gods people joyned together to poure forth buckets full of Teares drawne from the bottome of their Hearts before the Lord 1 Sam 7.6 they were marvellously helped for the great measure of their Teares made their supplication more servent And therefore when our Saviour was about the principall point of his Mediatorship then did he gather strength unto himselfe by this means He did offer up Prayers with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death Heb. 5.7 Thirdly This godly sorrow must needs be very effectuall because it is exceeding forcible against sin for when sorrow comes into the Heart sin goes out it will not lodge there unlesse it be cockered and much made of When every one laments his iniquity and mourns over Christ Jesus whom by his sinnes he hath pierced then there is a Fountaine opened to wash us all from our sins that have made a wicked separation betwixt us and our God And seeing then that this godly sorrow is a means to make God pitty us and to make us call earnestly upon him and to expell sin which might hinder us from prevayling with him it must needs follow That of all remedies in time of distresse this is the best and surest Since sorrow is our onely safery and the best and surest remedy in distresse Let us a little reflect upon our selves and miseries and apply this soveraigne Balme to all our wounds There are many afflictions abroad at Sea Ships taken Merchants spoyled goods seized Marriners imprisoned many at home in our Townes nay in our owne Families as losses erosses sicknesses diseases parting with friends discontents nay there are many things amisse in our owne Hearts and here is medicine for every one of our maladies Let us then get it and use it and all arguments and helps that may continue and increase it Thus the Ninevites when Jonah threatned distruction against their City within forty dayes they humbled and abased themselves and fell to mourning and used Fasting to help it forward and to further them to this remorse and griefe for their great and hainous transgressions they had grieved the Lord by their iniquities and therefore now they would grieve themselves with contrition for them and neglect no means to further them in the worke of humiliation Jonah 3.5 6 7 8. They Proclaime a Fast they put on Sackcloth from the greatest to the least they neither eat nor drinke they cry mightily unto God and every man turnes from his evill way and from the wickednesse that is in their hands And when God saw that they turned from their evill wayes than God repented of the evill that he said he would doe unto them and he did it not And since we of this Nation have seen and felt affliction and justly may feare danger to be neer us still let us betake our selves to this mourning if we refuse to doe it and shall continue to be hard-hearted suppose the devouring bloud-letting Sword should come againe into our Land suppose the Plague like a loaden spunge should come flying through our Townes and Countries sprinkling poyson wheresoever she comes suppose pale meager
want nothing that is good Againe he hath promised Psal 50.15 That if we call upon him in the day of trouble he will not onely heare but deliver And who ever did so and found not according to his expectation Then why should not we rest upon his promise hath the Mouth of the Lord spoken it and shall he not doe it for take away his Truth and take away his God head What then though in these hard times our money is gone our goods gone our lands and possessions gone our liberty gone our Friends gone and all our outward slayes be gone But is Gods truth gone Hath he not promised to provide for us when we are poor as well as when we are rich when we are in sicknesse as well as when we are in health Hath not he said Heb. 13.5 I will not leave thee nor forsake thee Did not he provide for us in our Infancy and shall we not trust him in our Age Let every man in all trouble and distresse confidently and humbly say Heb. 13.6 The Lord is my helper I will not feare what Man can doe unto me We have his promise to heare and help and not to leave and forsake but to deliver when we call upon him And since his promise is passed he will performe it for he is abundant in truth And therefore let us cry unto the Lord. 7. But the poor sin burthened soule may perhaps still say What though the Lord be abundant in truth and never promiseth but doth performe What 's all this to me whose soule must needs be loathsome unto him being all spotted with sin wallowing in the puddle of iniquity and that with consent and delight to For this goe look upon Mary Magdalen Luke 7. and others whose soules thou shalt find as filthy and loathsome as thine but when once they fell to bathe and wash them in the River of Repentance and to swell and rinse them in a Iordan of sorrow then see how God dealt with them and be not dismayed though thy sins be of the deepest tincture for there is mercy in store for thee And so he himselfe tells thee in the next place That he is a God reserving mercy for thousands giving us to understand thereby that he hath Flouds of mercy for all that stand in need of it Never went any to God for mercy but he found mercy if he sought in Faith as God bids him for he hath mercy in store for thousands With Earthly Kings he that coms not first speeds worst but it is not so with the King of Heaven he hath sufficient for those that come to him last as well as for those that come to him first his Fountain is never dry the well-spring of his mercy continually Flowes he can comfort thousands as well as one person and yet his store not be lessened one whit Surely there are many thousands in Heaven that were once as bad as we are and yet now they are in a Paradise of rest they are now gone from misery to mercy from a wretched life to a far better being and quite out of the reach of all sin and sorrow Then who would not come to such a Physitian as hath wrought so perfect a cure upon so many and that of free cost and never suffered any one to miscarry that was willing to be his Patient Men did lye at the Poole of Bethesda many Yeares expecting to be healed we need not lye so long at the gates of Heaven for the outing of our soules but we are sure to be perfectly helped when we are truely humbled and fitted for help And therefore let not our sins discourage us seeing there is mercy in store our God being a God reserving mercy for thousands nor hinder us from comming to that God of mercy whose mercy knows no limits And cry unto the Lord. 8. But still the poor afflicted soule over-laden with sin perhaps may say I know that God is a God of mercy and hath mercy in store for thousands But alas my sins sinke me my miseries doe not so much trouble me as my sins which are many and grievous and sins of the largest magnitude and of long continuance With what face then or hopes dare I come and cry unto the Lord For that courage Christian thou whose soule is thus wounded with sin for hadst thou all the sins and sores that might be thou needest not be disheartned from comming unto the Lord seeing he himselfe tells thee in the next place that he is a God forgiving iniquity transgression and sin and if he should not shew himselfe to be such a God towards the militant Church he should lose both his name and his people at once but he pardons all these kinds of sin he pardons iniquity that is originall sin and the perversnesse of our nature that cleaves so fast unto us he pardons transgression that is sins of rebellion and presumption and he pardons sin that is sins of custome and such as are grown to an habit and if any one be weary of this burthen God will give him a speedy dispatch the heavy laden if they come unto him le will ease them And this a man may boldly claime at Gods hand and intreat him to be God for that he could not be unlesse he should performe this for us And therefore though nothing trouble thee so much as thy sins and though they be never so many great and grievous and of long continuance nay though thou wert more leprous then Gehezi more uncleane then Magdaleue and more blind in soule then ever Bartimcus was in body yet courage sinner and remember that thy God is a God forgiving iniquity transgression and sin and therefore down on thy Knees and sall to thy Prayers And cry unto the Lord. 9. But for all this that hath been said of Gods goodnesse towards his chosen the poor afflicted soule may perhaps object as unbeliefe is full of objections and say Alas we see how wicked men prosper hold up their heads and flourish in the world they have their Barues full and Cubbords full and Chests full and all things goe with them according to their hearts desire whereas Gods Children sinke and are trampled under foot the Righteous are wrouged and the Church over-run by the ungodly of the World Nay saith God in the next place let not that trouble nor dishearten thee For I am a God that holds not the wicked innocent let them take their swing and make havock for a time God may spare them long yet will visit them at the last Nahum 1.2.3 For God is jealous and the Lord revengeth even the Lord of anger the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries and he reserveth wrath for his enemies The Lord is slow to anger but he is great in power and will not surely cleare the wicked Hab. 1.12 And as Habakkuk saith He hath ordained them for judgement and established them for correction Whereas those
that are his he corrects but for a time but his anger never asswageth towards the reprobate though for a long time he deferre And therefore grudge not to see the wicked flourish like a green Bay-tree for a time passe but by a little and upon your return his place will not be found for God holds not the wicked innocent But for you though you be afflicted here you shall be comforted hereafter for through many afflictions we must enter into the Kingdome of Heaven This is the Kings high-way to happinesse and there is not a Saint in Heaven but hath led this way and beaten this path before us For Stones cannot be squared for Pallaceworke without the stroke of the Hammar and we must be content to endure the stroaks of Gods Hammar of afflictions that we may be polished and squared and made lively Stones fit to be layd in the Heavenly Jerusalem What matters it then to see Dives here flant it in Purple and fare deliciously every day when at last he must be tormented in flames while hunger-starved Lazarus though afflicted here yet his comfort is hereafter and is transported from the Porch of a Tyrant to the Bosome of Abraham Besides though God useth many wayes to bring us home unto him yet none more then affliction It was Hunger that drove the Prodigall home to his Father And surely nothing so opens the Eyes of the soule as misery and trouble O how correction opens those Eyes which prosperity kept shut O how often doth the paining of the Body work the saving of the Soule O how often doe missortunes like the Rungs in Jacobs Ladder serve to mount out soules up to Heaven Let God then wound us so he will but heale us let him strik our Bodies with sicknesse with sores with restraint so he will but with these wounds heale out Soules Let come what will come so it but chase us to God drive us home to his House end in Prayer and make us cry unto the Lord. 10. But still the afflicted soule goeth on and sayeth Though God tell us that he holds not the wicked iunocent and will not surely cleare them but ordains them for judgement and reserves them for correction yet we dayly see that they doe not onely flourish here in this world but goe to their graves in peace and are not to any outward appearance in trouble like other men Well saith God in the tenth or last place Say they doe yet will I meet with them in their Children and punish their sins in their posterity Visiting the iniquities of the Fathers upon the Children and upon their Childrens Children unto the third and fourth Generation they shall be sure to tast of the bitter Cup of Gods wrath here as their Fathers doe in Hell Thus if this name of God in these ten severall properties were but rightly understood and applyed were it but as oyntment poured out and spread upon our hearts there is nothing in distresse nothing in trouble nothing in misery could hinder us from crying to the Lord considering he is strong mereifull gracious abundant in goodnesse and truth and forgiving iniquity transgression and sin c. But without any further enlargement upon these proparties in their severall particulars I will onely clap them altogether and make Application and so hasten you again to the House of Mourning to cry unto the Lord. Is the Lord thus strong and mercifull and gracious c. then why should a Christian trouble himselfe at any thing that befals him here Hath he crafty enemies let him goe cry to the Lord for direction his wisedome is infinitely beyond their policy Hath he strong enemies let him goe cry to the Lord he is mightier and stronger then they all In a word hath he any outward affliction or inward corruption that doth annoy or trouble him let him goe cry to the Lord and have recourse to his God and there he shall find remedy for all nay whatsoever mans ease be if he hut seek the Lord he shall have help Psal 145.18.19 So sayes that Princely Prophet God is neer to all that call upon him yea to all that call upon him in truth He will fulfill the desire of them that feare him he also will heare their cry and will save them And though their hearts be so oppressed that they can utter no words that 's no matter God will have respect to their very desires and surely their teares speak highest and their sighs cry loudest in the Ears of God Let us then groane for a broken heart and sigh and fob and weep and cry Cry unto the Lord. Thus having done with this peoples behaviour in the time of Famine and likewise with the Remedy they used they east their burthen upon the Lord as also with the Motives inducing them thereunto because he is able being the Lord and willing because their God Let us now close up all in our mourning garments and robing our soules with the inward sackcloth of sorrow not onely Pray but Weep nor Weep alone but Cry Cry unto the Lord. From whence the Point is this They who would not have God to shut his eares against their Prayers must be sure that they not onely Pray but Cry and that their Petitions proceed from a broken heart and an humble spirit For till the heart be even pulled in pieces by godly sorrow and rent in sunder with godly griefe sin and lust will not out and then there can be no acceptance looked for from God either of us or of our services The sacrifice of God saith David Psal 51.17 is a sorrowfull spirit a broken and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise Mar. 7.35 And therefore did Christ groane in his Spirit when he Prayed for that poor man in the Gospel So did Hannah sigh and weep sore 1 Sam. 1.15 and poured out her soule before God And there is good reason to move us to labour thus to be inwardly touched for till we have a sense and feeling of our wants we may well speak but we can never Pray till the heart be pained with sin its impossible it should be fervent for the pardon of it He that hath no feeling of poverty cannot earnestly intreat for a supply of his necessities He that hath no feeling of his sicknesse can never be an instant suiter for the means of health So he that hath no feeling of his spirituall poverty can never covetously hunt after those true treasures which onely enrich his soule to all eternity And he that hath no sense of his sin-sick soule can never seek to that true Physitian who onely can apply Physicke to his bleeding heart and sin-sick burthened soule This serves for the reproofe of those that come with drowsie verball Prayers those that come with words of course to intreat God to pardon their sins and strengthen their Faith but never poure out their soules before God but onely spend a little breath and they